United States Court of Appeals, Eleventh Circuit. MULTIQUIMICA DOMINICANA, S.A., a Dominican Republic Corporation, Plaintiff - Appellee v. CHEMO INTERNATIONAL, INC., a Florida corporation, Defendant - Appellant. No. 16-16784 Decided: September 01, 2017

Before ROSENBAUM, JULIE CARNES, and JILL PRYOR, Circuit Judges.

I.

This appeal comes before us on the issue of whether the district court committed clear error when it found that Defendant-Appellant Chemo International, Inc. (Chemo), waived its right to collect underpaid commissions owed to it by Plaintiff-Appellee Multiquimica Dominicana, S.A. (Multiquimica).

Multiquimica, a Dominican Republic manufacturer of paint resins and emulsions, and Chemo, a Florida corporation, successfully did business together for many years beginning in 1995. During this time, Chemo held two roles. First, Chemo purchased various raw materials from Multiquimica. In this capacity, Chemo would submit a purchase order and was then required to pay for the goods delivered. Second, Chemo acted as a distributor for Multiquimica. Chemo acquired customers to purchase Multiquimica's products and for each of its sales on behalf of Multiquimica, Chemo earned a commission.

Eventually, the relationship deteriorated, and in 2013, Multiquimica filed a lawsuit against Chemo. Multiquimica claimed Chemo owed it $403,786.80 for various unpaid goods. Chemo did not file a counterclaim, but in its Answer, Chemo asserted the affirmative defense of offset. In this regard, Chemo claimed that Multiquimica owed it money from both unpaid and underpaid commissions, beginning in 2005 until the end of the parties' relationship in 2010. Accordingly, Chemo sought to offset the amount owed it in commissions against the $403,786.80 Multiquimica claimed it was due.

Because the parties were unable to settle their disputes, the case proceeded to a three-day bench trial. At trial, Multiquimica responded to Chemo's defense of offset by asserting that Chemo had waived its right to the underpaid commissions. According to Multiquimica, Chemo cashed the underpaid checks without objection. And it was not until years later that Chemo complained about the underpayments. In the meantime, Chemo continued to work on behalf of Multiquimica for years. Based on these circumstances, Multiquimica claimed Chemo waived its right to the balance of the commissions.

Following trial, the district court entered its Findings of Fact and Conclusions of Law. The district court concluded that Chemo had breached its contract with Multiquimica and owed it $403,786.80 for unpaid goods. As to Chemo's claim for unpaid commissions, the district court found that Multiquimica owed Chemo $284,495.37. But as to the underpaid commissions, the district court found in favor of Multiquimica. The district court concluded that Chemo had waived its right to full payment when it accepted Multiquimica's checks without complaint. In the end, the district court concluded that Multiquimica was entitled to judgment on its breach-of-contract claim in the amount of $403,786.80, and Chemo was entitled to an offset for unpaid commissions in the amount of $284,495.37.

Chemo appeals only the district court's finding of waiver with respect to the underpaid commissions. After careful consideration, we affirm.

II.

Following a bench trial, we review the district court's findings of fact for clear error and its conclusions of law de novo. Proudfoot Consulting Co. v. Gordon, 576 F.3d 1223, 1230 (11th Cir. 2009) (citation omitted). A factual finding is clearly erroneous when although there is evidence to support it, the reviewing court on the entire evidence is left with the definite and firm conviction that a mistake has been committed. Id. (citations omitted). If the district court's factual determination of the evidence is plausible in light of the record, we may not reverse that finding even if we would have weighed the evidence differently. Anderson v. City of Bessemer, 470 U.S. 564, 574 (1985). So where two permissible views of the evidence can exist, a factfinder's choice between them cannot be clearly erroneous. Id.; Fla. Int'l Univ. Bd. of Trs. v. Fla. Nat'l Univ., Inc., 830 F.3d 1242, 1255 (11th Cir. 2016).

This case came before the district court on the basis of the court's diversity jurisdiction. As acknowledged by the district court and the parties, the waiver issue presented here is governed by Florida law. See Air Prods. and Chems., Inc. v. La. Land and Expl. Co., 867 F.2d 1376, 1379 (11th Cir. 1989).

III.

We first note that under Florida law, waiver is an issue of fact. See MDS (Canada) Inc. v. Rad Source Techs., Inc., 720 F.3d 833, 851 (11th Cir. 2013) (citing Rutig v. Lake Jem Land Co., 20 So. 2d 498 (Fla. 1945) (The question of waiver is usually one of fact for consideration by a trial jury on issues properly defined.); see also Leonardo v. State Farm Fire and Cas. Co., 675 So. 2d 176, 178-79 (Fla. Dist. Ct. App. 1996) (waiver is an issue that should be resolved on a case-by-case basis, by the trier of fact). Rulings relating to waiver also involve equitable principles. MDS, 720 F.3d at 853. A trial judge's finding on the issue of waiver will be reversed only if no competent, substantial evidence supports it. See Bolin v. State, 793 So. 2d 894, 897 (Fla. 2001) (citing Hill v. Ray Carter Auto Sales, Inc., 745 So. 2d 1136, 1138 (Fla. Dist. Ct. App. 1999)).

Florida law defines waiver as the voluntary and intentional relinquishment of a known right or conduct which implies the voluntary and intentional relinquishment of a known right. Raymond James Fin. Servs., Inc. v. Saldukas, 896 So. 2d 707, 711 (Fla. 2005) (citation omitted). To establish waiver, a party must show (1) the existence at the time of the alleged waiver of a right, privilege, advantage, or benefit which may be waived; (2) the actual or constructive knowledge of that right; and (3) the intention to relinquish that right. Goodwin v. Blu Murray Ins. Agency, Inc., 939 So. 2d 1098, 1104 (Fla. Dist. Ct. App. 2006); see also Air Prods. and Chems., Inc., 867 F.2d at 1379.

Florida law recognizes that waiver may be express or implied by conduct. Id. But in order for waiver to be implied by conduct, the acts, conduct, or circumstances must make out a clear case. See Goodwin, 939 So. 2d at 1104 (citing Fireman's Fund Ins. Co. v. Vogel, 195 So. 2d 20, 24 (Fla. Dist. Ct. App. 1967)); MDS, 720 F.3d at 852 (citation omitted). Further, Florida courts have recognized that waiver does not arise merely from forbearance for a reasonable time. See Fireman's Fund, 195 So. 2d at 24. Waiver is an affirmative defense, so the party invoking the defense has the burden of proof. Goodwin, 939 So. 2d at 1104 (citation omitted). We determine whether waiver is established by examining only the actions and intent of the party charged with waiver, and not the party asserting the defense. Air Prods. and Chems., Inc., 867 F.2d at 1379 (citation omitted).

Here, Multiquimica invoked the affirmative defense of waiver, so it had the burden of proof to establish the defense. With respect to underpaid commissions, the district court determined that Chemo had waived its claim. Accordingly, the district court concluded that Chemo did not have a valid claim for offset for any underpaid commissions. In support of its ruling, and having had the benefit of hearing testimony during a three-day trial, the district court made a factual finding that throughout their relationship, Multiquimica paid commissions to Chemo and Chemo accepted and deposited payment of commissions without disputing the amounts paid at the time it deposited the checks. The district court then determined that Chemo's deposit of commissions without any objection was an acceptance of the commissions and waiver of any dispute regarding the rate. In support of its finding of waiver by Chemo, the district court relied on CB Abrogast v. Bryan, 393 So. 2d 606, 609 (Fla. Dist. Ct. App. 1981), and held, A party cannot accept a commission rate and continue its work only to later complain that the reduction in commission was a breach of contract.

The district court did not abuse its discretion when it found that Chemo waived its claim to underpaid commissions. We therefore affirm. Here, the first two elements of waiver are not at issueChemo had a right to be paid commissions and was fully aware of that right. Rather, the crux of this appeal surrounds the third element of waiverwhether the district court reasonably concluded that Chemo had the intention to relinquish its right to be paid a full commission.

We acknowledge that under Florida law, mere delay is insufficient to support a claim of waiver. See Air Prods. and Chems., Inc., 867 F.2d at 1380 (citing O'Brien v. O'Brien, 424 So. 2d 970, 971 (Fla. Dist. Ct. App. 1983)). Instead, to imply waiver from conduct, Multiquimica must show that Chemo's dilatory behavior amounts to more than just delay. We also acknowledge that waiver does not arise from forbearance for a reasonable time. To be sure, the evidence presented at trial could have been weighed in more than one way. But we find no error in the district court's conclusion because Multiquimica presented competent, substantial evidence that Chemo intended to waive its commissions.

To begin with, Multiquimica set forth evidence tending to show that Chemo continued to perform as if a contract were still intact. Despite the fact that Multiquimica allegedly breached its duty to fully pay Chemo's commissions, Chemo continued to do business with Multiquimica for years after the underpayments began. These actions tend to support a finding of waiver. See Am. Somax Ventures v. Touma, 547 So. 2d 1266, 1268-69 (Fla. Dist. Ct. App. 1989).

Chemo also did not merely delay in lodging its complaint regarding the underpayments. Rather, in addition, it accepted and cashed checks and continued its business relationship with Multiquimica without objection for years. Significantly, the evidence suggests that Chemo did not write Multiquimica to complain about underpayments of commissions until four years after the alleged underpayments began. The first written complaint by Chemo was dated March 2009 and related to shipments made in 2005. Based on this timeline, nearly four years passed between shipment and Chemo's objection.

True, in a different case, we found no waiver where five years passed before the plaintiff complained about underpayments. Air Prods. and Chems., Inc., 867 F.2d at 1379-80. But we did so because unlike here, the circumstances supported a finding of mere delay. This case involves more than mere delay. Instead, affirmative action supports waiverthe acceptance and receipt of checks, and the continuation of a business relationship without objection regarding the amounts paid.

As to Florida precedent, the intermediate courts of appeal have found reasonably timely objections to underpayment when objections were lodged within ten months, see Mercede v. Mercede Park Italian Rest., Inc., 392 So. 2d 997 (Fla. Dist. Ct. App. 1981) (no waiver after ten months of forbearance), but have concluded that waiver occurred where a party accepted a reduced commission for six years before bringing suit. See Colonial Penn Cmtys., Inc. v. Crosley, 443 So. 2d 1030 (Fla. Dist. Ct. App. 1984) (waiver after six years of forbearance); Abrogast, 393 So. 2d at 606 (waiver after failing to object for six years).

Within that range, specific determinations of reasonable forbearance have been left as a question for the factfinder. See Goodwin, 939 So. 2d at 1104. As relevant here, at least one Florida intermediate court has concluded that a party's forbearance for four years presented a question of fact for the jury as to whether waiver had occurred. Id. at 1104. In remanding the case for a factual finding, the Goodwin Court implicitly acknowledged that forbearance for four years could constitute waiver. Id. Because here, Chemo arguably delayed for four years in objecting to the underpayments, we cannot say that the district court clearly erred in finding waiver.

We acknowledge that Chemo contests the timeframe at issue. It contends that because Multiquimica did not make payments for the 2005 shipments until 2007, Chemo actually voiced its objection in less than four years. But even assuming Chemo is correct, that still leaves approximately two years' worth of time that Chemo accepted checks and failed to object to Multiquimica's underpayments. Because Florida law is ambiguous about exactly what timeframe constitutes reasonable forbearance for the purposes of establishing waiver, we must affirm the district court's holding. Even if we were to disagree with the district court's determination that the length of Chemo's forbearance was unreasonable, under Florida law, we cannot say that the district court clearly erred.

In defense of its delay, Chemo asserts that it deposited the commission checks immediately in order to continue functioning as a business. But Chemo's argument cuts both ways. If Chemo was in urgent need of its commissions, that fact only underscores the potential unreasonableness of waiting two to four years to object to the underpayment. We do not suggest that Chemo was required to object contemporaneously to the underpayments to avoid a finding of waiver, but we find no error in the district court's determination that waiver occurred where two to four years had elapsed before Chemo voiced its objection.

IV.

For the foregoing reasons, we affirm the ruling of the district court.

AFFIRMED.

FOOTNOTES

. Chemo's commission rate varied throughout the parties' relationship. Although the commission rate was disputed at trial, the rate is irrelevant for the purposes of this appeal.

. Multiquimica originally sought $436,176.80, but the parties later agreed the amount should be reduced to $403,786.80.

. The claim of unpaid commissions was based on amounts never paid by Multiquimica. In contrast, the claim of underpaid commissions was based on Chemo's allegation that, in certain instances, Multiquimica failed to pay the full commission due.

. Chemo's Answer did not require a response, so Multiquimica was permitted to assert waiver, for the first time, at trial. See Fed. R. Civ. P. 12(b) (If a pleading sets out a claim for relief that does not require a responsive pleading, an opposing party may assert at trial any defense to that claim.).

. The evidence showed Chemo complained about the underpayments in mid-2009. But the underpayments began in 2005, and the record is silent as to Chemo's alleged complaints from 2005 to 2009.

. Florida's choice-of-law rules require contract-performance disputes to be governed by the law of the contract's place of performance. Gov't Emps. Ins. Co. v. Grounds, 332 So. 2d 13, 14-15 (Fla. 1976) (per curiam). The place of performance is where the cause of action was brought, maintained, and defended. See id. at 15.

. While we realize Chemo claims that it made verbal objections prior to this time, the district court was in the best position to make credibility determinations and apparently concluded such objections had not sufficiently been made.

. The district court did not explicitly note the period of time that passed between the underpayment of commissions and Chemo's objection. But the evidence presented during the three-day trial demonstrates a significant delay.

PER CURIAM:
Sep 3, 2017 | By Benedict

Engineers at Zhejiang University's National Key Laboratory of Chemical Engineering have demonstrated a 4D printing process that requires a projector, light-curable resin, and paraffin. The technique has been used to create 3D models of calla lily flowers which appear to bloom after printing.

DLP 3D printing, a process capable of creating high-quality plastic parts, is now commonplace. Using a projector, such 3D printers can cure liquid resin into particular 2D shapes, layer by layer, until a complete 3D object is formed. Now, however, it seems that DLP could be used for 4D printingby curing only a single 2D layer. Sound confusing? It is, but the unusual phenomenon was recently demonstrated at Zhejiang University's National Key Laboratory of Chemical Engineering, whose researchers have published their findings in the international academic journal Advanced Materials.

The term 4D printing is used to mean many different things, but in this case refers to a printed object changing over time (the fourth dimension) after it has been printed. Professor Xie Tao of the Zhejiang University School of Chemical Engineering and Bioengineering explained that the secret behind this 4D printing phenomenon lies in a few seconds of light curing. The light of a DLP-style projector is carefully programmed to provide each pixel of a thin resin layer with a different light-cured structure, with the resin turning into a solid plastic shape as it cures. This is a lot like DLP 3D printing, although the light is not only focused onto the curable resin to make a particular shape, but also to make each pixel react in a certain way with melted paraffinthe secret ingredient for the incredible 4D printing process.

During the process, researcher Huang Limei first puts a few drops of light-curable resin between two pieces of glass, before using a projector to shine light on it. This light carving is achieved through grayscale changes, based on a set of complex mechanical calculations. The material then changes from liquid to solid in just a few seconds, which is like watching a very short micro-film. But more is going on than meets the eye at this point: each pixel of the resin between the two sheets of glass is being altered at the molecular level, laying the foundation for a later transformation that most users of DLP 3D printers will never have witnessed.

After the precise sunbathing under the light of the projector, Huang takes the resin-filled glass panels out, revealing that the resin has become a flat membrane. This membrane is then placed in gel-like melted paraffin, where the magic starts to happen. Because the molecular structure of each pixel is different, the amount of paraffin that each pixel sucks in is different. This differentiation across the flat membrane makes the entire piece of material begin to twist slowly as the paraffin is absorbed. In less than three minutes, the 2D membrane has transformed into a 3D replica of a calla lily.

According to Xie, different light-curable materials can be combined in different ways, as certain materials can be used to form different shapes. The professor also believes that the 4D printing process could replace existing 3D printing technology in certain areas. Its biggest advantage is its speed, Xie said. The whole process of preparing multi-dimensional materials is about one-tenth the time needed for 3D printing the same materials.

According to the Chinese engineers, researchers can easily turn 3D printed objects into four-dimensional ones that change shape over time by choosing the right materials and processes, employing technology that is also known as rapid multi-dimensional manufacturing. Xie believes that the groups research will remind people that layer-by-layer printing is not the only way to obtain multi-dimensional structures.

While the 4D printing of calla lilies is visually impressive, the process could have much more practical applications too: Xie and the researchers believe that the 4D printing process could be used to cure eye problems such as myopia and hyperopia, with a technique similar to the flower-making one used to alter the curvature of the eye, returning it to a normal state. This sort of application of 4D printing would, however, not be ready to use until some time in the future.

DLP 4D printing could also be used to create jewelry. For example, the 4D printed calla lily models could be used as molds, with liquid metal then poured into the molds to create cast pieces. Once the liquid metal has cooled, the jeweler would be left with a metal calla lily. Xie claims that the ultra-fast multi-dimensional manufacturing method could be used to improve the lost wax process used by jewelers, greatly increasing the efficiency of jewelry production.

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Katie Gilbert in Oxford American magazine:

Chokwe Lumumba had been the mayor of Jackson, Mississippi, for five months when, in November 2013, he stood behind a lectern and addressed a group of out-of-towners with a curious phrase he would soon explain with a story: Good afternoon, everybody, and free the land!

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United States Court of Appeals, Second Circuit. AISHA ELSTON, Plaintiff-Appellant, v. ALAN VENGERSKY, CITY OF NEW YORK,2 Defendants-Appellees. 16-1378-cv Decided: September 01, 2017

Present: ROSEMARY S. POOLER, GERARD E. LYNCH, Circuit Judges. PAUL A. ENGELMAYER,1 District Judge. Appearing for Appellant: Aisha Elston, pro se, Bronx, N.Y. Appearing for Appellee: Jeremy W. Shweder, Assistant Corporation Counsel (Deborah A. Brenner, Assistant Corporation Counsel, on the brief), for Zachary W. Carter, Corporation Counsel of the City of New York, New York, N.Y.

ON CONSIDERATION WHEREOF, IT IS HEREBY ORDERED, ADJUDGED, AND DECREED that the judgment of said District Court be and it hereby is AFFIRMED.

Aisha Elston appeals from the March 29, 2016 judgment of the United States District Court for the Eastern District of New York (Amon, J.), dismissing her complaint brought pursuant to 42 U.S.C.  1983. Elston sued the City of New York and former deputy commissioner of the New York City Department of Corrections (DOC) Alan Vengersky, asserting that she had been fired from her position as a DOC correctional officer, in violation of her right to due process and her contract with the DOC. We assume the parties' familiarity with the underlying facts, procedural history, and specification of issues for review.

We review de novo a district court's grant of summary judgment. Garcia v. Hartford Police Dep't, 706 F.3d 120, 126 (2d Cir. 2013). Upon review, we conclude that the district court properly granted summary judgment to the defendants. Although Elston was a tenured employee, who had a protected interest in her continued employment, she knowingly and voluntarily waived her tenure rights by signing her limited probation agreement with the DOC. See DeMichele v. Greenburgh Cent. Sch. Dist. No. 7, 167 F.3d 784, 789 (2d Cir. 1999); Am. Broad. Cos., Inc. v. Roberts, 61 N.Y.2d 244, 249-50 (1984). Thus, she was not entitled to pre-deprivation hearing and could only challenge her termination though an Article 78 proceeding. See Finley v. Giacobbe, 79 F.3d 1285, 1292-93 (2d Cir. 1996); see also Locurto v. Safir, 264 F.3d 154, 175 (2d Cir. 2001) (determining that an Article 78 proceeding constitutes a wholly adequate post-deprivation hearing for due process purposes, even when the challenged conduct was not random and unauthorized).

We have considered the remainder of Elston's arguments and find them to be without merit. Accordingly, the order of the district court hereby is AFFIRMED. Each side to bear its own costs.

FOR THE COURT:

Catherine O'Hagan Wolfe, Clerk
One wonderful leader and non-controversial minister of BJP government, with a promotion in Prime Minister Narendra Modis cabinet, Nirmala Sitharaman has taken charge of the key defence ministry from Arun Jaitley. Sitharaman is the first independent woman Defence Minister of India. However, former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi was the first woman to hold the portfolio as the additional charge till 1982.

Fifty eight years old, Sitharaman, has served as a Minister of State for Finance and Corporate Affairs under the Ministry of Finance headed by Arun Jaitley and the Minister of Commerce and Industry with independent charge. She is a Rajya Sabha member and represents Karnataka in the Parliament.

Formerly, a member of the National Commission for Women, Sitharaman has an MA degree in Economics from Jawaharlal Nehru University. She also has a PhD in the Indo-European textile trade within the GATT framework and MPhil. She had joined the BJP in 2006 even though her husband Dr Parakala Prabhakar had joined the Prajarajyam party floated by film star Chiranjeevi in 2007. It was during Nitin Gadkaris tenure as BJP President that Nirmala Sitharaman was enlisted as one of the six party spokespersons in March 2010.

In May 2016, she was sworn in as Minister of State (Independent Charge), later in 2017 the post of the Defence Minister fell vacant after Manohar Parrikar joined Goa state politics to become the Chief Minister of the state. Following this, Finance Minister Arun Jaitley took over, rather he proved to be most pitiable minister. The sudden departure of Parrikar to Goa has surprised many. In his 27-month stint at the MoD, Parrikar set the reforms ball rolling on many fronts. While Arun Jaitley, holding additional charge of the Defence Ministry, can be expected to proceed along the course set by his predecessor, it was difficult and hard for him to address the needs of a Ministry as crucial as defence while holding the other equally important portfolio of finance.

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However, at the heart of the new agenda is the Make in India dispensation for defence, bolstered by significant foreign investment and know-how  a shift away from large-scale imports. In this regard, the Defence Procurement Procedure (DPP) policy, released in March 2016, must be taken to its rightful conclusion. Parrikar had set an ambitious target of $2 billion defence exports by 2019, against a mere $330 million at present. He also worked out a formula, although not to the satisfaction of all concerned, to the vexed one-rank-one-pension (OROP) issue, which had been hanging fire for a decade. Indian economy, demonetisation and GST proved to be big flop. One finance minister who has handful of commitments could not do justice with additional portfolio; in such crises India needed a full-time Defence Minister. India has been facing terrorism supported by Pakistan for many decades. In the early 1980s, Pakistan supported a Sikh insurgency in Punjab state. Since 1989 onwards, Pakistan has been accused by India of aiding an insurgency in Kashmir. In recent years, the challenge has been containing terrorism abetted by Pakistan as well as respond to Pakistans violations of a 2003 ceasefire agreement along the India-Pakistan borders.

Another threat has been Indias strategic rival Chinas emergence and its regional and global ambitions. With a long unsettled border, incursions have been common. But a measure of the complexity of the relationship came to the fore during the 73-day military faceoff in Doklam in Bhutan that ended on August 28. It began on June 16 after Indian troops intervened to stop Chinese troops from constructing a road on the Doklam plateau after Bhutanese objections to the incident were ignored by the Chinese. It was the longest confrontation between the Asian giants in two decades.

It is for the first time in more than 30 years that the crucial ministry has been given to a woman minister. Before this, then Prime Minister Indira Gandhi held the portfolio till 1982. In fact, Sitharaman is Indias first full-time defence minister as Indira Gandhi held the portfolio twice, while she was the Prime Minister.

A Ministry of Defence serves an integral part in a countrys military purposes. This role has traditionally been given to males as its related to military chain. But, in recent years many women across the globe have been given with this role and actually the first woman ever entitled to this job was the then-Prime Minister of Ceylon, Sirimavo Bandaranaike back in 1960s. This list shows group of women that are/were entitled with the title of Minister of Defence who is/was in charge in regulating the armed forces in their respective countries.

(Any suggestions, comments or dispute with regards to this article send us on feedback@afternoonvoice.com)
Fierce clashes between the Islamic State group and pro-regime forces in central Syria have left over 150 fighters dead in 24 hours, mostly jihadists, a monitor said on Sunday.

The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said 120 IS fighters were killed in clashes in and around the town of Uqayribat in the eastern Hama countryside Along with at least 35 regime troops and loyalist militiamen.

The town is the jihadist groups last bastion in the central province apart from a handful of small villages.

Pro-government forces seized Uqayribat on Friday night, but IS responded with a counter-offensive on Saturday that left it in control of most of the town, Observatory chief Rami Abdel Rahman said.

An intense barrage of artillery fire and Syrian and Russian air strikes on jihadist positions allowed pro-regime forces on Sunday morning to push the jihadists back out of the town and advance on villages to the west that remain under IS control.

IS has controlled Uqayribat since 2014, using it to launch attacks on regime-held areas and a strategically vital road Abdel Rahman described as the only lifeline for the regime between Aleppo and central and southern Syria.

Regime forces, backed by heavy Russian air strikes, launched a major assault on IS-held parts of Hama in June.

By consolidating their control of (Uqayribat) and ousting IS from the surrounding villages, regime forces could oust the organisation from the whole of Hama province, Abdel Rahman said.

Other rebel groups still control parts of the provinces rural north.

Hama, which borders on six other Syrian provinces, is strategically vital to the Assad regime, separating opposition forces in Idlib from Damascus to the south and the regimes coastal heartlands to the west.

IS has suffered multiple defeats across Syria and neighbouring Iraq in recent months, notably in its main Syrian base of Raqa.

The Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) began their offensive in May, capturing the city of Tabqa and a key dam nearby before entering Raqa city in early June.

Syrias conflict has killed more than 320,000 people and displaced millions since it started with anti-government demonstrations in 2011.
The manner in which BJP leaders avoided speaking about the statements made by Shiv Sena MP Sanjay Raut that NDA is almost dead after the cabinet expansion function only goes to show that it wants to avoid a confrontation with its ally. Most of the BJP leaders chose to remain mum over this issue. Shiv Sena expressed its displeasure over the manner in which the Modi government has gone ahead with the cabinet reshuffle. Sena skipped the swearing-in ceremony function held at Rashtrapati Bhavan after none of its ministers were given any portfolio during expansion. Sena has always been critical of the functioning of the BJP and has always attacked the latter. The party has often taken a jibe at his alliance partner through its mouthpiece Saamna.

When we spoke to BJP MP, Kirit Somaiya he said, Our partys spokesperson from Delhi will speak about this matter. So I wont make any comment about it. Keshav Upadhyay, BJP media cell in charge said, This matter is concerned with the centre I would not like to comment about this issue.



Ashish Shelar, Mumbai BJP chief said, I dont want to make any comment about the statement made by Sanjay Raut. The leaders from centre will speak about this and I wont comment about it.





With an eye on the 2019 Lok Sabha polls and next years assembly polls Prime Minister Narendra Modi is trying to give a much needed makeover to his cabinet. He wants to give a facelift to the administration. Modi is giving more preference to those ministers who are performing and non-performers has been shunted out. The expansion list doesnt not include names from the BJP allies JD(U), Shiv Sena and AIADMK. Sena is already sulking over BJP denying it a cabinet berth.

Modis Council of ministers were also given nine new faces as he looks to revamp his core ministerial team with an eye on the 2019 general elections. Nirmala Sitharaman was elevated as the Defence Minister. Piyush Goyal took charge of Railways Ministry from Suresh Prabhu.

The new Ministers come from varied walks of life, bringing in their unique professional perspective and proficiency to the Council. Many of them also bring rich administrative and governance experience.
Former Mumbai Police Commissioner and BJP MP Satyapal Singhs withheld information about unpaid dues to the collectors office in his election affidavit. Now he has sworn in as a State Minister in Modis Cabinet. RTI Activist Anil Galgali has filed application before Election Commissioner, Lok Sabha speaker and Prime Ministers office that MP Satyapal Singh be stripped of his membership of Lok Sabha for defying election rules. Galgali said, Former Police Commissioner Satyapal Singh concealed information about dues unpaid to govt and got rewarded with induction in the Central Ministry.

Galgali had revealed that Satyapal Singh, had failed to pay Rs 48,420 fine imposed by collector of Mumbai suburbs, for renting out his flat at Patliputra Society, Andheri without proper permission as required by law. His flat is built on highly subsidised land provided for housing of top government officials and according to rules, he is bound to take collectors permission after payment of prescribed fee. Collector issued him a notice on January 28, 2013 for payment of dues. Singh, then holding the post of Police Commissioner of Mumbai Police chose to overlook this notice and following reminders.

Satyapal Singh resigned from post of Police Commissioner to contest Lok Sabha election in 2014 and won Baghpat seat in Uttar Pradesh. Now, this fact has come to light that Singh has not mentioned these Government dues in his election affidavit. The handbook for candidates of Lok Sabha election specifically states that candidates should furnish details on 5 counts as prescribed by Supreme Court judgment in Union of India v/s Association for democratic reforms. According to this provision, candidate is bound to reveal details of his criminal conviction, pending cases, assets, Government liabilities and educational qualifications in affidavit filed before election officer. The relevant rule 4 (3) prescribes that the candidate reveal liabilities if any, particularly whether there are any old dues of any financial institution or government dues.

Interestingly, a sex racket was also exposed by Mumbai police being run from his same flat no 1002 in Patliputra Society in June 2, 2014. In spite of an enquiry pending on the complaint filed by Anil Galgali, Satyapal Singh has been appointed as a Minister of State is a sad state of affairs as expressed by Galgali.
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Italian Carabinieri officer Massimo Maresca shows the first century A.C. Druso marble head during an interview in the Carabinieri barracks, Friday. The Cleveland Museum of Art gave it back to Italy after learning the piece depicting Emperor Tiberius son had been stolen, apparently by Algerian troops, from southern Italy toward the end of World War II, brought into France, eventually sold at auction in Paris and acquired by the museum in 2012.
United States Court of Appeals, Fourth Circuit. UNITED STATES OF AMERICA, Plaintiff  Appellee, v. TEOFILO SALINAS CERVIN, a/k/a Enrique Sandoval Arizmendi, Defendant - Appellant. No. 16-4513 Decided: September 01, 2017

Before TRAXLER, DUNCAN, and DIAZ, Circuit Judges. D. Baker McIntyre, III, Charlotte, North Carolina, for Appellant. Amy Elizabeth Ray, Assistant United States Attorney, Asheville, North Carolina, for Appellee.

Teofilo Salinas Cervin pled guilty, pursuant to a written plea agreement, to conspiracy to distribute and to possess with intent to distribute methamphetamine, in violation of 21 U.S.C.  841(a)(1), 846 (2012). The district court sentenced Cervin at the low end of his advisory Sentencing Guidelines range to 210 months' imprisonment. On appeal, counsel has filed a brief pursuant to Anders v. California, 386 U.S. 738 (1967), stating that there are no meritorious issues for appeal, but questioning whether the sentence imposed was reasonable and whether plea counsel was ineffective. Cervin was notified of his right to file a pro se brief but has not done so. We affirm.

We review the reasonableness of a sentence under a deferential abuse-of-discretion standard. Gall v. United States, 552 U.S. 38, 41 (2007). This entails review of the procedural and substantive reasonableness of the sentence. Id. at 51. Procedural errors include failing to calculate (or improperly calculating) the Guidelines range, treating the Guidelines as mandatory, failing to consider the [18 U.S.C.]  3553(a) [ (2012) ] factors, selecting a sentence based on clearly erroneous facts, or failing to adequately explain the chosen sentenceincluding an explanation for any deviation from the Guidelines range.  United States v. Carter, 564 F.3d 325, 328 (4th Cir. 2009) (quoting Gall, 552 U.S. at 51). Only if the sentence is free of significant procedural error do we review its substantive reasonableness, accounting for the totality of the circumstances. Gall, 552 U.S. at 51. Any sentence within a properly calculated Guidelines range is presumptively substantively reasonable; this presumption is rebutted only by demonstrating that the sentence is unreasonable when measured against the  3553(a) factors. United States v. Dowell, 771 F.3d 162, 176 (4th Cir. 2014).

Our review of the record confirms that the sentence imposed was both procedurally and substantively reasonable. The district court properly calculated the Guidelines range, allowed counsel an adequate opportunity to argue on Cervin's behalf, and afforded Cervin his right to allocute. The district court considered the  3553(a) factors and explained that the chosen sentence was based on the need to protect the public and to provide just punishment. The court considered the fact that Cervin received the benefit of the dismissal of an 18 U.S.C.  924(c) (2012) charge and observed that Cervin was a principal supplier in the conspiracy. As to the substantive reasonableness of the sentence, the record does not reveal any factors that would overcome the presumption of reasonableness afforded the within-Guidelines sentence.

Cervin's claim of ineffective assistance of counsel is only cognizable on direct appeal if it conclusively appears on the record that counsel was ineffective. United States v. Galloway, 749 F.3d 238, 241 (4th Cir. 2014). Absent such a showing, ineffective assistance claims should be raised in a motion brought pursuant to 28 U.S.C.  2255 (2012) in order to permit sufficient development of the record. United States v. Baptiste, 596 F.3d 214, 216 n.1 (4th Cir. 2010). Because the record here does not conclusively establish ineffective assistance of counsel, this claim should be raised, if at all, in a  2255 motion.

In accordance with Anders, we have reviewed the entire record in this case and have found no meritorious issues for appeal. We therefore affirm Cervin's conviction and sentence and, because Cervin fails to establish good cause to place his appeal in abeyance, we deny his pro se motion to place his appeal in abeyance pending the outcome of his  2255 motion. This court requires that counsel inform Cervin, in writing, of the right to petition the Supreme Court of the United States for further review. If Cervin requests that a petition be filed, but counsel believes that such a petition would be frivolous, then counsel may move in this court for leave to withdraw from representation. Counsel's motion must state that a copy thereof was served on Cervin.

We dispense with oral argument because the facts and legal contentions are adequately presented in the materials before this court and argument would not aid the decisional process.

AFFIRMED

PER CURIAM:
My husband and I recently visited the Greek island of Santorini. White stucco hotels and blue-domed restaurants nestle into cliffs. Cobbled streets form a labyrinth; small doors hide beneath secret staircases. Sounds of cutlery clink in the cafes and blend with a dozen languages. The Aegean Sea stretches below; not even cruise ships disrupt its serenity.

And it was in the Aegean Sea  off the coast of Santorini  the Jews of Crete vanished 73 years ago.

Crete, the largest Greek island, had a Jewish community for over 2,000 years. They survived centuries of war and natural disaster, but in 1944, the Germans arrested the remaining 300 Jews (including 100 children). The Jews suffered horrible conditions before being locked in the holds of a cargo ship called The Tanais. The ship set out for mainland Greece and from there the Jews would go to Auschwitz by train. But The Tanais never reached the mainland. The British fired four submarine torpedoes into what they believed was an enemy merchant ship. The Tanais sank within minutes.

Only seven Jews from Crete survived the war.

Although many Greek civilians (and some highly ranked church officials) attempted to save Jews, the Germans murdered 81 percent of the Jewish population. Today, less than 6,000 Jews live in Greece.

According to the Anti-Defamation League, Greece has become one of the most anti-Semitic countries in Europe. During the early 1980s, neo-Nazis formed The Golden Dawn Party. It is now the third largest political party in Greece. Ilias Kasidiaris, one of the party leaders, said: History has not yet given a final verdict on Hitler. The Golden Dawn Party uses Nazi imagery and denies both the Holocaust and existence of gas chambers. Michael Arvanitis, a Golden Dawn MP, is adamant that Germans never targeted Jews other than for use as labor. He claims photographs of burning bodies only serve as evidence that Jews  along with many others  died from typhus.

In 2014, Holocaust denial became a crime in Greece. (The law also covered denials of other genocides.) The Greek Parliament has 300 members. Ninety-nine showed up on the day of the vote. Fifty-five were in favor of the law.

Fifty-five out of 300.

While my husband and I were on Santorini, we sat in a cafe with a spectacular view of Mount Thera, the volcano down below. We began to chat with a man from Athens who taught history in a high school. He was eager to talk about the devastating effect Mount Thera had on the ancient Minoans when it erupted in 1600 BC. Most Minoans on Crete died from the volcanic blast; those who survived were weakened and conquered by invaders. Imagine that, the man said. An entire civilization wiped out by a volcano. Such a tragedy.

A memorial to the Jews of Crete, representing a ship with ladders for sails and doves perched on the sails.

Later in the conversation, I asked if he knew exactly where The Tanais sank in 1944. He rolled his eyes and echoed sentiments of The Golden Dawn Party. The Jews were sent off to work. So were the other Jews. And the Germans didnt kill them. A British submarine torpedoed the boat. It just happened. Like the volcano and the Minoans.

Not only did this mans views lurch into Holocaust denial territory, in his mind, the Jews died in a military attack, and the Germans did not blow up that ship. Looking for someone to blame? Blame the British.

Or perhaps he meant: Blame no one. Mount Theras eruption destroyed the Minoans, and we dont make moral judgments about volcanoes. Similarly, the deafening explosion of The Tanais with shards of metal flying and lungs filling with water just happened. No need to point fingers.

It was disturbing to witness how one could simply deny the responsibility for ones choices. Human beings chose to force three hundred people onto The Tanais and send it into waters patrolled by British submarines. The Germans had a plan, and plans have consequences. Lifes segments are like a series of standing dominoes. The first to fall sends the others tumbling.

On that beautiful day in Santorini, with the sky so blue and the sun blazing orange, my husband and I met a man who taught history to children. Someone who denied the existence of mass murder. Someone who believed death by volcanic catastrophe was morally equivalent to the death of 300 Jews on a cargo ship with Auschwitz the final destination. Someone who couldnt understand that not only does God judge us by our choices and the history we create, He judges us by what we choose to remember.

Something to keep in mind as we approach Rosh Hashanah and face our own personal judgment.
United States Court of Appeals, Fifth Circuit. TRACY YOUNG, Plaintiff - Appellant v. ISOLA, MISSISSIPPI, By and Through its Mayor, Bobbie Miller; OFFICER MICHAEL KINGDOM, Individually; JOHN DOES 1-5; ISOLA POLICE DEPARTMENT, By and Through its Chief of Police, Charles Sharkey, Defendants - Appellees No. 16-60818 Decided: August 31, 2017

Before BARKSDALE, DENNIS, and CLEMENT, Circuit Judges.

While Michael Kingdom served as a police officer for the City of Isola, Mississippi, he allegedly made sexually suggestive and offensive comments to Tracy Young on three occasions and grabbed her arm on one of those occasions. Young brought suit against Kingdom and Isola, as well as against Mayor Bobbie Miller and Police Chief Charles Sharkey in their official capacities only, asserting a variety of federal and state law claims. The district court granted summary judgment to Isola, Miller, and Sharkey (collectively, Municipal Defendant) on all of Young's claims. It also dismissed all of Young's claims against Kingdom. We VACATE and REMAND the district court's dismissal of Young's assault claim against Kingdom. We otherwise AFFIRM the judgment of the district court.

I

Young worked as a clerk at a Double Quick convenience store (Double Quick) located on Highway 49 in Humphreys County, Mississippi. Although Double Quick was outside the corporate limits of Isola, Isola police officers routinely refueled their police vehicles there and Double Quick offered on-duty officers one free drink per day.

Kingdom repeatedly went to Double Quick in uniform. In February 2014, he allegedly entered Double Quick and made sexually explicit and offensive comments to Young. Young reported the incident to her manager and filled out a report. Young and Kingdom allegedly had two additional encounters in October 2014. According to Young, Kingdom grabbed Young's arm and made sexually suggestive and offensive comments on October 14 or 15, 2014. On October 17, 2014, Kingdom walked into Double Quick and made comments about Young speaking with other men. Young laughed at him.

Young told her cousin, Alderman Lawrence Anderson, about her encounters with Kingdom, and he told her to report the incidents to the police. Young went to the Humphreys County Sheriff's Department on October 20, 2014 and filed a complaint against Kingdom. She later returned to the Sheriff's Department and spoke with Bubba Lloyd about her allegations. He called Young's manager and a coworker to discuss the allegations and obtained security camera footage of the October 17, 2014 incident from Double Quick. Sharkey also reviewed the footage, which did not have audio. He testified that the footage showed Kingdom walking around Double Quick and Young laughing.

Young brought suit against Kingdom and Municipal Defendant, asserting a variety of federal and state law claims relating to her encounters with Kingdom. Municipal Defendant timely filed an answer, but Kingdom did not file any responsive pleading. The clerk later entered an entry of default against Kingdom.

Municipal Defendant moved for summary judgment, which Young opposed. Young and Municipal Defendant then submitted a pretrial order, approved by the district court, which provided that [t]he pleadings are amended to conform to this pretrial order. Young asserted nine claims in the pretrial order. She asserted the following claims under  1983: (1) violation of the right to procedural and substantive due process under the Fifth Amendment; (2) violation of the right to procedural and substantive due process under the Fourteenth Amendment; (3) violation of the right to equal protection under the Fourteenth Amendment; and (4) violation of the right against unreasonable seizure under the Fourteenth Amendment. Young also asserted a claim for conspiracy to interfere with civil rights under 42 U.S.C.  1985, as well as four state law claims: (1) assault; (2) violation of the right to equal protection under the Mississippi Constitution; (3) violation of the right to procedural and substantive due process under the Mississippi Constitution; and (4) breach of the duty to exercise reasonable care in the hiring, training, and supervision of a sworn police officer.

The district court granted summary judgment to Municipal Defendant on all of Young's claims. It also dismissed Young's claims against Kingdom. Young timely appealed.

II

This court reviews an order granting summary judgment de novo, applying the same standard as the district court. Vela v. City of Hous., 276 F.3d 659, 666 (5th Cir. 2001). Summary judgment is appropriate if the movant shows that there is no genuine dispute as to any material fact and the movant is entitled to judgment as a matter of law. Fed. R. Civ. P. 56(a).

III

Young appeals the district court's grant of summary judgment. She argues that the district court erred by dismissing Young's claims: (1) against Kingdom; (2) under  1983; (3) under  1985; and (4) under Mississippi state law. We will address each of her arguments in turn.

A

Young argues that the district court erred in dismissing her claims against Kingdom because: (1) Kingdom defaulted and did not move for summary judgment; and (2) there is a genuine dispute of material fact regarding her assault claim against Kingdom. But contrary to Young's assertions, the district court did not err in allowing [Kingdom] to benefit from the [Municipal Defendant's] favorable summary judgment motion. Lewis v. Lynn, 236 F.3d 766, 768 (5th Cir. 2001). A party is not entitled to a default judgment as a matter of right, even where the defendant is technically in default. Id. at 767 (quoting Ganther v. Ingle, 75 F.3d 207, 212 (5th Cir. 1996)). [W]here a defending party establishes that plaintiff has no cause of action  this defense generally inures also to the benefit of a defaulting defendant. Id. at 768 (internal quotation marks omitted). As such, the district court had the authority to dismiss Young's claims against Kingdom, despite his default.

Young argues in the alternative that the district court erred by dismissing her assault claim against Kingdom because there are genuine disputes of material fact regarding that claim. We agree. Under Mississippi law, [a]n assault occurs where a person (1) acts intending to cause a harmful or offensive contact with the person of the other or a third person, or an imminent apprehension of such contact, and (2) the other is thereby put in such imminent apprehension. Morgan v. Greenwaldt, 786 So. 2d 1037, 1043 (Miss. 2001). Young testified at her deposition that Kingdom grabbed [her] arm and made offensive comments about her and her relationship with her husband in October 2014.

Sharkey watched footage of the October 17, 2014 incident. He testified at his deposition that the video did not have audio, but that Young appeared to laugh. Young argues on appeal that the district court erred by considering Sharkey's testimony regarding the contents of the footage because it is inadmissible under Mississippi's best evidence rule. We need not resolve Young's evidentiary challenge because, even considering Sharkey's testimony, there is a genuine dispute of material fact regarding Young's assault claim against Kingdom. Viewing the evidence in the light most favorable to Young, Kingdom grabbed her arm during an incident on October 14 or 15, 2014, and Sharkey watched footage of a separate incident between Kingdom and Young on October 17, 2014. As such, we VACATE the district court's dismissal of Young's assault claim against Kingdom and REMAND to the district court for further proceedings.

B

Young argues that the district court erred in granting summary judgment to Municipal Defendant on her  1983 claims. To establish a claim under  1983, a plaintiff must (1) allege a violation of a right secured by the Constitution or laws of the United States and (2) demonstrate that the alleged deprivation was committed by a person acting under color of state law. Whitley v. Hanna, 726 F.3d 631, 638 (5th Cir. 2013) (quoting James v. Tex. Collin Cty., 535 F.3d 365, 373 (5th Cir. 2008)). A governmental entity cannot be held vicariously liable under  1983. Hicks-Fields v. Harris Cty., 860 F.3d 803, 808 (5th Cir. 2017) (citing Monell v. Dep't of Soc. Servs., 436 U.S. 658, 691 (1978)). As such, a plaintiff bringing a  1983 claim against a governmental entity must also establish that the action that is alleged to be unconstitutional was caused by a custom or policy of that governmental entity. Id. (quoting Monell, 436 U.S. at 690). The district court held that Young failed to establish any underlying constitutional violation and that, even if she had, she failed to establish municipal liability under Monell. It did not decide whether Kingdom acted under color of state law.

In her initial brief, Young addresses only her underlying claim for violation of the right to substantive due process under the Fourteenth Amendment. But Young failed to make her arguments regarding substantive due process before the district court. As such, these arguments are waived on appeal. See Martco Ltd. P'ship v. Wellons, Inc., 588 F.3d 864, 877 (5th Cir. 2009).

Young fails to address her underlying constitutional claims for violation of the right to substantive due process under the Fifth Amendment, violation of the right to equal protection under the Fourteenth Amendment, and violation of the right against unreasonable seizure under the Fourteenth Amendment in her initial appellate brief. This failure constitutes a waiver of the right to have us review these claims. Health Care Serv. Corp. v. Methodist Hosps. of Dall., 814 F.3d 242, 252 (5th Cir. 2016) (failure to challenge district court's determination of a certain issue in initial appellate brief waives review of that determination). That Young addresses her claim for violation of the right to equal protection under the Fourteenth Amendment in her reply brief does not change the waiver analysis. See id.

Because we hold that Young waived review of her arguments regarding her underlying constitutional claims against Municipal Defendant, we do not address whether Kingdom acted under color of state law or whether Young established municipal liability under Monell.

C

Young summarily argues that the district court erred in granting summary judgment to Municipal Defendant on her  1985 conspiracy claim, asserting without record citation that Municipal Defendant conspired against her. To establish a claim under  1985(3), a plaintiff must show that (1) a racial or class-based discriminatory animus lay behind the conspiracy and (2) the conspiracy aimed to violate rights protected against private infringement. Horaist v. Doctor's Hosp. of Opelousas, 255 F.3d 261, 270 (5th Cir. 2001). The district court concluded, among other things, that Young failed to present any proof that, even if the Municipal Defendant conspired to dissuade her from asserting her sexual harassment claim, it did so based on any gender-based discriminatory animus. Young fails to argue in her initial appellate brief that Municipal Defendant conspired against her based on any discriminatory animus. Young has thus waived review of this issue. See Health Care Serv. Corp., 814 F.3d at 252.

D

Young argues that the district court erred in granting summary judgment to Municipal Defendant on her state law claims. Young asserted four claims under Mississippi state law: (1) assault; (2) violation of the right to equal protection under the Mississippi Constitution; (3) violation of procedural and substantive due process under the Mississippi Constitution; and (4) breach of the duty to exercise reasonable care in the hiring, training, and supervision of a sworn police officer. But Young fails to address the first three claims against Municipal Defendant in her initial appellate brief. As such, she waived review of these issues. See id.

We reject Young's challenge of the district court's grant of summary judgment regarding her claims for breach of duty to exercise reasonable care in the hiring, training, and supervision of Kingdom. The district court held that Municipal Defendant was immune from suit on these claims under the Mississippi Tort Claims Act (MTCA). The MTCA is the exclusive civil remedy against a governmental entity or its employee for tortious acts or omissions which give rise to a suit. Elkins v. McKenzie, 865 So. 2d 1065, 1073 (Miss. 2003) (citing Miss. Code Ann.  11-46-7(1)). A governmental entity is not liable under the MTCA for any claim [b]ased upon the exercise or performance or the failure to exercise or perform a discretionary function or duty on the part of a governmental entity or employee thereof, whether or not the discretion be abused or [a]rising out of the exercise of discretion in determining  the hiring of personnel. Miss. Code Ann.  11-46-9(1)(d), (g). The Mississippi Supreme Court held that [t]he manner in which a police department supervises, disciplines and regulates its police officers is a discretionary function of the government for which the governmental entity is immune to suit. City of Jackson v. Sandifer, 107 So. 3d 978, 987 (Miss. 2013) (quoting City of Jackson v. Powell, 917 So. 2d 59, 74 (Miss. 2005)). Municipal Defendant is thus not liable under the MTCA for Young's claims that it breached its duty to exercise reasonable care in the hiring, training, and supervision of Kingdom.

IV

We VACATE and REMAND the district court's dismissal of Young's assault claim against Kingdom. We otherwise AFFIRM the judgment of the district court.

PER CURIAM:*
August 31, 2017

As the Palestinian leadership is set to call for a meeting of the Palestine National Council (PNC), the PLO's highest body, to review its strategy, the question of the United Nations looms larger than ever.

The Fatah Central Committee advised the PLOs Executive Committee to hold a full session of the PNC as soon as possible. President Mahmoud Abbas, who would like to hold the session in Ramallah, hopes to forge a new strategy for Palestinian liberation.

The new strategy would depend less on the negotiations track and more on the internationalization track. This means that the PLO leadership will be working a lot more with the UN and the various international agencies to follow up on the UN General Assemblys resounding 138-9 decision in November 2012 to recognize the State of Palestine as a nonmember observer state.

The State of Palestine is eligible to join tens of international agencies. Until now the Palestinian leadership has abstained from that in order not to anger Israel or the United States, especially during the Barack Obama administration. However, as Abbas said Aug. 20, that after more than 20 meetings with the negotiating team sent by President Donald Trump, the new US administration has yet to explain their position on the key issues. The United States has refused to utter the words two-state solution.

As a nonmember state in the United Nations, the Palestinians can join 63 international agencies and accords.

But while the PLO might join some important international agencies and demand war crime investigations of Israeli leaders, this will not do much to push Palestinian liberation forward. When former Palestinian Prime Minister Salam Fayyad was appointed as senior UN envoy to Libya in February, US Ambassador to the UN Nikki Haley vetoed the move. She later said that no Palestinian will be given any senior position while Palestine is not a recognized state. To have that recognition, the UN Security Council would need to approve it, but the United States has a veto as a permanent member of the council.

Phyllis Bennis, a fellow at the Washington-based Institute for Policy Studies, told Al-Monitor that it is important to understand that the UN does have a role to play despite its limitation. UNRWA, for example, has had a crucial role to educate and unify Palestinian consciousness in the camps and the occupied territories.

Bennis said that while UN positions are always subject to US opposition, a number of UN agencies do operate outside the direct control of the United States. The Human Rights Council and the reports of the special rapporteur are important tools for civil society both in Palestine and globally.

Bennis, who was twice short listed for the position of UN rapporteur on the situation of human rights in the Palestinian territory occupied since 1967, noted that this role should not be underestimated. Maybe the recommendations are not implemented and in the US this is not looked at closely, but in the rest of the world people do take what the UN says seriously, she said.

Bennis, the author of Understanding the Palestinian-Israeli Conflict: A Primer, added that if Palestinians want to look to the UN they should put much more effort at the possibilities of the International Criminal Court. The most substantive and important component that the court can do is bringing charges against Israeli occupation as a clear violation of the Rome Statute. It is no wonder that this is what the US and Israel worry about the most, she explained.

Bennis, who has been following the Israeli-Palestinian conflict for a long time, said that while Palestinians correctly believe that only the United States can deliver Israel, it is now clear that the United States will not deliver Israel."

While Palestinians appear to have started a serious rethink of their national strategy, it is crucial that they understand both the potential and the limitations that going the UN route will provide. With the pro-Israel and at times pro-settlement Trump administration not willing to do anything to upset the Israelis, it is high time for Palestinian leaders to diversify themselves and not to keep all their eggs in the US basket. The UN route can provide some relief, but it will not by itself quickly produce the kind of results Palestinians strive for.
September 3, 2017

Hamas leader cites "breakthrough" in Syria crisis

Hamas appears to be throwing in its lot with Iran, a trend that has accelerated since the US-Saudi-Islamic summit in May, when US President Donald Trump lumped the Islamic Resistance Movement with the Islamic State, al-Qaeda and Hezbollah.

The shift may signal the increased influence of the hard-line Izz ad-Din al-Qassam Brigades, the militant armed wing of Hamas, as well as fallout from the Saudi-United Arab Emirates-Egypt-Bahrain dispute with Qatar and the emergence of a regional consensus, including a meeting of minds between Iran and Turkey, to deal with the Syria war.

According to Adnan Abu Amer, al-Qassam Brigades leaders suggested creating a political and security vacuum in the Gaza Strip to force Israels hand to either deal with Hamas or deal with the consequences of chaos on its border. Negotiations with Egypt and former Fatah leader Mohammed Dahlan, brokered by the UAE, have slowed in recent weeks. These talks have included discussions of a prisoner exchange with Israel, which also appear to have stalled, Shlomi Eldar reports.

Hamas has chosen military and economic aid to rearm itself at the expense of Gaza residents, who believed that improved relations with Egypt offered the best hope of easing the siege in any significant way, Eldar writes. If there was any chance for a humanitarian solution in Gaza as a result of the warming of relations between Hamas and Egypt, the recent decision by the movement's leadership [to strengthen ties with Iran] sealed the already miserable fate of Gaza's people and ensures permanent control of the territory by the movement's military wing.

Ahmad Abu Amer explains that Hamas actions are a bid to reset its ties with all key regional powers, including the Syrian government. Hamas left Syria at the end of 2011, after the Syrian civil war broke out, out of support for the Syrian people, Abu Amer writes, and also in solidarity with the Qatari government, which provided support to Hamas, and as not to antagonize Saudi Arabia. Both Riyadh and Doha backed armed groups seeking to overthrow Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, who in turn expelled Hamas leaders from Syria.

Abu Amer reports, Hamas would not mind bolstering its ties with the Syrian regime, Yahya Sinwar, the head of Hamas in the Gaza Strip, told Al-Monitor when he met with reporters Aug. 28 in Gaza. He stressed that a breakthrough had occurred in the Syrian crisis, and he said that it would offer an opportunity to improve relations between Hamas and the regime.  'We are waiting for the right time to restore that relationship so that Hamas remains out of the power struggles in the region. We are adopting a "zero-problems" policy with all parties, so as to serve the Palestinian cause, Sinwar said.  Hamas is also convinced that it's in its best interest for Syria to control the Golan front in any future military confrontation with Israel.

Given the crisis in Hamas relations with both Israel and the Palestinian Authority, its zero problems policy may be a stretch. What is not a stretch is that Hamas regional calculations now appear to be formulated in ever closer consultation with Iran. As we mentioned last week, Irans ties with both Turkey and Qatar, and now Hamas, all predominantly Sunni, should raise questions about the misleading and narrow sectarian "narrative" used by Tehrans adversaries to explain Irans regional ambitions. As we wrote in our very first column, in November 2012, In the Gaza conflict, Iran revealed that it has the wherewithal to shift the equation and provide some payback, even in those areas where its adversaries allegedly hold sway and hegemony.

Turkeys turnaround in Syria

Semih Idiz explains that Ankaras call for regime change in Damascus is now widely acknowledged as a disaster linked to former Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglus wrong-headed assessment in August 2012, shared by many Western officials and experts, that the Syrian president would fall in months or weeks, allowing a Sunni takeover in Syria. Davutoglu played to Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogans worst instincts and fantastical ambitions of a sectarian windfall from what was called the Arab Spring. Idiz points out the hollow moral claim of the Turkish split from Assad, as Erdogan had no problems with brotherly relations with his Syrian counterpart until then. Now, Idiz, writes, the Erdogan government considers the Kurdish Peoples Protection Units (YPG), not Assad, as the greater enemy. The YPG makes up the bulk of the US-backed Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF).

The Turkish turnaround on Assad occurs as Ankara and Tehran find themselves increasingly aligned in Iraq and Syria, a trend we have followed closely. One reason is opposition to the independence referendum by the Kurdistan Regional Government of Iraq, scheduled for Sept. 25. Syria, the United States, Russia and many other countries also oppose the referendum.

Iraqi Kurdistan President Massoud Barzani is resisting international appeals to postpone the referendum, despite the costs this may be incurring in previously warm ties between Erbil and Ankara. To make matters worse, Mahmut Bozarslan reports that the Turkish government closed the office of the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK) in Ankara, following the reported abduction of Turkish intelligence agents by the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) in PUK territory.

Hamidreza Azizi writes that although Iran and Turkey both oppose the referendum, their security coordination in Iraq is complicated. Tehran is not willing to either support or join a Turkish military operation against the PKK in Sinjar and the Qandil Mountains because on the one hand, the Iraqi government has been repeatedly opposed to any Turkish military presence inside [Iraqi] territories, and on the other hand, Iran is not about to provide Turkey with more room for maneuvering in Iraq.

Instead, Azizi writes, a more probable scenario is for the two sides to start identifying their zones of influence in Syria, while continuing their coordination to achieve their common goals. This could involve Irans green light to a new Turkish operation in northern Syria against the Kurdish groups and Ankaras consent to the advance of the Syrian army and pro-Iran forces in eastern Syria, especially in Deir ez-Zor. In this case, the Turkish operation would prevent the formation of a unified Kurdish entity in the north, while the developments in the east would restrict SDF forces to the areas around Raqqa, stopping them from stretching their gains farther to the east.

Azizi explains how Russia may be more follower than leader in this trend, but is nonetheless on board. Although Moscow has so far tried to represent a rather neutral stance toward the Kurdish issue in Syria and even to establish close links with certain Kurdish groups, it now sees a common interest with Ankara and Tehran in preventing further Kurdish advancements in Syria, he writes. The fact that the SDF is a US-backed force means that their final control over Raqqa could provide Washington with more influence over the future of Syria, which is in no way in Russias favor."

Developments arising from this, Azizi writes, "could pose a direct threat against the Russian military bases [in Syria], especially if the Kurds grant the United States a military base in the area. This could clearly explain why Russia has extended its air support for the Syrian army to the eastern parts of Syria.

This column wrote back in July that Russia might undertake an outwardly passive and inwardly supportive role that allows the regional parties to take the initiative against the Syrian Kurds or others. Moscow might see that as the winning hand.
September 3, 2017

Saudi Arabia is hoping the Yemeni rebel alliance is fracturing, which could open the door for the Saudi alliance to escape the quagmire Riyadh is stuck in. It's a long shot, and not a viable strategy for Washington.

The Zaydi Shiite Houthi rebels aligned with former President Ali Abdullah Saleh, 75, three years ago to seize Sanaa from the collapsing government of his onetime deputy and successor Abed Rabbo Mansour Hadi. It was a strange and awkward alliance from the start. Saleh, also a Zaydi, had waged war against the Houthis for a decade before the Arab Spring, often with Saudi assistance. The Houthis backed Saleh's removal from power in 2012  this time with Saudi assistance. In 2015, the two rivals saw a convergence of interests to oust Hadi and take control of North Yemen. At first it was a clandestine partnership until the full extent of Saleh's betrayal of his former deputy, and the Saudi-engineered deal that put Hadi in power, became apparent.

The Saudi relationship with Saleh goes back to the early 1960s when he backed the pro-Egyptian coup that plunged Yemen into civil war for years, pitting the Egyptian-backed republicans against the Saudi-backed royalists. Saleh got his combat training fighting the Saudis and the royalists, taking power in a coup in 1978. Twelve years later he united North and South Yemen, but then backed Iraq and Saddam Hussein in the Kuwait crisis. The Saudis swore revenge and threw a million Yemeni workers out of the kingdom.

In 1994, the Saudis engineered the south Yemenis' secession from Saleh's united Yemen by backing the former communists who had lost power in unification. With the help of jihadi groups, Saleh outfought the southern rebellion, restored unity and humiliated the kingdom. It was a very bitter pill for the Saudis.

During the last 2 years of the new civil war, Saleh and the Houthis have been wary partners. Saleh has quietly tried to keep his options open, using his son Ahmed, who travels often to Abu Dhabi. It is characteristic of Saleh, the man who described ruling Yemen as the equivalent of dancing on snake heads. He is hoping to use divisions within the coalition between Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates against Hadi, essentially playing the Emiratis. Reportedly, he is in touch with Emirati Crown Prince Mohammed bin Zayed and Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman. It is the trademark of an unscrupulous dictator who has misruled his country for decades.

For months, the simmering divisions within the rebellion were kept under the surface but sufficiently restive to give the Saudis and their allies  including some in US President Donald Trump's team  hope that the rebels will fight each other. Last month, a clash did break out and a senior Saleh bodyguard was killed. Briefly, Saleh was under apparent house arrest in Sanaa, but then he appeared conciliatory in public to the Houthis. Still, he has called for tribal revenge for his lieutenant's death. Sanaa is now divided between the two camps, with the Houthis holding about 70% of the capital and most of the north. More violence is all but certain; whether it can be contained is an open question.

The war itself has escalated this year and become even more expensive for Riyadh. Flight operations by the Saudi air force and its partners have soared. According to the United Nations, there were 5,766 airstrikes by the coalition in the first six months of 2017, compared with 3,936 in all of 2016. Fighting on the ground has increased, too. In addition, the rebels continue to develop medium-range missiles with Iranian help to target Saudi cities.

So a war within the rebel camp has a potential for dividing the kingdom's enemies. Some senior Saudi officials have told their American counterparts that this may be their best chance to end the war on favorable terms. The Saudi media eagerly reports news of conflict between the rebel factions. The irony of the Saudis' depending on Saleh for their salvation is rich poignancy.

Thoughtful Saudis are deeply skeptical about Saleh, doubting that he will really be prepared to support the restoration of Hadi's government, even if it is rearranged to broaden its appeal. The alternative of turning back the clock to 2012 and putting Saleh or his sons in power is even less appealing. At best, the clash within the rebel camp will turn the conflict into a three-sided civil war that could go on without end. The worst outcome for the Saudis would be if the Houthis quickly routed Saleh's supporters and consolidated their control of the rebellion. The two camps may also remain united despite their differences and contain occasional flare-ups of violence.

Cynics can argue that the real strategy of the Saudi coalition is to rely on starvation and disease to wear down the Yemeni people. The United Nations has labeled the war the worst humanitarian catastrophe in the world; malnutrition and cholera are epidemic, and the fragile infrastructure of the poorest Arab state is being systematically destroyed by the wealthiest Arab states. The world has largely ignored the problem, not wanting to take on the oil-rich coalition.

The Saudi counterargument is that they have pledged large sums of money, $8.2 billion, to aid and relief efforts in Yemen. While true, the aid is a Band-Aid on a chest wound. It does not balance the damage done by the blockade of Yemeni ports and airfields.

The urgent necessity is an unconditional cease-fire supervised by the UN. The blockade should be lifted. The United States and the United Kingdom, whose support is essential to the Saudi air force, should sponsor a UN Security Council resolution unlinked to previous pro-Saudi resolutions demanding all parties immediately and unilaterally cease military operations or face sanctions, including a halt to all arms sales and transactions. The United States and Britain cannot escape culpability for their role in the war as the armorers of a brutal air war and blockade.

Iran is the only winner, as it provides aid and expertise to the Houthis at a tiny fraction of the cost of the Saudi war effort while the Islamic Republic's Gulf enemies spend fortunes on a conflict they jumped into with no endgame or strategy. Saleh is an unlikely savior.
September 1, 2017

ALEPPO, Syria  Abu Rami, 35, cannot stay in his own house at night, as he fears that while he and his family are asleep, his village would come under artillery barrage.

Abu Rami, a pseudonym, lives in Kaljibrin village, 30 kilometers (18 miles) north of Aleppo city. The village is controlled by the Free Syrian Army (FSA), backed by Turkey.

Each night, Abu Rami packs his luggage, including blankets and sponge mattresses, and leaves with his family of five to a tent he set up among the olive trees, about 2 kilometers (1.2 miles) to the east of his house.

Kaljibrin is subject to daily mortar shells and artillery barrage by the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), which controls the nearby village of Ayn Daqnah.

On Aug 29, Abu Rami took Al-Monitor on a tour of his village, as he showed us the house of one of his neighbors where a shell was shot onto his roof and breached the roof. Fortunately, the neighbors were not at home. As soon as the first shell was dropped [in the village], they rushed to the nearby groves.  The third shell struck their house, Abu Rami said.

The northern Aleppo countryside, near the contact point between the FSA and the SDF, has been the scene of recent mutual bombings, as Turkish military bases shell the SDF-controlled territories along the contact line. And in turn, the SDF retaliates by bombing FSA-controlled areas. As a result, civilian casualties are heavy on both sides.

Since its entry into Syrian territory on Aug. 24, 2016, the Turkish army has established several military bases in the north of Aleppo, within the scope of Operation Euphrates Shield. The exact number of these bases is not known, but they are said to include tanks, artillery and communication centers.

About a kilometer from the town of Kaljibrin, the Turkish army has set up a military base, and its high observation tower can be seen from a distance. The base launches artillery shells targeting the nearby SDF-controlled territories. When shells are fired from the base bombing SDF territories, the SDF uses it as a justification to bomb the village.

Residents of the northern Aleppo countryside are constantly concerned over this shelling, as they believe that the Turkish bombing of SDF-controlled territories is the reason behind the latters shelling of theirs.

When the shelling starts, we leave our village to the nearby groves, or find shelter in basements. However, we are always worried when we hear Turkish shelling of the SDF, as we know the day wouldnt pass without misery. The SDF always retaliates by bombing us, Abu Rami added.

According to the SDF, it only targets the areas from which they are attacked. However, the shelling usually targets populated areas. On Aug 16, two people were killed and five were injured in Kaljibrin due to shelling by the SDF.

As the shelling continues, thousands are displaced from villages located near the contact line between the FSA and the SDF. However, Abu Rami refuses to leave his house, as he has no other shelter. He cannot stand living in camps, as they are extremely crowded and have poor services.

According to the Kaljibrin local council, the population in the village is estimated at 8,000, after 5,000 were displaced to camps and villages far from the contact line in the last few months. Wael Sheikho, a member of the Kaljibrin council, told Al-Monitor that many of the local residents of the village were originally displaced from other cities and are threatened with injury or death as long as the shelling continues.

Although the shelling continues, life in the village goes on. Shops in the village market are still open, as they are situated on a key road that connects the Bab al-Salam crossing on the Turkish border with Marea and the surrounding towns and villages.

Al-Monitor left Kaljibrin village and traveled to Marea, 27 kilometers (16 miles) north of Aleppo, after reports of its bombing by the SDF spread on social media. On our way, we could clearly hear the sounds of mutual bombing between Turkish military bases and the SDF territories.

On the outskirts of Marea, we watched a pall of smoke settle over the city due to heavy shelling on Aug. 29. In the field hospital, six people from one family were already injured by the shelling, including a woman with severe injuries who was immediately transferred to a Turkish hospital as local hospitals could not perform the operation, according to her medical staff.

Almost on a daily basis we receive injuries due to the SDFs bombing of the countryside villages in northern Aleppo. In August so far, our hospital received 61 injured people, including four who died of their injuries, Tatek Najjar, the director of the field hospital in Marea, told Al-Monitor.

About 42,000 people now live in Marea, according to statistics by the Marea local council. Since Turkey announced the end of Operation Euphrates Shield on March 29 when the Islamic State was expelled from the area, people started returning to the northern Aleppo countryside as they felt safe, Abdullateef Darweesh, an information officer at the Marea local council, told Al-Monitor.

The mutual bombing on the area is making people more worried and unstable. Therefore, they think of displacement and encourage their relatives not to return to the area in the meantime, Darweesh said.

Since talks began in early July about a Turkish military operation toward Afrin against the SDF, the intensity of mutual bombing in the northern Aleppo countryside between the Turkish military and the SDF, which the Peoples Protection Units constitutes most its forces and which Ankara considers to be a terrorist organization, has increased.
A young boy playing outside was shot Saturday evening when shots were exchanged between two passing vehicles.

Sgt. Bryan Shelton the 5-year-old was transported to Children's of Alabama with a gunshot wound to the arm. His injuries are not believed to be life-threatening.

Shelton said the child was playing in front of a house in the 1800 block of Princeton Avenue S.W. when gunfire erupted between the occupants of two vehicles. The little boy ran to his mother and told her that he'd been shot.

He was struck in the upper right arm, and taken to the hospital by private vehicle. Police were then notified of the shooting and the injury.

Officers swarmed the area, Shelton said, but the suspects had fled the scene. As of 9 p.m., police had not identified the suspects or their vehicles.

"Here we have two parties who clearly have no regard for the community at all,'' said Birmingham Police Chief A.C. Roper. "Their reckless actions and anger towards each other endangered families, and hurt a child."

"They don't deserve to be free on our streets,'' the chief said, "but we need the neighbors, family members, activists, those with a vested interest to be just as disgusted as we are."

Anyone with information is asked to call Birmingham police at 205-254-1764 or Crime Stoppers at 205-254-7777.
A Florence woman is accused of being on methamphetamine and other drugs when she was involved in a crash that killed an Alabama doctor.

Tiffany Balentine (Lauderdale County Jail)

Tiffany Nicole Balentine, 27, is indicted on a manslaughter charge in the Feb. 2 crash that killed 86-year-old Robert Long, records show. Balentine did not immediately respond to AL.com's request for comment.

"She was on a whole laundry list of drugs: Meth, marijuana, Xanax and more," said Lauderdale County District Attorney Chris Connolly. Balentine was arrested Thursday on a grand jury indictment warrant. She was released from the Lauderdale County Detention Center on $10,000 bail.

The crash happened on Florence Boulevard in front of a Q gas station near Benita Drive. It was a Thursday around 6:30 p.m. Long, a retired doctor, was pronounced dead at Eliza Coffee Memorial Hospital.

Long was leaving the gas station in his 2009 Toyota, apparently trying to cross into the median, when he pulled in front of oncoming traffic, according to Florence police crash report obtained by AL.com. The front end of Balentine's eastbound 2008 Chrysler collided with the driver's side of Long's southbound car, the report states.

This diagram is included in a crash report that details a wreck that killed Dr. Robert Long in Florence. (Florence police crash report)

An uninvolved vehicle, also traveling east, swerved to miss Long's car, but according to the crash report, Balentine "was unable or did not stop and collided with (Long)."

The report states Long was traveling an estimated 5 mph in the 50 mph zone, while Balentine was traveling 57 mph.

"He was a well-known local physician who had done a lot of community service," Connolly said of Long.

Long's community service includes operating a free clinic for the homeless in Vernon, Alabama and helping establish a mental health training program for police officers in the Florence area.

'Passion for medicine'

"He was everything for so many people," said the doctor's son Todd Long. "He went into medicine, not because of any desire for money, but truly to help people."

Dr. Robert Long (left) is shown with a co-worker. (Photo courtesy of Todd Long)

Dr. Long retired within two years of his death. His last medical contributions include operating the clinic in Vernon, where he treated and got medication for homeless or poor patients.

"He had such a passion for medicine," Todd Long said. "He really dedicated his life to helping people in all walks of life."

Dr. Long's wife Barbara died in 2001 -- just four years before the family again was struck by tragedy. His mentally ill son, Bryan, was shot by a Lauderdale County lawman in 2005 when Dr. Long called for help with getting him to a hospital for psychiatric treatment.

"He decided make something good come of the tragedy of losing my brother," Todd Long said. Dr. Long donated money to help start Bryan's Initiative: Guidance of Law Enforcement With the Mentally Ill at Riverbend Center for Mental Health in Florence. The one-day, eight-hour class has been taken for free by several law enforcement officers in the north Alabama area, the TimesDaily reported. That work earned Long a Points of Light award. Points of Light was started by President George H.W. Bush.

In 1951, Dr. Long, a Decatur native, earned a Bachelor's Degree from the Alabama Polytechnic Institute in Auburn. He went to medical school at the University of Alabama. His internship and residency were in general and thoracic surgery at Barnes Hospital, Washington University in St. Louis. He also studied cardio thoracic surgery at the National Institutes of Health.

Long also was a Diplomate for the American Board of Surgery in 1963 and a Fellow for the American College of Surgeons in 1966. Long taught at the University of Alabama School of Medicine as an assistant professor of clinical surgery, according to his obituary.

"I told the grand jury he was a selfless healer who dedicated his life to healing and helping people," said Dr. Long's son Todd. "He was the kindest, most compassionate person."

Todd Long (left) is shown with his father Dr. Robert Long.

Todd Long said despite his father's old age, the retired doctor was in great shape.

"The day before he died, we talked and he said, 'I haven't felt this good in years,'" Todd Long said. "Our family felt like it was just such a senseless, tragic, needless way for him to go. This was a man who still had years of helping people and doing good in the community. We've been devastated by it."

At the time of the crash, Balentine was cited for failure to show proof of insurance. She was indicted after prosecutors got the results of blood samples that were sent to the Alabama Department of Forensic Sciences for testing.

A grand jury issued the indictment in August.
Frank Baby. Edna Shakir. Charlsie Best. Dinara Kydykova, Meaghan Thorne and Michael Ware. Just six of the 4.863 million people of Alabama -- but some of the very first to join us in a collaborative new statewide project in honor of our state's 200th birthday, appearing across social media and in our newspapers.

Who's collaborating? Everyone, we hope!

To kick things off, we're excited to be partnering with the Alabama Bicentennial Commission to create People of Alabama, a new photographic portrait series capturing Alabama life as it's lived today.

To Jay Lamar, the commission's executive director, it's a wonderful way to invite all Alabamians to be part of this multi-year birthday party.

"This is something that's been in the works for more than a year; to see it come to fruition and in such an exciting form and look is deeply gratifying" Lamar said. "It's really an extraordinary chance to ensure our Bicentennial celebration is open and accessible to people everywhere."

Soon, we hope you'll see this work in many places, including on Instagram at @peopleofAL, on Facebook at Facebook.com/peopleofAL, on the project's website, www.peopleofalabama.com, and in your Sunday paper.

Tamika Moore is an award-winning photojournalist and Alabama native. If you know of someone she needs to meet, email her: Tamika@redclaymedia.com

Award winning photojournalist and Alabama native Tamika Moore has been traveling the state for months, capturing the humor and the beauty and the power in our neighbors' stories, from Ensley twins going through breast cancer together to the unshakable bond between an Eight Mile man and his horse. Through her work, Moore aims to help people see each other more clearly, whether through the image itself or the bits of conversation she collects and shares from each encounter. No matter where she goes -- city or country, bayou or beach,; farmers market, drag race or beauty pageant -- she's found Alabamians incredibly similar in their willingness and openness to share their stories with a stranger.

"People are really eager for genuine connection," she said on a recent break from her statewide travels. "I hope through this project people can find ways to relate to people they wouldn't normally think they would."

We hope so too. After all, our goal here is to share this celebration, together, and offer the rest of the world a chance to get to know this place in a fresh and modern way, and for us as Alabamians to see ourselves better.

That's why, as much as we are excited to share Tamika's work, we also want to open up a space for your stories to be part of this growing tapestry that we're creating and preserving as a part of the state's official bicentennial.

There are two easy ways for that to happen. One, email Moore at our Red Clay Media division with a suggestion of someone interesting she should photograph. Reach her at Tamika@redclaymedia.com. Or two, share your photos directly to our Facebook page or by using the hashtag #peopleofalabama on Instagram. Moore and Elizabeth Hoekenga Whitmire, Red Clay Media director, will work together to include as many of those submissions as possible. We're also interested to partner with towns and organizations who want to be part of this bicentennial project. We ask such groups to email Elizabeth@redclaymedia.com

Holmes is vice president of content for Alabama Media Group.
United States Court of Appeals, Fifth Circuit. JOANNE STONE, Plaintiff - Appellant v. LOUISIANA DEPARTMENT OF REVENUE, Defendant - Appellee No. 16-30843 Decided: August 31, 2017

Before BARKSDALE, DENNIS, and CLEMENT, Circuit Judges.

Joanne Stone worked for the Louisiana Department of Revenue (Department). She filed a complaint with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) and ultimately sued the Department in federal district court, alleging race discrimination, harassment, and retaliation under Title VII, as well as defamation under Louisiana law. The district court dismissed all of her claims. Stone appealed; we remanded her retaliation and defamation claims for further proceedings. The Department later moved for summary judgment as to Stone's remaining claims. The district court granted the motion. Stone appeals. We AFFIRM.

I

Stone worked in the Department's New Orleans office as a Revenue Tax Auditor II from 2001 to 2010. In early 2010 Stone, who is black, filed an internal grievance with the Department alleging that her supervisor, Vendetta Lockleyalso blackhad discriminated against her on the basis of her race. Stone alleged that Lockley had harassed her in a number of ways, including questioning her ability to meet deadlines, not approving audit hours in time to be counted towards Stone's year-end production numbers, and accusing her of losing paperwork. The Department agreed to transfer Stone to its Houston office; she was transferred in late 2010.

Meanwhile, just before her transfer to Houston, Stone filed a complaint against the Department with the EEOC alleging race discrimination and retaliation. She later amended the complaint to add a claim for harassment based on her race. The EEOC issued Stone a right to sue letter in 2013, and she timely filed suit in federal district court, adding a state law defamation claim. The Department moved to dismiss Stone's suit under Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 12(b)(6). The district court granted the motion, refused to exercise supplemental jurisdiction over Stone's state defamation claim, and dismissed her case. Stone appealed. We concluded that Stone's retaliation claim survived the Department's motion to dismiss, but only for events occurring after May 2010. Stone v. La. Dep't of Revenue, 590 F. App'x 332, 341 (5th Cir. 2014) (per curiam). We also reversed the district court's dismissal of her state defamation claim and remanded to the district court for further proceedings. Id. at 342.

Discovery began. The parties exchanged myriad discovery requests, answered interrogatories, and conducted depositions. The Department ultimately moved for summary judgment in December 2015, more than a year after our remand. The district court issued a thoroughly-reasoned order granting the Department's motion. Stone now appeals.

II

We review a grant of summary judgment de novo, applying the same standard as the district court. E.E.O.C. v. Rite Way Serv., Inc., 819 F.3d 235, 239 (5th Cir. 2016) (citing Davis v. Fort Bend Cty., 765 F.3d 480, 484 (5th Cir. 2014)). Summary judgment is appropriate only when the record reveals no genuine dispute as to any material fact and the movant is entitled to judgment as a matter of law.  Id. (quoting Fed. R. Civ. P. 56(a)). When reviewing a grant of summary judgment, [w]e interpret all facts and draw all reasonable inferences in favor of the nonmovant. Id. (citing Ion v. Chevron USA, Inc., 731 F.3d 379, 389 (5th Cir. 2013)). It is also true, however, that [c]onclusory affidavits and allegations are not sufficient to defeat a motion for summary judgment. Young v. Equifax Credit Info. Servs., Inc., 294 F.3d 631, 639 (5th Cir. 2002) (citing Galindo v. Precision Am. Corp., 754 F.2d 1212, 1216 (5th Cir. 1985)).

III

Stone appeals the district court's grant of summary judgment as to: (1) her state law defamation claim; and (2) her Title VII retaliation claim. We address each in turn.

A. Defamation

In Louisiana, a plaintiff alleging defamation must prove four elements: (1) a false and defamatory statement concerning another; (2) an unprivileged communication to a third party; (3) fault (negligence or greater) on the part of the publisher; and (4) resulting injury. Bellard v. Gautreaux, 675 F.3d 454, 464 (5th Cir. 2012) (citing Costello v. Hardy, 864 So.2d 129, 139 (La. 2004)). In additionrelevant to Stone's caseunder Louisiana law, an ex-employer who is asked to provide a reference for an employee and provides accurate information about a current or former employee's job performance or reasons for separation shall be immune from civil liability and other consequences of such disclosure provided such employer is not acting in bad faith. La. R.S. 23:291(A); see also Butler v. Folger Coffee Co., 524 So.2d 206, 206 n.1 (La. Ct. App. 1988) (Communications between a previous employer and a prospective employer  enjoy a qualified or conditional privilege. Such a communication is not actionable when made in good faith.).

Stone's defamation argument on appeal is somewhat convoluted. She does not directly identify any defamatory statement made by an employee of the Department. On a generous construction, it appears she is arguing that her manager, Lockley, defamed her by providing negative references to prospective employers. Stone cannot point to any statement actually made by Lockley to a bona fide prospective employer. Rather, Stone explains that she hired third-party reference checking companies to call Lockley and pose as prospective employers in order to see what the content of Lockley's reference would be. During one of those faux interviews, Lockley noted that she felt that Stone lacked organizational skills.

Stone contends that Lockley's statement regarding her lack of organizational skills was defamatory. She concedes that the Department can only be held liable for that statement if it was made in bad faith. See La. R.S. 23:291(A). Yet, despite this concession, Stone makes no argument whatsoever that Lockley's statement about her organizational skills was made in bad faith. Indeed, Lockley was concerned about Stone's organizational skills for some time before the alleged defamatory statement. On Stone's 2010 performance planning and review form, for example, Lockley expressed concern about disorganization in Stone's presentation of data during a complex audit. Thus, the record evidence indicates that Lockley, in her role as Stone's supervisor, was genuinely concerned about Stone's organizational skills. In response, Stone can muster only conclusory statements to the effect that Lockley's statement to the reference checker was intolerable and deliberate. In the absence of any substantiated argument that Lockley's allegedly defamatory statement was made in bad faith, Stone's defamation claim fails pursuant to Louisiana law.

B. Retaliation

A plaintiff establishes a prima facie case of retaliation by showing (i) [s]he engaged in a protected activity, (ii) an adverse employment action occurred, and (iii) there was a causal link between the protected activity and the adverse employment action. Hernandez v. Yellow Transp., Inc., 670 F.3d 644, 657 (5th Cir. 2012) (citing Taylor v. United Parcel Serv., Inc., 554 F.3d 510, 523 (5th Cir. 2008)). In the context of a Title VII retaliation claim, an employment action is materially adverse if it well might have dissuaded a reasonable worker from making or supporting a charge of discrimination. Burlington N. & Santa Fe Ry. Co. v. White, 548 U.S. 53, 6768 (2006) (internal quotation marks omitted).

Stone argues that Lockley retaliated against her in a number of ways. Specifically, Stone alleges that Lockley: (1) gave Stone an inaccurate performance evaluation soon after her EEOC complaint was filed; (2) did not properly credit Stone's end-of-year production numbers; (3) falsely accused Stone of misplacing a form; and (4) convinced Stone's new supervisor in Houston to deny Stone's telecommuting privileges.

None of these allegations is availing, however, because Stone is unable to establish a causal link between the protected activitiesi.e. her complaintsand any alleged adverse employment actions. This is so because Stone cannot point to any record evidence to show that Lockley was aware of her EEOC complaint when the alleged retaliation took place. And if Lockley did not know about the complaint, then her alleged actions could not have been taken in retaliation therefrom. To be sure, Stone repeatedly states that Lockley knew about the complaint, but the only record evidence she points to in support is her own brief in opposition to summary judgment below. That brief in turn cited to a deposition of Lockley's that was not put into the record. The district court noted the omission of Lockley's deposition in the record before it, explaining that the record was therefore unclear as to whether Lockley had knowledge that Stone engaged in the protected activity. Stone effectively invites us to accept her characterization of Lockley's deposition testimony on faith. In the absence of any genuine record evidence tending to show that Lockley knew about Stone's EEOC complaint, Stone's retaliation arguments must fail.

IV

The district court's judgment is AFFIRMED.

FOOTNOTES

. The case was actually heard by Magistrate Judge Roby. Because the parties consented to the Magistrate Judge's jurisdiction, we refer to it as the district court for ease of reference throughout.

. The district court seems to have erroneously applied this circuit's previous standard for adverse employment action in retaliation suitsa standard that was expressly abrogated by Burlington. This evident error was harmless, however, becauseas we explain belowStone's retaliation claim fails on the third causality prong.

. The district court concluded that Stone's retaliation argument failed on the second prongholding that she could not establish that an adverse employment action was taken against herand therefore did not reach the issue of causality. We may affirm the district court's judgment on any basis supported by the record, however. United States v. Chacon, 742 F.3d 219, 220 (5th Cir. 2014). And because we decide Stone's appeal on the causality prong, we need not reach the issue of whether Lockley's alleged behaviors would qualify as adverse employment actions for purposes of retaliation.

PER CURIAM:*
More than half a million tourists from Gulf countries are expected to summer in the eastern Black Sea region.

Trabzon, Turkey  Mahmoud al-Abbasi, a visitor from the Saudi city of Medina, looks relaxed as he sits facing the picturesque lake in Uzungol, a mountain village 100km southeast of Trabzon.

It feels like home and it is relief from the weather in Saudi, he says of the village, exhaling the smoke from a water pipe. The rain is amazing.

Abbasi is part of a wave of more than half a million Gulf tourists expected to descend on the slopes and valleys of Turkeys eastern Black Sea region by summers end, despite the ongoing crisis pitting Gulf quartet Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Egypt and Bahrain against Qatar, which is backed by Turkey.





Ankara recently made clear its support for Qatar by taking part in a major joint military exercise with Qatari forces and sending troops to a Turkish military base in Doha. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has also sought to push for a negotiated solution by shuttling between Gulf leaders in July when he met various heads of state.

Abbasi, who would like to return to Uzungol in winter to experience the snow, says the current political climate is of little concern to him. But I hope it can be solved soon, he says.

The dispute seems to have had little effect on the eastern Black Seas now-booming tourism industry. In July, eight cities in Saudi Arabia launched direct flights to Trabzon, the regional hub, to meet demand from Saudi tourists. The UAE and Kuwait also offer direct flights, bypassing the need for tourists to travel through airports in Istanbul, where an attack by the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL, also known as ISIS) killed 45 people in June 2016.

The throngs of Arab tourists are a boon to a region that, in the past, was more focused on contending with mass migration to Istanbul, Ankara and Izmir in the west. Today, Gulf tourists are welcomed with open arms; their holidaying was worth more than $1.5bn to the local economy last year. Tour operators say that because Gulf visitors generally travel in groups of extended families and look for packages that include airport transfers, accommodation and local tours, they spend more than visitors from other parts of the world.

Every year it has been getting busier and busier in June, July and August, says Sumeyah Salah, a receptionist at the Royal Uzungol Hotel, which opened in 2015 and charges from $250 a night. Around 80 percent of our summer customers come from Gulf countries, and Saudi tourists make up the majority.

In the first five months of this year, more than 22,000 Arab tourists visited Uzungol, a village with a permanent residential population of fewer than 2,000 people, according to the Trabzon Chamber of Commerce. More than 70 hotels and apartments catering to a range of budgets have sprung up in the village in less than a decade.

It is a region thats easy to fall for. Above Uzungol in lush, green mountains rising two thousand metres above sea level, the spectacular sight of a paraglider slowly making his way down into the valley catches peoples eyes. At any of a number of restaurants, fish for visitors tables can be chosen from the adjacent outdoor ponds.

Locals have worked hard to draw tourists to an idyllic part of Turkey with a culture similar to the Arab worlds. Arabic-language road signage and language courses have become commonplace in Trabzon. Nineteen new hotel projects were launched over the past 18 months in Trabzon alone, according to the Hoteliers Association of Turkey; and across the eastern Black Sea, seven $25m hotel resorts are set to be built specifically for the Arab tourist trade. A 2,600-km new highway dubbed the Green Road and built  in the words of a regional development authority  to attract Gulf tourists, is set to open next year.

But not everyone is happy. Conservationists say the Green Road, a project of the state-run Eastern Black Sea Regional Development Plan, will inflict untold damage to fauna and disrupt shepherds access to mountain pastures.

The hotel association has warned that the growth of accommodation construction may result in hotel rooms lying empty in the months and years to come because the local tourist season is largely limited to summer months. Arab tourists buying apartments in Trabzons city centre are thought to have been responsible for driving up housing prices.

READ MORE: Erdogan visits Saudi Arabia over Gulf crisis

And for local businesses specialising in serving Gulf tourists, the spectre of recent events in the peninsula hangs in the air. Its impossible to ignore the crisis, says Mustafa Ahmad, who is from Syria and works as a translator for Vazelon Tours, a major Trabzon-based operator that caters to around 20,000 Arab tourists each year.

There are less this year by about 7,000 people compared with 2016, probably because of the issues between the Gulf countries, he says. But it is not an issue tourists who have already come here are worried about. Its up to God, but we think the situation will change soon. The Arab countries are brothers, in the end.

At Trabzon airports departures terminal, a constant flow of Arabic-speaking couples and groups stream indoors towards check-in desks, bound for any of several Gulf destinations. Abdullah Abdelhamid, from the Jordanian capital Amman, had never been to the region before, though he is adamant he will return.

Its amazing. The green scenery, the quiet atmosphere, and it is not hot here, he says from a seat in the departures lounge. He and his wife are among a tour group of 13 Jordanians who just returned from visiting the Sumela monastery high in the Pontic mountains.

Jordan has also been drawn into the crisis, and in June downgraded diplomatic ties with Qatar, expelled Dohas ambassador and closed Al Jazeeras offices in Jordan.

Im not here to talk about politics; Im here to enjoy myself, Abdelhamid says. But I dont see any problem coming back here.
Restaurants, guesthouses and supermarkets are opening to cater for the influx of Chinese fuelled by the CPEC.

Islamabad, Pakistan  Sitting in his open-air kitchen in the heart of a busy shopping centre in Pakistans capital Islamabad, Zhang Yan Xu does not seem to have a care in the world.

The tall, broad-shouldered chef seems a genial sort, who exults in his inability to communicate with his customers.

No English, he says, smiling broadly. No Urdu.

Behind him, his wife looks up briefly from the chopping board, before getting back to the serious business of rolling and folding fresh dumplings for the customers downstairs.

The Xus work at Hong Du Ramen, the latest in a glut of Chinese restaurants, grocery stores, guesthouses and language centres to open up across Pakistan, aimed mainly at the countrys growing population of Chinese citizens.

The influx has been fuelled by the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), a $56bn project that is seeing Chinese companies build roads, power plants and industrial zones across the South Asian country.

Two years after it was announced, CPECs first early harvest infrastructure projects are now coming online, with work under way on dozens more.

This year is, as we call it, the year of early harvest, says Lijian Zhao, Chinas deputy ambassador to Pakistan. The ultimate goal is to help Pakistan to develop the economy  to help to accelerate the industrialisation process.

The 43 projects that directly fall under the CPEC banner have seen a tripling of the number of Chinese nationals resident in Pakistan to more than 30,000, according to the Chinese embassy in Islamabad. In addition, Reuters reported, that more than 71,000 Chinese nationals visited on short-term visas last year.

As more Chinese engineers, managers and workers flood into the country, Pakistan has seen a mushrooming of supermarkets, guesthouses and other businesses catering specifically to Chinese needs.

Zhao, the Chinese deputy ambassador, says hes a regular visitor to the new Chinese grocery stores, stocking up on traditional ingredients that are just not available anywhere else in the South Asian country.

I go for those markets. [Even the embassy] cannot bring everything from China, he says.

Arrived in Beijing

The aptly named Firstop (a portmanteau of First Stop) is one of the largest such stores in Islamabad. The supermarkets shelves are lined with products manufactured in China: everything from noodles to hardhat construction helmets, sea kelp to stationery, spice mixes to industrial meat grinders.

As a Chinese migrant moving to Islamabad, whether you are looking for a quick meal or to procure the equipment and supplies to set up your own restaurant, it looks like Firstop has got you covered. Most of the demand, though, seems to be for food  both ready-made and ingredients  that are not available in typical Pakistani grocery stores, says Zhang Song, a store manager.

Mostly the food and other seasonings are imported from China, says Song, in broken English. Only [the cooking] oil is from Pakistan. Others all from China.

Song, a 29-year-old originally from He Bei province in China, says he moved to Pakistan two years ago to take advantage of the boom in businesses aimed at Chinese citizens.

Most customers are Chinese people, he says.

Pakistanis, he says, seem to be fond of making Chinese food, but the South Asian version of Chinese food  heavy on garlic, ginger and tomatoes  does not necessarily fit the bill of actual Chinese fare.

[Traditional] Chinese food is too much different from Pakistani food, he says, smiling.

At the Ni Hao Cash & Carry, a few kilometres away, the scene is much the same. The small store is crammed with row upon row of products labelled in Chinese, with an array of spices arranged in open containers near the back wall.

A lot of [Pakistanis] walk in and are shocked  they see everything in Chinese here, and wonder perhaps if theyve arrived in Beijing, says Rizwan Hassan, a manager at the store.

Hassan and business partner Eraj Raza have been working with Chinese nationals on infrastructure projects for the last seven years, and set up this store about six months ago.

We built the store because we saw CPEC, and all the companies coming in, says Raza. Lots of investors are coming in. People are opening restaurants, guesthouses, or other services.

About 90 percent of their customers, says Raza, are Chinese, with the rest made up mostly of Koreans, Thais and other East Asian visitors. Ni Hao also operates another store in Karachi, Pakistans largest city and commercial capital, as well as smaller outlets at more than half a dozen CPEC project sites.

The language barrier is a major stumbling block for many Chinese visitors, says Hassan. Most Chinese do not speak Urdu, Pakistans native language, or English, which is spoken by a smaller subset of Pakistanis.

As such, he says, the Chinese seem to be setting up a parallel world in the South Asian country.

Right now, there is a whole Chinese life here, says Hassan, who speaks broken Mandarin. There are thousands of Chinese people in Islamabad, and they have everything they need to live comfortably. Now they even have clubs for them  everything is provided to them.

One of those things, somewhat surprisingly in the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, is pork. The import and consumption of pork, which is forbidden in Islam, is illegal in Pakistan.

On Ni Haos shelves, however, you will find everything from pig snouts to trotters, from sausage to dried ham cuts.

Raza says customs officials at Pakistans borders are not able to decipher the Chinese labels on most imported food products, and so Ni Hao is able to steer clear of trouble. But more than that, he says, if products are marked in Chinese, customs officials seem less inclined to check them.

Its already happening, obviously. The products are coming in, so that means they are allowing it.

Pakistani customs officials denied to Al Jazeera that any such policy was in place.

CPEC creating a market

In addition to warping social norms, the $56bn CPEC, seems to be creating a market of its own, too.

Pakistan will bid farewell to its energy shortage exclaims the headline of a recent issue of the Huashang Weekly, Pakistans first Chinese-language newspaper, which distributes 5,000 copies a week to major cities and CPEC project sites across Pakistan.

Its meant to be like a bridge between Pakistan and China, says Inam ur Rahman, a manager at Infoshare, the company which runs the newspaper. Chinese people who come here, they dont know much about Pakistan, whether in terms of business or even our culture.

Infoshare, a Shanghai-based company, has already launched a number of Chinese-focused ventures in Pakistan. The newspaper  a glossy tabloid that charges roughly $1,000 for a full page advertisement  is one, but they also run a Chinese-language courier service, and are launching a smartphone app that will allow Chinese-speakers to order food from Pakistani restaurants.

I think a lot of companies are developing to take advantage of this Chinese influx, says Rehman. Our company is doing the same.

Security concerns

Security remains a concern for most foreigners visiting Pakistan, which has been battling the Pakistan Taliban (known by the acronym, TTP) armed group and its allies since 2007. In June, the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL, known as ISIS) claimed to have killed a Chinese couple running a language training centre in the southwestern city of Quetta.

The killings prompted the Pakistani interior ministry to announce a tightening of visas for Chinese visitors, to ensure they were kept better track of. Pakistan has also formed a 15,000-strong security force specifically for the protection of Chinese citizens and CPEC projects.

When some Chinese people are in Pakistan, it is a foreign country for them and they dont know very well [the situation], says Zhao, the deputy ambassador, adding that the embassy had stepped up its security advisories to citizens in response to the attack.

Questions of security, however, seem far from Zhang Yan Xus mind, as he and his wife prepare for the afternoon rush at Hong Du Ramen.

At the small hole-in-the-wall restaurant, waiter Ahsan Ibrar tends to the salads lying on the sideboard. Customers are expected to help themselves, he says. There are no frills and no fuss. No menu, either: the restaurant only serves its eponymous noodles. The few signs and the writing on the restaurants whiteboard are all in Chinese.

No one speaks English, exclaims Ibrar, who was hired as a cleaner but was quickly promoted to cashier and translator-in-chief (a fact only somewhat hampered by the fact that he does not speak Chinese).

It scarcely seems to matter, though. Business is booming, he says, and there is more than enough money to go around.
Guatemala, as most of Central America, is known for deep-rooted corruption in its governmental institutions. Yet in 2015, the country made global headlines for its efforts to change this.

It came after massive protests unfolded in response to a variety of high-level corruption scandals, which resulted in the resignation and indictment of former President Otto Perez Molina and his Vice President Roxana Baldetti. These major happenings opened an unparalleled opportunity for the Central American country to transform the political system and eliminate deep-rooted corruption.





At present, however, the political establishment is divided. As further anti-graft efforts have led to more than a hundred former cabinet members facing trial, entire sectors of the elite now oppose meaningful change, including current President Jimmy Morales. In a stunning move, during the early morning hours of August 25, the second anniversary of the national strike, he announced his decision to expel the head of the UN-backed international commission against impunity (CICIG).

Such an extreme measure was considered by many analysts an outright political suicide. The reasons that led the president go through the unthinkable have been building up over the past year.

2015: The campaign against the criminal elites

The year 2015 was a watershed moment in Guatemalas contemporary political history. The massive protests that unfolded that year were sparked by a series of exposes that revealed an intricate corruption scheme that involved the sitting president, vice president and a cadre of high-level cabinet officials.

The work of local prosecutors in cooperation with the CICIG bore fruit, and an anti-corruption movement was born. Civil society demanded results from the judicial processes and helped push for the removal of members of the corrupt political establishment from office.

OPINION: A different kind of war in Americas backyard

That same year, general elections took place and Jimmy Morales, a former comedian, was elected to the highest public office. He campaigned on being an outsider and not part of the corrupt political class. Although many thought that was true, it was clearly not the case for members of his political party, Frente de Convergencia Nacional (the National Convergence Front  FCN).

The FCN was founded by former military officials that were allegedly involved in gross human rights violations during Guatemalas decades-long civil war. From early on, the party has sought the expulsion of the CICIG, as they saw it as a threat to the countrys sovereignty. This might explain why, after the election, the FCN was quick to ally itself in Congress with members of the corrupt political establishment allegedly tied to organised crime and the criminal networks that engulf all branches of government.

Throughout 2016, the anti-corruption movement led by the general prosecutor, in cooperation with the CICIG, continued to pursue a series of investigations against Guatemalas corrupt elite. It persisted even in the face of failed attempts to introduce reforms to strengthen the judicial system, sabotaged by the supporters and beneficiaries of the status quo with the government and Congress.

In June 2016, a massive illegal party financing scheme was revealed. It involved over 50 high-profile politicians, bankers, and business owners. This rocked the foundations of not only Guatemalas political class, but also its close links with the business elite, which until then had thought itself beyond the reach of the law.

Now, the anti-corruption probes have reached President Morales himself and his family. His brother and son have been accused of alleged fraud and embezzlement and are facing trial. Furthermore, the CICIG requested Mr Moraless immunity to be lifted on the grounds of alleged illegal campaign financing. Two days later, Mr Morales declared the commissioner persona non grata on Twitter and ordered him to leave the country immediately. His decision was overruled by the Constitutional Court, but the political crisis is set to continue in the following weeks.

The importance of the rule of law

The unexpected has happened and there is little room for certainty. The situation is constantly changing and there are credible reports that the president is seriously considering disobeying the Constitutional Court ruling. This will plunge Guatemala into a deeper constitutional crisis and the end result of such a scenario is anybodys guess. The national and international media, civil society, and the international community have decried Mr Moraless actions. The presidents political allies are, for the most part, members of the corrupt political establishment that seek stability, i.e. impunity.

Leaders of the private sector, on the other hand, are divided. They are worried that the anti-corruption efforts are creating an environment of uncertainty that would discourage possible investors and slow down economic growth. However, business elites must bear in mind that uncertainty and distrust to the country is created by widespread corruption and the corrupt political class. Without rule of law, there is no stability for anyone, let alone investors.

On the other hand, parts of civil society are still falling into the trap of equating every single political opponent to the corrupt establishment. Failing to recognise the nuances between factions of the private sector only plays into the rhetoric of the defenders of the status quo.

Emerging political leaders, the private sector, civil society, and popular movements must recognise that a common agenda benefits everyone except those involved in corruption. Powerful sectors of the elite which, for now, have remained on the sidelines of this process need to unequivocally support the anti-corruption efforts and a minimum set of reforms. This includes the overhaul of the judiciary and the electoral system.

A renovation of the political class is crucial. It is now clear that the current political establishment is only interested in short-term fixes and very few members are interested in a long-term plan for the country.

Yet, these efforts will be fruitless unless local leaders and members of the Guatemalan elite acknowledge that mutual concessions are necessary to consolidate a democratic rule of law.

The success of the fight against corruption depends on it.

Alfredo Ortega Franco is a Guatemalan international human rights lawyer. He specialises in the Inter-American Human Rights Protection System and has worked throughout Central America.

The views expressed in this article are the authors own and do not necessarily reflect Al Jazeeras editorial policy.
Prior to North Koreas most recent nuclear explosion, the understanding was that they possessed somewhere between 10 and 60 nuclear weapons, less or equal to the size of the Hiroshima bomb in terms of impact. The Hiroshima bomb was 15 kilotonnes  the equivalent of 15,000 tonnes of TNT.

What just went off in North Korea may have been between 50 and 100 kilotonnes. The destructive potential of a weapon this size to both an individual area and the surrounding ecosystems constitutes an entirely different class of risk. Whether a regional conflict with weapons of mass destruction turns into Armageddon depends on how many nuclear weapons are involved and what size they are.





Anything more than 50 nuclear weapons could trigger a nuclear winter. In that scenario, there would be so much soot and smoke thrown into the atmosphere by the burning cities that the entire planet could suffer an extreme drop in temperature. The larger the weapons  of which the 100-kilotonne ones certainly fit the equation  the more likely this outcome would be.

This outcome could be delivered within a matter of minutes. The missile that Kim Jong-un recently flew over Japan, without prior warning and without Japanese consent, was fired at 5.58am. The Japanese public received a three-minute warning because there is 1,000km between them and North Korea. California is 9,000km away, which gives it a 30-minute warning. Seoul, at 55km, does not get a warning.

Due to how short these notices could be, most of the superpowers keep hundreds of their nuclear weapons on high alert. This means they can launch to retaliate within 15 minutes or less.

OPINION: Should you be worried about North Korea?

To make matters even more dangerous, neither side in the current tension between North Korea and North America is utilising adequate safeguards to prevent accidents or miscalculations. On the hand, the United States and their allies are practising war games, without the inclusion of opposing observers. Observers from countries that feel threatened by war games give them the information they need to know they are not about to be attacked. On the other hand, North Korea is busy firing missiles without announcement over countries without their consent.

North Korea knows that India, Pakistan and Israel have already defied these powers and acquired their own nuclear weapons, despite international pleas for non-proliferation. North Korea wants to join that renegade club. by

While North Korea has gotten away with bullying Japan, if they attempt a similar act by landing missiles in the oceans of the American territory of Guam, it is quite possible a war will break out. President Donald Trump is not a man to be provoked. If Kim Jong-un sends unannounced and unconsented missiles, that may or may not be nuclear armed, that may be six times larger than the Hiroshima bomb, over, or into, American territory war could be imminent. Russia, China or North Korea would not tolerate such actions near their territories. There is no reason to expect that America would respond differently.

The first international response to North Koreas nuclear test is that to call a meeting of the Security Council to discuss the situation. It will be expected from them to tighten up even further the already tough sanctions on North Korea. This would entail oil being added to the list, in addition, to a complete social, labour and diplomatic embargo of the country. Whether China and Russia will agree to maximum sanctions is still unclear.

Even if the Security Council can agree on new tougher sanctions, it is unlikely that the North Korean regime would change direction and offer to give up their nuclear weapons  no matter how much the Security Council nuclear powers want it to do so. North Korea knows that India, Pakistan and Israel have already defied these powers and acquired their own nuclear weapons, despite international pleas for non-proliferation. North Korea wants to join that renegade club.

The reason the international community maintains the goal of nuclear non-proliferation is because the more countries possessing nuclear weapons there are, the more dangerous life on Earth becomes. The real threat of North Korean proliferation is not the risk to cities in the US, but rather, the regional instability that comes with one side possessing weapons of mass destruction and disturbing the balance of power.

READ MORE: Three things to know about North Koreas missile tests

If North Korea keeps their nuclear weapons, South Korea and Japan will also want their own atomic arsenals to act as a deterrent to Kim Jong-un. They will also want to expand and develop anti-ballistic missile defence systems, far beyond the ones that have already been deployed to the region.

They will also seek much greater autonomy over their own defence, trying to avoid relying completely on the US. While this may make sense on one level, to China, the idea of countries like Japan, bristling with their own autonomous nuclear arsenal and hi-tech defence shields is absolutely intolerable.

Unfortunately, this is where we are heading.

Alexander Gillespie is professor of international law at the University of Waikato, New Zealand. His research focuses on laws of war and armed conflict. He is the author of the three-volume set A History of the Laws of War and the three-volume set The Causes of War.

The views expressed in this article are the authors own and do not necessarily reflect Al Jazeeras editorial policy.
Bomb-disposal team disarms 1.8-tonne blockbuster bomb as tens of thousands in Frankfurt ordered away from homes.

German explosives experts defused a massive World War II bomb in the financial capital of Frankfurt on Sunday after tens of thousands of people evacuated their homes in case it detonated.

The 1.8-tonne bomb was discovered on a building site last week, and more than 60,000 people were ordered to leave their residences in what is Germanys biggest evacuation since the war.

The work by bomb technicians started later than planned, as some people refused to leave the evacuation area despite authorities warning that an uncontrolled explosion would be big enough to flatten a city block.

Helicopters with heat-sensing cameras circled to spot stragglers, and police chiefs said they would use force if necessary to clear the area.

More than 1,000 emergency service workers helped to clear the area and a steady flow of people filed into a temporary shelter at Frankfurts trade fair site.

The bomb was dropped by Britains Royal Air Force during the 1939-45 war.

The explosive device  nicknamed blockbuster by German media  was found last week in the citys leafy Westend neighbourhood.

RELATED: 50,000 evacuate German city over unexploded WWII bombs

A spokesman for Frankfurts firefighter service said earlier that people slowly moving out had delayed the operation, adding that was incredibly annoying and time-consuming.

Police set up cordons around the evacuation area, which covered a radius of 1.5km.

Bomb disposal experts will use a special system to try and unscrew the fuses attached to the HC 4,000 bomb from a safe distance. If that fails, a water jet will be used to cut the fuses.

British and American warplanes pummelled Germany with 1.5 million tonnes of bombs that killed 600,000 people. Officials estimate 15 percent of the bombs failed to explode, some burrowing six metres deep.

More than 2,000 tonnes of live bombs and munitions are found each year in Germany.

Bombs everywhere

On Saturday, 21,000 people had to be evacuated from the western city of Koblenz as bomb disposal experts defused an unexploded American World War II shell.

In May, 50,000 residents were forced to leave their homes in the northern city of Hanover for an operation to defuse several WWII-era bombs.

David Hoffmann, 29, who works at a bank, was putting his luggage in his car on Sunday.

I have the essentials with me  the most important documents, he said, complaining he had received no leaflets about the evacuation.

Although police have said there is no immediate danger, the bombs massive size prevents them from taking any chances during the disarming process.
Fighters from the armed group carry out raid on army base in Bula Gudud near the southern port town of Kismayu.

Al-Shabab fighters attacked a military base near Somalias southern port city of Kismayu early on Sunday, a Somali army officer said, adding that he did not immediately have details of any casualties.

The armed group claimed responsibility for the attack and said 26 Somali soldiers had been killed in the incident, but that could not be confirmed by other sources.

We understand al-Shabab attacked the base and fierce fighting and a blast occurred, but still we have no details, Mohamed Isa, a military officer, told Reuters news agency from Kismayu.

The attack was on a base in the village of Bula Gudud, near Kismayu.

State radio also reported the base had been attacked but said casualties were not yet known.

The base is jointly operated by the Somali national army and forces from the semi-autonomous Jubbaland region of southern Somalia, it reported.

Residents in Bula Gudud said a blast was heard and an exchange of gunfire broke out shortly after the first Muslim prayer of the day.

Abdiasis Abu Musab, al-Shababs military spokesman, told Reuters: This morning, we stormed the Jubbaland base near Bula Gudud. We killed 26 soldiers and burnt two cars.

The group left the base after taking weapons, ammunition and several vehicles, he added.

Al-Shabab is linked to al-Qaeda and wants to impose strict Islamic law in Somalia.

The group routinely exaggerates casualty figures.
Newspaper says Mondays edition will be its last after receiving $6.3m tax bill, which it calls politically motivated.

One of Cambodias last remaining independent newspapers announced on Sunday it was closing after 24 years, the latest in a series of blows to critics of Prime Minster Hun Sen.

The Cambodia Daily said Mondays edition would be its last after it was slapped with a $6.3m tax bill which its publishers said was politically motivated.

The power to tax is the power to destroy. And after 24 years, one month and 15 days, the Cambodian government has destroyed The Cambodia Daily, a special and singular part of Cambodias free press, the newspaper said in a statement.

The paper blamed extra-legal threats by the government to close the Daily, freeze its accounts and prosecute the new owner for the closure.

The announcement came hours after opposition leader Kem Sokha was arrested and accused of treason.

READ MORE: Kem Sokha detained during Cambodia police raid

The Cambodia Daily was set up in 1993 by veteran American journalist Bernard Krisher in the aftermath of Cambodias genocide from 1975-78 and subsequent civil war.

It publishes in English, but also carries some articles in Khmer.

Krisher sold the paper to his daughter Deborah Krisher-Steele in April.

Last month, the Cambodian tax department said the paper owed $6.3m in back taxes, with Hun Sen branding the owners thieves in one of his recent speeches.

The paper said the figure was arbitrary and not based on an audit of its books.

Its a dark day for press freedom in Cambodia, editor Jodie DeJonge told AFP news agency on Sunday.

We just cant believe that on Monday morning we are going to wake up and not come and put out another newspaper. Its a tremendous loss.

The paper is not the only independent media organisation to come under pressure. Tax probes have also been announced by the government against the US-funded Radio Free Asia and Voice of America, who say they have complied with local laws.

A group of local radio stations which carried Khmer-language VOA and RFA content have also been shuttered or banned from broadcasting their content.

Last week, the US expressed deep concern over the state of Cambodias democracy after the government there ordered out an American NGO.
Experts say the fundamental difference between a hydrogen and atomic bomb is the detonation process.

North Korea has long sought the means to deliver an atomic warhead to the United States, its sworn enemy, and its latest nuclear test followed reports it could load a hydrogen bomb onto an intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM).

Hydrogen bombs, or H-bombs, are far more powerful than the relatively simple atomic weapons North Korea was believed to have tested so far.

As opposed to the atomic bomb  the kind dropped on Japan by the US in the closing days of World War II  the hydrogen bomb can be 1,000 times more powerful.

North Koreas first three nuclear tests from 2006 to 2013 were atomic bombs on roughly the same scale as the ones used on Hiroshima and Nagasaki, which together killed more than 200,000 people.

However, the latest test is estimated to have a yield of about 100 kilotons, 10 times stronger than last years test that caused a 5.3 magnitude quake.

A jubilant North Korean newsreader hailed the unprecedentedly large blast on state television, adding it marked a very significant occasion in attaining the final goal of completing the state nuclear force.

The hydrogen bomb, also called a thermonuclear bomb, uses fusion  or atomic nuclei coming together  to produce explosive energy. Stars also produce energy through fusion.

Atomic bombs rely on fission, or atom-splitting, just as nuclear power plants do.

The technology of the hydrogen bomb is more sophisticated, and once attained, it is a greater threat. It can also be made small enough to fit on a head of an ICBM.

Such a device could evaporate the entire city of New York completely  no one would stay alive, Andrei Lankov, a professor of Korean studies at Kookmin University in Seoul, told Al Jazeera.

With an atomic bomb, you can kill half of Manhattan, at most.

READ MORE: World leaders unite in condemnation of North Korea

While much more potent, H-bombs are also much more costly.

For the North Koreans to have such a powerful and expensive [device] is a bit of overkill  it simply does not make sense, Lankov said.

Its like buying a Porsche to go shopping in a shop nearby Its a very expensive programme which will not really make a major contribution towards their security. But governments sometimes do crazy things.

The hydrogen bomb is the global standard for the five nations with the greatest nuclear capabilities: the US, Russia, France, the UK and China.

Other nations may also either have it or are working on it, despite a worldwide effort to contain such proliferation.

Kune Y Suh, a nuclear engineering professor at Seoul National University, called Sundays test a game changer.

North Korea has effectively established itself as a nuclear state. This is not just a game changer; its a game over, Suh said.
Foreign minister deployed to hold intensive communications as anger grows in worlds most populous Muslim nation.

Indonesian Foreign Minister Retno Marsudi was sent to Myanmar to urge the government to halt deadly violence against Rohingya Muslims amid growing anger in the worlds most populous Muslim nation.

The announcement by Indonesian President Joko Widodo on Sunday came after a petrol bomb was thrown at the embassy of Myanmar in the capital, Jakarta.

The embassy attack early on Sunday, which police said caused a small fire, came against the backdrop of mounting anger in Indonesia  home to more than 202 million Muslims  over violence against the Rohingya in Myanmar.

RELATED: Who are the Rohingya Muslims?

A police officer patrolling a street behind the embassy spotted a fire on the second floor of the building and alerted police officers guarding the front gate, a Jakarta police statement said.

After the fire was extinguished, police found a shattered beer bottle with a wick attached to it, the statement said, adding the unknown perpetrator is suspected to have driven away from the scene. Jakarta police are investigating the incident, said spokesman Argo Yuwono.

Protests grow

Rohingya activists held a demonstration at the embassy on Saturday calling for the Nobel Prize Committee to withdraw the Nobel Peace Prize from Myanmar leader Aung San Suu Kyi, state news agency Antara reported.

Protests continued on Sunday in Jakartas city centre with dozens of people calling for the Indonesian government to become actively involved in efforts to end human rights violations against Rohingya Muslims in Myanmar.

President Widodo said he sent Marsudi to Myanmar to hold intensive communications with involved parties, including the United Nations.





Earlier this afternoon the foreign minister has departed to Myanmar to ask the Myanmar government to stop and prevent violence, to provide protection to all citizens  including Muslims in Myanmar  and to give access to humanitarian aid, Widodo said.

Widodo added that concrete actions are needed, and the Indonesian government is committed to helping to solve the humanitarian crisis.

Marsudi will also travel to Bangladesh, where tens of thousands of Rohingya have fled, to prepare additional aid for refugees there.

The treatment of Buddhist-majority Myanmars roughly 1.1 million Rohingya is the biggest challenge facing leader Aung San Suu Kyi, who is accused by critics of not speaking out for the minority that has long complained of persecution.

Aid agencies estimate about 73,000 Rohingya have fled into neighbouring Bangladesh since violence in Myanmar erupted last week.
Senator Bob Corker, chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, on Sunday said much more must be done to deal with the North Korean nuclear threat.

He spoke in response to reports of a nuclear test by North Korea, the sixth and most powerful nuclear test to date.

I spoke with General Kelly this morning as the president and his national security team continued their work to assess the situation in North Korea and communicate with our regional partners, said Senator Corker.
Hundreds evacuate as wildfire that has already burned more than 2,000 hectares threatens homes.

The largest [wildfire] in the history of Los Angeles has forced hundreds to evacuate, the US citys mayor said.

Mayor Eric Garcetti told reporters on Saturday that the blaze, which broke out on Friday and lit up the hills surrounding the northern suburb of Burbank overnight, had already burned 5,000 acres (2,000 hectares).

More than 700 homes were evacuated in a north Los Angeles neighbourhood and nearby areas, officials said.

IN PICTURES: Wildfires around the world

Authorities warned of erratic winds that could force them to widen the evacuation zone, after the fire destroyed one house in Los Angeles on Saturday.

Other than that, no loss of any property, Garcetti said at a news conference. That is a pretty amazing thing.

Local media later reported that two additional homes had been burned.

The fire was only 10 percent contained with more than 500 firefighters battling it.

The blaze in thick brush that has not burned in decades was slowly creeping down a rugged hillside on Saturday towards houses, with temperatures in the area approaching 38 degrees Celsius, the Los Angeles Fire Department said in an alert.

The fire could make air unhealthy to breathe in parts of Los Angeles, the nations second-largest city, and nearby suburbs, the South Coast Air Quality Management District said in an advisory.

Video posted online by local media showed the fire burning along a major highway as it broke out on Friday, with smoke hovering over the roadway as cars passed by flames a few dozen feet away. Officials quickly closed a stretch of the freeway.

On the fire line of #LaTunaFire #LAFD continuing full ops through the night to include @LAFDAirOps Peter Sanders pic.twitter.com/AcMOcOEvw0  LAFD Talk (@LAFDtalk) September 2, 2017

California Governor Jerry Brown issued an emergency declaration on Friday to free up additional resources to battle the blaze.

Wildfires in the western US have burned more than 7.1 million acres (2.9 million hectares) since the beginning of the year, about 50 percent more than during the same time period in 2016, according to the National Interagency Fire Center.
Defence chief James Mattis says US does not seek total North Korea annihilation, but it has many options to do so.

The United States will launch a massive military response to any threats from North Korea, the Pentagon chief has said after the Asian country conducted its most powerful nuclear test yet.

James Mattis strong warning came just hours after North Korea carried out its sixth nuclear test  the most powerful blast to date.





Any threat to the United States or its territories, including Guam, or our allies will be met with a massive military response, a response both effective and overwhelming, Mattis said on Sunday.

In his remarks, Mattis said: Kim Jong-un should take heed of the United Nations Security Councils unified voice. All members unanimously agreed on the threat North Korea poses and remain unanimous in their commitment to the denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula.

We are not looking to the total annihilation of a country, namely North Korea, but as I said, we have many options to do so.

The official Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) said the hydrogen bomb test on Sunday morning, ordered by leader Kim Jong-un, was a perfect success.

It was North Koreas first nuclear test since Donald Trump took office, and marked a direct challenge to the US president, who hours earlier talked by phone with Shinzo Abe, Japans prime minister, about the escalating nuclear crisis in the region.

READ MORE: All the latest updates on the North Korea tensions

Mattis said he had attended a small group national security meeting with Trump and others.

He said Trump wanted to be briefed on each of what Mattis called many military options for action against North Korea.

We made clear that we have the ability to defend ourselves and our allies, South Korea and Japan, from any attacks, and our commitments among the allies are ironclad, Mattis said.

We will see about attack

Trump also warned on Sunday that the time for appeasement was over and threatened drastic economic sanctions.

When asked if he would attack North Korea, Trump said, well see.

No US military action appeared imminent, and the immediate focus appeared to be on ratcheting up economic penalties, which have had little effect thus far on North Koreas nuclear programmes.

Members of Congress expressed alarm at North Koreas test and emphasised strengthening US missile defences.

READ MORE  Hydrogen bomb vs Atomic bomb: What\s the difference?

Trump also suggested putting more pressure on China in hopes of persuading Beijing to exert more effective leverage on its neighbour.

Trump said on Twitter that the US is considering stopping all trade with any country doing business with North Korea.

Such a move would have a big impact on China.

The US imports about $40bn in goods a month from China, North Koreas main commercial partner.

Secretary of State Rex Tillerson was calling his counterparts in Asia, and Trumps treasury secretary, Steven Mnuchin, said he was putting together proposed new sanctions for Trump to consider that would seek to cut off trade with North Korea.

It is unclear what kind of penalties might make a difference.

Lassina Zerbo, head of the UN test ban treaty organisation, said sanctions already imposed against North Korea are not working.

Chinas official Xinhua News Agency said President Xi Jinping and Russian leader Vladimir Putin, meeting on the sidelines of a Beijing-led economic summit, agreed to adhere to the goal of the denuclearisation of the Korean Peninsula, have close communication and coordination and properly respond to the test.

Profoundly destabilising

The nuclear test also drew strong condemnation from other leaders worldwide.

The UN Security Council plans to hold an emergency meeting on Monday to discuss the international response to the test.

Antonio Guterres, UN secretary-general, condemned North Koreas move as profoundly destabilising.

Al Jazeeras Mike Hanna, reporting from Washington, DC, said that at this stage, it does look like everything is going to be left to the Security Council, adding that it appears the Trump administration is waiting to see what will come out of Mondays meeting before deciding whether to take any unilateral action.

OPINION: North Korea just had its sixth nuclear test. Now what?

The precise strength of the underground nuclear explosion had yet to be determined.

South Koreas weather agency said the artificial earthquake caused by the explosion was five to six times stronger than tremors generated by North Koreas previous five tests.

North Koreas state-run television broadcast a special bulletin to announce the test, and said Kim attended a meeting of the ruling partys presidium and signed the go-ahead order.

Earlier, the partys newspaper published photos of Kim examining what it said was a nuclear warhead that was to be fitted onto an intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM).

Sundays detonation builds on recent North Korean advances that include test launches in July of two ICBMs that are believed to be capable of reaching the mainland US.

North Korea says its missile development is part of a defensive effort to build a viable nuclear deterrent that can target US cities.

In response, Trump has warned in the past that he would rain fire and fury on North Korea if it continued its threats and programme.

North Korea has previously threatened to fire missiles towards the US territory of Guam.
Pyongyang lauds perfect success of its sixth nuclear test with a hydrogen bomb as tensions with US and allies soar.

North Korea has carried out its sixth nuclear test  the most powerful blast to date  drawing the ire of the international community as the standoff with the United States continues to intensify.

The official Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) said the hydrogen bomb test on Sunday morning, ordered by leader Kim Jong-un, was a perfect success.

It was Pyongyangs first nuclear test since US President Donald Trump took office, and marked a direct challenge to Trump, who hours earlier talked by phone with Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe about the escalating nuclear crisis in the region.

Later on Sunday reporters asked Trump whether he would attack North Korea in response. Well see, replied the US president.

The nuclear test at 03:30 GMT was carried out to examine and confirm the accuracy and credibility of North Koreas technology, KCNA said.

The news agency hailed the bombs unprecedentedly large power, saying it marked a very significant occasion in attaining the final goal of completing the state nuclear force.

Pyongyang earlier on Sunday reported details of its latest weapon, claiming it has developed a more advanced nuclear bomb that can be loaded onto an intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM).

KCNA released undated photographs of Kim inspecting the weapon.

TIMELINE: North Koreas nuclear tests

The hydrogen bombs power is adjustable to hundreds of kilotons and can be detonated at high altitudes, with its indigenously produced components allowing the country to build as many nuclear weapons as it wants, KCNA said.

Pyongyang started nuclear blast experiments in 2006.

In July, Pyongyang test-launched two ICBMs that are believed to be capable of reaching the mainland United States.

The latest test took place in breach of UN sanctions and further increased tensions between Pyongyang and the United States and its allies.

There was no independent confirmation that the detonation was a hydrogen bomb.

International condemnation followed swiftly.

South Korean President Moon Jae-in called for the strongest response and further steps to isolate North Korea, including new UN Security Council sanctions, according to Yonhap state news agency.

South Korea is not a member of the UN Security Council.

Al Jazeeras Wayne Hay, reporting from Seoul, said as well as tougher UN Security Council resolutions, South Korea also backs individual countries imposing their own sanctions.

Those sorts of calls are likely to face strong resistance from countries such as Russia and China, Hay said.

Since the test was confirmed, the defence ministry has called for a strong military response. That does not necessarily mean it is calling for a direct attack on North Korea by South Korea and the United States, but it wants a show of force  to show North Korea it has the ability to strike its missile and nuclear facilities if it chooses to do so in the future.

China, North Koreas main ally and economic supporter, strongly condemned the test.

Pyongyang has ignored the international communitys widespread opposition, again carrying out a nuclear test. Chinas government expresses resolute opposition and strong condemnation toward this, the foreign ministry said in a statement on its website.

Chinas Nuclear Safety Administration said it had begun emergency monitoring for radiation along the border after the test.

Al Jazeeras Adrian Brown, reporting from Beijing, said the timing of the test would be embarassing for China.

On the very day that North Korea carried out this test, President Xi Jinping was hosting an economic forum in the Chinese city of Xiamen attended by leaders of 10 countries. Although North Korea is not on the agenda of the BRICS summit, I think its fair to assume that the actions of North Korea would have been on the minds of many leaders and many officials.

Russia, meanwhile, called for calm as it criticised Pyongyang.

In the unfolding conditions, it is imperative to remain calm and to refrain from any actions that lead to a further escalation of tension, a foreign ministry statement said.

US President Trump, writing on Twitter, said Pyongyangs words and actions continue to very hostile and dangerous to the United States.

North Korea is a rogue nation which has become a great threat and embarrassment to China, which is trying to help but with little success.

Most powerful test yet

The International Atomic Energy Agency, the UNs atomic watchdog, also condemned the test as an extremely regrettable act, as NATOs Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg issued concern over Pyongyangs destabilising pattern of behaviour which poses a threat to regional and international security.

Japan was the first country to confirm the North Korean nuclear test, while South Korea described the artificial quake as the most powerful test yet.

The fact that North Korea forced through a nuclear test this time is absolutely unacceptable to our country, Prime Minister Abe said in a statement.

Al Jazeeras Scott Heidler, reporting from Tokyo, said Japanese officials held a national security emergency meeting and have registered an official protest with the North Korean embassy in Beijing.

Out of todays meeting, [Japanese officials] called the test a new threat, said Heidler. They said they want to work with the United States and South Korea in convening a UN Security Council meeting, where they would like to pursue a new sanctions resolution.

The US Geological Survey was first to report an earthquake in North Korea on Sunday, citing a first tremor of 6.3 magnitude with a depth of 23 kilometres.

China later said it had also detected a second quake in North Korea of magnitude 4.6, which came eight minutes after the initial tremor.

The tremor was felt as far away as the Chinese city of Changchun around 400km northwest of North Koreas test site at Punggye-ri, according to state broadcaster CCTV.

Ross Feingold, a Taiwan-based Asia political analyst, told Al Jazeera that the development of North Korean weapons has been advancing steadily.

There has clearly been a pace of technological improvement over a period of time, whether it is with nuclear bombs themselves or with the missile delivery technology, he said. The North Koreans  probably have better technological capability than a lot of the analysts had given them credit for in the past. And more significantly, they do learn from mistakes.
Former military ruler denounces murder case as fabricated as he pledges to return to Pakistan when medically fit.

Pakistans former military ruler Pervez Musharraf says he will return from self-imposed exile in Dubai to face a fabricated trial for the murder of ex-prime minister Benazir Bhutto.

Musharrafs announcement came on Sunday, days after the Rawalpindi Anti Terrorism Court pronounced him a fugitive in the trial for his alleged involvement in the 2007 assassination of Bhutto, the countrys first female prime minister.

I will certainly come back to Pakistan and face the trial as and when I am medically fit, Musharraf said in a statement. I have been framed in the Benazir Bhutto murder case by way of political victimisation, while I had nothing to do with her untimely and tragic death.

I have not been the beneficiary of prime minister Benazir Bhuttos murder and the entire case as pitched against me is materially false, fictitious, fabricated and is a result of political intrigue.

READ MORE: Musharraf declared fugitive in ex-PM Bhuttos murder

The court branded Musharraf an absconder and ordered the confiscation of his property.

The verdicts were the first handed down since Bhutto was killed in a gun and suicide bomb attack nearly a decade ago, sparking street violence and plunging Pakistan into months of political turmoil.





Musharraf is alleged to have been part of a broad conspiracy to have his political rival killed before elections. He has denied the allegation.

He was charged with murder, criminal conspiracy to murder, and facilitation of murder in 2013 in an unprecedented move against an ex-army chief  challenging beliefs that the military is immune from prosecution.

But he has been in self-imposed exile in Dubai ever since a travel ban was lifted three years later.

Musharrafs government blamed the assassination on Pakistan Taliban chief Baitullah Mehsud, who denied any involvement. He was killed in a US drone attack in 2009.

In 2010, a United Nations report accused Musharrafs government of failing to give Bhutto adequate protection and said her death could have been prevented.
Aid officials say camps are facing tremendous strain as thousands of Rohingya pour into Bangladesh every day.

Nearly 75,000 Rohingya Muslims have fled violence in Myanmar to neighbouring Bangladesh, with aid officials warning relief camps are reaching full capacity as thousands continue to pour in every day.

Vivian Tan, the regional spokeswoman for UNHCR, told Al Jazeera on Sunday that at least 73,000 Rohingya crossed the border since violence erupted on August 25, with thousands more expected.

Most of the people coming in are completely exhausted, some of them say they havent eaten in days and some are completely traumatised by their experiences, she said.





One woman arrived on her own after following a band of refugees across the border. When she met with the UN, she said her husband had been shot and her 18-month-old baby had been left with her in-laws.

She has since lost contact with her family and is struggling to process what is happening, Tan added.

In recent days, tens of thousands of Rohingya have crossed into Bangladesh to escape mass killings they say are being perpetrated by Myanmar forces.

Foreign governments and organisations fear Rohingya villages are being subject to collective punishment after an armed group on August 25 attacked police posts and an army base in the western region of Rakhine.

READ MORE: Who are the Rohingya Muslims?

Myanmar officials blame the group Arakan Rohingya Salvation Army (ARSA) for the violence, but fleeing Rohingya civilians say a campaign of arson and killings by the Myanmar army is aimed at forcing them out of the country.

We fled to Bangladesh to save our lives, said a man who paid a smuggler hundreds of dollars to flee the fighting.

The military and extremist Rakhine [ARSA] are burning us, killing us, setting our village on fire, he told the AP news agency.

He said he paid 12,000 Bangladeshi taka, or about $150, for each of his family members to be smuggled on a wooden boat to Bangladesh after soldiers killed 110 Rohingya in their village of Kunnapara, near the coastal town of Maungdaw.

The military destroyed everything. After killing some Rohingya, the military burned their houses and shops, he said. We have a baby who is eight days only, and an old woman who is 105.

Aid workers told the AP news agency that a large number of refugees required immediate medical attention as they were suffering from respiratory diseases, infection and malnutrition.

The existing medical facilities in the border area were insufficient to cope up with the influx and more aid and paramedics were needed, they said.

OPINION: Only international pressure can save Rohingya now

Another aid official said on Saturday that more than 50 refugees had arrived with bullet injuries and were moved to hospitals in Coxs Bazar, on the border with Myanmar.

Refugees reaching the Bangladeshi fishing village of Shah Porir Dwip described bombs exploding near their homes and Rohingya being burned alive.

The United Nations believes the Myanmar governments response to the crisis may amount to ethnic cleansing and crimes against humanity.

Satellite imagery analysed by Human Rights Watch shows hundreds of buildings destroyed in at least 17 sites across Rakhine state, including some 700 structures that appeared to have been burned down in just the village of Chein Khar Li.

Myanmar authorities say Rohingya extremist terrorists have been setting the fires during fighting with government troops, while Rohingya have blamed soldiers who have been accused of carrying out extrajudicial killings.
President says he will not allow anyone in the world to touch Jagath Jayasuriya after rights groups sue ex-army chief.

Sri Lankas president has vowed to protect a former army chief accused of crimes committed in the bloody final phase of the countrys civil war.

I state very clearly that I will not allow anyone in the world to touch Jagath Jayasuriya or any other military chief or any war hero in this country, President Maithripala Sirisena said on Sunday, addressing a convention of his Sri Lanka Freedom Party.

Sirisenas statement came a week after rights groups filed criminal lawsuits in South America against Jayasuriya, who until last week served as the countrys envoy to Brazil, Argentina, Chile, Colombia, Peru and Suriname.





The lawsuits are based on Jayasuriyas role as a commander in the final phase of Sri Lankas civil war in 2009.

They allege he oversaw military units that attacked hospitals and killed, disappeared and tortured thousands of people.

The suits had been filed in Brazil and Colombia, and more were to come in Argentina, Chile and Peru. Suriname had refused to accept the petition.

Sri Lankas military has also denied the allegations against Jayasuriya.

Sirisenas comments are seen as an attempt to woo majority ethnic Sinhalese, most of whom oppose action against military personnel accused of crimes in the fight against minority Tamil rebels.

Sirisena is being painted as anti-Sinhalese by hard-line sections of the community.

More than 100,000 people are believed to have been killed in Sri Lankas 26-year civil war, including 40,000 to 70,000 in the final phase alone.

In a joint resolution in 2015 at the UN Human Rights Council, Sri Lanka promised, among other things, a truth-seeking mechanism, a judicial mechanism to prosecute those accused of human rights abuses and a new constitution that covers the island nations varied ethnicities and religions.

However, little progress has been made.

READ MORE: UN condemns Sri Lanka over war probe

Sri Lanka had agreed to allow foreign judges, but backtracked later, insisting that only local courts could investigate the allegations.





The criminal suits, reviewed by the AP news agency, were spearheaded by the human rights group International Truth and Justice Project, an evidence-gathering organisation based in South Africa.

They had three central aims: push local authorities to open investigations of Jayasuriya, remove his diplomatic immunity and expel him.

However, Jayasuriya left Brazil last week to return to Sri Lanka after completing his two-year tour of service.

The petitions can be amended to ask for arrest warrants in case he returns, according to the lawyer who filed the suit.

The civil war in Sri Lanka, an island off the southern tip of India, raged intermittently between 1983 and 2009.

Fueled in part by ethnic tensions between ethnic majority Sinhalese and minority Tamils, the fight against the government was led by a group called the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam.

They fought to establish a separate Tamil state in the northeastern part of the island.
Governor of province says army will reach Deir Az Zor city in 24-48 hours at most.

Syrias army and its allies have advanced towards ISIL-held Deir Az Zor city after capturing the al-Kharata oil field, a war monitor said on Sunday.

Syrian President Bashar al-Assad has focused this year on striking eastwards in a multipronged assault against ISIL, or the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (also known as ISIS) group, to reclaim Deir Az Zor from the armed group.

ISIL controls most of Deir Az Zor province  apart from a Syrian government-held enclave in Deir Az Zor city and a nearby military airbase.

Sundays advance brings the army and its allies to about 10km from the city, said the Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR).





The governor of Deir Az Zor province said the Syrian army would reach the city within 48 hours.

The heroes of the army will arrive at Deir Az Zor in 24-48 hours at the most, Mohammed Ibrahim Samra told Reuters news agency, adding that the army was now 18-20km from the edge of the city.

On Saturday, a military media unit run by Assads ally Hezbollah reported the army had captured Jebel al-Bashri to the west of Deir Az Zor, meaning forces were less than 30km from the city.

Pro-government fighters were also battling to eradicate a large ISIL enclave they left to their rear in central Syria as they move towards Deir Az Zor.

Meanwhile, ISIL fighters and their families evacuated from the Lebanon-Syria border and headed towards Deir Az Zor remain stranded short of their destination, the US-led anti-ISIL coalition said.

A convoy of 17 buses started out on Monday headed for the ISIL-held town of Albu Kamal under a deal negotiated by Syrias government and Lebanese Hezbollah.





However, the coalition bombed the convoys route and targeted ISIL fighters attempting to reach the buses, insisting it would not allow fighters to reach Albu Kamal on the border between Syria and Iraq.

On Sunday, the coalition said the convoy had split into two groups, with some buses remaining in the open desert northwest of Albu Kamal, and the rest headed west towards Palmyra in central Homs, an area held by Syrias government.

The anti-ISIL coalition said it offered a plan to save women and children in the convoy from further suffering, but gave no details.

We will continue to monitor the convoy, but not allow it to link up with ISIS in the Euphrates River Valley, it said, using a different acronym for ISIL.
Criticism of Pyongyangs sixth nuclear test is voiced around the world from South Korea and the US to China and Russia.

President Donald Trump has reacted to what he is calling a major nuclear test by North Korea, branding North Korea a rogue nation whose words and actions continue to be very hostile and dangerous to the United States.

Trump said on Sunday well see when asked by reporters if he planned to attack North Korea.

Trumps remarks came after Pyongyangs announcement of a perfect success with its sixth and most powerful nuclear test to date.

Trump also rebuked South Korea on Twitter, saying their talk of appeasement with North Korea wont work, they [North Korea] only understand one thing.

The White House said in a statement the situation was being closely monitored, and Trump and his national security team would meet later in the day.

..North Korea is a rogue nation which has become a great threat and embarrassment to China, which is trying to help but with little success.  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) September 3, 2017

German Chancellor Angela Merkel and French President Emmanuel Macron called for tougher EU sanctions against North Korea, saying Pyongyang has reached a new dimension of provocation with its latest nuclear test.

The chancellor and the president are in agreement that North Korea has trampled on international law and that the international community must, therefore, react with determination against this new escalation, Merkels office said in a statement after she spoke on the phone with Macron.





Separately, German Foreign Minister Sigmar Gabriel said Pyongyangs latest test means that we have to find a level-headed but clear answer.

We will discuss this reaction with our partners in the EU. I am sure that the UN Security Council will also take necessary measures in a decisive manner, he said.

Chinese President Xi Jinping and Russian President Vladimir Putin agreed on Sunday to appropriately deal with the latest nuclear test by North Korea, state news agency Xinhua said.

The two leaders agreed to stick to the goal of denuclearisation on the Korean Peninsula and keep close communication and coordination to deal with the new situation, Xinhua said in a brief dispatch.

Boris Johnson, UKs foreign minister, said North Koreas latest nuclear test could represent a new order of threat.

Theres no question that this is another provocation, its reckless, he told Sky News broadcaster.

They seem to be moving closer towards a hydrogen bomb which, if fitted to a successful missile, would unquestionably present a new order of threat.

Yukiya Amano, the head of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), called North Koreas sixth nuclear test since 2006 an extremely regrettable act.

The new test is in complete disregard of the repeated demands of the international community, said Amano.

The IAEA is continuing to closely follow developments in North Koreas nuclear programme which is a matter of grave concern, he said.

READ MORE: North Korea tensions  All the latest updates

Jens Stoltenberg, NATOs secretary-general, called on North Korea in a statement to immediately cease all existing nuclear and ballistic missile activities in a complete, verifiable, and irreversible manner, and re-engage in dialogue with the international community.

South Koreas President Moon Jae-in vowed to push for the most powerful sanctions yet at the UN Security Council against North Korea to completely isolate it.

Shinzo Abe, Japans prime minister, said Pyongyangs nuclear and missile development programmes pose a new level of a grave and immediate threat and seriously undermines the peace and security of the region.

Chinas foreign ministry urged North Korea in a statement broadcast by state-run CCTV to stop taking erroneous actions that deteriorate the situation.

Russias foreign ministry said in a statement immediate dialogue and negotiations were the only way to settle the Korean Peninsulas problems, including the nuclear one.

The ministry said Russia reaffirmed its readiness to participate in negotiations, including in the context of the implementation of the Russian-Chinese road map.

Under that proposal, North Korea would suspend nuclear and missile tests in exchange for the United States and South Korea suspending their joint military exercises.










English News BRICS bloc carries great political weight on world stage: Egyptian President

Alwihda Info | Par peoplesdaily - 3 Septembre 2017



The dialogue of emerging markets and developing countries will give a boost to South-South cooperation by working as an important platform on which BRICS members, emerging markets and developing nations can communicate with each other.

By Han Xiaoming from Peoples Daily The BRICS members, whose GDP contributes to 22 percent of the worlds total, carry great political weight on the world stage, Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah al-Sisi told the Peoples Daily before he kicked off his Chinese visit, during which he would attend the ninth BRICS Xiamen Summit and Dialogue of Emerging Market and Developing Countries.



Egypt sincerely hopes to further intensify its cooperation with China and further propel bilateral ties in all spheres, in order to benefit the two peoples, Sisi pledged, adding that his country, with promising economic potential and favorable geographic location, would make concrete contributions to BRICS cooperation and its priorities.



The forthcoming important dialogue Egypt will have with BRICS countries can bolster mutual understanding on major issues concerning the developing countries as well as the political, economic and social challenges facing them, the president pointed out.



He added that the BRICS Business Forum, as an important side-event of the summit, also offers Egyptian government a good chance to share the accomplishments yielded from its economic reforms.



The Egypt-China ties could be regarded as a model for the relationship between two major countries with regional and even global influence since the two countries established diplomatic ties in 1956, the president hailed. This is Sisis fourth Chinese trip since he assumed the president.



Such ties can be attributed not only to shared stance and same principles both sides uphold, but also to the people-to-people bonds linked by the ancient civilizations, he explained.



Sisi also hopes to further beef up bilateral cooperation in all fronts, taking into account the follow-up contribution of Chinese companies to ongoing infrastructure projects in Egypt.



Egypt enjoys unique advantages in engaging in the Belt and Road Initiative, the proposal China put forward in 2013 with an aim to revive the ancient Silk Road trade routes, Sisi said, adding that his country is now renovating the Suez Canal axis into a high-end economic and industrial zone linking the world rather than simply a passage on the water.



The solidarity between developing countries allows them to exchange development experience in a maximum manner, and find out the best and most appropriate roads for human development, production development and economic prosperity, Sisi pointed out.



The dialogue of emerging markets and developing countries will give a boost to South-South cooperation by working as an important platform on which BRICS members, emerging markets and developing nations can communicate with each other, he said.



In the current international situation, the developing nations are required to play a larger role in global economic governance system, according to Sisi, stressing the importance of more weight in decision-making.



When making a decision, the developing nations need to take their development visions and preconditions into considerations, while accommodating the demands of countries different in development stages, cultures and growth paths, he continued.



The global economic governance system should not be confined to developed world, the president stressed at last.



Dans la meme rubrique : < > China accelerates green, low-carbon development World-class astronomical obervation base takes shape in Qinghai province China, Germany should keep to overall direction of bilateral ties from strategic height: Xi Pour toute information, contactez-nous au : +(235) 99267667 ; 62883277 ; 66267667 (Bureau N'Djamena)










English News BRICS mechanism witnesses non-stop improvement: Brazilian president

Alwihda Info | Par peoplesdaily - 3 Septembre 2017



BRICS members cooperated more on economy and trade in early days, but have extended more ground to people-to-people and cultural exchanges in recent years, the president said, hoping Brazil and China could embrace a promising tourism cooperation in the future.

By Chen Xiaowei from Peoples Daily The BRICS mechanism has witnessed a non-stop improvement in the past decade, Brazilian President Michel Temer said ahead of the ninth BRICS Xiamen Summit, adding that the establishment of the mechanism is a natural process of gathering the members together when conditions were ripe.



After 10 years of evolution, rich fruits have been scored from the cooperation mechanism that reveals the appeal of the developing nations, the president told the Peoples Daily.



He praised a slew of timely meetings hosted by the BRICS members, saying that the bloc has grown stronger as the members discussed important agendas at each meeting.



The whole world has recognized the importance of BRICS bloc which contributes over 50 percent to global economic growth and makes up more than 40 percent of the world's population, he stressed.



The president refuted the gloomy tone in the international community over a fading BRICS, saying that he did not see any weak signs, but only signals of strength.



China, Brazil and other BRICS members are now committed to reforming their economic structure, he explained.



During the Xiamen Summit, five non-BRICS countries have also been invited to attend the Dialogue of Emerging Market and Developing Countries, said Temer, adding that as a reflection of the BRICS plus idea, it also means the mechanism has gained recognition from the world.



He also gave a thumbs up to Chinas development path, saying that a Brazilian delegation comprised of ministers and lawmakers would visit China along with him.



Bearing a stronger interest in bilateral economic and financial cooperation, the delegation members hope to better understand China and further intensify bilateral ties, the president noted.



The BRICS members have reinforced their bilateral and multilateral ties thanks to the cooperative mechanism, said Temer, explaining that the bloc also provides a platform on which the members could develop their bilateral relationship.



Temer expressed a hope to see China take part in Brazil's privatization efforts. The Brazilian government has decided to grant 57 sectors to the private enterprise after the previous 34 projects, he introduced the countrys new economic policies.



We hope that Chinese companies may become interested in these concessions since it can help us ease employment burden, he said.



BRICS members cooperated more on economy and trade in early days, but have extended more ground to people-to-people and cultural exchanges in recent years, the president said, hoping Brazil and China could embrace a promising tourism cooperation in the future.



Temer said he has met with Chinese President Xi Jinping multiple times, and set up a very good relationship with Xi. Xi, in my eyes, has an extraordinary charm, he added.





Dans la meme rubrique : < > China accelerates green, low-carbon development World-class astronomical obervation base takes shape in Qinghai province China, Germany should keep to overall direction of bilateral ties from strategic height: Xi Pour toute information, contactez-nous au : +(235) 99267667 ; 62883277 ; 66267667 (Bureau N'Djamena)
You are here: Home

A 20-month old boy has been rescued by local fire-fighters after being trapped in a narrow well for 10 hours in Xi'an, capital of Shaanxi Province.

The child stumbled into the well around 9:30am Saturday.

Because the well is only 30-centimeters in diameter, a local excavation company provided 9 excavators to dig next to the well to reach the child.

The child's family kept the boy conscious during his ordeal by yelling out his name. Crews also pumped oxygen into the well.

The child is now recovering in hospital with non-life threatening injuries.










English News BRICS platform offers plenty of opportunities: Tajik President

Alwihda Info | Par peoplesdaily - 3 Septembre 2017



In the future, Tajikistan will further synergize the Belt and Road Initiative with Tajikistan's national development strategy for the period up to 2030, he added. The cooperation will without question facilitate interconnectivity and mutual prosperity between the two countries.

By Xie Yahong from Peoples Daily, Deng Jie from Peoples Daily Online The BRICS Plus model China is actively exploring, which advocates dialogue between emerging markets and developing countries, should be strongly supported, Tajik President Emomali Rahmon said in an interview with Peoples Daily before the 9th BRICS Xiamen Summit and the Dialogue of Emerging Market and Developing Countries.



I believe the summit and the dialogue are of special significance to promote solidarity and cooperation among the BRICS countries as they will be effective platforms to encourage mutually beneficial and constructive cooperation, Rahmon noted.



They will also facilitate the peaceful, safe and steady economic and social progress of participating countries amid new challenges brought by globalization, the president stressed his expectations toward the dialogue.



In Rahmons eyes, his attendance of the summit will bring benefit to Tajikistans national welfare and the peoples livelihood because the BRICS countries are at the stage of sustained economic development and have rich natural resources.



The platforms like BRICS mechanism will bring about a broad range of development opportunities, Rahmon said, illustrating that it will help cement China-Tajikistan mutually beneficial cooperation, expand trade and investment, guarantee stable development and bring benefit to the two peoples.



Additionally, the China-Tajikistan cooperation under the BRICS framework will propel the two countries to implement some cooperation plans and projects, he added.



Chinese President Xi Jinping and Rahmon, during their talks on August 31, agreed to establish comprehensive strategic partnership between the two countries to push the China-Tajikistan cooperation to a new historical point.



Describing the mutual political trust and mutually beneficial cooperation between China and Tajikistan as an unprecedented level, Rahmon said the talks with Xi have deepened bilateral relationship and expanded partnership in finance, agriculture, water resources, energy, science park and transportation connectivity, among other fields.



Tajikistan is an active supporter of the Belt and Road Initiative since its proposal, and the country is among the first nations to sign a memorandum of understanding on construction of the Silk Road Economic Belt with China and eye the launch of a cooperation committee, Rahmon noted.



In the future, Tajikistan will further synergize the Belt and Road Initiative with Tajikistan's national development strategy for the period up to 2030, he added. The cooperation will without question facilitate interconnectivity and mutual prosperity between the two countries.



Currently, we are working with other international partners over the feasibility of a batch of regional infrastructure construction in a bid to speed up construction of highways and other transportation facilities to modern standards. Tajikistan will become a bridge to connect China and other countries, Rahmon said.





Dans la meme rubrique : < > China accelerates green, low-carbon development World-class astronomical obervation base takes shape in Qinghai province China, Germany should keep to overall direction of bilateral ties from strategic height: Xi Pour toute information, contactez-nous au : +(235) 99267667 ; 62883277 ; 66267667 (Bureau N'Djamena)










English News BRICS Plus model worth exploring: Guinean president

Alwihda Info | Par peoplesdaily - 3 Septembre 2017



China shares the same stance with Africa on the issue of climate change and the country is helping Africa develop renewable energy sources, Conde said, adding that he hopes China will keep up its support to Africas development as well as technology advancement of its renewable energy.

By Li Zhiwei from Peoples Daily The BRICS mechanism is an important platform for South-South cooperation and its BRICS Plus model is very worth exploring, Guinean President Alpha Conde told Peoples Daily before the 9th BRICS Summit is about to kick off in Xiamen.



The emerging markets and developing countries can learn from the BRICS experience since both sides are similar in development background, Conde said.



We expect that through the Xiamen Summit, the BRICS countries could provide the developing nations with specific and feasible plans for development, in finance and other areas. We also think it is crucial to enhance South-South cooperation, especially cooperation with China, the president continued.



During Condes Chinese visit last November, he and Chinese President Xi Jinping agreed to upgrade bilateral relationship to comprehensive strategic partnership of cooperation. They also witnessed the signing of cooperation documents covering finance, infrastructure and mining.



Both Chinese and Guinean public have benefited from bilateral cooperation and their steady and vigorous relations, Conde expressed.



Guinea hopes to reinforce cooperation with China, the president said, adding that over the past years, China has provided financing support to Guinean projects including the Kaleta hydroelectric facility, the Port of Conakry and highway construction.



The two countries have strengthened exchanges and cooperation in culture, education and health care as well, according to Conde.



China enjoys a time-honored history and splendid culture. The Guinean youth need to learn Chinese and Chinese people can also learn Guinean culture as such exchanges are mutual, the president noted.



Conde hopes the Xiamen Summit will further encourage the BRICS countries to increase support to African countries in areas of infrastructure, health care and agriculture.



Chinas 10 major plans to boost cooperation with Africa totally agree with the future plans of Africa, and the 10 plans covering a wide range of fields will bring real changes to Africa, the president said.



As the rotating chairman of the African Union, Conde said he really appreciates Chinas constructive role in pushing for the Paris Agreement.



China shares the same stance with Africa on the issue of climate change and the country is helping Africa develop renewable energy sources, Conde said, adding that he hopes China will keep up its support to Africas development as well as technology advancement of its renewable energy.



The win-win cooperation between Africa and China has brought tangible benefits to both sides and their peoples, Conde said.



The Five Principles of Peaceful Co-existence serve not only as the cornerstone of Chinas foreign policy, but also as the foundation of China-Africa cooperation that conforms to the future expectation of the African people, the president pointed out.



The Five Principles of Peaceful Coexistence are: mutual respect for sovereignty and territorial integrity, mutual non-aggression, non-interference in each other's internal affairs, equality and mutual benefit, and peaceful coexistence.



Dans la meme rubrique : < > China accelerates green, low-carbon development World-class astronomical obervation base takes shape in Qinghai province China, Germany should keep to overall direction of bilateral ties from strategic height: Xi Pour toute information, contactez-nous au : +(235) 99267667 ; 62883277 ; 66267667 (Bureau N'Djamena)
It seems that University of Pennsylvania law professor Amy Wax  who took her own turn melting the snowflakes at Middlebury College a few years ago  again has liberals in a lather. On August 9 of this year, professor Wax, along with law professor Larry Alexander  currently the Warren distinguished professor of law at the University of San Diego  penned an op-ed in the Philadelphia Inquirer lamenting the breakdown of our nation's "bourgeois culture."

If you're like me and need a primer on exactly what a "bourgeois culture" is, according to Wax and Alexander, the "script" of America's bourgeois culture declares the following:

Get married before you have children and strive to stay married for their sake. Get the education you need for gainful employment, work hard, and avoid idleness. Go the extra mile for your employer or client. Be a patriot, ready to serve the country. Be neighborly, civic-minded, and charitable. Avoid coarse language in public. Be respectful of authority. Eschew substance abuse and crime.

Shocking behavior, right? And imagine that: I've been steeped in the "bourgeois culture" most of my life and never knew it! In addition to pointing out what is bourgeois culture, the good professors also note that the collapse of America's bourgeois culture has led to many undesirable outcomes, including the following:

Too few Americans are qualified for the jobs available. Male working-age labor force participation is at Depression-era lows. Opioid abuse is widespread. Homicidal violence plagues inner cities. Almost half of all children are born out of wedlock, and even more are raised by single mothers. Many college students lack basic skills, and high school students rank below those from two dozen other countries.

Virtually no one should be surprised by these outcomes. Conservatives across the political spectrum have been pointing to such  along with additional sad, sorry, rotten fruits of liberalism  for decades. Nevertheless, if you have an inkling of an understanding of modern liberalism, you don't have to think too hard to imagine the outrage from the left directed at the two law professors. In their "Statement about the Wax Op-Ed," the University of Pennsylvania (UPenn)'s graduate student union, "GET-UP,"  condemned "in the strongest possible terms" Wax's and Alexander's "toxic racist, sexist, homophobic" conclusions.

A couple of weeks after "the Wax op-ed," the UPenn school newspaper, the Daily Pennsylvanian, ran a letter from a group of 54 UPenn doctoral students and alumni. The letter went so far as to imply that Wax and Alexander  attired in their "appropriately respectable (white) diction and dress"  are white supremacists, and even attempted to link the Wax op-ed to the recent events in Charlottesville, Va. Imagine that. Sexual responsibility, marriage, hard work, education, respect for authority, and patriotism are "racist."

To further liberal angst, in a follow-up interview with the Daily Pennsylvanian the day after her op-ed ran, professor Wax doubled down in her defense of the bourgeois culture. Declaring Anglo-Protestant cultural norms superior, Wax told the student paper, "I don't shrink from the word 'superior.'" She added, "Everyone wants to come to the countries that exemplify" these values. "Everyone wants to go to countries ruled by white Europeans." Furthermore, Wax made it clear  because when talking to liberals, one must always make this clear  that she was not implying the superiority of whites. "Bourgeois values aren't just for white people."

In other words, as the professors' original piece concluded, "all cultures are not equal." This is like saying "all pizzas are not equal," but such a conclusion flies in the face of the multiculturalism preached by the modern left. And all cultures are not equal because all values are not equal.

Let me make clear something that professor Wax's "Anglo-Protestant" comment implies: America's "bourgeois values" are superior because they are, essentially, Christian values. Thus, a bourgeois culture is superior because it is essentially a Christian culture, and that ultimately is why the left attacked Wax's and Alexander's piece. As The Miracle and Magnificence of America  and any other sound account of U.S. history  reveals, America was founded by Christians and upon Christian values and principles. The death, disease, and moral rot so prevalent in much of America today is there because many of us have abandoned these values and decided to make our own rules.

Nowhere is this clearer than with the obscene "Burning Man Festival" just finished in the Black Rock Desert in Nevada. In what could be billed as a liberal utopia, the Burning Man Festival  often referred to simply as "Burning Man" (B.M.)  has been notoriously noted for its nude welcoming committee, "mass lesbian romps," obscene sculptures, and human petting zoo. And what festival organized, occupied, and run by those corrupted by liberalism would be complete without an "Orgy Dome"? But it's conservatives who are "obsessed with sex," right?

Of course, rainbow flags are present in abundance, and everything LGBT is celebrated and promoted at B.M. According to The Sun, "[i]n the past, electric car pioneer Elon Musk, Amazon's Jeff Bezos, Google's Larry Page and Mark Zuckerberg of Facebook joined the rebellious souls at Burning Man." Given this, is anyone surprised that the modern corporate culture (especially the digital corporate culture) has essentially fully embraced the perverse sexual agenda of the modern left?

Some of the ten principles of B.M. include "radical self-reliance" ("Burning Man encourages the individual to discover, exercise and rely on his or her inner resources.") and "radical self-expression." Just what the world needs: more people focused on themselves. Also included among the B.M. principles is "decommodification." According to the Wikipedia page devoted to the concept, "Decommodification is the process of viewing utilities as an entitlement, rather than as a commodity that must be paid or traded for."

So in the Nevada desert, we have tens of thousands of hedonistic heathens learning how to be even more focused on themselves and learning even more about how to get someone else to pay for their stuff. Lovely.

Make no mistake about it: liberals will export the culture of Burning Man to as much of America as possible. They have already done so in just about every large city and public college campus in the U.S. To a great extent, the election of Donald Trump was an attempt to stem this tide, but as these last eight months have well demonstrated, liberals are willing to fight for their "values."

So what will it be, America? The Christian values of the bourgeois culture or the godless values of the Burning Man culture?

Trevor Grant Thomas: At the Intersection of Politics, Science, Faith, and Reason.

www.trevorgrantthomas.com

Trevor is the author of the The Miracle and Magnificence of America.

tthomas@trevorgrantthomas.com
The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) "will always hold a very, very special place in my heart until the day I die," declared Arsalan Iftikhar on April 1 at CAIR-Oklahoma's annual awards banquet in Oklahoma City. The commentator's affection for the Hamas-derived, Islamist CAIR has now landed him a position at Georgetown University's fount of Islamist propaganda, the anti-"Islamophobia" Bridge Initiative.

Iftikhar will fit right in at Bridge, a "multi-year research project" of Georgetown's Saudi-funded Prince Alwaleed bin Talal Center for Muslim-Christian Understanding (ACMCU). Bridge's claim "to fulfill Thomas Jefferson's dream of a 'well-informed citizenry'" is laughable to anyone familiar with ACMCU's Potemkin village of academic integrity. Past ACMCU speakers have included 9/11 Truthers, while the center disinvited an Egyptian neo-Nazi only after public outcry.

With Iftikhar's hire, Bridge/ACMCU becomes effectively a branch of CAIR, as this self-proclaimed "Muslim Guy" worked with CAIR beginning in 2000 while in law school and then served as CAIR's national legal director until 2007. At CAIR he formed relationships with other organizational leaders, including his fellow banquet speaker and "dear brother" Hassan Shibly, a radical Israel-hater and Hamas- and Hezb'allah-supporter. Such are the less than pacific associations of Iftikhar, a "proud American Muslim pacifist."

Reminiscent of the Soviet Union's savvy spokesman Vladimer Pozner, Iftikhar has functioned as an Islamism apologist whose sophistic excuses mask threats with a benign visage. He strains to suggest that disproportionate attention to terrorism exaggerates jihadist violence, which he claims are merely isolated acts. There is a "double standard that exists today where terrorism only applies to when brown Muslim men commit an act of mass murder," he stated at a 2016 Newseum panel in Washington, D.C.

Thus, Iftikhar asserted without evidence that Robert Dear, a bizarre man who killed three in a 2015 assault on a Colorado Planned Parenthood clinic and was later declared incompetent at trial, had a "Christianist ideology." Iftikhar himself had earlier written that Dear was "deranged," even while wondering why his crime "was never called Christian terrorism or domestic terrorism." Similarly, following the 2015 Paris Charlie Hebdo jihadist massacre, Iftikhar, speaking to CNN's Don Lemon, employed the canard that the Ku Klux Klan is a "Christianist organization." He also falsely claimed that 2011 Norwegian mass murderer Anders Breivik described himself in his deranged 15,000-word manifesto as a "soldier of Christianity" while omitting that Breivik hoped to enlist "Christian atheists" in his cause.

By contrast, Iftikhar sought to disabuse Lemon of any association of Islam with the Charlie Hebdo killings, stating that "bringing religion into it at all is actually serving the purposes of the terrorists." Despite numerous worldwide precedents of lethal Islamic blasphemy doctrines, he laughably claimed that the killings were "against any normative, mainstream teaching of Islam" and involved "irreligious criminals." Iftikhar maintained that Islam's seventh-century prophet Muhammad "was attacked and defamed many times in his life and there was not one time that he told people to take retribution," notwithstanding contrary Islamic accounts.

Iftikhar's whitewashes extend beyond Charlie Hebdo. To Lemon's citation of a surveyed sixteen percent of French citizens sympathizing with the genocidal Islamic State, Iftikhar contradictorily claimed that "you can have sympathy for an ideology and not support the mass murder of people." He has previously praised the radical Sheikh Yusuf Al-Qaradawi as "one of the most famous Muslim scholars in Cairo, Egypt" while denying his documented support for suicide bombing.

Furthermore, Iftikhar utilized the ubiquitous, deceptive, out-of-context interpretation of Quran 5:32 to claim that "murder has no religion" in the wake of the 2009 Fort Hood, Texas jihadist massacre. Responding to the 2014 abduction of Nigerian Christian girls by the jihadist group Boko Haram, he asked, "Boko Haram, have you read the Quran lately?" and asserted that Islam has no well documented doctrine of sex slavery (yet see here and here). His ignorance would surprise his Bridge Initiative Steering Committee colleague, Georgetown professor Jonathan Brown, who has scandalously justified Islam's history of sex slavery.

Iftikhar's biases encompass Israel, against which he made the usual baseless charges of "war crimes" during the 2008-2009 Operation Cast Lead Gaza military campaign. He equivocated while perfunctorily condemning the Hamas rocket attacks from Gaza that precipitated Cast Lead: "This catastrophic strategic blunder should bring utter shame upon the house of Hamas for needlessly picking a fight with 'the neighborhood bully.'"

Nothing can top Iftikhar's racist derision of former Louisiana governor Bobby Jindal. He "might be trying to scrub some of the brown off of his skin as he runs to the right in a Republican presidential exploratory bid," Iftikhar ranted in a statement that got him banned from MSNBC. Meanwhile, he has impugned conservative commentator Charles Krauthammer for the completely fact-based "ridiculous assertion" that "no one is starving in Gaza."

Iftikhar adds a trophy to the Bridge/ACMCU rogue's gallery of Islamism's "honor brigade." ACMCU's director, the humorless Brown, is a genuine Islamist surrounded by fellow travelers among his Georgetown professor colleagues, such as Jocelyne Cesari, John Esposito, and Tamara Sonn. ACMCU is thereby transforming from a nest of apologists for Islamists worldwide to an active cell of Muslim Brotherhood-connected apparatchiks.

In Georgetown, CAIR has secured a prized spot in the heart of the nation's capital for exerting an outsized influence on lawmakers, policymakers, and the national media. America's national security will weaken proportionally.

Andrew E. Harrod is a Campus Watch Fellow, freelance researcher, and writer who holds a Ph.D. from the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy and a J.D. from George Washington University Law School. He is a fellow with the Lawfare Project. Follow him on Twitter at @AEHarrod.
I consider Ryszard Legutko, former professor at the Jagellonian Institute in Krakow and an adviser to the very conservative president of Poland, to be the greatest living critic of liberal democracy. Please note that I myself produced a trilogy on the same subject, in which one can find many of the same criticisms as those offered by Legutko. But this Polish Catholic scholar does my work more succinctly. Whats more, the translator of his book The Demon in Democracy, Theresa Adelson, has performed a literary and linguistic feat by producing the translation that Encounter Books has made available.

Let me begin by noting for heuristic purposes that John OSullivan, who provides a preface for the English edition, understates Legutkos censures of liberal democracy. Legutko is not complaining about a temporary glitch in liberal democracies in which the range of acceptable political expression and the ability of voters to choose between policies have both been greatly narrowed. OSullivan is aware of Legutkos savage attacks on the EU as the prison house of nationalities; and being a (perhaps reluctant) supporter of Brexit, he tries to fit Legutkos critique of an entire system into a criticism of certain manifestations of contemporary liberal democracy. But Legutko is quite emphatic when he tells us that the omnipresence of administration and imposing rigorous conformity of thought and conduct through state education are inherent features of liberal democracy.

Moreover, like socialists, liberal democrats condemn racism, sexism, homophobia, discrimination, intolerance and all other sins listed in the liberal-democratic catechism while also participating in an unimaginable stretching of the meaning of these concepts and depriving them of any explanatory power. All thoughts and modes of linguistic expression are moving within the circle of the same cliches, slogans, spells, and arguments. There can be no serious conservative opposition within this system, because the respectable opposition on the Right feels driven to argue that they too are open, pluralistic, tolerant and inclusive, dedicated to the entitlement of individuals and groups, non-discriminatory and even supportive of the claims of feminists and homosexual activists. I would caution the reader not to confuse Legutkos brief with the usual rhetoric produced by conservative activists complaining about those who are located a few millimeters to their left on the political spectrum. Legutko (properly in my opinion) sees stifling conformity together with trampling on what remains of traditional Western civilization as the necessary outcome of the democratization of liberalism. Embedded in this political model, which is the glory of our neoconservatives and neoliberals and which is viewed as a blessing for export, are the dark sides of both liberalism and democracy.

Legutko does concede that these two ideologies do have their brighter sides. Liberalism, as I try to show in my work After Liberalism, promoted the material and educational advances made by nineteenth-century bourgeois society and favored such good things as religious and academic freedom and the abolition of slavery. Democracy in the twentieth century ensured a peaceful transition of party governments and has at least selectively preserved some of the gains of an older liberal constitutionalism. But the combination, according to Legutko, has been ultimately toxic. From liberalism, liberal democracy has taken its militant doctrine of pluralism, which has been turned against the very diversity it claims to be protecting. Like later liberal democrats, liberals in the nineteenth century viewed their society as the endpoint of human history. In the twentieth century liberal democracy presented itself as the model of tolerance toward which the entire human race had to be brought or dragged. There can be no legitimate alternative political or social model.

Legutko quotes the modern defender of Western liberalism, Isaiah Berlin, who contrast his own pluralistic view of human experience with monism. Legutko finds two problems with Berlins claim to be philosophically and politically tolerant. First, there is the fact that Berlin throws fire and brimstone (and by the way accusations of fascism) at those thinkers who havent shared his supposed openness to all views. Two, Berlin is too smart not to know that just about every important Western philosopher, starting with Plato, was a monist. Almost all great speculative minds assumed that their view of reality was the correct one and therefore treated rival thinkers and systems as defective. Moreover, liberals already in the nineteenth century regarded their pre-democratic, parliamentary governments as vehicles for serving discrete group interests. These interests were all based on furnishing material favors, which is what governing was reduced to even before the advent of liberal democracy.

The addition of the democratic element to liberal democracy has introduced a tiresome conformity among the populace and the phlegmatic acceptance of social engineering as a way of leveling social differences. Legutko looks at the paradox that politicians are reluctant to use the word republic because people tend to associate it with some form of oppressive statism. They definitely prefer the word democracy which they have been taught to associate with freedom, openness, and diversity. These associations are wrong, of course, because a republic has a higher internal diversity than a liberal democracy, also incorporating undemocratic institutions (for example, aristocratic and monarchical) and satisfying nondemocratic sensibilities. Liberal democracy is more restrictive, being strongly correlated with egalitarian principles that are quite wrongly believed to generate diversity. Moreover, democracy since ancient times has been identified with total politicization, and this has hardly changed in the contemporary West. The latest crusade by Western governments and Western elites to impose Political Correctness is fully consonant with the past crusades, led by the U.S., to fight for expanding laundry lists of human rights and whatever goes by the name pluralism.

As a former opponent of Communism in his native Poland, Legutko stresses the overlaps between liberal democracy and the Communist vision of society and history. Both are utopian and have looked forward to converting the entire human race to their creeds. Both speak equally about freedom but have imposed their ideologies wherever they can. They have also claimed to be under assault and therefore required to fight foreign enemies incessantly in order to survive. Communism and liberal democracy offer the freest and most tolerant regimes in history, because everyone in their societies have been taught to recite this platitude. The only ones in liberal democracies who are allowed to dissent from the official teaching are designated victims on the Left. Such welcome dissenters are encouraged to complain because what they bewail is music to the ears of elites. As Legutko points out, such dissent is hardly a threat to those in power, since it invites the powerful to seize more of what theyre already addicted to. Legutko also grasps the historical irony that the liberal democratic victor in the Cold War was carrying the same DNA as the side it defeated.

My one small quibble about Legutkos magnificent critique concerns the downside of what is the strength of his analysis. As a student of ancient political theory, he views certain defects as coming out of the nature of particular regimes. Liberal democracy, in the vocabulary of Aristotle, is a derailed polity that combines the worst of two other regimes, in this case oligarchy and democracy. The fusion of the bad sides of both has bequeathed to us an unpleasant, hypocritical government that is constantly weakening once rooted social relations and enslaving us in the name of freedom and diversity. But lets ask: Would we be facing this problem in the U.S. if certain turning points in our history had not occurred? Was there an irresistible imperative in the constitutional republic that the Founding Fathers set up in 1787 that pushed us in our present direction? If not, at what point did we become the crusader kingdom we eventually became, and one that pulled the old world into its cultural and political orbit? The dynamics of a form of government can certainly influence the way it develops. But changing circumstances must also be taken into account in understanding its subsequent evolution.
The left has been pushing the notion that masculinity is toxic and must be rooted out. Classes of college students are propagandized to this point of view, often mandatorily imposed. Feminist speakers and books for young girls promote it and womens magazines are full of such drivel. This week its apparent that its this kind of nonsense thats toxic, not masculinity. Often its a cover for jealousy and a corrupt search for power.

Vogue Skunked

Beginning with the less overtly significant, we have the Stiletto war. When stunningly gorgeous Melania Trump headed off for Texas to comfort the residents beset by Harvey, she boarded AF1 in high heels and beginning with Vogue Magazine, the harpies of the fem press -- including the Washington Posts Robin Givhan -- dumped on her. Noting that Melania had changed into sneakers when AF1 landed, Givhan sniped: Still, her Corpus Christi ensemble was more akin to what one might have expected her to wear for the Hurricane Harvey briefing. Its simplicity and practicality were in sync with the presidents khakis and boots. It was optically optimal. But the chance to tell an uninterrupted narrative of care and concern had already been missed. This was just a costume change for another fashion moment.

Unfortunately, for the toxic feminists we got to see what the lead critic, Lynn Yaeger, actually looks like. Shes a clownish, bizarrely made up and garbed frump. We now know to a certainty that the magazine that peddles leftist propaganda in between countless pages of ads for fifteen thousand dollar handbags and expensive furs dyed to look like mangy skunk is written by strange women promoting often-gay designers who would dress men as women and women as prepubescent boys. Games up for fashions leftist advance androgyny guard.

Ben Shapiro explained the effort to emasculate men.

...the Left has pushed emasculation as a solution. While they champion the notion that women can do anything they set their minds to (true!), they simultaneously castigate men as the barriers to progress and masculinity as a condition to be avoided. The goal of the Left, therefore, becomes to train boys not to become men. Instead, boys should be feminized; they should never be encouraged to be a man. Thats too pressure-filled, too nasty, too mean.

Once again, Vogue comes through to make the point, featuring this month transgendered Chelsea Manning in a swimsuit.

Sarsour Caught Out

Linda Sarsour (nothing is more monstrous than Zionism), was incomprehensibly the pro-sharia Islamist front gal for the Womens March. These puerile nitwits having a temper tantrum that the crooked Hillary lost the election, marched with Sarsour, who has been revealed as even more monstrous than ever. Under the guise of soliciting for Harvey relief she was collecting donations for left-wing community organizers.

This is not the first time that Sarsour has been connected with charities. In March, Sarsour partnered with Tarek El-Messidi, founder of the Celebrate Mercy nonprofit, to launch a crowdfunding effort for Muslims to help fix vandalized Jewish cemeteries. However, despite a total of $162,468 being raised, only $50,000 of the money went to toward Jewish cemeteries in St. Louis, Chicago, and Rochester, while the rest of the money remains unaccounted for. Sarsour, who describes herself as a feminist despite being an advocate for Sharia Law, has also previously declared jihad against the Trump administration, and has called on Muslims in the United States to actively not assimilate into American society, but instead act to please Allah and only Allah.

Did you march on the White House with this toxic fraud? Maybe its time to rethink how toxic she is to you and this country.

Rape Culture Myth and the Real Outrage Against Male Students

Using the myth that we are in a rape culture the prior administration set up regulations that a far too complaisant academia adopted to deprive men of their right to due process. As these cases wind their way through the courts, the schools that went along with this are losing.

In 2011, the department's Office for Civil Rights issued a Dear Colleague letter that urged institutions to better investigate and adjudicate cases of campus sexual assault. The letter clarified how the department interprets Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972, instructing institutions to avoid using mediation when resolving complaints of sexual assault and to use the preponderance of evidence standard of proof when determining if a student is responsible for sexual misconduct. The more the schools shift to policies that on their face are fundamentally unfair, the more obvious it will be to courts that they need to step in, Cohn said. More and more courts are recognizing the flaws in unprofessional tribunals deciding these cases in an environment that is highly politicized. And the more extreme pressure that campuses feel to expel accused students, the more youre going to see successful cases brought by accused students.

One publication, Rolling Stone, bought into this hysteria and promoted it. A female administrator successfully sued it because of the false reporting by a female reporter promoting a patent slander by a female student.

The settlement essentially brings to an end the legal issues facing Rolling Stone over the 9,000-word article published in November 2014. In April, the magazine and the writer of the article, Sabrina Rubin Erdely, settled a suit brought by a University of Virginia administrator, Nicole P. Eramo, who said the article defamed her and portrayed her as the chief villain of the story. (A federal jury had awarded Ms. Eramo $3 million in damages in November 2016.) A third lawsuit, filed by three former fraternity members, was dismissed last June, though that decision is being appealed. The article, A Rape on Campus, was retracted in April 2015 after a Columbia Journalism School report that said the magazine failed to take basic journalistic steps to verify the account of a woman, identified only as Jackie, who said she was the victim of a gang rape. It was an embarrassing episode for a magazine that has long prided itself on its journalistic accomplishments.

The extent to which campus promotion of toxic masculinity, a corollary of the fake rape culture, prejudges men as predators cannot be overstated. Heres a report on such a program at Princeton.

The College Fix reports that the storied university has created the office of an interpersonal violence clinician and mens engagement manager and has sent out a help-wanted alert. The mens manager will work to eradicate cases of sexual harassment, stalking and other forms of sexual aggression that the university claims affected 25 percent of female students in the last academic year. Whomever is chosen to occupy the position will be expected to combat gender stereotypes though re-education programs while using the existing Mens Allied Voices For a Respectful and Inclusive Community that was formed to eradicate the supposed scourge of toxic masculinity that is believed to be pervasive on campus. As the employment criterion makes quite clear, in the sexual matrix, females are always the victims and males the aggressors. While seeking to monitor the supposedly bad behavior for males on campus, the mens manager will consider appropriate remedial measures for offenders, including an accountability program for students accused of sexual misconduct

Houston Rescuers

As these jealous harpies and phony humanists peddle their lies, real men are showing that chivalry survives these calumnies. Scroll through these pictures of men working hard in impossible conditions to save lives. The heroic work of thousands of men from all over Louisiana and Texas show how important and selfless men are, even in the face of a culture that overwhelmingly derides what Glenn Reynolds calls burly men and glamorizes emasculation.

Rather puts pay to the lie of toxic masculinity, something corrupt toxic demagogues like Hillary Clinton have ridden to death. I think her day may be coming to a close as this weeks developments in the masquerade Comey investigation of her misuse of classified intelligence reveal.
The Democratic Party, that is. I doubt it was Trump's intent to make them into the broken, bitter, crazy, power-mad, yet powerless party they have become, but it happened. He did not start the fissures; he did not start their downward spiral. Humpty-Dumpty had already begun to split his eggshell, but when Trump won, Humpty simply jumped. And shattered. And none of the progressive horses, and none of their non-gendered genders can put him back together again.

One main attribute of Donald Trump was his willingness to break the code of political correctness. That was who he was, and it helped him win. Plain-spoken, he didn't give a damn whether he upset the modern-day Pharisees' tables. He didn't give a damn about current sacred cows. He pointed them out, and the world still can't believe it.

Neither party could handle his non-P.C. manner. And for very different reasons. The GOP couldn't understand why their own voters, their own base flocked to him rather than to them. The deepest, strongest group of candidates ever (according to GOP prognosticators) couldn't touch him. The Stockholm syndrome party, with its current timidity and kowtowing to Democratic P.C. talking points, had become the milquetoast party and was blindsided. They could not understand this willingness to be blunt. They still don't know what hit them.

The Democratic Party fissures were already there. A party comprising disparate (desperate?) one-issue groups, they ascended to electoral heights in 2008. A greater con job may never have happened. A hapless, Bush-McCain-led GOP blew off its party's principles, and the GOP base simply stayed home. An ever leftward surge by the Democratic Party set them up with two of the most extreme leaders ever, Pelosi and Reid, coupled with their most extreme (and unqualified) presidential candidate ever.

Bill Whittle of "Afterburner" fame said it well way back then. He recounted how they had won with no substance and did not really have the pulse of America. I remember him saying these Democrats "could be taken."

Democrats had sixty votes in the Senate and a huge majority in the House along with the presidency. They seemed invincible. While they thought they were, they weren't. We had the most virulent, radical, fraudulent leftists ever in positions of power. Without substance, they governed against the will of America. You will never find a more wretched hive of scum and villainy. Okay, I stole that from Star Wars. But it's perfect.

It would not have taken much for the stupid party to point this out, but instead, they predictably rolled over and played dead  allowing the corruption and the terrible things Obama put in place. After all, they wouldn't want to be called racist.

Who could have predicted the insanity that happened to the left after Trump won? It's a huge bonus in unintended consequences. Therapy dogs? Crying rooms? Free teddy bears? Safe spaces? The Russians? Really? Leftists had gone mad. Their "rights" to lord it over the government had been stolen from them. How dare Trump win? There just had to be an explanation why the country chose him.

After all, everyone agreed 100% with them. There is no alternative...

The Democratic Party, unbeknownst to themselves, were becoming prisoners of their own leftist P.C. madness. They bought into it so hard that they turned blue from lack of oxygen. They became captive to their own narratives. For whatever reason, they could not stop pushing a product which extended way beyond its use-by date. You name the issue, and they've beaten it to death and walked it over the cliff. Race relations, gender, feminism, abortion, socialism, free speech, immigration, ecology. Russia. Whatever the issue, they hold to the extremes. And they don't understand why they are losing.

Yes, blue from reality starvation. Captive to their own propaganda and extremist positions. Examining two of their previously winning (for them) issues of race and gender, the problem becomes obvious.

First, race. Democrats need to constantly play the race card to win. Consider: They lost while Barack was playing the race card as hard as we have seen it played. He campaigned non-stop, saying Donald Trump would be influenced by the KKK if elected. So what happened in the end? It didn't work. More Hispanics and blacks voted for the Republicans than expected. A huge part of the old, solid working class, along with the conservative base, said no way were they going to put up with that outrageous demagoguery anymore.

Aside to the left: get a clue. It's clear that racism is a horrible thing. Trump voters weren't racist; they were rejecting the left's version of racism and race-baiting. As the Democrats continue to rely on the race card, they will continue to alienate their old, locked down blue-collar vote, lose black voters, and the backlash will probably get worse as they continue playing the card too much. Yet if they don't continue playing the card, they will lose their predictable, locked down percentage of the minority vote. For a change, they are the ones imprisoned by demographics.

Then there's that fake mess in Charlottesville. All the attempts at smearing Trump as racist didn't fly. The media angst and outrage are not working. There is enough evidence that the left was more responsible for the violence than the right. The media ignore it, get beat up, and the country sees it. Claiming that the problem is Trump's racism is not working, and once the dust settles, the country will again reject this rage that has no basis.

Now let's talk about feminism. Stoking the gender card won for Democrats in the past. But the bloom is off the rose (put this troglodyte writer in the stocks!). Their strongest female candidate ever just outspent her opponent by two to one. And lost. The "gender gap" whereby Democrats get more female voters actually shrank from 2012 to 2016. Hillary played the gender card. And people didn't vote for her because she was a woman.

Since she lost, the crazy women's marches happened; outstanding women such as Madonna and Ashley Judd wore "pussy hats" and showed the world what a leftist feminist is. One of their organizers has been busted as favoring jihad. If you think a majority of women is being influenced positively by this, seek help.

To top it off, you have the Trump women front and center. Melania and Ivanka. Talented. Thoughtful. Intellectually powerful. And likeable. Add them to the list of so many prominent conservative women who are similarly proficient, and the Democrats have a disaster on their hands. The real feminists, the women who have actually accomplished something, are mostly on the other side of the aisle. When you compare the bitter visuals of Hillary, Madonna, and the marches, you can see they are imprisoned by what they thought was their issue. When they play the gender card, they have no one compelling to point to. Only victims  no winners, only whiners. And if they don't play the gender card, the rabid leftist feminist base will turn on them. Imprisoned by victimhood, the issue has passed them by. Conservative women have ascended, and the leading visual in all of this is the Trump family just being who they are.

...who, unlike hypocritical Democrats, actually paid women equally long ago.

Their extremism is why Democrats won't put themselves together easily. They daily ratchet up the absurd anti-Trump rhetoric, thinking eventually it will work. They have become so unhinged in losing to Trump, they can't control themselves. They are so invested in being angry, so invested in dehumanizing Trump, in forcing a lockstep pogrom on anyone left of center to "resist" that they can't see how they look to others. Their vanguard, the media, is so vested in beating Trump down that they don't have a clue how they have destroyed their own profession. They have no idea the kind of backlash they are starting. It's a looming boomerang they cannot comprehend. Overplayed, overstated, overused. Add a lack of vision, and a bunch of Elmer Gantry-type hucksters as their leaders, and they are toast until further notice.

As Bill Whittle saw, they could be taken, and they were. They are now unintentionally fracturing. Antifa, Black Lives Matter, enraged feminists, chicken-little enviros, all with toddler-like demands. They are imprisoned by all their own issues. Fissures blasting themselves open.

Trump is who he is: blunt, the anti-P.C. man. The Democratic Party is captured by its own extremists. The Democrats have no strong, substantive winning issue. "Trump is bad. Really bad" is not going to cut it. Neither is Antifa  fascists pretending to fight fascism won't work. A visionless party with no ideas is in trouble. It is fractured.

It's a shame we have a GOP that is so dumb, so corrupt, and so frightened of its own shadow. With a Democratic Party that is this hopeless, the GOP could forge an agenda that would change America for generations, and Americans would reward the party.

The question now becomes: who, or what, will move into this political void?
Move over LGBTQ activists and Black Lives Matter. The most recent victimized minority to come out of the closet and demand acceptance and attention is your local witches coven. Thats right  witchcraft, Wicca -- call it what you will  these poor persecuted souls are demanding we embrace their occult practices as the fastest-growing faith or religion in the country. The words faith and religion are repeatedly used to describe witchcraft in an investigative piece that recently aired on News 12 Now in Westchester County NY. Our sympathy is piqued for these oppressed faithful as were told that not so long ago, witches were actually hunted!

(In an effort to gracefully rationalize our acceptance of the occult, one witch tells us she teaches her children that, a spell is nothing more than a prayer. And those are my words; and words are powerful If Im setting an intention to accomplish a goal -- whether you call it a prayer or you call it a spell, its really semantics.)

New 12 Now seems anxiously giddy as they try to shame middle-class Americans into abandoning their witchy stereotypes. Its just another attack on those old, out-of-touch Judeo-Christian haters who dont realize how wonderful witchcraft really is. After all, wed better get with the program because in addition to its being one of the fastest-growing religions in the countryNew York might as well be its capital!

Westchester, N.Y. news reporter Tara Rosenblum spent four months exploring and gaining access to a thriving underground community of witches. In her promotion for the piece, Rosenblum promised it would take everything you think you know about witches and turn it upside down.

Most of us know the drill -- were supposed to buy the witch pitch (again) that they do good and never do any harm. Theyre nature-loving do-gooders who happen to be more in tune with the earth than the rest of us muggles. (And yes, one witch excitedly admits she has been casting spells ever since getting hooked on the Harry Potter series as a child.)

After watching people whove sworn an oath of secrecy chanting in hooded robes -- which in todays atmosphere youd think many might see as scarily reminiscent of KKK gatherings -- were shown pentagrams, tarot cards, a voodoo doll and skulls on display at a witches' gathering. During the intro, one host says that mentioning the word witch conjures up pictures of black cats, broomsticks and bubbling cauldrons, while the next host quickly contradicts saying that doesnt necessarily describe the modern Wicca. Later, a self-described witch jokingly tells us we dont boil anybody in our cauldrons, as those around her cackle with laughter. Ironically, were then shown a ritual of these modern-day witches chanting as they boil something in a black cauldron. In short, buying into the line that were supposed to throw out our old witch stereotypes turns into a full-blown knee-slapper.

Even more laughable, the promo said wed be meeting, some of the most powerful witches in New York, as if there had been a formal competition and this was a documented fact.

According to one witch, the modern day Hudson Valley (known to many for being home to the Clinton family compound), is on top of a giant quartz crystal, so all the energy is radiated through (there.)

A Wiccan high priestess tells us, There are people that are very, very dedicated witches in all walks of lifeyour ER nurse, your lawyerwho knows? (This begs the question What constitutes very, very dedicated?)

It becomes a way of life, she says, You start honoring nature; you start having a connection with the sky. (One assumes the John Muir Society wasnt enough for them.) Yet another one tells us she knows witches that even go to church. Theyve agreed to be interviewed, they say, because they want to help people, teach people, and preserve their path. In one highly suspicious moment, reporter Tara Rosenblum is doing a Facebook Live stream with two of the witches and checks her social media saying, My sister Brooke Rosenblum is checking in with us. A quick gander at the Facebook comments show her sister Brooke quoting one of the witches saying: Its just who we are, followed by a heart and a smiley face.

Rosenblums three part series titled, Speak No Evil tells us, There are nearly 1 million Wiccans in the United States. More than 20% of them live here in New York. Apparently theyre going public to grow their ranks. Undoubtedly, theyll find success in a culture ready to turn any group that whines loud enough into the victimized, bullied, persecuted, attacking us is a hate crime flavor of the day.

The witches are, after all, afraid to come out and expose themselves for fear of persecution; but they bravely say their passion for the occult is unwavering.

Rosenblum reports, Its a mysterious, feminist and nature-focused religion that rewards faith and patiencewith magic. She asks the Wiccan high priestess, What is your faith capable of? The reply, Anything that you can think, you can be. The purposely evasive answer sounded more like an inspirational speech to a group of fifth graders.

The report tells us they have no Bible but claim a strict moral code which is similar to Karma. They talk to an antler god and then ask the moon goddess to cast a protective spell shielding them from those who wish to do harm. The narrator tells us witches, of course, have faced a long history of persecution. What? All that stuff we learned about innocent women being put to death was a lie? Does that mean all the accusations of paranoia and injustice that history lobbed at the witch trials were a mere ruse for covering what were truly occult practices? Apparently so, as one witch who claims to be descended from British witches shocks the audience by admitting, We kept it a secret. We were persecuted. We were actually burned at the stakes.

None of that persecution stuff these days, though. Todays witches have set up shop -- as Rosenblum says -- only a hagstones throw away from West Point. They even offer military discounts.

Todays witches are into building community, supporting each other and everyone else, and helping the total person with mind, body and spirit. Throw in some Reiki, herbalism, and some henna art -- and youve got nothing but a bunch of well-intentioned, good witches gathering for fun and frolic in your local woods.

Responding to the Westchester segment on Facebook, one man asks, How come all the witches aren't collectively working together to get Trump out of office..??? If u guys r really good witches why isn't this happening!??! A woman apparently identifying as a witch responds, Many of us are.

Susan D. Harris can be reached at www.susandharris.com
 Flash

Russian Foreign Ministry summoned Deputy Chief of Mission at the U.S. Embassy Anthony Godfrey Saturday and protested U.S. intentions to search a Russian diplomatic property in Washington.

The Russian ministry said U.S. authorities sought to search the Russian trade representative compound, which was closed on Saturday, in addition to the Russian Consulate General in San Francisco and a consular office in New York City.

"We consider the planned illegitimate search of the Russian diplomatic facility without the presence of Russian officials and a threat to break down its front door as an unprecedented, aggressive action," said the ministry in a statement.

The ministry also expressed worries that U.S. intelligence agents during the search may plant items in the Russian compound and organize an anti-Russian provocation.

It urged the United States to stop the "gross violations" of international law and the encroachment on the immunity of Russia's diplomatic institutions.

The U.S. security services also intend to search Russia's Consulate General in San Francisco, which the Russian Foreign Ministry said Friday will directly threaten the safety of Russian citizens and worsen already difficult bilateral relations.

The U.S. State Department on Thursday ordered Russia to close the three facilities by Saturday in retaliation for the Russian decision in July to cut the number of U.S. diplomatic staff by 755 people and seize two U.S. properties in Moscow.
The events a week ago in Berkeley, California are sinking in, and maybe opening a few more minds. Police there stood aside and allowed hundreds of uniformed, masked, armed-with-clubs thugs beat-up a handful of harmless free speech and anti-Marxist demonstrators. All of this recorded on countless cell phones. Reporters, including a local TV anchor, were attacked and intimidated along with other helpless people surrounded by the club-wielding militia.

Neoneocon has a fascinating example of one such person undergoing political change, who has posted a YouTube video:

The quote begins around 1:06 or so, and Ive transcribed it: So it became fairly evident very quickly that these people [many of his fellow progressives, who he describes as being proponents of an authoritative sort of progressivism] werent actually standing up for anything relating to liberty. They were just standing up for a divisive brand of politics that would tolerate no dissent whatsoever. Ive always tried my best to think as clearly and logically as I can. And that necessarily entails poking as many holes as I can in my own beliefs, until Ive managed to narrow in on the beliefs that best model the world, or at least that model the world a little more accurately than my beliefs did before.

Neoneocon has a lot of good analysis of the video, and of what she sees as an emerging fault line:

What I think is so marvelous about that quote is that it describes two elements very well. The first element is that its quite obvious that this man sets a premium on liberty. Ive referred to liberty as the great dividing line, and noted that some liberals value it and others dont, and that this particular difference is an enormously important one (snip) The second element the man in the video talks about is also key: the desire to poke as many holes as I can in my own beliefs, until Ive managed to narrow in on the beliefs that best model the world.

Both points would appeal to whatever is left of old Democrat liberals, people like Alan Dershowitz. The party has surrendered to the left, who are interested in power. They believe that they know the path to produce utopia and standing up to them means preventing utopia. That is what animates the thugs.

The national media studiously ignored antifa, even though it has been a highly visible and destructive left-wing militia for some time now. Antifa was judged harmful to the approved narrative that right wing neo-Nazis are the preeminent threat to civil order. When Milo Yiannopouloss address to a sold out crowd of thousands was violently shut down, a masked, black-clad militia marched into Berkeley from Oakland and participated in the violence that ensued. The national media yawned and moved on in the face of the specter of an actual private extremist army inflicting major property damage and shutting down free speech, while beating up innocent bystanders.

There is always the question of who is funding these militias. But nobody is even asking. If AG Sessions has a grand jury investigating, it is a well-kept secret.

Anyone who actually values liberty has to be alarmed. But it still takes a searcher, someone who meets Neoneocons second element, a questioning mind to break out of the imaginary narrative the media and left push as our political drama, with conservatives the eternal villains.

Our education system has been more interested in indoctrination than in training questioning minds for a generation or more.

The best personal account of a leftist becoming conservative remains David Horowitz's brutally honest book, Radical Son, has turned many a leftist into a conservative.

Hat tip: Sarah Hoyt, Instapundit
The Antifa faction known as "By Any Means Necessary" (BAMN) is one of the largest and best organized groups connected to the violent leftist group. The Daily Caller reports that dozens of public school teachers have known ties to BAMN and are allowed to continue teaching despite their advocacy for violence.

One of BAMNs most prominent organizers is Yvette Felarca, a Berkeley middle school teacher and pro-violence militant. Felarca currently faces charges of inciting a riot for her role in the Sacramento violence. After BAMN and other antifa groups staged violent protests in Berkeley to keep right-wing author Milo Yiannopoulos from speaking, Felarca defended her groups acts of violence. BAMN was able to cancel another event, this time an April speech by pro-Trump author Ann Coulter, by promising a repeat performance of the Milo riots. The FBI and DHS say Antifa groups like BAMN are engaging in domestic terrorist violence, according to the Politico report. Just last weekend, Felarca helped organize BAMNs mass demonstrations that shut down an anti-Marxism rally in Berkeley. As with BAMNs other organized actions, left-wing actors at Saturdays demonstrations violently attackedpeaceful protesters. House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi condemned the Antifa violence in Berkeley, while Felarca called BAMNs actions a resounding success.

There are also Antifa members who run for local teacher union offices:

BAMN is active within both the National Education Association  the nations largest teachers union  as well as with local and regional teachers unions in Michigan and California. Last year, 17 different BAMN members ran for elected positions on the Detroit Federation of Teachers, according to a newsletter sent out by the DFT. BAMN also ran five candidates for different national leadership positions with the NEA in 2017. When the Berkeley school district suspended Felarca for her violent activism in 2016 (for which she was charged with inciting a riot), the local teachers union sued the school on Felarcas behalf. In January 2015, BAMN organizer Steve Conn was elected president of the Detroit Federation of Teachers. The DFTs executive board charged Conn with misconduct later that year and removed him from office.

Members of a violent, anarchist organization that DHS says carries out "domestic terrorist violence" are teaching our kids, filling their heads with Antifa rot, and trying to show them that violence works.

Antifa's warped worldview does not belong in American classrooms. If I had a school age kid, I would demand that schools and school districts boot any and all Antifa members and sympathizers from their jobs. That they have been able to teach for this long, is a travesty.
The revelation that James Comey drafted his exoneration of Hillary Clinton long before 17 witnesses had been interviewed has made him a villain in the eyes of that small portion of the populace that is paying attention to politics just prior to Labor Day, and which happens to read conservative media.

In other words, for most Americans, Comey remains the guy lionized in the media for being fired by President Trump, an automatic badge of honor in the MSM world.

Nonetheless, as the realization that the fix was in spreads, there is going to be some hell to pay, especially with Robert Mueller spreading the tentacles of his investigation to the NY State AG and the IRS, according to reports. Muellers appointment was corruptly obtained by Comey leaking documents via a cut out, a professor at Columbia University.

Comey makes an attractive villain, especially because the pedestal erected by the left is already so high. If nothing else, it is great drama to unmask a phony hero, and President Trump understands long form televised dramatic narratives. Simon and Shuster, which paid him millions on a book advance, is paying attention, I am certain.

But Comeys old friend and colleague, Andrew McCarthy, still sees Comey as something less than a scoundrel, and defends Comey (to some degree) from the status of arch-villain. And he makes some fair points, writing at NRO:

The thing to understand, what has always been the most important thing to understand, is that Jim Comey was out in front, but he was not calling the shots.

True enough, as McCarthy points out, President Obama made clear to the FBI and DoJ what their findings would be. Lets think about what else was going on in April 2016. Ive written about it a number of times over the last year-plus, such as in a column a few months back: On April 10, 2016, President Obama publicly stated that Hillary Clinton had shown carelessness in using a private e-mail server to handle classified information, but he insisted that she had not intended to endanger national security (which is not an element of the [criminal statutes relevant to her e-mail scandal]). The president acknowledged that classified information had been transmitted via Secretary Clintons server, but he suggested that, in the greater scheme of things, its importance had been vastly overstated. This is precisely the reasoning that Comey relied on in ultimately absolving Clinton. (snip) Im baffled by complaints that Comey allegedly made his decision not to charge Clinton before key witnesses were interviewed. The main issue is not that witnesses hadnt been questioned; it is that by April 2016, restraints were already in place to ensure that witness interviews would be fruitless, and that any incriminating information they accidentally turned up would be ignored or buried. The decision not to indict Hillary Clinton was not made by then-FBI Director Comey. It was made by President Obama and his Justice Department  Comeys superiors.

My translation: Comey was acting as a good German, faithfully carrying out corrupt orders. McCarthy is more circumspect:

If you want to say Comey went along for the ride rather than bucking the tide (as he concedes doing when Lynch directed him to call the Clinton probe a matter, not an investigation), thats fair. But the fact that Comey already knew in April what he would say in July has long been perfectly obvious.

Loyalty is a virtue, and so is honesty, and both are in evidence here. McCarthy makes the devastating point that our political establishment in both parties is reluctant to acknowledge:

As we also now know  but as Obama knew at the time  the president himself had communicated with Clinton over her non-secure, private communications system, using an alias. The Obama administration refused to disclose these several e-mail exchanges because they undoubtedly involve classified conversations between the president and his secretary of state. It would not have been possible to prosecute Mrs. Clinton for mishandling classified information without its being clear that President Obama had engaged in the same conduct. The administration was never, ever going to allow that to happen.

Obstruction of Justice to fix the outcome of the election of his successor is the high crime that seems to have taken place in the spring of 2016. The wiretapping via unmasking of telecommunications intercepts is the other half of the equation in the unsuccessful Big Fix[i] of the 2016 election. This could be the biggest political scandal in the history of the Republic. Worse, even, than Democrats stealing Illinois electoral votes for Kennedy, which Richard Nixon declined to press in the name of political stability.

But, no president has ever gone after a predecessor for crimes or scandals. What goes around comes around, especially in a two-party system. Part of the Impeach Trump! fever gripping the Left is pure desire for vengeance over Clintons impeachment. Going after a former president, especially the first African-American to hold the office, is out of the question, no matter what the evidence may eventually show.

Now that the President is the target of a Special Counsel investigation that shows every sign of being a witch hunt, and its very instigation was due to the corrupt action of James Comey, he will be the focus of attention. Every crime needs a fall guy if the ultimate criminal is to escape.
For those who doubted that political correctness posed a threat to free speech on campus, Above the Law contributor Joe Patrice just gave you reason to believe. Patrice called for the firing of two tenured professors who coauthored an op-ed in the Philadelphia Inquirer calling for a return to bourgeois values.

Patrice characterized the article as racist and sexist, This dynamic duo of dumb spend the op-ed concocting a theory as terrifying as it is bereft of factual support when they posit that all of Americas woes really do stem from failing to live up to the ideals of an era when (white) men were men and everyone else kept their goddamned mouths shut.

Amy Wax and Larry Alexander began their op-ed with a clear statement of purpose, Too few Americans are qualified for the jobs available. Male working-age labor-force participation is at Depression-era lows. Opioid abuse is widespread. Homicidal violence plagues inner cities. Almost half of all children are born out of wedlock, and even more are raised by single mothers. Many college students lack basic skills, and high school students rank below those from two dozen other countries.

Wax and Alexander argue that the breakdown of what they call bourgeois values, contributed to all of these problems. They defined these bourgeois values as, Get married before you have children and strive to stay married for their sake. Get the education you need for gainful employment, work hard, and avoid idleness. Go the extra mile for your employer or client. Be a patriot, ready to serve the country. Be neighborly, civic-minded, and charitable. Avoid coarse language in public. Be respectful of authority. Eschew substance abuse and crime.

Wax and Alexander credit these social norms for boosting prosperity, reducing crime, and increasing social cohesion. It is difficult to see how Wax and Alexanders innocuous paean to conventional wisdom and middle-class norms could be considered racist. The substance of the article is indistinguishable from what one might hear in a black church on a Sunday morning.

Strangely, Wax and Alexanders critics seem to associate non-whites, with laziness, promiscuity, and irresponsibility. A view that the Charlottesville deplorables would not disagree with.

Racism is not the reason Joe Patrice provides for firing Wax and Alexander. Rather, Patrice writes, Neither Wax nor Alexander should be fired for holding unpopular opinions. They should be fired for being bad scholars.

An op-ed isnt an academic journal, of course, but belching out so many lies and half-truths while draped in the imprimatur of the credibility that the law schools name brings is an institutional embarrassment. It undermines that credibility with students and peers. Op-eds for local newspapers may not be held to the strict standards of a scholarly journal, but that doesnt absolve professors of the need to conduct themselves as scholars for the good of the institution that employs them.

It would have been more honest for Patrice to say he wants them fired because he disagrees with what they have to say. To paraphrase Voltaire, I disagree with what you say and will ensure that you get fired for your offensive opinion.

Becoming a tenured professor requires around a decade of hard work, from the time you graduate college to the time you receive tenure. In Patrices view a single poorly sourced (according to him) newspaper op-ed should be enough to take that away. Regardless of your lengthy and impressive publication record, your stellar teaching evaluations, a substandard op-ed or ill-considered letter to the editor makes you unfit for academic employment.

Patrice should have based his call to fire Wax and Alexander on his (bogus) allegation of racism. The justification he falls back on falls laughably short of what would, or should, lead a school to remove a tenured faculty member.

Calls to fire Wax and Alexander will not succeed in getting them removed, but they will succeed in having a chilling effect on speech. Nontenured faculty, graduate students, and undergrads, will all have to watch what they say; they will need to be extra cautious not to offend the delicate sensibilities of the Joe Patrices of the world, and when you think about it, thats kind of the point.
A Super-PAC is making money fundraising off former Milwaukee County Sheriff David Clarke's name and the latter isn't happy about it. Styled as the 'Draft Sheriff David Clarke for Senate PAC, or political action committee, the PAC has raised nearly two million dollars in donations, yet has spent nothing on getting that idea out except through fund-raising. It all raises the question of 'why?'

According to the Daily Caller:

FEC filings show the PAC took in $1.97 million between January 1 and June 30, and spent $1.89 million during that same time period  $1.87 million of which went towards operating expenditures. The PAC has spent exactly zero dollars on independent expenditures  defined as money spent advocating for or against a candidate in an election  as of its most recent FEC filings.

Clarke meanwhile, is livid about this group making money off his name for something he says will never happen, calling it 'scam PAC.'

Sharyl Attkisson, in her new book, The Smear: How Shady Political Operatives and Fake News Control What You See, What You Think, and How You Vote, calls PACS a pillar of the 'smear industrial complex,' describing them this way:

Super PACs are a powerful campaign funding vehicle made possible through the January 2010 upreme Court decision known as Citizens United. Unlike a candidate's official fundraising operation, super PACs are not permitted to coordinately directly with a candidate, but they can collect unlimited political donations. What's more, the Supreme Court ruled corporations and unions can make super PAC donations.

Whether this one is engaged in disinformation smears so characteristic of the ones Attkisson described is unknown, but the Daily Caller (as well as leftist publications such as Mother Jones) has described its email appeals for money as racial and racist, which might amount to a smear against Clarke. At a minimum, it opens up a leftist narrative against him, seen here, here, here and here. Would such emails amount to smear disinformation? They could if the ownership of the PAC were unknown or had backing that was unknown.

The owner of the PAC, Jack W. Daly, however, is known, so it is possible his game really is to just persuade Clarke to run for Senate as he says. Political types, after all, frequently say they aren't running when they really are. The Daily Caller points out that Clarke is doing nothing that would suggest he is running howeveerr, because he is not meeting fat-cat donors or doing other things that signal a politician is running even when he says he is not. Clarke hasn't disclosed what he intends to do since resigning his sheriff's post, but says he will announce his plans soon.

But if there's no chance Clarke is running, it would seem to be a mighty strange errand to keep raising money to say he can be persuaded, particularly if he vehemently opposes it. If you really liked someone enough to want to draft him into the Senate, wouldn't you be put off if he called your operation a 'scam PAC'? Wouldn't you feel bad? That Daly just keeps on going suggests something other than just liking Clarke is at the root of this operation. Yet if the aim is not to smear him, it could be to tap out his potential fundraising base or innoculate him from ever fundraising due to the ineffectiveness of the PAC. In which case, it would seem to be an organization that runs counter to Clarke's interests.

Another possibility for its existence may be to rent out email lists, as the Daily Caller reports, pointing out that Daly has done this in the past. In which case, it would be a money-making operation off Clarke's name which has no benefit to Clarke.

Or, it could take its raised cash and switch purposes, as some PACs have done. There is no evidence Daly has switched sides ideologically as some of them do, but not much is known of him.

What it appears to be here, is a new innovation in Washington Swamp games played by the smear establishment Attkisson described. Surely Clarke should have a veto to shut such an operation down if it doesn't act in his interests and it exists solely to make money off his name. Which may mean the Citizens United decision make see another appearance at the Supreme Court sometime in the future.
At 2:30 AM E.D.T. on Sunday September, I was monitoring North Koreas government Web site (Korean Central News Agency or KCNA), which has an English language version. At that moment, as CNN was reporting, NK state television was making the official announcement that its sixth nuclear bomb test that was detected by seismic monitoring devices outside of NK at 11:59 PM E.D.T. September 2 was a hydrogen bomb detonated at an underground test site. Both the Fox News Channel and CNN went to continuous programming on the development starting shortly after the test, or the earthquake that registered 6.2 on the Richter scale, was first reported shortly after 12 midnight E.D.T. on Sunday September 3.

Kim Jong Un watched an H-bomb to be loaded into new ICBM

Source: Korean Central News Agency September 3, 2017 (North Korea time)

Curious about how North Koreas state newss Web site was reporting this major news, here is what they put online at 2:30 AM E.D.T. on September 3.

DPRK Nuclear Weapons Institute on Successful Test of H-bomb for ICBM

Pyongyang, September 3 (KCNA) -- The Nuclear Weapons Institute of the DPRK gave the following statement in connection with the perfect success in the test of a hydrogen bomb for ICBM:

Scientists in the nuclear field of the DPRK successfully carried out a test of H-bomb for ICBM in the northern nuclear test ground of the DPRK at 12:00 on September 3, true to the Workers' Party of Korea's plan for building a strategic nuclear force.

The H-bomb test was carried out to examine and confirm the accuracy and credibility of the power control technology and internal structural design newly introduced into manufacturing H-bomb to be placed at the payload of the ICBM.

The result of the experimental measurements showed that the power specifications of nuclear warhead including total explosion power and fission to fusion power rate and all other physical specifications reflecting the qualitative level of two-stage thermo-nuclear weapon fully complied with design figures. It was also confirmed that even though the recent test was carried out with the bomb of unprecedentedly big power, there were neither emission through ground surface nor leakage of radioactive materials nor did it have any adverse impact on the surrounding ecological environment.

The test re-confirmed the precision of the compression technology of the first system of the H-bomb and the fission chain reaction start control technology and proved once again that the nuclear material utility rate in the first system and the second system reached the levels reflected in the design.

Symmetrical compression of nuclear charge, its fission detonation and high-temperature nuclear fusion ignition, and the ensuing rapidly boosting fission-fusion reactions, which are key technologies for enhancing the nuclear fusion power of the second-system of the H-bomb, were confirmed to have been realized on a high level. This helped prove that the directional combination structure and multi-layer radiation explosion-proof structural design of the first system and the second system used for the manufacture of the H-bomb were very accurate and the light thermal radiation-resisting materials and neutron-resisting materials were rationally selected.

The test helped draw the conclusion that the Korean-style analytic method and calculation programs for the complicated physical processes occurring in the first and second systems were put on the high level and that the engineering structure of the H-bomb as a nuclear warhead designed on the Juche basis including the structure of the nuclear charge of the second system was creditable.

The test once again confirmed the reliability of the concentration-type nuke detonation control system fully verified through a nuclear warhead detonation test and test-launches of various ballistic rockets.

The perfect success in the test of the H-bomb for ICBM clearly proved that the Juche-based nukes of the DPRK have been put on a highly precise basis, the creditability of the operation of the nuclear warhead is fully guaranteed and the design and production technology of nuclear weapons of the DPRK has been put on a high level to adjust its destructive power in consideration of the targets and purposes. It also marked a very significant occasion in attaining the final goal of completing the state nuclear force.

The Central Committee the WPK extended warm congratulations to the scientists and technicians in the nuclear field in the northern nuclear test ground on their successful H-bomb test for ICBM.
 Flash

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi said on Saturday that he was looking forward to "productive discussions" at the BRICS summit to be held in Xiamen, China from Sunday to Tuesday.

Modi also said his country "attaches high importance" to the summit.

"India had the privilege of hosting the previous summit in Goa in October last year. I look forward to building upon the results and outcomes of the Goa Summit," Modi said in a statement posed on his Facebook page.

"I also look forward to productive discussions and positive outcomes that will support the agenda of a stronger BRICS partnership under the chairmanship of China," he said, adding that he will also have bilateral meetings on the sidelines of the summit.

"We will also interact with the BRICS Business Council represented by captains of industry from all five countries. In addition, I look forward to engaging with leaders of nine other countries, including BRICS partners in an Emerging Markets and Developing Countries Dialogue..." Modi said.

Alongside the Facebook post, Modi, who is expected to leave for the summit on Sunday, also tweeted "India attaches high importance to BRICS, which has begun a 2nd decade of its partnership for progress and peace."

Coined by former Goldman Sachs economist Jim O'Neill in 2001, the term "BRIC" referred to Brazil, Russia, India and China, four emerging markets with fast growth and great potential. In 2010, South Africa joined the group, and the acronym was changed to BRICS.

Together, the five countries now represent 44 percent of the world's population and 23 percent of global GDP, up from 12 percent a decade ago.

After attending the summit, Modi will travel to Myanmar for a visit from Tuesday to Thursday. He said he was looking forward to meeting Myanmar President U Htin Kyaw and State Counsellor Aung San Suu Kyi.

"We will also look at strengthening our existing cooperation on security and counter-terrorism, trade and investment, skill development, infrastructure and energy, and culture," he said.

"I am confident that the visit will open a bright new chapter in India-Myanmar relations and will help in charting a roadmap for closer cooperation between our governments, our business communities and at the people to people level," Modi added.
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BarcelonaUnionist group Societat Civil Catalana (Spanish Civil Society, SCC in Catalan) said on Friday that the Catalan government will be staging a coup d'etat if it calls and holds an "illegal referendum", and warned Catalans that they would be "collaborators in the crime" if they vote on October 1st (1-O). "They are calling on the people to participate in an alleged civic celebration of democracy, but they are actually inviting them to commit a crime, and this is very serious", noted Jose Domingo, vice-president of the unionist group, in a press conference. He also asked the Spanish authorities to adopt "preventative measures" to block the consultation. In his view, it would be sufficient to use the national security laws to invoke a state of emergency or siege.

Whether via the use of force by the Spanish government or through legal action, Domingo is convinced that the laws covering the referendum and transitoriness "will not be enacted", that "a break with Spain" will not happen, and that neither the Catalan Statute nor the Constitution will be annulled. "It's clear that on October 2nd Catalonia will not become a new country, but it could become a territory with a major conflict of public order", he added. He warned of "demonstrations against court rulings" and of the possibility of a call for "occupation of basic infrastructures to show that independence has, in fact, occurred". Considering everything, he called on the pro-independence forces to "listen to reason".

"Pro-independence forces want to take over the Catalan police force"

The SCC vice-president called on the Catalan government to make a "clear separation between politics and security", and stated that it wants to use the actions of the Mossos during the attacks in Barcelona and Cambrils to "shine a positive light on some supposed statehood structures". "The independence forces want to take over the Mossos", he complained, while making clear that the Catalan police "must not join in the political debate, especially not at the present time".

On this point, Domingo openly accused Major Josep Lluis Trapero of the Mossos, complaining that he has recently adopted "a role that isn't his. He has overstepped his role of communicating police actions to entering fully into the political face-off, he argued. SCC believes that the "political responsibility" after the jihadist attacks lies with Interior Minister Joaquim Forn and the General Director of the Mossos, Pere Soler. Up to now, said Domingo, "they have got it wrong: one due to excess and for lying in public, and the other for his absence, for not saying anything".

Considering everything, he called for Forn and Soler, together with Catalan president Carles Puigdemont, to appear before Parliament to give explanations on the management of the response to the attacks. "The next full session should not become the referendum session, but rather the one in which Catalan leaders thoroughly address the terrorist attack. The priority is this and nothing else", concluded the vice-president of the unionist group. He also asked that the bills on the referendum and legal transition be withdrawn, "given the current painful times being experienced in Catalonia".
David Haughton has the ability of fusing the simplicity of surroundings with architectural brilliance.

For hospitality interior design firm Hirsch Bedner Associates (HBA) principal, David Haughton, the earliest memories of a beautifully designed place stem from his backpacking trips across different continents. When visiting Gaudis Sagrada Familia and Guell Park in Barcelona, and the Taj Mahal as a backpacker in 1987, I witnessed the beauty that these architectural wonders are, he recalls. These simple inspirations find way in his works. HBA boasts of designing a wide selection of resort spaces from Four Seasons Seychelles, Park Hyatt Maldives, Jumeirah Maldives and Eagle Island Botswana. With works under construction for their new project on Anzara Nusa Lembongan, Intercontinental Hotel and New World Grand Bali Resort (all in Bali), David gives an insight into what goes into building these architectural structures.

A deck at Kanhura Maldives

David is a firm believer of organic designs. According to him, design should follow a certain module that makes it unanimous with the human body  that it should all feel like one element. Nature forms my inspiration, since it presents our connection with humanity, he states. The architect also believes that design in itself is an extremely personal and subjective journey. We continue to evolve ideas through found objects, models, drawings, painting and photography. These are improvisational tools in which we question our existence in the world through visual language and knowledge.

David likes to combine various methods of approach to design a space. He says, We usually begin our storytelling with collages of images related to the indigenous people and ways of life for each region, then follow through with planning and sketches. Im a very hands-on designer, so I encourage my team to build models for major focal points. Having resided in Bali for over 20 years now, David explains how he takes inspiration from the local environs of the place. All these years have given me the chance to explore the history and spiritual beliefs of this place, he says, adding that the Balinese prioritise their spiritual relationship with their temple architecture.

The Europe Hotel & Resort in Ireland

He begins with explaining the idea behind some of their most popular projects. We begin with examining the local space for each property  the elements that make up the surroundings of the property. Then work on a concept that will fit the region best, he says. Of course, client goals and expectations are priority, but not before the needs of the guests, he adds. With a couple of projects lined up in the pipeline, David is most excited for his first luxury sailing Phinisi project. The Phinisi project is a 125 feet traditional live-on-board yacht project and will be the beginning into further Maritime design specialty, he says, adding that he hopes to provide patrons with a fusion of marine architecture and interiors.
Nestled among the Alps, the Dolomites in Italy are known as the Pale Mountains.

When I last visited Italy, the locals got me hooked on a television show Un passo dal cielo featuring Terence Hill, who is a big star in the Italian television and film industry. The show, which was shot in the Dolomites, featured a beautiful natural lake as the backdrop. Called Lago di Braies, one look at this natural beauty and I knew right then that I had to visit the place  it looked too good to be true. And so, before I finally set off on my next trip to Europe, I decided to do a little research and load up on all the information on my destination that the Internet had to offer. Luckily for me, my plans of visiting Slovenia and Croatia didnt change much because a little detour offered the best of both worlds. Being more of a spontaneous traveller, I usually decide to rent a car and drive to spots since it gives me the flexibility to alter my plans if need be. Its a detour I wont regret for a lifetime. Lago di Braies happened to be one of the most beautiful lakes I ever laid my eyes on.





This trip to the northern region of Italy far away from the usual Tuscan sun, the Roman architecture and sprawling piazzas was beyond beautiful. I drove through Bolzano in the South Tyrol region, which was once a part of Austria and became a part of Italy after WWI. The people in this region live like Italians but their ideals and habits are quite German in nature. In fact, even the food is an amalgamation of both cultures, thus creating an interesting eco system in this region. I only had time to stop by for a quick lunch before heading to the lake, which is tucked at the base of the Dolomites, and is surrounded by alpine forests. Bolzano, the city in the heart of the Alps, houses a perky ambience. The drive through, to get to the Dolomites, was just amazing  with rolling green hills, small towns with pretty little houses, lots of flowers, cobblestone streets, locals strolling about their small towns and cyclists struggling to bike up the steep winding roads.





The Dolomites form a part of the southern limestone Alps. The mountain range has some extreme peaks close to 3,000 metres in height surrounding the lake on three sides. Stepping through the entrance to the lake was the most breathtaking view ever. With multiple signages pointing in every direction for trails and hikes, the Dolomites are a playground for hikers with well mapped out routes and directions. The lake was calm with a shade of aqua green, turquoise changing shades throughout the day with the setting and rising sun. I reached the lake pretty late in the day due to a sudden hailstorm that hit the region. However, when I got there, I knew that I wasnt going to leave the lake anytime soon. I decided to stay in the vicinity for an extra day to soak in what this place had to offer. I noticed only one hotel at the lake, which was once an alpine fortress holding prisoners of war back in the day.





I managed to get a room for the night facing the lake and its hard to express in words how calming it was to just sit and watch the beauty around me. The next day was bright and sunny, so I took a long walk around the lake, did a quick four-hour hike up the closest dolomite peak and paddled around the lake for an hour constantly finding new spots for photographs. In winter and summer this jewel is the starting point for hikes, ski tours, snowshoe hikes and walks. During winter the lake is frozen and one can even take a walk on it. This place is only known to the locals and is slowly gaining visibility on the tourist radar, so I totally recommend going here while its still pristine, quiet and beautiful without the crowd.

The writer is a photographer and loves to travel

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Rawal has collaborated with Salman for films like Ready, Baghban, Har Dil Jo Pyaar Karega, and many more.

Mumbai: Paresh Rawal says Salman Khan has his own charm and style of acting and feels the superstar has become more calm today.

The veteran actor, who has collaborated with Salman for films like Ready", "Baghban", "Har Dil Jo Pyaar Karega", "Dhulan Hum Le Jayenge", and "Andaz Apna Apna", will be next seen with him in Ali Abbas Zafar's "Tiger Zinda Hai".

"Every actor has his own charm including Salman, everyone is good in their own way. I have worked with him in couple of films. He is easy to work with, understands things and is always helpful. Today I think he has become more calm," Rawal told PTI on Salman's acting style.

The Yash Raj Film's "Tiger" franchise centers around a fictional character of an Indian spy (RAW), code named Tiger (Salman), who falls in love with a Pakistani spy (ISI), played by Katrina Kaif.

Of their all films together, the 1994 cult "Andaz Apna Apna" stands out. In the film, Rawal essayed the double role of Teja and Ram Gopal Bajaj.

While there is a buzz of the sequel being planned, Rawal says he hasn't been approached for such a project yet.

"No one has come to me yet for the sequel. It's a good film, the premise is good... it was ahead of its time.

Director Rajkumar Santoshi did a fantastic job. The sequel should be made provided the story is good," he says.

Recalling the shooting experience for the comic caper, he says there were financial and date issues while filming, but the overall experience was great.

"During the climax shoot there was problem as half shoot was done here (in one place), half there (in another place).

There were date issues so we had to shoot it differently. And people were not paid on time. That time the working style, work ethics were different including finance.

"We all had great fun doing the film and had never imagined the film will turn out to be a cult. Even during 'Hera Pheri' we had not thought we are making a great film our job was to do the film and move on."

The 67-year-old actor reveals that work on the third part of hit "Hera Pheri" series had begun, but is currently stalled after director Neeraj Vora fell ill.

His other super-hit film "Oh My God", released in 2012, will see a sequel and work on the script was on.

"We are planning a sequel... the work is going on the script. It will all depend on the script whether Akshay Kumar and I will team for it or not," he says.

Currently, Rawal is busy promoting his upcoming film "Patel Ki Punjabi Shaadi" also starring Rishi Kapoor, Vir Das, Payal Ghosh and Prem Chopra.

It is slated to release on September 15.
First it was at Shankar Mahadevans studio, and then again at SRKs residence, Mannat.

Sources close to Bollywood star Shah Rukh Khan have refuted rumours that he is in talks with Kabir Khan for a movie co-starring Amitabh Bachchan. Tongues started wagging when the actor was spotted twice with the Tubelight director in the past week. First it was at Shankar Mahadevans studio, and then again at SRKs residence, Mannat.

Were told that theyre not in talks for a different movie, but regarding a series of films for Dubai Tourism called Be My Guest. SRK has already shot two films with Kabir . The first one was in 2016, and the second one was shot earlier in May this year. The first movie was a thundering success, as it not just crossed 80 million views worldwide, but also managed to win awards at Berlin and Latvia, says a source close to SRK. The actor was also seen doing a tourism video for West Bengal earlier this year.

SRK and Kabir go back a long way, as far as their college days, in fact. The formers character in Chak De India too was named after Kabir. Shah Rukh also went on to do a cameo in Kabirs Tubelight. Could a movie eventually be in the offing with this chemistry? Lets wait and watch!

 Sanskriti Media
As opposed to the bubbly roles the actress is used to playing, Diana is set to play a more serious role.

She may be just two films old, but Diana Penty has made a mark in the industry. Her next film, Lucknow Central, is based on real life incidents in Lucknow Jail.

As opposed to the bubbly roles the actress is used to playing, Diana is set to play a more serious role. Giving an insight into what her character in the film is like, she says, I represent an NGO and impart training like sewing, carpentry, knitting and other professional training to qaidis in jail.

Diana says that her character is very similar to what she is as a person. In both reel and real life, I am a headstrong girl, who is determined to achieve her goals. No one can bully her (the character), she says, adding that it is quite unlike the previous roles.

The actress, who believes in going slow and steady, opens up about going on a long break. I was an outsider. After Cocktail became successful, I was suddenly in the limelight, she says. Another reason why she decided to go on a break was the unavailability of the roles she wanted to work on. In Cocktail, I was playing the role of Meera, who is a subtle, quiet character. After that, I wasnt offered the kind of roles I wanted to do, the roles I believed in, she says, explaining that this is what took her second film Happy Bhaag Jayegi this long.

The actress also talks about her next film, Parmanu, which is based on a true tale. The story is about the history of nuclear test and is solely based on facts, she says. Starring opposite John Abraham, Diana says that she is quite comfortable around him on the sets because the actor is so down to earth. Lucknow Central is set to release on September 15 and stars Farhan Akhtar opposite Diana.
Prime Minister Modi reached China to attend Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa (BRICS) summit.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi being welcomed on his arrival at Gaoqi International Airport in Xiamen, China on Sunday to attend the 9th BRICS Summit 2017. (Photo: PTI)

New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday met Indian diaspora at Wyndham Hotel in Xiamen.

"We are really excited to meet him. He is a PM who made India popular in the whole world. We are proud that we have a Prime Minister like him," said an Indian man.

"We are really happy that we meet him. It is like a life-time achievement for us," said another delighted Indian woman.

Prime Minister Modi reached China to attend Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa (BRICS) summit.

The ninth BRICS summit is set to start in Xiamen under China's Chairmanship.

The prime minister had earlier said he was looking forward to productive discussions and positive outcomes during the multilateral forum.

In a Facebook post, the prime minister said, "India had the privilege of hosting the previous Summit in Goa in October last year. I look forward to building upon the results and outcomes of the Goa Summit. I also look forward to productive discussions and positive outcomes that will support the agenda of a stronger BRICS partnership under the chairmanship of China."

The prime minister further stated that he will also interact with the BRICS Business Council represented by captains of industry from all five countries (Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa).

"In addition, I look forward to engaging with leaders of nine other countries, including BRICS partners, in an Emerging Markets and Developing Countries Dialogue, hosted by President Xi Jinping on 5 September," the prime minister's post said.

He further said he would also meet leaders bilaterally on the sidelines of the summit.

Highlighting the significance of BRICS, the Prime Minister said it has important contributions in addressing global challenges and upholding world peace and security.

"India attaches high importance to the role of BRICS that has begun a second decade of its partnership for progress and peace," he added.

It's also reported that the prime minister will also raise the issue of terrorism, during the summit, and how it affects the BRICS nations.
Incidentally, 25 CRPF jawans were massacred by Naxals in Burkhapal in south Bastar district of Sukma on April 24 this year.

Two dozen women commands of Chhattisgarh police camped in the village of Tindori, a Naxal stronghold, in the district for a week to provide security to the construction workers to build a bridge and a road in the area.

Bhopal: A remote Naxal-infested village in Chhattisgarhs south Bastar district of Bijapur was on Saturday connected to the local block headquarters, thanks to valiancy of women commandos of the state police.

Two dozen women commands of Chhattisgarh police camped in the village of Tindori, a Naxal stronghold, in the district for a week to provide security to the construction workers to build a bridge and a road in the area.

The village is located in the area which is declared by Maoists as their liberated zone. The bridge and the road in the village were blown up by the Naxals in 2006 denying the local population to have easy access to the block headquarters at Bhairamgarh to avail basic facilities like health and education. The construction of the bridge and the road in the village has been completed following security provided to the workers by the women commandos of the Bijapur police, reconnecting the village to the local block headquarters after 11 years, a senior police officer posted in Bastar told this newspaper on phone. Bastar IG Vivek Sinha and DIG P Sunderrajan were among senior police officers who visited the village to commend the bravery of the women commandos.

Incidentally, 25 CRPF jawans were massacred by Naxals in Burkhapal in south Bastar district of Sukma on April 24 this year while providing security to construction workers.
Mr Rupani claimed that the split in the Congres will also help BJP make a good comeback in the state.

Gandhinagar: Gujarat chief minister Vijay Rupani on Saturday said more and more Muslim will vote for BJP in the coming assembly election.

Talking to this newspaper, Mr Rupani said that in the past, Muslims had voted for the BJP believing in former chief minister Narendra Modis policies of inclusive developmet (sabka sath sabka vikas).

Prime Minister Narendra Bhai always talked about 6.5 crore Gujarati, which also includes Muslims and other communities. And the Modi governments and BJPs stand on Triple Talaq will also benefit the party, added Mr Rupani. Denying any effect of Aam Aadmi Party, or third front on the BJP, Mr Rupani said that the people of Gujarat has never accepted the Third Front in the state and in Gujarat, it is only the BJP and the Congress who are sought to be main competitors.

Mr Rupani said that the BJP would get over 150 seats. When Modiji was the chief minisrter, he got 122 seats in the last Assembly elections. And this time, we are hopeful that we would get over 150 seats in the assembly elections, he said. Mr Rupani claimed that the split in the Congres will also help BJP make a good comeback in the state.

The split in Congress will help us. And I personaly feel that the split has broken Congress in the state. The spilt was allowed only to secure another Rajya Sabha term for Ahmed Patel. 13 Congress MLAs joined the BJP. Only Shankar Bhai (Shankersinh Vaghela) hasnt joined the BJP, said the Gujarat chief minister.
A CBI court last week sentenced the self-styled godman to 20 years in prison, 10 years each for two rape cases.

New Delhi: The Centre has directed the Airports Authority of India (AAI) to remove the name of Dera Sacha Sauda chief Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh, who is serving a jail term for rape, from the list of dignitaries allowed access to VIP lounges at airports. A CBI court last week sentenced the self-styled godman to 20 years in prison, 10 years each for two rape cases.

It has now been decided to withdraw the permission for use of reserve lounge at airports granted to Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh, chief of Dera Sacha Sauda, Sirsa, with immediate effect, said a letter dated September 1 from the civil aviation ministry to the chairman of the AAI. Permission to access reserve lounges at airports comes under the purview of the the ministry.

However, it could not be immediately be ascertained when Ram Rahim Singh was given this perk. Meanwhile, the Indian Films and TV Directors Association (IFTDA) has terminated the membership of Ram Rahim Singh, saying it had no place for goons, rapists and killers. We strongly felt that after Ram Rahim was convicted... he has no place in our dignified organisation, IFTDA convener Ashoke Pandit said.

We stand by the emotions of victims and the judiciary, and hence, terminated his membership. He will not be allowed to work in our industry, he said. The Dera chiefs adopted daughter Honeypreet, who has also worked in his films, has also been removed from the association. The rockstar baba has made five films, all of which feature him in the lead role.
Stressing that it was a big responsibility, Sitharaman said she was 'very grateful for the confidence the PM has in her.

Sitharaman also credited her elevation to a cabinet rank minister to 'cosmic grace' and support from party leadership. (Photo: PTI)

New Delhi: Nirmala Sitharaman, who landed the crucial defence portfolio in a major rejig of the Modi government, on Sunday said she was overwhelmed and humbled and will serve the country with something she was constantly thinking about.

Sitharaman, who became the first full-time woman Defence Minister of the country, also credited her elevation to a cabinet rank minister to cosmic grace and support from party leadership.

Moreover, she is the second woman to take charge of the crucial ministry as Indira Gandhi, as the prime minister, had also held the portfolio in the seventies.

I am just overwhelmed and humbled. I can serve the country with something which is constantly on the top of my mind, she said.

Stressing that it was a big responsibility, Sitharaman said she was very grateful for the confidence the Prime Minister has in her.

Asked whether dealing with Pakistan in view of terrorism will be her priority, she said I have not even taken charge. I dont think it is appropriate to comment on it now...give me some time.

To a query whether her elevation showed Prime Minister Narendra Modis commitment towards women empowerment, she said the Prime Minister has always been in favour.

I know his working style since the time he was in Gujarat ... He always believed in giving women their due share. His belief is that women can also perform, she said.

Sitharaman was among the four junior ministers, who were given cabinet berths at the reshuffle on Sunday. Sitharaman was earlier the Minister of State (Independent Charge) Commerce.

Somebody who has come from a small town, grown into the party with all the support of the leadership, and if given such responsibility, it just makes you feel sometimes that cosmic grace is there. Otherwise, it is impossible, she told reporters in Delhi soon after taking oath.

To a query on the opposition criticism of her working as the commerce minister, the BJP leader said she was neither averse, nor frightened by criticism.

Every criticism is a message and we have to learn from it. I am not averse to criticism and also not frightened of it, but certainly take messages from them.

Criticism per se do not reflect on performance. It only adds to your performance if you are ready to take on-board the corrections that may be workable, she said.

Sitharaman was also quick to highlight a number of initiatives by the commerce ministry like Start up India and Make in India.

With the support of the prime minister, so many things have happened in the ministry like Start up India, Make in India etc. There is some misconception about Make in India, but it will be answered, she said.
The CPI(M) general secretary, who was denied a third term in Rajya Sabha, also drew parallels between the ill-fated ship Titanic and the Modi Cabinet.

New Delhi: Ahead of the Union Cabinets expansion, CPI(M) general secretary Sitaram Yechury on Saturday took potshots on social media at some existing ministers, including railways minister Suresh Prabhu and rural development minister Thavar Chand Gehlot, for blindly tweeting identical messages hailing demonetisations and said irrespective of reshuffles in the Cabinet, everything is dictated by the central command  a reference to Prime Minister Narendra Modi and BJP chief Amit Shah.

Mr Yechury posted on social media pictures of five ministers, including Mr Prabhu and Mr Gehlot, and BJP Member of Parliament Om Birla who had tweeted identical messages claiming that the note ban had reduced the flow of black money into the system.

The six identical tweets said: Demonetisation achieved its objective of making India a less cash economy reducing black money flow in the system. Mr Yechury said that the identical tweets showed that everything in the government is dictated by the central command  a reference to Prime Minister Narendra Modi and BJP chief Amit Shah.

The CPI(M) general secretary, who was denied a third term in Rajya Sabha, also drew parallels between the ill-fated ship Titanic and the Modi Cabinet. The Talk of reshuffle in the Cabinet is akin to shifting chairs on the decks of the Titanic, tweeted Mr Yechuruy.
The State will also extend one-time assistance in a lifetime to senior citizens to visit a pilgrimage outside the state.

Bhopal (MP): Madhya Pradhesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan on Sunday said that those who abandon their parents would now be punished under law.

"It is not the tradition of our country to leave their parents at old-age homes, but is to serve their parents until the last breath of your life," the Chief Minister said, while addressing a gathering here, on the occasion of completion of five years of 'Mukhyamantri Teerth Darshan Yojna 2017.'

Talking about 'Mukhyamantri Teerth Darshan Yojna 2017', Chouhan said, "When I started this scheme five years ago, people mocked at me saying pilgrimage is not the government's job. But I say that it is government's job to provide the pilgrimage service to the elderly."

Under the scheme, the Madhya Pradesh State Government will extend one-time assistance in a lifetime to senior citizens above 60 years of age to visit a prescribed pilgrimage outside the state.

"We will also take all possible measures to ease the pilgrimage further and in the same process the government has decided to bear the expenses of and allow a younger person with the elderly under the scheme," Chouhan said.

He also added that the number of trains will be increased for the same.

Chouhan further announced a kit of essentials for the pilgrims, a pamphlet giving details of the pilgrimage, and added few other pilgrims places in the already existing ones.
Watali in connection with a case pertaining to terror funding and separatist activities in Jammu & Kashmir.

On Id-ul-Zuha (Bakrid), September 2, 2017, Lt. Gen. Devraj Anbu GoC-in-C, Northern Command, began his day by tweeting greetings to the awam (general public) and Army personnel but Pakistani Army/Inter Services Intelligence (ISI)/Kashmiri separatists - read traitors  ruined the festival yet again with a most un-Islamic Id ka tofaa (Id gift) to Kashmiris by renewal of stone-pelting in Srinagar, Anantnag, Kulgam and Sopore.

Some days ago, an Army Goodwill School was renamed Shaheed Lt. Umer Fayaz. Goodwill School to honour the young Army officer who was abducted and shot dead by militants in Shopian district in May this year, where he had gone to attend the wedding ceremony of a relative.

Few days later, Lt. Gen. J.S. Sandhu, GoC 15 Corps, said, Persons involved in killing of Lt. Fayaz have been identified and we are on their trail. On 01 September, receiving specific inputs, a joint team of Kulgam police and 62 Rashtriya Rifles laid an ambush to trap a group of terrorists at in Tantray Pora village of Kulgam district. Responding to the heavy hail of fire from this group trying to escape, a Kashmiri terrorist identified as Ishfaq Ahmad Padder, the killer of Lt. Umer Fayaz, was killed.

Having joined the Lashkar-e-Tayyaba (LeT) earlier, Padder was also involved in robberies of J&K Bank and Ellaquai Dehati Bank at Kader.

On 28 August, 2017, Abdul Rashid, assistant sub-inspector of Jammu & Kashmir police was killed by terrorists in Anantnag district.

Your tears have shaken many hearts... Every drop of your tears sears our heart, said deputy inspector general of police (DIG), south Kashmir, S.P. Pani, for Zohra, Mr Rashids inconsolable five-year-old daughter.

Pani said many police families have suffered and undergone irreparable trauma defending the common good of the society and also questioned the silence of the separatists and their intellectual cronies over the killing.

Hizbul Mujahideen (HM) boss Syed Salahuddin has named Mohammad Bin Qasim as its new commander in Kashmir following the recent killing of Yasin Itoo, whose loss has dealt a big blow to HM at a time when its former leader Zakir Musa has announced a breakaway group, Ansar Ghazwat-ul- Hind, an Al Qaeda affiliate in Kashmir.

While police sources reportedly said that they had not heard of anyone named Mohammad Bin Qasim in the current lot of HM terrorists, there is speculation that it could well be Riyaz Naikoo, 27, an active HM divisional commander in south Kashmir, a resident of Awantipora, Pulwama district, who joined the outfit in 2012.

Till July 2017, 121 Pakistani/ Pakistan Army-supported Kashmiri terrorists have been killed by the Indian Army/security forces - 51 on the Line of Control (LoC) and 70 in the hinterland. A comparison of ceasefire violations, infiltration bids and casualties in 2016 and 2017, all till end of July, is relevant. There were 248 violations in 2016 and 368 in 2017. In both years till July, 20 terrorists each were eliminated. A total of 40 infiltration attempts were foiled by the Army in 2016 and 19 in 2017. Terrorists killed during infiltration attempts were 55 in 2016 and 54 in 2017.

Personnel of Army and central armed police forces (CAPF) martyred in 2016 were 61 and 35, whereas in 2017, there have been 40 and 18. About 1,00,000 Army and CAPF personnel were deployed for vigil over the Amarnath yatra for almost 3,00,000 pilgrims, which can be considered to have been successfully conducted. The dastardly terrorist attack on a bus on July 11, 2017, killing seven Gujarati women and children and injuring 19 others, succeeded only because that bus did not join the protected convoy.

Despite the desperation of Pakistan Army/Inter Services Intelligence (ISI), the successes of Indian Army and other security forces have come about mainly through reliable and timely human intelligence. The same populace subjected to radicalisation appear to be disgusted and have been readily sharing information of the whereabouts of terrorists. At long last, New Delhi began tightening the screws on the Valleys traitors. On August 17, the National Investigation Agency (NIA), arrested Zahoor Ahmad Shah

Watali in connection with a case pertaining to terror funding and separatist activities in Jammu & Kashmir. His arrest followed searches conducted by the NIA on August 16, 2017, at multiple locations in Srinagar, Handwara, Kupwara and Baramulla, belonging to his relatives and employees. The searches unearthed highly incriminating material pertaining to receipt of funds by Mr Watali from foreign sources and its further distribution to the terrorists and separatists in Kashmir valley for anti-India activities.

Earlier, on June 3, 2017, the NIA had searched Mr Watalis house in Srinagar and seized incriminating documents pertaining to several financial transactions and land deals. The property documents seized have shown huge amount of cash transactions in sale and purchase. Mr Watali is suspected of acting as a conduit for illegally remitting funds to the secessionists, terrorists and stone-pelters.

On July 24, 2017, Altaf Ahmed Shah, the son-in- law of hardline separatist leader Syed Ali Shah Geelani, was arrested along with six more separatists by the NIA in connection with its probe into the funding of terror and subversive activities in the Kashmir valley.

Mr Shah, popularly known as Altaf Fantoosh and perceived as an influential force in the Tehrek-e- Hurriyat (TeH), was in the custody of police, who had put him in preventive detention immediately after Id.

Also nabbed were Mr Geelanis close aides, (TeH) spokesman Ayaz Akbar and Peer Saifullah, and Shahid-ul- Islam, spokesman of the moderate Hurriyat Conference led by Mirwaiz Umer Farooq. The others who were arrested included Mehrajuddin Kalwal and Farooq Ahmed Dar alias Bitta Karate. The houses of those arrested had been raided by NIA, which had recovered account books, Rs 2 crore in cash and letterheads of banned terror groups, including LeT and HM. On August 26, 2017, the NIA had summoned Jammu &Kashmir Liberation Front (JKLF) leader Noor Muhammad Kalwal, a close aide of JKLF chief Yaseen Malik who was one of the five militants released after the abduction of then union home minister Mufti Mohammad Sayeeds daughter in 1989.

On August 28, 2017, the NIA questioned Naeem and Naseem Geelani, sons of Mr Geelani, for seven hours as part of its ongoing probe into terror funding by Pakistan-based terrorist groups to stoke unrest in the Kashmir valley.

This was the second time in a fortnight that the NIA grilled Mr Geelanis sons. Mr Naeem, a doctor, is seen as Mr Geelanis natural heir while Mr Naseem, the younger son, works at an agricultural university in Srinagar. Beside Mr Geelanis sons, Ghulam Nabi Bhatt, a separatist leader, was also questioned.

The NIA investigation also seeks to identify the network of those financing terrorist activities, including those who mastermind stone-pelting at security forces, burning down of schools and damaging government establishments.

For the first time since the rise of terrorism in Kashmir in the early 1990s, a Central probe agency carried out raids to detect the funding of separatists. The NIA alleges that they have been receiving money from terrorist leaders in Pakistan, including Hafiz Saeed who heads the banned LeT and Jamaat-ud- Dawa. Terrorism in the Kashmir valley can only be curbed completely by nabbing all the separatists, neutralising their network and keeping them away from the region.

The writer, a retired Army officer, is a defence and security analyst based in New Delhi.
Since 1977, more than 25,000 children have died due to the disease in UP.

Chief minister Yogi Adityanath, who is also the MP from Gorakhpur, has been raising the issue in Lok Sabha since 1998 but the situation doesn't seem to have changed much. He even demanded that the disease should be categorised as an epidemic. Ever since he took over as the CM, he has been regularly visiting the BRDMC and keeping in touch with the doctors.

Lucknow: The tragic deaths of more than 60 children in Gorakhpur this month is a painful reminder of Uttar Pradeshs (UP) unsuccessful battle against deadly encephalitis that has killed more than 25,000 children since the disease was first reported in the state in 1977.

Almost four decades later, encephalitis still remains the states biggest child killer  with or without oxygen. Hundreds of children lose their lives to the deadly virus every year.

According to official records, more than 25,000 children have died due to encephalitis in the past four decades. The figures could be higher since a large number of cases do not even reach the hospitals and go unrecorded.

The alarm bells, however, began ringing in 2005 when 1,344 of children died in Uttar Pradesh.

In 2007, a vaccination programme was launched with drugs imported from China but it failed. The drive had no impact because the cold chain of the vaccine was broken at several places rendering it ineffective, according to medical experts.

BRD Medical College hospital in Gorakhpur, where over five dozen children have died this month due to the disease, is the only hospital in a 300 sq km region with facilities to treat encephalitis and similar infectious diseases.

The encephalitis virus affects children mainly in eastern UP, parts of Bihar and Nepal and patients from all these places converge on the BRD Medical College (BRDMC) that is the biggest medical facility in the region.

Gorakhpur has been the main treatment centre of Japanese encephalitis (JE) and acute encephalitis syndrome (AES) in the region.

Both kinds of encephalitis are viral infections that hit a patient's brain, lead to coma and cause death. At times, survivors are left with serious disabilities - mental and physical.

Both JE and AES are caused by mosquito bites of Culex vishnui and Culex tritaeniorhynchus. Filth is home to these species of mosquitoes and the monsoon season proves to be ideal breeding season.

In April this year, much before the onset of monsoon, the Yogi Adityanath government had declared 20 districts of eastern UP as encephalitis sensitive.

Ironically, this year, encephalitis struck earlier than expected and we had 128 patients in BRD Medical College in April itself. The state government had planned a massive immunization drive and even a training programme for doctors at the primary health centre level, said a doctor in college who did not wish to be named.

The doctor said that the main problem with encephalitis patients is that they come to a government medical centre when it is already too late.

When the first symptoms appear, the children are treated by local doctors, even quacks, Since the initial symptoms are like that of flu-mild fever, pain in muscles and fatigue  the parents do not take it seriously. It is only when the child reaches a stage where he or she is likely to slip into coma that the patient is brought to BRDMC, he said. Since a majority of the patients belong to low income groups, they also face nutritional problems and have low immunity levels which reduces chances of recovery, the doctor explained.

Around 70 per cent of the children who die due to encephalitis are malnourished. As per Fourth National Family Health survey, 35 per cent children in this region were underweight, he said.

It is common for the BRD hospital to report about 10 deaths every day due toencephalitis in the monsoon season when the virus is most active. Even the parents of the afflicted children are aware that chances of recovery remain slim due to the advanced stage of the disease.

Eastern UP is marked by backwardness and illiteracy. People are not aware of the importance of hygiene and this makes children more susceptible to virus attacks. We have patients coming from Gonda, Kushinagar, Deoria, Maharajganj, Basti, Terai regions, Nepal and adjoining districts of Bihar such as Buxar and Siwan.

These are the districts where cleanliness and sanitation have been a major problem. In fact, in the Swachh Bharat Survey 2017, Gonda was declared the dirtiest district, said Dr G.K. Shahi, a private medical practitioner in Gorakhpur. Dr Shahi said the large number of patients cant opt for private nursing homes due to high cost of treatment and land at the BRD hospital.

Chief minister Yogi Adityanath, who is also the MP from Gorakhpur, has been raising the issue in Lok Sabha since 1998 but the situation doesn't seem to have changed much. He even demanded that the disease should be categorised as an epidemic. Ever since he took over as the CM, he has been regularly visiting the BRDMC and keeping in touch with the doctors.

Milind Gore, a scientist from the National Institute of Virology, Pune, has said vast lands in the region remain waterlogged and there is also open defecation, which encourages breeding of killer mosquitoes. Ex-BRDMC principal Dr K.P. Kushwaha spoke of the need for encephalitis management centres and volunteers at the village level to create awareness.
The number of deaths stood at 5,850 in 2014, 6,917 in 2015 and 6,121 in 2016, the department data said.

The data showed the average daily deaths translating to 16 in 2014, 19 in 2015 and 17 in 2016 as against 5.3 a day before August this year.

Lucknow: Data on deaths of children compiled by the Uttar Pradesh government show a sharp drop in casualty figures in the BRD Medical College in Gorakhpur this year compared to those in the last three years. According to the data compiled by the UP health department, made available to PTI, 1,317 children had died in the state-run facility so far this year.

The number of deaths stood at 5,850 in 2014, 6,917 in 2015 and 6,121 in 2016, the department data said. The data showed the average daily deaths translating to 16 in 2014, 19 in 2015 and 17 in 2016 as against 5.3 a day before August this year.

This (death figure) is much lower than that in the previous years, health minister Sidharth Nath Singh said. Congress spokesperson Ashok Singh had charged the Uttar Pradesh government with failing to check the deaths in the BRD medical college.

The toll is alarmingly high and the government has failed to check the casualties, he had said. Countering him, the health minister said good work was being done by the Yogi Adityanath government in the state.

The reason (for the fall in death figures) is the good work done in the last five months. We have strengthened encephalitis treatment centres and taken various effective measures to check the dreaded disease so that more patients are treated at community health centre levels and do not just rush to the BRD medical college, Mr Singh said.

According to BRD medical college records, 152 children died in January this year, 122 in February, 159 in March, 123 in April, 139 in May, 137 in June, 128 in July and 325 in August.

Taking into account 32 deaths in the first two days of September, the total came to 1,317. A total of 51,018 children were admitted to the hospital in 2014, 61,295 in 2015 and 60,891 in 2016, according to the data put together by the department and its partner, PATH Foundation, a nonprofit organisation. There were no admission figures for this year.

Health department sources said till August 31, admissions in district hospitals and encephalitis treatment centres had gone up to 62 per cent as compared to BRD hospital.

We have to bring this up to at least 80 per cent. We are on the right path, said an official. Because of seasonal illnesses, August usually saw a rise in the number of children being admitted to the medical college which caters to Gorakhpur and adjoining districts in Uttar Pradesh, with patients also coming from neighbouring Bihar and Nepal.

During 2017, larvicidal spraying and fogging were undertaken in 529 villages in seven endemic districts of Gorakhpur and Basti division where community meetings and awareness programmes for health workers are being carried out, Mr Singh said while explaining the drop in the casualty figure this year.
Clamour, public outrage in Tamil Nadu 1,450 people arrested in state.

Police detains members of the Radical Students Youth Front (RSYF) during a protest over the suicide of a 17-year-old girl who had moved the Supreme Court against Neet-based medical examinations, in Chennai on Saturday. (Photo: PTI)

Chennai: The suicide of Ariyalur student Anitha has triggered massive public outrage in the state with groups of students, Tamil nationalist movements, Leftist groups and Dalit activists taking to the streets with protest demonstrations, road blockades and burning of Prime Minister Narendra Modis effigies.

A total of 1,450 persons were arrested throughout the state, according to the police. Besides, about 3,000 protesters were let off after detention for a few hours. In Chennai city, protests were held at 17 places resulting in the arrest of 735 persons including 100 women.

As Anithas death gave new life to the anti-Neet agitations, which turned into vociferous protests against the central and state governments, BJP offices throughout the state came under heavy security blanket, in a clear indication of the strong resentment against the saffron party, which is accused of forcing Neet on Tamil Nadu.

Tamil Nadu appears to be heading towards another round of protests and political activities on Neet since the mainstream parties declared that they would decide on the kind of coordinated protests to scrap Neet.

Viduthalai Chiruthaigal Katchi leader Thol. Thirumavalavan said parties including DMK, Congress, Left, VCK and other outfits said they would chalk out plans for the protest to demand that education should be removed from the concurrent list and placed in the state list alone.

All the major avenues where students and youth gathered for the jallikattu protests including Marina beach, VOC ground in Coimbatore and similar places in all the districts are heavily guarded by police to prevent similar protests against Neet.

Hundreds of policemen had been deployed at the Marina beach following appeals in the social media to gather at the beach. Policemen had been deployed before the Secretariat, Directorate of Medical Education, MGR medical university, besides central and state government offices.

In Chennai, CPM state secretary G.Ramakrishnan led a road blockade at Anna road. The protesters shouted slogans against Modi ,Chief Minister Edappadi K. Palaniswami and Union Minister Nirmala Seetharaman.

Naam Thamizhar movement leader P. Seeman held protests in Nungambakkam demanding justice for Anithas death. Talking to the media, he questioned the need for NEET and asked Before NEET was introduced, the country had produced thousands of doctors. Are all them are unqualified to be doctors?.Dravidar Viduthalai Kazhagam cadre who tried to march towards Kamalalayam, the BJP headquarters in the city were stopped and arrested by police.

In Coimbatore, VCK cadres were arrested when they tried to enter the railway station, while police had to resort to mild lathi charge when Thanthai Periyar Dravidar Kazhagam activities blocked roads in the city. Candle light processions were taken out for Anitha at Tirunelveli and police barricaded the Palayamkottai VOC ground to thwart attempts of protesters to gather for the protests.
The rejig in the Union Cabinet is the third since 2014 after Narendra Modi took oath as the Prime Minister.

President Ram Nath Kovind, Vice President M Venkaiah Naidu, Prime Minister Narendra Modi poses with new members of cabinet after the reshuffle at Rashtrapati Bhavan in New Delhi. (Photo: PTI)

New Delhi: Four Union ministers were promoted to Cabinet rank and nine new ministers were sworn in by President Ram Nath Kovind on Sunday.

All of the nine ministers are members of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).

The rejig in the Union Cabinet is the third since 2014 after Narendra Modi took oath as the Prime Minister.

Petroleum Minister Dharmendra Pradhan, power minister Piyush Goyal, Minister of State at commerce and industry Nirmala Sitharaman and Minister of State for parliamentary affairs Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi were sworn in and promoted to Cabinet rank.

The promotion of Naqvi, Pradhan, Sitharaman and Goyal, who were all State Ministers with independent charge, is an endorsement of their good performance, reported PTI.

Former Foreign Service officer Hardeep Puri and former IAS officer Alphons Kannanthanam are not members of the Parliament.

The other seven to join Narendra Modi's council of ministers are Uttara Kannada MP Anantkumar Hegde, former home secretary and Arrah MP RK Singh, Jodhpur MP Gajendra Singh, former Mumbai police commissioner and Baghpat MP Satya Pal Singh, Rajya Sabha MP from Uttar Pradesh Shiv Pratap Shukla, Buxar MP Ashwini Chaubey and Tikamgarh MP Virendra Kumar.

"Experience and wisdom of all those who have taken oath today will add immense value to the Council of Ministers," Prime Minister Narendra Modi tweeted after the ceremony ended.

The selection of nine new names for ministership has been done by Prime Minister Narendra Modi keeping in view the 4Ps  passion, proficiency, professional and political acumen, to deliver on his vision of a "new India", reported PTI.

Shiv Sena, BJP's ally in Maharashtra and Janata Dal (United), their ally in Bihar did not partake in the oath taking ceremony which took place at the Rashtrapati Bhavan at 10:30 am on Sunday.

The announcement of portfolios to various ministers is yet to be made.
To formally launch the campaign, the party will hold a road show in Ahmedabad on September 17, Gujarat election in-charge Gopal Rai said.

Ahmedabad: The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) on Sunday said it will contest the upcoming Gujarat Assembly elections, but will field candidates only on seats that meet certain criteria set by its central leadership.

The party's Gujarat election in-charge and Delhi minister, Gopal Rai, told reporters that the decision to contest the elections was taken at a meeting held on Saturday between the AAP's state and central office-bearers.

To formally launch the campaign, the party will hold a road show in Ahmedabad on September 17, Rai said.

"The AAP has decided, after a long discussion, that it will contest the Gujarat Assembly elections. We have framed three criteria and will contest on those seats which meet our criteria," Rai said.

He said the party will contest seats where it can find "competent candidates" who have no charges of corruption or criminal cases, and have upright character.

Elections to the 182-member Assembly in Gujarat, the home state of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, are likely to be held by the year-end.

The Assembly seats selected by the party should have in-charge in each booth. Also, the party members will have to raise money to fund their campaign and spend it as per the norms set by the Election Commission, the minister said.

"Fund raised in a particular seat will be spent on campaigning in that constituency only," Rai said.

"We will focus our energies on only those seats which we can win. For that, we have formed a state-level committee which will oversee election management works," he said, adding it is possible the party may end up fielding candidates on all the 182 seats.

The setback in civic polls in Delhi, where it lost to the BJP, had left a shadow on the AAP's plans to contest elections in Gujarat.

Though the Arvind Kejriwal-led outfit had emerged as the principal opposition in Punjab in the recently held assembly elections, the result had left the party disappointed as its leaders had been hopeful of wresting power in the state after the AAP's 2015 victory in Delhi.

However, it appears that the party has had a rethink after the recent win in Bawana bypoll.

Rai said the party has also appointed a team to oversee election preparedness, he said, adding AAP member Kishor Desai has been appointed its convener.

He said the party wants to provide an alternative to the people of Gujarat who are "tired" of the over two-decade-long rule of the BJP and feel the Congress is not a strong opposition party.

"We want to reach out to the people of Gujarat who understand that the BJP government has not been able to tackle their basic problems."

He said the AAP government in Delhi has created a model to help the common man through a host of initiatives in fields like education and health.

The fledgling outfit wants to place this model before the Gujarat voters, Rai added.
Congress' Tom Vadakkan said that the expectations from the Oppn party will be high because the PM has always seemed to be extraordinary.

New Delhi: Speaking about the BRICS Summit that will start on Sunday in China, the Congress Party has shown high expectations from Prime Minister Narendra Modi, specially after the Doklam standoff between India and China.

Congress leader Tom Vadakkan said that the expectations from the opposition party will be high because the Prime Minister has always portrayed his skills to be "extraordinary," especially in solutions related to complicated problems.

"Therefore the expectations are high and China has warned India not to raise any issues concerning Pakistan. Now will he raise the issues, depends on the Prime Minister, because this is a platform where it could be discussed," Vadakkan said.

Speaking on the same matter Congress MP Sushmita Dev said Prime Minister Modi has been "unsuccessful" in foreign policies.

"From the side of the opposition, there have been all-party meetings, and in these meetings we have said that to save the nation, we won't do politics on this issue. The question that arises is, in Doklam, even the Chinese military moved back and Indian Army moved back, but is this the solution?" she told, while speaking to ANI.

"I would request the PM to bring back the solutions to these problems," she added.

The Prime Minister will visit China's Xiamen to attend the ninth BRICS summit, from September 3 to 5.
The new ministers will be taking oath at 10:30 am on Sunday.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi addresses the inaugural function of the Rajasva Gyan Sangam - Annual Conference of Tax Administrators, in New Delhi. (Photo: AP)

New Delhi: With all eyes set at the cabinet reshuffle on Sunday, nine new faces are expected to be introduced in Prime Minister Narendra Modi's government.

Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MPs - Ashwini Kumar Choubey from Bihar, Shiv Paratap Shukla from Uttar Pradesh, Virendra Kumar from Madhya Pradesh, Anantkumar Hegde, Raj Kumar Singh, Hardeep Singh Puri, Gajendra Singh Shekhawat, Satya Pal Singh, Alphons Kannanthanam will take oath on Sunday.

The new ministers will be taking oath at 10:30 am on Sunday.

Swearing-in ceremony of new ministers of the Union government will take place at 10.30 am on Sunday, September 3, at Rashtrapati Bhavan  President of India (@rashtrapatibhvn) September 2, 2017

File pictures of Union Ministers who have resigned from the NDA government ahead of the cabinet reshuffle. Top row from left, Uma Bharti, Mahendra Nath Pandey and Kalraj Mishra. Bottom left to right, Bandaru Dattatreya, Sanjiv Kumar Balyan and Rajiv Pratap Rudy. (Photo: PTI)

Six ministers have resigned ahead of Sunday's re-shuffle.

The rejig in the Union Cabinet is the third since 2014 after Narendra Modi took oath as the Prime Minister.

After assuming office in May 2014, Modi expanded his council of ministers twice - first on November 9, 2014 and then on July 5, 2016.

Satyapal Singh one of the nine minister to be inducted in Modi government said, "I have not been officially informed, but whatever is party and PM's decision I am ready for it."

The current strength of the council of ministers, including the Prime Minister, is 73 and the maximum number of ministers cannot go beyond 81.

According to a constitutional amendment, the limit cannot exceed beyond 15 per cent of the total strength of the Lok Sabha which is 545.
JD(U) chief and Bihar CM Nitish Kumar had on Saturday said that there had been no communication from the Centre over the Cabinet reshuffle.

New Delhi: As Prime Minister Narendra Modi gave effect to the most hefty Cabinet reshuffle of his term, there were indications from recent ally, the Janata Dal (United), that they might be accommodated in the future as the current rejig was a BJP-only affair. Though speculation was rife till Friday that the JD(U) would be getting at least two ministerial berths, the party did not join the government at the Centre.

JD(U) chief and Bihar chief minister Nitish Kumar had on Saturday said that there had been no communication from the Centre over the Cabinet reshuffle.

There were contradictory views emerging from the party of the reason for Mr Kumar not joining the government at the Centre.

While a section of the party leadership in Delhi maintained that the Bihar chief minister was not happy with the berths offered and negotiations had failed, another section said that Mr Kumar in his inimical style took a conscious decision not to join the Union Cabinet in order to keep at bay differences within his party over who should get a ministerial position at the Centre.

The party has been hit by severe internal strife following its exit from the Mahagathbandhan with senior leader Sharad Yadav raising a banner of revolt against Mr Kumar and deciding not to side with the Modi-led BJP.

Officially the Party indicated that there were no differences with the BJP and the JD(U) might be accommodated in any future expansion in the run-up to the 2019 general election.

JD(U) National Secretary K C Tyagi said: This was a reshuffle, amid the BJP and it is the Prime Ministers prerogative to handle his Cabinet. It was the BJPs internal reshuffle and not the NDAs, so we would not like to comment on it.

Interestingly, the JD(U) did not even attend the swearing-in ceremony.

Another NDA ally the Shiv Sena was also unhappy with the Union Cabinet reshuffle did not attend the oath-taking ceremony at Rashtrapati Bhawani. The Sena is reportedly dispirited over not been given even a single berth in the Cabinet expansion.
Find out more about Chinese playwright Tang Xianzu.

Beijing: Archaeologists have discovered the tomb of ancient playwright Tang Xianzu, often described as "China's Shakespeare". A cluster of 42 tombs were found at the end of 2016, including 40 from the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644), in the Jiangxi Province of China.

Researchers at Jiangxi Provincial Cultural Relics and Archaeology Research Institute in China believe a tomb identified as "M4" contained Tang and his third wife Fu, while his second wife Zhao was buried in tomb "M3." Six epitaphs, including several believed to be written by Xianzu himself have also been found. "The epitaphs can help us learn more about the calligraphy, art and literature in Tang's time," said Xu

Changqing, head of Jiangxi Provincial Cultural Relics and Archaeology Research Institute. Xianzu, born in 1550, was a famous Chinese playwright best known for four plays dubbed the "Four Dreams." His masterpiece "Peony Pavilion" tells of a romance between an official's daughter and a poor scholar, as they pursued love and freedom, state run news agency Xinhua reported.

Xianzu died the same year as British playwright William Shakespeare, and the coincidence has drawn comparisons between the two. "Although the playwrights lived 6,000 kilometres apart and never met, they both created works that left a great impact on the world," said Diana Owen, chief executive of the Shakespeare Birthplace Trust in the UK.

In China there was no specific place to commemorate Xianzu, prior to this discovery, an empty tomb had been built in the People's Park in Fuzhou in the 1980s.
On August 12, the boy's parents approached the police station after their son went missing.

New Delhi: The Delhi Police confirmed that a 40-year-old labourer named Ram Niwas was arrested for allegedly sexually assaulting and killing a six-year-old boy in north-east Delhi's Harsh Vihar and was involved in similar cases in the past as well.

"During the interrogation, the accused told the police that he has sexually abused and killed eight minor boys since 2007. The Delhi Police are yet to verify his claims," AK Singhla, the DCP for north-east, said.

On August 12, the boy's parents approached the police station after their son went missing. The police eventually recovered the boy's body from a nursery, not far from the complainant's tea shop.

"The police took the help of a dog squad, reached to an under-construction house nearby a tea shop run by deceased boy's father. When on suspicion of Ram Niwas, using technical surveillance the police traced him to near Shahdara railway station. But soon after, he switched off both his cell phones," he said.

After checking his criminal record, the police found that the accused was also arrested in 2009, but was later let off after serving a three-year imprisonment.

An investigation team was sent to the accused's native village in Uttar Pradesh's Amla, but he was not present there.

"A team finally arrested him from Mandoli," Singhla said.
The incident occurred on Thursday in which a barber, who had a makeshift shop near the wall, was killed.

New Delhi: A wall collapsed at a Delhi Fire Services workshop in west Delhi's Moti Nagar killing a man and damaging eight vehicles, the police said on Saturday.

The incident occurred on Thursday in which a barber, who had a makeshift shop near the wall, was killed. Eight vehicles parked near the wall were also damaged, they said.

A case has been registered and probe is on to determine whether the wall fell due to the incessant rains or there was any negligence on part of the authorities of the workshop, where firetenders are repaired, in maintenance of the wall, the police said.
Ghazipur was saturated in 2002 itself: East Delhi Municipal Corporation mayor.

A meeting is scheduled on September 4 with the authorities at the NGT to discuss the proposed new landfill site to be spread over 150 acres in Outer Delhi as an alternative to the Ghazipur site, the East Delhi mayor, Neema Bhagat, said.

New Delhi: Senior officials of the East Delhi Municipal Corporation (EDMC) will meet NGT (National Green Tribunal) authorities on Monday to discuss a proposed new landfill site on the outskirts of Delhi, said the civic bodys mayor on Sunday.

The meeting comes close on the heels of an accident in East Delhi triggered by the collapse of a portion of the towering Ghazipur landfill in which two people lost their lives while five others were injured.

A meeting is scheduled on September 4 with the authorities at the NGT to discuss the proposed new landfill site to be spread over 150 acres in Outer Delhi as an alternative to the Ghazipur site, the East Delhi mayor, Neema Bhagat, said.

She said that the 45 m high landfill at Ghazipur was saturated in 2002 itself and that the civic body has been looking for an alternative site for a long time, but a clearance from the NGT is needed before allowing of any site by the DDA.

The EDMC manages the landfill site that was started in 1984 and is spread over 29 acres. According to officials, the permissible height for a garbage dump is 20 m. Every day 2,500-3,000 metric tonnes of garbage is dumped at the Ghazipur site.

The humongous heap sits like a Leviathan with kites and crows circling overhead even as the stench from the mountain of trash fills the air. In the wake of the accident on Friday, lieutenant-governor Anil Baijal, on Saturday, imposed a ban on dumping of garbage at the Ghazipur landfill site. The waste meant for it is now being diverted to a temporary site in Ranikhera near the Delhi-Haryana border.

Earlier, a decision was taken to divert the garbage to Bhalswa landfill site (about 50 metre high), but as it is already used way beyond its saturation, a new site was identified, a civic official said.

Incidentally, the EDMC signed a MoU last November with the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) for using the solid waste from the site in the construction of the Delhi-Meerut Expressway, which is a section of the NH-24. The NHAI has assured the LG that it will begin the process of lifting, segregating, and processing of the solid waste by November 2017 for its use in road construction, the LG office said. The other major dumping sites in the city are in Okhla and Narela-Bawana.


According to police, 9 cases have been registered against Amrapali Builders, 1 against Supertech Builders and 3 against others.

On the complaint of the buyers, the cases were lodged against the companies, the PRO of the Senior Superintendent of Police said. (Photo: File/Representational)

Noida: The Noida Police on Saturday registered cases against 13 project directors for allegedly cheating flat buyers, an official said.

Nine cases have been registered against Amrapali Builders, one against Supertech Builders and three against others, the PRO of the Senior Superintendent of Police, Prabhat Dikshit said.

"Flat buyers had put their grievances at a function attended by some ministers on Thursday. They had alleged that they had been cheated by the builders," the officer said.

The PRO said that the ministers had told the police to probe the matter.

On the complaint of the buyers, the cases were lodged against the companies, he said.

The police have started investigating the matter.
A look-out notice was issued against GJM chief Bimal Gurung and general secretary Roshan Giri by the police.

Fourteen Gorkha Janmukti Morcha (GJM) leaders have been arrested in connection for an alleged attack on a minister. (Photo: AP)

Kolkata (WB): The environment won't improve just by arresting people, instead it will get worse, said Bharatiya Janta Party (BJP) National Secretary Rahul Sinha, on the arrest of fourteen Gorkha Janmukti Morcha (GJM) leaders for an alleged attack on a minister.

Sinha said that the situation can be resolved through talking.

"Arrest happens when there is a criminal activity involved, but the Gorkha protest that is going on, won't stop by arresting, instead they will get more motivation," Sinha said.

He further said that the government should stop doing this and make way for a conversation, which will be good for West Bengal and the nation itself.

Fourteen Gorkha Janmukti Morcha (GJM) leaders have been arrested in connection for an alleged attack on a minister.

Earlier on September 1, a look-out notice was issued against GJM chief Bimal Gurung and general secretary Roshan Giri by the police, confirmed ADG (Law and Order) Anuj Sharma.

Meanwhile, the GJM will attend meeting conveyed by the government of West Bengal on September 12 with the one point agenda to demand separate state of Gorkhaland.
Narayani Awasthi, student of B.Sc Nursing course, hanged herself from shower rod in the bathroom of her hostel room at around 9 am

Mumbai: A 24-year-old student of a private nursing college today allegedly committed suicide at her hostel on Pedder Road in south Mumbai, police said.

Narayani Awasthi, third year student of B.Sc Nursing course, hanged herself from shower rod in the bathroom of her hostel room at around 9 am, a senior police official said.

The incident occurred at Jaslok House, the Nursing College hostel of Jaslok Hospital.

According to the official, Awasthi, who hailed from Uttar Pradesh, was staying in the hostel for the last three years, and was of late "upset" with her seniors over grant of leave.

This morning her seniors asked her to see a doctor as she was unwell after doing a double shift on Tuesday, when torrential rains lashed the city. When one of her colleagues came for taking her to the warden, Awasthi went into bathroom.

As she was taking long inside, her colleague knocked on the door, but got no response, the police official said.

When the door was broken open, her body was found hanging from the shower rod.

A case of accidental death has been registered and statements of her colleagues are being recorded, he said.

In a late evening statement, the hospital authorities said they were "baffled with the news" and "the hospital cannot comment on what could have driven her to take the extreme step".

However, it quoted the college principal as saying that "it could be that she was under pressure as she couldn't cope with the expectations of the course.
Mr Patole levelled serious charges against Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis on Friday in Nagpur.

Mumbai: Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MP Nana Patoles rebellion could have a wide-ranging impact on the partys internal politics as well as its standing in Vidarbha. Mr Patole, who had unambiguously attacked the BJP leadership at the Centre and in the state, also raised the issue of an OBC ministry. Observers believe that Mr Patole is setting himself up to ditch the BJP. His leaving the party over the OBC ministry issue could damage the saffron party in Vidarbha, from where a large number of OBC votes are to be had.

Mr Patole levelled serious charges against Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis on Friday in Nagpur. He named PM Modi Someone who dont like questions and CM Fadnavis CM who failed in bringing money to the state from Delhi.

Mr Patole, who was a three-times MLA before he went on to become an MP after defeating NCPs Praful Patel in 2014, hails from the Vidarbha region, which has the highest population of OBCs in the state. The OBC community from the region has been giving unequivocal support to the BJP. But, Mr Patoles raising the OBC card would definitely shake up this core vote bank.

Mr Patole was in Congress before he the joined BJP in the 2009 Assembly elections. If he were to rejoin the grand old party, it will be a major boost for it in Vidarbha, where its fortunes have diminished significantly.
The MNS workers were slapped with a notice under CRPC 149 and were not allowed to meet the Jain Muni despite many attempts.

Mumbai: The Samta Nagar police detained 20 Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) workers on Sunday for attempting to hold a silent protest against Jain Muni Padma Sagar who had issued a controversial statement during the Mira-Bhayandar civic elections regarding the ban on the sale of meat during Paryushan.

The MNS workers were slapped with a notice under CRPC 149 and were not allowed to meet the Jain Muni despite many attempts. The protest questioned why the MNS was not allowed to put up banners, while the other BJP workers were allowed to do so.

Jain Muni Padma Sagar had allegedly appealed his followers to vote for the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in the Mira-Bhayandar civic elections, saying that they will bring about a ban on the sale of meat during the Jain festival of Paryushan. To act against the statement, the MNS workers had planned on protesting in Kandivali east. However, the BJP workers in the area, who had already put up banners for welcoming the Jain Muni, alerted the police.

The Samta Nagar police then issued a notice under the section 149 of the IPC against the MNS workers late on Saturday night in an attempt to prevent any cognisable offence because of their alleged unlawful assembly. Deputy commissioner of Police Zone 12 (which includes Samta Nagar) Vinay Rathod while confirming the detention and said, The silent protest was stopped from taking place and the situation was brought under control.

The Samta Nagar police had put up a bandobast in Thakur Complexs Terapanth Bhavan, where the Muni was scheduled to visit. MNS volunteers showed up near the venue in an attempt to carry on with their silent protest with a garland of onion and garlic on Sunday. The police arrested 20 of them while on the way to the venue and released them only after Padma Sagar had left the venue on Sunday evening.

Kiritkumar Shinde, an MNS worker said, It was a silent protest by the MNS, to show their anger against the fact that despite the BJP putting up many banners in the area, MNS are not allowed to put up a single banner.
Mr Raut also said Mr Thackeray would talk to the BJP leadership at the right time over this ignorance.

Mumbai: Shiv Senas Rajya Sabha Member of Parliament (MP) Sanjay Raut reacted angrily on Sunday after his party was not consulted ahead of the Union Cabinet reshuffle, saying, NDA has been murdered. They (Bharatiya Janata Party) are having clear majority. Let them do what they want. We will speak at the right time.

The Sena, which is a member of the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) government, said it was not consulted over the reshuffle and had also expected to be invited by the BJP leadership for the swearing-in ceremony. But neither the Sena, nor the JD(U) were consulted for the reshuffle or invited for the ceremony.

The Shiv Sena had expected to get two more berths in the Narendra Modi government in the Cabinet reshuffle but their hopes were crashed.

There were reports that Sena MPs had had a discussion with party chief Uddhav Thackeray over demanding more ministerial berths from the BJP.

BJP remembers its alliance partners only for its need. They came to our door in President and vice-president polls. But, not a single allied partner was called for the Cabinet reshuffle, said Mr Raut.

He also taunted the BJP about its arrogance over having a majority in the Lok Sabha. As of now they have majority. But it is not permanent. They will realise it very soon, Mr Raut said.

No Sena member was present for Sundays swearing-in ceremony held in Rashtrapati Bhavan, New Delhi. Even the Senas lone Cabinet minister in the Modi government, Anant Geete did not attend the ceremony. When asked about the Senas absence, Mr Raut said, We are not hungry for power. It comes and goes. Sena is rooted in people and we always stand on road for the people.

Mr Raut also said Mr Thackeray would talk to the BJP leadership at the right time over this ignorance.

As of now our leaders are busy in helping the people of Mumbai and Maharashtra. We will talk about this (about not being invited for the swearing-in ceremony) at the right time, said Mr Raut.
Mr Trumps announcement failed to elicit a highly positive response in the United States and India, where it should have.

Its fashionable as well as politically correct to trash whatever policy announcement US President Donald Trump makes. No surprises then that his latest Afghanistan strategy declaration evoked similar titters and sighs. It is assumed his new Afghan strategy, like everything else about him, will be a damp squib if not an outright disaster.

Nothing could be further from the truth. President Trumps policy view on the unending Afghan war is perhaps the sanest that has come from the White House in a long time. The details might take a little doing but the big targets are spot-on. His new Afghan policy is also good news for Asia.

There are two or three pivotal points of his Afghan policy that must be seen for what they are. The main thrust is that the United States isnt planning to quit Afghanistan militarily anytime soon. Thats the pivotal point on which the dynamics of Afghanistan and its neighbourhood rest.

The big question isnt how many additional troops President Trump will send to Afghanistan or how much he is prepared to spend; it is about commitment. Will it continue or not? That has been answered, and it will affect the course of events in Afghanistan, and Asian politics in general.

The second pivot is the unambiguous recognition that Pakistan is the key obstacle to a victory against the fanatic Taliban. Prior to this, while many Americans admitted Pakistan was helping the Taliban, Islamabad was not targeted.

The US and allied troops kept getting hammered in Afghanistan by an enemy armed and abetted by Pakistans generals, but Washington felt it could or should do nothing. The assumption till now has been that the US has too much of a strategic stake in Pakistan for it to become hostage to the Afghan war.

Mr Trumps announcement failed to elicit a highly positive response in the United States and India, where it should have. Only Islamabad saw it for what it was: an outright assault on the age-old strategic relationship.

The Pakistani reaction was blunt and bitter. Pakistan PM Shahid Khaqan Abbasi declared the US military strategy in Afghanistan hasnt worked and it will not work. The real solution, he felt, was inclusive dialogue and a political settlement, meaning if Washington wanted peace it should cut a deal with the Taliban.

Islamabad subsequently prepared a formal note to protest President Trumps pronouncements and in a speech to Pakistans Senate, foreign minister Khawaja Mohammad Asif said his government rejected allegations of harbouring the Taliban. The Afghan war cannot be fought in Pakistan, he reiterated. To scapegoat Pakistan will not help in stabilising Afghanistan.

A few days later he said Islamabad had suspended talks and bilateral visits with Washington in protest over Mr Trumps anti-Pakistan Afghan strategy.

The fury spilled over into Pakistani streets in anti-US demonstrations and furious op-ed pieces targeting President Trump. In Afghanistan, it was more serious business: Taliban terrorists set off an explosion at a Kabul bank, killing five innocent Afghans and shaking the window panes of the nearby US embassy.

Clearly, President Trumps strategy is changing geopolitical equations. Islamabad senses it and is scurrying for help to Beijing, Moscow and Tehran, three cynical powers who are all prepared to deal with the Taliban for their own perceived interests.

The third significant point in President Trumps strategy is affirmation of Indias role in Afghanistan. So far, US politicians and diplomats have been derisive about Indias involvement in Afghanistan, including the construction of the strategic Dularam-Zaranj Highway at considerable cost in southwestern Afghanistan.

The DelaramZaranj Highway, known as Route 606, links Afghanistans ring road to Chabahar in Iran. This alternate economic route to the heart of Afghanistan, bypassing troubled Pakistan, has failed to take off due to several reasons, one being tacit US disapproval.

Indian commentators responding to President Trumps Afghanistan strategy have cautioned New Delhi, claiming there is lack of clarity on what Indias role should be. But Mr Trump has been very clear on this, emphasising an economic, not military role for India. Washingtons overt support for New Delhis numerous Afghan projects should make things easier for India, though Islamabad is furious at the legitimacy given to the Indian presence in that country.

The bomb blasts near the US embassy were just a prelude to what US secretary of state Rex Tillerson says is a dramatic shift in US strategy towards Afghanistan. From now on the Pentagon, not the White House, will determine the level of US military deployment in Afghanistan. Were shifting from a time-based military strategy that had very clear troop ceiling levels to now, as he (Trump) indicated, a conditions-based strategy, which means it will be dictated by conditions on the ground, informed by battlefield commanders, explained Mr Tillerson.

The danger is that Rawalpindi has too many friends in Washington, old Pakistan hands, retired foreign service and military officers who have grown up believing they were dealing with an ally. The Pakistan Army has looked after many of them over the years and old loyalties die hard.

There will therefore be a concerted lobby in Washington against Mr Trumps Afghan strategy. There will be every attempt to undermine, dilute and ultimately overturn it. That would indeed be an outright disaster.
The BJP is mostly in a self-congratulatory mood, and Prime Minister Modi leads the way. There is very little of self-criticism.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi and BJP president Amit Shah remain the decision-makers: this was evident in the Cabinet expansion-reshuffle exercise on Sunday morning. First, Mr Modi had a breakfast meeting with the new entrants to the council of ministers early Sunday, and Mr Shah was there as well. Second, Mr Shah sat next to Mr Modi in the front row at Rashtrapati Bhavan. Usually, home minister Rajnath Singh, the Number 2 in the Cabinet and who would normally sit next to him, sat in the third chair. This can be dismissed as nothing of consequence but this is a visual clue to a government that seems to believe in working behind closed doors. This is not peculiar to the BJP, though. During the UPA years, then Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and Congress president Sonia Gandhi were the prime movers. Of course, the Congress politics were more intricate. Even Mrs Gandhi had to balance the many competing special interests as well as individuals. Mr Modi and Mr Shah manage a more streamlined organisation, where conspicuous lobbying is not entertained. There was a report in the mornings papers that there was a huddle at Rajnath Singhs place, attended by Arun Jaitley and Sushma Swaraj. It may well have been an informal meeting and Mr Singh, Mr Jaitley and Ms Swaraj may not have discussed anything significant about the Cabinet reshuffle.

The upgrading of four ministers of state with independent charge to Cabinet rank shows up the real problem that Mr Modi, Mr Shah and the BJP face. Dharmesh Pradhan (petroleum and natural gas), Piyush Goyal (power and energy), Nirmala Sitharaman (commerce) and Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi (minority affairs) had always been intelligent and diligent, and it would appear an act of condescension to reward their performance. It looks as if Mr Modi was hesitant about their abilities and he is now convinced they are indeed able. Remember, these are important ministries and it was necessary that they should have been given due importance by assigning them Cabinet ministers at the very beginning.So far, none of these ministers have not shown any great initiative in tackling the challenges each of them faces in their respective departments. The emphasis on generation of solar energy was that of the Prime Minister, and Mr Goyal paid enough attention to it. But he has not done anything impressive to improve the efficient management of power generation, transport and distribution networks in the country. It is possible he will put in quite a bit of his wonted energy into the Railways, but the task might require more innovative thinking than mere energy. Suresh Prabhu being assigned commerce appears to be a fair assignment, but it is not clear whether Mr Prabhu can tackle the difficult issues of trade policy. Nitin Gadkari gets river development and Ganga rejuvenation, that were with Uma Bharti. Does the reassignment mean dissatisfaction with Ms Bhartis performance?Ms Sitharaman had been held back, or she has held herself back, from grappling with negotiations at the World Trade Organisation (WTO), and she has also been quite passive in terms of evolving a new industrial policy or even a modified exports policy. Will she be given enough freedom to handle the defence ministry, which is her new assignment? She is a person with a head on her shoulders, and before long she will master the intricacies concerning the armed forces, their operations and their needs. But will she dare to work to the long-term plan of strengthening the forces in terms of armaments? It remains a challenge to her and to this government. Despite its sabre-rattling, the Modi government has been quite shabby in attending to the building up of the strength of the armed forces.If this is the case, then bringing in bureaucrats like former home secretary R.K. Singh, former Mumbai police chief S.P. Singh, former Delhi Development Authority administrator K. Alphons and former diplomat Hardeep Singh Puri into the council of ministers poses the problem - how to deploy their expertise? It seems there is not much scope for these individuals to shape policy in any significant manner unless the Prime Minister has now realised he must listen to people outside the closed circle of the Prime Ministers Office and that of national security adviser Ajit Doval. R.K. Singh and S.P. Singh may want to give their inputs on internal security, and Mr Puri on foreign policy. It must also be noted that many of these former bureaucrats have nothing to commend themselves than that they displayed pronounced right-wing attitudes and a certain affinity towards the BJP even when the party was not in power.Where Mr Modi and Mr Shah seem to be on a better footing was in choosing individuals with political credentials like Ashwini Kumar Chaubey from Bihar, Shiv Prakash Shukla (Uttar Pradesh), Virendra Kumar (Madhya Pradesh), Gajendra Singh Shekhawat (Rajasthan) and Anant Kumar Hegde (Karnataka), areas where the BJP is a force to reckon with.

The BJP is mostly in a self-congratulatory mood, and Prime Minister Modi leads the way. There is very little of self-criticism. They believe what they are doing is right and there is no need or scope for course correction. The expansion of the council of ministers is reduced to a routine exercise of filling vacancies. This government walks to the marching tune of slogans, and the slogan now is building a New India by 2022, whatever that means. There are no immediate, specific, short-term goals.There is, of course, one goal Mr Modi and Mr Shah are quite focused on: winning the 2019 Lok Sabha elections. They do not really consider the Cabinet reshuffle - and its being speculated this would be the last one before the election, and it very well could be so - as a preparation for winning the election. They feel the election will be won on Mr Modis popularity and not on the basis of the performance of the Modi government.
US President Donald Trump announced he plans to appoint a former navy pilot and Republican congressman to head NASA.

The nomination drew fire from two US senators from Florida who questioned the Oklahoma representative's qualifications to lead such a complex and highly technical agency. (Photo: AFP)

US President Donald Trump announced he plans to appoint James Bridenstine, a former navy pilot and Republican congressman, to head the US space agency NASA.

Bridenstine, 42, who backed Trump during the US presidential campaign, had long been considered the favorite for the job of NASA administrator.

But the nomination drew fire from two US senators from Florida who questioned the Oklahoma representative's qualifications to lead such a complex and highly technical agency.

Senator Bill Nelson, the ranking Democrat on the committee that oversees NASA, told the news site Politico the agency's new leader should be "a space professional, not a politician."

Marco Rubio, the state's other senator and a Republican, said the choice of Bridenstine "could be devastating for the space program."

"I would hate to see an administrator held up -- on [grounds of] partisanship, political arguments, past votes, or statements made in the past -- because the agency can't afford it and it can't afford the controversy," he told Politico.

Bridenstine, who was elected to Congress from Oklahoma in 2012, is a member of the House Armed Services Committee and the Committee on Science, Space and Technology.

According to the trade publication SpaceNews, Bridenstine has been a big proponent of giving the private sector a larger role in space.

The space agency is involved in all aspects of space exploration, as well as in Earth observation missions from space and in the development of new aerospace concepts.

Since the end of NASA's space shuttle program in 2011, the United States has had to rely on Russia to ferry their astronauts to the International Space Station.

NASA is currently developing a heavy launcher and capsule capable of taking astronauts to Mars in 2030 and beyond.

But it faces competition from billionaires like Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos and Elon Musk, who runs SpaceX and Tesla.

NASA's proposed 2018 budget comes to a little more than $19 billion.

Bridenstine's experience is mainly in the military, as a pilot who flew combat missions in Iraq and Afghanistan, and as a member of the naval reserves has flown counter-drug missions in Central and South America.

He served as executive director of the Tulsa Air and Space Museum and Planetarium. He is also a member of the Oklahoma Air National Guard.

He has degrees from Rice University and Cornell.
COLUMBUS  Peggy Lovgren has seen some difficult times.

Her sons, 14-year-old Parker and 12-year-old Braiden, both have muscular dystrophy, a disease that causes a progressive loss of muscle function, normally starting in the lower limbs.

Both boys use motorized wheelchairs for mobility.

As Parker and Braiden grew, space became limited in Lovgrens van, which doesn't have a wheelchair lift.

Well, at least her old vehicle didn't have a wheelchair lift.

The Stromsburg woman got a helping hand Saturday afternoon when she received a handicapped-accessible van donated by the Nebraska Masonic Home in Plattsmouth. She picked it up at the Disabled American Veterans (DAV) office in Columbus.

My family is so humbled and grateful for the donation, Lovgren said. This is just so exciting and a little too surreal. Its in such good shape and the miles are low, despite the age of the van.

Jamie Jakub, an adjutant and one of five service officers with the Columbus DAV, facilitated the donation after receiving a call from a friend at the Masonic Home.

He said that they had two vans available for donation, Jakub said. One of them happened to have a wheelchair lift. Peggys father is a veteran from the Korean conflict, so we decided to donate the van to her. The main goal of the DAV is to help veterans and their families.

Lovgren learned about the donation in early August, but still had a beaming smile on her face during Saturday's presentation.

She said the van will be used to travel to monthly doctor's appointments in Omaha and Lincoln and other destinations.

Mary Stockton, executive director of the Nebraska Masonic Home, said she's grateful the van can be used for such an important cause.

This van was just sitting in our parking lot, Stockton said. Before we donated it to Peggy, it was used by the Tangier Shriners in Omaha to take kids to hospitals. After that, a nursing and assisted living facility used it to take residents to and from the hospital, too. So this van has had quite a life.

Braiden and Parker were also excited about their new wheels.

As he was trying out the new gadgets and buttons, Braiden said his favorite part of their new van is how spacious it is.

It looks so new and there is so much room in here, he said. I wonder how the radio works?

Lovgren said vehicle provides more than easier transportation for the family.

I just cant get over how big it is inside, she said. Now we have more room to fit our family in there and we can go on trips more often."

"I never raised my sons to believe they are unable to do things. I told them they are not disabled, they are differently-abled," Lovgren added. "I encourage them to try new things and I always tell them that we can do what we can to make their wishes come true.
To target users, spams showing links to fake dropbox websites is being used.

Ransomware is a malicious software and the Locky Ransomware is learnt to be demanding ransom of half bitcoin, which at present rate is equivalent to over Rs 1.5 lakh.

New Delhi: The government on Saturday issued an alert on spread of new malware Locky Ransomware that can lock computers and demand ransom for unlocking them.

Alert regarding spam spreading Locky Ransomware issued today by @IndianCERT..., Electronics and IT additional secretary Ajay Kumar tweeted.

Ransomware is a malicious software and the Locky Ransomware is learnt to be demanding ransom of half bitcoin, which at present rate is equivalent to over Rs 1.5 lakh. The alert, issued on Cyber Swachhta Kendra, said it has been reported that a new wave of spam mails is circulating with common subject lines to spread variants of Locky Ransomware. Reports indicate that over 23 million messages have been sent in this campaign. The messages contain common subjects like please print, documents, photo, Images, scans and pictures. However, the subject texts may change in targeted spear phishing campaigns, the alert, which described severity of the ransomware as high, said.

The system infected by Locky Ransomware is getting locked or encrypted with random numbers with extension [dot] lukitus or [dot] diablo6, the alert stated. The instructions contain installation of a TOR browser and visiting (dot) onion sites and demanding ransom of .5 Bitcoins, it added.

To target users, spams showing links to fake dropbox websites is being used.
Pyongyang declared the test of what it called a hydrogen bomb to be a 'perfect success.'

The test was North Korea's sixth and far more powerful than any weapon it has previously detonated. (Photo: AP/PTI)

Beijing: China strongly condemned North Korea's Sunday's nuclear test, slamming Pyongyang for ignoring international condemnation of its atomic weapons programme.

North Korea "has ignored the international community's widespread opposition, again carrying out a nuclear test. China's government expresses resolute opposition and strong condemnation toward this," the foreign ministry said in a statement on its website.

"We strongly urge the DPRK (North Korea) to face the strong will of denuclearisation from the international community, earnestly abide by the relevant resolutions of the UN Security Council, stop taking mistaken actions which worsen the situation and are also not in line with its own interests, and effectively return to the track of solving the problem through dialogue," it added.

The test was North Korea's sixth and far more powerful than any weapon it has previously detonated.

Pyongyang declared the test of what it called a hydrogen bomb to be a "perfect success."

Beijing is North Korea's main diplomatic ally and economic supporter and is seen as playing a crucial role in efforts to get Pyongyang to curb its weapons programme.

The test came just hours before Chinese President Xi Jinping was scheduled to open a summit of BRICs nations in southern China.

North Korea's actions create a potentially embarrassing situation for Xi, who is preparing for a politically sensitive gathering of the ruling Communist Party in October, at which he aims to further consolidate his power.

The leader chose not to address the test during his more than 40-minute address to the assembled leaders of Russia, India, South Africa and Brazil.

It was the second time in 2017 that North Korea has timed a weapons test to coincide with a major international political gathering in China.

In May, Pyongyang fired a ballistic missile as leaders from 29 nations gathered in Beijing for a summit touting China's new Silk Road project.
China and Russia have supported Pakistan after US President accused it of providing safe havens to terrorists.

Islamabad: Pakistan foreign minister Khawaja Asif will leave for China on an important official visit on September 8 to discuss the United States policy review for South Asia and Afghanistan, along with President Donald Trumps allegations that there are safe havens for terrorists in Pakistan.

In addition to the China visit, the Pakistani delegation will visit Russia, Iran and Turkey to consolidate its foreign policy and ties with allies in order to give a befitting response to the US administration.

In the first week after Id al-Adha, Khawaja Asif will visit China. The Central Asian countries will be taken into confidence to develop regional strategies.

Afterwards, he will leave for Turkey, Iran and Russia. Official visits to these states have been finalised by the ministry of foreign affairs. China and Russia had come forward in support of Pakistan after President Trumps accusations.

According to sources at foreign office, Islamabad was not in favour of worsening relations with the United States. The foreign office said that the armed forces will continue their role in war against terrorism.

Afghan issue will be sorted out with the help of dialogue with regional forces and it is important for these forces to play their role in achievement of peace, an official said.

It was further mentioned that Pakistan wiped out terrorism from its soil and took steps to achieve peace with neighbouring Afghanistan. It would have been better if the US had admitted its defeat in Afghanistan, the official added.

A Joint session of the National Assembly had unanimously passed a resolution denouncing the US President Donald Trumps allegations. American President Donald Trump and U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillersons statements are threatening, we reject America s new Afghan policy, the summary of the resolution read.
At the last BRICS Summit in Goa in October 2016, Modi had referred to Pakistan as the 'mothership of terrorism'.

Beijing [China]: Prime Minister Narendra Modi is expected to raise India's concerns on the issue of the spread of terrorism across the world, and in particular in the Asian and South Asian region at the upcoming Brazil-Russia-India-China-South Africa (BRICS) Summit to be held in Xiamen in China's southwestern Fujian Province, hours after Beijing appeared to suggest that it would view any reference to Pakistan at the meeting with a feeling of discomfort.

"Apart from economic cooperation, there are other issues of interest, i.e. threat of terrorism. There are certain developments in the world which are important to be addressed, and I'm sure, leaders in the BRICS meeting are bound to look at it, including the scourge of terrorism, which has been the most important subject for India," Secretary (East) in the Ministry of External Affairs Preeti Saran said.

"These are global developments and we have been discussing about it and, terrorism is something which is an issue that affects the entire international community. BRICS countries themselves have been victims of terrorism. So, it is bound to be discussed," she added.

"India had raised it (terrorism) at the last BRICS Summit in Goa in October 2016 as well, and, I'm sure that the issue of terrorism will again figure at the summit between the leaders of the BRICS countries as well. We are looking at the summit very positively, so as to come out with a strong outcome, and Prime Minister Narendra Modi is looking forward to participate in this summit," Saran said.

At the last BRICS Summit in Goa in October 2016, Modi had referred to Pakistan as the "mothership of terrorism".

"India attaches a lot of importance to the BRICS as a grouping and we think it is very important for regional and global stability, especially at a time when there is state of uncertainty in the world," Saran further said.

The Ministry of External Affairs stressed that India is looking to build upon the positive impetus given to the previous BRICS Summit in Goa.

Saran said, "We also regard BRICS as an important economic platform and a very strong voice for developing countries to come together to push for issues of interest to us, including in terms of the concept of global architecture."

Earlier, China has raised concerns about India raising the issue of terrorism at the BRICS Summit.

Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson Hua Chunying said that concerns over Pakistan's terrorism record is not an "appropriate topic" to be discussed at the BRICS Summit.

"We noticed that India, when it comes to Pakistan's counter-terrorism, has some concerns. I don't think this is an appropriate topic to be discussed at BRICS Summit," Chunying said, suggesting that Beijing will be averse to any kind of criticism of its close ally during the summit deliberations in Xiamen.
The deal has angered Iraq and the US, which launched airstrikes to block the convoy.

Earlier in the day, the ISIS handed over to Hezbollah the body of a recently-captured Iranian Revolutionary Guard member as part of the deal. (Photo: AP)

Beirut: A convoy of ISIS militants being evacuated from the Lebanon-Syria border was moved to another Syrian government-held area on Thursday after their passage to ISIS-held territory further east was blocked by US-led airstrikes.

More than 300 militants and their families are in the convoy of buses after vacating the border area as part of a Hezbollah-negotiated deal to transport them to an ISIS-held town in eastern Syria near the Iraqi border.

Earlier in the day, the ISIS handed over to Hezbollah the body of a recently-captured Iranian Revolutionary Guard member as part of the deal. The deal has angered Iraq and the US, which launched airstrikes to block the convoy.
"Spiritual closeness to the people of South Asia "and "active participation in the suffering of Texas residents affected by a hurricane." "Jesus reminds us that his way is the way of love, and there is no true love without self-sacrifice." Mary "help us not to be afraid to suffer for the love of God and of our brothers and sisters."

Vatican City (AsiaNews) - "Today, there is always the temptation to follow a Christ without a Cross, rather, to teach God the right path," said Pope Francis commenting on the gospel passage of today's Mass (22nd Sunday to Matthew, 16: 21-27) in his explanation to pilgrims attending the Angelus in St. Peter's Square.

In the passage, Jesus "reveals to the disciples that he will suffer, be killed and rise again in Jerusalem" and he is reproached by Peter because he cannot accept that all this will happen to the Messiah. Jesus responds with a reproach in turn: "Get behind me, Satan! You are scandalized, because you do not think according to God, but according to men! "(V. 23).

"At that point," the Pope continued, "the Master addresses all those who followed him, clearly presenting the way to go:" If anyone wants to follow me, he must deny himself, take up his Cross, and follow me "(V. 24). Again, even today, the temptation is to follow a Christ without a Cross, rather, to teach God the right path. But Jesus reminds us that his way is the way of love, and there is no true love without self-sacrifice. We are called not to be absorbed by the vision of this world, but to be increasingly aware of the necessity and effort of Christians to walk counter-current and uphill.

Jesus completes his proposal with words that express a great wisdom that is always valid, because they challenge self-centered mentalities and behaviors. He exhorts: "Whoever wants to save his life will lose it; but whoever loses his life for my cause will find it "(v. 25). In this paradox there is the golden rule that God has inscribed into human nature created in Christ: the rule that only love gives meaning and happiness to life. To spend our talents, energies and time just to safeguard, protect and realize ourselves, actually leads to loss, that is to a sad and sterile existence. If, instead, we live for the Lord and set our lives on love, as Jesus did, we will be able to enjoy genuine joy. "

"In the celebration of the Eucharist," he concludes, "we rediscover the mystery of the Cross; not only do we remember, but we make the memorial of the redeeming Sacrifice, in which the Son of God completely loses himself to receive himself again from the Father and thus find us, who were lost, together with all the creatures. Every time we attend Holy Mass, the love of Christ Crucified and Risen is communicated to us as food and drink, so that we can follow Him on the path of every day, in the concrete ministry of the brothers.

Mary Most Holy, who has followed Jesus to Calvary, also accompany us and help us not to be afraid of the Cross, but to be with the nailed Christ; not to be afraid to suffer for the love of God and of the brethren, for this suffering through the grace of Christ is fruitful of resurrection. "

After the Marian prayer, the Pontiff expressed his "spiritual closeness to the people of South Asia, who still suffer the consequences of floods." In all South Asia, due to the particularly strong monsoon rains, flooding has affected at least 41 million people between India, Bangladesh and Nepal; the death toll has exceeded 1,000 deaths.

At the same time, he wanted to express his "active participation in the suffering of Texas residents affected by a hurricane and exceptional rains that has caused thousands of displaced people and massive material damage."

While welcoming all the groups present, the pontiff added, "I want to thank you for wishing me a good trip," in reference to his upcoming trip to Colombia from 6 to 11 September.
Hello...I am a new member in this forumMy brother applied for a Visitor Subclass 600 visa to visit me here in Brisbane. He included his wife and his 4y.o son, and we were planning to have a family holiday. But his visa got refused twice!Reasons are about him having access to a regular and stable income, and a lack of overseas travel. He had traveled to Europe for 3 months in 2008.He has his employment statement from his employee, and also his child's school enrolment statement, returned tickets, itinerary and made provisions for some tourist accomodation in Noosa and Gold Coast over the course of our stay. The booking confirmations for these accomodation have been provided in support of this application.This is the second visa application he has submitted in the last month - the most recent application attempting to provide supplementary sponsorship documentation to support his application and address what we stated as the reasons for the refusal of this visa application.I have provided comprehensive sponsorship documentation and accompanying declarations that guarantee that all of my brother and his family's financial needs over the course of this visit will be covered and that he and his family would return to Indonesia within the specified timeframe of the visa. This visa application is simply a matter of our family looking to have a family holiday in Australia.My question is: do you think it will worth to apply for a Family Sponsored Visa Stream? :-(
Thank you for reading!

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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.
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Locals partied like it was 1794 on Sunday at the first Whiskey Rebellion Festival organized by the Cumberland County Historical Society and Greater Carlisle Heart & Soul.

Part of the multi-faceted event was based at the Cumberland County Historical Societys pocket park in Carlisle, where re-enactors were busy splitting logs, demonstrating period games and cooking corn mash for a batch of whisky.

Sam McKinney, of the Northern York Historical and Preservation Society, was tending to large vats of corn mash and boiling water over wood fires that would become part of a batch of whiskey. He later will add barley and rye to the mixture, then let it sit until the starches covert into alcohol, he explained. At that point, the mixture is screened to remove the grains and the liquid is placed in a still. In total, the mixture will yield a quart of whiskey.

If done quickly, the process takes three days, but thats really pushing it, McKinney said. It really should take about a week.

The Whiskey Rebellion Festival was organized by Lindsay Varner, director of the Greater Carlisle Heart & Soul project. With the 225th anniversary of the Whisky Rebellion only two years away, I figured, why not do something leading up to this, she said.

The day began with a walking tour through Carlisle where participants learned more about those involved in the rebellion, the causes of the event and the role Carlisle played in its suppression.

The Whiskey Rebellion of 1794 was started by a group of farmers enraged about the governments imposed 25 percent tax on whiskey. In response, President George Washington led a group of militiamen to western Pennsylvania to put down the Whisky Rebellion. Washington met and took command of the militia at the Carlisle Barracks.

On Sunday, a second walking tour featuring the taverns of Carlisle was conducted at 1 p.m. Other highlights included a reenactment at 11:30 a.m. of Carlisle residents marching with an effigy from the Old Courthouse to the historical society, followed later in the day by a Carlisle citizens address to George Washington, as well as Washingtons speech to the town.

Greg Leonard of Gardners, who attended with his wife, Erica, and son, Maxwell, 4, said his favorite part of the day was the re-enactment of citizens protesting the whiskey tax at the courthouse.

I like seeing the people exercise their rights to protest the tax. Thats what I liked about it, seeing them rebel against tyranny. It relates to current events, said Greg Leonard, referring to modern day taxes.

Nearby, the historical societys G.B. Stuart History Workshop was open for childrens crafts and activities of the period, including handkerchief stamping, stereoscope viewing and pottery making, sponsored by Create-A-Palooza of Carlisle. The 1794 Whisky Rebellion at Comfort Suites on Hanover Street offered whisky tasting and live music, as well as a chance for visitors learn more about whiskey in 1794.

Rachel Illari, of Mechanicsburg, watched as her son, Daniel, 7, created a handkerchief art with ink stamps at the G.B. Stuart History Workshop. We came to check out the crafts because Daniel definitely likes crafts, she said.

Earlier, Daniel was checking out a stereoscope, an 1800s version of modern-day Viewmasters that worked with cardboard slides. Children also could create their own birth certificates using fracture, an early form of calligraphy.

Jason Illari, executive director of the Cumberland County Historical Society, manned a station at the pocket park that offered gumbis, a traditional German stew of cabbage, butter, onions, apples and sausage. He said the day appeared to have a good turnout, but it was hard to judge numbers because events were taking place in several different locations.

The Whiskey Rebellion Festival was part of the Cumberland Countys Heritage Festival that ran from Thursday to Sunday. More events are scheduled this week as part of Heritage Week. For a full listing of events, visit heritagefest.historicalsociety.com.
A Riverview man and his parents faced a judged Sunday morning for allegedly beating the mans wife and holding her captive.

Woman beaten, held captive by husband and in-laws

Devbir Kalsi, Jasbir Kalsi, Bhupinder Kalsi arrested and charged

Deputies responded to home, rescued woman and daughter, 1,

Devbir Kalsi and his father, Jasbir Kalsi, were ordered a $325K bond, and Devbirs mother, Bhupinder Kalsi was ordered a $110K bond.

The three were arrested Saturday after the sheriffs office received a call about a woman who called her parents in India to tell them she was being beaten and held by her husband and his parents.

Deputies responded to the home at 9601 Greenbank Drive in Riverview where the victim and suspects were residing. Deputies said they knocked on the door and were ignored at first, then the victim suddenly tried to open the door and screamed for the deputy to save her and her child.

A deputy forced his way inside the home and was confronted by Devbir Kalsi and then his parents. Additional deputies arrived and all three were taken into custody.

Deputies said the woman was badly beaten and bruised all over her body. They said the abuse appeared to have been going on for an extended period of time due to the extent of her injuries.

The womans one-year-old daughter was also inside the home and appeared unharmed.

They have since been provided a safe place of refuge.

During the court hearing on Sunday, the woman expressed her fear of her husband to the judge.

"I am so scared, because last night he was telling me he was going to kill me if I call the police. He would kill me to death, you know? He told me it would take ten minutes for police to come and before that he would kill me and then kill himself," she said.

Deputies determined that Devbir contacted his parents regarding his wife being disobedient and they came from India to help counsel and discipline her.

In addition to the beatings from her husband, officials said his parents participated in holding her and her child against their will, including holding a knife to her throat and taking her phone so she could not call 911.

I am very scared of my husband. He tried to kill me. Last time it was attempt to murder, so I am very scared for me and my daughter, she reiterated in court.

Devbir Kalsi is charged with false imprisonment, felony battery, child abuse, denying access to 911. Jasbir Kalsi is charged with aggravated battery with a deadly weapon, false imprisonment, child abuse, denying access to 911. Bhupinder Kalsi is charged with battery domestic violence and failure to report child abuse.

They were also ordered to not contact the victim and her daughter and have to surrender their passports. Officials said the mom and dad had been visiting from India for the last month.

This is an ongoing investigation.
A Potosi man faces several charges stemming from a November 2016 traffic stop in Washington County, according to a probable cause statement obtained from the Washington County Prosecuting Attorneys office.

Records reflect that Ricky Turntine, 30, of Potosi, was pulled over on Nov. 11, 2016 by a Washington Sheriffs Department deputy for a license violation. Turntine was driving a Chevrolet truck but the license plate was registered to a Ford.

Turntine informed the deputy that he did not have a license because his driving privileges had been suspended. Additionally, he could not provide proof of insurance.

The deputy received permission to search the truck and found a digital scale with white residue, several unused baggies, two baggies containing a crystalline substance, two bags with white residue, and a bag containing six oval pills.

Turntine was arrested and the substances were sent to the Missouri State Highway Patrol Crime Laboratory for analysis. The crystalline substance and powder tested positive as methamphetamine, while the pills were identified as Morphine.

Turntine is charged with three class C felony charges of possession of a controlled substance, one class D felony charge of possession of drug paraphernalia with intent to use, and three misdemeanors related to the traffic stop.

He was jailed on a $45,000 bond.
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Call after call came in across the walkie-talkie phone app Zello - a disabled veteran, water filling his home, unable to climb on the roof; a woman with two young children, standing on the counter above her flooded kitchen; the daughter of an elderly woman who said she was chest-deep in water in her house.

As Harvey pounded Southeast Texas late into Tuesday night, pouring water into homes, overwhelming first responders and leaving residents stranded, they turned to social media: posting on Facebook and Twitter and calling into Zello, used by the Cajun Navy, begging for help.

"80 year old handicapped wheelchair assisted mom alone in 4 feet of flood water since 1:30. PLEASE SAVE MY MAMA" one posted on the City of Port Arthur's page. "My cousins need rescuing they on top of the house they been there since last night," another posted on Mayor Derrick Freeman's page on Wednesday.

So many people took to social media asking for help that authorities had to remind them to call 911, though the lines were inundated and busy during the peak of the storm.

"Our heart is breaking for our community and we are trying to help in as many ways as possible. Please call your local Emergency Management Office for assistance or for an emergency, call 911," Jefferson County Sheriff's Office wrote on Facebook.

"Do not leave messages asking for help in our inbox. We do not monitor social media constantly."

So many calls were received in Port Arthur that Beaumont and Jefferson County dispatchers took calls for the city. Around the region, officials worked to respond to more rescues than they could handle.

As officials and military worked around the clock in full force, a civilian army stepped up as well, organizing and launching themselves  and their boats  into the storm.

'A village of strangers'

"It took a village of complete strangers," said Kristi Spell, who was pulling names and addresses from the list of those needing rescue and directing boats, including her son's, to their homes last week.

The Nederland woman estimated volunteer boats had rescued hundreds from Port Arthur as the city flooded Tuesday night and Wednesday. "I was listening, searching the rescue website, and just plugging in whatever addresses we could get to," Spell said.

Multiple websites sprang up through the week to coordinate rescues, starting in Houston and expanding to Southeast Texas as the need grew.

Matthew Marchetti, co-creator of one, Houston-HarveyRescue.com, said pleas for help from Port Arthur peaked at 2,700 on Wednesday.

They responded to calls throughout the region, including Orange, Hardin and Jefferson counties, with volunteer dispatchers on Zello directing boats to launch points and checking off addresses after they were saved.

The site, which was launched on the first night of Houston's floods, quickly adapted to assist in the Golden Triangle. After realizing the calls from Southeast Texas weren't a glitch, they were able to redirect anyone who wasn't already in Houston to help here.

Boaters, and those with trucks that could pass through high water, came from places spared from Harvey's worst devastation within the region, like Spell's family, and from miles and hours away as well. Marchetti said they had volunteers drive in with boats from as far away as New York. On Saturday afternoon, a call came in over Zello from Californians, driving halfway across the country and offering to help with the relief effort.

Many came from Lousiana. The Cajun Navy, whose members arrived in Texas to offer rescues, boats and resources, also relied on social media, communicating over Zello and Facebook.

'Apps and phones'

Behind the scenes, efforts were widespread as well. The ability to help remotely brought volunteers on board who wouldn't or couldn't have mobilized.

Tejus Mane, a Beaumont resident who was out of town during the storm, signed on to take down information and addresses, entering it into forms and databases that dispatchers could use.

"It was pretty well organized for just a bunch of civilians with a couple of apps and phones," said Matthew Bukovicky, a Lamar graduate student who coordinated rescues and supply trucks in Beaumont and Port Arthur from Houston. He texted members of the Cajun Navy to help guide them, he said, as well as his fraternity brothers who ran rescues this week.

From as far away as Massachusetts, Annie Dubin, a retired emergency room nurse, provided medical advice to dispatchers, including suggestions to help triage rescues and information on what to do about snake bites.

Her son, Brewster Brownville, wasn't familiar with the Cajun Navy, but through the app was helping connect them with those stranded in their homes. Neither had any ties to the Golden Triangle but were mobilized by a tweet asking for help.

"We all knew that people's lives were on the line," he said.

"One of the things that they said while dispatching was, this is not a substitute for 911, this is not a guaranteed rescue, we'll try our best," Mane said. "I was getting antsy and feeling helpless and like I should be doing something. Social media definitely helped get everyone involved."

"It's not an issue communicating and coordinating. It doesn't even feel like they're there," said Bukovicky, who has spoken regularly to Brownville without knowing he was 1,800 miles away in New England.

'Do something'

The patchwork response and the chaos of social media waisn't without pitfalls: people publicized their addresses, numbers and personal information, which could put them at risk, some calls were entered multiple times, and some weren't marked as completed after a rescue was made. Volunteers are still calling and texting this weekend to confirm that everyone marked as rescued is safe.

Bukovicky said information quality has been an issue as well: pranksters have used Zello to call responders to empty fields, and some have tried to take advantage of drawing rescuers out only to ambush and mug them. Now if a call comes in that seems strange or a little off, rescuers will ask police to go with them, and they're urging people not to travel alone.

Jefferson County Sheriff's Deputy Marcus McLellan said the volunteer response was "great" when the need was highest and praised the organization of the Cajun Navy and Texas Navy volunteer fleets who worked alongside and communicated with authorities to conduct rescues.

But those trying to subvert officials and act on their own pose a problem, he said, like the groups trying to rescue animals on their own despite orders from the Sheriff's office not to enter Bevil Oaks.

As the water starts to recede in some areas, and the focus shifts from rescues to providing relief, social media continues to provide a platform: several of the rescue websites are now collecting donations and working to connect people with the supplies they need using the same systems.

Family members have asked for volunteers to check on their elderly relatives and to bring food and water to those who can't get out on their own.

Marchetti said this week demonstrated that open-sourcing rescues could work, despite the flaws, and hopes it can be used again in the future.

"It's our home and our community, you've got to try to do something," Bukovicky said. "If you can't be on the ground rescuing or cleaning up, you at least can donate time in some way to help your community."

LTeitz@BeaumontEnterprise.com

Tw#mce_temp_url#itter.com/LizTeitz
A blog about life under, and resisting, a dictatorship
Firefighters were called to tackle the blaze

Arsonists have caused extensive damage to a property in Co Armagh.

The attack happened in the early hours of Sunday morning in Connolly Place, Lurgan.

Detective Inspector Stephen Harvey said: "The police alongside the Northern Ireland Fire and Rescue Service (NIFRS) attended the scene shortly after 3.00am, which police are treating as arson with intent to endanger life.

"The fire caused extensive damage to the property. Thankfully nobody was in the house at the time."
Snow and ice could cause problems

The road has been closed.

Follow the latest updates from our travel feed below

The Dobbin Road in Armagh has been reopend folowing an earlier crash.

Diversions are in place and traffic is being diverted onto the Vicarage Road, delays are expected.

Our live updates from across Northern Ireland are compiled by @TrafficwatchNI, @BBCNITravel and @PSNITraffic.
With little happening at Stormont it could become a pub, one Belfast man has suggested.

Given the current political stalemate a petition has been launched with the novel idea to turn Stormont into a pub.

With the corridors of power on the hill likely to remain silent for some time Belfast man James Ashe has called for Parliament buildings to become a Wetherspoon franchise.

"Stormont is lying empty," he said on the change.org site, "but it'd make a proper class Spoons, so it would. Let's employ the DUP and Sinn Fein MLAs and make them work for their money.

"And update the licensing laws too while we're at it."

Just over 1,000 people have pledged their support to the campaign which will be delivered to Secretary of State James Brokenshire.

In the comments, one supporter said it would be great to see politicians "serve the people of Northern Ireland".

Northern Ireland's devolved institutions have been in a state of limbo since January when Sinn Fein pulled out of government. The republican party has called for outstanding issues to be resolved, such as legacy issues and an Irish language act as well as calling for DUP leader Arlene Foster to stand aside to allow the inquiry into the botched Renewable Heating Incentive to report.

Last week Sinn Fein rejected a proposal from Mrs Foster offering a time-frame for the introduction of an Irish language act with the Executive restored immediately.

In the coming week Secretary of State James Brokenshire is to meet with the main parties in a bid to explore options of where to turn next. He will be hoping he will not have to call time and introduce direct rule.
Shots were fired at the home of a grandmother in Lurgan. Two young children were sleeping in the home at the time. Freddie Parkinson PressEye

A grandmother and her two young grandchildren escaped injury in a shooting attack in Lurgan.

Police said two shots were fired through the living room window of the house in the Shimna Walk area of the town at about 10.30pm on Saturday.

A man was seen fleeing the scene moments later.

DUP MLA Carla Lockhart said the incident had left the grandmother and the children "very distressed".

"Obviously they are extremely worried," she said.

"I have talked to the PSNI and there is a need now for them to work and increase resources in the area in order to restore community confidence.

"A lot of people are very concerned. This is a quiet area and a lot of elderly people live nearby. I would urge anyone with information to report it to the police. The sooner then have information, the quicker they can work to catch those responsible."

Sinn Fein MLA John O'Dowd also condemned the incident.

"Thankfully no one was injured in this incident but it must have been a frightening experience for those involved," he said.

"There is no place for guns on the streets and those behind these attacks need to end their war with the community.

"I would call on anyone with information to contact the PSNI."

Detective Inspector Stephen Harvey added: A woman in her 50s and her two young grandchildren - who were asleep upstairs in the house at the time of the incident - were uninjured.

We are carrying out a number of follow-up enquiries and were particularly keen to speak to anyone who was in the area at the time. If you have any information that could help our investigation, please contact police on the non-emergency number, quoting reference 1487 of 2/9/17.

Alternatively, information can also be given anonymously through the independent charity Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.
Lobbyists want 60,000 businesses in Ireland to receive 2,000 euro for handling customs for the first time after Brexit

Thousands of businesses in Ireland should receive 2,000 euro for dealing with customs for the first time after Brexit, a lobby group said.

An estimated 60,000 small and medium-sized firms which trade with the UK would be eligible for vouchers from the Irish Government if the proposal by the British Irish Chamber of Commerce is adopted.

It would target traders who are ill-equipped for the extra red tape created by customs procedures.

The report said: "The costs associated with training and the on-going administrative burden for small and medium-sized enterprises will be significant."

The Chamber recommended that the voucher scheme would be open to all small or medium-sized companies dealing with customs for the first time to help them seek specialist advice and train staff.

The report added: "These SMEs currently trade with UK exporters and importers as if they were in their home market.

"Many of these SMEs will be ill-equipped for the administrative and logistical burden of dealing with customs procedures on a regular basis."

Smaller firms are by far the most numerous in Ireland.

The British Government has proposed a future customs arrangement which would see 80% of businesses on the island entirely exempt from any new tariffs post-Brexit.

The exemption would apply to small and medium-sized enterprises involved in localised cross-border trade.

UK Government suggestions would see larger companies engaged in international trade adhering to any new customs regime by completing retrospective declarations either online or at their premises.

If the UK exits the single market after March 2018, barriers to trade will include custom controls, rules of origin checks, differences in regulations, diverging standards and anti-dumping duties, the British Irish Chamber said.

Eight-five thousand Irish businesses trade with the UK, of which 68,000 are small to medium traders - it is estimated 60,000 of these will be dealing with customs for the first time, the report said.

Revenue calculations suggest that custom declarations in Ireland will go from one million to 20 - 30 million, it added.

According to the OECD, crossing the border, documentation and customs compliance requirements, lengthy administrative procedures and other delays can increase transaction costs by up to a quarter of the value of traded goods.

In some countries, revenue losses from inefficient border procedures may exceed 5% of GDP.
More than 100 people who worked at Bletchley Park have been reunited 78 years after the start of the Second World War (Aaron Chown/PA)

Staff who helped uncover secret Nazi communications were reunited at Britains former code-breaking headquarters on Sunday  the 78th anniversary of Britain declaring war on Germany.

More than 100 veterans gathered at Bletchley Park, Buckinghamshire, where the German Enigma cipher was broken during the Second World War.

Military historians believe this was one of the conflicts major turning points  enabling the British to unlock German navy messages and save Allied convoys.

Expand Close Oxford-educated economist Arthur Maddocks said the Enigma machine was a "revelation" (Aaron Chown/PA) PA / Facebook

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Whatsapp Oxford-educated economist Arthur Maddocks said the Enigma machine was a "revelation" (Aaron Chown/PA)

Arthur Maddocks, 95, remembered being given lines of code by clever boys next door when he would look for patterns and feed it through a machine.

The Oxford-educated economist told the Press Association: The work was repetitive, like solving a puzzle over and over again, but you were sustained by remembering its vast importance.

If it had been worked out correctly, out would come a stream of beautiful clear German text. It was absolutely sensational, a revelation. I thought to myself the wars over, the Germans cant possibly win.

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Mr Maddocks, who became a diplomat after the war, said: Its rather an exaggeration to be called heroes  the real heroes were the poor buggers doing the fighting.

Some 10,000 staff  three-quarters of them women  from aristocrats to secretaries worked at the stately mansion at the height of the war, while thousands more were posted overseas.

Scores of former workers  most well into their 90s  gathered in the sprawling grounds to remember their efforts.

Betty Webb MBE, 94, had been handling top-tier Nazi communications about the Holocaust as an 18-year-old typist  but only found out decades later.

Expand Close Hazel Pearson (left) and Betty Webb chat during a photocall (Aaron Chown/PA) PA / Facebook

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Whatsapp Hazel Pearson (left) and Betty Webb chat during a photocall (Aaron Chown/PA)

She said: Outside your own office, nobody talked about what they did. You had to be very strict with yourself.

I guess I was more involved than I thought at the time. It became more and more apparent as the years passed how important Bletchley was  it helped shape the world as we know it.

Bletchley was chosen as the main intelligence site as cities were more likely to be bombed, and housed some of the worlds most gifted minds such as computer scientist Alan Turing.

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Staff who worked in intelligence had to sign the Official Secrets Act and could not talk about their work for decades.

But the code-breaking push was not all completed from inside the gates of Bletchley.

Doris Tuffin, 94, talked of the relief of being able to discuss her wartime work, having been a transmitter in Colombo, Sri Lanka.

Expand Close Barbara Wood (left) and Doris Tuffin (Aaron Chown/PA) PA / Facebook

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Whatsapp Barbara Wood (left) and Doris Tuffin (Aaron Chown/PA)

She said: We were all proud Brits and thats why we signed up. Hitler was taking other countries but he jolly well wasnt having ours.

Its such a relief to come here because you had to keep the secret for so long.

Meanwhile Bertha Gooderson, 94, described transmitting intercepted Japanese messages while posted in Kenya.

Expand Close Bertha Gooderson worked in Kenya and remembers intercepting Japanese messages (Aaron Chown/PA) PA / Facebook

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Whatsapp Bertha Gooderson worked in Kenya and remembers intercepting Japanese messages (Aaron Chown/PA)

The former member of the Womens Royal Navy Service (WRNS) said she joined up because she loved the sea.

November marks the centenary of the WRNS being established  and scores of its first generation were in attendance.

Mrs Webb, who went on to become an army recruiter and was even sent to the Pentagon as part of a British team, added: If it wasnt for Bletchley we might not be dealing with the world we are today  I feel very privileged to have been part of it.

Sunday marked 78 years since Britain, whose prime minister was then Neville Chamberlain, declared war on Germany on September 3 1939, following Hitlers invasion of Poland.
She wears high heels everyday.



And she LIVES with a disaster.



For her, it's just normal wear.



(I also understand as soon as she got into the limo, she put on sneakers.)



edited to add: I'm all for dumping on Trump - but I have nothing against his wife - and let's be real - if she had wore Payless shoes, people would have condemned her for not wanting to get her expensive shoes wet. She's in a no-win situation as long as she's with It.
Rough Guide readers have voted Scotland the most beautiful country in the world (Yui Mok/PA)

Tourism bosses have welcomed a number one listing for Scotland by readers of an influential travel guide.

The readers of Rough Guide voted the nation as the most beautiful country in the world, beating Canada to the number one slot in the top 20 countries.

In its listing, which also includes countries such as New Zealand, Finland, Norway and South Africa, the guide states: And finally, the worlds most beautiful country is revealed: Scotland.

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Who can deny that these wild beaches, deep lochs and craggy castles are some of the most wonderful and beautiful sights in the world?

Neighbouring England came in at number seven in the readers poll and Wales voted number 10.

Malcolm Roughead, chief executive of VisitScotland, believes the title will attract more visitors to Scotland.

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He said We are delighted that Scotland has received this remarkable accolade from Rough Guide readers, but of course it will not be a surprise to anyone who has encountered our wonderful country.

From our awe-inspiring landscapes to our remarkable historic attractions, to our bustling but beautiful urban centres, Scotland takes peoples breaths away.

Our latest campaign, the Spirit of Scotland, was based on feedback from visitors that they get a special feeling while in the country  whether its in the wilds of Glen Coe on a stormy day or taking part in a ceilidh on Burns Night  there is something different about Scotland that they cant experience anywhere else in the world.

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Of course, with great beauty comes great responsibility and we urge both visitors and residents alike to respect Scotlands natural assets to protect and preserve them for many generations to come.
Relief camps in Bangladesh are reaching full capacity as thousands of Rohingya refugees continue to flee violence in western Burma.

UN High Commissioner for Refugees spokeswoman Vivian Tan said some 73,000 people have crossed the border since violence erupted on August 25.

Another aid official said earlier that more than 50 refugees have arrived with bullet injuries and have been moved to hospitals in Cox's Bazar.

Refugees reaching the Bangladeshi fishing village of Shah Porir Dwip described bombs exploding and Rohingya Muslims being burned alive in a military crackdown.

Both Burma's security officials and Rohingya insurgents are accusing each other of atrocities in Rakhine state.

The military has said nearly 400 people, most of them insurgents, have died in clashes following rebel attacks on security posts.

Aid workers said that large numbers of refugees required immediate medical attention as they were suffering from respiratory diseases, infection and malnutrition.

The existing medical facilities in the border area were insufficient to cope with the influx and more aid and paramedics were needed, aid workers said.

"We fled to Bangladesh to save our lives," said a man who only gave his first name, Karim. "The military and extremist Rakhine are burning us, burning us, killing us, setting our village on fire."

He said he paid for each of his family members to be smuggled on a wooden boat to Bangladesh after soldiers killed 110 Rohingya in their village of Kunnapara, near the coastal town of Maungdaw.

"The military destroyed everything. After killing some Rohingya, the military burned their houses and shops," he said. "We have a baby who is eight days only, and an old woman who is 105."

Satellite imagery analysed by Human Rights Watch shows hundreds of buildings had been destroyed in at least 17 sites across Rakhine state since August 25, including some 700 structures that appeared to have been burned down in just the village of Chein Khar Li, the rights watchdog said.

The government blames the insurgents for burning their own homes and killing Buddhists in Rakhine. Long-standing tension between the Rohingya Muslims and Buddhists erupted in bloody rioting in 2012, forcing more than 100,000 Rohingya into displacement camps, where many still live.

Bangladeshi police said on Thursday that three boats carrying refugees had capsized in the Naf River, killing at least 26, including women and children.

AP
Kem Sokha prays during a Buddhist ceremony to mark the 20th anniversary of an attack on anti-government protesters in 1997, in Phnom Penh (AP Photo/Heng Sinith, File)

Police have arrested the leader of Cambodia's main opposition party in a surprise raid on his home in the capital, and the government have accused him of treason.

The arrest of Kem Sokha early on Sunday dealt a major blow to the opposition ahead of elections due next year and was sure to raise political tensions in the volatile Southeast Asian country.

The move comes amid a push by the government of Prime Minister Hun Sen, one of the world's longest serving rulers, to shut critical news outlets in what analysts say is a bid to strengthen its position before the 2018 vote.

Kem Sokha was taken away in handcuffs after a force of between 100 to 200 officers arrived at his Phnom Penh home around midnight, according his daughter, Monovithya Kem, who is also a member of his Cambodia National Rescue Party.

She said on Twitter that police showed no warrant for her father's arrest, and that his whereabouts were unknown.

Interior ministry spokesman General Khieu Sopheak said that Kem Sokha was detained at the Tropeang Phlong prison facility in Tbuong Khmum province, some 80 miles from Phnom Penh.

He said the next step will be his court appearance to officially face the charges, which carry a prison sentence of 15 to 30 years.

"In the video clip that the government obtained, he has admitted himself that he was trained and received funding from a powerful foreign country to topple the government," the general said.

"This is a clear crime and there's no need to make further investigation because he has confessed already."

In an official statement issued after the arrest, the government said it had obtained a video clip and other evidence indicating "secret plans of a conspiracy between Kem Sokha ... and foreigners to harm the Kingdom of Cambodia".

The statement gave no details but called the actions "treason."

Kem Sokha's party said the arrest violated the constitution because he has parliamentary immunity and called on the government to release him.

The administration of Hun Sen, an authoritarian leader who has held a tight grip on power for more than three decades, has put increasing legal pressure on its critics, the media and political opponents ahead of national elections due in July.

Legal threats forced Kem Sokha's predecessor, Sam Rainsy, to resign this year from the Cambodia National Rescue Party that he had led.

John Sifton, Asia advocacy director at Human Rights Watch, said the arrest was "an extremely disturbing development and a setback for democracy in Cambodia".

"The government's charges lack credibility, given its long record of misusing its legal system to silence or intimidate critics and political opponents," he said.

AP
Sam Speights tries to hold back tears while holding his dogs and surveying the damage to his home

Lake Charles rescue personnel help residents exit from the back of a vehicle late Monday night, Aug. 28, 2017, in Lake Charles, La., after flooding from Harvey's almost constant rain over the last two days overcame the city's drainage system, flooding several subdivisions and necessitating home rescues. (AP Photo/Rogelio V. Solis)

Rescue boats fill a flooded street as flood victims are evacuated as floodwaters from Tropical Storm Harvey rise Monday, Aug. 28, 2017, in Houston. (AP Photo/David J. Phillip)

Residents ride in the bed of an emergency vehicle carrying them to safety following flooding to their homes late Monday night, Aug. 28, 2017 in Lake Charles, La. Almost constant rain over the last two days from Harvey, overcame the city's drainage system, flooding several subdivisions and necessitating home rescues. (AP Photo/Rogelio V. Solis)

In this aerial photo wave crash in the wake of Hurricane Harvey, Monday, Aug. 28, 2017, in Corpus Christi, Texas. Harvey hit the coast as a Category 4 hurricane. (Gabe Hernandez/Corpus Christi Caller-Times via AP)

This aerial photo shows a view of damage in the wake of Hurricane Harvey, Monday, Aug. 28, 2017, in Corpus Christi, Texas. Harvey hit the coast as a Category 4 hurricane. (Gabe Hernandez/Corpus Christi Caller-Times via AP)

This photo shows The First Baptist Church roof after it was peeled off by Hurricane Harvey in Refugio, Texas, on Monday, Aug. 28, 2017. (Nick Wagner/Austin American-Statesman via AP)

Texas Gov. Greg Abbott surveys damage on Pearl Street in Rockport, Texas, during a tour of damage from Hurricane Harvey, on Monday, Aug. 28, 2017. Harvey hit the coast as a Category 4 hurricane. (Courtney Sacco/Corpus Christi Caller-Times via AP)

This Sunday, Aug. 27, 2017, photo provided by Ramit Plushnick-Masti, shows her husband, Rafi, standing in waist-high water inside their flooded home in Houston's Meyerland neighborhood that was caused by Tropical Storm Harvey. Plushnick-Masti and her family intended to ride out the storm in their Houston home, but their plan changed when the floodwaters rose over the weekend. (Ramit Plushnick-Masti via AP)

Airplanes are twisted in a damaged hangar left in the wake of Hurricane Harvey, Monday, Aug. 28, 2017, in Rockport, Texas. (AP Photo/Eric Gay)

Conception Casa, center, and his friend Jose Martinez, right, check on Rhonda Worthington after her car became stuck in rising floodwaters from Tropical Storm Harvey in Houston, Texas, Monday, Aug. 28, 2017. The two men were evacuating their home that had become flooded when they encountered Worthington's car floating off the road. (AP Photo/LM Otero)

This aerial photo shows a view of damage in the wake of Hurricane Harvey, Monday, Aug. 28, 2017, in Corpus Christi, Texas. Harvey hit the coast as a Category 4 hurricane. (Gabe Hernandez/Corpus Christi Caller-Times via AP)

HOUSTON, TX - AUGUST 28: People are rescued from a flooded neighborhood after it was inundated with rain water, remnants of Hurricane Harvey, on August 28, 2017 in Houston, Texas. Harvey, which made landfall north of Corpus Christi late Friday evening, is expected to dump upwards to 40 inches of rain in areas of Texas over the next couple of days. (Photo by Scott Olson/Getty Images) *** BESTPIX ***

This aerial photo shows damaged boats along a dock in the wake of Hurricane Harvey, Monday, Aug. 28, 2017, in Corpus Christi, Texas. Harvey hit the coast as a Category 4 hurricane. (Gabe Hernandez/Corpus Christi Caller-Times via AP)

A truck driver walks while checking the depth of an underpass during the aftermath of Hurricane Harvey on August 28, 2017 in Houston, Texas. / AFP PHOTO / Brendan Smialowski (Photo credit should read BRENDAN SMIALOWSKI/AFP/Getty Images) *** BESTPIX ***

HOUSTON, TX - AUGUST 28: Residents are evacuated from their homes after severe flooding following Hurricane Harvey in the Cypresswood Creek subdivision in north Houston August 28, 2017 in Houston, Texas. Harvey, which made landfall north of Corpus Christi late Friday evening, is expected to dump upwards of 40 inches of rain over the next couple of days. (Photo by Win McNamee/Getty Images) *** BESTPIX ***

HOUSTON, TX - AUGUST 28: People are rescued from a flooded neighborhood after it was inundated with rain water, remnants of Hurricane Harvey, on August 28, 2017 in Houston, Texas. Harvey, which made landfall north of Corpus Christi late Friday evening, is expected to dump upwards to 40 inches of rain in areas of Texas over the next couple of days. (Photo by Scott Olson/Getty Images)

This aerial photo shows a view of damage in the wake of Hurricane Harvey, Monday, Aug. 28, 2017, in Corpus Christi, Texas. Harvey hit the coast as a Category 4 hurricane. (Gabe Hernandez/Corpus Christi Caller-Times via AP)

HOUSTON, TX - AUGUST 28: Evacuees fill up cots at the George Brown Convention Center that has been turned into a shelter run by the American Red Cross to house victims of the high water from Hurricane Harvey on August 28, 2017 in Houston, Texas. Harvey, which made landfall north of Corpus Christi late Friday evening, is expected to dump upwards to 40 inches of rain in areas of Texas over the next couple of days. (Photo by Erich Schlegel/Getty Images)

Volunteers use their boat to help evacuate residents as floodwaters from Tropical Storm Harvey rise Monday, Aug. 28, 2017, in Spring, Texas. (AP Photo/David J. Phillip)

Authorities in Houston have warned residents affected by Hurricane Harvey more flooding is likely.

Nine days after Harvey ripped its way across Texas, areas of west Houston braced for more water - not from the storm but from controlled releases to relieve swollen reservoirs.

Crews were urging residents whose homes had already taken on water to flee, and that they were shutting off power in some areas.

"If you have water in your homes, I have issued a mandatory evacuation for them because it's dangerous for those who are choosing to live there," Mayor Sylvester Turner told NBC.

"But also, it's very, very dangerous for our public responders, first responders, who are needing to be out there, trying to provide protection to them," he added.

Meanwhile, officials in nearby Beaumont worked to repair its water treatment plant, which failed after the swollen Neches River inundated the main intake system and backup pumps halted.

The Army Corps of Engineers sent pumps, and an ExxonMobil team built and installed a temporary intake pipe to try to refill a city reservoir. Exxon has a refinery and chemical plants in Beaumont.

In Crosby, outside of Houston, authorities continued to monitor the Arkema plant where three trailers of highly unstable compounds ignited in recent days, sending thick black smoke and tall flames into the air. A Harris County fire marshal spokeswoman said there were no active fires at the facility, but six more trailers were being watched.

Elsewhere, people began burying the dead and taking steps towards recovery. Friends and family gathered on Saturday in Tyler to remember a former high school football and track coach whose body was found on August 28.

The storm has been blamed for at least 44 deaths. Fire officials in the community of New Waverly, about 55 miles north of Houston, said a six-month-old was missing and presumed dead after being swept away by floodwaters, the Houston Chronicle reported.

Houston's school district said up to 12,000 students would be sent to different schools because of flood-damaged buildings. Harvey flooding is believed to have damaged at least 156,000 dwellings in Harris County, which includes the nation's fourth-largest city.

About 200 people waved signs and shouted as they rallied on Saturday outside a still-flooded subdivision in the western suburb of Katy, demanding to know when they can return home.

Mr Turner has warned residents that their homes could remain flooded for up to 15 days because of ongoing releases of water from two reservoirs protecting the city centre. About 4,700 dwellings are in the area affected by Mr Turner's evacuation order, but hundreds have refused to leave.

The school district assessed its own losses. Twenty-two of its 245 schools had extensive damage that will keep them closed for months. Though school is set to start on September 11, more delays could come.

President Donald Trump made his second visit to the devastated region on Saturday. He and first lady Melania Trump met evacuees sheltering at the NRG Centre in Houston, where they spent time with children and helped to serve food. Later, they helped load trucks with relief supplies at a suburban church. They also visited Lake Charles, Louisiana, to survey damage.

About 1,000 evacuees remained at the George R Brown Convention Centre, down from a peak of about 10,000.

Mr Trump has asked legislators for a 7.9 billion dollar (6 billion) down payment towards Harvey relief and recovery efforts - a request expected to be swiftly approved by Congress, which returns to work on Tuesday after its summer break.

Texas Governor Greg Abbott has called that a simple "down payment" on recovery funding he expects to soar past 120 billion dollars (93 billion).

Harvey came ashore on August 25 as a Category 4 hurricane, then went back out to sea and lingered for days off the coast as a tropical storm.

The storm brought five straight days of rain totalling close to 52 inches in one location, the heaviest tropical downpour ever recorded in the continental US.

Another storm churned far out over the Atlantic. Hurricane Irma was on a course that could bring it near the eastern Caribbean Sea by early this week. The Category 2 storm was moving north-west at nearly 13 mph. No coastal watches or warnings were in effect.

AP
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un at an undisclosed location, as state media said he had inspected the loading of a hydrogen bomb into a new ICBM (KRT via AP Video)

US Defence Secretary Jim Mattis has reacted to North Korea's latest nuclear test by saying threats to the United States and its allies "will be met with a massive military response".

Mr Mattis spoke at the White House following a meeting with President Donald Trump and national security advisers. He said any response will be "both effective and overwhelming".

Mr Mattis said the United States is "not looking to the total annihilation" of North Korea, but added "we have many options to do so".

North Korea claimed "perfect success" in an underground test of what it called a hydrogen bomb - potentially vastly more destructive than an atomic bomb.

It was the North's sixth nuclear test since 2006, but the first since Mr Trump took office in January.

In a brief statement to reporters Mr Mattis said the international community was unified in demanding the denuclearisation of the Korean peninsula and said the North's leader, Kim Jong Un, should know that Washington's commitment to Japan and South Korea is unshakeable.

Earlier, Mr Trump raised the stakes in the escalating crisis over North Korea's nuclear threats, suggesting drastic economic measures against China and criticising ally South Korea.

With General Joseph Dunford, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, at his side, Mr Mattis said: "Any threat to the United States or its territories, including Guam, or our allies will be met with a massive military response - a response both effective and overwhelming."

Those words alone were within the usual bounds of US commentary on answering North Korean aggression. But he seemed to take it a step further with the reference to "total annihilation".

Mr Mattis, who did not take questions from reporters, said he had attended a "small group" national security meeting with Mr Trump and others. He said the president wanted to be briefed on each of what Mr Mattis called "many military options" for action against North Korea.

"We made clear that we have the ability to defend ourselves and our allies, South Korea and Japan, from any attacks, and our commitments among the allies are ironclad," he said.

Mr Trump, asked by a reporter during a trip to church services if he would attack the North, said: "We'll see."

The precise strength of the underground nuclear explosion had yet to be determined. South Korea's weather agency said the artificial earthquake caused by the explosion was five times to six times stronger than tremors generated by the North's previous five tests.

North Korea's state-run television broadcast a special bulletin to announce the test, and said Kim attended a meeting of the ruling party's presidium and signed the go-ahead order.

Earlier, the party's newspaper published photos of Kim examining what it said was a nuclear warhead being fitted onto an intercontinental ballistic missile.

Sunday's detonation builds on recent North Korean advances that include test launches in July of two ICBMs that are believed to be capable of reaching the mainland US.

The North says its missile development is part of a defensive effort to build a viable nuclear deterrent that can target US cities.

The Arms Control Association said the explosion appeared to produce a yield in excess of 100 kilotons of TNT equivalent, which it said strongly suggests the North tested a high-yield but compact nuclear weapon that could be launched on a missile of intermediate or intercontinental range.

Hans Kristensen, a nuclear weapons expert at the Federation of American Scientists, said the North probably will need to do more tests before achieving a functioning hydrogen bomb design.

Beyond the science of the blast, North Korea's accelerating push to field a nuclear weapon that can target all of the United States is creating political complications for the US as it seeks to balance resolve with reassurance to allies that Washington will uphold its decades-long commitment to deter nuclear attack on South Korea and Japan.

That is why some questioned Mr Trump's jab on Sunday at South Korea.

He tweeted that Seoul is finding that its "talk of appeasement" will not work.

The North Koreans, he added, "only understand one thing", implying military force might be required.

The US has about 28,000 troops stationed in South Korea and is obliged by treaty to defend it in the event of war.

Mr Trump also suggested putting more pressure on China, the North's patron for many decades and a vital US trading partner, in hopes of persuading Beijing to exert more effective leverage on its neighbour.

Mr Trump tweeted that the US is considering "stopping all trade with any country doing business with North Korea".

China's official Xinhua News Agency said President Xi Jinping and Russian leader Vladimir Putin, meeting on the sidelines of a Beijing-led economic summit, agreed "to adhere to the goal of the denuclearisation of the Korean Peninsula, have close communication and co-ordination and properly respond" to the test.

AP
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un inspected the loading of a hydrogen bomb into an ICBM, the country's state media has said (AP Photo/Wong Maye-E, File)

North Korea's leader Kim Jong Un has inspected the loading of a hydrogen bomb into a new intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM), the country's state media has said.

There will be some scepticism about the claim from experts about Pyongyang's assertion that it has mastered hydrogen technology.

But Sunday's statement by the state run Korean Central News Agency will raise already high worries on the Korean Peninsula and in Washington that the North is closer to its goal of an arsenal of viable nuclear ICBMs that can reach the US mainland.

KCNA said on Sunday that Mr Kim inspected the loading of an "H-bomb into the ICBM" during a visit to the North's nuclear weapons institute.

The North conducted two nuclear tests last year alone. The first involved what it claims to have been a hydrogen bomb and the second was its most powerful ever.

Experts and outside governments are sceptical of the hydrogen claim, but it is almost impossible to independently confirm North Korean statements about its highly secret weapons programme.

The key question is how far North Korea has got in efforts to consistently shrink down nuclear warheads so they can fit on long-range missiles.

South Korea's main spy agency has previously asserted that it does not think Pyongyang currently has the ability to develop miniaturised nuclear weapons that can be mounted on ballistic missiles.

Some experts think the North may have mastered this technology.

North Korea is thought to have a handful of rudimentary nuclear bombs and has spent decades trying to perfect a multistage, long-range missile to eventually carry smaller versions of those bombs.

The White House says President Donald Trump spoke to Prime Minister Shinzo Abe of Japan to discuss "ongoing efforts to maximise pressure on North Korea".

It did not say whether the conversation came before or after the North's claim about the loading of a hydrogen bomb into a new ICBM.

According to the White House, the two leaders reaffirmed the importance of close cooperation between the US, Japan and South Korea in the face of the growing threat from North Korea.

Mr Trump also noted that he looks forward to continued trilateral co-ordination on the margins of the United Nations General Assembly.
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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
No issue has torn President Donald J. Trump as much as DACA  that is, the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program enacted by the Obama administration in June 2012 to provide temporary legal status to undocumented immigrants who came to the United States as children. The White House has said that it will issue a decision on DACA's future Tuesday.

As a candidate, Trump had promised his supporters that if elected, he would eliminate DACA on "day one." But after he came into office, the new president could not pull the trigger.

"But the DACA situation is a very, very  it's a very difficult thing for me," Trump confessed to reporters in February. "Because, you know, I love these kids. I love kids. I have kids and grandkids. And I find it very, very hard doing what the law says exactly to do."

Trump promised to "deal with DACA with heart."

While candidate Trump pushed for tough enforcement of federal immigration law, President Trump clearly was moved by the same sentiments that prompted Sen. Orrin Hatch, R-Utah, to argue against rescinding a program that has allowed some 750,000 undocumented immigrants to remain in the country legally and apply for work permits.

"Like the president, I've long advocated for tougher enforcement of our existing immigration laws," Hatch said in a statement. "But we also need a workable, permanent solution for individuals who entered our country unlawfully as children through no fault of their own and who have built their lives here."

The calendar and a group of pro-enforcement state attorneys general apparently have prodded Trump to make up his mind, rather than allow the program to continue indefinitely.

In 2014 the attorneys general sued to stop the expansion of DACA and another Obama mandate  Deferred Action for American Parents, which provided legal status for 5 million undocumented immigrants who are related to DACA recipients. The attorneys general prevailed in federal courts and a 4-4 U.S. Supreme Court decision upheld their complaint.

In June the leader for the anti-DAPA attorneys general, Ken Paxton of Texas, wrote a letter that informed U.S. Attorney General Jeff Sessions his group would sue to end DACA if the administration did not rescind DACA by Sept. 5.

"This September 5 deadline is a political deadline, not a legal deadline," protested Marielena Hincapie, executive director of the National Immigration Law Center, in a statement. "It was completely manufactured by Texas Attorney General Paxton and other extremists within the White House and the Department of Justice, simply to box President Trump into a corner."

With Neil Gorsuch on the Supreme Court, Paxton and company are likely to succeed.

Even though he later signed an executive order, Obama understood that unilateral action was highly vulnerable to a legal challenge. In 2010 he was asked why he had not passed legislation to legalize undocumented immigrants. Obama responded, "I am president. I am not king. I can't do these things just by myself. We have a system of government that requires the Congress to work with the executive branch to make it happen."

In December 2010 congressional Democrats tried to pass the DREAM Act, which would have enacted a path to citizenship for some undocumented immigrants, but the measure garnered 55 votes  five short of the 60 needed to bring it to a floor vote.

One door closed, another opened. In 2012, Obama authorized DACA, which mimicked provisions of the DREAM Act, unilaterally  a method that by its very nature left the door open for a successor to end the program unilaterally.

Mark Krikorian of the pro-enforcement Center for Immigration Studies noted that the DREAM Act offered protections for "genuinely sympathetic cases of people who came as infants and toddlers." But, he added, "the DREAM Act itself was never intended to pass on its own  it was a marketing gimmick to make the case for amnestying all 12 million illegals."

Since Trump first failed to rescind DACA, the smart money has been on Trump reaching across the aisle and passing a measure that protects so-called Dreamers  who did not choose to come to the country illegally  but also bolsters enforcement, perhaps by funding the wall.

On Friday House Speaker Paul Ryan said he did not think Trump should rescind DACA, as "this is something that Congress has to fix." A "heartened" House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi invited Ryan to meet with Democrats. But when McClatchy News reported last week that the Trump White House was considering a compromise bill that included Dreamer protections and more law enforcement, Pelosi was incensed. As if to bolster Krikorian's point, she tweeted, "It is reprehensible to treat children as bargaining chips. America's DREAMers are not negotiable. "
As mayor of Jefferson, I urge you to vote no on the recall effort.

I believe in our constitutional right to vote. In fact, my goal was to restore the citizens right to vote. Ive been bullied, threatened, and stalked by a drone in my backyard.

Fiscally responsible: My use of an attorney is legal and advisable. My duties include approval of payables and signing checks.

Prior to swearing in, I submitted a worksheet to SunShot Energy (with six to eight awards between $750,000 and $2 million) for a project known as Bright Bridge Project, to beautify the bridge leading into Jefferson. An ethics violation was filed and subsequently dismissed. Dismissed. The ruling stated that the project would only benefit the city of Jefferson, not my friends or family. Hence, no conflict or nepotism.

I came to the mayoral position with no prior experience. Admittedly, Im still learning. Ive sought guidance and counsel from Jeffersons elected officials, the League of Oregon Cities, the Council of Governments, the interim city manager, other mayors and city managers. Ive attended coalition of mayors meetings in the mid-valley, City Council meetings and reviewed the city charter, Roberts' Rules of Order and city ordinances.

As mayor, Im responsible for keeping council meetings on track and in order. With 70-plus people attending meetings, I created structure by incorporating a system that includes a sign-in sheet for comment; once called upon, citizens can then approach the podium to address issues.

There is only one sign in town, Vote YES to Recall Mayor Hightower. Its strategically placed next to the school I work in. Its purpose is to intimidate and harass.

Cyndie Hightower

Jefferson (Sept. 1)
A lot of people think workers can be retrained. Retrained for what? Computers and robots do all the work. Right here in Albany at a well-known restaurant near the mall, I found I could order and pay from a computer tablet attached to the booth and skip the waitress or waiter completely. I won't be eating at that restaurant often.

Oregon is second from last of all the states in being a place to make a good living. Hawaii is last. The study stating this took into account job availability, wages, and taxes. Washington state is first of the 50 states in providing opportunity for a good living. And, Washington has a sales tax and also has the highest minimum wage in the country! So much for all the talk about paying a higher minimum wage or having a sales tax would ruin Oregon. (I read this study in a newspaper within the last eight months, so job numbers may be a little better for Oregon now, but many recent jobs are low-paying, service-sector jobs.)
I haven't noticedof the polling firms that now routinely ask if people think Trump is a liar or not-- most do-- whether or not people think Trump is a crook. I predict that in less than a year, thatbe a standard polling question-- and that eventually most Americans will say yes. I assume the majority ofreaders already are ready to say Trump is a crook. Personally, I saw it first hand when I was in Azerbaijan and visited the ridiculous-- and never officially opened-- Trump Tower in Baku. Trump and his crooked partners were laundering money for Afghan drug lords and the Iranian Revolutionary Guard. But that's just one project in one small country. Trump's business partners everywhere are the most corrupt and criminal elements in their countries. There iscountry where Trump has reputable, upstanding business partners.

Last week, writing for the American Constitution Society, Dan Froomkin reported that Trump's world of luxury real estate is fueled by money-laundering . And Mueller is studying the sector meticulously, especially in regard to the Putin-connected Russian and Ukrainian oligarchs, all of whom are a criminal-- Mafia-- class. ALL OF THEM... 100%... no exceptions. There are no legitimate Russian billionaires, only criminals who looted the state after the Soviet Union collapsed.

The fact that money-launderers flock to luxury real estate is nothing new, and isn't much of a mystery either. It's the direct result of a major loophole in U.S. government rules that require banks to report cash deposits over $10,000-- but allow property owners to accept $10 million in cash for a condo without divulging who gave it to them.





When it comes to the real estate business, the anti-money-laundering rules only apply to banks and other financial institutions. So when buyers take out a mortgage from a lender, they are extensively scrutinized and unusual amounts of cash are reported to the government.





But by paying all cash-- behavior that would reasonably raise the most suspicion-- real estate buyers actually avoid setting off any alarm bells. The real estate agents and owners pocketing huge sums are under no legal obligation to report that to anyone.





For fraudsters, drug cartels, oligarchs and corrupt foreign government officials looking for a way to launder huge sums of illicit cash-- and park it somewhere safe-- high-end real estate is the investment of choice. "You can put a lot of money in one place at one time, without raising any eyebrows," says Heather Lowe, legal counsel for the dirty-money watchdog group Global Financial Integrity.





The Treasury Department explains it this way: "The real estate market can be an attractive vehicle for laundering illicit gains because of the manner in which it appreciates in value, 'cleans' large sums of money in a single transaction, and shields ill-gotten gains from market instability and exchange-rate fluctuations."





A New York Times series in 2015 found that more than half of the $8 billion spent each year on New York residences that cost more than $5 million comes from shell corporations that mask the real owners' identities, one possible sign of money-laundering.





Under pressure after the New York Times series, Treasury Department officials in early 2016 decided to try an experiment in Miami-Dade County and Manhattan, ordering title insurance companies there to identify the individuals who owned the shell companies making all-cash purchases-- and requiring them to send copies of the buyers' IDs to the Treasury's Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FINCEN).





There were still some laughably large loopholes, chief among them the exemption of sales made with wire transfers, which are arguably the most common method of moving cash these days, especially from foreign sources.





But it helped: FINCEN reported on August 22 that a whopping 30 percent of the all-cash high-end real estate deals reported under the new program involved people who were already under government scrutiny due to potential money laundering-- including a One article in the Times series focused on apartments in the super-luxury Time Warner Center as an archetype, and "found a growing proportion of wealthy foreigners, at least 16 of whom have been the subject of government inquiries around the world, either personally or as heads of companies." That "included government officials and close associates of officials from Russia, Colombia, Malaysia, China, Kazakhstan and Mexico.





Another Times article concluded that "the flight of wealth accrued in the chaotic capitalism of post-Soviet Russia has been a powerful force behind the luxury condominium boom reordering New York Citys skyline."





Jennifer Shasky Calvery, then the direct of FINCEN, said last year that in her previous job-- prosecuting Russian organized crime-- she often found members "based outside of the United States were laundering their funds through the U.S. financial system. Often, this involved the suspected purchase of personal residences with criminal proceeds."





The Miami Herald reported last year that "Trump helped local developers sell condos to buyers from Latin America and Russia, including people allegedly involved in corruption and wrongdoing, as well as to dozens of anonymous offshore companies." Buyers included "members of a Russian-American organized crime group, a Venezuelan oilman convicted in a bribery scheme and a Mexican banker accused of robbing investors of their life savings."





McClatchy reported in May about "fugitive oligarchs and their kin accused of laundering Kazakh money in posh U.S. real estate-- including Trump Organization properties."





The U.S. Attorney's office in Manhattan abruptly and controversially settled a major money-laundering prosecution in May that had targeted Russian businessman Denis Katsyv, the owner of Prevezon Holdings. He was accused of laundering some of the $230 million he obtained through Russian tax fraud in luxury New York apartments.





None of those apartments were in Trump buildings-- but there was a connection to the Trump campaign: One of Kastyv's lawyers was Natalia Veselnitskaya, the Russian attorney who held a secret meeting in June 2016 with Trumps son, son-in-law and then-campaign manager, offering them Russian government information on Hillary Clinton.





And once the laundered money is invested in real estate, the people who control the shell company are truly home free. It's just that simple.





They can use the property as collateral for a loan. They can charge rent and put the money in a domestic bank account. Ownership of shell companies can be shifted at any time, with no indication in property records. And the owner of the shell company can simply turn around and sell the property-- walking away with clean money. Depositing rental income or the proceeds of a real estate sale into U.S. financial institution sets off no automatic alarm bells.





"There's really no impediment" to accessing the money after it's been put into U.S. real estate, said Peter D. Hardy, a partner at the Ballard Spahr law firm and contributor to the Money Laundering Watch blog.





There may be some tax issues related to income or capital gains. But, Hardy said, "lots of money-laundering schemes don't really involve tax fraud per se, in terms of hiding the income. It's really more about being able to use it."





Lowe said if Treasury wanted to seriously crack down on money laundering through real estate, it would require real estate agents to adopt the same kind of due-diligence, know-your-customer standards as financial institutions.





Neither his campaign nor his presidency have led Trump to shy away from selling real estate to shell companies-- one of the possible indicators of money-laundering. In fact, a USA Today investigation published in June found that since Trump won the Republican nomination, "the majority of his companies real estate sales are to secretive shell companies that obscure the buyers identities."





That's a much larger proportion than the two prior years, USA Today found, but to be fair, the main concern is not so much money-laundering anymore as "that the secretive sales create an extraordinary and unprecedented potential for people, corporations or foreign interests to try to influence a President."





Meanwhile, Trump is welcoming a major figure in luxury U.S. real estate money-laundering to the White House on September 12: Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak.





The Justice Department last year began the process of seizing more than $1 billion in assets of the 1Malaysia Development Berhad, the government-owned investment fund founded by Najib. Then-Attorney General Loretta E. Lynch called it "the largest single action ever brought under the Kleptocracy Asset Recovery Initiative."





Those assets include a $30.6 million penthouse at the Time Warner Center in Manhattan and a $39 million mansion in the Los Angeles hills, both bought by shell corporations.





Najeeb might even bring this up in conversation with Trump: The assets are currently frozen, but they haven't actually been seized yet.
Hansard (12 November 1940): BUSINESS OF THE HOUSE http://hansard.millbanksystems.com/commons/1940/nov/12/business-of-the-house#S5CV0365P0_19401112_HOC_260:

Mr. Lees-Smith: "May I ask the Prime Minister whether he has any statement to make with regard to the Business of the House?"

The Prime Minister (Mr. Churchill): "It will be fitting for the House to pay tribute to-day to the memory of the late Mr. Neville Chamberlain...

...Afterwards we desire to obtain the Business up to and including the fourth Order as well as the three Motions which follow. The statements and the Debate on the Contributions of India, Burma and the Colonies to the War Effort will be postponed. When the Business which I have outlined is concluded to-day, I shall propose that the House go into Secret Session in order that a statement may be made on the Business of the House.

Since we last met, the House has suffered a very grievous loss in the death of one of its most distinguished Members and of a statesman and public servant who, during the best part of three memorable years, was first Minister of the Crown.

The fierce and bitter controversies which hung around him in recent times were hushed by the news of his illness and are silenced by his death. In paying a tribute of respect and of regard to an eminent man who has been taken from us, no one is obliged to alter the opinions which he has formed or expressed upon issues which have become a part of history; but at the Lychgate we may all pass our own conduct and our own judgments under a searching review.

It is not given to human beings, happily for them, for otherwise life would be intolerable, to foresee or to predict to any large extent the unfolding course of events. In one phase men seem to have been right, in another they seem to have been wrong. Then again, a few years later, when the perspective of time has lengthened, all stands in a different setting. There is a new proportion. There is another scale of values. History with its flickering lamp stumbles along the trail of the past, trying to reconstruct its scenes, to revive its echoes, and kindle with pale gleams the passion of former days.

What is the worth of all this?

The only guide to a man is his conscience; the only shield to his memory is the rectitude and sincerity of his actions. It is very imprudent to walk through life without this shield, because we are so often mocked by the failure of our hopes and the upsetting of our calculations; but with this shield, however the fates may play, we march always in the ranks of honour.

It fell to Neville Chamberlain in one of the supreme crises of the world to be contradicted by events, to be disappointed in his hopes, and to be deceived and cheated by a wicked man. But what were these hopes in which he was disappointed? What were these wishes in which he was frustrated? What was that faith that was abused? They were surely among the most noble and benevolent instincts of the human heartthe love of peace, the toil for peace, the strife for peace, the pursuit of peace, even at great peril and certainly to the utter disdain of popularity or clamour.

Whatever else history may or may not say about these terrible, tremendous years, we can be sure that Neville Chamberlain acted with perfect sincerity according to his lights and strove to the utmost of his capacity and authority, which were powerful, to save the world from the awful, devastating struggle in which we are now engaged. This alone will stand him in good stead as far as what is called the verdict of history is concerned.

But it is also a help to our country and to our whole Empire, and to our decent faithful way of living that, however long the struggle may last, or however dark may be the clouds which overhang our path, no future generation of English-speaking folksfor that is the tribunal to which we appealwill doubt that, even at a great cost to ourselves in technical preparation, we were guiltless of the bloodshed, terror and misery which have engulfed so many lands and peoples, and yet seek new victims still.

Herr Hitler protests with frantic words and gestures that he has only desired peace. What do these ravings and outpourings count before the silence of Neville Chamberlain's tomb? Long and hard, hazardous years lie before us, but at least we entered upon them united and with clean hearts.

I do not propose to give an appreciation of Neville Chamberlain's life and character, but there were certain qualities, always admired in these Islands, which he possessed in an altogether exceptional degree. He had a physical and moral toughness of fibre which enabled him all through his varied career to endure misfortune and disappointment without being unduly discouraged or wearied. He had a precision of mind and an aptitude for business which raised him far above the ordinary levels of our generation. He had a firmness of spirit which was not often elated by success, seldom downcast by failure and never swayed by panic.

When, contrary to all his hopes, beliefs and exertions, the war came upon him, and when, as he himself said, all that he had worked for was shattered, there was no man more resolved to pursue the unsought quarrel to the death. The same qualities which made him one of the last to enter the war, made him one of the last who would quit it until the full victory of a righteous cause was won.

I had the singular experience of passing in a day from being one of his most prominent opponents and critics to being one of his principal lieutenants, and on another day of passing from serving under him to become the head of a Government of which, with perfect loyalty, he was content to be a member. Such relationships are unusual in our public life. I have before told the House on the morrow of the Debate which in the early days of May challenged his position, he declared to me and a few other friends that only a National Government could face the storm about to break upon us, and that if he were an obstacle to the formation of such a Government, he would instantly retire. Thereafter, he acted with that singleness of purpose and simplicity of conduct which at all times, and especially in great times, ought to be a model for us all.

When he returned to duty a few weeks after a most severe operation, the bombardment of London and of the seat of Government had begun. I was a witness during that fortnight of his fortitude under the most grievous and painful bodily afflictions, and I can testify that, although physically only the wreck of a man, his nerve was unshaken and his remarkable mental faculties unimpaired.

After he left the Government he refused all honours. He would die like his father, plain Mr. Chamberlain. I sought the permission of the King however to have him supplied with the Cabinet papers, and until a few days of his death he followed our affairs with keenness, interest and tenacity. He met the approach of death with a steady eye. If he grieved at all, it was that he could not be a spectator of our victory, but I think he died with the comfort of knowing that his country had, at least, turned the corner.

At this time our thoughts must pass to the gracious and charming lady who shared his days of triumph and adversity with a courage and quality the equal of his own. He was, like his father and his brother, Austen, before him, a famous Member of the House of Commons, and we here assembled this morning, Members of all parties, without a single exception, feel that we do ourselves and our country honour in saluting the memory of one whom Disraeli would have called an "English worthy."
Thousands of businesses in Ireland should receive 2,000 for dealing with customs for the first time after Brexit, a lobby group said.

An estimated 60,000 small and medium-sized firms which trade with the UK would be eligible for vouchers from the Government if the proposal by the British Irish Chamber of Commerce is adopted.

It would target traders who are ill-equipped for the extra red tape created by customs procedures.

The report said: "The costs associated with training and the on-going administrative burden for small and medium-sized enterprises will be significant."

The Chamber recommended that the voucher scheme would be open to all small or medium-sized companies dealing with customs for the first time to help them seek specialist advice and train staff.

The report added: "These SMEs currently trade with UK exporters and importers as if they were in their home market.

"Many of these SMEs will be ill-equipped for the administrative and logistical burden of dealing with customs procedures on a regular basis."

Smaller firms are by far the most numerous in Ireland.

The British Government has proposed a future customs arrangement which would see 80% of businesses on the island entirely exempt from any new tariffs post-Brexit.

The exemption would apply to small and medium-sized enterprises involved in localised cross-border trade.

UK Government suggestions would see larger companies engaged in international trade adhering to any new customs regime by completing retrospective declarations either online or at their premises.

If the UK exits the single market after March 2018, barriers to trade will include custom controls, rules of origin checks, differences in regulations, diverging standards and anti-dumping duties, the British Irish Chamber said.

Eight-five thousand Irish businesses trade with the UK, of which 68,000 are small to medium traders - it is estimated 60,000 of these will be dealing with customs for the first time, the report said.

Revenue calculations suggest that custom declarations in Ireland will go from one million to 20 - 30 million, it added.

According to the OECD, crossing the border, documentation and customs compliance requirements, lengthy administrative procedures and other delays can increase transaction costs by up to a quarter of the value of traded goods.

In some countries, revenue losses from inefficient border procedures may exceed 5% of GDP.
The Housing Minister Eoghan Murphy says people should not be dying on the streets.

Mr Murphy says it has been a difficult few days for the emergency homeless services and reiterated that "we have a crisis when it comes to homelessness".
Unions return to the WRC on Monday, as talks get underway on a pay claim by staff at Irish Rail.

The company says it is carrying major debts and can't afford the increase but unions dispute that, saying there has been a boost in passenger numbers while staff have gone without a pay rise for years.
Police have issued a warning about ecstasy pills after a woman died and two men taken to hospital after taking the drugs.

All three were Vietnamese nationals in south London, leading Scotland Yard to direct the advice towards the south-east Asian community.

The pills are orange and rectangular, with no distinctive markings on them.

The 22-year-old woman died in King's College Hospital on August 28 after being taken ill at a house in Knight's Hill, Lambeth.

Her family has been informed and a post mortem examination will be carried out on Monday.

One of her friends, a man in his 20s, was also taken to hospital in a critical condition and has since been discharged.

They are both believed to have taken ecstasy with other friends at Crystals nightclub in Lewisham, police said.

Analysis of pills seized from the address in Knight's Hill found that they contained MDMA (ecstasy) and ketamine, according to officers.

A 17-year-old boy was taken ill at the Electric nightclub in Brixton on September 3.

He is also believed to have taken the same drug and is in a critical condition in hospital.

Police suspect several other people became ill at the Electric having taken what they believed to be ecstasy, but left the venue without calling emergency services.

A Met spokesman said: "Anyone who has taken these substances and feels unwell is advised to seek medical treatment.

"There is always a risk that people may suffer ill-effects through taking illegal drugs, and the clear advice of police and medical professionals is not to take such substances."
Update: 9.09pm: US Defence Secretary Jim Mattis has reacted to North Korea's latest nuclear test by saying threats to the United States and its allies "will be met with a massive military response".

Mr Mattis spoke at the White House following a meeting with President Donald Trump and national security advisers. He said any response will be "both effective and overwhelming".

Mr Mattis said the United States is "not looking to the total annihilation" of North Korea, but added "we have many options to do so".

North Korea claimed "perfect success" in an underground test of what it called a hydrogen bomb - potentially vastly more destructive than an atomic bomb.

It was the North's sixth nuclear test since 2006, but the first since Mr Trump took office in January.

Earlier: The UN has joined condemnation of North Korea's latest nuclear weapons test - saying it is "profoundly destabilising for regional security."

The French and German leaders have issued a joint statement condemning the test and British Prime Minister Theresa May says it is an 'unacceptable further threat'.

Meanwhile - Donald Trump has replied "We'll see" - when asked by reporters if the US would attack North Korea.

Michael Fuchs is President Obama's former advisor on the country - he is critical of the Mr Trump's handling of the situation so far.

"One of his earlier tweets from this morning was to criticise North Korea for its quote 'talk of appeasement'. That is exactly the opposite of the kind of reassurance that our South Korean allies need right now," said Mr Fuchs.

Earlier: Donald Trump has replied "We'll see" - when asked if the US would attack North Korea after its latest nuclear weapons test.

America says it is preparing a new sanctions package, potentially to cut off all trade with the secretive state, following the explosion overnight.

The British Prime Minister Theresa May, and Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson, have condemned the test, calling it "reckless."

The French and German leaders have issued a joint statement condemning North Korea's latest nuclear test - and urging the UN security council to respond.

Pyongyang has claimed to have carried out the 'perfect' detonation of a hydrogen bomb with geologists suggesting the resulting blast was 10 times bigger than any of the country's five previous tests.

Earlier: North Korea's latest nuclear test poses an "unacceptable further threat to the international community", Theresa May said, as she urged world leaders to increase pressure on Pyongyang.

The Prime Minister said the test was "reckless" and said the case for tougher action against Kim Jong Un's regime was now even more pressing.

Her comments came after Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson warned that North Korea could present a "new order of threat" if it succeeds in producing a hydrogen bomb small enough to fit on a ballistic missile.

Theresa May said North Korea was guilty of "reckless provocation" over its latest missile launch pic.twitter.com/2nNHEVz5Ul  The Telegraph (@Telegraph) August 29, 2017

The test came after propaganda pictures were published of Kim examining what was said to be a nuclear warhead being fitted on to the nose of an intercontinental ballistic missile.

The Prime Minister said: "This latest action by North Korea is reckless and poses an unacceptable further threat to the international community."

Mrs May said she had discussed the "serious and grave threat these dangerous and illegal actions present" with Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe during her visit to the country last week and reiterated their joint call for "tougher action, including increasing the pace of implementation of existing sanctions and looking urgently in the UN Security Council at new measures".

She said: "This is now even more pressing. The international community has universally condemned this test and must come together to continue to increase the pressure on North Korea's leaders to stop their destabilising actions."

Earlier: US President Donald Trump has branded North Korea "a rogue nation" whose "words and actions continue to be very hostile and dangerous" to the United States.

It comes after North Korea detonated a nuclear device in its sixth and most powerful test to date.

Mr Trump tweeted that North Korea "has become a great threat and embarrassment to China, which is trying to help but with little success".

Though the precise strength of the blast has yet to be determined, the artificial earthquake it caused was several times stronger than tremors generated by its previous tests. It reportedly shook buildings in China and in Russia.

The test was carried out at 12.29pm local time at the Punggye-ri site where North Korea has conducted nearly all of its past nuclear tests. Officials in Seoul put the magnitude at 5.7 while the US Geological Survey said it was a magnitude 6.3.

China's foreign ministry said that the Chinese government has "expressed firm opposition and strong condemnation". It urged North Korea to "stop taking erroneous actions that deteriorate the situation".

South Korea held a National Security Council meeting chaired by President Moon Jae-in. National Security Director Chung Eui-yong said Mr Moon will seek every available measure, including new UN sanctions or the deployment of more US military assets, to further isolate Pyongyang.

Korea Monitoring Division Director Ryoo Yong-gyu speaks to the media about North Korea's artificial earthquake with a map of the Korean peninsular in Seoul, South Korea, today.

Japan's Prime Minister Shinzo Abe called the test "absolutely unacceptable".

French President Emmanuel Macron condemned "in the strongest possible terms" North Korea's sixth nuclear test.

Mr Macron said he "calls on the members of the United Nations Security Council to quickly react to this new violation by North Korea of international law".

He said the international community "must treat this new provocation with the utmost firmness" to bring North Korea back to the path of dialogue and give up its nuclear and missile programmes.

The Russian Foreign Ministry said North Korea's claim to have tested a hydrogen bomb "deserves the strongest condemnation".

A spokesman called for immediate dialogue and negotiations, saying that is the only way to settle the Korean Peninsula's problems, "including the nuclear one".

The ministry said Russia reaffirms its readiness to participate in negotiations, "including in the context of the implementation of the Russian-Chinese road map".

Under that proposal, North Korea would suspend nuclear and missile tests in exchange for the US and South Korea suspending their joint military exercises.

Earlier: North Korea has successfully conducted a test of a nuclear bomb that is meant to be loaded into an intercontinental ballistic missile.

State TV announced the test's success hours after Seoul and Tokyo detected unusual seismic activity at North Korea's nuclear test site.

The TV anchor said North Korea's leader Kim Jong Un ordered the test.

South Korea's presidential office said the security chiefs for Seoul and Washington have spoken following North Korea's sixth nuclear test.

A spokesman said US National Security Adviser HR McMaster spoke with his South Korean counterpart, Chung Eui-yong, for 20 minutes in an emergency phone call about an hour after the detonation.

South Korea's weather agency estimated the nuclear blast yield of the presumed test was between 50 and 60 kilotons, or five to six times stronger than North Korea's fifth test in September 2016.

That would mark a significant step forward in the North's quest for a viable nuclear missile capable of striking anywhere in the United States.

On North Korean television, a newsreader called the test a "complete success" and said the "two-stage thermonuclear weapon" had "unprecedented" strength.

Hours earlier, Pyongyang claimed its leader had inspected a hydrogen bomb meant for a new intercontinental ballistic missile.

Seoul's weather agency and the Joint Chiefs of Staff said an artificial 5.7 magnitude quake occurred at 12.29pm local time, in Kilju, northern Hamgyong province, the site where North Korea has conducted nuclear tests in the past.

Japan confirmed that North Korea conducted a nuclear test, Foreign Minister Taro Kono said. "It is absolutely unacceptable if North Korea did force another nuclear test, and we must protest strongly," Prime Minister Shinzo Abe said.

North Korea conducted two nuclear tests last year, the last nearly a year ago, on the September 9 anniversary of the nation's founding.

It has since maintained a fast pace in weapons tests, including its first two intercontinental ballistic missiles test in July. Last month, North Korea fired a potentially nuclear-capable mid-range missile over northern Japan.

Earlier on Sunday, photos released by the North Korean government showed Kim talking with his lieutenants as he observed a device that was apparently the thermonuclear weapon destined for an ICBM.

Another photo showed a diagram on the wall behind Kim of a bomb mounted inside a cone.

State media said Kim visited the Nuclear Weapons Institute and inspected a "homemade" H-bomb with "super explosive power" that "is adjustable from tens (of) kiloton to hundreds (of) kiloton".

North Korea's nuclear and missile programme has made huge strides since Kim rose to power following his father's death in late 2011. The North followed its two tests of Hwasong-14 ICBMs by threatening in August to launch a salvo of its Hwasong-12 intermediate range missiles toward the US Pacific island territory of Guam.

It flew a Hwasong-12 over northern Japan last week, the first such overflight by a missile capable of carrying nukes, in a launch Kim described as a "meaningful prelude" to containing Guam, the home of major US military facilities, and more ballistic missile tests targeting the Pacific.

It may be difficult for outside experts to confirm that the nuclear device detonated Sunday was an H-bomb. State media reported that the test left no trace of radioactive material.

The US and its allies attempt to detect blast material to gauge North Korea's progress, but Pyongyang has become better at containing it as its nuclear programme has evolved.
This star kept Kelce from retiring; have Philly fans seen last of Wentz?
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
LITTLE SOLDIERS

American Boy, a Chinese School, and the Global Race to Achieve

Lenora Chu

Harper/HarperCollins Publishers

347 pages; $27.99

China is such a vast, contradictory land that the most illuminating often explore it through an intense focus on a single topic: The aviation industry, the one-child policy, the lives of migrant factory workers. Education is a particularly transparent window, as demonstrated by the perceptive Little Soldiers, which turns over cultural rocks from bribery to the urban-rural divide while delving into the nations school system, deeply rooted as it is in both ancient Confucianism and Communist dogma. As Lenora Chu notes, in China, countless individual decisions, big and small, are made in the name of education.

Anyone will understand the country better after reading this book, the heart of which is Chus experience of enrolling her three-year-old son in an elite Shanghai preschool. She and her husband, the NPR correspondent Rob Schmitz, work hard to get Rainey admitted, but from his first day they start to have second thoughts. They fear that their son is being brainwashed into being a good little soldier, a loyal Chinese patriot, and are sure that the school employs methods that rankle American sensibilities, including hard-edged coercion; public competition, with posted rankings of everything from height and haemoglobin level to recorder skills, punctuality and politeness; and even threats of calling the police if a child doesnt take a nap.

Their toddler comes home singing songs in praise of Chairman Mao, has a friend attending early MBA classes and tells them that his teacher forces him to eat eggs by holding his mouth shut. These warning signs are balanced by his rapidly developing self-sufficiency, sense of discipline, math and Chinese skills. Hes also learning to navigate a complex, obstacle-filled world. In China, there is almost always a work-around to strict rules, and Rainey starts wordlessly figuring this out, much to Chus delight.

The author befriends two high-achieving Shanghai high school students, one meticulously working the system and the other counting the days until she can abandon it in favour of an American university. Along with an array of international education experts, they serve as insightful commentators as Chu pulls back to examine the broader system, including a more typical Shanghai public school and poor migrant students stumbling toward the zhongkao high school entrance exam, which can determine whether a student will follow an academic or blue-collar path. Chu follows a migrant worker from a rural province who has lived apart from her husband and son for years. Working as a masseuse in Shanghai, she has dedicated her life to improving her childs lot, only to realise that, raised without parental guidance, he lacks the study skills necessary to launch himself onto another track. It is one of several heartbreaking tales the book could have explored more deeply. The overlooked students get less attention than do the strivers in Little Soldiers, as in life.

Chu recalls her own teenage rebellion growing up in Texas with Chinese immigrant parents who demanded excellence and expected to largely control her decisions. A Freudian could have a field day with her decision to enroll her own son in the strict Chinese system, but Chu understands that she is striving to replicate her own jumble of Chinese and American education and culture, with the parental and institutional roles reversed. She writes, It was as if I looked into Teacher Chens eyes  and immediately recognised my fathers intentions (sometimes misguided but always well-meaning).

After immersing herself in the Chinese education structure, she visits American schools and quickly recognises that while the Chinese system is designed to weed out and filter students, in America the express goal is No child left behind. The American schools feel impossibly soft, with an overemphasis on individual desires that allows weaker areas to wither. This is especially so in the teaching of math, with so much focus on applicable knowledge that concepts are taught in a shallow fashion, while Chinese students memorise what they have to, then explore deeper, more complex applications. Chu vividly sketches these differences in terms that will make readers ponder what they actually think about rote memorisation and parents question their preferences for their own children.



 2017 The New York Times News Service
Airtel Payments Bank, the first in the space to roll out services nationally, has grown to 400,000 outlets across India. The company, which was initially launched as a pilot in November 2016 with 10,000 outlets in Rajasthan, has covered 15 million customers since the nationwide roll-out of its services in January this year. Given the thin margins for payments banks, the company needs scale to justify customer acquisition and marketing costs as it eyes expansion. As it faces these challenges, has adopted an asset-light model  sans large physical branches  to keep its operating costs low. Also most importantly, it is consistently drawing lessons from its pilot in Rajasthan to improve its services.
Infosys promoters, including iconic co-founders N R Narayana Murthy and Nandan Nilekani, have offered to sell as many as 1.77 crore shares -- worth up to Rs 2,038 crore -- in the company's Rs 13,000 crore buyback offer.

The promoters group -- which includes most of the founders and their families -- have expressed their intention to be part of the company's first buyback plan in its over three-decade history and have offered to tender a maximum of 1.77 crore shares.

At a buyback price of Rs 1,150 per share, this could mean a windfall of Rs 2,038.94 crore for the promoter group, if all the shares tendered by them are accepted in the buyback offer.

The founders and families -- classified as promoters group -- held 29.28 crore shares, or 12.75 per cent, in Infosys at the end of June 2017.

The Bengaluru-based firm has been in the eye of a storm over the past few months, with founders and erstwhile board members clashing over allegations such as corporate governance lapses and irregularities in Infosys' USD 200-million Panaya acquisition.

The spat -- often public -- culminated in the sudden resignation of the then CEO Vishal Sikka and exit of four board members, including Chairman R Seshasayee. They blamed Murthy's "misguided campaign" for Sikka's abrupt exit.

Infosys, on August 24, named co-founder Nandan Nilekani as its new Non-Executive Chairman, bowing to the demands of co-founders and large institutional investors.

However, the tensions between the two camps do not seem to be subsiding as Seshasayee launched another offensive last week against alleged "personal attacks" by Murthy.

Infosys' buyback offer of up to 11.3 crore shares comes at an almost 25 per cent premium over Friday's closing price of Rs 920.10 a share. The record date is expected to be on or after October 25, 2017.

The two key players in Infosys' changing narrative - Nilekani and Murthy along with families - have offered to tender the maximum number of shares in the buyback.

Nilekani, along with family, has offered to tender 58 lakh shares. Murthy, along with wife Sudha and two children, has put over 54 lakh shares on the block.

S Gopalakrishnan and family have offered 22 lakh shares while in the case of K Dinesh, the number stands at 29 lakh.

Sudha Gopalakrishnan, wife of S Gopalakrishnan, currently holds the largest share in individual capacity among promoters group members with 2.14 per cent shareholding.

S D Shibulal will not participate in the buyback per se, but his wife and son have offered to sell over 14 lakh shares.
Prime Minister on Sunday met Indian diaspora at Wyndham Hotel in Xiamen.

"We are really excited to meet him. He is a PM who made India popular in the whole world. We are proud that we have a Prime Minister like him," said an Indian man.

"We are really happy that we meet him. It is like a life-time achievement for us," said another delighted Indian woman.

Prime Minister Modi reached China to attend Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa (BRICS) summit.

The ninth BRICS summit is set to start in Xiamen under China's Chairmanship.

The prime minister had earlier said he was looking forward to productive discussions and positive outcomes during the multilateral forum.

In a Facebook post, the prime minister said, "India had the privilege of hosting the previous Summit in Goa in October last year. I look forward to building upon the results and outcomes of the Goa Summit. I also look forward to productive discussions and positive outcomes that will support the agenda of a stronger BRICS partnership under the chairmanship of China."

The prime minister further stated that he will also interact with the BRICS Business Council represented by captains of industry from all five countries (Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa).

"In addition, I look forward to engaging with leaders of nine other countries, including BRICS partners, in an Emerging Markets and Developing Countries Dialogue, hosted by President Xi Jinping on 5 September," the prime minister's post said.

He further said he would also meet leaders bilaterally on the sidelines of the summit.

Highlighting the significance of BRICS, the Prime Minister said it has important contributions in addressing global challenges and upholding world peace and security.

"India attaches high importance to the role of BRICS that has begun a second decade of its partnership for progress and peace," he added.

It's also reported that the prime minister will also raise the issue of terrorism, during the summit, and how it affects the BRICS nations.
will attend a key security dialogue with Japan on Monday though the charge of the defence ministry has been given to Nirmala Sitharamam in a major rejig of the Union Cabinet on Sunday.

Jaitley, who has been holding the defence portfolio, said due to logistical constraints, he will be attending the security dialogue.

Sitharaman will be the first woman full-time defence minister. Finance Minister Jaitley was holding additional charge of the ministry after Manohar Parrikar quit to become the Goa's chief minister in March.

"Normally, the new defence minister should have been going but logistically that doesn't seem possible today, being a Sunday, to make the changes. And it is a very important security dialogue between the two countries, particularly on the eve of Japanese PM's visit," Jaitley said.

He said, "I will continue for the next two days and participate. Sitharaman will take charge of the ministry as soon as the dialogue ends."



Jaitley, one of the seniormost ministers in the Modi Cabinet, was in charge of the defence ministry between May 26 and November 9, 2014, also.

As the defence minister in his second stint, Jaitley took a number of key decisions aimed at modernisation of the armed forces and to support the domestic defence industry.

In May, the defence ministry, after years of deliberations, had approved the strategic partnership model under which select private firms would be roped in to build military platforms like submarines and fighter jets in India in partnership with foreign entities.

"I think this was a very fruitful and deep association where we were able to take some very important decisions which were pending for years and I am sure now that I have an extremely competent successor in Sitharaman. She will carry that role further," Jaitley said.

Seen as a major initiative, the 'strategic partnership (SP) model' aims at creating a vibrant defence manufacturing ecosystem in the country through the involvement of both the major Indian corporates as well as the micro, small and medium enterprises sector.

On August 30, the government had announced major reforms in the Indian Army to enhance its combat capability which includes redeployment of nearly 57,000 officers and other ranks.

Jaitley also thanked officers and employees of the defence ministry and members of the Armed Forces for their cooperation.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chinese President Xi Jinping are expected to hold a bilateral meeting on Tuesday, nearly a week after India and China announced resolution of the 73-day Doklam stand-off.

According to officials, the two leaders are scheduled to hold a meeting on September 5 on the sidelines of the 9th Brazil-Russia-India-China-South Africa (BRICS) Summit, which will start on Monday in this port city. After the bilateral meeting with the host, Modi will be travelling to Myanmar.

The prime minister, who arrived here on Sunday to attend the Summit, said he was looking forward to having productive discussions and positive outcomes with leaders of the grouping to support the agenda for a stronger partnership among the member countries. He is also expected to meet leaders of countries like Egypt, invited by China as part of the outreach exercise.

The Chinese President on Sunday underscored that the BRICS must uphold the value of diplomacy to resolve hotspot issues. Xi also appeared to take a reconciliatory tone when he, without directly referring to the recent Doklam stand-off with India, underlined that peace and development should be the underpin to resolve issues as the world does not want conflict and confrontation.

We the BRICS countries should show our responsibilities to uphold global peace and stability, he said.
The three-day is set to begin on Sunday in China's southwestern city of Xiamen where India's Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chinese President Xi Jinping are likely to meet on the sidelines.

Although economic, security and other multilateral issues will figure in the annual meet of the five-member grouping, a probable one-on-one between Modi and Xi will be a focal point, especially after the protracted military standoff along the Sino-India border in Doklam.

"Since the (Doklam) dispute has been resolved, the Xiamen meeting (bilateral meet between Modi and Xi) will be a turning point," Wang Dehua, an expert at one of China's top think tanks the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, told IANS.

Wang, who was one of the Chinese experts threatening India with war during the standoff at Doklam, said: "there was no reason for India and China to be hostile to each other".

"I always advocate 'Chindia' which is integration of China and India. I think it is a turning point. If we work together, the world will listen to us," Wang said.

The troops of India and China were locked in an over two-month standoff over stopping construction of a Chinese road by the Indian Army in Doklam, at the tri-junction of India, China, and Bhutan.

The dispute, which had begun to threaten the success of the BRICS summit, was resolved on Monday.



"It's good news that Modi is coming, but the reasons causing such kind of standoffs increase strategic mistrust," Hu Shisheng, director of the Institute of South and Southeast Asia and Oceania Studies at the China Institute of Contemporary International Relations, told IANS.

Asked about the issues he expects that will figure in the meet, Hu said: They (Modi and Xi) should give a kind of signal that this standoff does not happen again."

When questioned what if Modi raises India's concerns over terrorism emanating from Pakistan, Hu said: "This is the time of recovery. They will meet in the general way to discuss bilateral issues."

"It will take some time to recover from the damage," he said referring to the face-off.

China has ruled out discussion on India's concerns over terrorism emanating from Pakistan at the summit.



This is one of the thorny issues between India and China.

Beijing's Belt and Road project, whose key artery the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor passes through a disputed Kashmir area claimed by India, is another sore point between the two nations.

Issues like counter-terrorism and the global financial crisis will also come for up discussion.



The proposed BRICS rating agency will be one of the key issues at the 9th meet of the grouping, which will be chaired by Xi.

The five-member bloc of Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa was formed in 2006. They comprise 42 percent of the world's population, have 23 percent of global GDP and 17 percent share in world trade. The theme of the ninth is 'Stronger Partnership for a Brighter Future'.
The Congress on Sunday took a dig at the induction of four former bureaucrats in Prime Minister Narendra Modi's Cabinet, saying it showed he did not trust his political colleagues.

Congress spokesperson Manish Tewari also described the nine new ministers as a "senior citizens' club", pointing out that while the median age of a person in the country was 27 years, the average age of the new entrants was 60.44 years.

Talking to the media, Tewari claimed Modi was "strangely disconnected" from the exercise.

"It seems that (BJP president) Amit Shah is the prime minister," he said, referring to reports that claimed Shah summoned ministers and asked them to resign before the rejig.

He also termed the expansion "maximum government and minimum governance".

The saw the induction of nine new faces. Among them were four former bureaucrats, two of whom -- former IAS officer Alphons Kannanthanam and former diplomat Hardeep Singh Puri -- are not Members of Parliament.

Ex-Mumbai Police Commissioner Satypal Singh and former Union Home secretary R K Singh have also been sworn in.

"This reflects that the prime minister does not trust his political colleagues," Tewari said.

He also accused the BJP of including in the Cabinet a "doctor beater" with a motive to "communalise" Karnataka, ahead of the state assembly elections next year.

Earlier this year, a video surfaced in which Anantkumar Hegde, who was made minister of state in Skill Development, was seen allegedly beating up doctors in Karwar.

On the removal of Rajiv Pratap Rudy and Kalaraj Mishra as ministers for Skill Development and Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises respectively, Tewari said the ouster reflected an acceptance of the Modi government's "gigantic failure".

Referring to the elevation of Nirmala Sitharaman, who was promoted to the Cabinet rank and put in charge of the crucial Defence ministry, Tewari said, "We hope she does not handle the Defence ministry the way she did the Commerce ministry, which saw a crippling decline of exports-imports during her tenure".

The former Union minister termed the elevation in the rank of Minority Affairs Minister Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi "mere tokenism" and said the BJP's attitude towards Muslims was "well known".

On Uma Bharti being divested of the Water Resources, River Development and Ganga Rejuvenation portfolio, he quipped, referring to the title of a Hindi film and song, "Ram teri Ganga maili ho gayi -- BJP kepaapdhotedhote(The Ganga has already been contaminated by the sins of the BJP).
US President Donald Trump on Sunday called a "great threat and embarrassment" to China and warned that "appeasement" won't work with Pyongyang, after the reclusive nation carried out its biggest nuclear test.

" has conducted a major nuclear test. Their words and actions continue to be very hostile and dangerous to the United States," Trump tweeted.

" is a rogue nation which has become a great threat and embarrassment to China, which is trying to help but with little success," he said in another tweet.

The North on Sunday claimed it has successfully tested a hydrogen bomb meant to be loaded onto an intercontinental ballistic missile. It was Pyongyang's sixth, and most powerful, nuclear test, which was set to raise tension in the region.

North Korea last carried out a nuclear test in September 2016.

It has defied UN sanctions to develop nuclear weapons and to test missiles which could potentially reach the mainland US.

Last month, North Korea threatened to launch missiles near the US Pacific territory of Guam after Trump said Pyongyang would face "fire and fury" if it threatened the US.

Those threats have not deterred the North's nuclear weapons programme.

Trump on Sunday indicated he favours tougher approach against Pyongyang to curtail its nuclear programme.

"South Korea is finding, as I have told them, that their talk of appeasement with North Korea will not work, they only understand one thing!" Trump said.

Last week, North Korea flew a medium-range ballistic missile over Japan, prompting the government in Tokyo to warn residents to take cover.

Earlier on Sunday, Trump and Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe discussed the growing North Korean threat. A readout of their conversation, however, did not say whether the phone call - the third between the two leaders in less than a week - happened before or after the North's latest test.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi is expected to raise India's concerns on the issue of the spread of terrorism across the world, and in particular in the Asian and South Asian region at the upcoming Brazil-Russia-India-China-South Africa (BRICS) Summit to be held in Xiamen in China's southwestern Fujian Province, hours after Beijing appeared to suggest that it would view any reference to Pakistan at the meeting with a feeling of discomfort.

"Apart from economic cooperation, there are other issues of interest, i.e. threat of terrorism. There are certain developments in the world which are important to be addressed, and I'm sure, leaders in the BRICS meeting are bound to look at it, including the scourge of terrorism, which has been the most important subject for India," Secretary (East) in the Ministry of External Affairs Preeti Saran told ANI.

"These are global developments and we have been discussing it and, terrorism is something which is an issue that affects the entire international community. BRICS countries themselves have been victims of terrorism. So, it is bound to be discussed," she added.

"India had raised it (terrorism) at the last in Goa in October 2016 as well, and, I'm sure that the issue of terrorism will again figure at the summit between the leaders of the BRICS countries as well. We are looking at the summit very positively, so as to come out with a strong outcome, and Prime Minister Narendra Modi is looking forward to participate in this summit," Saran said.

At the last in Goa in October 2016, Modi had referred to Pakistan as the "mothership of terrorism".

"India attaches a lot of importance to the BRICS as a grouping and we think it is very important for regional and global stability, especially at a time when there is state of uncertainty in the world," Saran further said.

The Ministry of External Affairs stressed that India is looking to build upon the positive impetus given to the previous in Goa.

Saran said, "We also regard BRICS as an important economic platform and a very strong voice for developing countries to come together to push for issues of interest to us, including in terms of the concept of global architecture."

Earlier, China has raised concerns about India raising the issue of terrorism at the BRICS Summit.

Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson Hua Chunying said that concerns over Pakistan's terrorism record is not an "appropriate topic" to be discussed at the BRICS Summit.

"We noticed that India, when it comes to Pakistan's counter-terrorism, has some concerns. I don't think this is an appropriate topic to be discussed at BRICS Summit," Chunying said, suggesting that Beijing will be averse to any kind of criticism of its close ally during the summit deliberations in Xiamen.
Former Reserve Bank of India (RBI) governor has reiterated his concerns over the bureaucracy impinging on the powers of the central bank. He has also said it should be made clear that the RBI chief is not just another bureaucrat.
First, Narendra Modi ran an election campaign that was modelled on the American presidential one. Then, after becoming prime minister, he started running the Prime Minister's Office (PMO) like the White House.

Disclaimer: Views expressed are personal. They do not reflect the view/s of Business Standard.
Five banks of the Bank Cooperation Mechanism have agreed to establish credit lines in the national currencies and cooperate on credit ratings.

The agreement was signed ahead of the (Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa) summit in China's Xiamen city tomorrow in which leaders of the five countries, including Prime Minister Narendra Modi are scheduled to take part.

"Brazilian Development Bank (BNDES), Vnesheconombank, Export-Import Bank of India, China Development Bank and Development Bank of South Africa (DBSA) have signed an agreement to establish credit lines in the national currencies, as well as a memorandum of cooperation on credit ratings," Russian agency TASS Reported.

There was no word from Export-Import Bank of India in this regard.

The Chinese official said, "the decision was taken in order to bolster further cooperation."



The agreement on credit ratings reportedly enables them to share information about internal credit ratings and rating assessment.

Ahead of the summit, the New Development Bank (NDB) of the BRICS countries has approved USD 1.4 billion loans for sustainable development projects in China, India and Russia.

The Board of Directors of the bank have approved four infrastructure and sustainable development projects in the three countries, the NDB had said.

For India, the Bank has approved $470 million loan for Madhya Pradesh's Multi-Village Rural Drinking Water Supply Scheme Project.
In a fresh clampdown on shell companies, the income tax (I-T) department has identified 2,138 firms that deposited unaccounted cash during the demonetisation period. Tax officials have found deposits of Rs 1,321 crore so far, and expect the amount to swell to Rs 5,000 crore.
The government, facing criticism over the absence of a full-time defence minister since March, when Manohar Parrikar moved back to Goa, has promoted the erstwhile minister for commerce and industry, Nirmala Sitharaman, to head the ministry of defence (MoD) as a full Cabinet minister.
Apart from a slowdown in exports growth and widening trade deficit with China, new Commerce and Industry Ministry Suresh Prabhu has his task cut out. What more, the industries are still reeling from demonetisation and GST.


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Amid a growing nuclear threat from North Korea, President Donald Trump is considering pulling out of a major trade agreement with South Korea as he tries to fulfill get-tough campaign pledges on trade. But he has not yet made a final decision, two senior administration officials said on Saturday.
For more than three years, the average one-way fare between Detroit and Philadelphia never dipped below $308, and sometimes moved higher, topping $385 at one point.
The Iraqi forces killed over 2,000 Islamic State (IS) militants and more than 50 suicide bombers during a major offensive to free Tal Afar area in west of Mosul, officials said.

"The IS total casualties in the blitzkrieg during the period from August 20 to 31 were more than 2,000 terrorists and over 50 suicide bombers, along with destroying and detonating of 77 car bombs, 71 booby-trapped buildings and 990 roadside bombs," Lt. Gen. Abdul Amir Yarallah from the Joint Operations Command (JOC) said at a televised press conference on Saturday, Xinhua news agency reported.

More than 40,000 Iraqi fighters from the Iraqi army, federal police and its commandos known as Rapid Response forces and Counter-Terrorism Service (CTS) forces, in addition to ten brigades of the paramilitary Hashd Shaabi fighters, participated in the offensive, which was supported by Iraqi and coalition aircraft, Yarallah said.

Yarallah also said that the Iraqi forces sustained 115 martyrs and 679 wounded during the 12-day battles to liberate Tal Afar and its surrounding areas, including the towns of Mahalabiyah and Ayadhiyah.

"Those who take a look at this figure (Iraqi forces casualties) will realize that fierce battles took place in Tal Afar area," Yarallah said.

The troops evacuated a total of 40,758 people from the city of Tal Afar and surrounding areas before and during the offensive, 18,822 before August 20 and 21,936 others during the 12-day offensive, Yarallah said.

The Tal Afar area is about 3,206 sq. km, which consists of the city of Tal Afar and three towns: Zummar, which is under control of the Kurdish security forces, Mahalabiyah and Ayadhiyah, which were freed from IS militants during the offensive.

The whole Tal Afar area consists of 47 villages scattered around the city and its three towns.

The majority of the population in the Tal Afar area are Sunni and Shiite Turkomans, in addition to the Kurds and other minorities.

On Thursday, Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi declared full liberation of the city of Tal Afar and surrounding areas from the extremist IS militants.

"I declare to you that Tal Afar has joined the liberated Mosul and returned to the homeland," Abadi said in a statement issued by his office.

"The joy of victory has been completed and the entire province of Nineveh has become in the hands of our heroic forces," Abadi said.

The Prime Minister also vowed to defeat IS group all over Iraq, saying "wherever you (IS militants) are, we are coming for liberation, and you have no choice but to die or surrender".
This Friday, July 28, 2017, photo distributed by the North Korean government on Saturday, July 29, 2017, shows what was said to be the launch of a Hwasong-14 intercontinental ballistic missile at an undisclosed location in North Korea. Photo: PTI
The actions of Kim Jong Un are set to further increase tensions in the region, where concerns have grown that a war of words between US President Donald Trump and N Koreas supreme leader could set off a military conflict Photo: Reuters
US President Donald Trump tried on the role of comforter-in-chief on Saturday, playing with children in an evacuation centre and passing out food and supplies to those in need after Hurricane Harveys assault on Houston.
The latest loop in the escalation of is probably the dumbest and the most damaging: The two countries are introducing de facto travel restrictions for each others citizens, choking off the friendliest, most human channel of communication between them. Its the biggest step back into the Cold War era that the two governments have taken yet.
The US seized control of Russia's Consulate in San Francisco and its two annexes in New York and Washington DC on Sunday after confirming that Moscow had complied with the Trump administration's order to vacate them within two days, officials said.

The Trump administration had asked Russia to close down its three diplomatic complexes, which was mainly in retaliation for Moscow's decision last month to reduce the number of American diplomatic personnel by several hundreds.

"The Department of State can confirm that the Russian government complied with the order to vacate its Consulate and two annexes," a senior State Department official said.

The official said Russia will no longer be permitted to use these facilities for diplomatic or consular purposes and the state department will control all access to the three buildings, along with the responsibility for securing and maintaining them.

"Entry or access to the properties will be granted only with permission of the Department of State, which will secure and maintain the facilities in keeping with its responsibilities. No Russian diplomats are being expelled from the US in connection with these closures," the official said.

According to the official, Russian Embassy personnel, together with the State Department officials, walked through three properties in San Francisco, New York and Washington, DC that the Russian government was required to close.

"These inspections were carried out to secure and protect the facilities and to confirm the Russian government had vacated the premises. The United States is fully adhering to the Vienna Convention, US law, and bilateral agreements in these actions as well as in its demands for Russia to draw down those diplomatic properties," the official said.

The US had made separate arrangements to end existing residential uses that will allow families sufficient time to pack out and move.

"Accusations made by the Russian government, including that US officials threatened to break down doors in the relevant properties or that the FBI is clearing the premises, are untrue," the official added.

Last month, Russia forced the cut in US diplomatic staff earlier this year in retaliation for American sanctions. The US had to reduce its diplomatic staff by 755 people.

Moscow ordered the US to cut its diplomatic and technical staff in Russia by more than half to 455 people after Congress overwhelmingly approved new sanctions against Russia.

The sanctions were imposed in response to Russian meddling in the 2016 presidential election and to punish Russia further for its 2014 annexation of Crimea from Ukraine.
A 6.3 magnitude of earthquake shook North Korea on Sunday, prompting fears that Pyongyang has conducted another nuclear rest, the Telegraph reported.

As per the China's Earthquake Administration, North Korea has carried out its sixth nuclear test.

The administration had earlier detected a quake in North Korea, of 5.2 magnitude.

Eight minutes after the first quake, the administration reported about another quake occurred in North Korea of magnitude 4.6, which has been described as a 'collapse'.

The coordinates of the two quakes were almost identical, according to figures provided by the administration.

Previous recent tremors in North Korea have been caused by nuclear tests.

This comes amid escalated tension after a series of tests by the North Korean regime, including one which saw a missile fly over Japan.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Former Governor of Jammu and Kashmir (J&K) Jagmohan has strongly advocated the removal of Article 35A from the Constitution of India.

Former J&K Governor said, "They have created a land without justice. The provisions introduced through the Constitutional Order of 1954 were done intentionally. It's not as if the leaders, the parliamentarians didn't know what they were doing.This law must go."

Jagmohan was speaking as the Chief Guest on the occasion to release a documentary film on the much-discussed Article 35A relating to Jammu and Kashmir at a well-attended function at the Nehru Memorial Museum and Library (NMML) on Saturday.

The screening of documentary '#Article 35A' was organized jointly by NMML and Jammu Kashmir Study Centre (JKSC) , in New Delhi.

Jagmohan said. "Mere legal things cannot solve the problems. The problem will be solved only when there is fundamental change of mindset within the nation."

"The common people of Jammu Kashmir, the poor, no one is benefitting from Article 370 or Article 35A - whether they are Hindus or Muslims. It is only vested interests, the elite, who have been benefitting these provisions. So called 'experts', such as A.G. Noorani, are misleading the people by advocating for Article 370," Jagmohan said, reiterating that it is high time for this law to go.

Jagdeep Dhankhar, senior advocate of the Supreme Court and former Union Minister, in his keynote address, said Article 35A outrages every word of the Preamble of the Constitution of India. He remembered how he was also unaware of the existence of Article 35A and expressed gratitude to Jammu Kashmir Study Centre for its in-depth research on the subject.

Can President do what the Parliament cannot do? This is a very dangerous situation before us," Dhankhar said.

This Article does not deserve to be on the statute book, he added.

Dhankhar requested the Media to study this serious issue so that it can be discussed in an informed manner before the public. This issue must be taken up as a campaign by the media, so that public opinion is built to bring justice to the people of J&K.

Speaking on the occasion, Sudhir Chaudhary, Editor in chief, Zee Media said: "There's a famous saying that 'A lie can travel halfway round the world while the truth is putting on its shoes'. Unfortunately, the situation is similar in the media today."

He remembered how in case of Yakub Memon, the Supreme Court conducted a hearing at midnight. He wondered how in this case when thousands and lakhs are being deprived of their rights, it takes years for the court process.

"The narrative about Jammu and Kashmir is driven on the basis of the just 5-6 districts of the state, whereas the rest of 17 districts are completely peaceful and nationalist. Such narrative in the media is really painful," Chaudhary said.

He expressed regret that the victims of 35A have not been given the right to decide their own destiny.

Articles 35A violates the rights of a large section of society residing in the state. This documentary takes us through the lives of some of the resident groups, victims to the trauma and inequitable treatment created by the implementation of this Article. Three months in the making, this documentary travels through several districts and remote areas of Jammu and Kashmir, unraveling the visceral realities of Article 35A and looks behind the hyperbolic politicization and biased opinions on the issue. The documentary aims to synergize the discourse through an informed and rational dialogue on the issue.

Kamakhya Narayan Singh, director of the documentary, recalled how he couldn't believe his ears when he first heard of the existence of Article 35A.

"My friends in Jammu Kashmir Study Centre first told me about this Article and how it was added to the Constitution without being passed in Parliament. I went to legal experts and found that most of them were unaware about it. When I studied it further, I felt like doing something for this cause. This documentary is my contribution for the victims of Article 35A."

Padamshri Jawaharlal Kaul, President, Jammu Kashmir Study Centre in his address said Article 35A should be seen as a danger signal for the nation.

"How can the President bring in laws by circumventing the powers of Parliament? If this is allowed, the future of the nation can never be secured, he said.

He appealed to the media and the people to stand as one against this unconstitutional law.

Jammu Kashmir Study Centre (JKSC) is an independent think-tank dedicated to objective research and policy relevant studies on all aspects relating to the state of Jammu and Kashmir. The entire debate on Article 35A - its existence and role vis-a-vis Jammu and Kashmir - was established by the documentation and research done by JKSC since its inception six years ago.

The programme was chaired by Padamshri J.L. Kaul (President, Jammu Kashmir Study Centre). The welcome address was given by Dr. Ravi K Mishra (Deputy Director, NMML).

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Chinese President Xi Jinping said that the Brazil-Russia-India-China-South Africa (BRICS) must commit to engage in diplomacy to resolve "hotspot issues" for "global peace and development" and not "conflict and confrontation".

"Incessant conflicts in some parts of the and hotspot issues are opposing challenges to peace, and people around the want peace and cooperation, not conflict or confrontation," Chinese President said while delivering a keynote speech at the opening ceremony of the BRICS Business Forum scheduled for Sept. 3-4 in the south-eastern coastal city of Xiamen.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi is likely to meet Chinese President Xi Jinping on the sidelines of the BRICS summit in Xiamen for the first time since the resolution of the two-month standoff in Doklam along Sikkim border.

"I am convinced that as long as we take a holistic approach to fighting terrorism in all its forms, and address both its symptoms and root causes, terrorists will have no place to hide," he said.

"We BRICS countries are committed to upholding global peace and contributing to the international security order," Xinhua quoted Xi as saying.

Ahead of the arrival of Prime Minister Narendra Modi for a summit of the five emerging economies in the coastal city of Xiamen, Jinping said,"We should uphold the purposes and principles of the UN Charter and basic norms governing international relations, firmly support multilateralism, work for greater democracy in international relations, and oppose hegemonism and power politics."

Elaborating on the efforts taken to strengthen consultation and coordination on major international and regional issues and build synergy among BRICS countries , Jnping said, "This year, the BRICS countries have held the Meeting of High Representatives for Security Issues and the Meeting of Ministers of Foreign Affairs and International Relations. The countries have put in place the regular meeting mechanism for permanent representatives to the multilateral institutions, and convened the Foreign Policy Planning Dialogue, the Meeting of Counter-Terrorism Working Group, the Meeting of Cybersecurity Working Group, and the Consultation on Peacekeeping Operations."

When dialogue, consultation and negotiation are conducted to create conditions for achieving political settlement of issues such as Syria, Libya and the Palestine-Israel conflict, the flame of war can be put out, and displaced refugees will eventually return to their homes, he said.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Prime Minister Narendra Modi has left for China to attend the ninth in Xiamen.

It's also reported that the prime minister will raise the issue of terrorism, during the summit, and how it affects the BRICS nations.

The prime minister had earlier said that he was looking forward to productive discussions and positive outcomes during the multilateral forum.

In a Facebook post, the Prime Minister said, "India had the privilege of hosting the previous Summit in Goa in October last year. I look forward to building upon the results and outcomes of the Goa Summit. I also look forward to productive discussions and positive outcomes that will support the agenda of a stronger BRICS partnership under the chairmanship of China."

The Prime Minister further stated that he will also interact with the BRICS Business Council represented by captains of industry from all five countries (Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa).

"In addition, I look forward to engaging with leaders of nine other countries, including BRICS partners, in an Emerging Markets and Developing Countries Dialogue, hosted by President Xi Jinping on 5 September," the Prime Minister's post said.

He further said that he would also meet leaders bilaterally on the sidelines of the summit.

Highlighting the significance of BRICS, the Prime Minister said it has important contributions in addressing global challenges and upholding world peace and security.

"India attaches high importance to the role of BRICS that has begun the second decade of its partnership for progress and peace," he added.

Recently, India and China agreed to end their over the two-month-long standoff in the Doklam Plateau by reaching an understanding to not let their long standing differences become disputes.

India-China stand-off at Doklam, near the Sikkim-Tibet-Bhutan tri-junction, had been going on for more than two months and the situation arose after China started constructing a road in the area.

India objected to the road construction after the Chinese troops ignored Bhutanese protests, triggering a face-off on June 16.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi has left for China to attend the ninth BRICS Summit in Xiamen.

It's also reported that the prime minister will raise the issue of terrorism, during the summit, and how it affects the BRICS nations.

The prime minister had earlier said that he was looking forward to productive discussions and positive outcomes during the multilateral forum.

In a Facebook post, the Prime Minister said, "India had the privilege of hosting the previous Summit in Goa in October last year. I look forward to building upon the results and outcomes of the Goa Summit. I also look forward to productive discussions and positive outcomes that will support the agenda of a stronger BRICS partnership under the chairmanship of China."

The Prime Minister further stated that he will also interact with the BRICS Business Council represented by captains of industry from all five countries (Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa).

"In addition, I look forward to engaging with leaders of nine other countries, including BRICS partners, in an Emerging Markets and Developing Countries Dialogue, hosted by President Xi Jinping on 5 September," the Prime Minister's post said.

He further said that he would also meet leaders bilaterally on the sidelines of the summit.

Highlighting the significance of BRICS, the Prime Minister said it has important contributions in addressing global challenges and upholding world peace and security.

"India attaches high importance to the role of BRICS that has begun a second decade of its partnership for progress and peace," he added.

Recently, India and China agreed to end their over two-month-long stand-off in the Doklam Plateau by reaching an understanding to not let their long standing differences become disputes.

India-China stand-off at Doklam, near the Sikkim-Tibet-Bhutan trijunction, had been going on for more than two months and the situation arose after China started constructing a road in the area.

India objected to the road construction after the Chinese troops ignored Bhutanese protests, triggering a face-off on June 16.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday will leave to China to attend Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa (BRICS) summit.

Prime Minister Modi will leave India at around 12:05 p.m.

It's also reporetd that the prime minister will raise the issue of terrorism, during the summit, and how it affects the BRICS nations.

The prime minister had earlier said that he was looking forward to productive discussions and positive outcomes during the multilateral forum.

In a Facebook post, the Prime Minister said, "India had the privilege of hosting the previous Summit in Goa in October last year. I look forward to building upon the results and outcomes of the Goa Summit. I also look forward to productive discussions and positive outcomes that will support the agenda of a stronger BRICS partnership under the chairmanship of China."

The Prime Minister further stated that he will also interact with the BRICS Business Council represented by captains of industry from all five countries (Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa).

"In addition, I look forward to engaging with leaders of nine other countries, including BRICS partners, in an Emerging Markets and Developing Countries Dialogue, hosted by President Xi Jinping on 5 September," the Prime Minister's post said.

He further said that he would also meet leaders bilaterally on the sidelines of the summit.

Highlighting the significance of BRICS, the Prime Minister said it has important contributions in addressing global challenges and upholding world peace and security.

"India attaches high importance to the role of BRICS that has begun a second decade of its partnership for progress and peace," he added.

Recently, India and China agreed to end their over two-month-long stand-off in the Doklam Plateau by reaching an understanding to not let their long standing differences become disputes.

India-China stand-off at Doklam, near the Sikkim-Tibet-Bhutan trijunction, had been going on for more than two months and the situation arose after China started constructing a road in the area.

India objected to the road construction after the Chinese troops ignored Bhutanese protests, triggering a face-off on June 16.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MP and former home secretary R.K. Singh on Sunday thanked Prime Minister Narendra Modi for inducting him in his Cabinet, promising to live up to the expectations of the former.

Talking to the media here, "I thank Prime Minister Modi for expressing confidence in my ability and I will try live up to that confidence and expectations."

He further apprised that his portfolio has not been decided yet.

Prime Minister Modi will reshuffle his Cabinet on Sunday at 10.30 a.m. before leaving for China to attend the BRICS Summit.

President Ram Nath Kovind will be swearing-in the new ministers in the Prime Minister Modi-led government.

Several Cabinet ministers have already stepped down from their posts, viz. Bandaru Dattatreya, Rajiv Pratap Rudy, Sanjeev Baliyan and Faggan Singh Kulaste.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
The mega Cabinet reshuffle on Sunday morning saw the promotion of as many as four Ministers of State to the rank of Cabinet ministers.

Dharmendra Pradhan, the Minister of State for Petroleum and Natural Gas, and Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi, the Minister of State for Parliamentary Affairs, took the oath as the Cabinet ministers at the ceremony held at the Rashtrapati Bhavan.

Pradhan is known to have spearheaded one of Prime Minister Modi's main schemes - the "Give it Up" plan for people to forego subsidised cooking gas or LPG voluntarily.

Beside managing to maintain ties with the Opposition parties, Naqvi has done wonders for the Union Government as the spokesperson in the Parliament and outside.

Nirmala Sitharaman, serving as the Minister of State (Independent Charge) for the Ministry of Commerce and Industry as well as a Minister of State for Finance and Corporate Affairs under the Ministry of Finance headed by Arun Jaitley, also took the oath.

Sitharaman had travelled to China for a BRICS meeting, in the middle of a lengthy standoff at the border over Doklam.

Piyush Goyal, the Minister of State with Independent Charge for Power, Coal, New and Renewable Energy and Mines, was also sworn-in as the Cabinet minister. He had brought about a turnaround in power production and delivered on the government's plan to electrify villages.

Other ministers who were handed over bigger responsibilities are:

-Shiv Pratap Shukla

He is a Rajya Sabha MP from Uttar Pradesh. He is a Member of the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Rural Development.

A Law Graduate with an LLB from Gorakhpur University, Shiv Pratap Shukla started off early in politics as a student leader in the 1970s.

-Ashwini Kumar Choubey, who is a Lok Sabha MP from Buxar, Bihar

Choubey is member of the Parliamentary Committee on Estimates and Standing Committee on Energy.He is also a Member of Central Silk Board.

-Virendra Kumar, a Lok Sabha MP from Tikamgah, Madhya Pradesh

Kumar has had a distinguished career in Public Service as a 6 term Lok Sabha MP. Highly qualified academically, Virendra Kumar is armed with an MA in Economics and a PhD in Child Labour.

-Anant Kumar Hegde, a Lok Sabha MP from Uttara Kannada, Karnataka

Hegde is a Member of the Parliamentary Standing Committee on ExternalAffairs and Human Resource Development.

-Raj Kumar Singh

Singh is a Lok Sabha MP from Arrah, Bihar. He is a Member of the Parliamentary Standing Committees on Health and Family Welfare, Personnel, Pensions and Public Grievances and Law and Justice. Raj Kumar Singh is a former IAS officer of the 1975 batch, Bihar cadre. He rose up the ranks to becomethe Home Secretary of India.

-Hardeep Puri

Puri is a decorated former IFS officer of the 1974 batch, known forhis experience and expertise in foreign policy and security. He is the President and Chairman of Research and Information System for Developing Countries (RIS) think tank, and was the Vice President of International Peace Institute, New York.

-Gajendra Singh Shekhawat

Shekhawat is a Lok Sabha MP from Jodhpur, Rajasthan. He is a Member of the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Finance and Chairperson of the Fellowship Committee. As a technology-savvy, progressive farmer; Gajendra Singh Shekhawat is a role model for the rural community. He has an MPhil & MA in Philosophy from Jai Narain Vyas University, Jodhpur.

-Satya Pal Singh

Singh is a Lok Sabha MP from Baghpat, Uttar Pradesh. He is a Member of the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Home Affairs and Chairperson of the Joint Committee on Offices of Profit. He is a distinguished former IPS officer of the 1980 batch, Maharashtra cadre, and has been recognised with medals like the Antrik Suraksha Sewa Padak a Special Service Medal. Born in Basauli village in Baghpat, Satya Pal Singh has a MSc and MPhil in Chemistry, MBA in Strategic Management from Australia, MA in Public.

-Alphons Kannanthanam, a distinguished former IAS officer of the 1979 batch, Kerala cadre

Kannanthanam is also a practicing advocate. He became famous as Delhi's Demolition Man when he was Commissioner of the Delhi Development Authority, having cleared DDA areas of encroachment removing around 15,000 illegal buildings. This got him listed in Time Magazine's list of 100 Young Global Leaders in 1994.

Kannanthanam retired from the IAS, to get elected as an Independent Member of Legislative Assembly for Kanjirappally in Kerala from 2006 to 2011.

There are 49 parties under the Democratic Alliance (NDA) umbrella today, most of which did not find a place in the new team.

Unhappy over this, the Shiv Sena, Bharatiya Janata Party's (BJP) ally in Maharashtra, and the Janata Dal (United) (JD(U)), the ally in Bihar, did not participate in the oath ceremony.

Prime Minister Modi is scheduled to leave for China wherein he would attend the BRICS Summit.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
The Janata Dal United (JD(U)) on Sunday clarified that no one from the party is joining Prime Minister Narendra Modi's new team, under the mega Cabinet rejig scheduled to take place today.

"Our President has already made it clear, so there is no question of me or anyone from the JD(U) joining the cabinet," JD(U) leader Vashistha Narayan Singh told ANI.

Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar had earlier said that the JD(U) had no talks with the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) at the Centre on his party joining the Cabinet.

"We have no information about the Cabinet reshuffle. We didn't have any talks about it. We got the information about this from the media," Nitish told the reporters.

Contrary to this, reports had earlier quoted that JD(U) leaders R.C.P. Singh and Ramnath Thakur were likely to be inducted into the Union Cabinet on Sunday morning.

Prime Minister Modi will reshuffle his Cabinet on Sunday at 10.30 a.m. before leaving for China to attend the BRICS Summit.

Several Cabinet ministers have already stepped down from their posts, viz. Bandaru Dattatreya, Rajiv Pratap Rudy, Sanjeev Baliyan and Faggan Singh Kulaste.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
The Shiv Sena on Sunday said that the party was not happy with the Union Cabinet reshuffle set to take place within few minutes and thereby, would not attend the oath ceremony at Rashtrapati Bhawan in New Delhi.

The Sena is reportedly dispirited over not been given even a single berth in the cabinet expansion.

Meanwhile, the Janata Dal United (JD(U)) also clarified today that no one from the party was joining Prime Minister Narendra Modi's new team.

"Our President has already made it clear, so there is no question of me or anyone from the JD (U) joining the cabinet," JD(U) leader Vashistha Narayan Singh told ANI.

Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar had earlier said that the JD(U) had no talks with the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) at the Centre on his party joining the Cabinet.

"We have no information about the Cabinet reshuffle. We didn't have any talks about it. We got the information about this from the media," Nitish told the reporters.

Contrary to this, reports had earlier quoted that JD (U) leaders R.C.P. Singh and Ramnath Thakur were likely to be inducted into the Union Cabinet on Sunday morning.

Prime Minister Modi will reshuffle his Cabinet on Sunday at 10.30 a.m. before leaving for China to attend the BRICS Summit.

Several Cabinet ministers have already stepped down from their posts, viz. Bandaru Dattatreya, Rajiv Pratap Rudy, Sanjeev Baliyan and Faggan Singh Kulaste.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Following a mega Union Cabinet reshuffle at the Rashtrapati Bhawan, Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu has congratulated the newly inducted ministers and said that he hopes the new team would help the state.

"Hopeful that the new team would help Andhra Pradesh state, which has been facing problems after the unfair and unscientific bifurcation," Naidu said.

Meanwhile, the Cabinet rejig saw the promotion of as many as four Ministers of State to the rank of Cabinet ministers.

Dharmendra Pradhan, the Minister of State for Petroleum and Natural Gas, and Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi, the Minister of State for Parliamentary Affairs, took the oath as the Cabinet ministers at the ceremony held at the Rashtrapati Bhavan.

Nirmala Sitharaman, serving as the Minister of State (Independent Charge) for the Ministry of Commerce and Industry as well as a Minister of State for Finance and Corporate Affairs under the Ministry of Finance headed by Arun Jaitley, also took the oath.

Piyush Goyal, the Minister of State with Independent Charge for Power, Coal, New and Renewable Energy and Mines, was also sworn-in as the Cabinet minister.

Other ministers who were handed over bigger responsibilities are:

-Shiv Pratap Shukla

-Ashwini Kumar Choubey, who is a Lok Sabha MP from Buxar, Bihar

-Virendra Kumar, a Lok Sabha MP from Tikamgah, Madhya Pradesh

-Anant Kumar Hegde, a Lok Sabha MP from Uttara Kannada, Karnataka

-Raj Kumar Singh

-Hardeep Puri

-Gajendra Singh Shekhawat

-Satya Pal Singh

-Alphons Kannanthanam, a distinguished former IAS officer of the 1979 batch, Kerala cadre.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
One maoist was killed in an encounter with security forces in the forest area of Adapalli area of Chattisgarh's Bijapur district on Sunday.

The security troops also recovered AK-47 Rifle-01 No, a wireless set and solar panel from the site of encounter.

CoBRA unit of Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF), District Reserve Guards, Special Task Force and Chhattisgarh Police jointly launched offensive against maoists.

Search operation is underway.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
The Delhi Police confirmed that a 40-year-old labourer named Ram Niwas was arrested for allegedly sexually assaulting and killing a six-year-old boy in north-east Delhi's Harsh Vihar and was involved in similar cases in the past as well.

"During the interrogation, the accused told the police that he has sexually abused and killed eight minor boys since 2007. The Delhi Police are yet to verify his claims," A.K. Singhla, the DCP for north-east, said.

On August 12, the boy's parents approached the police station after their son went missing. The police eventually recovered the boy's body from a nursery, not far from the complainant's tea shop.

"The police took the help of a dog squad, reached to an under-construction house nearby a tea shop run by deceased boy's father. When on suspicion of Ram Niwas, using technical surveillance the police traced him to near Shahdara railway station. But soon after, he switched off both his cell phones," he said.

After checking his criminal record, the police found that the accused was also arrested in 2009, but was later let off after serving a three-year imprisonment.

An investigation team was sent to the accused's native village in Uttar Pradesh's Amla, but he was not present there.

"A team finally arrested him from Mandoli," Singhla said.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi, who has been promoted to the Cabinet rank in the mega reshuffle, on Sunday said that the duty is to match up to expectations of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and to fulfill the vision of 'New India'.

"Our duty is to match up to the expectations of Prime Minister Modi. We pledge to carry our duties honestly. The aim is empowerment and development of poor, farmers, and the youth. The mission is to fulfill the vision of 'New India'," Naqvi told the media.

Meanwhile, the Cabinet rejig saw the promotion of as many as four Ministers of State to the rank of Cabinet ministers.

Dharmendra Pradhan, the Minister of State for Petroleum and Natural Gas, and Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi, the Minister of State for Parliamentary Affairs, took the oath as the Cabinet ministers at the ceremony held at the Rashtrapati Bhavan.

Pradhan is known to have spearheaded one of Prime Minister Modi's main schemes - the "Give it Up" plan for people to forego subsidised cooking gas or LPG voluntarily.

Beside managing to maintain ties with the Opposition parties, Naqvi has done wonders for the Union Government as the spokesperson in the Parliament and outside.

Nirmala Sitharaman, serving as the Minister of State (Independent Charge) for the Ministry of Commerce and Industry as well as a Minister of State for Finance and Corporate Affairs under the Ministry of Finance headed by Arun Jaitley, also took the oath.

Piyush Goyal, the Minister of State with Independent Charge for Power, Coal, New and Renewable Energy and Mines, was also sworn-in as the Cabinet minister.

Other ministers who were handed over bigger responsibilities are:

-Shiv Pratap Shukla

-Ashwini Kumar Choubey, who is a Lok Sabha MP from Buxar, Bihar

-Virendra Kumar, a Lok Sabha MP from Tikamgah, Madhya Pradesh

-Anant Kumar Hegde, a Lok Sabha MP from Uttara Kannada, Karnataka

-Raj Kumar Singh

-Hardeep Puri

-Gajendra Singh Shekhawat

-Satya Pal Singh

-Alphons Kannanthanam, a distinguished former IAS officer of the 1979 batch, Kerala cadre.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
India is the fastest growing market for e-commerce in the world. With the increasing demand for online retail, a large number of small-scale sellers and homepreneurs are joining B2C or C2C e-commerce platforms to sell their unique creations.

These five applications can enunciate homopreneurs to set up a successful online business:

Kraftly- A C2C e-commerce platform helps the small sellers, homepreneurs, etc to set up a shop online. They also offer the seller with an option to do the social selling. The seller profile on Kraftly is provided with a tool to share their product detail on various social media platforms from which their buyers can buy the product.

To avoid hassle free payments, MobiKwik an Indian company founded in 2009, provides a mobile phone based payment system and digital wallet. In 2013 the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) authorized the company's use of the MobiKwik wallet, and in May 2016 the company began providing small loans to consumers as part of its service

Ship Rocket is a first-of-its-kind seller logistics aggregation platform designed to cater to all kinds of shipping requirements for sellers/merchants in India. The complete solution brand is designed to create a shipping experience like no other.

Marketing on Google Ad, facebook ads are supporting the small sellers to push their marketing and reach out to potential sellers. In addition to these, various start ups such as Kraftly and Meesho helps the sellers on their platform with right kind of tools to push the sales on social media platforms.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Accused Dr. Kafeel Khan, who was earlier held in connection with the death of more than 70 children at the Baba Raghav Das Medical College's Hospital, was sent to police custody on Saturday.

Khan was produced before the court, which took cognisance into the case filed against him.

The Uttar Pradesh Special Task Force (STF) on Saturday arrested accused Dr. Khan and thereafter, was handed over to the Sahjanwa Police in Gorakhpur.

After Dr. Khan made headlines, he was removed from the post of the Nodal Officer for the Department of Pediatrics of the hospital.

Khan is the third accused so far in the case.

The court has ordered Non-Bailable warrants against seven accused including Dr. Khan and Dr Satish.

The report of the Chief Secretary's Committee, was presented to state Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath and catered towards suggestions and improvements for the better working conditions in hospitals in Gorakhpur and other districts.

In a press release issued earlier, the government had stated that all recommendations of the probe committee were accepted.

It further said that the committee recommended registration of criminal cases against former principal of BRD Medical College, Dr Rajeev Mishra; Dr Satish, in-charge of oxygen supply and head of anesthesia department; Dr Khan, in-charge of the 100-bed AES ward; and Pushpa Sales.

According to data procurred from the BRD hospital, 70 children died in a week, followed by another 70 in just four days.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Third reshuffle of the Union Cabinet, being termed the last one before the General Elections of 2019, by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday promoted sincere and hardworking ministers, inducted new faces with potential and talent to work and silently dumped all those who proved to be the non performing and could not come up to the level of the Prime Minister's expectation.

The cabinet reshuffle has been guided by the "4P" principle: "passion, proficiency, professional and political acumen", aimed at delivering on Modi's vision of "New India" by 2022, the 75th anniversary of India's independence-an idea he had first flagged in March in an address to party workers at the BJP's headquarters in Delhi.

Here is the overall round up of what happened in Sunday's reshuffle.

Three Top Changes

The 'Three Top Changes' made by Prime Minister Modi during this reshuffle of Union Council of Ministers were:

One - elevating Nirmala Sitharaman to Cabinet rank and giving her the key Portfolio of Defence Ministry.

Two - Suresh Prabhu shifted from Railways to Commerce and Industry Ministry.

Three - Piyush Goyal was given the Cabinet rank with Railways as his portfolio.

Nine New Ministers

In continuance of his track record of identifying his fellow team members on the merit of their past Performance and future Potential, the new ministers have been selected by the Prime Minister with a clear mandate to deliver on his vision of a New India. A vision which is built on the foundations of Development and Good Governance, and with a focus on the Garib, Shoshit, Peedit and Vanchit segments of our society.

These nine new ministers are:

Shiv Pratap Shukla

Shukla is a Rajya Sabha MP from Uttar Pradesh. He is a Member of the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Rural Development. A Law Graduate with an LLB from Gorakhpur University, Shiv Pratap Shukla started off early in politics as a student leader in the 1970s.

Ashwini Kumar Choubey

Choubey is a Lok Sabha MP from Buxar, Bihar. He is member of the Parliamentary Committee on Estimates and Standing Committee on Energy.He is also a Member of Central Silk Board.

Having faced the disastrous Kedarnath floods with his family in 2013, Ashwini Kumar Choubey has authored a book KedarnathTrasadi on the tragedy. A BSc (Hons) in Zoology, he has a special interest in Yoga.

Virendra Kumar

Kumar is a Lok Sabha MP from Tikamgah, Madhya Pradesh. He has had a distinguished career in Public Service as a 6 term Lok Sabha MP. Highly qualified academically, VirendraKumar is armed with an MA in Economics and a PhD in Child Labour.

Anantkumar Hegde

Hegde is a Lok Sabha MP from Uttara Kannada, Karnataka. He is a Member of the Parliamentary Standing Committee on ExternalAffairs and Human Resource Development.

With a deep focus on rural India, Hegde is the Founder President ofKadamba, an NGO working in the field of rural development, rural health, SHGs, rural marketing and other rural welfare programmes.

Raj Kumar Singh

Singh is a Lok Sabha MP from Arrah, Bihar. He is a Member of the Parliamentary Standing Committees on Health and Family Welfare, Personnel, Pensions and Public Grievances and Law & Justice. Raj Kumar Singh is a former IAS officer of the 1975 batch, Bihar cadre. He rose up the ranks to become the Home Secretary of India.

Hardeep Puri

Puri is a decorated former IFS officer of the 1974 batch, known forhis experience and expertise in foreign policy and security. He is the President and Chairman of Research and Information System for Developing Countries (RIS) think tank, and was the Vice President of International Peace Institute, New York.

As Head of the Indian Delegation to the UN Security Council, Puri had served as Chairman of the Counter-Terrorism Committee of the UN as well as President of the United Nations Security Council.

Gajendra Singh Shekhawat

Shekhawat is a Lok Sabha MP from Jodhpur, Rajasthan. He is a Member of the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Finance and Chairperson of the Fellowship Committee.

As a technology-savvy, progressive farmer; Shekhawat is a role model for the rural community. He has an MPhil & MA in Philosophy from Jai Narain Vyas University, Jodhpur.

Satya Pal Singh

Singh is a Lok Sabha MP from Baghpat, Uttar Pradesh. He is a Member of the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Home Affairs and Chairperson of the Joint Committee on Offices of Profit. He is a distinguished former IPS officer of the 1980 batch, Maharashtra cadre, and has been recognized with medals like the Antrik Suraksha Sewa Padak a Special Service Medal. Born in Basauli village in Baghpat, Satya Pal Singh has a MSc and MPhil in Chemistry, MBA in Strategic Management from Australia, MA in Public.

Alphons Kannanthanam

Kannanthanam is a distinguished former IAS officer of the 1979 batch, Kerala cadre. He is also a practicing advocate. He became famous as Delhi's Demolition Man when he was Commissioner of the Delhi Development Authority, having cleared DDA areas of encroachment removing around 15,000 illegal buildings. This got him listed in Time Magazine's list of 100 Young Global Leaders in 1994. Kannanthanam retired from the IAS, to get elected as an Independent Member of Legislative Assembly for Kanjirappally in Kerala from 2006 to 2011.

The Six Dropped Ministers

Prime Minister Narendra Modi also dropped six ministers from his council of ministers in Sunday's reshuffle.

Those dropped are Kalraj Mishra, Bandaru Dattatreya, Faggan Singh Kulaste, Rajiv Pratap Rudy, Sanjiv Balyan and Mahendra Nath Pandey.

Kalraj Mishra- Mishra was Cabinet minister for Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises.

Bandaru Dattatreya- Dattatreya was Minister of State (Independent Charge) of Labour and Employment.

Faggan Singh Kulaste- Kulaste was Minister of State for Health and Family Welfare.

Rajiv Pratap Rudy- Rudy was Minister of State (Independent Charge) of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship.

Sanjiv Balyan- Balyan was Minister of State for Water Resources, River Development & Ganga Rejuvenation.

Mahendra Nath Pandey- Pandey was a junior minister for Human Resource Development.

Apart from Pandey, who has been appointed Bharatiya Janata Party's Uttar Pradesh unit's president, it is believed that others were dropped due to non-satisfactory performance. However, Mishra, claimed he himself offered to resign as he crossed age of 75 years.

New Cabinet of Prime Minister Modi

After Sunday's reshuffle, here is the list of new Cabinet of Prime Minister Modi:

Cabinet Ministers

Narendra Modi- Prime Minister and also in-charge of: Ministry of Personnel, Public Grievances and Pensions; Department of Atomic Energy; Department of Space; and all important policy issues; and all other portfolios not allocated to any Minister.

Raj Nath Singh- Minister of Home Affairs.

Sushma Swaraj- Minister of External Affairs.

Arun Jaitley- Minister of Finance; and Minister of Corporate Affairs.

Nitin Jairam Gadkari- Minister of Road Transport and Highways; Minister of Shipping; and Minister of Water Resources, River Development and Ganga Rejuvenation.

Suresh Prabhu- Minister of Commerce and Industry.

D.V. Sadananda Gowda- Minister of Statistics and Programme Implementation.

Uma Bharati- Minister of Drinking Water and Sanitation.

Ramvilas Paswan- Minister of Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution.

Maneka Sanjay Gandhi- Minister of Women and Child Development.

Ananthkumar- Minister of Chemicals and Fertilizers; and Minister of Parliamentary Affairs.

Ravi Shankar Prasad- Minister of Law and Justice; and Minister of Electronics and Information Technology.

Jagat Prakash Nadda- Minister of Health and Family Welfare.

Ashok Gajapathi Raju Pusapati- Minister of Civil Aviation.

Anant Geete- Minister of Heavy Industries and Public Enterprises.

Harsimrat Kaur Badal- Minister of Food Processing Industries.

Narendra Singh Tomar- Minister of Rural Development; Minister of Panchayati Raj; and Minister of Mines.

Chaudhary Birender Singh- Minister of Steel.

Jual Oram- Minister of Tribal Affairs.

Radha Mohan Singh- Minister of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare.

Thaawar Chand Gehlot- Minister of Social Justice and Empowerment.

Smriti Zubin Irani- Minister of Textiles; and Minister of Information and Broadcasting.

Dr. Harsh Vardhan- Minister of Science and Technology; Minister of Earth Sciences; and Minister of Environment, Forest and Climate Change.

Prakash Javadekar- Minister of Human Resource Development.

Dharmendra Pradhan- Minister of Petroleum and Natural Gas; and Minister of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship.

Piyush Goyal- Minister of Railways; and Minister of Coal.

Nirmala Sitharaman- Minister of Defence.

Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi- Minister of Minority Affairs.

Ministers of State (Independent Charge)

Rao Inderjit Singh- Minister of State (Independent Charge) of the Ministry of Planning; and Minister of State in the Ministry of Chemicals and Fertilizers.

Santosh Kumar Gangwar- Minister of State (Independent Charge) of the Ministry of Labour and Employment.

Shripad Yesso Naik- Minister of State (Independent Charge) of the Ministry of Ayurveda, Yoga and Naturopathy, Unani, Siddha and Homoeopathy (AYUSH).

Dr. Jitendra Singh- Minister of State (Independent Charge) of the Ministry of Development of North Eastern Region; Minister of State in the Prime Minister's Office; Minister of State in the Ministry of Personnel, Public Grievances and Pensions; Minister of State in the Department of Atomic Energy; and Minister of State in the Department of Space.

Dr. Mahesh Sharma- Minister of State (Independent Charge) of the Ministry of Culture; and Minister of State in the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change.

Giriraj Singh- Ministry of Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises.

Manoj Sinha- Minister of State (Independent Charge) of the Ministry of Communications; and Minister of State in the Ministry of Railways.

Col. Rajyavardhan Singh Rathore- Minister of State (Independent Charge) of the Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports; and Minister of State in the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting.

Raj Kumar Singh- Minister of State (Independent Charge) of the Ministry of Power; and Minister of State (Independent Charge) of the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy.

Hardeep Singh Puri- Minister of State (Independent Charge) of the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs.

Alphons Kannanthanam- Minister of State (Independent Charge) of the Ministry of Tourism; and Minister of State in the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology.

Ministers of State

Vijay Goel- Minister of State in the Ministry of Parliamentary Affairs; and Minister of State in the Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation.

Radhakrishnan P.- Minister of State in the Ministry of Finance; and Minister of State in the Ministry of Shipping.

S.S. Ahluwalia- Minister of State in the Ministry of Drinking Water and Sanitation.

Ramesh Chandappa Jigajinagi- Minister of State in the Ministry of Drinking Water and Sanitation.

Ramdas Athawale- Minister of State in the Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment.

Vishnu Deo Sai- Minister of State in the Ministry of Steel.

Ram Kripal Yadav- Minister of State in the Ministry of Rural Development.

Hansraj Gangaram Ahir- Minister of State in the Ministry of Home Affairs.

Haribhai Parthibhai Chaudhary- Minister of State in the Ministry of Mines; and Minister of State in the Ministry of Coal.

Rajen Gohain- Minister of State in the Ministry of Railways.

General (Retd.) V. K. Singh- Minister of State in the Ministry of External Affairs.

Parshottam Rupala- Minister of State in the Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare; and Minister of State in the Ministry of Panchayati Raj.

Krishan Pal- Minister of State in the Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment.

Jaswantsinh Sumanbhai Bhabhor- Minister of State in the Ministry of Tribal Affairs.

Shiv Pratap Shukla- Minister of State in the Ministry of Finance.

Ashwini Kumar Choubey- Minister of State in the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare.

Sudarshan Bhagat- Minister of State in the Ministry of Tribal Affairs.

Upendra Kushwaha- Minister of State in the Ministry of Human Resource Development.

Kiren Rijiju- Minister of State in the Ministry of Home Affairs.

Dr. Virendra Kumar- Minister of State in the Ministry of Women and Child Development; and Minister of State in the Ministry of Minority Affairs.

Anantkumar Hegde- Minister of State in the Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship.

M. J. Akbar- Minister of State in the Ministry of External Affairs.

Sadhvi Niranjan Jyoti- Minister of State in the Ministry of Food Processing Industries.

Y. S. Chowdary- Minister of State in the Ministry of Science and Technology; and Minister of State in the Ministry of Earth Sciences.

Jayant Sinha- Minister of State in the Ministry of Civil Aviation.

Babul Supriyo- Minister of State in the Ministry of Heavy Industries and Public Enterprises.

Vijay Sampla- Minister of State in the Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment.

Arjun Ram Meghwal- Minister of State in the Ministry of Parliamentary Affairs; and Minister of State in the Ministry of Water Resources, River Development and Ganga Rejuvenation.

Ajay Tamta- Minister of State in the Ministry of Textiles.

Krishna Raj- Minister of State in the Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare.

Mansukh L. Mandaviya- Minister of State in the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways; Minister of State in the Ministry of Shipping; and Minister of State in the Ministry of Chemicals and Fertilizers.

Anupriya Patel- Minister of State in the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare.

C.R. Chaudhary- Minister of State in the Ministry of Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution; and Minister of State in the Ministry of Commerce and Industry.

P.P. Chaudhary- Minister of State in the Ministry of Law and Justice; and Minister of State in the Ministry of Corporate Affairs.

Dr. Subhash Ramrao Bhamre- Minister of State in the Ministry of Defence.

Gajendra Singh Shekhawat- Minister of State in the Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare.

Dr. Satya Pal Singh- Minister of State in the Ministry of Human Resource Development; and Minister of State in the Ministry of Water Resources, River Development and Ganga Rejuvenation.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who inaugurated and attended the two-day 'Rajaswa Gyan Sangam 2017', stated that a nudge be given to E-Assessment, reduction of pendency of appeals, use of data analytics to track undeclared income and increase tax revenue and improved coordination with states for the Goods and Services Tax (GST).

Addressing the event, Prime Minister Modi urged the officers to improve their work culture and incorporate a sense of urgency and measurability in their performance.

He exhorted officers to fix clear targets to improve the country's tax administration by 2022, being the 75th anniversary of Independence.

He also lauded the Central Board of Direct Taxes (CBDT) for its proactive role in fighting tax evasion and unearthing substantial quantums of black money.

As a step towards effective litigation management, the CBDT aims to achieve the twin objectives of substantially reducing the number of appeals and the disputed demand before CIT(Appeals). The focus is to dispose off 70 percent of smaller appeals and 30 percent of high demand appeals including 100 percent of appeals involving disputed demand of Rs. 50 crore and above.

The Gyan Sangam also included joint sessions by Sadhguru Jaggi Vasudev who spoke on "Inner Engineering- Technologies for Well Being" and a session addressed by KV Chowdary, Central Vigilance Commissioner who spoke on the importance of probity in public life.

The two days of the Gyan Sangam saw sessions held on effectiveness of tax administration, maximization of revenue, litigation management, e-assessment, tax evasion and prosecution, widening of tax base, tax payer services, GST and modernization of customs.

It was decided that assessing officers be encouraged to maximize e-assessment in a phased manner and to ensure that work be completed online so that there is complete transparency.

Strategies for revenue maximization were discussed at length especially since the CBDT has been tasked to collect revenue of Rs 9.80 lakh crore in the present fiscal. The officers were urged to utilize data effectively such that the target for collection of Personal Income Tax should not only be met but also be exceeded.

The session on taxpayer services and grievances outlined the development of tax payer services as a separate vertical. The good work done in the field of redressal of grievances was highlighted as almost 85 percent of grievances of CBDT have been disposed off online through the e-nivaran portal. There was emphasis on redressal of grievances for both CBDT and CBEC.

Strategies for widening of tax base were discussed in detail with special focus on verification of data collected during demonetization and SFT. The CBDT aims to add a sizeable number of new taxpayers in the current fiscal. It was directed that special focus be given to popularize the Operation Clean Money portal such that an environment of voluntary compliance can be created.

The technical sessions on the GST and GST Network (GSTN) focused on implementation issues faced in GST, chaired by GSTN CEO Prakash Kumar.

In the CBEC session, various issues were discussed and main thrust was on "Ease of Doing Business", Litigation Management and HR related issues. President of CESTAT addressed senior officials of CBEC and shared pragmatic thoughts on the litigation matters of CBEC. There was also a Sunshine session to highlight a formation's initiative in improving taxpayer services or individual initiative outside of the regular area of responsibility.

The Refund Sms Sewa, instant feedback survey from international passengers, barcoding confiscated goods for disposal etc, the online portal of blood donors or Go Green building of NACIN Bengaluru was also showcased.

The Revenue Secretary, in his concluding remarks emphasized that Revenue was a cross sectoral subject that required in depth understanding and coordination between both departments. He encouraged the officers of both CBDT and CBEC to share best practices with each other regularly. He also underlined the importance of increasing efforts to garner revenue in light of the data that is available post demonetization.

He also stressed that genuine grievances of taxpayers should be disposed off on priority and taxpayers should be treated with courtesy.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Senior Indian Journalist Atul Aneja on Sunday said that terrorism is an important issue between India and China in Brazil-Russia-India-China-South Africa (BRICS) summit.

He also said that however, it is unlikely that any declaration will be passed on the same at the summit.

Talking to ANI, Aneja said, "Terrorism is very important but there is unlikely it to be an issue here because of China's extremely close ties with Pakistan."

He added that there is going to be a lot of emphasis on exact words to be used on the terrorism issue in the declaration because India has said that Pakistan is epicenter of terrorism, which is close to China.

Earlier, China has raised concerns about India raising the issue of terrorism at the BRICS Summit.

Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson Hua Chunying on Friday also said that concerns over Pakistan's terrorism record is not an 'appropriate topic' to be discussed at the BRICS Summit.

"We noticed that India, when it comes to Pakistan's counter-terrorism, has some concerns. I don't think this is an appropriate topic to be discussed at BRICS Summit," Chunying said, suggesting that Beijing will be averse to any kind of criticism of its close ally during the summit deliberations in Xiamen.

Aneja also said that the summit has various dimensions as it comes after month's long stand-off between India and China at Doklam.

"Apart from BRICS, this is the first meeting between Prime Minister Modi and Chinese President Xi Jinping after Doklam stand-off. It will be important to see that whether this meeting will give a fresh dimension to India-China ties or not," he said.

Aneja added that apart from these issues, there are other regional and global issues which are of utmost importance.

"In 2016, India was keen on BRICS rating agency, which would be an alternative to western rating agency that probably might be on the agenda tomorrow," he said.

The journalist said that on economic perspective, India wants to amplify new development bank, which is BRICS Bank and K.V. Kamath being the president of Bank is another specific Indian dimension to a multi-lateral institution.

Further stressing on the issues to be discussed on the ninth BRICS summit, Aneja said the 'Belt and Road' initiative can also be on priority list.

"Chinese were initially very keen on linking the belt and the road initiative, which India does not support. I think the Indian side is going to object any suggestion of linking the Belt and the Road," he said.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi is expected to raise India's concerns on the issue of the spread of terrorism across the world, and in particular in the Asian and South Asian region at the upcoming BRICS Summit to be held in Xiamen in China's southwestern Fujian Province.

This came hours after Beijing appeared to suggest that it would view any reference to Pakistan at the meeting with a feeling of discomfort.

"Apart from economic cooperation, there are other issues of interest, i.e. threat of terrorism. There are certain developments in the which are important to be addressed, and I'm sure, leaders in the BRICS meeting are bound to look at it, including the scourge of terrorism, which has been the most important subject for India," Secretary (East) in the Ministry of External Affairs Preeti Saran told ANI.

"These are global developments and we have been discussing about it and, terrorism is something which is an issue that affects the entire international community. BRICS countries themselves have been victims of terrorism. So, it is bound to be discussed," she added.

"India had raised it (terrorism) at the last BRICS Summit in Goa in October 2016 as well, and, I'm sure that the issue of terrorism will again figure at the summit between the leaders of the BRICS countries as well. We are looking at the summit very positively, so as to come out with a strong outcome, and Prime Minister Narendra Modi is looking forward to participate in this summit," Saran said.

At the last BRICS Summit in Goa in October 2016, Modi had referred to Pakistan as the "mothership of terrorism".

"India attaches a lot of importance to the BRICS as a grouping and we think it is very important for regional and global stability, especially at a time when there is state of uncertainty in the world," Saran further said.

The Ministry of External Affairs stressed that India is looking to build upon the positive impetus given to the previous BRICS Summit in Goa.

Saran said, "We also regard BRICS as an important economic platform and a very strong voice for developing countries to come together to push for issues of interest to us, including in terms of the concept of global architecture.

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A massive fire has burnt more than 5,000 acres in the Verdugo Mountains north of downtown Los Angeles and forced hundreds of people to evacuate their homes.

The fire is being called as the biggest in the history of Los Angeles as officials warn that it could grow larger if erratic weather conditions continue.

Mandatory and voluntary evacuations were taking place but there were no reports of injuries.

Hundreds of fire fighters were seen battling the blaze as the flames were spreading in four directions amid intense heat and wild winds.

CNN quoted Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti as saying in a press conference that 300 homes in Burbank and 180 homes in Los Angeles were under evacuation orders.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Taking a dig at Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar over the Janata Dal (United) (JD(U)) not finding a berth in Sunday morning's Cabinet expansion, Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) supremo Lalu Prasad Yadav stated that one who leaves his people won't be taken in by others.

Speaking to ANI here, Lalu said, "The JD(U) didn't even get an invitation in the oath ceremony. One who leaves his people won't be taken in by others. It's Nitish Kumar's fate."

Lalu added that the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) cocked a snook at turncoat (palturam) Nitish by not indicting anyone from the JD(U) in the Cabinet.

He further suggested that former Bihar chief minister and pro-Dalit leader Jitan Ram Manjhi should have been given a place in the Cabinet.

Lalu's comments come in the wake of Nitish undoing the 'mahagathbandhan' in Bihar and joining hands with the BJP to be sworn-in as the chief minister again, the very next day.

What ensued in the state was no less than a political drama of sorts, wherein the JD(U) and the BJP left no stone unturned to corner the RJD over the corruption allegations slapped against Lalu and his family, and vice versa.

Meanwhile, the Cabinet rejig saw the promotion of as many as four Ministers of State to the rank of Cabinet ministers.

Dharmendra Pradhan, the Minister of State for Petroleum and Natural Gas, and Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi, the Minister of State for Parliamentary Affairs, took the oath as the Cabinet ministers at the ceremony held at the Rashtrapati Bhavan.

Pradhan is known to have spearheaded one of Prime Minister Modi's main schemes - the "Give it Up" plan for people to forego subsidised cooking gas or LPG voluntarily.

Beside managing to maintain ties with the Opposition parties, Naqvi has done wonders for the Union Government as the spokesperson in the Parliament and outside.

Nirmala Sitharaman, serving as the Minister of State (Independent Charge) for the Ministry of Commerce and Industry as well as a Minister of State for Finance and Corporate Affairs under the Ministry of Finance headed by Arun Jaitley, also took the oath.

Sitharaman had travelled to China for a BRICS meeting, in the middle of a lengthy standoff at the border over Doklam.

Piyush Goyal, the Minister of State with Independent Charge for Power, Coal, New and Renewable Energy and Mines, was also sworn-in as the Cabinet minister. He had brought about a turnaround in power production and delivered on the government's plan to electrify villages.

Other ministers who were handed over bigger responsibilities are:

-Shiv Pratap Shukla

-Ashwini Kumar Choubey, who is a Lok Sabha MP from Buxar, Bihar

-Virendra Kumar, a Lok Sabha MP from Tikamgah, Madhya Pradesh

-Anant Kumar Hegde, a Lok Sabha MP from Uttara Kannada, Karnataka

-Raj Kumar Singh

-Hardeep Puri

-Gajendra Singh Shekhawat

-Satya Pal Singh

-Alphons Kannanthanam, a distinguished former IAS officer of the 1979 batch, Kerala cadre

Prime Minister Modi is scheduled to leave for China wherein he would attend the BRICS Summit.

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Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MP Nana Patole, who was recently quoted as saying that Prime Minister Narendra Modi doesn't like being asked questions, has refuted remarking so, claiming that he is being defamed.

Talking to ANI, Patole said, "I was part of an event organized on farmer distress and related issues and I was speaking on the topic," adding, "It was a non-political event and I didn't comment on any of the two - the Chief Minister (Devendra Fadnavis) and the Prime Minister (Narendra Modi)."

"The program is used to defame me," alleged the former Congress man.

Patole, an MP from Bhandara-Gondiya, created all this controversy a day ago when, while speaking at a event in Nagpur, he said that Prime Minister Modi doesn't like being questioned.

He also said that the Prime Minister got angry when he asked him questions over farmer suicides.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Back in 1992, Donald Trump played a six-second cameo role in the adventure/comedy movie 'Home Alone 2

And now, Hollywood actor Matt Damon has spilled the truth behind the "apparent" cameo appearance.

Damon revealed the deal that Trump made to the filmmakers in exchange for the use of his Manhattan hotel for the shoot.

In an interview with The Hollywood Reporter, the 46-year-actor told that the President will only let the crew of the film on his properties if they write him a part in the movie.

He said, "The deal was that if you wanted to shoot in one of his buildings, you had to write him in a part."

Adding, "[Director] Martin Brest had to write something in 'Scent of a Woman', and the whole crew was in on it."

"You have to waste an hour of your day with a bullshit shot: Donald Trump walks in and Al Pacino's like, "Hello, Mr. Trump!" You had to call him by name and then he exits," noted Damon.

"You waste a little time so that you can get the permit, and then you can cut the scene out. But I guess in Home Alone 2 they left it in," he explained.

The 'Downsizing' star also revealed that he has never met Trump in person and he clearly isn't a fan of him.

Damon is currently promoting his new movie 'Suburbicon' at the Venice Film Festival alongside Hollywood actors George Clooney and Julianne Moore.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Capital Complex Deputy Commissioner Prince Dhawan inaugurated the 'Naya Bharat Hum Karke Rahenge' multimedia exhibition at Banquet Hall, Itanagar on Saturday.

Speaking as the Chief Guest, the Deputy Commissioner said that it is the dream of Prime Minister Narendra Modi to see a new India which is free of garbage, poverty, corruption, terrorism, casteism and communalism by 2022.

He also appealed everyone to contribute their share in making this dream into a reality.

The Deputy Commissioner urged everyone to follow the pledge of new India- 'Sankalp se Siddhi' in letter and spirit.

Terming education as the biggest equalizer in the society, he urged the students to study hard and set an example for rest to follow so that they can give back something to the society.

The Deputy Commissioner also urged the students to take utilization of advancement in technology like the smart class room facilities, start up etc.

S K Rai General Manager (HSE and Coordination) and Ashit Kumar Baruah General Manager Projects Oil India Limited attended as the Guests of Honour.

They also highlighted the importance of the vision of the New India and the motive of the exhibition.

The two-day exhibition is being organized by the Ministry of Parliamentary Affairs, GoI and Oil India Limited under Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas, GoI and designed by Directorate of Advertising and Visual Publicity (DAVP) under Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, GoI.

The exhibition is based on 'Sankalp Se Siddhi'- Prime Ministers vision of building a 'New India' by freeing India of garbage, poverty, corruption, terrorism, casein and communalism by 2022.

The motive of the exhibition is to provide information about the flagship programmes of Govt. Of India like Swachh Bharat Abhiyan, Digital India, Beti Bachao- Beti Padao, smart cities and initiatives like Goods and Services Tax (GST), Demonetisation etc.

The exhibition also highlights the important aspects of freedom struggle of India and the unification of states post independence through photo features.

Other highlights of the exhibition are theme based cultural programmes by the artists of Song and Drama Division.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
The ministers in the Prime Minister Narendra Modi-led government will be introduced today at 10.30 am at the Rashtrapati Bhavan here, in presence of President Ram Nath Kovind.

Mentionable is the fact that this might be the last cabinet reshuffle before the 2019 Lok Sabha elections and also be the first time President Kovind.

Confirming the time of the swearing-in ceremony, President Kovind tweeted, "Swearing-in ceremony of new ministers of the Union government will take place at 10.30 am on Sunday, September 3, at Rashtrapati Bhavan."

PM Modi is to expand his Council by inducting nine new Ministers. These are: Shiv Pratap Shukla, Ashwini Kumar Choubey, Virendra Kumar (SC), Anantkumar Hegde, Raj Kumar Singh, HardeepSingh Puri, Gajendra Singh Shekhawat, Satya Pal Singh, and Alphons Kannanthanam. All the new ministers are from ruling Bharatiya Janata Party.

It is notable that Prime Minister Modi is going to make significant changes to his Council of Ministers with the power of 4P for Progress. 4Ps are: passion + proficiency + professional & political acumen.

As a part of the restructuring, six incumbent Ministers have resigned to take on other responsibilities. Having made meaningful contributions during their tenures, all of them have been important members of the Council of Ministers. The Prime Minister has recognised and appreciated their service to the nation.

In continuance of his track record of identifying his fellow team members on the merit of their past Performance and future Potential, the new ministers have been selected by the Prime Minister with a clear mandate to deliver on his vision of a New India. A vision which is built on the foundations of Development and Good Governance, and with a focus on the Garib, Shoshit, Peedit and Vanchit segments of our society.

The new Ministers are going to be strategically placed in key Ministries, especially focusing on last mile delivery directly to the people.

The new Ministers come from varied walks of life, bringing in their unique professional perspective and proficiency to the Council. Many of them also bring rich administrative and governance experience.

All the Ministers are highly qualified, with a number of them having professional as well as PhD degrees.

Shiv Pratap Shukla is a Rajya Sabha MP from Uttar Pradesh. He is a Member of the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Rural Development. A Law Graduate with an LLB from Gorakhpur University, Shiv Pratap Shukla started off early in politics as a student leader in the 1970s.

Ashwini Kumar Choubey is a Lok Sabha MP from Buxar, Bihar. He is member of the Parliamentary Committee on Estimates and Standing Committee on Energy.He is also a Member of Central Silk Board.

Having faced the disastrous Kedarnath floods with his family in 2013, Ashwini Kumar Choubey has authored a book KedarnathTrasadi on the tragedy. A BSc (Hons) in Zoology, he has a special interest in Yoga.

Virendra Kumar is a Lok Sabha MP from Tikamgah, Madhya Pradesh. He has had a distinguished career in Public Service as a 6 term Lok Sabha MP. Highly qualified academically, VirendraKumar is armed with an MA in Economics and a PhD in Child Labour.

Anant kumar Hegde is a Lok Sabha MP from Uttara Kannada, Karnataka. He is a Member of the Parliamentary Standing Committee on ExternalAffairs and Human Resource Development.

With a deep focus on rural India, AnantkumarHegde is the Founder President ofKadamba, an NGO working in the field of rural development, rural health, SHGs, rural marketing and other rural welfare programmes.

Raj Kumar Singh is a Lok Sabha MP from Arrah, Bihar. He is a Member of the Parliamentary Standing Committees on Health and Family Welfare, Personnel, Pensions and Public Grievances and Law & Justice. Raj Kumar Singh is a former IAS officer of the 1975 batch, Bihar cadre. He rose up the ranks to become the Home Secretary of India.

Gajendra Singh Shekhawat is a Lok Sabha MP from Jodhpur, Rajasthan. He is a Member of the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Finance and Chairperson of the Fellowship Committee. As a technology-savvy, progressive farmer; Gajendra Singh Shekhawat is a role model for the rural community. He has an MPhil & MA in Philosophy from Jai Narain Vyas University, Jodhpur.

Hardeep Puri is a decorated former IFS officer of the 1974 batch, known for his experience and expertise in foreign policy and security. He is the President and Chairman of Research and Information System for Developing Countries (RIS) think tank, and was the Vice President of International Peace Institute, New York.

As Head of the Indian Delegation to the UN Security Council, HardeepPuri had served as Chairman of the Counter-Terrorism Committee of the UN as well as President of the United Nations Security Council.

An alumnus of The Hindu College, Delhi University, Hardeep Puri was a student leader and active during the JP movement. He briefly taught at St. Stephens College before joining the IFS.

Satya Pal Singh is a Lok Sabha MP from Baghpat, Uttar Pradesh. He is a Member of the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Home Affairs and Chairperson of the Joint Committee on Offices of Profit. He is a distinguished former IPS officer of the 1980 batch, Maharashtra cadre, and has been recognized with medals like the Antrik Suraksha Sewa Padak a Special Service Medal. Born in Basauli village in Baghpat, Satya Pal Singh has a MSc and MPhil in Chemistry, MBA in Strategic Management from Australia, MA in Public.

Alphons Kannanthanam is a distinguished former IAS officer of the 1979 batch, Kerala cadre. He is also a practicing advocate. He became famous as Delhi's Demolition Man when he was Commissioner of the Delhi Development Authority, having cleared DDA areas of encroachment removing around 15,000 illegal buildings. This got him listed in Time Magazine's list of 100 Young Global Leaders in 1994. Kannanthanam retired from the IAS, to get elected as an Independent Member of Legislative Assembly for Kanjirappally in Kerala from 2006 to 2011.

The Ministers come from diverse social and economic backgrounds, as well as from across the country - stretching from Uttar Pradesh to Kerala and Karnataka; and Rajasthan to Delhi, Madhya Pradesh and Bihar.

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Newly-appointed Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman is only the second woman after late Indira Gandhi to become the Defence Minister of India, and the first one to take independent charge.

While Indira Gandhi was additionally the Prime Minister of India when she took charge as the Defence Minister, Sitharaman has been entrusted with complete responsibility of the Ministry.

Sitharaman previously served as a Minister of State for Finance and Corporate Affairs and the Minister for Commerce and Industry with independent charge, and now succeeds Union Finance Minister Arun Jaitley to take charge of the defence ministry.

Speaking to ANI, Sitharaman expressed gratitude to Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) President Amit Shah on her appointment, and stated that the presence of two women in the Cabinet Committee on Security, namely External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj and she, itself sends out a strong message.

"I am thankful to Prime Minister Modi and Amit Shahji for entrusting me with this responsibility. With this, there are now two women on the Cabinet Committee on Security, that is, Sushma ji and myself. This itself sends out a strong message," said an elated Sitharaman.

Sitharaman, one of the four to be elevated to Cabinet rank, represents Karnataka in the Rajya Sabha.

A Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) alumnus, Sitharaman joined the BJP in 2006 as its spokesperson and Prime Minister Modi's ministry in 2014.

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The United States Justice Department has said that there is no evidence to support President Donald Trump's claim that his predecessor Barack Obama wiretapped Trump Tower during the 2016 presidential campaign.

"Both FBI and NSD confirm that they have no records related to wiretaps as described by the March 4, 2017 tweets," CNN quoted the Justice Department as saying in a court filing on Friday.

According to the report, the DOJ made the statement in a motion for summary judgment filed in response to a Freedom of Information Act lawsuit by a group pushing for government transparency, American Oversight.

"Terrible! Just found out that Obama had my 'wires tapped' in Trump Tower just before the victory. Nothing found. This is McCarthyism!," Trump had tweeted in March this year.

"How low has President Obama gone to tap my phones during the very sacred election process.This is Nixon/Watergate," Trump said in a tweet.

Erlier in March, James Comey, who was FBI director at the time Trump made the statements, had informed the Congress that there was no evidence to support the contention that Trump Tower had been wiretapped.

However, the Justice Department clarified that it and the FBI "do not confirm or deny the existence" of any other records that are responsive to the group's request, which was broader than the alleged wiretaps of Trump Tower.

Trump has never produced any evidence to back his claim over wiretapping of Trump Towers.

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North Korea on Sunday announced that it has successfully conducted a test of a hydrogen bomb that is meant to be loaded into an intercontinental ballistic missile.

The news reader of the North Korean Central Television announcer said North Korea's leader Kim Jong Un ordered the test, hours after Seoul and Tokyo detected unusual seismic activity at North Korea's nuclear test site.

Seismological data from the United States Geological Survey (USGS) showed that an explosion caused a 6.3-magnitude tremor in the country's northeast, not far from the country's Punggye-ri nuclear test site.

North Korea has conducted a sixth nuclear test, the Japanese government said, a move the United States and its allies in the region are likely to view as a major provocation.

South Korea and Japan are gathering and analyzing data to confirm details of the test, which Japanese Minister Shinzo Abe said could not be tolerated, CNN reported.

"If North Korea did indeed conduct a nuclear test, we absolutely cannot tolerate and must protest firmly. We will convene a National Security council meeting to gather and analyze the information," Abe said in a live television broadcast prior to Kono's announcement.

The quake was felt in northern China, with emergency sirens blaring in Yanji, near the North Korean border, according to local media.

As per the China's Earthquake Administration, North Korea has carried out its sixth nuclear test.

The administration had earlier detected a quake in North Korea, of 5.2 magnitude.

Eight minutes after the first quake, the administration reported about another quake occurred in North Korea of magnitude 4.6, which has been described as a 'collapse'.

Meanwhile, Japan has dispatched so-called "radiation sniffer" planes to take samples to confirm that a nuclear explosion did in fact take place.

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Goa Chief minister Manohar Parrikar on Sunday congratulated Nirmala Sitharaman, who took oath as the first full time woman Defence Minister of India today.

Parrikar took to Twitter to congratulate Sitharaman.

"Many congratulations to @nsitharaman Ji on becoming India's next & first full time woman Defence Minister. Wish her all the best," tweeted Parrikar.

Parrikar also congratulated other minister who were inducted in the Union Cabinet.

"Congratulations to all the new Cabinet Ministers & MoS-es who took oath. Under PM @narendramodi ji, they will take India to great heights," he tweeted.

Sitharaman is one of the four ministers elevated to the Cabinet rank earlier today

Reportedly, while addressing the media Sitharaman ascribed her promotion to 'cosmic grace'.

"Somebody who hails from a small town, worked in the party with the support of the senior leadership, and if bestowed with such responsibility, it just makes you feel sometimes that cosmic grace is there. else it is impossible," she said.

Sitharaman is the only the second woman to hold the post since former prime minister late Indira Gandhi. She had travelled to China for a BRICS meeting, in the middle of a lengthy standoff at the border over Doklam.

Sitharaman takes over from Union Minister Arun Jaitley who heads the heavy-workload Finance Ministry.

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Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday met Indian diaspora at Wyndham Hotel here.

"We are really excited to meet him. He is a PM who made India popular in the whole world. We are proud that we have a Prime Minister like him," said an Indian man. .

"We are really happy that we meet him. It is like a life-time achievement for us," said another delighted Indian woman.

Prime Minister Modi reached China to attend Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa (BRICS) summit.

The ninth BRICS summit is set to start in Xiamen under China's Chairmanship.

The Prime Minister had earlier said that he was looking forward to productive discussions and positive outcomes during the multilateral forum.

In a Facebook post, the Prime Minister said, "India had the privilege of hosting the previous Summit in Goa in October last year. I look forward to building upon the results and outcomes of the Goa Summit. I also look forward to productive discussions and positive outcomes that will support the agenda of a stronger BRICS partnership under the chairmanship of China."

The Prime Minister further stated that he will also interact with the BRICS Business Council represented by captains of industry from all five countries (Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa).

"In addition, I look forward to engaging with leaders of nine other countries, including BRICS partners, in an Emerging Markets and Developing Countries Dialogue, hosted by President Xi Jinping on 5 September," the Prime Minister's post said.

He further said that he would also meet leaders bilaterally on the sidelines of the summit.

Highlighting the significance of BRICS, the Prime Minister said it has important contributions in addressing global challenges and upholding world peace and security.

"India attaches high importance to the role of BRICS that has begun a second decade of its partnership for progress and peace," he added.

It's also reported that the Prime Minister will also raise the issue of terrorism, during the summit, and how it affects the BRICS nations.

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Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Raman Singh on Sunday said that the state government is committed to make 'Start-up Chhattisgarh' a grand success and encouraged the youth to convert their ideas into commercial products.

He expressed these views while speaking at the felicitation function of the Start-Ups selected under 1st phase of Start-up Chhattisgarh Grand Challenge.

"The Government is committed to make 'Start-up Chhattisgarh' a grand success in the State and would extend full support to develop the enabling ecosystem for Start-ups in the State," Raman Singh said.

"The youth should fearlessly convert their ideas into commercial products," he added.

Tracing back his journey as the Chief Minister, Singh discussed how he had to resort to innovations to attain the aspirations of citizens of the State.

He also congratulated Department of Industries and CHiPS for their continuous efforts for promoting Startups and expressed his gratitude for Google for partnering with the State as Trusted Partner.

Singh said that he believes that the initiative can provide wings to a lot of young talented people for becoming tomorrow's entrepreneurial leaders.

Other dignitaries present on this occasion were Chhattisgarh Industries Minister Amar Agrawal, Chief Secretary Vivek Dhand, Additional Chief Secretary N. Baijendra Kumar, Principal Secretary, IT Aman Singh and Chairman, CSIDC, Chhagan Lal Mundra.

Boosting the moral of Startup winners, Industries Minister Agrawal said that the zeal of entrepreneurship will take the State forward in its journey towards social and economic development.

He said that India is living in the era of Startups and these Startups are future of Chhattisgarh.

"For any business to progress, skilled employees are the key and hence lot of efforts are being made by the Government to enhance skills of youth of the State," Agrawal said.

Chief Secretary, Vivek Dhand said that an emerging need of startups is to provide new technology and innovation.

"Chhattisgarh has a huge potential to promote Startup ecosystem and State is committed towards promoting Startups with their policy and support," Dhand said.

Alex Paul Menon, CEO, CHiPS during his presentation showcased the journey of Startup and 36 Inc. and also highlighted about special package for Startups.

The 'Felicitation & Recognition of Start-ups selected under 1st phase of Start-up Chhattisgarh Grand Challenge, conducted under the aegis of Start-up Chhattisgarh Programme of Department of Commerce and Industries and Inauguration of 36 Inc. - State's incubator sanctioned under Atal Innovation Mission' was organized by the Chhattisgarh's Department of Commerce & Industries.

Chhattisgarh Government has been a flag bearer in implementing programmes and schemes to reach the growing population of the State, through various verticals.

Chhattisgarh Government launched Start-up Chhattisgarh Action Plan for promoting start-ups in the State, which was released by the Chief Minister last year along with the roll-out of the Start-up Chhattisgarh Programme.

This initiative was initiated to strengthen Prime Minister Narendra Modi's vision of Start-up India which aims at fostering entrepreneurship and promoting innovation by creating an ecosystem that is conducive for growth of startups.

Under the 1st phase of the "Start-up Chhattisgarh Grand Challenge" programme, boot camps were conducted across all 27 districts of the State. The boot camps were used as a platform for youth and entrepreneurs to submit their ideas and the best out of them were selected in the first phase, for incubation.

A total of 3,858 ideas were submitted out of which 36 have been selected by the screening committee formed under the Department of Commerce & Industry.

Singh felicitated 36 Start-ups during the event.

The Chief Minister also inaugurated "36inc.", State's only incubator sanctioned under Atal Innovation Mission.

The incubator has been established under Chhattisgarh Infotech Promotion Society (CHiPS) and will currently operate from Raipur's Udyog Bhawan. The incubatees will be mentored and provided support by the incubator in developing their business plan, building a prototype, market testing of the product/service and funding.

People from different walks of life attended this Startup event. While some entrepreneurs were professionals who had given up their jobs to fulfill their dream, others were students who had just passed out of college. Startups which participated in the exhibition had a wide array of services/products such as healthcare, home services, e-commerce and sensor based technologies.

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Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) working president M.K. Stalin on Saturday termed the suicide of Tamil Nadu girl Anitha a murder and demanded Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Edappadi K. Palaniswami's resignation.

Anitha, a 17-year-old Tamil Nadu girl committed suicide by hanging herself at her house after failing to get admission in medical college based on NEET marks.

"The state government has given falls assurance, wrong message which has resulted this suicide. I don't call it as suicide. It's a murder, therefore, Tamil Nadu Chief Minister and health minister Vijaya Baskar should resign immediately, " Stalin said after visiting the family of Anitha.

The DMK leader further said that they have announced a solatium of Rs. 10 lacks for Anitha's family.

Anitha, a resident of Tamil Nadu's Ariyalur district, was spearheading the fight against NEET exams and had impleaded herself as one of the respondents in a Supreme Court case challenging NEET.

Anitha killed herself a week after the Centre declared that Tamil Nadu cannot be exempted from NEET.

Earlier in the day, All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK) leader TTV Dhinakaran asked the Centre to cancel Eligibility and Entrance Test (NEET) in Tamil Nadu.

"We have 69 percent reservation in Tamil Nadu but because of this NEET, a daughter like Anitha was not able to get admission even though she got very high marks. Central government should think about it and especially in the interest of Tamil Nadu students, they should cancel NEET or at least have it as per +2 syllabus," Dhinakaran said after meeting the bereaved family of Anitha here.

Earlier, Tamil Nadu Chief Minister announced a compensation of Rs. 7 lakh to the family of Anitha.

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Minutes after the mega Cabinet reshuffle on Sunday morning, Railway Minister Suresh Prabhu took to Twitter to thank the "rail family for support, love, goodwill" and to say that he would "always cherish these memories," indicating his ouster from the post.

Suresh Prabhu tweeted, "Thanks to 13 Lacs+ rail family for support,love,goodwill.Will always cherish these memories with me.Wishing u all a great life."

Thanks to all 13 Lacs+ rail family for their support,love,goodwill.I will always cherish these memories with me.Wishing u all a great life  Suresh Prabhu (@sureshpprabhu) September 3, 2017

This comes almost 10 days after he had apprised of his meeting with Prime Minister Narendra Modi, wherein he was asked to "wait."

Prabhu, on August 23, had informed that though he takes moral responsibility of the recent train derailment incidents, Prime Minister Modi asked him to wait.

Prabhu took to Twitter and said, "In less than three years as Minister, I have devoted my blood and sweat for the betterment of the Railways. Under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, I tried to overcome decades of neglect through systemic reforms in all areas, leading to unprecedented investment and milestones."

"New India, envisioned by Prime Minister Modi, deserves Railways, which is efficient and modern. I promise that is the path on which Railways is progressing now," he further said.

"I am extremely pained by the unfortunate accidents, injuries to the passengers and loss of precious lives. It has caused me deep anguish. I met Hon'ble Prime Minister Narendra Modi, taking full moral responsibility. He has asked me to wait."

The Congress had demanded Prabhu's resignation after the derailment of the Puri-Haridwar Kalinga Utkal Express, which claimed the lives of 23 people and left more than 100 injured, at Muzaffarnagar's Khatauli region on August 19 evening.

According to reports, Piyush Goyal will be handed over the charge of the Railway Ministry.

Meanwhile, the Cabinet rejig on Sunday morning saw the promotion of as many as four Ministers of State to the rank of Cabinet ministers.

Dharmendra Pradhan, the Minister of State for Petroleum and Natural Gas, and Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi, the Minister of State for Parliamentary Affairs, took the oath as the Cabinet ministers at the ceremony held at the Rashtrapati Bhavan.

Pradhan is known to have spearheaded one of Prime Minister Modi's main schemes - the "Give it Up" plan for people to forego subsidised cooking gas or LPG voluntarily.

Beside managing to maintain ties with the Opposition parties, Naqvi has done wonders for the Union Government as the spokesperson in the Parliament and outside.

Nirmala Sitharaman, serving as the Minister of State (Independent Charge) for the Ministry of Commerce and Industry as well as a Minister of State for Finance and Corporate Affairs under the Ministry of Finance headed by Arun Jaitley, also took the oath.

Sitharaman had travelled to China for a BRICS meeting, in the middle of a lengthy standoff at the border over Doklam.

Piyush Goyal, the Minister of State with Independent Charge for Power, Coal, New and Renewable Energy and Mines, was also sworn-in as the Cabinet minister. He had brought about a turnaround in power production and delivered on the government's plan to electrify villages.

Other ministers who were handed over bigger responsibilities are:

-Shiv Pratap Shukla

-Ashwini Kumar Choubey, who is a Lok Sabha MP from Buxar, Bihar

-Virendra Kumar, a Lok Sabha MP from Tikamgah, Madhya Pradesh

-Anant Kumar Hegde, a Lok Sabha MP from Uttara Kannada, Karnataka

-Raj Kumar Singh

-Hardeep Puri

-Gajendra Singh Shekhawat

-Satya Pal Singh

-Alphons Kannanthanam, a distinguished former IAS officer of the 1979 batch, Kerala cadre

Prime Minister Modi is scheduled to leave for China wherein he would attend the BRICS Summit.

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United States President Donald Trump had a telephone conversation with Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and agreed to have close cooperation between their countries to put pressure on North Korea over its nuclear and ballistic missile program, the White House has announced.

The conversation between the two leaders came as North Korean state media had announced that the country had developed a more advanced hydrogen bomb that it says it plans to load onto an intercontinental ballistic missile (ICMB).

Both the leaders has "reaffirmed the importance of close cooperation between the United States, Japan, and South Korea in the face of the growing threat from North Korea," the White House said.

United States President Donald Trump also spoke to South Korean President Moon Jae on Friday and discussed the threat posed by North Korea.

The United States has agreed to help South Korea build up its missile capabilities and "reached an agreement in principle to revise the 'missile guideline'."

"The two leaders noted the need to strengthen the Republic of Korea's defense capabilities to counter provocations and threats from North Korea, and reached an agreement in principle to revise the 'missile guideline' to the extent hoped by the South Korean side," South Korean news agency Yonhap quoted South Korean presidential spokesman Park Soo-hyun as saying.

North Korea fired a Hwasong-12 missile on August 29 capable of carrying a nuclear payload that traveled nearly 2,700 kilometers into the Pacific and triggered alert warnings as it flew over Japan's northern island of Hokkaido.

During his talks with Japanese leader, Trump also noted that he "looks forward to continued trilateral coordination" on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly later this month in New York, the Hill reported.

Despite the heightened tensions in the region, Trump on Saturday confirmed that he was speaking with advisers about the future of the United States' free-trade agreement with South Korea.

The U.S. and South Korea conducted joint military exercises in the face of North Korean aggression last month.

During a visit to the country's Nuclear Weapons Institute, North Korean leader Kim Jong Un "watched an H-bomb to be loaded into new ICBM (intercontinental ballistic missile)," the Korean Central News Agency reported.

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United States President Donald Trump on Sunday said the Washington was considering to severe trade ties with countries doing business with North Korea.

Trump's statement comes on the backdrop of nuclear test conducted by the North Korea on Sunday.

"The United States is considering, in addition to other options, stopping all trade with any country doing business with North Korea," Trump said in a tweet.

US President further said that he would also meet top military leaders at the White House to discuss North Korea.

Earlier in the day, Trump termed North Korea a 'rogue nation' for conducting nuclear test and said its 'actions continue to be very dangerous to the Washington'.

In a series of tweets, Trump further said that North Korea has become a great threat and embarrassment to China.

"North Korea has conducted a major Nuclear Test. Their words and actions continue to be very hostile and dangerous to the United States," he said in a tweet.

North Korea on Sunday announced that it has successfully conducted a test of a hydrogen bomb that is meant to be loaded into an intercontinental ballistic missile.

The news reader of the North Korean Central Television said North Korea's leader Kim Jong Un ordered the test and termed it a "perfect success".

Earlier, Trump had also a telephone conversation with Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and agreed to have close cooperation between their countries to put pressure on North Korea over its nuclear and ballistic missile program, the White House has announced.

US President also spoke to South Korean President Moon Jae on September 1 and discussed the threat posed by North Korea.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
United States President Donald Trump on Sunday termed North Korea a 'rogue nation' for conducting nuclear test and said its 'actions continue to be very dangerous to the Washington'.

In a series of tweets, Trump further said that North Korea has become a great threat and embarrassment to China.

"North Korea has conducted a major Nuclear Test. Their words and actions continue to be very hostile and dangerous to the United States," he said in a tweet.

Earlier in the day, North Korea announced that it has successfully conducted a test of a hydrogen bomb that is meant to be loaded into an intercontinental ballistic missile.

The news reader of the North Korean Central Television said North Korea's leader Kim Jong Un ordered the test and termed it a "perfect success".

Earlier, Trump had also a telephone conversation with Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and agreed to have close cooperation between their countries to put pressure on North Korea over its nuclear and ballistic missile program, the White House has announced.

US President also spoke to South Korean President Moon Jae on September 1 and discussed the threat posed by North Korea.

Earlier in the day, India also deplored the nuclear test and called upon North Korea to refrain from such actions which adversely impact peace and stability in the region and beyond.

In a statement, India expressed concern over the nuclear test and said that the "Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) has once again acted in violation of its international commitments."

Earlier, China also condemned North Korea for ignoring international condemnation of its atomic weapons programme.

"North Korea has ignored the international community's widespread opposition, again carrying out a nuclear test. China's government expresses resolute opposition and strong condemnation toward this", the Chinese foreign ministry said in a statement.

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Newly-inducted Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Sunday expressed gratitude to Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) President Amit Shah on her appointment, and stated that the presence of two women in the Cabinet Committee on Security, namely External Affairs minister Sushma Swaraj and she, itself sends out a strong message.

"I am thankful to Prime Minister Modi and Amit Shahji for entrusting me with this responsibility. With this, there are now two women on the Cabinet Committee on Security, that is, External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj and myself. This itself sends out a strong message," Nirmala told ANI.

With regard to her appointment as the Defence Minister, an elated Sitharaman opined that it is undoubtedly a very big responsibility to be shouldered by her.

"The role given to me is both challenging and interesting. From here onwards, I will have to prove myself and perform to satisfy the expectations of those who assigned me for this role," she said.

Further, Sitharaman stated that she will take charge on September 6, after incumbent Defence Minister Arun Jaitley's return from Tokyo.

"I have had a word with the defence secretary and Arun Jaitley. I will take charge, most probably on September 6, after he returns from Japan, where he is visiting in the capacity of India's Defence Minister. I will speak in detail post taking charge," she said.

Earlier in the day, Sitharaman was appointed as the Defence Minister as the second woman to do so after late Indira Gandhi, and the first one to take charge as full-time minister.

Sitharaman will take over from Arun Jaitley, who will retain his position as the Finance Minister.

Sitharaman has previously served as a Minister of State for Finance and Corporate Affairs under the Ministry of Finance and the Minister for Commerce and Industry with independent charge.

An alumnus of the Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU), Sitharaman joined the BJP in 2006 as its spokesperson and Prime Minister Modi's ministry in 2014.

Sitharaman represents Karnataka in the Rajya Sabha.
Jodhpur MP Gajendra Singh Shekhawat, who will be sworn-in as the new minister in Prime Minister Narendra Modi's cabinet today, said that whatever post he gets, he will only work for the benefit of the nation.

Speaking to ANI, Singh said that he would like to thank Prime Minister Modi and Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) President Amit Shah for believing and instilling him with this responsibility.

"I will give my level best and hope I am able to do my work and give my best to the nation," Singh said.

He further stated that this is an opportunity to work for the nation.

Singh said that he hasn't been told which post he will be getting but he is ready to do any kind of work, for the benefit of the nation.

Gajendra Singh Shekhawat is a Lok Sabha MP from Jodhpur, Rajasthan. He is a Member of the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Finance and Chairperson of the Fellowship Committee. As a technology-savvy, progressive farmer; Gajendra Singh Shekhawat is a role model for the rural community. He has an MPhil & MA in Philosophy from Jai Narain Vyas University, Jodhpur.

Expressing happiness for getting a chance to be a part of the Union Government, the leaders who will become ministers in the Prime Minister Narendra Modi's Government on Saturday thanked the Prime Minister for giving them the opportunity to serve the country and said that they will try to live up to his expectations.

PM Modi is to expand his Council by inducting nine new Ministers. These are: Shiv Pratap Shukla, Ashwini Kumar Choubey, Virendra Kumar (SC), Anantkumar Hegde, Raj Kumar Singh, HardeepSingh Puri, Gajendra Singh Shekhawat, Satya Pal Singh, and Alphons Kannanthanam. All the new ministers are from ruling Bharatiya Janata Party.

"Prime Minister Modi has showed so much faith on me. I will try to live up to his expectations," Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Ashwini Kumar Choubey told ANI.

"I Have always fulfilled responsibilities the party leadership gave me. I Thank the Prime Minsiter Modi, Amit Shah and senior leaders for this opportunity,"

said another leader Virendra Kumar.

Meanwhile, elated to be a part of the Cabinet Ministry, party leader Stayapal Singh said that he has not yet been officially informed, but whatever is the party's and the prime minister's decision he is ready to take it.

"I will believe the information to be authentic only when I get it from official sources," said another leader Shiv Pratap Shukla.

It is notable that Prime Minister Modi is going to make significant changes to his Council of Ministers with the power of 4P for Progress. 4Ps are: passion + proficiency + professional & political acumen.

As a part of the restructuring, six incumbent Ministers have resigned to take on other responsibilities. Having made meaningful contributions during their tenures, all of them have been important members of the Council of Ministers. The Prime Minister has recognised and appreciated their service to the nation.

In continuance of his track record of identifying his fellow team members on the merit of their past Performance and future Potential, the new ministers have been selected by the Prime Minister with a clear mandate to deliver on his vision of a New India. A vision which is built on the foundations of Development and Good Governance, and with a focus on the Garib, Shoshit, Peedit and Vanchit segments of our society.

The new Ministers are going to be strategically placed in key Ministries, especially focusing on last mile delivery directly to the people.

The new Ministers come from varied walks of life, bringing in their unique professional perspective and proficiency to the Council. Many of them also bring rich administrative and governance experience.

All the Ministers are highly qualified, with a number of them having professional as well as PhD degrees.

Shiv Pratap Shukla is a Rajya Sabha MP from Uttar Pradesh. He is a Member of the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Rural Development. A Law Graduate with an LLB from Gorakhpur University, Shiv Pratap Shukla started off early in politics as a student leader in the 1970s.

Ashwini Kumar Choubey is a Lok Sabha MP from Buxar, Bihar. He is member of the Parliamentary Committee on Estimates and Standing Committee on Energy.He is also a Member of Central Silk Board.

Having faced the disastrous Kedarnath floods with his family in 2013, Ashwini Kumar Choubey has authored a book KedarnathTrasadi on the tragedy. A BSc (Hons) in Zoology, he has a special interest in Yoga.

Virendra Kumar is a Lok Sabha MP from Tikamgah, Madhya Pradesh. He has had a distinguished career in Public Service as a 6 term Lok Sabha MP. Highly qualified academically, VirendraKumar is armed with an MA in Economics and a PhD in Child Labour.

Anant kumar Hegde is a Lok Sabha MP from Uttara Kannada, Karnataka. He is a Member of the Parliamentary Standing Committee on ExternalAffairs and Human Resource Development.

With a deep focus on rural India, AnantkumarHegde is the Founder President ofKadamba, an NGO working in the field of rural development, rural health, SHGs, rural marketing and other rural welfare programmes.

Raj Kumar Singh is a Lok Sabha MP from Arrah, Bihar. He is a Member of the Parliamentary Standing Committees on Health and Family Welfare, Personnel, Pensions and Public Grievances and Law & Justice. Raj Kumar Singh is a former IAS officer of the 1975 batch, Bihar cadre. He rose up the ranks to become the Home Secretary of India.

Hardeep Puri is a decorated former IFS officer of the 1974 batch, known for his experience and expertise in foreign policy and security. He is the President and Chairman of Research and Information System for Developing Countries (RIS) think tank, and was the Vice President of International Peace Institute, New York.

As Head of the Indian Delegation to the UN Security Council, HardeepPuri had served as Chairman of the Counter-Terrorism Committee of the UN as well as President of the United Nations Security Council.

An alumnus of The Hindu College, Delhi University, Hardeep Puri was a student leader and active during the JP movement. He briefly taught at St. Stephens College before joining the IFS.

Satya Pal Singh is a Lok Sabha MP from Baghpat, Uttar Pradesh. He is a Member of the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Home Affairs and Chairperson of the Joint Committee on Offices of Profit. He is a distinguished former IPS officer of the 1980 batch, Maharashtra cadre, and has been recognized with medals like the Antrik Suraksha Sewa Padak a Special Service Medal. Born in Basauli village in Baghpat, Satya Pal Singh has a MSc and MPhil in Chemistry, MBA in Strategic Management from Australia, MA in Public.

Alphons Kannanthanam is a distinguished former IAS officer of the 1979 batch, Kerala cadre. He is also a practicing advocate. He became famous as Delhi's Demolition Man when he was Commissioner of the Delhi Development Authority, having cleared DDA areas of encroachment removing around 15,000 illegal buildings. This got him listed in Time Magazine's list of 100 Young Global Leaders in 1994. Kannanthanam retired from the IAS, to get elected as an Independent Member of Legislative Assembly for Kanjirappally in Kerala from 2006 to 2011.

The Ministers come from diverse social and economic backgrounds, as well as from across the country - stretching from Uttar Pradesh to Kerala and Karnataka; and Rajasthan to Delhi, Madhya Pradesh and Bihar.

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A scheduled airport welcoming ceremony in Xiamen for Prime Minister Narendra Modi was cancelled on Sunday due to the bad weather.

"The aircraft carrying Indian PM arrived in Xiamen on Sept 3. A scheduled airport welcoming ceremony was canceled due to heavy rainfall," People's Daily China tweeted.

The Chinese explanation came to dispel the impression of a snub.

Prime Minister Modi is in China to attend Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa (BRICS) summit.

"We are really excited to meet him. He is a PM who made India popular in the whole . We are proud that we have a Prime Minister like him," said an Indian man.

"We are really happy that we meet him. It is like a life-time achievement for us," said another delighted Indian woman.

The ninth BRICS summit is set to start in Xiamen under China's Chairmanship.

Earlier, the Prime Minister had said that he was looking forward to productive discussions and positive outcomes during the multilateral forum.

The Prime Minister further stated that he will also interact with the BRICS Business Council represented by captains of industry from all five countries (Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa).

He also mentioned that he would meet leaders bilaterally on the sidelines of the summit.

Highlighting the significance of BRICS, the Prime Minister noted that it has important contributions in addressing global challenges and upholding peace and security.

Furthermore, it's being reported that the Prime Minister will also raise the issue of terrorism during the summit and how it affects the BRICS nations.

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Tandoori Indian Restaurant, which will be taking care of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's culinary needs during his visit to China for the BRICS summit, is feeling honoured to be given this task.

Sudhir Mittoo, General Manager of Xiamen's Tandoori Indian Restaurant, told ANI : "We are honored to be given the task to serve the Prime Minister and his high-level delegation."

He said that all the preparations are being made keeping in mind Prime Minister Modi's vegetarian taste.

"We served him last year also in G-20 summit. This time the menu will be little different," he said.

Meanwhile, Prime Minister Modi has left for China to attend the ninth BRICS Summit in Xiamen.

In a Facebook post on Saturday, Prime Minister Modi said, "India had the privilege of hosting the previous Summit in Goa in October last year. I look forward to building upon the results and outcomes of the Goa Summit. I also look forward to productive discussions and positive outcomes that will support the agenda of a stronger BRICS partnership under the chairmanship of China.

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Thirty-five Egyptian pilgrims died during the annual Haj pilgrimage in Saudi Arabia's Mecca.

The news was confirmed on Saturday by the head of Egypt's Medical Haj Mission Ahmed el Ansary who said that the ages of the dead pilgrims varied between 60 and 85 years, reports Xinhua news agency.

The deaths were mainly due to stress and old age.

The pilgrimage started on August 31, with more than two million pilgrims, including 1.8 million foreigners, expected to participate.

Haj is the most important ritual among Muslims in the world. The pilgrimage will continue until next week.

On Friday, Saudi Arabian authorities tightened security banning over 400,000 illegal pilgrims from entering Mecca for not having Haj permits.

--IANS

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Prime Minister Narendra Modi's decision on Sunday to induct former bureaucrat K J Alphons into his council of ministers has left the BJP's long-standing leaders out in the cold.

Not surprisingly, the state head office of the Bharatiya Janata Party here looked deserted on Sunday when Alphons took oath even though Kerala was getting its first representation in the three-year-old Modi government.

But there was celebration in Alphons' hometown Manimala in Kottayam district.

Alphons becomes the second BJP leader from Kerala to get a berth in the union cabinet after O Rajagopal, who was a Minister of State in the Atal Bihari Vajpayee government (1999-2004).

Rajagopal was elected to the Rajya Sabha for two terms from 1992 from Madhya Pradesh. Now, those in the know of things say Alphons too will be elected to the Rajya Sabha.

Alphons is only six years old in the BJP, which he joined in 2011. He was earlier aligned with the Left Democratic Front in Kerala.

Alphons, though not a frontline leader in the Kerala BJP, is popular in Delhi where he came to be known as the 'demolition man' for knocking down 14,310 illegal buildings when he worked as a Commissioner in the Delhi Development Authority.

At that time, he stood his ground even after his wife and children came under attack.

Ever since news surfaced that there would be a reshuffle and expansion of the Modi ministry, the names that figured prominently as probables from Kerala were actor-turned-Rajya Sabha member Suresh Gopi, state BJP President Kummanem Rajasekheran and former state BJP President V. Muraleedharan.

No one even in the party circles or the media took Alphons' name.

One reason why Modi and BJP President Amit Shah may have opted for Alphons is to warn the warring BJP leadership in the state that they needed to get their act together to take on the entrenched Left and the Congress.

But the state BJP leadership put up a brave face on Sunday.

Kummanem Rajasekheran said in a statement: "Alphons joined the BJP fed up with the corrupt ways of the Left and the Congress. This is an Onam gift for Kerala and an appreciation for his various positions he has taken."

Congress leader Ramesh Chennithala said he does not think any single leader in the Kerala BJP was happy about Alphons becoming a minister.

There are some who think that Alphons has been made a minister to appease the numerically strong Christian community in Kerala.

In June, Amit Shah met leading Church heads in Kochi and Thiruvananthapuram to say that a healthy relationship with the Christian community was essential for the party to make further inroads in Kerala.

--IANS

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Actor Anil Kapoor has started shooting for the upcoming film "Fanney Khan" and he called the movie "very special".

Anil on Sunday shared the photograph of the film's clapboard on Twitter and said that the shoot has commenced.

"And here's the clap that marks the beginning of something new and very very special! First days the best days! 'Fanney Khan'. Shoot begins," he captioned the image.

A first look into the film -- as shared by Anil -- earlier this year saw him dressed in a blingy golden jacket singing his heart out as a spotlight shone on him.

An official remake of the Oscar nominated Dutch film "Everybody's Famous", "Fanney Khan" will be directed by Atul Manjrekar and will star Aishwarya Rai Bachchan and Rajkummar Rao.

The film will bring Aishwarya and Anil together on the big screen after almost two decades. They had previously shared screen space in the 2000 film "Hamara Dil Aapke Paas Hai" and the 1999 hit musical "Taal".

Earlier, it was reported that R. Madhavan may be cast opposite Aishwarya, and subsequently it sparked talks that the actress was upset over it as she was keen on Rajkummar instead.

--IANS

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The 9th BRICS Summit began here on Sunday, with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chinese President Xi Jinping expected to meet on the sidelines of the three-day event.

The Modi-Xi meeting, which both sides have indicated, comes after a dragging border row ended last week.

On Saturday, Modi, slated to arrive in Xiamen later on Sunday, said he would also meet other BRICS leaders.

Xi and Modi last met bilaterally during June's Shanghai Cooperation Organisation summit in Astana, Kazakhstan.

They met informally at G20 in Germany the following month amid the border crisis.

Modi might raise Pakistan's terror links at the event. China has said the summit was not the appropriate place to discuss the issue.

Modi will attend the BRICS restricted session and its plenary session on Monday.

The session is expected to focus on the global economic situation, international economic governance, national security and development, and international and regional issues.

The proposed BRICS rating agency will be one of the key agenda issues.

The five-member bloc of Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa was formed in 2006.

--IANS

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Induction of BJP's Lok Sabha lawmaker from Karnataka Anantkumar Hegde as Minister of State for Skill Development and Entrepreneurship on Sunday drew a spat between the Congress and the BJP in light of his controversial past.

While Congress slammed Hegde's inclusion, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) lauded it as a reward for his contribution to the state as a five-time parliamentarian from the Uttara Kannada constituency.

"Hegde was captured on camera, thrashing a doctor in a private hospital at Sirsi in Karnataka," said Congress spokesman Manish Tewari in New Delhi.

Playing down the incident, party's state unit spokesman Shantaram told IANS here that the fracas was on the spur of a moment over an argument and no case was made against Hegde.

"It was a petty case of a heated argument turning into a scuffle on the spur, as he (Hegde) had no intention to harm anyone," he said.

CCTV camera footage showed a furious Hegde, 49, assaulting a duty doctor on January 3, for not attending to his mother who was admitted for treatment to a fracture after a fall at home.

The footage also showed Hegde, a Tae-Kon-Do expert, grabbing another doctor by the scruff of his neck and slamming him against the wall.

A case was also registered against Hegde in 2016 for allegedly hurting religious sentiments after he maintained that "there would be terrorism as long as Islam was there in the world and cannot be eradicated".

Denying the charge, Shantaram said Hegde was misquoted and his statement taken out of context as his observation was on the basis of terror events in parts of the Arab world then.

The veteran MP has been a member of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh and an activist of its student wing, the Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad since his college days.

Hegde is also the party's state unit Vice President and founder of NGO Kadamba, which works for rural development, rural health, and self-help groups.

--IANS

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The 23rd Delhi Book Fair, a low-key affair this year, finally saw a huge number of book lovers turning up for the event on its concluding day on Sunday.

The nine-day event, after opening on a dull note and drawing sparse crowds throughout, managed to pull off a decent show from Friday and over the weekend. The clear sky and the relaxed Sunday gave the book lovers an extra incentive to visit the book fair in its final hours.

With the theme of "Padhe Bharat, Badhe Bharat" (May India read, May India progress), the fair was organised by the Federation of Indian Publishers (FIP) in association with the India Trade Promotion Organisation (ITPO).

Nity Sharma, a scientist working with DRDO who came along with her twin daughters Tyulip and Twishaa, said: "I love book fairs because even in the era of Kindle, events like this keep alive the charm that books have. It is the smell of the books that draws me to the book fairs. My daughters have Kindle, but they too prefer books."

As the event saw low visitor turnout in its initial days, the publishers sought to lure them by offering heavy discount on books this weekend. That turned into a major attraction for the youth.

"I got to know about it quite late but had to make it this time. I heard from my friends that there's a heavy discount on books. I got three books for just Rs 100," said Archana Rao, a student of Jamia Milia Islamia.

The rising numbers crowding the stalls over the past three days also brought some welcome relief and respite to the hard-pressed publishers.

Satyendra Singh Bisht of Pitambar Publication said: "We had lost hope of any profit this time. Even last Sunday it wasn't that crowded... Maybe it's the last day, but I am happy to see people showing interest in books. It gives us some hope."

Another attraction at this year's fair was the stationery hall which drew more crowds than the books hall. From customised diaries and notepads to interior decoration items, the wide variety attracted throngs of excited visitors and buyers.

However, all publishers were generally of the opinion that this year's book fair did not turn out to be as good as in the past.

According to them, several factors like violence by Dera Sacha Sauda followers after the court verdict convicting him of rape, sudden monsoon showers, absence of big publishing houses and lack of publicity of the once-premier event affected the sale of books at the 23rd edition of the book fair.

According to the organisers, paucity of funds majorly dented the fair this year. They also noted that around 40 publishers were not present this time, and this not only affected the funds but also disappointed many visitors.

Absence of big publishing houses like Penguin and HarperCollins and some majors from Hindi publishing industry was notable and left the wholesalers, retailers and readers dissatisfied.

"There are many books, but I did not find them that appealing. I was looking forward to some new books, but found the same collection as that of last year. It's a little disappointing for us," said Sharmila Rana from Punjabi Bagh.

The widespread feeling of disappointment notwithstanding, the visitors hoped the book fair would offer better and richer fare next year.

--IANS

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President Ram Nath Kovind on Sunday said that the "globally cherished" Gandhian values of truth and non-violence were as much relevant in the contemporary times as in the past.

The President, who began his two-day visit of Gujarat by first visiting the Sabarmati Ashram of Mahatma Gandhi, wrote in the Visitors' Book: "It is a matter of great honour and privilege for me to be on the sacred precincts of the Sabarmati Ashram, epitomising the globally cherished Gandhian values of truth and non-violence, which continue to be as relevant today as they were in the past."

Kovind, who is visiting the State the first time after becoming the President, was received by Governor O.P. Kohli, Chief Minister Vijay Rupani and Deputy Chief Minister Nitin Patel at the airport here this afternoon.

Visiting the ashram, he offered his floral tributes at the Mahatma Gandhi statue inside the Ashram, which is managed by the Sabarmati Ashram Preservation and Memorial Trust. Trust Chairperson Elaben Bhatt, along with trustees Kartikeya Sarabhai and Amrut Modi, accompanied Kovind during his tour of the Ashram, which is celebrating 100 years of its establishment.

Mahatma Gandhi lived here between 1917 and 1930.

The President planted a sapling on the premises of the Ashram as well as took a briefing from the trustees about the ongoing work of preserving the Gandhian-era documents and letters.

Writing in the Visitors' Book outside Hriday Kunj, where Mahatma Gandhi and Kasturba Gandhi lived, Kovind continued: "I join the nation in paying tribute to Mahatma Gandhi, whose teachings and ideals are an eternal source of inspiration and strength not only for India but also for the entire world."

The President's message said: "On the occasion of the year-long Sabarmati Ashram Centenary Celebrations, let me reaffirm our resolve to follow the path of Gandhiji for peace and harmony amongst the nations and the entire mankind."

Kovind later left for Mehsana town in north Gujarat, where he attended a programme at Simandhar Swami Jain Temple on the occasion of Guru Ashish Mahaparv. He will be going to Jasdan in Saurashtra region's Rajkot district to address a public gathering after attending the foundation stone laying ceremony for the link-4 of the ambitious SAUNI (Saurashtra-Narmada Avataran Irrigation Yojana) project.

The President will also visit Ghela Somnath temple near Jasdan town, which is around 60km from Rajkot city.

--IANS

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The BJP-led Goa government's response to religious desecrations and attempts by right-wing elements to provoke and divide society has been "timid and tepid", the Goa Church said in an article.

"While the heat over some provocative statements was still on and the response of the local government timid and tepid, came a series of desecrations of religious symbols at sites located in the southern part of Goa," the article in the latest edition of Renovacao, a Church-run periodical, said.

"These desecrations came in quick succession, leaving little time to cool down any raised tempers and with an obvious intention to provoke a violent reaction," said Jaime Rangel, a medical professional, who authored the article.

The article comes on the heels of an ongoing confrontation between the state's influential Roman Catholic Church and the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party-led coalition government.

The Church is the religious and spiritual guide to over a quarter of the state's population, which is Catholic in orientation.

The previous edition of the Renovacao had alleged similarities between contemporary Goa and India to Nazi Germany and had urged voters not to cast ballot in favour of Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar in the August 23 assembly bypoll.

A fact-finding report, co-authored by the Church and backed by NGO Council for Social Justice and Peace, had also accused the state government of being slack in its investigation of a series of month-long acts of desecration, in which nearly 100 Catholic crosses, graves and Hindu icons of worship were vandalised.

However, both Chief Minister as well as BJP spokesperson Nilesh Cabral responded with allegations that the campaign against the state government was a conspiracy which was orchestrated ahead of the bypolls.

Cabral at a press conference last week even "advised" Archbishop Fr. Filipe Neri Ferrao to "tone down" the contents of the Church periodical.

The recent article 'Preserve Communal Harmony' by Rangel now calls for a need to be vigilant against attempts to drive a wedge between religious communities in Goa.

"Despite the facts of various parties, groups and individual elements having tried to drive a wedge between various religious religious communities co-existing in Goa, the general populace has shown amazing resilience not to let anyone break the long-existing bonds of communal harmony that has seen this state stand as a shining example to the rest of the nation," the article says.

The article also urged Goans to speak up against "sinister attempts at putting neighbour against neighbour and brother against brother".

--IANS

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Indian industry on Sunday lauded the latest cabinet reshuffle by Prime Minister Narendra Modi describing it as "carefully strategised" to provide fresh impetus to the Indian development process.

"The elevation of new cabinet ministers and induction of new ministers with independent charge in crucial infrastructure sectors is designed towards implementation and achievement of key targets," Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) President Shobana Kamineni said in a statement here.

"Overall, the direction of the reshuffle inspires confidence that the path of reforms, ease of doing business and timely implementation will continue to be top priority. This is vital at a time when the GDP growth has been flagging," she said.

CII noted the various reforms undertaken by the government such as the Goods and Services Tax (GST), tackling banks' non-performing assets (NPAs), or bad loans, introducing the Insolvency and Bankruptcy Code, and placing major emphasis on transport and power infrastructure.

Industry chamber Assocham said the reshuffle reflected Modi's renewed focus on performance and achieving the targets set for each of the vital ministries.

"A full time Defence Minister, that too a woman for the first time, would give a focus on the programmes like Make in India in strategic sectors of the country," said Assocham President Sandeep Jajodia.

He expressed the hope that "more and speedy measures are implemented to revive the private investment so that the industrial activity gets a revival boost".

Sunday's cabinet reshuffle by Modi indicates that the major economic ministries have performed well over the last three years and their ministers in-charge have been rewarded.

The previous Commerce and Industry Minister Nirmala Sitharaman has been elevated to cabinet rank in recognition of her work and has been made the new Defence Minister. Her place has been taken by Suresh Prabhu who resigned as Railway Minister on Sunday.

Petroleum Minister Dharmendra Pradhan has been elevated to cabinet rank

Former Power, Coal and New and Renewable Energy Minister Piyush Goyal was also elevated to cabinet rank and made the new Railway Minister.

Goyal has been replaced by newly inducted Minister of State Raj Kumar Singh, who is Lok Sabha member from Arrah, Bihar. A former IAS officer of the 1975 batch, Singh has also served as Union Home Secretary.

--IANS

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While the RBI launched the 200-rupee note a week ago, it may take up to three months for ATMs to start dispensing the new denomination currency as it will involve a huge exercise of recalibration.

Some banks have even asked the ATM companies to begin testing the new note for recalibration of the machines, though they have not got supplies of the new currency. Only last year, the banks were involved in the recalibration of ATM machines after the demonetisation of high-value currency notes in November.

Reserve Bank of India (RBI) did issue a statement saying that the supply of the new would soon be ramped up, but has not given any time-frame by which it will be available in adequate numbers.

ATM manufacturing companies said that they have not received any directive from the RBI regarding the recalibration of ATMs for the new Rs 200 note. They disclosed that some banks have at an informal level have asked them to start testing of the new note, since it is of a different size.

It is yet to be seen whether all the 2.25 lakh ATM machines across India would be recalibrated for dispensing the new note.

Ravi B Goyal, Chairman and Managing Director, AGS Transact Technologies Limited, which claims to have an installed base of 60,000 ATMs, told IANS, "The process of recalibration will begin once we receive the directive from the RBI. The size of the new notes is different from the existing ones and so, once we receive the new notes, we will have to understand its dimensions and accordingly reconfigure the ATM cassettes. Next, we will have to check if the supply of notes is good enough to run the cassettes at full capacity."

"The entire process of recalibration can be completed within 90 days without affecting the regular functionality of ATMs to a large extent. In fact, the ATMs will continue to be fully operational during recalibration and will continue to supply Rs 100, Rs 500 and Rs 2,000 denominations," he said.

Among the other companies operating in the sector are NCR Corporation, which has over 1,08,000 machines, and BTI Payments, which has 4,500 cash dispensers.

NCR Corporation said that while some banks have reached out to them to start testing of the new note, they were yet to receive the supply to begin the process.

"Banks have started getting in touch with us for testing the same. They will let us know which machines they wish to configure for Rs 200, which will require physical visits to ATMs. However, the new notes are still to be provided to us by the respective banks so that the testing can begin," Anand Garollu, General Manager (Services), NCR Corporation said.

K Srinivas, Managing Director and CEO of BTI Payments, an RBI-licensed firm that operates cash dispensers not owned and managed by banks, said, "Recalibration will begin as and when we receive adequate quantity of . We are looking to roll this out as quickly as possible."

He said that the industry was expecting to be available over a period of time across various geographies.

"The recalibration can be done progressively as and when the new denomination note starts to become available. Unlike the last time around (during demonetisation), when we had to recalibrate all machines in one go," Srinivas added.

The ATM companies said that they were expecting to receive official communication on recalibration of ATMs soon. However, e-mails to RBI in this regard did not elicit any reply, they said.

"The production of these (Rs 200) notes is being ramped up by the currency printing presses and over time, as more notes are printed, it will be distributed across the country through the banking channels and will be available for public in adequate quantity," the RBI had said in a statement.

Currently, Rs 200 notes are available only through select RBI offices and some banks.

While State Bank of India and Punjab National Bank are reported to have received the new Rs 200 notes, Eknath Baliga, Manger, KYC-Antimoney Laundering Cell, Corporation Bank, Mangalore, told IANS that none of its branches across the country had received the Rs 200 notes so far.

The Rs 200 note is currently being printed only by RBI presses. Security Printing and Minting Corporation of India (SPMCIL) sources told IANS that the company has not received any indent so far for the printing of Rs 200 notes. India's two currency presses are owned by RBI and two by SPMCIL, which is a government-owned company.

How the ATM recalibration happens:

Usually, an ATM holds four cassettes -- three of which can continue to be used for Rs 100, Rs 500, Rs 2,000, and the fourth cassette can be used for the new Rs 200 notes. On an average, each cassette has a capacity to hold 2,000-2,500 notes depending upon the quality of cash issued by banks. However, there are many ATMs that only have either two or three cassettes.

The number of slots in the ATM can be configured as per the bank's preference. The banks decide which denomination needs to be configured in a machine on the basis of the customer profile in the area where the ATM is located and the number of transactions on that machine.

The banks need to make requisite changes at their ATM switch before the roll-out of the physical recalibration at the ATMs in the field.

The recalibration of a new denomination takes 30-45 minutes per ATM. The process of recalibration is not very difficult but is time-consuming given an engineer has to visit every ATM and configure it to dispense the requisite denomination.

The introduction of the Rs 200 note has been welcomed as it would ease the currency circulation in the market as people prefer lower denomination cash withdrawals from ATMs. Rs 200 would also be more convenient for rural consumers.
Notwithstanding the appointment of Nirmala Sitharaman as the new Defence Minister, Finance Minister Arun Jaitley, who is presently holding additional charge of Defence, will represent India in a bilateral dialogue on defence in Japan.

Sitharaman, who was elevated to the rank of a cabinet minister on Sunday and given is set to be the Defence portfolio, will take charge of her office after Jaitley returns from Japan.

Jaitley told reporters on Sunday that he was going to Japan as logistic arrangements were not possible at the last moment.

"I leave tonight for Japan, and normally the new Defence Minister should have been going. But logistically that doesn't seem possible today being a Sunday to make the changes," said Jaitley, who will hold a bilateral dialogue with his Japanese counterpart, ahead of a visit of Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe to India later this month.

"It is a very important security dialogue between the two countries ahead of the Japanese Prime Minister's visit and therefore changes are not advisable. I will continue for next two days to complete the dialogue, and Ms. Sitharaman will take the charge of the ministry as soon as the dialogue ends," he said.

Jaitley also hailed his successor Sitharaman calling her a very "competent" person for the portfolio, and said her appointment sent a positive message globally.

"I am happy with the fact that I now have a very competent successor who has worked her way up and proved herself. She has actually earned that place for herself," he said referring to Sitharaman, who has in past worked with him as Minister of State for Finance and Corporate Affairs.

"It (her appointment) is great for the country, not just for the women. it also sends a message globally."

Jaitley noted that the Cabinet Committee on Security would now have two women with Sitharaman joining External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj.

"It is first time in history that there are two women ministers in the CCS... It is a happy occasions for the country.

"Both ladies in CCS have established their competence, both are recognised as ladies with substance, who have earned a front-line position for themselves," he said.

Asked about the reshuffle, Jaitley said Prime Minister Narendra Modi has set a new benchmark for accountability with this rejig.

"The appointments that have been made in the cabinet proves the Prime Minister has set a new benchmark of accountability. All the ministers and departments are constantly monitored, and he (Modi) knows who can give a good performance. New people with good administrative experience have been brought in. These are people who joined BJP after retiring, I am sure their tenure will be successful," he said.

--IANS

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Princess Mako, the eldest grandchild of Japanese Emperor Akihito, officially announced her engagement with Kei Komuro, a former university classmate.

Mako and Komuro, both 25, expressed great joy over the engagement and Emperor Akihito's approval, during a press conference held at Akasaka Palace in Tokyo, Efe news reported.

Mako said she felt truly happy when he proposed a marriage in late 2013, while Komuro said he was aware of the responsibility that entails and expressed his desire to create a harmonious family.

Both met in 2012 when they were students at International Christian University in Tokyo and said they had been dating for about five years.

The official announcement of the engagement had been scheduled in early July after the Japanese media were reporting about them in mid-May, but the Imperial Household Agency decided to postpone the event due to torrential rains that were striking southwestern Japan.

The princess works as a researcher at a Tokyo museum, while Komuro, a resident of Yokohama city, south of the capital, is a legal assistant and undertaking a Master's degree in business law.

Mako is the eldest daughter of Prince Akishino, the second son of the Emperor and second in line to the Chrysanthemum Throne after Prince Naruhito.

Mako's marriage will further shrink Japan's Imperial family, an aged and dwindling institution heading towards a huge generational gap.

The marriage could also reopen debate on the law that has been governing the royal household since 1947 that doesn't recognise the so-called collateral institutional branches, resulting in women who marry out of royalty to lose their royal status.

--IANS

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Top North Korean leader Kim Jong-un has inspected a nuclear bomb producing institute where a H-bomb to be loaded into an intercontinental ballistic missile was recently produced.

"Respected Supreme Leader Kim Jong-un guided the work for nuclear weaponisation on the spot," said the official Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) on Sunday, without giving specified date of the event, Xinhua news agency reported.

North Korea's official media reports news about the top leader usually one day after it takes place.

"He was greeted by senior officials of the Department of Munitions Industry of the Central Committee of the Workers' Party of Korea (WPK) and scientists of the Nuclear Weapons Institute before being briefed on the details of nuclear weaponisation," said KCNA.

The report said the institute recently succeeded in making "a more developed nuke" and Kim watched an H-bomb to be loaded into new ICBM.

North Korea test fired two ICBMs, Hwasong 14, in July, resulting in a resolution adopted last month by the United Nations Security Council imposing more sanctions on Pyongyang.

Scientists further upgraded its technical performance at a higher ultra-modern level on the basis of precious successes made in the first H-bomb test, said the report referring to the said H-bomb, which it said had all its components home made and was "a multi-functional thermonuclear nuke with great destructive power which can be detonated even at high altitudes".

"Underlining the need for the institute to dynamically conduct the campaign for successfully concluding the final-stage research and development for perfecting the state nuclear force, he set forth tasks to be fulfilled in the research into nukes," said the report.

--IANS

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North Korean leader Kim Jong-un inspected a hydrogen bomb being loaded into a new intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) after the country claimed that it has succeeded in making a "more developed nuke", state-media reported on Sunday.

Kim made the inspection during a visit to the country's Nuclear Weapons Institute, according to the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA).

However the agency did not disclose when the visit was made, reports CNN.

"The hydrogen bomb, the explosive power of which is adjustable from 10 kilotonne to hundreds kilotonne, is a multi-functional thermonuclear nuke with great destructive power which can be detonated even at high altitudes for super-powerful EMP (electromagnetic pulse) attack on strategic goals," KCNA reported.

Electromagnetic pulse is an intense wave of electrical energy generated by the detonation of a nuclear weapon.

"Scientists further upgraded its technical performance at a higher ultra-modern level on the basis of precious successes made in the first hydrogen bomb test," the agency added.

In January 2016, North Korea conducted its fourth nuclear test, which Pyongyang claimed to be a successful trial of a hydrogen bomb, reports Yonhap News Agency.

North Korea has carried out five nuclear tests since 2006, including two last year.

Pyongyang boasted about its nuclear missile programme in Sunday's report, saying it has the know-how and materials to make as many weapons as it wants.

"All components of the hydrogen bomb were 100 per cent homemade and all the processes ranging from the production of weapons-grade nuclear materials to precision processing of components and their assembling were indigenously developed, thus enabling the country to produce powerful nuclear weapons as many as it wants," CNN quoted the KCNA report as saying.

The Kim Jong-un regime has also unveiled photos indicating that it may be developing a new submarine-launched, solid-fuel missile, called the Pukguksong-3 and a Hwasong-13 ICBM.

Sunday's development comes amid heightened tensions after North Korea tested two ICBMs in July.

Analysts said the ICBM tests could put much of the US mainland within range, including Los Angeles and Chicago.

US President Donald Trump earlier warned North Korea of "fire and fury". In response, Pyongyang threatened to fire a salvo of missiles into waters near the American territory of Guam though it held off on the plan later.

--IANS

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Section 377 of the Indian Penal Code that criminalises sexual acts "against the order of the nature" -- which affects the rights of LGBTs (Lesbians, Gays, Bisexuals and Transgenders) -- is an "egregious and illiberal section" and it "must be repealed", says Amish Tripathi, whose mythological fiction titles have sold more than four million copies.

There is widespread support for the scrapping of Section 377 among writers and intellectuals in India and the likes of noted poet Vikram Seth and writer-politician Shashi Tharoor have openly advocated repealing of this Victorian-era statute. Banker-turned-writer Amish Tripathi is the latest public figure to join the chorus -- but his arguments are slightly different.

In his first non-fiction book "Immortal India" (Westland/Rs 275/188 Pages), Tripathi lays out the vast landscape of ancient Indian culture and argues that it had a fascinatingly modern outlook.

"I believe it's time we debated Section 377 of the Indian Penal Code that criminalises sexual activity of LGBTs. It is an egregious and illiberal Section that must be repealed. There are some who have reservations based on cultural and religious grounds. Well, let's discuss them," Tripathi writes in his essay on LGBT rights before presenting his arguments, validated by his research and knowledge of Hindu mythology.

"I am not an expert on religious mythologies of other religions, but as far as Hindu scriptures are concerned, I think there are ample examples to substantiate that LGBT rights were accepted in ancient India," Tripathi told IANS when asked what made him reach this conclusion.

His essay in the book is written from a Hindu perspective and draws immensely from ancient scriptures. He cites several examples and anecdotes from Hindu religious texts to make his point -- that LGBT rights were accepted in ancient India.

"Purush napunsak nari va jiv charachar koi / Sarv bhav bhaj kapat taji mohi param priy soi. (Any man, any transgender, any woman, any living being, as long as they give up deceit and come to me with love for all, they are dearest to me.)"

"These lines were said by Lord Ram in the Ramcharitmanas. He did not differentiate between man, woman or transgender. What does this mean? According to me, this shows our liberal ancient attitude towards LGBTs. And there are other examples in the Mahabharata too. Such stories were celebrated in ancient India and this, to my mind, reflects the liberal attitude we had towards LGBT communities," he elaborated.

Tripathi also argues in the book that Section 377 does not reflect the traditional Indian attitude towards sex. It is, instead, he argues, a reflection of the British colonial mindset, influenced by medieval interpretations of Christianity.

"I think there is a great deal to learn from such examples. If we had such a society, which accepted LGBT communities with openness in ancient India, I surely think we can think on similar lines today as well. Also, on the principle of individual liberty, if heterosexuals can lead their lives in the way that they see fit, then LGBT communities should also have the same rights and freedoms to decide how they want to lead their lives," he maintained.

The best-selling author with gross retail sales of over Rs 100 crore further asserted that religion is an integral part of most societies but, in his opinion, modern laws should be based on individual liberty rather than on any religion.

"I am a very proud Hindu and I am a very religious person, but I do not think that religious beliefs should lay the foundation of any laws in the modern world. Modern laws should be based on the concept of individual rights and liberty. Everybody should enjoy equal freedom and rights in all aspects. Religion has a very important place in society. But laws should be based on secular principles and individual liberty, and they should not be influenced by any religion," he contended.

Tripathi's books have been translated into about 20 languages. He worked for 14 years in the financial services industry and quit it only after, in his own words, his royalty check became greater than his salary.

(Saket Suman can be contacted at saket.s@ians.in)

--IANS

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A 58-year-old bookstore owner was arrested in West Bengal for posting a distorted picture of Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Facebook, police said.

Swadesh Das was arrested in Nowda area of Murshidabad district on Saturday night. The picture was distorted in such a manner that it showed Banerjee with a moustache.

--IANS

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German Chancellor Angela Merkel and French President Emmanuel Macron on Sunday issued a joint statement condemning North Korea's latest nuclear test and called for imposition of harsher sanctions against Pyongyang by the European Union.

Merkel and Macron agreed that North Korea was "trampling" on international law and that the global community needed to react "decisively and cohesively" to counter this latest escalation, Efe news reported.

"The most recent provocation from the strongman in Pyongyang has reached a new dimension. In addition to the UN Security Council, the EU also has to act now. The Chancellor and the President expressed their support for a tightening of EU sanctions against North Korea," read the joint statement.

Meanwhile, Germany's Foreign Minister Sigmar Gabriel said that news of the nuclear missile test -- reportedly involving a hydrogen bomb that could be fitted on an intercontinental ballistic missile -- was "deeply worrying".

"Were the indications confirmed, it would be a renewed blatant violation of international law and of existing UN Security Council resolutions," Gabriel added.

He also accused North Korea of deliberately inflaming the already heated tensions on the Korean Peninsula. "The regime again shows us that it represents a serious threat to world peace."

Seismological agencies in South Korea, Japan and China, as well as the US Geological Survey and the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty Organisation, registered a tremor with a magnitude of 6.3 at a site previously used by North Korea for nuclear tests.

The incident occurred on the same day that North Korean state media released an image of leader Kim Jong-un purportedly inspecting the installation of a hydrogen bomb.

--IANS

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Four Ministers of State -- Dharmendra Pradhan, Piyush Goyal, Nirmala Sithraman and Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi -- were on Sunday promoted to the Cabinet and nine new faces including four former bureaucrats became Ministers of States as Prime Minister Narendra Modi expanded the union council of ministers.

The promoted ministers and the new faces were administered the oath of office and secrecy by President Ram Nath Kovind at a 35-minute ceremony at the Rashtrapati Bhavan, attended among others by Vice President M. Venkaiah Naidu, Modi, BJP President Amit Shah, Leader of the Opposition in the Rajya Sabha Ghulam Nabi Azad and family members of the some new ministers.

The new Ministers of State are former diplomat Hardeep Puri, Gajendra Singh Shekhawat (MP), former Mumbai Police Commissioner Satya Pal Singh (MP), former bureaucrat K.J. Alphons as well as Ashwini Choubey, Shiv Pratap Shukla, Virendra Kumar, Anant Kumar Hegde and former union Home Secretary R.K. Singh (all MPs).

Sunday's exercise did not involve BJP allies including the Janata Dal-United.

The portfolios of the new and existing ministers -- if any of them gets a new ministry -- will be known after Rashtrapati Bhavan issues a press communique on recommendations of the Prime Minister, who left for China after the swearing-in ceromony.

Pradhan (Petroleum), Goyal (Power), Sitharaman (Commerce and Industry) and Naqvi (Minority Affairs) were Ministers of State with independent charge.

Suresh Prabhu appeared to indicate that he will no longer be the Railway Minister.

"Thanks to all 13 Lacs plus rail family for their support, love, goodwill. I will always cherish these memories with me. Wishing you all a great life," he tweeted. Prabhu had offered to quit after last months's rail accident in Uttar Pradesh claimed 23 lives.

Among the new entrants, four are former bureaucrats. While Puri and Alphons are not members of Parliament, R.K. Singh and Satyapal Singh are members of Lok Sabha. Four others are from the Lok Sabha and one is from Rajya Sabha.

Puri, who was India's Permanent Representative at the UN, joined the BJP ahead of the 2014 Lok Sabha election. An officer of the 1974 IFS batch, he is known for his experience and expertise in foreign policy and national security.

Alphons, who earned the sobriquet "Demolition Man" when as DDA Commissioner he undertook a campaign against unauthorized constructions in Delhi scrapping 15,000 buildings, is a former IAS officer who joined the BJP in Kerala.

As a Collector, Alphons played a leading role in making Kottayam the first literate town in the whole country in 1989. He is the first BJP person from Kerala in the central government after the veteran O. Rajagopal.

R.K. Singh, a Lok Sabha member from Ara in Bihar, was union Home Secretary during the UPA rule and served in various capacities.

Satyapal Singh, an MP from Baghpat in Uttar Pradesh, was Mumbai Police Commissioner and is also known for his work in Maoist-affected areas of Andhra Pradesh and Madhya Pradesh. He was credited with breaking the backbone of organised crime syndicates in the 1990s.

In the political category, Shiv Pratap Shukla, the Rajya Sabha MP from Uttar Pradesh, is a member of the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Rural Development and a four-time member MLA in Uttar Pradesh. He has served as cabinet minister in the state for eight years and is known for his work in rural development, education and prison reforms.

The other nominee from Bihar, Ashwini Choubey, is a Lok Sabha member from Buxar. He was elected MLA from Bhagalpur five consecutive times and has held the portfolios of Health, Urban Development and Public Health Engineering.

Virendra Kumar is a six-time Lok Sabha member from Tikamgarh in Madhya Pradesh and is the chairman of Parliamentary Standing Committee on Labour. Choubey and Kumar have participated in the JP movement in 1970s and were imprisoned during the Emergency.

Hegde, a Lok Sabha MP from Uttara Kannada in Karnataka, is a seasoned parliamentarian having won five elections. He is a member of the parliamentary committee on External Affairs and Human Resource Development and has keen interest in rural development. Assembly elections are due in Karnatka early next year and in Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan in the later part.

Shekhawat, a first time MP from Jodhpur in Rajasthan, is a techno savvy progressive farmer and is seen as a role model for the rural community. Known for his simple lifestyle, he is one of the most followed political leaders on Quora globally.

With Sunday's exercise, the strength of the Modi ministry goes up to 76 including the Prime Minister. Twenty-eight are in the Cabinet.

--IANS

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Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi arrived here on Sunday to attend the 9th BRICS Summit in the Chinese southeastern city Xiamen. He is set to meet Chinese President Xi Jinping on the sidelines of the three-day event.

Their meeting will be keenly watched after the resolution of the Doklam border row, which pitted the armies of the two countries against each other for over two months.

China's Assistant Foreign Minister Kong Xuanyu and Chinese Ambassador to India Luo Zhaohui were there to receive Modi, who reached Xiamen on a rainy evening.

Modi arrived at the Wyndham Grand hotel where some 50 locals were present to welcome him.

This will be the second bilateral meeting between the two leaders this year. The last one took place during the Shanghai Cooperation Organization Summit.

They met informally at the G20 Summit in Germany in July amid the Doklam crisis.

Besides, Modi is expected to meet Presidents Vladimir Putin of Russia and Michael Temer of Brazil. Also attending the event will be South African President Jacob Zuma.

The Indian leader will address the BRICS leaders' dialogue with 'BRICS Business Council' meeting.

He will take part in an event of the 'Emerging Markets and Developing Countries' Dialogue' on Tuesday morning.

After the BRICS Summit, Modi will travel to Myanmar.

--IANS

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The Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh has called for better infrastructure in the border areas to effectively counter any security threat from neighbouring countries.

The issue came up during its three-day coordination meeting at Vrindavan which concluded on Sunday.

A senior RSS leader present during the meeting told IANS that the organisation regularly takes up the issue of external and internal security in many of its meetings "irrespective of which party is in power at the centre".

However this time, due to the Doklam issue, some of the RSS affiliates working in the border areas expressed concern and said there is a need for developing infrastructure including roads.

"China has been building roads near the borders for years. Our government is working on that front as well," he said.

Senior RSS leader Manmohan Vaidya also highlighted the need to build infrastructure in border villages, although focusing on health and employment.

"Apart from the Border Security Force personnel, there are also people living in the border villages. If they don't have access to education and employment, they would start departing from there" which would be detrimental to India's interests, he said.

Vaidya added that it wasn't just the responsibility of the government but the society also needed to contribute.

"Many of our (RSS) organisations are working on this front and they shared about their work during the meeting," he said.

--IANS

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Accusing the Gorkha Janamukti Mocha leadership of corruption and conspiring against him, ousted leader Binay Tamang on Sunday challenged GJM chief Bimal Gurung to "come out of hiding" and lead the Gorkhaland movement from the front.

"If Gurung-ji and party General Secretary Roshan Giri are true Gorkha leaders, I challenge them to come to Ground Zero in Darjeeling and lead the ongoing movement from the front. A true leader never stays in the back and puts the life of his followers in danger," Tamang told media persons here.

Questioning his removal from the GJM, the former party Assistant General Secretary said he had neither received any show-cause notice nor any official letter about his ouster and thus considered himself to be very much a part of GJM.

"According to law, a registered political party like the GJM has to send a show-cause letter and a termination letter if they want to remove anyone. I have received none so far," Tamang said.

"Also, only six party leaders were present in the meeting where my removal was decided. That's not proper. I am still GJM Chief Coordinator and will talk to the central committee at the right moment to explain my position," he said.

Accusing the GJM of hiring "two shooters from Nepal" to assassinate him, the leader from the north Bengal hills said his and his family's lives was under threat.

He accused the GJM leadership of spreading false propaganda.

"They are saying President's Rule will be imposed in Darjeeling after 90 days of indefinite shutdown and within six months the demand for separate Gorkhaland will materialise. However, this is propaganda. It is not written anywhere that President's Rule can be imposed after 90 days of shutdown in a region," he said.

The indefinite shutdown in the Darjeeling hills continued for the 81st day on Sunday.

Tamang had led a five-member GJM delegation at the all-party meeting held on August 29. After his return to Darjeeling, he announced that the indefinite shutdown will be called off for 12 days until the next meeting on September 12.

However, this was opposed by the GJM leadership, which termed Binay Tamang a traitor and removed him from the party.

--IANS

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Pakistan's army chief General Qamar Javed Bajwa celebrated Eid-al-Adha with troops deployed along the country's border with Afghanistan, an official statement said.

He visited the Rajgal Valley on Saturday, The News International quoted the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) statement as saying.

He termed the duty being discharged on the eve of the Eid for the defence of homeland and its people as the best festivity.

"Our lives are for Pakistan as there is nothing more dear than it," he added.

The army chief tweeted earlier on Saturday, "Eid-ul-Azha gives us message of peace, happiness, fraternity and selfless sacrifice for humanity."

Eid Al-Adha is celebrated on the 10th day of the month of Zilhajj or Zulhijja and coincides with the Haj Day or Arafat Day, to commemorate the sacrifices of Prophet Ibrahim and Prophet Ismail and his mother Hager.

Muslims believe that Prophet Ibrahim offered to sacrifice his son Prophet Ismail to please Allah. Just as Ibrahim was about to sacrifice him, the Almighty replaced Ismail with a sheep.

Eid Al-Adha commemorates this extraordinary display of faith in Allah and Muslims celebrate it by sacrificing animals on this day.

--IANS

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Bengal Warriors extended their unbeaten home run to three games by beating wooden-spooners Tamil Thalaivas 29-25 in a Zone B Pro Kabaddi League (PKL) match at the Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose Indoor Stadium here on Sunday.

For the hosts, Maninder Singh continued his good form with six raid points while skipper Surjeet Singh was a rock defensively earning four tackle points.

Bengal remained top of the zone with 40 points from 11 ties while Tamil Thalaivas remained bottom having 16 in their bag from nine matches.

It was an even affair till 7-7 after which the hosts pulled away with Jang Kun Lee getting four raid points. In the process, Lee became the first overseas player to score 300 raid points.

Bengal then inflicted an all out on their rivals to stretch the gap to 15-8.

Besides Lee, Maninder and captain Surjeet bagged three and two points each in the first half.

With the match nearing halfime and Bengal leading 18-9, Tamil Thalaivas' were dealt a blow when K. Prapanjan injured his forehead and had to be strechered off.

It was a loss the men in yellow could ill afford as Prapanjan had bagged three points for them till then.

At the halfway mark, Bengal led by the same score.

In the second period, Tamil Thalaivas tried hard to stage a comeback pulling things back from 18-9 to hand their more fancied rivals an all out at 23-22.

At the heart of Tamil Thalaivas' rearguard action was seasoned player Ajay Thakur who grabbed three crucial points, and J. Darshan who also got the same number of points for his side.

But any hopes of a comeback for the visitors went up in smoke as Maninder pulled off a super raid to take the score to 26-22 in Bengal's favour.

--IANS

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The Congress on Sunday said it would be "remiss" of Prime Minister Narendra Modi if he does not raise the issue of terror emanating from Pakistan at the BRICS summit in China.

"The export of terror from Pakistan is a fundamental concern of India. After its oldest ally, the US has clearly named and shamed Pakistan as being not only a promoter of terrorists but also a protector of terrorists, it would be remiss of the Prime Minister if he does not raise the issue of terror emanating from Pakistan at the BRICS summit," said Congress spokesperson Manish Tewari.

China had said India's concerns over terrorism emanating from Pakistan will not be discussed at the BRICS Summit which started in China's Xiamen City on Sunday. However, India rejected China's suggestion.

--IANS

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Known for his administrative acumen, former Union Home Secretary and Lok Sabha member Raj Kumar Singh, who was inducted on Sunday as Minister for Power, New and Renewable Energy at the Centre, was instrumental in the arrest of BJP leader L.K. Advani in 1990 in Bihar.

The 1975-batch Indian Administrative Service officer, who joined the Bharatiya Janata Party after his retirement in 2013, was the District Magistrate of Samastipur in Bihar when in October 1990, on then Chief Minister Lalu Prasad's orders, he was tasked with the arrest of Advani.

Advani was at that point in time taking out a Rath Yatra in the state en route to Ayodhya in Uttar Pradesh from Somnath in Gujarat to build up a popular movement in favour of a Ram Temple at Ayodhya.

Raj Kumar Singh's official action, however, did not come in the way of Advani who picked him for the post of Joint Secretary in the Home Ministry from 1999 to 2004, when the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) was in power.

Later, the officer served as Union Home Secretary under the Congress party-led United Progressive Alliance government from June 30, 2011, to June 30, 2013.

Raj Kumar Singh has served both in Bihar and at the Centre in different capacities, including as Secretary of Defence Production in the UPA government, and head of the Bihar government's departments of Home, Industries and Public Works.

He successfully contested the 2014 Lok Sabha poll from Arrah. He is known for his contributions to schemes for modernisation of police and prisons, and laying down a framework for disaster management.

It was during the officer's tenure as Union Home Secretary that Mumbai attack terrorist Ajmal Kasab and Parliament attack case convict Afzal Guru were hanged.

As Union Home Secretary, Raj Kumar Singh also oversaw alleged saffron terror cases involving blasts in Malegaon in Maharashtra and the Samjhauta Express train in Haryana and courted controversy by releasing the names of some suspects.

He also handled as the Home Secretary the public outrage after the December 16, 2012, gang rape of a Delhi woman.

It is said that the then Home Minister P. Chidambaram was very impressed by Raj Kumar Singh's efficiency and believed he was the man for the job.

However, on his retirement, the former top bureaucrat chose to join the BJP amid much fanfare, expressing his admiration for the party's approach on issues of national security.

He had criticised the distribution of BJP tickets during the 2015 Bihar assembly elections, which the party lost.

However, with his induction in the Modi governmenet, Raj Kumar Singh seems to have made up with the leadership and he has been rewarded for his administrative acumen.

A well-read man, he studied English literature at St. Stephens College, Delhi, and got a Bachelor's degree in law thereafter.

He also studied at the RVB Delft University in the Netherlands. Before joining the IAS, he was selected to the Indian Police Service, where he served for one year.

He landed himself briefly in controversy when he criticised the then Home Minister Sushil Kumar Shinde, his former boss, after joining the BJP. The Congress reacted sharply to this.

Raj Kumar Singh was among the four former bureaucrats who were sworn in as Union Ministers in Sunday's reshuffle. He got the Power, New and Renewable Energy portfolio, earlier held by Piyush Goyal.

--IANS

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Ahead of the upcoming Gujarat assembly elections, Congress Vice President Rahul Gandhi will be meeting several party workers and district unit presidents during his visit to Ahmedabad on Monday.

In his first public engagement since his return from Norway, Gandhi will be meeting professionals, party workers, entrepreneurs and traders' representatives during his visit.

He will also be meeting district and city Congress presidents apart from local body representatives.

Gandhi will have a meeting with heads of frontal departments, and cells of Gujarat Pradesh Congress Committee as well.

--IANS

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Claiming that Prime Minister Narendra Modi does not trust his political colleagues, the Congress on Sunday said the cabinet reshuffle earlier in the day "reflects maximum government and no governance" and, by dropping ministers, the government has admitted its "gigantic failure".

Terming induction of new nine Ministers of State as "senior citizen's club", party spokesperson Manish Tewari said the average age of these ministers is 60.44 years when the "median age of India's 1.24 billion people is about 27 years and the Prime Minister has been waxing eloquent about the youth of this country".

He also claimed that Prime Minister Narendra Modi seemed "strangely disconnected from the exercise".

"It seemed as if BJP President Amit Shah is the Prime Minister and not Modi. Never ever has the absence of the Prime Minister in a cabinet reshuffle process been more evident," he said, adding that the real story is in the dropping and that is where the admission of the gigantic failure of this government comes.

Relieving Skill Development Minister Rajiv Pratap Rudy, Labour Minister Bandaru Dattatreya, and Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSME) Minister Kalraj Mishra of their portfolios meant "no skilling, no employment generation and, in addition, the MSME sector has been wiped out", said Tewari.

He also alleged that those promoted to cabinet rank were being rewarded for working for "khaas aadmi" (VIPs).

"The Petroleum Minister in the last 38 months has not served the 'aam aadmi'. It is obvious that he has served some 'khaas aadmi', that he has been promoted," he said, adding that the "Power Minister is also the treasurer of the BJP, so obviously he must have performed well".

Petroleum and Natural Gas Minister Dharmendra Pradhan, Power Minister Piyush Goyal, Minority Affairs Minister Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi and Commerce and Industry Minister Nirmala Sitharaman were elevated to cabinet rank in Sunday's reshuffle.

The Congress also slammed the induction of Anant Kumar Hegde, Lok Sabha member from Uttara Kannada, in the council of ministers, saying that "he was captured on camera, thrashing three doctors in a private hospital in Karnataka".

"Modi does not have any faith in his political colleagues is the message he is sending out to his own party, by inducting people into the union council of ministers, who are not even Members of Parliament," Tewari said.

"The broader message is that a government which was run by bureaucrats, controlled by the PMO, is now going to have bureaucrats in ministerial positions also," he added.

He called Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi's elevation "mere tokenism" and said Nirmala Sitharaman's appointment as Defence Minister as a reward for non-performance.

"We do wish that she does not handle the Defence Ministry in the manner in which she handled the Commerce Ministry. For over 30 months, the exports and imports of India were on a crippling decline," he added.

--IANS

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The RSS has commended the Narendra Modi government for the "tough handling" of the Doklam standoff issue with China in the Sikkim Sector, RSS leader Manmohan Vaidya said on Sunday.

He said the issue of external security was discussed during the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh's three-day coordination meet here.

"It is perhaps the first time that India took such a strong stand that China had to withdraw its forces (from Doklam)," he told media persons here.

Vaidya, however, dismissed reports that the RSS took stock of the government's work during its meeting. "This is not the platform to review government's performance."

The RSS leader said the organisation also expressed concern over the lack of jobs for the youth and said the National Democratic Alliance government should work to create more jobs in the country.

Vaidya said the RSS was of the view that there was need for society to come forward and contribute to employment generation.

He said priority should be given to small and medium enterprises, especially those in rural and agricultural domains.

"There is a large section of young population in our country. There is a need to create employment for them. Not only the government but society, too, should come forward and contribute," he said.

The RSS leader also said that the 2019 General Elections and Sunday's Cabinet reshuffle did not come up for discussion during the meeting. The issue of Ram Mandir at Ayodhya in Uttar Pradesh was also not discussed since the "matter is in the Supreme Court, which will soon take it up".

Vaidya said that with a changing global landscape, the meeting provided an opportunity to discuss India's role in the new world order and how it can play it better.

The RSS's annual coordination committee meeting with its affiliates began here on September 1.

--IANS

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Prime Minister Narendra Modi and BJP chief Amit Shah had decided to show the door to Union Minister Uma Bharti, but RSS intervention ensured it was not to be, informed sources said on Sunday.

However, the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) could not fully help Bharti -- a parliamentarian from Jhansi in Uttar Pradesh -- as her political stature went down after Sunday's reshuffle and expansion of the Union Cabinet -- her Water Resources, River Development and Ganga Rejuvenation portfolio was handed over to Nitin Gadkari while she was left with only Drinking Water and Sanitation Ministry.

The sources said that the Bharatiya Janata Party President, who participated in the RSS three-day coordination committee meeting in Varanasi in Uttar Pradesh from September 1, discussed the then impending Cabinet reshuffle and the "bad performance" of Bharti and other ministerial colleagues and the plans to remove them.

However, the sources added, the RSS leadership advised Shah not to go ahead with her removal since "it will send out a wrong message".

After former Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Kalyan Singh parted ways with the BJP, the party had faced a setback as his Lodha community had shifted its political alliance too. Since Bharti also enjoys influence in the backward community, the BJP leadership too did not want to open a new front by sacking her.

Cut to size in the reshuffle, Bharti vented her anger by remaining absent from the swearing-in event held at Rashtrapati Bhavan in New Delhi.

(Sundeep Pauranik can be contacted at sundeep.p@ians.in)

--IANS

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A Saudi Arabian delegation will visit Iran for the first time after Riyadh severed ties with Tehran last year, Iran's Foreign Ministry confirmed on Sunday.

"The Saudi delegation simply comes to visit diplomatic buildings because the buildings have been empty after the two countries broke off relations. At the same time, we will visit our buildings in Saudi Arabia," Press TV quoted Foreign Ministry spokesman Bahram Qasemi as saying.

Qasemi confirmed that the visas for the Saudis have been issued long before, but for "reasons that are related to them, they have not come yet, and their travel has likely been postponed until after (annual Muslim) Hajj ceremonies", Xinhua news agency reported.

He added that the date for the Iranian delegation's visit has not been set yet.

Saudi Arabia severed its diplomatic relations with Iran in January 2016, following demonstrations held in front of the Saudi embassy in Tehran and its consulate in the city of Mashhad by angry protesters who set the diplomatic missions ablaze for the execution of top Shiite cleric Nimr al-Nimr by Saudi Arabia.

--IANS

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South Korean President Moon Jae-in on Sunday ordered all available diplomatic efforts to completely isolate North Korea after Pyongyang's sixth nuclear test earlier in the day.

Moon convened an emergency National Security Council (NSC) meeting, which lasted for one-and-half hours from 1.30 p.m. (local time), according to the presidential Blue House.

The meeting was called to discuss countermeasures following Pyongyang's test of what it claimed was a hydrogen bomb that can be loaded onto a ballistic missile with intercontinental capabilities, Xinhua news agency reported.

During the NSC meeting, President Moon instructed high-ranking cabinet members and senior secretaries in charge of foreign affairs, security and defence to draw up the strongest punishment measures on North Korea in cooperation with the international community.

North Korea's state TV announced the country's test of the device meant for an intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) was a complete success.

North Korea's sixth nuclear detonation was officially confirmed by the Blue House during a press conference held by Chung Eui-yong, top national security advisor to President Moon.

Moon said all available diplomatic actions, including new UN Security Council resolution, should be considered to completely isolate North Korea in response to the its sixth nuclear device test.

The South Korean leader said his country would never tolerate an advancing technology of the North Korea's nuclear and missile programs, ordering the military to maintain a full defence readiness against further provocation.

--IANS

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A Soyuz capsule carrying three International Space Station crew members has safely landed on time in Kazakhstan on Sunday, according to NASA.

Russian Fyodor Yurchijin and Americans Jack Fischer and Peggy Whitson, members of 52nd expedition to the ISS, landed at 7.21 a.m., near a remote area in Dzhezkazgan, reports Efe news.

Minutes after the spacecraft landed, the three astronauts underwent routine medical check-ups.

The record-breaking Whitson on Saturday completed a total of 665 days in space during her career, more than any other American astronaut.

Fischer and Yurchikhin both spent 136 days aboard the ISS.

Russian cosmonaut Sergey Riazanski (Roscosmos), American Randolph Bresnik (NASA) and Italian Paolo Nespoli (European Space Agency), remain on the ISS, to be joined by three others on September 12.

The ISS, a 16-nation project representing an investment of more than $150 billion, currently comprises 14 permanent modules and orbits the Earth at a speed of more than 27,000 kph.

--IANS

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Japan and China on Sunday strongly condemned North Korea's sixth nuclear test.

Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe slammed the test, saying the country's "nuclear and missile development poses a grave and immediate new level of threat" and "seriously undermines peace and security of the region", Xinhua news agency reported.

"The UN Security Council has strongly criticized North Korea for repeatedly going ahead with ballistic missile launches this year... We find it completely intolerable that North Korea has conducted a nuclear test in such an environment," Abe said in the statement.

Meanwhile, Chinese Foreign Ministry issued a statement expressing firm opposition to and strong condemnation of the nuclear test by North Korea.

"North Korea has ignored the international community's widespread opposition and conducted a nuclear test again. The Chinese government expresses resolute objection to and strong condemnation of it," the ministry's statement said.

"We strongly urge North Korea to face the firm determination of the international community on the denuclearisation of the Korean Peninsula, fully abide by the relevant treaties of the UN Security Council... and return to the track of solving problems through dialogue," the statement added.

US National Security Adviser H.R. McMaster spoke with his South Korean counterpart, Chung Eui-yong, for about 20 minutes in an emergency phone call about the nuclear test, to discuss the possibility of deploying US military defence devices in South Korea.

Chung said South Korea will also seek new UN Security Council sanctions to "completely isolate" North Korea.

North Korea on Sunday said that in what could be the most powerful detonation so far, it successfully conducted a test of a hydrogen bomb that can be loaded onto a intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM), state-media media reported.

--IANS

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An earthquake measuring 6.3 on the Richter scale was detected in North Korea after the country conducted its sixth nuclear test, a move the US and its allies in the region are likely to view as a major provocation, the media reported.

Seismological data from the US Geological Survey (USGS) showed that an explosion caused the tremor in the country's northeast, not far from the Punggye-ri nuclear test site, reports CNN.

The Korea Meteorological Administration initially put the scale of the earthquake at magnitude 5.7. and said that the seismic wave was recorded at 12.36 p.m.

If the initial data holds, it would make it the most powerful weapon that North Korea has ever tested, according to US officials.

"After analysing data provided by the Japan Meteorological Agency, the Japanese government concluded that North Korea has conducted a nuclear test," Japanese Foreign Minister Taro Kono said in a live television broadcast.

North Korean state media said it will make a major announcement at 3 p.m. (local time).

South Korea and Japan are gathering and analysing data to confirm details of the test, which Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe said could not be tolerated.

"If North Korea did indeed conduct a nuclear test, we absolutely cannot tolerate and must protest firmly. We will convene a National Security council meeting to gather and analyse the information," CNN quoted Abe as saying.

South Korea's Joint Chief of Staff said all South Korean troops have been put on high alert, with the North scheduled to commemorate its founding anniversary later this week, reports Yonhap News Agency.

"(We) are closely monitoring the North Korean military's move under South Korea-U.S. coordination."

South Korea's presidential office immediately convened a National Security Council meeting on the issue.

The test was conducted after a report by North Korean state media on Sunday said that the nation's leader Kim Jong-un inspected a hydrogen bomb being loaded onto a new intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) after it claimed to have made a "more developed nuke".

Since 2006, North Korea has carried out five nuclear tests, including two last year.

--IANS

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German Chancellor Angela Merkel said that Turkey should not become a number of the European Union (EU) but declined to close the door for Ankara.

"I don't see Turkey entering the European Union, I never did, it was different for the SPD however," said Merkel on Sunday in the TV duel with her major election rival Martin Schulz of the Social Democratic Party (SPD), Xinhua news agency reported.

Merkel argued that the cease of the accession talks with Turkey can only be decided in the concert of the EU states.

"Such a step must be well considered," said the German chancellor.

Merkel said she did not want to break Germany's ties with Turkey or cease Turkey's opportunity to join the EU, as at least 50 per cent Turkish people hope to join. The decision needs careful consideration.

Schulz said at the TV duel that if he becomes German Chancellor, he will stop accession talks with Turkey.

--IANS

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Finance Minister Arun Jaitley on Sunday hailed appointment of Union Minister Nirmala Sitharaman as the country's first, full-fledged Defence Minister, saying it sends "a message globally".

"It is great for the country, not just for the women. it also sends a message globally," said Jaitley, who had held charge of Defence after Manohar Parrikar left the post to become Goa Chief Minister earlier this year.

Noting that the Cabinet Committee on Security would now have two women ministers, with Sitharaman joining External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj, he said: "Both ladies in CCS have established their competence, both are recognised as ladies with substance, who have earned a front-line position for themselves."

Asked if women in combat maybe a reality with a woman as Defence Minister, Jaitley quipped: "That was one area in which I wasn't able to do much."

--IANS

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Union Minister of State for Defence Subhash Bhamre on Sunday said he hoped Nirmala Sitharaman's appointment as the new Defence Minister will speed up the process of induction of women in combat roles in the armed forces.

"This is a big incident; she is the first full-time woman Defence Minister (of India)," Bhamre said after meeting Sitharaman at her residence here soon after she was named as the country's Defence Minister.

"She is known as one of the efficient ministers... the ministry is already examining the case of women in the armed forces. Now that a woman is the Defence Minister, I think the process will be faster," he told news channel CNN News 18.

Former Defence Minister and now Goa Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar also lauded Sitharaman.

"She is a very competent, efficient, and analytical minister. She is very clear-headed, and these are the qualities required to be a Defence Minister," Parrikar said.

"There are so many challenges, but I am sure she will overcome all," he added.

--IANS

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At the event (Source: VNA)



Phong expressed his hope that Utah and Ho Chi Minh City will increase diplomatic activities and bilateral cooperation programmes for the common benefit of the two peoples.

He wished that Utah businesses would explore long-term business opportunities in the city in priority fields such as tourism and high technology.

Herbert, for his part, said Ho Chi Minh City and Utah share similarities in development history, cultural values, young population as well as challenges arising from growing urban population and environmental protection.

The guest expressed his wish that Ho Chi Minh City would facilitate visits to share experience in developing clean energies, environment and education to improve local well-being.

On the occasion of the Utah governors visit, memoranda of understanding were signed on cooperation between the Saigon Hi-tech Park and the Utah State Centre for Research and Science-Technology, and between the Saigon Silicon Park company and the Utah World Trade Centre./.
Translating literature into cinema is not new for the Hindi film industry. Now with the emergence of digital platforms and a shift in audience tastes, publishers and content providers are increasingly looking to chart a more streamlined roadmap to bring compelling narratives to screen.

"This idea of adapting a book to a movie is becoming more commonplace as compared to five years ago," Anish Chandy, who heads business development and sales at Juggernaut Books, told IANS here.

"Around five years ago, there was no demand.... So we were on a zero base. But now, there's a significant demand, where people are getting in touch with us and asking what else is there," said Chandy, who describes over-the-top (OTT) platforms Amazon Prime Video and Netflix as "rich uncles" who have given a boost to the word-to-screen format.

Netflix has already commissioned "Sacred Games", based on author Vikram Chandra's book, and "Selection Day", based on the book by author Aravind Adiga, for the Indian market. These apart, there are a string of books being made into films or web series.

Hoping to bridge the gap between all the players involved, Jio MAMI (Mumbai Academy of Moving Image) Mumbai Film Festival with Star organised the second edition of the Word to Screen Market in Mumbai last month. It saw representatives from content studios and publishing houses as well as filmmakers and authors.

Actress Sonam Kapoor, who has confirmed that she is featuring in a screen adaptation of Anuja Chauhan's 2008 novel "The Zoya Factor", said at the gala: "Books were my respite when I was growing up and then films became my profession. I think the marriage of both is very important, especially because for a consumer who can't consume books as well, it's easier to consume films."

Filmmaker Kanu Behl said: "Books seem to be disappearing off desks and the hard copy versions of books are going out of people's minds. So in today's time, it's even more important that books are talked about."

While the filmmaking world has become more receptive to the idea of adapting from books, publishers and authors are trying to decode the 'right pitch' apart from looking for the red flags while dealing with content producers.

Chandy says 20 per cent queries from content providers turn into deals, and according to him "that's huge for now".

"We are hoping for it to increase on a rapid pace," he said.

Arpita Das of Yoda Press told IANS: "The writers are back in the centre. The writer had been relinquished or sidelined for sometime, and I think the next step would be to look towards literature and the stories that it has because that's a better source."

The Jio MAMI team is trying to put in place a skeletal system that can help filmmakers, publishers and authors in recognising the best content and in striking the right deals.

Says Smriti Kiran, Creative Director, Jio MAMI: "This broken, sporadic relationship that the film industry and literature share in this country needs fixing. Cinema needs stories and literature has plenty to offer. We are trying to enable these two worlds to forge friendships, collaborations and find these untapped narratives."

(Radhika Bhirani can be contacted at radhika.b@ians.in)

--IANS

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When Minister of State (independent charge) of Petroleum and Natural Gas Dharmendra Pradhan took oath in Hindi as Cabinet minister, President Ram Nath Kovind made him repeat one word to correct his pronunciation. Kovind made Pradhan repeat the word sansoochit, which the minister had initially pronounced it samuchit. When Kovind was Bihar governor, he had asked Rashtriya Janata Dal chief Lalu Yadavs son Tej Pratap to repeat the oath of office after he misread the Hindi word apekshit (expected) during the swearing-in ceremony of ministers.
With reference to the editorial, Big bang failure, the Reserve Bank of India data proved conclusively that demonetisation, touted as a shock therapy and surgical strike against black money, did not achieve its objectives. It did not succeed in detecting or flushing out black money and counterfeit notes or in halting the flow of funds to political and religious radicals.


In symbolism as well as an eye for detail, the reshuffle of the Prime Minister (PM) Narendra Modi-led Council of Ministers on Sunday morning was aimed at the 2019 Lok Sabha elections. The PM only tried to fix what was broken, leaving several of the ministers with more than one portfolio; this also underscored the talent deficit the government faces.
The newly-inducted junior ministers in the Centre on Sunday expressed their "resolve" to work towards realising Prime Minister Narendra Modi's 'New India' vision.

Bureaucrat-turned-politician Alphons Kannanthanam, who has been given the independent charge of tourism, said he looks forward to bring in his experience as an IAS in his latest innings.

"It is a great feeling," he told reporters. The 1979 batch officer said he was in Bengaluru on Saturday when the Prime Minister's Office directed him to fly back to New Delhi.

"It was in the evening that the Prime Minister informed me about the decision," he said.

Former Mumbai top cop Satyapal Singh, who has also been inducted in the council of ministers, said he was determined to work hard to fulfil Modi's 'New India' vision and will focus on tackling issues like poverty and casteism.

He has been made a Minister of State in the Ministry of Human Resource Development and MoS in the Ministry of Water Resources, River Development and Ganga Rejuvenation.

Former Uttar Pradesh minister Shiv Pratap Shukla, a party veteran, said he will try to live up to Modi's expectations.

Sixty-five-year-old Shukla, who hails from Gorakhpur, the citadel of UP Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, will be a minister of state in the Ministry of Finance.
In 2016, one in four rape cases in India ended in a conviction, the lowest since 2012, according to crime data. Indias conviction rate for rape, at 25.5 per cent, remains low compared to all cognisable crimes  those that do not require a magistrates permission to investigate  under the Indian Penal Code (46.9 per cent in 2015).
Newly appointed comes from a tradition where rebellions are quiet and not emphatic. Her mothers part of the family is from Thiruvangad in Tamil Nadu. They are Tamil Iyengar Brahmins, who moved from the banks of the Cauvery to Madurai. As her father was with the Indian Railways in a transferable job, she grew up with relatives in Chennai and later Tiruchi, where she completed graduation. Education was prized and learning was put above everything else in the family.

The exposure to (and the rebellion) happened at the Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU). There she did an MA in economics, living in Godavari hostel with a clutch of friends who were Free Thinkers (the Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad wasnt even a twinkle in anyones eyes back then). She campaigned vigorously for Nalini Ranjan Mohanty for president  the election was a benchmark of sorts for in JNU  in the students union elections in 1982. He won the election, defeating the Students Federation of India, which seemed unbeatable during that time.

Sitharaman was one of the students who was in a posse of Free Thinkers when it gheraoed the Vice-Chancellors office in protest against the sealing of a students room. Several students were locked up in Tihar jail. Many students mingled with fellow students who had come to see them and walked out of the jail, establishing a record of sorts in jailbreaks.

It was in JNU that Sitharaman met her husband, Prabhakar Parakala, also committed to politics, but of a different kind. Parkalas father, Seshavataram Parakala, was a well-known Congress politician and an associate of P V Narasimha Rao. Sitharaman and he got married and she registered for a PhD dissertation (on India-Europe textile trade in the GATT framework) which she never completed because Prabhakar got a scholarship for a PhD at the London School of Economics and she couldnt appear for the viva.

ALSO READ: New MoD Sitharaman will have 20 months to galvanise 'Make in India'

She signed up to be a salesgirl at Habitat, a home decor store in Londons Regent Street, where she won a bottle of Moet & Chandon champagne that winter because she made record Christmas sales. That was a short-lived pursuit. She moved on to the research division of PricewaterhouseCoopers.

But soon after, a baby was on the way and the duo returned to India in 1991.

She set up a school in Hyderabad  a kind of alternative education set up (now given on lease). She came in touch with Sushma Swaraj and much later, was appointed to the Commission for Women (2003-05). She joined the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in 2006. When the BJP adopted 33 per cent reservation structure for women throughout the party, she was invited to join the Executive Council. She was appointed spokesperson in 2010 and moved from Hyderabad to Delhi.

Swaraj and Sitharaman had a historic falling out on Telangana. In February 2014, Sitharaman tweeted: If only Sushma had stood for Seemaandhra in Lok Sabha just like Venkaiah & Jaitley did today. To this, Swaraj responded: With spokespersons like @nsitharaman, u dont need enemies. Both the tweets were deleted but the damage was done. It was Swaraj who bitterly opposed Sitharamans entry in the Rajya Sabha.

Jaitley took her under his wing and in 2014 she became the commerce minister. Then the question came of entering Parliament. Naidu nixed backing her candidature from Andhra Pradesh. She was finally elected from Karnataka.

As defence minister, Sitharaman will sit in the Cabinet Committee on Security, in the company of Jaitley and Swaraj (and Rajnath Singh). She will have to match up to the stature of politicians like A K Antony, George Fernandes and Jagjivan Ram and the authority and political muscle they brought with them to the job.
A 21-year-old woman who was allegedly in the advanced stages of finishing the Blue Whale challenge was rescued today, the police said here.

On an information from the woman's friend on a WhatsApp group, that she was acting abnormally and had not returned homesince last night, the police traced her on a road along the beach near Gandhi Thidal early this morning, Director General of Police S K Gautam said.

The WhatsApp group was created by Sub-inspector Keerthi to establish contacts with the residents of the area, the DGP said, adding the rescued woman is a bank employee.

She has injuries on her wrist and a paper was recovered from her on which it was written "ten cuts in three days". For the last few days she had locked herself up inside a room in her house, Gautam said.

The woman has been handed over to her parents and she is being counselled, the officer said.

Police have urged the people to alert them if they came across anyone, particularly youths, with abnormal behaviour. Massive campaigns were also planned to create awareness about the killer challenge, he said.

The DGP presented a commendation certificate and a cash award of Rs 2,000 tothe Sub-Inspector who saved the woman. The constable who had accompanied the SI was also awarded.

Chief Minister V Narayanaswamy had yesterday said that the government would bring in a legislation to curb the menace of Blue Whale challenge and would set up monitoring committees to keep a vigil on the situation.

The Blue Whale Challenge, which originated in Russia, starts by asking participants via social media to draw a blue whale on a piece of paper.

The participants are then asked to carve the shape of a whale onto their body. They are given other "challenges" or "tasks" such as watching horror movies alone. These challenges or dares feature the commission of acts harming oneself. The last stage is suicide.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Prime Minister Narendra Modi's new man to handle tourism, an area where the NDA government has launched a number of projects over the last two years, is Alphons Kannanthanam - a bureaucrat-turned-politician who has a strong reputation as an administrator.

Modi's move to induct Kannanthanam, a 1979-batch IAS officer from Kerala, in the council of ministers is being seen as part of the BJP's efforts to expand its footprint in the southern state, where it has been working hard to emerge as a potent force.

He replaces Mahesh Sharma, who retains his post as MoS Culture.

Kannanthanam, who is the first minister from Kerala in the Modi government, was born in a non-electrified Manimala village in Kottayam district to a World War II veteran.

During his stint in the IAS, Kannanthanam served in several key positions. He shot to fame when as the commissioner of the Delhi Development Authority in the mid- 1990s he ordered demolition of thousands of illegal constructions, earning himself the sobriquet of 'demolition man'.

Among his major achievements is the key role he played in the literacy movement in India. As Kottayam district collector, he helped it become the first 100 per cent literate town in India in 1989.

Known for his strong anti-corruption stance, the 64-year- old also featured in Time magazine's list of 100 Young Global Leaders in 1994. He was recently nominated to the Kasturirangan-led panel set up to prepare the National Education Policy.

BJP state president Kummanom Rajasekharan termed his induction in the cabinet as an 'Onam gift' of the NDA government.

Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan congratulated "longtime friend" Kannanthanam and hoped his appointment will benefit the state.

"Parallel efforts from both Centre and state will certainly ensure successful development of Kerala. Hope Shri Alphons will work for the same. He will be a voice for Kerala's concern in the cabinet (sic)," the CM tweeted.

Officials say tourism has emerged as one of the most important ministries of the Modi government with many projects being approved and sanctioned to suit regional sensibilities and demands.

Kerala is one of the top states in terms of tourist inflow.

According to the Kerala Tourism Information Office, international tourist arrivals stood at 10.38 lakh and domestic tourists at 1.32 crore during 2016, generating a revenue of Rs 37,407 crore cumulatively.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Australian Minister for International Development and the Pacific Concetta Fierravanti-Wells

speaks at the celebration of Vietnam's 72nd National Day in Canberra (Photo: VNA)



The Doi moi has turned it into an emerging country in Southeast Asia, she affirmed at the celebrations held by the Vietnamese Embassy on September 1st.

She also emphasised the countries tightened links in economy, security and trade. Bilateral trade reached AUD10.5 billion (about USD8.3 billion) in 2016.

She noted they also share similar viewpoints on many important regional issues, and both agree on ASEANs central role in promoting security and prosperity in the region. They also vowed to enhance regional economic integration.

Additionally, bilateral relations are thriving in many other spheres such as dialogue on human rights, people-to-people exchange, and education and tourism cooperation.

The minister stressed Vietnams prosperity benefits both Australia and the region, expressing her hope for the countries closer relations.

Vietnamese Ambassador Ngo Huong Nam said since the Doi moi (reforms) was launched in 1986, Vietnam has become one of the economies with fastest growth in the region. Millions of people have escaped from poverty while young Vietnamese are increasingly optimistic about the future and want to seek new opportunities. People nationwide have also been better protected from climate change impacts and diseases.

He also mentioned his countrys sound relations with partners around the globe, particularly with Australia, expressing his hope that the bilateral partnership will keep growing and reach a strategic partnership status soon.

At the ceremony, on behalf of the Vietnamese President, Ambassador Nam presented the Friendship Order and the insignia of Vietnams Ministry of Education and Training to four professors and executives of the Australian National University to recognise their contribution to bilateral cooperation./.
Actor Noomi Rapace has called Amy Winehouse an angel in her life and she would be honoured to portray on the big screen.

The 37-year-old star is reportedly attached to star in a biopic of the "Back to Black" hitmaker - who tragically died of alcohol poisoning in 2011 at the age of just 27.

But Noomi said unless the components of the project are totally right she will not accept the role, reported The Guardian.

"If I do it, all the components needs to be right. That's not a movie I can compromise with. She's been a big part of my life; at crucial moments, she was like an angel when I wasn't in a good place.

"I have a painting in my house that's four metres long that this Swedish artist did for me. It has ravens and the lyrics of 'Back to Black'. When I left Sweden after my divorce, that was what I brought with me. So the film needs to be close my heart and done the right way. And if not, it won't be me doing it. It's too precious to gamble with," Noomi said.

The biopic about Amy is based on a script written by "August Rush" director Kirsten Sheridan.

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Prominent Brahmin face from Bihar, Ashwini Kumar Choubey, was appointed the Minister of State for Health and Family Welfare in today's cabinet reshuffle.

According to Health ministry officials, he will be entrusted with the responsibilities which his predecessor Faggan Singh Kulaste dealt with during his tenure.

Elected to the Bihar Legislative Assembly for five consecutive terms, Choubey, 64, coined the slogan "Ghar-ghar me ho shouchalaya ka nirman, tabhi hoga ladli bitiya ka kanyadaan" and helped in constructing 11,000 toilets for Mahadalit families.

Choubey represents Bihar's Buxar in the Lok Sabha and was a member of the Parliamentary Committee on Estimates, Standing Committee on Energy and Consultative Committee on Health and Family Welfare. He is also a member of Central Silk Board.

Choubey held portfolios such as Urban Development, PHED and Health both in NDA I (2005-2010) and NDA II (2010-2013).

A Bachelors in Zoology from Science College, Patna University, Choubey has also authored a book - "Kedarnath Trasadi" based on the 2013 deluge in Uttarakhand. Choubey along with his family had escaped the Kedarnath floods.

Kulaste had taken oath as minister of state on July 5, 2016. He represents Mandla constituency of Madhya Pradesh. Back in 2008, Kulaste had been a part of the cash-for-vote scandal.
Bahrain is offering islands, beaches, and desert areas as top destinations in order to tap India's growing weddings as well as events market, a top official said.

"Bahrain, a bouquet of over 30 natural and man-made islands, offers a relaxed atmosphere and warm hospitality, which is ideal for Indians scouting for overseas wedding and MICE destination in the Middle East," The Bahrain Tourism and Exhibitions Authority (BTEA) Advisor Ali Hassan Follad told PTI here.

He said, Bahrain is mainly looking at those well travelled Indians, who have been to the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries and the South East Asia and are now looking at something different yet a short haul destination.

"We want to tap the Indian wedding and meetings, incentives, conferences, events (MICE) market which is thriving and is growing every year. We are targeting the well travelled people who are done with the glitz and glamour of GCC countries and the South East Asian nations, and are now looking at something unique and serene," he added.

Besides, Bahrain offers a host of experiences and activities ideal for all age groups, he said.

Bahrain has very close cultural and historical ties that date back to more than 1,000 years and good connectivity that gives it an edge over long haul exotic destinations.

"The connectivity between both the countries is very good with 14 daily direct flights connecting six Indian cities with Bahrain as well numerous connecting flights," he said.

This, he said, makes Bahrain an ideal short haul destination for Indians as it takes only about 3 hours and 45 minutes.

Follad also said that Bahrain is infrastructure ready with convention centres and scenic locations that are capable to host small, intimate to very large weddings and MICE events.

In India, he said, Bahrain is targeting cities like Delhi and Mumbai for promotions to begin with and will slowly penetrate into other metros and tier II cities.

"Initially, we are looking at promoting Bahrain as a wedding and MICE destination in Delhi and Mumbai. However, through digital and social media, our reach will become wider as we are planning to slowly penetrate into other metro and tier II cities," he added.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Chinese President Xi Jinping today underscored that the BRICS must uphold the value of diplomacy to resolve "hotspot issues" as the leaders of the grouping, including Prime Minister Narendra Modi, arrived here for the Summit, which is starting tomorrow in this port city of China.

Xi also appeared to take a reconciliatory tone when he, without directly referring to the recent Dokalam standoff with India, underlined that "peace and development" should be the underpin to resolve issues as the world does not want "conflict and confrontation."



"We the BRICS countries should show our responsibilities to uphold global peace and stability," he said.

Modi and Xi are expected to meet on Tuesday, nearly a week after the two countries announced resolution of the 73- day-long Dokalam standoff.

According to officials, the two leaders are scheduled to hold a meeting on September 5 on the sidelines of the 9th Brazil-Russia-India-China-South Africa (BRICS) Summit. After the bilateral with the host, Modi will be travelling to Myanmar on a bilateral visit.

The Chinese and the Indian troops were in a standoff position for nearly 73 days since June 16 when the Indian side stopped construction of a road by China's army.

On August 28, external affairs ministry announced that New Delhi and Beijing have decided on "expeditious disengagement" of their border troops in the disputed Dokalam area.

The sense is that India wants to put behind the Dokalam bitterness and move ahead.

Xi, while inaugurating the BRICS business council, also called on BRICS countries to take a constructive part in the process of resolving geopolitical "hotspot issues" and make due contributions.

India is also expected to raise its concerns over terrorism at the BRICS Summit, with Modi asserting that the grouping has to make important contributions in upholding peace and security, and address global challenges.

Asked about China's comments that it will not be appropriate to discuss Pakistan's counter-terrorism records at the BRICS summit at Xiamen, External Affairs Ministry Spokesperson Raveesh Kumar said he cannot pre-empt what Modi will say during his interventions at the restricted and plenary sessions of the summit.

But he asserted that India's position on terrorism has been very clear and it has been raising the issue at various multilateral forums.

"We noticed that India, when it comes to Pakistan's counter-terrorism, has some concerns. I don't think this is an appropriate topic to be discussed at BRICS summit," Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Hua Chunying had said ahead of the Summit.

According to sources, India is expected to flag its concerns over terrorism.

The issue is also likely to find its place in the joint declaration with the Chinese president also saying that he was "convinced that as long as we take a holistic approach to fighting terrorism in all its forms, and address both its symptoms and root causes, terrorists will have no place to hide".

Yesterday, Modi in his departure statement had said "India attaches high importance to the role of BRICS that has begun a second decade of its partnership for progress and peace. BRICS has important contributions to make in addressing global challenges and upholding world peace and security".

The prime minister had also said he was looking forward to engaging with leaders of nine other countries, including BRICS partners, in an Emerging Markets and Developing Countries Dialogue, being hosted by Xi on September 5.

"We will also interact with the BRICS Business Council represented by captains of industry from all the five countries," he said.

Modi will hold bilateral meetings with several leaders including Russian President Vladimir Putin and President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi of Egypt, which is among the five counties - Mexico, Guinea, Thailand and Tajikistan - invited by China as the part of BRICS outreach exercise.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
In a setback to the Karnataka government, a central green panel has deferred environment clearance to a state's proposal to raise Almatti dam height over the Krishna river in north Karnataka.

With neighbouring states raising concerns over the move, the panel has asked the Karnataka government to get the clearance from the Central Water Commission (CWC) for hydrology and inter-state aspects.

Last month, an Expert Appraisal Committee (EAC) for River Valley and Hydroelectric Projects under the Environment Ministry examined the Karnataka government's proposal.

"The EAC noted that the proposal has not been appraised by the CWC for hydrology and inter-state issues. Vetting by CWC for these two aspects is essential. In view of this, the committee deferred the proposal," a senior Environment Ministry official told PTI.

Normally, the final clearance is given by the ministry based on the recommendations of the EAC.

The EAC has categorically told that the Karnataka government should first obtain the CWC clearance and thereafter it will reconsider the proposal in the next meeting.

The proposal has been a contentious issue for basin states Andhra Pradesh, Telangana and Maharasthra who have made several representations to the Centre.

The Karnataka's proposal is to increase the height of the Almatti dam from 519.60 metres to 524.256 metres and construct four lift irrigation projects as part of third phase of the Upper Krishna River Project (UKRP) that will irrigate 5.3 lakh hectares of land in seven districts of North Karnataka.

This will also help the state to store and make use of additional water of 907 thousand million cubic feet (tmc) allocated by the second Krishna Water Dispute Tribunal.

The state government has pegged total cost of the project to be Rs 17,207 crore as per the 2011-12 prices.

Due to increase in dam height, 17 villages and 10 wards of Bagalkot and 3 villages of Vijayapura district will be submerged, it said in its proposal.

Total land required for the project is 58,375 hectares. Of which, 31,439 hectares under submergence and 26,936 hectares for construction under submergence. Necessary forest clearance is yet to be obtained, it added.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
More than two months after a couple from Chennai was shot at by two bike-borne men on National Highway 58, police has arrested a person in this connection.

The accused, identified as Amjad was arrested here yesterday, said SSP Manila Patidar.

Amjad has confessed that he shot at the couple with the intention of robbing them. Another accused in the case remains absconding.

The manager of a Chennai-based company, Aditya and his wife were shot at by unidentified men on June 17 while they were going on their motorcycle from Haridwar to Delhi.

Aditya succumbed to his injuries at a hospital on June 23. His wife Vijaya Lakshmi also sustained injuries.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
A Chinese joint venture today signed a special multi-million dollar agreement with the Nepal government to set up a cement factory in the country.

Investment Board of Nepal and Hongshi-Shivam Cement P Ltd signed Project Investment Agreement (PIA) in Kathmandu.

The agreement, called Project Investment Agreement (PIA), is the first of its kind in the country for private sector investments. The contract provides protection to the firm's investment.

As per the agreement, the company will make an investment of USD 359.18 million (NRs 36.75 billion) to build the factory in Nawalparasi district, in South-West Nepal.

The project, a joint partnership between Hong Kong Red Lion Cement Ltd, a subsidiary unit of Hongshi Group from China and Shivam Holdings, consisting representatives from various business groups in Nepal, plans to produce 6,000 tons of cement per day.

The company will start production by 2018 and it has a target to produce 12,000 tons of cement per day in the near future.

The project will provide high quality cement to the local market's demand and also create competition for quality of cement production in Nepal. The company has been employing over 1000 people during its construction period.

"With this agreement today, we open endless doors of investment opportunity for foreign companies to confidently invest in Nepal and become a partner in its journey towards economic prosperity," the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the Investment Board of Nepal, Maha Prasad Adhikari, said.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Fair was foul at Delhi's annual book festival, with booksellers complaining that a variety of reasons - from violence triggered by the conviction of a cult head to hiked prices, thanks to GST - affected sales.

Publishers were an unhappy lot, stressing that the organisers had done little to sell the nine-day long Delhi Book Fair.

"There were no customers", "There was no publicity","We won't be participating in the next book fair", were some of their many grievances.

Where Dera violence was to blame for low turnout during the initial days, the spiked prices of books because of GST played a spoilsport all through, they said.

But, what topped the complaint list of all publishers was the lack of, rather no publicity, of the book fair, prior to the event!



"There was not even one hoarding of the book fair anywhere outside. Moreover, earlier there were regular announcements at metro stations, where they would also sell fair tickets... But this time, there was nothing.

"And the result is in front of you. This time we are finding it hard even to recover the money we spent in renting this space," said the visibly worried Kaushal Goyal, from Pigeon and GBD Books.

The cost of one stall in the fair was Rs 56,000.

According to publishers, this was some thousands extra in comparison to the last year.

"There is no next time for us. This is the last time we are participating in this fair," he said.

However, ITPO denied the allegations saying that the stalls were made available at "subsidised rates".

"Each of them got a space on subsidised rates. We never increased the price of any stall. The minor increase in prices is because of the taxes," said a person from ITPO, on the condition of anonymity.

With barely 120 publishers showing up at the fair, the count was significantly lower than last year that boasted of the presence of 180 plus exhibitors.

Hemant, who debuted at the fair this year, rues his decision to participate.

"Obviously, the poor promotional campaign is to be blamed for the low turn out. But other than that, the GST too played its role.

"So this too went against us, which only affected our business further," said a despondent Hemant.

The ITPO eventually did turn to radio for the publicity of the book fair. But it was too little too late.

Especially for Hindi publication houses, who are already in the midst of the never ending crisis of low readership of Hindi literature.

"I can certainly say that for this book fair the objective of ITPO was to make money, nothing else. There is no facility whatsoever... Their help desk here is of no use. They are minting money at our expense.

"The fair was organized in the worst manner. There was no publicity. You know many people who came here were like they were just not aware of the book fair for good days," said SK Gupta, from Surya Bharti Prakashan, a well-known Hindi publication house.

He, too, blamed GST for denting the business further.

"See there is no GST on books. But, then you have GST on paper, printing, binding and so. This makes the books expensive for the customer to buy. Nothing went right for us this time, for example no one from Haryana and NCR made it to the book fair for first initial days due to the violence of Dera supporters," he said.

Many renowned Hindi publishers have given the book fair a miss due to dwindling number of vernacular readers, which includes the giants in the business like Raj Kamal Prakashan, Vani Prakashan and Prabhat Prakashan, among many others.

However, the ITPO didn't seem to pay much heed to any criticism.

Talking about the alleged "dismal publicity", they said this time they followed a "new strategy of promoting more on social media than the conventional media platforms".

"We have taken adequate measures to make the book fair a success just like the earlier ones," ITPO said.

Needless to say, there is no love lost between e-books and publishers too, as many still blame the same for the scanty footfall, more than anything else.

The fair themed 'Padhega India, toh Badhega India', comes to a close today.

What? You didn't know the theme? Well, there is a saying: 'Publicity can be terrible. But only if you don't have any'.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
The Delhi government has directed all its departments and autonomous bodies to adopt digital mode of transactions and make payments to contractors and suppliers electronically.

Besides, it has also asked all department heads to promote e-payments and give wide publicity to make people aware about it.

The Delhi government finance department has also issued a circular asking all its departments to adopt digital mode of payments at the earliest.

The move is intended to attain the goal of complete digitisation of government payment.

"Heads of departments and autonomous bodies have been asked that payment should be made to contractors, suppliers and institutions through digital mode," a senior government official.

He also said that the payments could be made through Real-Time Gross Settlement (RTGS), National Electronic Funds Transfer (NEFT) and Electronic Clearing Service (ECS).

According to an official, secretaries, principal secretaries and heads of other autonomous institutions have been asked to give wide publicity to promote digital mode of transaction.

In November last year, the central government had also decided to promote digitisation of payments following the announcement of demonetisation of Rs 500 and Rs 1,000 notes.

It had also lowered the threshold for making such payments.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
A man and his father have been sentenced to varying jail terms of life imprisonment and 10 years by the Delhi High Court in the dowry death case of his wife, who ended her life after consuming pesticide.

The high court upheld the conviction and sentence of the father-son duo, who were held guilty of harassing and cruelly treating the woman for dowry which led to her death in May 1998.

"A careful analysis of the testimony of prosecution witness 1 (brother of victim), which in our view is truthful and reliable and corroborated by the fact that the demands were made even in the past and in fact, succumbing to the demand, Rs 50,000 were paid in three installments, we are of the view that the trial court had rightly convicted the two appellants for dowry death," a bench of Justices G S Sistani and Sangita Dhingra Sehgal said.

The court, which upheld the conviction of the victim's mother-in-law, brother-in-law and sister-in-law for the offence of harassing her, absolved them of the charge of dowry death saying no specific incident was mentioned by witnesses to show that they had tortured or demanded dowry from the deceased and her parents just before her death.

They were sentenced to imprisonment already undergone by them during the trial before the lower court.

The woman's in-laws had moved the high court challenging the trial court's judgment.

Regarding the woman's husband and her father-in-law, the high court said it has emerged from the evidence that they had demanded Rs two lakh for the purpose of business.

It asked the two men, who are out on bail, to surrender before Tihar Jail and serve their sentence.

The man and his family members had denied the allegations and claimed that there was no harassment to the woman.

According to the prosecution, the woman and the man had got married in December 1996 here and her parents had given a number of dowry articles including jewellery, car, and electronic appliances.

After two months of marriage, the woman's in-laws started harassing and taunting her and made several demands, it had said.

In May 1998, the woman's husband left her at her parental house and refused to take her back unless her parents give him Rs two lakh. Her parents, however, sought time to arrange the money and sent her back to her matrimonial house, it had said.

On the next day, when the woman's brother called her, he was informed by her in-laws that she was lying unconscious and when he reached their house, the woman was taken to hospital where she died the same day.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
President of the Vietnam Fatherland Front Central Committee Tran Thanh Man (Source: VNA)



Man also congratulated his Lao counterpart on the 40th year of the Vietnam-Laos Treaty on Amity and Cooperation (July 18th, 1977).

Since Vietnam and Laos set up diplomatic ties in 1962, the bilateral cooperation has flourished, especially in economy, trade and investment.

To fulfil the target of USD4 billion in two-way trade by 2020, the two sides will launch new cooperation projects in Laos and assist existing projects, while carrying out the agreement on border and border gate management and the protocol on borderline and national border markers./.
Senior officials of the EDMC will meet NGT authorities on Monday to discuss a proposed new landfill site on the outskirts of Delhi, the civic body's mayor on Sunday said.

The meeting comes close on the heels of an accident in east Delhi, triggered by the collapse of a portion of the towering Ghazipur landfill, in which two people lost their lives while five others were injured.

"A meeting is scheduled on September 4 with the authorities at the NGT to discuss the proposed new landfill site, spread over 150 acres, in outer Delhi, as an alternative to the Ghazipur site," East Delhi Mayor Neema Bhagat told PTI.

She said the 45-m high landfill at Ghazipur saturated in 2002 only, and the civic body has been "looking for an alternative site for a long time, but a clearance from the NGT is needed before allowing of any site by the DDA".

The East Delhi Municipal Corporation (EDMC) manages the landfill site that was started in 1984 and is spread over 29 acres.

According to officials, the permissible height for a garbage dump is 20 m. Every day, 2,500-3000 metric tonnes of garbage are dumped at the Ghazipur site.

The humongous heap sits like a Leviathan, with eagles and crows circling even as the stench from the mountain of trash fills the air.

In the wake of the accident on Friday, Lt Governor Anil Baijal yesterday imposed a ban on dumping of garbage at the Ghazipur landfill site, with the waste meant for it now being diverted to a temporary site in Ranikhera near the Delhi- Haryana border.

Earlier, a decision was taken to divert the garbage to Bhalswa landfill site (about 50-metre high), but as it is already used way beyond its saturation, a new site was identified, a civic official yesterday said.

Incidentally, the EDMC in last November had signed an MoU with the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) for using the solid waste from the site, in the construction of Delhi- Meerut Expressway, a section of the NH-24.

"The NHAI has assured the L-G that it will begin the process of lifting, segregating and processing of the solid waste by November 2017, for its use in road construction," the L-G office said.

The other major dumping sites in the city are in Okhla and Narela-Bawana.
Following are the top foreign stories at 1700 hours:



FGN13 NKOREA-3RDLD NUCLEAR



Seoul: North Korea says it set off a hydrogen bomb in its sixth nuclear test, which judging by the earthquake it set off appeared to be its most powerful explosion yet. (AP)



FGN18 BRICS-MODI



Xiamen (China): India expected to raise concerns over terrorism at the BRICS Summit, with Prime Minister Narendra Modi asserting that the grouping has important contributions to make in upholding peace and security, and addressing global challenges. By Priyanka Tikoo



FGN19 CHINA-LD BRICS



Xiamen (China): Chinese President Xi Jinping asks BRICS members to shelve differences, accommodate each other's concerns by enhancing strategic communication, as he opens the 9th annual summit of the five member emerging economies here.

FGN25 BRICS-XI-TERRORISM



Xiamen: Chinese President Xi Jinping calls on BRICS countries to adopt holistic approach to fight terrorism in all its forms and ensure that terrorists have no place to hide.

FGN15 US-2NDLD RUSSIA



Washington: US seizes control of Russia's Consulate in San Francisco and its two annexes in New York and Washington DC after confirming that Moscow had complied with the Trump administration's order to vacate them within two days, officials say. By Lalit K Jha



FGN22 US-JAPAN-LD NKOREA



Washington: US President Donald Trump and Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe discuss the "growing threat" posed by North Korea. The two leaders reaffirm close cooperation. By Lalit K Jha



FGN24 NKOREA-NUCLEAR-LD CHINA



Beijing: China strongly condems North Korea's sixth nuclear test, asks the reclusive nation to "cease" its "incorrect actions" and return to the dialogue table for denuclearisation of the Korean Peninsula. By K J M Varma



FGN23 FRANCE-NKOREA-NUCLEAR



Paris: French President Emmanuel Macron calls for a "very firm" response by the international community to North Korea's announcement that it had successfully tested a hydrogen bomb. (AFP).

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Following are the top stories from western region at 2115 hours.

BOM 5 MP-BLUE WHALE BOY



Damoh: A 17-year-old boy who was allegedly taking part in the Blue Whale Challenge committed suicide by standing before a running train here.

BOM 4 GJ-PREZ-SABARMATI



Ahmedabad: President Ram Nath Kovind begins his two-day Gujarat tour by visiting Mahatma Gandhi's Sabarmati Ashram here.

BOM 1 MH-SENA-CABINET-RESHUFFLE



Mumbai: As the Narendra Modi government went in for a cabinet reshuffle, Shiv Sena MP Sanjay Raut says the NDA is "almost dead" and that BJP remembers it only when it needs some support.

BES 11 MP-PILGRIMAGES-CHOUHAN



Bhopal: Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan announces to take two lakh elderly people from the state on pilgrimages annually under a government-run scheme.

BES 2 MH-CONFERENCE-RIVERS



Thane: Eminent water activist Rajendra Singh urges the Centre to take up cleaning of rivers on a priority basis and emphasises on the need to educate the present generation about the importance of water bodies.

SPB 10 SPO-SQUASH-JUNIOR



Mumbai: Hong Kong's number one seed Chan Chi Ho and second seed Ho Ka Hei, both win their respective second round encounters in the 9th Indian Junior Open Squash tournament here.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Realty firm Gaursons is investing Rs 750 crore to develop a shopping mall in Noida Extension to tap business opportunities in commercial real estate which is doing well despite overall slowdown in the property market.

This shopping mall, with 7.5 lakh square feet of retail space, is expected to open by March next year, Gaursons Managing Director Manoj Gaur said.

Gaursons is developing a 240-acre township 'Gaur City' with an investment of Rs 5,000 crore and this mall will be part of this integrated project catering to 25,000 families.

"There is currently no shopping mall in this area. We are soon going to fulfil this gap," Gaur said, adding that the company will be leasing the retail space in the mall that also houses a 9-screen superplex.

Gaur, who is also Vice-President of CREDAI-National, said the project cost of this mall is Rs 750 crore to be funded through internal accruals and bank loans.

The company has roped in retail and F&B brands such as Shoppers Stop, Lifestyle, Hypercity, Pantaloons, Marks & Spencer, Max Fashion, Reliance Trends, Croma, Fabindia, Globus, Food Court by Foodquest, Starbucks and Sagar Ratna, among others.

Gaur expects the mall to be successful as this would be the first mall in Noida Extension where 30,000 families have already started residing in projects of various developers.

Over one lakh flats are being constructed in Noida Extension area, mostly in the affordable housing segment.

Unlike the sluggish housing sector, Gaur said the commercial real estate is performing well with healthy demand for office, retail and hospitality spaces.

This is the company's second shopping mall. It has already developed 'Gaur Central Mall' at Raj Nagar District Centre in Ghaziabad.

Gaursons is developing another township on Yamuna Expressway on 300 acre land which it purchased from Jaypee Group in 2013 for over Rs 1,500 crore.

It is also part of township 'Crossing Republik' in Ghaziabad, being constructed by seven developers.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
The future of economic development in China's far western Xinjiang region lies behind the shattered glass door of a welcome centre on the outskirts of the ancient Silk Road city of Kashgar.

Inside, a dusty model depicts a modern urban development with wide, tree-lined boulevards and a pair of twin skyscrapers -- but outside the project remains a ghost town reflecting Beijing's struggle to bring prosperity to the restless region.

Dubbed "Shenzhen City" after the bustling southern port city that financed it, the more than 200,000 square metre development is part of a government project to stabilise Xinjiang with massive economic stimulus.

Beijing has paired promises of wealth with strict controls on personal and religious freedoms in an effort to quell ethnic strife between the country's Han Chinese majority and the region's mostly Muslim Uighur minority.

But outside the welcome centre, where a broken LED sign flashed out an investment hotline number like an SOS, the plan for a vibrant oasis on the western edge of the Taklamakan desert stood like a mirage.

The landmark buildings' half-finished silhouettes jut out of a rubble-strewn construction site, surrounded by withered trees and grass.

Several such ambitious projects around Kashgar have stagnated despite government plans to bring the poverty- stricken region's economy on par with the rest of the nation.

To do so, Shenzhen and 18 of the country's other wealthiest cities and provinces have been required to pump a fraction of their GDP into Xinjiang under a "pairing assistance" programme.

The rationale is "if you can improve people's economic conditions, they will become less politically restive," said Enze Han, a lecturer on politics at the University of London's School of Oriental and African Studies.

But "if you look at the ground, the story in Xinjiang is a failure," he said.

In 2010, a year after deadly riots in Xinjiang's capital Urumqi killed around 200 people, authorities rolled out the "pairing assistance" programme to raise the region's per capita GDP to the national average within five years.

By the end of 2015, cities such as Beijing and Shanghai had invested some $8.5 billion in the region, according to the official Xinhua agency.

But President Xi Jinping shifted the focus back to security in 2014 after Uighurs perpetrated a series of violent attacks across the country, killing dozens.

Two years later, the gap between Xinjiang and the rest of the country had only grown, with its per capita GDP expanding about 18 percent more slowly than the nation as a whole during the five-year period after the assistance programme began, according to calculations by AFP using government statistics.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Police today arrested Rohit Thapa, a member of the central committee of Gorkha Janmukti Morcha (GJM), on charges of stoking violence in Alipurduar on July 30.

He was picked up from Subhashipally area in Alipuarduar district, police said.

Thapa was part of the GJM delegation that met Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee at the state secretariat on August 29 to discuss peace in Darjeeling hills which has been rocked by violence since June 12 this year.

Thapa was also the Sabhapati of the now defunct Gorkha Territorial Administration (GTA).

Jalpaiguri Superintendent of Police Amitava Maity, however, did not elaborate why Thapa was arrested despite being part of the meeting convened by the State government last month.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh today rejected the BJP's demand of having President's rule imposed in the state, saying his government would complete its full term and assembly elections would be held on time.

The assembly elections are due later this year.

The chief minister told reporters in Sujanpurtira, around 25 km from Hamirpur, that the Congress will return to power as his government had ensured balanced and uniform development in the entire the state.

"The BJP has the habit of demanding my resignation, but I will not oblige them. In case, the assembly elections are held under my leadership, the Congress will form government again," Singh said.

On distribution of tickets, he said it would be decided by the party high-command.

Singh said as tickets are allotted till the last date of filing nominations, he would "open his cards at the appropriate time".

The Himachal Congress strongman said he had a long meeting with the party chief, Sonia Gandhi, recently and she listened to his suggestions.

On the Kotkai rape and murder case, Singh said he had nothing to do with those involved in the heinous crime and the CBI was doing its job and the law would take its own course.

Moreover, the state government had taken timely steps for arresting the alleged culprits, he claimed, adding that the way, BJP leaders and other activists had acted was "shocking" and "against the democratic norms".

Replying to questions on the arrest of senior police officers in the case by the CBI, Singh said everything would come out shortly and the guilty would be punished.

He held out a stern warning to those trying to malign him by dragging his name the rape and murder case, saying he would file a defamation case.

Singh claimed that he never interfered into the police's functioning and in this case, too, it was he who had asked the Prime Minister, Narendra Modi, for a CBI probe.

The Nadaun incident in Hamirpur district in which a SHO was pushed twice by the local BJP MLA was "shocking". The officer acted as per law and action would be taken against those who tried to prevent him from doing his duties, he said.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar today pledged his eyes for donation and appealed to people to do the same.

The chief minister flagged off a rally to create awareness on blindness control under the 'Cornea Andhatv Mukt Bharat Abhiyan' here.

He appealed to the administration and people to work toward giving the gift of sight to around 700 visually impaired people in the district under the programme.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Actor Heather Graham has split from her boyfriend Tommy Alastra after one year of dating.

Heather, 47, and the film producer called time on their relationship in July, according to Us Weekly.

Although neither of them have commented publicly on the split, Heather has unfollowed her ex on Instagram and there was no sign of her at the premiere of his new movie "Jackals" last week.

However, he reportedly attended with his ex-girlfriend Taylor Cole.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Hero Electronix, part of the Hero Group, is gearing up to venture into new areas like Internet of Things (IoT), defence electronics and automotive sector, according to a senior company official.

The company has identified IoT-enabled home solutions as a priority area as part of its strategy to scale up overall business.

"More and more technologies are entering Indian households today and there lies a huge opportunity for a company like us in IoT," Hero Electronix CEO Nikhil Rajpal told PTI.

Right from security surveillance to home electronics, trackers and lighting systems, there are lot of opportunities, he added.

When asked how soon the company would venture into it, Rajpal said: "We have prototypes ready and in another six to nine months we should be ready with our first launch in the segment."



While he did not disclose the type of product, Rajpal said the idea behind the company's product development has been to tailor it to suit Indian requirements.

"What is currently available in the market are high priced products which have been made for the developed markets. Our products are developed keeping in mind the localised needs, how things are used in an Indian household," he added.

Moreover, Rajpal said, "Our focus has been on the pricing front where our efforts have been to make them affordable."



On defence electronics, he said the company's aim is to tap into India's huge spending on defence and play a part in the drive for local manufacturing.

"A large part of defence spending is on electronics. So we do see an opportunity there, specially considering the government's Make in India initiative," he added.

When asked about initiatives for the automotive sector, he said they are still at an early stage.

"However, considering how electronics have become an essential part of modern automobiles, we see this an area of opportunity," Rajpal said.

New age infotainment systems, remote access, safety aspects like pedestrian safety are areas which the company is looking at, he added.

Hero Electronix is USD 5 billion Hero Group's maiden venture into electronics and technology sector with presence in areas ranging from set top box manufacturing to providing semiconductor test engineering services.

Hero Electronix had clocked revenue of Rs 600 crore in 2016-17. It is looking at 20 per cent growth for the ongoing fiscal. The company and its group firms have a total investment outlay of Rs 1,000-1,200 crore till 2022.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
The Vietnamese Embassy in Cambodia holds a banquet

to celebrate the 72nd National Day of Vietnam on September 1st (Photo: VNA)



The diplomat stressed the rapid development of economic, trade and investment links, adding Vietnam has become one of the leading partners of Cambodia.

Bilateral trade approximated USD3 billion in 2016 and is targeted at USD5 billion in the near future. Vietnam has invested in about 190 projects with total registered capital of USD2.89 billion in Cambodia. It is also a big source of foreign tourists to Cambodia, 960,000 visitors last year.

The year 2017 is important to Vietnam-Cambodia relations, he said, elaborating that they have been organizing a number of activities marking 50 years since the establishment of diplomatic ties, including exchanges of high-ranking delegations. Through those visits, Vietnamese and Cambodian leaders affirmed the resolve to continue reinforcing the two countries solidarity, friendship and cooperation.

In his speech, Du underlined enormous achievements Vietnam has obtained since then President Ho Chi Minh read the Declaration of Independence on September 2nd, 1945, which heralded a new era for the country.

He reiterated the countrys consistent foreign policy of independence, self-reliance, cooperation and development, multilateralisation and diversification of foreign relations, and being ready to be a friend, a trustworthy partner and a responsible member of the international community.

On this occasion, the diplomat appreciated the Cambodian Government and peoples huge and effective support to his country in the fight for national independence and reunification in the past and the national development at present.

For his part, Cambodian Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation Prak Sokhonn recognised Vietnams rapid economic changes, impressive development and other accomplishments over the past decades, earning it an important role in the region and the world.

He shared the view that 2017 is a memorable year for both Cambodian and Vietnamese people when they mark the 50th founding anniversary of their diplomatic relations and the Cambodia-Vietnam Friendship Year.

The official also noted bilateral cooperation outcomes in trade, investment and land border demarcation, over 84 percent of which has finished. He affirmed both sides determination to complete this work, thus promoting peace, friendship, cooperation and sustainable development along the shared borderline.

What the two countries have achieved in bilateral relations have become necessary pillars to build, expand and deepen their traditional friendship and win-win cooperation, Prak Sokhonn said, voicing his belief that their prosperity will contribute to a united ASEAN Community.

Cambodian Deputy Prime Minister Men Sam An, Prak Sokhonn was among other senior Cambodian officials, along with heads of other countries diplomatic representative agencies in Phnom Penh at the event./.
Following are the top stories from western region at 1715 hours.

BOM 1 MH-SENA-CABINET-RESHUFFLE



Mumbai: As the Narendra Modi government went in for a cabinet reshuffle, Shiv Sena MP Sanjay Raut says the NDA is "almost dead" and that BJP remembers it only when it needs some support.

BES 2 MH-CONFERENCE-RIVERS



Thane: Eminent water activist Rajendra Singh urges the Centre to take up cleaning of rivers on a priority basis and emphasises on the need to educate the present generation about the importance of water bodies.

SPB 10 SPO-SQUASH-JUNIOR



Mumbai: Hong Kong's number one seed Chan Chi Ho and second seed Ho Ka Hei, both win their respective second round encounters in the 9th Indian Junior Open Squash tournament here.

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The proposed peace talks between Mizoram government and a faction of Hmar People's Convention (Democratic) did not materialise as the state government rejected the conditions put forward by it, a senior state government official said.

"The HPC(D) faction led by Lalhmingthanga Sanate set pre-conditions like establishment of an autonomous district council under the sixth schedule of the Constitution in the Hmar community concentrated area and tripatite talks by inclusion of a senior official from the Centre," he said.

The state government rejected the conditions as its stance was that there should be no conditions for holding talks, he said.

The talks were to be held in August end.

Peace parleys with the major faction led by H Zosangbera would soon resume and the next round of talks was likely to be the last official level talks as it would be elevated to the political level, he said.

Sanate was the founder president of the HPC (D) when the outfit went underground, soon after the surrender of HPC cadres following the agreement inked with Mizoram government in July 1994.

He was ousted as president by the Zosangbera faction after he signed Suspension of Operation (SoO) with the Manipur government along with the Kuki militant groups allegedly without consulting other leaders including the outfit's "Army Chief" Lalropuia Famhoite.

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India today strongly condemned North Korea's nuclear test and asked the reclusive nation to refrain from actions which adversely impact peace and stability in the Korean peninsula.

North Korea carried out its most powerful nuclear test to date today, claiming to have developed an advanced hydrogen bomb that could sit atop an intercontinental ballistic missile.

External Affairs Ministry in a statement said it was a matter of deep concern that North Korea has again acted in violation of its international commitments.

It said the action by North Korea was against the objective of the de-nuclearisation of the Korean peninsula.

"We call upon North Korea to refrain from such actions which adversely impact peace and stability in the region and beyond," the statement said.

"India also remains concerned about the proliferation of nuclear and missile technologies which has adversely impacted India's national security," it added.

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Iran has tested its home-grown air defence system, designed to match the Russian S-300, the head of the Revolutionary Guards' air defence has said.

"In parallel with the deployment of the S-300, work on Bavar-373 system is underway," Farzad Esmaili told state broadcaster IRIB yesterday.

"The system is made completely in Iran and some of its parts are different from the S-300. All of its sub-systems have been completed and its missile tests have been conducted."



Bavar (which means "belief") is Tehran's first long-range missile defence system, and is set to be operational by March 2018, he added.

In 2010, Iran began manufacturing Bavar-373 after the purchase of the S-300 from Russia was suspended due to international sanctions.

Russia resumed the sale following the 2015 nuclear deal with world powers which lifted sanctions, and Iran's S-300 defence system became operational in March.

On Saturday, the new defence minister Amir Hatami said Iran has "a specific plan to boost missile power".

He said he hoped "the combat capabilities of Iran's ballistic and cruise missiles" would increase in the next four years.

The comments came amid increasing tensions with Washington, which has passed new sanctions against Iran's ballistic missile programme.

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Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar, who has been facing heat over his management of the Dera issue, today said the violence by the sect's supporters could have turned much worse had the government not been alert.

Khattar told reporters that the state government had taken steps after due consideration in compliance with the directions of the Punjab and Haryana High Court.

"Had the government had not been alert, the situation could have been much worse," he said in Karnal.

The Haryana government had come under attack for allowing a huge build up of Dera Sacha Sauda followers in Panchkula.

Violence broke out there after Dera chief Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh's conviction in rape cases, leaving 35 people dead. Six others died in incidents of violence in Sirsa.

Ram Rahim was later sentenced to 20 years in prison.

On August 30, Khattar, had ruled out his resignation after meeting BJP chief Amit Shah in Delhi, saying his government had acted with "restraint" in handling the situation.

Khattar also told reporters today that he would contest the next election from Karnal as the people of the constituency have accorded him a lot of respect.

At the same time, he added he would accept whatever the party decides in this regard.

Khattar (63) is a first-time legislator from Karnal. He became the chief minister when BJP came to power for the first time on its own in Haryana in October 2014.

He said the Haryana government would also organise a programme on the completion of three years of its tenure.

"The programme would be organised on a grand scale between October 26 and November 1. The venue would be decided later by the committee concerned," he said.

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RJD supremo Lalu Prasad claimed that Nitish Kumar's JD(U) was not even invited to join the NDA government by Prime Minister Narendra Modi or BJP chief Amit Shah in the on Sunday.

Four junior ministers were on Sunday elevated to the Cabinet rank and nine new faces inducted as Ministers of State, in a rejig by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

"Some JD(U) leaders had got new Kurta Pyjama and Bundi stitched for the swearing-in ceremony, but the elusive invitation did not come," he alleged.

The JD(U) president and Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar had on Saturday admitted that his party had not been invited to join the government nor consulted by the BJP brass on the expansion issue, Prasad said.

"Why should Prime Minister Modi or BJP president Shah consult Kumar when they know about his character?" the RJD supremo said in a dig at the JD(U) chief, who had dumped the Grand Alliance in July to form a government in Bihar with the BJP.

"Modi and Shah are unlikely to bow before their new ally, the JD(U) and its chief Nitish Kumar," he said.

The RJD supremo took potshots at Kumar for withdrawing a dinner invite to BJP leaders, including the then Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi, at Patna in 2010, over an advertisement row and alleged that the latter had not forgotten it.

Modi was right in not "accepting" the invite to visit Patna for having lunch with the chief minister at his official residence recently after an aerial survey of the flood-affected areas of Bihar, the RJD leader said.

Prasad claimed that in doing so, the prime minister has returned the "favour" to Nitish Kumar for having cancelled the dinner invite for the visiting BJP leaders seven years ago.

On the induction of the former home secretary and the BJP MP from Arrah, R K Singh, in the Modi government, Prasad said that the former bureaucrat should have been made a Cabinet minister given his vast experience.
Army today said an inquiry was underway into the allegations that a person went missing while another was tortured after being taken into custody by Army personnel in north Kashmir's Kupwara district on August 31.

"Army has taken cognisance of the matter. It is under investigation," a defence spokesman said here.

He said "action will be taken accordingly".

Protests broke out in Kupwara district on Friday as a man went missing and another was hospitalised in a critical condition after the duo were allegedly taken into custody by army personnel on the previous night.

Residents of Kakar Diver in Lolab area of Kupwara staged a protest demanding to know the whereabouts of Manzoor Ahmad Khan who, along with Nasrullah Khan, was allegedly taken into custody by troops of 27 Rashtriya Rifles.

The protestors alleged that while Nasrullah was released by Army on Friday morning, there was no word on the whereabouts of Manzoor.

Nasrullah was admitted at a local hospital for treatment but the doctors referred him to SKIMS hospital here.

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JM Financial has been appointed as the transaction advisor to the government's over Rs 37,000 crore stake sale in HPCL to ONGC.

Besides, Cyril Amarchand Mangaldas has been selected as the legal advisor for handling the stake sale.

With ONGC and HPCL under the administrative control of the oil ministry, the latter has appointed 'Protocol Valuers Ltd' for suggesting valuation at which the government's 51.11 per cent stake in HPCL should be sold to ONGC, sources said.

The process of selection of transaction advisor was kicked off by the Department of Investment and Public Asset Management (DIPAM) in July and as many as five consultants -- including JM Financial, EY, PwC, ICICI Securities and Rothschild (India) Pvt Ltd had submitted expression of interest (EoI).

"JM Financial has been selected as the transaction advisor which will act as merchant banker for valuation and Cyril Amarchand Mangaldas will suggest the DIPAM on legal aspects of the strategic stake sale," sources said.

The other law firms who were in the race as legal consultant included Crawford Bayley and Co, Luthra and Luthra, Suman Khaitan and Company and Hammurabi and Solomon Partners.

The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA) had on July 19 given 'in-principle' approval to strategic sale of the government's existing 51.11 per cent stake in Hindustan Petroleum Corporation Ltd (HPCL) to Oil and Natural Gas Corporation (ONGC) along with the transfer of management control.

At the current market price, the HPCL stake is valued at more than Rs 37,500 crore.

The merchant banker will assist the government on "modalities of disinvestment and the timing" as well as recommend the need for intermediaries required for the process.

It will do business valuation of HPCL, structure the transaction, suggest measures to fetch optimum value and assess positioning of the strategic sale.

Besides, it will prepare all documents like information memorandum (IM), confidentiality and transaction agreements such as pact to sale and the share purchase agreement.

The legal advisor will review and advise on all legal contracts, titles of properties, assets, real estate, intellectual property rights and contracts with employees.

It will also draft transaction related documents and advise on the structure of the transaction, including compliance with Sebi guidelines and stock exchange listing norms.

Sources said the government is keen to complete the transaction within the current fiscal.

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Food and Civil Supplies Minister U T Khader has urged the BJP to cancel their proposed 'Mangaluru Chalo' bike rally on September 7, considering the 'delicate communal situation' prevailing in Dakshina Kannada district.

"If the BJP had concern for the district and respected harmony and brotherhood, it should ask its youth wing Yuva Morcha to cancel the rally, he told reporters here yesterday.

Yuva Morcha is organising the bike rally, demanding a ban on Muslim 'radical' outfits like Socialist Democratic Party of India and Karnataka Forum for Dignity. BJP workers from several districts are expected to take part in the rally.

Khader,representing Mangaluru constituency,said he feared the rally could incite violence and untoward incidents might occur as many workers were expected to arrive in the city on bikes from different parts.

He said though political parties had the right to hold rallies in a democracy, it would be better if BJP refrained from the proposed rally in view of the volatile situation in the district.

The district had just returned to normality after many incidents of violence in recent months, he said.

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Larsen & Toubro, the country's largest engineering firm, has received green nod for expansion of its Powai residential and IT towers project in Mumbai that will entail an investment of Rs 1,102 crore.

Initially, the company had received the environment clearance (EC) for construction of three wings of IT towers in a total area of 1,49,618.70 square meter. The pre-construction work has started.

Now, it has proposed to expand the project with construction of six residential towers, two IT towers, a convenience shopping centre and school in a total area of 4,29,506.75 square meter.

The environment ministry has given the go-ahead for expansion of 'the L&T (West) Mixed Use Project' in Powai after taking into account the view of a green panel, the ministry said in the EC letter issued to the company.

The clearance is subject to the compliance of certain conditions, the ministry said.

The cost of the expansion project is estimated to be Rs 1,102 crore and will provide jobs to around 800 workers during the construction phase.

The company has said the proposed project will be developed in stages.
RJD supremo Lalu Prasad took a swipe at Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar over non-inclusion of any JD(U) leader in the Union council of ministers, which was rejigged today, sarcastically claiming some of them had even got stitched "new kurta-pyjama and bundi" for the event.

"Some JD(U) leaders had got new kurta-pyjama and bundi (Nehru jackets) stitched for the swearing-in ceremony, but the invitation did not come," he said.

Kumar had yesterday said his party had not been invited to join the Modi government nor was it consulted about the recast its recast.

"Why should Prime Minister Narendra Modi or BJP chief Amit Shah consult Nitish Kumar when they know his character," the RJD boss, who has been unsparing in attacking Kumar ever since he walked out of the 3-party 'Grand Alliance' in Bihar and formed government with the BJP, said.

Lalu said, tongue and cheek, that it was a payback time for Modi. Kumar had withdrawn an invite to top BJP leaders in 2010 for a dinner when Modi was the Gujarat Chief Minister following an advertisement row.

Days ahead of the BJP's national executive meeting in Patna, posters had surfaced thanking Modi for a Rs 5 crore donation for Kosi flood victims. Kumar found it in bad taste and cancelled the dinner which was to be attended by senior BJP leaders including Modi.

Lalu claimed that Modi had not forgotten the "slight".

Modi was right in not accepting the invite for lunch with the chief minister at his official residence recently after the two made an aerial survey of the flood-affected areas of Bihar recently, the RJD leader said.

"Modi just returned the favour... He did that because of what Kumar did to him a decade ago," Lalu said.

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Thane police have booked a 26-year-old man on charge of rape and for allegedly handing over the girl born out of this sexual assault to a Kerala based lawyer, said police.

The accused allegedly handed over the girl born out of rape to an advocate in Kerala immediately after her birth in 2015, said API BH Vanjare of Kapurbawdi police station under the Wagle Estate division.

The accused identified as one Roshan Pawar and the victim, both aged 23, were working with a builder in Rabodi locality of the city and it was in the year 2015 that he called her to his house and raped her for the first time, mentioned the complaint registered with the police.

Later he promised to marry her and repeatedly raped her. Towards the end of 2015 the victim delivered a girl child which he handed over to an advocate in Kerala despite opposition from the victim, the complaint lodged with the police yesterday, stated.

The complainant further stated that Pawar repeatedly threatened her that he would harm himself if she fails to give in to his demand of maintaining physical relations with him and raped her repeatedly till about last month, the complaint mentioned.

The victim has been hospitalised and her detailed statement would be recorded later, the official said.

Meanwhile, no arrest has been made in connection with the incident so far, the police added.

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As an IAS officer, Raj Kumar Singh saw power from close quarters, both in his native Bihar and the national capital, and will now occupy a seat of power himself.

The first-term MP from Arrah was always known as a tough officer and his toughest assignment was to arrest L K Advani when the BJP stalwart's 'Ram Rath' rolled on unhindered from Ayodhya on way to Somnath in October 1990.

BJP was then propping up the VP Singh government and arresting Advani could have led to its fall and set off a chain of violence.

Singh had halted the rath yatra in Samastipur and arrested Advani, prompting the BJP to withdraw support to Singh's National Front government and resulting in its collapse.

The event paved the way for the emergence of the saffron party as a formidable force on the country's political firmament.

Ironically, he later became a joint secretary in the union home ministry when Advani headed it.

Singh, widely acknowledged as a no-nonsense officer, had a distinguished four-decade career as an IAS officer before he decided to take the political plunge in 2013 by joining the BJP. A year later, he won the Lok Sabha election from Arrah.

"It is a challenge for me but I am used to challenges. The party and the prime minister have shown confidence in me and I am thankful to them," he told PTI.

Singh, 64, said his predecessor in the Power Ministry, Piyush Goyal, did a commendable job in the last three years and that would enable him inherit a well-oiled machinery to work with.

Singh, a 1975 batch IAS officer, has served both in Bihar and at the Centre in different capacities, including secretary, defence production, in the UPA government.

He headed the Bihar government's departments of home, industries and public works, and was also the district magistrate of Patna. He is known for his contributions to the modernisation of the state police and prisons, and laying down a framework for disaster management.

It was during the tenure of Singh as the Union home secretary that 26/11 Mumbai attack terrorist Ajmal Kasab and Parliament attack case convict Afzal Guru were hanged.

Known to speak his mind, Singh had criticised the process of distribution of tickets by the BJP in the 2015 Bihar assembly elections, which the party lost.

However, his induction in the Modi ministry shows he has made up with the party leadership, which has rewarded him for his administrative acumen.

A well-read man, Singh studied English literature at St. Stephens College, Delhi, and got a bachelors degree in law thereafter. He also studied at the RVB Delft University in the Netherlands.

Before joining the IAS, he was in the Indian Police Service, which he served for a year.

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The US will launch a "massive military response" to any threats from North Korea, Defense Secretary James Mattis said today in a blunt warning to the reclusive nation after it carried out its biggest nuclear test.

North Korea claimed today it had successfully tested a hydrogen bomb meant to be loaded onto an intercontinental ballistic missile. It was Pyongyang's sixth, and the most powerful nuclear test, which was set to raise tension in the region.

"We made clear that we have the ability to defend ourselves and our allies, South Korea and Japan, from any attack. And our commitment among the allies is ironclad: Any threat to the United States or its territories, including Guam, or our allies will be met with a massive military response, a response both effective and overwhelming," Mattis told reporters at the White House.

He made a brief statement to reporters outside the West Wing of the White House after a small group of national security members had a meeting today with US President Donald Trump and the Vice President Mike Pence about the latest provocation on the Korean Peninsula.

"We have many military options. The president wanted to be briefed on each one of them," he said.

"Kim Jong Un should take heed of the United Nations Security Council's unified voice - all members unanimously agreed on the threat North Korea poses and they remain unanimous on their commitment to the de-nuclearisation of the Korean Peninsula because we are not looking to the total annihilation of a country, namely North Korea. As I said, we have many options to do so," Mattis said.

Mattis' remarks came after US President Donald Trump warned that "appeasement" won't work with Pyongyang whose "words and actions continue to be very hostile and dangerous" to the US.

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The Delhi High Court has asked the Centre to include a student, seeking admission to MBBS course through NEET as an NRI candidate though he appeared for the entrance exam as a resident candidate, in the waiting list for deemed universities.

Justice Vibhu Bakhru said that this would enable the student to approach the deemed universities directly and his counsel said this was acceptable to him.

The high court passed the direction after central government standing counsel Jasmeet Singh informed that all unfilled seats have been released to the deemed universities.

The only assistance that can be granted to the student is that his name can be included in the waiting list as an NRI candidate for onward transmission to deemed universities.

The court was hearing the student's petition, filed through advocate Pradeep Kumar Arya, seeking direction to the Centre to consider and admit him as an NRI candidate for the admission in MBBS in pursuance to National Eligibility cum Entrance Test (NEET) conducted for year 2017-18 in the central list for deemed universities.

The student, who completed his class 12th last year from Saudi Arabia, said his father was a resident of Madhya Pradesh and his mother is a non-resident Indian as she had spent more than 180 days in the last financial year in Saudi Arabia.

He had applied under the NEET as a resident candidate and not as an NRI and could not be considered in the NRI category.

However, the Centre had issued a notification on July 21, informing all NRI candidates who had registered under UR/ Indian category at the time of registration for undergraduate MBBS/BDS seats and were eligible to be considered under NRI quota, to send their relevant documents supporting their status by July 25, for being considered under the NRI category, the plea said.

The student did not send any of the application or documents following the notification but claimed that he had made the request prior to July 21 and even after July 25, which should have been considered.

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Flagging concerns over the proposed hike in GST on luxury cars, German auto-maker Mercedes Benz has said it was eager to increase its output and headcount from the country if the government extended a little bit of support on taxation.

"We do not understand suddenly why the need to actually review the cess all over again. We have so much to contribute. We have high ends jobs that we are able to create, willing to create..." Mercedes Benz India Managing Director and CEO Roland Folger told PTI here.

Recently, the Union Cabinet approved promulgation of an ordinance to amend the GST compensation law to pave the way for increasing cess on mid and large sized cars.

According to the proposed ordinance that seeks to amend the Goods and Services Tax (Compensation to States) Act, 2017, the maximum compensation cess can be raised to 25 per cent, from 15 per cent.

Noting that the country was offering "significant potential" for luxury car market, Folger said, "we need a little bit of support on the taxation side and we could significantly increase our output and also the manpower".

The company was waiting to see the effect of the cess. "We are waiting for the timing and also waiting for the height of the cess," he said.

Folger was here recently for the inauguration of the AMG Performance Centre, designed to offer an exclusive and customized Mercedes-AMG product experience.

He said the company was not only keen on increasing the employment opportunities at its factory (in Pune) but also at the dealership level, he said.

"We were able to bring in new technologies to India as well. We have made it very clear that we are eager to do that", he said.

Asked whether the company would invest further at its Pune facility, Folger replied in the negative, saying, "it was not necessary at the moment".

He also said the company was "extremely happy" to see its progress made so far.

"We have achieved close to 50 per cent market share with sales of our AMGs (performance vehicles). This is in line with what AMG has seen overall around the globe".

"We also see that in India... The testament to that is the expansion which came to 7 AMG centres", he said.

Mercedes Benz currently has AMG Performance Centres in New Delhi, Mumbai, Hyderabad, Bengaluru, Kochi, Pune and Chennai.

On whether the company would make AMG Performance cars in India, he said though the company produced the vehicles from Germany, it was 'possible' to make them outside Germany.

"But it still depends very much on volume. And that volume needs to raise significantly higher than what we have at the moment", he said.

Answering a query on the used car business, he said the company had been "significantly investing" in it under the Mercedes Benz Certified cars.

"We see that as an additional... Not as a source of income to our dealers, but also we see the entry into the Mercedes Benz brand (by our customers). We are very much in favour of doing this", he said.

According to the company statistics, Mercedes Benz India sold 13,231 vehicles in 2016. From January to June 2017, the company has sold 7,171 units.

The company's manufacturing facility at Chakan in Pune is spread across 100 acres set up at an investment of over Rs 1,000 crore. It has 89 dealership outlets in 41 cities.
German Chancellor Angela Merkel said on Monday that she would ask the European Union to call off membership talks with Turkey, amid escalating tensions between Berlin and Ankara.

"I don't see them ever joining and I had never believed that it would happen," she said during a televised debate with Martin Schulz, her Social Democratic rival in elections later this month.

She added that she would speak with her EU counterparts to see if "we can end these membership talks".

Merkel's tough stance came after Turkey arrested two more German citizens this past week "for political reasons", infuriating Berlin.

The arrests brought the number of German political prisoners in Turkish custody to 12, at a time when ties between the two NATO allies were already at an all-time low.

The plunge in relations began after Berlin sharply criticised Ankara over the crackdown that followed last year's failed coup attempt.

The arrest of several German nationals, including the Turkish-German journalist Deniz Yucel, the Istanbul correspondent for the Die Welt newspaper, further frayed ties.

Yucel has now spent 200 days in custody ahead of a trial on terror charges.

German journalist Mesale Tolu has been held on similar charges since May, while human rights activist Peter Steudtner was arrested in a July raid.

After Steudtner's arrest, Germany vowed stinging measures impacting tourism and investment in Turkey and a full "overhaul" of their troubled relations.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, for his part, has also sparked outrage after charging that Germany is sheltering plotters of last year's coup, as well as Kurdish militants and terrorists, and demanded their extradition.

Erdogan added to the tensions this month when he urged ethnic Turks in Germany to vote against Merkel's conservatives and their coalition partners, the Social Democrats, in September 24 elections.

The escalating tensions have split the Turkish community in Europe's top economy, the largest diaspora abroad, which is a legacy of Germany's "guest worker" programme of the 1960s and 70s.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi arrived here today to attend the BRICS Summit during which he would look forward to having "productive discussions and positive outcomes" with leaders of the grouping to support the agenda for a stronger partnership among the member countries.

During his two day visit, Modi is also expected to hold a series of bilateral meetings including with Russian President Vladimir Putin and other BRICS leaders.

He is also expected to meet leaders of countries like Egypt, invited by China as part of the outreach exercise. China has invited Egypt, Kenya, Tajikistan, Mexico and Thailand as guest countries for the Summit.

"I look forward to building upon the results and outcomes of the Goa Summit. I also look forward to productive discussions and positive outcomes that will support the agenda of a stronger BRICS partnership under the chairmanship of China," the prime minister had said ahead of his visit to this Chinese city.

Modi's visit to attend the Brazil-Russia-India-China- South Africa (BRICS) Summit comes days after India and China managed to end the 73-day long Dokalam standoff.

On BRICS, the Prime Minister said he will have the opportunity to meet leaders bilaterally on the sidelines of the BRICS Summit.

"India attaches high importance to the role of BRICS that has begun a second decade of its partnership for progress and peace. BRICS has important contributions to make in addressing global challenges and upholding world peace and security," the prime minister had said.

The prime minister said he was looking forward to engage with leaders of nine other countries, including BRICS partners, in an Emerging Markets and Developing Countries Dialogue, being hosted by Chinese President Xi Jinping on September 5.

"We will also interact with the BRICS Business Council represented by captains of industry from all five countries," he had said.

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A group of Muslim men were hurled with racial slurs by a blonde woman while walking down a road after paying their respects at a cemetery as part of Eid rituals in the UK, police has said.

The 43-year-old blonde-haired woman in a red car was filmed yelling racial abuses at the men.

In a statement, the West Yorkshire police said a group of Asian men were walking near to Dewsbury Cemetery when a vehicle pulled up alongside them and a female passenger shouted racial abuse.

The police, however, did not identify the nationality of the men.

A video of the incident shows the woman who is a passenger in a small red car, aggressively targeting the men, the Huddersfield Examiner reported.

Police investigating the incident initially appealed for witnesses for a red BMW Mini Cooper but have since confirmed the woman has been arrested on suspicion of a racially aggravated public order offence and is currently in police custody.

The men - identified by local media as Muslims - had reportedly been paying respects at the cemetery as part of Eid rituals when the incident happened on Friday.

"This was an incredibly distressing experience and our enquiries are very much underway to identify those involved. The victims were understandably left shocked and upset following this incident," said Superintendent Roger Essell, Kirklees District Police.

"We take a robust stance against any kind of racial abuse, Essell added.

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Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe today said a sixth nuclear test by Pyongyang would be "absolutely unacceptable," after a 6.3 magnitude explosion in the North indicated a new detonation.

"If it forcibly conducted a nuclear test, it's absolutely unacceptable. We have to strongly protest it," Abe said.

"There is a possibility that this is not a natural quake and that North Korea conducted a nuclear test," he said, adding that the Japanese weather agency detected a seismic wave.

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India and Nepal today began their joint military exercise in the western part of the Himalayan country, focusing on counter-terrorism and forest fighting operations.

The exercise - Surya Kiran - was being participated by around 300 troops each side in Rupandehi district.

Senior Nepal Army officer Rajendra Karki inaugurated the exercise, according to a statement by the army.

The 12th edition of Nepal-India joint military exercise will conclude on September 16.

According to the Indian Army officials, the Surya Kiran is the largest joint exercise in terms of troop participation.

The battalion-level joint training between the two armies will focus on counter-terror operations in mountainous terrain by facilitating interoperability.

Disaster management and joint operations for disaster relief will also be a part of the exercise. The 11th edition of the joint exercise was held in Pithoragarh in Uttarakhand.

The Nepal Army said the joint exercise will provide the two armies a platform to exchange experiences, ideas and skills.

"The joint military exercises will further strengthen friendly relations existing between the two countries for centuries and will promote mutual understanding between the two armies," it said.

Surya Kiran series of exercises are held alternately in India and Nepal.

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Nepal and India need to "update" their ties to reflect the people-to-people relations at the government level, Deputy Prime Minister Krishna Bahadur Mahara said today.

Mahara, who is also holds the foreign affairs portfolio, said that the "age-old ties" at the government level might be "fluctuated" but the people-to-people ties cannot swing.

Speaking at an event here, he called for strengthening the bilateral ties.

He drew attention towards the changing perspective in the bilateral ties since the end of monarchy in Nepal in 2008. "Therefore, we need to update bilateral perspectives," he said.

Mahara praised the Indian government for providing support to Nepal in various sectors including health, education, agriculture and infrastructure developmental.

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The Narendra Modi government today inducted a technology-savvy farmer Gajendra Singh Shekhawat as a new junior agriculture minister and moved Krishna Raj to this important ministry, apparently aiming at strengthening the farm sector.

Shekhawat and Raj will replace SS Ahluwalia and Sudharshan Bhagat, who have been moved as Ministers of State for Drinking Water and Sanitation and Tribal Affairs respectively in the major cabinet rejig.

Krishna Raj was earlier the minister of state for Women and Child Development, while Shekhawat, an RSS activist in Rajasthan, was a Member of the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Finance.

Parshottam Rupala, also a junior agriculture minister at present, will hold the additional charge as minister of state for Panchayati Raj.

In total, three junior ministers will be working with cabinet-rank Agriculture Minister Radha Mohan Singh to achieve the goal of doubling farm income and rolling out key farm schemes at the ground level.

Shekhawat, Raj and Rupala are from Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh and Gujarat, respectively.

Junior ministers are not only empowered on paper, but also delegated important ministerial work.

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The (NIC) is building a massive server to boost capacity vis-a-vis official e-mail usage by central and state government officers, a senior official said on Sunday.

NIC is developing an e-mail server for the whole government. Today, present e-mail server has kind of already exceeded its capacity. We are now creating a massive email server, Ajay Kumar, Additional Secretary, Union ministry of electronics and information technology, told PTI.

Slowly and slowly, people are being taken onboard onto this email server.

We do endeavour to make sure that all government officers use official one (email id).... all government officers, central and state. We will offer this facility to states also. Because, when you are using private servers, your data is going outside country, which may be of strategic importance. Therefore, official work should be done on official e-mail servers, he said. States can have their own official e-mail servers or they can use central servers, the official said.

NIC is the only agency (which has taken up job)...We have no objection if some other agency wants to do it as long as it is official. NIC is providing a service which can be availed, he said.

The government had on August 28 announced that it will launch e-mail service for its five million personnel in English and Hindi in accordance with the e-mail policy, which bars government employees from using private e-mail services due to security reasons.

As part of the mandate under the Digital India programme, government will provide a secure email service to all its officials for secure communication. As of now the service will be offered to five million users. Currently, the user base is 1.6 million, the ministry had said in a statement.
US President Donald Trump today called North Korea a "great threat and embarrassment" to China and warned that "appeasement" won't work with Pyongyang, after the reclusive nation carried out its biggest nuclear test yet.

Trump said the latest nuclear test by the North - its sixth - showed that "their words and actions continue to be very hostile and dangerous" to the United States.

He also took aim at China - North Korea's biggest trading partner - for failing to exercise its influence to contain Pyongyang's rapidly developing nuclear weapons programme.

Trump previously persuaded China to do more to control the North Korean regime, but Beijing has resisted any pressure saying the issue should be settled through negotiations.

Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping had discussed the issue in their first face-to-face meeting in Florida in April. US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson had then said Xi agreed to cooperate in reining in North Korea's nuclear programmes.

Since then, Trump has appeared less optimistic on Chinese cooperation.

"North Korea is a rogue nation which has become a great threat and embarrassment to China, which is trying to help but with little success," Trump said today in another tweet.

He indicated that he favours tougher actions against North Korea and the South's preference for talks was not going to yield results. "South Korea is finding, as I have told them, that their talk of appeasement with North Korea will not work, they only understand one thing!" Trump said.

China's Ministry of Foreign Affairs was quick to condemn the test. "The Democratic People's Republic of Korea has once again conducted a nuclear test in spite of widespread opposition from the international community. The Chinese government resolutely opposes and strongly condemns it."



North Korea claimed it has successfully tested a hydrogen bomb meant to be loaded onto an intercontinental ballistic missile. It last carried out a nuclear test in September 2016.

Pyongyang has defied UN sanctions to develop nuclear weapons and to test missiles which could potentially reach the mainland US.

Last month, North Korea threatened to launch missiles to hit the US Pacific territory of Guam after Trump said Pyongyang would face "fire and fury" if it threatened the US. Those threats have not deterred the North's nuclear weapons programme.

Last week, North Korea flew a medium-range ballistic missile over Japan, prompting the government in Tokyo to warn residents to take cover.

Trump and Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe discussed the growing threat from the North Korean actions today. A readout of their conversation, however, did not say whether the phone call - the third between the two leaders in less than a week - happened before or after the North's latest test.

White House Press Secretary Sarah Sanders said the National security team was monitoring the situation. "The president and his national security team will have a meeting to discuss further later today.

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The "artificial quake" in North Korea on Sunday, thought to be its sixth nuclear test, was 9.8 times more powerful than the tremor from Pyongyang's fifth test, the South's Yonhap news agency reported citing the state weather agency.

It was "not only 9.8 times more powerful than the nuclear test conducted in September last year, but it is the most powerful", an official at the Korea Meteorological Administration told Yonhap.

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North Korea said it set off a hydrogen bomb today in its sixth nuclear test, which judging by the earthquake it set off appeared to be its most powerful explosion yet.

South Korea's weather agency estimated the nuclear blast yield of the presumed test was between 50 and 60 kilotons, or five to six times stronger than North Korea's fifth test in September 2016. That would mark a significant step forward in the North's quest for a viable nuclear missile capable of striking anywhere in the United States.

On North Korean television, a newsreader called the test a "complete success" and said the "two-stage thermonuclear weapon" had "unprecedented" strength. Hours earlier, Pyongyang claimed its leader had inspected a hydrogen bomb meant for a new intercontinental ballistic missile.

Seoul's weather agency and the Joint Chiefs of Staff said an artificial 5.7 magnitude quake occurred at 12:29 p.M. Local time, in Kilju, northern Hamgyong province, the site where North Korea has conducted nuclear tests in the past.

Seoul officials revised their earlier estimate of 5.6 magnitude quake. The US Geological Survey called the first quake an explosion with a magnitude 6.3.

The US State Department had no immediate reaction. South Korea's presidential office said it will hold a National Security Council meeting chaired by President Moon Jae-in.

South Korea's military said it has strengthened its monitoring and readiness while mulling a variety of possible responses that could be executed in collaboration with the US.

Japan confirmed that North Korea conducted a nuclear test, Foreign Minister Taro Kono said. "It is absolutely unacceptable if North Korea did force another nuclear test, and we must protest strongly," Prime Minister Shinzo Abe said.

The USGS and China's earthquake administration detected a second tremor in North Korea minutes after the first, describing it as a cave-in or collapse. South Korea's weather agency, however, said no second quake occurred.

North Korea conducted two nuclear tests last year, the last nearly a year ago, on the September 9 anniversary of the nation's founding. It has since maintained a torrid pace in weapons tests, including its first two intercontinental ballistic missiles test in July.

Last month, North Korea fired a potentially nuclear- capable midrange missile over northern Japan.

Earlier today, photos released by the North Korean government showed Kim talking with his lieutenants as he observed a silver, peanut-shaped device that was apparently the purported thermonuclear weapon destined for an ICBM.

What appeared to be the nose cone of a missile could also be seen near the alleged bomb in one picture, which could not be independently verified and was taken without outside journalists present. Another photo showed a diagram on the wall behind Kim of a bomb mounted inside a cone.

State media said Kim visited the Nuclear Weapons Institute and inspected a "homemade" H-bomb with "super explosive power" that "is adjustable from tens (of) kiloton to hundreds (of) kiloton."



North Korea's nuclear and missile programme has made huge strides since Kim rose to power following his father's death in late 2011. The North followed its two tests of Hwasong-14 ICBMs by threatening in August to launch a salvo of its Hwasong-12 intermediate range missiles toward the US Pacific island territory of Guam.

It flew a Hwasong-12 over northern Japan last week, the first such overflight by a missile capable of carrying nukes, in a launch Kim described as a "meaningful prelude" to containing Guam, the home of major US military facilities, and more ballistic missile tests targeting the Pacific.

It may be difficult for outside experts to confirm that the nuclear device detonated today was an H-bomb. State media reported that the test left no trace of radioactive material.

The US and its allies attempt to detect blast material to gauge North Korea's progress, but Pyongyang has become better at containing it as its nuclear program has evolved.

To back up its claims to nuclear mastery, such tests are vital. The first of its two atomic tests last year involved what Pyongyang claimed was a sophisticated hydrogen bomb; the second it said was its most powerful atomic detonation ever.

It is almost impossible to independently confirm North Korean statements about its highly secret weapons programme.

North Korea is thought to have a growing arsenal of nuclear bombs and has spent decades trying to perfect a multistage, long-range missile to eventually carry smaller versions of those bombs.

The White House said President Donald Trump spoke with Prime Minister Shinzo Abe of Japan regarding "ongoing efforts to maximize pressure on North Korea."



The statement did not say whether the conversation came before or after the North's latest claim.
North Korea said it detonated a hydrogen bomb designed for a long-range missile today and called its sixth and most powerful nuclear test a "perfect success", sparking world condemnation and promises of tougher US sanctions.

Pyongyang residents threw their arms aloft in triumph as a jubilant television newsreader hailed the "unprecedentedly large" blast.

It "marked a very significant occasion in attaining the final goal of completing the state nuclear force", she added.

But world reaction was swift and angry. US President Donald Trump said on Twitter Pyongyang's "words and actions continue to be very hostile and dangerous to the United States".

The US Treasury Department will prepare a package of sanctions that would "cut off North Korea economically", said Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin.

Hours before the test the North had released images of leader Kim Jong-Un at the Nuclear Weapons Institute, inspecting what it said was a miniaturised H-bomb that could be fitted onto an intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM).

China, the North's sole remaining major ally, issued a "strong condemnation" of the test, which overshadowed the opening of the BRICS summit in Xiamen by leader Xi Jinping.

Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe described it as "absolutely unacceptable" while Russia's foreign ministry expressed "strongest condemnation" but urged calm.

In Seoul, President Moon Jae-In called for new United Nations sanctions to "completely isolate North Korea" and said the South would discuss deploying "the strongest strategic assets of the US military".

That could be taken as a reference to tactical nuclear weapons, which were withdrawn from South Korea by Washington in 1991.

The US and South Korean military chiefs spoke by telephone and agreed the test was "a provocation that cannot be overlooked", Seoul's defence ministry said in a statement.

The chairmen of the joint chiefs of staff, General Jeong Kyeong-Doo and General Joseph Dunford, "agreed to prepare a South Korea-US military counteraction and to put it into action at the earliest date."



US monitors measured a 6.3-magnitude tremor near the North's main testing site, which South Korean experts said was five to six times stronger than that from the 10-kiloton test carried out a year ago.

The tremor was felt in northeastern China, with people in the border city of Yanji saying they fled their homes in their underwear, and in the Russian Pacific city of Vladivostok. It was even detected as far away as Germany.

Whatever the final figure for the test's yield turned out to be, said Jeffrey Lewis of the armscontrolwonk website, it was "a staged thermonuclear weapon" which represents a significant advance.

Chinese monitors said they had detected a second tremor shortly afterwards of 4.6 magnitude that could be due to a "collapse (cave in)", suggesting the rock over the underground blast had given way.

Pyongyang triggered a new rise in tensions in July, when it carried out two successful tests of an ICBM which apparently brought much of the US mainland within range.

Last week it fired a missile over Japan.

Trump has warned Pyongyang that it faces "fire and fury" and that Washington's weapons are "locked and loaded".

Analysts believe Pyongyang has been developing its weapons capability to give it a stronger hand in any negotiations with the US.

"North Korea will continue with their nuclear weapons programme unless the US proposes talks," Koo Kab-Woo of Seoul's University of North Korean Studies told AFP.

Pictures of Kim at the Nuclear Weapons Institute showed the young leader, dressed in a black suit, examining a metal casing with a shape akin to a peanut shell.

The device was a "thermonuclear weapon with super explosive power made by our own efforts and technology", the Korean Central Agency cited Kim as saying, and "all components of the H-bomb were 100 percent domestically made".

Despite its power there were no radioactive leaks from the test, KCNA said in a later report.

Analysts cautioned that the image had not been verified.

"We don't know if this thing is full of styrofoam, but yes, it is shaped like it has two devices," Melissa Hanham of the Middlebury Institute for International Studies in California said on Twitter.

Pyongyang, which insists it needs nuclear weapons to defend itself, carried out its first atomic test in 2006.

Its fifth detonation, in September last year, caused a 5.3 magnitude quake and according to Seoul had a 10-kiloton yield.

The North has been subjected to seven rounds of United Nations Security Council sanctions over its nuclear and ballistic missile programmes, but always insists it will continue to pursue them.

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North Korea announced it detonated a thermonuclear device today in its sixth and most powerful nuclear test to date, a big step toward its goal of developing nuclear weapons capable of striking anywhere in the US.

The North called it a "perfect success" while its neighbours condemned the blast immediately.

Though the precise strength of the blast has yet to be determined, South Korea's weather agency said the artificial earthquake it caused was five to six times stronger than tremors generated by its previous tests. It reportedly shook buildings in China and in Russia.

The test was carried out at 12:29 pm local time at the Punggye-ri site where North Korea has also conducted past nuclear tests. Officials in Seoul put the magnitude at 5.7, while the US Geological Survey said it was a magnitude 6.3.

The strongest artificial quake from previous tests was a magnitude 5.3.

North Korea's state-run television broadcast a special bulletin Sunday afternoon to announce the test.

It said leader Kim Jong Un attended a meeting of the ruling party's presidium and signed the go-ahead order.

Earlier in the day, the party's newspaper ran a front- page story showing photos of Kim examining what it said was a nuclear warhead being fitted onto the nose of an intercontinental ballistic missile.

US President Donald Trump said Sunday on Twitter that the North's "words and actions continue to be very hostile and dangerous" to the US.

China is by far the North's biggest trading partner, but Trump on Sunday appeared to be more critical of South Korean President Moon Jae-in, who has attempted to reach out to the North.

Today's detonation builds on recent North Korean advances that include test launches in July of two ICBMs that are believed to be capable of reaching the mainland United States.

Pyongyang says its missile development is part of a defensive effort to build a viable nuclear deterrent that can target US cities.

China's foreign ministry said in a statement that the Chinese government has "expressed firm opposition and strong condemnation." It urged North Korea to "stop taking erroneous actions that deteriorate the situation."



South Korea held a National Security Council meeting chaired by President Moon Jae-in.

National Security Director Chung Eui-yong said Moon will seek every available measure, including new UN sanctions or the deployment of more US military assets, to further isolate Pyongyang.

Officials in Seoul also said US National Security Adviser HR McMaster spoke with Chung for 20 minutes in an emergency phone call about an hour after the detonation.

Japan's Prime Minister Shinzo Abe called the test "absolutely unacceptable."



The nuclear test is the North's first since US President Donald Trump assumed office in January. Trump has been talking tough with the North over its stepped-up missile tests, including a comment that Pyongyang would see fire, fury and power unlike any the world had ever witnessed if it continued even verbal threats.

The North claimed the device it tested was a thermonuclear weapon, commonly called an H-bomb. That could be hard to independently confirm. It said the underground test site did not leak radioactive materials, which would make such a determination even harder.

At the same time, the simple power of the blast was convincing. Japan's Defence Minister Itsunori Onodera said it might have been as powerful as 70 kilotons. North Korea's previous largest was thought to be anywhere from 10 to 30 kilotons.

"We cannot deny it was an H-bomb test," Onodera said. "North Korea might have successfully tested a weapon with significantly large capability."



North Korea conducted two nuclear tests last year, the last nearly a year ago, on the September 9 anniversary of the nation's founding. It has been launching missiles at a record pace this year. It conducted its most provocative launch yet last month, in response to ongoing US-South Korea military exercises, when it fired a potentially nuclear-capable midrange missile over northern Japan.

It said that launch was the "curtain-raiser" for more activity to come.

The photos released earlier today showed Kim talking with his lieutenants as he observed a silver, peanut-shaped device that the state-run media said was a thermonuclear weapon designed to be mounted on the North's "Hwasong-14" ICBM.

The North claims the device was made domestically and has explosive power that can range from tens to hundreds of kilotons.

Outside experts suggested the yield of the device tested today might be in that ballpark, though closer to the lower range. For context, the bomb dropped on Hiroshima by the United States had a 15-kiloton yield.

North Korea's nuclear and missile programme has made huge strides since Kim rose to power following his father's death in late 2011.

Its recent activity has been especially bold.

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It is an elegant tradition: the outgoing US president leaves a letter for his successor in the aged oaken desk in the Oval Office, to be read upon his arrival.

The letter left by for Donald Trump, revealed some seven months after the handover of power, revolves around one central bit of advice: beyond the bitterness and brutality of political combat and power struggles, never lose sight of the importance of democratic institutions.

Publication of the missive, just shy of 300 words, comes at a difficult and chaotic time in the Trump presidency that has seen intense criticism even from Trump's own Republican Party for his lack of clarity - and of moral leadership - after the racist violence in Charlottesville, Virginia.

"Dear Mr President," the letter begins, going on to congratulate Trump for his "remarkable run" to the White House and to offer well wishes "as you embark on this great adventure." The letter was obtained by CNN "from someone Trump showed it to," according to the channel.

"Millions have placed their hopes in you, and all of us, regardless of party, should hope for expanded prosperity and security during your tenure," it says.

Obama had pounded Trump during the presidential campaign with a rare virulence, saying the real estate mogul was, in his eyes, a danger to American democracy. "The fate of the republic is in your hands," Obama told voters in North Carolina just days before the November 8 election.

But in the aftermath of Trump's shocking victory, with Democrats still badly shaken by the surprise defeat of Hillary Clinton, Obama insisted on the importance of a peaceful and constructive transition to the billionaire populist, even receiving him in the Oval Office in a meeting that would once have seemed unimaginable.

Emphasising that the US presidency is a "unique office" with no "clear blueprint for success," Obama nonetheless offers a few carefully worded suggestions to his successor.

Insisting on the importance of "indispensable" American leadership in the world, he emphasises the need for a president to act thoughtfully and responsibly.

"It's up to us, through action and example, to sustain the order that's expanded steadily since the end of the Cold War, and upon which our own wealth and safety depend," Obama says.

He also exhorted Trump not to let the vicissitudes of daily overshadow the long march of American democratic values.

"We are just temporary occupants of this office," he writes. "That makes us guardians of those democratic institutions and traditions -- like rule of law, separation of powers, equal protection and civil liberties -- that our forebears fought and bled for.

"Regardless of the push and pull of daily politics, it's up to us to leave those instruments of our democracy at least as strong as we found them."



The final bit of advice extended by the 44th US president to the 45th took a more personal tone: "Take time, in the rush of events and responsibilities, for friends and family. They'll get you through the inevitable rough patches."



Saying that he and his wife Michelle "stand ready to help in any ways which we can," Obama closes with a wish of "good luck and Godspeed," signing the letter, "BO."



Trump said publicly that he was touched by the letter, though he has not seen Obama since the handover of power.

Of all the letters from outgoing to incoming presidents, the one left on January 20, 1993, by Republican George HW Bush to Democrat Bill Clinton stands out for its dignity and class.

Bush wrote to his successor - the man who had deprived him of a second term in office - that "your success now is our country's success."



Evoking the "sense of wonder and respect" for the office that he felt when he became president in 1989, Bush said, "There will be very tough times," but then added: "Just don't let the critics discourage you or push you off course."



Bush concluded: "I am rooting hard for you. Good luck."

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Pakistani troops today violated ceasefire by shelling and firing on forward posts across the Line of Control (LoC) in Jammu and Kashmir's Poonch district, forcing the Army to retaliate, an official said.

"The Pakistan Army initiated unprovoked and indiscriminate firing of small arms, automatics and mortars from 0850 hours to 1000 hours in the Krishna Ghati sector in Poonch along the LoC," a Defence spokesman said.

The Army retaliated strongly and effectively to the provocation, he said.

This is second ceasefire violation by the Pakistan Army this month.

On September 1, Assistant Sub Inspector (ASI) Kamaljit Singh of the Border Security Force (BSF) sustained bullet injuries due to enemy fire from across the LoC at a forward post in Krishna Ghati Sector, an officer said.

He was provided first aid and evacuated from the post but unfortunately succumbed to the injuries, he said.

Before that, on August 30, Pakistani troops resorted to unprovoked firing and shelling in the Nowshera sector, targeting forward posts and civilian areas.

On August 27, five civilians, including a woman and two minor boys, were injured in ceasefire violation by Pakistani troops in the Shahpur belt of Poonch district.

A day before, on August 26, BSF troops had retaliated against violations and killed three Pak rangers. On August 25, a BSF Jawan was injured in sniper fire by Pak rangers along the international border in Jammu.

On August 23, senior Army commanders of India and Pakistan held a flag meeting on the LoC in Poonch sector and agreed to institute mechanisms for durable peace and tranquillity.

The two sides agreed to keep the channels of communication open between local commanders at the LoC, a spokesman had said.

The year 2017 has seen a sharp increase in ceasefire violations by Pakistani forces.

Till August 1, there were 285 such violations by the Pakistan Army while in 2016, the number was significantly less at 228 for the entire year, according to the Army figures.

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Pakistani troops today violated ceasefire twice by firing on forward posts across the Line of Control (LoC) in Jammu and Kashmir's Poonch and Kupwara districts forcing the Army to retaliate, officials said today.

"The Pakistan Army initiated unprovoked and indiscriminate firing of small arms, automatics and mortars from 0850 hours to 1000 hours in the Krishna Ghati sector in Poonch along the LoC," a Defence spokesman said.

The Army retaliated strongly and effectively to the provocation, he said.

In north Kashmir's Kupwara district, the Pakistani forces began firing upon Indian posts at midnight and the violation continued till today morning, an official said.

"The Pakistani troops resorted to unprovoked firing on Indian posts along the LoC in Karnah sector in Kupwara," an Army official said.

The firing was effectively retaliated by the troops, he added.

Earlier, on September 1, Assistant Sub Inspector (ASI) Kamaljit Singh of the Border Security Force (BSF) sustained bullet injuries due to enemy fire from across the LoC at a forward post in Krishna Ghati Sector, an officer said.

He was provided first aid and evacuated from the post but unfortunately succumbed to the injuries, he said.

Before that, on August 30, Pakistani troops resorted to firing and shelling in the Nowshera sector, targeting forward posts and civilian areas.

On August 27, five civilians, including a woman and two minor boys, were injured in a ceasefire violation by Pakistani troops in the Shahpur belt of Poonch district.

A day before, on August 26, BSF troops had retaliated against violations and killed three Pak rangers. On August 25, a BSF Jawan was injured in sniper fire by Pak rangers along the international border in Jammu.

On August 23, senior Army commanders of India and Pakistan held a flag meeting on the LoC in Poonch sector and agreed to institute mechanisms for durable peace and tranquillity.

The two sides agreed to keep channels of communication open between local commanders at the LoC, a spokesman had said.

The year 2017 has seen a sharp increase in ceasefire violations by Pakistani forces.

Till August 1, there were 285 such violations by the Pakistan Army, while in 2016 the number was significantly less at 228 for the entire year, according to the Army figures.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
A plea has been moved in the Delhi High Court seeking stay on the order of the Delhi Subordinate Services Selection Board (DSSSB) withdrawing a notice on appointment of 8,914 school teachers.

The petition said that the DSSSB order was illegal and contemptuous in nature.

It submitted that in a 2001 order, the court had directed the DSSSB to ensure zero vacancy of teachers in Delhi government schools on the commencement of each academic year.

The petition will be taken up for hearing by the court tomorrow, according the court's cause list.

"Unfortunately, the directions have never been complied with resulting in accumulation of vacancies of teaching posts since 2011. No attempt has been made by the DSSSB for last several years to fill up the posts and provide regular teachers," an NGO Social Jurist said in its petition.

The plea, filed through advocate Ashok Agarwal, said that after a high court order of April 11, 2017, the DSSSB issued vacancy notice on August 7, 2017 inviting applications from candidates for 8,914 teaching posts in the Directorate of Education of the Delhi government and for 5,906 teaching posts in the three municipal corporation schools here.

It alleged that the DSSSB, without informing or seeking permission from the court, had on August 24, 2017 "abruptly withdrawn the advertisement in regard to the vacancies of teaching posts.

"The respondents have been deliberately and for some political motives delaying recruitment of regular teachers to the detriment of the interest of as many as 23 lakh students studying in schools run by the Government of Delhi and three municipal corporations," the plea said.

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With the number of residential project launches falling on the back of the implementation of the Real Estate Regulatory Authority (RERA) from May 1, brokers are planning to focus on rental market to get more business, a recent survey said.

According to a survey conducted by online property platform Commonfloor across six metros including Bengaluru, Hyderabad, Kolkata, Pune, NCR and the Mumbai metropolitan region, nearly 47 per cent of the respondents plan to focus on the rental market to get more business.

"RERA is going to have a positive impact on the property market and will grow exponentially upon the exit of unscrupulous builders and brokerage firms. However, due to the slowdown in new project launches, brokers want to focus on the rental market," the survey said.

Further, the brokers are also now planning to shift their business focus from new project launches to closure of deals of resale properties.

"With stringent rules being implemented under RERA, 42 per cent brokers are now planning to shift their business focus from new project launches to closure of deals of resale properties," it said.

However, 39 per cent of the respondents hold a strong opinion of not changing their business focus and will continue dealing with new project launches, the report noted.

In India, the broker sector plays an important role in real estate transactions and is estimated to be a Rs 25,600 crore industry, with around 5-9 lakh brokers, it said.

According to the survey, nearly 84 per cent of the brokers opined that implementation of RERA will have increased benefits to the home buyers.

"RERA brings in clarity and fair practices that would protect the interests of buyers and also impose penalties on errant builders, hence making the real estate sector organised, transparent and consumer centric," it said.

As per the survey, nearly 73 per cent of the participants who took part in the survey, consider that the successful implementation of RERA will result in timely delivery of the projects.
President Ram Nath Kovind today began his two-day Gujarat tour by visiting Mahatma Gandhi's Sabarmati Ashram here.

Kovind, who is visiting Gujarat for the first time after becoming the president, was greeted by Gujarat Chief Minister Vijay Rupani, Governor O P Kohli and other dignitaries at the city airport this afternoon.

From the airport, the president went straight to the Sabarmati Ashram, where Mahatma Gandhi lived between 1917 and 1930.

Kovind offered his floral tributes at Gandhiji's statue inside the Ashram, which is managed by the Sabarmati Ashram Preservation and Memorial Trust.

Chairperson of the trust, Elabehn Bhatt, along with trustees Kartikeya Sarabhai and Amrut Modi accompanied Kovind during his brief tour of the Ashram, which is celebrating 100-years of its establishment.

During his visit, Kovind planted a tree on the premises of the Ashram. He also held talks with the trustees about the ongoing work of preserving the Gandhian-era documents and letters.

The president also visited 'Hriday Kunj', a house inside the Ashram where Gandhiji and his wife Kasturba once lived.

Before leaving, Kovind also wrote a message in the visitors' book outside Hriday Kunj.

"It is a matter of great honour and privilege for me to be on the sacred precincts of the Sabarmati Ashram, epitomising the globally cherished Gandhian values of truth and non-violence, which continue to be as relevant today as they were in the past," Kovind wrote.

"I join the nation in paying tribute to Mahatma Gandhi, whose teachings and ideals are an eternal source of inspiration and strength not only for India but also for the entire world," the message further read.

"On the occasion of the year-long Sabarmati Ashram Centenary Celebrations, let me reaffirm our resolve to follow the path of Gandhiji for peace and harmony amongst the nations and the entire mankind... Jai Hind!," Kovind wrote.

From the Ashram, Kovind left for Mehsana town, where he is scheduled to attend a programme at Simandhar Swami Jain Temple on the occasion of Guru Ashish Mahaparv.

Tomorrow, Kovind will visit Jasdan town of Rajkot, where he will address a gathering near the town after taking part in the foundation stone laying ceremony for the link-4 of the ambitious SAUNI (Saurashtra-Narmada Avataran Irrigation Yojana) project.

He will also visit Ghela Somnath temple near Jasdan town, which is around 60 kilometers from Rajkot city.

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Seemingly not too happy with the show of PSUs like SAIL and RINL, Steel Minister Birender Singh has a policy prescription -- put to good use the huge Rs 60,000 crore investment made by them and beat private peers.

Acknowledging that things are not as bad for the steel sector as it used to be some two-three years ago, Singh strongly felt that PSUs should develop appetite for special steel as value addition remains the mantra for success.

"Things are not that bad which it used to be two to three years back. I think in the last two years the private sector is improving more rapidly than the PSUs.

"PSUs ... When they have advantages like captive mines... why don't they utilise it...Why not to put up washeries...Why not to go for value addition..Special grades of steel," Singh told PTI in an interview.

"Rs 60,000 crore has been spent on expansion and modernisation of our PSUs ...Their capacities have ramped up but the need today is to produce special steel also," he said.

Despite India being the world's third largest producer of steel, it still is dependent on imports for some products and "there is dire need to develop technologies to produce electrical grade and auto grade steel in India to become self-sufficient. Instead of producing just semi-finished and basic steel products, we must produce high value added products, which also get better prices," he asserted.

Barely a few months back, Singh had minced no words in cautioning PSUs, including domestic giant SAIL, to "perform or perish", saying complacency cannot be tolerated at a time when private players are excelling on various parameters.

Chairing a meeting of chiefs of top steel PSUs, the minister had pulled up public sector firms like SAIL and RINL for lagging behind not only on international benchmarks, but also their private counterparts and being complacent in ramping up capacities.

"In production and productivity parameters, PSUs are far behind their counterparts in private sector. In terms of international benchmarks, performance of Indian steel companies is very poor," Singh had told PSU top brass and indicted SAIL for missing deadlines for modernisation.

He said one area which his ministry has prioritised for rollout of National Steel Policy is raw material security.

"I have directed the ministry officials to take two actions on priority basis. These are setting up of coal washeries and optimising pellet utilisation. These will help reduce dependence on imports by maximising usage of domestic raw materials," he said.

The minister said Coal India and Bharat Coking Coal have agreed to set up 12 new coking coal washeries by 2019-20.

He added that many players have shown interest in starting operations at a mine in Mozambique owned by ICVL, a JV of five PSUs including SAIL.

"We have already issued advertisement for expression of interest for Mozambique and some of the players have already approached us...Of the six-seven players, we have shortlisted two- three...We have three options there ... Only mining, mining plus transportation and the third is mining, transportation and putting up a thermal plant for power generation.

"Most of those who are in touch with us preferred mining only," he said, adding a final call will be taken soon.

International Coal Ventures Ltd (ICVL) was formed for the acquisition of stakes in coal mines, blocks or companies overseas for securing coking and thermal coal supplies. Metallurgical or coking coal is a vital ingredient in the steel-making process.

ICVL had suspended work in Mozambique mine in December 2015 on viability grounds following a crash in coking coal prices.

Asked about any plans for PSUs acquiring stressed assets of companies in the sector recommended for insolvency, Singh said, "As far as stressed assets are concerned, only a few companies are from the steel sector... One of the PSUs made request (for acquiring) to the Finance Ministry in this regard."



The Reserve Bank has referred a number of defaulters for insolvency proceedings that include steel firms like Essar Steel, Bhushan Steel and Electrosteel.

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Russian President Vladimir Putin said today that Pyongyang's claim it had successfully tested a hydrogen bomb was a threat to regional peace and issued an appeal for calm.

North Korea's sixth and most powerful nuclear test "torpedoes the global non-proliferation regime, violates UN Security Council resolutions and international law, and creates a threat for regional peace and stability," Putin said in a phone call with Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, according to the Kremlin.

Putin said the crisis on the Korean peninsula problems "should be resolved only by political and diplomatic means," a Kremlin statement said.

The international community "should not yield to emotions, (but) act in a calm and balanced manner", he added.

Earlier, the Russian foreign ministry said Pyongyang's "disregard" of UN Security Council resolutions and international law deserved "the strongest condemnation".

The ministry said it regretted that the leadership of North Korea was "creating a serious threat" for the region and warned that "the continuation of such a line is fraught with serious consequences" for Pyongyang.

"We call on all interested parties to immediately return to dialogue and negotiations as the only possible way for an overall settlement of the problems of the Korean peninsula," it said.

The ministry said Moscow remained committed to a joint Russian-Chinese proposal that would see Pyongyang halt weapons tests in return for the United States suspending military exercises in the region.

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Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh and Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath will flag off the maiden run of the Lucknow Metro here on September 5.

The first train will be flagged off by the home minister, who represents the Lucknow Lok Sabha seat, and the chief minister from the Transport Nagar metro station.

The public services will, however, start the next day.

The 8.5-km-long 'Priority Corridor' from Transport Nagar to Charbagh, which is part of the Phase 1 of the project, will be operational for the public from 6 am to 10 pm everyday.

Former chief minister Akhilesh Yadav and his father Mulayam Singh Yadav had flagged off the trial run on the same stretch in December last year, just ahead of the assembly elections, to showcase it as a signature project of the erstwhile Samajwadi Party government.

However, the Union home minister's presence at the event is a strong signal from the BJP that it was the Narendra Modi government at the Centre which contributed the bulk of the funds to the project.

The BJP had attacked the Akhilesh government during the assembly election campaign, asking why metro trains were not running in Lucknow.

As the matter got embroiled in politics, Akhilesh had shot back saying it was due to the delay in obtaining clearance from the commissioner, Metro Railway Safety, and had blamed the Centre for it.

The clearance finally came through recently, paving the way for commercial operations to begin.

The Centre had recently cleared a new Metro Rail Policy too, mandating private investment in such projects, in order to speed up future metro projects. BSP leader Mayawati had criticised the policy.

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JSW Steel's Rs 26,800-crore capex plan is on track and the company plans to spend Rs 8,000 crore this year, Joint Managing Director Seshagiri Rao said.

"Our mission is to become a 40 million tonne (mt) steel company... Taken together, we have a capex plan of Rs 26,800 crore to be spent over three years. So this year, we will be spending Rs 8,000 crore. All these plans will be completed by March 31, 2020," Rao, also the group's Chief Financial Officer (CFO), told PTI.

The company has already announced expansion of its capacity to 25 mt from 18 mt, and in the long run to 40 mt.

"Similarly, we are investing in our downstream units to expand our downstream capacity. Because today about 35 per cent of our total steel produced is value added. So, we want to grow beyond 35 per cent," he said.

At the same time, Rao said, the company has been exploring opportunities globally as its strategic objective is to become "a very efficient" global firm.

The Sajjan Jindal-owned is also said to be in talks with Algeria's Cevital group to acquire its Aferpi steel mill in Italy for $100 million.

Asked about talks for Italian mill acquisition, Rao has said, "We will continue to evaluate (various proposals of acquisition) and if the opportunity is right, then we will take a call."

The company in the past had done some acquisitions and is not averse to good proposals, he added.

The private steel maker had earlier tried to acquire the mill in 2014, when it was known as Lucchini. The Algerian conglomerate Cevital, however, acquired Lucchini and renamed it Acciaierie e Ferriere di Piombino (Aferpi).

Aferpi's activity involves production of a wide range of quality and special steels, with different shapes and sizes for rails, wire rod and bars for railway, automotive, earth-moving vehicles, energy, fastening, springs and welding.

JSW Steel, the flagship company of the JSW group, is India's leading primary and integrated steel producer and has production capacity of 18 mtpa with plants across six locations in South and West India, namely Karnataka, Tamil Nadu and Maharashtra.
Backing the Narendra Modi government on demonetisation, the RSS today contended that it will benefit the country in the long run while also lauding the Centre's handling of the Dokalam standoff saying the withdrawal of Chinese forces has enhanced India's "prestige".

RSS 'Prachar Pramukh' Manmohan Vaidya said China had never displayed such a gesture in the past.

"The prestige of India and its armed forces has gone up internationally after the withdrawal of the armed forces of China from Dokalam," Vaidya claimed after a three-day meeting of the RSS coordination committee here.

He said China has indulged in such "misdeeds" in the past, but this was the "first time" that India presented its position so "decisively".

India asserted itself and as a result China had to step back from its position, Vaidya said.

On August 28, both India and China decided on "expeditious disengagement" of border personnel at Dokalam, ending a 73-day stand-off.

Vaidya said that it was also discussed about how to strengthen the position of India as the world was changing fast and happenings in Asia were at the centrestage.

Issues related to economic policy were discussed at length and Sangh affiliates also shared their views in the three-day meeting that ended today, he said.

"Earlier, the country was in a shock but now people are realising that the demonetisation decision will benefit the country in the long run," Vaidya said.

In the past, even some Sangh affiliates had criticised the government on the issue of banning high denomination notes of Rs 500 and Rs 1,000.

This was the first time that a top RSS functionary categorically supported demonetisation.

Vaidya said that in the meeting here, there were discussions on promoting domestic small scale industry and creation of employment in the country.

To a question on import of cheap Chinese goods, he said the RSS supports the Swadeshi Jagran Manch (SJM) in its movement to boycott foreign products.

The meeting was called for better coordination among all RSS affiliates. Vaidya said that there was no discussion about 2019 Lok Sabha polls or the functioning of the government.

Representatives of various all India organisations of the RSS appreciated the work of 'Seema Suraksha Jagran Manch' in the border areas, he said and added that the stress was on solving problems related to education, employment and other local issues.

The RSS bodies advocated promoting small, medium and agriculture based industries to overcome unemployment, he stated.

He said the coordination meeting also discussed casteism and to overcome the evil, encouraging people to follow the ideology of the Sangh.

Besides RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat, BJP president Amit Shah and Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath also attended the meeting.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Lauding the Modi government's handling of the Doklam standoff, senior Rashtriya Swayamsewak Sangh (RSS) leader Manmohan Vaidya claimed today that the "prestige" of the country in the global arena had got enhanced after the withdrawal of Chinese forces.

Vaidya, the 'Akhil Bhartiya Prachar Pramukh' of the saffron body, was here for a three-day meeting of the RSS coordination committee in Vrindavan.

"The prestige of India and its armed forces has gone up internationally after the withdrawal of the armed forces of China from Doklam," Vaidya claimed.

China had never displayed such a gesture in the past, he said.

On demonetisation , Vaidya said that gradually people have started understanding its value. The fruitful result of demonetisation would be seen shortly, he added.

He also said that the country can overcome a slowdown as the family system is very strong.

Speaking about the coordination committee meeting, Vaidya said that there was no discussion about 2019 Lok Sabha polls or the functioning of the government.

Representatives of various all India organisations of the RSS appreciated the work of 'Seema Suraksha Jagran Manch' in the border areas, he said and added that the stress was on solving problems related to education, employment and other local issues.

Representatives of various RSS bodies advocated promoting small, medium and agriculture based industries to overcome unemployment, he stated.

He said the coordination meeting also discussed casteism and to overcome the evil, encouraging people to follow the ideology of the Sangh.

It is not necessary to be a member of RSS to inculcate within the ideology of the RSS, he said.

Vaidya said that it was also discussed about how to strengthen the position of India as the world was changing fast and happenings in Asia were at the centrestage.

The value of 'spirituality', importance of good values and 'Swadeshi' were also discussed in detail, Vaidya said.

Besides RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat, BJP president Amit Shah and Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath also attended the meeting.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Russia has shut down its Consulate in San Francisco and closed its two annexes in New York and Washington DC, the US confirmed today after its officials conducted an inspection of the three buildings.

The move comes days after the Trump administration asked Russia to close down its three diplomatic complexes, which was mainly in retaliation for Moscow's decision last month to reduce the number of American diplomatic personnel by several hundreds.

"The Department of State can confirm that the Russian government complied with the order to vacate its Consulate and two annexes. Russia will no longer be permitted to use these facilities for diplomatic or consular purposes," a senior State Department official said.

According to the senior State Department official, Russian Embassy personnel, together with the State Department officials, walked through three properties in San Francisco, New York and Washington, DC that the Russian government is required to close.

"These inspections were carried out to secure and protect the facilities and to confirm the Russian government had vacated the premises. The United States is fully adhering to the Vienna Convention, US law, and bilateral agreements in these actions as well as in its demands for Russia to draw down those diplomatic properties," the official said.

They have made separate arrangements to end existing residential uses that will allow families sufficient time to pack out and move.

"Entry or access to the properties will be granted only with permission of the Department of State, which will secure and maintain the facilities in keeping with its responsibilities. No Russian diplomats are being expelled from the US in connection with these closures," the official said.

"Accusations made by the Russian government, including that US officials threatened to break down doors in the relevant properties or that the FBI is clearing the premises, are untrue," the official added.

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South Africa's Deputy President Cyril Ramaphosa who is vying to replace President Jacob Zuma has admitted to an extramarital affair but lambasted as "political smear" its revelation in newspapers, media reported today.

Details of his alleged affairs with as many as eight women were splashed on Sunday newspapers, after the business man turned politician failed to gag media from publishing the story in a late night urgent court application.

He denied cheating with eight women but admitted to having one affair.

"I had a relationship with only one person and it ended. I dealt with it with my wife. We now have a professional relationship," Ramaphosa told Sunday Times.

The 64-year-old Ramaphosa and Zuma's ex-wife Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma have come out as front runners to replace Zuma when he steps down as ANC president in December.

The leader of the ANC becomes an automatic candidate for president of the country.

Ramaphosa said the report which is based on leaked email correspondence between himself and the women was a "smear campaign" ahead of the crucial elective conference.

"I have to be prevented at all costs from ascending to the position of president of the ANC. Some have even said it will over their dead bodies," Ramaphosa told Sunday Times.

"I have not committed any crimes, I have not stolen any money, I have not looted state resources. But I am being targeted and smeared," he said.

He stated that the relationship with the woman who was his medical doctor ended eight years ago.

Pictures of several women purported to be some of his girlfriends had been circulating on social media since Saturday, with the public rebuking his conduct.

But the leader received unlikely support from Julius Malema, the radical leader of Economic Freedom Fighters who was expelled from the ANC in 2012



Malema tweeted: "Ramaphosa, his wife & supporters will have to be extremely strong especially as they move close to the conference, dirty truck on steroids.

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Actor Paresh Rawal says Salman Khan has his own charm and style of acting and feels the superstar has become more calm today.

The veteran actor, who has collaborated with Salman for films like Ready", "Baghban", "Har Dil Jo Pyaar Karega", "Dhulan Hum Le Jayenge", and "Andaz Apna Apna", will be next seen with him in Ali Abbas Zafar's "Tiger Zinda Hai".

"Every actor has his own charm including Salman, everyone is good in their own way. I have worked with him in couple of films. He is easy to work with, understands things and is always helpful. Today I think he has become more calm," Rawal told PTI on Salman's acting style.

The Yash Raj Film's "Tiger" franchise centers around a fictional character of an Indian spy (RAW), code named Tiger (Salman), who falls in love with a Pakistani spy (ISI), played by Katrina Kaif.

Of their all films together, the 1994 cult "Andaz Apna Apna" stands out. In the film, Rawal essayed the double role of Teja and Ram Gopal Bajaj.

While there is a buzz of the sequel being planned, Rawal says he hasn't been approached for such a project yet.

"No one has come to me yet for the sequel. It's a good film, the premise is good... It was ahead of its time. Director Rajkumar Santoshi did a fantastic job. The sequel should be made provided the story is good," he says.

Recalling the shooting experience for the comic caper, he says there were financial and date issues while filming, but the overall experience was great.

"During the climax shoot there was problem as half shoot was done here (in one place), half there (in another place). There were date issues so we had to shoot it differently. And people were not paid on time. That time the working style, work ethics were different including finance.

"We all had great fun doing the film and had never imagined the film will turn out to be a cult. Even during 'Hera Pheri' we had not thought we are making a great film our job was to do the film and move on."



The 67-year-old actor reveals that work on the third part of hit "Hera Pheri" series had begun, but is currently stalled after director Neeraj Vora fell ill.

His other super-hit film "Oh My God", released in 2012, will see a sequel and work on the script was on.

"We are planning a sequel... The work is going on the script. It will all depend on the script whether Akshay Kumar and I will team for it or not," he says.

Currently, Rawal is busy promoting his upcoming film "Patel Ki Punjabi Shaadi" also starring Rishi Kapoor, Vir Das, Payal Ghosh and Prem Chopra.

It is slated to release on September 15.

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A Mumbai Police commissioner who quit the post to join politics, Satyapal Singh seems to have found his true calling after taking the electoral plunge to become an MP and now a part of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's cabinet.

61-year-old Satyapal Singh wanted to become a scientist before he joined the IPS in 1980 and got Maharashtra cadre.

But in his own words, his "inner voice" told him it was time to change his profession. He quit the job of a police officer, became an MP and now as a Union minister he aims to "work for the entire country with renewed energy."



Singh's first posting was as assistant superintendent of police of Nasik. He then went on to become the superintendent of police of Buldhana.

Prior to being appointed the Mumbai Police chief, Singh was Maharashtra's additional director general of police. He has also served as the Joint Commissioner of Police (Crime) in Mumbai.

He has also been on deputation to the CBI and received a special service medal for extraordinary work in Naxalite areas of Andhra Pradesh and Madhya Pradesh. He received the President's Police Medal for distinguished service in 2004, the President's Police Medal for meritorious service in 1996 and the DG's Insignia in the same year.

During his tenure in Mumbai, he is credited with breaking the backbone of organised crime syndicates that terrorised Mumbai in the 1990s, including the Chhota Rajan, Chhota Shakeel and Arun Gawli gangs.

During the same time in the late '90s, when gangsters were active in Mumbai and the mafia in Mumbai went berserk with several high-profile killings, Singh formed special police squads and cracked down on several underworld figures.

That tenure saw several encounter killings in Mumbai with specialists such as Daya Nayak, Pradeep Sharma and Vijay Salaskar given the licence to take on the underworld. It was during this stint that the 25 August 2003 Mumbai bombings at Gateway of India and Zaveri Bazaar took place.

As Police Commissioner of Nagpur, he began an outreach programme called 'Mission Mrityunjay'. This was an anti-terror initiative that aimed to enlist college students in the fight against terrorism whereby students recommended by college authorities assisted the police in intelligence gathering and reported suspicious and anti-social activities on campus and in the city.

Identical programmes were launched in Pune as well as Mumbai during his tenure as the police chief of respective cities.

As Nagpur police chief, Singh had also busted the 'matka' gangs there, unearthing a local politician's links to the high-profile racket.

His tenure as Pune Police Commissioner was witness to the 2010 Pune bombing which occurred at the German Bakery that killed 17 people and injured at least 60 more.

In June 2011, weeks after being appointed chairman of a special investigation team constituted by the Gujarat High Court to probe the Ishrat Jahan fake encounter case, Singh was replaced after requesting the court to relieve him after he cited differences of opinion between two other SIT members.

On 23 August 2012, Singh was appointed as the Police Commissioner of Mumbai after his predecessor Arup Patnaik faced flak and was eventually shunted out for his handling of the Azad Maidan riots that occurred on August 11 in the city. Several policemen were injured in that melee.

On 31 January, 2014 Singh tendered his resignation and applied for the voluntary retirement scheme (VRS) and sought to be relieved as soon as possible from his post so he could contest the Lok Sabha elections.

He was then quoted as saying, "My inner voice is telling me that it's time to change profession. As a police officer, I have worked for the people of Mumbai and Maharashtra for many years, but now it's time to work for the entire country with a renewed energy."



Born in Basauli village in Meerut district on November 29, 1955, he is a BJP MP from Baghpat in western UP.

He was pitted against Rashtriya Lok Dal supremo Ajit Singh from Baghpat where he won with a thumping margin of 2,09,866 votes, defeating Samajwadi Party's Ghulam Mohammed and pushing Ajit Singh to the third spot with only 1,99,516 votes.

In Parliament, Singh has been vocal about farmers' issues, advocating the need to involve the farming community actively in drafting of the Union Budget. He has also been raising the problems faced by sugarcane farmers in western UP who are debt-ridden in the face of non repayment of their heightening dues by sugar mills. He has actively been campaigning for Government regulation of sugar prices.

Singh is also a vocal proponent of holistic health, yoga and vegetarianism.

He has a keen interest in vedic studies and regularly delivers lectures on spirituality, religious extremism and corruption.

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As Sebi looks to detoxify the 'high-turnover, high-risk derivatives trading', brokers have petitioned the regulator that the NSE data showing 15-times higher volumes than cash market is "grossly overstated" and this segment is rather burdened with high taxes.

The capital market regulator is currently in the process of overhauling its rules for derivatives trading amid concerns over the suitability of these 'complex and risky' products for individual investors.

Sebi had initiated a public consultation in July for framing the new rules, while noted that the trading turnover in these products has seen a sharp surge of over ten-fold over the past decade and the ratio of trades in equity derivatives to that of equity cash market has risen to over 15-times.

Replying to the consultation call, the Association of National Exchanges Members of India (ANMI), a pan-India body of trading members across leading exchanges including NSE and BSE, has submitted that "the NSE publishes options data by stating 'notional' turnover (as opposed to premium turnover), thus grossly overstating the total quantum of business in the futures and options segment".

It has said that the turnover in equity derivatives is 15.59 times of that in cash market, whereas this ratio after taking only premium is only 2.53 times, which "clearly falls within the global exchange norms".

In its discussion paper inviting comments from all stakeholders, Sebi had said, "The ratio of turnover in derivatives to turnover in cash market is around 15 times. To what extent the drivers of this ratio in India are comparable with other ."



Derivative in financial typically refers to a forward, future, option or any other hybrid contract of pre- determined fixed duration, linked for the purpose of contract fulfilment to the value of a specified real or financial asset or to an index of securities.

Broadly, there are two types of derivative contracts -- futures and options. A futures contract means a legally binding agreement to buy or sell the underlying security on a future date, while options contract gives the buyer or holder of the contract the right (but not the obligation) to buy or sell the underlying asset at a predetermined price within or at end of a specified period.

In fiscal 2016-17, the total turnover in equity cash market stood at about Rs 60.5 lakh crore, whereas the same for equity derivatives was a staggering Rs 944 lakh crore.

While the cash market has grown at an annual compounded growth rate of 11 per cent since 2004-05, the same for equity derivatives is over 35 per cent.

ANMI, however, said a vanilla reading of derivatives on notional basis to cash segment volume ratio is a highly imperfect measure of assessment of the derivatives market in India vs the world.

According to Sebi, while large number of individual investors are active in derivatives segment, it has been observed that these investors may or may not have adequate financial capability to withstand risks posed by complex derivative instruments.

Sebi is also seeking to address, with the new norms, any inefficiencies present in the market and any regulatory arbitrage that needs to be plugged.

The ANMI, on the other hand, said the average Indian investor and trader has a superior knowledge of the derivatives space than his foreign counterpart.

It also said that globally OTC contracts are permitted in the derivatives market, and consequently, much of the derivatives trade takes place bilaterally outside the exchange platform and escapes capture, thus suppressing derivatives volumes.

In India, OTC (over the counter) derivative contracts are not permitted to be traded outside the exchange platform.

As per ANMI's submission to Sebi, cash/derivatives arbitrage trading in India is a zero risk, low-medium return trading strategy and many arbitrage funds are also operating on this strategy in the mutual fund space.

"It affords a debt like return to the investor. Cash- futures arbitrage provides a stable income stream to a risk averse investor. How does this work? One has to buy cash-sell futures and keep rolling over the futures from month to month so as long as there is positive cost of carry.

"Thus, in a year, a simple cash/future arbitrage involves one cash market trade and 24 futures trades (12 months -- sell/buy for each month). Simply read as a turnover ratio, it means 24:1. Does that mean there is excess interest in derivatives market? Certainly not!," it said.

Opposing any restrictions, the ANMI said "uninformed or naive" traders need to be properly educated before undertaking derivatives trading, but this cannot be achieved by putting physical barriers to trade, as they will be pushed towards Dabba or illegal trading.

The association also refuted the notion that derivative market is subject to lower taxes and said these trades are actually subject to double tax.

"Derivatives are important and that is why the government is encouraging international exchanges which are meant for derivatives only on which there is no STT, stamp duty etc. Already around 40-50 per cent volume and open Interest of Nifty has shifted to Singapore," it said.

ANMI pitched for NRIs being allowed to participate on non-repatriation basis with normal retail participants.
The sex workers of Sonagachi in the city, Asia's largest red light area, would don the chef's cap this Durga Puja at the various food pavilions run by the West Bengal fisheries department.

Durbar Mahila Samanwaya Committee (DMSC), an NGO which works for the development and uplift of the sex workers of the state, is in talks with the State Fisheries Development Corporation (SFDC) on the project in which sex workers will be trained by the fisheries department.

DMSC has more than 1,30,000 registered sex workers in its fold.

"During Pujas we run about eight food pavilions in various parts of Kolkata and two in Bangalore. Most of our cooks have been sent to Bangalore. As we need cooks we approached Durbar and they agreed.

We will be training the manpower both in cooking and in fish processing - right from handling a live fish to packaging a finished product. They will cook for our food pavilions during Pujas," Soumyajit Das, SFDC managing director told PTI.

Samarjit Jana, an official of Durbar, told PTI that the training of the sex workers will begin from Monday.

"The fisheries department had asked us for few women who could help in their kitchens and their fish processing units. We sought the opinion of the sex workers and many of them and their children expressed their desire to work as cooks," he said.

The move was specially welcomed by those who wish to quit the world's oldest profession and their children who want to get rid of the stigma associated with it.

In the first batch a total 30 sex workers will be sent for the training conducted by SFDC, which will organise a workshop for them. They would be trained in cooking various dishes for its food pavilions and cut and process raw fish which are sent to various departmental stores across the state.

"As we need people in our processing units where we regularly have to cater to huge orders from various food chains, online grocery shops and super markets, their (sex workers') employment will not be limited to the pujas," Das said.

On remuneration, he said it will depend on the amount of fish that they will process, scale, cut fillets out of whole fish or dry every day.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Data on deaths of children compiled by the Uttar Pradesh government show a sharp drop in casualty figures in the BRD Medical College in Gorakhpur this year compared to those in the last three years.

According to the data compiled by the UP health department, made available to PTI, 1,317 children had died in the state-run facility so far this year.

The number of deaths stood at 5,850 in 2014, 6,917 in 2015 and 6,121 in 2016, the department data said.

The data showed the average daily deaths translating to 16 in 2014, 19 in 2015 and 17 in 2016 -- as against 6.5 a day till August this year.

"This (death figure) is much lower than that in the previous years," Health Minister Sidharth Nath Singh said.

Congress spokesperson Ashok Singh had charged the Uttar Pradesh government with failing to check the deaths in the BRD medical college.

"The toll is alarmingly high and the government has failed to check the casualties," he had said.

Countering him, the health minister said "good work" was being done by the Yogi Adityanath government in the state.

"The reason (for the fall in death figures) is the good work done in the last five months. We have strengthened encephalitis treatment centres and taken various effective measures to check the dreaded disease so that more patients are treated at community health centre levels and do not just rush to the BRD medical college," Singh told PTI.

According to BRD medical college records, 152 children died in January this year, 122 in February, 159 in March, 123 in April, 139 in May, 137 in June, 128 in July and 325 in August.

Taking into account 32 deaths in the first two days of September, the total came to 1,317.

A total of 51,018 children were admitted to the hospital in 2014, 61,295 in 2015 and 60,891 in 2016, according to the data put together by the department and its partner, PATH Foundation, a nonprofit organisation. There were no admission figures for this year.

Health department sources said till August 31, admissions in district hospitals and encephalitis treatment centres had gone up to 62 per cent as compared to BRD hospital.

"We have to bring this up to at least 80 per cent. We are on the right path," said an official.

Because of seasonal illnesses, August usually saw a rise in the number of children being admitted to the medical college which caters to Gorakhpur and adjoining districts in Uttar Pradesh, with patients also coming from neighbouring Bihar and Nepal.

The Numbers of deaths of children in August in 2016, 2015 and 2014 were 587, 668 and 567 respectively, as against 324 last month, according to the data.

"During 2017, larvicidal spraying and fogging were undertaken in 529 villages/urban areas in seven endemic districts of Gorakhpur and Basti division where community meetings and awareness programmes for health workers are being carried out," Singh said while explaining the drop in the casualty figure this year.

The health minister said, "The combat against Japanese Encephalitis (JE)/Acute Encephalitis Syndrome (AES) continues to be a priority for the state government and every effort is being made to ensure proper treatment and management of cases by taking preventive initiatives to educate and involve the community in our fight against these diseases."



He said a special vaccination campaign was carried out in 38 endemic districts from June 29 to July 15 this year covering 92 lakh children in the 1-15 year age bracket.

When contacted, Congress spokesperson Singh expressed doubts over the figures, while Samajwadi Party leader and MLC Rajpal Kashyap dismissed the data.

"The government is trying to run away from its responsibilities of providing better health care facilities," Kashyap said.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Former Uttar Pradesh minister Shiv Pratap Shukla brings with him a rich organisational as well as ministerial experience to the Union Cabinet.

65-year-old Shukla hails from Gorakhpur - the citadel of Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath.

The induction of Shukla, who is a Brahmin face of the party, is being seen as a well-calculated move of the ruling BJP to reap dividends in the 2019 Lok Sabha elections by keeping the upper caste in good humour.

Born in Khajni, Rudrapur in Uttar Pradesh, a village near Gorakhpur district to a middle-class family, Shukla completed his graduation in law from the Deen Dayal Upadhyay Gorakhpur University.

His political life started in the early 1970s when he was the student leader of Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP), and in 1981, was elected as the Provincial Secretary of the Bharatiya Janata Yuva Morcha (BJYM).

He was jailed several times during his student days. During Emergency, he was arrested under the Maintenance of Internal Security Act (MISA) and was in prison for 19 months from 1975 to 1977.

The 65-year-old is known for his work as the Cabinet minister in Uttar Pradesh, where he initiated an 'education for all' scheme and for his efforts to reform conditions for prisoners and various rural development schemes.

A member of the Rajya Sabha representing Uttar Pradesh, he becomes a central minister for the first time.

He was appointed vice president of the BJP in Uttar Pradesh in February, 2012.

Shukla campaigned in the General Elections in 1989 and was elected a member of the Uttar Pradesh Legislative Assembly for the first time.

He was elected as a member of the legislative assembly four consecutive times in 1989, 1991, 1993 and 1996. He was appointed as a state minister in the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-led governments in Uttar Pradesh.

He became a minister for jails in 1996-1998 under the Bharatiya Janata Party-Bahujan Samaj Party rule, a short-lived coalition government of Mayawati and Kalyan Singh, and was later appointed as the minister for rural development in 1998 under Rajnath Singh-led BJP government.

Before this tenure, he also held a ministerial post during the Kalyan Singh-led BJP government of 1991-1992.

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Sri Lankan President Maithripala Sirisena vowed today to defend the military after a rights group filed lawsuits against a former general for alleged human rights abuses during the final phase of the conflict with the LTTE.

Sirisena's remarks came as Human rights groups filed lawsuits in Brazil and Colombia against Sri Lanka's ambassador in Latin America Jagath Jayasuriya.

Jayasuriya was a commander in the final stages of the civil war with separatist Tamil rebels in 2009.

Tens of thousands of Tamils - and the rebel leadership - were killed at the end of the conflict, in which both sides were accused of atrocities.

Referring to the lawsuit filed against Jayasuriya, Sirisena said, "I will not allow any war hero to be touched by anyone for defending the country".

"This was an action taken outside Sri Lanka by an NGO sympathetic to the LTTE. I will not bow to their commands," Sirisena said during his Freedom Party's 66th anniversary convention.

The president said when he took over in January 2015 from his predecessor Mahinda Rajapaksa Sri Lanka was on the verge of being slapped economic sanctions due to war crimes allegations being levelled through the UN human rights council resolutions.

"My government managed to stop that. The world leaders assured me support to carry on with reconciliation and protection of human rights," Sirisena stressed.

He said his unity government arrangement with his party's main rival, the UNP led by Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe, was the reason for his success in countering international threats by way of economic sanctions against Sri Lanka.

Sirisena's address came amidst speculation that some of his party members may leave the government to sit in opposition.

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In a big promotion, Nirmala Sitharaman today became the first woman to become a full-time Defence Minister of the country as she faced the challenge of speeding up modernisation of the three forces in her new role.

58-year-old Sitharaman, a Rajya Sabha member, is the second woman to take charge of the crucial ministry as Indira Gandhi, as the Prime Minister, had also held the portfolio in the seventies.

Her elevation is seen as reward for her good work as the Commerce Minister. Finance Minister Arun Jaitley was handling the Defence Ministry after Manohar Parrikar quit to become the Goa's chief minister in March.

Sitharaman will now be a member of the crucial Cabinet Committee on Security whose members include the prime minister, home minister, external affairs minister and the finance minister.

"Somebody who has come from a small town, grown into the party with all the support of the leadership, and if given such responsibility, it just makes you feel sometimes that cosmic grace is there. Otherwise, it is impossible," she told reporters.

Sitharaman said she was just overwhelmed and humbled.

"I am sure, now that I have an extremely competent successor in Nirmala Sitharaman, she will carry the road forward," Jaitley said congratulating Sitharaman.

One of the BJP's chief spokespersons before its ascent to power, Sitharaman is an alumna of the prestigious Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU).

As the Defence Minister, Sitharaman will face several challenges, including strengthening of the combat capabilities of the Army, Navy and the Air Force due to changing regional security matrix and geo-political dynamics.

Defence experts feel the frequency of incidents of incursions by the Chinese Army may go up in the coming months and years after the Dokalam face-off, and Sitharaman may face a challenge in handling such complex issues.

The government has been focusing on domestic defence production and Sitharaman will have to carry forward a number of big-ticket reform initiatives, including implementing the ambitious "strategic partnership" model with several countries like the United States and Russia.

Under the new model, select Indian private firms will be roped in to build military platforms like submarines and fighter jets in India in partnership with foreign defence majors.

On August 30, the government had announced major reforms in the Indian Army to enhance its combat capability which will include redeployment of nearly 57,000 officers and other ranks. She will have to play a key role in implementing this initiative.

Sitharaman also faces the challenge of modernising the defence research organisations and various other defence public sector undertakings.

Parrikar's tenure as the Defence Minister saw the clearance of a raft of arms deals, besides simplification of the acquisition process. He had also pushed for a number of stalled acquisition projects.

However, majority of the military modernisation programmes are delayed due to administrative hurdles and various other reasons.

Sitharaman is from Madurai in Tamil Nadu who had obtained a BA degree from Seethalakshmi Ramaswamy College in Tiruchirappalli and an MA degree in economics from the Jawaharlal Nehru University.

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Nirmala Sitharaman, who landed the crucial defence portfolio in a major rejig of the Modi government, today said she was "overwhelmed and humbled" and would serve the country with something she was "constantly" thinking about.

Sitharaman also credited her elevation to a cabinet rank minister to "cosmic grace" and support from party leadership.

"I am just overwhelmed and humbled. I can serve the country with something which is constantly on the top of my mind," she said.

Stressing that it was a big responsibility, Sitharaman said she was "very grateful" for the confidence the Prime Minister has on her.

Asked whether dealing with Pakistan in view of terrorism will be her priority, she said "I have not even taken charge. I don't think it is appropriate to comment on it now...Give me some time."



To a query whether her elevation showed Prime Minister Narendra Modi's commitment towards women empowernment, she said the Prime Minister has always been in favour.

"I know his working style since the time he was in Gujarat ... He always believe in giving women their due share. His belief is that women can also perform," she said.

Sitharaman was among the four junior ministers who were given cabinet berths at the reshuffle today. Sitharaman was earlier the Minister of State (Independent Charge) Commerce.

"Somebody who has come from a small town, grown into the party with all the support of the leadership, and if given such responsibility, it just makes you feel sometimes that cosmic grace is there. Otherwise, it is impossible," she told reporters here soon after taking oath.

To a query on the opposition criticism of her working as the commerce minister, the BJP leader said she was neither averse, nor frightened by criticism.

"Every criticism is a message and we have to learn from it. I am not averse to criticism and also not frightened of it, but certainly take messages from them.

"Criticism per se do not reflect on performance. It only adds to your performance if you are ready to take on-board the corrections that may be workable," she said.

Sitharaman was also quick to highlight a number of initiatives by the commerce ministry like Start up India and Make in India.

"With the support of the prime minister, so many things have happened in the ministry like Start up India, Make in India etc. There is some misconception about 'Make in India', but it will be answered," she said.

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After many years of a rough ride, Skoda Auto India expects over 30 per cent sales growth this year on the back of the momentum it has been witnessing of late and has set a target of 18,000 units volume by December.

Over the weekend, the Volkswagen Group company rolled out a racing variant of its popular model Octavia- the Octavia RS 230 - at a killer price of Rs 24.63 lakh, which is going to give a tough time to the rivals, which are priced much higher.

The Czech automaker expects the performance-oriented RS 230 to contribute over 15 per cent of the Octavia sales, which is the second largest volume grosser for the company.

"Our internal target is to touch 18,000 units volume by December. In the first seven months of 2017, we've grown at over 22 per cent to 10,500 units from 13,300 units we had sold in the entire 2016. So, we should be growing at about 40 per cent this year to meet the target. The industry during this period grew just about 10 per cent," Skoda India sales, service & marketing director Ashutosh Dixit told PTI.

He said August volumes at over 1,750 units are the highest ever for the company and the momentum will gain further speed in the rest of the months due to festive sales.

On sales expectation from the new Octavia RS, he said at least 15 per cent of Octavia volumes should come from this, adding that the new car has already received over 100 pre-launch bookings though it's priced Rs 4.5 lakh above the Octavia.

The RS 230, rolled out from the Shendra plant near Aurangabad, is powered by a 2-litre petrol engine with a top speed of 250 km/hm and can accelerate from 0 to 100 km in 6.8 seconds, making it the fastest Skoda made in the country.

Compared to other Octavia models, the RS 230's chassis is lower by 15 mm. Globally, the company has sold over 2 lakh RS models, half of which since 2013.

The RS 230 is pitched against the BMW 3 Series priced at Rs 43 lakh, the Mercedes C Class Cabriole priced at Rs 49 lakh, and the Jaguar XF, which is steeply higher at Rs 61 lakh. The main difference is that these rival models are diesel-powered, while the RS 230 is petrol-powered.

In terms of speed, the RS 230 vrooms to 100 km from 0 in 6.8 seconds, XF does that in 7 seconds, Merc's C Class in 6.4 seconds, and the 3 Series in 6.1 seconds.

On the new launches, Dixit said the company will shortly roll out the 7-seater SUV Kodiaq, having already launched a new variants of the Superb, the Rapid (Monte Carlo) and the Octavia. It had long back discontinued its compact SUV the Yeti here and currently has only three models on sale now- the Superb, Octavia and the Rapid.

On dealerships, he said they have opened four new outlets this year and two more to take the total to 70 by December.

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The much-awaited Saheed Laxman Nayak Medical College and Hospital (SLNMCH) built at a cost of Rs 192 crore in Koraput tomorrow is all set to be inaugurated tomorrow.

The medical college is slated to be dedicated to the people by Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik, state's Health and Family Welfare Minister Pratap Jena said today.

Jena, who is also scheduled to join the inauguration, said after a gap of more than 50 years, a medical college is going to be opened in the Government sector.

On September 6, Pandit Raghunath Murmu Medical College is scheduled to be dedicated at Baripada in Mayurbhanj district, the minister said. Two more medical colleges would come up next year in Balasore and Balangir.

The new SLN medical college and hospital would cater to the health care requirements of the people in Koraput, Malkangiri, Nabarangpur, Rayagada districts and adjoining areas in the region, he said.

It would also play a major role in solving the problem relating to shortage of doctors in the state.

The foundation stone for the college had been laid in August, 2015 and it was ready in two years.

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Homegrown jeanswear brand Spykar Lifestyles is planning to expand its retail footprint by adding more stores in metro markets and open new ones in tier II and III cities to take the total store count to over 350 by 2020-21.

Besides, the company is working on expanding presence in online space and is evaluating the options to create a special line to address the millennials.

"Our plan is to add 35-40 stores a year. We would be over 350 stores by 2020-21 fiscal," Spykar Lifestyles COO Sanjay Vakharia told PTI.

The company operates 205 stores pan India and is aiming to have Rs 700 crore sales by 2020-21.

"Last fiscal, we had closed around Rs 310 crore and this fiscal, our target is over Rs 370 crore," he said.

Most of the new stores would be in non-metro markets and on franchise model.

"We are planning to open stores in metros and tier I cities where we have opportunities and we are also now expanding in tier II & III places significantly to open Spykar stores there," Vakharia added.

About the online strategy of Spykar, he said:" We are taking initiatives to create special lines to address the need of the online audience."



The company, which has online channel partners, is also in talks with few players to create special line for the brand on their platform to get more attention.

Presently, online sale contributes 6-7 per cent of the total sales and is expected to go up to 10 per cent in coming years.

Spykar's jeanswear is also retailed through various outlets and is present in around 400 cities, Vakharia added.

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Representatives from the corporate world, NGOs, government officials and academicians will gather for a summit that will deliberate on building partnerships among stakeholders to boost social development through CSR activities.

As many as 12,431 companies together shelled out more than Rs 18,625 crore towards social welfare activities in the last two financial years, the government had informed the Lok Sabha in March this year.

The three-day 'Rise' summit, to be held from September 18 here, has been organised by Idobro, a social enterprise that evaluates and reports the impact of CSR (corporate social responsibility) initiates taken up by corporates.

Under the Companies Act, 2013, certain class of profitable entities are required to shell out at least 2 per cent of their three-year annual average net profit towards CSR activities in a particular fiscal.

The 2017 edition of the meet will be steered by Ulrika Sundburg, Counsel General of Sweden, Ranjan Kapoor, Country Head of advertising and marketing services provider WPP and Rupa Naik of the World Trade Centre, a statement said here.

"The future of India is linked with pace of social development and the Sustainable Development Goals.

"Idobro recognises that for this development to come a full circle, multiple partnerships need to be forged between Central and state governments, NGOs, impact enterprises and even individuals in sectors including education, health care, sanitation, environmental sustainability, poverty alleviation and skill development," Karon Shaiva, Chief Impact Officer, Idobro, said in the statement.

"The summit aims to catalyse these partnerships. Stakeholders present at the summit will be Corporates, government officials, NGOs as well as academicians," she said.

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With Diwali round the corner, there has been an increase in air travel as 1.3 time more customers are travelling during Diwali this year as compared to same time last year, according to 'Diwali Festive Airfare Trends'.

"There has been 1.3 times more customers travelling during Diwali this year as compared to last year," according to online travel company MakeMyTrip's 'Diwali Festive Airfare Trends'.

It also revealed that in the top sectors, the fares have increased by up to 30 per cent, with festivities still one month away - signalling a huge advance purchase.

"With the festive season approaching, there is a significant surge in travel bookings with people preferring to book in advance since fares are more affordable. Another reason for uptick in advanced booking is the 'Zero Cancellation' feature, which is finding favour amongst many customers resulting in 15 per cent rise in bookings for peak season," MakeMyTrip COO-Online Mohit Gupta told PTI here.

Kolkata-Delhi and Delhi-Hyderabad are few of the most travelled routes with more than 100 per cent growth during this festive season as compared to last year, it added.

According to the trend, average fares for the top 20 sectors on domestic flights have increased by 10 per cent this time from last year.

In some of the major sectors, the fare has increased by up to 30 per cent, with festivities still one month away, it added.

It found that from the average fares of bookings from the metros, maximum increase in fares was seen from cities like Mumbai and Bengaluru.

"The average fares from Mumbai and Bengaluru have witnessed maximum increase, but have remained same from Delhi and Kolkata, as compared to last year," it added.

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Tata Steel has set up a library building constructed at a cost of Rs 4.4 crore at the Kalinga Institute of Social Sciences (KISS), regarded as the world's largest tribal residential educational institute.

The 150-seater library was inaugurated by Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik yesterday at KISS, which was recently conferred with deemed university status by the Union of Human Resource Development Ministry.

The library has been constructed using steel structure as its base, and is equipped with furniture, electrical and sanitary fittings and other furnishing.

Out of the total cost, an amount of Rs 30 lakh has been contributed by Tata Power, Tata Steel said in a statement.

In 2009, Tata Steel had signed a Memorandum of Understanding with KISS to jointly work towards the upliftment of the state's tribal population, with emphasis on providing education to children of the rehabilitated families of Kalinganagar.

The collaboration culminated in Tata Steel setting up the library at the institute, which is home to over 25,000 students belonging to tribal communities, the statement said.

Among those present on the occasion were Dr Achyuta Samanta, Founder of KISS and KIIT University and T V Narendran, Managing Director, Tata Steel India & South East Asia.

"Improving the quality of life of people living in and around our areas of operations is integral to the business philosophy of Tata Steel. Our operations are largely confined to areas that have a sizeable SC & ST population, and we believe that promoting Affirmative Action is the right way to serve communities around us," Narendran said.

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Vice President M Venkaiah Naidu today said terrorism is the biggest enemy of mankind and the biggest danger to the world peace.

He stressed on the need for international community to come together and curb it mercilessly.

Addressing the 78th session of Institut de Droit International (IDI), Institute of International Law, at the NALSAR University of Law here this evening, Naidu said India in later years and particularly after the September 11 attacks put considerable effort in fighting international terrorism.

"Several conventions resulted from the efforts exerted under the auspices of the United Nations. Mention may be made in this connection of the SAARC convention on the suppression of international terrorism as well as the Indian proposal to conclude a comprehensive convention on suppression of international terrorism now under consideration of the UN," he said.

"...That's the need of the hour...The biggest danger to the world peace is from terror. Terror has no religion, it has no colour and it has no sex. But, unfortunately some people are trying to mix terror and religion for their own narrow political and partisan ends.

"The world community must be aware of the evil designs of these forces and see to it that we all come together for an agreement at the earliest to have a comprehensive convention on suppression of international terrorism," the vice president said.

Naidu further said "Terrorism is the biggest enemy of the mankind. I underline and I urge upon the international community particularly the lawyers and professionals to come to some understanding and bring stringent laws in their respective countries and broad international agreement on fighting terror and ending all sources of terror."



He said "what has happened in India the pain was not felt by others earlier but now today what has happened in the US, what has happened in European countries and different parts of the world.

"Everybody is becoming a victim...That's why I said it's an enemy of humanity and it should be curbed mercilessly. And it should be curbed legally, politically and administratively and it should be curbed by creating awareness among the people."



Naidu underlined the need for entire humanity to speak in one voice to condemn terror of any kind.

"There cannot be any justification at all for terror. However great the cause may be, there are legal methods. Now we are living in a civilised world.

"World is moving on and we are living in a global village and we are not living in isolation...We must all resolve to come together and take strong resolve to put an end to this menace of terror which is enemy of the mankind, which is affecting the progress of people of world community," he said.

India is keen to see the conclusion of this important convention in the near future without further delay in view of the growing incidents of international terrorism, which are threatening world peace, the vice president added.

India's foreign policy is based on sovereign equality of states, non-intervention in the internal affairs of other states and peaceful settlement of disputes in accordance with principles articulated in Article 33 of the United Nations, he said.

India attaches huge importance to the implementation of international statutes and the rule of law, and is a firm believer in promotion of peace and justice globally, said Naidu.

The Institute of International Law is meeting for the first time in India in its long history of nearly 150 years.

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The governor of Texas said today the "long haul" of recovery from Hurricane Harvey was just beginning, appealing to Congress to provide tens of billions of dollars needed for reconstruction.

In the nation's fourth-largest city of Houston, which was devastated by record-setting rainfall, many residents whose homes had flooded returned over the weekend to begin removing soggy drywall, soaked carpets and ruined possessions.

A week of flooding had damaged 40,000 to 50,000 homes in Houston and sent tens of thousands of people fleeing to emergency shelters.

"The rebuilding process, this is where the long haul begins," Texas Governor Greg Abbott said on "Fox Sunday." "This is where we come to the part where Congress plays a role."



The White House has asked Congress for USD 7.85 billion for Harvey-related "response and initial recovery efforts," calling it a "down payment" on the long-term cost of recovering from the record flooding. In the end, Abbott said, recovery will cost "well over USD 120 billion, probably USD 150 billion to USD 180 billion."



White House budget director Mick Mulvaney has said the administration will later seek an additional USD 6.7 billion for disaster relief.

Harvey was blamed for at least 42 deaths, with the Houston Chronicle saying the toll of people who died or were feared dead was more than 50.

Yet Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner urged visitors to keep their travel plans to Houston, which he said was now 95 percent dry.

"I want to be very clear. Yes, it was a very serious storm, historic, unprecedented, but the city of Houston is open for business.

"And so if you have a conference, convention, concert, any of those things that were planning to come to this city we are still ready to welcome you," Turner said, adding that city employees will be back at work on Tuesday, following the US Labor Day holiday on Monday.

Houston is not only a regional hub, but also a center of the US petroleum industry. The surrounding Gulf Coast area is home to about a third of American refining capacity.

"That is a can-do city, we're not going to engage in a pity party," Turner said. He appeared Sunday on both CBS and NBC.

"We are getting back on our feet and we are open for business. We do want people to continue to come to the city."



While Houston was getting back to a semblance of normality, floodwaters in other hard-hit cities nearby such as Rockport, Beaumont and Port Arthur were slower to recede.

Meanwhile, America today marked a "National Day of Prayer" for victims of the storm.

In Washington, President Donald Trump and first lady Melania Trump attended morning services at historic St. John's Church, a short distance from the White House.

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The following are the top stories of the Northern region at 2140 hrs:



DES28 HR-DERA-SUICIDE



Ambala (Har): A Dera Sacha Sauda follower, arrested in connection with the violence in Panchkula on August 25, allegedly hangs himself in the toilet of the Ambala Central Jail, the police say.

NRG20 UP-ADITYANATH



Gorakhpur: Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath says religion inspired people to be virtuous, and religious sermons inculcated virtue in them.

DES25 UP-FLOODS



Lucknow: The situation in flood-ravaged districts of eastern Uttar Pradesh is slowly crawling back to normalcy, officials say.

DES18 UP-OATH-MAYAWATI



Lucknow: The expansion of the Narendra Modi cabinet at the Centre is an attempt to divert the attention of the people from the government's "failure" in tackling burning issues the country is facing, says BSP chief Mayawati.

NRG2 DL-POLLUTION-AQI



New Delhi: The national capital region (NCR), considered among the world's most polluted area, will soon have a common air quality index based on data from around 50 monitoring stations located across Delhi, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh and Rajasthan. By Sourav Roy Barman



NRG6 UP-WALL COLLAPSE



Ghazipur: A wall collapses at Devkathia village in Jangipur area here, killing two women, police say.

NRG10 PB-REALESTATE



Chandigarh: The Punjab government makes several policy decisions to ease the pressure on the real estate sector, including increasing to 3 years, from 90 days, the period for which delay in deposit of interest during the moratorium period can be condoned, an official says.

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Three human traffickers including two women were arrested in Churachandpur district when they were trying to transport three women to the Indo-Myanmar border, police said today.

Superintendent of Police of Churachandpur, Rakesh Balwal said acting on a tip-off that some human traffickers were taking some women towards the Myanmar border, a police team intercepted a vehicle near Lamka town of the district yesterday.

Three human traffickers were arrested by police and three women who were being taken to Indo-Myanmar border were rescued, the SP said.

The senior police officer said the human traffickers would lure girls, particularly those hailing from poor families, about providing them jobs abroad. They would pay their poor families some money and would taken the girls with them and would then hand them over to agents in Myanmar.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
The US and Japan today discussed the 'growing threat' posed by North Korea with President Donald Trump and Japan Prime Minister Shinzo Abe reaffirming the importance of a close cooperation.

The discussion took place in the backdrop of North Korea announcing the development of a hydrogen bomb which can be loaded into the country's new intercontinental ballistic missile.

"President Donald J Trump spoke today with Prime Minister Shinzo Abe of Japan to discuss ongoing efforts to maximize pressure on North Korea," the White House said in a readout of the call, the third between the two leaders in less than a week.

According to the White House, Trump and Abe reaffirmed the importance of close cooperation between the United States, Japan, and South Korea in the face of the growing threat from North Korea.

"Trump noted that he looks forward to continued trilateral coordination on the margins of the United Nations General Assembly," the White House said.

Yesterday, Trump also talked to his South Korean counterpart Moon Jae-in and discussed a coordinated response to deal with the "destabilising and escalatory behaviour" of North Korea.

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President Donald Trump is attending a church service on a National Day of Prayer for Harvey victims.

Trump and first lady Melania Trump arrived at St John's Church, an Episcopal church near the White House, today morning.

Trump had declared today a National Day of Prayer for Harvey victims and recovery efforts in Texas and Louisiana. In his official proclamation he called on "Americans of all faiths and religious traditions and backgrounds to offer prayers today for all those harmed by Hurricane Harvey."



Trump made a second visit yesterday to communities devastated by Harvey, travelling to Houston and Lake Charles, Louisiana.

The White House has asked Congress to approve USD 7.9 billion for initial relief efforts when lawmakers return to Washington on Tuesday.

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US President Donald Trump plans to withdraw from a free trade agreement with close-ally South Korea, a move that could cause a fresh economic rift between the two countries amid heightened tensions over North Korea.

Trump yesterday confirmed that he was talking with advisers amid reports that he had instructed aides to prepare to withdraw from free trade agreement with South Korea, The Washington Post reported.

"I am. It's very much on my mind," Trump said when asked if he was talking to advisers and would do something in the coming week.

A White House spokesperson was quoted by the report as saying that "discussions are ongoing but we have no announcements at this time".

The move would likely be aimed at benefiting domestic industries, though could force South Korea to respond by slapping tariffs on its goods imported by the US.

Key White House officials are urging Trump not to scrap the deal, including Defence Secretary James Mattis, national security adviser HR McMaster and National Economic Council Director Gary Cohn, sources were quoted as saying by the report.

The plan is the latest move by Trump to deliver on his campaign promises to tear up trade deals that he has argued put US workers at a disadvantage.

Trump's reported move comes amidst the US renegotiating the North America Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) with Mexico and Canada.

Early this week, Trump said that he would terminate NAFTA indicating that renegotiations are not going well.

The US South Korea Free Trade Agreement was reached in 2007 and went into effect five years later in 2012.

Trump's plan to withdraw from South Korea trade deal could stoke tensions between the US and South Korea at a time when the two countries are coordinating efforts to confront North Korea over its missile programme.

North Korea triggered a new escalation of tensions in July, when it carried out two successful tests of an Inter- Continental Ballistic Missile which apparently brought much of the US mainland within range.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
President Donald Trump handed out box lunches and hugged children at an emergency shelter in Houston as he sought to rally America behind victims of Hurricane Harvey while they dig out of the devastation left by the megastorm.

The president has called for a "National Day of Prayer" Sunday, one day after his visit to Texas and Louisiana to meet with victims and review the damage left by the catastrophic flooding unleashed by storm.

"We're signing a lot of documents now to get money. USD 7.9 billion," Trump said at the giant NRG Center exhibition space that has been turned into a shelter.

"We signed it and now it's going through a very quick, hopefully quick process."



Houston, the country's fourth largest city, was taking tentative steps back to normalcy after a week of flooding that claimed the lives of 42 people and damaged 40,000 to 50,000 homes.

Full recovery is expected to take years, and the costs are conservatively estimated at tens of billions of dollars, with analysts putting the range between 30 and 100 billion dollars.

Trump and his wife Melania shook hands and posed for selfies at the NRG Center shelter with evacuees eager to greet the VIPs.

Accompanied by Texas Governor Greg Abbott, Trump went to a section of the hall where a homemade banner that read "KID ZONE!!" hung on the wall. He was quickly surrounded by small children who gave him hugs, handshakes and high-fives.

One young girl grabbed the president in an embrace -- and the grandfather of eight responded by picking her up and giving her a kiss.

"As tough as this was, it's been a wonderful thing. I think even for the country to watch it, for the world to watch. It's been beautiful," he told reporters.

Clearly enjoying himself, Trump then joined volunteers handing out box lunches. He chatted with evacuees who rushed over, while many more crowded behind security barricades with their phones aloft.

Kevin Jason Hipolito, 37, an unemployed Houston resident who was rescued from the roof of his car after his first floor apartment flooded, said he was pleased that Trump visited the city after omitting it on an earlier visit to the state.

"I'm a Democrat. It raises the morale. When he went to Corpus, I was like, 'man he just forgot about us.' This shows a lot of support. It perks up morale."



But Ima George, a 42-year-old whose young son was in the children's play area, was less impressed.

"The first time he came to Texas he didn't even bother to come to Houston," she said. "It doesn't make any difference if he came or not. The city is supporting itself and supporting other people outside of the city."



Downtown cafes were open and a couple was even seen jogging, though area hotels were packed with exhausted families -- including many who have received vouchers to help pay for rooms. Some checked in carrying their belongings in plastic bags.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
The mutilated bodies of two men were recovered today from a railway track near Barahia station in Bihar's Lakhisarai district, a police officer said.

The deceased have been identified as Anil Mandal (30) and Lal Bahadur Tanti (40), Superintendent of Police Arvind Kumar Thakur said.

The two men, natives of Govind Bigha Balua locality in Lakhisarai town, were reportedly killed by unidentified persons last night, and their bodies dumped on the railway track along the Kiul-Patna section, he said.

An investigation into the matter was underway, Thakur added.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
The UK government has joined the international community to increase pressure on Myanmar to tackle the violence against Rohingya Muslims, warning that the treatment of the Rohingya is besmirching the reputation of the country.

UK Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson said the attacks were "besmirching the reputation" of the country following reports by a human rights group that people, including young children, have been burned alive in the country, while others have been beheaded.

Johnson said in a statement this week: "Aung San Suu Kyi is rightly regarded as one of the most inspiring figures of our age, but the treatment of the Rohingya is alas besmirching the reputation of Burma."



"She faces huge challenges in modernising her country. I hope she can now use all her remarkable qualities to unite her country, to stop the violence and to end the prejudice that afflicts both Muslims and other communities in Rakhine."



Rakhine, the poorest region in Myanmar, is home to more than a million Rohingya. They have faced decades of persecution in the Buddhist-majority country, where they are not considered citizens.

"It is vital that she receives the support of the Burmese military, and that her attempts at peacemaking are not frustrated. She and all in Burma will have our full support in this."



Suu Kyi won the Nobel Peace Prize for her political activism in Myanmar, which led to the first non-military elected head of state in the country since the military coup in 1962.

Although Htin Kyaw was sworn in as President in 2016 - as Suu Kyi is constitutionally barred from holding the position - she is considered the de facto leader of the country.

Suu Kyi, who has the title State Counsellor of Myanmar, came to prominence in the 1990s when she was placed under house arrest by the military government.

Soldiers and armed residents have been accused of carrying out a killing spree against Rohingya Muslim men, women, and children in Chut Pyin village, leaving more than 200 dead.

About 58,600 Rohingya civilians have left Myanmar, also known as Burma, and fled to neighbouring Bangladesh.

Some have drowned while trying to make the journey.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
More than a thousand new cadets have been inducted into China's Air Force Aviation University.

China's new generation of military pilots starts training with the changing face of the Chinese air force. [Photo: Xinhua]

They'll go on to be the next generation of pilots, and fly the J-20 jet fighter and Yun-20 transport aircraft.

During a ceremony on Friday, September 1, the PLA's air force commander, Ding Laihang, inspected more than 2,000 trainee pilots, including the new recruits who come from 31 different provinces in China, and who were selected from 120,000 high school graduates who applied for the air force program.

In a speech, Ding said unprecedented changes had taken place in China's air force, and he encouraged the new cadets to play their part in creating a more powerful Chinese air Force.

With the changing face of the Chinese air force, so too the training regimen for cadet pilots has been upgraded. Changes to education requirements, and earlier access to flight training, has dramatically shortened the training cycle of tomorrow's pilots.
Leading UK retail chains like John Lewis and Habitat have withdrawn from their range over fears of child labour and slavery within its Indian supply chains.

Businesses selling such as kitchen worktops and tiles are scrutinising the source of their products after global investigators discovered that debt bondage, underage workers and unsafe, unhealthy working conditions are part and parcel of daily working life in Indian quarries, according to a report in the 'Observer'.

India is the largest global producer of granite, accounting for 49 per cent of the world's raw stone export in 2015. Three-quarters of the country's granite is mined in just three states - Andhra Pradesh, Telangana and Karnataka.

An investigation of 22 quarries and six waste stone processing sites in these states was recently published by the India Committee of the Netherlands (ICN) and Stop Child Labour and revealed human rights and labour rights violations.

"There are a few quarries where conditions are better than others, but by and large the poor conditions we described in the report are representative of the sector as a whole," Diewertje Heyl, ICN's corporate social responsibility officer, told the 'Observer'.

The violations alleged in the report include children under 14 working in waste stone processing, wages tied to extortionate loans, and safety equipment offered only when mining inspections were taking place. The quarries' performance was graded on six criteria: child labour, bonded labour, wages and social benefits, health, safety, and freedom of association.

More than 30 natural stone companies from the UK, EU, US, Australia and Canada are named in the report as sourcing products from the 22 quarries. None of the quarries allegedly had a prevention system for child labour.

Retail chain John Lewis told the newspaper that "in light of this report and pending further investigation, we have made the decision to remove from sale black/star galaxy granite and are currently investigating all granite sources worldwide".

"As a socially responsible retailer, we require our suppliers not only to obey the law but also to respect the rights, interests and well being of their employees, their communities and the environment," it said.

Aidan McQuade, director of Anti-Slavery International, said the report posed "profound questions" regarding India's attempts to tackle slavery and child labour.

The ICN report linked around half a dozen UK companies to the Indian quarries.
President Donald Trump warned today that the United States was considering cutting economic ties with any countries that do business with North Korea.

"The United States is considering, in addition to other options, stopping all trade with any country doing business with North Korea," he said in a tweet.

Trump's threat came after Pyongyang detonated what it claimed was a hydrogen bomb able to fit atop a missile.

US Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin had said earlier today that his department was preparing potent new measures that could completely "cut off North Korea economically."



"I'm going to draft a sanctions package and send it to the president for his strong consideration that anybody that wants to do trade or business with them will be prevented from doing trade or business with us," Mnuchin said on "Fox Sunday."



While the United States has virtually no trade with the North, the burden of sanctions as described by Trump and Mnuchin would fall heavily on China, which is Pyongyang's sole major ally and buys about 90 percent of North Korean exports.

Trump has repeatedly insisted that Beijing lean heavily on its isolated neighbor to halt its nuclear and missile development.

He also tweeted today that North Korea is "a rogue nation which has become a great threat and embarrassment to China, which is trying to help but with little success.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
A 40-year-old woman today died after she fell off a moving train near the Old Delhi Railway Station here while resisting a snatching bid, the police said.

They said the woman, Sudhir Bansal, was accompanying her son, Gaurav, who recently enrolled in Delhi University, to help him find accommodation.

They boarded the Yoga Express from Rajasthan. Sudhir was standing near the door of a compartment. When the train slowed down near the Mithai Pul, on the way to the railway station, a person caught hold of her bag, the police said.

The woman tried to fight him off but lost her balance and fell down on the tracks. She came under the wheels of the train and was injured, the police said.

Bansal's son tried to save her but was unsuccessful. She died while being taken to a hospital.

The person fled with the bag containing cash, some documents and an ATM card.

The woman's body was handed over her relatives after an autopsy who took it to their hometown in Bhiwadi in Rajasthan, the police said.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Chinese President Xi Jinping today asked BRICS members to shelve their differences and accommodate each other's concerns by enhancing mutual trust and strategic communication, as he opened the 9th annual summit of the five member emerging economies here.

The opening ceremony of the three-day BRICS summit started with BRICS Business Council in this southeastern city in China's Fujian province amid a downpour triggered by typhoon Mawar which had caused widespread disruption to the summit preparations and the city's traffic. The typhoon also caused considerable disruption to the flights.

BRICS - Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa - is a grouping of the five emerging economies. The BRICS summit brings together the leaders of these five countries.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi is scheduled to arrive in Xiamen later today. Brazilian President Michel Temer, his South African counterpart Jacob Zuma and Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin would also attend the summit.

In his speech broadly focusing on enhancing cooperation between the BRICS members, Xi said, "construction of a tall building starts with foundation. We have laid the foundation and put in place the framework for BRICS cooperation."



Outlining BRICS cooperation in the last 10 years, he said treating each other as equals and seeking common ground while shelving differences is important part of cooperation.

"In terms of BRICS cooperation, decisions are made through consultation not by one country. We respect each other's model of development, accommodate each other's concern and work to enhance strategic communication and mutual trust," he told about 1000 delegates from different countries.

"Given difference in national conditions, history and cultures, it is only natural we may have some differences in pursuing our cooperation," he said.

"However with strong faith in cooperation and enhancing collaboration the BRICS countries can achieve steady progress in our cooperation," he added.

The summit comes days after India and China last week ended a 73-day standoff in Dokalam by withdrawing troops from the area. The two sides were locked in a face-off after Indian troops stopped the Chinese People's Liberation Army from building a road in the area.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Chinese President Xi Jinping on Sunday asked BRICS members to shelve their differences and accommodate each other's concerns by enhancing mutual trust and strategic communication, as he opened the 9th annual summit of the five member emerging economies here.

The opening ceremony of the three-day BRICS summit started with BRICS Business Council in this southeastern Chinese city in Fujian province amid a downpour triggered by typhoon Mawar which had caused widespread disruption to the summit preparations and the city's traffic. The typhoon also caused considerable disruption to the flights.

BRICS - Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa - is a grouping of the five emerging economies. The BRICS summit brings together the leaders of these countries.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Brazilian President Michel Temer, South African President Jacob Zuma and Russian President Vladimir Putin will attend the summit.

In his speech broadly focusing on enhancing cooperation between the BRICS members, Xi said, "construction of a tall building starts with the foundation. We have laid the foundation and put in place the framework for BRICS cooperation."



Outlining BRICS cooperation in the last 10 years, he said treating each other as equals and seeking common ground while shelving differences is an important part of cooperation.

"In terms of BRICS cooperation, decisions are made through consultation (and) not by one country. We respect each other's model of development, accommodate each other's concern and work to enhance strategic communication and mutual trust," he told about 1000 delegates from different countries.

"Given the difference in national conditions, history and cultures, it is only natural we may have some differences in pursuing our cooperation," he said.

"However, with a strong faith in cooperation and enhancing collaboration the BRICS countries can achieve steady progress in our cooperation," he added.





LIVE: President Xi Jinping delivers keynote speech at opening ceremony of BRICS Business Forum in Xiamen. #BRICS2017 https://t.co/7DcmsFO9WP  China Xinhua News (@XHNews) September 3, 2017

The summit comes days after India and China last week ended a 73-day standoff in Dokalam by withdrawing troops from the area. The two sides were locked in a face-off after Indian troops stopped the Chinese People's Liberation Army from building a road in the area.

In a candid speech without directly referring to differences, Xi referred to his multi-billion dollar Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) in which the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) is a crucial component.

India had protested to CPEC as it passes through Pakistan-Occupied Kashmir. India also boycotted the Belt and Road Forum (BRF) hosted by China in May.

Xi said BRI is not a tool to advance any geopolitical agenda, but a platform for practical cooperation.

It is not a foreign aid scheme, but an initiative for interconnected development which calls for extensive consultation, joint contribution and shared benefits, he said.

"I am convinced that the BRI will serve as a new platform for all countries to achieve win-win cooperation and that it will create new opportunities for implementing the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development," he said.

He also said BRICS should promote the "BRICS Plus" approach to building an open and diversified network of development partners.

China has invited Egypt, Kenya, Tajikistan, Mexico and Thailand as guest countries for the Xiamen BRICS summit as special guests like India invited BIMSTEC (Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic) leaders for last year's BRICS summit at Goa.

"We should get more emerging market and developing countries involved in our concerted endeavours for cooperation and mutual benefits," he said.

Xi said as a cooperation platform with global influence, BRICS cooperation is more than about five countries.

"BRICS places a high premium on cooperation with other emerging market and developing countries and has established effective dialogue mechanisms with them," Xi said.

Xi also said that BRICS cooperation has reached a crucial stage of development.

In assessing the performance of BRICS cooperation, it is important to bear two things in mind -- the historical course of global development and evolving landscape; the historical process of development of BRICS countries, both individually and collectively, he said.

He said the development of the BRICS countries has delivered tangible benefits to more than three billion people.

Xi said that in the past decade, combined GDP of the bloc has grown 179 per cent, trade increased 94 per cent while urban population expanded 28 per cent, contributing significantly to stabilising the global and returning it to growth.

He also said the BRICS countries have been committed to multilateralism, fairness and justice in the past decade.

BRICS countries have endeavoured to fulfil their responsibility, and have staked out their positions on major regional and issues and made proposals for addressing them during the past decade, Xi said.

The countries have promoted reform of economic governance to increase the representation and say of emerging market and developing countries, according to the president.

The bloc has also taken the lead in implementing the Millennium Development Goals and Sustainable Development Goals, and engaged in close dialogue and cooperation with other developing countries to pursue development through unity, the Chinese president said.

He said the BRICS countries should work to usher in a second golden decade. Going forward BRICS countries have major tasks to accomplish, which are to grow economies and to strengthen cooperation, he said.

"It is time to set sail when the tide rises," Xi said, adding that countries should work to let their economic cooperation have more substance.

"Economic cooperation is the foundation of the BRICS mechanism," Xi said, referring to the progress in the operation of the New Development Bank and Contingent Reserve Arrangement and in e-commerce, trade and investment facilitation, trade in services, local currency bond issuance, scientific and technological innovation, industrial cooperation and public-private partnership.

He also said BRICS countries should implement agreements and consensus already reached while actively exploring new ways and areas of practical cooperation.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi today left on a three-day visit to China to attend the BRICS Summit which he hoped would support the agenda for a stronger partnership among the member countries, amid strain in Sino- India ties over a host of issues.

On the second leg of his five-day tour, Modi will travel to Myanmar for his first bilateral visit with an aim of charting a roadmap for closer cooperation between the two countries in areas which include security and counter- terrorism.

In a statement yesterday, the prime minister said he was looking forward to productive discussions and positive outcomes at the BRICS (Brazil-Russia-India-China-South Africa) Summit in Xiamen city, building upon the results of last year's Goa Summit between him and Chinese President Xi Jinping.

The visit comes days after India and China managed to end the 73-day-long Dokalam standoff. From Xiamen, he will travel to Myanmar on August 5 before returning to the country on August 7.

A possible meeting between Modi and Chinese leader Xi on the margins of the Summit will be a major focus at a time when ties between the two major powers have nosedived over a number of issues including the Dokalam stand-off.

"I look forward to building upon the results and outcomes of the Goa Summit. I also look forward to productive discussions and positive outcomes that will support the agenda of a stronger BRICS partnership under the chairmanship of China," the PM said in a statement.

The Summit meeting will take place tomorrow.

The prime minister said he will have the opportunity to meet leaders bilaterally on the sidelines of the BRICS meet.

Replying to a specific question, the Ministry of External Affairs on Friday did not rule out a possible meeting between Modi and Chinese president on the margins of the Summit, saying it is a common practice to arrange bilateral meetings on the sidelines of such multilaterals.

India had hosted the previous BRICS Summit in Goa last year.

"India attaches high importance to the role of BRICS that has begun a second decade of its partnership for progress and peace. BRICS has important contributions to make in addressing global challenges and upholding world peace and security," Modi said.

The prime minister said he was looking forward to engaging with leaders of nine other countries, including BRICS partners, in an Emerging Markets and Developing Countries Dialogue, being hosted by Xi on September 5.

"We will also interact with the BRICS Business Council represented by captains of industry from all the five countries," he said.

About his first bilateral visit to Myanmar, Modi said both countries will look at strengthening existing cooperation in areas of security and counter-terrorism, trade and investment, infrastructure and energy, and culture.

He hoped his visit will help in charting a roadmap for closer cooperation between the two countries.

The prime minister said both countries will review developments in bilateral ties with a focus on "extensive" programme of development cooperation and socio-economic assistance India is undertaking in Myanmar.

Both sides will also explore new areas of cooperation, the statement said.

Modi said he was looking forward to paying a visit to the famed heritage city of Bagan, where the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) has done a "stellar work" in renovating the Ananda Temple.

The ASI will be undertaking further restoration work on a number of pagodas and murals that were damaged in an earthquake last year, he said.

Modi had visited Myanmar in 2014 to attend the ASEAN- India Summit.

The prime minister will meet President U Htin Kyaw and hold talks with State Counsellor Aung San Suu Kyi.

The Myanmarese president and Suu Kyi had visited India last year.
Suresh Prabhu stepped down as the Railways Minister today. He had offered to give up the post last month in light of two major train accidents within days. Piyush Goyal, Minister of State for power, coal, renewable energy and mines was sworn in as the new Railways Minister today in the latest reshuffle of Modi Cabinet.

In a tweet earlier today, the outgoing Railways Minister thanked the Railways family for their support. "Thanks to all 13 Lacs+ rail family for their support, love, goodwill. I will always cherish these memories with me. Wishing u all a great life," he said.

He also congratulated Goyal and other Union ministers who were promoted to the Cabinet members today.

In the last week of August, Prabhu offered to furnish his resignation taking "full moral responsibility" of the mishaps. He was asked to wait by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

Thanks to all 13 Lacs+ rail family for their support,love,goodwill.I will always cherish these memories with me.Wishing u all a great life - Suresh Prabhu (@sureshpprabhu) September 3, 2017

Prabhu stepping down is likely to hamper the reforms he initiated in Railways - restructuring the Railway Board primary among them - if not stop them in their tracks. There also are plans to hire two lakh additional workers to ensure safety on train tracks.

Giving Railways to Goyal was the best that could be done as many experts believe that he has handled the power and coal portfolio competently, reports said.

Meanwhile, five other ministers had quit before the biggest Cabinet rejig ahead of 2019 Lok Sabha elections. Skill Development Minister Rajiv Pratap Rudy, as well as Minister of State for Health Faggan Singh Kulaste and Minister of State for Agriculture and Food Processing Sanjiv Balyan had been reportedly asked to step down from their respective posts.

Mahendra Nath Pandey, minister of state in the human resource development ministry, left the Council of Ministers in line with the one-man-one-post principle after being named as the chief of BJP's Uttar Pradesh unit recently. On the other hand, Water Resources Minister Uma Bharati resigned citing health problems.
Technical snags faced by A320 neo aircraft operated by IndiGo and GoAir pose a "safety issue", Civil Aviation Minister Ashok Gajapathi Raju has said, hoping that they would be addressed and sorted out.

At least eight A320 neo (new engine option) planes of IndiGo and two of GoAir have been grounded due to issues related to Pratt & Whitney engines that power these aircraft.

"Obviously, any failure is a safety issue. So the operating procedure we changed... What is attractive is fuel efficiency. Fuel efficiency is one thing and risking life is another," Raju told in an interview.

He was responding to a query on whether the engine issues were a safety concern.

IndiGo, which has A320 neo planes in its fleet of 136 aircraft, was forced to cancel many flights due to engine woes.

The aviation regulator DGCA asked the American engine maker to expedite the supply of spare engines to India.

On whether there could be harsher action with respect to the engine issues, Raju said some of the planes have been grounded because of regulations, implying that existing norms are strict.

"Why are they grounded that is because of the regulations. You don't want to take risks with life... Everybody is working on it (addressing the engine issues). As long as glitches don't massacre human beings it is okay. They will be addressed and sorted out," he noted.

The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) directed IndiGo and GoAir, in February, to conduct inspections of the P&W engines once they complete 1,000 hours of flying, instead of 1,500 hours as recommended by the engine maker.

"What makes it (P&W engine) attractive?... We want to not risk lives and we also want fuel efficiency," Raju said.

P&W claims their neo engines are 16 per cent more fuel efficient than the earlier variant A320 ceo (current engine option).

Last month, IndiGo President Aditya Ghosh indicated that the airline could examine procuring aircraft with engines from a different manufacturer such as GE for 280 A320 neos it has ordered out of the total 430 planes.

Last month, IndiGo had said it would also look at GE engines for its planned 280 A320 neo planes.

The issues related to its A320 neos are due to two specific components of P&W engines wearing out faster than expected even as he assured it is not a safety issue, the airline's President Aditya Ghosh had said.

"Our engine supplier P&W is implementing some design changes and we believe those changes will be implemented over the next 12-18 months... We are right now focused on getting enough spare engines from P&W so that the operational headaches go away," he had told shareholders.

Apart from IndiGo and Go Air, Air India and Vistara have A320 neo aircraft but with engines from a different manufacturer.


(Photo/Sina Weibo of Huawei)

Huaweis newest flagship phone, with artificial intelligence-powered features such as instant image recognition, will leave rivals Samsung and Apple playing a game of catch-up, a top executive said on Sunday.

Richard Wu, chief executive of Huaweis consumer business, on Saturday revealed a powerful new mobile phone chip Huawei is betting on for its upcoming flagship Mate 10 and other high-end phones to deliver faster processing and lower power consumption.

Huawei will launch the Mate 10 and its sister phone, the Mate 10 Pro, in Munich on October 16, Wu confirmed. He declined to detail new features, but the phones are expected to boast large, 6-inch-plus full-screen displays, tech blogs predict.

Artificial intelligence (AI) built into its new chips can help make phones more personalized, or anticipate the actions and interests of their users, Wu said.

As examples, he said AI can enable real-time language translation, heed voice commands, or take advantage of augmented reality, which overlays text, sounds, graphics and video on real-world images phone users see in front of them.

Wu believes the new Kirin 970 chips speed and low power consumption can translate into features that will give its phones an edge over the Apple iPhone 8 series, set to be unveiled on September 12, and Samsungs range of top-line phones announced this year. Huawei is the worlds No. 3 smartphone maker behind Samsung and Apple.

Compared with Samsung and Apple, we have advantages, Wu said in an interview during the annual IFA consumer electronics fair in Berlin. Users are in for much faster (feature) performance, longer battery life and more compact design.

The company asserts its newly announced Kirin 970 chip will preserve battery life on phones by up to 50 percent.

Huawei describes the new chip as the first Neural Processing Unit (NPU) for smartphones. It brings together classic computing, graphics, image and digital signal processing power that have typically required separate chips, taking up more space and slowing interaction between features within phones.

Most importantly, Huawei aims to use the Kirin chips to differentiate its phones from a vast sea of competitors, including Samsung, who overwhelming rely on rival Snapdragon chips from Qualcomm, the market leader in mobile chip design. Among major phone makers, only Apple and Huawei now rely on their own core processors.

The 970 is designed by Huaweis HiSilicon chip design business and built using the most advanced 10 nanometer production lines of contract manufacturer TSMC.
Overseas Chinese communities applaud the hot broadcast "China's Major-Country Diplomacy" that displays the remarkable diplomatic achievements China has made over the past five years.

The recently screened six-episode feature documentary on China's diplomacy led by Chinese President Xi Jinping arouses heated discussions among Chinese diplomats, peacekeepers and ethnic Chinese living in overseas countries.

China's diplomatic efforts boosted by "innovative notions" from Xi since the 18th National Congress of the Communist Party of China in 2012, such as building a community of shared destiny for mankind and the Belt and Road Initiative to seek common development and prosperity, "are greeted with widespread welcome in the international community," Chinese Ambassador to India Luo Zhaohui said.

"It lifts us up. We take pride in the diplomatic practices that feature peaceful development and win-win cooperation," said Hong Lei, Chinese consul general in Chicago and previously Chinese Foreign Ministry spokeperson.

As diplomats recall from the documentary the historic moments they witnessed, many Chinese peacekeepers overseas feel inspired to remain committed to their missions amid violence and life threats.

"There is this story about a peacekeeping martyr in an episode. Xi himself tells the story, and it moved me to tears...We shall surely do our best," said Deng Xiaodong, a peacekeeping anti-riot police officer in Libya.

While armed police guard in Afghanistan Zheng Yibin thinks "We are better informed of China's diplomacy through an extensive range of interviews and stories," China Railway Group engineer in charge of the Central Asia office based in Afghanistan Wang Zhiqiang is very impressed with the numbers read in the script.

"Five years, 28 trips, 570,000 km, 193 days, five continents, and 56 countries and major organizations...What a hardworking state leader Xi is," he said, adding that he feel urged to contributing as much as possible to the high quality of China-contracted projects overaseas.

"As average people, we know little about diplomacy. This documentary helps us see the great, condusive role of China in the world," said Li Huiyang, the Chinese-side president of the Confucius Institute of the Kabul University, while noting the documentary's storytelling of presenting a broad vision through details.

The documentary overwhelms Li Min, deputy head of the overseas Chinese association in Malta, which provides a diplomatic panorama in "China's relentless efforts towards the Chinese national rejuvenation."

It helps Chen Juheng recall his own experiences at the Malta transit during the 2011 evacuation of Chinese from Libya. Chen, China Cultural Media Group's chief representative in Malta, said, "I myself witnessed the power of China's major-country diplomacy. It sheltered Chinese abroad from dangers."

Chinese scholar currently based in Russia, Bai Sihong, highlighted the "major-country strength, and vision" seen from the documentary. "It's really a big deal to launch the Belt and Road Initiative, and propose building of a community with a shared destiny for mankind, combining China's own development with the world's," he commented.

More importantly, he added, the moves are met with supports from the international community.

"The documentary helps us, all the outsiders, to know about China's diplomatic efforts. I'm now more confident about the future of the China-U.S. relations," said Chinese American Yi Xiaojiao after watching the documentary together with his family.
In the first complaint to come before the tribunal, Stubbs indicated he had a relationship with a client that pre-dated his retainer, and said he'd had acted for that client pro bono when the matter had been funded by Legal Aid.
"Their presents are mainly art and they've written us some beautiful letters," Archie said. "It's a really special day for us. It's really nice for our kids to have an opportunity to express how they feel about us, because we express how we feel about them all the time."
The lawyers acting for the suspect accused of kidnapping a University of Illinois scholar from China, have asked for their contract to be terminated, reports Chinanews.com.

26 year old research student Zhang Yingying went missing in June. [Photo: WeChat]

The trial of Brendt Christensen was due to start on September 12, but the judge in the case has agreed for it to be rescheduled until February 27, 2018, at the request of the suspect's lawyers.

Zhang Yingying disappeared on June 9, just a few weeks after arriving at the central Illinois campus. She was last seen getting into a black Saturn Astra. As yet her body has not been found. Investigators say they believe the 26-year-old is dead.

Wang Zhidong, an aid lawyer involved in the case, has suggested that the reason for the lawyers' request may be that the retainer has not been paid, which is a common factor in such terminations.

He also said it was unclear whether the trial might be further delayed as a result.

Christensen is suspected of abducting Zhang as she was about to meet the manager of a house rental office to rent an apartment.
Similarly, once Australia becomes a republic, has marriage equality and abolishes Christian prayers at the beginning of parliamentary sessions, there will be no going back. No-one will wake up afterwards and say, "Let's ask Britain if we can borrow their monarch," or "Let's restrict marriage," or "Let's have prayers." The reason is that the previous position was exposed as untenable and seen that way by an increasing number of people until it became the majority position. That is the time conservatives take it on, as they have taken on the Australian national anthem while reactionaries would prefer God Save the Queen.
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 ...
China's Foreign Ministry issued a statement on Sunday, expressing firm opposition to and strong condemnation of a nuclear test undertaken by the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK).

The DPRK Sunday successfully detonated an H-bomb, a hydrogen bomb that can be carried by an intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM), its official media agency announced. This was the sixth nuclear test the DPRK has undertaken.

China's firm stance, as well as the common goal of the international community, is achieving denuclearization on the Korean Peninsula, protecting the nuclear non-proliferation mechanism and maintaining peace and stability in northeast Asia, the statement said.

China strongly requires the DPRK to seriously consider the steadfast will of the international community on a denuclearized Korean Peninsula and to comply with the UN Security Council resolutions, the statement said.

China demands the DPRK cease incorrect actions that worsen tensions and run against its own interests, and return to dialogue to resolve problems, the statement said.
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.

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(File photo of Chinese Ambassador to Brazil Li Jinzhang)

The cooperation between China and Brazil, the biggest developing nation in the eastern and western hemisphere respectively, represents not only a model for collaboration among emerging powers, but also a highlight of BRICS cooperation, said Chinese Ambassador to Brazil Li Jinzhang.

Li said so in a signed article published on the Peoples Daily on Saturday, one day ahead of the ninth BRICS Summit to be held in Xiamen.

During the Xiamen summit, the leaders would chart a course for BRICS development by further optimizing the new pattern driven by three pillars of political, economic and cultural collaboration, Li said.

A cooperation blueprint on unimpeded trade and investment, currency circulation, financial integration, facilities connectivity, intensified people-to-people bonds and increasing cultural exchanges would be mapped out as well, he added.

The members will also discuss how to enhance dialogues and cooperation with other emerging markets and developing countries based on the BRICS plus model, and finally build a South-South cooperation platform with global influence, the diplomat predicted.

Against the rising tide of trade protectionism around the world, the BRICS countries will devote their efforts to building an open world economy, safeguarding multilateral trade system and constructing a new global governance model featuring the principle of extensive consultation, joint contribution and shared benefits, Li wrote in the article.

Brazilian President Michel Temer, at the invitation of Chinese President Xi Jinping, started his state visit to China on Thursday, during which he would attend the 9th BRICS Summit and Dialogue of Emerging Market and Developing Countries from September 3 to 5.

Temers visit is of great significance in pushing bilateral comprehensive strategic partnership for sustainable development, the ambassador said, adding that China and Brazil are strategic partners sharing ups and downs.

He elaborated that despite of global vicissitudes, the two nations have been supporting each other on agendas involving their core interests and major international affairs based on equal treatment and mutual respect since they established diplomatic ties 43 years ago.

It is a consensus for all walks of life in Brazil to develop its relationship with China as bilateral friendship has taken a deep root among them, the diplomat explained.

Li hailed the booming practical cooperation between the pair of development partners characterized with win-win cooperation in recent years, illustrating that their two-way trade in the first half of this year reached nearly $42 billion, registering a year-on-year increase of 35 percent.

Chinas cumulative investment stock in Brazil has exceeded $40 billion, making Brazil one of the top destinations of Chinese investors, he illustrated, adding that an investment fund on production capacity cooperation was also launched by both nations recently.

With an initial sum of $20 billion, the fund aims to finance bilateral cooperation in cutting-edge sectors.

China-Brazil cooperation can serve as a model for BRICS cooperation in terms of both scale and levels, the diplomat praised, citing the fruitful collaboration launched by Chinese enterprises in power, energy, agriculture and equipment manufacturing sectors as an example.

Bilateral cultural exchanges are on a rise as well, which can be evidenced by the intensified education, media and think tank cooperation, he wrote in the article, illustrating that Chinese residents like Brazilian dance Samba and Carnival very much.

This year, Brazil also invited China to assume the first honored country for Curitiba International Biennial, one of the most influential art exhibition in Latin America, the ambassador added.

The China square the Curitiba city named as well as the statue of ancient Chinese philosopher Confucius it set up also present local Brazilian public another window to understand Chinese culture and arts, Li said at last.
The United Kingdom and Japan intend on implementing a bilateral trade agreement as soon as Britain leaves the European Union.



On a recent trip to Japan, British Prime Minister Theresa May met with Toyota chairman Takeshy Uchiyamada, Nissan chief executive Hiroto Saikawa and Hitachi chairman Hiroaki Nakanishi to reassure them about the UKs automotive sector.

Following these meetings, as well as talks with Japanese leader Shinzo Abe, UK government sources have told Reuters that a new trade agreement is all but confirmed.

Our intention would be for our deal to come into force pretty much immediately. Thats the UK position and theyve (Japan) agreed to it, the source said.

From the moment Brexit became a reality in June 2016, concerns have been rife about the future of the nations car industry. It is widely thought that when Britain leaves the EU, auto exports could be hit with hefty tariffs if local producers cant source more parts from within the UK.

Chief executive at the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders, Mike Hawes, believes this could have widespread ramifications for the industry.

World Trade Organisation rules would mean a 10 per cent tariff on vehicles and an average 4.5 per cent tariff on components. The cost of our production would increase more than our competitors. British competitiveness would be undermined. The cost of cars for British consumers could increase, he told the Financial Times in July.
A German court in Braunschweig, Germany rejected a case seeking compensation for German owners of diesel VW models affected by the Dieselgate.



The case was handled by consumer rights group myRight and U.S. law-firm Hausfeld, with the former accusing VW of breaching EU law by selling cars fitted with illegal software, Reuters reports.

While VW was forced to pay billions in compensation to U.S. customers, the company has so far rejected any compensation for the 8.5 million affected diesel models in Europe, thanks to the different legal rules between the countries there.

VW says that the cheating software didnt violate European law but its in the process of removing it, insisting that the cars will face no loss in value. The Braunschweig court also backed its decision by saying that VW vehicles in Germany didnt lose their road certification after the discovery of the emissions-cheating software and therefore owners werent disadvantaged to the point where compensation was needed.

The consumer rights group my Right said that it would appeal the ruling.

PHOTO GALLERY
Colton Davies

UPDATE: 8:30 a.m.

Seven BC Wildfire crew members and two pieces of heavy equipment remained at the site of the Finlay Creek wildfire overnight, according to Jody Lucius, fire information officer.

Lucius was unable to provide an update on current conditions until after an operational meeting at 9 a.m.

She said a decision would be made on whether air support was needed Sunday to fight the blaze southwest of Peachland.

More than 100 properties were put on evacuation alert last night.

People living along the lake say there was a thick haze Sunday morning.

Photos sent in to Castanet showed some overnight flareups in the forested area.

UPDATE: 12:20 a.m.

Unconfirmed reports from residents say the Finlay Creek fire continues to grow and move south, late Saturday night.

Other residents reported hearing an explosion near the fire, but that is also unconfirmed.

Viewers photos of the fire submitted from Summerland, Naramata and Black Mountain in Kelowna show a large glow through the smoke.

Ground crews continue to battle the blaze overnight.

The BC Wildfire Service is expected to provide an update on Sunday morning.

UPDATE: 9:15 p.m.

A wildfire burning in Peachland near Finlay Creek is now 100 hectares in size.

BC Wildfire Service Information Officer Rachel Witt said the fire continues to be quite visible, but the fire behaviour is at a rank two.

"We are seeing less open flame and it will hopefully decrease overnight and winds will die down overnight," said Witt.

Seven firefighters and two heavy pieces of machinery will be staying to work on the fire overnight.

A containment number is not know at this time but BC Wildfire Service is expected to have one at some point tomorrow.

"Winds are a concern, any increase in winds is a red flag for us and it was for us today," she said.

Witt added that cooler temperatures at night often help with the fires not growing larger.

Infrastructures are not a concern at this time but crews are aware of the ones in the vicinity.

The cause of the fire is still being investigated.

UPDATE: 8:00 p.m.

The BC Wildfire Service website says the Finlay Creek wildfire was human caused.

The fire started near a road in the backcountry, according to witnesses who spoke to Castanet.

UPDATE: 7:05 p.m.

Eye witnesses to a wildfire burning southwest of Peachland say the blaze started right next to McDougall Road, a dirt road that goes to Darke Lake in the back country.

Provincial officials had urged people to stay out of the backcountry this long weekend due to the dry conditions throughout much of the province and the extreme fire danger rating.

The BC Wildfire Service says the Finlay Creek wildfire is now 40 hectares in size. Strong westerly winds have been fanning the flames and steep terrain has also made the fight difficult, according to a spokesperson.

About 18 firefighters from the forestry service are on the ground while air tankers, skimmers and three helicopters battle the fire from the air.

UPDATE: 6:35 p.m.

Aircraft tackling the Finlay Creek wildfire burning southwest of Peachland have made some good headway but there are strong winds in the area, according to eye witness Jeff Hansen.

"We're not seeing the flames like we could from the beach before," said Hansen, who has been watching the fire since it began after 3 p.m.

He said six planes plus helicopters have been dropping water on the fire.

A BC Wildfire Service spokesperson said efforts are being made to update the size of the fire.

UPDATE: 6:05 p.m.

The Finlay Creek wildfire burning southwest of Peachland has doubled in size to 20 hectares according to the BC Wildfire Service.

Air tankers and three helicopters are battling from the air while seven forestry service crew are battling from the ground. More crew members are on their way to the area.

Steep terrain and westerly winds are factors in the fight on the ground. Smoke from the fire can be seen for miles from the southern and northern portions of the Valley.

No structures are threatened at this time, said the wildfire service.

UPDATE: 5:42 p.m.

Water bombers are hitting a wildfire southwest of Peachland hard but the blaze has grown over the last 90 minutes, according to Jeff Hansen who has watched the developments.

"It's gotten worse over the last hour and a half but there are six bombers on it and they are hitting it pretty hard," Hansen said from his vantage point on Beach Avenue in Peachland.

Hansen said there were boaters on the lake trying to watch what was happening and getting in the way of the large skimmers heading from the lake and back to the fire to dump more water onto it.

"There is a lot of water going on that fire."

Hansen said the wildfire started around 3:25 p.m.

UPDATE: 5:00 p.m.

A fire burning 7.5 kilometres southwest of Peachland, which is now being called the Finlay Creek wildfire, is currently estimated to be 10 hectares in size.

The BC Wildfire Service reports that the fire is displaying behaviour between rank 2-3, meaning there is candling and some open flames.

Seven firefighters are currently fighting the fire and an additional unit is on route. There are also water tankers and two helicopters on site, according to the BCWS.

No structures are currently threatened by the blaze.

ORIGINAL: 4:15 p.m.

The BC Wildfire Service has confirmed that fire crews have been called to an area south of Peachland regarding a fire that has sparked up.

Observers first reported the fire at about 3:25 p.m., Saturday afternoon.

The exact location has not yet been confirmed.

Castanet will provide more information as it becomes available.

Send your photos and videos to [email protected]
Water bombers, choppers and crew members from the BC Wildfire Service are battling the Finlay Creek wildfire, about 7.5 km southwest of Peachland.

We have a gallery of your photos.
Photo: Contributed

The Penticton Fire Department, RCMP and ambulance service received calls of an individual possibly in the water offshore, Saturday night.

Cpt. Blaine Dionne said PFD was called to the Penticton Yacht Club around 9:30 p.m., and that crews were in a holding pattern as they awaited more information.

Unconfirmed reports said a man was seen offshore near First Street in Naramata.

Rescue crews are currently searching that area.
Photo: Peach City Radio Society

Peach City Radio, or CFUZ, will be asking for vinyl and audio gear at the sixth annual Okanagan vinyl festival.

The donation drive takes place on Sept. 10, between 10 a.m. and 2 p.m., at the Cannery Trade Centre on Fairview Road.

CFUZ is accepting vinyl records of rock, pop, soul and jazz genres, as well as audio equipment that is in working order.

Items donated will be prepared to sell at CFUZ's vinyl fest, which takes place on Oct. 1 at the Penticton seniors drop-in centre.

Proceeds raised from the vinyl festival next weekend will go towards CFUZ's goal of obtaining an FM station for broadcasting.

CFUZ currently is broadcast as an online station at peachcityradio.org.
Photo: Alanna Kelly Image from wildfire in Joe Rich.

Ninety-one firefighters, helicopters, six pieces of heavy equipment and support staff were on scene continuing efforts to work on a wildfire on Philpott Road Saturday.

Structure personnel were assessing areas and working on new objectives while crews were building control lines, said Rachel Witt, Fire Information Officer.

BC Wildfire Service is heavily monitoring the weather and expect the hot and dry weather to continue.

The fire continues to be at 30 per cent containment.

Witt said the date at which residents living on Philpott Road can return home has yet to be determined.
Photo: Todd Jespersen

Central Okanagan Emergency Operations has issued evacuation alerts for more than 100 properties.

Properties on alert include:

5247 Inga Street

6400-6493 Keyes Avenue

5357-5495 Pierce Street

5420-5443 Pierce Place

5440-5463 McDougland Road

5155-5379 Princeton Avenue (south side of the road only)

6705-6711 Highway 97

6691-6789 Thorne Road

303-307 Log Chute Drive

Evacuation alerts are issued for residents to prepare to leave on short notice, should conditions change. Residents should be prepared to be away from their homes for an extended period of time.

The BC Wildfire Service will continue to battle the Finlay Creek wildfire through the night.

For more information, visit this link.
(Photo/Xinhua)

E-commerce will prosper among the BRICS countries and connect people of the five countries, a report by Alibaba Group Holdings released on August 29 said.

Chinese products are popular in Brazil. Echello and Biya, a Brazilian couple, told Peoples Daily that Chinese products are cost-effective.

The couple has over 500,000 followers on their social media platform, on which they often share apparel and digital products they bought from Chinese e-commerce platforms.

The Alibaba report found that Chinese consumers are increasingly drawn to Russian candies, Indian handicrafts, Brazilian flip flops and grapefruit from South Africa, while customers in the four countries are most attracted to Chinese apparel and mobile phones.

Russian girl Chistyakova started using Chinese online shopping platforms three years ago when she saw an advertisement about a skirt on AliExpress, Alibabas export subsidiary for overseas buyers. The low price of the skirt impressed her and she has been shopping on Chinese e-commerce platforms ever since.

Now, Chistyakova regularly buys panty hoses and dresses on AliExpress and her husband, Oleg, has become a frequent buyer of hard disks and other computer accessories. Chistyakova said the cell phones she and her husband bought on the platform are very easy to use.

According to the Russian e-commerce association, in 2016, about 245 million more parcels were shipped to Russian online consumers, with China having a 90 percent share.

Many Russian consumers now regard Singles Day, which falls on November 11, as a big day for online shopping. The Russian banking system once broke down due to the large number of transactions during a Singles Day promotion. According to Tmall International, in 2016, the gross volume of Russian goods generated via the portal was 34 times that of 2015.

Havana, a well-known flip flop brand in Brazil, found its way into Tmall at the beginning of 2013. As of this July, over one million Havana flip flops have been sold to Chinese consumers. The company has expanded production because of the good sales, which generated more income for Brazilian rubber growers.

BRICS countries have been exploring more opportunities for e-commerce cooperation. In 2015, the BRICS leaders endorsed the Framework for BRICS E-commerce Cooperation to promote the construction of an integrated market among BRICS countries.

At the start of August, BRICS trade ministers approved a proposal for BRICS e-commerce cooperation, formally kicking off the cooperative process.

The Alibaba report said e-commerce is set to prosper among BRICS countries. In 2016, the number of online shoppers from the five countries reached 1.46 billion, 42.7 percent of the global total. The gross merchandise volume generated via online shopping portals hit $876.1 billion, 47 percent of the worlds total.

By 2022, gross merchandise volume generated via online shopping portals will reach about $3 trillion in Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa, 59 percent of the worlds total, the report projected.

Zhong Shan, China's Minister of Commerce, recently said Chinese people will soon see more food on their table from Brazil, Russia, India and South Africa.

Chinese businesses will carry out more cooperation with other BRICS countries in terms of e-commerce sales, logistics and payments, he said, adding that it is predictable that e-commerce will serve as the new impetus to promote economic and trade cooperation among BRICS countries.
Photo: Madison Erhardt

A 27-year-old West Kelowna man, who investigators say lived a high-risk lifestyle and was well-known to police has been identified as the victim on Friday nights shooting death in West Kelowna.

Police were called to the 3400 block of McTaggart Road on Sept 1 around 8:15 p.m., arriving to find a dead male inside a vehicle.

RCMP have since positively identified the deceased whose death is now being classified by police as a homicide, said Cpl. Jesse ODonaghey of the Kelowna Regional RCMP.

Preliminary findings suggest that the incident was in fact a targeted attack. The victim, a 27-year-old West Kelowna man, who investigators believe lived a high risk lifestyle, was well known to police."

Police are appealing to public for information about a possible suspect vehicle, described as a white four door Volkswagen sedan, possibly a Jetta.

Anyone with information on the shooting is asked to contact the RCMP.
Alanna Kelly

UPDATE: 9:45 p.m.

The Finlay Creek wildfire near Peachland has not seen any growth over the last few hours and remains at 1,000 hectares in size.

Seven firefighters and four pieces of heavy machinery will continue to fight the fire throughout the night.

As of Sunday evening, over 22 residents have checked in at the ESS Reception Centre located at the Summerland Arena and Curling Club at 8820 Jubilee Rd East, Main Floor.

The Emergency Support Services (ESS) telephone number is 250-462-0823.

UPDATE: 7:30 p.m.

Seven firefighters and four pieces of heavy machinery will continue to battle the Finlay Creek wildfire near Peachland overnight.

BC Wildfire Service said the fire is still 1,000 hectares in size.

Fire activity continues at a rank two behaviour, said Rachel Witt, fire information officer.

Meanwhile, the Okanagan Similkameen Regional District (RDOS) issued an evacuation alert for 97 properties.

Earlier Sunday, 55 properties were put on evacuation order (see below). Those under the order have been told to sign in at the Emergency Reception Centre located at 8820 Jubilee Road East in Summerland. The centre remains open today until 8 p.m. The ESS will reopen Monday and Tuesday 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.

UPDATE: 1:45 p.m.

Fifty-five properties to the south of the Finlay Creek wildfire have been ordered to evacuate.

The evacuation order from the Okanagan Similkameen Regional District (RDOS) states the affected properties are in Electoral Area F, for Meadow Valley and Darke Creek areas west of Summerland.

First responders are currently attending properties to ensure people are aware they must evacuate immediately. BC Wildfire Service, RCMP, Penticton Search and Rescue and the Summerland Fire Service are on scene as the order straddles both the District of Summerland and RDOS borders.

The 55 properties affected by the order include:

951 Meadow Valley Road in the District of Summerland

476 Fish Lake Road

920 Fish Lake Road

879 Meadow Valley Road

481 Fish Lake Road

1108 Fish Lake Road

920 Meadow Valley Road

498 Fish Lake Road

1124 Fish Lake Road

931 Meadow Valley Road

501 Fish Lake Road

1139 Fish Lake Road

951 Meadow Valley Road

535 Fish Lake Road

1151 Fish Lake Road

955 Meadow Valley Road

549 Fish Lake Road

1250 Fish Lake Road

24 Osborne Road

552 Fish Lake Road

1321 Fish Lake Road

30 Osborne Road

559 Fish Lake Road

1344 Fish Lake Road

33 Osborne Road

571 Fish Lake Road

1405 Fish Lake Road

35 Osborne Road

623 Fish Lake Road

26 Marsh Lane

36 Osborne Road

628 Fish Lake Road

75 Marsh Lane

48 Savanna Road

631 Fish Lake Road

100 Marsh Lane

36 Osborne Road

822 Fish Lake Road

105 Marsh Lane

12 Savanna Road

833 Fish Lake Road

155 Marsh Lane

16 Savanna Road

852 Fish Lake Road

633 Meadow Valley Road

22 Savanna Road

855 Fish Lake Road

671 Meadow Valley Road

558 Relkey Road

877 Fish Lake Road

681 Meadow Valley Road

574 Relkey Road

883 Fish Lake Road

810 Meadow Valley Road

884 Fish Lake Road

860 Meadow Valley Road

Residents are asked to leave the area immediately and register at ESS Reception Centre located at the Summerland Arena and Curling Club at 8820 Jubilee Rd East, Main Floor. The Emergency Support Services (ESS) telephone number is 250-462-0823.

Before leaving:

close all windows and doors

shut off all gas and electrical appliances, other than refrigerators and freezers

close gates (latch) but do not lock

leave a note on the door or gate to say you have evacuated

gather your family: take a neighbour or someone who needs help

take critical items (medicine, purse, wallet, and Keys) only if they are immediately available

take pets in pet kennels or on leash

do not use more vehicles then you have to

do not use the telephone unless you need emergency service

Those properties evacuating horses or livestock, can relocate animals to BC Livestock Yards at 5353 Hawthorne Place, Okanagan Falls.

UPDATE: 12:45 p.m.

Fire crews are battling winds and warm temperatures at a wildfire in Peachland.

BC Wildfire Service said they are monitoring winds closely.

The winds are coming from the north, so it is pushing the fire south, said Rachel Witt, fire information officer. It is something we are keeping in mind, a higher priority.

I havent heard of any specific areas, crews are trying to work where ever they can that is safe to get to."

UPDATE: 12:05 p.m.

The Central Okanagan Regional District has expanded an evacuation alert for properties near the Finlay Creek wildfire southwest of Peachland.

The fire grew to more than 1,000 hectares overnight.

As a precaution, CORD's Emergency Operation Centre said another 206 properties have been put under evacuation alert.

The new properties are within the District of Peachland and include:

6575  7280 Highway 97

4948  5079 Elliott Avenue

6421  6465 Mack Road

6457  6650 Renfrew Road

6470  6484 Renfrew Court

4949  5061 Princeton Avenue

6487  6568 Sherburn Road

6471  6485 Stuart Crescent South

6503  6551 Ferguson Place

6426  6575 Vernon Avenue

6465  6590 Bulyea Avenue

New properties under evacuation alert within CORD's West Electoral Area include:

Brent Road

Zipzone  upper Princteon Avenue (5875 Brenda Forest Service Road)

Zipzone remains open, said Kevin Bennett, president of the zip lining company.

"The fire is south of us, in the other valley and heading away from our site," Bennett said. "There is little smoke affecting us, as we are higher up and the wind is blowing towards the south.

"In the unlikely event that we are ordered to evacuate, our evacuation procedures allow us to completely vacate the park in under 15 minutes."

Residents in the evacuation alert affected should be prepared to leave their homes on short notice should fire conditions change.

A detailed map is available showing the affected properties is available online.

Last night, residents from approximately 100 properties were put on evacuation alert.

UPDATE: 11:25 a.m.

A wildfire burning southwest of Peachland grew substantially overnight and is now estimated at 1,000 hectares in size, according to the BC Wildfire Service.

"The rate of spread in this wildfire is due to the fact there has been no precipitation in that area since June," said Rachel Witt, fire information officer. "The fuel is incredibly dry, as dry as it can get."

Air tankers have joined helicopters already battling the Finlay Creek blaze Sunday morning to drop water and retardant on the lines. Additional firefighters have been sent to the scene and four pieces of heavy equipment are in use.

"It is still a very active fire," Witt said.

ORIGINAL STORY: 9:53 a.m.

Helicopters were back and bucketing water onto the Finlay Creek wildfire southwest of Peachland Sunday morning.

"We have 22 firefighters, three helicopters and one piece of heavy machinery fighting the fire," said Rachel Witt of the BC Wildfire Service.

A bird dog aircraft was in the sky over the fire as well to assess what type of fixed wing aircraft was needed to fight the blaze and whether retardant or water should be dropped, she said.

Witt could not estimate the size of the fire. She said accurate mapping was underway.

Meanwhile, residents on evacuation alert in the Peachland area are on edge after watching the wildfire grow overnight.

Rod Graham, who lives on Maranatha Drive, said he was out walking his dog late last night when he heard a large explosion in the direction of the Finlay Creek wildfire.

"All of a sudden the sky just lit up," Graham said.

Aaron Preston of Peachland said: "I was in my house on Beach Avenue and felt a large shock wave from an explosion, it was from the direction of the fire."

During darkness flareups were spotted in the forested area.

Graham and others in the areas have reported that the fire crested a hill overnight.

A spokesperson for the Central Okanagan Emergency Operations said an evacuation alert for the area could be expanded Sunday.

So far an alert has been issued for more than 100 properties.

"I've got my trailer ready to pull out," said Graham, who added that he and his wife got ready to go about three weeks ago during the McDougald Road wildfire.
Photo: Sharon Smith

More residents are now allowed to return home after a wildfire on Philpott Road.

Eleven properties have changed from an evacuation order to an evacuation alert on Sunday for the following locations:

480 to 1102 Philpott Road

Residents from the following 22 properties near Highway 33 East and Philpott Road remain on evacuation alert:

10710 HWY 33 E

10720 HWY 33 E

10740 HWY 33 E

10750 HWY 33 E

10780 HWY 33 E

310  391 Philpott Road

Residents are now allowed to return home but are still on alert and should be ready to leave their homes on short notice.

There are a remaining seven properties from 1120 to 1495 Philpott Road that are still on evacuation order and the owners not allowed to return home at this time.

When conditions allow and it is safe for them to be allowed home, the Order will be adjusted, said a release. Everyone involved in fighting this fire is doing their best to get everyone back to their homes as quickly as possible.
(File photo)

A slew of economic and financial achievements are expected to be yielded from the upcoming 9th BRICS Summit, experts from China's top economic planning agency and finance authority said at a briefing, adding that it not only indicates the increasing maturity of the cooperation mechanism, but means more benefits for the world economy.

They made the statement at a briefing hosted by Chinas State Council Information Office on BRICS economic and financial cooperation on Thursday.

The meeting highlights are expected to include the important outcomes from coordination in fiscal and monetary policies, structural reforms, development of the New Development Bank (NDB), international taxation, audit supervision and anti-money laundering, said Zhou Qiangwu, director general of the International Economics and Finance Institute with Chinas Ministry of Finance.

BRICS members, all developing countries in a similar developmental stage and sharing similar economic aggregate and growth dynamics, are highly complementary to each other in terms of economic development, He Ping, deputy dean of the School of Finance, Renmin University of China, told the Peoples Daily.

BRICS countries and the region where they are located have a great potential in infrastructure development, he added, suggesting that developing economies represented by them provide funding to each other.

China, with apparent advantages in these aspects, can be an important impetus for broader economic and financial cooperation among the BRICS countries, the deputy dean noted.

The BRICS countries are now needed to eliminate various explicit and hidden barriers existing in their cooperation as they face the twin pressures of stabilizing growth and restructuring their economy, said Ye Fujing, director general of the Institute for International Economic Research of Chinas National Development and Reform Commission.

Their development is also constrained by unsettled outside challenges brought about by a complicated and severe international political and economic environment, the scholar added, citing the deep-seated difficulties constraining the world economy, insufficient impetus for growth as well as the stubborn determination of some developed countries to maintain their vested interests.

Ye said that the BRICS countries, in the next stage, are expected to address the challenges in their own development and global growth by strengthening cooperation in innovation, opening wider to each other, launching landmark cooperation projects and striving for unimpeded trade, financial integration, facilities connectivity and intensified people-to-people bonds.

They should also seize the cooperation opportunities in emerging industries, and stretch their cooperation to more beneficiaries, the expert added.

A prior way for effective cooperation among developing countries was to launch more concrete projects, He said, but added that the process involved government and financial support in the early stage.

The developing nations, therefore, need to enhance political mutual trust and policy coordination through high-level meetings and on the basis of mutual benefit and a win-win result, so that they could better deepen economic and financial cooperation and promote the implementation of the projects, he noted.

The NDB, undoubtedly a highlight of the BRICS economic and financial cooperation, is expected to make further progress in the upcoming summit, according to Zhou, saying the banks total loans are projected to reach $2.5 billion in 2017.

Citing the example of the dam that South Africa hopes to build on the Inga River to ease its power shortage, Shen Yi, director at the Center for BRICS Studies of Fudan University, said that such a project not only meets interests of the BRICS members but the region as well.

If the NDB could take the lead to support such projects that others can benefit from, it would be a model set by the BRICS members for the whole world, Shen noted.
Chinese President Xi Jinping said Sunday that the development of emerging market and developing countries is not intended to "move the cheese of anyone" but to "make the pie of the global economy bigger."

Xi made the remarks in a keynote speech at the opening ceremony of the BRICS Business Forum, prior to the grouping's ninth summit to be held in the southeastern city of Xiamen.

"Only openness delivers progress, and only inclusiveness sustains such progress," he said.

Due to sluggish global growth in recent years, such issues as uneven development, inadequate governance and deficit of fairness have become more acute, and protectionism and inward-looking mentality are on the rise, he noted.

The global economy and global economic governance system, having entered a period of adjustment, face new challenges, he told the forum.

"We should not ignore problems arising from economic globalization or just complain about them. Rather, we should make joint efforts to find solutions," said Xi.

He added BRICS countries should work together with other members of the international community to step up dialogue, coordination and cooperation and contribute to upholding and securing global economic stability and growth.

"We five countries should open more to each other, expand converging interests in this process, take an inclusive approach and share opportunities, so as to create even brighter prospects for growing the economies of the five countries," he said.
El-Dabh was an Egyptian composer, performer, and educator who experimented with electronic music in Egypt and went on to establish himself in the USA

Egyptian composer and ethnomusicologist Halim El-Dabh passed away on 2 September in his home in Kent, Ohio, his wife Deborah wrote on social media.

In the short obituary, El-Dabh's wife wrote that he was "a prolific composer as well as a performer, professor and ethnomusicologist.

One of his most famous works is his collaboration with Martha Graham for a work entitled Clytemnestra. He has written scores for worldwide orchestras, dance companies, chamber orchestras and solo works."

Born on 4 March 1921 in Cairo to a Coptic family, El-Dabh graduated from the agricultural engineering department of Fouad I University (now Cairo University) in 1945, yet his interest in music directed him to many explorations, first of folkloric expressions and soon electronic experimentations where he indulged himself in sound manipulation with wire recorders. He also used these tools to capture the sounds of the zaar ritual, exorcisms, and the streets of Cairo.

El-Dabh explained this experience thus: I just started playing around with the equipment at the station, including reverberation, echo chambers, voltage controls, and a re-recording room that had movable walls to create different kinds and amounts of reverb.

He used those experimentations to compose his own music, becoming an early pioneer of electronic music.

In the 1950s El-Dabh received a Fulbright Music Grant which took him to the Aspen Music Center, Colorado, where he met and assisted Igor Stravinsky, and studied with Aaron Copland and Leonard Bernstein at the Berkshire Music Center in Massachusetts, Amal Choucri Catta wrote about the composer in 2007 for Al-Ahram Weekly.

At a later date, in New York, El-Dabh developed friendships with prominent musicians and became one of "Les Six d'Orient", representing the vanguard of contemporary composers inspired by Eastern music.

Inspired by Bela Bartok, whom he met in Egypt at the Cairo Music Congress organised by King Fouad in 1932, El-Dabh organised many trips, during which he explored the musical traditions of different countries and cultures, documented them and incorporated into his own composing. Among the most significant trips were those to Ethiopia, Mali, Senegal, Niger, Guinea, Zaire, Brazil, among others.

El-Dabh had taught at Kent State University's School for Music and at Howard University in Washington, among others.

Choucri-Catta adds that among El-Dabh's numerous compositions, there are 11 operas, four symphonies, several ballets, concertos and orchestral works, as well as film scores, chamber and incidental music. He also wrote music for jazz and rock bands, electronic music and pieces for various combinations of African, Asian and Western instruments.

El-Dabh's scores are published by the C. F. Peters Corporation and his music has been recorded by the Folkways and Columbia labels.

He is survived by his wife Deborah, son Habeeb, and daughters Shadia and Amira.

For more arts and culture news and updates, follow Ahram Online Arts and Culture on Twitter at @AhramOnlineArts and on Facebook at Ahram Online: Arts & Culture

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Fierce clashes between the Islamic State group and pro-regime forces in central Syria have left over 150 fighters dead in 24 hours, mostly jihadists, a monitor said Sunday.

The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said 120 IS fighters "were killed in clashes in and around the town of Uqayribat in the eastern Hama countryside... along with at least 35 regime troops and loyalist militiamen."

The town is the militants group's last bastion in the central province apart from a handful of small villages.

Pro-government forces seized Uqayribat on Friday night, but IS group responded with a counter-offensive on Saturday that left it in control of most of the town, Observatory chief Rami Abdel Rahman said.

An intense barrage of artillery fire and Syrian and Russian air strikes on jihadist positions allowed pro-regime forces on Sunday morning to push the jihadists back out of the town and advance on villages to the west that remain under IS group control.

IS group has controlled Uqayribat since 2014, using it to launch attacks on regime-held areas and a strategically vital road Abdel Rahman described as "the only lifeline for the regime between Aleppo and central and southern Syria".

Regime forces, backed by heavy Russian air strikes, launched a major assault on IS group -held parts of Hama in June.

"By consolidating their control of (Uqayribat) and ousting IS group from the surrounding villages, regime forces could oust the organisation from the whole of Hama province," Abdel Rahman said.

Other rebel groups still control parts of the province's rural north.

Hama, which borders on six other Syrian provinces, is strategically vital to the Assad regime, separating opposition forces in Idlib from Damascus to the south and the regime's coastal heartlands to the west.

IS group has suffered multiple defeats across Syria and neighbouring Iraq in recent months, notably in its main Syrian base of Raqqa.

On Friday a US-backed Kurdish-Arab coalition seized Raqqa's Old City and was advancing on the jihadists in the heavily defended city centre.

The Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) began their offensive in May, capturing the city of Tabqa and a key dam nearby before entering Raqqa city in early June.

Meanwhile, pro-regime forces have advanced against IS group in the eastern part of Homs province and western Deir Ezzor, where they have come to within 19 kilometres (12 miles) of the provincial capital.

Syria's conflict has killed more than 320,000 people and displaced millions since it started with anti-government demonstrations in 2011.

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The term "music supervisor" may conjure the image of a foreman on a worksite, a bundle of keys jangling on his belt as he oversees musical laborers of some kind. But for the women and men who claim the title, it is a term of creative artistry - and this year, the Television Academy agrees.

In September, the inaugural Emmy Award will be granted for outstanding music supervision. It's an acknowledgment that the folks who select, license and place songs and other preexisting music are key contributors to small-screen storytelling. The honor was lobbied for by the Guild of Music Supervisors, particularly board member Thomas Golubic, whose television credits include "Breaking Bad," "Halt and Catch Fire" and "Better Call Saul."

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"It's definitely evolved," Golubic said of his profession. "Like all crafts, the excellence in the craft is largely representative of the ambitions of the medium. Television, in particular, has had such a resurgence in the last few years."

Thomas Golubic is nominated for his work on Better Call Saul. (Ashley West Leonard )

He singled out "The Sopranos," as many have, as the dawn of the new TV renaissance.

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"(It) was like a one-hour movie that you got in installments," he said. "And the fact that they did not use score, and that they used songs exclusively, I think was a real innovation, and I think that it opened up the door for a lot of other shows."

Golubicc is one of this year's first class of nominees for his work on "Better Call Saul." The others are Zach Cowie and Kerri Drootin for "Master of None," Nora Felder for "Stranger Things," Susan Jacobs for "Big Little Lies," and Manish Raval, Jonathan Leahy and Tom Wolfe for "Girls."

Each show represents a recent explosion in the creative opportunities for music supervisors, series where songs play integral roles, oftentimes roles that instrumental scoring has traditionally filled. It's a new aesthetic, using the unique power of songs - with their lyrics and cultural currency - to provide subtext or subversion or nostalgic emotion.

"I think what (Golubic) does often is to peel back what's going on on the surface, and evoke things that are going on deeper into the story," said Peter Gould, executive producer on "Breaking Bad" and "Better Call Saul." "In both shows, we have a lot of characters who usually don't say what they mean, or in some cases, don't even understand what's going on with themselves all that well. The music that Thomas brings to it often hits a note that nothing else really could."

Gould cited two recent examples from "Better Call Saul." For a montage of Nacho (Michael Mando) making dummy pills to eliminate his boss, Golubicc suggested the Fink song "Cold Feet," which sings the line "Always walking a vicious circle" over a fuzzy guitar riff. In another, Jimmy (Bob Odenkirk) takes his frustration out on his car's cupholder - set to the surprising strains of a Bollywood love duet.

"It's amazing how much flexibility the show is capable of," Golubicc said. "Maybe part of it is the fact that it takes wild aesthetic choices and risks that still speak really closely to the characters."

In the nominated episode of "Girls," Hannah (Lena Dunham) walks through a quaint college town accompanied by Bert Jansch's folksy "Running From Home."

Manish Raval has been recognized for "Girls." (Doug Inglish )

"Here's a very amazing, classic song playing that maybe tells you that Hannah's grown up," Raval said. "She's moved on from Manhattan, and she's in this new place, and she's a new person. And then we instantly go to her on the bus with headphones, jamming to Miley Cyrus and Mike Will Made It (on the song "23") and just bopping her head. It's like, 'Oh wait, no - Hannah's still Hannah.'"

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The series, which ended in April, often used songs to reveal something about its characters.

"We're constantly trading with Lena just tons and tons of bins of music," Raval said. "Not just that we like for specific scenes, but just that we like in life. Like, these are songs that move us emotionally, that we love, these make us want to dance, these make us want to cry, these are just heartfelt or celebratory songs. It's almost like the olden days of trading mix tapes."

Drootin and Cowie worked similarly with Aziz Ansari and Alan Yang, the creators and showrunners of "Master of None." The music supervision duo knew the second season would begin in Italy, and before scripts were even written, they began compiling Italian-flavored playlists. That expanded to disco and synth-pop to underscore their version of New York City.

"A conversation that we all had, even in the beginning of Season One, is this idea of permanence," said Cowie. "We kind of took some cues from movies like 'Manhattan' and 'Annie Hall,' where Woody Allen was taking contemporary subject matter and putting Gershwin behind it. ... You get into a dangerous situation when you match contemporary subject matter with brand new music, because both of those things might lose their relevance in a few years."

Cowie used to work for various record labels developing bands. Golubicc is a former radio DJ. Nora Felder was the vice president of Phil Ramone's music production company. Such backgrounds are common in the field and have equipped music supervisors with a deep well of musical knowledge - as well as a business savvy that is essential to their job.

"A lot of the interviews (I've done) are revolved around the creative - the creative, the creative," said Felder. "It's part of the misconception. I know that's the flashy part of the job, so to speak, but all those other parts are equally so important. There's a fine art to negotiation, especially when you're dealing with very large copyrights. There's a fine art to balancing your budget."

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Felder has been music supervising for 20 years and called it "a very left brain/right brain job." Much of her time is spent researching and tracking down copyright holders, negotiating deals and discerning how to license - and afford - everything her producers want to use.

The Duffer Brothers, creators of "Stranger Things," fell in love with Peter Gabriel's haunting cover of the David Bowie song, "Heroes," used over an emotional moment connected to the fate of the missing Will Byers (Noah Schnapp). Felder was working to clear the rights just when Bowie died, which threw the song's use in jeopardy.

"We tried many, many, many (other) songs," she said. "And many worked well, but nothing told that moment, at the time when you thought that Will was gone and they were pulling him out of the water, and you were feeling the emotions of the town thinking they had this discovery. The way ('Heroes') told it from the musical standpoint wasn't the obvious, but it was perfect."

At the last minute, to everyone's relief, the song cleared.

Music supervision was born in film, where in the early days songs were often more about "needle-drop" set dressing and less about subtly enhancing story. Golubicc noted "2001: A Space Odyssey" - in which Stanley Kubrick cleverly used pre-existing classical pieces instead of original score - and "The Graduate's" Simon & Garfunkel soundtrack as early examples of supervision as an art form.

"I think, in a way, the irreplaceability of music to the storytelling process is a key part of it," he said. "When you started getting into the nuances of pop music and counterpoint and irony, and all the different layers of sophistication that happened, that was a switch-up."

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Quentin Tarantino and music supervisor Karyn Rachtman's use of songs in the 1994 film "Pulp Fiction" was a milestone in creative music supervision, but it spawned a decade of much less creative, more commercially driven work.

"Suddenly there was this boom of soundtracks," said Raval. "The record industry actually realized how valuable soundtracks were, and movie studios realized how huge they could be for marketing their movies. ... We would have labels ponying up over a million dollars for an advance just to make a soundtrack to a random John Travolta movie."

Soundtrack sales plummeted in the age of Napster (and now Spotify), which hollowed out music budgets. But with the proliferation of auteur-driven series on cable and streaming services like Netflix and Amazon, freedom to use music in new and surprising ways has abounded.

In all of the shows nominated - and countless others, from "Transparent" to "Fargo" to "The Leftovers" - supervisors are no longer pressured to sell records or satisfy committees. Instead, they collaborate with writers and producers, in many cases young creatives who themselves have an eclectic taste in songs, and become a vital part of the story.

"It's building a palette of sounds and ideas that are intellectually connected to each other, emotionally connected to each other, and resonant with the story that's being told," said Golubic. "If all of those elements are there, that to me is worthy of an Emmy."
American adventurer Steve Fossett looks up at the sky in front of the partially deflated capsule of his Spirit of Freedom balloon shortly after landing in Darhum Downs, 750 miles from Brisbane, Australia, Thursday, July 4, 2002. Fossett completed his record breaking solo around-the-world balloon flight. (Trevor Collens / Associated Press)

Sept. 3, 2017 is the 10th anniversary of the disappearance of Steve Fossett, the Chicago millionaire businessman who gained fame through his record-breaking feats of flight.

The 63-year-old took off in a single-engine aircraft from a ranch owned by hotel magnate Barry Hilton about 70 miles from Reno, Nev. He was believed to have been searching by air for suitable dry lake beds ahead of a world land speed record attempt, but did not file a flight plan.



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Search attempts in the Nevada desert failed to turn up wreckage of Fossett's plane. On Sept. 29, 2008, a hiker found three crumpled identification cards belonging to Fossett in the Eastern Sierra Nevada in California. Air search teams spotted the wreckage on Oct. 1. Human bones found near the crash site were confirmed by DNA tests as Fossett's remains.

What follows is the original coverage of his disappearance.

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Chicago businessman Steve Fossett, the adventurer millionaire who routinely has defied death in his pursuit of aviation records and conquests ranging from scaling some of the world's tallest mountains to swimming the length of the Golden Gate bridge at night, remained missing late Tuesday, more than a day after his plane vanished into the unforgiving Nevada desert.

More than a dozen rescue aircraft launched a grid search of the craggy, remote terrain near the western Nevada ranch from which Fossett took off Monday morning on what was to have been an easy three-hour flight.

Searchers had little clue as to where the world-famous aviator may be because he hadn't filed a flight plan before takeoff. They flew close to the uneven earth, peering into "nooks and crannies," according to Maj. Cynthia Ryan of the Nevada Civil Air Patrol, which is participating in the search for Fossett.

At the Chicago office of Larkspur Securities Inc., one of the companies headed by the trading genius who made much of his fortune on the floor of the Chicago Board Options Exchange, the mood was grim on Tuesday afternoon. Employees did little other than wait for updates on their lost boss.

"We learned about what's happening this morning from his wife," said Brian Spaeth, who has worked for Fossett for more than five years. "She sounded very panicky. We're all just sitting here now, waiting for news. We're basically just waiting, and hoping."

Wife waits at Nevada ranch

Spaeth said that Peggy Fossett, who has often been described by her husband as being risk-adverse and strongly opposed to many of his perilous adventures, was anxiously staying at the Flying M Ranch. The ranch, about 70 miles southeast of Reno, is where Steve Fossett had taken off at about 9 a.m. Monday. The Flying M, owned by hotel magnate Barron Hilton, is known as a place where aviation enthusiasts gather on weekends.

A signpost stands along a dirt road in Smith Valley, Nev., Thursday, Sept. 6, 2007. Despite a massive search effort around western Nevada, no signs were found of adventurer Steve Fossett or his small plane in the days following his disappearance. (Rich Pedroncelli / Associated Press)

According to a statement released Tuesday by Richard Branson, the British billionaire who finances many of Fossett's endeavors, the aviator had been flying the Nevada desert in search of dry lake beds that might be suitable for an adventure Fossett had planned: an attempt to set the land-speed record in a car, a vehicle whose engine once powered an Air Force fighter jet.

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Ryan said the experienced pilot had "full radio capability" when he left the Nevada ranch but hadn't made radio contact with anyone since takeoff. She maintained there was reason for hope, noting that flying conditions on Monday morning, when Fossett disappeared, were "optimal." Moreover, rescuers hadn't picked up signals from the plane's emergency location transmitter, signals that could be expected had the plane landed with heavy impact.

"This is a rescue mission," Ryan said. "Until we have more information, it will remain that."

Fossett, 63, who has a home in Beaver Creek, Colo., is perhaps best known for becoming the first person to fly around the world alone in a balloon, a challenge completed in 2002 after five attempts, including one that ended in a crash landing in a remote village in India and one in which he plummeted 29,000 feet into the Coral Sea after his balloon was shredded in severe weather.

In 2005, he set another world record as the first person to complete a solo unrefueled circumnavigation of the world, a plane trip that took 67 hours and became a fingernail-biting affair after a leak drained much of his spare oxygen and fuel.

Fossett also has set a record gliding more than 50,000 feet above the Andes Mountains, participated in the Iditarod dog sled race in Alaska, swam the English Channel and acted as skipper on the vessel that set the world sailing record for fastest circumnavigation of the globe.

As evening fell over Nevada on Tuesday, searchers in 13 aircraft continued to watch for signs of Fossett's white, blue and orange Bellanca Citabria Super Decathalon, a two-seat plane capable of aerobatic maneuvers. Most people who know him agree that even the exhilaration-loving Fossett did not do that kind of flying.

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Fossett disclaimed 'death wish'

"I'm doing these things for personal accomplishment, not the thrills," Fossett, a Stanford University graduate, once told his school's alumni magazine. "I don't do these things because I have a death wish."

Yet even those most devoted to accomplishments of aviation well recognized the reality that comes with the kinds of adventures for which Fossett is renowned.

"When you push the envelope, setting records and trying to find new means of getting things done, there is a deep and inherent risk," said Ron Kaplan, executive director of the National Aviation Hall of Fame, into which Fossett had been inducted in July.

This image shows three pieces of identification belonging to Steve Fossett found Sept. 29, 2008 by a hiker in a rugged part of eastern California. Fossett had vanished on a solo flight more than a year earlier. The pieces of identification, clockwise from top left, show a membership card from the Soaring Society of America, a Federal Aviation Administration card, and a pilot's licence from the Department of Transportation. (Rich Pedroncelli / Associated Press)

A member of a private salvage company prepares to place some of the bagged wreckage recovered from the crash site of adventurer Steve Fossett on a trailer for removal, near Mammoth Lakes, Calif., Friday, Oct. 3, 2008. (Spencer Weiner / Associated Press)

Kaplan said he and his staff had been in the process of compiling a photo album for Fossett of images from the night he was honored by the NAHF. In many of the photos, he stands with the man who introduced him that night, Dick Rutan, known for co-piloting a plane around the world in 1986.

"We hadn't even mailed that album off yet," Kaplan said.

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Another inductee, Scott Crossfield -- the first to break Mach 2 and Mach 3 -- was involved in a flying accident shortly after he was awarded the Hall of Fame honor. In 2006, Crossfield's plane was caught in adverse weather; he died in the resulting crash.

John Kugler, a longtime friend who taught Fossett ballooning and said that Fossett is a careful, capable flyer, noted he remained hopeful Fossett would be found alive. There has been speculation that Fossett might have landed somewhere to survey a lake bed and been unable to take off for some reason.

"They're going to find him on a mountainside," Kugler said. "He's going to be hungry and want some good food."

Those who knew Fossett seemed to agree Tuesday that though he clearly lived a risky lifestyle, he was not cavalier with his life.

The retired trader was described as a meticulous and careful planner who left nothing to chance; rescuers said they had been told that even for a flight of a few hours, Fossett had four full tanks of fuel on board.

Ryan, the Nevada Civil Air Patrol spokeswoman, said it wasn't unusual that Fossett hadn't filed a flight plan, because he was flying out of a remote, private airstrip.

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As admirers of Fossett awaited word, Kaplan, the director of the Aviation Hall of Fame, remembered something Fossett said during his induction in July.

"I'm hoping you didn't give me this award because you think my career is complete," the earnest, onetime Eagle Scout told the audience. "Because I'm not done."

The Associated Press contributed to this report
Doris Aguirre protests changing the status for those in the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program at Harrison Park in Chicagos Pilsen neighborhood on Sept. 3, 2017. ( Nancy Stone/Chicago Tribune )

Immigration activist Elvira Arellano led a march Sunday from a park in the Pilsen neighborhood toward U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement headquarters in the South Loop to support the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program now under review by the Trump administration.

Holding a white banner that read "Moral Movement," Arellano and about 200 other DACA supporters called on President Donald Trump to save the program created by the Obama administration that shields young immigrants from deportation and provides work permits for employment.

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"We are asking everyone to please come together and help us to fight to stay in this country," said Karen Ramirez, a Pilsen resident and DACA recipient. "At the end of the day, Dreamers are Americans too."

Immigration advocates and supporters from several groups, including Familia Latina Unida, Black Lives Matter Chicago and Refuse Fascism, gathered at Harrison Park and chanted "Si se puede" (Spanish for "Yes, we can") as they marched up 18th Street toward the Loop in support of preserving DACA.

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Ramirez, 26, said she and fellow program recipients are productive members of society who are fighting for the chance to stay in America because they consider it home.

"This is our country. This is our home. A lot of us don't even know what our native countries look like," she said.

Former President Barack Obama launched the program in 2012 for people who have been in the U.S. since 2007, were younger than 16 at the time of their arrival and were younger than 31 as of 2012.

Those enrolled can legally drive and work, but must reapply every two years. They are considered a low priority for immigration enforcement, though they are not protected from deportation.

Support for the program is not universal. Critics say it should be repealed because Obama didn't have the authority to institute it to begin with.

Now, program recipients and immigration activists are worried the Trump administration will make good on campaign promises to end the program. The White House has until Tuesday to eliminate DACA or face legal action from a group of Republican state lawmakers.

Ald. Raymond Lopez, 15th, addressed the crowd Sunday and called on the country to be united, "regardless of color and origin." He said Trump "makes a mockery" of the nation.

"No matter who is in the White House, no matter who is in Congress, you were here before them and you will be here after them," Lopez said. "Chicago is committed to being a welcoming city to everyone who wants to be here."

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Cecilia Garcia, a local immigration activist, said the program recipients will continue to march and mobilize their allies and to let the president know that there will be resistance if he moves to cancel the program.

Nationally, about 68 percent of eligible immigrants have applied for the program since 2012, according to the Migration Policy Institute. More than 886,000 people have applied and 787,580 have been approved.

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"Now we wait another day to see if the Trump administration will make 800,000 Dreamers outlaws with the stroke of a pen," Garcia said.

Illinois has the nation's fourth-largest population of DACA recipients  the highest share in the Midwest. At least 42,376 Illinoisans have been approved since March 31, according to U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services.

Current students, high school or GED course graduates and veterans are eligible for the program. They must be at least 15 to apply, unless they're in removal proceedings or have a final removal or voluntary departure order.

Immigrants who have committed a serious crime, have more than two misdemeanor convictions or are deemed to be a threat to national security are automatically disqualified.

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The White House said a decision will be announced Tuesday.

nmoreno@chicagotribune.com

Twitter @nereidamorenos
Four vans carrying 43 animals displaced by Hurricane Harvey arrived at PAWS Medical Center in the Little Village neighborhood of Chicago on Sept. 3, 2017. The animals were checked for health issues and will eventually put up for adoption. (Nancy Stone/ Chicago Tribune) (Nancy Stone / Chicago Tribune/Chicago Tribune)

The four-vehicle motorcade pulled into a Little Village parking lot with all the hoopla of a royal visit: a crowd cheered, a welcoming banner was unfurled and a dozen TV cameras jostled for the perfect shot.

The subjects of this celebrity treatment were 43 dogs and cats brought to Chicago on Sunday from flood-wrecked Houston. Some of the animals had been staying at the city's largest shelter before Hurricane Harvey struck, but others were surrendered by owners who could no longer care for them after their homes were ruined in the deluge.

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Volunteers at PAWS Chicago, a no-kill shelter, brought the animals north to begin new lives. PAWS co-founder Alexis Fasseas said the organization was trying to help clear Houston's shelter capacity before an expected glut of lost, abandoned and relinquished pets arrives.

"They usually take in 2,500 animals (a month)," she said. "This month, it's probably going to be extraordinarily higher."

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Local efforts to help animals affected by the storm continued Monday, when some 130 dogs and cats arrived on a special flight to Waukegan National Airport for adoption in Chicago.

Kim Alboum, director of the Emergency Placement Partners working with the Humane Society of the United States, said the animals were moved from Houston to make way for what is expected to be a surge in pets that wind up in shelters where flooding ravaged communities last month. To keep those new arrivals housed in the Houston area for reconnection to their families, space needed to be made immediately, Alboum said, so her network was activated.

When the word got out to groups in Chicago and around the country, the response was overwhelming, she said. More than 600 animals have been moved from Houston to date.

"The outpouring for Texas and these animals was just incredible," Alboum said. The Monday flight was funded by GreaterGood.org and flown by Wings of Rescue.

The pets arriving with PAWS Chicago on Sunday ranged from full-grown Labradors and chihuahuas to terrier puppies and assorted kittens. After emerging from the vans, they took in the crowd with tail-wagging good humor, though some appeared in need of prompt medical help.

Paula Fasseas, Alexis' mother, who started PAWS Chicago in 1997, said many of the animals arrived with medical needs  primarily ringworm and upper respiratory infections  that will have to be addressed before they're ready for adoption.

"A lot of shelters are not going to treat ringworm, mange or heartworm," she said. "These are long-term diseases that can take two or three months to cure, and you have to have a facility that can take them."

One van was reserved solely for animals with ringworm. Alexis Fasseas said that's a common malady in the humid climate of Houston, and while it is a communicable condition, it's not hard to treat  all it takes are regular baths in a medicated solution.

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PAWS is looking for foster homes that will take in animals with such minor medical needs, though Paula Fasseas said prospective foster families should not have children or other pets at home who might be subject to contagion.

"It's a great way you can really help out, because a lot of these (animals) won't need to be in our isolation rooms," she said. "They can go into a medical foster if they're not severely sick."

Those interested can consult pawschicago.org/foster.

Mark Lukas, a volunteer who traveled in one of the vans, said some of the animals came with names and histories (one was Girly, a Cairn Terrier mix that looked a bit like Dorothy's Toto, that was handed over by a woman who lost her home in the flood and could no longer care for a pet).

Lukas said the van crews learned about many of the animals' quirks and preferences.

"This is the kind of stuff we'll be able to tell potential adopters all about," he said.

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The dogs arriving at the airport Monday were scheduled to make their way to Chicago-area facilities for adoption. Alboum said Magnificent Mutts Rescue and the Anti-Cruelty Society were expected to receive the animals here, along with shelters in the Indianapolis area.

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Sadly it will probably not be the last such flight to the Chicago area, Alboum said. PAWS leaders said they too are likely to return to Houston.

"We're going to keep going down there because they're relying on us to come back," Paula Fasseas said. "There are a lot of animals they couldn't release yet. ... We want to help them long-term, not just the one time."

The silver lining is that the Chicago area has a high rate of adoption from shelters to begin with, Alboum said.

"I think Chicago should be celebrated, and people should take a step back and look at that success," she said. "The capacity for these (Houston) animals is enormous."

Tribune reporter Jeff Coen contributed.

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jkeilman@chicagotribune.com

Twitter @JohnKeilman
A man walking in the Humboldt Park neighborhood on the West Side was stabbed by a woman who attacked him Saturday night, authorities said.

The man, 20, was walking in the 2500 block of West Division Street with his sister just before 8 p.m. Saturday when a woman, between the ages of 20 and 30, ran up to him, stabbed him and fled the scene.

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The man went by private vehicle to Presence Saints Mary and Elizabeth Medical Center, where he was in good condition with a puncture wound to the shoulder.

Police were investigating. No one was in custody.
A 20-year-old Oak Park man and his 15-year-old alleged accomplice are accused of two armed robberies that happened within 20 minutes of each other on the West Side early Friday, officials said.

Damandre Henley, 20, and a 15-year-old boy were charged with two counts of armed robbery, police and prosecutors said.

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A 33-year-old man was walking with another person in the 3700 block of West Polk Street about 3:45 a.m. when a gray Jeep Grand Cherokee passed them on the street, made a U-turn and pulled up next to them, prosecutors and police said.

Henley, who was a front-seat passenger, pulled a gun and ordered them not to run, but the man's companion ignored the demand and tripped while sprinting away.

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As Henley and the juvenile got out, leaving the driver inside, the 33-year-old spotted their faces when surgical masks they were wearing slipped off, prosecutors said.

Henley held the gun to the victim's head and threatened to shoot him if he moved as the boy went through his pockets, taking his iPhone, wallet, $500 cash and a $2,000 bank note that he'd purchased "for a trip to Disney,'' prosecutors said.

After the robbers got back into the Jeep and sped away, the man called police, giving officers their descriptions.

Twenty minutes later, about a mile and a half away, a 38-year-old man was walking through an alley in the 200 block of South Cicero Avenue when the gray Cherokee pulled up.

Henley and the boy, both wearing surgical masks, got out, and the boy pointed a gun at the man's face, saying he would shoot him if he tried to run, prosecutors said.

The man raised his hands, and Henley went through his pockets, taking his cellphone and wallet. The robbers drove away in the Jeep.

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Patrol officers in the area saw the Jeep "fleeing the wrong way down a one-way street'' and pursued it until it crashed in the 3400 block of West Grenshaw Street. Its occupants ran away, and police gave chase on foot, eventually taking the boy and Henley into custody.

Police recovered their masks thrown into a yard during the chase and also found in their possession "several cellphones'' including the one belonging to the Polk Street victim.

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At this point, they are only charged with two robberies, but prosecutors said the Jeep also contained "numerous items suspected to be proceeds from other robberies.''

Henley, a parolee, was ordered held on $450,000 bail during a hearing Saturday afternoon, official said.

Henley was released from Pinckneyville Correctional Center in January after being sentenced to three years following a drug-related conviction, according to the Illinois Department of Corrections.

Henley's attorney said he attended Oak Park High School and lives in the 500 block of North Humphrey Avenue in Oak Park.

Court information for the 15-year-old was not immediately available.
In this undated image distributed on Sunday, Sept. 3, 2017, by the North Korean government, shows North Korean leader Kim Jong Un at an undisclosed location. (AP)

TOKYO  North Korea on Sunday claimed a "perfect success" for its most powerful nuclear test so far, a further step in the development of weapons capable of striking anywhere in the United States. President Donald Trump said the latest provocation reinforces the danger facing America and that "talk of appeasement" is pointless.

"They only understand one thing!" Trump said in a tweet, without elaboration, as he prepared to meet later with his national security team. It was the first nuclear test since Trump took office in January.

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The precise strength of the explosion, described by state-controlled media in North Korea as a hydrogen bomb, has yet to be determined. South Korea's weather agency said the artificial earthquake caused by the explosion was five times to six times stronger than tremors generated by the North's previous five such tests. The impact reportedly shook buildings in China and in Russia.

Trump warned last month that the U.S. military was "locked and loaded, should North Korea act unwisely" and that the U.S. would unleash "fire and fury" on the North if it continued to threaten America. The bellicose words followed threats from North Korea to launch ballistic missiles toward the U.S. Pacific territory of Guam, intending to create "enveloping fire" near the military hub that's home to U.S. bombers.

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The North's latest test was carried out at 12:29 p.m. local time at the Punggye-ri site where it has conducted past nuclear tests. Officials in Seoul put the magnitude at 5.7; the U.S. Geological Survey said it was a magnitude 6.3. The strongest artificial quake from previous tests was a magnitude 5.3.

"North Korea has conducted a major Nuclear Test. Their words and actions continue to be very hostile and dangerous to the United States," Trump said in the first of a series of tweets.

He branded North Korea "a rogue nation which has become a great threat and embarrassment to China, which is trying to help but with little success."

China is by far the North's biggest trading partner, but Trump appeared to be more critical of South Korean President Moon Jae-in, who has attempted to reach out to the North.

"South Korea is finding, as I have told them, that their talk of appeasement with North Korea will not work, they only understand one thing!" Trump said.

North Korea's state-run television broadcast a special bulletin to announce the test and said leader Kim Jong Un attended a meeting of the ruling party's presidium and signed the go-ahead order. Earlier, the party's newspaper ran a front-page story showing photos of Kim examining what it said was a nuclear warhead being fitted onto the nose of an intercontinental ballistic missile.

Sunday's detonation builds on recent North Korean advances that include test launches in July of two ICBMs that are believed to be capable of reaching the mainland U.S. The North says its missile development is part of a defensive effort to build a viable nuclear deterrent that can target U.S. cities.

China's foreign ministry said in a statement that the Beijing government has "expressed firm opposition and strong condemnation" and urged North Korea to "stop taking erroneous actions that deteriorate the situation."

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South Korea held a National Security Council meeting chaired by Moon. Officials in Seoul also said Trump's national security adviser, H.R. McMaster, spoke with his South Korean counterpart for 20 minutes about an hour after the detonation.

Japan's Prime Minister Shinzo Abe called the test "absolutely unacceptable."

Nuclear tests are crucial to perfecting sophisticated technologies and to demonstrating to the world that claims of nuclear prowess are not merely a bluff.

The North claimed the device it tested was a thermonuclear weapon  commonly called a hydrogen bomb. That could be hard to independently confirm. It said the underground test site did not leak radioactive materials, which would make such a determination even harder.

At the same time, the simple power of the blast was convincing. Japan's Defense Minister Itsunori Onodera said it might have been as powerful as 70 kilotons. North Korea's previous largest was thought to be anywhere from 10 to 30 kilotons.

"We cannot deny it was an H-bomb test," Onodera said.

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North Korea conducted two nuclear tests last year and has been launching missiles at a record pace this year. It fired a potentially nuclear-capable midrange missile over northern Japan last week in response to ongoing U.S.-South Korea military exercises.

It said that launch was the "curtain raiser" for more activity to come.

Just before Sunday's test, according to state media, Kim and the other senior leaders at the party presidium meeting discussed "detailed ways and measures for containing the U.S. and other hostile forces' vicious moves for sanctions."

The photos released earlier showed Kim talking with his lieutenants as he observed a silver, peanut-shaped device that the state-run media said was designed to be mounted on the North's "Hwasong-14" ICBM.

The North claims the device was made domestically and has explosive power that can range from tens to hundreds of kilotons. For context, the bomb dropped on Hiroshima by the U.S. had a 15-kiloton yield.

North Korea's recent activity has been especially bold.

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The North followed its two ICBM tests by announcing a plan to fire intermediate range missiles toward Guam. Kim signed off on the plan, but is watching the moves by the U.S. before deciding when or whether to carry it out.

Guam is a sore point for the North because it is home to a squadron of B-1B bombers that the North fears could be used to attack their country. The U.S. on Thursday had sent the bombers and F-35 stealth fighters to the sky over South Korea in a show of force  and North Korea strongly protested.

Options to pressure Pyongyang would appear to be limited. Further economic and trade sanctions, increased diplomatic pressure and boosting military maneuvers or shows of force would likely all be on the table.

The two Koreas have shared the world's most heavily fortified border since their war in the early 1950s ended with an armistice, not a peace treaty. About 28,500 American troops are deployed in South Korea as deterrence against North Korea.

AP writers Foster Klug, Youkyung Lee and Kim Tong-hyung in Seoul, Gillian Wong in Beijing and Mari Yamaguchi in Tokyo contributed to this report.
A crew member with California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection (Cal Fire) battles a brushfire on the hillside in Burbank, Calif., on Sept. 2, 2017. (Ringo H.W. Chiu / AP)

HOOD RIVER, Ore.  More than 100 hikers in Oregon who were trapped between two wildfires were awaiting rescue Sunday on a popular trail outside the Portland area.

Officials reported that they had rescued six of the hikers Sunday morning, who were among about 140 forced to spend the night outside near Tunnel Falls after a fire broke out near the popular Columbia River Gorge trail about 90 miles east of Portland.

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Mountain Wave Search and Rescue president Russ Gubele says search and rescue teams were walking the hikers out toward Wahtum Lake.

On Saturday, 14 hikers were brought out and returned to Eagle Creek and three hikers were rescued by National Guard helicopter. Mountain Wave dropped supplies to the remaining hikers overnight.

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Authorities say the wildfire had grown to almost 5 square miles by Sunday. A portion of the Eagle Creek Trail had been closed for weeks because of another fire that erupted July 4.

About 130 homes in Cascade Locks were under evacuation orders because of the flames from the more recent wildfire. A Red Cross shelter was set up at the Skamania County Fairgrounds, across the Columbia River in Stevenson, Washington.
WASHINGTON  President Donald Trump has instructed advisers to prepare to withdraw the United States from a free-trade agreement with South Korea, several people close to the process said, a move that would stoke economic tensions with the U.S. ally as both countries confront a crisis over North Korea's nuclear weapons program.

Withdrawing from the trade deal would back up Trump's promises to crack down on what he considers unfair trade competition from other countries, but his top national security and economic advisers are pushing him to abandon the plan, arguing it would hamper U.S. economic growth and strain ties with an important ally. Officials including national security adviser H.R. McMaster, Defense Secretary Jim Mattis and National Economic Council director Gary Cohn oppose withdrawal, said people familiar with the process who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss internal White House deliberations.

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Although it is still possible Trump could decide to stay in the agreement to renegotiate its terms, the internal preparations for terminating the deal are far along, and the formal withdrawal process could begin as soon as this week, the people said.

A White House spokeswoman said "discussions are ongoing, but we have no announcements at this time."

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Rolling back free-trade agreements was a top priority of some of the senior members of the Trump administration who have left in recent weeks, including former chief strategist Stephen Bannon. Bannon often found himself outmaneuvered internally by Cohn and others who aligned with business groups to warn of the economic consequences of withdrawing from trade deals, but Trump's pursuit of terminating the South Korea deal appears to demonstrate the president's personal commitment to reverse U.S. policymakers' long-standing pursuit of free trade.

Trump has threatened before to withdraw from trade pacts only to pull back, but his threat to South Korea comes as the two countries look to create a united front against North Korea at a time when military tensions are at their highest level in years.

As if to underscore the point, North Korea said Sunday that it had developed a more advanced nuclear bomb with "great destructive power," releasing photos of Kim Jong Un inspecting what it said was a hydrogen bomb that could be attached to a missile capable of reaching the mainland United States.

All the components of the "H-bomb" were "homemade" so North Korea could produce "powerful nuclear weapons as many as it wants," the state-run Korean Central News Agency quoted Kim as saying.

North Korea's latest pronouncement could not be verified. It claimed that a nuclear test in January last year was of a hydrogen bomb but experts said the seismic waves generated were consistent with an ordinary nuclear device, not a thermonuclear one.

The U.S.-South Korea deal, which was reached in 2007 and went into effect in 2012, reduces trade barriers between the two countries. Proponents say it gives U.S. companies more access to the wealthy South Korean economy, but critics charge that South Korea has reaped a greater share of the benefits of the deal, an allegation Trump has personally echoed multiple times since his election while calling for changes to the deal.

South Korea elected a new president, Moon Jae-in, in May, and Trump has been frustrated that Moon is not willing to accept the initial U.S. trade demands, several trade experts said. Foreign leaders at first worked hard to build strong relations with Trump, but there has been a marked change in recent months as numerous leaders have stood up to his brand of nationalism.

South Korean media have been telling trade representatives in Seoul to stand their ground against the United States in the renegotiations.

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"The North Korean nuclear crisis is pushing tension on this divided peninsula to new highs," the Korea Times wrote in an editorial. "But that should be no reason for Seoul to put its economic interests far behind security matters, weakening its bargaining leverage and playing into the hands of the U.S. leader, the self-styled 'artist of the deal.' "

Trump is "playing with fire," said Gary Schmitt, co-director of the Marilyn Ware Center for Security Studies at the American Enterprise Institute. "There is a new president in South Korea whose instincts probably are to be probably not as pro-America as his predecessor, and now you are putting him in a situation where he has to react. In fact, what you need now is as much cooperation as possible."

White House advisers are trying to stop Trump from withdrawing from the South Korea free-trade agreement in part because they do not want to isolate the government in Seoul during a perilous time on the Korean Peninsula. North Korea has become increasingly adversarial with its missile program, testing nuclear weapons and firing missiles over Japan in a way that has alarmed the international community.

Wendy Cutler, who was the chief U.S. negotiator for the free-trade agreement, said the prospect of canceling the deal could not come at a worse time.

"If not handled carefully, the latest impasse could lead to renewed trade tension between the U.S. and Korea," she wrote in the Hill this week. "It also takes place at a time, after exceedingly threatening North Korean missile tests, when the bilateral alliance could not be more important."

South Korea is the sixth-largest goods trading partner with the United States, accounting for $112.2 billion in two-way trade last year, according to the U.S. trade representative. U.S. companies exported $42.3 billion in goods to South Korea and imported $69.9 billion in goods last year, leaving a trade deficit of $27.7 billion.

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Trump and Moon spoke on the phone late Friday, but a readout of the call provided by the White House referenced only national security issues and did not mention the escalating trade dispute.

If Trump withdraws from the agreement, he could try to force South Korea to import more U.S. products with little to no import restrictions, something he believes will help U.S. companies and workers. South Korea could also decide to refuse any discussions with Trump, kicking off a trade war between the countries.

Withdrawing from the deal could lead to a large increase on tariffs levied against products the United States imports from South Korea, such as electronics, cellphones and automobiles. South Korea would also immediately start charging very high tariffs on goods and services imported into its country. Chad Bown, who served as an economist in the White House during the Obama administration, said the tariff the U.S. government charges against many Korean imports would rise from 0 to 3.5 percent. The tariff South Korea charges against U.S. imports would rise from 0 to almost 14 percent, making it harder for U.S. companies to find buyers there.

The Pentagon referred a request for comment to the Commerce Department, which did not respond. Trump's consideration of starting the process to pull out of the deal was first reported by Inside U.S. Trade.

In July, U.S. Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer revealed some of Trump's complaints with the South Korea deal during a special session that was called in an attempt by the White House to begin renegotiations.

Lighthizer said at the time that since 2012, the U.S. "trade deficit in goods with Korea has doubled from $13.2 billion to $27.6 billion, while U.S. goods exports have actually gone down. This is quite different from what the previous Administration sold to the American people when it urged approval of this Agreement. We can and must do better."

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South Korea, though, has so far refused to renegotiate the trade deal.

In an April interview with The Washington Post, Trump called the agreement "a horrible deal" that has left America "destroyed."

"With the Korean deal, we terminate and it's over," Trump told The Post in that interview.

Trump has expressed widespread frustration that he has not been able to follow through on campaign promises to rip up trade deals he argues have disadvantaged U.S. workers. He came close several months ago to starting a withdrawal from the North American Free Trade Agreement, but he stopped short after intense lobbying by advisers and the business community.

But in recent days, he has said he might still withdraw from NAFTA, accusing Mexico in particular of refraining to offer concessions during negotiations.

Trump has said many countries that export more goods to the United States than they import are fleecing U.S. workers and consumers.

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The U.S.-South Korea free-trade agreement, known as KORUS, allows the United States to terminate it after six months if it wishes to. So if Trump signed a letter to withdraw from the agreement, the deal would effectively be terminated in March 2018. KORUS was approved by Congress, but Trump could to pull out of the agreement on his own.

The Washington Post's Anna Fifield in Tokyo and Thomas Gibbons-Neff in Washington contributed to this report.
Syrian government soldiers and allied fighters have advanced further towards a government enclave besieged by the Islamic State group in the country's east, a monitor said on Sunday.

Syria's army, backed by Russian military support, has been advancing towards Deir Ezzor city for weeks on several fronts.

On Sunday, forces advanced to within 10 kilometres (six miles) to the west of the city, the provincial capital, and a besieged military base, the Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said.

They also seized the Al-Kharata oilfield in resource-rich Deir Ezzor province, the monitor said.

IS jihadists have held much of Deir Ezzor province and besieged government forces and civilians inside Deir Ezzor city since 2015.

The city's residents have survived in part thanks to airdropped humanitarian assistance during the years-long siege.

Syria's army is advancing towards the besieged enclave from several fronts including from Raqqa province to the west and central Homs province to the south.

A convoy of IS group fighters and civilians evacuated from the Lebanon-Syria border and headed towards Deir Ezzor remains stranded short of its destination meanwhile, the US-led anti-jihadist coalition said.

The convoy of 17 buses started out on Monday headed for the IS group -held town of Albu Kamal under a deal negotiated by Syria's government and its Lebanese ally Hezbollah, a militant group.

But the US-led coalition bombed the convoy's route and targeted IS group fighters attempting to reach the buses, insisting it would not allow militants to reach Albu Kamal on the border between Syria and Iraq.

On Sunday, the coalition said the convoy had split into two groups, with some buses remaining in the open desert northwest of Albu Kamal and the rest headed west towards Palmyra in central Homs, an area held by Syria's government.

It said it had offered a plan to save women and children in the convoy "further suffering", but gave no details.

"We will continue to monitor the convoy, but not allow it to link up with ISIS in the Euphrates River Valley," the coalition added, using a different acronym for IS group.

The statement said coalition strikes had not targeted the convoy, but had killed around 85 IS group fighters seeking to facilitate the movement of the buses.

Hezbollah has defended the deal, and accused Washington of facilitating similar IS group withdrawals elsewhere.

But Iraq's government criticised the agreement as "unacceptable".

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Margo Strotter at her Bronzeville restaurant Ain't She Sweet Cafe on Aug. 31, 2017. Strotter recently participated in a video for the Obama Foundation about the South Side. (Brian Cassella / Chicago Tribune) (Brian Cassella)

It's only a 58-second video, but for Jahmal Cole, it was a chance to change some minds.

So in the short clip now circulating on social media, Cole boasts about the long legacy of African-American homeownership, block clubs and neighborhood activism in Chatham  the South Side community he calls home.

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"What you always hear about the South Side  all you hear about is the violence," said Cole, who runs the nonprofit organization My Block, My Hood, My City that takes teenagers to tour neighborhoods across the city. "But we have great architecture, great food, great culture. People need to see that. They need to see people on the ground getting it done. A limited mindset is what's holding our community back."

As plans to construct the Obama Presidential Center in Jackson Park are being sketched out, the Obama Foundation still has to raise hundreds of millions of dollars to fund the construction, obtain city permits, select contractors and hire staff. It has to win favor from a community that has an inherent distrust of large, outside institutions.

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But the organization also has to tackle a larger issue: the national and international perception of the South Side at a time when the city is being branded by President Donald Trump as a center of violence, poverty and strife.

Indeed, in Woodlawn, the community just west of where the center's campus will be located, per capita yearly income is $18,900 and the unemployment rate is 1.5 times the rest of Chicago according to Census data. Along with other communities on the South and West sides, it has experienced a disproportionate amount of violence.

Yet, foundation leaders say, media coverage and the national conversation has overshadowed success stories.

Recently, the foundation released a series of short videos on its Twitter and Instagram pages that pushes back at that narrative and present a different story.

For some, the move illustrates one of the tougher challenges the organization faces, and that is convincing outsiders to not only travel farther south than most of the popular tourist attractions, but to stay and patronize the rest of the community.

"(The foundation seems) to be trying to see beyond just President Barack Obama and see the whole community," said Benjamin Hufbauer, a professor at the University of Louisville who is an expert on presidential libraries and museums. "That's somewhat different than how other presidential centers have engaged the public."

The video series is also unusual because rather than spotlight the president, which is what nearly all the other presidential centers do with their social media pages, this effort highlights ordinary residents, Hufbauer said.

"The center will probably have a certain amount of spin and will brand Obama in a certain way  all presidential centers do," he said. "But Chicago is a complicated and tough city  the residents there probably wouldn't accept a center that is just PR or ego boosting. There has to be more there."

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The social media push comes about two years after the foundation's chair, Martin Nesbitt, told a group of civic leaders and elected officials that the city needed to get its house in order before the center is constructed. By deciding to place the center in the midst of a low-income, African-American community, the president and first lady wanted it to have an impact by bringing money and jobs. But with the world watching, Chicago needs to demonstrate it can fix its own problems, Nesbitt said at the time.

The release of the short videos came just before officials announced the creation of a new nonprofit that is charged with helping spur economic development in the nearby neighborhoods of Woodlawn, South Shore and Washington Park.

Former U.S. Education Secretary Arne Duncan and advertising executive Sherman Wright were selected to lead a 25-member committee made up of community activists, business owners, University of Chicago executives and clergy. The group was organized, in part, by the Chicago Community Trust.

But the social media videos do something different than spur community development, said Pepper Miller, a Chicago-based marketing consultant who is not affiliated with the foundation. They highlight a segment of the community that often feels overlooked while at the same time promoting the area as ripe for investment, she said.

"From my view, it looks strategic, it seems intentional. But it's much-needed," she said of what she sees as a rebranding effort. "The black community has always embraced Obama. This seems like a way to try to include us and think about the way he can have a bigger impact."

When he was president, Obama couldn't focus specifically on Chicago's black community, Miller said. But with this social media push, his foundation's staff can promote and make sure diverse voices are included in the overall vision and gains of the center, she said.

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"The Obama Center is not just for Chicago, it is a national and global destination, so the entire community has to be viewed as attractive," she said. "This strategy can work if they are consistent with the message. There has to be a long-term message that builds momentum and reveals a whole other side that people outside don't see."

Michael Strautmanis, the vice president for civic engagement with the Obama Foundation, says the new messaging is neither an attempt to recast the South Side or create allies among stakeholders in the community. Rather, it's the foundation's way of using its platform as a megaphone for others who have been organizing for years before the center was even launched.

"The prevailing narrative is inaccurate and incomplete," he said in a recent interview. "It paints the people as doing nothing and not caring about their lives or their destinies. It was important for us to give voice to the people we've met and talked to and use their stories to shed light."

The videos simply allow South Siders to speak up for themselves, Strautmanis said.

"This is part of what the president has said he wants to do in the next stages of his career," he said. "He knows he can use his platform to inspire people to help create solutions to our problems and be the solution. These are the people who are doing that here, now."

Residents didn't get paid to participate in the videos. It took only hours to tape them and edit them into minute-long packages, both the participants and foundation officials said.

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The video clips take the foundation's nearly 1 million viewers into Pilsen, Englewood and the Grand Boulevard section of Bronzeville  areas that are miles away from where the center will be located.

Emile Cambry, who runs the nonprofit tech incubator Blue 1647 in Pilsen, said he got an email inviting him to be profiled. He thought it was an exciting way to reach a new audience.

"Chicago has gotten a bad rap nationally," he said. "When you talk to outsiders, they don't know about all the good people who are combating the negative. I always say there are a lot of creative people here doing work, and we just need our platforms elevated."

Since the clip was released out by the foundation, Cambry said he has seen the response.

"It's the most viral video we've ever had," he said. "More people are getting to hear my story and see the space. I'd like to think they see the authenticity of what we do and our reasons."

With the development of the center, change is going to come to Bronzeville, said Margo Strotter, the owner of Ain't She Sweet Cafe. She wanted to tell her story to spur the type of investment she made 11 years ago.

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"I've always been about providing jobs for people in the neighborhood  hiring folks like me that grew up on the South Side and found it difficult to find work," she said.

"That's what we think the center will do: bring jobs to a place that needs them," she said. "They approached me to tape, and I'm on board," she said.

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In Cole's clip, he walks down a residential block and the camera captures him among the handsome brick bungalows set back from the glowing, manicured lawns. Like the others who were profiled, he never refers to Obama and doesn't talk about the center at all.

Instead he talks quickly about the work his organization does and his motivations.

"The video not only highlighted me, but the community," he said. "My followers went up by a few hundred people and I got words from people all over the world."

But there's another reason besides changing the minds of outsiders that Cole is excited about the videos, he said.

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"This is good for us here too  to see these videos," he said. "It's a good look  it reminds us what we already have."

lbowean@chicagotribune.com

Twitter @lollybowean
The first step in thinking through a problem is to ask whether it's a problem at all. Problems without solutions, the saying goes, aren't problems. They're facts.

Some people argue that a nuclear-armed North Korea is less of a problem and more of a fact. Murderous doughboy Kim Jong Un will never give up his nuclear toys. And let's face it: He would be stupid to.

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Perhaps the one true lesson of the last half-century of geopolitics is that the only way ambitious criminal regimes can protect themselves from outside threats is to have a nuclear deterrent. That was probably one of the last thoughts to go through Moammar Gadhafi's mind before the Libyan dictator was killed by a United Nations-backed mob.

Advocates of more "strategic patience" argue that we should just accept a nuclear-armed North Korea and rely on the time-tested policy of nuclear deterrence. It's not a bad argument, but it has problems. Nuclear weapons have uses other than simply laying waste to cities. The chief one, as I already mentioned, is they take regime change off the table forever. Hence North Korea's primary demand: permanent recognition of the illegitimate regime's legitimacy. Nukes also provide all manner of maneuvering room.

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For instance, Iran, another country with a horrible government, wants a nuclear arsenal very badly. While the Israelis are worried  for understandable reasons  that the Iranians might one day use it against Israel, that's not the only reason it would be bad for Iran to have the bomb. Iran wants to be a regional hegemon able to meddle far beyond its own borders. Having nukes makes that much easier because it raises the stakes of any military confrontation.

North Korea, the so-called Hermit Kingdom, does not have any territorial ambitions, nor is it much interested in interacting with the rest of the world. The regime's existence depends on keeping the population ignorant of just how terrible they have it compared with nearly every other country in the world. But the North Korean regime is best understood as a monarchy that operates a criminal enterprise.

It makes much of its money through counterfeiting, sex and drug trafficking, and numerous other schemes. Among its biggest profit centers is extortion from the "international community." For 25 years, it has been taking bribes to delay its nuclear program, as President Donald Trump rightly noted on Twitter recently. And, obviously, the regime lied every time.

North Korea has also exported nuclear and missile technology to rogue nations such as Iran and Syria. Who really thinks that Kim will give up his business model?

If it were easy, the wisest course of policy would be to decapitate the North Korean regime. But that wouldn't be easy at all.

A conventional war would be over relatively quickly  so long as China stayed out of it  but not quickly enough to prevent the destruction of South Korea's capital and the deaths of millions of people, including thousands of Americans.

Another widely discussed solution would be to induce China to overthrow the regime and install a puppet government. China could probably do it relatively easily. It surely has lots of North Korean generals on the payroll already. But there are problems with this, too. China would demand a high price: total removal of American forces in South Korea and a tacit acknowledgment that China is the uncontested hegemon of the region.

Such a "grand bargain would effectively transfer America's dominance to China," Hoover Institution scholar Michael Auslin writes in the Los Angeles Times. "No matter how the White House spun such a deal, world leaders would infer that the U.S. had gone hat in hand to China." The impact on South Korean politics, never mind Japan's, would be tumultuous at best. So what to do? Well, the first thing is to recognize that there are no good solutions.

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But perhaps the least bad option would be to openly declare that America already considers the North Korean regime to be China's puppet, and that North Korean misdeeds are really Chinese misdeeds.

That would come at a price, too. But it would incentivize China either to rein in the North Korean regime or, eventually, get rid of it.

Tribune Content Agency

Jonah Goldberg is a fellow at the American Enterprise Institute and a senior editor of National Review.

goldbergcolumn@gmail.com

Twitter @JonahNRO
I preface this piece with a heartfelt expression of sympathy to the families of the sailors lost in the recent naval collisions. That being said, one needs to ask, what the heck is going on? In less than a year we've lost two destroyers and two cruisers to collisions in the Pacific Ocean. I understand the adage that we're living in a shrinking world due to globalization, but this is ridiculous.

When I can hone in on a specific piece of property from a satellite, why can't the Navy avoid collisions in the Pacific? I hate to pile on, but what about the "Wrong Way" Corrigan-style snafu when a Navy armada (aircraft carrier strike force) supposedly steaming toward North Korea ends up at a "shrimp on the barbie" rendezvous with the Australians.

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Might I make a suggestion? Have the Navy send a high-level entourage to spend a Sunday afternoon in July on the Chain O' Lakes and watch how navigating a waterway is done. Then pluck four captains from the four largest Bayliners traversing the waters and commission them to Naval Station Norfolk to train the Navy's captains. The point being, if you can dock a boat at Blarney Island in the middle of the chain on a Sunday, you can certainly avoid a collision in the Pacific Ocean.

 Steve Moore, Cary
Two new taxes may be in Oswego's future.

Trustees will vote Tuesday night on a four-cent per gallon motor fuel tax and a 1 percent tax on the sale of food and beverages prepared for immediate consumption.

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Village officials said Oswego needs more revenue to help pay for future projects. The motor fuel tax would generate approximately $600,000 a year, which village officials said would be used for road improvements and maintenance. The food and beverage tax would bring in an estimated $500,000 a year, with the money pegged to support general operating costs.

"The seriousness of our financial situation is due in part to poor long-term planning and lack of infrastructure investment over the past decade," Village Administrator Dan Di Santo said.

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Di Santo said new revenue sources are needed. He said it is vital for the village's future growth to have a proper road maintenance program and reinvest in downtown infrastructure.

Di Santo said all of the village's revenue sources are experiencing issues. He said sales and income taxes have remained flat over the past two years and the Village Board has held property taxes at the same level for several years.

The new state of Illinois budget results in a loss to Oswego of $416,000 in state funds this fiscal year and $116,000 in each subsequent fiscal year.

He said the shift to internet shopping and an overall change in consumer shopping habits have reduced local sales tax revenues. Rising public pension costs and slowed residential growth resulting in a lack of impact fees have impacted the budget as well, he said.

Di Santo said the village intends to continue to focus on what it can do to control its expenses. He said fiscal year 2018 budgeted operating expenditures are 0.7 percent lower than they were in fiscal year 2015. The village's staffing levels remain much lower with 119 full-time employees than they were in fiscal year 2009 when the village had a workforce of 134 employees.

The village has also begun to share services with neighboring communities.

Di Santo said without the proposed taxes, the village would be looking at significant staffing and service cuts in brush pickup, leaf collection, special events and mosquito spraying or reducing levels of road maintenance, snow removal and tree trimming.

It would be "short-sighted" to eliminate staff and services, he said.

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Di Santo said village staff presented several options for raising revenue.

"Initially staff recommended $3.4 million in new revenues to cover the next five years of projections, but the board recommended just over $1 million, which should cover us for the next two to three years. We are comfortable with this strategy since we are seeing a significant uptick in residential and commercial development interest," he said.

Di Santo said village trustees favored the food and beverage tax and local motor fuel tax for several reasons.

He said roughly 60 percent of these taxes are projected to be paid by non-residents and "both taxes are consumption-based" meaning customers make the choice of if and how they pay them. Di Santo also said the taxes are in line with what other communities have implemented.

Di Santo said the food and beverage tax will impact businesses that sell food, alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages that can be consumed on the premises in which they are purchased, such as restaurants, taverns, coffee shops and ice cream parlors.

Di Santo said Aurora, Plainfield, and Naperville have a four-cent per gallon local motor fuel tax. He said Aurora has a 1.75 percent food and beverage tax, while Naperville has imposed 1 percent citywide and 2 percent downtown food and beverage taxes.

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He said the decision as to when the taxes would go into effect is up to the Village Board. Based on the proposed ordinances, the taxes could go into effect this year if they are approved Tuesday, possibly over the next several weeks, once staff has provided notice to local businesses.

Village President Gail Johnson said they are focusing on all areas of the village.

"If we fail to adequately fund the vision and plan for Oswego, the services infrastructure, economic development, festivals, and the staff who provide them are in peril. We are committed to doing the right thing at the right time for Oswego. We have learned from the mistakes of others and will make the tough decisions now so that we ensure a bright and prosperous future for our residents," Johnson said.

Linda Girardi is a freelance reporter for The Beacon-News.
The Ultimate Air Dogs Show is a popular attraction at Yorkvilles annual Hometown Days festival. The festival runs Aug. 29-Sept. 1 at Beecher Park. (David Sharos / The Beacon-News )

A hometown is where you put down roots and create traditions, and for Laurie Williams, Yorkville is that place.

"It's just a great community. I've lived here 20 years and have probably come to our end-of-the summer festival about 18 of those years," Williams said. "This is sort of a stamp of what Yorkville is. The city has grown, but you still have that hometown feel."

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Thousands of Yorkville residents and visitors from other communities joined Williams Saturday at Beecher Community Park to celebrate Yorkville's 25th annual Hometown Days Festival, which opened Friday night and continues through Sunday night.

Organizers said 20,000 to 25,000 people were expected to attend over the course of the three-day event, checking out such attractions as a car show, carnival, dog races, locally sourced food, beer, live music and, new this year, a rum and vodka tasting.

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Shay Remus, superintendent of recreation for the Yorkville Park District, said there is significance in the festival's silver jubilee.

"The fact that we'd had this a quarter of a century shows the resilience of Yorkville coming together each year at the end of summer, and we continue to get a huge response from our community organizations that shows the heart of Yorkville," Remus said. "The biggest thing we do in the planning each year is to try and make sure there are things for everyone to enjoy.

"We have eight bands that will perform throughout the weekend, and we try to include a great variety of food from our local vendors," she said.

Williams said it was fun "to see the neighbors you might not have seen since last year," something Yorkville resident Crystal Nieland also mentioned.

"Yorkville is like a local place, and it seems like everybody is from here," she said. "You see the same people again and again. I love coming here for the craft show and also going over to the library to buy used books."

Mark Van Dyke and his wife Marcia said they also planned to visit the used book sale. They compared the Hometown Days Festival to the Last Fling in Naperville, where they used to live.

"This event is obviously smaller and not as crowded, and to me it's a lot more casual," Mark Van Dyke said. "It's always sort of sentimental because this means summer is ending and school is back in session."

Yorkville's April Brossett said she moved to the community a year ago but has been to the festival three times.

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"I like the fact that the community businesses are represented here, and love the setting and the rides," she said. "I love seeing the flying dogs each year, and I'm coming back here later to hear the bands. I'm going to make a whole day of it."

Greg and Jamie Chipman, of Yorkville, watched dogs diving off a platform into a water tank to retrieve things, and said their son and daughter were enjoying the animals and looking forward to the bounce house and rides.

"The kids love this, and we couldn't drive by without coming here," Jamie Chipman said.

The Chipmans' daughter, Layla, 3, admitted she "couldn't jump as far as the dogs" and she wasn't sure she wanted to try the rides she saw spinning to her right.

"That looks too scary over there," she said, gazing at the Ferris wheel. "I'll have to try some other rides."

Local hot dog vendor Jeff Hahn, who owns Home Plate Hot Dogs in Yorkville, said he has been part of the local festival for about 20 years. He predicted he'd sell 500 to 600 wieners before the weekend was over.

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"This is just like our 4th of July event," Hahn said as he slathered mustard and onions on a customer's hot dog. "It's a hometown thing and everybody comes."

David Sharos is a freelance reporter for The Beacon-News.
Northbrook police said a Glenbrook North High School employee has been charged with felony aggravated unlawful use of a weapon and impersonating a police officer in connection with a late-night incident on school property.

Police said Steven Schulhof, 60, of the 2600 block of Golden Rod Lane in Glenview, crashed his car into a pole near midnight on Aug. 26 in the Glenbrook North parking lot, then was found by officers to have a loaded gun. Police said Schulhof, attempting to excuse his possession of the weapon, showed officers a badge that was not issued by any law enforcement agency. Schulhof also was charged with failure to obtain a concealed-carry permit, according to police.

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Schulhof could not be reached for comment, but a Glenbrook School District 225 official said Schulhof is a hall monitor who is not authorized to be armed on campus.

In response to a request for information about Schulhof's arrest, District 225 released a statement saying Schulhof has been put on administrative leave and is "not allowed on school property or at school events until further notice." The release noted that the incident took place after school hours and did not involve any students.

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Schulhof was hired as a para-professional  an employee without a teaching or administration certification  in 2000, District 225 spokeswoman Karen Geddeis said Tuesday. He works seven hours a day, 186.5 days per year.

"He monitors the hallways and open spaces," she said, via email, and she said his job does not involve firearms.

"The only person who is allowed to carry a weapon on our campus is our police school resource officer," Geddeis said.

Police were called around 11:30 p.m. to a Glenbrook North parking lot where they found Schulhof's car had been backed into a light pole, Northbrook Police Department spokesman Tom Moore said.

Moore said that Schulhof told police he was in the parking lot to train his German shepherd dog.

Police said that as Schulhof was waiting for a tow truck, he was seen taking items, including a loaded handgun, out of the car. Authorities said that he had no concealed-carry permit but showed officers a badge clipped to his waistband to avoid the weapon charge.

After officers determined Schulhof was not a member of a law enforcement agency, he was charged with impersonating a police officer, according to police.

Schulhof is a state-licensed private detective, according to the Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation. He first held a private-eye license in 1995, according to the agency, which reported that he also has a valid Illinois firearm owner's identification card, and that he has never faced discipline from the IDFPR.

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Moore said that there were no occupants in Schulhof's car other than the dog.

He was released on $50,000 bond, according to authorities.

ileavitt@pioneerlocal.com

Twitter @IrvLeavitt
Sue Maloney is the Naperville Newcomers and Neighbors Club member of the month for September. (Sue Maloney)

Each month the Naperville Sun publishes a question-and-answer profile of a member of the Naperville Newcomers and Neighbors Club. The September member of the month is Sue Maloney.

Tell us about yourself.

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I was born in Santa Monica, Calif. My family moved several times as I was growing up  Camarillo, Manhattan Beach and San Diego, to name a few.

I met my husband, Mike, in 1984 while playing volleyball with mutual work friends in Manhattan Beach. We got married a year later, and immediately moved to the Chicagoland area for Mike's job with General Reinsurance. I also transferred with my job as a sales representative with Phillip Morris USA.

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We lived in Lisle for five years. My husband's job took us back out west to the San Francisco Bay area for six years, and then finally another transfer in 1996 back to Chicagoland, this time to Naperville.

We initially settled in the Ashbury subdivision but it was always our dream to live in downtown Naperville. In 2009, we had the opportunity to buy a teardown property and build our dream home. We have watched the downtown area grow, change and get better every year. We're able to walk to restaurants, shops, the library, music venues and the Riverwalk. It's a vibrant city with so much to do. We see ourselves living here forever.

How did you find the Naperville Newcomers and Neighbors Organization?

A friend I met through a subdivision lunch group was part of the Welcome Wagon Club and she thought I'd be interested in the variety of activities offered. I attended a welcome coffee and became involved. I co-chaired the lunch group and not long after, joined the board and became the publicity chair.

I was there to witness the evolution of the Welcome Wagon Club when it became the Naperville Newcomers and Neighbors Club for new and established residents of Naperville and beyond.

I love meeting new people and am challenged by my current role as co-chairwoman of marketing/publicity. I've seen my role expand over the years as social media has taken a front seat to connecting with the community. I never tire of promoting how wonderful our organization is. It enriches lives in so many ways. It certainly has done so for me.

As for my lunch group, the opening of new restaurants as well as time-tested favorites in our area keeps things fresh and fun. I love lunching with the ladies! I also like to attend potlucks and the movie group.

I also continue to volunteer at Edward Hospital as a patient advocate. I've been volunteering there for 21 years. I'm also an artist specializing in watercolors.

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What's coming up next?

The annual Kick-Off Welcome Coffee event for the Naperville Newcomers and Neighbors Club is from 10 a.m. to noon Monday, Sept. 11, at the Naperville Municipal Center, 400 S. Eagle St. This is our major membership drive and marks the beginning of our new season.

For more information, contact Sue at 630-904-5629 or infoNNNC@gmail.com or go to www.napervillenewcomersandneighborsclub.com.
A missing Hammond boy was found safe hiding behind a bush in an area near his home more than eight hours after he disappeared, police said.

Lt. Steven Kellogg, public information officer with the Hammond Police Department, said 9-year-old Anthony Mitchell was found safe by Police Officer David DeBoer Saturday after a community wide search effort

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The boy, who has a cognitive disability, had been missing for more than eight hours after he ran from his home on Ruth Street near Calumet City at about 3 p.m. DeBoer discovered the boy shortly before midnight

"(DeBoer) was the one who located Anthony, but this was a community effort. We are so thankful for everyone who volunteered their time to find this young boy," Kellogg said.

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The Northern Indiana Commuter Transportation District Police Department and Porter County Sheriff Department assisted in the search with their respective K-9 units. The Lake County Sheriff's Department provided aerial support with its helicopter.

Kellogg thanked officers who would not stop searching and the community at large for spreading the word and walking the streets in the rain to search for the child.

"It is truly inspiring to see how the residents from Hammond and Calumet City came together with law enforcement for a common goal. It really is the true meaning of community. We are proud to serve to you all," he said.

Carrie Napoleon is a freelance reporter for the Post-Tribune.
Adam Frisch keeps calm waiting for all ballots to be counted in CD-3
More than 10 soldiers died on Sunday and several others were wounded when Al-Qaeda-aligned Shabaab militants stormed a base in southern Somalia, security sources said.

The militants drove a truck loaded with explosives to the main entrance of the base in Bulogadud, about 70 kilometres (40 miles) from the port town of Kismayo and then attacked the soldiers.

"There was an attack on the military base in Bulogadud this morning... the initial information indicates that more than 10 soldiers were killed," Abdulahi Mohamed, a senior security official, said by phone.

"There was a car bomb blast and gunfire followed. The forces retreated from the base initially but they later regained control," he added.

Sources in a nearby village said the militants temporarily took control of the camp and the village.

"Some people in Bulogadud told us the militants looted the camp ... they burned down everything and left," Ahmed Mohamud, a resident said.

Shabaab claimed responsibility for the attack.

"The Mujahedeen fighters took control of Bulogadud, there were many enemy deaths and three technical vehicles were looted," a brief statement on a pro-Shabaab website said, citing the group's Andalus radio.

The Shabaab have sworn to overthrow Somalia's fragile government, which is kept in place with international support.

The Shabaab force was pushed out of the capital in August 2011 and lost most of its other bastions in Somalia.

But they still control vast swathes of countryside, from where they launch guerilla operations and suicide attacks, against the capital and against local and international military bases.

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At least 60,000 people were forced to leave their homes in central Frankfurt on Sunday as Germany begins an operation to defuse a huge unexploded World War II bomb dubbed "blockbuster".

The operation is the biggest evacuation of its kind in post-war Germany, Frankfurt's security chief Markus Frank said.

The 1.8-tonne British bomb, which German media said was nicknamed "Wohnblockknacker" -- or blockbuster -- for its ability to wipe out whole streets and flatten buildings, was discovered during building works last Tuesday.

Police have since been guarding the bomb site, which is close to the city centre and just some 2.5 kilometres (1.5 miles) north of the main Zeil shopping area.

Homes and buildings within a 1.5-kilometre radius of the site were supposed to be cleared by 0600 GMT, but some people were still in the evacuation zone well past the deadline as police carried out door-to-door checks.

At one building where officers were ringing the doorbells and using loudspeakers to announce the evacuation, a man and a woman emerged, saying they were unaware they were in the affected district.

At midday, emergency services were still unable to give the all-clear for the bomb disposal units to move in.

After a delay of at least two hours, experts were finally able to start disarming the bomb, an HC 4000, a high-capacity explosive used in air raids by Britain's Royal Air Force during World War II.

Some elderly residents affected by the evacuation recalled poignant memories of the war.

"I was here in Frankfurt's Westend during the war. I heard the bombs falling when I was in the basement, and I helped to extinguish the fires. So I knew how it feels and for me it's not a new experience," said Doris Scheidt, 91.

Another resident, Eva Jarchow, said the evacuation "reminds me of our flight from Berlin when the bombs were still falling during the war. Here, at least, it's calm and sunny."

Giesela Gulich, meanwhile, had a "queasy feeling about it (as) the bomb stayed in the soil for so long, but now, when it's being moved, you don't know what can happen."

City officials had readied halls as temporary lodgings, while museums were offering free entry.

Others had packed their bags and were ready to head out for a full day, as residents are required to stay away until around 1800 GMT.

David Hoffmann, 29, who works at a bank, was loading up luggage in his car.

"I have the essentials with me -- the most important documents," he said, though he complained that he had not received any leaflets about the evacuation.

The Westend district is home to many of Frankfurt's top bankers, including European Central Bank chief Mario Draghi -- who is known to spend his weekends away from the German city.

Two major hospitals are also within the evacuation zone, including one with an extensive newborn ward. Staff at the affected hospitals had transferred patients and infants to other medical centres on Saturday.

Although police have said there is no immediate danger, the bomb's huge size prevents them from taking any chances during the disarming process.

More than 70 years after the end of the war, unexploded bombs are regularly found buried in Germany, legacies of the intense bombing campaigns by the Allied forces against Nazi Germany.

On Saturday, 21,000 people had to be evacuated from the western city of Koblenz as bomb disposal experts defused an unexploded American World War II shell.

In May, 50,000 residents were forced to leave their homes in the northern city of Hanover for an operation to defuse several WWII-era bombs.

And one of the biggest such evacuations took place on Christmas Day 2016, when another unexploded British bomb, containing 1.8-tonnes of explosives, prompted the evacuation of 54,000 people in the southern city of Augsburg.

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China is ready to hold the largest BRICS Business Forum from Sept. 3 to 4 with over 1,000 business elites expected to convene in the southeastern city of Xiamen, Fujian Province.

The opening ceremony of the BRICS Business Forum is due to take place on September 3, 2017 in Xiamen. [Photo/Xinhua]

Chinese President Xi Jinping will attend the opening ceremony of the forum and deliver a keynote speech.

The forum is expected to gather a record 1,200 attendees, including representatives from nearly 80 Fortune 500 multinationals, said Jiang Zengwei, head of the China Council for the Promotion of International Trade, at a press conference.

The 632 enterprises to be present at the forum cover both traditional industries such as energy and infrastructure and emerging industries such as biology and the Internet, said Jiang.

Themed "BRICS: Stronger Partnership for a Brighter Future", the forum will focus on trade and investment, financial cooperation, connectivity, and the blue economy.

Jiang expects the forum to bolster the business circle's confidence in expanding cooperation and strengthen their communication to provide valuable advice for policy making.

The leaders of Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa will meet at the ninth BRICS summit, scheduled for Sept. 3-5.

An important side-event of the BRICS summit, the forum was launched in 2010 and is hosted by the country holding the rotating presidency of BRICS. It serves as a platform for business leaders to discuss issues of common concern, build consensus and raise policy suggestions.

Coined by former Goldman Sachs economist Jim O'Neill in 2001, the term "BRIC" referred to Brazil, Russia, India and China, four emerging markets with fast growth and great potential. In 2010, South Africa joined the group, and the acronym was changed to BRICS.

Leaders from five other emerging markets and developing countries -- Egypt, Guinea, Mexico, Tajikistan and Thailand -- will attend the Dialogue of Emerging Markets and Developing Countries during the summit and engage in dialogue with the BRICS members.
Wang Kexiang, a 65-year-old retiree living in Beijing, is addicted to nuts. Since he has a heart problem and the doctor has told him eating nuts is good for his heart, he eats them every day. What's more, he has also persuaded his entire family to join him in his munching habit. Now the household spends almost 500 yuan ($75) a month on nuts, around one sixth of his monthly pension.

A Chinese technician from XCMG Construction Machinery shows a Brazilian co-worker how to install parts in a crane in the companys manufacturing plant in Pouso Alegre, Brazil, on June 4, 2015. [Photo/Xinhua]

Among the various kinds of nuts available, Wang loves pine nuts imported from Brazil the most, saying they are bigger and better-tasting than domestic ones. That's why Wang was excited when he heard the news that there would be closer e-commerce cooperation among BRICS countriesBrazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa.

"Currently, Brazilian pine nuts are sold here at a very high price. A very small bag could easily cost up to 50 yuan ($7.5). I am hoping I can buy more cheaper types in the future," Wang told Beijing Review. "That would be one of the concrete benefits for us ordinary people from closer ties among BRICS nations."

Strengthening e-commerce cooperation was one of the eight major consensuses reached at the Seventh Meeting of the BRICS Trade Ministers in Shanghai on August 1-2. Others included more cooperation on digital networks at ports, services trade, intellectual property rights, investment facilitation and opposing protectionism.

The consensuses cover every aspect of BRICS economic and trade ties, said Bai Ming, Deputy Director of the International Market Research Institute of the Chinese Academy of International Trade and Economic Cooperation. "They are interconnected and support each other, opening the next decade of BRICS cooperation," Bai told Beijing Review.
International credit-rating agencies are products of economic globalization, especially the liberalization and integration of financial and investment activities. As borrowers and bond issuers could be geographically remote from one another, lenders were unable to assess borrowers' creditworthiness or possibility of default. However, they needed to know the likelihood of borrowers paying back debts so that they could limit the risks of their investments. Against this backdrop, influential international rating agencies emerged to assign credit ratings to debt issuers.

Chinese and Russian technicians inspect quality of glass products at a plant of the Fuyao Group in Kaluga, Russia, on July 18. Russia is one of the major overseas manufacturing bases of this big Chinese glass-product maker. [Photo/Xinhua]

Since 1860, when Henry Poor started the rating agency Standard & Poor's, the business of rating major companies and governments has become gradually dominated by three big agenciesStandard & Poor's, Moody's and Fitch, which still remain the industry standard-bearers and take up 95 percent of the global rating business.

In 1975, U.S. financial watchdog, the Securities and Exchange Commission, acknowledged these three as nationally recognized statistical rating organizations. As an economic superpower that had material influence on international financial markets, the United States, in effect, reinforced the monopoly of these agencies by granting such an endorsement.

Discontentment arises

This history shows that the currently dominant rating agencies have Western attributes. They represent the unchallengeable impact Western nations exert on the global economy. Such a condition results in a biased approach when the agencies assign ratings to bond issuers from emerging nations like BRICS membersBrazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa.

Over the past decades, emerging economies have impressed the world with rapid economic progress. With their GDP shares declining from a global perspective, Western countries' endorsement has become less persuasive to emerging nations. While these rating agencies spare no efforts to maintain their monopoly, BRICS nations are looking for favorable rating assessments to scale up economic growth. Conflicts between them have,therefore, become unavoidable.

This can be seen from the recent moves to downgrade the credit ratings of BRICS nations. Fitch lowered Brazil's sovereign credit rating to BB+ from BBB- in December 2015, and further downgraded it in May 2016. Since 2016, only Fitch among the big three has assigned an investment-grade rating to Russia. In April, Standard & Poor's and Fitch successively labeled South Africa's state debt as junk following the nation's domestic political reshuffle. Even China's stable outlook was changed to negative by Moody's and Standard & Poor's during the past year. India's ranking was even worse, resulting in its domestic media widely criticizing the agencies for bias. In fact, all five members of BRICS have questioned the way in which the three agencies operate with double standard and entrenched political bias.
Every now and then, a journalist on assignment somewhere does something out of the ordinary that goes far beyond the headlines. Its hardly ever something taught at journalism school or learned on the job; most times, its merely the result of natural human instinct.

Such is the case with Russia Today (RT) and the international broadcasters recent celebrated repatriation of stranded orphans in Iraq, where theyd been taken by Chechen parents linked to the former Islamic State (IS).

The RT team on a normal reporting job located the helpless children in Baghdad, and the station launched a "Bring Them Home" campaign that has seen the first five children already reunited with grandparents and relatives.

This has given hope to many more families in Russia  and elsewhere  whose missing children are still stuck in Iraq as a result of being stateless. However, the repatriation mission didnt happen by accident.

Someone in the team, faced with these children, must have thought about whether the infants had relatives somewhere, and how to reunite them; the idea of a special campaign certainly went far beyond a good programing idea.

Its worth noting here, the ongoing relationship between the journalist on a reporting mission and the human element within every person.

The bridge built by the Russian broadcaster between Baghdad and Grozny for the stranded orphans indeed sheds light on that infinite relationship between who we are and what we do.

At most journalism schools of yesteryear, the reporter was schooled to go out of the way to be "neutral" and "independent" and to "never take sides" in any conflict they happened to be reporting; indeed, to even be immune from "feeling sorry" about anything seen, heard or felt.

Unfortunately, in pursuit of such neutrality, individual correspondents or teams covering events risk becoming mechanical in their approach, devoid of any heart or sensitivity.

Yet, this robotic application, while generating reports that suit tailored editorial vision, can only be borne by the human inside each person for just so long until something pushes the practitioner over the edge  like the sight of the traumatized infant orphans in Baghdad, so alone and so far from home.

Journalists covering wars are known to do some very human things  from taking greetings back home from dying soldiers, to helping children escape the ravages of conflict.

A little girl airlifted out of Vietnam to Australia in the dying days of the fight against the advancing forces of Ho Chi Minh has grown up to be Cath Turner, a sterling correspondent for the Al Jazeera news agency, who produced an amazing story of her personal return to the land of her birth to locate her parents.

The fact is that, in every case of a media outlet or related institutional group, honoring a journalist or photographer is based on him or her having done something on the job that went far beyond the headlines.

The strictures of the prescribed "neutral," "dont take sides" and "middle-of-the-road" straightjacket approach to how reporters and photographers should behave on news assignments forces many of good mind to stomach the bad, even if they puke while filtering the reportable from the unpublishable.

In too many cases, the toughest veterans have become over-ripe or overly seasoned in their ability to wear pink-tinted goggles or resort to preferred forms of therapeutic distraction, only "sticking to the story" according to a prescribed narrative that leaves them staring without blinking.

Too few writers, on the other hand, have opted to accept that walking in the middle of the road is always dangerous and it is indeed safer to choose a side, to walk on the right side.

Fortunately, that ancient myth of independence being neutrality is being shattered more often now than ever, as more people everywhere realize that what matters most is not only what is reported, but also what is not.

News has no ideology, events dont determine themselves  and no reporter can ever tell "the full story."

Some reporters feel they can only best cover issues and events if they can say and show exactly what they see and hear, through the words and images they choose. Others counter that this will never happen, as each media outlet has a mission that will allow it to determine what truths to publish and allow, when and how.

These differences will continue to exist and coexist between those who see reporting as just another job and those who treat it as a humanistic vocation.

What will definitely not continue indefinitely, however, is perpetuation of the myth of divorcing human sensitivities from evidence and experience of inhumanity when it flies in the face and eyes of human beings, including journalists.

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.
 Flash

Nepali business leaders have hoped that trade and tourism between Nepal and China would be boosted after the Rasuwagadi-Kerung (Geelong Port) border crossing was recently upgraded into an international border point.

Following the upgrading, the border has been opened for international visitors besides Nepali and Chinese.

Following the closure of Tatopani-Khasa (Zhangmu) border point since the deadly earthquake in Nepal in April 2015, Geelong Port is the only operating trade point between the two countries.

"We are very much exited from the Chinese decision (to upgrade the border point) because we can now sell combined tourism package of Nepal and the Tibet Autonomous Region of China to the international visitors," Suman Pandey, chairman of Nepal Chapter of Pacific Asia Travel Association, told Xinhua recently.

While China is expected to expand its railway network to bordering Geelong Port within the next few years, Nepal has also planned to develop a railway from capital Kathmandu to Rasuwagadi, a border town near Geelong Port.

"I hope both countries will prioritize infrastructure building in the border point following the upgrading," Rajesh Kaji Shrestha, president of Nepal-China Chamber of Commerce and Industry, told Xinhua on Friday.

According to the traders, improved connectivity through the border point will contribute to the Belt and Road Initiative proposed by China in 2013.

Nepal and China signed a Memorandum of Understanding on bilateral cooperation under the framework of the Belt and Road Initiative in May this year.
Egypt's President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi arrived in China on Sunday to participate in the BRICS summit, state-run news agency MENA reported.

El-Sisi is expected to meet with a number of large Chinese companies investing in Egypt, as well as holding bilateral meetings with Chinese, Russian and Indian counterparts, while he is attending the three-day summit.

El-Sisi's participation comes upon the invitation of his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping.

El-Sisi is also set to deliver a speech at the summit on Monday, to present Egyptian economic policies and efforts to attract foreign investment, and expansion in external cooperation.

The speech will also highlight suggested models to consolidate global governance, and joint efforts for cooperation between Egypt and the other participating countries.

Egypt's ambassador to China, Osama El-Magdoub, said earlier on Sunday that many joint projects between the two countries, in different fields, will be announced soon.

Speaking on the first day of the 2017 BRICS summit in Xiamen, El-Magdoub told Egyptian private news channel Extra News that relations between Cairo and Beijing are witnessing strong growth, and that the Chinese are interested in investing in Egypt.

The Egyptian ambassador mentioned coming Chinese investments would be in the new administrative capital worth $3.2 billion and would include other investments by two Chinese companies worth $8 billion.

The summit, which includes the leaders of Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa, will be held from 3 to 5 September. The theme of the ninth annual summit is Stronger Partnership for a Brighter Future.

According to El-Magdoub, China supports Egypts recent programme of economic reforms.

He said the summit would focus on economic issues, and will address the means of cooperation to overcome the problems of the global economy, especially the structural sides.

Egypt is focusing on several major issues during the meetings at Xiamen, such as activating cooperation between the countries of the global south, especially among BRICS countries and emerging economies such as Egypt.

The suggested cooperation is in the fields of investment and infrastructure.

Egypt is also addressing the means to achieve the UN 2030 development plan goals, as well as consolidating the cooperation between Egypt, as a representative of Arab countries, in relation to Chinas One Belt, One Road initiative.

The initiative aims at reviving the ancient trade routes between China and the Mediterranean countries through Asia and Europe.

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Kem Sokha, president of main opposition Cambodia National Rescue Party (CNRP), was arrested early Sunday for allegedly attempting to overthrow the legitimate Cambodian government, according to a government statement.

"The government would like to inform the public that on September 3, 2017 at 00:35 a.m. (local time), Kem Sokha was caught red-handed by justice police in conformity with the Criminal Code of the Kingdom of Cambodia," the statement said.

The arrest was made just hours after an old video clip broadcast by Australia-based CBN (Cambodian Broadcasting Network) was posted on Facebook showing Kem Sokha told his supporters in Australia on Dec. 8, 2013 that he followed the order of the United States to prepare plans to overthrow the legitimate Cambodian government, taking the model of movement that overthrew the governments of Yugoslavia and Serbia.

"The government would like to inform that, through the video clip broadcast by Australia-based CBN (Cambodian Broadcasting Network) and other evidence collected by authorities, they clearly show the secret plan of the collusion between Kem Sokha and his group with foreigners that affects the Kingdom of Cambodia," the statement said.

"The act of above-mentioned secret collusion is the act of treason," it added.

According to the statement, Kem Sokha is facing the charges of treason and espionage under the article 443 of the kingdom's Criminal Code.

The article states that the act of entering into secret agreement with a foreign state or with its agents in order to create hostilities or aggression against Cambodia is punishable by imprisonment from 15 years to 30 years.

The statement also called on the public to keep calm and let the court to proceed with this case.

According to government-aligned media Fresh News, Kem Sokha, who is also a member of parliament, was arrested at his home in Phnom Penh and sent to the Phnom Penh Municipal Police Station for questioning.

Kem Sokha, 64, became the president of the CNRP in March 2017, replacing his long-serving predecessor, Sam Rainsy, who resigned in February. Sam Rainsy, 68, has been living in self-exile in France since November 2015 to avoid at least eight-year-prison sentence for defamation and incitement cases.
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The Iraqi forces killed over 2,000 Islamic State (IS) militants and more than 50 suicide bombers during a major offensive to free Tal Afar area in west of Mosul, the Iraqi military said on Saturday.

"The IS total casualties in the blitzkrieg during the period from Aug. 20 to 31 were more than 2,000 terrorists and over 50 suicide bombers, along with destroying and detonating of 77 car bombs, 71 booby-trapped buildings and 990 roadside bombs," Lt. Gen. Abdul Amir Yarallah from the Joint Operations Command (JOC) said at a televised press conference.

More than 40,000 Iraqi fighters from the Iraqi army, federal police and its commandos known as Rapid Response forces and Counter-Terrorism Service (CTS) forces, in addition to ten brigades of the paramilitary Hashd Shaabi fighters, participated in the offensive, which was supported by Iraqi and international coalition aircraft, Yarallah said.

Yarallah also said that the Iraqi forces sustained 115 martyrs and 679 wounded during the 12-day battles to liberate Tal Afar and its surrounding areas, including the towns of Mahalabiyah and Ayadhiyah.

"Those who take a look at this figure (Iraqi forces casualties) will realize that fierce battles took place in Tal Afar area," Yarallah said.

The troops evacuated a total of 40,758 people from the city of Tal Afar and surrounding areas before and during the offensive, 18,822 before Aug. 20 and 21,936 others during the 12-day offensive, Yarallah said.

The Tal Afar area is about 3,206 square km, which consists of the city of Tal Afar and three towns: Zummar, which is under control of the Kurdish security forces, Mahalabiyah and Ayadhiyah, which were freed from IS militants during the offensive.

The whole Tal Afar area consists of 47 villages scattered around the city and its three towns.

The majority of the population in the Tal Afar area are Sunni and Shiite Turkomans, in addition to the Kurds and other minorities.

On Thursday, Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi declared full liberation of the city of Tal Afar and surrounding areas from the extremist IS militants.

"I declare to you that Tal Afar has joined the liberated Mosul and returned to the homeland," Abadi said in a statement issued by his office.

"The joy of victory has been completed and the entire province of Nineveh has become in the hands of our heroic forces," Abadi said.

The PM also vowed to defeat IS group all over Iraq, saying "wherever you (IS militants) are, we are coming for liberation, and you have no choice but to die or surrender".

On Aug. 20, Abadi, also the Commander-in-Chief of Iraqi forces, declared the start of an operation to dislodge IS militants from Tal Afar area, including Ayadhiyah, which is the last IS redoubt in the province of Nineveh.
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The U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) said no evidence has been found that the Obama Administration had tapped the Trump tower in New York city, U.S. media reported Saturday.

The DOJ said in a court case statement that neither the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) nor its National Security Division ever wiretapped the Trump Tower, contrary to allegations made by U.S. President Donald Trump in March.

"Both FBI and NSD confirm that they have no records related to wiretaps," the court filing said. Trump said in two consecutive tweets on March 4 that former U.S. President Barack Obama had ordered wiretapping of Trump Tower, from where Trump was running his presidential campaign, last year.

"Just found out that Obama had my 'wires tapped' in Trump Tower just before the victory. Nothing found. This is McCarthyism," Trump said, adding "How low has President Obama gone to tapp (tap) my phones during the very sacred election process. This is Nixon/Watergate. Bad(or sick) guy!"

Obama denied the allegation, as did former FBI Director James Comey.
In Huangshan, a city in Anhui province and home to one of China's most visited mountains with the same name, B&Bs typically raise funding from multiple investors.

For example, 4.5 million yuan in financing is raised in equal amounts from 100 investors. So, each investor chips in with 45,000 yuan ($681,800), and stands to reap 1 percent of eventual profit from the business. Some investors may pump in more, in multiples of 1 percent stake, and would be entitled to proportionate profit, according to the prospectus of Zhan Yuan, a B&B firm founder, on a crowdfunding platform.

In mid-August, Zhan, an architecture designer and lecturer, launched a plea for 200,000 yuan on a crowdfunding platform to refurbish a farmhouse into an eight-room B&B.

Within one week, some 200 people pitched in with their contributions that added up to some 3 million yuan.

Zhan's project, Above Cloud, was one of some 400 projects that have successfully secured financing through a crowdfund platform. The latter boasts total funding of 1 billion yuan so far.

"I believe that B&Bs will be profitable in the long run. A keen guest of B&B myself, I do think capital will help B&Bs to growthey can hire more talent, improve living conditions, and build up their brand, too," said Lin Zihao, 29, an automobile engineer who invested 120,000 yuan in two projects.

Since 2015, venture capital of all kinds, including that from private equity firms and crowdfunding platforms, has been pouring into new B&Bs.

"Capital chases profits. Venture capital is keen about B&B because investors think B&B expansion is a natural result of upgraded consumption. B&B is not just accommodation. It is lifestyle. In some ways, venture capital is upgrading too, from putting money in tangible products to funding development of diverse lifestyles," said Tang Tingting, investment partner of Wuhan-based Certain Capital.

In many cities and towns, B&B is supported not only by the capital market but local authorities.

B&B, as a segment of the hospitality business, has become an economic growth driver for some counties and cities, boosting revenue and creating jobs.

Yuan Hong, an IT engineer who used to work in Hangzhou, went back to his hometown Chun'an county in 2015 to start a B&B with his parents.

Revenue from the six-room property beside Qiandaohu (or "thousand-island lake") in 2016 was about 300,000 yuan. The family of three hired two helpers early this year to set up another B&B in a rented house owned by a neighbor. They transformed it into a lakeside villa with 400,000 yuan funding from a small venture capital firm in Hangzhou.

Wan Dezhu, a village leader in rural Ningbo, said that B&B helps increase not only average income of local families but social stability.

"Young residents who were unemployed now turn to helpers at B&B. They have an aim in life. And they are quite happy with their jobs," he said.

The B&B segment has been expanding fast despite concerns about lack of clear regulations and industry standards. The situation is not conducive to the development of home sharing, insiders said.

"What worries me the most is the dropping occupancy rate as more B&Bs open, many of which look almost the same from outside," said Qian Xiaoting, a B&B keeper in Xiamen, Fujian province.

To cash in on the peak season rush in summer, some B&Bs opened prematurely, without proper or adequate furnishing, flooring and staff. Some did not register with the authorities concerned.

But insiders are optimistic that B&B standards will improve down the line with the infusion of professional managers, said Yang Deliang, deputy head of tourism in Deqing county, Zhejiang province.

For example, Zhejiang province, a hub of B&Bs, came up with a clear definition of what constitutes a B&B and also introduced regulations for such properties.
China on Sunday expressed firm opposition to and strongly condemned a new round of nuclear tests that Pyongyang conducted, vowing to "unswervingly push forward the denuclearization of the peninsula".

A photo grab from the official website of China's Foreign Ministry on Sunday shows China expresses firm opposition to and strongly condemned a new round of nuclear tests that Pyongyang conducted.

"Today, the Democratic People's Republic of Korea once again conducted a nuclear test despite widespread opposition from international society. The Chinese government expresses firm opposition to and strong condemnation on this," the Foreign Ministry said in a statement issued on its website on Sunday afternoon.

It is the firm stand of China and a common aspiration of the international community to realize denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula, maintain the nuclear non-proliferation regime and maintain peace and stability in Northeast Asia, the statement said.

"We strongly urge the DPRK side to face the international community's resolve on denuclearization of the peninsula, concretely comply with relevant resolutions of the Security Council, stop taking wrong actions that will deteriorate the situation and go against its own interests and come back to the track of resolving the problem through dialogue," the ministry said.

"China, together with the international community, will comprehensively and completely implement relevant resolutions of the Security Council on the DPRK, unswervingly push forward the denuclearization of the peninsula and unswervingly safeguard peace and stability on the peninsula," it added.

Pyongyang said it set off a hydrogen bomb on Sunday in its sixth nuclear test.
Wild sea cucumber, a marine delicacy which the Chinese deem highly nutritious, from Iceland, joined a coding system launched by AliHealth, a health arm controlled by Alibaba Group Holding Ltd, to help ensure food safety.

The tracing system demonstrates product information such as its origin, production date, customer transportation, and safety/quality information, according to Wang Peiyu, vice president of AliHelth.

"Simply by scanning the code printed on each package of the sea cucumber imported from Iceland, all of the information will be shown to the Chinese customer on the mobile phone screen," he said at the ceremony in late August at a Beijing store of Hema Xiansheng, an emerging online-to-offline supermarket operated by Alibaba.

The store is an aggregation of supermarket, grocery store and restaurant, allowing customers to buy online or offline.

The Iceland sea cucumber is also sold in Hema Xiansheng.

AliHealth first launched such a system in mid-2016 for medicines and the latest move represents a further expansion of the system's use in the food industry, according to Wang.

In addition, other products such as liquor, function food, farm produce will also be tapped for the application of the system to help ensure product safety and set up a communication platform between the customers and the industries, he added.
The cast bronze model engraved with acupuncture points will hit global market as a piece of TCM-featured souvenir, according to Li Zhenji, vice-chairman of the World Federation of Chinese Medicine Societies based in Beijing.

The federation signed an cooperation agreement with its developer and producer, Beijing Traditional Arts Group, to promote the TCM souvenir around the world.

Acupuncture is widely practiced globally, having reached 103 countries besides China, according to Li. To date eighteen countries even cover acupuncture under their health insurance plans.

The bronze acupuncture statue is a copycat of that given by President Xi Jinping in January to the WHO during his visit to its headquarters in Geneva.

"That's a huge honor and boost for TCM and acupuncture around the world," Li said.

The statue is measured at 1.62 and 0.55 meter respectively and features altogether 666 acupuncture points, according to Wang Jiang, head of the research and development center of the Beijing Traditional Arts Group.
BEIJING - President Xi Jinping has a history of working to alleviate poverty. He personally led a campaign to end poverty in Ningde Prefecture, southeastern China's Fujian Province, as early as 1988, and is now leading China toward a poverty-free future.

"The weak birds must start earlier than others," Xi, then-secretary of Communist Party of China (CPC) Ningde Prefectural Committee, told local officials, according to the full text of his remarks at a symposium on poverty relief in north China's Shanxi Province on June 23, which was made public Thursday.

Confident that "constant drops wear away a stone," Xi led local people to work incessantly to alleviate poverty in the prefecture.

Some of Xi's speeches in Ningde were later compiled into a book titled "Up and Out of Poverty," which analysts said could serve as a general guide on China's experience in poverty alleviation.

Ningde was not the only "weak bird" that strived to catch up with others. At the end of 2016, more than 43 million people, or about 3 percent of China's population, lived under the country's poverty line of 2,300 yuan ($349) of annual income in 2010 constant prices.

China's top leadership has remained aware of the arduous task they are facing. Since becoming the general secretary of the CPC Central Committee in 2012, Xi has placed poverty alleviation on top of the CPC agenda and called it "the baseline task for building a moderately prosperous society," which the country strives to achieve by 2020.

At the symposium in Shanxi, Xi sat down with Party officials from provincial to county levels, discussing ways they could help the "weakest birds" get a head start.

"Eradicating poverty has always been a tough battle, while eradicating poverty in extremely poor areas is the hardest fight of all," Xi said.

Fortunately, China's finest are taking the frontline in the fight to eradicate poverty. By the end of 2016, about 775,000 officials had been sent to rural areas to design tailored poverty relief programs for and with the local communities.

The banks followed. As of the end of 2016, outstanding loans from financial institutions for poverty alleviation totaled 2.5 trillion yuan, with 818.1 billion yuan in new loans in 2016.

From 2013 to 2016, 55.64 million rural people, or more than 10 million each year, were lifted out of poverty in China.

Figures aside, benefits have been seen and not just in terms of money. An example cited by Xi was a village in central China's Hunan Province where men had difficulty finding wives because the poverty of the village was well-known. Following improvements to the local economy, 20 single men were married and their wives joined them to begin a new life in the village.

To realize the ambitious goal of eradicating poverty by 2020, China still needs to lift more than 10 million people out of poverty every year.

Creating jobs or offering training will not work so well for many of those who remain in poverty -- particularly the old, the sick, and the disabled. In response, China has decided to take the time to patiently work with the poor on a case-by-case basis.

In its essence, this precision poverty relief adopts varied policies to different regions according to their needs. For those living in remote areas with few natural resources, the government has offered assistance to relocate; for people in ecologically fragile areas, the government has provided compensation; for the sick and the disabled, the government has increased local medical care.

"Our experiences have proven that abject poverty is not formidable. As long as we pay great attention, think correctly, take effective measures, and work in a down-to-earth way, abject poverty is absolutely conquerable," Xi said.

What sounds like a tall order is becoming reality step by step. Chinese leaders are pragmatic enough to set reasonable goals, which make sure that the rural poor will at least have food to eat, clothes to wear, and places to live in by 2020.

After all, it is a vision that the CPC has always wanted to realize since the very beginning of its founding -- when China prospers, it will leave no one behind.
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Meeting participants generously complimented China Daily's reports about the BRICS meetings. China Daily journalists reported from Xiamen.

Paula Escalada Medrano, from Spanish Agencia EFE, poses with a copy of China Daily as she surfs the China Daily website at the BRICS Business Forum in Xiamen, China, Sept 3, 2017. [Photo by Chen Liubing/chinadaily.com.cn]

"It is very complete, very nice, it had all the important data about what all the BRICS countries represent. You especially really see how important these countries are for the world. I like it. I read China Daily website, always."

Paula Escalada Medrano, reporter of Agencia EFE
President Xi Jinping delivers a keynote speech at the opening ceremony of the BRICS Business Forum in Xiamen, East China's Fujian province, Sept 3, 2017. [Photo/Xinhua]

President Xi Jinping called on BRICS countries Sunday to enhance economic cooperation and improve global economic governance amid the developing countries' efforts to achieve stable growth in the face of a weak global economic recovery.

In his keynote speech at the BRICS Business Forum held in coastal Xiamen, Xi said that BRICS members - Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa - are facing the same development goals in spite of their different national situations.

"Economic cooperation is the root and foundation for BRICS cooperation," he said.

The president called on BRICS countries to shoulder their responsibilities of safeguarding world peace and seeking cooperation instead of confrontation. Under Chinese presidency this year, BRICS has held a number of events to enhance security cooperation, he said.

The emerging markets and developing countries should make positive contributions to global economic growth through such measures as pushing to build an open world economy, facilitating trade and investment and making new global value chains, he said.

The development of emerging markets and developing countries are not to "move anybody's cheese", but to "strive to make the cake of global economy bigger", he added.

BRICS should be built into a platform for cooperation among emerging markets and developing nations, Xi said.

"It's easy to break an arrow but difficult to break 10 (simultaneously)," he said.

Brazilian President Michel Temer and South African President Jacob Zuma attended the opening ceremony of the sideline forum to the BRICS Summit. About 1,200 people, including 1,069 senior executives from 630 companies from China and abroad, joined the two-day forum.

BRICS is playing a key role in the world economy and in global governance. Together, the five member countries accounted for 23 percent of the 2016 global economy, almost double their share in 2006. The five have been the source of more than half of global growth in the past 10 years.

The emerging markets' cooperative mechanism was initially launched in 2006 with four members - Brazil, Russia, India and China. South Africa was admitted in 2010. The group's first summit was held in Yekaterinburg, Russia, in 2009.
President Xi Jinping's keynote speech at the opening ceremony of the BRICS Business Forum on Sunday earned wide praise from experts, international delegates and entrepreneurs.

"We are in a great era of development, transformation and adjustment," Xi said. "The law of the jungle where the strong prey on the weak and the zero-sum game are rejected, and peace, development and win-win cooperation have become the shared aspiration of all peoples."

Here is a collection of comments from attendees.

Jeremy Stevens, Beijing-based China economist of Standard Bank, Africa's largest bank

Jeremy Stevens, Beijing-based China economist of Standard Bank, Africa's largest bank. [Photo provided to chinadaily.com.cn]

President Xi Jinping placed emphasis on his speech on next year's 40th anniversary of reform and opening up in which Xiamen played a significant part, being one of the country's first special economic zones.

"It was an interesting reminder of the importance of opening up to the world. As with his Davos speech in January, he was making clear his and China's commitment to globalization in marked contrast to the lurch to protectionism in the West."

Stevens said Xi was right to stress that quality of growth was now as important to the BRICS nations as the pace of it.

"He emphasized the importance of macroeconomic policy and industrial development policy coordination between the BRICS members, which was the right message. The group was never just about fast growth," he said.
Chinese President Xi Jinping meets with his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin in Xiamen, Southeast China's Fujian province, Sept 3, 2017. Putin is in Xiamen to attend the ninth BRICS summit. [Photo/Xinhua]

XIAMEN - Chinese President Xi Jinping met with his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin on Sunday, calling for enhancing mutual support and strategic coordination.

The two leaders also agreed to appropriately deal with the latest nuclear test conducted by the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK).

Putin is in the Southeastern Chinese coastal city of Xiamen, Fujian province, to attend the ninth BRICS summit and the Dialogue of Emerging Market and Developing Countries scheduled for Sept 3-5.

The two sides should consolidate the high-level mutual political trust, firmly strengthen mutual support and enhance strategic coordination, Xi said.

The role of bilateral cooperation mechanisms should be well played to advance projects in key areas including energy, aerospace and aviation, as well as nuclear power.

He urged advancing the integration of the Belt and Road Initiative with the Eurasian Economic Union.

Mutual understanding and friendship between the two peoples should be promoted through closer people-to-people and cultural exchanges and those at local levels, he said.

Xi also called on enhancing military cooperation as well as coordination on multilateral arenas.

China is willing to join hands with Russia to raise the bilateral relations to a higher level, promoting respective development and jointly safeguarding regional and world peace and stability, he said.

On BRICS cooperation, Xi said it is in line with the interests of the BRICS countries and the expectation of international community, especially the emerging market and developing countries, to enhance the group's cooperation and enable the BRICS countries to play a more important role in international affairs.

The BRICS countries should consolidate solidarity and cooperation to send out positive signals to the world, chart the course and define the priorities for cooperation based on the overall situation, strengthen coordination to enhance international influence, and improve mechanisms of BRICS cooperation, said Xi.

China is willing to work with Russia and other BRICS countries to achieve fruitful results at the Xiamen summit and implement the outcomes effectively so that the BRICS can usher in a second "golden decade" of cooperation.
President Xi Jinping and Russian President Vladimir Putin head to the meeting to discuss global issues on Sunday. WU ZHIYI / CHINA DAILY

President Xi Jinping and Russian President Vladimir Putin agreed on Sunday to stay committed to the goal of denuclearizing the Korean Peninsula and to make their communication and coordination closer.

They reached the consensus during their fourth meeting this year shortly after Putin arrived in Xiamen, Fujian province, on Sunday afternoon to attend the BRICS Summit.

The two leaders agreed on properly handling the latest situation, in which Pyongyang conducted a nuclear test earlier in the day, according to a release by the Foreign Ministry.

Xi and Putin had an in-depth exchange of views on international and regional issues on Sunday.

Xi said China is ready to join hands with Russia to boost their ties, enhance their own development and jointly champion the peace and stability of the region and the world.

Putin said it is greatly important for both countries to strengthen their contacts and coordination on major international and regional issues.

As a sign of strong bilateral mutual trust, Xi and Putin talked in May in Beijing, June in Astana, Kazakhstan, and July in Moscow.

In a look to his state visit to Russia in July, Xi said the visit was a success and the two sides are now realizing the consensus he and Putin made at that time and pushing for new progress in various areas of cooperation.

Xi said the two countries should further advance cooperative programs in areas such as energy, aviation and aerospace and nuclear energy, and gear up synergy in areas such as connectivity.

China has been Russia's largest trade partner for seven consecutive years, and bilateral trade reached $46.8 billion in the first seven months of this year, a year-on-year increase of 21.8 percent, according to Chinese Ambassador to Russia Li Hui.

On cooperation among the five BRICS countries, Xi said they should jointly send positive signals to the outside world, plan the direction and priorities of cooperation, boost their influence in global affairs and make their cooperation steady and lasting.

After their talk, Xi and Putin visited an exhibition of southern Fujian's intangible cultural heritage.
National Day of Prayer Proclaimed for Hurricane Harvey Victims on Sunday 02 September, 2017 by Victor Wilson , |

President Trump proclaimed September 3, 2017, as a National Day of Prayer for the Victims of Hurricane Harvey during a press conference with his Evangelical Advisory Board at the White House on Friday. Texas Governor Greg Abbott also issued proclamation earlier this week for a September 3 "Day of Prayer and Thanksgiving" in his state, "in the wake of damage and destruction" caused by the massive hurricane.

"From the beginning of our nation, Americans have joined together in prayer during times of great need to ask for God's blessing and God's guidance," Trump stated in the Friday press conference. "When we look across Texas and Louisiana, we see the American spirit of service embodied by countless men and women."

In the proclomation, President Trump gives thanks for the "generosity and goodness" of Americans in response to the needs of their "fellow Americans."

"As response and recovery efforts continue,... we are reminded of Scripture's promise that 'God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble,'" reads the official proclamation.

The signing of the proclamation was followed by statements of appreciation from several faith leaders and prayer led by Dr. Robert Jeffress, Senior Pastor of 13,000-member First Baptist Church in Dallas.

"Father, your Word says, if your people who are called by your name will humble themselves and pray and seek your face, you will forgive their sins and heal their land," prayed Dr. Jeffress during the conference.

"Father, I think you that we have a President... who believes in the power of prayer," he continued. "We thank you that the President had the wisdom to call our nation right now for a day of prayer this coming weekend. Father, this is what we need. We pray for healing for our country. We pray for physical healing for those who have suffered the devastation from Hurricane Harvey. Father, be with them, provide for their needs; help us to be the embodiment of Jesus Christ as we minister to them. Father, we also want to pray for spiritual healing, emotional healing for our country."

Greg Abbott, Governor of Texas, also prior issued a proclamation for statewide prayer on September 3, which reads:

"WHEREAS, it is right and fitting that the people of Texas should join with their fellow residents and with others from across the country and around the world to seek God's wisdom for ourselves and our leaders and ask for His merciful intervention and healing in this time of crisis; NOW, THEREFORE, I, GREG ABBOTT, Governor of Texas, pursuant to the authority vested in me by the Constitution and Statutes of the State of Texas, do hereby proclaim Sunday, September 3, 2017, as a Day of Prayer in Texas."

President Trump traveled to Texas on Saturday to comfort hurricane victims and their families. Previously, the Texas governor told media, "we are getting absolutely everything we need" from the White House to help "the people of Texas" recover from the effects of the storm.
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More than two dozen people protested outside NRG Center as President Donald Trump shook hands and kissed babies of Harvey evacuees sheltered inside.

The majority of the demonstrators were "dreamers," immigrants brought to the country illegally as children. Demonstrators said they want Trump to keep the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrival program, an executive order authorized by President Barack Obama that protects them from deportation and allows those who qualify to be able to work.

Immigrant organizations and advocates, however, fear the president is going to announce as early as Tuesday that DACA will end soon.

Now Playing: President Donald Trump and the First Lady are making their second trip to the Gulf Coast Saturday to take another look at the flooding and devastation from Hurricane Harvey. Video by Jeremy Wallace. Video: Houston Chronicle

"Now that our city is in the aftermath of this horrible storm, this isn't the time to put 120,000 young Texans who part of the DACA program," Mario Salinas, one of the demonstrators, said.

On Friday, Trump said he would announce his decision about DACA and that "We love the dreamers."

If that is the case, said Salinas, "I hope that he follows his heart. There are people in his own party telling him that protecting the dreamers is the right thing to do."

"It's inhumane for Donald Trump to be deliberating about our lives, especially at this moment when we are trying to rebuild and helping our communities to move forward," said dreamer Daniel Candelaria, who was also in the demonstration.

Some estimates indicate that there are approximately 800,000 DACA beneficiaries in the U.S. that would not be able to continue working to sustain their families. United We Dream estimate that the number of DACA beneficiaries in Houston is around 80,000, and 120,000 in Texas.

"We have been helping our communities," said Carolina Ramirez, a member of United We Dream. "We work and support many families affected by the hurricane, we are good Americans, we have dignity, and we are here to stay."

Some dreamers at the stadium were carrying signs saying "Mess with DACA, you mess with Texas" and "We are here to stay."

Not all the demonstrators were dreamers.

A person who identified himself as Dember, and as a member of Fair Now (fairnow.org) was carrying a sign saying "Trump + Harvey = double disaster." He said he was there to demand that the president leave the White House. "This is a fake president. Why? Because he lost the popular vote by 3 million votes and he doesn't even know what he is doing."

David Mikel Smith, a protester and member of the Houston Socialist organization, believes that the president's visit to Houston was a "photo-opp just for political gain."

He said that "Donald Trump is not a man compassion; his whole life shows that he hates people of color, he looks down on women, he looks down on immigrants, so Trump is not really welcomed here."

The opposition came in contrast to the enthusiasm of Trump supporters at Ellington Field Joint, where Trump arrived this afternoon.

Around 11:30 a.m., some people were inside their cars outside the airport hoping to see the arrival of the presidential plane.

"I came here to wave and salute our president for the great job he has been doing," said Steve Sims sitting inside his truck. He said he lives close to the airport.

"We just want to see him!" said Kelli Gilliam, a 16-year-old who went to the field with her friend, Chase Lee, to see the plane from a spot about a mile from the airport. "We are super thankful that he is coming to help us," she said.

Lee said he understood why Trump didn't venture to Houston on his first trip to Texas.

"The fact that he is making a little trip down here to see the damage, I think it's nice," Lee said. "I know that with him, a lot will be accomplished."
Related UK Middle East minister to arrive in Egypt to discuss UK investment

A British trade delegation is set to visit Egypt this month to explore increasing investments in different sectors, British ambassador to Egypt John Casson said in a press statement on Sunday, state-run news agency MENA reported.

The delegation will be headed by the UKs trade envoy to Egypt Jeffrey Donaldson MP, and will include a number of officials from British companies.

The delegation will take place between 23 and 27 September.

It will focus on the infrastructure in the Suez Canal zone, the new administrative capital, Alamein city, and Cairo.

Casson also said that the delegation includes companies that will invest for the first time in Egypt.

In August, UK minister for the Middle East Alastair Burt visited Cairo to discuss with Egyptian officials British-Egyptian cooperation and UK support for Egypt, especially in economic and educational reform.

The UK is the number one investor in Egypt, with investments in the first half of 2016/17 reaching $2.9 billion, according to an earlier statement by the British embassy in Cairo.

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Jimmie Edwards III's determination knows no limits.

He became interested in politics in elementary school and won a state prize for an essay he wrote about patriotism.

Determined to have a career in politics, Edwards spent a good portion of his high school years working as a Congressional page in Washington DC.

While serving in Vietnam, Edwards was injured and lost both of his legs. He wouldn't come back to Conroe until he could walk off the plane.

"I said I'm going home when I'm healthy and when I could walk, I'm not going home in a wheelchair. I refused," Edwards said in a recent interview.

When Edwards did return, he finished his education at Sam Houston State University and then pursued his dream of politics by running for a legislative seat at 24 years old - and he won - serving from 1973 to 1981.

Now Edwards is bringing his perseverance to the group that is leading the charge to relocate the Montgomery County War Memorial Park in Conroe from downtown Conroe to the area of Texas 105 and Interstate 45.

Early life

Edwards was born in Cleveland, Texas where his father, Jimmie Carl "J.C." Edwards was a teacher.

The family, including his mother Joyce, brother Fred Edwards, who was judge of the 9th District Court for 20 years, and sisters, Elwanda and Wanda, moved to Conroe in 1952 when Jimmie Edwards was 5.

His father taught school in Conroe and was a mechanical drawing teacher. His mother taught seventh-grade handwriting.

Edwards recalls when he was young, there were only two air-conditioned buildings in downtown Conroe - the Crighton Theatre and the County Library.

When school was out for the summer, he and his friends would spend the mornings at the Crighton Theatre and spend the afternoons at the County Library which was where the current Tax Office is now.

"We got to know all the movies and we learned to read. The library wouldn't let you horse around. We had to get a book, sit and read and be quiet. And they were serious about the quiet," Edwards said.

He learned to read the Hardy Boys novels at a young age.

While in elementary, he wrote an essay on patriotism and won a state prize for his age level.

"I followed the lead of my parents and patriotism was very important to them," he said. "This was a time when every day in school you said the Pledge of Allegiance and the prayer was lead over the loud speaker."

Experience in Washington

In April 1964, he was appointed a page in the U.S. Congress by Rep. John Dowdy. By July, he was overseeing the other pages.

Edwards was invited to attend the Democratic National Convention in Atlantic City, N.J. in August 1964.

He said he enjoyed the excitement of Washington DC and meeting the leaders of the country.

His political hero was Everett Dirksen, a politician from Illinois.

After returning to Conroe and graduating in the class of 1966, Edwards went back north to attend the University of Maryland.

Entering military service

When Edwards was in college, he said you couldn't go anywhere without people talking about the great debate of the Vietnam War and the draft.

One night he and some friends were sitting around discussing the war.

They next morning, they enlisted.

"I said 'I'm going to find out for myself' and that's what I did," Edwards said.

He joined the United States Marine Corps.

He was sent first to Parris Island, then to Camp LeJeune, to San Diego, Camp Pendleton, Hawaii, Okinawa and then "in country."

"I'm a grunt," he wrote his mom and dad. "That's the lowest thing there is. But I love it."

He was offered officer training school three times and refused.

"I know where the need is and I want to be there," Edwards said in a 1969 Courier article.

Then on Aug. 19, 1969, his life was forever changed.

A Viet Cong rocket burst in the bunker where he and a dozen other young Marines took refuge from a heavy barrage near Da Nang.

The telegram to his parents said that he had suffered a field traumatic amputation of both legs below the knee due to combat injuries.

He was taken by a Medivac hospital from in country to Da Nang, then Clark Air Force Base, to Guam to a Naval burn and amputee unit in Oakland, California.

"Most of the Marines, once they were stable, would be shipped to VA hospitals. I refused, nor would I take my discharge," Edwards said.

He would not return home in a wheelchair and was fitted for artificial legs and returned to Conroe right before Christmas of 1969, walking off the plane.

He stepped off the airplane to more than 100 people from Conroe and Montgomery County who had come to welcome him home.

"That just wasn't done at the time," he said.

His picture was on the front of the Houston Chronicle on Dec. 21, 1969.

He noted most returning Vietnam veterans did not get that type of reception and he said some were in fact, scared to return home. Edwards knew better of Montgomery County though.

Education and public service

Edwards returned to his studies at Sam Houston State University.

He announced his candidacy for a legislative seat while he was still a senior at SHSU.

"I knew I had to graduate because the business establishment was not going to vote for a student," he said.

Edwards at 24 ran for the newly created District 18, made up of Montgomery and Walker counties.

His wife, Debbie, who he married after returning for Vietnam, was in full support of his political ambitions.

"The problem I went through was convincing people to vote for me because I was so young," he said.

There were three people in the race and he won the seat without a runoff.

In January 1973, he set about his work representing the people of the two counties in Austin.

Edwards served in the Texas legislature from January of 1973 to January of 1981.

He carried a lot of legislation for Sam Houston State University and the Texas Department of Criminal Justice in Huntsville. Locally, he sought to improve transportation by getting the first traffic light between Conroe and Navasota on Texas 105 in Montgomery at Texas 105 and FM 149. He also advocated for better railroad crossings for both counties after a bad vehicle versus train wreck on Rayford Road.

He supported veterans issues and other laws like carrying out the directives of a living will, the ability to have a license plate denoting a person was disabled and establishing the Anatomical Gift Act on the back of driver's licenses in Texas.

Following his time in Austin, some representatives from Montgomery County asked him to come back home and run for County Judge. He beat Mason Martin in the election and served as County Judge from 1982 to 1986.

He said so many of the county's issues at the time revolved around growth.

"It was a constant growth situation and if you don't meet it, you're going to get behind," he said.

Following his term as County Judge he worked in Austin lobbying for a variety of causes, then moved to San Antonio and went back to school. He later moved to Port Aransas.

A need in Montgomery County

In 2000, Edwards and his wife, Debbie, moved back to Montgomery County to care for her ill mother.

Last year, he was approached by several in the community about relocating the county's War Memorial Park.

The park was established in a green space next to what was the county library at the time in 1976.

Edwards felt it was now time to do more to honor the county's fallen veterans.

The Montgomery County Veterans Memorial Commission was established and now the MCWMC has a board of directors and renderings of the new Montgomery County Veterans Memorial Park.

"We have grown and things have moved very quickly," Edwards told the court during budget workshops in early August. "We have a lot of support." County commissioners have allocated $50,000 for the memorial.

The city of Conroe donated 3.4 acres for the project and the Texas Department of Transportation is assisting with the memorial as well. It will be located at Texas 105 and Interstate 45 in Conroe.

Edwards has scheduled the decommissioning of the existing park for November.

The new park will honor Montgomery County's 166 fallen soldiers, the county's veterans and those who live in Montgomery County may honor a relative who served. Edwards and other members of the commission are now visiting communities around the county to garner support for the project.

Visit the commission's Facebook page at www.facebook.com/Montgomery-County-Veterans-Memorial-Park-1773308732984882 to keep up with activities of the commission.
The Museum District is a gem of Houston, housing a large number of priceless artifacts and artwork between 19 museums.

When Hurricane Harvey made landfall on the Texas coast last week, with record amounts of rainfall forecasted for Houston, there was no telling what areas would fare well and which ones would not. After the rain finally moved out after five days, the Museum District was left relatively unscathed.

If anyone is looking for a respite in the next coming weeks, the various museums have opened their doors, with most of them expected to be open after Labor Day.

"Some of our institutions sustained minor water damage, but all of the libraries, exhibitions and collections were protected by very dedicated staff. It is amazing. The organizations were all well prepared," Julie Farr, Executive Director of the Museum District Association, said while getting emotional. "The biggest hit on the Museum District was our staff. Combined, we staff over 2,300 people, so you can imagine how many people lost their homes and their vehicles."

As an effort to bring some relief to those who may have been affected by Harvey, The Houston Museum of Fine Arts is waiving admission through next Thursday, Sept. 7, but Farr notes that 10 of the museums in the Museum District have free admission at all times.

"It is a way for people to focus on the positive, the beautiful, the thought provoking. It will help to think about things besides oneself," Farr said.

Farr encourages individual artists who may have had their work damaged to go to arts.texas.gov, the website for the Texas Commission of the Arts, where there are resources available.

The museums are all holding ongoing and upcoming special exhibits and events, providing an opportunity for people to take a break from Harvey's aftermath.

The Menil Collection is currently open, and admission is always free. The Menil is holding the special exhibit, "Thirty Works for Thirty Years," for the museum's 30th anniversary.

"The Menil is a place of peace and quiet. We hope that if people need a break from the news, social media, or just to relax in a tranquil place, they will visit the museum or enjoy being in our park. We are here for Houstonians who need to clear their minds," Tommy Napier, Assistant Director of Communications for The Menil Collection, said.

The Houston Museum of Natural Science (HMNS) has been busy both in the recovery efforts, and getting their services out to the public in whatever way necessary.

The staff has already held an on site mobile blood drive, and have held outreach programs for families in local shelters.

"We have daily educational videos on Facebook live and YouTube at 10 a.m and "no supplies necessary" activities for kids on our blog. We have a donation drop off for new and gently used school and art supplies benefitting Houston area teachers who have been affected by the flooding," Latha Thomas, VP of Marking and Communications for HMNS, said.

Holocaust Museum Houston (HMH) was also not affected, because they are in the middle of a large expansion and their collections had been temporarily moved to 9220 Kirby Drive.

"We moved to our temporary location August 7. We have been feverishly installing our offices, permanent exhibit and more," Robin Cavanaugh, Chief Marketing Officer of HMH, said. "Just before the storm, we were in the permitting process to obtain our Certificate of Occupancy. Now there are more pressing matters for the city to deal with in the wake of the hurricane aftermath."

Cavanaugh asks potential visitors to check hmh.org for details on when the museum will open, and when it does, there will be free admission for at least two weeks.

The Houston Zoo is also open, and has resumed normal operational hours. The Zoo, in an effort to jump start the process of getting back to normal, offered discounted admission on Friday, Sept. 1.

"I am grateful to report that our zoo is an island of relative normalcy in an ocean of crisis," said Lee Ehmke, Houston Zoo CEO and president in a press release. "My deepest gratitude goes to the ride-out crew members who worked tirelessly for our animals and facilities over the past seven days."

While the animals were safe, many of the zoo's team members were affected. The zoo has launched an employee relief fund which can be found at www.houstonzoo.org/harveyrelief.

For more information about the Houston Museum District, and to see a list of all the museums and their opening times and admission prices, visit www.houmuse.org.
Two teen boys from Cleveland are facing theft charges for allegedly stealing property from homes that had been vacated by flood victims, authorities say.

"While most Liberty County citizens were struggling to save their lives and property during the recent severe flooding in the county, thieves were struggling to steal what few possessions many of the displaced people still had left," said Capt. Ken DeFoor, spokesperson for the sheriff's office.
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More than 10,000 Houston Independent School District students are expected to start classes in temporary quarters as officials work to repair hundreds of campuses damaged by Hurricane Harvey, Superintendent Richard Carranza said Saturday.

Carranza said the district still plans to start school on Sept. 11, though officials have not yet decided which campuses will be temporarily closed or where displaced students will be sent. Those calls will be made no earlier than Tuesday, he said.

"There is that slight chance there will be a delay past Sept. 11, but we're working with all due haste to make sure we're going to meet that deadline," Carranza said. "There has always been the caveat that we will not put students and staff in harm's way."

The damage estimates come as school districts across the Houston area struggled to open their doors after widespread flooding. Cy-Fair ISD on Saturday pushed its start date back to Sept. 11, citing sewage issues at several schools.

Humble ISD set a Sept. 7 return date, but alerted parents Saturday that Kingwood High School could be closed all year.

"Flood waters devastated KHS," according to a notice posted on the district's website. "The building is unsafe and unhealthy."

Most area districts  including Conroe, Pearland and Aldine  are set to start sometime this week. Nine districts will join HISD and Cy-Fair with a Sept. 11 start date, including Katy, Pasadena and Spring. Fort Bend ISD is set to start Sept. 12.

Spring Branch ISD, in heavily damaged west and northwest Harris County, has not yet set a start date.

In Houston ISD, at least 200 of the 245 schools inspected were found to have sustained damage, officials said. Of those, 53 sustained "major" damage and 22 had "extensive" damage, the most severe label given by district officials.

Another 30 or so schools were still being inspected, including 15 that had been inaccessible because of severe flooding around the buildings, HISD Chief Operating Officer Brian Busby said early Saturday. The district operates 280 schools.

"There may be a situation where a school is so badly damaged that we may not be able to re-open that school," Carranza said, after a tour of waterlogged Hilliard Elementary in northeast Houston on Saturday. "It's too early right now to make that call."

'Extreme damage' for some schools

In Houston ISD, the storm spared virtually no corner of the district, with schools in northeast, west and southwest Houston among the most damaged, Board President Wanda Adams said.

"There are a couple of schools over there that are probably in the 'extreme' damage area  Westbury, Memorial, Braeswood, Sharpstown, those particular areas," Adams said.

To accommodate displaced students, Carranza said he's considering "double shifts" at some campuses when school resumes.

Under that scenario, students from one school would attend classes in the morning to early afternoon. Then students from another school would come into the same building for classes in the early afternoon to evening. If that tactic is used, the school day would likely be compressed by about an hour.

"We're willing to look at that," Carranza said. "Doesn't mean we're going to do that, but that's just one of the many complications we're looking into."

Administrators will try to keep displaced students as close as possible to their home schools, Carranza said. The estimated number of students affected by displacement could rise or fall in coming days, officials said.

HISD is expected to serve about 218,000 students this year.

HISD officials have been working round-the-clock to survey the damage, test for air quality and prepare campuses for students, Busby said.

In the schools that sustained the worst flooding, workers will have to tear out large parts of every piece of drywall and sheetrock to check for mold. District staff will also test electronics for safe use.

Throughout the storm, electricity continued to flow to virtually all schools, keeping air conditioners running and reducing the threat of mold.

"That's the easy part of the remediation process, to have cool air running continuously until we can cut out and dry and remediate areas," Busby said.

Unanswered questions

HISD administrators and six board members spoke Saturday while touring Hilliard Elementary, which took on up to four feet of water during the heaviest rains from Harvey.

Inside, small pools of standing water remained on Saturday. Several crumbled ceiling tiles had fallen to the floor, and office equipment was piled into dry areas. A handful of workers in hard hats milled about.

The school's principal, Edrick Moultry, said campus staff members have been reaching out to parents of the 650 students expected on the first day of school. Moultry said he doesn't know where his students will attend school, leaving him unable to make concrete plans.

"My hope is that they don't disperse the kids," Moultry said. "We want to keep all of our students as a community, keep them a family. That way, if they do decide to revitalize the building, whenever they decide to do it, (students) will have some type of stability."

Carranza said district staff have been communicating with Texas Education Agency officials about several pressing questions following the storm:

How will average daily attendance totals, which dictate state funding, be measured? Will the state's standardized tests, called STAAR, still be administered as usual? Is the district still at risk of state takeover or closure of campuses under a new state law enacted in 2015?

None of those questions has been definitively answered, Carranza said.

"All of us, I think, are starting to put those issues on the table," Carranza said. "Until school opens, it's all theoretical at this point."

'Harvey will not hinder us'

Other school districts are also assessing the storm's impact.

The Kingwood area in northeast Harris County was particularly hard hit by flooding after rising waters forced evacuations.

Most schools in Humble ISD are expected to be ready for classes to start Thursday, but Kingwood High School is not among them, according to a letter to parents from Principal Ted Landry.

"It is a foregone conclusion that Kingwood High School will not be open for quite some time," he said. "Our campus sustained extensive damage and must be closed until repairs can be made to welcome our Kingwood Mustangs back into their school."

The district is working to send the school's nearly 2,800 students to Summer Creek High School, where the opening of school was pushed back to Sept. 11. Officials are considering half-day schedules or sending one group of students to school on Monday, Wednesday and Friday, and another group on Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday.

The district is resisting efforts by the Texas Education Agency to disperse students to other campuses for the school year, Landry wrote.

"We will get through this," Landry said. "Harvey will not hinder us or hold us back."

Attendance at Summer Creek would require a bus ride of up to 45 minutes for some Kingwood students, according to the district's website. Closer campuses were either too large or too small to accommodate the whole student body.

To the south, Pasadena ISD reported as of Saturday that three schools  Frazier and Williams elementary schools, and Thompson Intermediate School  could begin classes later than the district's Sept. 11 start date because of damage sustained in the flooding.

To the west in Katy, where classes are also set to start Sept. 11, two schools  Creech Elementary and Beck Junior High  sustained "severe water damage that will require significant time to repair and restore," according to a message posted online from Superintendent Lance Hindt.

In all, 14 campuses sit in neighborhoods directly impacted by flooding, Hindt said.

District officials haven't said where those students would attend classes or whether the start date would change.
Mayor Sylvester Turner issued a mandatory evacuation Saturday afternoon for inundated homes in west Houston, calling on residents to leave Saturday evening if possible.

The order includes homes west of Gessner Road, east of Highway 6, south of I-10 and north of Briarforest. Turner said the order only applies to homes that are inundated with water.

About 300 people remain in the area, which includes about 4,000 homes, Turner said at a press conference Saturday.

Turner had previously asked for a voluntary evacuation there. Releases from Addicks and Barker dams will keep water in this area high for the coming days.

"The situation of the release of water from the reservoir is not going to change in the next 10 days," Turner said.

As part of the order, as of 7 a.m. on Sunday, CenterPoint Energy will shut off power in the homes at 7 a.m. on Sunday. CenterPoint will determine which homes to target based on smart meter and GPS data.

The order is meant to protect residents and first responders who currently cannot safely access the homes there.

"Think of the first responders," Turner said to those who chose to shelter in place.

HOUSTON FLOODS: How Houston's dams work to save downtown Houston

Also at the press conference, Turner said he asked President Donald Trump during Trump's visit to Houston on Saturday that he expedite federal aid for first responders, many who had lost their homes while they helped other Houston residents.

Turner said he asked Trump for help in providing sufficient transitional housing for those displaced.Turner said he asked for federal funds to assist in the collection and disposal of the storm's debris, which Turner estimated could cost $200 million to $300 million.

Turner said he would review the curfew on Monday -- it remains in effect from midnight to 5 a.m. Saturday and Sunday. He said businesses were concerned about tax dollars bars and restaurants have lost during curfew hours.
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Amb. Carlos Sada, Mexico's undersecretary of foreign Affairs for North America, said Texas officials on Saturday night cleared the way for Mexican relief teams to begin arriving by Tuesday.

"We are ready to jump in and help as soon as possible," Sada said.

The Mexican government will send high-clearance trucks, all-terrain vehicles, cargo aircraft, boats, communications equipment, large generators, mobile community kitchens and a mobile water treatment plant.

AFTER HARVEY: Houstonians eye long road to recovery

The government will also send personnel to deploy the equipment, as well as doctors, nurses, paramedics and support staff, Sada said.

"We have the expertise, Mexico has had a lot of situations like this, and we have the resources to react almost immediately," he said, pointing out that Hurricane Lidia just hit his country's west coast. "We have staff in Baja California at the moment, but we have enough resources to move into Texas as soon as possible."

Mexican officials will coordinate with the Texas secretary of state to determine where the aid workers and equipment will go. The hardest-hit, smaller communities with the fewest resources will likely receive much of the help, he said.

Mexican consulate officials have already been working in shelters across the state, offering special assistance to Mexican citizens and giving each person emergency assistance of $300-$500, Sada said.

Mexican officials are coordinating with Customs and Border Patrol to begin sending teams across the border at Laredo by Tuesday. Each team member has a passport and a visa to enter the U.S.
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President Donald Trump and the First Lady are making their second trip to the Gulf Coast Saturday to take another look at the flooding and devastation from Hurricane Harvey. The following is a running account provided by the press pool accompanying the president from Washington. It will be updated throughout the day so Chronicle readers can stay up on the latest.

Departure from Houston

Trump posed for many photos with the military personnel at Ellington Field. He gave extra attention to the Coast Guard. "I hear the Coast Guard saved ...almost 11,000 people by going into winds the media would not go into. Unless it's a really good story," he said as cameras snapped.

He and Mrs. Trump then walked back to the plane a couple of hundred feet away.

He spoke with McCaul and Cruz and Olson and put his right arm around McCaul. Olsen seem to have a list of requests and Trump engaged with him. Jackson Lee stood with Governor Abbott, a somewhat pained look on her face. The sun was very hot. Al Green was chatting with the First Lady and standing on Abbott's left, the last congressman Trump would encounter on his way up the steps.

Trump spoke with all of them before boarding. He shook Green's hand several times. Doubtful they talked impeachment based solely on the earnest expressions visible on their faces.

At the top of the steps Trump turned and waved and pumped his fist a few times.

Air Force One engines are starting to rev at 3:17pm CT. Next stop Lake Charles, La.



Return to Ellington Field -

Back at Ellington Field the president met at the steps of Air Force One with several federal lawmakers from Texas, including two of his biggest critics in Congress. Rep Al Green, who has called for Trump's impeachment, and Rep Sheila Jackson Lee, who has come close to calling for impeachment, and has called him incompetent.

Trump seemed to speak in a very friendly way with Green, and they shook hands several times. At one point Green put his hand on the president's elbow as they spoke. It all seemed very friendly. Trump also met with Texas U.S. Reps. Michael McCaul, Pete Olson, and Randy Weber. And Sen. Ted Cruz.

He chatted with McCaul, who has been under consideration for Homeland Security secretary and at one point put his left hand on McCaul's right shoulder.

Trump then walked over to several hundred people waiting, most of them in uniform, including Coast Guard, Texas National Guard and others.

The Texas lawmakers remained at the foot of Air Force One as the president shook hands. Governor Abbott was with them and could be seen chatting at length with Al Green in particular.



On the road back to Ellington -

Trump stopped in a neighborhood of Houston just outside Pearland. Intersection of Sagelink Dr. and Sagelink Ct. Mattresses, drywall land other debris, and trash bags, piled high at the curb of many of these homes, ranch style middle class.

Pool vans got stuck two blocks away and caught only the tail end. Trump was probably there for over five minutes.. Abbott and Cruz were there. Trump, holding hands with the first lady, was in a cul-de-sac and spoke. "These are people that have done a fantastic job holding it together," he said.

A man in a red "Trump is my president" T-shirt moved in and Trump invited him over for a photo. "You're going to be famous now," he said encouraging the man to take off his sunglasses, which revealed a pierced left eyebrow.

Motorcade rolled about 2:25 pm.CT. Next stop, we think, is Ellington Field for meeting with members of the Texas delegation in Congress.



Pearland exit -

Trump addressed hundreds of volunteers filling care packages with hygiene items food, and cleaning supplies. Diapers, sunscreen, bleach, cereal boxes etc. (remarks separately in pool #7 from Phil Rucker)

The hall inside First Church of Pearland was filled with tables piled high with supplies. Trump took the stage with Governor Abbott, the cabinet members traveling with him, and Senator Ted Cruz.

"They say 2 years, 3 years. I think because this is Texas you'll do it in six months, Trump said.

Lots of people were wearing "I (heart) my church" T-shirts as they worked. Chats before Trump spoke:

"It's amazing. It really highlights all the good efforts that so many people are making. I'm glad to see him," said Shanna Norris, 37, a consultant from Houston who attends this church. "It just really showcases the efforts of the United States and the community."

She doesn't think much of criticism Trump received for an official-oriented visit on Tuesday. "It's such a wide area. There's just a lot of devastation."

Kenny Mercado, senior VP at CenterPoint Energy, an electricity provider, was among the volunteers.

"It's wonderful to see. It's a tough time. It [Trump's visit] brings spirit, brings hope. This is a city that got a long long long journey ahead. There's still a lot of work to be done."

After Trump's remarks on stage, he and Mrs. Trump went outside, where a line of cars was waiting to collect supplies. They loaded about a half-dozen cars and trucks.

"Hey can you handle this?" Trump said to the first recipient, a man in a pickup truck who parked waiting for several minutes, as the president handed him a plastic American Red Cross bucket. "There's a lot of stuff in here," Trump said. "You're all set," he said after loading a few boxes in the flatbed and slapping the truck a couple of times.

"It's good exercise," Trump said as the man drove off.

The first lady handed him "Feed the Children" boxes to load into the back of a dented SUV whose driver kept a cell phone up and running through most of the process.

To the third driver, Trump said "Thank you. Take care of yourself."

Fourth car was another pickup. Trump closed the hatch himself after the loading was done and said "Use it well."

Fifth car was a woman in a black minivan. Trump leaned over to speak with her and she placed a hand on his forearm. The spoke at some length and the first lady loaded and then he loaded some boxes.

Motorcade left just after 2pm.

Remarks in Pearland -

President Trump delivered about five minutes of remarks inside First Church of Pearland in the Houston suburb of Pearland.

Texas Gov. Greg Abbott introduced Trump, who spoke extemporaneously to volunteers and storm victims who had gathered at the church.

Trump began by praising Abbott: "I want to congratulate the governor. I want to congratulate everybody that's worked so hard. It's been an incredible five days, six days. It seems like it's been much longer than that, but actually it's going so well that it's going fast, in a certain sense."

Trump highlighted National Day of Prayer tomorrow. He said, "So many of you are faith based and I want to just tell you that tomorrow we have national prayer day." Trump added, "Tomorrow's a very big day, so go to your church and pray and enjoy the day."

Trump then went through praising dignitaries on stage with him, starting with Sen. Ted Cruz. Trump thanked Cruz "for working so hard."

Trump said, in reference to Cruz, "We have to push that stuff through, but we will. We signed some very big authorizations last night, and we'll get it through."

Then Trump motioned for his FEMA director: "Brock, come here a minute, Brock. What a job you've done!"

Trump commented, "The water's disappearing. We knew we have a long way to go, but the water's disappearing. And you look at the neighborhoods and you see it's  we just saw it through there. Two days ago, even yesterday, they had water. Today it's all swept up and cleaned up. We've got a lot of hard-working people, I'll tell you that."

Trump praised Secretary Ben Carson and then Secretary DeVos, noting that she just had "a full-page story today in the Wall Street Journal."

Trump again commended Abbott as well as his wife, the first lady and, Trump said, "The real boss of the family."

Trump said, "They have worked so hard and the coordination between the federal and the state and the local has been terrific, and we're going to keep it going that way. If anything, I don't know if it gets better, but we're going to try to make it better."

He added, "The cameras are blazing and I have to say it, you have a great, great governor."

Trump spoke at length about the reforms at the VA under Secretary Shulkin before returning to the subject of Harvey and again congratulating Abbott.

Trump closed by talking about the recovery: "It's a long term. We're talking about, they say 2 years, 3 years, but I think that because this is Texas you'll prob do it in 6 months!" At that, the people in the church burst into loud cheers.

Inside First Church of Pearland, a pool reporter interviewed Elaine Ybarra, 41, who was holding her 10-year-old son, Chris, as they waited to see President Trump walk into the room.

Ybarra said, "It's quite humbling to have somebody of his stature come to this church."

She added, "Him being here and bringing global attention to everything that's going on here, he brings up prayers from around the world."

Ybarra said there was bad flooding on her street in her Pearland neighborhood in the aftermath of Hurricane Harvey, but she said her home was not damaged. She was at the church to volunteer to help storm victims.

After Pearland arrival -

From the White House at 1:55 pm - President Donald Trump Amends Texas Disaster Declaration:

"Today, President Donald J. Trump made additional disaster assistance available to the State of Texas by authorizing an increase in the level of Federal funding for debris removal and emergency protective measures as a result of Hurricane Harvey."



Trump in Pearland -

Arrived 130pm CT at First Church in suburban Pearland.

Motorcade passed a car dealership where most of the inventory had open doors, presumably to dry out. Neighborhoods here flooded, per local poolers from the Houston Chronicle.

Near the destination we crossed several culverts. The water was maybe five to seven feet below the high water line.

Gas station with $2.25 per gallon. Cheaper than pooler paid in DC two days ago by 50 cents.

Small clusters of people on the sidewalks waved and took pix. One group of 8 or so waved small American flags.

Thank you Trump and We love Trump hand drawn signs as we arrived in Pearland. Passes a fire station where a military high water vehicle was parked.

Trump comments at NRG Center -

Now Playing: President Donald Trump and the First Lady are making their second trip to the Gulf Coast Saturday to take another look at the flooding and devastation from Hurricane Harvey. Video by Jeremy Wallace. Video: Houston Chronicle





At the NRG Center in Houston, President Trump stopped by a lunch line where volunteers were distributing hot dogs, chips and apple sauce for lunch.

Trump saw a few uniformed military men and walked over to shake their hands.

One of the military men told Trump, "We voted for you"

Trump said, playfully: "You better. Who didn't in your world? Who didn't?"

Then Trump spotted a familiar reporter standing behind the military guys and said, "Look who we have! Come here. Everything good?"

Thus began an impromptu gaggle with the president.

Asked what his message was for the people of Texas, Trump said: "The message is that things are working out well. Really, I think people appreciate what's been done. It's been done very efficiently, very well, and that's what we want. We're very happy with the way everything is going. A lot of love. There's a lot of love."

Asked what families told him earlier, when he visited with kids and their parents in a play area, Trump said: "They were just happy. We saw a lot of happiness. It's been really nice. It's been a wonderful thing. As tough as this was, it's been a wonderful thing, I think even for the country to watch it and for the world to watch. It's been beautiful."

Trump tried to excuse himself, saying, "I'm going to be doing a little help over here."

But reporters had more questions. One reporter asked what people have said to him so far. The president said: "They're really happy with what's going on. It's something that's been very well received, even by you guys it's been very well received."

Asked whether he looked out the window of Air Force One and saw any flooding, Trump said: "The flooding? Oh, yeah, yeah, there's a lot of water, but it's leaving pretty quickly. But there's a lot of water, a lot of water, but it's moving out. But I think most importantly, the governor, the relationship with the governor, the mayor and everybody, it's been fantastic. And with the federal government. We're signing a lot of documents now to get money into your state. $7.9 billion. We signed it and now it's going through a very quick process."

NRG Center greetings -

The Trumps and their group spent almost 45 minutes at the NRG Center. There were many hugs and handshakes and many photos and selfies.

The first stop was the "kid zone," where kids, mostly young, were bouncing balls, playing board games, doing puzzles and making jewelry. One kid walked on plastic sand pails with rope, like short stilts.Some colored with crayons.

A woman shouted "Donald Trump!" as soon as he came into view. The press was in a pen, and dozens of amateur photographers joined us, trying to catch glimpses of the Trumps. They jostled for position with their cell phones. One shouted to no one in particular "It's Trump! There's Trump." Several Texas national guardsmen uniform were taking pictures, too, and they mostly shouted pro-Trump messages like "Thank you for coming Mr. President!" and "You rock!"

Trump began shaking hands and was quickly waylaid by a request for a selfie. Flotus, in an olive green "Texas" ballcap, worked the area separately for a while. She chatted with a young woman in a white T-shirt

Abbott had a very young girl on his lap.

Trump got into a scrum with three young boys, one with a plastic sword. One ran away, looking pleased but a bit shy, right after getting a hug from Trump, who had stooped down to give it. Trump briefly hoisted a little girl with tightly braided hair and gave her a quick embrace.

At one point the First Lady knelt on the floor, books in hand, in a group of several children but didn't seem to read to them.

Trump sat down at a round table piled high with Clue and Pictionary and other games. A young man was seated there, and three young girls. Abbott came over. HUD secretary Carson took the young man's phone and snapped some photos of him with the president.

Trump got up and spoke with Abbott and Harris County Judge Ed Emmett and then shot two thumbs up, then one right thumb up, to the pool.

Some commentary in the press pen:

"This is the first time I ever been in this situation. Houston has been very organized," said Kevin Jason Hipolito, 37, an unemployed Houston resident whose first floor apartment near the Galleria was flooded. He was rescued from the roof of his Acura. He has been at the shelter for two days and is impatient for a housing voucher to go somewhere better. He shouted at Carson "Can you do something about that 72-hour rule?!" He was pleased that Trump showed up. "I'm a Democrat. It raises the morale. When he went to Corpus I was like man he just forgot about us. This shows a lot of support. It perks up morale."

Devon Harris, 37, a construction worker, was skeptical about the impact of a presidential visit. "Is he going to help? Can he help? I lost my home. My job is gone. My tools are gone. My car is gone. My life is gone. What is Trump going to do?"

On the far end of the NRG Center. a cavernous convention hall, the Trumps served lunch.

Robert Hendricks, 48, an electrical engineer standing on line, was dubious. "What's he going to do, use us as props to serve us lunch?" Still he said "it's good that he's showing his face."

Lunch is hot dogs, potato chips and Apple sauce.



Trump tweets - (Around noon) 'TEXAS: We are with you today, we are with you tomorrow, and we will be with you EVERY SINGLE DAY AFTER, to restore, recover, and REBUILD!'

NRG Center -

Motorcade arrived at NRG Center at 12:04 after 34 minute drive. One guy had a sign that said Not Our President as we pulled into the parking area.

The drive north on I-45 and then I-610 west passed no visible signs of flooding or storm damage. Businesses open. Traffic.

Signs near stadium said "No More Donations Accepted."

Just outside the airport, motorcade passed a church. People gathered. Signs read "We love Trump" and "Texans love stilettos."

Rolling on the ground -

The Trumps stopped and waved from the steps before greeting Gov. Greg Abbott, the state's first lady Cecilia Abbott, Mayor Sylvester Turner and others.

Trump still wearing black rain jacket, although the sun is beating down under partly cloudy skies and it's hot, and far more humid than in DC. First Lady is now in green khaki pants and a demin colored shirt, and walking shoes. The most notable footwear is FEMA director Brock Long's: neon blue sneakers.

Motorcade rolling at 11:30am CT.

Trump shared a smile and vigorous handshake with Turner after hugging Mrs. Abbott .Ben Carson and Turner were chatting as pool was hustled to vans.

Ellington Field -

Air Force One touched down at Ellington Field in Houston at 11:16 am CT. Taxiing.

Some bumps 5 miles out.

Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner and Texas Gov. Greg Abbott expected at the airport and will be with the president during his visit.

On board:

Education Secretary Betsy DeVos

HUD Secretary Ben Carson

VA Secretary David Shulkin

Elaine Duke, acting Homeland Security secretary

Also

Tom Bossert, Joe Hagin, Hope Hicks, John Kelly, Rob Porter.

Andrews Air Force Base, outside D.C. 

Rain fell steadily at JBA ahead of departure but had dropped to a drizzle by the time Marine One landed at 9:35 am eastern on a wet tarmac. Cold and dreary. The president, in dark pants and rain slicker, took an umbrella from an aide and walked under it with the first lady to the stairs, where he handed it off. He waved at the pool. Mrs. Trump, in tan/brown dress and high heels, walked up first. He stopped at the top, turned and waved.

Taxiing at 9:44 eastern, behind schedule, on way to Ellington field in Houston.

White House 

Trump and the first lady emerged from the White House at 9:21 a.m. eastern. With a torrential downpour -- the remnants of Hurricane Harvey -- pelting Washington, Trump carried a big black umbrella to shelter himself and the first lady from the rain. Trump wore a black rain jacket, black slacks and brown shoes, while the first lady wore sunglasses, a tan rain coat and high-heel shoes. The president and first lady paused briefly before the press gathered in the rain, then turned toward Marine One.

The president ignored a shouted question about his plans for DACA before entering the chopper. Marine One was wheels up for Andrews Air Force Base at 9:23 a.m. Accompanying the president and first lady were Chief of Staff John Kelly, Trump's personal aide John D. McEntee II and Lindsay Reynolds, the First Lady's chief of staff.
Hurricane Harvey was a record-setting event for Pearland.

Fire Chief Vance Riley said the storm brought an unprecedented amount of rain.

"Some parts of Pearland received more than 46 inches of rain, causing severe flooding and damage and the fire department was called to handle more than 400 water rescues," Riley said a press conference Aug 30.

The National Weather Service reported Pearland broke a 40 year-old state record for total rainfall from a tropical system with 49.2 inches of rain fall recorded at Mary's Creek at Winding Road in east Pearland as a result of Harvey.

The previous record of 48 inches was set in 1978 in Medina during Tropical Cyclone Amelia, second in the U.S. only to a 1950 record 52 inches of rain fail in Hawaii following Hurricane Hicki.

The storm cause damage to the city's water sewage treatment system, but city officials say the water supply was not affected.

"Pearland water is safe," city manager Clay Pearson said during the press conference. "We have had losses in our sewage treatment plant. We continue to evaluate those and will make an announcement but we have at least two facilities that suffered damage."

Mayor Tom Reid said workers were assessing damage to the city.

"We are in the final stages of a preliminary damage assessment and I'd like to report we had a small percentage of homes and businesses that suffered water damage and those that were (damaged), we are working with them on that," he said.

Many of the neighborhoods most affected lie near Clear Creek and Mary's Creek, Reid said.

Congressman Pete Olson, R-Sugar Land, said the costs associated with Hurricane Harvey also are expected to break records.

"Hurricane Harvey is the most expensive hurricane to hit the Texas Gulf Coast. According to numbers from the state, this hurricane will cost America $150 billion, seven times the cost of Hurricane Ike and five times the cost of Hurricane Katrina," Olson said.

"Pearland took that blow head-on twice and we have survived. We will rebuild and we will begin to start thriving again soon."
HOUSTON  The Woodlands and Bridgeland, two award-winning Texas developments that help comprise the portfolio of master-planned communities around the country for The Howard Hughes Corporation, received a combined seven honors at the 2017 Texas Association of Builders Star Awards in Dallas Aug. 3.

The Woodlands took home the top award for "Best Mixed-Use Community" in the multifamily category for Hughes Landing, while Bridgeland won for "Best Social Media Marketing." The Woodlands also won awards for "Best Landscape Design", "Best Email Message", "Best Online Advertisement" and "Best Direct Mail Piece" while Bridgeland rounded out the evening with "Best Special Promotion."

"Altogether it was a terrific night for both communities and a testament to how The Howard Hughes Corporation continues to remain an innovator in master planned community development," said Heath Melton, vice president of Master Planned Communities.

TAB launched the awards program in 1992 and considers The Star Awards as the only statewide tribute to excellence in the home building industry. This year, both The Woodlands and Bridgeland were named finalist in nine categories.

The 28,000-acre, forested community of The Woodlands has been honored with numerous accolades for its excellence in design, vision and humanitarian efforts. A variety of new single-family homes, patio homes and townhomes are priced from the $230s to more than $1 million.

The awards also come as Bridgeland, which has won TAB's Grand Award for "Developer of the Year" three times (2010, 2011 and 2016), introduces the next chapter of living in the award-winning community with Parkland Village, which will carry forward Bridgeland's focus on community and neighborhood connections, maintaining the overall theme of locating a park no more than a quarter-mile from every home in the community.

Homebuilders announced for Parkland Village include Beazer Homes, Chesmar Homes, Coventry Homes, Darling Homes, Highland Homes, Lennar, M/I Homes, Newmark Homes, Perry Homes, Ravenna Homes, Taylor Morrison, Trendmaker Homes, Village Builders and Westin Homes.

Bridgeland is an 11,400-acre master planned community located in Cypress. Learn more about Parkland Village and Bridgeland, a wholly owned subsidiary of The Howard Hughes Corporation (NYSE: HHC) managed by The Woodlands Development Company, at www.Bridgeland.com or on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and LinkedIn.

For more information on The Woodlands, visit www.thewoodlands.com.

The Howard Hughes Corporation recently announced Houston's newest master-planned community, The Woodlands Hills, a new 2,000-acre development located in Conroe and Willis. Plans call for more than 4,500 residences with the first single-family homes expected to open in the first quarter of 2018. Learn more at www.thewoodlandshills.com or on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
One of the men who took part in a fight at a Dallas gas station Thursday is now telling his side of what happened in a video that went viral on social media.

Louis Huberman reached out to fill in details of what took place before and after the video which showed him dumping gasoline into another man's car at 7-Eleven on Preston Road and Forest Lane in Dallas.

"I am not an aggressive person, but this man pushed me too far," Huberman said of the incident. "This was not about gas or race  this was about how this man was treating other people."

Following an hour of waiting in line for gasoline, Huberman said that the other man seen in the video cut in front of another woman to get to a pump. After the woman confronted him for cutting her in line, the other man allegedly threatened her and "started calling her the b-word and the other words you're not supposed to call women," Huberman said.

GAS NEWS: Alabama issues a state of emergency to prevent gas gouging

Huberman said he was in the convenience store when the woman came into the store to complain and call the police. According to him, another customer also came in alleging that the same man also threatened her as well.

"It was none of my business, but my mother and father taught me to treat women with respect," Huberman said. "This man was terrorizing everyone out there so I finally had enough: I went outside and told him to get to the end of the line or leave."

The video showed the two men yelling at each other near the pump and fighting over Huberman's gas can, eventually escalating to the point when Huberman was seen dumping gas into the car.

(Warning: Graphic language in video below.)

After the video cuts off, Huberman said he went into the store to avoid the other driver.

"I went inside and I was a little scared because I didn't know what he was going to do at that point," Huberman said. The other man followed him inside to confront him when the manager got involved and told the other driver to leave. Police took reports of the incident and interviewed both Huberman and another witness, but the other man involved in the fight had already left the gas station.

Huberman acknowledged that he could have gotten in trouble for pouring gas in the other man's car, and said that he declined to press charges over the confrontation. It is unclear at this time whether the other woman involved decided to press charges.

AFTER HARVEY: Car dealers prepare for wave of swamped vehicles

"It was really crazy," Huberman said. "We were all waiting there for an hour and this guy, he thought he owned the 7-eleven, and he didn't. Everyone was afraid to say anything and I just had enough with him, honestly."

Chron reached out to the Dallas Police Department and 7-Eleven for comment on the incident, but calls were not returned at press time.
Last month, Jerusalem and its surroundings presented an effective model of Palestinian popular resistance that should be generalised

The triumph of Jerusalem and Al-Aqsa is a chapter in a raging and continuous battle, in which the Palestinian people are engaged, in order to end the occupation and the racist apartheid regime. It is a long battle.

It is important to learn lessons from this model that succeeded and that should be applied in other places and other stages later. Perhaps these lessons can be summarised in the following eight characteristics that distinguished the Jerusalem uprising.

First, the Jerusalem and Al-Aqsa uprising adopted the principle of self-reliance and did not wait and see what others would do. The participants believed that It is best to do your own thing and did not wait for instructions from anybody and did not link their movement to those of others. If they had, they would have waited for long.

The uprising also was an embodiment of the principle of self-organisation with all available means and benefitting from religious, societal and civil institutions. It challenged the occupation and its decisions clearly, evidently, determinedly and decisively.

In one day, Jerusalem embraced the principles of the first three Intifadas; self-reliance, self-organisation and challenging the occupation.

Second, the popular movement marched in a gradual, continuous escalation without setbacks because it remained popular and wasnt politically opposed. Maybe it started with tens then hundreds then thousands, but reached tens of thousands. It succeeded because it moved through the sheer strength of a unifying idea and the living example grounded in a sense of duty.

Third, the strength of popular participation and its great influence represented the climax that every popular resistance act aspires to. But what distinguished the Jerusalem case was the continuity of participation without reducing it to one act or restricting it to one day, as usually happened.

Fourth, the clarity and accuracy of the popular movements objective and its steadfastness in pursuing it in spite of all the pressure exerted by the occupation and some political pressure on the local, regional and international levels. To remove what the occupation installed 14 July was the objective. And that was what was upheld. Even when the pressures mounted and the occupation made its last manoeuvre, through the closure of Bab Hatta, the masses didnt hesitate in restarting a sit-in until the occupation caved and the objective was achieved in a complete, pure and impressive way.

Fifth, national and religious popular leadership unity, which was an interactive leadership, would not have succeeded or would not have been obeyed if it was not reverently respectful of the popular masses will and gave precedence to this during decisive and delicate watersheds.

Perhaps this exemplary unity was what astonished the occupation authorities which was mostly accustomed to exploiting Palestinian divisions and fomenting them with every possible means.

Sixth, the masses insistence on the peaceful nature of the popular movement, praying as a resistance tool and refusing to be provoked by the occupation or responding to its criminal violence. This insistence was in the face of the occupation troops that used all kinds of abuse, bombs and bullets, including live bullets, against unarmed civilians.

The cost was huge with the death of five valiant martyrs, some of them children, and the wounding of more than 1,500.

In the days that followed, the real picture began to reach the outside world. This picture Israel and its government fear more than anything else. The picture of an army in its thousands armed to the teeth facing unarmed masses who are full of courage and determination. It is the picture of the first Intifada, which exposed the Israeli occupation and that the occupiers fear that may return to the awareness of the world's people.

If the international community had been firm in respecting international law it would have formed an inquiry committee to investigate Israeli troops behaviour towards the Palestinian masses and it would have held Israel accountable and imposed sanctions on it, as it does in other regions. But double standards unfortunately still exist so far as Israel is concerned.

Seventh, the Palestinian masses retained the initiative from the very first day until the last moments and afterwards. Netanyahu, his government, his police force and all those who came from overseas to assist him, remained unable to seize the initiative from the hands of the Palestinian masses.

This wasnt easy and it wasnt a simple thing but it was supremely successful. Netanyahu was obliged to acknowledge his defeat, which he could not conceal. Even on the first Friday prayer after entering Al-Aqsa Mosque, in an astonishing discipline and awareness, Palestinians foiled the attempts of occupation troops to provoke them and draw them to violence in order to justify taking revenge at their success. Thus, they kept the initiative in their hands and preserved their victory.

Eighth, the transformation of Al-Aqsa Mosque and the Jerusalem issue into a general Palestinian issue. This happened, if somewhat after delays and disparities between one place to another, until it encompassed the interior and Palestinians abroad. Its impact extended to the Arab, Islamic and international spheres. This in turn transformed into escalating pressure on the Israeli government.

Nobody can argue that the victory of Jerusalem and Al-Aqsa was essentially made by the valiant Palestinian and Jerusalemite masses and nobody can deny their capability to triumph.

The task is how to build on this model and its characteristics and develop Palestinian popular resistance on the national scale.

The writer is secretary-general of the Palestinian National Initiative.

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The US government last week suspended part of its annual economic aid to Egypt, citing the continued enforcement of the NGO law. The decision sparked angry reactions from government and media circles in Egypt, as well as from the general public.

This anger is justified: the decision constitutes unacceptable interference in Egypts internal affairs, especially when the current US administration seems uninterested in human rights or civil society, either in the US itself or elsewhere. Moreover, the decision blocks funding for development projects designed to support the neediest segments of the Egyptian society, a strange way to express concern for Egyptians and their rights.

But if foreign interference in domestic affairs is unacceptable, that doesnt mean we cant talk about Egyptian civil society and the NGO law lest we appear to be caving to foreign pressure. On the contrary, we must continue to seek solutions to our problems in the national and public interest. And from this perspective, we must admit that the current law governing civic associations in Egypt is a problem.

Its a problem because it was issued without debate or consultation with any party, neither civil society itself nor experts nor even the Ministry of Social Solidarity, which regulates NGOs. In fact, this ministry had drafted a more balanced law following a dialogue with dozens of civic organizations and the General Federation of Civic Associations, but this effort was ignored in favor of a law that no one had seen. This is not to say that the ministrys draft law was free of flaws, but the ministry should be commended for efforts it made to produce a balanced bill, which was unfortunately buried by the issuance of the law issued last November.

And the law is a problem because it places unprecedented restrictions on civil society activities, including infringing the constitutional right to establish civic associations by notification as it fails to limit the documents required to be submitted (Article 8), prohibits NGOs from engaging in activities that "fall within the remit of parties or trade unions and syndicates, are of a political nature, or harm national security or public order, morals, or health" (Article 13) thus using vague terms to define prohibited activities; refers applications for the receipt of foreign funding to a newly created agency (Article 72), thereby usurping the powers and prerogatives of the Ministry of Social Solidarity; considers the lack of a response to funding applications within 60 days an automatic rejection (Article 24); and prescribes up to five years in prison for anyone who collects funds locallyyes, locallywithout prior approval (Article 87).

The law is also a problem because, on the grounds of monitoring organizations that use civil society as a cover for political activity, it has strangled thousands of charitable organizations around the country that provide health, educational, and other much needed services and support to those most in need in far-flung villages and informal areas. At a time when Egyptians are suffering from high prices, poor public services, rampant youth unemployment, and incitement to terrorism, the state has chosen to obstruct associations offering necessary social protection, legislating to impede these activities and deny the public civil society support.

Further the law is a problem because it is gradually driving international NGOs and global and regional research institutions to shutter their activities and move to other countries, which are happy to benefit from their resources and expertise and offer incentives to attract them. Officials ought to inquire about the number of such international institutionseconomic, social, and culturalthat have already left Egypt, scaled down their activities, or are searching for a more propitious working environment.

And finally the law is a problem because although the parliament approved it on November 29, the president did not ratify it until May 24 and the implementing regulations are still nowhere to be seen. The deadline for the issuance of the regulations was July 24, but we have yet to see a draft or know who is preparing them. As a result, civil society in Egypt has been brought to a standstill for close to a year.

Patriotism demands not only that we reject foreign interference in our internal affairs or infringements of our sovereignty. It also dictates that we take the initiative and fix our problems ourselves, relying on our own abilities and determination to address and rectify this law, which should have never been issued. In this, our sole motivation should be the national interest, not pressures or threats from other parties.

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Houston's history of pioneering and plenty has always contrasted with its stubborn pockets of poverty.

When Tropical Storm Harvey hit and sent water everywhere, being in the same boat went beyond metaphor.

But looking ahead, those who live the inequities or work to even them up foresee an uneven recovery for the working class or folks barely clinging to a middle rung of the economic ladder.

Harvey floodwaters deluged Harrel Park, Houston Habitat for Humanity's newest subdivision, and soaked all 111 homes, officials said.

Water was knee-high in the house, then waist-high in the streets when Neketta Shafer and her relatives fled the home they moved into on Sept. 15, 2016.

"We were just blessed to get out of there alive," the 40-year-old said Saturday of her three-bedroom, two-bathroom house.

Shafer and her husband stayed in their truck for two days until a boat rescued them.

In less than a year, they experienced the jubilation of home ownership and the anguish of a destroyed investment.

Habitat homeowners obtain zero-percent mortgages and contribute hours of sweat equity to build their houses.

Owning a home has the veneer of achieving the American dream, but Habitat homeowners often live on shoestring budgets and even thinner fallback resources. Most have few safety-net benefits such as paid sick leave tucked away to provide income during a long-term illness or tragedy.

Word spread quickly on the night of Aug. 26 that water was rising in Harrel Park, which is immediately north of the Settegast community and east of North Wayside Drive on the city's northeast side. Some people had moved in over the last few months.

"Habitat homeowners are low-income persons and first-time homeowners," Houston Habitat general counsel and board member Toni Jackson said. "Our concern is that many of these people gave all they had to get in these homes and have only been in these homes for a short time. Their recovery is going to be more difficult. They have few resources to rely on."

There's growing focus and concern on underserved communities post-Harvey.

Tanya Debose, the honorary mayor of Independence Heights, organized a tour of her northside community on Saturday afternoon.

Missed communities

Settled in 1908 as the first black municipality in Texas, Independence Heights is now part of Houston and stretches from the northeast corner of Yale and Loop 610, north of the Heights, to Interstate 45 and up to Tidwell.

Debose, who is also executive director of the Independence Heights Redevelopment Council, said there were lessons learned about how resources can miss certain populations after Hurricane Katrina in 2005 and Hurricane Ike in 2008. That's why she called upon elected officials to personally survey the damage.

State Rep. Jarvis Johnson, Harris County Commissioner Rodney Ellis, Houston City Council member Amanda Edwards, Houston ISD trustee Rhonda Skillern-Jones and Judge Eric William Carter, a Harris County justice of the peace who represents Precinct 1, Place 1, visited homes on East 40 Street. A representative from U.S. Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee's office served double duty as an English-Spanish translator.

Volunteers and officials delivered new brooms and mops as they encouraged residents to begin hauling wet furnishings outside.

Skillern-Jones offered information about HISD campuses opening on Sept. 11 and handed out gift cards to help students she encountered replace school clothes and supplies.

Jonathan Ogugua, 17, attends Heights High School. He looked shocked when the trustee gave him a gift card but reflexively thanked her.

The Independence Heights Greater Houston Baptist Ministers Alliance, a collaborative of about two dozen churches, organized stops at worship centers to provide residents access to food, clothes, baby essentials and cleaning supplies. Many have limited resources and cannot leave the community because their cars were flooded. The area also has a high percentage of seniors.

"Historically, this neighborhood was not in the flood plain, and many don't have flood insurance and were not prepared to flood. So, they're just in their houses with everything wet, damaged and they don't know what to do," said Ray Mackey, an area minister and the alliance's community chair. "They can walk, and we can also run our church vans up and down streets."

Kenneth Mitchell got water up to his ankles in the Independence Heights home he rents in three intervals as the water rose and receded. His SUV also took on water but still runs - just rougher.

"I'm going to have to pull the stuff out and file a FEMA case," the 57-year-old said. "I would hope we get the assistance that we need. We're taxpaying citizens like everybody else."

Religious support

In their weekly Saturday broadcasts, national civil rights leaders discussed targeted efforts to underserved communities in Houston and collaborative efforts with local churches and pastors.

The Rev. Jesse Jackson of the Chicago-based Rainbow Push Coalition was collecting items this weekend in a truck destined for Houston and mentioned working with Houston clergy including the Rev. Kirbyjon Caldwell of Windsor Village United Methodist Church and the Rev. Marcus D. Cosby of Wheeler Avenue Baptist Church.

The Rev. Al Sharpton of the New York City-based National Action Network said he was supporting "relief and recovery" efforts arranged by the Rev. Ralph West of the Church Without Walls, which has three campuses in Houston.

Sharpton encouraged donations to faith communities on the ground in hard-hit neighborhoods that were underserved before the hurricane, particularly areas with majority black and Latino populations, because "a lot of the money doesn't get to the people who need it."

He warned about developers receiving grants, then "gentrifying" and "profiting off of the misery and pain of people if we are not careful."

'Wasn't easy'

On Saturday afternoon in Harrel Park, the streets were bone dry. A week ago, houses had 2 to 4 feet of water. The squealing motored claw of a contractor's truck could be heard collecting water-logged debris in the older parts of the neighborhood.

Traffic squeezed by water-immobilized cars parked on both sides of the streets. Soaked furniture filled the curbs in the first phase of Harrel Park while crumbling drywall sat outside homes in the newest part.

Habitat's international and state operations sent volunteers from across the country to help homeowners "muck and gut" houses on Saturday. A restoration company quoted Shafer $3,300 to get that work done.

"The volunteers cleaned everything out of the house," she said. "The Habitat people saved us $3,300."

For now, her family has found refuge with her sister in Channelview.

She and her husband, who works in home health care, are headed back to their jobs - normalcy and income - to rebuild their American dream.

"It wasn't easy getting it, but we're blessed," Shafer said. "It can't get nothing but better for us now."

Photojournalist Brett Coomer contributed to this report.

Editor's note: A previous version of this story stated 136 homes flooded in Harrel Park. It was actually 111.
The death toll from Tropical Storm Harvey ticked up by at least four on Saturday - with the addition of an 8-year-old who died after he couldn't get timely treatment during an asthma attack and a baby in New Waverly who was swept away by floodwaters. An 88-year-old woman was found in a flooded home in Port Arthur, and a 25-year-old man discovered on Friday floating in Cypress Creek became Harris County's lone storm-related death confirmed on Saturday by the medical examiner's office.

At least 50 people have lost their lives in the region due to the storm.

The Harris County Institute of Forensic Sciences on Saturday confirmed Tomas Carreon-Esquivel of Houston as a death attributed to Hurricane Harvey. He drowned in Cypress Creek and was found around 1:15 p.m. Friday in the 22400 block of Greenbrook Drive.

Carreon-Esquivel's death brings the Harris County confirmed tally to 29 from Harvey.

Institute spokeswoman Tricia Bentley said the agency had an inquest case reported on Wednesday involving the death of Noah Delgado. The child died of natural causes with a "documented medical history" but was not subject to an autopsy because he was under the care of a physician.

Tina Galan told KTRK-TV that her son's rescue inhaler was not working and that emergency responders did not arrive soon enough. After flagging down an ambulance, Noah was taken to one hospital, then transferred to another. He lost brain activity and was pronounced dead on Wednesday, the television station reported. Noah would have turned 9 on Sunday. An online fundraiser has collected more than $41,000 for funeral expenses.

Port Arthur Justice of the Peace Brad Burnett told TV station KFDM on Saturday that the body of 88-year-old Dorothy Helen Lacobie was found in her bedroom with 2 feet of water.

Authorities in Walker County confirmed Saturday that a 6-month-old had been swept away in gushing floodwaters on Aug. 27.

Firefighters had been working to rescue two men trapped in their pickup in the swollen waters of Winters Bayou on Texas 150 near New Waverly and Coldspring when they heard screams nearby.

First responders found a man and woman in a tree who were seeking refuge from the current. They had been fleeing Houston flooding by heading for Louisiana, said Jimmy Williams with the New Waverly Fire Department. That couple also had been trapped in high water on Texas 150 but left their pickup.

"The current was so fast, it ripped the baby out of their arms," Williams said. "So, the baby was lost."

New Waverly and Punkin-Evergreen firefighters fought currents for three hours before they were able to rescue the parents.

Authorities have been searching feverishly - but unsuccessfully - ever since to find the baby.

"It's the worst," Williams said. "It's as bad as you can imagine."

Other families are working through grief after losing loved ones in the storm.

A benefit was held Saturday for the family of Belia and Manuel Saldivar, both in their 80s, and their great-grandchildren - ages 16, 14, 8 and 6 - who were found drowned last week after their van was overtaken by floodwaters Aug. 27 in east Houston. One person in the vehicle survived.

The event at the Iglesia Cristiana Principe de Paz drew friends, relatives and members of the community, as well as state Sen. Sylvia Garcia and Harris County Sheriff Ed Gonzalez. The top lawman assisted in recovering the bodies once the waters had receded and broke the news of the deaths to the family.

"We always hold out hope," Gonzalez said. "Our deputies did heroic work in saving the one that was there, just because they happened to be in the neighborhood yelling for help. The truck was already 4 feet underwater and the current was flowing at 7 miles per hour."

The family's road to recovery is long, said Virginia Saldivar, the children's grandmother. The youngsters lived across the street from Saldivar and her husband, Daniel, and visited almost every day - to say hello, share a meal or watch a movie together.

"Daniel would make up little songs for them. They loved it," Virginia Saldivar said. "We're going to remember that. All the good times. All the laughter."

St. John Barned-Smith, Margaret Kadifa, Marialuisa Rincon and Mihir Zaveri and the Associated Press contributed to this report.
Among the hundreds of missing persons displaced by Harvey's wrath was Greg Connelly, a bipolar schizophrenic who left his parents' house in Pearland last week just as Hurricane Harvey struck the region.

For more than three days, Connelly's family had no idea where he could be and could not begin a meaningful search with the heavy rain and flooding. Finally, on Tuesday, a family friend spotted him in the background of a television news segment about evacuees at George R. Brown Convention Center.

A photo of Connelly was quickly distributed among the volunteers at the missing person's center - somber face, long nose, receding hairline. To some, he looked like Vladimir Putin.

Houston police and volunteers with Texas Center for the Missing are fielding hundreds of reports of people split from their families since Harvey's arrival. Their efforts are centralized within the massive convention center that has emerged as a Grand Central Station for thousands of displaced people across the metro area.

Often, the search for missing persons during major weather events begins at the makeshift shelters that take in evacuees, said volunteer Sari Obermeyer, who did the same sort of work in Houston when evacuees from Hurricane Katrina began to arrive in 2005. Every clue, especially a picture, can help, she said.

In Connelly's case, Obermeyer had distinct features to look for, and she had a clear search area. She and her colleagues scoured the faces and combed the convention center halls, searching for anyone who resembled the Russian prime minister.

"I had it in the back of my head that he was in here somewhere," she said.

Identifying someone at a shelter of this size is no easy feat. Many have endured trauma with antsy children to care for, pets to walk and bills to pay. Officials at George R. Brown have tried to register evacuees upon arrival, but they haven't gotten them all.

"The biggest issue is we have no central communications or database of all the folks who have been evacuated into all these shelters," said Beth Alberts, CEO of Texas Center for Missing Persons. "Everybody is overwhelmed."

Search continues for missing

Alberts has been stationed at the convention center's missing persons hub all week. As of Saturday evening, Texas Center for the Missing had helped reunite 112 people with their loved ones and learned that one missing person was confirmed dead. The search continues for 20 others, all adults.

Meanwhile, the Houston Police Department's missing persons unit collected an additional 45 missing persons reports within the city limits since Aug. 25 - including two children. Twenty-nine of those cases had been resolved by Saturday. Harris County Sheriff's Office received seven cases of missing people that were related to the storm.

At George R. Brown, Houston police detective Darrin Buse oversees the police operation at the missing person's center. The sheer volume of people complicates these searches, requiring more time and manpower, he said.

The space is so vast and the ebb and flow of humanity so unpredictable at the downtown convention center that family members who are found, including the elderly, children and anyone vulnerable, can become lost again.

"It's really easy for them to get lost and turned around," said Aubrie Layne, 36, another missing persons volunteer, who runs a cosmetics company. "I was finding grandmas and grandpas all day yesterday, probably three or four grandmas and grandpas."

The volunteers tried using a bullhorn to call out the names of the missing in the halls full of cots, but they kept waking up people who were sleeping. People got agitated wondering what they were doing.

'Worst day of my life'

Patsy Young, who has dementia, was rescued Monday evening by a U.S. Coast Guard helicopter from her home near North Shore and Greens Bayou. But she didn't have any ID and was separated from her 83-year-old husband, Channi Bains, who escaped separately by boat.

Young's son and daughter-in-law who were stranded in San Miguel de Allende, Mexico, were in contact with Bains, but no one knew what happened to Young.

A network about 50 friends and strangers had been searching the convention center with a flier showing a frail Patsy Young, a retired guardian ad litem in Harris County.

Seeing the time this huge group had dedicated, Obermeyer was certain Patsy Young wasn't there. She started checking hospitals and confirmed she was at Memorial Hermann. Obermeyer called the Youngs in Mexico with the good news.

"Tuesday was the worst day of my life," said Kathy Young, Patsy Young's daughter-in-law. "But at the same time, it's one of the most uplifting days of my life because I saw what the power of many could do."

Dozens of less dramatic separations happen each day that are also team efforts.

For example, Mildred Lawless, who went to the bathroom, barefoot in her pajamas at 1:30 a.m. Thursday and couldn't find her way back to her cot where she and her husband, Peter, were sleeping.

Layne, the volunteer who runs cosmetics company, had Lawless sit down in the missing persons area while she and a police officer zigzagged through Hall D looking for a tall man with a partial beard and a blue coat.

Finally, Layne saw a man sleeping next to an empty cot with a blue coat draped nearby. She woke him and asked if he was Peter Lawless.

"It was a needle in a haystack," Layne said. "I got lucky."

'Can I come home?'

And suddenly, there he was, the man who looked like Vladmir Putin.

Obermeyer was headed out the door of the E hall, one of four high ceilinged convention spaces packed with cots. Connelly was headed toward the food tables nearby.

Obermeyer greeted him, and then led him to the triage center where he was seen by medics. She went back to check on him a few times in that area, knowing that his sister's home in The Woodlands had been cut off by flooding and she couldn't make it to him right away.

But Connelly became scared and wandered off hours later, setting off another search. Two days later, he was spotted shortly after the arrival of his sister, Kara Flores. She hugged him and thanked the officers and volunteers. Wiping tears from her eyes, she phoned her mother.

"I have Gregory," she said. "Mom, I've got Greg. He's gonna talk to you. Hold on."

She handed the phone to her brother, who was overcome with emotion.

"Hey, mom," he said, "Can I come home?"
AUSTIN -- Gov. Greg Abbott on Sunday endorsed imposing new development restrictions on rebuilding efforts from Hurricane Harvey to prevent future repeats of the disastrous flooding in the Houston area.

In the past, local plans to limit and control runoff from large-rainfall storms have been sidetracked by high costs and by opposition from business and development interests in a city without zoning controls.

Abbott's comments appeared to put him on the side of new development limits, surely for additional flood-control protections, in a city where the issue has been politically challenging for decades. He also appeared to advocate letting local officials take the lead in flood regulations.

That comes after the governor in recent months had advocated to restrict the authority of local governments regarding development rules, even such things as tree-cutting. Instead, Abbott pushed to preempt local control during a special session of the legislature this summer, even they went home without approving most of the Abbott-endorsed restrictions.

"As we go through the build-out phase, and rebuilding Texas, part of our focus must be on rebuilding in a way that will prevent a disaster like this from happening again," he told reporters before speaking during Sunday services at the Hyde Park Baptist Church, on the official Day of Prayer he proclaimed last week in Harvey's aftermath.

"An easy thing to say about this is we need to create the water ways and the water runoff, capture and distribution, in ways that we will be able to get flood waters out of the way without it creeping back up into flooding houses and other buildings."

He continued: "There are other strategies that we are looking at . . . studies that have been undertaken already that we can build upon to make sure that we do a better job to prevent this type of flooding in the future."

As part of his continuing message of collaboration with local officials, Abbott said he has pledged for the state to work as a team with Houston and Harris County in rebuilding to be more flood-smart. He said he discussed that on Saturday with Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner and Harris County Judge Ed Emmett.

"The lead on this, as far as design and implementation is concerned, will be Houston and Harris county for that region," Abbott said. "Texas will be involved in that process. but also Texas needs to be involved in other regions, whether its the Beaumont region or other parts of the state that have suffered flooding."

The governor also said the federal government will be a part of the collaboration on solutions to guard against another Harvey-like flood disaster -- which some officials speculate could top $200 billion in damages, larger than costly hurricanes Rita and Sandy combined.

Abbott said during an appearance on CNN Sunday that he thinks the losses will top $120 billion.

Later Sunday, Abbott was scheduled to huddle in Austin with U.S. House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy, R-California, to discuss federal disaster assistance funding for Texas. Since the storm hit, Abbott has been working with Senate and House officials to ensure that enough disaster relief is allocated by Congress to cover the losses, and President Donald Trump in two trips to Texas has assured Abbott and other state leaders that the federal government stands ready to provide enough assistance to speed the recovery.

"Heading to Texas this weekend. The House stands ready to help restore, recover, and rebuild. #TexasStrong," McCarthy tweeted on Thursday, in advance of his trip.

Appearing at the Austin's church's 11 a.m. service to offer a prayer for Texas' recovery, Abbott told members of the congregation at the 3,000-plus member church that during a tour of Houston on Saturday with President Trump he was heartened to see tall mounds of debris piled up in many yards as Texans already have moved into the rebuilding phase.

"Texas and Houston are mending quickly," he said.

Aides said Abbott, a Catholic, planned to attend Mass with his wife later Sunday.
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A 52-year-old high school teacher was arrested Thursday after accusations surfaced that she began a sexual relationship with a freshman student last year.

The accused teacher, Alberta Fern Padilla, faces a charge of improper relationship between an educator and student. She remains in the Bexar County Jail on a $20,000 bond.

RELATED: SAPD: Man not cooperating after he was shot in foot on NE side

Padilla, a math teacher at Claudia Taylor Johnson High School in the North East ISD, was the victim's teacher and case manager, and she tutored him in math at a local public library after school, police said.

According to her arrest affidavit, Padilla allowed the victim to move in with her in June 2016 and began to develop feelings for him.

Now Playing: A Pennsylvania high school teacher is facing multiple charges after allegedly having sex with one of her 15-year-old male students  with one of the sexual encounters taking place on a park bench, PEOPLE confirms. Video: People

The teacher reportedly told police she and the victim had sex in a public park off West Avenue that month, and they had sex about 15 to 20 times over the course of the following year. She said the last time they had sex was the week of August 20 of this year, according to the affidavit.

RELATED: SAPD: Man shot in hip during fight at West Side sports bar

The relationship was discovered when Padilla's daughters recorded a phone conversation in which the victim warned the daughters to not tell police about the relationship and said that he was in love with Padilla, authorities said.

Police say the victim also told police that he had had sex with Padilla before.

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CLEVELAND, Ohio - In just a few months, a changing of the guard will take place at the Cleveland Clinic.

After 13 years, Dr. Toby Cosgrove will step down as president and CEO of the Clinic, making way for his successor Dr. Tomislav "Tom" Mihaljevic. Mihaljevic has spent the past six years at the Cleveland Clinic's multi-specialty hospital in Abu Dhabi, first as chief of staff and then as CEO. He will take the reins from Cosgrove Jan. 1, 2018.

"This is a great honor, and this is a great responsibility," Mihaljevic said. "I'm very positive about the future of the organization."

Cleveland Clinic Board of Directors Chairman Bob Rich sees Mihaljevic as someone who will further the Clinic's mission, use his experience to innovate and drive diversity through recruitment.

"Tommy is his own man, but he has a keen appreciation for what the culture is, what brought us to where we are and what we have to do to stay in a leadership position. I think he's going to be a great leader not only in medicine around the world but in Cleveland, Ohio," Rich said. "I can't wait to get up and see the Mihaljevic years."

Known as an empathetic, compassionate and driven doctor, Mihaljevic quickly rose through the ranks as a cardiac surgeon. First at the Brigham and Women's Hospital at Harvard Medical School in Boston, then at the Clinic, he has held numerous leadership positions in cardiac surgery and has developed an expertise in minimally invasive and robotically assisted cardiac surgeries.

"Tommy is one of these people that I think could do anything he wanted to. He's an incredibly competent individual who, even in a trainee's role, inspired and motivated others," said Dr. Stan Ashley, chief medical officer at Brigham and Women's Hospital. "He's a decisive thinker, but also somebody who is able to adapt pretty quickly to changes and able to work with just about anybody."

Mihaljevic expects there to be challenges in transitioning the 50,000-employee health system to a new top executive, but he is prepared to face them. The Croatian native plans to give up his practice to focus entirely on leading the Clinic.

"I think that once a person decides to take on a leadership position, it is no longer about me and my career. My responsibility now is the well-being of an entire organization," Mihaljevic said.

Mihaljevic will work with Cosgrove for the next four months to prepare for the passing of the Clinic torch in January, after which time Cosgrove will stay on as an adviser.

"I'm looking forward to a very smooth transition," Cosgrove said. "He has an intellectual grasp of the issues and an emotional intelligence that will allow him to interact with a large group of people regardless of location or socioeconomic class."

The Clinic's Rich said that while cardiac surgery is what initially brought Mihaljevic to the Clinic 13 years ago, it wasn't a prerequisite for becoming CEO of the health system. The two previous CEOs - Cosgrove and Dr. Floyd Loop - also were cardiac surgeons.

"I really think it's happenstance," Rich said.

Cosgrove agreed.

"This is not about being a cardiac surgeon. This is about trying to find the the best available player at any position," he said.

The healthcare world awaiting Mihaljevic will not be an easy one.

"We have to continue to drive up the quality of care and continue to make care more affordable," Cosgrove said.

Brigham and Women's Ashley sees Mihaljevic as capable of handling that challenge.

"We're all dealing with a new healthcare environment that requires new approaches where we don't even know where were going. He's someone who can do that sort of thing," Ashley said. "Although Tommy has been within the Clinic system for a while, he also brings a lot of new perspectives that I think may add to what the Clinic does. He is a strategic outside-the-box kind of thinker."
September 2, 2017

 A record-setting U.S. astronaut and two of her fellow crewmates returned from the International Space Station on Saturday (Sept. 2), safely landing aboard a Russian spacecraft on the steppe of Kazakhstan.



Peggy Whitson, who now has more time in space than any other American or woman worldwide, landed on Earth with cosmonaut Fyodor Yurchikhin and astronaut Jack Fischer on Soyuz MS-04. The trio descended under a parachute to a touch down at 8:21 p.m. CDT (0121 GMT or 7:21 a.m. Kazakh time Sep. 3).



For Fischer and Yurchikhin, the landing marked the end of their 136-day mission, having launched together on Soyuz MS-04 on April 20.



Whitson arrived on the space station with an earlier Soyuz crew, such that her stay was 288 days. It was the second longest single flight by a U.S. astronaut, only surpassed by Scott Kelly, who spent 340 days on the orbiting laboratory from March 2015 to March 2016.







Peggy Whitson, Fyodor Yurchikhin and Jack Fischer just after their extraction from Soyuz MS-04 on Sept. 2, 2017. (NASA/Bill Ingalls)

"I would say that it didn't feel any longer than my previous two flights of six months in duration," Whitson wrote in an email to the Associated Press that was released by NASA on Friday. "I would say the slowest time has been the last week or so. I think it has to do with switching in your mind where you want/need to be. Once the switch is thrown to go home, time seems to move a lot slower."



Whitson, who has now completed her third spaceflight, has a career total of 665 days, 22 hours and 22 minutes off the planet, 131 more days than Jeff Williams, the next nearest U.S. astronaut, and 344 more than the next woman of any nationality, NASA astronaut Sunita Williams.



While on this latest mission, Whitson also became the first woman to command the space station a second time (after becoming the complex's first female commander in 2007); the oldest woman in space at the age of 57; and the most experienced woman to walk in space, having performed 10 extravehicular activities (EVA) totaling more than 60 hours and 21 minutes.







Peggy Whitson, Fyodor Yurchikhin and Jack Fischer inside Soyuz MS-04 after landing on Earth on Sept. 2, 2017. (NASA/Bill Ingalls)

"I have noted in more than a few interviews that I am not overly comfortable with the praise about the records," said Whitson in her email to the AP. "I honestly do think that it is critical that we are continuously breaking records, because that represents us moving forward in exploration."



"I feel lucky to have been in a position to take advantage of the opportunities that I have had," she added, "and yet I do acknowledge that my dedication and work ethic helped put me in those positions."



Whitson's most recent 288 days in orbit had her serving on the space station's 50th, 51st, and 52nd expedition crews. Expedition 52 reached its an official end at 4:58 p.m. CDT (2158 GMT) Saturday, when Soyuz MS-04 undocked from the outpost with Whitson, Fischer and Yurchikhin aboard.



Randy Bresnik of NASA, cosmonaut Sergey Ryazanskiy of Roscosmos and astronaut Paolo Nespoli of the European Space Agency (ESA), who launched on July 28, remain on board the space station as the Expedition 53 crew. NASA astronauts Mark Vande Hei and Joe Acaba, and Alexander Misurkin of Roscosmos, are scheduled to launch on Soyuz MS-06 on Sep. 12 from Russia's Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan.







Fyodor Yurchikhin, Jack Fischer and Peggy Whitson (in white) with Sergey Ryazanskiy, Randy Bresnik and Paolo Nespoli on board the International Space Station on Sept. 1, 2017. (NASA)

Whitson, Fischer and Yurchikhin, during their time together in space, helped to conduct hundreds of investigations into biology, biotechnology, physical and Earth science, as well as oversaw the arrival of four cargo spacecraft, including an Orbital ATK Cygnus, two SpaceX Dragon capsules and a Russian Progress vehicle.



Whitson and Fischer performed two spacewalks, totaling 6 hours and 59 minutes, including the 200th EVA in support of station assembly and maintenance. Yurchikhin made his ninth career spacewalk, logging more than 7 hours and 34 minutes deploying satellites and inspecting the exterior of the Russian segment.



"I will miss the ability to 'go for a walk' in a spaceship built for one," commented Whitson.



This was Fischer's first time in space and Yurchikhin's fifth. Yurchikhin now has a total of 673 days in orbit, ranking him seventh among all astronauts and cosmonauts, one place above Whitson by just eight days.



(Now retired, Russian cosmonaut Gennady Padalka holds the record for the most cumulative time in space, with 878 days, 12 hours and 30 minutes on five missions.)



Fischer was the 550th person in history to orbit the Earth.







Soyuz MS-04 crew patch. (Roscosmos/Spacepatches.nl)

After brief medical checkouts at the landing site, Whitson, Fischer and Yurchikhin will be flown to to the Kazakh town of Karaganda for a traditional welcoming ceremony. From there, Yurchikhin will return to Star City outside of Moscow.



As a result of Hurricane Harvey, which impacted Houston, home to the Johnson Space Center, Whitson and Fischer will first be flown by ESA to Cologne, Germany, where they will be met by a NASA G-5 aircraft to depart for Houston on Sunday night.



Soyuz MS-04 was the 50th Soyuz to fly to the International Space Station. It traveled a total of 57.5 million miles (92.5 million kilometers) over the course of 2,176 orbits of Earth.
If you pay attention to the news, you might think that the universe is a cold, uncaring dick who delights in punishing us for absolutely no reason -- like an all-encompassing version of your middle school algebra teacher, basically. However, there's a softer side to the old bastard. Every once in a while, the laws of probability decide to look the other way and help random people through staggeringly unlikely coincidences. Like when ...

6 A Fortune Cookie Correctly Predicts Lottery Numbers For 100+ People

In 2005, the organizers of the Powerball lottery found themselves with a major problem: instead of four or five people winning the second-place prize (as normally happens), they were faced with 110 lucky assholes. What the hell happened? Did the world's largest gang of con artists cheat the system? Have the people of America finally mutated into psychic freaks?

Nope, it was something even more ridiculous. When they stopped terror-pooping long enough to recover their speech faculties, the Powerball officials asked each of the winners where they got their numbers. They all came back with the same answer: from a fortune cookie. Yes, as it turned out, the Powerball was temporarily brought to its knees by Wonton Food, a fortune cookie manufacturer based out of Queens that only started printing lottery numbers in order to distinguish themselves from their rivals in the cutthroat world of delicious post-meal treats.

Considering that Wonton produced four million cookies a day, it could have been a helluva lot worse for Powerball. It's probably a good thing for them that the message on the cookie ("All the preparation you've done will finally be paying off") was a little too on the nose, presumably prompting more than one potential winner to say, "Nah, no way that shit wins."
Security News

Security Startup Dragos Lands $10M In Funding As It Seeks Partners With Industrial Control System Expertise

Lindsey O'Donnell

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Dragos, a security startup focusing on industrial control systems, has landed $10 million in Series A funding, the company said Monday.

CEO Robert Lee told CRN that the company will use the funding to scale out its platform through new channel partners with specific knowledge of industrial control systems.

"A big part of my strategy is finding the right VARs that can reflect the markets we want to be in," Lee told CRN. "We want to take this funding and scale that through partners.  We're looking for partners who have relationships with industrial customers, who understand the threats they face."

[Related: Security Firms: CrashOverride Malware Marks Newest Security Threat For Industrial Control Systems]

Dragos offers a software-based platform that enables customers to monitor and respond to threats found in their industrial control systems asset discovery and threat detection tools, as well as a workflow automation center to provide purpose-built playbooks for automating and orchestrating security and compliance procedures.

Beyond its security platform, Lee said that Dragos differentiates itself through its analytics tool, which identifies the techniques, methods and resources that hackers use and turns it into behavioral analytics so that customers can better understand what is going on and receive recommendations for what to do next, as opposed to a series of alerts.

Dragos in May, meanwhile, unveiled a key partnership with Deloitte to help expand its cyber-risk platform for end-to-end operational technology security.

"We're really excited that Dragos got this additional funding ... it shows that they have a leading platform and it's being recognized by investors," said Sean Peasley, partner at Deloitte, where he serves as the Consumer and Industrial Products leader for the Cyber Risk Services practice. "We teamed up with Dragos to extend our offerings around managed threat services -- and now we can manage the IT environments as well as the OT environments."

Lee said on the heels of the Deloitte partnership, he is looking for new solution providers and consulting partners focused on operational technology value-add, as opposed to more traditional IT security partners who may not understand the challenges of downtime and other issues that industrial customers face.

"We're very happy that the IT resellers have done a lot of good work in the community so far, but in this space you have to have someone who is not necessarily niche, but has those working relationship with industrial companies and understands industrial-related challenges," he said. "We're looking for resellers in that space who understand the challenges of their customers and have the right solution for them."

The Hanover, Md.-based company, which was founded in May 2016, initially was funded with a seed round of $1.2 million from DataTribe. Dragos' latest funding round was led by Energy Impact Partners and Allegis Capital, with additional support from DataTribe.

Industrial control system security was underscored when a cyberattack briefly shut down power in parts of Kiev, Ukraine, in December. In June, Dragos and security research firm Eset revealed that this cyberattack involved malware called CrashOverride that targets industrial control systems to take down electric grids.

Moving forward, Lee said that these vulnerabilities will only continue to increase as more companies connect their industrial Internet of Things systems. In response, he hopes to continue building out Dragos' channel strategy around the company's key offerings.

Critical infrastructure powers the global economy and the fabric of modern society," said Lee. "We all strongly believe that civilian infrastructure should be off-limits to any adversaries, no matter where the infrastructure is located in the world.
While the man and woman responsible for an alleged attempted armed robbery in Australia are no Bonnie and Clyde, they had something the infamous outlaw couple didnt  a little help from a hacker.

An unknown hacker was credited with hijacking the Victoria Police emergency services radio network and impersonating an officer as he broadcast, which ultimately led to the cops calling off the chase.

Victoria Police officers were chasing an armed man who had allegedly attempted to rob a store; he and a woman ran to a stolen car and fled. Victoria Police raced after them.

During the car chase, an unknown person posing as a cop came over the police radio multiple times. The unauthorized voice reportedly interrupted so often that the real cops abandoned the chase.

According to Triple M, It's not known exactly what instructions were being given over the illegal broadcasts. However, Victoria Police spokeswoman Lauren Kells said, Throughout the incident, there were a number of disruptions during the radio transmissions which are being investigated.

The police are now hunting for the person behind the pirate transmissions on emergency services radio. They believe theyve narrowed down the area of the pirate transmission and asked citizens to come forward if anyone recognizes the radio hijackers voice.

The fact that the system was vulnerable is not new. Nevertheless, Police Minister Lisa Neville said the appalling act highlighted the vulnerability of the current radio network system.

The Australian telecommunications company Telstra had been contracted to upgrade the vulnerable radio system to a more secure digital radio system. Telstra will reportedly complete the $12 million emergency radio network system by mid-2018.

By the way, the alleged robbers didnt get away. The cops first found the 22-year-old female suspect in a nearby town. A 21-year-old male was later arrested on the roof of a nearby shed.

Other radio hijacks

You may not hear about pirate transmissions every day, but hijacking the airwaves is not entirely uncommon.

On the day of Donald Trumps inauguration, several small radio stations were hijacked and broadcast an anti-Trump song. Victims included Sunny 107.9 FM in Salem, South Carolina; 100.5 FM in San Angelo, Texas; El Jefe 96.7 in Murfreesboro, Tennessee; Mother of the Redeemer Radio 103.5 in Evansville, Indiana; as well as Crescent Hill Radio in Louisville, Kentucky. Radio Insight suggested radio stations using Barix STL devices or Comrex should lock down the IP address to prevent such hijackings.

Over three months this summer, an unidentified radio pirate in the U.K. hacked broadcasts 12 times to play The Winkers Song  a song that most consider to be rude because it references wanker 36 times. Some people found it funny, but others were offended.

The managing director of Mansfield 103.2 told The Guardian, Some people have told me that their children have started humming the song in the car.

Radio director Tony Delahunty told the BBC, Theres is absolutely nothing we could do about it, and were trying very hard to do something about it.

Jacking a radio station is not the same as hijacking a police radio broadcast, but theres been hacks of emergency systems in the U.S. over the last several years. The latest that comes to mind happened shortly before midnight in April when Dallas was a victim of one of the largest breaches of an emergency siren system. A hacker set off 156 tornado sirens, which blasted out warnings 12 times between 11:42 p.m. on Friday until 1:17 a.m. on Saturday.
Pa. Dems could flip the House of Reps. Here's what that might mean
Boris Johnson has reason to be thankful for Theresa May's insistence last week that she is 'here for the long term'. No one believes she will actually lead the Tories into the next General Election, but it is quite plausible that she will remain in No 10 for another couple of years.

And that in turn reduces the urgency of the 'Stop Johnson' campaign which has raged with unusual vehemence lately.

A number of people, mainly bloodthirsty Europhile liberals, would feel better if he was taken outside and shot. They love the idea of a ragged volley ringing out and the Foreign Secretary slumping to the ground, his career in ruins.

The latest evidence of this was a crude hatchet job on Johnson published by the Times newspaper  rightly or wrongly taken extremely seriously in some foreign capitals. It said the French regard him as 'unreliable', the Germans as a 'liar' and the White House, perhaps more experienced than most on these matters, as a 'joke'.

Boris Johnson (pictured) has reason to be thankful for Theresa May's insistence last week that she is 'here for the long term'

Johnson's pro-EU critics will never forgive him for helping Leave to win the referendum.

More generally, they cannot bear his style of politics. In their view, he is disgracefully unprofessional, for he tells jokes, which is held to be conduct unbecoming a Foreign Secretary. But their greatest nightmare is that he might become Prime Minister.

If, as Mrs May would have us believe, there is no vacancy for that post for five years, their sleep should be less broken by terrible dreams of Johnson steering the ship of state on to the rocks. And that in turn means the rest of us can perhaps reach a less hysterical view on the great question of whether a man or woman who tells jokes can ever be allowed to hold high office.

IN 1960, British Prime Minister Harold Macmillan was addressing the General Assembly of the United Nations on the deeply serious subject of nuclear arms control. The Soviet leader, Nikita Khrushchev, interrupted by banging the table with his shoe and emitting disruptive cries, to which Macmillan responded in an unflustered aside: 'Well I'd like it translated, if you would.'

A great roar of laughter went up from that august assembly. In eight words, with wonderful brevity, Macmillan had put down his boorish opponent and bolstered his reputation as the unflappable senior statesman of the Western alliance.

In old age, Macmillan warned his biographer: 'It's very important not to have a rigid distinction between what's flippant and what is serious.' This surely is true: the greatest politicians have usually had both registers at their command.

Johnson's critics will doubtless retort that he is no Macmillan. They are quite right, but should in fairness recognise that it is impossible for any modern politician to have accumulated the range and depth of experience which helped form Macmillan  service in the trenches and grievous wounds during the First World War, high office under Winston Churchill during the Second World War, the making of his reputation in the early 1950s when he fulfilled a Tory pledge to build 300,000 houses a year, spells as Foreign Secretary and Chancellor of the Exchequer, followed by his ascent to the prime ministership.

The aim of Boris Johnson's critics is to divide the Tory Party and thereby thwart Brexit, writes ANDREW GIMSON (above)

None of our current crop of career politicians possesses, thank God, experience of the killing fields of Flanders.

Johnson has so far been a Cabinet Minister for just over a year. It is unfair to expect him to have attained a perfect mastery of the entire field of foreign affairs, and an immaculate command of tone.

To compare him now to the great Foreign Secretaries of the past is absurd. He is a beginner, but in my view an exceptionally promising one.

We Britons are deeply attached to our stereotypes. For about half a century after Tory women stopped wearing hats, it was still somehow believed that this was what they did when they attended the Conservative Party Conference.

If Johnson stopped telling jokes for half a century, he would still be known as a man who cannot resist telling jokes.

Any fair-minded observer of his performances over the past year will agree that he does not in fact tell jokes anything like as often as he did in the heedless days when he was a mere backbencher and journalist. Nor, contrary to the claims by his detractors, does he often make gaffes. When his critics wish to draw up a charge sheet of unacceptable indiscretions, they usually have to go back many years to scrape together a sufficient number  such as his ill-judged and inaccurate 'pyramid of piffle' denial of an affair with Petronella Wyatt.

COLUMNISTS who get a pleasant sense of their own moral superiority, and an easy thousand words, out of condemning Johnson, usually end by imploring May to sack him. Only by doing this, they suggest, will she show that she is a serious person. On the contrary: for Mrs May to sack Johnson now would be a mistake.

The Conservative Party has to stick together or it is doomed.

Johnson and his fellow Brexiteers have to be bound in to whatever deal is reached with the European Union. Mrs May needs to work more closely with Johnson, not hold him at a distance. She ought to travel frequently with him, confer constantly with him and exploit his talents. Those talents include an ability to see with almost miraculous rapidity when 'events', as Macmillan would have said, or the political narrative, as it is more fashionably termed today, have changed, and to adapt accordingly. That gift will be essential in the final fraught negotiations on Brexit.

The aim of Johnson's critics is to divide the Tory Party and thereby thwart Brexit.

Theresa May made a surprise 'I'm not quitting' declaration during her trade trip to Japan this week (pictured)

The high officials of the Foreign Office have spent their lives getting us deeper and deeper into Europe, and now believe in their hearts that it is their patriotic duty to sabotage Brexit. No wonder they distrust Johnson, for one of his greatest strengths is that he does not have an official mind.

He is not the kind of person who searches for an orthodoxy, and then sticks to it for decades after the circumstances which gave rise to it have changed.

He is in fact thoroughly unorthodox, which is why he is suited to the great, unorthodox venture of leaving the EU.

Few other politicians of the present day possess either his quickness of apprehension or his ability to communicate with the wider public, and none is more committed than he is to bringing to a successful conclusion the process which he himself helped to set in train.

He is in fact a far more serious figure than most of the scribblers who console themselves for their impotence by condemning him.

May was right to make him Foreign Secretary and must now not merely stand by him but harness his powers to the full.

As to leadership prospects for the man today denounced as the clown prince, funnier things have happened.

lAndrew Gimson is the author of Boris: The Adventures Of Boris Johnson, published by Simon & Schuster at 9.99.
Apparently, it's the must-have item for every Corbynite fashionista attending this year's Labour Party conference. The red (naturally) T-shirt is emblazoned with an image of their hero gazing wistfully off into the distance. 'HOPE' spells the caption emblazoned across the chest, in a homage to the classic Obama campaign poster.

Hope is a big part of Jeremy Corbyn's appeal. We know this because Jeremy Corbyn and his supporters keep telling us it is. 'People voted for hope,' he declared in his first interview after the Election.

'We offer hope,' he solemnly intoned on the cover of the New Musical Express a week before polling day, the same interview in which he pledged with equal solemnity to deal with all outstanding student debt.

But now the Election is over. And within Jeremy Corbyn's inner circle, all the hopey, changey stuff can now be junked.

On the march: A Game Of Thrones White Walker  proudly sporting one of Labour's new tops

'The Corbynites are really coming for us,' one Labour MP told me grimly. 'There's nothing to stop them. Before the Election there were just enough sensible supporters to keep the Momentum activists in check, but now they don't see any purpose to it. I've had lifelong members telling me 'there's just no point fighting them any more'.'

Another Labour MP put it more graphically. Or cinematically. 'The White Walkers have arrived,' he said  a reference to the rapacious undead army from Game Of Thrones.

In the days after the Election, moderate Labour MPs attempted to sue for peace. Messages were sent to Corbyn both publicly and privately that, in the wake of a result few had predicted, they were prepared to wipe the slate clean. The boycott of his Shadow Cabinet would be lifted. 'We were prepared to press the reset button,' was how one former Shadow Cabinet member explained it to me.

But Jeremy Corbyn and his team have no intention of accepting the proffered hand of friendship. They believe civility does not mobilise activists or provide sufficient political definition for their radical project. To succeed, their strategy requires division and conflict.

Hope is a big part of Jeremy Corbyn's appeal. We know this because Jeremy Corbyn and his supporters keep telling us it is. 'People voted for hope,' he declared in his first interview after the Election. But now the Election is over. And within Jeremy Corbyn's inner circle, all the hopey, changey stuff can now be junked

'They think that, after the second leadership election, they lost focus,' a Labour MP told me. 'The feeling in Jeremy's camp is that they need to have an enemy, someone to fight. So in each constituency they're going to deliberately target a supposedly disloyal MP, or disloyal councillors or find an issue that divides the party locally. And then they're going to mobilise around it.'

A graphic recent example of that occurred in Haringey, where a routine motion sponsored by the UN condemning anti-Semitism became the subject of a stormy protest in which one Jewish councillor was spat on, and others were shouted down and threatened with political retribution.

'It's a proper plan,' one Labour official told me, 'they're going to try and turn every meeting into a battleground'.

Over the past couple of weeks we have seen several fresh examples of what Jeremy Corbyn likes to call 'the kinder, gentler politics'.

First there was the statement from one of his leading parliamentary cheerleaders, Laura Pidcock, that she would never consider being friends with any of her Conservative colleagues because of her 'visceral' disgust for their agenda. Then another Corbyn ally, Shadow Minister Chris Williamson, accused those confronting Labour anti-Semitism of peddling 'repellent' and 'bull***t smears'.

Then came the news that Labour's Scottish leader, Kezia Dugdale, was stepping down after what a number of her colleagues told me was a witch-hunt by Corbyn's supporters north of the border.

His 'kinder, gentler politics' canard has, of course, long since been debunked. But it's surprising how many people continue to miss the point when it comes to the toxicity that lies at the heart of Corbyn's agenda. 'I don't get it,' a Tory MP exclaimed to me a few months ago, 'we disagree with Labour MPs, but we don't hate them.'

Hate, division, conflict. These are not by-products of Corbynism. They are the life-blood of Corbynism. They are what allows it to function.

The Corbynites believe that, unless they can genuinely convince people Conservative MPs were personally responsible for murdering the Grenfell victims, or Labour moderates were their willing accomplices, or  most disgustingly  that Jews who speak out against Labour anti-Semitism are conniving in some nefarious plot against their glorious leader, they are doomed to failure.

They know no one is seriously going to take to the barricades to support women-only train carriages or the right of return of the Chagos Islanders.

But deputise people into the posse that is going to stop the Tories and their Blairite fellow travellers launching a campaign of genocide against Britain's poor, and a lusty rendition of 'Oh, Jeremy Corbyn!' is all but guaranteed.

Corbyn's own brand of brutal populism is essentially a left-wing variation of the electoral strategy employed by Donald Trump and the US alt-right. And according to Labour MPs, it's proving equally effective.

'They're being much more organised this time round,' one explained to me. 'They're building from the ground up. They're going to take control of the constituencies, then the conference then the party structures.'

News came that Labour's Scottish leader, Kezia Dugdale (above, last week), was stepping down after what a number of her colleagues told me was a witch-hunt by Corbyn's supporters north of the border

I'm told Corbynites have seized control of the conference delegations, with some constituencies sending as many as 20 hard-core supporters, instead of the normal two or three. Paper candidates have been fielded in local election selections solely to secure access to the treasured membership lists.

A purge of moderate Labour Party chairs is about to begin, especially in London, where in some areas 85 to 90 per cent of the membership were recruited post January 2015. 'See what happens in Brighton to anyone who dares suggest Jeremy is anything other than the reincarnation of Christ,' one Shadow Minister warned me.

The Corbynite White Walkers have finally arrived. Their mission is a simple one. To keep hate alive.

Wily Corbyn's Scottish secret...

Labour MPs believe they have a spotted a cunning agenda behind Jeremy Corbyn's response to the resignation of Scottish Labour leader Kezia Dugdale.

Some people have expressed surprise Corbyn has failed to endorse calls for a female replacement for the party's most senior woman office holder. But I understand there is a method to the Corbynite machinations. 'Corbyn's team want Kezia to be replaced by a man,' a Labour MP explains to me, 'because that will increase pressure for Emily Thornberry to be given the job of deputy leader.'

Corbyn and his allies are pushing for Thornberry's elevation as a way of neutralising current deputy leader Tom Watson, whom they accuse of disloyalty in the run-up to the Election.

Some Corbyn allies are recommending establishing dual deputy leaders, with one post guaranteed for a man and one for a woman, while others are advocating a straightforward challenge to Watson. According to one shadow Minister, 'Tom is top of their hit list'. Watch your back, brother Watson.
It was always a risk for Theresa May to take Liam Fox on her official visit to Japan  and she paid the price. On the flight out, the International Trade Secretary snuck to the back of the PMs RAF Voyager to down whiskies with the press pack: cue, on landing in Kyoto, a flurry of off-grid headlines about post-Brexit trade deals. An unimpressed PM ordered Fox to stay in his seat for the rest of the trip.

It was always a risk for Theresa May to take Liam Fox on her offical visit to Japan  and she paid the price

During her visit, the PM was serenaded by an Asian string quartet at a state banquet to the rousing notes of Abbas Dancing Queen  chosen by the Japanese because it was one of the tracks Mrs May picked for her Desert Island Discs appearance. Given the rumpus over her pledge to go on and on in the manner of Margaret Thatcher, might the Swedish groups SOS have been a better choice?

Mrs May is not the first robotic Tory PM to say more than she may have meant in Japan. When John Major visited Tokyo in 1993, he cast off his grey-man image and railed at eccentric rebel Tory MP Sir Richard Body, saying the sound of his name reminded him of flapping white coats. Do the Japanese put something in Tory VIPs green tea?

Georgie spinning in a very small world Georgie Robertson (pictured) has been promoted to a spinning role Another triumph for Jeremy Corbyns meritocracy: his expensively-educated aide Georgie Robertson has been promoted to a spinning role. Georgies father, Geoffrey Robertson, is head of Doughty Street, the trendy barristers chambers which is home to Jennifer Robinson  the attractive human rights lawyer who caused embarrassment to Georgies boss, chief Labour spinner, Seumas Milne, by cuddling him in front of the cameras. Small world, eh? Advertisement

WHEN ITV Newss James Mates fired a salvo of questions at David Davis about the deadlocked Brexit talks, Davis shot back: Like father like son, eh James? The reporters father Michael was a Tory Minister in the 1990s until forced to resign for sending a watch to disgraced tycoon Asil Nadir, inscribed: Dont let the buggers get you down. Its advice Davis is heeding.

Hammond's jet blast

Philip Hammond gave short shrift to visiting German businessmen who warned they would be unable to visit the UK to do trade deals because Brexit chaos would mean an EU ban on flights to Britain. Nonsense, scoffed Hammond. If they block our airspace, you lot will have to fly from Berlin via China to get to America. Good luck with that.

Nick Brown, Labours bruiser of a Chief Whip, has a sensitive side. When an impoverished university student in the 1970s, he topped up his grant by writing romantic stories for teen magazine Jackie. Surely nothing he ever dreamt up for the sexy strips could be so fantastical as the story of how his leader Jeremy Corbyn wiped out Mrs Mays Commons majority
It's an industry worth around AUD $5 billion and employs thousands of people in Australia.

But despite these statistics, and the fact that on any given day around 30 million glasses of Australian wine are consumed worldwide, the wine industry has stereotypically been considered a man's world.

No more. With more women than ever breaking down the (wine) glass ceiling, FEMAIL met two of Australia's top female winemakers at the top of their game.

As well as finding out how they got into the hugely competitive industry, Samantha Connew, from Stargazer Wine in Tasmania, and Corrina Wright, from Oliver's Taranga in McLaren Vale, also shared their top tips for choosing a good bottle.

FEMAIL met two of Australia's top female winemakers at the top of their game (pictured: Corrina Wright of Oliver's Taranga) to find out how they got into the competitive industry

They also shared their top tips for picking a good bottle of wine (pictured: Samantha Connew)

Corrina Wright (pictured) said wine was in her blood, thanks to her family - she said she loves her job because it's unpredicatable and requires her to juggle all sorts of different things

While for Corrina Wright, wine was in her blood ('I am sixth generation to farm the same land, and we have been growing grapes all of the time,' she told Daily Mail Australia), for Samantha Connew, a career in the vineyards wasn't supposed to be the case:

'I was doing a Law degree at the University of Canterbury in Christchurch. To support my way through university, I worked at a wine bar for years and years,' she explained.

Ms Connew (pictured), meanwhile, was studying for a law degree when she fell in love with wine and winemaking

One thing soon led to another - the then-student became 'hooked on wine and the wine industry':

'I decided to abandon all hope of a possible law career,' she laughed.

A typical day for both women is unlike many people in the conventional 9-5 daily grind:

'It's very unpredictable,' Ms Wright said. 'During vintage, it's full-on in the winery and the vineyard - tasting grapes, making wines, organising the harvest and juggling a million balls at once.

'Then another day, it can be hosting a glamorous wine dinner in a flashy restaurant on the other side of the world. It's all vert rewarding, though, and tests your brain all the time.

'I like that it's part art, part science, part horticulture and part business.'

'I like that it's part art, part science, part horticulture and part business,' Ms Wright said of the nature of the industry (stock image)

'Don't be afraid to experiment and don't get stuck drinking one style of wine,' Ms Connew said. 'Find a good independent local wine shop and ask for advice on different styles' (stock image)

Speaking about their tips for buying wine, Ms Wright and Ms Connew were full of useful advice.

'Don't be afraid to experiment and don't get stuck drinking one style of wine,' Ms Connew said.

'Find a good independent local wine shop and ask for advice on the different styles of wine to try.'

Ms Wright agreed. 'Try something new,' she said.

'Maybe stick to a region that you love, but try a new producer. Or stick to a variety you like, and try someone else's example.'

Ms Wright added that while you could stick to a region you love, you can also try a new producer - or stick to a variety that you like, and try another example (pictured: Yarra Valley)

Both said it helps if you can 'visit the vineyard' from which you're buying from:

'Connect with the producers and try something from the source.'

Right now, Ms Wright and Ms Connew said that rose wines are enjoying a huge resurgence - 'the drier styles, rather than the sweeter old style':

'Australian sparkling is also on the rise,' Ms Wright said.

Ms Connew said that 'the numbers show that women buy and drink less wine than men, but they buy more expensive wine'.

'I definitely have an ethos of drink less, but drink better. Medium-bodied red like Pinot Noir and Gamay are really popular at the moment across the board.'

Ms Wright and Ms Connew said that rose wines are enjoying a huge resurgence - 'the drier styles, rather than the sweeter old style'; medium-bodied reds are also popular (stock image)

For those who want to get into the wine industry, but have no idea how, Ms Connew said it's all about honing in on a single area:

'Figure out which section of the industry you want to work in, whether it's sales, viticulture or winemaking, and then plot out how you're going to make it happen.

'A big part of it all is having a role model or mentor - male or female - who can provide advice and support.'

While she acknowledged that there is still progress to be made - 'unfortunately women make up less than 10 per cent of Australian winemakers' - she said that it's 'all about 'diversity and having different backgrounds'.

Ms Wright concluded: '[Men need us because] apparently we have a keener sense of smell, as have to be able to protect our kids from things which smell bad - this is at its peak when we're pregnant.

'Does this make a difference in wine? Maybe!'.

'Figure out which section of the industry you want to work in, whether it's sales, viticulture or winemaking, and plot out how you'll make it happen,' is Ms Connew's (pictured) advice

Corrina Wright (Winemaker and Director of Oliver's Taranga in McLaren Vale) and Samantha Connew (Winemaker and Director of Stargazer Wine in Tasmania) are both involved in the Women in Wine programme.

This will be held at Australia House in London on 26 September.

The event will be the largest gathering of female Australian winemakers and winery owners in the world.

For more information about the programme, visit Wine Australia's page here.
A child's first day at school is always an unnerving one for their parents - particularly when their son happens to be the future king.

However, the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge have been reassured that their eldest Prince George will be in good hands when he starts school later this week.

Thomas's Battersea has promised to make William and Kate 'feel secure' about leaving their child for the first time, the Telegraph reports.

Prince George will begin his first day at school at Thomas' Battersea on Thursday and the school have promised to make his parents 'feel secure' about leaving him

The private school will welcome the royal couple as well as other parents will be welcomed to a drinks reception as well as work shops to learn more about what their little-ones will be taught.

The newspaper also reports that the Duke and Duchess will be invited into the school to sit in on their son's lessons and will be given advice on practicing phonics at home.

As well as making an effort to make the royal parents feel at ease the school has invited the four-year-old prince to join his class-mates at a pre-term party to encourage the youngster to settle-in and make friends.

The prince is joining one of three reception classes at private, co-educational day school Thomas's Battersea in London.

The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge have been invited to attend a drinks reception alongside other parents as well as work shops to learn more about what their little-ones will be taught

George (pictured on his first day at nursery school) has been invited to join his class-mates at a pre-term party to encourage the youngster to settle-in and make friends

If George stays at the selective establishment throughout, until the end of Year 8 when he turns 13, the total cost will be 172,116.

Fees at Thomas's Battersea cost 17,604 a year, and increase to 19,884 a year for those in year 3 and above.

Around 6.5% of the UK's school children are educated in private schools, according to the Independent Schools Council - and George's parents the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge are continuing a royal tradition by opting for an independent institution rather than a state school.

William and Prince Harry went to Wetherby School in London, then Ludgrove School in Berkshire and on to board at Eton College.

Thomas's Battersea is rated as outstanding by Ofsted, with pupils cited as making rapid progress in their learning.

Thomas's Battersea (pictured) is rated as outstanding by Ofsted, with pupils cited as making rapid progress in their learning

The children are described as enjoying school life and following the establishment's most important rule: 'Be kind.'

It says the children have an excellent understanding of cyber and prejudice-based bullying, and have their own Anti-Bullying Committee, which trains older pupils to help younger pupils in need of peer support.

This will be important to the Duke of Cambridge - a vocal campaigner against bullying, who has set up an industry-wide taskforce to tackle cyberbullying.

Headmaster Simon O'Malley says on the school's website: 'We hope that our pupils will leave this school with a strong sense of social responsibility, set on a path to become net contributors to society and to flourish as conscientious and caring citizens of the world.'

Thomas's Battersea teaches 560 boys and girls aged from four to 13, and is divided into a lower, middle and upper school.

Art, ballet, drama, ICT, French, music and physical education are all taught by specialist teachers from a child's first day.

According to the Good Schools Guide, it is 'a big, busy, slightly chaotic school for cosmopolitan parents who want their children to have the best English education money can buy. That is what they want and, to a large degree, that is what they get.'.

The assessment added: 'Plenty of opportunities for pupils to excel but withdrawn types might find it all somewhat overwhelming.'

Around 19 different languages are spoken in pupils' homes, and it is described as having great facilities from science labs to two art studios and two pottery rooms with their own kiln.

George will enjoy small class sizes of around 20 pupils. The average class size for primary schools in England is 27.1 pupils, according to government figures.

Reception classes have a form tutor and a teaching assistant - and the head of lower school Helen Haslem will meet George and his parents at the school gates on his first day.

School dinners boast an impressive range of wholesome options - and the catering team make sure the offerings feature organic meat, vegetables and dairy whenever possible.

Past menu choices range from freshly prepared authentic lamb ragout with garlic and fresh herbs, served with organic grated cheese, baton carrots and cucumber, and steamed fibre-rich whole-wheat twisty pasta, to Mediterranean 50/50 couscous and quinoa, and baked smoked mackerel on a bed of puy lentils.

The school also implements a strict control on the use of salt and sugar. Desserts have included an oven-baked oatmeal and raisin cookie served with a banana milkshake, and steamed jam and coconut sponge with organic custard.
The mother of million-to-one black and white twins admits that she has warned teachers that they are related as they prepare to start secondary school.

Marcia and Millie Biggs, both 11, from Highgate, Birmingham, looked almost identical when they were first born in July 2006, but their amazing differences soon became apparent.

As little Millie started to become darker-skinned, blue-eyed Marcia took on a lighter complexion, growing blonde, curly hair.

Amanda Biggs mother of million-to-one black and white twins Marcia (right)and Millie has admitted to warning teachers that her daughters are related as they prepare to start secondary school

And mum Amanda, 46, has had to warn King Solomon International Business School in Aston, Birmingham, where they will start secondary school on Thursday, that they are actually twins.

Marcia has inherited her mother's fair complexion and golden brown hair, while Millie takes after dad Michael, 50, who is of Jamaican origin, with her tight dark curls and darker skin.

The couple have both told of how they are repeatedly stopped in the street when baffled passers-by catch eyes on the lovable pair.

Marcia (right) and Millie looked almost identical when they were first born in July 2006, but their amazing differences soon became apparent

Marcia has inherited her mother's fair complexion and golden brown hair, while Millie takes after dad Michael, 50, who is of Jamaican origin, with her tight dark curls and darker skin

Teachers at their old school, Osborne Junior and Infant School in Erdington, Birmingham, also struggled to believe that the pair were related.

Amanda, a dinner lady, said: 'Even when they were at primary school, people would get confused.

'I'd be picking them up after school, and the other parents would stop me and say: "are they your daughters?"

'When I told that them that they were twins, they would always be stunned. I notice a lot of people doing double-takes.

Teachers at the pair's previous school had trouble believing that the sisters were related and would question Amanda as to whether they were her daughters

The sisters will start secondary school on Thursday and Amanda was sure not to face the same issues again

The mother admits she finds the constant attention from strangers 'a bit irritating' at times

'It does get a bit irritating sometimes, when you have people stopping you in the street all the time, but then I remember how beautiful they are and how lucky I am to have them, and the irritation goes away.

'There were a few teachers who didn't believe them at first, but as they got to know them, they saw how similar they were.

'Other than the differences in skin tone, they look almost exactly the same.. They are both absolutely beautiful, and they make me proud everyday.

'They do absolutely everything together, and they're always making videos of themselves singing and dancing together.

'When they were younger, Millie was always quite shy, but as she's grown up she's become a real bossy-boots.

'She's very organised and in control, and is often telling Marcia what do.

'Millie is our little princess, she loves to have clothes related to princess and lots of dolls.

'She's obsessed with the colour pink as well, just like you'd expect from a little feminine girl. Marcia's a lot more of a tomboy.

'A school friend was very good at gymnastics, and she's picked it up from there and started to really enjoy doing that.

BLACK AND WHITE TWINS: A MILLION TO ONE CHANCE The odds against of a mixed race couple having twins of dramatically different colour are a million to one. Skin colour is believed to be determined by up to seven different genes working together. If a woman is of mixed race, her eggs will usually contain a mixture of genes coding for both black and white skin. Similarly, a man of mixed race will have a variety of different genes in his sperm. When these eggs and sperm come together, they will create a baby of mixed race. But, very occasionally, the egg or sperm might contain genes coding for one skin colour. If both the egg and sperm contain all white genes, the baby will be white. And if both contain just the versions necessary for black skin, the baby will be black. For a mixed-race couple, the odds of either of these scenarios is around 100 to one. But both scenarios can occur at the same time if the woman conceives non-identical twins, another 100 to one chance. This involves two eggs being fertilised by two sperm at the same time, which also has odds of around 100 to one. If a sperm containing all-white genes fuses with a similar egg and a sperm coding for purely black skin fuses with a similar egg, two babies of dramatically different colours will be born. The odds of this happening are 100 x 100 x 100 - a million to one. Advertisement

'Because she's having extra gymnastics lessons, we wanted Millie to do something outside of school too, so she's going to do drama because she loves to perform.

'They're both very outgoing and positive, which is wonderful. They're great to be around, because they always make you simile.

'I've devoted my who life to looking after them, and I've treasured seeing them grow up together.

'They are both really excited to be moving up to secondary school, because they love to learn.

'Millie is very good at maths, and Marcia has a talent for English, so it's good that they have that bit of competition together.

'Millie has become a little bit darker, and her hair is curlier and tighter, whereas Marcia's hair is more of a golden brown.

'I've explained to the school that despite their differences, they are twins, and hopefully that will help to overcome any awkwardness.

'But people are going to be amazed by them for the rest of their lives, and I think that's fantastic.'

Michael, who runs a panel beating business, said: 'When they were born, they were almost identical.

'Within a few months, the changes started to happen. Millie started to suddenly get darker, and we thought that the same would happen to Marcia.

'The tops of her fingers and her ears started to get darker, which we thought would be a sign of what was to come, but in the end she just stayed the same.

'We never worried about it, though, we just accepted it.

'I thought to myself: 'No problem - one black, one white.'

'Regardless of the colour difference, people are able to tell that they're twins because their features are so similar.

'They've both got my nose, and I think often that's how people work it out.

'They get along so well with one another, they really do.

'They're always switching personalities - one moment one is quiet and the other is doing a lot of the talking, then after a few months or a year or so they switch back.

'It's like one takes a break and the other takes over.'

Millie said: 'I am excited to start secondary school. I think that it's going to be fun to meet some new people and make lots of friends.

'My favourite lesson is Maths. It makes me laugh a lot when people don't believe that we're twins.'

Marcia added: 'It's going to be fun to go to a new school. The bit I'm most excited about is going to the lessons.

'My best friend is Millie, because she's always been there.'
She may have missed out on Pippa Matthews' wedding in May but it seems that Princess Beatrice is not short of high society wedding invites.

The Princess of York, 29, joined her mother Sarah Ferguson, 57, the Duchess of York for the wedding of her aunt, Eliza Ferguson on Saturday.

The mother and daughter put on an elegant sartorial display as they arrived at All Saints Church, in Dummer, Hampshire.

Princess Beatrice looked elegant in pink as she arrived at the wedding of her aunt Eliza Ferguson on Saturday

Beatrice showcased her flair for feminine fashion in a pale pink dress complete with puffed sleeves.

She added a little edge to her ensemble in the form of military flairs with her dress printed with medals and with gold frogging detail.

The Queen's granddaughter kept her accessories to a minimum opting for a simple pair of nude court shoes and a matching clutch bag.

Eliza, the half-sister of Sarah Ferguson, Duchess of York, married partner Harry Cobb at a lavish ceremony in the village of Dummer

Sarah's older sister Jane Luedecke (right) flew in from Australia to celebrate alongside her royal family members

Meanwhile her mother Sarah Ferguson cut a sophisticated figure in a black and white monochrome dress and a simple pair of patent court shoes.

Also joining them today was Beatrice's aunt and Sarah's older sister Jane Luedecke who flew in from Australia to celebrate alongside her royal family members.

Missing today however, was the bride's other royal niece Princess Eugenie who did not attend on Saturday.

The quirky couple surprised and delighted guests, doing away with traditional wedding cars and instead opting for a horse and cart decorated with traditional garlands from India

The Duchess cut a sophisticated figure in a monochrome dress as she posed for photos with her older sister

Eliza Ferguson is the half sister of Sarah Ferguson and the younger daughter of the late Major Ronald Ferguson and his second wife Susan now Lady Swinburn.

The bride tied the knot with partner Harry Cobb in a lavish ceremony in the village of Dummer in Hampshire.

The quirky couple surprised and delighted guests, doing away with traditional wedding cars and instead opting for a carriage decorated with traditional garlands from India.

The decoration for the carriage, that was driven by brother's Andrews's 1950 Ferguson tractor, was fitting as Eliza has worked for the Familia Home in West Bengal India.

Eliza stunned in a white laser cut dress as she waved to guests from the carriage.

She kept her beauty look to a minimal wearing her hair in a simple chignon and shunning dramatic bridal makeup.
The British High Street is no stranger to European fashion labels, with Zara (Spanish) and H&M (Swedish). Now Polish store Reserved is hoping to grab your attention.

On Wednesday the labels new Oxford Street store (on the site of the deceased Bhs flagship) will open its doors, with none other than Kate Moss as its poster girl. A canny move in a market that is already distinctly overcrowded. So whats Reserved got that its High-Street rivals havent?

Polish fashion store Reserved is set to open in Oxford Street this Wednesday, offering 'practical, stylish and affordable' fashion

Well, other than Kate, sheer newness is its advantage right now. While everyone can spot a Zara jacket at 20 paces, Reserved will be harder to place  at least for a while.

With more than 450 stores across 18 countries and collections updated every two weeks, theyre hoping to hang on to that freshness for as long as possible. With low prices (around 5 for a T-shirt and 60 for a coat) Reserved describes itself as practical, stylish and affordable.

Among the sure-fire hits in the launch collection are a long-sleeved midi dress in olive green velvet (29.99), a grey checked coat (65) and a burgundy PVC coat (69.99)  which sounds challenging but is actually very chic and wearable. Of course, the big question is going to be whether Reserved can hold its own once everybody gets used to it.

That, of course, will be entirely up to you.

RESERVED opens on Wednesday, September 6, at 252 Oxford Street. Items will go up online the same day at reserved.com
It's the photo-sharing app that so many of us love - for the beautiful, carefully-curated images that fill our feeds.

But new Australian research has revealed that your bedtime scroll on Instagram might not be good for you.

In fact, just 30 minutes a day on the app is enough to make women obsessed with their appearance and weight.

And the more 'fitspo' pictures women look at online, the more likely they are to have a negative body image.

New Australian research found that just 30 minutes a day on the Instagram app is enough to make women obsessed with their appearance and weight (pictured: Steph Claire Smith)

And the more 'fitspo' pictures women look at online, the more likely they are to have a negative body image (pictured: Kayla Itsines)

Macquarie University and the University of NSW found when women spend more than 30 minutes on Instagram each day, they're more likely to 'self-objectify' (pictured: Camilla Ackerberg)

Macquarie University and the University of New South Wales found that when women spend more than 30 minutes on Instagram each day, they were more likely to 'self-objectify'.

Not only this, but 30 minutes of Instagram also means you may be in danger of valuing your body for its appearance over its health and physical functions.

The study quizzed more than 350 women aged 18-25 in Australia and the US on their Instagram habits.

Not only this, but 30 minutes of Instagram also means you may be in danger of valuing your body for its appearance over its health and physical functions

Sadly, those who compare their bodies with celebrities were the most likely to 'self-objectify' their bodies (pictured: Jesinta Franklin)

Sadly, those who compare their bodies with celebrities were the most likely to 'self-objectify' their bodies.

On Monday, Australia's largest eating disorder charity, The Butterfly Foundation, launched a campaign encouraging women and men to take a stance against social media images which glorify 'body obsession'.

Speaking about the dangers of these 'fitspo' images, Butterfly Foundation chief executive, Christine Morgan, said that 'appearance-based talk and body comparison can be unremitting, with little understanding of how detrimental it is for self-esteem and mental health.

'Given the increase in popularity of image-based social media platforms with adolescents, it is critical to look at ways that help to mitigate negative effects,' she said, as reported by the Daily Telegraph.

The Butterfly Foundaion is now working in conjunction with Instagram to help to direct users to the Butterfly Foundation's hotline (pictured: Karlie Kloss)

'We need to work together with young people to build a counter movement that promotes true body confidence.'

Ms Morgan added that the foundation is now working in conjunction with Instagram to help to direct users to the Butterfly Foundation's hotline.

She concluded that people should take a break from their social media feeds if they were feeling overwhelmed or insecure.

As part of its campaign, The Butterfly Foundation will challenge social media users to post positive body messages with the caption 'My body is great because...' for #LoveYourBodyWeek.

To reach the Butterfly Foundation helpline, call 1800 334673.
If you didn't make the trip to Ohio or West Virginia to get a taste of McDonald's pizza earlier this year, you're out of luck.

Pizza was once a nationally-offered McDonald's menu option, which debuted in the late '80s but disappeared in the '90s  except in two locations: Pomeroy, Ohio and Spencer, West Virginia.

In March, news that the two McDonald's still sold McPizza went viral, and curious fast food fans across the US and Canada traveled to try it out  but McDonald's corporate office also took notice, and has now forced the stores to say goodbye to McPizza once and for all.

Unique: Earlier this year, the people on the internet freaked out about news that two McDonald's locations in the US were selling pizza - but they have now stopped

Worth the trip: The pizzas were available at stores in in Pomeroy, Ohio and Spencer, West Virginia

The hero: Both stores are run by franchise owner Greg Mills, who was ordered to stop selling pizza as of August 31

The two locations, run by franchise owner Greg Mills, never actually stopped selling the menu option when the rest of the country did in the late '90s.

Mills' McDonald's stores offered  personal pizza and family pizza  and toppings included plain cheese, pepperoni, sausage, onions, mushrooms, and green peppers. The family size sold for $6 each, while personal pies were between $2.75 and $3.25.

The incredibly rare menu item was such a draw that it became international news in March, and people drove long distances to test it out.

Those headlines also caught the attention of the McDonald's corporate office, though, which appears to have told Mills once and for all that he could no longer sell pizza under the McDonald's franchise.

McDonald's issued a statement on the matter, which read: 'Our menu is always changing, and we will no longer be serving pizza at our locations. However, we continue to offer a wide variety of items for our customers to try and enjoy.'

Flashback: Pizzas were available at many McDonald's locations in the '80s and '90s but the item has been discontinued

Hanging on! These two stores still sold a knock-off of the original recipe until this month, and the owner shared his disappointment

Worth it? They came in two sizes and with a choice of toppings, but took a bit longer to make than other items  which is why they were initially discontinued

Mills, though, was clearly disappointed with the move, especially considering that his unique menu drew in diners from all over the country.

Last week, he posted a sign in his store announcing the change.

'Effective August 31st we will no longer be allowed to sell McPizza. This decision was made by McDonalds Corporate office, Not your local staff. It was our Pleasure and Honor to be one of only two McDonalds in The USA to carry this Great product for the past 15 years. We apologize to you our valued Guest and thank you for your support of McPizza over the past 15 years.'

According to Eater.com, most McDonald's stores originally dropped the item because  with an 11-minute cook time  they took too long to prepare.

But when word spread that the two spots still carried the pies, fans were excited. In march, three Canadian men in their 20s traveled over a thousand miles just to get their hands on a pie in West Virginia.

Curious: When fans heard the news, they began traveling hundreds of miles to try it out

'Before we even left I said this was a stupid ideabut that was the whole point, right?' Mitchell Boughner, 25, told Munchies.

According to Canada.com, a spokesperson for McDonald's said at the time that it wasn't the exact same recipe that was sold in the 80's and 90's, even if fans say it's pretty close.

Interestingly, the pizzas originally stayed on menus longer in Canada, and Howie Mandel once appeared in commercials for them, according to MentalFloss.
Zelda reads all your letters but regrets that she cannot answer them all personally

Why does she bully me?

My mother is always accusing me of things that I havent done. She recently said that I had stolen her bank card, which, of course, I hadnt. She stomped round saying that she couldnt go to work until she found it and that I took it because I hate her. She also accused me of stealing a bracelet and she has now had a lock fitted to her bedroom door. My brother always supports my mother. He kept going through my bag looking for the card and saying that he would call the police, which he did. They believed me and I told them I did not want to take the matter further. I am in my 30s and this sort of thing has been going on for years. The only time I have any peace is when I go away. I have tried talking to my dad, but my mother always interferes. When I called her Cruella, because of her nasty behaviour towards me, my dad told me off. She always turns on the tears and makes out that its my fault. What should I do?

For parents, children are the most important thing in the world and its so sad when that relationship goes wrong. It sounds as though your mother is manipulative and a bully. Sadly, your brother takes her side and your father is not tough enough to stand up to her. Thats probably because when she takes things out on you, it stops her from getting at them, so they have an easier life. This difficult relationship with your mother probably goes back a long way and she is not prepared to listen to you. Tell her how upset you are at being accused of things you have not done, and tell her how the fact that she does not trust you makes you feel unloved. You could ask her to try joint counselling, but I am not optimistic. It may be that she is narcissistic, thinks only of her own feelings and rationalises her behaviour by always blaming you. It may be better to put some distance between you both. I think that you need to find somewhere else to live and only see her occasionally.

Our sex life is boring

I love my husband and know that he loves and adores me, but the problem is our sex life. It was really good at the start of the relationship, but now it tends to be more or less the same thing every time. I want more variety and excitement and to try different things  even acting out each others fantasies. I havent said anything to him because I dont want to hurt his feelings. Am I being unreasonable? He is a lovely man, great-looking and loving.

You are tiptoeing round because you love your husband and dont want to hurt his feelings. Look at it this way: you have a loving relationship and if you were more adventurous sexually, I think that  like most men  he would think that was great, too. Great sex is an important part of a marriage. You should be able to talk openly to each other about what you both enjoy and how to give each other pleasure. If you never say anything, how will he know? Start by telling him how much you love him and enjoy making love, then tell him you would love to try some new things. Make some suggestions and  equally importantly  ask him what he would like to try. Take time over foreplay, explore various positions, experiment with oral sex and different ways of stimulating the penis and clitoris. Many couples find that sharing their fantasies with each other is also great fun. I recommend reading Exploring Sex, Love and Lust by Clive Peters and How to Make Great Love to a Woman/Man by Anne Hooper and Phillip Hodson.

My wife drinks too much

I love my wife, but she is destroying my life by getting drunk at least two or three times a week. As a result, she becomes very verbally abusive. I have a well-paid but highly demanding job and now I dread coming home at the end of the day. We have two children, aged 14 and 16, who I am very worried about. When she is sober, she is really lovely. She has promised in the past not to drink too much, but she never lasts for more than a week or two. I dont want to hurt our children, but I feel that divorce is the only option.

Drink not only destroys the life of the alcoholic, but also those who they love and who love and care for them. Divorce is not an option at the moment, unless you had full custody of the children (which might be difficult with your job), as it wouldnt be safe to leave them with her. When she is sober, sit down and tell her how worried you are that her drinking is destroying your marriage and that she is harming her children. If she realises that she could lose you and her children, and how much she is also damaging her own health, she might be prepared to get help. Ask her to contact Alcoholics Anonymous (alcoholics-anonymous.org.uk, 0800 917 7650). Please also contact Al-Anon, which provides support for spouses and families of problem drinkers (al-anonuk.org.uk, 020 7403 0888). If nothing changes, once the children are a little older, you may want to end the relationship. I hope, however, that your wife will accept the help that she needs and you can stay together.

If you have a problem, write to Zelda West-Meads at: YOU, Northcliffe House, 2 Derry Street, London W8 5TS, or email z.west-meads@you.co.uk
Its not for nothing that the group of models who walk a certain catwalk each season are known as the Balmain army. Think Cindy Bruna and Lara Stone or Jourdan Dunn and Gigi Hadid  the Parisian label designed by Olivier Rousteing is synonymous with seriously strong femininity.

So, now that Olivier has joined forces with LOreal Paris to create a collection of Color Riche lip shades, modern-day girl power is coming to make-up.

I remember watching my mother and grandmother apply their lipstick. I realised that feeling beautiful makes women powerful, he says.

Cindy Bruna and Lara Stone

Of the 12 shades  which include Domination, Confession, Balmain Instinct and Liberation  its the unusual khaki colour of Balmain Instinct that he urges me to try.

When I created that shade, I pictured a woman dressed in Balmain, walking purposefully down the Avenue Montaigne. Shes strong, shes in control, shes powerful. Sign me up now. 12.99 each, harveynichols.com.

From left: Domination, Confession, Balmain Instinct and Liberation

For anyone whose September skin is looking a little dry and uneven (guilty as charged), The Hero Projects new two-step cleanse and exfoliate duo, Resurfizz, will come to your rescue. Kick off with the Thermo Melt  a cleanser that warms upon skin contact. Follow with the weird but wonderful Enzyme Fizz. Transforming from a gel to a fizzing foam in seconds, it breaks down surface cells to remove dryness and help even out that post-summer complexion. 40, qvcuk.com.

The Hero Project s new two-step cleanse and exfoliate duo

Style icons Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen have added a wardrobe of fragrances to their empire, Elizabeth and James. Enter the Nirvana eau de parfum range: Black, White, Rose, Bourbon, French Grey and, my favourite, Amethyst  a blend of tobacco, honeysuckle and cedar wood with a depth that seems fitting for autumn as you unpack those jumpers and rediscover your tights. From 69, harrods.com.

Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen

Nirvana eau de parfum range, from 69, harrods.com

This week were adding a black velvet ribbon to our do of the day. Youthful but chic, easy to achieve and straight off the Temperley London A/W 17 catwalk, weve nailed our new season hair update with the twist of a bow.
Cancer support charity Maggies is marking its 21st birthday with Life, a joyful exhibition of photographs celebrating people it has helped. Here, four of them share their stories.

The RIBA Stirling Prize-winning Maggies Centre in West London

Maggies Centres are the legacy of Maggie Keswick Jencks, who was diagnosed with incurable breast cancer in 1993 at the age of 51. Determined that people should not lose the joy of living in the fear of dying, she dedicated her last 18 months  alongside her husband and medical team  to developing a new approach to cancer care, incorporating stress-reducing strategies and psychological support in a relaxed, caring environment.

The first Maggies Centre opened in Edinburgh in 1996, a year after her death, providing practical and emotional help for people living with cancer and their friends and families. There is now a network of 21 centres across the UK and in Hong Kong and Tokyo, many in award-winning buildings designed by architects such as Frank Gehry, Zaha Hadid and Richard Rogers. Almost 220,000 people visited the centres last year, and for them, Maggies is a lifeline. The charitys president Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall, says: These centres are the most uplifting places you could ever be in and you come out feeling better. That is surely the point of Maggies  you see so many smiling faces.

The charity's president Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall

To mark the organisations 21st anniversary, photographer Zoe Law has captured images of 21 people it has helped, reflecting their resilience and joy during and beyond cancer. An exhibition of these photographs, Life (also available as a book), will be at Christies, London, from Tuesday 12 to Thursday 14 September. As the Duchess of Cornwall says in the foreword of the book, I am always struck by the positive and courageous outlook of the people I meet at Maggies  qualities that shine through in these inspiring photographs.

For more information, visit maggiescentres.org

Ive discovered a new zest for life

Marie Downes, 43, with her daughter Olivia

Marie Downes (right), 43, with her daughter Olivia

When I was first diagnosed with breast cancer in 2010 I had a crushing feeling of absolute horror. Thankfully I had a lovely consultant who told me shed be tackling the cancer head on. When it returned as secondary breast cancer six years later  shortly after my husband had left  I went to Maggies Dundee Centre for support. Going there with my daughter Olivia, I have drawn strength from knowing that there are others going through the same thing as me.

I have drawn strength from others going through the same thing

Im a professional musician  Ive put on two fundraising concerts at the centre  and music has also been therapy for me. With cancer treatment you feel youre losing control of your body, and its empowering to use it to create something. I feel I can express my hurt through my clarinet. If anything, Im playing better than ever.

Maries daughter Olivia, 18, adds: After Mums second diagnosis, I spent hours researching on the internet and hardly sleeping. But her bravery in dealing with cancer has given me perspective. The worst thing I could have imagined has happened to us, so other things dont seem so daunting any more. Mums humour and courage continually inspire me.

'I am happy within myself now'

Virginia Ginny Ring, 69

Virginia Ring, 69

After finishing a year of treatment for breast cancer in 1999, I decided to live my life to the full. But in 2012 I learned that it had come back in my right breast, and it then moved into my spine and pelvis. It was a terrible shock  I thought that was the end of me.

However, despite some dark and sad times since, I have also had the most wonderful experiences, including the amazing photo shoot with Zoe  where I felt like a star!  singing in the Maggies choir on Songs of Praise and becoming a regular contributor to BBC Gloucestershire.

Maggies Cheltenham Centre has helped me through a dark tunnel: now I have come out of the other side and can live well every day with cancer. If I was to die tomorrow I could say that I am very content with my life. I have a lovely husband, daughter and grandchildren, and Ive travelled everywhere I want to go. I am happy within myself.

Im living in the moment

Lizzie Hall, 27, with her friend Faye

Lizzie Hall, left, with her friend Faye

My doctors had told me I was too young to have bowel cancer, so my diagnosis at the age of 24 was a total shock. Originally from Durham, I went to university in Dundee and stayed there after graduating, taking a job as an admin assistant while I decided on a career. I dont have any family in Dundee, but my partner and my best friends are here, and I wanted to keep a sense of normality. My friends have supported me so well, including Faye, who was always there for me, visiting me in hospital and listening to my worries.

The treatments, operations and side-effects were long and gruelling. After my colostomy reversal I really struggled to get back into a routine and felt I had lost my confidence to go back to work. My specialist nurse recommended Maggies Dundee Centre and at first I went for advice, then later I took part in some of the courses.

Cancer changed my outlook on life and I knew that I wanted to help people in a similar situation. After spending so much time in hospital, I decided to study for a nursing degree. My cancer is in remission but I still visit Maggies regularly as Ive made good friends there. I love their yoga group  it helps me both physically and mentally.'

Maggies helped me to manage my fear

Samantha Thornton, 51

Samantha Thornton, 51

I was diagnosed with two lymphomas in 2002 and I spent seven years fighting them before finally going into remission in 2009, after an autologous stem cell transplant. Seven years is a very long time and sometimes the fear was so overwhelming that it was difficult to breathe. Learning to meditate at Maggies West London helped manage that.

My check-ups confirm that I am still in remission and maybe I was lucky to find the true meaning of life largely because of my illness. I fulfilled my dream to become a sculptor, working in both bronze and stone, and wrote a book, Pog: Weathering the Storm [Pog is Samanthas nickname], which recounts my seven-year journey to wellness. The profits from the book went to Maggies.

Most of all, however, I have been surrounded by love and have been able to witness my children Atalanta and Marcus and my stepson Tom turning into the most wonderful young adults. I have also just celebrated 20 years of marriage to my rock, my lover and my friend, Guy.
I love lasagne, but Ben hates it, so much so that I am rarely allowed to serve it. Up to the age of 16 he lived in London and Italy and ate wonderful food cooked by his mother Gretchen. He probably liked lasagne then, but later he left home and moved in with a girlfriend on the Fulham Road. This was the time when the first ready-meals were being sold and lasagne was probably one of them. Fulham Sloanes were quite keen on ready-meals, which might explain Bens present-day aversion to the dish. Lasagne is fiddly to make, but it can be prepared in advance and, best of all, can be frozen. Its great for a crowd  the quantities can easily be doubled or trebled  and the kids love it, too.

SERVES 6-8

250g lasagne sheets (the ones you dont need to pre-cook are the easiest)

100g Parmesan or pecorino cheese, freshly grated

100g mozzarella cheese (optional)

salt and freshly ground black pepper

FOR THE MINCED BEEF FILLING

2 tbsp olive oil

1 large onion, peeled and chopped

3 garlic cloves, peeled and chopped

130g bacon or pancetta pieces

1kg minced beef

2 tbsp tomato puree

a sprinkling of dried oregano

2 x 400g tins chopped tomatoes

150ml inexpensive red wine

1 beef stock cube, dissolved in 100ml boiling water

FOR THE BECHAMEL SAUCE

1 litre milk

1 bay leaf

50g butter

50g plain flour

freshly grated nutmeg

 To start the beef filling, heat the olive oil in a large pan and add the onion and garlic. Cook gently for about 10 minutes, until soft. Add the bacon and mince and stir well to break up the clumps. After about 5 minutes, when the mince has turned from grey to brown, add the tomato puree, oregano, chopped tomatoes, wine and stock, and season. Stir everything together and leave to bubble, uncovered, for about 40 minutes. It should be thick and not too runny.

 Meanwhile, heat the milk for the bechamel in a pan until almost boiling. Take off the heat, add the bay leaf and leave to infuse for about 20 minutes.

 Melt the butter in a clean medium pan over a low heat. Slowly sprinkle in the flour, stirring all the time. Once you have a smooth paste thats beginning to bubble, start adding the milk slowly, stirring continuously. Keep stirring until the sauce is smooth and has thickened slightly. Discard the bay leaf, then season with salt, pepper and nutmeg.

 Preheat the oven to 190C/fan 170C/gas 5. Set out a baking dish measuring about 30cm x 22cm x 7cm.

 To assemble the lasagne, spread about a quarter of the mince in the bottom of your chosen dish. Cover with some of the pasta sheets, overlapping them slightly if necessary. Spread some of the bechamel over them and add a sprinkling of the Parmesan. Repeat these layers (you might not need all the pasta), finishing with bechamel and Parmesan on top.

 If you like, slice the mozzarella and use as another layer, or simply grate it over the top before baking.

 Bake for about 40 minutes, or until the pasta is cooked and the top is golden. (A lasagne made in a bigger dish will take a little longer to cook.) All you need as accompaniment is a huge bowl of green salad.
A survey has uncovered the shocking extent of vision problems in India, with up to 65 per cent of respondents found to be suffering from a cataract.

In a bid to eliminate blindness from India, the Union health ministry conducted a National Blindness Survey (2015-2018) in collaboration with the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS).

But what came out in the survey is striking and alarming as nearly 65 per cent of those surveyed randomly were found to have a cataract.

Patients must have surgery to correct the condition (stock photo)

According to an AIIMS senior doctor, initial findings of the study revealed that cataracts were the leading cause of blindness in the population. They can only be treated with surgery.

It is the first ever survey which carried out among a sample of 90,000 of the population, using the Rapid Assessment of Avoidable Blindness (RAAB)-6 methodology.

RAAB is a scientific and rapid population-based survey of visual impairment and eye care services among people aged 50 years and above, to estimate the prevalence and causes of avoidable blindness and visual impairment.

Dr Atul Kumar, chief and professor of ophthalmology at AIIMS's RP eye centre said: 'The National Blindness Survey (2015- 2018) is being conducted by our dedicated team and has been completed in 23 districts. This survey is scheduled to be completed in all 30 districts by June 2018.'

The National Blindness Survey (2015- 2018) is being conducted by a dedicated team

A doctor examining a patient's eyes (stock photo)

He added: 'This survey will provide the most reliable representative current estimates of blindness and visuals impairment among those aged 50 years and above among the population in India.

'The survey will also generate, for the first time, the burden of DR and sight threatening DR.'

Prof JS Titiyal, an ophthalmologist and a leading cataract surgeon at AIIMS said that every year, the country is performing 65 lakhs of cataract surgery, and yet cases of disease remain high.

The survey shows that cataracts afflict many in the population (stock photo)

Prof Dr Praveen Vashist, head of community ophthalmology at RP eye centre added: 'Nearly 65 per cent of the NPCB budget is used only for cataract programmes.

'When we did a surgery in 1986-89, the disease was about 80 per cent and in 2001 survey it reduced to 62 per cent.

'As of now, in India, the evidence for the burden of visual impairment is nearly about 5.4 crore and blindness is about 50 lakhs, which is 20 per cent of the global economic burden.'
Energy firms fear that plans to set a price cap for at least two million poorer households could lead to widespread fraud unless the Government agrees to share information to help identify vulnerable customers.

Regulator Ofgem is expected to unveil plans for a price cap later this month to come into force in January.

This would be a more modest proposal than Theresa May's pre-election promise to cut the price of energy by 100 for 17million households. And it is not yet clear how Ofgem's new idea will work.

Regulator Ofgem is expected to unveil plans for a price cap later this month

Vulnerable consumers are currently eligible for a range of assistance schemes  some are paid to them directly, such as the Cold Weather Payment.

But the Department for Work and Pensions has previously refused to help energy firms identify which consumers might need assistance.

One senior energy industry executive said: 'There are 1.25million pensioners in the core group, then there are another 900,000 people who we think are likely to be described as vulnerable.

'But many people who should apply for help don't do so and each company defines its vulnerable customers in a different way.

'So we need some definitive information from the DWP on this. Otherwise it could open it up to huge amounts of fraud which would mean the money not going to the right people.'

Ofgem said it is discussing with the DWP how information might be made available.
City grandee Mike Rake is in line for the chairman's role at London-based tech company Pushfor ahead of a possible float.

Rake, due to step down as chairman of telecoms giant BT in November, has held talks over joining the board at the secure messaging and content-sharing business.

Gaining his services would be a coup for Pushfor as Rake is one of the most respected directors in the FTSE 100 and is a former president of the CBI.

Mike Rake is due to step down as chairman of telecoms giant BT in November

Rake was also chairman of payments processing firm Worldpay which earlier this month was bought by rival Vantiv in a 9.3billion deal and he remains a senior director of the combined firm.

He stressed that no role had yet been agreed with Pushfor. Rake said: 'We met and I thought their company was very interesting and we agreed to catch up again in the autumn to see if there is any mutual interest in me joining the board.'

Sources suggest that a place on the board for Rake might be a precursor to Pushfor floating on the stock exchange.

Founded by tech entrepreneur John Safa, Pushfor uses patented technology to 'push' information to users, allowing them to view the content without physically sending it to them.

The sender can remove content at any time if, for example, an unauthorised user attempts to download or screenshot it.

Safa has raised 55million for funding in the past 18 years.
Lloyd's of London insurers are counting the cost of Hurricane Harvey as the claims roll in.

Analysts have estimated the total damage could amount to as much as $80billion (62billion)  but only $10billion to $15billion will have to be paid out by insurers.

The boss of a major Lloyd's insurer told The Mail on Sunday: 'What will emerge is the gap between the economic losses and the insured losses.'

Rescue: A volunteer searches for trapped residents in Houston

Very few homeowners in the US have insurance against flooding  which has done most of the damage  as mortgage lenders often do not require homeowners to have the cover as they do in the UK.

There is speculation that US banks may end up facing massive losses because Texas is a 'non-recourse' state, which means homeowners can hand over their keys and walk away from their mortgages.

Such homeowners face only a blot on their credit files. The banks can recover only the home itself rather than pursue borrowers for other assets.

Lloyd's insurers have had a strong run with few major hurricanes in recent years. Hurricane Sandy in 2012, which caused huge damage in New York, is thought to have cost the industry $20billion, while Hurricane Katrina which struck New Orleans in 2005 cost $50billion.

Huge losses by insurers can in rare instances wipe out so much capital that premiums are driven up across the board. But Harvey is unlikely to fall into that category.

Insurers point out that the hurricane season is not over yet. September is traditionally the most active month for hurricanes so more devastation could be on the way.
Consumers opposed to Islamic Sharia law are being urged to avoid halal-certified products at the supermarket.

Major brands pay fees to Muslim third-party halal certifiers to confirm their products contain no pork or alcohol products.

However, Halal Choices founder Kirralie Smith claims these funds are going towards Islamic mosques that promote Sharia law, a strict Muslim legal system, and is campaigning for food producers to declare who they pay third-party fees to.

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Halal Choices founder Kirralie Smith says halal-certification fees are funding 'Sharia causes'

'Its been established beyond any doubt that the money promotes sharia causes in this country such as the profits go to mosques, Islamic schools and Islamic charities,' she told media commentator and former federal Labor leader Mark Latham.

Ms Smith, a northern New South Wales farmer who ran as a Senate candidate last year with the right-wing Australian Liberty Alliance, is campaigner for clearer halal labelling.

'Where companies are paying halal certification fees, theyre not marking it on the labels so its kind of like this marketing program they dont want anyone to actually know about which is strange,' she said.

The conservative activist has also hit out at Labor senator Sam Dastyari, a self-described 'non-practising Muslim' who drinks alcohol but promotes halal food as an example of Australian multiculturalism.

Kirralie Smith (left) told media commentator Mark Latham (right) halal fees were hidden

'He mocks Islam by trying to tell us halal is very important and the same time as having a beer,' she told the Mark Latham's Outsiders program.

'Ive seen a photo of him drinking wine out of a cask and saying that hes a non-practising Muslim.

'There really isnt any such thing. It doesnt make any sense. Hes offensive to Muslims in the sense that he upholds halal in one hand but alcohol is not halal.

'Its the opposite of halal.'

Labor senator Sam Dastyari drinks alcohol despite identifying as a 'non-practising Muslim'

Last week, Senator Dastyari told an audience at the University of Sydney that he was an atheist who identified as a Muslim for cultural reasons, as he spoke about his new book, One Halal of a Story, with former human rights commissioner Gillian Triggs.

'The idea of being a non-practising Muslim is, for some reason, is so strange for so many people to comprehend, which for me is bizarre because everyone I know is some form of non-practising Christian to various degrees,' he said.

'I culturally identify with my Muslim heritage.'

The Labor powerbroker from Sydney also described the campaign against halal certification as an anti-Muslim agenda in disguise.

'It's all about the code words at the moment. It's not acceptable to turn around and say, 'I don't like Muslims',' he said.

'So they say, "I don't like halal certification".'

Senator Dastyari coined the term 'halal snack pack' to describe chips served with halal-certified kebab meat and lots of sauce.
The Alabama Supreme Court on Friday temporarily paused the murder trial of a white police officer accused of killing a black man as it considers a defense request to remove the judge because of a social media post in which the judge complained about being racially profiled by police.

Justices issued a temporary stay on all proceedings in the murder case for Montgomery Police Officer Aaron Smith in the 2016 shooting death of 58-year-old Greg Gunn.

The trial was scheduled to being in October, but justices asked for briefs to be filed quickly.

The defense is seeking the recusal of Montgomery County Circuit Judge Greg Griffin because of a past Facebook post in which Griffin complained about being stopped by police because he is black.

Justices issued a temporary stay on all proceedings in the murder case for Montgomery Police Officer Aaron Smith (left in arrest photo) in the 2016 shooting death of 58-year-old Greg Gunn (right)

The Alabama Supreme Court on Friday temporarily paused the murder trial as it considers a defense request to remove Judge Greg Griffin (above) because of a social media post in which the judge complained about being racially profiled by police

The defense appealed after Griffin declined to step aside following a contentious hearing.

Smith was charged with murder after the white officer stopped Gunn who was walking late at night.

Friends said Gunn was walking home from a weekly card game and was shot near the home he shared with his mother.

The defense has said Smith stopped Gunn because he thought he was acting suspiciously and that Gunn fought with the officer and swung something at him.

In a Facebook post before he was assigned the case, the judge wrote that he had been stopped during his morning walk by officers who claimed he matched the description of someone who had been reported in the area with a crowbar (above)

In a Facebook post before he was assigned the case, the judge wrote that he had been stopped during his morning walk by officers who claimed he matched the description of someone who had been reported in the area with a crowbar.

'... I told the officer that the thing in my hand was clearly not a crowbar and walking with a crowbar is not illegal,' a portion of the post reads.

'The officer said no it isn't, but when they get these type calls they have to check things out. I soon told them that I was a Circuit Judge and showed them my badge identifying me as such.

Smith's (above center) trial was scheduled to being in October, but justices asked for briefs to be filed quickly

'Throughout the ordeal the officers were courteous; however, it was aggravating to be detained when the only thing I was guilty of was being a black man walking down the street in his neighborhood with a stick in his hand who just happened to be a Montgomery County Circuit Judge in Montgomery, Alabama....'

Griffin wrote that he showed them his judicial badge.

Defense attorney Roianne Conner argued in a May hearing that she wasn't claiming that Griffin was biased, only that judicial ethics rules require judges to avoid even 'appearances of impropriety.'

A hearing concerning Griffin's potential recusal will be held Thursday at 9am.
Police are preparing murder charges against Joshua Hupperterz, 29, (pictured)

A 29-year-old former Temple University student has been charged with murder over the death of a woman enrolled at the college who went missing early Thursday morning.

Police say Joshua Hupperterz, 29, confessed to 'elements of the crime,' according to the New York Daily News.

He was charged with murder, abuse of a corpse, tampering with evidence and drug offenses after the dead body of Jenna Burleigh, a 22-year-old junior at Temple, was found at his grandmother's home on Saturday.

Police also discovered blood, drugs, and $20,000 in cash.

Burleigh was last seen on surveillance footage leaving a North Philadelphia bar at 2am on Thursday with Hupperterz.

A neighbor reported hearing screams coming from Hupperterz's apartment around 4am.

Burleigh's father, Ed Burleigh, posted a heartbreaking message on his Facebook page on Saturday, saying: 'Our Beautiful Angel Jenna is now in Heaven. Now I know for sure that you can have a 'broken heart' RIP honey.'

Police on Saturday confirmed that Burleigh's body was found in Paupack Township, Pennsylvania, a town about 140 miles north of Philadelphia.

Investigators allege that Hupperterz moved the body twice - once from his home in North Philadelphia to his mother's house in the nearby suburb of Jenkintown, and a second time to his grandmother's home in Paupack Township, Wayne County, which likes 140 miles north.

Hupperterz was taken into custody by police at his grandmother's house, according to the Philadelphia Inquirer.

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Police reportedly found blood, drugs, and $20,000 in cash in the apartment of 29-year-old Joshua Hupperterz (left), who will be charged with the murder of Jenna Burleigh (right)

Burleigh, 22, a junior at Temple University, was last seen alive at a North Philadelphia bar on Thursday at 2am

On Friday night, police obtained a warrant to search the home of Hupperterz, a 29-year-old former Temple University student. His home is located just around the corner from Pub Webb (above), the bar at which Burleigh was last seen early Thursday morning

Hupperterz was taken into custody by police in Paupack Township. Police noticed that Hupperterz had scratches on his face and a cut on his hand, which he told detectives was caused by broken china

Burleigh's father, Ed Burleigh, posted a heartbreaking message on his Facebook page on Saturday, saying: 'Our Beautiful Angel Jenna is now in Heaven. Now I know for sure that you can have a 'broken heart' RIP honey'

Pennsylvania State Police released a statement saying that Burleigh's body was found in Paupack Township, about 140 miles north of Philadelphia

Police allege that Burleigh was murdered by Hupperterz at his home in North Philadelphia. From there, he allegedly took her body to his mother's home in nearby Jenkintown. Authorities say he moved the body again, this time to Paupack Township, which is 140 miles north

Hupperterz has confessed to 'elements of the crime,' Philadelphia Police said.

Sources told the Inquirer that Hupperterz last took classes at Temple this past spring.

A native of Jenkintown, Pennsylvania, he reportedly met Burleigh at a bar.

Earlier reports indicated that police were combing the area surrounding a lake just outside of Scranton in Lackawanna County, but those reports were erroneous.

Burleigh, a resident of the Philadelphia suburb of Harleysville, transferred to Temple. She was majoring in film and media arts

On Friday, Burleigh's sister shared a missing person's notice on Facebook asking anyone with information to come forward to authorities

Police were reportedly combing the area surrounding a lake just outside of Scranton.

On Friday night, police obtained search warrant for Hupperterz's home, which is located just around the corner from Pub Webb, the bar at which Burleigh was last seen early Thursday morning.

Surveillance footage captured at the time reportedly shows Burleigh and Hupperterz walking together toward his home.

After entering the house, investigators discovered blood spattered near the kitchen sink, rear door, and on a trash can lid.

Burleigh's social media posts are filled with messages in support of social justice. She is seen above at the Women's March shortly after President Donald Trump's inauguration

Police also found between 10 and 15 pillow-case size bags of marijuana and approximately $20,000 in cash, the Inquirer reported.

Investigators also interviewed a neighbor who said that screams could be heard coming from the home at approximately 4am on Thursday.

Police noticed that Hupperterz had scratches on his face and a cut on his hand, which he told detectives was caused by broken china, the Inquirer reported.

Investigators also used cadaver dogs to search a nearby home in the area that reportedly belongs to Hupperterz's mother and stepfather.

Investigators also want to interview a roommate believed to have lived in Hupperterz's home.

Police said Saturday evening that Hupperterz has had 'contact' with law enforcement in the past, though investigators refused to elaborate.

The image above is a close-up shot of the outside of Pub Webb, a North Philadelphia bar where Burleigh was last seen alive early Thursday morning

Investigators are seen rummaging through garbage outside of Hupperterz's home in North Philadelphia

A witness told investigators that screams could be heard coming from the apartment at approximately 4am on Thursday

Burleigh, a resident of the Philadelphia suburb of Harleysville, transferred to Temple. She was majoring in film and media arts.

The Temple News, a student-run newspaper, reported that Burleigh's family notified campus police of her disappearance on Thursday night.

She was last seen wearing a white t-shirt with writing on the front, tan boots, and blue jeans.

On Friday, Burleigh's sister shared a missing person's notice on Facebook asking anyone with information to come forward to authorities.
A woman on holiday in Spain was warned by an app on her mobile phone that the car she left with an airport meet-and-greet driver had been driven at breakneck speeds.

Aimee Buxton, 18, handed her keys to the driver when she flew from Stansted Airport in Essex for a holiday in Malaga.

She warned him to drive carefully as a black box had been installed. The device sends an insurance company and the driver information on how safely the car is driven to keep premiums down.

The meet-and-greet firms website promises: Our professional and courteous staff are fully trained so you rest easy knowing you and your car are in safe hands.

Aimee Buxton (pictured), 18, handed her keys to the driver when she flew from Stansted Airport in Essex for a holiday in Malaga

But incredibly, as Aimee settled down for a drink on the first evening of her holiday, she saw her app was warning that her car had been speeding.

It had broken the speed limit four times in ten minutes, once hitting 55mph in a 30mph zone, and reaching 64mph on a 50mph road.

Aimee, of Witham, Essex, who paid 87.50 to leave her Citroen DS3 with StanstedMeetandGreetParking for the week in August, said: I couldnt believe it. I was really wound up because you feel like you can drop the car off and theyll look after it.

'Instead, someone drove my car like a maniac. As I handed over my keys, I said, Youre going to have to stick to speed limits as I have a black box fitted. Theres even a sign on the back saying, My driving may annoy you but not as much as the black box fitted to my car annoys me. 

When Aimee contacted StanstedMeetandGreetParking from Malaga, they sent an email confirming she was not the driver when the car was breaking speed limits and offering to contact her insurer if necessary.

As Aimee settled down for a drink on the first evening of her holiday, she saw her app was warning that her car had been speeding. It had broken the speed limit four times in ten minutes, once hitting 55mph in a 30mph zone, and reaching 62mph on a 50mph road

The firm also promised to take better care of the car when Aimee picked it up on August 14. But when she returned, her app showed it had been driven at 85mph in a 60mph zone and 51mph in a 30mph area.

She said: I couldnt believe that they did it again. They broke the law by driving my car at those dangerous speeds. My car is my pride and joy. If I lost my insurance, I would be devastated. She said the meet-and-greet firm had refused a refund.

A spokesman for the independent company, which has been at Stansted for 11 years, said: An investigation has been launched to confirm if our driver broke the speed limit.

Asked why it had not given Aimee a refund, the spokesman said: The service paid for is the service we provided. We stored her vehicle while she was away and the vehicle has been collected and delivered to her. We dont condone the actions of the driver, but obviously we cannot be there sitting next to a driver every time they drive a car.

She said: I couldnt believe that they did it again. They broke the law by driving my car at those dangerous speeds. My car is my pride and joy'

The driver we believe was responsible, from the description we have been given, has been away on holiday and has not been back.

He is back in Poland. We havent had any complaints of this nature before.

The Mail on Sunday first exposed shoddy practices by some airport meet-and-greet companies in 2015. Cars were left in muddy fields and in a street with high levels of crime.

This summer we reported complaints that holidaymakers returning to Stansted had to wait more than a day for their cars to be returned.
A federal judge ordered the FBI to make grand jury subpoenas public that it obtained relating to its investigation of Hillary Clinton's emails.

US District Judge James E. Boasberg on Thursday said the FBI must disclose more details about how it handled Clinton's email account and specifically the subpoenas the FBI obtained to compel information from Clinton's internet service providers.

The Trump administration had objected to making the information public as it said doing so it would violate grand jury secrecy rules.

A judge has ordered the FBI to make subpoenas public relating to Hillary Clinton's secret email. The Trump administration has objected to making the information public

'After reviewing the document in camera, the court concludes that it largely rehashes information already made public, thus obviating any need for secrecy,' the judge said, according to the Washington Times.

Two watchdog groups, the Judicial Watch and Cause of Action Institute, have been asking the government for more information about the Clinton emails.

'This order makes public details submitted by the government about the FBI's efforts to recover then-Secretary Clinton's unlawfully removed emails. Americans deserve to know the full scope of that investigation,' said COA President John J. Vecchione.

Tom Fitton, president of Judicial Watch, said he didn't understand why the Trump administration didn't want transparency in this case.

'President Trump ought to be outraged his appointees are protecting Hillary Clinton,' Fitton said. 'The State Department should initiate action with the Justice Department  and both agencies should finally take the necessary steps to recover all the government emails Hillary Clinton unlawfully removed.'

The case began after it was discovered Clinton had a secret server, and did not turn over all of the emails in it to the FBI right away.

Clinton had said she handed over all work related emails and deleted those she deemed not to be related to her work as secretary of state.

However the FBI obtained some emails that were work-related, that Clinton did not turn over. Clinton critics have called on the FBI to make a larger effort to recover the messages on the server.
Hero of Mollywood's first musical hit 'Thiramala' shares his Hollywood stint, directing Prem Nazir and more
Special agents deployed at airports around the world are preventing hundreds of dangerous individuals from entering the country.

Working for the Australian Border Force, Airline Liaison Officers are fighting to identify and stop terror suspects, criminals, extremists and illegal immigrants.

Between July 1 and August 30 this year alone, ALOs mainly stationed in Asian and Middle Eastern air hubs barred 153 dangerous passengers from boarding flights.

Working for the Australian Border Force (pictured), Airline Liaison Officers are fighting to identify and stop terror suspects, criminals, extremists and illegal immigrants

Those passengers were offloaded after being assessed as a border risk, or for being 'genuinely documented but non-genuine travellers,' The Daily Telegraph reported.

The huge jump in blocked passengers - only 136 people were offloaded in the 2016/17 financial year - is the result of better cooperation with foreign agencies.

Since 2013 ALOs have blocked 1043 passengers from boarding overseas flights to Australia.

Immigration Minister Peter Dutton said Australian security agencies need to keep up with a changing world of security threats.

Immigration Minister Peter Dutton (pictured) said Australian security agencies need to keep up with a changing world of security threats

Between July 1 and August 30 this year alone, ALOs mainly stationed in Asian and Middle Eastern air hubs barred 153 dangerous passengers from boarding flights (pictured are security checks at Sydney airport)

'We need to be agile in how we deal with these threats and this includes having a multi-layered approach to national security,' he said.

'This offshore network of officers captures critical information for our intelligence and law enforcement agencies and gives us the ability to intercept individuals who might pose a threat before they board a flight.'

A internal report produced by the ABF stressed the need to monitor the movement of terror suspects and Australians who have travelled abroad to fight or train with extremists groups.

They focus on conflict zones and are stationed in China, Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines and Singapore, and at airports in cities including Seoul, Dubai and Doha.

STOPPED AT THE BORDER - TOP 10 1) A Somali-born British extremist offloaded in Doha 2) Three French passengers including a murder suspect kicked off a flight 3) A man with cocaine pellets in a box of chocolates nabbed in Dubai 4) A Kuwaiti man wanted by INTERPOL stopped in Kuala Lumpur and Bali 5) Two Afghan nationals with fake passports offloaded in Hong Kong 6) An Albanian using a stolen Italian passport caught by an ALO in Dubai 7) A Malaysian traveller using a 'fraudulently obtained passport' refused entry 8) Two flyers posing as Italians on their way to Melbourne stopped in Dubai 9) A Canadian was paid to smuggle a Taiwanese man in, both were offloaded 10) A Hong Kong national stopped using a fraudulent passport to avoid ban Source: The Daily Telegraph Advertisement
A bombshell secret memo that shows Theresa May ignored a warning that her snap Election was a 'huge risk' and could backfire has been leaked to The Mail on Sunday.

The 'killer memo' was written by her Australian-born Tory Election guru Sir Lynton Crosby in April, days before May announced the surprise June 8 poll.

In it, Crosby, known as the 'Wizard of Oz' because of his record of election campaign successes, told her in stark terms there was 'a lot of risk' in calling a snap ballot.

Voters were desperate to 'avoid uncertainty'  but by going to the polls, May was doing the exact opposite, Crosby warned.

All out: Mays joint chiefs of staff Fiona Hill and Nick Timothy, both circled, quit after the Election fiasco. Katie Perrior, pictured on the far right, quit as Mays spin doctor in April, lambasting toxic' Hill and Timothy. Only Mays bespectacled husband Philip, behind Timothy, remains to guide the PM

Instead of the landslide win she was banking on, she could easily end up doing no better than David Cameron's narrow win in 2015, he added. In the event, she did even worse than Cameron and ended up with no Commons majority, forced to rely on the Ulster Unionists to cling to power.

The memo underlines how May paid a heavy price for Cabinet rifts. Crosby's plea to her to focus on the economy was hampered when Chancellor Philip Hammond was sidelined in a feud with May's joint chief of staff Nick Timothy.

This newspaper has been told Timothy reportedly referred to Hammond as a 'c***'. Timothy resigned immediately after polling day.

The Election campaign was also hampered by a rift between Timothy and Crosby, with Timothy subsequently blaming the strategist for the party's failure to notice the surge in support for Jeremy Corbyn among young voters.

Timothy also argued that Crosby's strategy of putting May at the centre of a Presidential-style campaign contributed to the Election disaster.

The sensational disclosure that Crosby argued against calling the Election in the first place comes as a new poll shows most voters, including Tories, believe it is 'inconceivable' that May will fulfil her surprise pledge last week to lead the party into the next Election, due by 2022.

Crosby's memo was sent to Theresa May days before her shock announcement on April 18 that she was calling a June 8 poll. It was based on responses from two hurriedly convened groups of floating voters and a national survey from his business partner Mark Textor and spells out in plain terms  some of which we have highlighted  that they believe there is a lot of risk in calling an Election

The Prime Minister's 'I'm not quitting' comments flew in the face of a widespread view that she would stand down after Britain leaves the EU in March 2019.

Many Tory MPs believe her latest remarks were a mistake and could revive speculation of a leadership challenge by Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson or Brexit Secretary David Davis.

But The Mail on Sunday understands that the feud between Crosby and Timothy is key to her renewed confidence: she increasingly believes that she only lost because of Crosby's campaign 'mistakes', and could win a second Election with a different strategy.

Worryingly for the Prime Minister, the Survation poll for The Mail on Sunday indicates Conservative voters think they have more chance of winning if she quits. Johnson is favourite to replace her.

The survey shows Labour five points ahead of the Conservatives  and if May goes head-to-head with Corbyn in 2022, a majority believe he will win the keys to No 10.

May's critics will seize on the contents of today's leaked memo to bolster their argument that she cannot lead them in another one.

The opening sentence of the 'Election Strategic Note  April 2017,' says: 'Summary: There is clearly a lot of risk involved with holding an early election  and a real need to nail down the 'why' for doing so now. Voters are actively seeking to avoid uncertainty and maintain the status quo, yet by calling an election the Conservatives are the ones who are creating uncertainty.

'Furthermore, there is a real risk that the Conservative vote share would end up broadly the similar to that the Party secured in 2015. Voters don't want the uncertainty that an election will cause, in large part because they are worried about the risk of a hung Parliament creating chaos over the delivery of Brexit.'

One piece of advice in Crosby's memo that May did heed was to portray herself as 'strong and stable' and target Corbyn. However, her 'strong and stable' image was left in tatters four days after launching her manifesto when she was forced to do a U-turn on her 'dementia tax' plan  and made it worse by shouting 'nothing has changed!' at a press conference.

An investigation by this newspaper has established further evidence of how May's Election campaign was a shambles from start to finish.

She had pinned her hopes of a landslide win on Crosby, who helped Cameron pull off a surprise victory over Ed Miliband in 2015 and ran Johnson's two successful London mayoral campaigns.

But Crosby's first response on being told of the snap Election plan was: 'I'm not sure that's a smart idea, mate.' He didn't join the campaign HQ team in London until almost two weeks after it started as he was 10,000 miles away in Fiji on a long-planned family holiday.

Sources say Crosby raised concerns with May's team about the so called 'dementia tax'  but it was too late, the manifesto was about to be sent to the printers.

May went ahead with the controversial plan, and chose to ignore polling research by Crosby that showed undecided voters were frightened to give the Tory Government a big majority for fear of what it might do with it.

According to one Conservative insider, May confessed to close aides more than a week before polling day that she feared she was heading for a humiliating result.

The leaked memo prompted an angry response from a Conservative official: 'We were all deeply disappointed by the Election result. But to suggest it was all the fault of one person or another is a travesty.

'Lynton Crosby bears the same responsibility as everyone else. Playing the blame game will not get us anywhere.'

Another aide claimed Crosby backed the decision not to promote Hammond in the campaign: 'To suggest Lynton wanted to use Hammond is a travesty. He was the one who said the campaign had to be about 'strong and stable' Theresa and no one and nothing else. That is why it went wrong.'

Neither Crosby, Timothy nor No 10 would comment last night.

So why DID you do it, Theresa? How the PM ignored 'Wizard of Oz' election guru's memo and instead listened to 'Brummie Rasputin' aide Nick Timothy

Theresa May's aide Nick Timothy wasted little time in putting the boot into Sir Lynton Crosby after the Election fiasco.

Timothy resigned within hours  only to then blame the Australian strategist for the result, saying he had not spotted the Jeremy Corbyn 'surge'.

The 'Brummie Rasputin', as Timothy was dubbed at No 10 in reference to the bearded Russian mystic, pictured, also claimed Sir Lynton had made a critical error by forcing May into a presidential-style campaign.

Timothy was dubbed the 'Brummie Rasputin'at No 10 in reference to the bearded Russian mystic, pictured

Timothy wrote: 'Theresa, never comfortable hogging the limelight, expected to make more use of her ministerial team. On the advice of campaign consultants... we eschewed our instincts. We were wrong to do so.'

The outburst was typical of the forthright style to which No 10 staffers  and Cabinet Ministers grew accustomed. His most toxic rift was with Chancellor Phillip Hammond, who he would refer to a 'c***' in front of shocked officials, sources say.

Timothy's 'Blame Lynton' narrative is key to understanding May's vow to lead the party into another Election. In the aftermath of June 8, May was racked with guilt over the loss of Tory seats, and felt vulnerable after Timothy quit. Friends feared she was on the brink of quitting.

But refreshed by her summer break, May is increasingly persuaded by the argument that she could have won a mandate if only Sir Lynton had not messed up the campaign. The hand of Timothy can still be detected.

Her pledge last week to tackle corporate greed is a classic example of 37-year-old Timothy's 'Red Toryism', rooted in his working-class background.

A source says: 'Nick might not be in the building any more, but he is still making his presence felt. He does not just have a powerful influence on Theresa's policies, he also helps to shore up her self-belief.

'His dream revenge would be for her to fight another Election without Lynton  and win'.

'I'm not sure that's a smart idea, mate': Campaign guru's blunt response to Theresa May's plan for a snap Election

When he casually returned the call from the unfamiliar number a few hours later, he was surprised to discover the voice at the other end was Theresa May's. She asked him to make an urgent call to Lord Gilbert, the Conservative campaign chief, without explaining why.

When Crosby got through, he told him that May wanted the pair to help her beat Jeremy Corbyn in a snap Election on June 8. 'I'm not sure that's a smart idea, mate', replied Crosby in his broad Aussie drawl.

When Crosby inquired what research Tory HQ had done on how voters would react to an Election, since May had said there wouldn't be one, he was shocked by the answer. None.

Divisive but effective: Sir Lynton Crosby

That wasn't the only problem. When Gilbert said May wanted Crosby to return to London straight away to run the campaign, Crosby said he couldn't. His wife's party had just started and guests were arriving from all over the world.

But he agreed to draw up an urgent memo advising May on the pros and cons of an early Election. Crosby's fellow Aussie business partner Mark Textor quickly organised focus groups of floating voters and a national private poll.

They formed the basis of Crosby's bleak 'killer memo' which warned May of the huge risk she was taking.

A Tory insider said: 'Crosby's research showed people liked what May was doing to help the JAMs (the so-called Just About Managing).

But they couldn't see why she needed an Election to do it. And they said 'if we give her a big majority she might use it against us'. When she announced the dementia tax and cuts to winter fuel handouts for OAPs, and school meals, they felt their fears were justified.'

Another source said: 'It was a mess.

'Nothing had been thought through because the PM's team were desperate to keep the Election quiet and didn't trust anyone. Crosby wanted to use some tactics he did with David Cameron, but May's people hated Cameron so much they refused out of spite.'

Crosby's memo is believed to have been sent to May's team within a week. By then she had been on a walking holiday in Wales and resolved to go ahead.

She announced the Election on April 18, just 11 days after she phoned Crosby  who didn't arrive back in London from Fiji until more than a week after the campaign had started.

Crosby's electioneering style is not everyone's cup of tea. The Mail on Sunday has previously disclosed how he told Boris Johnson not to bother with 'f****** Muslims', and how he had boasted of getting Australian PM John Howard elected despite privately calling him 'as dull as bats***'.

Crosby, 59, is credited with inventing 'dog whistle' tactics, whereby politicians echo shrill sentiments on populist issues like immigration, without actually endorsing them.

His admirers say his skill lies in his ability to sum up Election prospects in a short, sharp sentence. His 'killer memo' certainly proved prophetic, which is why Crosby's allies say May must regret ignoring the 'Wizard of Oz'.
A brawl which erupted in a Sydney bar left one woman without hair and another without her fake nails.

Two women started the fight about 11.30pm on Saturday night at the Odyssey Bar Restaurant on Norton Street in Leichhardt.

A 30-year-old woman was treated for a sprained ankle and the loss of some hair.

Police are urging anyone with information or who may have witnessed the incident to contact CrimeStoppers

Two women started the fight about 11.30pm on Saturday night at the Odyssey Bar Restaurant (pictured) on Norton Street in Leichhardt

The other woman, 33, was treated for injured fingers after losing several fake nails during the fight.

She was arrested and taken to Newtown Police Station for questioning however was later released pending further inquiries.

The brawl caused a large amount of damage to the venue.

Police are urging anyone with information or who may have witnessed the incident to contact CrimeStoppers.

The other woman, 33, was treated for injured fingers after losing several fake nails during the fight
Timothy was dubbed the 'Brummie Rasputin'at No 10 in reference to the bearded Russian mystic, pictured

Theresa May's aide Nick Timothy wasted little time in putting the boot into Sir Lynton Crosby after the Election fiasco.

Timothy resigned within hours  only to then blame the Australian strategist for the result, saying he had not spotted the Jeremy Corbyn 'surge'.

The 'Brummie Rasputin', as Timothy was dubbed at No 10 in reference to the bearded Russian mystic, pictured, also claimed Sir Lynton had made a critical error by forcing May into a presidential-style campaign.

Timothy wrote: 'Theresa, never comfortable hogging the limelight, expected to make more use of her ministerial team. On the advice of campaign consultants... we eschewed our instincts. We were wrong to do so.'

The outburst was typical of the forthright style to which No 10 staffers  and Cabinet Ministers grew accustomed. His most toxic rift was with Chancellor Phillip Hammond, who he would refer to a 'c***' in front of shocked officials, sources say.

Timothy's 'Blame Lynton' narrative is key to understanding May's vow to lead the party into another Election. In the aftermath of June 8, May was racked with guilt over the loss of Tory seats, and felt vulnerable after Timothy quit. Friends feared she was on the brink of quitting.

But refreshed by her summer break, May is increasingly persuaded by the argument that she could have won a mandate if only Sir Lynton had not messed up the campaign. The hand of Timothy can still be detected.

Her pledge last week to tackle corporate greed is a classic example of 37-year-old Timothy's 'Red Toryism', rooted in his working-class background.

A source says: 'Nick might not be in the building any more, but he is still making his presence felt. He does not just have a powerful influence on Theresa's policies, he also helps to shore up her self-belief.

'His dream revenge would be for her to fight another Election without Lynton  and win'.
In the pitch black, winds howling, the catamaran was tossed around like a toy by the 15ft roiling waves in the middle of the shark-infested Pacific in one of the most isolated spots on the planet.

Suddenly, without warning, the vessel lurched to one side, followed by the sickening, ear-splitting sound of crunching, groaning and grinding as the 50ft Avanti crashed headfirst into a submerged coral reef, gaping holes ripping through her fibreglass hull, seawater surging into the cabins.

For captain Bobby Cooper, 51, it was a moment of terror and confusion on what was supposed be a dream voyage around the world with his wife Cheryl, 37, and children Lauren, 13, and ten-year-old Robbie.

Cheryl and Bobby Cooper with their children Lauren and Robbie on the island of Niue. The extraordinary story of their miraculous rescue made global headlines last week when they were plucked off Beveridge Reef in the middle of the South Pacific

The family's 50ft catamaran Avanti crashed headfirst into a submerged coral reef, gaping holes ripping through her fibreglass hull, seawater surging into the cabins. Pictured, rescuers salvage a few of the familys belongings from the vessel, lodged on the reef

I had no idea the reef was there, he says, the shock still palpable in his voice. I knew wed hit something and we were taking on water. I rushed on to the deck with a flashlight but couldnt see anything except water in all directions.

For Cheryl, also on the storm-lashed deck at 3.50am last Sunday morning, the feeling was abject fear: I felt sick in the pit of my stomach.

'We were alone in the middle of the ocean and in deep trouble. My hands started shaking. It was the loneliest feeling in the world.

Suddenly, a massive wave crashed over the back of their boat, sending water careering through the catamarans saloon and washing Bobby and Cheryl inside, where they were greeted by the sight of their two terrified children who had been sleeping minutes before.

Thats when survival mode kicked in, says Cheryl. I told the kids to grab their lifejackets and warm clothes and prepare to abandon ship.

The extraordinary story of the Coopers miraculous rescue made global headlines last week when they were plucked off Beveridge Reef in the middle of the South Pacific, 130 miles from the nearest landfall, the tiny island of Niue, a speck in the ocean 1,500 miles north-east of New Zealand.

After a massive wave hit the stern, snapping the keel and flushing the couple inside the main saloon, Bobby frantically called for help on the satellite phone but to no avail. Above, the boat's damaged hull

By chance, a whaling research ship, the Dona Catharina, was seeking shelter from the storm in a bay just a mile from the Avanti when the Coopers sent out a panicked Mayday signal.

Its incredible to think the Dona Catharina was there, in the middle of nowhere, says Cheryl. They saved our lives and I can never thank them enough.

Speaking about their ordeal for the first time last night after arriving on Niue, the relieved family told The Mail on Sunday about the moments of dark humour that lightened their ordeal  and hit back at critics who have branded Bobby and Cheryl irresponsible parents for placing their children in grave danger.

'The sea looks crazy! What's happening?': Surrounded by the teeming white waters of the hidden reef that wrecked it, the half-submerged Avanti is revisited by the familys rescuers, in a dramatic picture taken from a dinghy by the Avantis skipper, Bobby Cooper

Despite having endured a night of terror on a boat stuck on a reef amid heaving seas, Cheryl was still able to tell of the hunky rescuer called Manu who emerged glistening from the sea at first light as the battering tide relented, his long, dark hair flowing behind him like a male Ursula Andress in a Bond film, to carry them to safety.

And Bobby responded angrily to being branded foolhardy parents, saying: Kids today are mollycoddled. Our children have learned more about the real world on our adventure, including this accident, than they could ever learn from a schoolbook. Bobby, an experienced sailor who has logged more than 200,000 miles at sea, says the accident happened because his high-tech GPS navigational system failed to show the reef.

We were using electronic navigation charts on a 100-mile scale which should have shown where all the islands are, where all the reefs are. But it showed nothing.

Once we hit, I started scaling the chart down and when I got to the 12-mile scale, the reef suddenly appeared. It was a huge shock. I had no idea it was there. Weve lost everything. All we have left is four bin bags of stuff. But possessions mean nothing. Our family is irreplaceable. Weve got nicks and bruises but no serious injuries.

The pair married in 2007 and made the fateful decision to set off on their epic journey before their children grew too old to want to spend time as a family

Bobby, raised in Stirling, Scotland, is a lifelong sailor who cheated death once before in 1984, aged 19, when the tallship he was sailing on, the Marques, sank with the loss of 19 lives, including four Britons, in the Bermuda Triangle.

He returned to the UK but realised land life wasnt for him  and set off back to sea. By the early 2000s, he was working as a boat repairman in Palma, Majorca, when he met Cheryl, from Doncaster, in a bar. Cheryl had little experience of sailing, but she was quickly infused by his passion and the couple raised their two children to love the ocean.

The pair married in 2007 and made the fateful decision to set off on their epic journey before their children grew too old to want to spend time as a family.

When kids get to a certain age, 14 or 15, they stop wanting to do things with their parents, he explains. Cheryl and I realised last year its now or never.

The pair sold their home in Majorca and bought the 275,000 Avanti, a Privilege 465 catamaran which they picked up in the British Virgin Islands in May 2016.

It had been an epic adventure as the family sailed around the Caribbean then down to Panama, through the Panama Canal and explored the Galapagos Islands, before sailing on through French Polynesia and the Cook Islands. They planned to sail on to Niue, Tonga, Fiji and then New Zealand by years end.

Cheryl says their children, tanned, fit and incredibly self-sufficient, are not like shore kids.

They are non-materialistic. When our kids have birthdays they make gifts out of shells. Robbie knows how to shimmy up a palm tree and hack a coconut open with his machete. Theyve learned geography, geology, biology, calculus, all from being in the real world, from sailing and interacting with fascinating people weve met.

Of course, we all have computer tablets. Its a great way to keep in touch with family and friends. But we dont have wi-fi very often, which forces the children to entertain themselves. Lauren loves botany. Robbie loves to fish.

The children are remarkably sanguine and upbeat, considering they stared death in the face a week ago.

Safe on dry land, mop-haired Robbie bounces around the room as he says: I love our life. Now every day is different. Dad taught me to catch a fish, gut and cook it. Its brilliant. If you dont like somewhere, you move on.

There was no moving on a week ago. Moments after the Avanti smashed into the reef, knocking out the propellers, the children went into auto pilot mode to help their parents prepare for the worst.

I wasnt scared, insists Lauren. Weve been drilled for emergencies. A big wave hit and I was knocked off my feet. It felt like a car crash. We were getting tossed about on the reef. Mum was on the radio calling for help and dad was on the satellite phone.

Robbie and I grabbed pillowcases and stuffed them full of bottled water, canned food, medications; stuff we would need if we had to get in the life raft.

Cheryl says their children, tanned, fit and incredibly self-sufficient, are not like shore kids

I took my favourite botany books and my computer tablet. Robbie grabbed his Nintendo and penknife. He also grabbed the schoolbooks, much to my dismay.

Bobby was preparing to relieve his wife on night watch when the impact happened around 3.50am.

The boat came to a sudden stop. There was this awful grinding, crunching noise, he says. We swung around violently. I ran on to the deck.

Cheryl, battered by 45mph winds, was struggling to understand what had happened. There were huge waves coming over the boat but these were white water breakers, like you get in shallow waters, she says. I screamed at Bobby, The sea looks crazy! Whats happening? 

After a massive wave hit the stern, snapping the keel and flushing the couple inside the main saloon, Bobby frantically called for help on the satellite phone but to no avail. So they set off their emergency beacon, while Cheryl started calling Mayday, Mayday over the VHF radio. The situation appeared grim, to say the least.

Bobby says: The floorboards were lifting. Every eight to 12 seconds, we were kicked up by a wave and hurled further on to the reef. The boat was breaking from the bottom up.

The noise was terrible. The sails were flapping and there was the grinding noise of ten tons of fibreglass being violently dragged across the reef. You could see holes appearing in the bottom. But catamarans like the Avanti are known for stability. Bobby adds: We were ready to abandon ship. We had our important documents laid on the table but she stayed stable.

After 50 agonising minutes, they were thrown a miraculous lifeline. Cheryl says: I heard this voice on the radio: We can see you. Were in the lagoon. 

It was the Dona Catharina, en route from New Zealand to Niue when it was also caught in the storm and had limped into a nearby cove to shelter.

At any other time the Coopers would have been days from rescue and had the catamaran dislodged from the reef it was so mortally wounded it would have sunk in deep waters.

Instead, in the middle of nowhere, the Dona Catharina turned on her lights. It was the loveliest sight in the world, says Cheryl. We were firmly wedged on the reef. Overwhelming relief washed over me.

I did what any sane British person would do and put the kettle on. We sat and had a cup of tea.

As the tide receded, the Avanti was perched precariously on the reef. At first light, the Dona Catharina launched two small dinghies but could only get within 200 yards of the catamaran.

It was too dangerous to come any closer because of the reef, says Cheryl. Then a rescuer they would later learn was called Manu jumped into the water. He was wearing a wetsuit and he emerged up on to the reef, walking very slowly because the reef was sharp and dangerous. He looked like a male version of Ursula Andress. He got to our boat and asked, Is it OK if I come aboard? 

Manu carried the children, one by one, back to the dinghies which set off for the Dona Catharina. He then returned for Bobby and Cheryl.

As they turned back to look at the Avanti, its stern fully submerged in the water, Cheryl choked up. It was devastating to see her like that, like a wounded animal.

Were they afraid of the notoriously shark-infested waters?

Bobby grins. Sharks were everywhere, the place is swarming with them. Theyre not a problem. Were not part of their food chain.

On board the rescue ship, the exhausted family had time for more banter: Being foreigners, they only had camomile and peppermint tea, not real tea, Bobby says.

Later that day, he returned to the Avanti with members of the rescue crew and salvaged a few more items, including a box of proper PG Tips.

And at high tide they managed to dislodge the catamaran from the reef and anchor her in the lagoon.

They took pictures and have already filed an insurance claim to cover all costs of their rescue.

Friends have set up a crowdfunding site which has raised more than 23,000 to help the family with their expenses.

The Coopers had to stay on the Dona Catharina next to their stricken catamaran until late on Wednesday, when the weather was finally good enough for the research ship to sail for Niue.

Safe at last, none of them want to give up on their grand adventure.

Lauren says: I love life on board. She wants to return to her studies of local flora and fauna, while Robbie dreams of swimming with sea turtles again.

Bobby says: Dont underestimate kids. They are resilient. We feel stronger than ever to have survived this as a family. We intend to carry on. Our adventure is only just beginning. Why would you stop sailing?

If the catamaran cannot be repaired, he will almost certainly build or buy a new one.

I have to meet with government officials in Niue on Monday and also find out what the insurance company has decided, he said.

The boat cant be left there. Whether we salvage or scrap it, the boat needs to be brought out regardless.

If the Avanti can be repaired, the catamaran could be towed to Tonga, 375 miles away, where shipbuilders could restore the damaged vessel.

Whatever the outcome, the Coopers are determined to stay afloat.
It took only took eight minutes, but by the end it felt like eight rounds, perhaps 12. Im talking about last weeks interview at the hands of John Humphrys, heavyweight inquisitor on Radio 4s Today programme  an interview in which I unexpectedly found myself having to defend the fashion industry from all manner of evil, such as promoting anorexia among young girls.

I love Today and listen every morning. So when I was asked to come on and talk about 60 years of change in the fashion industry, I was delighted to accept. This, after all, was part of a series looking back at six decades of progress in British life. Yet what actually took place was something altogether different  a grilling that turned into a denigration of the fashion industry and magazines.

It all started rather well. At 7am I was in the Today studio, excited as a teenager at a rock concert to be where it all happens. John came for a chat in the green room, warning me the coffee was disgusting. He was friendly and relaxing and said  light heartedly, it seemed  that he had intended to be a bit chippy about fashion but that the programmes editor, Sarah Sands, had talked him out of it.

John Humphrys asked Alexandra Shulman about issues such as anorexia among young girls

I should have known better. My friend, Mail on Sunday columnist Craig Brown, once hilariously described to me the personality transformation undertaken by Humphrys in the journey from green room to Today chair, from a host who seemingly admires you to an attack dog.

By 7.32 am I was happily talking about developments over the past few decades  the emergence of youth culture, the baby-boomer generation and how street style became a force. There are all sorts of interesting things to say  for example, how jeans, once the uniform of the mid-American labourer, are now worn by Silicon Valley tycoons.

John Humphrys told Alexandra Shulman that 'hourglass' figures were out of fashion and said women were expected to be 'skinny as a rake'

I would like to have spoken about the emergence of nylon, acrylic and polyester, and how they helped to release women from the drudgery of the kitchen sink and ironing board. Or of the massive increase in fashion retail that allows people to buy clothes at all points on the price spectrum. Had I been given the opportunity.

But exactly 1.55 minutes into the conversation, John decided hed had enough of all that.

Having shown a polite interest in my views on youth culture, he interjected  without warning  that hourglass figures had once been in fashion but that now you have to be skinny as a rake.

Back, in other words, to the same old, same old limited, repetitious and banal conversation. I was swept relentlessly into an attack on the size of models and their appearance in British Vogue, the magazine I left in June after more than 25 years at the helm.

Supermodel Cara Delevingne with ex-Vogue boss Alexandra Shulman, who criticised John Humphrys after he saved her on the radio

The urbane John of just a few minutes ago had turned into the hard-hitting pit bull I hear many mornings, set on to politicians of the day. Suddenly I was confronted by a grey-haired guy in chinos hectoring me on the business I had worked in for a quarter of a century and which he neither knew, nor cared, much about. I faced, for example, a truly ludicrous accusation about the cruelty of fashion, as demonstrated by the way women were forced to wear painfully high heels. As if we were promoting ancient Chinese foot-binding!

He took me to task for not including comfortably shaped women on the cover of Vogue, even though I am well known for advocating healthy body shapes. Never mind that I had used images of Rihanna and Adele, and most recently size 18 model Ashley Graham, among others who are hardly rake-like.

Yet John ploughed on. Even Theresa May got swept up in his rampant critique of fashion, just because we have a Prime Minister confident enough to wear interesting shoes rather than the low black courts which are a female politicians default.

After a difficult eight minutes I left the studio, wondering, not for the first time what it is about fashion that makes so many people unable to react to it with the serious attention it deserves?

Bang had gone my hopes of having an interesting and educated conversation on one of the most listened to current affairs programmes on radio.

'Attack dog in chinos': Radio 4's 'grouch-in-chief' is known for his adversarial style on the BBC

John was obviously having a good time scoring some points  and I remain a fan. His personal interest in and general knowledge of the subject was no doubt low, and he probably thought the combative approach would liven up what he might have considered a shallow subject for discussion.

And that is my objection. Fashion is not trivial.

Although some of the follow-up comments on social media focused on his mansplaining, there are many female newspaper columnists who make Johns inquisition look sympathetic when it comes to sounding off about the dire effects of fashion on our world.

Size zero seems to be a treasured go-to newspaper column filler when a writer is stuck for a couple of hundred words, and it knows no gender boundaries.

Yes, of course questions of health and body image matter, and I understand why films such as the recent Netflix movie To The Bone, starring Lily Collins as a woman battling anorexia, generate so much debate. But it is frustrating that fashion, a business that contributes a staggering 28 billion to this countrys GDP, which employs just short of a million people, which is a part of everybodys daily life and which combines creativity and commerce in a uniquely fascinating way, is so often portrayed as a negative.

Fashion is not some totalitarian state which deems everybody needs to look identical to models in fashion photography, or which tolerates only a slavish adherence to a rigid style, dictated by some Spectre-like global criminal organisation.

Fashion is not some weird and evil conspiracy that lures the unsuspecting into spending their hard-earned cash on things they dont need. Nor is it some malign social force which encourages eating disorders, slave labour and narcissism.

'Fashion is not some weird and evil conspiracy that lures the unsuspecting into spending their hard-earned cash on things they dont need,' says former Vogue boss Alexandra Shulman

The truth is that fashion is a fact of life. An interest in how we appear and dress is one of the things that makes us human  driven by peoples desire to use clothes to demonstrate their taste, status, wealth, creativity and sexuality.

I dread a day when the prediction I jokingly made on Today  that we will all end up wearing unisex jumpsuits  might actually come true. The fashions of the day emerge from the general culture we live in. Corsets were thrown out when the world changed after the slaughter of a generation of young men in the First World War and it became more acceptable, necessary even, for women to work.

The hippie style came about as international travel become more accessible in the 1960s and a booming economy gave young people the opportunity to escape the conventional treadmill. Punk was a reaction to the economic downturn and political chaos of the late 1970s. Designers react to the times.

Even the silliness of some elements is enjoyable. Why else do newspapers routinely scour the fashion shows to fill their front pages with the most unwearable and outrageous look they can find on the catwalk?

Why are so many people obsessed with the lives of the fashion models, designers and the new Instagram stars?

Fashion gives most of us great pleasure, and were it such a malevolent force I very much doubt there would be the vast number of boutiques, departments stores, high street chains, pop-up initiatives, and online sites thriving around the world. How many of us enjoy snapping up something inexpensive as a treat for the weekend, or saving for a dress or shoes or handbag we will treasure for years?

Fashion is fun. It makes us feel good and adds to the whole richness and beauty of the world we live in. And I for one say hurrah for that.
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The largest fire in Los Angeles history is engulfing thousands of acres of land and forcing residents to evacuate homes throughout the county.

The fire, dubbed the La Tuna Fire after the canyon where it erupted, has already burned through 8,000 acres of land, and the heatwave in the area along with erratic winds are proving major obstacles for firefighters trying control the blaze.

The fire broke out Friday and has already forced the partial closure of the 210 Freeway, a major thoroughfare. The 210 is closed between the Glendale Freeway and Sunland Boulevard.

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La Tuna Fire is seen raging behind the Burbank Town Center Mall early morning Saturday as fire and smoke burns the hills

A crew with California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection battles La Tuna on a hillside in Burbank

La Tuna Fire rages behind the Hollywood Hills on Friday, with the famed Hollywood sign in the front, right

A firefighter gets into position to battle the LaTuna fire burning alongside the 210 freeway in Sunland on Saturday

The blaze comes dangerously close to this hillside property where emergency responders have parked in the driveway

Firefighters monitor the LaTuna fire burning alongside the 210 freeway in Sunland where flames are shown licking the side of a hill

The blaze raging along the hillside in Burbank engulfs brush and trees and flames lick up the hillside

A helicopter fights the blaze from above in an effort to save people's homes as flames are seen just above this home's roof

The massive blaze is fought from the air by a helicopter trying to save a property where the fire is creeping dangerously close

It's unclear when the freeway will completely reopen, according to the LA Times.

The blaze started with just one acre of brush on Friday.

The enormous blaze led authorities to evacuate more than 700 homes in a north Los Angeles neighborhood and in nearby Burbank and Glendale, officials said.

The wildfire on the northern edge of Los Angeles rapidly grew on Saturday into what the mayor called the largest blaze in the city's history.

'We can't recall anything larger,' Los Angeles Fire Department Chief Ralph Terrazas during a 10am news conference Saturday.

'Our priority is saving people and saving property,' Terrazas said, according to the LA Times.

The fire raged alongside the 210 Freeway in Sunland, California leading authorities to close portions of the busy thoroughfare

A resident stops along the 210 Freeway to check on his home and survey the fire and smoke engulfing areas of Sunland

People watch flames of La Tuna Fire blaze on a hill in the Shadow Hills neighborhood Saturday. Smoke completely fills the sky

A fire truck passes by burning brush along La Tuna Canyon Road, closed to traffic, in the Verdugo Mountains

A deer runs along the 210 Freeway, normally packed with vehciles, escaping the fire in Sunland on Saturday

Residents on the 210 freeway try to see their house on the other side of thick smoke and flames near the community of Tujunga during the La Tuna Fire

People carry their belongings and dog to a car to evacuate the area as the La Tuna Fire approaches in the Shadow Hills

People in Burbank watch the smoke and flames below in a canyon. Smoke engulfing the canyon below

Bonnie Murphy is able to evacuate her horses with the help of good Samaritan neighbor Bill Ray Orme (L) in Shadow Hills

Bonnie Murphy struggles to evacuate her horses as the La Tuna Fire covers the Shadow Hills neighborhood Saturday

Units of the LAFD on scene responding to fire along La Tuna Canyon Road near Burbank as fire trucks park to survey the area

The La Tuna Canyon fire over Burbank as a canyon in covered in thick smoke and flames can be seen close to homes

The La Tuna Fire rages in Burbank as flames eat through brush and trees on a hillslope

The La Tuna Canyon fire over Burbank Saturday as fire weaves through the hillside eating brush and trees in its path

The La Tuna Fire comes dangerously close to properties as large flames loom in the distance on Saturday

Firefighters use hoses and helicopters to fight the La Tuna Fire on Saturday near Burbank

'There is a lot of un-burned fuel in this area,' he added, noting this is the first fire in the area in 33 years.

Fire in thick brush that has not burned in decades was slowly creeping down a rugged hillside on Saturday toward houses, with temperatures in the area approaching 100 degrees, the Los Angeles Fire Department said in an alert.

Authorities warned of erratic winds that could force them to widen the evacuation zone, after the fire destroyed one house in Los Angeles on Saturday.

'Our biggest concern is the wind and weather,' the chief said. 'The erratic weather is our number one challenge. If there's no wind, this is a relatively easy fire to put out. But when the wind changes, it changes our priorities because other properties become at risk.'

The fire could make air unhealthy to breathe in parts of Los Angeles, the nation's second-largest city, and nearby suburbs, the South Coast Air Quality Management District said in an advisory.

The fire was only 10 per cent contained Saturday with more than 500 firefighters battling it.

LAFD on scene responding to fire along La Tuna Canyon Road near Burbank where flames devour a hill

A helicopter drops water on the La Tuna Canyon fire at night in the hills above Burbank in the early morning hours of Saturday

Firefighting helicopter passes over the scorched hillside in Tujunga as the aerial attack of La Tuna Fire continues

LAFD on scene responding to fire along La Tuna Canyon Road near Burbank. Additional resources from Assisting Agencies LACoFD, Verdugo Fire, Burbank Fire, Pasadena Fire, Glendale Fire and Angeles National Forest are assisting

A helicopter helps battle the blaze in Burbank. Ground crews from several municipalities throughout the area continue to battle back the fire

A plane assists battling the blaze over Burbank as various aerial attacks on the blaze are happening in the area

The La Tuna Canyon fire burns in the hills above Burbank early Saturday as the fire marches along hillsides

People watch as flames from the La Tuna Fire blaze on a hill in the Shadow Hills and a man wears a protective mask

Houses being evacuated during the La Tuna Canyon fire over Burbank and a fire truck readies its position

The La Tuna Canyon fire over Burbank where thick clouds of smoke loom behind a facility

Units of the LAFD on scene responding to fire along La Tuna Canyon Road near Burbank as a firefighter surveys the area

Sunland resident Willow Bosco uses a fire hose to soak the foliage around the McGroarty Arts Center in Tujunga

Flames from the La Tuna Fire blaze on a hill in the Shadow Hills on Saturday come dangerously close to this home in the foreground

As firefighting helicopters douse the smoldering hillside, Tujunga resident Benjamin Grupp uses a fire hose to soak the foliage around the McGroarty Arts Center in Tujunga

More than 400 miles to the north, the so-called Ponderosa Fire has burned 3,880 acres, or about 1,570 hectares, and destroyed 30 homes in Butte County since it broke out on Tuesday. It prompted authorities to issue evacuation orders earlier this week to residents of some 500 homes.

The blaze is 45 per cent contained.

California Governor Jerry Brown issued an emergency declaration on Friday to free up additional resources to battle the Ponderosa blaze.

Wildfires in the U.S. West have burned more than 7.1 million acres since the beginning of the year, about 50 per cent more than during the same time period in 2016, according to the National Interagency Fire Center.
Pictured: Kevin Daffurn, 30, was found dead by two holidaymakers on Friday

A British tourist has been found dead a day after arriving in Tenerife and going on a bizarre car-jacking spree.

The holidaymaker  identified locally as Kevin Daffurn, 30  is thought to have gone out with two male pals on Thursday night before wandering off.

At around 2pm on Friday, he got into a Mitsubishi at a shopping mall near Los Cristianos and sped off with the motorists wife still sitting in the front passenger seat. She was hurt, leaping out as he drove onto the TF-1 highway.

Daffurn, of Shotts, Lanarks., crashed the car, then jumped into another in the tailback. The female driver ran off and he tried to steal a motorbike. A few hours later his barefoot body was found on nearby land.

A Spanish police source said: The car-jacking and events that followed were crazy.

A post-mortem examination was due to establish levels of alcohol and drugs in his body

His social media profile suggested he had recently become engaged and had a one-year-old son.
When he casually returned the call from the unfamiliar number a few hours later, he was surprised to discover the voice at the other end was Theresa May's. She asked him to make an urgent call to Lord Gilbert, the Conservative campaign chief, without explaining why.

When Crosby got through, he told him that May wanted the pair to help her beat Jeremy Corbyn in a snap Election on June 8. 'I'm not sure that's a smart idea, mate', replied Crosby in his broad Aussie drawl.

When Crosby inquired what research Tory HQ had done on how voters would react to an Election, since May had said there wouldn't be one, he was shocked by the answer. None.

Divisive but effective: Sir Lynton Crosby

That wasn't the only problem. When Gilbert said May wanted Crosby to return to London straight away to run the campaign, Crosby said he couldn't. His wife's party had just started and guests were arriving from all over the world.

But he agreed to draw up an urgent memo advising May on the pros and cons of an early Election. Crosby's fellow Aussie business partner Mark Textor quickly organised focus groups of floating voters and a national private poll.

They formed the basis of Crosby's bleak 'killer memo' which warned May of the huge risk she was taking.

A Tory insider said: 'Crosby's research showed people liked what May was doing to help the JAMs (the so-called Just About Managing).

But they couldn't see why she needed an Election to do it. And they said 'if we give her a big majority she might use it against us'. When she announced the dementia tax and cuts to winter fuel handouts for OAPs, and school meals, they felt their fears were justified.'

Another source said: 'It was a mess.

'Nothing had been thought through because the PM's team were desperate to keep the Election quiet and didn't trust anyone. Crosby wanted to use some tactics he did with David Cameron, but May's people hated Cameron so much they refused out of spite.'

Crosby's memo was sent to Theresa May days before her shock announcement on April 18 that she was calling a June 8 poll. It was based on responses from two hurriedly convened groups of floating voters and a national survey from his business partner Mark Textor and spells out in plain terms  some of which we have highlighted  that they believe there is a lot of risk in calling an Election

Crosby's memo is believed to have been sent to May's team within a week. By then she had been on a walking holiday in Wales and resolved to go ahead.

She announced the Election on April 18, just 11 days after she phoned Crosby  who didn't arrive back in London from Fiji until more than a week after the campaign had started.

Crosby's electioneering style is not everyone's cup of tea. The Mail on Sunday has previously disclosed how he told Boris Johnson not to bother with 'f****** Muslims', and how he had boasted of getting Australian PM John Howard elected despite privately calling him 'as dull as bats***'.

Crosby, 59, is credited with inventing 'dog whistle' tactics, whereby politicians echo shrill sentiments on populist issues like immigration, without actually endorsing them.

His admirers say his skill lies in his ability to sum up Election prospects in a short, sharp sentence. His 'killer memo' certainly proved prophetic, which is why Crosby's allies say May must regret ignoring the 'Wizard of Oz'.
The United States is on the brink of selling Argentina a 40 million ship ideal for invading the Falklands  just as the cash-stretched Royal Navy is withdrawing a similar class of vessel from active service.

Senior Pentagon sources have confirmed talks are ongoing with the Argentinians over a Landing Platform Dock vessel capable of launching 800 troops, six helicopters and 2,000 tons of equipment into a war zone.

The prospect looms just as the Royal Navy prepares for the decommissioning next year of its flagship HMS Ocean as part of cost-saving measures.

The HMS Ocean will be decommissioned by the Royal Navy next year, with Argentina refusing to accept that Falklands sovereignty is not up for discussion

Last night, Admiral Lord West, former head of the Royal Navy, said: At a time when the Argentine government still refuses to accept that UK sovereignty of the Falkland Islands is not up for discussion, I would prefer if our friends such as the United States did not sell them a landing ship capable of launching helicopters and large numbers of troops.

Such a ship is an offensive weapon and could play a significant role as part of an invading force. It is more unfortunate that this is happening as we are about to lose HMS Ocean from service without a direct replacement.

US Vice President Mike Pence was apparently sympathetic to the Argentines when they tried to buy a dock from the country last month

Argentina tried to complete a deal last month during a visit by US Vice President Mike Pence, who was apparently sympathetic to their request.

It is thought the Argentinians want to buy USS Ponce which is due to be retired by the US Navy in 2018. The Pentagon refused to comment but The Mail on Sunday understands that a deal is expected to go through in the next few months.

John Pike of US-based think tank Global Security said: The British would have to increase their protection of the Falklands in light of Argentina acquiring an amphibious assault ship. For this would give them capability to land on the isles and establish themselves with a lot of troops and military equipment.
George Clooney may be the Hollywood actor but it was his wife who looked every inch the glamorous star during an appearance at the Venice Film Festival yesterday.

Human-rights lawyer Amal Clooney, who gave birth to the couples twins in June, wore a lilac Missoni gown with a 1930s-style bob. Her husband was promoting comedy Suburbicon at the 74th annual festival. He directed, co-produced and co-wrote the movie alongside his long-time collaborators the Coen brothers.

The name's Clooney, George Clooney: George Clooney was all charm as he arrived at the premiere of Suburbicon with his stunning wife of three years Amal

Turning heads! The human rights lawyer, 39, accentuated her slender midriff in the cinched in piece, which flowed out into a floor-skimming full skirt

The actor, 56, opened up about his new family life since the couple welcomed Ella and Alexander on June 6. Suddenly, youre responsible for other people, which is terrifying, he said before praising Amal, 39. Shes like an Olympic athlete. Shes doing so beautifully.

The couple tied the knot in Venice in 2014.
Only one in 100 holiday sickness claims made by British tourists against all-inclusive hotels is genuine, according to the boss of tour giant Thomas Cook.

Peter Fankhauser accused the vast majority of people alleging that their hotel made them ill of lying.

He told The Mail on Sunday: Only around one, maybe two, per cent of the claims we receive are not false or exaggerated. I havent seen a challenge to our industry like this during my 28 years working in travel.

Of course, there are people from time to time who do fall genuinely ill and we do everything we can to help them.

In May, we told how tourists Martin and Lindsey Brown (pictured) had been secretly filmed enjoying their holiday in Turkey after hotel bosses were apparently tipped off that they planned to file a claim

'It is very difficult for us to accuse our customers of lying, but there are a minority making up claims.

The Mail on Sunday has highlighted the surge in holiday bug claims, with some tour firms reporting a 500 per cent increase in the past year.

In May, we told how tourists Martin and Lindsey Brown had been secretly filmed enjoying their holiday in Turkey after hotel bosses were apparently tipped off that they planned to file a claim.

Now the Government is taking action over the growing scandal. A claims firm that urged clients to lie has become the first to be stripped of its licence.

Allsure Ltd, in Preston, encouraged tourists to fabricate or embellish symptoms of gastric illness to get compensation.

Kevin Rousell, head of the Claims Management Regulator, said: Seeking to encourage false claims will not be tolerated.

Story: How we reported the affair in May

And Theresa May has told The Mail on Sunday she plans to cap the legal costs that can be paid to claims firms.

The problem is costing the Spanish hotel industry alone 50 million a year. Experts warn that it will force up the cost of package holidays.
Two NASA astronauts have returned home from space early to visit their families in Texas after Hurricane Harvey wreaked havoc on the state over the past week.

Peggy Whitson, a record-breaking astronaut, and Jack Fischer finally put their feet on solid ground on Saturday after spending months at the International Space Station.

The astronauts have loved ones that live in Houston, which was hit hard by Harvey's floodwaters, and made a trip back to Earth just to see them.

It's an early return home for Fischer and Whitson, who spent the past 288 days in space, and the two should be back in Houston by Sunday night.

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Two American NASA astronauts Peggy Whitson (left) and Jack Fischer (right) have returned early from space to visit their families in Texas after Hurricane Harvey

The Soyuz MS-04 spacecraft lands with Expedition 52 Whitson and Fischer of NASA near the town of Zhezkazgan, Kazakhstan on Sunday

The two space station workers Whitson (left) and Fischer (right) finally put their feet back on solid ground on Saturday night

The astronaut's Soyuz capsule is expected to land in Kazakhstan late Saturday, U.S. time.

Because of the effects of Hurricane Harvey, NASA could not get its plane from Houston to Kazakhstan in time for the crew's landing.

Instead, the European Space Agency offered to transport Whitson and Fischer to Cologne, Germany, where they will meet up with the NASA plane for the final leg of their journey.

Whitson will be seeing her husband Clarence Sams, who is a biochemist at Johnson Space Center in Houston, reported ABC News.

Whitson's 665 days off the planet  with nearly 300 days on this mission alone  exceeds that of any other American and any other woman worldwide.

In April of this year, she passed astronaut Jeff Williams' record of 534 days.

She's returning with multiple other records: world's oldest spacewoman, at age 57, and most experienced female spacewalker, with 10. She also became the first woman to command the space station twice following her launch last November.

It's an early return home for Fischer and Whitson, who spent the past 288 days in space, and the two should be back in Houston by Sunday night

Because of the effects of Hurricane Harvey, NASA could not get its plane from Houston to Kazakhstan in time for the crew's landing (pictured)

Instead, the European Space Agency offered to transport Whitson and Fischer (pictured) to Germany, where they will meet up with the NASA plane for the final leg of their journey

Fischer is new to space, with 136 days aloft. He arrived at the station in April.

He is from the Houston area and wrote on Twitter on Wednesday: 'Harvey fills the window creating a path of destruction as it traverses the Gulf. Praying for the people there and hoping for sunshine.'

NASA's headquarters for human spaceflight operation is based in the nation's fourth largest city and took 'significant' damage but remained operational, reported CNN.

The two Americans left the space station, along with Russian Fyodor Yurchikhin.

Before retreating into their Soyuz, they embraced the three colleagues they were leaving behind. Yurchikhin patted the inside of the station before floating into his Soyuz for the final time.

Three men remain at the space station: The station's newest commander, Randy Bresnik, a Russian and an Italian. They will be joined by two Americans and a Russian following liftoff from Kazakhstan on September 12.

Whitson's 665 days off the planet  with nearly 300 days on this mission alone  exceeds that of any other American and any other woman worldwide

The two astronauts have spent months at the International Space Station. Whitson has spent 288 days in space on her most recent mission and Fischer has been in space since April

The two astronauts have loved ones who live in Houston, which was hit hard by Harvey's floodwaters (pictured), and are making a trip back to Earth to see them

Bresnik noted the outpost was losing 1,474 days of spaceflight experience with the departure of Whitson, Yurchikhin and Fischer. Four years and two weeks, he pointed out.

'We are in your debt for the supreme dedication that you guys have to the human mission of exploration,' Bresnik told them on the eve of their departure. He offered up special praise for Whitson  'American space ninja'  and wished them all Godspeed.

Whitson was supposed to fly back in June. But when an extra seat opened up on this Soyuz, she jumped at the chance to stay in orbit an extra three months. Only one other American  yearlong spaceman Scott Kelly  has spent longer in space on a single mission.

Except for the past week, Whitson said her mission hurried by. She's hungry for pizza and can't wait to use a regular flush toilet again.


Jeremy Corbyn has been warned by his MPs not to do a grubby deal with the Government to limit the debate on the Bill taking us out of the EU  or risk facing a complete s***storm.

When MPs return to the Commons tomorrow after the summer break, they will debate the EU Withdrawal Bill.

But in an attempt to limit the potential for rebellions by pro-EU Tory MPs, Government whips are hoping to restrict the time for MPs to debate the measure to six days, compared with 20 for the Maastricht Treaty in 1993.

Jeremy Corbyn has been warned by his MPs not to do a grubby deal with the Government to limit the debate on the Bill taking us out of the EU  or risk facing a complete s***storm

Mr Corbyn is coming under intense pressure from his pro-EU MPs, led by former leadership candidate Chuka Umunna, to oppose the plan when the Commons votes on it.

A friend of Mr Umunna said last night: There cannot be some sort of grubby deal with the Tories over this.

There will be a complete s***storm if he agrees to guillotine the debate.
A video has emerged of two male diamond pythons dueling on the porch of a New South Wales home.

The footage, posted to the Lake Macquarie Snake Catcher Facebook page on Friday, showcases an example of combat between male snakes.

In the recording the pythons can be seen twisting and turning, entangling in one another as they fight for dominance outside the Tingira Heights home.

A video has emerged of two male diamond pythons (pictured) dueling on the porch of a New South Wales home

The footage, posted to the Lake Macquarie Snake Catcher Facebook page on Friday, showcases an example of combat between male snakes

Colin Shoemark, who runs the Lake Macquarie Snake Catcher Facebook page said the pair were fighting for the right to mate with a potential female.

'These two males will entwine each other and push the opposing males head down till the dominate male drives the other male away allowing him the opportunity to mate with a female in the area.

'A not so common sight for most,' he added.

Kelly Cox, who lives in the home where the snakes were filmed, commented on the video saying she didn't realise they were fighting.

In the recording the pythons can be seen twisting and turning, entangling in one another as they fight for dominance outside the Tingira Heights home

Colin Shoemark, who runs the Lake Macquarie Snake Catcher Facebook page said the pair were fighting for the right to mate with a potential female

'I thought they were mating until Colin set me straight. Milly (the dog) wasn't impressed but I was. Awesome,' she wrote.

She told Daily Mail Australia she has grown used to seeing the snakes around.

'The first time I saw one 4 years ago it freaked me out.

'We look forward to seeing them every year. The snake dance this year was a real bonus. It was fascinating.'

Ms Cox's home is in a suburban area but has bush on two sides of her house.

In just two days the video has been viewed more than 127,000 times and has been re-shared to 1,370 pages.
Lieut-Col Read further revealed that two senior Salvation Army finance officers, territorial finance director Caroline Emerton (pictured) and chief accountant Hilary Pearson, had resigned on August 11

For more than a century the Salvation Army has been helping desperate people who have fallen on hard times.

But now the Christian charity is facing an investigation after leaving its own officers in despair over a computer system failure that led to thousands of pounds worth of bills going unpaid.

The chaos has been caused by a new digital accounting system called SAASY  introduced by the charity at the start of the financial year in April to centralise its finances  which has been failing to process payments on time.

Last night a source from the Salvation Army said the charitys finances were currently in a massive mess.

She also revealed that officers, who are not paid and receive a modest allowance each month for their work, were being bombarded with final demand letters because the unpaid bills were in their names  even though it was the charitys responsibility to pay them.

The Salvation Army source told The Mail on Sunday: Weve had hundreds of court demands and final pay demands.

Red letters are arriving every day. The officers are being pushed to the edge by the sheer stress of the situation. Some are so fed up with the financial pressure they are being put under that they even are thinking about leaving the Salvation Army. It is completely out of hand, an utter shambles and just one massive mess.

In an email Salvation Army trustee Lieutenant-Colonel Alan Read sent to the Salvation Armys 1,000 officers last month  which has been leaked to The Mail on Sunday  he wrote: I am horrified to learn of the difficulties many of you have encountered during these long weeks and despite the distress and anxiety this has caused and the depths of despair some of you have plumbed, you have continued your mission work.

I applaud you and say that it is against the difficult backdrop of SAASY that you have continued working. Sorry will never be a big enough word.

Lieut-Col Read further revealed in the email that two senior Salvation Army finance officers, territorial finance director Caroline Emerton and chief accountant Hilary Pearson, had resigned on August 11. Last night it also emerged that the joint heads of the Salvation Army in the UK, commissioners Clive and Marianne Adams, are being moved to positions in Sweden and Latvia.

The charitys problems with its computer system are being looked at by the Charity Commission.

A Salvation Army spokesman said: We want to take this opportunity to unreservedly apologise for the delay in some of our suppliers receiving payment for invoices and the added pressure this has had on some of our officers and staff'

A Commission spokeswoman said: The Salvation Army has reported a serious incident to us. We will assess the information to determine whether regulatory advice or other action from the Commission is required.

A Salvation Army spokesman said: We want to take this opportunity to unreservedly apologise for the delay in some of our suppliers receiving payment for invoices and the added pressure this has had on some of our officers and staff.

We recognise that as we strive for stringent accounting processes across the country, there have been issues that have slowed us down, but we remain committed to accountability and fair business and we want to reassure people that we are taking all actions necessary, to ensure smooth operations going forward.

The spokesman said it would be inappropriate to speculate on the reasons for staff leaving their posts, but revealed that a new finance director had been appointed. He added that the relocation of the heads of the UK Salvation Army to positions abroad were unrelated to the issues relating to our new accounting system.
Parents will be left in the lurch next week when thousands of childcare workers walk off the job in strike.

Parents will be forced to arrange alternate care for their kids or leave work in order to pick their children up when childcare workers go on strike at 3.20pm on Thursday.

Childcare union United Voice hoped the industrial action would force the government to consider a 35 per cent increase for workers.

Parents will be forced to arrange alternate care for their kids or leave work in order to pick their children up when childcare workers go on strike at 3.20pm on Thursday

The union said the government needed to support the industry by increasing subsidies to parents.

About 10,000 families will be affected by the strike action on Thursday.

The union said childcare worker pay rates were not in line with the increased training and qualification requirements of the job.

A Bachelor of Early Childhood Education takes four years and costs an average of $30,000.

An average childcare worker's annual salary sits between $37,000 and $55,000.

Randwick Occasional Care for Kids director Sandra Bell told The Daily Telegraph she was embarrassed to pay her staff the award wage.

Randwick Occasional Care for Kids director Sandra Bell told the Daily Telegraph she was embarrassed to pay her staff the award wage

While Ms Bell claimed the pay was too low, she said she could not increase it because parents were already pushed to their limits

'Educating kids for eight hours a day as well as tending to their eating, sleeping and nappy needs is very demanding work and $21 an hour is ridiculous,' she said.

While Ms Bell claimed the pay was too low, she said she could not increase it because parents were already pushed to their limits.

'We've already got some parents who cut back one day a week because they can't afford it,' Ms Bell said.

Parents receive an annual rebate of $7,613 per child.

A spokesman for the Minister for Employment Michaelia Cash said the upcoming strike action was unacceptable.

A spokesman for the Minister for Employment Michaelia Cash said the upcoming strike action was unacceptable

Costs of childcare have risen at five times the rate of inflation over the course of a year, according to a national study by Goodstart this year

Are childcare costs in Australia too high? Costs of childcare have risen at five times the rate of inflation over the course of a year, according to a national study by Goodstart this year. The cost of childcare has become too expensive for the average family, with 82 per cent of parents surveyed saying they would work more if childcare costs were lower. More than 60 per cent of parents surveyed said childcare was too expensive for their family to afford. The majority of people sending their daughter or son to childcare was between $90 and $119 a day. Advertisement

'It is disappointing, yet unsurprising that the union is seeking to inconvenience working Australians through industrial action,' he told The Daily Telegraph.

'The people who will be hurt most by this action are working women who simply cannot afford the extra pressure and inconvenience that the union is trying to inflict on them.'

The spokesman said childcare worker salary was in the hands of the national workplace relations tribunal, childcare centres and not the government.

Childcare union United Voice assistant national secretary Helen Gibbons said the government was shifting the blame.

'The government could solve this tomorrow if they wanted to,' she told the publication.

Childcare union United Voice assistant national secretary Helen Gibbons said the government was shifting the blame

United Voice union assistant national secretary Helen Gibbons said the sectors' low wages stemmed from the profession being seen as women's work, and that they did for the love of it alone.

'Prime minister, love does not pay the bills, it does not pay your mortgage or your energy bills,' she said.

She said an application for a 35 per cent increase was with the Fair Work Commission.

'The government could solve this tomorrow if they wanted to,' Childcare union United Voice assistant national secretary Helen Gibbons said

Ms Gibbons said about 180 workers left the industry each week as they could no longer afford to work in the profession.

It's the sector's second walk-off this year, after action in March failed to influence the federal budget.

'Educators are not going to give up,' Ms Gibbons said.
President Donald Trump said on Saturday he will discuss the fate of a five-year-old U.S.-South Korean free trade deal with his advisers next week in a move that could see him pull out of the accord with a key American ally at a time of heightened tensions on the Korean peninsula.

Trump made his remarks to reporters while visiting hurricane-hit Houston a day after he spoke with South Korean President Moon Jae-in and struck a deal allowing Seoul access to longer-range missiles as well as a potential arms sale.

The U.S.-Korea Free Trade Agreement (KORUS), hammered out by Trump's Democratic predecessor Barack Obama, has been a frequent target for Trump, who in earlier interviews with Reuters threatened to withdraw from what he called an unequal deal in which Washington runs a goods trade deficit of almost $28 billion with Seoul.

President Donald Trump (seen above boarding Air Force One in Lake Charles, Louisiana, on Saturday) said on Saturday he will discuss the fate of a five-year-old U.S.-South Korean free trade deal with his advisers next week

Trump made his remarks while visiting hurricane-hit Houston a day after he spoke with South Korean President Moon Jae-in (seen with Trump at the White House on June 30) and struck a deal allowing Seoul access to longer-range missiles as well as a potential arms sale

'It is very much on my mind,' Trump said in Houston when asked if he is talking to advisers and will do something about the pact this week.

The president, however, is running into opposition from key economic and security aides, including Defense Secretary Jim Mattis, National Security Adviser H.R. McMaster, and National Economic Council Director Gary Cohn, The Washington Post reported.

The three men have stressed that pulling out of the free trade pact with South Korea - a key Asian ally - would have negative economic consequences.

The U.S. Chamber of Commerce said in an email to members that it and other business groups 'have received multiple reports' that the Trump administration is prepared to notify South Korea of its intent to withdraw from KORUS on Tuesday, and possibly sooner.

Some of Trump's top advisers are against pulling out of the free trade agreement, among them Defense Secretary Jim Mattis (seen left on Wednesday alongside South Korean Defense Minister Song Young-moo at the Pentagon in Washington, DC)

The largest U.S. business lobby urged member companies to have senior executives call the White House and other administration officials to tell them not to proceed, and to enlist Republican governors in the effort.

'This is an all hands on deck effort,' the group said in a memo seen by Reuters that recalled another emergency campaign in April to persuade Trump not to withdraw from the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA).

Trump agreed to renegotiate NAFTA's terms but on August 27 renewed his threat to scrap the 23-year-old trade pact, even as U.S., Canadian and Mexican trade negotiators were preparing for this weekend's second round of talks in Mexico City.

Trump is also likely to face resistance from within his own administration to any move to quit KORUS.

Cohn and other senior administration officials had opposed a unilateral NAFTA withdrawal.

Trump's comments on Saturday came amid a standoff over North Korea's missile and nuclear tests.

North Korea sharply raised regional tension this week with the launch of its Hwasong-12 intermediate-range ballistic missile, which flew over Japan and landed in the Pacific.

Washington wants to change the South Korea deal to help cut its trade deficit with Asia's fourth-largest economy.

Trump is also facing opposition from his top economic adviser, Gary Cohn (left), and National Security Adviser H.R. McMaster (right)

South Korean and U.S. officials began talks about possible revisions to the agreement on August 22 but failed to agree on how to move forward.

U.S. Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer, South Korean Trade Minister Kim Hyun-chong and the trade pact's joint steering committee participated in a one-day video conference that ended without a decision on the next steps for possible revisions.

The pact was initially negotiated by the Republican administration of President George W. Bush in 2007, but that version was scrapped and renegotiated by Obama's administration three years later.

Trump has blamed the accord on his 2016 Democratic presidential election opponent, Hillary Clinton, who as Obama's secretary of state promoted the final version of the agreement before its approval by the U.S. Congress in 2011.

Pulling out of KORUS would mark the latest step taken by Trump to abandon the type of international trade agreement that had exemplified world economics for decades.

Days after taking office in January, Trump formally abandoned the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP), an ambitious accord brokered by Obama that would have joined a dozen nations from Canada and Chile to Australia and Japan in a complicated array of trade rules.
A steroid injection intended to relieve pain has dramatically changed the lives of three Queenslanders who were left paralysed after a single dose of the drug.

Graeme Foster of Brisbane now works at a desk after he was forced to give up his job as an electrician after a guided nerve root injection triggered a spinal stroke.

The 47-year-old immediately lost muscle function in his left leg and both arms and has incomplete quadriplegia after initially opting for the injection to remedy constant pins and needles in three of his fingers.

Cairns accountant Brad Wszola (pictured) is now bound to a wheelchairs following his epidural steroid injection

He told Daily Mail Australia he would happily trade to have the sensation back in place of the ongoing nerve pain and bruising feeling he now suffers.

Today, after grueling rehabilitation, he can walk - until one leg will just let go - enough to make him fall over.

He has functional issues with his upper limbs and is unable to use his left hand. His right tricep just starting to work again.

Brisbane woman Jane Watson, 61 and 45-year-old Cairns accountant Brad Wszola are bound to wheelchairs following their epidural steroid injections.

Mr Wszola had the same injection in Cairns in 2016 (stock picture)

Ms Watson and Mr Foster were given their steroid injections at separate Brisbane radiology centres in the same week in 2014.

Mr Wszola had the same injection in Cairns in 2016, News.com.au reported.

Mr Foster launched legal action against the radiologist who injected him in a suit for five million dollars with help from law firm Maurice Blackburn.

Under Queensland law legal proceedings cannot begin without going through pre-court procedures which are currently underway for Ms Watson's and Mr Wszola's cases.

Margaret Brain of Maurice Blackburn, who represents the Queenslanders, told Daily Mail Australia the trio had not been previously made aware of the risks involved with the injection.

Margaret Brain (pictured) of Maurice Blackburn is representing the three Queenslanders

She said all three, who have suffered greatly, want to share their circumstances in a bid to raise awareness and make future patients aware of the 'small but significant' risks.

She emphasised an importance of asking what is being used and what precautions are being taken to prevent a similar instance happening again.

The group will seek individually seek compensation for a chance to ease the burden of their situation.

'Obviously when you suffer an injury like this it has a devastating effect on your life.

'It comes at great emotional and financial cost so compensation obviously can't restore their health but it provides a cushion to enable their lives to be as easy as possible and to access any sort of rehabilitation or aids and equipment to make their lives a little easier.'


President Donald Trump just cant resist getting in another shot at his political nemesis Hillary Clinton on Twitter.

Just hours after returning to Washington, DC from flood-ravaged regions of Texas and Louisiana, the president retweeted a meme poking fun at Clinton.

The meme, which was first posted by a pro-Trump Twitter account known as Trumpism 4.0, shows the cover of Clintons new memoir, What Happened.

Next to the book is a copy of a book with the same design, only this time with the words I happened over a picture of a smiling Trump.

The meme also includes four laughing emojis.

As of late Saturday night, the meme has been retweeted more than 3,500 times and liked over 10,000 times.

Just hours after returning to Washington, DC from flood-ravaged regions of Texas and Louisiana, President Donald Trump retweeted a meme poking fun at Hillary Clinton's newest memoir

Trump followed up that retweet with three tweets that were more serious and substantive in nature. The Manufacturing Index rose to 59%, the highest level since early 2011 - and we can do much better! the president tweeted on Saturday

Just a few minutes later, he tweeted: Just got back to the White House from the Great States of Texas and Louisiana, where things are going well. Such cooperation & coordination!

Trump followed up that retweet with three tweets that were more serious and substantive in nature.

The Manufacturing Index rose to 59%, the highest level since early 2011 - and we can do much better! the president tweeted on Saturday.

Just a few minutes later, he tweeted: Just got back to the White House from the Great States of Texas and Louisiana, where things are going well. Such cooperation & coordination!

Finally, Trump capped off his Saturday night Twitter session with: Remember, Sunday is National Prayer Day (by Presidential Proclamation)!

Clinton is expected to launch a nationwide book tour to promote the memoir.

Her campaign against Trump and her shocking election loss are written about extensively in the book.

In one chapter of the book, Clinton explained what was going on in her head when Trump lurked behind her during a presidential debate in St. Louis, Missouri.

Clinton (seen above on June 1 in New York) is expected to launch a nationwide book tour to promote the memoir

'It was incredibly uncomfortable he was literally breathing down my neck,' Clinton said.

'My skin crawled,' she recalled.

Hillary noted that the October 2016 debate came just days after the release of a shock audio tape in which Trump was heard bragging about groping women.

Clinton steamed: 'What would you do? Do you stay calm, keep smiling and carry on as if he weren't repeatedly invading your space? Or do you turn, look him in the eye and say loudly and clearly: "Back up, you creep, get away from me".'

Another excerpt tells how she almost fell victim to bad branding  and fresh embarrassment  as she created a new political organization in the aftermath of her election loss.

Clinton also opened up about her 'dark days' with Bill in a new memoir but doesn't mention Monica Lewinsky by name as the once-presidential hopeful admits that she stayed with the former president because she loved him.

Clinton, herself, will be speaking out, not just in the pages of the book, but on a 15-city book tour being called 'Hillary Clinton Live.'

Tickets at some of the Canadian dates are going for $1,200 American dollars each.

While her first stop, in Washington, D.C.  at a venue that's one block from President Trump's hotel and two blocks from the White House  tickets sold out within minutes, with some prize seats now being sold on StubHub also for $1,200.
Two contractors have died after inhaling toxic fumes that also injured four other men in an underground pit at a western Pennsylvania power plant.

Kevin Bachner, 34, and John Gorchock, 42, died after they were unable to escape a 'confined, well-type' space when a pipe released hydrogen sulfide gas Wednesday.

Four other men breathed in the fumes as well and were taken to the hospital after the tragic accident at the Bruce Mansfield Power Station in Beaver County.

Gorchock's brother Michael, remains at the hospital with signs of improvement, while Thomas Cantwell and Nathaniel Compton were both released as of Friday.

The condition of Mark Wagner, who was the fourth man injured, is not known.

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Kevin Bachner, 34, (left) and John Gorchock, 42, (right) died after they were unable to escape a 'confined, well-type' space when a pipe released hydrogen sulfide gas at Bruce Mansfield Power Station in Beaver County, Pennsylvania on Wednesday

Four other men breathed in the fumes and were taken to the hospital after the tragic accident. Two have been released as of Friday, one remains in hospital and fourth victim's condition is not known

Pennsylvania State Police said the workers who died were inside the underground pit while the others who were injured were standing above it, according to WPXI.

Sludge filled the pit, which is between 20 and 50 feet deep. The workers above were overcome by the toxic gas.

Cantwell was asked to comment on the accident, and said to CBS Pittsburgh: 'I really dont want to think about it, I lost some very good friends.'

Family friend of the Gorchocks, Anthony Sabat said to the local news outlet: 'John was a great human being who loved his family.

'His wife Lisa and three kids were top priority, second to none. John was easy to get along with, funny, happy all the way around.'

Another friend added: 'He loved his family, he loved all sports. He worked hard for this family and traveled a long ways for some jobs for them. So sad it had to end that way.'

The two contractors were working on a pipe in an underground pit at the western Pennsylvania power plant were killed when the pipe ruptured, filling the pit with sludge

Police say four other workers above the pit were overcome by the fumes released by the leak and were taken to the hospital

State Police Lt. Eric Hermick said to CBS News: 'The line was not supposed to be charged, obviously.

'They got to the last bolt to crack it open and when they did so, this nauseous gas, hydrogen sulfide-type mixture immediately incapacitates you.'

He added: 'It's probably second-worst type of situation to respond to because you want to help somebody that's in a life-threatening situation.'

The accident at FirstEnergy's largest coal-fired plant in Shippingport, about 35 miles northwest of Pittsburgh, remains under investigation.

The plant employs 350 people, which is more than Shippingport's population of 214.




A policy motion about Western Australia seceding has passed at the Liberal state conference.

The motion succeeded despite one party member warning there was a risk of being labelled the 'lunatic fringe'.

The non-binding 'WAxit' policy motion put forward by the Brand division called for the establishment of a committee 'to examine the option of WA becoming an independent state within the Commonwealth'.

A policy motion about Western Australia (pictured is the state capital, Perth) seceding has passed at the Liberal state conference

'It tells them that Western Australians, particularly Liberal party Western Australians, are not happy with the way in which WA is being treated,' said state president Norman Moore (pictured)

After hot debate on Sunday, the motion was amended to becoming 'financially independent' as suggested by state president Norman Moore, who was in the 'yes' camp.

It passed 89-73, which Mr Moore said should send a strong message to Canberra.

'It tells them that Western Australians, particularly Liberal party Western Australians, are not happy with the way in which WA is being treated,' he told reporters.

'The GST is symptomatic of that but it is more than that. Because we're a long way from Canberra, we feel that we're being ignored and our interests aren't being taken into consideration by both sides of politics.'

A flyer urging Western Australians to vote no in 1933 (pictured, left) and the ballot paper (pictured, left)

WA opposition leader Mike Nahan was against the motion, although he said it was well-warranted as 'an expression of underlying frustration'.

Seeking GST reform was preferable to severing ties with the rest of the nation, he said.

'We need to work within the family,' he said.

'Fix our federation, don't bust it.'

WA opposition leader Mike Nahan (pictured) was against the motion, although he said it was well-warranted as 'an expression of underlying frustration'

Rick Palmer, who drafted the motion, said: 'We have to be the people to kick the can and make the noise ... rather than just whinge about it in corners'.

But another party member said the WA Liberal party risked being labelled the 'lunatic fringe'.

Federal Deputy Opposition Leader Tanya Plibersek said it was 'a real vote of no confidence' in Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull.

'It's pretty terrible isn't it that the West Australian branch of the Liberal Party have so little faith in Malcolm Turnbull and his government that they want to leave the federation that they're part of,' she told reporters in Sydney.

Federal Deputy Opposition Leader Tanya Plibersek (pictured) said it was 'a real vote of no confidence' in Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull

Seceding has been debated ever since WA joined the federation more than 100 years ago, the ABC reported.

Two-thirds of the state's population voted in favour of secession at the height of the movement in 1933, with independence advocates particularly strong in Perth.

Following the vote a delegation travelled to London but failed to convince the House of Commons to allow the state to leave.

WA has long felt disadvantaged due to its distance from Canberra and low GST share, but the costs of a 'WAxit' could be much higher.

Experts have called a modern day secession impractical and unrealistic, and unlikely even if there was a vote in favour such as in 1933.
Lord Price quit as a trade minister in Theresa May's Government after less than 15 months today.

The ex boss of Waitrose said he wanted to focus on his business interests and on writing books.

Lord Price was appointed to help Liam Fox run the Department for International Trade last July.

Lord Price quit as a trade minister in Theresa May's Government after less than 15 months today

Lord Price said: 'It has been an honour to serve as minister for trade and investment and then trade policy following the EU referendum.

'Having visited 35 countries since then I am certain that there is a huge appetite to build new and develop existing trade agreements with the UK.

'The trade policy team is well prepared for that work.

'I previously said I would be working within Government for a time-limited period, and will now be leaving to pursue my wider business and writing interests, while continuing to advocate the UK's global trade ambitions.'

Greg Hands, a former Chief Secretary to the Treasury, is already a minister at DIT and will take on Lord Price's portfolio

Dr Liam Fox, International Trade Secretary, said: 'Lord Price's hard work and dedication has played a vital part in developing new and existing trade relationships.

'I know that everyone at DIT would want to extend their thanks to him and wish him the best for his future endeavours.'

Lord Price announced he would write a weekly column in the Daily Telegraph.

His previous book, The Foolish King, focused on teaching children how to play chess.

Mr Hands, a former Chief Secretary to the Treasury, is already a minister at DIT and will take on Lord Price's portfolio.

A new minister will be appointed in the House of Lords.

Mr Hands said: 'I'm now looking forward to delivering a trade policy framework for the UK, so that we can take advantage of new trading opportunities with global partners once we leave the EU.'

Labour MP and Open Britain supporter Chris Leslie said: 'This rounds off an abysmal week for the Government and its fantasy trade agenda. On Wednesday we learned the height of their ambitions is to try to copy and paste the EU's deals.

'On Thursday, the PM returned from Japan with a flea in her ear after being told Tokyo's priority is a free trade agreement with the EU. On Friday David Davis conceded in Washington that his own proposals on future customs arrangements are 'blue sky thinking'.

'And today the Government has lost its Lords trade minister, just weeks after Brexit minister Lord Bridges stepped down.

'By this point David Davis said we would be halfway towards a free trade area 'ten times' the size of the EU. At this rate we'll be lucky to hold on to the deals we already have.'
An RAF 'blockbuster' bomb has been defused after its discovery forced 70,000 people from their homes in Frankfurt in Germany's biggest-ever post-war evacuation.

The 1.8-tonne British bomb, which German media nicknamed 'Wohnblockknacker' (or blockbuster), has the ability to wipe out whole streets and flatten entire buildings.

It was discovered on Tuesday during building works.

Police have since been guarding the bomb site, which is close to the city centre and just 1.5 miles north of the main Zeil shopping area.

Deserted: The streets of Frankfurt are eerily silent this afternoon after a city-wide evacuation

Ghost town: An empty street in front of the Citizens' hospital (Buergerhospital) in Frankfurt

Heroes: Bomb disposal experts Rene Bennert and Dieter Schweizler speak next to the defused World War Two bomb after tens of thousands of people evacuated their homes in Frankfurt

No trains: An abandoned station with a sign reading: 'Currently not in operation - Sunday, 03 September' near the danger zone of the bomb

No traffic: Empty roads in Frankfurt while the potentially devastating bomb is defused

Peace: A man sleeps in a hall of the fairgrounds during the evacuation of more than 60 000 people

One man and his bike: A policeman guards a street during the evacuation

Quiet: Police officers stand in a deserted street in front of the 'Alte Oper' opera house

Open road: A sign reading "Weltkriegsbombe" (WW II bomb) stands next to a main road during the evacuation

Members of a family with young kids pull suitcases as they leave the evacuation area in Frankfurt am Main, western Germany, this morning

The Westend district is home to many of Frankfurt's top bankers, including European Central Bank chief Mario Draghi - though he is known to spend his weekends away from the German city.

Two major hospitals are also within the evacuation zone, including one with a big ward of newborns. Staff at the affected hospitals began transferring patients and infants to other medical centres beginning Saturday.

Frankfurt's security chief Markus Frank ordered homes and buildings within less than a mile's radius of the site to be cleared by 6am and residents were told to stay away until 6pm.

'We must have this area completely cleared by 8am,' Frank said.

Pictured: Experts placed the unexploded bomb in a cordoned off area while tens of thousands have been evacuated

A warning poster seen at the place where a WWII bomb has been found in Germany

Ella Wichmann pushes suitcases as she leaves her apartment in the evacuation area as evacuation measures are under way in Frankfurt am Main, western Germany

A newly-discovered RAF 'blockbuster' bomb has forced 70,000 people from their homes in Germany in the biggest post-war evacuation. Pictured: A heavy armed police truck is seen during the evacuation

Police officers speak with residents who have not yet left their apartments in the evacuation area

Police officers get their instructions as 60,000 people in Germany's financial capital on Sunday morning

A warning sign to alert residents that a historic bomb has been discovered in Frankfurt

Experts will defuse the British World War Two bomb later today while all residents have been moved out of the city for safety

The massive bomb in question is an HC 4000, a high capacity explosive used in air raids by Britain's Royal Air Force during World War II and contains 1.4 tonnes of explosives.

Although police have said there is no immediate danger, the bomb's massive size prevents them from taking any chances during the disarming process.

More than 70 years after the end of the war, unexploded bombs are regularly found buried in Germany, legacies of the intense bombing campaigns by the Allied forces against Nazi Germany.

On Saturday, 21,000 people had to be evacuated from the western city of Koblenz as bomb disposal experts defused an unexploded American World War II shell.

In May, 50,000 residents were forced to leave their homes in the northern city of Hanover for an operation to defuse several WWII-era bombs.

The 'blockbuster' explosive was discovered during renovations on Frankfurt University's campus

The Westend district is home to many of Frankfurt's top bankers, including European Central Bank chief Mario Draghi, who is known however to spend his weekends away from the German city

One of the biggest such evacuations to date took place on Christmas Day 2016, when another unexploded British bomb, containing 1.8 tonnes of explosives, prompted the evacuation of 54,000 people in the southern city of Augsburg.

The 1.8 tonne 'Blockbuster' bomb was dropped by a Lancaster on Frankfurt in a raid on 1944. Officially categorized as an HC 4000, the Blockbuster earned its nickname because of its ability to destroy whole apartment blocks.

'We have almost finished the evacuation in the hospitals, but for retirement homes, it's going to take a bit more time,' a spokesman for the city's firefighters said earlier today.

Police confirmed today: 'Due to the large size of the bomb, extensive evacuation measures must be taken.'

The massive bomb in question is an HC 4000, a high capacity explosive used in air raids by Britain's Royal Air Force during World War II and contains 1.4 tonnes of explosives

Although police have said there is no immediate danger, the bomb's massive size prevents them from taking any chances during the disarming process

More than 70 years after the end of the war, unexploded bombs are regularly found buried in Germany, legacies of the intense bombing campaigns by the Allied forces against Nazi Germany

On Saturday, 21,000 people had to be evacuated from the western city of Koblenz as bomb disposal experts defused an unexploded American World War II shell

It is estimated that 150,000 bombs lie unexploded beneath German towns and cities and they grow more unstable with every passing day. Dozens of people have been killed and injured in explosions in the past decades and thousands placed in danger.

In 2011 falling water levels on the River Rhine in Koblenz exposed two mammoth RAF bombs capable of causing catastrophic damage if they detonated: some 45,000 people were evacuated.

BLOCKBUSTER BOMBS 'Blockbuster' bombs, also known as cookies, got their name from the press during the Second World War through their ability to destroy entire blocks. They typically weighed either 4,000, 8000 or 12,000lbs and usually contained 50 per cent explosive by weight. Their primary was use was in causing extensive damage to buildings so that smaller 1.8kg incendiary bombs could reach their interiors. In 1943, 25,000 blockbusters were used. This increased to 38,000 the following year, before returning to 25,000 in 1945. A safe height for unleashing the 4,000lb blockbuster was said to be around 5,000ft - any lower and the aircraft risked being caught in the blast. During the Blitz the Germans created improvised blockbuster by attaching naval mines dropped on parachutes. Advertisement

A bomb from an RAF or American Air Force plane from the conflict is discovered on average once a day across the country, sometimes as many as three times a day, costing authorities tens of millions of pounds a year.

The Allies rained 2.7 million tons of bombs on Germany between 1940 and 1944. The academic Journal of Mine Action estimates that as much as HALF of them failed to do their job.

Many of these bombs are of a type containing a vial of acetone in the fuse which was designed to burst on impact. The fluid was meant to trickle down and dissolve a celluloid disk keeping back the cocked firing pin that then ignites the TNT inside.

Those components, as well as the plastic parts of other detonators, are disintegrating at an alarming rate.

Experts warn that within a decade bombs will begin to detonate by themselves - or will be too unstable to defuse if discovered.

That would mean controlled explosions on site with colossal damage to infrastructure around and about.
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A man rescued from the flames at the Burning Man festival's signature burning of a towering effigy has died after being airlifted to a hospital.

Pershing County Sheriff Jerry Allen said the man ran through a human-chain of security officers at about 10:30 p.m. Saturday during the Man Burn event at the counter-culture festival.

The sheriff said the man was rescued by firefighters and later died at the UC Davis hospital burn center in California.

He has been identified as Aaron Joel Mitchell, 41, who grew up in McAlester, Oklahoma, but was living in Switzerland, according to the Reno Gazette-Journal.

More than 70,000 people are enjoying the art and music celebration in the Black Rock Desert, about 100 miles north of Reno.

The nine-day event culminates with the burning of a towering 40-foot effigy made of wood. Attendees have tried to run into the flames as a symbol of rebirth.

Festival organizers didn't immediately respond when asked for comment.

The nine-day festival in northern Nevada was briefly hampered when a lightning-sparked wildfire temporarily shut down Burning Man's main travel route last week.

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A Burning Man participant died after evading the attempted tackles of multiple rangers and law enforcement personnel to run into the flames of the 'Man Burn' on Saturday night

Crowds were horrified when the reveler made a beeline for the giant wooden effigy and was engulfed by the flames on Saturday night.

He had to dodge a number of rangers and law enforcement personnel in order to reach the fire, which stretches approximately 50 feet into the air.

Festival organizers earlier issued a statement through its website to say that at 'approximately 10.30pm Saturday evening, a male participant at the annual Burning Man event in Northern Nevada broke through a safety perimeter and into into a fire. Black Rock City fire personnel rescued him from the fire.'

The identity of the man who died from his wounds after running into the flames on Saturday night has not been released by officials

The man who ran into the flames was quickly engulfed as emergency services nobly tried to battle their way through in an attempt to rescue him

Above a firefighter watches as the Burning Man participant (L) falls into the flames of the 'Man Burn' at the festival on Saturday night

Firefighters were forced to abandon their attempted rescue of a Burning Man participant (body seen at lower left rear) who ran into the flames due to dangerous situation

He had to dodge a number of rangers and law enforcement personnel in order to reach the fire, which stretches approximately 50 feet into the air

Emergency personnel tried to treat the man on the scene and then rushed him to a nearby hospital's burns unit where he later passed away

The Man is engulfed in flames as approximately 70,000 people from all over the world gathered for the annual arts and music festival to watch the wooden effigy burn

The Burning Man (pictured before it was set on fire) stretched up to 50ft into the air at the festival this year

Lights shining across the temporary city as thousands of participants gather to watch the Man burn

'The individual was treated on scene, transported to the on-site medical facility and airlifted to a burn center'.

Officials issued an update late on Sunday to confirm that he had later passed away.

During the fiery destruction of the 50-foot-tall man, thousands of participants danced and partied at the annual event, which is held two hours north of Reno on an ancient dry lake bed.

Saturday marked the height of the art and music festival celebration, where Burners had gathered to witness the lighting of the symbolic ritual burning of the huge wooden effigy.

Prior to the burn, The Man towered over the temporary city for a week. The event on Saturday night is traditionally rowdy while the event Sunday night is the subdued burning of the Temple.

The annual event is held in the Nevada desert, where 70,000 people help built and maintain a temporary city, complete with its own airport

The festival 'temporary metropolis' in the desert, for the Burning Man event burning high in the sky

Participants watch The Temple burn as approximately 70,000 people from all over the world gathered

Staff workers form a guard around the enormous structure before the pyre is set alight come nightfall

Revelers dressed in weird and wonderful attire congregate in the desert waiting to see the enormous pyre go up in flames

The Temple is another wooden structure that has been stuffed with notes, memories and remembrances from festival goers throughout the week. It will also be burned Sunday evening.

This year's festival theme is Radical Ritual, with organizers inviting participants to celebrate 'the ambiguous ground that lies between reverence and ridicule, faith and belief, the absurd and the stunningly sublime,' according to the official Burning Man website.

Dozens of art installations were constructed before the end of the weekend, some made from wire, others as patterns on the ground and some as immersive experiences.

Stunning photographs show the larger-than-life art installations that are the focal points of this year's festival theme of Radical Ritual, which is to honor rituals that humankind has made, including the festival.

A chainlink fence surrounds The Temple before its burn - hundreds of festival goers unwind nearby ahead of the fire later in the night

Participants surround a burning art installation as approximately as they enjoy festivities at the Burning Man festival in Nevada

Burning Man festival has ten key principles that undermine its ethos, one of them being 'radical inclusion' and 'respecting the stranger'

Another key principle that underpins the Burning Man ethos are 'decommodification' whereby they ensure the 'social environments are unmediated by commercial sponsorships'

According to the Burning Man website, another key principle, radical self-expression 'arises from the unique gifts of the individual'

The festival also promises to 'leave no trace' of their activities, commenting on the website that they are 'committed to leaving no physical trace of our activities wherever we gather'

Leather clad men dressed as police officers and sailors locked in discussion underneath burning torches and neon lights

A couple hug intimately while watching the impressive lights show surrounded by dancing revellers

Lights from the flames reflect off festival goers stood in the Nevada desert
The mother of a young boy killed when a drunken farmhand reversed over him with a tractor while on private land escaping a heavy jail sentence has called for a change in the law.

Gary Green, 51, reversed a slurry trailer into Harry Whitlam, 11, at Swithens Farm in Leeds, West Yorkshire in August 2013.

Green, who was almost three times the legal drink drive limit was not prosecuted for causing death by dangerous driving as the incident happened on private land and was not covered by road traffic legislation.

Gary Green, pictured, was almost three-times the drink drive limit when he killed 11-year-old Harry Whitlam , at Swithens Farm in Leeds, West Yorkshire in August 2013

Harry Whitlam, pictured, was helping feed animals on the farm when he was struck by Green's tractor which was reversing a load of slurry, leaving him mortally injured on the floor

Pamela Whitlam, pictured, wants the law changed so people found drink driving on private land face the same sanction of those caught on the public highway

Green, who had two previous convictions for drink driving, was convicted of breaching health and safety legislation and jailed for 16 months. Once he is released, the farm labourer is free to start driving again as he did not lose his licence due to a loophole.

Harry's mother Pamela, 50, wants the law changed so people who drive over the legal limit while on private property can face prosecution.

If Green had killed her son on the public highway, he would have received a maximum of 14 years in prison and a long driving ban.

However, because the incident happened on a farm, he was sentenced to 16-and-a-half months - near the maximum level of two years - and escaped without a driving ban.

Speaking to the Sunday Mirror, Mrs Whitlam said: 'I dont hate Gary Green, because hating him wont bring my son back. But the law needs to change so that people who drink and drive are brought to justice, no matter where they do it.

Harry, pictured, was airlifted to hospital but died a short time later

'If you murder or rape someone on private land, the same laws still apply. Why isnt this the case when you kill someone because you have chosen to drink and drive?'

Mrs Whitlam worked as a cook at the farm. Her son often came with her to work and helped feed the animals.

The youngster left a barn as Green - who was recovering after a 13-pint session the night before - was reversing his tractor.

Mrs Whitlam was preparing her son a bacon sandwich when one of the workers raced into the kitchen to tell her there had been a tragic accident.

She said: 'Green was holding Harry, who was vomiting blood. I asked him not to leave, because I needed someone to help me support Harry until the ambulance got there.'

Harry was airlifted to hospital where medics warned Mrs Whitlam that her son only had a 20 per cent chance of survival.

When police arrived at the farm and breathalysed Green, the farmhand told them it was private land and the drink driving law did not apply.

During his trial at Leeds Magistrates' Court, Andrew Broom prosecuting said: 'This is an alleged breach of health and safety legislation that he did expose employees at the farm to risk by working under the influence of drink.

'It is the crown's case that exposing the employees to risk led to the death of Harry Whitlam.'

Green, from Wakefield, West Yorkshire admitted failing to ensure the safety of another but originally claimed he couldn't see Harry at the time of the collision.

He previously denied two charges of breaching health and safety regulations.

His barrister, Michael Collins, told the court: 'The Crown put the case on the basis that he could have seen and should have seen Harry and no issue is now taken with that assertion.'

Green was driving a tractor at Swithens Farm in Leeds, West Yorkshire in August 2013, pictured

Harry, who helped feed animals on the farm while his mother worked as a cook, was believed to have walked out of a barn and been hit by Green while he was reversing.

During an inquest held last year, Green admitted to drinking four pints in a pub after work the previous day, before 'some cans' of beer while watching television until 2am.

A breathalyser test at the scene showed Mr Green had 90 micrograms of alcohol in 100ml of breath. The legal limit is 35 micrograms.

In the two day inquest, a police traffic collision expert said the boy would have been visible in the driver's mirrors for 'three to four seconds' but would have been in a blind spot at the moment of impact.

After the inquest, a statement was read by on behalf of the family by their solicitor.

It said: 'It has been extremely distressing for the family to hear the evidence. In particular, the fact the driver was over twice the legal limit  Plus, that Harry was there to be seen, had the appropriate observations been made.

'It is a legal anomaly that because the accident took place on private property there can be no criminal prosecution arising from Harry's death.

'The family believe there should be a change in the law  we hope the evidence heard will be considered as part of the ongoing [Health and Safety Executive] investigation into the case.'

The lawyer added that Harry was 'never happier than when he was around the animals he loved'. The law states a motorist can be prosecuted for drink-driving only if they are on a road accessible to the public. Swithens Farm is private and the part where the incident happened was not open to the public.
Theresa May faced a growing backlash to her vow to fight on as Prime Minister today as she was warned she would be 'finished' if she makes any more mistakes.

The PM's public commitment on a trip to Japan she plans to fight the next election as Tory leader have prompted more Tories to join the revolt, it was claimed today.

Reports suggest more than 25 MPs are now prepared to call for Mrs May to go. At least 48 must come forward to trigger a Tory leadership contest.

Damian Green, the First Secretary of State and Mrs May's defacto deputy, went public today to warn rebels to back the PM or risk Jeremy Corbyn winning power.

Brexit Secretary hailed Mrs May as a 'great' Prime Minister today claiming he had 'never been anything less than impressed' with her work.

Theresa May (pictured at church in Maidenhead today) faced a growing backlash to her vow to fight on as PM today as she was warned she would be 'finished' if she makes any more mistakes

Mrs May will enter the new Parliamentary term on Tuesday braced for a possible Commons rebellion on her flagship Brexit legislation.

The Repeal Bill - designed to pave the way for Brexit by copying EU law onto the British statute book - begins its second reading on Thursday before a crunch vote next Monday night.

Just a handful of rebel Tory MPs could inflict humiliating and catastrophic defeat if joined by Labour and the SNP.

An ally of David Davis told the Sunday Telegraph: 'The stakes are very high for her.

'If she has one more fumble, she's finished. Even if she makes a spectacular success of Brexit, people won't forgive her for the last election.

Mrs May (pictured with husband Philip today) will enter the new Parliamentary term on Tuesday braced for a possible Commons rebellion on her flagship Brexit legislation

'The Conservative Party, not she, will decide when it's time for her to go.'

Writing in the same paper, Mr Green called for calm.

He said: 'Few political debates have been as divisive as the European one.

'I fought as hard as I could on the Remain side, but I believe strongly that as a democrat I should respect the result, and that as a politician it is my duty to make the Brexit settlement as good as possible.

'Starting the new Parliamentary session with the Withdrawal Bill shows that it is now the job of all MPs, including my former colleagues on the Stronger In campaign, to respect the will of the people and get the best possible deal for Britain.

'No Conservative wants a bad Brexit deal, or to do anything that increases the threat of a Corbyn government.'

Mrs May is preparing for the Conservative Party Conference at the end of September.

Damian Green, the First Secretary of State and Mrs May's defacto deputy, went public today to warn rebels to back the PM or risk Jeremy Corbyn winning power

The PM (pictured leaving Tokyo on Saturday) made a public commitment on a trip to Japan she plans to fight the next election as Tory leader

The occasion will be both a chance to reboot her premiership but also for rebellion to ferment.

Her intervention in Japan has angered Conservative colleagues who believed she would stand aside after Brexit in the summer of 2019.

A former minister told the Sunday Times the number of rebels eager to dislodge her had increased by 'two or three' after Mrs May's 'I am not a quitter' claim.

They said: 'She came to us and said, 'It's in your hands.' Now she says it's in her hands and 'I can do what I like'. It's delusional.

'It's yet another reminder that she's not that good.'

Tory voters do not believe Mrs May will be able to fulfil her vow to stay on in No 10 and fight the next Election  and feel their best hope of winning would be under a new leader.

Nor do the public believe she has the guts to go through with her threat to walk away with no deal if the increasingly fractious Brexit negotiations collapse.

They are among the main findings of a new poll from Survation  the only opinion pollsters to predict the last General Election correctly  for The Mail on Sunday.

It is the first survey carried out after the Prime Minister's surprise 'I'm not quitting' declaration during her trade trip to Japan last week.

In addition to showing Labour with a five-point lead over the Conservatives, our poll shows voters believe that, if Mrs May and Jeremy Corbyn both lead their respective parties into the Election due by 2022, Corbyn will win, albeit by a tiny margin.

But there is no such uncertainty as to who the Conservatives should turn to if they wish to revive their electoral fortunes: Boris Johnson.

In a timely boost, the Foreign Secretary, dismissed as an 'international joke' by the Times newspaper last week, is the clear favourite heir to May among the public as a whole, and significantly, among people who voted Conservative at the last Election.

More surprisingly, his nearest leadership rival is maverick Old Etonian and 'hard Brexiteer' Jacob Rees-Mogg, dubbed 'the new Boris' by some. As a mark of how seriously Tory voters take the increasingly ambitious Rees-Mogg, in a run-off between Jacob and Boris, Johnson wins by only two percentage points, according to the poll.
Two men have been charged in connection with the murder of a carpenter stabbed to death yards from the private 6,000-a-term school where Prince George is due to start next week.

Malachi Brooks, 22, suffered a fatal knife wound to the heart just 250 yards from Thomas's School in Battersea, south London.

Paramedics could not save the carpenter, who died at the scene on Surrey Lane in March this year.

Joel Preddie, 20, and Abdul Popatpotra, 26, have now been charged in connection with Malachi's murder and will appear in court on Monday.

Malachi Brooks, 22, (pictured) suffered a fatal knife wound to the heart just 250 yards from Thomas's School in Battersea in March this year

Emergency services arrived at the scene but paramedics were unable to save the young man

A Met Police spokesman said: 'Detectives investigating the murder of Malachi Brooks have charged two men.

'Joel Preddie, 20, of Mitcham, south London, was charged on Saturday with murder and arson.

'Abdul Popatpotra, 26, of Tooting, south London, was charged on the same day with arson and perverting the course of justice.

'They will both appear in custody at Wimbledon Magistrates' Court on Monday..'

A post-mortem revealed Mr Brooks died as a result of a stab wound to the heart.

A 21-year-old man arrested in April on suspicion of his murder was subsequently released and will face no further action.

At the time, Mr Brooks' partner Rebecca Nowland, 24, said she was 'devastated' and 'broken'.

She said: 'He wasn't just my boyfriend, he was my best friend, my rock. Words can't describe how much I miss him already.

'You didn't deserve this, the most decent person I ever came across. I'll never forget you and all the good times we shared together.'

Rebecca's brother, Ben Nowland, 18, said: 'There's not one bad word I can say about him.

Prince George (pictured in December last year) is due to start at Thomas's School next week

The incident happened just yards from Thomas's School (pictured) where Prince George will start next week

Mr Brooks was stabbed just a couple of roads away from where George will attend school

'Malachi was the coolest, funniest, most loving and outgoing person you could ever meet who always had time for others.

The incident happened just yards from Thomas's where Prince George will enrol this month.

The youngster will be four years old when he starts at the 6,000-a-term school, which states that its most important rule is to 'be kind'.

In a statement, Kensington Palace said: 'The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge will send their son, George, to Thomas's Battersea from September 2017 this year.

'Their Royal Highnesses are delighted to have found a school where they are confident George will have a happy and successful start to his education.'
A survey found a fifth of 800 primary schools, including Church of England primaries, now list the hijab in their uniform policy (file pic)

A Muslim campaigner has called for hijabs to be banned in primary schools after it was revealed a fifth of 800 primary schools now list the headscarf in their uniform policy.

This is despite the fact a hijab is usually only worn by young women after puberty and in front of men for modesty reasons - not by primary school children.

Campaigners have said it should be 'fiercely resisted' and claimed it could 'sexualise' young children.

A survey by Sunday Times found 18 per cent of 800 primary schools, including Church of England primaries, include the hijab in their uniform policy.

Across England's 17,000 primary schools the figure is likely to run into thousands.

In Birmingham 46 per cent of 72 primary schools whose websites were checked had the hijab in their written online uniform policy.

In Tower Hamlets 34 per cent of 68 primaries had an online headscarf policy and in Luton the figure was 36 per cent.

Campaigners have warned against the rising trend of young children wearing the hijab.

Aisha Ali-Khan, a Muslim feminist campaigner and a teacher for 13 years, told MailOnline: 'The hijab should be banned from primary schools but local authorities are afraid of causing offence to the Muslim community and afraid of being branded as racist.

'A headscarf or hijab, is usually worn by girls who have reached puberty, to prevent unwanted sexual advances from men.

'How can a four or five year old child make an informed choice? It's not allowed in Islam so why is it being allowed in schools? You should only do something if you want to and understand the concept behind it.

'But the local authorities are too scared to go back and our government has allowed this to be part of the school policy and that's wrong. They are allowing decisions to be made by schools and local authorities which is worrying and they are trying to wash their hands of all responsibility.'

Gina Khan, a children's rights campaigner in Birmingham, added: 'Schools are allowing it because they are afraid of being called Islamophobic and they have been told that this is a religious garment - but they need to support Muslim girls to have free choices, not to be set apart from other children.'

Aisha Ali-Khan, a Muslim feminist campaigner and a teacher for 13 years, told MailOnline: 'The hijab should be banned from primary schools but local authorities are afraid of causing offence to the Muslim community and afraid of being branded as racist'

Amina Lone, a Muslim former Labour parliamentary candidate, said: 'In an Islamic context, the hijab is commonly understood as being for females after they reach the age of puberty. There are very few Muslims who would say a child should be covered.'

Shaista Gohir, of the Muslim Women's Network, has previously said making young children wear the headscarf was as bad as children having spray tans and pole dancing lessons.

Ms Gohir said the hijab was designed to discourage sexual advances from men and enforcing it on young children could 'sexualise' them.

'We challenge parents who spray tan or give pole dancing classes to seven-year-olds, so we should be challenging Muslim parents who make young children wear the hijab,' she said.

Ofsted, the schools watchdog, has said it is investigating whether there is evidence schools are facing external pressure to adapt their policies.

Transport for London last month axed images of a four-year-old Muslim girl used in its 2million campaign for schools and nurseries (pictured)

Last month Transport for London axed images of a four-year-old Muslim girl used in its 2million campaign for schools and nurseries after religious groups said they were 'sexualising four-year-olds'.

More than 65,000 'Little Londoners' joined TfL's young Traffic Club but its key cartoon character Razmi caused controversy because she always wears a headscarf.
An anti-Islam activist charged over a graphic mock beheading is promising a stunt outside a Melbourne courthouse despite facing six months in jail.

Neil Erikson is one of three men who was charged with breaching Victoria's religious vilification laws.

In 2015, he took part in a mock beheading outside Bendigo Council to protest against a planned mosque in the western Victorian city.

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The Bendigo Three from the United Patriots Front beheaded an effigy filled with fake blood

The Bendigo Three member had joined United Patriots Front leader Blair Cottrell and fellow supporter Chris Shortis in shouting 'Allahu akbar! Allahu akbar!', the Arabic term for 'God is great', before fake blood oozed from their prop.

While the far-right activists face six months in jail for their stunt, Erikson is so confident the case against them will be dismissed he has made a Facebook video promising a stunt outside Melbourne Magistrates Court on Monday morning at 9am.

'I guarantee you this case will be dismissed,' he told his 8,616 Facebook followers on Sunday.

'I've got some crazy stuff planned. It's going to be a media circus.'

Erikson, 32, predicted the prosecution would have egg on their faces with 'yolk rolling down their chins'.

'We'll be laughing. We'll be laughing. Ha, ha, ha,' he said in his video.

The men were charged in October 2015 with breaching Victoria's Racial and Religious Tolerance Act, which makes it an offence to incite 'hatred, serious contempt, revulsion or severe ridicule' against a group of people.

They are the first high-profile case since a former Labor government introduced the law in January 2002.

Chris Shortis, a Bendigo Three member, says Victoria's religious vilification laws amounted to blasphemy laws

Chris Shortis (left) told Mark Latham (right) he would not apologise for criticising Islam

Shortis, 46, a fellow member of the Bendigo Three, said the law needed to be challenged because it amounted to a blasphemy law.

'In essence, what they are trying to achieve  it's the same thing if you are in Saudi Arabia,' he told media commentator and former federal Labor leader Mark Latham last week.

'If you mock Islam, you'll be charged with blasphemy laws and it really smells like blasphemy laws in disguise.'

Shortis said he would never apologise for criticising a religion 'which beheads people' citing Saudi Arabia's barbaric and public capital punishments.

Construction of the Bendigo mosque has begun despite protests and legal challenges

The Bendigo Three face six months in jail for doing a mock beheading outside council

United Patriots Front activist Neil Erikson is promising a stunt outside a Melbourne courtroom

'You cannot be taken to court for critiquing religious tenets,' he said.

'I will prove that.'

In March, Victoria's Multicultural Affairs Minister Robin Scott threatened to strengthen the laws the Bendigo Three are charged under.

Construction on the Bendigo mosque started in August, following two years of battles and violent street protests against the council's approval of the development application.

The High Court in June 2016 dismissed a challenge to the mosque development and ordered the plaintiff to pay costs.
Three police officers were injured during clashes with migrants trying to get on board UK-bound lorries struck in traffic jams in Calais.

Violence broke out after the French blamed the British for failing to open enough vehicle lanes at the end of the holiday season.

Saturdays disturbances saw at least 60 mainly young men trying to take advantage of the chaos, as officers used tear gas and baton charges to disperse them.

Three police officers were injured during clashes with migrants trying to get on board UK-bound lorries struck in traffic jams in Calais (pictured)

Violence broke out after the French blamed the British for failing to open enough vehicle lanes at the end of the holiday season

Local police chief Jean-Philippe Vennin: Our British colleagues had opened only nine out of fourteen lanes this weekend, even though we expected 9000 vehicles in the Eurotunnel and 7500 at the port.

When travelling from France to Britain, travellers have to clear both French and British immigration and customs checks.

Mr Vennin told French news agency AFP that the lane shortages slowed down traffic on the A16 motorway, which was full of holidaymakers returning from the South of France, and other parts of the country.

It was on a stretch of road just before the Tunnel and Calais port that groups of mainly Afghans, Eritreans and Sudanese looking to claim asylum in Britain took advantage of the bottleneck to board a few trucks.

Mr Vennin said his officers were forced into a game of cat and mouse with the migrants, all of whom eventually managed to run away before any arrests could be made.

It is not known if any of the migrants were injured in the clashes, which saw the three unidentified police officers hurt.

The Calais area is officially a no-go area for asylum seekers following the destruction of the so-called Jungle camp last October.

Saturdays disturbances saw at least 60 mainly young men trying to take advantage of the chaos, as officers used tear gas and baton charges to disperse them

Migrants were trying to exploit the traffic chaos by jumping on UK-bound lorries (pictured)

It was razed by the French authorities, who forcibly dispersed some 8000 men, women and children across France, telling them not to return to the Channel ports.

But they have been slowly returning since then, setting up illegal camps, just as they have done so for the past 20 years.

There are regular disturbances, with the police particularly concerned at the way improvised road blocks are used to try and stop lorries.

Not only are HGV drivers and other road users threatened, but migrants themselves are also regularly killed or severely injured after becoming involved in road accidents.
Brussels Brexit chief Michel Barnier yesterday threatened to teach Britain a lesson for leaving the EU, as the row over demands for a 90billion divorce payment boiled over.

In an incendiary intervention, Mr Barnier said he wanted to use Brexit to teach the British people and others what leaving the EU means.

Tory MPs branded the EUs chief negotiator patronising and arrogant  and said his comments showed Brussels was starting to panic about the loss of Britains financial contributions to the EU.

Hard talk: David Davis and Michel Barnier

Even Remainers want a fall in immigration Nearly half of voters who backed remaining in the EU want a reduction in immigration by unskilled workers from the continent, a survey reveals today. Mass immigration was central to last years referendum debate, with Brexit supporters arguing that leaving the EU was the only way to take back control of the countrys borders. But a survey for the think-tank British Future today reveals that 48 per cent of Remain voters also want fewer unskilled workers coming to the UK. This is lower than the 76 per cent of Brexit supporters who want a reduction but it underlines the widespread public concern about mass immigration. By contrast, most voters, including those who backed Brexit, support the continued arrival of skilled immigrants including doctors, nurses, scientists, engineers and IT specialists. The survey, conducted by the polling firm ICM, found 82 per cent of Brexit supporters would be happy for high-skilled immigration from the EU to remain at current levels (51 per cent) or increase (31 per cent). The survey also found the public back Theresa May to deliver a better Brexit deal than Jeremy Corbyn. Some 46 per cent believe the Prime Minister will get the best deal, compared with 25 per cent who back the Labour leader. The contrast is starker on immigration, where 54 per cent believe Mrs May is likely to reduce migrant numbers, compared with 14 per cent who believe Mr Corbyn would do so. Advertisement

The former French cabinet minister denied that he was trying to blackmail the UK, but vowed to educate British voters about the price they would pay for daring to leave the EU.

There are extremely serious consequences of leaving the single market and it hasnt been explained to the British people, he told a conference in Italy. We intend to teach people what leaving the single market means.

Mr Barniers comments were made at a gathering of the EU elite at a sumptuous Renaissance villa on the shores of Lake Como. His speech to the annual Ambrosetti forum does not appear to have been designed for public consumption.

The event takes place behind closed doors. But parts of it were publicised by a BBC reporter who was attending.

Former Tory Cabinet minister John Redwood said Mr Barniers comments were a mark of desperation, adding that there was no need for the UK to hand over a penny after we leave in March 2019.

We dont owe them anything other than our national contributions until we leave, he said.

Sainsbury's boss: Food may be left rotting at border Fresh food could be left rotting at the border if strict customs controls for EU goods are introduced after Brexit, Sainsburys chief executive has warned. Anything that disrupted established food supply chains, currently governed by EU customs arrangements, would be detrimental, said Mike Coupe. The UK sources roughly a third of its food from the EU and food is by far and away the UKs largest export, he added. If you take our fresh produce supply chains, for example, we put things on a lorry in Spain and it will arrive in a distribution centre somewhere in England, and it wont have gone through any border checks. Anything that encumbers that adds cost and it also has a detrimental effect on freshness  if youre shipping fresh produce from a long distance, even a few hours of delay can make a material impact. Mr Coupe said the repercussions of such disruption are not fully recognised in Westminster. The warning comes after the British Retail Consortium said last week that food prices, already soaring, could rise further unless measures to tackle red tape and improve ports were put in place before Britain left the EU in March 2019. Advertisement

David Davis (pictured today on the BBC) has insisted reports Britain will pay a Brexit bill of almost 50billion were 'nonsense' and 'completely wrong'

Michel Barnier (pictured at Thurday's press conference with David Davis) threatened to educate British voters about the 'serious consequences' of their Brexit vote today

This seems to be finally dawning on them and they are getting desperate.

Fellow Tory Peter Bone said: If there is one thing the British people dont like it is being lectured by foreigners.

'It is patronising and arrogant, but this is what the EU elite do. They think that the British people have made a silly mistake and need to be informed how wrong they are. It is complete contempt for democracy.

Now they want us to pay for breeding brown bears in Spain An EU scheme to breed brown bears in the Pyrenees is among the projects that Britain is being asked to fund after Brexit. EU chief negotiator Michel Barnier has set out a series of financial demands as part of the so-called Brexit bill. Among them was a green infrastructure strategy that could involve funding bridges to help wildlife cross roads and ladders for fish to cross streams. Now it has emerged that Britain is also being ordered to pay for the scheme to breed bears even after leaving the EU, according to The Sun. The project, backed by 1.6billion in EU funding, will draw up a blueprint on how bears and humans can co-exist in Catalonia, Spain. It is due to continue past March 2019, when Britain formally leaves the union. The EU requests for funding, which also included access to green spaces for hyperactive children, as well as foreign aid payments, were branded absurd by leading Brexit supporter Jacob Rees-Mogg. They were among several examples cited by Mr Barnier of spending that the EU wants Britain to contribute to after it leaves the bloc. These include the 12billion European Development Fund, which distributes cash to African, Caribbean and Pacific countries. Previous contributions have been spent on trapeze lessons in Tanzania, a study on coconut development and trips to Jamaica for EU spin doctors. Brussels has also pledged at least 10.3billion in long-term loans to Ukraine since Russia annexed Crimea and threatened the country. Advertisement

Mr Barniers comments emerged hours after Brexit Secretary David Davis flatly denied reports that Theresa May has agreed to pay Brussels up to 46billion as part of the exit negotiations, describing the claim as nonsense.

The European Commission has tabled proposals that could see the UK pay up to 90billion as it leaves the EU, but British officials believe the figure is grossly inflated.

Mr Davis also rounded on Mr Barnier for suggesting last week that the Brexit negotiations had produced no decisive progress, despite significant developments on issues such as the rights of EU citizens and Northern Ireland.

In an interview with the BBC's Andrew Marr (pictured Mr Davis accused Brussels of deliberately delaying trade talks in an effort to convince the UK government to pay more

Shadow Brexit secretary Sir Keir Starmer (pictured on the BBC today said Labour would vote to stop handing ministers a 'blank cheque to pass powers' if its concerns were not addressed

Sir Keir denied Labour had U-turned on continuing membership of the EU single market in an interview with Andrew Marr (pictured)

He said the EU bureaucrat wants to put pressure on us, which is why the stance in the press conference  bluntly, I think it looked a bit silly because there plainly were things that we had achieved.

Mr Davis said concern about filling the financial black hole in the Brussels accounts after Britain leaves was the thing that frightens them most.

It emerged today that Theresa May (pictured at church in Maidenhead today) is hoping to keep details of the UK's EU divorce bill a secret until after the Conservative Party conference

And he accused the EU of deliberately dragging its feet on trade talks in a bid to force the UK to hand over more cash. They have set this up to try to create pressure on us on money, he said. Thats what its about, they are trying to play time against money.

Last week, International Trade Secretary Liam Fox accused Brussels of trying to blackmail the UK. Mr Davis said the strict position was that there was no enforceable legal basis for the UK to pay money to Brussels.

But he said Britain was willing to pay for its moral and political obligations as well as its legal ones in order to smooth negotiations.

In a sign of UK goodwill, the Government is set to announce this week that it will continue to contribute to a number of EU science projects after we have left the EU.

Government lawyers last week gave their EU counterparts a two-and-a-half hour deconstruction of its financial claims, which Mr Davis said had irritated Mr Barnier.
Pictured: Wayne Chester, 43, has been jailed for the second time this year

A paedophile caught red-handed by online vigilantes trying to meet a 14-year-old for sex has been jailed for the second time this year for attempting to meet up with underage girls.

Wayne Chester is now starting a 21-month jail term after being snared by paedophile hunters Guardians of the North.

The 43-year-old was jailed for 22 weeks earlier this year after falling for a police sting to catch adults trying to contact underage girls online.

He responded to a friend request from a fictitious 14-year-old girl, 'Phoebe Lees', which was, in reality, a false profile set up by undercover officers, as part of Operation Ascension, in early January.

Durham Crown Court heard how Chester was caught by Guardians of the North last September and was on bail for those offences when he was confronted by police officers in January.

Jonathan Walker, prosecuting, told the court how a member of Guardians of the North set up an online social media profile, supposedly posted by 14-year-old 'Amelia', accompanied by a randomly-selected image of a girl of about that age.

'I like young girls': Chester sent suggestive messages to a undercover police officers and paedophile hunters, believing he was speaking to a 14-year-old girl

Durham Crown Court heard how Chester was caught by Guardians of the North last September and was on bail for those offences when he was confronted by police officers in January

Chester responded, telling her she was, 'beautiful', and 'she' replied making it clear to him she was only 14.

The court heard how he asked if she liked older men and sent her an intimate image of himself.

Chester told her he liked younger girls and asked her to send indecent images of herself, but she did not comply with his request.

The following day he asked her to move on to a different messenger site so he could make contact with her 'friends' who, in reality, were also decoys, posted by the paedophile hunting group.

Mr Walker said just three days after first contacting 'Amelia', Chester arranged a meeting, in Bishop Auckland, County Durham.

Jonathan Walker, prosecuting, told the court how a member of Guardians of the North set up an online social media profile, supposedly posted by 14-year-old 'Amelia', accompanied by a randomly-selected image of a girl of about that age

Chester responded, telling her she was, 'beautiful', and 'she' replied making it clear to him she was only 14

When he was spotted looking furtively round at the meeting place, police were informed and arrested Chester.

When interviewed, he denied knowledge of any of the online exchanges.

Chester, from Salford, Greater Manchester, and formerly of Cosgrove Avenue, Bishop Auckland, admitted two counts of attempting to incite a girl to engage in sexual activity.

He also admitted one of attempting to meet a child following sexual grooming.

Holly Betke, defending, urged Recorder Rachael Harrison to impose a suspended prison sentence to enable Chester to attend a sex offender treatment programme to address his problems.

But, imposing an immediate sentence, Recorder Harrison said he had actively sought out and attempted to meet several young girls within a short period of his initial contact.

Chester must comply with police notification as a sex offender for ten years and remains subject of a five-year Sexual Harm Prevention Order, imposed when he was last jailed.
Moors murder Ian Brady has left supporters a bizarre box of trinkets gathered during his 51 years behind bars.

The serial killer, who died in Ashworth High Security Hospital in May, has refused to reveal final resting place of one of his victims Keith Bennett.

Brady and his girlfriend Myra Hindley were jailed for life in 1966 for abducting, torturing and sexually abusing five children and teenagers over a two-year period.

Serial killer Ian Brady, pictured with his pet dog, left penpals mementos of his life in prison

Brady, pictured, died in May after spending more than 50 years in prison for his crimes

Brady murdered five children along with his girlfriend Myra Hindley, pictured on Saddleworth Moor, where they buried their victims, including Keith Bennett, who is yet to be recovered

Brady was found guilty of snatching and killing 12-year-old John Kilbride, Edward Evans, 17, Lesley Ann Downey, 10, while Hindley was convicted of murdering Downey and Evans and shielding her lover in the third case.

In the 1980s, the couple admitted abducting and murdering 16-year-old Pauline Reade on her way to a Manchester disco in 1963 and killing Keith Bennett, 12, in 1964.

They were finally caught when Hindley's brother-in-law tipped off police.

Now, according to the Sunday Express, Brady has left a cardboard box filled with mementos he collected while in prison.

Myra Hindley was cremated in November 2002 following a private funeral service, although Brady's body has yet to be released despite his death in May

Brady died at the Ashworth High Security Mental Hospital, pictured, where he was a patient

Greater Manchester police still hope to be in a position to recover Keith Bennett's body

Brady, left, refused to reveal where he dumped Keith Bennett's body following his murder

They included photographs and locks of his hair.

The serial killer has left detailed instructions for his funeral, including his wish to be cremated in Scotland.

However, his body has not yet been released.

The Sunday Express said several people attended the office of Brady's solicitor in Liverpool to receive their gifts.

One friend of an unnamed woman told the Sunday Express: 'She is telling people on Facebook that she has collected her box which had a letter to her from Brady inside telling her how to behave at his funeral.

'There have been a few of his penpals and supporters turning up to collect these cardboard boxes, which were apparently sealed with tape.'

Greater Manchester Police still hope they will be able to recover Keith Bennett's body. The 12-year-old was abducted and murdered in 1964.
Pictured: Kevin Daffurn, 30, was found dead by two holidaymakers on Friday

A woman whose car was hijacked by a British man later found dead in Tenerife has told police of her 'miracle escape' from death as she flung herself out of the passenger seat onto a busy motorway.

Police on the holiday island are studying various videos of the incident on the TF-1 when the white Mitsubishi car, stolen by 30-year-old Kevin Daffurn, was spotted weaving across the carriageway with both doors open.

His terrified passenger who escaped the ordeal rolled out onto the hard shoulder, it has been revealed, but as she tried to stand up, she collapsed in front of the oncoming traffic and was snatched from certain death by a police officer.

Although the 42-year-old escaped with cuts and bruises, she is said to be very traumatised by the experience and still in shock.

Spanish newspaper El Dia says the woman, who has not been named, comes from La Laguna in the north of Tenerife.

A full investigation is currently underway to find out exactly what happened on Thursday afternoon, the same Mr Daffurn, from Knotts, North Lanarkshire had arrived on the island for a holiday with two friends.

An autopsy and toxicology reports will be the key as they will determine whether he was acting under the influence of either alcohol or drugs or a combination of both.

Two tourists raised the alarm after spotting Kevin Daffurn's body near a roundabout in the resort of Los Cristianos just after 6pm yesterday. Pictured above, Mr Daffurn with his fiancee

Tragedy: Spanish police say they are investing the incident after the father from Scotland was discovered dead

Kevin was found dead in a field alongside the motorway near Los Cristianos four hours later, wearing just shorts and with no shoes on his feet. It appeared that he had not suffered any sort of external injury.

El Dia says witnesses have described scenes similar to those out of a horror film which started when Kevin Daffurn reportedly spotted a car outside a shopping centre.

Although the 42-year-old woman was in the passenger seat, her husband had got out for a few seconds, leaving the ignition keys in it.

A police source said: 'The carjacking and events that followed were crazy. It was like something out of a film.

He said: 'The driver of the Mitsubishi had stopped outside the shopping centre and got out of the car for a moment but left the keys in the ignition.

'The woman in the passenger seat leapt out of the vehicle fearing she was possibly being kidnapped. She is Spanish. She suffered bruises and some other injuries and was taken to hospital but fortunately she was not seriously hurt.

A police source said Mr Daffurn tried to steal a car and a motorbike, before stunning witnesses by jumping over the central reservation and fleeing the scene on foot

The bizarre series of events began just before 2pm yesterday in the south of Tenerife called San Eugenio Commercial Centre. Pictured above, a social media post believed to be from one of Mr Daffurn's friends

'That happened just before 2pm yesterday/on Friday outside San Eugenio Shopping Centre and the motorway incident at 2pm.

'The tourist crashed the car, then tried to steal another car and then a motorbike and ended up running along the hard shoulder before jumping over the central reservation as traffic came to a standstill in the chaos.'

'He could have been trying to get to his hotel but at the moment it's not really clear.'

He added: 'The dead man arrived in Tenerife on Thursday with two British friends. They will be formally interviewed shortly so investigators can try to piece together all his movements from the time he reached the island to the time he died.'

The horrified Spanish woman is said to have told police that Kevin drove off at speed towards the motorway where she took the decision to fling herself out in a bid to escape his erratic driving.

El Dia says the woman was in real danger of being run over by approaching cars before she was snatched to safety by the Civil Guard officer based at Playa de las Americas who risked his own safety to intervene.

She was taken to hospital and was so shocked she was unable to speak. Her main injury were cuts to her hands.

The TF-1 motorway in Tenerife near to where the 30-year-old man was found dead

Los Cristianos, Tenerife, where a 30-year-old British man who has been found dead was due to be staying

With Kevin still at the wheels of the hijacked car, several accidents were caused on the motorway before he too jumped out.

He then tried to steal a motorcycle and also jumped into another car stuck in the traffic jam but the quick-thinking driver pulled on the handbrake and ran off.

Witnesses have reported seeing Kevin jump over the motorway barriers towards the Los Cristianos/Costa Adeje area.

Two tourists later stumbled across his body in a field.

El Dia says the Spanish woman might need psychological support to overcome such an ordeal. She has been helping the police reconstruct the fateful events.

On the evening before the tragedy one of his friends is thought to have posted a bottle of popular spirit Jagermeister.

And a family member wrote on the photograph: 'Have a great time, please come back in one piece the lot of u.'
The Spanish monarchy's already fragile reputation is in danger of suffering further damage amid fresh controversy surrounding the former king's private life.

Well-known Lothario Juan Carlos, who is rumoured to have had hundreds of lovers and vacated the throne three years ago amid allegations of infidelity, has reportedly rekindled a romance with a 68-year-old divorcee former flame.

Juan Carlos, 79, was succeeded on the throne by his helicopter pilot son Felipe, who, alongside his former TV presenter wife Queen Letizia, has tried to detoxify the monarchy's reputation, reports The Sunday Times.

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Juan Carlos (centre) was pictured with his rumoured lover Marta Gaya in Ireland. The pair are said to have had an affair in the 1990s but this is the first time they have been pictured together

Former king Juan Carlos (left) is reported to have rekindled his romance with Marta Gaya (right), a wealthy divorcee who he is said to have had an affair with in the 1990s

They had suffered a succession of bruising scandals, including the corruption trial of Felipe's sister Cristina that saw husband sentenced to six years in prison for tax fraud and embezzlement.

And in 2012, as Spain was enduring one of the worst economic slumps in its history, Juan Carlos was spotted enjoying a luxury elephant hunt in Botswana alongside a German princess.

The latest controversy to rock the family could undo all of Felipe and Letizia's good work after Juan Carlos was pictured in public with Marta Gaya, a wealthy divorcee who he is said to have had an affair with in the 1990s.

He is married to former queen Sofia but it is understood the pair have lived separate lives for much of their 55-year marriage.

It has been reported Greek-born Sofia caught Juan Carlos in a clinch with an actress, shortly after he was crowned in 1976.

Spanish King Felipe VI (left) and Queen Letizia (right) have worked hard to detoxify the royals' brand after a serious of embarrassing incidents

A book released earlier this year alleged the king had had hundreds of lover and one biographer previously revealed Juan Carlos even made a 'tactile advance' on Princess Diana in the 1980s.

Retired military chief Amadeo Martinez Ingles says in his book the king's high-profile romances only 'represent the tip of a monumental sexual iceberg' and that between 2005 and 2014, when he had supposedly 'slowed down', Juan Carlos had 191 lovers.

But it is his relationship with Gaya that has stirred fresh controversy after the pair were pictured together for the first time in Ireland.

The Spanish monarchy was only restored after the death of General Francisco Franco in 1975 and there remains a powerful Republican force in the country.

It leaves the Royal Family painfully aware of the need to maintain a strong reputation among the public - a reputation that suffers when embarrassing details of the former king's private life are made public.

The approval rating currently stands at 61%, a big improvement on the low of 31% when Juan Carlos abdicated the throne.
A horrific fire caused by a car doing burnouts has left one man fighting for his life and 11 other people seriously injured.

The spectators were rushed to hospital after they suffered serious burns during the shocking moment at the Red CentreNATS racing event in Alice Springs Sunday afternoon, Northern Territory News reported.

There were reports a 43-year-old father and 19-year-old son were flown to Adelaide for burns treatment.

A man is fighting for his life after a car doing burnouts set fire to the nearby crowd (pictured)

The fuel burst into flames as the car was doing burnouts, seriously injuring 12 people

The moment was caught on camera, showing the car speeding around the track before huge flames burst out causing mayhem.

The car sprayed the crowd with fuel through the fence before it caught fire and burnt a number of spectators at the inland drag way.

The huge crowd was seen running and taking cover from the flames and thick blankets of smoke.

The moment was caught on camera, showing the large crowd running and ducking for cover

The Red CentreNATS racing event (pictured) in Alice Springs attracted thousands on Sunday

The popular racing event is held at an inland drag way in The Northern Territory (pictured)

The racing event was forced to cancel the after the terrifying fire Sunday afternoon

Red Centre NATS said in a statement the racing event was cancelled after the fire.

'This is a distressing situation however all patients are receiving the care they need,' the statement said.

The popular Northern Territory event attracted thousands of motoring enthusiasts from across the country.
Up to thirty partygoers were involved in a bloody all-in brawl overnight with some patrons describing the scene akin to a 'terror attack.'

The brawl erupted at Sydney's Odyssey Bar after two women got into a heated argument leaving one woman without hair and another without her fake nails.

The fight started about 11.30pm at the bar cum restaurant on Norton Street in Leichhardt, a suburb in the inner west of Sydney.

It is unclear what the women were fighting about.

Up to thirty people were involved in a bloody brawl at a Sydney bar on Saturday night

NSW police say the women who started the brawl in a Sydney bar lost their hair and fake nails

Footage obtained by Nine News showed the brawl being far more worst than earlier reported.

Witness Curtis Nicotra told a network reporter he was walking home after dinner when he witnessed a large crowd outside the bar.

'A group of people just started running out and they were screaming and running to their cars,' he told a Channel 9 reporter.

New South Wales police said a 30-year-old woman was treated for a sprained ankle and the loss of some hair as a result of the brawl.

Curtis Nicotra (pictured) witnessed a large crowd outside the bar when he passed the area

The brawl caused a lot of damage to the venue at Norton Street, in Leichhardt on Saturday

Two women started the fight about 11.30pm at the Odyssey Bar Restaurant (pictured)

Some people who witnessed the brawl at the bar described the scene akin to a 'terror attack'

While another woman, aged 33, was treated for injured fingers after losing several fake nails during the fight.

She was arrested and taken to Newtown Police Station for questioning but was later released pending further inquiries.

The brawl also caused a large amount of damage to the venue.

Despite that, the bar's manager, Dimitrios Tassis played down the incident.

'Only two girls fighting, that's it,' he told the station.

However, several unnamed witnesses told the network anonymously that they witnessed a lot more people being injured as a result of the brawl.

One man was seen leaving the premise with 'blood pouring down his face,' the station reports.

Odyssey bar manager, Dimitrios Tassis (pictured) played down the incident when approached
A Japanese princess is giving up her royal status to marry a commoner she fell in love with because of his 'bright smiles like the sun'.

Japanese Emperor Akihito's oldest grandchild, Princess Mako, 25, said on Sunday she will marry Kei Komuro, who was a classmate of hers at Tokyo's International Christian University.

But women are not allowed to succeed Japan's throne, meaning Princess Mako will lose her royal status once she weds 25-year-old Mr Komuro, a legal assistant who loves playing jazz piano.

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Japanese Princess Mako (pictured) is set to lose her royal status after she announced she planned to marry a commoner

The 25-year-old princess's wedding is expected to take place a year from now

Princess Mako (right) is engaged to Kei Komuro (left). But in Japan women are not allowed to succeed the throne, meaning that when the pair, both 25, tie the knot, she will lose her status

Parents Prince Akishino (left) and Princess Kiko (right), expressed delight for daughter Mako

All grown up: Princess Mako (then four), father Prince Akishino, sister Princess Kako (then one) and mother Princess Kiko pose for photographs in Kanagawa, Japan in January 1996

At a news conference, Princess Mako said: 'First I was attracted by his bright smiles like the sun.'

She revealed they talked for the first time at an event for students ahead of a study-abroad program in Shibuya, Tokyo, about five years ago.

Over time, Princess Mako said she learned he is 'a sincere, strong-minded, hard worker, and he has a big heart'.

The couple had a long-distance relationship while studying overseas for a year, with Princess Mako in Britain and Mr Komuro in the US.

Mr Komuro proposed to her after dinner in December 2013.

Princess Mako has since introduced him to her parents, Prince Akishino, second in line to the Chrysanthemum throne, and Princess Kiko, as someone she wished to 'share her future with.'

When Naruhito, who has a daughter but no sons, ascends the throne, his younger brother Akishino will be next in line, followed by Hisahito, Akishino's 10-year-old son. But if Hisahito doesn't have a son there will be a succession crisis. Pictured: Emperor Akihito's family tree

Emperor Akihito (left, with Empress Michiko at the centenary reception of the foundation of the America-Japan Society in Tokyo in April this year) has won plaudits for seizing upon the constitutionally-prescribed role of national symbol

All smiles: Emperor Akihito (pictured with Empress Michiko), 83, could step down the end of December 2018 and be replaced by Crown Prince Naruhito, reports have suggested

Handing over: In August Akihito (pictured with other members of the royal family including Princess mako, right) cited age and declining health when he announced his wish to abdicate

Princess Mako (right), 25, will marry Kei Komuro (left), a fellow university classmate in Tokyo

At a news conference Princess Mako said: 'First I was attracted by his bright smiles like the sun'

The pair smiled during a press conference to announce the engagement at Akasaka East Residence in Tokyo, Japan, today

Japanese Princess Mako was pictured smiling as she left the Imperial Palace after meeting with her grandparents Emperor Akihito and Empress Michiko at the Imperial Palace today

Mr Komuro said he was so thankful and happy to have been accepted by her parents, Prince Akishino and Princess Kiko, and her grandparents, Emperor Akihito and Empress Michiko.

Mr Komuro pledged to have 'a relaxed and peaceful' home together.

'Having a family still goes beyond my imagination, but I hope to make one that is warm, comfortable and filled with smiles,' Princess Mako said.

Details of their wedding have not been decided, and palace officials say the ceremony is expected sometime around autumn next year after a series of rituals, including one that authorises the engagement.

Japanese monarchy: A man's world Female members of the Imperial family have no claim to the Chrysanthemum Throne. As with all women in her family, Princess Mako will lose her royal status upon marriage to a commoner. This law does not apply to male royals. But few of Emperor Akihito's children and grandchildren are male, which means there is a shortage of heirs to the throne. Akihito will be succeeded by his eldest son, Crown Prince Naruhito. When Naruhito, who has a daughter but no sons, ascends the throne, his younger brother Akishino will be next in line, followed by Hisahito, Akishino's 10-year-old son. Pictured: People in Japan watch news of the announcement on a street monitor. The happy news could cause problems for the future of a royal family facing concerns about a declining population to keep their 2,600-year-old bloodline going Akihito's three other grandchildren are all women so after Hisahito, the only person left in the line of succession is Princess Mako's younger brother. After that there are no more eligible males, meaning the centuries-old succession would be broken if the young heirs do not have any sons of their own. So far the monarchy has an unbroken 2,600-year-long line of male succession. Those who are concerned about the future of the royal family want to allow women to succeed the throne and others to keep their royal status so they can keep performing public duties - but a government panel on the emperor's abdication avoided the divisive issue. Traditionalists, including Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, strenuously oppose such changes, even though Japan has occasionally been ruled by female sovereigns in past centuries. Advertisement

The happy news could cause problems for the future of a royal family facing concerns about a declining population to keep their 2,600-year-old bloodline going.

The Japanese government approved 83-year-old Emperor Akihito's abdication from the Chrysanthemum Throne in May in the first such case in two centuries.

While abdications are far from unknown in Japanese history, the last one was in 1817.

The couple had a long-distance relationship while studying overseas for a year, with Princess Mako in Britain and Mr Komuro in the US. He proposed to her after dinner in December 2013

Princess Mako exchanged a smile with fiance Kei Komuro, who loves cooking and skiiing

Princess Mako (left) revealed she and Kei Komuro (right) talked for the first time at an event for students ahead of a study-abroad program in Shibuya, Tokyo, about five years ago

Princess Mako (above) introduced her suitor to her father, Prince Akishino, second in line to the throne, and her mother, Princess Kiko, as someone she wished to 'share her future with'

Emperor Akihito has been treated for prostate cancer and also had heart surgery.

And though he has cut back on some of his duties, he still maintains a busy official schedule, including occasional overseas visits.

Princess Mako's grandfather is expected to step down in late 2018 after Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's cabinet signed the one-off bill, and will be succeeded by his eldest son, Crown Prince Naruhito.
A married father-of-two sending thousands of charity parcels to British servicemen in war zones secretly pestered forces' wives for sex.

Chris Webster, 43, from Derby, sent shoeboxes filled with gifts, toiletries and luxuries to British troops worldwide.

But he used his position as chief executive of Shoeboxes For Our Heroes, run alongside his wife Sherian, to target lonely women.

He asked vulnerable women what underwear they were wearing and demanded 'sex talk' in the early hours.

Some of his 14 victims had contacted his organisation offering help, while he found others on military websites.

Webster had set up the organisation in 2011 and attended events and carnivals dressed in Army uniform

Caroline Lemon, 33, from West Yorkshire, said: 'He targets vulnerable women. In my case I had just broken up with my husband and he knew that too'

His youngest victim, thought to be just 17, was asked about her lingerie while her boyfriend was in the Gulf.

The woman, who was contacted via the WAGS of the Royal Navy support group, told The Sunday Mirror: 'It was a wicked thing to do. I was at college and he asked me to help with his charity.

'He asked for my number and address "for security". Then the smutty chat started. He and a friend would ring at 3am and say they wanted sex talk.

'He would ask what underwear I was wearing and say he was excited. He said he needed someone young to have sex with to keep up with his sex appetite. He was relentless, asking for explicit photos of me naked.'

Caroline Lemon, 33, from West Yorkshire, said: 'He targets vulnerable women. In my case I had just broken up with my husband and he knew that too.

'It started with him asking rude questions about my breasts and if I was on any dating sites. He would ask about my underwear and ask when we were meeting up.

'Then he sent photos of himself and a video. It was totally disgusting. He made my skin crawl.'

Mr Webster has apologised for his actions which he described as being driven 'by a compulsive sexual addiction'

Mr Webster has apologised for his actions which he described as being driven 'by a compulsive sexual addiction'.

He added: 'However none of the ladies were married to men from any deployed or serving forces. I fully accept this was totally inappropriate, morally and ethically wrong, spiritually wrong and I am deeply ashamed of the hurt I caused to these ladies, their husbands, their families and to my own wife and family.'

Webster had set up the organisation in 2011 and attended events and carnivals dressed in Army uniform.

He lied about having been in the forces and suffering PTSD. In reality he failed to complete training as an Army reservist.

Shoeboxes for Heroes was established as a company in October 2015 but that status was dissolved in February this year and, according to Mr Webster, it has been running as an organisation with charitable aims.

Since then, SFOH has continued to run stalls and seek donations.

He was confronted by a former soldier at the Long Eaton carnival where he refused to answer questions about his business activities.

He initially said the accounts for the organisation were 'all online' but later claimed he 'didn't have to publish anything' and that they were instead 'in a folder'.

A spokesman for The Charity Commission said: 'Several concerns have been raised with the commission in regards to the organisation Shoeboxes For Our Heroes, which is not a registered charity with the commission.

'We are currently assessing these concerns to determine what, if any, regulatory action is required.'

The Walter Mitty Hunters Club HQ, who expose bogus war heroes, told MailOnline: 'Chris and Sherian Webster both abused their positions for their own ego. Chris Webster took it further and used the charity as a vehicle to gain confidence of vulnerable women while their husbands were serving overseas. Disturbingly some had lost their loved ones in Iraq and Afghan.

'Despite this Webster would then attempt to send explicit text, pictures and videos of himself out of the blue to these women.'

Shoeboxes for Heroes was established as a company in October 2015 but that status was dissolved in February this year but it continued to run stalls at carnivals and events

In a statement Mr Webster said he was 'deeply sorry' for his conduct.

He said: 'I am ashamed to admit that I did engage in sexual chat, send unsolicited, inappropriate and explicit pictures and videos of myself to a number of ladies, all of whom were above the age of consent.

'I fully accept that my historic conduct in relation to me sending unsolicited sexual messages, 'sexting' and sending explicit pictures of myself to some 14 females over a period of time, (often when they were at low points emotionally and emotionally vulnerable).

'I am truly sorry for the hurt, harm, pain and shame I caused each of these ladies and my own wife who has been impacted by this old conduct.

'My conduct was driven by a compulsive sexual addiction, which I am now receiving treatment for by means of therapy and attending a 12 step group.'

He also insisted he suffered from PTSD but said that came from being brought up in a 'dysfunctional childhood and broken home'.

Regarding wearing military gear he said: 'I accept that I have "dressed up" as a soldier on many occasions and I truly and sincerely intended to harm, disrespect or hurt from my actions.

'I will cease and desist wearing any form of military clothing at future events and wear my SBFOH Polo Shirts and continue with my charity service via SBFOH.'

He added: 'We need to up our game in order to win back trust.'
The last survivor of the First World War kept the horrors his witnessed secret until days before his death, his biographer has revealed.

For almost 90 years, Harry Patch grieved in private after being traumatised from fighting in the Battle of Passcehendaele in the struggle against the Germans for territory.

But before he passed away at aged 111 and as Britain's oldest man, he finally opened up to military author Richard van Emden after the writer won his trust.

The veteran reluctantly told how he had to carry the headless bodies of his friends to clear the trenches in between the relentless fighting.

The last survivor of the First World War kept the horrors his witnessed secret until days before his death, his biographer has revealed

At aged 19, he was called up to serve in the in the 7th Duke of Cornwall's Light Infantry and was conscripted to Belgium.

He went over the top on August 16, 1917 in the Battle of Langemarck - the second Allied general attack of the Third Battle of Ypres, during the First World War.

It lasted two days and was Harry's first experience of fighting at the front.

The conflict resulted in 15,000 casualties but the village, where a memorial to Harry now lies, was successfully taken.

Returning to the spot ten years ago, Harry described having to walk through shellfire, mud, blood and the bodies of his fallen comrades towards the German line.

At aged 19, he was called up to serve in the in the 7th Duke of Cornwall's Light Infantry and was conscripted to Belgium

He said at the time: 'It was hellish. Just one long nightmare from the thunder of the guns as the battle began to the sound of the wounded crying out.

'You could do nothing to help them. You just had to go forward through all that mud and blood. It was absolutely sickening.'

But Harry told Mr van Emden he knew what to expect before he was sent to Belgium after a grave warning from his brother.

William Patch, who was wounded a year before Harry was enlisted, told him: 'Don't go until you are called up. You are in for absolute hell. It's as bad as it gets.'

Harry became one of the half a million casualties of Passchendaele but survived a blast that killed three of his best friends.

On his last trip back to the fields of Flanders, he said: 'This was all mud, mud and more mud, mixed together with blood. We fought for a few yards of this soil  and that cost the lives of most of my comrades. There was no excuse for such slaughter for so little gain.'

The conflict resulted in 15,000 casualties but the village, where a memorial to Harry now lies, was successfully taken

Mr van Emden said Harry was left so traumatised he still had nightmares and was chose not to speak in great detail about what he had seen.

But in one of their last conversations Mr Emden said he finally opened up.

Speaking to the Mirror, the writer said: 'Harry was so affected by what he witnessed that he did not speak of his wartime experiences for most of his life.

'The memories were just too vivid. Only in his final days did he tell me of the cause of his worst nightmares  clearing the headless corpses in the trenches.'

'He became utterly morose and unexpectedly asked me, "Have you ever had to handle a man who didn't have a head?".

More than 1,000 people from around the world including military dignitaries attended his funeral

Harry explained in the aftermath of the military action at Langemarck, near Ypres, 100 years ago, he was tasked with clearing the trenches he and his comrades had captured. They were full of mangled bodies.

The author said: 'Telling me that for the first time, he had become so morose and had gone into such a dark place, that I did not press him further.

The best-selling author of The Last Fighting Tommy and newly-published The Road to Passchendaele has revealed the last poignant conversations he had with Harry.

THE BATTLE OF PASSCHENAELE Known as the Third Battle of Ypres, Passchendaele, along with the Somme, has come to symbolise the Great War. The Allied assault was launched in the early hours of 31 July 1917. Because of the torrential rain, the British and Canadian troops found themselves fighting not only the Germans but a quagmire of stinking mud that swallowed up men, horses and tanks. After three months, one week and three days of brutal trench warfare, the Allies finally recaptured the village of Passchendaele  but by then around a third of a million British and Allied soldiers had been killed or wounded in some of the most horrific trench warfare of the conflict. Advertisement

He said: 'What he told me, too late for me to record in his biography, showed him to me as even more of a hero, albeit a modest and reluctant one.

'For, unlike most of the enthusiastic young men who fought in World War One, Harry went to fight knowing clearly what lay ahead on the killing grounds of the Western Front.'

The writer said Harry would often question the 'war to end all wars' and said before his death: 'It wasn't worth it. No war is worth it. No war is worth the loss of a couple of lives let alone thousands.'

After being flown back to the UK injured, he became a plumber and settled in his home county of Somerset. He was widowed twice and outlived his two sons.

He eventually became the last British survivor of the First World War trenches and came to represent a generation of men who fought in the conflict.

Harry became well-known and loved by celebrities, royalty and politicians but died alone at a care home in Wells, Somerset in 2009.

More than 1,000 people from around the world including military dignitaries attended his funeral.

Speaking at the time, the then-Prime Minister Gordon Brown said his death marked the passing of the 'noblest of all the generations'.
Around a third of Texas' 41 highly toxic waste dumping sites are now flooded - sparking fears that dangerous toxins could leach into floodwaters.

Long a center of the nation's petrochemical industry, the Houston metro area has more than a dozen Superfund sites, designated by the Environmental Protection Agency as being among America's most intensely contaminated places. Many are now flooded, with the risk that waters were stirring dangerous sediment.

Some such sites have been found to contain dioxins and other long-lasting toxins linked to birth defects and cancer.

The Highlands Acid Pit site was filled in the 1950s with toxic sludge and sulfuric acid from oil and gas operations. Though 22,000 cubic yards of hazardous waste and soil were excavated from the acid pits in the 1980s, the site is still considered a potential threat to groundwater, and the EPA maintains monitoring wells there.

Toxic waste dumping sites in Texas are flooded sparking fears dangerous chemicals could leach into floodwaters as the EPA admits it hasn't yet been to inspect them. Pictured is the flooded Highlands Acid Pit on Thursday

The 3.3-acre Superfund site (pictured) barely peeked above the churning flood water from the nearby San Jacinto River on Thursday

The Highlands Acid Pit site (pictured before the floods) was filled in the 1950s with toxic sludge and sulfuric acid from oil and gas operations

When he was growing up in Highlands, Dwight Chandler, now 62, said he and his friends used to swim in the by-then abandoned pit.

'My daddy talks about having bird dogs down there to run and the acid would eat the pads off their feet,' he recounted on Thursday. 'We didn't know any better.'

He's worried that Harvey's floodwaters may have washed in pollution from the old acid pit just a couple blocks away.

The Associated Press surveyed seven Superfund sites in and around Houston during the flooding. All had been inundated with water, in some cases many feet deep.

On Saturday, hours after the AP published its first report, the EPA said it had reviewed aerial imagery confirming that 13 of the 41 Superfund sites in Texas were flooded by Harvey and were 'experiencing possible damage' due to the storm.

The statement confirmed the AP's reporting that the EPA had not yet been able to physically visit the Houston-area sites, saying the sites had 'not been accessible by response personnel.' EPA staff had checked on two Superfund sites in Corpus Christi on Thursday and found no significant damage.

This Saturday photo shows the heavily polluted Patrick Bayou in the Houston Ship Channel that was flooded during Tropical Storm Harvey in Houston. The bayou, which sits next to a chemical plant in an intensely industrial area of Houston, is polluted with pesticides, hydrocarbons, metals and polychlorinated biphenyls

Dwight Chandler walks through his devastated home in Highlands, Texas on Thursday

Chandler, 62, (pictured) said he worried whether Harvey's floodwaters had also washed in pollution from the old acid pits that were designated as a U.S. EPA Superfund site just a couple blocks from his home

AP journalists used a boat to document the condition of one flooded Houston-area Superfund site, but accessed others with a vehicle or on foot. The EPA did not immediately respond to questions about why its personnel had not yet been able to do so.

'Teams are in place to investigate possible damage to these sites as soon flood waters recede, and personnel are able to safely access the sites,' the EPA statement said.

Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner, speaking with reporters at a news conference on Saturday after the AP report was published, said he wants the EPA 'in town to address the situation.'

Turner said he didn't know about the potential environmental concerns soon enough to discuss them with President Donald Trump.

'Now we're turning out attention to that,' he said. 'It is always a concern. The environment is very concerning, and we'll get right on top of it.'

At the Highlands Acid Pit on Thursday, the Keep Out sign on the barbed-wire fence encircling the 3.3-acre site barely peeked above the churning water from the nearby San Jacinto River.

The president was particularly taken with the children taking shelter at the evacuation center, paying special attention to them as he made his way around

President Trump and Melania returned to the Lone Star State on Saturday, visiting with some of the thousands who were left homeless by the storm. The pair handed out food to a line of evacuees and took pictures with some fans who had lined up

President Trump posted on Twitter about his trip to Texas on Saturday. Trump shared a video, writing: 'Together, we will prevail in the GREAT state of Texas. We love you! GOD BLESS TEXAS & GOD BLESS THE USA'

A fishing bobber was caught in the chain link, and the air smelled bitter. A rusted incinerator sat just behind the fence, poking out of the murky soup.

Across the road at what appeared to be a more recently operational plant, a pair of tall white tanks had tipped over into a heap of twisted steel. It was not immediately clear what, if anything, might have been inside them when the storm hit.

EPA Administrator Scott Pruitt has called cleaning up Superfund sites a top priority, even as he has taken steps to roll back or delay rules aimed at preventing air and water pollution. Trump's proposed 2018 budget seeks to cut money for the Superfund program by 30 percent, though congressional Republicans are likely to approve a less severe reduction.

Like Trump, Pruitt has expressed skepticism about the predictions of climate scientists that warmer air and seas will produce stronger, more drenching storms.

Under the Obama administration, the EPA conducted a nationwide assessment of the increased threat to Superfund sites posed by climate change, including rising sea levels and stronger hurricanes. Of the more than 1,600 sites reviewed as part of the 2012 study, 521 were determined to be in 1-in-100 year and 1-in-500 year flood zones. Nearly 50 sites in coastal areas could also be vulnerable to rising sea levels.

Toxic waste dumping sites in Texas are flooded sparking fears dangerous chemicals could leach into floodwaters. Pictured: Residents hang out in front of homes which are surrounded by floodwater in Orange, Texas

A man standing in the doorway of his flooded home responds to an evacuation offer in a neighborhood inundated by floodwaters from Tropical Storm Harvey last Monday

The threats to human health and wildlife from rising waters that inundate Superfund sites vary widely depending on the specific contaminants and the concentrations involved. The EPA report specifically noted the risk that floodwaters might carry away and spread toxic materials over a wider area.

The report listed two dozen Superfund sites determined to be especially vulnerable to flooding and sea-level rise. The only one in Texas, the Bailey Waste Disposal site south of Beaumont, is on a marshy island along the Neches River. The National Weather Service said the Neches was expected to crest on Saturday at more than 21 feet above flood stage - 8 feet higher than the prior record.

In Crosby, across the San Jacinto River from Houston, a small working-class neighborhood sits between two Superfund sites, French LTD and the Sikes Disposal Pits.

The area was wrecked by Harvey's floods. Only a single house from among the roughly dozen lining Hickory Lane was still standing.

After the water receded on Friday, a sinkhole the size of a swimming pool had opened up and swallowed two cars. The acrid smell of creosote filled the air.

Paul England, Jr. helps Michael Brown, not pictured, move bedroom furniture floating in his flooded home, in the aftermath of Tropical Storm Harvey, in Port Arthur, Texas on Saturday

Aerial photo taken on Friday shows flooded houses after Hurricane Harvey attacked Houston, Texas, the United States.Hurricane Harvey aftermath, Houston, Texas

Rafael Casas' family had owned a house there for two decades, adjacent to the French LTD site. He said he was never told about the pollution risk until it came up in an informal conversation with a police officer who grew up nearby. Most of the homes had groundwater wells, but Casas said his family had switched to bottled water.

'You never know what happens with the pollution under the ground,' said Casas, 32. 'It filters into the water system.'

The water had receded by Saturday at Brio Refining Inc. and Dixie Oil Processors, a pair of neighboring Superfund sites about 20 miles southeast of downtown Houston in Friendswood. The road was coated in a layer of silt. Mud Gully Stream, which bisects the two sites, was full and flowing with muddy water.

Both sites were capped with a liner and soil as part of EPA-supervised cleanup efforts aimed at preventing the contamination from spreading off the low-lying sites during floods. Parts of the Brio site were elevated by 8 feet.

John Danna, the manager hired by the companies to oversee the sites, said in a phone interview that he went there after the storm and saw no signs of erosion. He said he didn't know how high the flooding got in Harvey's wake and that no testing of the water still draining from the area had been conducted. EPA staff are expected to visit in the next week, he said.

A security guard at the Patrick Bayou Superfund site, just off the Houston Ship Channel in Deer Park, said Saturday that flooding came hundreds of feet inland during the storm. The water has since receded back into the bayou, where past testing has shown the sediments contain pesticides, toxic heavy metals and PCBs. The site, surrounded by active petrochemical facilities, is still awaiting a final plan for cleanup.

The San Jacinto River Waste Pits Superfund site was completely covered with floodwaters when an AP reporter saw it Thursday. According to its website, the EPA was set to make a final decision this year about a proposed $97 million cleanup effort to remove toxic waste from a paper mill that operated there in the 1960s.

The aftermath of Hurricane Harvey in Dickinson, Texas, on Saturday where residents are now going through the painstaking and devastating chore of tossing out their ruined belongings

The flow from the raging river washing over the toxic site was so intense it damaged an adjacent section of the Interstate 10 bridge, which has been closed to traffic due to concerns it might collapse.

There was no way to immediately assess how much contaminated soil from the site might have been washed away. According to an EPA survey from last year, soil from the former waste pits contains dioxins and other long-lasting toxins linked to birth defects and cancer.

The EPA said Saturday the San Jacinto Waste Pits site is covered by a temporary 'armored cap,' a fabric covering anchored with rocks designed to prevent contaminated sediment from migrating down river.

McGinnes Industrial Maintenance Corp., one of the contractors working at the project, said in a statement Saturday that its workers reported that 'visible portions of the cap indicated the waste beneath remained in place following the storm.' The company did not respond to questions about how much of the 34-acre site was above water at the time.

According to an EPA review last year, the cap has required extensive repairs on at least six occasions since it was installed in 2011, with large sections becoming displaced or going missing.

The EPA said its personnel planned to go to the site by boat on Monday.

Kara Cook-Schultz, who studies Superfund sites for the advocacy group TexPIRG, said environmentalists have warned for years about the potential for flooding to inundate Texas Superfund sites, particularly the San Jacinto Waste Pits.

'If floodwaters have spread the chemicals in the waste pits, then dangerous chemicals like dioxin could be spread around the wider Houston area,' Cook-Schultz said. 'Superfund sites are known to be the most dangerous places in the country, and they should have been properly protected against flooding.'
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US Secretary of Defense James Mattis has raised the threat of the 'total annihilation' of North Korea in the aftermath of an early morning hydrogen bomb test by North Korea.

In a terse statement outside the White House on Sunday afternoon, Mattis said that Trump had been briefed on each of the 'many military options' available during a meeting with national security heads.

'We made it clear that we have the ability to defend ourselves and our allies, South Korea and Japan, from any attack and that our agreements with our allies are iron-clad,' he said.

'Any threat to the United States or its territories including Guam, or our allies, will be met with a massive military response, a response both effective and overwhelming.'

He urged Kim Jong-Un to 'take heed' of the UN Security Council's 'unified' objection to the test of the 100-kiloton bomb test, which caused a 6.3-magnitude earthquake.

'We are not looking to the total annihilation of a country - namely North Korea,' Mattis concluded, 'but as I said, we have many options to do so.'

He, and Gen. Joseph Dunford, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, who had been present but silent throughout, then left without answering any questions. President Trump was not seen during the announcement.

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Kim Jong-un was pictured inspecting the peanut-shaped device  the design and scale of which indicated it had a powerful thermonuclear warhead. State media said it was a bomb intended for an intercontinental ballistic missile

US Secretary of Defense James Mattis appeared outside the White House on Sunday to promise North Korea that the US had the ability to 'totally annihilate' the nuke-testing country. Also present was Gen. Joseph Dunford (right in left), chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff

Donald Trump remained tight-lipped on whether the US would attack North Korea in response to its nuclear test Sunday morning, but said economic sanctions were possible

On Saturday night EST, North Korea released this photo showing Kim Jong-Un and what appeared to be a nuclear warhead. Soon after, it detonated a 100kt bomb underground

As Mattis and Dunford walked away, the press shouted a series of questions that they declined to answer.

They included 'Secretary Mattis, do you believe they've got a nuclear warhead that could go on a missile?' 'Mr. Secretary, is war inevitable?' and 'Is the president going to war, Secretary Mattis?'

South Korea launched a ballistic missile exercise late Sunday, state news agency Yonhap reported.

The South's military conducted a live-fire exercise simulating an attack on the North's nuclear site, hitting 'designated targets in the East Sea', the report added, quoting the Joint Chiefs of Staff.

JAMES MATTIS' STATEMENT IN FULL 'Good afternoon ladies and gentlemen. 'We had a small-group national security meeting today with the president and the vice-president about the latest provocation on the Korean peninsula. 'We have many military options and the president wanted to be briefed on each one of them. 'We made clear that we have the ability to defend ourselves and our allies, South Korea and Japan, from any attack and our commitments among the allies are iron-clad. 'Any threat to the United States or its territories including Guam, or our allies, will be met with a massive military response, a response both effective and overwhelming. 'Kim Jong-un should take heed of the United Nations security council's unified voice, all members unanimously agreed on the threat North Korea poses, and they remain unanimous in their commitment to the de-nuclearization of the Korean peninsula. 'Because we are not looking to the total annihilation of a country, namely North Korea, but as I said we have many options to do so. 'Thank you very much, ladies and gentlemen.' Advertisement

'The training came in response to the North's sixth nuclear test... and involved the country's Hyunmoo ballistic missile and the F-15K fighter jets,' it said.

The South's military said the range to the simulated targets were equivalent to the North's Punggye-ri nuclear test site in its northeastern province.

It's unclear why Donald Trump was not present for the announcement, but the US's military leaders may have been chosen to make the calmly-worded warning to add extra gravitas.

Trump had already made threats via Twitter earlier in the day that 'appeasement with North Korea won't work' and that 'They only understand one thing!'

On Sunday morning, as he left church hours after the tweets, the president remained tight-lipped when asked if he might order a preemptive strike.

When asked by the press, he responded: 'We'll see.'

However, after Mattis' remarks it would appear that the US is only willing to act in retaliation to 'threats' - although it's ambiguous as to whether that would include verbal threats or only outright attacks.

Those remarks would appear to put the US more or less in accord with what appeared to be China's own policy last month.

On August 11, state newspaper The Global Times warned that if the US ignited conflict in the area, China would come to the defense of North Korea, its nominal - but disliked - ally.

However, it said, if North Korea was the one to instigate military action then China would not become involved.

According to the editorial 'if North Korea launches missiles that threaten US soil first and the US retaliates, China will stay neutral.

'If the US and South Korea carry out strikes and try to overthrow the North Korean regime and change the political pattern of the Korean Peninsula, China will prevent them from doing so.'

Although The Global Times is not officially a mouthpiece for the government, experts said that the remarks were likely in line with official government policy.

That would appear to put the ball in Kim's court.

While Beijing has no love for the Kim regime it fears losing the country as a bulwark against US ally South Korea. Reunification would likely mean North Korea falling under the control of Seoul - and by extension America.

More immediately, it is concerned about the risk of a flood of refugees across North Korea's northern border, which is larger and more porous than the border with South Korea.

However, China might not get off lightly if Trump gets his way.



When asked outside church whether an attack was possible, the president (pictured left, with the First Lady, and right with a cleric) only said, 'We'll see'

North Korean television today released these photos appearing to show Kim Jong-Un signing the order to carry out the test

Shortly shortly after leaving church and before Mattis' comments, Trump said that the US was 'considering... stopping all trade with any country doing business with North Korea'

In a tweet after leaving church but before Mattis' comments, Trump wrote 'The United States is considering, in addition to other options, stopping all trade with any country doing business with North Korea.'

That was likely a veiled threat to China, which provides 85 per cent of North Korea's imports, and buys 83 per cent of its exports.

NORTH KOREA'S TOP TRADE PARTNERS EXPORTS (total $2.83 billion) China (83%, $2.34b) India (3.5%, $97.8m) Pakistan (1.5%, $43.1m) Burkina Faso (1.2%, $32.8m) Other Asia (0.94%, $26.7m) Saudi Arabia (0.89%, $25.3m) Chile (0.81%, 22.9m) Paraguay (0.58%, $16.5m) Brazil (0.54%, $15.54m) Turkey (0.53%, $13.6m) IMPORTS (total $3.47 billion) China (85%, $2.95b) India (3.1%, 109m) Thailand (2.1%, $73.8m) Russia (2.3%, $78.2m) Mexico (1.3%, $45.7m) Philippines (1.5%, $53.2m) Ukraine (0.97%, $33.7m) Singapore (0.81%, $28.2m) Germany (0.21%, $7.4m) Saudi Arabia (0.19%, $6.68m) (Source: OEC, data from 2015) Advertisement

But US-China trade totaled more than $600 billion last year, and such a plan may be unworkable.

Trump's proposed sanctions against anyone dealing with North Korea would hit many countries hard - particularly China, which accounts for 83 per cent of North Korean exports and 85 per cent of imports, according to the Office of Economic Complexity.

It's entirely possible that Trump's remarks were made to pressure the country - North Korea's only ally - into renewing efforts to rein Kim in.

But refusing to do business with China would in turn cause huge damage to US companies that have invested in, or sell products to, in the country.

The most prominent of those, of course, is Apple, which manufactures its electronics in China. It has also invested heavily in tech there, including pumping $1 billion into ride-share app Didi Chuxing last year.

But a string of other American businesses have huge investments in the country, including Walmart, KFC and McDonald's - all of which are popular there.

General Motors, Nike, Boeing and Coca-Cola also make huge profits from the country.

In 2016, trade with China - America's largest good trading partner - totaled an estimated $648.2 billion, according to the Office of the United States Trade Representative.

Of that figure imports were $478.9 billion and exports totaled $169.3 billion.

Even discounting the China factor, a string of US allies do trade with North Korea, including the UK, Germany and France - as well as America itself. US products made up 1.6 per cent of all imports to North Korea in 2016.

Speaking to Fox News Sunday, Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin said he was putting together a package to cut off the US's ties with North Korea.

North Korea responded to Trump's early-morning tweets by saying that the US 'would not be able to escape from the greatest disaster'. It said that was a 'severe warning'

'I will submit new sanctions for his strong consideration,' he said. 'There's much more we can do economically.'

RADIATION WORRIES Japan has deployed radiation-detecting planes in the wake of the North Korean detonation. But if the hermit state is correct, they won't find anything, as the 100kt nuke was detonated deep underground. That would also make it hard to tell if it is a regular nuke or the purported hydrogen bomb. Japan's Nuclear Regulation Authority said no abnormal change in radiation levels had been detected on monitoring posts across the country as of Sunday night, local time. China's National Nuclear Safety Administration says it activated nuclear-radiation-related plans shortly after the test was conducted. It said nearby radiation monitoring stations were operating normally. Advertisement

He added that he had spoken with Trump and that he would 'draft a sanctions bill and send it to the president. We will work with our allies. We will work with China. But people need to cut off North Korea economically.'

Trump's remarks about economic action came after a string of tweets at around 7:45am Sunday, when he wrote: 'North Korea has conducted a major Nuclear Test.

'Their words and actions continue to be very hostile and dangerous to the United States.

'North Korea is a rogue nation which has become a great threat and embarrassment to China, which is trying to help but with little success.

'South Korea is finding, as I have told them, that their talk of appeasement with North Korea will not work, they only understand one thing!'

North Korea responded less than an hour later by threatening the US with dire consequences.

'If the US imperialists awkwardly provoke the DPRK, they would not be able to escape from the greatest disaster,' the state's Korean Central News Agency said.

It added: 'Do not forget even a moment that sharp ultra-modern strike means aim at the US This is a severe warning of Songun Korea' - 'Songun' being the term used to describe the country's 'military-first' policy.

US and South Korean officials have agreed to make a military response to the detonation of the bomb - which occurred shortly after midnight EST on Sunday - 'as soon as possible,' according to South Korea.

Early Sunday morning, following the test of the hydrogen bomb, Trump made a string of fiery tweets in which he called the county 'hostile and dangerous'

He said that the country had been an 'embarrassment' to China, whom he has long tried to encourage to intervene on America's behalf

The president concluded with a worrying warning that 'appeasement with North Korea will not work' and that the North Korean government 'only understand one thing'

Kim Jong-Un (left) appears to sign the order (right) asking his scientist to proceed with the test in images released by North Korean TV

After the announcement, Texas Senator Ted Cruz said that he didn't necessarily approve of Trump's remarks, but that he was grateful for the appearance of a 'strong' US president.

TRUMP PLANS TO END SOUTH KOREAN TRADE AGREEMENT Despite the pressure faced by South Korea, Trump may end a trade deal with the longtime US ally. On Saturday he said he would discuss the US-Korea Free Trade Agreement (KORUS), created by Obama. The deal runs a deficit of almost $28b for the US, but Defense Secretary Jim Mattis, National Security Adviser HR McMaster, and National Economic Council Director Gary Cohn all oppose ending it. They agree it would have devastating economic results for the US. The US Chamber of Commerce also said it objected to the proposed departure in a memo similar to the one sent out as Trump considered scrapping NAFTA. It urged member companies to have senior executives call the White House and other administration officials to tell them not to proceed, and to enlist Republican governors in the effort. 'This is an all hands on deck effort,' the group said in a memo. Advertisement

'The president speaks in ways that I wouldn't speak, but that is his prerogative,' the Republican figure told ABC News' This Week.

'I do think it helps for North Korea and for China to understand that we have a president who is strong.

'I think the president is right that Kim Jong-Un and other bullies only understand and respect strength, that weakness, that appeasement, encourages this action.

'In term of what happens, listen, no rational person wants to see a military conflict with North Korea, with the nuclear weapons, there almost any scenario, you're looking at tens or thousands or hundreds of thousands of casualties in a matter of days.'

Others were more critical of the tweets, such as ex-State Department nonproliferation expert, who told the New York Times he didn't like Trump's implication that South Korea had been appeasing Kim.

'Moon has actually been very supportive of the US approach of maximum pressure and engagement,' he said.

'Nothing he's done so far smacks of appeasement.'

Ely Ratner, a top national security official in the Obama administration, complained that Trump had slammed South Korea even after the country underwent economic sanctions by China for hosting a US-run missile defense system.

'In a circumstance where we're going to need close cooperation with not only South Korea but China as well, he's coming out swinging at all of them rather than trying to build support and coordination,' he said. 'It just looks so haphazard.'

In an early-morning phone call on Sunday, Gen. Joseph Dunford, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, promised the support and co-operation to his South Korean counterpart. Gen. Jeong Kyeong-doo, Yonhap reported.

Jeong's office said that the pair had 'agreed to discuss all military measures against the North'.

The South Korean army took part in military exercises (pictured) in Paju on Sunday in the wake of the test. The country says it and the US will take military action 'as soon as possible'

In Japan (left), pedestrians were seen horrified at the news on a public display, while (right) North Koreans reacted with joy to the announcement

It also said that Gen. Vincent K. Brooks, commander of the U.S. Forces Korea and the allies' Combined Forces Command, agreed shortly after the detonation to take action 'as soon as possible'.

NORTH KOREA'S NUCLEAR TESTS October 9, 2006: 0.7-2 kilotons May 25, 2009: 2-5.4 kilotons February 12, 2013: 6-16 kilotons January 6, 2016: 7-10 kilotons September 9, 2016: 15-25 kilotons September 3, 2017: 100 kilotons Advertisement

In a press release, the South Korean Joint Chiefs of Staff's press office warned that the US and South Korea would 'show their powerful response through action,' although there has been no confirmation of what that action might entail.

Xinhua, China's news agency, reported that the country's president, Xi Jinping, and Russian leader Vladimir Putin had both agreed to deal 'appropriately with the latest nuclear test'.

'The two leaders agreed to stick to the goal of denuclearization on the Korean Peninsula and keep close communication and coordination to deal with the new situation,' it said.

Both countries lie directly on the northern border of North Korea, and would be at risk of receiving a flood of refugees in the event of war.

Putin is currently in Beijing as part of a summit for the BRICS countries - Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa - that starts Monday.

Putin has also spoken to Japanese leader Shinzo Abe and urged restraint after the tests, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told journalists Sunday.

He said Putin 'said the international community could not give in to emotions, should act calmly and deliberately, and stressed that the complex settlement of the nuclear and other problems of the Korean Peninsula can be achieved exclusively through political and diplomatic means.'

South Korea and the US are now planning 'military action' to be taken against North Korea 'as soon as possible,' according to the Joint Chiefs of Staff

China says its premier, Xi Jinping, and Vladimir Putin (both seen at a summit in Beijing, Sunday) will deal 'appropriately' with the threat. Both countries share borders with North Korea

International condemnation to the tests was widespread.

UK prime minister Theresa May released a statement saying: 'This latest action by North Korea is reckless and poses an unacceptable further threat to the international community.

WHAT MAKES A HYDROGEN BOMB DIFFERENT FROM A REGULAR NUKE? North Korea claimed on Sunday to have successfully tested an H-bomb. Thermonuclear weapons, also known as hydrogen bombs, are more advanced and powerful types of atomic weapons. The earliest atom bombs, including those dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki, were fission bombs that relied upon splitting atoms. H-bombs are two-stage weapons, which use an initial fission reaction to trigger a fusion reaction, where light nuclei of atoms fuse together. Fusion is the same nuclear process that powers the sun. The US first tested a hydrogen bomb in 1952, with a 1000 kiloton yield. H-bombs have never been used in war. Experts believe the latest North Korean device exploded with a 100 kiloton yield, which could be within the yield range of either traditional atomic or thermonuclear weapons. Advertisement

'I discussed the serious and grave threat these dangerous and illegal actions present with President Abe in Japan this week and reiterate the call we jointly made for tougher action, including increasing the pace of implementation of existing sanctions and looking urgently in the UN Security Council at new measures.

'This is now even more pressing. The international community has universally condemned this test and must come together to continue to increase the pressure on North Korea's leaders to stop their destabilising actions.'

UK foreign secretary Boris Johnson condemned the 'reckless' nuclear weapon test and stressed that 'all options are on the table' when pressed on military action.

But he warned: 'The distance between North Korea and Seoul is very very small - they could basically vaporize large parts of the South Korean population even with conventional weapons.'

Also condemning the hermit state's actions was Donald Tusk, the president of the European Commission.

He called on the UN Security Council 'to adopt further UN sanctions and show stronger resolve to achieve a peaceful denuclearization of the Korean peninsula,' adding, 'The stakes are getting too high.'

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres called the actions 'profoundly destabilizing for regional security' and demanded North Korea cease its tests.

UN spokesman Stephane Dujarric added: 'This act is yet another serious breach of the DPRK's international obligations and undermines international non-proliferation and disarmament efforts.'

Turkey also called the test 'irresponsible and provocative'.

North Korea's hydrogen bomb - which is powerful enough to destroy a city - sparked a powerful 6.3 magnitude earthquake amid an 'escalating' nuclear crisis when it was detonated on Sunday.

The terrifying tremor was detected in the northeast of the country where the Punggye-ri test site is located - but was so strong that it shook buildings in China and Russia.

But the raw power of the bomb - which has a 100 kiloton yield, around five times bigger than that dropped on Nagasaki - isn't the only threat it presents to the US.

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres (pictured) called North Korea's tests actions 'profoundly destabilizing for regional security'

For the first time, North Korea specifically mentioned the possibility of an EMP, or electro-magnetic pulse, attack on the US following Sunday's test.

North Korea's state news agency warned that the weapon 'is a multifunctional thermonuclear nuke with great destructive power which can be detonated even at high altitudes for super-powerful EMP attack.'

WHAT IS A NUCLEAR EMP? North Korea has specifically threatened an EMP attack on the US for the first time. Nuclear blasts generate high-intensity radio waves that can disrupt electronics. These EMP blasts travel along line-of-sight, which means the effects extend only to the visual horizon. A powerful enough blast at an altitude of 249 miles could impact most of the continental US. North Korea has already demonstrated its ability to reach this altitude with two satellite launches, in 2012 and 2016, which some experts believe were secret tests of an EMP launch trajectory. Advertisement

An EMP is a burst of high-intensity radio waves emitted from nuclear explosions in the upper atmosphere that scrambles electronics, much like a sudden power surge can overload a power outlet.

But an EMP is far, far worse; a nuclear bomb detonated high in the atmosphere could knock out the power grid across a swathe of the continental US - or even all of it.

That would leave hospitals without power, civilian and government agencies unable to coordinate, and the fabric of society unraveling fast.

'I think this is the principal, the most important and dangerous, threat to the United States,' James Woolsey, former chief of the Central Intelligence Agency from 1993 to 1995, told the San Diego Union-Tribune in March.

'If you look at the electric grid and what it's susceptible to, we would be moving into a world with no food delivery, no water purification, no banking, no telecommunications, no medicine. All of these things depend on electricity in one way or another.'

The higher the bomb is detonated, the wider the EMP's range off effect; a bomb detonated 19 miles above the center of the country would affect all of Kansas and Nebraska, almost all of South Dakota, and substantial chunks of surrounding states.

Theoretically, a sufficiently powerful bomb detonated at an altitude of 249 miles would wipe out all electronics in the US, save the southernmost top of Florida and the easternmost states - as well as affecting Canada and Mexico.

North Korea has already demonstrated its ability to reach this altitude with two satellite launches, in 2012 and 2016, which some experts believe were secret tests of an EMP launch trajectory.

The detonation was announced by news anchor Ri Chun-hee (pictured Sunday), who has been making proclamations on Korean Central Television for more than 40 years

The reason for testing the weapon this weekend was not immediately clear, leading to speculation about the motives for the timing.

WHY ANOTHER TEST NOW? The timing of this latest detonation is the subject of intense speculation. North Korea usually times its shows of force for public holidays, and indeed the last test came on September 9, last years for its Day of the Foundation of the Republic. Similarly, detonating the nuke a week earlier may be an attempt to disrupt the US's Labor Day weekend holiday. It may also be an attempt to disrupt the BRICS summit being held in Beijing by Chinese premier Xi Jinping on Monday and Tuesday, as an attempt to prove that North Korea is not under its ally's thumb. It could also be a sign that Kim Jong-Un, either threatened or emboldened by Trump, is in a hurry to get the nuclear deterrent his country is after. But tensions on the Korean Peninsula rise every year in the spring and late summer, when the US and South Korea hold annual military exercises. North Korea has said it is, at least in part, responding to the exercises, which ended last week. It is also protesting newly approved UN sanctions and the launch of bombers from Guam into South Korean air. Advertisement

North Korea usually times its detonations for its national holidays, and so many would have expected a detonation on September 9 - which is North Korea's Day of the Foundation of the Republic. The last nuclear test occurred that day.

Instead, it came during the Labor Day weekend - likely a direct attempt to spite the US, Foreign Policy suggested.

Others have speculated that detonating the bomb now is intended to thumb a nose at Xi, disrupting preparations for Beijing's upcoming BRICS summit in an effort to prove that North Korea isn't under China's control.

Earlier on Sunday, North Korean state television claimed the country's sixth nuclear test - 10 times more powerful than its fifth - was a 'perfect success' and could pave the way for a frightening new range of missiles loaded with hydrogen bombs.

It added that the underground test - which was directly ordered by leader Kim Jong-un - was a 'meaningful' step in completing the country's nuclear weapons program.

The worrying development comes amid heightened tensions following Pyongyang's test-launch of two missiles in July that potentially could hit major mainland US cities.

The regime frequently flaunts its intercontinental ballistic missile technology and has repeatedly tested hydrogen bombs - but has so far been unable to combine the two into a lethal weapon.

However, Kim claims the latest explosive - which seismologists calculated to be eight times as damaging as the Hiroshima nuclear bomb dropped by the US in World War II - could be packed into a warhead and fired towards US territory.

The sudden escalation comes after months of posturing from North Korea and America, with a war of words between the two countries spiraling into a series of escalating weapons tests by Pyongyang.

It has seen Kim flaunting his military might with increasingly powerful missiles in a bid to scare off his enemies.

Overhead pictures of Punggye-ri nuclear test site from August 17, published by 38 North. The detonation occurred close to this location, and vibrations were felt in China and Russia

Yonhap, South Korea's official news agency, reports the quake struck where North Korea's nuclear test site Punggye-ri is located

Simultaneously, he has branded world leaders 'puppets' and bragged that attempts to locate his missiles were a 'silly dream'.

Meanwhile Donald Trump had promised 'fire and fury like the world has never seen' if North Korea continued to test missiles.

The latest blast has sparked an international backlash, with South Korea pledging to 'completely' isolate North Korea and deploy the most powerful US tactical weapons.

US National Security Adviser HR McMaster spoke to his South Korean counterpart in an emergency phone call following the test, which was seen as a direct challenge to Trump.

Just hours earlier, Trump had talked to Japanese prime minister Shinzo Abe about the nuclear crisis in the region.

Abe later slammed the test as 'absolutely unacceptable'.

He added: 'North Korea's nuclear and missile development programme is a threat that is more grave and urgent to the safety of our country and has entered a new stage.

'It is significantly hurting regional and international peace and stability.'

China added that it 'resolutely opposes' and 'strongly condemns' the test while urging the rogue state to 'stop taking wrong actions'.

South Korean general Cho Han-kyu, chief of the Joint Chiefs of Staff's operation office, condemns the test. The country has warned that military action would happen soon

Photos released Sunday show the country's leader Kim Jong-un inspecting the hydrogen device that it promised would be loaded on a new intercontinental ballistic missile

Meanwhile Russia urged calm and warned Pyongyang to 'refrain from any actions that lead to a further escalation of tension'.

Photographs released Saturday night appeared to show Kim signing the order to carry out the test blast, which seismologists calculate was eight times as damaging as the nuclear bomb dropped on Hiroshima by the US in World War II.

The shock news was delivered on state television by veteran anchor Ri Chun-hee - who has become the face of North Korean media after delivering major propaganda announcements from the rogue state for the past 40 years.

A statement from the country read: 'Scientists in the nuclear field of the DPRK [Democratic People's Republic of Korea] successfully carried out a test of H-bomb for ICBM [intercontinental ballistic missile] in the northern nuclear test ground of the DPRK at 12:00 on September 2, true to the Workers' Party of Korea's plan for building a strategic nuclear force.'

Just hours earlier, the country claimed it had developed a more advanced nuclear weapon with 'great destructive power'.

South Korea's Joint Chiefs of Staff in Seoul said it had detected a seismic wave from 12.34pm to 12.36pm on Sunday around Punggye-ri.

The hydrogen bomb's power is adjustable and can be detonated at high altitudes, North Korea said (Kim pictured in photos released Sunday)

The country's weather agency and the Joint Chiefs of Staff said an artificial 5.7 magnitude quake occurred at 12.29pm local time, in Kilju, northern Hamgyong province, the site where North Korea has conducted nuclear tests in the past.

Seoul officials revised their earlier estimate of 5.6 magnitude quake. The U.S. Geological Survey called the first quake an explosion with a magnitude of 6.3.

South Korea's presidential office also said it would hold a National Security Council meeting chaired by President Moon Jae-in.

Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe said: 'It is absolutely unacceptable if North Korea did force another nuclear test, and we must protest strongly.'

China's earthquake administration detected a second tremor of magnitude 4.6 in North Korea minutes after the first.

It described the event as a cave-in. South Korea's weather agency, however, said no second quake happened.

A US researcher told the BBC that if the earthquake was caused by a nuclear blast, it would be the largest atomic test conducted by North Korea.

Citizens of the North Korean capital Pyongyang gathered around a screen showing the order signed by Kim Jong-Un authorising the nuclear test

Dave Schmerler, of the James Martin Center for Nonproliferation Studies, added: 'We should definitely be alarmed.'

Japan's Ministry of Defence has dispatched three military jets to test for radiation despite North Korea's claims that radioactive material did not leak into the environment.

Tremors caused by the nuclear test were at least ten times as powerful as the last time Pyongyang exploded an atomic bomb a year ago, the Japan Meteorological Agency said at a briefing aired by public broadcaster NHK.

The previous nuclear blast in North Korea is estimated by experts to have been around 10 kilotons.

South Korea's defense committee says the blast was about 100 kilotons - powerful enough to destroy an entire city, BBC reports.

Residents in the Vladivostok in eastern Russia said they felt the tremors.

North Korea conducted its fifth test last September - which also caused a massive earthquake.

NORTH KOREA'S MISSILE DEVELOPMENT Here are key dates in the North's quest to develop a nuclear-tipped missile capable of hitting the United States: Late 1970s: North Korea starts working on a version of the Soviet Scud-B (range 185 miles). Test-fired in 1984. 1987-92: Begins developing variant of Scud-C (range 311 miles), Rodong-1 (808 miles, Taepodong-1 (1,553 miles), Musudan-1 (1,172 miles) and Taepodong-2 (4,163 miles). Aug 1998: Test-fires Taepodong-1 rocket over Japan in what it calls a satellite launch - the US and others say it is a missile test. Sept 1999: Declares moratorium on long-range missile tests amid improving ties with US. July 12, 2000: Fifth round of US-North Korean missile talks in Kuala Lumpur ends without agreement after North demands $1 billion a year in return for halting missile exports. March 3, 2005: Pyongyang ends moratorium on long-range missile testing, blames Bush administration's 'hostile' policy. July 5, 2006: Test-fires seven missiles, including a long-range Taepodong-2 which explodes after 40 seconds. Oct 9, 2006: Conducts underground nuclear test, its first. April 5, 2009: Launches long-range rocket which flies over Japan and lands in the Pacific, in what it says is an attempt to put a satellite into orbit. The United States, Japan and South Korea see it as a disguised test of a Taepodong-2. May 25, 2009: Conducts its second underground nuclear test, several times more powerful than the first. April 13, 2012: Launches what it has said is a long-range rocket to put a satellite into orbit, but which disintegrates soon after blast-off. December 12, 2012: Launches a multi-stage rocket and successfully places an Earth observational satellite in orbit. February 12, 2013: Conducts its third underground nuclear test. January 6, 2016: Conducts its fourth underground nuclear test, which it says was a hydrogen bomb - a claim doubted by most experts. March 9, 2016: Kim Jong-Un claims the North has successfully miniaturized a thermonuclear warhead. April 23, 2016: Pyongyang test-fires a submarine-launched ballistic missile. July 8, 2016: US and South Korea announce plans to deploy an advanced missile defense system - THAAD (Terminal High Altitude Area Defense). August 3, 2016: North Korea fires a ballistic missile directly into Japan's maritime economic zone for the first time. September 9, 2016: Conducts fifth nuclear test, its most powerful to date. March 6, 2017: Fires four ballistic missiles in what it says is an exercise to hit US bases in Japan. March 7, 2017: US begins deploying THAAD missile defense system in South Korea. May 14, 2017: North Korea fires a ballistic missile which flies 435 miles before landing in the Sea of Japan. Analysts say it has an imputed range of 2,800 miles and brings Guam within reach. July 4, 2017: Test-fires a ballistic missile that analysts say brings Alaska within reach. Pyongyang later says it was a 'landmark' test of a Hwasong-14 intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM). July 28, 2017: Launches an ICBM with a theoretical range of 6,214 miles, meaning it could hit much of the United States. August 26, 2017: Fires three short-range ballistic missiles. August 29, 2017: Fires ballistic missile over Japan and into the Pacific, acknowledging for the first time that it has done so. South Korea says it flew around 1,678 miles at a maximum altitude of about 342 miles. September 3, 2017: North Korea carries out sixth nuclear test, with seismic monitors measuring an 'explosion' of 6.3 magnitude near its main test site. Japan's government confirms nuclear test took place. Advertisement

Photos released on Sunday show the country's leader inspecting the hydrogen bomb that it says will be loaded on a new intercontinental ballistic missile.

Its power is adjustable and can be detonated at high altitudes, the regime claimed - and added that it can build as many of the nuclear weapons as it wishes.

In the report about the new bomb Kim was seen inspecting, North Korea's Korean Central News Agency added: 'Kim Jong-un said he felt the pride at the indomitably bolstering up of [North Korea's] nuclear forces despite a great price as he watched the Juche-oriented thermonuclear weapon with super explosive power made by our own efforts and technology.

'He expressed great satisfaction over the fact that our scientists can do anything without fail if the party is determined to do.

'The scientists further upgraded its technical performance at a higher ultra-modern level on the basis of precious successes made in the first H-bomb test.'

There will be some skepticism about the claim from experts about Pyongyang's assertion that it has mastered hydrogen technology.

Still, North Korea is increasingly putting leaders on edge as the isolated country continues to push its limits in regards to building up weaponry and firing off missiles.

This picture released by the North Korean government late last week shows the last test launch by the country

In a show of force with South Korea, Trump conducted bombing drills along the border on Thursday, in a clear warning to following another ballistic missile from Kim Jong-un launch earlier this week.

Korean Central News Agency denounced the military drills in robust fashion that same day, calling them 'the rash act of those taken aback' by the missile test, which it described as 'the first military operation in the Pacific.'

LONG-RANGE ROCKETS READY 'IN MONTHS' France's foreign minister said on Friday that North Korea would have capability to send long-range ballistic missiles in a few months and urged China to be more active diplomatically to resolve the crisis. 'The situation is extremely serious... we see North Korea setting itself as an objective to have tomorrow or the day after missiles that can transport nuclear weapons. In a few months that will be a reality,' Jean-Yves Le Drian told RTL radio. 'At the moment, when North Korea has the means to strike the United States, even Europe, but definitely Japan and China, then the situation will be explosive. 'North Korea must find the path to negotiations. It must be diplomatically active.' Advertisement

North Korea last year conducted its fourth and fifth nuclear tests, saying the fourth in January 2016 was a successful hydrogen bomb test, although outside experts questioned whether it was a full-fledged hydrogen bomb.

The fifth nuclear test in September 2016 was measured to be possibly North Korea's biggest detonation ever, but the earthquake it caused was still not believed to be big enough to demonstrate a thermonuclear test.

Satellite images taken last month suggested North Korea was ready to carry out a sixth nuclear bomb test.

The overhead pictures of Punggye-ri nuclear test site, in the country's north east revealed Kim Jong-un could order a test blast 'at any time with minimal advance warning', experts said.

There were fears the tyrant may chose September 9, North Korea's Day of the Foundation of the Republic, to carry out the trial.

The same date was chosen last year by North Korea to conduct its fifth nuclear test, marking the 68 years since Kim Il-sung came to power.

Instead, the explosion came a week earlier.

Satellite pictures released by 38 North showed minor movements at Punggye-ri - suggesting that the site was on 'standby'.

The satellite images from August 27 suggested North Korea was ready to carry out a sixth nuclear bomb test

The facility in north eastern North Korea remains on 'standby', according to experts
A man was rushed to hospital with head injuries after being violently attacked by a man with a kebab shop table.

The 23-year-old Melbourne man, Joe, was sitting at a table with his friend when a near by man threw another table in his face because of an argument about a chair.

Footage shows a friend rushing to comfort the victim before the stranger brutally knocks him away and beats Joe to the ground.

A 23-year-old man was brutally attacked by a man who threw a table into his face (pictured)

The incident took place in South Yarra, Melbourne, out the front of a kebab shop (pictured)

Another man then steps in and punches the two friends before a witness before stepped in to stop the fight at South Yarra.

The 23-year-old was taken to hospital early Sunday morning with a black eye and lump on his head, 7 News reports.

Joe told 7 News he was lucky his injuries weren't worse and that he could have died.

'Like it was really, really lucky that I managed to survive it with the little injuries that I have,' he said.

The young man told the media outlet the attack broke out after the stranger wanted to sit in the nearby chair, which was already being used by Joe's friend.

However, the local kebab shop owner said these violent attacks happened weekly.

The two men (pictured) threw a table at the 23-year-old before knocking his friend to ground
His cause of death is not yet clear

But 31-year-old Hrynenko Jr. died on Friday, according to his obituary

They were due in Supreme Court on September 12 to begin their trial

Michael Hrynenko Jr., 31, passed away on Friday, according to his obituary. His cause of death is not yet clear

A New York building manager who was charged with manslaughter over the East Village gas explosion that left two dead and razed an entire block has mysteriously died.

Michael Hrynenko Jr., 31, passed away on Friday, according to his obituary. His cause of death is not yet clear.

He was awaiting trial for his role in the deadly 2nd Avenue gas explosion in 2015 at the time of his death.

Hrynenko Jr., the building manager was named as a key figure in the tragedy that left Nicholas Figueroa, 23, and Moises Lucon, 26, dead, and injured a dozen others.

He was charged with with manslaughter in the second degree, criminally negligent homicide and assault in the second degree, alongside his mother Maria Hrynenko - who was the landlord of 19 and 121 Second Ave., two of the three buildings destroyed by blast - contractor Dilber Kukic and plumber Jerry Ioannidis .

Plumber Andrew Trombettas was also charged in connection with the explosion, for allegedly lending his name and license number to paperwork.

All five were accused of installing an illegal gas system at Hrynenko's two buildings, which they then hid from inspectors. They all pleaded not guilty.

Flames rise from a building fire in the East Village in 2015. Landlord Maria Hrynenko, her son, Michael Jr., Bronx contractor Dilber Kukic and plumberd Jerry Ioannidis and Andrew Trombettas were charged

CCTV: This surveillance footage shows the explosion at the very moment it happened

Landlord Maria Hrynenko and Michael Jr., pictured in a Manhattan court in 2016 after being charged with negligent homicide in connection to the East Village fire

The Hrynenkos were expected to appear on September 12 in New York Supreme Court.

If convicted, Hrynenko Jr. could have been facing 15 years in jail.

Hrynenko Jr., of Sparkill, in upstate New York, had another run in with the law earlier this year, when he was arrested for driving drunk after he crashed his car in a parking lot off Route 303, according to Orangetown police.

Sparkill police have not yet confirmed the cause of Hrynenko Jr.'s death.

Pizzi Funeral Home, in Northvale, New Jersey, are holding visiting hours for his body Wednesday 4-8pm. His funeral service will be private.

Tragic: Restaurant worker Moises Lucon (left), 26, and Nicholas Figueroa (right), 23, were the two who died in the blast. The fire injured two dozen others

Hrynenko Jr.'s mother and the other defendants still face charges over the deadly blast.

According to prosecutors, Ms. Hrynenko and the accused contractors, devised a way to continue to illegally tap into the gas line of the neighboring building, 119 Second Avenue, owned by Ms. Hrynenko, to provide gas to the apartments., according to the New York Times. They allegedly did so by using 'flexible hosing.'

'Flex hosing used in this way is illegal and extremely unsafe because of its potential to disconnect, break, or leak,' Assistant District Attorney Rachana Pathak wrote in court documents.

'The defendants constructed another illegal unsafe gas delivery system by installing a series of pipes and valves connecting the apartments in 121 Second Avenue to an uncapped, commercial-grade gas meter in the adjacent, vacant property,' Manhattan District Attorney Cyrus R. Vance, Jr said at a press conference last year.

'Im a good person,' Hrynenko said as she was brought in by the authorities in February 2016, according to the New York Post.

Possible jail time: Dilber Kukic and Maria Hrynenko, both pictured in 2016, face up to 15 years behind bars if convicted

Diner Nicholas Figueroa, 23, and worker at Sushi Park Restaurant, Moises Lucon, 26, were the two who died in the blast. The fire injured two dozen others.

Nicholas' brother Tyler Figueroa told The New York Daily News: 'We're finally getting justice for my brother.'

Police have looked into a rigged gas line into Sushi Park Restaurant on the ground floor of 121 Second Avenue as a possible cause of the deadly combustion, according to the Daily News.



It emerged after the fire that a new gas line had been installed at Sushi Park without a permit, and that it had been improperly supplying gas to apartments at 121 Second Avenue, even though it was intended to service only the restaurant on the ground floor, according to New York Post.

Con Edison President Craig Ivey said the utility never signed off on the installation, which took place last September, because it had failed to meet 'psychical requirements.'

Terrible fire: In this handout provided by the New York City Police Department, smoke rises from the scene of the East Village building explosion

Faulty:According to prosecutors, the defendants devised a way to continue to illegally tap into the gas line of the neighboring building, 119 Second Avenue by using flexible hosing

Also after the blaze, it was revealed that the owner of Sushi Park smelled gas about 15 minutes before the blast, but failed to call 911 or Con Edison. Instead, he contacted the owner of the building, who in turned reached out to his general contractor

The contractor and building owner's son went to the basement, where the blast occurred when they opened the door, officials said. Both suffered burns and were hospitalized.

The explosion at 121 Second Avenue in the East Village set alight the property and its neighboring structures, eventually bringing down three buildings and seriously damaging a fourth.

At 2pm on Thursday March 26, 2015, - an hour before the explosion - contractors met with Con Edison to check on some ongoing work to upgrade gas service in the building. The utility said the work didn't pass inspection, so gas wasn't introduced to the line, and inspectors left at around 2.45pm.

The scene: Three contractors and two building owners were taken into custody on charges including manslaughter and negligent homicide for the blast that razed three buildings (pictured) on March 26, 2015

Crews remove debris at the site of a multi-building collapse on 2nd Avenue in New York on March 30, 2015. Police have looked into a rigged gas line into Sushi Park Restaurant as a possible cause of the deadly combustion

New York City Fire Department (FDNY) officials checked debris the morning after the fire. Police have looked into a rigged gas line into a sushi restaurant on the ground floor of 121 Second Avenue as a possible cause

Fifteen minutes later - around 3pm - the owner of Sushi Park smelled gas and called the building's landlord, but did not call 911 or ConEd.

Another 15 minutes later, a contractor and the owner's son went to check out where the smell was coming from but when they opened the door to the basement - at 3.17pm - they were blown back by the massive blast. Within minutes, the buildings were overcome with flames.

The building's contractor Dilber Kukic, 39, earlier told DNAinfo that he and the owner's son had opened the basement door after smelling gas when the room suddenly blew up, throwing debris on top of them.

'As soon as we opened the basement door, there was an explosion, a fire,' Kukic said while being treated at New York Presbyterian-Weill Cornell Medical Center for burns and smoke inhalation. 'It was full of smoke. The debris was on top of me.'

He managed to escape and carried out the owner's son with him but both were treated with cuts and burns to their faces.

The site of the blast then caught alight, while its neighboring buildings, 119, 123 and 125 Second Avenue, were also engulfed before all three buildings completely collapsed to the ground, leaving a massive hole on the corner of the block at 7th Street.
A Chinese toddler was rescued after falling down a narrow 150ft well.

Firefighters and excavation teams worked for around ten hours to rescue the 20-month-old boy who fell into the well yesterday, in Xi'an, Shaanxi Province.

The incident occurred while the youngster was being taken out to play by his grandparents.

A Chinese toddler was rescued after falling down a narrow 150ft well

Firefighters and excavation teams worked for around ten hours to rescue the 20-month-old boy who fell into a the well yesterday, in Xi'an, Shaanxi Province

His family frantically called his name to keep him awake, with the boy trapped around 30ft deep down the 150ft well

Heavy machinery was used to rescued the boy, who stumbled into the well yesterday morning, because the hole was only around 30cm in diameter.

Oxygen had to be pumped into the well to keep him breathing, and he was provided with food and water.

His family frantically called his name to keep him awake, with the boy trapped around 30ft deep down the 150ft well.

After 10 hours' rescue, the boy was saved on Saturday night after a huge pit was dug to the side of the way and a tunnel was made horizontally for the child to get out of

Heavy machinery had to be used to rescued the boy, who stumbled into the well yesterday morning, because the hole was only around 3cm in diameter

After 10 hours' rescue, the boy was saved on Saturday night. He is currently recovering in hospital with non-life-threatening injuries

After 10 hours' rescue, the boy was saved on Saturday night after a huge pit was dug to the side of the way and a tunnel was made horizontally for the child to get out of.

Their attempts were made even harder after a landslide halfway through, but they eventually managed to retrieve the boy with a rope.

The child is currently recovering in hospital with non-life-threatening injuries.
Labour MP David Lammy was commissioned by Davis Cameron's government to explore ways to cut re-offending by black, Asian and minority ethnic people

Criminals could be allowed to hide their convictions from potential employers under proposals due to be published this week, it emerged today.

Labour MP David Lammy was commissioned by Davis Cameron's government to explore how black, Asian and minority ethnic people are treated by the criminal justice system.

A proposal in his report will be to allow people convicted as teenagers who are able to demonstrate they now lead a law-abiding life to 'lock' their criminal records.

The convictions would not be wiped from the record or quashed but the intention is to give people a second chance.

A source familiar with Lammy's findings told the Sunday Times: 'Our criminal records regime is trapping offenders in their past.

'David wants fundamental change. There is clear evidence that reform of criminal records takes ex-offenders off welfare and into work.

'This approach wouldn't see records 'wiped' but would give ex-offenders who prove they have turned their lives around every chance of a fresh start.'

Under the plans, a convicted criminal would be allowed to apply to a judge to weigh up evidence of rehabilitation and the time elapsed since the offence.

If the decision went the applicants way, the criminal record would still exist but the person would not need to disclose it and employers would be unable to see it.

A proposal in the report will be to allow people convicted as teenagers who are able to demonstrate they now lead a law-abiding life to 'lock' their criminal records (file image)

Evidence from America  where Massachusetts and some parts of California have implemented the same idea  shows reform of criminal record regimes can boost employment rates among former offenders, increasing the tax take and reducing the cost of welfare benefits.

In the UK, official figures show nearly 30 per cent of those claiming jobseekers allowance have a criminal record.

While 38 per cent of white youths reoffend, the figure is 46 per cent for black youths. The employment rate is 12 percentage points higher for whites than non-whites.

The plan is one of a series of proposals to be published on Friday. Mr Lammy will urge ministers to look favourably on those who committed low-level crimes as children or young adults but can demonstrate law-abiding lives since.
An out-of-control bushfire is burning through 50 hectares of bush dangerously close to homes in Sydney's south.

The fire broke out in Kamay Botany Bay National Park near Kurnell about 5pm and put residents on high alert throughout the evening.

More than 40 firefighters worked to contain the blaze and put out several spot fires near the Caltex Fuel Terminal in winds of up to 45km/h.

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An out-of-control bushfire is burning through 50 hectares of bush dangerously close to homes in Sydney's south

The fire broke out in Kamay Botany Bay National Park near Kurnell about 5pm

The spectacular blaze put residents on high alert throughout the evening

NSW Rural Fire Service downgraded the threat after winds changed to push the fire east back towards the ocean, removing immediate threats to property.

Fire authorities said they would continue to monitor the situation and were expected to work through the night to put out the blaze.

Locals were still concerned about the fire as huge plumes of red and yellow fire and smoke was visible from more than 20km away.

It was even visible from a plane coming in to land at Sydney Airport, as residents in Sydney's southern suburbs described the sight as 'scary' and 'getting worse'.

More than 40 firefighters worked to contain the blaze and put out several spot fires near the Caltex Fuel Terminal in winds of up to 45km/h

NSW Rural Fire Service downgraded the threat after winds changed to push the fire east back towards the ocean

There was concern the fire could threaten property but the wind change prevented that

Fire authorities said they would continue to monitor the situation and were expected to work through the night to put out the blaze

The fire burned after hundreds of Sydneysiders flocked to the beach to enjoy Father's Day in 28C temperatures.

Farther inland authorities cancelled planned controlled burns as the high temperatures and howling winds of up to 45km/h stoked bushfire fears.

The Rural Fire Service put Sunday's fire danger at very high and was worried a hotter September could bring numerous bushfires.

Locals were still concerned about the fire as huge plumes of red and yellow fire and smoke was visible from more than 20km away

Residents in Sydney's southern suburbs described the sight as 'scary' and 'getting worse'

It was even visible from a plane coming in to land at Sydney Airport
Boris Johnson has warned that Kim Jong-un could 'vaporise' the South Korean capital Seoul while admitting that there it no 'easy military solution' after Kim Jong-un tested a powerful underground hydrogen bomb.

The Foreign Secretary condemned the 'reckless' North Korean nuclear test and warned that being able to fit a warhead to a missile would present a 'new order of threat' from the regime.

Mr Johnson, pictured, said the UK's view was that 'peaceful diplomatic means' are the best way to resolve the crisis in the Korean peninsula.

In an attempt to play down the threat of conflict he said that 'none of the military options are good' - but added that 'it is of course right to say that all options are on the table'.

Mr Johnson, pictured, said the UK's view was that 'peaceful diplomatic means' are the best way to resolve the crisis in the Korean peninsula

North Korean television today released these photos appearing to show Kim Jong-Un signing the order to carry out the test

Kim Jong-Un (left) appears to sign the order (right) asking his scientist to proceed with the test

The detonation of the nuclear device was North Korea's sixth and most powerful test to date.

Pyongyang called the test a 'perfect success' but it has led to condemnation from around the world.

Theresa May said that the action by North Korea was 'reckless and poses an unacceptable further threat to the international community'.

US President Donald Trump meanwhile branded the country 'a rogue nation' whose 'words and actions continue to be very hostile and dangerous' to the United States.

Mr Trump tweeted that North Korea 'has become a great threat and embarrassment to China, which is trying to help but with little success'.

Mr Johnson called for 'common sense' to prevail in the crisis and urged Beijing to put further pressure on Kim's regime.

Yonhap, South Korea's official news agency, reports the quake struck where North Korea's nuclear test site Punggyeri is located

He said: 'There is no question that this is another provocation, it is reckless, what they are doing is they seem to be moving closer towards a hydrogen bomb which, if fitted to a successful missile would unquestionably present a new order of threat.

'We have to consider how to respond and it's our view in the UK, overwhelmingly, that peaceful diplomatic means are the best.'

Mr Johnson said: 'Over the 30 year history of North Korea's attempt to acquire nuclear weapons there have been tough moments and moments when they have backed down again.

'We are working to see if we can get some common sense here.'

Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson, pictured, called for 'common sense' to prevail in the crisis and urged Beijing to put further pressure on Kim's regime

The earthquake came after North Korea claimed it had developed a more advanced nuclear weapon. Photos released on Sunday show the country's leader Kim Jong-un inspecting a hydrogen bomb

Overhead pictures of Punggye-ri nuclear test site from August 17, published by 38 North, revealed Kim Jong-un could order a test blast 'at any time with minimal advance warning', experts said

Asked how close the crisis was to conflict, Mr Johnson said: 'It's certainly our view that none of the military options are good. It is of course right to say that all options are on the table, but we really don't see an easy military solution.'

The distance between North Korea and South Korea's capital Seoul is small and 'they could basically vapourise' large parts of the population even with conventional weapons, he warned.

'So that's not really very easy to threaten and to deliver,' he said.

'Much more productive we think is to continue with the international diplomatic effort.'

In a call for Beijing to increase pressure on Pyongyang he said: 'What the Chinese always say is that there is a kind of equivalence between the South Korea/American military exercises and that nuclear testing conducted by North Korea.

'We don't accept that: what the South Koreans do is entirely legitimate, it's peaceful, it's been going on for years, it doesn't represent any illegal provocation of that kind.

'Our message to the Chinese is, and we are working ever more closely with them, we think there is more scope for you the Chinese to put economic pressure on the North Koreans.

'It has worked, we have seen signs in the last six months of Chinese pressure actually changing the approach of North Koreans - let's see if we can do it again.'
Heather Taylor, principal of Stratford High School in Goose Creek, South Carolina, said that her 'intention was not to hurt or offend' her students

A high school principal in South Carolina is sorry after she was caught on camera saying female students 'looked fat' in leggings if they weren't a size zero or two.

Heather Taylor, principal of Stratford High School in Goose Creek, South Carolina, released a statement to People stating that her 'intention was not to hurt or offend' her students.

'Yesterday and this morning, I met with each class of the Stratford High School student body,' she said in the statement.

'I addressed a comment made during a 10th grade assembly and shared from my heart that my intention was not to hurt or offend any of my students in any way.

'I assured them all that I am one of their biggest fans and invested in their success.'

On Wednesday, Taylor was accused of fat shaming students during a talk she had with the sophomores.

'(Leggings are) meant to wear underneath a long shirt that covers your heinie, or a long sweater of some type, or a dress,' she said.

'It is not meant to be your actual pants, and if you have a shirt that comes to here, then you are showing everything. Yes, everything.

'I've told you this before, I'm going to tell you this now, unless you are a size zero or two and you wear something like that, even though you're not fat, you look fat.'

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On Wednesday, Taylor was accused of fat shaming students during a talk she had with the sophomores She said: 'I've told you this before, I'm going to tell you this now, unless you are a size zero or two and you wear something like that, even though you're not fat, you look fat'

Student Allison Veazy shared with WCBD that she felt Taylor's words were offensive.

'It was really hurtful, cause I felt like my size made me look disgusting towards someone in the clothes that I wear,' Veazy said.

'I wear leggings outside of school and I wear leggings when I go and hang out with my friends, and to think that someone would think that I look like a stuffed sausage  that was kind of hurtful.'

Stratford's senior class wrote a letter of support which they shared on Facebook on Friday.

Stratford's senior class wrote a letter of support which they shared on Facebook on Friday

'On behalf of some students at Stratford High, we would like to extend our support and appreciation to your administration and Berkeley County for the past 24 years. We understand that you, like us, are human and make mistakes,' a student said.

'We completely realize that your intentions were not to harm us or the students at the assembly.'

Taylor commented that she's grown from the experience while holding back tears as her students read their letter.

'I'm so remorseful, and I have learned a lesson,' Taylor said.

'You learn, no matter what, every single day you learn.'

She's hopeful of the work her and the students can do moving forward.

Taylor said: 'Stratford High is a very caring community, and I want to thank all of our parents and students who have offered their support to me and provided me with an opportunity to directly address their concern. I am very proud to be a Stratford Knight.'
Grazing on smashed avo on toast at your local cafe may just become a thing of the past as Australia's avocado supplies rapidly diminish.

The trendy fruit that once was blamed for costing Millennials home ownership is quickly running out with new reports the average Australian chows down almost four kilograms of avocados each year according to The Australian.

As avocado consumption has increased almost 10 per cent in the last year, 20,000 tonnes of the favourite fruit will potentially be imported from New Zealand to meet demands over summer.

Grazing on smashed avo may become history as Australia's avocado supplies rapidly diminish

The average Australian eats almost four kilograms of avocados a year, lowering supplies

Australia is expected to import 20,000 tonnes of avocados from New Zealand over summer

Despite the popular dish hitting prices of about $18 across Sydney cafes, avocado consumption is unlikely to slow down as it has more than doubled in the past decade.

With the high growth rate, some people are suggesting Australians could equal Mexico's avocado intake with the average person eating 10 kilograms of the healthy fruit a year.

Whether they're smashed over some sourdough toast with goats cheese or used to serve lattes in, avocados continue to be a popular choice because of their tasty health benefits.

Western Australia currently produces about one-third of Australia's avocados, which go through waves of production due to the fruit growing at a slower rate after the first two years.

However, new avocado plantations in the west will begin producing fruit within the next few years, which will respond to the demand.

Western Australia currently produces about one-third of Australia's avocados and is set to produce more with new plantations
A lottery insider faked a 2.5millon jackpot winning ticket for his rapist co-conspirator inside Camelot's headquarters, a whistleblower has claimed.

Giles Knibbs worked as a fraud expert for the company when he was suspected of plotting with his friend Eddie Putman to help him land an unclaimed prize.

Up until now it is believed Knibbs tipped Putman off and told him the numbers and shop where he needed to buy the ticket from.

But now a Camelot source has sensationally claimed Knibbs printed it inside the organisation's offices and warns there is nothing to stop it from happening again.

Giles Knibbs worked as a fraud expert for the company in 2009 when he was suspected of giving friend Eddie Putman vital information to help him land an unclaimed prize.

So far

Clever Knibbs, 38, had a 24 hour access to a ticket printing machine in the fraud department and was paid to pour over the details of false claims.

The Camelot source, who worked alongside Knibbs for years at the Watford offices, said if someone knew how to cheat the system, it would have been Giles.

The employee believes it could happen again and has accused Camelot bosses of attempting to 'hush up' the investigations.

The new allegation will provide fresh clues for police who continue to investigate the suspected con.

The house in Kings Langley, Hertfordshire, where Putman lived in 2012 when he was convicted of benefits fraud

The fraud expert struck up an unlikely friendship with Putman after he employed him as a builder.

While Knibbs was educated at university and studied computer science, Putman had already clocked up a number of convictions for rape, grievous bodily harm and robbery.

But as their worlds collided, it is suspected Knibbs gave Putman a tip off about where a winning ticket was purchased from for a prize which went unclaimed.

Two days before the deadline was due to close, Putman handed in his ticket with the correct numbers.

But now a whistleblower believes a ticket was created by Knibbs and passed off as Putman's.

A source told The Mirror: 'If there was a back door to be able to carry out a fraud he would have known it. He was taught the back doors.'

He said there were several printers in the office, including one in the fraud department, and Knibbs had a pass with 24/7 access.

The anonymous person said: 'He may have gone in at any time. It wasn't unusual for him to be there late at night. He'd have had to scan tickets and to do that he needed a machine with a barcode scanner.

'He's manipulated that somehow. I believe Knibbs actually created a ticket, there's no other way he could do it. He would have seen the draw and he would have manipulated the ticket after the draw was done.

'He would have had access to the computer system to be able to do that because he was a fraud investigator. It would have had the correct date on it.'

The worker, who wishes to remain unnamed, told The Sunday Mirror internal auditiors had sent the organisation into a meltdown with one employee saying: 'We're in trouble'.

A Hertfordshire Constabulary spokesman said: 'The case is currently being reviewed by police so we cannot comment at this stage.'

A Camelot spokesman told the newspaper they were 'unable to confirm or deny any speculation about the case'.
A cave museum in honour of Nazi general Erwin Rommel featuring his weapons and uniforms has re-opened to the public after seven years.

The Desert Fox is held in high regard in Egypt, because of his commitment to maintaining the sanctity of the land while commanding troops there.

He was one of the most decorated Nazi soldiers, until he was implicated in a plot to kill Hitler - Rommel then voluntarily committed suicide to spare his family the persecution they would have faced had he faced trial.

A cave museum in honour of Nazi general Erwin Rommel featuring his weapons and uniforms has re-opened to the public after seven years

His old uniform and weaponry have now been restored to the museum, following the completion of the re-construction works that began in 2010

His old uniform and weaponry have now been restored to the museum, following the completion of the re-construction works that began in 2010.

Residents from the town of Matrouh, where the museum is located, feel a particular affiliation to Rommel because of the way he governed his troops during the Second World War.

He ordered soldiers to remain 2km away from the homes of locals at all times, and refused to contaminate the Allies' water supply for fear of poisoning the natives.

Rommel was actually honoured by having a beach near Matrouh named in his honour.

His son, Manfred, a former mayor of Stuttgart, donated some of his old uniform and weaponry

He was one of the most decorated Nazi soldiers, until he was implicated in a plot to kill Hitler

The museum's director Mohamed el-Sharkawy told Al-Monitor, 'The museum will boost tourism and create archaeological awareness among Matrouh residents.'

A museum dedicated to Rommel was first planned jointly by Egyptian and German officials in 1977 and opened 11 years later, close to where he carried out much of his work in the war.

DESERT FOX ERWIN ROMMEL: A MILITARY LEGEND Erwin Rommel, who was also known as Desert Fox, was one of Germanys most respected military leaders in World War Two. He played a part in two very significant battles during the war  at El Alamein in North Africa and at D-Day. It was his leadership of German and Italian forces in the North African campaign that established the legend of the Desert Fox, a name given to him by the British. Rommel is regarded as having been a humane and professional officer. His Afrikakorps was never accused of war crimes. He also ignored orders to kill captured commandos, Jewish soldiers and civilians in all theaters of his command, according to reports. Coming to the end of World War Two, Rommel was accused of conspiring to kill Adolf Hitler. Hitler was keen to avoid the public show trial of his most famous general and it seems that a 'deal was done in order to eliminate Rommel quietly. Rommel died of his wounds on October 14, 1944. He was given a state funeral. But it was later revealed he committed suicide. He agreed to kill himself by taking a cyanide pill, in return for assurances his family would not be punished. Advertisement

Work was needed to fix cracks that had appeared in the cave, which was previously used for storing grain for trade ships.

His son, Manfred, a former mayor of Stuttgart, donated some of his old uniform and weaponry.

Hundreds of Germans and Italians come to Martrouh every year to remember the battle of El-Alamein and lay flowers at relatives' graves.

Residents from the town of Matrouh, where the museum is located, feel a particular affiliation to Rommel because of the way he governed his troops during the Second World War
This is the horrifying moment a pupil appears to shoot a fellow classmate after a minor disagreement in front of terrified students.

Footage shows the Indian teenager pulling a handgun from a bag before allegedly shooting another schoolboy inside the classroom.

The victim then fell to the floor and struggled to get up as two boys sprinted off away from the scene.

The incident at the Industrial Training Institute in Sonipat, northern India, involved students aged 16 or 17 and is said to have followed a bust-up two days earlier.

One of the schoolboys was carrying a bag and approached one of his classmates in Sonipat

He seemed to shoot the victim, who ended up on the floor and was struggling to get back up

Two friends are said to have smuggled a gun into school before allegedly shooting the pupil in front of a dozen classmates.

Photographs taken after the incident showed blood on the classroom floor.

The victim is in a critical condition at Pandit Bhagwat Dayal Sharma Post Graduate Institute of Medical Sciences in Rohtak.

Rahul Dev, Deputy Superintendent of Police, said the search for the perpetrators is still ongoing.

Deputy Superintendent of Police, Sonepat, Rahul Dev, was quoted by news agency PTI and described the incident.

Two boys then sprinted away and left the schoolboy on the floor as other students rushed over to help

Blood was left on the floor inside the classroom and police in northern India are still investigating

He said: 'CCTV footage purportedly shows two boys approaching the victim from behind, who was chatting with other students in the classroom.

'One of the two boys then took out a pistol from his bag and shot the victim in the back.

'As the victim fell from the bench he was sitting on, both the accused fled from the spot.'
Brussels is demanding Britain continues to contribute a scheme promoting bear breeding in the Pyrenees.

The scheme was contained in the small print of a 90billion divorce demand which UK negotiators spent this week debunking.

The line by line scrutiny outraged EU officials and prompted a tense press conference on Thursday between Brexit Secretary David David and EU negotiator Michel Barnier.

But the new details that emerged today will reinforce Brexit supporters belief that the UK team was right to stand its ground.

Brussels is demanding Britain continues to contribute a scheme promoting bear breeding in the Pyrenees (pictured is a Pyrenees bear)

EU chief negotiator Michel Barnier (pictured at Thursday's press conference with David Davis) lashed out at Britain's refusal to meet obligations it made as an EU member

The Sun on Sunday said the 1.6million bear breeding scheme was contained within a package of 'green' schemes.

The UK is expected to continue to part-fund a 1million project making mountain huts more environmentally friendly.

A further 2.5million has been pledged to restore grasslands in Estonia.

The EU is also signed up to billions in long term loans to Ukraine and valuable aid packages to African, Pacific and Caribbean countries.

Tory MP Peter Bone told the Sun: 'I have always been critical of giving money to an organisation to distribute in a way which wouldn't satisfy people in this country.

'When we leave the EU we shouldn't be committed to any projects. If you want to throw money down the drain, give it to the EU and they will do it for you.'

Mr Davis defended his decision to play hard ball in the talks.

He told Andrew Marr today: 'They have set this up to try to create pressure on us on money, that's what it's about, they are trying to play time against money.'

Brexit Secretary David Davis (pictured today on the Andrew Marr Show) defended his decision to play hard ball in the talks

Comparing Brussels' demands to a hotel bill presented to a guest on checking out, Mr Davis said: 'We are going through it line by line and they are finding it difficult because we have got good lawyers.'

He said Mr Barnier 'wants to put pressure on us, which is why the stance this week in the press conference - bluntly, I think it looked a bit silly because there plainly were things that we had achieved'.

Tory MP said the EU could be trusted to spend money badly

Mr Davis insisted he was not branding Mr Barnier personally 'silly', adding: 'I said the commission would make itself look silly.'

The Brexit Secretary dismissed as 'nonsense' claims that the UK would pay a 50 billion fee to exit the EU.

The 'strict position' was that there was 'no enforceable' legal basis for the UK to pay money to Brussels but 'we are a country that meets its international obligations - but they have got to be there'.

Those obligations 'may not be legal ones, they may be moral ones or political ones', he said.

In Thursday's frosty press conference, Mr Barnier warned: 'EU taxpayers should not pay at 27 for obligations undertaken at 28. In July, the UK recognised it had obligations beyond the Brexit date.

'But this week it explained its obligations would be limited to obligations before departure.'
Gay marriage supporters want a doctor who appeared in an ad for the no campaign stripped of her medical licence.

A petition calling on the Australian Medical Association to 'review the registration' of Pansy Lai gathered more than 6,000 signatures in just two days.

The Chinese-born paediatrician was one of three mothers who spoke against legalising same-sex marriage in the upcoming postal vote.

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Gay marriage supporters want pediatrician Pansy Lai (pictured) stripped of her medical licence for appearing in a controversial ad for the no campaign

The Sydney doctor claimed in the Coalition for Marriage ad that classes about gay relationships were compulsory in countries where same-sex marriage was legal.

She was speaking of the controversial Safe Schools program, of which she is a vocal opponent since speaking out last year.

The petition, on a site run by left-wing activist group GetUp!, claimed Dr Lai 'willfully spread misinformation and non-scientific evidence in order to promote the discrimination of LGBTIQ people in Australia'.

The outright attack on Dr Lai's livelihood raised concerns among other no vote supporters that other doctors could be targeted if they voiced their beliefs.

The petition alleged she broke her Hippocratic Oath and Declaration of Geneva by speaking out against gay marriage and campaigning for the no vote.

The petition called on the Australian Medical Association to 'review the registration' of Pansy Lai, one of three mothers who spoke against legalising same-sex marriage

It gathered more than 6,000 signatures in just two days claiming she 'willfully spread misinformation and non-scientific evidence in order to promote the discrimination of LGBTIQ people in Australia'

It accused her of violating a clause vowing to not allow a patient's sexual orientation, among other attributes, to affect her medical duty.

'It is clear that Dr Pansy Lai has misused her privileged position as a medical practitioner in the harmful and hateful 'no' campaign,' it said.

She 'directly caused harm' to the LGBTIQ community by appearing in the ad, the petition claimed, and accused her of not supporting her young patients.

Dr Lai did not identify herself as a doctor in the Coalition for Marriage ad, or give her name, and was only identified by the media after the video aired.

The petition said young people who identify as LGBTIQ were 10 times more likely to die by suicide, and had an 80 per cent chance of being bullied at school.

Dr Lai did not identify herself as a doctor in the Coalition for Marriage ad, or give her name, and was only identified by the media after the video aired

The campaign has the support of the Australian Christian Lobby, which believes: 'Changing the marriage law will have consequences for what is taught in our kids' classroom'

It said Dr Lai, as a paediatrician, had professional obligation to support young people who identify as LGBTIQ and appearing in the ad ran counter to this.

The petition on the GetUp!-hosted site CommunityRun was started by Melbourne IT professional and self-identified 'anarcho-socialist' Lev Lafayette.

The 49-year-old on Sunday shared a photo of himself on Facebook with Parliament House in the background.

The caption read: 'Don't tell anyone but there's an anarchist in the Federal parliament house!'

Many comments left by those who signed the petition slammed Dr Lai, who is not an AMA member, for appearing in the ad and agreed she should be deregistered.

'Homophobia and bigotry have no place in our society, and especially not with a medical professional who is working with vulnerable young people,' one wrote.

The petition on the GetUp!-hosted site CommunityRun was started by Melbourne IT professional and self-identified 'anarcho-socialist' Lev Lafayette

Many comments left by those who signed the petition slammed Dr Lai, who is not an AMA member, for appearing in the ad and agreed she should be deregistered

'It is overly obvious that this DOCTOR is Biased against LGBT persons In her Bias .. She clearly would be discriminant towards any patients who identify as LGBT or are having difficulty with their sexual orientation apart from Heterosexual,' another wrote.

'Her participation in this campaign is a betrayal of her oath & the young people she is supposed to help,' a third insisted.

Other signatories slammed her alleged support for gay conversion therapies, claims Dr Lai denied last week.

Monica Doumit, spokeswoman for Coalition for Marriage, said: 'In seeking to ruin the career of a doctor who dares disagree with its agenda, the same-sex marriage lobby has shown, yet again, that it has no interest in freedom of speech. '

'The petition against Dr Lai is a threat not only to her, but to any others who might try to voice their opinion. The message is loud and clear: agree on same-sex marriage or else.

'We know that if the law on marriage changes, these activists will feel more empowered to target those who dare disagree.

'We've already seen Canadian lawyers denied professional registration because of their views on marriage, and a UK student kicked out of university because his belief that marriage is between a man and a woman was deemed incompatible with undertaking a social work degree.

'The only way to protect freedom of speech is to vote "no".'
Australians could soon be leading the way in becoming the world's first in making it a crime for its citizens to donate or volunteer at any orphanages.

Bondi woman Tara Winkler who has been advocating the change has finally received a breakthrough after her message was heard in a senate inquiry earlier in the month.

Ms Winkler this is because 80 percent of the eight million children living in orphanages actually have parents or families living elsewhere but were placed in such institutions to exploit unwitting donors, 60 Minutes reports.

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Bondi woman Tara Winkler (pictured) first visited Cambodia in 2005 as a 19-year-old traveller

'Many children have been taken from their families and imprisoned in orphanages where they are being exploited,' Ms Winkler told the program.

'That is trafficking, it is also a form of modern day slavery.

'Australia has played a role in fuelling this problem so I believe we have a responsibility to help solve it.'

Ms Winkler first travelled to Cambodia in 2005 when she was 19-year-old during a backpacking trip.

When she saw the extent of poverty in Cambodia, she told the program last year in an interview that she 'vowed to rescue as many kids as she could.'

It was then she set up her own charity and home, the Cambodian Children's Trust in 2007, rescuing 14 orphans from a corrupt and abusive orphanage in Battambang.

Ms Tara Winkler (far left) explaining the situation in detail to a senate inquiry earlier this month

Her bold efforts bagged her the NSW Young Australian of the Year award in 2011.

However, as she became more fluent in Khmer, the country's official language, and spoke with the children in her orphanage, they started revealing facts about themselves.

Ms Winkler realised they many 'orphans' had families but were sent to orphanages to get them out of poverty.

Many Cambodian children actually have parents and families who are able to care for them

However, she soon learned that the best way to deal with the problem was to advocate for all orphanages to be closed.

Since then Ms Winkler has been working hard on her dream to shut orphanages as she doesn't want any children growing up in such institutions.
A 25-year-old woman is suing JetBlue after she suffered severe second-and-third-degree burns on her butt after allegedly being burned by excruciating hot tea during a flight.

Michelle Lavin claims the incident happened on Labor Day weekend in 2014 when she was flying to visit her older sister for a weekend getaway during a five hour and 40 minute flight to Las Vegas from New York.

She requested a cup of tea during the traditional service on the flight after the captain announced they had reached a safe altitude.

Lavin was wearing her seat belt when the cup, 'filled to the brim' was brought to her by a flight attendant.

The 25-year-old claims that a flight attendant did not secure the lid on the hot tea, which was 'capable of causing disfiguring burns' and wasn't 'fit for human consumption,' according to the lawsuit filed in a Manhattan Supreme Court, the New York Post reported.

Michelle Lavin (above), a 25-year-old New York woman, is suing JetBlue after she suffered severe second-and-third-degree burns on her butt after allegedly being burned by excruciating hot tea during a flight

Lavin claims the incident happened on Labor Day weekend in 2014 when she was flying to visit her older sister during a five hour and 40 minute JetBlue flight (file above) to Las Vegas from New York

'I remember it being very hot, even in my hands,' she told the Post.

She explained that a man sitting near the rear of the plane started shouting at another passenger over her dog that would not stop barking, causing everyone's attention to shift upon them.

'She just screamed. It was insanely loud, like a horror movie. I got very nervous and everybody turned around and it was frightening,' Lavin recalled to the Post.

During the commotion, the 25-year-old accidentally bumped her tray table when she turned to look at the screaming passengers. In doing so, the hot tea spilled all over the table and her, while splashing the passenger seated next to her.

'(It felt) like my pants were on fire,' Lavin told the Post.

'I screamed at the top of my lungs. The pain was unreal.

'Every time I tried to stand, they said, 'We need you to go sit down.' I felt like I was being treated like a child.

Lavin (above) claims in court papers that a flight attendant did not secure the lid on the hot tea, which was 'capable of causing disfiguring burns' and wasn't 'fit for human consumption'

'I was in excruciating pain and had tears running down my eyes and asked them to get me anything. Cream. Something!

'They said, 'We don't have anything for burns on the plane.' They were looking at me like I was insane.'

Lavin says two female flight attendants, including the woman who served her the hot tea, offered her ice and aspirin.

But Lavin claims they did not take her seriously, until she pulled her pants down to show them her injuries.

'They were horrified, and then they were much nicer. At that point I realized they knew they had a problem. They said, 'This is very bad,'' she told the Post.

She filed the lawsuit three years after the incident because she claims JetBlue (file above) 'treated her like dirt', her attorney, Thomas Lavin

Lavin sent her parents a message about the incident while on the plane that had Wifi.

Her parents called JetBlue who offered to have a stretcher waiting for her at the gate when the flight arrived in Las Vegas.

But Lavin declined because she was 'humiliated' and instead went to a hospital's emergency room with her sister.

She filed the lawsuit three years after the incident because she claims JetBlue 'treated her like dirt', her attorney, Thomas Lavin, told the Post.

He told DailyMail.com that JetBlue officials have not treated his client nicely or taken her claim seriously, but the proof is in the horrific photos of her injuries.

The amount Lavin is suing the airline company for is unknown.

JetBlue could not be reached for comment.
Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin on Sunday called on Congress to combine a $7.9 billion disaster relief package for Harvey with an increase in the nation's borrowing limit, saying it was time to 'put politics aside' so storm victims in Texas can get the help they need.

'The president and I believe that it should be tied to the Harvey funding. Our first priority is to make sure that the state gets money,' he said. 'It is critical, and to do that, we need to make sure we raise the debt limit.'

President Donald Trump visited storm-ravaged areas in Texas on Saturday, expressing hope for speedy congressional action on relief aid.

But some House conservatives have said directly pairing it with an increase in the debt limit would be a 'terrible idea' that sends the wrong message on overall government spending.

Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin is calling on Congress to combine a $7.9 billion disaster relief package for Hurricane Harvey with a contentious increase in the nation's debt limit

Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin (right) made the comments on the debt ceiling to Chris Wallace (left) of Fox News Channel

Trump plans to meet with congressional leaders from both parties this week as lawmakers return to Washington after their summer recess.

The government's cash reserves are running low because the debt limit has actually already been reached, and the Treasury Department is using various accounting measures to cover expenses.

Mnuchin originally had said that Congress would need to raise the $19.9 trillion borrowing limit by Sept. 29 to avoid a catastrophic default on the debt, allowing the government to continue borrowing money to pay bills like Social Security and interest.

But on Sunday, he said that deadline had moved up due to unexpected new spending on Harvey.

'Without raising the debt limit, I'm not comfortable that we would get the money that we need this month to Texas to rebuild,' Mnuchin said.

Asked about Trump's past threats to force a government shutdown if Congress does not also include his $1.6 billion request for a wall on the U.S.-Mexico border, Mnuchin said Harvey aid was Trump's 'first objective right now.'

The Associated Press reported last week that Republican leaders were making plans to pair Harvey aid with an increase in the debt limit.

Other senior GOP aides told the AP that no final decision had been made, and Democrats, whose votes would be needed in the Senate, are cool to the approach.

'Providing aid in the wake of Harvey and raising the debt ceiling are both important issues, and Democrats want to work to do both,' said Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer of New York and House Democratic leader Nancy Pelosi of California in a joint statement Sunday. 'Given the interplay between all the issues Congress must tackle in September, Democrats and Republicans must discuss all the issues together and come up with a bipartisan consensus.'

Also Sunday, in an interview with a Milwaukee TV station, House Speaker Paul Ryan did not address whether the two issues would be tied together, only expressing confidence that Congress will 'step up' to fund disaster recovery efforts in Texas.

'This is something that we've never seen before, so it's going to require a pretty unprecedented response,' Ryan, R-Wis., said on 'UPFRONT with Mike Gousha,' which is produced in partnership with Wispolitics.com.

Sen. Roy Blunt of Missouri, a member of the Senate Republican leadership, said he wouldn't be opposed to combining the two measures and said the urgency of Harvey disaster relief provides 'another reason as to why you want to keep the government open.'

'The president's attention to this issue I think puts another reason on the table to get things done in September,' Blunt said.

Trump's aid request would add $7.4 billion to dwindling Federal Emergency Management Agency disaster aid coffers and $450 million to finance disaster loans for small businesses.

An additional $5 billion to $8 billion for Harvey could be tucked into a catch-all spending bill Congress must pass in the coming weeks to fund the government past Sept. 30.

On Sunday, Texas Gov. Greg Abbott described the federal aid package as an important initial 'down payment' on Harvey relief that he expects will come to $150 billion to $180 billion.

'We need Congress to step up and pass this and help Texas rebuild,' he said.

More than 436,000 households have registered for FEMA aid, according to the White House.

Harvey came ashore Aug. 25 as a Category 4 hurricane, then went back out to sea and lingered for days off the coast as a tropical storm.

The storm brought five straight days of rain totaling close to 52 inches (1.3 meters) in one location, the heaviest tropical downpour ever recorded in the continental U.S.

Mnuchin and Abbott appeared on 'Fox News Sunday,' and Blunt spoke on NBC's 'Meet the Press.'
Police were forced to evacuate a metro station in central Barcelona after ACID was found on two separate trains and a third at a local stop.

At this stage, they are treating the incidents as potential vandalism although nothing has been ruled out until a full investigation is completed.

One train driver had to be taken to hospital for treatment to irritant eyes after he came close to the substance.

CCTV footage of two potential suspects have already been found by Los Mossos who closed the busy Lesseps station, leading to service interruptions and cancellations.

Sealed off: The busy Lesseps station was evacuated after acid was found on two separate trains

Evacuation: Police can be seen tying off the station as people are kept out

It is believed the liquid is hydrochloric acid which is corrosive and highly pungent.

The acid was found in two separate in the driver's cab but ones facing in the opposite direction to the ones where the drivers were on arrival at the station.

One was found at 4.30pm, the other half an hour later, on Friday. Trains were back to normal for this weekend.

The station management immediately called in the police who ordered the closure of the station, given the Level 4 terrorist alert in Spain at the moment following the Barcelona atrocities.

As a precautionary mesasure, the TEDEX bomb squad was called in to rule out the presence of explosive devices.

An empty container which probably originally contained the acid was also found at the Fontana metro stop.

As a precautionary mesasure, the TEDEX bomb squad was called in to rule out the presence of explosive devices

Videos at the stations have captured the moment when two men threw the green-tinged liquid into the driver's cab, at a time when trains did not carry passengers.

Los Mossos have taken away samples for analysis.

A spokesman said they did not want anyone to create alarm but they were not ruling out any hypothesis although everything at the moment pointed to vandalism.
A mother in Wales says that her eight-year-old daughter lost sight in one eye after an incident in which she claims another child threw a stone at the girl.

Samantha Bell said doctors told her the stone split Olivia's left pupil and she will never see out of that eye again.

The incident happened when Olivia, from Llanrumney in Cardiff , was out playing with other children, Bell said.

Bell said police have been unable to take action against the child believed to be involved as they are under ten, which is the age of criminal responsibility.

Samantha Bell, from Llanrumney in Cardiff , said doctors told her the stone split her eight-year-old daughter Olivia's left pupil and she will never see out of that eye again

The incident happened when Olivia, from Llanrumney in Cardiff , was out playing with other children, and Bell was out of town

But she hopes that by speaking out other parents and children will realise that something as simple as throwing a stone can have serious consequences.

'She has been a little trooper. She told me not to worry because she has another eye,' said Bell, 31, who is also mum to Eva, four. 'She was catching me when I was in bits. She has been a little star.'

Bell said blood poured from Olivia's eye after the incident and she was taken to A&E at the University Hospital of Wales in Cardiff.

'I was at Bristol Hospital because my partner's father had a brain aneurysm. I just had a phone call from my mother saying "I'm at A&E, the doctors said you need to get here now".

Doctors told Olivia and her mother that she will only see a bit of light and shadow with her left eye from now on

Bell said police have been unable to take action against the child believed to be involved as they are under ten, which is the age of criminal responsibility

'I got there and they told me that the damage is so severe in her eye that they might not be able to fix it. It's gone straight through her pupil and damaged the back of her eye.'

Following the incident early on Wednesday evening, Olivia was taken for surgery on Thursday morning.

Bell said medics asked her to sign a form in case they had to remove her daughter's eyeball.

She said: 'They managed to save the eye, but she is 100 per cent blind in that eye.

She spent three hours in surgery and there were eight or nine doctors in there working to save her eye.'

Bell praised the 'amazing' staff at UHW who 'stitched' her daughter's eye back together.

Bell praised the 'amazing' staff at UHW who 'stitched' her daughter's eye back together. Despite their best efforts, however, Olivia will never have full vision back in her left eye

But despite their best efforts she said they've told her Olivia will only ever be able to see a bit of light and shadow with her left eye.

'The only time she has cried is when she thought they would have to remove the whole eyeball,' said Bell. 'She knows full well she can't see and she is just like "mummy it's OK".

'Eva has been trying to offer her eye to Olivia. She said, "mummy, I will give Olivia my eye".'

Bell said Olivia will have to stay home from school for three months while the stitches remain in her patched-up eye.

'She is constantly having to take pain medication and is suffering from headaches now,' she said.
Pictured: Kevin Daffurn, 30, was found dead by two holidaymakers on Friday

A British tourist found dead after an alleged 'carjacking spree' was filmed zig-zagging on a motorway in a stolen Mitsubishi with both doors open moments before he crashed and targeted two other vehicles, investigators believe.

Kevin Daffurn from Shotts, north Lanarkshire had only been in Tenerife 24 hours after flying there with two friends, when he is said to have forced a female passenger to leap from her moving vehicle while he drove off after taking LSD.

He died of a pulmonary edema on Friday caused by a cocktail of drink and drugs, sources close to the case confirmed on Monday.

Further tests on blood and tissue samples taken from the wayward dad-of-one will now be sent to a specialist laboratory for further analysis so experts can determine exactly what drugs he took and how much alcohol he had in his body.

Many drugs, ranging from illegal drugs such as heroin and cocaine to aspirin, are known to cause non-heart-related pulmonary edema. It involves the filling of air sacs called alveoli in your lungs with fluid instead of air, preventing oxygen from being absorbed into your bloodstream.

Two tourists found Daffurn four hours after he crashed and fled on foot, with investigators handed footage of the incident on Sunday.

Before he died he tried to steal another car and a motorbike while staggering along the dual-carriageway, witnesses say, leading to speculation he'd mixed alcohol with LSD.

His body was found near the roundabout in the popular resort of Los Cristianos just after 6pm on Friday after allegedly stealing the Spanish woman's Mitsubishi.

Two tourists raised the alarm after spotting Kevin Daffurn's body near a roundabout in the resort of Los Cristianos just after 6pm yesterday. Pictured above, Mr Daffurn with his fiancee

Late on Friday it became apparent the dead man - found barefoot and wearing only shorts and a hotel wristband was the 30-year-old father-of-one from Scotland.

Police have been waiting to formally quiz Mr Daffurn's two friends, who told officers he was a 'conflictive' person after drink and drugs.

A Foreign Office spokesman told MailOnline they were in touch with Spanish police and would be issuing a statement shortly.

A police source said on Sunday: 'Initially when the man's body was found, it wasn't thought that it was connected in any way with the earlier incidents.

Tragedy: Spanish police say they are investing the incident after the father from Scotland was discovered dead

A police source said Mr Daffurn tried to steal a car and a motorbike, before stunning witnesses by jumping over the central reservation and fleeing the scene on foot

He said: 'Subsequently, because of the proximity to the crash scene and the clothes he was wearing, it was confirmed he was the same person responsible for the carjacking, motorway crash and two other attempts to steal cars stuck in the tailback he caused when he had his accident.'

The bizarre series of events began just before 2pm on Friday in the south of Tenerife called San Eugenio Commercial Centre.

A woman in a Mitsubishi was injured after leaping out of the vehicle as it was driven off by a thief who jumped into the car when her husband got out briefly leaving the key in the ignition.

The carjacker crashed shortly afterwards on the TF-1 motorway which runs from the island capital Santa Cruz to the major tourist resorts in the south.

He then tried to steal another car and a motorbike stuck in the tailback resulting from the accident, before stunning witnesses by jumping over the central reservation and fleeing the scene on foot.

The bizarre series of events began just before 2pm yesterday in the south of Tenerife called San Eugenio Commercial Centre. Pictured above, a social media post believed to be from one of Mr Daffurn's friends

Some four hours later two holidaymakers spotted a man's body on waste ground by a roundabout leading to Los Cristianos. There were no visible signs of any injury.

Initial reports in one local Spanish-speaking newspaper - when his identity was still unknown - said he had no ID documents on him but was aged 30 to 40 and could have been dead 'for between three and four days.'

Mr Daffurn had only flown to Tenerife the day before his death and is thought to have gone on an all-night bender instead of returning to sleep at his hotel.

On the evening before the tragedy one of his friends is thought to have posted a bottle of popular spirit Jagermeister.

And a family member wrote on the photograph: 'Have a great time, please come back in one piece the lot of u.'

It is not yet clear where he was intending to go with the Mitsubishi he had stolen, although he is thought to have been heading in the direction of his two-star apart-hotel near Playa de Las Americas, called Laguna Park.

The police source said: 'The carjacking and events that followed were crazy. It was like something out of a film.

The TF-1 motorway in Tenerife near to where the 30-year-old man was found dead

He said: 'The driver of the Mitsubishi had stopped outside the shopping centre and got out of the car for a moment but left the keys in the ignition.

'The woman in the passenger seat leapt out of the vehicle fearing she was possibly being kidnapped. She is Spanish. She suffered bruises and some other injuries and was taken to hospital but fortunately she was not seriously hurt.

'That happened just before 2pm yesterday/on Friday outside San Eugenio Shopping Centre and the motorway incident at 2pm.

'The tourist crashed the car, then tried to steal another car and then a motorbike and ended up running along the hard shoulder before jumping over the central reservation as traffic came to a standstill in the chaos.'

'He could have been trying to get to his hotel but at the moment it's not really clear.'

Los Cristianos, Tenerife, where a 30-year-old British man who has been found dead was due to be staying

He added: 'The dead man arrived in Tenerife on Thursday with two British friends. They will be formally interviewed shortly so investigators can try to piece together all his movements from the time he reached the island to the time he died.'

Island newspaper La Opinion de Tenerife reports the wannabe car thief pushed several bags of shopping through a womans car window as she was stuck in a tailback resulting from a crash he had just caused in another stolen vehicle - before jumping in the vehicle and sitting down beside her.

The unidentified driver abandoned her car and ran away screaming for help. She was said to be in such a state that police had to calm her down when they arrived.

The paper ran the article under the heading: 'Woman flees after a man gets into her car with several bags of shopping.'

After leaving the car and trying to steal a motorbike, the tourist ran off on foot towards the spot where he was later found dead.

The woman who jumped out of the first car is said to have been injured in the process and was saved from being hit by an off-duty police officer.
Mo Tanweer, who graduated from Cambridge in 2004, has now left Eton

A cheating scandal that rocked Eton College may have first come to light when a student tried to impress of girl by bragging about the leaked exam details he was in possession of.

Two disgraced scholars left their professions at Eton and Winchester College, after answers to exams were 'inadvertently' emailed to students.

They were Mo Tanweer, head of Economics and Politics and one of Eton's principal examiners, as wells as Winchester College's Laurence Wolff.

Mr Wolff is alleged to have given student information on what exam questions would be included in two papers.

Now it has emerged that concerns over exam cheating were raised by a student at Downe House, an independent school for girls.

It is thought that she and a male Eton student befriended one another and that he sent her the email in an attempt to impress her.

'It turns out that one of the boys had really put his foot in it, because he'd let slip to a girl he was trying to chat up at Downe House,' a source told The Telegraph.

'She was outraged and reported it to the school, which led to this sorry chain of events.'

The girl's complaint is thought to have sparked a spate of investigations by Cambridge International Examinations (CIE).

It was revealed that Winchester College's head of art, Laurence Wolff, was behind the leaks.

Mr Wolff was suspended pending an investigation, and was later convinced to take early retirement.

The letter sent from Head Master Simon Henderson to boys at Eton College, Windsor

Pupils at Eton had also been passed details of the exam from a pupil at Winchester, which resulted in a second set of exam marks being voided.

Mo Tanweer (above) left his job at Eton after an investigation revealed he had emailed three colleagues practice questions which 'breached exam security'

Members of Eton's economics department had also come forward to raise concerns that the department's head had also leaked confidential information about upcoming Pre-U economics papers.

Mr Tanweer and Mr Wolff were both examiners for CIE.

On Thursday, Ofqual launched a review into whether teachers should be permitted to set exam questions in the subjects they teach.

The Commons education select committee are also expected to discuss probe the scandal when Parliament resumes.

Downe House's headteacher, Emma McKendirck, said that the school looked into concerns after being raised by a pupil.

Simon Henderson, Head Master at Eton, said students affected had been 'inadvertent recipients' of the information.

Eton (file pic) Headmaster Simon Henderson told students that because of the confidential information that had been passed on to them, through no fault of their own, their marks in the exam would not be accepted by the board for the Cambridge Pre-U qualification

Mr Henderson sent a letter to candidates for the economics exam explaining that practice questions emailed as part of the revision programme were deemed to breach confidentiality, voiding marks.

It is not clear how the pupils became 'inadvertent recipients' of the questions, but Mr Tanweer is the only person implicated.

The boys' overall marks would instead be calculated from the results of the previous two tests on the certificate's syllabus.
German Chancellor Angela Merkel has been declared the winner of Sunday's election debate where she was made to answer questions on her response to the migrant crisis and Turkey's potential EU membership.

Mrs Merkel made a better impression on voters in a television debate on Sunday than her center-left challenger Martin Schulz, a flash survey showed.

The poll showed that Merkel was viewed as more credible by 33 percent compared to 17 percent for Schulz.

Crowned winner: Angela Merkel won Sunday night's televised election debate, according to German voters

According to a separate poll by Infratest Dimap for ARD television, Merkel came across as more competent, credible and likeable than Schulz. The only category where Schulz scored higher was for being more combative.

During the debate, she announced her plan to ask the EU to call of membership talks with Ankara during a televised pre-election debate on Sunday evening.

While debating with her Social Democratic Party rival, Merkel said she 'did not ever see them joining', amid rising tensions between Berlin and Ankara.

'I don't see them ever joining and I had never believed that it would happen,' she said during a televised debate, adding that she will speak with her EU counterparts to see if 'we can end these membership talks'.

She added: 'The fact is clear that Turkey should not become a member of the EU.'

Fiery: While debating with her Social Democratic Party rival in elections being held later this month, Merkel said she will ask the EU to call off membership talks with Turkey, amid rising tensions between Berlin and Ankara

Grand arrival: Chancellor Angela Merkel steps out of her car to head into the TV studio for her debate with Martin Schulz

In a fiery debate in Berlin, Merkel was attacked for failing to coordinate a better European response to the 2015 refugee crisis.

'The inclusion of our European neighbours would have been better,' Schulz said at the start of the only debate between the two top candidates before the September 24 federal vote.

Merkel, 63, shot back: 'We had a very dramatic situation then... There are times in the life of a chancellor when she has to decide.'

'I don't see them ever joining and I had never believed that it would happen,' Merkel said during a televised debate, adding that she will speak with her EU counterparts to see if 'we can end these membership talks'

Merkel's tough stance came after Turkey arrested two more German citizens this past week 'for political reasons', infuriating Berlin.

The arrests brought the number of German political prisoners in Turkish custody to 12, at a time when ties between the two NATO allies were already at an all-time low.

The plunge in relations began after Berlin sharply criticised Ankara over the crackdown that followed last year's failed coup attempt.

The arrest of several German nationals, including the Turkish-German journalist Deniz Yucel, the Istanbul correspondent for the Die Welt newspaper, further frayed ties.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, for his part, has also sparked outrage after charging that Germany is sheltering plotters of last year's coup, as well as Kurdish militants and terrorists, and demanded their extradition.

Fans: Angela Merkel's supporters cheer in front of a television studio for the only live televised debate of the election

Erdogan added to the tensions this month when he urged ethnic Turks in Germany to vote against Merkel's conservatives and their coalition partners, the Social Democrats, in September 24 elections.

The escalating tensions have split the Turkish community in Europe's top economy, the largest diaspora abroad, which is a legacy of Germany's 'guest worker' programme of the 1960s and 70s.

The Social Democrats are lagging Merkel's conservatives by some 13 percentage points ahead of the vote, in which she is seeking a fourth term.

Schulz, 61, has called Merkel 'aloof' and attacked her on a range of issues but failed to dent her lead. The debate is seen as one of his last chances to shift the momentum.

Merkel's 2015 decision to open Germany's borders to hundreds of thousands of refugees, many fleeing war in the Middle East, cost her support but she has since bounced back.

Critic: Martin Schulz attacked Merkel over her handling of 2015's migrant crisis, saying: 'The inclusion of our European neighbours would have been better'

The first half of the debate was dominated by a discussion about migration and integration.

Schulz, a former European Parliament president with no national government experience in Germany, also said he would stop membership talks between Turkey and the European Union if elected chancellor.

But Schulz said the EU's external borders 'cannot and should not be closed'.

After the debate, opposition leaders complained that Mrs Merkel and Mr Schulz left key issues unmentioned in the debate.

Anton Hofreiter, the caucus leader of the opposition Greens - a potential coalition partner for both leaders - said they spent too little time on Germany's future during the debate. He said neither leader spoke about climate protection or education, or said much about the impact of technological development. He scored the debate as a draw on ARD television Monday.

Left Party leader Katja Kipping said: 'issues that I know from speaking to people really worry them barely came up at all.'
A 17-year-old who was found dead in a tent at Reading Festival has been named by police as Matthew Jones.

The teenager, from Leighton Buzzard, Bedfordshire was pronounced dead after emergency services were called to a tent in the campsite at the popular music festival shortly before 2am.

His death is being treated as unexplained, Thames Valley Police confirmed.

An inquest into his death is due to be opened by Oxfordshire County Council's coroner on Tuesday, September 5.

Matthew Jones was named as the 17-year-old boy who was found dead in a tent at Reading Festival

Superintendent Rory Freeman, the festival's police commander, had reassured others attending the event that there is 'no cause for concern'.

He added: 'We will continue to provide support to the boy's family at this difficult time.'

The announcement comes after teenager was stabbed as Kasabian played their headline set at Reading festival, on August 27.

The 18-year-old was attacked with a 'sharp implement' after a fight broke out between several men in the crowds at one of the festival's eight stages.

He was treated by festival medical staff before being taken to Royal Berkshire Hospital. He has since been discharged.

Tens of thousands of music fans attended the event which, along with its sister festival Leeds, which traditionally takes place across the August Bank Holiday weekend.

Security was ramped up at both locations in light of recent terror attacks in Europe with staff conducting rigorous bag checks.

Acts at both festivals included Eminem, Muse, Liam Gallagher and Bastille.
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Traffic in northern Nevada is beginning to back up as thousands of Burning Man revelers depart the annual festival that is set to conclude on Sunday.

Roughly 70,000 people from all over the world traveled near and far for the popular event that kicked off on August 27 in the Black Black Rock Desert, which is about 120 miles from Reno.

A Twitter account dedicated to convey the traffic times for those coming-and-going shared that it will take at least two hours to depart one of the exits.

'Departing: Burningman to HWY is ~1 hour.. Southbound to Wadsworth is 1 hr 58 mins. Northbound from Wadsworth to Gate Road - 2 hour 2 mins,' a tweet sent at 3pm EST from @BurningManTraffic Twitter account reads.

The famed Black Rock City was transformed into a 'metropolis dedicated to community, art, self-expression and self-reliance' where thousands descended upon at the start of the festival.

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Farewell: Traffic in northern Nevada is beginning to back up as thousands of Burning Man revelers depart the annual festival that is set to conclude on Sunday. Above a participant from this year sporting face paint laughs

Roughly 70,000 people from all over the world traveled near and far for the popular event that kicked off on August 27 in the Black Black Rock Desert, which is about 120 miles from Reno

The famed Black Rock City was transformed into a 'metropolis dedicated to community, art, self-expression and self-reliance' where about thousands descended upon at the start of the festival

Those who attend the festival operate on a system of barter trading - swapping items and services for what they need - no money is required. Burners built and maintained a temporary city, complete with its own airport

The psychedelic symposium known as Burning Man was still going strong as it entered its eighth day on Saturday

Saturday marks the height of the festival, where thousands gathered in the evening to witness the lighting of 'the Man'

The 2017 Temple at Burning Man was created by artists Steven Brummond, Marisha Farnsworth, and Mark Sinclair as a place for people to place memorials, to mourn and grieve. It will be burned on Sunday evening to formally conclude the event

The art and music festival runs over nine days until September 4 in Black Rock Desert, which is about 120 miles north of Reno

The theme this year for the festival is designed to honor the ritual humankind has made, that speak of a need to belong to a place

Pictured above is a giant structure of a mechanical woman rising from bed at art and music festival in Black Rock City, Nevada

Giant constructed seahorses are pictured above cascading across desert sands as an estimated 70,000 people enjoyed this year's Burning Man festival

Thousands gathered at near a constructed art installation replicated to look like a tree at this year's Burning Man festival

A Twitter account dedicated to convey the traffic times for those coming-and-going shared that it will take at least two hours to depart one of the exits around 3pm EST. The account is updated throughout the day

In a matter of days, volunteers for the arts and music festival built the state's busiest airport in the middle of an ancient dry lake-bed.

The airport, formally known as 88NV, is constructed every year and averaged as many as 800 takeoffs and landings a day before it's taken down completely at the end of the event, leaving no trace that it ever existed.

As the festival, which began in 1986 as a bonfire, prepares to conclude, several 'temples' that were built according to a theme will be burned down in a ritualistic ceremony on Sunday evening.

A temple was erected commemorating the Golden Spike and participants are invited to visit the shrine and make offerings that embody what Burning Man's culture means to them prior to the ceremony.

In a matter of days, volunteers for the arts and music festival built the state's busiest airport in the middle of an ancient dry lake-beb

On Saturday night, Burners gathered to witness the lighting of the symbolic ritual burning of the huge wooden effigy named the Man, which is pictured above before the burn

Temperatures in the desert have exceeded 100 degrees at times, while punishing dust storms covered most of the desert gala in sand over the past few days

Two burners dressed in eccentric costumes dance the night away at Burning Man festival in the Nevada desert on Saturday night

The 'Rabid Transit' Burning Man art car erupts with flames from it's onboard propane poofers during the seventh night of festivities

Above participants climb atop Death Guild's Thunderdome to watch the fights below, just one of many fantastic attractions constructed at this year's Burning Man festival

The temple this year was created by artists Steven Brummond, Marisha Farnsworth, and Mark Sinclair as a place for people to place memorials, to mourn and grieve.

On Saturday night, Burners gathered to witness the lighting of the symbolic ritual burning of the huge wooden effigy named the Man.

The 50-foot-tall structure towered over the temporary city during the duration of the festival until it was torched as thousands of participants danced and partied on the ancient dry lake bed.

But this year's Saturday night event turned traumatic when an attendee ran straight into the blaze.

Emergency services bravely tried to rescue a festival-goer who ran straight into the Burning Man during Nevada's famous arts and music festival.

The Man was burned during a special ceremony on Saturday night as Burners partied around it

Thousands of participants gather to watch the Man burn on Saturday night in the desert

But one Burning Man participant evaded the attempted tackles of multiple rangers and law enforcement personnel and ran into the flames of the 'Man Burn' on Saturday night

The man who ran into the flames was quickly engulfed as emergency services nobly tried to battle their way through in an attempt to rescue him

Above a firefighter watches as the Burning Man participant (L) falls into the flames of the 'Man Burn' at the festival on Saturday night

Emergency personnel gather in a huddle while they respond to the man who ran into the flames at the festival on Saturday night. It was announced that he died from his injuries on Sunday afternoon at the UC Davis hospital in California

He had to dodge a number of rangers and law enforcement personnel in order to reach the fire, which stretched approximately 50 feet into the air.

Authorities said on Sunday afternoon that the man died after being airlifted to the UC Davis hospital burn center in California. It's unclear if alcohol or drugs played a role in the tragic incident.

The event on Saturday night is traditionally rowdy while the event Sunday night is the subdued burning of the Temple.

The premise of the Burning Man festival is that almost everything is created entirely by its citizens, who are active participants in the experience.

Since money is practically outlawed on the site, 'Burners' are urged to barter for commodities and in the past fans have taken to social media to swap items such as crystals for festival tickets.

Pictured above The Man is engulfed in flames people from all over the world gathered for the annual arts and music festival to watch the wooden effigy burn

The Burning Man (pictured before it was set on fire) stretched up to 50ft into the air in the desert

Lights shining across the temporary city as thousands of participants gather to watch the Man burn prior to it being set on fire Saturday night

In addition to the special ceremonies, dozens of art installations were constructed for the event, some made from wire, others as patterns on the ground and some as immersive experiences.

Stunning photographs showed the larger-than-life art installations that were the focal points of this year's festival theme of Radical Ritual.

The Radical Ritual theme this year is to honor rituals that humankind has made, including the festival.

The event's website says: 'Burning Man is permeated with rituals. These rites speak of soulful need; the desire to belong to a place, to belong to a time, to belong to one another, and to belong to something that is greater than ourselves, even in the midst of impermanence.

'Throughout all ages temples have been built in order to induce these feelings.'
No doubt their respective owners would not want comparisons to be drawn.

But the Foreign Office's pet cat Palmerston has proven himself an adept mouse catcher - outdoing No 10's Larry.

A bizarre freedom of information (FOI) request has revealed that the feline has caught at least 27 rodents since his adoption.

Their respective owners would not want comparisons to be drawn. But the Foreign Office's pet cat Palmerston (left) has proven himself an adept mouse catcher - outdoing No 10's Larry

His rival Larry has a less than formidable reputation. He is more often seen catnapping in the sun and making ill-timed appearances in press photographs.

Earlier this year he was photographed playing with a mouse before allowing it to escape unharmed.

Certainly their bosses - who have been known to occasionally be a bit catty towards each other - would hope for no comparison to their rivalries.

Palmerston has caught dozens of mice in the 16 months since he was adopted from the Battersea Dogs and Cats Home.

The information request revealed that the cat, named after former foreign secretary and two-time prime minister Viscount Palmerston, caught at least 27 in that time.

A bizarre freedom of information (FOI) request has revealed that Palmerston has caught at least 27 rodents since his adoption - while Larry (pictured) merely plays with the rodents

In its response to the information request, the FCO said: 'The FCO does not keep an accurate figure for the amount of mice caught by Palmerston.

'The PUS's (Permanent Under-Secretary, Sir Simon McDonald) office do receive reported sightings of Palmerston catching mice - so far (since Palmerston's arrival in April 2016) this figure is at 27.

'This figure is likely to be much higher as these are only reported sightings.'

The FOI request also reveals that Palmerston is 'usually' fed Whiskas, although much of his food is donated meaning he enjoys a variety of brands.

The FCO said it was unable to provide details of the cost of Palmerston's care but added the bill was met voluntarily by staff.

Whitehall's pet cats have generated plenty of headlines since their introductions to the halls of Government.

Certainly the cats' bosses - Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson (left) and Prime Minister Theresa May (right) - would hope for no comparison to their rivalries

There are now five cats in Westminster: Evie and Ossie, the Cabinet Office cats, Gladstone, Palmerston and Larry.

Also on the street are Rex and Oscar, Philip Hammond's dogs.

Treasury staff have even started a social media account for their cat Gladstone which features bizarre 'interviews' with him.

But unlike his Foreign Office counterpart, he is yet to fulfil his brief - bad news for his boss Chancellor Philip Hammond.

His Instagram biography describes him as 'the most popular colleague at Her Majesty's Treasury, where I catch mice and receive cuddles.'

But he doesn't seem to be all that popular outside No 11 as not a single person follows his account as the story broke.

In the post, the cat - which staff describe as a civil servant  'offers' his political views, which call for 'strong and sustainable economic growth and sound public finances'.

They say the cat's spirit animal would be Mark Carney, who has warned against Brexit.

The felines' bosses have been known to occasionally be a bit catty towards each other

Gladstone is cared for by six members of staff, who all contribute towards his wellbeing and track him on an app.

One member of staff keeps his Instagram up-to-date, posting pictures of the cat and his extensive bow-tie collection.

The story does, however, raise a more serious point about the Freedom of Information Act.

Though officials are happy to provide statistics about mouse catching, they are more reluctant to hand over more important information.

Last year a bid to neuter the act by the NHS, police and town hall bureaucrats was axed following their requests for greater secrecy.

The Government was prompted to look again at the law after the Supreme Court ordered the release of sensitive letters from Prince Charles to ministers giving his views on areas of government policy.

The judges ordered the publication of the 'black spider letters' in response to an FoI request, despite the Government wielding its veto over the release.

Currently, if the press or a member of the public applies for a document, and this request is rejected by a public body, they can lodge a series of appeals to the Information Commissioner and tribunals, ending with judges.

Ministers have a veto over the information.

As of last year, the veto has been used seven times since the FoI Act came into force, most notoriously in relation to the release of Cabinet papers on the build-up to the Iraq war.

At one point during an official review of the law, the Russell Group of universities, which represents Oxford, Cambridge and 22 other leading institutions, demanded they should be exempted from the act, because they are private institutions and not public bodies, even though they receive public money.

The group claimed the laws were not fair and undermined efforts to compete with new privately-run higher education colleges, which are not subject to freedom of information laws.
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Threats from North Korea will be met with a massive military response, US officials said last night after the rogue state announced it had carried out its most powerful nuclear test yet.

The US had many options which could lead to the annihilation of North Korea, Defence Secretary Jim Mattis said.

Any threat to the United States or its territories, including Guam, or our allies will be met with a massive military response, a response both effective and overwhelming, Mr Mattis said.

Kim Jong-un should take heed of the UN Security Councils unified voice. We are not looking to the total annihilation of a country, namely North Korea, but as I said, we have many options to do so.

Earlier, when asked if he planned to attack Pyongyang, Donald Trump replied, Well see, and said he was holding a meeting with his military leaders.

Mr Trump also tweeted that talk of appeasement was pointless because North Korea only understand one thing, as the state promised further tests.

His hard-line rhetoric was prompted by Pyongyangs announcement that it had successfully tested a weapon up to ten times more powerful than the Hiroshima bomb that could kill millions of people.

Kim Jong-un was pictured inspecting the peanut-shaped device  the design and scale of which indicated it had a powerful thermonuclear warhead. State media said it was a bomb intended for an intercontinental ballistic missile

The regime described its testing of the hydrogen bomb as a perfect success. Kim Jong-un was pictured inspecting the peanut-shaped device  the design and scale of which indicated it had a powerful thermonuclear warhead. State media said it was a bomb intended for an intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM). In July, North Korea tested two ICBMs that are believed to be capable of reaching the US mainland.

Analysts say the claims should be treated with caution, but the states nuclear capability is clearly advancing. The UN Security Council will meet today to discuss North Koreas test.

Yesterdays announcement prompted international condemnation, with Prime Minister Theresa May criticising the reckless act and urging a speeding-up of sanctions. She said North Koreas actions posed an unacceptable further threat to the international community and called for tougher action.

Mrs May added that she had discussed the serious and grave threat these dangerous and illegal actions present with Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe during her visit to the country last week.

Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson said the announcement represented a new order of threat before stating that all options are on the table. Yet he cautioned that there were no easy military solutions, saying North Korea could basically vaporise large sections of the South Korean population if the West attacks.

The hydrogen bomb's power is adjustable and can be detonated at high altitudes, North Korea said (Kim pictured in photos released on Sunday)

Yonhap, South Korea's official news agency, reports the quake struck where North Korea's nuclear test site Punggye-ri is located

When asked outside church whether an attack was possible, the president (pictured left, with the First Lady, and right with a cleric) only said, 'We'll see'

Shortly after leaving church and before Mattis's comments, Trump said that the US was 'considering... stopping all trade with any country doing business with North Korea'

South Korean president Moon Jae-in said claims of North Koreas sixth nuclear test should be met with the strongest possible response, including new sanctions. Japans chief cabinet secretary Yoshihide Suga said measures should include restrictions on the trade of oil products.

Meanwhile, China, North Koreas only major ally, declared its resolute opposition and strong condemnation of the announcement, saying the state had ignored widespread opposition.

Russia, which has also backed the state, said the test defied international law and urged all sides involved to hold talks.

Mr Trump initially responded to the news by firing off a series of tweets hinting at military action.

The detonation was announced by news anchor Ri Chun-hee (pictured), who has been making proclamations on Korean Central Television for more than 40 years

Appeasement with North Korea will not work, they only understand one thing, he said. He also branded the country a rogue nation whose words and actions continue to be very hostile and dangerous to the United States. Mr Trump later announced that he would consider suspending trade with countries that do business with North Korea  which includes China.

Last month, he resolved to respond to North Koreas nuclear threats with fire and fury like the world has never seen.

The White House said Mr Trumps national security team was monitoring [the situation] closely. But any military action will be opposed by China and Russia, who share a border with the state and will not accept US-backed neighbours.

News of the states sixth nuclear test emerged after South Korea reported a magnitude 5.7 earthquake, which the North said was triggered by the detonation of the thermonuclear device. The earthquake was several times stronger than from previous blasts and reportedly shook buildings in China and Russia.

This picture released by the North Korean government late last week shows the last test launch by the country

It came a decade after North Koreas first nuclear test and represents a significant escalation of its programme. North Korea last carried out a nuclear test in September 2016. A week ago, Pyongyang fired a missile over Japanese territory in its most provocative test before yesterdays announcement.

Although the earthquake and the release of photographs of Kim suggest the device was real, there has been no independent verification. North Korea said there would be no radioactive materials to prove the hydrogen bombs existence because it was detonated underground.

But a US intelligence expert said there was no reason to doubt that the state tested an advanced nuclear device.

Melissa Hanham, of the James Martin Centre for Nonproliferation Studies, told the BBC: There is no way of telling if this is the actual device that was exploded in the tunnel  it could even be a model  but the messaging is clear.

They want to demonstrate that they know what makes a credible nuclear warhead.

How a hydrogen bomb works: North Korea's new device could yield a devastating blast thousands of times more powerful than Hiroshima or Nagasaki

North Korea claimed on Sunday to have successfully tested an hydrogen bomb, but what exactly makes an H-bomb different from a nuke?

Thermonuclear weapons, informally known as hydrogen bombs or H-bombs, are more advanced and powerful types of atomic weapons.

The earliest atom bombs, including those dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki, were fission bombs that split atoms into pieces.

H-bombs are two-stage weapons, which use an initial fission reaction to trigger a fusion reaction, smashing the nuclei of atoms together in the same nuclear process that powers the sun.

Photos released yesterday show the country's leader Kim Jong-un inspecting the hydrogen device that it promised would be loaded on a new intercontinental ballistic missile

Overhead pictures of Punggye-ri nuclear test site from August 17, published by 38 North. The detonation occurred close to this location, and vibrations were felt in China and Russia

The result of the fusion design is a devastating blast that can be thousands of times more powerful than traditional atomic bomb designs, which have an upper yield limit of about 500 kilotons.

Thermonuclear weapons can additionally use the fusion reaction to trigger a second fission reaction, with no theoretical upper limit on yield. The largest weapon ever tested was a Russian device with a 50,000 kiloton yield.

NORTH KOREA'S NUCLEAR TESTS October 9, 2006: 0.7-2 kilotons May 25, 2009: 2-5.4 kilotons February 12, 2013: 6-16 kilotons January 6, 2016: 7-10 kilotons September 9, 2016: 15-25 kilotons September 3, 2017: 100 kilotons Advertisement

The US first tested a hydrogen bomb in 1952, with a 1,000 kiloton yield. H-bombs have never been used in war.

Experts believe the latest North Korean device exploded with a 100 kiloton yield, which could be within the yield range of either traditional atomic or thermonuclear weapons.

Either way, it seems clear the test was of a powerful nuclear weapon capable of destroying swaths of a city.

'We have nothing to cause us to doubt that this was a test of an advanced nuclear device,' one US intelligence official told Reuters, speaking on condition of anonymity.

The US official said, however, that it would take some time to complete a thorough analysis of the size of the blast and type of device detonated.

Top US military officials responded to the North Korean test by alluding to the possibility of 'total annihilation' for the secretive regime.
Ministers are planning a clampdown on 'crack cocaine' gambling machines after Chancellor Philip Hammond backed down over the issue.

Fixed-odds betting terminals (FOBTs) have long caused concerns among campaigners including the Church of England over the 'devastating' effects they have on users.

But the issue has caused a split between the Treasury, which fears losing the tax takings from bookmakers' profits, and the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS).

Mr Hammond now appears to have backed down after he confirmed that a long-awaited review of the betting industry's use of the machines will be published this autumn.

Fixed-odds betting terminals (FOBTs) have long caused concerns among campaigners over their 'devastating' effects on users. While the Treasury, has long feared losing the tax takings from bookmakers' profits, it appears Chancellor Philip Hammond (pictured) has backed down over the issue

Players can gamble away up to 18,000 an hour on FOBTs. They can be highly addictive, which is why they are known as the 'crack cocaine of the gambling world'.

The Church has been outspoken in its opposition to the machines, with Dr Alan Smith, the Bishop of St Albans, leading the criticism.

He said FOBTs are responsible for debt, the break-up of families and rising levels of violence. The bishop has urged the Chancellor to publish a review of the machines, which was begun by the DCMS.

He said users were 'blowing huge amounts of money thinking this will solve things, something that requires them to perform the most extraordinary mental gymnastics'.

In his reply to the bishop, Mr Hammond said that the review was proceeding and played down suggestions that the two departments had clashed over the issue, The Observer newspaper reported.

'Recent media reports on the status of the review of gaming machines and social responsibility measures are entirely without foundation,' Mr Hammond wrote.

Fixed-odds betting terminals can be highly addictive, and users can gamble away up to 18,000 an hour

'Both I and my department fully support DCMS's work to ensure the UK's gambling regime continues to balance the needs of vulnerable people, consumers who gamble responsibly, and those who work in this sector.'

Last month, reports quoted Whitehall sources saying that the Treasury feared that cutting the stakes would prove 'financially crippling' and wanted the review scrapped.

Gambling addiction charities want the stakes on the roulette machines to be limited to 2.

Currently, gamblers can play casino games with a stake of up to 100 every 20 seconds. The gambling industry is resisting attempts to limit the stakes.

The Daily Mail has led the way in highlighting the harm caused by the machines, demanding action to protect the vulnerable.

A DCMS spokesman said: 'The Government is undertaking a review of stakes and prizes of gambling machines, which includes FOBTs. It will be published in the autumn.'
Video footage shows Austin Allen, 31, attacking correctional officers at Cook County Jail in Chicago

This is the shocking moment an inmate who was jailed for domestic battery fought at least a dozen guards even after they pepper sprayed him.

Austin Allen, 31, lunged at a guard in the hallway of Cook County Jail in Chicago and dragged him to the ground.

It is not known why he decided to attack and the incident is still under investigation. The brawl lasted four-and-a-half minutes, with the officers pinning Allen to the ground in the final two minutes.

However, officials said he entered an unauthorized area prior to the attack.

In the video, two other correctional officers attempt to pry Allen off of the guard.

A third officer grabs the guard in distress' feet to yank him out from underneath the inmate.

During the violent brawl one officer broke his leg when Allen pulled him to the ground, according to NBC 5 Chicago.

At least 19 officers were seen attempting to subdue Austin Allen during the prison brawl on August 24

A minute into the video, seven officers surrounded Allen who had ripped off his shirt. He stands up and walks back towards the officers and three pepper sprayed him.

A total of 19 different correctional officers appeared in the footage that lasts nearly five minutes.

The inmate grabs towards the pepper spray and lunges towards an officer again then approximately a dozen officers attempt to subdue him. Allen swings at an officer, striking his head, and then several officers start punching at the inmate.

For the final two minutes of the video, between 10 to 12 officers hold down Allen and appear to handcuff him.

After an officer was dragged out from underneath Allen, he stood back up to confront the other guards who pepper sprayed him

One officer broke his leg during the assault. Allen is now facing charges of aggravated battery and two counts of felony resisting

The dramatic footage was captured on August 24. Allen, who was in jail on a charge of domestic battery, is now facing charges of aggravated battery and two counts of felony resisting. His bail was initially set at $5,000.

Cook County Sheriffs Office said three correctional deputies were treated for non-life threatening injuries.

Cook County Jail Executive Director Nneka Jones Tapia told ABC 7 Chicago: 'I don't know what precipitated the event, and hopefully that will come out in the investigation.'
A man is fighting for his life and his shooter is on the run after a man was found with gunshot wounds to his head inside a car in then Victorian town of Rosebud.

Police found a man, 31, suffering a gunshot wound to the head about 8.10pm on Sunday night.

He was discovered inside a four-wheel drive on Eastbourne Road in Rosebud, and a section of the road remained partially closed well into Monday morning.

Detective Inspector Michael Hughes told reporters on Monday the attack was targeted, and 'very specific with shots fired into the car'.

A man aged in his 30s was rushed to hospital by air ambulance (pictured) after police found him inside a car suffering a gunshot to his head

Kristie Oakes, who lives nearby the crime scene, told The Herald Sun she saw both the back and passenger windows of the vehicle had been smashed in.

Ms Oakes, a mother-of-four, says the peaceful area had become a hotbed of crime.

'Crime is definitely getting a lot worse,' she said. 'Drugs have taken over the whole town.'

Earlier in the day, the man had spent about four hours enjoying Father's Day lunch with his parents before his mother dropped him off at a nearby milk bar.

'[She] dropped him off, kissed him goodbye and told him she loved him,' Det Insp Hughes said.

The man's shooter is now on the run, and police say they are yet to make any arrests

'She last saw him sitting on a seat outside the milk bar, where we believe he was later picked up by the friend who was with him when he was shot.'

It is then believed he was picked up by a friend, and the pair were heading to the RSL to get a drink when the man was killed.

The man was rushed to The Alfred hospital by air ambulance in a critical condition. As of Monday morning, his condition had not improved.

Police are still investigating the circumstances surrounding the shooting.

A spokesperson confirmed to Daily Mail Australia no arrests have been made in relation to the incident.

Anyone with information is urged to contact Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000.
Military invasion. Sending in a hit squad. Tougher sanctions. Over the past months, with increasing alarm, world leaders have analysed every option in the battle to halt Kim Jong-un and his nuclear ambitions.

But after his latest military exercise, another strategy is being discussed: cyber-warfare.

Just days ago, Theresa May refused four times to rule out whether our Government would employ such covert techniques to attack and sabotage North Koreas computer networks by using viruses.

Her caginess is, of course, understandable. When dealing with maverick dictators such as Kim Jong-un, it makes no sense to tell the world what cards you hold, or indeed, whether you are considering playing them.

When dealing with maverick dictators such as Kim Jong-un, it makes no sense to tell the world what cards you hold, or indeed, whether you are considering playing them

But after his latest military exercise, another strategy is being discussed: cyber-warfare

However, what is the reality of Britains cyber-warfare capabilities? Is the Government really capable of mounting sophisticated electronic attacks that could cripple Kims nuclear missile programme? How exactly would we do it? And who else would be doing it?

Naturally, the world of state-operated cyber-warfare is highly secret.

But it is possible to make some educated suppositions about what we and the Americans are capable of, and to make a reasonable assessment about whether we could use cyber-warfare against Kim.

Although experts are divided about many specific issues, they agree on one thing  cyber-warfare against the North Koreans is already taking place.

Three years ago, President Obama ordered Pentagon officials to step up such attacks on North Koreas missile programme to sabotage test launches in the moment after lift-off. It was not long before a number of Kims military rockets exploded, veered off course, disintegrated in midair and plunged into the sea.

Such operations are undoubtedly being masterminded by Americas clandestine Office of Tailored Access Operations  or TAO  which is part of the National Security Agency (NSA).

Much of what is known about it comes from the documents stolen by renegade former NSA contractor Edward Snowden, and disgracefully made public  putting at risk the undercover work of spies.

What is unclear is whether British agencies such as GCHQ in Cheltenham (pictured), or the various units that comprise the militarys Joint Forces Cyber Group, have been assisting with these attacks

With several hundred employees, many being the most elite computer hackers on the planet, TAO is thought to have already carried out successful cyber-attacks that have gathered intelligence from North Korea.

What is unclear is whether British agencies such as GCHQ in Cheltenham, or the various units that comprise the militarys Joint Forces Cyber Group, have been assisting with these attacks.

We have to assume that the UK has been assisting in some way, says Dr Andrew Futter, of the University of Leicester. There are certainly links with GCHQ and the NSA, and Britain is one of the foremost cyber-powers in the world.

If we assume that Britain and the US are working together to cripple North Koreas nuclear missile programme, how are they doing it?

The most important thing to bear in mind is that hacking into Kims missile facilities is certainly not like hacking a bank or email account. For a start, as the most secretive and isolated state in the world, North Korea is scarcely connected to the internet, which means that few, if any, of its computers and networks are accessible.

And ironically enough, the secretive countrys backwardness is an advantage.

The North Koreans do not use the same technology as the rest of the world, says Conor Deane-McKenna, a researcher in cyber-warfare at Birmingham University. Much of it is older and outdated, which means that it cant even connect to the internet. And theres no doubt that every computer and person associated with the missile programme wont be online.

Thus Korean military teams will physically visit the location of the target network, and connect some form of hardware  such as a USB stick or a laptop  so TAO, for example, can gain access remotely.

This method is thought to have been successfully used by the Americans and the Israelis against Irans Natanz nuclear facility in 2012 and 2013, during which a computer worm was responsible for crippling scores of uranium enrichment centrifuges.

However, to work against the North Koreans, a human agent would have to be involved.

Of course, if the real world were like Hollywood, that agent would gain access to the regimes missile programme computers, plug in a memory stick, and watch with satisfaction as Kims missiles blew up on their launch pads.

Although that may still happen, its most likely that there are much more mundane techniques being used.

These may involve nearby ships from the US Navy or Royal Navy.

The American military has a huge presence in the area  with an estimated 40,000 personnel in Japan and 35,000 in South Korea, while using the island of Guam as a permanent aircraft carrier. Pictured: US Navy ships and planes off GUam

Indeed, the American military has a huge presence in the area  with an estimated 40,000 personnel in Japan and 35,000 in South Korea, while using the island of Guam as a permanent aircraft carrier.

Reports suggest there are more US military personnel in Japan than in any other country. According to Department of Defense data, they are stationed across 112 bases.

Headquartered in Japan, the Seventh Fleet is the largest of the US Navys deployed sea forces, with up to 70 ships and submarines, 140 aircraft and about 20,000 sailors in the Indian Ocean and the Pacific.

The USS Ronald Reagan, a nuclear-powered aircraft supercarrier, is permanently deployed in Japan, as the fleets flagship carrier.

Dr Futter concedes that this infrastructure could be being used for cyber-warfare.

After all, he says, it has long been suspected that the Israelis managed to cripple the Syrians air defence radar with some sort of drone, so its not implausible a ship could be used.

Some have speculated that the relatively high failure rate of North Koreas missiles means the Americans or the British have hacked into their systems and sabotaged their efforts.

In any case, cyber-warfare works on two levels. Not only is it a potent weapon, but its very existence gives the enemy a crisis of confidence.

You need to think of it as psychological warfare, says Dr Futter. You use it to sow the seeds of doubt.

So whenever something goes wrong with a missile, the North Koreans are worried whether it is a problem with their engineering, or whether they have actually been cyber-attacked.

Its for this reason that Theresa May did not rule out the use of cyber-warfare.

Considering the expertise of the Pentagon and GCHQ, this is surely not a bluff. Indeed, security experts say the public would be shocked to learn the extent of details such organisations can find about the most personal aspects of our daily lives.

Meanwhile, Kim Jong-un and his generals are trying to keep one step ahead  and have their own cyber-boffins trying to sabotage Americas infrastructure.

Earlier this year, a report on cyber vulnerabilities commissioned by the Pentagon warned that North Korea might acquire the ability to cripple the American power grid.

What is certain is that global power is no longer based on economic and military might (even with Pyongyangs display of hydrogen bomb technology), but on having better cyber experts than your enemies.
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Kim Jong-un has realised his dream of fitting a nuclear bomb inside a long-range ballistic missile, according to South Korea, amid fears he is plotting yet another rocket test within days.

North Korea has announced it has successfully tested a weapon up to ten times more powerful than the Hiroshima bomb that could kill millions of people.

The trial sparked international outrage with the US warning it could launch a 'massive military response' to any threats from the rogue state.

But South Korea this morning claimed dictator Kim has successfully miniaturised a nuclear weapon to fit onto a missile and believes Pyongyang plans to carry out a new intercontinental ballistic missile test imminently.

'We believe it fits in an intercontinental ballistic missile,' Song Young-Moo told a parliamentary briefing, a day after Pyongyang's biggest nuclear test to date.

There are fears the tyrant may chose September 9, North Korea's Day of the Foundation of the Republic, to carry out a spectacular new trial. The same date was chosen last year by North Korea to conduct its fifth nuclear test, marking 68 years since Kim Il-sung came to power.

This morning, Russia warned America against starting a fight with Pyongyang, claiming that 'no country has the right to take unilateral action' and that a 'clumsy step can lead to an explosion'.

Seoul and the US said this morning it will deploy more anti-missile defences to bolster The Terminal High-Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) system that is already installed in the South.

Kim Jong-un (pictured hosting a meeting today) is plotting another ballistic test it has emerged this morning after Seoul simulated its own missile raid on the North in the wake of the dictator's hydrogen bomb test

South Korea's Hyunmoo II ballistic missile was fired during an exercise at an undisclosed location in South Korea on Monday

A solider mans a K-9 self-propelled howitzer as he prepares for a military exercise in Paju. President Trump's tweeted on Sunday saying the South's 'talk of appeasement' would not work with North Korea

South Korean troops fire Hyunmoo Missile into the waters of the East Sea as a military exercise. President Moon said on Sunday that claims of North Korea's sixth nuclear test should be met with the 'strongest possible' response, including new sanctions

The astonishing photos show that South Korea is preparing for the worst case scenario following Pyongyang's provocative detonation of what it claimed was a miniaturized hydrogen bomb. The army fired Hyunmoo II ballistic missiles during an exercise at an undisclosed location

South Korea Defense Ministry released photos showing F-15K planes dropping what was described as SLAM-ER bombs at an undisclosed location on the east coast of South Korea

There was no let-up in the war of words this morning with Pyongyang describing South Korea's 'puppet' army as 'scabby sheep' and warning they face 'world-level military power'.

In a string of new developments this morning, it emerged:

North Korea's nuclear test was measured at 50 kilotons making it the country's strongest ever amid earlier fears a strike on the South could kill up to four million

US has called on the UN Security Council to impose the 'strongest possible measures' against North Korea

No atmospheric radiation has been detected despite fears of a leak from a 'cave in' caused by the nuclear test

South Korea warned that Pyongyang is preparing another launch to test its intercontinental ballistic missile

Seoul will temporarily deploy four remaining launchers for a controversial US THAAD missile defence system

Donald Trump warned the US is considering halting trade with 'any country doing business with North Korea'

Pyongyang described South Korea's army as 'scabby sheep' and warned they face 'world-level military power'

Russia warned the US against starting a unilateral fight with North Korea and called for a diplomatic solution

China said it had lodged 'stern representations' as part of an official protest with North Korea over its test

Neutral Switzerland said it was prepared to be a mediator between North Korea and the United States

Last night, the South's military conducted a live-fire exercise simulating an attack on the North's nuclear site, hitting 'designated targets in the East Sea', the report added, quoting the Joint Chiefs of Staff.

Pictures showed South Korean short-range Hyunmoo ballistic missiles roaring into the sky in the pale light of dawn from a launch site on the country's east coast. Authorities released video showing South Korean F-15K fighter jets firing air-to-ground missiles.

The weapons accurately hit their targets in the East Sea - the Korean name for the Sea of Japan - the South's Joint Chiefs of Staff said in a statement.

The exercise 'was carried out as a strong warning' to the North for conducting its sixth nuclear test, it added.

The training involved long-range air-to-surface missiles and ballistic missiles.

The country is also preparing fresh military drills with its ally the United States in response to North Korea's sixth and most powerful nuclear test a day earlier.

'The training came in response to the North's sixth nuclear test... and involved the country's Hyunmoo ballistic missile and the F-15K fighter jets,' it said.

South Korea's military conducted a live-fire exercise simulating an attack on the North's nuclear site, hitting 'designated targets in the East Sea', according to the country's Joint Chiefs of Staff. Pictured above, South Korean President Moon Jae-in

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un participates in a meeting with the Presidium of the Political Bureau of the Central Committee of the Workers' Party of Korea in Pyongyang today

The tests came after North Korea conducted its sixth and most powerful nuclear test on Sunday - in violation of UN resolutions - which it said was an advanced hydrogen bomb for a long-range missile

South Korea's Hyunmoo II ballistic missile is fired during an exercise at an undisclosed location in South Korea this morning

South Korean army's K-1 tanks move during a military exercise in Paju, South Korea, near the border with North Korea, this morning

US Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) system equipment is seen at a former golf course in the southern county of Seongju this morning. The country's defences are set to be bolstered today

A Boeing CH-47 Chinook military helicopter airlifts items toward a golf course in Seongju, southeast of Seoul, South Korea, amid reports the country is bolstering its missile defences today

The South's military said the range to the simulated targets were equivalent to the North's Punggye-ri nuclear test site in its northeastern province.

The South's environment ministry will also announce on Monday its approval of an environmental assessment report for the deployment of a controversial U.S. anti-missile defense system, a ministry official told Reuters.

Media in Seoul this morning also called for the country to consider building its own nuclear weapons amid a growing threat from its northern neighbour.

North Korea described its testing of the hydrogen bomb as a 'perfect success' over the weekend and this morning launched a verbal offensive at its enemies, belittling South Korea as America's 'puppet marine corps'.

A state newspaper described the South's military as 'scabby sheep' who were trying to 'kick off war hysteria, backed by the US'.

'If we fire, they will die. This is the inescapable fate of the puppet warmongers.

'The puppet military gangsters should always be mindful that if they pretend to be brave, they would not save their skins as they have neither measure nor capability to cope with the ensuing consequences.

'It is as foolish an act as exposing the neck under straw cutter to dare counter the world-level military power equipped with powerful nuclear striking means.

South Korean Defense Ministry in Seoul shows South Korea's missile system firing Hyunmu-2 missile into the East Sea

South Korean soldiers are seen preparing K-9 self-propelled howitzers during a military exercise in Paju, South Korea, near the border with North Korea,

When asked outside church whether an attack was possible, the president (pictured left, with the First Lady, and right with a cleric) only said, 'We'll see'

Shortly after leaving church and before Mattis's comments, Trump said that the US was 'considering... stopping all trade with any country doing business with North Korea'

'If the south Korean puppet forces continue to go reckless, misjudging the surging resentment and will of our army and people, they would face a horrible disaster.'

Kim Jong-un was pictured inspecting the peanut-shaped device  the design and scale of which indicated it had a powerful thermonuclear warhead. State media said it was a bomb intended for an intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM). In July, North Korea tested two ICBMs that are believed to be capable of reaching the US mainland.

Analysts say the claims should be treated with caution, but the state's nuclear capability is clearly advancing. The UN Security Council will meet today to discuss North Korea's test.

Yesterday's announcement prompted international condemnation, with Prime Minister Theresa May criticising the 'reckless' act and urging a speeding-up of sanctions. She said North Korea's actions posed an 'unacceptable further threat to the international community' and called for 'tougher action'.

Mrs May added that she had discussed the 'serious and grave threat these dangerous and illegal actions present' with Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe during her visit to the country last week.

Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson said the announcement represented 'a new order of threat' before stating that 'all options are on the table'. Yet he cautioned that there were no easy military solutions, saying North Korea could 'basically vaporise large sections of the South Korean population' if the West attacks.

South Korean president Moon Jae-in said claims of North Korea's sixth nuclear test should be met with the 'strongest possible' response, including new sanctions. Japan's chief cabinet secretary Yoshihide Suga said measures should include restrictions on the trade of oil products.

Meanwhile, China, North Korea's only major ally, declared its 'resolute opposition and strong condemnation' of the announcement, saying the state had 'ignored' widespread opposition.

This morning, Russia, under Vladimir Putin (pictured today in Xiamen, China) warned America against starting a fight with Pyongyang, claiming that 'no country has the right to take unilateral action' and that a 'clumsy step can lead to an explosion'

US President Donald Trump, however, still criticized Seoul on Sunday, saying 'their talk of appeasement with North Korea will not work'

The detonation was announced by news anchor Ri Chun-hee (pictured), who has been making proclamations on Korean Central Television for more than 40 years

This picture released by the North Korean government late last week shows the last test launch by the country

However, Beijing today criticised President Donald Trump's threat to cut off U.S. trade with countries that deal with North Korea and rejected pressure to do more to halt the North's nuclear development.

Russia, which has also backed the state, said the test defied international law and urged all sides involved to hold talks.

But Moscow's Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov added this morning that any clumsy steps regarding North Korea could make the situation worse and a political resolution was needed for the crisis.

'Those who are stronger and smarter should show restraint,' Ryabkov told reporters at a BRICS summit in China. 'Any clumsy step could lead to an explosion,' he said, adding that no country 'the right to take unilateral action'.

The United States warned it could launch a 'massive military response' to threats from North Korea.

And US Defense Secretary Jim Mattis said on Sunday he is not looking 'to the total annihilation of a country' but warned: 'We have many options to do so.'

Meanwhile, the UN Security Council will meet on Monday on North Korea's nuclear test at the request of the United States, Japan, Britain, France and South Korea, the US mission to the United Nations said in a statement.

The 15-member Security Council will meet at 10am EST on Monday, the US mission said.

As tensions increased today, neutral Switzerland is prepared to act as mediator to help resolve the North Korea crisis, including by hosting ministerial talks, Swiss President Doris Leuthard said on Monday.

Leuthard said Swiss troops were deployed on the demarcation zone between South Korea and North Korea and the country had a long history of neutral diplomacy. But China and the United States had to take their share of responsibility, she added.

North Korea has been under U.N. sanctions since 2006 over its ballistic missile and nuclear programs.

Typically, China and Russia only view a test of a long-range missile or a nuclear weapon as a trigger for further possible UN sanctions.

US Defense Secretary Jim Mattis said on Sunday that the members of the Security Council 'remain unanimous in their commitment to denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula'.

In a terse statement outside the White House on Sunday afternoon, Mattis said that Trump had been briefed on each of the 'many military options' available.

'We made it clear that we have the ability to defend ourselves and our allies, South Korea and Japan, from any attack and that our agreements with our allies are iron-clad,' he said.

US Defense Secretary Jim Mattis said on Sunday that the members of the Security Council 'remain unanimous in their commitment to denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula'

Japan urged Washington last week to propose new sanctions after Pyongyang fired a medium-range missile over North Japan on Tuesday. Pictured above, Japan's Prime Minister Shinzo Abe

People gather and look at the news of their country's latest nuclear test seen on the screen, in Pyongyang, North Korea, on Sunday

North Korea's border county of Kaepoong is seen from a South Korean observation post in Paju near the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) dividing two Koreas

PROBE OVER NUCLEAR LEAK FEARS Japan and China say they have not yet detected any atmospheric radiation from North Korea's nuclear test, amid fears of a leak from a 'cave in' during the underground blast. Japan's top government spokesman Yoshihide Suga told reporters there was 'nothing special detected from monitoring posts across the country', nor from air samples taken by the Air Self-Defense Force after Sunday's blast. China's environment ministry said Monday that radiation levels near its Korean border were also normal. 'Results of monitoring make clear that this North Korean nuclear test as of now has produced no effect on our nation's environment or the public,' the ministry wrote on its official website. Japanese defence minister Itsunori Onodera said Sunday that Tokyo had deployed 'sniffer' planes capable of detecting radioactive particles. Fears of a leak from North Korea's detonation of what it claimed was a hydrogen bomb came after Chinese monitors detected a second tremor shortly after the initial earthquake triggered by the blast. The monitors said the second tremor, of 4.6 magnitude, could be due to a 'collapse (cave in)', suggesting the rock over the underground blast had given way. The resulting explosion was considerably larger than previous tests and was felt by residents in Chinese cities hundreds of kilometres (miles) from the North's border. Advertisement

'Any threat to the United States or its territories including Guam, or our allies, will be met with a massive military response, a response both effective and overwhelming.'

He urged Kim Jong-Un to 'take heed' of the UN Security Council's 'unified' objection to the test of the 100-kiloton bomb test, which caused a 6.3-magnitude earthquake.

'We are not looking to the total annihilation of a country - namely North Korea,' Mattis concluded, 'but as I said, we have many options to do so.'

He, and Gen. Joseph Dunford, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, who had been present but silent throughout, then left without answering any questions. President Trump was not seen during the announcement.

The council last month unanimously imposed new sanctions on North Korea over its two long-range missile launches in July.

The resolution aimed to slash by a third the Asian state's $3billion annual export revenue by banning exports of coal, iron, lead and seafood.

Diplomats have said the council could now consider banning Pyongyang's textile exports and the country's national airline, stop supplies of oil to the government and military, prevent North Koreans from working abroad and add top officials to a blacklist to subject them to an asset freeze and travel ban.

Japan urged Washington last week to propose new sanctions after Pyongyang fired a medium-range missile over North Japan on Tuesday.

The United States traditionally drafts resolutions to impose sanctions on North Korea, first negotiating with China before formally involving the remaining 13 council members.

Following the nuclear test on Sunday, Britain, Japan and South Korea pushed for new UN sanctions, while China and Russia said they would 'appropriately deal' with North Korea.

Daniel Russel, until April the US assistant secretary of state for East Asia and now a senior fellow at the Asia Society Policy Institute, told Reuters: 'We should expect an uptick in Chinese and Russian pressure on both North Korea and on the United States.'

'We should also expect 'more of the same' from China (and Russia) in claiming that the US is also to blame and calling on Washington to appease Pyongyang with front-loaded concessions and placate it with dialogue, despite the fact that North Korea is clearly only interested in dictating terms, not in negotiating,' he said.

Any new sanctions would build on eight resolutions ratcheting up action against Pyongyang over five nuclear tests, four long-range ballistic missile tests and dozens of medium-range rocket launches.

The past three substantial resolutions have taken between one and three months to negotiate.

A resolution needs nine votes in favor and no vetoes by the United States, Britain, France, Russia or China to pass.

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres condemned North Korea's nuclear test on Sunday as 'profoundly destabilizing for regional security' and called on the country's leadership to cease such acts

How a hydrogen bomb works: North Korea's new device could yield a devastating blast thousands of times more powerful than Hiroshima or Nagasaki

North Korea claimed on Sunday to have successfully tested an hydrogen bomb, but what exactly makes an H-bomb different from a nuke?

Thermonuclear weapons, informally known as hydrogen bombs or H-bombs, are more advanced and powerful types of atomic weapons.

The earliest atom bombs, including those dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki, were fission bombs that split atoms into pieces.

Photos released yesterday show the country's leader Kim Jong-un inspecting the hydrogen device that it promised would be loaded on a new intercontinental ballistic missile

Overhead pictures of Punggye-ri nuclear test site from August 17, published by 38 North. The detonation occurred close to this location, and vibrations were felt in China and Russia

H-bombs are two-stage weapons, which use an initial fission reaction to trigger a fusion reaction, smashing the nuclei of atoms together in the same nuclear process that powers the sun.

The result of the fusion design is a devastating blast that can be thousands of times more powerful than traditional atomic bomb designs, which have an upper yield limit of about 500 kilotons.

NORTH KOREA'S NUCLEAR TESTS October 9, 2006: 0.7-2 kilotons May 25, 2009: 2-5.4 kilotons February 12, 2013: 6-16 kilotons January 6, 2016: 7-10 kilotons September 9, 2016: 15-25 kilotons September 3, 2017: 100 kilotons Advertisement

Thermonuclear weapons can additionally use the fusion reaction to trigger a second fission reaction, with no theoretical upper limit on yield. The largest weapon ever tested was a Russian device with a 50,000 kiloton yield.

The US first tested a hydrogen bomb in 1952, with a 1,000 kiloton yield. H-bombs have never been used in war.

Experts believe the latest North Korean device exploded with a 100 kiloton yield, which could be within the yield range of either traditional atomic or thermonuclear weapons. Later estimations put it closer to 50 kilotons.

Either way, it seems clear the test was of a powerful nuclear weapon capable of destroying swaths of a city.

'We have nothing to cause us to doubt that this was a test of an advanced nuclear device,' one US intelligence official told Reuters, speaking on condition of anonymity.

The US official said, however, that it would take some time to complete a thorough analysis of the size of the blast and type of device detonated.

Top US military officials responded to the North Korean test by alluding to the possibility of 'total annihilation' for the secretive regime.

South Korea's official news agency reports the quake struck where North Korea's nuclear test site Punggye-ri is located
Most of us have, at some stage, been seated next to a less-than desirable character on a flight.

But some of these stories really take the biscuit. Travellers have taken to an online forum to share the most 'disturbing' things a seat neighbour has done on a plane, and it's not pretty.

From leery men to the first-class passenger so inebriated on a flight to Los Angeles she poured her drink over a woman's lap in a fit of rage - these tails of woe will have you wincing in empathy.

Behave: Travellers have taken to an online forum to share the most 'disturbing' things a seat neighbour has done on a plane (stock image)

Drunken rage

Writing on Quora, frequent flyer Julie Benson-Grant recanted a first class flight she took from Boston to LA.

'The person seated next to me had already spent a considerable amount of time in the airport bar,' she explains. 'As she continued to drink and get drunker, she became more obnoxious.

'I tried hard not to respond to her, and asked the flight attendants to not serve her any more alcohol. Big mistake.

'I was just about to the end of my tether when she made one last insult and turned her glass of orange juice over into my lap.' The woman was promptly moved to economy, according to Julie.

One man shared a flight to Los Angeles to Portland with a severely overweight neighbour with a profuse sweating problem (stock image)

Blanket thief

Rajesh Sundaram, a designer, was on an Air India flight from Delhi to San Francisco when his horror story unfolded.

'My seat mates were an Afghan guy and his little brother,' he writes. 'After a peaceful five hours of sleep I woke up to find that my in-flight headphones were missing.

'Turned left and saw the little brother was using them. Not a big issue. I was okay with that.'

Rajesh added: 'After some minutes I dozed off again. Somewhere along the line, I felt my comforter was being pulled.

'I opened my eyes and saw the guy was cleaning his teeth using my comforter, while his own comforter was on him. My eyes opened wide in shock. He seemed indifferent.'

Excess weight

Andy Enright, an American sales rep, shared his tale from a packed flight from Los Angeles to Portland.

'A very large gentleman took the seat next to me,' he writes. 'He legitimately did not fit in the seat. Also, he was sweating profusely.

'Within five minutes of his sitting down he asked me if I wouldn't mind raising the arm rest as it was hurting his side. His body was literally molding around the arm rest and he was very much in my seat. I did mind and didn't allow the arm rest to be raised. I needed some sort of barrier.

'Fast forward 2.5 hours and my right side is soaked in his sweat. As we left he muttered that it was rude that I didn't raise the arm rest.'

Wakey wakey: Another passenger flying from Delhi to San Francisco awoke to find his seat neighbour cleaning his teeth on his fellow flyer's blanket (stock image)

Leery men

Several contributors described encounters with inappropriate men.

One, a teacher and mum, wrote: 'I was breastfeeding my first child, and at only 21 was an inexperienced mother.

'A couple on the flight had an argument so the husband stormed off up the plane and unfortunately decided to sit next to me. He then proceeded to take far too much interest in my breastfeeding. It was a gross and very uncomfortable conversation.

'If it happened now I'd tell him to get lost.'

Another, businessman Mark Anderson, chimed in: 'Late in the boarding process the guy across the aisle took his phone out and, very openly, began photographing the young female flight attendant.

'He was very deliberate, taking photos as she reached up into the bins or bent over to check seatbelts. And then he spent a lot of time just looking at the photos, again quite openly. It was almost like he wanted her to know.'

But perhaps none of these stories can quite compare to this next one.

I was just about to the end of my tether when she made one last insult and turned her glass of orange juice over into my lap

Surprise corpse

Tyler Cooke, an engineering student, told the story of a business flyer called Dave who he once met in passing.

'He was on a long flight to Asia on a fully loaded 747,' Tyler relays. 'About midway through the flight he noticed that the man sitting beside him in the middle seat seemed awfully pale and unwell.

'He tried to wake the man from his apparent slumber, but was unable. Eventually he got the attention of the flight attendant, who managed to find a medical doctor. The doctor pronounced the passenger dead shortly thereafter.

'Unfortunately, there were no empty seats on the flight, so Dave had to fly the remainder of the flight next a corpse (which was covered with a blanket).'

Sleep talking

And one frequent flyer even revealed himself to have been the dodgy seat neighbour.

Coby J Bolger, admits: 'I am sorry to confess that I was the unacceptable seatmate. I was on a flight from Madrid to Miami.

'I had a half a glass of wine and fell asleep exhausted. The plane was dark and quiet. I dont know exactly what happened, but in my sleep I had a terrible dream, gripped the lapels of my seatmate and calmly said "theres something wrong with the plane".

'The poor guy woke up with a start and luckily he didnt slug me out of reflex. He kindly patted me and said "everything is just fine, dont worry". I answered "oh, thank you", turned my back to him and fell deeply asleep again.

'When I woke up again I was mortified.'
What is it about a royal romance that can capture the imagination of an entire nation?

From the ultimate real-life fairytale of America's Sweetheart Grace Kelly marrying her Prince, to the enduring and unrequited love between Queen I and Robert Dudley, and the Crown Prince of Denmark meeting his future bride in the unlikeliest of places... the pub, these real life fairytales come in all forms.

To celebrate the release of Victoria & Abdul, the incredible true story of the unlikely friendship between Queen Victoria and her Indian servant Abdul Karim, here are are nine of the most amazing, inspiring, scandalous and tragic royal relationships throughout history.

Grace Kelly and Prince Rainier III

'The wedding of the century': The romance between Grace Kelly and Prince Rainier III of Monaco is one of the most celebrated in history

She was America's sweetheart, and he was a real life prince. It's little wonder the romance between Grace Kelly and Prince Rainier III of Monaco is one of the most celebrated in history.

In April 1955, fresh from winning an Oscar for The Country Girl, Kelly attended the Cannes Film Festival, where she met Prince Rainier.

The couple courted in secret, writing letters to each other, until Rainier visited the US in December, when he proposed.

America's Sweetheart and the Prince: The royal couple were married until Princess Grace's tragic death following a car accident in 1982

Their wedding in April 1956 was a sensation, and dubbed 'the wedding of the century'. The ceremony was watched on TV by an estimated 300 million people around the world.

The couple had three children, Caroline, Albert and Stephanie, and remained together until her tragic death following a car accident in 1982, aged 52.

Henry VIII and Anne Boleyn

She was the woman who, in some ways, acted as the catalyst behind the establishment of the Church of England.

King Henry the VIII was so besotted with Anne Boleyn that he went to enormous lengths to please her and win her hand.

Not only did he lavish riches upon, but her he also gave her titles, including creating the title of Marquess of Pembroke for her, the first peerage granted to a woman.

That's commitment: King Henry VIII was so besotted with Anne Boleyn he separated England from the Catholic Church in order to annul his first marriage and wed her

Henry went against the Catholic Church by annulling his first marriage to Catherine of Aragon and marrying Anne, causing the Pope to excommunicate him.

The Church of England separated from Rome and Henry named himself Supreme Head of the Church of England.

You'd think such a fierce passion would result in a life long romance, but after just three years of marriage, during which Anne only produced a daughter and failed to give Henry an heir, he began courting Jane Seymour, his eventual third wife.

In order to end his marriage to Anne, he accused his wife of high treason and she was subsequently beheaded at the Tower of London.

Shah Jahan and Mumtaz Mahal

True love: Mumtaz Mahal was the favourite wife of the fifth Mughal Emperor of India, Shah Jahan. Despite having numerous wives, he only had children with her

The fifth Mughal Emperor of India, Shah Jahan, built the Taj Mahal in tribute to his wife, who died in childbirth with their 14th child.

The couple were betrothed when they were 13 and 15, and married five years later.

Unlike so many royal unions, theirs was said to be true love. When they married, Arjumand Banu Begum became Mumtaz Mahal, as well as her husband's closest advisor.

And although, in keeping with tradition, the Shah had many wives, she was his favourite, and the only one with whom he fathered children.

When she tragically passed away, the Shah was devastated. He commissioned the magnificent marble mausoleum Taj Mahal as her final resting place.

Magnificent tribute: Devastated by her death giving birth to their 14th child, the Shah had the Taj Mahal built as her final resting place

Queen Victoria and Prince Albert

Queen Victoria's marriage to her first cousin Prince Albert was one of the most successful and celebrated royal unions, lasting from 1840 until Albert's death from typhoid in 1861.

Although he was a close family member, Albert was named as a potential suitor for Victoria, ahead of her Coronation in 1937.

They became engaged after Queen Victoria proposed in 1939 - Albert wasn't allowed to propose to a monarch - and the pair married the following year.

An iconic marriage: Queen Victoria famously entered a long mourning period following the death of her beloved Prince Albert in 1861

On her wedding night, Victoria wrote in her diary: 'I NEVER, NEVER spent such an evening!!! MY DEAREST DEAREST DEAR Albert ... his excessive love & affection gave me feelings of heavenly love & happiness I never could have hoped to have felt before! He clasped me in his arms, and we kissed each other again & again!

'His beauty, his sweetness and gentleness  really how can I ever be thankful enough to have such a Husband! ... to be called by names of tenderness, I have never yet heard used to me before  was bliss beyond belief! Oh! This was the happiest day of my life!'

The couple had nine children, and Victoria famously entered a long period of mourning following his death, and subsequently only wore black clothing for the rest of her life.

Many say she only partially recovered from the loss thanks to her friendship with the young Abdul Karim, her Indian servant, in the later years of her life.

Queen Victoria and Abdul Karim While Prince Albert was undoubtedly the great love of her life, Queen Victoria found happiness later in life in the companionship of others. In the 1860s, her closeness to her Scottish manservant John Brown caused controversy. Yet another friendship at the very end of her reign was the source of much scandal, and is the inspiration for a new film starring Judi Dench. As Empress of India, Victoria requested servants from India in 1887 as part of her Golden Jubilee celebrations. Happiness again: In her later years, the Queen found companionship in her Indian servant, Abdul Karim One of them, 24-year-old Abdul Karim, quickly became the Queen's favourite, and the pair formed a close bond that would last until her death in 1901. Over the years, devoted Abdul became one of the Queen's closest confidants, gave her lessons in Hindustani and nurtured the monarch's infatuation for his exotic homeland, including a love of curry. She signed letters to him, your closest friend and your loving mother and gifted him with homes and servants of his own. Silver screen: Their friendship is the inspiration for the new film Victoria & Abdul, starring Judi Dench and Bollywood star Ali Fazal Following her death, the royal family sought to erase evidence of Queen Victorias close relationship with her Munshi, destroying letters and mentions of him in her diaries, and it was largely forgotten until Abduls own journals were rediscovered by author Shrabani Basu in 2010. A new film, Victoria & Abdul, is based upon Basus book of the same name, and stars Oscar winner Judi Dench as Queen Victoria and Bollywood star Ali Fazal as Abdul.

Victoria & Abdul, the film Victoria & Abdul tells the extraordinary true story of the amazing and unlikely friendship between Queen Victoria (Judi Dench) and a young clerk, Abdul Karim (Ali Fazal). The Indian native went on to become the Queen's teacher, spiritual advisor, and her devoted friend. The film, from Academy Award-nominated director Stephen Frears (The Queen), is in cinemas on September 14.

Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Phillip, Duke of Edinburgh

Teen crush: Queen Elizabeth II, then Princess Elizabeth, fell for Prince Phillip when she was just 13 years old

Then Princess Elizabeth was just 13 years old when she fell for the dashing Phillip of Greece and Denmark.

She had met the handsome Royal Naval Officer twice before, but it was when he was tasked with escorting her and sister Margaret during a tour of the Royal Naval College in 1939 that a mutual affection developed.

They exchanged letters for several years until Phillip asked Elizabeth's father the King for her hand in marriage in 1946.

Enduring love: The royal couple have been married for 70 years in November

An official announcement was made after Elizabeth's 21st birthday the following year. Phillip gave up his Greek and Danish titles and converted to the Church of England in order to marry his Princess.

Phillip has been by his wife's side since their wedding in November 1947, and their marriage is the longest of any British monarch.

Since Elizabeth's coronation in 1952, Phillip has been the longest serving consort of a British monarch, although he recently retired from royal duties.

Crown Prince Frederik and Crown Princess Mary

Cinderella story: Mary Donaldson met Frederik, the Crown Prince of Denmark in a Sydney pub during the 2000 Olympics

It was the dubbed the modern day Cinderella story. Mary Donaldson walked into a Sydney pub during the 2000 Summer Olympics and was introduced to Frederik - who just happened to be the Crown Prince of Denmark.

Mary and 'Fred' embarked on a secret romance they managed to keep under wraps for more than a year, despite the Prince's frequent trips to Australia to visit her.

After their relationship was outed in the press, Mary moved to Paris and then Denmark to be closer to her royal beau.

Happy family: The couple married in 2004 and now have four children together

The couple announced their engagement in October 2003, and married the following May.

Their lavish wedding received as much fanfare in Mary's native Australia as that of Prince Charles and Princess Diana.

Mary and Frederik have now been married for 13 years and have four children, Christian, Isabella, and twins Vincent and Josephine.

Princess Margaret and Peter Townsend

Never to be: Princess Margaret scandalised the nation when her romance with Captain Peter Townsend, a married man 16 years her senior, became known

As fans of this year's hit series The Crown will well know, Queen Elizabeth's sister Princess Margaret was head over heels in love with Group Captain Peter Townsend, who was both married and 16 years her senior.

After his divorce and their secret romance became public knowledge, the pair hoped to marry, but required the Queen's consent.

Elizabeth asked them to wait until Margaret was 25 and the couple endured two years of waiting, as Captain Townsend was posted to Brussels.

Passionate: Their ill-fated romance has been a subject of the hit series The Crown

Despite the Queen wishing to support her sister's happiness, the Church of England and British parliament refused to accept the union between a member of royal family in the line of succession for the throne, and a divorcee.

Princess Margaret eventually issued a statement announcing that she would put her duty and faith ahead of love and not marry Townsend. Five years later, she accepted photographer Antony Armstrong-Jones' proposal, reportedly just one day after Captain Townsend announced his intention to marry someone else.

Queen Elizabeth I and Robert Dudley

The Virgin Queen: Elizabeth I was in love with her childhood friend Robert Dudley, the Earl of Leicester (pictured Joseph Fiennes and Cate Blanchett portraying the pair)

She may have been the Virgin Queen, but Elizabeth I is said to have spent most of her life in love with her childhood sweetheart. Many believe being unable to marry Robert Dudley, who was not royal, was her motivation for remaining unwed until her death.

After ascending the throne, the Queen bestowed many honours upon the Earl of Leicester, and made him part of her inner circle in the Court, where he was one of her closest advisors.

When his wife Amy Robsart died after falling down the stairs, many were suspicious that it was a plot to free Robert to marry the Queen. But Elizabeth never married.

Robert did not marry again for another 18 years, when he finally wed the Countess of Essex in the hope of producing an heir.
She was able to use her talents behind the camera to tell a story close to her heart.

And on Saturday, Angelina Jolie attended the Telluride Film Festival in Colorado to debut her based-on-a-true-story drama, First They Killed My Father.

The star made it a family affair, as she brought along each of her six children.

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Promoting her work: On Saturday, Angelina Jolie, 42, attended the Telluride Film Festival in Colorado to debut her based-on-a-true-story drama, First They Killed My Father

A family affair: The star made it a family affair, as she brought along each of her six children. (L-R) Shiloh, Zahara, Vivienne, Pax , Knox and Maddox Jolie-Pitt along with Peter Sellars, Loung Ung, Kimhak Mun, Ted Sarandos, Sareum Srey Moch

The film, which was having it's Telluride premiere, is based on the book by Loung Ung, a human-rights activist who survived the Khmer Rouge regime in Cambodia and later escaped to America at 10-years-old.

Angelina's son, Maddox Chivan Jolie-Pitt, 16, is a native of Cambodia, and is also an executive producer of the film, having helped on the project since it's told from a child's perspective.

The Oscar-winner directed, produced and co-wrote the film.

Credit: Angelina's son, Maddox ,16, (far right) is a native of Cambodia, and is also an executive producer of the film, having helped on the project since it's told from a child's perspective

Pretty: For the premiere, Angelina, 42, wore a chic, white dress adorned with delicate detail around the neckline and sleeves

For the premiere, Angelina, 42, wore a chic, white dress adorned with delicate detail around the neckline and sleeves.

The mother-of-six wore her shoulder-length brown hair down and blow-dried straight.

The 42-year-old kept her make-up fresh and natural, choosing to highlight just her eyes with liner and deep shadow.

The story behind the movie: Loung Ung, 47, and the real-life woman behind the book and movie, suffered under the treacherous Communist regime from the ages of five through 10. She is pictured on the right

Their big event: Actors Kimhak Mun and Sareum Srey Moch were also present. Sareum plays Loung's character in the drama

Happy: The talented little ones hugged their director tightly

Loung Ung, the real-life woman behind the book and movie, suffered under the treacherous Communist regime from the ages of five through 10.

Sareum plays Loung's character in the drama.

Following the movie's screening, audience members gave the film a standing ovation, with many predicting several Oscar nominations in the near future, according to EW.

First They Killed My Father premieres on Netflix on September 15.

Stars align: Natalie Portman, 36, also attended the festival

Posing up a storm: Natalie joined forces with fellow actress Emma Stone

Taking to the mic: The Hollywood beauty took part in a Q&A with Angelina

Centre stage: Billie Jean King, Alice Waters and Peter Sellars (from left to right) were also taking part in the panel discussion

Premiere: At one point, Angelina held little Sareum close

Hard work pays off: The twosome were able to enjoy their finished product

Coming soon: First They Killed My Father premieres on Netflix on September 15

Also attending the festival was Gary Oldman, 59.

The actor stars as Winston Churchill in the based-on-a-true story drama, Darkest Hour.

Actor Wes Studi, 69, also came out in support of his film, Hostiles, which co-stars Christian Bale.

Oscar-bait: Also attending the festival was Gary Oldman, 59. The actor stars as Winston Churchill in the based-on-a-true story drama, Darkest Hour
It is perhaps the most eagerly anticipated event of any self-respecting reality star's calendar.

So it's only natural that the elite force of the television world flocked in their droves to attend Dawn Ward's aptly named Creme De La Creme Ball.

Love Island ghosts of past and present were seen to exit the Hilton Hotel in Manchester on Saturday, with Olivia Buckland, Alex Bowen, and Gabby Allen all attending the exclusive soiree.

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Party time: Love Island ghosts of past and present were seen to exit the Hilton Hotel in Manchester on Saturday, with Olivia Buckland, Alex Bowen, and Gabby Allen all attending the exclusive Creme De La Creme party

Olivia, 23, clad her curvaceous frame in an elegant dusky pink Lipsy ballgown, which boasted an asymmetric shoulder to tease at her famous cleavage.

The gown featured a draped skirt, which gathered at the middle thus flaunting her tattoo-adorned pins.

She further elongated her legs with a pair of strappy heels, and puckered up for a kiss from her 24-year-old scaffolder beau.

Red hot: Gabby Allen, 26, dressed to impress in a form-fitting red midi Lipsy dress, which fanned out at her ankles in a fishtail skirt

Sheer delight: Olivia, 23, clad her curvaceous frame in an elegant dusky pink Lipsy ballgown, which boasted an asymmetric shoulder to tease at her famous cleavage

Macho man: Alex, who popped the question to Olivia in New York in January, ensured that his muscular pins took centre stage by wearing a pair of eye-wateringly tight black skinny jeans tucked into back boots

Ladies' man: The handsome reality star certainly proved to be a popular hit with female passers-by

Her shoulder-grazing blonde locks were teased into tousled curls and Olivia finished off her red carpet ensemble with immaculate make-up that came complete with a dark nude lip.

Alex, meanwhile, ensured that his muscular pins took centre stage by wearing a pair of eye-wateringly tight black skinny jeans tucked into black boots.

He slipped a tan blazer over his bulging biceps, looked as proud as punch to have his gorgeous woman on his arm.

The duo are currently in the process of planning their big day, following Alex's romantic proposal in New York at the end of December, after he had whisked Olivia away to the Big Apple for her birthday.

Leggy lady: Olivia's gown featured a draped skirt, which gathered at the middle thus flaunting her tattoo-adorned pins - the duo were joined by their former Love Island co-star Tina Stinnes

Perfect pair: The blonde beauty and her fiance Alex made sure to cuddle up together on their arrival to the bash

Exciting: The duo are currently in the process of planning their big day, following Alex's romantic proposal in New York at the end of December

Pals: They had been joined by their former co-star Tina Stinnes. The blonde beauty, who has appeared on Made In Chelsea, dazzled in a one-shouldered gown, similar to that of Olivia's

They had fallen for each other on the second series of Love Island that had aired over the summer of 2016, with the pair later moving in together in Essex - where they now share a pet pooch, Reggie.

They had been joined by their former co-star Tina Stinnes. The blonde beauty, who has appeared on Made In Chelsea, dazzled in a one-shouldered gown, similar to that of Olivia's, for the bash.

It boasted a thigh-high split at the centre of its skirt and pretty embellishments around the bodice.

Tina's blonde locks were styled into soft curls and she completed her ensemble with glamorous make-up and a sweep of highlighter across her cheeks.

Class of 2017: Gabby was in attendance to represent for this year's series of Love Island

Rubbing shoulders: She was seen catching up with Olivia, as the girls stunned while cuddling up for photographs together

Leading lady: They made sure to get acquainted with the night's glamorous host, Real Housewives of Cheshire star Dawn Ward

Meanwhile, Gabby, 26, made sure to represent the Love Island class of 2017, as she attended dressed to impress in a form-fitting red midi Lipsy dress, which fanned out at her ankles in a fishtail skirt.

The dress featured a bardot shoulder, which flaunted her decolletage, and added a quirky touch with a pair of fluffy black heeled sandals.

She emphasised her pretty features with perfectly applied make up complete with contouring and added lashings of mascara to open out her eyes.

The gym instructor from Liverpool styled her blonde tresses into curls, and matched her black tassel earrings to her shoulder bag.

Quirky: Gabby's dress featured a bardot shoulder, which flaunted her decolletage, and added a quirky touch with a pair of fluffy black heeled sandals

Glamorous: She emphasised her pretty features with perfectly applied make up complete with contouring and added lashings of mascara to open out her eyes

Elegant: The gym instructor from Liverpool styled her blonde tresses into curls, and matched her black tassel earrings to her shoulder bag

Flying solo! Gabby was without her Love Island beau Marcel Somerville at the event

She had shot to stardom on Love Island's third series, arriving as a latecomer to the villa on the ITV2 dating series.

Gabby went on to find love with former Blazin' Squad star Marcel Somerville and the duo became the first couple on the series to make their romance 'official'.

Now the show has wrapped and the duo are back on home soil, Gabby and Marcel's romance appears to be going from strength to strength, with reports recently revealing the rapper has asked his reality star love to move in with him.

They had finished in fourth place on the show, losing out on the 50,000 cash prize to winners Kem Cetinay and Amber Davies.

Her evening out proved to be something of a Love Island reunion for Gabby, as she was seen arriving with her co-star Georgia Harrison, 22.

Dazzling: Georgia Harrison, 22, was also in attendance, wearing a slinky white bodycon maxi dress which hung off her slender frame

Work it: She sported heavy make up to make the most of her striking features, and slicked back her dark blonde hair to further draw attention to her visage

Heartbroken: The star was recently left heartbroken after breaking up with her Love Island beau, Sam Gowland, via a Twitter message

Showing him what he's missing! Georgia has remained friends with her ex-beau despite their break up

The former TOWIE star looked sensational in a slinky white bodycon maxi dress which hung off her slender frame.

She sported heavy make up to make the most of her striking features, and slicked back her dark blonde hair to further draw attention to her visage.

The star was recently left heartbroken after breaking up with her Love Island beau, Sam Gowland, via a Twitter message. Georgia had first accused Sam of 'cheating' on her when revealing they had ended their romance, but later backtracked and insisted things simply hadn't worked out between them.

Both she and Sam reassured fans that they have stayed 'friends' in the wake of their break up.

Strike a pose: Big Brother star Nikki Grahame, 35, wore a pin-flashing grey shift dress, which featured sequin embellishments

Chic: She styled her brunette tresses into curls, and happily posed with fans who all clamoured to take photos with her

Making an impact: Nikki shot to stardom when she appeared on Big Brother in 2006, and became famous for her temper tantrums and diary room meltdowns

Pals: Olivia and Nikki threw their arms around one another in a warm embrace

Also in attendance had been former Big Brother star Nikki Grahame, 35, wore a pin-flashing grey shift dress, which featured sequin embellishments.

She styled her brunette tresses into curls, and happily posed with fans who all clamoured to take photos with her.

Nikki shot to stardom when she appeared on the reality series back in 2006, and became famous for her temper tantrums and diary room meltdowns.

She was joined by TOWIE star Gemma Collins who oozed glamour as she arrived at the event held at Watford Hall in Cheshire.

Stealing the show: Also in attendance had been TOWIE star Gemma Collins who oozed glamour as she arrived at the event held at Watford Hall in Cheshire

Beaut: Gemma looked simply stunning in the gown that skimmed over her curvaceous frame, nipping in at the waist to accentuate her slimmed down figure of late

High spirits: Inside the bash, she was seen cuddling up to former Gogglebox star Sandi Bogle

Having a ball: The girls appeared to be having a whale of a time as they caught up with one another on the dance floor

She appeared to steal the show in a slinky black satin frock that boasted a wrap-over design.

Gemma looked simply stunning in the gown that skimmed over her curvaceous frame, nipping in at the waist to accentuate her slimmed down figure of late.

She is currently filming for the new series of The Only Way Is Essex and recently enjoyed a cast trip to Marbella with her co-stars on the show.

Prior to jetting out to the Spanish party resort, Gemma had revealed that she is often left feeling anxious over TOWIE's trips away due to feeling conscious about her weight.

Eye candy: Gemma appeared to be in her element as she posed along two muscular men sporting just leaf pants inside the venue

Cheers! She was seen cuddling up to a male companion sat alongside her at the table

She told Closer magazine: 'I do get anxiety over my weight. When we film abroad it's a nightmare for me. You never see me sitting around the pool and I do miss out on a lot of fun.

'I feel like a trapped prisoner and I don't feel free to enjoy myself.'

Despite her candid confession, however, Gemma oozed body confidence in her sophisticated number that she paired with metallic peep-toe heels and her blonde tresses perfectly coiffed into a voluminous blow-dry.

Sporting statement earrings, Gemma made sure to impress at the event as she completed her ensemble with a sleek make-up look that came complete with bronzed cheeks and a pastel pink lip.

Gorgeous: Former Hollyoaks' star Jorgie Ported, meanwhile, looked incredible in a racy semi-sheer bodycon dress that sheathed her svelte frame

Catching up: Jorgie was seen rubbing shoulders with Kieron Richardson and Gemma Merna

Picture perfect: Coronation Street star Kym Marsh stunned at the event alongside her beau Matt Baker

Delightful: Ex On The Beach star Jess Impiazzi (L) opted for a vampy ensemble while Claire Caudwell (R) sported a show-stopping glitzy pink gown

Taking centre stage: Party host Dawn ensured she was dressed to impress in a form-fitting white lace frock that sheathed her lithe frame

Animated performance: Former X Factor star Fleur East had entertained guests at the bash

Former Hollyoaks' star Jorgie Ported, meanwhile, looked incredible in a racy semi-sheer bodycon dress that sheathed her svelte frame.

She teamed it with a pair of nude court heels and swept her blonde locks up into a tousled yet glamorous top knot, as well as an immaculate make-up look.

Other guests in attendance including Ex On The Beach star Jess Impiazzi and Coronation Street Kym Marsh, who had been joined at the party by her beau Matt Baker.

Guests were entertained by former X Factor star Fleur East, who appeared to put on an animated performance up on stage - riling up guests as they took to the dance floor.

Great spirits: Clad in an embellished red all-in-one, Fleur put on an energetic performance

Lovely: She looked fabulous in her stage getup that she complemented with a slick of bright red lipstick

Reality beauties: Made In Chelsea's Tina (L) posed up a storm on arrival, as did Ex On The Beach's Jess (R)

Besotted: Olivia and Alex, meanwhile, appeared to be inseparable at the bash

Glitzy gowns: Lauren Simon and Dawn (R) were all smiles as they posed for a photograph together - they had been joined by their new co-star Rachel Lugo (L) who dazzled in blue

Smile! Sandi Bogle made sure to get a snap with the bash's scantily-clad entertainers

Love Island fan? Nikki was seen cosying up to this year's stars of the show Georgia (R) and Gabby (L)

Beaming: Alex and Olivia appeared in great spirits as they enjoyed their evening together
During his lifetime, Prince Albert was the archetypal Victorian patriarch who came to symbolise a new age of respectability.

But the second series of the ITV drama Victoria will include the explosive claim that Queen Victorias husband may actually have been illegitimate.

In the hit Sunday night drama, Albert attends the funeral of Ernest I, Duke of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha, the man he has always assumed was his father.

But as he struggles to come to terms with his grief, the Prince discovers a dark family secret that casts doubt on his own paternity.

The second series of the ITV drama Victoria will include the explosive claim that Queen Victorias husband, Prince Albert (played by Tom Hughes, above), may actually have been illegitimate

The controversial storyline in episode four of the new series  to be shown on September 17  is likely to divide historians.

A source close to the production said: Its an explosive storyline because, if Prince Albert was indeed illegitimate, what would that mean to his marriage to Victoria? Victoria would have married an impostor and goodness knows what the implications of all that would be.

The drama will portray Albert as totally unaware of the long-standing court gossip surrounding his paternity until he attends Ernests funeral in 1844. His world is turned upside-down by the bombshell revelation.

The insider said: There had always been speculation about Alberts father but it was not something people wanted to dwell on. It was certainly something they did not want to share with him.

Is Albert the son of his uncle Prince Leopold (Alex Jennings, pictured in the drama with Victoria, played by Jenna Coleman)?

In the drama, when Albert discovers the truth it rocks him and we will see him spiral out of control as he struggles to come to terms with the revelation.

The shows claim is not the first time questions have been asked about Alberts paternity, but it will give the issue a fresh and controversial airing.

In the past, there has been speculation that Alberts father may have been a Jewish courtier or his mothers former lover, Baron Alexander von Hanstein, or that Alberts uncle Prince Leopold, played by Alex Jennings in the series, was his father.

Or is Baron Alexander von Hanstein his father? Von Hanstein was once the lover of Alberts mother Princess Louise (left), who endured an unhappy marriage to Alberts legal father, Ernest I (right)

The speculation stems from the fact that the marriage between Alberts mother, Princess Louise, and her husband Ernest was a deeply unhappy one. Ernest, 17 years older than Louise, was a cruel man who cheated on her constantly.

For her own part, Louise appears to have found comfort in the arms of other men. In 1824, the couple separated and set up dual residences with Louise banished from court and having to say goodbye to Albert and his older brother Ernest.

Two years later, the marriage was officially dissolved and Louise secretly married her former lover, von Hanstein. Her new-found happiness was short-lived, however, and she died of cancer in 1831.

Julian Fellowes, the Oscar-winning dramatist who wrote the screenplay for the film The Young Victoria, said he was aware of speculation about Alberts paternity but had never heard of the rumours regarding his uncle.

Lord Fellowes said: Most people thought von Hanstein was the man. If it was true  and it is quite unprovable  she was driven to it by her husbands cruelty and infidelity, and quite honestly, her son Ernest and her husband were both significantly unattractive, so perhaps we are all in von Hansteins debt.

He added: Someone may be trying to explain Leopolds devotion to Albert, but he was just as devoted to his niece, Victoria, and another nephew, Ferdinand, whom he made King Consort of Portugal.
She's been through her fair share of ups and downs, that would make for compelling TV viewing.

And as the Real Housewives of Sydney gears up for season two, The Sun Herald reports Foxtel could persuade Roxy Jacenko to join the cast.

It comes after the 37-year-old PR queen ruled out the opportunity, previously telling Fairfax Media it's not for her.

A natural for reality TV? Rumours are rife that Roxy Jacenko, 37, could be persuaded to join the Real Housewives of Sydney in its second season, according to The Sun Herald

Insiders believe Roxy 'could be talked around' to star on the hit reality TV show.

The mother-of-two has certainly been through challenging times over the past year, including husband Oliver Curtis' imprisonment for conspiring to commit insider trading, and a breast cancer diagnosis.

There has also been moments of joy including Oliver's second marriage proposal and her PR business going from strength to strength.

Perfect fit? According to the publication, some believe Roxy 'could be talked around' to star on the reality franchise

Turn of events: A second marriage proposal by husband Oliver Curtis, who spent time behind bars, could make for captivating television

Foxtel producers have had their eye on Roxy, ever since April last year.

At the time, the entrepreneur turned down the role, because the 'girls can get really catty'.

She told OK! magazine: 'I've actually been asked to do it, but it's not something I'd ever do.

'I enjoy watching The Real Housewives Of Melbourne but girls can get really catty and I don't want to get involved with that.'

And during an appearance on Nova's Fitzy and Wippa in April this year, Roxy was adamant that her life is more than just attending fancy soirees and drinking champagne.

'I don't want to get involved with that': However, Roxy told OK! magazine in April last year that starring on the reality franchise is not something she would ever do

'I am not a housewife': And during an appearance on Nova's Fitzy and Wippa in April this year, Roxy was adamant that her life is more than just attending fancy soirees and drinking champagne

'I am not a housewife. I go to work every day. I work,' she told radio co-hosts Ryan 'Fitzy' Fitzgerald and Michael 'Wippa' Wipfli.

Meanwhile according to reports, current stars Lisa Oldfield and Athena X Levendi are set to be on the chopping block, after their on-camera behaviour crossed the line.

The Daily Telegraph cited in June this year, that Foxtel's executive director Brian Walsh, called a meeting where he expressed his desire to fire the twosome.

'The intensity of the fighting was too much, and these two ladies were at the centre of the incidents that went too far,' said a source.
Reports emerged earlier this year that the eight-year relationship between actress Diana Glenn, 43, and former Underbelly Vince Colosimo, 50, was on the rocks.

And on Sunday, it was confirmed that the two have definitely called it quits, with The Sunday Telegraph reporting that Diana has become engaged to new partner Adam Zammit.

The media industry personality announced the happy news on social media last week by posting a loved-up image of himself and Diana in front of Sydney Harbour Bridge.

'I asked this perfect human to marry me': The Sunday Telegraph reported this week that Adam Zammit (left) had proposed to Dianna Glenn (right) with the actress accepting the offer

'I asked this perfect human to marry me after a great bottle of red and zero emojis and she said yes!' Adam captioned the photo. 'So much love for this girl.'

Another image shows the couple with the words 'engaged' written over them.

The notoriously private Diana shares three-year-old son Massimo with previous partner Vince.

In July, Woman's Day reported that the couple had been struggling in their relationship for months, despite being pictured looking happy as they attended the Australian Open together last year.

Wedding bells! Adam took to social media last week to announce the happy news

A source who is close to the couple allegedly told the magazine at the time that the strained relationship was just one aspect of his life that people around him were worried about.

'Everyone is extremely worried about Vince. His friends have closed ranks - it seems this time they're fearful there's something really wrong,' the source said.

The Janet King actor has struggled in his personal life recently, most notably thanks to his legal troubles after he was found guilty of drug possession.

Vince hinted at difficulties in the relationship after he appeared in court in January, revealing: 'This has caused me, my family and friends grief.'

It's over! The engagement confirms that Diana's relationship with troubled actor Vince Colosimo (left) is officially over

Meanwhile, Adam Zammit has also been part of a high-profile relationship in the past.

He was once married to former model Michelle Leslie, who was convicted of smuggling ecstasy tablets into Bali, Indonesia in 2005.

After she and Adam called time on their relationship, Michelle started a new romance with Silverchair frontman Daniel Johns.

In happier times: Adam was once married to convicted drug smuggler Michelle Leslie (left)
He's the ex-pat Australian actor who is also doting dad to children Stella, 24, Claude, 18 and Harry, 15.

And Simon Baker, 48, has revealed that the secret to being a great father is 'constantly being there' for his children.

Speaking to Stellar on Sunday, the Mentalist star said that it was also imperative to allow children to be themselves.

Attentive: Simon Baker, 48, has revealed the secret to being a great father to his children is 'constantly being there'

'It's not easy being a parent. There are times when you do it, when you're successful and there are times when you're not,' he told the publication.

'That's the challenge...you just have to be constantly there. And when I say 'there,' I mean in a way where you allow them to be themselves an you let them know and you make them aware that you love them, right?'

Simon, who got his start on the short-lived soap E Street, added that it was more important for his children to have self-belief than it was for him to posses the same trait.

Family first: Simon shares three children with wife Rebecca Rigg - Stella, 24, Claude, 18 and Harry, 15 (all pictured)

Let them grow: 'That's the challenge...you just have to be constantly there. And when I say 'there,' I mean in a way where you allow them to be themselves an you let them know and you make them aware that you love them, right?'

'I'd rather have my kids have a belief in themselves more than i have a belief in myself,' he said.

'But also they [should] have empathy and understanding and compassion. I think only they can find that in themselves. So, as a parent, I guess you want them to grow up feeling comfortable in who they are. And curious.'

Simon covers the latest issue of Stellar magazine and cuts a dapper figure in a sleek suit vest, shirt and tie.

He tied the knot with actress wife Rebecca Rigg in 1998 after dating for five years. The family have lived in Los Angeles since 1996, despite a brief return to Australia in 2005.

Both Simon and Rebecca are also close with fellow ex-pat actresses Naomi watts and Nicole Kidman who are the godmothers of Stella and Harry.
She's made a career from flaunting her figure in scantily-clad attire.

And Playboy model Simone Holtznagel looked to enjoy the perks of fame, during a VIP shopping trip in Sydney's Darlinghurst on Saturday.

The 24-year-old slipped into a figure-hugging emerald green frock and was seen clutching a champagne glass.

Model perks! Playboy star Simone Holtznagel, 24, clutched a champagne glass and got the VIP treatment on a shopping trip in Sydney's Darlinghurst on Saturday

Simone mingled with shop assistants while perusing the fashion collections.

Slipping into an emerald green silk frock, the form-fitting design skimmed over her hourglass figure.

The plunging neckline offered a hint of cleavage, while Simone's pert derriere was accentuated upon turning.

Curves ahead! Slipping into an emerald green silk frock, the form-fitting design skimmed over her slender waist and pert derriere

Low-key: Another ensemble saw the Wollongong-born personality sporting a white T-shirt with the French word for yes on the front, and high-waisted skinny leg jeans

The blonde beauty's long locks fell in relaxed waves behind her toned shoulders, and her facial features were enhanced with a porcelain complexion, defined brows, lashings of mascara and a matte red lip.

Another ensemble saw Simone dressed down in a white T-shirt with the French word for yes, Oui, on the front, and high-waisted jeans.

The top's stretchy fabric skimmed over her ample bust, while the denim clung to her trim pins.

Notoriety: Simone rose to fame after competing in the 2011 season of Australia's Next Top Model

Simone rose to fame after competing in the 2011 season of Australia's Next Top Model.

The Wollongong-born personality placed third behind Montana Cox and Liz Braithwaite.

Since then, Simone has featured on the cover of Playboy's 'College Issue' and appeared in campaigns for Guess and Bras N Things.
She's the Bachelor star who has just wrapped up a romantic New Zealand babymoon with fiance Dean Vee.

And Bec Chin displayed her burgeoning baby bump and elegant diamond engagement sparkler as she and Dean returned to Sydney on Saturday.

A fresh-faced Bec wore a simple black dress with a scoop neck that showed off her pregnancy curves.

Bumping along nicely: Bec Chin flaunted her burgeoning baby bump and elegant diamond engagement sparkler as she and Dean returned to Sydney on Saturday

Baby belly: A fresh-faced Bec wore a simple black dress with a scoop neck that showed off her pregnancy curves. She also wore a pair of light blue sneakers, a pair of glasses and she had a beige overcoat slung over her arm

She also wore a pair of light blue sneakers, glasses and she had a beige overcoat slung over her arm.

As she pushed her luggage through the terminal, Bec also offered a glimpse of her elegant engagement ring - a beautiful oval diamond set on a ring of pave diamonds.

Fiance Dean, meanwhile, also kept it casual in a light grey jumper, blue chinos and white sneakers while he too carried an overcoat over his arm.

Elegant: As she pushed her luggage through the terminal, Bec also offered a glimpse of her elegant engagement ring - a beautiful oval diamond set on a ring of pave diamonds

Comfortable: Fiance Dean, meanwhile, also kept it casual in a light grey jumper, blue chinos and white sneakers while he too carried an overcoat over his arm

It appeared that the flight took its toll on the loved-up pair with both looking as though they were ready for a nap as they exited the terminal.

Prior to leaving their idyllic Queenstown getaway, Bec found time to share a series of photos from the babymoon.

One photo showed Bec rugged up in a beige overcoat, which obscured her burgeoning baby bump, and a white wool beanie.

Glowing: Bec Chin has shared another series of photos from her idyllic New Zealand babymoon with fiance Dean Vee, that show the 30-year-old looking radiant and loved-up.

Offering a playful smile, Bec turned to face the camera outside a quaint red shed in a picturesque setting.

'Bye for now NZ, she captioned the photo. 'Left home a single lady in the winter, coming home a fiance in the spring. Memories made that will last a lifetime. Especially at this little red shed.

A second photo showed Ben and Dean looking loved-up with the snow, with Dean leaning in to kiss his bride-to-be who was clutching a coffee, while a third featured Bec, in the same beige overcoat, gently patting a horse in a paddock.

Snowmance: One photo showed Ben and Dean looking loved-up, with Dean leaning in to kiss his bride-to-be who was clutching a coffee

Hi neigh-bour: Bec was also seen making friends with the locals, gently patting a horse in a paddock.

With Dean proposing on the getaway, Bec proudly showed off her diamond sparkler on her Instagram Story.

In her first selfie posted, Bec and Dean are all smiles sitting beside each other at the Stratosfare Restaurant & Bar in Queenstown.

Now that's a stunner! Bec Chin has proudly shown off her beautiful oval diamond set on a ring of pave diamonds on her Instagram Story

She places her hand across his chest showcasing the stunning ring on her manicured hand.

The couple then toast their impending nuptials with a celebratory beverage and kiwi fruit wedge.

Eager to show off her sparkling diamonds, the mother-to-be shared another snap after enjoying a delicious lunch at Mt Difficulty Wines.

Celebratory drinks: The couple then toast their impending nuptials with a celebratory beverage and kiwi fruit wedge

What a ring! Eager to show off her beautiful ring, the mother-to-be shared another snap if hand after enjoying a delicious lunch at Mt Difficulty Wines

Placing her hand on top of her fiance's hand, the former Bachelor star tapped her delicate fingers flaunting the elegant ring.

Bec's engagement joy comes after she shared the moment Dean popped the question to her in a series of photos to her legions of fans on social media.

'A THOUSAND YES'S @dean_vee! Because I want you. I want all of you. Forever. You and me, everyday,' she captioned one post.

She said yes! Bec shared a snap of herself with Dean announcing to her fans that he popped the question

Wife-to-be: The couple travelled to New Zealand to enjoy a romantic holiday before the birth of their baby girl in January

Wearing a camel coloured overcoat and white knitted beanie, Bec gazed in to his eyes.

Back in June, Bec announced that she and Dean were expecting their first child together via Instagram.

She shared a video of herself and Dean cutting into a white cake revealing a pink centre, indicating they were having a little girl.
Justin Timberlake is clearly a tennis fan.

The 36-year-old pop star was quite animated indeed while taking in Day 6 of the U.S. Open at Arthur Ashe Stadium in Flushing, Queens.

His 35-year-old actress wife Jessica Biel was sitting next to Justin, at one point sharing a kiss with him, as Roger Federer and Feliciano Lopez played below.

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A fine romance: Justin Timberlake and Jessica Biel were photographed sharing a kiss at Arthur Ashe Stadium in Flushing, Queens on Saturday

At one point, Justin erupted in what appeared to be glee, his mouth wide open as he flung his arms upward and outward, having clenched his hands into fists.

Jessica appeared to be enjoying the match as well, smiling and resting her head against one of her hands as her husband reacted more extravagantly beside her.

Justin had left a short-sleeved button-down blue top open over a blue and black horizontally striped T-shirt, accessorizing with a grey pageboy cap.

Enthused: It was Day 6 of the US Open, and Roger Federer was playing Feliciano Lopez

History: The couple had held their wedding in Italy in 2012, kicking off what's a first marriage for both of them, and they've since welcomed a now two-year-old son called Silas

Triumphant: At one point, Justin erupted in what appeared to be glee, his mouth wide open as he flung his arms upward and outward, having clenched his hands into fists

He'd got a pair of black trousers and some black and white shoes on, and while spotted outside that day had flung a black hoodie over the entire affair.

Meanwhile, Jessica was dressed largely in black except for white shoes and - when she and Justin were seen out - a stylish beige coat that fell to her knees.

The couple had held their wedding in Italy in 2012, kicking off what's a first marriage for both of them, and they've since welcomed a now two-year-old son called Silas.

Enjoyment: Jessica appeared to be enjoying the match as well, smiling and resting her head against one of her hands as her husband reacted more extravagantly beside her

What happened?: Justin was quite animated indeed

Covering this year's August issue of Marie Claire, Jessica's rhapsodized about her marriage: 'We have similar values; we believe in loyalty, honesty. We like to have fun.'

She's gone on: 'We like a lot of the same things. Also, in the business, we're all very career-oriented, and you have to be a little selfish,' the actress has allowed.

'I understand that about my peers - about being focused and driven - and if you can find that and someone who shares the same values as you, it's like: Score!'

Looking good: Justin had left a short-sleeved button-down blue top open over a blue and black horizontally striped T-shirt, accessorizing with a grey pageboy cap

Trailing his wife: He'd got a pair of black trousers and some black and white shoes on, while Jessica wore a pair of sneakers from Native Shoes

Part of the effect becoming a parent's had on her, said she, was a shift in perspective: 'You think you're a selfless person, and then you realize you're not.'

Children 'come around, and they require so much, and your schedule is really not your own, nor is it important anymore, and it's very clear that it's your life now revolving around this dude. I'm not that person who feels like, but it does.'

Justin appeared in The Hollywood Reporter this February and dished about the difficulty of first-time parenthood, saying: 'At first, it broke me down.'

Said he: 'Those first eight months felt like those old [Ed Sullivan] shows where people are balancing spinning plates on poles - except if you drop one, they die.'

Checking out the food: Meanwhile, Jessica was dressed largely in black except for white shoes and - when she and Justin were seen out - a stylish beige coat that fell to her knees
They tragically lost their legendary Crocodile Hunter father Steve in 2006.

And Bindi Irwin, 19, and brother Robert, 13, shared emotional Father's Day tributes to their late father on Sunday.

Bindi shared a throwback video to Instagram that showed her, as a cherubic three-year-old, on set with Steve.

Remembering dad: Bindi Irwin, 19, and brother Robert, 13, shared emotional Father's Day tributes to their late dad Steve on Sunday

The video starts with Steve instructing Bindi to say 'action' to the camera and after she complies Steve adds: 'One of the greatest honours while we're on this movie shoot is working with my daughter and the wildlife that's around here.

'I'm trying to teach Bindi to be a wild life warrior and love all wildlife - even the bull ants.'

It appears that Steve's instruction had rubbed off on his daughter, who posted a gushing caption to accompany the video.

Memory lane: Bindi shared a throwback video to Instagram that showed her, as a cherubic three-year-old, on set with Steve

'Remembering these days... Life is always changing and evolving and I'll always be thankful that I learned so much from my dad. He taught me to treat every being on earth the way you would wish to be treated - from the tiny ants to the enormous elephants,' she wrote.

'We are all connected and must respect each other to live in true harmony. I'll forever be thankful to have had these values passed on to me. Happy Australian Father's Day. May your heart be full and your day be filled with the ones you hold dear. Here's to unconditional love and happiness beyond compare.'

Bindi's post was met with a flurry of emotion from her followers with the likes of: 'I cannot imagine how much you all miss him!! Such a special person who created a very special family!! Love you all!!'

Lessons: Life is always changing and evolving and I'll always be thankful that I learned so much from my dad. He taught me to treat every being on earth the way you would wish to be treated - from the tiny ants to the enormous elephants,' Bindi wrote

On seeing Bindi's post, mum Terri tweeted: 'Your dad's love continues @Bindiirwin. I see it every day in your kindness & compassion for every living being. You & Robert make him proud.'

Brother Robert also shared a tribute to Steve, posting a photo that showed Robert as a toddler being pushed on a swing by Steve.

Robert sported a precocious grin as his dad stood proudly behind him making sure his little boy was safe.

Best dad: Brother Robert also shared a tribute to Steve, posting a photo that showed Robert as a toddler being pushed on a swing by Steve. Robert sported a precocious grin as his dad stood proudly behind him making sure his little boy was safe

'This #fathersday in Australia remembering the best dad in the world. He was all about family and fun and I hope to dedicate my life to honouring his legacy,' Robert wrote.

'Yes your dad was an amazing human I'm sure he'd be incredibly proud of his family and the legacy he left behind,' one fan commented.

Steve died in 2006 after being pierced repeatedly in the chest by a stingray barb in Batt Reef near Port Douglas in Queensland.
She's the former beauty queen who married her Dancing With The Stars partner.

And Rachael Finch has opened up about life with husband Michael Miziner.

The 29-year-old, who is a wife and business partner to Michael, recently told Confidential: 'If anything, working together has strengthened our relationship.'

'Working together has strengthened our relationship:' Rachael Finch has opened up aboutlife with her husband and business partner Michael Miziner

Earlier in the year, Rachael and Michael launched their fitness company B.O.D. (Body Of Dance) by Rachael Finch program.

The four week regime features dance based exercises, healthy recipes, nutritionist-approved meal plans and mediation with the brunette stunner.

'We work out together, we dance together, we do the programs together. So all our business and life is shared. We love it,' she told the publication.

Get moving: The 29-year-old said, 'If anything, working together has strengthened our relationship'

Power couple: Earlier in the year, Rachael and Michael launched their fitness company B.O.D. (Body Of Dance) by Rachael Finch program

Rachael and Michael will feature in the tenth birthday 'power couples' issue of Womens Health magazine alongside Tim Robards and Anna Heinrich, and Michelle Bridges and Steve 'Commando' Willis.

The third runner-up of Miss Universe 2009 and the Latin ballroom dancer first met on season 10 of the defunct Channel Seven series, and began dating after they were eliminated

The couple married 2013, and together share two young children, Violet, three, and Dominic who is six-months-old.

Loved up: 'We work out together, we dance together, we do the programs together. So all our business and life is shared. We love it,' she said

Happy family! The couple married 2013, and together share two young children, Violet, three (right), and Dominic who is six-months-old (left)

This comes after the Townsville born stunner told Marie Claire magazine that she is teaching her daughter to have self confidence and to respect herself.

'It's important to me that she respects herself, speaks her mind and has her own opinions,' she said, according to The Daily Telegraph.

'That's incredibly empowering. When Violet grows up, I want her to have self-confidence.'
He's the journalist and radio host who admits he doesn't fuss over fashion.

But on Sunday, Ben Fordham, was treated to a fashion makeover from his Channel Nine colleague, Sonia Kruger, 52, as part of a Father's Day treat in The Sunday Telegraph.

The 40-year-old confessed: 'If I find something I like, I buy in bulk.'

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'If I find something I like, I buy in bulk!' Ben Fordham, was treated to a fashion makeover from his Channel Nine colleague, Sonia Kruger, 52, as part of a Father's Day treat

'I try to look my best, but I'm a meat and veg kind of a guy. All a guy needs is a nice suit, a few pairs of pants and lots of T-shirts and shorts,' he added.

The blonde Today Extra host said the 2GB radio host's wardrobe needed a revamp to more than just the practical ensemble of white shirt, blue blazer and chinos.

'Think smart casual, Spring Racing Carnival and fun September family barbecues,' she said.

In behind-the-scenes footage from the photo shoot, shared by Ben, he can be seen donning a crisp white button shirt.

Makeover! The blonde Today Extra host said the 2GB radio host's wardrobe needed a revamp to more than just the practical ensemble of white shirt, blue blazer and chinos

'I don't know why I agreed to this, but I agreed to be styled Sonia Kruger... What are you going to dress me as?' he asked.

Quick to quip with the banter, Sonia said: 'I'm going to dress you as a real human being... I know it's a concept, isn't,' she added before they burst into laughter.

This comes after Ben and his best mate Karl Stefanovic did a little Star Wars role play with Star Wars Stormtrooper.

Looking sharp! 'I don't know why I agreed to this, but I agreed to be styled Sonia Kruger... What are you going to dress me as?' he asked

Good friends: Sonia was quick to quip with the banter saying, 'I'm going to dress you as a real human being,' before the two burst into laughter

As the Today Show walks out of a room, seemingly entranced by the sci-fi character, Ben asks him, 'what's that all about?'

With a tense facial expression, Karl says 'I'm not sure. TV executive meeting.'

'Weird stuff at work', Ben wrote in the awkward video.
She delightedly welcomed her first son June Oscar with fiance Jason Statham back in June.

And Rosie Huntington-Whiteley absolutely sizzled as she flaunted her jaw-droppingly impressive figure in her first campaign released since becoming a mother.

The supermodel, 30, was at her sultry best as she worked her photographic magic in a series of saucy ensembles for the PAIGE Bring You Your Dream Fall Wardrobe collection, which was shot in January when she was four months pregnant.

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Sensational: Rosie Huntington-Whiteley absolutely sizzled as she flaunted her jaw-droppingly impressive figure in her first campaign released since becoming a mother

Rosie oozed sex appeal in the striking snaps and in one she flaunted her statuesque frame in an asymmetrical halterneck black top which was paired with glitzy skinny black trousers.

With her hair effortlessly tousled and a glamorous slick of make-up, which consisted of autumnal eye shadow and a plump pink pout, the star continued to showcase her modelling prowess.

In another snap, Rosie channelled androgynous chic in a heavily sequinned bronzed copper coloured blazer which was paired with a plunging bronze shirt.

A pair of shiny silver trousers completed the look as she posed up a storm in black strappy heels.

Work it! The supermodel, 30, was at her sultry best as she worked her photographic magic in a series of saucy ensembles for the PAIGE Bring You Your Dream Fall Wardrobe collection, which was shot in January when she was four months pregnant

Glamorous: In one snap, Rosie channelled androgynous chic in a heavily sequinned bronzed copper coloured blazer which was paired with a plunging bronze shirt

Babe: With her hair effortlessly tousled and a glamorous slick of make-up, which consisted of autumnal eyeshadow and a plump pink pout, the star continued to showcase her modelling prowess

Despite donning a more casual ensemble, the British beauty still managed to look titillating in a trendy denim jacket ad black wrap skirt.

Rosie is back for her sixth consecutive season as the face of denim brand Paige and stars in the label's fall-winter 2017 campaign.

Photographed by Naj Jamai, the campaign was actually shot in January at Hollywood's Chateau Marmont when Rosie was four months pregnant.

But it's the first campaign to be released since she became a mother.

The model announced her exciting news with a sweet Instagram photo at the time, gushing to her followers: 'Our little man arrived! Jack Oscar Statham 8.8lbs on Saturday June 24th. '

Striking: Despite donning a more casual ensemble, the British beauty still managed to look titillating in a trendy denim jacket ad black wrap skirt

The model announced her exciting news with a sweet Instagram photo at the time, gushing to her followers: 'Our little man arrived! Jack Oscar Statham 8.8lbs on Saturday June 24th'

Alongside, Rosie shared a black and white snap of little Jack grasping his mother's finger.

The beauty announced her pregnancy in February, after dating fiance Jason for seven years.

The model and actress, who lives in Los Angeles with Jason, announced her pregnancy news on Instagram, debuting her bare baby bump while sat smiling on a beach in her bikini.

Rosie began dating Jason in 2010 and moved to Los Angeles to set up a home with the Snatch hunk. They announced their engagement last year.

First time mum: The actress, who lives in Los Angeles with Jason, announced her pregnancy news on Instagram, debuting her bare baby bump while sat smiling on a beach in her bikini

'I want to care about other things': Clearly excited for motherhood prior to announcing her baby news, the starlet had said in an interview back in 2012 that caring for her child would be her first priority when the time comes

In a rare interview with Harper's Bazaar Australia, Rosie praised Jason, saying: 'I have an amazing relationship with my partner. He's by far the greatest influence in my life.'

Clearly excited for motherhood prior to announcing her baby news, the starlet had said in an interview with Elle UK back in 2012 that caring for her child would be her first priority when the time comes.

She said: 'I always see myself working, but definitely being a mum will be a big part of me.

'I think there is naturally a point where you think, 'I don't care about myself as number one any more.' I want to care about other things.'
Earlier on in the day, he stepped out with his gorgeous wife Amal Clooney for the Suburbicon premiere.

And on Saturday night, George Clooney was clearly in the mood to celebrate as he put on a hilarious display while toasting to his latest cinematic achievement during a wild night out at favourite restaurant Da Ivo in Venice.

The 56-year-old actor hilariously photobombed his pal Matt Damon, 46, as he posed with a waiter during the night - before being presented with champagne bottles engraved with the names of his newborn twins.

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Cheeky! George Clooney, 56, hilariously photobombed his pal Matt Damon, 46, as he posed with a waiter during the night in Italy on Saturday

While he put on an incredibly suave display on the red carpet a few hours earlier, George was keen on letting loose as he toasted to the new flick, which also stars Damon.

Clad in a slick suit, George spotted Matt posing with the waiter during their boys' night out and decided to get in on the action.

Creeping in from behind, George flashed an ear to ear comical smile while the twosome unassumingly posed for the snap.

Later on in the evening, the silver-haired fox - who was once quite the sought after bachelor - was presented with wine bottles engraved with the names of his twins, Elle and Alexander - who he welcomed into the world on June 6th.

Marking the occasion! Later on in the evening, the silver-haired fox - who was once quite the sought after bachelor - was presented with wine bottled engraves with the names of his twins, Elle and Alexander - who he welcomed into the world on June 6th

Owner Giovanni Fracassi was quick to note the the friendship between Clooney and Damon: 'They all get on brilliantly. It was wonderful to host them all'

Owner Giovanni Fracassi was quick to note the friendship between Clooney and Damon, explaining: 'They all get on brilliantly. It was wonderful to host them all.'

He also revealed that George went 'crazy' for two helpings of mushroom risotto and white truffles - which were a mission to find as they were in short supple following the recent heatwave.

Meanwhile, it proved to be a truly glamorous affair as he arrived on the red carpet with wife Amal for the Suburbicon premiere earlier on in the day.

Dressed in an impeccably tailored black suit, he embellished his crisp white shirt with a black bow tie, his silver hair swept into a side parting.

He was only upstaged by a glamorous Amal, who slipped her curves into an elegant lilac gown, boasting a corset style neckline.

Hungry man: He also revealed that George went 'crazy' for two helpings of mushroom risotto and white truffles - which were a mission to find as they were in short supple following the recent heatwave

Movie star: Meanwhile, it proved to be a truly glamorous affair as he arrived on the red carpet with wife Amal for the Suburbicon premiere earlier on in the day

Speaking at the photocall back in Venice, Italy earlier in the week, George said his latest directorial effort, Suburbicon, is an angry movie for an angry country - his own. It's a twisted tale of darkness at the heart of the American dream.

'A lot of us are angry - angry at ourselves, angry at the way that the country is going, angry at the way the world is going,' Clooney told reporters Saturday in Venice, Italy, where 'Suburbicon' is competing for the festival's Golden Lion prize.

'It's probably the angriest I have ever seen the country, and I lived through the Watergate period of time,' he added. 'There is a dark cloud hanging over our country right now.'

Meanwhile star of the film Matt Damon and his wife Luciana Barroso looked incredible as they put on an affectionate display while attending the Suburbicon screening at the Sala Grande on Saturday night.

Handsome: Dressed in an impeccably tailored black suit, he embellished his crisp white shirt with a black bow tie, his silver hair swept into a side parting

Gorgeous: He was only upstaged by a glamorous Amal, who slipped her curves into an elegant lilac gown, boasting a corset style neckline

Matt stars as Gardner Lodge in the film, who must navigate the town's dark underbelly of betrayal, deceit and violence.

Also at the red carpet premiere was Julianne Moore, who stars as Matt's on-screen wife Nancy Lodge and also his sister in law.

Speaking about the film's storyline recently, which tackles racial tensions, she said of today's society: 'The only way they will (do well) is if the generation before them is doing that as well.'

Addressing the controversy surrounding the Civil War statues which kicked off the violence in Charlottesville, she added: 'In the U.S., people are arguing about monuments. They must be removed. You simply cannot have these figures from the Civil War in town squares and universities for our children to see.'

Plot: Speaking at the photocall back in Venice, Italy earlier in the week, George said his latest directorial effort, Suburbicon, is an angry movie for an angry country - his own. It's a twisted tale of darkness at the heart of the American dream'

Hot couple: Meanwhile star of the film Matt Damon and his wife Luciana Barroso looked incredible as they put on an affectionate display while attending the Suburbicon screening at the Sala Grande on Saturday night

Leading lady: Also at the red carpet premiere was Julianne Moore, who stars as Matt's on-screen wife Nancy Lodge and also his sister in law

America's divisions give an unnerving timeliness to 'Suburbicon.' The satirical film noir stars Matt Damon and Julianne Moore as residents of a seemingly idyllic - and all-white - 1950s suburban community that erupts in anger when a black family moves in.

It fuses a script by the Coen brothers with a narrative about racial divisions inspired - in a negative way - by Donald Trump's presidential campaign.

'I was watching a lot of speeches on the campaign trail about building fences and scapegoating minorities,' Clooney said.

That set Clooney and writing-producing partner Grant Heslov to thinking about other points in United States history when forces of division were in the ascendant. They remembered 1957 events in Levittown, Pennsylvania, a model suburban community where white residents rioted at the arrival of a black family.

They fused that idea to an unproduced script by Joel and Ethan Coen about a similar white-picket-fence community where a crime goes horribly wrong in farcically bloody ways.
The Victorian state government has pulled out of the running to host the 2018 TV Week Logie Awards in Melbourne, where it has been synonymous with the city's art and culture, hosting the event for 30 consecutive years.

And TV stars are already slamming the decision, with Australian TV legend Bert Newton livid that his hometown would not continue to host Australian TV's 'night of nights' likening it to losing other great Australian institutions.

'The Logies belong in Melbourne,' the 79 year old told the Herald Sun on Sunday.

Shattered: 79 year old Australian TV legend Bert Newton is livid that his hometown would not continue to host Australian TV's 'night of nights'

'In my mind its like losing the AFL Grand Final or the Melbourne Cup. They too have always been in Melbourne.

The star went on to say that the Logies may never return to Melbourne.

'My fear is if they go somewhere else, we may never get them back.'

'The Logies belong in Melbourne,': Bert has spoken out against the controversial decision from the Victorian government to ditch the event.

'It's just a big TV personality piss up,': An insider revealed that the Victorian government had been planning to ditch the event for some time

An insider revealed that the Victorian government had been planning to ditch the event for some time, claiming that it didn't live up to its claim that it boosted tourism.

'It's just a big TV personality p*ss up,' the Herald Sun were told.

While the acclaimed awards show has no home right now, it's likely that it will be held in Queensland from next year, although a specific venue has not been confirmed.

Going north: While the acclaimed awards show has no home right now, it's likely that it will be held in Queensland from next year, although a specific venue has not been confirmed

Sydney also expressed interest in hosting the A-list event, which is heavily televised every year.

This follows an attempt by Destination NSW in March to pry the gala event away from Melbourne and hold it in country towns - such as Tamworth - for up to two years.
They're some of the most talented and smartest kids on Little Big Shots.

And on the Seven show on Sunday, Evan, eight, impressed with his knowledge.

Being dubbed the 'human encyclopedia,' the youngster left host Shane Jacobson, gobsmacked.

From remembering Pi to 200 decimals, all the Australian Prime Ministers AND all the US presidents: Meet 'human encyclopedia' and Little Big Shots star Evan, eight

Evan revealed that he can remember such things as Pi to 200 decimals, the names of all the Australian Prime Ministers, and the names of the US presidents.

In one part of the clip, Evan could be seen answering questions including who the first President of the US was, and what is the capital of Nepal.

When asked about how it felt to be so 'brainy,' Evan replied: 'It just feels so good.'

Genius: In one part of the clip, Evan could be seen answering questions including who the first President of the US was, and what is the capital of Nepal

He then played a game with Shane, and was given a flag and had to name the country, capital city and the Prime Minister of the place, and was successful.

Little Big Shots is a new family-favourite show in the US, created by the queen of comedy Ellen DeGeneres.

The show's young contestants, who are aged between three and 13, will showcase their talents for an audience.

Sweet: Little Big Shots is a new family-favourite show in the US, created by the queen of comedy Ellen DeGeneres

Viewers can expect to see Little Big Shots such as wrestlers, champion whip crackers, Latin dancers and pogo stick jumpers hit the stage.

Shane revealed he signed up to host the show because it looked like a lot of fun.

'Comedians can try as hard as they can but nothing is more amusing than listening to an open-minded kid,' he explained.

'I wanted to host it as soon as I heard about it because I loved the concept of the show - kids getting a chance to perform without being judged.'
He saw the big debut of his new film Surburbicon, which he directs, at the annual film festival on Saturday.

And George Clooney took a day off to relax after the exciting event, as he was seen heading out in Venice with his wife Amal and their newborn twins.

The actor, 56, and his stunning wife appeared every inch the doting parents as they headed out to enjoy another day in the Italian city with their twins, Ella and Alexander.

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Family affair: George and Amal Clooney were seen heading out in Venice, Italy with their newborn twins on Sunday

Heart-warming: The pair looked happier than ever as they beamed widely on the way out of the Cipriani Hotel, carrying their twins in baby seats on their arms

Despite only giving birth two months ago, human rights lawyer Amal, 39, looked truly radiant as she headed out in a typically chic ensemble.

The brunette slipped her slender frame into a chic black silk top, which cut open across one shoulder to display her delicate decolletage.

Accentuating her impressively slim figure so soon after birth, she then tucked the blouse into high-waisted trousers, which tied up at the waist and were patterned with black and white stripes all over.

Stunning: Despite only giving birth two months ago, human rights lawyer Amal, 39, looked truly radiant as she headed out in a typically chic ensemble

Effortless: The brunette slipped her slender frame into a chic black silk top, which cut open across one shoulder to display her delicate decolletage

Showing her stripes: Accentuating her impressively slim figure so soon after birth, she then tucked the blouse into high-waisted trousers

New chapter: The human rights lawyer showed no signs of fatigue from bringing up two newborns as she headed out

Styling her hair into big, bouncy waves and accessorising with dark, round Linda Farrow sunglasses, Amal was the picture of glamour as she beamed on her way out of the Cipriani Hotel.

Carrying one of the twins in a baby chair, the beauty happily bade farewell to the hotel staff as she embarked on a day in the city with her husband.

Meanwhile George cut a more casual figure than his big premiere the previous evening - swapping his tuxedo for a blue polo shirt and striped shorts.

Besotted: The actor and his stunning wife appeared every inch the doting parents as they headed out to enjoy another day in the Italian city with their twins, Ella and Alexander

Taking it in her stride: The trousers tied up at the waist and were patterned with black and white stripes all over, to enhance her statuesque frame

Stunning: Styling her hair into big, bouncy waves and accessorising with dark, round Linda Farrow sunglasses, Amal was the picture of glamour as she beamed on her way out

Let's go: Carrying one of the twins in a baby chair, the beauty happily bade farewell to the hotel staff as she boarded a luxurious speed boat, and embarked on a day in the city

Also sporting dark shades, the Hollywood actor looked every inch the doting dad as he followed closely after his wife, carrying the other twin on one arm.

While George appeared to speed off on the luxurious boat to his next working commitment, Amal and the twins were later seen getting into a car to head to their next destination.

George and Amal announced they were pregnant back in February, and went on to welcome twins Ella and Alexander in June.

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.'

Jet-set family: The pair flew into Venice with their twins last week from Lake Como, where they enjoyed their first family holiday

Casually cool: George cut a more casual figure than his big premiere the previous evening - swapping his tuxedo for a blue polo shirt and striped shorts

Happier than ever: The couple have enjoyed a life-changing two months following the birth, with George recently admitting he never dreamed he'd be looking after two infants at his age

Life-changing: He told Associated Press: 'Suddenly, you're responsible for other people, which is terrifying'

Admiration: He then added of his human rights lawyer wife: 'She's like an Olympic athlete, she's doing so beautifully'

The Berkshire-based couple have enjoyed a life-changing two months following the birth of their children, with George recently admitting he never dreamed he'd be looking after two infants at his age.

He told Associated Press: 'Suddenly, you're responsible for other people, which is terrifying.'

Before he added of his human rights lawyer wife: 'She's like an Olympic athlete, she's doing so beautifully.'

Doting dad: Also sporting dark shades, the Hollywood actor looked every inch the doting dad as he followed closely after his wife, carrying the other twin on one arm

New mother: Amal was truly glowing, after welcoming twins Ella and Alexander in June

Cool: George looked typically slick and suave as he boarded the speed boat with his family

Relaxing: He appeared to be enjoying a day off, following the big premiere of his film Suburbicon at the Venice Film Festival on Saturday night

Juggling act: Speaking of the big debut as a new dad, he joked: 'I just have to clean the barf off of my tux. It used to be my barf but now it's the twins' barf. So it all works out'

'Right now my job is changing diapers and walking them around a little bit. I really didn't think at 56 that I would be the parent of twins. Don't make plans. You always have to just enjoy the ride.'

The Clooneys have been in Venice for the annual film festival - with George unveiling his new thriller Suburbicon, which stars Julianne Moore, Matt Damon and Oscar Isaac, on Saturday night.

Speaking of the big debut, he went on to joke: 'I just have to clean the barf off of my tux. It used to be my barf but now it's the twins' barf. So it all works out.'

All at sea! The group soon sped off into the sun-soaked city

Behind the camera: Suburbicon is directed by George, and explores the dark racial tensions of 1950s suburbia, which the actor believes is deeply relevant to Donald Trump's America

Suburbicon explores the dark racial tensions of 1950s suburbia, which the actor believes is deeply relevant to Donald Trump's America.

'It's a pretty angry film,' he reflected. 'There's a lot of anger out there. I think that's reflected in the film. I found it interesting to talk about building walls and scapegoating minorities.

'I think that's always an interesting topic but particularly when I was hearing these conversations on the campaign trail.

'I thought: It's always good to look back and remember that nothing really is new and every time we're shocked, we forget that we've had this behavior time and time and time again.'

Hectic: While George seemingly took the speed boat to his next working commitment, Amal appeared to take the car with a team of staff

Off we go: Amal was seen helping load her twins and copious amounts of luggage into their car
They are two of British cinema's finest acting talents.

And Helen Mirren and Judi Dench showed off their eternal flair for fashion as they stepped out for the respective screenings at the 74th Venice Film Festival on Saturday.

Helen, 72, looked sensational in a flirty floral piece for the The Leisure Seeker screening while Dench, 82, opted for a chic cream-coloured ensemble for the Victoria and Abdul screening.

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Age-defying: Helen Mirren (L) and Judi Dench (R) showed off their eternal flair for fashion as they stepped out for the respective screenings at the 74th Venice Film Festival on Saturday

Helen was dressed for perfection in her midi-length number which cinched her in at the waist and flared out past her knees.

The Hammersmith born beauty opted for comfort with beige sandals and accessorised with a light blue handbag.

She embraced her natural features with a simple, yet stunning slick of make-up, perfectly complemented her chic bob.

Helen looked in high spirits as she promoted her new flick The Leisure Seeker, which also stars Donald Sutherland.

Sensational: Helen, 72, looked sensational in a flirty floral piece for the The Leisure Seeker which flattered her figure to perfection

Flattering: Helen was dressed for perfection in her midi-length number which cinched her in at the waist and flared out past her knees

Fashionista: The Hammersmith born beauty opted for comfort with beige sandals and accessorised with a light blue handbag

An adaptation of Michael Zadoorian's poignant 2009 novel, it is a story about a terminally ill couple who decide to take one final road trip in their mobile home.

The film is billed as 'Easy Rider meets The Notebook,' and follows the story of a Boston couple who ignore the warnings of doctors and their grown-up children to join a vintage Winnebago Leisure Seeker.

The adventurous duo cross the country to the Key West home of their hero Ernest Hemingway.

Beauty: She embraced her natural features with a simple, yet stunning slick of make-up, perfectly complemented her chic bob

New flick: Helen looked in high spirits as she promoted her new flick The Leisure Seeker, which also stars Donald Sutherland - pictured

Eternal: Judi Dench was also promoting her latest cinematic offering, as she arrived in style for the Victoria and Abdul

Chic: The star opted for a long lightweight, cream-coloured jacket, which she paired with matching wide-leg trousers and a simple top

Making a statement: Judi was cool, calm and collected on the red carpet

Judi Dench was also promoting her latest cinematic offering, as she arrived in style for the Victoria and Abdul.

The star opted for a long lightweight, cream-coloured jacket, which she paired with matching wide-leg trousers and a simple top.

Adding a funky element to her ensemble was a chunky lined scarf which rested on her shoulder.

Judi sported a labyrinth of necklaces and bangles and sported mascara-laden eyes.

Accessorising in style: The veteran actress set off her look with glamorous jewellery

Style: Adding a funky element to her ensemble was a chunky lined scarf which rested on her shoulder

Pals: She was joined by her co-star Ali Fazal, who still seemed a little starstruck by the icon as they posed up a storm

Handsome: The Indian actor looked on-trend in a tartan blazer and all black essentials

New movie: The Stephen Frears-directed film charts the relationship between the monarch and an Indian man, Abdul Karim, who became first her servant and then her teacher

She was joined by her co-star Ali Fazal, who still seemed a little starstruck by the icon as they posed up a storm.

The Stephen Frears-directed film charts the relationship between the monarch and an Indian man, Abdul Karim, who became first her servant and then her teacher.

Dench told reporters at the festival 'I had no film career really to speak of' before she played the queen the first time.

She said revisiting the role and working Frears - who directed her in 'Philomena' - was 'an irresistible proposition.'

A fan: She said revisiting the role and working Frears - who directed her in 'Philomena' - was 'an irresistible proposition'

Happy: Judi, who sported a labyrinth of necklaces and bangles, was in high spirits during the event

L-R: Ali Fazal, Judi Dench, director Stephen Frears and actor Eddie Izzard

Susan Sarandon was also out in full force for the Premio Kineo photocall at the festival.

The 70-year-old actress looked much younger than her years in a a frilly black blouse and skin-tight black jeans.

She completed the look with chic bow-tie heels and a pair of super cool black shades.

She's there too! Susan Sarandon was also out in full force for the Premio Kineo photocall

Stunning: The 70-year-old actress looked much younger than her years in a a frilly black blouse and skin-tight black jeans

On trend: She completed the look with chic bow-tie heels and a pair of super cool black shades

Loving it: She looked in high spirits as she conversed with Claudia Cardinale

Putting in a stylish appearance: Elsewhere, jury member Rebecca Hall was spotted out and about, rocking a cool and casual look

Shady lady: The British actress completed her attire with a pair of winged shades
Angelina Jolie was candid about her split from Brad Pitt.

While promoting her new film First They Killed My Father, the Oscar winner admitted that filing for divorce after a 12 year relationship has been difficult.

'Sometimes maybe it appears I am pulling it all together. But really I am just trying to get through my days,' said the 42-year-old mother of six.

Opening up: While promoting her new film First They Killed My Father, the Angelina Jolie admitted filing for divorce after a 12 year relationship has been difficult; seen on August 25

'I dont enjoy being single. Its not something I wanted,' she continued in an interview with the Sunday Telegraph.

'There are no upsides, there's nothing nice about it. It's just hard,' she added.

Now a single mother, the Girl Interrupted star has endured a few years of physical pain as well as emotional.

In 2013, she underwent a preventive double mastectomy after it was revealed she carried the BRCA1 gene, which gave her an estimated 87 per cent risk of breast cancer and 50 per cent of ovarian cancer.

Better times: 'I dont enjoy being single. Its not something I wanted,' she continued in an interview with the Sunday Telegraph, (pictured 2015)

She had her ovaries removed in 2015 as another preventative measure.

And last year - in addition to hypertension - the superstar developed Bells Palsy.

'Emotionally its been a very difficult year. And I have some other health issues. So my health is something I have to monitor,' she relayed.

'I feel sometimes that my body has taken a hit, but I try to laugh as much as possible. Even if you are going through chemo, you need to find the ability to love and laugh.'

Health scares: In 2013, she underwent a preventive double mastectomy after it was revealed she carried the BRCA1 gene, which gave her an estimated 87 per cent risk of breast cancer and 50 per cent of ovarian cancer

She did not make it clear if she was going through chemo and why or of she was just making a reference.

The star is in Los Angeles to promote her third directorial effort, a Netflix film.

First They Killed My Father is an adaptation of Loung Ungs 2000 memoir of the Khmer Rouge genocide, which was responsible for the class-driven murders of millions of Cambodians between 1975 and 1978.

As for her future: 'When I think about where I was ten years ago, I wouldn't have thought I'd be where I am now with regard to my family life, my marriage, my career.

'But now, I think I'm at an age where you just want to be healthy.'

The star is throwing herself into work as she deals with trying to navigate her relationship with Brad.

She has recently signed up for Maleficent 2 following the success of the 2014 original.

Speaking at the Telluride Film Festival over the weekend, the actress said: 'We have been working on the script and this is going to be a really strong sequel.'

Although not much else is known about the upcoming sequel, last week, Disney revealed they have hired Spectre co-writer Jez Butterworth to rewrite the screenplay for the film.

Single trials: The single mother of six has trials ahead; (pictured with Knox in 2016)

.
She's both an up and coming actress and an Indigenous Australian activist.

And on Monday, Madeleine Madden said that the statue debate is tearing the nation apart.

Speaking to Confidential, the 20-year-old said we shouldn't be tearing down the statues, but instead adding new ones.

Speaking out: On Monday, Madeleine Madden said that the statue debate is tearing the nation apart

'Tearing (statues) down is not the way...it creates negativity,' said the new face of Ella Bache.

'Let's have statues like that, but let's also have statues of Indigenous men and women. I think the way we should go is to have more.'

But although on board to keep the current colonial monuments, the actress said that as for Australia Day on January 26th, that date should be changed.

Her thoughts: 'Let's have statues like that, but let's also have statues of Indigenous men and women. I think the way we should go is to have more'

Voice: Writing an article for the Sydney Morning Herald earlier in the year, the grand-daughter of Indigenous activist Charles Perkins said the current Australia Day is a day of mourning

Writing an article for the Sydney Morning Herald earlier in the year, the grand-daughter of Indigenous activist Charles Perkins said the current Australia Day is a day of mourning.

'January 26 is a day of mourning and remembering for our First Nation people, and there are still some backwards people who don't acknowledge that - which makes my heart feel heavy,' she wrote.

'Now, more than ever before, I have seen so many Australians coming together and wanting to #ChangeTheDate. This is an Australia I'm willing to celebrate; an Australia that listens, learns and empathises with our Indigenous people.'

Actress in the making: Madeleine's also set to star in Foxtel's haunting Picnic At Hanging Rock remake later this year

Madeleine's also set to star in Foxtel's haunting Picnic At Hanging Rock remake later this year.

And the actress says the six-part series explores 'feminist' themes of 'inequality and women's rights', something she's really excited about delving into.

'I realised recently that the majority of my favourite shows are seen through the feminist gaze and Picnic is so much a part of this movement,' she said to The Daily Telegraph last month.
Jake Paul has been coined the 'worst neighbor' for making loud noises as he shoots his goofy YouTube videos at his West Hollywood home.

In July a police officer let the former Bizaardvark star know how much he is disliked as she gave him a ticket for sitting in his car outside his mansion as he waited for a pal.

But it looked like the blonde goofball is trying to clean up his image as he has gone to Houston to help the victims of Hurricane Harvey in Houston.

Good guy: Jake Paul has been helping victims in Houston after Hurricane Harvey; here he is seen on August 13 at the Teen Choice Awards

Heartfelt: On Friday he wrote on Instagram: 'This breaks my heart.. this is one of the many families evacuating their homes in Houston.' The image was a family in the rain

On Friday he wrote on Instagram: 'This breaks my heart.. this is one of the many families evacuating their homes in Houston.' The image was a family in the rain.

'The Hurricane is now hitting Port Arthur.. if you're anywhere near there please evacuate immediately.. also, If you look closely the girl in this picture is wearing a Team 10 shirt... This is heart breaking... This is why we are here ground floor in Houston... there are tons of people & tons of families & Jake Paulers who need our help & rescuing.'

He added: 'This makes me want to work all throughout the night to save people.

Not fun: YouTube sensation Jake Paul was ticketed by police for waiting outside his home in his car on Sunday

'Today we pulled 8 people out of their homes & got them to safety. We are doing everything we can but we still need your help.. & any help we can get ground floor on Houston.. pls send prayers & pls donate to any fund or cause that you can.. thank you.'

This comes after he was given a ticket for $400 for sitting outside his home. The prankster wore a red hoodie and looked to be upset as he glanced at his ticket.

He was in a grey four-door sedan with tinted windows as a female officer approached him.

Chaos: His fans know where he lives and they often stand outside his large home

It is not uncommon for streets in his West Hollywood neighborhood to have No Stopping Anytime signs as the area is very congested.

There was a crowd of fans outside his two-story home, which he accidentally released the location of on one of his YouTube videos.

This ticket comes the day after he tweeted that he had outgrown Disney and will no longer play Dirk on the Disney Channel's Bizaardvark. He was on the show for two years.

His fame: The YouTube star is seen here on his old Disney show Bizaardvark

'My team, Disney Channel, and I have come to the agreement it's finally time for me to move from the Disney family and Bizaardvark,' Paul said in the statement posted to his Twitter.

The YouTube star, who is famed for his 'crazy' pranks which have included throwing a Harley Davidson in his backyard pool and setting furniture on fire, said that 'being a part of the Disney family for the past two years was incredible and a dream come true.'

The network also released a statement thanking Paul for his work. 'We've mutually agreed that Jake Paul will leave his role on the Disney Channel series 'Bizaardvark,' the statement read.

'We thank Jake for his good work on the TV series for the past 18 months and extend our best wishes to him,' the statement added.

The star made headlines when families in his LA neighborhood accused him of turning their lives into a 'living hell'.

And while his 8.5 million young followers may be impressed with his antics, his neighbors are not.

Paul and his 'squad' love to throw rowdy parties, while he often publicizes his address which allows hoards of his young fans - he calls 'Paulers' to show up outside his home.

'It used to be a really nice, quiet street and now [it's] just this, like, war zone,' Maytal Dahan told KTLA. 'We're families here and we're more than happy to have them live here if they're respectful of their neighbors, but they're not.'

Neighbors are even considering banding together to file a class-action public nuisance lawsuit against Paul and the homeowner. They say not only is Paul annoying but he's dangerous.

His fire stunt, when he set ablaze furniture in his pool, saw flames reach the height of the home.

He also released 'rap' song, 'It's Everyday Bro,' which became the tenth most disliked video in YouTube history

Meanwhile, Paul seemed amused by the misery he is imposing on those around him.

'The neighbors hate me,' he told KTLA, laughing.

When a reporter told him that locals fear he has turned the neighborhood into a 'circus' with his non-stop parties and dangerous stunts, the millennial replied: 'But, I mean, people like going to circuses.'

Paul was then seen running and skipping through the streets before climbing on top of the KTLA van - ignoring the pleas of staffers to stop.

He has since taken to taunting his neighbors on Twitter, posting footage of his KTLA interview with a laughing emoji, and the caption: 'I'm dead.'

In Paul's YouTube bio, he described himself as living 'a crazy life' 'making comedy vids, acting, doing action sports, & going on crazy adventures' with his squad 'Team 10'.

He also released a laughably bad 'rap' song, It's Everyday Bro,' which became the tenth most disliked video in YouTube history.

Earlier this year, Paul landed himself in trouble after he filmed himself hiding in the bathroom of the Eisenhower Executive Office Building after attending a Social Media Event at the White House.
Being a stay at home mum can be enough work at times.

But Spanish actor Elsa Pataky has revealed that she is ready to return to the daily grind after three years being a stay at home mother for daughter India, five, and twins Tristan and Sasha, three.

The 40 year old is even looking at venturing into uncharted territory, after confirming that she has spoken with Australian publishers as a result of fans pleading to bring her best-selling Spanish health and fitness book 'Challenge Maximum' to the Australian market in English.

Back to work!: Spanish actor Elsa Pataky has revealed to The Daily Telegraph's Confidential on Monday that she is ready to return to the daily grind after three years being a stay at home mother for daughter India, five, and twins Tristan and Sasha, three

'We have some editors interested in Australia and the fans have been asking me to do an English version, so we might do another book for here,' she told Confidential.

'It is my second book that has been published, Challenge Maximum.'

And while the wife of Chris Hemsworth can tick that off her bucket list, Elsa said she is still looking at more acting gigs in the future, and even expressed interest into experiencing the production side of the film industry.

The successful actress has started in an array of Hollywood blockbusters, including a role in the Fast and the Furious franchise.

Book underway: The 40 year old is even looking at venturing into uncharted territory, after confirming that she has spoken with Australian publishers

Yummy mummy: The wife of Australian and Hollywood hunk Chris Hemsworth gave birth to the couple's daughter India in 2012, and twins Tristan and Sasha in 2014

Elsa gave birth to the couple's daughter India in 2012, and twins Tristan and Sasha in 2014.

The famed young family moved the New South Wales far north coast beachside town of Byron Bay three years ago, where they currently reside in a $7 million mansion.

And while Elsa says it was always going to a big move, she's glad that they made the transition, telling The Daily Telegraph last month that Byron Bay is a paradise.

Paradise: The famed young family moved the New South Wales far north coast beachside town of Byron Bay three years ago, where they currently reside in a $7 million mansion

'I hope the kids will appreciate how amazing it is to live in a place like this.'

Elsa and the kids recently welcomed home Chris at Brisbane airport last Wednesday, where he returned home after being in Los Angeles for an extended amount of time filming for an unknown project.
She had welcomed her second child, son Louis, with rugby player husband Richie Myler, 27, in April earlier this year.

And just four months later, Helen Skelton, 34, has proven she has snapped right back into shape after giving birth as she proudly paraded her post-baby frame while soaking up the sun in Cassis, France.

The TV presenter looked sensational as she treated her 65.4k followers to a bikini-clad photo of herself taking a dip in the sea on Sunday.

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Sensational: Helen Skelton, 34, has proven she has snapped right back into shape after giving birth as she proudly paraded her post-baby frame while soaking up the sun in Cassis, France

Sporting a plunging bikini, that paired together a longline bandeau top and matching briefs, Helen dazzled in the snap as she perched on the back of a boat while propping one leg up against the other.

Her plunging swimwear made for a very revealing display, as Helen - who has become known for her risque sartorial choices - gave fans a good look at her more than ample assets in the scanty design that boasted a pretty red trim round its neckline.

She appeared in high spirits in the snap, sporting dampened tresses from her swim in the ocean, and joked alongside her post that she had been 'hiding cellulite' by purposely bending her leg.

Doting mother: In another sweet image she had uploaded to the photo-sharing site, Helen is seen cradling her youngest son while in the pool

Taking a break: The TV presenter made sure to cool off in the ocean, as she enjoyed a momentary break away from her parenting duties

Unfazed, Helen added the hashtag: '#hidingcellulitewiththeotherleg,' and found herself inundated with compliments from her followers, with many complimenting the 'beautiful' starlet.

She is currently living overseas with her beau Richie and their two children; sons Ernie, two, and Louis, four months.

In another sweet image she had uploaded to the photo-sharing site, Helen is seen cradling her youngest son while in the pool.

Sporting the same stylish two-piece in the water, Helen flashed a huge smile for the camera as she donned shades and swept her tresses back into a tousled up-do, while holding onto Louis.

Louis, meanwhile, looked cute as a button in his all-in-one swimsuit and matching hat and appeared to be having a ball with his mother.

Helen gushed alongside her post: 'Bye bye August. You spoiled us. First summer as a family of four.'

Family: She had welcomed her second child, son Louis, with rugby player husband Richie Myler, 27, in April earlier this year - they are already parents to son Ernie, two

France had been where Helen had delivered son Louis back in April.

Following his birth, she had spoken out about his dramatic arrival and revealed the moment firefighters had rescued her after she had given birth on the kitchen floor overseas.

After feeling the first signs of labour a panicked Helen called Richie, who was stuck in the UK, telling him he should get to the airport quickly as the baby was on the way

'It was all a bit frantic. We are just so relieved he is safely here,' Helen told Hello magazine. 'I'm still not really sure why the fire brigade arrived but it seems they were the closest emergency service at the time.'

Dramatic arrival: Following his birth, Helen had revealed the moment firefighters had rescued her after she had given birth on the kitchen floor overseas

Back in the UK Richie had rung a friend who was their neighbour who called emergency services and rushed over to help.

'The firefighters were lovely and beside themselves with excitement as they said they hadn't been at a birth before, but bless them they weren't up to speed with what you do so they were all flapping,' she added.

Although Richie didn't arrive in time for the birth he later admitted how proud of Helen he was for going through it alone. He first began dating Helen in 2011, with the couple tying the knot two years later.

The family subsequently moved to France, after Richie transferred from the Warrington Wolves to the Catalan Dragons, based in Perpignan in the Pyrenees.
Katie Holmes was in a good spirits Sunday as she headed to Joan's On Third in Studio City, California.

The 38-year-old actress embraced 60s chic during her weekend outing where she donned a rich, yellow blouse tucked into classic Levi's blue jeans.

The mother-of-one was solo during her LA outing, leaving daughter Suri, 11, at home.

Mellow yellow! Katie Holmes was in a good spirits Sunday as she headed to Joan's On Third in Studio City, California donning a bright yellow peasant top and relaxed Levi's

Katie's jeans were left unhemmed for more vintage vibes while studded sandals covered her feet.

The ex of Tom Cruise threw her hair up into a messy bun while masking the sun with square shades and slinging a sharp white bag by Tod's over her arm.

The Logan Lucky star stocked up on leftovers as she headed home with two paper bags at her side.

Hair's to you! The ex of Tom Cruise threw her hair up into a messy bun while masking the sun with square shades and slinging a sharp white bag over her arm

Paper bag princess! The Logan Lucky star stocked up on leftovers as she headed home with two paper bags at her side

Katie is reportedly dating Jamie Foxx, 49, although the couple go to great lengths not to be pictured together when they arrive at events.

It seems that the pair are getting serious, however.

Last week the Academy Award winning actor was seen bringing along frozen yogurt as he arrived at the actress's gated community for a day with Katie and her number one girl.

How sweet! Katie's reported beau Jamie Foxx (above in August) spent a day with the actress and her daughter last week. The father-of-two brought sweet treats for the 11-year-old

Katie and Jamie met during the actress's six-year marriage for Hollywood star Tom Cruise, who starred with Jamie in Michael Mann's 2004 film Collateral.

The pair were first rumored to be dating after they were seen arm-in-arm at a charity benefit in New York in August 2013.

In 2015 a photo emerged, first published by UsWeekly, of the two holding hands.

In May of this year, it appeared that the two were still close, as photos were taken showing them leaving the same hotel in Paris, although separately, and boarding the same private plane at Le Bourget Airport, again separately.

Single: Katie is divorced from Hollywood star Tom Cruise to whom she was wed from 2006 to 2012. They're pictured in March 2011 in Beverly Hills
Katie Price has paid an emotional tribute to her 'fighter' mum Amy after she was diagnosed with a terminal lung illness, days after confirming her marriage to cheating husband Kieran Hayler is over.

In a heartbreaking Twitter message the former glamour model, 39, revealed her 64-year-old mother has Idiopathic Pulmonary Fibrosis , a condition in which the lungs become scarred and causes increasing breathing difficulty.

Calling her mother a 'fighter' spirit, she praised Amy for carrying on as normal and continuing to 'live life to the full'.

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Tough times: Katie Price has paid an emotional tribute to her 'fighter' mum Amy after she was diagnosed with a terminal lung illness, days after confirming her marriage to cheating husband Kieran Hayler is over

Devastating news:In a heartbreaking Twitter message the former glamour model, 39, revealed her 64-year-old mother has Idiopathic Pulmonary Fibrosis , a condition in which the lungs become scarred and causes increasing breathing difficulty

She wrote: 'Just to clarify for all of you reading.

'My mum has been diagnosed with a lung disease called Idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) there is unfortunately no known cure for this.

'As a shock to us all, Me and my family are proud to be supporting the British Lung foundation to help support awareness and raising funds for research of IPF.

'With this we can help in other diagnosis and create awareness for people with IPF.

Love: Calling her mother a 'fighter' spirit, she praised Amy for carrying on as normal and continuing to 'live life to the full'

Unbreakable bond: Katie shares a famously close relationship with her mother, with Amy helping provide care for Katie's disabled son Harvey

Love: Katie wrote: 'My mum is a fighter she is working out every day, going to work and living life to the full please help us in supporting The British Lung foundation so we can make a difference'

'The condition has an average life expectancy of 3-5 years. There are two known pills which if they work can slow things down.

'My mum is a fighter she is working out every day, going to work and living life to the full please help us in supporting The British Lung foundation so we can make a difference.

She added in a tweet: 'Thanks for everyone's supportive messages.'

The news has come as a bitter blow to Katie, as only days earlier she had confirmed she was to divorce third husband Kieran Hayler, over his affair with their children's nanny.

Smiling through it: The news has come as a bitter blow to Katie, as only days earlier she had confirmed she was to divorce third husband Kieran Hayler, over his affair with their children's nanny (pictured here with Katie's son Harvey)

Katie previously said she was determined to stay optimistic following Amys heart-breaking diagnosis  and even attempted to lift her mothers spirits following a recent hospital consultation.

She told The Sun: Shes got something wrong with her lungs and shes been told she hasnt got very long to live. Shes on tablets at last Im making her laugh. Whatever is happening weve got to be upbeat about it.'

Amy, a constant support to Katie throughout her colourful show business career, confirmed her daughter had lightened the mood during her early examinations.

During the tests, which were really quite personal, she was making so many funny comments that both myself and the specialist were in fits of laughter, she recalled.

Thats what I like about Katie  her sense of humour. I was given some bad news. She said, Mum, you havent got long left, you might as well make the most of it.

MailOnline has Katie's representatives for further comment.

Emotional: 'Shes got something wrong with her lungs and shes been told she hasnt got very long to live,' she told The Sun

The news comes shortly after the TV personality revealed she was separating from husband Kieran, a former stripper, after discovering his six month fling with their children's nanny.

Discussing the separation on Loose Women, Katie admitted she had thought their 'marriage and sex life was perfect' - before hinting there was 'more to come out' regarding Kieran and their reason for ending the marriage.

She said: 'It is what it is, and what you've read. Years ago I caught Kieran cheating. I paid for therapy to get him help. As far as I knew our marriage and sex life was perfect, our family unit was perfect.

Marriage split: The news comes shortly after the TV personality revealed she was separating from husband Kieran, a former stripper, after discovering his six month fling with their children's nanny

'I employed a nanny to come in and I've caught him again having an affair with my nanny for a year. Sleeping with her in my house - but there's other things that are going to come out.'

Referencing his previous infidelities, she then admitted she had not been hugely shocked by the affair, adding: 'Here I am again! I think when someone stabs the knife in the first time and they twist it, I was literally distraught.

'I suppose this time was I expecting it to happen again? Was my guard up? Because I'm acting completely different this time.'

'My kids are older, they know what's going on and for me I love coming to work. He's got to get help. It's not normal behaviour, especially when you're in a happy marriage.'




The ladies of Victoria's Secret don't seem to get much time off.

In August they headed to Aspen, Colorado for a cowgirl-themed photo shoot in the woods with Hollywood director Michael Bay.

And on Friday they had to hit New York City for another shoot, this one for lace bikinis and bras. Jasmine Tookes and Romee Strijd shared behind-the-scenes images from the studio session.

Tops: Jasmine Tookes and Romee Strijd shared behind-the-scenes images from the studio session in NYC on Friday

Pouts: The girls were side by side in a makeup room that had old school bulbs around the mirror. Romee made the most of a maroon colored push up bra in lace with thin straps and a matching pair of briefs

The girls were side by side in a makeup room that had old school bulbs around the mirror.

Romee made the most of a maroon colored push up bra in lace with thin straps and a matching pair of briefs.

Jasmine looked radiant in a white lace bra and drawstring pajama bottoms.

This comes after Strijd had such a big smile on her face on Friday as she arrived to a fitting for the upcoming Victoria's Secret Fashion Show.

The 22-year-old made sure to flash her envy-inducing torso as she stepped out in a boho chic crop top.

Double trouble: Jasmine looked radiant in a white lace bra and drawstring pajama bottoms

Romee topped the seventies-inspired look off with a pair of dark blue jeans and had a purse slung across her body.

She glammed the look up with an array of golden jewelry, and made sure to protect her vision with a pair of tortoise Sunday Somewhere sunglasses.

Her beach blonde locks were swept over her head and her naturally radiant complexion looked to have been topped off with minimal amounts of makeup.

Romee is already gearing up for the annual Victoria's Secret Fashion Show set to take place in December at a yet-to-be-disclosed location.

Sexy mama: On Sunday afternoon she shared this image in a black bra on the street; she said she had just landed in Germany

In the pink: Here the star is seen after a fitting in Berlin on Sunday

The model clearly works hard to maintain her figure.

Speaking with Glamour last year, Romee said it's helpful to have a workout buddy.

The star said of exercising with fellow model Jasmine Tookes: 'Sometimes, when I don't feel like working out, she'll push me to go, and the same can be said the other way around!

'It also helps to plan a fun breakfast or lunch after a workout as something to look forward to.'

Top of the crops! Strijd made sure to flash her envy-inducing torso as she stepped out in a boho chic crop top in New York on Friday
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She is one of Britain's finest acting talents who won an Oscar in 2007 for her stunning turn in The Queen.

And Helen Mirren wowed as she rocked a stunning gown for The Leisure Seeker premiere at the star-studded Venice Film Festival on Sunday.

The age-defying star, 72, showed off her killer style credentials in a Sassi Holford silver and ebony lace-embellished gown which flaunted a hint of cleavage and her toned frame as she posed up on the red carpet.

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Wow factor: Helen Mirren wowed as she rocked a stunning gown for The Leisure Seeker premiere at the star-studded Venice Film Festival on Sunday

Acting royalty: Helen flashed a proud smile as she posed alongside her The Leisure Seeker co-star Donald Sutherland, 82

The Oscar winner, who plays Ella in the film, added height with a pair of elegant black courts and put on a playful display as she smiled for waiting snappers.

Her platinum locks were styled into an elegant updo and she accentuated her striking features with feline flicks of eyeliner, fluttery lashes and a bold swipe of scarlet lipstick.

Although Helen put on an undoubtedly showstopping display, Israeli socialite Hofit Golan, 36 threatened to steal the spotlight as she hobbled up the red carpet on crutches.

Mellow yellow: Although Helen put on an undoubtedly showstopping display, Israeli socialite Hofit Golan, 36 threatened to steal the spotlight as she hobbled up the red carpet on crutches

Stunning: The age-defying star, 72, showed off her killer style credentials in a Sassi Holford silver and ebony lace-embellished gown which flaunted a hint of cleavage and her toned frame as she posed up on the red carpet

Playful: Proving injury was no barrier to glamour, Hofit jokingly held her crutches up in the air and roared for the press pack

Looking good: The acting stalwarts looked polished to perfection as they worked the red carpet, with Donald rocking funky purple shoes

Happy to be here: Hofit looked ecstatic as she threw her crutches up into the air while flashing her underboob

Work it: The garment's winding ruffles showed off daring glimpses of the star's toned physique, while her blonde tresses were styled in a sleek curly ponytail while a chivalrous pal held her crutches (right)

Although the extent of the injury was not known, Hofit clearly wasn't going to let it stop her having a good time as she proudly wielded her crutches while posing in a stunning canary yellow Grecian style gown.

The garment's winding ruffles showed off daring glimpses of the star's toned physique, while her blonde tresses were styled in a sleek curly ponytail.

Adding maximum glamour she rocked glittering diamond dropper earrings and sported a glamorous smattering of make-up.

Power trio: Helen and Donald joined director Paolo Virzi - who wore a Giorgio Armani suit - for a sweet snap at the film screening

In demand: Helen was swamped by admirers who jostled each other as they went for a quick selfie or autograph

Pick me: Helen looked delighted to be in the company of adoring fans as she signed an autograph

Pals: Helen and Donald, who play a married couple in the film, looked closer than ever as they joked on the red carpet

Pride: Helen looked chic with her elegant updo as she shot a pleased look at her distinguished co-star

Proving injury was no barrier to glamour, Hofit jokingly held her crutches up in the air and roared for the press pack.

Channeling Hofit's upbeat spirit, Helen was later seen partying the night away at the premiere's after-party at Sam Clemente Palace Hotel later that evening.

The Queen actress swapped her stunning monochrome gown for a shorter number of white and bright pink, which flared out into a 50s style A-line skirt.

Letting her hair down: Channeling Hofit's upbeat spirit, Helen was later seen partying the night away at the premiere's after-party at Sam Clemente Palace Hotel later that evening

Stylish: The dress was formed of delicate crochet on top, before making more of a statement with the skirt, which was patterned with a bold pink and yellow water colour print of a coastal town

Signed, sealed, delivered, its yours: Helen happily signed the huge bottle of fizz at the event

Hollywood's A-List: The actress, who bagged an Academy Award for her role in The Queen, was seen signing the bottle with Donald Sutherland (above), who plays John in the flick alongside Helen

The dress was formed of delicate crochet on top, before making more of a statement with the skirt, which was patterned with a bold pink and yellow water colour print of a coastal town.

Clearly in good spirits following the premiere, the British star was seen playfully posing with a magnum bottle of Moet champagne, coated in gold, as she relaxed with her family and friends after the film's debut.

Also walking the glittering red carpet however was iconic actress Susan Sarandon who belied her 70 years in a stunning plunging and fitted black gown which showed off her ample assets with its sweetheart neckline and her lithe physique.

Upping the racy factor, the floor length-gown also featured a thigh-high split which showed off the star's toned legs.

Youthful: Also walking the glittering red carpet was iconic actress Susan Sarandon who belied her 70 years in a stunning plunging and fitted black gown which showed off her ample assets with its sweetheart neckline and her lithe physique

Vision of beauty: Upping the racy factor, the floor length-gown also featured a thigh-high split which showed off the star's toned legs

Beautiful: Showing off her radiant and line-free complexion, the star opted for simple glowing make-up including a slick of berry gloss, and the A-lister staple, oversize shades

Busty: Susan showed off her pert bust in the showstopping gown, before lifting her shades to reveal her smoky eye make-up

Revealing: As the star turned around she revealed her intricate back tattoo on the red carpet

Showing off her radiant and line-free complexion, the star opted for simple glowing make-up including a slick of berry gloss, and the A-lister staple, oversize shades.

Her auburn locks were styled into a chic flowing ponytail, which was quiffed at the front.

It was a family affair for the mother-of-three who was joined by her handsome sons Miles, 25, and Jack,28, who she shares with Shawshank Redemption ex Tim Robbins.

Family night out: It was a family affair for the mother-of-three who was joined by her handsome sons Miles, 25, and Jack,28, who she shares with Shawshank Redemption ex Tim Robbins

Hollywood hit: The Oscar winner looked in her element as she signed autographs for fans in the crowd

Attention-grabbing: Model and actress Patricia Contreras also rocked up on the red carpet clad in a funky black and red floral print sating dress which featured a daring thigh-high split and bow detail on the shoulder

Whip my dress back and forth: Patricia couldn't stop pulling her dress apart at the front as she whipped around

Striking: Store owner Eleonora Carisi (L) looked glowing in gold, while actress Giulia Bevilacqua (M) rocked a teal gown and model and actress Maya Talem (R) flashed the flesh in a blush gown

Susan looked every inch the proud mother as she proudly linked arms with her handsome sons, who scrubbed up nicely in their suits and bow ties.

Model and actress Patricia Contreras also rocked up on the red carpet clad in a funky black and red floral print sating dress which featured a daring thigh-high split and bow detail on the shoulder.

Perhaps keen to take the attention away from the A-listers, Patricia decided to whip up her gown's skirt to flash her toned legs and tassel detail heels, leaving her centimetres away from a wardrobe malfunction.

Style mavens: (L-R) Actress Stella Egitto looked pretty in vintage pink and teal, actress Bruna Marquezine flashed her cleavage and pins in black lace, actress Eliana Miglio rocked an ivory dress and actress Elisabetta Pellini looked pretty in gothic lace

The film stars Helen and Donald Sutherland as a couple facing up to the end of their lives and embarking on one last trip across the U.S. in their battered old mobile home.

The title of "The Leisure Seeker" refers to a 1970s Winnebago used on family holidays by John and Ella Spencer (Sutherland and Mirren). John, a former English teacher, has dementia. Ella is completely lucid but getting physically frailer by the day.

The couple hit the road one last time, setting out on a pilgrimage of sorts to Ernest Hemingway's Key West house. Like a pair of elderly Huckleberry Finns, they light out for freedom, in what Virzi called "a rebellion against a destiny of hospitalization."

Helen said she welcomed the chance the movie offered to look at questions of life and death.

The star said the film was "a reflection of the way I hope to live my life.'

'I loved the character of Ella because she is facing the end of her life, but she is facing the end of her life full of energy and commitment to life and pleasure in life that I hope that I can maintain to the end of my days," Mirren told reporters on Sunday.
Former Home And Away star Johnny Ruffo has spoken candidly about his devastating brain cancer diagnosis after revealing last month he was undergoing treatment for the disease.

In an interview with New Idea magazine, the 29-year-old star said he would have died if it wasn't for a life changing operation to remove the tumour in his brain.

'Without the operation, there was a 100 per cent certainty I would have died because of the pressure on my brain,' he told the publication.

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'There was a 100 per cent certainty I would have died': 'There was a 100 per cent certainty I would have died': Brave Home and Away star Johnny Ruffo, 29, reveals his harrowing emergency surgery after brain cancer diagnosis

Johnny emerged from theatre at Sydney's Royal Prince Alfred Hospital on August 7 with 27 staples in his head and 95 per cent of the tumour removed.

'The other five per cent was too close to nerve endings to get it out. If they had tried and something went wrong, it could potentially have caused paralysis all down the left side of my body,' the Channel Seven personality explained.

Recalling the first few days following surgery, Johnny said: 'I was talking garbage, even worse than usual (laughs). But within days I was back to being myself again. I felt a lot better, lighter. I was confident, I was just sure it was all fine.'

Emergency surgery: Johnny emerged from theatre at Sydney's Royal Prince Alfred Hospital on August 7 with 27 staples in his head and 95 per cent of the tumour removed

Things however took a turn for the worst, discovering the growth in his brain was a rare cancer affecting only three per cent of brain cancer patients.

Johnny has begun chemotherapy and radiotherapy, but remains positive on the outcome, encouraging his fans to 'stay positive if they're going through bad times'.

The star, who rose to fame on The X Factor Australia, told Daily Mail Australia mid last month that he went to hospital with a migraine before being rushed into emergency surgery.

Staying strong: Johnny, who rose to fame on The X Factor Australia, told Daily Mail Australia mid last month that he went to hospital with a migraine, before being rushed into emergency surgery

Support system: The personality has been supported through his battle with girlfriend Tahnee Sims, 23

Nothing but love: Johnny has been dating dancer Tahnee Sims for almost two years (pictured in March)

'On Sunday I went into hospital with a migraine. I had to have emergency surgery to have a brain tumour removed,' he said.

'I am on the mend and feeling positive. Keep me in your thoughts.'

Fans sent Johnny well wishes on social media, with one commenting: 'Please get better soon and sending a lot of love your way.'

Another wrote: 'Sorry to see and hear this. Hope you have a good recovery. Prayers and thoughts are with you.'

Johnny's management also shared an Instagram photo of Johnny in hospital after the operation, adding: 'You are in our thoughts and Prayers Ruffo. We love ya.'

Notoriety: Johnny is pictured on Channel Seven soap Home and Away, where he played Chris Harrington

Triple threat: Johnny is a man of many talents - a singer, actor and dancer
Sofia Richie has climbed to the top of the modeling world seemingly overnight and it's easy to see why.

The 19-year-old daughter of Lionel Richie looked sizzling in a skimpy blue bikini as she soaked up the sun with friends in Malibu on Sunday.

The 5ft6in blonde was spotted outside a sprawling estate as she relaxed on an orange towel while sipping on Fiji water.

Cool look: Sofia Richie looked sizzling in a skimpy blue bikini as she soaked up the sun with friends in Malibu on Sunday

Toned: The blonde was spotted outside a sprawling estate as she relaxes on an orange towel while sipping on Fiji water

The treats! magazine star had on a unique suit that tied in the back and offered very little coverage on her bottom.

The ex of Justin Bieber had her blonde locks slicked back and wore no makeup. Small sunglasses looked Nineties vintage.

The beauty had her nails painted white and added a shiny gold bangle.

Small: The treats! magazine star had on a unique suit that tied in the back and offered very little coverage on her bottom

Hipster: The ex of Justin Bieber had her blonde locks slicked back and wore no makeup. Small sunglasses looked Nineties vintage

Sofia has several siblings including a brother named Miles, 23.

Her Simple Life star sister Nicole was adopted as a child by Lionel and his first ex-wife Brenda Harvey, whom he was married to from 1975 to 1993.

Sofia told Complex last year that when she herself was a child 'I spent pretty much every minute of my life with my mom.'

Five years ago: Singer Lionel Richie, Diane Alexander, and Sofia attend the Lionel Richie and Friends in Concert presented by ACM held in Las Vegas in 2012

Being the daughter of a star, 'You get to see places kids dont normally see, and meet people that are not normal,' she'd explained.

She's said that 'there are pluses and minuses to it,' pointing out that 'You dont really get the quality time you get with a normal dad.'

Sofia's said: 'I feel like I grew up kind of fast, but I love my life and the way I grew up.'

Allowing: 'I wanted to have a music career for a long time,' she's said that nowadays 'I dont want my own music career. Im Lionel Richies daughter. When I do this I have to be 100 percent good, and it was too much pressure for me.

'I just want to have my own direction and be free with it. I dont want anyone to have a hold on me because of my dad.'
Karl Stefanovic will boycott the 2018 Logies if they are held outside Melbourne, he told Today viewers on Monday.

The 43-year-old Channel Nine TV host was reacting to a Herald Sun report the Victorian government had opted out of bidding to host the ceremony next year.

'This is disgusting, I will be boycotting the Logies until they are back in Melbourne at Crown Casino,' a furious Karl told viewers.

'This is disgusting, I will be boycotting the Logies!' Karl Stefanovic won't attend the TV awards ceremony after it was revealed the event won't be held in Melbourne for the first time in 30 years

The Logies have been held in Melbourne for the past 30 years, with the ceremony hosted at Crown Casino, owned by Karl's mate James Packer.

Karl Stefanovic launched several tirades against the Victorian Government's decision on the Today show, claiming premier Daniel Andrews had 'lost the plot'.

'I am not happy about this Logies situation with Melbourne,' Karl said.

Fighting words: Karl said Victorian premier Daniel Andrews had 'lost the plot' over the 'disgusting' decision

'Well it's been the home of the Logies for like 50 years,' Lisa said in agreement.

'I am telling you right now if the Logies move from Melbourne I am boycotting them,' Karl continued.

'I will not be going to the Logies if they are outside Melbourne.'

Later that morning Karl added: 'This is a joke of giant proportions, Daniel Andrews has lost the plot completely.

'I am not happy about this Logies situation': Karl said the news was a 'joke of giant proportions'

Highest honour: Karl won a Gold Logie for most popular personality in 2011

'For a million bucks the advertising Victoria gets is second to none ... this is disgusting - I will be boycotting the Logies until they are back in Melbourne at Crown Casino.'

Karl has been a regular fixture at the TV night of nights, famously hosting the Today show while drunk after the ceremony in 2009.

He also won a Gold Logie for most popular personality in 2011.

Red carpet regular: Karl has been a regular fixture at the TV night of nights

At this year's Logies ceremony Karl was skewered by host Dave Hughes, making fun of the media interest in the TV host's new romance with Jasmine Yarbrough.

The 2018 Logies ceremony is now tipped to be held on the Gold Coast in Queensland.

Last year the Victorian poured a million dollars into hosting the ceremony at Crown Casino.
She was thrust into the limelight after appearing on Love Island.

And Gabby Allen, 25, looked incredible as she flaunted her toned legs in a tiny khaki miniskirt as she attended day two of Fusion Festival in Liverpool, England on Sunday.

The fitness instructor cosied up to her Blazin' Squad beau, Marcel Somerville, 31, and the pair looked more loved-up than ever as they enjoyed the day together.

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Leggy lady: Gabby Allen, 25, looked incredible as she flaunted her toned legs in a tiny khaki miniskirt as she attended day two of Fusion Festival in Liverpool, England on Sunday

Gabby toughened up her look with a pair of heavy black biker boots, and sported an edgy black choker top.

She shrugged a leather jacket over her shoulders, and carried her belongings in an embroidered black handbag.

The Liverpool-born beauty sported heavy black eye make up, and added a pair of large hoop earrings to complete her stylish ensemble.

Happy: The fitness instructor cosied up to her Blazin' Squad beau, Marcel Somerville, 31, and the pair looked more loved-up than ever as they enjoyed the day together

Marcel looked handsome in an oversized army print jacket, and clad his muscular legs in a pair of distressed denim jeans.

The music producer flashed his signature smile as he proudly flaunted his lady on his arm.

Gabby had suffered difficulty when she left the Love Island villa at the end of July, revealing that she had received death threats over her relationship with Marcel.

Edgy: Gabby toughened up her look with a pair of heavy black biker boots, and sported an edgy black choker top

Man of the moment: Marcel looked handsome in an oversized army print jacket, and clad his muscular legs in a pair of distressed denim jeans

Speaking to The Sun about her romance with the former Blazin Squad star, Gabby admitted: 'I couldn't believe my phone when I came out. I've been told to kill myself. It's crazy'.

The blonde beauty revealed one particularly harrowing tweet read: 'I actually love Marcel. If Gabby breaks his heart I'm going to stab her'.

Hinting the show had been edited to show her in a bad light, she explained: 'I've been told they showed stuff like where we were having a conversation, he'd say something and I'd stick my middle finger up at him.

Cute couple: The couple have gone from strength to strength since returning to the UK, and have kept their 2m combined Instagram followers entertained with various updates of their escapades

'It would obviously be a joke, but it would cut off before you could see that.'

However, the couple have gone from strength to strength since returning to the UK, and have kept their 2m combined Instagram followers entertained with various updates of their escapades.

Meanwhile, Fusion Festival saw the likes of Little Mix, Ella Eyre and Tinie Tempah performing over the weekend.

Anticipation: Meanwhile, Fusion Festival saw the likes of Little Mix, Ella Eyre and Tinie Tempah performing over the weekend

I've been waiting all night! Ella dazzled in a pair of glittering purple trousers, and she added a quirky touch with a fluffy blue jacket as she sang a string of her hits

Spellbinding: Ella gave an incredible performance at the festival

Ella dazzled in a pair of glittering purple trousers, and she added a quirky touch with a fluffy blue jacket as she sang a string of her hits.

She worked her curly blonde-tipped tresses into a ponytail, and flaunted her toned abs in a purple Calvin Klein crop top.

The chanteuse showed off her edgy style by layering black fishnet socks underneath her white trainers, and worked the stage as she gave a spellbinding performance.

Ab-tastic: She worked her curly blonde-tipped tresses into a ponytail, and flaunted her toned abs in a purple Calvin Klein crop top
She's ruled the silver screen for years and is now playing long-reigning Queen Victoria in Victoria & Abdul.

And Dame Judi Dench was pure Hollywood royalty when she walked the red carpet at the film's screening during the during the 74th Venice Film Festival on Sunday night.

The 82-year-old star looked sensational in an elegant and understated ensemble, complete with dazzling silver accessories as she joined co-star Ali Fazal and director Stephen Frears.

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Queen of the red caret: Dame Judi Dench was pure Hollywood royalty at the Victoria & Abdul screening during the during the 74th Venice Film Festival on Sunday night

The veteran actress donned a simple cream dress, covering up in a beautifully embroidered jacket.

The look was set off with a beaded clutch bag, sparkling earrings and a pair of silver shoes.

Judi's new film charts the relationship between the monarch and Abdul Karim, an Indian man who became her servant and teacher.

Ahead of the film's gala premiere, Dench said she owes her movie career to Victoria, who reigned from 1837 to 1901.

Glamorous: The 82-year-old star looked sensational in an elegant and understated ensemble, complete with dazzling silver accessories as she joined co-star Ali Fazal and director Stephen Frears (pictured)

Chic: The veteran actress donned a simple cream dress, covering up in a beautifully embroidered jacket

Touch of sparkle: The look was set off with a beaded clutch bag, sparkling earrings and a pair of silver shoes

The actress told reporters 'I had no film career really to speak of' before playing the monarch in the 1997 drama Mrs. Brown, which gained Dench the first of her seven Academy Awards nominations.

She said revisiting the role and working again with Frears - who directed her to an Oscar nomination in Philomena - was 'an irresistible proposition'.

Dench's two films about Victoria both centre on close relationships the widowed monarch struck with men who were her servants.

In Mrs. Brown it was Scottish outdoorsman John Brown; in Victoria & Abdul it's Karim (played by Indian actor Ali Fazal), a young man brought to Britain to present the monarch with a gift for her Golden Jubilee in 1887.

Historical drama: Judi's new film charts the relationship between the monarch and Abdul Karim, an Indian man who became her servant and teacher

Pet project: Ahead of the film's gala premiere, Dench said she owes her movie career to Victoria, who reigned from 1837 to 1901

Portrait of a monarch: The film depicts the queen's growing fascination with India, then part of the vast British empire

Inspired from true events: The film depicts a royal court and British government horrified at the monarch's growing relationship with an Indian Muslim

The film depicts the queen's growing fascination with India, then part of the vast British empire. Victoria filled one of her homes with Indian artworks and under Karim's tutelage even learned Urdu.

The film - based largely on real events - depicts a royal court and British government horrified at the monarch's growing relationship with an Indian Muslim.

It's a story that feels strongly relevant to modern times, despite its 19th-century setting.

Frears joked that he asked himself before making it: 'What film would Donald Trump most like to see?'

Putting in an appearance: Eddie Izzard plays Victoria's eldest son, the future King Edward VII

He said: 'Victoria & Abdul is an edgy story because of what we did to the Indian nation back then', when Britain was India's colonial master

Eddie Izzard, who plays Victoria's eldest son, the future King Edward VII, said Victoria & Abdul is an edgy story because of what we did to the Indian nation back then', when Britain was India's colonial master.

'This story has been suppressed for 100 years, so it's good to get it out,' Izzard said.

The film marks a return to royal subject matter for Frears, who had one of his biggest successes in 2006 with The Queen.

Frears also has a gritty side to his repertoire, exemplified by films like My Beautiful Laundrette, The Grifters and Dirty Pretty Things.

Age-defying: Helen Mirren (L) and Judi (R) showed off their eternal flair for fashion as they stepped out for the respective Venice screenings earlier in the day

Eternal: Judi was promoting her latest cinematic offering in style

Izzard said the new film had more in common than might first appear with My Beautiful Laundrette, the story of a relationship between a Pakistani-British man and a white former skinhead in Thatcher-era London. It's a landmark of 80s British cinema, and gave Daniel Day-Lewis one of his first big screen roles.

Izzard said the new movie 'is essentially "My Beautiful Laundrette" done with kings and queens.'

Added Frears: 'Except that we no longer have Daniel Day-Lewis - we have Judi Dench.'
Kim Kardashian seems to be missing her trip to Costa Rica that she took with her family in January to film episodes of Keeping Up With The Kardashians.

On Sunday the beauty shared a flashback photo from the vacation of a lifetime.

The 36-year-old Mrs Kanye West was standing in her nude bikini as she enjoyed a pool day with Khloe, 33, as well as Kylie Jenner, 20.

Three lovely ladies: Kim Kardashian shared this throwback photo from January when she went to Costa Rica with Kylie and Khloe

The pool looked like something out of Architectural Digest as it jutted out into a forest and had an infinity end.

The view behind it was of the ocean as well as a lush mountain scape.

Kim's caption read '3' as in three girls.

The other men in her life: Before the post she shared an image with her glam squad

Covered: They worked with the TV star on her Harper's Bazaar Arabia cover where she dressed up as Cher from the 1970s

Before the post she shared an image with her glam squad.

They worked with the TV star on her Harper's Bazaar Arabia cover where she dressed up as Cher from the 1970s.

The images were fascinating as Kim has a close likeness to Cher when her hair is worn long and stick straight. Both have Armenian heritage.

On Thursday Kim shared photos from her The Master Class with makeup artist Mario Dedivanovic on her website kimkardashianwest.com.

The most recent class took place in New York City on August 19.

In one, she looked every inch the VIP as she curled up in her private jet on her way home.

Poor little rich girl: Kardashian flaunted her VIP life as she curled up on a jet in this behind-the-scene image she shared to kimkardashianwest.com on Thursday

Her take: 'It was a quick (but always fun!) trip to New York for The Master Class with Mario,' she wrote on her paid site

'It was a quick (but always fun!) trip to New York for The Master Class with Mario,' she wrote on her paid site.

'Mario has created my signature glam look and my love for makeup is inspired by him! Mario has taught me every makeup trick I know and use until this day!' she said on The Master Class website.

In one image she is sitting with her six-inch Perspex high heels in a private jet.

Talk time: In the next image she is on her phone as she sits on a black sofa opposite Mario who is a white shirt

The wife of Kanye West looks the epitome of high-class glam as she curls up on the leather seat that appears to have no seat belt.

She is in all black with her makeup heavily done and her hair worn down and stick straight.

A leather coat is next to her.

Big crowd: The third image is of the audience as they watch her and Mario on stage. The Playstation Theater on Broadway seats 2,100 people

And by the window is a tablet and a bottle of Fiji water.

In the next image she is on her phone as she sits on a black sofa opposite Mario who is a white shirt.

The third image is of the audience as they watch her and Mario on stage. The Playstation Theater on Broadway seats 2,100 people.

On the Master Class website it explains that 'even modern day beauty icons need artists to shape, highlight and present their loveliness in the best light imaginable. For Kim, world-renowned makeup artist Mario Dedivanovic is that artist.'

Big time: These photos were shared after a big week for Kim. She appeared as First Lady Jackie Kennedy with daughter North on the cover of Interview magazine

Heartfelt: Her family also announced they were donating $500,000 to relief for victims of Hurricane Harvey

The relationship is then detailed: 'For the past nine years Mario and Kim have revolutionized the beauty industry.

'Working side by side, they have dominated makeup artistry trends seen on magazine covers like Vogue and Harpers Bazaar, on celebrity-studded red carpets, on television, in print, commercials and at weddings.

'All around the world Marios signature makeup techniques and the looks he creates for Kim are the most emulated and requested beauty looks of all time.'

It was added that fans can now 'learn these essential beauty tips and tricks directly from the master artist and get the perspective from his celebrated muse Kim.'

'Coveted beauty secrets' are shared as Kim says 'personality and professionalism' is what she likes from her artist.

'Both offer advice about marketing your own business and building your social media presence  a priceless lesson from the most followed woman on earth and the most followed celebrity makeup artist,' it was added.

A mommy too: Here Kim is seen with Saint and North; she has said she is trying for a third child. It has been claimed she is using a surrogate

Personal stories from their travels are also shared. VIP ticket holders get a photo with Kim and a gift bag.

These photos were shared after a big week for Kim. She appeared as First Lady Jackie Kennedy with daughter North on the cover of Interview magazine.

The stunner also dressed up as Cher from the 1970s for a Harper's Bazaar Arabia cover.

Her family also announced they were donating $500,000 to relief for victims of Hurricane Harvey.
Former East Timor president Xanana Gusmao says the deal 'marks the beginning of a new era in Timor-Leste's friendship with Australia'

Australia and East Timor have struck a deal to end a contentious dispute over maritime borders that cut through lucrative oil and gas fields, officials said on Saturday.

Dili and Canberra have been at loggerheads for a decade over the Certain Maritime Arrangements in the Timor Sea (CMATS) agreement, which carved up future revenue from oil and gas reserves in the area.

The matter was before the Permanent Court of Arbitration and in a statement the Hague-based body said agreement had been reached "on the central elements of a maritime boundary delimitation between them in the Timor Sea".

Several matters still need to be thrashed out and "until all issues are resolved, the details of the parties agreement will remain confidential", it added.

But the court's statement did say that the deal "addresses the legal status of the Greater Sunrise gas field ... and the sharing of the resulting revenue".

Impoverished East Timor, also known as Timor-Leste and which gained independence from Indonesian occupation in 2002, relies heavily on oil and gas exports.

In 2006 it signed the CMATS treaty with Australia, which covers the vast Greater Sunrise gas field between the two nations that is worth billions of dollars.

But Dili later accused Canberra of spying to gain commercial advantage during the 2004 negotiations and demanded the treaty be ripped up.

Australia had argued the treaty was legal, binding and valid, but agreed to end it in line with Dili's wishes on January 9.

Australian Foreign Minister Julie Bishop called it a "landmark day".

"This agreement, which supports the national interest of both our nations, further strengthens the long-standing and deep ties between our governments and our people," she said.

East Timor delegation head Xanana Gusmao, the country's former president, echoed those sentiments, hailing the pact after "a long and at times difficult process".

"This is an historic agreement and marks the beginning of a new era in Timor-Leste's friendship with Australia," he said.
North Korean leader Kim Jong-Un has been cited in official media as saying that all components of the hydrogen-bomb were "100 percent domestically made"

North Korea has developed a hydrogen bomb which can be loaded into the country's new intercontinental ballistic missile, the official Korean Central News Agency claimed Sunday.

Questions remain over whether nuclear-armed Pyongyang has successfully miniaturised its weapons, and whether it has a working H-bomb, but KCNA said that leader Kim Jong-Un had inspected such a device at the Nuclear Weapons Institute.

It was a "thermonuclear weapon with super explosive power made by our own efforts and technology", KCNA cited Kim as saying, and "all components of the H-bomb were 100 percent domestically made".

Pictures showed Kim in black suit examining a metal casing with two bulges.

North Korea triggered a new escalation of tensions in July, when it carried out two successful tests of an ICBM, the Hwasong-14, which apparently brought much of the US mainland within range.

It has since threatened to send a salvo of rockets towards the US territory of Guam, and last week fired a missile over Japan and into the Pacific, the first time time it has ever acknowledged doing so.

US President Donald Trump has warned Pyongyang that it faces a rain of "fire and fury", and that Washington's weapons are "locked and loaded".

Graphic on different types of nuclear warheads

After Pyongyang carried out its fourth nuclear test, in January 2016, it claimed that the device was a miniaturised H-bomb, which has the potential to be far more powerful than other nuclear devices.

But scientists said the six-kiloton yield achieved then was far too low for a thermonuclear device.

When it carried out its fifth test, in September 2016, it did not say it was a hydrogen bomb.

The North had "further upgraded its technical performance at a higher ultra-modern level on the basis of precious successes made in the first H-bomb test", KCNA said Sunday, adding that Kim "set forth tasks to be fulfilled in the research into nukes".

Actually mounting a warhead onto a missile would amount to a significant escalation on the North's part, as it would create a risk that it was preparing an attack.

- Preparing a test? -

The North Korean leadership says a credible nuclear deterrent is critical to the nation's survival, claiming it is under constant threat from an aggressive United States.

It has been subjected to seven rounds of United Nations Security Council sanctions over its nuclear and ballistic missile programmes, but always insists it will continue to pursue them.

A North Korean official media image of the launch of an intermediate-range strategic ballistic rocket Hwasong-12 at an undisclosed location near Pyongyang in August

Its first nuclear test was in 2006, and successive blasts are believed to have been aimed at refining designs and reliability as well as increasing yield.

The most recent detonation, in September last year, was its "most powerful to date" according to Seoul, with a 10-kiloton yield -- still less than the 15-kiloton US device which destroyed Hiroshima in 1945.

Atomic or "A-bombs" work on the principle of nuclear fission, where energy is released by splitting atoms of enriched uranium or plutonium encased in the warhead.

Hydrogen or H-bombs, also known as thermonuclear weapons, work on fusion and are far more powerful, with a nuclear blast taking place first to create the intense temperatures required.

No H-bomb has ever been used in combat, but they make up most of the world's nuclear arsenals.

Melissa Hanham of the Middlebury Institute for International Studies in California said the latest images released by the North could not be proved real of themselves.

"We don't know if this thing is full of styrofoam, but yes, it is shaped like it has two devices," she said on Twitter.

"It doesn't need to be shaped like that on the outside, but they threw in a diagram, just so we would get the message.

"The bottom line is that they probably are going to do a thermonuclear test in the future, we won't know if it's this object though."

Reports have suggested that Pyongyang could soon carry out a sixth nuclear test, but the respected 38 North website said last week that satellite imagery of the Punggye-ri test site showed no evidence that a blast was imminent.
One threat to BRICS comity lies in tension between nuclear-armed China and India, who recently locked horns over a disputed Himalayan border region

The five BRICS nations hold their annual summit in China on Monday under the shadow of a Sino-Indian border spat and growing questions about the grouping's relevance.

BRICS -- Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa -- was formed to allow the biggest emerging economies representing more than 40 percent of humanity to form a united front in a world whose trade and finance rules were written by the West.

But the bloc seems no closer to that goal as President Xi Jinping convenes its ninth summit in the southeastern Chinese city of Xiamen.

Lumping together far-flung and vastly different political and economic systems, BRICS has long been viewed by many as contrived, its members' priorities diverging while its list of significant achievements remains modest.

"It's really tough to see how BRICS is any type of coherent anything. What do they have in common?" said Christopher Balding, a Peking University economics professor.

"Economically, trade-wise, financially, they all do things very differently. It's difficult to see any room for overlap."

BRICS includes Communist-ruled China, authoritarian Russia and the democracies of India, Brazil and South Africa; China's economic powerhouse, a rising India, and Russian, Brazilian and South African economies hit hard by weak prices of export commodities.

Brazilian President Michel Temer and South Africa's Jacob Zuma, meanwhile, arrive distracted by political turmoil at home.

- Himalayan face-off -

A major threat to BRICS comity lies in tension between nuclear-armed China and India, who recently locked horns over a disputed Himalayan border region.

A full-blown crisis was averted as they backed off last week -- perhaps to avoid sullying the summit -- but it left a bitter aftertaste.

Foreign Minister Wang Yi pointedly said Wednesday that China hopes India will "learn lessons from this incident and prevent similar things from happening again".

There is also mistrust over China's ally Pakistan, which Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi -- who also will attend -- has labelled a font of terrorism.

Modi snubbed a separate summit called by Xi in May to promote the Chinese leader's vision of reinvigorated ancient east-west trading routes, which is seen by many analysts as a Chinese geopolitical power play.

Expect a muted BRICS summit as participants tread on eggshells to prevent exposing divisions, said Shi Yinhong, an international relations professor with Beijing's Renmin University.

"BRICS envisioned quite a hopeful direction for the future but so far has had very limited influence on world politics and economics," Shi said.

"Under these circumstance, they will try not to do what they can't, and try not to say what they shouldn't."

Analysts say BRICS achievements to date are largely limited to low-hanging fruit on institutional cooperation.

Perhaps its biggest success was the 2016 establishment of the Shanghai-based New Development Bank, envisioned as the developing world's World Bank, but many economists doubt it will be influential.

Meanwhile, trade within the bloc is heavily tilted in China's favour, fuelling some of the same complaints about Chinese trade practices that are voiced by the United States and others. India alone has lodged several trade cases against China this year.

Bilateral meetings including Xi-Putin talks expected late Sunday could touch on other international issues, such as concerns over North Korea.

But Chinese foreign minister Wang denied suggestions the summit would be overshadowed by such bigger issues.

"Maybe some countries are not interested (in the summit), but that doesn't matter," Wang told reporters in Beijing last week, "BRICS cooperation will continue to move forward."
North Korea released images of leader Kim Jong-Un (C) looking at a metal container and missile heads on the same day as claiming to have developed a hydrogen bomb that can be loaded onto an intercontinental ballistic missile

North Korea appeared to carry out a sixth nuclear test Sunday, possibly of a hydrogen bomb more powerful than any device it has previously detonated, presenting President Donald Trump with an unprecedented challenge.

Monitors measured a 6.3-magnitude tremor near its main testing site, which South Korean experts reportedly said was nearly 10 times more powerful than the 10-kiloton test carried out a year ago.

The explosion came just hours after the North claimed to have developed a hydrogen bomb that could be loaded onto the country's new intercontinental ballistic missile.

Hydrogen bombs or H-bombs -- also known as thermonuclear devices -- are far more powerful than the relatively simple atomic weapons the North was believed to have tested so far.

Analysts' initial estimates of the yield from Sunday's test varied, ranging from 100 kilotons up to one megaton.

Either way, said Jeffrey Lewis of the armscontrolwonk website on Twitter, it was "a staged thermonuclear weapon" which represents a significant advance in its weapons program.

North Korea appeared to carry out a sixth nuclear test Sunday, with seismic monitors measuring an "explosion" of 6.3 magnitude near its main test site

Chinese monitors said they had detected a second quake shortly afterwards of 4.6 magnitude that could be due to a "collapse (cave in)", suggesting the rock over the underground blast had given way.

Pyongyang has long sought the means to deliver an atomic warhead to the United States, its sworn enemy. A new test would be certain to infuriate Washington, Tokyo, Seoul, Beijing and others.

Tokyo said the tremor was a nuclear blast, which Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe had said would be "absolutely unacceptable."

South Korean President Moon Jae-In summoned the National Security Council for an emergency meeting and Seoul's military raised its alert level.

Pyongyang triggered a new ramping up of tensions in July, when it carried out two successful tests of an ICBM, the Hwasong-14, which apparently brought much of the US mainland within range.

It has since threatened to send a salvo of rockets towards the US territory of Guam, and last week fired a missile over Japan and into the Pacific, the first time time it has ever acknowledged doing so.

North Korea's Punggye-ri nuclear test site where a 6.3 magnitude "explosion" has been recorded, suggesting a sixth nuclear test may have been conducted

US President Donald Trump has warned Pyongyang that it faces "fire and fury", and that Washington's weapons are "locked and loaded".

Analysts believe Pyongyang has been developing its weapons to give it a stronger hand in any negotiations with the US.

"North Korea will continue with their nuclear weapons programme unless the US proposes talks," Koo Kab-Woo of Seoul's University of North Korean Studies told AFP.

He pointed to the fact that Pakistan -- whose nuclear programme is believed to have links with the North's -- conducted six nuclear tests in total, and may not have seen a need for any further blasts.

"If we look at it from Pakistan's example, the North might be in the final stages" of becoming a nuclear state, he said.

- 'Super explosive power' -

Before the quake the official Korean Central News Agency said that leader Kim Jong-Un had inspected a miniaturised H-bomb that could be fitted onto an ICBM at the Nuclear Weapons Institute.

People walk past a TV in Tokyo broadcasting news about a possible North Korean nuclear test on September 3, 2017

It was a "thermonuclear weapon with super explosive power made by our own efforts and technology", KCNA cited Kim as saying, and "all components of the H-bomb were 100 percent domestically made".

Pictures showed Kim in black suit examining a metal casing, with a shape akin to a peanut shell.

Actually mounting a warhead onto a missile would amount to a significant escalation on the North's part, as it would create a risk that it was preparing an attack.

The North carried out its first nuclear test in 2006, and successive blasts are believed to have been aimed at refining designs and reliability as well as increasing yield.

Its fifth detonation, in September last year, caused a 5.3 magnitude quake and according to Seoul had a 10-kiloton yield -- still less than the 15-kiloton US device which destroyed Hiroshima in 1945.

North Korea's Kim Jong-Un has threatened ever more missile tests and had boasted this week that the firing of an intermediate-range Hwasong-12 over Japan was a mere "curtain-raiser"

There was no immediate word from the North about Sunday's earthquake, but it said it would make an announcement at 3pm local time, 0630 GMT.

- 'Hundreds of kilotons' -

The North Korean leadership says a credible nuclear deterrent is critical to the nation's survival, claiming it is under constant threat from an aggressive United States.

It has been subjected to seven rounds of United Nations Security Council sanctions over its nuclear and ballistic missile programmes, but always insists it will continue to pursue them.

Atomic or "A-bombs" work on the principle of nuclear fission, where energy is released by splitting atoms of enriched uranium or plutonium encased in the warhead.

Hydrogen or H-bombs, also known as thermonuclear weapons, work on fusion and are far more powerful, with a nuclear blast taking place first to create the intense temperatures required.

In Sunday's announcement before the earthquake, KCNA said the North's H-bomb had "explosive power that can be adjusted from tens to hundreds of kilotons depending on the target".

No H-bomb has ever been used in combat, but they make up most of the world's nuclear arsenals.
Cambodian opposition leader Kem Sokha is escorted by police at his home in Phnom Penh, in a surprise overnight detention that raises the stakes for strongman premier Hun Sen's political opponents

One of Cambodia's few remaining independent newspapers announced on Sunday it would close hours after the country's opposition leader was arrested for treason, the latest in a string of blows to critics of strongman premier Hun Sen.

The Cambodia Daily, which is often critical of the government, said Monday's edition would be its last after it was slapped with a multi-million dollar tax bill that its publishers said was politically motivated.

The announcement came after Kem Sokha, head of the opposition Cambodian National Rescue Party (CNRP), was arrested shortly after midnight on treason charges with Prime Minister Hun Sen accusing him of acting in cahoots with Washington, an escalation of his often angry rhetoric against the US.

The Southeast Asian country has been run for more than three decades by 65-year-old Hun Sen, a wily political operator who has long used the courts and strongarm tactics to silence critics.

He faces a key test at national polls next year with the main opposition party gaining in popularity amid mounting anger over corruption and inequality.

A series of prosecutions have been brought against political opponents and rights workers in the last year, as well as tax and other investigations of organisations deemed critical of his administration.

In a statement announcing its closure, the Cambodia Daily said it had been "destroyed" by the government.

"It's a dark day for press freedom in Cambodia," editor Jodie DeJonge, told AFP.

The paper was set up 24 years ago by veteran American journalist Bernard Krisher who recently sold it to his daughter Deborah Krisher-Steele. It publishes in English but carries some articles in Khmer and is often critical of the government.

Last month the tax department said the paper owned $6.3 million in back taxes, with Hun Sen branding the owners "thieves".

The paper said the figure was "arbitrary" and not based on an audit of its books, with management accusing the government of targeting it for its critical reporting.

Much of Cambodia's media is either owned by people close to Hun Sen or avoids criticising the government.

Former editor Kevin Doyle tweeted: "In closing the Daily, PM Hun Sen is not just silencing a critic, he's ending an earlier, more hopeful vision of Cambodia's future."

- 'US conspiracy' -

Kem Sokha's surprise overnight detention raises the stakes as Hun Sen's political opponents, NGOs and the critical press are smothered by court cases and threats ahead of the election next year.

In a statement, Hun Sen's government alleged "a secret plan of conspiracy between Kem Sokha, his group, and foreigners that harms Cambodia".

The government has yet to detail what Kem Sokha has allegedly done that constitutes treason.

But in a speech on Sunday, Hun Sen accused him of working with Washington.

"Behind his (Kem Sokha's) hand it is still the same, it is America," he said.

Reporters watch a video clip of opposition leader Kem Sokha in the newsroom of the Cambodia Daily, which says it will close Monday after being slapped with a multi-million dollar tax bill that its publishers say was politically motivated

Kem Sokha is the leader of the CNRP which has been battered by court cases, bans and threats against its key figures, including his predecessor Sam Rainsy who fled to France to avoid charges.

The CNRP called the arrest "politically motivated".

The arrest came just hours after pro-government website Fresh News ran a report accusing Kem Sokha of discussing the overthrow of Hun Sen with support from the United States.

Fresh News frequently runs leaks from inside the government that often precede an investigation or arrest.

However Saturday's report was based on a 2013 speech Kem Sokha gave to supporters in Australia with cameras present.

During the speech he boasted that the US was "advising me about strategies to change the dictatorship in Cambodia".

Washington has a complex and fraught history with Cambodia, secretly bombing it during the Vietnam War era and then becoming one of the country's biggest aid donors as it tried to rebuild from the murderous Khmer Rouge years.

Hun Sen, a former Khmer Rouge commander who defected, portrays himself as the only person who can bring stability and prosperity to a country once ravaged by civil war and genocide.

In the last decade, Cambodia has become one of Asia's fastest growing economies.

But there is rising anger, especially among the youth, over how that wealth is spread and the cronyism that remains endemic under his rule.

In 2013 the opposition parties made surprise gains, giving Hun Sen his first ever electoral scare.
Honesty turned out to be the best policy for this Saudi programmer

Fizzing with boyish exuberance, Saudi programmer Zainalabdin Tawfiq could be mistaken for a college freshman, but the popularity of his "honesty" app has shone a spotlight on the conservative kingdom's nascent tech scene.

Tawfiq catapulted to fame when he took time out of his day job as a business analyst last year to develop an anonymous messaging tool called Sarahah -- honesty in Arabic -- that subsequently topped the charts for app downloads.

Initially conceived as a tool for soliciting bluntly frank workplace feedback, Sarahah has found its way into the smartphones of millennials worldwide, even as critics have raised alarm about trolling and privacy issues.

"Sarahah is the digital equivalent of an old-school suggestion box," 29-year-old Tawfiq told AFP, adding that it is built on the premise that stripping users of their identity promotes ruthless honesty.

"Feedback is the goal -- anonymous feedback."

The app has a frugal design and a simple prompt that encourages users to "leave a constructive message :)", with the recipient not allowed to reply but only share it on social media or block the sender.

Its mass appeal stems from the appetite in the Arab world -- notorious for online censorship -- for unfiltered platforms for expression, though Tawfiq said it has also gained a strong popularity in Western countries.

Such has been its power to knock down social barriers that obstruct free speech that one user described it as an app where you can "hit enter on comments you would have otherwise backspaced".

Sarahah has so far drawn 85 million registered users, and rocketed to the top of the Apple app store in some countries, ahead of heavyweights such as Snapchat and Instagram.

- 'Oil's decline, entrepreneurship's rise' -

That a Saudi app could gain such success spotlights hidden potential for tech innovation and entrepreneurship at a time of economic transformation in an ultra-conservative country.

Giving online feedback without fear of the consequences

"The success story of Sarahah really proves that Saudi startups can achieve spectacular gains when properly supported," said Nawaf Alsahhaf, CEO of Badir, a government-backed technology incubator that helped Tawfiq.

"There truly is undeniable potential behind Saudi startups we currently incubate," he told AFP.

Saudi Arabia is promoting private enterprise as part of its ambitious reform program to move the kingdom away from its dependence on oil revenues.

"It is clear oil's decline and entrepreneurship's rise are necessarily intertwined," the Beirut-based venture capital firm Leap Ventures wrote on its website last year, noting a new growth in disruptive tech innovations in the region.

A new breed of Saudi startups -- from an on-demand roadside assistance app called Morni to Hunger Station, a food ordering portal -- have recently drawn the attention of venture capitalists.

- Minimising abuse -

Tawfiq said he is in negotiations with venture capitalists from the United States, China and the Arab world, without disclosing details, in response to critics who question whether his app can be effectively monetised.

In some gender-segregated Arab societies, men have used Sarahah for secret love confessions, but it has also been used by service delivery companies to harvest constructive feedback and psychiatrists in far-away Mumbai to engage openly on subjects such as sexual health.

Sarahah has come under fire for being a troll magnet -- but Tawfiq said that problem was common to all major social media platforms.

It has also recently been accused of secretly harvesting the address books of users. Tawfiq rejected that claim and said he plans to remove Sarahah's address upload feature with the next update.

He currently runs a tight ship with another business partner and three customer support executives, but is considering leaving his day job to focus on Sarahah full time.

"I believe that even one case (of abuse) is actually too many," Tawfiq said. "I won't tell you how, but my aim is to make the job of misusers as difficult as possible."
US and Indian scientists measured how man-made particles floating in the air and deposited as grime on solar panels combined to seriously impair sunlight from converting to energy

Air pollution is diminishing India's capacity to harness power from the sun, experts say, undermining billions being invested in renewables as the energy-hungry giant emerges as a solar superpower.

New research has found the smog and dust that sickens millions across India every year is also sapping solar power generation by more than 25 percent, far beyond levels previously thought.

In the first study of its kind, US and Indian scientists measured how man-made particles floating in the air and deposited as grime on solar panels combined to seriously impair sunlight from converting to energy.

This interference causes steep drops in power generation, they found.

At present levels in India, it could amount to roughly 3,900 megawatts of lost energy -- six times the capacity of its largest solar farm, a gigantic field of 2.5 million panels.

"A simple calculation shows that this is a big amount of energy we are going to lose," Professor Chinmay Ghoroi, who co-authored the paper, told AFP at the Indian Institute of Technology in Gandhinagar.

India, the world's third-largest polluter, is banking on solar projects like these canal-top solar panels in Chandrasan village, near Ahmedabad, to electrify homes for hundreds of millions of its poorest citizens

These huge losses will only compound as India realises its grand solar ambitions, experts say.

India, the world's third-largest polluter, is banking on solar to electrify homes for hundreds of millions of its poorest citizens without adding to its sizeable carbon footprint.

At the Paris climate summit in 2015, India pledged cuts to its future emissions and vowed to source at least 40 percent of its energy from renewables by 2030 -- a target it is well on track to exceed.

New panels are being installed so fast that India is expected to more than double capacity this year, overtaking Japan as the worlds third-largest solar market.

- Billion-dollar hit -

But with this spectacular growth comes "an exponential rise in the total amount of money lost" because of air pollution, said Mike Bergin, a professor from Duke University in North Carolina, who lead the research published in June.

"We're talking billions of dollars here, easy," he told AFP.

Dust has long been a menace for solar projects in desert states like Rajasthan and Gujarat, where robotic wipers are deployed to ensure panels are cleaned after sandstorms.

Chinmay Ghoroi, associate professor at the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Gandhinagar, next to roof-top solar panels at the IIT building in Gandhinagar, near Ahmedabad

But the new research confirmed what solar installers had long suspected -- that choking smog from cars, coal plants, crop burning and trash fires was particularly adept at bleeding energy.

The grimy coating that man-made pollutants deposit on solar panels is far more effective at blocking light than dust, and trickier to remove by washing, Bergin and Ghoroi found.

This is especially troublesome in northern India, where fine airborne particles from human activity contribute far more than dust to the dire air quality.

Vinay Rutagi, director of solar consultancy Bridge to India, said rooftop panels in Delhi, one of the world's most polluted cities, produced up to 30 percent less power than the same project just 40 kilometres away.

"The reason for that is the constant haze, the pollution and high dust levels," Rutagi told AFP.

"There is a huge amount of practical evidence on the ground available in this regard."

This bodes ill as the government seeks 40 percent of its solar energy from rooftop panels atop industrial zones and urban centres by 2022.

- Walking on sunshine -

But there is little appetite for gloomy projections as India's solar sector undergoes an unprecedented boom.

Amid this optimism, new milestones are being surpassed at a dizzying speed.

India's first 1 MW canal-top solar power project in Chandrasan village, some 45 km from Ahmedabad

A behemoth solar park nearing completion in India's southeastern Andhra Pradesh state will rival the world's largest.

In May, wholesale solar prices plunged to record lows, cheaper than the coal-powered electricity that overwhelmingly dominates the power grid.

Dr Andre Noble, an expert on the effect of haze on solar generation, found little interest when he presented his findings at a solar summit in Delhi last month.

"People didn't pay much attention," said Noble, who is head of operations and maintenance at Singapore-based Cleantech Solar, which invests heavily in India.

"They might have a gut feeling, but they might think the impact is negligible."

Rutagi said air pollution was brushed off as "a large, macro issue" by an industry fretting about crashing solar prices and obstacles connecting to the grid.

"From a doability perspective, those issues are much more tractable, or solvable, that air quality issues. People have kind of taken it in their stride," he said.

There are some signs the industry is taking note.

Air pollution is diminishing India's capacity to harness power from the sun, experts say, undermining billions being invested in renewables as the energy-hungry giant emerges as a new solar superpower

Bergin said he was bombarded by emails from Indian solar businesses eager for solutions to fix the problem.

Jinko Solar, a Chinese photovoltaic cell manufacturer, is marketing a coating designed to resist dust and other grime from accumulating on panels, its Indian sales director Vivek Bhardwaj told AFP.

But the putrid skies blocking out the sun have a far more sinister impact: premature deaths from smog have steadily climbed in India to nearly 1.1 million in 2015.

This shadow cast over India's solar success story should encourage policymakers to redouble efforts to clean the skies, Ghoroi said.

"Now that we have identified that air pollution is one of the biggest culprits... if we tackle that, we'll kill two problems together," he said.
North Korea has said it wants to develop a nuclear-tipped missile capable of hitting the United States

North Korea appeared to carry out a sixth nuclear test Sunday, with seismic monitors measuring an "explosion" of 6.3 magnitude near its main test site.

Japan's government said it confirmed a nuclear test had been carried out.

Hours earlier, Pyongyang's state media claimed that the country had developed a thermonuclear warhead that could be fitted onto its new intercontinental ballistic missile, another brazen assertion of its weapons capabilities.

The official Korean Central News Agency said leader Kim Jong-Un had inspected a miniaturised H-bomb that could be loaded onto a missile -- although doubts remain over the veracity of Pyongyang's claims.

Here are key dates in the North's quest to develop a nuclear-tipped missile capable of hitting the United States:

Late 1970s: North Korea starts working on a version of the Soviet Scud-B (range 300 kilometres or 185 miles). Test-fired in 1984.

1987-92: Begins developing variant of Scud-C (range 500 km), Rodong-1 (1,300 km), Taepodong-1 (2,500 km), Musudan-1 (3,000 km) and Taepodong-2 (6,700 km).

Aug 1998: Test-fires Taepodong-1 rocket over Japan in what it calls a satellite launch -- the US and others say it is a missile test.

Sept 1999: Declares moratorium on long-range missile tests amid improving ties with US.

July 12, 2000: Fifth round of US-North Korean missile talks in Kuala Lumpur ends without agreement after North demands $1 billion a year in return for halting missile exports.

March 3, 2005: Pyongyang ends moratorium on long-range missile testing, blames Bush administration's "hostile" policy.

July 5, 2006: Test-fires seven missiles, including a long-range Taepodong-2 which explodes after 40 seconds.

Oct 9, 2006: Conducts underground nuclear test, its first.

April 5, 2009: Launches long-range rocket which flies over Japan and lands in the Pacific, in what it says is an attempt to put a satellite into orbit. The United States, Japan and South Korea see it as a disguised test of a Taepodong-2.

May 25, 2009: Conducts its second underground nuclear test, several times more powerful than the first.

April 13, 2012: Launches what it has said is a long-range rocket to put a satellite into orbit, but which disintegrates soon after blast-off.

December 12, 2012: Launches a multi-stage rocket and successfully places an Earth observational satellite in orbit.

February 12, 2013: Conducts its third underground nuclear test.

January 6, 2016: Conducts its fourth underground nuclear test, which it says was a hydrogen bomb -- a claim doubted by most experts.

March 9, 2016: Kim Jong-Un claims the North has successfully miniaturised a thermo-nuclear warhead.

April 23, 2016: Pyongyang test-fires a submarine-launched ballistic missile.

July 8, 2016: US and South Korea announce plans to deploy an advanced missile defence system -- THAAD (Terminal High Altitude Area Defense).

August 3, 2016: North Korea fires a ballistic missile directly into Japan's maritime economic zone for the first time.

September 9, 2016: Conducts fifth nuclear test, its most powerful to date.

March 6, 2017: Fires four ballistic missiles in what it says is an exercise to hit US bases in Japan.

March 7, 2017: US begins deploying THAAD missile defence system in South Korea.

May 14, 2017: North Korea fires a ballistic missile which flies 700 kilometres before landing in the Sea of Japan. Analysts say it has an imputed range of 4,500 kilometres (2,800 miles) and brings Guam within reach.

July 4, 2017: Test-fires a ballistic missile that analysts say brings Alaska within reach. Pyongyang later says it was a "landmark" test of a Hwasong-14 intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM).

July 28, 2017: Launches an ICBM with a theoretical range of 10,000 kilometres, meaning it could hit much of the United States.

August 26, 2017: Fires three short-range ballistic missiles.

August 29, 2017: Fires ballistic missile over Japan and into the Pacific, acknowledging for the first time that it has done so. South Korea says it flew around 2,700 kilometres at a maximum altitude of about 550 kilometres.

September 3, 2017: North Korea appears to carry out sixth nuclear test, with seismic monitors measuring an "explosion" of 6.3 magnitude near its main test site. Japan's government confirms a nuclear test has been carried out.

The apparent test comes hours after Pyongyang state media shows leader Kim Jong-Un inspecting what it professes to be an H-bomb that can be loaded onto an ICBM. The claims have not been confirmed
South Korean officials monitor screens showing a graph of seismic waves originating from North Korea, at the Korea Meteorological Administration in Seoul on September 3, 2017

North Korea's nuclear test Sunday was widely felt in northeast China and rocked some cities for as long as eight seconds, according to reports and accounts on social media.

The tremor was felt as far away as the city of Changchun around 400 km (250 miles) northwest of the North's test site at Punggye-ri, according to state broadcaster CCTV.

In the small city of Yanji, some 20 km from the border, some people reported the shaking was so intense that they fled their homes.

Jiemiao Cangxin, a commentator on the Chinese microblog Weibo, said his building swayed so much that "I put my underpants on and I just ran, and when I reached the first floor I can say I wasn't the only one running away with just my underpants on!"

"In Yanji, we felt the shaking for ten seconds," said Weibo user Buziranshaonv.

"I was lying down and sleeping when the tremor woke me up. At first, I thought it was a dream," said another.

The test, North Korea's sixth, was substantially larger than previous ones, measuring 6.3 on the Richter scale according to US monitors.

That would make it between five to six times larger than Pyongyang's previous effort in September last year, according to South Korea's weather agency.

The North called it a test of a hydrogen bomb which was a "perfect success".

Reports of the explosion also provoked widespread concern further away in China, with many commentators speculating about the timing of the event -- just hours before Chinese President Xi Jinping is due to open a summit of BRICs nations in southern China.

"An earthquake happened in North Korea, everyone thinks at once it is a nuclear test," said one user, cheekily adding "is it a form of greetings for the summit in Xiamen?"
A handout picture provided by the office of Iran's President Hassan Rouhani on August 21, 2016 shows him (3rd-R) and then defence minister Hossein Dehghan (2nd-L) standing next to the new Bavar 373 missile defence system in Tehran

Iran has tested its home-grown air defence system, designed to match the Russian S-300, the head of the Revolutionary Guards' air defence has said.

"In parallel with the deployment of the S-300, work on Bavar-373 system is underway," Farzad Esmaili told state broadcaster IRIB late Saturday.

"The system is made completely in Iran and some of its parts are different from the S-300. All of its sub-systems have been completed and its missile tests have been conducted."

Bavar (which means "belief") is Tehran's first long-range missile defence system, and is set to be operational by March 2018, he added.

In 2010, Iran began manufacturing Bavar-373 after the purchase of the S-300 from Russia was suspended due to international sanctions.

Russia resumed the sale following the 2015 nuclear deal with world powers which lifted sanctions, and Iran's S-300 defence system became operational in March.

On Sunday, state television aired the first footage from a "secret" drone base in an undisclosed desert location, where dozens of different types of unmanned aircraft were lined up.

"If necessary, a great number of Iran's high-speed eagles (drones) will land on the enemy," Esmaili said in the footage.

Iran has developed several military drones in recent years, drawing criticism from Washington.

Last month, the United States claimed Iranian drones flew dangerously close to an aircraft carrier and a US Naval jet in two separate incidents in Gulf waters.

On Saturday, the new defence minister Amir Hatami said Iran has "a specific plan to boost missile power".

He said he hoped "the combat capabilities of Iran's ballistic and cruise missiles" would increase in the next four years.

The comments came amid increasing tensions with Washington, which has passed new sanctions against Iran's ballistic missile programme.
Princess Mako -- Emperor Akihito's eldest granddaughter -- and her fiance Kei Komuro, during a press conference to announce their engagement in Tokyo

Japan's Princess Mako and her fiance -- a commoner -- announced their engagement Sunday, a match which will cost the princess her royal status according to a law that highlights the male-dominated nature of Japan's monarchy.

Like all female imperial family members, Mako, who is Emperor Akihito's eldest granddaughter, forfeits her status upon marriage to a commoner under a controversial tradition. The law does not apply to royal males.

But at a televised press conference held to announce her engagement, she told the nation that she felt "really happy".

"I was aware since my childhood that I'll leave a royal status once I marry," she said. "While I worked to help the emperor and fulfill duties as a royal family member as much as I can, I've been cherishing my own life."

Her fiance, Kei Komuro, a telegenic 25-year-old who works at a law firm and once won a tourism promotion contest to be crowned "Prince of the Sea", said he had proposed to her more than three years ago.

He described Mako as someone who quietly watches over him "like the moon".

The princess said his smile was "like the sun."

The announcement had originally been planned for July but the couple decided to postpone it out of consideration for a southern region hit by heavy rains and flooding in the month.

An official of the Imperial Household Agency said their wedding will take place after the summer of 2018.

Mako, 25, is the eldest daughter of Prince Akishino, Akihito's second son.

The law removing her royal status upon marriage does not apply to male royals, with Akihito and both his sons wedded to commoners, who are now part of the monarchy.

The news of the engagement has intensified a debate on whether the law should be changed so women born into the imperial family can continue in their royal roles.

That could help increase the number of potential male heirs to a monarchy that does not allow females to ascend the Chrysanthemum Throne.

Traditionalists, including Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, strenuously oppose such changes, even though Japan has occasionally been ruled by female sovereigns in past centuries.

In June, the parliament enacted legislation to allow Akihito, 83, to step down in favour of Naruhito, his eldest son. Emperor Akihito's retirement will be the first imperial abdication in more than two centuries.

That will put his younger brother Akishino next in line, followed by Hisahito, Akishino's son.

But after that there are no more eligible males, meaning the centuries-old succession would be broken if Hisahito fails to have a son in the future.

Some have suggested returning royal status to families who were stripped of it under a sweeping reform during the US occupation of Japan after World War II.
Pyongyang's favourite newsreader Ri Chun-Hee announces North Korea's possession of a hydrogen bomb

Pyongyang's favourite newsreader - a woman in her 70s -- returned to the airwaves Sunday to declare its proud possession of a hydrogen bomb.

Ri Chun-Hee has previously told her loyal viewers of the deaths of the country's founder Kim Il-Sung and his son Kim Jong-Il, several of the nuclear tests that have seen it subjected to multiple rounds of United Nations sanctions.

Nowadays her appearances are rare, but two months ago she announced the launch of its intercontinental ballistic missile, and she was back on Korean Central Television screens Sunday with its latest milestone.

Ahead of the announcement, it showed military parades, missile launches, fireworks over the monument to the founding of the ruling Workers' Party, and other patriotic images.

In front of a backdrop of Mt Paektu, the dormant volcano on the Chinese border that is the fount of Korean nationhood, she trembled with excitement, smiling broadly as she pronounced the test's "perfect success".

It "clearly proved" that the North's nuclear weapons had a "highly precise basis", she said, wearing a pink and black traditional dress, known as hanbok in the South and choson chogori in the North, adorned with a badge of Kim Il-Sung and his son and successor Kim Jong-Il.

The broadcaster carried images of leader Kim Jong-Un, the third generation of the family to rule the Democratic People's Republic of Korea, as the country is officially known, sitting at a circular table with a general and three other officials.

It also showed his handwritten order for the test to be carried out at noon on September 3.

The test "marked a very significant occasion in attaining the final goal of completing the state nuclear force", Ri said.
This handout file photo provided by the Shenyang Municipal Information Office shows late Nobel laureate Liu Xiaobo's wife Liu Xia (L) and her younger brother Liu Xiaoxuan, holding flowers as they scatter Liu's ashes at sea off the coast of Dalian on July 15

Liu Xia, the widow of jailed Chinese Nobel Peace Prize winner Liu Xiaobo who died in detention in July, is back in Beijing but still under house arrest, a Hong Kong NGO said Sunday.

Liu had been kept incommunicado by the authorities for almost a month, her lawyer has said.

Lu Siqing, founder of the Hong Kong-based Information Center for Human Rights and Democracy, said he spoke to her by phone at her Beijing home on Saturday.

He said a tearful Liu, 56, explained in a "very weakened voice" that she was under treatment with strong anti-depressants.

"Various friends of Liu Xia confirmed that she was back in her apartment" in the Chinese capital, "and that her home was kept under surveillance by guards and police dressed in civilian clothes," the NGO said in a separate statement.

Liu Xiaobo was sentenced in 2009 to 11 years in jail for "subversion" for calling for democratic reforms in China -- a fight rewarded in 2010 by the Nobel Peace Prize.

He died on July 13 of liver cancer in a Chinese hospital at the age of 61, after being transferred there from prison.

Liu Xia, who has been under virtual house arrest since 2010 but has never been charged, was last seen in public in mid-July at her husband's funeral.

Her relatives were unable to contact her in the following weeks.

Liu Xia "is held incommunicado by the Chinese authorities in an unknown location," said the couple's lawyer Jared Genser in a complaint filed with the UN.

A video message posted online in mid-August in which Liu Xia said she needed time to "readjust" was greeted with caution.

"It is certain that she was forced by the authorities to make this video," said Hu Jia, a Chinese dissident and friend of the couple, at the time.

Lu Siqing gave few details about the circumstances of Liu Xia's return to Beijing.

But he said she had been unable to obtain the urn that contained her husband's ashes which were scattered at sea.

Hu told AFP Sunday that the move to Beijing would "have benefits for her".

"At least she's in her home and her friends know where they can go to see her. What's more, in Beijing, some diplomats can also see her."

But, he warned, she would almost certainly have to leave the city again before the 19th Communist Party congress starts on October 18th.

Political dissidents and their relatives are often forced to leave the capital before sensitive political events.
Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe slammed North Korea's nuclear test

Japan's prime minister slammed North Korea's nuclear test on Sunday as "absolutely unacceptable" and said its nuclear and missile programmes now pose a more "grave and urgent" threat to his country.

"(North Korea) ignored repeated warnings by the international community and forcibly conducted a nuclear test. It is absolutely unacceptable," Prime Minister Shinzo Abe told reporters.

"Whether we can stop North Korea's reckless actions that threaten world peace depends on the cooperation and solidarity of the international community," he added.

The North described the test of what it called a hydrogen bomb as a "perfect success".

In an earlier statement, Abe described North Korea's nuclear and missile programme as an increasingly "grave and urgent" threat to the safety of Japan.

"Our country lodges a strict protest against North Korea and condemns it in the strongest words," he said in the statement.

The explosion came just hours after Pyongyang claimed to have developed a hydrogen bomb that could be loaded onto a long-range missile, and after Abe held telephone talks with US President Donald Trump on the North's weapons programmes.

"The government confirms that North Korea conducted a nuclear test after examining information from the weather agency and other information," Japanese Foreign Minister Taro Kono told reporters.

Defence Minister Itsunori Onodera said the ministry has begun flying "sniffer" planes capable of detecting radioactive fallout.

"We'll do our best to collect information," he said, according to public broadcaster NHK.
An internally displaced persons (IDP) camp in Sittwe, in Rakhine state, where tens of thousands have fled recent fighting between Islamist militants and security forces

Village chief San Tun's remote Mro tribe used to get by foraging in the Myanmar jungle, living among the patchwork of ethnic groups who co-existed imperfectly in Rakhine state.

But last month murder visited his community.

An attack on his people, allegedly by Muslim Rohingya militants, was the catalyst for the worst round of fighting the region has ever seen, forcing them to flee death, arson and suspicion.

San Tun says Rohingya militants killed eight villagers as they were out foraging, including his brother and oldest son, on August 3.

Following the deaths a build-up of security forces in northern Rakhine sent tensions soaring.

Heavy fighting broke out three weeks later between Islamist militants and security forces, causing some 73,000 Rohingya Muslims to flee west into Bangladesh, bringing with them harrowing tales of rape and murder at the hands of the military and Buddhist mobs.

But a smaller and similarly terrified stream of civilians from Rakhine's Buddhist and Hindu communities -- some 11,000 -- have headed in the opposite direction, their lives also upended by neighbour turning on neighbour.

The Mro, a forest-dwelling and mainly Buddhist tribe who live on Myanmar's border with Bangladesh, are among them, fleeing the latest round of violence in which they had played an inadvertent central role.

"We Mro used to live on the forests and mountains, our only business was farming since the time of our ancestors," San Tun, 46, told AFP earlier this week in a government-controlled village outside Maungdaw, the main town in northern Rakhine to which many Buddhists and Hindus have escaped.

"Now we have no security," he lamented.

- Tit for tat -

Rakhine, Myanmar's poorest state, has become a crucible of religious hatred focused on the Rohingya, who are reviled and perceived as illegal immigrants in the Buddhist-majority country.

An internally displaced persons camp in Rakhine, Myanmar's poorest state, which has become a crucible of religious hatred

The Rohingya militant group fighting Myanmar's military since last October -- the Arakan Rohingya Salvation Army (ARSA) -- said the coordinated ambushes they launched on August 25 were in response to the fresh security crackdown on their kin.

San Tun said many of his Mro people -- who number between 20,000 and 40,000 -- had to leave everything behind as they sought sanctuary in government-held areas, fearful Rohingya militants would target them again.

Now in relative safety his thoughts turned to the village livestock and ripe paddy fields they were forced to abandon.

"There is no one left to feed them, I think our pigs will have died," he said.

Han Thein, an ethnic Rakhine Buddhist, said her village of Khan Thaya was one of the places ambushed by Rohingya militants on August 25.

They spent the night hiding out in nearby forest. After the fighting died down, her 62-year-old husband returned to see if he could salvage anything. But Ha Thein decided to press on to Sittwe, Rakhine's state capital. She has not heard from him since.

Some 11,000 civilians from Rakhine's Buddhist and Hindu communities have fled the fighting

"I was just worried for my grandchildren," she told AFP in the grounds of a Buddhist monastery where many refugees had gathered to wash what little clothing they had with them and rest.

"We just ran, we didn't think about anything other than our safety. But now I am very worried for my husband. He is old."

Some of those gathered in Sittwe said it was not the first time they had been forced to flee because of sectarian fighting.

"This is the third time I have left my village," said San Mae, a 52-year-old Rakhine Buddhist.

She first fled Baw Di Kone village in 2012 when sectarian riots coursed through Rakhine, killing more than 100 people and forcing some 120,000 people, mostly Rohingya, into internal camps. Violence broke out again in 2015.

- 'We were once brothers' -

But the current round of fighting is the worst Rakhine has ever experienced.

For the first time, the state's small Hindu population has found itself targeted.

A Rohingya family sit beside a road in Nykkhongchhari, Bangladesh, after fleeing violence in Myanmar

Last week an AFP reporter visited a hospital in Maungdaw where the bullet-riddled bodies of six Hindu construction workers had been brought. Survivors said the group had been ambushed by Rohingya militants.

"We came here for a while because Muslims were causing disturbances," Chaw, a 50-year-old Hindu woman in Maungdaw, told AFP. "But we do not know where we will go if the situation gets any worse."

Rohingya refugees crossing into Bangladesh have confirmed that some of their men have stayed behind to join ARSA and fight Myanmar's military, often wielding little more than sticks and swords.

Analysts long warned that decades of state-sanctioned restrictions and persecution of the Rohingya risked fostering militancy among a Muslim minority that had largely eschewed violence.

But support for the militants is far from universal, with some Rohingya left in Rakhine saying they were furious the attacks have poured fuel on the flames of Myanmar's already vitriolic anti-Muslim tensions.

"We do not want terrorists," a Muslim Rohingya from the village of Maungni told AFP.

"We will cooperate with the ethnic Rakhine (Buddhists)," he added. "We used to be like family and brothers before this."
Nirmala Sitharaman takes the oath during the swearing-in ceremony of new ministers

Prime Minister Narendra Modi named a female legislator as India's new defence minister Sunday, the first time a woman has been appointed to the key portfolio overseeing border tensions with China and Pakistan.

Nirmala Sitharaman's appointment in a cabinet reshuffle will ease the burden on Arun Jaitley, who had been juggling finance and defence throughout a months-long impasse with China over a strategic Himalayan plateau.

Modi also dropped Suresh Prabhu as railways minister, less than a week after he offered to resign following a train accident in August that killed 10.

Nine junior ministers were sworn in and four promoted to the cabinet in the reshuffle, the third shake-up since Modi was elected in 2014.

"I congratulate all those who have taken oath today. Their experience and wisdom will add immense value to the Council of Ministers," Modi said after the swearing-in ceremony at the presidential palace.

Sitharaman, a junior minister who oversaw the commerce and trade portfolio, joins five other women in India's cabinet. The prestigious foreign affairs portfolio is also held by a woman, Sushma Swaraj.

"Imagine, the cabinet committee on security having two women and decisions on security-related matters being taken at par with men by the women," Sitharaman told Indian broadcaster News18.

"There is a big message to all the countries that look up to India or look at India, saying 'What is happening to women in India?'"

Prime Minister Indira Gandhi also acted as defence minister on two occasions between the mid-1970s and early 1980s. She was assassinated in 1984.

Sitharaman's appointment comes just days after India and China agreed to end a months-long military stand-off at a strategically important disputed area in the Himalayas.

New Delhi said both sides agreed to withdraw troops from an area near the Indian border that is claimed by both China and India's ally Bhutan.

Her appointment will allow Jaitley to focus on his finance portfolio at a time when India's economic growth has slowed to its weakest pace in three years.

Piyush Goyal, the former energy minister, was promoted to cabinet after being assigned the railways portfolio, overseeing 1.3 million employees.

Modi has made overhauling India's creaking railway network a key priority, and speculation was rife that Prabhu would be replaced following a series of accidents.

Prabhu offered his resignation in late August after an accident earlier in the month killed 10. A similar disaster in December claimed 146 lives.

He will assume Sitharaman's former portfolios at commerce and trade as a junior minister.

The reshuffle has been cast as Modi laying the groundwork before national elections in 2019, where he is widely tipped to defeat a diminished opposition.

His nationally ruling party also governs 18 of India's 29 states, either directly or in alliance with regional parties.
Israel has detained six people over suspected corruption around a deal to buy submarines for its navy from Germany's ThyssenKrupp

Israeli police said they detained six people Sunday for questioning over suspected corruption around a deal to buy submarines for Israel's navy from Germany's ThyssenKrupp.

Among those arrested were David Sharan, a former chief of the office of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, and ex-navy commander Admiral Eliezer Marom who had already been questioned by investigators.

Searches were carried out at the homes of the suspects, media reports said.

In July, Germany delayed signing a deal with Israel for the sale of three submarines, an Israeli official said, as the corruption probe gained momentum.

That followed the arrest of several people on suspicion of offences including bribery and money laundering around the deal to buy the Dolphin submarines from the German industrial giant.

David Shimron, a relative of Netanyahu and his family lawyer who also represented ThyssenKrupp in Israel, was among those questioned and then released in July.

Israeli officials said Germany had not backed out of the deal but was waiting to see the outcome of the investigation, daily newspaper Yediot Aharonot reported.

In February, Israel's justice ministry said it had launched an investigation into the affair, stressing that Netanyahu himself was not a suspect.

Media reports said Sunday's arrests follow revelations by ThyssenKrupp's Israel representative Michael Ganor.

He was held in custody and in a plea bargain agreed to testify against those he claimed were his accomplices.

The submarines ordered by Israel are likely to be equipped with nuclear missiles but are primarily intended for spy missions off Iran or to attack that country in case of nuclear war, according to foreign military experts.
Pyongyang residents watch newsreader Ri Chun-Hee as she announces that the country has successfully tested a hydrogen bomb on September 3, 2017

US President Donald Trump led international censure of North Korea's announcement Sunday that it had tested a hydrogen bomb, saying Pyongyang's actions were "very hostile and dangerous to the United States".

Pyongyang's key ally China also expressed strong condemnation, while South Korean President Moon Jae-In called for the "strongest punishment" against the North, including new UN sanctions to "completely isolate" it.

The UN Security Council plans to hold an emergency meeting Monday morning to discuss the international response to the test. UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres condemned the North Korean test as "profoundly destabilising".

Tensions on the Korean peninsula have spiralled in recent weeks, with North Korea testing an intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) and threatening to fire missiles towards the US Pacific island of Guam, which prompted Trump to warn he would rain "fire and fury" on the country.

"North Korea has conducted a major Nuclear Test. Their words and actions continue to be very hostile and dangerous to the United States," Trump tweeted.

Later Sunday, he posted that the US was considering, "in addition to other options, stopping all trade with any country doing business with North Korea."

Such a move could have a big impact on China, a key provider of aid and trade to the North, and which is seen as the only country holding any real influence over its truculent neighbour.

Their relations have become more strained in recent years, however, in part because of Pyongyang's dogged pursuit of its nuclear programme in the face of international condemnation.

- 'Creating serious threat' -

Reactions from selected world leaders to the nuclear test by North Korea

Beijing, which is hosting a summit of the five BRICS nations, said it "expresses resolute opposition and strong condemnation" over Pyongyang's sixth nuclear test, which was felt in Chinese cities hundreds of kilometres from North Korea's borders.

But President Xi Jinping remained silent on the subject at the opening of the BRICS summit in Xiamen, which includes Brazil, India and South Africa.

Later Sunday his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin said Pyongyang's claim of a successful hydrogen bomb was a threat to regional peace, while urging the international community to respond "in a calm and balanced manner".

The crisis "should be resolved only by political and diplomatic means," he said in a Kremlin statement.

Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe slammed the test as "absolutely unacceptable" and said North Korea's nuclear and missile programmes now pose a more "grave and urgent" threat to his country.

"Whether we can stop North Korea's reckless actions that threaten world peace depends on the cooperation and solidarity of the international community," he added.

- 'New dimension of provocation' -

German Chancellor Angela Merkel and French President Emmanuel Macron urged tougher EU sanctions, saying Pyongyang had "reached a new dimension of provocation".

EU foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini said she was looking forward "to the UN Security Council addressing the matter and taking a firm and effective stand".

Meanwhile British Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson called the test "reckless" but said "none of the military options are good".

"Our message to the Chinese, we think there is more scope for you, the Chinese, to put more economic pressure on the North Koreans," he told Sky News.

NATO secretary general Jens Stoltenberg condemned the test as "yet another flagrant violation" of multiple UN Security Council resolutions.

"NATO is concerned by Pyongyang's destabilising pattern of behaviour, which poses a threat to regional and international security," he said.

Pyongyang, for its part, called the nuclear detonation "a perfect success".

The test was substantially larger than previous ones, generating a 6.3 magnitude earth tremor according to US monitors.
The Deputy President is not amused by allegations of extramarital affairs with as many as eight women

South Africa's Deputy President Cyril Ramaphosa who is vying to replace President Jacob Zuma has admitted to an extramarital affair but lambasted as "political smear" its revelation in newspapers, media reported Sunday.

Details of his alleged affairs with as many as eight women were splashed on Sunday newspapers, after the business man turned politician failed to gag media from publishing the story in a late night urgent court application.

He denied cheating with eight women but admitted to having one affair.

"I had a relationship with only one person and it ended. I dealt with it with my wife. We now have a professional relationship," Ramaphosa told Sunday Times.

The 64-year-old Ramaphosa and Zuma's ex-wife Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma have come out as front runners to replace Zuma when he steps down as ANC president in December.

The leader of the ANC becomes an automatic candidate for president of the country.

Ramaphosa said the report which is based on leaked email correspondence between himself and the women was a "smear campaign" ahead of the crucial elective conference.

"I have to be prevented at all costs from ascending to the position of president of the ANC. Some have even said it will over their dead bodies," Ramaphosa told Sunday Times.

"I have not committed any crimes, I have not stolen any money, I have not looted state resources. But I am being targeted and smeared," he said.

He stated that the relationship with the woman who was his medical doctor ended eight years ago.

Pictures of several women purported to be some of his girlfriends had been circulating on social media since Saturday, with the public rebuking his conduct.

But the leader received unlikely support from Julius Malema, the radical leader of Economic Freedom Fighters who was expelled from the ANC in 2012

Malema tweeted: "Ramaphosa, his wife & supporters will have to be extremely strong especially as they move close to the conference, dirty truck on steroids."

It was still early to determine how much impact the scandal would impact his ANC leadership bid.

On Saturday afternoon, Ramaphosa released a lengthy statement after a list of media questions sent to him on the story were leaked on social media.

"This latest episode extends far beyond an attempt at political smear," he said.

Ramaphosa is the latest high ranking South African politicians to be implicated in a sex scandal. President Zuma was himself in 2005 tried and later acquitted for rape of a 31-year-old daughter of a friend.

Several other ministers in Zuma's cabinet have had sex scandals but never resigned from their jobs.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's wife Sara, here seen with the premier in August, has taken a polygraph test over graft claims

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's wife has taken a voluntary lie detector test to try and dispel allegations she misused public funds, her lawyer said on Sunday.

National fraud squad detectives questioned Sara Netanyahu last month on suspicions she routinely claimed state payments for personal housekeeping expenses at the couple's official and private residences.

Private broadcaster Channel Two reported at the weekend that the attorney general was expected to announce charges against her by September 10.

"She took the test," Netanyahu family lawyer Yossi Cohen told Israeli public radio. "It's a very tough test. It's humiliating and she did it wonderfully."

He did not give details of the questions she was asked or the test results.

He said the decision to undergo the examination, at a privately operated polygraph facility, was taken "following the horrible mudslinging against her and after we heard that she is going to be put on trial".

Results of polygraph testing are not admissible as evidence in Israeli criminal trials.

Netanyahu himself is also under investigation on suspicions of corruption, and last month his former chief of staff signed a deal to turn state's witness in probes involving the premier.

One is based on suspicions Netanyahu unlawfully received gifts from wealthy supporters, including Australian billionaire James Packer and Hollywood producer Arnon Milchan.

Also under investigation is a suspicion that Netanyahu sought a secret deal with the publisher of top-selling daily Yediot Aharonot.

The proposed deal, which is not believed to have been finalised, would have seen Netanyahu receive positive coverage in return for him helping to scale down the operations of Israel Hayom, Yediot's main competitor.

Netanyahu has been questioned about both cases.

The investigations have have stirred Israeli politics and led to speculation over whether Netanyahu will eventually be forced to step down, which he is not formally obliged to do unless convicted.

He denies any wrongdoing.
An aerial view shows a part of Mecca in Saudi Arabia, where many Saudi-born foreigners are struggling to find work

Hafsa had hoped to land a much-needed job distributing meals for the Muslim Eid al-Fitr holiday. One question stood in her way: "Are you, your husband, or any of your relatives Saudi?"

Born in Saudi Arabia to Somali parents, Hafsa had applied for temporary work during the holiday, which marked the end of the Muslim holy month of Ramadan in June.

The job did not have any educational requirements, and the 30-year-old -- who has neither a university degree nor Saudi citizenship -- was hopeful.

She knocked at the door of an office overseeing logistics for Eid al-Fitr. An eye appeared through a peephole. A voice asked her if she or anyone in her immediate family was a citizen of Saudi Arabia.

The door, she said, did not open.

- 'We are different' -

"Over the past three years, it has become harder and harder to find a job," said Hafsa, who along with other women interviewed for this story asked AFP not to use her real name.

When her immigrant parents first arrived to Saudi Arabia, "they accepted that the system was the system and we had to follow it," she said.

"They had no ambitions. They did not question if they had rights. We are different."

The ultra-conservative kingdom is home to more than nine million foreigners who constitute a third of the country's population of 31 million, a relatively low percentage compared to other Gulf countries.

Since 2011, authorities have imposed quotas on employers for Saudi citizens, in a bid to curb unemployment in a country where more than half the population is under the age of 25.

Among the nine million foreigners is Nour, who was fretting over a table setting at the restaurant where she had a temp job during the Muslim hajj pilgrimage to the western city of Mecca, which ends on Monday.

Nour's father came to Saudi Arabia from Ethiopia to study Islamic law and start a family. While she was born in the country, the 24-year-old said she lives in "constant fear of being arrested along with my husband and family" as she has no work permit.

But what she does have is a profession she loves: Nour is an underground beautician.

"It takes me about 20 minutes to do a full face now," she said, adding that she can only work with clients she knows personally and can trust.

"Which is good, because I can do multiple clients in a day."

- 'Downgrading our own rights' -

While it is not technically impossible to obtain citizenship in Gulf countries, the process is long, complex and unlikely to succeed.

Hafsa still struggles to adjust to life in a country she feels is still not her own, decades after her parents arrived from Somalia in search of a better life.

She has settled into her daily routine in Mecca, where she shares a flat with 10 of her family members.

Saudi women walk past a jewelry shop in Riyadh in Saudi Arabia, where many foreigners are struggling to find work after quotas were introduced for Saudi citizens

With a mischievous smile, she scrolls through pictures on her cell phone of the trendy outfits and makeup she wears under her niqab: jeans, lipstick, red pumps.

But she does not hide the fact that she is ready to leave.

"Where, I do not care," she said. "A country that gives me my rights."

Samia, a 27-year-old Somali, is likewise unemployed, and likewise does not beat around the bush when it comes to her experience trying to secure steady income for her and her young son.

For 20 years, Samia's mother worked as a school janitor in Saudi Arabia. Her father, who is deceased, was an accountant under the kingdom's controversial kafala system.

Under kafala, or "sponsorship", foreign workers' legal standing is directly tied to their employers who are granted what Human Rights Watch describes as "excessive power over workers that facilitates abuse".

Rights groups including HRW have long denounced the system, under which an employee cannot find a new job without the current employer's consent, as modern slavery.

"Saudis would not be able to do the jobs that we do. They are not willing to work," said Samia.

"In Egypt, for example, my son could go to a better school and I could go back to college. Here, because we do not want to put our families at risk, we end up downgrading our own rights," added the divorced mother-of-one.

"If I have no future here, why would my son?"
The Kenyan Supreme Court branded President Uhuru Kenyatta's election victory "invalid, null and void"

Sparks were flying in Kenya on Sunday as the main rival of President Uhuru Kenyatta called for the ousting of members of the country's election commission, likening them to "hyenas", while judges slammed "veiled threats" by the president after the shock annulment of his re-election victory.

Raila Odinga, who will now get another shot against Kenyatta in an election to be held within two months, said he had no faith in the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC), and called for its members to be expelled from Kenya.

"Those IEBC thieves must go. We will not allow them to conduct the fresh elections," Odinga told supporters after attending mass in Nairobi.

"We can't take our goats where they will be taken care of by hyenas," he said. "Hyenas cannot take care of goats."

Later Sunday, in the Nairobi slum of Mathare, an opposition bastion where at least 21 people were killed in violence which followed the August 11 announcement of Kenyatta's re-election, Odinga told a crowd of thousands: "Everything has been exposed now".

"That was not an election," he said, while dismissing claims that he would seek to avoid a new election by agreeing to a power-sharing deal.

"We will get the full loaf after elections, because we will win," he said.

- 'There is a problem' -

Supporters of Kenya's Raila Odinga celebrating in Mathare, a Nairobi slum and opposition bastion, after the Supreme Court annulled the re-election of President Uhuru Kenyatta on Friday

On Friday, Supreme Court Chief Justice David Maraga declared Kenyatta's victory in the August 8 poll "invalid, null and void", citing widespread irregularities in the electronic transmission of vote results.

Kenyan media have hailed the decision as a hard-fought victory for the rule of law, and a sign of a maturing democracy.

It is the first time a presidential election result has been overturned in Africa, and follows three failed bids by Odinga for the presidency, in 1997, 2007 and 2013.

But an enraged Kenyatta, while saying he would respect the decision, lashed out at the judges, saying: "Every time we do something a judge comes out and places an injunction. It can't go on like this... there is a problem and we must fix it.

"Maraga thinks he can overturn the will of the people. We shall show you... that the will of the people cannot be overturned by a few people."

On Friday he also slammed the judges as "crooks".

- 'Assault' on the judiciary -

Calling Kenyatta's remarks "an assault on the judiciary", the Kenya Magistrates and Judges Association (KMJA) late Saturday asked people to ignore "political rhetoric".

"The president of this country referred to the president of the Supreme Court and the other judges as "wakora", or crooks in Swahili, said the association's chief, Bryan Khaemba.

"He went on to make veiled threats against the same judges based on their decision. The same threats against the judiciary have been repeated at State House," he said, referring to the presidential palace.

"We condemn this assault on the decisional independence of the honourable judges."

The electoral commission has vowed to make "internal changes" ahead of the new vote, though its chairman, Wafula Chebukati, ruled out resigning himself.

The current crop of IEBC commissioners took office only seven months before the election, after their predecessors were forced to step down following widespread protests.

The previous commission had been tarnished by a corruption scandal and its handling of flawed 2013 elections, which saw a series of high-tech safeguards failing on election day.
Actor Ali Fazal, actress Judi Dench, director Stephen Frears and actor Eddie Izzard attend the photocall of the movie "Victoria and Abdul" at the Venice Film Festival

Grouchy, greedy and constipated: nobody could accuse Stephen Frears of kowtowing with his portrayal of Queen Victoria in his new film "Victoria & Abdul", which premiered in Venice on Sunday.

The director, who won a string of awards for "The Queen," his 2006 depiction of Queen Elizabeth II in turmoil at the time of Princess Diana's death, returns to royal questions in a tale of the current British monarch's great, great grandmother's friendship with a young Indian Muslim, Abdul Karim, in the final years of her long reign.

Set at a time when the British Empire was at its peak and India was its "Jewel in the Crown", Frears' script lampoons the pomposity, arrogance and ignorance of the Imperial age.

But, he says, the convention-defying, cross-cultural relationship at its heart has resonance today, when Britain and India's relationship has been transformed but racism and Islamophobia linger.

"It was always meant to be funny," Frears said. "I thought, 'What film would Donald Trump most like to see?'."

Abdul, played by Ali Fazal, is a Indian Muslim prison clerk picked out, on the strength of his height and Victoria's liking for tall men, to be sent to London in 1887 to present the queen with a gold Mughal coin as part of celebrations to mark her golden jubilee.

It is supposed to be a fleeting visit on which, he is repeatedly told, he must above all avoid looking directly at his Empress, played by Judi Dench 20 years after her first turn as Victoria in "Mrs Brown".

Judi Dench plays Queen Victoria once again in Stephen Frears' 'Victoria & Abdul'

It is an instruction Abdul flouts and having caught the sovereign's eye he is soon ensconced in the royal household, to the fury of her son Bertie, the future Edward VII, and a toadying clutch of buttoned-up courtiers and ladies-in-waiting who surround and stifle the monarch.

- Koran and poetry -

Indian actor Fazal said he had delved into history books to get a grasp of Abdul's unique experience.

"That time was so different and so essential to this fantastical little world that these two created at the middle of this massive British Empire," he said.

"The important thing was that we more or less humanised that era where there was protocol, there was racism and everything that we are still dealing with now."

The Victoria Abdul first encounters is frail and unhappy, a morbidly obese compulsive eater who is incapable of getting through her wolfed-down meals without smearing food across her face.

"I'm so lonely, everyone I've really loved has died and I just go on and on," she tells her new confidant, 30 years after the death of her husband Albert and four years after her later-life companion, Scottish gamekeeper John Brown, passed away.

Soon though she has recovered a glint in her eye as Abdul's presence gives her a new lease of life.

Dench said the offer to play Victoria again had been an "irresistible proposition".

"It is very, very complex her attitude to Abdul: not just a feeling of love, but the delight of being relaxed with someone without anyone around or any standing on ceremony."

Victoria and Abdul's bond strengthens as he teaches her Urdu and introduces her to the Koran and Indian poetry.

- Historical detective -

By this time the scandalised royal household is in open revolt, with the irascible Bertie (Eddie Izzard), playing chief mutineer, even threatening to have his mother certified insane.

Victoria stands her ground but with his protector ailing, it is clear Abdul's return to India is only a matter of time.

Abdul's story, and the remarkable fact that Victoria, who initially knew so little of India she had to ask him to describe a mango, learned sufficient Urdu to write letters in it, went untold for over a century, largely because of the efforts Bertie went to to destroy all evidence of it.

Traces survived however and some historical detective work by journalist Shrabani Basu brought the story back to life.

Her book, "Victoria & Abdul: The True Story of the Queen's Closest Confidant," was written after she discovered 13 of Victoria's journals which, because they had been written in the Urdu Abdul had taught her, had been overlooked by British historians.

She then tracked down, via a nephew of Karim's in Karachi, a diary that he had kept as well as some surviving correspondence between the two that had lain forgotten in the vaults of the Royal Archives.

The letters confirmed the degree of intimacy between the young man and the dying monarch.

Invariably sprinkled liberally with kisses, Victoria describes her protege in one as a "true friend."

Frears' film was shown outside of competition at the Venice festival where the director was due to receive a lifetime achievement award at a gala ceremony later Sunday.
Felix Tshisekedi took control of the Union for Democracy and Social Progress (UDPS) following the death of his father in February 2017

The leader of the opposition in the Democratic Republic of Congo, Felix Tshisekedi, returned to Kinshasa on Sunday just as police arrested some of his supporters during a demonstration.

Tshisekedi landed at the Ndjili airport around midday after a trip to Europe, a member of his team said.

He was to travel on to his residence in Kinshasa's Limete neighbourhood, where earlier Sunday four opposition activists were arrested by police using teargas to break up an unauthorised demonstration.

"We picked up three or four people who did not obey police orders. They will be set free," national police spokesman Pierrot Mwanamputu told AFP.

Tshisekedi is the son -- and successor in the opposition movement -- of Etienne Tshisekedi, a longtime leading opponent of President Joseph Kabila. He died in February in Belgium, aged 84.

Kinshasa police had said Saturday that they were banning Sunday's planned demonstration of the opposition coalition, saying they feared violent clashes.

The opposition parties have called for Kabila to step down. The president's second term ended in December 2016 and the constitution bars him from standing for re-election.

The country's authorities, which have yet to fix a date for the next election, promised on Thursday to quickly publish a "realistic" electoral timetable.

The political instability in the vast country of 70 million has raised international concerns.

One of the main obstacles to organising elections is the continuing violence in the central, diamond-rich Kasai region, where a rebellion has been going on for a year now, the electoral commission chief said last month.

Both the government and rebels are accused of atrocities in Kasai.
US President Donald Trump

US President Donald Trump will convene his national security team Sunday and weigh possibly drastic economic sanctions against North Korea after Pyongyang test-fired what it claimed was a hydrogen bomb able to fit atop a missile.

"The national security team is monitoring this closely," said White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders. "The president and his national security team will have a meeting to discuss further later today."

In a tweet Sunday, Trump denounced the powerful test -- said to be the North's first blast to exceed in power the atomic bombing of Hiroshima, Japan -- as "very hostile and dangerous to the United States."

Other world leaders joined in the denunciation. China and Russia sharply condemned it, South Korean President Moon Jae-In called for the "strongest punishment," and Britain said China should step up economic pressure on the North.

In Washington, US Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin said he was preparing a package of economic sanctions to do that -- measures "that would go as far as cutting off all trade and other business" with the North.

"I'm going to draft a sanctions package and send it to the president for his strong consideration so anybody (who) wants to do trade or business with them will be prevented from doing trade or business with us," Mnuchin said on "Fox News Sunday."

But he also said Trump had made it clear that "he will consider everything" and "look at all our options."

While the United States has virtually no trade with the North, the burden of sanctions such as Mnuchin described would fall heavily on China. About 90 percent of North Korean exports go to China.

Early last month the United Nations Security Council adopted a seventh set of sanctions aimed at depriving the North of a billion dollars in income from exports. China approved the measures.

Trump has repeatedly insisted that Beijing lean on the neighboring Pyongyang regime to stop its nuclear and missile development.

But on Sunday he also aimed criticism at the government in Seoul, tweeting that the time for talks was over and that "appeasement" would not work.
Kenyan police have often been the target of attacks by Shabaab militants

Two Kenyan police officers were killed Sunday by gunmen on a motorbike as they were guarding a church near the Indian Ocean, in an attack police believe could be the work of Shabaab miliants.

"An investigation has been launched and we are not ruling out terrorism because this attack is not a normal robbery," regional police chief Larry Kieng told journalists of the shooting in the town of Ukunda.

The area in the far southeast of the country has largely escaped the attacks waged by the Islamist Shabaab group in Kenya and neighbouring Somalia.

Kieng said the assailants shot at the officers and grabbed their guns, killing one on the spot while the other died in hospital.

Since May, more than 20 police officers and a similar number of civilians have been killed in a resurgence of attacks in Kenya, including roadside bombings.

Ukunda, about 30 kilometres (19 miles) south of the main port of Mombasa, has an airport used by the many tourists visiting Kenya's southern coast, including the popular beaches of Diani and Tiwi.

The Shabaab is fighting to overthrow the internationally backed government in Mogadishu but also often carries out attacks in Kenya, which has troops in Somalia as part of an African Union force.
African opposition leaders, including Zimbabwe's Morgan Tsvangirai, have applauded a Kenya judiciary ruling cancelling election results, calling it "a good step towards democracy"

Opposition leaders across Africa, long frustrated in their campaigns to topple firmly entrenched leaders, are hailing the shock overturn of last month's presidential vote in Kenya, calling it an example for their own countries to emulate.

"If it happened in Kenya, it can happen in Zimbabwe as well," Zimbabwe's opposition leader Morgan Tsvangirai told thousands of supporters at a rally on Saturday.

Tsvangirai, the leader of the Movement for Democratic Change (MDC), has made three failed attempts at the Zimbabwean presidency, losing all of them to President Robert Mugabe, who has kept an iron grip on the country since 1980.

Elections in Zimbabwe have been marred by violence, intimidation and charges of electoral fraud.

"This is an unprecedented decision in the whole of Africa and I think it's a good step towards democracy," Tsvangirai said.

On Friday, Kenya's Supreme Court cancelled the results of the August 8 election, which kept President Uhuru Kenyatta in office, over widespread irregularities. The country now has until October 31 to hold a new election.

"Kenyan judges have just given an extraordinary lesson to Africa and to the world," said Burundi's opposition leader Charles Nditije.

Burundi has been in the grip of a political crisis since April 2015, when President Pierre Nkurunziza announced his intention to run for a third term.

He won elections that July that were boycotted by the opposition, who branded the vote a violation of the constitution.

Nditije, who heads main opposition group CNARED, said the Kenya decision stands in stark contrast to the "cowardice" shown by Burundi's Constitutional Court, which cleared Nkurunziza's re-election bid.

Kenya's Supreme Court is "a model of independence for the judiciary to follow," Nditije said.

The Burundian government, for its part, qualified the Kenya decision as a "lesson" for those who criticised the country's Constitutional Court for allowing Nkurunziza to run for a third term.

- 'Be independent' -

In Uganda, ruled since 1986 by President Yoweri Museveni, the main opposition leader Kizza Besigye applauded the Kenya decision.

"This is unprecedented in Africa," Besigye told AFP.

Kenya's Supreme Court rendered a shock ruling this month cancelling the results of the August 8 election over widespread irregularities

Besigye faced arrest before, during and after the February 2016 presidential election, coming second to Museveni in the controversial vote.

Museveni, who has ruled the east African nation for 31 years, won in the first round with more than 60 percent of the votes, but foreign monitors said the election was held in an atmosphere of intimidation.

Besigye said Museveni's victory came through cheating and fraud.

"The Ugandan judiciary should learn from their counterparts in Kenya, to be independent," Besigye said. "I doubt if the same would have taken place in Uganda".

In Gabon, the office of opposition leader Jean Ping said in a statement that the Kenya decision was "normal".

"The Kenyan case is simply normal, while Gabon is not," Ping's spokesman Jean-Gaspard Ntoutoume Ayi said.

Ping, a 74-year-old career diplomat, was narrowly defeated by incumbent Ali Bongo in presidential elections last August.

Gabon's Constitutional Court ruled that Bongo won 50.66 percent of the vote and Ping 47.24 percent, leading the opposition leader to accuse the administration of electoral fraud.

The court rejected Ping's bid for a recount, upholding Bongo's victory, obtained by a winning margin of around 11,000 votes.

For the Bongo government, the Kenyan ruling "is proof that it is the country's institutions that determine the electoral process and not international observers".

- 'Encouraging' for opposition -

"If a Supreme Court goes through the effort of cancelling rigged elections, I think that electoral commissions charged with organising elections will now pay more attention to the risk of seeming to be sanctioned by a higher institution," former Guinean prime minister Cellou Dalein Diallo said.

Guinea's former prime minister and opposition leader Cellou Dalein Diallo, left, says he hopes the Kenya ruling will inspire other courts charged with treating electoral disputes in Africa

Diallo has accused President Alpha Conde of electoral fraud and said he had "stolen" two presidential elections held in 2010 and 2015.

Diallo hopes the Kenya ruling will inspire other courts charged with treating electoral disputes in Africa.

In Tanzania, opposition lawmaker Zitto Kabwe called for amending the constitution: "Kenya has set the bar higher. Tanzania needs a new constitution" so there is a way to challenge an election before a court.

And in Rwanda -- where President Paul Kagame was re-elected for a third term last month with nearly 99 percent of the vote -- opposition leader Frank Habineza said the Kenya ruling was "very encouraging for the opposition in Africa".

"The independence of the justice system is important on this continent, and it helps to avoid other destructive choices such as setting up armed rebel groups and violent demonstrations," he said.

burs-ndy/su/js
Jean Ping, a 74-year-old career diplomat, was narrowly defeated by incumbent Ali Bongo in Gabon's presidential election in August

Gabon on Sunday announced a ban on opposition leaders, including former top African Union official Jean Ping, from leaving the country in what it said was a "temporary, administrative measure".

"This measure follows inflammatory comments by Jean Ping on August 18 when he called for public disorder, rebellion and insurrection," interior ministry spokesman Jean-Eric Nziengui Mangala said.

Ping, a 74-year-old career diplomat, was narrowly defeated by incumbent Ali Bongo in Gabon's August presidential election and accused the administration of electoral fraud.

A number of demonstrations have been held in support of Ping in cities around the country, leading to numerous arrests and clashes with police in the capital and the seaport of Port-Gentil.

On August 18, Ping called on the Gabonese "to rise up as one to solemnly mark (his) rise to power".

Mangala said the "temporary administrative measure" is aimed at leaders of political parties and others at the heart of the Coalition for the New Republic (CNR), which supports Ping.

The directive has affected former prime minister Casimir Oye Mba, who was scheduled to leave for France on Friday.

"At the airport, the police told me I couldn't leave and that they were only following orders," he said, adding that it was the third time that such a measure has prevented him from leaving Gabon.

Albert Ondo Ossa, a former presidential candidate and economics professor, said he too was prevented from boarding a flight to Cameroon last week.

"In an arbitrary and illegal manner, this government has decided to sequester opposition leaders inside the country," Ping spokesman Jean-Gaspard Ntoutoume Ayi told AFP.

The opposition coalition has said it will hold a rally in Libreville on Monday.
The Tehran prosecutor's office said the appeals of an American citizen, two US-Iranian dual nationals and a Lebanese citizen had been rejected

The Iranian judiciary on Sunday upheld 10-year jail terms for an American, two US-Iranian dual nationals and a Lebanese permanent resident of the United States for "collaborating" with Washington.

In a ruling that comes at a time of rising tensions following President Donald Trump's arrival in the White House in January, the Tehran prosecutor's office said the four men's appeals had been rejected.

Xiyue Wang, a Chinese-born American, was sentenced to 10 years in jail for "collaborating with foreign governments", said Tehran prosecutor Abbas Jafari Dolatabadi, quoted by the mizanonline website close to the judiciary.

He said the same sentence was upheld against two dual nationals for "collaborating with a foreign government", and Lebanese national Nizar Zakka, a US permanent resident, for working with the American government.

The dual nationals, businessman Siamak Namazi and his father Mohammad Bagher Namazi, were convicted in October 2016 along with Zakka and three others on charges of "spying" for Washington.

The State Department in July called on Iran to immediately release US citizens and other foreigners detained on "fabricated" national security charges, as Iran announced that Xiyue, a Princeton University researcher, had been handed a 10-year sentence for "infiltration" and espionage.

"We call for the immediate release of all US citizens unjustly detained in Iran so they can return to their families," a State Department official said.

"The Iranian regime continues to detain US citizens and other foreigners on fabricated national security-related charges," the official said.

"The safety and security of US citizens remains a top priority. All US citizens, especially dual nationals considering travel to Iran, should carefully read our latest travel warning."

Trump warned of "new and serious consequences" unless US nationals held in the Islamic republic were released, triggering criticism from Tehran of the detention of Iranian citizens in the United States.

"You are keeping our innocent citizens in gruesome prisons. This is against the law and international norms and regulations," said Sadegh Larijani, the head of Iran's judiciary.

"We tell them that you must immediately release Iranian citizens locked up in US prisons."

Iran's Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif accused Washington of holding Iranians on "charges of sanction violations that are not applicable today... for bogus and purely political reasons".

The State Department, for its part, says Iran continues "to harass, arrest, and detain US citizens, in particular dual nationals", warning that Washington's ability to assist is "extremely limited".

Ties between Washington and Tehran have been severed since April 1980 in the wake of Iran's Islamic revolution, and tensions have sharpened since Trump came to power in January, especially over Iranian missile tests.

Tehran and world powers, including Washington, signed a July 2015 accord curbing Iran's nuclear programme in exchange for a lifting of sanctions.

Although it has imposed new unilateral sanctions over Iran's missile programme, Washington has so far honoured the nuclear accord despite Trump's threats as a candidate last year to "rip it up".
UNITA leader Isaias Samakuva (2nd right) takes part in a meeting of Angolan opposition leaders in Luanda, on September 3, 2017

Four opposition parties in Angola on Sunday called for a recount in last month's general election, alleging "irregularities" during the vote that kept the ruling party in power.

The MPLA of outgoing President Jose Eduardo Dos Santos won just over 61 percent of the vote in the August 23 poll and an absolute majority with 150 of parliament's 220 seats, according to a provisional count.

The commission is due to release official results on Wednesday.

Isaias Samakuva, head of the National Union for the Total Independence of Angola (UNITA), read a statement to reporters saying the process to determine definitive results "was not conducted, in a large number of cases, in accordance with the law".

The statement was signed by three other leaders of Angola's main opposition parties.

Besides "irregularities," the coalition cited "the disappearance of ballot boxes, the appearance of new ballot boxes, the disappearance of voting forms" and "the illegal presence of foreign individuals".

But it also charged that the electoral process was "unconstitutional and illegal" and called for a recount in the provinces by a commission made up of figures from civil society and churches.

The coalition warned it would contest the election through other means if its demands were not met.

The day after the vote, UNITA deputy leader Rafael Massanga Savimbi said the party found "substantial differences" between its own tallies at voting stations and those of the electoral commission.

Opposition leaders across Africa, long frustrated in their campaigns to topple firmly entrenched leaders, have been hailing the shock overturn of last month's presidential vote in Kenya, calling it an example for their own countries to emulate.

According to preliminary results of the Angola election, UNITA and the Casa-CE party garnered 26 percent and nine percent of the vote respectively.

The MPLA, which has ruled since Angola's independence from Portugal in 1975, had predicted it would win easily, but the result showed a fall in support from the last election in 2012.
Latvia's Anastasija Sevastova celebrates defeating Russia's Maria Sharapova in their 2017 US Open fourth round match, in New York, on September 3, 2017

Maria Sharapova's Grand Slam return after a 15-month doping ban ended on Sunday with a fourth-round defeat at the US Open but the former world number one considered it a major step in her comeback.

Latvian 16th seed Anastasija Sevastova rallied to eliminate the five-time Grand Slam champion 5-7, 6-4, 6-2 at Arthur Ashe Stadium, booking a quarter-final against American Sloane Stephens, who ousted Germany's Julia Goerges 6-3, 3-6, 6-1.

Sharapova, the 2006 US Open winner, was able to find the positives after making 51 unforced errors to only 14 by Sevastova, whose 21 winners were half the 30-year-old Russian's total.

"Reflecting back on the week, I can be happy," Sharapova said. "It has been a really great ride. Ultimately, I can take a lot from this week."

Tuesday's other quarter-final will match Czech 13th seed Petra Kvitova, a two-time Wimbledon champion, against US ninth seed Venus Williams, seeking her eighth Slam title and third US Open crown.

Sloane Stephens of the US hits a return to Germany's Julia Goerges during their 2017 US Open fourth round match, in New York, on September 3, 2017

Kvitova eliminated Spanish third seed and two-time Slam winner Garbine Muguruza 7-6 (7/3), 6-3 while Williams beat 35th-ranked Spaniard Carla Suarez Navarro 6-3, 3-6, 6-1.

In Sharapova's first Slam since she tested positive for the banned blood booster meldonium at the 2016 Australian Open, she ousted second-ranked Simona Halep in the first round and served notice to any contender her game remains formidable.

"She played unbelievable throughout the first and second set and I just kept fighting, running for every ball," Sevastova said.

"I was confident. I was feeling it. But still you have to beat her. She was playing one of the best matches here."

Sharapova returned from her suspension in April, was snubbed for a French Open wildcard and missed Wimbledon with a thigh injury but received a US Open wildcard despite only one hardcourt tuneup match due to a left forearm injury.

"It's great to get that major out of the way," Sharapova said. "I'm thankful for the opportunity. I did my best and I can be proud of that."

Sharapova is expected to jump from 146th to around 100th in the world rankings.

- Kvitova 4-1 against Venus -

Pablo Carreno Busta of Spain celebrates after winning his 2017 US Open fourth round match against Denis Shapovalov of Canada, at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center in New York, on September 3, 2017

Williams is the oldest woman entered at 37 but was this year's Wimbledon and Australian Open runner-up. She hasn't reached three Slam finals in a year since 2002.

"I'm focused on myself and trying to be as aggressive as possible," Williams said. "Nobody ever gives you a Slam. You've got to take it and I'm going to try and take it."

Kvitova, 4-1 all-time against Williams, missed five months after a knife-wielding home intruder injured her left hand last December.

"I worked hard to come back and be here. It means a lot," Kvitova said. "I don't have words to describe. It was a tough time. All five months were very tough.

"It was just a journey I didn't know how it would end. If it ends here on the big stage it's a happy end."

Muguruza still leads the fight for world number one after the Open but will be overtaken if fourth seed Elina Svitolina makes the semi-finals or top seed Karolina Pliskova reaches the final.

Stephens missed 11 months with a foot injury and returned only at Wimbledon, but has won 12 of her past 14 matches for her deepest US Open run in six tries.

"I honestly couldn't have asked for a better comeback," Stephens said. "Making it to the quarter-finals here is unbelievable."

- Teen Shapovalov ousted -

Garbine Mugurusa of Spain congratulates Petra Kvitova of Czech Republic following their 2017 US Open fourth round match, at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center in New York, on September 3, 2017

In a men's draw assured of producing a first-time Slam finalist, Spanish 12th seed Pablo Carreno Busta meets Argentine 29th seed Diego Schwartzman in the last-eight while South African 28th seed Kevin Anderson meets US 17th seed Sam Querrey, who beat German 23rd seed Mischa Zverev 6-2, 6-2, 6-1.

Anderson matched his best Slam run from the 2015 US Open by beating Italy's Paolo Lorenzi 6-4, 6-3, 6-7 (4/7), 6-4.

"I got off to a great start the first two sets and imposed my game," Anderson said. "I had to dig deep and it feels absolutely fantastic to get through."

Carreno Busta, who has not dropped a set, ended Canadian 18-year-old qualifier Denis Shapovalov's dream run 7-6 (7/2), 7-6 (7/4), 7-6 (7/3).

Shapovalov would have been the youngest Slam quarter-finalist since Michael Chang at the 1990 French Open and youngest at the US Open since Andre Agassi in 1988.

"The biggest lesson is that I'm able to compete with these guys," Shapovalov said. "I still think I have a lot of work to do."

Schwartzman eliminated French 16th seed Lucas Pouille 7-6 (7/3), 7-5, 2-6, 6-2. At 5ft 7ins (1.70m), he is the shortest Grand Slam quarter-finalist since Peruvian Jaime Yzaga at the 1994 US Open.
China's President Xi Jinping (2ndL, Rear) and Russia's President Vladimir Putin (C, Rear) prepare to pose for a photo within their meeting prior to the opening of the BRICS Summit in Xiamen

Chinese President Xi Jinping on Monday opens an annual summit of BRICS leaders that already has been upstaged by North Korea's latest nuclear weapons provocation.

The BRICS -- Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa -- had gathered in the southeastern Chinese city of Xiamen hoping to counter accusations that the group of big emerging economies was drifting apart and becoming irrelevant.

But North Korea stole the spotlight on Sunday by announcing it had detonated a powerful hydrogen bomb and claiming it could fit the device on a long-range missile, dramatically raising the stakes in its standoff with the world.

The nuclear test came just before Xi took the stage for a pre-BRICS address in Xiamen, timing that seemed deliberate and will doubt angered Beijing, which swiftly condemned the explosion.

The summit includes Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Vladimir Putin of Russia, Brazil's Michel Temer and South Africa's Jacob Zuma.

BRICS was already struggling to live down doubts about its own cohesion that have spiked since nuclear-armed China and India engaged in a protracted standoff over a disputed Himalayan region.

They backed off last week -- perhaps to avoid ruining the summit -- but the issue remains tense and eyes will be on the interplay between Modi and Xi on Monday.

In his speech Sunday, Xi stressed the need for BRICS members to show mutual respect and "avoid conflicts" but otherwise did not mention the border dispute.

BRICS nations, who comprise more than 40 percent of humanity, came together a decade ago to advocate for the developing world's interests.

But policy analysts have increasingly questioned the group's relevance, pointing out that its members have little in common and face various economic challenges.

Xi alluded to these questions in his speech.

"Some people, seeing that emerging markets and developing countries have experienced growth setbacks, assert that BRICS countries are losing their lustre," he said, admitting the group's members faced various "headwinds".

BRICS includes Communist-ruled China, authoritarian Russia and the democracies of India, Brazil and South Africa.

China remains an economic powerhouse, though a slowing one, while India is rising. But slumping commodity prices have hit hard the economies of exporters Russia, Brazil and South Africa.

Brazil's Temer and South Africa's Zuma, meanwhile, are distracted by political turmoil at home.

Perhaps the BRICS' biggest success has been the 2016 establishment of the Shanghai-based New Development Bank, envisioned as the developing world's World Bank, but many economists doubt it will be influential.

Intra-BRICS trade is heavily tilted in China's favour, fuelling complaints from fellow members. India alone has lodged several trade cases against China this year.

The North Korean hydrogen bomb claim represents an apparent major advance in Pyongyang's banned nuclear weapons programme and brought condemnation from the international community, which has forbidden North Korea's pursuit of atomic weapons and missiles.

Xi and Putin held a bilateral meeting late Sunday during which they discussed the North Korea blast and pledged to "appropriately deal" with the issue, China's official Xinhua news agency said, without giving details.
BEIJING (AP) - As China prepares to host next week's summit of leaders from Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa, some are questioning whether the club of fast-developing nations is viable anymore given economic woes and sharp rivalries.

With no unifying political philosophy, the BRICS group has never been as cohesive as other global alliances like NATO. And with the global economy slowing, some BRICS members have been hit harder than others.

In recent weeks, the competition between China and India has also come into focus with a tense military standoff across disputed borders in the high Himalayas.

In this Oct. 16, 2016, file photo, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, left, talks with Chinese President Xi Jinping shake hands with leaders at the BRICS summit in Goa, India. As China prepares to host next week's summit of leaders from Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa, some are questioning whether the club of fast-developing nations is viable anymore given diverging paths and sharp rivalries between members. (AP Photo/Manish Swarup, File)

The summit Monday and Tuesday in the city of Xiamen gives Chinese President Xi Jinping an opportunity to showcase his leadership and promote his country as a central pillar of 21st century global governance.

Here is a guide to BRICS, its future prospects and what to expect from the summit.

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WHAT IS BRICS?

A Goldman Sachs economist came up with the acronym BRICs for Brazil, Russia, India and China in 2001 to describe emerging economies that might challenge the West. The four held their first summit in 2009, and were joined by South Africa in 2011.

Together, the five countries now account for 40 percent of the world's population, and have accounted for 45 percent of the increase in world growth since 2009, driven mainly by China and India.

The BRICS also account for 23 percent of its gross domestic product - a figure that is expected to steadily increase.

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WHAT'S IN STORE FOR THE XIAMEN SUMMIT?

The summit's agenda - under the theme "Stronger Partnership for a Brighter Future" - includes discussions on economic collaboration, political and security cooperation and people-to-people exchanges, and probably also issues of particular concern for China and India like renewable energy and coping with climate change.

Officials are also expected to discuss setting up a BRICS credit rating agency as an alternative to the big three Western agencies that some nations accuse of favoring Western economies. China's own credit rating was downgraded by Moody's in May.

They may also discuss expanding BRICS to include new members, something analysts say may be crucial in energizing the grouping. China has employed a "BRICS Plus" approach this year by inviting leaders from Egypt, Guinea, Mexico, Tajikistan and Thailand to attend the summit. The goal was for "a more broadly based partnership," Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi said Wednesday.

The BRICS nations will likely position themselves as advocates of globalization, even if protectionist elements persist in their economies, especially in China, where key sectors are still closed to foreign investors.

Their final statement is expected to underline their commitment to globalization - in contrast to the West's more inward-looking trend following the election of U.S. President Donald Trump and the British vote to leave the European Union.

Typically, final statements are "bland" and intended to project an image of consensus, said Steve Tsang of the China Institute at SOAS University of London.

"You can always draft them. You don't have to agree with each other," he said.

More interesting will be the discussions happening on the side. Bilateral meetings between Xi and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi will be closely watched following the seeming conclusion this week of China and India's most serious confrontation in decades - a 10-week border standoff over disputed land.

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WHAT HAS BRICS ACHIEVED TO DATE?

Observers say one of the group's top achievements is somewhat intangible - shifting the global power balance toward the developing world, and winning a bigger say in global economic discussions at the International Monetary Fund and World Bank.

The group is also lauded for establishing the alternative New Development Bank in 2014. This week, the bank announced $1.4 billion in new loans for sustainable development projects in China, India and Russia.

BRICS nations "have a demographic advantage" over Western nations, said analyst Sreeram Chaulia, dean of Jindal School of International Affairs near New Delhi. "We have high economic growth, and in some cases also rising military power."

BRICS also promotes ties between countries that had limited links before. Brazil's politically embattled president is eager to court potential investors to help his country's ailing economy, and the opportunity to meet face-to-face with other leaders makes this his "most important weekend on the foreign policy front of the year," said Oliver Stuenkel, professor of international relations at Getulio Vargas Foundation in Sao Paulo.

The China-India dialogues could help reduce tensions between the world's two most populous nations.

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IS BRICS STILL VIABLE?

Almost a decade after the first summit, relations between China and India are hampered over their wide-ranging political rivalry.

Brazil, Russia and South Africa, meanwhile, are in economic recession or in the early stages of recovery.

Some see too many divisions and disagreements between the members for BRICS to provide leadership for the developing world.

"Russia, India and China all care deeply about security issues in Asia, but have different preferences, and in some ways are strategic rivals," said Scott Kennedy of the Center for Strategic & International Studies in Washington DC.

In terms of governance, he said, "India, Brazil and South Africa are democracies, whereas China and Russia are not, and hence, have conflicting views about individual liberty and issues such as Internet privacy."

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Follow Louise Watt on Twitter at twitter.com/louise_watt
MELBOURNE, Australia (AP) - An influenza outbreak has killed seven residents of a care home for the elderly in Australia and sickened 116 other residents and staff, an official said Friday.

The residents, aged between 70 to 94, had died at St. John's Retirement Village at Wangaratta in northeast Victoria state since Aug. 16, Victoria Chief Health Officer Brett Sutton said.

"We are at the peak of one of the worst flu seasons ever and the elderly are one of highest-risk groups," Sutton told reporters.

Most of the 146 residents in the facility had been vaccinated, but the vaccine is less effective in the elderly, Sutton said. Vaccines are not effective against all flu strains.

There were 123 cases of flu, including the seven fatalities, among the residents and 200 staff at the home, he said. Vaccination was not compulsory among residents or staff.

All the dead had pre-existing conditions that made them vulnerable to serious illness, Sutton said. The outbreak at the home was almost over, but another elderly resident was at risk of dying before infections stop.

Sutton said the seven deaths made this outbreak the worst he had encountered during his seven years in the state health department.

The home notified state health authorities of the outbreak two days before the first death, he said. Authorities found no flaws in the home's infection prevention and control procedures, Sutton said.

So far this year, 11,300 flu cases have been confirmed in Victoria, a state with a population of 6.2 million.

The current Southern Hemisphere flu season comes six months after the Northern Hemisphere season.

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This story corrects the number of non-fatal flu cases.
WASHINGTON (AP) - The Latest on President Donald Trump's promise of help after Hurricane Harvey (all times local):

8:55 p.m.

President Donald Trump has sent lawmakers a $7.9 billion request for an initial down payment for Harvey relief and recovery efforts.

President Donald Trump speaks before signing a proclamation for a national day of prayer to occur on Sunday, Sept. 3, 2017, in the Oval Office of the White House, Friday, Sept. 1, 2017, in Washington. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)

The request, expected to be swiftly approved by Congress, would add $7.4 billion to rapidly dwindling Federal Emergency Management Agency disaster aid coffers and $450 million to finance disaster loans for small businesses.

The initial Harvey package is just the first installment for immediate disaster response like housing assistance, cleanup and FEMA-financed home repairs. The White House says more than 436,000 households have registered for FEMA aid.

The request also reiterates the need for Congress to increase the government's $19.9 trillion borrowing limit by the end of this month. Republicans are signaling that they may link the unpopular debt limit increase to Harvey relief.

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8:20 p.m.

President Donald Trump's request for an initial down payment for Harvey relief and recovery efforts is growing.

A senior GOP source in Washington says Trump's request to refill rapidly shrinking Federal Emergency Management Agency disaster coffers is going up by about $2 billion, bringing the total for the looming disaster aid package about $8 billion.

The request is expected to be officially released Friday night. Earlier, the White House had said the request would total $5.5 billion for FEMA and $450 million for the Small Business Administration Disaster Loan Program.

But FEMA is spending money at a faster rate, causing the White House to redraft the aid package.

The GOP source spoke on condition of anonymity because the information is not yet public.

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1:45 p.m.

President Donald Trump is thanking disaster relief organizations helping victims of Harvey.

The president was joined in the Oval Office by leaders of the Salvation Army, the American Red Cross and Southern Baptist Disaster Relief.

Trump says the people of Texas and Louisiana have taught Americans "a powerful lesson" with their resilience and strength. He says there's been an "outbreak of compassion" that has inspired the nation.

Trump will be going to Texas and Louisiana on Saturday to survey the damage from the storm. He traveled to Texas earlier in the week.

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1:10 p.m.

Congressional Republicans plan to use a disaster relief package for Harvey as the vehicle to pass a contentious increase in the federal debt limit.

That's according to a senior House Republican who spoke on condition of anonymity because deliberations were private.

House Republicans expect to approve an initial $5.9 billion package in Harvey aid in the next week or two. They'll send it to the Senate, where the debt limit increase would be attached and sent back to the House for final approval.

The plan ignores objections from House conservatives who've warned GOP leaders not to use Harvey aid as the vehicle to increase the United States' $19.9 trillion debt limit. The limit must be increased by late September to permit the government to continue borrowing money to pay its bills.

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1:05 p.m.

President Donald Trump is signing a proclamation establishing Sunday as a day of prayer for those dealing with the aftermath of Harvey.

The president is commending the families and rescue workers dealing with the remnants of the massive storm in Texas and Louisiana.

He says everyone involved has the same goal: To help people facing devastating losses.

Trump was joined in the Oval Office by religious leaders and members of faith-based groups on Friday.

The president is returning to Texas on Saturday to survey flood damage and is also expected to travel to Louisiana to review recovery efforts from the storm.

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9:35 a.m.

The White House is readying a request to Congress for an initial $5.9 billion package in Harvey aid. It would be a first down payment to ensure recovery efforts over the next few weeks are adequately funded.

The Trump proposal is being finalized pending White House consultations with key Republicans. It is likely to be just a fraction of an eventual Harvey recovery package that could rival the $100 billion spent on Hurricane Katrina relief.

A senior administration official said the plan will be sent to Congress on Friday and House and Senate votes appear likely next week. The official was not authorized to release the information publicly before a final decision is made and spoke on condition of anonymity.

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8:50 a.m.

President Donald Trump says there is still "so much to do" for Texas to recover from Hurricane Harvey. Trump will travel again to Texas on Saturday.

Trump tweeted Friday that "Texas is heeling (sic) fast thanks to all of the great men & women who have been working so hard." He later corrected the spelling of "healing."

But he says, "still, so much to do."

Trump has proposed federal hiring and budget plans that raise questions about his promised recovery effort.

He also tweeted Friday to praise his new chief of staff, Gen. John Kelly, and criticize former FBI Director James Comey over his investigation into Hillary Clinton's emails.

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8:45 a.m.

President Donald Trump's hiring and budget plans are raising questions about whether he can deliver the "better-than-ever" recovery he's promised after Hurricane Harvey.

In the week since Harvey dumped record rain and floods along swaths of the U.S. Gulf Coast, Trump has visited the region and showered praise on the responders. His administration is preparing a $5.9 billion emergency request to replenish FEMA's rapidly draining disaster reserves.

But Trump is not backing off billions of dollars in proposed budget cuts in agencies involved in disaster management or his decision to leave some leadership positions vacant. The president also has said he views the disaster relief as money apart from the proposed cuts.

He has also pledged $1 million in personal funds for disaster recovery.

President Donald Trump speaks before signing a proclamation for a national day of prayer to occur on Sunday, Sept. 3, 2017, in the Oval Office of the White House, Friday, Sept. 1, 2017, in Washington. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)

President Donald Trump speaks before signing a proclamation for a national day of prayer to occur on Sunday, Sept. 3, 2017, in the Oval Office of the White House, Friday, Sept. 1, 2017, in Washington. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)

Faith leaders look on as President Donald Trump signs a proclamation for a national day of prayer to occur on Sunday, Sept. 3, 2017, in the Oval Office of the White House, Friday, Sept. 1, 2017, in Washington. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)
DALLAS (AP) - The spike in gasoline prices in the aftermath of Hurricane Harvey has hit the accelerator.

The national average for regular was $2.56 a gallon by late Friday afternoon, an increase of 20 cents in the last week, according to GasBuddy.

Prices jumped at least 10 cents a gallon in 24 hours in Texas, Ohio, Georgia and the Mid-Atlantic states, travel club AAA reported.

A sign shows pumps out of gas, Friday, Sept. 1, 2017, in El Campo, Texas. Gasoline prices in the U.S. have risen to new high amid continuing fears of shortages in Texas and other states after Hurricane Harvey's strike. (AP Photo/Eric Gay)

The nationwide average was already higher than most experts had given as a worst-case scenario when flooding from the devastating storm began knocking out refineries along the Texas Gulf Coast a week ago.

Two of the leading price-forecasting analysts, GasBuddy's Patrick DeHaan and Tom Kloza of the Oil Price Information Service, now see the national average peaking as high as $2.75 a gallon in the next few days.

Many stations in the Dallas area were out of gas Friday, and those that had it were often charging more than $3 a gallon - and drawing long lines of desperate drivers.

Texas Gov. Greg Abbott tried to reassure drivers that there is plenty of gasoline.

"Don't worry, we will not run out," Abbott said, "and we will be back into our normal pattern before you know it."

The analysts said interruptions in supply were isolated and lines were largely the result of people rushing out to top off their tanks. DeHaan said only one rack, or wholesale gasoline terminal, out of the six in the Dallas area was dry.

"There is enough gas out there," he said. "It's just a matter of getting it to the right places before motorists panic."

Valero Energy, a major refiner for the Texas market, said it was shipping only slightly reduced volumes to major cities in the state, although deliveries in Houston were still hampered by flooding.

Long lines could pop up next in the Southeastern and Eastern states, as far north as New York, which get much of their gasoline from the Colonial Pipeline that taps into refineries in Texas and Louisiana. The operator doesn't expect the pipeline to resume normal operations until Sunday. On top of that, analysts said some gasoline from the Northeast is being diverted to Florida, and gasoline exports are contributing to the higher prices.

The U.S. now exports large amounts of gasoline, especially to Mexico and other parts of Latin America, and buyers there are competing with domestic distributors and bidding up prices.

How long this lasts will depend on how quickly the Gulf Coast refineries are back in business, especially the giants like Motiva's Port Arthur, Texas, plant and the Exxon Mobil refinery in Baytown, near Houston.

One Chevron station in downtown Dallas that was selling regular for $2.29 a gallon before Harvey bumped up its price to $2.99 on Thursday, and a nearby Shell station was asking $3.97.

QuikTrip, one of the nation's largest convenience store chains, temporarily halted gasoline sales at about half its 135 stores in the Dallas-Fort Worth area to send the fuel to a few designated stores across the area, said company spokesman Mike Thornbrugh.

Ten Texas refineries remained shut down Friday and another 10 were running at reduced rates or restarting, according to the Energy Department. About 4 million barrels per day of refining capacity was shut down - more than one-fifth of the nation's supply. Some of that supply is expected to return within a week.

Spiro Dounis, an energy analyst with UBS, said it could take three months for the industry to produce at normal rates based on the experience after Hurricane Katrina in 2005.

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Paul Weber in Austin, Texas, and Claudia Lauer in Dallas contributed to this report.

A "Sorry out of Service" sign is placed on one of the gas pumps at a gas station in Athens, Ga., on Friday, Sept. 1, 2017. Gasoline prices in the U.S. have risen to new high amid continuing fears of shortages in Texas and other states after Hurricane Harvey's strike. (Joshua L. Jones/Athens Banner-Herald via AP)

Customers line up along a busy thoroughfare to get into a QT filling station and convenience store, Thursday, Aug. 31, 2017, in Dallas. It's getting harder to fill gas tanks in parts of Texas where some stations are out of fuel and pump costs are spiking. A major gasoline pipeline shuttered due to Harvey may be able to resume shipping fuel from the Houston area by Sunday, which could ease gasoline shortages across the southern U.S. (AP Photo/Tony Gutierrez)
SALT LAKE CITY (AP) - The Latest on a nurse in Utah who was handcuffed by police over a blood draw (all times local):

5:30 p.m.

Salt Lake City police say an officer seen on video dragging a screaming nurse from a hospital and handcuffing her will be put on paid administrative leave after prosecutors called for a criminal investigation.

Nurse Alex Wubbels speaks during an interview, Friday, Sept. 1, 2017, in Salt Lake City. Wubbels followed hospital policy and advice from her bosses when she told Salt Lake City police Detective Jeff Payne that he could not get a blood sample without a warrant or consent from the patient, according to her attorney. The police department is making changes after Payne dragged a screaming Wubbels out of the hospital in handcuffs when she refused to allow blood to be drawn from the unconscious patient. (AP Photo/Rick Bowmer)

Police Chief Mike Brown said in a statement Friday that his department will comply with the investigation into Detective Jeff Payne. He arrested nurse Alex Wubbels after she refused to allow blood to be drawn from an unconscious victim, in line with hospital policy.

Salt Lake County's Unified Police Department will run the criminal probe into Payne's actions on July 26, which got widespread attention after Wubbels and her lawyers released the dramatic video Thursday.

Brown and the mayor of Salt Lake City have apologized for the incident and changed their policies to mirror hospital protocols.

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4:30 p.m.

An Idaho police department is thanking a Utah nurse for stopping a Salt Lake City officer from obtaining a blood sample from one of their reserve officers who was unconscious in a hospital.

Police in the eastern Idaho town of Rigby said Friday that William Gray was severely injured in a Utah crash in July when the semi-truck he was driving for work was hit by another car.

Rigby police said in a statement they didn't know until Thursday that the nurse was arrested after refusing to allow blood to be drawn from Gray.

The department thanked the nurse, Alex Wubbels, and hospital "for standing firm" and protecting the Gray's rights.

It says he is still hospitalized.

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3:45 p.m.

A Utah prosecutor says he's asked for a criminal investigation into a police officer who dragged a nurse from a hospital and arrested her for refusing to allow blood to be drawn from an unconscious patient.

Salt Lake County District Attorney Sim Gill said Friday that he was concerned when he saw police body-camera footage of the officer arresting nurse Alex Wubbels in July.

Gill says he called Salt Lake City Police Chief Mike Brown to request the investigation and that the chief agreed.

Gill says Brown will choose an outside police agency to investigate. He declined to say what charges the officer could face.

Police did not immediately return telephone messages seeking comment or details about the criminal investigation.

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2 p.m.

A Utah nurse says she was scared to death and trying to find anything to hold on to when a police officer dragged her from a hospital and handcuffed her for refusing to allow blood to be drawn from an unconscious patient.

Alex Wubbels said in an interview Friday that the officer lost his temper on July 26 and "attacked me and assaulted me and dragged me out of my emergency department."

She says she was screaming and "just trying to hold on to anything that was keeping me safe because no one else was keeping me safe."

Wubbels says that before her arrest, the officer was agitated and angry as she explained that hospital policy prevented her from drawing the patient's blood without a warrant, the patient being under arrest or with their consent.

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1:15 p.m.

A Utah hospital says it's proud of the way their nurse handled a confrontation with a police officer, who has been slammed by fellow nurses as violent.

The University of Utah Health hospital said in a statement Friday that Alex Wubbels followed procedures and protocols in the July 26 incident.

Wubbels was threatened with arrest by Salt Lake City police Detective Jeff Payne when she refused to allow blood to be drawn from an unconscious burn center patient.

National Nurses United called it a disgraceful and outrageous act of violence for the officer to drag the screaming nurse out of the hospital in handcuffs.

The union also cited a U.S. Supreme Court ruling in 2016, which affirms that a blood sample cannot be taken without patient consent or a warrant.

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1 p.m.

A Utah nurse who was handcuffed and dragged from her job after she refused to allow a blood draw on an unconscious patient says she's accepting apologies from the Salt Lake City mayor and police chief.

Alex Wubbels said in a statement Friday that felt the personal apologies were sincere.

She also says she looks forward to working with them to promote civil dialogue and education.

She says they're taking the matter seriously and she believes positive change will come out of it.

Wubbels says the outpouring of support she's received since releasing dramatic video of the exchange was beyond what she could have imagined.

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12:15 p.m.

The mayor of Salt Lake City says the arrest of a nurse who told a police officer she couldn't draw blood from an unconscious patient is completely unacceptable.

Mayor Jackie Biskupski says it's a troubling setback to efforts to train officers to de-escalate situations rather than use force.

Utah Gov. Gary Herbert also weighed in Friday, a day after dramatic video surfaced of the exchange with nurse Alex Wubbels. He says in a tweet that the footage is disturbing and he trusts police will rectify the situation.

Police Chief Mike Brown says he's alarmed and sad the incident caused a rift between police and nurses.

He says the department has taken steps to ensure it won't happen again. The officer has been removed from a drawing blood but remains employed during an internal investigation.

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10:30 a.m.

Salt Lake City police have apologized after an officer handcuffed a hospital nurse for refusing a blood draw from an unconscious patient.

Police spokeswoman Christina Judd said the agency initiated an internal investigation within hours of the July 26 encounter between Detective Jeff Payne and University Hospital burn unit nurse Alex Wubbels that was caught on the officer's body camera.

Payne has been suspended from blood-draw duties but remains in his role as a detective in the investigations unit.

Judd says the assistant chief has apologized to the hospital and that the department is alarmed by what they saw in the video .

Judd said the department is working to investigate what went wrong and is seeking to repair the "unfortunate rift" it has caused.

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2 a.m.

A Utah police officer's body camera video shows a hospital nurse being handcuffed after refusing to draw blood on an unconscious patient.

The video taken at University Hospital in Salt Lake City shows nurse Alex Wubbels calmly explaining to Salt Lake detective Jeff Payne that she couldn't draw blood on a patient who had been injured in a car accident. She told the officer a patient was required to give consent for a blood sample or be under arrest. Otherwise, she said police needed a warrant.

The dispute ended with Payne telling the nurse she was under arrest and physically moving her out of the hospital while she screamed.

The Salt Lake Tribune reports (http://bit.ly/2vvBdMR ) Wubbels was not charged. Police have started an internal investigation, but Payne remains on duty.

In this July 26, 2017, frame grab from video taken from a police body camera and provided by attorney Karra Porter, nurse Alex Wubbels is arrested by a Salt Lake City police officer at University Hospital in Salt Lake City. The Utah police department is making changes after the officer dragged Wubbels out of the hospital in handcuffs when she refused to allow blood to be drawn from an unconscious patient. (Salt Lake City Police Department/Courtesy of Karra Porter via AP)

In this July 26, 2017, frame grab from video taken from a police body camera and provided by attorney Karra Porter, nurse Alex Wubbels is arrested by a Salt Lake City police officer at University Hospital in Salt Lake City. The Utah police department is making changes after the officer dragged Wubbels out of the hospital in handcuffs when she refused to allow blood to be drawn from an unconscious patient. (Salt Lake City Police Department/Courtesy of Karra Porter via AP)
PLANTATION, Fla. (AP) - Amanda Spartz nearly did not renew her home's flood insurance policy after her first year in Florida. Two hurricanes came close to the Fort Lauderdale suburbs last year, but they didn't hit and her home isn't in a high-risk flood zone. She figured she could put the $450 annual premium, due next week, to another use.

Then Harvey hit Houston, its historic rains causing massive floods even in low-risk neighborhoods. Spartz, a business analyst, paid the bill this week.

If Spartz had dropped her policy, she would not have been alone. Far fewer Americans compared with five years ago are paying for flood insurance in coastal areas of the United States where hurricanes, storms and tidal surges pose a serious threat, according to an Associated Press analysis of government data. The center for the problem is South Florida, where Spartz lives. The top U.S. official overseeing the National Flood Insurance Program told AP that he wants to double the number of Americans who buy flood insurance.

Business analyst Amanda Spartz poses for a photo Thursday, Aug. 31, 2017, in Plantation, Fla. Far fewer Americans are buying flood insurance in coastal areas of the United States where the threat is serious from hurricanes, storms and tidal surges, according to the latest government data. Spartz decided to keep the flood insurance on her home after seeing the devastation Hurricane Harvey did to Houston. (AP Photo/Terry Spencer)

"I was talking to my husband and I said that if something like Harvey happens here, I don't want to be on the hook," said Spartz, who relocated from Cincinnati. "It isn't a lot of money to save yourself the heartache if it does happen."

What's driving the drop in policies? Congress approved a price hike, making premiums more expensive, and maps of some high-risk areas were redrawn. Banks became lax at enforcing the requirement that any home with a federally insured mortgage in a high-risk area be covered. Memories of New Orleans underwater in 2005 after Hurricane Katrina have faded.

Without flood insurance, storm victims would have to draw on savings or go into debt - or perhaps be forced to sell.

The number of policies in force today has fallen in 43 of the 50 states since 2012, dropping from almost 5.5 million to just under 5 million, a decrease of 10 percent, AP's analysis found. In low-lying Florida, where by far more flood insurance policies are sold than in any other state, the drop has been almost 16 percent. In only two states - Hawaii and South Carolina - are at least 50 percent of homes in flood hazard areas insured under the program.

AP's analysis also showed the percentage of homes in high-risks areas that have flood insurance is sometimes frighteningly low. In Spartz's home of Broward County, it's only 13 percent. In Houston's Harris County, it's 28 percent. In New Orleans, it's 46 percent.

Roy Wright, the director of the insurance program, which is administered by the Federal Emergency Management Agency, acknowledges that the decrease is alarming and says he hopes to double the number of policies in the near future. He also wants to persuade more communities to limit construction in high-risk flood zones. Congress is likely to reauthorize the insurance program before it expires Sept. 30.

President Donald Trump's homeland security adviser, Tom Bossert, said he expects changes to the flood program to be debated on Capitol Hill later this fall, after the immediate Houston recovery is underway.

"This administration's been pretty clear that we'd like to see some responsible reforms to the National Flood Insurance Program," he said Thursday at the White House. "I don't think now's the time to debate those things."

Last year, the program collected about $3.3 billion in premiums and paid out about $3.7 billion for losses. FEMA paid out $3.5 billion per year over the past 12 years, which included Katrina.

"It is about consumer choice. It's about consumer education. It's about an education related to flood risk. It's about communities galvanizing around it. It's also about communities making choices about how they want to build going into the future so that people are at less risk. When they are at less risk, their premiums are cheaper," Wright told the AP.

One way to compel more homeowners to buy policies would be for banks to enforce the coverage requirement for homeowners with a federally insured mortgage if they live in a Special Flood Hazard Area. Experts said that's not happening. Many homeowners let the policy lapse after a few years, correctly thinking the bank will not check. Or a bank will sell mortgages to another bank, and paperwork on whether homes require flood insurance isn't reviewed. About 7 out of 10 homeowners have a mortgage.

"The banks are not watching the hen house," said Loretta Worters, a spokeswoman with the Insurance Information Institute. "They sell these mortgages from a bank to another bank and to another bank, and whether that home needs flood insurance slips through the cracks."

In Mississippi, the number of federally insured properties fell by nearly 15 percent, from about 75,000 in 2012 to 64,000 this year. The decreases were even higher in some coastal communities, including Gulfport and Long Beach - cities that took a direct hit from Katrina.

Ned Dolese, president and co-founder of Gulfport-based Coastal American Insurance Co., suspects the drop in Mississippi is largely due to a lack of government enforcement.

"There are no teeth in FEMA or the NFIP to whack you over the head if you, the consumer, don't renew your flood policy," he said.

FEMA periodically redraws flood-risk maps, moving some homes from mandatory-carry areas to a less-risky category. When the requirement is lifted, homeowners gamble or believe their home is no longer in danger. As Harvey proved, a lower-risk neighborhood is not a no-risk neighborhood.

After the city of Central, Louisiana, successfully petitioned FEMA last year to change its flood maps, it sent letters notifying roughly 2,000 residents that their homes no longer were inside the high-risk zone. Kyle Cutrer didn't get flood insurance when he purchased a house in Central last summer, outside the flood zone.

Last August, a slow-moving storm dumped an estimated 7 trillion gallons of rainwater on south Louisiana, more than two feet of rain in some places. The deluge overtopped rivers and damaged or destroyed tens of thousands of homes, inundating many neighborhoods that had never seen such catastrophic flooding.

A foot of water washed into Cutrer's home, causing approximately $40,000 in damage. He used about $16,000 from FEMA to pay for some repairs; he paid the rest himself.

Cutrer said his real-estate agent and mortgage company had both assured him he did not need flood insurance, which would have cost him about $300 annually.

"I was told, 'You'll never flood. You won't have a problem here,'" he said. "As a first-time homebuyer, I was trying to keep that note as low as possible."

A week after the flood, he called his insurance agent and purchased a flood policy.

"I'm not going to be able to stop the flood. But if it comes, I'll be fine," he said.

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Hoyer reported from Washington, and Kunzelman reported from Baton Rouge, Louisiana. Associated Press writers Ken Sweet contributed to this reporting.

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Follow Terry Spencer on Twitter at https://twitter.com/terryspen
The Latest on wildfires burning in U.S. West (all times local):

11:50 p.m.

The Los Angeles Fire Department has issued a mandatory evacuation order for residents in Burbank as a raging brush fire threatens their homes.

A plume of smoke is seen from the 210 Freeway as a brush fire burns in the Verdugo Mountains in the Sun Valley neighborhood of Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Damian Dovarganes)

Residents in the Brace Canyon Park area of Burbank were ordered to leave their homes Friday night.

The fire department says approximately 50 homes are being threatened. An evacuation center has been set up for displaced residents.

The brush fire north of Los Angeles also has shut down both sides of key freeway for holiday weekend travel.

The fire department says the blaze is burning on both sides of Interstate 210. The closure of a 12-mile (19-kilometer) stretch is expected to last all night.

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6:45 p.m.

Firefighters are battling a brush fire just north of Los Angeles that has shut down both sides of a key freeway for holiday weekend travel.

The Fire Department says high heat and shifting winds helped the fire surge to 500 acres on Friday.

Department spokeswoman Margaret Stewart says the fire is burning on both sides of Interstate 210. The closure of a 12-mile stretch is expected to last all night, which will cause serious traffic trouble for Labor Day weekend travelers.

Subdivisions full of houses are within a mile of the flames, but officials say none are immediately threatened. About 200 people have voluntarily evacuated.

Huge flames are burning on hilltops and smoke is visible for miles around. A plume is looming over an Ikea store and crowded shopping centers in nearby Burbank, and is visible from Griffith Park and northern Los Angeles.

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5 p.m.

A lightning-sparked wildfire was burning within 16 miles of Burning Man but officials say there's no threat to the counter-culture festival underway in northern Nevada.

Bureau of Land Management spokesman John Gaffney told the Reno Gazette-Journal on Friday that the fire had burned 83 square miles and was spreading in all directions, fueled by volatile cheat grass.

Though 110 firefighters had not contained the blaze, Gaffney says there's no immediate threat to the thousands of free spirits who erect a makeshift city and celebrate art and music on the dusty ancient lake bed on the Black Rock Desert about 100 miles (161 kilometers) north of Reno.

Seven ranches and a geothermal plant remain threatened.

Firefighters are working to keep open the main route for the festival that culminates Saturday night when a towering effigy is burned.

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4:15 p.m.

California Gov. Jerry Brown has declared a state of emergency for another wildfire as scorching temperatures complicate firefighters' efforts to extinguish blazes.

The declaration for Butte County came Friday as a fire near Oroville spread to thousands of acres after destroying 20 homes and threatening 500 others.

It has also damaged power lines and closed roads north of Sacramento.

A day earlier, Brown declared a state of emergency for a wildfire in Trinity County.

Cal Fire said on its website that the fire near Oroville had consumed nearly 6 square miles (15 square kilometers) and was 30 percent contained.

The temperature in Oroville hit 108 degrees (42 degrees C).

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12:45 p.m.

Federal officials say one of the worst wildfire seasons in the U.S. is likely to continue scorching western states and blanket large swaths with smoke until cooler weather patterns with rain or snow arrive later in the fall.

Forecasters at the National Interagency Fire Center in Boise on Friday released the four-month outlook that predicts September will continue hot and dry with above normal fire potential in northwestern states, Nevada and California.

The 10,600 square miles (27,500 square kilometers) that have burned at this point rank the 2017 wildfire season as the third worst in the last decade.

The center says more than 25,000 firefighters and fire support personnel are spread out across the Western U.S. fighting 56 large uncontained wildfires, 21 of them in Montana and 17 in Oregon.

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8:52 a.m.

Fire officials say a wildfire burning near the Northern California town of Oroville has destroyed 20 homes.

The California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection says the blaze about 70 miles (112 kilometers) north of Sacramento had consumed nearly 6 square miles (15 square kilometers). It's threatening 500 homes.

Fire crews increased containment to 30 percent overnight ahead of a statewide heat wave.

But officials say the fire's location in steep and rugged terrain plus hot and dry temperatures are complicating firefighters' efforts.

More firefighters are joining the more than 1,600 already battling the fire.

The blaze is one of many wildfires across the U.S. West, including fires in and around California's Yosemite National Park that have closed a popular road into the park prompted evacuations of nearby towns.

The Marlborough fire races up a hill from where it started on Thursday, Aug. 31, 2017 in Riverside. (Stan Lim/The Press-Enterprise via AP)

Riverside City Fire fighter Robert Herrick watches the Marlborough fire from a residents home on Thursday, Aug. 31, 2017 in Riverside. (Stan Lim/The Press-Enterprise via AP)

Riverside City Fire Department Engineer Peter Habib stands outside a home to help provide structure protection as a plane drops fire retardant on a hillside during the Marlborough fire on Thursday, Aug. 31, 2017 in Riverside. (Stan Lim/The Press-Enterprise via AP)

A fire fighting helicopter is seen under a plume of smoke from the 210 Freeway as a brush fire burns in the Verdugo Mountains in the Sun Valley neighborhood of Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Damian Dovarganes)

California highway Patrol close the 210 East bound Freeway as a brush fire burns in the Verdugo Mountains in the Sun Valley neighborhood of Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Damian Dovarganes)
SAN FRANCISCO (AP) - The Latest on the closure of the Russian consulate in San Francisco (all times local):

4:15 p.m.

Officials at the Russian consulate in San Francisco have begun moving out of the building, a day after the Trump administration ordered it closed.

Black smoke rises from the roof of the Consulate-General of Russia Friday, Sept. 1, 2017, in San Francisco. The U.S. on Thursday ordered Russia to shut its San Francisco consulate and close offices in Washington and New York within 48 hours in response to Russia's decision last month to cut U.S. diplomatic staff in Russia. Fireman were called to the consul, but were turned away after being told there was no problem. (AP Photo/Eric Risberg)

Two men could be seen carrying boxes from the stately building in a historic San Francisco neighborhood on Friday afternoon, then loading them into a car with tinted windows and diplomatic license plates.

For hours earlier Friday, acrid black smoke poured from a chimney at the consulate, but officials turned away firefighters who arrived on the scene.

An Associated Press reporter heard people who came from inside the building tell firefighters that there was no problem and that consulate staff were burning unidentified items in a fireplace.

The consulate's workers are hurrying to shut Russia's oldest consulate in the U.S. by a Saturday deadline.

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3:50 p.m.

The agency that monitors air quality in the San Francisco Bay Area dispatched an inspector to the Russian consulate to investigate potential air pollution violations after black smoke poured from a chimney for several hours.

But Bay Area Quality Management District spokeswoman Lisa Fasano said when the inspector arrived Friday afternoon he didn't observe any smoke or potential violations.

Temperatures were forecast to climb above 100 degrees in San Francisco on Friday, a record, sparking a "Spare the Air" day. There are restrictions on excessive chimney smoke and burning garbage, plastics or other harmful materials in fireplaces.

The smoke was seen billowing from the consulate building a day after the Trump administration ordered its closure.

Firefighters who arrived at the scene were not allowed to enter the building Friday.

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2:30 p.m.

Russia is accusing the U.S. of gross violations of international law in its order to Moscow to close the Russian consulate in San Francisco by Saturday.

Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova claims U.S. "special services" intend to search the consulate Saturday. She says that the U.S. also plans to search apartments in San Francisco used by Russian diplomats and their families. Zakharova says that involves the families leaving their apartments for 10 to 12 hours so officials can search.

The State Department isn't commenting specifically on whether officials plan to search the premises. But the State Department says as of Saturday, access to the consulate will only be granted with State Department permission. The State Department says it will "secure and maintain the properties in keeping with our responsibilities."

The State Department had no comment on the black smoke coming from the Russian embassy in San Francisco.

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12:50 p.m.

The San Francisco Fire Department says acrid, black smoke seen pouring from a chimney at the Russian consulate in San Francisco was apparently from a fire burning in a fireplace.

The smoke was seen billowing from the consulate building a day after the Trump administration ordered its closure.

Firefighters who arrived at the scene were not allowed to enter the building Friday.

San Francisco Fire Department spokeswoman Mindy Talmadge says the department received a call about the smoke and sent a crew to investigate but determined the smoke was coming from the chimney.

An Associated Press reporter heard people who came from inside the building tell firefighters that there was no problem and that consulate staff were burning unidentified items in a fireplace.

Talmadge said she did not know what they were burning on a day when normally cool San Francisco temperatures were 95 degrees.

She said the fire "was not unintentional. They were burning something in their fireplace."

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This item was corrected to correct the spelling of Mindy Talmadge's name.

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12:30 p.m.

Acrid, black smoke has been seen pouring from a chimney at the Russian consulate in San Francisco a day after the Trump administration ordered its closure amid escalating tensions between the United States and Russia.

Firefighters who arrived at the scene were not allowed to enter the building Friday.

An Associated Press reporter heard people who came from inside the building tell firefighters that there was no problem and that consulate staff were burning unidentified items in a fireplace.

The consulate's workers are hurrying to shut one of Russia's oldest consulates in the U.S.

The deadline for the consulate to close is Saturday.

Black smoke rises from the roof of the Consulate-General of Russia Friday, Sept. 1, 2017, in San Francisco. The U.S. on Thursday ordered Russia to shut its San Francisco consulate and close offices in Washington and New York within 48 hours in response to Russia's decision last month to cut U.S. diplomatic staff in Russia. Firemen were called to the consul, but were turned away after being told there was no problem. (AP Photo/Eric Risberg)

Fire trucks surround the Consulate-General of Russia after black smoke was seen coming from the roof Friday, Sept. 1, 2017, in San Francisco. The U.S. on Thursday ordered Russia to shut its San Francisco consulate and close offices in Washington and New York within 48 hours in response to Russia's decision last month to cut U.S. diplomatic staff in Russia. (AP Photo/Eric Risberg)

An official at the Consulate-General of Russia tells firemen there is no problem after smoke was seen coming from the rooftop Friday, Sept. 1, 2017, in San Francisco. The U.S. on Thursday ordered Russia to shut its San Francisco consulate and close offices in Washington and New York within 48 hours in response to Russia's decision last month to cut U.S. diplomatic staff in Russia. (AP Photo/Eric Risberg)

An official at the Consulate-General of Russia tells firemen there is no problem after smoke was seen coming from the rooftop Friday, Sept. 1, 2017, in San Francisco. The U.S. on Thursday ordered Russia to shut its San Francisco consulate and close offices in Washington and New York within 48 hours in response to Russia's decision last month to cut U.S. diplomatic staff in Russia. (AP Photo/Eric Risberg)

An official at the Consulate-General of Russia tells firemen there is no problem after smoke was seen coming from the rooftop Friday, Sept. 1, 2017, in San Francisco. The U.S. on Thursday ordered Russia to shut its San Francisco consulate and close offices in Washington and New York within 48 hours in response to Russia's decision last month to cut U.S. diplomatic staff in Russia. (AP Photo/Eric Risberg)
COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) - Gov. John Kasich on Friday said he won't spare condemned killer Gary Otte, who shot two people to death in back-to-back robberies over two days, meaning the death row inmate is scheduled to die Sept. 13.

Kasich, a Republican, also rescheduled 19 executions after reviewing the timeline for putting the inmates to death, to ensure all executions are carried out "in a humane and professional manner."

The date changes aren't reprieves but instead delay executions by a few months or in some cases more than a year. The execution date that is now farthest in the future is for John Drummond, set to die April 21, 2022.

This undated photo provided by the Ohio Department of Rehabilitation and Corrections shows Gary Otte. Ohio Gov. John Kasich on Friday, Sept. 1, 2017, said he won't spare a condemned killer who shot two people to death in back-to-back robberies over two days. Otte, 45, was sentenced to die for the Feb. 12, 1992, killing of Robert Wasikowski and the Feb. 13, 1992, killing of Sharon Kostura. Both slayings took place in an apartment building in Parma, in suburban Cleveland. (Ohio Department of Rehabilitation and Corrections via AP)

Drummond was sentenced to death for killing a 3-month-old boy in Youngstown in 2003 in a gang-related shooting. Drummond's previous execution date was Sept. 17, 2020.

In 2009, the Ohio Supreme Court said it would begin scheduling all executions at least three weeks apart.

Kasich's announcement means most executions would be about six weeks apart, although in practice it's rare to see people put to death that regularly in Ohio because of appeals and other delays.

Otte, 45, was sentenced to die for the Feb. 12, 1992, killing of Robert Wasikowski and the Feb. 13, 1992, killing of Sharon Kostura. Both slayings took place in an apartment building in Parma, in suburban Cleveland.

Kasich didn't explain his decision denying mercy to Otte. He followed the recommendation of the Ohio Parole Board, which unanimously rejected Otte's request in February, citing the heinous nature of the killings.

"Otte senselessly shot two vulnerable victims in their own apartments, stole from them, and callously left them alone to suffer and die on their floors," the board said.

Otte's attorneys argued a life sentence without parole was an appropriate alternative, saying Otte has matured and made efforts to better himself in prison.

Otte's drug addiction, intoxication and depression led to the slayings, and Otte also had poor legal assistance at trial, his public defenders said in documents filed with the parole board.

A message was left with Otte's attorneys Friday seeking comment on the governor's decision.

In related court appeals, Otte's attorneys are trying to delay the execution, saying Ohio hasn't proved the first drug in its three-drug lethal-injection system could render inmates so deeply unconsciousness that they wouldn't suffer pain from the other two drugs.

The Cuyahoga County prosecutor said Otte still won't take full responsibility and tries to blame others, including the victims.

The killings weren't spur-of-the-moment decisions by Otte, who lingered in the victims' apartments to rob them and even turned the TV up to block out Kostura's pleas for help, county prosecutor Michael O'Malley said in a Jan. 30 filing with the parole board.

Ohio resumed capital punishment after more than three and a half years in July, when it executed a convicted child killer from Akron.

The three executions pushed back by the governor that will fall within his remaining time in office:

- Raymond Tibbetts, sentenced to die for stabbing Fred Hicks to death at Hicks' Cincinnati home in 1997, changed from Oct. 18 to Feb. 13, 2018.

- William Montgomery, convicted of fatally shooting Debra Ogle and her roommate Cynthia Tincher in Toledo in 1986, changed from Jan. 3, 2018, to April 11, 2018.

- Robert Van Hook, sentenced to die for fatally strangling and stabbing David Self, whom he met in a bar in Cincinnati in 1985, changed from Feb. 13, 2018, to July 18, 2018.

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Andrew Welsh-Huggins can be reached on Twitter at https://twitter.com/awhcolumbus. His work can be found at http://bigstory.ap.org/content/andrew-welsh-huggins
ROME (AP) - Two Moroccan teenagers suspected of being among four males who gang raped a Polish tourist and beat her companion unconscious on an Italian resort beach were identified at a police station Saturday by a Peruvian woman who reported being raped by the same gang shortly after the first attack, according to Italian media. Later, a third suspect, also a minor, was reported detained by police.

Italian state television, the ANSA news agency, and Sky TG24 TV reporting from the Adriatic resort town of Rimini said the two Moroccans, who are brothers, went to their police station after recognizing themselves in footage of surveillance cameras that police released in hopes of finding the attackers. The Peruvian woman, who was attacked on a road not far from the beach, came to the police station in Rimini where she recognized them, the media reports said.

ANSA later reported that a third suspect, described as being a minor of African origin, was detained by police in a nearby town, Montecchio di Pesaro, aided by information provided by the two brothers. The suspects' ages were described as ranging from 15 to 17.

The fourth suspect, believed to be of adult age, was being sought by police.

The Polish couple returned to their homeland a few days after the attack. They were vacationing in Rimini, whose wide, sandy beaches and night spots make it popular holiday destination.

The Polish woman's companion was hit on the head with a bottle, beaten and robbed, according to police.

Polish authorities have opened their own investigation of the crimes against their citizens.
CARSON, Calif. (AP) - The LA Galaxy have signed veteran French defender Michael Ciani to bolster their back line.

The Galaxy announced the move Saturday.

The 33-year-old Ciani has played extensively for Lorient and Bordeaux in France's top league. He also has played for Lazio in Italy and Espanyol in Spain's top league.

He was a free agent after making 24 appearances for Lorient last season.

Ciani could fill the hole left by Jelle Van Damme, who returned to Belgium last month after nearly two seasons at the heart of the Galaxy's defense.

The Galaxy (6-14-5) are 10th in the 11-team Western Conference and on pace for one of the worst seasons in the five-time MLS Cup champions' history.
WILMINGTON, Del. (AP) - A city has been paying spousal benefits to a dead woman for 20 years.

The News Journal in Wilmington, Delaware, reported Saturday that the city deposited nearly $73,000 into the account of the unnamed woman.

Wilmington is now investigating to find out what happened. The payments have stopped.

City Treasurer Velda Jones-Potter told the newspaper that such occurrences are "extremely unusual." She said it appears that the woman's death wasn't reported until many years after it occurred.

The city relies on third-party vendors to cross-check pensioner information with death records and Social Security data. But Jones-Potter said this woman's death was not documented in Social Security records.

Pay stubs mailed to a pensioner's home usually bounce back after they die. But officials said the city never received returned mail.

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Information from: The News Journal of Wilmington, Del., http://www.delawareonline.com
SEOUL, South Korea (AP) - North Korea said it set off a hydrogen bomb Sunday in its sixth nuclear test, which judging by the earthquake it set off appeared to be its most powerful explosion yet.

South Korea's weather agency estimated the nuclear blast yield of the presumed test was between 50 and 60 kilotons, or five to six times stronger than North Korea's fifth test in September 2016. That would mark a significant step forward in the North's quest for a viable nuclear missile capable of striking anywhere in the United States.

On North Korean television, a newsreader called the test a "complete success" and said the "two-stage thermonuclear weapon" had "unprecedented" strength. Hours earlier, Pyongyang claimed its leader had inspected a hydrogen bomb meant for a new intercontinental ballistic missile.

In this undated image distributed on Sunday, Sept. 3, 2017, by the North Korean government, shows North Korean leader Kim Jong Un at an undisclosed location. North Korea's state media on Sunday, Sept 3, 2017, said leader Kim Jong Un inspected the loading of a hydrogen bomb into a new intercontinental ballistic missile, a claim to technological mastery that some outside experts will doubt but that will raise already high worries on the Korean Peninsula. Independent journalists were not given access to cover the event depicted in this image distributed by the North Korean government. The content of this image is as provided and cannot be independently verified. (Korean Central News Agency/Korea News Service via AP)

Seoul's weather agency and the Joint Chiefs of Staff said an artificial 5.7 magnitude quake occurred at 12:29 p.m. local time, in Kilju, northern Hamgyong province, the site where North Korea has conducted nuclear tests in the past. Seoul officials revised their earlier estimate of 5.6 magnitude quake. The U.S. Geological Survey called the first quake an explosion with a magnitude 6.3.

The U.S. State Department had no immediate reaction. South Korea's presidential office said it will hold a National Security Council meeting chaired by President Moon Jae-in. South Korea's military said it has strengthened its monitoring and readiness while mulling a variety of possible responses that could be executed in collaboration with the U.S.

Japan confirmed that North Korea conducted a nuclear test, Foreign Minister Taro Kono said. "It is absolutely unacceptable if North Korea did force another nuclear test, and we must protest strongly," Prime Minister Shinzo Abe said.

The USGS and China's earthquake administration detected a second tremor in North Korea minutes after the first, describing it as a cave-in or collapse. South Korea's weather agency, however, said no second quake occurred.

North Korea conducted two nuclear tests last year, the last nearly a year ago, on the Sept. 9 anniversary of the nation's founding. It has since maintained a torrid pace in weapons tests, including its first two intercontinental ballistic missiles test in July. Last month, North Korea fired a potentially nuclear-capable midrange missile over northern Japan.

Earlier Sunday, photos released by the North Korean government showed Kim talking with his lieutenants as he observed a silver, peanut-shaped device that was apparently the purported thermonuclear weapon destined for an ICBM. What appeared to be the nose cone of a missile could also be seen near the alleged bomb in one picture, which could not be independently verified and was taken without outside journalists present. Another photo showed a diagram on the wall behind Kim of a bomb mounted inside a cone.

State media said Kim visited the Nuclear Weapons Institute and inspected a "homemade" H-bomb with "super explosive power" that "is adjustable from tens (of) kiloton to hundreds (of) kiloton."

North Korea's nuclear and missile program has made huge strides since Kim rose to power following his father's death in late 2011. The North followed its two tests of Hwasong-14 ICBMs by threatening in August to launch a salvo of its Hwasong-12 intermediate range missiles toward the U.S. Pacific island territory of Guam.

It flew a Hwasong-12 over northern Japan last week, the first such overflight by a missile capable of carrying nukes, in a launch Kim described as a "meaningful prelude" to containing Guam, the home of major U.S. military facilities, and more ballistic missile tests targeting the Pacific.

It may be difficult for outside experts to confirm that the nuclear device detonated Sunday was an H-bomb. State media reported that the test left no trace of radioactive material. The U.S. and its allies attempt to detect blast material to gauge North Korea's progress, but Pyongyang has become better at containing it as its nuclear program has evolved.

To back up its claims to nuclear mastery, such tests are vital. The first of its two atomic tests last year involved what Pyongyang claimed was a sophisticated hydrogen bomb; the second it said was its most powerful atomic detonation ever.

It is almost impossible to independently confirm North Korean statements about its highly secret weapons program. South Korean government officials said the estimated explosive yield of last year's first test was much smaller than what even a failed hydrogen bomb detonation would produce. There was speculation that North Korea might have detonated a boosted fission bomb, a weapon considered halfway between an atomic bomb and an H-bomb.

It is clear, however, that each new missile and nuclear test gives the North invaluable information that allows big jumps in capability. A key question is how far North Korea has gotten in efforts to consistently shrink down nuclear warheads so they can fit on long-range missiles.

North Korea is thought to have a growing arsenal of nuclear bombs and has spent decades trying to perfect a multistage, long-range missile to eventually carry smaller versions of those bombs.

South Korea's main spy agency has previously asserted that it does not think Pyongyang currently has the ability to develop miniaturized nuclear weapons that can be mounted on long-range ballistic missiles. Some experts disagree.

The White House said President Donald Trump spoke with Prime Minister Shinzo Abe of Japan regarding "ongoing efforts to maximize pressure on North Korea." The statement did not say whether the conversation came before or after the North's latest claim.

A long line of U.S. presidents has failed to check North Korea's persistent pursuit of missiles and nuclear weapons. Six-nation negotiations on dismantling North Korea's nuclear program in exchange for aid fell apart in early 2009.

The North said in its statement Sunday that its H-bomb "is a multi-functional thermonuclear nuke with great destructive power which can be detonated even at high altitudes for super-powerful EMP (electromagnetic pulse) attack according to strategic goals."

Kim, according to the statement carried by the state-run Korean Central News Agency, claimed that "all components of the H-bomb were homemade ... thus enabling the country to produce powerful nuclear weapons as many as it wants."

In what could be read as a veiled warning of more nuclear tests, Kim underlined the need for scientists to "dynamically conduct the campaign for successfully concluding the final-stage research and development for perfecting the state nuclear force" and "set forth tasks to be fulfilled in the research into nukes."

The two Koreas have shared the world's most heavily fortified border since their war in the early 1950s ended with an armistice, not a peace treaty. About 28,500 American troops are deployed in South Korea as deterrence against North Korea.

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Associated Press writers Youkyung Lee, Kim Tong-hyung in Seoul and Mari Yamaguchi in Tokyo contributed to this report.

In this undated image distributed on Sunday, Sept. 3, 2017, by the North Korean government, shows North Korean leader Kim Jong Un at an undisclosed location. North Korea's state media on Sunday, Sept 3, 2017, said leader Kim Jong Un inspected the loading of a hydrogen bomb into a new intercontinental ballistic missile, a claim to technological mastery that some outside experts will doubt but that will raise already high worries on the Korean Peninsula. Independent journalists were not given access to cover the event depicted in this image distributed by the North Korean government. The content of this image is as provided and cannot be independently verified. (Korean Central News Agency/Korea News Service via AP)

In this undated image distributed on Sunday, Sept. 3, 2017, by the North Korean government, shows North Korean leader Kim Jong Un at an undisclosed location. North Korea's state media on Sunday, Sept 3, 2017, said leader Kim Jong Un inspected the loading of a hydrogen bomb into a new intercontinental ballistic missile, a claim to technological mastery that some outside experts will doubt but that will raise already high worries on the Korean Peninsula. Independent journalists were not given access to cover the event depicted in this image distributed by the North Korean government. The content of this image is as provided and cannot be independently verified. (Korean Central News Agency/Korea News Service via AP)

In this image made from video by North Korea's KRT released on Sunday, Sept. 3, 2017, shows North Korean leader Kim Jong Un at an undisclosed location. North Korea's state media on Sunday, Sept 3, 2017, said leader Kim Jong Un inspected the loading of a hydrogen bomb into a new intercontinental ballistic missile, a claim to technological mastery that some outside experts will doubt but that will raise already high worries on the Korean Peninsula. Independent journalists were not given access to cover the event depicted in this image distributed by the North Korean government. The content of this image is as provided and cannot be independently verified. (KRT via AP Video)

In this image made from video by North Korea's KRT released on Sunday, Sept. 3, 2017, shows North Korean leader Kim Jong Un at an undisclosed location. North Korea's state media on Sunday, Sept 3, 2017, said leader Kim Jong Un inspected the loading of a hydrogen bomb into a new intercontinental ballistic missile, a claim to technological mastery that some outside experts will doubt but that will raise already high worries on the Korean Peninsula. Independent journalists were not given access to cover the event depicted in this image distributed by the North Korean government. The content of this image is as provided and cannot be independently verified. (KRT via AP Video)

A man looks at a TV news on screen reporting North Korea's a possible nuclear test in Tokyo Sunday, Sept. 3, 2017. South Korea's military said Sunday that North Korea is believed to have conducted its sixth nuclear test after it detected a strong earthquake, hours after Pyongyang claimed that its leader has inspected a hydrogen bomb meant for a new intercontinental ballistic missile. (AP Photo/Eugene Hoshiko)

People walk past a TV news program on a public screen showing an image of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un while reporting North Korea's a possible nuclear test in Tokyo Sunday, Sept. 3, 2017. South Korea's military said Sunday that North Korea is believed to have conducted its sixth nuclear test after it detected a strong earthquake, hours after Pyongyang claimed that its leader has inspected a hydrogen bomb meant for a new intercontinental ballistic missile. (AP Photo/Eugene Hoshiko)

A man walks past a TV news on screen showing the images of Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, left, and U.S. President Donald Trump, right, while reporting North Korea's a possible nuclear test in Tokyo Sunday, Sept. 3, 2017. South Korea's military said Sunday that North Korea is believed to have conducted its sixth nuclear test after it detected a strong earthquake, hours after Pyongyang claimed that its leader has inspected a hydrogen bomb meant for a new intercontinental ballistic missile. (AP Photo/Eugene Hoshiko)

A man watches a TV news program on a public screen showing an image of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un while reporting North Korea's possible nuclear test in Tokyo Sunday, Sept. 3, 2017. South Korea's military said Sunday that North Korea is believed to have conducted its sixth nuclear test after it detected a strong earthquake, hours after Pyongyang claimed that its leader has inspected a hydrogen bomb meant for a new intercontinental ballistic missile. (AP Photo/Eugene Hoshiko)

People walk past a TV news on screen showing an image of Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe while reporting North Korea's a possible nuclear test in Tokyo Sunday, Sept. 3, 2017. South Korea's military said Sunday that North Korea is believed to have conducted its sixth nuclear test after it detected a strong earthquake, hours after Pyongyang claimed that its leader has inspected a hydrogen bomb meant for a new intercontinental ballistic missile. (AP Photo/Eugene Hoshiko)

FILE - In this April 15, 2017 file photo, North Korean leader Kim Jong Un waves during a military parade in Pyongyang, North Korea to celebrate the 105th birth anniversary of Kim Il Sung, the country's late founder and grandfather of current ruler Kim Jong Un. South Korea's military says North Korea is believed to have conducted its sixth nuclear test. South Korea's Yonhap News agency reported Joint Chief of Staff's announcement Sunday, Sept. 3, 2017, about an hour after an unusual seismic activity was detected in North Korea near the site it had conducted nuclear tests in the past.(AP Photo/Wong Maye-E, File)
SEOUL, South Korea (AP) - The Latest on the tensions on the Korean Peninsula (all times local):

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4:10 p.m.

A man watches a TV news program on a public screen showing an image of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un while reporting North Korea's possible nuclear test in Tokyo Sunday, Sept. 3, 2017. South Korea's military said Sunday that North Korea is believed to have conducted its sixth nuclear test after it detected a strong earthquake, hours after Pyongyang claimed that its leader has inspected a hydrogen bomb meant for a new intercontinental ballistic missile. (AP Photo/Eugene Hoshiko)

South Korea's presidential office says the security chiefs for Seoul and Washington have spoken following North Korea's sixth nuclear test.

The office says U.S. National Security Adviser H.R. McMaster spoke with his South Korean counterpart, Chung Eui-yong, for 20 minutes in an emergency phone call about an hour after the detonation.

North Korea's nuclear test Sunday was apparently its most powerful yet. State-controlled media say it was a hydrogen bomb. South Korea's weather agency says the apparent detonation set off a magnitude 5.7 earthquake, making the blast five to six times stronger than the North's fifth test in September 2016.

3:45 p.m.

North Korean TV says the country has successfully conducted a test of a hydrogen bomb that is meant to be loaded into an intercontinental ballistic missile.

The TV anchor announced the test's success on Korean Central Television, hours after Seoul and Tokyo detected unusual seismic activity at North Korea's nuclear test site. The announcer says North Korea's leader Kim Jong Un ordered the test.

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3:30 p.m.

South Korea's weather agency says an apparent nuclear test by North Korea appears to have been several times stronger than its previous test.

The Korea Meteorological Administration estimated Sunday that the nuclear blast yield of the presumed test was between 50 to 60 kilotons, or five to six times stronger than the North Korea's fifth test in September 2016.

North Korea is believed to have conducted a test after a magnitude 5.7 earthquake was detected earlier Sunday. The previous test created seismic waves with a magnitude of 5.0.

Japan's defense minister says the larger magnitude of the earthquake suggests "capability significantly exceeding the last one."

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2:55 p.m.

North Korea's state broadcaster says an important announcement is coming at 3 p.m. in Pyongyang. That would be 3:30 p.m. in Seoul and Tokyo, and 2:30 a.m. EDT.

KRT did not give any details of the announcement, but it comes after earthquake activity was detected earlier Sunday in what is presumed to have been a North Korean nuclear test.

The apparent test came hours after North Korea said its leader had inspected a hydrogen bomb meant for a new intercontinental ballistic missile. The report could not be independently verified.

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2:30 p.m.

South Korea has refuted a news report that there was a second earthquake near North Korea's nuclear test site.

The Korea Meteorological Administration said Sunday that it had not detected another quake.

South Korea's Yonhap news service reported a second earthquake had happened eight minutes after the first, citing China's earthquake agency.

South Korea's military said earlier Sunday that North Korea is believed to have conducted its sixth nuclear test after seismic waves were detected with a magnitude of 5.7. That was revised up from an initial report of 5.6.

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1:40 p.m.

South Korea's Yonhap news agency says a second quake was detected near North Korea's nuclear test site.

The second quake measured 4.6.

South Korea's military said earlier Sunday that North Korea is believed to have conducted its sixth nuclear test after it picked up seismic waves measuring 5.6. The U.S. Geological Survey called the first quake an explosion with a magnitude 6.3.

It came hours after North Korea claimed that its leader has inspected a hydrogen bomb meant for a new intercontinental ballistic missile.

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1:30 p.m.

South Korea's military says North Korea is believed to have conducted its sixth nuclear test.

The Joint Chiefs of Staff in Seoul says in a statement South Korea's military has strengthened monitoring and readiness and is mulling a variety of possible responses that could be pushed together with its ally the U.S.

The apparent test came just hours after North Korea claimed that its leader has inspected the loading of a hydrogen bomb into a new intercontinental ballistic missile.

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1:05 p.m.

South Korea's Joint Chiefs of Staff says a magnitude 5.6 quake in North Korea was artificial and it's analyzing whether the North conducted a nuclear test.

It says it detected a seismic wave from 12:34 p.m. to 12:36 p.m. around Punggyeri, North Korea.

The quake came just hours after North Korea claimed that its leader has inspected the loading of a hydrogen bomb into a new intercontinental ballistic missile.

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1 p.m.

South Korea's Yonhap News agency says a magnitude 5.6 quake has occurred in North Korea.

It isn't immediately clear whether North Korea has conducted its sixth nuclear test. North Korea conducted its fifth test last September.

The report came just hours after North Korea claimed that its leader has inspected the loading of a hydrogen bomb into a new intercontinental ballistic missile.

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10:45 a.m.

The White House says President Donald Trump spoke with Japan's Prime Minister Shinzo Abe to discuss "ongoing efforts to maximize pressure on North Korea."

The statement did not say whether the conversation came before or after the North's latest claim that its leader has inspected the loading of a hydrogen bomb into a new intercontinental ballistic missile.

Sunday's statement by the state-run Korean Central News Agency will raise already high worries on the Korean Peninsula and in Washington that the North is closer to its goal of an arsenal of viable nuclear ICBMs that can reach the U.S. mainland.

According to the White House statement, the two leaders reaffirmed the importance of close cooperation between the United States, Japan, and South Korea in the face of the growing threat from North Korea. Trump also noted that he looks forward to continued trilateral coordination on the margins of the United Nations General Assembly.

In this undated image distributed on Sunday, Sept. 3, 2017, by the North Korean government, shows North Korean leader Kim Jong Un at an undisclosed location. North Korea's state media on Sunday, Sept 3, 2017, said leader Kim Jong Un inspected the loading of a hydrogen bomb into a new intercontinental ballistic missile, a claim to technological mastery that some outside experts will doubt but that will raise already high worries on the Korean Peninsula. Independent journalists were not given access to cover the event depicted in this image distributed by the North Korean government. The content of this image is as provided and cannot be independently verified. (Korean Central News Agency/Korea News Service via AP)

A man looks at a TV news on screen reporting North Korea's a possible nuclear test in Tokyo Sunday, Sept. 3, 2017. South Korea's military said Sunday that North Korea is believed to have conducted its sixth nuclear test after it detected a strong earthquake, hours after Pyongyang claimed that its leader has inspected a hydrogen bomb meant for a new intercontinental ballistic missile. (AP Photo/Eugene Hoshiko)
WASHINGTON (AP) - President Donald Trump is considering triggering a withdrawal from a free trade agreement with South Korea, a business lobbying group said Saturday, raising concerns about a move that could cause a fresh economic rift between allies at a moment of heightened tensions with a common foe.

The White House alerted lawmakers that a notification of intent to withdraw could come as soon as Tuesday, the U.S Chamber of Commerce wrote in an "all hands on deck" note calling on members to lobby the administration to stay in the deal.

Trump, who has blasted the bilateral agreement in the past, acknowledged Saturday he was consulting with his advisers on the future of the agreement. But he did not elaborate on timing. The agreement is "very much on my mind," Trump told a reporter from Reuters as he surveyed storm damage in Houston.

Trump is weighing the issue at a perilous moment for the Korea peninsula. The U.S. and South Korea are aligned in heightened standoff over North Korea's nuclear program. The North claimed it had successful developed a hydrogen bomb that can be loaded onto an intercontinental ballistic missile. The White House had no immediate response to that claim.

The administration has been in talks to make adjustments to the trade agreement known as KORUS. A White House official noted that U.S. Trade Representative Robert E. Lighthizer met with Korean officials in July to begin negotiations. The official, who was not authorized to speak publicly on the matter and asked for anonymity, said talks are ongoing.

Trump has labeled the agreement, which went into effect in 2012, a bad deal. He's made renegotiating free trade deals a key piece of his nationalist economic agenda. Among his first moves as president was scrapping his predecessor's massive, multilateral Trans Pacific Partnership.

In its note to members, the chamber said a withdrawal from KORUS would represent a further retrenchment from Asia.

"The U.S will lose significant market share to the EU, Australia, China and others while sending a very dangerous message that America is not interested in doing business in Asia," wrote Tami Overby, the group's senior vice president for Asia.
SHAH PORIR DWIP, Bangladesh (AP) - Aid officials said relief camps were reaching full capacity as thousands of Rohingya refugees continued to pour into Bangladesh on Sunday fleeing violence in western Myanmar.

Some 73,000 people have crossed the border since violence erupted Aug. 25 in Myanmar's Rakhine state, said U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees spokeswoman Vivian Tan.

The violence and the exodus began after Rohingya insurgents attacked Myanmar police and paramilitary posts in what they said was an effort to protect their ethnic minority from persecution by security forces in the majority Buddhist country. In response, the military unleashed what it called "clearance operations" to root out the insurgents.

Smoke and flames in Myamar are seen from the Bangladeshi side of the border near Cox's Bazar's Teknaf area, Sunday, Sept. 3, 2017. Aid officials said relief camps were reaching full capacity as thousands of Rohingya refugees continued to pour into Bangladesh on Sunday fleeing violence in western Myanmar. Some 73,000 people have crossed the border since violence erupted Aug. 25 in Myanmar's Rakhine state, said U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees spokeswoman Vivian Tan. (AP Photo/Bernat Armangue)

Another aid official said Saturday that more than 50 refugees had arrived with bullet injuries and were moved to hospitals in Cox's Bazar, on the border with Myanmar. Refugees reaching the Bangladeshi fishing village of Shah Porir Dwip described bombs exploding near their homes and Rohingya being burned alive.

From an area close to the Bangladeshi border town of Teknaf, soaring flames and smoke could be seen rising from Myanmar across the border on Sunday.

Aid workers said that large numbers of refugees required immediate medical attention as they were suffering from respiratory diseases, infection and malnutrition. The existing medical facilities in the border area were insufficient to cope up with the influx and more aid and paramedics were needed, aid workers said.

Both Myanmar's security officials and Rohingya insurgents are accusing each other of atrocities. The military has said nearly 400 people, most of them insurgents, have died in clashes. Bangladesh police, meanwhile, say dozens of Rohingya have died attempting to cross the river separating the country from Myanmar.

The Myanmar government blames the insurgents for burning their own homes and killing Buddhists in Rakhine. Longstanding tensions between Rohingya Muslims and Buddhists erupted in bloody rioting in 2012, forcing more than 100,000 Rohingya into displacement camps, where many still live.

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Associated Press writer Ashok Sharma in New Delhi contributed to this report.

Newly arrived Myanmar's Rohingya ethnic minority refugees scuffle for food rations near Kutupalong refugee camp in Ukhia, Bangladesh, Sunday, Sept. 3, 2017. Aid officials said relief camps were reaching full capacity as thousands of Rohingya refugees continued to pour into Bangladesh on Sunday fleeing violence in western Myanmar. Some 73,000 people have crossed the border since violence erupted Aug. 25 in Myanmar's Rakhine state, said U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees spokeswoman Vivian Tan. (AP Photo/Bernat Armangue)

A man carries material to build temporary shelters at a distribution center of International Organization for Migration near Kutupalong refugee camp in Ukhia, Bangladesh, Sunday, Sept. 3, 2017. Aid officials said relief camps were reaching full capacity as thousands of Rohingya refugees continued to pour into Bangladesh on Sunday fleeing violence in western Myanmar. Some 73,000 people have crossed the border since violence erupted Aug. 25 in Myanmar's Rakhine state, said U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees spokeswoman Vivian Tan. (AP Photo/Bernat Armangue)

Newly arrived Myanmar's Rohingya ethnic minority refugees scuffle for food rations near Kutupalong refugee camp in Ukhia, Bangladesh, Sunday, Sept. 3, 2017. Aid officials said relief camps were reaching full capacity as thousands of Rohingya refugees continued to pour into Bangladesh on Sunday fleeing violence in western Myanmar. Some 73,000 people have crossed the border since violence erupted Aug. 25 in Myanmar's Rakhine state, said U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees spokeswoman Vivian Tan. (AP Photo/Bernat Armangue)

Newly arrived Myanmar's Rohingya ethnic minority refugees scuffle for food rations distributed by Bangladeshi volunteers near Cox's Bazar's Gundum area, Bangladesh, Sunday, Sept. 3, 2017. Aid officials said relief camps were reaching full capacity as thousands of Rohingya refugees continued to pour into Bangladesh on Sunday fleeing violence in western Myanmar. Some 73,000 people have crossed the border since violence erupted Aug. 25 in Myanmar's Rakhine state, said U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees spokeswoman Vivian Tan. (AP Photo/Bernat Armangue)

A protester holding a rose stands behind a banner as balloons are released during a protest in front of city hall in Yangon, Myanmar, Sunday Sept. 3, 2017. Myanmar activists took part in a protest Sunday, praying for victims killed during conflict and condemning the attacks carried out in Rakhine state, western Myanmar. (AP Photo)

Protesters holding roses attend a protest in front of city hall in Yangon, Myanmar, Sunday Sept. 3, 2017. Myanmar activists took part in a protest Sunday, praying for victims killed during conflict and condemning the attacks carried out in Rakhine state, western Myanmar. (AP Photo)

Protesters light candles during a protest in front of city hall in Yangon, Myanmar, Sunday Sept. 3, 2017. Myanmar activists took part in a protest Sunday, praying for victims killed during conflict and condemning the attacks carried out in Rakhine state, western Myanmar. (AP Photo)

Protesters hold balloons during a protest in front of city hall in Yangon, Myanmar, Sunday Sept. 3, 2017. Myanmar activists took part in a protest Sunday, praying for victims killed during conflict and condemning the attacks carried out in Rakhine state, western Myanmar. (AP Photo)

People lay flowers during a protest in front of city hall in Yangon, Myanmar, Sunday Sept. 3, 2017. Myanmar activists took part in a protest Sunday, praying for victims killed during conflict and condemning the attacks carried out in Rakhine state, western Myanmar. (AP Photo)

A protester and Buddhist monk holding roses attend a protest in front of city hall in Yangon, Myanmar, Sunday Sept. 3, 2017. Myanmar activists took part in a protest Sunday, praying for victims killed during conflict and condemning the attacks carried out in Rakhine state, western Myanmar. (AP Photo)
LITCHFIELD, Conn. (AP) - George Beckwith got the surprising phone call a few months ago, informing him that he soon would be an owner of a 19th-century courthouse in Connecticut, nearly 1,400 miles from his home in Missouri.

The 78-year-old resident of Goodman, in southwestern Missouri, knew about the unusual lease agreement his ancestors had signed with Connecticut officials in 1803. If Connecticut ever stopped using the property in Litchfield for a courthouse, the parcel would revert back to descendants of the six landowners who leased it to the state.

Beckwith never thought Connecticut would abandon the landmark 1889 courthouse, which features a Seth Thomas clock tower and lies along the historic Litchfield Green. But that's exactly what was happening, his lawyer, Michael Rybak, told him in that phone call.

This Wednesday, Aug. 23, 2017 photo shows the Litchfield Judicial District Courthouse in Litchfield, Conn. The state of Connecticut closed the courthouse Friday and relocated operations to a new, $80 million courthouse in nearby Torrington. Because the state is abandoning the building, ownership reverts back to heirs of the families who leased the property to the state in 1803. The heirs intend to sell the building to a local historical group. (AP Photo/Dave Collins)

"Just out of the blue, the state of Connecticut got a hold of Mike Rybak and they said they were going to hand over the keys," said Beckwith, who grew up in Litchfield. "It was certainly startling."

The state closed the Litchfield Judicial District Courthouse on Aug. 25 and transferred operations to a new $80 million courthouse a few miles away in Torrington. Officials had planned to continue some judicial functions in the granite building after the move to Torrington but abandoned the idea because of the state budget deficit, judicial branch officials said.

Beckwith said he had no use for a courthouse or the expenses that came with it, so he went looking for options before the state planned to hand it over on Sept. 30.

The search didn't take long. The nonprofit Greater Litchfield Preservation Trust has agreed to purchase Beckwith's interest in the property for an undisclosed, below-market-value price, Rybak said. The trust is the parent organization of two partnerships that own and operate two other buildings in Litchfield.

The trust intends to keep the building open and "repurpose" its use, said its attorney, Perley Grimes. There are no specific proposals yet, he said.

Ownership of the property actually will pass to Beckwith and his two late sisters' estates, which also are expected to sell their interests to the trust, said Rybak, who also represents the estates. Descendants of the other land owners lost out on ownership rights because their interests were not legally passed down through the generations, Rybak said.

The property was leased to the state by landowners Moses Seymour, Moses Seymour Jr., Roger Skinner, Aaron Smith, Elijah Wadsworth and Frederick Wolcott. The Beckwiths are descendants of the Seymours.

"In 40 years of practice, I've never seen anything like this," said Rybak, who has advocated since the late 1970s to keep the Litchfield courthouse open amid various plans to close it. "But then again, there are not too many properties like this."

People who worked at the courthouse have mixed emotions about its closure. A piece of history is being lost. But the building had grown cramped, there were accessibility problems for the disabled and there were security concerns, including judicial marshals having to transport prisoners through public areas of the courthouse.

"It's quite a piece of history," said Judge John Pickard, who worked at the courthouse the past 15 years. "I think we have all loved being here. But it doesn't have modern facilities. It's time."

The courthouse is the most prominent landmark in the Litchfield Historic District, which is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Two previous courthouses on the same property burned down.

It was host for decades to Litchfield County's civil court cases, as well as the region's most serious criminal cases, including the well-publicized murder trial of teenager Peter Reilly.

Reilly was convicted of killing his mother in Falls Village in 1973 but exonerated four years later after playwright Arthur Miller and others helped Reilly find a top defense attorney.

This Wednesday, Aug. 23, 2017 photo shows a plaque at the Litchfield Judicial District Courthouse in Litchfield, Conn. The state of Connecticut closed the courthouse Friday and relocated operations to a new, $80 million courthouse in nearby Torrington. Because the state is abandoning the building, ownership reverts back to heirs of the families who leased the property to the state in 1803. The heirs intend to sell the building to a local historical group. (AP Photo/Dave Collins)

This Wednesday, Aug. 23, 2017 photo shows the spire of the Litchfield Judicial District Courthouse, center, in Litchfield, Conn. The state of Connecticut closed the courthouse Friday and relocated operations to a new, $80 million courthouse in nearby Torrington. Because the state is abandoning the building, ownership reverts back to heirs of the families who leased the property to the state in 1803. The heirs intend to sell the building to a local historical group. (AP Photo/Dave Collins)

This Wednesday, Aug. 23, 2017 photo shows the second-floor courtroom of the Litchfield Judicial District Courthouse in Litchfield, Conn. The state of Connecticut closed the courthouse Friday and relocated operations to a new, $80 million courthouse in nearby Torrington. Because the state is abandoning the building, ownership reverts back to heirs of the families who leased the property to the state in 1803. The heirs intend to sell the building to a local historical group. (AP Photo/Dave Collins)

In this Wednesday, Aug. 23, 2017 photo, people enter shows the Litchfield Judicial District Courthouse in Litchfield, Conn. The state of Connecticut closed the courthouse Friday and relocated operations to a new, $80 million courthouse in nearby Torrington. Because the state is abandoning the building, ownership reverts back to heirs of the families who leased the property to the state in 1803. The heirs intend to sell the building to a local historical group. (AP Photo/Dave Collins)
COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) - Authorities say a 17-year-old girl has been charged with murder in the stabbing death of her 1-year-old daughter in Ohio's capital city of Columbus.

Police say officers and paramedics were called to a home just before 1 a.m. Sunday for a baby not moving and in need of medical attention. They found Lalanna Sharpe with several stab wounds. She was pronounced dead a short time later at a nearby Columbus hospital.

Police say Lachelle Anderson was arrested and has been charged with murder.

It's unclear if Anderson has an attorney who could comment on her behalf.
PARIS (AP) - French Prime minister Edouard Philippe said physical assault must be "strongly condemned" after a lawmaker hit another politician with a motorcycle helmet in a violent fight.

Philippe called Sunday on M'jid El Guerrab, a member of French President Emmanuel Macron's party, to "draw the consequences" of his actions.

El Guerrab was charged on Saturday night with "intentional violence with a weapon," in that case the helmet, after a fight he had Wednesday with Socialist Party official Boris Faure.

Faure has been treated for a severe head injury and left hospital Saturday, his lawyer Patrick Klugman said.

El Guerrab acknowledged on his Facebook page he had a verbal and physical altercation with Faure and said they were on bad terms since the electoral campaign for legislative elections in June.
COLOMBO, Sri Lanka (AP) - Sri Lanka's president on Sunday vowed to protect his former ambassador to six South American nations, an ex-army chief accused of crimes in the bloody final phase of the country's civil war.

"I state very clearly that I will not allow anyone in the world to touch Jagath Jayasuriya or any other military chief or any war hero in this country," President Maithripala Sirisena said on Sunday, addressing a convention of his Sri Lanka Freedom Party.

Sirisena's statement came a week after rights groups filed criminal lawsuits in South America against Jayasuriya, who until last week served as the country's envoy to Brazil, Argentina, Chile, Colombia, Peru and Suriname.

The suits are based on Jayasuriya's role as a commander in the final phase of Sri Lanka's civil war in 2009. They allege he oversaw military units that attacked hospitals and killed, disappeared and tortured thousands of people.

The suits had been filed in Brazil and Colombia and more were to come in Argentina, Chile and Peru. Suriname had refused to accept the petition.

Sri Lanka's military has also denied the allegations against Jayasuriya.

Sirisena's comments are seen as an attempt to woo majority ethnic Sinhalese, most of whom oppose action against military personnel accused of crimes in the fight against minority Tamil rebels. Sirisena is being painted as anti-Sinhalese by hard-line sections of the community.

More than 100,000 people are believed to have been killed in Sri Lanka's 26-year civil war, including 40,000 to 70,000 in the final phase alone.

In a joint resolution in 2015 at the U.N. Human Rights Council, Sri Lanka promised among other things a truth-seeking mechanism, a judicial mechanism to prosecute those accused of human rights abuses, and a new constitution that covers the island nation's varied ethnicities and religions. However, little progress has been made.

Sri Lanka had agreed to allow foreign judges but backtracked later, insisting that only local courts could investigate the allegations.

The criminal suits, reviewed by the AP, were spearheaded by the human rights group International Truth and Justice Project, an evidence-gathering organization based in South Africa. They had three central aims: push local authorities to open investigations of Jayasuriya, remove his diplomatic immunity and expel him.

However, Jayasuriya left Brazil last week to return to Sri Lanka after completing his two-year tour of service. The petitions can be amended to ask for arrest warrants in case he returns, according to the lawyer who filed the suit.

The civil war in Sri Lanka, an island off the southern tip of India, raged intermittently between 1983 and 2009. Fueled in part by ethnic tensions between ethnic majority Sinhalese and minority Tamils, an insurgency against the government was led by a group called the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam. They fought to establish a separate Tamil state in the northeastern part of the island.

Both sides are accused of war crimes.

The suits say Jayasuriya was commander of the Vanni Security Force from 2007 to 2009, and oversaw an offensive from Joseph Camp, also known as Vanni, which the papers claim was a notorious torture site.

Just after the war's end, Jayasuriya was promoted as chief of the army and in 2015, he retired from the military. He was appointed ambassador to Brazil in 2015, and the other countries were added to his purview over the following two years.
BUCHAREST, Romania (AP) - Romania's coastguard says it has intercepted a fishing vessel carrying 87 migrants in the Black Sea that was sailing toward the Romanian coast.

A statement said border police spotted the vessel on Sunday morning east of the port of Midia outside Romania's territorial waters. The coastguard sent two patrol boats to identify the vessel and its passengers which sailed into Romanian waters. The statement said the boat did not respond to warnings to stop.

Authorities found 48 men, 16 women and 23 minors on board.

Border police will question the migrants. The statement did not provide the nationality of the migrants.

Migrants are increasingly using the Black Sea route to reach Romania, which is not a member of the visa-free Schengen zone.
COLOMBO, Sri Lanka (AP) - Captain Virat Kohli hit a second straight century as India swept the one-day international series 5-0 after beating Sri Lanka by six wickets in the fifth and final match on Sunday.

Fast bowler Bhuvneshwar Kumar took a maiden five-wicket haul to help India dismiss Sri Lanka for 238 in 49.4 overs before India replied with 239-4 with 21 deliveries to spare.

Kohli was unbeaten on 110 following his 131 in the fourth ODI. He faced 116 deliveries and hit nine boundaries for his 30th ODI century in his 194th match.

India's captain Virat Kohli raises his bat to celebrate scoring a century during their fifth and last one-day international cricket match against Sri Lanka in Colombo, Sri Lanka, Sunday, Sept. 3, 2017. (AP Photo/Eranga Jayawardena)

Kohli now stands second with Australia's Ricky Ponting in the number of one-day centuries behind India great Sachin Tendulkar on 49. The India captain has made his 30 centuries in 181 matches fewer than Ponting.

Kedar Jadhav made 63 for his second one-day half-century and shared a 109-run stand for the fourth wicket with Kohli before getting out just two runs from victory. Kohli was also part of a 99-run third-wicket stand with Manish Pandey (36) who joined his captain at 29-2.

Kumar was named player of the match for his 5-42, which held Sri Lanka to a modest total, while fellow paceman Jasprit Bumrah was named player of the series for taking 15 wickets.

"ODIs we didn't win three games in a row before this ... We wanted to be relentless, we wanted to create good habits," Kohli said of his team's approach to the series.

"That helped us to come here and play how we wanted to play."

"Getting a man of the series award on the sub-continent as a fast bowler is a great achievement," Kohli said in praise of Bumrah.

Sri Lanka captain Upul Tharanga said that his team had failed in every department in the series and none of the plans were executed well.

"In five matches we could not cross 250 even once," he said. "We've got a lot to improve."

Kumar ended a spirited fourth-wicket partnership which had set Sri Lanka up for a challenging score after the hosts won the toss and chose to bat.

Kumar opened his account by catching Niroshan Dickwella (2) off his own bowling with Sri Lanka's on 14. He claimed Dilshan Munaweera (4), who was caught by Kohli with the total on 40.

Sri Lanka captain Tharanga played some elegant drives in a 34-ball 48 before being caught behind by Mahendra Singh Dhoni off Bumrah. Tharanga hit nine boundaries.

Angelo Mathews joined Lahiru Thirimanne with Sri Lanka three down for 63 and the pair added 122 runs for the fourth wicket off 177 deliveries, giving Sri Lanka a platform to build a competitive score. Thirimanne made 67 for his 18th ODI half-century off 102 deliveries including three boundaries and a six.

Kumar bowled Thirimanne off the inside edge and the dismissal triggered a collapse that saw Sri Lanka lose their last seven wickets for 53 runs in under 11 overs.

Mathews made 55, including four boundaries, before being caught by Dhoni off spinner Kuldeep Yadav.

India's captain Virat Kohli plays a shot during their fifth and last one-day international cricket match against Sri Lanka in Colombo, Sri Lanka, Sunday, Sept. 3, 2017. (AP Photo/Eranga Jayawardena)

Members of the Indian team take a ride in a mini truck after their win over Sri Lanka in the fifth and last one-day international cricket match in Colombo, Sri Lanka, Sunday, Sept. 3, 2017. Indian won the match by six wickets. (AP Photo/Eranga Jayawardena)

India's captain Virat Kohli poses with the winners trophy after their win over Sri Lanka in the fifth and last one-day international cricket match in Colombo, Sri Lanka, Sunday, Sept. 3, 2017. Indian won the match by six wickets. (AP Photo/Eranga Jayawardena)

Sri Lanka's Lasith Malinga, third right without cap, celebrates with teammates the dismissal of India's Ajinkya Rahane during their fifth and last one-day international cricket match in Colombo, Sri Lanka, Sunday, Sept. 3, 2017. (AP Photo/Eranga Jayawardena)

Sri Lanka's captain Upul Tharanga attends the presentation ceremony after their loss in the fifth and last one-day international cricket match against India in Colombo, Sri Lanka, Sunday, Sept. 3, 2017. Indian won the match by six wickets. (AP Photo/Eranga Jayawardena)
PHILADELPHIA (AP) - The Latest on the murder of a Temple University student (all times local):

3:45 p.m.

A man has been charged with the murder of a missing Temple University student whose body was found over the weekend in northeastern Pennsylvania.

An undated photo provided by the Philadelphia Police Department shows Joshua Hupperterz of Philadelphia. Authorities say 22-year-old Jenna Burleigh went missing around 2 a.m. Thursday, Aug. 31, 2017, near Temple's campus. They say ex-Temple student Hupperterz, last seen with Burleigh, was taken into custody Saturday in Paupack Township in northeastern Pennsylvania. (Philadelphia Police Department via AP)

Authorities say 22-year-old Jenna Burleigh went missing Thursday morning near the school campus in Philadelphia. They say she was last seen with former student, 29-year-old Joshua Hupperterz.

Police say Hupperterz was taken into custody Saturday in Paupack Township in northeastern Pennsylvania and charged with several crimes Sunday.

Authorities believe Burleigh was killed in Philadelphia and taken to Paupack Township, about 25 miles (40 kilometers) east of Scranton. Philadelphia police said Sunday a body found on property belonging to Hupperterz's relative was identified as Burleigh.

Court documents don't list an attorney for Hupperterz. A message left at a number listed in his name wasn't immediately returned.

___

12:30 p.m.

A man has been charged with murder in the disappearance of a Temple University student.

Authorities say 22-year-old Jenna Burleigh went missing Thursday morning near the school campus in Philadelphia. They say she was last seen with former student, 29-year-old Joshua Hupperterz.

Police say Hupperterz was taken into custody Saturday in Paupack Township in northeastern Pennsylvania and charged with several crimes Sunday.

Authorities believe Burleigh was killed in Philadelphia and taken to Paupack Township, about 25 miles (40 kilometers) east of Scranton. A body presumed to be Burleigh's was found on a relative's property.

Court documents don't list an attorney for Hupperterz. A message left at a number listed in his name wasn't immediately returned.
British troop numbers in Iraq are being bolstered as the fight to wipe out Islamic State (IS) in the country enters its final push, the Defence Secretary has announced.

Some 44 Royal Engineers are being sent to Al Asad airbase in Anbar province, western Iraq, Sir Michael Fallon said.

It takes the number of British personnel at the camp to more than 300 and the total in Iraq to around 600.

Islamic State has already lost control of Mosul. (AP)

IS, also known as Isis and Daesh, has been on the verge of collapse in Iraq, losing control of strongholds including the city of Mosul.

On Thursday, Iraqi prime minister Haider al-Abadi said the group had been ousted from the north-west town of Tal Afar.

Troops from 5 Armoured Engineer Squadron, 22 Engineer Regiment, in Tidworth are being deployed for six months to build infrastructure, including accommodation and offices in the coalition forces camp.

The sprawling Al Asad air base, around 100 miles west of Baghdad, houses Iraqi, US, Danish and British troops.

Armoured Engineer Squadron soldiers at Swindon Barracks in Tidworth. (Ben Birchall/PA)

It has been used by the British to train and mentor Iraqi forces taking on IS jihadis, with soldiers also involved in providing security at the international base.

RAF aircraft based in Akrotiri, Cyprus, meanwhile have carried out around 1,400 strikes against IS as part of the international effort to destroy the terror group.

Sir Michael said: We are stepping up our contribution to the fight against Daesh and fulfilling Britains role as a key player in the global coalition.

Defence Secretary Sir Michael Fallon. (Andrew Milligan/PA)

Daesh is being defeated. Iraqi forces, backed by coalition air strikes, have now liberated 70% of the territory Daesh held and the victims of its barbarism are being helped by our humanitarian support.

These extra troops will help support operations to bring the defeat of Daesh a step closer.

Around 120,000 members of the British armed forces and civilians served in Iraq after the US-led invasion in 2003, but the UKs combat role ended in April 2009.

During the operation, 179 UK troops were killed.
A semi-final between Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer at the US Open continued to look a long way away as the Spaniard followed his rival in labouring into the third round.

Federer has been taken to five sets in both his first two matches at Flushing Meadows, with the night session on Thursday delayed by his latest struggle against Mikhail Youzhny.

Nadal did not begin his clash against Japans Taro Daniel until after 9.30pm and it was nearly three hours later when he was finally able to celebrate a 4-6 6-3 6-2 6-2 victory.

Rafael Nadal labours through to third round of US Open

"I feel positive. I feel hungry to keep playing. I'm excited for being here."@RafaelNadal #USOpen pic.twitter.com/gmZvgZ6siv  US Open Tennis (@usopen) September 1, 2017

The top seed was certainly more impressive than Federer, with his forehand warming up nicely as the match went on, but the feeling remains that this is the most open mens grand slam in years.

Nadal, who next meets Argentinas Leonardo Mayer, said: All the matches are difficult and especially here. Everybody wants to play the best and if you dont play your best its very difficult.

Its a very important victory. Its true I didnt play very well but its true that Im through to the next round.

I was a set and a break against but I felt in the first set I had a lot of opportunities. I was thinking lets keep going and hopefully Im going to convert one of these.

The Rafa Rocket!@RafaelNadal survives an early scare and blasts into R3 after defeating Daniel 4-6, 6-3, 6-2, 6-2!



#USOpen pic.twitter.com/OwISZWcart  US Open Tennis (@usopen) September 1, 2017

I need to improve a lot of things but I am here to try to improve every day. Im going to work tomorrow to find better feelings and I really believe Im going to do it much better.

The themes of the tournament so far have been shocks and unexpected battles for the favourites but everything pointed in Nadals favour here.

Daniel, ranked 121, had never beaten a top-10 player nor reached the third round of a grand slam while he needed five sets to battle past Tommy Paul on Wednesday as Nadal put his feet up.

The 24-year-old also arrived in New York having won just one of his previous eight matches.

Yet for a set and a half he more than matched the world number one, playing with fearless aggression and intelligence.

It's not how you start, it's how you finish. It was a tricky day at the office for #Nadal, #Pliskova and #Federer... https://t.co/1zWv2LahVP  #AusOpen (@AustralianOpen) September 1, 2017

Daniel was under pressure in every service game but Nadal was unusually wasteful and, as he retreated further behind the baseline, his opponent struck.

Daniel, who is half-American, had plenty of support from the Arthur Ashe crowd as he broke for 5-4 and then survived a couple of nervy moments to serve out the opening set.

When he broke Nadal again to lead 2-1 in the second, the unthinkable seemed possible, but the world number one found his trademark forehand down the line just in time.

All Nadals opponents quickly learn that approaching the net on that wing risks paying a heavy price and Daniel was twice broken in just such a fashion.

As Nadal grew stronger, Daniel began to tire, and by the fourth set it was a matter of how long the Japanese player would be able to hang on.

A double fault on break point in the fifth game heralded the beginning of the end, with Nadal wrapping up victory at 12.29am.
While the fancied names struggle, a former champion has been quietly working his way through the US Open draw.

It is a eight years and three wrist operations since Juan Martin del Potro lifted the trophy at Flushing Meadows as a 20-year-old.

Eighteen months into his latest comeback, Del Potro has had to learn the virtue of patience, but his form in New York suggests that is finally paying off.

Juan Martin del Potro

.@delpotrojuan's #USOpen run continues. The 2009 champ d. Bautista Agut 6-3, 6-3, 6-4 to book a R4 meeting vs Thiem: https://t.co/Zu8RseB0gd pic.twitter.com/ebrAsJquk9  US Open Tennis (@usopen) September 2, 2017

The Argentinian, who has missed 10 of the last 15 grand slam tournaments, is yet to drop a set and eased into the fourth round with a 6-3 6-3 6-4 victory over 11th seed Roberto Bautista Agut.

Del Potro said: I just came to try to get better and Im surprising myself. Its a very special tournament to me. Im getting good energy from the crowd in every match, and Im feeling every day much better with my game.

I think I played the best match of the tournament. I hit so well my forehand. I served well during the whole match. I played very smart with my slice. I came to the net very often, tried to be aggressive all the time, and I think I played well.

Next up for Del Potro is a repeat of last years fourth-round meeting against Dominic Thiem, which the Argentinian won when his opponent retired.

It remains Del Potros only grand slam quarter-final since Wimbledon 2013, with his run ended by eventual champion Stan Wawrinka in the last eight.

All the talk at Flushing Meadows has been of the open nature of the mens draw, but it is very much a tournament of two halves.

The bottom half features no top-10 seed and eight players who have never made a grand slam final, while the top section still has four of the top 10, including Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer, both due to play their third-round matches later on Saturday.

Del Potro does not count himself among the contenders yet, saying: I think that bottom half of the draw is going to be surprising for one guy. But in the top half, you have Roger and Rafa, Dominic, as well, and they are favourites to win a grand slam title, for sure.

But Im just doing my own way, and I have a very important match against Dominic.

Thiem has also looked strong here and defeated Adrian Mannarino 7-5 6-3 6-4, while ninth seed David Goffin progressed when Gael Monfils pulled out with a right knee problem trailing 7-5 5-1.

Early birthday present for @ThiemDomi as he powers into @usopen R4 with 75 63 64 win over Mannarino. More: https://t.co/VB0zElrNqR #atp pic.twitter.com/qKrViWRf78  ATP Tour (@atptour) September 2, 2017

One of the more surprising names in the last 16 is Ukraines Alexandr Dolgopolov, who beat Viktor Troicki 6-1 6-0 6-4 and then found himself quizzed again about the match-fixing investigation hanging over his head.

Dolgopolov, whose match against Thiago Monteiro at the Winston-Salem Open attracted suspicious betting patterns, gave a bad-tempered response to journalists after his first-round win.

He was pushed again on Saturday and things became heated when he was asked whether he had ever been approached to throw a match.

.@TheDolgo drops only five games in his victory over Troicki on the Grandstand  https://t.co/yMOLZLzvkQ #USOpen pic.twitter.com/KF2SmavxEj  US Open Tennis (@usopen) September 2, 2017

Dolgopolov, who gave a vague answer on Wednesday before shutting down the topic, said: Youre going all over it again. You know my statement after the first match? Youre giving me the same questions.

I already said everything that could be said, and you guys want to give me again the same questions. Im not going to be talking about gambling. You have other questions or not? Were finished.
Roger Federer got his US Open campaign back on track but there was another battle for Rafael Nadal as they edged closer to a semi-final meeting.

After being taken to five sets in his opening two matches, Federer only needed an hour and 46 minutes to dismiss Feliciano Lopez 6-3 6-3 7-5.

The third seeds movement was much improved and he made far fewer unforced errors as he set up a last-16 clash with German Philipp Kohlschreiber.

(AP)

Federer improves to 13-0 against Lopez.



He is 11-0 against his next opponent (Kohlschreiber).



How did you assess Fed tonight?#USOpen pic.twitter.com/5h9ZCUIlWp  US Open Tennis (@usopen) September 3, 2017

Federer said: I struggled the first couple of rounds, but that had something to do with my opponents as well. I think I played a very clean match tonight, I couldnt be happier.

To win in straight sets against Feliciano, whos been such a tough competitor over the years, is such a great feeling.

The night session was two and a half hours late starting after three long matches in the day, the last of which saw Nadal again recover from a set down.

The world number one has looked shaky so far and, after his struggle against Taro Daniel in round two, it was a similar story against lucky loser Leonardo Mayer.

The Argentinian took the opening set on a tie-break and it was not until Nadal finally converted his 14th break point to lead 4-3 in the second that the Spaniard turned on the style.

Nadal won 16 of the final 21 games to clinch a 6-7 (3/7) 6-3 6-1 6-4 victory and a place in the last 16, where he will take on Alexandr Dolgopolov.

The Spaniard, who again was not happy with his forehand, said: You need matches like this. I am in the second week. Thats the important thing. Ive already won three matches in a row.

I think the best thing is I had a lot of moments to be very frustrated in the match, and I was not. I was just fighting for the next point and with the right mentality, with the right spirit of fight in all moments.

I know I have a tough opponent out there now, because he is going to play aggressive. Hes very tough, he has a lot of talent, and hes playing well.

.@TheDolgo drops only five games in his victory over Troicki on the Grandstand  https://t.co/yMOLZLzvkQ #USOpen pic.twitter.com/KF2SmavxEj  US Open Tennis (@usopen) September 2, 2017

Dolgopolov, who beat Viktor Troicki 6-1 6-0 6-4, is one of the more surprising names in the fourth round and the Ukrainians run comes despite the match-fixing investigation hanging over his head.

Dolgopolovs match against Thiago Monteiro at the Winston-Salem Open attracted suspicious betting patterns and he was involved in a heated press conference after his first-round win.

He was pushed again by the media on Saturday and things became fiery when he was asked whether he had ever been approached to throw a match.

Dolgopolov, who gave a vague answer on Wednesday before shutting down the topic, said: I already said everything that could be said, and you guys want to give me again the same questions.

Im not going to be talking about gambling. You have other questions or not? Were finished.
US astronaut Peggy Whitson has returned to Earth after a record-breaking mission.

She has spent a total of 665 days off the planet - 288 days on this mission alone.

After the 9:21pm ET landing, @AstroPeggy has a total of 665 days in space, the U.S. record and places 8th on all-time space endurance list pic.twitter.com/grVIRo3SmX  NASA (@NASA) September 3, 2017

Ms Whitsons time in orbit exceeds that of any other American and any other woman worldwide.

Along with another American and a Russian, she landed in Kazakhstan shortly after sunrise on Sunday.

The space capsule coming in to land. (AP)

She became the worlds oldest spacewoman at the age of 57 and most experienced female space walker following her launch last November. She was also the first woman to command the space station twice. This was her third flight.

Returning cosmonaut Fyodor Yurchikhin has logged even more time in orbit  673 days over five missions. The other astronaut to return home was Jack Fischer, with 136 days in orbit. Both men flew up in April.
More Britons have been arrested by foreign police in Spain than any other country over the last two-and-a-half years, according to official figures.

The coastal resort of Alicante, on the south-eastern coastline popular with ex-pats and those on bargain breaks, saw the most Britons arrested of any destination between 2015 and summer 2017.

According to data released by the Foreign Office (FCO) under freedom of information (FOI) laws, 655 Brits were arrested or detained in Alicante during this period.

PA Graphic

In total, some 2,590 people from Britain were held in Spain over the last two-and-a-half years  more than in any other country, according to the FCO data.

The US was the second most prolific, with 2,045 arrests, ahead of the United Arab Emirates (809), France (489) and Thailand (462).

After Alicante, Dubai was the destination with the next greatest number of Britons detained  at 524  ahead of Bangkok (454), Miami (445) and Malaga (441).

(Nick Ansell/PA)

The data showed a rise in Britons arrested abroad between 2015 and 2016, in the five countries with the highest numbers of detentions.

The increase from 2,541 to 3,095 represents a rise of 21.8%.

There were 786 arrests across those five countries in 2017 to date.
Ambassador Nikki Haley warned North Korea's dictator Kim Jong-Un on Monday that he is 'begging for war' with 'abusive use of missiles.'

'Enough is enough!' America's representative at the UN said during an emergency Security Council meeting.

'We have kicked the can down the road long enough,' she said of the North Korea nuclear threat. 'There is no more road left.'

'The time for half measures in the security council is over. The time has come to exhaust all of our diplomatic means before it is too late. We must now adopt the strongest possible measures. Kim Jong-Uns action cannot be seen as defensive.'

'War is never something the United States wants. We don't want it now,' Haley said.

'But our country's patience is not unlimited,' she warned Kim's regime. 'We will defend our allies and our territory.'

SCROLL DOWN FOR VIDEO

U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley spoke forcefully during an emergency meeting of the UN Security Council on Monday as world leaders wrestled with responses to North Korea's latest atomic bomb test

North Korean dictator Kim Jong-Un is shown with a nuclear warhead in an undated photo issued by his government

United Nations Ambassadors Koro Bessho of Japan, left, Matthew John Rycroft of the UK, center, and Nikki Haley of the U.S. conferred in an animated conversation on Monday

Haley asked the United Nations to adopt the strongest possible sanctions against the rogue communist nation.

The U.S. plans to circulate a new Security Council resolution on North Korea this week and wants a vote next week.

In a more immediate response to North Korea's nuclear saber-rattling, the Trump White House told South Korea it was waiving a 2012 agreement that imposed a weight limit on Seoul's missiles.

Under the existing missile pact between the U.S. and South Korea, the nation's warheads can't be heavier than 500 kg, about 1,100 pounds.

An unlimited warhead weight allowance would enable the South to strike North Korea with greater force in the event of a military conflict.

Monday's hastily assembled Security Council meeting was called in response to North Korea's most powerful nuclear test  as the Trump administration warned any threat to the US or its allies would trigger a 'massive military response.'

Haley spoke with South Korean Ambassador to the UN Cho Tae-yul before Monday's UN Security Council emergency meeting

The meeting, convened at the request of the UK, U.S., Japan, France and South Korea, came after Kim Jong-Un's totalitarian regime carried out its sixth test of a nuclear device.

Defense Secretary James Mattis briefed President Donald Trump about the military options available if the crisis escalated, adding that Washington was capable of launching an 'effective and overwhelming' response.

While the US was 'not looking to the total annihilation' of North Korea there were 'many options to do so', he said Sunday.

But in the UK Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson cautioned against a military strike, because North Korea already had the ability to 'vaporize' large parts of the population of South Korea even without nuclear weapons.

Haley spoke with Chinese Ambassador to the UN Liu Jieyi before Monday's Security Council meeting. China is North Korea's largest trading partner

Prime Minister Theresa May said Pyongyang's actions posed an 'unacceptable further threat to the international community' and urged world leaders to increase pressure on the regime.

The test blast came after propaganda pictures were published of Kim examining what was said to be a nuclear warhead being fitted on to the nose of an intercontinental ballistic missile.

Mrs May reiterated the call for 'tougher action, including increasing the pace of implementation of existing sanctions and looking urgently in the UN Security Council at new measures' she had made alongside Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe during her visit last week.

She said: 'This is now even more pressing. The international community has universally condemned this test and must come together to continue to increase the pressure on North Korea's leaders to stop their destabilizing actions.'

Defense Secretary James Mattis said Sunday that the US is 'not looking to the total annihilation' of North Korea but there are 'many options to do so'

The Foreign Secretary played down the prospect of military action although he acknowledged all options remained on the table.

Johnson said: 'There is no question that this is another provocation, it is reckless, what they are doing is, they seem to be moving closer towards a hydrogen bomb which, if fitted to a successful missile, would unquestionably present a new order of threat.'

Arguing for a diplomatic solution he said: 'It's certainly our view that none of the military options are good. It is of course right to say that all options are on the table, but we really don't see an easy military solution.'

Haley announced on Sunday that she, along with UN representatives from the UK, France, Japan and South Korea, had demanded Monday's emergency session

A North Korean missle is paraded on North Korean state TV in this undated image

The UN Security Council is comprised of permanent members China, France, Russia, UK and the U.S., and ten rotating member countries that serve 2-year terms

The Chinese government 'expressed firm opposition and strong condemnation' and urged North Korea to 'stop taking erroneous actions that deteriorate the situation.'

But Johnson urged Beijing to go further in putting economic pressure on its neighbor.

He said: 'Our message to the Chinese is, and we are working ever more closely with them, we think there is more scope for you, the Chinese, to put economic pressure on the North Koreans.

'It has worked, we have seen signs in the last six months of Chinese pressure actually changing the approach of North Koreans  let's see if we can do it again.'
WASHINGTON, Sept 2 (Reuters) - U.S. President Donald Trump on Saturday spoke by telephone with Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe to discuss the escalating threats from North Korea, the White House said.

The conversation between the American and Japanese leaders came as North Korea said it had developed a more advanced thermonuclear weapon that possesses "great destructive power."

Pyongyang said the weapon would be loaded on a new intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) that experts believe has the range to hit much of the U.S.

"The two leaders reaffirmed the importance of close cooperation between the United States, Japan and South Korea in the face of the growing threat from North Korea," the White House said in a statement. "President Trump noted that he looks forward to continued trilateral coordination on the margins of the United Nations General Assembly."

Trump spoke to Abe while flying back to Washington after visiting storm-ravaged Houston. (Reporting by Steve Holland; Writing by Lucia Mutikani; Editing by Will Dunham and Bill Trott)
By Yawen Chen and Michael Martina

XIAMEN, China, Sept 3 (Reuters) - The BRICS group of emerging economies must promote trade liberalisation and an open world economy, Chinese President Xi Jinping said at a business meeting on Sunday at the start of a three-day summit being held in southeastern China.

The heads of state from Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa will gather in the city of Xiamen through Tuesday, giving China as host its latest chance to position itself as a bulwark of globalisation in the face of U.S. President Donald Trump's "America First" agenda.

BRICS leaders will be joined by observer countries Thailand, Mexico, Egypt, Guinea and Tajikistan, and officials will discuss a "BRICS Plus" plan to possibly expand the bloc to new members.

Mexico's President Enrique Pena Nieto is set to be in China to discuss trade and investment, as Trump has renewed threats to scrap the 23-year-old North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) that he has labelled a killer of U.S. jobs.

"We should push for an open world economy, promote trade liberalisation and facilitation, jointly create a new global value chain, and realise a global economic rebalancing," Xi told BRICS business leaders and senior officials.

Xi said he still had "full confidence" in BRICS countries' development despite claims that the bloc's relevance had faded due to slower growth.

"The development of emerging market and developing countries won't touch anyone's cheese, but instead will diligently grow the world economic pie," he said.

Earlier, Chinese vice trade minister, Wang Shouwen, said the BRICS meeting was expected to "reach consensus for actions" to oppose trade protectionism. He added that China was interested in possibly establishing a free trade agreement with Mexico.

In July, Xi called on members of the Group of 20 (G20) nations to champion an open world economy, and at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, in January offered a vigorous defence of globalisation.

In Xiamen, Xi closed his 45-minute speech by saying that Beijing encouraged Chinese companies to continue going abroad, and "warmly welcomed" other countries' firms to invest in the world's second-largest economy.

But those remarks are cold comfort to some critics of China, foreign business groups and governments alike, who say China has done little to remove its discriminatory policies and market barriers that favour Chinese companies.

The BRICS summit comes just a week after China and India agreed to end a more than two-month standoff between hundreds of troops in a Himalayan border area, which had put a sidelines meeting between Xi and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi in question.

The standoff was the latest example how BRICS countries, while sharing certain development goals, are far from unified.

Some have questioned the relevance of BRICS and China's commitment to its New Development Bank (NDB) in light of Xi's own global Belt and Road development initiative and the China-led Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank.

Set up in 20l5 as an alternative to the World Bank, the Shanghai-headquartered NDB was seen as the first major BRICS achievement after the group came together in 2009 to press for a bigger say in the post-World War Two financial order created by Western powers.

The bank aims to address a massive infrastructure funding gap in the member countries, which account for almost half the world's population and about a fifth of global economic output.

The NDB's president on Friday said it aims to make about $4 billion in loans next year. To date, it has invested in 11 projects, lending $1.5 billion in 2016 and $2.5 billion in loans set for this year. (Reporting by Yawen Chen and Michael Martina; Writing by Ben Blanchard; Editing by Himani Sarkar)
KUALA LUMPUR, Sept 3 (Reuters) - Malaysian police arrested a suspected leader and seven members of the Islamic State-linked Abu Sayyaf Islamist group in the capital, Kuala Lumpur, a police source said on Sunday.

Police detained Hajar Abdul Mubin - otherwise known as Abu Asrie - in the Wednesday raid, according to the source, who was not authorised to speak to the media on the case.

Hajar, a Filipino, was arrested along with one other Filipino and six Malaysians from the Borneo state of Sabah, which shares a porous maritime border with the Philippines.

The arrests were first reported by the English daily, The Star.

The Abu Sayyaf is notorious for bombings, beheadings, extortion and kidnap-for-ransom in the south of the mainly Roman Catholic Philippines.

The arrests were the latest in an ongoing crackdown on militancy by Muslim-majority Malaysia. More than 250 people have been arrested between 2013 and 2016 for suspected militancy linked to Islamic State.

Governments in Southeast Asia have been worried over the possible expansion of Islamic State in the region as battle-hardened militants return home after the collapse of their self-styled caliphate in the Middle East.

Militants loyal to Islamic State seized large parts of Marawi city in the southern Philippines in May. Some 620 militants, 136 soldiers and police and 45 civilians were killed in more than 100 days of fighting. (Reporting by Rozanna Latiff, Writing by Joseph Sipalan; Editing by Nick Macfie)
JERUSALEM, Sept 3 (Reuters) - Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Sunday his office would soon publish a multi-year infrastructure spending plan worth more than 100 billion shekel ($28 billion).

Speaking at the start of Israel's weekly cabinet meeting, Netanyahu said the planned projects would include private sector investment.

Bank of Governor Karnit Flug told the meeting that improving public transport infrastructure would be one area of investment.

"The level of infrastructure in Israel is insufficient, particularly in the area of public transportation, and mainly in the major cities, but also in the electricity delivery system and in communication infrastructure," Flug told ministers.

"The volume of annual investment is low by international comparison, and we are therefore not closing the gap in the level of infrastructure compared to other advanced economies, which weighs down productivity and the growth potential of the economy."

Flug said the government should set up a special unit to specialise in the management and monitoring of public-private partnership (PPP) tenders and contracts.

"It is important that an informed estimation of the costs be made, and that the budgetary sources be defined, in order to avoid stopping projects and sharp cutbacks in projects as has happened in the past at times of budgetary stress," she said. ($1 = 3.5705 shekels) (Reporting by Steven Scheer; Editing by Susan Fenton)
BEIRUT, Sept 3 (Reuters) - Syria's army and its allies advanced towards their enclave in Deir al-Zor, besieged by Islamic State forces, on Sunday, taking al-Kharata oil field, a war monitor reported.

Syrian President Bashar al-Assad has focused this year on the campaign in Syria's desert, striking eastwards in a multi-pronged assault against Islamic State to restore Deir al-Zor, where the government pocket has been surrounded for years.

Sunday's advance brings the army and its allies to about 10km (7 miles) from the city, said the Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights.

On Saturday, a military media unit run by Assad's ally Hezbollah reported that the army had captured Jebel al-Bashri to the west of Deir al-Zor, meaning it was less than 30 km from the city.

A Syrian military source said on Saturday the army had also advanced eastwards from Sukhna, on the main road between Damascus and Deir al-Zor, along a parallel route of attack.

Pro-government forces are also fighting to eradicate a large Islamic State enclave they left to their rear in central Syria as they advanced towards Deir al-Zor. (Reporting By Angus McDowall)
ABIDJAN, Sept 3 (Reuters) - Close to 100 prisoners escaped from prison in central Ivory Coast on Sunday in one of many security breaches in the West African economic powerhouse this year, state radio said.

Ninety-six prisoners escaped from the Katiola facility at dawn while the gate was open temporarily to allow them to do chores in the vicinity, the radio station said. About 10 have since been recaptured.

The jail break follows a similar escape this month in the commercial capital Abidjan when 20 people fled after assaulting police officers in a court house. In other incidents, weapons were stolen and in one case an officer was killed.

It was not immediately clear if there had been any violence at Katiola, located about 400 km inland from the Atlantic coast. Government officials were not immediately available for comment.

A series of military mutinies this year has threatened to derail a fragile peace in Ivory Coast, the world's leading cocoa producer, which emerged from a decade of turmoil and a 2011 civil war as one of the world's fastest-growing economies. (Reporting by Loucoumane Coulibaly; Writing by Emma Farge; Editing by David Goodman)
By Jeffrey Moyo

HARARE, Sept 4 (Thomson Reuters Foundation) - President Robert Mugabe says people like Takunda Amina are "worse than dogs and pigs" - so daily life as a gay man in Zimbabwe was never going to be easy.

At 24, Amina has already been chased from his family home, forced to marry - twice - and fathered three children who ask him tough questions about sex and sexuality.

He has been vilified in the national press - snapped at a gay party - and rejected as a disgrace by his parents. Not even the best spiritual healers could 'cure' Amina of being gay.

"I'm a single father of three and a male sex worker," Amina told the Thomson Reuters Foundation.

He also chairs Male Sex Workers in Zimbabwe, a lobby group with 300 members that helps economically disadvantaged gay men.

Amina has no such need as he boasts a huge customer base and says he does not need to visit nightclubs or roam the streets for work; his clients simply phone him when they want sex.

On a good day, Amina said he makes $150, with most of his clients employed as business and legal executives.

Amina said he was forced to take up sex work as Zimbabwes fractured economy had rendered so many young men jobless.

But prostitution is not without risks.

"At times, I get violent clients who refuse to pay me after giving them services, and others insist on unprotected sex, but I have learnt to let such clients go because I have to live on."

ALWAYS KNEW

Amina was born in Kadoma, a mining town in Zimbabwes Mashonaland west province, and knew as a young boy that he was attracted to other boys.

"I have always known that I was different, but I didn't really know that I was gay; at the age of 11, that's when I knew that I was attracted to other boys. At first I thought I was alone, but my other friends gave me a clear picture of who really I was - gay," Amina said.

It was in 2011 when his secret came out, after Amina's father caught his son and then-lover together at a party.

Spiritual healers were engaged in a desperate bid to change him and his sexuality.

"The more my family took me to prophets and traditional healers, the more gay I became. They (my family) thought I had a spiritual challenge," said Amina.

When photographs of Amina at a gay party appeared in the local press a year later, his father could take it no more.

Amina was thrown out of the family home in disgrace - a fate typical for many gays and lesbians in conservative Zimbabwe.

"Most families are not yet accepting siblings or children or other family members who are attracted to the same sex due to strong cultural and religious beliefs," Sylvester Nyamatendedza, of the Gays and Lesbians of Zimbabwe, an organisation that advocates for equal rights.

The group launched 27 years ago with some 70 members. Now it has about 7,120, according to its director, Chesterfield Samba.

MEDIA SPOTLIGHT

Researchers say Zimbabwes media fuels homophobia, echoing Mugabe's belief that homosexuality "degrades human dignity. It's unnatural, and there is no question ever of allowing these people to behave worse than dogs and pigs."

Mugabe has characterised homosexuality as "un-African" and many journalists duly report gay stories with hostility.

"The state media in particular, which publishes stories of the anti-gay ruling party politicians often attacking and castigating gays, has made life miserable for gays and lesbians, who then consequently suffer at the hands of politicians anti-gay rhetoric," said Mlondolozi Ndlovu, a researcher in media and society studies at Zimbabwe's Midlands State University.

Zimbabwes 2013 constitution prohibits same-sex marriage but is silent on gay relations.

Laws criminalising homosexuality in Zimbabwe carry penalties of up to three years in jail, and police often arrest gays, then set them free without bringing charges.

THIRD WIFE?

Amina said his parents have backed off now he has had children, although they still ask when he will next wed.

"I tell them, my parents, that my children are still young and I will think of remarrying after they are grown up," said Amina, who rents an apartment with his boyfriend.

Fearing victimisation, they hide their sexuality, though he says it is harder to keep it secret from his young children, who watch cartoon gays and lesbians depicted on television.

"I have a good relationship with my children; I don't want my sexuality to affect them in any way. They do see some similarities of me on television and ask me questions, but I just give any excuse to brush them aside," Amina said.

As for the future, experts say much lies in the hands of Zimbabwe's powerful religious leaders.

"Inclusive and affirming faith leaders in Zimbabwe can open their congregants' minds to new and contextualised interpretations of the bible. This widespread belief that scripture is inherently homophobic doesn't hold up when you look at the text in its entirety and with an open mind," said Brian Pellot of Religion News and Religion News Foundation in South Africa, which tracks spiritual and ethical news worldwide.

For now, discrimination is the norm for men like Amina, in a nation where gays are compared unfavourably to farm animals.

"Every day is sad for me, but at the end of the day, I want to be treated like a citizen of this country - regardless of my sexuality," said Amina. (Editing by Lyndsay Griffiths. Please credit the Thomson Reuters Foundation, the charitable arm of Thomson Reuters, that covers humanitarian news, women's rights, trafficking, property rights, climate change and resilience. Visit news.trust.org to see more stories.)
BEIRUT, Sept 3 (Reuters) - Syria's army and its allies raced towards their enclave in the Euphrates city of Deir al-Zor after a rapid advance on Sunday, seeking to relieve it after years of Islamic State siege as jihadist defences suddenly collapsed.

Deir al-Zor's provincial governor, Mohammed Ibrahim Samra, told Reuters in a phone interview that he expected the army to arrive at the city within hours and that some people there had taken to the streets to demonstrate their happiness.

Syrian President Bashar al-Assad has focused this year on the campaign in Syria's desert, striking eastwards in a multi-pronged assault to restore Deir al-Zor, where Islamic State has held half the city and all the land around since 2014.

Sunday's advance brought the army and its allies to about 10 km (6 miles) from the city, said the military media unit run by the army's ally, Lebanon's Hezbollah group. On Friday, it reported the army was still 30 km (19 miles) away after capturing Jebel al-Bashri.

A war monitor, the Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, said the army had advanced even farther, reaching the border of the besieged garrison's army camp on the western edge of Deir al-Zor.

Intense fighting is taking place as the army attempts to break through Islamic State lines to join up with the besieged garrison, the Observatory reported.

It is a sign of the rapidly changing fortunes in Syria's civil war, as Assad, aided by Russian air strikes and Iran-backed Shi'ite militias including Hezbollah, has won a series of battlefield victories.

Islamic State, which took advantage of chaos caused by the civil war to seize swathes of Iraq and Syria in 2014, is retreating in both countries and falling back on its Euphrates valley strongholds on either side of Deir al-Zor.

The United Nations says there are about 93,000 people in the besieged, government-controlled enclave, which includes much of the city, the Brigade 137 military camp and the airport.

For years, Deir al-Zor has been supplied only by air, and the United Nations said last month it had carried out about 300 high-altitude air drops of food over the past year alone.

Syrian state television reported that Islamic State was in a state of collapse in the face of the army's progress. A Syrian military source said on Saturday the army had also advanced eastwards from Sukhna, on the main road between Damascus and Deir al-Zor, along a parallel route of attack.

Pro-government forces are also fighting to eradicate a large Islamic State enclave they left to their rear in central Syria as they advanced towards Deir al-Zor.

(Reporting by Angus McDowall in Beirut and Kinda Makieh in Damascus; Editing by Peter Cooney)
At least nineteen students of the Sri Jayewardenepura university have been hospitalized after the bus that they were traveling in collided head-on with a car at Navinna Junction in Maharagama on the High Level Road last night.

Police said around 65 students of the university who were on their way to the university after attending a programme in Thalangama area had met with the accident.

The injured students were admitted to the Colombo South Teaching Hospital. Police said one of the students has been transferred to the Colombo National Hospital.

Drivers of the bus and the car had been taken into custody and Maharagama Police are investigating.(DS)

Video by Buddhi

Pics by H.M. Dharmapala
#BLACKPINK BLACKPINK, Seventeen win two prizes each at MTV EMA 2022 South Korean idol groups BLACKPINK and Seventeen have received two awards each at this year's MTV Europe Music Awards, their agencies said Monday. Girl group BLACKPINK was named...
"If the struggle against the SAITM continues in the same manner, the only option left is to topple the government. I have decided to commit my last phase of life to win this battle", former Sri Lanka Medical Council (SLMC) chairman Prof. Carlo Fonseka said yesterday.

He said that he had confidentially referred a letter to former president Mahinda Rajapaksa when he was in power forewarning the current crisis over South Asian Institute of Technology and Medicine (SAITM).

Speaking to the media outside the Welikada Prison after visitng Medical Faculty Students' Action Committee Convener Ryan Jayalath who is currently in remand custody, Prof. Fonseka said he had referred this letter to former president Rajapaksa after he was appointed SLMC chairman in 2012.

The SAITM which was established in 2009, later changed its name for medicine from management. At that time, I felt that the SAITM would negatively affect the health sector of the country. Therefore, I referred a confidential letter to Mr. Rajapaksa, he added.

He said that Mr. Rajapaksa upon receiving the letter, had directed the issue to former higher education minister S.B. Dissanayake and had directed Prof. Fonseka to monitor its proceedings. He also said that Mr. Rajapaksa had then reacted in a justifiable manner to the letter sent by him.

He said that he had taken every possible step to avoid the functioning of the SAITM in this manner since the beginning and added that he was never afraid of Mr. Rajapaksa during the period of former government; Mr. Rajapaska has dealt with me in a kind manner. He would never go against any decisions of mine, he added. (Kalathma Jayawardhane)
Nirmala Sitharaman has become the first full-time woman defence minister of India. She is only the second woman to hold the crucial defence portfolio - the first being former prime minister Indira Gandhi. As she prepares to enter room number 104 on the first floor of the South Block, Sitharaman faces a huge challenge - of making the Indian armed forces "fit for war".

This becomes extremely critical at a time when China and Pakistan have been sabre-rattling at the borders and terrorists have been launching a series of audacious attacks on security forces in Jammu and Kashmir.

There is "critical hollowness" in defence preparedness that Sitharaman will have to immediately address. With her predecessor Arun Jaitley having been both defence and finance minister, it was hoped by the armed forces what defence minister Arun Jaitley recommends, finance minister Arun Jaitley will approve for the Army, Navy and the Air Force.

Will Nirmala Sitharaman be able to push files that often get stalled at the ministry of finance? That will be her first big task.

Defence preparedness first

At the time of superannuating, then Chief of Army Staff General Vijay Kumar Singh, now minister of state for external affairs had pointed out the "critical hollowness" in defence preparedness, especially the shortage of ammunition and obsolete air defence capabilities.

From 2012 to 2017, a major part of that critical hollowness that has developed remains to be addressed. According to a recent report by the Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG), in 2015, approximately 50 per cent of tanks and artillery ammunition had stocks for less than 10 days of fighting.

For 40 per cent of its weapons, the Army has less than 10 days of ammunition. What is of greater concern is that the CAG report indicates that the production of ammunition supplied remains inferior in quality and quantity. Sitharaman will have to address this critical hollowness in defence preparedness.

Army needs fresh ammunition

And critical hollowness is not restricted to shortage of ammunition. The Army soldier on the ground needs a new infantry weapon. The order for 44,000 light machine guns was recently scrapped. For the infantry soldier fighting terrorists in Jammu and Kashmir - bulletproof jackets, light helmets, corner shot rifles are all promises that desperately need to be fulfilled.

To fight terrorists at night and the enemy across the line of control (LoC), the Army needs over 30,000 night vision devices and close to two lakh lightweight bulletproof jackets and light helmets.

Similarly, with terrorists increasingly launching mines to take out soldiers in larger numbers, the Army is will waiting for mine protected vehicles (MPVs).

Artillery modernisation slow

In the summer of 1999, then COAS Gen Ved Prakash Malik during the Kargil War said we will fight with what we have. Almost two decades later, the situation is not very different.

The Army requires 4,000 howitzers. The 155mm howitzer Bofors had played a key role in India's victory in the Kargil War of 1999. The Army had since placed an order for 155mm/52 calibre guns. So far all that the Army has is 145mm 777 howitzers procured from the USA.

Though the Army is also placing another order for 114 155/45 calibre Dhanush howitzers (made in India, on Bofors pattern), there have been some issues with the programme.

Requirement for helicopters

The Indian armed forces desperately need new helicopters. The Cheetahs and Chetak helicopters need to be replaced. Though the Army is acquiring six US-built Apache helicopters to support its armoured offensive, its army aviation and air defence units have reduced combat effectiveness due to obsolete equipment.

A large part of India's armoured might is also night-blind.

Upsets like withdrawal of free rations at peace stations indicate poor appreciation of the contributions made by the armed forces whether in conflict or peace.

Though the T-90 tanks of Russian origin have night-fighting capabilities and India has more than 600 such tanks, but a number of both the T-72 tanks and Infantry Combat Vehicles remain night-blind. Combined with this is the requirement to make the Mountain Strike Corps against China fully operational.

IAF needs new fighter jets

The issues for Nirmala Sitharaman are not restricted to the Army. The Indian Air Force (IAF) had been projecting a requirement of 45 combat squadrons and had 39.5 squadrons.

However, the numbers have since fallen to fewer than 33 squadrons now and these include MiG-21 and MiG-27 aircraft, some of which are flying on a life extension. So while the IAF waits for 126 new aircraft, it has acquired 36 Rafale fighter jets. The requirement with two hostile neighbours and the need to have offensive capabilities is not restricted to fighter jets.

The IAF also desperately needs force multipliers like six mid air refuellers and additional AWACS along with three squadrons of transport aircraft, basic and advanced jet trainers and helicopters.

Both the Army and the Air Force have been seeking upgradation of their missiles and enhanced capabilities to be able to watch over the hill. Surveillance over China and Pakistan - given the hostile neighbourhood - is extremely important.

No smooth sailing yet

With Chinese ships and submarines increasingly expanding their footprint in the Indian Ocean region, the Indian Navy has been desperately trying to play catch up.Accidents have been the Navy's Achilles heel. Coupled with accidents on board the Kilo class submarines, the slow progress of the programme to build six Scorpene submarines has been a cause for concern.

From submarines to destroyers to maritime reconnaissance aircraft to helicopters - 111 utility helicopters and 123 multirole helicopters - the Navy wants to take a giant leap in modernisation to ensure its dominance in the Indian Ocean region.

Indian Navy plans to have 200 ships by 2027. 40 ships are currently being built to enhance its strength from the current 145-ship strong fleet.

Pay parity

Apart from equipment, there are issues of pay and parity that Nirmala Sitharaman will have to address on priority to keep the morale of the fighting forces high. The stature of soldiers vis-a-vis civilians especially after the 7th pay commission has been a cause for concern.

Upsets like withdrawal of free rations at peace stations indicate poor appreciation of the contributions made by the armed forces whether in conflict or peace.
The Democratic candidates for governor and lieutenant governor and Sen. Tim Kaine and his wife Anne Holton stopped at University Democrats at the University of Virginias game day event Saturday to talk with students about the November election.

Lieutenant Governor and the democratic gubernatorial nominee Ralph Northam, Kaine, Attorney General Mark Herring and democratic nominee for Lieutenant Governor Justin Fairfax stopped by the Lawn at UVa to reassure voters that Virginia is a welcoming state despite what happened in Charlottesville the weekend of Aug. 12.

They came here because they dont like the direction that Virginia is going, Kaine said, referring to the thousands of white nationalists who descended on Charlottesville. Some of these people have a fantasy about the past and in their psychosis Virginia plays a role. And when they see a Virginia that is moving ahead, thats getting more inclusive, thats its grappling with telling our story and our history in a more authentic, inclusive and historically accurate way. When they see a community of Charlottesville that is about love and tolerance and coming together, it makes them mad.

The Unite the Right rally was said to be a rally in support of the statue of Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee in Emancipation Park. While it was scheduled to begin at noon, it fell quickly into chaos as white nationalist groups entered the park hours earlier. Police declared an unlawful assembly after ralliers and counter-protesters clashed.

That afternoon, area resident Heather Heyer was killed near the corner of Fourth and Water streets after a car drove into a group of counter-protesters. Later in the day, two Virginia State Police troopers died when their helicopter, which had hovered over the rally for much of the day, crashed in Albemarle County.

On Aug. 11, rally attendees gathered with tiki torches at Nameless Field on UVa grounds and marched down the Lawn to the Rotunda chanting blood and soil and Jews will not replace us.

What did that have to do with statues?, Kaine asked. Nothing. It was not about statues. It was about hatred, it was about violence, it was about bigotry, and it was even about murder.

Northam said the first step to making sure that doesnt happen again is for leaders to step up and denounce racism and intolerance.

It starts with a strong message, and I regret that the president of this country has not called it out for what it is, that it was a group of white supremacists, that there werent two sides, that these werent fine people and we dont need them here in Virginia, and that starts with leaders, he said.

Herring said that his office will be part of investigating how the city and the state prepared for the rally.

The governors got a commission established that our office will be a part of to identify what might be able to be done going forward, he said.

I think we need to take a look at when there are demonstrations by groups that have a known history of advocating violence, that we take a look at what conditions might be appropriate for those types of permits, Herring said.

Kaine said hes dealt with monument, statue and name issues as mayor and governor. He said he gives the same advice to localities still.

It starts with the quality of listening you do. If youre not listening to the community, no solution will work, he said. If you do engage in honest listening, that gets you toward an acceptable result.

He said its not only about subtraction, but also about addition.

There wasnt a one size-fits-all answer, but what we decided is that it wasnt just about what you took down, it was also about what you put up and whos story you told, he said.

First year student Avery Gagne, who has worked on Democratic campaigns, said he was impressed by how the candidates and Kaine were actually answering questions from students, not just walking by and shaking hands.

Gagne said he agrees with moving many of the confederate statues.

You should take down these statues when theyre in this position like in a park, where its obviously about celebration and placed in a museum because it is history, but you learn about history in a museum, Gagne said.
The remaining 54 sq km area was retained for which new licenses were issued.

New Delhi: The efforts to buy coking coalmines overseas by state-owned CIL in Australia are in process as the company looks to supplement the requirement of country's metallurgical coal, the PSU said in a recent report.

"Pursuant to the directives of the CIL board, initiatives for acquisition of coking coal assets, with particular focus on Australia being the prime destination for sourcing coking coal to India, are in process," Coal India Ltd (CIL) said in an annual report of 2016-17.

India's dependence on imports is particularly heavy on coking coal which is an important ingredient in the steel making process.

"As part of the preparedness towards acquisition initiatives, empanelment of merchant banker/investment banker has been done to render assistance in acquisition process," the world's largest coal miner said.

Elaborating further on its initiatives for acquisition of coal mines overseas, the PSU said that Mozambique government has accepted its request for relinquishment of the prospecting licenses for two coal blocks that CIL was given by the African nation.

Coal India Africana Limitada (CIAL), a wholly-owned subsidiary of CIL was granted prospecting licenses for two leaseholds, covering a total area of 224 sq km by the Ministry of Mineral resources, Government of Mozambique.

"Based on exploration activities carried out in the license areas from 2012 to 2014, 170 sq km area having no occurrence of coaly horizons till a depth of 500 m, was surrendered to the Government of Mozambique," it said.

The remaining 54 sq km area was retained for which new licenses were issued. Based on Geological Report of the license areas, Mineability Study to assess the techno-economic viability of mining of the remaining 54 sq km was conducted in 2015-16.

The Mineability Study revealed that the leasehold areas are not techno-economically viable for commercial mining. Based on this outcome of the study, CIL board approved complete surrendering of the prospecting licenses.

"Pursuant to these directives of the board, applications for surrendering the remaining 54 sq km of the leasehold area for prospecting was submitted to the National Institute of Mines (INAMI), Government of Mozambique," it added.
JM Financial has been selected as the transaction advisor which will act as merchant banker.

New Delhi: JM Financial has been appointed as the transaction advisor to the government's over Rs 37,000 crore stake sale in HPCL to ONGC. Besides, Cyril Amarchand Mangaldas has been selected as the legal advisor for handling the stake sale.

With ONGC and HPCL under the administrative control of the oil ministry, the latter has appointed 'Protocol Valuers Ltd' for suggesting valuation at which the government's 51.11 per cent stake in HPCL should be sold to ONGC, sources said.

The process of selection of transaction advisor was kicked off by the Department of Investment and Public Asset Management (DIPAM) in July and as many as five consultants -- including JM Financial, EY, PwC, ICICI Securities and Rothschild (India) Pvt Ltd had submitted expression of interest (EoI).

"JM Financial has been selected as the transaction advisor which will act as merchant banker for valuation and Cyril Amarchand Mangaldas will suggest the DIPAM on legal aspects of the strategic stake sale," sources said.

The other law firms who were in the race as legal consultant included Crawford Bayley and Co, Luthra and Luthra, Suman Khaitan and Company and Hammurabi and Solomon Partners.

The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA) had on July 19 given 'in-principle' approval to strategic sale of the government's existing 51.11 per cent stake in Hindustan Petroleum Corporation Ltd (HPCL) to Oil and Natural Gas Corporation (ONGC) along with the transfer of management control. At the current market price, the HPCL stake is valued at more than Rs 37,500 crore.

The merchant banker will assist the government on "modalities of disinvestment and the timing" as well as recommend the need for intermediaries required for the process.

It will do business valuation of HPCL, structure the transaction, suggest measures to fetch optimum value and assess positioning of the strategic sale.

Besides, it will prepare all documents like information memorandum (IM), confidentiality and transaction agreements such as pact to sale and the share purchase agreement.

The legal advisor will review and advise on all legal contracts, titles of properties, assets, real estate, intellectual property rights and contracts with employees.

It will also draft transaction related documents and advise on the structure of the transaction, including compliance with Sebi guidelines and stock exchange listing norms. Sources said the government is keen to complete the transaction within the current fiscal.
The Net is dominated by a handful of gargantuan enterprises: Google which controls 80 per cent of global search; Amazon, which lands 50 per cent of all product buys; aspirants such as Facebook and Microsoft and Apple, who are just getting their own act together.

Fraudulent clicks by robot programmes inflate Google advertisers billings. The episode unveils the larger risks of digital marketing.

Print is dead! they said. TV will soon say its last hurrah! they predicted. Inter-net is the medium of the future, tech pundits told us. There are just 7.5 billion people on earth, a third of them with access to the Internet, but 50 billion visit Google every month, which must mean that every human with an Internet connection clicks on Google at least once a day. So if you are a big (or small) business, you buy a domain name, create a website, pay someone a monthly fee to host it, and display your wares  a virtual mandi. But you sell nothing, because nobody knows you are out there.

So you advertise, enticed by the high-pitched marketing of services like Google ad words which promise that they know exactly where your potential customers are, what they buy, how much they spend, when they eat, play or sleep. All you need is to set aside a monthly kitty and they will use it to have your advertisement pop up on a million users pages. Only hitch: Every time they click on your ad, you pay.

Digital marketing trainers will tell you: be prepared to pay for many months before you get any business. Meanwhile, your little budget of Rs 1 lakh seems to vanish within weeks. Angry? Deal with it. There is seemingly no other way.

Google dominates web search like a colossus. But when you search with a key word, chances are, almost half or more of the first page is filled by people who have paid Google to appear there  only then will the non-commercial info appear. And all those advertisers are paying  even if you click by accident.

Last week, a major scandal erupted in the ad world. Correction: It was a long suspected scandal, only now acknowledged, by a biggie like Google. It seems that all those clicks that you, as advertiser, paid for, well, many of them were not clicked by humans but by clever robotic programmes or bots, which went about clicking millions of ads every day. Why do they do it? Its the money, honey!

The middle men who consolidate advertisements from thousands of clients and feed them to Google and other web pages (the technical jargon for them is Demand Side Platform or DSP) are a complex chain of agents and everyone gets a cut of the price of every click... if false clicks can be triggered, theres a lot of money to be made. Independent agencies like the Association of National Advertisers and WhiteOps estimate that fraudulent ad payouts by advertisers could be as much as $ 6.5 billion in 2017 alone... a nice chunk of change if you can have it.

Having discovered these goings-on, Google last week admitted that some ads placed through the tool known as Double Click Manager, were fraudulent. It has offered a refund. But heres the catch: the refund is only with respect to its own commission, which is typically seven to 10 per cent of the total cost of an ad click. The rest is divided up by others in the chain and no one can trace them. No wonder disgruntled advertisers, when offered a refund by Google, said it was like offering the price of a sandwich. Google is not as yet being open about what it has discovered about those who scooped up the remaining 90 per cent. We have to trust Google and take what little is offered. The problem is more serious because it is not immediately solvable.

Remember those little numbers and letters printed in a wonky way that you have to decipher to enter some bank and other money sites? Its called captcha and it is supposed to ensure that you are a human and not a bot. But will they put such a filter before every banner ad? Never, because it will drive away visitors. So in the short term, there is no solution to ad fraud, and advertisers are reconciling themselves to paying a percentage of their billings for wasted clicks.

The situation is much worse with mobile phone ads. Some phone owners install ad blockers so, according to Marketing Science Data, about 43 per cent of mobile display ad clicks are fraudulent.

Who loses? Not the Googles and the Yahoos and the Amazons. Not the DSPs, not the middle men. Only the advertisers  be they behemoths or micro enterprises. The Net is dominated by a handful of gargantuan enterprises: Google which controls 80 per cent of global search; Amazon, which lands 50 per cent of all product buys; aspirants such as Facebook and Microsoft and Apple, who are just getting their own act together.

Will any of them put money into technology that neutralises such Internet frauds which dont affect their bottom lines, only their reputations? We are probably right in being sceptical  till they actually do it.
An annual festival for Malayalis in and outside Kerala, Onam is celebrated with much fanfare. Though a Hindu festival, people from other religions usually participate in Onam celebrations, considering it as a cultural festival.

From making pookalam (flower carpet) to having onasadya together, Onam is one festival which brings all the family members together. On this auspicious day, a few film celebrities open up about their Onam memories they wish to bring back.

Parvatii Nair

Having been brought up in Abu Dhabi, celebrating Onam at my grandmas place in Kerala was a very memorable experience for me. I was in school then, and we travelled to our native place Ranny, near Sabarimala, in Kerala, to celebrate the festival.

Our house is situated on the banks of Pampa River and its a beautiful hilly region. My first and second cousins and my relatives had gathered there that year. We enjoyed a lot and celebrated for three days. And we had a lavish, 26 dish Onam sadya, apart from colorful kolams, new attires and lovely gifts. As a group, we all visited the temple in the evening. It was the happiest time I ever had in my life.

Its my most special Onam till date and I miss it as well. I feel Onam, as a festival, has become more commercial in modern days. There are special lunches and similar activities that many establishments offer  it may be good for those away from home, as many, due to work commitments, may not be able to go home. But theres no true spirit of people coming together. So, I feel it is more of a marketing technique.

After becoming an actress, the festival has become totally different. Because of star value, a lot of people call me as their guest during Onam and present expensive gifts like crystal and other showpieces. Even this year, there were events at Bengaluru and Chennai. But, I prefer to go to my moms native Adoor and spend quality time there with my family!

Santosh Sivan

Onam is a very special festival to Malayalis, irrespective of the religion they belong to. The idea of Onam itself is to meet all the family members and have the typical onasadya and spend time chatting and reminiscing old memories. And this Onam, I am going to spend my time with my father in Thiruvananthapuram. I will also be meeting my school mates. They are in different parts of the world, but will be coming down to celebrate the festival. So, this is a kind of mini reunion for us!

Sshivada Nair

Generally, for Onam, all the families would get together at their native place in Kerala, which would wear a festive look over the course of 10 days. There would be pookalam, tiger dances, boat races, mask dances, and more, all through the festival time. But for me, since we were settled in Chennai during my school days, we used to celebrate our Onam here. We stayed in an apartment complex of 20 flats and we were the only Malayali family there! So, my mom would cook the entire sadya at home and invite all friends, relatives and others to home. Everyone would be curious to know about how these foods are prepared. It used to be a happy occasion and fun. We also follow the tradition of putting Poo Kolams in a big way and feel like we were in Kerala itself! Those were memorable Onam celebrations for me.

I miss all those now post becoming an actress. This time, I have taken a break from my shoot in Ooty and I am at my mothers place in Angamaly in Kochi and celebrating my Onam. Later in the evening, I will travel to my husband Murali Krishnans native Allappey.

Abhishek George

I was born in Chennai and studied in Mumbai. But all our families would get together in Wayanad for every Onam during my childhood. At that time, I never understood the whole culture as to why we celebrate Onam and all that. For me, it was more like a family get-together, and ours was a huge family. Everything used to be a lot of fun  my brother, cousins and I would get dressed in shirt and mundu and we would be in kitchen making sadya.

But now, it has become more of a nuclear family life. So today, it would just be the four of us having sadya  but Ive told my mom that I would be there and help her with preparing aviyal and my brother would make sambhar! I generally feel that as weve grown up, there are responsibilities and with the fact were running behind our goals and ambitions, we forget to look back and hold on to things that used to be important.

Bejoy Nambiar

I was born and brought up in Mumbai and the two festivals that we celebrate religiously are Onam and Vishu.

And I make sure to celebrate the festivals with all their fervour with my family. At my home in Mumbai, my parents used to always recreate the entire Onam scene.

We make onasadya either at our place or my uncles place. We celebrate the festival in a big way and thats been the tradition every year. And it still continues to be the same!

(With inputs from Balajee CR)
Jagapathi Babu is one of the busiest character artistes these days as he is in much demand. He is now playing an important role in Chiranjeevis prestigious film Sye Ra which is based on the freedom fighter Uyyalavada Narasimha Reddy. Now, the interesting thing about Jagapathi Babu is that he got a title as Daring Star. This is actually not noticed by many people as the producer and Chiranjeevis son Ram Charan gave this title to Jagapathi when he revealed the names of the actors on the occasion of Chirus birthday. May be Charan gave this title to JB for his daring decision to play the negative role in his second innings and then continue to play the same in many films. Just for information, Jagapathi is also playing an important role in Ram Charans upcoming film Rangastham 1985 directed by Sukumar.
On Friday, Jr NTR and the team of Janatha Garage took a trip down memory lane. Its been exactly a year since the film, which was the biggest blockbuster of NTRs career, was released. It was to celebrate this anniversary that the star took to his microblogging account on Twitter to thank everyone associated with the project.

A year for #JanathaGarage.many fond memories of that film. Grateful to fans, well wishers and my director @sivakoratala and @MythriOfficial. Special thanks to @Mohanlal sir, @Samanthaprabhu2 ,Nithya, @ThisIsDSP ,@ramjowrites, @DOP_Tirru & each & every member of the cast & crew (sic), he posted.

The 34-year-old actor is currently shooting for Jai Lava Kusa, which is set to release this month. After wrapping up this action drama, he will commence working on his next project with director Trivikram Srinivas.
The first-look poster of Rana Daggubatis upcoming web series has been unveiled. Titled Social, the thriller will revolve around social media and the impact it has on millennials.

Talking about the subject, Rana, who was quite excited at the onset of stepping onto a new platform, says, This is my first ever digital fiction show and I strongly feel that with Social, some exciting and very contemporary content will reach the viewers. The actor will also be presenting the bilingual thriller which is being shot in both Telugu and Hindi. The show is based on the theme of social media and aims to create awareness about cyber crimes and how the Internet also becomes the saviour, adds the 32-year-old actor.

Directed by Shashi Sudigala, the 13 episode series that features Priya Banerjee as the female lead, is a story about four diverse individuals who come together to solve the mystery surrounding a missing girl. The first episode will air on September 8.
Monsoons bring along beautiful rains but also floods and a ton of diseases even experts say its better to be careful than be sorry.

Due to the recent flooding of several Indian cities and heavy rains in many other parts of the country, there is a major risk of contracting waterborne diseases. These are mainly caused by pathogenic micro-organisms that are commonly transmitted through contaminated fresh water. Infections tend to occur while drinking the infected water and consuming food cooked in it. One of the most widely-occurring illnesses is the waterborne diarrheal disease.

In fact, waterborne diseases account for 3.6 per cent of the global burden of diseases and cause about 1.5 million human deaths annually. Hence, heavy-duty water-logging in major cities of India seen during the monsoons every year raises the concern for the emergence of these diseases. Dr J. Anish Anand, consultant, internal medicine, Apollo Hospitals, answers some basic questions about these diseases and how to prevent and cure them.

What are the waterborne diseases that people suffer from once the flood waters recede?

The waterborne diseases are sporadic cholera, dysentery, typhoid, malaria, chikungunya, dengue, flu and leptospirosis. Leptospirosis is caused by leptospira bacteria present in the urine and faecal matter of animals like rats, dogs and cattle. When people wade through flooded streets, there is a high possibility of being infected with the waterborne bacteria. Those with wounds or cracked skin are particularly susceptible to the disease.

Are the water borne diseases debilitating?

Yes, waterborne diseases contracted after flooding are very debilitating. In the case of sporadic cholera, hospital admission is required and constant rehydration of the body is a must.

Similarly, those who suffer from malaria, chikungunya and dengue have to come to the hospital early for proper medical management. Late admissions often lead to complications and in a few cases they even prove to be fatal.

What are the preventive measures that people must take and for how long?

To prevent mosquitoes from breeding, water should not be allowed to stagnate; people should consume boiled or packaged water to prevent waterborne diseases. Spraying of insecticides and pesticides is important at points where the water stagnates.

Are people in low-lying areas with muck and silt outside their homes at a risk? What are the precautions they must take?

Muck and silt, which are found inside homes as well, have to be cleaned properly as they increase the risk of infections. Apart from being cleaned properly, there is also a need to use disinfectants if the silt is from the gutters. There are various pathogens and micro-organisms in this silt. So, it is important to clean the area and allow it to dry. People must wash their hands regularly when they touch any surface in these areas as it can contain bacteria and viruses. Hand-washing must be done regularly.

For people who wade in knee-deep waters or walk for hours in water, what are the symptoms to be alert to?

They should see whether they are feeling feverish, have rashes, an upset stomach or any other symptoms of illness.

Tips on how to deal with monsoon woes
New York: A rare, personally inscribed and signed copy of German dictator Adolf Hitler's autobiography 'Mein Kampf' is estimated to fetch $20,000 at an auction in

the US.

The front flyleaf of the book is boldly inscribed and signed by Hitler as "Only in battle will the noble man survive! Adolf Hitler on 18/August 1930".

On the date he signed this book, Hitler was in Cologne in Germany giving a speech promoting the National Socialist German Workers' Party (NSDAP) and its slate of candidates for the upcoming September 14 national elections, according to Alexander Historical Auctions in the US.

The book has a blue cloth covering with the gilt NSDAP emblem on it and gilt title on the spine. "Signed copies of "Mein Kampf" are difficult enough to obtain, copies with such a signed quote are only very rarely seen," the auction house said.

The online auction starts on September 13.
With a single line, Angela Goraphy shatters all the images you may have built of an American-born desi. She switches to the language of her parents  Malayalam  like a native who never left Kerala. Sitting in her New York apartment, Angela, who was crowned Miss India Washington three years ago, talks of Onam, and how she found a way to be with her family, sitting miles away through Facetime.

When I get online from New York and my family does from Washington DC, we eat our Onam-special meals together, Angela says. This is the first Onam she is spending away from family. Ironically, when they were all at the same place they didnt celebrated Onam like this, cooking together, sitting together, chatting together. It had to take Angela more than 200 miles away for that to happen.

This is not the first time she has gone online to chat with her kin sitting miles away for Onam. She has been doing that with cousins back home in India, but this is the first time they all ate together. It was 7 pm in Washington DC and 10 pm in New York. My mom, dad and brother came online with their full-fledged sadya that mom made, arranged beautifully on banana leaves. I could only make a couple of curries and rice and put them on a paper plate. But it felt great, eating together, she says. She added in the chips she bought, while missing the homemade ones made by her mom.

After the sadya, they spent a long time updating each other with whats been going on. She says, I talked of the Onam programmes in New York that would be happening every weekend. The Onam celebrations here are grander than those in Kerala!

Back at home, this had never been the case. Theyd sit to eat and then go their separate ways to their separate worlds. But the year before, Angela made sure theyd have a full-fledged sadya. I knew I was going to be away next Onam, she says.
Hyderabad: Using clues given by a 14-year-old boy who managed to escape his captors the Medchal police arrested BTech student Gaddam Nagendra Babu, 25, and his friend Thatapathi Jogi Prasad, 27, a businessman from Balajinagar, on Friday for kidnapping him and threatening his father, a businessman, that they will murder the boy if he did not pay a ransom of Rs 10 lakh.

On August 19, the boy, Y. Manidhar, was on way to school on his bicycle when a silver coloured car pulled up. Two men got out from it and pulled him down from his cycle. A few hours later his father received a call asking him to pay Rs 10 lakh or he will never see his son again.

The person gave his name as Pramod. He said he will kill my son if I did not pay, said the father, Y. Giri Babu, a businessman staying at Archana Estate in Kistapur, an area in Medchal. Meanwhile, enroute to their hideout, one of the men tied the boys hands with a rope and taped his mouth shut.

Y. Manidhar, a student of Nagarjuna School, was abducted from Kistapur Canal on August 19 at around 8:30 am, said inspector S. Venkat Reddy of Medchal police.

On the same day Manidhar escaped from the kidnappers hideout in Muneerabad on the citys outskirts. The boy managed to untie his hands as the rope was worn out. He reached the main road half a km away. He stopped a car and asked the driver to help him, added inspector Darshan Reddy. The man in the car, a petrol pump owner, informed the police.

The boy told the police about his escape and also that the car had a doraemon sticker on it with the words make way for ambulance in Telugu. The police located the car (TS 03 UA 6550) on Saturday at 6 am at Medchal check post and arrested the two people in it. They admitted the kidnap as well as a robbery in Keesara in which where they had stolen Rs 1.18 lakh from the house of businessman Sadhineni Sudheer, said DCP crimes, Balanagar Zone, G. Janaki Sharmila. Cops seized wo bikes, two phones, a car and Rs 90,000 from them.
Girls take a look the toys made from coconut fibre at a toys exhibition arranged on World Coconut Day in Vijayawada, on Saturday. (Photo: DC)

Vijayawada: Andhra Pradesh is the third largest state in coconut cultivation and stood first in the country in terms of yield, said minister for agriculture Somireddy Chandramohan Reddy.

He was speaking at a programme held here under the aegis of the Coconut Development Board and horticulture department, marking the World Coconut Day on Saturday. He said the state government was promoting cultivation of horticulture crops and had given priority to cultivation of coconut.

Mr Reddy said the state government was spending Rs 1,427 crore per annum on promoting coconut production and that it had provided insurance to coconut crop, to protect farmers from risk.

He said the state government was focusing on increasing the coconut cultivation area and promoting manufacturing of specialised products with coconut, its fibre.

"Special marketing facilities are being provided to coconut products as some like coconut milk have a huge demand overseas," he said.

The state government's loan waiver to farmers has become a role model to many states and they are studying our best practices. A Central committee will examine the problems being faced by oil palm farmers and suggest some solutions, Mr Reddy said.
Members of the SFI protest the death of S Anitha, who petitioned the SC against the implementation of NEET in Tamil Nadu. (Photo: ANI | Twitter)

Chennai: Protests continued for the second day on Sunday, in Chennai, over the death of a Dalit medical aspirant and a petitioner in the Supreme Court against the National Entrance-cum-Eligibility Test (NEET).

Activists of a pro-Tamil outfit, 'May 17 Movement' were detained when they attempted to lay siege to the BJP's state headquarters in Chennai, police said.

The protesters raised slogans against the Central and state governments over the suicide of 17-year-old Anitha from Ariyalur, daughter of a daily wage earner who allegedly hanged herself at her house in Ariyalur district on Sept 1 reportedly upset over not getting an MBBS seat.

Security has been beefed up at the BJP office in Chennai.

Pro-Dalit Viduthalai Chiruthaigal Katchi (VCK) also staged protests in Chennai and scores of its volunteers were detained.

Anitha was reportedly upset after it became known that Tamil Nadu will not be exempted from the ambit of National Entrance-cum-Eligibility Test (NEET). She had earlier moved the Supreme Court against NEET.

Opposition DMK also targeted BJP and the ruling AIADMK in Tamil Nadu, faulting both for failing to ensure at least one year exemption for the state from NEET.

DMK Working President M K Stalin, who late last night paid tributes to Anitha at her native village shortly ahead of the cremation, said his party had donated Rs 10 lakh to her family.

NEET had affected social justice in Tamil Nadu, Stalin, Leader of Opposition in the state Assembly, claimed and assured his party will take the fight against NEET forward.

"DMK will align with like-minded forces to uphold the key Dravidian policy of social justice, retrieve the rights of the state, bring Education under the State List and ensure nobody else suffers Anitha's fate in Tamil Nadu," he said in a letter addressed to his partymen.

The BJP lashed out against those doing "brutal politics" over the teen's suicide.

BJP state President Tamilisai Sounderrajan also took objection to the "insult" of Prime Minister Narendra Modi over the issue.

"Insulting Prime Minister Modi cannot be accepted," she said in a brief statement, apparently referring to effigies of the PM being burnt by protestors at Coimbatore on Sunday.
SIRCILLA: Maharashtra Governor Ch. Vidyasagar Rao on Saturday said that as a farmer he would have committed suicide many times over due to the prevailing conditions.

He said farmers were facing many difficulties, and added that he was writing a book on why farmers were committing suicide based on his experiences with farming.

Mr Vidyasagar Rao said he wanted to raise a mango orchard in his native Nagaram from the money he earned as an advocate in 1983.

He said he would have made good money like Mr Rameshwar Rao of the My Home group if he had invested in Hyde-rabad.

He was addressing the public meeting after laying the foundation stone for the restoration works of the Kodandarama-swamy temple at Naga-ram, Konaraopet. He said anybody could rise to the top as Prime Minister Narendra Modi and shown.

Mr Rao said he had two years tenure left in his tenure, and he would later settle in Nagaram.
In many houses in Koramangala rainwater first inundated the cellar and then went up to the first floor.

Bengaluru: Heavy rains lashed the city for the second consecutive day on Saturday and threw life out of gear, but it appears BBMP has not learned anything from the August 15 rain fury.

Areas such as Koramangala, HSR Layout, Anugraha Layout at Kodichikkanahalli, Bannerghatta Road, Bommanahalli, Gottigere, K.R. Puram got inundated and turned into islands. With no regular desilting of drains, rapid encroachment of shoulder drains and stormwater drains many areas and roads in Bengaluru got reduced to cess pools. In many houses in Koramangala rainwater first inundated the cellar and then went up to the first floor.

Le Meridien underpass flooded

The underpass next to Hotel Le Meridien, located few metres away from Chief Minister Siddaramaiah's official residence Krishna, got totally immersed in water. The underpass provides connectivity for vehicles between Vasanthnagar and Hebbal.

Roads flooded

With no space for the rainwater to flow, majority of the roads at Varthur, Whitefield, Hosur Road, Begur, Bommanahalli, Jayanagar, Vijaynagar, Silk Board, Ramamurthynagar, Shanthinagar, Vasanthnagar had turned into rivulets with knee-deep water.

Commuters had tough time reaching their destination. There were incidents of skidding as roads had become slipper in many places. Begur Lake embankment breached

Incessant rains led to breach of Begur Lake embankment, resulting in flooding in downstream areas.

20 trees uprooted

Twenty cases of tree fall were reported in various parts of the city on Saturday. Most of them were reported from Bengaluru East and South Zone. BBMP control room recorded over 40 flood related complaints from Bommanahalli zone.

No lessons learned

Weathermen have been repeatedly giving out warning of heavy rainfall, but they have gone unheeded. The last time BBMP ignored the warning was on August 15 and the latest one being this two-day deluge.

BBMP which should have taken up desilting of shoulder drains and SWDs much before the monsoon has taken it up only now, which is of no use. "While we have the credit of sending rocket to Mars it is disheartening that we haven't found a permanent solution to this," said Shruthi, a resident of Koramangala.

Angry residents demanded the BBMP to compensate for their lost properties.

More rains forecast

Weathermen have forecast heavy rains for the next 4-5 days. Srinivasa Reddy, director of KSNDMC said "Depression formed over the southern part of Bay of Bengal is bringing rains to all the southern parts of India including Bengaluru. According to our prediction, rains are set to continue till September 7, may be with some gap."

Mayor draws flak

In the absence of Bengaluru Development Minister K.J. George, BBMP Mayor G Padmavathi alone visited the rain affected areas. Angry residents slammed her for not taking any action after getting elected as Mayor. Residents questioned what was preventing BBMP from finding a permanent solution to their problems.
Police were on their toes on Saturday as protests by political parties and students popped up in at least 17 places across Chennai (Representational Image)

Chennai: A day after MBBS aspirant Anitha committed suicide in Ariyalur, police personnel were deployed in large numbers at Marina Beach on Saturday to make sure that students and people do not repeat a pro-Jallikattu like protest against the central government on Neet issue.

Police said that some WhatsApp messages were doing rounds saying about the need for to launch Marina2.0 for Neet issue. Police cautioned public not to believe such rumours in social media about the protests and also warned strict action against rumour mongers.

Additional police strength was also deployed at the state BJP headquarters in T Nagar.

Police were on their toes on Saturday as protests by political parties and students popped up in at least 17 places across Chennai. Police detained 735 people including 100 women in Chennai for staging protests demanding justice in Neet issue.

CPI (M) protested in front of Tarapore tower on Anna Salai led by its leader G. Ramakrishnan and VCK cadres protested in front of DME office in Kilpauk. Agitations were also reported on Wallajah Road, Saidapet, opposite to Multi specialty hospital in Omandur estate, Neelankarai and near Fort St George. Agitators also burnt effigies of Prime Minister Narendra Modi at two places in the city.
The renovated Kalas Mahal, a majestic Indo Saracenic structure, housing the National Green Tribunal (NGT) southern zone offices was inaugurated by CM Edappadi K. Palaniswami, The NGT houses three court halls. Justice Sanjay Kishan Kaul, judge Supreme Court of India, Indira Banerjee Chief Justice of Madras HC, chairperson of NGT Justice Swatanter Kumar and Judicial Member of NGT Justice P. Jyothimani were also present on the occasion (Photo :DC)

Chennai: At the inaugural function of the renovated Kalas Mahal, Chepauk, held in the city on Saturday, which is occupied by the National Green Tribunal (NGT), the Chief Justice of Madras High Court Indira Banerjee, released the first copy of Report and Recommendations of Regional Conference on Environment - 2016 Chennai.

Infographic

The first copy, which has a note on Kalas Mahal, the official residence of the Nawabs of the Carnatic/ Arcot from 1768 to 1855, was received by the Prince of Arcot, Nawab Mohammed Abdul Ali, who is the direct descendant of Nawab Wallajah, who built the Kalas Mahal.

Infographic

Thee Prince in his address said that Nawab Muhammad Ali Wallajah was a sovereign and independent secular ruler of this part of the country (1749-1795), by word and action and he recalled his religious policies towards non-Muslims, by way of donating lands in South India to build temples and missionaries, besides constructing mosques, and thus maintained perfect harmony and peace among people of various faiths. The Prince also urged people to protect and preserve secularism in the country, at all times, which is the oxygen without which India cannot survive, he said.
Quillaia extracts are used as foaming agent in puddings, soft drinks and also dairy products. (Representational image)

Hyderabad: Compliance of nutrient labelling in terms of salt on packaged food products is low, according to a study published in Nutrition and Health.

The study was conducted on products approved by the Food and Safety Standard Authority of India (FSSAI).

As per the guidelines of the FSSAI, the salt content was tabulated. However, the compliance level was low.

The study covered 11 large retail chains and was found that salt content was high in sauces, spreads and convenience foods.

Rehmat Fatima, a nutritionist, said, Convenience foods have a higher salt content as they are stored. To maintain the nutrient value, texture and colour, salt content added to them is higher. Many studies have shown that salt content in them ranges from 800 mg to 1,355 mg per 100 gm.

In sauces and spreads it ranges from 800 mg to 2,000 mg per 100 gm. The traditional food items like pickles, parathas and chutneys also contain a high amount of salt.

A senior FSSAI official pointed out, The guidelines are being framed to cover foods which have a short shelf life. But controlling products with long shelf life is a task. We have to hold talks with food manufacturers and device a plan.

As far as food producers are concerned, controlling the salt level is a major task. Sunil Aggarwal, a food producer in the city, said, There is a need to bring about a change in the preparation of foods with long shelf life. They require different types of packaging materials which are not available. The compliance level will improve once different methods are introduced.

Suneetha Premlatha, another nutritionist, noted, Reading labels requires scientific knowledge about the making of foods. Many consumers check the salt and fat levels before picking up products. But they also need to check the serving size on the label as it will give an idea of the total calories and grams consumed per serving.

The unorganised food production market constitutes a 70 per cent of the total segment. Since it does not come under the lens of the authorities, awareness is the only option left.
President Ram Nath Kovind, Vice President M. Venkaiah Naidu, Prime Minister Narendra Modi poses with some new members of cabinet after the reshuffle at Rashtrapati Bhavan in New Delhi on Sunday. (Photo: PTI)

New Delhi: Four Union ministers were promoted to Cabinet rank and nine new ministers were sworn in by President Ram Nath Kovind on Sunday.

All of the nine ministers are members of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).

The rejig in the Union Cabinet is the third since 2014 after Narendra Modi took oath as the Prime Minister.

Petroleum Minister Dharmendra Pradhan, power minister Piyush Goyal, minister of state at the ministry of commerce and industry Nirmala Sitharaman and minister of state for parliamentary affairs Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi were sworn in and promoted to Cabinet rank.

The promotion of Naqvi, Pradhan, Sitharaman and Goyal, who were all State Ministers with independent charge, is an endorsement of their good performance, reported PTI.

Former Foreign Service officer Hardeep Puri ad former IAS officer Alphons Kannanthanam are not members of the Parliament.

The other seven to join Narendra Modi's council of ministers are Uttara Kannada MP Anantkumar Hegde, former home secretary and Arrah MP R K Singh, Jodhpur MP Gajendra Singh, former Mumbai police commissioner and Baghpat MP Satya Pal Singh, Rajya Sabha MP from Uttar Pradesh Shiv Pratap Shukla, Buxar MP Ashwini Chaubey and Tikamgarh MP Virendra Kumar.

Modi, in a tweet, congratulated the four new ministers who have been promoted and said, "Experience and wisdom of all those who have taken oath today will add immense value to the Council of Ministers."

I congratulate all those who have taken oath today. Their experience & wisdom will add immense value to the Council of Ministers.  Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) September 3, 2017

The selection of nine new names for ministership has been done by Prime Minister Narendra Modi keeping in view the 4Ps -- passion, proficiency, professional and political acumen, to deliver on his vision of a "new India", reported PTI.

Shiv Sena, BJP's ally in Maharashtra and Janata Dal (United) (JD (U)), their ally in Bihar did not partake in the oath taking ceremony which took place at the Rashtrapati Bhavan at 10:30 am on Sunday.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi walks for a Cabinet meeting at Parliament Library in New Delhi. (Photo: PTI)

New Delhi: With all eyes set on the cabinet reshuffle on Sunday, nine new faces are expected to be introduced in Prime Minister Narendra Modi's government.

Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MPs - Ashwini Kumar Choubey from Bihar, Shiv Paratap Shukla from Uttar Pradesh, Virendra Kumar from Madhya Pradesh, Anantkumar Hegde, Raj Kumar Singh, Hardeep Singh Puri, Gajendra Singh Shekhawat, Satya Pal Singh, Alphons Kannanthanam will take oath on Sunday.

The new ministers will be taking oath at 10:30 am at the Rashtrapti Bhavan, on Sunday, President Ram Nath Kovind confirmed in a tweet.

Swearing-in ceremony of new ministers of the Union government will take place at 10.30 am on Sunday, September 3, at Rashtrapati Bhavan  President of India (@rashtrapatibhvn) September 2, 2017

Six ministers have resigned ahead of Sunday's re-shuffle.

File pictures of Union Ministers who have resigned from the NDA government ahead of the cabinet reshuffle. Top row from left, Uma Bharti, Mahendra Nath Pandey and Kalraj Mishra. Bottom left to right, Bandaru Dattatreya, Sanjiv Kumar Balyan and Rajiv Pratap Rudy. (Photo: PTI)

The rejig in the Union Cabinet is the third since 2014 after Narendra Modi took oath as the Prime Minister.

After assuming office in May 2014, Modi expanded his council of ministers twice - first on November 9, 2014 and then on July 5, 2016.

Satyapal Singh one of the nine ministers to be inducted in Modi government said, "I have not been officially informed, but whatever is party and PM's decision I am ready for it."

The current strength of the council of ministers, including the Prime Minister, is 73 and the maximum number of ministers cannot go beyond 81.

According to a constitutional amendment, the limit cannot exceed beyond 15 per cent of the total strength of the Lok Sabha which is 545.
Sitharaman also credited her elevation to a cabinet rank minister to 'cosmic grace' and support from party leadership. (Photo: Facebook)

New Delhi: Nirmala Sitharaman, who landed the crucial defence portfolio in a major rejig of the Modi government, on Sunday said she was overwhelmed and humbled and will serve the country with something she was constantly thinking about.

Sitharaman, who became the first full-time woman Defence Minister of the country, also credited her elevation to a cabinet rank minister to cosmic grace and support from party leadership.

Also, she is the second woman to take charge of the crucial ministry as Indira Gandhi, as the prime minister, had also held the portfolio in the seventies.

I am just overwhelmed and humbled. I can serve the country with something which is constantly on the top of my mind, she said.

Stressing that it was a big responsibility, Sitharaman said she was very grateful for the confidence the Prime Minister has on her.

Asked whether dealing with Pakistan in view of terrorism will be her priority, she said I have not even taken charge. I dont think it is appropriate to comment on it now...give me some time.

To a query whether her elevation showed Prime Minister Narendra Modis commitment towards women empowerment, she said the Prime Minister has always been in favour.

I know his working style since the time he was in Gujarat ... He always believe in giving women their due share. His belief is that women can also perform, she said.

Sitharaman was among the four junior ministers, who were given cabinet berths at the reshuffle on Sunday. Sitharaman was earlier the Minister of State (Independent Charge) Commerce.

Somebody who has come from a small town, grown into the party with all the support of the leadership, and if given such responsibility, it just makes you feel sometimes that cosmic grace is there. Otherwise, it is impossible, she told reporters in Delhi soon after taking oath.

To a query on the opposition criticism of her working as the commerce minister, the BJP leader said she was neither averse, nor frightened by criticism.

Every criticism is a message and we have to learn from it. I am not averse to criticism and also not frightened of it, but certainly take messages from them.

Criticism per se do not reflect on performance. It only adds to your performance if you are ready to take on-board the corrections that may be workable, she said.

Sitharaman was also quick to highlight a number of initiatives by the commerce ministry like Start up India and Make in India.

With the support of the prime minister, so many things have happened in the ministry like Start up India, Make in India etc. There is some misconception about Make in India, but it will be answered, she said.
New Delhi: Even though the Doklam stand-off with China has been resolved, the Centre has decided not to lower its guard as NSA Ajit Doval will soon chair a high-level meeting with security forces deployed along the Indo-China border like ITBP and Army along with other agencies involved in infrastructure projects in the region.

Top government sources said that the NSA along with all agencies concerned will discuss a mechanism to evolve a comprehensive strategy to further enhance the security apparatus along the sensitive Indo-China border.

Incidentally, Mr Doval also played a crucial role in helping resolve the Doklam crisis having several interactions with his Chinese counterpart and other high ranking officials especially during his Beijing visit last month.

The big take away from the Doklam episode is that there is greater urgency in the government now to ensure that there is a comprehensive security policy specifically related to the Indo-China border. This will be not just limited to upgrading the equipment and manpower for the security forces but ensure that other projects like roads and railways in the region also get a further push which in turn will help facilitate faster movement of troops to the region,a senior security official said.
Earlier in the day, North Korea announced that it has successfully conducted a test of a hydrogen bomb that is meant to be loaded into an intercontinental ballistic missile. (Photo: AFP)

New Delhi: India on Sunday deplored the nuclear test conducted by North Korea and called Pyongyang to refrain from actions that adversely impact peace and stability in the region and beyond.

In a statement, External Affairs Ministry expressed concern over the nuclear test and said that the "Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) has once again acted in violation of its international commitments."

The statement further read that the move goes against the objective of the de-nuclearisation of the Korean peninsula, which has been endorsed by the country itself.

"India also remains concerned about the proliferation of nuclear and missile technologies that has adversely impacted India's national security."

Earlier in the day, North Korea announced that it has successfully conducted a test of a hydrogen bomb that is meant to be loaded into an intercontinental ballistic missile.

The news reader of the North Korean Central Television said North Korea's leader Kim Jong-un ordered the test and termed it a "perfect success". A quake was felt in northern China, with emergency sirens blaring in Yanji, near the North Korean border, according to local media.

Earlier, China had also strongly condemned North Korea for conducting nuclear test and slammed Pyongyang for ignoring international condemnation of its atomic weapons programme.

Chinese Foreign Ministry issued a statement on Sunday, expressing firm opposition to and strong condemnation at the nuclear test by the DPRK, The Global Times reported.

"North Korea has ignored the international community's widespread opposition, again carrying out a nuclear test. China's government expresses resolute opposition and strong condemnation toward this", the Chinese foreign ministry said in a statement.
Bengaluru: Three mega conventions-one in Maharashtra and two in Karnataka are on the anvil as part of a strategy to mount pressure on both the Union and state governments for approval of a separate religion status for Lingayats, according to Jayamruthyunjaya Swamy of Koodalasangama Math.

He told the media here that while the first convention would be held in Latur on Sunday, where about four lakh Lingayats would participate, subsequent rallies would be held in Kalaburagi, Vijayapura and Bengaluru in December. These conventions would help instill confidence among Lingayats rather than turnout as a show of strength. It has become necessary to fight for the cause of people of people of the entire community. The demand for separate religion tag was made over a 100 years ago, the time was appropriate to pressurize the government in this regard. There is no political agenda involved in holding these conventions, he added.

The seer said the demand for a separate religion status was first aired by Basavanna in the 12th century. Rumours, however, are being spread that pontiffs of the Pancha Peeta are supporting Veerashaivas. On the other hand, the senior seer of Siddaganga Math has suggested that everyone should be taken into confidence. Besides, Shivarathri Deshikendra Swamy of Suttur Math has offered to resolve all controversies and fight united in the larger interest of people of the community.

The seer also pointed out that former bureaucrat, S M Jamdar, convener of Lingayat Pratyeka Dharma Horata Samithi, said discussions are on since a month over the row over about separate religion status. The organization was ready for discussion on this issued as long as it would not be held on the basis of puranas but nearer to reality. Unfortunately, Vachana Sahitya had been neglected during the last century, and all knew who were the cause for such negligence. Mr Jamdar has extended an invitation to pontiffs of Pancha Peetha to participate in a debate on their opposition to the demand for separate religion tag for Lingayats, the seer added.
Chennai: The suicide of Ariyalur student Anitha has triggered massive public outrage in the state with groups of students, Tamil nationalist movements, Leftist groups and Dalit activists taking to the streets with protest demonstrations, road blockades and burning of Prime Minister Narendra Modis effigies.

A total of 1,450 persons were arrested throughout the state, according to the police. Besides, about 3,000 protesters were let off after detention for a few hours. In Chennai city, protests were held at 17 places resulting in the arrest of 735 persons including 100 women.

As Anithas death gave new life to the anti-Neet agitations, which turned into vociferous protests against the central and state governments, BJP offices throughout the state came under heavy security blanket, in a clear indication of the strong resentment against the saffron party, which is accused of forcing Neet on Tamil Nadu.

Tamil Nadu appears to be heading towards another round of protests and political activities on Neet since the mainstream parties declared that they would decide on the kind of coordinated protests to scrap Neet.

Viduthalai Chiruthaigal Katchi leader Thol. Thirumavalavan said parties including DMK, Congress, Left, VCK and other outfits said they would chalk out plans for the protest to demand that education should be removed from the concurrent list and placed in the state list alone.

Policemen deployed near Marina, Kovai voc ground

All the major avenues where students and youth gathered for the jallikattu protests including Marina beach, VOC ground in Coimbatore and similar places in all the districts are heavily guarded by police to prevent similar protests against Neet. Hundreds of policemen had been deployed at the Marina beach following appeals in the social media to gather at the beach. Policemen had been deployed before the Secretariat, Directorate of Medical Education, MGR medical university, besides central and state government offices.

In Chennai, CPM state secretary G.Ramakrishnan led a road blockade at Anna road. The protesters shouted slogans against Modi ,Chief Minister Edappadi K. Palaniswami and Union Minister Nirmala Seetharaman.

Naam Thamizhar movement leader P. Seeman held protests in Nungambakkam demanding justice for Anitha's death. Talking to the media, he questioned the need for NEET and asked "Before NEET was introduced, the country had produced thousands of doctors. Are all them are unqualified to be doctors?".Dravidar Viduthalai Kazhagam cadre who tried to march towards 'Kamalalayam', the BJP headquarters in the city were stopped and arrested by police.

In Coimbatore, VCK cadres were arrested when they tried to enter the railway station, while police had to resort to mild lathi charge when Thanthai Periyar Dravidar Kazhagam activities blocked roads in the city. Candle light processions were taken out for Anitha at Tirunelveli and police barricaded the Palayamkottai VOC ground to thwart attempts of protesters to gather for the protests.
Bhopal: Madhya Pradhesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan on Sunday said that those who abandon their parents would now be punished under law.

"It is not the tradition of our country to leave their parents at old-age homes, but is to serve their parents until the last breath of your life," the chief minister said, while addressing a gathering in Bhopal, on the occasion of completion of five years of 'Mukhyamantri Teerth Darshan Yojna 2017.'

Talking about 'Mukhyamantri Teerth Darshan Yojna 2017', Chouhan said, "When I started this scheme five years ago, people mocked at me saying pilgrimage is not the government's job. But I say that it is government's job to provide the pilgrimage service to the elderly."

Under the scheme, the Madhya Pradesh government will extend one-time assistance in a lifetime to senior citizens above 60 years of age to visit a prescribed pilgrimage outside the state.

"We will also take all possible measures to ease the pilgrimage further and in the same process the government has decided to bear the expenses of and allow a younger person with the elderly under the scheme," Chouhan said.

He also added that the number of trains will be increased for the same.

Chouhan further announced a kit of essentials for the pilgrims, a pamphlet giving details of the pilgrimage, and added few other pilgrims places in the already existing ones.
Mumbai: There is no need of medical reports and the statement of victim will suffice to substantiate sexual abuse charges, the Bombay high court has ruled. Rejecting the bail application of a 19-year-old youth, who is accused of performing unnatural sex on a 10-year-old boy, the court observed that there is no need to believe medical reports. The statements of the victim and his mother are enough to prove the crime.

A single judge bench of Justice Revati Mohite-Dere was hearing the bail application of Pawan Rathod, a resident of Kalyan. According to prosecution on November 28, 2016, between 5 and 5.30 pm, Rathod had called the alleged victim, who resides in the same locality, to his house. Rathod then asked the boy to play on his mobile phone and thereafter, forcibly took him to the kitchen and forced himself upon the victim.

The alleged victim in his statement stated that because of the said act, he started weeping and was unable to pass stools and was bleeding from his anus. The boy immediately informed his mother, following which a police complaint was lodged.

The applicant while seeking bail relied on the medical certificate of the alleged victim, which shows no semen was detected and claimed that no unnatural sex had happened. The applicant further argued that as investigation has been completed and chargesheet has been filed, no more custodial interrogation is required and bail has to be granted to the accused.

The court found that there is nothing on record to show that the applicant has been falsely implicated in the case.
New Delhi: Expressing happiness for getting a chance to be a part of the Union Government, the leaders who will become ministers in the Prime Minister Narendra Modi's government, on Saturday thanked the Prime Minister for giving them the opportunity to serve the country and said that they will try to live up to his expectations.

Modi is to expand his Council by inducting nine new Ministers, Shiv Pratap Shukla, Ashwini Kumar Choubey, Virendra Kumar (SC), Anantkumar Hegde, Raj Kumar Singh, HardeepSingh Puri, Gajendra Singh Shekhawat, Satya Pal Singh, and Alphons Kannanthanam. All the new ministers are from ruling Bharatiya Janata Party.

"Prime Minister Modi has showed so much faith in me. I will try to live up to his expectations," Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Ashwini Kumar Choubey said.

Another Minister Gajendra S Shekhawat, who will also be a part of the Union Cabinet said that he is happy that he got a chance to work for the country.

"I have always fulfilled responsibilities the party leadership gave me. I thank Prime Minsiter Modi, Amit Shah and senior leaders for this opportunity," said another leader Virendra Kumar.

Meanwhile, elated to be a part of the Cabinet Ministry, party leader Satyapal Singh said that he has not yet been officially informed, but whatever is the party's and the prime minister's decision he is ready to take it.

"I will believe the information to be authentic only when I get it from official sources," said another leader Shiv Pratap Shukla.

It is notable that Modi is going to make significant changes to his Council of Ministers with the power of 4Ps for Progress, which are passion, proficiency, professional and political acumen.

As part of the restructuring, six incumbent Ministers have resigned to take on other responsibilities. Having made meaningful contributions during their tenures, all of them have been important members of the Council of Ministers. The Prime Minister has recognised and appreciated their service to the nation.

In continuance of his track record of identifying his fellow team members on the merit of their past performance and future potential, the new ministers have been selected by the Prime Minister with a clear mandate to deliver on his vision of a New India.

A vision which is built on the foundations of development and good governance, and with a focus on the Garib, Shoshit, Peedit and Vanchit segments of our society.

The new Ministers are going to be strategically placed in key Ministries, especially focusing on last mile delivery directly to the people.

The new Ministers come from varied walks of life, bringing in their unique professional perspective and proficiency to the Council. Many of them also bring rich administrative and governance experience.

All the Ministers are highly qualified, with a number of them having professional as well as PhD degrees.

The Ministers come from diverse social and economic backgrounds, as well as from across the country - stretching from Uttar Pradesh to Kerala and Karnataka; and Rajasthan to Delhi, Madhya Pradesh and Bihar.
KOZHIKODE: The Congress has urged the state government to order an inquiry into the mysterious death of P.P. Ramakrishnan, former additional sub-inspector of Chevayoor police station, whose body was found hanging in the police station on August 27. Hailing from Kunnamangalam in the district, he was transferred to Chevayoor from town station recently.

KPCC general secretary N. Subramanyan in a press release alleged that none of the police officials had visited the house of the victim after his death. His relatives had raised suspicions on the role of the higher officials in the death, he said. The relatives alleged that Ramakrishnan had complained of the torture of higher officials before his death. Though they had submitted a memorandum to the chief minister, there was no action, he alleged.
Bengaluru: The decision of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and BJP national president Amit Shah to pick Uttara Kannada MP Anant Kumar Hegde from Karnataka for induction into the Union Cabinet, has come as a 'big shock' to state BJP leaders. They are at a loss to decipher the reasons why Mr Hegde, a Brahmin, was chosen and not someone from the dominant Vokkaliga or Lingayat community.

Forty eight-year old Hegde is no novice however and is a five-time MP who once defeated Congress heavyweight Margaret Alva to enter Parliament.

A product of firebrand Hindutva politics of the Nineties, he shot to fame after he hoisted the Tricolour at the controversial Idgah Maidan at Hubballi violating curfew and breaking a police cordon.

He is considered a loner by state BJP leaders which makes his elevation even more puzzling, confide sources.

This has come as a shock to us. Whoever picked him, has to explain why it was done. His induction will not help us in any way, especially with polls approaching, fumed a senior leader.

Sources in the state RSS felt Hedges aggressive pro-Hindutva line and his active participation in parliamentary standing committees may have helped him make it to the Cabinet.

The pulls and pressures of state politics are not the criterion for selecting Union Cabinet appointees. We could guess this based on Mr Amit Shah's interaction with state leaders during his recent visit, they said.

According to these sources, Mr Shah asked BJP district presidents and state leaders how many BJP leaders had worked with frontal organisations five years before joining the party, how many had faced police cases for fighting for public causes and finally, how many had individually held rallies in the last four years which drew big crowds. Anant Kumar Hegde easily fulfils all three conditions, we presume this could be the reason why he was picked. One more reason-strange though it may seem- is that he did not lobby for a berth which might have worked in his favour. sources said.

Nor does the BJP top brass believe that the choice of Union minister will have a bearing on assembly elections, which demand a different strategy.

I think this is the premise on which central leaders might have worked, sources added.
Its politically correct to trash whatever policy announcement US President Donald Trump makes. No surprises then that his latest Afghanistan strategy declaration evoked similar titters. It is assumed his new Afghan strategy, like everything else about him, will be a damp squib. Nothing could be further from the truth. President Trumps policy view on the unending Afghan war is perhaps the sanest that has come from the White House in a long time. The details might take a little doing but the big targets are spot-on. His new Afghan policy is also good news for Asia.

There are two or three pivotal points of his Afghan policy that must be seen for what they are. The main thrust is that the US isnt planning to quit Afghanistan militarily soon.

The big question isnt how many additional troops President Trump will send to Afghanistan or how much he is prepared to spend; it is about commitment. Will it continue or not? That has been answered. The second pivot is the unambiguous recognition that Pakistan is the key obstacle to a victory against the Taliban. Before this, while many Americans admitted Pakistan was helping Taliban, Islamabad was not targeted.

The US and allied troops kept getting hammered in Afghanistan by an enemy armed by Pakistans generals, but Washington felt it could do nothing. The assumption till now has been that the US has too much of a strategic stake in Pakistan for it to become hostage to the Afghan war.

Mr Trumps announcement failed to elicit a highly positive response in the US and India. Only Islamabad saw it for what it was: an outright assault on the age-old strategic relationship.

The Pakistani reaction was blunt. Pakistan PM Shahid Khaqan Abbasi declared the US military strategy in Afghanistan will not work. The real solution, he felt, was inclusive dialogue and a political settlement, meaning if Washington wanted peace it should cut a deal with the Taliban.

Islamabad subsequently prepared a formal note to protest President Trumps pronouncements and in a speech to Pakistans Senate, foreign minister Khawaja Mohammad Asif said his government rejected allegations of harbouring the Taliban. A few days later he said Islamabad had suspended talks and bilateral visits with Washington in protest over Mr Trumps anti-Pakistan Afghan strategy.

The fury spilled over into Pakistani streets in anti-US demonstrations and furious op-ed pieces targeting President Trump. In Afghanistan, it was more serious business: Taliban terrorists set off an explosion at a Kabul bank, killing five innocent Afghans and shaking the windows of the US embassy. Clearly, President Trumps strategy is changing equations. Islamabad senses it and is scurrying for help to Beijing, Moscow and Tehran.

The third significant point in President Trumps strategy is affirmation of Indias role in Afghanistan. So far, US politicians and diplomats have been derisive about Indias involvement in Afghanistan, including the construction of the strategic Dularam-Zaranj Highway at considerable cost in southwestern Afghanistan.

The DelaramZaranj Highway, known as Route 606, links Afghanistans ring road to Chabahar in Iran. This alternate economic route to the heart of Afghanistan, bypassing troubled Pakistan, has failed to take off due to several reasons, one being tacit US disapproval.

Indian commentators responding to President Trumps Afghanistan strategy have cautioned New Delhi, claiming there is lack of clarity on what Indias role should be. But Mr Trump has been very clear on this, emphasising an economic role for India.

The bomb blasts near the US embassy were just a prelude to what US secretary of state Rex Tillerson says is a dramatic shift in US strategy towards Afghanistan. From now on the Pentagon, not the White House, will determine the level of US military deployment in Afghanistan. The danger is that Rawalpindi has too many friends in Washington. There will therefore be a concerted lobby in Washington against Mr Trumps Afghan strategy. There will be every attempt to undermine and overturn it. That would indeed be an outright disaster.

The writer is an independent commentator on political and security issues
Many self-styled superpower babas, who made grandiose claims of invincibility, found themselves behind bars. Balak Brahmachari was booked for various crimes, Baba Rampal Das was accused of sexually explointing a minor, Swami Nithyananda was charged for raping a female devotee, Chandraswami was punished for financial corruption, Swami Sadachari, punished for a variety of misdeeds; Swami Premananda was castigated with life imprisonment for raping a girl child, Swami Bhimanand was held for sex trade  the list is endless. Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh is the latest to join this fellowship off fallen angels, for he has been exposed, before the millions of devotees who flocked to his side.

Still, even in the face of overwhelming evidence, we allow ourselves to be taken in, time and time again. This begs the question: Have we learned nothing from our mistakes? What causes this unshakeable naivety as far as godmen / godwomen are concerned? Strangely, the faith of the devotees remains unshaken. At the most, they shift from one god-man or god-woman to another. Why is this faith so deeply entrenched, incapacitating the people from seeing the truth thats right before their eyes, even when erstwhile devotees speak up as victims?

The phenomenon is, perhaps, something historically and culturally contingent, which sustains a vulnerable psyche among the large majority of people in the country, irrespective of their religious differences. People are so susceptible that they dare not raise the question why. They hesitate to question their faith even when their god incarnate has been exposed as an abominable creature. Even the well-educated lot is not altogether out of this self-debilitating trap. Despite several movements, old and new, based on rationalist, materialist thinking in the country, obscurantism gained precedence over skeptical, empiricist worldviews. Intellectual formation, though immensely profound, has always been under the fetters of historically contingent and culturally celebrated irrationality.

In another manifestation of exasperating irony, the implicitly materialistic and atheistic concepts of Advaida and Sankhya Yoga were misrepresented by the uninitiated and ill-informed, a list that included several European Indologists. The nation today owes its trashy-Sage image to the false consciousness of these people. Both Swami Vivekananda and Aurobindo had little patience for this hollow sage-image, which was consequent to historical distortions being imposed on Indian culture. It is this alleged, historically deviant sage-image that we shamelessly celebrate as a cultural trait, enabling criminals to don it as a legitimate cultural mask. In the intellectual domain, this entrenched a general belief that knowledge production in traditional India had no methodological pre-occupation in the Western sense, because the scholars associated with it were seen as sages of extra-sensory perception.

This perspective has been recurring in all spheres of our academic practices. Science is no exception to this, because education, has, at all levels, perpetuated it. The average educated Indian is uncritical and apolitical. How much more is to be said, then, of the illiterate masses, who are easily moved by the toxic pull of narrow sentiments and dangerous notions of identity. These kill democracy and secularism in a country defined by both. The critical consciousness of people is indispensable in a healthy, democratic and secular country. People should be conscious of social reality and remain committed to social justice. This alone can ensure the making of good citizens capable of public policy debates and collective operations seeking social transformation. If the more literate among us have proved so gullible, little can be gained from pointing fingers at the rest. Critical thought alone can help people understand the inner world of Indias Sant/Baba business and its exploitation of the superstitious among them. How to make them critical is the question.

Education and mass media clearly have not been effective enough in their methods to reach out to the people. The masses are simply unable to understand  or accept  that the Baba / Sant business is an integral cog in the political wheel. It is important to note that the victims of this exploitation are the middle classes. The section is notorious for straining at the leash as they aspire to live beyond their means by venturing into and holding on to unaffordable enterprises. In short, they are the most ambitious lot, united by a common dream of making big bucks overnight. It is natural that they constitute the most speculative and extensively futuristic people. Therefore, they are the worst-hit section, fated in these trying times to acute anxiety and stress. Reviewing their drawbacks and analyzing their failures and an obsession with past mistakes has made them a fairly depressed lot. Naturally, they fall prey to the magic of Sants and Babas. They subsidize the Baba industry.

The poor, contrary to popular assumption, are far less affected by the strategies of godmen, in large part because the cannot afford to entertain them. The godmen in turn show little interest in them. When people are miserably bereft of choices apart from the unceasing struggle for survival, from which they are alleviated only in death, few seek the Gods, let alone our bevy of godmen. Such people constitute the political society of the country in contra-distinction with the constitutionally ordained civil society, replete with the subscribers of magical practices and beliefs. It is the middle class, civil society with its irrepressible greed which zealously sustains the ecosystem for the creation and entrenchment of godmen.

One factor that provides immense relief in this lop-sided middleclass-run country, is the powerful juridical system, without which the systematic exposing of godmen (patronized and deified by top level politicians) would not have been possible at all. It has been and continues to remain the main Xavier of the countrys rational conscience. It underscores the fact that the false consciousness of the people helps clever crooks become fabulously wealthy godmen who use their extraordinary power to fuel their corrupt ways.
NASA astronaut Peggy Whitson is pictured aboard the International Space Station in this undated NASA handout photo released on April 24, 2017. (Photo: AFP)

A record-shattering NASA astronaut touched down to Earth on Sunday, finishing a 288-day mission that put her over the top as the American who has spent the most cumulative amount of time in space.

Peggy Whitson, 57, is also the oldest female astronaut in the history of space exploration, was the first female International Space Station commander, and holds the record for number of spacewalks (10) by a woman.

The biochemist completed a mission at the International Space Station that began in November 2016, covering 122.2 million miles (196.7 million kilometers) and 4,623 orbits of Earth.

She and crewmates Jack Fischer of NASA and Fyodor Yurchikhin of Russian space agency Roscosmos landed in Kazakhstan at 7:31 am local time Sunday (0121 GMT) in a Soyuz MS-04 spacecraft.

Whitson has racked up 665 days in space in her career, more than any other American astronaut. She is eighth on the all-time space endurance list, NASA said.

Her colleague Jack "2Fish" Fischer, 43, went into space as a rookie but has won over space-watchers with his boundless enthusiasm during his four-and-a-half months aboard the ISS.

He likened the feeling of his spacewalk with Whitson in May -- the 200th ISS spacewalk -- to a "ginormous fondue pot, bubbling over with piping hot awesomesauce."

"Heading home soon I hope I infected a few of you with my passion for space. Never stop learning and growing. I dare you to dream!" he tweeted Friday.

NASA footage showed Whitson brought out last from the capsule before being seated and handed flowers by a member of the crew at the landing site.

Space veteran

After earning a doctorate in biochemistry in 1985, Whitson worked as a NASA scientist for seven years before starting as an astronaut in 1997.

On this most recent mission, Whitson conducted experiments with human stem cells, blood samples and grew several crops of Chinese cabbage, according to posts on her Facebook page.

"The best part, was that after we harvested for the science, we got to eat the rest!" she said of her greens.

In an interview before departing the space station, Whitson said she was looking forward to flush toilets ("Trust me, you don't want to know the details") and pizza.

But, "I will miss seeing the enchantingly peaceful limb of our Earth from this vantage point. Until the end of my days, my eyes will search the horizon to see that curve," she said, according to a transcript of the interview posted on the NASA website.

She noted that she's not totally comfortable with the attention she receives for her various records and her status as a role model.

"I honestly do think that it is critical that we are continuously breaking records, because that represents us moving forward in exploration," Whitson said.

The scientist also has a silly side. To celebrate the July Fourth holiday, she posted photos and a video of herself and Fischer wearing loud red, white and blue outfits, striking poses in zero gravity.

"I am not sure what the future holds for me personally, but I envision myself continuing to work on spaceflight programs. My desire to contribute to the spaceflight team as we move forward in our exploration of space has only increased over the years," she said of her plans.

The astronauts' return comes as the Texas city of Houston, home to NASA's Johnson Space Center, has been struggling to get back to normalcy after a week of deadly flooding triggered by Hurricane Harvey.

"As a result of the impacts of Hurricane Harvey, NASA is reviewing return plans to Houston of Whitson, Fischer and the science samples landing in the Soyuz spacecraft," the space agency said.

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The price of the newly launched Galaxy Note 8 smartphone is likely to hover above 1 million won (approximately $887/ Rs 56,000), head of Samsung Electronics Co.'s mobile business has said.

Koh Dong-jin, president of Samsung Electronics' mobile business, during a press meet in Berlin, hinted that it will be  extremely difficult for the company to keep Note 8s price lower than 1 million won in the home market.

The actual production cost of the Galaxy Note 8 is estimated at $350 (approx. Rs 23,000).

Its predecessor, Galaxy Note7, was released at a price of 988,900 won in South Korea and Rs 59,990 in India.

According to industry sources, in America, the 64GB model of Galaxy Note 8 is being sold for $929 (approx Rs 60,000) including taxes.

Samsung has already commenced pre-registration for the Galaxy Note 8 in countries including India, South Korea and US. Interested buyers looking to get their hands on Samsungs flagship offering can pre-book the phone on Samsungs website.

The handset is slated to release on September 15 globally, but launch date for the Indian market is yet unknown. The phone is expected to cost over Rs 60,000 in India.

To recall, Galaxy Note 8 features a 6.3-inch AMOLED quad HD display with 2960 x 1440 pixel resolution, is powered by Qualcomm Snapdragon 835/ Exynos octa core SoC, backed by 6GB of RAM and 64GB of internal storage with support for microSD card. On the photography front, the Galaxy Note 8 boasts a dual camera setup with two 12MP sensors  one wide angle lens and one telephoto lens and an 8MP selfie shooter. The phablet runs on Android 7.1.1 with companys UI on the top. The Galaxy Note 8 has a dedicated button for Samsungs virtual voice assistant Bixby. The Galaxy Note 8 draws power from a 3300mAh battery and is IP68 certified water and dust resistant. Connectivity on the smartphone includes NFC and MST for Samsung Pay, and offers USB Type-C charging port.

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This means three iPhones will go live on September 12, namely iPhone 7s, iPhone 7s Plus, and iPhone X.

Apple is all set to take off the wraps of its latest iPhones on September 12. This anniversary edition is slated to be one of the most exciting of the iPhones which most of the media has referred to as the iPhone 8.

According to a report from Dutch website iCulture indicates that iPhone 8 wont actually be the name of the anniversary model, as Apple will launch it as iPhone X, which will be pronounced iPhone 10.

The naming makes sense because what this iPhone does is mark the 10th anniversary of the companys now-flagship device. There are also reports that Apple could launch the new model as iPhone Edition, and this also makes sense at some level, but it turns out that iPhone X is the preferred choice even for the company.

This means three iPhones will go live on September 12, namely iPhone 7s, iPhone 7s Plus, and iPhone X, all of which should go up on pre-order on September 15 (the first Friday after the public unveiling). Shipments should begin on September 22, a week after pre-orders start.

Other details will be revealed by the company itself in just 10 days during a press conference taking place at the new Apple Park. The anniversary iPhone is very likely to break the $1,000 price limit, but despite becoming one of the most expensive smartphones on the market, analysts still expect it to be the most successful iPhone in history.

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The La Tuna Canyon fire burns in the hills above Burbank, California, early September 2, 2017. The brush fire which quickly burned 2,000 acres started on September 1 and was being driven by heat wave temperatures and high winds. (Photo: AFP)

Los Angeles: A massive fire described as the biggest in the history of Los Angeles was raging on Sunday, forcing hundreds of people to evacuate their homes.

Mayor Eric Garcetti told reporters the blaze, which broke out on Saturday and lit up the hills surrounding the northern suburb of Burbank overnight, had already burnt 5,000 acres (2,000 hectares), adding: "In terms of acres involved this is probably the largest fire in LA city history."

The blaze has so far destroyed one house and forced the evacuation of nearly 500 homes in various parts of the city and neighbouring Glendale.

More than 500 firefighters were mobilized, while 100 others who had been deployed in Houston, Texas to help rescue operations after Hurricane Harvey were asked to return.

The fire broke out on the US Labor Day holiday long weekend and as the western part of the country was facing a summer heatwave.

Authorities said wind was their main concern because it could whip up the flames and allow it to spread quickly in unpredictable directions.
Mysterious black smoke was seen rising from a chimney at the Russian consulate in San Francisco on Saturday, as firefighters confirmed its occupants were burning unidentified objects on the eve of the missions closure.

Washington ordered the shutdown of the facility along with two others on Thursday in a retaliatory move after the Kremlin demanded the US slash staff numbers at its Russian diplomatic missions.

Firefighters were called to the scene in response to alarmed  or intrigued  phone calls from citizens, but later clarified there was no cause for concern.

The Russian embassy had a fire alarm NOT A FIRE everything is okay and we are clearing, San Francisco Fire tweeted from its official account.

Spokeswoman Mindy Talmadge said consulate employees must be in the middle of burning unknown items. Firefighters confirmed there was smoke coming from the chimney but no structural hazard, she added, without saying whether they entered the building.

The move triggered fevered speculation on Twitter about the nature of the material that had gone up in the flames.

So they had so much to burn up that they set off their alarms with the smoke? Hahaha wrote one user, while another said: Much easier to burn than shred.

Meanwhile, Russia on Saturday summoned the top US envoy in Moscow to protest a search it says American officials are planning at a diplomatic facility in Washington that is due to be shuttered.
A video of the incident shows the woman who is a passenger in a small red car, aggressively targeting the men. (Photo: Videograb | Facebook)

London: A group of Muslim men were hurled with racial slurs by a blonde woman while walking down a road after paying their respects at a cemetery as part of Eid rituals in the UK, police has said.

The 43-year-old blonde-haired woman in a red car was filmed yelling racial abuses at the men.

In a statement, the West Yorkshire police said a group of Asian men were walking near to Dewsbury Cemetery when a vehicle pulled up alongside them and a female passenger shouted racial abuse.

The police, however, did not identify the nationality of the men.

A video of the incident shows the woman who is a passenger in a small red car, aggressively targeting the men, the Huddersfield Examiner reported.

Police investigating the incident initially appealed for witnesses for a red BMW Mini Cooper but have since confirmed the woman has been arrested on suspicion of a racially aggravated public order offence and is currently in police custody.

The men - identified by local media as Muslims  had reportedly been paying respects at the cemetery as part of Eid rituals when the incident happened on Friday.

"This was an incredibly distressing experience and our enquiries are very much underway to identify those involved.

The victims were understandably left shocked and upset following this incident," said Superintendent Roger Essell, Kirklees District Police.

"We take a robust stance against any kind of racial abuse, Essell added.
All the passengers were ordered to get off the plane for fear that there was a bomb on board, the Daily Mail reported (Representational Image)

Nine men were thrown off a flight after one of them shouted Allahu Akbar reportedly as a joke.

The flight was due to leave Zaventem airport in Brussels. Passengers were boarding the Ryanair flight when one of them heard someone shout Allahu Akbar.

All the passengers were ordered to get off the plane for fear that there was a bomb on board, the Daily Mail reported.

Police confirmed the incident to the local VTM Nieuws channel which said the nine men were all of Belgian nationality. All the luggage also had to be taken off as the bomb squad was called in with sniffer dogs. Nothing was found and the plane was allowed to leave.

The flight commander refused to take these nine people. One of them was a foolish joker and called Allahu Akbar, said a police officer. The men could face prosecution as it is an offence to cause a false bomb scare, the Telegraph reported.

In March 2016, the Zaventem airport and the citys metro were targeted in separate terror attacks that killed 32 people.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi being welcomed by the Indian community, on his arrival, to attend the 9th BRICS Summit, in Xiamen, China on Sunday. (Photo: PIB)

Beijing: Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who arrived in China on Sunday for ninth BRICS summit, met Indian diaspora at Wyndham Hotel in Xiamen.

"We are really excited to meet him. He is a PM who made India popular in the whole world. We are proud that we have a Prime Minister like him," said an Indian man.

"We are really happy that we meet him. It is like a life-time achievement for us," said another delighted Indian woman.

#WATCH: PM Narendra Modi meets Indian diaspora in China's Xiamen. pic.twitter.com/JhthXUscXw  ANI (@ANI) September 3, 2017

Modi reached China to attend Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa (BRICS) summit, which is set to start in Xiamen under China's Chairmanship.

The Prime Minister had earlier said he was looking forward to productive discussions and positive outcomes during the multilateral forum.

In a Facebook post, the Prime Minister said, "India had the privilege of hosting the previous Summit in Goa in October last year. I look forward to building upon the results and outcomes of the Goa Summit. I also look forward to productive discussions and positive outcomes that will support the agenda of a stronger BRICS partnership under the chairmanship of China."

The Prime Minister further stated that he will also interact with the BRICS Business Council represented by captains of industry from all five countries (Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa).

"In addition, I look forward to engaging with leaders of nine other countries, including BRICS partners, in an Emerging Markets and Developing Countries Dialogue, hosted by President Xi Jinping on 5 September," the prime minister's post said.

He further said he would also meet leaders bilaterally on the sidelines of the summit.

Highlighting the significance of BRICS, the Prime Minister said it has important contributions in addressing global challenges and upholding world peace and security.

"India attaches high importance to the role of BRICS that has begun a second decade of its partnership for progress and peace," he added.

It's also reported that the prime minister will also raise the issue of terrorism, during the summit, and how it affects the BRICS nations.
A Rohingya child kisses his mothers cheek as they rest after crossing over to Bangladesh (Photo: AP)

More than 2,600 houses have been burned down in Rohingya-majority areas of Myanmars northwest in the last week, the government said on Saturday, in one of the deadliest bouts of violence involving the Muslim minority in decades.

Nearly 60,000 people, mostly Rohingya Muslims, have crossed into Bangladesh in the last eight days desperately trying to escape spiralling communal violence in Rakhine state, the UN refugee agency said on Saturday.

The estimated number is 58,600 (as of) today according to various aid agencies and will keep going up, UNHCR spokeswoman Vivian Tan told

Myanmar officials blamed the Arakan Rohingya Salvation Army for the burning of the homes. The group claimed responsibility for coordinated attacks on security posts last week that prompted clashes and a large army counter-offensive.

But Rohingya fleeing to Bangladesh say a campaign of arson and killings by the Myanmar army is aimed at trying to force them out.

Meanwhile, scores of Rohingya Muslim refugees offered Id prayers on Saturday in Bangladesh, many of them recent arrivals.
Around 27 years back, when BJP patriarch LK Advanis rath yatra entered Bihar during the peak Ram Temple movement, the then Bihar Chief Minister Lalu Prasad asked one of his most efficient IAS officer RK Singh to arrest Advani.



Singh, the 1975-batch IAS officer, known for his no-nonsense approach, was then posted as District Magistrate of Samastipur. On October 23, 1990, Singh arrested Advani and his associate Pramod Mahajan and, as part of preventive detention, kept the duo at Masanjore Guest House near Dumka (now in Jharkhand, then in undivided Bihar). This was done so at Lalus behest who feared that Advani could disturb communal harmony in the State. Therefore, he entrusted the difficult task (of apprehending Advani) to his competent officer Singh.



Twenty-seven years down the line, the same RK Singh, now a BJP MP from Bihars Ara Lok Sabha constituency, has joined the Narendra Modi Government.



Singh, who earlier served as Union Home Secretary and was instrumental in sending 2008 Mumbai terror suspect Kasab to gallows, has enjoyed the confidence of political masters of all shades. Not only Lalu, Singh has enjoyed good rapport with JD (U) strongman Nitish Kumar and senior Congress leader P Chidambaram.



When Nitish became Chief Minister for the first time in March 2000 (although only for a week), he made Singh Bihars Home Secretary, superseding several senior IAS officers. Later, this Bihar-cadre officer, as Principal Secretary of Road Construction Department, turned around the Bihar roads, which were infamous for potholes. The new well-laid out smooth roads, throughout the State, fetched Nitish rich electoral dividends in 2010 Assembly polls.



Later, during central deputation, Chidambaram hand-picked RK Singh to be Union Home Secretary where he proved his mettle again. He, however, developed serious differences with Chidambarams successor Sushil Kumar Shinde and charged the latter with graft and incompetence.



After retiring as Union Home Secretary, Singh changed colours and joined BJP before contesting and winning as BJP MP from Ara in 2014. With todays induction as Union Minister, life has come a full circle for this Rajput man who earlier antagonized the BJP by apprehending Advani and Mahajan in 1990 but is now part of the BJP-led ministry at the Centre.
Protests continued for the second day today here over the death of a Dalit medical aspirant and a petitioner in the Supreme Court against the National Entrance-cum-Eligibility Test (NEET).



Activists of a pro-Tamil outfit, 'May 17 Movement' were detained when they attempted to lay siege to the BJP's state headquarters here, police said.



The protesters raised slogans against the Central and state governments over the suicide of 17-year-old Anitha from Ariyalur, daughter of a daily wage earner who allegedly hanged herself at her house in Ariyalur district on Sept 1 reportedly upset over not getting an MBBS seat.



Security has been beefed up at the BJP office here.



Pro-Dalit Viduthalai Chiruthaigal Katchi (VCK) also staged protests here and scores of its volunteers were detained.



Anitha was reportedly upset after it became known that Tamil Nadu will not be exempted from the ambit of National Entrance-cum-Eligibility Test (NEET). She had earlier moved the Supreme Court against NEET.



Opposition DMK also targeted BJP and the ruling AIADMK in Tamil Nadu, faulting both for failing to ensure at least one year exemption for the state from NEET.



DMK Working President M K Stalin, who late last night paid tributes to Anitha at her native village shortly ahead of the cremation, said his party had donated Rs 10 lakh to her family.



NEET had affected social justice in Tamil Nadu, Stalin, Leader of Opposition in the state Assembly, claimed and assured his party will take the fight against NEET forward.



"DMK will align with like-minded forces to uphold the key Dravidian policy of social justice, retrieve the rights of the state, bring Education under the State List and ensure nobody else suffers Anitha's fate in Tamil Nadu," he said in a letter addressed to his partymen.



The BJP lashed out against those doing "brutal politics" over the teen's suicide. The BJP state President Tamilisai Sounderrajan also took objection to the "insult" of Prime Minister Narendra Modi over the issue.



"Insulting Prime Minister Modi cannot be accepted," she said in a brief statement, apparently referring to effigies of the PM being burnt by protestors at Coimbatore yesterday.
Former Uttar Pradesh minister Shiv Pratap Shukla brings with him a rich organisational as well as ministerial experience to the Union Cabinet.



65-year-old Shukla hails from Gorakhpur - the citadel of Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath.



The induction of Shukla, who is a Brahmin face of the party, is being seen as a well-calculated move of the ruling BJP to reap dividends in the 2019 Lok Sabha elections by keeping the upper caste in good humour.



Born in Khajni, Rudrapur in Uttar Pradesh, a village near Gorakhpur district to a middle-class family, Shukla completed his graduation in law from the Deen Dayal Upadhyay Gorakhpur University.



His political life started in the early 1970s when he was the student leader of Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP), and in 1981, was elected as the Provincial Secretary of the Bharatiya Janata Yuva Morcha (BJYM).



He was jailed several times during his student days. During Emergency, he was arrested under the Maintenance of Internal Security Act (MISA) and was in prison for 19 months from 1975 to 1977.



The 65-year-old is known for his work as the Cabinet minister in Uttar Pradesh, where he initiated an 'education for all' scheme and for his efforts to reform conditions for prisoners and various rural development schemes.



A member of the Rajya Sabha representing Uttar Pradesh, he becomes a central minister for the first time.



He was appointed vice president of the BJP in Uttar Pradesh in February, 2012.



Shukla campaigned in the General Elections in 1989 and was elected a member of the Uttar Pradesh Legislative Assembly for the first time.



He was elected as a member of the legislative assembly four consecutive times in 1989, 1991, 1993 and 1996. He was appointed as a state minister in the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-led governments in Uttar Pradesh.



He became a minister for jails in 1996-1998 under the Bharatiya Janata Party-Bahujan Samaj Party rule, a short-lived coalition government of Mayawati and Kalyan Singh, and was later appointed as the minister for rural development in 1998 under Rajnath Singh-led BJP government.



Before this tenure, he also held a ministerial post during the Kalyan Singh-led BJP government of 1991-1992.
RJD supremo Lalu Prasad claimed that Nitish Kumar's JD(U) was not even invited to join the NDA government by Prime Minister Narendra Modi or BJP chief Amit Shah in the Cabinet reshuffle today.



Four junior ministers were today elevated to the cabinet rank and nine new faces inducted as Ministers of State, in a rejig by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.



"Some JD(U) leaders had got new Kurta Pyjama and Bundi stitched for the swearing-in ceremony, but the elusive invitation did not come," he alleged.



The JD(U) national president and Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar had yesterday admitted that his party had not been invited to join the government nor consulted by the BJP brass on the expansion issue, Prasad said.



"Why should Prime Minister Modi or BJP president Shah consult Kumar when they know about his character?" the RJD supremo said in a dig at the JD(U) chief, who had dumped the Grand Alliance in July to form a government in Bihar with the BJP.



"Modi and Shah are unlikely to bow before their new ally, the JD(U) and its chief Nitish Kumar," he said.



The RJD supremo took potshots at Kumar for withdrawing a dinner invite to BJP leaders, including the then Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi, at Patna in 2010, over an advertisement row and alleged that the latter had not forgotten it.



Modi was right in not "accepting" the invite to visit Patna for having lunch with the chief minister at his official residence recently after an aerial survey of the flood- affected areas of Bihar, the RJD leader said.



Prasad claimed, in doing so the prime minister has returned "favour" to Nitish Kumar for having cancelled the dinner invite for the visiting BJP leaders seven years ago.



On the induction of the former home secretary and the BJP MP from Arrah, R K Singh, in the Modi government, Prasad said that the former bureaucrat should have been made a Cabinet minister given his vast experience
Technical snags faced by A320 neo aircraft operated by IndiGo and GoAir pose a "safety issue", Civil Aviation Minister Ashok Gajapathi Raju has said, hoping that they would be addressed and sorted out.



At least eight A320 neo (new engine option) planes of IndiGo and two of GoAir have been grounded due to issues related to Pratt & Whitney engines that power these aircraft.



"Obviously, any failure is a safety issue. So the operating procedure we changed... What is attractive is fuel efficiency. Fuel efficiency is one thing and risking life is another," Raju told PTI in an interview.



He was responding to a query on whether the engine issues were a safety concern.



IndiGo, which has A320 neo planes in its fleet of 136 aircraft, was forced to cancel many flights due to engine woes.



The aviation regulator DGCA asked the American engine maker to expedite the supply of spare engines to India.



On whether there could be harsher action with respect to the engine issues, Raju said some of the planes have been grounded because of regulations, implying that existing norms are strict.



"Why are they grounded that is because of the regulations. You don't want to take risks with life... Everybody is working on it (addressing the engine issues). As long as glitches don't massacre human beings it is okay. They will be addressed and sorted out," he noted.



The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) directed IndiGo and GoAir, in February, to conduct inspections of the P&W engines once they complete 1,000 hours of flying, instead of 1,500 hours as recommended by the engine maker.



"What makes it (P&W engine) attractive?... We want to not risk lives and we also want fuel efficiency," Raju said.



P&W claims their neo engines are 16 per cent more fuel efficient than the earlier variant A320 ceo (current engine option).



Last month, IndiGo President Aditya Ghosh indicated that the airline could examine procuring aircraft with engines from a different manufacturer such as GE for 280 A320 neos it has ordered out of the total 430 planes.



Last month, IndiGo had said it would also look at GE engines for its planned 280 A320 neo planes.

The issues related to its A320 neos are due to two specific components of P&W engines wearing out faster than expected even as he assured it is not a safety issue, the airline's President Aditya Ghosh had said.



"Our engine supplier P&W is implementing some design changes and we believe those changes will be implemented over the next 12-18 months... We are right now focused on getting enough spare engines from P&W so that the operational headaches go away," he had told shareholders.



Apart from IndiGo and Go Air, Air India and Vistara have A320 neo aircraft but with engines from a different manufacturer.
At least four persons, including a five-year-old boy, were killed and five others critically injured in the collapse of a 70 years old three-storey residential building here early today.



An 18-month-old girl child of a deceased couple, however had a miraculous escape as she was pulled out safely from the debris hours after the collapse that took place around 3 AM when the residents of the building were asleep, police and fire brigade officials said.



The deceased were identified as Karthick (30), his son Harish (5), the couple -- Palani and Rajathi, they said.



The officials said the ground floor of the building, located on the Thanjai Kula street, adjoining the Rockfort area could have got weakened due to heavy rains overnight, leading to the collapse.



A total of 20 people lived in the building. One of the family was out while two of its residents ran out for safety after they felt some vibration.



The five injured persons had been admitted to a hospital, where their condition is stated to be critical, the police said.



20 rescuers along with earth moving machines were pressed into service and the removal of the rubble was almost over by late afternoon, they said.



The bodies of the father and son were found about two hours after the rescue operations began.

Karthik's wife, Karthicka, was among those injured. She was rescued in an unconscious state and taken to the hospital, the police said.


Taking a jibe at the Modi government, Congress on Sunday said induction of four former bureaucrats as minister was a clear indication that Prime Minister Narendra Modi did not have faith in the abilities of his political colleagues.



Nine people have been inducted, four are former bureaucrats, one is a doctor beater and the other four are inconsequential. What is the message? The Prime Minster does not trust his political colleagues, Congress spokesman Manish Tewari told reporters here.



Four former bureaucrats  R K Singh, Satyapal Singh, Hardeep Singh Puri and K J Alphons  were sworn-in as ministers of state in the Modi government on Sunday.



Tewari pointed out that Puri and the gentleman from Kerala (Alphons) were not even members of Parliament.



Therefore, the broader message is that a government which was run by bureaucrats, controlled by the PMO, is now going to have bureaucrats in ministerial positions also, Tewari said.



The Congress said it would be keeping a close watch on the performance of the ministers.



Tewari also highlighted Karnataka leader Anantkumar Hegde's controversial past of beating up doctors at a hospital in Sirsi where his mother was admitted in January.



He also said the elevation of Minority Affairs Minister Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi to the Cabinet rank was mere tokenism by the BJP. You know what the BJP thinks about the Minority's in this country, Tewari said.


Sunday's union cabinet expansion not only jolted BJP's alliance partners but also ''surprised'' the supporters of Uttar Pradesh chief minister Yogi Adityanath.



The induction of Rajya Sabha member Shiv Pratap Shukla, who also hails from Gorakhpur from where Adityanath was a Lok Sabha member, in the union cabinet as a minister of state, may have been intended to woo the powerful 'Brahmin' community ahead of 2019 Lok Sabha polls but it seems to have come as a ''total surprise'' for the Yogi supporters.



Adityanath and Shukla have had a history of animosity and the two had never been on the same page despite being in the same party for decades.



Adityanath had in 2002 put up his own candidate against Shukla in 2002 assembly elections from Gorakhpur city constituency after the party leadership refused to nominate candidates recommended by him. Adityanath had put up Radha Mohan Das Agarwal on Hindu Mahasabha ticket and left no stone unturned to ensure Shukla's defeat. Shukla lost the elections to Agarwal.



Local BJP leaders say that Adityanath also ensured that Shukla never contested from any seat in the Gorakhpur district. ''He (Shukla) remained on the back burner for almost a decade,'' said a senior local leader in Gorakhpur. Shukla was made the vice-president of UP BJP in 2012 and was nominated for Rajya Sabha in 2016.



The leader said that the supporters of Shukla and Adityanath did not see eye to eye. Incidentally, Adityanath was on a visit to Gorakhpur on Sunday, when the cabinet expansion took place.



BJP sources here said that Shukla's induction would send a ''positive'' signal to the 'Brahmins', especially those in the eastern districts of the state.



The community members had been critical of the Yogi government after the police raid on the residence of a powerful 'Brahmin' BSP leader Hari Shankar Tiwari and killing of five 'Brahmins' in Raebareli in a gang war.


Data on deaths of children compiled by the Uttar Pradesh government show a sharp drop in casualty figures in the BRD Medical College in Gorakhpur this year compared to those in the last three years.



According to the data compiled by the UP health department, made available to PTI, 1,317 children had died in the state-run facility so far this year.



The number of deaths stood at 5,850 in 2014, 6,917 in 2015 and 6,121 in 2016, the department data said.



The data showed the average daily deaths translating to 16 in 2014, 19 in 2015 and 17 in 2016 -- as against 5.3 a day till August this year.



"This (death figure) is much lower than that in the previous years," Health Minister Sidharth Nath Singh said.



Congress spokesperson Ashok Singh had charged the Uttar Pradesh government with failing to check the deaths in the BRD medical college.



"The toll is alarmingly high and the government has failed to check the casualties," he had said.

Countering him, the health minister said "good work" was being done by the Yogi Adityanath government in the state.



"The reason (for the fall in death figures) is the good work done in the last five months. We have strengthened encephalitis treatment centres and taken various effective measures to check the dreaded disease so that more patients are treated at community health centre levels and do not just rush to the BRD medical college," Singh told PTI.



According to BRD medical college records, 152 children died in January this year, 122 in February, 159 in March, 123 in April, 139 in May, 137 in June, 128 in July and 325 in August.



Taking into account 32 deaths in the first two days of September, the total came to 1,317.

A total of 51,018 children were admitted to the hospital in 2014, 61,295 in 2015 and 60,891 in 2016, according to the data put together by the department and its partner, PATH Foundation, a nonprofit organisation. There were no admission figures for this year.



Health department sources said till August 31, admissions in district hospitals and encephalitis treatment centres had gone up to 62 per cent as compared to BRD hospital.



"We have to bring this up to at least 80 per cent. We are on the right path," said an official.

Because of seasonal illnesses, August usually saw a rise in the number of children being admitted to the medical college which caters to Gorakhpur and adjoining districts in Uttar Pradesh, with patients also coming from neighbouring Bihar and Nepal.



The Numbers of deaths of children in August in 2016, 2015 and 2014 were 587, 668 and 567 respectively, as against 324 last month, according to the data.



"During 2017, larvicidal spraying and fogging were undertaken in 529 villages/urban areas in seven endemic districts of Gorakhpur and Basti division where community meetings and awareness programmes for health workers are being carried out," Singh said while explaining the drop in the casualty figure this year.



The health minister said, "The combat against Japanese Encephalitis (JE)/Acute Encephalitis Syndrome (AES) continues to be a priority for the state government and every effort is being made to ensure proper treatment and management of cases by taking preventive initiatives to educate and involve the community in our fight against these diseases."



He said a special vaccination campaign was carried out in 38 endemic districts from June 29 to July 15 this year covering 92 lakh children in the 1-15 year age bracket.



When contacted, Congress spokesperson Singh expressed doubts over the figures, while Samajwadi Party leader and MLC Rajpal Kashyap dismissed the data.



"The government is trying to run away from its responsibilities of providing better health care facilities," Kashyap said.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chinese President Xi Jinping are expected to hold a bilateral meeting on Tuesday, nearly a week after India and China announced resolution of the 73-day Dokalam standoff.



According to officials, the two leaders are scheduled to hold a meeting on September 5 on the sidelines of the 9th Brazil-Russia-India-China-South Africa (BRICS) Summit, which will start on Monday in this port city of China.



After the bilateral meeting with the host, Modi will travel to Myanmar.



Modi will also hold bilateral meetings with other leaders, including Russian President Vladimir Putin and President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi of Egypt, which is among the five counties  Mexico, Guinea, Thailand and Tajikistan  invited by China as part of the BRICS Plus outreach exercise.



Earlier, upon arriving here on Sunday to attend the summit, Modi said: "I look forward to building upon the results and outcomes of the Goa summit. I also look forward to productive discussions and positive outcomes that will support the agenda of a stronger BRICS partnership under the chairmanship of China."
Despite Sunday's cabinet reshuffle, a few ministers continue to hold multiple portfolios which mean that Prime Minister Narendra Modi has kept a window open to accommodate NDA allies in near future.



Dr Harsh Vardhan, who was minister for Science and Technology and Earth Science, was given additional charge of Environment ministry after the demise of Anil Madhav Dave.

Contrary to expectations, Modi did not hand over environment ministry to any other leader in the rejig which leaves scope of sharing this important portfolio to NDA allies like the JDU or the AIADMK, in case the Tamil Nadu ruling party joins hands with the BJP-led coalition, said government sources.



Similarly, Minister of State in the Prime Minister's office Jitender Singh continues to hold five portfolios including DONEAR ministry he got in the last July's cabinet rejig. And there are other cabinet and junior ministers whose burden was not reduced in the council of ministers' remaking exercise.



Modi inducted nine faces and elevated four ministers to reinforce his team for the last mile delivery ahead of 2019 Lok Sabha elections. But, all were from the BJP.

The JDU, which snapped ties with opposition and returned to the BJP to remain in power in Bihar, has taken in its own stride the opportunity lost to board the bus to Raisina Hill. After chief minister Nitish Kumar-led JDU had official joined the NDA, the regional leaders were hoping of getting a cabinet and an MoS slots at the centre. But, that did not happen giving handle to opposition like rival RJD to take pot shots at Nitish Kumar.



Unlike JDU, Shiv Sena, a perpetual in-house critique, could not hold back its tongue. Asked to to comment on the cabinet reshuffle, Sena MP Sanjay Raut said in Mumbai that the NDA is "almost dead" and accused the BJP of being an opportunist and running to partners only when they need their support. Sena's Anant Geete is union minister for Heavy Industries but the Maharatra coalition partner has for long been waiting to fill another berth, that of an MoS, after its leader Udhav Thackeray asked Anil Desai not to join the central government even after his name was cleared to take oath in the second cabinet reshufle of November 2014.



As per BJP-NDA ally arrangement on government formation, TDP leaders said it too can avail a junior minister berth at the centre. The refurbishing move has political pointers too for future strategy of Modi and BJP president Amit Shah duo. The party has given importance to Hindi belt -- especially Uttar Pradesh and Bihar -- and South which it is banking on heavily to sustain its performance even in the 2019 Lok Sabha elections. Modi has made two ministers each from UP (Satpal Singh and Shiv Pratap Shukla) and Bihar (RK Singh and Ashwini Kumar Choubey). Barring Satpal Singh, who is a Jat and replaces his community leader Sanjeev Baliyan from western UP, others are from upper castes of Rajputs and Brahmins which is seen as an attempt to balance out pro-backward classes politics the BJP had successfully exploited in the UP.



But, lack of talent in the party especially in West Bengal and Odisha -- the other catchment areas  appear to be the reason for not finding any mention in the Sunday's reshuffle.
India on Sunday deplored North Korea's latest nuclear test, in which the Asian nation claimed to have successfully tested a hydrogen bomb.



"India deplores the nuclear test conducted by the Democratic People's Republic of Korea this (Sunday) morning. It is a matter of deep concern that DPR Korea has once again acted in violation of its international commitments, which goes against the objective of the de-nuclearisation of the Korean peninsula, which has been endorsed by DPR Korea itself," the Ministry of External Affairs said here in a statement.



"We call upon DPR Korea to refrain from such actions, which adversely impact peace and stability in the region and beyond. India also remains concerned about the proliferation of nuclear and missile technologies, which has adversely impacted India's national security," it added.



The reaction comes hours after North Korea announced that it tested a hydrogen bomb with 'unprecedentedly big power' that can be loaded onto an intercontinental ballistic missile.
Anantkumar Hegde's appoinment as the Minister of State for Skill Development and Entrepreneurship has kicked off a storm with the Congress claiming that his induction in the council of minister was with the sole intent of creating a communal divide in Karnataka.



The 49-year-old Hegde, a Lok Sabha member from Uttara Kannada, took oath along with four cabinet ministers and eight ministers of state at a function in the Rashtrapati Bhawan Sunday morning.



As he was sworn-in as a Union Minister, images of Hegde beating up three doctors at a hospital in Sirsi in January played on television screens highlighting his controversial past. His remarks of March last year linking Islam to terrorism also returned to haunt Hegde.



As long as there is Islam in this world, there will be terrorism, Hegde had said at a press conference in Sirsi last year. He had stood by his remarks.



On Sunday, Congress leader Manish Tewari cited Hegde's remarks to claim that the promotion of the Karnataka leader was a clear indication towards BJP's attempts to communalise the situation ahead of the assembly election next year.



If you look at his past from 1992 onwards, it is all directed at attempting to polarize society and create a communal divide. So, Hegde's induction gives an indication of what the BJP's strategy in Karnataka is going to be, Tewari told reporters here.



Interacting with reporters after the swearing-in ceremony, Hegde brushed aside the Congress criticism. Hindutva and Rashtravad (nationalism) cannot be separate, he said contending that the Congress was no challenge to the BJP in Karnataka.



The elevation of Hegde, a Brahmin, has come as a surprise to his party colleagues in Karnataka as many were expecting a Lingayat leader to be made minister.


Never raise your voice at me in public. Now apologise! she says to her spouse, when he tries to stop her from doing something that may cause her harm. I was trying to help you. I thought you were doing something wrong. You werent listening to me, he says. It doesnt matter. Whatever it is, it is embarrassing for me when you yell at me, she says. He apologises for raising his voice. Peace is restored temporarily. And they do not discuss what his concern was.



The dispute at Infosys between its iconic founder, N R Narayan Murthy, and the board has settled down with the appointment of co-founder, the eminent Nandan Nilekani as chairman of the board. Shareholders are relieved. Murthy was castigated by the business media for making his concerns public. Much shareholder value was destroyed for a few weeks. Murthys concerns were with values, which seemed to matter a lot to him. Will his concerns be examined now? The question about good corporate governance, which seemed to have broken down in Infosys by Murthy going public with his concerns, needs deeper examination too.



Murthys primary concern seemed to be with the compensation given to the CEO and other executives. He thought it was excessive and inequitable. The boards response was that it was broadly in line with current global corporate practices. Those norms and practices are being challenged in many countries, including the US, the UK, and Europe. Therefore, Murthy, who has been a champion of equity and restraint in compensation of top executives, can be forgiven for becoming agitated if he feels the company he founded and built on those principles may become just like others.



Compensation to top execs



The large increase in the compensations of top executives in Indian companies over the past 20 years, which are now several hundred times higher than median incomes in the companies, has been a concern for many who care about the quality of Indias social fabric. It is an issue that the board of Infosys, a company considered as a leader and norm-setter in India, must apply itself to more deeply than it appears to have.



How should anyone vested in a company raise an issue about ethical values when the management and board of a company is focused on creating shareholder value as they are expected to? Who is responsible for blowing the whistle? And how can he or she ensure the whistle is heard? The institution of independent directors on the board, who are independent of both promoters and the management, is created for this purpose. Independent directors are expected to help the company increase shareholder value. But they are also expected to be internal watchdogs, looking out for the interests of society, pointing out to the rest of the board when the latters decisions or managements actions may be contravening the companys espoused values.



The integrity of a company rests heavily on the integrity of its independent directors. If they fail to blow the whistle, or even to notice when the whistle should be blown because they have been completely co-opted into the shareholder value generating process (and indeed are selected because they have the skills for this), then the society should hope that someone else will blow the whistle. Which Murthy seems to have.



If an independent director becomes concerned about a breach of values and raises it, quietly, internally, and the concern is not addressed, should not the internal director be expected to make a louder noise? Public opinion is of great concern for political leaders and for companies and their brands too. Sadly, the only way to be heard sometimes seems to be to leak the story to the outside world. That is what James Comey, the FBI Director, felt compelled to do when the US President, his boss, wasnt listening.



The greatest loyalty to an institution requires the courage to tell truth to power. Whistle blowers are hardly ever popular with the institution they warn. They may sound too critical of, and even disloyal to the institution. The institution, and even the public, may demand that the whistle-blower apologise for raising the alarm in public and for damaging the institutions reputation.



The board of Infosys had gone public with accusations against Murthy, as he had about the board. Who should apologise to whom is not important. Infosys must change its strategy and its business model to continue creating shareholder value in a business environment which is different to the one in which it has been very successful in the past. Nilekanis principal task is to put in place a board and management team for this. However, that is not all that has to be done.



Issues of values and corporate governance practices have surfaced, particularly about norms of executive compensation, and the responsibility of independent directors to uphold values and societys interests beyond those of shareholders. Just as the Supreme Court takes a particular incident as a provocation to examine broader principles, the Infosys story must trigger a deeper examination of these matters amongst those who care about standards of corporate governance in India and elsewhere too.



(The writer is a former member of the Planning Commission)
On August 28, disengagement started at the Doklam plateau on the Sikkim border, where Indian and Chinese forces were in a standoff since June 18. According to a statement issued by the MEA, expeditious disengagement of border personnel at the face-off site has been agreed to and is ongoing.



The Chinese foreign ministry, for its part, suggested that Indian forces have already withdrawn to the Indian side of the border and that Chinese forces will continue to patrol in Doklam region. It has also said that its forces will remain in the region and continue to exercise its sovereignty over the region. That was China trying to put a spin on the outcome as border patrolling by China was never really an issue.



The standoff had begun when the Chinese had begun constructing a concrete road in Doklam in Bhutanese territory. Indian troops promptly formed a human chain to force the Chinese to halt the construction work, calling it a change in status quo, with serious security implications for India as the Doklam plateau overlooks the strategic Chumbi Valley.



For more than two months, Beijing continued to harangue and wage psychological warfare, sometimes by reminding India of 1962 and sometimes by suggesting that countermeasures from Beijing would be unavoidable if the Modi government continued to ignore the warnings. China also provoked India by asking what New Delhi would do if it enters Kalapani region in Uttarakhand or Kashmir. This was the first time the issue of Kashmir has been raked up by China at the official level.



Indian diplomacy, by contrast, was mature and the government did not lose its nerve. External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj asserted in Parliament that war was not a solution and India would resolve the border stand-off with China through dialogue. But she also made it clear that Indias reasonableness shouldnt be mistaken for weakness.



Just because we want to have friendly relations with our neighbours, they shouldnt cross the line. India has always wanted smooth relations with China. But the alignment of boundaries involving India, China and Bhutan has to always be finalised in consultation with all three countries, she said, underscoring New Delhis resolve not to be cowed down by Beijings relentless high-pitched campaign.



This crisis between China and India was different from other such episodes in the past, but what makes it unique in recent memory is New Delhis determination so far not to concede the standoff on Chinas terms. Beijing tried everything. It used its media to bully India; it threatened India officially; it used colonial-era records selectively; it tried to rally world opinion; it even tried to childishly ridicule India with its media using racist videos.



Beijing also tried to corner India in other parts of the border, with its troops crossing the Indian border near Pangong lake in Ladakh on August 15 and pelting stones at Indian soldiers. But, India did not budge.



And that, in essence, foreshadows the future of the global order. Underlying all this petulance about boundaries and territories, behind all this facade of sovereignty, the Sino-India stand-off in Doklam has been about whether the future of Asia will be one where China will be the dominant actor and dictate the terms of behaviour to other nations or whether the future of Asia will be a multipolar one in the real sense of the term. India decided to stand its ground because there was far too much at stake in not responding to the Chinese bullying.



India remains the last nation standing, a stumbling block in Chinas drive for domination of the Indo-Pacific. Already, the ambitious Belt and Road Initiative has made China seem central to the evolving global economic order. Even while nations realise the folly of joining this mega connectivity initiative, they see no real alternative. New Delhi is the sole major power that has decided to publicly oppose Xi Jinpings project.



No backing down



The other major power centres remain constrained in their policy responses to China. Japan has domestic political and legal constraints, despite Shinzo Abes pro-active foreign policy. Australias economic future is so deeply intertwined with Chinas that its elites are today having to debate making a choice between the US and China.



The Modi government, in contrast, has been robust in its response to Chinas rise. It quickly realised that China remains determined to pursue a unilateral foreign policy and Indian interests will suffer if New Delhi does not make a change in its foreign policy behaviour.



While a section of Indian elites continues to believe that India can shape Chinese behaviour by its policies, policy-makers have been confronting the consequences of Chinas growing capabilities in multiple ways. Though a tad late, New Delhi has been focusing on building its border infrastructure and has been active in trying to reach out to other like-minded powers in the region such as Japan, Australia, Indonesia and Vietnam to shape a favourable balance of power in the region.



Ahead of the Brics summit in China and the 19th Congress of the Communist Party of China, the standoff with India could have been really more damaging for Xi Jinping, who stood to lose the most if a quick resolution to the crisis was not found. And so, the two neighbours have managed to resolve the stand-off for now.



But this episode marks an inflection point in Indias relations with China. India seems to have recognised that standing up to China resolutely to protect its core interests is the only option available to it. Otherwise, it will have to acquiesce in the shaping of a China-centric Indo-Pacific. And for most Indians that clearly is not an option worth even thinking about.



(The writer is a Distinguished Fellow at Observer Research Foundation, New Delhi and Professor of International Relations, Kings College, London)
Tamil Nadu Chief Minister K Palaniswami on Sunday said late J Jayalalithaa had not named anyone as her political successor and that anyone in the party could aspire to reach such great heights with hard work.



He said efforts were also on to topple this government but asserted that was not possible as long as true party workers were with him.



He was addressing a government function here.



Palaniswamis comments come in the midst of his bitter tussle with sidelined AIADMK (Amma) leader TTV Dhinakaran. MLAs supporting Dhinakaran have sought removal of the chief minister, saying they have lost confidence in him. Following the revolt of the 19 MLAs who had asked Tamil Nadu Governor Ch Vidyasagar Rao to direct Palaniswami to go for a floor test, opposition parties have it too.



The DMK, Congress and Left parties had even met President Ram Nath Kovind in Delhi early this week with the same plea. On Sunday, Palaniswami said it was Jayalalithaas policy of equality that despite being a farmers son, he could assume the reins of the state.



Palaniswami said Jayalalithaa had shown no mercy to anyone who had acted against the party.
The tourism ministry went to Kerala's bureaucrat-turned-politician K Alphons in the Union Cabinet reshuffle on Sunday.



The 'Demolition Man,' the moniker that Alphons earned for demolishing more than 14,000 illegal buildings in Delhi and reclaiming land worth more than Rs 10,000 crore during his term as Delhi Development Authority (DDA) commissioner in the 90s, was also made a Minister of State for Electronics and Information Technology to work under Union Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad.



Alphons, a 1979-batch former Indian Administrative Service (IAS) officer, who is also credited for driving a literacy movement and helping Kottayam emerge as the first town in India to achieve 100% literacy during his tenure as the collector of the district in 1989, will hold the tourism ministry portfolio as the Minister of State (independent charge).



Union Minister Mahesh Sharma, who was holding the charge of the tourism ministry along with the Ministry of Culture, was shifted to the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change as the Minister of State.



Sharma, however, retained the culture ministry portfolio as Minister of State (independent charge).

The reshuffle comes at a time when the implementation of many of the ambitious projects of the tourism ministry is witnessing a slow progress.



The government's key projects like development of religious tourism circuits have still not fully appeared on the ground, though huge amounts of funds have been allocated and released for these projects.



"Warm welcome and hearty congratulations to all new members in Union Council of Ministers," Sharma tweeted after the reshuffle



Kannanthanam began his political career by becoming an independent MLA with the support of the Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPI-M) in Kerala in 2006. He, later, joined the BJP in 2011.



Recently, he was appointed as one of the members of a committee for drafting the national education policy under eminent space scientist K Kasturirangan.




Nitin Gadkari, who enjoys the reputation of the doer within the government, is learnt to have been offered the defence ministry by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.



However, the 60-year-old minister was reluctant to relinquish the Transport Ministry, where he has fast-tracked a number of project in cold storage for a long time.



Gadkari reportedly told the PM that he would like to see those projects come to fruition. It was decided then that he should be given the levers of the slow moving 'Namami Gange' project and the Water Resources Ministry as additional responsibilities.



As Water Resource Minister, Gadkari would be the go-to man for river disputes. Karnataka has a long-pending dispute over sharing of waters in Cauvery river with Tamil Nadu and Mahadei river with Goa.



Gadkari, who succeeds Uma Bharti at the ministry, said he would take forward his predecessors work and combine it with his task of developing inland waterways.



With a target of cleaning Ganga in 2018, the Modi government has approved 160 projects worth Rs 12,500 crore under the Namami Gange Mission.



Gadkaris initiatives in developing inland waterways would have also worked in his favour in getting the additional responsibility.



Inter-linking of rivers has also been on the top of the Prime Ministers priorities. Madhya Pradesh has been working with Water Resources Ministry and the Uttar Pradesh to link the Ken-Betwa rivers.



Like in the road ministry, Gadkari is expected to use his skills as the go-getter to clear the obstacles and speedily implement the Modi governments showpiece projects.
With the arrest of three persons, including an engineer, the Uttar Pradesh Police on Sunday claimed to have busted an illegal telephone exchange being run here.



A mini telephone exchange of BSNL was being run in Chawala complex, Maheshwari Nagar in Govind Nagar on GT Road, SSP Swapnil Mamgai said.



A large amount of accessories and equipment was recovered from racket members Nishant Sharma, Anil Bansal and Dhruv Singh, who were arrested on a tip-off, he told reporters here.



Kingpin Nishant, a software engineer, has disclosed how he obtained SIM cards using fake IDs from a Lucknow-based man, Asad Khan.



According to Mamgai, Nishant had established contact with Kunsi Network Company China on the internet for providing cheap international call facility. He said the racket also started providing the facility to foreigners through an improvised device later.



Had the racket not been busted, the telephone exchange could have become an internal security threat to the country, he said, while not ruling out the involvement of several others in the racket.



A total of 33 Reliance and 47 BSNL SIM cards have been recovered from the suspects, along with international gateway machines and other equipment, he said.



The police had received a complaint regarding a sudden increase of load in the Maheshwari Nagar-based BSNL tower from telecom authorities sometime ago, Mamgai said. Though SWAT and surveillance teams were entrusted with the task, the help of the army intelligence and ATF was also later sought, he said.
President Ram Nath Kovind on Sunday began his two-day Gujarat tour by visiting Mahatma Gandhis Sabarmati Ashram here.



Kovind, who is visiting Gujarat for the first time after becoming the president, was greeted by Gujarat Chief Minister Vijay Rupani, Governor O P Kohli and other dignitaries at the city airport this afternoon.



From the airport, the president went straight to the Sabarmati Ashram, where Mahatma Gandhi lived between 1917 and 1930.



Kovind offered his floral tributes at Gandhijis statue inside the Ashram, which is managed by the Sabarmati Ashram Preservation and Memorial Trust.



Chairperson of the trust, Elabehn Bhatt, along with trustees Kartikeya Sarabhai and Amrut Modi accompanied Kovind during his brief tour of the Ashram, which is celebrating 100-years of its establishment.



During his visit, Kovind planted a tree on the premises of the Ashram.



He also held talks with the trustees about the ongoing work of preserving the Gandhian-era documents and letters.



The president also visited Hriday Kunj, a house inside the Ashram where Gandhiji and his wife Kasturba once lived.



Before leaving, Kovind also wrote a message in the visitors book outside Hriday Kunj.




Four people were killed and three injured in separate road accidents in the city and Magadi since Saturday night.



Two people were killed on the spot in a collision between a mini goods vehicle and a KSRTC bus near Magadi town on Sunday. The dead are Parameshwar (45) and Raghu (20), both residents of Nagarabhavi.



According to the police, the accident occurred around 6 am at Jythappanapalya Gate. The speeding bus driver lost control when he approached the Gate and hit the goods vehicle, in which the duo were transporting vegetables. Parameshwar and Raghu sustained massive injuries and died on the spot.



Parameshwar and Raghu were vegetable vendors in Bengaluru. They would transport vegetables from Magadi town to Bengaluru every day in the mini goods vehicle.



The police seized the bus and detained the bus driver.



In another accident, Vasanth Kumar (25), a resident of Kodigehalli, was killed on the spot and Bharath (25) injured after a car in which they were travelling hit a barricade and overturned at Kodigehalli in the city on Saturday night. Bharath is being treated at Vikram Hospital.



The duo, who had recently completed their graduation, were on the lookout for jobs.



The accident occurred around midnight near Motherhood Hospital when they were heading towards Kempegowda International Airport for a jolly ride after dinner. Vasanth Kumar, who was at the wheel, attempted to overtake a lorry and lost control over the car. As he tried to take a turn, the car hit the barricade.



Pedestrian killed

A pedestrian was killed on the spot after a bus hit him near Navarang junction on Dr Rajkumar Road on Sunday.



The victim Jayaram (45) was a resident of Laggere. The accident occurred around 10 am when he was crossing the road. As he fell, Jayaram came under the front wheel of the bus and sustained injuries.



He was taken to KC General Hospital where he was declared brought dead on arrival, the police said.



Serial accident

Two people were injured and four vehicles were damaged in a chain accident on Magadi Road on Sunday morning.



The injured are Raju, an autorickshaw driver from Srinagar and Deviramma (45), a resident of Akkipet Main road.



The accident occurred near Anjan theatre on Magadi Road around 8.45 am. Kantharaju, the BMTC bus driver, drove recklessly and hit Rajus autorickshaw in which Deviramma was travelling. The bus came to a halt after hitting a two-wheeler and a tractor.



Raju and Deviramma fell and sustained injuries. They were shifted to a nearby private hospital, the police said.



The bus was bound for Vijayanagar from Kempegowda bus station. Traffic was halted for over half-an-hour due to the accident. The police cleared all the four vehicles and ensured smooth vehicular movement.



The police seized the bus and booked the driver under IPC Sections 279 (rash driving) and 337 (causing hurt by act endangering life or personal safety of others).


Two youths who had come to a college to meet two girl students, were attacked by a group in Belthangady on Saturday.



The youths, who were attacked, have been identified as Mohammed Unais (19) and Yusuf (20) from Chikkamagaluru. As the video footage of the incident was circulated on social media, the Belthangady police took two men into custody on assault charge.



It was said that Unais and Yusuf had come to Belthangandy on a bike to meet two female students (of different communities). When the four were clicking the photographs, a group of youth arrived at the spot and assaulted Unais and Yusuf, said sources.



Sources in the police said that the victims had not lodged any complaint and returned to Chikkamagaluru. Based on the video footage, the police took two persons to custody. The victims have been asked lodged a complaint with Belthangady police.




Land acquisition for Gottigere-Nagawara line in Phase 2 of Namma Metro project is likely to slow down due to the tussle over Fatima Bakery land needed for building the Vellara Junction Metro station.



Trouble started soon after a gazette notification was issued in March with the Karnataka Industrial Areas Development Board (KIADB), which acquires land for Metro projects, listing the tenant as the owner of over 1,000-sqft land.



In the subsequent stakeholders meeting called by Bangalore Metro Rail Corporation Limited (BMRCL), the Karnataka Central Diocese (KCD) provided documents to show that the land belonged to The Church of South India (CSI) Trust Association.



After we came to know that the tenant has claimed Rs 50 crore damages, we wrote to BMRCL on July 12, submitting all the documents needed to prove the ownership, KCD secretary Rev John Milton told DH. How can a tenant claim the ownership and damages against a land that doesnt belong to him, he asked.



Owner of the bakery V F David denied the charges and claimed that the land was transferred to his fathers name decades ago. In 1961, they (CSI) feared that the government would acquire the land after the water tank behind the bakery was taken over by the government. To avoid losing more land, they transferred the khata to my fathers name and told him to pay a nominal amount as rent, he said.



Its All Saints Metro station, not Vellara

Karnataka Central Diocese is miffed with the BMRCL for naming the upcoming Metro station between M G Road and Neelasandra as Vellara station, but the government remained non committal.



The Church of South India is not only providing 38,282 square feet of land, but also shown possibly the best cooperation in land acquisition process. But, authorities are calling it Vellara Junction station everywhere. The government should consider the fact that we gave up the land and name it as All Saints station, said KCD secretary Reverend John Milton.



Bengaluru Development Minister K J George said it was too early to comment on naming of the stations. I cannot say whether we can consider this demand. The decision should be taken by the managing director of the BMRCL, he said.



He said the khata was in my fathers name till last year. Suddenly, the BBMP transferred it. This is the second building we have built for the bakery and we have spent a huge amount of money on it. If it is taken over, then our livelihood is lost, he said.



The KCD secretary alleged that David obtained a khata certificate from the BBMP in 2010 in his name illegally. A correction was made in December after we wrote to the BBMP, making CSI the lessor, he said, adding that KCD has issued a legal notice to David.



Toughest part

Vellara Junction Metro station is part of the 13.7-km underground section, which is seen as the toughest part inthe Phase 2.



Considering the delay in finishing 8-km tunnel section in Phase 1, the new line is already expected to drag the project till 2022. With land acquisition hurdles staring at its face, Metro may find it tough to break the ground.



Officials in KIADB, however, said there would be no delay in land acquisition. We have scrutinised the documents. It is clear that the land belongs to CSI. Compensation will be provided to the rightful owner in the coming days following which we will hand over the land for Metro construction, a senior official said.



Its All Saints Metro station, not Vellara

Karnataka Central Diocese is miffed with the BMRCL for naming the upcoming Metro station between M G Road and Neelasandra as Vellara station, but the government remained non committal.



The Church of South India is not only providing 38,282 square feet of land, but also shown possibly the best cooperation in land acquisition process. But, authorities are calling it Vellara Junction station everywhere. The government should consider the fact that we gave up the land and name it as All Saints station, said KCD secretary Reverend John Milton.



Bengaluru Development Minister K J George said it was too early to comment on naming of the stations. I cannot say whether we can consider this demand. The decision should be taken by the managing director of the BMRCL, he said.


The Congress high command late on Saturday is learnt to have pulled up KPCC president G Parameshwara for staying away from last weeks swearing-in ceremony held at Raj Bhavan where three new ministers took oath.



The move is said to have prompted Parameshwara to hurriedly convene a press conference on Sunday morning to issue a statement that there were no differences between him and Chief Minister Siddaramaiah over the selection of ministerial nominees. Besides absenting himself fromthe swearing-in event, Parameshwara had confined himself to his house for two days leading to speculation that rift in the Congress top leadership is widening.



Parameshwara is said to be cut up with Siddaramaiah for making a last-minute change to induct Geetha Mahadeva Prasad, wife of late minister H S Mahadeva Prasad into the council of ministers, instead of his choice of candidate - Tiptur MLA K Shadaskshari.



On Saturday night, sources said, Siddaramaiah was called AICC General Secretary in-charge of Karnataka K C Venugopal over telephone and informed him about a sulking Parameshwara. Venugopal is understood to have immediately called up Parameshwara and told him about media reports on the rift in the state Congress were damaging the image of the party.



Venugopal said that it is important that the party puts an united face ahead of the polls. Parameshwara was told to convene a press conference and clear the air, the sources added.



When contacted, Parameshwara denied that he had received a call from Venugopal. He must have gathered the information from others, he said. At the press meet, Parameshwara said he had not attended the swearing-in event as he had fever and was taking rest. There is no cold or hot war between the chief minister and myself. My absence is being made a big issue, he said.






The BBMP, which has woken up after heavy rains in the city, has announced a Rs-300-crore project to provide a permanent solution to rain-affected areas as a long-term plan.



The project will be placed before the next Cabinet meeting, Bengaluru Development Minister K J George said on Sunday.



Due to heavy rain, areas such as HSR Layout and Koramangala were affected badly. Hence, we have taken up a Rs 300-crore project specially for these areas. This project will permanently solve the rain-related problems, George told reporters. Heavy showers caused inundation and tree falls at several places in the city.



HSR Layout and Shanthinagar bus depot were the worst hit by the showers, he said. BBMP is planning to construct drainage structures in the Shanthinagar bus depot and dedicated projects are planned to avoid flood situations in HSR Layout, he said. BBMP is ready to handle rain-related disasters. The control room, emergency works team, KSRP platoons, natural disaster management teams and forest department are ready to help citizens during heavy rain, said Mayor G Padmavathi.



The illegal encroachment of the rajakaluve (stormwater drain) by anyone, howsoever mighty the person may be, will face action. The case pertaining to film star Darshans house is in the court and I will not comment on that, said N Manjunath Prasad, BBMP commissioner.



When asked about SWD work not being completed on time, George said it needed a lot of approvals from various departments. It has taken time to get the DPR ready, call tenders, present it to the Cabinet and so on. For this reason, work started as late as May, he said.



The BBMP has submitted a Rs 2-crore proposal to get robot multipurpose excavators for desilting and cleaning drains. With the use of such machines, we will be able to complete desilting in vast areas faster, said Manjunath Prasad.


Newly-inducted Union Minister of State Ananth Kumar Hegde has a controversial past and there are several cases against him for making inflammatory speeches.



Forty-nine-year-old Hegde is a known Hindutva hardliner in the BJP and his strong links with the RSS is said to have helped him in securing a berth in Prime Minister Narendra Modis Council of Ministers.



A five-time MP fromUttara Kannada Lok Sabha constituency (known as Canara constituency before delimitation), Hegde entered Parliament winning the 1996 elections when he was only 28 defeating the Congress veteran Margaret Alva. He was associated with the Hindu Jagarana Vedike and was the Kodagu convenor of the forum before associating himself with the BJP.



Hedge, who prides himself as a Korean martial Tae-kwon-do practitioner, had sparked a controversy in January this year after he was caught on camera slapping doctors and staff of a private hospital at Sirsi in his constituency over his mothers treatment.



Hegdes mother had been admitted to the TSS hospital after a fall. CCTV footage from hospital, which went viral, showed the lawmaker accusing the two doctors of not giving his mother enough attention and thrashing them. A police case was registered against him. Last year, he was charged with hurting religious sentiments after he linked Islam to terror. A case was filed against him under the Indian Penal Code but Hegde stood his ground stating that it was his honest opinion.



Cases of rioting, unlawful assembly and promoting enmity among groups were lodged against him in 1993 for being a part of the mob during riots in the communally-sensitive coastal town of Bhatkal. In 1994, he dodged prohibitory orders in Hubballi and reached the disputed Idgah Maidan with two others to the hoist the national flag on August 15.



Hedges pick as a minister has come as a surprise in Karnataka political circles as his name did not figure in the probables for a ministerial berth from the state, with speculation that an MP from the dominant Lingayat community will be inducted into the Council of Ministers. However, Hedges strong ties with the RSS, which wanted a hard core Hindu face from Karnataka to figure in ministry ahead of the state Assembly polls, fetched him the post, sources said.








Prime Minister Narendra Modi sprang a surprise by elevating Nirmala Sitharaman, Rajya Sabha MP from Karnataka, as the first full-time woman defence minister when he expanded and reshuffled his Council of Ministers on Sunday.



By elevating Nirmala, Modi sought to deflect criticism that defence portfolio has been without a full-fledged Cabinet minister. She takes charge of a ministry that has predominantly seen male ministers. The late Indira Gandhi was the only exception when she handled the defence portfolio as the prime minister for sometime.



As defence minister, Nirmala joins the club of women defence ministers in 15 countries, including France, Italy, Germany and Australia. Hitherto, Finance Minster Arun Jaitley was handling the defence portfolio as additional charge after Manohar Parrikar shifted to Goa as chief minister in March.



Nirmala will now be part of the Cabinet Committee on Security (CCS), which also includes Prime Minister Modi, Home Minister Rajnath Singh, Foreign Minister Sushma Swaraj and Jaitley. Modi also brought in Power Minister Piyush Goyal as the new railway minister in place of Suresh Prabhu, who was shifted to commerce and industry, which was held by Nirmala.



Like Nirmala, Goyal was an independent minister of state (MoS), who was elevated as Cabinet minister. Goyal is now tasked with ushering in changes to bring high safety measures in the railway system following a spate of accidents.



Goyal had won the prime ministers praise for his work in the power sector as well as the transparent manner in which he handled the e-auctioning of coal mines.



Goyal will pilot the Railways out of the red by implementing several public-private-partnership projects, including the change of rolling stock and track renewal and upgrade of stations into commercial centres.


File photo of Gigi Hadid from VS Fashion Show [Photo/en.people.cn] Victorias Secret Fashion Show, one of the world's most beautiful and sexiest shows, has officially confirmed to hit Shanghai in November, but one "angel" may not receive the same hearty welcome as her fellow "angels".

Gigi Hadid, a 22-year-old supermodel from the US, is under fire for alleged racism after a quickly-deleted Instagram video surfaced in February showing her squinting her eyes to imitate a Buddha-shaped cookie.

Many criticized the young beauty for her offensive facial expression. Hadid, however, has never apologized. Her boyfriend Zayn Malik responded to some of the criticism, saying that Hadid likes Asians. Hadid's mother said that color, shape, religion, or race does not exist in "the hearts of our family as we are a melting pot of all."

An online Twitter poll showed that some 66 percent of more than 79,000 netizens believed Hadid's facial expression was inappropriate, while another 34 percent believed it was an innocent joke.

A post by official Twitter account of Victoria's Secret. [Photo/Twitter of Victoria's Secret]

According to the official Twitter account of Victoria's Secret, the 2017 VS Fashion Show will be held in Shanghai on Nov 28. Gigi Hadid also confirmed on Tuesday via social media that she has been asked to attend the fashion show.

The announcement renewed the month-old discussion. Many netizens, especially those from China, began to rally under the social media accounts of Hadid and Victoria's Secret, saying that she is not be welcome to China after her alleged racist video.

"I am looking forward to watching this year's VSFashionshow! But Gigi Hadid is not welcomed to China for her rude behavior!" wrote a Chinese netizen on Twitter.

Victoria's Secret has not issued any comment as of press time.
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About 1,200 people came out this afternoon in support of the people of Inishowen affected by the terrible flooding in August, for a fundraising concert in Letterkenny that featured some of the biggest names in Irish country music.

Organisers said they expected the Flood Aid for Inishowen concert to exceed the fundraising target of 20,000.

The star-studded bill at the Aura Leisure Centre included Daniel ODonnell, Big Tom, Nathan Carter, Dominic and Barry Kirwan and Johnny Brady, among others.

Like everybody else, Im just here in support of the people who suffered because of the floods, Daniel ODonnell told the Democrat.

He said that as well as the money the concert will raise for Red Cross efforts in Inishowen, I think for the people who are displaced or affected by the floods, they will be able to realise that so many people are interested, and out in solidarity with them.

Above, from left, Bishop Alan McGuckian, Bishop of Raphoe; Fr. Brian Quinn; and Deirdre Grant, an organiser of the concert. INDD 0409 Aura 15 MVB

Deirdre Grant, an organiser of the concert, said the fundraising target was 20,000 and she expected the event to far surpass that.

The response of the artists has been phenomenal, she said. She said when the call went out for the concert earlier this week, they just accepted, they said absolutely, no problem, were going to do it.

I think everybody here today wants to support the people of Inishowen and thats what its all about, she said.

See Monday's Donegal Democrat and Donegal People's Press for more.
A veteran of World War I raised in Letterkenny has been praised for his detailed and insightful portrayal of the Chinese Labour Corps, whose significant contributions to the war have largely been airbrushed from history.

Dawn of Victory  Thank you China! Star Shell Reflections, 1918-1919, the third volume of the war diaries of the late Jim Maultsaid, was launched recently at the Donegal County Museum during Donegal Heritage Week.

There is no other book which comes anywhere close to giving us the insight that this one does, Steve Lau, chairperson of the Ensuring We Remember campaign, said.

Mr. Lau said, I do believe that the book catapults us into a new area of understanding of the Chinese Labour Corps, he said. The Ensuring We Remember campaign is seeking a national memorial in London to the men of the CLC.

The Chinese ambassador to Ireland, Dr. Yue Xiaoyong, was unable to attend the launch but sent a letter praising the book, calling it inspiring and thought-provoking.

In his letter, the ambassador said almost 20,000 members of the CLC lost their lives.

For a century, their significant contribution to the restoration of peace in Europe and the world has gone largely unrecognized; very few people today have heard of the stories of the CLC. But there is a growing consensus that the Chinese labourers deserve more acknowledgement, more credit, he said.

The ambassador wrote: Browsing this book together with my Embassy colleagues, I have been deeply impressed by the humble but talented authors passion for art as well as his compassionate, humanitarian spirit. He used simple, easy-to-read language to convey feelings and emotions. These pages illustratively and convincingly emanate his desire for peace and survival, as well as his respect for life and genuine love for his fellow human beings.

Born in Pennsylvania in 1893 to Donegal parents, Jim was three when his family returned, settling in Letterkenny, across the road from where the county museum now sits.

He moved to Belfast at 18 to find work, and joined the British Army in 1914. He was badly wounded in the Battle of the Somme and left unfit for active service. On receipt of an officers commission, he returned to France to serve with the CLC, the workforce recruited to free troops for front-line duty by performing support and manual labour.

The book launch heard of prevailing attitudes at the time that sought to dehumanise Chinese people. Mr. Lau said the 102,000 Chinese labourers who received WWI medals were the only medal recipients whose medals carried their roll numbers, not names. There were 6.5 million British medals awarded during WWI, he said.

Mr. Lau played an archive recording of a British war veteran, then an old man, who spoke of Chinese labourers in ugly, racist terms. He wasn't unusual, Mr Lau said. This would have been the prevailing attitude of the day.

Contrast that with Mr. Maultsaids words, read by military historian Richard Doherty, who launched the book: I hope I have succeeded in giving you an insight into the heart and soul of those great workers of 169 Company. Let me say I will never meet men of higher honesty, fair dealing, just, staunch and true.

Mr. Maultsaids granddaughter, Barbara McClune of Belfast, saw to it that her grandfathers diaries were published. Mr. Doherty said he was approached by the publishers, Pen and Sword Books, to assess whether they were worth publishing.

He said he reported back, Theres not a book here  there are several books here. We cant let this go.

It absolutely is a fantastic piece of history. Its a wonderful piece of humanity as well, as Steve has so rightly pointed out, Mr. Doherty said.

Richard Doherty, military historian, launching Dawn of Victory, Thank You China, Star Shell Reflections 1918-1919, the Illustrated Diaries of Jim Maultsaid, in the County Museum. Photo Clive Wasson.

Barbara McClunes brother, John Rosborough, told the launch that the work took his grandfather years to finish, and is filled with references to how much he respected the CLC workers under his command, and this respect was mutual.

The family also brought to the launch two pieces of art that were made for Mr Maultsaid by the men of the CLC. It was a wonderful tribute indeed that I should be chosen for this supreme mark of affection, Mr Maultsaid wrote in his diaries.

Addressing the launch, Cllr. Jimmy Kavanagh, Letterkenny Municipal District mayor, congratulated Barbara McClune for ensuring her grandfathers diaries were published, and made available for all of us to appreciate. He said he also hoped the publication can help achieve the wider goal of the campaign to achieve recognition for the CLC, whose contributions to the war came at huge sacrifice.

Mr. Doherty, Cllr. Kavanagh and Michael McGarvey, director of service with Donegal County Council, also credited the staff of the Donegal County Museum, part of the councils cultural services division.

The three volumes of diaries are published by Pen and Sword Books and available at Amazon.

Barbara McClune, signing copies of the book for Nicola Taggart and Aoibheann Boyle at the launch. Photo Clive Wasson.

Caption for photo at top of page: From left, John Rosborough, grandson of Jim Maultsaid; Steve Lau, chairperson of the Ensuring We Remember campaign; Barbara McClune, granddaughter of Jim Maultsaid; military historian Richard Doherty; Judith McCarthy, Donegal County Museum curator; Michael McGarvey, director of service, Donegal County Council; and Cllr. Jimmy Kavanagh, Letterkenny Municipal District mayor; at the launch of the third volume of the illustrated World War I diaries of Jim Maultsaid in the County Museum recently. Photo Clive Wasson.




Over 100 years of

India's urban revolution Between 2014 and 2050, India is projected to add 404 million urban dwellers and the number of rural residents is expected to decline by 52 million. As NITI Aayog recently released a three-year action plan for facilitating urbanisation in the country and dealing with key challenges like affordable housing, infrastructure development, public transport and promotion of Swachh Bharat, we take a look at how the country has been urbanising over the last one hundred years.

According to census 2011, 31.3 per cent of of the country is urbanised comprising 7935 towns, both statutory and census. Greater Mumbai is the largest urban agglomeration in India, followed by Delhi, Kolkata and Chennai respectively. Mumbai is more urbanised than Delhi both in terms of population and built-up area.

Data source: Census of India





More than 100 years of urbanisation



Less than 26 million people lived in towns in 1901, and by 2001 the urban population of India increased by more than eleven times to 285.4 million. In fact, the number of towns/urban agglomerations has almost trebled and has increased from 1,827 in 1901 to 5,161 in 2001.

 each dot represent 530,000 people



Data source: Latest United Nations estimates



Top 50 cities that are urbanising rapidly



The fastest rate of urbanisation between 2001 and 2011 was witnessed in Delhi (4.1 per cent), Mumbai (3.1 per cent) and Kolkata (2 per cent). Moreover, four of Indias citiesAhmedabad, Bengaluru, Chennai and Hyderabadare projected to become megacities by 2030.





How to view the map: Click on play button and hover over the bubbles to see detail or drag the timescale to view urbanisation in desire year



Data source: Census of India, 2011







Urbanisation trends



Between 2001 and 2011, number of Census Towns increased from 1,362 to 3,894 and Statutory Towns from 3,799 to 4,041. In 2011, 31.2 per cent of Indian population was urban as compared to 25.7 per cent in 1991.

How to view the graph: move mouse over the lines to view urbanisation in desire state by year


Northen way of food shopping vs Southern way of food shopping [File photo]

Thanks to the vast territory and huge population of China, diverse living habits with geographical features have been an ever-lasting topic among Chinese. Unsurprisingly, netizens went wild again as they recently discovered another striking difference between the country's northerners and southerners: the way they shop for food.

According to netizens from southern China, they usually buy what they need for just one or two meals. "It is quite normal for us to buy one or half of a Chinese cabbage at a time," said a netizen.

However, one is very likely to be scorned if he does this in the north. "We love to stock up on groceries. Buying 25 kilograms of Chinese cabbage is the norm," said a netizen from the north.

Northen way of food shopping vs Southern way of food shopping [File photo]

Moreover, in the south, it is said that winter melon is always sold in chunks. "One chunk is enough for two meals!" one said. While in the north, it is simply not possible. "Of course we buy a whole one, otherwise nobody is willing to buy the other half," said a northern Chinese.

Because of this, cultural shocks are certainly inevitable. "Yesterday, I was going to buy just two celery stalks, but the stall owner was unwilling to weigh them and gave them to me for free," said a Cantonese netizen who just moved to Northeast China. "Vegetable vendors in Chengdu not only let me buy a very small amount of potatoes and lettuce, but even offered to help me peel them. I was so overwhelmed!" said a netizen from the north.

Experts say that the difference is due to the varied climate. Groceries can be stored for a relatively long time in the north as it is usually cold and dry there. Nevertheless, the comparatively hot and humid weather in the south compels southern Chinese to buy just enough for one meal or one day, otherwise it might go bad.
T

HE ENVELOPE arrived in December 2016 from Santa Clara Countys Office of the District Attorney. Kathy Atkins was home as she usually is, her post-traumatic stress too great, the memories of her sons death too severe to venture out alone. Her husband, Dennis, lifted his coat from the door and pulled the letter from a pocket. He had been waiting for the right time to give it to her, but no time, it seemed, was a good time. The couple sat on the edge of the bed in their well-kept townhouse in Philadelphia and braced themselves. With 28 years of anticipation and dread, Atkins slipped the letter out of the envelope.

The DAs letter arrived in December with an answer Dennis and Kathy Atkins had been awaiting for decades. (Photo by LiPo Ching)

While I sympathize with the sorrow you must feel  I am writing this letter, it began, to advise you of my review of the case involving the death of Joshua Shawn Klaver on January 30, 1989. Joshs middle name, Sean, was misspelled  the first indignity for Atkins in the two-page letter. She read on: Chief Trial Deputy Stacey Capps, who reviews all potential homicide cases, described the lengths several agencies and investigators had gone to find the truth about how 10-year-old Josh had died. The boy was the center of a brutal custody battle between Atkins and Joshs father, a sheriffs deputy named K.W. Klaver, when he was found hanging in his fathers barn in San Martin. Medical Examiner Michelle Jordens review and re-enactment of the hanging were very persuasive and there had been no medical opinion to dispute that Josh had killed himself.

Capps reviewed the custody file and spoke with Jorden about what the DA called possible earlier acts of child abuse noted in the DAs and medical examiners files.

There were discrepancies in what relevant witnesses told investigators compared to what Atkins had suggested they would reveal about Klaver, who was home alone with the boy when he died. Clearly, the relevant witness in question was Klavers wife at the time, Bobbi, who came home that night to the horrific discovery. Her emergence as a potential witness after the couple divorced in 2013 lured the sheriff to relaunch the investigation a quarter-century after Joshs death. Memories and recollections can be affected by the passing of time and changes in circumstances, Capps wrote. While I sympathize with the sorrow you must feel at the passing of Joshua Klaver, Capps wrote, it is my decision that there is not sufficient evidence to file criminal charges in this matter. There is no actual witness that can attribute Joshuas death to an intentional act by his father. So there it was in black and white. There is simply no evidence to support a filing of murder charges. Atkins years of badgering law enforcement and praying for justice had just ended essentially where it began the day Josh died. Cause of death: suicide.

The District Attorneys review of Joshs death found no evidence to support murder charges and said the coroner found nothing to dispute the cause of Josh's death was suicidal hanging.

Video: Kathy Atkins reads the letter from the Santa Clara County District Attorneys office notifying her that the investigation into her sons death has been closed.

Feel like Im being crushed The news was devastating enough for Atkins, but the penultimate paragraph of the letter forced her to confront what no parent who ever fought desperately for a child could bear to read: that she was equally to blame. Capps letter pointed out Joshs significant emotional issues, and referred to the very same words in Judge Jeremy Fogels 1987 ruling based on the diagnosis of child psychologists that Josh was close to psychotic due to the ongoing conflict between his parents. This extremely unfortunate reality corroborates the autopsy findings, Capps wrote. Atkins broke down on the master bed and sobbed. How could the D.A. make such a statement? The last legal paper ever produced on Joshuas death says I am on equal ground with K.W. when it comes to his death, Atkins would later tell me. I feel like Im being crushed. There was no reference to Judge James Stewarts conclusions at a 1986 custody trial that Klaver had engaged in a course of abusive conduct toward Joshua when the boy was in his care until he turned 7. And what seemed like such a momentous finding 25 years after Joshs death by the Child Death Review Team  that abuse was a factor in his suicide  had been reduced by the deputy district attorney to a brief mention of possible earlier acts of child abuse. To Atkins, the letter implied that Josh would have been better off if she had relinquished her son to the man who a judge concluded whipped, kicked and struck the boy. What mother could do that? The letter also imposed a finality on the case that it didnt seem to deserve: Here was the D.A.s decision, quoting a ruling from a second judge who told me he didnt know Josh had been abused by his father; a medical examiner who didnt have enough information to know whether Josh was fully or partially suspended or whether he had even attempted to tie a knot; an autopsy on an apparent hanging death conducted without a rope. Dr. Jorden conceded that while all the evidence she reviewed points to suicide, if Josh had been choked by someone else and hung, that wouldnt altogether conflict with the autopsy finding. Anythings possible, she said, however, I would need a confession. Once again, I thought about Dr. Jorden trying to solve a mystery a quarter-century later with so many of the pieces missing. "I'm doing the best I can," she had told me. But through Joshs story, I had come to realize: Doing the best we can isnt always good enough.

Sheriff Laurie Smith concedes there were mistakes in the investigation into Josh's death. (Archive staff photo)

Filling in the blanks Just as I was putting the finishing touches on this story, I reached out one last time to the Sheriffs and District Attorneys offices to ask again if they would fill in the blanks about their years of work on this case. I had been frustrated for months that I couldnt gain more insight into the 2014 reinvestigation, although Jorden had certainly helped. In particular, I had focused on Sheriff Laurie Smith, who rose in rank in the 1990s before being elected sheriff in 1998. I had heard she had tangled with Klaver in the years after Joshs death before he left on a disability retirement. For months, her office refused many interview requests, instead emailing a statement calling Joshs death a tragedy beyond tragedies. Then, suddenly she took my call  days after we started publishing this series. Klaver was a problem employee, she told me, but said she couldnt discuss personnel matters, only her feelings about the former deputy. She wasnt shy about that. He just seemed to be a problem all the time, you know, kind of like, I don't want to say a scammer, because that's not the right word.  Devious maybe. He's always seemed devious, the sheriff said. He was always suspect for something. I don't mean a suspect. But there was always a sense that there was something wrong. Frankly, the sheriff was fuzzy about many of the details of the multiple investigations into Joshs death  she was a sergeant back when Josh died. But she said she was aghast at how Klavers fellow deputies handled the child abuse complaints against him, especially the one at Joshs school. Thats the time a Child Protective Services worker confronted Klaver and a group of fellow deputies as they surrounded Josh after he told the school his dad had knocked him down some steps. If I were to look at that today, I would say it was an attempt to cover it up, Smith said.

NEVER RULE OUT ANYTHING Joshs mother continues to insist that the sheriffs office and particularly Smith are still covering up something. After digging into this story for months, I wasnt sensing a cover-up today, but more of an institutional failure, from the top down that persisted for years  from the time Klavers fellow deputies came to his side to protect him from child abuse accusations to the quick conclusion that Josh committed suicide. I wanted to know: Did the sheriff think her office had done everything to get to the bottom of Joshs death? And really, I had a bigger question: Did the sheriff think Klaver had killed his son? Boy that's really a tough question, she said. I'm always a suspicious person. I never rule out anything. And I just don't have a solid opinion on that. I think that there's something more here. I just don't know what. I asked her why she felt there was something more. I just think that there were so many mistakes, that there were so many things that were done wrong, she said. And when it comes to children I'm so protective of victims and kids and that's why this is particularly tragic. And that's why no matter what continues to happen we'll continue to look at it. I don't know. The case bothers me. It bothers me a lot.

Retired Undersheriff John Hirokawa

It also bothers former Undersheriff John Hirokawa, whom I finally reached after his recent retirement. Hirokawa was a patrol deputy back when Josh died, just like Klaver. But in 2014, he was second-in-command and helped oversee the re-investigation. Even so, it soon became clear I was telling him as much as he was telling me. Like Judge Fogel and Dr. Jorden, Hirokawa told me he didnt know about Judge Stewarts abuse ruling against Klaver either. And he didnt know that the rope never made it to the coroner. If we didnt take the rope, Im going to say that was a big error, he said. But Hirokawa learned enough about the way his office had handled things originally during the custody fight to have some concerns. He said his heart ached when he discovered years later that one of Klavers fellow deputies had shown up at Joshs school and sent the boy home with his father in the days after a social worker, who had come to the school to investigate an abuse report, recommended Josh should be with his mother. That deputy should have known, Hey, there's a potential conflict here. CPS had made a recommendation. So why are you reversing that recommendation? Hirokawa said. It's all not good.

A new twist There have been so many twists in Joshs story, I shouldnt have been surprised when, just after we published the first couple of chapters, I received an intriguing voicemail. We were the first ones on the scene the night that Josh hung himself, said a woman named Shereen Archambault. In fact, my ex-husband helped KW cut him down. Wait a minute. Someone else was in the barn that night, helping Klaver in the frantic minutes before the emergency workers arrived? Bobbi Klaver had never mentioned that. Neither had any of the authorities connected to the case. The Archambaults used to live across the street from the Klavers but moved years ago to the Central Valley. I quickly called back and also got in touch with Archambaults ex-husband, Chuck, the one who apparently rushed into the barn. His story was a bit confusing, and he said he had suffered a stroke several years ago but that it didnt affect his memory. Still, he insisted Josh was in the main part of the barn, not a side slaughter room when he saw him, and he was convinced after all these years that Josh had been hanging high from the rafters and ended up slumped on some high stacks of hay bales. KW was trying to cut him down, he said, you know, cut the rope and I helped him as best I could.  I tried to take some of the boys weight off the rope.

Chuck Archambault, a neighbor who said he arrived to help Klaver before paramedics arrived, remembers seeing Josh in the main part of the barn, not the side slaughter room with the orange meat rail, above, where the coroner and Bobbi Klaver said he was found hanging. (Photo by Julia Prodis Sulek)

I wasnt going to give his story much credence. But I remembered something  that Sgt. Jerry Egge, the retired homicide detective who had met with Klaver in the barn a few days after Joshs death, also once told me Josh had been found hanging high from the rafters. So I called Egge again. And he backed off his original description, saying he may have just assumed it was high in the rafters when Klaver waved to the general direction where Josh had been hanging. Again, he said, he wasnt officially there to investigate at the time. Now, he acknowledges, investigators should have done more. I called Bobbi Klaver again, too. And she was certain: Josh was hanging from the meat rail in the butcher room. The reason Im sharing this with you now, is that it goes to show how  as homicide experts had told me  its impossible to go back and re-create the scene of a death. Its impossible to get a clear story 28 years later from a witness, even from a trained homicide detective or two neighbors who were there that night, but were never interviewed by police. Chuck Archambault says Klaver introduced him to the deputies that night. They didn't ask me nothing, he told me. He said he found it odd. I figured I would get all the questions I'm getting now from you. One more thing about the Archambaults  they cant begin to fathom that Klaver had anything to do with Joshs death. Klaver was a good neighbor, they said, and they saw how he was reacting that night  utterly distraught. They didnt know about the abuse allegations, they said. We never saw any of that. And I can't say whether it happened or not, said Shareen Archambault, whose son used to play with Josh. But its a huge jump to go from that to killing your child. I don't believe it. And my ex-husband doesn't believe it either.

Judge Fogel

Its a horror story Today, many of the players in this tragedy  the parents and stepparents, the lawyers and judges, the social workers and deputies, the ones who should have protected Josh  are still contemplating their roles in the brief life and heartbreaking death of Joshua Klaver, a boy who once was happy, happy, happy, but ultimately never wanted to go home. Some looked back with clarity, some with remorse, some with guilt and grief. Even before I called him this spring, Judge Fogel always wondered whether his ruling that granted Klaver partial custody led in some way to Joshs death. Learning 28 years later that Klaver had a history of abuse that the judge somehow wasnt made aware of only made it worse. "If you look back in light of what happened and the fact that there was corroborated abuse and Josh died under mysterious circumstances and throw in the tribal behavior of the deputy sheriffs, it's a horror story, Fogel said. "It makes me sick. It's just a very, very unhappy story, regardless of what the cause of death was. Both lawyers in the custody case  David Sussman for Klaver and Constance Jimenez for Atkins  have also second-guessed themselves. Jimenez was so stunned, so certain she had failed Joshua, she said, that soon after Josh died, she considered quitting. I questioned my future in family law, she said, because of the trauma of losing Joshua and wondering if there was something we did not see or did not do.

Video: Attorneys Constance Jimenez and David Sussman describe their reactions to Josh Klavers death.

The dormer on the Klaver barn was painted yellow when Josh died and served as a beacon of despair for attorney Constance Jimenez, who represented the boy's mother but lived near his father. (Photo by Julia Prodis Sulek)

The bright yellow dormer Looking back to Judge Fogels courtroom, Jimenez doesnt remember exactly what she said or didnt say about Klavers abuse or whether she mentioned Judge Stewarts ruling  it was an emergency hearing and she was defending her client against Klavers attacks  but sees now it wasnt enough. She does remember, though, the powerful feelings of grief and despair that followed her every morning, as she left her home not far from the Klavers, and drove down Church Avenue toward Columbet Avenue. The dormer on Klavers hayloft was painted bright yellow back then. It was very visible against the trees and the skyline, she said. Every time I drove by, Id just have almost a physical sense of grief. Sussman remembers encountering Jimenez at family court from time to time after that  and every time it was searing. There is that shared experience that is unlike anything else Ive ever had with any other lawyer or anyone on the bench, Sussman said. It made up a piece of who we were.

Seen what tug-of-wars have done Many of K.W. Klavers supporters have come forward since this series of stories began to defend him on social media, including his younger daughter, Crystal Klaver, a high school teacher now in Oklahoma. This is my father. Hes a good man, she wrote, and explained that she was a rebellious teenager when she filed a petition for a restraining order against her father in 2010 and regrets it now. The district attorneys conclusion that Joshs death was a suicide is vindication for K.W. Klaver after nearly three decades of living under suspicion that may have ultimately dogged his career and darkened his marriage. I didnt expect it to change any, he said in a recent phone interview of the DAs decision. Thats all it ever was.

Josh Klaver (Photo courtesy of Judi Werner)

When I met him outside the Atoka auction barn last summer, I asked him if, looking back, he would have done anything differently as a father. He said no. But when I asked again, if he had anything else he wanted to say, he paused for a moment. Then, for the first time, he acknowledged at least some responsibility, not for child abuse which he denied to the end, but to his part in tearing Josh apart. Ive seen what tug-of-wars have done to a lot of children, and its not good, said Klaver, who worked to reconcile with his daughters after the end of his second marriage split the family. Because Kathy and I battled so hard over custody, that may have been a contributing factor. Both of us should have looked at that strongly at the time. Joshs mother looks instead to her sons earliest years, when she failed him most. I made a choice to step down in the gutter with the drugs and alcohol. I wasnt drug down there. I carry that, Atkins said. Im responsible for everything that happened to Josh, because I placed him on that path.  Im responsible. Im his mother. His stepmother, Bobbi Klaver, is still haunted by the images of Joshs last night. Exactly what she confided to Klavers ex-girlfriend about Joshs death isnt certain. But the story she told detectives  and me  doesnt match the one passed along to Joshs mother, who had spent years yearning for scraps of information that could bring justice for Joshua. And now, all these years later, Bobbi Klaver  who could only answer I dont know when asked whether she thought her ex-husband was capable of murder  insists its time to move on. No one was the perfect parent back then, she had told me. No one is ever a perfect parent. And Josh paid the ultimate price for this. But Josh is in a better place. And we have to be at peace now. She didnt know if Joshs death involved a big conspiracy, but she knew one thing. The custody battle was devastating for everyone, especially Josh. How couldnt it be for any child torn between parents? A child, she said, should never be forced to choose.
Quiz 1 is over if you missed your chance to join that one, dont worry here is another one for you not to miss. The first quiz was a flash one because this blog just got live September 1, 2017 and I need to send names same day I just extended to 9am today so some could actually join.

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The prize for this contest is not transferable and/or not convertible to cash. By participating in the Contest, the Participants agree to hold harmless, defend and fully indemnify the Organizer, its directors, employees, personnel, representatives and agents from and against all losses, damages, expenses and all third party actions, proceedings, claims, demands, costs (including without prejudice to the generality of this provision, the legal cost of each other), awards and damages arising as a result of the Participants entry in the Contest. By participating in the Contest, the Participants are deemed to agree to be bound by the terms and conditions of the Contest upon the submission of their entries for the Contest. The decisions of the Organizer in relation to every aspect of the Contest including but not limited to the types of Prize and the selection of winner shall be deemed final, conclusive and binding and the Organizer will not entertain any complaints in respect thereof under any circumstance.

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Dell unveils new laptops, 2-in-1s and mixed reality headset

Dell has revealed a suite of holiday wish-list worthy devices and services that provide the most immersive and comprehensive computing experience available. The new offerings include the new Inspiron 13 7000 2-in-1 and laptops with new 8th Generation Intel Core processors; performance enhancements to the critically acclaimed XPS 13, Dell Visor Windows Mixed Reality Headset, and Premium Support Plus service. These new innovations demonstrate Dells commitment to providing the best audio and visual computing, virtual reality (VR) and gaming experiences for consumers.

Were in Berlin this week to demonstrate Dells global leadership in innovation across personal computing, gaming and virtual reality, said Ray Wah, Senior Vice President and General Manager, Dell Consumer and Small Business Product Group. From our new mixed reality headset to beautiful new laptops and 2-in-1s, our holiday line-up introduced at the show includes some of the most beautiful designs with incredible visual experiences, exceptional performance and support to match.

New Dell Premium Support Plus with First and Only Predictive Issue Detection

Dells new top-tier Premium Support Plus ups the ante to deliver the most comprehensive support service available for consumer and gaming PCs. Premium Support Plus builds on the great features customers have come to enjoy with Dells Premium Support such as 24/7 phone support, onsite service after remote diagnosis and hardware and software support. Powered by Dells exclusive SupportAssist technology, it is the first and only consumer service to proactively find issues, predict problems before they start, automatically remove viruses and optimise performance for consumer PCs.

This service also comes with many advanced support features like repairs for accidental damage. The automated proactive, predictive capabilities have been tested and proven in the commercial market and now Dell is bringing them to consumers.

Consumers today are demanding more when selecting new PCs  in design, performance and support and Dell is a big innovator in PC products and services, said Patrick Moorhead, president and principal analyst, Moor Insights & Strategy. With the introduction of Premium Support Plus, Dell is raising the bar on what consumers can and should expect in a support plan and are demonstrating their leadership in PC support. Having a more automated, predictive and intuitive support experience means theyre free to focus on enjoying their technology.

Customers can tailor the experience to their lifestyle  a hands off, call-free experience with automated integrated support or one-on-one personalised support with an agent or a combination of both. Customers experience up to 88 percent less time to issue resolution and up to 77 percent fewer steps in the support process when compared to other premium service offers. Available from August 29 in the UK for Dell Inspiron, XPS and Alienware systems.

New Inspiron Laptops and 2-in-1s - Stunning Visual Experiences & Performance in Sleek, Affordable Packages

Designed for the mobile multi-tasker or multi-user household, the new Inspiron 13 7000 2-in-1, Era Gray brushed aluminium, brings stunning visuals and powerful performance in a smaller footprint than the previous generation. Enjoy a beautiful visual experience with a narrow border and FHD IPS touch display and an optional 4K UHD IPS touch display that covers 100 percent AdobeRGB.

With the Inspiron 7000 2-in-1, watch movies or video chat uninterrupted thanks to SmartByte streaming technology co-engineered by Dell that prioritises streaming and conferencing above other network activities. Experience exceptional performance and immersive experiences with new 8th Generation Intel processors, DDR4 memory; and flexible connectivity options with USB Type-C with support for DisplayPort and Power Delivery. The Inspiron 7000 2-in-1 also offers longer battery life and quieter performance with standard SSDs or optional PCIe NVMe SSDs. Available in the UK from August 31st starting at 949 on Dell.co.uk and available at select retailers from mid-October.

The new Inspiron 7000 laptops are the perfect travel companion with the slim, light and thin-bezel design in Platinum Silver or Pink Champagne. Available in 13 and 15 inches, the Inspiron 7000 offers a brilliant FHD IPS display for a crisp, detailed picture, with a UHD option that covers 100 percent AdobeRGB available on 15 inch model. The laptops take advantage of the outstanding performance, responsiveness and hardware enabled security built into the 8th Generation Intel Core processor, as well as strengthened security with password-free biometrics login with Windows Hello and infrared camera or fingerprint reader (on 13 only). Finally, it offers a range of storage options including PCIe NVMe SSD. Available in UK from August 31st.

Dell has also updated the Inspiron 13 and 15 5000 2-in-1s, which offers supercharged performance in a super thin design, and the Inspiron 17 7000 2-in-1, the complete package in a flexible form factor. These systems now offer new 8th Generation Intel Core processors and DDR4 memory for exceptional performance when multi-tasking. The Inspiron 13 and 15 5000 2-in-1 are available in EMEA from August 31st starting at 749 and Inspiron 17 7000 2-in-1 is available in EMEA from August 31st starting at 949 on Dell.com. Inspiron 17 7000 2-in-1 will also be available at select Retail Partners from mid-October.

Beloved XPS 13 Now 44 Percent More Powerful

Carrying the tradition of delivering the best computing experience the XPS 13 now offers up to 44 percent more performance with the latest 8th Generation Intel Core i7 processors and Dynamic Power Mode7. With the new 8th Generation processors, with four cores versus two, experiencing exceptional performance while multi-tasking and running multiple applications is possible. The XPS 13, the smallest 13.3 inch laptop on the planet8, also boasts a stunning viewing experience with optional Quad HD+ InfinityEdge (optional touch) display, with sharp visuals and vivid and accurate colour. Its no wonder its Dells most award-winning laptop ever. XPS 13 with 8th Gen Intel Core i7 will be available in the U.K. starting September 12 for 1,199, with additional configurations available in October.

Dell Visor Looks to the Future

As a driving force in the virtual reality space, Dell has developed one of the broadest portfolio of VR-ready devices  notebooks, desktops, mini-PCs and AIOs  and end-to-end VR solutions, from creation to consumption to storage. In partnership with Microsoft, Dell blazes into the mixed reality future with the sleek and comfortable Dell Visor - its first-ever virtual reality headset for the Windows Mixed Reality Platform. Engineered with a flip-up visor for convenient transitions, it features well-cushioned head and face padding, thumbwheel band adjustment for personalised comfort, and smart weight balancing that takes pressure off the nose and cheeks. The white finish is easy to clean and durable, and the thoughtful design extends to cable management that routes cords to the back of the headset for better freedom of movement.

Dell Visor takes advantage of the same technology used in the Microsoft HoloLens, including inside-out tracking cameras, with a 360 degree panoramic view. The headset itself able to scan surroundings instead of satellite emitters positioned inside the room. Its future-proof tech extends to platform-agnostic communication, with the possibility of users interacting with owners of different MR headset brands down the road. Dell Visor Controllers offer complete flexibility with six degrees of freedom of movement in a three-dimensional space. The Controllers allow users total control with haptic feedback, thumb stick and buttons fully tracked by sensors in the headset. Available in the UK in the coming months for 349.99 (headset) and 99.99 (controllers) on Dell.com.
Portugal popularity hits nine-month high

The popularity of Portuguese property has reached a nine-month high, reveals new research from TheMoveChannel.com.

The international portals latest Top of the Props index shows that Portugal reentered the top three destinations in July 2017. This is the first time that Portugal has been in TheMoveChannel.coms top three since October 2016. Portuguese real estate accounted for 1.87 per cent of all enquiries on the portal in July, with enquiries rising 2 per cent month-on-month in real terms.

Portugal was beaten only by second place Spain and first place USA, which both held on to their spots for the second month in a row. US property accounted for 6.93 per cent of enquiries, while Spain accounted for 6.12 per cent.

France also enjoyed a surge in interest, rising from fifth place to steal fourth. This is the second month so far in 2017 that France has been the fourth most popular country on TheMoveChannel.com, and the third month in a row that it has been in the Top of the Props Top 5. In real terms, enquiries for French property rose 16 per cent in the three months to July compared to the previous three-month period.

France and Portugals rise pushed Italy down into fifth place, with 1.72 per cent of all enquiries on the site. However, this is the fourth time Italy has been in the Top of the Props Top 5 in 2017, as the countrys popularity continues to increase.

Italy is not the only nation enjoying a rebound. Greece continues to see interest grow, climbing from 10th place into ninth in July. Greek property accounted for 0.69 per cent of all enquiries on the portal, marking the third time in 2017 to date the nation has been in the Top of the Props Top 10. In real terms, enquiries for Greek real estate more than doubled in the three months to July compared to the previous three-month period.

Tunisia has also risen into the Top 15, up 24 places from the previous month, with 0.41 per cent of all enquiries. Turkey saw signs of a return to favour as well, jumping five places from 12th into seventh, with 1.61 per cent of enquiries.

TheMoveChannel.com Director Dan Johnson comments: With summer in full swing, the traditional holiday home favourites rule the roost, with Spain, France and Italy all among our Top 5 destinations. However, July sees buyers begin to return to old favourites too, as the tourism industry continues to help boost market recoveries, not just in Europe but further afield. Official data shows that Turkish visitor arrivals are on the up this year, as relations between Turkey and Russia improve, which highlights the countrys returning appeal to international holidaymakers and investors. We also saw notable growth in enquiries for Tunisian real estate in July, which follows improving tourist figures for the country this spring. Buyers are going back to Cyprus too: despite the country slipping down the Top of the Props charts, enquiries remain 22 per cent higher in the three months to July than they were in the three months to January 2017. The islands tourism sector had a record year in 2016, with arrivals expected to rise another 5 per cent this year.

Portugal has been one of the stars of 2017 to date, adds Johnson, repeatedly appearing in TheMoveChannel.coms top three destinations. The housing markets recovery continues to build momentum, with prices and transactions both improving steadily and consistently. With Golden Visas on offer in Portugal, Cyprus, Greece and Turkey, citizenship schemes rank alongside tourism as an important driver of international interest.
Gran Hotel Miramar reopening crowns Malaga's resurgence

An ancient Andalucian city that gave birth to Pablo Picasso, but is often overlooked as the gateway to the Costa del Sol, Malaga is transforming itself into a flourishing cultural hub. The recent reopening of the Gran Hotel Miramar following a 65 million renovation is the latest chapter in the city's renaissance as a hotspot of cultural excellence, cementing its place on the wishlists of art lovers and the cognoscenti from across the world.

Once a place to see and be seen for Spanish royalty, European high society and Hollywood stars alike, the iconic five-star Gran Hotel Miramar reopened earlier this year following a painstaking two-year overhaul, putting Malaga firmly back on the global luxury travel map. The assiduous renovation has returned this majestic edifice to its former glory, preserving or revitalising many of its original features, including intricate Moorish carved wood arches, a beautiful first floor gallery, Andalusian tiling, hand-painted frescoes and ornate stucco ceilings.

With a central beachfront location in the cultural hub of La Caleta, the hotel is within easy reach of the many cultural institutions that are popping up around the city including an outpost of France's famous Centre Pompidou and a Malaga branch of the St Petersburg State Russian Museum.

While its magnificent Moorish fortress walls and Roman theatre have long been symbols of the ancient city's place in cultural history, Malaga has in recent years welcomed the opening of prominent museums showcasing the works of world-class painters and sculptors, backed by an ambitious EUR100 million plan by the city council to reinvigorate the city's cultural heritage. Museums such as the famous Picasso Museum, the Carmen Thyssen Museum and the Centre for Contemporary Art are amongst those not to be missed.

Outside the galleries and museums, another traditional expression of art is represented in the city's religious buildings. Through the centuries the churches and cathedrals have been richly endowed with paintings, icons, statues and religious objects that are fine examples of Spain's cultural soul, and incorporate some of the greatest treasures of centuries gone by. Highlights include works by Baroque Spanish painter Francisco Zurbaran, best known for his still life and paintings of clergy members such as nuns and monks to religious carvings by Pedro de Mena who is considered to be the most famous representative of the Granada strand of the Baroque school of sculpture in Spain.

Not to be overlooked is Malaga's emergence on the fine food scene found in the myriad of dining options around the city, which now rival the gastronomic powerhouses of the Basque country and Catalonia. The city embraces its local Andalucian cuisine with authentic dishes celebrating the area's mix of Spanish and international gastronomy, such as Gazpacho (a cold tomato, garlic and onion based soup), Boquerones (fried anchovies), and Gachas Malaguenas (a dessert of fried bread served with a sweet syrup. A must on any trip to Malaga is a visit to the city's grandest and most famous food market, the Atarazanas. Known locally as the 'Mercado Central', located in the heart of Malaga's historic centre, the market is richly steeped in history dating back to the 14th Century and showcases the region's best seasonal and local produce. By contrast, new gourmet market Mercado de la Merced opened just two years ago following a major revamp, with around 25 eateries including some of the food scenes hottest newcomers as well as established Malaga names such as Casa de Guardia's new bar.

Stopping in one of the many bars or markets for a bite to eat and soaking up the eclectic atmosphere is the perfect way to round off a trip around Malaga's galleries and museums, and an excellent opportunity to sample other facets of the city's culture. Malaga is much more than simply a gateway to the Costa del Sol. It is a city with a rich history that offers visitors a glimpse into Spain's past and cultural heritage.

Rooms at Gran Hotel Miramar start from 216 per night including breakfast, excluding tax and service. For further information, visit granhotelmiramarmalaga.com.
If we cant stop them

The New Republics Brian Beutler has presented eight reasons why the GOP may be too incompetent to cut taxes, which would be like arguing that flies are too dizzy to find any excrement. Youre supposed to be able to do the one thing you exist to do.

Here are 8 reasons whyif I had to guessId guess Republicans fail to pass even a simple regressive tax cut bill. https://t.co/axDcdWtTlU  Brian Beutler (@brianbeutler) August 30, 2017

The piece is convincing. And heres already evidence that the Freedom Caucus will slow down Harvey aid and along with it the most basic functioning of the House, making the yawning list of things Paul Ryan and Mitch McConnell want to get done by September 30, which the current budget reconciliation bill that makes it possible to pass tax breaks with 50 votes in the Senate expires, impossible.

In September:

$ or shutdown

Debt limit or

SCHIP/Flood$/FAA auth expirations

Russia hearings

ACA/CSR fix?

Wall $/DACA?

Tax bill unveil?  Steven Dennis (@StevenTDennis) August 14, 2017

Still Im not convinced the GOP will be denied satisfying its prime directive.

I pray Im not being too cynical in hopes of being pleasantly surprised. Actually I think Im being realistic about the amazing confluence of resistance and history that conspired to stop Trumpcare from becoming law. It took a massive outcry from activists and voters combined with the tremendous bad will Trump had built up in John McCain, the one Republican who has the least to fear from the president.

And let us remember that even Trumpcare isnt truly dead for a single reason  rich people really want those Medicaid cuts to pay for their tax breaks.

Reports of the death of ACA repeal are premature. Those who want repeal are as focused as ever & the margins are slim. https://t.co/RRuxxcWzuY  Andy Slavitt (@ASlavitt) September 2, 2017

Quickly, here are six reasons why I think tax cuts could easily become law soon.

1. Any tax cut will do.

Republicans have all but given up on any reform of taxes. If they come forward with a plan that kills popular deductions, like 401ks or capping the home mortgage deduction, the backlash could drown them out. So expect them just to push modest cuts that mostly go to the rich designed to pay for themselves with economic growth, Kansas-style. They could even reward rich donors by cutting all the rates except the top one then eliminating the estate tax and focusing on corporate tax giveaways. Basically, any tax cut is much better than no tax cut to a Republican.

2. A well-designed cut could get Democratic votes.

Tim Ryan in the House is already flirting with backing corporate tax breaks. Can you name me the three Republicans in the Senate who would oppose tax breaks? McCain backed all the Bush tax breaks, even as he complained about them. Who would be the Republican whod be the key vote against Trumps one hope for an accomplishment? I think its easier to name Democratic Senators who might back it. All that can stop Democrats from considering such collusion is massive resistance, but even thats easier for Republicans to avoid now.

3. It might be easier to fragment the Resistance in fall.

Theres just so much going on in peoples lives beyond Trumps constant mania. Add the likelihood of the end of DACA to the avalanche of legislation to suss out to the complexity of the arguments against cutting the corporate and estate taxes and Republicans may be able to substitute competency with obscurity.

4. Every Republican needs something to run on next year.

Gorsuch and Trumps other massive wins in shaping the judiciary may be enough to get Republicans to the polls in November absent any legistlative wins, but it may not be enough to win you a GOP primary. The vast majority of Republican Members of Congress only have to fear a primary challenge and whiffing on Trumps agenda completely will make them vulnerable to anyone from their right. And Trump knows that tax breaks will make or break his presidency. His willingness to threaten his own party will curdle some cowards.

5. Unlike Trumpcare, tax cuts are popular.

Tax breaks for the rich arent that popular, but theyre Taylor Swift compared to Trumpcare, the single most unpopular legislation Ive ever seen. It was a law with tens of millions of victims and few winners. Tax cuts in general are very popular and this bill will likely cut everyones taxes, though the majority will go to the rich and they will set the stage for a massive assault on programs we love  like Medicaid and Medicare. Exposing the consequences of a payoff are much harder than promising people a check.

6. Republicans dont vote against tax cuts.

And they control both houses of Congress and the presidency.

That said, I believed the GOP was going to be able to pull off ACA repeal by now. The Resistance proved me wrong by flooding our brains with the information we needed to fight a horrendous bill.

That can easily happen again, but we have to ready. Really, heres all people need to know:

I learned more looking at this chart for 10 seconds than I did in 20 minutes watching Trump's speech pic.twitter.com/ydMLwHVXl4  Jeremy Slevin (@jeremyslevin) August 30, 2017

Yep, its time to rage again.
While the attention of the country is focused on the our unhinged president and his cruel, heartless Republican Party that is scheming every day on how to cut the taxes of their super wealthy benefactors and destroy the social safety to pay for it, Michigan Republicans have other plans. Senate Majority Leader Arlan Meekhof told The Detroit News this week that his number one priority for the upcoming legislative session is to make sure that the retirees of local governments are well and truly screwed over. If they dont screw over the people who retired believing they could do so in dignity, Meekhof wants to dissolve their city:

Meekhof estimates that 10 percent of local governments may really have some trouble paying for promised retiree benefits, and hes advocating an aggressive approach in those communities to avoid bankruptcies: Ask local residents to pay more in taxes or face potential dissolution. I dont know exactly all the steps were going to take, but at some point I think local governments have to realize that if theyre in over their head, if theyre looking to the state for help, maybe it includes dissolving them as a public entity and redrawing some of the lines, he said. Because if they cant handle their financial business, then the taxpayers need to be protected.

This is the logical next step for the Republicans Emergency Management philosophy. First, take over cities that are struggling financially, kick out the local elected officials, cut everything to the bone, and end union contracts. Then hand the reins back to local officials who face all of the same systemic problems that created the financial emergency in the first place. The next step is to dissolve the cities entirely if they dont do as they are told and screw over their retirees.

Its also a way to push the difficult task of raising taxes to local officials so that state-level Republicans can keep their hands clean.

Be vigilant, my friends. If Republicans get their way on this, its slippery slope and who knows what their next authoritarian move will be.
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AmazingTiger said: I agree with newbienz's observation.



DIBP, IMHO, does not explicitly expect address proofs for all your residences in the past 10 years (form 80). However what they expect is consistency in the information you have provided across documents. If you say you are working in Gurgaon, you must logically be a resident of some place within commutable distance of Gurgaon.



The key operative word here is 'residence'. AFAIK, it is some place where you have stayed for the last 6 months or intend to stay for the next 6 months. That is similar to the definition used by many countries to define who is/is not a 'Resident' for tax purposes.



Passport, although accepted in many places as residence address proof across India, is not a true address proof document. AFAIK, the process does not allow to apply for passport re-issue just for an address change.



If you are worried about PCC from PSK, a sealed,signed statement from your bank and/or a letter from your employer's HR department should suffice your need for an address proof. Click to expand...

Thanks newbienz and Amazing Tiger for your responses.I understand your point. Will be mentioning the residential addresses accordingly i.e. Gurgaon where I have been living for 10 years for job.Another leading question (OR may be an unnecessary doubt in my mind) - When I got my passport created from Punjab in 2011, I mentioned that address of Punjab (I was there for vacation for few weeks and the police verification also happened during that period) and had not given Gurgaon's address (where I was residing at that time also). This was just because of the reason that all my documents had (and have) Punjab's address only and to keep it consistent, I chose to have my permanent address everywhere (I think many of us do due this and not prefer to give rental address where we live for jobs).I was glancing through Form 80 and it asks for last 10 years of residence and I plan to give the actual residence (i.e. 4 addresses in Gurgaon itself where I have stayed in 10 years).Now - can it go back to the state how did you get your passport created with Punjab address?Apologies if it is just a trivial issue.Thanks
I just read your article (on the Confederate monument, Aug. 20) and noticed there was no mention of the local Union veterans organization in San Antonio, the E.O.C. Ord Post No. 3, Grand Army of the Republic (GAR) and its ladies auxiliary called the Woman's Relief Corps that attended both events you talked about in your article (dedication of the monuments cornerstone and the unveiling of the statue). My copies of the articles published in the in both papers about both events are difficult to read, but it looks like Capt. John H. Bolton was the commander of the E.O.C. Ord Post No. 3, GAR, though I didn't notice the name of the lady in charge of the local Woman's Relief Corps.

It makes sense that the local GAR post would be named in honor of Gen. Ord because he was selected to command the Department of Texas on April 11, 1875. He served in that role until his retirement on December 6, 1880. While he was stationed in Texas, he supervised the construction of Fort Sam Houston.

I have not been successful yet finding any information on Capt. Bolton, but that may just be due to me using the wrong name. Perhaps your copies of the articles are more readable than mine?

 Martin Callahan

San Antonios Grand Army of the Republic post was established when J.W. Tunnell invited honorably discharged soldiers and sailors who fought on the federal side during the war to meet Nov. 10, 1883, at Travis Park to join in the movement. The resulting organization was included in both events celebrating the Confederate monument in that same park - a cornerstone dedication, June 3, 1899; and the unveiling of the statue, April 28, 1900.

The former Union soldiers, onetime foes of the Confederate dead to whom the memorial was inscribed, were invited by the monuments sponsors, the Daughters of the Confederacy, to the earlier observance, according to a story in the San Antonio Express published June 3, 1899, because their presence will be a pleasant and gratifying evidence of the obliteration of the bitter memories of the past and the preservation and cultivation of brotherly love and patriotism.

At the latter dedication, the GAR marched behind their Confederate counterparts in a procession to the park, while a band played Dixie. All the old veterans were given space to sit with honored dignitaries in the roped-off area around the new monument. The erstwhile enemies had gradually grown friendly in the years since the war; by the late 1880s, the Confederates were regular visitors to the reunion encampments of the former federal troops. Representatives of both spoke at patriotic and other civic occasions, sat in bleachers together to welcome visiting officials and took part in parades well into the early 1900s.

John H. Bolton, commander of the local post from 1898 to 1902, was described as an enthusiastic GAR man. Although he is sometimes styled Captain, that might have been a courtesy title or temporary rank. According to his U.S. National Cemetery Interment Control Form, available on Ancestry.com, he served as a first sergeant during the Civil War in the 1st U.S. Infantry, Company I. He was born Nov. 3, 1840, in Oxford, England; by the time of the 1860 U.S. Census, he had made his way to La Vernia, where he was working as a laborer for farmer Owen Shan (or Shaw) and his wife, Susan. Young Bolton wasnt married, hadnt attended school but could read and write. Since he was born in England, and the Shans were born in Georgia and South Carolina, its likely that the 20-year-old was an employee, rather than a relative.

Back in Texas after the war, Bolton became a lawyer, according to later census listings. City directories and newspaper advertisements show that he worked as manager of the Home Loan and Investment Co. at 421 Navarro St. He was a trustee of the Home Building and Loan Association and a notary public and ran unsuccessfully as a Republican for county tax collector.

Bolton held several offices in the GAR before becoming its commander and later aide-de-camp to the national commander. During Boltons tenure with the organization, he appealed for the GAR and the United Confederate Veterans to join in a single United Veterans group, but they dont seem to have done so.

By the 1910 census, Bolton at 70 was a naturalized citizen and a homeowner. He and his wife Catharine, a native of Germany, had been married for 25 years. He died Aug. 17, 1912, and was buried in Section B, Site 78 of the U.S. National Cemetery at 517 Paso Hondo St.

The only San Antonio monument to the GAR is a stone placed Jan. 29, 1925, in San Pedro Park by the groups womens auxiliary, the Womans Relief Corps, whose local chapter was organized March 5, 1890.

GAR members were active nationwide through the early decades of the 20th century; their final encampment was held in 1949, and the last Union veteran, Albert Woolson, died in 1956 at 109. The heir to their organization is the Sons of Union Veterans of the Civil War.

historycolumn@yahoo.com

Twitter: @sahistorycolumn

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District 8 councilman Manny Pelaez is outraged that the United Gamefowl Breeders Association had its yearly gathering in San Antonio last month.

Pelaez said it was disturbing that the association held its 41st annual conference at Hotel Valencia, on Aug. 24-26, even as the city prepares to strengthen ordinances that seek to ensure the humane treatment of animals in the city.

Animal cruelty in any form is wrong, the councilman said, and something I take very seriously, which is why Ill be asking city staff to look into the feasibility of an animal cruelty registry, to ensure the city is taking every step possible to prevent this type of behavior.

Cockfighting is illegal in all 50 states.

John Bucky Harless, president of the California-based association, said the uproar about gamefowl is a manufactured problem created by animal rights people.

They have this Disney attitude about animals they shouldnt use for any reason, he said. Its a pretty radical group thats trying to go after sportsmen, farming and ranching industry. Were just one small piece of that overall game plan.

Pelaez called the conference a slap in the face to law enforcement officers who have worked on eradicating cockfighting and advocates who promote the health and safety of animals.

Later this month, Animal Care Services will forward recommendations to the city council based on research and input from public meetings. If approved, one of the updates would increase the number of fowl a resident may own, from three to eight, but would permit only one rooster per eight (or fewer) hens. Currently, a resident can legally own three roosters and no hens.

The councilman demanded that Valencia donate any and all proceeds from the conference to the Animal Defense League of Texas or the San Antonio Humane Society.

In a prepared statement, officials at Hotel Valencia said they were blindsided by Pelaezs accusations and shocked at any suggestion that they would host an organization that engaged in activity that violated their core values and principles. The statement said the booking came through a site selection and venue finding company and sales staff conducted a credit check that is standard hotel policy.

We would never knowingly host a group that engages in any illegal or illicit activity, Hotel Valencia Riverwalk general manger Trent Freeman said. Nothing in our due diligence of reviewing this meeting request indicated that this organization was anything other than what it represented itself to be.

Pelaez said he appreciated the hotels explanation, but found their view disappointing.

It still doesnt change the fact that their position is to keep that money, he said. I challenge them to do the right thing, which is to disgorge those funds and hand them over to an agency that is moving the ball forward and standing up for the principles that they claim to support.

Harless said Pelaezs request is un-American.

I think the councilman ought to be admonished, Harless said, in a phone interview. Would he cause the same stir if the Sons of the Confederacy had a conference there? (Or) Black Lives Matter, LGBQT or even advocacy groups that are advocating things that are illegal?

Pelaez countered that those groups hadnt perpetuated cruelty on helpless animals.

As far as the position that decrying is un-American, Ill tell you where animal cruelty and cockfighting exist without restriction, he said. Its in Third World countries, with governments that dont care about animal cruelty and certain Central American countries. We in the United States are proud to not be like Third World countries that turn a blind eye to these practices.

Harless said his associations purpose is to perpetuate the species of game fowl, sharing better breeding practices and making sure the breed doesnt go extinct. Several years ago, the association listed 15,000 members on its rolls, with branches in 33 states.

The three-day conference featured a judging seminar, sessions on how to judge poultry and a board of directors meeting. There were also sales of portable pens, feed and commemorative plates with pictures. The event included an online chicken auction.

Harless said there wasnt any contraband at the conference; the only item linked to cockfighting was a picture on display from the Civil War of Union soldiers watching two slaves pit two roosters against each other.

I think he owes the hotel an apology for harassing them, Harless said, of Pelaez. It really irritates me that they cant live and let live.

vtdavis@express-news.net
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Messing met actor, screenwriter, TV producer and director, Zelman on their first day as graduate students at New York University back in 1990.

Debra Messing and Daniel Zelman (Credit: Famous)

They got engaged in 1998 after seven years of dating.

The pair got married on 3rd September 2000 and resided in New York.

On 7th April 2003, Messing gave birth to their son Roman Walker Zelman weighing in at 5lbs 14oz in Los Angeles.

In an interview in Cosmopolitan in 2002, Messing gushed about her husband; "He's the best human being I know, he makes me a better person every day. I'm never happier than when I'm with him." (IMDB)

In December 2011, it was reported that the couple had separated after 11 years of being married.

Messing filed for divorce on the 5th June 2012.

by Lucy Moore for www.femalefirst.co.uk

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Fethiye Times News  our pick of whats been going on in Fethiye and around the region over the last week.

No spot to sunbathe for free in Turkeys famous Fethiye

There are no spots to sunbathe free of charge in one of Turkeys most famous resort towns, Fethiye, located in the southwestern province of Mugla.

The issue of cabin-tents for private rental on the beaches was raised when people could not find spots to sunbathe on Kumburnu beach in Oludeniz, one of the most famous coves in the world.

The coves, where these cabin-tents are lined up, are under the control of private businesses, thus when one wants to enter the beach they have to pay an entrance fee in addition to renting a sunbed or cabin-tent.

Daily spending for swimming and sunbathing increases even more when people pay for food.

There are beaches and sea all around the area, but there is no place to enter them for free, the people have been complaining.

Nearly all of the beaches people can swim in on the Fethiye coastline are being run by private businesses.

The issue was criticised by Fethiye Mayor Behcet Saatc, who shared the report from his social media account and drew attention to the similar situation in the Kucuk Samanl, Buyuk Samanl and Kuleli coves.

A fee should be taken, even though it would be a symbolic amount, said Saatc, speaking to Daily Hurriyet separately.

Leaving the beaches uncontrolled brings about environmental pollution. That is why we do not support them being left without control. Our criticism is against the ridiculous prices and the cabin-tents adjacent to the sea,

Source: Hurriyet Daily News

Eight hectares of forest land damaged in fire in Turkeys Mugla

Eight hectares of forest land have been damaged in a fire that broke out in the Mentese district in the province of Mugla on Friday.

The fire broke out in steeply forested land in the Akbuk neighbourhood of Mentese. It took the efforts of 20 aircraft, six helicopters and 100 forestry workers to bring the fire under control.

According to initial examinations, eight hectares of forest land were damaged by the fire.

Cooling works in the area are currently ongoing.

Gendarmerie forces, meanwhile, have launched an investigation to determine the cause of the fire.

We cannot stress enough the importance of being careful and vigilant in these extremely hot weather conditions.

4.8 magnitude earthquake shakes Turkish resort Marmaris
The Ayala group has acquired a 49-per cent stake in the countrys leading e-commerce platform Zalora Philippines from Global Fashion Group (GFG). Ayala through its wholly-owned subsidiary, AC Ventures Holding will invest in Zalora Philippines alongside wholly-owned subsidiaries Ayala Land, Bank of the Philippine Islands and Globe Telecom.GFG has announced the transfer of the shares in Zalora to the countrys oldest business house, according to Philippine media reports.

The Ayala group has acquired a 49-per cent stake in the country's leading e-commerce platform Zalora Philippines from Global Fashion Group (GFG). Ayala through its wholly-owned subsidiary, AC Ventures Holding will invest in Zalora Philippines alongside wholly-owned subsidiaries Ayala Land, Bank of the Philippine Islands and Globe Telecom.#

This acquisition allows Ayala to capture the growing opportunities in e-commerce, Ayala said.More than 1,000 international, local and private-label fashion brands are currently available on Zalora Philippines, including Mango, Abercrombie & Fitch, Boss, Calvin Klein and popular local brands such as Bench, CLN and Penshoppe, the reports said.This partnership will allow Zalora Philippines to keep investing in brand acquisition, marketing, and logistics infrastructure and will leverage Ayalas key businesses representing some of the countrys leading companies in banking, telecommunications and retail business, CFG said. (SV)

Fibre2Fashion News Desk  India
The Indian Jute Mills Association (IJMA) is concerned over the proposed new pricing formulae of jute bags adopted by the Tariff Commission 2017 that will bring down prices of the bags supplied to the government by minimum 10 per cent. The association feels if the pricing is implemented from September, several mills will turn unviable and shut down.The Tariff Commission recently said in its fifth report that jute bag prices are 10-15 per cent lower than the price at which the government purchases them. IJMA representatives have met jute commissioner A Madhukumar Reddy to discuss the issue, according to news agency report.

The Indian Jute Mills Association (IJMA) is concerned over the proposed new pricing formulae of jute bags adopted by the Tariff Commission 2017 that will bring down prices of the bags supplied to the government by minimum 10 per cent. The association feels if the pricing is implemented from September, several mills will turn 'unviable' and shut down.#

IJMA has also raised the issues with West Bengal labour minister Moloy Ghatak and wants the state government to intervene in the matter. Jute mills in the state, which accounts for more than 80 per cent of the jute production in India, directly employ over 2.5 lakh people and engage three to five lakh farmers indirectly.The jute industry may annually lose Rs 200 crore if the new pricing is implemented. A loss of about Rs 3,000 will be incurred on each tonne. Government agencies procure jute bags at a cost of Rs 65,000 per tonne.The jute industry's demand for fair price of jute bags has gone unheeded in the past 15 years. Each year, the government purchases around 0.7 million tonnes of jute bags through the food ministry and Food Corporation of India (FCI) valued at around Rs 8000 crore. (DS)

Fibre2Fashion News Desk  India
Defshop, a Berlin, Germany-based streetwear and hip-hop clothing retailer, received a majority investment from Equistone Partners Europe.

The amount of the deal  which is expected to close at the end of September 2017  was not disclosed.

Equistone will acquire a majority stake in DefShop from the founder of the business, Alexander Buchler, and his family, who will together retain a minority shareholding. DefShops management team will also acquire a minority stake in the business.

Founded in 2006 by Alexander Buchler, DefShop has grown into a multichannel platform with two physical stores. The companys product range comprises over 25,000 articles from approximately 350 brands, including Adidas, Nike, Jack & Jones, and Converse.

This product range spans from jackets, hoodies, and jeans through sweatpants and shoes to accessories such as caps, belts, jewellery, and sunglasses. In addition, under its Herobrands umbrella, DefShop offers a large portfolio of proprietary own brands such as DNGRS, Just Rhyse, and Bangastic, as well as licensed brands such as Thug Life and Ecko. These are distributed through the B2B platform Roadmap1, through which DefShop also connects to its network of large-scale European retailers that includes Amazon, eBay, Vaola, and Rakuten.

DefShop currently employs around 180 people and serves approximately 935,000 customers across Europe. In 2017, the company is projected to generate revenues of c. 64m.

FinSMEs

03/09/2017
Former RBI governor Raghuram Rajan has said that demonetisation at this point is not an economic success as the costs associated with the exercise has been substantial while GDP has taken a hit. Even the progress in the digitisation of the economy "has come back to broadly the trend growth line", he said in an interview with The Times of India.

"So, I think all said and done, it would be fair to say the intent was good. But certainly at this point, one still cannot in any way say it has been an economic success. But again, as I said, only time will tell," he told the newspaper.

He also said that the move, which sucked out 86 percent of the currency in circulation, impacted the "people who transact informally, of which many might be very poor".

According to him, the stress on these people can be measured only indirectly.

"Unfortunately, given the way we measure GDP, these are people who are probably not going to be counted that much. The GDP measurement will overlook the stress on these people, and we will only indirectly see this, for example, through the kind of stresses that micro-finance institutions are experiencing because they deal with many of these people," the former RBI governor said.

Rajan stepped down from the RBI on 4 September 2016.

This is the first time Rajan, who is now Distinguished Service Professor of Finance at University of Chicago Booth School of Business, is airing his views on demonetisation in the public after the note ban.

Rajan's comments assume significance in the backdrop of the RBI's data released last week which showed 99 percent of the banned notes, which amounted to Rs 15.44 lakh crore, returned to the system. There were expectations that unaccounted money worth about Rs 3-4 lakh crore would not return.

Rajan's book, I Do What I Do: On Reforms, Rhetoric and Resolve, on his stint at the RBI will be released on Monday.
Malayalam actor Dileep, who is in judicial custody for allegedly plotting the abduction and assault of a popular Malayalam actress, will remain behind bars till 16 September. According to The Quint, the Angamaly Magistrate Court extended his custody period on Saturday when it came to an end.

Dileep was not brought to court during the latest hearing wherein the extension was announced, reports state. He was on video-call throughout the session from the Aluva sub-jail, where is he currently kept.

The actor had recently filed a petition seeking permission from the court to attend his father's remembrance prayers. Despite strong opposition from the prosecution, the court allowed him to participate in the functions which would be held in Kochi, amidst tight security.

According to The News Minute, the rituals are set to take place on 6 September and the accused is permitted to attend them at his Aluva Manappuram house.

The accused was also recently visited by his wife, Kavya Madhavan and daughter Meenakshi. Their visit came after 55 days of being in custody, as per another TNM report. The two spent around 20 minutes with the accused before leaving and refused to address the media gathered outside the premises.

The abduction of the actress was carried out by Pulsar Suni in February, according to the police investigation. A week later, Suni and all the accomplices in the crime were arrested. On further investigation, evidence was found against Dileep, which led to his arrest on 10 July.
New Delhi: Senior officials of the EDMC will meet NGT authorities on Monday to discuss about a proposed new landfill site on the outskirts of Delhi, the civic body's mayor said.

The meeting comes close on the heels of an accident in east Delhi, triggered by the collapse of a portion of the towering Ghazipur landfill, in which two people lost their lives while five others were injured.

"A meeting is scheduled on 4 September with the authorities at the NGT to discuss about the proposed new landfill site, spread over 150 acres, in outer Delhi, as an alternative to the Ghazipur site," East Delhi Mayor Neema Bhagat told PTI.

She said the 45-m high landfill at Ghazipur was saturated in 2002 only, and the civic body has been "looking for an alternative site for long time, but a clearance from the NGT is needed before allowing of any site by the DDA". The East Delhi Municipal Corporation (EDMC) manages the landfill site that was started in 1984 and is spread over 29 acres.

According to officials, the permissible height for a garbage dump is 20 m. Every day, 2,500-3000 metric tonnes of garbage are dumped at the Ghazipur site.

The humongous heap sits like a Leviathan, with eagles and crows circling even as the stench from the mountain of trash fills the air.

In the wake of the accident on Friday, Lt Governor Anil Baijal on Saturday imposed a ban on dumping of garbage at the Ghazipur landfill site, with the waste meant for it now being diverted to a temporary site in Ranikhera near the Delhi-Haryana border.

Earlier, a decision was taken to divert the garbage to Bhalswa landfill site (about 50-metre high), but as it is already used way beyond its saturation, a new site was identified, a civic official said.

Incidentally, the EDMC in last November had signed an MoU with the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) for using the solid waste from the site, in the construction of Delhi-Meerut Expressway, a section of the NH-24.

"The NHAI has assured the Lt Governor that it will begin the process of lifting, segregating and processing of the solid waste by November 2017, for its use in road construction," the Lt Governor office said.

The other major dumping sites in the city are in Okhla and Narela-Bawana
New Delhi: Arun Jaitley will attend a key security dialogue with Japan on Monday though the charge of the defence ministry has been given to Nirmala Sitharamam in a major rejig of the Union Cabinet on Sunday.

Jaitley, who has been holding the defence portfolio, said due to logistical constraints, he will be attending the security dialogue.

Sitharaman will be the first woman full-time defence minister. Finance minister Jaitley was holding additional charge of the ministry after Manohar Parrikar quit to become Goa's chief minister in March.

"Normally, the new defence minister should have been going but logistically that doesn't seem possible today, being a Sunday, to make the changes. And it is a very important security dialogue between the two countries, particularly on the eve of Japanese PM's visit," Jaitley said. He added, "I will continue for the next two days and participate. Sitharaman will take charge of the ministry as soon as the dialogue ends."

Jaitley, one of the senior-most ministers in the Modi Cabinet, was in charge of the defence ministry between 26 May and 9 November, 2017. As the defence minister in his second stint, Jaitley took a number of key decisions aimed at modernisation of the armed forces and to support the domestic defence industry.

In May, the defence ministry, after years of deliberations, had approved the strategic partnership model under which select private firms would be roped in to build military platforms like submarines and fighter jets in India in partnership with foreign entities.

"I think this was a very fruitful and deep association where we were able to take some very important decisions which were pending for years, and I am sure now that I have extremely competent successor in Sitharaman. She will carry that role further," Jaitley said.

Seen as a major initiative, the 'strategic partnership (SP) model' aims at creating a vibrant defence manufacturing ecosystem in the country through involvement of both the major Indian corporates as well as the micro, small and medium enterprises sector.

On 30 August, the government had announced major reforms in the Indian Army to enhance its combat capability which include redeployment of nearly 57,000 officers and other ranks.

Jaitley also thanked officers and employees of the defence ministry and members of the armed forces for their cooperation.
The three-day BRICS summit is set to begin on Sunday in China's southwestern city of Xiamen where Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chinese president Xi Jinping are likely to meet on the sidelines.

Although economic, security and other multilateral issues will figure in the annual meet of the five-member grouping, a probable one-on-one between Modi and Xi will be a focal point, especially after the protracted military standoff along the trijunction point in Doka La.

Their last bilateral meet was during the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation meet at Astana in June. They met informally at G20 in Germany the following month amid the border crisis.

What to expect at BRICS summit

Modi will arrive in China on 3 September and attend the BRICS restricted session and its plenary session on 4 September, External Affairs spokesperson Raveesh Kumar said.

He said the restricted session is expected to discuss the global economic situation, international economic governance, national security and development and international and regional issues.

Kumar said the plenary session will discuss the practical cooperation for common development, people-to-people exchanges, cultural cooperation and institution building. In the evening, the BRICS leaders will attend a cultural festival and an exhibition, followed by a meeting with the BRICS business council.

He said later four documents are expected to be signed at the summit  BRICS action agenda for economic and trade development, BRICS action agenda on innovative development, strategic framework for BRICS custom cooperation and MOU between BRICS business council and New Development Bank.

On the fourth evening, the BRICS leaders will be joined by leaders of the five guest countries for a welcome. The guest countries are Thailand, Mexico, Guinea, Egypt and Tajikistan.

On 5 September, there will be BRICS emerging markets-developing countries dialogue, which the spokesperson said is an opportunity for BRICS member countries to exchange views with the developing world and build broader partnership for development.

Issues like counter-terrorism and the global financial crisis will also come for up discussion.

The proposed BRICS rating agency will be one of the key issues at the 9th meet of the grouping, which will be chaired by Xi.

Kumar said the Prime Minister will leave for Myanmar on 5 September afternoon on the second leg of his visit.

China-India bilateral ties may overshadow India's agenda at the summit

Experts opined that the recent face off may make for a soft spot in India-China relationship, prompting New Delhi to divert much of its attention in improving ties with Beijing.

"Since the (Doklam) dispute has been resolved, the Xiamen meeting (bilateral meet between Modi and Xi) will be a turning point," Wang Dehua, an expert at one of China's top think tanks the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, told IANS.

Wang, who was one of the Chinese experts threatening India with war during the standoff at Doklam, said "there was no reason for India and China to be hostile to each other".

"I always advocate 'Chindia' which is integration of China and India. I think it is a turning point. If we work together, the world will listen to us," Wang said.

The troops of India and China were locked in an over two-month standoff over stopping construction of a Chinese road by the Indian Army in Doklam, at the tri-junction of India, China and Bhutan.

The dispute, which had begun to threaten the success of the BRICS summit, was resolved on Monday.

"It's good news that Modi is coming, but the reasons causing such kind of stand-offs increase strategic mistrust," Hu Shisheng, director of the Institute of South and Southeast Asia and Oceania Studies at the China Institute of Contemporary International Relations, told IANS.

Asked about the issues he expects that will figure in the meet, Hu said: They (Modi and Xi) should give a kind of signal that this standoff does not happen again."

When questioned what if Modi raises India's concerns over terrorism emanating from Pakistan, Hu said: "This is the time of recovery. They will meet in the general way to discuss bilateral issues."

"It will take some time to recover from the damage," he said referring to the face-off.

Besides this, the symbolism of the BRICS summit is far too important for China as well to allow hostilities with India take over the narrative. Beijing too an be expected to cut down on rhetoric and allow room for normalisation of ties. A report in The Indian Express states that the city of Xiamen, where the stage is set to host the summit, is a manifestation of sorts, for Xi's achievements in domestic politics. "Experts on China, India ties point out that Xi takes a lot of pride in his stint in Xiamen  a city he personally took interest in transforming as vice mayor since as early as in 1985  which is not very common for his otherwise reticent personality, the report added.

India unlikely to bring up Pakistan issue at BRICS summit

Improving ties after the recent face off is work in progress, however, any improvement in the situation would need constant trust building efforts as the memory from Doka La standoff is still raw.

In such a situation, it is unlikely that India will place undue emphasis on Pakistan at the multi-lateral summit as it remains one of the thorny issues between India and China. Even though, India dismissed the Chinese view that it should not raise concerns over Pakistan's links with cross-border terrorism at the BRICS, it is unlikely that Modi would take it up explicitly at the summit to make matters worse with China.

"India attaches high importance to the role of BRICS that has begun a second decade of its partnership for progress and peace. BRICS has important contributions to make in addressing global challenges and upholding world peace and security," Modi said.

Beijing too has ruled out discussion on India's concerns over terrorism emanating from Pakistan at the summit.

Beijing's Belt and Road project, whose key artery the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor passes through a disputed Kashmir area claimed by India, is another sore point between the two nations.

The five-member bloc of Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa was formed in 2006. They comprise 42 percent of the world's population, have 23 percent of global GDP and 17 percent share in world trade. The theme of the ninth BRICS summit is `Stronger Partnership for a Brighter Future'.

With inputs from IANS
New Delhi: Bureaucrat-turned-politician Alphons Kannanthanam began his political journey by becoming an independent MLA backed by the CPM in Kerala in 2006 but joined the BJP in 2011.

Kannanthanam, a 1979 batch IAS officer, quit his high-profile career and plunged into electoral politics by successfully contesting from Kanjirappally in Kottayam district.

Though he was offered a second chance by the Left in the next Assembly polls, Kannanthanam, in a surprise move, turned down the offer, saying that he wanted to shift his activities to the national level.

Later, Kannanthanam, known for his strong anti-corruption stance, joined the saffron party and went on to become the member of the national executive.

Born in a non-electrified Manimala village in Kottayam district to a World War II veteran, he pioneered the literacy movement in India as district collector of Kottayam by making it the first 100 per cent literate town in India in 1989.

During his stint as IAS officer, Kannanthanam served in different key positions. He shot into fame when he was the commissioner of the Delhi Development Authority during 1990s and his anti-encroachment drive against thousands of illegal constructions gave him the name 'demolition man'.

He retired from the IAS and was elected as an Independent member of the Kerala Assembly from Kanjirappally from 2006 to 2011.

Kannanthanam is a member of the committee set up to prepare the final draft of the National Education Policy, 2017. He has authored a book Making A Difference.

In 1994, he was featured in Time magazine's list of 100 Young Global Leaders.

Induction of Kannanthanam, who is a practicing advocate, into the NDA cabinet is widely seen as a move of the BJP to make inroads in the Christian belt in the state.

BJP state president Kummanom Rajasekharan termed his induction into the cabinet as an 'Onam gift' of the NDA government, while the state is all set to celebrate its harvest festival on Monday.

Veteran BJP leader O Rajagopal and PC Thomas, leader of a Kerala Congress faction, were the other Keralites who had become ministers in the NDA governments earlier.

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New Delhi: Finance minister Arun Jaitley on Sunday hailed appointment of Union minister Nirmala Sitharaman as the country's first, full-fledged defence minister, saying it sends "a message globally".

"It is great for the country, not just for the women. it also sends a message globally," said Jaitley, who had held charge of defence after Manohar Parrikar left the post to become Goa Chief Minister earlier this year.

Noting that the Cabinet Committee on Security would now have two women ministers, with Sitharaman joining external affairs minister Sushma Swaraj, he said: "Both ladies in CCS have established their competence, both are recognised as ladies with substance, who have earned a front-line position for themselves."

Asked if women in combat may be a reality with a woman as defence minister, Jaitley quipped: "That was one area in which I wasn't able to do much."

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New Delhi: Set to take charge as India's first, full-fledged woman defence minister, Nirmala Sitharaman on Sunday said she would look into the matter for giving combat role to women with an open mind and not as a matter of patronage.

Asked if she would look into the case of combat roles in the armed forces, she said, "This is the matter where I definitely look into all the things before me with open mind. Open mind is required for this matter and not patronage".

"I think during his brief term, (Arun) Jaitley ji has taken lot of calls in lot of matters. I also want to see the files (on women in combat roles) where they stand. Earlier, when I was a member of National Commission for Women, these matters for woman empowerment and true empowerment of women were discussed," she said in an interview to CNN News 18 news channel.

Asked if her selection as defence minister broke a glass ceiling, she said, "Yes. Absolutely."

"I think the prime minister has always supported women but today I think he has sent a very big message. Everything Indian women were waiting for, it is for us to work through and perform (to achieve it)," she said.

"I am overwhelmed. I understand the impact of the decision. It is a huge responsibility. I just have no words in which I can convey my gratitude to the prime minister, the party and to my senior colleagues that they thought I am good enough for the role," she added.

Sitharaman also said it sent out a message to the world.

"Imagine, the Cabinet Committee on Security having two women. Decisions on security-related matters being taken at par with men.This is a big message to all the countries which look up to India or even look at India saying what is happening to women in India," she added.

In the past, late prime minister Indira Gandhi had held the portfolio of defence twice  from 1 December to 21 December in 1975, and 14 January 1980 to 15 January 1982.
New Delhi: As an IAS officer, Raj Kumar Singh saw power from close quarters, both in his native Bihar and the national capital, and will now occupy a seat of power himself.

The first-term MP from Arrah was always known as a tough officer and his toughest assignment was to arrest LK Advani when the BJP stalwart's 'Ram Rath' rolled on unhindered from Somnath to Ayodhya in October 1990.

BJP was then propping up the VP Singh government and arresting Advani could have led to its fall and set off a chain of violence.

Singh had halted the rath yatra in Samastipur and arrested Advani, prompting the BJP to withdraw support to Singh's National Front government and resulting in its collapse.

The event paved the way for the emergence of the saffron party as a formidable force on the country's political firmament.

Ironically, he later became a joint secretary in the Union home ministry when Advani headed it.

Singh, widely acknowledged as a no-nonsense officer, had a distinguished four-decade career as an IAS officer before he decided to take the political plunge in 2013 by joining the BJP. A year later, he won the Lok Sabha election from Arrah.

"It is a challenge for me but I am used to challenges. The party and the prime minister have shown confidence in me and I am thankful to them," he told PTI.

Singh, 64, said his predecessor in the power ministry, Piyush Goyal, did a commendable job in the last three years and that would enable him inherit a well-oiled machinery to work with.

Singh, a 1975 batch IAS officer, has served both in Bihar and at the Centre in different capacities, including secretary, defence production, in the UPA government.

He headed the Bihar government's departments of home, industries and public works, and was also the district magistrate of Patna. He is known for his contributions to the modernisation of the state police and prisons, and laying down a framework for disaster management.

It was during the tenure of Singh as the Union home secretary that 26/11 Mumbai attack terrorist Ajmal Kasab and Parliament attack case convict Afzal Guru were hanged.

Known to speak his mind, Singh had criticised the process of distribution of tickets by the BJP in the 2015 Bihar Assembly elections, which the party lost.

However, his induction in the Modi ministry shows he has made up with the party leadership, which has rewarded him for his administrative acumen.

A well-read man, Singh studied English literature at St Stephens College, Delhi, and got a bachelors degree in law thereafter. He also studied at the RVB Delft University in the Netherlands.

Before joining the IAS, he was in the Indian Police Service, which he served for a year.
New Delhi: A hardcore RSS member and a controversial politician Anantkumar Hegde has emerged as a dark horse to find a ministerial slot.

A five-time Member of Parliament from Uttara Kannada Lok Sabha constituency, having entered the Parliament at the age of 28, he is currently the member of Parliamentary Standing Committee on External Affairs and Human Resources.

Born on 20 May, 1968 at Sirsi in Uttara Kannada to a Brahmin family, Hegde is intermediate educated, and has an interest in Tae Kwon Do (Korean martial arts).

Currently the Karnataka BJP vice president, he is also the founder president of Kadamba, a national-level NGO working in the field of rural development, rural health, formation of self help groups, rural marketing among others.

He has also been the member of various parliamentary committees during his successive tenure as the member of Lok Sabha.

Hegde in March last year had sparked a controversy over his reported remarks allegedly linking Islam to terrorism, and is facing a case under IPC in this regard.

He had allegedly assaulted doctors at a private hospital in Sirsi in January this year, accusing them of not giving proper treatment to his mother. The CCTV images of the incident had gone viral.

Hegdes pick has come as a surprise in Karnataka political circles as his name had not figured in the probables for ministerial birth from the state with a speculation that a Member of Parliament from a dominant Lingayat community, BJPs strong vote base, would be inducted.

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With an eye on the Madhya Pradesh Assembly Elections in 2018, Prime Minister Narendra Modi has pulled out a rabbit from his hat. In a surprise move, Modi has chosen Virendra Kumar, a Lok Sabha member from Tikamgarh in Madhya Pradesh, for a Cabinet berth ahead of regional heavyweights, whose names were doing the rounds ahead of the reshuffle.

He has been appointed as a minister of state in the Ministry of Women and Child Development as well as the Ministry of Minority Affairs.

There was a strong anticipation about the selection of Prahlad Patel, an MP from Damoh and a former minister in the Atal Bihari Vajpayee government. However, the selection of a lesser-known Virendra, who neither belongs to any power group nor lobbied for the post, is purely a strategic move by BJPs central leadership.

Why was Virendra chosen over others?

BJP's top leadership chose Virendra to ensure a caste and regional balance in the Bundelkhand region of Madhya Pradesh, ahead of the Assembly polls in the state next year.

Kumar as a representative from the region became an obvious choice especially after Union minister Uma Bharti, a BJP stalwart from Bundelkhand and a former chief minister of Madhya Pradesh who once dominated the region, moved out of the state and got elected as an MP from Jhansi in Uttar Pradesh in 2014.

"The BJP leadership has tried to ensure caste and regional balance by choosing Virendra after Bharti moved out. Bharti used to be quite influential in Bundelkhand. The BJP did another balancing act in July when it got tribal leader Sampatiya Uikey nominated as a Rajya Sabha member from Mandla after the seat fell vacant with the death of environment minister Anil Madhav Dave. Virendras inclusion is an attempt to compensate the space occupied by Bharti, who belonged to Tikamgarh," said Abhilash Khandekar, a political observer on Central Indias politics and author of 'Shivraj Singh and rise of Madhya Pradesh'.

"Kumar's induction in the Cabinet will not only enhance BJP's grip over Bundelkhand in the 2019 General Election to Lok Sabha but will also ensure that a better performer becomes a part of the Modi Cabinet because Bharti apparently failed in the Ganga rejuvenation mission," added Khandekar, who has more than three decades of journalistic experience in Madhya Pradesh.

The Bundelkhand region comprises parts of Madhya Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh and has a strong caste-based politics with a considerable number of the electorate belonging to backward castes and Dalits.

The BJP had to face the ire of Dalits during the last Assembly election in Madhya Pradesh when it lost the Jatara seat. Given the experience, it had, the party wouldnt like to leave any stone unturned for the 2018 Assembly polls.

Keeping the winnability factor in mind, the BJP wants a Dalit or backward community face for the Bundelkhand region in Madhya Pradesh. And, here Virendra is the right choice for them as he belongs to the 'Khatik' community.

"Caste politics is very dominant in Bundelkhand. In an attempt to appease the Bundelkhand voters, the BJP has picked up Virendra over Patel, another powerful leader of this region. The party doesnt want to take any chance this time as they had lost the Jatara seat during the last election," Bhopal-based senior journalist Prabhu Pateria said.

"Kumar scored over Patel because the latter belongs to the backward Lodhi community. But since Uma Bharti another Lodhi leader is already at the Centre, BJP brought in Kumar, whos from the Khatik community. The BJP wants to have more trust on Khatiks rather than the Ahirwars, another dominant backward community in Bundelkhand because Ahirwars are believed to be strong Congress supporters," he added.

Strengths of Virendra Kumar

Besides being a qualified leader (MA in Economics and a PhD in child labour), Kumar, 63, is a down-to-earth person and has all the requisite qualities to be a BJP minister. He was associated with the JP movement.

Even after being an MP, he still prefers to move around in his constituency on a scooter, sometimes riding it himself. Whether in Tikamgarh or in Delhi, the six-term Lok Sabha MP, till now has been easily accessible to people.

He was a member of Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP) for nearly five years before joining Bharatiya Janata Yuva Morcha, the Sanghs youth wing, in 1982. He was the convener of Bajrang Dal in Sagar district in 1987 and was associated with management and functioning of a gaushala (cow shelter) and Gau Seva Sangh Sanstha in Sagar.

He is also the chairperson of the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Labour and has been the chairman of the Joint Committee on Office of Profit and is a member of National Social Security Board. During his stint in the Parliament, he has been a Member of the Welfare of Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes, Privileges, Petroleum and Natural Gas.

In the Bundelkhand region, he has worked to remove caste barriers and has also built schools, orphanages, and old-age homes.
How would you react as an adoptive parent living in a foreign land if you found out that the Indian baby you had adopted many years ago, with proper paper work, was actually a trafficked child?

More importantly, imagine how traumatic such a discovery would be for a young adoptee growing up in an alien land with an uneasy sense not belonging.

This scenario is not as surreal as it sounds. Even today, there are parents in Chennai desperately seeking to meet their children who were snatched from them 12 years ago. The couple who ran the adoption racket which kidnapped children for adoption is now out on bail. Two of those kidnapped children who were rejected by their adoptive parents are in foster care in Netherlands and they wrote a pathetic letter to their biological parents asking them for help. The adoptive parents of the other children refuse to acknowledge that the children they are bringing up might have been trafficked.

Many overseas adoptees come back to India in search of their roots, hoping against hope that they find some family back here. They hope to find closure to the one, big nagging question: How did they end up in an orphanage? Were they trafficked? Were they orphaned? Were they abandoned?

Asha Dijkstra was adopted from Delhi. She came from an orphanage and was assumed to be an abandoned baby. She went to live in Netherlands. Like most overseas adoptees, she was about 15 when she started her search. She persuaded her mother to bring her to Delhi and they went to the orphanage from where she was adopted. To her utter surprise she soon discovered she had living biological parents and three siblings. Her father had given her away because he didnt want a second daughter. She was not trafficked, but given away by her father without her mothers consent.

More than 20 years have passed since then. Today, Asha teaches in a university in her adoptive country and has set up an NGO named Aara Foundation for rescued girls in Delhi. She lives near Amsterdam, but visits the country of her birth several times. Her biological parents are no more and her siblings dont connect with her. But she still returns because this is where her heart is.

In a recent, well publicised case, Jyoti Svahn  a 23-year-old fliving in Sweden, adopted from a well-known agency in Bengaluru  found she had a living father and brother, and an extended family (step-mother and sisters) in Tumkur, close to Bengaluru. With the help of Arun Dohle, an Indo-German adoptee who is an expert in root searches, her persistent inquiries with the Dutch and Indian agencies which supervised her adoption led to some pertinent information being revealed.

By slowly unravelling the events which led to her adoption, Jyoti discovered that her mother  who had left her and her sister temporarily in the care of the adoption centre  had passed away. But her father (from whom Jyotis mother was separated) was still alive! Her search and its emotional conclusion have been documented in a film called Manufactured Orphans, which is available for viewing on YouTube.

Jyoti was five when she and her sister were adopted. She had a memory, which she clung to, and which helped in her search: a playground, where their mother left Jyoti and her sister, saying she would return (but never did). The records at the orphanage had indicated that she was an abandoned child whose background was unknown. But Jyoti persisted until she found out the truth.

But what happens if the child who was adopted has no memory of the past? Arun Dohle  the man who helped Jyoti with her search  was himself adopted from a Pune orphanage by a German couple when he was an infant. He embarked on a search for his roots when he was 20. It took a court order and 17 years of persistent searching before he could access his files from the orphanage. After that, it took him just three months to locate his mother. She was unwed when he was born, and Aruns adoption had been arranged by a powerful politician without his mothers consent.

Arun now helps other adoptees to find their biological families. Since searching is an expensive business, especially when such little information is available, the adoptees have to be committed  both emotionally and financially  to this project, a search that can last for several months or even years.

In the case of trafficked children this becomes doubly hard because the records are fudged, making it practically impossible to trace their origins.

The 1960s and 70s were really the boom time for overseas adoption. The thinking then was that orphaned or abandoned children would find much better lives if they were sent abroad to prosperous western countries. Overseas adoption was projected as an act which would enable the child from a marginalised family to get a life which was wonderful beyond anything its own parents would have been able to provide. So strong was this opinion that even when such institutions knew the child had a living family they chose to send it out for overseas adoption ostensibly with the parents consent and with the childs welfare at heart.

Inter Country Adoption (ICA) was projected as a kind of win-win situation. The children got good homes, the orphanages could reduce the number of inmates, and earn money for their maintenance. The adoption agencies in Western countries with dwindling populations and long lists of parents waiting to adopt would eagerly snatch up these kids at a cost and readily pay the agency for the children. It became a business opportunity just waiting to be exploited, and over the years, trading in orphans became a booming baby business. By 2017, baby trading rackets had been exposed and cracked all over the country and yet the business continued to boom.

In 2016, a big kidnap-for-adoption racket was unearthed in Kolkata when an adoption agency was found guilty of stealing babies from impoverished unwed mothers, rape survivors and marginalised families. In many cases healthy babies were substituted with still-borns and the mothers were told their babies had died. Sometimes, poor parents were made to sign documents which they did not comprehend. They thought they were admitting their children to a free residential school but actually ended up giving up all rights over them.

In 2011, in another case, the CBI filed a charge sheet against the managing trustee of the well-known Pune-based orphanage Preet Mandir and five others in connection with child trafficking. According to the charge sheet, "between 2002 and 2010, the managing trustee entered into criminal conspiracy with unknown persons and kidnapped the children of poor people in Maharashtra with a motive to send them for inter-country adoption to extort huge money from the adopting parents." It also accused Joginder Singh Bhasin, the managing trustee, of using children as a "commodity" by selling them to foreign adoption agencies in order to make money.

In Chennai in 2005, an adoption agency called Malaysia Social Service Centre (MSSC) was found guilty of snatching children from the streets, slums, hospitals and busy markets. They even lifted children who were sleeping in the open, on pavements next to their parents. The professional kidnappers who lifted the children received a fee from the agency which sold them overseas for thousands of dollars. All the while, the grieving parents searched high and low for their children.

Many of the affected parents had filed police complaints. When the racket was busted, these children had already been living for several years in places as far away as Melbourne, Amsterdam and Idaho. Since most of the children were minors, their adoptive parents refused to let them get DNA tests. Some of the biological parents, with the help of NGOs, went all the way to the country where their child now lived and returned empty handed. These parents still weep for their children who are probably oblivious to their existence.

Asked one angry father, If an Australian child had been kidnapped and sold to Indian parents, would their government have kept quiet? Or if it had been the child of a politician or a government official, would they have let so many years pass without doing anything?

Searches dont always yield answers. Anand Kaper was born in Habib Hospital in Mumbai in 1976 and relinquished to a childrens home after six days. Since 2002 he has made several visits to the hospital, the home and to the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation office. He has managed to trace the locality from which his birth mother might have come, but that hasnt led him any further. In 2015, he had an interview with Maneka Gandhi who assured him that she would make sure that adult adoptees are helped to find their roots. But today, he is a disappointed man because he finds that the government is doing exactly the opposite and the Prospective Adoptive Parents (PAPs) remain the most important stakeholders  probably because that is where the money comes from.

Sometimes, independent searches yield results. The 2016 award-winning film Lion was based on the true life story of Saroo Brierley, an Indian adoptee who returned from Australia, looking for his biological family. Saroo, the son of a single mother who was a construction worker in West Bengal, was five when he fell asleep in the empty compartment of a train and got lost. He was picked up off the street and admitted to a childrens home. The movie narrates the fantastic story of his adoption from the home by Australian parents and his agonised search for his roots as a young adult. Finally, with the help of Google Maps and a lot of memory-dredging, he actually found his mother in 2013  an event which attracted a lot of media attention.

Saroos is a feel-good story, like that of Laxmi Iyengar who was adopted from a well-known nursing home in Bengaluru in the late 1960s. Those were the days when unwed mothers were not asked for many details, so Laxmis roots remained shrouded in mystery. She grew up treated like a princess by her adoptive parents who never told the truth till she was 21. She was devastated when she learnt she was adopted.

She started her search many years later when she was living in the US with her husband and three children. When she learnt from the doctor who had facilitated her adoption that her birth mother was Anglo-Indian, it also helped her to piece together things which had always puzzled herwhy she looked different, why she was fairer than the rest of her South Indian family. With just a name and her date of birth to go on with, she tracked her biological mother, who was now living in Australia. And wonder of wonders, her biological parents were now married to each other and had three more children!

Forty one-year-old Miriam Gaenicke, who was adopted from a CSI hospital in Gadag by German missionaries, has been searching for her biological mother for several years. She corresponded with the hospital and got access to her records, which revealed a vital clue: her unwed mothers name and the surname of her biological father, who had paid her hospital bills. She was told they were not married and their engagement had fallen through because of dowry demands. She also learnt that her mother would now be 59 years of age, and hailed from the village of Hammagi, close to Gadag.

Over the years, she has had her DNA tested and located several distant relatives but has not yet been able to trace her parents. She knows her father came from Goa and belonged to the Gowd Saraswath community, and hasnt given up hope of finding out his identity. It is just a matter of time now, she says excitedly. I have found someone who comes from the same small village as my mother. She is travelling just now, but when she returns to India, I am sure she can give me information about my mother. I am sure I will find her soon.

Rebecca Nirmala Peacock, born in Kanpur in 1976, was adopted by an American couple from Utah, when she was an infant. She came from Mother Teresas Missionaries of Charity orphanage and has very little hope of being able to trace her roots because she was probably an abandoned child. Rebecca is now married to her childhood sweetheart Dave, and they have adopted a child, also from India. She longs to return to Kanpur one day. But will she be able to trace her birth family? She is quite pragmatic about it. Rebeccas daughter too might face the same dilemma when she grows up as the Bengaluru orphanage from which she was adopted said she too was an abandoned child.

Rebecca and two other adoptees from the same Missionaries of Charity orphanage founded Lost Sarees in 2012. Their idea is to connect with Indian adoptees from around the world and provide them with a platform where they can share their stories and form a network.

Ian-Anand Forber Pratt is one more adoptee who is trying to make a difference. He was adopted from West Bengal by an American couple and returned when he was an adult, to set up foster care homes for children. He firmly believes that children should grow up in families and that institutionalised care should be the last resort. He founded the nonprofit Foster Care India in May 2012, using his own savings. It now has a team of 12 people and is supported by UNICEF.

Will such initiatives will help stem trafficking in babies? Will it help those adopted as children find some closure in adulthood? Such, at least, is the hope.
Chandigarh: Sirsa based Dera Sacha Sauda on Saturday appealed to supporters to not believe in any succession rumours following the conviction Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh in a rape case.

Meanwhile, the Haryana police kept making efforts to trace the Dera chief's adopted daughter Honeypreet against whom a lookout notice was issued on Friday.

On Monday, a special CBI court in Panchkula had sentenced the Dera chief to 20 years in prison. With Ram Rahim Singh (50) behind bars in the Sunaria jail in Rohtak district, there was speculation on who would succeed him. Names of his son Jasmeet, Honeypreet and Dera chairperson Vipassana Insan were

doing the rounds. "There are a lot of rumours being spread about the announcement of a successor by the Dera Sacha Sauda or revered Guru ji. You (followers) will have to stay away from such rumours.

There is nothing of that sort," the Dera chairperson said in a video message released on her twitter handle. She asked the Dera followers not to trust in any rumour.

"It has come to our notice that some anti-social elements were trying to mislead people by spreading rumours. Some miscreants were spreading rumours like 'Jail Bharo Abhiyan'. I appeal you to beware of such rumours," she said.

She also said that the Dera Sacha Sauda has full faith in the legal process and said the should abide by the law. The Dera has also asked followers to stay indoors as it was not holding any 'Satsang' or 'Majlis' as of now.

Meanwhile, the Haryana police kept up efforts to trace Honeypreet against whom a look out notice was issued. When asked about the look out notice against Honeypreet, Panchkula DCP Manbir Singh said that efforts were on to trace her. A lookout notice was issued against Honeypreet and another Dera functionary Aditya Insan by the Haryana police on Friday.

"On being interrogated, Surinder Dhiman Insaan, who was arrested earlier, revealed that Honeypreet Insaan and Aditya Insaan might leave the country. So we have issued lookout notices against them," Panchkula Police Commissioner, A S Chawla had said on Friday.

Surinder Dhiman made some disclosures pertaining to Honeypreet, said to be the adopted daughter of the sect chief, and Aditya, spokesman of the Dera, for which their interrogation is necessary, the police had said.

The police are also looking into allegations regarding a conspiracy to free the 50-year-old sect chief after he was convicted.

Honeypreet, who is in her thirties, accompanied Ram Rahim Singh when he was appeared before the Special CBI court in Panchkula for the pronouncement of verdict in a 15-year-old rape case. She also travelled along with the Dera head in a special chopper which ferried them to Rohtak from Panchkula after the conviction.

Honeypreet has acted in a film MSG 2 -The Messenger and later made a special appearance in MSG-The Warrior Lion Heart, in which the Dera chief plays the lead role.

Ram Rahim Singh is married to Harjeet Kaur. They have two daughters, Charanpreet and Amanpreet, both are married, and a son Jasmeet.
Ghaziabad: A former BSP legislator for Sahibabad was booked in the murder case of BJP worker shot dead on Saturday, the Uttar Pradesh Police said.

Police said the brother of deceased Gajendra Singh Bhati has lodged a complaint with the Khoda police station, alleging that his brother was killed at the behest of former Bahujan Samaj Party legislator Amar Pal Sharma.

In his complaint, Yogesh Bhati said that he noticed his brother had been disturbed for the last three-four days and on asking the problem, was told that he (Gajendra Bhati) wanted to contest in the upcoming municipal elections in Khoda but Sharma had threatened him not to enter the fray.

He said that when his brother did not agree, Sharma hired contract killers who killed him and critically injured his party colleague who is struggling for his life at a Noida hospital.

Giving an account of Saturday's crime, he said that around noon, he and his sister-in-law Reena Bhati were travelling in a car and ahead were Gajendra Bhati and his colleague, Balbir Chauhan, riding on a motorcycle.

As they reached near RK Memorial school in Khoda, two men started firing at Gajendra Bhati and Chauhan and then fled towards Delhi. Taken to hospital, Bhati was declared dead by doctors.

Yogesh Bhati said that he can recognise the assailants if they are produced before him.

"Both are BJP workers. No complaint has been filed so far but police are attempting to nab the criminals," said an aide to Ghaziabad SSP HN Singh.
Tehran: A Saudi Arabian delegation will visit Iran for the first time after Riyadh severed ties with Tehran last year, Iran's foreign ministry confirmed on Sunday.

"The Saudi delegation simply comes to visit diplomatic buildings because the buildings have been empty after the two countries broke off relations. At the same time, we will visit our buildings in Saudi Arabia," Press TV quoted foreign ministry spokesman Bahram Qasemi as saying.

Qasemi confirmed that the visas for the Saudis have been issued long before, but for "reasons that are related to them, they have not come yet, and their travel has likely been postponed until after (annual Muslim) Hajj ceremonies", Xinhua news agency reported.

He added that the date for the Iranian delegation's visit has not been set yet.

Saudi Arabia severed its diplomatic relations with Iran in January 2016, following demonstrations held in front of the Saudi embassy in Tehran and its consulate in the city of Mashhad by angry protesters who set the diplomatic missions ablaze for the execution of top Shiite cleric Nimr al-Nimr by Saudi Arabia.
Jammu: Indian and Pakistani troops traded heavy gun fire on Sunday on the Line of Control (LoC) in Jammu and Kashmir's Poonch district.

Defence Ministry sources said heavy shelling and firing started between the two armies in Mendhar and Mankote areas.

"After the Pakistan Army resorted to unprovoked shelling and firing at Indian positions, Indian military retaliated strongly and effectively," an official said. "Shelling and firing exchanges are going on."

In a significant development on Saturday, no greetings were exchanged between the two armies on Eid-ul-Azha because of heightened tensions along the LoC.
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"A process has been set in motion for the swearing-in ceremony at Rashtrapati Bhavan around 10 am on Sunday," the official said.

It will be the third such exercise since he took over in May 2014. The reshuffle is expected to take place before Modi leaves for China on Sunday afternoon.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi will undertake a reshuffle of his council of ministers at 10 am on Sunday, a top government official said.

Cabinet reshuffle may be held at 10 am on Sunday before Modi leaves for BRICS summit, says govt official

"We have no information, no talks about it. We have gotten information only from the media," Chief Minister of Bihar and JD (U) leader Nitish Kumar said when asked by the press about the cabinet reshuffle. Deputy Chief Minister of Bihar Sushil Kumar Modi was also unaware of the rejig. "Only the Prime minister and the leaders in Delhi can answer these questions (about the cabinet reshuffle)," Sushil said.

Nitish Kumar says JD (U) has no information about cabinet reshuffle

The buzz in the power corridors in the National Capital suggests that he could well be the new defence minister of the country. If the prime minister indeed springs that surprise then it would be a huge elevation for Javadekar. As defence minister, he would not only be the custodian of the external security of the country but also part of the so-called big four ministers  the ministers who occupy four most critical ministry as per the pecking order in the government located on North Block and South Block on the Raisina Hills.

When Prime Minister Narendra Modi possibly reshuffles his Council of Ministers on Sunday morning, Prakash Javadekar could turn to be the biggest newsmaker of the day.

Prakash Javadekar may be new defence minister, Suresh Prabhu likely to get environment

Reports also indicate that many ministers are on edge, fearful of receiving that fateful phone call. Sanjay Singh's piece in Firstpost details how one Union minister had to take the same flight back to New Delhi as soon as he had landed in Patna. He apparently received the instruction from Amit Shah. Two things are immediately apparent. One, Shah's clout as the party chief is enormous. We may have to go back to late Congress president K Kamaraj to find a parallel, as Shekhar Gupta writes in The Print . Second, the discourse around Cabinet reshuffles has totally shifted from the need to accommodate allies to give them a share of the power pie to a SWOT analysis of ministers based on their performance. This augurs well for Indian democracy.

It is being said that this is Prime Minister Narendra Modi's last throw of the dice before the 2019 general elections and he needs to root out non-performers from his cabinet to plug the loopholes before seeking another mandate. Media reports have indicated that professional agencies were pressed into service to do a comprehensive assessment of ministers' performance and the 3 September exercise, Modi's third, is the logical conclusion of that effort.

No more making room for allies, Cabinet reshuffle is now based on performance audit

Yechury posted a picture of six BJP MPs  five of them ministers  tweeting identical messages calling demonetisation a success. The two-term Rajya Sabha MP commented that such an occurrence points out that reshuffles in the Cabinet does not really matter as everything is dictated by the central command  a reference to the prime minister and BJP chief Amit Shah.

Ahead of the much-awaited Cabinet reshuffle on Sunday, CPM general secretary Sitaram Yechury took to Twitter to take potshots at the Narendra Modi Cabinet.

Nitin Gadkari will meet the Prime Minister Narendra Modi and BJP chief Amit Shah at 7.30, reports News18. Gadkari is currently the Union Minister of Road Transport & Highways and Shipping.

PIB confirms that the swearing-in ceremony and cabinet reshuffle is scheduled at Rashtrapati Bhavan around 10 am on Sunday

Media reports speculate that Sushma Swaraj may leave the Ministry of External Affairs and move to the defence ministry. According to News18, this decision could be made during the meeting between Amit Shah and Narendra Modi at the prime minister's 7, Lok Kalyan Marg residence. Nitin Gadkari is also reportedly expected to attend the meeting.

The exit of Bharti and Rudi clearly suggests that Modi considered performance as key criteria. Both these ministers were in-charge of two flagship projects  Skill India and Namami Gange  which had been very close to Modis heart. Three years down the line, they have not shown tangible results.

By all indications, the size and scale of Sundays cabinet reshuffle exercise is going to be big. Modi government has only 18 months left in office to deliver on its promises.

"It is Prime Minister Narendra Modi's prerogative who should be given what responsibility. He is the one to decide on tomorrow's cabinet reshuffle," says Nitin Gadkari.

NDTV reports that Arun Jaitley is likely to retain finance portfolio. It's sources also corroborate reports that Nitin Gadkari is likely to get promoted. Railway Minister Suresh Prabhu, whose current term has been mired by derailments and controversies, may get a new portfolio. According to Firstpost report, sources say that he might get the environment ministry's responsibility. Health minister JP Nadda is also likely to be shifted to another portfolio, while Ravi Shankar Prasad might get a new profile, NDTV adds.

Nine new ministers to be inducted tomorrow in the cabinet reshuffle reports Hindustan Times. News18 states that BJP president Amit Shah might not join the council of ministers. ANI adds that the list of leaders that might be inducted are Ashwini Kumar Choubey (Bihar), Shiv Pratap Shukla (Uttar Pradesh), Virendra Kumar (Madhya Pradesh), Anant Kumar Hegde, former IFS officer Hardeep Singh Puri, Gajendra Singh Shekhawat, ex-Mumbai Police chief Satya Pal Singh, Alphons Kannanthanam and Raj Kumar Singh.

Nine ministers to be inducted in cabinet reshuffle tomorrow

The new batch of ministers is highly qualified, with a number of them having professional as well as doctorate degrees. They come from diverse social and economic backgrounds, as well as from across the country  stretching from Uttar Pradesh to Kerala and Karnataka; and Rajasthan to Delhi, Madhya Pradesh and Bihar.

Given the task at hand, all the new ministers are likely to be strategically placed in key ministries, especially focusing on last mile delivery directly to the people. The new ministers come from varied walks of life, bringing in their unique professional perspective and proficiency to the Council of Ministers. Many of them also bring rich administrative and governance experience.

Making a careful choice in the talent pool available among his colleagues, the prime minister chose the new ministers with a clear mandate to deliver on his vision of a New India.

All you need to know about 9 new faces likely to join Narendra Modi's Council of Ministers

A Lok Sabha MP from Buxar in Bihar, Ashwini Kumar Choubey is member of the Parliamentary Committee on Estimates and Standing Committee on Energy. He is also a member of Central Silk Board. He has been elected for five consecutive terms to the Bihar Legislative Assembly. He has held important portfolios including health, urban development and public health engineering as a Cabinet minister of the Government of Bihar for eight years.

Ahead of the swearing-in ceremony at 10.30 at the Rashtrapati Bhavan, Modi has called all the new ministers at his 7 Lok Kalyan Marg residence for a breakfast meeting at 9 am, NDTV reported.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi to meet new ministers at 9 am

Shiv Pratap Shukla is a Rajya Sabha MP from Uttar Pradesh and a member of the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Rural Development. Shukla served as a Cabinet minister in the Uttar Pradesh government for eight years, and is known for his work in rural development, education and prison reform during his tenure. He was also elected as a Member of the Uttar Pradesh Legislative Assembly for four consecutive times in 1989, 1991, 1993 and 1996.

According to NDTV, former civil servants RK Singh, Satyapal Singh and Alphons Kannanthanam are likely to be made Ministers of State in the Narendra Modi's Council of Ministers.

Speaking to NDTV, Union minister Nitin Gadkari, who is speculated to take over the railway ministry said, "It is the prime minister's prerogative to allocate portfolios. New ministers will be inducted and PM Modi will take a decision on this".

There are six outgoing ministers from the Cabinet, including Kalraj Mishra (MoS MSME), Rajiv Pratap Rudy (MoS Independent Charge of Skill Development), Bandaru Dattatreya (Labour), Faggan Singh Kulaste (MoS Health), Sanjiv Balyan (MoS Water Resources) and Mahendra Nath Pandey (MoS HRD). Pandey was recently named BJP chief of Uttar Pradesh.

Who are out of the Modi Council of Ministers?

Meanwhile, News18 reports that Dharmendra Pradhan, Nirmala Sitaraman and Piyush Goyal may be elevated to the Cabinet rank.

While defence ministry generally goes to a political heavy weight, who becomes a part of the Cabinet Committee on Security. Speculations are rife that Nitin Gadkari or Suresh Prabhu may get the portfolio. Whether external affairs minister Sushma Swaraj be chosen to head the ministry will also be seen.

According to News18, Kannanthanam's selection is part of Amit Shahs plans to bring Catholic Church in Kerala closer to the NDA. The report notd that Shah has been making overtures to the Church for support. It is significant that Kanjirappally, from where Kannanthanam was elected as a MLA in 2006, is dominated by Syrian Christians.

JD(U) confirms none of the members will be made ministers

The Congress also accused the Centre of being "selective" and "opportunistic" in dealing with opposition leaders under investigation in cases of corruption.

Ahead of a reshuffle of the Union Cabinet, the Congress on Saturday raised questions on whether the ministers who may be removed or have resigned have any link to corruption cases that are being probed.

During his multiple stints in Parliament, Virendra Kumar has amongst others been a member of the Parliamentary Committees on Labour and Welfare, Welfare of Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes, Privileges, Petroleum and Natural Gas.

Virendra Kumar is a Lok Sabha MP from Tikamgah, Madhya Pradesh. He has had a distinguished career in public service as a six-term Lok Sabha MP. Kumar is the chairperson of the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Labour, and has been chairman of the Joint Committee on Office of Profit and a member of National Social Security Board.

Not only Piyush Goyal, Dharmendra Pradhan and Nirmala Sitharaman, but BJP's minority face Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi will also be made a Cabinet minister.

Amid the Cabinet reshuffle, Nana Patole, BJP MP from Bhandara-Gondiya, hit out at Prime Minister Narendra Modi, alleging that he does not like being questioned by anyone. Modi doesnt like to take any questions and had got very angry when I raised some issues about the OBC Ministry and farmer suicides at a meeting of BJP MPs. When Modi is asked questions, he asks you if you have read the party manifesto and are aware of various government schemes. The Indian Express quoted Patole telling a gathering in a meeting.

Narendra Modi does not like to be questioned, says Maharashtra BJP MP

According to media reports, there are 4P  passion, proficiency, professionalism and political acumen  that is determining who will be part of the new Narendra Modi Council of Ministers.

News18 quotes Sources close to Nitin Gadkari as saying that the Union minister wants to continue with current portfolios  surface transport and shipping. However, he is also believed to have said that any added responsibility is welcome.

During his multiple stints in the Parliament, he has been a member of multiple Parliamentary Standing Committees including the likes of finance, home affairs, human resource development, commerce, agriculture and external affairs. Hegde has also been a member of the Spices Board of India for four terms.

Anantkumar Hegde is a Lok Sabha MP from Uttara Kannada district in Karnataka. He is a member of the Parliamentary Standing Committee on External Affairs and Human Resource Development. Having been elected as an MP for the first time at the age of 28 years, Hedge is now a fifth term Lok Sabha MP.

Hardeep Puri likely to be made MoS Commerce or Defence, say reports

Shiv Sena is unhappy and will not attend today's oath ceremony at Rashtrapati Bhavan, News18 reports.

Singh has served in multiple roles of responsibility including Defence Production Secretary and Joint Secretary Home; as well as heading home, industries, public works and agriculture among other departments in the Bihar government. He is known for his contributions to schemes for police and prison modernization, and laying down a framework for disaster management.

Raj Kumar Singh is a Lok Sabha MP from Arrah, Bihar. He is a member of the Parliamentary Standing Committees on Health and Family Welfare, Personnel, Pensions and Public Grievances and Law & Justice. Raj Kumar Singh is also a former IAS officer of the 1975 batch, Bihar cadre. He rose up the ranks to become the Home Secretary of India.

Union minister Uma Bharati will not attend the swearing in ceremony. According to NDTV, the firebrand leader will remain in Lalitpur.

"Thank you for the wishes. Media, friends have played a huge role in my success," Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi tells CNN-News18.

Puris four-decade career in diplomacy spans the multilateral arena, included critical roles of ambassador and permanent representative of India to the United Nations, ambassador to Brazil and the United Kingdom and permanent representative of India to Geneva. As the head of the Indian delegation to the UN Security Council, Hardeep Puri had served as Chairman of the Counter-Terrorism Committee of the UN as well as the president of the United Nations Security Council.

Hardeep Puri is a decorated former IFS officer of the 1974 batch, known for his experience and expertise in foreign policy and national security. Puri is the President and Chairman of Research and Information System for Developing Countries (RIS) think tank, and he was also the vice-president of International Peace Institute, New York.

Swearing-in to begin once Narendra Modi and Ram Nath Kovind come to Rashtrapati Bhavan

JD(U) likely to be inducted into Modi Cabinet later, says NDTV

Suresh Prabhu likely to get power or environment ministry, say TV reports

The JD(U), Shiv Sena have all been ignored. This could be because favouring one over the other could've highlighted the fault lines. It is notable that Shiv Sena is sulking over not getting a ministerial berth and Nitish Kumar, too, has denied any plans of attending the function on Sunday.

In Nirmala Sitharaman, Dharmendra Pradhan, Piyush Goyal and Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi's Cabinet berths, the narrative is reinforced. Two things emerge. One, the BJP is trying to dispel the notion that it is doesn't have talent within its ranks. Two, the NDA might be grappling with internal wranglings.

New faces to be sworn-in and elevation of four ministers of state into the Cabinet have all been a strictly BJP-only affair. The nine new faces are a mixture of BJP MPs and bureaucrats.

Dharmendra Pradhan first to take oath as Cabinet minister

Piyush Goyal second person to take oath as Cabinet minister

Naqvi is an articulate face and has never made anything controversial statements.

Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi's elevation as a full-fledged member of the Narendra Modi Cabinet could be a message to the Muslims, who have variously felt left out of the new power equation in Indian politics. There were no Muslim Cabinet ministers in Modi regime after Najma Heptullah resigned to take up the Governor's post.

Rajya Sabha MP Shiv Pratap Shukla is the first one to take oath as Minister of State. Shukla has been a minister in BJP governments in Uttar Pradesh.

Choubey, who has been a health minister is the Nitish Kumar government in the past, is a Brahmin strongman from Bihar. He is currently a Lok Sabha MP from Buxar.

BJP's Veerendra Kumar is a six-term MP from Tikamgarh and an important Dalit face of the BJP.

Singh is a first-term MP from Arah, Bihar. A former Home Secretary, Singh is popular for once arresting LK Advani during the 1990 Rath Yatra.

Anantkumar Hegde, the Lok Sabha MP from Uttar Kannada, was one of the youngest MPs in the 11th Lok Sabha in 1996. Hegde is a five-term MP, who became a giantkiller by defeating Margaret Alva.

A former envoy to the United Nations, Hardeep Puri was one of the top diplomats of India. A 1974-batch IFS officer, he is reported to be made a MoS defence or commerce.

Shekhawat is a first-term MP from Jodhpur. A popular figure on social media, he began his career as a farmer leader, affiliated to the RSS.

A former IPS officer, Singh was the Mumbai Police commissioner before taking the political plunge in 2014.

Alphons Kannanthanam is a former IAS officer of the 1979 batch, Kerala cadre. He is also a practicing advocate. Alphons became famous as Delhi's "Demolition Man" when he was the commissioner of the Delhi Development Authority, having cleared DDA areas of encroachment removing around 15,000 illegal buildings.

After the elevation of four MoS to cabinet rank and the induction of nine new MoS rank ministers, the swearing-in ceremony is over.

Naqvi's elevation means that Union Cabinet will have representation of a Muslim member. He has been consistent, non-confrontationist and up to mark as MoS parliamentary affairs and minority affairs.

Piyush Goyal has impressed Modi and Shah by his performance in his ministry and by his organisational work. His elevation to Cabinet rank would make it possible for him to hold more important portfolios and also have a greater say in Maharastra politics.

After Venkaiah Naidu's exit from active politics, Nirmala Sitharaman has the potential to emerge as the BJP's face in South India (other than Karnataka). She hails from TamilNadu. Sitharaman also enjoys confidence of Modi, Arjun Jaitley and Amit Shah.

Pradhan has proved his worth by Ujjwala scheme but one of the main reasons behind his elevation to Cabinet rank is to give him required profile to make him party's chief ministerial face in Odisha.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi's pick of four ministers  Dharmendra Pradhan, Piyush Goyal, Nirmala Sitharaman and Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi is performance based but the politics of it is interesting.

According to The Economic Times , Rajyavardhan Rathore and Jitendra Singh are being considered for more significant assignments idue to their record as diligent and competent ministers. The report added that Rathore and Jitendra, who is MoS in PMO, have impressed the BJP leadership with their work culture.

One option could be Piyush Goyal, who is expected to take the over. Speculation is that he might get additional charge of Railways.

Suresh Prabhu won't remain Railway minister as he took to twitter to announce farewell. There is no clarity yet on who will take up the job. Nitin Gadkari is apparently reluctant to take it up so late and owning up its failures.

An official statement from Rashtrapati Bhavan on allocation of portfolio is expected before the prime minister leaves for China in the afternoon. On past occasions  November 2014 and July 2016  shuffling of ministries and allocation of portfolios was very late in night. This time around, however, it is different.

But the bigger news would be when the portfolios and reshuffle is announced. Doubts over the defence and railway ministries would finally come to an end which could also start an interesting spiral for other ministries.

Nine new ministers of state have been sworn-in and four ministers of state (Independent Charge) have been elevated to Cabinet rank. Sources within the government told Firstpost that the entry and promotion was based on Modi's 4P formula: Passion + Proficiency + Professional & Political acumen - for Progress.

Kannanthanam and Puri are presently not members of Parliament and are likely to be elected to the Rajya Sabha within the stipulated six months.

PTI notes that a highlight of the third reshuffle of the Modi cabinet in as many years is the induction of people with proven administrative ability like Puri, R K Singh, Satyapal Singh and Kannanthanam, underlining the Prime Minister's efforts to give a fresh impetus to governance.

Kannanthanam and Puri need to be in Parliament in next six months

PTI notes that three of the BJP MPs being inducted  Kumar, Hegde and Shekhawat  are from Madhya Pradesh, Karnataka and Rajasthan respectively where Assembly polls are due next year.

Three ministers in the Council of Ministers with an eye on Assembly elections

"Nitish Kumar was open to consider the proposal of joining the cabinet as he himself said but there was no consensus within other constituents of the NDA till the last minute. Shiv Sena was perhaps demanding more share and AIADMK government in Tamilnadu was also far from stable. These are the reasons why the PM and Amit Shah chose to limit the rejig within BJP," he explained.

A top leader of the JD(U), considered close to chief minister Nitish Kumar, claimed there was absolutely no differences with BJP or within the party over joining the Union Cabinet.

JD(U) brushes aside news of differences with BJP over Cabinet reshuffle

Piyush Goyal is slated to be the next railways minister.

According to reports, Arun Jaitley will continue to handle two key portfolios of defence and finance even after the Cabinet reshuffle. Even though it is a speculation, experts question BJP's decision of not appointing someone else for a vital ministry as the defence.

According to News18, Suresh Prabhu is likely to swap ministries with Piyush Goyal. So we can expect Prabhu to become the new power ministry while Goyal may be the new railway minister.

TV reports suggest that there won't be any change in the portfolios of Arun Jaitley, Sushma Swaraj and Rajnath Singh. These three along with the prime minister are part of the Cabinet Committee on Security.

If Puri is a Sikh, then Alphons is a Christian from Kerala, who first made his mark in national capital as vice-chairman of the Delhi Development Authority (DDA). His entry into Modi's ministry is expected to provide BJP some leeway in Christian community in Kerala.

Puri has an excellent record as a diplomat and was also associated with Ajit Dovals Vivekananda Foundation. During his student days, Puri's thought process was closer to that of BJP (the then Jan Sangh) but his lateral entry as minister in third and possibly the final expansion of the Modi government by itself is a big story.

Hardeep Singh Puri and Alphons Kannanthanam are not members of any House of Parliament and the onus is now on party leadership to help them enter Rajya Sabha before expiry of mandatory six months period .

After Shiv Sena, JD(U) too says it was a 'BJP reshuffle'

Hardeep Singh Puri likely to be new MoS, Defence: News18

According to News18, Arun Jaitley is likely to be relieved of the additional charge of the defence ministry as he wants to focus on the upcoming Gujarat Assembly elections.

Kumar is known for his simplicity and is often seen taking a lift from anyone in the town to reach his destination.

The 63-year-old is passionate about the cause of cow protection and is closely associated with the successful management and functioning of the Gau Seva Sangh Sanstha in Sagar town of Madhya Pradesh.

Associated with the RSS from childhood, Virendra Kumar is a six-time Lok Sabha member from Tikamgarh in Madhya Pradesh and the BJP's Dalit face.

Virendra Kumar is known for being a grassroot politician

Gajendra Singh Shekhawat is a Lok Sabha MP from Jodhpur, Rajasthan. He is a member of the Parliamentary Standing Committee on finance and chairperson of the fellowship committee. A technology-savvy, progressive farmer; Shekhawat is one of the most followed political leaders on Quora globally.

After the Cabinet reshuffle, Arun Jaitley will be off to Japan, reports NDTV

In 2004, Pradhan was elected a member of the 14th Lok Sabha from the same constituency and held the seat till 2009, before he lost the subsequent poll. He was also a member of the Odisha legislative assembly between 2000 and 2004.

His father, Debendra Pradhan, was a minister in the Atal Bihari Vajpayee government and an MP from Odisha's Deogarh constituency.

'Pradhan Mantri Ujjwala Yojana', of providing LPG connections. 48-year-old Pradhan, who has emerged as the party's most prominent face in Odisha, is also praised in the government circles for having made the 'Give It Up' plan, on people giving up subsidised cooking gas voluntarily, a success.

Pradhan's rise comes on the back of his performance as a Minister of State of Petroleum and Natural Gas, which is spearheading Prime Minister Narendra Modi's pet scheme,

Others who took oath in Hindi were Shiv Pratap Shukla, Ashwini Choubey, Virendra Kumar, Anant Kumar Hegde, R.K. Singh, Gajendra Singh Shekhawat and Satya Pal Singh, all of whom became Ministers of State.

Petroleum and Natural Gas Minister Dharmendra Pradhan, Power Minister Piyush Goyal and Minority Affairs Minister Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi, the three others who became cabinet ministers, took their oath in Hindi.

Sitharaman has been promoted to the cabinet while Puri and Kannanthanam became Ministers of State.

The three ministers who took oath in English were Commerce and Industry Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, former diplomat Hardeep Singh Puri and former bureaucrat Alphons Kannanthanam.

All but three ministers took oath in Hindi on Sunday during a swearing in ceremony at Rashtrapati Bhavan in which nine new ministers were inducted and four Ministers of State were elevated to the Cabinet.

Three ministers took oath in English, rest in Hindi

Nirmala Sitharaman. who earlier held the independent charge of the commerce and industry ministry, has become the first independent woman defence minister of India. Indira Gandhi had held additional charge of portfolio in between 1980 and 1982.

Suresh Prabhu is the new commerce and industry minister, while Hardeep Puri is now Minister of State, Urban Development.

Suresh Prabhu is the new commerce minister, Hardeep Puri is MoS, Urban Development

Not less than four out of nine new faces have bureaucratic background and it is a testament to the fact that PM is concerned about the gap in perception and performance. Bureaucrats typically bring in sectoral expertise and are well-trained in the system, but Prabhu's travails with Railways shows that the it could be a double-edged sword. Very often technocrats, who follow policy rather than making them, could become subservient to the system instead of overhauling it.

Among the key takeaways from Narendra Modi's Cabinet Reshuffle so far as we wait for the allocation of portfolios, Suresh Prabhu's departure would rank lower than Prime Minister's push for inducting bureaucrats and technocrats into his team.

Prabhu's departure from Railways shows pitfalls of having bureaucrats as ministers

Smriti Irani, who held the additional charge after the elevation of Venkaiah Naidu as the Vice-President of India, will now retain the I&B portfolio. However, India is likely to get a new textiles minister.

Uma Bharti, who held the water resources and Namame Gange ministry since 2014, will now be the new drinking water and sanitation minister. Bharti did not attend the swearing-in ceremony on Sunday as she was in Lalitpur, Varanasi.

Uma Bharti will now handle drinking water and sanitation portfolio, say reports

Dharmendra Pradhan, who had the independent charge of the oil and petroleum ministry, will now be the new skill development minister, replacing Rajiv Pratap Rudy.

RK Singh, the former home secretary, will now hold the independent charge of the power ministry, which was earlier handled by Piyush Goyal, who has got a promotion as the new railway minister.

Alphons Kannanthanam is a former IAS officer of the 1979 batch, Kerala cadre. He is also a practicing advocate. Alphons became famous as Delhi's "Demolition Man" when he was the commissioner of the Delhi Development Authority, having cleared DDA areas of encroachment removing around 15,000 illegal buildings.

Rajyavardhan Rathore is now minister for Sports and Youth Affairs (I/C)

Nitin Gadkari, who is already handling the portfolios of road and surface transport along with shipping, will now also be heading the water resources ministry. Initially there were speculations that he may be given the charge of the railway or defence ministry.

Known to have a deep focus on rural India, Hegde is the founder president of Kadamba, an NGO working in the field of rural development, rural health, SHGs, rural marketing and other rural welfare programmes.

Ashwini Choubey is also credited to have raised the slogan "Ghar - Ghar me ho Shouchalaya ka nirman, Tabhi hoga Ladli Bitiya ka Kanyadaan", and has helped construct 11,000 toIlets for Mahadalit families.

On the other hand, persons who have held official positions in the government have become a more prominent part of this ministry. These include police officers, a former home secretary, and an officer who made a name for the no-nonsense demolition of illegal buildings in Delhi.

Another signal from this reshuffle  again subtle, and so largely unnoticed  is that figures who were prominent in the Advani and Vajpayee years are on shaky ground. Several of those who were dropped, including Kalraj Mishra, Bandaru Dattatreya, and Rajiv Pratap Rudy, were prominent in that period.

Satya Pal Singh is a Lok Sabha MP from Baghpat, Uttar Pradesh. He was a member of the Parliamentary Standing Committee on home affairs and Chairperson of the Joint Committee on Offices of Profit.

Former IPS officer Satyapal Singh, who was inducted into the Modi Council of Ministers, will now be a minister of state in the ministry of Human Resources Development as well in the Nitin Gadkari-led Water resources ministry.

Gajendra Singh Shekhawat, the Lok Sabha MP from Jodhpur, who was a member of the Parliamentary Standing Committee on finance and chairperson of the fellowship committee, will now be a MoS in the agriculture ministry. Radha Mohan Singh continues to be the Cabinet minister for agriculture.

Vijay Goel, who earlier held the independent charge of the sports and youth affairs ministry, will now be a MoS in the Ministry of Parliamentary Affairs as well as the Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation.

While referring to his two brief stints as the defence minister, News18 quoted finance minister Arun Jaitley as saying, "It was a great experience."

Initially, a MoS in the ministry of Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises, Giriraj, the Newada MP, now gets the independent charge of the ministry. Initally, Kalraj Mishra was hadnlig the ministry.

Nirmala Sitharaman who landed the crucial defence portfolio in a major rejig of the Modi government on Sunday credited her elevation to a Cabinet rank minister to "cosmic grace" and support from party leadership. "Somebody who has come from a small town, grown into the party with all the support of the leadership, and if given such responsibility, it just makes you feel sometimes that cosmic grace is there. Otherwise, it is impossible," she told reporters after taking the oath.

Parrikar, who served as defence minister from 2014 to 2017, returned to state politics after the Goa Assembly elections earlier this year. Finance minister Arun Jaitley was holding additional charge of the key ministry.

Goa Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar on Sunday congratulated his party colleague Nirmala Sitharaman on being appointed the country's first full-fledged woman defence minister.

"Very significant landmark in this reshuffle is that we now have Nirmala Sitharaman as the new Defence Minister," Arun Jaitley said. "It is a case where a minister performs well and earns a higher responsibility for herself. "I am sure, now that I have an extremely competent successor in Nirmala Sitharaman, she will carry the road forward," he added about her role as the defence minister. Jaitley will continue as the Minister of Finance; and Minister of Corporate Affairs. Jaitley also added that he'll be leaving tonight for Japan as it would not be "logistically possible" for the new defence minister to attend the two day security dialogue.

Arun Jaitley says Nirmala Sitharaman taking oath as the defence minister is a 'significant landmark'

"I resigned as railway minister on moral grounds; Piyush Goyal will take prime minister Narendra Modi's dream forward," Cabinet Minister Commerce and Industry Ministry Suresh Prabhu tells News18

Suresh Prabhu reacts to Piyush Goyal taking oath as the new Minister of Railways

Shukla and Pandey are Brahmins, and the moves are being seen as efforts by the party to keep the community in its fold for the 2019 Lok Sabha elections. Deputy Chief Minister Dinesh Sharma in Uttar Pradesh is also a Brahmin.

The 65-year-old Shukla, who belongs to Gorakhpur  the citadel of Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath  joined the Union council of ministers just days after Mahendra Nath Pandey from Ghazipur, also in eastern Uttar Pradesh, was made state BJP chief.

The induction of Shiv Pratap Shukla as a minister highlighted the importance of the Brahmin vote for the Bharatiya Janata Party, they said.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi's Cabinet reshuffle on Sunday turned the spotlight on Purvanchal or eastern Uttar Pradesh and the BJP's efforts at balancing regions and caste equations, political leaders in Lucknow said.

External affairs minister Sushma Swaraj is member of the CCS, chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, which is responsible for decisions on external and internal security. Its other members are finance minister Arun Jaitley and home minister Rajnath Singh.

With the appointment of Nirmala Sitharaman as the new defence minister on Sunday, the Cabinet Committee on Security (CCS), will now have two women ministers.

With Nirmala Sitharaman as new defence minister, central security committee to have two women

Hegde in March last year had sparked a controversy over his reported remarks allegedly linking Islam to terrorism, and is facing a case under IPC in this regard.

A five-time Member of Parliament from Uttara Kannada Lok Sabha constituency, having entered the Parliament at the age of 28, he is currently the member of Parliamentary Standing Committee on External Affairs and Human Resources.

A hardcore RSS member and a controversial politician Anantkumar Hegde has emerged as a dark horse to find a ministerial slot.

In other words Prime Minister Narendra Modis expression of high confidence in the abilities of Raj Kumar Singh, Alphons Kannanthanam (both IAS), Hardeep Singh Puri (IFS) and Satya Pal Singh (IPS) is also in some ways the prime ministers expression of low confidence in the regular bench strength comprising of entry level cadre of politicians. This has caused certain unease among a section of party leaders.

Induction of four retired bureaucrats, two of them not even MPs, among nine new ministers who took the oath of office at Rashtrapati Bhavan with stress on "performance" and "last mile delivery" speaks volume about the lack of talent pool in the party.

Scarcity of talented legislators in BJP lays bare after Kannanthanam, Puri become ministers

It is a risky gambit. For, the need to gird up the defence preparedness has been widely felt in the wake of Chinas belligerence over the Doka La stand-off, which ended amid tremendous tension just about three days before the reshuffle. Metaphorically speaking, the defence minister will need to move mountains.

The most startling aspect of the Narendra Modi Cabinet reshuffle is that a minister who has just been promoted to Cabinet rank has been given the defence portfolio. It normally goes to one of the most senior politicians in the government, but the new defence minister, Nirmala Sitharaman, is listed just above the minister for minority affairs at the bottom of the list of Cabinet ministers.

Narendra Modi's bet on Nirmala Sitharaman sounds risky, but could be key to defence modernisation

"This is new drama being enacted by the BJP. The people have lost hope and are angry with the government. In place of politicians, retired bureaucrats are being relied on more in the expansion and an attempt is being made to propagate the agenda of RSS," she said in a statement. The expansion reflects the tensions in the BJP and in the NDA, she added.

The expansion is an attempt to divert the attention of the people from the "failure of the government on burning problems like poverty, unemployment, Ganga cleaning" as well as promises made by the BJP during the Lok Sabha polls, Mayawati said.

The expansion of the Narendra Modi cabinet at the Centre is an attempt to divert the attention of the people from the government's "failure" in tackling burning issues the country is facing, BSP chief Mayawati said on Sunday.

He also termed the expansion "maximum government and minimum governance". "This reflects that the prime minister does not trust his political colleagues," Tewari added. PTI

Talking to the media, Tewari claimed Modi was "strangely disconnected" from the Cabinet reshuffle exercise. "It seems that (BJP president) Amit Shah is the prime minister," he said, referring to reports that claimed Shah summoned ministers and asked them to resign before the rejig.

Congress spokesperson Manish Tewari described the nine new ministers as a "senior citizens' club", pointing out that while the median age of a person in the country was 27 years, the average age of the new entrants was 60.44 years.

Her surprise nomination to the post of defence minister means two things  that she has acquired the supreme confidence of the prime minister and her integrity factor which was considered the most critical thing for occupying this post in the Modi regime is beyond doubt in eyes of her two political bosses. At another level, her big bang promotion means that the writ of the Prime Ministers Office would run large in the defence ministry.

Nirmala Sitharaman is new defence minister: PMO writ likely to remain large in her ministry

Defence Minister designate Nirmala Sitharaman calls on Home Minister Rajnath Singh after being sworn in as the union cabinet minister. She will take charge of the ministry after Arun Jaitley concludes his security dialogue in Japan

But partys master strategist Amit Shah had other plans in his mind when he pitched for Alphons, who is currently a member of the BJPs national executive committee, for the ministerial berth. Shaw saw in him a potential candidate who could win a seat for the party from Kerala in the 2019 Lok Sabha elections.

It had expected either state president Kummanam Rajashekharan or Suresh Gopi, partys lone Rajya Sabha member, to be in the ministry when they made a strong bid for representation to the southern state in the Narendra Modi government.

The induction of bureaucrat-turned politician Alphons Kannanthanam into the Union cabinet has come as a big surprise to the state unit of Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).

Alphons Kannanthanam is part of Narendra Modi's 2019 plan, but BJP's Kerala unit feels otherwise

Sixty-year-old Naqvi, a Shia from Uttar Pradesh, is the lone Muslim face in the council of ministers of the Modi government. He has been handling the twin portfolios of Minority Affairs (Independent Charge) and Parliamentary Affairs. PTI

Pradhan and Naqvi retained their portfolios of Oil and Gas and Minority Affairs respectively.

The second big gainer Piyush Goyal, entrusted with the Railways portfolio, is widely credited with astutely steering the Centre's rural electrification agenda and turning around the coal sector as a Minister of State with independent charge for power, coal, new and renewable energy and mines.

Sitharaman's stunning elevation from commerce ministry to Defence grabbed the lion's share of attraction in the latest round of reshuffle.

The elevation of Dharmendra Pradhan and Nirmala Sitharaman, Rajya Sabha MPs from Odisha and Karnataka, is also reflective of the BJP's political calculation in these poll-bound states.

The BJP-led government on Sunday promoted four ministers, largely seen as performers, to the cabinet, which also got a Muslim face with the induction of Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi.

Four Ministers of State upgraded to cabinet rank in reshuffle

This sluggish implementation is the ostensible reason behind transport minister Nitin Gadkari, considered one of the top-performing ministers, getting the additional charge of water resources ministry, sources say.

Faced with the herculean task of fulfilling the BJP-led government's promise of cleaning the Ganga, the Centre needed nothing short of a silver bullet to meet the deadline for the project, which some allege, is being implemented at a snail's pace.

On Sunday, Sitharaman became India's second woman defence minister and the first woman to be made in-charge of this key ministry full time. "Somebody who has come from a small town, grown into the party with all the support of the leadership, and if given such responsibility, it just makes you feel sometimes that cosmic grace is there. Otherwise, it is impossible," Sitharaman told reporters here after taking oath as a Union Minister.

Nirmala Sitharaman became the first woman to be a full-time defence minister in India on Sunday. Her journey in the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) started as a spokesperson and grew in rank soon with her speaking style and debating skills.

Sources in the BJP said that members of their alliance might join the government later as there was still a scope for expansion of the Union Council of Ministers. They, however, added that a decision on the allies joining the government would be taken later. PTI

JD(U) spokesperson KC Tyagi said his party was not invited to join the government. The Shiv Sena too was unhappy with its non-inclusion in the Cabinet, stating that the NDA was "almost dead" and that BJP remembered it only when it needed some support.

The third reshuffle in the Modi Cabinet turned out to be an all-BJP affair as its allies were not a part of the exercise. It was expected that its new partner, the JD(U), would get representation in the central government, but it turned otherwise.

No new member from allies, Cabinet reshuffle an all-BJP affair

Kumar as a representative from the region became an obvious choice especially after Union minister Uma Bharti, a BJP stalwart from Bundelkhand and a former chief minister of Madhya Pradesh who once dominated the region, moved out of the state and got elected as an MP from Jhansi in Uttar Pradesh in 2014.

BJP's top leadership chose Virendra to ensure a caste and regional balance in the Bundelkhand region of Madhya Pradesh, ahead of the Assembly polls in the state next year.

Why was Virendra chosen over others?

This sluggish implementation is the ostensible reason behind transport minister Nitin Gadkari, considered one of the top-performing ministers, getting the additional charge of water resources ministry, sources say.

Faced with the herculean task of fulfilling the BJP-led government's promise of cleaning the Ganga, the Centre needed nothing short of a silver bullet to meet the deadline for the project, which some allege, is being implemented at a snail's pace.

Amidst all the trumped up excitement, will someone please note 13 MORE children died yesterday in Gorakhpur?

"Agriculture in distress, Health in crisis, but ministers remain," said Chidambaram on Twitter. "Amidst all the trumped up excitement, will someone please note 13 more children died yesterday in Gorakhpur?" he said in another tweet.

Senior Congress leader P Chidambaram on Sunday attacked the retention of Union Agriculture Minister Radha Mohan Singh and Health Minister JP Nadda in the Union Cabinet, saying both the areas are in "distress and crisis".

Asked if he was expecting a ministerial berth in the reshuffle, the former Union Home Secretary said, "Whether I was expecting to become a Minister? No. Whether I was expecting this portfolio? No. Both came as surprises." IANS

"We have objectives. The Ministry will attain its objectives on time. We have to electrify (the unelectrified villages) within a set time frame," Singh said hours after taking oath of office and secrecy as Union Minister of State (Independent Charge) at the Rashtrapati Bhavan in New Delhi.

Newly inducted Power, New and Renewable Energy Minister Raj Kumar Singh on Sunday said his Ministry will attain its objectives on time and said he was certain to come up to the expectations of his leader.

Ministry will attain its objectives to electrify villages on time, says RK Singh

Moreover, both the MPs are highly educated, comparatively younger and have been considered for significant assignments in keeping with their tech-savvy nature and popularity among youngsters, he added. PTI

Rathore (47) and Shekhawat (49) are Rajputs, and the moves are being seen as efforts by the party to keep the community in its fold for the upcoming state assembly elections as well as the general elections scheduled in 2019.

Both the parliamentarians were given roles in the rejig as the party had received negative publicity in the Rajput community after gangster Anandpal Singh was killed in police encounter, a BJP insider said.

Rajyavardhan Singh Rathore replaced Vijay Goel in the Sports Ministry, while also remaining the MoS in the I&B Ministry. Gajendra Singh Shekhawat has been inducted as MoS in agriculture. This highlights the importance of Rajput vote for the BJP, they said.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi's Cabinet reshuffle on Sunday turned the spotlight on BJP's efforts at balancing caste equations in Rajasthan, party leaders in Jaipur said.

On Sunday, Sitharaman became India's second woman defence minister and the first woman to be made in-charge of this key ministry full time. "Somebody who has come from a small town, grown into the party with all the support of the leadership, and if given such responsibility, it just makes you feel sometimes that cosmic grace is there. Otherwise, it is impossible," Sitharaman told reporters here after taking oath as a Union Minister.

Nirmala Sitharaman became the first woman to be a full-time defence minister in India on Sunday. Her journey in the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) started as a spokesperson and grew in rank soon with her speaking style and debating skills.

Sources in the BJP said that members of their alliance might join the government later as there was still a scope for expansion of the Union Council of Ministers. They, however, added that a decision on the allies joining the government would be taken later. PTI

JD(U) spokesperson KC Tyagi said his party was not invited to join the government. The Shiv Sena too was unhappy with its non-inclusion in the Cabinet, stating that the NDA was "almost dead" and that BJP remembered it only when it needed some support.

The third reshuffle in the Modi Cabinet turned out to be an all-BJP affair as its allies were not a part of the exercise. It was expected that its new partner, the JD(U), would get representation in the central government, but it turned otherwise.

No new member from allies, Cabinet reshuffle an all-BJP affair

The Governor also extended her good wishes to the nine ministers who were inducted into the Union ministry and others who were promoted during today's cabinet reshuffle. 58-year old Nirmala Sitharaman became the first woman to become a full-time Defence Minister of the country.

Manipur Governor Najma Heptulla congratulated Nirmala Sitharaman on becoming the new defence minister of the country. She also expressed happiness that a woman has been given such an important post as that of defence Minister.

He also said that the state government would extend all cooperation to implement various central schemes in the state. PTI

A state government spokesperson said that the chief minister exuded confidence that with the new faces in the Union Council of Ministers under the able leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the speed of country's development would be enhanced.

Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath on Sunday congratulated the new Union Cabinet ministers and ministers of state who took oath.

Kumar as a representative from the region became an obvious choice especially after Union minister Uma Bharti, a BJP stalwart from Bundelkhand and a former chief minister of Madhya Pradesh who once dominated the region, moved out of the state and got elected as an MP from Jhansi in Uttar Pradesh in 2014.

BJP's top leadership chose Virendra to ensure a caste and regional balance in the Bundelkhand region of Madhya Pradesh, ahead of the Assembly polls in the state next year.

Why was Virendra chosen over others?

"I had been demanding for the past over two years that Rathore should be made the sports minister. Recently, I had a chance to meet BJP chief Amit Shah over dinner and I told him that Rathore was the most deserving person to be given the job. Mr Shah had then told me that he will definitely look into it," 85-year-old Milkha told PTI in Chandigarh. PTI

Wishing Rathore the very best for his new stint, the 'Flying Sikh' said, "Having Rathore at the helm means one can expect better results. He knows inside out and what it takes to win medals at the highest level."

Legendary athlete Milkha Singh hailed Olympics silver medallist shooter Rajyavardhan Singh Rathore being made the sports minister, saying Indian sports can get better results under his charge.

Nine new faces including former IFS officer Hardeep Puri, ex-Mumbai Police chief Satyapal Singh and retired IAS officer Alphons Kannanthanam will be inducted into the Union Council of Ministers on Sunday as part of a major revamp by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

The swearing-in ceremony of new ministers of the Narendra Modi government will take place at 10.30 am on Sunday, President Ram Nath Kovind said on Saturday.

Swearing-in ceremony of new ministers of the Union government will take place at 10.30 am on Sunday, September 3, at Rashtrapati Bhavan  President of India (@rashtrapatibhvn) September 2, 2017

The new faces include BJP MPs Ashwini Kumar Choubey (Bihar), Virendra Kumar (Madhya Pradesh) and Shiv Pratap Shukla (Uttar Pradesh).

The others are Anant Kumar Hegde, Raj Kumar Singh, Hardeep Puri, Gajendra Singh Shekhawat, Satyapal Singh and Alphons Kannanthanam.

"The new ministers are going to be strategically placed in key ministries, especially focusing on last mile delivery directly to the people," a source said.

"As a part of the restructuring, six incumbent ministers have resigned," the source said.

Ahead of the reshuffle, six ministers resigned. Sources, however, did not clarify whether any of the new entrants would be given a Cabinet berth. No woman figures in the list.

While he has picked people with proven administrative and professional expertise such as Puri, Satyapal Singh (61), R K Singh (64) and Kannanthanam, he has also chosen lingayat leader Hegde from Karnataka and farmer leaders Shekhawat and Kumar from Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh.

Lingayat community is one of the dominant communities of Karnataka which has influenced poll outcomes in several Assembly segments.

There are indications that some of the junior ministers including Piyush Goyal and Dharmendra Pradhan may be elevated to Cabinet rank.

As government sources disclosed the names, a surprise factor was the absence of members of BJP's allies like JD(U) and Shiv Sena from the list.

Though top BJP leaders maintained silence on the development, sources in the party said it was likely due to lack of a formula for representation which could satisfy all allies.

Paving way for the rejig, Union ministers  Kalraj Mishra, Bandaru Dattatreya, Rajiv Pratap Rudy, Sanjiv Kumar Balyan, Faggan Singh Kulaste and Mahendra Nath Pandey  had resigned two days ago.

Uma Bharti, too, had offered to resign, but her fate hangs in balance amid speculation that there may be a few more exits.

There was speculation over the likely choice for the post of the defence minister, and names of Suresh Prabhu and Nitin Gadkari were doing the rounds.

Finance minister Arun Jaitley is at present holding the additional charge of defence and he has already given indication of relieving the charge.

While Shukla (65) is a Rajya Sabha MP from Uttar Pradesh, Choubey (64) has been elected to the Lok Sabha from Buxar in Bihar.

Virendra Kumar represents the Tikamgah constituency of Madhya Pradesh in the Lok Sabha.

Hegde is a five-time Lok Sabha MP from Uttara Kannada in Karnataka, while Raj Kumar Singh is a first time MP from Arrah in Bihar. Shekhawat represents Jodhpur seat in the Lower House.

Satya Pal Singh is a Lok Sabha MP from Baghpat, Uttar Pradesh and a former Maharashtra-cadre IPS officer of the 1980 batch.

Kannanthanam was known as 'Demolition Man' for having ordered razing of thousands of illegal constructions when he was heading the Delhi Development Authority.

Committed to his track record of identifying fellow team members on the basis of merit and future potential, the prime minister will place them strategically in key ministries, especially focusing on last mile delivery directly to the people, they said.

The prime minister is committed to his vision of a new India, which will be built on the foundations of development and good governance, to further the cause of the poor, marginalised and the deprived segments of the society, the sources said.



With inputs from PTI
Some are calling it a "well-disguised doosra". Some are calling it another "surgical strike". Whichever way you look at it, handing the defence portfolio to Nirmala Sitharaman is by far the biggest statement delivered by Narendra Modi in Sunday's Cabinet reshuffle.

By all means, this was a double promotion for Sitharaman, who until Saturday held the independent charge of the commerce and industry ministry. She was first elevated into Cabinet rank, and subsequently inducted into the Cabinet Committee on Security (CCS) by virtue of her appointment as the Union defence minister.

Sitharaman technically is the second woman to hold the defence portfolio, but for former prime minister Indira Gandhi, defence was an additional charge. Sitharaman is India's first full-time woman defence minister, and the sound of the glass ceiling being shattered would reverberate for a long time to come. Nothing carries the message of women's empowerment more than battle-hardened generals doffing their hats to a female boss. As far as symbolisms go, it is a powerful one.

As Sitharaman moves into Raisina Hill, the all powerful CCS, which also includes the prime minister, home minister Rajnath Singh, finance minister Arun Jaitley and external affairs minister Sushma Swaraj, will now feature two women.

Among the many symbolisms that emerge, the first is that that the prime minister firmly believes in women leading from the front. This message is reinforced by the fact that Sitharaman, a first-time Rajya Sabha MP, takes over the defence portfolio at a time when India's borders with Pakistan and China are 'hot' and we have only just emerged from a grave deadlock with the Chinese in Sikkim sector which could have very well slipped into a military conflict.

But it will be unwise to look at Sitharaman's appointment only from the prism of women's empowerment. In elevating her to the post, Modi has also indicated that he considers Sitharaman to be a good performer in a tough time for the Indian economy.

The 58-year-old's tenure as MoS commerce was marked by an economy struggling to remain on feet after the twin blows of demonetisation and GST and an alarming dip in export figures. But she has earned accolades for showing tough negotiating skills at multilateral forums including World Trade Organisation, or for having the gumption to press China for a more level-playing field in trade and commerce even as the Chinese were breathing fire on the Doka La issue.

She copped a fair bit of criticism for India's lackluster performance in exports, but as she told reporters on Sunday after taking oath as a Cabinet minister, "Every criticism is a message and we have to learn from it. I am not averse to criticism and also not frightened of it (criticism), but certainly take messages from them. Criticism per se do not reflect on performance, it only adds to your performance if you are ready to take on-board the corrections that may be workable."

Sitharaman's elevation also points to Arun Jaitley's growing stature in the Modi Cabinet. Though it seems counter-intuitive to suggest so, the fact is that Jaitley, who had been expressing an unwillingness to extend his term as defence minister beyond a stop-gap arrangement, managed to get one of his proteges into the post. JNU alumni Sitharaman, who had little administrative experience when she was roped into commerce ministry at Jaitley's behest in 2014, will benefit from her good equation with Jaitley as he prepares to quit from the post, which was thrust on him following Manohar Parrikar's abrupt departure.

The new job is sure to test Sithraman's mettle. India's borders remain unstable due to the twin challenge of cross-border terrorism sponsored by Pakistan and China's irredentist behavior. She must also figure out a way to pull the bureaucracy out of stasis and modernise the military on a war-footing. Recent reports have pointed to an alarming culture of complacency in India's defence ranks with the CAG indicating that the Army has barely enough stock of ammunition to last for 10 days. At a time when India is being forced to consider the prospect of a two-front war, these are crippling inabilities.

Finally, Sitharaman's appointment is yet another pointer to the fact that journalists, who had grown accustomed to double as brokers in the corridors of power, have been thoroughly disempowered. It exemplifies the new normal in Indian politics where media speculation, in absence of credible information, has been reduced to the level of punting.
Ahmedabad: President Ram Nath Kovind on Sunday began his two-day Gujarat tour by visiting Mahatma Gandhi's Sabarmati Ashram.

Kovind, who is visiting Gujarat for the first time after becoming the president, was greeted by Gujarat chief minister Vijay Rupani, Governor OP Kohli and other dignitaries at the city airport this afternoon.

From the airport, the president went straight to the Sabarmati Ashram, where Mahatma Gandhi lived between 1917 and 1930.

Kovind offered his floral tributes at Gandhiji's statue inside the Ashram, which is managed by the Sabarmati Ashram Preservation and Memorial Trust.

Chairperson of the trust, Elabehn Bhatt, along with trustees Kartikeya Sarabhai and Amrut Modi accompanied Kovind during his brief tour of the Ashram, which is celebrating 100-years of its establishment.

During his visit, Kovind planted a tree on the premises of the Ashram. He also held talks with the trustees about the ongoing work of preserving the Gandhian-era documents and letters.

The president also visited Hriday Kunj, a house inside the Ashram where Gandhiji and his wife Kasturba once lived.

Before leaving, Kovind also wrote a message in the visitors' book outside Hriday Kunj.

"It is a matter of great honour and privilege for me to be on the sacred precincts of the Sabarmati Ashram, epitomising the globally cherished Gandhian values of truth and non-violence, which continue to be as relevant today as they were in the past," Kovind wrote.

"I join the nation in paying tribute to Mahatma Gandhi, whose teachings and ideals are an eternal source of inspiration and strength not only for India but also for the entire world," the message further read.

"On the occasion of the year-long Sabarmati Ashram Centenary Celebrations, let me reaffirm our resolve to follow the path of Gandhiji for peace and harmony amongst the nations and the entire mankind... Jai Hind!," Kovind wrote.

From the Ashram, Kovind left for Mehsana town, where he is scheduled to attend a programme at Simandhar Swami Jain Temple on the occasion of Guru Ashish Mahaparv.

On Monday, Kovind will visit Jasdan town of Rajkot, where he will address a gathering near the town after taking part in the foundation stone laying ceremony for the link-4 of the ambitious SAUNI (Saurashtra-Narmada Avataran Irrigation Yojana) project.

He will also visit Ghela Somnath temple near Jasdan town, which is around 60 kilometers from Rajkot city.
Mehsana: President Ram Nath Kovind Sunday said he wanted every citizen of the country to become a nation-builder by adopting the Gandhian concept of "trusteeship".

Addressing a function organised to felicitate Jain monk Acharya Shri Padmasagarsuriji on his 83rd birthday, Kovind linked the monk's work with Mahatma Gandhi's philosophy of trusteeship, and urged him to spread the message further for the betterment of the society.

"Acharyashri is doing a great work of identifying, preserving and cataloguing ancient manuscripts. However, he has refused to take the credit for such a great work, as he said he only utilised what the society gave to him and now he is giving it back," said Kovind, who is on a two-day visit to Gujarat.

"This is the concept of trusteeship given by Mahatma Gandhi. Citizens need to understand that we are indebted by what this society and the country has given to us. I want Acharyashri to spread this message of trusteeship through his millions of disciples. I want every citizen of this country to be a nation-builder," the president said.

During his address, Kovind recalled his connection with his "second home" Gujarat prior to assuming the country's top Constitutional office. "Though I came to Gujarat for the first time after becoming the president, my relation with Gujarat is almost 45 years old. I used to visit the state quite frequently in the past. Though I was born in Uttar Pradesh, I used to tell people that Gujarat is my second home," he said.

Kovind said he knew Acharyashri since 1994 when the latter had lunch at his residence during his journey from Delhi to West Bengal. The president also hailed Gujarat for giving two prime ministers  Morarji Desai, with whom he had worked closely, and incumbent Narendra Modi.

Kovind began his tour by visiting the Mahatma's Sabarmati Ashram in Ahmedabad earlier on Sunday.

The President is supposed to participate in the foundation-stone laying ceremony for the link-IV of the ambitious SAUNI (Saurashtra-Narmada Avataran Irrigation Yojana) project near Jasdan town in Rajkot district on Monday, where he will address a gathering. He will also visit the Ghela Somnath temple near Jasdan, around 60 kilometres from Rajkot.
Kolkata/Darjeeling: West Bengal Tourism Minister Gautam Deb accused Sikkim Chief Minister Pawan Kumar Chamling of "patronising and protecting" Gorkha Janmukti Morcha (GJM) chief Bimal Gurung, who was "allowed to flee" when Bengal police went to the neighbouring state to arrest him.

The GJM leadership, however, asserted that it would press for the "one-point agenda of creation of separate state of Gorkhaland" in the 12 September all-party meeting convened by the state government in agitation-hit north Bengal.

"Sikkim Chief Minister Pawan Kumar Chamling has been patronising and giving protection to Bimal Gurung. On Friday, Bengal Police went there to arrest a person (Gurung) who was accused of unlawful activities under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act. Bengal Police had given prior intimation to the Sikkim Police," Gautam Deb said on Saturday.

"Instead, Gurung was cordoned by the Sikkim Police and allowed to flee. It was unfortunate. We strongly condemn this. West Bengal government will take steps according to the Constitution," Deb said.

The Trinamool Congress leader's comments come a day after West Bengal Police arrested at least nine GJM leaders during a raid in south Sikkim's Namchi on Friday where the party had held its central committee meeting during the day.

West Bengal CID's Special Superintendent of Police, North, Ajay Prasad on Thursday had sought police assistance for the proposed raid at Namchi to South Sikkim's Superintendent of Police.

"There is credible source of information and input that several accused wanted who are absconding, are available under your jurisdiction. Kindly render necessary police assistance during raid under your jurisdiction to apprehend Bimal Gurung, Prakash Gurung, DK Pradhan and others," Prasad said in the letter, a copy of which is with IANS.

However, Sikkim police has said its Bengal counterparts "did not produce any documents" which led them to "prevent the arrests".

"It's not that we did not help them, they did not produce any documents, neither did they have arrest warrants nor any FIR copy. A case was registered against Bengal Police," said an official from Namchi police station.

Meanwhile, Deb charged Chamling with interfering in Bengal's internal matter on a previous occasion too.

"Chamling had sent letter to the Central government supporting GJM's demand for separate state of Gokhaland and in view of that resolutions were taken twice in the Sikkim Assembly earlier," he said.

Deb also reminded Bengal is the lifeline of Sikkim and it protects the small Himalayan state.

The West Bengal Police's CID on Friday issued look out notices against three GJM leaders, including Gurung, as tension mounted in the northern West Bengal hills following a rift within the Morcha leadership over temporary withdrawal of the indefinite shutdown in the region.

At its central committee meeting in Sikkim on Friday, the GJM expelled its Joint Secretary Binay Tamang and senior party leader Anit Thapa, accusing them of conspiring to derail the Gorkhaland movement.

At the conclusion of the meeting, the party leadership said some of the GJM leaders would be present at the 12 September all-party meeting convened by the state government in north Bengal.

The party on Saturday reiterated its stand but underlined the delegation attending the meeting will "discuss the one-point agenda of creation of separate state of Gorkhaland".

"The names of delegation members who will attend the meeting will be announced soon. All the members present unanimously agreed that the delegation attending the meeting will discuss the one-point agenda of creation of separate state of Gorkhaland," the party said in a statement.

West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee has decided to hold a second round of all-party meeting in the north Bengal branch of state Secretariat Uttarkanya after finding the first leg of meeting in Kolkata "satisfactory".
Patna: Communal tension gripped a village in Bihar's Bhojpur district on Sunday over rumours of killing of a cow, police said. The beef was seized and two people were arrested.

A mob led by cow vigilantes on Sunday morning surrounded a house of a Muslim family in Abhgila village in Bhojpur district, about 60 kilometres from Patna, on suspicion of cow slaughter.

"Rumours of killing a cow spread like a wildfire and soon people from neighbouring villages surrounded the Muslim family's house," an officer of Sahar police station told IANS.

"Police were informed and a team reached there, and managed to pacify angry villagers with an assurance that strict action will be taken against offenders."

However, an elected local body representative on condition of anonymity said that the timely arrival of the police averted a disaster as the mob, instigated by Bajrang Dal activists and Bharatiya Janata Party workers, was about to set ablaze the Muslim family's house.

"If police team had arrived half an hour later, the situation would have been very different because some people were asking to kill those who killed a cow," he said.

Police officials admitted that tension prevails between two communities in the village.

"This incident took place during ongoing Muslim festival of Eid-ul-Adha, when animals are sacrificed as a part of rituals," he said.

Exactly a month ago, on 3 August, in a first of its kind in Bihar, a mob in Bhojpur led by cow vigilantes thrashed a truck driver and two others on a mere suspicion of transporting beef. All three men were arrested after being rescued from the mob.

Last month, in a similar incident, seven Muslims were arrested in Dumra village in West Champaran district for allegedly killing a calf and consuming its meat.

In that case too, a mob of cow vigilantes had surrounded the house of the suspects, demanding the arrested people be handed over to them. When the police refused, the mob staged a protest and pelted the police vehicle with stones, according to local media.

Cow vigilantes have suddenly become active in Bihar after Chief Minister Nitish Kumar dumped allies Rashtriya Janata Dal and Congress in July and formed the government with the BJP.
Around the 70th anniversary of Indias Independence Day, all roads led back in time  in most cases, towards the Partition.

In a way, we are all Partitions children. The dichotomy of states that came out the other side of India gaining independence, continues to define to this day, our economy, our policy, even our ideas of nationalism and patriotism. While every scholar, writer, historian, filmmaker etc worth his/her salt has found substance in this backwards journey to a time when both India and Pakistan were one, few have tried to map the contrasts or conscience that have evolved since. 'The Pind Collective' was born out of an idea to bring the journey since, to the fore  through artists from both India and Pakistan.

The Pind Collective has brought together 10 artists from both India and Pakistan, who respond to a common theme in the first leg of the project, and subsequently to each others creations. This project began several years ago, with a trip I took to Lahore in 2013. Growing up, Pakistan is a vague, but constant presence for most of us  you read about it in class, you hear about it on the news. Its around, but its little more than a patchwork of images. When I actually visited, it was different and but also very familiar, Avani, the co-founder of the project, says. Avani repeatedly invokes the presence of a physical border between a people that were and still are very much alike. In the digital age, the need to cross over a line towards familiarity is where The Pind Collective found it would best fit.

Says Ansh, the collective's co-founder with Avani, and also a participating artist: I thought the idea had immense potential. For a long time, Ive felt that art in isolation begins to lose relevance and at some point, ends up being reduced to an indulgence. So what started as a conversation about what Avani initially thought this could be, slowly turned into a conversation about where we could take it from there." The two soon agreed on the theme of 'Home', this virtual, yet personal idea of a tangible structure representing your identity. In the context of India and Pakistan, this identity has gone through so much churn.

That said, the collectives preference for artists of a certain age, being representative of the third generation points to a view beyond remembrance or dreary nostalgia. With Partition, a lot of our conversations consider inherited trauma and ideas of the nation that we once were. While this is important  of course we must pause to consider what has been lost  we also want to use this project of remembrance to consider what lies ahead. When we allow our sense of nationhood to be second-hand, given to us by our parents and grandparents, we relinquish the immense power to shape our own realities, Avani says. The collectives functioning is pretty straightforward. Artists on both sides of the border are given a common theme  for the first leg it was 'Home', for the second it will be 'Resistance'  and they are expected to respond to it in the way they best know. Subsequently, artists are paired and asked to respond to each others pieces.

The collectives artists range from poets, painters, photographers to Dastangois and illustrators. Each sees Art in a different way. At this point you wonder if they talk to each other, from across the borders. Our artists communicate chiefly through their work  whether it is by creating response pieces or by expressing appreciation for each others art. What remains deeply valuable to our project is that we do not limit what shape these conversations can take. Engagements between people of different nationalities are bound to carry inflections of their cultural and national identities. But we resist a sense of bounded-ness  a belief that India-Pakistan politics is all that we can discuss, Avani says. The experience of somebody in Karachi often echoes that of somebody in New Delhi. Its incredible to see how diverse these conversations can be, Ansh adds.

Recently, the Collective had its first exhibition at the Khoj, New Delhi. With its second season now coming up, the project looks set to go from strength to strength. In doing so, it may find something more than the feeling of having been separated 70 years ago, and moving apart since. Its hard to pin down an authentically 'Indian' or 'Pakistani' aesthetic. Having said that, cultural markers often inform artistic practice and our nations have a lot in common  in terms of food, dress, and even language. I was recently looking at a poster that one of our participating artists created to commemorate Pakistans 70th anniversary of independence, and I was struck by how easily the motifs she had chosen could be used for a similar celebration of Indian independence," says Avani. "Its odd how much you discover when you stop looking for difference."
Its blistering blue eyes stare curiously at the gathered audience. It takes a few stealthy steps forward. Then cocking its head gently to one side it stops, its ears pricked. Half hunched  and still the grey rosette pattern of its fur melts in the white background. At an ambush position it could be ready to strike an unsuspecting ibex.

Among the craggy mountain tops where the snow leopards moves, it is near impossible to decipher it from the rocks. But this particular one is staring from a video screen at a 200-strong audience of cabinet ministers, senior forest officials, scientists and conservationists that came together as part of the Global Snow Leopard and Ecosystems Protection (GSLEP) programme.

At the GSLEP summit held in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan between 24-25 August, the governments of 12 countries where snow leopards are found, committed to secure the future of these cats and pledged to protect the mountains they roam.

If the snow leopards are going to survive it will be because of GSLEP as only the governments have the authority and ultimately the resources for sustainable development and investments in conservation, said Michael Despines, executive director of the Snow Leopard Trust. This is the first time we have seen a consistent high level political dialogue about snow leopard conservation.

The stakeholders from the range countries have put together the Bishkek Declaration, an official document, that among other things, recognises Asias mountain ecosystems as a powerful thread that binds these countries culturally and spiritually.

The countries acknowledge snow leopard as an indicator of healthy and resilient mountain ecosystem. They will also strive to ensure the cultural, social and economic well-being of mountain communities.

The snow leopard is the face of biodiversity of the high mountains. These are areas where glaciers are found and river systems emanate from, said Keshav Varma, international adviser to the GSLEP Secretariat headquartered in Bishkek. We have to save the high mountain ecology because these are the water towers of the world.

According to Varma, there were three main outcomes of the summit. One, raising funds to finance the activities of GSLEP Secretariat. A major focus area of the GSLEP program is passing on benefits of conservation to local communities. If the local communities feel good about maintaining the ecology of the protected areas there will be less conflict with wildlife, says Varma. We are trying to make the snow leopard and local communities friends.

The second outcome is an attempt to create a partnership between industry and wildlife conservation. According to Varma, it is not entirely possible to fund big-ticket conservation initiatives solely on funds from the government. He is placing his bets on raising funds from the corporate sector.

The third is a concentrated effort to find out reliable estimates of number of snow leopards across its vast range. This is a contentious issue among scientists studying these cats. One set pegs the numbers between 7,400-8,000 of these elusive animals in the wild while the other suggests there are less than 4,000.

As a result of this uncertainty, the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), the governing body that draws up the status of species on its Red List, is likely to downgrade the snow leopard from endangered to vulnerable. This could potentially have huge implications in conservation of these cats.

The GSLEP programme was launched in 2013 for a period of seven years up to 2020. It has identified 20 areas across the range countries for protection of snow leopards. The recently concluded summit was a mid-term review of the program.

In the lead up to the summit, each member country was expected to come up with a management plan detailing its strategy to protect the areas that fall under its jurisdiction.

While Nepal has stolen a march over other member countries in making public its master plan to protect snow leopards for the next 10 years, India is yet to come up with one. Nepal is joined by five other countries that have put together their management plans till 2020. Along with India, five others lag behind in submitting their plans.

However, countries like India who havent come up with their management plans have been given till 15 October to consolidate their strategies. We have a major role to play in conservation of snow leopard and particularly the Himalayan ecosystem. India is very responsible in these things and will definitely be part of conservation of snow leopards, said Siddhartha Das, director general of Forest, Government of India who led the Indian delegation.

Snow leopards are found in the Altai-Gobi region of Russia and Mongolia; China, through the Central Asian mountains of Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan; and across the Himalayan landscapes of Afghanistan, Pakistan, India, Nepal and Bhutan.

Major threats facing snow leopards across these regions are impacts of climate change, illegal trade of pelt and body parts, retaliatory killing by pastoralists due to livestock depredation and infrastructure projects like roads and mining.

Singling out climate change as the direst threat to snow leopards and its habitats, Mushahid Ullah Khan, Pakistans federal minister for Climate Change and chair of the GSLEP programme, said, The snow leopard is connected to glaciers and the glaciers should not melt. If that happens then the habitat of snow leopard would be disturbed. Khan even had a word of advice for Donald Trump who has withdrawn Americas support to the Paris Agreement on climate change. Khan hopes Trump revisits his opinion for the sake of snow leopards. He says, If Trump reasserts his cause for climate change, then even the snow leopard would forgive him.
Editor's note: Up to 13 September, when the Man Booker Prize 2017 shortlist will be announced, Firstpost will be reviewing all 13 books on the longlist. This is your guide to the Booker contenders, and which ones you should read.

The title is literal. Thats the first stroke of brilliance. But Colson Whitehead has always been good at titles: A few years ago, when he wrote a memoir about the time he spent in Las Vegas taking part in the World Series of Poker, he called it The Noble Hustle: Poker, Beef Jerky, and Death (who doesnt want to read about beef jerky?).

Hes also good with opening lines: His first novel The Intuitionist, way back in 1999, was set in an elevator inspection service and opened with the almost-sadistic, Its a new elevator, freshly pressed to the rails, and its not built to fall this fast (I can almost hear that as voiceover for the opening elevator scene from Speed).

With his most recent novel though  The Underground Railroad  Whitehead is more subdued. The title, as I mentioned, refers to a literal underground railroad of trains and tunnels that startlingly juxtaposes on the historical metaphorical Underground Railroad  which was a network of secret routes and safe houses established in the United States during the early-to-mid 19th century, and used by African-American slaves to escape into free states and Canada with the aid of abolitionists and allies who were sympathetic to their cause.

The tunnels are built by mysterious hands, the trains and stations run by helpful station masters  both black (freemen) and white, and in the early-to-mid 19th century United States, this literal railroad is the one great source of possible freedom to the men and women enslaved across the country. Nobody knows too well where the trains go  deeper south and to misery, or to the free states and further north (Canada, where slavery was on the decline since the start of the 19th century and was fully abolished by 1834, was a refuge for many). But plenty are brave enough to get on the train.

One such brave soul is our heroine Cora, and Whiteheads first lines of the novel  The first time Caesar approached Cora about running north, she said no. This was her grandmother talking.  set the tone for an incredible and thrilling journey, quite literally, of one young woman in a time of almost-utter despair, as she traverses through half a dozen states and sees the true face of America.

The Underground Railroad opens in the American deep south, on a cotton plantation in Georgia owned by the terrible and fearsome Randall brothers, whore both like their father to varying degrees; in that theyre miserable and brutal white men who take immense pleasure in meting out all the imaginable and inconceivable types of torture that unfortunately defined slavery in the US. But this isnt a story of the Randall brothers. This is a story of Cora, our teenage protagonist.

A third-generation plantation slave, Cora is every bit her mothers daughter and her grandmothers granddaughter. Caesar, a northern slave who knows how to read, is willing to risk everything by making an escape attempt  he wants Cora to go with him because he considers her lucky. Why? Well soon find out. Almost immediately after Cora turns him down, were taken back to the life of Coras grandmother Ajarry  from her kidnapping in Africa to the unimaginable horrors she faces during her passage across the Atlantic, being bought and sold multiple times by numerous white folk, to the last place she ever sets foot on  the Randall plantation. Through failed suicide attempts on board to being treated as property, Ajarry marries three different men while on the plantation and bears five children with them. Only one survives  Mabel, Coras mother. In time, Ajarry dies a horrible death, on the Randall plantation:

As if it could have been anywhere else. Liberty was reserved for other people, for the citizens of the City of Pennsylvania bustling a thousand miles to the north. Since the night she was kidnapped she had been appraised and reappraised, each day waking upon the pan of a new scale. Know your value and you know your place in the order. To escape the boundary of the plantation was to escape the fundamental principles of your existence: impossible. It was her grandmother talking that Sunday evening when Caesar approached Cora about the underground railroad, and she said no. Three weeks later she said yes. This time it was her mother talking.

By the end of the first chapter, we know two things for certain: (1) Mabel escapes from the plantation, and (2) Cora is more like her mother than shed like to believe.

Coras relationship with her mother is one of the overarching themes of the novel. Ten years old when her mother takes off, without informing Cora of her plans, the hatred she displays towards the memory of her mother is understandable. Ironically, what makes Coras eventual escape attempt even more thrilling is her relationship to Mabel, not with her. Mabels eventual escape from the Randalls is not only a bone of contention for the plantation owners, but also a kick to the gut for the slave catcher whose desperate clutches she manages to elude  Ridgeway.

The Underground Railroad opens in the American deep south, on a cotton plantation in Georgia owned by the terrible and fearsome Randall brothers

Whitehead writes Ridgeway as a larger-than-life character (which, I suppose, is a prerequisite for a slave catcher) but also thoroughly vivid. He brought to my mind a mix of several famous characters from literature and television  something like a mix of Javert from Les Miserables and The Man in Black from Westworld. The descriptions of Ridgeway and his posse (which includes a white former gravedigger called Boseman who wears a necklace of ears that he won in a wrestling contest with a Native American called Strong, and a 10-year old black kid called Homer who voluntarily keeps himself with his former owner Ridgeway, rides their wagon, and maintains the bookkeeping of all things) are so evocative that you can almost hear the snarl in Ridgeways voice, the buzz of the flies that are drawn to Bosemans prized necklace, or the indifference in Homers voice as he talks to Cora:

The driver of the wagon was an odd little imp. Ten years old...but imbued with the melancholy grace of an elderly house slave, the sum of practised gestures. He was fastidious about his fine black suit and stovepipe hat, extracting lint from the fabric and glaring at it as if it were a poison spider before flicking it. Homer rarely spoke apart from his hectoring of the horses. Of racial affinity or sympathy, he gave no indication. Cora...might as well have been invisible most of the time, smaller than lint.

Mabels escape haunts Ridgeway in a way that makes him double down on his search for Cora, and when he eventually does find her, Cora wonders if he knows that she hates her mother almost as much as Ridgeway does. Of course, the sad irony here is Mabels fate, as we find out towards the end of the book.

The other major theme, of course, is the literal underground railroad. When Caesar first shows it to Cora, her surprise is obvious  but the more she gets to know of it and explore it, she realises that the railroad and the people associated with it, those who she loves and who help her, are her only chance at freedom. And she comes to respect it and savour it as one savours something that is rare and precious and sublime. This savouring is almost irritating  although we dont read The Underground Railroad from Coras first-person narration, it clearly is her story. While shes a quick learner, she steadfastly refuses to find more about the railroad.

As a reader, my gripe with Whitehead and The Underground Railroad isnt what many other readers seem to feel  that taking a revered figurative term and giving it a literal application belittled the actual underground railroad. On the contrary, I think its a genuinely sincere homage to the people who risked their lives and so much more, to be part of the underground railroad; however, I do wish Whitehead had elaborated more on this most fascinating mechanism. Every time Cora has an opportunity to actually ask someone about the railroad, when shes in South Carolina or Indiana, shes (relatively) happy. In that situation, she almost doesnt want to disturb the status quo, which also explains why shes often hesitant to leave. Its understandable. But I feel like it was a narrative shortcut to leave such a gaping hole at the heart of the story.

Whitehead manages to make up for that by indulging in several backstories  just like Ajarrys quick background in the first chapter, were given small-but-useful-in-understanding-their-motives chapters for a few other characters  including Coras partner-in-escape Caesar. And Ethel, a god-fearing white woman whos the reluctant wife of an abolitionist in North Carolina, who exhibits such a classic white saviour complex its unnerving.

I was re-reading William Dalrymples 2015 essay The Great Divide in The New Yorker a couple of weeks ago, and was, once again, shocked at the brutality, chaos, and the sheer number of deaths accounted for by the Partition in 1947  Some British soldiers and journalists who had witnessed the Nazi death camps claimed Partitions brutalities were worse. What history books teach us, is never quite enough. Or even correct, for that matter. As Indians, its important for us to read accounts that describe the true horror of our legacy, just like its important for Germans to learn about Nazism and their horrific history, and in the US, the history of American slavery.

In an interview with The Guardian, Colson Whitehead had talked about the research he did for this book, which meant going through the archives that included these 2,300 first person accounts of slavery; he also said this: In fifth grade, we did 10 minutes on slavery and 40 minutes on Abraham Lincoln, and in 10th grade you might do 10 minutes on the civil rights era and 40 minutes on Martin Luther King and thats it. I think its probably better now. But theres no reason for the powers that be to address that part of history.

Maybe its better now, but maybe it isnt. When Colson Whitehead started writing The Underground Railroad  his version of the great American novel  America still had their first African-American President in the White House, and with him, a collective sense of pride and respect for the countrys tortured past. Now, in the autumn of 2017, a year after the books release and nearly two centuries after the events of the story, were seeing an America that is once again (or maybe still) grappling with this history.

In light of the events in Charlottesville, and in the mad urge to make America great again, Whiteheads words resonate even more  this is the slave catcher Ridgeway telling Cora, It means taking what is yours, your property, whatever you deem it to be. And everyone else taking their assigned places to allow you to take it. Whether its red men or Africans, giving up themselves, giving of themselves, so that we can have whats rightfully ours. The French setting aside their territorial claims. The British and the Spanish slinking away. My father liked his Indian talk about the Great Spirit. All these years later, I prefer the American spirit, the one that called us from the Old World to the New, to conquer and build and civilize. And destroy that what needs to be destroyed. To lift up the lesser races. If not lift up, subjugate. And if not subjugategate, exterminate. Our destiny by divine prescription  the American imperative.

Now, more than ever, its time to read and really appreciate a book such as The Underground Railroad. There will always be things to criticise in it  just like people criticised books about the Partition and the Holocaust, books as diverse as A Train to Pakistan and The Boy in the Striped Pajamas. Is The Underground Railroad the best Pulitzer Prize winning fiction work ever? Of course not. But its a darned important one. Not just because it was selected for Oprahs Book Club, or because President Obama had recommended it, or because Barry Jenkins and Amazon are making a limited drama series based on it  although all of these things are true. Its important not because of these reasons. But because Whiteheads words, in all their magical realism, are history.

And history, as we know, has a dastardly tendency to repeat itself.
The induction of bureaucrat-turned politician Alphons Kannanthanam into the Union cabinet has come as a big surprise to the state unit of Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).

It had expected either state president Kummanam Rajashekharan or Suresh Gopi, partys lone Rajya Sabha member, to be in the ministry when they made a strong bid for representation to the southern state in the Narendra Modi government.

But partys master strategist Amit Shah had other plans in his mind when he pitched for Alphons, who is currently a member of the BJPs national executive committee, for the ministerial berth. Shaw saw in him a potential candidate who could win a seat for the party from Kerala in the 2019 Lok Sabha elections.

Therefore, none will be surprised if BJP fields Alphons as one of its candidates in the upcoming elections. The BJP leader has Kottayam Lok Sabha constituency in his mind for Alphons, who had made a plunge into politics after resigning from government service in 2006.

Nobody can question the BJP chiefs logic since both Alphons, who belongs to the Christian community, and the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) have a major support base in the constituency.

While Alphons, who hails from Manimala in Kottayam district, had won an election to the state assembly from Kanjirappally under the Kottayam Lok Sabha constituency in 2006, the NDA had won its first Lok Sabha seat in the state from nearby Muvattpuzha.

A major part of the Muvattupuzha constituency, where PC Thomas had won the 2004 polls as an NDA ally, is now under Kottayam, where Christians form a major chunk of the electorate. Thomas, who had quit NDA after it lost power in the 2009 polls, is once again back in its fold now.

The BJP believes that they can win the seat by consolidating the support base of Alphons and Thomas. As for Thomas, he could be shifted to a nearby constituency in case he insists on fighting the election. While Thomas enjoys the support of conservative Christians, Alphons is popular among the liberals, who have drifted away from the influence of the Church.

This could be a reason why Alphons could win his maiden contest at Kanjirapally, a stronghold of the United Democratic Fron, as a Communist Party of India (Marxist)-supported candidate by a margin of more than 10, 000 votes.

The CPM could win the seat only once before that in 1987 by a margin of around 4,000 votes by fielding a prominent Christian as its candidate. The Congress has been holding the seat mostly with the support of the Church during the rest of the time.

Besides his Christian origin, the 1979 batch IAS officer is also known in the district as the architect of the literacy movement. He earned the distinction as a pioneer of the literacy movement in India by making Kottayam the first 100 percent literate town in the country during his tenure as district collector in 1989.

His subsequent drive against illegal constructions in New Delhi as the Commissioner of Delhi Development Authority (DDA) brought him the image of a crusader against corruption. Therefore, Alphons can be an apt candidate for BJP when it plans to fight the coming election on the strength of the anti-corruption image of the Modi government.

The BJP had earlier tried to rope in Kerala Congress (M) into the NDA fold by offering ministerial berth to its lone MP Jose K Mani but the party did not push it in view of the case against party supremo KM Mani in the bar bribery case.

His induction into the Cabinet would have put the party on the defensive in Kerala at a time when the state leaders are battling with various graft cases, including the medical college admission scam. The BJP has targeted 12 seats from Kerala in the 2019 polls.

Kasargod and Thiruvananthapuram are the two seats that the party could win on its own. The BJP needs to muster more support in the remaining 18 constituencies. The scope for consolidating the Hindu votes is limited in many of these constituencies.

While the upper caste Nair community has been steadfastly rejecting the BJP postures, the newly formed political party of the lower caste Ezhava community  the Bharatiya Dharma Jana Sena (BDJS)  has even started drifting away from the NDA.

Sree Narayana Dharma Paripalana Yogam (SNDP) general secretary, Vellapally Natesasn, who is the main architect of the alliance between BDJS and the BJP, has even urged the party to come out of the NDA. The party was hoping to get a berth in the Union Cabinet. The present reshuffle, therefore, might alienate the party further from the NDA.

This leaves the BJP with only the minority communities, who constitute about 45 percent of the states population. The BJP does not expect the support of the Muslims, who account for 26 percent of the population, as the state leadership of the party has been taking a strident anti-Muslim stand. The Muslims in Kerala consider BJPs Hindutva agenda a threat to their faith.

Therefore, the BJP considers Christians important in their scheme of things. Since his appointment as the state president, Rajashekharan has been trying to build bridges to the Christian community by engaging with different denominations. He has been even trying to replicate the Goa model in Kerala by building up a pro-minority image.

It was easy for BJP to rope in Christians in Goa since they belonged to mostly one rite-Catholic Latin. The Christians in Kerala, on the other hand, are divided into numerous denominations. The Catholics themselves are divided into Latin, Syro-Malabar and Syro-Malankara rites.

It is not easy to unite them politically when there is no unity among them even in the matters of faith and rituals.

The state leaders of BJP are not hopeful of Alphons being able to rally Christian support as he is not considered as a Christian leader. However, if he can win even one seat for the BJP in the 2019 General Election to Lok Sabha, it will be a significant milestone for the party in a state like Kerala where it has managed to win only one seat in the Assembly since it started fighting the elections in 1987.
Lucknow: Prime Minister Narendra Modi's Cabinet reshuffle on Sunday turned the spotlight on Purvanchal or eastern Uttar Pradesh and the BJP's efforts at balancing regions and caste equations, political leaders said.

The induction of Shiv Pratap Shukla as a minister highlighted the importance of the Brahmin vote for the Bharatiya Janata Party, they said.

The 65-year-old Shukla, who belongs to Gorakhpur  the citadel of Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath  joined the Union council of ministers just days after Mahendra Nath Pandey from Ghazipur, also in eastern Uttar Pradesh, was made state BJP chief.

Shukla and Pandey are Brahmins, and the moves are being seen as efforts by the party to keep the community in its fold for the 2019 Lok Sabha elections. Deputy Chief Minister Dinesh Sharma in Uttar Pradesh is also a Brahmin.

"Brahmins are being given their due. The expansion is well thought out and balanced. This will strengthen the party for the 2019 Lok Sabha polls," a BJP insider said.

In a bid, however, to also embrace the western parts of the state, Modi did a fine balancing act by picking up Satyapal Singh, a former IPS officer representing Baghpat in the Lok Sabha, as a minister of state.

Often referred to as a giant killer, Singh had trounced mighty Jat leader and Rashtriya Lok Dal supremo Ajit Singh, relegating him to the third spot in the west Uttar Pradesh constituency.

Brahmins account for over 10 per cent of the electorate in the state and are considered a force to reckon with in the highly caste-based electoral politics in almost all its regions - Bundelkhand, Rohilkhand, Purvanchal, Avadh and western Uttar Pradesh.

Traditionally seen as Congress supporters, the community started supporting the BJP in large numbers in the post-Mandal era. However, sections later also voted for Mayawati's BSP.

Perhaps keeping this factor in mind ahead of the 2019 Lok Sabha elections, Pandey was picked up from eastern Uttar Pradesh bordering Bihar.

"Purvanchal (eastern Uttar Pradesh) has once again been given importance in the ministry," BJP leader and state spokesman Shalabh Mani Tripathi said.

Pandey, an MP from Chandauli, shot into prominence after his induction into the Union government in July last year, just months before the Assembly election in the state.

The slot has now been filled by Shukla, with Pandey being handed over the mantle of the party in Uttar Pradesh, ahead of the crucial parliamentary election less than two years away.

Similarly, the resignation of Sanjeev Balyan from the Union ministry was filled by Singh. Balyan, a Jat, is from western Uttar Pradesh  as is the MP from Baghpat, who, like him, also belongs to the community that dominates West Uttar Pradesh.

Singh, who wanted to be a scientist before he joined the IPS in 1980 and was given the Maharashtra cadre, had earlier said his "inner voice" urged him to change his profession.

He quit the job of a police officer, became an MP and now as a Union minister aims at working "for the entire country with renewed energy".

Tripathi stressed the BJP was working on its 'Sabka Saath Sabka Vikas' (development for all) agenda.

"The government's core issue is development for all areas, taking along everyone," he said.

The elevation of Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi, who belongs to Rampur in Uttar Pradesh and is a member of the Rajya Sabha, to the Cabinet rank sends a message to Muslims about the BJP's bid to take the community along, especially after its strong stand against the Triple Talaq, the state leaders said.

Uttar Pradesh minister Mohsin Raza stressed minorities were being given their due.

"The government has reposed faith in them," he said.

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New Delhi: Nirmala Sitharaman became the first woman to be a full-time defence minister in India on Sunday. Her journey in the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) started as a spokesperson and grew in rank soon with her speaking style and debating skills.

On Sunday, Sitharaman became India's second woman defence minister and the first woman to be made in-charge of this key ministry full time. Then prime minister Indira Gandhi had held the Defence portfolio twice  from 1 December to 21 December in 1975, and 14 January 1980 to 15 January 1982.

"Somebody who has come from a small town, grown into the party with all the support of the leadership, and if given such responsibility, it just makes you feel sometimes that cosmic grace is there. Otherwise it is impossible," Sitharaman told reporters here after taking oath as a Union Minister.

An economist by education, Sitharaman will take charge of the crucial ministry at a time when tension continues along India's borders with Pakistan and China, and the government is undertaking major reforms in the ministry and forces, and has ambitious plans to increase defence manufacturing under its flagship 'Make in India' policy.

Born in the temple town of Madurai in Tamil Nadu in 1959, Sitharaman has humble roots.

Her father worked in the railways, and her childhood was spent in different parts of the state due to her father's transferable job. According to those close to the minister, her mother, a homemaker, loved books, which instilled a love for reading in Sitharaman as well.

After finishing her graduation in Economics from Seethaiakshmi Ramaswamy College in Tiruchirapalli, Sitharaman did a Masters and M.Phil in Economics from the premier Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) in Delhi. She then worked in the Agricultural Engineers Association, UK, in London, as Senior Manager, Research and Analysis with PricewaterhouseCoopers, also in London, and briefly with the BBC World Service.

After coming back to India, Sitharaman served as a deputy director of the Centre for Public Policy Studies at Hyderabad. She also started a school in Hyderabad and was a member of the National Commission for Women from 2003-2005.

In 2008, Sitharaman joined the Bhartiya Janata Party (BJP) and was made a member of the National Executive and became a national spokesperson of the party in 2010.

As a spokesperson of the main opposition party at that time, Sitharaman, with her clear command of issues and a straight approach, came in the limelight soon.

When the BJP came to power in 2014, Sitharaman was inducted into the ministry, serving as Minister of State for Finance and Corporate Affairs and then held charge of Commerce and Industry Ministry as Minister of State (Independent Charge).

Sitharaman is married to Parakala Prabhakar, an alumnus of Jawaharlal Nehru University and London School of Economics, and the couple has a daughter.
Thiruvananthapuram: The induction of former bureaucrat and legislator KJ Alphons, 64, as Union Minister of State for Tourism, Information Technology and Electronics on Sunday was welcomed in his home state of Kerala.

In a Facebook post, Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan congratulated Alphons and said he hoped he will use the opportunity of the new assignment for the betterment of Kerala.

"Let him become the voice of Kerala in the Union cabinet. He can do a lot by coordinating the efforts of the Centre and Kerala for the state's overall development. I wish my long-time friend and all others sworn in today (Sunday) all the best," Vijayan said.

VK Mathews, who heads one of Kerala's biggest IT product companies IBS Software Services, said: "Alphons, by virtue of being a former top bureaucrat and then a legislator along with the Left (2006-11) knows these sectors like the back of his hand. His induction will certainly benefit Kerala. Above all, he also enjoys good relations with the chief minister."

MR Narayanan, a leading tourism honcho, said it was a good development for Kerala.

"He is a man with a lot of ideas and one who will listen. What Kerala needs now is a few mega projects to change the face of Kerala tourism," he said.

Alphons, who hails from Kottayam, was one of the toppers of the Civil Services Examination in 1979. He led the literacy movement in the southern state and made Kottayam the first 100 percent literate town in the country in 1989.

His wife, Sheela Alphons, said she was sure her husband would do his best for Kerala.
Induction of four retired bureaucrats, two of them not even MPs, among nine new ministers who took the oath of office at Rashtrapati Bhavan with stress on "performance" and "last mile delivery" speaks volumes about the lack of talent in the party.

In other words, Prime Minister Narendra Modis expression of high confidence in the abilities of Raj Kumar Singh, Alphons Kannanthanam (both IAS), Hardeep Singh Puri (IFS) and Satya Pal Singh (IPS) is also in some ways the prime ministers expression of low confidence in the regular bench strength comprising of entry level cadre of politicians. This has caused certain unease among a section of party leaders.

But given the current structure of the party where power, authority, influence as also winnability in election flows from Modi and party chief Amit Shah, the murmurs would remain limited to private talk and momentary sarcastic barbs.

Consider the following  Raj Kumar Singh, former Union home secretary who had joined BJP ahead of 2014 parliamentary elections and won from Arrah seat, had virtually turned into a rebel during the Bihar Assembly election. He even dared party leadership to expel him if they thought what he was saying was wrong and came within the ambit of anti-party act and propriety of party discipline. Many thought his political career was over. But as they say, never write the obituary of someone in politics. Singh has now bounced back to become a minister in the Modi government.

Puri and Kannanthanam are not members of any House of Parliament and the onus is now on the party leadership to make them enter Rajya Sabha before the expiry of the mandatory six-month time. Puri has an excellent track record as a career diplomat and was associated with Ajit Dovals Vivekanand Foundation. During his student days, his thought process was closer to that of BJP (the then Jan Sangh) but his lateral entry in the government as a minister in the third and final expansion of the Modi government by itself is a big story.

If Puri is a Sikh, then Kannanthanam is a Christian from Kerala who first made his mark in the National Capital as vice-chairman of Delhi Development Authority (DDA) and was then called "Demolition Man". His entry in BJPs ranks and in Modi government as a minister of state is expected to provide the party some leeway in the Christian community in Kerala.

Satya Pal Singh, former Mumbai Police commissioner who joined BJP ahead of 2014 parliamentary elections, defeated RLD chief Ajit Singh in Baghpat and is now the new Jat face of the party in Western Uttar Pradesh. He is the replacement for the outgoing minister of state from the same community Sanjeev Baliyan.

What gives loads of fodder for multitude interpretation in private talks on their selection for ministerial berths is Modi's redefinition of the 4Ps -- "Passion + Proficiency + Professional and Political acumen  for Progress". A party leader in a conversation with Firstpost asked: "Does this mean those not considered for ministerial berths dont possess these 4P qualities?"

Interestingly, none of the six ministers Kajraj Mishra, Rajeev Pratap Rudi, Bandaru Dattatreya, Fagan Singh Kulaste, Sanjeev Baliyan and Mahendra Pandey who have been dropped in this reshuffle were bureaucrats or technocrats. They all had made a career in politics in the BJP or the Sangh Parivar. Prabhu a chartered accountant by training is shifted to another ministry.

"In continuance of his track record of identifying his fellow team members on the merit of their past performance and future potential, the new ministers have been selected by the prime minister with a clear mandate to deliver on his vision of a New India. A vision which is built on the foundations of development and good governance, and with a focus on the Garib (poor), Shoshit (exploited), Peedit (afflicted) and Vanchit (deprived) segments of our society. The new ministers are going to be strategically placed in key ministries, especially focusing on last mile delivery directly to the people The new ministers come from varied walks of life, bringing in their unique professional perspective and proficiency to the council. Many of them also bring rich administrative and governance experience," said a senior functionary clued into issues around the expansion and reshuffle.

What goes in favour of all the nine newly inducted ministers that they all have good educational qualifications and years of experience of working on the ground.

Of Modis pick of four MoS (Independent Charge) for elevation to the Cabinet rank Piyush Goyal and Nirmala Sitharaman are qualified professionals. The other two  Dharmendra Pradhan and Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi  have risen from grassroots political ranks. There is no doubt that promotion is based on their performance in their respective ministries and organisational work but the politics of it is equally interesting.

Pradhan has proved his worth by Ujjwala and other schemes in petroleum ministry but one of the main reasons behind elevating him to the Cabinet rank is to give him the required profile to make him the partys chief ministerial face in Odisha. As the challenger to Naveen Patnaik, three-term chief minister of the state since 2004, Pradhan has to have a strong standing. His elevation to the Cabinet rank has a lot to do with BJPs expansionist plan in Odisha.

After the exit of Venkaiah Naidu from active politics, Sitharaman has potential to emerge as BJPs face in South India (other than Karnataka). She is from Tamil Nadu. She enjoys the confidence of the prime minister, Finance Minister Arun Jaitley and Shah. She had been an articulate spokesperson of the party and has now been drafted as one of the co-incharge in Jaitleys team for Gujarat Assembly election.

Goyal impressed Modi and Shah by his performance in the ministries of power, coal and mines as also through his organisational work. His elevation to the cabinet rank would make it possible for him to hold more important portfolios and also have a greater say in Maharashtra politics. Naqvis elevation means that Union Cabinet will have the representation of a Muslim member. He has been consistent, non-confrontationist and up to mark as MoS parliamentary affairs and minority affairs.
Last week, I spoke to a group of students, about 1,000 in a large hall, in a Bengaluru college.

Many of them were economics students. I was on stage with two members of parliament and I asked the audience this question: How many of you think that Indias GDP has grown faster in the last three years than in the average of the UPAs decade? I asked that those who thought it was growing faster today should raise their hands.

Almost all the students put their hands up, though the fact is that the average in the UPA years was over 8 percent per year and the economy has, on an annualised basis, never touched that in any of the three years of the NDA.

And, as I said, many of these were economics students who should have known better. But the fact is that it is difficult to debate politics through data, particularly in India.

I am saying this because the Opposition thinks two recent events can be used to turn the tide in politics against the Bharatiya Janata Party.

The first was news that demonetisation has failed. Almost all the Rs 1,000 and Rs 500 notes have been exchanged for new Rs 2,000 and Rs 500 notes, meaning that black money has been converted to white.

If the government thought it could get rid of a few lakh crore rupees of black money which would not be deposited, this has not happened. Now the way to tackle the black money is to do so through notices and tax recovery, which in India is not easy and not quick.

The second place demonetisation failed is on terrorism, or what is defined as terrorism in India. Outside our three conflict areas, there is actually very little terrorist violence. This year there has been 1 death from terrorism, last year the figure was 11, the year before that 13 and the year before that it was 4. When the government refers to demonetisation and terrorism it is talking about violence in Jammu and Kashmir.

The defence minister (who is also finance minister, and therefore should have data on both terrorism and demonetisation) has claimed that notebandi has curbed the violence in Kashmir. Has it? No.

Last year there were 267 deaths there. This year, in 8 months, there have already been 239. This is proof that demonetisation did not affect what the government calls terrorism negatively.

The third and last place the prime minister had claimed demonetisation would be effective was curbing corruption. Not in high places, because he had already ensured that. He said demonetisation would stop corruption in other places because of a shortage of cash. I will leave it to the reader to determine whether or not that has happened because there is no data I can share on that.

The second thing that has enthused the Opposition is the revelation that the economy is in decline. Again, we have data here so we can be sure. Indias economy has been slowing each quarter for the last five quarters, meaning it has been decelerating for 15 months. Between April and June, the government data shows that it grew at only 5.7 percent.

This is attributed, if you are a government supporter, to the Goods and Services Tax (GST) and de-stocking. Meaning that companies were not sure about how to price their products after GST and so they stopped manufacturing in June, once GST was announced for 1 July, and emptied their godowns.

If you are a government opponent the decline of the quarter is a mix of GST and demonetisation. Opponents will say that former prime minister Manmohan Singh, who is an economist unlike Arun Jaitley (who is a lawyer) and Narendra Modi (who has a correspondence course degree in political science) had said that demonetisation would hit Indias GDP by 2 percent and he has been proved correct. Perhaps he has.

However, for those of us who are neither on this side nor that, it is clear that if the economy has been slowing for five straight quarters, it is not the result of one thing. There is something fundamentally wrong in this government's economic management.

So can the Opposition assume that they have the government on the ropes on the facts and data and therefore have an advantage? My answer is: No. We have often had leaders that have delivered very low economic growth but have still been very popular. Both Jawaharlal Nehru and Indira Gandhi won multiple elections while delivering much less than 5 percent growth.

The second thing is that Modi has changed the narrative of demonetisation. All the things he had spoken of have been forgotten. He has moved on to other things, like digital and less-cash. You can accuse him of many things but one thing you cannot accuse him of is being bad at politics.

I asked that audience of 1,000 young people in Bengaluru how many of them felt their lives had physically changed for the better since 2014 because of the Centre's actions. Again, most hands went up. As long as that happens, and certainly for the next few months, Modi should feel just fine.
Patna: RJD supremo Lalu Prasad claimed that Nitish Kumar's JD(U) was not even invited to join the NDA government by Prime Minister Narendra Modi or BJP chief Amit Shah in the Cabinet reshuffle.

Four junior ministers were elevated to the Cabinet rank and nine new faces inducted as Ministers of State, in a rejig by Prime Minister Narendra Modi. "Some JD(U) leaders had got new Kurta Pyjama and Bundi stitched for the swearing-in ceremony, but the elusive invitation did not come," he alleged.

The JD(U) national president and Bihar chief minister Nitish Kumar had on Saturday admitted that his party had not been invited to join the government nor consulted by the BJP brass on the expansion issue, Prasad said.

"Why should Prime Minister Modi or BJP president Shah consult Kumar when they know about his character?" the RJD supremo said in a dig at the JD(U) chief, who had dumped the Grand Alliance in July to form a government in Bihar with the BJP.

"Modi and Shah are unlikely to bow before their new ally, the JD(U) and its chief Nitish Kumar," he said. The RJD supremo took potshots at Kumar for withdrawing a dinner invite to BJP leaders, including the then Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi, at Patna in 2010, over an advertisement row and alleged that the latter had not forgotten it.

Modi was right in not "accepting" the invite to visit Patna for having lunch with the chief minister at his official residence recently after an aerial survey of the flood-affected areas of Bihar, the RJD leader said.

Prasad claimed, in doing so the prime minister has returned "favour" to Nitish Kumar for having cancelled the dinner invite for the visiting BJP leaders seven years ago.

On the induction of the former home secretary and the BJP MP from Arrah, R K Singh, in the Modi government, Prasad said that the former bureaucrat should have been made a Cabinet minister given his vast experience.

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Kolkata: Criticising the West Bengal government's role in tackling the situation in the hills, state BJP president Dilip Ghosh on Sunday said Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee's actions are spoiling Bengal's relationship with its neighbouring states.

"The state is not taking appropriate steps in handling the unrest in Darjeeling hills. Rather Mamata Banerjee's actions are causing Bengal's relationship with the neighbouring states to deteriorate," Ghosh alleged.

"She has already caused the relationship with Bihar to deteriorate over the issue of (Chief Minister) Nitish Kumar. Now she is weakening the bonds with Sikkim over the issue of (GJM chief) Bimal Gurung," he said.

Expressing his concern about the unrest in Darjeeling, Ghosh alleged neither the state nor the Gorkha Janmukti Morcha (GJM) are taking any constructive steps to come out of the ongoing impasse.

"We wanted proper discussion between the stakeholders in order to solve the problem in the hills but none of the parties is doing that. As a result, the situation in the hills is getting worse," he said.

He also claimed that Banerjee is "destroying the entire hills in an attempt to reduce the GJM chief Bimal Gurung's political significance".

Reacting to his remarks, state ruling Trinamool Congress claimed such statements prove BJP is secretly helping the pro-Gorkhaland agitators and trying to fuel unrest in the hills.

"Their statements show that they are secretly influencing the unrest and agitation in the hills. Ghosh is terming the hooliganism of GJM as a democratic protest. I think he has no idea what a democratic movement looks like," said Rabindranath Ghosh, a Trinamool leader from north Bengal.

The relationship between West Bengal and Sikkim have become tense since the last few days after the latter alleged Bengal Police entered their state without proper court documents or arrest warrants to apprehend certain GJM leaders from Namchi in state's southern fringes.

The West Bengal Police, however, refuted the allegations claiming they had already sent a letter to the authorities concerned in Sikkim, seeking permission for a raid.
The most startling aspect of the Narendra Modi Cabinet reshuffle is that a minister who has just been promoted to Cabinet rank has been given the defence portfolio. It normally goes to one of the most senior politicians in the government, but the new defence minister, Nirmala Sitharaman, is listed just above the minister for minority affairs at the bottom of the list of Cabinet ministers.

It is a risky gambit. For, the need to gird up the defence preparedness has been widely felt in the wake of Chinas belligerence over the Doka La stand-off, which ended amid tremendous tension just about three days before the reshuffle. Metaphorically speaking, the defence minister will need to move mountains.

The country needs a defence minister who can pull together the cooperation and goodwill of the entire government, the forces, and other stakeholders, including the Opposition corporates. The unavoidable fact of high politics is that it's a field for the ambitious. A Lal Bahadur Shastri who gave up power or an Atal Bihari Vajpayee who allowed Lal Krishna Advani to overshadow him is a relatively rare sort of politician.

One must hope that her lack of experience and general acceptance as a senior minister does not hobble her efforts to gear up Indias defences at such a critical juncture.

The positives

Sitharamans experience as commerce minister will help since she must deal with major foreign powers to make urgent procurements over the next few months. That process is already underway, for the recent Chinese belligerence underlined the urgency of defence procurement and development of infrastructure near the borders.

Sitharaman's excellent links across the world were visible while she held charge of commerce. She handled the H1-B visa issue with the US in recent weeks. These links will no doubt be very useful as defence preparedness moves into a high gear.

Her links in the US will be even more useful in the light of the India-US cooperation on Afghanistan and larger strategic partnerships of which US president Donald Trump spoke about a week ago. Perhaps, it will fall as much to Sitharaman as to National Security Advisor Ajit Doval or external affairs minister Sushma Swaraj to translate that speech into practical steps for cooperative action.

Singular power

Sitharamans appointment underlines the extent to which Modi now acts as the singular power in charge of the country. Even at the height of her power in the 1970s, Indira Gandhi appointed heavyweights like Jagjivan Ram, a potential rival for power, as defence minister.

Indira, her son Rajiv Gandhi, VP Singh, Chandra Shekhar, and PV Narasimha Rao are among the prime ministers who held the defence portfolio directly for a part of their tenure. At other times, it was a dual charge with heavyweights like Jaswant Singh and Arun Jetley.

R Venkatraman, George Fernandes, and Sharad Pawar are among others who have held the defence portfolio. Venkatraman went to become vice-president and then president. Fernandes was the convenor of the NDA, and third only to Vajpayee and Advani in that government. And Pawar was an obvious rival to Rao for the top job.

This reshuffle has put other senior ministers on notice that Modi alone is the boss more than any earlier prime minister. They must not think of a collegiate cabinet. While picking Sitharaman, Modi apparently consulted only his long-time confidant, and BJP president, Amit Shah.

Not only was Shah the only one consulted, he was also seated beside Modi during the induction ceremony for the new ministers. Speaker Sumitra Mahajan had the equivalent chair across the aisle.

PMO coordination

Sitharaman too will have to work closely with the Prime Ministers Office. No doubt Doval will continue to play a key role in coordinating between all defence stakeholders. He has had a particularly good working relationship with army chief General BS Rawat ever since the latter was deputy chief of staff.

In the light of Chinese belligerence, the interaction between the top echelons of the army and the rest of the government has become more intense over the past few months. In case the China-Pakistan axis ups the ante, the Indian Air Force and the Indian Navy too could become very important elements of Indias national response.

It is the PMO that will have to smoothen expenditure decisions, in case the finance ministry has queries about procurement and construction related decisions by the defence ministry.
It can't get bigger than this for Nirmala Sitharaman. Soon after she was elevated to the Cabinet rank from the Minister of State rank, Prime Minister Narendra Modi catapulted her to become the defence minister, in-charge of external security and tough internal situations the country.

As defence minister, she instantaneously becomes part of what is called league of Big Four in the government and a member of the powerful Cabinet Committee on Security. Her journey in politics and in corridors of power (with exception of Manmohan Singh) would perhaps be unparalleled in contemporary political history. Her political life, as also life and career in the BJP is only 11 years old. A postgraduate in Economics from Jawaharlal Nehru University who worked for years with multinationals, Sitharaman joined BJP in 2006 but immediately left her mark as an articulate and aggressive spokesperson. When Modi handpicked her to become a minister in May 2004 she was not even an MP.

The South Block chamber on the Raisina Hills that she is going to occupy has seen some of the most illustrious and powerful leaders of the day. Take a look at her predecessors Arun Jaitley, Pranab Mukherjee, George Fernandes, Jaswant Singh, Mulayam Singh Yadav, PV Narasimha Rao, Sharad Pawar, VP Singh, SB Chavan, Rajiv Gandhi, R Venkatraman, Indira Gandhi, Jagjivan Ram, VK Krishna Menon and Kailashnath Katju among others. Sitharaman is going to wear the same hat.

Her surprise nomination to the post of defence minister means two things -- that she has acquired the supreme confidence of the prime minister and her integrity factor which was considered the most critical thing for occupying this post in the Modi regime is beyond doubt in eyes of her two political bosses. At another level, her big bang promotion means that the writ of the Prime Ministers Office would run large in the defence ministry.

While the debate of Sitharaman's new portfolio makes headlines a senior bureaucrat who studied at JNU remarked in a lighter vein, "Now that we have defence minister from JNU, no one would call this university as anti-national."

With Sushma Swaraj as external affairs ministers, two women occupy two top ministerial positions.

Another big newsmaker in todays reshuffle is Piyush Goyal. Like Sitharaman he too was elevated from Minister of State position to the Cabinet rank and was given Railways, a ministry which connects with almost every Indian. Railways is close to Modis heart. Goyal's predecessor Suresh Prabhu will now look after the Ministry of Commerce and Industry.

While Uma Bharti survived the axe but had to give up water resources and Ganga rejuvenation. Nitin Gadkari will take care of Namami Gange project besides handling surface transport and shipping ministries. Bharti has been moved to drinking water and sanitation ministry.

Big gainers in the expansion cum reshuffle have been former bureaucrats  Raj Kumar Singh gets into Piyush Goyal's shoes in power ministry and Hardeep Singh Puri has been entrusted with the task of ensuring that smart cities are developed as scheduled. Puri must ensure that Housing for All dream is duly attended to and metro rail network spreads all across the country. Alphons Kannanthanam will be in-charge of developing tourism in the country while Mahesh Sharma has been divested of this portfolio. Former IPS officer Satya Pal Singh will assist Gadkari in the water resources ministry.

Smriti Irani continues to be a high profile minister. Modi has let her continue with the information and broadcasting ministry, as also with textiles. That way Harsh Vardhan has a reason to smile. He too retains forest and environment besides science and technology.

The Modi government has only 18 months left in the office to deliver before it goes to 2019 parliamentary polls. His stress is on performance and last mile delivery.
tech2 News Staff

Russian President Vladimir Putin says that whoever reaches a breakthrough in developing artificial intelligence will come to dominate the world.

Putin, speaking Friday at a meeting with students, said the development of AI raises "colossal opportunities and threats that are difficult to predict now." He warned that "the one who becomes the leader in this sphere will be the ruler of the world."

Putin warned that "it would be strongly undesirable if someone wins a monopolist position" and promised that Russia would be ready to share its know-how in artificial intelligence with other nations. The Russian leader predicted that future wars will be fought by drones, and "when one party's drones are destroyed by drones of another, it will have no other choice but to surrender."

As per earlier reports, artificial intelligence robots are turbocharging the race to find new drugs for the crippling nerve disorder ALS, or motor neuron disease.

Meanwhile, China will launch a series of artificial intelligence (AI) projects and increase efforts to cultivate tech talent as part of a soon to announced national AI plan, the China Daily said on Friday, citing a senior official.

The country is focusing on AI as it is seen as a tool to boost productivity and empower employees, the paper said. China will roll out a slew of AI research and development projects, allocate more resources to nurturing talent and increase the use of AI in education, healthcare and security among other things, said Wan Gang, the minister of science and technology at a conference in Tianjin.

With inputs from Associated Press
IANS

A day after a report went viral criticising Google for using its muscle to bury anything that is spoken against it, a former Forbes reporter has claimed that she was also put under pressure by the tech giant to 'unpublish' a story.

Kashmir Hill wrote a piece on Friday on online technology news platform Gizmodo saying Google had pressurised her and her publication to take down the story regarding its then-new social media platform "Google Plus".

She said, "the incident happened in 2011, around the same time that a congressional antitrust committee was looking into whether the company was abusing its powers".

Her claims follow a story regarding Google's "abuse of power" that was published in the New York Times on Wednesday which explained how Google, unhappy with a scholar's statement who hailed European antitrust regulators' decision to fine the company $2.7 billion in late June, fired nearly 10 scholars of the team from the tech giant-funded think tank The New America Foundation.

After this story, Hill wrote that when she was working for Forbes she was pressurised to withdraw a story. At the time, in addition to writing and reporting, Hill helped Forbes run social media, and therefore, she attended a meeting with Google salespeople about Google Plus.

"The Google salespeople were encouraging Forbes to add Plus's '+1' social buttons to articles on the site, alongside the Facebook 'Like' button and the 'Reddit' share button. They said it was important to do because the Plus recommendations would be a factor in search results, a crucial source of traffic to publishers," Hill recounted.

"I asked the Google people if I understood correctly: If a publisher didn't put a +1 button on the page, its search results would suffer? The answer was yes," she noted.

After the meeting, Hill approached Google's public relations team and the press office confirmed that the Plus button would influence the ranking, saying: "If you don't feature the +1 button, your stories will be harder to find with Google."

The reporter later published a story headlined, "Stick Google Plus Buttons On Your Pages, Or Your Search Traffic Suffers", that included bits of conversation from the meeting.

"Google promptly flipped out and never challenged the accuracy of the reporting. Instead, a Google spokesperson told me that I needed to unpublish the story because the meeting had been confidential, and the information discussed there had been subject to a non-disclosure agreement (NDA) between Google and Forbes," she said.

Reportedly, Google also pressurised the higher-ups at Forbes by saying the article was problematic and had to come down. Soon after the report was unpublished, search results stopped showing the original story at all.

"Deliberately manipulating search results to eliminate references to a story that Google doesn't like would be an extraordinary, almost dystopian abuse of the company's power over information on the internet," she wrote, adding that she does not have any proof supporting her claim.

Meanwhile, Google on Saturday responded to Hill's claims saying they had nothing to do with removing the article from the cache.

Google's Vice President of Global Communications Rob Shilkin, said that like Google's other client meetings that discuss new features, the meeting with Forbes at that time was held under a non-disclosure agreement.

"Our sales team called their fellow attendees of the meeting from Forbes to express surprise that the article was based on a meeting held under NDA. I understand that one of our PR reps raised this concern to you, and then your editor. I understand that our PR rep asked that the piece come down from Forbes' website, as it was reporting on a confidential business meeting," Shilkin said.

"As for the Google cache, it's trivial for a website owner to request its cache to be cleared. I assume this is what happened because we had nothing to do with removing the article from the cache," he added.

The executive said that Google wouldn't engage in this type of behaviour, never have, never will.
Reuters

Hewlett Packard Enterprise Co completed the spin-off of much of its software business early on Friday, closing the door on the disastrous 2011 acquisition of British firm Autonomy and narrowing the company's focus on data center hardware and software.

The enterprise software businesses, which include the widely used ArcSight security platform, have been merged with Micro Focus International Plc, a British software company. HPE was formed when the company once known as Hewlett-Packard split into HPE and HP Inc in November 2015. The spin-off comes as HPE adjusts to the rapid shift of corporate computing to cloud services offered by the likes of Amazon.com Inc and Microsoft Corp.

HPE aims to cater specifically to customers running services both on their own premises and in the cloud, said Ric Lewis, senior vice president of HPE's cloud software group, in an interview.

HP tops global notebook market, Lenovo second: Report

The spin-off marks the end of HP's unhappy tangle with Autonomy, which it acquired for $11 billion in an aborted effort to transform HP into an enterprise software leader. The ink was barely dry on the much-criticized deal when the company took an $8.8 billion writedown on it.

HP fired CEO Leo Apotheker and later sued Michael Lynch and Sushovan Hussain, once the chief executive and chief financial officers of Autonomy, respectively. The ongoing legal case remains the responsibility of HPE, the company said. "Autonomy was a distraction, a big one, and HPE can now stop spending its energy on defending its decision and dealing with the aftermath," said Glenn O'Donnell, a Forrester Research analyst.

The challenge now for HPE will be to quickly build new software for mixed data center environments, said Tom Bittman, an analyst with Gartner."They have the hardware, they have the networking, but software is key here, and they have to push hard," Bittman said.

Chris Hsu, who was previously chief operating officer of HPE, is taking over as CEO of Micro Focus. He intends to focus on growth through acquisitions, Hsu told Reuters. "A highly fragmented industry of enterprise software creates an environment whereby we will be well positioned to benefit from that industry consolidation," Hsu said in a July interview.

"Micro Focus used to be primarily a place where software would go to spend its elderly years," Bittman said. "With all this new software, growth should become a major strategy."
tech2 News Staff

The central government on Saturday said that ransomware, Locky, is spreading through "massive spam campaign".

According to the Indian Computer Emergency Response Team (ICERT), "spam mails" are being used to spread the ransomware.

"It has been reported that a new wave of spam mails are circulating... to spread variants of Locky ransomware. Reports indicate that over 23 million messages have been sent in this campaign," ICERT said.

"The message contains common subjects like please print, documents, photo, images, scans and pictures." The ransomware is known to scramble contents of a computer or server and demands payment to unlock it "usually by anonymous decentralised virtual currency Bitcoins".

Ransomware in IT world can be referred to as virtual kidnapping of data in exchange for a reward. Its a malware which restricts users from accessing their own data on a corrupted system and would demand a ransom to revoke the access. The recent slew of coordinated ransomware attacks known as WannaCry or WannaCrypt on various sectors in European countries have proved to be an effective wake-up call for businesses around the world.

WannaCry is Encrypting Ransomware or Crypto Locker type of ransomware that is programmed to attack Microsoft Windows software. The attack last week, infected more than 230,000 computers in 150 countries including India, demanding ransom payments in Bitcoin in 28 languages.

With inputs from IANS.
IANS

Locky ransomware's re-emergence with new email distribution campaign has been touted as one of the largest malware campaigns in the latter half of 2017, the media reported.

The ransomware, once considered almost defunct, sent over 23 million emails with the malware to the US workforce in just 24 hours on August 28, zdnet.com reported. It was sent with subjects such as "please print", "documents" and "scans".

Researchers at US-based cybersecurity firm AppRiver, who discovered the new campaign say it represents "one of the largest malware campaigns seen in the latter half of 2017". According to the report, the malware payload was hidden in a zip file containing a Visual Basic Script (VBS) file, which once clicked, will download the latest version of Locky ransomware, the recently spotted Lukitus variant, and encrypts all the files on the infected computer.

Victims are presented with a ransom note demanding 0.5 bitcoin ($2,300) in order to pay for "special software" in the form of a "Locky decryptor" in order to get their files back. Instructions on downloading and installing the Tor browser and how to buy Bitcoin are provided by the attackers in order to ensure victims can make the payment.

Locky rose to prominence in 2016 following a number of high-profile infections and at one point became one of the most common forms of malware in its own right. However, Locky's position was later usurped by Cerber, although this sudden resurgence shows that it remains very much a threat, especially as there is not a free decryption tool available to victims, the report said.

Earlier this year, starting from May there was a sudden influx of coordinated ransomware attacks involving WannaCry, Mamba, and Petya, which is an effective wake-up call for businesses around the world. Locky ransomware appears to have arrived in India as well, with the central government on Saturday issuing an alert, warning users in the country to stay cautious of it.

According to the Indian Computer Emergency Response Team (ICERT), "spam mails" are being used to spread the ransomware. The agency advised all users to take caution while opening emails and to avoid those with suspicious file attachments as well as advised organisations to deploy anti-spam solutions and update spam block lists.
tech2 News Staff

Two Penn State professors have received $300,000 from the National Science Foundation to develop technology that will enable digital devices to weed out fake news.

The university says information sciences and technology professor Dongwon Lee and communications professor S. Shyam Sundar are working on the project. Lee says fake news "has been around for decades" but has been "exacerbated" on the internet and social media platforms.

The professors plan to investigate "characteristic indicators of fake news" and develop complex formulas that will enable digital devices to recognize those indicators and purge stories that contain them.

Sundar has researched the psychology of online news consumption for two decades. The Associated Press and other media outlets have made efforts to point out fake news, such as a recent social media headline claiming Hillary Clinton lost the popular vote.

Meanwhile, Google has sprinkled some new ingredients into its search engine in an effort to prevent bogus information and offensive suggestions from souring its results. The changes have been in the works for four months, but Google hadn't publicly discussed most of them until now. The announcement in a blogpost reflects Google's confidence in a new screening system designed to reduce the chances that its influential search engine will highlight untrue stories about people and events, a phenomenon commonly referred to as "fake news."

With inputs from Associated Press
tech2 News Staff

Xiaomi India has announced a new exclusive Lake blue edition in the Indian market. The company has not changed any specifications for the Redmi Note 4 with this edition. The only different thing about this smartphone is the Lake Blue colour. One thing to note here is that this edition will only be available in 4 GB RAM and 64 GB internal storage variant.

The reason for the introduction of this new edition of the Redmi Note 4 is because of the Wake the Lake project. Under this project, Xiaomi has taken the responsibility to restore Kempabudhi kerre lake in Bengaluru. This edition will go on sale starting at 12 pm on 4 September. Interested buyers can go to Mi.com, Flipkart or Mi Homes to buy the 'Lake Blue' variant of Redmi Note 4.

The company has teamed up with United Way, a Bengaluru-based NGO working on restoring lakes and Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP). Kempabudhi kerre was inaugurated by Kempegowda, the founder of Bengaluru. The company is working with BBMP to restore a number of aspects of the lake including plantation of saplings, setting solar lights, outdoor fitness centre, play area for children, setting up toilet facilities.

Vice President of Xiaomi and Managing Director of Xiaomi India, Manu Kumar Jain issued a statement stating, We are a company who believes in giving back to the community. Water bodies have been the source of water for ages for people of Bengaluru but over the past decade, these water bodies have been facing serious threat. To show our concern for the cause we are taking up the maintenance of Kempabudhi kerre, to support BBMP in bringing it back to its initial days of glory as a project under Swachh Bharat Abhiyan. To commemorate this cause, we are launching Redmi Note 4 Lake blue edition which would further contribute to this cause.

For the uninitiated, Xiaomi Redmi Note 4 will sport a 5.5-inch Full HD IPS LCD display on the front covered with curved protective glass. The smartphone is powered by an octa-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 625 processor which sounds like a step down from the Snapdragon 650, but is said to be more power efficient. There are three memory variants on offer which include 2GB RAM with 32GB of storage, 3GB RAM with 32GB storage and 4GB RAM with 64GB of storage. All the variants come with an option to expand the storage supporting microSD cards of up to 128GB.

There is a new 13MP camera at the back with PDAF (phase detection auto focus) and a dual tone LED flash, while on the front there is a 5MP camera. Connectivity options include support for dual-SIM (hybrid SIM card slot), 4G with VoLTE, Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, GPS with GLONASS, infrared sensor and a microUSB port. Rounding it all off is a fingerprint scanner at the back and a 4,100mAh battery to provide the juice.
A record-shattering NASA astronaut is set to return to Earth on Saturday, finishing a 288-day mission that put her over the top as the American who has spent the most cumulative amount of time in space.

Peggy Whitson, 57, is also the oldest female astronaut in the history of space exploration, was the first female International Space Station commander, and holds the record for number of spacewalks by a woman.

Whitson wrapped up a record-breaking flight that catapulted her to first place for US space endurance. Whitson's 665 days off the planet  288 days on this mission alone  exceeds that of any other American and any other woman worldwide.

Upon her return, Whitson will have racked up 665 days in space in her career, more than any other American astronaut. She is eighth on the all-time space endurance list, NASA said.

The biochemist is completing a mission at the International Space Station that began in November 2016, covering 122.2 million miles (196.7 million kilometers) and 4,623 orbits of Earth.

She and crewmates Jack Fischer of NASA and Fyodor Yurchikhin of Russian space agency Roscosmos were expected to land in Kazakhstan at 9:22 pm (0122 GMT Sunday) in a Soyuz MS-04 spacecraft.

She checked out of the International Space Station just hours earlier, along with another American and a Russian. Their Soyuz capsule landed in Kazakhstan shortly after sunrise Sunday  Saturday night back in the US.

Whitson was the last one carried from the Soyuz. She immediately received a pair of sunglasses to put on, as she rested in a chair on the barren, wind-swept Kazak steppes. Medical personnel took her pulse, standard practice. She then received a bouquet of flowers with the greeting, "Welcome back, Peggy."

Besides duration, Whitson set multiple other records while in orbit: world's oldest spacewoman, at age 57, and most experienced female spacewalker, with 10. She also became the first woman to command the space station twice following her launch last November.

Returning cosmonaut Fyodor Yurchikhin logged even more time in space: 673 days over five missions. NASA astronaut Jack Fischer returned after 136 days aloft. The men flew up in April.

All three briefly held hands for a photo op, before being carried one by one in their chairs to the medical tent.

It was an emotional farewell to the space station for Whitson, Yurchikhin and Fischer. Before retreating into their Soyuz, they embraced the three colleagues they were leaving behind at the 250-mile-high complex. Yurchikhin patted the inside of the station before floating into his Soyuz for the final time. The station's newest commander, Randy Bresnik, noted the outpost was losing 1,474 days of spaceflight experience with the departure of Whitson, Yurchikhin and Fischer.

Four years and two weeks, he pointed out.

"We are in your debt for the supreme dedication that you guys have to the human mission of exploration," Bresnik told them on the eve of their departure. He offered up special praise for Whitson "American space ninja"  and wished them all Godspeed.

Yurchikhin is now No. 7 on the world's all-time endurance list, followed by Whitson at No. 8. The top spot belongs to Russian Gennady Padalka, with 879 days in space over five flights.

After earning a doctorate in biochemistry in 1985, Whitson worked as a NASA scientist for seven years before starting as an astronaut in 1997.

On this most recent mission, Whitson conducted experiments with human stem cells, blood samples and grew several crops of Chinese cabbage, according to posts on her Facebook page.

"The best part, was that after we harvested for the science, we got to eat the rest!" she said of her greens.

In an interview before departing the space station, Whitson said she was looking forward to flush toilets ("Trust me, you don't want to know the details") and pizza.

But, "I will miss seeing the enchantingly peaceful limb of our Earth from this vantage point. Until the end of my days, my eyes will search the horizon to see that curve," she said, according to a transcript of the interview posted on the NASA website.

She noted that she's not totally comfortable with the attention she receives for her various records and her status as a role model.

"I honestly do think that it is critical that we are continuously breaking records, because that represents us moving forward in exploration," Whitson said.

The scientist also has a silly side. To celebrate the July Fourth holiday, she posted photos and a video of herself and Fischer wearing loud red, white and blue outfits, striking poses in zero gravity.

"I am not sure what the future holds for me personally, but I envision myself continuing to work on spaceflight programs. My desire to contribute to the spaceflight team as we move forward in our exploration of space has only increased over the years," she said of her plans.

The astronauts' return comes as the Texas city of Houston, home to NASA's Johnson Space Center, has been struggling to get back to normalcy after a week of deadly flooding triggered by Hurricane Harvey.

"As a result of the impacts of Hurricane Harvey, NASA is reviewing return plans to Houston of Whitson, Fischer and the science samples landing in the Soyuz spacecraft," the space agency said.

Whitson, a biochemist, set a breakneck pace on all three of her space station expeditions, continually asking for more  and still more  scientific research to do. Scientists on the ground said it often was hard to keep up with her. She even experimented on food up there, trying to add some pizazz to the standard freeze-dried meals. Tortillas transformed into apple pies on her watch.

Whitson was supposed to fly back in June after a half-year in space. But when an extra seat opened up on this Soyuz, she jumped at the chance to stay in orbit an extra three months. Only one other American  yearlong spaceman Scott Kelly  has spent longer in space on a single mission.

Except for the past week, Whitson said her mission hurried by. She's hungry for pizza and can't wait to use a regular flush toilet again. She's also eager to reunite with her husband, Clarence Sams, a biochemist who also works at Johnson Space Center in Houston.

Because of the effects of Hurricane Harvey, NASA could not get its plane from Houston to Kazakhstan in time for the crew's landing. Instead, the European Space Agency offered to transport Whitson and Fischer to Cologne, Germany, where they will meet up with the NASA plane for the final leg of their journey. They should be back in Houston on Sunday night.

Three men remain at the space station: Bresnik, a Russian and an Italian. They will be joined by two Americans and a Russian following liftoff from Kazakhstan on 12 September.

With inputs from AP and AFP
Xiamen (China): Prime Minister Narendra Modi arrived in Xiamen on Sunday to attend the BRICS Summit during which he would look forward to having "productive discussions and positive outcomes" with leaders of the grouping to support the agenda for a stronger partnership among the member countries.

During his two day visit, Modi is also expected to hold a series of bilateral meetings including with Russian president Vladimir Putin and other BRICS leaders.

He is also expected to meet leaders of countries like Egypt, invited by China as part of the outreach exercise. China has invited Egypt, Kenya, Tajikistan, Mexico and Thailand as guest countries for the Summit.

"I look forward to building upon the results and outcomes of the Goa Summit. I also look forward to productive discussions and positive outcomes that will support the agenda of a stronger BRICS partnership under the chairmanship of China," the prime minister had said ahead of his visit to this Chinese city.

Modi's visit to attend the Brazil-Russia-India-China-South Africa (BRICS) Summit comes days after India and China managed to end the 73-day long Doka La standoff.

On BRICS, the prime minister said he will have the opportunity to meet leaders bilaterally on the sidelines of the BRICS Summit.

"India attaches high importance to the role of BRICS that has begun a second decade of its partnership for progress and peace. BRICS has important contributions to make in addressing global challenges and upholding world peace and security," the prime minister had said.

The prime minister said he was looking forward to engage with leaders of nine other countries, including BRICS partners, in an Emerging Markets and Developing Countries Dialogue, being hosted by Chinese president Xi Jinping on 5 September.

"We will also interact with the BRICS Business Council represented by captains of industry from all five countries," he had said.
Xiamen: Chinese President Xi Jinping on Sunday underscored that the BRICS must uphold the value of diplomacy to resolve "hotspot issues" as the leaders of the grouping, including Prime Minister Narendra Modi, arrived in Xiamen for the Summit, which is starting tomorrow in this port city of China.

Xi also appeared to take a reconciliatory tone when he, without directly referring to the recent Doka La standoff with India, underlined that "peace and development" should be the underpin to resolve issues as the world does not want "conflict and confrontation."

"We the BRICS countries should show our responsibilities to uphold global peace and stability," he said.

Modi and Xi are expected to meet on Tuesday, nearly a week after the two countries announced resolution of the 73-day-long Doka La standoff.

According to officials, the two leaders are scheduled to hold a meeting on 5 September on the sidelines of the 9th Brazil-Russia-India-China-South Africa (BRICS) Summit. After the bilateral with the host, Modi will be travelling to Myanmar on a bilateral visit.

The Chinese and the Indian troops were in a standoff position for nearly 73 days since 16 June when the Indian side stopped construction of a road by China's army.

On 28 August, external affairs ministry announced that New Delhi and Beijing have decided on "expeditious disengagement" of their border troops in the disputed Doka La area.

The sense is that India wants to put behind the Doka La bitterness and move ahead.

Xi, while inaugurating the BRICS business council, also called on BRICS countries to take a constructive part in the process of resolving geopolitical "hotspot issues" and make due contributions.

India is also expected to raise its concerns over terrorism at the BRICS Summit, with Modi asserting that the grouping has to make important contributions in upholding peace and security, and address global challenges.

Asked about China's comments that it will not be appropriate to discuss Pakistan's counter-terrorism records at the BRICS summit at Xiamen, External Affairs Ministry Spokesperson Raveesh Kumar said he cannot pre-empt what Modi will say during his interventions at the restricted and plenary sessions of the summit.

But he asserted that India's position on terrorism has been very clear and it has been raising the issue at various multilateral forums.

"We noticed that India, when it comes to Pakistan's counter-terrorism, has some concerns. I don't think this is an appropriate topic to be discussed at BRICS summit," Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Hua Chunying had said ahead of the Summit.

According to sources, India is expected to flag its concerns over terrorism.

The issue is also likely to find its place in the joint declaration with the Chinese president also saying that he was "convinced that as long as we take a holistic approach to fighting terrorism in all its forms, and address both its symptoms and root causes, terrorists will have no place to hide".

On Saturday, Modi in his departure statement had said, "India attaches high importance to the role of BRICS that has begun a second decade of its partnership for progress and peace. BRICS has important contributions to make in addressing global challenges and upholding world peace and security".

The prime minister had also said he was looking forward to engaging with leaders of nine other countries, including BRICS partners, in an Emerging Markets and Developing Countries Dialogue, being hosted by Xi on 5 September.

"We will also interact with the BRICS Business Council represented by captains of industry from all the five countries," he said.

Modi will hold bilateral meetings with several leaders, including Russian President Vladimir Putin and President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi of Egypt, which is among the five counties  Mexico, Guinea, Thailand and Tajikistan  invited by China as the part of BRICS outreach exercise.

#WATCH: PM Narendra Modi meets Indian diaspora in China's Xiamen. pic.twitter.com/JhthXUscXw  ANI (@ANI) September 3, 2017

Modi was also greeted by a group of Indians on his arrival at the hotel.
Darjeeling: Accusing the Gorkha Janamukti Mocha leadership of corruption and conspiring against him, ousted leader Binay Tamang on Sunday challenged GJM chief Bimal Gurung to "come out of hiding" and lead the Gorkhaland movement from the front.

"If Gurung-ji and party General Secretary Roshan Giri are true Gorkha leaders, I challenge them to come to Ground Zero in Darjeeling and lead the ongoing movement from the front. A true leader never stays in the back and puts the life of his followers in danger," Tamang told media persons.

Questioning his removal from the GJM, the former party Assistant General Secretary said he had neither received any show-cause notice nor any official letter about his ouster and thus considered himself to be very much a part of GJM.

"According to law, a registered political party like the GJM has to send a show-cause letter and a termination letter if they want to remove anyone. I have received none so far," Tamang said.

"Also, only six party leaders were present at the meeting where my removal was decided. That's not proper. I am still GJM chief coordinator and will talk to the central committee at the right moment to explain my position," he said.

Accusing the GJM of hiring "two shooters from Nepal" to assassinate him, the leader from the north Bengal hills said his and his family's lives were under threat.

He accused the GJM leadership of spreading false propaganda.

"They are saying President's Rule will be imposed in Darjeeling after 90 days of indefinite shutdown and within six months the demand for separate Gorkhaland will materialise. However, this is propaganda. It is not written anywhere that President's Rule can be imposed after 90 days of shutdown in a region," he said.

The indefinite shutdown in the Darjeeling hills continued for the 81st day on Sunday.

Tamang had led a five-member GJM delegation at the all-party meeting held on 29 August. After his return to Darjeeling, he announced that the indefinite shutdown will be called off for 12 days until the next meeting on 12 September.

However, this was opposed by the GJM leadership, which termed Binay Tamang a traitor and removed him from the party.
Washington: President Donald Trump is considering triggering a withdrawal from a free trade agreement with South Korea, a business lobbying group said Saturday, raising concerns about a move that could cause a fresh economic rift between allies at a moment of heightened tensions with a common foe.

The White House alerted lawmakers that a notification of intent to withdraw could come as soon as Tuesday, the US Chamber of Commerce wrote in an "all hands on deck" note calling on members to lobby the administration to stay in the deal.

Trump, who has blasted the bilateral agreement in the past, acknowledged Saturday he was consulting with his advisors on the future of the agreement. But he did not elaborate on timing. The agreement is "very much on my mind," Trump told a reporter from Reuters as he surveyed storm damage in Houston.

Trump is weighing the issue at a perilous moment for the Korea Peninsula. The US and South Korea are aligned in heightened standoff over North Korea's nuclear program. The North claimed it had successful developed a hydrogen bomb that can be loaded onto an intercontinental ballistic missile.

The White House had no immediate response to that claim.

The administration has been in talks to make adjustments to the trade agreement known as KORUS. A White House official noted that US trade representative Robert E Lighthizer met with Korean officials in July to begin negotiations.

The official, who was not authorized to speak publicly on the matter and asked for anonymity, said talks are ongoing.

Trump has labeled the agreement, which went into effect in 2012, a bad deal. He's made renegotiating free trade deals a key piece of his nationalist economic agenda. Among his first moves as president was scrapping his predecessor's massive, multilateral Trans Pacific Partnership.

In its note to members, the chamber said a withdrawal from KORUS would represent a further retrenchment from Asia.

"The US will lose significant market share to the EU, Australia, China and others while sending a very dangerous message that America is not interested in doing business in Asia," wrote Tami Overby, the group's senior vice president for Asia.
Washington: US president Donald Trump declared Sunday that "appeasement with North Korea" will not work, after Pyongyang claimed it had successfully tested a missile-ready hydrogen bomb.

"North Korea has conducted a major nuclear test," Trump said. "Their words and actions continue to be very hostile and dangerous to the United States."

North Korea has conducted a major Nuclear Test. Their words and actions continue to be very hostile and dangerous to the United States.....  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) September 3, 2017

His comments came hours after the US Geological Survey picked up a 6.3 magnitude "explosion" in North Korea, which Pyongyang confirmed was a nuclear test, its sixth. The isolated regime said this one was of a hydrogen bomb that could be fitted atop a ballistic missile, sharply raising the stakes in a US-North Korea confrontation.

Trump last month threatened North Korea with "fire and fury" if it continued to threaten the United States, but he refrained from direct threats in his latest tweets. "South Korea is finding, as I have told them, that their talk of appeasement with North Korea will not work, they only understand one thing!" he said.

South Korea is finding, as I have told them, that their talk of appeasement with North Korea will not work, they only understand one thing!  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) September 3, 2017

"North Korea is a rogue nation which has become a great threat and embarrassment to China, which is trying to help but with little success."
Houston: United States president Donald Trump flew to Houston on Saturday to meet with victims of Hurricane Harvey and see the effects of the record-setting storm while he presses for a multi-billion-dollar aid package.

Trump, facing the first natural disaster of his administration, was joined by his wife, Melania, as he passed out food and hugged, kissed and played with children at Houstons NRG Center, a 7,00,000-square-foot (65,000 square meter) facility that is now the citys largest emergency shelter.

Together, we will prevail in the GREAT state of Texas. We love you! GOD BLESS TEXAS & GOD BLESS THE USA pic.twitter.com/1rzmEenQIb  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) September 3, 2017

Trump, who is making his second trip to the stricken state this week, asked Congress late on Friday for an initial $7.85 billion for hurricane recovery efforts. The request comes as Washington faces tough budget negotiations. Trump told reporters at the center that his administration was moving fast to provide the financing for aid to the devastated region. We are signing a lot of documents to get money, he said.

TEXAS: We are with you today, we are with you tomorrow, and we will be with you EVERY SINGLE DAY AFTER, to restore, recover, and REBUILD! pic.twitter.com/p1Fh8jmmFA  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) September 2, 2017

Trump appeared relaxed as he posed for photographs with volunteers and chatted with those relocated to the shelter alongside Texas Governor Greg Abbott.

Melania, the sleeves of her blue denim shirt rolled up, hugged a woman and chatted with a child.

It has been a wonderful thing, Trump said of his meetings with the children as he helped serve food to evacuees amid shouts of Thank you, sir.

Trumps visit came after a week of historic flooding in the area that killed at least 40 people, displaced more than 1 million and dumped as much as 50 inches (127 cm) of rain in some areas.

The trip may have political implications for Trump, who was criticised for not meeting with victims and not showing more empathy on his first trip to Texas on Tuesday.

Trump stayed clear of the disaster zone earlier this week, saying he did not want to hamper rescue efforts. Instead, he met with Cabinet members, state and local leaders and first responders in the state capital Austin and Corpus Christi, where Harvey first hit, focusing on the logistics of the government response.

That was reasonable criticism, said Matt Mackowiak, chairman of the Republican Party in Travis County, Texas, who has praised the Trump administrations handling of the disaster.

According to the Reuters/Ipsos tracking poll, almost 59 percent of the public disapproves of Trumps performance as president.
Houston: The governor of Texas said on Sunday the "long haul" of recovery from Hurricane Harvey was just beginning, appealing to Congress to provide tens of billions of dollars needed for reconstruction.

In the nation's fourth-largest city of Houston, which was devastated by record-setting rainfall, many residents whose homes had flooded returned over the weekend to begin removing soggy drywall, soaked carpets and ruined possessions.

A week of flooding had damaged 40,000 to 50,000 homes in Houston and sent tens of thousands of people fleeing to emergency shelters. "The rebuilding process, this is where the long haul begins," Texas governor Greg Abbott said on Fox News Sunday. "This is where we come to the part where Congress plays a role."

The White House has asked Congress for $7.85 billion for Harvey-related "response and initial recovery efforts," calling it a "down payment" on the long-term cost of recovering from the record flooding.

In the end, Abbott said, recovery will cost "well over $120 billion, probably $150 billion to $180 billion."

White House budget director Mick Mulvaney has said the administration will later seek an additional $6.7 billion for disaster relief.

Harvey was blamed for at least 42 deaths, with the Houston Chronicle saying the toll of people who died or were feared dead was more than 50. Yet Houston mayor Sylvester Turner urged visitors to keep their travel plans to Houston, which he said was now 95 percent dry.

"I want to be very clear. Yes, it was a very serious storm, historic, unprecedented, but the city of Houston is open for business. "And so if you have a conference, convention, concert, any of those things that were planning to come to this city we are still ready to welcome you," Turner said, adding that city employees will be back at work on Tuesday, following the US Labor Day holiday on Monday.

Houston is not only a regional hub, but also a center of the US petroleum industry. The surrounding Gulf Coast area is home to about a third of American refining capacity. "That is a can-do city, we're not going to engage in a pity party," Turner said.

He appeared Sunday on both CBS and NBC. "We are getting back on our feet, and we are open for business. We do want people to continue to come to the city." While Houston was getting back to a semblance of normality, floodwaters in other hard-hit cities nearby such as Rockport, Beaumont and Port Arthur were slower to recede.

Meanwhile, America on Sunday marked a "National Day of Prayer" for victims of the storm. In Washington, President Donald Trump and first lady Melania Trump attended morning services at historic St. John's Church, a short distance from the White House.
Tokyo: Japan confirmed that North Korea had conducted a nuclear test on Sunday and lodged a formal protest with Pyongyang after a major explosion at the isolated nation's main test site.

"The government confirms that North Korea conducted a nuclear test after examining information from the weather agency and other information," Japanese foreign minister Taro Kono told reporters.

He said the government registered a protest with the North Korean embassy in Beijing prior to the confirmation, calling any test "extremely unforgivable".

Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe on Sunday said a sixth nuclear test by Pyongyang would be "absolutely unacceptable," after a 6.3 magnitude explosion in the North indicated a new detonation.

"If it forcibly conducted a nuclear test, it's absolutely unacceptable. We have to strongly protest it," Abe said. "There is a possibility that this is not a natural quake and that North Korea conducted a nuclear test," he said, adding that the Japanese weather agency detected a seismic wave.
North Korean state media claimed Sunday that the country had developed a thermonuclear warhead that could be fitted into its new intercontinental ballistic missile, in the latest brazen assertion of its weapons capabilities.

The official Korean Central News Agency said leader Kim Jong-Un had inspected a miniaturised H-bomb that could be loaded onto a missile  although doubts remain over the veracity of Pyongyang's claims.

Here are key dates in the North's quest to develop a nuclear-tipped missile capable of hitting the United States:

Late 1970s: North Korea starts working on a version of the Soviet Scud-B (range 300 kilometres or 185 miles). Test-fired in 1984

1987-1992: Begins developing variant of Scud-C (range 500 km), Rodong-1 (1,300 km), Taepodong-1 (2,500 km), Musudan-1 (3,000 km) and Taepodong-2 (6,700 km)

August 1998: Test-fires Taepodong-1 rocket over Japan in what it calls a satellite launch  the US and others say it is a missile

September 1999: Declares moratorium on long-range missile tests amid improving ties with US

July 12, 2000: Fifth round of US-North Korean missile talks ends without agreement after North demands $1 billion a year in return for halting missile exports

3 March, 2005: Pyongyang ends moratorium on long-range missile testing, blames Bush administration's "hostile" policy

5 July, 2006: Test-fires seven missiles, including a long-range Taepodong-2 which explodes after 40 seconds

9 October, 2006: Conducts underground nuclear test, its first

5 April, 2009: Launches long-range rocket which flies over Japan and lands in the Pacific, in what it says is an attempt to put a satellite into orbit. The United States, Japan and South Korea see it as a disguised test of a Taepodong-2

25 May, 2009: Conducts its second underground nuclear test, several times more powerful than the first

13 April, 2012: Launches what it has said is a long-range rocket to put a satellite into orbit, but which disintegrates soon after blast-off

12 December, 2012: Launches a multi-stage rocket and successfully places an Earth observational satellite in orbit

12 February, 2013: Conducts its third underground nuclear test

6 January, 2016: Conducts its fourth underground nuclear test, which it says was a hydrogen bomb  a claim doubted by most experts

9 March, 2016: Kim Jong-Un claims the North has successfully miniaturised a thermo-nuclear warhead

23 April, 2016: Pyongyang test-fires a submarine-launched ballistic missile

8 July, 2016: US and South Korea announce plans to deploy an advanced missile defence system -- THAAD (Terminal High Altitude Area Defense)

3 August, 2016: North Korea fires a ballistic missile directly into Japan's maritime economic zone for the first time

9 September, 2016: Conducts fifth nuclear test, its most powerful to date

6 March, 2017: Fires four ballistic missiles in what it says is an exercise to hit US bases in Japan

7 March, 2017: US begins deploying THAAD missile defence system in South Korea

14 May, 2017: North Korea fires a ballistic missile which flies 700 kilometres before landing in the Sea of Japan. Analysts say it has an imputed range of 4,500 kilometres (2,800 miles) and brings Guam within reach

4 July, 2017: Test-fires a ballistic missile that analysts say brings Alaska within reach. Pyongyang later says it was a "landmark" test of a Hwasong-14 intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM)

28 July, 2017: Launches a missile with a theoretical range of 10,000 kilometres, meaning it could hit much of the United States

26 August, 2017: Fires three short-range ballistic missiles

29 August, 2017: Fires ballistic missile over Japan and into the Pacific, acknowledging for the first time that it has done so. South Korea says it flew around 2,700 kilometres at a maximum altitude of about 550 kilometres

3 September, 2017: State media show leader Kim Jong-Un inspecting what it professes to be an H-bomb that can be loaded onto an ICBM. The claims have not been confirmed
SEOUL: North Korea said on Sunday it has developed an advanced hydrogen bomb that possesses great destructive power as US President Donald Trump and Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe talked by phone about the escalating nuclear crisis.

The report by North Koreas official KCNA news agency comes amid heightened regional tension following Pyongyangs two tests of intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBM) in July that potentially could fly about 10,000 km (6,200 miles), putting many parts of the mainland United States within range.

Under third-generation leader Kim Jong Un, North Korea has been pursuing a nuclear device small and light enough to fit on a long-range ballistic missile, without affecting its range and making it capable of surviving re-entry into the Earths atmosphere.

North Korea, which carries out its nuclear and missile programs in defiance of UN Security Council resolutions and sanctions, recently succeeded in making a more advanced hydrogen bomb that will be loaded on to an ICBM, KCNA said.

The H-bomb, the explosive power of which is adjustable from tens kiloton to hundreds kiloton, is a multi-functional thermonuclear nuke with great destructive power which can be detonated even at high altitudes for super-powerful EMP (electromagnetic pulse) attack according to strategic goals, KCNA said.

All components of the H-bomb were homemade and all the processes were put on the Juche basis, thus enabling the country to produce powerful nuclear weapons as many as it wants, KCNA quoted Kim as saying.

Juche is North Koreas homegrown ideology of self-reliance that is a mix of Marxism and extreme nationalism preached by state founder Kim Il Sung, the current leaders grandfather. It says its weapons programmes are needed to counter US aggression.

North Korea offered no evidence for its latest claim, and Kim Dong-yub, a military expert at Kyungnam Universitys Institute of Far Eastern Studies in Seoul, was sceptical.

Referring to tens to hundreds of kilotons, it doesnt appear to be talking about a fully fledged H-bomb. Its more likely a boosted nuclear device, Kim said, referring to an atomic bomb which uses some hydrogen isotopes to boost explosive yield.
Washington: The United States seized control of three Russian diplomatic posts in the US Sunday after confirming the Russians had complied with the Trump administration's order to get out within two days, officials said.

As the Kremlin cried foul, accusing Washington of bullying tactics, the US disputed Moscow's claims that American officials had threatened to "break down the entrance door" to one of the facilities, and that the FBI was "clearing the premises."

Not true, said a senior state department official, adding that US officials had joined Russian Embassy personnel for walkthroughs of the three buildings. "These inspections were carried out to secure and protect the facilities and to confirm the Russian government had vacated the premises," the official said in a statement emailed to reporters by the state department on condition the official not be named.

Russia has been incensed by the move to shutter Russia's consulate in San Francisco and trade offices in Washington and New York, actions the US took in retaliation for Moscow's decision last month to force the US to cut its diplomatic personnel in Russia to 455.

Moscow has accused the US of violating international law by shuttering the facilities, a charge the US disputes. On Sunday, Russia's foreign ministry said it had summoned the US deputy chief of mission in Moscow, Anthony Godfrey, to deliver a formal protest note calling the purported trade office search an "unprecedented aggressive action."

The foreign ministry also posted video on Facebook that it said showed FBI agents inspecting the consulate general building in San Francisco. In the video, a man in a tie knocks on several numbered doors and enters what appears to be apartment units, taking a quick glance inside before declaring everything in order.

There was no additional comment from the US about whether the FBI was involved in the inspections. The state department declined to answer additional questions about whether the

premises might be searched for intelligence-gathering purposes now that the Russians have left.

A day earlier, black smoke was seen billowing from the chimney at the consulate as the Russians rushed to meet the Saturday deadline, and workers could be seen hauling boxes out of the stately building.

The US did appear to bow to one Russian complaint that they were given a mere 48 hours to vacate homes used by diplomats and their families. Softening the original order, the US said it had made "separate arrangements" to give families "sufficient time" to pack their belongings and vacate apartments on the consulate grounds.

In the meantime, the state department will control all access to the properties, along with the responsibility for securing and maintaining them, the official said. The closures on both US coasts mark perhaps the most drastic diplomatic measure by the United States against Russia since 1986, near the end of the Cold War, when the nuclear-armed powers expelled dozens of each other's diplomats.

And it comes amid some of the broadest strains in their relationship ever since. The two countries have clashed over the wars in Ukraine and Syria, but most significantly over American allegations that Russia meddled in the 2016 US election to boost President Donald Trump's chances of victory.

Investigations continue into whether Trump's campaign colluded with Moscow.
Seven months after Donald Trump took office as the President of the United States on 20 January this year, CNN has obtained a copy of a letter addressed to Trump by former president Barack Obama in which he offered his 'reflections' to the newly elected 'occupant' of the White House.

Trump had reportedly shown the letter to some of his aides who then revealed it to CNN.

In the letter, Obama congratulated Trump on his election victory and said, "Millions have placed their hopes in you, and all of us, regardless of party, should hope for expanded prosperity and security during your tenure."

The 275-word letter details friendly advice on what being a president entails and urged Trump to unite the world that's deeply polarised. Obama described the White House as "a unique office" and said that there is no "clear blueprint to success". Instead of outlining a formula to a successful presidency, the former president chose to describe his reflections on the eight years of his tenure.

Obama first wrote that Trump and he were blessed with a good fortune, though in different ways. "Not everyone is so lucky. It's up to us to do everything we can (to) build more ladders of success for every child and family that's willing to work hard," wrote Obama.

He then went on to describe the American leadership as indispensable to the world and said that it was up to the US to "sustain the international order that's expanded steadily since the end of the Cold War, and upon which our own wealth and safety depend".

Obama continued to ask Trump to remember that they are just "temporary occupants of this office". "That makes us guardians of those democratic institutions and traditions  like rule of law, separation of powers, equal protection and civil liberties  that our forebears fought and bled for. Regardless of the push and pull of daily politics, it's up to us to leave those instruments of our democracy at least as strong as we found them," he wrote to Trump.

Interestingly, Trump has displayed a completely opposite mien from the time he assumed office from constantly bringing up the "huge crowd" size at his inauguration to hinting at offering presidential pardons to people close to him if they're found guilty of colluding with Russians to sway the 2016 election results.

Towards the end of the letter, Obama told Trump to make time for his family and friends despite the constant events and responsibilities involved.

He concluded the letter by wishing Trump and his wife Melania the best for "this great adventure" and signed off as "Godspeed. BO".

"We are just temporary occupants of this office." Read the letter Obama left for Trump on Inauguration Day. https://t.co/fe8uTBrTvj pic.twitter.com/Q1nzKBuroc  Kyle Griffin (@kylegriffin1) September 3, 2017

Earlier, in an interview with ABC News, Trump said he received a "beautiful letter" that was "so well written" in his Oval Office desk drawer from Obama. He showed the envelope but did not disclose the content of the letter. "It was long. It was complex. It was thoughtful. And it took time to do it, and I appreciated it and I called him and thanked him," Trump said.

The letter writing is a tradition of sorts where each outgoing president writes notes to the incoming one. When Obama became the president in 2007, the then-president George W Bush left a handwritten letter to his successor congratulating for the start of a "fantastic chapter" in his life. Prior to that, both Bill Clinton and George HW Bush had left notes for their successors.

So far, in his ongoing controversial tenure as president, Trump has never met or directly contacted Obama since the former's inauguration. He has constantly come under heavy fire and criticism, from Democrats and Republicans alike, for reversing several Obama-era regulations, especially his attempt to repeal Obamacare.
Huawei at the IFA 2017 announced Kirin 970, its next-generation processor of high-end devices and the worlds first mobile SoC with dedicated Neural Processing Unit (NPU). It is an Octa-Core SoC with four ARM Cortex A73 Cores clocked up to 2.4GHz and four ARM Cortex A53 Cores clocked up to 1.8 GHz, similar to the Kirin 960, but this is built on 10nm TSMC process technology compared to 16nm FinFET process in the predecessor and has a faster ARM Mali-G72MP12 GPU. It has support for LTE Category 18 offering download speeds of up to 1.2 Gbps.

Compared to a quad-core Cortex-A73 CPU cluster, the Kirin 970s new heterogeneous computing architecture delivers up to 25x the performance with 50x greater efficiency, said Huawei.

Highlights of Huawei Kirin 970 SoC

Up to 2.4 GHz quad-core ARM Cortex A73 + up to 1.8 GHz quad-core ARM Cortex A53

ARM Mali-G72MP12 GPU

TSMC 10nm process

Neural Processing Unit (NPU): 1.92T FP16 OPS

Dual ISP: Motion detection and low light enhancement, 4-hybrid focus

Video: HDR10; 4K at 60fps decoding, 4K at 30fps encoding

Security Engine: TEE and inSE

Integrated Multi-mode 4G LTE Modem  Category 18 FDD / TDD for downloads (up to 1.2 Gbps)

Huawei did not reveal any other specifications of the SoC, but it said that the Kirin 970 will power the Mate 10 series that will be announced at an event in Munich, Germany on October 16.

Commenting on the announcement, Richard Yu, CEO of HUAWEI Consumer Business Group, said:

As we look to the future of smartphones, were at the threshold of an exciting new era. Mobile AI = On-Device AI + Cloud AI. HUAWEI is committed to developing smart devices into intelligent devices by building end-to-end capabilities that support coordinated development of chips, devices, and the cloud. The ultimate goal is to provide a significantly better user experience. The Kirin 970 is the first in a series of new advances that will bring powerful AI features to our devices and take them beyond the competition.
Huawei at the IFA 2017 announced its flagship Kirin 970 10nm SoC with a dedicated neural network processing unit. At the end of the event it also confirmed that the Mate 10 series  Mate 10 and Mate 10 Pro powered by Kirin 970 will be announced at an event in Munich, Germany on October 16th. The Mate 9 series were announced at Munich event on November 3 last year.

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Huawei CEO Richard Yu already confirmed that the Mate 10 will have a full-screen display, support for fast charge, better cameras and more features. A recent teaser from Huawei Australia shows dual rear cameras for the phone so it could have Leica lenses with RGB and Monochrome sensors, similar to the Mate 9.

The Kirin 970 has 4-hybrid focus, dual ISP for motion detection and low light enhancement. It also supports Cat.18 LTE offering download speeds of up to 1.2 Gbps and several LTE bands. A teaser for Kirin 970 shows a smartphone with minimal bezels, which could be the Mate 10. We should know more details of the Mate 10 in the coming weeks.

Source
As we age, the changing physical and mental health and challenging life events like the loss of loved ones and retirement increase the risk for isolation. Research shows that prolonged isolation can have a negative effect on older adults and is a risk with significant consequences.

According to the new AARP Foundation website Connect2Affect, 17% of American adults age 65 and older are isolated, and research shows a 26% increased risk of death due to subjective feeling of loneliness. Six million adults age 65 and older have a disability that prevents them from leaving their homes without help and 51% of people age 75 and older live alone.

There is no magical age at which we need to abandon our dreams and surrender our possibilities, said renowned psychologist Dr. Andrea Brandt.

Increasing numbers of Americans are suffering from chronic loneliness, a disturbing trend that poses more of a public health threat than obesity. Dr. Brandt discussed with FOX Business these tips on how baby boomers can deal with loneliness.

I imagine part of the reason why there's an increase in the number of baby boomers affected by loneliness is due to the way we age and the way families interact as we age has changed. It used to be that we would grow up and grow old in the same city or town. As a child, your grandparents lived nearby, and then someday you'd be that grandparent and live near your grandchildren. Now people grow up and move to a different city for college, and then a different city for their job. It makes sense that all that dislocating would make us feel isolated. So what can be done about it?

I'd start by looking at your current living situation. Ask yourself if you're living your best possible life in your current location. If you feel lonely and isolated where you are, consider relocating to be closer to family or friends. Sometimes that may mean having to downsize, moving from your house to an apartment, but you should think of what you're gainingfeelings of happiness, love and companionshiprather than what you're losingsquare feet.

If you can't move to a new location, or you relocate but still feel lonely, I suggest exploring opportunities in your area to meet new people. Fitness classes, especially ones geared toward those over 55, are a great place to meet people. Classes that match your intellectual and creative interests are great, too. If you dreamed of being an artist but worked in an office for decades, see if there's an art class near you. Many colleges offer classes for the community. Other ideas: see if the library near you has a book club you can attend, volunteer for a cause you're passionate about, or join a church, temple, or mosquemany have morning or afternoon discussion classes. Combatting loneliness is all about keeping an eye out for opportunities and having an open mind.

People in their later years sometimes forget about the importance of intimate relationships. If you're in a relationship and feel lonely in it, now is the right time to find that spark again. Taking a trip together, even if it's just a day trip, can add something to a relationship that's starting to feel lackluster. You want to experience something new with your partner as often as you can. If you're single, remember that it's never too late to find new love. I know people who happily dated into their 90s! There are websites geared specifically toward people looking for love later in life.
Following North Koreas announcement that it successfully tested a thermonuclear device on Sunday, former U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations John Bolton said more diplomacy will only make matters worse regarding the Hermit Kingdoms nuclear threat to surrounding countries and America.

I think the only diplomatic option left is to end the regime in North Korea by effectively having the South take it over, Bolton told Sunday Morning Futures. Anybody who thinks that more diplomacy with North Korea or sanctions, whether against North Korea or an effort to apply sanctions against China, is just giving North Korea more time to increase its nuclear arsenal, increase its ballistic missile capability, increase the accuracy of its guidance systems and put us, South Korea and Japan in more jeopardy.

The artificial earthquake caused by the test was five to six times stronger than tremors created by previous tests; South Korean officials put the magnitude at 5.7 and the U.S. Geological Survey said it was a magnitude 6.3, according to The Associated Press.

In addition to the threat of the country launching a thermonuclear weapon, Bolton explained that the willingness of Kim Jong Un to sell anything for money is also quite worrisome.

They could sell these weapons, ballistic missiles and the nuclear devices themselves to Iran in a heartbeat. North Korea can sell these devices to terrorist groups around the world; they could be used as electromagnetic pulse weapons (EMPs), not necessarily hitting targets, but destroying our electric grids capabilities, the former ambassador said, adding that they could also be used for nuclear blackmail.

President Trump reacted to the news of the alleged test on Twitter saying, North Korea is a rogue nation which has become a great threat and embarrassment to China, which is trying to help but with little success.

..North Korea is a rogue nation which has become a great threat and embarrassment to China, which is trying to help but with little success.  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) September 3, 2017

He also criticized South Korea for not taking a tougher stand against the communist country.

South Korea is finding, as I have told them, that their talk of appeasement with North Korea will not work, they only understand one thing!  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) September 3, 2017

Bolton said the U.S. has fooled around with North Korea for 25 years, and if that continues, the current situation will only worsen.

It would be a lesson to every nuclear state in the world that if you just have patience enough you can wear the United States down. The notion that we can accept North Korea or Iran with any kind of nuclear capability just means that we will forever be at their mercy, he said.
The U.N. Security Council is holding its second emergency meeting in a week about North Korea on Monday after a powerful nuclear test explosion added another layer of urgency for diplomats wrestling with what to do about the North's persistent weapons programs.

Scheduled after North Korea said it detonated a hydrogen bomb underground Sunday, the emergency session comes six days after the council strongly condemned Pyongyang's "outrageous" launch of a ballistic missile over Japan. Less than a month ago, the council imposed its stiffest sanctions so far on the reclusive nation.

North Korea is "deliberately undermining regional peace and stability," the council said Tuesday when it rebuked the missile test, reiterating demands for the country to halt its ballistic missile and nuclear weapons programs.

The North trumpeted "perfect success" Sunday in its sixth nuclear test blast since 2006.

Requested by the United States, Japan, France, Britain and South Korea, the Security Council meeting Monday could bring additional condemnation and discussion of other potential steps. British Prime Minister Theresa May called in a statement Sunday for speeding the implementation of existing sanctions and "looking urgently" at new measures in the council.

"We cannot waste any more time. And in order to do that, we need North Korea to feel the pressure, but if they go down this road there will be consequences." Japanese Ambassador Koro Bessho told reporters ahead of the council meeting.

French Ambassador Francois Delattre said France was calling for the adoption of new UN sanctions, swift implementation of existing ones and new separate sanctions by the European Union.

The council aimed to take a big bite out of the North Korean economy earlier this month by banning the North from exporting coal, iron, lead and seafood products. Together, those are worth about a third of the country's $3 billion in exports last year.

The council could look to sanction other profitable North Korean exports, such as textiles. Another possibility could be tighter limits on North Korean laborers abroad; the recent sanctions barred giving any new permits for such workers. The U.S. also suggested some other ideas earlier this summer, including air and maritime restrictions and restricting oil to North Korea's military and weapons programs.

However, Russian Ambassador Vassily Nebenzia told the council Tuesday that "addressing the issues plaguing the (Korean) Peninsula through sanction pressure alone is impossible" because "that path does not propose any options for engaging (North Korea) in constructive negotiations."

Russia and China have both proposed a two-pronged approach: North Korea would suspend its nuclear and missile development, and the U.S. and South Korea would suspend their joint military exercises, which they say are defensive but Pyongyang views as a rehearsal for invasion. The North recently requested a Security Council meeting about the war games.

Washington says there is no comparison between its openly conducted, internationally monitored military drills and North Korea's weapons programs, which the international community has banned.

Neither North Korea nor South Korea is a Security Council member.
Dean McDermott could be in serious trouble.

Tori Spellings husband narrowly avoided jail in March after his ex-wife agreed to allow him to pay overdue child support and alimony in small monthly installments  rather than see him locked up by an LA judge.

But now McDermott has missed multiple payments on their $1,500-a-month agreement, according to sources. And his furious ex, Mary Jo Eustace, is hauling him back to court  which once again means hes looking at a stay in the slammer.

Spelling and McDermott have lately suffered a series of major financial struggles. Since January 2016, theyve been hit with a string of lawsuits and liens for credit-card debts, bank loans and overdue taxes well into the six figures.

In March, McDermott was almost arraigned for criminal contempt of court for not keeping up with child-support payments.When he appeared to face the charge, McDermott told the judge that he had fallen on hard times, according to reports. He was read his rights and asked if he needed a public defender, but the judge allowed McDermott a reprieve if he and Eustace could reach an agreement.

Said an insider, Its crazy that all this is over $1,500. He could get a job at the Gap and pay that off every month.

A source close to McDermott told us that Eustace had been warned that the August payment would be late.

Its not like it came out of left field, said the insider. It was late because Dean was paying their son Jacks first-month rent, security deposit and several other college expenses, which Mary Jo would not contribute to.

The source says that a payment was made to Eustace on Friday.

Meanwhile, were told that it was not lost on Eustace that, after skipping the payments, Spelling and McDermott took their kids on a luxurious vacation to the Four Seasons in Punta Mita, Mexico.

In the past, Spellings mother, Candy  the widow of soap-opera mogul Aaron Spelling  has been known to pay for lavish birthday parties for their children, Liam, 10, Stella, 9, Hattie, 5, Finn, 5, and 6-month-old Beau.

This article originally appeared in Page Six.
ABC brass are fuming at Michael Strahan, sources say, after the Houston native and Good Morning America anchor did not cut his vacation short to return and cover the Hurricane Harvey disaster.

A source told Page Six: ABC News asked Strahan to come home from his vacation. Hes from Houston. But he refused and is still floating around on a yacht in Greece somewhere. ABC is really upset with him.

Another source said that ABC staffers just cannot believe he didnt come back.

But Michael Corn, senior executive producer of GMA told us, I spoke with [Strahan] every day. Michael was very clear he wanted to be part of the coverage, and we decided the best plan was for him to lead the charge covering the recovery.

Strahans rep further said, They did not ask him to come back. Hes been in direct contact with his family  and thankfully they are doing fine. He is headed [to Houston] next week and will help in any way that he can.

Miffing colleagues even more, Strahan was on the second week of his yacht vacation, sources said, having recently gone on a safari.

GMA vet Robin Roberts returned from her end-of-summer getaway to cover the tragedy. We hear Roberts was not asked to return, but did so voluntarily. At other networks, Anderson Cooper was reportedly scheduled to be off all week at CNN, but anchored his show from Houston on Wednesday.

Strahans vacation ends Monday, and we hear hell be in Houston next week for ABC and GMA beginning Tuesday.

He tweeted, To my hometown of Houston and everyone there . . . I Love You and am praying for your safety. H-TOWN LOVE!

Reports say hell host an upcoming telethon for Harvey victims with stars Jamie Foxx,Reese Witherspoon and Blake Shelton.

We reported earlier this year that Strahan has previously ruffled feathers by getting special attention when others who have been working there longer dont get that kind of treatment. But a source groused, Thats just bulls - - t.

This article originally appeared in Page Six.
Houston Independent School District students will be eating free this year, as families are sure to be recovering from the Hurricane Harvey disaster for quite some time.

The district has received approval from the United States Department of Agriculture and the Texas Department of Agriculture to waive the required application process for the national school lunch and breakfast program.

The decision will allow all 218-thousand students to eat all school meals for free this school year.

Despite the waiver parents are still being asked to complete the application for free meals to help the district secure funding.

In addition to free lunch and breakfast the district will be providing free supper as well.

District officials say the waiver will give families one less concern and allow their limited funds to go toward recovery efforts.

This article originally appeared on Fox26 Houston.
Amy Schumer is back in the news for her generous tipping habit.

The actress and comedian was dining at a Boston restaurant when she decided to share the wealth with her waitress.

DENNY'S BLASTED FOR TWEETING THAT NON-TIPPERS ARE HEARTLESS

Schumer, who is in Massachusetts filming her upcoming film I Fell Pretty, popped into The Union Oyster House for an early dinner last week with a pal of hers.

The stand-up star, who was sat in the back dining room to protect her privacy, racked up an $80 bill at the oyster fixture ordering oysters, clam chowder and other Boston staples.

While dining, Schumer confessed to the server that she used to be a waitress and knew how hard it was, restaurant owner Joe Milano said to People.

The waitress and Emmaneul College student was happy to be serving Schumer, Milano said. And even happier once she saw what Schumer had placed on the tip line  a whopping $500.

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She was excited to be serving her, Milano said. But then to get that kind of tip was something else.

Schumer has left large tips before, making headlines last year for a $1,000 tip on a $77 check.

In an interview with Howard Stern, Schumer confessed why she is such a good tipper, stating, it feels good. It's a little selfish because it feels so good to be able to do that and know that you made their night.
Thanks to cheap sex, marriage may be doomed.

The share of Americans ages 25-34 who are married dropped 13 percentage points from 2000 to 2014. A new book by sociologist Mark Regnerus blames this declining rate on how easy it is for men to get off.

Regnerus calls it cheap sex, an economic term meant to describe sex that has very little cost in terms of time or emotional investment, giving it little value.

Regnerus bases his ideas, in part, on the work of British social theorist Anthony Giddens, who argued that the pill isolated sex from marriage and children. Add online pornography and dating sites to the mix and you dont even need relationships.

The result is two overlapping (but distinctive) markets, one for sex and one for marriage, with a rather large territory in between comprised of significant relationships of varying commitment and duration, Regnerus writes in Cheap Sex: The Transformation of Men, Marriage, and Monogamy (Oxford University Press).

In generations past, women generally made men wait until marriage to have sex. To get a wife (and, therefore, sex), men had to be clean and presentable and have a good job. This, Regnerus reasons, gave men all the motivation they needed to become respectable members of society.

Now with porn on-demand and greater reproductive freedom, sex is a commodity available at any time. This has left men with little motivation for marriage, writes Regnerus, who cites demographer Steven Ruggles prediction that one of every three people in their 20s will never marry.

Regnerus blames cheap sex for the decreasing education and employment rates among men as greater numbers of women get college degrees and enter the labor force. Six percent more women than men in the 25-34 age group have a bachelors degree.

Regnerus backs this theory up with a quote from social psychologists Roy Baumeister and Kathleen Vohs, who study this phenomenon. Nowadays young men can skip the wearying detour of getting education and career prospects to qualify for sex, they write. Sex has become free and easy. This is todays version of the opiate of the (male) masses.

Regnerus argues that while women have maintained their role as sexual gatekeepers, men control the marriage market. And given the ease with which sex can be accessed, Regnerus believes that mens motivations for marriage have all but disappeared. He surveyed 15,000 people and found that among unmarried respondents under 40, for every 82 men who wished to be married, 100 women said the same.

This ratio, he says, keeps ultimate relationship power in the hands of men. To plenty of women, it appears that men have a fear of commitment. But men, on average, are not afraid of commitment, Regnerus writes.

The story is that men are in the drivers seat in the marriage market and are optimally positioned to navigate it in a way that privileges their (sexual) interests and preferences. It need not even be conscious behavior on their part.

"(M)en are in the drivers seat in the marriage market and are optimally positioned to navigate it in a way that privileges their (sexual) interests and preferences. It need not even be conscious behavior on their part."  Mark Regnerus, sociologist. author of "Cheap Sex"

In turn, he writes, this leads women to settle, entering into doomed or otherwise unsatisfying marriages.

Regnerus even points to Fifty Shades of Grey to prove his point. In the book, Christian Grey gets Anastasia Steele to agree to a series of submissive conditions, including any sexual activity deemed fit and pleasurable by him, with no such power returned on her end. I recognize that Fifty Shades is fiction, Regnerus writes. Its made up. But when you sell 100 million copies in two years, your narrative is resonating. Theres something to it.

Meanwhile, many will go it alone. Self-love for men and women is at an all-time high. A 1992 study found that 29 percent of men (and 9 percent of women) masturbated at least once a week. In 2014, 49 percent of men (and 32 percent of women) confessed to doing it at least once in the previous six days. Unsurprisingly, as frequency of [watching] porn increased, so did masturbation.

All of this, Regnerus concludes, means that as long as sex is so low cost for men, heterosexual women will have increasing difficulties finding a partner worth committing to.

In the domain of sex and relationships, men will act as nobly as women collectively demand, he writes. This is an aggravating statement for women to read, no doubt. They do not want to be responsible for raising men. But it is realistic.
The National Safety Council estimates that more than 400 people may be killed in car crashes over this Labor Day holiday weekend. And it says traffic fatalities claimed the lives of an estimated 40,200 people on U.S. roads in all of 2016. Yet traffic deaths often dont make national news, unless someone famous is involved or a large number of people are killed in a single accident.

My own search of public databases shows that since the year 2000, 170 people have been killed in the entire world in about 40 attacks by cars, trucks and vans driven by terrorists and people deemed mentally unstable. That works out to an average of about four people killed per attack, although loss of life is greater in some incidents and less in others. These attacks frequently draw heavy worldwide media coverage.

Why? Because psychologists tell us that even a relatively small amount of violence  when it is random and theoretically appears to make every one of us a potential target  has enormous power to fill us with fear. The public demands that something must be done, whatever the costs or societal effects. In that sense, terrorism works.

I bring up these statistics not to downplay the seriousness of terrorism using vehicles, or to minimize the tragedy of the deaths and injuries suffered by its victims. But its important to understand how rare vehicular terrorism is when determining how far society should go in trying to prevent it and how much should be spent at the local, state and national level to protect against this frightening but infrequent threat.

This leads to uncomfortable questions: Do expensive measure to reduce vehicular terrorism represent a good investment? Couldnt more lives be saved by spending the additional money to make roads and vehicles safer, so more people could avoid and survive accidents?

Airline hijackings came to define terrorism in the 1970s, as did suicide bombings in the 1980s. Now the use of vehicles to mow down pedestrians is becoming increasingly commonplace.

Two vehicular terrorist attacks in Spain in August, which claimed 16 lives, are the latest examples of the chilling new trend of terrorists turning vehicles into deadly weapons.

The attacks have added urgency to discussions of what can be done to reduce vehicular terrorism. In the lexicon of the security world, these ideas come under the heading of hostile vehicle mitigation measures, and they include a broad range of possibilities.

Mitigation, not prevention, is the operative word here. Cities are filled with pedestrians and vehicles, in some cases separated by mere inches. Many of the measures to reduce vehicular terrorist attacks would be disruptive and costly, and could easily be circumvented.

If we want to do more to combat terrorists using vehicles to kill innocent men, women and children on our streets and sidewalks, here are 10 potential mitigation measures, along with their benefits and potential downsides.

Armed police: More armed police can be deployed to increase surveillance and respond more quickly to an event. However, the time between a moving car or truck suddenly veering into pedestrians and a street filled with casualties is a matter of seconds  rapid response is still good, but cannot prevent carnage. But putting more police on road surveillance reduces the number available for other important duties. And hiring more police is an expensive proposition.

Increased surveillance: Theoretically, algorithms could be developed to help car rental companies identify out-of-the-ordinary rentals, much like airlines use similar methods to identify passengers meriting greater scrutiny. This could prompt crosschecking with existing databases. But it will not prevent terrorists from borrowing or stealing vehicles, or using their own. And it is sure to raise privacy concerns.

Pedestrian barriers: The fences between sidewalks and the street that now prevent jaywalking or street crossings at dangerous intersections can be strengthened and expanded. This complicates street parking, but parked cars are themselves a barrier.

Traffic obstructions: Bollards, or posts, can be installed (or trees grown) to prevent any vehicle that jumps the curb from traveling more than 20 or 30 feet on a sidewalk. But this would be a massive undertaking if it was instituted along the curb of every busy street. And vehicles could still hit pedestrians by running red lights at crowded intersections.

Slow down traffic: Speed bumps can be installed, slowing down and increasing traffic, and potentially impeding a terrorist driving a vehicle. But this would be a big inconvenience for law-abiding drivers who travel along these roads every day. Slowing down traffic would lead to increased congestion and increased travel times.

Barriers at events: Trucks are now routinely parked to block streets hosting open-air markets. For instance, vehicle access is denied to the thousands gathered in New Yorks Times Square on New Years Eve. Measures were in place to protect those watching the fireworks on Bastille Day in July 2016 in Nice, France, but a security failure may have allowed an unchecked cargo truck to enter the protected area  and 84 people died in the attack. Still, this option could be one of the least expensive and the least inconveniencing measure on this list.

Protecting government buildings: The threat of terrorist truck bombs has already resulted in road closures and the installation of barriers around government buildings. These measures can be expanded. But this does nothing to prevent terrorists from driving into nongovernment buildings where many people congregate.

Widening the security circle: On a more ambitious level, entire portions of cities can be surrounded by surveillance measures and physical barriers. During the Irish Republican Armys terrorist campaign, rings of steel encircled downtown Belfast and later the financial district of London. Short of permanent measures, police can set up checkpoints and conduct random vehicle stops, as they do to detect drunken drivers or look for suspicious drivers and vehicles at airports. But this would likely spark complaints from some drivers and civil liberties groups.

Pedestrian walkways: More busy shopping streets and restaurant rows can be turned into pedestrian-only areas where no vehicles are allowed, already a popular trend. But this could create a shortage of parking spaces outside the pedestrian areas, and it might make it hard for some customers to get where they need to go.

Technological solutions: Various electronic means of remotely shutting down vehicles exist and could possibly be employed to prevent vehicular attacks. Looking ahead, autonomous vehicles could be programmed to preclude their use as weapons. But self-driving cars could be prone to hacking.

More analysis is required to determine which of these barriers to vehicular terrorism would be most effective, identify other countermeasures and figure out what they would cost. But this does not preclude a discussion of whether the potential results merit the disruption and investment.

While relatively easy to carry out, vehicle attacks have not proved to be the most lethal terrorist tactic. And it is not clear that any of the suggested potential security measures would prevent a determined terrorist behind the wheel from driving a bit further to get roughly the same results.

Every death by vehicle on our roads is deplorable, of course. But ordinary traffic fatalities have not led to calls to dramatically redesign roads, cars and trucks regardless of cost. Yet a tiny fraction of the carnage, when caused by terrorists, creates alarm. This leads to another uncomfortable question: How can society learn to deal with that fear?
As President Trump gropes with the devastation of Harvey, he should also pay attention to Chinas bold bid to become the leader of the global economy. This weekend, it will build the foundation of that takeover strategy with BRICS.

BRICS stands for the charter members  Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa  of an economic alliance formed by China that hopes to challenge Americas traditional dominance in world economic affairs.

Chinas gross domestic product (GDP) is already the worlds second largest. By allying itself with another major American nemesis  Russia  and the rapidly growing economies of Brazil and India, China hopes to bypass the U.S. in world influence, especially in developing countries.

Ensuring that the BRICS summit is a success is vitally important to Chinese President Xi Jinping, who will preside over the three-day session. Chinese TV has been running a nightly hagiography of Xi, painting him as a leader who can bring the world together and ensure widespread prosperity. The contrast with Trump, who was elected on his Make America Great Again rhetoric, could not be more glaring.

Its no accident that China picked partners from South America, Asia and Africa, along with Europes largest country, Russia, to make its challenge. And the summit beginning Sunday in the Chinese city of Xiamen will include prospective new members including Egypt, Mexico, Guinea and Thailand  all of them from regions around the world where the U.S. is seeing its influence in decline.

China has already started thinking about a BRICS-plus, says Sourabh Gupta, a senior policy analyst at the Institute for China-America Studies. This is essentially about China focusing beyond its neighbors, big emerging economies and embracing and integrating other developing countries, so that China can leverage its influence and take leadership roles at the global level.

Chinas inroads into U.S. leadership have grown increasingly assertive, even as Trump promises to reset the dial on American relations with Beijing. The ongoing North Korea nuclear situation, where Trump correctly thinks China could be more helpful, has stalled development of an overall trade policy.

Even as the U.S. struggles to identify and shape its goals, Trump is repeating his campaign threats to enact tariffs and protectionist measures against Chinese imports that could start a trade war. Hes also considering how to answer Chinas ongoing island-building in the South China Sea  which Beijing regards as sovereign territory.

China is not without weapons, aside from its military. It holds $1.2 trillion dollars of U.S. government securities  in other words, loans -- that could be called in at any time. China also controls 95 percent of the worlds production of rare earth elements, minerals and metals that are crucial to almost electronic and digital product from GPS systems to the F-35 fighter jet. China cut off exports of rare earths in 2010, and sent world markets into a frenzy.

With the misery in Texas dominating TV screens, its difficult for Trump to pay heed to a summit in provincial China. He should.

His top priority as president is Americas safety and welfare. Chinas leader has the same priorities for his country  and a plan built with BRICS to make sure things go his way.
North Korea made clear its determination this weekend to keep advancing its nuclear weapons program, conducting its sixth and most powerful underground nuclear test only hours after claiming it has now developed a hydrogen bomb that can reach United States with the potential to kill millions.

I doubt the truth of the Norths boast that it has already developed an H-bomb that can be mounted on an intercontinental ballistic missile to wipe out a U.S. city or a city in another nation. But we could see the North achieve this frightening goal soon unless President Trump acts quickly and decisively.

Just last month in an opinion piece for Fox News I reported that a Pentagon source told me North Korea was only 6 to 18 months away from developing an H-bomb. My source told me this weekend that he still believes that but added on Sunday morning that nothing North Korea does now should really make us jump out of our seat. At this point, I rule out nothing.

Yikes.

The new North Korean nuclear test and the nations claim to have an H-bomb are part of the same strategy. For dictator Kim Jong Un to have confidence in his advanced nuclear weapons and missile delivery system he wants to test them, potentially on several occasions.

I would argue that North Korea likely can already hit the U.S. with a crude nuclear delivery capability  now. So its an urgent matter of national security for President Trump and his administration to act to contain the nuclear and missile capabilities that Kim already has.

So far, despite what Pyongyang has told us, Kim has never tested anything with the destructive power of a hydrogen bomb. Although, North Koreas test Sunday was the biggest ever  roughly three times the size of its nuclear explosion this time last year and more powerful than the atomic bombs the U.S. dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki in Japan in World War II.

North Korea would also have to miniaturize any nuclear bomb to mount it on an ICBM. Again, this is something else that would take additional time and would be a big leap for Kim, as well as fit the new weapon onto a missile.

But whether it happens in a few months or even two years from, there is little doubt that the North is headed toward possessing the most powerful bomb on the planet and a working delivery system to many parts of the world, including our homeland. I would argue that North Korea likely can already hit the U.S. with a crude nuclear delivery capability  now.

So its an urgent matter of national security for President Trump and his administration to act to contain the nuclear and missile capabilities that Kim already has.

As a first step, its time to pull out all the stops to make sure we restrict the amount of financial resources going into North Korea and make it as hard as possible for Kim to build up his nuclear program and H-bomb designs.

The goal of this new action  like the last set of sanctions passed by the U.N. Security Council just weeks ago  should be to limit the amount of money going into North Korea that helps fund its nuclear and missile programs.

President Trump needs to act unilaterally to name, shame and sanction any businesses, organizations and governments that help launder money for North Korea or assist the rogue nation in evading past or present sanctions. The amount of laundered money that goes to North Korea could easily amount to billions of dollars a year.

This anti-money laundering campaign will undoubtedly hurt China and its banks here in the U.S., but its a necessary step to ensure Beijing and Pyongyang understand that evading sanctions that the U.N., U.S. and other individual nations have imposed on the North will no longer be tolerated.

Second, we need to massively ramp up our military footprint in the Asia-Pacific region. President Trump should deliver on President Obamas promise and actually pivot or rebalance to Asia. This would make Asia our top national security priority outside of the defense of our homeland, no matter what the international crisis of the day is.

That means that instead of 60 percent of U.S. naval assets being in the Pacific we should increase that number to 70 percent. These new assets should be a mix of attack and guided missile submarines as well as AEGIS destroyers that can defend against North Korean missile attacks.

Third, our land-based missile defenses in East Asia need to be ramped up dramatically as well as at home. We should work quickly with Japan to deploy additional PAC-3 batteries as well as deploy the THAAD missile defense system there as well.

Washington should also work to quickly expand the number of ground-based midcourse defense interceptors that we need to defend against a North Korean ICBM attack.

On top of this, President Trump should make clear that it is the policy of the United States that we will never accept a nuclear North Korea, and that all options still and will always remain on the table.

While Washington will not start a war with Pyongyang, Kim must know we would respond to any North Korean military attack with severe deadly force. And if Kim ever launched a nuclear attack, President Trump should also make clear that the portly pariah of Pyongyang would be signing his and his nations death warrant.

Today we are paying the accumulated price of having not devoted the required attention to a national security challenge that should have been front and center for every U.S. administration for decades.

And while we might not have a perfect plan to mitigate the danger coming from North Korea, we do have many strong options that can collectively keep our nation and our allies secure.
Well before the deadly Aug. 12 rally in Charlottesville and the ongoing violent clashes with white supremacists and other groups, federal authorities warned local officials the actions of left-wing extremists were becoming increasingly confrontational and dangerous.

Federal agencies warned of the growing likelihood of lethal violence between left-wing anarchists and right-wing white supremacists.

Some even classified their activities as domestic terrorist violence.

In previously unreported documents dating back to April 2016 and viewed by Fox News, the FBI and Department of Homeland Security wrote that anarchist extremists and Antifa groups were the primary instigators of violence at public rallies. They blamed these groups for attacks on police, government and political institutions, racists, fascists and symbols of capitalism.

The agencies warned the rise of fascist, nationalist, racist or anti-immigrant groups in U.S. political discourse could lead to violent backlash from these anarchist extremists.

The FBI and DHS had no comment on the assessments, saying they were not intended to be made public.

POLITICO was the first to report on the documents Friday.

Brian Levin, a former New York City police officer who monitors domestic militants at the Center for Study of Hate and Extremism at California State University, San Bernardino, cautioned calling all members of the Antifa movement domestic terrorists, and said not all tolerate the use of violence while protesting.

People in this movement allow for confronting, jostling, committing low-level types of offenses, but there has been for some time a core that have tipped the movement to confrontational violence, he told Fox News on Friday. The hardest edge in the Antifa spectrum comes under that category...not all Antifa are busting heads

He added the same could be said for members of the alt-right, some of whom tolerate and justify the use of violence.

In recent decades, authorities have focused almost exclusively on right-wing groups as the most likely instigators of domestic terrorist violence, especially after Timothy McVeigh blew up the Oklahoma City federal building in 1995, killing 168 people.

But groups such as Antifa, which is short for anti-fascist, have been growing in numbers and becoming more tolerant about using violence.

The violent clashes in Charlottesville on Aug. 12 that left one woman dead was only one recent event that drew dozens -- and in some cases hundreds -- of people on both sides, many of whom were armed and looking for a fight.

Some DHS and FBI intelligence reports began flagging protesters before the election, POLITICO reported.

The socio-political landscape has changed, Levin said. The same way white nationalists used Obama as a figure to rally about...now Antifa and anarchists see in Trump a broad-base [enemy] that has united them.

He added: There is a sense that we are getting divided.

Some law enforcement officials told POLITICO Trumps election in November also gave Antifa activists a new target, separate from white nationalist groups: Trump supporters.

It was in that period [as the Trump campaign emerged] that we really became aware of them, a senior law enforcement official tracking domestic extremists told POLITICO. These Antifa guys were showing up with weapons, shields and bike helmets and just beating the s--- out of people...Theyre using Molotov cocktails, theyre starting fires, theyre throwing bombs and smashing windows.

Specifically, the target became those from white supremacist and nationalist groups who came out in droves hailing Trumps win and calling for further crackdowns on illegal immigrants and other groups. Those forces -- along with more traditional and less controversial demonstrators -- have also turned out to protest the removal of Confederate statues, which is what spurred the rally in Virginia.

Law enforcement officials said Trumps rhetoric and policies further fueled motivations on both sides.

Every time they have one of these protests where both sides are bringing guns, there are sphincters tightening in my world. Emotions get high, and fingers get twitchy on the trigger, one official told POLITICO.

Levin called it an escalating arms race that spill onto social media and then back onto the streets with more people.

POLITICO reported recent FBI and DHS reports confirm they are actively monitoring conduct deemed potentially suspicious and indicative of terrorist activity by Antifa groups.

But one report acknowledged several significant intelligence gaps, including an inability to penetrate the groups diffuse and decentralized organizational structure. They said this makes it harder for law enforcement to identify violent groups and individuals.

Theres a lot more we dont know about these groups than what we do know about them, one New Jersey law enforcement official told POLITICO.

Levin said its hard to forecast what will happen in the future, calling it a fluid situation, but to expect clashes to continue -- and grow larger and more frequent.

[Antifas] list of what is fascist has grown far beyond the loathsome, Swastika-carrying white nationalists, to controversial conservatives, speakers, the police, journalists and random people who get in their way, he said.
President Trump suggested Sunday, after another underground nuclear test by North Korea, that hell halt trade with any country doing business with the rogue nation, as two members of the president's Cabinet issued tough warnings of their own.

The United States is considering, in addition to other options, stopping all trade with any country doing business with North Korea, tweeted Trump, in response to the regime of Kim Jong Un claiming to have detonated a hydrogen bomb underground.

Speaking to the media on Sunday, Defense Secretary Jim Mattis said that any threats by North Korea to the U.S. or its allies will be met with an "effective and overwhelming" military response.

"We are not looking to the total annihilation of a country, namely North Korea, but as I said, we have many options to do so," Mattis added.

Mattis' statement follows an announcement that the U.S., Japan, France, the U.K. and South Korea will meet on Monday morning for an emergency session of the United Nations Security Council.

Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin told "Fox News Sunday" earlier that hes preparing a sanctions package that would cut off all trade and other business, with North Korea, following the country's overnight nuclear test, its sixth and most powerful.

I will submit new sanctions for his strong consideration, he said. Theres much more we can do economically.

Trump spoke with Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe on Sunday, the White House said, adding that they condemned North Korea's continued destabilizing and provocative actions, confirmed the two countries' ironclad mutual defense commitments, and pledged to continue close cooperation. President Trump reaffirmed the commitment of the United States to defending our homeland, territories, and allies using the full range of diplomatic, conventional, and nuclear capabilities at our disposal.

Such a bomb is considered more powerful than any of the five nuclear ones North Korea has already tested. And it apparently triggered an artificial earthquake of at least a magnitude 5.7.

I did speak with the president, Mnuchin also said Sunday. Its clear this behavior is unacceptable.  I will draft a sanctions bill and send it to the president. We will work with our allies. We will work with China. But people need to cut off North Korea economically."

TRUMP CALLS NORTH KOREA 'DANGEROUS' AND 'GREAT THREAT' AFTER OVERNIGHT NUCLEAR TEST

The United States has already imposed economic sanctions on North Korea to stop the countrys pursuit on a nuclear weapon, including tests on inter-continental missiles on which to attach a nuclear warhead.

The president has made clear hell consider everything. Were not going to broadcast our action, Mnuchin said in response to questions Sunday about whether Trump will curtail diplomatic and economic efforts and pursue military action.

Trump's tweet appears to be yet another attempt by him to get other countries, including North Korean trading partners like China, to try to stop the nuclear testing.

Other world leaders and the United Nations on Sunday also condemned North Koreas actions.

Trump responded to the most recent bomb test with several tweets early Sunday in which he called North Koreas actions dangerous and a great threat.

He also appears to show increasing frustration with South Korea for failing to get North Korea to stop the nuclear testing.

South Korea is finding, as I have told them, that their talk of appeasement with North Korea will not work, they only understand one thing! he tweeted.

Such tests in recent months have also sparked a war of words between Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un that has created global concerns about either side taking military action in response.

Fox News' Kristin Brown, Nicole Darrah and Joseph Weber contributed to this report.
President Trump on Sunday responded to North Koreas nuclear test, calling it very hostile and dangerous to the United States.

The rogue nation claimed it detonated a hydrogen bomb with "perfect success," carrying out its sixth nuclear test, which drew immediate condemnation from its neighbors.

North Korea has conducted a major nuclear test, Trump said in a series of tweet. Their words and actions continue to be very hostile and dangerous to the United States.

The president said, "We'll see," when asked upon leaving morning services at St. John's Episcopal Church, near the White House, about whether he would attack North Korea.

White House Press Secretary Sarah Sanders said about an hour after Trump's tweets that the president and his national security team are closely monitoring the North Korea situation and will meet later today.

"We will provide updates as necessary," she also said.

Those scheduled to attend the meeting include Vice President Pence, Chief of Staff Gen. John Kelly, Secretary of Defense retired-Gen. James Mattis and Secretary of State Rex Tillerson, who will join via video-conference.

State Department spokeswoman Heather Nauert said earlier Sunday that Tillerson was "making calls to counterparts in the region" after the purported nuclear test.

North Korea in recent months has escalated its pursuit of a nuclear weapon and a long-range missile that would land such a warhead on foreign soil.

KIM JONG UNS NORTH KOREA: BRINGING THE WORLD TO THE BRINK

Such efforts have also sparked a war of words between Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un that has created global concerns about either side taking military action in response.

North Korea is a rogue nation which has become a great threat and embarrassment to China, which is trying to help but with little success, Trump also tweeted Sunday.

The president also commented on South Korea's "appeasement" toward North Korea.

"South Korea is finding, as I have told them, that their talk of appeasement with North Korea will not work, they only understand one thing!" Trump wrote on Twitter.

The test was carried out at 12:29 p.m. local time at Punggye-ri site, where North Korea often conducted past nuclear tests. The detonation triggered an magnitude 6.3 artificial earthquake, U.S. Geological Survey said, though South Korea officials placed the magnitude at 5.7.

Just hours before, North Korean newspaper published photos of Kim appearing to examine what it said was a nuclear warhead being fitted onto the nose of an intercontinental ballistic missile.

Japan's Prime Minister Shinzo Abe immediately condemned the test, calling it "absolutely unacceptable."

South Korea's National Security Director Chung Eui-yong said Sunday President Moon Jae-in is looking to respond to the test with the strongest measures possible. He said Moon will seek every available diplomatic measure, including new sanctions from the United Nations Security Council.

South Korea will also talk with the U.S. in deploying the "strongest strategic assets," though he did not specify what that specifically meant.

Nebraska GOP Sen. Ben Sasse said: "If North Korea has in fact successfully tested a nuclear warhead that can be loaded onto an intercontinental ballistic missile, Kim Jong Un is clearly threatening the American people. He must be confronted."

In July, North Korea conducted its first ever ICBM tests, a stunning jump in progress for the country's nuclear and missile program since Kim took power in 2011. The volatile regime launched a missile that flew over Japan before it splashed down into the sea last week.

Trump issued a stern response to the tests early August and vowed to unleash "fire and fiery."

In return, North Korea said it intended to attack Guam, a U.S. territory and the home to key U.S. military bases. The North eventually pulled back its "plan" to launch missiles toward Guam, though Kim eerily said last week's missile launch was a "meaningful prelude" to eventually containing the U.S. territory.

David Albright, President of the Washington-based Institute for Science and International Security, wrote in a report last month "developing thermonuclear weapons was declared priority of North Korea."

"It appears capable of developing thermonuclear weapons. It is far more likely to be working on one-stage thermonuclear weapons rather than traditional two-stage thermonuclear weapons, or 'H-Bombs,'" Albright wrote.

Sunday's test was estimated to have a yield of 100 kilotons, meaning a blast that was four to five times more powerful than the explosion in Nagasaki, Japan, in 1945, a South Korean defense official told the country's Yonhap News Agency.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.
This is a rush transcript from "Fox News Sunday," September 3, 2017. This copy may not be in its final form and may be updated.

CHRIS WALLACE, "FOX NEWS SUNDAY" HOST: Im Chris Wallace.

North Korea conducts its most powerful nuclear test so far. Well have the latest and talk with a member of the National Security Council.

And President Trump sees firsthand the devastation from Hurricane Harvey.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: I mean, we are talking about -- they say two years, three years, I think that, you know, because this is Texas, youll probably do it in six months, I have a feeling here.

(APPLAUSE AND CHEERS)

WALLACE (voice-over): Well get the latest and how Texans are responding and rebuilding it from the governor of that state, Greg Abbott.

And then flooding continues to keep thousands from their homes as victims of Harvey wait for aid.

TRUMP: Seven-point-nine billion. We signed it and now, it's going through a very quick -- hopefully quick process.

WALLACE: As Congress gets ready to debate a huge disaster relief package, well ask Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin what it means for a big September agenda: keeping the government open, raising the debt limit, and the push for tax reform.

(on camera): Plus, President Trump will announce the decision on DACA Tuesday.

TRUMP: We love the DREAMers. We love everybody.

WALLACE (voice-over): Well ask our Sunday panel what will happen to the DREAMers.

All right now on "Fox News Sunday."

(END VIDEOTAPE)

WALLACE: And hello again from Fox News in Washington.

We begin with breaking news. North Korea has conducted its most powerful nuclear test today. It claims to have exploded a hydrogen bomb, much more powerful than the five atomic bombs it has tested since 2006. In a moment, we will have a exclusive interview with Treasury Secretary Steve Munchin, a member of the president's National Security Council.

But, first, let's bring in chief White House correspondent John Roberts with the latest -- John.

JOHN ROBERTS, FOX NEWS CHIEF WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Chris, good morning.

And the real concern here if the pictures out of North Korea are to be believed, that this could be a thermonuclear warhead capable of being mounted on top of an intercontinental ballistic missile. The national security adviser, H.R. McMaster, talked with the South Korean counterpart about an hour after the test.

And the president tweeting this morning, quote: North Korea has conducted a major nuclear test. Their words and actions continue to be very hostile and dangerous to the United States.

And the president also putting more pressure on China, tweeting, quote: North Korea is a rogue nation which has become a grave threat and embarrassment to China, which is trying to help but with little success.

Earlier last month, when the first U.S. detected new preparations for another nuclear test, the president raised a lot of eyebrows when he threatened North Korea with what sounded like military action, which the president later seem to indicate may have made a difference in North Korea's behavior. Listen here.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TRUMP: They will be met with fire and fury like the world has never seen.

Kim Jong-un, I respect the fact that I believe he is starting to respect us.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ROBERTS: Since President Trump said that he thinks that Kim Jong-un may be starting to respect the United States, in August the 22nd, North Korea has fired a bunch of smaller missiles in the Sea of Japan, fired an intercontinental medium-range ballistic missile over Japan.

And now, this missile test, President Trump tweeted again today, that talking with North Korea is not the answer, writing, quote: South Korea is finding, as Ive told them, that their talk of appeasement with North Korea will not work. They understand only one thing.

No word from the president on what that, quote, one thing is. But I think it's only fair to say, Chris, that the White House has been pursuing in terms of North Korea policy has not been working either -- Chris.

WALLACE: John Roberts, reporting from the White House -- John, thanks for that.

Joining me now, Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin, who is a member of the National Security Council.

Mr. Secretary, I know that you have spoken with the president this morning. What is his reaction to the news that North Korea has tested another bomb, they say, a hydrogen bomb, but certainly its most powerful explosive in its 10-12 years of testing?

STEVEN MNUCHIN, SECRETARY OF TREASURY: Well, good morning.

I did speak with the president, and it's clear that this behavior is completely unacceptable. We've already started with sanctions against North Korea, but Im going to draft a sanctions package to send to the president for his strong consideration, that anybody that wants to do trade or business with them would be prevented from doing trade or business with us. We are going to work with our allies. Well work with China.

But people need to cut off North Korea economically. This is unacceptable behavior.

WALLACE: Does that mean, when you talk about a new trade sanction package, that were going to be much tougher than we have been so far on Chinese financial institutions, Chinese companies?

MNUCHIN: Well, were going to strongly consider everything at this point. And again, I will draft a package for his strong consideration that would go as far as cutting off all trade and other business. And this behavior is unacceptable. And if countries want to do business with the United States, they obviously will be working with our allies and others to cut off North Korea economically.

WALLACE: I know it's early, at this point, Mr. Secretary. But first of all, do we believe the Chinese reports that this was not an atomic bomb but a much more powerful hydrogen bomb. Did our intelligence community believe they have that capability?

And I also want to put up a picture that the North Koreans put out yesterday, and it shows Kim, they said, expecting what they believe -- they say was a nuclear warhead to be put on a ballistic missile. Do we believe they have not only the hydrogen bomb capability but also the miniaturization to put a warhead with that kind of a weapon on a missile?

MNUCHIN: Chris, I can only say that our intelligence community has been doing an amazing job on this and on other issues. I obviously can't describe or discuss some of the things that you've asked me. But I can say the intelligence community has done an incredible job.

WALLACE: President Trump -- and John Roberts just reported this -- put out a tweet today saying that the North Koreans only understand one thing, I wonder in your conversation with the president, did he explain what that one thing is? And the president has been talking about warning North Korea not to reach a tipping point which would unleash the fire and fury of the U.S. Are we getting closer to that tipping point?

MNUCHIN: Well, Chris, what I would say is, the president made it clear, this isnt the time for just talk, this is time for action. That this type of behavior is not acceptable, and our objective has been and will continue to be too denuclearized the peninsula, that these types of tests are not being part of the world community.

WALLACE: But does this put us closer to -- you talk about sanctions, diplomatic efforts, does this put us closer to a military response, sir?

MNUCHIN: Again, Chris, I think the president made it clear that he will consider everything. But we are not going to broadcast our actions. And, you know, well continue to look at all our options.

But my focus right now, working with the president, with others to make sure that we put additional economic sanctions. We work with China and others. China has a lot of trade with them. There's a lot we can do to cut them off economically, much more than we've done already.

WALLACE: Finally, I want to ask you about another economic question in this regard. There are reports that President Trump is considering pulling out of our free-trade agreement with South Korea. One is, is that true? And secondly, why would he consider doing that at a time when we need to work with South Korea to face the threat from North Korea?

MNUCHIN: Well, Chris, the president has made clear that when we had trade deficits with countries, were going to renegotiate those deals. In the case of South Korea, we obviously provide a lot of military assistance and others, and what were doing to protect them. And the president has made it clear that we want a better economic deal. But there's been no decisions made other than renegotiating that trade agreement at this point.

WALLACE: Secretary Mnuchin, thank you, and we will see you a little later in the program to discuss the president and his agenda. Thank you for now, sir.

MNUCHIN: Thank you.

WALLACE: Now, to Hurricane Harvey. The big story at this point is life after the storm. Hundreds of thousands are still displaced by last week's flooding, many still living in shelters. President Trump and the first lady visited the area yesterday, meeting with victims of Harvey.

FOX News correspondent Peter Doocy is in Houston -- Peter.

PETER DOOCY, FOX NEWS CORRESPONDENT: Chris, Texas displaced by high water are already doing with red tape. But President Trump sought to cut through it yesterday by trying to resolve a dispute one evacuee said he was having with FEMA.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: (INAUDIBLE)

TRUMP: Where are they? Where are they? Get him up. Get him up here.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: OK, yes, sir.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

DOOCY: As the president handed out hotdogs and played with kids at the NRG Centers mega shelter, his Education Secretary Betsy DeVos was nearby. Her department will also needs new students for 12,000 students in Houston alone. HUD Secretary Ben Carson was there, too. His department will soon need to find temporary housing for many of the 43,000 Texans who FEMA says have sought shelters since Harvey hit.

From the shelter, the presidential motorcade travel to First Church to help load water and food on vehicles bound for flood victims in need, and the president, who was asking Congress for almost $8 billion in emergency funding, also repeatedly applauded the federal relief efforts thus far.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TRUMP: Then its a long time. I mean, we are talking about -- they say two years, three years. I think that, you know, because this is Texas, youll will probably do it in six months, I have a feeling here.

(CHEERS AND APPLAUSE)

(END VIDEO CLIP)

DOOCY: But the water is still rising and part of west Houston near the Addicks and Barker Dams where as many as 300 residents remained last night in a mandatory evacuation area. So, the power company is going around this morning cutting off service to those homes, trying to encourage everyone that lives there and hasnt left you to get to safety -- Chris.

WALLACE: Peter, thank you.

Joining me now is Texas Governor Greg Abbott.

Governor, welcome back to "Fox News Sunday."

GOV. GREG ABBOTT, R-TEXAS: Thank you so much, Chris.

WALLACE: Now that the floodwaters are beginning, and I emphasize beginning to recede, what's your biggest concern right now?

ABBOTT: Well, first, again, in that area just mentioned, were concerned about rising water. We have rising water still in the Beaumont area and other parts of the state of Texas that we need to still to be involved in the search and rescue process. But then, the rebuilding process, and this is where the long haul begins.

I was in Houston yesterday with the president. We could go from neighborhood to neighborhood to see how all these homes are digging out, pulling everything out of her house, sheet rock, flooring, et cetera. And now, we get into the long process.

And this is where we come to the part where Congress plays a role. The president has indicated that he's asking for more than $7 billion as a down payment on this. We need Congress to step up and pass this and help Texas rebuild. But I want you to know that Texans themselves, and in fact people across the country, are helping us do that through a fund that we have run by the state of Texas called rebuildtx.org. Thats rebuildtx.org.

WALLACE: I want -- before we get to Congress, and thats certainly an important part of this equation, how toxic are the floodwaters that are still around. How serious is the pollution and perhaps toxic pollution from some of these chemical plants. And will that be a continuing health hazards, sir?

ABBOTT: Well, Chris, in any type of flood, especially any type of hurricane-based flood, there are going to be issues about contaminated water. It could involve chemicals, it could involve waste. People need to be very cautious as they go through the rebuilding process, understanding that the water has been contaminated.

Separated from that, you're talking about chemicals. They could be from waste sites in the greater Houston area. The EPA is monitoring that. The EPA is going to get on top of that. We are working with the EPA to make sure that we contain any of these chemicals harming anybody in the greater Houston area or any other place.

WALLACE: I take your point about the fact that Texans are going to help themselves, none of us are surprised by that. But I want to get your latest estimate on how much money you think that youre going to need from Washington, and what do you think of the president's initial request from Congress of $8 billion?

ABBOTT: Chris, understand this, and that is both the geographic area and the population affected by this horrific hurricane and flooding, not just in Houston but also in the Beaumont area, is far larger than the population and geographic area of Katrina. Katrina cost, if I recalled, more than $120 billion. Now, when you look at the number of homes and businesses affected by this, I think this will cost well over $120 billion, probably $150 billion to $180 billion.

What the president has done now is make an initial request before the end of this funding cycle to get things up and running. That request as I understand is over $7 billion. And I think Congress understands this is a down payment on something that would cost far more, understanding again, this is far larger than Hurricane Sandy that I think was around $40 billion to $50 billion.

And so, we have a long road to hoe if were going to rebuild the fourth largest city in the United States, as well as the entire geographic region.

WALLACE: Couple of questions about the president's trip yesterday. You were with him in the Houston area.

One, I assume that you have -- you are too smart to not have pressed him on the amount of money that youre going to need. Did he have a sense or did he make any commitment? Were talking about more than $100 billion.

And, secondly, take us behind the scenes. What struck you about his interaction with the people of Houston?

ABBOTT: Well, first, the president both did and has made a lot lettuce specific commitments. Basically, he has told me and hes acted upon what he said that whatever Texas needs, Texas is going to get. We made several specific requests yesterday and before yesterday, the president has granted.

As it concerns the larger funding, of course, that's going to be something the president has to work with Congress on. Yesterday, I got to tell you that the president was warm and compassionate and caring. We made several stops.

First, at one of the large relocation centers, at NRG Center, which is right next to the Houston Texans play. And he would work -- at a play area with young kids, and would hold young kids and kiss them and hug them and support them. Second, we fed lunch to people who are evacuees at this location. And then third, we went a church where volunteers were providing services to our fellow Texans.

And I got to tell you, Chris, what our fellow Texans are doing, helping each other out, these are the real heroes of this whole process. And that process can be aided if people can go to rebuildtx.org and help out.

WALLACE: Finally, Governor, I want to ask you about the related issue. The president is going to announce on Tuesday, what he's going to do about the DACA program. Texas has the second-most DREAMers of any country -- any state in the country, second only to California. I know you have -- when you were attorney general, opposed his Obama's executive orders. What do you think about the possibility of the president ending at the DACA program, putting these DREAMers at risk of deportation, particularly those right now in the Houston area who you are just trying to help out and recover from the flood?

ABBOTT: Well, Chris, we need to recognize that this is really a symptom of a larger problem that remains unresolved. We wouldn't have this whole issue about DACA if Congress would step up and pass immigration reform and do so in working with the president. We will continue to have challenges like this that lasted until both the Congress and president step up and pass comprehensive immigration reform.

WALLACE: Did you ask discuss DACA with the president yesterday? I know you had a lot -- go ahead.

ABBOTT: I spent a lot of time talking to the president, not just yesterday but in his prior trip and over the phone. I got to tell you that what the presidents talked to me about exclusively is his compassion and commitment to helping Texans dig out of this hurricane and as a result, issues like DACA and other related issues never came up.

WALLACE: Governor Abbott, thank you again. This is the second time we've met like this. Thanks for your time, sir. Well stay on top, we promise, of how folks in your state are doing in the days ahead.

ABBOTT: Please do. Thank you so much.

WALLACE: Up next, well drill on how Harvey will affect President Trump's agenda here in Washington. Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin joins us again to talk about that.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WALLACE: A look outside the beltway at downtown Houston where the sun is out, but much of the city is still flooded more than one week after Hurricane Harvey made landfall. It's not just residents of Texas who are digging out from Harvey. Here in Washington, the president and Congress will be working for years on how to pay for disaster relief and long term recovery. And that could have a dramatic effect on the Trump agenda.

Rejoining is now Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin to talk about his day job.

Mr. Secretary, thanks again.

STEVEN MNUCHIN, SECRETARY OF TREASURY: Thank you, Chris.

WALLACE: let's start with the effect of Hurricane Harvey on the nation's finances. The White House is asking Congress for $7.8 billion in immediate aid, plus another $6.7 billion within weeks ahead of the House of Freedom caucus, Mark Meadows, says he does not want to see that disaster aid tied to a bill to raise the debt limit.

Can you guarantee him and others that that won't happen?

MNUCHIN: No, I can't. Quite the contrary. The president and I believe that it should be tied to the Harvey funding. Our first priority is to make sure that the state gets money. It is critical. And to do that, we need to make sure we raise the debt limit.

So, if we -- if Congress appropriates the money, but I don't have the ability to borrow more money and pay for it, were not going to be able to get that money to the state. So, we need to put politics aside and were going to be urging Congress to get both of those things done as quickly as they can.

WALLACE: But I just want to make sure because this is new news, as they say. There's talk that the House is going to take up, thats almost a billion dollars in disaster relief this next week. You're saying that you want to see a clean debt limit without any other spending cuts tied to that disaster relief.

MNUCHIN: I do. That is our priority. At this point, we need to put politics aside, we need to make sure that we can get to Texas, the appropriate amount of money to rebuild the state. It is absolutely critical and the president is committed to making sure that the states have the money that they need.

WALLACE: And again, just to pin this down, if the debt limit isn't raised, will that interfere with the relief effort?

MNUCHIN: It will. Prior to Harvey, I think, you know, Ive said we have enough funding to go through the end of September and had urged Congress to focus on this before that period of time. But with Harvey, its moved the situation up earlier, and without raising the debt limit, Im not comfortable that we will get the money that we need this month to Texas to rebuild. And I think as you know, that's our priority. We need to help the people in Texas, and we need to get that done.

WALLACE: I want to ask you about another part of the immediate agenda. President Trump threatened recently that he would be willing to shut down the government if he didn't get money as part of a government funding bill to build the wall, or begin building the wall, the government runs out of money on this September 30th with Harvey, with the disaster relief, with all these top priority to help the people in Texas.

At least for now, is that threat to shut down the government over the border wall, is that out the window?

MNUCHIN: Chris, I can't really comment if it's out the window or its not out the window. And again, I know the wall is a huge priority to the president and we want to make sure that we get money for that. I would say the president and my first objective right now is for the people of Texas and make sure that we get the funding to do that. So, that's what were focused on this week and well be meeting with leadership of both parties to work on that.

WALLACE: You've got a lot of top priorities, but your long-term top priority right now is tax reform. The White House is pushing out that the president made a new push last week. But in terms of details, the administration seems to be going backwards. And I want to ask you about that, sir.

Here's what you laid out in April. A 15 percent corporate tax rate; individual tax brackets of 10, 25 and 35 percent; repeal the alternative minimum tax and the estate tax; eliminate or at least reduce tax breaks for the wealthy but keep the deductions for home mortgages and charitable contributions.

Mr. Secretary, are all of those elements still in the presidents tax reform plan?

MNUCHIN: Chris, I don't think we've been going backwards at all. As a matter fact, I think weve made a lot of progress. And as you know, Ive been working on tax reform with the president for over the last year and a half, starting on the campaign. We did two economic speeches both in Detroit and New York when we were thinking about this during the campaign and now as president, this is also one of his biggest priorities to create economic growth.

So, wed been working since January with the leadership in the House and the Senate. We want to make sure we have one plan, not three plans. The objective is to get this passed and get it to the president's desk this year. We've gone through lots of details.

The plan is still similar to what you've described that we put out in the one page, but we've been working with the House and the Senate, going through lots of complicated details. Theyre beginning to socialize it with the members. And I look forward to seeing a bill this year signed on the presidents desk.

WALLACE: Are you insisting -- because the president didn't say this in his speech in Missouri this past week, are you still insisting that this will be revenue neutral, that it wont add to the deficit? That if you lower rates, youll also take away some deductions or tax breaks to pay for it. Or could this just turn into tax cuts? And if so, given what you just heard from Governor Abbott about $100 billion, $150 billion, $180 billion in federal money need for Harvey, won't this blow a hole in the deficit?

MNUCHIN: Well, Chris, the president has been very focused on the national debt and concern that its gone from $10 trillion to $20 trillion. That's a big concern of ours. So, we want to make sure we can pay for things.

But the way were going to pay for things is with economic growth. The difference between 2 percent and 3 percent is trillions of dollars of revenue to the government. So, I think we may be in a situation where the administration believes well get more economic growth than perhaps the models that come out of Congress. But well be working with them on that. And I think now more than ever, it's too early to tell what the economic impact of Harvey is.

But now more than ever, we need to make sure we pass tax reform, regulatory relief, and trade negotiation so we create a 3 percent or higher GDP in this country and rebuild what we need to rebuild.

WALLACE: Just to bottom that up though, sir, I -- you're certainly not indicating that this bill will be revenue neutral in terms of what money the Treasury loses in -- through lower tax rates and what it gains from fewer deductions?

MNUCHIN: Well, again, what we've said is we believe in dynamic scoring and under our growth models at the Treasury, this will pay for itself. And again, we may not get full credit for that. There may be short-term impacts on the deficit, but were very -- we want to be very careful in paying for this with growth.

But we also need to boost the economy. We need tax cuts and tax reform now.

WALLACE: Ive got two more questions I want to try to squeeze in here and weve got a couple of minutes, Mr. Secretary. President Trump said this week that cutting the corporate tax rate will primarily benefit workers. Here he is.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: We need a competitive tax code that creates more jobs and higher wages for Americans. It's time to give American workers the pay raise that they been looking for for many, many years.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WALLACE: But, sir, independent experts, including your own Treasury Department, say that shareholders, people who own stock get -- they are 75 percent to 85 percent of the burden from higher corporate tax rates and that if those corporate tax rates are lowered, that they will get 75 percent to 85 percent of the benefit, not the workers.

MNUCHIN: Chris, most economists believe that over 70 percent of corporate taxes are paid for by the workers. And the fact that the Treasury Department, I think it was eight or 10 years ago, put out a piece otherwise. I don't believe in that. Our current economic team does not believe in that. There is lots of economic research.

We need to create a business tax system thats competitive. We have one of the highest tax rates in the world. We tax on worldwide income. Theres $3 trillion to $5 trillion sitting offshore. And the president and I are completely focused on creating something that's good for American workers that will create American jobs and bring back American manufacturing.

And we have to be competitive. That's something that people understand. And just as Ronald Reagan did tax rate from 30 years ago, the president is focused on getting it done now.

WALLACE: OK, one last question, less than a minute. I want to turn to DACA and its impact on the economy because this week, some 400 business leaders sent the president a letter saying if the 780,000 DREAMers who now work are put at risk of deportation, the economy will lose $460 billion plus $24.6 billion in Social Security and Medicare taxes.

Briefly, sir, would ending DACA -- forgetting the other aspects of it -- would ending DACA hurt the economy?

MNUCHIN: Chris, I think this is a complicated issue. Theres a lot of important issues that are on the agenda this week. As it relates to immigration, the president is very focused on legal immigration. As you said, this is a complicated issue and something Im sure the president will consider carefully.

As it relates to the economic impact, I am less concerned about the economic impact. Well make sure that we have plenty of workers in this economy. We want to put more people back to work. There's a lot of people that left the workforce and our objective is to bring them back into the workforce.

WALLACE: Secretary Mnuchin, thank you. Thanks for joining us. Good to talk with you and thank you for doing double duty for us today, sir.

MNUCHIN: Thank you, Chris.

WALLACE: Up next we'll bring in our Sunday group to discuss North Korea's test of its most powerful nuclear bomb yet and what the U.S. can do about it.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WALLACE: Coming up, President Trump set to decide this week whether to end the DACA program.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SARAH HUCKABEE SANDERS, WHITE HOUSE PRESS SECRETARY: The president's been very clear, he loves people and he wants to make sure that this decision is done correctly.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WALLACE: We'll ask our Sunday panel what will happen to the dreamers.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

REX TILLERSON, SECRETARY OF STATE: We're going to continue our -- our peaceful pressure campaign, as I have described it, working with allies, working with China as well, to see if we can bring the regime in Pyongyang to the negotiating table with a view, to begin a dialogue on a different future or Korean peninsula and for North Korea.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WALLACE: Secretary of State Rex Tillerson last week here on "Fox News Sunday" pushing for a diplomatic solution to our standoff with North Korea. Will today's apparent test of a hydrogen bomb change that policy?

It's time not to bring in our Sunday group. The head of Heritage Action for America, Michael Needham. Marie Harf, a State Department official in the Obama administration. Jeff Mason, who covers the White House for Reuters. And former Republican Congressman Jason Chaffetz, who's now a Fox News contributor.

Well, congressman, let me start with you.

Your reaction to what seems to be a dramatic escalation in North Korea's nuclear program. What they are saying is their first test of a hydrogen bomb.

JASON CHAFFETZ, FOX NEWS CONTRIBUTOR: It is an escalation. And we're going to have to ramp it up. And we've tried everything from sending in Dennis Rodman to boosting up the military presence.

But I think a lot of focus has to go to Japan -- go on, on China. The -- the secretary, earlier in this program, talked about new sanctions with anybody doing business with North Korea. Well, the main trading partner with North Korea is China. And it will be very interesting to see how far this administration takes those types of sanctions. But China has the most vested interest in making that change there. But it's hard when more than $1 trillion of our United States debt is owned by the Chinese. That puts us in a very precarious position.

WALLACE: Yes, Marie, I want to pick up on that with you as a veteran of the State Department. Your reaction to what has happened today in North Korea? And to be fair, your president and George W. Bush and Bill Clinton all tried and they have all failed to stop North Korea from pursuing its nuclear ambitions

MARIE HARF, FORMER STATE DEPARTMENT SPOKESPERSON: That's right. And North Korea has shown that no amount of international isolation has -- has dissuaded them from pursuing this program. So many administrations have tried. There are no perfect options. There aren't even really great ones.

But two things I think are important. The president needs to be very clear that right now is not the time to renegotiate the South Korean trade agreements. Now is not the time to threaten them.

WALLACE: Why not?

HARF: Because we need to stand shoulder to shoulder with them. We need to focus on the real threat here, which is North Korea. And, to be fair, the South Korean trade agreement's a pretty good one. The president's tweet this morning about appeasement when he basically said the South Korean government was wrong, that is breaking news already in Seoul this morning. We've already seen reaction out of there.

This is the time to stand squarely with our allies because, as I said, there are certainly no good military options. We had to make it clear to North Korea that if they do anything like attacking the U.S., that their regime will be destroyed. And I think the president has to walk a fine line in doing that.

WALLACE: And what do you think of Secretary Mnuchin and -- he had just gotten off the phone with President Trump --

HARF: That's right.

WALLACE: Saying much tougher sanctions and much more targeted on China.

HARF: Absolutely, sanctions have to be a key part of this strategy here. But they have to be combined with other things, like making sure missile defense keeps getting better and better, making sure the South Koreans and the Japanese have what they need to defend themselves. And making clear to North Korea that this is not acceptable. And making sure the American people understand the real threat here, not an expiratory rhetoric cycle that we've seen before, but being very clear-eyed about it.

Michael, I want to bring you into the conversation.

A bunch of things here to talk about. The North Korean test, the word from Secretary Mnuchin, a new sanctions regime. And also this question of, is this the right time to possibly pull out of our free-trade agreement with South Korea.

MICHAEL NEEDHAM, CEO, HERITAGE ACTION FOR AMERICA: Yes, we need a full sanctions and pressure regime. We need ballistic missile defense. We need secretary (ph) sanctions on China if they're not willing to participate. That types of sanctions that were in place on Iran previous to President Obama's unadvised Iranian deal were far tougher than anything North Korean has been under. So the president isn't saying -- isn't accurate when he's saying that North Korea is more isolated than any other country ever has been.

I do agree, now is not the right time to pull out of the Korea free trade agreement. That's an important free trade agreement. It benefits farmers and ranchers across America. But the same is also true of South Korea. South Korea and President Moon had talked about restarting the Kaesong industrial complex. This was a joint South Korea-North Korea industrial complex that was started about 20 years ago. It was -- it was -- the expansion of it was stopped in 2006 after a nuclear test. It was pulled out of in 2016. I think if American and Korea are going to stand side-by-side, we should stay in our free trade agreement. But I think it would be a big disaster also for South Korea to reopen the Kaesong industrial complex.

WALLACE: Jeff, I want to -- to a certain degree this all feels like "Groundhog Day" to me, that the clock is waking up -- you know, is ringing at six in the morning and I'm hearing, "I got you babe" again. You know, we -- how many times have we seen that there's a North Korean missile test or a nuclear test. We huff and puff. We talk about military options. We talk about sanctions. We talk about pressure in China. You've been covering the White house now for, what, nine years. Everybody back to Bill Clinton has tried it. It never works.

JEFF MASON, REUTERS: Yes, that's right. I mean Bill Clinton actually, during his presidency, agreed on a package of giving $4 billion in energy aid to North Korea. That ended up not happening. President Obama asked South -- asked his military to work together with South Korea to prepare for a potential attack. George W. Bush called North Korea the axis of evil, or part of the axis of evil.

So you've heard rhetoric like this. You've heard words from president. And now, of course, you have President Trump really raising his rhetoric up in terms of talking about fire and fury. The question is, will any of that matter and where is it going?

WALLACE: And what's the answer?

MASON: Well, the answer is, we had to see what happens with North Korea and see what happens with China. President Trump has certainly working very hard to build a relationship with President Xi of China, but he's shown increasing frustrations with the fact that that relationship is not paying off. And, you know, was there -- as they're deciding whether or not to put more sanctions and economic pressure on China, as Secretary Mnuchin said, you have to also wonder if that's going to alienate a very key partner.

CHAFFETZ: But I -- I don't -- I don't think sanctions would ever work. I don't think the president of North Korea cares about its -- his people. He is only focused on obtaining nuclear capability --

WALLACE: OK, let me interrupt for a second, congressman, because we've been talking around this. The one thing we really haven't discussed is a military option. Is there a realistic, credible military option?

CHAFFETZ: I hope we never get to that point. But I do think the focus of the world has got to be with China, because North Korea's trading partner is China. And if China is not going to live up to the obligation to help -- what they did under the U.N. -- I mean I was very pleased with what Nikki Haley and the U.N. was able to -- to achieve. But China has really got to be the focus here.

HARF: And the -- but the cost of even a perfect first military strike, the cost of that would be so appalling in terms of casualties, not just in South Korea and Japan, but costly to American service members who are still serving over there. The cost of a military option would be astronomical. None of which I think we've thought through.

WALLACE: All right. We have to take a break here. But when we come back, the president is set to announce his decision for DACA this week. What will happen to the hundreds of thousands of dreamers in the U.S.?

Plus, what would you like to ask the panel about President Trump's response to Harvey? Just go to Facebook or Twitter @foxnewssunday and we may use your question on the air.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TRUMP: What are you building?

(INAUDIBLE)

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WALLACE: President Trump meeting yesterday with victims of the destruction left by Harvey in his second trip to Texas this week.

And we've back now with the panel.

Well, we asked you four questions for our Sunday group. And on the issue of the president's response to Harvey, we got this on Facebook from Paige Williams. She writes, what are the differences between how Trump responded to Harvey versus past presidents and their biggest disaster?

Jeff, how do you answer Page?

MASON: Well, the president got some criticism, rightly or wrongly, on Tuesday for not showing enough empathy. But when he went on Tuesday to Texas, he didn't go into the middle really of the disaster zone because it was still being worked on. There was still a lot of response going.

So what he did yesterday was meet with some of the victims. You know, do some of those things that presidents do. And help put some aid into trucks and a church.

You know, it's comparable. But there will be people who say it's not -- it's not the same.

WALLACE: But forget the presidential optics at the moment because in the end it doesnt matter very much.

MASON: Yes.

WALLACE: In terms of FEMA and in terms of aid on the ground, what's your sense of how the federal response is going?

MASON: So far it seems like the federal response has been very positive. I mean the -- the -- there's been very little criticism coming from the state where it's actually affecting or which has actually been affected. You had government -- Governor Abbott on your program earlier. He's been very complementary. Unlike Katrina, where clearly aid wasn't getting there fast enough, this response appears to have been very rapid.

WALLACE: Also, we have to say, because the first responders are the state and the local government.

MASON: Right.

WALLACE: Texas seems to have done a much better job than New Orleans and Louisiana did.

MASON: Absolutely.

WALLACE: Michael, they're -- I have a feeling I'm going to get to a negative point right now because the news that Secretary Mnuchin made earlier in the program is he said, we want any disaster aid, and they're talking about $8 billion this week, linked to a clean debt limit bill because we're not going to be able to provide all that disaster aid, billions of dollars, unless we have raised the debt limit. Your reaction to that?

NEEDHAM: Yes, I didn't really understand why he thinks the two things need to be linked. Everybody agrees that we should get the $15 billion of real emergency relief that's necessary out to Texas.

I talked to Mark Meadows yesterday --

WALLACE: Chairman of the House Freedom Caucus.

NEEDHAM: Chairman of the House Freed Caucus. Conservatives in the House are tied to that.

I think that exploiting this hurricane of people who lost their house -- houses to allow business as usual in Washington of getting an 18 month increase to our nation's debt limit passed, of continuing to spend money that we can't afford, that we don't have, makes absolutely no sense.

If there's some sort of technical reason that it -- in order to get $15 billion out, it would be very, very small. A couple billion dollar increase of the debt limit is necessary, then of course nobody would have that. But I just completely disagree with Secretary Mnuchin that in order to deliver relief to the people of Houston, to the people of Texas, which we -- and Louisiana, which we obviously want to do, that an 18 month increase of our nation's debt limit is necessary. It makes absolutely no sense.

WALLACE: But he clearly was pushing that line today and he, a couple of times, invoked President Trump to make it clear that the president wants a clean debt limit tied into disaster relief. You say you've been talking to the head of the House Freedom Caucus. Will they oppose that?

NEEDHAM: You know, I -- well, I think they will, first of all, if there's a clean debt limit increase, it doesn't matter what it's attached to. You have to go back to kind of first principles. Why is it that 100 years ago America voluntarily decided to put a debt limit on ourselves? And we said it makes sense to have a smoke alarm in our fiscal house. And when that smoke alarm goes off, everyone agrees we need to raise the debt limit. But you should also start taking the types of steps that are necessary to make sure that our children and grandchildren don't suffer under debts that they can't afford to pay.

WALLACE: Well, not only is that going to be a big issue here in Washington this week, what's going to happen with disaster relief, another big issue is the president is going to announce his decision on DACA. During the campaign, candidate Trump promised to end the DACA program, which protects hundreds of thousands of so-called dreamers from deportation. But as president, he's made it clear, he is struggling with this. Take a look.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TRUMP: DACA is a very, very difficult subject for me, I will tell you. To me it's one of the most difficult subjects I have because you have these incredible kids.

They shouldn't be very worried. They are here illegally. They shouldn't be very worried. I do have a big heart.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WALLACE: Now, Congressman Chaffetz, the president has said he is going to announce what he's going to do on DACA on Tuesday, which is also the day that ten states are saying that they are going to file suit against the government because they claim DACA, as an executive order, is unconstitutional. But a lot of Republicans, starting with your own former House speaker, he's still the House speaker, but you're a former congressman, Paul Ryan, says that he shouldn't end DACA. Is Ryan and are those other Republicans wrong?

CHAFFETZ: Well, the president has a mandate based on the election to lock down that border, get rid of the reward incentives to be here illegally and reject amnesty.

I do think the president, based on my conversations with people on The Hill the last 48 hours or so, I think what the president is going to do is give a window of opportunity for Congress to actually do something on immigration reform over a six month period. That's my best guess as to what's going to happen. I don't think you'll see him clearly just cut it off the very next day, you know, later this week. I don't think that's going to happen.

And I think the president does have a big heart. And it is difficult to deal with somebody who was brought here as a two-year-old. But the president had also campaigned on the idea that we're not going to provide rewards and incentives. I do think it will be an impetuous to Luis Gutierrez and other members on the Democratic side of the aisle to the table to know that they're going to have to actually work in a bipartisan way to try to achieve some of the things that the president has gotten elected on.

WALLACE: Well, let me make sure I understand what you're suggesting. Say that we're going to end DACA but give a six-month window for Congress to do something. And, of course, the obvious question then is, would funding for the border wall be part of that deal?

CHAFFETZ: Well, again, I -- it has to get -- they have to get the funding for the border wall. It's a modest amount. It's less than $2 billion out of a $4 trillion budget. I do think the president will get that money. But I also think you'll see a continued resolution that will punt some of these really tough decisions down to later in December. I -- I --

WALLACE: Let's ruin our Christmas and New Year's.

CHAFFETZ: Yes.

WALLACE: Let's do that.

CHAFFETZ: Yes. Yes.

WALLACE: Marie, I want to bring you in because, look, people can disagree with the merits of protecting the dreamers, whether it creates an incentive, whether it's amnesty. On the other hand, there certainly is a legitimate argument that President Obama acted illegally, unconstitutionally, and doing this by executive order, and it should be better done by Congress.

HARF: Well, and the courts, I think, are going to take -- they have been looking at it and they will continue to.

I get nervous relying on Congress right now to fix anything because they've shown themselves incapable of being able to pass anything major, even though they control both the House, the Senate, and the White House.

Look, there are 141,000 DACA recipients just in Texas -- to bring together Harvey in Texas for a second. These are people -- we've seen stories -- there's a Houston area paramedic who's been saving lives of people who is a DACA recipient. Getting rid of this without a plan to replace it, as the congressman talked about Congress, you know, may fix it, it seems to me to just, quite frankly, be mean.

And I hate to use that word, but it seems mean. It also is bad economics. You ask Secretary Mnuchin about that during your interview with him and he kind of wavered on that because there are studies that say if you kick out all these people, we will lose billions and billions of dollars in revenue.

CHAFFETZ: But if the Democrats thought this was such an imperative when they had the House and Senate and the presidency, guess what, they didn't do anything with it. President Obama --

HARF: That was a long time ago.

CHAFFETZ: President -- the -- President Obama didn't do anything on this. It fell --

WALLACE: Selective memory.

HARF: it's been a while.

CHAFFETZ: Two (ph) months before a presidential election. That's the reality of it.

HARF: Well, let's all put our hopes in Congress to actually get something done on this point.

MASON: There is a reason that businesses are pushing the president not to do this.

HARF: That's right.

MASON: I mean there is definitely an economic piece to this that -- that the president is clearly considering and that business and Republicans and Democrats are involved (ph).

WALLACE: I got 15 seconds. How would you feel if he did what Congressman Chaffetz is suggesting, I'm going to stop DACA but I'll give you six months to fix it?

NEEDHAM: We need an immigration policy that makes sense for over 320 million Americans, not for small segments of the -- of sympathetic groups.

WALLACE: Thank you, panel. See you next Sunday.

Up next, our "Power Play of the Week." The Blue Angels flying high and inspiring pride.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WALLACE: Pride, professionalism, precession. As we told you in May, those are the watch words of this military unit. And they are our "Power Player of the Week."

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

RYAN BERNACCHI, BLUE ANGELES COMMANDING OFFICER: We're focused on that very precise control of the airplane and flying it to the very best of your ability. And you're thinking out ahead, OK, what's next and what's next and what's next.

WALLACE (voice-over): Ryan Bernacchi is commander of the Blue Angels, the Navy's precision flight squad troop. He's in the number one jet, leading his teams through intricate maneuvers at up to 700 miles per hour, with the planes sometimes just 18 inches apart.

The Blue Angels were in the area to perform at the U.S. Naval Academy, and we got to go inside their operation.

WALLACE (on camera): Is there a lot of talking going on while you're up in the air?

BERNACCHI: There is a lot of talking. As the leader, I'm calling a cadence for every -- every turn, every pull, every power change. If we're just going to turn left, it's as simple as, coming left. And on the go, all the six sticks will move in unison. Coming further left a little, pull.

(INAUDIBLE).

And when all that gets going, we call it -- we call it -- it gets fuzzy, because it will -- it will just takes on this rhythm. You're feeling the fuzz, Chris, yes.

WALLACE: I'm feeling the fuzz.

BERNACCHI: Yes, it's something -- it's -- it's -- it's crisp, but it's -- it's electric.

WALLACE (voice-over): Admiral Chester Nimitz started the Blue Angels in 1946 with F-6 Hellcat prop planes to keep up interest in naval aviation after World War II.

Now they fly F-18 Hornet's in dozens of shows each year for more than 11 million spectators, from a cloudy Naval Academy, to a crystal clear San Francisco Bay.

BERNACCHI: I always was going to be a pilot.

WALLACE (on camera): Why?

BERNACCHI: The Blue Angels.

WALLACE (voice-over): Bernacchi used to go with his dad to shows in the bay area every summer.

BERNACCHI: I was that kid and I wanted to fly.

WALLACE: Now he has a nickname.

BERNACCHI: They call the flight leader "boss." The wingmen will talk to me and they'll go, hey, boss, you know, and that's the way -- the way it works and then we do it on the ground as well.

WALLACE: At the end of the show, the Blue Angels do a maneuver called a loop break cross. All six planes headed straight up, then in six different directions, and then back to the center point.

BERNACCHI: At about 800 knots closure, so just under 1,000 miles an hour and deploys it as a sweet (ph) when we -- we put all that together. That that -- that synergy and you feel that fuzz and you get it -- you get it going and it's really, really -- it's -- it's sweet, but it's very, very intense.

WALLACE: Bernacchi, who's flown combat over Iraq and Afghanistan, compares it to operating off an aircraft carrier. And he says that's the mission of the Blue Angels, to represent their fellow service members who are on the front lines.

BERNACCHI: It's about the Navy and Marine Corp. They're forward deployed. They're -- they're providing us with our freedom. And that's the real work.

We makes people feel something. And -- and it's that pride. It's the pride this country has in our Sailors and Marines and we just bring it and display it in a way that people can connect with. And they can -- they can see and feel and touch. And that, I think, is the value of the Blue Angels.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

WALLACE: The Blue Angels are traveling the country through November. If you get a chance to see them in action, it is something I promise you'll never forget.

All of us here at "Fox News Sunday" and Fox News Channel are thinking of the people of Texas and Louisiana hit by Hurricane Harvey. If you'd like to support the relief effort, you can donate to the Red Cross, the Salvation Army or go to foxnews.com for more ways to help.

And that's it for today. Have a great week. And we'll see you next "Fox News Sunday."

Content and Programming Copyright 2017 Fox News Network, LLC. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. Copyright 2017 CQ-Roll Call, Inc. All materials herein are protected by United States copyright law and may not be reproduced, distributed, transmitted, displayed, published or broadcast without the prior written permission of CQ-Roll Call. You may not alter or remove any trademark, copyright or other notice from copies of the content.
The Smithsonian Channel is out to prove that luxury travel can come by sea  and land  with their Mighty show line including "Mighty Cruise Ships" and "Mighty Trains."

ELITE CRUISE SHIP SPENDS $10K ON CAVIAR FOR ONE NIGHT

In an earlier report with "Mighty Cruise Ships" executive producer, Karen McCairley, we learned about the details surrounding what makes each cruise ship so mighty. Now we took time to speak with Teddy Wilson, host and narrator of the "Mighty Trains" segments.

As can be expected, these trains have some stunning landscapes they zoom through that match the incredible feats of technology many of these locomotives boast.

Japan Rail has devised an ingenious system of sensors and centralized operations  a system so successful that during the devastating earthquake in 2011 every bullet train in the Shinkansen system was stopped in its tracks before the earthquake struck, keeping passengers on the bullet trains safe, Wilson said.

Earthquakes werent the only obstacle that Wilson says they faced while filming.

In Switzerland the iconic Glacier Express must content with steep ascents and descents through the Swiss Alps, Wilson said. The 12 percent grades on this train's route would be completely impossible for a regular train to manage, so the Glacier Express employs a rack and pinion (or 'cog-wheel') system of engineering ingenuity to tackle the treacherous climbs.

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The unforgiving terrain didnt stop Wilson from gushing about the capabilities and beauty of each train that he experienced. One he highlighted in particular was Australias The Ghan, which at nearly a kilometer in length is the longest regularly running passenger train in the world, he said.

The worlds greatest railway journey and other far-reaching train rides chug along starting September 3rd on Smithsonian Channel.
A fire that has engulfed more than 5,000 acres in the Sun Valley and Burbank areas is now one of the largest blazes in Los Angeles history, with the potential to do even more damage, fire officials said Saturday.

"The biggest factor is weather and the wind," Los Angeles Fire Department Battalion Chief Ralph Terrazas said of the so-called La Tuna fire, during a news conference. "If there is no wind, this fire is relatively easy to put out. The wind changes, it changes our priorities."

Hundreds of firefighters, as well as four fixed-wing air tankers, have been battling the fire that erupted Friday around 1:25 p.m. near the 10800 block of La Tuna Canyon Road.

The fast-moving fire prompted mandatory evacuations in Burbank, Tujunga, Sunland and parts of adjacent neighborhoods.

Andrea Heintz, 78, fled from her home, where she and her husband have lived since 1970, after learning of the mandatory evacuations while watching the news, the Los Angeles Times reported.

It was really scary, she said. You didnt realize the magnitude of it.

Heintz packed up her belongings, but her husband stayed behind.

Peter Glassberg, 64, another resident in the crosshairs of the fire, stayed up all Friday night watching the flames before heading out the door at 9 a.m. Saturday, when the mandatory evacuations began.

I looked inside and I said, No, it can go, it can go,  Glassberg told the L.A. Times. It makes you face whats important in your life.

In response to the growing intensity of the fire, Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti signed a declaration of local emergency, which prompts Gov. Jerry Brown to declare an emergency so state and federal aid can be provided to assist in battling the blaze.

In all, more than 700 homes have been evacuated, and authorities are encouraging those living in affected areas be prepared to leave, Fox 11 reported.

Due to poor air quality from the heavy smoke, authorities also urged people to stay indoors.

The last fire of this significance in the area was 30 to 40 years ago, officials said.
Alabamas Supreme Court has temporarily halted the murder trial of a white police officer accused of killing a black man as it considers a defense request to remove the judge.

Eight justices concurred with the decision, while one recused himself, the Montgomery Advertiser reported.

The request was prompted by a Facebook post written by the judge two months after the killing  and before the judge was assigned to the trial -- in which the judge, who is black, complained about being racially profiled by police.

The defense appealed after Montgomery County Circuit Judge Greg Griffin declined to recuse himself from the case.

The defendant in the murder trial is Montgomery Police Officer Aaron Smith, who is accused of fatally shooting Greg Gunn, 58, on Feb. 25, 2016.

Prosecutors say the white officer stopped Gunn, who was black, as Gunn was walking late at night and carrying a crowbar.

Smith did not activate his patrol cars lights or his body camera while stopping Gunn, who fled from the officer during a stop-and-frisk situation, the Montgomery Advertiser reported.

The defense has contended that Smith stopped Gunn because he seemed to be acting suspiciously. They allege that Gunn fought with the officer and swung an object at him.

The newspaper reported that Smith used a Taser on Gunn three times, beat him several times with a metal baton and shot Gunn five times outside his neighbors house. The newspaper cited testimony from a preliminary hearing from State Bureau of Investigation agent Jason DiNunzio, who had interviewed Smith.

Two months after Gunns death, Judge Griffin  without mentioning Gunns death  wrote on Facebook that he had been stopped during his morning walk by officers who claimed he matched the description of someone who had been reported in the area with a crowbar. Griffin wrote that he showed them his judicial badge.

It was aggravating to be detained when the only thing I was guilty of was being a black man walking down the street in his neighborhood with a stick in his hand, the judge wrote.

"It was aggravating to be detained when the only thing I was guilty of was being a black man walking down the street in his neighborhood with a stick in his hand.  Judge Greg Griffin, in Facebook post

Defense attorney Roianne Conner argued in a May hearing that she wasnt claiming that Griffin was biased, only that judicial ethics rules require judges to avoid even appearances of impropriety.

The Alabama Court of Criminal Appeals declined to force Griffins recusal.

The Associated Press contributed reporting to this story.
Three people accused in the murder of MMA fighter The Matzoh Brawler  including a 16-year-old girl  were denied bail Saturday after being charged in the killing during a Florida home invasion in July.



The girl, Summer Church, of Boca Raton, and 18-year-olds Roberto Ortiz, of Boynton Beach, and Jace Swinton, of Margate, are facing first-degree murder charges as adults in the July 3 shooting death of 25-year-old mixed martial arts fighter Aaron Rajman, an Orthodox Jew. They appeared before a judge in West Palm Beach.

Judi Church, who went to her daughters arraignment, has told local media that cops are accusing Summer of being the mastermind, but she says her daughter is an innocent victim who was used to set-up Rajman.

She told the Florida Sun-Sentinel that a group of men that inlcuded Ortiz and Swinton forced her daughter at gunpoint to get in a car and call Rajman to see if he was home.

"They made Summer get in the car, and they made her make that phone call," Church told the paper.

She said her daughter was not a bad kid, that she was trying to do good in school and that she wants to go to nursing school when she graduates high school.

"The state attorney needed to arrest somebody, and they decided she was the criminal mastermind behind all this even though she told them everything she knows," she said, according to the paper.

MMA FIGHTER SHOT TO DEATH IN HIS FLORIDA HOME

The mother told the Palm Beach Post that Summer and Rajman were acquaintances who met in January at a convenience store. She said at the time her daughter was dating Swinton.

Church also told the paper that her daughter wasnt at the scene when Rajman was killed.

Summers arrest Friday occurred as her mother was driving her to school, according to the paper. She is an 11th grader at Olympic Heights High School.

Rajman had a 2-2 record since becoming a professional fighter.

Im grateful they were caught, Rajmans girlfriend Emily Imber told the Post. I hope they get all of them. This has been devastating.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.
A 29-year-old man whom Philadelphia police said had confessed to elements of the crime is facing murder charges in connection with the death of a student who had just recently transferred to Temple University.

Joshua Hupperterz was arrested Saturday at his grandmothers house, 140 miles north of Philadelphia, Philly.com reported. The body of Jenna Burleigh, 22, was located at a house in Hawley, Fox 29 reported.

Our Beautiful Angel Jenna is now in Heaven," Burleigh's father, Edward, posted Saturday evening on Facebook. "Now I know for sure that you can have a broken heart RIP honey.

Police said they believe Hupperterz killed Burleigh in his Philadelphia apartment, then moved her body at least twice  first to the Jenkintown home of Hupperterzs mother and stepfather, and then to Hawley, the website reported.

When investigators entered Hupperterzs Philadelphia apartment, they found blood, drugs and cash. The apartment was located a short distance from a bar where they believe Hupperterz and Burleigh had met, Philly.com reported.

Burleigh was last seen around 2 a.m. Thursday, police said. Her father reported her missing later that day.

Philadelphia Police Capt. John Ryan, commanding officer of the homicide unit, wouldnt elaborate on what information police received from Hupperterz.

Burleigh, 22, was a commuter student from Lower Salford Township, Pa. She had transferred to Temple just last week from Montgomery County Community College and was living in Harleysville.

Ryan said the killing did not appear to be premeditated, and that police did not yet know a cause of death.

Click here for more from Philly.com.
Members of a Connecticut police department stood in line to salute a terminally ill four-legged partner on its last trip to a veterinary hospital.

K9 Hunter, a German shepherd, served with the Middletown Police Department at the side of its handler, Officer Michael DAresta. The dog was diagnosed with an aggressive form of liver cancer just recently.

Officers bid farewell to Hunter Friday as D'Aresta cradled the canine in his arms on the final trip to the vet, where the dog was euthanized.

Officer Michael D'Aresta unfortunately has to make the toughest decision any K9 handler dreads making this evening at Pieper Olson in Middletown at 1830 hours, Sgt. Doug Clark, Middletown K9 supervisor, wrote in a post on Facebook on Friday. K9 Hunter has been ill for that past several days and when tests were conducted they revealed that K9 Hunter has a very aggressive form of Liver cancer. They unfortunately recommended that he be euthanized.

Officer D'Aresta and Hunter have been an exceptional team serving the City of Middletown in a high caliber since 2007, Clark said. So as you can imagine, this is extremely difficult for Mike and his family.

Hunters value to the department was well-documented.

In July, the canine helped officers in a drug bust, the Middletown Patch reported.

Two years ago Hunter helped locate an elderly woman with dementia who wandered away from her home at night, the Hartford Courant reported.

Hunter and Officer D'Aresta have been such a huge part of our department the past 10 years, Clark wrote. Such a dedicated K-9 team. It will never be the same. Rest in Peace Hunter you've done well. Our thoughts and prayers go out to Officer Michael D'Aresta and his family.
Can you kick it?

Dozens of a convicted drug dealers pairs of sneakers are being auctioned off by a central Ohio county, The Columbus Dispatch reported Friday.

Sixty-seven boxes of confiscated footwear have been put up for grabs by Licking County officials in multiple lots, according to the report.

Bids will be accepted through Sept. 15 on the website GovDeals.com, and the proceeds will go toward funding drug investigations by the task force that discovered the kicks.

JOHN MAYER DESIGNED UNOFFICIAL NIKE AIR MAX SNEAKER

The shoes belonged to 48-year-old Kenya Davis of Newark.

This summer, a court sentenced him to 11 years in prison after convicting of possessing more than a half-pound of cocaine and 100 pills containing the deadly opioid fentanyl. Investigators had found almost $2,500 cash -- along with all the shoes -- describing them as proceeds of his drug dealing, court documents showed.

Im not saying its the most weve seen at a location, but its unusual, Lt. Paul Cortright with the county sheriffs office told the newspaper.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Exxon Mobil Corp. XOM 0.31% said it is working toward restarting its Houston-area Baytown refinerythe nations second-largest oil refineryafter a shutdown due to Tropical Storm Harvey, but said another of its coastal Texas refineries remains closed.

Exxons two processing plants were among nearly a dozen refineries forced to halt operations due to Harvey, which wreaked havoc on three of the U.S.s main refining hubs along the Texas coastlineCorpus Christi, Houston and the Port Arthur/Beaumont region. The closures have taken around 20% of U.S. refining capacity offline and have caused gasoline prices to soar, both at the wholesale and retail levels, amid concerns many of the refineries may be damaged and stay shut for weeks.

Our initial assessment of Exxon Mobils Baytown complex revealed the need for only minor repairs, the company said in a statement late Saturday. We are making good progress on restart activities.

It said the specific timing for returning to normal operations at the 560,000-barrel-a-day Baytown plant will depend largely on the availability and condition of transportation infrastructure. We are working with the Port of Houston to expedite vessels through the Houston Ship Channel and we are coordinating with railroads to help facilitate necessary repairs, it said.

As for Exxons other Texas-coast refinery, its 362,000-barrel-a-day Beaumont plant east of Houston, it said units at the Beaumont refinery remain shut down, without providing further details.

Click here to read more at the Wall Street Journal.
Hundreds of people in California evacuated from their homes this weekend to escape a monster inferno being described as the largest in Los Angeles history.

California Gov. Jerry Brown declared a state of emergency Sunday, the Los Angeles Times reported. Brown's declaration, which allows for state and federal assistance to be provided to Los Angeles County quickly, came after Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti issued a similar declaration.

Firefighters battled flames that chewed through nearly 8 square miles of brush-covered mountains as authorities issued mandatory or voluntary evacuation orders for more than 700 homes in Los Angeles, Burbank and Glendale.

The wildfires, just north of downtown L.A., had grown Saturday to the largest in city history, Garcetti said. Three structures had burned, at least two of them homes, but fire officials were confident they could extinguish the fire unless winds picked up.

Wildfires also entered a 2,700-year-old grove of giant sequoia trees near Yosemite National Park and have driven people from their homes in Washington State, Oregon, Montana and other areas struggling with a weeklong heat wave that's gripped Western states.

San Francisco, meanwhile, set a heat record for the day, hitting 94 degrees before noon. By mid-afternoon, it was 101 in the coastal city  hotter than Phoenix. With an all-time high of 106 on Friday, it became just the third time since the 1870s that San Francisco had back-to-back triple-digit days.

Temperatures reached 115 south of the city. It was a rare heat wave at a time of year that San Francisco residents usually call "Fogust" for its cloudy chill.

The region was so hot that officials with the Bay Area Rapid Transit system ordered trains to slow down on rails that were exposed to sun, expecting the heat would expand and possibly shift the metal track slightly, spokeswoman Alicia Trost said.

In Montana, a fire sweeping the Lolo Peak and Florence areas of the state grew to more than 41,300 acres as it continues to burn, KPAX reported.

The fire, sparked by a lightning strike in mid-July, is being handled by 575 people assigned to the blaze.

"So yesterday the fire got established in the bottom of One Horse Creek and then started moving up the mountain and got up toward the top of the ridge. And then last night weather conditions became more favorable for burnout operations," said Lolo Peak Fire Information Officer Derek Ibarguen. "And we conducted a burnout operation of about 50 to 60 acres that connected with the other burn blocks that have been in the past, to help shore up that eastern side of the fire."

In Oregon, dozens of wildfires were sending up large plumes of smoke, causing disruptions in holiday travel as roads close and shutting down camping areas.

The wildfires forced about 140 hikers to shelter in place overnight Saturday on a popular trail about 90 miles east of Portland after they got stuck between two blazes.

The hikers were led 14 miles by search-and-rescue teams toward Wahtum Lake, and made it out by Sunday morning.

Many of the hikers were traveling along the Eagle Creek Trail Saturday, but a blaze on the trail made it difficult for the hikers to leave, so officials had them shelter overnight near Tunnel Falls.

Fire spokeswoman Mary Huels said a crew of about 18 firefighters who had been assigned to the south end of the older fire as lookouts were keeping track of the people in the area and getting them to safe areas.

Three other hikers in a different areas nearby were rescued by helicopter Saturday evening.

In the Pacific Northwest, high temperatures and a lack of rain this summer have dried out vegetation that fed on winter snow and springtime rain. Officials warned of wildfire danger as hot, dry, smoky days were forecast across Oregon and Washington over the holiday weekend.

A fire about 80 miles southeast of Seattle has burned more than 23 square miles and led to new evacuation notices Saturday. About 3,800 homes were threatened, authorities said.

The weeklong heat wave was generated by high pressure over the West, the National Weather Service said.

The Associated Press contributed to this story.
For thousands of students and parents in waterlogged Houston still reeling from the impact of Harvey's fury, the 2017-18 school year will be unlike any they have experienced.

At schools across the sprawling Texas city, classrooms were flooded with water, desks were swept away and supplies were ruined.

The Houston Independent School District, the largest in Texas with more than 215,000 students, has said up to 12,000 students could be sent to different schools because of damage from flooding.

Twenty-two of its 245 schools had extensive damage that will keep them closed for months and about 53 have major damage, according to school officials. About 200 schools have some form of standing water.

At one point, the district said, flood waters in Hilliard Elementary were 4 feet high. The floors will have to be ripped out and drywall removed. Surfaces will need to be thoroughly cleaned and covered in anti-microbial disinfectant.

The district said that two other elementary schools, Mitchell and Ed White, were still surrounded by water on Saturday morning. They were among about 15 schools the district said were inaccessible because of flooding on Saturday, more than a week after the storm started.

The district said that 115 schools will have to be deep-cleaned before school starts.

Superintendent Richard Carranza has said the goal is to start the school year on Sept. 11, but that could still be postponed. School employees have been told to report to work on September 5.

Carranza said some schools may never be inhabitable again, but its too early to make that judgment, reports Chron.com

The district also is looking into the possibility of double shifts at some campuses, with students from one school attending classes in the morning to early afternoon, and students from another school coming into the same building for classes from early afternoon to evening.

He's exploring the possibility of "double shifts" at some campuses, with students from one school attending classes in the morning to early afternoon, and students from another school coming into the same building for classes from early afternoon to evening.

Click here for more from Fox 26 Houston.
An Indiana man was arrested Saturday after he was accused of beating his newborn daughter for months to make her stop crying, causing her skull to appear like a cracked eggshell, police said.

Tosumba Welch, 19, of Linton, was arrested and charged with domestic battery and neglect of a dependent, FOX59 reported. Police began investigating Welch after his 9-month-old daughter was airlifted to the hospital on Wednesday unresponsive and suffering from seizures.

Doctors described the babys skull appearing like a cracked eggshell when tests showed multiple skull fractures. She suffered from several brain bleeds because of the blunt force to her head.

The worst of the bleeds was to the back of her skull, where there was one on each side of her head along with swelling in the same areas, police said in a release.

The infant also suffered non-accidental injuries on her collarbone and a fractured ankle most likely caused by an intentional "jerk and yank," WISH-TV reported.

Welch later admitted to police he would squeeze his daughter and punch her in the head since she was 4 or 5 months old. He allegedly would punch the baby in the head to make her stop crying.

The girl is recovering in the hospital. Police did not release further information on her mother or other family members.
A man was arrested Saturday in the death of a Florida woman who was killed in June after being shot by a masked gunman just hours after she gushed about her financial success in a Facebook post, police said.

Joevan Joseph, 19, was arrested and charged with first-degree murder in the slaying of Makeva Jenkins, a 33-year-old mother and entrepreneur who died in late June after being shot in the head in her Lake Worth home.

I didnt do it, Joseph told reporters as detectives escorted him in handcuffs to a police car. He appeared before a judge on Sunday and was denied bond.

Jenkins was very vocal about her success in the last three years of her life, going from homelessness to earning multi six figures hours before she died. She managed The Prime Enterprise, a business consulting company, and boasted about her achievement on her Facebook page.

"Fast forward to now: We overcame being homeless in 2013/2014 to reaching my six-figure mark in 2015 to now making multi six figures," Jenkins wrote on Facebook. "No matter what the road looked like, I followed my heart and stuck with it growing my business."

Jenkins ended the post by saying: Anyone can do it. It takes determination and consistency. The Facebook post followed previous messages about her business.

On the night of her shooting, Jenkins' three children  two girls, ages 1 and 13, and a boy, age 7  her husband and brother were inside the home, The Palm Beach Post reported. A fight broke out between Jenkins and the masked intruder before she was shot in the head. She was rushed to the hospital where she later died.

Her family initially said they feared Jenkins detailed Facebook posts may have made her a target that led to her death.

"Everybody loved her," a relative told the newspaper in June.

"Im speechless. My heart is just so heavy. I just cant believe it," another friend said.

The Jenkins family pleaded to the public for possible clues into the mothers murder in August before Josephs arrest. Police did not release a possible motive into the killing.
A scuffle in a Michigan Walmart over a notebook escalated when a woman pulled a loaded gun, scattering shoppers, and now state prosecutors reportedly are weighing whether to bring charges.

The trouble began when the womans 20-year-old daughter allegedly grabbed the notebook at the Walmart in Novi Monday from two other women.

There was one left, some pushing resulted, Novi Police Detective Scott Baetens told Fox 2 Detroit. They began to argue who was the rightful purchaser of that notebook.

The gun appeared when the scuffling grew more violent, with hair-pulling.

Shes a valid (Concealed Pistol License) holder, the detective said. She pulled out her firearm and tells them to stop attacking her daughter while pointing the gun at them.

A shopper recorded the incident on a cellphone, the Detroit Free Press reported.

According to the paper, police reviewed the footage as part of their investigation and then submitted the case to the Oakland County Prosecutor's Office for review and possible charges.

Baetens told the paper that the 20-year-old left with the notebook after purchasing it.

Click for more from Fox 2 Detroit.
At least 13 of the 41 Superfund sites in Texas were flooded and "experiencing possible damage" as a result of Hurricane Harvey, federal environmental officials confirmed Saturday after conducting an initial assessment of the sites.

The assessment, determined through aerial imagery, raised concerns about potential health risks as floodwaters carried the pollutants over a wider area, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency said. Texas Gov. Greg Abbott told "Fox News Sunday" the EPA is going to "get on top" of the contamination threat.

"The EPA is monitoring that. The EPA is going to get on top of that," Abbott said. "We are working with the EPA to make sure that we contain any of these chemicals harming anybody in the greater Houston area or any other place."

The findings came shortly after the Associated Press reported that Harvey flooded at least seven of the highly toxic waste sites in and around Houston. The report stated EPA officials have not physically visited the Superfund sites in the Houston area, saying in a statement that they have not been accessible by response personnel."

However, the EPA released a statement on Sunday slamming the "misleading" AP report. The agency said it has conducted initial assessments at 41 Superfund sites that indicated 28 of them damaged and 13 of them experiencing flooding. It also noted the sites were secured before the hurricane hit -- information that it said AP had left out.

"Administrator Pruitt already visited Southeast Texas and is in constant contact with local, state and county officials. And EPA, has a team of experts imbedded with other local, state and federal authorities, on the ground responding to Harvey -- none of which Biesecker included in his story," the agency said.

At a news conference Saturday, Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner called on the EPA to come "in town to address the situation." He said he wasnt aware of the flooding at the Superfund sites in time to inform President Donald Trump of the situation during the president's recent visit to the region.

Reporters from the Associated Press were able to survey seven Superfund locations, including one that was accessible only by boat. They found the sites to "either be underwater or showing signs they were inundated before floodwaters receded.

The EPA hasnt explained why the agencys personnel haven't been able to tour the sites, the AP reported.

The U.S. petrochemical industry is in the heart of the Houston metro area, where more than a dozen Superfund sites reside that have been labeled by the EPA as some of Americas most intensely contaminated places, the AP reported.

San Jacinto River Waste Pits, which contains toxins linked to birth defects and cancer in the soil, is among the Superfund sites that were completely flooded.

Cleaning up Superfund sites is reportedly a top priority for EPA Administrator Scott Pruitt.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.
A World War II veteran who served as a pilot in three wars got his wish on Saturday to take one last flight through the Kansas skies.

Sam Northway, 91, flew a WWII Army biplane around the Crossroads Hospice and Palliative Care after the staff, through its gift for a day program, joined the Commemorative Air Force to arrange the flight, FOX4KC reported.

I never did want to go someplace in an airplane. I just liked to fly, Northway told the news station.

KIDS WRITE HEARTWARMING NOTE TO THEIR POLICEMAN FATHER HELPING HARVEY VICTIMS

Northway served as a Navy pilot and seaman during World War II. He recalled receiving letters from his sweetie then, but lost all the letters during the Pearl Harbor attack in 1941. He later joined the Air Force and served in the Korean and Vietnam wars.

Northway has always loved flying and is constantly fascinated with vintage aircraft, calling them beautiful planes. But his health has made it hard for the veteran to do a final flight, Northways daughter, Judy Northway, told FOX4KC.

It means the world. The last year for him hasnt been real great health wise. So for him to be able to do this is such a treat for him, and he deserves it greatly, she said.

The veteran flew the plane for about 30 minutes and was overcome with emotion as the aircraft soared in the air.

The earth looks beautiful when youre flying over it, looking down. It doesnt look like that when youre on the ground looking at it, Sam Northway said.

Northway said the flight brought back memories of serving in the Navy and Air Force.

Click here for more from FOX4KC.
Police are warning residents of a Chicago suburb to avoid helping "zombie dogs" because they are infected coyotes that could sicken other pets with the disease.

Hanover Park Police Department posted the warning on its Facebook page on Wednesday, saying the coyotes, usually nocturnal animals, are infected with sarcoptic mange that causes them to be active in the day.

Infected animals will often appear mangy -- which looks just like it sounds. They suffer hair loss and develop secondary infections, eventually looking like some sort of zombie dog, the department said.

Police said the infected coyotes arent typically aggressive, but warned residents in the area to avoid them and keep them away from their pets, who can catch the contagious disease.

Please DO NOT approach these animals or allow your pets to approach them. You can avoid attracting them to your yards and neighborhoods by not leaving food out and by securing your garbage, the department said.

Its common to spot coyotes in Illinois, especially in the southern, southeastern and west-central parts, according to the Department of Natural Resources. Though there hasnt been a reported case of coyotes biting humans in northeastern Illinois.
The massacre in Guatemala that left 27 people dead in a cattle ranch  believed to be the work of Mexico's notorious drug cartel, the Zetas  has forced a 30-day state of emergency.

Guatemalan President Alvaro Colom, who called the killings sadistic and perverse, issued the urgent declaration after announcing that he would go to the jungle-covered region to personally direct operations aimed at rooting out what is believed to be a Mexican drug cartel that has taken up residence in Peten.

"Guatemala must face up to this aggression aimed not just at our country but at the whole region," Colom said in an address broadcast to the nation late Monday.

Such declarations traditionally give the army emergency powers, including permission to detain suspects without warrants.

The attack late Saturday and early Sunday on an isolated cattle ranch was of one of Guatemala's largest postwar massacres.

Gunmen believed to belong to Mexico's Zetas cartel killed the farm laborers, including two women and two children, and left their severed heads scattered across the pastures of the cattle ranch.

A message written in the blood of the victims was daubed across a wall of the ranch house, threatening the owner.

A 23-year-old laborer who survived the attack said he was stabbed in the stomach, but his attackers were distracted by an attempt by some of the other victims to flee. The chilling scene was related by the surviving farm worker, who spoke to The Associated Press Monday from his hospital bed in a nearby town. Authorities asked that the survivor not be named for security reasons.

The survivor said he fell to the ground as he was being stabbed, and at that moment some of the ranch employees tried to flee, distracting his attacker. He said he was able to walk, badly wounded, to safety.

"I don't know how I survived," he said.

The man had worked planting forage crops at the ranch, when gunmen arrived late Saturday asking for the owner  a man authorities said had links to the drug trade.

The only other survivor was a pregnant woman whose young daughter clung to her so fiercely and cried so loudly the killers let her go. Relatives of the woman said the attackers spoke with Mexican accents.

Mexico's brutal Zetas drug cartel has set up shop in Guatemala in the largely indigenous region along the countries' shared border.

The police finally came Sunday morning, but the violence continued Monday in nearby areas of Peten, a jungle-covered, strategic drug-trafficking region with a murder rate double the national average and far higher than the most violent parts of Mexico.

Colom, who toured the massacre site Monday, said as many as 40 to 50 armed commandos stormed the remote ranch on a one-lane dirt road about 19 miles (30 kilometers) from the nearest paved highway. They are believed to be part of a group called "Z 200."

Two men were killed and one suspect in the massacre was taken into custody after a confrontation with police Monday morning, while grenades were tossed at a home and business in a town near San Benito, where the bodies were taken for identification.

Authorities blamed the Zetas for all the attacks, which included the killing of the brother of a slain Guatemalan drug capo on Saturday.

Investigators are looking into ties between the ranch owner, Otto Salguero, and drug trafficking, Colom said. The message written in blood on one of the ranch building's walls said the killers were looking for Salguero, whose whereabouts is not known. Colom said Salguero owns four ranches and hundreds of head of cattle.

But none of the victims had ties to drug cartels, authorities said. Rather they were innocent ranch workers and their families caught up in an increasingly bloody war mirroring the Zetas quest for territory in Mexico.

The Zetas are blamed for two recent mass killings in Mexico as well, 183 bodies found in mass graves last month and a massacre of 72 migrants last August, both in the state of Tamaulipas bordering Texas.

Mexican drug cartels now operate virtually uninhibited in parts of Central America. U.S.-supported crackdowns in Mexico and Colombia have only pushed traffickers into a region where corruption is rampant, borders lack even minimal immigration control and local gangs provide a ready-made infrastructure for organized crime.

The Guatemalan government recently ended a two-month siege near Peten in the neighboring mountainous state of Alta Verapaz, also a prime corridor for smuggling drugs from Honduras to Mexico, where Zetas roamed the streets with assault rifles and armored vehicles and even controlled when people could leave their homes.

Peten has been a strategic drug-trafficking zone with jungle landing strips used by several cartels, according to the 2010 U.N. World Drug Report.

Both the Zetas and Mexico's Sinaloa cartel have interests in Peten and may be competing for territory, the report says.

But Peten is also popular with foreign tourists, who are drawn to the region's jungles and Mayan ruin sites like Tikal. The violence may wind up affecting the vital tourist trade in the largely impoverished region; the British Embassy issued a travel advisory citing advice from Guatemalan authorities to temporary avoid visiting Peten due to the violence.

Authorities blamed the Zetas for the murder Saturday of Haroldo Leon, the brother of alleged Guatemalan drug boss Juan Jose "Juancho" Leon. "Juancho" himself was killed in 2008 in an ambush.

Based on reporting by The Associated Press.

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Diplomacy is the key to solving the North Korea problem, German Chancellor Angela Merkel says.

Merkel believes an agreement with North Korea that's similar to the 2015 Iran nuclear deal, which Germany helped orchestrate, could be the answer for convincing North Korea leader Kim Jong Un to disarm, Bloomberg News reported.

We must now develop similar activities with an eye on North Korea, Merkel said. North Korea's recent missile tests should spur us further to move forward with disarmament efforts.

Merkels comments came Saturday during her weekly podcast. She asserted that her stance on North Korea aligns with that of U.S. Defense Secretary Jim Mattis.

President Donald Trump, however, believes that talking is not the answer.

"The U.S. has been talking to North Korea, and paying them extortion money, for 25 years. Talking is not the answer!" Trump tweeted just one day after Pyongyang launched a missile over Japan.

Mattis struck a different tone on Twitter, writing that were never out of diplomatic solutions.

Click here for more from Bloomberg News.
North Korea claimed Sunday that it had developed a hydrogen bomb to use with a long-range intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM).

The Korean Central News Agency, North Korea's propaganda arm, said that that dictator Kim Jong-un inspected "an H-bomb to be loaded into [a] new ICBM" during a visit to the North's Nuclear Weapons Institute. Photos accompanied the statement showed the purported hydrogen bomb being developed in a lab.

The explosive power of the "homemade" bomb is "adjustable from tens kiloton to hundreds kiloton," KCNA said.

Aside from the factuality of the North's claim, the language in its statement seems a strong signal that Pyongyang will soon conduct another nuclear weapon test, which is crucial if North Korean scientists are to fulfill the national goal of an arsenal of viable nuclear ICBMs that can reach the U.S. mainland. There's speculation that such a test could come on or around the Sept. 9 anniversary of North Korea's national founding, something it did last year.



There was no immediate comment from the Pentagon or other U.S. officials. However, Director of National Intelligence Dan Coats told Congress in March that North Korea had developed the ability to put a nuclear warhead on a missile.

Experts have previously expressed skepticism about previous North Korean weapons claims. However, the announcement will raise already high worries in East Asia and in Washington that the North is closer to its goal of an arsenal of viable nuclear ICBMs that can reach the U.S. mainland.



In July, conducted its first ever ICBM tests, part of a stunning jump in progress for the country's nuclear and missile program since Kim rose to power following his father's death in late 2011. The North followed its two tests of ICBMs, which, when perfected, could target large parts of the United States, by threatening to launch a salvo of its Hwasong-12 intermediate range missiles toward the U.S. Pacific island territory of Guam in August.

It flew a Hwasong-12 over northern Japan last week, the first such overflight by a missile capable of carrying nukes, in a launch Kim described as a "meaningful prelude" to containing Guam, the home of major U.S. military facilities, and more ballistic missile tests targeting the Pacific.



North Korea has conducted five nuclear tests since 2006, including two last year. The first of those tests involved what it claims to have been a hydrogen bomb and the second was its most powerful ever.

The key question is how far North Korea has gotten in efforts to consistently shrink down nuclear warheads so they can fit on long-range missiles.

South Korea's main spy agency has previously asserted that it does not think Pyongyang currently has the ability to develop miniaturized nuclear weapons that can be mounted on ballistic missiles. Some experts think the North may have mastered this technology.



North Korea is thought to have a handful of rudimentary nuclear bombs and has spent decades trying to perfect a multistage, long-range missile to eventually carry smaller versions of those bombs.

Fox News' Lucas Tomlinson and The Associated Press contributed to this report.
An Iranian official told state TV during the weekend that the country tested its own missile defense system, the Bavar-373, AFP reports.

In parallel with the deployment of the S-300, work on Bavar-373 system is underway, Farzad Esmaili was quoted as telling IRIB.

He reportedly said that some of its parts are different from the S-300. All of its sub-systems have been completed and its missile tests have been conducted.

IRAN TESTS HIGHLY-SOPHISTICATED RUSSIAN AIR DEFENSE SYSTEM

Russia delivered the S-300 system to Iran last year. Iran had signed an $800 million contract to buy the S-300 missile system in 2007, but Russia halted their delivery three years later due to strong objections from the U.S. and Israel.

Last year, a nuclear deal between Iran and world powers went into practice under which Iran limited its nuclear activities in exchange for the lifting of sanctions.

After the sale was halted, Iran started producing the Bavar-373 system in 2010, the AFP reported.

IRNA said in March that Iran successfully tested the S-300 system.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.
A Mexican man who allegedly assaulted three underage girls and fled the U.S. was taken into custody on Tuesday, according to the FBI.

Hugo Sanchez, 42, was arrested by Mexican law enforcement officials in Acapulco.

According to the FBI and local media, Sanchez sexually assaulted three young sisters in Chicago from June 2001 to August 2003.

Sanchez was charged with 88 counts of sex crimes and initially detained on no bond. After he was given a bond of $50,000, he failed to appear for any more hearings and fled to Mexico, the Tribune reported.

An arrest warrant was issued in July 2008 by the U.S. District Court in Illinois after he was charged with unlawful flight to avoid prosecution.

Hes expected to be extradited to the United States following court proceedings in Mexico.
North Korea said on Sunday it detonated a hydrogen bomb, possibly triggering an artificial earthquake and prompting immediate condemnation from its neighbors -- despite the rogue regime calling the test a "perfect success."

The blast, carried out at 12:29 p.m. local time at the Punggye-ri site, triggered a magnitude 6.3 earthquake in North Korea that was detected 55 kilometers north northwest of Kimchaek, U.S. Geological Survey reported. Officials in Seoul initially said it was a magnitude 5.7 quake.

Just hours before Sunday's test, photos emerged in a newspaper showing dictator Kim Jong Un inspecting what it said is a new thermonuclear warhead in a lab. This would be North Korea's sixth nuclear test and first since September 2016.

David Albright, President of the Washington-based Institute for Science and International Security, one of the leading global experts on North Korea, told Fox News the new test is "alarming."

"This is a crisisthis size of this device is a city-busterthe yield of this blast is significantit could cause significant damage," Albright said. "It is alarming."

Albright previously said North Korea has made it a priority to develop thermonuclear weapons. He said on Sunday the recent rest could have been a crude thermo-nuclear device.

"And thats a bad thing," Albright said, adding that the rogue nation has moved faster than he expected.

The test was estimated to have a yield of 100 kilotons, meaning a blast that was four to five times more powerful than the explosion in Nagasaki, Japan, in 1945, a South Korean defense official told the country's Yonhap News Agency. Albright said it will still be a challenge for North Korea to develop an ICBM that could hold a hydrogen bomb.

"But they know how to scare us," Albright said.

President Trump condemned the test on Twitter Sunday morning, calling the rogue nation's actions "very hostile and dangerous."

"North Korea has conducted a major Nuclear Test. Their words and actions continue to be very hostile and dangerous to the United States," Trump tweeted.

"North Korea is a rogue nation which has become a great threat and embarrassment to China, which is trying to help but with little success," he added. "South Korea is finding, as I have told them, that their talk of appeasement with North Korea will not work, they only understand one thing!"

White House Press Secretary Sarah Sanders released a statement saying the National security team was "closely" monitoring the situation.

"The President and his national security team will have a meeting to discuss further later [Sunday]. We will provide updates as necessary," Sanders said.

Japan and South Korea immediately condemned the nuclear test. South Korea's presidential office said U.S. National Security Adviser H.R. McMaster spoke with his South Korean counterpart, Chung Eui-yong, for 20 minutes in an emergency phone call about an hour after the detonation.

Japan's Prime Minister Shinzo Abe called the test "absolutely unacceptable."

The U.S. Air Force's WC-135 "sniffer" planes in Japan will be measuring the air samples near the Korean Peninsula to confirm the presence of radioactive particles in the atmosphere and confirm the nuclear test. The Japanese military also has radiological detection equipment in some of its jets as well.

On Thursday, Defense Secretary James Mattis had declined to comment when Fox News asked if the Pentagon was seeing evidence of an upcoming nuclear test in North Korea. The previous day, before sitting next to his South Korean counterpart, Mattis said "We are not out of diplomatic options."

NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said he "strongly condemn" the sixth nuclear test, saying it was a "flagrant violation of multiple U.N. Security Council resolutions."

U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson had recently said North Korea was showing "restraint" in its recent actions.

"Pyongyang has certainly demonstrated some level of restraint that weve not seen in the past," he said at the State Department.

In April, Tillerson told Fox News' Bret Baier that China had asked North Korea not to conduct any more nuclear tests.

Were asking a lot of the Chinese, Tillerson said at the time. We are going to test Chinas willingness to help address this serious threat.

Torrid pace

North Korea conducted two nuclear tests last year and has since maintained a torrid pace in weapons tests, including flight-testing developmental intercontinental ballistic missiles and flying a powerful midrange missile over Japan.

Earlier Sunday, photos released by the North Korean government showed Kim talking with his lieutenants as he observed a silver, peanut-shaped device that was apparently the purported thermonuclear weapon destined for an ICBM. What appeared to be the nose cone of a missile could also be seen near the alleged bomb in one picture, which could not be independently verified and which was taken without outside journalists present. Another photo showed a diagram on the wall behind Kim of a bomb mounted inside a cone.

Aside from the factuality of the North's claim, the language in its statement seems a strong signal that Pyongyang will soon conduct its sixth nuclear weapon test, which is crucial if North Korean scientists are to fulfill the national goal of an arsenal of viable nuclear ICBMs that can reach the U.S. mainland. There's speculation that such a test could come on or around the Sept. 9 anniversary of North Korea's national founding, something it did last year.

As part of the North's weapons work, Kim was said by his propaganda mavens to have made a visit to the Nuclear Weapons Institute and inspected a "homemade" H-bomb with "super explosive power" that "is adjustable from tens (of) kiloton to hundreds (of) kiloton."

Jump in progress

North Korea in July conducted its first ever ICBM tests, part of a stunning jump in progress for the country's nuclear and missile program since Kim rose to power following his father's death in late 2011. The North followed its two tests of Hwasong-14 ICBMs, which, when perfected, could target large parts of the United States, by threatening to launch a salvo of its Hwasong-12 intermediate range missiles toward the U.S. Pacific island territory of Guam in August.

It flew a Hwasong-12 over northern Japan last week, the first such overflight by a missile capable of carrying nukes, in a launch Kim described as a "meaningful prelude" to containing Guam, the home of major U.S. military facilities, and more ballistic missile tests targeting the Pacific.

Vipin Narang, an MIT professor specializing in nuclear strategy, said it's important to note that North Korea was only showing a mockup of a two-stage thermonuclear device, or H-bomb. "We won't know what they have until they test it, and even then there may be a great deal of uncertainty depending on the yield and seismic signature and any isotopes we can detect after a test," he said.

To back up its claims to nuclear mastery, such tests are vital. The first of its two atomic tests last year involved what Pyongyang claimed was a sophisticated hydrogen bomb; the second it said was its most powerful atomic detonation ever.

It is almost impossible to independently confirm North Korean statements about its highly secret weapons program. South Korean government officials said the estimated explosive yield of last year's first test was much smaller than what even a failed hydrogen bomb detonation would produce. There was speculation that North Korea might have detonated a boosted fission bomb, a weapon considered halfway between an atomic bomb and an H-bomb.

Invaluable information

It is clear, however, that each new missile and nuclear test gives the North invaluable information that allows big jumps in capability. A key question is how far North Korea has gotten in efforts to consistently shrink down nuclear warheads so they can fit on long-range missiles.

"Though we cannot verify the claim, (North Korea) wants us to believe that it can launch a thermonuclear strike now, if it is attacked. Importantly, (North Korea) will also want to test this warhead, probably at a larger yield, to demonstrate this capability," said Adam Mount, a senior fellow at the Center for American Progress.

North Korea is thought to have a growing arsenal of nuclear bombs and has spent decades trying to perfect a multistage, long-range missile to eventually carry smaller versions of those bombs.

South Korea's main spy agency has previously asserted that it does not think Pyongyang currently has the ability to develop miniaturized nuclear weapons that can be mounted on long-range ballistic missiles. Some experts, however, think the North may have mastered this technology.

The White House said that President Donald Trump spoke with Prime Minister Shinzo Abe of Japan regarding "ongoing efforts to maximize pressure on North Korea." The statement did not say whether the conversation came before or after the North's latest claim.

A long line of U.S. presidents has failed to check North Korea's persistent pursuit of missiles and nuclear weapons. Six-nation negotiations on dismantling North Korea's nuclear program in exchange for aid fell apart in early 2009.

'Great destructive power'

The North said in its statement Sunday that its H-bomb "is a multi-functional thermonuclear nuke with great destructive power which can be detonated even at high altitudes for super-powerful EMP (electromagnetic pulse) attack according to strategic goals."

Kim, according to the statement carried by the state-run Korean Central News Agency, claimed that "all components of the H-bomb were homemade ... thus enabling the country to produce powerful nuclear weapons as many as it wants."

In what could be read as a veiled warning of more nuclear tests, Kim underlined the need for scientists to "dynamically conduct the campaign for successfully concluding the final-stage research and development for perfecting the state nuclear force" and "set forth tasks to be fulfilled in the research into nukes."

The two Koreas have shared the world's most heavily fortified border since their war in the early 1950s ended with an armistice, not a peace treaty. About 28,500 American troops are deployed in South Korea as deterrence against North Korea.

Fox News' Lucas Tomlinson, Jennifer Griffin and Greg Palkot and The Associated Press contributed to this story.
South Koreas military conducted a live-fire exercise simulating an attack on a nuclear site, to "strongly warn" North Korea in response to the rogue nation's apparent nuclear test, South Korean officials said early Monday.

A surface-to-surface missile and long-range air-to-ground missile "accurately struck" targets in the Sea of Japan, Seoul's Joint Chiefs of Staff said.

Officials added that the target was set considering the distance to where the North's test site was, and the exercise was aimed at practicing precision strikes, as well as cutting off reinforcements.

TRUMP, MATTIS, MNUCHIN WARN NORTH KOREA OF 'OVERWHELMING' MILITARY RESPONSE, HALTED TRADE

North Korea claimed on Sunday that it successfully detonated a hydrogen bomb, which possibly triggered an artificial earthquake, which the U.S. Geological Survey reported as having a 6.3 magnitude.

Hours before the test, photos were found to show regime leader Kim Jong Un examining what it said is a new thermonuclear warhead inside of a lab.

President Donald Trump tweeted Sunday that "North Korea is a rogue nation" and that "their words and actions continue to be very hostile and dangerous."

He added that South Korea is realizing their "talk of appeasement with North Korea will not work," before tweeting that the U.S. is considering cutting trade with any country that does business with North Korea.

Meanwhile, Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin said he was drafting a new sanctions package against the communist nation. The U.S. has already imposed economic sanctions on North Korea to stop the country's pursuit of a nuclear weapon.

In response to Pyongyangs claim, Defense Secretary Jim Mattis said Sunday afternoon that any threats by North Korea to the U.S. or its allies would be met with an effective and overwhelming military response.

NORTH KOREA NUCLEAR TEST: WHAT IS A HYDROGEN BOMB?

He added, we are not looking to the total annihilation of a country  but ... we have many options to do so.

If confirmed, North Koreas bomb detonation Saturday would be its sixth nuclear test, and its first since President Trump was inaugurated.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Spanish police have arrested 14 people, including 12 British nationals, in an operation to bust a drug trafficking ring in a resort town on the Mediterranean island of Mallorca.

Spain's Civil Guard said Saturday that it made the arrests during raids of 12 different residences.

Police confiscated three kilograms of cocaine, unspecified quantities of other drugs, more than 100,000 euros ($118,000), and four vehicles used by the alleged drug dealers.

A police video showed officers with weapons drawn breaking down an apartment door while a helicopter hovered overhead.

The dealers allegedly sold the drugs in Magaluf, a seaside resort that has become a popular destination for tourists and partygoers seeking nightlife.

Besides the 12 U.K. citizens, police also arrested one Spaniard and one man from the Dominican Republic.
IN THE WAKE of Aug. 12, when a Charlottesville rally sadly became a national topic, I asked readers to help lighten the mood by sharing funny stories.

The terrible news coming out of Houston this past week makes that need even greater. Ive got some good ones to share today and will share more later if they continue to come in.

The first is from Gary Kreidwise of Stafford County, who shared a great family story that unfolded in the snow.

He noted that it happened the day after Christmas in 1964, when his aunt and uncle and other family members came for a holiday visit to his familys home in Springfield.

It started snowing and by early evening there were at least 5 inches of snow on the ground, said Kreidwise. They decided to head back home to Landover, Maryland, before it got worse.

Kreidwise said he and his father followed them out of their subdivision because the streets there were already covered with snow and ice, even though the main roads beyond were still passable.

Sure enough, Uncle John got stuck, and we spent a half hour or so trying to shovel the car clear, with no luck, he said. My Dad finally exclaimed that if we only had some sand, we could probably get the car free and moving again.

At which point, Kreidwise said his uncle replied, Well, I have some sand in the trunk, but Im saving it for an emergency.

To which his Aunt Madeline incredulously responded, What do you think this is? Were stuck!

The Stafford resident said the story had a happy ending, as his uncle relented, they used the sand and soon they were safely headed home.

He added, Its a story that to this day makes our family chuckle whenever someone tells it.

Donna Gilbert of Locust Grove said she was 22 when she met the man of my dreams, and after they dated for several months, she was invited to his home to meet his parents.

Of course, I was nervous, but his mother, a Southern lady with an accent to match, couldnt have been lovelier, said Gilbert.

At dinner, she kept asking me if I wanted more chicken, more beans, more cranberry sauce, more muffins, etc. said Gilbert. And I, trained by my Yankee mother, said no thank you every time.

Gilbert noted that it was only after dinner that she realized none of those inquiries had actually been directed at her.

She was not saying more beans, Dawwna (Donna), but actually more beans dawlin (darling), said Gilbert. Shed been looking after her darling husband, not the new girl at the table!

As a footnote, Gilbert noted that the lady shed briefly misunderstood that one day turned out to be an extraordinary mother-in-law, who raised an incredible son Ive been married to for more than 47 years.

Lori Schmidt of Spotsylvania County noted that a few years ago, she took her young granddaughter to the Kenmore Park playground in Fredericksburg.

She and I walked up to Meditation Rock, where I explained to her that George Washingtons mother, Mary, came there to pray for her sons safety, as well as that of our country, said Schmidt. I then showed her Mary Washingtons gravesite and marker.

Schmidt said her granddaughter listened to her intently, looked up and down at the marker and then turned to her and said, Grandma, she sure was a big lady!

The grandmother noted that the 5-year-old thought that Mary Washington was buried standing upright under the obelisk! I dont remember when Ive laughed so hard.

A shorter route to a smile comes from Joan Bergstrom of Unionville, who got in touch to note something her 27-year-old grandson said when he was a youngster. Bergstrom recalled that it came one day after her boy had done something really foolish, and she asked him why.

Looking as serious as he could be, the youngster replied, Grandma, it seemed like a good idea at the time.

She noted that in the wake of that, if anyone ever questions a foolish action by any member of our family, the answer is, of course, always, It seemed like a good idea at the time.

Thanks to all who shared their funny family stories.

If other readers have similar ones to share, email them to rhedelt@freelancestar.com or mail them to me at 1340 Central Park Blvd., Suite 100, Fredericksburg, VA 22401.
Gabi Akens held her toddler son, Landon, tight as they leaned over her sister Katelin Akens birthday cake late Saturday afternoon.

Gabi, who turned 18 on Thursday, blew out the two candles marking her sisters 21st birthday at a gathering of family, friends and several members of The AWARE Foundation held in parking lot overlooking the Rappahannock River in Spotsylvania County.

The site off River Road is close to the drainage ditch where Katelins suitcase was found with her plane ticket, credit card and other items two days after her disappearance on Dec. 5, 2015.

We want to let people know she is still missing and this is another birthday were spending without her, said her mother, Lisa Sullivan of Caroline County. We desperately want to see her, to know where she is. We think about her every day.

Katelin lived with her mom, Lisa Sullivan, in Caroline County until September 2014, when she moved to Lake Havasu City, Ariz., with her fiancee. She returned to the Fredericksburg area shortly after Landon Akens was born for what was supposed to be a four-night stay.

On the morning of her scheduled flight back to Arizona, Katelin packed her Caroline High School diploma, which shed need to enroll in cosmetology school. Her former stepfather, who lives in Partlow, had agreed to drive her to Reagan National Airport.

Sullivan told her daughter to call when she got to the airport, and then again when she got on the plane. She received the first of three texts from her daughter eight minutes after getting one from her ex-husband saying that he had dropped Katelin off.

Katelins text said: Im at the airport. Battery dying, so wont be able to text for a bit.

Sullivan asked her daughter to let her know when shed boarded her flight. She received two texts from Katelins number at 7:15 that evening, a time when her daughter should have already been in the air.

The first text said: Staying with a friend. It was followed by, I need some time alone.

Sullivan, who was driving home from work at Ollies Bargain Outlet at the time, pulled into the Flying J parking lot in Carmel Church and tried to reach her daughter. The call went straight to voicemail.

Call me, Sullivan then texted. Im very worried about you.

Katelin never replied.

She didnt get on the flight back to Arizona, either, and nobody has seen her sinceat least as far as her family knows. There are no surveillance videos showing her at the airport or at the Springfield Town Center, where authorities said her stepfather told them hed let her off, or at the Metro she was supposedly to have taken to the airport.

I even called the airport, but they said that nobody had changed her ticket, Sullivan said. Its like she vanished into thin air. We know shes somewhere. We just need to know where.

Sullivan keeps in touch with the lead detective in her daughters case, but there have been no developments. Family and friends have spread the message about Katelin via social media, and Sullivan checks her Facebook page for posts and uses Google to search for her name. Shes also reached out to national television shows, and Katelin has been featured in an episode of Disappeared on the Investigation Discovery channel.

Courtney Lynn Mills, who became friends with Katelin when they were in cosmetology class together at Caroline High, said that she thinks Katelin may have gotten cold feet about getting engaged and needed space.

Maybe life hit her fast, she said.

Mills keeps an eye out for Katelin as shes shopping or driving, and has posted information about her friend on her Facebook page. But she also said she thinks Katelins former stepfathers story is sketchy.

Why would he say he dropped her off at the mall? she said.

John Sullivan, Lisa Sullivans brother, said that so much time has gone by that he doubts Katelin is still alive. He searches the woods for her often, and has asked his hunting buddies to do the same. A cousin told him that four psychics think shes in a shallow grave thats covered with a piece of metal.

Kenny Jarels, founder of The AWARE Foundation, is helping to find Katelin as well. His Roanoke-based nonprofit put out information about her disappearance on social media, and distributed flyers about her disappearance at the Hobby Lobby in Central Park last year on the anniversary of her disappearance and on her 20th birthday.

The efforts resulted in a tip that Katelin had been seen at the jewelry counter of the nearby Walmart.

We had the police dispatched immediately, Jarels said, but the tip didnt pan out.

Jarels also helped organize Saturdays gathering to help keep Katelins case in the public eye.

The police dont think she made it out of Spotsylvania, he said. Theres no surveillance video of her at Springfield Town Center, Metro or the airport. That tells me one thing: Someone is not telling the truth. That someone needs to come forward and give this family closure.

As night began to fall, John Sullivan handed out the ribbons to a bouquet of pink and purple Hello Kitty balloons and two shaped like Katelins favorite cartoon character.

On a count of three, people let go of the ribbons and watched the balloons drift off into the sky.
When Olivia Powell was thinking of a project for her Girl Scout Bronze Award, she called the Fredericksburg police with a question: Did the department need a bulletproof vest for a dog?

The call couldnt have come at a better time, said Sgt. Josh Lynch, the handler for Lex, the departments newest K-9. His predecessor, Max, had recently retired and his vest didnt fit the younger dog, an 18-month-old German shepherd who weighs about 30 pounds less.

The 10-year-old Fredericksburg girl then went out and raised nearly $1,000 for the ballistic vest. At a ceremony last week, she wore an ear-to-ear grin as she presented the vest to Lex and Lynch.

Canine ballistic vests can mean life or death for these brave pups. Lynch said 12 canines lost their lives to gunfire across the nation last year, underscoring the need for protection. The vests protect the dogs vital areas and backs.

Just last year, Dux, a 2-year-old German shepherd with the Spotsylvania Sheriffs Office, was shot while pursuing a fleeing suspect. After a nearly two months, Dux made a full recovery and returned to duty.

Lex graduated from his nine-week training program last month, which means the faithful police companion is now ready for duty. He has been trained in patrol utility and narcotics. Lynch said Lex will train with the vest before going into a real-world crime situation.

Dogs can get hurt just as easily as people, and they are often the first ones sent into a dangerous situation, Lynch said. We are fortunate to be in Fredericksburg, where there is so much community support.

The Bronze Award is one of the highest honors achieved by a Girl Scout. It involves putting together a project that will have a lasting impact on the community, such as planting a tree or organizing a clothing drive for a local homeless shelter.

Olivia, a self-described dog lover, got the idea for her project after hearing about a police dog that was shot in the line of duty and hospitalized.

I saw how cute these dogs were and heard about the one in the hospital after he got shot, she said.

Olivia spent the next several months investing a significant amount of time and energy into raising funds for the protective vest.

She organized a yard sale where she sold some of her own things, including toys she no longer used. She also participated in penny warsa fundraising competitionand arranged a bake sale. Ray Allen, a retailer for police and military canine equipment, gave Olivia a $200 discount for the vest after hearing about her project.

It feels really nice to have done this, Olivia said. We didnt just buy a vestwe saved a life.
Jane Conner poses for a photo with Maj. Richard Spooner, owner of the Globe & Laurel in North Stafford. Conner spoke to the Quantico Chapter of National Sojourners Inc., enumerating the 23 United States presidents who lived, visited or passed through Stafford County and details of each. Photo  William D. Means, National Sojourners Photographer.
LaShahn Gaines, chief financial officer for Spotsylvania County Public Schools, has been named one of three Distinguished Eagle Award winners by the Association of School Business Officials International.

Gaines prioritizes providing exceptional financial management practices and resources to support instruction and achievement for all students. She recognizes how important it is to know whats happening in all of her districts schools, and regularly joins monthly principal meetings to provide feedback on budgetary initiatives and find out how she can support school improvement goals. Gaines also created a Bookkeepers Academy Leadership Program to provide professional development for support staff, including bookkeepers, payroll secretaries, and office registrars.
Former Free LanceStar intern Bridget Balch, now a reporter with the Houston Chronicle, has been covering Hurricane Harvey. Balch, a graduate of Fredericksburg Christian School and the University of Mary Washington, answered some questions about her experience in reporting on one of the worst natural disasters in U.S. history.

Whats your schedule been like during Hurricane Harvey?

Its been pretty much nonstop Harvey since I woke up to a flooded city on Sunday. Sunday morning, the Chronicles managing editor sent out an email asking all editorial employees to get out and report. I waded through waist-deep water around my apartment and interviewed neighbors about how they were dealing with the flooding. I also helped with the overnight breaking news shift at the Chronicle office on Sunday and crashed on a couch at the office. This week, its pretty much monitoring Twitter and updating stories constantly from when I wake up to about 8 at night.

Tell me about the dramatic scenes youve come across and the people youve met.

I was lucky compared to a lot of Houstonians and fellow reporters. The most dramatic thing Ive seen personally was that the streets surrounding my apartment were at least knee-deep in water, waist-deep in some areas. Cars were stalled out in the middle of the road. Dozens of people were just standing in their driveways or wading through the water because they were curious about the flooding.

One day when I was out reporting in my neighborhood I came across a staging site for firefighters and volunteers with boats getting ready to go out on a rescue mission. One volunteer had driven from Columbia, S.C., to help. Suddenly they said that theyd gotten a call from some desperate people who said they were dying and then they drove off with the boats.

Also, one of my friends was texting me desperately Monday because she was in one of the evacuation zones and couldnt find a way to drive out for a while. She said she was on the verge of a panic attack. Luckily she was able to find a route out and is safe in San Antonio.

How have you been getting around?

When the flooding was still bad, I walked about half a mile to work. Since then, most of the roads have cleared up, but Ive only driven to and from work so far.

Is your home still habitable and, if not, where are you staying?

It is. Luckily, my apartment complex was not flooded.

Balch wrote that it has been remarkable to witness the spirit of people who are risking their lives to save others. The first responders and volunteers coming from all over the country are incredibly inspiring and ... watching my fellow journalists brave the floods to report on this story even as they and their families are dealing with this tragedy has been truly touching. I definitely feel like everyone is watching out for each other. Ive talked to my neighbors for the first time. Random people on the street ask me how I am doing. The newsroom is more united than ever.
The tongue is a fire, a world of unrighteousness.  It is a restless evil, full of deadly poison.

James 3:6

HOW TRUE those words are still, 2,000 years after they were written. We speak thoughtlessly, without regard to what we are igniting or how we are impacting others. And thanks to the artificial amplification of the internet, today we can affect thousands and thousands of people with our poisonous tongues.

Charlottesville. That beautiful little college town, nestled in the Blue Ridge, has become an icon of our angry, hate-filled society. When the city began discussing removing the statue of Robert E. Lee, it was targeted by outside groups with abhorrent philosophies, groups that chose to use the statue in service to their cause.

Lets be clear at the outset: White supremacy is not representative of white people. Nor is it Christian, nor conservative, nor patriotic, although fringe groups may try to use those terms in describing themselves.

True Christians believe we are all created in the image of Godand all skin colors qualify. Jesus was ethnically inclusive: He welcomed gentiles, women and all manner of other minorities.

True conservatives want to preserve the intent of our founding documents, not wrong-headed cultural institutions. And all of us should be patriotic to some extent, for America is, indeed, a great nation.

The neo-Nazi (or alt-right) movement is evil to the core, driven by ignorance and pride. Purposely driving a car into a crowd of people is an act of domestic terror, and the death of Heather Heyer is a terrible tragedy. In America, one ought to be able to peaceably assemble, to voice an opinion (or opposition to that opinion) without being killed.

Having made that clear, I will now say this: The alt-left (Antifa) protesters who showed up in Charlottesville with clubs and masks, intent on violence, are also wrong.

According to Brian Levin, director of the Center for the Study of Hate and Extremism at Cal State University, San Bernardino, this shadowy group uses violence to get attention and is actively trying to recruit young progressives who feel disenfranchised by the last election.

Extremism on either the right or left can destroy our country. Those of us in the middle dont help things when we use inflammatory rhetoric against those with whom we disagree, or bully techniques to get our way.

Our excessively angry and exceedingly disrespectful reactions to one another ramp up the tension in our culture. Add to that shallow thinking, ignorance of history, and disregard for truth and that is how great a forest is set ablaze.

We need to remember that the anger of man does not achieve the righteousness and justice we desire. The Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. illustrated that truth. His insistence on peaceful civil disobedienceeven in the face of direct physical assaultis what finally broke the conscience of America and brought victory in the civil rights movement.

Today, some look back and condemn Robert E. Lee, Stonewall Jackson and other southerners who fought in the Civil War for their attitudes on slavery. Ive heard millennials disparage our Founding Fathers for the same reason.

I have no idea why these men, so wise and forthright in other ways, had such a huge blind spot, but even with this great flaw, I would not want their contributions to this nation erased.

As Paul wrote 2,000 years ago: All have sinned. We, too, have huge blind spots. If our ancestors could look forward to today, I suspect theyd be shocked at our sexual practices, our drug use and abortion, just as we are sickened by slavery.

You who condemn Lee and Jackson and the Founders: Have you watched porn? Then dont be hypocritical: You have been enabling modern-day slavery.

We are so ignorant of history. David McCullough, twice awarded the Pulitzer Prize for his popular history books, reportedly was shocked when a student at a Midwestern college told him that until she heard his speech, she didnt know that all 13 original colonies were on the East Coast. How can we expect those who have not been taught history to understand that a deeply flawed human can also be a brilliant, wise contributor to our culture?

McCullough has published a collection of his speeches in a book called The American Spirit to try to convey what this country is all aboutour unifying ideals, our common history, and yes, the exceptional place this country holds in the history of mankind. I commend it to you.

In fact, maybe we all need to take a break from our own vehement views and read what he has to say. Maybe we ought to look past our own noses and try to catch a glimpse of the scope of history. Maybe we ought to find a little charity toward those with whom we disagree.

Nine days after the ugly unrest in Charlottesville, we looked to the heavens and gasped in awe as the moon slid in front of the sun. Thats a metaphor for what we should do now: Be quiet and look up. Maybe then we can find the perspective and the humility we need to acknowledge our ancestors mistakes, learn from them, and move on.
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: Theyre cutting off access to perfectly legal content (and yes, neo-Nazi speech is legal in America).

Specifically, GoDaddy, Namecheap and Google have canceled (and in Googles 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 Hitlers 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 customers 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. Ive been unable to confirm that its an ideological ban rather than, say, a billing matter. But if its the former, then Cloudflares 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 ...
The Confederate statues issue may have a relatively easy solution, one with a multitude of precedents that could also raise money for Virginia. It would also allow for nonviolent protest.

Since corporations have been ruled the equivalent to individuals, sell the naming rights to the statues. We could have the Verizon Wireless Robert E. Lee monument. Those offended could boycott Verizon and choose AT&T for phone service.

The BB&T Bank Stonewall Jackson Statue could still be venerated by those who treasure Southern heritage, and lead to new accounts for Bank of America for those who don't.

The Pfizer (maker of Viagra) Monument to Jefferson Davis might lead to more men asking their doctors if Cialis is right for them.

The statues remain, the commonwealth profits, protest is nonviolent and everybody wins!

Jack Dawkins

Stafford
In this time of civil unrest and the relentless leftist onslaught against not only history, but of the qualities that have made this nation the greatest on Earth, we in Virginia's First Congressional District are once again met with Rob Wittman's inexplicable silence on matters that are important to all of us.

For a decade, Rep. Wittman (R-1st District) has been elected to represent his district, yet after all this time he still has no committee chairmanship, his voice is not sought in the halls of Congress, he's not counseled by the Republican leadership and he is never seen on the national stage. But worse than that, his (Facebook) town halls are a coward's way to avoid meeting with his constituents.

Being a lifelong Republican, I've come to expect very little of Wittman, and he never fails to meet my expectations. Just for once I'd love to see him hold a real town hall meeting and entertain real questions from the audience, but having wallowed in the Washington swamp for so long, Wittman has become estranged from his constituents.

In the future, we can only hope that a bright, forceful, articulate alternative candidate will challenge Wittman in a primary and finally give the First Congressional District the voice it needs.

Edward Corcoran

Stafford
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A Pinch of Salt: The election is over, I think, so what now?
Community members are invited to watch a free screening of the documentary movie "CodeGirl' at the Corvallis Public Library, 645 NW Monroe Ave., on Saturday, Sept. 16, at 1:30 p.m.

"CodeGirl," released in 2015, is about high school girls throughout the world who better their communities through collaboration and technology. To learn more about the movie, go to codegirlmovie.com.

A discussion will follow the movie. The event is co-sponsored by Chick Tech Corvallis.

For more information, contact the library's Youth Services Department at 541-766-6794.
IPOB Leader, Nnamdi Kanu Claims That The 'Real' President Buhari Is Not In Nigeria

kacylee at 3-09-2017 11:29 PM (5 years ago) (f)

Nnamdi Kanu, leader of Indigenous People Of Biafra (IPOB), affirmed that the person presently ruling the country is not Muhammadu Buhari, claiming that the Nigerian government hired a look-alike to stand in for the president.

Nnamdi Kanu, leader of Indigenous People Of Biafra (IPOB), affirmed that the person presently ruling the country is not Muhammadu Buhari, claiming that the Nigerian government hired a look-alike to stand in for the president.

The man you are looking at on the television is not Buhari, he is from Sudan. After extensive plastic surgery they brought him back. The person was taught Buharis mannerisms and he came back deceiving all of you. I can stand and prove who I am but Buhari cannot do the same thing. He cannot deceive Nnamdi Kanu and IPOB, the IPOB leader said.



Mr. Kanu also said that arresting him for his secessionist agitation was the worst mistake Mr. Buhari made. He told his supporters that he would be appearing in court for his hearing and directed them to burn down Nigeria if he is rearrested.



The worst mistake Buhari ever made was to arrest me. I will break the zoo into pieces. I am taking IPOB to Abuja on the 17th of next month for my court case. There will be 2 million people in Abuja. We take the battle to our enemies. You are under oath and by virtue of that oath you are under direct order from me, any day you hear I have been arrested, to burn down Nigeria to the ground.



He also condemned The Sun Newspaper for publishing untrue stories about him. Debunking a report made by The Sun newspaper that he is on the run, Mr. Kanu blasted the newspaper for feeding the people with lies.



It wasnt my wish to speak but the more I keep quiet the more they keep lying. I am under oath to defend IPOB and I will do so. We can never, ever surrender. Dont mind the lies they are feeding you. People want to sell their newspapers, they fabricate nonsense. Mr. Kanu said.



Mr. Kanu, who is currently at the forefront of the Biafran secessionist movement, encouraged his people not to believe anything they hear from the media but only what he speaks.



http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qsJkdpjRuk0 The man you are looking at on the television is not Buhari, he is from Sudan. After extensive plastic surgery they brought him back. The person was taught Buharis mannerisms and he came back deceiving all of you. I can stand and prove who I am but Buhari cannot do the same thing. He cannot deceive Nnamdi Kanu and IPOB, the IPOB leader said.Mr. Kanu also said that arresting him for his secessionist agitation was the worst mistake Mr. Buhari made. He told his supporters that he would be appearing in court for his hearing and directed them to burn down Nigeria if he is rearrested.The worst mistake Buhari ever made was to arrest me. I will break the zoo into pieces. I am taking IPOB to Abuja on the 17th of next month for my court case. There will be 2 million people in Abuja. We take the battle to our enemies. You are under oath and by virtue of that oath you are under direct order from me, any day you hear I have been arrested, to burn down Nigeria to the ground.He also condemned The Sun Newspaper for publishing untrue stories about him. Debunking a report made by The Sun newspaper that he is on the run, Mr. Kanu blasted the newspaper for feeding the people with lies.It wasnt my wish to speak but the more I keep quiet the more they keep lying. I am under oath to defend IPOB and I will do so. We can never, ever surrender. Dont mind the lies they are feeding you. People want to sell their newspapers, they fabricate nonsense. Mr. Kanu said.Mr. Kanu, who is currently at the forefront of the Biafran secessionist movement, encouraged his people not to believe anything they hear from the media but only what he speaks.

Post Reply I have been reporting for several years now and I am very interested in visual news reportage with strong inclusion of photos and video multimedia. Posted: at 3-09-2017 11:29 PM (5 years ago) | Addicted Hero

willyking at 3-09-2017 11:43 PM (5 years ago)

(m) If u look am closely that man no be buhari na, if u look properly him wife and children dey give am yard me self i dey observe am 4 him video..china made buhari Posted: at 3-09-2017 11:43 PM (5 years ago) | Gistmaniac If u look am closely that man no be buhari na, if u look properly him wife and children dey give am yard me self i dey observe am 4 him video..china made buhari Reply

james987 at 3-09-2017 11:52 PM (5 years ago)

(m) Lol burn down which Nigeria??? This guy must be mentally derailled.. Guy find better thing to do with your life stop wasting your time.. If it were to be obj,abacha,or ibb you will still be in jail by now... ojukwu was a very strong and great man but he tried and failed. The problem we have in nigeria is that we always buy everything they sell to us good or bad. We like too much movies. Alot of noise makers should be ignored!!!!! Some went as far as talking about a fight between this guy and buhari. Buhari is in his 70's and looks sick,this guy is not up to 60yrs of age but looks sick. Na wa ooo Posted: at 3-09-2017 11:52 PM (5 years ago) | Hero Lol burn down which Nigeria??? This guy must be mentally derailled.. Guy find better thing to do with your life stop wasting your time.. If it were to be obj,abacha,or ibb you will still be in jail by now... ojukwu was a very strong and great man but he tried and failed. The problem we have in nigeria is that we always buy everything they sell to us good or bad. We like too much movies. Alot of noise makers should be ignored!!!!! Some went as far as talking about a fight between this guy and buhari. Buhari is in his 70's and looks sick,this guy is not up to 60yrs of age but looks sick. Na wa ooo Reply

Haso112 at 4-09-2017 01:07 AM (5 years ago)

(m) NUMBERED DAYS.... KEEP RANTING, I ONLY PITY THE IDIOTS THAT LIVE BY THE SHIT YOU SPEW... Posted: at 4-09-2017 01:07 AM (5 years ago) | Gistmaniac NUMBERED DAYS.... KEEP RANTING, I ONLY PITY THE IDIOTS THAT LIVE BY THE SHIT YOU SPEW... Reply

Aluta77 at 4-09-2017 03:56 AM (5 years ago)

(m) Hahahahaha #bringbacktherealbuhari# Posted: at 4-09-2017 03:56 AM (5 years ago) | Newbie Hahahahaha #bringbacktherealbuhari# Reply

livingstone80 at 4-09-2017 03:58 AM (5 years ago)

(m) truth is bitter,anybody who is against nnamdi kanu loves evil! Posted: at 4-09-2017 03:58 AM (5 years ago) | Upcoming truth is bitter,anybody who is against nnamdi kanu loves evil! Reply

Patrioti at 4-09-2017 04:22 AM (5 years ago)

(m) Many presidents from Islamic countries have their " Double " for fear of unknown. Even Boko Haram have countless Shekau " Look Alike " which the army has been killing while the real Terrorist will debunk the news the next minute.

As for Buhari's case, that person hands and face DOESN'T look like the older Buhari I know. No wonder he has been shunning FEC meetings. Posted: at 4-09-2017 04:22 AM (5 years ago) | Upcoming Many presidents from Islamic countries have their " Double " for fear of unknown. Even Boko Haram have countless Shekau " Look Alike " which the army has been killing while the real Terrorist will debunk the news the next minute.As for Buhari's case, that person hands and face DOESN'T look like the older Buhari I know. No wonder he has been shunning FEC meetings. Reply

tegonwa at 4-09-2017 04:23 AM (5 years ago)

(m) Huhu Is This Some Sort Of Hallucination?Quite Hopeless. Posted: at 4-09-2017 04:23 AM (5 years ago) | Gistmaniac Huhu Is This Some Sort Of Hallucination?Quite Hopeless. Reply

DrSoba at 4-09-2017 05:23 AM (5 years ago)

(m) This man actually had an oat with the devil. His life is useless to Nigeria. Posted: at 4-09-2017 05:23 AM (5 years ago) | Gistmaniac This man actually had an oat with the devil. His life is useless to Nigeria. Reply

Oworen25 at 4-09-2017 06:45 AM (5 years ago)

(m) You guys are just funny, IF NO BE him them who. Posted: at 4-09-2017 06:45 AM (5 years ago) | Hero You guys are just funny, IF NO BE him them who. Reply

mensch at 4-09-2017 07:08 AM (5 years ago)

(m) please can we get Buhari's picture before he left for his treatment to london and after so that we can realy compare the two. to know the truth . Posted: at 4-09-2017 07:08 AM (5 years ago) | Gistmaniac please can we get Buhari's picture before he left for his treatment to london and after so that we can realy compare the two. to know the truth . Reply

kayveetee at 4-09-2017 07:31 AM (5 years ago)

(m) Am seriously laughing in french Posted: at 4-09-2017 07:31 AM (5 years ago) | Gistmaniac Am seriously laughing in french Reply

Dramaking at 4-09-2017 07:52 AM (5 years ago)

(m) Smh... E be like say i go dash this man my 1st name ''Drama'', cos him don dey pass me 4 actin.. Lol Posted: at 4-09-2017 07:52 AM (5 years ago) | Gistmaniac Smh... E be like say i go dash this man my 1st name ''Drama'', cos him don dey pass me 4 actin.. Lol Reply

WhaleDog at 4-09-2017 08:20 AM (5 years ago)

(m) Kanu vs Buhari first leg,we dey wait for second leg Spare me Posted: at 4-09-2017 08:20 AM (5 years ago) | Gistmaniac Kanu vs Buhari first leg,we dey wait for second leg Reply

WhaleDog at 4-09-2017 08:24 AM (5 years ago)

(m) If dem no quickly position this guy he go take mouth scatter nija .Dis kan guy he get real craze for head but him type Na water dem dey take cool am .Put am inside icebox lock for eternity Spare me Posted: at 4-09-2017 08:24 AM (5 years ago) | Gistmaniac If dem no quickly position this guy he go take mouth scatter nija .Dis kan guy he get real craze for head but him type Na water dem dey take cool am .Put am inside icebox lock for eternity Reply

Aborigine91 at 4-09-2017 08:37 AM (5 years ago)

(m) Quite amusing. I'm sure Kanu never said that junk. Posted: at 4-09-2017 08:37 AM (5 years ago) | Newbie Quite amusing. I'm sure Kanu never said that junk. Reply

pricklong at 4-09-2017 09:06 AM (5 years ago)

(m) IF HE MOVE TO ABUJA THAT VERY DATE IS SRAIGHT TO PRISON Posted: at 4-09-2017 09:06 AM (5 years ago) | Gistmaniac IF HE MOVE TO ABUJA THAT VERY DATE IS SRAIGHT TO PRISON Reply

Zaki68 at 4-09-2017 10:21 AM (5 years ago)

(m) DIRECT CONFROTATION THEY SHOULD BURN DOWN NIGERIA INCLUDING THE PEOPLE BOTH MEN, WOMEN AND CHILDREN SO THAT EVERYONE WILL REST,IPOB PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE BURN DOWN NIGERIA AND NIGERIANS. Posted: at 4-09-2017 10:21 AM (5 years ago) | Upcoming DIRECT CONFROTATION THEY SHOULD BURN DOWN NIGERIA INCLUDING THE PEOPLE BOTH MEN, WOMEN AND CHILDREN SO THAT EVERYONE WILL REST,IPOB PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE BURN DOWN NIGERIA AND NIGERIANS. Reply

jereva at 4-09-2017 10:39 AM (5 years ago)

(m) Posted: at 4-09-2017 10:39 AM (5 years ago) | Upcoming Lol, I just dey observe. Don't start what you can't finish. Reply
Efforts to detect and destroy mobile launchers 'laughable': N. Korea state media

Arirang 2017-09-02

North Korea is warning South Korea and the United States that they will NOT be able to locate the regime's mobile missile launchers.

The warning was issued Saturday after South Korean Special Forces conducted an infiltration drill targeting the North's TEL mobile launchers during last month's Ulchi-Freedom Guardian exercises.

The state-run Rodong Sinmun newspaper called the drills "laughable," adding that its strategic weapons could annihilate the enemy at any time and from any region.

The paper added that the U.S. and Japan have mobilized intelligence assets working round-the-clock, but they fail to detect the time and location of its launches.

It added that any attempt to detect and destroy the regime's TEL mobile launchers is "nothing but a silly dream."

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US Travel Ban on N. Korea Takes Effect

KBS 2017-09-02

The U.S. government's travel ban on its citizens from visiting North Korea took effect on Friday.

U.S. passport holders seeking to visit the North now must prove to the State Department their visits are related to the U.S. national interest, media coverage or humanitarian purposes.

The Associated Press says the State Department has released new details about the exemption process, saying applicants must email or mail a statement explaining why their trip to North Korea serves the national interest, along with documentation to substantiate it.

Applicants must also send a copy of their identification and contact information.

The department will notify applicants whether theyve been deemed eligible or not. Those granted exceptions will receive a letter they can use to obtain a Special Validation Passport for a single trip to North Korea.

For those denied, there is no appeal.

Under the law, Americans who violate the ban could face a fine and up to ten years in prison for a first offense. The State Department has emphasized the possibility that those who violate the ban would have their passports revoked.

The ban was announced in July after the death of American student Otto Warmbier following his release from North Korea.

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N. Korea's sixth nuclear test embarasses Chinese President Xi Jinping as he hosts BRICS summit meeting

Arirang - Updated: 2017-09-03 16:13:15 KST

South Korea has strongly condemned North Korea's nuclear test conducted at its Punggye-ri nuclear test site.

Calling the test irresponsible and unacceptable, Seoul said the ball is now in North Korea's court: whether to face diplomatic and economic isolation or secure security and economic development by denuclearizing.

China may be one of the countries most outraged by Pyongyang's sixth and most powerful nuclear test on Sunday as Beijing has been one of the few calling for ''dialogue''' as preferable to tougher sanctions.

Beijing expressed strong condemnation of North Korea's nuclear test and called on Pyongyang to stop provocative acts that worsen the situation on the Korean peninsula.

The timing of Sunday's test was a major embarrassment for Chinese President Xi Jinping as he was hosting the BRICS summit meeting as Pyongyang had ruined China's big celebration it had long prepared for.

But, nevertheless, at the BRICS summit's opening ceremony, Chinese President Xi Jinping called for the pursuit of common interests in the region while recognizing differences and stressed his opposition to trying to solve problems unilaterally, hinting Beijing will continue to call for a peaceful resolution to the tensions.

Japan, within striking distance of North Korea, was one of the quickest to respond after the seismic tremor was first detected at around 12:30 p.m., local time.

Around half an hour later, Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, speaking to reporters outside his residence, said there's a great possibility that the regime has conducted a nuclear test and that it will be unacceptable if this turns out to be true.

Abe called for emergency meetings of Japan's national security councils, and its Foreign Minister, Taro Kono, requested an emergency meeting of the United Nations Security Council after the test was confirmed.

Trump and Abe, in a phone conversation hours before Pyongyang's nuclear test, had reaffirmed trilateral cooperation among Seoul, Washington and Tokyo so it's most likely Beijing could pressured to stronger sanctions it had refrained from by possibly cutting off oil supplies to Pyongyang.

Connie Kim, Arirang News.

Reporter : connie1223@arirang.co.kr

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Mattis, Dunford Brief President on Military Options Available to Deal With North Korea

By Cheryl Pellerin DoD News, Defense Media Activity

WASHINGTON, Sept. 3, 2017  Defense Secretary Jim Mattis, standing in front of the White House this afternoon after the latest and largest nuclear test carried out by North Korea, said the United States has many military options for dealing with Kim Jong Un's provocations and that President Donald J. Trump wanted to be briefed on each one.

Marine Corps Gen. Joe Dunford, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, joined Mattis for his announcement.

At about 11:30 p.m. EDT last night, the U.S. Geological Survey's Earthquake Hazards Program detected a magnitude 6.3 explosion, about 13 miles east-northeast of Sungjibaegam, North Korea, located near the site where North Korea has detonated nuclear explosions in the past, according to a USGS statement.

Other institutions and organizations specializing in seismic detection also reported the explosion and resulting seismic signature.

The Korean Central News Agency announced that North Korean scientists had carried out a test in the country's northern nuclear test ground of a hydrogen bomb built to sit on top of an intercontinental ballistic missile, describing the device as a two-stage thermonuclear weapon.

Media reports say that the test was the most powerful of the six, but there is no official measurement yet of the force of the hydrogen weapon.

Ironclad Commitment

In his remarks, Mattis said they had made clear to the president that the United States has the ability to defend itself and its allies -- South Korea and Japan -- from any attack.

"Our commitments among the allies are ironclad," the secretary added. "Any threat to the United States or its territories, including [the U.S. territory of] Guam or our allies, will be met with a massive military response, a response both effective and overwhelming."

This nuclear test was North Korea's sixth since 2006.

The weapon tested last night was a fusion bomb, also called a hydrogen bomb or thermonuclear weapon. Fission weapons, such as those that fell on Hiroshima and Nagasaki in World War II, are sometimes called atomic bombs.

In a hydrogen bomb, according to a 2012 paper by Martin E. Hellman, a Stanford University professor, a primary element is an implosion fission weapon that is used to ignite the secondary fusion reaction.

The Air Force Technical Applications Center at Patrick Air Force Base in Florida, is the only federal organization whose mission is to detect and report technical data from foreign nuclear explosions. The center operates and maintains a 3,600-sensor global network of nuclear event detection equipment called the U.S. Atomic Energy Detection Systems, the largest sensor network in the Air Force.

Once a disturbance is detected underground, underwater, in the atmosphere or in space, the event is analyzed for nuclear identification, and the findings are reported to national command authorities.

Unified Voice

This afternoon, Mattis said that Kim Jong Un should take heed of the United Nations Security Council's unified voice.

"All members unanimously agreed on the threat North Korea poses, and they remain unanimous in their commitment to the denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula," he said.

"We are not looking to the total annihilation of a country, namely North Korea. But as I said, we have many options to do so," Mattis added.

The U.N. Security Council announced that it will have a meeting about the nuclear test tomorrow morning.

(Follow Cheryl Pellerin on Twitter: @PellerinDoDNews)

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North Korea conducts successful H-bomb test

North Korea says it has conducted a successful hydrogen bomb test, hours after two tremors were detected in the country.

North Korean state television said on Sunday that, The hydrogen bomb test was a perfect success, adding that the device was capable of being loaded onto long-range missiles.

The newsreader on the official Korean Central Television said the test had been of a bomb with unprecedentedly large power, and that it marked a very significant occasion in attaining the final goal of completing the state nuclear force.

The broadcaster showed an image of North Korean leader Kim Jong-uns handwritten order for the test to be carried out at noon on September 3.

The announcement came after Japanese, South Korean, and US meteorological organizations said they had detected two tremors in North Korea.

The United States Geological Survey (USGS) on Sunday detected a first tremor, saying in an updated reading that the quake measured 6.3 on the Richter scale at a depth of 10 kilometers, 24 kilometers northeast of Sungjibaegam in North Korea.

South Koreas Joint Chiefs of Staff said in a statement that the seismic tremor had been detected near the Norths Punggye-ri nuclear test site.

China detected a second tremor, which it said was magnitude 4.6 and came at a depth of zero kilometers eight minutes after the first quake.

While South Korean officials said that the tremors were likely caused by a nuclear explosion, Japan said in certain terms that a nuclear test had occurred.

After examining the data, we concluded that it was a nuclear test, Japanese Foreign Minister Taro Kono said at a briefing after a meeting of Japans National Security Council.

Japans Ministry of Defense said it had dispatched at least three military jets from bases in Japan to test for radiation.

China strongly condemns test

In a statement issued on Sunday, the Chinese Foreign Ministry strongly condemned North Koreas hydrogen bomb test and the development of the warhead to be mounted on missiles.

North Korea has ignored the international communitys widespread opposition, again carrying out a nuclear test. Chinas government expresses resolute opposition and strong condemnation toward this, the statement read.

South Korea urges strongest punishment

South Korean President Moon Jae-in also called for the strongest punishment against Pyongyang, including new United Nations sanctions to completely isolate North Korea.

Presidential security adviser Chung Eui-Yong cited Moon as saying that the South would discuss deploying the strongest strategic assets of the US military, referring to tactical nuclear weapons, which had been withdrawn by Washington in 1991.

Russia warns of serious consequences

Russian Foreign Ministry expressed strong condemnation of North Korean hydrogen bomb test and called for restraint by all concerned parties.

This latest demonstrative disregard by Pyongyang of the requirements of the relevant resolutions of the UN Security Council and the norms of international law deserves the strongest condemnation, the Russian ministry said in a statement.

Russia also expressed regret that the leadership of North Korea was creating a serious threat for the region and warned that the continuation of such a line is fraught with serious consequences for Pyongyang.

France calls for very firm response

French President Emmanuel Macron called for a very firm response by the international community to North Koreas H-bomb test.

The international community must be very firm in its handling of this latest provocation, in order to get North Korea to unconditionally return to talks and proceed with the complete, verifiable and irreversible dismantlement of its nuclear and ballistic programs, Macron said in a statement.

The French president called on the UN Security Council to quickly react and also urged the European Union to come up with a clear and united response.

IAEA voices extreme regret

The head of the UNs atomic organization also denounced the latest nuclear test as an extremely regrettable move that violated the international communitys repeated demands.

The bomb

Just earlier on Sunday, North Koreas official Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) reported that the country had developed a hydrogen bomb that could be loaded into a new intercontinental ballistic missile.

The developments come amid high tensions over the North Korean missile and nuclear programs.

South Korea, the US, and Japan have been unnerved by the Norths weapons programs, which Pyongyang has been defiantly advancing as countermeasures to their hostility.

On Tuesday, North Korea fired a Hwasong-12 missile  reportedly capable of carrying a nuclear payload  that traveled nearly 2,700 kilometers into the Pacific, including over Japan.

The violation of Japanese airspace sparked angry reactions from Japan and the US, as well as calls for restraint by other countries, including Russia and China. The launch also prompted a United Nations Security Council condemnation.
US Says Any North Korean Threat Will Draw 'Massive Military Response'

Last Updated: September 03, 2017 4:35 PM

Brian Padden, Steve Herman, Ken Bredemeier, Ken Schwartz

SEOUL/WASHINGTON  U.S. Defense Secretary James Mattis says any threat by North Korea to the United States or its allies will be met with a "massive military response ... both effective and overwhelming."

Mattis spoke outside the White House Sunday after he and other top advisers met with President Donald Trump on North Korea's apparently successful test of a hydrogen bomb.

Mattis said the U.S. has many options on the table, including military, and that the president wanted to hear about all of them.

The Pentagon chief said the U.S. is "not looking for the total annihilation ...of North Korea." However, he told reporters the U.S. has the ability to defend itself and its allies, and that America's commitment to its allies is "ironclad."

The U.N. Security Council has called for an emergency meeting Monday morning on the situation in Korea.

President Trump said earlier he is considering halting all trade with any country doing business with North Korea, and has not ruled out a retaliatory strike.

The North claimed its test of a hydrogen bomb small enough to be carried by an intercontinental ballistic missile was a "perfect success." The blast reportedly shook buildings in China and Russia.

Any U.S. call for an economic boycott of countries doing business with North Korea could quickly hinder the nearly $650 billion in annual trade between the U.S. and China, because Beijing is North Korea's sole major ally and its biggest trading partner.

Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin told Fox News he would prepare a new package of North Korea economic sanctions for consideration.

"We will work with our allies. We will work with China," Mnuchin said. "But people need to cut off North Korea economically, this is unacceptable behavior."

One U.S. intelligence official said the United States had no reason to doubt that North Korea had detonated a nuclear bomb, which was 10 times as powerful as one it set off a year go.

"Were highly confident this was a test of an advanced nuclear device  and what weve seen so far is not inconsistent with North Koreas claims," the intelligence official said.

United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres condemned the test as "profoundly destabilizing for regional security."

In earlier Twitter remarks, Trump called North Korea "a rogue nation" whose "words and actions continue to be very hostile and dangerous to the United States." The U.S. leader said North Korea "has become a great threat and embarrassment to China, which is trying to help but with little success."

But Trump also rebuked U.S. ally South Korea, saying Seoul "is finding, as I have told them, that their talk of appeasement with North Korea will not work, they only understand one thing!"

Meanwhile, German Chancellor Angela Merkel and French President Emmanuel Macron said Pyongyang "reached a new dimension of provocation" with the test. They called for tougher European Union sanctions against North Korea and new penalties imposed by the United Nations Security Council.

"The chancellor and the president are in agreement that North Korea has trampled on international law and that the international community must therefore react with determination against this new escalation," Merkel's office said after she spoke on the phone with Macron.

Trump and Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe agreed in a phone call that the international community must step up its response to the North Korean threat. British Prime Minister Theresa May said the U.N. should look at new sanctions and speed up ones it has already imposed, while Chinese President Xi Jinping and Russian President Vladimir Putin agreed they would "appropriately deal with" Pyongyang's latest test.

Trump's criticism of South Korea and new President Moon Jae-in for his overtures to North Korea comes as the U.S. leader also is preparing to end a free trade deal with Seoul, against the wishes of National Security Adviser H.R. McMaster and his chief economic adviser, Gary Cohn. The U.S. and South Korea carried out more than $112 billion in trade last year, but to Trump's concern, the United States had a trade deficit of more than $27 billion in the transactions.

Sixth illegal test

North Korea's test built on test launches of two intercontinental ballistic missiles in July that weapons experts believed were capable of reaching the mainland United States. Pyongyang says its missile development is a defensive effort to protect itself from a U.S. attack.

Pyongyang and Washington have carried out a war of increasingly bellicose threats in recent weeks, with North Korea at one point saying it was planning to launch a test missile near the shores of the U.S. territory of Guam. Trump said if Pyongyang attacked it or its allies he would respond with "fire and fury like the world has never seen."

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un backed off the threat to launch the test missile toward Guam, but since then launched shorter range missile tests before carrying out the nuclear test on Sunday.

An announcement from KCNA, Pyongyangs state news agency, said the H-bomb, designed to be placed as the payload of an ICBM, was true to the Workers' Party of Korea's plan for building a strategic nuclear force.

The blast produced two shallow earthquakes that were detected in the Punggye-ri region where North Koreas nuclear test facility is located, according to U.S. and Chinese government seismologists. Authorities in Japan, South Korea, and numerous non-government experts in the United States confirmed the earthquakes were likely due to a nuclear test.

The first was a 6.3-magnitude tremor that was consistent with the detonation of a one-megaton hydrogen bomb, according to experts. The blast was at least 10 times as powerful as the last nuclear test, conducted on Sept. 9, 2016, according to Japanese and South Korean meteorological agencies.

Five minutes later the same seismologists detected a magnitude 4.6 earthquake, which was seen as an indication of the likely collapse of a tunnel in which the nuclear device was placed.

National Security correspondent Jeff Seldin contributed to this report.

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ALTAVISTA  Claire Parker Foundation will breathe new life into a shuttered church in Altavista to create a headquarters for the organization dedicated to serving children with pediatric cancer and their families.

Claire Parker Foundation recently acquired the former Trinity United Methodist Church building  closed for several years  on 9th Street.

We wanted to take a place that had served the community and transform it with a continued passion and commitment to caring for others, Foundation President Jordan Parker said. Our goal is a space that will allow us to expand our services while being a good neighbor to the community.

The Lynchburg United Methodist District donated the building to the foundation, which plans to improve the building. A new roof, paint job, shutters and landscaping will make the building attractive from the street.

The former sanctuary will be renovated as an event space for packing parties and Foundation meetings. The basement will house an office and storage.

Its really a wonderful building and we are grateful for a partnership that allows us to find a permanent home, Parker said. We began discussing the possibility with their leadership this past March, and God put everything in place.

Parker and his wife, Connie, started the foundation after losing their 20-month-old daughter, Claire, to leukemia three years. The family spent 10 months in and out of Duke University Medical Center as Claire underwent chemotherapy treatments before returning home to hospice care.

The vision is both practical and thoughtful. The foundation, which the Parkers have operated out of their home for three years, send care packages filled with Visa gift cards, a stuffed animal, handmade pillowcases, toiletries, and other essentials to eight childrens hospitals across the country.

When a family receives a pediatric cancer diagnosis, a child life specialist  or social worker  shares the box, which includes a letter from the Parkers and a return envelope if they wish to stay in contact for support and prayer.

When Claire was diagnosed with leukemia, we were rushed to three different hospitals in three days with only the clothes on our backs. We want families in crisis  like we were  to find comfort in knowing someone thoughtfully prepared a gift for this terrifying moment, Parker said.

When we started the foundation, our plan we just to send boxes to Duke Childrens Hospital. The Lord began to open so many doors, and now we work with 8 hospitals from Northern Virginia to Texas. We began to give financial support to our families on a consistent basis. Our goal is to consistently look for ways to provide quality of life to the children we serve. This building will enable us to continue with that vision.

The foundation provides nearly 500 boxes to hospitals each year. In addition, families receive financial support, encouragement boxes for children quarterly, and the foundation works with child life programs to bring additional resources to children battling cancer.

Claire Parker Foundation is applying for grant funds and raising support through donation campaigns to renovate the new building.

Claire Parker Foundation is a nonprofit organization. To donate or for more information, visit ClaireParkerFoundation.org.
The heavyweights have descended on Monza as the saga about Honda's future in F1 steps into its highest gear.

Toro Rosso seems to be the key to the outcome of McLaren-Honda's looming divorce, as the team has imposed a 6pm Sunday deadline for a conclusion.

The easiest way McLaren can split with Honda is if Toro Rosso takes over the engine supply, keeping the Japanese carmaker in F1 and freeing up the Renault deal for McLaren.

"Our priority is success as a factory team," Renault advisor Alain Prost said at Monza.

"If we had to supply four teams, it becomes very difficult for us with resources."

So as the talks hit their highest gear, the heavyweights descended on Monza.

Honda's Masashi Yamamoto touched down from Japan, for talks with all sides -- including the FIA and F1's owners Liberty Media.

"There are a lot of talks at the moment to find a solution that everyone can live with," said F1 chief Ross Brawn. "We want Honda to remain in the sport."

Even FIA president Jean Todt is at Monza, admitting: "I've had talks with Honda. I really hope they stay."

It is believed the Frenchman thinks the best option is that McLaren simply stays with Honda.

"We know the rules -- that no manufacturer can equip more than three teams. And changes of engine manufacturer must be announced before 1 June," he said.

"We have a team that already has a contract. Basically I do not want to talk about facts that are a bit unclear, but I will do everything I can to find a solution that keeps everyone involved in the sport," Todt added.

Another heavyweight at Monza and obviously involved in the talks is Flavio Briatore, who oversees the management of Fernando Alonso's career.

It is believed the Alonso camp is campaigning hard for McLaren to dump Honda.

"We have a very good feeling with McLaren," Briatore said. "Let's see what they are doing with the engine."

(GMM)
GREENSBORO  Local developer Roy Carroll could spend millions on new construction projects in the Southeast if contractors would take his money.

But on this Labor Day, most of the subcontractors and construction workers available are too busy to consider new projects, so Carroll is making tough decisions about whether to proceed with some developments.

And hes not alone.

A new survey of 33 contractors employing hundreds of people in North Carolina shows that 76 percent are having a hard time filling some hourly positions such as carpenters, concrete workers and truck drivers.

Its the same across the country. The Associated General Contractors of America surveyed 1,608 members and found the majority of them saying they, too, are looking for qualified workers.

Ultimately, the shortage of laborers is putting a drag on the construction industry.

***

Everything has changed in the 10 years since the last construction recession began in 2006.

Tens of thousands of people who were laid off in those days never came back to the industry, learning new skills in technology or manufacturing instead.

Making matters worse, immigrant workers have begun to fade from the scene, intimidated by national attitudes and policies that are making their lives difficult.

Also, the Baby Boom generation is retiring and young people, encouraged for decades to seek higher education, are avoiding construction trade education in school.

All this has led a handful of developers, educators and business people to work on ways to attract young people, find a way for undocumented workers to become citizens and create schedules that take the sting out of jobs that are never easy but can be rewarding under the right circumstances.

This kind of work is outside in the elements. Its very demanding, very difficult, but its very important and a vital function, said Joel Leonard, a workforce development consultant based in Asheboro.

Its not an easy occupation. We have to revere them more.

Enter Andrew Clement, who wants to bring back the joy of trade education to students. The Thomasville High School teacher was a contractor for 17 years. He decided to go into teaching because he was constantly frustrated with the quality of workers he was finding.

People today, they want a pat on the back just because they showed up to work on time, Clement said.

He said he would often tell his workers:  You aint getting paid until youve finished the job and done it correctly. These guys didnt want to stick with it. I hired and fired 100 people.

His carpentry class is so popular that 45 students signed up for 20 spots.

I love them and I want to help them, he said.

Clement is trying to change old stereotypes associated with vocational work.

Traditionally, we stuck the kids in vocational classes that were not college bound, he said, and those kids know that theyre being treated like theyre less than others.

That needs to change.

Carroll was lucky. He and his father began building houses when he was a teenager, so Carroll has nothing but fond memories of his career as a contractor.

He now has $1.2 billion in projects either underway or in the pipeline for development, including the $70 million Carroll at Bellemeade hotel and apartment project in downtown Greensboro.

But that development is lagging because Carroll cant find enough workers and subcontractors to move it along.

Bellemeade is behind schedule because of labor shortages, he said. I can point to just about all my jobs and say theyre behind.

In one case, he asked 17 contractors to bid on a project. Only one replied.

***

Many in the industry agree that educators need to get aggressive in attracting young people to the construction trades.

Carroll said schools and other groups could build instructional spaces where students could try learning skills in wiring or plumbing, then do it again for the next round of students.

You cant learn unless you try a trade in a safe environment, he said.

Experts say laborers have become leery of major construction work because it can often keep them on the job 12 hours a day, six days a week.

So contractors are beginning to realize they need to accommodate the demands of modern workers.

And theyre going to emphasize continuing education so workers dont see construction as a dead end, said several experts on a recent Associated General Contractors of America conference call with reporters.

Carroll said skill in a craft like plumbing, for instance, can lead to something else that supports the economy: small business.

Weve got to change the mindset that Youre going to trade school because you cant get into a four-year school,  he said. Every guy who owns a plumbing company that I know  theyre all millionaires.
WINSTON-SALEM  After learning her husband of 70 years had died, Rachel Holcomb told a nurse: My husband passed away today, but its all going to be OK.

A few hours later, she died peacefully in her sleep.

To have spent 70 years married and then to die so close together, I thought it was beautiful, said their daughter, Jewell Park.

It was a tale of love only Nicholas Sparks couldve concocted, as James, 97, and Rachel Holcomb, 89, of Elkin, who spent most of their lives together, died about 12 hours apart on July 26 and 27.

They hadnt seen each other in a week as Rachel was being treated for pneumonia at Chatham Rehabilitation Center in Elkin and James, who had dementia, was at home with family.

Park said her dad would ask where his wife went, but he didnt believe family members when they told him she was at the hospital. He thought she had already passed away, Park said.

They were holding on for each other, Park said. My dad could not stand for her to be out of his sight. When my dad thought she was gone, he felt like he could go, too.

The couple met in the 1940s and had been together ever since.

The day James came home from World War II, his father took him to Mount Airy to buy him a suit, not knowing that mundane task would change his sons life.

In pursuit of a necktie to match, James stopped at J.C. Penney in Elkin while his father went to town to pay some bills.

Rachel was working at the store counter.

She went home and told her mom she met a single guy and she didnt know a thing about him, but if he asked her out, shed give him a date, Park said. My dad told us years later that he never did like that necktie, but he liked the girl.

The two went on a double date with some mutual friends and the rest is history. They were married in May of 1947.

James went to college and became a teacher, and later principal, in Wilkes, Yadkin and Surry county schools for 36 years.

Rachel became a stay-at-home mom after the birth of her four children  Randall Holcomb, Wanda Kennedy, Angela Townsend and Jewell Park  all of whom are now married.

Park and her husband, Benny Park, have been married for 46 years, she said, a testament to her upbringing in the shadow of her parents love, she said.

Every morning, he kissed her goodbye and left for work and every evening, he kissed her hello, Park said. My dad always said he married the most beautiful girl in the country. We come from a long line of love.

James, born in 1920, was stern but loving and an active member of Little Elkin Baptist Church, their oldest daughter Kennedy said. Rachel, born in 1927, was the perfect mother, meticulously organized and always there when her kids needed her.

They were always loving, wonderful, kind people to everyone, said Kennedy, who has been married for 49 years. You could always see their love for each other and for the family.

A joint funeral was held for the couple on July 29 with full military honors and the presence of their family members.

The couple had four children, five grandchildren and 12 great-grandchildren.

While her parents spent the last week of their lives apart, Park said theyll spend eternity hand-in-hand.

I know they are in heaven together. My daddy has his mind back and my mom has her health and they have each other, she said. How much more wonderful could heaven be?
An undocumented immigrant mother and her two young sons are still biding their time and hoping against hope that the Trump administration will soften its heart and let them be.

Minerva Cisneros Garcia was provided sanctuary at Congregational United Church of Christ in Greensboro two months ago. The mother of three, who goes by the last name Cisneros, attracted broad attention when the church took in her and her two youngest boys, ages 3 and 6, on June 28.

Most of the lights and cameras are gone now. But Cisneros remains there with her boys for who knows how long and with no idea of what the future holds.

They are doing remarkably well  far better than I would be doing, the churchs pastor, the Rev. Julie Peeples, said last week. On good days, we are all a family, celebrating birthdays, dancing and laughing together, sharing stories. On the tougher days, it feels for her like a minimum-security prison, and we feel like benevolent jailers.

Cisneros, a soft-spoken woman with an easy smile, says she misses the outdoors, being able to shop for her own groceries, and attending school open houses.

As for the world beyond the walls of the church, they are out of sight and, in at least some corners of our community, out of mind. I thought that was over, someone told Peeples recently.

If only it were. Cisneros came to the U.S. from Mexico 17 years ago, to escape violence and to seek a better education for her third and eldest son. Eduardo, 21, who is blind and lives and works in Winston-Salem. If Cisneros leaves the safe haven the church has provided, odds are U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents will arrest and deport her. She has no criminal record and had been checking in with ICE annually after being granted a stay from deportation by the government in 2013. Then suddenly she was told shed have to leave.

So will a second woman, Juana Luz Tobar Ortega, an undocumented immigrant from Guatemala who has been living in Greensboros St. Barnabas Episcopal Church since May 31. The two talk by phone once a week, Cisneros said. She is a very sweet lady, Cisneros said while sitting at the table in her makeshift bedroom where she creates homemade bracelets and necklaces. Ortega is the one person in Greensboro, she said, who knows what its like to be her.

And neither is one of the bad hombres President Trump pledged to target in his crackdown on illegal immigrants. But no matter. The president said the sweep would focus on criminals, but it has been much colder and more indiscriminate than that. Under previous administrations, ICE has been reluctant to enter churches and schools, but under this one, who knows? Ive had an ICE agent to say to me that We can do anything we want since January,  Peeples said.

That may include deporting Eduardo, if President Trump overturns on Tuesday the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals Act, which has allowed Eduardo to remain in the U.S.

In both cases families and supporters have appealed to U.S. Sen. Thom Tillis for help ... to no effect. Peeples just mailed a letter to Congressman Mark Walker, who served as a pastor before being elected, to seek his support, minister to minister.

As for the president, he apparently does have a soft spot. For Joe Arpaio. On Aug. 25, Trump pardoned the former Arizona sheriff, a crass, law-defying showboat who racially profiled immigrants and neglected his duties to prove the ridiculous myth that Barack Obama is not a U.S. citizen.

Meanwhile, housing Cisneros and her sons at the church requires on-site volunteers 24 hours a day. The community response was mixed at first, Peeples said. Some callers wondered how Christians could do what her church was doing. Peeples wondered how Christian people could not do it. But lately the calls and Facebook comments have been more supportive. Peeples even said she has heard from members of more conservative churches who have offered to help on their own. They really wish their churches would have a conversation about this but they wont, Peeples said.

As for how long the church will make room for Cisneros and her family, Peeples doesnt hesitate: For as long as it takes.

We are committed to them as long as they choose to be here or until the case is solved, she said. We are setting no deadline.
For almost a decade, the State Department has had a full-time senior official working solely on the issue of human rights in North Korea. As the crisis over the regimes pursuit of nuclear weapons intensifies, Secretary of State Rex Tillerson has decided the envoy is no longer needed. His decision to downgrade the post has caused a backlash in Congress, where lawmakers from both parties see it as an unwise step backward on an important issue at a critical time.

As part of his broad reorganization of the State Department, Tillerson is removing or reorganizing dozens of special envoy offices, he told Congress in a Monday letter that I obtained. Among them is the position of U.S. special envoy for North Korean human rights issues, which has been vacant since Jan. 20. State will fold that job into the responsibilities of the undersecretary of state for civilian security, democracy and human rights, who also manages several other portfolios.

That undersecretary position is also vacant, along with almost all the State Department top posts. But eventually, the undersecretary would be dual hatted and take on the North Korea human rights job, according to Tillersons plan. That goes against the spirit, if not the letter, of the North Korean Human Rights Act, which established the position, lawmakers and former officials told me.

But more gravely, it could foretell a steep decline in the amount of time, attention and senior-official-level activity the U.S. government will be spending to advocate for human rights in North Korea, where the Kim Jong Un regime is oppressing millions.

While in general the idea of reorganizing the use of special envoys has merit, North Korea is a special case, Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.) told me. We need a dedicated special envoy focused specifically on the North Korean governments systematic and horrific human rights abuses against its own people.

State Department spokeswoman Heather Nauert defended the move and said the department remains deeply concerned about human rights in North Korea. She also pointed out that Tillersons plan does not technically violate the law.

The secretary believes that integration will make knowledge and resources more accessible, provide clarity in reporting authority, strengthen communication channels, and create a more efficient and integrated diplomacy, she said.

The 2004 law did not mandate that the envoy serve full-time in that position, but Congress inserted that the role should be a full-time job when it reauthorized it in 2008. In May, Rubio and Senate Foreign Relations Committee ranking Democrat Benjamin L. Cardin of Maryland introduced a reauthorization of the bill that is awaiting action by the committee. The law expired Aug. 12.

In addition to reauthorizing the special-envoy position, the bill also instructs the administration to increase efforts to help North Korean refugees and bolster efforts to pump information into North Korea through broadcasting and other means.

Cardin told me the United States should not reduce its spotlight on the widespread and systemic human rights violations being committed by the North Korean government. We need to empower the State Department to expose and seek accountability for North Koreas abusive human rights practices, and I am concerned this proposal would fall far short of that goal, he said.

Robert King, who served as the special envoy from 2009 through this January, said that having a full-time envoy gave voice to the issue inside the government and around the world. What they are doing is taking the real policy tools that could make real change in North Korea and diluting them by giving them to somebody who already has too many things to do, he said.

Jay Lefkowitz, who served as the first special envoy for North Korean human rights, during the George W. Bush administration, told me that abandoning American advocacy on human rights foolishly gives away a powerful tool that could be used to pressure Pyongyang. If you divorce human rights from the equation, you lose significant leverage, he said.

Moreover, he said, the only real long-term solution to the problem is to encourage real change inside North Korea, by increasing access to information and international engagement with the people there.

The experience we had when battling the Soviet Union at the end of the Cold War is an example of where a focus on human rights as part of an integrated economic and military strategy proved to be very effective, Lefkowitz said.

Not everyone thinks the elimination of a full-time North Korea human rights envoy is a big problem. One former senior State Department official said the envoy never had real authority and never exerted much influence over the greater North Korea strategy. Human rights advocacy has to come from the principals if it is to have substantial effect, the official said.

If the Trump team, Tillerson included, could see human rights advocacy as a strategic asset, rather than a liability, the United States could strengthen its hand diplomatically and maybe even alleviate the suffering of millions of innocent people.
WASHINGTON  There is something eternally bonding about a shared near-death experience, which is how I first met Michael Cromartie.

This was 15 or so years ago, before I had moved to the nations capital for an up-close look at power. Cromartie had called to invite me to one of the Faith Angle Forums he hosted for a select group of journalists and scholars to discuss religion in the public square. I happened to be driving when my cellphone rang.

Kathleen, you dont know me, but Ive got a fabulous invitation for you!

His enthusiasm was such that he was nearly chirping and I do believe there was a choir of angels humming in the near-distance when suddenly another car shot out of nowhere.

I was forced into the median, across two lanes of oncoming traffic and onto the grassy shoulder on the far side of the road.

Whew! Shaking and gasping for air, I realized I was still on the phone with Cromartie, who was sputtering and trying to determine what had happened. Was I all right? Yes, no, I dont know, I think so.

For the next 30 minutes or so, we chatted away, he in his office and I still sitting roadside in my car, about everything under the sun  life, death, God, gratitude. When a conversation suddenly swerves from cordial hellos to, Oh-my-God-that-person-almost-killed-me, one is allowed to bypass several centuries of pleasantries and cut to the chase. We also nearly died laughing, both from relief at my having thwarted death and appreciation for having forged this strange and serendipitous friendship.

Yes, of course, Id love to attend the Faith Angle Forum, I nearly shouted into the phone. How could I not?

Miguel, as I called him, delighted in retelling this story  often, and each time slightly more embellished. Another decade or so and Id have been killed instantly and resurrected from the dead.

The forums, meanwhile, became a gift to a handful of journalists invited to convene with religious scholars, rabbis, imams, priests, preachers and prayer leaders.

Cromartie, who was vice president and director of the Ethics and Public Policy Centers Evangelicals in Civic Life program, felt strongly that the publics perception of journalists as unfriendly toward religion and especially toward evangelical Christians, though not unwarranted, was a reflection of the medias lack of exposure to and understanding of Americas faithful rather than willful animus.

He was, in other words, one of Washingtons relatively unknown elves who work diligently and without fanfare to make the world a better place. The forums, which were his brilliant idea, were held twice a year in Key West and more recently Miamis South Beach. In between lectures  a total of three over a day-and-a-half  invitees convened for lunches, cocktails and dinners interspersed with free time for carousing, bike riding  or dancing. Cromartie loved to dance.

There are stories. Atheist Christopher Hitchens, who died nearly six years ago, was a chapter unto himself. There were at least two romances  then marriages or pending nuptials  that blossomed over the debate table. Epic tales of nightlife that will remain in the cone of silence, as well as ghost stories told one night under the spell of moonlit waves lapping against the dock.

Those were glorious, fun-filled, intellectually stimulating days that probably have benefited the country indirectly through the enlightenment of more than 220 journalists from roughly 30 newspapers, magazines and broadcast networks.

Cromartie, though ill, had promised another this fall, but when I saw him recently, it was clear thered be no more under his watch, if at all. The ravages of the cancer he had been fighting for more than a year were etched in his hollow cheeks and in eyes that betrayed a deep sadness. We pressed our foreheads together as if to connect our minds more fully, perchance to discover some elusive bit of information that would solve the riddle and reverse the course of events.

Its horrible, horrible, just horrible, he whispered.

I doubt Cromartie feared death because he was a man of enduring faith, though he may have grieved the loss of a life well-lived but not yet finished.

When he died Monday morning at 67, he left a void that will be felt by hundreds of friends, admirers and, of course, his family. For them  and even the greater world for which he steadily prayed  the loss is immeasurable.

And, yes, Miguel, it was a fabulous invitation.
EDEN  The names of two Eden residents involved in a double stabbing incident on Aug. 17 that led to a fleeing suspect being shot by Eden Police, have been made public through Superior Court documents filed in the case.

Christopher Raymond Ellison, 34, of 621 North St., Eden, is charged with attempted first-degree murder and assault with a deadly weapon with intent to kill.

On Thursday, Aug. 17, around 2:30 p.m., police officers and Rockingham County Sheriffs deputies responded to Brownstone Commons Apartments in Draper on a report of two victims being assaulted. Officers were advised the suspect fled the scene.

Upon arriving at 1012 Georgia Ave., Apt. 1, they found two stabbing victims, 44-year-old Flora Lynn Helton and her 7-year-old daughter. They were transported to Moses Cone Hospital in Greensboro and Morehead Hospital in Eden for treatment of serious injuries.

The girl also suffered from severe lacerations to her arm. Due to the sensitivity of the case, her name is not being released by RockinghamNow.

According to court documents, the two suffered deep lacerations to their chests that were, consistent with wounds from a knife or other sharp object.

Those documents state that when officers arrived at the scene, the apartment door was left open and officers could clearly observe blood spatter and droplets in the breezeway of the apartment building, as if coming from apartment 1.

The paperwork also states that it was apparent to officers that from the breezeway of the complex, a struggle had occurred in the apartment leased by Helton.

Following the arrival of police and EMS units, a perimeter was set up in the neighborhood to attempt to locate the suspect. A man matching the description of the suspect in the stabbings was located near Knott and New streets.

Police and deputies allegedly confronted Ellison, who was subsequently shot by law enforcement officers. He was transported for medical treatment.

Ellison was released from the hospital on Aug. 24 and escorted by police to the magistrates office in Wentworth, where his bail was set at $1 million.

A safekeeping order filed with the court last Thursday states Ellison has been transferred to a unit of the State Department of Adult Corrections, due to his current medical conditions and need for medical care.

According to the document, Ellison is non weight bearing, he has a right iliac wing fracture, a right ring finger amputation and an open abdominal wound.

The North Carolina State Bureau of Investigation was requested to investigate the officer-involved shooting, per standard protocol.

That investigation is still ongoing.

Ellison is set to make his first appearance in Rockingham County District Court on Sept. 5.
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Published on 2017/09/03 | Source

Concerns are rising that the opening of the second terminal at Incheon International Airport next January will sow confusion among passengers.

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Instead of dividing the terminals into rational categories, the plans will put passengers on Korean Air, Delta, Air France and KLM through the second terminal, while fliers on other carriers will keep using the first.

Incheon handles more than 5 million passengers a week.

One airline staffer said, "This is the first time in Korea that a single airport will operate multiple terminals, so there's a chance that lots of passengers will go to the wrong terminal".

The distance between the two terminals is more than 15 km, and travel from one to the other will take about half an hour by shuttle bus, which could mean that any passengers who arrive at the wrong one could miss their flights.

Industry insiders said code-sharing among carriers could add to the chaos. Around 794 code-sharing passengers a day went through the airport last year, transferring from a foreign airline to onward domestic flight on Korean Air. And 1,188 code-sharing passengers a day bought tickets for a foreign airline through Korean Air.

"This will create many instances where passengers who buy a ticket through a foreign carrier arrive at Terminal 1 but end up having to go to Terminal 2 to board their onward flight", one airline staffer said.
Published on 2017/09/02 | Source

We always watch dramas about the heroic, brilliant doctors and surgeons who cut into people like you and me and try to save lives. "A Poem a Day" takes a look at the people who aren't the normal mainstays of the medical genre genre like radiologists, nurses, and physical therapists. As someone who has benefited by working with all of those professionals, I'm keen to see what dramaland's take on their roles in health will be.

-Yours, Lisa, managing editor who can play cello again thanks to an occupational therapist

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"A Poem a Day" (2017)

Directed by Han Sang-jae

Written by Baek Seon-woo, Myeong Soo-hyeon, Choi Bo-rim

Network : tvN

Synopsis

This drama doesn't center around a "doctor " as a main character, but instead focuses on the others who work in a hospital.

Broadcast starting date in Korea : 2018
By Vasia Orion | Published on 2017/09/03

No grand rescue is easy and while physical freedom is not quite here for our heroine, her outside support grants her the strength to claim herself back within her confines. The group once again clash with corruption and the political wheels of Muji are turning, leaving us guessing about the eventual moral alignment of several characters.

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Sang-mi (Seo Yea-ji) takes a little breather and finally reveals the whole truth to her saviors, but it is incredibly satisfying to watch her remain the leader of her own rescue. After all, our group are mostly still naive about the magnitude of this case and they have never been very perceptive, with the exception of Dong-cheol (Woo Do-hwan) and Man-hee (Ha Hoe-jung). There is finally a sense of control in Sang-mi's life and she is the one holding it.

We get snippets of the group's past once more and this time around it is the ongoing rapport between Sang-mi and Dong-cheol. Part of me notices the "threat" of a love triangle here, but I have seen nothing but respect from the creators for their characters, story and audience so far and I am therefore not particularly worried at this point in time. Sang-hwan (Ok Taecyeon) and Dong-cheol have their own cross to bear and I feel like this rescue is a uniting force, rather than a dividing one.

At the same time the moral obligations and pitfalls of relationships are clearly a theme in this series and we also see it with Joon-goo (Ko Jun) and Dong-cheol, but also Dong-cheol and Dae-sik (Lee Jae-joon). I really wish to know what happened in that room, not because I do not trust Dong-cheol, but because I need to know how morally upstanding Joon-goo is. Asking Dong-cheol to risk his freedom for his sake does not sit well with me, even if I want to like him.

I really like this about "Save Me". Its characters unfold gradually and with such humanity that it is difficult to know which ones will do the right or wrong thing and for which reasons. Yong-min (Son Byung-ho) is a cruel man and Choon-gil (Kim Kwang-kyu) a bad officer, but would they place their sons above their plans and comfort? Would Apostle Kang (Park Ji-young) see the truth this time?

The forward movement within Guseonwon is also promising and I do have to commend the incredible cast of our unholy trinity for the villain side. Cho Seong-ha peels back Father Baek's facade to reveal the filth underneath so masterfully. We also have confirmation that Guseonwon has or will have multiple establishments. Could Sang-mi be a way out of the cult business for them upon achieving their desired status?

"Save Me" is directed by Kim Seong-soo, written by Jeong Sin-gyoo and Jeong I-do-I and features Ok Taecyeon, Seo Yea-ji, Cho Seong-ha and Woo Do-hwan.

Written by: Orion from 'Orion's Ramblings'

Note: Due to licensing, videos may not be available in your country
By William Schwartz | Published on 2017/09/02

Sooner or later, in most serial killer stories, the serial killer needs to gain superpowers in order to remain a credible threat. With Gwang-il (played by Lee Jong-suk), that superpower is even dumber than usual. Gwang-il makes gratuitous messes everywhere he goes, and is easily identified as the culprit by the most trifling police work. It's only thanks to the inexplicable aid of high-ranking government officials, from North Korea to South Korea to the United States, that Gwang-il is a threat to anyone.

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When "V.I.P" does finally explain why the intelligence services of at least three countries are willing to cover for an obvious serial killer...the explanation is really, really dumb. Even assuming Gwang-il actually has the information they want, he has no motivation to give it to them, since it would mean the end of his state-sanctioned murder sprees. It also has apparently never occurred to anyone to at least monitor Gwang-il well enough to prevent him from causing more public relations disasters.

But then every character in "V.I.P" is pretty appallingly stupid. Initially I thought National Intelligence Service agent Jae-hyeok (played by Jang Dong-gun) was supposed to be the villain, what with his covering up murders for a serial killer and also his working for the least popular subdivision of the South Korean government. Then we get a late scene where Jae-hyeok is shocked, shocked to discover that Gwang-il really was a serial killer all along.

Hardboiled police investigator I-do (played by Kim Myung-min) has at least average intelligence, since he does manage to conclude from a basic survey of evidence that Gwang-il is obviously a murderer. But that does not absolve Jae-hyeok from the idiocy of being too stupid to even consider that maybe I-do is right. Especially since we later find out that Jae-hyeok became Gwang-il's babysitter in obviously suspicious circumstances.

I can't for the life of me figure out what the point of "V.I.P" was supposed to be. It's not a mystery, since the first thing we see after the flashforward of the prologue is Gwang-il explicitly committing the murder. It's not a character study, since none of the four principles have any kind of relationship with each other. North Korean cop Dae-beom (played by Park Hee-soon) spends almost all of his screentime hiding in shadows. So what's left?

Well, there is the gratuitous murder scene. Come to think of it, remove that one generally disgusting scene and all of a sudden it's ambiguous whether Gwang-il is actually a serial killer or if Dae-beom is just working with the North Korean government to make it seem like he is for their own inscrutable purposes. Such framing would have made Jae-hyeok's skepticism seem less patently idiotic, as well as give "V.I.P" some badly needed dramatic tension.

But then this movie that is flawed beyond the level that can be solved by a few rewrites. Lee Jong-suk is fantastically miscast as the sinister serial killer- his only facial expressions here are vague disinterest and wide-eyed crazy person bravado. It's bad enough that Gwang-il is a stereotypical serial killer. That there's nothing backing up his reign of terror is just plain offensive.

Review by William Schwartz

"V.I.P" is written and directed by Park Hoon-jung and features Jang Dong-gun, Kim Myung-min, Park Hee-soon, and Lee Jong-suk.
Published on 2017/09/02 | Source

Two of the drama specials in the KBS series take the country bumpkin and plops her in the middle of the city. In "Drama Special - Kang Deok-soon's Love History", promo materials says that Kim Sohye (formerly of I.O.I) follows her love to the city and unwittingly into the center of the independence movement from Japan. The premise definitely gives Sohye's character a lot of room for growing. Let's see where it takes us.

-Yours, Lisa, a managing editor who is now a country bumpkin

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"Drama Special - Kang Deok-soon's Love History" (2017)

Directed by Hwang Seung-gi

Written by Baek So-yeon

Network: KBS

With Kim Sohye, Oh Seung-yoon,...

1 episode - Sun 22:00

Part of the "Drama Special" series

Synopsis

A naive girl from the country falls in love with a man and heads to Gyeongsang province. Her love leads her unknowingly into the center of an independence movement.



Broadcast starting date in Korea : 2017/10/05
Published on 2017/09/03 | Source

Incheon International Airport is jam-packed with travelers on Aug. 13.

This Chuseok will see yet another surge in overseas travel because the holiday covers a full 10 days.

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The Korean Thanksgiving holiday falls on Oct. 3-6 this year, which is Tuesday to Friday, and the government is mulling making the Monday a temporary holiday too, while Hangeul Day falls on Oct. 9, the following Monday.

Hana Tour said 77,000 people have made bookings for overseas travel during the period, up a whopping 41 percent from last Chuseok. And the holiday is still a month away, so numbers are likely to go up.

The bulk was taken up by trips to hot and affordable Southeast Asia as autumn chills bite in Korea with 42 percent, followed by Japan (24 percent), China (16 percent), Europe (nine percent) and the Americas (five percent).

The number of people booking long-haul to Europe and the Americas grew 3.9 percentage points and 2.9 percentage points on-year because there is more time, but bookings to China plunged 29 percent amid strained bilateral ties.

"Inquiries for overseas travel over the long break already started at the end of last year", a Hana Tour staffer said. "More people are going on long-distance family trips this year".
Rail: I Dunno About TAT

by Tom Yamachika, President Tax Foundation of Hawaii

We are getting closer to the special session that our Legislature has scheduled to continue its discussion about funding Honolulu rail. During this past session, the House and Senate were unable to agree on a common version of a bill to continue rail funding.

The two chambers disagreed about whether to use our Transient Accommodations Tax (TAT). The TAT is a statewide tax. A large portion of it is shuttled off to special funds, $93 million a year is shared with the counties, and the remainder goes to the state general fund.

One frequently voiced comment about using the TAT is that Neighbor Islands should not pay for rail in Honolulu. This was the headline of Maui Council Chair Mike Whites analysis, recently published in The Maui News, which said:

For fiscal year 2018, in what has now become a common occurrence, the Legislature raided the counties TAT share by reducing it from $103 million to $93 million. The counties share was reduced at a time when TAT revenues are at an all-time high, with anticipated revenues nearing or exceeding $533 million in the coming year. By the end of this fiscal year, the state will have harvested $96 million more in TAT since FY 2016, or a 42 percent increase.

The state has increasingly taken more TAT revenues to help balance its own budget at the detriment of counties. Now the Legislature wants to raise the tax to fund rail?

Neighbor Islands receive no benefit from the Honolulu rail, and a TAT increase has major implications on the economy. . . .

Members of the [Maui] County Council also agree that increasing the TAT is not the solution, and passed a resolution this past week urging the Legislature to extend Oahus GET surcharge instead. The hope is that legislators will have a change of heart and avoid pulling the Neighbor Islands into the rail project and draining resources the counties need for their own projects.

Chair White seems to be arguing that the counties have a right to TAT money. Really? The TAT, when it was enacted in 1986, was primarily meant to fund the Hawaii Convention Center, which happens to be on Oahu. (The tax at that time was 5% and it was billed as a temporary tax that would go away once the convention center got built. Now its a 9.25% tax, and its permanent. I have ranted about that before.) The Hawaii Constitution explicitly says that the legislature shall have the power to apportion state revenues among the several political subdivisions. State lawmakers have a right to send state revenue from a state tax wherever they see fit.

State taxes fund all kinds of projects on all islands. Guess how the Maui Memorial Hospital was built and maintained, for example? Or Honoapiilani Highway? If the 80% of Hawaiis population on Oahu decided that they didnt want their state taxes to fund any projects on any other islands, Maui County would be very different today.

Also, Maui County has its own taxing power. If revenue is needed to run county government, the county can tinker with real property tax, fuel tax, vehicle weight tax, vehicle registration charges, user fees, and other revenue sources. (Honolulu has that power too, and it will probably have to use it to operate and maintain the trainunless it can persuade state legislators to use state money or state taxing authority to make Honolulus job easier.) If Maui County doesnt want to because their politicians fear political backlash from their electorate, Oahu and the State shouldnt be blamed for that.

The Tax Foundation of Hawaii is not endorsing any particular tax to be tapped for rail. We just want to make sure that any decision made is not based on misinformation.
CAR dealer Hofmanns of Henley has had some unusual luxury vehicles in its showroom over the years but nothing quite like the model currently in the window.

It is a classic 1929 Rolls-Royce Phantom One, Ascot Phaeton edition.

But it isnt quite what it seems for the Roller is not for driving but for sleeping in as it includes a single bed!

The wooden full-scale model costs 22,000, which is good value according to Chris Marriott, sales manager at the Newtown Road dealership.

It took 960 hours to make it, so if you work it out at an hourly rate thats 25 per hour, he says. I think somebody could be getting quite a good deal.

Chris, 24, spotted the car when he visited the Beaulieu Supercar Weekend last month to promote a Lotus GTE Evora that Hofmanns is selling.

He thought it would look right at home in Henley and says it has already caught the eye of a few customers.

One gentleman said he would buy it but that his wife would kill him, he explains. If its going to sell, then its going to sell here. The model was commissioned by the Rolls-Royce Enthusiasts Club to celebrate its diamond jubilee this year.

It was designed and built by by Mark Turner and Llinos Mair Pritchard, who own the Fun Furniture Collection of Salford and whose clients include members of royal families in the Middle East.

The pair have previously made beds in the shape of Volkswagen camper vans, Minis, Land Rovers and even a Routemaster bus.

The Rolls-Royce bed, which even has the companys famous logo, was first displayed at the enthusiasts clubs jubilee celebrations at Burghley House in Lincolnshire in June.

The makers produced a design in stages, including the chassis, steering, suspension, wheels, frame and bodywork. Wheel arches, running boards and more bodywork were then added.

The model takes about three hours to take apart and put together again. Most of the pieces slide into place rather than being fixed with glue or screws.

Chris says members of the public are welcome to visit the showroom to see the piece, which should be there until the end of this month unless it is sold.

He adds: Its in the right place because we sell Rolls-Royce, Bentley, Lotus and Porsche. The person who is going to buy the bed would buy a car from here.

Incidentally, the Evora is one of only 20 that were made roadworthy and costs 112,000. It doesnt come with a bed.
A WOMAN has spoken of her anger after being given a 100 parking fine unfairly while visiting a supermarket.

Helen Johnstones car was filmed by cameras overlooking the private car park of the offices next door to the store and then sent a penalty notice in the post.

But she only actually parked in the car park of the Waitrose store in Twyford, where Prime Minister Theresa May is a regular customer.

Mrs Johnstone, of Dark Lane, Wargrave, has complained to both Waitrose and Britannia Parking, which enforces parking at Twyford House next to the store, but says both companies have failed to admit there is a problem despite the fine being rescinded.

The incident happened on July 18 when she spent a few minutes shopping in the supermarket.

Mrs Johnstone, a freelance journalist and PR, parked in one of three new spaces outside the store entrance which were created following its recent refurbishment.

She believes that the cameras at Twyford House, which use automatic numberplate recognition to track vehicles coming in and out of the site, filmed her Fiat 500 as she was reversing into the space at Waitrose because the manoeuvre required her to momentarily use the entrance of the private car park. When she left after doing her shopping, her car was facing forwards, so didnt go close enough to Twyford House for the cameras to pick her up.

When she returned to Waitrose the next day she was again filmed by the Twyford House cameras, leading the system to believe she had spent the previous 24 hours in the private car park.

Mrs Johnstone did not discover the parking notice until she had returned home from a holiday in Scotland.

It ruined my holiday, she said. It was clear from the digital images I was manoeuvring the car to reverse into a Waitrose bay behind me. My car was clearly in transit with the run lights on.

Since Waitrose was refurbished there has been additional parking with metal barriers to reserve them. When the barriers are down the public can use them.

I used to go first thing in the morning when the store opened and get a few things and I would park in the new spaces near the entrance. You have to nose into the private car park so you can reverse into the bays. Ive done that on many occasions. Mrs Johnstone wrote to Britannia, which also enforces parking at the supermarket, to explain what had happened.

The company agreed to cancel the fine but warned her to park correctly in future.

But Britannia couldnt produce any photographs of my car parked in the Twyford House car park, as it never was, said Mrs Johnstone.

She also complained to the store but the deputy manager told her it was not Waitroses responsibility.

She said: I was more angry at the attitude of Waitrose than the parking company. I got a nonchalant reply saying it was nothing to do with them.

I was surprised that Waitrose was happy for a customer to have this happen to them when parked in a Waitrose bay. They have left the door open for other customers to be unfairly fined.

When I flagged it up I expected them to at least investigate and take whatever action was necessary to ensure it didnt happen again to me or any other customer.

The problem is all the worse because it is regular Waitrose shoppers who are most at risk of being fined. ritannia also enforces parking in the Waitrose car park and I would have thought they could get together and sort out the problem before more drivers are unfairly hit with a 100 fine.I was very disappointed and surprised Waitrose would be prepared to be associated with this type of tactic, never mind condone it. Perhaps the Prime Minister is the only customer Waitrose value?

Mrs Johnstone added: I have been back to the store but I no longer park in those bays .

Wokingham borough councillor Lindsay Ferris is to take up the issue.

He said: There have been ongoing problems with people getting parking tickets in the private car park for years. It used to be a man in a white van going around clamping vehicles and when that changed we thought the problem had been resolved.

Waitrose has a responsibility as well. If one of their customers has been treated that way it could be affecting a lot more.

A Waitrose spokeswoman said: While we are sorry to learn of Mrs Johnstones experience, the Twyford House car park is not a Waitrose car park and is operated and managed entirely by a separate parking management company so Im afraid this is something she would need to raise with them.

Britannia Parking said it had approved Mrs Johnstones appeal after considering her case and would continue to monitor the situation in Twyford going forward.
ELIZABETHTON, Tenn.  Four-year-old Bella Hope Odoms arms and legs tensed up, rigid as crowbars, as her adoptive mother, Angie Earl Odom, tried to hold her.

Theres this strongness, Odom, 47, said during a recent interview in Elizabethton at the TLC Community Center.

Just feeling her, it takes everything in me just to hug her.

Bella, who enjoys creating dinosaurs out of Play-Doh and watching videos on the YouTube Kids app, is a survivor of neonatal abstinence syndrome. Her birth mother overdosed on drugs when she was eight weeks pregnant, and Bella is believed to be one of the only babies in the country to survive a first-trimester overdose, Odom said.

Bella, who has been made aware of her past and why her mother is now in a vegetative state in a nursing home, continues to grow. The child and adoptive mother are learning every day as they cope with NAS.

Everything changes, said Odom, who said Bella has major differences in dressing, feeding, touching, playing and even making facial expressions than other girls her age. As an infant and toddler, Bella never had expressions. She was not happy, sad or mad. Odom said Bella only ever had a solemn look on her face.

Odoms story actually begins more than a decade ago, in the early 2000s, when Bellas birth mother was a volunteer at Odoms Abortion Alternatives organization, now the TLC Community Center. The center is a Christian-based organization that assists families and pregnant women. One goal is to cut the number of abortions in Northeast Tennessee.

Bellas mother  who had not yet had Bella  was 17 years old and living in a group home when she worked as a volunteer for the center.

She had been in trouble for a lot of her life, Odom said. She started having drug issues at age 13  with heroin, marijuana. She spent many times in jail.

Angie Earl Odom "This could have been prevented. Then, I feel really bad for the birth mom.  Angie Earl Odom, woman who adopted girl who survived NAS

When Odom first met the girl, the teenager seemed to be doing well. Odom described her as a joyful, smiling young lady, but she was also a follower who wanted to belong. Her father had died when she was 8 years old, which is when Odom said the girls life began to change.

When she became a legal adult, the birth mother left the group home and bought a car. Odom said the young woman soon wrecked the car and was arrested for driving under the influence.

I didnt see her for a little while, Odom said. One day, she showed up in the office, and she was pregnant. She wanted to be a parent and get her life together.

The woman was pregnant with Bellas older brother.

But before he was born, Odom said it appears the mother-to-be started using drugs.

One day, when Odom went to the Carter County Jail to work with the inmates, she found her.

I went into the cell block and looked up and saw her grin, Odom said.

Odom learned the woman was attempting to get married, but had been arrested. Odom approached the county sheriff and asked that the couple be allowed to get married. They wed during a jail chapel ceremony.

Odom said the young woman did well for a while, until her son was 3 years old. Then, the birth mother fled to Florida.

In Pensacola, Florida, emergency dispatchers received a 911 call from a man at a hotel.

They could hear gasping in the background, Odom said. The breathing was very far apart. The man kept giving the wrong address. They really felt that he wanted her to die before they got there.

Eventually, at the urging of dispatchers, the man gave the correct address, and emergency responders arrived at the hotel. The woman, who had learned she was pregnant just two days earlier, overdosed on amphetamines and benzodiazepines, Odom said.

She was taken to the hospital, where she remained on life support for 2 1/2 months. Normally, miscarriages are reported during such dire circumstances.

Thats what they assumed would happen, but it didnt happen, Odom said.

Doctors did a number of ultrasounds, which appeared normal. Because of the overdose, doctors gave the pregnant woman a number of drugs as part of the treatment process.

In January 2013, Bella was born early during an emergency C-section at the Pensacola hospital. There were a number of issues during and after birth, Odom said. The infant had oral dysphasia, problems sucking and some breathing issues. She was incubated immediately in the hospitals neonatal intensive care unit.

She kind of improved pretty quickly, within a couple hours, Odom said.

Three days after giving birth, the mother was transported to a nursing home in Huntsville, Tennessee.

Bella remained in the NICU in Pensacola for 28 days. Slowly, she was weaned off the medical drugs until it was safe to release her.

The babys maternal grandmother, who lived in Tennessee, received a call from Florida saying she had to take Bella or the state would take her. So she went to Pensacola, picked up the baby and returned to Tennessee.

Thats when the grandmother showed up at Odoms door with baby Bella.

I went and set up a nursery at the grandmas house, said Odom, who was not familiar at the time with NAS babies.

Little did I know that I would be the one receiving the birth certificate.

Odom also looked for the birth mother and found her at the nursing home.

She was lying in the floor in a diaper with a gown wrapped around her neck, and she had a rattle on her chest. She had feces covered from head to toe, Odom said. It was an emotional day.

The woman, who is now 30 years old, would only make a noise and roll back and forth, Odom remembered. After trying to find a nursing home in Northeast Tennessee that would accept a resident with a drug history, Odom had the woman transferred to the Quillen rehabilitation facility in Johnson City.

Odom reached out to U.S. Rep. Phil Roe, a medical doctor, who has delivered more than 5,000 babies in the Tri-Cities, for help.

She was asking for my help because of getting Medicaid to pay for this mother and getting her out of a bad nursing facility  into something better, Roe said. We began to work on that and help her with that. Thats how I got in contact with her and got to know about the situation.

The congressman said he didnt know if he could help Odom.

But I was so intrigued by the conversation that the more I listened, the more I wanted to help her, Roe said.

By March 2013, the Tennessee Department of Childrens Services removed Bella from the custody of her grandmother due to drug issues in that home and granted emergency custody to Odom and her husband, Earl.

She was screaming, she [just]had formula and a few diapers, said Odom, recalling the day Bella was brought to her home.

The baby constantly sweated and vomited.

All I would do is change her clothes, Odom said.

Because of the vomiting, Bella could have easily aspirated, so Odom had to have constant contact with the child.

Over time, Odom began to better understand Bellas problems. Although she wasnt aware of neonatal abstinence syndrome early on, Odom asked questions, talked to specialists and learned how to deal with the associated issues.

In March 2014, Odom officially adopted Bella and is now a caregiver for both the child and the birth mother.

A couple years ago, Odom wrote a book called And Then There Was Hope, which goes into detail about Bella and NAS. The book, co-written by Abby Morris-Frye, can be found at www.amazon.com.

In 2015, Odom received a national adoption award after Roe nominated her.

Theres one thing for sure, Roe said, Angies hearts in the right place. Theres no question about that. She definitely has a servants heart.

The congressman said Bella has potential in life because of Odoms help.

She didnt have any idea what she was getting into, and yet she was willing to do that and advocate after that, Roe said of Odom. I couldnt think of anyone better to get that award for that reason.

Roe, who retired from the medical field in 2009, said he doesnt believe he ever delivered an NAS baby.

This is a relatively recent  in the last 20 years  phenomenon, Roe said.

The number of NAS babies born in the region is astonishing, the congressman said, noting that he recently visited the neonatal intensive care unit at Johnson Citys Niswonger Childrens Hospital.

Roe, who recently held a roundtable discussion on opioid addiction at his office, said the federal government is beginning to look at NAS and associated issues.

The administration [of President Donald Trump] is very interested in this, as I am, and what we do with it, Roe said. Twenty years ago, it wasnt on the radar screen. I dont think were going to know for a generation the actual cost of this.

Bella, who attends preschool at a church, continues to have issues. Recently, she was diagnosed with mild cerebral palsy. She has also had attention issues and a cleft palate.

This could have been prevented, Odom said. Then, I feel really bad for the birth mom.

The drug overdose has significantly affected both, Odom said, as the child continues to develop with NAS-related issues, and the mother remains bedridden.

Everything  all the issues  are related to the overdose, Odom said.
Nearly my entire family is split by county and city. Four of my siblings, a few nephews and a host of cousins graduated from Sullivan County Schools. However, my older sister, a nephew, nieces, a spackle of cousins and I graduated from Tennessee High. It isnt uncommon for a bit of good-humored ribbing to occur at family gatherings; even my wife, a VHS grad, gets in her fair share of digs.

A lot of families enjoy that sort of rivalry, and usually, it is all in good fun. But I fear the disparity that has long existed between Sullivan County and its cities may have graduated to rancor.

Over the last few weeks, Sullivan County commissioners have been batting around an idea to cut funding from Bristol Tennessee City Schools as well as Kingsports schools. In fact, I wrote about this very thing in last Sundays paper. On Thursday morning, the commission went ahead with their proposed budget, raised property taxes and cut $3 million from the city school systems.

I havent been able to get that off my mind.

Anyone who has been around this area for any length of time knows that a perceived difference has always existed between city and county, particularly when it comes to the school systems. There are some who believe one is superior to the other. That idea extends beyond the schools and often reaches a level of arrogance between the municipalities  one might call it a chip-on-the-shoulder type of arrogance that feeds into a sense of competition. People on both sides of the county-city line have sometimes looked with disregard, perhaps contempt, at the other.

Some of that disparity has to do with the levels of revenue. For the most part, people who live in the city have long recognized their county tax dollars reap very little in return. Up until now, the return on city residents taxes to the county have come in the form of money to support schools, which made forking over taxes to the county palpable for most.

Not so much anymore.

This whole thing is simply bad. It can inflict damage on the school systems in Bristol and Kingsport. Although that is bad enough, not understanding that the cut to city schools creates stress for them is simply not a good way to build long-term trust within our community. In fact, Id suggest that confirms what many people have thought for a long time: None of our communities do a good job of communicating with one another. We are all islands.

Think about the repulsive, flippant sort of way even the idea of cutting the funding was made public. Do you remember how Bristol and Kingsport found out?

Did a county commissioner call the respective boards? No. Both schools systems discovered it through an article in their local papers.

As much as newspapers like a scoop, for Bristol and Kingsport school systems to find out that their budgets were going to be slashed through a story, not personal communication, was evidence that something more may be afoot than simply the need to find a way to pay bills.

It also doesnt help when people find out that the county school systems could actually benefit by the cuts to the city. In other words, city tax dollars paid to the county could be used to build up county infrastructure  including schools, which is where some people believe the disparity largely exists.

Look, I get it. Being in office and making decisions can be tough, especially when money is on the table and elections are coming up. The truth of the matter is, the county has some financial issues  it happens  and the county leadership is tasked with solving the issue.

But when the county had an opportunity to build a bridge toward the cities in regards to their budget issues, they decided to expand the moat by not communicating and then going after city schools.

It used to be that the county and the cities had a playful rivalry, but this latest move reveals that it isnt so much of a disparity as perhaps animosity. After all, who goes after a school system and doesnt even tell the right people about it?
Rachel Carson's expose shocked the world. And we're better for it

columns
Recently, I heard about Vietnam War veteran Lonnie Long of Davidson and the book he co-authored with Oak Ridge resident Gary Blackburn: Unlikely Warriors: The Army Security Agencys Secret War in Vietnam 1961-1973.

Lonnie, the researcher, and Gary, the writer, published the oft-reviewed book in 2013. My curiosity was piqued. Id heard and read about a number of soldiers experiences in Vietnam but never the service of an American who surreptitiously collected enemy intel.

Lonnie was one of less than a thousand men whose job, among others, was intercepting enemy military messages, or as Lonnie later explained it, I was the guy youve seen in multiple war movies with earphones on and intercepting information and typing it out. Eventually, Lonnie took to the air to do his covert work.

Lonnie, whod originally planned simply to enlist in the U.S. Army, was part of a secret elite group recruited and trained by the Army Security Agency (now defunct), the National Security Agencys ground force in Vietnam.

As Lonnie described it, he carried the military occupational specialty of 058, or Manual Morse Intercept Operator.

I walked away from my interview with Lonnie having learned more in a couple of hours about the interception of enemy communications than I could have gathered from reading a dozen books. Listening to Lonnie, who spent 13 years doing research for Unlikely Warriors, was like learning from a cross between author Tom Clancy  known for his technically detailed thrillers, and a kind professor willing to dumb down his instruction for someone (me) who knew nothing about intercepting enemy communications during the Vietnam War.

Enemy messages during the war, as in most any conflict, were sent in code. Our job was to intercept them and then break them, said Lonnie, who added that the ASA was very compartmentalized. Hed intercept a coded message and then someone else decoded it.

You sat in front of a bank of radios, and you searched, Lonnie explained. When you found something, you hollered and maybe another operator had it. Maybe not. Then you started copying until (the enemy) stopped transmitting.

I felt as if I had to do a little decoding myself with all the jargon that went along with Lonnies explanations: ditty bopper  a Morse code interceptor; traffic  a message; trick  shift work.

I wondered: if Lonnie collected the coded messages and sent them on to be deciphered, did he ever know what the messages said? No, he didnt, but Lonnies as well as the other interceptors clandestine eavesdropping gained much more than coded intelligence.

Some examples:

They identified radios as those belonging to the enemy.

They discerned patterns to discover who was talking to whom.

They fixed the locations of enemy headquarters and stations on the ground.

They plotted the movements of enemy groups, troops, and headquarters and provided warnings of enemy advancements toward U.S. troops.

Using the analogy of snail mail during pre-Internet days, Lonnie suggested that I consider all he could learn about me simply by repeatedly intercepting my mail and examining the envelopes  not opening them and reading the contents, just studying the outsides  and then returning them to my mailbox, leaving me none the wiser. Lonnie listed all sorts of knowledge hed have about me. Id know the pattern of your life, he suggested.

Before he was in Vietnam, Lonnie worked as an interceptor for 15 months on a small U.S. Air Force base in Taiwan. He listened to Mainland China. It was in Taiwan that he met Gary, who was a voice intercept operator for the Air Force Security Service. Lonnie described him as a brilliant Iowa farm boy. Gary did not go to Vietnam, but he and Lonnie remained friends.

In Vietnam, Lonnie worked at an intercept facility in Phu Bai. He was part of the 3rd Radio Research Company, Det. J. Three months into his assignment, he transferred to Saigon having applied to fly with the ASAs aviation section  collecting intel from above, so to speak. The year was 1965. In a matter of months, the number of American soldiers in Vietnam had jumped tenfold. His work with the aviation section was just as covert as being an operator on the ground  if not more so. They were in Vietnam but their medical records were stamped, "If injured or killed in combat, report as training accident in the Philippines."

During each sky-high mission, there was Lonnie, a pilot, and a bank of radios. If Lonnie picked up something on one of the radios, he started copying the code by hand. In Asia, a numerical code, said Lonnie, who explained that he wrote number groups with five numbers in each group.

I was mostly flying over the war, Lonnie pointed out. But it wasnt a job without risks. From the books introduction: (Lonnie and the pilot) had flown over the same area near a U.S. Special Forces outpost for three consecutive days, and each day, using their specially-equipped aircraft for locating low-level transmitters, they had plotted a Viet Cong unit moving ever closer to the camp. Taking ground fire was not unusual . . . The VC round had penetrated the belly of the plane and exploded a cushion lying on the floor of the plane . . .the round had exited the plane just above (Lonnies) head. Had he not been leaning forward while working the target signal, the round could have taken off the back of his flight helmet . . .

We, operators and pilots, lost a total of 28 people in combat during the war, said Lonnie. Fifty-five total died in Vietnam. Theyre all on the wall.

Find Unlikely Warriors: The Army Security Agencys Secret War in Vietnam 1961-1973 at amazon.com, barnesandnoble.com, or by visiting the Unlikely Warriors Facebook page.

Share story ideas with Mary at marycanrobert@charter.net.
Lenoir-Rhyne Universitys Business Council honored Eddie Edwards, president and chief executive officer of CommScope, as the 35th Business Leader of the Year during a recent awards luncheon at Moretz Mills.

Edwards is an industry-leading executive, serving in his current role since January 2011. His strategic vision and leadership achievements make him an exceptional role model for LRU students and the community, and an ideal selection for the universitys Business Leader of the Year.

In receiving this honor, I commend the global CommScope employee team whose passion for innovation and support for our global customers have led directly to the companys success, Edwards said. While CommScope is a global leader in network infrastructure, we are proud of the companys roots here in Hickory and Catawba County. I also thank the Business Council for this accolade, its leadership and the role it plays in the community.

With its worldwide headquarters in Hickory and several other facilities in North Carolina, CommScope maintains a strong presence in the Catawba Valley. Today, it is among one of North Carolinas largest companies and employs approximately 1,900 people in the state and more than 20,000 people around the world.

Edwards has been instrumental in several of the companys recent acquisitions, helping transform CommScope to a multibillion dollar company with a stronger global presence.

Under Mr. Edwards leadership, CommScope has developed some of the worlds best communication networks, said Robert E. Allen, executive director of advancement relations. We are excited to add him to our prestigious list of Business Leader of the Year honorees.

Edwards was named to the companys top position and to the board of directors in January 2011, following The Carlyle Groups acquisition of CommScope, making it a private company. Since then, CommScope returned to being a publicly-traded company following its initial public offering in October 2013.

In 2016, Edwards was presented with the Louis V. Gerstner, Jr. Excellence Award by The Carlyle Group. The award is presented each year to a CEO who exemplified outstanding leadership, business acumen and management excellence in leading one of more than 200 Carlyle portfolio companies.

Edwards previously served as CommScopes president and chief operating officer. Before that, he served as executive vice president of business development and general manager, wireless network solutions. He previously served as executive vice president of business development and the chairman of a CommScope wholly owned subsidiary, Connectivity Solutions Manufacturing, Inc.

Fred Whitt, president of LRU, said, We congratulate Eddie and recognize him as an exemplary leader within our community, and we are delighted that he is a new member of the LRU Board of Trustees, as well as serving as the chairman of the Frye Regional Medical Center Board.

The university recognizes each year a man or woman who exemplifies the outstanding gifts of leadership within his or her business as well as within the surrounding community. This individual is selected by a university committee from among a number of individuals.

The Business Leader of the Year award is sponsored by the universitys Business Council, which was established in 1983 to promote a better understanding of LRU and its programs within the business community, to provide unique learning opportunities for students and businesses, and to support the LRU giving programs.
Amy H. Sturgis, Adjunct Assistant Professor of Liberal Studies at Lenoir-Rhyne University, has been named guest editor of the August 2017 edition of Apex Magazine, a themed double-issue focusing on works by Native American creators.

Apex Magazine highlights literary works of science fiction, fantasy, and horror, and features original, mind-bending short fiction from many professionals in the field. Sturgis, who holds a doctorate degree in intellectual history from Vanderbilt University, was invited to be a guest editor of the magazines edition which features A Celebration of Indigenous American Fantasists.

In preparation for the magazine issue, Sturgis spent more than a year preparing for this project.

I solicited contributions from Native authors across the United States and Canada, read the resulting works and chose from among them, and guided the authors through the revision process, Sturgis said. I also assisted in building the issue, including choosing the cover art and recording the related podcast.

Sturgis specializes in both science fiction/fantasy and indigenous American studies, and is the author of four books, including The Trail of Tears and Indian Removal, and Tecumseh: A Biography. She has also authored more than 60 published essays, serves as editor-in-chief of Hocus Pocus Comics, and is one of the team members behind the StarShipSofa Podcast, which in 2010 became the first podcast in history to win science fictions top honor, the Hugo Award. Her official website is amyhsturgis.com.

This edition includes four short stories, two interviews, a nonfiction essay, and cover art by Native creators, including Cherokee, Muscogee (Creek), Seminole, Ohkay Owingeh Pueblo, Mushkegowuk Cree, Karuk, and Ojibwe Nakawee contributors.

As a professor, I am very interested in indigenous futurism, or the writing of speculative fiction by Native authors. By guest editing this all-indigenous issue of Apex Magazine, I was able to share new, original works by some of the voices I find to be most powerful today; in short, I was able, in my own small way, to contribute to the movement. I couldnt be more thrilled with the exceptional writers represented in this issue.

In preparation for this academic year, Sturgis plans to use her recent work in the classroom.

Each time I teach my Native American Experience and Native American Film and Fiction courses, I update the texts I use to include the most recent and meaningful works in the field. I knew as I put this issue of Apex together that it would be following me into the classroom, Sturgis said. I cant wait to share these incredible stories with my students! I know they will inspire thoughtful conversations.

The eBook version is available to purchase or to view online at apex-magazine.com/issue-99-august-2017.
HICKORY  Despite best laid plans, North Carolina has experienced gasoline shortages from time to time.

Catawba County Utilities and Engineering Director Barry Edwards can specifically recall the gasoline shortage in the 1970s.

I can remember as a young man when the gas shortage occurred in the 70s  you were lucky if you could get a gallon of gas, he said. You would sit in line to get to the tank, and they would only give you one or two gallons.

Edwards only trips were commuting to and from his job.

You were literally hoping that you wouldnt run out of gas traveling from home to work, he said.

North Carolina residents may also recall the gasoline shortage in 2016 when the Colonial Pipeline sprung a leak.

In a September 2016 edition of the Hickory Daily Record, Roy Cooper, then-N.C. Attorney General, put the states price gouging law into effect in response to reports of unreasonably high gas prices.

Prices on the rise

The Colonial Pipeline, which carries vast amounts of gasoline and other refined fuels between the Houston region and eastern states, was shut down this week after Hurricane Harvey forced the closure of refineries and some of the pipelines own facilities, according to a press release from Gov. Coopers office.

At least one-third of Texas oil refineries have been closed, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration. Many are now concerned the development will cause a rise in gas prices.

Toward the end of the work week, North Carolinas average gas price per gallon was $2.491, and Catawba Countys average gas price per gallon was $2.493.

Last year at this time, North Carolinas average gas prices were 38.9 cents lower ($2.102), according to North Carolina Fuel Insights by GasBuddy.

To check gas prices by state and county, visit www.fuelinsights.gasbuddy.com.

In anticipation of gasoline shortages caused by Hurricane Harvey, Cooper issued an executive order Thursday to help maintain gasoline supplies for the state.

Hurricane Harveys damage to refineries in Texas and Louisiana could ripple throughout the southeast, causing gasoline shortages and rising prices, Cooper said via the release. Im taking action to make it easier to get gasoline into our state so North Carolinians who need gas can get it.

North Carolina Executive Order No. 19 declares a state of emergency to temporarily waive the cap on maximum hours of service restrictions for fuel vehicles traveling in and through North Carolina.

The order will help gasoline move in and through North Carolina more easily and quickly in response to delivery problems caused by Hurricane Harvey, according to the release.

Cooper also signed Executive Order No. 18, declaring an abnormal market disruption for gasoline in North Carolina based on the temporary shutdown, caused by Hurricane Harvey, of Texas and Louisiana fuel refineries.

As a result, North Carolinas price gouging law against overcharging in a time of crisis is now in effect statewide for the next 45 days.

A shift of focus

Blackburn Landfill Superintendent Rodney Hamby said after a natural disaster like Hurricane Harvey, some residents begin to shift their focus back to biofuel.

When you look at that and your dependency on (petroleum) fuel, it drives funding going back to those alternate fuel sectors, Hamby said.

He said when gasoline prices decrease people tend to put biofuel on the backburner.

When we first started this, biodiesel was growing because fuel was high, and there was a lot of money being presented by governments for funding of biodiesel research, Hamby said.

In comparison to the early 2000s, the push for biofuel research and use has diminished to a nudge.

This has not stopped Catawba County from using biodiesel in its equipment.

We have pretty much stayed the course with using B10, when in reality, it is cheaper for us to use petroleum, Catawba County Utilities and Engineering Director Edwards said.

If a gasoline shortage becomes prominent again, the Catawba County Utilities and Engineering Department is ready.

The bigger impact that we see isn't from an increase in cost, but it is more when a hurricane or something impacts their ability to get fuel to this part of the country, Assistant Director Jack Chandler said. So when it impacts the pipeline, we end up with shortages and our finance departments make sure that we have enough fuel for our fleets, and they have a protocol to how we respond to that.
Mumbai went under water last week; Chandigarh the week before, and Agartala, Bengaluru and Ahmedabad earlier on during this southwest monsoon. The jury is out on whether the extreme rain events were caused by climate change. But there is little doubt that detrimental land-use change played a big part in turning the rains to floods. Heavy, erratic and extreme rainfall is now unavoidable. But what are we doing to protect ourselves and make our cities less flood prone?

Exactly one year ago, the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Home Affairs submitted its report on the 2015 Chennai floods. The report concluded, among other things, that encroachment of lakes and river beds played a major role in causing massive flood in Chennai. Noting that the lessons from Chennai floods are an eye-opener and other cities must also learn from it, the committee urged the state government to check mafia involved in illegal construction for business and usurping water bodies for their real estate business.

The Tamil Nadu government has been quick to use the floods as an excuse to evict the poor from their dwellings on the margins of Chennais stinking rivers. But, it has done nothing to check the mafia. The largest ongoing conversion of wetlands into real estate in Chennai is happening on the sprawling Ennore Creek to the north of the city.

Going by the popular meaning of mafia as an organised body of criminals, the Ennore Creek encroachers are not strictly mafia. The crime of encroaching, though, is being committed by an organised body of offenders led by state and central Public Sector Units, and facilitated by the very agencies that were set up to protect the environment.

In June 2017, Government of India-owned Kamarajar Port Ltd (KPL) sought and obtained permission from the State Coastal Zone Management Authority to construct car parking terminals, coal yards and free trade warehouse zones by reclaiming several hundred acres of the Ennore Creek. This is in addition to 1,090 acres already diverted illegally to accommodate industrial installations belonging to central PSUs Bharat Petroleum and Hindustan Petroleum, and a power plant and coal ash dump by NTECL, a centre-state joint venture involving NTPC Ltd and Tamil Nadu Generation and Distribution Corporation (TANGEDCO).

KPLs proposal is pending clearance with the expert appraisal committee of the Union ministry of environment. NTECLs proposal to further expand its coal ash dump within the creek is pending with the Tamil Nadu Pollution Control Board. If cleared, the ensuing construction will not only damage the creek irretrievably but also expose 10 lakh people and critical infrastructure, including a petroleum refinery, to disastrous flooding.

Kosasthalaiyar, Chennais lesser known river is also its biggest. Kosasthalaiyar exits to sea through the 8,000 acre backwaters of the Ennore Creek. The rivers catchment is four times the combined drainage areas of Adyar and Cooum. Seen solely from a flood mitigation perspective, what Chennai does to the Kosasthalaiyar and the Ennore Creek will decide whether the city will survive or succumb with the next above-average rains.

In his submission to the parliamentary committee, former Union home secretary Rajiv Mehrishi sought to defend the lapses of the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) in the lead-up to the floods by claiming that it is not possible to prepare for a once-in-a-century disaster. The same was echoed by the then chief minister of Tamil Nadu Ms. Jayalalithaa who declared that swift rescue and relief alone are indicators of a good government.

Both responses are intended to normalise a human-made disaster, and gloss over the pathology of urban development under successive administrations. The NDMA has effectively said that it will do nothing  like preventing the encroachment of wetlands by central government-owned entities -- to avert a disaster. In the case of the proposed encroachments by KPL in Ennore Creek, the governments of Tamil Nadu and India have been briefed of the risks and the illegalities.

The chief secretary, the State Disaster Management Authority, the environment secretary have all been approached to direct KPL to build its facilities on dry land instead of the river. None has acted. Worse, the Environment Secretary to the Government of Tamil Nadu actually recommended KPLs proposal to build inside the Ennore wetlands for clearance. Faced with a dilemma of whether to reduce flood risks for a million people or protect the commercial interests of KPL, the state government has stated its preference clearly.

When the Kosasthalaiyar floods  and flood it will thanks to the encroachments -- and the lives of Chennai residents are imperilled, it should be remembered that those in power at the Centre and the state could have, but did nothing to avert certain disaster. Like the 2015 floods, the next Chennai floods too will be man-made.

Nityanand Jayaraman is a Chennai-based writer and social activist

The views expressed are personal
Madhya Pradesh chief minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan announced on Sunday that two lakh elderly people from the state would be taken on pilgrimages annually under a government-run scheme.

Two lakh elderly people would be taken for pilgrimages annually, Chouhan said at a function organised to mark the fifth anniversary of Mukhyamantri Tirth Darshan Yojana, a state-sponsored scheme.

Chouhan said pilgrimages are aimed at bringing happiness and spiritual bliss in the lives of elderly people.

Sacred places are the essence of faiths and visit to them sanctify mind and soul, Chouhan added.

As per the figures with the state government, nearly 5,03,000 elderly people - belonging to different religions were taken for pilgrimage by special trains in the last five years.

Under the Mukhyamantri Tirth Darshan Yojana, the senior citizens above 60 years of age can visit any of the 15 most famous pilgrimage places on the government expenses once in lifetime.

The pilgrimage places include Badrinath, Kedarnath, Puri (Jagannath), Dwaraka, Haridwar, Amaranth, Vaishno Devi, Kashi, Tirupati, Ajmer Shareef, Gaya, Shirdi, Rameshwaram, Amritsar (Sikh) and Sammed Shikhar (Jain) etc.
Actor Paresh Rawal says Salman Khan has his own charm and style of acting and feels the superstar has become more calm today.

The veteran actor, who has collaborated with Salman Khan for films like Ready, Baghban, Har Dil Jo Pyaar Karega, Dhulan Hum Le Jayenge, and Andaz Apna Apna, will be next seen with him in Ali Abbas Zafars Tiger Zinda Hai.

Every actor has his own charm including Salman, everyone is good in their own way. I have worked with him in couple of films. He is easy to work with, understands things and is always helpful. Today I think he has become more calm, Rawal said on Salmans acting style.

The Yash Raj Films Tiger franchise centres around a fictional character of an Indian spy (RAW), code named Tiger (Salman), who falls in love with a Pakistani spy (ISI), played by Katrina Kaif.

Of their all films together, the 1994 cult Andaz Apna Apna stands out. In the film, Rawal essayed the double role of Teja and Ram Gopal Bajaj.

Paresh Rawal said a sequel of Andaz Apna Apna should be made if the story is good.

While there is a buzz of the sequel being planned, Rawal says he hasnt been approached for such a project yet.

No one has come to me yet for the sequel. Its a good film, the premise is good... it was ahead of its time. Director Rajkumar Santoshi did a fantastic job. The sequel should be made provided the story is good, he says.

Recalling the shooting experience for the comic caper, he says there were financial and date issues while filming, but the overall experience was great.

During the climax shoot there was problem as half shoot was done here (in one place), half there (in another place). There were date issues so we had to shoot it differently. And people were not paid on time. That time the working style, work ethics were different including finance.

We all had great fun doing the film and had never imagined the film will turn out to be a cult. Even during Hera Pheri we had not thought we are making a great film our job was to do the film and move on.

The 67-year-old actor reveals that work on the third part of hit Hera Pheri series had begun, but is currently stalled after director Neeraj Vora fell ill.

His other super-hit film Oh My God, released in 2012, will see a sequel and work on the script was on.

We are planning a sequel... the work is going on the script. It will all depend on the script whether Akshay Kumar and I will team for it or not, he says.

Currently, Rawal is busy promoting his upcoming film Patel Ki Punjabi Shaadi also starring Rishi Kapoor, Vir Das, Payal Ghosh and Prem Chopra.

It is slated to release on September 15.

Follow @htshowbiz for more
Indo-Canadian investment guru Prem Watsa, considered the Canadian equivalent of legendary American investor Warren Buffett, is launching a new initiative this week to bring a sense of urgency to economic ties between India and Canada.

The chairman and CEO of the Toronto-based Fairfax Financial Holdings Ltd is the prime mover behind the inaugural Invest India Conference scheduled for September 8. Among those expected to attend are Canadas foreign minister Chrystia Freeland, Infosys chairman Nandan Nilekani and NITI Aayog CEO Amitabh Kant.

This occasion will be a seminal moment in the deepening of Canada-India economic relations. Much has been accomplished but far more needs to be done, Watsa said in his invitation letter for the meet.

He said the conference is meant to lay the foundation for a forward-looking agenda that promotes the flow of investment both ways-into Canada and India.

The event is being executed by the Canada-India Business Council or C-IBC, headquartered in Toronto.

Kasi Rao, C-IBCs president and CEO told the Hindustan Times: This is an important moment in the Canada-India economic relationship mainly because while much has been done, we are starting from a low base. Therefore, the impetus for creating further momentum in terms of urgency around this file is what makes this, I think, a seminal event.

Indian High Commissioner Vikas Swarup felt the conference will provide a much needed focus on the business and investment potential between India and Canada.

Swarup, who will be present there along with his Canadian counterpart in New Delhi Nadir Patel, added, We couldn't have had a better icon than Prem Watsa spearheading the conference as he is someone intimately familiar with the business environment in both India and Canada and the sectors of greatest promise. We hope this becomes an annual event to catalyse the India Canada economic partnership.

Rao said this invitation-only conference will feature a curated audience of prominent India watchers, as well as people from Bay Street (Torontos version of Wall Street) and corporate Canada.

Trade between the two countries is at an underwhelming $8 billion, though Canadian institutional investment into India is at over $12 bn. The effort will be to bring back vigour at the government-to-government level, particularly with free trade and economic partnership agreements still being negotiated over years.

In a world where you see a lot of inward-looking initiatives coming to bear, again Canada and India stand out for their outward looking focus on relationships. In that sense, Canada and India are very much natural partners beyond the profoundly important aspects related to democracy, rule of law and the like, Rao pointed out.

Watsas championing of the engagement will bring some muscle into the process. As Rao said, The modesty of the numbers, I would say, is a reflection of the past and not the promise of the future.

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Donald Trumps stinging criticism of Pakistan, rebuking the country for providing safe havens to terrorists and demanding immediate change, has, understandably, gladdened hearts in New Delhi, but what are the chances this American president will succeed where his predecessors repeatedly tried and failed to change Pakistani policies perceived to be of national interest? Not bright, is the best one can say.

For a start, this wont be the first time America has threatened to cut aid to Pakistan. In fact, there are at least two occasions in the past when it actually did but that failed to alter Islamabads behaviour.

American aid first picked up in the mid-1950s, after Pakistan joined US-led military alliances, touching $3 billion in 1963 and then fell to virtually zero in 1980, in the wake of American concerns about Islamabads nuclear weapons programme. However, Pakistans nuclear ambitions did not change and this was, therefore, the first time an aid cut didnt work.

The Soviet invasion of Afghanistan changed everything and US aid was restored. It was virtually one billion right through the 80s. But in the 1990s, after the Soviet retreat from Afghanistan and George Bush the elders refusal to certify Pakistan did not possess nuclear weapons, American aid collapsed. But, again, Pakistani behaviour was unaffected.

Once again, 9/11 altered everything. Since then Pakistan has received more than $30 billion. But are things likely to be different this time?

No and for one simple reason. Americas Afghanistan involvement reinforces US dependence on Pakistan for its supply lines. As American troop levels in Afghanistan surge Pakistans leverage over Washington will simultaneously grow. In these circumstances its hard to see Trump cut US aid.

However, for arguments sake, lets suppose Trump is determined to act. In that event how much will a reduction in US aid affect Pakistan? Last year remittances from Pakistani expatriate workers totalled $19.8 billion. In comparison, the well-informed Congressional Research Service estimates that US aid amounted to $1.098 billion.

No wonder Pakistans army chief, General Qamar Javed Bajwa, responded dismissively to the possibility that Trump could cut financial support. We are not looking for any material or financial assistance from the USA, he said. Indeed, its quite possible his country could carry on comfortably without it.

The same is also increasingly true of the arms and weaponry Pakistan acquires from America. No doubt the United States has supplied F16 fighter planes, P3 Orion aircraft and AH-IF Cobra helicopters but, increasingly, a preponderant proportion of Pakistani arms are Chinese made. The Stockholm International Peace Research Institute believes that nearly 70% of its military supplies between 2012 and 2016 came from China. Once again, US leverage has diminished.

America, of course, has enormous kinetic power which it could unleash. Washington could directly target jihadi bases by using its drones or, even, some repeat of the strategy to take out Osama bin Laden. But this would infuriate the Pakistani army and inflame public opinion. Thats why its unlikely to happen while US involvement in Afghanistan is dependent upon Pakistani supply-lines.

Finally, Trump had nothing specific to say about Pakistani terror groups, like the Lashkar and Jaish, which target India. At best, they were covered generically. If he is serious about reforming this prodigal ally we should also question his silence on this front.

The views expressed are personal

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During the 1954 Maha Kumbh in Haridwar, a few pilgrims used vehicles to reach Har-ki-Pauri; most of them walked up to the Ganga ghat -- considered the most sacred -- for a dip, remembered a 76-year-old local trader.

A stark contrast was visible in the Ardh Kumbh-2016 when a majority of pilgrims preferred to visit the town only on vehicles, said Ashwini Ohri, a Sandesh Nagar resident who has seen all the kumbhs since 1954.

By next kumbh in 2021, traffic congestion and parking problem will be main hindrance to smooth conduct of the mega fair.

The pilgrimage city becomes choc-a-bloc with vehicles on festive days -- Somwati Amawasya, Makar Sakranti and Baisakhi. But the city has only one authorised parking lot -- Pt Deen Dayal Upadhyay two-level parking -- opposite Har-ki-Pauri and adjacent to Haridwar-Dehradun NH-58.

About 850-900 vehicles can be accommodated in the parking lot; double the vehicles are parked on adjacent roads and inner stretches in and around Har-ki-Pauri leading to traffic congestion.

The number of vehicles registered in Haridwar is about 4.38 lakh, according to traffic department data. But 1.63 crore pilgrims and about 20 lakh vehicles entered the city during the April 13-14 Kumbh Shahi Snaan.

Bhoopatwala, Neel Dhara and Khadkhadi areas, where ashrams and temples have been built, and main markets, such as Jhanvi Market, Moti Bazaar and Upper Road Bazaar, witness traffic jams daily.

Mayor Manoj Garg, who had claimed to solve parking woes when he was elected in 2013, blamed the previous Congress government for not clearing proposals for parking lots.

We have earmarked some open space to be developed as parking lots and met urban development minister Madan Kaushik. By the end of my tenure next year, a couple of parking lots will surely come up, Garg said.

District magistrate Deepak Rawat, who was instrumental in easing parking woes in Nainital, said he has directed Haridwar-Roorkee Development Authority (HRDA) to develop new parking lots.

Temporary parking lots

During Maha Kumbh, Ardh Kumbh and Kanwar fair, temporary parking lots are made outside the city.

Vehicles coming from Dehradun are stopped at Motichur and Pantdeep, and those from Roorkee at BHEL and Bairagi camp; pilgrims and tourists then walk five to eight kilometres to reach Har-ki-Pauri.

Since 2013 Kanwar fair, we have converted Bairagi camp Kumbh land into a parking lot, where about 40,000 four-wheelers are kept. We cant use it throughout the year as its a prohibited Kumbh mela land, said Kiran Lal Shah, former police in-charge for Kanwar Mela.

We need to have at least half a dozen parking lots, otherwise traffic movement will get choked during major festivals.

Bus station as parking lot

HRDA is planning to develop the current bus stand into a multi-level parking lot, which can sustain pressure of pilgrim-tourist vehicles. As this place is less than 2km from Har-ki-Pauri, a majority of visitors will avail of this parking lot, said HRDA secretary Bansidhar Tiwari.

Local traders oppose the HRDA proposal to shift the bus station to suburban Jwalapur. Traders association president Suresh Gulati said, Business will be affected if a parking lot can be created at the current bus station.

Basement parking

Inadequate drainage and encroachments on drains cause water-logging in colonies and inner stretches during rainy days. For this reason, hoteliers and commercial complex owners are not keen on underground basement parking.

This monsoon water entered our basement parking thrice. Hotels and plazas, which have gone for underground parking, are suffering due to water-logging said Ramyash Singh, owner of a shopping plaza at Ranipur.

SIDCUL-Industrial Estate

Integrated Industrial Estate of SIDCUL, 14km from the city, where trucks ferry commercial goods round the clock, doesnt have a parking lot.

Trucks are parked outside factory gates or on roads, which led to many accidents. DM Deepak Rawat directed officials to cancel the licence of such truck drivers.

Companies will hesitate to invest or set up plants in Haridwar unless the parking problem is addressed. Legal parking lots provide space, security and round-the-clock monitoring, which is imperative for ferrying of commercial goods said Sudhir Mehta, general secretary of SIDCUL Industrial Association.

MP raises issue

Haridwar MP Ramesh Pokhriyal Nishank said rise in population and vehicular pressure has led to traffic jams. In this regard, I had met former urban development minister M Venkaiah Naidu before he became vice-president. Expanding parking facilities and developing planned open spaces on NH-inner roads were discussed. The ministry assured of decongesting the pilgrim city by 2021, said Nishank.

Paid parking lots

City superintendent of police Mamta Vohra said paid parking lots can be developed, like the one at Rodi Belwala ground during Kanwar fair. We have started marking no-parking zones and illegally parked vehicles are being towed away, said Vohra.

Metro project

With Metro rail link project underway to connect Haridwar-Rishikesh with Dehradun, traffic pressure on roads will be less as people will prefer metro ride to commuting on vehicles.

There is less scope for developing alternative highways and service roads in Haridwar, situated on both sides of the Ganga and covered by a mountainous terrain, said Satpal Brahmachari, a former municipal chairman who convinced ex-CM Harish Rawat to opt for a metro project.

Its time to provide metro service and luxury intercity buses to people; this will lessen traffic congestion, though parking lots need to be developed, he said.
Rising water level in a waterbody is often a cause for concern. Not for Naini Lake though. For the residents of Nainital, the sharp rise in the level of water in the lake, considered the lifeline of the tourist town, in the past few weeks has come as reason for rejoicing.

Riding on a good monsoon this year, the lake has been replenished to a large extent with the water level rising by about 9 feet. It is expected to reach the zero level, or the optimum level, in the next few days. The zero level was marked on a scale put up at the Tallital during the British era as the lowest point to which the lake dries up during the summers.

The speed at which the lake had been drying up over the last two years had put a question mark on the very existence of the town. This year, the situation had further turned grim with the lake having started drying up in February itself. While in the past, water level used to be in the range of 5 to 7 feet above the optimum level, this year it had dropped to one foot below the zero mark by the end of February. By the end of summer several islands had cropped up and deltas had formed at the edge of the lake.

The locals took out a march demanding immediate government intervention to save the lake. Hearing a PIL demanding conversion of Nainital into an eco-sensitive zone in June, the Uttarakhand high court too asked the district administration to carry out a comprehensive study of Naini lake saying that waterbody needs immediate attention.

On its part, the government led by chief minister Trivendra Singh Rawat handed over the management of the lake to the irrigation department, as it has better expertise in water related matters.

The public works department, which had been looking after the lake, formally handed over the charge to the irrigation department on August 30. The irrigation department engineers are now chalking out the strategy for the management and upkeep of the lake.

DK Pachauri, chief engineer, irrigation department, said they would wait for the lake to fill to its optimum by October 15. After that the main strategy would be to retain the water. Around 1.5 crore litres of water is withdrawn everyday by the tubewells dug up in the vicinity of the lake. We will be conducting a meeting with the Jal Sansthan to find out how the lakes water can be saved from being overexploited for drinking purposes, he said.

Pachauri also pointed out that the National Institute of Hydrology, IIT Roorkee, and Central Soils and Water Conservation Research and Training Institute would be asked to conduct a study on the various aspects of the lake and how water can be maintained at the optimum level. A separate course of action would be devised for the Sookhatal lake that falls upwards in the city and is considered the catchment for the Naini lake, he added.

Anoop Sah, member, state wildlife board, and a resident of Nainital said that the main thrust of the authorities should now be to devise measures to keep the lakes water level intact so that we do not have to face the same grim condition as was witnessed last year.
The Delhi Development Authority (DDA) has blamed the East Delhi Municipal Corporation (EDMC) for an imminent garbage crisis in trans-Yamuna area, following the ban on waste dumping at Ghazipur landfill by Delhi lieutenant governor (L-G) Anil Baijal on Saturday.

The decision to stall dumping at Ghazipur was taken after tonnes of waste collapsed into a canal, killing two people on Friday.

A senior DDA official said on Sunday that 150 acres was allocated to the civic body in Ghonda Gurjan to set up a sanitary landfill site (SLF) long ago, but the corporation failed to get change in land use approval from National Green Tribunals (NGT). The land was in O zone and hence NGT approval was required to construct an SLF. O zone denotes ecologically significant areas, usually Yamuna river bed and the rivers flood plains.

The EDMC has not communicated in this regard. The land was given on the presumption that the civic body will take measures for environment protection, said DDA vice chairman Udai Pratap Singh .

On Friday, east Delhi Mayor Neema Bhagat had told HT that the DDA did not allocate adequate land for creating a new SLF.

The DDA has allotted 150 acres land in Ghonda Gurjan in northeast Delhi, which falls under O zone. Hence the allotment has to be cleared by the NGT. We have a meeting on September 4, in which the corporation will make a presentation before the tribunal to seek a no-objection certificate, she had said.

However, the DDA vice chairman said if the corporation was finding it hard to convince NGT for land use change, the matter could be looked into.

 We have allotted sufficient land for SLF. In case, there are problems, the agency can tell us. If there is any difficulty, we will examine the issue. The DDA may identify land at any other location and allocate it for the purpose, Singh said.

The officials of the corporation on Monday will appear before the NGT with the presentation about construction of new SLF at Ghonda Gurjan.

We will submit a presentation before the tribunal on Monday. Hopefully, the corporation would be able to make its case for the NoC, said an EDMC official.

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The residents of Rani Khera and adjoining villages have decided not to allow waste dumping of waste in their neighbourhood.

The East Delhi Municipal Corporation (EDMC) had decided to dump waste at Rani Khera after L-G Anil Baijal had ordered that all dumping at Ghazipur must stop immediately. On Friday, two people died after tonnes of garbage came hurtling down in an adjacent canal.

Several residents of Mundka, Mubarakpur, Rasoolpur, and Madanpur including Rani Khera gathered in protest Sunday afternoon when they came to know about garbage trucks reaching Rani Khera village.

They blocked traffic at Rohtak Road near Mundka Metro Station and deflated tyres of the vehicles carrying waste, which caused traffic snarls in the area.

Following the protest by the locals, North Delhi mayor Preeti Aggarwal, leader of the House and Rani Khera councillor Jayendra Dabas, and standing committee chairman Tilak Raj Kataria met the L-G to discuss the issue.

Their issues are just. We met the L-G today to seek a solution. He assured us this is a temporary arrangement for a week till some permanent solution is found. I am going to the village and will try to convince the protesters, Aggarwal told Hindustan Times.

Despite the assurance, the residents refused to budge.

It will lead to health crisis. They are dumping animal carcass, which is totally unacceptable. Village panchayat held a meeting on the issue in the morning and it was unanimously decided that garbage dumping will not be permitted in the village at any cost, said Vijender Dabas, a resident of Rani Khera village.

Another resident, Anil Rana, questioning the decision of the administration, said why the north corporation should share the responsibility of another civic body if they cant share revenue.

They are bringing citys waste to rural area. Why are people of villages ignored always? Why the authority is adamant on converting this village into a dumping yard? Hundreds of residents are camping at the site where the garbage was thrown in the morning. This is not acceptable, he said.

Councillor Dabas, who is reportedly leading the agitators, said he was bound to stand with the people of his ward.

I am an elected representative. They have voted me to take up their issues, and hence, I, along with the mayor, met the L-G in the evening. Though he had given an assurance to resolve the issue soon but the residents are not convinced, he said.
A man shot at his female friend as he suspected her of speaking to another man before killing himself at a public park in north Delhis Burari on Sunday evening.

The man died on the spot while the woman is battling for her life at a hospital in the neighbourhood.

The deceased has been identified as Sonu Kumar, a man in his late 20s and a resident of north Delhi. According to Milind Dumbere, DCP (north-west), initial probe suggested Sonu was in love with Rupal Yadav, a resident of Burari.

Our enquiry shows they knew each other for some time and were good friends. But he suspected that she was speaking to someone for the past few days. He was jealous and could not tolerate her speaking to anyone else, said the DCP.

He added that more clarity on the nature of their relationship would be known if and when the woman is in a position to give a statement.

On Sunday evening, the two met in the Coronation Park and were allegedly involved in a lengthy heated argument. Around 8pm, Sonu suddenly pulled out a pistol he had been carrying with him.

He first shot at the woman before shooting himself. The sound of the gunshots drew the attention of the park visitors. Police were informed and the duo was rushed to a hospital where Sonu was declared brought dead. Police said the woman appeared to have been shot twice, but they are awaiting the doctors report.

A search of Sonus clothes have resulted in a suicide note, the authenticity of which is yet to be proven. Police also recovered a motorcycle and a scooty near the murder spot, but they are yet to be linked to either of the duo.

A murder case has been registered at Mukherjee Nagar police station and questioning of the family members of the duo has begun.
Wilma MankillerOn Wednesday, August 30, 2017, U.S. District Judge Thomas Hogan became the latest in a line of judicial authorities to reinforce a historic treaty clause that has, for more than a century, defined Cherokee Freedmen as citizens of the tribe. In an exhaustive 78-page ruling of Cherokee Nation v. Nash, et al , a lawsuit of which Vann is a lead plaintiff, Hogan ruled that the Cherokee Freedmens right to citizenship in the Cherokee Nation is directly proportional to Native Cherokees right to citizenship.The decision from the court, in part, hinged on interpretation of the Treaty With the Cherokee, 1866, the formal title of the last treaty the Cherokee Nation signed with the federal government at the end of the Civil War. It guaranteed freedom to as many as 2,500 Cherokee-owned slaves and, as stated in Article 9, granted them and all their descendants all the rights of native Cherokees.This is a wonderful victory for the Freedmen who regained their identities as equal citizens in their nation, said Jon Velie in a public statement. The attorney has been advocating on behalf of the Freedmen in varied sorts for more than a quarter century mostly pro-bono.As early as 1883, 17 years after the treaty was ratified, the Cherokee Nation began a steady attempt to abate these rights of native Cherokees to the Freedmen, particularly whenever Cherokee lands were up for sale. Shared proceeds were only intended for Cherokees by Blood, argued by certain greedy leaders and tribal citizens. But jurists, legislators and Indian agents consistently disputed otherwise, oftentimes under punishable circumstances.Its somewhat extraordinary, then, that these blood politics carried over into the modern dispute over the Cherokee Freedmen.In March 2007, tribal citizens turned out to vote in a special election. On the ballot was a measure that would amend the Cherokee Nation constitution to limit citizenship in the Nation to only those persons who were Cherokee, Shawnee or Delaware by blood.Were voting something out thats by treaty, said Ed Crittendon, a Cherokee Nation citizen and Freedman sympathizer, the day of the vote.It is a win for Native Americans, he added. The Federal Courts have enforced both treaty rights of citizenship while maintaining Tribes and elected officials rights to determine citizenship and self-determination pursuant to law.more
The road cuts through dense agricultural fields, ending where the vast sweep of the Aravalli range of mountains begins. The hills form a beautiful backdrop for Ghaghas, a village tucked deep in the heart of Mewat, one of the countrys most backward regions and home to the ethnic Meo-Muslim community. Natural beauty can be deceptive; it is certainly so in the case of Mewat villages, says a local.

The village is also the headquarters of Alfaz-e-Mewat (Voices of Mewat), FM 107.8, one of the countrys most famous community radios, known for its bottom-up, community-oriented and community-produced content on issues relating to health, sanitation, land, and agriculture.

No wonder then it has become a powerful platform for villagers to demand their rights and for accessing public services in a region where literacy rates are among the worst in the country, and where having a television at home is looked down upon, what with religious beliefs.

Alfaz-e-Mewats sound-proof, air-conditioned studio sees a steady stream of villagers, officials and artists who come to record a wide range of programmes. The 13-hour radio broadcasts reach 225 villages in the region.

The broadcasting room has mikes, mixer consoles, computers, amplifier, transmitter, etc. On the wall, there is hand-written programme chart and a few inspiring messages by the staff.

One of the messages scribbled in Hindi and signed by Anuradha Dubey reads: The biggest gift one can give to a woman is the gift of respect. Another message by Mufeed Khan reads: If a loser in a contest flashes a smile, it ensures the winner loses the joy of winning. Thats the power of smile.

VIllagers in Mewat. The Alfaz-e-Mewat community radio has become a powerful platform for villagers to demand their rights and for accessing public services in a region where literacy rates are among the worst in the country. (Raj K Raj/HT PHOTO)

Anuradha, who lives in a nearby village, is a radio jockey and a reporter who covers women and health issues for the community radio; Mufeed Khan, a local, covers agriculture; Sohrab Khan is in charge of the station and handles the equipment and hosts a popular a Gaon ki Baat; Shakir Hussain presents a programme called Hum se Hai Shashan, and Fakat Hussain hosts Tere Mere Man Ki Baata programme that involves answering questions and responding to the feedback of the listeners.

Fakat is quick to point out that Tere Mere Mann Ki Baat was originally called Mann Ki Baat. We changed the programmes name after Prime Minister started his own Mann Ki Baat. We did not want any confusion, says Fakat as he peers into computer screen, monitoring listeners calls.

Its 2.45 pm and time for a special programme on the value of savings. Anuradha and her guests Bhagwan Devi, Shakina Begum and Swarnlata -- women from nearby villages -- have taken their place around a table in the recording room. As Shorab gives the signal to start, Anuradha, dressed in salwar kameez, begins speaking to her listeners with the panache and confidence of a seasoned RJ, introducing herself, her programme and her guests. Her voice is mellifluous, her style lively and engaging.

Equally articulate are her guests. Bhagwan Devi, dressed in a green sari, pallu pulled over her head, clearly relishes being on air: I saved money without telling anyone in the family and helped my husband buy an auto rickshaw. He thought it was good proposition as there is no transport in rural Mewat, she says, adjusting her headphone . Shakina shares how her savings helped the family build a house. My son did not know I had the money, which I had saved over many years, says Shakina.

Many live calls are coming in during the programme, mostly from local women. Filtering the calls is Mubina , 40, a caretaker at the station, who doubles up as a cook and presenter. I learnt everything by watching others do it, says Mubina.

The station receives about 50 calls every day, and many from women. Mubina says that most women complain of being overworked and talk about many health-related problems.

For them, radio has as emerged as a platform to ask questions and seek solutions, which is a big deal in Mewat where women havent had a voice. Empowering women is big achievement of our radio, says Mubina, who is illiterate like majority of women in this part of rural Mewat. These women tell us what they will never tell a journalist from traditional media, adds Anuradha. When we record the programme, they ask questions about pregnancy, child care and their rights. Anaemia is a widespread health problem.

In many villages, women have formed self-help groups in the absence of formal credit institutionsthey come together and pool their savings to form a large corpus for individual and group help. Shakina feels the station will be more effective in connecting with the community if it also distributes radio sets. Not many women have radios or mobile phones to tune in, she rues.

We have tried to solve this problem through narrowcasting. Our reporters go to villages and play the recorded programmes on speakers at village events where women also gather, says Pooja Murada, director, communication, Sehgal Foundation, a trust that set up the radio station in 2012 with financial help from the union ministry of agriculture.

Gaon ki Chaupal, Sehat Ka Pegam and Kisse Kahani, featuring folk musicians of the Mirasi community whose songs valorise the history of the region, are the most popular programmes.

The headquarters of Alfaz-e-Mewat community radio. The reporter and presenters, mostly local youth, have countless stories to tell about the frustrations and aspirations of the people of Mewat. (Raj K Raj/HT PHOTO)

Noor Mohmamd, 65, from Mubarakpur Rawalki village, says he is a great fan of the radio stations reporting on agriculture. I have changed my farming practices; now I am using much less urea than earlier, says Khan, who now shares his new-found farming knowledge with other listeners as a guest on programmes related to agriculture. In my village, people love to hear my voice on the radio. I am called radio chacha. In the beginning, I was hesitant during live programmes, but now I love to speak into the mike.

The reporter and presenters, mostly local youth, have countless stories to tell about the frustrations and aspirations of the people of Mewat. They had no previous experience or background in the media. They got a six-month training from Sehgal Foundation. In my village of 250 families, only one house has a television. So, you can understand how important our role is as reporters in this region, says Sohrab, who belongs to the Meo community and lives in Notki village, two km from the radio station.

The reporters act as a bridge between the authorities and the locals, invites them to the studio to answer questions about various governance issues. Most of them are cooperative, but we have to pursue them hard, says Mufeed Khan.

Sitting on the chaupal of Malab village , Hazi Ismail, a local, struggles to find the signals of Alfaz-e-Mewat and complains about it to the Mufeed, who assures him it is a technical glitch that will be sorted out soon.

Ismail is quite cynical about the power of the media as a medium of change, especially in Mewat. Mewat has become a definition of backwardness and governmental apathy. We get electricity for two hours and depend on tankers for potable water. This after 70 years of Independence, he says, pointing to a tricolour flying atop a shop. Very few communities have been treated so shabbily by successive governments as we Meo-Muslims, whose contribution to the freedom struggle has been completely forgotten, says Ismail.

Reporting in Mewat is not always easy. Mufeed says it is next to impossible to report on issues relates to family planning. People feel it is not necessary, what with their religious beliefs, he says.

The reporters feel their stint at Alfaz-e-Mewat will help them build a career in the media. While Shakir Hussain, 22, a graduate, wants to do a course in mass communication and join a national news channel, Anuradha wants to join a commercial radio in Delhi. I want to be a radio jockey at a commercial FM station in Delhi. I am sure I can do it, she says.

Ask her about her hand-written message about the gift of respect to women on the wall of the studio, she says, This is a message that needs to be spread across the country, not just in Mewat.

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At the Bhalswa landfill site, which too has completed its lifespan, a section collapse might inflight more damage than what was seen at Ghazipur on Friday.

A similar accidental slide will impact hundreds of families living in jhuggis bordering the landfill in the numerous mushrooming colonies near Bhalswa Dairy. Residents say if something happens at night, thousands of people can become victims of the mountain of trash.

Abdul Malik, 28, a resident of Shanibazar More, recalls how a couple of years back a small section of the landfill had fallen on a jhuggi nearby and destroyed it. Eight-nine tenants used to stay in that particular jhuggi. Luckily they were all out for work when the incident happened. If anything happens during the night, families living on the edge wont survive, Malik, who has been living in the locality since 1994, says.

There is not even a boundary wall separating the trash hillock and the brick jhuggis. The lone wall is around a Delhi Urban Shelter Improvement Board public toilet.

Atul Chaurasia, another resident who owns a wrought iron shop, says how he has complained and put up applications with the corporation but no help has come.

Where will we go? Give us an alternate place to live. No one listens to us, the 50-year-old said.

The Bhalswa site spread across 50 acres was commissioned in 1993 and exhausted its lifespan in 2008-09. It has a total of 15 million tonnes of garbage in it. On an average, a daily load of 2,800 tonnes is dumped here.

At little further away, in the nearby Kalinder Colony, Raj Kumar, 35, runs a kirana store. He says life amid stench and gas from impromptu garbage burning is tough.

Methane causes this fire. Our eyes hurt. Breathing gets difficult. Trips to the doctor have become a regular affair for most kids and elderly. The water which comes out is yellow and stinking. Life is difficult, he says.

The shut MCD compost plant at Bhalswa landfill . (Raj K Raj/HT PHOTO)

Atop the landfill, Hindustan Times saw all types of garbage  concrete, plastic, biodegradable or non-biodegradable  strewn around. Whatever little segregation is happening is done by the ragpickers, who brave the ungodly stench and almost non-breathable air to earn a living.

In April, last year, a committee comprising officials from the Delhi governments Delhi Pollution Control Committee, transport department, revenue department and urban development department, was formed after reports of fire at Bhalswa and Ghazipur sanitary landfill (SLF) sites. One of its recommendations included installing compost plants for biodegradable waste. The irony is that a functional compost plant was shut by the Delhi Pollution Control Committee in 2014 for flouting environmental norms. And it remains shut.

North Delhi Municipal Corporation mayor Preety Agarwal on Saturday sought a status report from the municipal commissioner about Bhalswa landfill site.

The Bhalswa landfill site is a similar threat. I have directed the authorities that immediate action should be taken in order to avoid a repeat of Ghazipur incident, Agarwal said in a release.

Okhla

The Okhla plant

Despite the South Delhi Municipal Corporations best efforts to manage the Okhla landfill properly, it has been a continuous source of nuisance for neighbouring residential areas as well as a hospital complex. Spread across 32 acres, the landfill has 3.5 million tonnes of waste. The landfill shares the boundary wall with ESI Hospital and its residential flats. According to staff members, the height of mountain is much more than the boundary wall and thus garbage is spilled into the complex every other day.

Not just that, during rains leachate (toxic water discharged from garbage during decomposing) seeps through boundary wall in our complex, resulting into complete mess in the area. Since the mountains are located adjacent to residential complex, we have to breathe the foul smell throughout the day, said Dr Deepika Govil, medical superintendent, ESI hospital, Okhla Industrial Area.

According to her, the matter was raised with the lieutenant governor (L-G) when he visited the hospital in May. The existing situation affects the health of people living here as well as 2,000 (average) patients visiting the hospital every day, she added.

The Ghazipur incident on Friday, has led to fear among the residents in the area. At Ghazipur, people are living 100-200 metres away from the landfill but here we are living adjacent to garbage trash. We are really scared after Ghazipur incident and it is high time that the MCD should abandon the site, which has already completed its life span in 2010, said Jeevan Singh Negi, a resident at ESI complex.

According to him, massive fire broke at the landfill on Diwali and it took three days for SDMC to control the situation. For these three days, people avoided opening windows and doors so that foul air wont enter their complex.

Narela-Bawana

Narela-Bawana is the first scientific landfill site in the city to become fully operational in 2011. Here close to 2,000 metric tonnes of solid waste is segregated and processed to obtain refuse derived fuel (RDF) for industrial use, manure, recyclable material etc.

The site has facilities for treating leachate, trapping harmful gases and make RDF. The leachate will be collected and treated before being released in the storm water drains.

The North Corporation claims that its capacity will increase to 4,000 metric tonnes per day out of which 2,400 metric tonne will be used for waste-to-energy plant.

Presently, the waste-to-energy plant here is using 1,200 metric tonne waste and composting it to 500 metric tonne.
A 43-year-old woman fell off a train trying to stop a thief from snatching her handbag, the wheels severed one of her hands and a leg, and she bled to death in front of her helpless teenage son.

The tragedy happened near Old Delhi railway station early on Sunday and the man who took away Sudhir Bansals bag remained unidentified and untraced.

Bansal of Bhiwani in Haryana was accompanying 19-year-old son Gaurav to the national capital to help him with his admission formalities for the BSc course at Bhaskaracharya College of Applied Sciences of Delhi University.

The teenager was to attend his first day in college on Monday. He had secured a university hostel seat as well.

They were coming from Jhunjhunu in Rajasthan, where his father works as a bank manager, and changed trains in Haryanas Rewari and caught the Haridwar Mail to New Delhi early on Sunday.

As the train pulled into Old Delhi railway station around 5am, Sudhir and Gaurav waited with their luggage at the door.

Near Pul Mithai, barely 500m before the platform, the snatcher struck.

Someone along the tracks below pulled my mothers handbag. When my mother resisted, she was pulled off the train, Gaurav said.

Gaurav immediately jumped off the slow-moving train and ran towards his mother, only to find she had been run over. A hand and a leg were severed and she had badly hurt her head, he said, who too has bruises from landing on the rough stony edge of the tracks.

Overwhelmed by the sight of his gravely injured mother and her detached limbs on the tracks, he spent the next hour desperately calling police and ambulance numbers. By the time a police team reached the spot, it was too late.

Other than her son, Sudhir is survived by her husband and a daughter, whos in college in Jhunjhunu.

Delhi Police registered a case of robbery and culpable homicide not amounting to murder.

Multiple incidents of such bag and jewellery snatchings have been reported in the Capital over the past few months. In most of them, the victims were injured; one of them ending in a coma, another losing her memory.
Cabinet reshuffles and expansions can generally be categorised as tactical or strategic. But the one Prime Minister Narendra Modi carried out this Sunday is a mix of both, the headline grabbing changes happening in the ministries of defence, power and railways.

The elevation of Nirmala Sitharaman as the countrys first full-fledged woman minister for defence is at once bold and realistic. The new incumbent has excellent working relations with finance minister Arun Jaitley who twice held concurrent charge of the ministry barring Manohar Parrikars tenure.

Of the eight women in the council of ministers, six now are of cabinet rank. External affairs minister Sushma Swaraj and Sitharaman will sit on the key cabinet committee for security (CCS) which also has as its members the PM, Home Minister Rajnath Singh and Jaitley.

In that sense, Sitharamans promotion is a big deal. Her work in the commerce ministry will be carried forward by Suresh Prabhu, who has been shifted out of railways to make way for Piyush Goyal. The chain is completed with Bihar MP and former home secretary RK Singh succeeding Goyal as minister of state (independent charge) in the power ministry.

The choice of Singh for the power ministry is a surprise. Hed have to match Goyals efficiency in the PMO-monitored infrastructure ministry that fetched his predecessor a promotion and a bigger chargerailways.

Others similarly rewarded with cabinet rank are: Dharmendra Pradhan, who retains petroleum and natural gas with additional charge of skill development and minority affairs minister Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi.

In injecting fresh blood, Modi seems to have relied on domain specialisation. But the work assigned to former diplomat Hardeep Singh Puri and former IAS Alphons Kannanthanam, both lateral entries as MoS (Independent charge) isnt in consonance with their known expertise. Puri has got housing and urban affairs and Kannanthanam tourism. Be that as it may, Kannanthanams induction gives Marxist-ruled Kerala a representation in Modis team.

The other surprise was the non-representation of the JD (U) that was widely expected to join the government. In fact, no ally including the Shiv Sena and Akali Dal got anything. The reshuffle was restricted to the BJP. Certain inductions from Bihar and UP merely kept the caste balance which has been disturbed by the exit of incumbent laggards.

After the third reshuffle in as many years, the NDA ministry is 76-member strong as against the constitutional ceiling of 82  which is 15% of the strength of the Lok Sabha. Half a dozen slots are still available to Modi to accommodate allies or streamline governance.

The need for that could arise sooner than later. Several BJP ministers continue to hold concurrent charge of unrelated ministries.
The horrific video of a teacher repeatedly slapping a Class 3 student has brought the issue of corporal punishment back to the limelight. The problem of teachers (and indeed parents) beating their children with the intention of disciplining them is an old one; and the law has laid down strict guidelines to discourage the practice. Under the Right of Children to Free and Compulsory Education (RTE) Act, 2009, physical punishment and mental harassment are prohibited under Section 17(1); and are both punishable offences under Section 17(2). In Delhi, corporal punishment in schools has been banned by the Delhi High Court since 2001 for undermining the dignity of the student. The National Commission for Protection of Child Rights (NCPCR) has issued guidelines for eliminating corporal punishment in schools.

In spite of this, there is widespread belief among teachers and caregivers that hitting or insulting a child is the best way to ensure obedience and discipline. Several psychological studies have shown that beating or otherwise assaulting a child is extremely deleterious to their mental health, and teaches them that hitting is an acceptable means of dealing with conflict. The NCPCR draft guidelines even go so far as to say that corporal punishment can lead to several adverse physical, psychological and educational outcomes in students  including an increase in aggressive and destructive behaviour, poor attention spans, school phobia, low self esteem, anxiety, depression, and even suicide. Such abuse in early childhood has the potential to scar children for life.

That some progress in the area has been made is visible in the outrage seen on social media and news in response to the video. It is heartening to see that many people see this as unacceptable and cruel. But as is also evident from the presence of the video in the first place that there is yet a long way to go in training teachers in schools to be sensitive to the emotional and mental needs of children. Since schools are the first spaces in which children learn about power structures and social relations, society owes it to its children to provide an environment that can effectively protect and nurture them
The Congress high commands decision not to contest the Municipal Corporation of Gurugram (MCG) polls on the party symbol has not gone down well with the local leadership.

Local leaders are clearly struggling to come to terms with the decision and have decided to meet the party high command in a few days, seeking a review. Local party mandarins held a meeting on Saturday and decided to persuade the party high command to contest the polls on the party symbol, as failure to do the same could lead to multiplicity of candidates.

President of Haryana Pradesh Congress Committee, Ashok Tanwar had on Thursday announced in a media briefing in Gurgaon that the party will contest MCG polls on party symbol. However, later, on the same day, former chief minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda announced that the high command was to take a final call in the matter, as the Congress has traditionally refrained from contesting municipal polls on the party symbol.

Day after, general secretary of All India Congress Committee (AICC) and partys Haryana in-charge Kamal Nath shot off a letter declaring that Congress will not contest MCG polls on party symbol, as it had never happened in the past.

Tanwar on Sunday also reiterated that the leaders would approach the high command and impress on them to allow the use of party symbol in municipal polls. He said contesting on party symbol will strengthen the cadre at booth level.

The party will be strengthened if candidates contest on the party symbol. Other major parties have already announced that they are contesting the polls on their respective party symbols. Congress will face multiplicity of candidates, if nominees are not allowed to use the party symbol. It will hurt the partys chances in the polls as well, Capt (retd) Ajay Singh Yadav, senior Congress leader and former MLA, saids.

Yadav said in a meeting on Saturday that the party leaders and workers have expressed their desire that the candidates be allowed to run their campaigns on the party symbol. His statement came a day after Tanwars announcement. As many as 25 applications in two hours came from prospective nominees the day after Tanwar said local party members are keen on fighting the polls on the symbol.

Read I Gurgaon municipal polls: INLD, BJP to contest MCG election on symbol, Congress undecided

The Bharatiya Janta Party, which currently holds the administrative reins of the state, Indian National Lok Dal, and even the lesser known Haryana Navnirman Sena have announced that they will contest the polls on their respective party symbols.

Chief minister Manohar Lal Khattar announced in Karnal on Sunday that the BJP will contest the MCG elections on the party symbol.

Congress insiders said if the decision of party high command did not change, the local leaders would throw their support behind party workers contesting as independents.

The leaders have asked ticket aspirants to submit their applications at the party office at Kaman Sarai between September 5 and12, assuring them of full party support.

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With a view to reach out to the poor and needy and provide them food, members of residents welfare association (RWA) of Fresco Apartment, Sector 50 has introduced the concept of a community fridge. Under this initiative, the residents would bid to ensure that no needy person goes hungry in the society. The community fridge has been kept at the societys gate, so that it is easily accessible to the needy.

The community food project, titled Any Time Food (ATF), is the product of collaboration between Kadam, a social responsibility group of Fresco Apartments and Lioness Club Sampoorna, Suncity, Gurgaon. The sole motive behind this initiative is to provide food to the poor and those from economically weaker sections of the society.

The community fridge was installed at Suncity Township in July.

The refrigerator is left at the main gate of the society and residents are encouraged to leave food packets for the needy. The food service is available 24x7.

Residents are also encouraged to pack and leave leftover or surplus food items from parties, get-togethers and other events, so that they could be used to satiate the hunger pangs of the needy.

The RWA members said the initiative will also encourage residents to get into the habit of preserving leftover food as opposed to dumping them in the trash bin or purchase food items to pitch in for the cause.

Any surplus food could be put in the fridge with a sticker mentioning the date (when they were left) and the type of food. Anyone can contribute to this noble cause and derive happiness by putting food items in the fridge. Any person who needs food can reach into the fridge and take whatever he/she wants. This food ATF project is a unique in itself and is aimed at filling empty stomachs, Mamta Agarwal, member, Lioness Club Sampoorna, said.

Excess food prepared by residents goes waste every day. This especially happens at get-togethers, which are frequent in a society as large as this. This society has over 650 occupied flats and residents can spare enough surplus food to fill empty stomachs. The community refrigerator will give residents an opportunity to make sure that the food is not wasted and could be used to feed the poor and needy, Nilesh Tandon, president, RWA, said.

He said residents are being encouraged to keep the surplus food properly wrapped or packed for taking away, put a sticker on them indicating the date they were left in the fridge along with a brief description of whats in the wrapper or packets. Those wanting to donate food are encouraged to leave them in small packets.

Read I Gurgaon: Fresco residents fear new pumps will hasten groundwater depletion in the area

There are times when we wish to hand out or donate food on special occasions or in memory of our departed loved ones. This initiative will not only enable us to do that, but also connect with the needy, Tandon said.

This initiative is not only meant for people living on the street, as anyone battling hunger pangs can reach into the fridge and help themselves.

RWA members said this initiative will also encourage residents nearby localities to donate quality food and the food packets will have tags mentioning the date of preparation and a few words on whats inside.

This is a small step towards addressing the global problem of hunger and food waste management. Our community fridge will ensure that surplus food from 500 households of Fresco reaches the underprivileged, in a dignified manner, rather than going waste, Amit Gupta, a member of Kadam, said.

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The excise department officials measured the distance of a liquor vend in Sector 38 from schools and residential area after they received a complaint, from the deputy commissioner office last week, that it was within 150 metres of the institution. The team found no violation of excise norms and have submitted a report in this regard.

The move followed complaints about liquor vend operating near a school and a private hospital. The hospital staff had also complained and asked that the vend be shifted as it is situated close to the hospitals boundary, at the rear.

The liquor vend was opened in April but had to suspend operations after the complaint, excise officials said.

Residents of Sector 38 said that as per the Haryana excise policy, a liquor vend cannot be located within 150 metres of a school or a hospital and alleged that the vend is less than 100 metres away from the school and is adjacent to the boundary wall of the hospital.

However, the excise department officials dismissed the residents claims.

We visited the spot and measured the distance. The liquor vend is located 215 metres from the school and the entrance of the hospital is even farther, Sneh Lata Yadav, deputy excise and taxation commissioner (East), said.

We have submitted an inspection report to the deputy commissioners office last week and there is no excise violation by the licensee, said Yadav.

The liquor shop was reopened on August 25, four months after it was allocated.

In July, parents of a private school in DLF Phase-4 had complained to the deputy commissioner regarding the liquor vend. They had alleged that was not even 100 metres away from the school but a team of officials found that it was within the permissible limit. However, the vend was shifted as parents alleged it was having a negative influence on school students.

On April 16, around 50 women had blocked Khandsa Road and vandalised a liquor vend that they had wanted to be relocated.

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Back in 1992, Donald Trump played a six-second cameo role in the adventure/comedy movie Home Alone 2: Lost in New York. And now, Hollywood actor Matt Damon has spilled the truth behind the apparent cameo appearance.

Damon revealed the deal that Trump made to the filmmakers in exchange for the use of his Manhattan hotel for the shoot.

In an interview with The Hollywood Reporter, the 46-year-actor told that President Trump will only let the crew of the film on his properties if they write him a part in the movie.

He said, The deal was that if you wanted to shoot in one of his buildings, you had to write him in a part.

Director George Clooney (from left), actors Julianne Moore and Matt Damon pose for photographers upon arrival at the premiere of the film Suburbicon during the 74th edition of the Venice Film Festival in Venice, Italy, Saturday, September 2, 2017. (AP)

Adding, [Director] Martin Brest had to write something in Scent of a Woman, and the whole crew was in on it.

You have to waste an hour of your day with a bullshit shot: Donald Trump walks in and Al Pacinos like, Hello, Mr. Trump! You had to call him by name and then he exits, noted Damon.

You waste a little time so that you can get the permit, and then you can cut the scene out. But I guess in Home Alone 2 they left it in, he explained.

The Downsizing star also revealed that he has never met Trump in person and he clearly isnt a fan of him.

Damon is currently promoting his new movie Suburbicon at the Venice Film Festival alongside Hollywood actors George Clooney and Julianne Moore.

Follow @htshowbiz for more
If performance was the criterion for promotion, demotion and resignation of ministers in the latest reshuffle and expansion of Prime Minister Narendra Modis team on Sunday, it also reflected his intent to try out new strategies to rev up governance. (Highlights)

Sundays exercise was predominantly an effort to bring renewed focus and energy into the government with barely 21 months ahead of the next general elections, but it was marked by political symbolism too. The appointment of Nirmala Sitharaman as defence minister is expected to go down well with women across the country.

The Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh hailed it as a great and remarkable thing that there will be two woman ministers  the first being external affairs minister Sushma Swaraj in the cabinet committee on security that comprises the Prime Minister, the home minister and the finance minister as well.

The promotion of Sitharaman and Dharmendra Pradhan and induction of KJ Alphons in the government are expected to boost the BJPs prospects in their home states  Tamil Nadu, Odisha and Kerala.

What marked the third rejig of Team Modi was the Prime Ministers decisiveness and willingness to make experiments. He is known to spring surprises in picking his team and there were quite a few this weekend  giving independent charge of ministries to three former bureaucrats who joined the Union council for the first time, shifting Uma Bharti to a low-profile ministry, demoting Vijay Goel, bringing new faces in the infrastructure ministries such as railways, power, and housing and urban affairs, among others.

Modi didnt shy away from showing the exit door to half-a-dozen non-performing ministers and cutting to size a few others such as Bharti and Goel. The message may not be lost on others who have managed to survive the latest rejig.

That Modi put a premium on performance while revamping his team was evident from promotion of ministers such as Piyush Goyal, Pradhan, Sitharaman and Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi to cabinet rank. Ministers of state such as Rajyavardhan Singh Rathore and Santosh Gangwar were given independent charge of ministries. All of them were known to be efficient.

Petroleum minister Pradhan was given the added responsibility of skill development, which has been a big disappointment so far. Goyal was tasked to turn around the railways at a time the ministrys image suffered a battering from a spate of crashes and deaths.

Sitharamans choice as defence minister might be a surprise, but she has the proven ability to respond to new challenges, be it in her capacity as a BJP spokesperson in her initial years or as commerce minister in this government.

What left many perplexed was the Prime Ministers decision to induct domain experts but give them responsibilities unrelated to their core areas of competence. Former diplomat Hardeep Singh Puri was made minister of housing and urban affairs, former home secretary RK Singh the power minister, Delhi Demolition Man KJ Alphons the minister of tourism, and former Mumbai police commissioner Satyapal Singh a junior minister of human resource development and water resources.

But the idea, say ruling party leaders, is to bring professional competence, efficiency, and more administrative experience into the government, regardless of their areas of expertise.

Modi might have played a gambit by bringing new faces in so many ministries because they might not have much time to settle in and turn things around ahead of 2019 general elections. But given that here is a pro-active prime ministers office that guides and monitors the functioning of ministers, they might get going sooner than one expects.

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MASON CITY | The city has approved nearly $500,000 in forgivable loans in the past three years to help businesses upgrade their properties  and more of the same is expected Tuesday night.

There are three programs  one for the Federal Avenue corridor, one for downtown businesses and one for the Highway 122 corridor  that all operate under pretty much the same guidelines.

The city will match private investments of up to $30,000 in a loan that is forgivable if the property owner retains ownership and maintains the property for at least seven years.

So far, 18 loans have been approved for a total of $425,020 and three more are on the City Council agenda Tuesday night.

Director of Development Steven Van Steenhuyse said the loans have leveraged more than $1.2 million in improvements. The property owner benefits, and so does the city through an improved tax base, he said.

The loan requests coming before the council on Tuesday include:

 K&D Enterprises, owner of Market 124 at the corner of North Delaware Avenue and Second Street Northeast. Market 124 and a porcelain painting shop are on the first floor. An upper floor has a yoga studio, an attorney's office and an empty space. The applicant intends to tuck-point the brick exterior, replace 28 upper-story windows and do work on one of the walls. Total cost of the project is $65,971.87. K&D Enterprises is seeking a $30,000 loan.

 Craig and Janelle Binnebose, for property at 520 N. Federal Ave., just north of Birdsall's. The building contains a leased space in the front half with a machine and woodworking shop in the back half. The Binneboses want to repair a flat roof on the front half of the building. Total cost is $10,954. They are seeking a $5,477 loan.

 Tony and Kristi Marquis, 11-15 E. State St., just east of Moorman Clothiers. A State Farm Insurance office is on the first floor. The upper floor is vacant. The owners hope to put in dwelling units in the future. The applicants intend to tuck-point the brick exterior and replace three windows at the rear of the building. Total cost is $20,360.15. They are seeking a loan of $10,180.07.

The council meets at 7 p.m. in the Mason City Room of the public library.
Chief minister Yogi Adityanath on Sunday said Ayodhya was his motherland and Lord Ram was his source of inspiration.

Inaugurating a week-long session of Ram katha (recitation of the Ramayana) at Gorakhnath Temple here, Adityanath said, Ayodhya is our motherland and birthplace. There cant be a match for mother and motherland.

Lord Ram has given a lot to this country. He is a source of inspiration for all in family and social life and even when it comes to patriotism and nationalism, he said.

Ram katha, narrated by Swami Shankaracharya of Ayodhya, was organised on the opening day of the week-long programme to pay tribute to former head priests of Gorakhnath Temple  mahant Avaidyanath and mahant Digvijaynath  to mark their death anniversaries.

Lord Rams life is an example for us. People know the story of the Ramayana but whenever Ram katha is organised, people listen to it with renewed interest, he added.

The chief minister also cited the episodes of the Ramayana to emphasise why Ravan was defeated by Lord Ram.

Despite being powerful, Ravan was defeated by Ram. When Ram asked the reason for it, Ravan said he was defeated as his brother (Vibhishan) was not with him while Laxman stood by Ram, he said.

Read more: International Ramayana Conclave likely to be organised in January in Ayodhya

You will also meet the fate of Ravan if you are divided on the basis of caste or creed and will be victorious like Ram if you stay united, Adityanath added.

He said during his recent visits to flood-hit areas, he saw the affected people singing devotional songs to seek strength from Lord Ram during the time of crisis.

Over 50,000 lunch packets were distributed daily among flood victims in Gorakhpur, Siddharthnagar, Maharajganj and Deoria, he said.

As the CM concluded his speech, a few saints demanded that the disputed site in Ayodhya be handed over to Hindus.

During the week-long programme, saints from all parts of the country will discuss issues related to Sanatan Dharma, cows and Indian culture.
Social media memes purportedly taking swipe at the BJPs claims of Gujarat being the model of development has triggered a war of words between the ruling party and opposition Congress.

Numerous memes have been in circulation on the social media platforms with a Gujarati tagline: vikas gando thai gayo chhe (development has gone crazy). These memes are accompanied by humorous videos and pictures of people taking selfies or riding a bicycle.

Development is a main political plank of the BJP in Gujarat, where elections are due later this year. Top leaders of the saffron party often project Gujarat as the most developed state in the country.

Reacting to the images, state unit BJP president Jitu Vaghani told reporters that Vikas (development) may have gone crazy but vikas is going to win.

Gujarat has shown the model of development to the world. And in development lies everybodys interest. The work of the Congress has been to create a strife in the name of caste, creed, religion, and community...The opposition party has divided people and made them fight in name of reservation and other such policies, he said.

The BJP leader said his party had worked for the development of all communities, while keeping the interest of dalits and backward classes in mind.

However, state unit Congress president Bharatsinh Solanki said the talk of development by Vaghani is crazy.

The president of the state unit of BJP does not know what he is saying. He meant that a crazy person will win the election. But he should understand that people of Gujarat are intelligent and enlightened who will not hand over the reins to such people again, he told reporters.
The inclusion of Karnataka MP Anantkumar Hegde, a Brahman leader, is a clear indication of the BJPs efforts to woo the state ahead of the assembly polls next year.

Though the name of Hegde was not among those being discussed in the state ahead of the ministry reshuffle, Prime Minister Narendra Modi reposed his faith on the five-time parliamentarian known as for his vitriolic speeches.

Hegde was purportedly caught on camera assaulting doctors at the Totagarara Seva Samiti Hospital in Sirsi earlier this year. He had accused the hospital of negligence.

However, in choosing Hegde, the BJP is trying to beat chief minister Siddaramaiah in his own game after he came out in support for separate religious status for the Lingayat community.

Hegde, who became an MP from Uttara Kannada for the first time in 1996, has also consistently championed communal causes, although according to his affidavit filed before the 2014 Lok Sabha elections, he has no criminal cases against him.

In 2016, Hegde had stoked controversy by calling Islam a ticking time bomb. He had also accused TV news channels of aiding terrorists by inviting Jawaharlal Nehru University student Umar Khalid to speak on talk shows.

In the selection, the BJP has chosen an issue where its stance is not complicated.

Recently, the party held protests rallies condemning the murder of Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sanghs Sharath Madiwala, who hailed from the communally sensitive Dakshina Kannada district. BJP President Amit Shah too had laid stress on the issue when he visited the state in August.

A senior leader, who did not wish to be named, said the selection was a surprise, especially considering the fact that he was not among the names that were being speculated about.

Even during Shahs visit he had steered clear of the Lingayat issue, which can potentially affect the partys chief ministerial candidate BS Yeddyurappa.

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Prime Minister Narendra Modi is all set to bilaterally meet Russian President Vladimir Putin and Chinese President Xi Jinping on the sidelines of the Xiamen BRICS summit to synchronize global strategy on Af-Pak region with Moscow and rejuvenate ties with Beijing post a peaceful resolution of the Doklam standoff.

Government sources say both bilateral meetings will be crucial for India as Russia will have to be brought on board on the strategy to stabilise Afghanistan in the long term despite Moscows suspicion over United States President Donald Trumps latest moves towards Kabul.

The Indian understanding is that while both Russia and US are on the same page on Afghan stability, the other factors in the relationship have added the suspicion factor where Moscow thinks that Pentagon is pushing the Salafists jihadists into confrontation against Putin. Given the stakes involved, India will discuss with Russia on how to synergize the Afghanistan strategy so that the Islamic fundamentalists are kept at bay.

Although the meeting between Xi and Modi will be watched closely, no breakthrough is expected either on border resolution or bridging of the trade deficit.

Official sources said whole lot of ground work is required for border resolution and it is not a decision that could be taken at summit-level alone. Even before the Doklam standoff started, Beijing did not share the Brahmaputra river data with India on May 15, 2017 citing flooding of the monitoring station on Tsangpo river as Brahmaputra is called.

New Delhi, however, has a different take on the issue as it feels that China did not share the data as a rebuff to India putting pressure on Pakistan over Indus Water Treaty after the Uri terror attack in September 2016. But PM Modi is pleased with Chinese foreign minister Wang Yi statement calling for close bilateral cooperation with India in the run-up to BRICS summit.

Prime Minister Modi will be in Myanmar for two days after BRICS summit, where his focus will be on pushing Naypyidaw to complete the bilateral projects that have now been hanging fire for at least a decade.

Given that Myanmar was a hermit state for decades and the inherent power play between political parties and military junta, India wants the bilateral relationship to move at a faster pace. Bilatetal projects like Kaledan multi-modal link, Sitwe port, gas blocks and trilateral highway are all moving at a snail pace.

However, the bilateral cooperation between India and Myanmar has grown on the counter-terrorism front with Naypyidaw tackling the anti-India insurgents based in jungles near its western borders.

The Indian agenda is to ensure that gun-running for North-East insurgents from Ruili in Yunan province of China is interdicted and movement of insurgent leaders via Kachin state is stopped. In this context, Prime Minister Modi will push for close functional relationship between India and Myanmarese Army so that anti-India insurgents are rooted out from bordering Sagaing region of Myanmar.

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Former Mumbai police commissioner and first-time MP Satya Pal Singh, who on Sunday took oath as a member of the union council of ministers, is credited with taking on organised crime in the countrys financial hub and is also known to shoot from the lip.

When Singh quit as top cop in February 2014, months ahead of the Lok Sabha election, he became the first Mumbai commissioner to resign the position. The Maharashtra cadre IPS officer still had a year to go but chose to try his luck in the political arena.

Within days of his resignation, which took everyone by surprise, Pal joined the BJP. He fought the Lok Sabha poll from his home state Uttar Pradeshs Baghpat constituency and made an impressive debut by defeating Rashtriya Lok Dal leader Ajit Singh.

The 61-year-old Singh is a postgraduate in chemistry but chose public administration for his doctorate. He also has an MBA.

He had an eventful stint in Mumbai. He was the joint commissioner of crime control between 2003 and June 2004 when a gang war broke out in Mumbai. Several gangsters were killed in encounters as citys controversial encounter specialists got a free hand under Singh.

He courted controversy as well.

In June 2011, weeks after being picked to head a special investigation team constituted by the Gujarat high court to probe Isharat Jahan encounter case, Singh requested to be relieved from the responsibility, citing differences with team members.

Jahan was a Mumbai college girl who was gunned down in June, 2004 along with three others in Ahmedabad on suspicions of being Lashkar militants who allegedly were planning to kill then Gujarat chief minister Narendra Modi, an encounter that haunts the BJP till date.

Singh found himself in the middle of a moral-policing row two years later. After the gang rape of a photojournalist at Mumbais Shakti Mills in August 2013, he had questioned the morals of the youngsters indulging in the public display of affection.

Last year, he again shot his mouth off when he said he was once the biggest goonda of Mumbai.
ruchirkumar@hindustantimes.com

Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) chief Lalu Prasad mocked former partner the Janata Dal (United) for being left out of Sundays reshuffle of the union council of ministers.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi promoted four of his colleagues to the cabinet rank and inducted nine new faces as ministers of state in the third rejig of his ministerial team.

No one bothers with the monkey who strays from the group, Prasad, who was dumped by the JD (U) in favour of the BJP, tweeted in Hindi an hour after the reshuffle.

           Lalu Prasad Yadav (@laluprasadrjd) September 3, 2017

One who betrays his own people won't be taken in by others.  Lalu Prasad Yadav (@laluprasadrjd) September 3, 2017

Bihar chief minister and JD (U) leader Nitish Kumar in July ended his partys alliance with the RJD and the Congress and went back to the NDA four years after he walked out of the alliance.

Dressed in new kurta-pyjama and bundis (sleeveless jackets), some JD (U) leaders had reached Delhi in the hope of getting a place in Modis council but were left high and dry, Prasad said.

The JD(U) didnt matter in the NDA and the BJP had not even consulted it before the reshuffle, he said, blaming Bihar deputy chief minister Sushil Kumar Modi.

Modi had sent a report to the party brass that the JD(U) was trying to poach Congress MLAs and could again ditch the BJP in Bihar, Prasad said.

The RJD chief criticised ministerial berth for Buxar MP Ashwini Kumar Chaubey, alleging like ministers Giriraj Singh and Bihar deputy chief minister Modi, he, too, was involved in the Rs 1,300 crore Srijan fund transfer scandal and would have to go.

Nitish Kumar was headed for trouble and Sunday was just the beginning, he said, adding Hindustani Awam Morcha leader and former Bihar chief minister Jitan Ram Manjhi should have been considered by Modi.

He, however, was all praise for RK Singh who was named the minister of state for power, new and renewable energy.

Singh, a first-time lawmaker from Ara in Bihar and a former home secretary, was a competent person and should have been made a cabinet minister, the RJD chief said.

The JD(U), which has two Lok Sabha members, lost out because it sought two ministerial berths, sources said. The party described the Sundays changes as a BJP reshuffle.

Another NDA ally, the Shiv Sena, which has 18 Lok Sabha MPs, has only one cabinet minister and wanted one more.

The Sena has three members in the Rajya Sabha while the JD(U) has 10.

The two allies were left out because the BJP leadership couldnt come up with a formula for representation that could satisfy all allies, sources said.

The JD (U) may find a place in Modis team later, sources in Delhi said.

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The Congress took a dig at the induction of four former bureaucrats in Prime Minister Narendra Modis Cabinet, saying it showed he did not trust his political colleagues.

Congress spokesperson Manish Tewari described the nine new ministers as a senior citizens club, pointing out that while the median age of a person in the country was 27 years, the average age of the new entrants was 60.44 years.

Tewari claimed Modi was strangely disconnected from the Cabinet reshuffle exercise.

It seems that (BJP president) Amit Shah is the prime minister, he said, referring to reports that claimed Shah summoned ministers and asked them to resign before the rejig.

He also termed the expansion maximum government and minimum governance.

The Cabinet reshuffle saw the induction of nine new faces. Among them were four former bureaucrats, two of whom -- former IAS officer Alphons Kannanthanam and former diplomat Hardeep Singh Puri -- are not Members of Parliament.

Ex-Mumbai police commissioner Satypal Singh and former Union home secretary RK Singh have also been sworn in.

This reflects that the prime minister does not trust his political colleagues, Tewari said.

He also accused the BJP of including in the Cabinet a doctor beater with a motive to communalise Karnataka, ahead of the state assembly elections next year.

Earlier this year, a video surfaced in which Anantkumar Hegde, who was made minister of state in skill development, was seen allegedly beating up doctors in Karwar.

Referring to the elevation of Nirmala Sitharaman, who was promoted to the Cabinet rank and put in charge of the crucial Defence ministry, Tewari said, We hope she does not handle the Defence ministry the way she did the commerce ministry, which saw a crippling decline of exports-imports during her tenure.

The former Union minister termed the elevation in the rank of Minority Affairs Minister Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi mere tokenism and said the BJPs attitude towards Muslims was well known.

On Uma Bharti being divested of the Water Resources, River Development and Ganga Rejuvenation portfolio, he quipped, referring to the title of a Hindi film and song, Ram teri Ganga maili ho gayi -- BJP ke paap dhote dhote (The Ganga has already been contaminated by the sins of the BJP).

Senior Congress leader P Chidambaram on Sunday attacked the retention of Union agriculture minister Radhamohan Singh and health minister JP Nadda in the Union Cabinet, saying both the areas are in distress and crisis.

Agriculture in distress, Health in crisis, but ministers remain, said Chidambaram on Twitter.

Agriculture in distress, Health in crisis, but ministers remain.  P. Chidambaram (@PChidambaram_IN) September 3, 2017

Amidst all the trumped up excitement, will someone please note 13 more children died yesterday in Gorakhpur? he said in another tweet.

Chidambaram also said: Welcome Mr. Prabhu to Industry (manufacturing in doldrums) and Commerce (exports stagnant). Best wishes.

BSP chief Mayawati he cabinet expansion is an attempt to divert the attention of the people from the governments failure in tackling burning issues the country is facing.

This is new drama being enacted by the BJP. The people have lost hope and are angry with the government. In place of politicians, retired bureaucrats are being relied on more in the expansion and an attempt is being made to propagate the agenda of RSS, she said in a statement.
A few months ago, 12-year old Ravi Teja of Habsiguda area in Hyderabad hit the headlines with his efforts to fill up potholes on the city roads to prevent accidents.

People thought it would be an eye-opener for the authorities. However, that wasnt to be as Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC) turned a blind eye.

In an attempt to wake up the civic authorities from their slumber, Hyderabad-based Congress leader Marri Adithya Reddy has come out with a unique photo contest  inviting citizens to take photographs of the best potholes in the city and mail it to him. The first best pothole picture will get a cash award of Rs 5,000 and the second Rs 2,500.

Potography, as the contest is named, began on August 31 and will end on September 10. The citizens have been asked to mail the pictures to hydpothole@gmail.com.

The response has been tremendous. In 48 hours, we received close to 70 pictures of potholes across the city under GHMC limits. We have launched the campaign only to sensitise the authorities, Adithya told HT.

Adithya is the grandson of former Andhra Pradesh chief minister Marri Channa Reddy and son of Marri Shashishar Reddy, former vice-chairman of the National Disaster Management Authority.

At present, Adithya holds the post of secretary of the Telangana Pradesh Congress Committee. I have not taken up this programme on behalf of the party as I didnt want to give it a political colour. This is my idea and I wanted to highlight the plight of citizens facing problems due to potholes on roads, he said.

The young politician stumbled upon the idea after one of his assistants fell into a pothole and injured himself critically. He is recovering, but how long should the people suffer? he asked.

After the contest ends, Adithya plans to send the photographs to all the zonal commissioners of the GHMC and corporators across the city.

And, he does not want to stop with just potholes. I will take up similar campaign against garbage dumping and traffic issues, Aditya added.

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Raghuram Rajan was in the middle of a clean-up of massive bad loans at state-run banks when he demitted office in September, 2016. Through his tenure, Rajan warned against recklessly exuberant lending, and finally launched the Asset Quality Review to force banks to square their books. Critics blamed the move for a slowing of credit from public sector banks. In his new book I do what I do, which strings together some of his speeches as RBI chief with insightful introductions and post scripts, Rajan reveals the key people behind the first major exercise to clean up bank balance sheets and the challenges he faced. Here are some excerpts:

In the absence of a functioning bankruptcy code, the RBI put together a number of schemes to facilitate bank resolution of distress. We repeatedly re-examined the schemes to see how they could be tweaked to facilitate resolution. Unfortunately, with the exception of a few hard-charging and conscientious bankers, the general mood among the bankers was to continue to extend and pretend. They feared they would be held accountable for any concession they made, and constantly (and perhaps understandably) avoided taking decisions. In this environment, the idea of a bad bank, funded by the government, that would take the loans off their books, kept cropping up. I just saw this as shifting loans from one government pocket (the public sector banks) to another (the bad bank) and did not see how it would improve matters. Indeed, if the bad bank were in the public sector, the reluctance to act would merely be shifted to the bad bank. Why not instead infuse the capital that would be given to the bad bank directly into the public sector banks? Alternatively, if the bad bank were to be in the private sector, the reluctance of public sector banks to sell loans to the bad bank at a significant haircut would still prevail. Once again, it would solve nothing.

As we found banks reluctant to recognize problems, we decided not just to end forbearance but also to force them to clean up their balance sheets. The Asset Quality Review, initiated in 2015, was the first major exercise of this nature in India, ably led by Deputy Governor Mundra. I would especially highlight the role of two extremely polite and self-effacing but tough-as-nails ladies, Chief General Manager Parvathy Sundar and Executive Director Meena Hemchandra, who really energized their staff and assured them of their support at every turn. The young team they put together was tireless, and made me aware once again of what we are capable of if we put our minds to it.

Every situation of banking sector stress I have ever studied was fixed only by recognizing the problem, resolving the bad loans, and recapitalizing the banks. India was no exception, but once again there were a bunch of critics who claimed that cleaning up the bad loan problem was what led to the slowing of credit by the public sector banks. In a speech in June 2016 in Bengaluru, I made the case for the clean-up once again by asking these critics to actually look at data, which showed the slowdown started before the clean-up, probably as banks became aware of the magnitude of the problem.
There has been as much speculation on Raghuram Rajans stance on demonetisation as on the central banks involvement in making the decision. As the Reserve Bank of India governor, he was not on board. He felt the short-term costs of such a measure would outweigh possible long-term benefits. The RBI suggested alternatives that could achieve similar aims. In his new book -- a compilation of his speeches from his time at the RBI peppered with telling commentaries on what prompted each of them -- Rajan talks about what he told the government about demonetisation. Read an excerpt:

There is one issue, however, on which I have been asked many questions, which I have resolutely refused to answer until my period of silence is over, and that is the demonetisation that was announced in India in November 2016. The questions, which have reportedly also been asked by parliamentary committees, include when I knew about the possibility of demonetisation and what my view on it was. The press, quoting government sources, have variously reported that I was against it (in the early days of the demonetisation process) and that I was on board (in the most recent reports).

My only public commentary on the issue of demonetisation was in response to a question in August 2014 at the Lalit Doshi Memorial Lecture. At that time, the matter had not been broached by the government. As the HT reported, ... Rajan said, I am not quite sure if what you meant is demonetise the old notes and introduce new notes instead. In the past, demonetisation has been thought of as a way of getting black money out of circulation. Because people then have to come and say how do I have this 10 crores in cash sitting in my safe and they have to explain where they got the money from. It is often cited as a solution. Unfortunately, my sense is, the clever find ways around it....

Given that various stances have been attributed to me, including in Parliament, let me clarify. I was asked by the government in February 2016 for my views on demonetisation, which I gave orally. Although there might be long-term benefits, I felt the likely short-term economic costs would outweigh them, and felt there were potentially better alternatives to achieve the main goals. I made these views known in no uncertain terms. I was then asked to prepare a note, which the RBI put together and handed to the government. It outlined the potential costs and benefits of demonetisation, as well as alternatives that could achieve similar aims. If the government, on weighing the pros and cons, still decided to go ahead with demonetisation, the note outlined the preparation that would be needed, and the time that preparation would take. The RBI flagged what would happen if preparation was inadequate.

The government then set up a committee to consider the issues. The deputy governor in charge of currency attended these meetings. At no point during my term was the RBI asked to make a decision on demonetisation.

Enough said.
The responses to the white supremacy rally and violence in Charlottesville, Virginia, have metastasized out of proportion to what happened.

The media amplification and exploitation of the events, the surrounding tensions  and virtue signaling reactions  have been irresponsible and destructive. The renewed push to erase history by removing Confederate memorabilia from public view are misguided acts  superficial symbolism based in politics that wont have a meaningful effect in reducing white identity politics or racial discrimination.

Whats also irresponsible are some of the responses and reactions by Christian onlookers.

Achieving and maintaining a credible public Christian social witness, truth must be valued. So must humility, temperance, consistency, brotherly kindness and other qualities that are perfectly reflective of what it means to be Christian and uphold Christian character.

Much of that is lacking from countless Christian responses.

Rather than responding in a manner morally reflective of the Sermon on the Mount, many of these reactions are merely self-serving soapbox sermons that offer and misplace blame, or are steeped in racial moral grandstanding.

For example, numerous written reactions and responses from black Christians have been as foolish as they are discouraging.

These Christian reactions amount to scolding white Christians and pastors for contributing to white supremacy (and by extension, the racists in Charlottesville) while demanding apologies for their contributions to it. After berating alleged Christian sympathizers of white supremacy, these black Christians suggest their fellow kinfolk in Christ sit down, shut up and obediently listen to embellished, politicized accounts of racial victimization cloaked in a Christian veneer. They then oblige white Christians to clean up the racial mess white Christians created, with the possibility of earning a few racial penance points for challenging the guilt and sin of white supremacy.

Its racially egocentric for black Christians to support racially coerced repentance. It doesnt solve the extremes of Charlottesville (which isnt related to Christianity) or soothe interracial tensions in the American church.

And its certainly not Christian.

Ive also seen white Christians engage in hyper-remorseful apologies, pressuring other white Christians, in effect, to also hyperbolize their apologies and forcefully address the issue in a way they otherwise wouldnt. In this mindset, not doing so augments the racial sin because silence somehow makes the silent complicit in the evil of white supremacy. These responses amount to a pro-active showmanship of racial deference, coming across as insincere attempts at sorrow that are more reflective of racial humiliation than Christian humility.

Im not discounting the very real presence and evil of racism, particularly in the form of white supremacy (its obvious that it should be denounced as evil). Im also not suggesting that Christians, regardless of color, apprehensively sit back or refuse to address racial (ethnic) issues from a deeply theological perspective. Frankly, American Christianity hasnt engaged this theological task seriously, repentantly or consistently enough.

But I am saying the responses fall short of what they should be, based on Christian metrics.

For example, in addition to condemning race hatred and evil, what we Christians should be calling for is the same Christian response that followed in the aftermath of the Emanuel A.M.E. Church shooting in Charleston, South Carolina, back in 2015. Dylann Roof  a loner, white supremacist sympathizer, felt racially marginalized and wanted to start a race war  so he murdered nine innocent people at Bible study.

During Roofs bond hearing, family members and loved ones of those murdered by Roof had an opportunity to confront him.

Still mired in shock and grief, Dylann Roof was offered forgiveness and was told that people were praying for his soul, despite the intense suffering and pain from their losses.

Nadine Collier, whose mother was murdered said, I forgive you  I forgive you. And have mercy on your soul.

Felicia Sanders, who lost her son, said tearfully, May God have mercy on you.

The surviving sister of the Reverend DePayne Middleton-Doctor admitted, Imvery angry. But ... we have no room for hating, so we have to forgive. I pray God (has mercy) on your soul.

Camryn and Chris Singleton, whose mother also died, said, We already forgive him for what hes done, and theres nothing but love from our side of the family. Camryn added, Im a little bitter, but Im overwhelmed with love.

There was no virtue signaling, racial condescension, shameful self-interested gestures masked as apologies. They were responses mired in pain but tempered by love, prayer and forgiveness that overcame white supremacy, and this response shocked the country.

This is the quality of response Christians should be calling for.
President Ram Nath Kovind on Sunday said the globally cherished Gandhian values of truth and non-violence were as much relevant in the contemporary times as in the past.

The President, who began his two-day visit of Gujarat by first visiting the Sabarmati Ashram of Mahatma Gandhi, wrote in the Visitors Book: It is a matter of great honour and privilege for me to be on the sacred precincts of the Sabarmati Ashram, epitomising the globally cherished Gandhian values of truth and non-violence, which continue to be as relevant today as they were in the past.

Kovind, who is visiting the state the first time after becoming the President, was received by governor OP Kohli, chief minister Vijay Rupani and deputy chief minister Nitin Patel at the airport on Sunday afternoon.

Visiting the ashram, he offered his floral tributes at the Mahatma Gandhi statue inside the Ashram, which is managed by the Sabarmati Ashram Preservation and Memorial Trust. Trust Chairperson Elaben Bhatt, along with trustees Kartikeya Sarabhai and Amrut Modi, accompanied Kovind during his tour of the Ashram, which is celebrating 100 years of its establishment.

Mahatma Gandhi lived here between 1917 and 1930.

The President planted a sapling on the premises of the Ashram as well as took a briefing from the trustees about the ongoing work of preserving the Gandhian-era documents and letters.

President Ram Nath Kovind visits Sabarmati Ashram in Ahmedabad. (HT)

Writing in the Visitors Book outside Hriday Kunj, where Mahatma Gandhi and Kasturba Gandhi lived, Kovind continued: I join the nation in paying tribute to Mahatma Gandhi, whose teachings and ideals are an eternal source of inspiration and strength not only for India but also for the entire world.

The Presidents message said: On the occasion of the year-long Sabarmati Ashram Centenary Celebrations, let me reaffirm our resolve to follow the path of Gandhiji for peace and harmony amongst the nations and the entire mankind.

Kovind later left for Mehsana town in north Gujarat, where he attended a programme at Simandhar Swami Jain Temple on the occasion of Guru Ashish Mahaparv. He will be going to Jasdan in Saurashtra regions Rajkot district to address a public gathering after attending the foundation stone laying ceremony for the link-4 of the ambitious SAUNI (Saurashtra-Narmada Avataran Irrigation Yojana) project.

The President will also visit Ghela Somnath temple near Jasdan town, which is around 60km from Rajkot city.
India has strongly condemned North Koreas nuclear test and asked the reclusive nation to refrain from actions which adversely impact peace and stability in the Korean peninsula.

North Korea carried out its most powerful nuclear test to date on Sunday, claiming to have developed an advanced hydrogen bomb that could sit atop an intercontinental ballistic missile.

External affairs ministry said in a statement that it was a matter of deep concern that North Korea has again acted in violation of its international commitments.

It said the action by North Korea was against the objective of the de-nuclearisation of the Korean peninsula.

We call upon North Korea to refrain from such actions which adversely impact peace and stability in the region and beyond, the statement said.

India also remains concerned about the proliferation of nuclear and missile technologies which has adversely impacted Indias national security, it added.
Technical snags faced by A320 neo aircraft operated by IndiGo and GoAir pose a safety issue, civil aviation minister Ashok Gajapathi Raju has said, hoping that they would be addressed and sorted out.

At least eight A320 neo (new engine option) planes of IndiGo and two of GoAir have been grounded due to issues related to Pratt & Whitney engines that power these aircraft.

Obviously, any failure is a safety issue. So the operating procedure we changed... What is attractive is fuel efficiency. Fuel efficiency is one thing and risking life is another, Raju told PTI in an interview.

He was responding to a query on whether the engine issues were a safety concern.

IndiGo, which has A320 neo planes in its fleet of 136 aircraft, was forced to cancel many flights due to engine woes.

The aviation regulator DGCA asked the American engine maker to expedite the supply of spare engines to India.

On whether there could be harsher action with respect to the engine issues, Raju said some of the planes have been grounded because of regulations, implying that existing norms are strict.

Why are they grounded that is because of the regulations. You dont want to take risks with life... Everybody is working on it (addressing the engine issues). As long as glitches dont massacre human beings it is okay. They will be addressed and sorted out, he noted.

The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) directed IndiGo and GoAir, in February, to conduct inspections of the P&W engines once they complete 1,000 hours of flying, instead of 1,500 hours as recommended by the engine maker.

What makes it (P&W engine) attractive?... We want to not risk lives and we also want fuel efficiency, Raju said.

P&W claims their neo engines are 16 per cent more fuel efficient than the earlier variant A320 ceo (current engine option).

Last month, IndiGo president Aditya Ghosh indicated that the airline could examine procuring aircraft with engines from a different manufacturer such as GE for 280 A320 neos it has ordered out of the total 430 planes. IndiGo had said it would also look at GE engines for its planned 280 A320 neo planes.

The issues related to its A320 neos are due to two specific components of P&W engines wearing out faster than expected even as he assured it is not a safety issue, the airlines President Aditya Ghosh had said.

Our engine supplier P&W is implementing some design changes and we believe those changes will be implemented over the next 12-18 months... We are right now focused on getting enough spare engines from P&W so that the operational headaches go away, he had told shareholders.

Apart from IndiGo and Go Air, Air India and Vistara have A320 neo aircraft but with engines from a different manufacturer.
Life came a full circle for Raj Kumar Singh, a first-time MP from Ara in Bihar, when he was sworn in as a minister of state in the Narendra Modi-led government at the Centre on Sunday.

On October 30, 1990, when Singh was the district magistrate of Samastipur, he had famously ordered the arrest of BJP stalwart Lal Krishna Advani when the veteran leaders Rath Yatra was on its way to Ayodhya from Somnath, Gujarat. Lalu Prasad was the chief minister of Bihar then.

But that was not the only time Singh had taken on the high and mighty and is even known to criticise his own party.

Soon after his superannuation, Singh put former Union home minister Sushil Kumar Shinde in the dock, alleging his involvement in the IPL spot fixing case. He also claimed that Shinde had interfered in the investigations.

Singh had also waded into the Ishrat Jahan enocounter case, asserting that she was a terrorist. He then claimed that an affidavit filed in the Ishrat Jahan case was changed for political reasons by former Union home minister P Chidambaram.

Singh, during his tenure at the defence ministry, had also red-flagged the the Tatra-BEML deal. He had objected to the way the agreement with Tatra Sipox, UK, was renewed by BEML in 2003. He had also questioned the tardy pace of indigenisation of the Tatra vehicles, even though BEML had a transfer of technology pact with the supplying firm.

Singh, a 1975-batch IAS officer, was also the former Union home secretary from 2011 to 2013 and had also headed defence production during the UPA-II regime.

When Nitish Kumar came to power in Bihar in 2005, Singh, as principal secretary of road construction department, was instrumental in improving the road network in the state.

Later, as principal secretary of the disaster management department, he played an vital role in the relief and rescue operation during the 2008 Kosi floods in Bihar following a breach in the Kusaha embankment.

On December 13, 2013, Singh joined the BJP and contested the 2014 Lok Sabha elections from Ara. He won with a margin of more than 1.35 lakh votes.

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Nepal and India need to update their ties to reflect the people-to-people relations at the government level, deputy Prime Minister Krishna Bahadur Mahara said on Sunday.

Mahara, who also holds the foreign affairs portfolio, said the age-old ties at the government level might be fluctuated but the people-to-people ties cannot swing.

Speaking at an event here, he called for strengthening the bilateral ties.

He drew attention towards the changing perspective in the bilateral ties since the end of monarchy in Nepal in 2008. Therefore, we need to update bilateral perspectives, he said.

Mahara praised the Indian government for providing support to Nepal in various sectors including health, education, agriculture and infrastructure developmental.
Nirmala Sitharaman appeared to be the biggest gainer of Prime Minister Narendra Modis cabinet reshuffle on Sunday, getting the key defence portfolio.

Sitharaman became the second woman defence minister of the country after Indira Gandhi.

She joins a small group of women defence ministers across the globe. Germany, Norway and the Netherlands, all have female defence ministers. Australia swore in its first female defence minister, Marise Payne, in 2015.

Congratulations @nsitharaman. India's turn to break into this club. https://t.co/UdOX1aGmbw  Ajit Ranade (@ajit_ranade) September 3, 2017

Here is a look at the other women defence ministers of the world.

Ursula von der Leyen -- Germany

Sheikh Hasina -- Bangladesh

Jeanine Hennis-Plasschaert -- Netherlands

Florence Parly -- France

Roberta Pinotti -- Italy

Marise Payne -- Australia

Maria Dolores de Cospedal -- Spain

Martha Elena Ruiz Sevilla -- Nicaragua

Nosiviwe Mapisa-Nqakula -- South Africa

Ine Marie Eriksen Sreide -- Norway

Raychelle Omamo -- Kenya

Mimi Kodheli -- Albania

Marina Pendes -- Bosnia and Herzegovina

Andreja Katic -- Slovenia

Radmila Sekerinska -- Republic of Macedonia

With inputs from Reuters
Nirmala Sitharaman, who landed the crucial defence portfolio in a major rejig of the Modi government, on Sunday said she was overwhelmed and humbled and will serve the country with something she was constantly thinking about. (HIGHLIGHTS)

Sitharaman also credited her elevation to a cabinet rank minister to cosmic grace and support from party leadership.

I am just overwhelmed and humbled. I can serve the country with something which is constantly on the top of my mind, she said.

Stressing that it was a big responsibility, Sitharaman said she was very grateful for the confidence the Prime Minister has on her.

Asked whether dealing with Pakistan in view of terrorism will be her priority, she said I have not even taken charge. I dont think it is appropriate to comment on it now...give me some time.

To a query whether her elevation showed Prime Minister Narendra Modis commitment towards women empowernment, she said the Prime Minister has always been in favour.

I know his working style since the time he was in Gujarat ... He always believe in giving women their due share. His belief is that women can also perform, she said.

Sitharaman was among the four junior ministers who were given cabinet berths at the reshuffle today. Sitharaman was earlier the Minister of State (Independent Charge) Commerce.

Somebody who has come from a small town, grown into the party with all the support of the leadership, and if given such responsibility, it just makes you feel sometimes that cosmic grace is there. Otherwise, it is impossible, she told reporters here soon after taking oath.

To a query on the opposition criticism of her working as the commerce minister, the BJP leader said she was neither averse, nor frightened by criticism.

Every criticism is a message and we have to learn from it. I am not averse to criticism and also not frightened of it, but certainly take messages from them.

Criticism per se do not reflect on performance. It only adds to your performance if you are ready to take on-board the corrections that may be workable, she said.

Sitharaman was also quick to highlight a number of initiatives by the commerce ministry like Start up India and Make in India.

With the support of the prime minister, so many things have happened in the ministry like Start up India, Make in India etc. There is some misconception about Make in India, but it will be answered, she said.
Pakistan resorted to unprovoked firing on Sunday morning in Mankote sector along the Line of Control (LoC) in Jammu and Kashmirs Poonch, reports said.

A report from ANI said the Indian Army was retaliating efficiently and effectively.

Earlier, Pakistan violated the ceasefire in the Naushera sector of Rajouri on August 31 at 10:30 a.m.

The Pakistan Army had previously violated the ceasefire in Poonch on August 27 and August 16. (ANI)

IANS quoted defence ministry sources as saying that said heavy shelling and firing took place between the two armies in Mendhar and Mankote areas.

After the Pakistan Army resorted to unprovoked shelling and firing at Indian positions, Indian military retaliated strongly and effectively, an official said.

The IANS report also said that no greetings were exchanged between the two armies on Eid-ul-Azha on Saturday following heightened tensions along the LoC.

Pakistan had earlier violated the ceasefire in Naushera sector of Rajouri on August 31.
Piyush Goyal, who was promoted to cabinet rank on Sunday, will replace Suresh Prabhu as the rail minister.

Prabhu, who had offered to quit after a string of train derailments but was told by Prime Minister Narendra Modi to wait, sent out a farewell tweet on Sunday.

Thanks to all 13 Lacs+ rail family for their support, love, goodwill. I will always cherish these memories with me. Wishing u all a great life, Prabhu tweeted minutes after 13 ministers took oath of office in the third reshuffle of the Team Modi.

Goyal, who was earlier the minister of state for power, will have his task cut out as the railways battles a creaking infrastructure and revenue shortage on back of low fares and stiff competition from budget airlines.

Prabhu had offered to quit on August 23 after back-to-back train derailments. At least 20 people were killed when the Kalinga Utkal Express, travelling from Puri to Haridwar, had derailed at Khatauli in Uttar Pradesh on August 19.

I am extremely pained by the unfortunate accidents, injuries to passengers and loss of precious lives. It has caused me deep anguish... I met the Honble Prime Minister @narendramodi taking full moral responsibility, he tweeted on August 23 after an express train went off the rails in Uttar Pradesh and injured 70 people.

Along with Goyal, Dharmendra Pradhan, Nirmala Sitharaman and Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi were promoted to the cabinet rank.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi arrived in the rain-drenched southeastern coastal city of Xiamen on Sunday night for the 9th BRICS summit in the backdrop of a much anticipated meeting with President Xi Jinping following the resolution of the two-month Doklam standoff last week.

When Modi meets Xi on Tuesday at the end of the BRICS (Brazil, Russia, India, China, South Africa) summit, it will be the first time the two leaders will have a one-on-one after the resolution of the military impasse that had plunged bilateral ties to a new chill.

The much anticipated bilateral meeting will be Modis last engagement in China before he flies to Myanmar for a state visit.

Border troops from both countries were locked in a standoff at the Doklam (Donglang in Chinese) area near the Sikkim boundary.

China had repeatedly blamed India for intervening in that area and for triggering the military impasse. It accused Indian soldiers of illegal trespass in the region. The Doklam area is under Chinas control but claimed by Bhutan.

Last Monday, India announced the expeditious disengagement of the border troops ending the impasse. China, for its part, on its part announced the situation was resolved after Indian troops withdrew to their side of the border.

Chinas assistant foreign minister, Kong Xuanyu, received Modi at the airport while a small gathering of Indians from Xiamen gathered at the hotel to greet him.

The Indian PM has a tight schedule before he flies off to Myanmar on September 5.

On Monday, Modi will meet Russian President Vladimir Putin followed by a meeting with President Michael Temer of Brazil.

Modis schedule includes a meeting with the President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi of Egypt on Tuesday morning: Egypt is one of the five counties  Mexico, Guinea, Thailand and Tajikistan  invited to take part in a meeting on the sidelines of BRICS.

Modi will address the BRICS leaders dialogue with BRICS Business Council, which will be attended by 80 Fortune 500 companies.

He will also meet the president of the New Development Bank, KV Kamath.

He will also take part in an event of the Emerging Markets and Developing Countries Dialogue on Tuesday morning.

The meeting between Modi and Xi, of course, will be closely followed as the two leaders are expected to lay the groundwork to work towards better ties following the standoff between border troops at Doklam (Donglang in Chinese) near the Sikkim boundary.

The impasse left the two countries grappling with tenuous ties already marred by the 3500-km boundary problem besides number of other issues.

Cross-border terrorism from Pakistan is another topic that Modi is likely to raise with Xi during the meeting, which is expected to be for about 30 minutes.

More importantly, in the current context, the meeting between Modi and Xi could provide temporary relief from the chill that has set in Sino-India bilateral ties.
It could be the biggest climate showdown of the entire Trump administration. On one side: dozens of Americas leading scientists. On the other: EPA administrator Scott Pruitt and other top Trump officials promoting dangerous denial of climate science.

Recently, scientists working on a legally mandated federal assessment of global warmings threats to America expressed grave concerns that Trump officials may try to alter or suppress the report, which is currently awaiting final clearance by the EPA and other agencies.

The scientists fears are entirely well-founded, based on my experience successfully suing the George W. Bush administration a decade ago for just such an attempt to censor climate science.

Indeed, Pruitt recently told a Texas radio show host that his agency would take unspecified measures to review the report, even as he dismissed discussions about carbon emissions and climate change as political.

Thats ominous but not surprising. The reports grim findings directly contradict public statements by Pruitt and others on Trumps team of climate-deniers. America, the report finds, is staring down the barrel of catastrophic changes, including a growing extreme weather risk.

A normal administration would be pushed to constructive action by these alarming findings, which underscore the need for a full-scale mobilization to keep fossil fuels in the ground, ban fracking and fully use the Clean Air Act to cut planet-warming pollution.

But this president isnt normal, and neither is his EPA chief, who has even denied that carbon dioxide is the primary driver of climate change. I believe they are poised to censor, undermine or delay this critical federal report.

That must not happen.

To fully understand whats at stake, you have to know this reports history. In 1990, Congress passed a law called the Global Change Research Act establishing a coordinated national research program on global climate change.

The act requires the federal government to maintain a national climate research plan and produce a scientific assessment of climate change effects in the United States. That report must be updated at least every four years to guide Congress, federal agencies and the public in all climate decisions.

John McCain, Mitch McConnell and every other Senate Republican voted for the law in its unanimous passage through that chamber. President George H.W. Bush signed it into law.

Back then, politicians acknowledged just how badly ignorance about climate change would hurt Americans. Supporting the finest scientific research in the world was a point of pride.

The Clinton administration produced the first scientific assessment of climate change in 2000. But the next assessment, due in 2004, never came. Unlike his father, George W. Bush didnt stop at opposing climate action but also denied and attacked the science itself.

The younger Bush, like Trump, recognized that the scientific assessment was the single-most powerful document demonstrating the need urgently to reduce greenhouse pollution to avoid catastrophic damages in the United States. As a result, his administration attempted to halt the scientific work and suppress the report.

In 2006, my organization took Bush to court, arguing that continuing the research and releasing the assessment were legally required. We won, and in the spring of 2008, under court supervision and close public scrutiny, the Bush administration released the second assessment report, accurately summarizing the science.

In 2009 and 2014, the Obama administration produced updated assessments that set the gold standard for synthesizing climate science most relevant to our nation.

Today, Trump also recognizes the power of the scientific assessment. Thats why his administration is likely to try to alter or suppress the report, which is scheduled for release this fall.

My organization will be watching the administration carefully, assessing all legal options and returning to court at the earliest possible time to ensure that this essential report is released as required.

The attacks by Trump and Republicans on climate science and our countrys role as the worldwide leader on science are profoundly shocking and unpatriotic. They must be resisted at every turn.
Prime Minister Narendra Modis cabinet reshuffle evoked mixed response from the opposition, with the Congress claiming that dropping of ministers was admission of his governments gigantic failure even as National Conference leader Omar Abdullah praised him for allocating defence portfolio to Nirmala Sitharaman.

The Council of Ministers may not be gender balanced but the High Table most certainly is. Well done @narendramodi ji, Abdullah said on Twitter. 3+ years as PM & @narendramodis ability to spring big surprises is undiminished & unchallenged. Never fails to catch talking heads off guard, he said in another tweet.

However, the main opposition party said the reshuffle reflected maximum government and no governance, claiming that Modi seemed strangely disconnected from the exercise.

It seemed as if BJP president Amit Shah is the Prime Minister of India and not Narendra Modi. Never ever has the absence of the Prime Minister in a cabinet reshuffle process been more evident, Congress spokesperson Manish Tewari said.

He said relieving skill development minister Rajiv Pratap Rudy, labour minister Bandaru Dattatreya and micro, small and medium enterprises (MSME) minister Kalraj Mishra meant no skilling and no employment generation besides wiping out of the MSME sector.

The real story is in the dropping and that is where the admission of the gigantic failure of this government comes, Tewari said.

He said the PM had created a senior citizens club as the average age of the nine new ministers is 60.44 years, in a country where the median age of India's 1.24 billion people is about 27 years.

Out of nine new ministers, four are former bureaucrats, one is a doctor-beater and the other four are inconsequential. What is the message? It is clear that the PM does not have faith in his political colleagues, he said.

Criticising the inclusion of Anantkumar Hegde in the Union council of ministers, the Congress leader alleged that he has been inducted with the sole intent of trying to communalise the situation in Karnataka.

Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) chief Lalu Prasad mocked former partner, Janata Dal (United) and Bihar chief minister Nitish Kumar, for being left out of Sundays reshuffle.

No one bothers with the monkey who strays from the group, Prasad, who was dumped by the JD(U) in favour of the BJP, tweeted in Hindi an hour after the reshuffle.

They didn't even get invites (oath ceremony). One who leaves his people won't be taken in by others. It's Nitish Kumar's fate, he said.

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President Ram Nath Kovind who arrived in Ahmedabad on Sunday afternoon will launch a water project for the parched Saurashtra region on Monday.

On his maiden two-day visit to the state after becoming the President, he will lay the foundation of the link-4 of the ambitious Saurashtra Narmada Avataran Irrigation Yojana (SAUNI) in Rajkot on Monday. The Saurashtra region includes 11 districts in Gujarat.

Earlier in June, Prime Minister Narendra Modi had visited Rajkot when Aji dam was filled with the Narmada water under SAUNI project. The BJP is eying Narmada waters as a major poll plank in Gujarat ahead of the assembly elections later this year.

Under the project, conceived by Modi when he was Gujarat chief minister, the state government plans to fill over 100 dams of Saurashtra with excess water of the Sardar Sarovar dam across river Narmada, through a pipeline network.

Earlier Sunday, after landing in the city, Kovind visited Sabarmati Ashram accompanied by chief minister Vijay Rupani. The President was presented with a charkha (spinning wheel) and book at the ashram.

He later left for Mehsana to attend various social welfare programmes on the occasion of the 83rd birthday of Rashtrasant Acharya Padmasagarsuriji.

He will return to Gandhinagar in the evening where governor O P Kohli and Rupani will host a dinner in his honour.

On Monday, he will leave for Jasdan town in Rajkot district where he is expected to address a gathering after laying the foundation stone for SAUNI dam linking project.

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Prime Minister Narendra Modi promoted petroleum minister Dharmendra Pradhan to cabinet rank on Sunday and gave him the additional charge of the skill development ministry.

Odisha-born Pradhan now has the twin task of delivering the state for the Bharatiya Janata Party and give a new push to the Skill India mission, an issue close to the heart of Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

Pradhans promotion as a cabinet minister is largely because of the successful implementation of the scheme to provide free LPG cylinders to BPL families --- another pet scheme of PM Modi. Before the rollout of the scheme, more than 10 million families returned subsidy on LPG cylinders, passing on the benefits to deserving families from poorer sections.

I am humbled at the trust & confidence reposed on me by Honble Prime Minister, Party President & senior leadership of the Party, Pradhan, a Rajya Sabha member from Bihar, tweeted. This is the beauty & strength of our democracy that an ordinary person like me has been given such huge responsibility.

If Pradhan impressed the PM with his energy in the petroleum ministry, he won praises from party chief Amit Shah for his active involvement in organisational matters. Pradhan was a key strategist for the BJP in Uttarakhand, a state the party won earlier this year.

His promotion in the council of ministers is also seen as a symbol of his growing stature within the BJP in Odisha.

Pradhans cabinet colleague, tribal leader Jual Oram, is also a chief ministerial aspirant. With Pradhan also becoming a cabinet minister, the race for the BJP leadership in Odisha is expected to get more intense in the coming months.

With 21 Lok Sabha seats, Odisha figures prominently in the BJPs scheme of things for 2019. The Lok Sabha and assembly election are held simultaneously in the state. The BJP got a shot in the arm when it emerged as the second largest party in panchayat polls this year. Pradhan will have the challenge to convert this gain into electoral victory in 2019.
Pro-Tamil outfits continued with their protests for the second day on Sunday over the suicide of a Dalit medical aspirant and a court petitioner against NEET, even as DMK vowed to keep up its fight against the entrance exam.

Scores of activists of the May 17 Movement outfit were detained when they attempted to lay siege to the BJPs state headquarters in Chennai, police said.

They raised slogans against the Central and state governments over the suicide of 17-year-old Anitha from Ariyalur, daughter of a daily wage earner who allegedly hanged herself at her house in her native village in that district on September 1, reportedly upset over not getting an MBBS seat.

Security has been beefed up at the BJP office here.

Pro-Dalit Viduthalai Chiruthaigal Katchi (VCK) also staged protests here and scores of its volunteers were detained. They also attempted to burn a poster of Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

Protests were also held at various locations in Tiruvallore, Kanniyakumari and Thiruvarur districts on this issue.

Anitha was reportedly upset after it became known that Tamil Nadu would not be exempted from the ambit of National Entrance-cum-Eligibility Test (NEET). She had earlier moved the Supreme Court against NEET.

Opposition DMK also targeted BJP and the ruling AIADMK in Tamil Nadu, faulting both for failing to ensure at least one year exemption for the state from NEET.

DMK Working President M K Stalin,who late last night paid tributes to Anitha at her native village shortly ahead of the cremation,said his party had donated Rs 10 lakh to her family.

Stalin, also Leader of the Opposition in Tamil Nadu Assembly, told reporters at Ariyalur late last night that he has convened a meeting of various parties here tomorrow to discuss the NEET row.

Interestingly, jailed AIADMK chief V K Sasikalas brother V Divakaran backed the meeting, though the partys Deputy General Secretary T T V Dhinakaran ruled out AIADMKs participation.

I will not participate but those from our movement are going, Divakaran told reporters at Puthukottai. He also slammed Health Minister C Vijayabaskar on the NEET issue.

However, Divakarans nephew Dhinakaran ruled out AIADMKs participation in tomorrows meeting convened by his partys arch rival DMK.

How can we participate,he told reporters at Perambalur.

When pointed out at Divakarans statement, Dhinakaran indicated that it could be the formers personal view.

Meanwhile, vowing to keep the fight against NEET on, Stalin said his party would align with like-minded forces for this purpose. NEET had affected social justice in Tamil Nadu, he said.

DMK will align with like-minded forces to uphold the key Dravidian policy of social justice, retrieve the rights of the state, bring Education under the State List and ensure nobody else suffers Anithas fate in Tamil Nadu, he said in a letter to his party men.

The BJP lashed out against those doing brutal politics over the teens suicide. BJP state President Tamilisai Sounderrajan also took objection to the insult of Prime Minister Narendra Modi over the issue.

Insulting Prime Minister Modi cannot be accepted, she said in a brief statement, apparently referring to effigies of the PM being burnt by protesters at Coimbatore yesterday and similar attempts at the VCK protest here today.

Pro-Dalit leader and founder of Puthiya Tamizhagam, Dr S Krishnasamy, alleged that an effort was being made to turn Anitha into a brand against NEET.

He alleged certain individuals who were against NEET were making efforts to use Anitha as a brand against the entrance exam and sought a CBI probe into the girls death.
Former RBI governor Raghuram Rajan has revealed that he did not favour demonetisation as he felt the short term economic costs associated with such a disruptive decision would outweigh any longer term benefits from it.

Rajan makes the disclosure in his latest book  I do what I do  which is a compilation of speeches he delivered on a wide range of issues as the RBI governor. Although he maintains the book is not a tell-all, the short introductions and postscripts accompanying the pieces offer fascinating insights into his uneasy relationship and differences with the present government.

At no point during my term was the RBI asked to make a decision on demonetisation, Rajan has said, putting to rest speculation that preparations for scrapping high-value banknotes got underway many months before Prime Minister Narendra Modi made the surprise announcement on November 8.

This is the first time the former RBI governor has spoken on demonetisation since demitting office on September 3 last year. Rajan, who now teaches economics at University of Chicago, said he chose not to speak on India for a year because he didnt want to intrude on his successors initial engagement with the public.

I was asked by the government in February 2016 for my view on demonetisation, which I gave orally. Although there might be long-term benefits, I felt the likely short-term economic costs would outweigh them, Rajan wrote.

I made these views known in no uncertain terms.

He didnt elaborate on the short-term costs or the possible long-term benefits, but as the RBI governor he felt there were alternatives to achieve the main goals.

Latest government data showed the November 8 decision to scrap Rs 1,000 and Rs 500 notes, sucking out 86% of cash circulating in the system, has had a lingering impact on the economy.

The growth of GDP slowed sharply from 7% in October-December quarter to 6.1% in January-March and 5.7% in April-June, primarily because of the cash squeeze that weakened consumer spending and discouraged businesses from making new investments.

The government, however, maintains that the economic slowdown has not been entirely because of demonetisation. In an interview to Times of India, published Sunday, Rajan described the deceleration in GDP as the costs of demonetisation upfront.

Let us not mince words about it  GDP suffered. The estimates I have seen range from 1 to 2 percentage points, and thats a lot of money  over Rs 2 lakh crore and may be approaching Rs 2.5 lakh crore, he said in the interview.

I think the people who mooted this must have thought some of it would be compensated if money didnt come back into the system, he said referring to illegal wealth held in cash.

The governments expectation was that at least Rs 3 lakh crore worth black money held in cash wont return, significantly reducing the liability of the central bank and boosting its profits, which could be used for new investments and developmental work.

But RBI data, available now, shows 99% of the high-value notes have returned to the banking system, meaning hoarders of black money found a way to legitimise most of their dodgy cash.

The fact that 99% has been deposited certainly does suggest that aim (of curbing black money) has not been met, Rajan said in the interview.

Despite his reservations, Rajan wrote in his book, the RBI was asked to prepare a note, which it did and handed to the government.

The RBI note, he said, outlined potential costs and benefits of demonetisation, as well as alternatives that could achieve similar aims. If the government, on weighing the pros and cons, still decided to go ahead with demonetisation, the note outlined the preparation that would be needed, and the time that preparation would take.

The RBI flagged what would happen if preparation was inadequate, he wrote.

The government subsequently set up a committee to consider the issue. The central bank was represented on the committee by its deputy governor in charge of currency, Rajan wrote, possibly implying he did not attend these meetings.

The current leadership of the central bank could not be reached for comments on Rajans account. Phone calls to the RBI spokesperson went unanswered.

Rajan did not detail the contents of the note RBI had submitted to the government. Modis radical move was slammed by the opposition as ill-conceived and poorly executed. It took banks much longer than the government had expected to tide over the cash crisis. Frequent changes in cash withdrawal rules added to chaos and inconvenience that lasted far longer than the 50 days the PM had sought to restore normalcy.

Still, Modi won popular support for his move, winning a landslide victory in crucial elections in Uttar Pradesh. Most people, especially the poor, backed his decision as a frontal attack on black money.

The author is Chief Content Officer, Hindustan Times.

Follow the author @rajeshmahapatra

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Anupama Chandran can go on and on about how she is feeling these days: I feel stupid. I feel miserable. I am devastated. On April 1, the Bengaluru-based IT professional with 18 years experience paid a placement firm, Vision Profile, Rs 1 lakh for a job at IT services company Cognizant; within hours, she knew she had been conned.

I had taken a three-year break after having a child. When I came back this year, the scene was so bad that I didnt mind paying that amount of money for a guaranteed job, she said.

After going through two precise, sophisticated interviews on phone for over six hours and making payments totaling Rs 1 lakh towards processing formalities, she sent a series of emails with qualifying documents to an email address containing the word Cognizant. They came bouncing back to her inbox in a cascade of horror.

Read more: How job loss, insecurity are driving IT professionals towards labour unions

Four months on, she still hasnt told her family about it. She did file a complaint with the cyber cell of Bengaluru police after going through dozens of online complaints against the same website.

Layoffs and job insecurity have led a horde of IT professionals to the edge of desperation. After his forced resignation from Wipro, Manoj Pandey, 38, spends his days looking for a job even if it pays half his last salary. But there are currently 60,000 others looking for similar jobs. Every time I come across a posting, I am alerted that 250 others are seeing it and a 100 have applied for it.

We have been seeing a lot of cases of IT workers falling for job scams recently, said S Ravi, an assistant commissioner with Bengalurus cyber police, which usually takes on cases of job frauds involving a large amount of money. We had six cases in 2016, and so far in 2017 we already have 32 cases, he added.

In many of these cases, IT workers paid anywhere between Rs 1 lakh and Rs 18 lakh for a job abroad. Hyderabads cyber police say online job fraud is now the most commonly reported crime there.

The spurt in job frauds isnt the only indication of how vulnerable Indias IT professionals currently feel. Asked to leave after seven years at Wipro, Manjunath Kumar, 42, wants nothing to do with IT. I will go back to my village in Ballari and get into gau-seva, he said. Internet forums are abuzz with worried software professionals debating theirs as well as the industrys future.

Entirely unprepared to deal with the insecurity of losing a job around which they built their lives and identities, IT workers are either shutting out the world or crying out for intervention.

They dont share their feelings with each other. In one case, someone called to say his apartment colleague may be going through depression.

Between June 29 and July 1, we hosted a phone session called Fired to Fired Up. 260 people called in from across IT capitals and 800 got in touch over chat. 60% of the calls were about layoffs. 57% people had not told their families about it. Some of them continue to dress up for work in the morning and go sit in a park, says Puneet Manuja, a coordinator for Your Dost, a multi-platform counselling centre based in Bengaluru.

A 25-year-old man who was fired from his startup had thoughts like defaming the company, spreading rumours, playing with company data, Sushma Hebbar, one of their 900 counsellors, said about a recent session.

Some of them are focussing on fixing their luck. Earlier, say only 60% of my clients were from IT, but now its more like 80 or 90 percent, says Sheelaa Bajaj, a well-known tarot card reader and numerologist in Bengaluru. A lot of them want to know if their job is at risk or if they will find another job.

Kumara Swamy, an IBM employee and president of the Information Technology Employees Union, doesnt always know what to say to impacted workers who call him. They dont share their feelings with each other. In one case, someone called to say his apartment colleague may be going through depression. The thing is IT workers had so much respect in society. Now they have personal loans, housing loans, but they may not have a job.

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As RBI governor, Raghuram Rajan forged a reputation of being an outspoken technocrat who articulated his views as effectively in private as he did in his public speeches. Did that make him an unconstrained critic of the government or its cheerleader? How did the media view him? Why did he feel a special responsibility towards the countrys youth? The risk manager par excellence opens up on what drove him in a new book--a compilation of his speeches he gave while at the RBI, embellished with insightful commentary on what prompted each of them. Here are some excerpts:

The Governor of the Reserve Bank is much more than just a regulator or a central banker. Since the RBI is both the lender of last resort, as well as the custodian of the countrys foreign exchange reserves, the Governor is the primary manager of macroeconomic risk in the country. If the Governor takes this role seriously, he (or she) has to warn when he fears the economy is in danger of going down the wrong path. As an apolitical technocrat, he can neither be a cheerleader for the government, nor can he be an unconstrained critic. This is a fine line to tread, and the Governor has to pick both the issues he speaks on, as well as the tone of his commentary, very carefully.

The mistake on all sides is to treat the RBI Governor as just another bureaucrat. If the Governor takes this mistaken view, he ends up being subservient to the central and state governments, and not offering an independent technocratic perspective that could keep the nation from straying into economic distress. The RBI Governor has to understand his role, and know it occasionally entails warning of macroeconomic risks from government actions or saying No! firmly.

Every government tests what the RBI Governor will acquiesce to, and ideally, it will not push beyond a point, knowing that the RBIs cautions are worth heeding. If the government takes the mistaken view that the RBI Governor is just another bureaucrat, it will be displeased when it sees the Governor deviating from the usually deferential behaviour of bureaucrats, and it will strive to cut him down to size. This does not serve the country either.

I was determined not to neglect my responsibilities as national risk manager, even while trying to explain to the government of the day why this was a necessary role. Where I had direct responsibility, this meant saying no in private occasionally, even while offering safer alternatives for what the government intended. Where I had indirect responsibility, this meant advising or counselling in private, and occasionally, when the issue merited a national debate, speaking in public. Of course, my past experience as Chief Economist of the International Monetary Fund, where my job was to identify macroeconomic risks across a variety of countries, gave me a unique cross-country perspective, and heightened my sense of responsibility.

I also felt this responsibility from a different source. Because of the relentless press attention, I realized that many young people who were looking for a role model now saw the Governor of the Reserve Bank as one they wanted to learn from and imitate. I felt I had to display the highest professional integrity, over and above the obviously necessary personal integrity, if I were to discharge my responsibility to these youth.

While the Governor has to warn about risks where necessary, he is not an agent for the opposition. He continues to be an essential part of the countrys administration, and his objectives have to be the broader government objectives of sustainable growth and development. The danger in a country that is unused to legitimate words of caution, and a press that is accustomed to deference from bureaucrats, is that it may misinterpret this role. A new narrative may form around the Governor. He can come to be seen by the press and social media as a critic, and every speech or comment of his is then scrutinized for evidence that supports the narrative. Should the Governor disappear from public view and not speak for fear of misinterpretation, or should he take the risk in order to discharge his responsibilities? I chose the latter, in part because I thought it was extremely important that our country should steer a stable path when surrounded by so much global risk, and in part because I thought young people (including my own younger staff at the RBI) should realize that it is important to speak up when ones responsibilities demand it. I did, however, meet regularly with the government to share my views and listen to its point of view, and always left feeling that there was mutual understanding.

Given my risk managers perspective, and given that we were recovering from the currency turmoil, in my first speech on the economy I tried to talk up what was going on in India. However, I also had to respect the dharma of the central banker, and not indulge in excessive hype. Indeed, this swing from excessive euphoria to excessive pessimism and back was the subject of my speech at Harvard Business School in October 2013.
Data on deaths of children compiled by the Uttar Pradesh government show a sharp drop in casualty figures in the BRD Medical College in Gorakhpur this year compared to those in the last three years.

According to the data compiled by the UP health department, made available to PTI, 1,317 children had died in the state-run facility so far this year.

The number of deaths stood at 5,850 in 2014, 6,917 in 2015 and 6,121 in 2016, the department data said.

The data showed the average daily deaths translating to 16 in 2014, 19 in 2015 and 17 in 2016 -- as against 5.3 a day till August this year.

This (death figure) is much lower than that in the previous years, health minister Sidharth Nath Singh said.

Congress spokesperson Ashok Singh had charged the Uttar Pradesh government with failing to check the deaths in the BRD medical college.

The toll is alarmingly high and the government has failed to check the casualties, he had said.

Countering him, the health minister said good work was being done by the Yogi Adityanath government in the state.

The reason (for the fall in death figures) is the good work done in the last five months. We have strengthened encephalitis treatment centres and taken various effective measures to check the dreaded disease so that more patients are treated at community health centre levels and do not just rush to the BRD medical college, Singh told PTI.

Number of deaths 5,850 in 2014 6,917 in 2015 6,121 in 2016 1,317 in 2017

According to BRD medical college records, 152 children died in January this year, 122 in February, 159 in March, 123 in April, 139 in May, 137 in June, 128 in July and 325 in August.

Taking into account 32 deaths in the first two days of September, the total came to 1,317.

A total of 51,018 children were admitted to the hospital in 2014, 61,295 in 2015 and 60,891 in 2016, according to the data put together by the department and its partner, PATH Foundation, a nonprofit organisation. There were no admission figures for this year.

Health department sources said till August 31, admissions in district hospitals and encephalitis treatment centres had gone up to 62% as compared to BRD hospital.

We have to bring this up to at least 80%. We are on the right path, said an official.

Because of seasonal illnesses, August usually saw a rise in the number of children being admitted to the medical college which caters to Gorakhpur and adjoining districts in Uttar Pradesh, with patients also coming from neighbouring Bihar and Nepal.

The Numbers of deaths of children in August in 2016, 2015 and 2014 were 587, 668 and 567 respectively, as against 324 last month, according to the data.

During 2017, larvicidal spraying and fogging were undertaken in 529 villages/urban areas in seven endemic districts of Gorakhpur and Basti division where community meetings and awareness programmes for health workers are being carried out, Singh said while explaining the drop in the casualty figure this year.

The health minister said, The combat against Japanese Encephalitis (JE)/Acute Encephalitis Syndrome (AES) continues to be a priority for the state government and every effort is being made to ensure proper treatment and management of cases by taking preventive initiatives to educate and involve the community in our fight against these diseases.

He said a special vaccination campaign was carried out in 38 endemic districts from June 29 to July 15 this year covering 92 lakh children in the 1-15 year age bracket.

Congress spokesperson Singh expressed doubts over the figures, while Samajwadi Party leader and MLC Rajpal Kashyap dismissed the data.

The government is trying to run away from its responsibilities of providing better health care facilities, Kashyap said.
Two men allegedly tried to self immolate in front of the office of Manakondur legislator in Timmapur this evening to protest against the demand for bribe made by the village revenue officer.

The officer was allegedly demanding bribe for inclusion of their names in list of beneficiaries to be distributed land free of cost, police said.

Mankali Srinivas(27) and Yalala Parsharamulu (26) of Gudem village of Bejjenki mandal in Siddipet district were expecting allotment of land under free land distribution by the Government.

However, the officer of Gudem village allegedly demanded bribe for inclusion of their names in the beneficiaries list, said police.

Vexed with the attitude of the officer, they tried to meet Manakondur legislator Rasamai Balakishan but he was not in his office at that time. The enraged youth then poured petrol and set themselves ablaze, said police.

The villagers shifted them to hospital.

Srinivas has sustained 60% burn injuries whereas Parsharamulu got 40%, doctors treating them said.

Meanwhile, Telangana finance minister Etela Rajender has directed officials to conduct an enquiry into the incident of suicide attempt by two youths.

Etela visited the Government hospital, where the youths were under treatment.
Two persons were arrested for animal cruelty and hurting public sentiments following protest by cow vigilantes, after a calf carcass was found on Sunday, a day after Bakrid, at Sahar block in Bhojpur district, 55 km west of Patna.

The arrested duo  Kalam Qureshi, 28, and Fayaz Qureshi, 25, both siblings  have confessed to killing the calf, the police said. The carcass of the calf was found on the campus of the siblings house.

The duo claimed to have killed the calf as it was sick for the last few days, Bhojpur SP Awakash Kumar told the Hindustan Times.

The recovery of the carcass sparked a furore as a mob gheraoed the siblings house at Sahar. With tension mounting, the siblings fled from their house, only to be arrested by the police a couple of hours later from a location near the banks of the Sone river, close to their house.

Eyewitnesses said a person, climbing a palm tree in the adjacent compound, spotted the carcass and informed the villagers. Soon a mob gathered in the area. The angry mob, which was demanding the duos arrest, also blocked the Ara-Arwal road for close to an hour between 7.30am and 8.30am.

Though the mob did not resort to vandalism, the crowd build-up prompted the district administration to seek reinforcement from Chauri, Azimabad and Narayanpur police stations as a precautionary measure.

The mob later relented following the duos arrest.

The SP claimed that the situation was peaceful and under control.
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ABN AMRO nominates Christian Bornfeld as new Chief Innovation & Technology Officer per 1 March 2018

The Supervisory Board announces that it intends to appoint Mr Christian Bornfeld (1976) as Member of the Executive Board and Chief Innovation & Technology Officer of ABN AMRO. The appointment is subject to approval by the regulators and advice of the Employee Council.

Mr Bornfeld will join ABN AMRO on 1 December 2017, and he will start as member of the Executive Board and as Chief Innovation & Technology Officer effective 1 March 2018.

Mr Johan van Hall, currently Vice-Chairman of the Executive Board and Chief Innovation & Technology Officer, will hand-over his remaining tasks beginning 2018 and resign from the Executive Board effective 1 March 2018.



Ms Olga Zoutendijk, Chairman of the Supervisory Board:



"The Supervisory Board is delighted to nominate Mr Christian Bornfeld. His strong track record and extensive experience in IT in the banking sector make him perfectly suited to be appointed to ABN AMRO as new Chief Innovation & Technology Officer. As innovation, technology and digitalisation have our utmost strategic focus, Mr Bornfeld will be appointed at Executive Board level."



Mr Bornfeld is currently the Chief Operating Officer of Personal Banking at Nordea, responsible for IT, Operations, strategic programs and business risk implementation and support. His responsibilities at Nordea include a leading role in the digital transformation of Nordea through simplifying products, processes and IT platforms. He joined Nordea in 2013 as Head of IT for Retail Banking and subsequently also head of Digital Banking.

Previously, Mr Bornfeld worked at Danske Bank for five years as Chief Information Officer of Corporate & Institutional Banking and Head of IT Strategy, Enterprise Architecture & Technology Innovation. Prior to joining Danske Bank, he worked at IBM for eight years in various technology leadership roles.





The Supervisory Board is grateful to Mr van Hall, who has worked for XX years at ABN AMRO, in particular for his valuable contribution including the integration of two banking IT platforms and the preparations for the IPO. During his two consecutive terms as a Managing Board member, Mr van Hall made a meaningful contribution to the digitalisation of the bank and the innovation of the IT platforms."



Next step will be submission for approval to the regulators of the intended appointment of Mr Bornfeld. The Supervisory Board will convene an Extraordinary General Meeting of Shareholders (EGM) to notify the shareholders and depositary receipt holders of the intended appointment, which will be followed by the formal appointment decision by the Supervisory Board.

ABN AMRO Press Relations ABN AMRO Investor Relations

Jeroen van Maarschalkerweerd, senior press officer Ruud Jaegers, deputy head Investor Relations

pressrelations@nl.abnamro.com investorrelations@nl.abnamro.com

+31 20 6288900 +31 20 6282282

This press release is published by ABN AMRO Group N.V. and contains inside information within the meaning of article 7 (1) to (4) of Regulation (EU) No 596/2014 (Market Abuse Regulation)
Until Saturday, she was a goner, at least thats what media reports claimed. Come Sunday, Nirmala Sitharaman scripted history. (Highlights)

An alumna of the Jawaharlal Nehru University, the 58-year-old BJP leader will be the second woman to be the Raksha Mantri, long held to be a male turf, after Indira Gandhi, Indias first woman prime minister.

Gandhi was the prime minister when she kept the defence portfolio with herself -- from December 1 to 21, 1975 and January 14, 1980 to January 15, 1982.

Sitharaman, who was the commerce minister before being promoted to the cabinet rank, also breaks into the all-powerful Cabinet Committee of Security. The other members are Prime Minister Narendra Modi, finance minister Arun Jaitley, home minister Rajnath Singh and external affairs minister Sushma Swaraj.

Somebody who has come from a small town, grown into the party with all the support of the leadership, and if given such responsibility, it just makes you feel sometimes that cosmic grace is there. Otherwise it is impossible, she told reporters after taking oath.

Her rise in politics has been slow, but steady.

She served as a member of the National Commission for Women between 2003 and 2005. Scholarly and non-controversial, Sitharaman, who also had a stint with PricewaterhouseCoopers research unit in London, was brought into the BJPs national executive committee in 2008 and appointed partys national spokesperson in 2010 when Nitin Gadkari took over as the party president.

Sitharaman soon became a prominent face of the BJP on TV. She was among the few party leaders who were articulate, aggressive and could get the view point across effortlessly in English.

In her initial days as spokesperson, the Tamil Nadu-born politician admitted her knowledge of Hindi was limited but she soon had gained proficiency.

She was the favourite when it came to defending Narendra Modi, the then Gujarat chief minister, on the issue of 2002 riots and the RSS on charges of fomenting Hindu terror. She did not disappoint the party leadership.

As the spokesperson, she was known to thoroughly research the topics she had to speak on. She maintained a low profile and mostly operated out of a small room in the BJP headquarters. She was also one of the few BJP leaders who carried a laptop.

As the commerce minister, Sitharaman was a tough negotiator and successfully put across Indias point of view at the World Trade Organisation, impressing the Prime Minister.

Her promotion to the cabinet as the defence minister was the second surprise that Modi sprung.

When he picked his team after storming to power in 2014, Modi gave Sitharaman the charge of commerce ministry. She wasnt even a member of Parliament then.

She is married to Parakala Prabhakar, the communication adviser to Andhra Pradesh chief minister N Chandrababu Naidu, and the couple has a daughter.

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A new entrant in Prime Ministers Narendra Modis ministerial team, Virendra Kumar Khatik on Sunday recalled his childhood when he used to fix punctures in cycle tubes at his fathers shop in Madhya Pradeshs Sagar district. Life was tough, Modis new minister of state for women and child development told HT.

I was in Class 5 when I started sitting at the shop. Initially, I helped my father, but was not serious. He often scolded me. Gradually, I learnt repairing skills from him and took responsibility of running the shop, said Khatik, 63. My father took care of all our needs and educated me and my siblings with earnings from the shop.

Khatik, a Dalit face of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), said he ran the shop till he left to do his graduation at Dr Hari Singh Gour University in Sagar.

A leader from the impoverished Bundelkhand region, Khatik has been winning Lok Sabha elections since 1996 on the partys ticket and is serving his sixth term, having won in 2014 from Tikamgarh. Critics often accuse him of not doing enough for Bundelkhands development, but he rarely responds with statements to the media.

Read more: Portfolios declared, full list of new Union council of ministers after reshuffle

During election campaigns, Khatik makes it a point to let voters know that he hasnt forgotten cycle repairing skills. He has been known to stop at roadside cycle shops for quick chats and hands-on repair jobs.

An MA in economics and PhD on child labour, Khatik maintains a low-profile in public life. He also maintains his old scooter, which he rides occasionally in Sagar.

Associated with the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), seen as the ideological fount of the BJP, since childhood, he held several posts in student and youth organisations, Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP) and Bharatiya Janata Yuva Morcha (BJYM), before making a mark in mainstream politics.

Khatik said he took part in the total revolution movement initiated by Jayaprakash Narayan in 1975 and was jailed for 16 months under Maintenance of Internal Security Act (MISA) for raising his voice against Emergency.
Its great to not rely on a school canteen for your childrens daily meals. But some safety precautions need to be taken for home-cooked food as well. Rebecca Dittmar, a Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service program specialist, warns that there are some food safety tips that everyone should know when preparing food at home to be eaten later at school.

Food left at room temperature for more than a few hours can put children at risk for food borne illness, said Dittmar, Children typically have a higher risk of food borne illness as their immune systems are not sufficiently developed to resist the bacteria that can grow on foods. According to the US Department of Agriculture (USDA), food at temperatures between 40 and 140 degrees F are in the danger zone and can allow bacteria to double in number in as little as 20 minutes, so to help prevent this bacteria and foodborne illness, the USDA and Dittmar have shared tips and advice for a safer packed lunch.

You can freeze some foods for lunches, but its not always a good idea to freeze all the ingredients. (Shutterstock)

Although preparing foods in advance is fine, if preparing the night before leave lunches in the refrigerator overnight. To ensure the best results, store with the lid of the lunch box or bag left open in the refrigerator so theres optimal air circulation to cool it down, says Dittmar. She advises that its also best to pack lunch just before the child leaves for school. When it comes to freezing, You can freeze some foods for lunches, but its not always a good idea to freeze all the ingredients. For example, its usually not best to freeze complete sandwiches containing mayonnaise, lettuce, pickles or tomatoes or onions, as these dont usually taste particularly good when thawed. Keep these add-ons in a separate plastic bag or container so your child can put them on the sandwich just before eating it.

When packing up lunches use an insulated lunch box or double paper bags. If your children are taking a lunch requiring refrigeration, find out if they have access to a refrigerator at school and remind them to put their lunch in it as soon as they get to school, she said. For cool perishable items such as lunch meats, eggs, cheese, milk and yogurt Dittmar also recommends including a cold pack with the lunch. These cold packs should also be used even in insulated lunch boxes or bags when theres perishable food inside, Dittmar said. You can also freeze water or juice and use that to keep perishables cold, and the liquids should thaw by lunchtime.

For hot lunches use a thermos or other insulated container to keep them at a warm temperature. Dittmar also has another tip, If you put boiling water into the container and let it sit for a few minutes, then pour the water out and put in the hot food  like soup, stew or chili this will help keep the contents warm until lunchtime.

After children have finished eating remind them to throw away all lunch packaging and bags, and clean lunch boxes after use when they return home if its not possible at school. Leftover food should also be discarded after lunch too, along with all used food packaging and paper bags, she said. Reusing packaging is a bad idea as it could contaminate other food and cause illness. And keeping unrefrigerated perishables in a lunch box or bag so you can eat them later means theyll probably be in the temperature danger zone for a while and could become a safety risk.

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Foodies have reason to rejoice. Noted chef Alain Ducasse, who holds 18 Michelin stars for 20-plus restaurants around the world, created a buzz in the French food world this week - he revealed plans to open a new restaurant called Spoon in Paris, at the end of the month.

The opening revives one of Ducasses former restaurant concepts Spoon Food & Wines, which launched in 1998 as a fusion restaurant and featured flavors from around the world. Diners could mix and match sauces and sides for their main course in a form of deconstructed gastronomy. The concept was replicated around the world in Hong Kong, Mauritius, New York and Tokyo. Nearly two decades later, Ducasse will revisit the concept with Spoon which, like its predecessor, will serve international fare, this time inspired by his recent globetrotting adventures captured on film for a documentary which bows in French cinemas in October.

For two years, filmmaker Gilles de Maistre followed the chef as he traveled around the world in search of new flavors and cooking techniques. Places visited included London, New York, Hong Kong, Beijing, Rio de Janeiro, Tokyo, Kyoto and Manila. The end results from the trip translate to bouillon with spicy duck from China; meatless chili from Mexico; mango brulee with avocado and coriander from Brazil; and lamb with zaatar and coriander yogurt from Maghreb, all of which will figure on Spoons menu.

Spoon will open at the end of September at Palais Brongniart in the second arrondissement. La Quete dAlain Ducasse (which translates to The Quest of Alain Ducasse) hits theatres in France October 11.

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A group of college students made an artificial pond in Goregaons Aarey Milk Colony near the main gate of Chota Kashmir Lake to save the natural water body from getting polluted after idol immersions during Ganeshotsav. They also asked devotees to dip idols thrice as a symbolic immersion and sent these idols to sculptors for resale.

With support from Goregaon residents, officials from Aarey and a local voluntary group, the students constructed a two-feet deep pond with a diameter of nine feet. On Ganeshotsavs second day, 30 idols were immersed and 72 on the seventh day. The students, aged between 17 years and 22 years, call themselves Helping Hands.

The idols collected have been sent to a sculptor in Navi Mumbai who will repaint them and sell them next year. The name of the idol maker has not been revealed as devotees traditionally do not like to reuse immersed idols. The idea was to safeguard our rivers, beaches and the ocean from pollution and spread awareness among citizens to use eco-friendly idols rather than Plaster-of-Paris (PoP) as it takes a long time to dissolve, said Rupal Dey, 19, who led the student group.

The students said they were inspired by citizens of Nashik, who immersed 2.7 lakh idols at artificial immersion spots last year. We began our endeavour a month before the festival by conducting door-to-door awareness drives across various societies in Goregoan, said Archit Pulekar, another volunteer.

Till the eight day of the festival, the city immersed a total of 1.45 lakh idols at various beaches and water bodies. However, only 5% of the idols (8,243) were immersed at 31 artificial ponds created in 24 municipal wards so far. According to the solid waste management (SWM) department of the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC), 800 metric tonnes of waste has been collected and sent to dumping grounds in the city so far and the major load is expected on the last day of immersions.

Volunteers from Helping Hands also collected 100kg of nirmalaya (flower waste) during the immersions and handed it over for composting to Aarey authorities. We did not have enough funds or else the pond would have been much bigger. The BMC did not support us at all, said Dey while adding that next year they will set up artificial ponds at various locations in the city.

Aarey officials said thanks to the students efforts, there were hardly any immersions at the Chota Kashmir Lake. The students came to us with a solid plan and we were convinced that it would reduce the pollution at the lake. We issued all permissions to them and their efforts are commendable as the lake is pollution free so far, said Nathu Rathod, chief executive officer, Aarey Milk Colony

We laud the initiative taken by these students that has helped reduce the burden from city dumping grounds. We urge citizens to use these sites on the last day of immersion, said Vijay Balamvar, deputy municipal commissioner, SWM, BMC.

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A cyber criminal was arrested by the Vile Parle police on August 31 for trying to buy gold worth Rs20 lakh using the money he and his accomplices had siphoned off from an account owned by a private firm. The accused had stolen Rs1.45 crore over multiple transactions.

The accused was arrested after the jeweller whom he had struck the deal realised something was amiss and cross-checked with the bank through which he had received the payment for the gold.

According to the police, the accused siphoned off the money into different bank accounts. In one transaction, Rs20 lakh was deposited into the jewellers account.

It was carried out in the name of Mukesh Jain, a chartered accountant, who works for the firm whose bank account the accused had hacked.

The accused told the jeweller that they would collect the gold the same day.

One of the accused reached the store to collect the gold. However, his cover was blown when the jeweller struck up a conversation with him, thinking he belonged to the same community. The jeweller realised that the accused was only pretending to be a member of the Jain community. He offered the accused a cup of tea and informed the bank following which the private firm and Mukesh Jain were alerted.

Investigations revealed that the accused had blocked the messaging service for Mukeshs number so that he did not receive SMS alerts about any of the transactions.The Vile Parle Police were alerted and the accused was handed over to them.

The police are trying to recover the rest of the amount. The accused has been booked under section 419 (impersonation) and 420 (cheating) of the Indian Penal Code IPC and relevant sections of the Information Technology Act. He has been remanded in police.
On Tuesday, when Mumbai received its highest 24-hour rain in a decade, the Dahisar River flooded shops, entered homes and swept away cars. The 12-kilometer-long Dahisar drains around 35 square kilometers in the northern suburbs  6% of Mumbai, but the river, constricted by walls and constructions on its flood plain, was overwhelmed by the downpour.

A flood plain is a low-lying area of land along a river which acts as a natural spillway for floodwater during spells of heavy rain. In cities, where the high price of land makes it impossible to leave flood plains vacant, planners need to incorporate flood plains in their blue prints. Many cities which are prone to flooding are now in the process of restoring the flood plains of water ways that run through them.

One small city in USs Washington state, which faced routine floods in the creek that runs through it, bought homes and properties in the low lying areas of the city, tore down the buildings and created a basin for flood waters to disperse. Another town excavated the flood plain of its river to create a channel for flood waters and ground water recharge. The restored flood plain was planned to be converted into a natural wetland, with local species.

Mumbai has to learn to live with floods. A report on BRIMSTOWAD (Brihanmumbai StormWater Drainage) project explained why the city cannot find a permanent solution to floods. The city receives around 2200 mm of rain every year, 70% of which comes down in July and August. The citys sewage water drainage (SWD), which stretches along a length of 2,000km  equal to the distance between Delhi and Bangalore  and includes underground drains and nullahs (open channels), can handle 25 mm of rain per hour at low tide. Since all of Mumbais drains empty into the Arabian Sea, tides affect the discharge. On August 29, Mumbai received 315mm of rain from 8.30am to 8.30pm  an average of 26mm per hour. The flow of rainwater was impeded by high tide in the afternoon.

Environment experts have said that Mumbai can reduce the impact of heavy rains if its restores sections of the flood plains of its rivers. Apart from the Dahisar, the Mithi, Poinsar and Oshiwara flow through the city. The Mithi has a catchment area of 73 square kilometres, which means it has to carry rain water run-off from 12% of Mumbais area. In Mumbai, where land is expensive, buying properties from private owners to create flood plains can be difficult. Environment experts said there are solutions to this problem.

Dr Rakesh Kumar, environment scientists from the National Environment Engineering Research Institute, said, The National Green Tribunal and the Supreme Court have given orders against construction in flood plains. If there is construction in the flood plain then do engineering to remove the problem or remove the obstruction, said Kumar. Anything else is a compromise.

Kumar said that local planning authorities should define the course of rivers passing through the river. Definition of flood plains and demarcation is required if land planning is to be done, said Kumar, The problem, he added, is when, after demarcating the course of the river, local authorities build retaining walls along the course.

Both the Mithi and Dahisar have been constricted by walls. Environmentalists have reported that construction of a retaining wall along the lower reaches of the Mithi at Bandra-Kurla-Complex by the Mumbai Metropolitan Regional Development Authority  the regional planning authority  is destroying aquatic vegetation. Walls have been constructed at the upper reaches in Aarey. Though Dahisar has fewer such barriers, there are concrete walls along some sections. Building a retaining wall is constricting a river. The retaining walls are not to be constructed. Every river has its own character and one formula does not fit every river, said Kumar. If it has to be rejuvenated please revert it back (to its natural state). If there are some difficulties engineering methods can be used.
Two men were arrested on Saturday for allegedly conspiring with the house help at a 66-year-old womans residence and robbing her of Rs37 lakh in Khar (West) on August 31.

The Khar police arrested Hasheem Asik Ali Shaikh, 30, and Santosh Ramana Ghoghe, 21.

They are now on the lookout for Raju, the domestic help, who is said to be the mastermind.

A police officer said, We arrested Shaikh and Ghoghe on Saturday night and they were remanded in police custody till September 6. We have recovered some of the stolen cash from them. They said they used a toy gun to scare the woman. We are on the lookout for the third accused who worked as a cook for the family.

The incident took place at Kaushalya Gurbanis 7th floor home at Murumal mansion building in Khar on August 31.

Raju, 28, had been working at her place for more than a year and was referred by a domestic help who worked at her relatives home. The Gurbanis did not get him registered with the Khar police, said an officer.

Raju used to come to the house twice a day. He used to sleep in the security guards cabin in the building, said Gurbani.

On Thursday, after he saw that Gurbanis husband Chandu, a contractor, her son, daughter-in-law and grandson were not at home, he allegedly let Shaikh and Ghoghe into the house after they rang the bell.

They threatened her at gunpoint, gagged and tied her after she gave them the key to a locker which contained Rs30 lakh in cash and gold, said the police.

They collected the valuables and fled. After a few minutes, the woman managed to free herself and informed her family members and neighbours, who alerted the police, said an officer.
Officials of the Ghaziabad district administration will soon finalise their inquiry report on alleged irregularities in purchase of land for the Delhi-Meerut Expressway project. The divisional commissioner of Meerut had ordered a probe after receiving complaints in this regard.

In the complaint made to the divisional commissioner, it was alleged that certain officials allegedly connived with private parties and purchased land in the name of their relatives, after notification was issued, to earn huge profits as the compensation amount was increased manifold during the arbitration. According to sources, nearly 450 sale deeds of land purchase are under the scanner.

It has come to light that the land acquisition was done in August 2012 and the rate was decided at Rs1,100 per square metre. Later, some plots was sold at a higher rate, Rs1,700-Rs1,800 per sq m and the land was later put in arbitration, following which Rs6,000-Rs7,000 was paid per sq m, an official source said.

As per law, the land, after the issue of a notification, vests with the acquiring authority and its sale or purchase are not allowed. However, the issue cropped up after complaints were made to divisional commissioner Dr Prabhat Kumar.

It is also alleged that certain officials allegedly misused their position to divulge details to private parties, including their relatives, who are among those who allegedly purchased land. Sources said that based on the inquiry, an investigation could also be launched against officials and their relatives, who allegedly purchased land after notification.

The officials who are a part of the inquiry team refused to comment on the issue but said that the inquiry is in final stages.

Dr Kumar said that necessary action will be taken once the inquiry report is submitted.

We have received several complaints that few government officials, after the land acquisition notification, purchased land in the name of relatives and earned profits after the compensation amount was increased during the arbitration stage. I have directed the Ghaziabad district magistrate to inquire and submit the report within 15 days, said Dr Prabhat Kumar had told Hindustan Times when he had ordered the inquiry.

A total of nearly 266 hectares, falling in 18 villages of Ghaziabad, was acquired for the Delhi-Meerut Expressway project. Sources said the sale and purchase of land belonging to several villages Nahal, Dasna, Kushaliya and villages in Murad Nagar  is under the scanner.

In December 2015, Prime Minister Narendra Modi had laid the foundation stone for the 74km expressway project and upgrading of the 22km Dasna-Hapur section of National Highway-24.

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A day after a Bharatiya Janata Party leader was murdered at Khoda in Ghaziabad, police said the victim was told by unidentified persons that someone had hired killers to eliminate him.

Gajendra Bhati, 34, was gunned down and the BJPs mandal head Balbir Chauhan suffered bullet injuries when two unidentified bikers opened fire on them near Mangal Bazar on Saturday afternoon.

The victim was told nearly a fortnight back that a fielding was in place for him to kill him. To confirm this, we are questioning hardcore criminals in Dasna jail. We have come to know that the victim had rivalries with 4-5 hardcore criminals, who could have hatched the conspiracy, said a senior police officer.

The terminology fielding is popular among criminals and used when they hire shooters and set them behind a target. The police are probing if the killing had any political angle to it as Khoda is a major voter base.

The police said they will also take help from central agencies to help them identify the two bikers who led the attack. The police already have some images of the two bikers but the pictures are not very clear.

Apart from this, the cops are probing if an incident was staged in Khoda just before the assailants arrived. On Saturday afternoon, there were rumours that pieces of meat were found at a religious place and both Bhati and Chauhan had gone to the site to pacify people.

Police said it could be part of the plan to draw him out of his house as he was already aware that some contract killers were behind him.

He had left his Scorpio and was travelling back home after visiting the spot on a bike. It was then when he was shot dead by the two bikers. I and my sister-in-law saw them firing and we can identify them if they are produced before us. It is a political killing.My brother was about to contest the chairman election of the nagar palika, said Yogesh Bhati, the victims brother.

He accused former MLA Amarpal Sharma and lodged an FIR against him and two unidentified bikers. Sharma has denied any role in the case and said he was ready to face any probe.

The family suspected the role of former MLA and we are investigating it. We are probing the victims rivalries with other persons. All angles are being probed, said HN Singh, senior superintendent of police, Ghaziabad.

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China and India have been locked in a military standoff in a remote section of the Himalayas for a couple of months. At first it appeared to be the latest of the minor clashes that have flared between the countries for decades. But this time it has lasted longer than usual. There are two questions to be answered. The first is what is the geopolitical interest, if any, that is driving the standoff? The second is why is it happening now?

The geopolitical issue is that China and India are both heavily populated countries with substantial military forces, including nuclear weapons. They are both industrializing rapidly, and they can both theoretically challenge each other on multiple levels  militarily, politically and economically. In fact, these challenges are all merely theoretical, but geopolitics operates at the level of possibility, and the possibility of a challenge is present, however remote. But before their rivalry can turn into full-fledged war, theres one massive obstacle that would need to be overcome. The Moderating Power of Mountains China and India are next to each other, but in a certain sense they dont really share a border. The Himalayas separate them almost as much as an ocean would. Getting over the mountains is difficult; roads are sparse and generally in poor condition. It is easier to trade with each other by sea than land. Sending and supplying major military forces into and across the Himalayas is almost impossible. The roads and passes wont permit the passage of enough supplies to sustain large numbers of troops in intense combat. In that sense, China and India are secure from each other.

Both countries have nuclear weapons, and obviously, anything is possible. But neither side has anything to gain from a nuclear exchange. The Soviets and Americans avoided a nuclear exchange during the Cold War, and the Indians and Chinese have far less to gain from an exchange than they did.

China and India arent exactly equals  theyre close economically, but even that is a stretch. But the Himalayas are the equalizer, and the Himalayas arent going away.

(click to enlarge) Conflict by Other Means Their militaries may not be able to easily cross the Himalayas, but it takes little effort for them to attack each other politically. On the north side of the Himalayas lies Tibet. It is a plateau, consisting of a non-Chinese population, that was temporarily independent until it was reoccupied by China in the 1950s. In the chaos that followed the Chinese invasion, Tibets leader, the Dalai Lama, fled to India, where he was welcomed. The Dalai Lama continues to symbolize Tibetan independence, and Tibet continues to be restive under Chinese rule.

What is most important about Tibet is that it lies on the other side of the Himalayas from India. If Tibet became independent by some means and allied with India, then theoretically an Indian force could be based there and, in time, could build up a logistical system that could support an attack into China itself. This is all far-fetched, but given history, a prudent state must take the preposterous into account. History is filled with examples of the inconceivable becoming reality.

This, then, explains Chinas obsession with Tibet and its anger at Indias support for the Dalai Lama. The Chinese core, Han China, is protected by buffers: Tibet, Xinjiang, Inner Mongolia and Manchuria. The last two are not a problem. Xinjiang has a significant Islamist movement. But Tibet is hostile and has a foreign patron. Beijing is therefore, if not obsessed, extremely concerned about Tibet and India.

(click to enlarge) That is the Chinese issue. Indias concern is the same in reverse. There are two other states on the southern side of the Himalayas: Bhutan and Nepal. Both are on plateaus. If China gained control of or a presence in either, it could also mass forces and logistical supplies and potentially threaten India with military force.

Nepal in particular concerns India, because it has been politically unstable and has a Maoist movement. Nepal also values its independence and resents Indias intrusions in its affairs. The Chinese have been solicitous of the independence of both countries, and just this week, Chinas vice premier visited Nepal for four days. Before that visit, Indias foreign minister was in Nepal, and Nepals prime minister will visit India on Aug. 25. Suspicion abounds. The Indians are as suspicious of Chinas intentions south of the Himalayas as China is of Indias north of them. A Political Solution A large-scale invasion would be a logistical nightmare for either country to orchestrate, but technically not impossible. The two did conduct a war in Tibet in 1962 for about month. Yet the brevity of the war speaks to the high cost and complexity of waging battle at 14,000 feet, so much so that it strongly discourages war. But a political evolution in Tibet or Nepal could change the balance. If Tibet threw out the Chinese and invited the Indians in, China would actually be in danger. If Nepal created a pro-Chinese government and invited in the Chinese while the Indians werent looking, the same could happen in reverse. And India is poking at Tibet and China at Nepal, the latter with some possibility of success.

The likelihood of either Tibet or Nepal moving out of Chinas or Indias sphere of influence is doubtful. Its hard to imagine that either could foment a sustainable uprising. If it were to happen, though, it could only be taken advantage of by one or the other having secured a road through the Himalayas that could support the movement of troops and supplies.

It is the Chinese now who are trying half-heartedly to build such a road into Bhutan. But there is a long way to go, and India will resist all the way. If the road even made it through, it would be met with a blocking force. Of course, a pro-Chinese government installed in Nepal or Bhutan would complicate the matter. If the Chinese could rapidly insert some troops, causing the Indians to have to initiate combat against Chinese forces, there is an outside chance that it could work, just as under even more trying circumstances it might work for India in Tibet.

India and China are separated by terrain. There is no military solution to that, but in this case, there might be a political solution. If that were to happen, then we could speak of a China-India rivalry in real terms, rather than in the vague, notional ways we speak now. And both sides are prepared to devote minor military force and major political power to prevent it from happening.

It is unlikely in the extreme that any of this will come to bear. But in a world where the impossible is not an absolute, neither country is prepared to gamble. And so they skirmish in altitudes at the limits of human endurance for a far-fetched possibility. Nations do not take their national security lightly merely because the threat is preposterous.
The Noida authority has decided to develop canteen, creche and housing facilities for industrial workers and professional in new industrial sectors to be developed along the Noida-Greater Noida Expressway.

The authority will first develop Sector 155, where it will provide small and big industrial plots to interested corporate houses, entrepreneurs and those who want to set up startups. Once sector 155 is developed, the authority will develop two more industrial sectors, 156 and 157, along the Expressway that connects Delhi with Greater Noida.

There are around 20 existing industrial sectors in Noida housing around 8,000 big or small industrial units dealing in automobile, electronics and garment products, etc.

But the authority had not provided well-planned spaces for canteen, creches and housing for industrial workers in the industrial sectors.

As a result, temporary food vans that operate from roads catered to the thousands of industrial workers in these areas. It leads to traffic congestion and chaos, inconvenience to motorists.

To ensure the factory workers get quality food at their workplace we have decided to earmark spaces for canteen and creches in these three sectors. We want roads to remain congestion-free in these three sectors. Women professionals and factory workers can make use of the creches, said Amit Mohan Prasad, chief executive officer of the Noida authority.

Out of its 500 acres of industrial land, the Noida authority has decided to carve out small plots in Sector 155 for industrial use. Noida has 500 hectares of industrial land out of which it will carve out three industrial sectors.

UP Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath had directed the Noida authority to focus on industrial growth with an aim to create jobs for youth. Following the instructions, the authority will soon allot industrial plots in sector 155.

After that it will come up with plots in two other sectors.

We have decided to construct flats for the economically weaker section category in sector 155. Factory workers have to stay in villages or unauthorised areas because the authority did not construct adequate housing facilities for such people.

The authority wants to ensure three new sectors get cheap EWS flats so that factory workers can live there. It will reduce traffic congestion as factory workers will not need to travel much, said another Noida authority official.

The authority is yet to finalise the number of flats to be built under the EWS category.

Noida should have constructed at least 30-35 percent EWS flats out of the total flats built, to ensure accommodation to factory workers. Around 3 lakh workers are engaged in industrial units here. But most of them live in unhygienic conditions in villages or unauthorized areas, said Anil Garg, social activist.

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Two days after a large part of Delhis Ghazipur landfill collapsed and swept several people into a canal, the Greater Noida authority on Sunday said that it has expedited work on its waste-to-energy project at the Astoli landfill site. Two people died in East Delhi after a large part of the landfill collapsed on Friday afternoon.

Two well-planned industrial towns in Uttar Pradesh  Noida and Greater Noida  located near Delhi still dump their solid waste on vacant land and pits near residential or industrial areas. Noida was established in 1976 and Greater Noida was set up in 1992. Noida produces around 660 metric tonnes solid wastes daily and the Greater Noida generates 200 metric tonnes of solid waste daily but both towns are yet to have a facility to scientifically treat the waste.

We have prepared an estimate for the waste-to-energy project to be set up at Astoli landfill site. We will issue a tender to select a private agency, in two to three days, for running the plant. We hope that by 2017-end, the agency will start setting up the plant for disposing of the waste. We have expedited the process after the Ghazipur incident, said Rajendra Bhati, senior manager of the Greater Noida authority.

In January, the Noida authority had decided to dump municipal solid waste at Greater Noidas Astoli landfill site from March-end to end dumping of solid waste on vacant plots in the city. However, the plan is yet to materialize.

Developing a landfill site and a facility to scientifically dispose of the solid waste was never a priority for the top officials and the state governments. The Greater Noida authority used to dump its solid waste next to our village, causing health issues to villagers. After we wrote several letters, they found another vacant land to dump the waste. It is pathetic that two cities with plum budgets are yet to develop a waste-to-energy plant. Each year, they set a new deadline to start operations on the landfill site, said Vikrant Tongad, an environmentalist, and resident of Greater Noidas Khedi Bhanauta village.

Although the Noida authority allotted almost 20,000 hectares for housing, commercial, industrial and institutional purposes, it could not finalize a site for landfill due to the protest by the residents.

Wherever we want to set up a landfill in Noida, residents protest and are worried about the smell and health issues. Therefore, we decided to use the 110 acres in Greater Noidas Astoli. We want to set up a waste-to-energy plant to ensure that waste is not turned into a mountain like it did in Ghazipur. We will recycle all waste, such as making bricks out of construction waste, compost from biodegradable waste and other products from segregated waste once the facility comes up, said Raghunandan Yadav, senior project engineer of the Noida authoritys health department.

The Noida authority dumps waste on vacant plots in sectors 62, 138A and 85, among other areas. Sector 137 residents have filed a petition in the National Green Tribunal protesting waste dumping in Sector 138A on the grounds that is causing health problems and piles of garbage are increasing daily.

We have decided to develop a 20-acre landfill either in Sector 123 or Sector 150 for making compost out of biodegradable waste. Remaining waste will be transported to Astoli once the facility is made operational. Therefore, residents need not worry as treating waste scientifically is our priority, said Yadav.

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Leaders of Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa (BRICS) have gathered this past weekend for the ninth annual BRICS summit in Xiamen, China. The prolonged Himalayan standoff between India and China will cast its shadows on this meet and will certainly add a new dimension to discussions on the future of this plurilateral.

The BRICS emerged out of a global order dominated and managed by the United States (US) post the break of the Soviet Union. The US led institutions catalysed global trade and financial flows, which in turn also helped in the organic growth of most of the BRICS economies. Despite their growth, their marginal role in management of key global institutions created an undesirable asymmetry in world affairs. BRICS came about as a vehicle to respond to this, and together they hoped, they would be able to loosen the vice-like grip the Atlantic system had on existing governance institutions.

There were two unstated principles that shaped the ethics of the BRICS formation. First, each nation placed a premium on sovereignty and its importance in the conduct of world affairs, and second, each state sought greater pluralism and equity in decision-making processes in a multipolar world.

The China and India standoff at Doklam compels us to revisit these organising principles. The Doklam incident was a contest around sovereign concerns. These concerns are rooted in history and muddied by Chinas determination to implement a political and economic arrangement across Asia that is insensitive to the territorial rights of India. The Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) and the associated China Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) are but thinly veiled attempts to shape an Asian order that plays by the Chinese rulebook alone. While BRICS symbolises a multipolar world, BRI and CPEC are the harsh face of an undesirable and unipolar Asia.

Further, Chinas latest attempt at creating a BRICS Plus platform, comprised of states who happen to be key actors in the BRI, makes it clear that it sees BRICS as an adjunct of the BRI and merely as a vehicle to catalyse its larger ambitions.

These events make it clear that we must shed the romantic notion that ideological convergence is possible within BRICS. Each member must see the group for what it isa twenty first century limited purpose partnership among states to achieve specific sets of outcomes. There is nothing inherently improper about such an alliance, however, if progress is to be made, it will be predicated on creating effectively designed institutions.

The most successful BRICS endeavour has been the creation of the New Development Bank. The time has come to build on this initiative and focus on creating more institutions for greater cooperation in issues such as finance, urbanisation, sustainable development and the digital space. This could include setting up a BRICS credit ratings agency, a BRICS research institution and institutionalising the process of managing the global commons such as the oceans and outer space.

It is obvious that each of the BRICS members will have their own reasons for being at Xiamen. Russia continues to see it as a geopolitical bulwark against the US, all the while tacitly acquiescing to Chinese leadership. South Africa will present itself as the leading voice of the African world and will raise issues of peace and development for the continent at the summit, while Brazil, which is undergoing a period of domestic turmoil, is unlikely to be too innovative or demanding. China is far more certain of what it seeks.

For India, this years summit becomes important. India will have to learn the fine art of staring down the dragon to preserve its political space, while embracing China for some important economic opportunities. At Doklam, it did the former; will a different India turn up at BRICS? Forums like Xiamen allow India and China the chance to begin anew.

As we enter the second decade of BRICS, Xiamen would have to be the arena where the members recommit to upholding the founding principles of the BRICS. Thereafter, they must chart a new roadmap for greater institutionalisation of the groups interests.

Samir Saran is vice president at the Observer Research Foundation and tweets at @samirsaran

The views expressed are personal
Patna After facing a huge embarrassment, caused by age-forgery by the deposed intermediate (arts) topper Ganesh Kumar alias Ganesh Ram, earlier this year, the Bihar School Examination Board (BSEB) has decided to make the Aadhaar number or the number of any other valid identity card, mandatory for filling up the forms for matriculation and intermediate exams from 2018.

However, from 2019, Aadhaar number will be mandatory in all examinations conducted by it and alternative identity cards will become inadmissible, according to BSEB chairman Anand Kishore.

The number will be mentioned on the admit card of candidates to prevent any Ganesh-type recurrence.It will do away with spelling mistakes in names and age, he added. The CBSE and UGC have already made this mandatory for several important examinations and for all state boards it is now a requirement.

The process of linking midday meal distribution with the Aadhaar number is already on in the state as part of the nationwide drive to identify the genuine beneficiaries and provide them subsidy through banks.

Earlier this year, the results of intermediate (arts) led to a row after it was detected that Ganesh had fudged his age to take the exam a second time from Sanjay Gandhi Vidyalay, Lakshminia in Samastipur. He showed his date of birth as June 2, 1993.

Later, it was found that his actual date of birth when he took the matriculation exam for the first time was November 7, 1975 and he appeared from a school in Jharkhand. He later got into Ramnandan Singh Jagdip Narayan Intermediate College College, from where he topped in IA.

The CBSE has already made the Aadhaar card mandatory for all students taking JEE (Mains) and NEET exams. However, it had waived off the requirement for its schools in 25 foreign countries and asked them to upload passport numbers.

In Delhi university also, students are required to furnish the Aadhaar number at the time of admission.

Some of the state boards have also decided to make the Aadhaar number mandatory. The UP board has instructed the officials concerned for making the Aadhaar number necessary for filling up forms.

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The Punjab government on Saturday instructed all deputy commissioners and district police authorities to register first information reports (FIRs) against fraudulent agents selling fake forms of Beti Bachao Beti Padhao scheme to claim cash incentives.

An official spokesperson of the state government said taking cognisance of media reports alleging that some individuals and organisations are selling fake forms for the registration of beneficiaries of the Beti Bachao Beti Padhao scheme to claim the cash incentive of 2 lakh provided to girls under it.

The social security, women and child development department has clearly specified that the scheme has no provision for individual cash component and it is not a direct benefit transfer scheme, the spokesman said.

He said the social security department advised the people to be vigilant against such agents who were collecting money from innocent people under the garb of this scheme.

It has also been advised that if anyone found selling the form, the matter must immediately be brought to the notice of district administration and departments officials so that appropriate action could be taken against such anti-social elements, he added. IANS
Was it possible to avoid the violence in Panchkula that claimed more than lives after the rape conviction of Dera Sacha Sauda chief Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh on August 25?

A letter of Panchkulas since-suspended deputy commissioner of police (DCP) Ashok Kumar has surfaced in which he alarmed the civil administration boss, deputy comomissioner Gauri Prashar Joshi, and urged to call in the army to maintain law and order a day before the verdict. But that was not done even though more than 1 lakh supporters of the Sirsa-headquartered sect had assembled in the town ahead of the judgment day.

Since the day of the violence and the action by security forces  including the army that was eventually called in  the local administration has been busy patting its back, claiming that DC Joshi saved the town by requisitioning the army soon after the clashes broke out between dera followers and the police and paramilitary. But, off the record, top police officials said calling in the army in advance could have been more effective.

Now, HT is in possession of the letter dated August 24 in which DCP Kumar mentioned that with a large number of dera followers from different states camping in Panchkula, it was not possible to control them, and that the possibility of violation of law and order was very high. In view of this, I recommend that army be called to maintain law and order, were his words.

In the letter, he also apprehended that deployment of paramilitary was insufficient as only 13 companies had reached that day. And that was not the only letter he wrote. In a follow-up in the evening, he went on to say that all the existing resources of the police were exhausted.

While the role of the dera chiefs core team is under investigation for allegedly instigating the violence, DCP Kumar is the first and only major casualty so far when he was suspended for alleged dereliction of duty. As per an estimate, properties worth Rs 10 crore were vandalised in Panchkula, including burning of a hotel, bank, and several government buildings.

When HT sought to contact DC Joshi on Saturday, calls and text message went unanswered. Sources close to her said she began efforts to seek armys requisition as early as August 19 but could not manage deployment in time.

President of the local citizen welfare association, SK Nayyar, when contacted, said, It does not matter how officials exchanged correspondence. The fact remains that Panchkula was already in turmoil when clashes broke out. This clearly reflects the complete failure of governance here.

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A day after 21 student organisations filed their nominations for the Panjab University Campus Students Council (PUCSC) elections, the dean, students welfare (DSW), on Saturday released the final list after scrutiny, objections and withdrawals.

Of the 48 candidates who had filed nominations for the post of president, only nine passed the scrutiny.

The authorities said it will be the first time that as many students are in the fray for the top post. Usually, there are just five candidates in the fray.

However, two of the candidates are from the same party  National Youth Association (NYA).

Two party members filed nominations for the post of president by mistake, said NYA spokesperson Dr Jaideep. Due to some confusion, they could not withdraw the nomination. We will hold a press conference on Monday to announce who among the two is the final candidate.

Meanwhile, PU officials maintained that there are nine presidential candidates in the fray.

Also, six candidatures were finalised for the post of vice-president against 46 filed and 10 each for the posts of secretary and joint secretary. A total of 59 candidates had filed nominations for the post of secretary and 54 for joint secretary.

Major parties go solo

Breaking from the norm set in the past elections, as many as three main contenders  National Students Union of India (NSUI), Students for Society (SFS) and Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP)  have decided not to form any alliance this year.

Of the 21 student parties in the fray, these three besides two minor players  Hindustan Students Association (HSA) and NYA  have decided to go solo.

While the NSUI and SFS have fielded candidates on all the four posts of president, vice-president, general secretary and joint secretary, the ABVP is only vying for the presidents post.

Other presidential candidates are from the Students Federation of India (SFI); Panjab University Students Union (PUSU) and PU Helping Hand (PUHH) combine; and the alliance of Students Organisation of India (SOI), National Students Organisation (NSO), Independent Student Association (ISA) and Pal Pehalwan Students Organisation (PPSO). Out of the nine candidates, one is an independent.

A new strategy

After 2013, it will be the first time that the NSUI will be contesting the election independently. In 2014, the Congress student wing was in the fray in alliance with the National Students Organisation (NSO) while in 2015 it joined hands with Himachal Pradesh Student Union (HPSU) and HSA. Last year, it formed an alliance with Himachal Student Union (HIMSU).

Even as NSUI has announced no alliance, the Gandhi Group Students Union (GGSU) has offered its unconditional support to the party.

We wanted to adopt a new strategy, said a senior NSUI leader. There is this misconception that we can only with support of other parties. We want to prove such naysayers wrong.

The ABVP, student wing of the Bharatiya Janata Party, has also decided not to forge any alliance this time after having contested the 2016 elections along with the SOI and with the PUSU a year before that. Even in 2014, it had gone solo.

This is not the first time that we are contesting the elections independently, said ABVP state president Saurabh Kapoor. But for the first time we are vying for only the presidential post.

Kapoor said the decision was taken as this year both PUSU and SOI didnt looking winnable.

Meanwhile, the SFS, which has been contesting the election alone since 2014, claimed forming an alliance is not an option.

We belong to a revolutionary party, said SFS spokesperson Harmandeep. Our ideology does not match with that of any other organisation. Thus forming an alliance is not possible in our case.

SOPU nominations not cleared

Meanwhile, none of the nominations filed by the Students Organisation of Panjab University (SOPU) were cleared. Party chairman Laddi Singh said they are in talks with SOI and NSUI for an alliance.

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Two women have emerged as presidential candidates in two UT coed colleges after the final list of nominations was released on Saturday. Tasmeen Kaur Sekhon of Sri Guru Gobind Singh College (SGGSC), Sector 26, is contesting the seat against one male student, while Garima Rawat of Government College for Commerce and Business Administration (GCCBA), Sector 50, is in the race against two other male candidates.

Sekhon is a student of second-year MCom and a member of the Khalsa College Student Union (KCSU). Rawat, also a student of second-year MCom, is a member of the Students Organisation of India (SOI).

The colleges released the final list of candidates after withdrawals of nominations. All candidates will be fighting for the posts of office-bearers and class representatives in Panjab University Campus Students Council (PUCSC) elections on September 7.

Sekhon joined the KCSU in her first year of college. She is from Patiala and stays in the college hostel. She became interested in politics when she joined the student union.

The college is usually thought to be a boys-led college. I wanted to change that. A woman can also be the face of politics in a college like this, she said.

Sekhon added, I was always interested in politics and wanted to take up issues of female students. This is the prime reason that I decided to contest the election.

She further said she will work for girls hostel issues and also provide them with a separate common room as many felt awkward with boys sitting around in groups.

ACADEMIC EXCELLENCE, HYGIENE MAIN ISSUES

For Rawat, academic excellence of her college and hygiene are core issues. I will work for raising the academic excellence of my college if I win. SD College is on top in commerce but ours is a specialised institution. I will work to change the status of our college, she said.

She added, Another important issue is hygiene. I will ensure that a sanitary napkin machine is put up in washrooms for women.
Despite effective handling of the situation in the aftermath of the conviction and sentencing of Dera Sacha Sauda head Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh by the Congress government in Punjab, the ruling party seems divided over its approach towards the premis (the dera followers), a substantial number of whom are living in Malwa region of the state.

A large section of the party leadership from the Malwa belt and some senior Dalit leaders from the Doaba region are clearly not happy the way the state government has abandoned the dera followers and failed to condemn the killing of over 30 premis in the police firing.

They also disapprove of the state governments move not to provide any compensation to those families of Punjab whose kith and kin lost their lives or were injured in Panchkula on August 25 after the conviction of Ram Rahim in a rape case.

However, only two Congress leaders  Indian Youth Congress (INC) president Amrinder Singh Raja Warring and health minister Brahm Mohindra  have so far publically expressed sympathies with the premis.

In a statement issued on Friday, Mohindra, the senior most minister in the Amarinders cabinet, advocated the cause of premis saying they are after all human beings.

He had also stated that he would take up the issue of paying compensation to the families of the dera followers from Punjab who lost their lives in Panchkula.

However, such is the ambiguity in the party over the issue that Mohindra was compelled to withdraw his statement a few hours later, fearing that it may upset the chief minister, who had announced that no compensation will be given to the affected families.

There are many leaders who think like Mohindra but they are hesitating to express their opinion, fearing that the media may project their views as contrary to the party line, admitted an MLA from Sangrur.

Chief minister Amarinder Singh has been widely hailed for effective handling of the situation. In fact, with apt media management, he scored over his Haryana counterpart Manohar Lal Khattar, despite the latter having managed to control the violence within a few hours. But politically too, we need to offer the premis the much-needed olive branch, as they are currently feeling dejected and being projected as criminals, said a former minister from Malwa.

Irrespective of the official support announced by the dera to the BJP in Haryana and the Akali Dal in Punjab in assembly elections, a substantial number of its followers belonging to the lower strata of society are considered to be Congress supporters.

The two premis who died in my constituency were my supporters. They have not gone there to kill anybody and were innocent. As an MLA, it was my duty to visit their families. Otherwise too, we are in the government and I dont have any hesitation in accepting that we should stand by those followers who are innocent. They are our own people, Warring told HT.

A senior Dalit leader from Doaba also said most of those killed and injured in the police firing at Panchkula belonged to the Dalit community and the party should adopt an indifferent approach towards them.

We have gained administratively, but labelling all followers as anti-state elements would go against us, he added.

When contacted, Punjab Pradesh Congress Committee (PPCC) chief Sunil Jakhar said every citizen has the right to worship whosoever they want to and the Congress government in Punjab would not force anybody to follow or shun anyone.

On this issue, I have only read a few statements in the media. If there is some confusion among the minds of party leaders, we can sit and sort it out, he added.

QUOTE1 We are in the government and I dont have any hesitation in accepting that we should stand by those followers who are innocent. They are our own people.

Amrinder Singh Raja Warring, Indian Youth Congress president

QUOTE2 On this issue, I have only read a few statements in the media. If there is some confusion among the minds of party leaders, we can sit and sort it out.

Sunil Jakhar, state Congress chief

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The administration has ordered the resumption of Haryana roadways bus services from Sirsa to other places, but all 15 passenger and Express trains from the town have been off tracks since August 24.

The authorities are giving no timeline on when the services will resume, claiming that trains had been stopped to ensure that law and order returns to completely normal. Government railway police (GRP) superintendent of police Kamaldeep Goyal said, To maintain law and order situation in Sirsa, the railways has been asked not to start trains. We will conduct a meeting with Haryana government officials soon. The local Sirsa administration also has to provide inputs on whether the condition has returned to normal in the district.

Other sources with the GRP added, Dera followers can gather in Sirsa using trains from different areas. The GRP police have been asked to monitor the situation and to send reports to the local administration and higher authorities of railways.

Commuters harassed, pay through the nose

Daily commuters to Sirsa as a harassed lot. Sanjay Goyal a daily passenger from Sirsa to Hisar said, I work with a private company in Hisar and I commute by train. Now, we are facing huge loss as we are taking bus to reach Hisar everyday. A bus ticket costs double the train fare.

Another commuter Sheetal Kumar, a goldsmith in Adampur Mandi of district Hisar, says, A train is the best option to reach Adampur from Sirsa. I now have to take a bus from Sirsa to Fatehabad and then change the bus for Adampur.

Vendors stare at losses

Vendors at railway stations are also facing loss as no trains are running from Sirsa. Ramesh Kumar, who sells tea at Sirsa railway station, said, With trains suspended, I am finding it very difficult to make ends meet. We request the administration to start trains again.

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A dead body duct taped in a blue tarp and attached to a cord weighed down by a cinder block was discovered in a Brooklyn marina on Saturday, authorities said.

The unidentified man was located near East 58 Street and Avenue U in Mill Basin at around 11 a.m. yesterday, police said. He was pronounced dead at the scene, and the cause of death is currently being investigated by the New York City Medical Examiner.

There were no obvious signs of trauma, investigators said, and the corpse was not badly decomposed.



(RLJR News)

According to Mill Basin resident Stephanie Kelso, the wrapped body had been there since at least Friday night. "A friend of mine was on the phone here last night and she was walking and said she noticed a blue tarp floating in the water," Kelso told NBC. "Didn't think anything of it until we hear today."

"I'm surprised, it's very unusual for this area," Kelso added. "Not something we expect."

The investigation into the cause of a death, and who might be responsible, is ongoing.
Unshakeable faith in jailed rape convict Gurmeet Singh Ram Rahim and his return, even as he has been jailed for 20 years. This is what remains with you, as you return after a visit to Naseebpura village, 5 km off the Bathinda-Talwandi Sabo Road.

Most Dera Sacha Sauda supporters here  500 of 700 families  though have taken to hiding the symbol of their faith, the locket that depicts his picture. It lies close to their chest, but is concealed under the buttoned-up shirts. Most of the population that supports the Baba is poor and is from Scheduled Castes.

All of us have donated our eyes. Such wisdom has come from our guru (the dera chief only). He will return.

All of us have donated our eyes (after death). Such wisdom has come from our guru (the dera chief only), says panchayat member Nachhatar Singh (60).

He (their guru) will return soon at the dera headquarters. We will sacrifice our lives if something happens to him, he claimed. Balwinder Singh, another villager, rationalised, on the hidden lockets. The atmosphere is tense. The media exaggerated the issue and provoked the premis. Now, we need to be careful.

An angry Sukhminder Kaur  women had been largely silent  who stood behind the men, shouted back to a query, Baba Wapis Aayuga (The godman will return). At this, youths remonstrated that TV channels had turned their guru into a villian.

As the elders pacified them, one of them claimed that he came out of dera headquarters on the night of Wednesday last (August 30) after a week. There is no message from the dera as yet, he replied, when asked whether a successor had been announced. Nobody can dare to take his (the dera chiefs) position, he will return, another elderly man shouted. Others murmured in unison.

Independent political say

This Naseebpura village had posed its voice of dissent in the Punjab assembly elections earlier this year, voting for AAPs winning candidate Baljider Kaur. This went against the dera's then clarion call to vote for the Shiromani Akali Dal. Akalis failed to fullfill the promise of digging out themuch-needed minor canal for irrigation, during their

10-year regime, Nachhattar said.

2007 Dera-Sikh clash haunts

Premis also recall that a 2007 Akal Takht edict that called for boycott of the 'Premis' led to hardships during the Dera-Sikh clashes in 2007. They (Sikhs) refused to give us utensils and beddings from the local gurdwara, when these were needed for marriages and other family functions, and since then our 'Bhaichara' (dera community) makes its own arrangement, Nachhattar said.

We are counted among the Sikh population during the census, and we equally regard Guru Granth Sahib as our holy scriptures, and have faith in Guru Gobind Singh, said a young man, who lamented the rift between the 'premis' and the Sikhs.

Caste divide even among premis

Dera followers in the village are from SC poor families, of whom the Ravidasiyas have their separate cremation ground. The Majhbi also had a cremation ground. Their land was taken away for waterworks. The cremation ground is now shared with the jat Sikhs, Nachhattar explained.

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You may travel to Japan, but not get to meet a geisha. Like a rare wildlife sighting, real-life geishas can be elusive creatures to capture on camera. Graceful and discreet, the ladies are not known to stop and pose for a photo, but are more apt to scurry off to their appointment, head bowed. Women who do ham it up for photos are likely to be tourists dressed up as geishas.

Enter the Maikoya Osaka, a cultural center in Osaka, billed as a space where visitors can meet openly with a geisha apprentice known as a maiko, and learn about traditional Japanese art. It occupies a space in the Shinmachi area that used to house a geisha house until the mid-1980s. A geisha must be good at traditional Japanese arts and crafts such as the tea ceremony, putting on a kimono, playing the shamisen, doing flower arrangement, and performing buyoo, a traditional Japanese dance, said Maiko Cafe manager Miho Hirata.

We want to teach the world that geishas are artisans not courtesans. Traditionally, the geisha world has been a mysterious, secret society, jealously guarded by an inner circle of connections, and completely inaccessible to foreigners. But in recent years, tourists willing to pay upwards of $1,000 have been able to score an evening at a traditional ochaya (teahouse) for the privilege of an authentic geisha experience, via connected concierges working at five-star hotels and luxury ryokans (traditional Japanese inns).

Those with smaller budgets can now learn the art of the tea ceremony with a maiko for about $90 at the Maiko Cafe. The menu also features golden ice cream and a $300 Kobe beef sandwich, covered in gold flakes. An English-speaking translator is present so that nothing is lost in translation. The best odds of spying a geisha are, of course, in Kyoto, the birthplace of geisha culture. Gion Hatanaka in Kyoto offers a package deal for a meal in a traditional tatami room, and the company of a maiko.

Follow @htlifeandstyle for more
Following several cinematic adaptations based on the exploits of Byomkesh Bakshi, the popular Bengali fictional sleuth will now feature in a web series.

Bengali actor Anirban Bhattacharya will play Byomkesh, a creation of acclaimed author Sharadindu Bandyopadhyay, while Bollywood actor Subrat Dutta will play the role of the detectives assistant, Ajit.

Actor Riddhima Ghosh will don the role of Satyabati, Byomkeshs wife.

The web series will be available on Bengali OTT (over-the-top platform) Hoichoi.

We are offering something distinctly different from the previous Byomkesh versions, a fast-paced thriller web series. This is a cooler version of Byomkesh, targeting the large segment of our youth viewers, director Sayantan Ghoshal said.

Anirban said there was pressure on him to portray the sleuth as the character has been essayed by several great actors in the past.

But that (pressure) goes away when you sink into the role. Sharadindu Bandyopadhyay had added various layers to the sleuth, and I hope I can grasp that, he said.

The dhoti-clad Bengali sleuth has been seen in several projects in the past, starting from actor Rajit Kapoors iconic TV series Byomkesh Bakshi to Satyajit Ray-directed Chiriakhana, in which Bengali matinee idol Uttam Kumar played the detective.

In recent times, Dibakar Banerjee directed the 2015 film Detective Byomkesh Bakshy, apart from other Bengali adaptations by directors Anjan Dutt and Arindam Sil.

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About 16 million children across India, Bangladesh and Nepal are in urgent need of life-saving support due to catastrophic flooding in the three South Asian countries, a UN agency said.

Millions of children have seen their lives swept away by these devastating floods said Jean Gough, Unicef Regional Director for South Asia.

Children have lost their homes, schools and even friends and loved ones. There is a danger the worst could still be to come as rains continue and flood waters move south she added.

Weeks of torrential monsoon rains and catastrophic flooding in Nepal, India, and Bangladesh have devastated the lives of millions of children and families. Unicef estimates that almost 16 million children and their families are in urgent need of life-saving support. Since mid-August, there have been at least 1,288 reported deaths.

Graphic on people killed in floods in Nepal, northern India and Bangladesh. (AFP)

Many areas remain inaccessible due to damage to roads, bridges, railways and airports. The most urgent needs for children are clean water, hygiene supplies to prevent the spread of disease, food supplies and safe places in evacuation centres for children to play, the UN agency said.

Unicef is on the ground working in close coordination with respective governments and humanitarian partners from three countries to scale up its responses and respond to immediate needs of affected children and their families.

Massive damage to school infrastructure and supplies also mean hundreds of thousands of children may miss weeks or months of school said Gough.

Getting children back into school is absolutely critical in establishing a sense of stability for children during times of crisis and provides a sense of normality when everything else is being turned upside down.

In India, four states in the northern part of the country have been extensively affected by the flooding, affecting over 31 million people including 12.33 million children. Some 805,183 houses are either partially or fully damaged and 15,455 schools have been damaged, disrupting the education of nearly one million students. Further heavy rains in Mumbai resulted in at least five deaths by drowning and three people including two children died due to house collapse.

In the affected states in India the state governments, following rescue operations, are conducting relief, rehabilitation and recovery operations. Unicef, at the request of the state governments, is providing multi-sectoral planning and coordination support in the three worst affected states of Assam, Bihar and Uttar Pradesh. Over 9.8 million people in Bihar have been reached with lifesaving information on topics such as safe drinking water and handwashing, Unicef said.

In Bangladesh alone, more than 8 million people have been affected by flooding, including around 3 million children. An estimated 696,169 houses have been damaged or destroyed and 2,292 primary and community schools have been damaged by high water. There have already been more than 13,035 cases of water-borne diseases in the country.

In Nepal, 1.7 million people, including 680,000 children, have been affected with 352,738 displaced from their homes. More than 185,126 homes have been damaged or destroyed in addition to 1,958 schools, affecting the education of 253,605 children.
A man alleged to have close ties to fugitive underworld don Dawood Ibrahim is a mayoral candidate in Birgunj, a submetropolitan city in Nepals Terai region and close to the border with India.

On Saturday, Nepals main opposition party CPN-UML announced Basaruddhin Ansaris candidature for the third phase of local polls, slated for September 18.

Ansari, a controversial figure in Nepal, owns medical colleges in Birgunj and Kathmandu. It is believed Dawood has invested millions of rupees into the colleges. Many media outlets have reported on his alleged illegal sources of income.

Hours after Ansaris candidature was announced, Prime Minister Sher Bahadur Deuba instructed Tribhuvan University  Nepals oldest  to scrap the affiliation of the two colleges. CPN-UML chairman KP Oli immediately hit back, calling the decision unfair.

News outlet Nepal Live on Sunday reported that the Indian embassy in Kathmandu made several correspondents to the government through the ministry of foreign affairs to probe Ansaris properties.

In its letter, the embassy said it has credible information that National Medical College, Birgunj received a large investment from Dawood, and as per the UN Security Council Resolution number 1526, the property should be seized. Following the embassys request, the foreign ministry forwarded the letter to the ministry of home affairs.

The government formed a probe committee but Ansari refused to assist them, saying that they did not have authority to probe his property and threatened to move the Supreme Court.

Nepal Live was unable to independently verify the letter as it was allegedly written around 12 years ago.

In his response to the outlets report, Ansari said he has long faced similar charges and claimed he was feeling insecure as a mayoral candidate, though he did not disclose the reason for feeling threatened.
Chinese President Xi Jinping on Sunday underscored that the BRICS must uphold the value of diplomacy to resolve hotspot issues as the leaders of the grouping, including Prime Minister Narendra Modi, arrived here for the Summit, which is starting tomorrow in this port city of China.

Xi also appeared to take a reconciliatory tone when he, without directly referring to the recent Dokalam standoff with India, underlined that peace and development should be the underpin to resolve issues as the world does not want conflict and confrontation.

We the BRICS countries should show our responsibilities to uphold global peace and stability, he said.

Modi and Xi are expected to meet on Tuesday, nearly a week after the two countries announced resolution of the 73- day-long Dokalam standoff.

According to officials, the two leaders are scheduled to hold a meeting on September 5 on the sidelines of the 9th Brazil-Russia-India-China-South Africa (BRICS) Summit. After the bilateral with the host, Modi will be travelling to Myanmar on a bilateral visit.

The Chinese and the Indian troops were in a standoff position for nearly 73 days since June 16 when the Indian side stopped construction of a road by Chinas army.

On August 28, external affairs ministry announced that New Delhi and Beijing have decided on expeditious disengagement of their border troops in the disputed Dokalam area.

The sense is that India wants to put behind the Dokalam bitterness and move ahead.

Xi, while inaugurating the BRICS business council, also called on BRICS countries to take a constructive part in the process of resolving geopolitical hotspot issues and make due contributions.

India is also expected to raise its concerns over terrorism at the BRICS Summit, with Modi asserting that the grouping has to make important contributions in upholding peace and security, and address global challenges.

Asked about Chinas comments that it will not be appropriate to discuss Pakistans counter-terrorism records at the BRICS summit at Xiamen, External Affairs Ministry Spokesperson Raveesh Kumar said he cannot pre-empt what Modi will say during his interventions at the restricted and plenary sessions of the summit.

But he asserted that Indias position on terrorism has been very clear and it has been raising the issue at various multilateral forums.

We noticed that India, when it comes to Pakistans counter-terrorism, has some concerns. I dont think this is an appropriate topic to be discussed at BRICS summit, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Hua Chunying had said ahead of the Summit.

According to sources, India is expected to flag its concerns over terrorism.

The issue is also likely to find its place in the joint declaration with the Chinese president also saying that he was convinced that as long as we take a holistic approach to fighting terrorism in all its forms, and address both its symptoms and root causes, terrorists will have no place to hide.

Yesterday, Modi in his departure statement had said India attaches high importance to the role of BRICS that has begun a second decade of its partnership for progress and peace. BRICS has important contributions to make in addressing global challenges and upholding world peace and security.

The prime minister had also said he was looking forward to engaging with leaders of nine other countries, including BRICS partners, in an Emerging Markets and Developing Countries Dialogue, being hosted by Xi on September 5.

We will also interact with the BRICS Business Council represented by captains of industry from all the five countries, he said.

Modi will hold bilateral meetings with several leaders, including Russian President Vladimir Putin and President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi of Egypt, which is among the five counties - Mexico, Guinea, Thailand and Tajikistan - invited by China as the part of BRICS outreach exercise.

Modi was also greeted by a group of Indians on his arrival at the hotel.
A wildfire on the northern edge of Los Angeles rapidly grew on Saturday into what the mayor called the largest blaze in the citys history, prompting the evacuation of hundreds of people and the closure of a major highway.

The 5,000-acre La Tuna fire, named after the canyon area where it erupted on Friday, has led authorities to evacuate more than 700 homes in a north Los Angeles neighbourhood and in nearby Burbank and Glendale, officials said.

Authorities warned of erratic winds that could force them to widen the evacuation zone, after the fire destroyed three houses in Los Angeles on Saturday.

Other than that, no loss of any property, Los Angeles mayor Eric Garcetti said at a news conference. That is a pretty amazing thing.

The fire was only 10% contained with more than 500 firefighters battling it.

Photo shows the La Tuna Fire burning (left), and the Hollywood sign seen at sunset from Los Angeles. (AP)

The blaze in thick brush that has not burned in decades was slowly creeping down a rugged hillside on Saturday toward houses, with temperatures in the area approaching 100 degrees Fahrenheit (38 degrees Celsius), the Los Angeles Fire Department said in an alert.

This fire, which broke out yesterday (Friday), we can now say is the largest fire in the history of LA city, in terms of its acreage, Garcetti told reporters.

A crew with the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection battles a brushfire on the hillside in Burbank. (AP)

On Saturday night, Garcetti declared an emergency, ordering all available resources deployed to protect residents and property.

This declaration also requests that the Governor declare an emergency - so that state and federal assistance can be provided to the City as quickly as possible, Garcetti said in a statement.

The fire could make air unhealthy to breathe in parts of Los Angeles, the nations second-largest city, and nearby suburbs, the South Coast Air Quality Management District said in an advisory.

Video posted online by media showed the fire burning along the 210 Freeway when it broke out on Friday, with smoke hovering over the roadway as cars passed by flames a few dozen feet away. Officials quickly closed a stretch of the freeway.

More than 644 km to the north, the so-called Ponderosa Fire has burned 3,880 acres (about 1,570 hectares), and destroyed 32 homes in Butte County since it broke out on Tuesday. It prompted authorities to issue evacuation orders earlier this week to residents of some 500 homes.

The blaze was 51% contained.

California Governor Jerry Brown issued an emergency declaration on Friday to free up additional resources to battle the Ponderosa blaze.

Wildfires in the US West have burned more than 7.1 million acres since the beginning of the year, about 50% more than during the same time period in 2016, according to the National Interagency Fire Center.
An Iranian court has re-imposed the death penalty on the founder of a spiritual movement after the first sentence was struck down by the supreme court, the judiciary said on Sunday.

Mohammad Ali Taheri, founder of Erfan Halgheh which calls itself Interuniversalism in English, was arrested in 2011 and given five years in prison for insulting Islamic sanctities.

He was sentenced to death by a Revolutionary Court in 2015 for corruption on earth but the Supreme Court later quashed the sentence.

(Taheris) case was sent back to court and tried with the presence of a lawyer and various advisors and the judge has again reached, Judiciary spokesman Gholamhossein Mohseni Ejei was quoted as saying by the news agency ISNA. The sentence can be appealed, he added.

Amnesty International says Taheri is a prisoner of conscience and has condemned Irans use of capital punishment for vaguely worded or overly broad offences, or acts that should not be criminalized at all.

Tehran dismisses such criticism as part of an effort from the West to heap political pressure on the Islamic Republic.
Iran has tested its home-grown air defence system, designed to match the Russian S-300, the head of the Revolutionary Guards air defence has said.

In parallel with the deployment of the S-300, work on Bavar-373 system is underway, Farzad Esmaili told state broadcaster IRIB late Saturday.

The system is made completely in Iran and some of its parts are different from the S-300. All of its sub-systems have been completed and its missile tests have been conducted.

Bavar (which means belief) is Tehrans first long-range missile defence system, and is set to be operational by March 2018, he added.

In 2010, Iran began manufacturing Bavar-373 after the purchase of the S-300 from Russia was suspended due to international sanctions.

Russia resumed the sale following the 2015 nuclear deal with world powers which lifted sanctions, and Irans S-300 defence system became operational in March.

On Sunday, state television aired the first footage from a secret drone base in an undisclosed desert location, where dozens of different types of unmanned aircraft were lined up.

If necessary, a great number of Irans high-speed eagles (drones) will land on the enemy, Esmaili said in the footage.

Iran has developed several military drones in recent years, drawing criticism from Washington.

Last month, the United States claimed Iranian drones flew dangerously close to an aircraft carrier and a US Naval jet in two separate incidents in Gulf waters.

On Saturday, the new defence minister Amir Hatami said Iran has a specific plan to boost missile power.

He said he hoped the combat capabilities of Irans ballistic and cruise missiles would increase in the next four years.

The comments came amid increasing tensions with Washington, which has passed new sanctions against Irans ballistic missile programme.
The Iranian judiciary on Sunday upheld a 10-year jail term for an American citizen, two US-Iranian dual nationals and a Lebanese citizen for collaborating with the US government.

The Tehran prosecutors office said their appeals had been rejected, in a ruling that came at a time of rising tensions with Washington since President Donald Trump came to power.

Xiyue Wang, a Chinese-born American, was sentenced to 10 years in jail for collaborating with foreign governments, said Tehran prosecutor Abbas Jafari Dolatabadi, quoted by the mizanonline website close to the judiciary.

He said the same sentence was upheld against two dual nationals for collaborating with a foreign government, while Lebanese national Nizar Zakka, a US permanent resident, was handed a 10-year term for working with the American government.

The US State Department in July called on Iran to immediately release US citizens and other foreigners detained on fabricated national security charges, after Tehran said an unnamed American had been sentenced to 10 years in prison.

We call for the immediate release of all US citizens unjustly detained in Iran so they can return to their families, a State Department official said.

He did not refer to specific individuals, but the call followed an Iranian announcement that an unidentified American had been sentenced for alleged infiltration of Iran.

The Iranian regime continues to detain US citizens and other foreigners on fabricated national security-related charges, the official said.

The safety and security of US citizens remains a top priority. All US citizens, especially dual nationals considering travel to Iran, should carefully read our latest travel warning.

Relations between Washington and Tehran have been severed since April 1980 in the wake of Irans Islamic revolution, and tensions have sharpened since Trump came to power in January, especially over Iranian missile tests.

Tehran and world powers, including Washington, signed a July 2015 accord curbing Irans nuclear programme in exchange for a lifting of sanctions.

Although it has imposed new unilateral sanctions over Irans missile programme, Washington has so far honoured the nuclear accord despite Trumps threats as a candidate last year to rip it up.
The building manager of two East Village buildings that exploded in 2015 who was charged with manslaughter for his role in the blast died last month.

EV Grieve reported that an obituary for Michael Hrynenko Jr. was posted on a funeral home's website; the page has since been taken down, but read, "Michael A. Hrynenko, Jr. 'Mischou', 31, passed away on Friday, August 25, 2017. Cherished son of Maria Hrynenko and the late Michael A. Hrynenko, Sr. Loving brother of Crystal Wezwick and husband Bryan, Sherry Hrynenko and Natasha Hrynenko. Adored uncle of Luke and Cullen. He is also survived by many loving relatives and friends... A funeral service will be private."

Hrynenko's mother Maria Hrynenko owned 119 and 121 Second Avenue, and authorities allege that after renovating apartments there in 2014, she and her son, who acted as the building manager, demanded that the gas be turned on even though Con Ed hadn't approved the gas meters. The Manhattan DA's office says that Maria Hrynenko and others, including a contractor and an unlicensed plumber, schemed to set up illegal siphoning of gas from a ground floor restaurant, Sushi Park, to serve the apartments that she wished to rent out. They also allegedly turned off the siphoning when Con Ed would inspect the building.

From the DA's office's press release on the charges:

At approximately 2:00 p.m. on March 26, 2015, two Con Ed employees arrived at 121 Second Avenue to perform an inspection. Prior to the inspection, [ATHANASIOS] IOANNIDIS and [DILBER] KUKIC manipulated the gas delivery system by shutting off the gas supply connecting 119 and 121 Second Avenue and opening the shut-off valves. Because of several deficiencies with the proposed gas meter location, Con Ed employees did not approve their installation. At the time, there was no sign of leakage or odor, and the full extent of the unauthorized gas delivery system remained hidden from inspectors view.



After failing the inspection, KUKIC and MICHAEL HRYNENKO went down into the building basement and turned on the gas supply from 119 Second Avenue without checking whether the gas valves were open. The shut-off valves, which were in fact open, allowed gas to flow through the pipes and out of the uncapped meter bars into the restaurant.



At approximately 3:00 p.m., a Sushi Park employee smelled gas and notified MARIA HRYNENKO, who instructed KUKIC to check on the source of the odor. Surveillance footage depicts KUKIC and MICHAEL HRYNENKO entering the Sushi Park basement and then swiftly sprinting out of the restaurant without warning any of the patrons or workers and running toward the East 7th Street entrance to the building basement, where the illegal gas delivery system was set up.



Soon thereafter, the gaswhich had been flowing through the pipes and out of the uncapped meter barsignited and caused an explosion. Moises Locon, an employee of Sushi Park, and Nicholas Figueroa, a diner, who were both inside the restaurant at the time of the explosion, were killed. At least 13 other individuals suffered serious injuries as the lower floors of 121 Second Avenue buckled and caught fire, which quickly spread and destroyed adjacent properties, leading to the eventual collapse of the properties at 119, 121, and 123 Second Avenue.

Maria Hrynenko, as well as Con Ed, the city and others, was served with multiple lawsuits over the explosion. The land where Hrynenko's building once stood was sold for over $9 million earlier this summer.

In October of 2016, the Orangetown Daily Voice reported that Michael Hrynenko, who was living in Sparkill at the time, was arrested for DWI.
A series of arrests by the Nepal Police, resulting in the recovery of banned Indian currency, seems to suggest that the Himalayan nation is turning into a safe haven for scrapped bank notes post-demonetisation.

On Sunday, police, acting on a tip-off, nabbed two people with demonetised currency with a face value of Rs 68.2 lakh. This followed a mass arrest in May, in which 18 people were arrested with scrapped bank notes worth Rs 2.96 crore.

Both Indian and Nepalese nationals have been caught with the banned notes, and there has been at least one instance of a North Korean being nabbed with demonetised currency.

Central Bureau of Investigation spokesperson deputy superintendent Mira Chaudary told Hindustan Times that since November 2016, the unit has arrested 34 people and seized demonetised currency with a face value of Rs 3.45 crore from various parts of the country.

According to the police, each note was purchased for Rs 25 from India before being brought to Nepal. Chaudary said three land routes between India and Nepal  Kakrvitta, Birgunj and Bhairawha  are used to smuggle in the banned notes.

After being purchased in India, the banned notes were brought to Nepal and middlemen sold them at a higher price to local agents, she said.

Ever since Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced demonetisation, Nepal has been requesting Indian authorities to arrange exchange facilities for banned Indian notes parked in its financial institutions, which reportedly runs into several hundred crores. However, the two governments are yet to come to an agreement over the same, despite several rounds of talks.
Fierce clashes between the Islamic State group and pro-regime forces in central Syria have left over 150 fighters dead in 24 hours, mostly jihadists, a monitor said Sunday.

The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said 120 IS fighters were killed in clashes in and around the town of Uqayribat in the eastern Hama countryside... along with at least 35 regime troops and loyalist militiamen.

The town is the jihadist groups last bastion in the central province apart from a handful of small villages.

Pro-government forces seized Uqayribat on Friday night, but IS responded with a counter-offensive on Saturday that left it in control of most of the town, Observatory chief Rami Abdel Rahman said.

An intense barrage of artillery fire and Syrian and Russian air strikes on jihadist positions allowed pro-regime forces on Sunday morning to push the jihadists back out of the town and advance on villages to the west that remain under IS control.

IS has controlled Uqayribat since 2014, using it to launch attacks on regime-held areas and a strategically vital road Abdel Rahman described as the only lifeline for the regime between Aleppo and central and southern Syria.

Regime forces, backed by heavy Russian air strikes, launched a major assault on IS-held parts of Hama in June.

By consolidating their control of (Uqayribat) and ousting IS from the surrounding villages, regime forces could oust the organisation from the whole of Hama province, Abdel Rahman said.

Other rebel groups still control parts of the provinces rural north.

Hama, which borders on six other Syrian provinces, is strategically vital to the Assad regime, separating opposition forces in Idlib from Damascus to the south and the regimes coastal heartlands to the west.

IS has suffered multiple defeats across Syria and neighbouring Iraq in recent months, notably in its main Syrian base of Raqa.

On Friday a US-backed Kurdish-Arab coalition seized Raqas Old City and was advancing on the jihadists in the heavily defended city centre.

The Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) began their offensive in May, capturing the city of Tabqa and a key dam nearby before entering Raqa city in early June.

Meanwhile, pro-regime forces have advanced against IS in the eastern part of Homs province and western Deir Ezzor, where they have come to within 19 kilometres (12 miles) of the provincial capital.

Syrias conflict has killed more than 320,000 people and displaced millions since it started with anti-government demonstrations in 2011.
Princess Mako, the eldest granddaughter of Japanese emperor Akihito, will wed a former classmate, the Imperial Household said on Sunday, confirming a marriage that will further deplete the royal family since she must become a commoner.

The announcement was aired by public broadcaster NHK.

Mako is one of only four royal grandchildren. The other three are her younger sister, Kako, her brother, Hisahito, and crown prince Naruhitos daughter, Aiko.

The shrinking royal population, which mirrors the broader aging of the Japanese society, has raised concerns that the prince may also be the last.

Ten-year-old Hisahito is one of four heirs to the throne behind Akihitos two middle-aged sons, whose wives are in their early 50s, and Akihitos octogenarian brother, Masahito.

The engagement to Kei Komuro, who works in a Tokyo law office, comes after Japanese lawmakers in June approved a bill to allow Akihito to step down, the first abdication by a Japanese monarch since 1817.

A year ago, the first emperor not to be considered divine said in a rare public appearance that he feared age would make it hard to fulfil his duties. The 83-year-old has had heart surgery and been treated for prostate cancer.

But the legislation, which only applies to Akihito and not future emperors, makes no reference to the controversial topics of whether to revise a males-only succession law or to allow women to stay in the imperial family after marriage.

Conservatives fear doing so would be a first step to letting females inherit the throne.

Mako and Komuro graduated from International Christian University. She has a masters degree from the University of Leicester and has been working as a researcher at a museum. Her fiance once served as a Prince of the Sea to promote tourism near Tokyo, according to media reports.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi will meet Chinese President Xi Jinping on Tuesday at the end of the BRICS summit in Xiamen for the first time since the resolution of the two-month standoff in Doklam along Sikkim border.

The much anticipated bilateral meeting will be Modis last engagement in China before he flies to Myanmar for a state visit.

On Monday, Modi, who is expected to reach Xiamen on Sunday night, will meet Russian President Vladimir Putin followed by a meeting with President Michael Temer of Brazil.

Modis tight schedule includes a meeting with President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi of Egypt on Tuesday morning  Egypt is one of the five counties  Mexico, Guinea, Thailand and Tajikistan  invited to take part in a meeting on the sidelines of BRICS.

Modi will address the BRICS leaders dialogue with BRICS Business Council, which will be attended by 80 Fortune 500 companies.

He will also take part in an event of the Emerging Markets and Developing Countries Dialogue on Tuesday morning.

Bilateral Issues

The meeting between Modi and Xi will be closely followed as the two leaders are expected to lay the groundwork towards better ties following the standoff between border troops at Doklam.

The impasse left the two countries grappling with tenuous ties already marred by the 3,500-km boundary problem besides a number of other issues.

Cross-border terrorism from Pakistan is another topic that Modi is likely to raise with Xi during the meeting, which is expected to be for about 30 minutes.

The two leaders are likely to discuss how to take ties forward post-Doklam and prevent similar face-offs from happening in the future.

Post-Doklam... what we need to do immediately is to rebuild the trust between the two countries, between the two leaderships and among the two people as well. In that sense, BRICS submit offers a much needed opportunity, said Guo Suiyan, deputy director and south Asia expert with the Yunnan Academy of Social Sciences.

Guo said the standoff ...inevitably hurt the bilateral relation and left one more open scare which is very deep.

Hu Zhiyong from the Institute of International Relations of the Shanghai Academy of Social Sciences said China showed great restraint and patience.

Indias withdrawing (of border troops) builds a friendly and harmonious atmosphere for Modis visit to China, he said.

Some in China are still smarting from the resolution of the standoff as Indian border personnel managed to stay on in Chinese territory for two months and leave without any retaliation from the mighty PLA.

(The impression that is created is that) whether the road is built or repaired or not, the Indian side will come and go at random. It will also set a precedent, which will be doubly harmful to China, said Ni Lexiong, a Shanghai-based military expert.

Thats exactly what Modi and Xi need to address  convince domestic constituencies that no one lost out in the resolution.

To be realistic, I think we shouldnt expect China-India relation could be back to the high point like pre-2014 period. From the Xi-Modi meet during the BRICS summit  if they meet  we shouldnt expect anything concrete coming out from this meeting. But the two leadership need to tell the world that this (Doklam) incident has politically ended, Guo said.
Islamabad Former military ruler Pervez Musharraf said he would return to Pakistan to face trial in the murder case of ex-prime minister Benazir Bhutto.

A Pakistani court on Thursday pronounced Musharraf a fugitive in the murder trial but acquitted five men accused of involvement in the 2007 assassination of Bhutto, the first female prime minister of a Muslim country.

In a statement issued to the media Sunday, Musharraf said the verdict of the Rawalpindi Anti Terrorism Court was not against him.

I will certainly come back to Pakistan and face the trial, as and when I am medically fit, he said.

I have been framed in the Benazir Bhutto murder case by way of political victimization, while I had nothing to do with her untimely and tragic death, he said.

I have not been the beneficiary of prime minister Benazir Bhuttos murder and the entire case as pitched against me is materially false, fictitious, fabricated and is a result of political intrigue, the former army chief said.

The anti-terrorism court branded Musharraf as an absconder and ordered the confiscation of his property.

The verdicts are the first to be issued since Bhutto was killed in a gun and suicide bomb attack nearly a decade ago, sparking street violence and plunging Pakistan into months of political turmoil.

Former president and military ruler Musharraf is alleged to have been part of a broad conspiracy to have his political rival killed before elections. He has denied the allegation.

He was charged with murder, criminal conspiracy for murder, and facilitation for murder in 2013, in an unprecedented move against an ex-army chief, challenging beliefs the military is immune from prosecution.

But he has been in self-imposed exile in Dubai ever since a travel ban was lifted three years later.

Musharrafs government blamed the assassination on Pakistani Taliban chief Baitullah Mehsud, who denied any involvement. He was killed in a US drone attack in 2009.

In 2010, the UN report accused Musharrafs government of failing to give Bhutto adequate protection and said her death could have been prevented.
North Korea said on Sunday it has developed an advanced hydrogen bomb that possesses great destructive power as US President Donald Trump and Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe talked by phone about the escalating nuclear crisis.

The report by North Koreas official KCNA news agency comes amid heightened regional tension following Pyongyangs two tests of intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBM) in July that potentially could fly about 10,000km, putting many parts of the mainland US within range.

Under third-generation leader Kim Jong Un, North Korea has been pursuing a nuclear device small and light enough to fit on a long-range ballistic missile, without affecting its range and making it capable of surviving re-entry into the Earths atmosphere.

North Korea, which carries out its nuclear and missile programs in defiance of UN Security Council resolutions and sanctions, recently succeeded in making a more advanced hydrogen bomb that will be loaded on to an ICBM, KCNA said.

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un provides guidance on a nuclear weapons programme in this undated photo released by North Korea's Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) in Pyongyang. (REUTERS)

The H-bomb, the explosive power of which is adjustable from tens kiloton to hundreds kiloton, is a multi-functional thermonuclear nuke with great destructive power which can be detonated even at high altitudes for super-powerful EMP (electromagnetic pulse) attack according to strategic goals, KCNA said.

All components of the H-bomb were homemade and all the processes ... were put on the Juche basis, thus enabling the country to produce powerful nuclear weapons as many as it wants, KCNA quoted Kim as saying.

Juche is North Koreas homegrown ideology of self-reliance that is a mix of Marxism and extreme nationalism preached by state founder Kim Il Sung, the current leaders grandfather. It says its weapons programmes are needed to counter US aggression.

North Korea offered no evidence for its latest claim, and Kim Dong-yub, a military expert at Kyungnam Universitys Institute of Far Eastern Studies in Seoul, was sceptical.

This image made from video by North Korea's KRT shows North Korean leader Kim Jong Un at an undisclosed location. North Koreas state media said Kim Jong Un inspected the loading of a hydrogen bomb into a new intercontinental ballistic missile. (AP)

Referring to tens to hundreds of kilotons, it doesnt appear to be talking about a fully fledged H-bomb. Its more likely a boosted nuclear device, Kim said, referring to an atomic bomb which uses some hydrogen isotopes to boost explosive yield.

A hydrogen bomb can achieve thousands of kilotons of explosive yield -- massively more powerful than some 10 to 15 kilo tonnes that North Koreas last nuclear test in September was estimated to have produced, similar to the bomb dropped on Hiroshima, Japan, in 1945.

Hourglass-shaped device

Kim Jong Un, who visited the countrys nuclear weapons institute, watched an H-bomb to be loaded into new ICBM and set forth tasks to be fulfilled in the research into nukes, KCNA said.

Pictures released by the agency showed Kim inspecting a silver-coloured, hourglass-shaped warhead in the visit accompanied by nuclear scientists, with a concept diagram of its Hwasong-14 long-range ballistic missile seen hanging on the wall.

The shape shows a marked difference from pictures of the ball-shaped device North Korea released in March last year, and appears to indicate the appearance of a two-stage thermonuclear weapon, or a hydrogen bomb, said Lee Choon-geun, senior research fellow at state-run Science and Technology Policy Institute.

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un provides guidance on a nuclear weapons programme in this undated photo released by North Korea's Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) in Pyongyang. (REUTERS) (REUTERS)

The pictures show a more complete form of a possible hydrogen bomb, with a primary fission bomb and a secondary fusion stage connected together in an hourglass shape, Lee said.

Tensions on the Korean peninsula have been high since last month when North Korea threatened to launch missiles into the sea near the strategically located US Pacific territory of Guam after Trump said Pyongyang would face fire and fury if it threatened the US.

North Korea further raised regional tensions on Tuesday by launching an intermediate-range ballistic missile over Japan, drawing international condemnation.

Trump and Abe spoke by phone and said that in face of an escalating situation with North Korea that close cooperation between their countries and with South Korea was needed, Abe told reporters.

Trump told Abe that the United States, as an ally, was 100% with Japan, deputy chief cabinet secretary Yasutoshi Nishimura told reporters.

The two leaders reaffirmed the importance of close cooperation between the United States, Japan and South Korea in the face of the growing threat from North Korea, the White House said in a statement. President Trump noted that he looks forward to continued trilateral coordination on the margins of the United Nations General Assembly.

The United States has repeatedly urged China, the Norths sole major ally, to do more to rein in its neighbour.

Experts and officials have said North Korea could conduct its sixth nuclear test at any time, and that the reclusive country has maintained a readiness at its nuclear test site to conduct another detonation.

The KCNA report made no mention of plans for a sixth nuclear test.

US officials have told Reuters that while North Korea has had parts in place for a nuclear detonation going back several months, no new activity had been seen recently at its known nuclear test site in Punggye-ri in its northeastern region.

North Korea last year conducted its fourth and fifth nuclear tests, saying the fourth in January 2016 was a successful hydrogen bomb test, although outside experts say the claim has not been proved.

Earthquakes triggered by North Korean nuclear tests have gradually increased in magnitude since Pyongyangs first test in 2006, indicating it is steadily improving the destructive power of its nuclear technology.

Its fifth nuclear test in September 2016 was measured to be possibly North Koreas biggest detonation ever, but the earthquake it caused was still not believed to be big enough to demonstrate a thermonuclear test.

Impoverished North Korea and the rich, democratic South are technically still at war because their 1950-53 conflict ended in a truce, not a peace treaty. The North regularly threatens to destroy the South and its main ally, the United States.
North Korean state media claimed on Sunday that the country has developed a thermonuclear warhead that could be fitted into its new intercontinental ballistic missile, in the latest brazen assertion of its weapons capabilities.

The official Korean Central News Agency said leader Kim Jong-Un inspected a miniaturised H-bomb that could be loaded onto a missile -- although doubts remain over the veracity of Pyongyangs claims.

Here are key dates in the Norths quest to develop a nuclear-tipped missile capable of hitting the US:

Late 1970s: North Korea starts working on a version of the Soviet Scud-B (range 300km). Test-fired in 1984

1987-92: Begins developing variant of Scud-C (range 500km), Rodong-1 (1,300km), Taepodong-1 (2,500km), Musudan-1 (3,000km) and Taepodong-2 (6,700km)

Aug 1998: Test-fires Taepodong-1 rocket over Japan in what it calls a satellite launch -- the US and others say it is a missile

Sept 1999: Declares moratorium on long-range missile tests amid improving ties with US

July 12, 2000: Fifth round of US-North Korean missile talks ends without agreement after North demands $1 billion a year in return for halting missile exports

March 3, 2005: Pyongyang ends moratorium on long-range missile testing, blames Bush administrations hostile policy

July 5, 2006: Test-fires seven missiles, including a long-range Taepodong-2 which explodes after 40 seconds

Oct 9, 2006: Conducts underground nuclear test, its first

April 5, 2009: Launches long-range rocket which flies over Japan and lands in the Pacific, in what it says is an attempt to put a satellite into orbit. The US , Japan and South Korea see it as a disguised test of a Taepodong-2

May 25, 2009: Conducts its second underground nuclear test, several times more powerful than the first

April 13, 2012: Launches what it has said is a long-range rocket to put a satellite into orbit, but which disintegrates soon after blast-off

December 12, 2012: Launches a multi-stage rocket and successfully places an Earth observational satellite in orbit

February 12, 2013: Conducts its third underground nuclear test

January 6, 2016: Conducts its fourth underground nuclear test, which it says was a hydrogen bomb -- a claim doubted by most experts

March 9, 2016: Kim Jong-Un claims the North has successfully miniaturised a thermo-nuclear warhead

April 23, 2016: Pyongyang test-fires a submarine-launched ballistic missile

July 8, 2016: US and South Korea announce plans to deploy an advanced missile defence system -- THAAD (Terminal High Altitude Area Defense)

August 3, 2016: North Korea fires a ballistic missile directly into Japans maritime economic zone for the first time

September 9, 2016: Conducts fifth nuclear test, its most powerful to date

March 6, 2017: Fires four ballistic missiles in what it says is an exercise to hit US bases in Japan

March 7, 2017: US begins deploying THAAD missile defence system in South Korea

May 14, 2017: North Korea fires a ballistic missile which flies 700km before landing in the Sea of Japan. Analysts say it has an imputed range of 4,500km and brings Guam within reach

July 4, 2017: Test-fires a ballistic missile that analysts say brings Alaska within reach. Pyongyang later says it was a landmark test of a Hwasong-14 intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM)

July 28, 2017: Launches a missile with a theoretical range of 10,000km, meaning it could hit much of the US

August 26, 2017: Fires three short-range ballistic missiles

August 29, 2017: Fires ballistic missile over Japan and into the Pacific, acknowledging for the first time that it has done so. South Korea says it flew around 2,700km at a maximum altitude of about 550km

September 3, 2017: State media show leader Kim Jong-Un inspecting what it professes to be an H-bomb that can be loaded onto an ICBM. The claims have not been confirmed
Britain has added to the international pressure on Myanmar state counsellor Aung San Suu Kyi to act to stop the violence against Rohingyas, which has led to thousands leaving the country to seek refuge in neighbouring India and Bangladesh.

Aung San Suu Kyi is rightly regarded as one of the most inspiring figures of our age but the treatment of the Rohingya is alas besmirching the reputation of Burma. She faces huge challenges in modernising her country, foreign secretary Boris Johnson said.

Several human rights groups based in Britain and elsewhere have highlighted concerns over the treatment of the Rohingyas in Buddhist-majority Myanmar. The concerns were renewed during Oxford-educated Suu Kyis last visit to London in September 2016.

Johnson added: I hope she can now use all her remarkable qualities to unite her country, to stop the violence and to end the prejudice that afflicts both Muslims and other communities in Rakhine.

It is vital that she receives the support of the Burmese military, and that her attempts at peacemaking are not frustrated. She and all in Burma will have our full support in this.

Suu Kyi was hailed and feted during her visit to Britain in 2012 following her release from over two decades of house arrest.

The Foreign Office said Britain has provided nearly 8 million to address the humanitarian suffering of Rohingya refugees and the vulnerable Bangladeshi communities that host them.

It added that earlier this week, London raised the situation in Rakhine in the UN Security Council.

Our immediate priority is to make sure food and medical assistance can be provided to displaced civilians from all communities. We are also urging the Government of Burma to address the underlying issues in Rakhine, a Foreign Office statement said.

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US President Donald Trump declared Sunday that appeasement with North Korea will not work, after Pyongyang claimed it had successfully tested a missile-ready hydrogen bomb.

North Korea has conducted a major Nuclear Test, Trump said. Their words and actions continue to be very hostile and dangerous to the United States.

His comments came hours after the US Geological Survey picked up a 6.3 magnitude explosion in North Korea, which Pyongyang confirmed was a nuclear test, its sixth.

The isolated regime said this one was of a hydrogen bomb that could be fitted atop a ballistic missile, sharply raising the stakes in a US-North Korea confrontation.

Trump last month threatened North Korea with fire and fury if it continued to threaten the United States, but he refrained from direct threats in his latest tweets.

South Korea is finding, as I have told them, that their talk of appeasement with North Korea will not work, they only understand one thing! he said.

North Korea is a rogue nation which has become a great threat and embarrassment to China, which is trying to help but with little success.
Chinese President Xi Jinping on Sunday called for a holistic approach to fighting terrorism in all its forms, ahead of the BRICS leaders meeting on Monday. His statement comes days after China ruled out discussing Pakistans record in cross-border terrorism at the three-day summit.

Delivering the keynote speech at the opening ceremony of the BRICS (Brazil, Russia, India, China, South Africa) Business Forum on Sunday, Xi said: I am convinced that as long as we take a holistic approach to fighting terrorism in all its forms, and address both its symptoms and root causes, terrorists will have no place to hide.

We BRICS countries are committed to upholding global peace and contributing to the international security order, Xi said.

Xi added that geopolitical hotspot issues can be resolved through negotiations. When dialogue, consultation and negotiation are conducted to create conditions for achieving political settlement of issues such as Syria, Libya and the Palestine-Israel conflict, the flame of war can be put out, and displaced refugees will eventually return to their homes, he said.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who is to reach Xiamen later on Sunday, is expected to raise the issue of cross-border terrorism emanating from Pakistan in his speech at the summit and in bilateral meetings with Russian President Vladimir Putin and Xi himself.

At last years summit, held in Goa, Modi referred to Pakistan as Pakistan is the mothership of terrorism. However, China is unlikely to talk about Indias specific contention this year  on Thursday, it ruled out any discussions on its ally Pakistans counter-terrorism efforts in Xiamen, saying it would not be a appropriate topic to be taken up by the grouping despite concerns expressed by India.

We also noticed that India, when it comes to Pakistans counter-terrorism, has some concerns. I dont think this is an appropriate topic to be discussed at the BRICS Summit, ministry of foreign affairs spokesperson Hua Chunying had said.

India could well surmise that the mention of tackling terrorism in all its forms as mentioned by Xi in his Sundays speech was but a lip-service that he paid to broader concerns on the issue.
When you are wealthy you can purchase a $6 million home, spend months  and even more money  renovating it, then decide to sell it less than a year later because you don't use it enough. That is reportedly what John Krasinksi and Emily Blunt have just done with their gorgeous Brooklyn townhouse.

Krasinski explained the sale to the Wall Street Journal, saying: "Weve been nomads for a while now, but thats the nature of the business. The house is so specialsomeone who can spend every night there should have it."

They purchased the circa-1909 French Renaissance Revival townhouse in October for $6 million, according to Curbed, and it then underwent "significant renovations" to preserve its old school beauty. And now, after all that, they are selling the thing for $8 million.

Check out the full listing for the placelocated at 586 4th Street in Park Sloperight here.
WEDNESDAY

Michael H. Rubin: Author will discuss and sign "Cashed Out," 6:30 p.m., Murder By The Book, 2342 Bissonnet; 713-524-8597 or murderbooks.com.

Randi Rubenstein: Author will sign "The Parent Gap," 7 p.m., Barnes & Noble, 2030 W. Gray; 713-522-8571.

THURSDAY

Katharine McGee: Author will discuss and sign "The Dazzling Heights," 7 p.m., Blue Willow Bookshop, 14532 Memorial; 281-497-8675 or bluewillowbookshop.com.

Louise Penny: Author will discuss and sign "Glass Houses," 6:30 p.m., Christ Church Cathedral, 1117 Texas. Tickets $8; $32 ticket includes a copy of the book and a place in the signing line; purchase at Murder By The Book or murderbooks.com.

Brene Brown: Author will discuss "Braving the Wilderness," 7 p.m., Cullen Performance Hall, 4300 University. Event is sold out.
A warm cup of tea.

That's all 85-year-old Margaret Reuter wanted after she was plucked from her flooded Meyerland neighborhood by a Blackhawk helicopter and transported to George R. Brown Convention Center on Sunday.

She had been through hell by all accounts, but there she was sitting in truck of friend sipping a cup tea when her family arrived.

"What took you so long?" she said in a rich Scottish accent, barely 5 feet tall and soaking wet.

Her story was like many on that day when the bayou water spilled over into Meyerland, as it had done several times before.

This time seemed much worse. It wouldn't stop raining.

Her son, Keith Reuter, who lived miles away, attempted to drive into the area to rescue her. He couldn't get close enough so, he took to foot, wading through the chest-high water.

Margaret was inside of the house with water closing in on her. She wasn't real steady on her feet, so getting to the roof was impossible.

As this was unfolding, her daughter, Mary Beth Reuter, and her wife, Shana Ross, were in their Heights home on Facebook frantically trying to get help. A friend responded, saying she had a nephew whose wife's brother was a rescue swimmer with the Texas Task Force 1 Urban Search and Rescue team, which worked with the Blackhawk military helicopter rescue.

It was a long shot, Ross thought.

The swimmer, Lieutenant Matthew Geller, who is also a Dallas firefighter, texted the friend that he and his team were in the area on rescue missions.

The next Facebook note Ross got was that Geller was on his way.

"I broke into tears," Ross said. "I wasn't relieved I was hopeful. Until you touch them, you don't have relief. I was glued to Facebook. I felt like I had set up my own Facebook command center."

Then she got the note: "Five minutes away."

About this time, Keith had finally waded through the water to reached his mother and was on the phone with sister, Mary Beth, when he heard a helicopter overhead.

"That's for her!" Mary Beth screamed through the phone.

As the rain poured, Keith and the rescue crew maneuvered Margaret into the basket and she was hoisted up to safety.



In the five days of flooding, Geller estimated he and team had done about 100 rescues. Each one is risky. "When people need us the most, the conditions are the worst. We try to mitigate as many hazards as possible. It's a full team effort."

Margaret wasn't scared, but the noise from the helicopter hurt her ears.

That's what she told her family as she sipped her tea.
VATICAN CITY - Pope Francis and Orthodox Christian leader Patriarch Bartholomew have released a passionate joint appeal to protect the environment, marking the first time that a pope and the ecumenical patriarch have joined forces in such a way.

They made their appeal for the Earth, a major theme of Francis' papacy, on Friday, as Texans grappled with the aftermath of Hurricane Harvey, South Asians coped with floods that have left millions homeless and scientists warned that such natural disasters will multiply if climate change is not addressed.

Both the pope, leader of the world's 1.2 billion Catholics, and the patriarch, leader of the world's 300 million Orthodox Christians, expressed an urgent need in their appeal for global powers to take action to stave off the ravages of environmental degradation.

The top clergymen wrote that they want those in positions of responsibility to follow the "consensus of the world for the healing of our wounded creation," which many read as a backing of the Paris climate accord, an agreement by 195 countries to reduce carbon emissions.

President Donald Trump, however, has said the United States is withdrawing from the agreement, a decision he announced just days after meeting the pope in May at the Vatican. At the end of that papal audience, Francis handed the president a copy of his landmark 2015 encyclical on protecting the environment, "Laudato Si'."

With this political division over the Paris deal, and the increasing severity of natural disasters around the world, some have noted the added urgency these religious leaders - Francis, 80, and Bartholomew, 77 - may have felt to make a united plea for the planet.

Their message, planned in advance to coincide with a World Day of Prayer for the Care of Creation, does not hesitate to describe the causes of threats to the environment, citing corporate greed and humanity's plundering of natural resources.

"Our propensity to interrupt the world's delicate and balanced ecosystems, our insatiable desire to manipulate and control the planet's limited resources, and our greed for limitless profit in markets - all these have alienated us from the original purpose of creation," reads the appeal. "We no longer respect nature as a shared gift; instead, we regard it as a private possession."

The faith leaders describe a "morally decaying scenario" where the "deterioration of the planet" affects the most vulnerable in every corner of the globe, as seen in parts of India, Bangladesh and Nepal, where flooding has submerged some of the world's poorest communities.

"We no longer associate with nature in order to sustain it; instead, we lord over it to support our own constructs," the statement continues. "Our attitude and behaviour towards creation obscures our calling as God's co-operators."
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ROME - At age 42, Pope Francis had weekly sessions with a psychoanalyst for about six months "to clarify some things," according to excerpts from a new book by a French sociologist scheduled to be published this week.

The revelation came in one of a series of 12 interviews the sociologist, Dominique Wolton, conducted with the pope at the Vatican for the book.

Excerpts from the book, "Pope Francis: Politics and Society. Conversations with Dominique Walton," were published in Le Figaro Magazine in France on Thursday.

Francis, now 80, did not explain in detail why he had decided to pursue therapy, but he said he felt that he needed it and that it had helped him a lot, according to the book.

Vatican analysts noted that Francis was a Jesuit official in Argentina at the time, when the country was ruled by a military dictatorship.

Francis, born Jorge Mario Bergoglio, established a rapport with the therapist, who was a woman, and she called him when she was close to dying.

"Not to receive the sacraments, since she was Jewish, but for a spiritual dialogue," Francis was quoted as saying. "She was a good person."

The pontiff also highly praised the influence of "true women" in his life, including his grandmothers, his mother and the communist Esther Ballestrino de Careaga, founder of the Mothers of the Plaza de Mayo movement in Argentina, who demanded that the military dictatorship reveal the fate of disappeared children.

"She taught me how to think politics," Francis stated, specifying that he is not a communist, as he has often been accused, but a Christian.

He said he was enriched by being in contact with women.

"Women see things differently from men," he added. "It is important to listen to both."

In a frequently casual tone, Francis also lamented some people's inability to communicate. He interpreted the rigidity as a "form of fundamentalism," particularly in priests.

"Whenever I run into a rigid person, especially if young, I tell myself he is sick," he added. "The danger is that they are looking for security."

Francis was trained as a Jesuit in Argentina. Jesuits are known for the value they place on introspection as well as spirituality. But until the 1960s the Roman Catholic Church expressed skepticism of psychoanalysis.

Only in 1967 did Paul VI acknowledge the important role of doctors and competent psychologists in determining the overall heath of future priests.

In Argentina, psychoanalysis is commonplace and does not carry the taboo it has in many other countries. Practicing specialists are on the rise.

Speaking of his current state of mind, Francis called himself free.

"I feel free," Francis was quoted as saying. "Sure, I am in a cage here at the Vatican, but not spiritually. Nothing makes me afraid."
BOGOTA, Colombia - Colombia's largest guerrilla movement sowed a half-century of fear through kidnappings, bombings, extortion and killings. But in a new era of peace, the battled-scarred leftists are launching a charm offensive - trading their guns and fatigues for the soft-lit ads and sport coats of 21st-century politics.

The former fighters of the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia, or FARC, decommissioned the last of their weapons in recent weeks, under a historic accord ending Latin America's longest-running guerrilla war. Now the Marxist-Leninist guerrillas are taking a page from corporate playbooks and trying to rebrand themselves.

Near soaring bank towers and a busy Starbucks, fighters-turned-delegates gathered this week for what is effectively their first modern political convention. On the event's inaugural day, a hip electronic beat pulsed through a vast hall before the introduction of two emcees - one of them a young man in a power suit with a telenovela smile.

The ensuing speeches touched on wealth distribution and inequality, but also health care, public housing, women's rights, the fight against global warming, even the scourge of urban drug use. In the wings, ex-fighters took selfies and ogled stands selling mugs and key chains bearing a new FARC logo - two hands clasped in the shape of a heart.

There remain two camps within the FARC - one seeking a broader coalition of the left, the other more rooted in the group's revolutionary past. In a nod to its roots, the FARC this week announced that rather than pick a substantially different name for its new political party, it will still be known by the acronym FARC - although it will now stand for Alternative Communal Revolutionary Force.

Yet there is no doubt the group is trying to carve out a new image. On Friday, for instance, a panel of blazer-wearing FARC leaders arrived at a news conference clutching red roses - a flower they hoped to convert into a symbol of their new party.

"When [people] see a red rose, we want them to think of the FARC," said Ivan Marquez, the group's chief negotiator during the peace process.

Former leftist guerrillas in other Latin American countries including Brazil and Uruguay have gone on to reach the highest offices in the land. Yet Colombia's guerrilla wars were longer and far more violent, claiming an estimated 218,000 lives.

The FARC, though, may be making some political inroads. A recent Gallup poll showed the group with 15 percent support, compared with 10 percent in June of last year. The latest numbers were only a few percentage points lower than the approval rating of Colombia's congress.

That is precisely what is alarming the FARC's many opponents here.

Under the peace deal, the FARC is guaranteed 10 seats in the 268-member congress - but it can get more in national elections next March. Most observers say that any serious political gains by the FARC are still likely to be years away.

Nevertheless, many Bogota residents called the scenes of former guerrillas openly politicking in the heart of Colombian capitalism this past week a jarring sign of the group's emergence as a political force.

"You definitely feel a threat. We feel they are taking big, animal steps, like they are coming into our game," said Francisco Cabal, a Bogota lawyer who voted against the peace deal in a national referendum last year.

The FARC has brought on a team of political consultants and is taking advice from some who helped rehabilitate the left in Brazil - where ex-president Dilma Rousseff was once a member of the Marxist urban guerrills who challenged a military dictatorship. In April, the former Colombian rebels placed political ads on the Internet, some punched with humor, others more serious. Rather than dealing with longtime issues of the FARC - such as rural land redistribution - the ads revolved around the problems of Colombian urbanites.

In one dramatic clip, an ambulance with a critically ill patient is rejected from hospital after hospital in a jab at the government's shortcomings in delivering effective health care.

"They put out some sweeping commercials, very much classic political marketing, playing on themes such as health and corruption rather than speaking in dogmatic terms about the oligarchy," said Alex Fattal, a professor of media studies at Penn State who has studied the FARC. "They are clearly looking for a national political platform."

The FARC's conversion to a political party is occurring as the peace process itself remains exceedingly delicate. The last time the FARC attempted a political transition, in the 1980s, paramilitary assassins carried out large-scale killings of FARC-aligned leaders and politicians. In recent months, there has been an echo of that era, with dozens of leftist community organizers slain, allegedly by successor right-wing paramilitary groups and mercenaries hired by large landowners.

The process of reintegrating ex-combatants into society through training and education is moving exceedingly slowly. Some candidates for next year's presidential election - including Sen. Ivan Duque of former president Alvaro Uribe's Democratic Center party - have denounced the fact that the FARC is selecting its candidates for the national elections before the launch of a tribunal set to probe war crimes.

"The tribunals will advance by next year, but these people could be elected before then," Duque said. "No one accused of crimes against humanity should be allowed to run for office."

Yet in other key ways, the peace process is moving forward. In August, FARC fighters participating in the peace deal finished handing over their weapons. In exchange, they've received government-issued Visa debit cards with initial payments worth $600. Those will be followed up with monthly stipends worth $200.

This past week, the FARC's political convention offered a sometimes-awkward window into its transformation.

The convention was a study in contrasts and freshman snafus. The sport coats its leaders wore clashed with the Che Guevara beards and occasional pair of combat boots worn by the rank and file.

With FARC logo mugs going for the equivalent of $6 each - more than four hours' work at Colombia's minimum wage - more foreign journalists than ex-fighters appeared to be scooping them up. The FARC's newness to the world of political conventions showed, with pregnant pauses as organizers sought to find speakers in the crowd.

But they also put on a show, with big digital screens and folk music bands that led delegates to break into impromptu jigs. Some ex-fighters fought back tears as they considered a simple remembrance to their fallen comrades, flowers planted in a series of rubber boots.

The FARC pledged to integrate women and minorities into its senior party structure, though it was still struggling to select a list of candidates for next year's election.

Diogenes Oquendo Londono, a 38-year-old former combatant, said he was last in the capital at age 14. He marveled at the modern skyscrapers, calling them a testament to Colombia's poor distribution of wealth.

Wearing stylish jeans and a white dress shirt that covered his Che chest tattoo and his scars from bullet wounds, he said the conference had left him determined to fight for peaceful change.

His hope now: to become a grass-roots organizer for the FARC's new party.

"To take off the clothes of warriors is what we've always wanted," he said. "We've been demonized, but we're here to make the people understand that we are also about so much more."

- - -

Wesley Tomaselli contributed to this report.
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HOUSTON - As a torrential rain poured from the sky last Sunday, Keri Henry sat in her snug West University Place living room nervously checking Facebook. Floodwaters were rising, emergency lines were jammed, and people were posting desperate pleas for help: "Two elderly people trapped in a one story on their kitchen counters since noon." "Seven people trapped in second floor."

Henry grabbed a notepad and began scratching down details, thinking she would connect the people in trouble with other Facebook users offering boats and high-water vehicles. Within hours, the 36-year-old freelance food photographer was running a one-woman command center from her sofa.

"I see some people commenting on one post and other people commenting on another post, and it just clicked," Henry said. "I had no idea what I was doing, but no choice except to do it."

Henry was part of an unprecedented do-it-yourself relief effort that came to define Hurricane Harvey. After the storm blew into Houston, a remarkable network of boat owners with smartphones, worried neighbors with laptops and digital wizards with mapping software popped up to summon and support an army of good Samaritans who motored, rowed and waded into dangerous waters to save family, friends and total strangers.

The "We the People" response seemed distinctly Texan, an outgrowth of the state's almost genetic disinclination to rely on the government for anything - and in some cases, resolute willingness to defy it. Just as some Texans defied mandatory evacuation orders ahead of the storm, many rescuers ignored repeated official warnings to stay off streets flooded with treacherous and fast-flowing waters.

Texas officials, in turn, repeatedly emphasized the importance of personal responsibility. They warned people not to call 911 unless their life was in immediate peril. The top elected official in Tyler County, northeast of Houston, told people not to expect a rescue if they defied evacuation orders. His subtle-as-buckshot words on Facebook: "GET OUT OR DIE!"

Across Southeast Texas, police, firefighters, the National Guard, the Coast Guard and other agencies responded with immense force. But in a storm of Harvey's sheer monstrousness - hundreds of miles across, lingering for days with bucketing rain that swallowed roads and initially kept rescue aircraft grounded - no government response could ever have been enough.

So ordinary people took up the challenge.

"The thing that's been completely different from anything I've ever seen is the way the community has responded. I can't explain to you how awesome it has been," said Houston Police Capt. Yasar Bashir, who stood in a West Houston neighborhood last week watching a volunteer flotilla of boats rescuing victims.

Police were working nonstop, "but we can't do it all," Bashir said. "It's because of the citizens that we were able to get everyone out."

The citizen rescue campaign was made possible by technology that didn't exist in 2005 when Hurricane Katrina devastated New Orleans, Louisiana. Then, people listened to AM radio for news and organized rescues by ham radio or by calling reporters, who posted their cries for help on local news blogs.

In 2007, Apple introduced the iPhone, accelerating the rise of social media. Today, more than three-quarters of Americans carry a smartphone in their pocket, according to the Pew Research Center. Harvey is the largest natural disaster to play out in the United States since the dawn of this hyper-connected era.

Because Harvey's strongest winds hit the Texas coast far to the south near Corpus Christi, Houston didn't suffer the blanket power outages that hit New Orleans during Katrina. As a result, in more places than not, cellphones worked, laptops stayed charged and people could log in to neighborhood Facebook groups and message boards, Twitter, Instagram, Nextdoor and Snapchat.

Rescuers also relied heavily on Zello, a free "walkie-talkie" app that has become popular among activists in conflict zones around the world. The app works on cellphone data plans or WiFi and was designed to operate in places where signals are weak, making it particularly useful in disaster areas. It allows victims and rescuers to post voice messages to specific channels, such as "The Cajun Navy" and "Harvey Animal Rescue."

Bill Moore, chief executive of Zello, a startup based in Austin, said the app has seen a 20-fold increase in usage in Houston since Harvey hit.

Houstonians also improvised their own digital tools as the floodwaters rose. Three buddies created the website "Houston Harvey Rescue," according to the site, "in under 3 hours, in a leaky office, with intermittent power, [and] a 2 GB server." The site allowed users to drop a pin on a Google map to alert rescuers to people in trouble. The color of the pin could be changed to indicate the degree of urgency, and the pin could be removed when the rescue was completed, giving rescuers a real-time view of needs across the city.

The site, which claims credit for "over 7,600 active rescues," was no longer operational on Saturday. "Long story short: We aren't needed anymore," read a post from its three creators, Matthew Marchetti, Nate Larson, and Oliver Carter. "Houston saved Houston by open sourcing its own rescue."

Even Texas National Guardsmen sometimes found their cellphones more useful than radios, which have limited range. During patrols this week, soldiers said Facebook became a vital tool for receiving civilian reports of people in need of rescue. Spc. Justin Snow said a responding unit found and rescued dozens of people trapped in a flooded building from a Facebook post.

"Hats off to Google Maps and dropping pins on iPhone," Snow said.

There were the inevitable wild goose chases. In Port Arthur on Thursday, a Facebook post said a rescuer had been electrocuted in the Montrose subdivision. Firefighters rushed out, but found no one - one of dozens of false reports.

"Social media has allowed us to process so much information. But it's almost information overload," said Shawn Boudreaux, vice president of Cajun Navy Relief, a volunteer rescue operation, from the command post in Lake Charles, Louisiana. "We have trolls. We have hoaxes."

The information overload also led at times to volunteer overload, and some would-be citizen rescuers were turned away from areas where there were already too many boats in the water. The Texas Department of Public Safety reported having to rescue some overeager but undertrained volunteers whose boats overturned in the swift current.

Still, for the most part, the improvisational effort was successful.

When Andrew Brenneise saw his West Houston neighborhood flooding at a ferocious pace last Saturday, his first thought was Facebook Live. He pulled out his smartphone in the punishing rain and pleaded for volunteers with boats.

Forty-five minutes later, the first truck arrived with a boat on a trailer. Then ten more. Then twenty. Then Brenneise had a flotilla of fishing boats, kayaks, canoes and flat-bottomed skiffs which, over the next six days, rescued hundreds of people and animals.

"This is who we are," said Brenneise, 31, a business development manager at a chemical company. "The police and firefighters can't be everywhere, so the community has to step in and take control."

Tanner Montgomery, 39, a real estate agent, and two friends drove three hours from San Antonio with a canoe on a trailer to help in Brenneise's neighborhood, known as Westchase, where tree-lined streets of elegant homes were threatened throughout the week by releases from nearby Barker Reservoir. Montgomery didn't hear Brenneise's appeal but was alerted through posts on Facebook and Zello, as well as text messages from other volunteers.

"There's way too many people who need help for just the emergency services," Montgomery said. "There's only so many government employees, and there's a lot more of us."

Indeed, emergency services were stretched so thin that police didn't arrive to take control of the rescue operation in Westchase until Thursday. Even then, they had no boats, so they had to hitch rides with the citizen navy, including Montgomery's canoe.

In Memorial, one of Houston's older communities, Denver Courtney and Alex Claymon spent days using their personal boats to rescue stranded neighbors.

"I was sitting there just chewing my fingers off, going, 'I can't watch this and not go help,' " said Claymon, 44, an insurance agent who drove 2 hours from Palestine, Texas.

"Basically, as a Texan, you know, you're called to duty when something like this happens," added Courtney, 48, an interior designer from Houston. "If you're a hunter and a fisherman and a redneck, man, then you got your boat out here. And if you don't, we don't claim you as a Texan."

Henry launched her personal rescue operation around lunchtime last Sunday from her cozy sectional in West University Place, an independent city near downtown Houston.

"It turns out my Facebook addiction actually had a purpose," she said. With the water rising, she divided the pleas for help into three categories in her notebook: "BABIES." "Elderly." "Families."

On Sunday night, she slept for barely two hours.

"I don't know how many lives I could've saved while I slept," she said. "It was hard to make yourself sleep."

At first, she focused on linking boaters and victims in the closest neighborhoods - Bellaire, Braeswood, Meyerland. But as word of her work spread online, she began receiving tags and private messages from strangers farther away in Memorial and Katy and, eventually, all over Houston.

Boaters arriving from as far away as Florida found their way to her on Facebook as well, seeking guidance about where to deploy. Then Henry linked up with a Houston lawyer, Thomas Holmes III, who was commanding his own fleet of boats.

Holmes had something else to offer: online emergency forms. Created through Google Docs, the forms allowed victims and volunteers to provide rescuers with crucial details about their location and health. That information was then uploaded to a master spreadsheet that let rescuers know whether to expect a large family, pets or a victim weighing more than 300 pounds.

"So many random boaters were filling out my Google dispatch form that I realized they could be dispatched almost anywhere there were needs," Henry said. "Our operation just kept growing."

From last Sunday through Thursday, she worked, aided at times by a friend who listened to Zello from her home in Hawaii. At the height of the effort, Henry estimates that she was helping to direct 39 teams of three or four boats each - well over 100 Good Samaritans saving an untold number of lives.

"Once I got a few people rescued and things started gaining momentum, I couldn't just look away," she said. "Who was I going to pass the torch to? The 911 dispatch? No way. That wasn't an option."

- - -

Holley reported from Washington. Alex Horton and Arelis Hernandez in Houston contributed to this story.
The non-profit "by artists for artists" organization 4heads opened their annual Governors Island Art Fair yesterday, filling the rooms of the stately, historic homes along Colonels Row with all manner of contemporary work. The fair (which is different from an exhibition in that all the art you see here is for sale) is free and open to the public, and runs every Saturday and Sunday through September.

More than 90 different artists are showing their work this year, and one of the things that makes GIAF so exhilarating is the serendipitous nature of your viewing journey. Basically, all of the artists are given an empty room in one of these old homesfrom spacious front parlors to cramped attic areas to hallways, closets, and kitchensand can fill it however they wish. Crazy installations, big colorful paintings, diaphanous mobiles, bold photography, found-object sculptures, mixed media pieces, literal naked people: You never know what awaits you around each corner.



(Scott Lynch / Gothamist)

The front lawns are also put to use, with large, crowd-pleasing sculptural pieces running the length of the row. Also, for the first time, the massive Liggett Hall across the "street" is a part of the GIAF, where you'll find installations on the ground floor.

There's lots of great art here to discover, but some of my favorites would include:

 Ventiko's Vessels of Verisimilitude, a stunning installation (check out the waterfall made from oysters shells! and the moss all over the floor! and the peacock feather bouquets!) that doubles as a "photographic performance" for which you are invited to get naked and join in.

 The disconcerting army of handmade Illuminati dolls by Queens artist Michael Coffino, who takes mug shots from the 1930s to form the face, the dresses them in outfits of death. His paintings are pretty great as well.



(Scott Lynch / Gothamist)

 Carin Kulb Dangot's bright, taffy-looking sculptural pieces made entirely from paint. The Brazilian artist pours gallons of the stuff into pans and, when it's hardened just enough to manipulate, she twists and folds the ribbons, to delicious effect.

 The playful, slightly disturbing photography of Joanne Leah, who shoots close ups of body parts, usually with an unexpected addition or two.

 Ben Quesnel's Unburdened Bare, an almost-spooky, almost-cute stuffed creature that's easily overlooked sitting down there at the bottom of some back stairs, but may startle you when you see it.

 The plate of herbed gelatin with a pour-over of condensed milk that Miao Zhao hands you in the front hallway of one of the homes and that tastes... interesting.

4heads GIAF takes place along Colonels Row on Governors Island and is open every Saturday and Sunday in September from 10:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. Admission is free.
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CYPRESS - Brad Andersen wore the dust of a hard afternoon on his Carhartt shirt and exhaustion in his eyes after hours of mucking out and gutting his church of 40 years, Messiah Lutheran.

At one point, the 53-year-old electrician paused to watch a fresh crew of 20-somethings who showed up to help. And with that, he found a bright spot in Harvey's destruction.

"I guess I can say this," Andersen said. "This has been the best point we've had since the towers fell - when everybody was nice to each other for a few weeks."

Sonny Wiggs, a fellow church member who had just finished sawing sheetrock, nodded. The storm, he said, has allowed us to focus on one another, regardless of our backgrounds and beliefs. "We're people helping people," he said.

Across the room, one of the volunteers, wearing work gloves and a University of Houston T-shirt, spoke up.

"It's a grounding experience," he said.

The young man was Sadiq Musavvir, a 26-year-old oil and gas analyst. This wasn't his church. Or even his religion. He and his five friends are Muslim - some fasting for an upcoming holy day, some with damage to their own relatives' homes. They heard from a friend about the flooded church in Cypress and decided to donate their strong backs for a few hours.

"I can't just sit around and watch TV and see these people suffering. I had to get out of the house," Musavvir told me, explaining that he had spent days gathering supplies and giving desperate people rides through sloshing streets.

Hamza Ali, a 26-year-old process engineer, organized the group, setting aside damage to his own parents' roof in Sugar Land.

"These are my people, too," he said. "Wherever there are people in need of help - if you can, you show up."

Among the first things they did, he said, was take down the Bibles from the high, dry place they were kept and restore them to the pews.

Scenes of unity

As I watched Ali and his friends hauling off shelves and furniture, hoisting debris on top of the massive heap outside that filled four parking spots, I thought about the scenes of unity we have seen since Harvey pulled everything else apart. People are helping others across racial, religious and class lines.

We in Houston boast of being the nation's most diverse metropolitan area, but we are among the most segregated. This historic flood, as devastating as it is, has spilled some of us out of our silos. It has left us with searing images. The black Jet Ski driver rescuing an elderly white woman. The trapped Mexican bakers at El Bolillo pouring 4,000 pounds of flour and love into sweet bread for storm victims. The Cajun Navy rushing into Pasadena and Port Arthur. Shelters greeting flooding victims in Korean, Hungarian, even Amharic, a mother tongue of Ethiopia. Mosques opening shelters to people of all faiths.

And then, a few young Muslims helping some older Lutherans save their church.

"They showed up at a great time," said Brad Otto, pastor of the 1,000- member congregation and preschool. "Our folks were kind of - done. They'd been here since 7 this morning."

Otto, who discovered the devastation Tuesday after wading through waist deep water on Telge Road, said the church didn't have flood insurance. But after his Facebook post, help came from all corners - emails from the East Coast, a local man who randomly hand-delivered a $100 check.

"Sometimes I cry at the devastation I see around me," the pastor said. "Sometimes I cry because of what else I see around me - the support."

Back in the nursery, Wiggs said he admired the young volunteers for doing what many are still afraid to do.

"I don't know that a Lutheran or a Catholic-based church would go as easily into a Muslim atmosphere," he said. "I think people are timid to cross that division of religion because of the culture, because they don't want to offend - out of ignorance, more than anything."

Breaking down barriers

As he talked, Musavvir, Ali and their friends gathered around.

"I learned more from a poster about the Muslim faith than anything else," Andersen told them. "How y'all believe in peace, and how y'all believe Jesus was a prophet, but not a son of God."

The poster, Andersen explained, was at a mosque where he had an electrical job years ago setting plugs in the walls and repairing fans. That was around the time of 9/11, he said, and he had hastened to finish so he could return the key.

"I didn't know if anybody would retaliate," he said, "And I didn't want to be the one white guy with a key."

We all shared a good laugh over his awkward fears at the time. The young men were in elementary school at the time of the attacks, and they shared the retaliation they could recall - being called "Osama," after the terrorist, by classmates.

"I don't know if you're familiar with it," Andersen went on, "but that's the mosque off of Queenston and West Little York "

The young men perked up. Their eyes brightened.

"That's where we all grew up," Musavvir said. "We all met at that mosque."

"We probably broke those fans out there," his friend said, laughing.

The mosque, some 20 miles from where we stood in the church, is known as the Bear Creek Islamic Center. It's one of the local houses of worship sheltering flood victims of different faiths and operating donation centers.

"That's incredible," Musavvir said. "And now we're all back here."

"Yeah," Andersen said. "That's pretty cool."

The men shared a few more laughs and then Andersen and Wiggs said their goodbyes.

'A different impression'

I asked the young men whether that kind of connection is fleeting, or whether the unity we're seeing, the positive impressions, can endure once we return to our normal lives.

"I think Larry the Cable Guy is definitely going to have a different impression," said Mahd Dada, a 24-year-old petroleum engineer, referencing the comedian with whom Andersen had compared himself. "They didn't get to know us on a personal level. We didn't talk religion or politics. But they might just remember these five brown guys showed up and they helped."

This is my prayer today. That the unity in Houston right now, the bonds of this shared experience, stays with us long after the water recedes.
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Juan Jacquez wanted to believe his relatives were safe.

He told himself they were at a hospital - maybe in San Antonio, far away from Houston's flooding - as he headed on Thursday to where they were last seen: in an overturned fishing boat in Greens Bayou.

Jacquez thought of his brother-in-law, Benjamin Vizueth, 33, and his mother's partner, Gustavo Rodriguez, 40, as missing - not dead - as he scanned the banks of the bayou in their northwest Houston neighborhood.

The water level had nearly returned to normal. Alligators swam by.

Jacquez, 28, was optimistic. He didn't expect to find a body. Until he saw Rodriguez's neon orange vest.

Vizueth and Rodriguez made headlines earlier this week after their rescue mission went wrong Monday. The pair headed out with Vizueth's two brothers, Jose and Yahir, 45, and a close family friend, Jorge Perez, 33, in Rodriguez's 12-foot long fishing boat to a flooded bridge over Greens Bayou on Wallisville Road to save residents of a nearby apartment complex.

Two journalists the U.K.-based Daily Mail newspaper, Alan Butterfield and Ruaridh Connellan, joined them.

The five men didn't personally know the residents of the apartment complex. But, as local first responders were overwhelmed with calls and as water filled two of the three floors of the building, the men saw neighbors in need, Jacquez said.

"They did it because they saw a whole bunch of people who needed help that nobody was rescuing," Jacquez said.

The men - all of whom had lived in the neighborhood about four years - saved two families on the way to the bridge. They brought them back to safety at Jacquez's mother's house.

But when they headed back to the bridge, their luck turned.

Greens Bayou had never been so full and the current had never been so strong.

The water level reached about 40 feet, Jacquez later estimated.

The motor of the boat, bobbing in the water, gave out. The water carried the vessel downstream, into a power line. The boat's seven occupants tumbled overboard.

Only three of them - the two journalists and Jose Vizueth - survived. They were electrocuted and clung to a tree for over 15 hours waiting to be rescued.

Jose Vizueth and the journalists were hospitalized Tuesday.

The Houston Fire Department found Yahir Vizueth and Perez's bodies the same day, floating in floodwaters downstream from the bridge.

But Benjamin Vizueth and Rodriguez initially missing.

Benjamin Vizueth was Jacquez's older sister's high school sweetheart, Jacquez said. The couple had two sons and a daughter. They, Vizueth's brothers and Jacquez had gone into Jacquez's family business together. They owned several car dealerships.

After watching his sister, frantic over the fate of her husband, Jacquez and a handful of other volunteers went out to the bayou on Thursday.

"I wasn't going to stand there, just waiting," Jacquez said. "It could have been a week, two weeks."

They started out on foot and found Rodriguez first, about a mile and a half south of the Wallisville Road bridge, near a bend in Greens Bayou.

They continued their search in a boat. About two hours later, up near the Wallisville bridge, Jacquez spotted a leg - from the knee to the foot - poking out from a pile of rubble along the bayou.

It was Benjamin Vizueth.

The Harris County Institute of Forensic Sciences have confirmed Rodriguez, Yahir Vizueth and Perez's deaths late Friday and Benjamin Vizueth's early this week.

A day later, Jacquez couldn't describe what was going through his mind when he saw Vizueth's body. He isn't sure what's next for his family.

But he doesn't regret searching the bayou. He just knew he had to find Benjamin Vizueth, for his sister.
As areas across southeast Texas emerged from Harvey's floodwaters, the death toll continues to creep upward.

Authorities in Walker County confirmed Saturday that a six-month-old was missing and had been swept away in gushing floodwaters on Aug. 27.

Firefighters had been working to rescue two men trapped in their pickup in the swollen waters of Winters Bayou on Highway 150 near New Waverly and Coldspring, and heard screams nearby.

First responders found a couple up a tree, seeking refuge from the water. They had been fleeing Houston flooding, heading for Louisiana, said Jimmy Williams, with the New Waverly Fire Department.

They became trapped in high water on Highway 150, and had to flee their pickup.

"The current was so fast, it ripped the baby out of their arms," Williams said. "So the baby was lost,"

It took New Waverly and Punkin-Evergreen Firefighters had to fight the waters for three hours before they were able to rescue the parents.

Authorities have been working feverishly - but unsuccessfully - ever since to try to find the baby.

"It's the worst," he said. "It's as bad as you can imagine."
Residents near one of the region's most dangerous toxic dumps are increasingly concerned that the raging San Jacinto River, swollen to record heights by Tropical Storm Harvey, could be degrading concrete caps covering the site, allowing cancer causing dioxins to escape into the water.

The San Jacinto Waste Pits, where waste from a nearby paper mill was buried, were at one time located on the banks of the river, but as the waterway changed course, they became submerged and have been the subject of concern and lawsuits for years.

Now, based on observations of the damage the flooded river is doing to concrete bunkers at the Interstate 10 bridge near Channelview, concern is growing about what might be happening to the caps covering the Superfund site itself.

Harris County officials, who successfully sued the current corporate owners of the pits over leaks in the cap, have demanded that the Environmental Protection Agency review the damage and leaks as soon as the heavily flooded area can be safely accessed by divers or robots.

The county attorney's office also requested this week that the EPA release surveillance video of the pits. But so far the EPA has not responded, according to information the Houston Chronicle obtained through a public records request.

"They potentially have a mess on their hands," said Assistant County Attorney Rock Owens. "Unfortunately, we will be waiting until the water recedes."

On Saturday, the EPA released a statement promising to inspect the site as soon as Monday if river conditions permit. The statement came hours after both the Houston Chronicle and the Associated Press reported on concerns raised by the county on behalf of citizens who live near the pits.

BREAKING: EPA says 13 Superfund sites flooded and/or potentially damaged by Hurricane Harvey

In the statement, the EPA said it had already conducted initial assessments of all 41 Superfund sites in the areas impacted by Hurricane Harvey "using aerial images, as well as direct contact with the parties responsible for the ongoing clean-up."

Thirteen of hazardous waste sites have been flooded - including the San Jacinto Waste Pits - "and/or are experiencing possible damage due to the storm - though only two have been inspected and determined that they do not require "emergency cleanup," the statement says. The EPA said it will send teams to inspect the remaining 11 Superfund sites as soon as conditions allow.

The San Jacinto Waste Pits contain cancer-causing dioxins and other industrial waste stored there in the 1960s and were officially designated for the Superfund clean-up program in 2008. The current owners of the site paid to cap the waste pits  but the caps have leaked and been repaired and replaced several times and experts have long predicted they could be destroyed by a major hurricane.

"We are so concerned about that cap," said Gina Fields, a long-time resident who lives in a flooded area just a few miles upstream from the pits in Crosby. "If that water moved concrete barrier and bulldozers like it did  and houses too  we fear that cap is no longer there. And we're very concerned."

Staff from the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality, a state agency that is coordinating with the EPA on storm response statewide, attempted to secure waste containers and drums at many dump sites before Harvey hit. But the TCEQ has suspended many pollution reporting requirements under the emergency declared by Gov. Greg Abbott, and the TCEQ office in Houston remains closed.

In the statement released Saturday, the EPA said it planned to move as quickly as possible to inspect the "temporary armored cap" that is designed to prevent hazardous material from migrating downstream" at the waste pits site. "Based on forecasted river conditions this inspection is planned for Monday, by boat. EPA has dive teams to survey the cap underwater when conditions allow."

"Despite misleading and inaccurate reporting, the facts are that EPA and TCEQ are working together, along with other local, state, and federal authorities and emergency responders around the clock to address the human health and environmental impacts of Hurricane Harvey and its effects, especially historic and devastating flooding throughout Southeast Texas," the statement said..

The EPA and TCEQ are working together to address widespread pollution problems after Hurricane Harvey that could pose potential risks for drinking water and public health at many sites statewide, according to statements released by both agencies.

Dozens of residents from the waterfront neighborhood just west of the pits already were forced to wade through flooded yards to reach rescue boats on the river's Channelview side, according to Jackie Young, an activist who grew up in the San Jacinto River community of Highlands. Young alerted county officials to the signs of damage to the bridge.

Young, who runs a grassroots group called Texas Health and Environment Alliance, was out of state when Hurricane Harvey closed airports and kept her in California. But she said she's personally heard from 30 evacuees forced to wade out to boats to evacuate neighborhoods nearest to the pits and emailed photos to county officials.

All across the Houston areas, residents and rescuers alike have been walking and driving through floodwaters contaminated by industrial runoff and by overloaded municipal treatment plants. Municipal water supplies so far are considered safe. But hundreds of homes in Channelview, Highlands and Baytown near the pits rely on vulnerable individual wells for their drinking water.

"The homes in the river bottom have come off their slabs and it's a very bad situation there  as in many areas across the region," Young said. "But the residents knowing that the waste pits are there, sitting across from the area, they're worried. I feel there's a shortcoming in the response in figuring out if the environment is safe. We need them to move quickly on a sampling plan."

More than 600 people claim that their health, their property and their livelihoods already have been damaged from contact with river water tainted by dioxin, a potent carcinogen that is also linked to birth defects, according to allegations in a civil lawsuit that remains pending in Harris County.

Bob Allen, director of Harris County's pollution control services department, reopened his office in Pasadena on Monday with a skeleton crew of five and has been busy calling hundreds of area treatment plants and industrial users to track potential dangers and leaks across Harris County.

Not many operators at those sites have been answering their phones, he said.

But Allen told the Chronicle Friday that his staff would use computerized mapping to determine how many of the 150 people whose wells already have been tested for potential dioxin contamination were likely flooded during Harvey.

Young, the activist, said she hopes that water testing will be done as soon as possible so that residents can make informed decisions about the risk of returning to their homes or drinking from their wells. Ultimately, she wants to see the waste removed from the river entirely.

This year, the Environmental Protection Agency has been reviewing an action plan supported by Harris County leaders, Young and other activists that would finally remove poisons from the submerged river pits forever. Action on that plan is expected before the end of the year, though an EPA spokeswoman told the Chronicle that there is no firm timeline.

On Friday, Gina Fields, of the riverfront neighborhood Crosby, was helping rescue people and pets from flooded homes. "There should be no more debate," Fields said. "They need to remove those wastes from that river."

Late Saturday, a spokesman for MMC, one of two companies involved in the cleanup of the San Jacinto Superfund site, said that both the cap and berms around it appear to remain in place, based on a visual inspection conducted by contractors Friday afternoon. Stone material around the berms, however, has washed away. The company said further updates will be posted on www.sanjacintofacts.com.
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REZU AMTALI, Bangladesh - They stumble down muddy ravines and flooded creeks through miles of hills and jungle in Bangladesh, and thousands more come each day, in a line stretching to the monsoon-darkened horizon.

Some are gaunt and spent, starving and carrying listless and dehydrated babies, with many miles to go before they reach any refugee camp.

They are tens of thousands of Rohingya, who arrive bearing accounts of massacre at the hands of the Myanmar security forces and allied mobs that started Aug. 25, after Rohingya militants staged attacks against government forces.

The retaliation that followed was carried out in methodical assaults on villages, with helicopters raining down fire on civilians and front-line troops cutting off families' escape. The villagers' accounts all portray indiscriminate attacks against fleeing noncombatants, adding to a death toll that even in early estimates is high into the hundreds, and is probably vastly worse.

"There are no more villages left, none at all," said Rashed Ahmed, 46, a farmer from a hamlet in Maungdaw Township in Myanmar.

He had been walking for four days.

"There are no more people left, either," he said. "It is all gone."

The Rohingya are a Muslim ethnic minority who live in Myanmar's far western Rakhine state. Most were stripped of their citizenship by the military junta that used to rule Myanmar, and they have suffered decades of repression under the country's Buddhist majority, including killings and mass rape, according to the United Nations. A new armed resistance is giving the military more reasons to oppress them.

Grim exodus

But the past week's exodus of civilians caught in the middle, which the United Nations said had reached nearly 76,000 on Saturday, dwarfs previous outflows of refugees to Bangladesh in such a short time period. Friday's influx alone was the single largest movement of Rohingya here in more than a generation, according to the U.N. office in Dhaka.

The dying is not over. Some of the Rohingya militants have persuaded or coerced men and boys to stay behind and fight. And civilians who have stayed on the trail are running toward conditions so grim that they constitute a second humanitarian catastrophe.

They face another round of gunfire from Myanmar's border guards and miles of treacherous hill trails and flood-swollen streams and mud fields ahead before they reach crowded camps without enough food or medical help. Dozens were killed when their boats overturned, leaving the bodies of women and children washed up on river banks.

Tens of thousands more Rohingya are waiting for the Bangladeshi border force to allow them to enter. Still more are moving north from the Rohingya-dominated districts of Rakhine state. And the violence there continues.

"It breaks all records of inhumanity," said a member of the Border Guard Bangladesh named Anamul, stationed at the Kutupalong Rohingya refugee camp. "I have never seen anything like this."

Here, in the forests of Rezu Amtali near the border with Myanmar, dozens of Rohingya told stories that were horrifying in their content and consistency.

After militants from the Arakan Rohingya Salvation Army attacked police posts and an army base Aug. 25, killing more than a dozen, the Myanmar military began torching entire villages with helicopters and gasoline bombs, aided by Buddhist vigilantes from the ethnic Rakhine group, those fleeing the violence said.

Person after person along the trail into Bangladesh told of how the security forces cordoned off Rohingya villages as the fire rained down, and then shot and stabbed civilians. Children were not exempt.

Widespread killing

The Myanmar military said Friday that nearly 400 people had been killed in the violence that has swept across northern Rakhine since Aug. 25. Of that death toll, 370 people were identified as Rohingya fighters. Fourteen civilians, including four ethnic Rakhine and seven Hindus, were also reported killed. But Myanmar officials have given no specific accounting of civilian Rohingya deaths.

The Myanmar government claims Rohingya militants have torched their own homes in a bid for international sympathy. And the military maintains its current operations in Rakhine are designed at rooting out "extremist terrorists."

There are, clearly, combatants on the Rohingya side. State media have reported that more than 50 clashes have broken out between the Arakan Rohingya Salvation Army, known by the acronym ARSA, and Myanmar security forces over the past week.

That has complicated life for civilians trying to flee.

What the survivors are fleeing into is no haven. Bangladesh is poor, overcrowded and waterlogged, and has been reluctant to take on more displaced Rohingya. Around 400,000 lived here before the exodus, according to government figures.

An urgent humanitarian disaster is brewing here in a country hard-pressed to feed itself, much less a new influx of refugees one Bangladeshi official estimated could soon surpass 100,000 people.

For now, the Border Guard Bangladesh is mostly turning a blind eye to the crisis and allowing the Rohingya to stream across the border.
President Trump's return trip to Texas on Saturday, brief though it was, made a difference. Accompanied by the first lady, he greeting both volunteers and evacuees at NRG Hall, posed for selfies, hugged and kissed kids, handed out boxed lunches, and in the process lifted spirits and energized recovery efforts. In short, he did exactly what we expect a president to do.

Back in Washington, bolstered, we hope, by a new-found awareness of the massive need throughout storm-tossed Southeast Texas, the president has a job to do. Thousands of volunteers and numerous private charities have responded magnificently, while the whole world watched (and clamored to help), but a metropolitan area of some six and a half million people has to have huge amounts of financial help from Washington. Immediately.

U.S. Congress

The president has promised an initial request to Congress of $7.9 billion, part of a $14.5 billion down-payment of sorts, most of that amount going to the Federal Emergency Management Administration and some to the Small Business Administration. This immediate injection of cash is designed to get the process of relief and rebuilding started.

Of course, we'll need much, much more - more, in fact, than the $51 billion in supplemental aid that went to Sandy relief. U.S. Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee, D-Houston, posits a figure of $150 billion. State Sen. Paul Bettencourt, R-Houston, predicts that recovery and rebuilding will cost more than Sandy and Hurricane Katrina combined, perhaps as much as $200 billion.

Whatever the amount, the Trump administration must make sure that federal monies are managed and administered with care. Although the administration has deigned to fill many vital government positions, we would hope to see some sort of oversight entity, managed by public servants of unquestioned integrity, to guarantee prudence, fairness and accountability.

Construction standards

Another chore for the president: Less than two weeks ago, he proudly rescinded Obama-era regulations that established new construction standards for roads, housing and other infrastructure projects that receive federal dollars. Trump derided the restrictions, written to address growing concerns over the impact of climate change, as useless red tape dragging down the economy. Now, fortunately, the administration is considering whether to issue similar requirements to build higher in flood-prone areas. Reality bites, it seems.

That willingness to reconsider is a sign that the White House is well aware that this natural disaster is a test for the president personally and for his administration. Also being tested are members of Congress, including U.S. Sens. John Cornyn and Ted Cruz. The senators need to show their fellow Texans that individuals in need are more important than ideology, recovery a greater priority than politics.

Responses to Sandy

Residents of New York and New Jersey don't need to be reminded that these two Texans were part of a dunderheaded coterie of Republican congressmen who turned thumbs-down to a Superstorm Sandy recovery package in 2013. They claim they voted no because the legislation was larded with pork-barrel expenditures that had nothing to do with disaster relief. Cruz, a Houstonian, continues to make that argument, even though it's been refuted by a number of independent assessments.

The senators weren't the only Texans who turned a blind eye to their fellow Americans in distress four years ago. Every Republican House member from the Lone Star State, with one exception, voted against allocating funds for rebuilding and recovery after Sandy. The one exception was our own John Culberson.

This time, given the baleful fact that the very people they represent desperately need Washington's assistance, we're expecting our local delegation to respond - and to respond quickly. It's hard to imagine Randy Weber or Pete Olson or Kevin Brady or any of their GOP colleagues looking their storm-battered constituents in the eye and telling them, "Sorry, you'll have to count on those brave and resourceful volunteers, not the federal government. We have philosophical concerns."

The people of Houston and of Beaumont, Orange and Port Arthur have no time for political gamesmanship. We have no time for cynical maneuverings over keeping the federal government funded beyond Sept. 30 or fights about the federal debt limit or Donald Trump's border wall. People's lives and their livelihoods are at stake; the future of a great American city, the city on which the nation relies for its energy resources, could be in peril.

Rainy day fund?

Closer to home, Bettencourt and other state officials are predicting the Legislature will be back in Austin for a special session, perhaps in January, although Gov. Greg Abbott is saying it won't be necessary. We believe it is, primarily we need to consider whether to dip into the state's $10 billion rainy day fund. (Note the name, Gov. Abbott.)

Special session or not, we would like to think that Hurricane Harvey and its horrific aftermath will be a splash in the face and a shock to the system to those men and women we elect to tackle real issues. No more bathroom bills. Texans, particularly coastal Texans, have neither the time nor the patience for such foolishness.

Here in Houston, we must demand more from our elected officials, as well. Mayor Sylvester Turner and Harris County Judge Ed Emmett have worked tirelessly to make sure this city isn't overwhelmed by chaos, confusion and unmet need. We salute their efforts.

Special commission

When the immediate crisis comes to an end, however, we hope Turner and Emmett will take the lead in launching wide-ranging public discussions about land use, building codes and flood control. For too many years we've allowed special interests and myopic elected officials to thwart our long-range planning needs. We have to address the uncomfortable fact that policies we put in place or warnings we chose to ignore over the years contributed to the scope of last week's destruction. Perhaps a special commission appointed by the mayor and the county judge would help this city to focus attention on the countless issues this disaster has brought into painful focus.

"TEXAS: We are with you today, we are with you tomorrow, and we will be with you EVERY SINGLE DAY AFTER, to restore, recover, and REBUILD!" the president tweeted on his way to Houston yesterday. The words are heartening, and the work continues. For a long, long time to come.
Legislative help

Regarding "Crawling from crisis toward painful recovery" (Page A1, Friday), the state of Texas currently holds approximately $10 billion in reserves, in what is called the Texas Economic Stabilization Fund (TESF). During most legislative sessions our representatives debate whether some of this money should be used to help balance the state budget.

Often the answer is no, with the argument being that these funds are not to be used to meet "general obligations" but rather should be held back in the event that the state one day faces a dire emergency. This reserve is better known as the state's rainy day fund.

Seeing as how the Greater Houston area contains 6.5 million of Texas' 28 million citizens, the Greater Houston legislative delegation - Republicans and Democrats as one - should ask the governor to call an immediate special legislative session to appropriate $2.5 billion of rainy day fund money for Houston-area flood recovery.

If our Legislature and the governor don't think this situation warrants use of the rainy day fund, then they might as well do away with it.

David Bradley, Spring
In 2001, as Tropical Storm Allison pummeled central Houston, I found myself stranded south of I-10, which had transformed into a raging canal. With friends, I tromped around Montrose all night, marveling at the rising water.

When I finally made it home to Oak Forest the next day, I resolved never to be caught unprepared for such a dire situation again. As a science writer for the Houston Chronicle, I wrote stories about flooding and tropical weather. I became a meteorologist. And when hydrologists estimated Allison to be a 500-year-flood, the region had its benchmark inland rainfall event. It was bad, but at least now we knew how bad it could get here.

Only we didn't. We're only now coming to grips with how bad it can really be to live in a sprawling city built on a warm, tropical body of water prone to developing low-pressure systems during the summer months. Harvey dumped more than a feet of rain on an area larger than West Virginia, with a seam of 40 to 50 inches running roughly along I-10 from south Houston through Beaumont. The economic damage from this storm will almost certainly exceed that from the previous record holder, Hurricane Katrina ($108 billion in 2005 dollars).

For all of that, the most lasting damage from Harvey may be psychological. This region has a flooding problem, a really bad one, and what we're doing now isn't working. It seems to me that the region really has one chance to recognize and confront this threat. Can you imagine what they're thinking on the coasts about Houston today? Poor city, but that's what you get when you keep paving over wetlands with new developments.

The five days of hellish rainfall from Harvey have felt soul-crushing for those of us who live here. We have fretted and feared through sleepless nights as the waters have risen ever upward. The return of the sun on Tuesday evening, and an actual sunset, felt almost spiritual. We have certainly been through it - but as dark as the tragedy of the last five days has been, returning to business as usual would be a darker and perhaps fatal tragedy.

I am not sure that our city, county, state and federal officials quite get it. During Hurricane Ike, the principal threat came from storm surge, which is deadlier than flooding but affects only coastal areas. Storm surge requires a different set of protective measures, such as a coastal berm or flood gates at strategic points in Galveston Bay.

Recognizing the threat of storm surge to Galveston, as well as to rapidly developing communities in Clear Lake and League City and to the substantial economic assets in the Port of Houston, academics devised solutions. Bill Merrell at Texas A&M UniversityGalveston proposed the Ike Dike. Rice University's Phil Bedient and Jim Blackburn, among others, suggested a system of gates to protect the ship channel and prevent chemical releases.

Ike made landfall early on the morning of Sept. 13, 2008, at the northern end of Galveston Island. Two days later, Lehman Brothers filed for bankruptcy, precipitating the Great Recession.

Had Houston's business community worked with state officials and federal representatives, they might have steered some of the money from President Barack Obama's 2009 American Recovery and Reinvestment Act to shore up Texas' coastal defenses and strengthen the U.S. oil and chemical industry from future storms. But no. Not a single local elected official in Houston spoke favorably about such a solution for years, and the only state official to show a modicum of interest was George P. Bush, after becoming land commissioner. In 2015 Bush commissioned a multi-million dollar study of the issue. And here we are, nine years after Ike, with nothing but a study.

With Harvey, the situation is yet more daunting. Although it may cost a few billion dollars to protect the Houston area from storm surge, it is a straightforward engineering challenge compared to dealing with inland flooding. Dealing with floods is a far more complex feat of engineering, involving hundreds of thousands of homes; dozens of bayous; rivers and creeks; roadways; and, horror of horrors, placing some limits on development.

Moreover, it will require some honesty from our elected officials. Although Hurricane Harvey and its devastating rains were not directly caused by climate change - blame steering currents and proximity to the Gulf of Mexico - warmer water created by global warming had some effect on increasing the intensity of the rainfall. It is not enough to say this was a terrible and unforeseeable act of God, then go back to making the same development mistakes we've making for decades. Harvey, or something like it, will happen again.

If Houston is to remain the prosperous, vibrant, great city that it was before Harvey, we are going to have to take a hard look at our unrestrained development and willingness to let almost anyone build almost anything almost anywhere - even if it's in a floodplain. Our state officials are going to have to recognize that these events will become more frequent in a warmer world.

During the last two years, I have run a website devoted to forecasting local conditions, Space City Weather. You may have read our no-nonsense approach to weather during the storm. Looking forward, I feel it is part of our mission to see that Houston learns from this tragedy. We will be watching, and writing.

Everyone who cares about Houston should be invested in this. If we fail to meet this challenge, Houston faces a graver long-term threat than tropical systems or the terrible rainstorms that caused the Tax Day and Memorial Day floods. We risk Houston becoming a place shunned by new people and new businesses as not worth the trouble.

Heat and humidity, people can live with. But not this.

Berger is editor of Space City Weather. Previously he worked 17 years for the Houston Chronicle, and wrote about science and weather as SciGuy.
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We Americans tend to see Labor Day as the end-of-the-summer finale and forget its origins. But this year, Hurricane Harvey has punctuated Labor Day and made it dramatically different from others.

Labor Day originated in the union movement and became a federal holiday in 1894 to pay respect to working people, who have struggled throughout our history, and continue to struggle, to make our democracy vibrant and strong.

It is a day to recognize the labor movement's impact on our society. Among other things, unions (not companies) brought us the 5-day week, overtime pay, minimum wage, workplace safeguards, paid vacations, sick leave, employer-provided health insurance and other protections written into law.

Nor do most Americans realize how hard, long and even bloody the struggle was - how many people went to jail, lost their jobs, and some even died. The justice of the movement's goals attracted support from many of the nation's religious communities.

There are still millions of workers, however, especially in the construction, agriculture and the service industries, who still suffer daily exploitation and are among the lowest paid and least protected.

Because of Hurricane Harvey and the devastation it has caused, we are looking to the workers who will rebuild Houston and the stunningly long swath of cities and towns devastated by an unprecedented calamity - a gargantuan task that will take years if not a decade and more.

Where will all the laborers come from? They will not be, and cannot be, the people who have to get their lives and homes together and return to the jobs they had before Harvey in order to resurrect the economy.

Immigrants will share significantly in the hard work of rebuilding Houston and the coastlands, many of whom, of course, without legal documents. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) will do a "wink-wink" and dare not deport anyone during this time because doing so will undermine the colossal reconstruction underway.

There's precedent for this. It is how New Orleans rebuilt itself after Katrina, relying on the sweat and toil of undocumented workers. Of course, the precedent is even longer in American history. Immigrant workers helped build America's infrastructure and its powerful industrial economy for more than a century and a half.

Harvey's gut-wrenching devastation is so deep and broad that we cannot rebuild without immigrant workers. It is impossible. Few people question that immigrants are hard workers, especially in construction; and we will rely on them.

Harvey has become a reality check on the immigration debate, underlying our dependence on immigrant laborers. These people are refugees from brutal drug cartel violence in El Salvador, Honduras and Guatemala or economic refugees from Mexico. Houston also has significant immigrant communities from other areas of the word, escaping violence or economic oppression.

Instead of waging their self-serving "war" on immigrants, our political leaders need to accept the reality that Harvey has underscored. Immigrants and non-immigrants depend on each other, now more than ever. The time has come to accept the reality, and regularize the status of people who help build our economy and knit together our community.

There is also another danger here, presented by the hurricane - exploitation. The current anti-immigrant politics have driven people underground, making it even easier to exploit them with underpaid or unpaid wages, unsafe working conditions, and so on. Let's not let that happen.

A battle rages in America between two competing views of society. One view is that society exists for the individual ("What can I get out of it?"). The other is that democracy functions best when we all contribute appropriately to make it better for everyone. We know from history that our society flourishes best when we emphasize community, not only in the present time but for our grandchildren and the generations that follow.

Harvey brought out the best of our communities, and we should recognize that immigrant workers are part of our society and help make it as strong as it is.

Harrington, a human rights lawyer, is founder and director emeritus of the Texas Civil Rights Project, a nonprofit foundation that promotes civil rights and economic and racial justice.
Hill Top Farm, a vendor at the Lone Star Farmers Market in Houston, is offering a fall share in the Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) program, which delivers fresh produce for 10 weeks.

CSA allows individuals and families to have direct access to high quality, fresh produce grown locally by farmers. When persons purchase a share of vegetables, it is grown by a local farmer.

Signup and package delivery is available from 8 a.m. until noon at the Lone Star Farmers Market at First and Pine Streets in Houston. The cost is $215 a share, which can be paid at once or by installment. The first box is Sept. 21, and the last on Nov. 23. For more information contact 573-325-4848 or email at hilltopfarm65588@yahoo.com
A Springfield woman was injured early Saturday in a one-vehicle crash about three miles east of Cabool on U.S. 60.

The Missouri State Highway Patrol said a westbound 2011 Toyota Camry driven by Kim Namsook, 54, of Springfield, ran off the roadway and struck a culvert.

The driver, who was wearing a seatbelt, was taken by ambulance to Ozarks Medical Center in West Plains. The vehicle had minor damage.
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This week Theresa May set out plans to tackle what she termed 'the unacceptable face of capitalism' - including corporate greed that has led to Britain becoming so divided. Today, FTSE 100 bosses are paid 129 times as much as their average employee, compared to 47 times as much in 1998.

Unfortunately, her underwhelming package of policies falls far short of anything meaningful.

Decent, well-paid work should be a viable route out of poverty. Yet across the UK more than seven million people from working families live in poverty, struggling to put food on the table and pay bills. Precarious work, low pay and zero-hours contracts all play a part in fuelling this problem. Businesses - held to account by government - need to ensure the value they create is fairly shared with the workers who help to generate it.

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Rather than allow workers onto boards to help influence strategic decisions, the new plans only ask businesses to take into account employees' interests. This is a real missed opportunity: robust worker advisory panels - with real power - could be a powerful tool to increase low wages and reduce inequality. Business leaders said the high-level board discussions would be too complex for their employees to understand. Yet 19 European countries already successfully mandate employee representation on boards.

The new plans for companies to publish pay ratios of CEO to average worker add little to information already available. In any case, publication of ratios by itself will not help low-paid workers - without accompanying action, savings on CEO pay could just end up in shareholders' pockets. One solution could be a maximum pay ratio policy - decided by boards - where bosses only earn more if employees do too.To raise standards, companies should be required to develop a mandatory fair work policy in collaboration with workers, which would cover job security, working conditions and fair pay for all employees and those further down the supply chain.

But to really change 'the unacceptable face of capitalism' the government should consider more fundamental reform. It needs to change incentive systems that reward CEOs who keep costs down and profits high through paying low wages, exploiting loopholes in tax laws to avoid paying their fair share, and ignoring the planet's natural limits. It means reforming company law so that directors act in the interests of workers and wider society, not just their shareholders, and implementing tougher, more transparent tax laws to ensure tax is paid in line with economic activity.

The watering-down of the Government's plans reflects the business lobby's clout. But not all companies oppose change. Many recognise that a new way of doing business is long overdue. Unfortunately, the current distorted business model can punish them for doing the right thing.

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For example, Unilever, a company that has made significant investments in its social and environmental performance, had to fight off an attempted takeover when its profit margin dropped, and remains under threat. Most companies focus only on growing short-term profits, whatever the true cost to people or the environment. With the pound weak following the Brexit vote, companies that invest in people and sustainability are even more at risk from predatory investors.

If companies are to benefit society, they need to be able to make long-term investments in workers, pay their fair share of taxes and adapt to environmentally-friendly processes without fear of reprisal. It is increasingly apparent that mainstream business and finance is poorly equipped to deal with these challenges.

A different breed of business is showing what is possible, with the right will and backing. Take Cafe Direct, for example, the UK's fifth-largest coffee brand, which Oxfam and others founded in 1991. It pays coffee farmers a premium and reinvests 50% of profits into communities. It gives farmer representatives two board seats and voluntarily publishes pay ratios - its highest paid worker earns just 4.4 times as much as the lowest-paid.
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Last week we heard of an injection of drugs into Wandsworth Prison because one of the sniffer dogs was on holiday. With August coming to a close it is perhaps no surprise to get one last silly season story in. Unfortunately, as silly as it may sound, it serves to highlight a fundamentally worrying symptom of a disease that has been spreading in the prison system for decades. A chronic lack of recognition and attention.

Her Majesty's Prison Service is one of our least glamourous public services, and rarely receives the public and political attention that our other front line services such as police, fire and health obtain. We see the sirens, the fires put out and the lives saved, but in the prison service the work all takes place behind locked doors - that being the point and all.

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Previous governments have looked at this issue in the past, Ken Clarke has twice had a go. But the fact remains it is not a politically safe way of spending public money. Tax payers don't generally like the idea of their hard earned contributions being spent on ne'er-do-wells. Indeed it is politically popular to throw more and more people behind bars (as the Labour government did significantly in the late 90s and early 2000s) and then not so popular to spend the money building new prisons and ensuring these people don't need to go back again.

The Coalition got off to a good start by opening up the participation of charities and private sector providers in the rehabilitation process, and introduced payment-by-results models that are showing some signs of success. Yet, against a backdrop of austerity, wider investment in the system has been extremely limited - and now we have more than just cracks in the system, the foundations are starting to crumble.

The Chief Inspector of Prisons, Peter Clarke, warned at the beginning of the summer that many of our prisons are not functioning, and that there wasn't a single youth prison that he deemed safe.

As someone who worked at two London prisons between 2009-2011 (not that long ago) I am shocked by his findings. Prisons are by their nature rough places, and it is a place of work where you need to remain constantly vigilant, and yes I had a few hairy moments during my time there. But I always felt safe enough to go in everyday. I always had the confidence that there were generally enough officers around to intervene if required. It seems this is no longer the case in many of our prisons.

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Security is at the core of a successful prison regime (obvious, right?), not just because keeping them in keeps the public safe, but also a safe and secure prison environment allows for far more constructive work with the prisoners. A secure prison means prisoners can go to work, teachers can teach, counsellors can counsel, and so on. A strung out prison means regular lock-downs, and that means prisoners simply sit in their cells, getting board and bullying each other - an environment not far removed from the Victorian era in which many of our prisons were built. That environment is a waste of time and a waste of money. We cannot afford to throw away the key on our prisoners.

We have a choice as a society. We can give in to a baser desire to simply punish criminals (and I am not denying the need for punishment), or we can accept that these people will be released at some point and it is in all of our interests that they do not return. Unless we are going to lock people up forever or shoot them on mass, release, I'm afraid, is an inevitability.

Crime rates have been on a downward trend for many years, that trend will reverse rapidly if our prison system fails. Broken prisons simply perpetuate a cycle of increasingly hardened criminals hitting the streets to do more damage to peoples lives.
Yui Mok/PA Wire

In the last week, two prosecutions for supply of nitrous oxide (laughing gas) under the Psychoactive Substances Act 2016 have collapsed. In both cases, it was accepted that nitrous oxide was a medicine, and as such was exempt from the Act. When the Government introduced the draft of this legislation to Parliament it was warned by experts, including its own advisers the Advisory Council on the Misuse of Drugs ('ACMD'), that it was fundamentally flawed and unworkable. Once again though, the Government ignored expert evidence and steamrolled the legislation through Parliament, preferring to be seen to be doing something about so called 'legal highs' - the usual 'tough on drugs' approach.

The Act itself should concern everyone. Rather than banning substances based on supposed harms, it seeks to ban everything that has a potential psychoactive effect including alcohol, tobacco, and medicines (these substances are then exempted from the remit of the legislation). The determination of psychoactivity, and therefore if an offence has been committed under the Act, is based on how a substance interacts with your central nervous system and whether it affects 'mental functioning' or 'emotional state'. This too is a legally flawed definition as it is hard to see how the prosecution can establish if a substance has affected 'mental functioning' or 'emotional state' through laboratory tests, as these are human experiences. Arguably, seeking to control our receptors through the law is also Orwellian in approach.

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The Psychoactive Substances Act is not the Government's only failure when it comes to UK drug policy. By its own admission the criminal justice approach to drugs is not working. In July 2017 the Home Office published a review of the 2010 Drugs Strategy and found that drug markets were 'resilient' and that law enforcement has little impact on the availability of drugs. The evaluation also stated that any 'disruption' to the drug market resulting from law enforcement actions was 'short lived'. Not only is law enforcement having little to no impact on the drugs trade but it has no deterrent effect on consumption; this was the conclusion of a Home Office report in 2014 that compared the drug policies of eleven countries, some of whom took a tough criminal justice approach such as Japan and Sweden, and countries that took a more progressive stance like Portugal.

Despite the fact that the Home Office know the Psychoactive Substances Act is a legislative mess, that law enforcement has little to no impact on the drugs market, and that the use of drugs is not deterred by the threat of criminal sanctions, they continue regardless. Even worse, the standard line from the Home Office when anything related to drug policy arises is 'Our drug policy is working, drug use is falling'. This is disingenuous at best as the number of people using drugs according to the Crime Survey for England and Wales has remained stable since 2010. What is worse is that the harms associated with drugs has increased exponentially under this Government.

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Drug-related hospital admissions are up and drug-related deaths are at an all-time high, with the UK reporting one in three of all drug deaths in Europe. Heroin and morphine deaths have rocketed, with over 1,600 people dying in 2016 - a staggering 109 per cent increase in the last four years. The UK need only look at Portugal to see what can happen when drugs are treated as a health issue rather than a criminal justice one. The Portuguese ended criminal sanctions in 2001 and invested heavily in harm reduction - their rate of drug related deaths is 6 per million whereas in England and Wales it is 66 per million, Scotland is 150 per million. Clearly we are doing something terribly wrong.

Moreover, whilst the Government knows that criminal sanctions do not deter use, they continue to pursue a policy that sees around 50,000 people being criminalised every year for simple possession offences. Young people are disproportionately affected by the laws and the damage of a criminal record is untold, impacting on employment, education and even travel to other countries. The stigma suffered by those who have been criminalised can have life-changing effects.
Names and faces

Colleen Teberg joined Jacoby & Dee Insurance as a licensed agent and Medicare specialist. She comes to Jacoby & Dee with 30-plus years of accounting and finance experience from Blue Cross Blue Shield of Montana. She is active in both Insurance Professionals of Helena and the National Association of Insurance and Financial Advisors.

Connie Walsh is the newest agent to the Jacoby & Dee Insurance team. A Montana native, she has more than 25 years of experience in health care including serving as both the administrator for the state of Montana and director of the Montana University System Employee Health Plans. She brings to Jacoby & Dee a wealth of knowledge in the insurance field.

Paula Smith has joined Jacoby & Dee Insurance as our receptionist. Smith is a native of Montana, and recently moved to Helena from Wyoming. She comes to us with more than 20 years of customer service experience.

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Mike Kadas, the director of the Montana Department of Revenue has been elected vice chair of the Multistate Tax Commission by its members for the 2017-2018 term. The commission is a national, intergovernmental state tax agency whose mission is to achieve fairness by promoting compliance and consistent tax policy and practice, and to preserve the sovereignty of state and local governments over their tax systems.

News and notes

Check for unclaimed cash, property

The Montana Department of Revenue encourages individuals and businesses to check whether they have money or other unclaimed property that the state has been holding for them. Over the next few months, the department will be publishing in state newspapers the names of owners of property that has been reported as unclaimed from July 1, 2016, through June 30, 2017.

The department receives money from dormant bank accounts, uncashed checks and money orders, insurance policy payments and unused gift certificates, as well as stocks, bonds and the contents from safe deposit boxes. The unclaimed property is held in trust indefinitely for owners to claim.

The newspaper ads list owners of unclaimed property with an address in the geographic region served by the publication. For a complete search of all unclaimed property owners, anyone can check online at https://tap.dor.mt.gov/ and use the "Search for Unclaimed Cash" link to look up names. The owner can follow the on-screen instructions to create and submit a claim.

The department advises there are some businesses that offer to help people find their unclaimed property, but they may charge a fee. People do not have to pay to reclaim their own property.

For help with a claim or for more information, visit revenue.mt.gov, call the department at (406) 444-6900 or email UnclaimedProperty@mt.gov.

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Owners have state tax responsibility

The Montana Department of Revenue reminds people who rent a room, apartment, or home on a short-term basis to follow state taxation and permitting laws for lodging and accommodations.

Renting vacation or tourist homes on a short-term basis has increased with the popularity of websites that connect owners and users, such as Airbnb, VRBO and Craigs List.

Owners renting out vacation or tourist homes in Montana for fewer than 30 days at a time must obtain a sales and use tax permit from the Montana Department of Revenue. The home owner needs to collect the combined 7 percent lodging facility use and accommodations sales taxes from the guest or user of the facility. The owner must file a return with the department to report all lodging activity and remit the tax to the state. If tax is not collected from the guest or user, the owner renting the lodging is liable for the tax, including interest and penalties.

To register for the sales and use permit, fill out the general registration (GenReg) form. To access the form and the departments lodging tax guide, visit http://revenue.mt.gov/, click on forms, lodging facility and general registration.

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Guidelines

The IR welcomes reports of hiring, promotions, awards, recognition, learning opportunities and other news from local companies and nonprofits. We accept press releases and photos (digital images at 300 dpi or more are preferred). Email your information to irstaff@helenair.com.

There is no charge for items appearing in the Business Briefcase. Items are run on a space-available basis, and we reserve the right to edit and use information as we see fit.

The deadline is Tuesday at noon to be considered for publication the following Sunday.
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"Are you British or Irish?"

Growing up in Northern Ireland I used to dread this question. If I felt brave or cheeky I would proudly state that I was both but this rarely satisfied my interrogators!

Schools and childcare providers now have a duty to actively promote the fundamental British values of democracy, the rule of law, individual liberty, and mutual respect and tolerance of those with different faiths and beliefs. However, there is much uncertainty about how to do this, particularly when defining our values as "British" potentially alienates huge swathes of people in the UK who don't identify with being British first and foremost. People like me.

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A recent report from Coventry University's Centre for Peace, Trust and Social Relations noted that British values is one of the most problematic elements of the Prevent Duty for schools, not least because "defining values in terms of their Britishness...is potentially hindering rather than helping engagement."

And yet Ofsted place significant weight on the importance of British values. Chief Inspector Amanda Spielman recently stressed that schools need to do more to stop terrorism by properly promoting British values and not just put up "pictures of the Queen." Definitive examples of exactly how to do this are hard to come by, not least because Ofsted don't want this to become a tick box exercise.

So how can schools and childcare providers effectively promote fundamental British values within their settings?

Firstly, this shouldn't be new territory. Schools have always been required to respect these values in order to improve the spiritual, moral, social and cultural development of pupils. Only recently has there been a duty to "actively promote" them.

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In my view, this focus on Britishness facilitates lazy interpretations of values. Some lists suggest that children should be encouraged to listen to British music like Freddy Mercury or they should eat roast dinners at school! By all means, schools are welcome to display union flags and celebrate the Queen's birthday but this merely pays lip service to what British values are trying to achieve.

Implementing British values is actually pretty straightforward. In many cases, schools are already doing it because they are perfectly compatible with existing aims and core values. For example:

Democracy - This is about ensuring that every student has a voice that is heard and respected. School councils are a fantastic example of this. As a governor at a local primary school I was recently observed our school council interviewing applicants for a teaching post. Their feedback was valuable at the final decision-making stage and each member of the council seemed to walk a little bit taller as they left school that day. Even in nursery settings, taking turns, free choice sessions or voting on tasks through a simple show of hands demonstrates active participation in democracy in a sensitive and sensible way.

Rule of law - All schools should promote acceptable standards of behaviour. Even simple activities like tidying up reinforce this. Learning about the British legal system and welcoming guest speakers from the police, fire service and local politics can also promote the rule of law.

Individual liberty - This may seem like a lofty goal but ultimately it's about building pupils confidence and self-esteem, making them feel valued and empowering them with feelings of responsibility towards their peers, the local community and beyond. Accepting pupils for who they are, displaying artwork, encouraging charitable giving and establishing community links are simple ways to promote this.

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Mutual respect and tolerance of different faiths and beliefs - It is vital for schools to promote diversity, inclusivity and challenge stereotypes. Pupils should be aware that the freedom to hold other faiths and beliefs is protected in law. Visits to religious places of worship can encourage respect and equal treatment of others.

Once British values are understood as common sense, straightforward goals, educators can consider innovative and creative ways to embed them and link them to existing school values.

Through the effective promotion of British values, schools and childcare providers can build resilience to radicalisation and other safeguarding issues. Lessons around PSHE, citizenship, and critical thinking are key to this. British values are not intended to stifle debate. After all, the Prevent Duty expects schools to be "safe spaces in which children and young people can understand and discuss sensitive topics, including terrorism."

Some people have reasonably suggested that British values should be renamed. Common values, human values, universal values all seem like sensible suggestions. But to be honest, I don't really care what the values are called. I'm more concerned about what they actually are. Getting bogged down in debates about definitions can be a distraction from the important business of implementing and embedding positive values that encourage young people to become confident, tolerant, respectful citizens in a modern society.
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This weekend, another Pride event found itself deep in the mire after a performer referred to bisexual people as 'greedy'. It was far from the first time it happened this year, and despite the best intentions of Pride organisers the length and breadth of the country, it keeps happening. And we can't go on like this; we have to make it stop.

Very few Prides these days still call themselves 'gay' pride, a big and welcome change from just a few years ago when even the title of most Pride events excluded trans, intersex, queer, lesbian and bisexual people, and others. And most Prides have come a long way to actively include sections of the LGBTI community who have previously been excluded.

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In a sense, it's desperately ironic. The first Pride - in New York in 1969 - was led by a bisexual woman, Sylvia Rivera, and her friend, bisexual transwoman Marsha P Johnson. Without bisexual people there possibly wouldn't be a Pride movement, and we erase our own history if we don't respect the pivotal role played by bisexual people in our collective history.

And we - as Pride organisers - need to do more. We need to tell performers that their tired old tropes poking fun at bisexuals, trans people - in fact, anyone in our community - are unacceptable. With foresight into their acts, we probably shouldn't be booking them in the first place. But we should at least be telling them what is and what isn't acceptable before we hand them a mic and give them free reign to reel out 'gags' that pre-deceased even Larry Grayson.

A few weeks ago, I was at a major Pride event in northern England where a drag performer referred to bisexual people as those 'who haven't decided yet'. I was stood with a colleague, one of the organisers of the UK's new BiPride event, due to take place in London in March 2019. I was shocked and couldn't quite believe what I'd heard, but it was nothing compared to the shock and physical convulsion my colleague expressed.

Pride isn't for everyone, and I have LGBTI friends who hate it. But bisexual people should be free to be as excited about Pride as I am, as some of my LGTI friends are. They shouldn't avoid Pride for fear of being the butt of jokes about their - completely valid - sexuality of being attracted to more than one gender. And it was a credit to the organisers of that Pride that they jumped on the performer as they came off stage, told them that what they'd just said was unacceptable, and went on to apologise on stage and on social media.

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Sadly, not all Prides have dealt with this issue in such a way that has left them unscathed. There have been other, similar instances this year where Prides have booked acts who have transphobic lyrics in their back catalogue, or acts who use blackface. And in most cases, the Prides have taken decisive action to cancel the act. But in some cases, action could have been much faster and much more decisive.

It's not enough to say "oh, but they're a drag queen, drag queens have always taken the piss". We wouldn't and shouldn't accept that defence if they were racist or misogynistic. Comedy evolves, and so should drag artists. If you can't refine and modernise your act, you shouldn't be on the stage.

The UK Pride Organisers Network - of which I am a founder and Co-Chair until my retirement next month - is in a prime position to help Pride organisers get this right. And it's determined to do so. With the support of members from Prides and LGBTI community organisations across the country, the Network is going to try to develop and publish stage guidelines for Pride events. Proactive Pride organisers could ask performers to sign these guidelines before going on stage. Breach the guidelines and you won't be paid, and won't be rebooked. And probably won't be booked by any other Pride in future. And before people start shouting, no, it's not curtailing free speech. It's about respecting our community.

When people ask us Pride organisers why we still need Pride, as examples we cite the oppression of LGBTI people in Chechnya, the lack of equal marriage in Northern Ireland, and homosexuality being illegal in 76 countries. And we say, rightly, that until all of us are free, none of us is free. We need to take the same approach with inclusion at Pride; until all of us are included, none of us are included. From my relatively privileged position as a white, cisgendered gay man, I don't want to be a part of any Pride that excludes anyone in our community, whatever their identity. And I want to see Prides take affirmative action to get this right.

And most do get it right. Ten days ago at Pride Cymru in Cardiff, the organisers of BiPride carried their banner in the Parade and were overwhelmed by the support, and the number of people joining them in the Parade. They were cheered and applauded. I've seen BiPride at a number of Pride events this summer and it's been heartening to see the support.

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I began this post by saying that we have to make it stop. And I reiterate that point again. Because if we don't, there's no pride in exclusion. If Pride isn't for every member of the community in equal measure, it is for none of us. It might be late, but it's not too late. It's time to step up and sort this out.
In this age of open data, open information, open digital, and open governments, getting citizens on board and making the planning process transparent is important

No government programme can succeed fully without the support of citizens. Unfortunately, political leaders and bureaucrats often forget this critical input while drawing up ambitious plans. The result: Lower-than-expected outcomes of projects. In such a scenario, it was heartening to read what Prerana Deshbhratar, CEO, Pune Smart City Development Corporation Ltd (PSCDCL) and additional municipal commissioner told HT: Citizen engagement is the number one priority on our list and we set up our [smart city] projects only after several deliberations with the residents of this city. What came across on top of everyones list were water and transport and accordingly we prioritised our projects.

In 2015, Prime Minister Narendra Modi launched the Smart Cities Mission (SCM) to enable the holistic development of cities. This initiative aims to drive economic growth and improve the quality of life of people by enabling local development and harnessing technology as a means to create smart outcomes for citizens. It has also set up a platform ---- www.mygov.in ---- for better consultation between the government and citizens. But as cities launched their multi-crore urban renewal programmes, a few faltered badly on citizens participation. Take for example, Dehra Dun. Last year Doonites bulldozed their way into a smart city project and demanded their right to have a say in the planning process because they did not agree with the local governments environmentally-destructive plans. Then there are examples of Bhubaneswar and Chennai: Both cities successfully demonstrated the positive impact of citizens participation in planning for SCM.

Much of the success of such citizen engagement, say experts, depends on whether city leaderships have appetite for it. Others such as Swati Ramanathan, chairperson of Jana Urban Space and co-founder of Janaagraha, say that in this age of open data, open information, open digital, and open governments, getting citizens on board and making the planning process transparent is important. Those governments that recognise early enough that this is a genie that is not going back in the bottle, will survive and then thrive if they encourage more transparency and more participation, she told HT in an earlier interview. Along with bringing transparency in the planning process, local governments also has to keep in mind that citizens participation must include not just the upper end of society but also include poorer sections of the city.

Source: http://snip.ly/oncpv#http://www.hindustantimes.com/editorials/pune-city-ceo-is-spot-on-when-she-says-citizens-are-key-to-smart-city-success/story-oCNtHZlv6cVK9ZsKO545pJ.html
As Hurricane Harvey drenched Texas and Louisiana, its destructive path crossed many of the nations major oil refineries. Flooding, power losses and safety concerns forced refineries to close, including the United States largest refinery, located in Port Arthur, Texas.

Refinery shutdowns created a short-term supply shortage of gasoline and diesel fuel, which sent prices exploding higher this week. Prices for September gasoline futures gained over 50 cents per gallon, trading to a two-year high of $2.17 on Thursday. Futures prices represent the wholesale value of fuel without taxes, transportation, or other expenses included.

In the past, hurricanes in the Gulf of Mexico would interrupt oil production, sending petroleum prices sky-high, but as oil is increasingly coming from new sources like Canada and North Dakota, oil production in the Gulf of Mexico is less important. As a result, crude oil prices actually fell this week, as refinery closures reduced demand, dropping prices Friday to $47 per barrel.

While damage from Harvey is severe, we can hope that disruptions to oil production and refineries will prove temporary.

Rains ravage cotton

Cotton fields were flooded by Harvey as well, destroying up to a half-million bales of the crop. Even more production could see quality affected, which can drive up demand and prices for commercial-grade cotton.

Most of the damage was wrought in Texas, the source of half of all U.S. cotton, but the storm dumped rain across Louisiana, Mississippi, Arkansas, and Tennessee, hurting crop quality in each of those cotton-growing states as well.

The USDA was projecting a record large nationwide cotton crop of 20.5 million bales this year, but the storm could end up affecting around 5% of the crop, which sent prices over 72 cents per pound for the first time since mid-June.

Golden update

While all eyes were on the devastation in Texas this week, North Korea launched another missile, this time shooting over Japanese territory. That action may have been the latest trigger drawing both speculators and longer-term investors toward gold, which is now this years best investment category, outpacing stocks, bonds, and most other commodities.

Though international conflict frequently causes flight-to-quality buying, many analysts are also looking at our weak U.S. dollar as a compelling reason to replace paper assets with historys most solid store of value. These sentiments helped push gold to a nine-month high at $1330 per ounce on Friday.
Lyft, the ride-sharing app that rivals Uber, launched in Helena on Thursday.

The Montana Public Service Commission approved the companys license to operate on Aug. 24 on a 4-1 vote.

Uber was licensed in 2015 and began operating in early 2016 thanks to a change in state law allowing ride-sharing companies. Taxi companies, who are obligated to serve the public, have generally objected to Lyft and Uber, saying the apps promote an unfair playing field. Bob Lake, R-Hamilton, was the only commissioner to vote against licensure for Lyft and Uber, citing concerns that both apps will force taxi companies out of business.

But in Helena, Mike Hruska, owner of Helena Transportation, said taxi companies are already without a healthy market in which to operate. And if its difficult for taxi drivers, its difficult for Uber and Lyft drivers, he said. Hruska provides rental car services and tours of Montana to supplement the unstable taxi side of his business.

Lyft will have no impact on Helena at all, he said.

The small customer base could stem from Montanas rural nature. According to a Pew Research report from May 2016, 21 percent of urban Americans have used ride-hailing services and only 3 percent of rural residents have used the same services.

And in Helena, theres less of a college population than in other towns like Bozeman and Missoula, which host the states flagship universities. Young people are the majority users of ride-hailing apps, with 28 percent of people from 18 to 29 reporting theyve used the service. Only 8 percent of people ages 50 to 64 have used a ride-hailing service.

A press release sent by Lyft on Thursday specified activities in Bozeman and Missoula.

Whether theyre heading out for a day at the Museum of the Rockies, catching a ride back to campus at the University of Montana, or going home after a night of brew tasting in downtown Bozeman, locals and visitors in Montana will be able to rely on Lyft as their safe, friendly, affordable ride around town, the release said.

Lyft now operates in 40 states and provides access to transportation for 287 million people.

For those who want to try the ride-hailing app, new passengers can use the code LYFTLOVE17 to receive $5 off their first Lyft ride anywhere.
Join the Imperial County Area Agency on Aging in observing Grandparents Day

El Centro, California - Across America, grandparents are pillars of comfort and support. After a lifetime of giving back to their families and communities, grandmothers and grandfathers continue to offer compassion and wisdom to their loved ones and inspire us to be our best selves. On National Grandparents Day, we honor the sacrifices they make and continue to show our affection and appreciation for them. The Imperial County Area Agency on Aging encourages everyone to observe National Grandparents Day on Sunday, September 10, 2017.

This date is set aside every year to honor grandparents nationwide and to encourage families to spend time with them to show their appreciation on this special day. This is an opportunity to thank our grandparents for their service to society and the guidance of a new generation. The Area Agency on Aging offers these activities to do on this special day: share stories with one another, have grandchildren conduct interviews with their grandparents, and to simply spend time to show your appreciation.

The Area Agency on Aging will be distributing handouts for children to wish their grandparents a happy Grandparents Day. Handouts and more information on Grandparents Day, as well as senior services, can be picked up at the Area Agency on Aging office at 778 W. State St. in El Centro, California. The Area Agency on Aging provides the following services to seniors: Congregate meals, home delivered meals, in-home respite care, information and assistance, ombudsman program, transportation, volunteers, outreach classes, senior health clinics, and legal assistance.
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Tessa Thompson has spoken out against the way male Hollywood writers portray female action stars.

The actress, who appears in the forthcoming film Thor: Ragnarok with Chris Hemsworth and Tom Hiddleston, said she took issue with the way women are written for action films.

"Theres an unfair position that women are sometimes put in, in the context of superhero movies and action movies where at once they have to be very strong and fierce, but also sexy," she told the Los Angeles Times.

"Theres one word I hate in all scripts in Hollywood at the moment in describing women, and that is the word badass'. That word has just crept into every script that is pushed around this town now.

"Its a dumb male writers way of saying: 'Ah, uh, shes like, she, uh, shes tough.' Then straight after that its like: 'Shes badass, but shes got a beauty about her. And shes sexy. Unconsciously sexy.'"

She added that she and director Taika Waititi have worked on making her character - the Asgardian warrior Valkyrie - more relevant for 2017. Thompson describes her as an elite warrior who has "sort of lost her way".

Thor: Ragnarok is released to UK cinemas on 27 October.
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Queens of the Stone Age have achieved their first UK No.1 album with their seventh record Villains.

The US band clocked around 32,000 sales during the album's first week of release.

The Mark Ronson-produced album has knocked Ed Sheerans  [Divide] from the top spot.

Homme, who is set to appear on CBeebies' Bedtime Story series, told NME that Ronson's involvement had helped prune their audience of racist, homophobic, misogynistic assholes.

The idea is to have our audience be an open-minded group of individuals, I think that's why even picking Ronson initially [was] to chase people away, he added.

The band tour the UK in support of the record from November, and will perform at venues including the SSE Wembley Arena, Manchester Arena, and Usher Hall in Edinburgh.

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Walter Becker, the guitarist and co-founder of the influential band Steely Dan, has died aged 67, according to his website, which did not disclose the cause of death.

Becker was lead guitarist of the sophisticated, jazz-flavoured Steely Dan, which he formed with Donald Fagen, the keyboardist and lead vocalist.

In its heyday in the 1970s, the band had a string of hit albums on both sides of the Atlantic, including Katy Lied, The Royal Scam and Aja. Best-known songs included Reelin in the Years, Do It Again and Rikki Dont Lose That Number.

Becker and Fagen became friends as students at Bard College in New York in the late 1960s.

After working as touring musicians they moved to Los Angeles, releasing the first Steely Dan album, Cant Buy a Thrill, in 1972.

The band took their name from a fanciful dildo that appears in beat novelist William S Burroughss Naked Lunch.

Fagen paid tribute to his friend as hysterically funny and promised to keep their music alive as long as he can.

In a statement to ABC News, he said: Walter had a very rough childhood  Ill spare you the details. Luckily, he was smart as a whip, an excellent guitarist and a great songwriter.

He was cynical about human nature, including his own, and hysterically funny. Like a lot of kids from fractured families, he had the knack of creative mimicry, reading peoples hidden psychology and transforming what he saw into bubbly, incisive art.

He used to write letters (never meant to be sent) in my wife Libbys singular voice that made the three of us collapse with laughter.

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His habits got the best of him by the end of the Seventies, and we lost touch for a while. In the Eighties, when I was putting together the NY Rock And Soul Review with Libby, we hooked up again, revived the Steely Dan concept and developed another terrific band.

I intend to keep the music we created together alive as long as I can with the Steely Dan band.

In July Becker missed Steely Dans Classic East and West concerts as he recovered from an unspecified ailment.

At the time Fagen told music magazine Billboard: Walters recovering from a procedure and hopefully hell be fine very soon.

The band was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in Cleveland in 2001, where their official biography describes their 1970s albums as wry, nuanced and hyper-literate that are highly regarded by connoisseurs of pop hooks, jazz harmony and desiccating wit.

After a long hiatus, the band reunited in the late 1990s to record its first studio album in 20 years.

That album, Two Against Nature, would go on to win Album of the Year in 2001 at the Grammy Awards.

The band is slated to play shows in Dublin and London at the end of October.
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Hurricane Harvey made landfall around 10pm on the night of Friday 25 August. It was the best nights sleep Id had in a week. Our two-year-old daughter was fighting off a cold, so she had woken us up like clockwork at 2am every night till then, coughing herself awake, crying for a bit before finally coming upstairs and climbing into bed with mummy and daddy. She likes to sleep horizontally across the bed between us.

The hurricane came ashore near Corpus Christi, a small city of refineries and beach houses about 200 miles south-west of Houston. The distance is about the same between Manchester and London. So while Corpus was rocked by Category 4 winds, we barely got more than a stiff breeze with a few thunderstorms.

I slept soundly because I knew we had prepared well. The first inkling of trouble had come on Wednesday morning, when a friend stopped by my desk to ask if Id seen the weather forecast. We had a trip out of town to visit a friend in Kentucky planned for months, a weekend break in the Appalachian Mountains to get away from the sweltering, 100F (37C) dog days of late summer in south-east Texas. Now it looked like the weather system that had drifted across the Gulf of Mexico all week was threatening to strengthen into a tropical storm and perhaps score a direct hit on Houston. Still, the forecast models remained uncertain.

Recommended Harvey devastation caught in extraordinary aerial photographs

By Wednesday night the forecasts had begun to solidify and the chances of escaping a tropical storm appeared to have gone. So too had my chances of getting away for the weekend. Now forecasters were predicting that the system would stall on top of us for about another five days, drenching us with heavy rains. We could therefore expect not only high winds knocking out the power lines, phone and internet, but also flooding of the roads into and out of our neighbourhood. That was when we realised this could be a major event, eight hours after we first heard about it, 48 hours before the predicted landfall.

I headed out to the supermarket to see about stocking up on hurricane supplies. Unfortunately it seemed that the rest of Houston had gotten the same idea. Cases of water were vanishing from the shelves as fast as workers could stock them. The canned goods aisle was picked clean. Only the organic, whole wheat bread was left. I took what I could get, loading up the trolley with granola bars and gummy bears, pasta and pizza, a few cases of water and juice boxes.

We have lived in Houston for 11 years. The worst weather event we had experienced to date was Hurricane Ike in September 2008. That hit Houston as a Category 2 hurricane, shattering windows downtown and flattening trees along its path. But it blew through quickly, and we passed the time comfortably in our apartment; hanging out for three days without electricity or water is a lot easier before you have children to care for.

We had even experienced major floods before: the Memorial Day flood in 2015, the Tax Day floods in 2016, and so we understood how floodwaters tend to impact our neighbourhood. Which spots fill with water, which roads to avoid, how long it takes for the bayou to go back within its banks. We had also experienced false alarms before, where forecasters had told us to prepare for a major rain event, wed gone through the cycles of panic buying and hunkering down, only for the system to break up or change course at the last hour. Some other poor bastard gets soaked and were left eating leftover Pop Tarts for months on end.

The aftermath of Hurricane Harvey Show all 19 1 /19 The aftermath of Hurricane Harvey The aftermath of Hurricane Harvey A tattered U.S. flag damaged in Hurricane Harvey, flies in Conroe, Texas Reuters The aftermath of Hurricane Harvey Lisa Rehr holds her four-year old son Maximus, after they lost their home to Hurricane Harvey, as they await to be evacuated with their belongings from Rockport, Texas Reuters The aftermath of Hurricane Harvey People line up for food as others rest at the George R. Brown Convention Center AP Photo/LM Otero The aftermath of Hurricane Harvey Volunteers with The American Red Cross register evacuees at the George R. Brown Convention Center Reuters/Nick Oxford The aftermath of Hurricane Harvey Soldiers with the Texas Army National Guard help the residents of Cyprus Creek Reuters The aftermath of Hurricane Harvey Residents wade through floodwater Reuters/Nick Oxford The aftermath of Hurricane Harvey Residents walk along the flooded roadway of Texas 249 as they evacuate their adjacent neighborhoods EPA The aftermath of Hurricane Harvey A man floats past a truck submerged on a freeway flooded by Tropical Storm Harvey on Sunday AP The aftermath of Hurricane Harvey People are rescued by airboat as they evacuate from flood waters from Hurricane Harvey in Dickinson, Texas Reuters The aftermath of Hurricane Harvey James Archiable carries his bike through the flooded intersection at Taylor and Usenet near downtown Houston, Texas EPA The aftermath of Hurricane Harvey A massive sinkhole opened up on a motorway in Rosenburg, a city 25 miles southwest of Houston, Texas Rosenberg Police The aftermath of Hurricane Harvey People are rescued from flood waters from Hurricane Harvey in an armored police mine-resistant ambush protected vehicle in Dickinson, Texas Reuters The aftermath of Hurricane Harvey People are rescued from flood waters from Hurricane Harvey on a boat in Dickinson, Texas Reuters The aftermath of Hurricane Harvey Evacuees are airlifted in a US Coast Guard helicopter after flooding due to Hurricane Harvey inundated neighborhoods in Houston, Texas Reuters The aftermath of Hurricane Harvey Evacuees leave a US Coast Guard helicopter after being rescued from flooding due to Hurricane Harvey in Houston, Texas Reuters The aftermath of Hurricane Harvey Residents look on at a submerged motorway during a break in the rain in Houston, Texas EPA The aftermath of Hurricane Harvey People photograph the submerged motorway interchange EPA The aftermath of Hurricane Harvey Debris lies on the ground after a building was destroyed by Hurricane Harvey in Aransas Pass, Texas AP The aftermath of Hurricane Harvey Dominic Dominguez searches for his boat in a boat storage facility that was heavily damaged by Hurricane Harvey near Rockport, Texas EPA

By Thursday the hurricane hunters, with their satellites and aircraft, had begun to talk about rapid intensification, a Category 3 hurricane was by now pretty much guaranteed, with a possibility of reaching a Category 4. The main uncertainty resolved around where it would make landfall, and how long it would stick around for afterwards. The worst case scenario would see the system confined to the Texas coast, partly onshore, partly offshore, allowing the storm to pick up moisture over the gulf and then dump it on the coastal regions. This could create a conveyor belt of water parked over the Houston metropolitan region for days and days, bringing unfathomable amounts of rain.

This pretty much is what happened in June 2001, when Tropical Storm Allison dropped 39 inches of rain in six days, killing 12 people, flooding 73,000 homes and causing over $5bn (3.8bn) of damage. I called my insurance company to ask about adding flood insurance, only to be told there was a 30-day waiting period. Offices closed early so that employees could make final preparations. Coastal areas announced evacuations. A dump truck driver forgot to lower his box bed and took out an overhead road sign on one of the main freeways through town at rush hour, creating gridlock across the entire region. It felt like the end of the world was rapidly approaching.

I didnt sleep well on Thursday night, paranoid that we didnt have enough supplies to feed a family of four for a week. I made it to the grocery store by 6.10am on Friday, 10 minutes after it opened, to find it as busy as Id ever seen it, shelves picked over, long lines for the checkouts. I congratulated myself on picking up a few more gallons of distilled water that had been overlooked, some hand sanitiser, a value pack of chocolate chip cookies and a few new toys for my daughters. I figured I could ration them out as treats if we did have a long shut-in, or save them as Christmas presents if we didnt.

Tropical storm Allison brought Houston to a standstill after four days of torrential flooding in June 2001 (Getty) (James Neilsen/AFP/Getty Images)

I put away our outdoor furniture, took down the hanging baskets (which had been dead for weeks anyway), checked to make sure the storm drains outside the house were free from obstructions and filled the bathtub full of water. That important advice came from my wife, who grew up in hurricane-prone Charleston, South Carolina. If the mains water goes out, you can at least flush the toilet by scooping water out of the bathtub and pouring it down the bowl.

Then, when gentle rain starting to fall as the outer arms of the system began to reach us, we settled in for the night  this time I slept.

Saturday was strange. We could see the images of devastation in Rockport and Corpus on our TV screens, but Houston was still relatively untouched. The rains were heavy at times, but in between the squalls we could get out and walk around the neighbourhood. We splashed in puddles, stopped by the local coffee shop for some cupcakes and generally enjoyed the literal calm before the storm. The last few joggers circled the block. We all knew what was coming next.

The heavy rains became continuous by around 7pm. By 10pm the local streets had begun to fill with water. By 10.30pm I saw the first car being pushed to higher ground by sodden ex-occupants.

By Sunday morning our streets were fast-flowing rivers, bypassing the storm drains and cascading directly to the bayous. Our house is in the north-westerly neighbourhood called The Heights, which as the name suggests, is slightly higher than the surrounding areas  thank goodness. We are around half a mile from the nearest bayou and about 20 feet above it. Of equal importance, our house sits around 3 feet above street level. So while the waters rushed down the streets and spilled up onto the pavement, they never encroached upon our property.

Supermarket queues lengthened as residents tried to stock up on supplies (@netsbridge/Twitter)

Many others were not so fortunate. We checked in with friends by phone and social media. We felt their anxiety as the water crept higher and higher. We offered words of encouragement, because that was all we had. Our phones constantly sounded with emergency alerts.

We watched on TV as people waded from their homes through chest-deep water, with only the clothes on their backs, or waited on rooftops for rescue by boat or helicopter.

We learned helpful advice from the city: dont take shelter in your attic unless you have an axe to cut a hole in the roof and escape; bring a white towel to wave so that would-be rescuers can see you.

We saw the flotilla of neighbours helping neighbours, boats normally used for fishing on lakes instead plucking people and pets from sodden suburbs and taking them... where exactly? Away from the only homes many people had ever known.

Amazingly our power never even flickered. We watched Liverpool destroy Arsenal in glorious sunshine on Merseyside half a world away, all while tornado warnings lit up our home screens. We used our pent-up energy to create a safe room, which should be on the ground floor, with no windows and no exterior walls. In our wooden bungalow, built in 1920, that meant the 10 foot by 2 foot hallway between the bedrooms and the bathroom. We pulled the covers off the guest bed, threw in a beanbag chair and some pillows, a few bottles of water, part of our snack stash and called it good. They say an approaching tornado is heralded by a howling noise that sounds like a freight train. I turned down the TV a bit to ensure wed hear one coming. Thankfully it never did.

The rain came in bands, the remnants of the hurricane spiralled out like the Milky Way, with the arms of strong rain separated by periods of nothing at all. When the rain eased off for long enough the streets amazingly drained  turning from raging torrents to light trickles. While that was good news for us, however, we knew the water was going somewhere, and that somewhere was downstream where the bayous were rising, spilling over their banks and inundating the surrounding floodplain.

As the flooding subsided in The Heights, some larger vehicles could get through the water (Chris Walker)

We checked in with our neighbours, made sure everyone was safe and dry. The rain picked up again and we hurried home to shelter. The rain remained heavy throughout Sunday night, with loud thunder and spectacular lightning. Some mosquitos snuck into the house and started to breed in the bathtub full of water. I got eaten alive. The power stayed on throughout the Game Of Thrones season finale. Our two-year-old snuck into our bed around 2am. I got kicked in the face.

Monday brought more steady rain. Growing up in Belfast, I thought Id be prepared for such days. But it turns out the continuous drizzle of the UK is quite different from the insistent pounding of a tropical storm, particularly when you know that each hour of rainfall is inflicting increasing misfortune on those around you.

By now the city had begun to set up shelters for those displaced by the storms and rescued from their homes. The main convention centre downtown where I have attended conferences, given talks and cadged free beer from vendors was now hosting 8,000 people on temporary camp beds. Our local neighbourhood social media site, Nextdoor, began to pulse with ideas and opportunities for volunteering and donations.

My wife quickly scoured the house for items that matched the wish list circulated by the nearest shelter, invigorated by the chance to contribute. Towels, clothes, feminine hygiene products, shampoo. We packaged it all in bags, sorted by type. I choked back the tears as my daughters went through the bookshelf and toy box to pick out items to donate. We are giving these to kids just like you who lost their toys in the flood we explained. Each toy they selected brought back so many memories. A sabre-toothed cat from a trip to California. A book we read at bedtime every night for a month before being discarded, never to be touched again. I realised I couldnt even imagine what it would feel like to lose all my possessions, with all the memories attached to them.

We loaded up the car, plotted the best way to get the drop-off location, made sure the mechanical driveway gate was still functional. Then the rain picked up and our phones buzzed with yet another flash flood warning. Another strong band of storms was moving into the area. We decided we couldnt risk our safety and we would wait until the rain eased off later that day. The rain never eased. The car remained packed.

 New drone video shows impact of flooding from Hurricane Harvey

A million articles were published online about the storm, the rescues, the overdevelopment of Houston, the repeated history of flooding. I think I read them all. There was a common line of thinking from observers that we should have evacuated the city, but few if any noted that such an approach had been tried before.

In September 2005, three weeks after Hurricane Katrina devastated New Orleans  killing over 1,800 people  Hurricane Rita formed. It rapidly intensified to a Category 5 and became the strongest tropical cyclone recorded in the Gulf of Mexico. It was predicted to score a direct hit on Houston. Local officials feared the worst and ordered the evacuation of the city. It did not go well. Up to four million people took to the roads, creating a gridlock that lasted for two days in the middle of a heat wave. A total of 107 people died in their cars of hyperthermia, dehydration and evacuation-related accidents. The hurricane itself took a late turn to the east and spared the city.

In any case, the roads and freeway systems in Houston are built to retain water in major rain events in order to prevent houses from flooding. If a hurricane strikes the Houston region, the last place you want to be is in your car.

Children from families forced from their homes due to flooding play with donated toys at Houstons NRG Centre (Getty) (Win McNamee/Getty Images)

By Tuesday the rains had become more intermittent. We made it out to the drop-off location and found that the shelters were already overwhelmed with donations. Volunteers were being turned away from the shelters because there were too many. The Cajun Navy, boat owners from Louisiana, had driven to Houston to help with the rescue efforts. Coast Guard helicopters shuttled overhead. The human spirit of community and togetherness had shone through and conquered adversity, as it always seems to in these situations.

Set against that good news, there were reports of looters and the mayor imposed a curfew. Whats more, the waters continued to rise, but in different areas now. West Houston became the primary focus of concern as two water retention dams became critically stressed. The Addicks and Barker reservoirs are not like reservoirs you might picture, permanently holding drinking water for the city. Most of the time they are open scrubland, forests and playing fields, however in periods of heavy rainfall they operate as water retention ponds, trapping water behind massive earthen dams.

With these dams now approaching capacity the Army Corps of Engineers who manage them must release water downstream to relieve the pressure. This means releasing water into already flooded neighbourhoods. This led to a second wave of evacuees days after the heaviest rain had finished, as this slow-motion disaster continues to unfold. On Tuesday evening the rain stopped for a while and the sun came out. Everyone took a picture and uploaded it to Facebook at the same time.

As I write its a week since we first began to anticipate the hurricane. In that time weve learned a lot about ourselves, each other, atmospheric physics, local development restrictions and the lack thereof. Most restaurants are open again in my neighbourhood, which has helped the world feel more normal, and also helps the hourly workers who, of course, dont get paid unless they work. The supermarkets are open again too, although restocking is spotty and there are long lines to get in. Our familys food supplies have held out well. Although we are a bit sick of pasta and Im looking forward to getting fresh bread, such concerns seem incredibly trivial compared to the challenges so many in the city are facing.

There is much rebuilding to be done in the years to come. Thousands will soon be ripping out untold acres of plasterboard, taking miles of ruined carpet to landfills. On a city-wide level we need to think seriously about what sort of rebuilding we should allow in the floodplain and how we assess a 100-year flood risk, given that we appear to have had three of them in the last three years. Perhaps the city will only get serious about mitigating the runoff impact of new development when business leaders refuse to look at these sorts of losses as part of the cost of doing business in an unzoned city.

On the state and federal level we need to ensure our first responders are adequately funded, our flood insurance isnt subsidising or incentivising inappropriate development in floodplains, and that our planning for future development and disasters takes into account the impacts of anthropogenic climate changes described and documented by the scientific community.

So here we are, Houston under curfew. Bearing witness to so much tragedy and destruction has been overwhelming and heartbreaking for our city. And yet, I think we are also taking a large amount of pride that the city has responded to the challenge so well. Residents have shown overwhelming generosity to impacted neighbours. We have received incredible help from our surrounding states and nations. So, against the background of all that has happened in the past few years, in a nation that some have started to see as irrevocably divided, perhaps we can create some optimism for the American experiment and demonstrate that the forces that would rip us apart are not as strong as the ties that bind us together. Houston Strong.
Winds whipped wildfires around western Montana into a renewed fury overnight Saturday into Sunday, briefly trapping firefighters, burning buildings, and forcing new mandatory evacuations.

Synoptic winds, National Weather Service meteorologist Luke Robinson called them Sunday. Thats the fancy word for it, said Robinson. Also the polite term, given the havoc wreaked by the flames.

"Nothing, absolutely nothing, about the conditions out there are working in our favor today," said Larry Bickel, public information officer for the Lolo Peak fire.

Near Arlee, 16 firefighters found themselves trapped between the Liberty fire and a spot fire Saturday. All escaped safely. East of Eureka, the Caribou fire doubled in size during a 4-mile run Saturday, burning an unknown number of structures and forced a full evacuation of the West Kootenai area.

Glacier National Park closed part of the Going-to-the-Sun Road on Sunday, evacuated the area around the Lake McDonald Lodge, and started removing historic artifacts from the lodge itself  all because of the Sprague fire, which last week destroyed the parks century-old backcountry Sperry Chalet.

The long-problematic Lolo Peak fire in Ravalli County upped the ante yet again, necessitating more mandatory evacuations (see related story). The Little Hogback fire  part of the Sapphire Complex of fires near Rock Creek  also flared up, and the Granite County Sheriffs Office issued mandatory evacuations for 35 homes late Saturday night.

The Rice Ridge fire outside Seeley Lake grew by more than 15,000 acres, and saw new evacuation orders and warnings issued Sunday in Powell County. And the Lincoln County Sheriff's Office issued a mandatory evacuation notice Sunday for people living near the West Fork fire near Libby.

Seven fires burning near Plains, Trout Creek and Thompson Falls grew large enough Saturday to warrant a takeover by the Western Montana Type II Incident Management Team. Dubbed the Highway 200 Complex, it includes the Moose Peak, Miller Creek, Deep Creek, Reader, Reader 2, Cub Creek and Sheep Gap fires, with the Sheep Gap and Reader fires posing the most danger to public safety.

Seemingly every few hours Saturday night and Sunday, the Red Cross sent out a new notice about the opening of another shelter for evacuees. (See accompanying list.)

And, for a time on Saturday, not a single air quality monitor in the entire state of Montana registered Good air. The best was to be seen in Cut Bank, where a Moderate rating looked enviable. Sunday afternoon, the Missoula City-County Health Department listed air quality as Unhealthy in Missoula, Frenchtown, Clearwater, Rock Creek, Florence, Lolo, Arlee and Potomac. Air Quality was Very Unhealthy in Seeley Lake and Rainy Lake and expected to be Hazardous by Monday morning.

***

Throughout the weekend, starting Saturday afternoon and into Sunday, the usual twice-daily updates on InciWeb, the national wildfire information service, came fast and furious, including the harrowing report from the Liberty fire.

Sixteen firefighters working the Liberty fire outside Arlee are safe after being briefly trapped between the main fire and a spot fire last night, according to InciWeb.

Shortly after 5 p.m., "several rapid wind shifts and gusts threw multiple spot fires across firelines along the northwest section of containment lines where the South Fork of the Jocko River and Liberty Creek come together," read the report on InciWeb.

Thirteen of the 16 firefighters, from a hand crew and an engine crew, fled east into a meadow  designated as a safety zone  on the north side of Liberty Creek. Three others tried to head downhill toward engines parked on Liberty Creek Road, but once at the road, were surrounded by heavy smoke and fire. They started to deploy their shelters, but wind cleared the air long enough for them to find an escape route to safety, according to InciWeb.

"All 16 are safe," stressed InciWeb. Those in the meadow were picked up by helicopter and joined the other three at a rally spot, where all were medically assessed by a fireline EMT.

The National Weather Service forecast for Monday offered little hope. A Red Flag Warning  meaning, the high winds, high temperature and low humidity that are optimal for extreme fire behavior  remains in effect until 9 p.m. Monday.

***

As of Sunday evening, the following evacuation orders issued Saturday and Sunday remain in effect:

Caribou fire: Everyone in the West Kootenai area.

Highway 200 Complex: From the end of River Road West to Arnold Road, at the corner of Section 11.

Little Hogback fire: Both sides of Upper Rock Creek Road and adjacent roads/neighborhoods, beginning from and including Wild Rose Loop South to Stony Creek.

Lolo Peak fire: All residents west of Highway 93 on the north side of Bass Creek Road north to residents on the south side of Hannaford Avenue and west of Florence Carlton Loop  approximately 200 homes. Due to expected extreme fire behavior and the pending weather forecast, there is no access into the evacuation order area, the Ravalli County Sheriff's Office announced Sunday afternoon. The sheriff's office and Unified Command will evaluate fire danger Monday morning with a goal of escorted access.

Rice Ridge fire: All of Coopers Lake area in Powell County. The warning area is everything else north of Highway 200 with the west and east boundaries being Missoula and Lewis and Clark County.

Sprague fire: All residents and visitors from the south end of Lake McDonald to Logan Pass. This includes the Lake McDonald Lodge, concession housing, Kelly Camp Area, and the Avalanche and Sprague Creek campgrounds. Logan Pass is still accessible from the east side of the park. Glacier Park Boat Company tours and Swan Mountain Outfitters horseback rides from the Lake McDonald lodge are canceled. Structure protection continued Sunday for the Lake McDonald Lodge.

West Fork fire: Residents in the 17 Mile Community Area of Pipe Creek Road. Pipe Creek Road is now closed from the 12 Mile Marker to the summit.
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The largest asteroid ever recorded has passed Earth at a distance of 145 million miles, giving scientists the opportunity to learn more about its physical characteristics.

The 2.7-mile wide astral body, called Florence, will not approach the planet this close again until 2500.

It is classified as a potentially hazardous asteroid by the International Astronomical Unions Minor Planet Centre, although orbital calculations have found there is no risk of the asteroid colliding with the Earth.

While many known asteroids have passed by closer to Earth than Florence will... all of those were estimated to be smaller, Paul Chodas, manager of Nasas Centre for Near-Earth Object Studies, said in a statement.

Florence is the largest asteroid to pass by our planet this close since the Nasa programme to detect and track near-Earth asteroids began.

The relatively close proximity of Florence provides astronomers with a rare chance to take measurements. Radar scientists will capture high-resolution images that could show its surface features. Little is currently known about Florence's properties.

During early September, the asteroid is so close to Earth that it is visible even with small telescopes as it passes through the constellations of Piscis Austrinus, Capricornus, Aquarius and Delphinus.

Until 8 September, astronomers will be using the Goldstone Solar System Radar in California and the National Science Foundations Arecibo Observatory in Puerto Rico to reveal more about it.

Radar images discovered that Florence has two small moons. The moons are estimated to be around 100-300 metres in diameter.

NASA unveils deep space photos taken by a repaired Hubble Show all 6 1 /6 NASA unveils deep space photos taken by a repaired Hubble NASA unveils deep space photos taken by a repaired Hubble 240585.bin Getty Images NASA unveils deep space photos taken by a repaired Hubble 240586.bin Getty Images NASA unveils deep space photos taken by a repaired Hubble 240587.bin Getty Images NASA unveils deep space photos taken by a repaired Hubble 240582.bin Getty Images NASA unveils deep space photos taken by a repaired Hubble 240584.bin Getty Images NASA unveils deep space photos taken by a repaired Hubble 240583.bin Getty Images

It is fairly spherical, has a ridge along its equator and at least one large crater. The radar images confirmed the asteroid rotates once every 2.4 hours.

"If it were spinning any faster, it would fly apart," Mr Chodas said. "What often happens is, asteroids that are spinning this quickly rearrange into the shape of a top, where they have kind of a bulge at the equator."

Research also confirmed that the asteroid is only the third triple asteroid (with two orbiting moons) known out of more than 16,400 near-Earth examples discovered so far. Scientists are hoping to use the data collected to calculate the total mass and density of the asteroid.

Florence was discovered in 1981 by astronomer Schelte "Bobby" Bus at Australia's Siding Spring Observatory and named after Florence Nightingale, the nursing pioneer.
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Fast food giant McDonalds is facing strike action on British soil for the first time in history, as workers at two restaurants walk out in a dispute over pay and conditions.

Staff in Cambridge and Crayford in south-east London voted in favour of a walkout, amid concerns over working conditions and the use of zero-hour contracts.

The Bakers, Food and Allied Workers Union said staff were demanding a wage of at least 10 an hour and more secure working hours.

McDonalds said those taking industrial action represented 0.01 per cent of its workforce.

The company added the dispute was related to its internal grievance procedures, but the union said the strike was mainly over pay and zero-hours contracts.

Ian Hodson, the BFAWU national president, said: McDonalds has had countless opportunities to resolve grievances by offering workers a fair wage and acceptable working conditions.

For far too long, workers in fast food restaurants such as McDonalds have had to deal with poor working conditions, drastic cuts to employee hours and even bullying in the workplace  viewed by many as a punishment for joining a union.

McDonalds announced in April that workers would be offered a choice of flexible or fixed contracts with minimum guaranteed hours, adding 86 per cent of workers have chosen to stay on flexible contracts.

A spokesperson for the company said: As per the terms of the ballot, the dispute is solely related to our internal grievance procedures and not concerning pay or contracts.

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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

As announced in April this year, together with our franchises, we are providing our people with the option of a guaranteed hour contract, and all restaurants will have these contracts in place by the end of 2017.

McDonalds UK and its franchisees have delivered three pay rises since April 2016, this has increased the average hourly pay rate by 15 per cent.

Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn has offered support to the workers, saying: They are standing up for workers rights by leading the first ever strike at McDonalds in the UK.

Their demands  an end to zero hours contracts by the end of the year, union recognition and a 10 per hour minimum wage  are just and should be met.

McDonalds employs around 85,000 staff in the UK and one million worldwide.

PA
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Nicola Sturgeon will scrap the one per cent cap on public sector pay rises when she sets out her legislative plans for the year ahead, according to reports.

The SNP Leader will announce the measure on Tuesday when she reveals her 2017-2018 programme for government.

Earlier this year, the SNP announced the pay cap would be lifted to ensure public sector workers get a fair deal.

Speaking to the Sunday Herald, a Scottish government source said: The programme for government will make clear that the time has come to ditch the one per cent pay cap for the public sector.

The cap will go from next year and future pay policy will take account of the cost of living.

We need to ensure that future pay rises are affordable, but we also need to reflect the circumstances people are facing, and recognise the contribution made by workers across the public sector.

The interim Scottish Labour party leader, Alex Rowley, described the move as a welcome U-turn.

The UK Government is under pressure from Jeremy Corbyns party to ease pay restraint for public sector workers.

A Labour bid to scrap the pay cap for NHS Scotland staff was defeated in Holyrood in May.

The First Minister will also announce reforms in health, education and a bold vision for the economy.

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 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

Ms Sturgeon will also set out significant measures to improve the quality of housing and protect the environment.

Ahead of the announcement, Ms Sturgeon said: This programme for government is our plan to shape the kind of Scotland we all seek  an inclusive, fair, prosperous, innovative country, ready and willing to embrace the future.

It includes major reforms in education, health and justice, new opportunities for our communities and important measures to safeguard the environment and improve the quality of housing.

Crucially, this programme for government also sets out a bold and forward-looking economic vision  sending a clear message to our people, businesses, schools, colleges and universities, and to the wider world: Scotlands ambition is to be the inventor and the producer, not just a consumer, of the innovations that will shape the lives of our children and grandchildren."

Additional reporting by PA
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Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson has said "all options are on the table" after North Korea's latest nuclear test.

Mr Johnson said the ramifications of the test, being able to fit a nuclear warhead to a missile would present a "new order of threat" from Kim Jong Un's regime.

He condemned the "reckless" behaviour of the North Korean government.

He added that "none of the military options are good" and urged China to put tougher economic pressure on North Korea, in seeking to bring about a resolution to the escalating crisis on the Korean peninsula.

The Foreign Secretary said that North Korea could "vaporise" large parts of neighbouring South Korea "even with conventional weapons" as he urged all parties, including Russia, Japan and China, to find a diplomatic solution.

Last night, North Korea are understood to have undergone another nuclear test, this time a hydrogen bomb several times more powerful than that which was dropped on Nagasaki in 1945.

United States President Donald Trump said on Twitter: "North Korea is a rogue nation which has become a great threat and embarrassment to China, which is trying to help but with little success. South Korea is finding, as I have told them, that their talk of appeasement with North Korea will not work, they only understand one thing!"

The test came after propaganda pictures were published of Kim examining what was said to be a nuclear warhead being fitted on to the nose of an intercontinental ballistic missile.

The Foreign Secretary said: "There is no question that this is another provocation, it is reckless, what they are doing is they seem to be moving closer towards a hydrogen bomb which, if fitted to a successful missile, would unquestionably present a new order of threat.

"We have to consider how to respond and it's our view in the UK, overwhelmingly, that peaceful diplomatic means are the best."

Asked how close the crisis was to conflict, Mr Johnson said: "It's certainly our view that none of the military options are good. It is of course right to say that all options are on the table, but we really don't see an easy military solution."

The proximity of South Korean capital Seoul meant the North "could basically vaporise" large parts of the country's population even with conventional weapons, he warned.

The Chinese government "expressed firm opposition and strong condemnation" and urged North Korea to "stop taking erroneous actions that deteriorate the situation".

But Mr Johnson urged Beijing to go further in putting economic pressure on its neighbour.

He said: "Our message to the Chinese is, and we are working ever more closely with them, we think there is more scope for you, the Chinese, to put economic pressure on the North Koreans.

"It has worked, we have seen signs in the last six months of Chinese pressure actually changing the approach of North Koreans - let's see if we can do it again."

The detonation was North Korea's sixth and most powerful nuclear test to date.

The artificial earthquake triggered by the detonation was several times stronger than from previous blasts and reportedly shook buildings in China and Russia.

The test was carried out at 12.29pm local time at the Punggye-ri site where North Korea has conducted nearly all of its past nuclear tests.

Officials in Seoul put the magnitude of the quake at 5.7 while the US Geological Survey said it was a 6.3.
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Brexit Secretary David Davis has denied reports the Government privately agreed on a 50bn figure for its divorce bill with the European Union, but conceded there will be a bill to pay.

Mr Davis told the BBCs Andrew Marr Show the story reported this morning was complete nonsense, though the figure reported is the same as has been privately briefed for months.

Mr Davis said the strict position is that there is no enforceable bill the UK must pay the EU, but added: We are a country that meets its obligations. They may not be legal, they may be political or moral.

The era of big payments to the European Union is coming to an end. There will still be payments, for space programmes, for nuclear research, and so on.

It is best that we leave on proper negotiated terms. There are issues if you just walk away. It can be done, but there are issues.

According to reports in several Sunday newspapers, the Prime Minister is quietly preparing to approve a bill that would see the UK pay between 7bn and 17bn a year to the EU for three years after Britain leaves in 2019.

It reports that Britain would pay up to 17bn a year to Brussels for three years after Brexit, but cease doing so by the time of the 2022 general election.

This, the Government hopes, would allow the negotiations to move on from the divorce bill and on to the subject of future trading relations.

The EU says trade can only be discussed once sufficient progress is made on the financial settlement, citizens rights and the Irish border.

Mr Davis said whether sufficient progress had been made was up to them, not up to us.
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Influential cabinet figure and key Theresa May loyalist Damian Green has warned Conservative MPs to back Brexit or get Jeremy Corbyn.

MPs return to the Commons next week and will move quickly into debates and votes on the crucial Repeal Bill, on which pro-Remain Conservatives will wield significant influence given Ms Mays slim majority.

Writing in The Sunday Telegraph, Mr Green, who is First Secretary of State and as such effectively Deputy Prime Minister, said: Few political debates have been as divisive as the European one. I fought as hard as I could on the Remain side, but I believe strongly that as a democrat I should respect the result, and that as a politician it is my duty to make the Brexit settlement as good as possible.

Starting the new parliamentary session with the Withdrawal Bill shows that it is now the job of all MPs, including my former colleagues on the Stronger In campaign, to respect the will of the people and get the best possible deal for Britain. No Conservative wants a bad Brexit deal, or to do anything that increases the threat of a Corbyn government.

So far, Conservative arch-Brexiteers have shown loyalty to Ms May since Junes disastrous general election result, fearing the consequences for Brexit of a leadership election.

With Labour planning amendments, and requesting wholesale changes to the Repeal Bill, including allowing for the UK to remain in the single market and customs union indefinitely, rebellious Conservatives could wreak havoc.

The bill will in effect copy and paste all existing EU laws and regulations into UK law so a legal framework is in place from day one of the UKs exit from the European Union.

But it contains a number of highly controversial provisions, including for new laws to be made via statutory instrument meaning Parliament will not be able to debate or vote on them.

The Brexit Departments White Paper said such measures would only be used where absolutely necessary in matters of technical complexity, but neither Labour nor internal Conservative opposition have been reassured.

Pro-Remain Conservative MP Anna Soubry told The Sunday Telegraph: This is all part and parcel of the parliamentary process and if anybody suggests that theres anything unusual or treacherous about that, or working with other parties, they will get short shrift.
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The EUs chief Brexit negotiator Michel Barnier has Brexit will be used to teach the British people and others what leaving the EU means.

In highly inflammatory comments made to a conference in Italy on Saturday, Mr Barnier said it was his job to educate the UK about the price of leaving the EU club.

Mr Barnier also said Brexit would be an educational process for the UK.

I have a state of mind  not aggressive ... but Im not naive, he told the Ambrosetti forum.

There are extremely serious consequences of leaving the single market, and they havent been explained to the British people. We intend to teach people  what leaving the single market means.

The war of words between the EU and UK sides of the negotiation has ratcheted up again this weekend, after Wednesdays extraordinary press conference between Michel Barnier and David Davis.

Mr Davis told the BBCs Andrew Marr Show that Mr Barnier had looked a bit silly during the press conference, and was trying to play money against time in the negotiations.

He said the EU was frightened, and the UK would not be bounced into agreeing a settlement figure in order to proceed to the trading relationship stage of the talks.

Mr Davis said: What hes concerned about of course is hes not getting the answer on money ... Theyve set this up to try and create pressure on us on money ... Theyre trying to play time against money.

Were going through [the bill] line by line, and theyre finding it difficult because weve got good lawyers ... He wants to put pressure on us, which is why the stance this week in the press conference. Bluntly, I think it looked a bit silly, because plainly there were things that weve achieved.
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Theresa May has called the latest North Korea nuclear weapons tests reckless and unacceptable.

The Prime Minister said in a statement: This latest action by North Korea is reckless and poses an unacceptable further threat to the international community.

I discussed the serious and grave threat these dangerous and illegal actions present with President Abe in Japan this week and reiterate the call we jointly made for tougher action, including increasing the pace of implementation of existing sanctions and looking urgently in the UN Security Council at new measures.

Recommended The prospect of conflict over North Korea is real

This is now even more pressing. The international community has universally condemned this test and must come together to continue to increase the pressure on North Koreas leaders to stop their destabilising actions.

After the test, propaganda pictures were published of Kim Jong-un examining what was said to be a nuclear warhead being fitted on to the nose of an intercontinental ballistic missile.

US President Donald Trump said on Twitter: North Korea is a rogue nation which has become a great threat and embarrassment to China, which is trying to help but with little success. South Korea is finding, as I have told them, that their talk of appeasement with North Korea will not work, they only understand one thing!

Boris Johnson, the Foreign Secretary, said: There is no question that this is another provocation, it is reckless, what they are doing is they seem to be moving closer towards a hydrogen bomb which, if fitted to a successful missile, would unquestionably present a new order of threat.

We have to consider how to respond and its our view in the UK, overwhelmingly, that peaceful diplomatic means are the best.

Asked how close the crisis was to conflict, Mr Johnson said: Its certainly our view that none of the military options are good. It is of course right to say that all options are on the table, but we really dont see an easy military solution.

The proximity of South Korean capital Seoul meant the North could basically vaporise large parts of the countrys population even with conventional weapons, he warned.

The Chinese government expressed firm opposition and strong condemnation and urged North Korea to stop taking erroneous actions that deteriorate the situation.

But Mr Johnson urged Beijing to go further in putting economic pressure on its neighbour.

He said: Our message to the Chinese is, and we are working ever more closely with them, we think there is more scope for you, the Chinese, to put economic pressure on the North Koreans.

It has worked, we have seen signs in the last six months of Chinese pressure actually changing the approach of North Koreans  lets see if we can do it again.

The detonation was North Koreas sixth and most powerful nuclear test to date.

The artificial earthquake triggered by the detonation was several times stronger than from previous blasts and reportedly shook buildings in China and Russia.

The test was carried out at 12.29pm local time at the Punggye-ri site where North Korea has conducted nearly all of its past nuclear tests.

Officials in Seoul put the magnitude of the quake at 5.7 while the US Geological Survey said it was a 6.3.
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The organisers of a Ukip youth conference have said they were forced to cancel the event because of hard left threats.

Anti-racism group Stand Up to Racism had planned to demonstrate outside the Hilton Hotel in Sheffield, where the Young Independence conference was due to take place over the weekend.

But the hotel cancelled the event, leading Ukip to attempt to secure other venues, which also declined their booking.

 Ukip leader Paul Nuttall quits after election drubbing

The Young Independence Executive Council accused the far left of sending threats of violence to venues if they hosted the conference, adding that the emails branded Ukip as far right, fascist and Islamophobic to name a few.

The conference has now been cancelled or postponed indefinitely, the council said in a statement to members.

It would have featured Martin Sellner, the Austrian leader of the far-right Generation Identitaire movement, along with Anne Marie Waters, Ukip leadership candidate and former leader of anti-immigration group Pegida in the UK.

Ukip was also forced to cancel a planned three-hour river cruise from Sheffield.

Key Faces of UKIP Show all 11 1 /11 Key Faces of UKIP Key Faces of UKIP Nigel Farage Getty Key Faces of UKIP United Kingdom Independence Party (UKIP) Migration spokesman Steven Woolfe addresses supporters and media personnel in central London Getty Key Faces of UKIP Robert Kilroy-Silk, former television presenter and newly elected member of the European Parliament for the UK Independence Party (UKIP), shows a placard against the European Constitution in front of the Houses of Parliament Getty Key Faces of UKIP Mark Reckless, Director of Policy Development addresses party members during the UK Independence Party annual conference at Doncaster Racecourse Getty Key Faces of UKIP Gerard Batten MEP poses with protesters outside parliament Creative Commons Key Faces of UKIP Diane James gives an address at the UKIP Autumn Conference in Bournemouth Getty Key Faces of UKIP Douglas Carswell MP speaks to party members and supporters during the UK Independence Party annual conference Getty Key Faces of UKIP Suzanne Evans, Deputy Party Chairman of UK Independence Party (UKIP) speaks during the launch of UKIP's election manifesto Getty Key Faces of UKIP Peter Whittle, the UK Independence Party Member of the London Assembly, is interviewed in central London Getty Key Faces of UKIP MEP Mike Hookem during a visit to Concept Metal Products & Co Ltd Getty Key Faces of UKIP Paul Nuttall, Deputy Leader of the UK Independence Party speaks at a Say NO, Believe in Britain debate at Carn Brea Leisure Centre in Pool near Redruthon Getty

In a statement, Sheffield Stand Up to Racism said: We are grateful to all the venues who declined the booking from Young Independence, the youth wing of Ukip, rejecting the partys racism, Islamophobia and hate.

The statement added: Stand Up to Racism and other anti-racists will continue to challenge racism and the far right at all times and will always be prepared to stand up to Ukips backward and divisive policies.

Sheffield is and will always be a City of Sanctuary, which welcomes refugees and asylum seekers from around the world.
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The federal government of Canada has been secretly helping gay Chechen men flee persecution in an under-the-radar programme.

The arrangement has been introduced under the guidance of Chrystia Freeland, Canadas foreign affairs minister.

Ms Freeland wanted to be able to save a few individuals, according to a government source. And we also wanted to allow Canada to serve as a demonstration for like-minded countries about what could be done.

The deeply conservative republic of Chechnya, a federal subject of Russia, allegedly launched a gay purge this spring, originally reported by Russian opposition newspaper Novaya Gazeta.

The paper claimed that at least 100 men had been detained in connection with their non-traditional sexual orientation.

The MailOnline also reported the existence of a detention centre; a Nazi-style concentration camp in the town of Argun, designed to imprison and torture LGBT men so that they would leave the republic.

The Russian LGBT Network said that men were being hunted, rounded up and beaten, sometimes to death. They stated that 52 people had contacted them claiming to have been detained and tortured.

Reports on numbers vary, but at least 26 men are thought to have been murdered.

Over the last three months, 22 people, many of whom were living in Russian safe houses, are now safe in several Canadian cities, including Toronto. Other people fleeing Russias harsh anti-gay discrimination are expected to touch down in Canada over the next few weeks.

The asylum deal does not fall under the conventions of international law, but the North American country is carrying on despite this.

Canada accepted a large number of people who are in great danger, and that is wonderful, said Tanya Lokshina, the Russian program director for Human Rights Watch, in an interview with The Globe and Mail.

The Canadian government deserves much praise for showing such openness and goodwill to provide sanctuary for these people. They did the right thing.

The government scheme has been operating covertly for fear of reprisals. Kimahli Powell, the executive director of Rainbow Railroad, has spoken out, saying: We needed to be discreet about the program for as long as possible to maintain their safety.

But, he added: We now have to focus on settlement and integration of these individuals. And its important that our community, who are concerned about them, know that theyre here, that theyre safe.

The Canadian government has taken a strong line against LGBT discrimination. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau spoke out on International Day Against Homophobia, Transphobia and Biphobia.

He said: In Canada and around the world, we must continue to fight against homophobia, transphobia and biphobia, and to defend gender expression, gender identity and sexual orientation rights.

We deplore the recent, reprehensible reports of violations of the human rights of gay and bisexual men in Chechnya. We call for the protection of all people in Chechnya whose sexual orientation makes them a target for persecution.

Human rights have no borders.

Recommended Ramzan Kadyrov says gay men in Chechnya should be deported to Canada

The Chechen leader Ramzan Kadyrov himself suggested deporting gay men to North America: If there are any, take them to Canada  Take them far from us so we dont have them at home.

To purify our blood, if there are any here, take them.

Kadyrov has pursued homophobic policies in Chechnya since 2013, while the human rights situation for LGBT all over Russia has deteriorated significantly in recent years.

The UN LGBT rights expert Vitit Muntarbhorn has previously called upon the authorities to put an end to the persecution.

These are acts of persecution and violence on an unprecedented scale in the region, and constitute serious violations of the obligations of the Russian Federation under international human rights law.

We call on Russia to take urgent measures to protect the life, liberty and security of gay and bisexual people in Chechnya.

LGBT+ rights around the globe Show all 9 1 /9 LGBT+ rights around the globe LGBT+ rights around the globe Russia Russias antipathy towards homosexuality has been well established following the efforts of human rights campaigners. However, while it is legal to be homosexual, LGBT couples are offered no protections from discrimination. They are also actively discriminated against by a 2013 law criminalising LGBT propaganda allowing the arrest of numerous Russian LGBT activists. AFP/Getty LGBT+ rights around the globe Brunei Brunei recently introduced a law to make sodomy punishable by stoning to death. It was already illegal and punishable by up to 10 years in prison AFP/Getty LGBT+ rights around the globe Mauritania Men who are found having sex with other men face stoning, while lesbians can be imprisoned, under Sharia law. However, the state has reportedly not executed anyone for this crime since 1987 Alamy LGBT+ rights around the globe Sudan Both male and female same-sex sexual activity is illegal under Sudanese law. Men can be executed on their third offence, women on their fourth Getty LGBT+ rights around the globe Saudi Arabia Homosexuality and gender realignment is illegal and punishable by death, imprisonment, whipping and chemical castration Getty LGBT+ rights around the globe Yemen The official position within the country is that there are no gays. LGBT inviduals, if discovered by the government, are likely to face intense pressure. Punishments range from flogging to the death penalty Getty LGBT+ rights around the globe Nigeria Both male and female same-sex sexual activity is illegal and in some northern states punishable with death by stoning. This is not a policy enacted across the entire country, although there is a prevalent anti-LGBT agenda pushed by the government. In 2007 a Pew survey established that 97% of the population felt that homosexuality should not be accepted. It is punishable by 14 years in prison Reuters LGBT+ rights around the globe Somalia Homosexuality was established as a crime in 1888 and under new Somali Penal Code established in 1973 homosexual sex can be punishable by three years in prison. A person can be put to death for being a homosexual Reuters LGBT+ rights around the globe Iraq Although same-sex relationships have been decriminalised, much of the population still suffer from intense discrimination. Additionally, in some of the country over-run by the extremist organisation Isis, LGBT individuals can face death by stoning Getty

In response to global outrage and condemnation from countries such as the UK, US and Germany, Chechnya has repeatedly denied the existence of a purge.

Indeed, they have claimed that there are no LGBT people in the predominantly Muslim republic.

Kadyrovs spokesperson said chillingly:

You cannot arrest or repress people who just dont exist in the republic.

If such people existed in Chechnya, law enforcement would not have to worry about them, as their own relatives would have sent them to where they could never return.
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A 10-year-old boy died of carbon monoxide poisoning after being sent to bed with flu-like symptoms while on holiday.

Gavin Klebs was staying in a cabin with his mother and sister near Big Lake, Alaska, when he began vomiting.

His mother, Sarah Klebs, believed he had the flu virus, as his sister Caroline had already complained of headaches.

The family went to bed, believing they had caught a bug. The next day, the three were found unresponsive in the cabin from carbon monoxide, which has no smell or taste.

Ms Klebs and her daughter were found in bed and taken to Mat-Su Regional Medical Center on 20 August, before being flown to Seattle for hyperbaric chamber oxygen treatment.

Gavin did not survive.

Investigators found a faulty propane-powered fridge had leaked carbon monoxide into the home as the three slept.

The family had not yet installed a carbon monoxide detector in the cabin but said they planned to do so in winter.

Ms Klebs said she believed her son and daughter had caught the flu and did not realise they were being poisoned.

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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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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. 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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. 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

Prior to this, I never would have thought about it, she told Alaska Dispatch News.

Carbon monoxide poisoning can cause dizziness, nausea, tiredness and confusion, as well as loss of consciousness and seizures.

A GoFundMe page has been set up to raise money for the Klebs family.
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Kimberley Sowell and her family had been rescued just a couple of hours earlier and she seemed anxious, sad and exhausted.

For two days they had been squeezed inside a neighbours apartment as rising waters destroyed their home in the east of the city. The floodwater had reached to the roof. Everything had been ruined.

The only positive thing was that she, her son, Frederick Clark, and her partner, Joseph Solomon, were rescued unharmed. Thank God for that, she said, sitting in an emergency shelter in Houston.

The truth is, it will likely take people such as Ms Sowell many months, if not years, to get back their lives, if indeed they ever do. It is often said a hurricane does not differentiate when it sweeps ashore at a speed of 130mph, and can as easily kill a wealthy person as it can a poor individual.

But that is not really true, or at least it is just part of the truth. History has shown natural disasters have a far more devastating and life-changing impact on people from marginalised communities than they do on the rich or the established. Harvey will be no different.

And as climate change continues and extreme weather events become more frequent - most experts believe Harveys power and destructive force was intensified by the effects of climate change - the most vulnerable will suffer even more.

The reasons for this are plentiful, and were already fixed long before Harvey, or Katrina, wound themselves up into Category Four storms and made landfall. Many experts believe the issues are systemic.

I would point to systemic racism, Bryan Parrras, treasurer of the Texas Environmental Justice Advocacy Services, a campaign group, told The Independent. Society dictates where a person lives and what they live next to.

In the aftermath of Harvey, Mr Parras has been highlighting how low-income communities and communities of colour have been so agonisingly affected. He wrote a passionate dispatch about the toxic fumes that poured from the Arkema chemical plant at Crosby, 30 miles from Houston, after a series of chemical explosions triggered by the breakdown of the units refrigeration system.

Up to two million people were forced from their homes (Getty)

Living just two miles from one of the largest collections of chemical plants and refineries, Ive seen the black smoke burning off these deadly and dangerous plants, Ive smelled the oil and chemicals and I know the fear that strikes so many of our communities on a daily basis, he said.

The environmental crimes against my community and thousands like it have been happening for decades and superstorms like Harvey only heighten the threatAs we begin to think about rebuilding, we must ensure the recovery is a just and equitable one that ensures communities are not displaced or threatened by these toxic sites ever again.

Extreme weather events impact the most vulnerable in a multiplicity of ways. In the days before, poorer people have less opportunities to evacuate as they may not have anywhere to go, cannot afford a motel out of town, or do not have a car to drive there.

It is little surprise that in places such as the Superdome in New Orleans in 2005, and now in the emergency shelters established in Houston, low-income people and people of colour make up the majority of those in need of emergency help.

Charles Daniel, a 76-year-old African American man who was sitting in the George R Brown Convention Centre, close to Ms Sowell and her family, said he had been rescued by boat by members of the fire department. My place had five feet of water in there, he said.

 People form a human chain to save an elderly man whose car is trapped in flood waters caused by Storm Harvey

The homes of the poor are more likely to be located in areas prone to flooding or storms, or close to power plants and refineries that become perilous once storms strike. It is probable their homes are less strongly constructed and less able to withstand a hurricanes ferocity Only 15 per cent of people affected by Harvey had flood insurance.

In the aftermath, such communities face more problems. Studies have shown that following Katrina and Hurricane Ike, which struck in 2008 and caused havoc in Cuba and parts of Texas, the cost of housing went up and the availability of affordable accommodation decreased.

Renters are renting from people who could decide to give the house to someone else, said Danielle Baussan, an expert on environmental policy at the Centre for American Progress in Washington.

She said people who lived in in public housing were dependent for repairs on a bureaucracy that was frequently slow moving. Such concerns and worries, take a mental and physical toll, she said - to the extent that peoples health measurably suffers.

After Katrina, both physical and mental health outcomes were worse among communities of colour and low-income groups.

Studies show the disasters impact the most vulnerable communities the hardest (Getty)

Harvey could be the costliest natural disaster in US history with a price tag of $190 billion, according to an estimate from weather firm AccuWeather. This would equal Katrina and superstorm Sandy combined.

When he visited the Texas, President Donald Trump said all of America is grieving with you. He vowed to ensure billions of dollars of aid made its way to those who needed it.

We are going to get you back and operating immediately, he said in Corpus Christi.

But studies show this is often not the case. Aid frequently ends up in the hands of large contractors rather than individuals who suffered. After Haiti was struck by an earthquake in 2010, of around 1,500 contracts awarded as part of the relief project, only 23 went to Haitian companies. They received 2.5 per cent of the $195m that was raised, with much of the rest going to US contractors.

After Katrina, Halliburton, of which then Vice President Dick Cheney was once the CEO, earned millions of dollars in clean-up contracts.

Meanwhile, those in most desperate need of the money - the people forced from their homes - can wait years to get a settlement. When Sandy struck New York and New Jersey in 2012, thousands of people who were promised help had to wait years.

The aftermath of Hurricane Harvey Show all 19 1 /19 The aftermath of Hurricane Harvey The aftermath of Hurricane Harvey A tattered U.S. flag damaged in Hurricane Harvey, flies in Conroe, Texas Reuters The aftermath of Hurricane Harvey Lisa Rehr holds her four-year old son Maximus, after they lost their home to Hurricane Harvey, as they await to be evacuated with their belongings from Rockport, Texas Reuters The aftermath of Hurricane Harvey People line up for food as others rest at the George R. Brown Convention Center AP Photo/LM Otero The aftermath of Hurricane Harvey Volunteers with The American Red Cross register evacuees at the George R. Brown Convention Center Reuters/Nick Oxford The aftermath of Hurricane Harvey Soldiers with the Texas Army National Guard help the residents of Cyprus Creek Reuters The aftermath of Hurricane Harvey Residents wade through floodwater Reuters/Nick Oxford The aftermath of Hurricane Harvey Residents walk along the flooded roadway of Texas 249 as they evacuate their adjacent neighborhoods EPA The aftermath of Hurricane Harvey A man floats past a truck submerged on a freeway flooded by Tropical Storm Harvey on Sunday AP The aftermath of Hurricane Harvey People are rescued by airboat as they evacuate from flood waters from Hurricane Harvey in Dickinson, Texas Reuters The aftermath of Hurricane Harvey James Archiable carries his bike through the flooded intersection at Taylor and Usenet near downtown Houston, Texas EPA The aftermath of Hurricane Harvey A massive sinkhole opened up on a motorway in Rosenburg, a city 25 miles southwest of Houston, Texas Rosenberg Police The aftermath of Hurricane Harvey People are rescued from flood waters from Hurricane Harvey in an armored police mine-resistant ambush protected vehicle in Dickinson, Texas Reuters The aftermath of Hurricane Harvey People are rescued from flood waters from Hurricane Harvey on a boat in Dickinson, Texas Reuters The aftermath of Hurricane Harvey Evacuees are airlifted in a US Coast Guard helicopter after flooding due to Hurricane Harvey inundated neighborhoods in Houston, Texas Reuters The aftermath of Hurricane Harvey Evacuees leave a US Coast Guard helicopter after being rescued from flooding due to Hurricane Harvey in Houston, Texas Reuters The aftermath of Hurricane Harvey Residents look on at a submerged motorway during a break in the rain in Houston, Texas EPA The aftermath of Hurricane Harvey People photograph the submerged motorway interchange EPA The aftermath of Hurricane Harvey Debris lies on the ground after a building was destroyed by Hurricane Harvey in Aransas Pass, Texas AP The aftermath of Hurricane Harvey Dominic Dominguez searches for his boat in a boat storage facility that was heavily damaged by Hurricane Harvey near Rockport, Texas EPA

Mr Parrras said the system was set up in a way that made it very difficult for people recovering from a storm to even apply for such money. Some did not have access to a phone or computer, many did not have all the receipts required. Some - especially those paid hourly wages - were simply too busy trying to get by. These are structural impediments, he said. People say F**k it and give up.

Kristina Peterson of the Lowland Centre, based in rural Louisiana, said there were numerous things working against the most vulnerable, not by chance but as a result of social construction.

She said in the aftermath of natural disasters, there was frequently talk of recovery and bouncing back, yet 12 years after Katrina people were still trying to rebuild their lives. Bouncing back is an illusion that politicians talk about.

When he visited Texas, Mr Trump also said: We are here with you today, we are here with you tomorrow, and we will be with you every single day after to restore, recover and rebuild.

Yet at the same time, he has been undermining the nations ability to predict and respond to extreme weather. His proposed budget to congress includes a $967m cut to Army Corps of Engineers, a $767m cut to the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), a $190m cut to the National Flood Insurance Programme, and a $986m cut to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, the agency that monitors climate and weather patterns.

He also called for the scrapping of the National Domestic Preparedness Consortium, which has trained two million people to be emergency responders, and the Emergency Food and Shelter Programme.

Dr Robert Bullard, Distinguished Professor of Urban Planning and Environmental Policy at Texas Southern University in Houston, is sometimes called the father of environmental justice. The author of books such as The Wrong Complexion for Protection: How the government response to disaster endangers African American communities, he has long campaigned against so-called environmental racism.

In recent days, he has watched as not only the low-income and communities of colour, many in the east of Houston, have had to be rescued, but how reservoirs and drains established in the wealthier west of the city, were overcome by the catastrophic rain.

He hopes what happened may be a wake-up call, and that when the authorities rebuild, they do so in a way that includes the interests of everyone. It is essential, he said, officials did not simply try and recreate the city.

Houston should not be remade how it was. Houston was a very unequal city, he said. We have to have a big rethink. We have to bring all the stakeholders into the mix, including people who have not previously been in the room.
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A police officer who is battling cancer has helped rescue hundred of people from the floods caused by Hurricane Harvey in Houston.

Norbert Ramon, 55, who has been with the Houston Police Departments Traffic Enforcement division for 24 years, is suffering from stage four, metastatic colon cancer. Metastatic means it has spread to other parts of his body.

In the aftermath of the storm, Mr Ramon played a key part in the rescue of 1,500 residents in the city as part of the Lake Patrol.

He notified his sergeant as per protocol and then set out to help the team.

From then it was a madhouse, his wife Cindy told Fox News.

They started going out rescuing people in all parts of Houston. Thats where it started from and its been non-stop.

Hes been so caught up in the emotions and the excitement of trying to rescue people, he had no time to even think about it. You wouldnt even think he had cancer, hes plugging along like he doesnt.

The aftermath of Hurricane Harvey Show all 19 1 /19 The aftermath of Hurricane Harvey The aftermath of Hurricane Harvey A tattered U.S. flag damaged in Hurricane Harvey, flies in Conroe, Texas Reuters The aftermath of Hurricane Harvey Lisa Rehr holds her four-year old son Maximus, after they lost their home to Hurricane Harvey, as they await to be evacuated with their belongings from Rockport, Texas Reuters The aftermath of Hurricane Harvey People line up for food as others rest at the George R. Brown Convention Center AP Photo/LM Otero The aftermath of Hurricane Harvey Volunteers with The American Red Cross register evacuees at the George R. Brown Convention Center Reuters/Nick Oxford The aftermath of Hurricane Harvey Soldiers with the Texas Army National Guard help the residents of Cyprus Creek Reuters The aftermath of Hurricane Harvey Residents wade through floodwater Reuters/Nick Oxford The aftermath of Hurricane Harvey Residents walk along the flooded roadway of Texas 249 as they evacuate their adjacent neighborhoods EPA The aftermath of Hurricane Harvey A man floats past a truck submerged on a freeway flooded by Tropical Storm Harvey on Sunday AP The aftermath of Hurricane Harvey People are rescued by airboat as they evacuate from flood waters from Hurricane Harvey in Dickinson, Texas Reuters The aftermath of Hurricane Harvey James Archiable carries his bike through the flooded intersection at Taylor and Usenet near downtown Houston, Texas EPA The aftermath of Hurricane Harvey A massive sinkhole opened up on a motorway in Rosenburg, a city 25 miles southwest of Houston, Texas Rosenberg Police The aftermath of Hurricane Harvey People are rescued from flood waters from Hurricane Harvey in an armored police mine-resistant ambush protected vehicle in Dickinson, Texas Reuters The aftermath of Hurricane Harvey People are rescued from flood waters from Hurricane Harvey on a boat in Dickinson, Texas Reuters The aftermath of Hurricane Harvey Evacuees are airlifted in a US Coast Guard helicopter after flooding due to Hurricane Harvey inundated neighborhoods in Houston, Texas Reuters The aftermath of Hurricane Harvey Evacuees leave a US Coast Guard helicopter after being rescued from flooding due to Hurricane Harvey in Houston, Texas Reuters The aftermath of Hurricane Harvey Residents look on at a submerged motorway during a break in the rain in Houston, Texas EPA The aftermath of Hurricane Harvey People photograph the submerged motorway interchange EPA The aftermath of Hurricane Harvey Debris lies on the ground after a building was destroyed by Hurricane Harvey in Aransas Pass, Texas AP The aftermath of Hurricane Harvey Dominic Dominguez searches for his boat in a boat storage facility that was heavily damaged by Hurricane Harvey near Rockport, Texas EPA

Mr Ramon has been receiving chemotherapy treatment in Tulsa, Oklahoma.

At least 47 people have died as a result of the hurricane and tens of thousands of people have been forced from their homes.

Donald Trump visited survivors at an emergency shelter where hundreds of Texans have been staying after losing their homes.

The US President struck an upbeat note, telling residents to have a good time and joking about having big hands.
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Donald Trump has condemned an apparent nuclear test by North Korea as "hostile and dangerous" after the secretive state said it had performed a "perfect" explosion of its most powerful weapon yet.

"Their words and actions continue to be very hostile and dangerous to the United States," Mr Trump said in a tweet hours after the blast caused condemnation around the world.

"North Korea is a rogue nation which has become a great threat and embarrassment to China, which is trying to help but with little success," he added.

"South Korea is finding, as I have told them, that their talk of appeasement with North Korea will not work, they only understand one thing!"

The US President's national security adviser Herbert Raymond McMaster spoke to South Korea about the crisis this morning.

World leaders have condemned the actions of Kim Jong-un's regime, with German Chancellor Angela Merkel and French President Emmanuel Macron describing the developments as a new dimension of provocation.

In a written statement, Mr Macron called for a "united and clear reaction" from the European Union and asked for "the members of the United Nations Security Council to quickly react to this new violation by North Korea of international law."

The French leader said the international community "must treat this new provocation with the utmost firmness" to bring North Korea back to the path of dialogue and give up its nuclear and missile programs.

Boris Johnson said "all options are on the table" after North Korea's latest nuclear test, but warned that "none of the miliary options are good".

The UK foreign secretary urged China to put tougher economic pressure on the Communist dictatorship to bring about a resolution to the escalating crisis on the Korean peninsula.

Kim Jong-un inspects weapon North Korea says is powerful hydrogen bomb Show all 6 1 /6 Kim Jong-un inspects weapon North Korea says is powerful hydrogen bomb Kim Jong-un inspects weapon North Korea says is powerful hydrogen bomb Photos released by North Korea show Kim Jong-un talking to subordinates next to a device thought to be the new thermonuclear weapon. There is no way of independently verifying the pictures STR/AFP/Getty Images Kim Jong-un inspects weapon North Korea says is powerful hydrogen bomb North Korea claims it has successfully tested an advanced hydrogen bomb which could be loaded onto an intercontinental ballistic missile AFP/Getty Kim Jong-un inspects weapon North Korea says is powerful hydrogen bomb A diagram on the wall behind Mr Kim shows a bomb mounted inside a cone STR/AFP/Getty Images Kim Jong-un inspects weapon North Korea says is powerful hydrogen bomb North Korean leader Kim Jong-Un (C) attending a photo session with participants of the fourth conference of active secretaries of primary organisations of the youth league of the Korean People's Army (KPA) in Pyongyang STR/AFP/Getty Images Kim Jong-un inspects weapon North Korea says is powerful hydrogen bomb A new stamp issued in commemoration of the successful second test launch of the "Hwasong-14" intercontinental ballistic missile KCNA via Reuters Kim Jong-un inspects weapon North Korea says is powerful hydrogen bomb A new stamp issued in commemoration of the successful second test launch of the "Hwasong-14" intercontinental ballistic missile KCNA via Reuters

North Korea said it had tested a weapon which could be loaded on to a long-range missile, hours after seismologists detected an earth tremor.

Pyongyang claimed it had tested a hydrogen bomb, a device much more powerful than an atomic bomb.

In an announcement on state TV, North Korea said it had developed an advanced weapon of great destructive power.

A 6.3-magnitude earthquake was detected in the country shortly before 7am BST on Sunday, 75km (45 miles) north-northwest of Kimchaek, the location of previous tests.

Kim's state news agency released images apparently showing him laughing as he inspected a hydrogen bomb that will be loaded on a new intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM).

The propaganda drive by North Korea's official KCNA news agency comes amid heightened regional tension following Pyongyang's test launch of two ICBM-class missiles in July that potentially had a range of about 10,000 km (6,200 miles) that could hit many parts of the mainland United States.

Under its current leader, North Korea has pursued work on building nuclear weapons and long-range ballistic missiles that can deliver them at an unprecedented pace, defying UN sanctions and international pressure.

 North Korea's estimated missile ranges

Experts and officials have said North Korea could conduct its sixth nuclear test at any time, and that the reclusive country has maintained a readiness at its nuclear test site to conduct another detonation test at any time.

The hydrogen bomb's power is adjustable to hundreds of kilotons and can be detonated at high altitudes, with its home-produced components allowing the country to build as many nuclear weapons as it wants, KCNA news agency said.

Mr Kim visited the country's Nuclear Weapons Institute and "watched an H-bomb to be loaded into new ICBM", KCNA said.

"All components of the H-bomb were homemade and all the processes ... were put on the Juche basis, thus enabling the country to produce powerful nuclear weapons as many as it wants, he said."

Additional reporting by agencies.
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Donald Trump has reportedly lashed out against his new chief of staff John Kelly following reports the pair were on a "collision course" due to tensions in the White House.

The US president gave the retired Marine Corps general a dressing down in an incident seen by a number of administration staff, it is claimed.

Mr Trump's temper is said to have flared after advisers suggested he should stop politicising normal issues of government following another blistering attack on the media at a rally in Phoenix, Arizona.

Sources told the New York Times that Mr Kelly, 67, reacted to the outburst calmly, but said he later told colleagues he had never been spoken to in such a way during 35 years of military service and would not put up with similar treatment again.

The veteran of army campaigns in Iraq and South America was appointed as the successor to Reince Priebus five weeks ago and has attempted to restore order during a period of instability in the White House.

On Friday Mr Trump seemingly downplayed reports of a rift between them by tweeting: "General John Kelly is doing a great job as Chief of Staff. I could not be happier or more impressed."

The New York billionaire is said have been frustrated by Mr Kelly's moves to limit the number of advisers who have unrestricted access to him - a policy which runs counter to Mr Trump's love of spontaneity and brashness.

Roger Stone, a longtime adviser to Mr Trump, said it was "inevitable" that he "was going to rebel against the latest manager who wanted to control him".

Recommended Trump reportedly growing frustrated with closest members of team

Ultimately Donald Trump is his own man, and hes going to resist all the control and regimented systems Kelly is trying to impose, he told the Times.

Aides say Mr Trump admires Mr Kelly's credentials, respects his leadership and management skills, and praises him often, both in private meetings and at public events.

In a tax policy speech on Wednesday in Missouri, Trump singled out Mr Kelly's work to decrease the number of illegal border crossings when he was secretary of homeland security.

The pair travelled to meet survivors of Hurricane Harvey in Texas on Saturday following the devastating storm which killed more than 40 people, displaced more than one million and dumped as much as 50 inches (127 cm) of rain in some areas.

Sources close to Mr Trump have said he is simmering with displeasure over what he considers personal disloyalty from National Economic Council Director Gary Cohn, who criticised his responses to a deadly white supremacist rally in Charlottesville, Virginia, on 12 August.

He is also said to have grown increasingly frustrated with Secretary of State Rex Tillerson, who has clashed with the president on issues including Afghanistan troop levels, the blockade on Qatar and Cuba policy.
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Donald Trump told Hurricane Harvey survivors to have a good time as he visited an emergency centre where hundreds of Texans were sheltering after losing their homes and relatives in the devastating storm.

The President struck an upbeat note as he posed for selfies, high-fived children and joked about his big hands during a trip to the NRG Center in Houston, which is being used to temporarily house those affected by the natural disaster.

Mr Trumps visit on Saturday came after a week of historic flooding in the area that killed at least 40 people, displaced tens of thousands and left swaths of the city underwater.

Emergency workers and volunteers in the Houston area were still dealing with the destruction and burying the dead as the US leader smiled for television cameras and told reporters he had seen a lot of happiness after the hurricane.

Nearby, the city of Beaumont, Texas, was struggling to restore its drinking water.

Firefighters in Crosby, outside of Houston, were warily eyeing the Arkema chemical plant, twice the scene of explosions.

Floodwaters had inundated at least seven highly contaminated toxic waste sites in the Houston area, raising concerns about creeping pollution.

Mr Trump was criticised for having minimal interaction with residents and offering few expressions of concern during a trip to Texas on Thursday.

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

But he was greeted warmly by volunteers and children at the NRG Center on Saturday and helped out by handing out hot dogs and loading relief supplies into vehicles.

As tough as this was, its been a wonderful thing, he said of the response to the storm.

I want to congratulate everybody thats worked so hard. Its been an incredible five days, six days. It seems like its been much longer than that, but actually its going so well that its going fast, in a certain sense.

After hugging survivors in the emergency shelter, Mr Trump smiled and said: Have a good time, everybody!

During a brief stop on a Texas street that had just become safe to use again, the President spotted a supporter wearing a Trump is my president T-shirt and pulled him in front of television cameras at the scene.

Look at this guy, he said. You just became famous.

The White House has asked Congress to approve a $7.9bn Harvey relief down payment when lawmakers return to Washington on Tuesday.

Additional reporting by Associated Press
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Three people have been arrested after a Bentley rammed into the Serbian president's motorcade, according to a pro-government newspaper.

President Aleksandar Vucic was unharmed after the luxury vehicle crashed into his car during an alleged attack near his residence in Belgrade on Saturday, it is claimed.

The daily newspaper Politikia, which backs the president, said three Serbians in the Bentley were arrested on suspicion of jeopardising the president's security.

They reported that the vehicle was found to have Spanish licence plates following the crash, but there has been no police confirmation.

Media sources close to Mr Vucic, a pro-European Union reformer, have been claiming that unidentified enemies are plotting to kill him.

His political opponents claim it is propaganda to portray the former ultra-nationalist as a victim and to turn attention away from Serbia's economic and social problems.

Additional reporting by Associated Press
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Defence Secretary James Mattis has said the US is not looking for the "total annihilation" of North Korea, but stressed that there were "many options" in how to respond to Pyongyang's latest nuclear bomb test.

Mr Mattis said Donald Trump met with a small group of military and defence officials at the White House after US intelligence officials confirmed that the test of a bomb that is reportedly ready to fit onto an intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM).

"We made it clear we have the ability to defend ourselves and our allies," Mr Mattis said.

Mr Mattis said North Korea's leader Kim Jong-un should "take heed" of the United Nations Security Council's "unified voice" on the issue, as shown by its decision to impose sanctions as well as its "commitment to denuclearise the Korean peninsula".

The Defence Secretary also stressed the "iron-clad" commitments of the US to allies like South Korea and Japan.

"Any threat to the US", its territories like the Pacific island of Guam, or its allies would be met with a "massive military response ... both effective and overwhelming," Mr Mattis said.

He said the group of military advisers had briefed the President on each of the military responses available.

Mr Trump has previously made it known that "all options are on the table" with regards to North Korea, raising fears of war. And, as he left church on Sunday morning, he said simply "we'll see" when asked by a reporter if military action would be taken.

Mr Mattis, however, has said that the US will never run out of diplomatic solutions, implying that military action against Mr Kim would be a last resort.

A few months ago, it was reported that North Korea had developed the technology to fit a nuclear warhead capable of fitting on an ICBM.

A week ago, Pyongyang fired a missile over the Japanese island of Hokkiado and then came the test of what North Korea said was an advanced hydrogen bomb.

UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres said the latest test was "profoundly destabilising for regional security".

The US Ambassador to the UN, Nikki Haley, confirmed the Security Council would hold an emergency meeting on Monday to discuss the situation at the request of France, Japan, South Korea, the UK, and the US.
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Donald Trump has added to fears of war between the US and North Korea, saying simply "we'll see" when asked if he was planning to sanction a military attack.

Following the rogue state's nuclear bomb test, Mr Trump met with his Defence Secretary, James Mattis, the White House Chief of Staff, John Kelly, and other military leaders to all the potential military options, according to a statement by Mr Mattis after the meeting.

The President's off-the-cuff comment was made in response to a journalist's question as he left a church near the White House.

It came after a US intelligence official said it appeared North Korea had conducted another nuclear bomb test.

"We have nothing to cause us to doubt that this was a test of an advanced nuclear device," the official said, speaking to Reuters on condition of anonymity.

North Korea claimed to have tested an advanced hydrogen bomb that was capable of being launched inside a long-range missile.

The US official said, however, it would take some time to complete a thorough analysis of the size of the blast and type of device detonated.

In July, US intelligence officials said they believed North Korea had been able to make a nuclear warhead capable of fitting on an intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM).

Pyongyang has made inflammatory threats towards Guam, the US territory in the Pacific where there are American military installations including a nuclear submarine fleet base.

Mr Trump also tweeted that the US is considering "stopping all trade" with any countries "doing business" with North Korea, which would include America's largest trading partner, China.

The US President has previously commented that "all options are on the table" with regards to North Korea, prompting fears of a military conflict.

However Mr Mattis said that the US was never going to run out of diplomatic solutions, implying that military action against Mr Kim would be a last resort.

The United Nations Security Council is due to meet on Monday to discuss the situation at the request of officials from the US, Japan, UK, France and South Korea.

While the nature of the nuclear bomb is unclear, the US Geological Survey reported a seismic event of 6.3 on the Richter scale as a result of the test. Previous Pyongyang tests have resulted in events closer to five on the scale.

United Nations Secretary General Antonio Guterres said the latest test was "profoundly destabilising for regional security".

South Korea has been testing its own conventional weapons at border installations as a result of increased tensions.

The North earlier launched a missile over the northern part of Hokkaido island of Japan, prompting a phone call between Mr Trump and Prime Minister Shinzo Abe during which both agreed that North Korea "poses a grave and growing direct threat" to the region and Japan.
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The US Justice Department has said it has no evidence to support the unsubstantiated claim made in March by President Donald Trump that his predecessor, Barack Obama, had ordered a wiretap of Trump Tower during the 2016 presidential campaign.

There has never been any evidence to support Mr Trump's assertion on Twitter that Obama had my 'wires tapped' in Trump Tower just before the victory, despite continued insistence from some conservative websites and commentators.

But in a court filing, the Justice Department added itself to the list of entities debunking the allegation.

The FBI and the Justice Department's National Security Division confirm that they have no records related to wiretaps as described by tweets from Trump posted on March 4, the department said in a court filing in Washington.

The filing was in response to a Freedom of Information Act lawsuit brought by American Oversight, a government watchdog group.

Trump Tower, a mixed-used New York skyscraper, is home to one of Mr Trump's private residences and served as his campaign headquarters during the election.

The controversial orders Donald Trump has already issued Show all 9 1 /9 The controversial orders Donald Trump has already issued The controversial orders Donald Trump has already issued Trump and the media White House Press Secretary Sean Spicer takes questions during the daily press briefing Getty Images The controversial orders Donald Trump has already issued Trump and the Trans-Pacific Partnership Union leaders applaud US President Donald Trump for signing an executive order withdrawing the US from the Trans-Pacific Partnership negotiations during a meeting in the Roosevelt Room of the White House in Washington DC. Mr Trump issued a presidential memorandum in January announcing that the US would withdraw from the trade deal Getty The controversial orders Donald Trump has already issued Trump and the Mexico wall A US Border Patrol vehicle sits waiting for illegal immigrants at a fence opening near the US-Mexico border near McAllen, Texas. The number of incoming immigrants has surged ahead of the upcoming Presidential inauguration of Donald Trump, who has pledged to build a wall along the US-Mexico border. A signature campaign promise, Mr Trump outlined his intention to build a border wall on the US-Mexico border days after taking office Getty Images The controversial orders Donald Trump has already issued Trump and abortion US President Donald Trump signs an executive order as Chief of Staff Reince Priebus looks on in the Oval Office of the White House. Mr Trump reinstated a ban on American financial aide being granted to non-governmental organizations that provide abortion counseling, provide abortion referrals, or advocate for abortion access outside of the United States Getty Images The controversial orders Donald Trump has already issued Trump and the Dakota Access pipeline Opponents of the Keystone XL and Dakota Access pipelines hold a rally as they protest US President Donald Trump's executive orders advancing their construction, at Columbus Circle in New York. US President Donald Trump signed executive orders reviving the construction of two controversial oil pipelines, but said the projects would be subject to renegotiation Getty Images The controversial orders Donald Trump has already issued Trump and 'Obamacare' Nancy Pelosi who is the minority leader of the House of Representatives speaks beside House Democrats at an event to protect the Affordable Care Act in Los Angeles, California. US President Donald Trump's effort to make good on his campaign promise to repeal and replace the healthcare law failed when Republicans failed to get enough votes. Mr Trump has promised to revisit the matter Getty Images The controversial orders Donald Trump has already issued Donald Trump and 'sanctuary cities' US President Donald Trump signed an executive order in January threatening to pull funding for so-called "sanctuary cities" if they do not comply with federal immigration law AP The controversial orders Donald Trump has already issued Trump and the travel ban US President Donald Trump has attempted twice to restrict travel into the United States from several predominantly Muslim countries. The first attempt, in February, was met with swift opposition from protesters who flocked to airports around the country. That travel ban was later blocked by the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals. The second ban was blocked by a federal judge a day before it was scheduled to be implemented in mid-March SANDY HUFFAKER/AFP/Getty Images The controversial orders Donald Trump has already issued Trump and climate change US President Donald Trump sought to dismantle several of his predecessor's actions on climate change in March. His order instructed the Environmental Protection Agency to reevaluate the Clean Power Plan, which would cap power plant emissions Shannon Stapleton/Reuters

The surveillance claim, which first appeared in conservative media before being picked up by Trump, prompted a rare rebuke by Obama, who responded at the time through a spokesman to denounce the idea that he had ordered surveillance against then-candidate Trump as simply false.

In a statement, American Oversight said the Justice Department filing confirmed in writing that President Trump lied when he tweeted that former President Obama 'wiretapped' him at Trump Tower.

 Donald Trump stops interview after being confronted about his Obama wiretap claims

Asked for comment, a White House spokeswoman said on Saturday, This is not news. We answered this weeks ago.

Despite the lack of evidence, the White House for several weeks attempted to bolster the baseless claim, and it helped fuel an also unsubstantiated inquiry by Devin Nunes, the Republican chairman of the US House of Representatives intelligence committee, into whether the Obama administration improperly unmasked surveillance intercepts of phone conversations Trump associates had with foreigners.

Reuters
Surprise and shock would best describe our reaction to the Medicaid cuts the Montana Department of Public Health and Human Services proposed. The Montana Health Care Association represents facilities and programs that care for elderly and disabled Montanans, including programs that help people stay in their homes, assisted living facilities and nursing homes. The cuts also affect people with developmental disabilities and mental illness. These are the largest and most widespread cuts I can remember in 30+ years of working in long-term care. Even worse, they were not discussed at the legislature, and they are not necessary.

SB 261 is a good example of the unintended consequences that result when transparency takes a back seat to expediency. There's plenty of blame to go around but I doubt anyone involved intended to harm our most vulnerable people and the hard working caregivers who work for low pay to make others' lives better. Yet here we are.

SB 261 attempted to prioritize among more and less essential state services. Level 2 (less priority) included an across-the-board cut to all agencies including DPHHS of one-half of one percent. DPHHS chose to take every dollar of this across-the-board cut from provider rates. This is absolutely not required by SB 261. The legislation also provided a level 3 cut (higher priority services) of $3.5M in general fund, or about 1 percent, from Medicaid. So, the legislation anticipates a 1 percent cut in Medicaid, but we are facing a 3.5 percent cut -- triple what the legislature intended. These cuts, which would total $24 million in state and federal funds, are not required.

Do we really want to take $24M in services away from people who are elderly, disabled, mentally ill and developmentally disabled?

The workforce crisis in human services will get even worse because low Medicaid rates drive low pay for caregivers.

People who need help are being denied services because there is no one to do the work. Some Medicaid clients are even being sent out of state due to a lack of caregivers.

A number of rural nursing homes have considered closing and others have closed special care units or limited Medicaid services because Medicaid pays less than cost for nursing home care.

Only about half of assisted living facilities accept Medicaid and 75 percent of those that do severely limit the number of Medicaid residents they accept.

About 500 individuals who are elderly or disabled are on a waiting list for home and community based services. Over 1,000 individuals with developmental disabilities are also on a waiting list.

Mental health centers are already laying off workers in anticipation of these cuts.

These are not cuts to government -- they are cuts to people. Let the Governor's office and your legislators know we can and should do better than this.

Rose M. Hughes is the executive director of the Montana Health Care Association in Helena.
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North Korea is thought to have carried out its most powerful nuclear weapon test to date hours after saying it had developed an advanced hydrogen bomb of "great destructive power".

An earthquake registering 6.3 was detected in the secretive state on Sunday 75km (45 miles) north-northwest of Kimchaek, where previous tests have been carried out.

The tremors caused were at least ten times as powerful as the last time Pyongyang exploded an atomic bomb a year ago, according to Japan's metereological agency.

It is the sixth time North Korea has exploded an atomic weapon, and represents a direct challenge to US President Donald Trump, who hours earlier spoke to Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe about the "escalating" nuclear crisis in the region.

"It is absolutely unacceptable if North Korea did force another nuclear test, and we must protest strongly," Mr Abe said.

Pyongyang claimed leader Kim Jong-un had inspected a hydrogen bomb meant for a new intercontinental ballistic missile hours before the tremors were felt.

Analysts fear the development could signify a significant step forward in the North's quest for a viable nuclear missile capable of striking anywhere in the US.

South Korea's President is to chair a National Security Council meeting. Its military said it has strengthened its monitoring and readiness while considering a variety of possible responses in collaboration with the US.

North Korea conducted two nuclear tests last year, the last nearly a year ago, on the 9 September anniversary of the nation's founding.

It has since tested two intercontinental ballistic missiles in July and last month, fired a potentially nuclear-capable missile over northern Japan.

Earlier Sunday, photos released by the North Korean government showed Mr Kim talking with his lieutenants as he observed a silver, peanut-shaped device that was apparently the purported thermonuclear weapon destined for an ICBM.

What appeared to be the nose cone of a missile could also be seen near the alleged bomb in one picture, which could not be independently verified and was taken without outside journalists present.

Another photo showed a diagram on the wall behind Kim of a bomb mounted inside a cone.

State media said Kim visited the Nuclear Weapons Institute and inspected a "homemade" H-bomb with "super explosive power" that "is adjustable from tens (of) kiloton to hundreds (of) kiloton."

North Korea's nuclear and missile programme has made huge strides since Mr Kim rose to power following his father's death in late 2011.

The North followed its two tests of Hwasong-14 ICBMs by threatening in August to launch a salvo of its Hwasong-12 intermediate range missiles toward the US Pacific island territory of Guam.

It flew a Hwasong-12 over northern Japan last week, the first such overflight by a missile capable of carrying nukes, in a launch Mr Kim described as a "meaningful prelude" to containing Guam, the home of major US military facilities, and more ballistic missile tests targeting the Pacific.

Agencies contributed to this report
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North Korea said it successfully detonated a nuclear weapon meant for an intercontinental ballistic missile, hours after saying it had developed an advanced hydrogen bomb of "great destructive power".

An earthquake registering 6.3 was detected in the secretive state just before 7am BST on Sunday 75km (45 miles) north-northwest of Kimchaek, where previous tests have been carried out.

The tremors caused were at least ten times as powerful as the last time Pyongyang exploded an atomic bomb a year ago, according to Japan's meteorological agency.

It is the sixth time North Korea has exploded an atomic weapon, and represents a direct challenge to US President Donald Trump, who hours earlier spoke to Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe about the "escalating" nuclear crisis in the region.

"It is absolutely unacceptable if North Korea did force another nuclear test, and we must protest strongly," Mr Abe said.

Kim Jong-un inspects weapon North Korea says is powerful hydrogen bomb Show all 6 1 /6 Kim Jong-un inspects weapon North Korea says is powerful hydrogen bomb Kim Jong-un inspects weapon North Korea says is powerful hydrogen bomb Photos released by North Korea show Kim Jong-un talking to subordinates next to a device thought to be the new thermonuclear weapon. There is no way of independently verifying the pictures STR/AFP/Getty Images Kim Jong-un inspects weapon North Korea says is powerful hydrogen bomb North Korea claims it has successfully tested an advanced hydrogen bomb which could be loaded onto an intercontinental ballistic missile AFP/Getty Kim Jong-un inspects weapon North Korea says is powerful hydrogen bomb A diagram on the wall behind Mr Kim shows a bomb mounted inside a cone STR/AFP/Getty Images Kim Jong-un inspects weapon North Korea says is powerful hydrogen bomb North Korean leader Kim Jong-Un (C) attending a photo session with participants of the fourth conference of active secretaries of primary organisations of the youth league of the Korean People's Army (KPA) in Pyongyang STR/AFP/Getty Images Kim Jong-un inspects weapon North Korea says is powerful hydrogen bomb A new stamp issued in commemoration of the successful second test launch of the "Hwasong-14" intercontinental ballistic missile KCNA via Reuters Kim Jong-un inspects weapon North Korea says is powerful hydrogen bomb A new stamp issued in commemoration of the successful second test launch of the "Hwasong-14" intercontinental ballistic missile KCNA via Reuters

Analysts fear the development could signify a significant step forward in the North's quest for a viable nuclear missile capable of striking anywhere in the US.

South Korea's President is to chair a National Security Council meeting. Its military said it has strengthened its monitoring and readiness while considering a variety of possible responses in collaboration with the US.

North Korea carried out two nuclear tests last year, the last nearly a year ago, on the 9 September anniversary of the nation's founding.

It tested two intercontinental ballistic missiles in July and last month fired a potentially nuclear-capable missile over northern Japan.

South Korea's weather agency estimated the nuclear blast yield of the presumed test was between 50 and 60 kilotons, or five to six times stronger than North Korea's fifth test in September 2016.

Earlier on Sunday, photos released by the North Korean government showed Kim Jong-un talking with his lieutenants as he observed a silver, peanut-shaped device that was apparently the thermonuclear weapon destined for an ICBM.

What appeared to be the nose cone of a missile could also be seen near the alleged bomb in one picture, which could not be independently verified and was taken without outside journalists present.

Another photo showed a diagram on the wall behind Mr Kim of a bomb mounted inside a cone.

State media said Kim visited the Nuclear Weapons Institute and inspected a "homemade" H-bomb with "super explosive power" that "is adjustable from tens [of] kiloton to hundreds [of] kiloton".

North Korea's nuclear and missile programme has made huge strides since Mr Kim rose to power following his father's death in late 2011.

The North followed its two tests of Hwasong-14 ICBMs by threatening in August to launch a salvo of its Hwasong-12 intermediate range missiles toward the US Pacific island territory of Guam.

It flew a Hwasong-12 over northern Japan last week, the first such overflight by a missile capable of carrying nukes, in a launch Mr Kim described as a "meaningful prelude" to containing Guam, the home of major US military facilities, and more ballistic missile tests targeting the Pacific.

Additional reporting by agencies
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North Korea released pictures of Kim Jong-un smiling as he inspects what it says is a thermonuclear bomb in a propaganda drive that coincided with its claim his regime has successfully detonated its most powerful nuclear weapon ever.

The 33-year-old dictator is shown sizing up the device during a visit to the country's Nuclear Weapons Institute with five of his subordinates.

The uniformed men surrounding him take notes as he touches the silver metal contraption and looks over its red, black and yellow wires while it is mounted near to a diagram of a bomb loaded inside a cone.

Kim Jong-un inspects weapon North Korea says is powerful hydrogen bomb Show all 6 1 /6 Kim Jong-un inspects weapon North Korea says is powerful hydrogen bomb Kim Jong-un inspects weapon North Korea says is powerful hydrogen bomb Photos released by North Korea show Kim Jong-un talking to subordinates next to a device thought to be the new thermonuclear weapon. There is no way of independently verifying the pictures STR/AFP/Getty Images Kim Jong-un inspects weapon North Korea says is powerful hydrogen bomb North Korea claims it has successfully tested an advanced hydrogen bomb which could be loaded onto an intercontinental ballistic missile AFP/Getty Kim Jong-un inspects weapon North Korea says is powerful hydrogen bomb A diagram on the wall behind Mr Kim shows a bomb mounted inside a cone STR/AFP/Getty Images Kim Jong-un inspects weapon North Korea says is powerful hydrogen bomb North Korean leader Kim Jong-Un (C) attending a photo session with participants of the fourth conference of active secretaries of primary organisations of the youth league of the Korean People's Army (KPA) in Pyongyang STR/AFP/Getty Images Kim Jong-un inspects weapon North Korea says is powerful hydrogen bomb A new stamp issued in commemoration of the successful second test launch of the "Hwasong-14" intercontinental ballistic missile KCNA via Reuters Kim Jong-un inspects weapon North Korea says is powerful hydrogen bomb A new stamp issued in commemoration of the successful second test launch of the "Hwasong-14" intercontinental ballistic missile KCNA via Reuters

The North Korean Central News Agency said the leader was inspecting "an H-bomb to be loaded into new ICBM (intercontinental ballistic missile)", but there is no way to independently verify the claims.

They said the weapon could generate hundreds of kilotons of explosive power, describing it as a "thermonuclear nuke with great destructive power which can be detonated even at high altitudes for super-powerful EMP (electromagnetic pulse) attack according to strategic goals".

Pyongyang said it successfully detonated a nuclear weapon meant for an intercontinental ballistic missile on Sunday.

The announcement came a few hours after international seismic agencies detected a manmade earthquake in the secretive state, which Japanese and South Korean officials said was around 10 times more powerful than the tremor picked up after its last nuclear weapon test a year ago.

An earthquake registering 6.3 was detected just before 7am BST 75km (45 miles) north-northwest of Kimchaek, where previous tests have been carried out.

Analysts fear the development could signify a significant step forward in the North's quest for a viable nuclear missile capable of striking anywhere in the US.

South Korea's President is to chair a National Security Council meeting. Its military said it has strengthened its monitoring and readiness while considering a variety of possible responses in collaboration with the US.

 Japan sends aircraft to collect air particles after North Korea nuclear test

North Korea carried out two nuclear tests last year, the last nearly a year ago, on the 9 September anniversary of the nation's founding.

The country, which carries out its nuclear and missile programmes in defiance of United Nations Security Council resolutions and sanctions, said in an announcement on state television that a hydrogen bomb test ordered by leader Kim Jong Un was a "perfect success" and a "meaningful" step in completing the country's nuclear weapons programmes.

The bomb was designed to be mounted on its newly developed intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM), they claimed.

China, North Korea's sole major ally, said it strongly condemned the nuclear test. The United States has repeatedly urged Beijing to do more to rein in its neighbour.

South Korean President Moon Jae-in said Seoul would push for strong steps to further isolate the North, including new UN sanctions, news agency Yonhap reported.

Japan also raised the prospect of further sanctions, with Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga saying that curbs on North Korea's oil trade would be on the table.

A U.S. official who studies North Korea's military and politics said it was too early to determine if a test supported the North's claim that it has succeeded in developing a thermonuclear weapon, "much less one that could be mounted on an ICBM and re-enter Earth's atmosphere without burning up".

The latest nuclear test comes amid heightened regional tension following Pyongyang's two tests of intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBM) in July that potentially could fly about 10,000 km (6,200 miles), putting many parts of the mainland United States within range.

Additional reporting by Reuters
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South Korea has said it will consider deploying the most powerful US tactical weapons after North Korea claimed to have detonated a hydrogen bomb in its sixth nuclear test.

Moon Jae-in, South Korea's President, called for the "strongest possible" response to the nuclear test, including new UN Security Council sanctions to "completely isolate" the North.

Seoul and Washington also discussed deploying US strategic military assets to the Korean peninsula, South Korea's national security adviser Chung Eui-yong said in a news briefing.

South Korea's presidential office said the security chiefs for Seoul and Washington had spoken following North Korea's sixth nuclear test.

A spokesman said US National Security Adviser HR McMaster spoke with Mr Chung, his South Korean counterpart, for 20 minutes in an emergency phone call about an hour after the detonation.

China's Foreign Ministry urged North Korea to stop its "wrong" actions.

The ministry said in a statement on its website that China resolutely opposed and strongly condemned North Korea's actions, and urged the country to respect UN Security Council resolutions.

Japanese and South Korean officials said an earthquake detected near the North's test site was around 10 times more powerful than previous detonations, and concluded the North had conducted its sixth nuclear test.

Kim Jong-un inspects weapon North Korea says is powerful hydrogen bomb Show all 6 1 /6 Kim Jong-un inspects weapon North Korea says is powerful hydrogen bomb Kim Jong-un inspects weapon North Korea says is powerful hydrogen bomb Photos released by North Korea show Kim Jong-un talking to subordinates next to a device thought to be the new thermonuclear weapon. There is no way of independently verifying the pictures STR/AFP/Getty Images Kim Jong-un inspects weapon North Korea says is powerful hydrogen bomb North Korea claims it has successfully tested an advanced hydrogen bomb which could be loaded onto an intercontinental ballistic missile AFP/Getty Kim Jong-un inspects weapon North Korea says is powerful hydrogen bomb A diagram on the wall behind Mr Kim shows a bomb mounted inside a cone STR/AFP/Getty Images Kim Jong-un inspects weapon North Korea says is powerful hydrogen bomb North Korean leader Kim Jong-Un (C) attending a photo session with participants of the fourth conference of active secretaries of primary organisations of the youth league of the Korean People's Army (KPA) in Pyongyang STR/AFP/Getty Images Kim Jong-un inspects weapon North Korea says is powerful hydrogen bomb A new stamp issued in commemoration of the successful second test launch of the "Hwasong-14" intercontinental ballistic missile KCNA via Reuters Kim Jong-un inspects weapon North Korea says is powerful hydrogen bomb A new stamp issued in commemoration of the successful second test launch of the "Hwasong-14" intercontinental ballistic missile KCNA via Reuters

It was the North's first nuclear test since US President Donald Trump took office, and marked a direct challenge to Mr Trump, who hours earlier had talked by phone with Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe about the "escalating" nuclear crisis in the region.

North Korea said in an announcement on state television that a hydrogen bomb test ordered by leader Kim Jong-un was a "perfect success" and a "meaningful" step in completing the country's nuclear weapons programmes.

The bomb was designed to be mounted on its newly developed intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) the North said in the announcement, which came hours after the US Geological Survey (USGS) reported a 6.3 magnitude quake.

Additional reporting by agencies
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North Koreans have spoken of their delight at their countrys latest nuclear missile test, which it called a perfect success.

Several North Koreans interviewed in the streets of the capital, Pyongyang, praised the bomb test.

It makes me feel really strong, one said. Now, how can our enemies dare to covet our fatherland?

He added: Now we have everything we need. We can hit our enemies when they are at home or in their bases abroad. It makes me feel really strong.

Another said: I felt again that we are a strong nuclear state. Since we have our Marshall, we dont have to be frightened of anything.

Kim Jong-un inspects weapon North Korea says is powerful hydrogen bomb Show all 6 1 /6 Kim Jong-un inspects weapon North Korea says is powerful hydrogen bomb Kim Jong-un inspects weapon North Korea says is powerful hydrogen bomb Photos released by North Korea show Kim Jong-un talking to subordinates next to a device thought to be the new thermonuclear weapon. There is no way of independently verifying the pictures STR/AFP/Getty Images Kim Jong-un inspects weapon North Korea says is powerful hydrogen bomb North Korea claims it has successfully tested an advanced hydrogen bomb which could be loaded onto an intercontinental ballistic missile AFP/Getty Kim Jong-un inspects weapon North Korea says is powerful hydrogen bomb A diagram on the wall behind Mr Kim shows a bomb mounted inside a cone STR/AFP/Getty Images Kim Jong-un inspects weapon North Korea says is powerful hydrogen bomb North Korean leader Kim Jong-Un (C) attending a photo session with participants of the fourth conference of active secretaries of primary organisations of the youth league of the Korean People's Army (KPA) in Pyongyang STR/AFP/Getty Images Kim Jong-un inspects weapon North Korea says is powerful hydrogen bomb A new stamp issued in commemoration of the successful second test launch of the "Hwasong-14" intercontinental ballistic missile KCNA via Reuters Kim Jong-un inspects weapon North Korea says is powerful hydrogen bomb A new stamp issued in commemoration of the successful second test launch of the "Hwasong-14" intercontinental ballistic missile KCNA via Reuters

North Koreas state-run television broadcast a special bulletin to announce the test, saying Kim Jong-un attended a meeting of the ruling partys presidium and signed the go-ahead order.

Earlier in the day, the partys newspaper ran a front-page story showing photos of Mr Kim examining what it said was a nuclear warhead being fitted onto the nose of an intercontinental ballistic missile.

North Korea conducted two nuclear tests last year, the last nearly a year ago, on the 9 September anniversary of the nations founding. It has been launching missiles at a record pace this year.

It conducted its most provocative launch yet last month, in response to ongoing US-South Korea military exercises, when it fired a potentially nuclear-capable midrange missile over northern Japan.

It said that launch was the curtain-raiser for more activity to come.

Photos showed Mr Kim talking with his lieutenants as he observed a silver, peanut-shaped device the state-run media said was a thermonuclear weapon designed to be mounted on the Norths Hwasong-14 ICBM.

The North claims the device has explosive power that can range from tens to hundreds of kilotons.

Mr Kim, according to the statement carried by the state-run Korean Central News Agency, claimed all components of the device were domestically produced, which he said means the North can make as many as it wants.

Additional reporting by agencies
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German Chancellor Angela Merkel and French President Emmanuel Macron have responded to North Korea's claims it has successfully tested a powerful hydrogen bomb.

Merkel and Macron condemned the latest nuclear test, stating it is a new dimension of provocation.

The German government said in a statement that Merkel and Macron agreed North Korea was violating international law and that the international community must react decisively.

In addition to the United Nations Security Council, the European Union also has to act now. The Chancellor and the President expressed their support for a tightening of EU sanctions against North Korea, the statement said.

Pyongyang said it had tested a hydrogen bomb, a device much more powerful than an atomic bomb that could be loaded on to a long-range missile, hours after seismologists detected an earth tremor.

In an announcement on state TV, North Korea said it had developed an advanced weapon of great destructive power.

The tremors caused were at least ten times more powerful than the last time North Korea detonated an atomic bomb one year ago, Japans meteorological agency said.

A 6.3-magnitude earthquake was detected in the country shortly before 7am BST on Sunday, 75km (45 miles) north-northwest of Kimchaek, the location of previous tests.

The test represents a challenge to US President Donald Trump, who spoke to Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe hours earlier about the nuclear crisis in the region.

It is absolutely unacceptable if North Korea did force another nuclear test, and we must protest strongly, Mr Abe said.

Analysts fear the test signifies a significant step forward in the states quest for a nuclear missile capable of striking the US.

South Koreas President will chair a National Security Council meeting. It said North Koreas latest nuclear test should be met with the strongest possible response, including UN security council sanctions to isolate the country.

Kim Jong-un inspects weapon North Korea says is powerful hydrogen bomb Show all 6 1 /6 Kim Jong-un inspects weapon North Korea says is powerful hydrogen bomb Kim Jong-un inspects weapon North Korea says is powerful hydrogen bomb Photos released by North Korea show Kim Jong-un talking to subordinates next to a device thought to be the new thermonuclear weapon. There is no way of independently verifying the pictures STR/AFP/Getty Images Kim Jong-un inspects weapon North Korea says is powerful hydrogen bomb North Korea claims it has successfully tested an advanced hydrogen bomb which could be loaded onto an intercontinental ballistic missile AFP/Getty Kim Jong-un inspects weapon North Korea says is powerful hydrogen bomb A diagram on the wall behind Mr Kim shows a bomb mounted inside a cone STR/AFP/Getty Images Kim Jong-un inspects weapon North Korea says is powerful hydrogen bomb North Korean leader Kim Jong-Un (C) attending a photo session with participants of the fourth conference of active secretaries of primary organisations of the youth league of the Korean People's Army (KPA) in Pyongyang STR/AFP/Getty Images Kim Jong-un inspects weapon North Korea says is powerful hydrogen bomb A new stamp issued in commemoration of the successful second test launch of the "Hwasong-14" intercontinental ballistic missile KCNA via Reuters Kim Jong-un inspects weapon North Korea says is powerful hydrogen bomb A new stamp issued in commemoration of the successful second test launch of the "Hwasong-14" intercontinental ballistic missile KCNA via Reuters

Earlier this year, the state tested two intercontinental ballistic missiles in July. Last month, it fired a missile believed to be a Hwasong-12 over northern Japan.

Earlier on Sunday, the North Korea government released photos showing Kim Jong-un looking at a silver device that was allegedly the hydrogen bomb, although this has not been verified.
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Twelve British people were arrested as Spanish police seized 100,000 worth of cocaine during a raid on a drugs gang based in Magaluf, according to prosecutors.

Heavily-armed officers confiscated 100,000 in cash, 3kg of high-purity cocaine and other drugs including ecstasy and cannabis during the operation in the popular holiday resort on the island of Mallorca.

A total of 14 alleged gang members  12 British, one Spanish and one from the Dominican Republic  were arrested during the dawn raids, which were supported by a police helicopter in Mallorca and Barcelona on Thursday.

Three kilograms of high-purity cocaine were seized during the raid. (Spanish Civil Guard)

Around 100,000 in cash was also seized by police during the dawn raids on Thursday. (Spanish Civil Guard)

Prosecutors claim the drug-dealing ring was selling narcotics to tourists in Magalufs nightclubs.

According to local reports, they were selling around 8kg of cocaine a month and were smuggling drugs into Mallorca on speedboats.

Most of those arrested were from Manchester and Liverpool, it is said.

The Spanish Civil Guard and the UKs National Crime Agency targeted the organised criminals as part of a joint effort called Operation Tatum.

Twelve of the alleged drug dealers were taken to a court in the Mallorcan capital Palma on Saturday and were remanded in custody following a private hearing.

It is not clear whether they are still in prison awaiting trial and how the judicial investigation against them has proceeded.

The Spanish Civil Guard said in a statement: The Civil Guard has arrested 14 people, 13 in Mallorca and one in Barcelona, suspected of belonging to a criminal organisation selling drugs in nightspots in Magaluf.

During the 12 raids that took place, three kilos of high-purity cocaine were seized along with different amount of ecstasy pills, cannabis resin and methamphetamine, 103,000 in cash and four vehicles.

The operation began as a result of Operation Daju which took place in July last year.

Interior Minister Juan Ignacio Zoido congratulated police, tweeting: Congratulations to the Civil Guard for dismantling a gang selling cocaine in Magaluf. There are 14 detainees.

Operation Tatum was linked to a major drugs bust last summer in Mallorca called Operation Daju, which resulted in the arrest of five Brits and seizure of 4.8kg of cocaine.

Additional reporting by agencies
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An MP in Emmanuel Macrons En Marche! Party faces charges after a violent argument left a rival politician with serious injuries.

A conversation between Mjid El Guerrab and Boris Faure turned into a fight on 30 August, after they met by chance in Broca Street, according to several witnesses.

Mr El Guerrab is alleged to have hit Mr Faure twice on the head with a motorbike helmet.

Mr Faure collapsed and was later taken to hospital where he was operated on and spent five days recovering in intensive care.

Mr El Guerrab was placed in custody after an investigation into aggravated violence.

His lawyer Yassine Yakouti said: Mr El Guerrab naturally regrets the turn of events.

On Facebook, Mr El Guerrab announced he was taking leave of absence from En Marche! (LREM) to allow the inquiry to proceed I hope that Mr Faure will be able to recover quickly.

In his defence, Mr El Guerrab said he had responded to a provocation by Mr Faure, who is alleged to have called the French-Moroccan MP a dirty Arab.

This was confirmed by a witness at the scene, according to weekly Marianne.

Mr Faures family called the accusations laughable and insulting.

Sources close to Mr Faure also denied the accusations, saying, the victim disputes any attitude and violent remarks against Mr El Guerrab.

The 34-year-old MPs future at En Marche! is now in doubt. Mr El Guerrab was elected in June 2017 as a member of the National Assembly for French people living abroad, including the Maghreb and parts of West Africa.

Arnaud Leroy, a member of the collegiate leadership, said Mr El Guerrab was requested to attend an interview next week at party headquarters to hear his version of events.

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

We take note of the fact that he is taking leave of the party, but we must act. We will see what the investigation comes up with, Mr Leroy said, according to Le Figaro.

Mr Leroy went on to condemn all forms of violence within the En Marche! party.

Mr El Guerrab acknowledged that he had strong disagreements with Mr Faure since the elections in June.

Mr El Guerrab left the Socialist party to join En Marche!, French President Macrons new party last year, which was the source of the antagonism between the two politicians.

Mr Faure, first secretary of the Federation of French Foreigners of the Socialist Party, was the campaign manager of the candidate beaten by Mr El Guerrab in the recent French parliamentary elections.
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German authorities are making final preparations in Frankfurt before experts defuse a huge World War II-era bomb Sunday in an operation that includes evacuating more than 60,000 residents.

Hospital patients and the elderly are among those affected in what will be Germany's biggest evacuation in recent history.

Construction workers found the 1.8-ton (4,000-pound) British bomb Tuesday. Officials have ordered residents to evacuate homes within a 1.5-kilometer (nearly a mile) radius of the site in Germany's financial capital.

Dozens of ambulances lined up before driving to pick up anyone unable to independently leave the danger zone.

Similar operations are still common 72 years after the war ended. About 20,000 people were evacuated from the western city of Koblenz before specialists disarmed a 500-kilogram U.S. bomb Saturday.

AP
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Germany's Chancellor, Angela Merkel, has said Turkey should categorically not become a member of the European Union in comments that are expected to further inflame tensions between the Nato allies.

Speaking at a televised election debate with her rival, Martin Schulz, she said she would seek a joint EU position with other leaders to ensure Turkey never became a member.

The fact is clear that Turkey should not become a member of the EU, she said after Mr Schulz said he would stop Turkey's bid to join the EU if he was elected chancellor.

Apart from this, I'll speak to my colleagues to see if we can reach a joint position on this so that we can end these accession talks, she added.

Ms Merkel made a better impression on voters in the televised debate than Mr Schulz, a flash survey by broadcaster ZDF showed.

The poll, conducted by Forschungsgruppe Wahlen during the first half of the debate and published shortly after it had finished, showed that Ms Merkel was viewed as more credible by 33 per cent compared to 17 per cent for Mr Schulz.

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

Her comments are likely to worsen already strained ties between the countries after Ms Merkel said Berlin should react decisively to Turkey's detention of two more German citizens on political charges.

It comes just weeks after German Foreign Minister Sigmar Gabriel told Turkey it will never become a member of the EU as long as it is governed by the current president, Recep Tayyip Erdogan.

It is clear that in this state, Turkey will never become a member of the EU, Mr Gabriel said.

Mr Erdogan has urged German Turks to boycott Germany's main parties in next month's general election.

Additional reporting by Reuters
Lancet Study:

These findings firmly counter those of a Cochrane review of direct-acting antiviral treatment trials that could neither confirm nor reject if direct-acting antivirals had an effect on long-term HCV-related morbidity and mortality. They also provide the best evidence to date to support guidance documents that recommend direct-acting antiviral treatment for all patients with chronic HCV infection.





Latest Update Feb 12, 2019A systematic review published by the Cochrane Collaboration suggested achieving SVR (cure) for patients using hepatitis C direct-acting antivirals (DAAs) doesn't correlate with any long term benefits. View each rebuttal and all ongoing media coverage.
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The US Government has issued a warning to its citizens of a "continued threat" of terrorist attacks throughout Europe.

The Department of State urged US travellers to be "alert" to the possibility that extremists could conduct attacks with "little or no warning".

The advice, published on the department's website, cited recent incidents in France, Russia, Sweden, the UK, Spain and Finland as evidence of Isis's intent to conduct attacks throughout the continent.

"While local governments continue counter-terrorism operations, the Department remains concerned about the potential for future terrorist attacks," the statement said.

"US citizens should always be alert to the possibility that terrorist sympathisers or self-radicalised extremists may conduct attacks with little or no warning."

It listed several places deemed to be higher risk, such as tourist hotspots, transport hubs, markets, shopping centres and local government facilities.

"In addition, hotels, clubs, restaurants, places of worship, parks, high-profile events, educational institutions, airports, and other soft targets remain priority locations for possible attacks," it said.

World news in pictures Show all 50 1 /50 World news in pictures World news in pictures 30 September 2020 Pope Francis prays with priests at the end of a limited public audience at the San Damaso courtyard in The Vatican AFP via Getty World news in pictures 29 September 2020 A girl's silhouette is seen from behind a fabric in a tent along a beach by Beit Lahia in the northern Gaza Strip AFP via Getty World news in pictures 28 September 2020 A Chinese woman takes a photo of herself in front of a flower display dedicated to frontline health care workers during the COVID-19 pandemic in Beijing, China. China will celebrate national day marking the founding of the People's Republic of China on October 1st Getty World news in pictures 27 September 2020 The Glass Mountain Inn burns as the Glass Fire moves through the area in St. Helena, California. The fast moving Glass fire has burned over 1,000 acres and has destroyed homes Getty World news in pictures 26 September 2020 A villager along with a child offers prayers next to a carcass of a wild elephant that officials say was electrocuted in Rani Reserve Forest on the outskirts of Guwahati, India AFP via Getty World news in pictures 25 September 2020 The casket of late Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg is seen in Statuary Hall in the US Capitol to lie in state in Washington, DC AFP via Getty World news in pictures 24 September 2020 An anti-government protester holds up an image of a pro-democracy commemorative plaque at a rally outside Thailand's parliament in Bangkok, as activists gathered to demand a new constitution AFP via Getty World news in pictures 23 September 2020 A whale stranded on a beach in Macquarie Harbour on the rugged west coast of Tasmania, as hundreds of pilot whales have died in a mass stranding in southern Australia despite efforts to save them, with rescuers racing to free a few dozen survivors The Mercury/AFP via Getty World news in pictures 22 September 2020 State civil employee candidates wearing face masks and shields take a test in Surabaya AFP via Getty World news in pictures 21 September 2020 A man sweeps at the Taj Mahal monument on the day of its reopening after being closed for more than six months due to the coronavirus pandemic AP World news in pictures 20 September 2020 A deer looks for food in a burnt area, caused by the Bobcat fire, in Pearblossom, California EPA World news in pictures 19 September 2020 Anti-government protesters hold their mobile phones aloft as they take part in a pro-democracy rally in Bangkok. Tens of thousands of pro-democracy protesters massed close to Thailand's royal palace, in a huge rally calling for PM Prayut Chan-O-Cha to step down and demanding reforms to the monarchy AFP via Getty World news in pictures 18 September 2020 Supporters of Iraqi Shi'ite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr maintain social distancing as they attend Friday prayers after the coronavirus disease restrictions were eased, in Kufa mosque, near Najaf, Iraq Reuters World news in pictures 17 September 2020 A protester climbs on The Triumph of the Republic at 'the Place de la Nation' as thousands of protesters take part in a demonstration during a national day strike called by labor unions asking for better salary and against jobs cut in Paris, France EPA World news in pictures 16 September 2020 A fire raging near the Lazzaretto of Ancona in Italy. The huge blaze broke out overnight at the port of Ancona. Firefighters have brought the fire under control but they expected to keep working through the day EPA World news in pictures 15 September 2020 Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny posing for a selfie with his family at Berlin's Charite hospital. In an Instagram post he said he could now breathe independently following his suspected poisoning last month Alexei Navalny/Instagram/AFP World news in pictures 14 September 2020 Japan's Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga, former Defense Minister Shigeru Ishiba and former Foreign Minister Fumio Kishida celebrate after Suga was elected as new head of the ruling party at the Liberal Democratic Party's leadership election in Tokyo Reuters World news in pictures 13 September 2020 A man stands behind a burning barricade during the fifth straight day of protests against police brutality in Bogota AFP via Getty World news in pictures 12 September 2020 Police officers block and detain protesters during an opposition rally to protest the official presidential election results in Minsk, Belarus. Daily protests calling for the authoritarian president's resignation are now in their second month AP World news in pictures 11 September 2020 Members of 'Omnium Cultural' celebrate the 20th 'Festa per la llibertat' ('Fiesta for the freedom') to mark the Day of Catalonia in Barcelona. Omnion Cultural fights for the independence of Catalonia EPA World news in pictures 10 September 2020 The Moria refugee camp, two days after Greece's biggest migrant camp, was destroyed by fire. Thousands of asylum seekers on the island of Lesbos are now homeless AFP via Getty World news in pictures 9 September 2020 Pope Francis takes off his face mask as he arrives by car to hold a limited public audience at the San Damaso courtyard in The Vatican AFP via Getty World news in pictures 8 September 2020 A home is engulfed in flames during the "Creek Fire" in the Tollhouse area of California AFP via Getty World news in pictures 7 September 2020 A couple take photos along a sea wall of the waves brought by Typhoon Haishen in the eastern port city of Sokcho AFP via Getty World news in pictures 6 September 2020 Novak Djokovic and a tournament official tends to a linesperson who was struck with a ball by Djokovic during his match against Pablo Carreno Busta at the US Open USA Today Sports/Reuters World news in pictures 5 September 2020 Protesters confront police at the Shrine of Remembrance in Melbourne, Australia, during an anti-lockdown rally AFP via Getty World news in pictures 4 September 2020 A woman looks on from a rooftop as rescue workers dig through the rubble of a damaged building in Beirut. A search began for possible survivors after a scanner detected a pulse one month after the mega-blast at the adjacent port AFP via Getty World news in pictures 3 September 2020 A full moon next to the Virgen del Panecillo statue in Quito, Ecuador EPA World news in pictures 2 September 2020 A Palestinian woman reacts as Israeli forces demolish her animal shed near Hebron in the Israeli-occupied West Bank Reuters World news in pictures 1 September 2020 Students protest against presidential elections results in Minsk TUT.BY/AFP via Getty World news in pictures 31 August 2020 The pack rides during the 3rd stage of the Tour de France between Nice and Sisteron AFP via Getty World news in pictures 30 August 2020 Law enforcement officers block a street during a rally of opposition supporters protesting against presidential election results in Minsk, Belarus Reuters World news in pictures 29 August 2020 A woman holding a placard reading "Stop Censorship - Yes to the Freedom of Expression" shouts in a megaphone during a protest against the mandatory wearing of face masks in Paris. Masks, which were already compulsory on public transport, in enclosed public spaces, and outdoors in Paris in certain high-congestion areas around tourist sites, were made mandatory outdoors citywide on August 28 to fight the rising coronavirus infections AFP via Getty World news in pictures 28 August 2020 Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe bows to the national flag at the start of a press conference at the prime minister official residence in Tokyo. Abe announced he will resign over health problems, in a bombshell development that kicks off a leadership contest in the world's third-largest economy AFP via Getty World news in pictures 27 August 2020 Residents take cover behind a tree trunk from rubber bullets fired by South African Police Service (SAPS) in Eldorado Park, near Johannesburg, during a protest by community members after a 16-year old boy was reported dead AFP via Getty World news in pictures 26 August 2020 People scatter rose petals on a statue of Mother Teresa marking her 110th birth anniversary in Ahmedabad AFP via Getty World news in pictures 25 August 2020 An aerial view shows beach-goers standing on salt formations in the Dead Sea near Ein Bokeq, Israel Reuters World news in pictures 24 August 2020 Health workers use a fingertip pulse oximeter and check the body temperature of a fisherwoman inside the Dharavi slum during a door-to-door Covid-19 coronavirus screening in Mumbai AFP via Getty World news in pictures 23 August 2020 People carry an idol of the Hindu god Ganesh, the deity of prosperity, to immerse it off the coast of the Arabian sea during the Ganesh Chaturthi festival in Mumbai, India Reuters World news in pictures 22 August 2020 Firefighters watch as flames from the LNU Lightning Complex fires approach a home in Napa County, California AP World news in pictures 21 August 2020 Members of the Israeli security forces arrest a Palestinian demonstrator during a rally to protest against Israel's plan to annex parts of the occupied West Bank AFP via Getty World news in pictures 20 August 2020 A man pushes his bicycle through a deserted road after prohibitory orders were imposed by district officials for a week to contain the spread of the Covid-19 in Kathmandu AFP via Getty World news in pictures 19 August 2020 A car burns while parked at a residence in Vacaville, California. Dozens of fires are burning out of control throughout Northern California as fire resources are spread thin AFP via Getty World news in pictures 18 August 2020 Students use their mobile phones as flashlights at an anti-government rally at Mahidol University in Nakhon Pathom. Thailand has seen near-daily protests in recent weeks by students demanding the resignation of Prime Minister Prayut Chan-O-Cha AFP via Getty World news in pictures 17 August 2020 Members of the Kayapo tribe block the BR163 highway during a protest outside Novo Progresso in Para state, Brazil. Indigenous protesters blocked a major transamazonian highway to protest against the lack of governmental support during the COVID-19 novel coronavirus pandemic and illegal deforestation in and around their territories AFP via Getty World news in pictures 16 August 2020 Lightning forks over the San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge as a storm passes over Oakland AP World news in pictures 15 August 2020 Belarus opposition supporters gather near the Pushkinskaya metro station where Alexander Taraikovsky, a 34-year-old protester died on August 10, during their protest rally in central Minsk AFP via Getty World news in pictures 14 August 2020 AlphaTauri's driver Daniil Kvyat takes part in the second practice session at the Circuit de Catalunya in Montmelo near Barcelona ahead of the Spanish F1 Grand Prix AFP via Getty World news in pictures 13 August 2020 Soldiers of the Brazilian Armed Forces during a disinfection of the Christ The Redeemer statue at the Corcovado mountain prior to the opening of the touristic attraction in Rio AFP via Getty World news in pictures 12 August 2020 Young elephant bulls tussle playfully on World Elephant Day at the Amboseli National Park in Kenya AFP via Getty

US citizens should "exercise additional vigilance" in these locations, the statement added.

The updated guidance detailed a variety of tactics that could be used in any potential attack, including firearms, explosives, using vehicles as ramming devices, and sharp-edged weapons.

The advice reflects Isis' new favoured modus operandi of using vans, lorries and cars to plough into pedestrians, used in recent Isis-linked attacks in Barcelona, London, Nice, Berlin, Stockholm and Paris.
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Islamic State militants and civilians have abandoned buses from the stranded convoy in the Syrian desert and continued their journey, despite a US-led coalition airstrike which destroyed the road.

According to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, members of the Islamic State group and their families are heading towards the eastern region of IS-held Deir al-Zour in 12 civilian vehicles.

A heated row has broken out over the fate of the motorcade of evacuated Islamic State fighters and their families who are trying to reach the Iraqi border.

The Syrian government and Hezbollah had agreed that the IS convoy would leave and be allowed to travel towards the Islamic-State held region of Deir al-Zour.

The 400 Islamic militants and their families surrendered recently on Syrias border with Lebanon.

But the US-led coalition says it was not part of the deal agreed and on 29 August bombed the road ahead of the convoy, which they claim contains experienced fighters.

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

Brett McGurk, the US envoy to the coalition, tweeted: We will not allow this terrorist convoy to further approach Iraqs borders.

He added that Islamic State militants "should be killed on the battlefield, not bussed across Syria to the Iraqi border without Iraq's consent".

The Combined Joint Task Force also voiced their disapproval and released a statement saying: "The coalition will not condone Isis [IS] fighters moving further east to the Iraqi border," the coalition said in a statement.

"Relocating terrorists from one place to another, for someone else to deal with, is not a lasting solution," it added.

The 17 buses containing the Islamic State militants are now stranded in the desert, between the towns of Humayma and al-Sukhnah, which are under Syrian government control.

Hezbollah has attacked the actions of the US-led air strike for putting lives at risk and called on the international community to prevent a terrible massacre if people die due to lack of food or bombing.

They are also preventing anyone from reaching them even to provide humanitarian assistance to families, the sick and wounded and the elderly, the Shia Islamist political organisation said in a statement, reported by The Times of Israel.

Basic supplies have been sent to the convoy and the US military said it will not intervene if the Syrian government sends food and water to the people stranded in the Syrian desert.

Weve observed that. We didnt try to interfere with that, Lieutenant General Stephen Townsend, the commander of the US-led coalition told the Washington Post.

We have not tried to interfere with all approaches to the buses. And the pro-regime forces have done that and resupplied them.
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Britain should hang its head in shame.

We have a Government so devoid of compassion that, in its unswerving need to control immigration, appears to have no boundaries to what it will do to reduce not only immigration, but also the numbers of foreign citizens inside Britains borders.

Recently weve had well publicised instances: Mrs Clennell from Singapore  married to a British citizen, living for decades in Britain, with British children and grandchildren  deported, and now allowed to return.

Hundreds residing lawfully in the UK have been wrongly sent letters telling them to leave the UK  this mistake has now been corrected.

Shane Ridge, a young man with a British father and an Australian/British mother, was told that he wasnt British and that he needed to leave to leave  he has now confirmed as British.

Recently, an American man caring for his severely ill British wife was told to leave the UK and reapply to come back once he had left  this has not yet resolved. And the list goes on.

Probably none of these would have been noticed or resolved without them being highlighted by the media. And these are but a few of those cases that have been reported upon.

My question to Theresa May and Amber Rudd is: how many such cases have gone unreported, and how many of those who should have been allowed to remain, but could not afford appeals, have left because of it? How many were wrongly arrested and deported? How many are still being held in detention centres unlawfully awaiting deportation?

I would like the Government to tell the people the truth, but that would require an openness, honesty and integrity which our Government seems to be lacking.

What would happen if Europe, who has up until now held the moral ground, retaliates in kind? The British people and Government would be outraged, whilst ignoring our own misconduct.

Robert Greasley

Germany

Barnier should bypass David Davis  and instead negotiate with the British people

To achieve maximum benefit for the EU and the UK, Michel Barnier should address the people of the UK directly. More will be listening than he might suppose.

Brexit, if it happens, will be damaging to the UK to a degree that can scarcely be encompassed. The EU will also take a hit  this is a double-edged blade.

This is the moment for Europeans of goodwill everywhere to actively promote the current and potential future benefits of EU membership, and for Barnier to illustrate the alternative available to the UK  undertake a volte face and opt instead for full-on Europeanisation, with the confident expectation of the institutional reforms that are now being discussed by other members, too.

Victory could be snatched from the jaws of the likes of UKIP, Tory Eurosceptics and the other unsavoury elements that seem to have been spawned everywhere.

Steve Ford

Haydon Bridge

How can a five-year-old comprehend religion?

Rabina Khan makes some valid points about the hypocrisy of having different rules for judging different cultures; however, she misses the real issue of concern, which is a child being labelled as a follower of any religion at the age of five.

She describes as children grow up, they will be introduced to the stereotypes that adults have developed, yet the biggest adult-imposed stereotype is religion. The young girl is no more Christian than she is a Labour supporter or a Brexiteer, and the stereotypes she attributes to the pages of the tabloids sadly appears to have infiltrated The Independent with the headline It should not matter if a Christian child is fostered by a Muslim family.

Paul Kelly

Chesham

The UK is tearing itself apart

The plaintive bleats of the Tories seem to be in juxtaposition to all they should be striving for. The Prime Minister begs for unity from the backbenches about Brexit, itself the epitome of disunity. Liam Fox asks the EU not to blackmail the UK, when all they ask for is clarity in the vague desires of a breakaway state whose complete lack of direction is threatening the economic stability of the region.

As the world watches the once most powerful country in the world, the greatest unifying force in history, tearing itself and Europe apart through gross mismanagement fuelled by the immature egos of party politics, they must wonder how Britain ever managed the leadership needed for such dominance.

Matt Minshall

Norfolk

The National Trust is right to publish hunt details

It is outrageous for hunts to claim that they would suffer intimidation from anti-hunt activists if the dates of their meets on National Trust land were to be published. If ever there was a case of the pot calling the kettle, this is it!

I monitor hunts, as do other public spirited people who object to animal cruelty, while the police totally ignore the rampant illegal hunting taking place in the countryside week in, week out. Somebody must watch the hunts and record their appalling behaviour.

The job of a hunt monitor is extremely stressful and also dangerous. Harassment from hunt followers  or stewards, as some of them like to call themselves  persists unrelentingly all day long. They continually delay, obstruct, taunt, manhandle and insult the monitors, who are strictly non-violent and who need nerves of steel to cope with this treatment, and continue to bear witness to what is happening every time a hunt goes out.

If anyone doubts my words, I would ask them to have a look at YouTube to see the huge amount of evidence supporting what I describe.

The reason hunts do not want their meets published is because they are highly secretive  now, why do you think that would be? Could it be because they are continuing to hunt live quarry in total defiance of the law? I urge all National Trust members to support the forthcoming motion that the National Trust should ban all so-called trail hunting on their land completely.

Penny Little

Great Haseley

The Brexit negotiations seem to be going well

Perhaps David Davis should have added, when talking to Mr Barnier about optimists and pessimists: And the fool sees neither difficulty nor opportunity.

Rachel Greenwood

Bewdley
Vital cross-border sharing of policing expertise is going to become extremely difficult post-Brexit, former police chief Judith Gillespie has warned.

The former Police Service of Northern Ireland deputy chief constable and member of Ireland's Policing Authority said that Brexit is going to pose many challenges for law enforcement.

In an interview with the Press Association, Ms Gillespie said one of the main threats to policing post-Brexit will be the sharing of important experience between the Garda and the PSNI.

Recent Garda superintendent and chief superintendent promotion competitions have seen a number of PSNI officers being successfully recruited.

Ms Gillespie said this was a welcome step in terms of "sharing policing experience across the two jurisdictions where there are unique and shared challenges."

"But post-Brexit this movement of staff will become even more difficult than it is now," warned Ms Gillespie.

She added: "I think Brexit is going to pose so many challenges for law enforcement - European arrest warrants, exchange of information, intelligence, fingerprints, DNA, all those things. I have much concern.

"And any type of hard border will have very significant costs both north and south.

"In the context of shrinking public sector costs that is going to be a real challenge - to continue to deliver policing, in the context of additional costs to policing a hard border. It is a big concern," she said.

Ms Gillespie, who retired from the PSNI in 2014 after 32 years, joined the Republic of Ireland's Policing Authority in January 2016.

She said the Garda oversight body has a really important part to play "as a critical friend and in ensuring pace in delivery of change".

"That's important not just for the public but also for the very many good people within the organisation," she added.

Since joining the oversight body the Garda has been hit by a number of controversies and Commissioner Noirin O'Sullivan has faced calls to resign.

However, Ms Gillespie believes that the commissioner should be given a "fair chance" to transform the force - but warned that the Policing Authority will be watching her performance "very closely".

"I think the Commissioner should be given a fair chance to prove she can transform and modernise the organisation.

"I think Noirin is an incredibly resilient person. I have known her for many years. I think she has had a very difficult job to take over with the history of the organisation.

"I do think she has had difficulties with her own team as well and that has posed internal challenges as well as external challenges she has had to face.

"I think she has to be given time to turn the organisation around. You are never going to be able to make these cultural changes overnight. It is going to take time," said Ms Gillespie.

However she added: "There will soon be a time when we expect to see tangible evidence of changes delivered, and the Authority is watching very closely in terms of the implementation of the Garda Inspectorate report."
The weakness in sterling has the potential to "wipe out" a number of Irish SMEs, the British Irish Chamber of Commerce has warned.

John McGrane, director general of the chamber, said that many businesses are already in "severe pain" due to the currency changes.

"We are already having discussions with lots of them which are really struggling at 93p and are very worried about the future," he said.

The chamber is about to publish its policy paper on supporting SMEs through Brexit and called on the Government for immediate action.

"It is the top issue for SMEs," he said. "Brexit existentially threatens lots of SMEs. But it is already happening for many companies."

Among the recommendations is the development of a marketing grant for Irish SMEs which are exposed to the UK similar to Bord Bia's Marketing Intensification Programme, aimed at the food industry.

"That showed we know how to do this, the issue now is to widen it as far as possible to the greatest number of affected people," said McGrane. "While food is very exposed, it is far from the only sector that is damaged."

Another sector which is already being hit is the call centre business. "Lots and lots of British businesses are serviced by call centres in Ireland," he said. "If you take some of the catalogue fashion companies, for example, a lot of those have their customer care centres in Ireland.

"That means Irish businesses in Irish towns are being paid in sterling. Their cost base is in Ireland and the value of their sales is down 20pc since the referendum. And they have no possible way of reducing their cost base by 20pc.

"A number of those companies are already in severe pain," he added,

The policy papers highlights how uncertainty is stalling expansion plans and references an example of an Irish company which wanted to expand their operations into the UK market.

"They had looked at premises and joined the British Irish Chamber of Commerce but are now holding off on investing in the UK market until further clarity over Brexit emerged," states the paper.

"Uncertainty remains prevalent among SMEs and within the wider economy in both the UK and Ireland."

The paper's recommendations include the introduction of a 'Customs Voucher Scheme' for all small and medium-sized enterprises dealing with customs for the first time. It backs a reduction in VAT and an expansion of the entrepreneur relief in keeping with the UK's more generous scheme.

It also suggests a reduction in employers' PRSI. "It was done before temporarily. This country has a very good track record of showing that when you reduce a tax rate it can increase tax revenue," said McGrane.

The paper also calls on the Government to increase capital expenditure to 4pc of GDP.

"Anything that improves the competitiveness right now is a good thing," said McGrane.
Kansas, the top US wheat producing state, could face hefty yield losses next year from a virus that cost it nearly 6pc of production in 2017, according to a preliminary estimate, as low wheat prices may have deterred farmers from spending money on herbicides.

This years outbreak of wheat streak mosaic virus in Kansas was the worst since 2006, according to plant pathologists at Kansas State University. The disease also struck parts of Oklahoma, Nebraska and Colorado.

Amid a global glut of crops that is depressing prices of corn and soybeans, milling-quality wheat has stood out as more vulnerable to shortages through adverse weather or disease. Earlier this year, high-protein wheat premiums surged as supplies were hit by drought in Australia and the US.

US wheat plantings for 2017 fell to the lowest in a century, amplifying the impact of crop diseases like wheat streak mosaic that can cause localized shortfalls, forcing grain buyers to widen their search for supplies.

The Kansas Wheat Commission, a trade group, estimated losses this year from the virus at about 19m bushels, valued at $76.8mi. Total Kansas wheat production will be 324.3m bushels, according to estimates by the US Department of Agriculture.

The wheat streak virus is spread by tiny mites that thrive on volunteer wheat - plants that sprout from any kernels left on the soil after harvest in June and July.

To curb the mite population, crop exports say, farmers need to kill those plants with herbicide two weeks before they start to plant the 2018 crop, typically in late September.

Not enough farmers did so last year. Some fields may have been infected by mites blown on the wind from volunteer wheat on other farms. A late first frost allowed virus-bearing mites ample time to thrive.

A lot of people got a serious bloody nose because of negligent neighbors and deadbeat farmers, said Vance Ehmke, who grows seed wheat in Healy, Kansas. He lost crops valued at as much as $250,000 due to the disease.

The wheat streak mosaic virus turned a great crop into an average crop, Ehmke said.

Rogue Plants

Low cash prices may have discouraged growers from spending money to eradicate volunteer wheat.

The biggest thing is the cost of herbicide and time to send the sprayer, and the fuel to send the sprayer to the field, said Kirk Broders, Colorado State University plant pathologist.

With the wheat commodity prices at such a low point, they are pinching every single penny. And some of them are deciding its not worth the investment to do it, he added.

Cash prices for wheat are not much better now than a year ago, hovering around $3.30 a bushel Friday in western Kansas.

Broders said some farms are so big that growers may not know there are rogue plants, especially in fields left fallow.

They sort of stop paying attention, and sometimes that volunteer comes in, he said.

The Kansas Wheat Commission, Kansas State University and the Kansas Department of Agriculture launched a campaign this summer called Stop the Streak to educate farmers about eradicating volunteer wheat.

Rick Horton, who grows wheat in Leoti, Kansas, said his family seeded about 3,300 acres of wheat in 2017 and nearly a third were infected by varying degrees of wheat streak mosaic.

If it happens again, there has got to be a monetary penalty attached, Horton said.
Investment firm H2 Equity Partners has made a "significant investment" in Tyrone-based BA Components.

Cookstown-based BA manufactures kitchen and bedroom doors and furniture components. Founded by twin brothers Brian and Kieran McCracken, it also has manufacturing sites in Doncaster and Rotherham in England.

The deal "will support BA's strategy of continued investment in our manufacturing sites and bringing new product ranges to market and being able to serve all parts of the market", the company said.

"The aim is to become Ireland and the UK's clear No 1 specialist door and furniture component manufacturer."

Managing director Brian McCracken, told the Sunday Independent that the company started attracting M&A interest about two years ago.

"We had a few offers to sell the business but we didn't want to do that. So we came up with a hybrid if you like, which is where the H2 guys come in. They understand family businesses, they understand the culture. It was very much about what's right for BA as a business, and Kieran and myself... we still are major shareholders in the business. We still are active and will be."

It's the third investment made by H2's latest fund, a 235m endeavour targeting investments in UK and Irish SMEs. H2 investment manager Cathal Turley said the firm had approached the McCrackens directly because of H2's knowledge of the sector.

"We visited a lot of BA's competitors as well and what we noticed straight away was that BA has some of the most advanced facilities within Ireland and the UK. So we want to build upon that and continue to invest in plant and machinery, and make them the clear No.1 player in the market. That includes investing in new products and bringing new products to market, something which BA does every year," he said.

Financial terms were not disclosed. BA has turnover of around 35m and earnings before interest, taxation, depreciation and amortisation) last year were around 7m, McCracken said.
A row has erupted between the Government and one of Ireland's largest property-investment groups over changes to the Immigrant Investor Programme.

Bartra Capital Property Group has warned officials that new rules introduced in January to raise the investment threshold for applicants to the state investment-for-residency scheme could have a "catastrophic effect on the volume of applications, FDI and job creation".

Bartra, the investment management firm founded by developer Richard Barrett, is one of three major funds authorised by the Central Bank to raise capital through the Immigrant Investor Programme (IIP).

Officials at the Irish Naturalisation and Immigration Service announced new thresholds for qualifying investments in January, raising them from 500,000 to 1m. The threshold was raised after a spike in IIP applications in 2016, believed to number about 330.

A total of 130 applications have been approved since the scheme was launched in 2012, resulting in 65m of investments. Department officials said that 1m was the original threshold when the scheme started and was only changed given the then poor take-up by overseas investors.

The Department officials said that this was attributable to the state of the economy at the time, adding that the decision to raise the threshold was justified as "Ireland was in a different place now".

But representatives of Bartra Capital told officials they were "shocked and dismayed at this sudden and unexpected decision", in documents seen by this newspaper.

"This decision comes at a time when our economic recovery faces very serious challenges with the potential of a hard Brexit and the impact on FDI of the Trump administration in the US.

"The pricing decision is very risky and may turn out to be bad for the economy, bad for business and bad for the country.

"Ideally such a significant decision should not be made without a full analysis of the scheme, its potential scope and the costs and benefits of the scheme itself."

A Bartra representative has written to Department of Justice officials calling for a review of the decision and recommending consultation with stakeholders.

"I would urge you to delay the implementation of the decision until a full and through review of the scheme is undertaken and not until after all the stakeholders are consulted."

Bartra claims that following the UK's decision to double the investment threshold for its immigrant investor scheme, applications plummeted by 83pc.

"In Canada, an increase from a $800,000 threshold to 2m reduced numbers dramatically.

"They predicted 2,200 and received six. The US has also halted a plan to increase investment levels because of its potential impact," wrote a representative.

Chinese investors in particular have piled into the Immigrant Investor Programme over the past three years.

There are now more than 5,000 agents in China promoting Ireland's invest-for-residency scheme, according to industry sources.

Non-EEA investors are granted residency in exchange for investing in Irish bonds, stocks, property and enterprises, or for making a large philanthropic gift or endowment.

The Immigrant Investor Programme is open to non-EEA nationals and requires a minimum investment of 1m, which must be pledged for a minimum of three years.

Approved participants are granted residence in Ireland for two years, which can be renewed for a further three years.

After five years, they are entitled to apply for long-term residence in Ireland.

Irish residency status can offer non-EEA investors greater ease of travel in the EU and can offer benefits in terms of tax avoidance and asset security.

The principal investor focus is on social housing, healthcare, education and renewable energy.
Canadian-listed minerals explorer Hannan Metals has raised CA$3.4m (2.3m) to fund drilling activity at a zinc prospect in Co Clare. Stock photo: Thinkstock

Canadian-listed minerals explorer Hannan Metals has raised CA$3.4m (2.3m) to fund drilling activity at a zinc prospect in Co Clare.

The company has 100pc ownership of the Kilbricken prospect, the site of an old lead and zinc mine that was worked for two decades in the 19th century.

The prospect Hannan is aiming to commercialise is located 400m below the old mine and was bought by Canadian multinational Lundin Mining for 20m a number of years ago.

Hannan paid US$1m for the prospect last year and has been drilling at the resource since May.

The fundraising will enable it to deploy a second drilling rig at the site as it seeks to discover how good the prospect is.

Initial results have been "substantial", according to Hannan Metals chief executive and chairman Michael Hudson. "Our aim is now to grow the initial zinc resource by drill testing the areas that lie open in all directions around the resource area," he said.

The company had initially planned to raise CA$42m but the fundraising - conducted via a private placement - was oversubscribed.

The money will be used to provide working capital and for general corporate purposes as well as advancing drilling activity at Kilbricken.

The price of zinc is at its highest for the best part of the decade, fuelling a sector-wide resurgence in activity in Irish zinc.

Glencore has restarted activity at its Pallas Green prospect in Limerick after putting the project on hold for a number of years, while Group Eleven Resources, an Irish-based explorer backed by former Davy corporate finance chief Hugh McCutcheon, is plotting a listing on the stock market later this year.

Group Eleven has recently agreed a deal to buy 60pc of a prospect which covers areas of Co Longford and Co Westmeath.

The seller was global mining giant Teck, and Group Eleven raised 2.6m to fund the deal - also via a private placement.

Group Eleven chief executive Bart Jaworski said the deal was a "transformational acquisition" that would strengthen the company's platform as it approaches its IPO.
Dear Mr. Dad: My girlfriend and I talked many times about children and mutually decided not to have any. However, without telling me, she changed her mind and got pregnant. I have absolutely no interest in being a father or raising children, but she's threatening to come after me for child support. Is there anything I can do to stop her?
'We're now at a crossroads of legal innovation. We can either forge ahead and embrace technology, which is what we're doing, or we can slowly become irrelevant," says Barry Devereux, who is leading McCann Fitzgerald's efforts to be at the cutting edge of legal services provision.

Where once a law firm was seen as a place where people came for advice on legal disputes, he wants McCann Fitzgerald to become something of a tech company too.

The firm has just signed a partnership with Neota Logic, an American firm that makes artificial intelligence (AI) software, to explore ways to come up with products that create value for clients.

Devereux wants to grow McCann's revenue by licensing these kinds of products to clients, and says the firm is already in talks about doing this.

Last year McCann started using artificial intelligence for reviewing large numbers of documents. Devereux says this can be as much as 30pc to 40pc cheaper than the traditional way. It also serves to free up solicitors to spend more time on other tasks.

In one example, the firm reduced 11 million documents that were of potential relevance in a matter down to 11,000 within six weeks. A specialised unit called the Data Investigations Group - where techie types work alongside lawyers - has been set up to manage this process. It started out with discovery, the process whereby the parties to a legal dispute exchange documentary evidence, and has now been expanded to corporate transactions like IPOs, mergers and acquisitions, and loan book sales. The firm has also recently rolled out a service it calls Knowledge Hub where it collates data on particular topics and sends alerts to clients depending on the area they're interested in.

But just as advances in technology help McCann develop, so too do they bring increased competition.

"We used to compete with other Dublin law firms. We still do. But now our competitors are different and they come from the United States - it might be legal process outsourcing firms like Axiom, and Riverview Law and they're providing alternate legal services to clients with different models," says Devereux.

"With the global economic crisis in 2008, that's accelerated the rate of progress that law firms have had to make because all our clients have faced existential threats to their business and the 'more for less' philosophy is now with us. The clients expect more from their suppliers so they can give more to their customers. It's no different for us, we have to find ways of delivering more for less."

That raises questions about whether a firm will need fewer solicitors in future. Devereux doesn't think so.

"Our experience has been that the capacity of the market will grow in line with us demonstrating that we can do things faster. We don't think there's a finite pool of work there.

"The firm is growing, and the work for lawyers is less of the day-to-day document review and it's more tactical and strategic advice, negotiating deals and getting the best deals for clients."

The company doesn't disclose details of its financial performance but total employee numbers are up 6pc on last year to 564. Last year, it added 28 new solicitors - more than any other Irish law firm.

Going forward, Devereux's strategy is to invest resources in the sectors that have high-growth potential. "We have lots of different businesses inside this firm and some are showing exponential growth. So aircraft finance for example has always been a very strong part of our business and is growing fast. The funds area, with over $3trn of funds located in Ireland - that's a growing area.

"I see fintech as a big area for us. There's 100,000 people working in technology in Ireland and 40,000 in the financial services industry. When you combine them that's a lot of smart people doing things that are broadly aligned with each other," Devereux says.

"The other area of growth is around cybersecurity and privacy. The technology and innovation team here is very engaged in dealing with cyber risk and I suppose the explosion in data creation by the tech companies has been a boon for our team here."

Asked about buying other law firms, he won't rule anything out. "We're always looking for opportunities whether it's to open an office in the US or make judicious hirings," Devereux adds.

The Laois native (54) spent many years working on corporate transactions before being elected managing partner nearly three years ago. It was a steep learning curve in the early days, but a challenge that Devereux relished.

"The job of a managing partner is to lead a firm and set a direction for the firm with the partners, and to be crystal clear about where you're going and how you get there. My job is to create the environment where people want to do their best and encourage them to do that. I learned a lot about people and dynamics and getting the best out of people," says Devereux, who wanted to take the job because he felt he could make a greater contribution as leader.

Many lawyers come from families with legal backgrounds, but not him. Instead it was the US fictional television series The Paper Chase - tracing the lives of students at Harvard Law School - that made him want to enter the profession.

Becoming a barrister didn't appeal; helping businesses do deals excited him more than bringing cases to trial and so he became a solicitor, qualifying in the late 1980s. The Irish economy was a mess and so like most of his class Devereux emigrated, in his case to London, where he ended up working for Clifford Chance.

After seven years, he moved to work in the firm's Singapore office, which helped fuel his love of technology. "Singapore is the size of Laois but yet it moved from being an agrarian society 50 years ago with no natural resources, to becoming a huge trading port and making the most of what they had by investing in R&D and innovation and technology," says Devereux.

"I see a lot of parallels with Ireland, which is on the western periphery of Europe but now making a lot out of the resources we have.

"If I'm to say why am I so fascinated with technology, some of it has to be traced back to what I could see could be done by that advanced thinking."

Devereux has his ear close to the ground in the Irish business world and has noticed a number of trends emerging in recent times. One is an increasing acceptance of venture capital and private equity, which is helping businesses grow to a greater scale before selling out to multinationals.

"We've acted on many deals where a US or an Israeli company has come in and bought an Irish company for 50m-100m. Mostly the reason for selling is that the indigenous firm hasn't the resources to scale up.

"While we've made a lot of progress with those businesses and obviously they've been clients of ours, it is a source of concern that we are selling out the companies at an earlier stage."

Another trend Devereux notes that might help with that is the return of the IPO market - led this year by AIB and Greencoat Renewables. A third is the emergence of alternative lenders like Broadhaven or Bluebay.

Change is afoot, too, in the construction sector due to the shortage of completed investment properties.

Institutional investors are now getting involved with projects at the development stage as they search for yield, while an uplift in regulatory investigations from the likes of the Central Bank or the European authorities has also been a boon to the firm.

Inside McCann, the types of people the business is hiring is also evolving. "In the past we would traditionally have hired law students or arts students but now in the last few years we have people whose degrees are in music, technology, engineering and psychology. We're mixing up the backgrounds because all the studies show and our own experience shows that the more diverse the input, the better the product you have."

Brexit presents another challenge, with law firms like Pinsent Masons and DLA Piper outlining plans to set up a presence here, while a huge number of solicitors from Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer have sought entry to the Irish roll of solicitors. Is Devereux concerned about this competition?

"If there's a migration as there will be of financial services clients coming to Ireland because of Brexit, and we're seeing a lot of that, it's to be expected that the big law firms who service those clients out of London won't simply be happy to pass them over to Irish law firms.

"So I think you will see some judicious hiring by these firms of lawyers in the financial services space. I don't see them having huge operations but I would imagine they'll want to have a capability to service those clients in conjunction with us.

"Am I concerned? I would say we're taking note of what's happening and our job is to continually ensure that we are providing the best service. Competition brings out the best in you and it's bringing out the best in us.

"We have to continually come back to reinvent ourselves, which is where technology I think is for us a differentiator. And we feel we've made a lot of ground in the last two years."

Devereux is entering the third year of his four-year term as managing partner and before too long his fellow partners in McCann will pass their judgment on whether his technology drive has been a success.

For now, he just wants to stay on the journey.

Name

Barry Devereux

Age

54

Position

Managing Partner, McCann Fitzgerald

Education

Qualified as a solicitor in Ireland and the UK

Bachelor of Civil Law, UCD

Previous experience

Head of Corporate Group, McCann Fitzgerald

Head of Corporate Finance, McCann Fitzgerald

Partner, McCann Fitzgerald

Partner, Clifford Chance

Associate, Clifford Chance

Pastimes

Cycling, golf
Alternative lender Grid Finance has raised 3m of equity from Luxembourg-based Reech Corporations Group.

The investment - which comes via Reech's financial services and technology venture capital arm Odysseus Investments - will see the Luxembourg company become Grid's largest external shareholder.

Christophe Reech, a former derivatives banker who founded the Luxembourg company, is joining Grid's board as a non-executive director.

"This is a very scalable business with potential to move beyond Ireland into other markets. I am confident that with the benefit of our experience and know-how in creating and scaling innovative businesses, Grid Finance is destined for great things over the coming few years," Reech said.

Grid's chief executive, Derek F Butler, said the deal "will allow us to propel our business to the next level by investing in our proprietary technology and market penetration in Ireland and other international markets".

Grid provides loans to Irish businesses via its online marketplace which matches firms with individuals seeking to lend money at a return.

Other products include invoice discounting, leasing and short-term cash flow loans secured against money owed to the borrower from credit and debit card transactions.

It is working on a product that will allow investors to build a portfolio based on their investment goals.

It has also been backed by US venture capital firms, Enda O'Coineen's Kilcullen Kapital, and Enterprise Ireland. The company has its own proprietary credit score system known as the Grid Score, which it uses to advance money to businesses that are struggling to raise funding from banks.

Thus far, it has helped more than 2,000 businesses to raise money, and hopes to grow that to 25,000 and 1bn of lending in the coming years.

"We think Grid Finance is a great business with excellent prospects. We particularly like the way the business is addressing a real need, meeting the demands of a sector which is poorly served by traditional lenders. We also like the way the business is anchored in the community through its strong local links," said Odysseus Investments' managing director, Hansjoerg Borutta.

Odysseus Investments was advised on the transaction by LK Shields and Grid Finance by Philip Lee. Other companies in Odysseus' portfolio include Moola, a UK company using robotic technology to provide consumers with access to investment products.

The company said it is continuing to hunt for investment opportunities as it seeks to find fintech startups "with potential to achieve real scale at exceptional levels of profitability".

Reech's other operations include a corporate finance advisory business focused on emerging markets. It also manages commercial and residential property assets.
The deal, if agreed, would be paid over 39 months and would cost the airline more than 20m. Photo: Steve Humphreys

Aer Lingus staff should be given a total pay rise of 8.75pc over 39 months, the Labour Court has recommended.

The court recommendation - which the airline's management will hope will break a standoff over pay - equates to an average annual pay rise of 2.7pc for many staff.

If agreed, such a deal is likely to cost the airline just over 20m for the period. That is less than half of what it would have cost the airline if an initial demand by trade unions for a 19.1pc pay rise over three years had been accepted.

The recommendation also postponed any productivity deal for at least three months and long-fingered demands for a profit-sharing scheme that the airline had feared could drive the cost of an agreement to over 100m.

Unions were seeking increases in pay, the introduction of profit sharing and the restoration of lost increments after what they described as "the exceptional financial performance of Aer Lingus".

But management had lodged a 49-page submission with the court that focused heavily on the difficult environment in which it is claimed Aer Lingus is now operating. It particularly highlighted the competitive pressures the airline now faces on short-haul routes from Ryanair and on transatlantic routes from Norwegian's new services from Dublin, Cork, Shannon and Belfast.

In its recommendation, the Labour Court said it noted in particular that there had not been a basic pay adjustment since 2010 although there had been "a number of lump sum payments".

The pay rise recommended by the Labour Court in this case compares unfavourably to other recent pay rises achieved by unions in the wider transport sector. For example, Dublin Bus workers were granted a 3.75pc pay rise per year for three years, despite that company's financial difficulties.

"Aer Lingus confirms receipt of the Labour Court recommendation relating to the pay claim lodged by Ictu, Siptu, Impact, Unite and the TEEU.

"We are reviewing the details of the recommendation and will clarify our position on the various matters contained therein in due course," said a spokesman.
Ryanair and the Dublin Airport Authority - a bit like McGregor versus Mayweather, with a few slapdowns over the years that would make UFC slugger Conor wince.

So it felt like the aftermath of the recent bout in Vegas - all hugs and mutual respect - as the Irish airline bade a fond farewell to DAA boss Kevin Toland, who's off to pastures new.

Ryanair chief marketing officer Kenny Jacobs, chief commercial officer David O'Brien and the new boss of Aryzta traded lines of praise, not punches, all on the one table.

All that was missing was the manly group hug.

Toland didn't even dismiss Ryanair boss Michael O'Leary's claims he could succeed him and carry out his DAA CEO role, part-time, for nothing. "I think he'd do a terrific job," Toland confessed.

As the Irish airline launched its summer schedule - with a big emphasis on Germany, a country Jacobs says is "becoming the banana republic" of aviation - Toland was straight out of his corner, throwing plaudits his way. "Ryanair in Dublin now goes to 90 destinations, which is the same as Heathrow on the short-haul side," said Toland.

O'Brien wasn't going to be left out of the bout of bonhomie, saying Dublin has been a "tremendous success under Kevin's tenure - punching well above its weight". Indeed, he added that it's got more passengers (just shy of 30 million a year) than sun destination Athens (20 million), while Ryanair alone will carry more passengers at Dublin than Prague does in its entirety.

While O'Brien was pulling Ryanair's punches away from the DAA, it has a new target in its sights - Germany - and the airline is still seething over what it sees as a 'stitch up' over the future of insolvent Air Berlin's assets. Jacobs doesn't see why Irish passengers, and others, have to frequently connect with large cities via Lufthansa's two chosen gateways: "Why do I have to fly through Frankfurt or Munich to get to anywhere?" he asked. "You have a city like Berlin, with two airports with 33 million capacity between those two airports, which is going to one airport - whenever that opens - which will have 27 million capacity. And the mayor of that city thinks that's a great thing and that Ryanair shouldn't have an opinion on this."

"Less than Dublin," piped up O'Brien.

"Yes, less than Dublin," echoed Jacobs.

But old habits do die hard, and it was round whatever as the Ryanair duo turned back to Ireland. "Dublin Airport will never do enough for us. That's our official and immutable position," O'Brien argued, holding back a smile.

"A consistent position," Toland agreed.

And they're still split over whether the new airport runway should cost 240m or 320m. No prizes for guessing who wants the cheaper option. But still they're on the same page about one thing: it has to happen sooner rather than later.

Toland left his new Ryanair buddies with the promise that with its great connectivity, he'll be making good use of the airline's network when he starts work in Switzerland with Aryzta.

Still, given that his predecessor earned a multi-million salary in the Swiss role, on-board scratch cards and low fares shouldn't be a pressing priority.

n Of interest to the Irish corporate traveller is Ryanair's stance on onboard connectivity: it's not going to follow Lufthansa and IAG down that road, at least for now.

"We're absolutely not going to look at it, and we've looked at it again just recently to make sure we've made the right decision," Jacobs told this column at the conference. "And it's the right decision because, it's still fairly a patchy service, it's very very expensive to install, it gives you drag on your aircraft, and that increases your fuel bill, and if you take it that our average flight is 90 minutes you can't use it for 15 minutes [his hands go up for take-off] for 15 [and back down].

"We asked our customers would you like that or coat racks on the back of your seat and they said coat racks. We will be very fast followers once the technology is there, but the technology isn't there."

Also of interest are the talks with Aer Lingus and Norwegian about feeding its short-haul passengers onto long-haul services.

"It's technically like treacle - it's really really slow," said David O'Brien. "I'd be disappointed if there's nothing by the end of this year functioning, but equally it may not be."

But he said that Aer Lingus and Norwegian "definitely want to do it". Meanwhile Jacobs added, in a bout of realpolitik: "We're giving Germany a hard time today, but at some in point in time do we want to be feeding the long-haul operations of Lufthansa? Absolutely. And every other airline in Europe."

Toland added that Dublin Airport will have a new remote gate facility, south of pier 4 in Terminal 2, opening later this year, alleviating some of the pressure on arrivals at passport control.
Around 100 people are being made redundant at office supplies company Viking Direct Ireland, with around 20 people remaining at the Irish operation. Stock image

Around 100 people are being made redundant at office supplies company Viking Direct Ireland, with around 20 people remaining at the Irish operation.

Viking's parent Office Depot Europe - sold by Florida based Office Depot Inc to investment firm Aurelius earlier this year - said it was consolidating warehousing operations in Ireland and the UK in order to "create a solid foundation for the future".

"This is part of the company's strategy to improve efficiency and optimise costs, while providing customers with quality products, great prices and world-class service," an Office Depot spokesman told the Sunday Independent.

The company would not say what effect the move would have, if any, on its fulfilment of Irish contracts.

It's understood to have won business from the State.

A small number of staff will remain at the company's operation here which will now be serviced in large part from the UK, it's understood.
'No sooner was the madcap idea of taxing the sale of family homes at a punitive 33pc rate dismissed, then along comes another attempt to send homeowners on a guilt trip'. (stock image)

If you own a home, then you should feel guilty. How dare you. Don't you know we have a rental and a housing crisis? The best thing you could do is to encourage your children to stop paying exorbitant rents and move back home to allow them save up for a deposit.

You, the homeowner, are not due any rent, by the way. It is your duty to forsake rent to help sort out the national accommodation crisis.

And if you are living in a home then take care - if you will excuse the pun - as officials and Government ministers and officials are considering a levy to force you to rent out the property.

No sooner was the madcap idea of taxing the sale of family homes at a punitive 33pc rate dismissed, then along comes another attempt to send homeowners on a guilt trip.

Bank of Ireland has rightly come under fire for promoting the idea that millennials should move back home to mum and dad to save for a deposit so they can qualify for a mortgage.

Homeowners are the solution to everything, according to the people who created the crisis. That would be the banks and our politicians. Never mind the fact that the housing crisis we now have is a direct consequence of the actions of the likes of Bank of Ireland, which blew up the housing market with imprudent lending.

The bank was rescued by taxpayers precisely because it had helped create a housing bubble. We ended up with too many houses being built.

So banks came close to going to the wall, then pulled in their horns and stopped lending. What a surprise. Builders can't get finance. Buyers can't get the funds together for a deposit and too few houses are built.

So the asking prices of properties surge and rents rise faster than a banker's bonus in the good days. But it seems that Bank of Ireland has forgotten its role in fermenting the accommodation mess.

Some may welcome their children living with them, but many will not. However, they will not feel comfortable expressing that view.

But for many the suggestion makes no practical sense.

When, in the Celtic Tiger days, lenders marketed equity-release products at parents, as a way to fund deposits for their children, there was a storm of protest about the offers.

At the time house prices were racing ahead at an even faster clip than they are now, making it virtually impossible for young people to get the funds together.

The products caused great offence. And those who signed up to them have since found to their cost that they are poor value.

Bankers, like politicians, have short memories.
As Ireland's most beloved communications columnist (well, why not? If I say it enough times, maybe we'll all come to believe it), I am delighted to share some top presentation tips I picked up from my darling daughter, Lulu.

I'll package them as part of another segment in my 'Back To School' series for business professionals.

As many parents discover, our best teachers are not always found at that conference we paid top dollar (I mean, euro) for in London or Dublin or New York, but among us already - around knee or thigh level. They're our children. Like my young daughter.

Think about this: Nearly every child on the planet can tell a story in an enthusiastic and animated way. So, at what point in our adult careers do we apparently accept that every business presentation should be dry and emotionless? Take these tips from Lulu and your presentations will become more persuasive, memorable and effective.

1 Keep it simple. Lulu has the vocabulary of, well, a child. And while I'm not advocating you break your words down to the ground, it's important to consider every audience a lay audience. Stay away from technical jargon or shop-talk. Just because your department has been describing it as the 'business development solutions ecosystem' doesn't mean everyone else has any idea what that means (and I did not make that example up).

2 Put some heart into it. No matter what the topic, the child storyteller is always passionate. Are you presenting record year-end profits? Get excited! Are you urging your team to meet increased sales goals? Be compassionate and encouraging. Infusing your presentation with emotion is not about wearing your heart on your sleeve, it is about connecting with your audience. Remember, the first rule of human behaviour is that people make decisions emotionally.

3 Gesticulate. Along with her vocal intensity, Lulu instinctively uses her body. Her arms stretch out wide when she exclaims: "That dog was HUGE." Take your hands off the podium or lectern and add some emphasis. Not wild hand-waving, but consider adding broad deliberate gestures, varied postures and movement, enhanced facial expressions and other forms of non-verbal communication to punch up your presentations.

4 Tell a story. Dinner time is never dull when Lulu tells us a story. You may find this counter-intuitive but, when in doubt, cut some information from your presentation and tell a heart-felt story instead. Make it personal. Make it tie into your message. But do tell a story. Your audience will thank you and most importantly of all, they will better remember what you have to say.

Read More

Now, you already may be thinking this, so let me jump ahead and acknowledge that not everything my daughter does makes for good presentation learning tools. In fact, here are four things Lulu does that you should NOT incorporate into your next business presentation.

Unfortunately, I've seen plenty of professionals make these mistakes. So, let's grow up and punch up our next presentations by remembering to avoid these childish behaviours.

1 Don't ramble. Lulu's stories often give you an enchanting exploration of her active little mind. She veers off-track and wanders down a tangential rabbit hole with abandon. Your presentation, however, better stay focused. While I never advocate simply reading a presentation, pure ad-lib is even more dangerous. Disorganised flow is a telling sign of lack of preparation and makes it difficult for your audience to follow and retain messages.

2 Don't throw a tantrum. We've all seen it. Something goes wrong and suddenly the youngster is on the floor kicking and screaming. Well, things can go wrong in a presentation too. Somebody forgot to load the most recent slide deck, the clicker goes missing or the microphone doesn't work. Whatever the problem, keep your cool. Get to your presentation room early to give you plenty of time to set up. And always prepare a back-up, just in case. Maybe you're not about to hit the floor like a toddler, but hitting the roof, or even appearing frustrated is not allowed either.

3 Don't think it's all about you. Audience point of view is not something Lulu likely considers when she tells a story. She's simply in the moment. But strategizing about your audience is essential to creating an effective business presentation. Who are they? What are they expecting? What would they like to hear? What are they afraid of? What's in it for them? Even though you may be the one up on stage, remember, it's really all about them.

4 Don't forget to pause. Lulu doesn't always think before she speaks. This morning, while I was on the phone, she barged into the room yelling for something. I told her: "Lulu, honey, don't interrupt when I'm talking, it's rude." "Well, you're rude!" she immediately fired back. We need to learn how to handle an unexpected, aggressive question or bit of feedback from our audience. Don't take it personally and don't fire back. Stop for a moment and try to consider the other person's point of view. Ask a question or two to get clarification. Seek common ground.

Our children aren't the only ones who can go learn a thing or two this term - we can too.

Do you have a big presentation coming up? For clients? Employees? Investors? Write to Gina in care of SundayBusiness@independent.ie and let her help you be better than you can imagine. Gina London is a former CNN anchor and international campaign strategist who is now a director with Fuzion Communications. She serves as media commentator, emcee and corporate consultant. @TheGinaLondon
DECATUR  From food security to public safety, there isn't much that escapes the astonishing generosity of Decatur-based philanthropist Howard G. Buffett.

Born the son of one of the richest men in the history of mankind  investor phenomenon Warren Buffett  Howard G. Buffett clearly had a golden spoon in his mouth. But he's taken the advantages he's been given and turned them into a massive worldwide organization for doing good in the shape of the Howard G. Buffett Foundation, of which the 62-year-old namesake is chairman and CEO.

Established in 1999, the foundation has spent millions of dollars on crop development and other programs to safeguard food security for some of the poorest people on Earth. The caring extends to wildlife, too, with much being done to help endangered exotic creatures like mountain gorillas, often at great personal risk. During a helicopter ride over Virunga National Park in the Democratic Republic of Congo in Africa, a machine gun round hit directly under where Buffett was sitting.

Park rangers trying to protect the gorillas are getting killed fighting some 40 rebel groups. Buffett said he can't understand the rangers' task if he doesn't share it. I don't think much about it, he said of the danger when talking to the Herald & Review in 2016. I'm going to go where I need to go.

Back home, he still likes a walk on the wild side, volunteering as an auxiliary Macon County Sheriff's Department deputy and often riding with his good friend, Sheriff Tom Schneider. Buffett's fascination with the issue of enhancing public safety has seen his foundation give everything from $15 million to fund the new Macon County Law Enforcement Training Center, to a recent gift of $1 million to support the Dove domestic violence program.

The foundation's generosity also funds plenty of other quality of life issues, too, with so many projects it would take pages and pages to list them all. Instead, a few foundation highlights over the last few years: a $1.2 million donation to the Decatur Salvation Army; a $3 million grant to create a new attraction at the Children's Museum of Illinois; $3.9 million to build a new amphitheater in Nelson Park; $2 million to extend the Scovill Zoo train track.

The foundation never loses sight of its global reach, however, not only taking on hunger but also working to end conflict because Buffett says war feeds the growth of hunger. Asked if he ever felt like giving up on these monumental tasks, Buffett recalled what a woman from genocide-ravaged Rwanda had said to him when he once voiced his own doubts about making progress.

...She said 'Howard, you can't give up on people who have already been given up on so many times before.' I've never forgotten that.
Affable, handsome George Clooney was all charm at the Venice Film Festival yesterday - but don't be fooled. The actor says his latest directorial effort, Suburbicon, is an angry movie for an angry country - his own. It's a twisted tale of darkness at the heart of the American dream.

"A lot of us are angry - angry at ourselves, angry at the way that the country is going, angry at the way the world is going," Clooney told reporters in Venice, where Suburbicon is competing for the festival's Golden Lion prize.

"It's probably the angriest I have ever seen the country, and I lived through the Watergate period of time. There is a dark cloud hanging over our country right now."

America's divisions give an unnerving timeliness to Suburbicon. The satirical film noir stars Matt Damon and Julianne Moore as residents of a seemingly idyllic - and all-white - 1950s suburban community that erupts in anger when a black family moves in. It fuses a script by the Coen brothers with a narrative about racial divisions inspired - in a negative way - by Donald Trump's presidential campaign.

"I was watching a lot of speeches on the campaign trail about building fences and scapegoating minorities," Clooney said.

That set Clooney and writing-producing partner Grant Heslov to thinking about other points in US history when forces of division were in the ascendant. They remembered 1957 events in Levittown, Pennsylvania, a model community where white residents rioted after the arrival of a black family. They fused that idea to an unproduced script by Joel and Ethan Coen about a similar white-picket-fence community where a crime goes horribly wrong in farcically bloody ways.

The images of white rage in the movie feel unnervingly contemporary, recalling last month's rallies in Charlottesville, Virginia.

"Unfortunately, these are issues that are never out of vogue in our country," Clooney said ahead of the film's red carpet premiere. "We are still trying to exorcise these problems. We've still got a lot of work to do from our original sin of slavery and racism."

On one level, Suburbicon is a comedy, in which the best-laid plans of Damon's scheming corporate executive go bloodily astray. Damon and Moore practically explode with suburban repression, and there's a delicious turn by Oscar Isaac as a prying insurance investigator.

Yesterday was Damon's second time on the Venice red carpet this festival. He also stars in Alexander Payne's Downsizing, in which - as so often - he portrays a likeable everyman. But Damon also can play the psychopath, as he demonstrated in The Talented Mr Ripley. In Suburbicon, he's a bland suburbanite who becomes a monster.

"I don't really get to play the bad guy a lot, but I do get a nice range of roles," Damon said. He recalled Payne telling him: "I like you because you don't look like a movie star."

"And I know exactly what he meant," Damon added. "I look kind of like an average American person, so I think directors get to have fun playing with different variations of what that might mean."

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For all the bloody fun in Suburbicon, the social concerns Clooney displayed in previous films he directed - including Good Night, and Good Luck and The Ides of March - are never far from the surface.

The Clooney Foundation he runs with his wife, human rights lawyer Amal Clooney, gave $1m in the wake of Charlottesville to the Southern Poverty Law Centre to combat hate groups.

Clooney said he was anxious that the movie not be a polemic or "a civics lesson".

"We wanted it to be funny, we wanted it to be mean," he added. "But it is certainly angry, and it got angrier as we were shooting."

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Teachers and parents are demanding sweeping reviews of schools built in the last 10 years after the safety of thousands of pupils was questioned after a Department of Education audit.

The INTO has called for a review of 25 schools across the country to be extended to include every new school and building similar to the five schools where fire safety standards have been breached.

An audit found breaches at five schools constructed by Western Building System Ltd (WBS) in 2008 that required immediate action. The calls came as the builder of the five schools found to be in breach of the standards said it believes the schools met all relevant fire and building regulations.

INTO assistant general secretary Peter Mullan said examining a sample section of schools built since 2008 was not enough. "There should be no compromise of the health and safety of pupils or staff," he said. "All these types of buildings that were constructed over the recent past should be reviewed. We need an investigation to find out how it happened. The department needs to do a review of all recent buildings that were done."

WBS said it believes the schools met all relevant fire safety and building regulations. It said: "It is important to note that both building and fire regulations have been updated since the buildings were handed over and that schools are responsible for maintenance programmes once a project has been delivered by the contractor. We do not believe WBS is responsible for issues that have presented themselves since the hand-overs, some of which were designed and built almost 10 years ago."

However, the department has ordered fire safety audits to be carried out at other schools built by WBS and other builders after it was found the schools failed to provide a 60-minute fire retardation window for an evacuation.

The schools affected are Gaelscoil na gCloch Liath in Greystones, Mullingar ETNS and Powerstown ETNS, Belmayne ETNS and St Francis of Assisi National School, Dublin. Powerstown is set to be replaced but a department spokesman said it was agreed WBS would carry out required works at the four remaining schools last June. The department had believed the work was completed but a consultant (MSA) advised officials this was not the case.

"Further site visits to the schools were carried out by MSA in March/April 2017. This was a visual inspection of the previously advised completed items by WBS. The draft report which was received from MSA in May 2017 following this visit concluded that very little upgrade works which were previously advised had actually been carried out."

Upgrades at the five affected schools are currently in train. Yesterday, the National Parents Council post primary (NPCpp) called for to undergo extensive checks. Paul Rolston, of the NPCpp, said: "All school buildings should be constructed in compliance with the highest safety standards. Where an audit finds any school building in breach of safety standards, immediate remedial work should be undertaken."
A man struggling with an alcohol problem was arrested after gardai found him trying to direct traffic in the middle of a city centre junction.

Dean Naughton (27) also hurled abuse at members of Dublin Fire Brigade as they dealt with another incident.

Judge Grainne O'Neill jailed him for four months.

Naughton, of Montpelier Park, Dublin 7, pleaded guilty to threatening, abusive and insulting behaviour.

Dublin District Court heard the first incident happened at Dame Street on August 1.

Gardai on patrol saw the defendant standing in the middle of the junction attempting to direct and stop traffic.

When the officers approached him, he ran into the path of oncoming traffic and down Temple Lane South, where he became violent and abusive to gardai.

The court heard the other incident happened at Bachelor's Walk on April 29 this year.

Aggressive

Fire brigade staff were dealing with a separate incident when the accused became aggressive toward them.

He shouted and swore at the fire brigade while he was being restrained.

Judge O'Neill asked if Naughton had impeded the fire brigade and a garda sergeant said it was "more a nuisance for them".

Naughton had been struggling with alcohol but had no drug addiction problems, his solicitor Michael Kelleher said.

Things had been "fraying at the edges" for Naughton and he was "doing nobody any favours at the time", Mr Kelleher added.

The accused had been "a nuisance, getting in the way of the gardai and various other services", he said.

The accused had already spent time in custody and had family support.

Judge O'Neill imposed two consecutive two-month sentences.
A NEW study has found no evidence that a test specifically designed to assist Irish people with strong interpersonal skills and empathy to enter the medical profession is doing what it was designed for.

The examination, the Health Professions Admissions Test (HPAT), was introduced in 2009 in a bid to widen the entry access to medical courses in Ireland.

It was introduced amid concern that the old entry requirements for medical degrees were effectively limiting the profession to the very top Leaving Cert performers - and that some, whose empathy and interpersonal skill levels might make them ideal doctors, were being excluded.

The HPAT was introduced in a bid to identify and assist those students - and those wishing to study medicine must now sit both the HPAT and their Leaving Cert.

The HPAT's own website stressed that it: "Measures a candidates logical reasoning and problem solving skills, nonverbal reasoning and the ability to understand the thoughts, behaviour and/or intentions of people."

Entry into various medical degree courses in Dublin, Cork and Galway is assessed on the combined HPAT and Leaving Cert scores.

However, as early as 2012, concerns were raised that the HPAT was not doing what it was introduced for.

In fact, some critics claimed it offered an unfair advantage to students whose families could afford to pay for expensive preparatory and repeat courses, some of which cost close to 1,000.

Now, a new study has further underlined concerns about precisely what the HPAT has achieved.

The study, published in the British Medical Journal Open (BMJO), was conducted at University College Cork (UCC) across 290 medical students.

It found, having assessed the 290 students and their relevant 262 HPAT scores, that there was absolutely no evidence that HPAT scores correlated with physician empathy assessments under the widely-accepted Jefferson Scale.

"This study suggests no clear link between scores on a selection test, the HPAT-Ireland, which is designed to assess several skill domains including interpersonal skills, and scores on a psychometric measure of empathy, at any point during medical education," the study concluded.

The study was conducted by Dr Donnchadh O'Sullivan, Dr Joseph Moran, Dr Paul Corcoran, Dr Siun O'Flynn, Dr Colm O'Tuathaigh and Dr Aoife O'Sullivan.

Only undergraduate students who had recently completed the HPAT were assessed.

"Empathy is an essential skill needed to become a good doctor. It's imperative to have an admissions test that assesses empathy," Dr O'Sullivan said.

The ability to understand the thoughts, behaviour and even intentions of people is in essence empathy.

They study found that, across the HPAT's section one and three elements (logical reasoning, problem solving and non-verbal reasoning), males scored significantly higher than females.

In contrast, females scored better in the HPAT's second section (interpersonal understanding).

Pointedly, under the Jefferson Scale for Empathy (JSE) females scored significantly higher than males - a fact which mirrors international experience.

"These results adds to a growing literature questioning the validity of the HPAT-Ireland test as a selection tool," the study authors wrote.
A Fine Gael TD has given information to gardai investigating the Provisional IRA's murder of father-of-seven Tom Oliver, the Sunday Independent can reveal.

Louth TD Peter Fitzpatrick confirmed he met gardai last week to discuss the review of the murder of the innocent farmer and passed them information he believed to be relevant to the investigation.

"I met with senior gardai in Louth on Friday morning and it was a very productive meeting where they confirmed to me that they were looking into fresh lines of inquiry," Mr Fitzpatrick said in a statement. "I strongly encourage those with information that could be helpful to the investigation to come forward."

He later confirmed he gave gardai information relating to the case. "I spoke with gardai and told them information I had relating to the murder," he told the Sunday Independent.

Sinn Fein president Gerry Adams angered Mr Oliver's family and the farming community when he suggested the young father's murder was "politically motivated". He also said it would be "absolutely counter-productive" to jail those responsible for the cold-blooded killing.

Last week, Mr Adams urged Mr Fitzpatrick to speak to gardai if he had any information about Mr Oliver's murder. Yesterday, Mr Fitzpatrick said the "time has come" for those involved in the IRA's brutal terrorism campaign which led to Mr Oliver's death to "come clean".

"Deputy Gerry Adams has said that asking for information on the torture and murder does not help the process of truth recovery. I would be very interested in any measures that Deputy Adams might have to aid the process of truth recovery," he said.

"I ask Deputy Adams, has the time not come for the Provisional movement, in the interests of law and order, to bring information to the Garda on the many murders they are linked with? Our justice system takes place in a court of law, not on back roads with blacked-out vans."

The TD was referring to Mr Adams's decision to bring the sons of murdered prison guard Brian Stack to meet those involved in their father's murders in a blacked-out van.

Mr Adams has denied that he knows anything about the murder of Mr Oliver by the terrorist organisation linked to his party.

Mr Oliver was dragged from his home in the Cooley Peninsula before being beaten and murdered by IRA terrorists. His body was found the following day in Armagh.

The IRA claimed responsibility for the murder and made the announcement in Sinn Fein's official magazine, An Phoblacht.

The IRA claimed Mr Oliver was murdered because he was an informant who tipped off gardai to the whereabouts of weapons used by the organisation. However, Mr Oliver's family categorically deny that he was a member of the IRA.

In Louth, people believe the farmer was murdered as a warning to other locals after he reported a barrel of weapons he found on his farm to gardai.
Minister Finian McGrath has assured the Health Minister that he supports the new campaign to encourage parents to avail of the HPV vaccine.

The statement comes after a story in todays Sunday Times which reported how the super junior minister called for the vaccine, Gardasil, to be banned before he was appointed to Cabinet last year.

A statement issued today by Health Minister Simon Harris says that Minister McGrath is "fully behind the campaign".

The statement reads:

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"Minister Harris spoke to Minister McGrath on this issue today.

"Minister McGrath assured Minister Harris that he supports the new campaign to encourage parents to avail of the HPV vaccine which saves lives and he welcomes the fact the whole purpose of the new campaign is to help inform parents and direct them to medical professionals to have any questions answered and facts provided.

"Ministers Harris and McGrath agree that the people qualified to give advice on vaccines are medical professionals and they would encourage parents to take advice from them.

"Minister Harris said the HPV vaccine saves lives and my appeal to parents is simple - get the facts and information from medical experts. Talk to your doctor."

On Wednesday, the HSE launched an information website about the vaccine, with the aim of reversing the drop in the number of girls opting for it.

The HSE said the drop was due to a growth in the spread of misinformation about the vaccine.

The Irish Cancer Society have called on the minister "to publicly clarify his full and unequivocal support for the national HPV Vaccination programme".

"While the Society welcomes Minister Simon Harris intervention in the matter, a unified approach from all Ministers is required to ensure the uptake rate of the life-saving HPV vaccine is increased and to ensure misinformation about the vaccine is dispelled," read a statement from the group.

"This is why Minister McGrath needs to take responsibility, as a Minister in the Department of Health, and publicly make clear his full and unwavering support for the national HPV Vaccination Programme."
Social media is often filled with brazen keyboard warriors, wannabe do-gooders and bandwagon-jumpers.

But social media is also filled with passionate people who genuinely seek positive reform in society, and they often achieve their goals with the power of social media.

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Recently, a new campaign targeting child homelessness, the #MyNameIs campaign, was launched on social media. This campaign took off in a matter of days, generating thousands of followers and resulted in people on the street bringing awareness of this serious societal issue.

Other recent social media campaigns have also found success via the likes of Twitter and Facebook. The floods in Houston and Donegal are two examples of the world coming together to support victims of these natural disasters by way of contributing clothing, household items, food, and even substantial monetary donations. People who lost all their worldly possessions, including many losing their homes, received help thanks to the community networking that social media can be.

But some causes gain momentum much faster than others and makes me wonder why some campaigns are seen as more important than others.

As someone who has leveraged the power of social media for various causes over the past eight years, Ive learned there is a dark side to this potentially life-changing medium. Ive seen some causes never take off, despite them being equally as worthy as ones that fly across the web in a matter of hours.

For example, seven years ago there was a social media based grant competition for non-profit organisations. The winner depended on the number of votes received on social media. I watched over the weeks as childrens medical causes were beaten out by the blind cat rescue charity. No joke. I have cats, I love cats, but I will always put supporting a sick child before a blind cat. That experience was the first which left me wondering why social media sometimes fails in helping various causes.

Ive narrowed it down to one thing: hope. The public on social media hesitate to get behind a cause if they dont see hope.

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Take terminally-ill baby Charlie Gard for an example.

The campaign to raise money for his treatment abroad raised over a million pounds in a matter of weeks. Why? Because there was hope  hope that this beautiful little baby could miraculously overcome the severe brain damage despite the odds  and so people from around the world got behind the cause on social media.

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What about those blind cats being rescued? Why did that campaign succeed? Because there was a clear and concise hope that, with the funding, these cats would have a better life. It was tangible. People could envision the end goal. People could believe the hope would manifest into a better reality.

Causes such as curing an overall disease or supporting vaccine research are more opaque, harder to grasp in the quick paced world that is social media. And, dare I say, those causes are often not trendy or attractive in the marketing sense because the public likes a cause whose goal is filled with hope while easily being made real: Marriage equality; flood relief funding; or a child with cancer needing set amount of funds for treatment. All of those causes scream hope and with hope there is a future.

The ice-bucket challenge was another cause that flooded social media. Do you really think people cared about raising funds, or did it just have the 'cool factor'?

Not so attractive are causes that have no clearly defined solution or easily created fix: Homelessness; disability equality and service reforms; or a child with a life limiting illness needing funds to help the family provide for all his or her needs. Those causes dont scream hope. Those causes, at the fast first glance of social media, seem so vast and complicated, that the public turns away in resignation because its a cause too overwhelming to contemplate for too long.

Im the mother of a beautiful 12-year-old boy who is severely disabled, medically fragile, and has a life-limiting condition. Personally, Ive found social media fundraising very frustrating.

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You see, children who are severely disabled and palliative, like my son Brendan Bjorn, dont exude hope for a future, but I can assure you, their needs are great and immediate. Just as great and immediate as the adorable baby with similar brain damage or the child with cancer seeking help on social media. Hope for a long life is the only difference.

The homelessness man in his blue sleeping bag curled up in a shop doorway isnt attractive to the world of social media, but he is as real as life gets and the homeless crisis is an emergency just as worthy of social media and public support as are the floods in Donegal or Houston.

Keep scrolling down your timeline. Another cause will surely be the flavour of the day soon. A trendier cause; a more attractive cause; a cause that will make you quickly feel youve helped make the world be a better place simply by changing your profile photo on social media. The problem with that mindset, though, is that those other causes  those unpopular, not attractive, and maybe even apparently hopeless causes  are still just as worthy of social media support, despite the appearance of being insurmountable. Take a break from social media and get out into the community to help these causes. Remember, it only takes one pebble to cause a ripple of change.
Killer Molly Martens Corbett was moved to a different prison "as part of her processing", and not because of a health issue.

The 33-year-old, who was convicted of the second degree murder of her husband Limerick man Jason Corbett, was moved from the North Carolina Correctional Institution for Women to the Southern Correctional Institution (SCI) on Wednesday.

A spokesperson for the SCI confirmed to Independent.ie that the young woman had been moved "as a continuation of her processing", and not due to health concerns as reported.

Jason Corbett was beaten to death at his North Carolina home on August 1, 2015, by his wife and his father-in-law, both of whom were convicted of second degree murder.

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Molly Martens Corbett, who is listed as offender number 1551729, was imprisoned on August 9 for the first time.

She will serve a prison term of 25 years and has a projected release date of March 12, 2039.

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She is still undergoing the 'processing' evaluation required for the prison system in the state.

This can take normally four to six weeks and includes medical, mental and physical evaluations.

Earlier this week, Molly's brother posted a message online saying Martens Corbett was forced to cut and dye her hair and wasn't given a toothbrush when she arrived at the prison.

The prison authorities have since disputed the claims and said she was not denied any basic facilities.
Millennials in their hundreds have left Ireland to pursue better job opportunities, cheaper rent prices and an overall better quality of life.

The term 'millennial' defines people who were born between 1982 and 2004.

To name a few, millennials have been blamed for spending their housing funds on avocados, ruining face-to-face interaction and for single-handedly causing the demise of bars of soap.

A new study from the Global Shapers showed that more than 80pc of young people globally would move overseas to advance their careers.

Independent.ie spoke to three Irish millennials on why they left Ireland and how their careers took off.

'I asked for a contract... they looked at me and laughed'

Cristina Duffy (30) from Co Dublin moved to London shortly after graduating from DCU with a degree in journalism in 2009.

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"2010 was the year of death for Irish jobs.

"After graduating, I was working for a radio station in Dublin and my hours were different every week. I was working two days one week and five days another week. It was really unstable.

"I was drifting around working freelance and in Brown Thomas."

Cristina said that after working freelance for a year, she approached her employer and asked for a contract.

"They looked at me and almost laughed. They said they had no contracts to give anyone and so I left. I wasn't hanging around Ireland to work freelance with no job security."

In 2010, Cristina moved to London and has been there ever since.

She now works for Pearl and Dean, a cinema advertising company.

"I wanted to come to London and get on the career path. I got job security much quicker than I ever would have in Ireland.

"London has so many more opportunities."

Christina said that if she had stayed in Ireland she would have ended up living at home with her parents for at least three more years.

"I wouldn't have been able to afford rent so I would have been living at home until I found a decent job. I was able to grow up more and live my own life in London."

The film specialist said she would like to move home to Ireland as it is a nice place for family.

"I'll move home some day because there's an Irish thing in us all to want to own our own property. I'd never be able to do that. Hopefully after working for seven years in London, I'll be able to get a mortgage when I return home to Dublin."

'There isn't a lot of money put towards creativity in Ireland'

Alan Flanagan (31) from Co, Longford moved to Toronto, Canada in 2010.

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Alan is a writer, lecturer and teacher.

"I think it's a very Irish thing to want to get away from Ireland when you're in your 20s.

"I had a nice job during the recession but I wanted to do something more creative and Ireland didn't have that many opportunities."

After two years working in Toronto, Alan left for London.

"I wanted to move closer to home but I wasn't interested in Ireland. I'm a writer and Ireland doesn't have that much of a creative industry.

"There's only a limited amount of jobs in Ireland and it can be hard to get your foot in the door. A lot of creative people have left Ireland at some point. I certainly wouldn't have the same opportunities in Ireland as I have over here in London."

Alan said that he wants to write science fiction and horror novels and that the market in Ireland is too small.

"Irish people are more conservative and there isn't a lot of money that goes towards creativity. RTE has small budgets and doesn't think outside the box, which is understandable due to their budget.

"I want to do more weird, creative things and Ireland isn't the place to do it."

He added that Ireland's prices have soared in recent years in terms of rent and socialising.

"Previously people might have wanted to move home to Ireland to get a house and settle down, but at times Dublin is more expensive that London.

"Attractions such as cheap rent is gone. Prices for everything in Dublin has gone nuts. Even the price of a pint has increased."

Alan said that anybody who wants to leave Ireland should as it's an "unbelievable experience".

"People always ask what's wrong with Ireland? But Irish people have always left Ireland for as long as we can remember. Irish people want to see the world and live in other communities. Ireland will always be there at the end of the day."

'There would have to be a good job to lure me home'

Rebekah Smyth (32) from Galway left Ireland in 2010 for Toronto.

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"After graduating, I decided to head off to Canada because there was nothing happening here in Ireland.

"I moved to Toronto and at first it was quite hard to get a job. I spent two months knocking on doors and trying to get something."

Rebekah found a job at CBC, a news broadcaster in Canada.

"I ended up staying in Canada for three years because I loved my job. They had a huge budget and put so much time and resources into projects."

After three years, Rebekah began to get homesick and moved home to Ireland.

"I think I lasted in Dublin for about two weeks before I thought I had to get out of here again. I applied for a few jobs and got one working with NBC in London so I took it and moved again."

Two years ago, Rebekah started working for a data company in the UK called Data Miner.

The tech company partners with Twitter and finds breaking news and then alerts their clients such as governments and journalists.

"There's definitely not the same opportunities in Ireland as there are in London. In TV, you're limited to working with TV3 or RTE. There is very little job security.

"In London there are so many more job opportunities."

Rebekah said she would return home to Ireland, but only if the right job came up.

"There would have to be a good job to lure me home. If I moved home at the moment I feel like it would be taking a step back. I'd have to lower my expectations and take a lesser role and sense of security if I went home to Ireland."
North Korea has appeared to have conducted a sixth nuclear test.

Seismological data from the United States Geological Survey (USGS) showed that an explosion caused a 6.3-magnitude tremor in the country's northeast, not far from the country's Punggey-ri nuclear test site.

South Korea's Meteorological Administration called it a "man-made" earthquake.

South Korea will hold a National Security Council meeting at 12:30 a.m. ET to discuss the incident according to South Korea's Presidential office. The meeting will be presided by President Moon Jae-in.

Japan Meteorological Agency also observed a magnitude-6.1 tremor in North Korea, which showed a different waveform from a natural quake around 12:31 p.m. local (11:31 p.m. ET).

North Korea's weapons program has been progressing at a rapid pace under leader Kim Jong Un.

The country tested two nuclear weapons last year. It flew a missile over Japan last week, prompting international condemnation. The United States and its allies responded by sending fighter jets and bombers over the Korean Peninsula in a so-called "show of force" operation.

Developing story - more to come

CNN's Brad Lendon contributed to this report.
The Child and Family Agency Tusla have argued that the mandatory reporting of child abuse concerns will place children and families at risk and should not be introduced.

On RTEs This Week, documents released under the Freedom of Information act were revealed.

The documents showed that repeated warnings were given by Tusla to the Department of Children. The warnings state that mandatory reporting will put extra pressure on its child protection services. and damage the progress it has made in dealing with social work waiting lists.

As it is, mandatory reporting is due to be introduced in January of 2018.

Back in August 2016, Tusla Chief Executive Fred McBride sent a letter to the Department of Children and Youth Affairs outlining his concerns about the reporting regime, which is contained in the Children First legislation.

"I have serious concerns regarding the commencement of the mandatory reporting aspect of the Children First Act. Evidence from other jurisdictions indicates that mandatory reporting could increase referrals to the Agency by 150pc.

"On this conservative basis the immediate impact of the introduction of mandatory reporting will be to reverse all progress made in respect of unallocated cases and will result in increased waiting lists, including retrospective allegations of abuse, in direct proportion to the increased level of referrals".

The letter continues:

"I am therefore reiterating our recommendation that mandatory reporting is not introduced at all due to the impact this will have on services and our limited capacity to respond with little evidence from other jurisdictions that outcomes for children are improved.

"Indeed I have sent documentation to your department setting out the intention of the Australian authorities to dismantle mandatory reporting as they deem it to be wholly counter-productive," he said.

The Tusla Chief Executive called for the reporting obligations to be delayed until January 2018, to which The Department of Children agreed, but insisted that the latest possible date for mandatory reporting to be implemented is the1st of February 2018.

In response to these concerns, the Office of the Ombudsman for Children has called for Tusla to be properly resourced to implement the reporting regime.
"IT looked like theyd dropped concrete blocks on every bone in his body.

Those were the words of a local priest who attended Tom Olivers grisly post-mortem examination in June 1991.

The Co Louth dairy farmer and father of seven had been systematically tortured by IRA butchers before being finished off by six shots to the back of his head.

What sort of person would not want the thugs responsible put behind bars?

Well, Gerry Adams for one. Speaking on his local radio station LMFM last Thursday, the Sinn Fein president claimed convicting Tom Olivers killers would be totally and utterly counterproductive and do nothing to help the wider process that all of us are engaged in.

Like so much of what Adams says, this needs to be translated into plain English.

His comment could easily be interpreted as a veiled threat, warning the IRA might take up arms again if gardai go after any old comrade with blood on their hands.

Even more chillingly, it suggests that he believes the Provos should be left alone because they have been the legitimate army of our State all along.

Of course, this is by no means the first time that Adams has stood by a terrorist organisation.

He insists he never actually joined (which for most of us would be like Roy Keane claiming he never pulled on a Manchester United jersey).

Today, however, it comes in a whole new political context. Sinn Fein is quietly gearing up for its most serious assault on Government Buildings yet  which only makes the partys ambivalence about violence and determination to protect common criminals even more disturbing.

During last years general election campaign, Adams declared that Sinn Fein would only share power as part of an exclusively left-wing coalition.

Over the last few weeks, however, he and his frontbench TDs have been dropping hints about a potential U-turn.

It is now widely expected that at the partys next Ard Fheis, they will signal their willingness to be junior partners under Fine Gael or Fianna Fail  a move which has the potential to really shake up Irelands electoral landscape.

Leo Varadkar and Micheal Martin both dismiss Sinn Fein as morally unfit for government.

The big difference is that while Varadkars TDs are largely united behind him, some of Martins seem to be going a bit wobbly.

In fact, no fewer than seven Fianna Fail deputies have said that the idea cannot be ruled out  possibly because they think of Sinn Fein as their long-lost republican cousins.

This is why Adamss callous remarks about Tom Oliver amount to a serious wake-up call.

They show that Sinn Fein still exists in its own moral universe, one where even robbing banks or blowing up children may be justified as long you do it in the name of a united Ireland.

Thankfully, most voters can still see through this dangerous nonsense  which means any party foolish enough to do a deal with the

Shinners would also be signing its own death warrant.

Adams also suggested last Thursday that we should all forget about catching Mr Olivers murderers because the killing was politically motivated (the IRA called the victim a police informer, something both his family and gardai themselves have always rejected).

Strangely enough, however, Gerry never sees that as a valid excuse when it comes to British and loyalist atrocities.

On the contrary, Sinn Fein never tires of calling for public inquiries into the Ballymurphy massacre or the shooting of solicitor Pat Finucane  even though those events were at least as politically motivated as what happened on the Cooley Peninsula 26 years ago.

Keeping track of the Shinnerss double standards is fast becoming a full-time job.

The Stormont Assembly has collapsed partly because of its demand for an Irish language act, which Adams describes as a human right.

Sadly, the human rights of IRA victims and their relatives seem to be much lower on his priority list. Just witness his disgraceful treatment of the Stack brothers last year when they sought justice for their father Brian  a brave prison officer murdered outside the National Stadium because he tried to foil a republican prison break from Portlaoise jail.

As George Orwell famously wrote in Nineteen EightyFour, whoever controls the past controls the future.

What sort of future might Sinn Fein give us if its sick and twisted version of Irish Sinn Fein still exists in its own moral universe  where murder can be justifiable history ever becomes generally accepted?

Would the anniversary of Bobby Sandss death become a public holiday? Would they put up a statue of Martin McGuinness in the new College Green plaza? Would retired IRA bombers be given an army pension?

The best way of honouring Tom Olivers memory is to make sure we never find out.
Government ministers are increasingly concerned that Taoiseach Leo Varadkar's focus on public relations "spin" will backfire at a time when the housing crisis has escalated, claiming the life of a third homeless person in a week.

Several Independent ministers were yesterday angry at Mr Varadkar, claiming he was putting too much emphasis on his "personal image" rather than on dealing with the housing and health crises.

Fine Gael ministers are also anxious that the Taoiseach intends to develop a "cult of Leo" leadership style that may not be favoured by the public.

Yesterday, Fianna Fail said the crisis in homelessness had "gone beyond party politics" and had become a "fundamental issue for Irish society".

Housing Minister Eoghan Murphy expressed regret at the recent deaths. "Sometimes, no matter what we do, it won't be enough. But people shouldn't be dying on the streets. People deserve more dignity than that," he said.

Independent Government ministers have become annoyed at Mr Varadkar's strong emphasis on communications and public relations ahead of the announcement of policies to deal with the crises.

Yesterday, an Independent Alliance source said: "We have a crisis in housing and a crisis in health and all Leo seems to be doing is getting photographed at festivals or swimming in the Liffey." Another Independent source said he had "had enough of the Taoiseach in Lycra" and said Mr Varadkar should step back from the limelight to concentrate on the work of Government.

In an interview with the Sunday Independent, meanwhile, Health Minister Simon Harris admits that he may not be able to solve the hospital trolley crisis this winter.

"I will commit that we will do everything we possibly can to put in place measures but I will not mislead people or create a false impression. The pressure in our emergency departments is going to continue unless we do things differently," he said.

Mr Harris also defended the Taoiseach's new public relations strategy, stating that Mr Varadkar had "substance coming out his ears"; he denied an Independent Alliance source claim that the Taoiseach was "obsessed with photograph opportunities of him swimming and jogging".

The Health Minister said: "The fact we have a Taoiseach out promoting healthy living, as Minister for Health is something I'm very happy with."

But there is growing concern among Fine Gael ministers at what one referred to as the burgeoning of the "cult of Leo" which is being linked to the new PR strategy.

Fine Gael ministers fear the strategy could backfire badly on Mr Varadkar and Fine Gael unless the Government deals with issues which are of deepening public concern.

Yesterday, a source close to Mr Varadkar said: "He understands the wariness from ministers, as this is something new - proper communications with the public."

Some Cabinet ministers are also somewhat irked that the Taoiseach had adopted what ministers said was a "hands-on" role across several Government departments. Mr Varadkar is also being accused of "hogging the limelight" through his frequent use of social and traditional media.

Yesterday, a source close to Mr Varadkar said: "Part of what he wants to do is get away from ministers clamouring over each other to take credit for stuff. It's silly. He wants a whole-of-Government message to the public that isn't about individuals or parties. The Budget will be the first real test of that. It should not be about what ministers got or failed to get. It should be about what's being done for the folks."

Last week, a new Strategic Communications Unit set up by Mr Varadkar spearheaded a Government public relations initiative to coincide with the return to school.

The Taoiseach attended an event at Stanhope Primary School in Dublin with Education Minister Richard Bruton and Social Protection Minister Regina Doherty, at which increased Government spending on back-to-school costs was highlighted.

Independent Alliance Junior Education Minister John Halligan, who was dealing with the controversy over the shortage of school bus seats, was not at the PR event. He is said to be not unduly concerned he was not invited.

Last week, the St Vincent de Paul said a record number of 5,000 families sought its help to cover the cost of sending their children back to school. The back-to-school clothing and footwear allowance has been increased this year but it is still significantly below what it was in 2011.

In the Sunday Independent this week, Fianna Fail leader Micheal Martin lashes out at the unprecedented level of Government 'spin' and writes: "There is now in Government Buildings an absolute focus on positioning for the election" ahead of issues such as housing, homelessness and health.

It has also been confirmed that Mr Varadkar's new public relations team has ordered each Government department to outline initiatives which can be implemented in three-, six-, nine- and 12-month periods with a view to an election.

A senior Government source said: "We're not planning an election, but we do have to be ready for one. It's also about managing the programme. The Taoiseach felt the last six years of Government were often ad hoc. It needs organisation, co-ordination and strategic management. That's the job of the Department of Taoiseach and we're going to do it."

Yesterday, Labour leader Brendan Howlin said: "The new Government is obsessed with style over substance, summed up in the creation of a new Strategic Communications Unit. Ireland faces many challenges in housing, health and Brexit, yet we have a Government that is focused on improving their message rather than solutions to the problems people face."

It also emerged yesterday that the Government will hold an open competition to replace the former head of Creative Ireland John Concannon, who leads the Strategic Communications Unit. This raises a question over the Taoiseach's claim that the new unit will not result in any additional costs.

Last week a young mother-of-two died tragically in emergency accommodation in Kildare, while a man who was found unconscious in Dublin later died in hospital. Yesterday it emerged that another homeless woman had died.

Fianna Fail Housing spokesman Barry Cowen said that the crisis in homelessness had gone beyond party politics and had become a "fundamental issue for Irish society".

He said: "The death of three people who were homeless is a symbol of the terrifying, distressing implications of an unacceptable and ever-escalating crisis that has become the most major challenge of our time. Whether there are other factors at play in these deaths or not, these are Irish citizens that deserved better and at the very least, a basic standard of living."

The Government has adopted a low-profile position in relation to the three deaths. Last Thursday, the Housing Minister issued a statement in which he said he had "learned with regret yesterday" of the deaths. He also outlined a series of Government initiatives to deal with homelessness and referred to an Emergency Homeless Summit he will hold this week.

Mr Murphy's statement followed criticism of Mr Varadkar last Thursday night, when he posted a tweet in relation to the 20th anniversary of the death of Princess Diana, but did not refer to the deaths of the two homeless people in Dublin.

On Friday night, Mr Varadkar posted a social media video in which he referred to the Government's "struggle" to "get ahead" of the homeless issue, before announcing that he was going to Co Kerry to attend a Fine Gael event.

Mr Varadkar is also expected to come under pressure for using Government staff to record Fine Gael video messages. Fine Gael staff did not record a video of the Taoiseach standing in front of a Defence Forces helicopter when he attended flood damage in Donegal. The video was later sent by Fine Gael HQ to party members and the media. A Government spokesman said the recording of the video involved "no real or significant cost".
Health Minister Simon Harris has said he wants to build three new public hospitals which would carry out only non-emergency operations as part of his attempt to end the scandalous waiting times faced by patients.

The new hospitals would ease the pressure on the health service and dramatically reduce delays for treatments such as hip, knee and cataract operations.

The minister's proposal will form a key plank of his pledge to slash waiting lists and introduce universal healthcare within the next 10 years.

"I want to be the Minister for Health who introduced universal healthcare in this country," he said, before adding: "That's quite a significant statement."

In an exclusive interview with the Sunday Independent, Mr Harris also promised to introduce free GP care for all children under 18 within five years and significantly reduce hospital charges and drug costs.

The minister said he wanted to see the salaries paid to Irish nurses and doctors compete with those earned by their counterparts in the US, Canada and Australia where medical professionals can earn multiples of what they are paid here.

However, despite his promise to overhaul the health service, he was unable to commit to reducing the number of sick people forced to wait for treatment on hospital trolleys this coming winter.

"I will commit that we will do everything we possibly can to put in place measures but I will not mislead people or create a false impression. The pressure in our emergency departments is going to continue unless we do things differently," he said.

Mr Harris also revealed that he had been "taken aback" by how "open and warm" Leo Varadkar had been toward him after he campaigned against the new Taoiseach in the Fine Gael leadership campaign. And he insisted there was no territorial war between himself and Housing Minister Eoghan Murphy over the Fair Deal scheme. However, he insisted it was his "priority and absolute job" to protect the interests of the elderly and said any changes to Fair Deal that helped housing would be only a "secondary" benefit.

Mr Harris's health reforms are centred on the recommendations set out in the cross-party Slainte Care report. The report is a 10-year 'road map' to deliver a better health service which was signed off on by the Future of Health Committee before the Dail recess.

"Never before in the history of the State that I'm aware of have we had a report on health that was written by all political parties for the next 10 years," the minister said while speaking in his Department of Health office last week.

The report focuses on pushing non-emergency treatments toward primary and community care facilities. Mr Harris wants conditions such as diabetes treated in primary care centres. He also wants the introduction of more advance nurse practitioners who can help take the burden off doctors in hospitals and in the community.

"One of the reasons people are waiting so long for procedures in our hospitals is because things are being provided in our hospitals that in other countries would be provided in the community," he said.

The waiting times faced by sick people, especially young children, for operations and procedures is an issue that has shocked the country in recent years. Mr Harris believes the way to address the delays is to build three new hospitals specifically tasked with carrying out non-emergency procedures.

"I have to go through all the normal process in the capital plans and all that type of stuff but I personally believe we need two or three elective hospitals over the next decade," he said.

Mr Harris insisted that he was "mandated" to provide free GP care for all children under 18 within five years and he intended to do this in collaboration with the medical unions. He dismissed suggestions by doctors that parents are needlessly bringing children into GP surgeries because the service is free.

"I don't subscribe to 'blame the patient'. A hard-working parent at the end of the day doesn't want to be sitting in a GP surgery because they got free GP care. They are sitting there because they are genuinely concerned or because they felt there wasn't a service elsewhere," he said.

Asked if the negative spin against him by supporters of Mr Varadkar during the Fine Gael leadership contest had made his ministerial job difficult, Mr Harris said: "It's a very fair question and the genuine answer is that I have been taken aback actually by how open and warm the Taoiseach has been toward my participation in Government and engaging with me.

"In a leadership contest, you have to take a side but from my point of view, the moment the contest was over and Leo Varadkar was leader of Fine Gael, he was my leader too and he is the Taoiseach and I moved on very, very quickly and I am genuinely very pleased that the Taoiseach and his people have as well."

He admitted he was "frustrated" by some of the spin directed against him but laughed at other comments made privately by some colleagues about him during the leadership campaign.

He insisted the Taoiseach had "substance coming out his ears" and denied Mr Varadkar was obsessed with photo opportunities of him swimming and jogging.

"The fact we have a Taoiseach out promoting healthy living, as Minister for Health is something I'm very happy with," he said.

Mr Harris said he had been "genuinely blown away" by the Taoiseach's willingness to debate issues and his attention to policy detail.

He insisted he was not slapping down Mr Murphy when he spoke out about his proposal for the Fair Deal scheme two week ago. The Housing Minister's plan to encourage older people in nursing homes to rent their homes sparked panic among groups representing the elderly and he spent a number of days clarifying his position.

"There were some headlines in newspapers that I read that suggested there would be an imposition put on older people and that will not be the case and was never intended to be the case," Mr Harris said.

"I felt duty bound to be very clear to old people that any changes to the Fair Deal scheme will be done with their interests at heart, and if there was secondary benefit to another major issue facing the Government, that would be really very welcome."
Convicted rapist Paul Moore on his way around the city, freely mingling with unaware members of the public

A rapist described as posing an indefinite danger to women is battling cancer in prison.

Paul Moore (51) has been jailed six times for sexual offences over the last 25 years. He is currently serving 18 months for an assault on a woman on the DART.

In recent years, he sexually assaulted two women in separate incidents in Dublin city centre after stopping them in the street and asking them for a cigarette.

In 2015, he was jailed for 15 months for these attacks. He was released in April 2016 and was subject to probation supervision.

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His other offences include raping a musician in 2001, for which he received ten years and raping another woman in 1995, for which he received seven years.

Moore is now battling cancer in Midlands Prison in Portlaoise.

It is understood he visited a priest in Dublin yesterday and family members are visiting him in prison over the weekend.

There are no plans to move the convicted sex offender from Portlaoise at the moment.

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In 2015, when he was jailed for 15 months, Judge Martin Nolan stated that he has a predisposition to violence towards women, which manifests as rape and sexual assault.
Shocked residents watched in horror last night as the body of a man was taken away by police after being discovered on waste ground in Belfast city centre.

The grim find was made yesterday afternoon close to the rear of Holiday Inn on Belfast's Hope Street, near the loyalist Sandy Row area.

Police had cordoned off the area where the body was found, and last night forensics officers in white boiler suits were at the scene.

Police were unable to say last night if the man's death was being treated as suspicious.

The body was discovered by a hotel worker who had gone outside for a smoke, according to locals.

Officers removed the man's remains from the scene, carrying it on a stretcher to an unmarked black van.

Around half a dozen locals watched as officers searched for evidence.

A local woman - who did not want to be named - told the Belfast Telegraph she had heard a commotion on Thursday night, when the PSNI plus three fire engines and two ambulances screeched to a halt outside the hotel.

She saw police searching the waste ground with torches, and then saw one man brought out on a stretcher, and another in handcuffs.

"We heard shouting and saw the police chasing people at the back of the hotel."

It is not known if the incident was in any way related to yesterday's discovery of a body.

The woman said there was a large hole in the ground at the rear of the hotel, describing it as 'a big moat', which was as deep as the height of a two storey house.

She added that local people were in shock that a body had been found.

"God rest him, that was somebody's son," the woman commented as the man's body was taken away.

A Northern Ireland Ambulance Service spokesman confirmed that two males were taken to the Royal Victoria Hospital from the scene after the emergency services were summoned to the waste ground at 11.30pm on Thursday.

One of the men they found there was unconscious, while the other man had facial injuries.

It is believed that a post mortem will be carried out to establish how the man whose body was found last night died.

A PSNI spokesman confirmed last night that a body had been found but was unable to provide more details.

"Police are investigating the circumstances surrounding the death of a man whose body was found in the Hope Street area of Belfast this afternoon," he said.

"There are no further details at this time."
My great, great, great uncle Charles Parsons is best known for his invention of the steam-powered turbine in 1884 which made cheap and plentiful electricity possible and revolutionised marine transport and naval warfare. This discovery eventually led to the design of today's jet engines.

As an engineer myself, someone who was nicknamed as a child 'Little Miss Don't Touch', I have to admit to being particularly proud of my engineering heritage. I am so fortunate to live in Birr, the historical heart of science in Ireland, which is the result of generations of one family with a passion for science and engineering. My family have lived here at Birr Castle since 1620.

Many will have heard of the Great Telescope designed and built by the third Earl of Rosse, William Parsons. Charles, his son, was the baby of the family. Born in 1854, he was only 13 when his father died, but I believe he had inherited some of the scientific genius of both his parents.

William Parsons married Mary Field, a Yorkshire heiress, and used her income to fund a variety of different scientific projects. The most famous of these is the incredible telescope which can be seen at Birr today and continues to influence Ireland's scientific world.

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William used the telescope to discover the spiral nature of some of the galaxies, and from 1845-1914, anyone wishing to witness this phenomenon had to come to Birr. And they came, in their hundreds, from across Europe and beyond. This telescope remained the largest in the world for over 70 years.

Mary Field - who was an accomplished blacksmith among other skills - did remarkable pioneering work in photography. She experimented with various techniques and processes and in 1859 won the first medal awarded by the Photographic Society of Ireland. Her darkroom remains in the castle and is the world's oldest surviving model. She gave birth to 11 children, but only four survived into adulthood.

Charles was born in 1854 in London. Unlike most boys of his era, he was homeschooled and worked as an assistant to his father. He spent most of his childhood in the laboratory, workshops, forge and foundry built by his father.

He experienced tragedy as a young man of 15, when Mary Ward, a cousin of the family, was thrown from a steam-propelled car that he had constructed in the workshops at Birr. It is believed that Offaly holds the record for the world's first fatal traffic accident.

After the death of his cousin, Charles smashed the car out of sadness - but for that, Birr might have been the hub of early automobile industry, too. Shortly after that he entered Trinity College, Dublin, where he spent two years reading mathematics, before proceeding to Cambridge in 1873, graduating in 1877 with a first-class honours degree.

Charles became a premium apprentice at William Armstrong's Elswick works in Newcastle upon Tyne, where he had his first professional experience of engineering. In 1884, he went on to invent the steam turbine, which revolutionised the propulsion of ships.

In 1893, along with five associates, Charles formed the Marine Steam Turbine Company. Steam turbines were fitted in the Dreadnoughts and other warships, as well as giant liners such as Mauretania, Lusitania and Titanic - but Parsons is most closely associated with the diminutive Turbinia, which could achieve a top speed of 34 knots (64kph). Now all the inventors had to do was sell this new idea. And they needed investors.

North sea greyhound

In an audacious sales pitch, they turned up uninvited to Queen Victoria's Diamond Jubilee in 1897. As part of the naval review, some 165 of the finest ships in the queen's navy were assembled at Spithead, in the south of England. Among those present were the Prince of Wales (later King Edward VII), lords of the admiralty, as well as foreign dignitaries and ambassadors.

The Turbinia took off at high speed between the two lines of navy ships and steamed up and down in front of the crowd and princes, while easily evading a picket boat that tried to pursue her, almost swamping it with her wake.

So much faster than anything else on the water, the Turbinia effectively demonstrated the great potential of the new technology. The fastest navy ships using other technologies reached only 27 knots. The ship's extraordinary speed caused a sensation with the Turbinia being described as "Charles Parsons' winning North Sea greyhound".

Parsons had decisively proven the abilities of his turbine steam engine.

On November 21, 1899, the HMS Viper became the world's first turbine-driven destroyer. By 1904, 26 ships had been fitted with direct drive turbine engines designed and built by Parsons. The engine also became the standard for electric power generation on land. The Parsons turbine company survives in Newcastle and is now part of the giant German engineering group, Siemens.

Charles was married to Katherine and had two children. His son, also an engineer, was killed at a young age in World War I and his daughter Rachel, together with her mother, founded The Women's Engineering Society in the UK. Charles was knighted in 1911, but his knighthood took second place to his Order of Merit which he received for science, making him the first engineer ever to have been awarded this honour.

He died on February 11, 1931, while on a cruise in the West Indies. He was in his 77th year, having lived to see the fruit of his labours in the complete transformation of the methods of producing power from steam, both on land and sea.

The Central Bank of Ireland has just issued a 15 silver proof coin to commemorate Sir Charles Parsons. Birr Castle has a science centre where the Great Telescope, alongside other mementos from photography, science and engineering, can still be seen (see Birrcastle.com)
Olivia Daly underwent vital treatment for a huge mass on her liver at just four years old

A mum has spoken of her horror after her four-year-old daughter was left "bleeding from everywhere" after a mass on her liver erupted overnight.

Three years ago, mum-of-two Susan Daly, was given the shocking news that her four-year-old daughter Olivia had a huge mass on her liver and would have to travel to Kings Hospital London for vital treatment.

At just four years of age, Olivia kept getting poorly with more and more infections and tummy bugs than she'd ever had before. I instinctively felt something was not quite right.

"During Christmas week, in the middle of the night, we awoke to hear Olivia screaming. She had had a major internal bleed. What we faced in that bedroom was like a scene from a horror movie.

"I felt that this couldn't possibly be happening to my child. I was frozen in shock - I just saw blood everywhere. We raced to A&E where everyone sprang into action. I could see that we were losing her, fast. Thankfully, my baby came back."

Susan spent the next four months living on chocolate and microwave meals as she sat by Olivia's bedside in the UK. Most of her daughter's liver was removed. Luckily, Olivia narrowly avoided a liver transplant, but this possibility still remains on the cards.

"I was trying to come to terms with it, trying to cope. I tried to keep a degree of normality because you can't be frantic all the time. But everywhere I went, like the supermarket, well-wishers would rush over to say how awful it was and how sorry they were. You get just so worn out.

"People mean so well and try to help but they have no idea what you are going through, and I pray they never do. As soon as I put the kids to bed, I would cry my eyes out. I was so angry with myself for crying but you can't be brave all the time."

Susan had to give up her job as she was in between appointments at Crumlin Children's Hospital in Dublin and Kings Hospital in the UK.

"I had to stop working. But the bills don't stop. We fell behind. Everything started adding up, flights, medicine, everything. You can barely put one foot in front of the other, so applying to the bank for help was just not an option."

The Cliona Foundation stepped in and helped Susan with some of her everyday costs.

"Suddenly, a cheque came in the post and I have never been so grateful.

Terry and Brendan Ring, founded Clionas Foundation in honour of their daughter Cliona (15), who died in 2006 from an inoperable brain tumour.

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Unless youve been in the position of having a really sick child in your family you dont know how quickly expenses can mount up. We want to support families who are already going through the horrific trauma of dealing with a very ill child shouldnt have to face dealing with money worries on top of that," Terry said.
SEARCH: Gardai at the site near Chapelizod in West Dublin where they have spent three weeks searching for missing bank official Trevor Deely

Gardai are entering a "critical stage" in their search for Trevor Deely in heavily wooded land in West Dublin.

As a massive search operation now enters its fourth week, Garda specialist teams are to begin targeted digs at specific locations on the three-acre area of land near Chapelizod, West Dublin.

It is understood that key areas have been selected using a combination of intelligence and technology that helps pinpoint the areas where a body is most likely to be buried.

A senior source said that this was a critical week for the search team, which has been clearing and digging the site for three weeks.

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Unless a body is found, Gardai will continue excavating the site for another week or two, making it one of the largest operations of its kind.

Gardai launched what they called the "most significant search" yet for the missing 22-year-old bank official last month, after an informant provided new information about his disappearance.

Mr Deely vanished on December 8, 2000, as he made his way home from his office Christmas party to his apartment in Ballsbridge. The last sighting of him was captured on a CCTV camera that filmed him walking across Baggot Street Bridge towards Haddington Road at 4.14am, after which he vanished without trace.

Mr Deely's family have maintained a relentless campaign to find him over the last 17 years. But no new leads emerged until gardai conducted a cold case review and launched a new appeal for information earlier this year.

As a result, a new informant came forward to suggest that Mr Deely was shot by a criminal after a chance encounter on Haddington Road and that his body was dumped on the site in Chapelizod.

Garda sources say the informant offered no specific details on where the body is buried but they are bound to follow up on the information. The land, owned by Dublin City Council, was heavily overgrown and earth-movers had to be deployed to clear large tracts of the site, to allow teams of specialists to dig and examine the soil.

Hopes of a breakthrough in the case were raised when gardai recovered a gun in the first week of the search but since then nothing of significance has been found. Garda sources have also played down the significance of the gun, saying there is no evidence to connect it to Mr Deely's disappearance.

Gardai are meanwhile continuing to investigate a number of criminals who operated along the area of Dublin's Grand Canal, where Mr Deely was last sighted. Dozens of new statements have been taken since detectives received new information claiming that he was murdered.
DECATUR  My grandma, Mary Ellen Flavin, went to the Farm Progress Show for the first time in 35 years Thursday. It was her first trip to the show in Decatur, and my first time going at all. My mom, Mary Jo Hettinger, came with us as well, it was her first trip to the show since she and my dad went before they were married.

My grandma served as our personal expert to explain the changes in technology we saw all around us. And she couldnt believe how much it had grown and changed.

Everything was bigger, taller and more expensive.

It was amazing seeing all the new technology, she said. Things that I see and read about are actually here. It was great.

She hasnt gone to the event since she went back to work at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, then at the United States Postal Service as a rural mail carrier.

To one combine salesmen, she said, These are a lot different than the ones I drove. The machines are more comfortable and easier to maneuver now.

The show focused more on technology and seed genetics than it did in the past, she said.

You used to just go out and plant the seed and hope the rain came and now they are analyzing every inch of rain and the weed control, she said. As far as the harvest, the equipment is so much bigger.

I really enjoyed it, she said. I would come back again in two years. It was informative and educational.

Farming is different than it was when my grandma grew up on a farm near Pesotum. She knows farmers. And she knows not many can afford the amazing technology available at the Farm Progress Show unless they farm thousands of acres.

I asked her if anyone we knew could afford the technology.

Nobody, I personally know, she said. But there are some in the area that I know of.

I asked her if she could believe all the improvements in equipment and technology compared to what she used to farm with her husband, my grandpa, John Michael Flavin.

I can imagine it, but youd have to have thousands of acres to justify the cost of using them, she said.

My grandma was raised on a farm, and she married a farmer and worked alongside him on land thats been in the family for over 100 years.

She raised eight children, took care of livestock, pets, machinery and worked as hard as any man in the field. Then, she went inside to fix supper, make sure the childrens homework was done and referee a few fights before sending them to bed.

But in 2017 she knows its harder for a family farm to survive.

Some of the children she raised with my grandpa became farmers and some of them didnt. Now, there are 17 grandchildren and a three great-grandchildren.

Almost all of Grandma's grandchildren have grow up in the area as Monticello Sages, Bement and Mahomet Bulldogs, Unity Rockets and Blue Devils from Villa Grove. The farmland isnt necessarily part of all of our career paths, but its in our blood.

This was my grandmas first Farm Progress Show without my grandpa who died 32 years ago.

I forgot how long hes been gone. A lot of things have changed, she said. Everything has changed.
Dr Harry Barry is concerned that children using phones are now only two clicks away from an Islamic State beheading or a clip of violent porn.

Thousands of kids returned to school this week with a shiny new phone in their pocket. After months of pleading, their parents may have finally given in and handed them latest iPhone or Android device, after hearing the refrain: "All my friends have one."

By the time they are in sixth class in primary school, around the age of 12, nine out of ten of Irish pupils will already have a smartphone, according to the Education Research Centre.

What is more striking is how many children at a much younger age now own phones with full internet access.

One in three children in second class, commonly aged seven or eight, have a phone.

The genie has been well and truly let out of the bottle, but are we fully aware of what the effects on this generation will be?

Dr Barry, a therapist and co-author of the bestselling book Flagging the Screenager, is worried about the impact of the ubiquitous smartphone on children.

"In my work I am seeing an epidemic of anxiety among teenagers, and I believe that smartphones have been a game changer.

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"Giving smartphones to kids has been a big social experiment, and we may not know for years what the effect will be."

The first generation of young internet users, the much-derided millennials, spent much of their years of development with the internet. And it is true that they haven't turned out to be a generation of screen-addled sex-crazed psychopaths.

But the internet of their childhood was a different medium commonly encountered through a bulky desktop in the living room corner.

Apocalyptic picture

Children went online often with the prying eyes of parents close by. And, unlike a phone, you could not take a desktop to bed, on to a bus or into the playground,

According to the American psychologist Professor Jean Twenge, the experience of the generation that has followed the millennials has been radically different.

In a recent article in Atlantic magazine, Prof Twenge has painted an almost apocalyptic picture of the effects on children and teenagers posing the question - "Have smartphones destroyed a generation?"

She says the iGen that has grown up with smartphones is physically safer than teens have ever been.

They have less casual sex, are less likely to get into a car accident, and tend to drink less.

But psychologically, they are much more vulnerable than their predecessors, the professor claims. She says rates of teen depression and suicide in the US have soared in recent years.

"It's not an exaggeration to describe iGen as being on the brink of the worst mental health crisis in decades. Much of this deterioration can be traced to their phones," says Prof Twenge.

The psychologist warns that increased screentime anytime, anyplace, anywhere is linked with growing isolation and depression. She says teens who spend three hours a day or more on electronic devices are 35pc more likely to have a risk factor for suicide. So, are these trends replicated in Ireland, where young teenagers are also wedded to smartphones?

If suicide is seen as the ultimate barometer of mental health, the evidence that phones have created a blighted generation is not compelling.

Ireland has the fourth highest suicide rate among 15 to 19-year-old in EU/OECD countries.

But the number of young people (aged 15 to 24) who take their own lives has actually dropped in Ireland over the past decade - from 93 in 2006 to 46 last year.

Nevertheless, Dr Harry Barry believes there has been a surge in anxiety among teenagers, which he links to smartphones.

"I think we may only see the full mental health effect of this in 10 years' time."

Cyberbullying

Dr Barry says he had treated a 13-year-old girl who had attempted suicide.

"She had been continuously cyberbullied on her mobile phone, particularly late at night.

"She was getting awful messages for three months. When I asked her why she didn't tell her mother, she said she didn't want to upset her, and yet she was prepared to attempt to suicide."

A YouGov survey found that one in four teenagers in Ireland has suffered from cyberbullying.

Sligo secondary teacher Luke Saunders says he does not believe prohibition of phones is feasible in this day and age, the teacher says they present the most difficult challenges of our era for schools.

Saunders, who runs the website Studyclix.ie, says his site ran a survey earlier this year showing that over half of all students check their phones in class regularly. "They are a constant source of distraction," says the teacher.

So can ownership of a mobile phone among younger pupils affect academic performance?

A comprehensive study of primary school children in Ireland indicates that if a child owns a phone by second class (aged seven or eight), their maths and reading scores are likely to be significantly lower. By sixth class, however, where more than 90pc have mobiles, phone ownership was not a factor in academic performance.

The real concern for parents is what their kids are actually looking at online, and who they are contacting.

Cliona Curley of CyberSafeIreland, an organisation that focuses on internet safety for 9-13 year-old, says: "The problem is everything you didn't want your kids to see is available in one click.

"We would be concerned about pro-anorexia sites and sites glorifying self-harming. If a child is vulnerable, this kind of material could influence them."

Online pornography also remains a major concern for parents, according to Curley. She points to a recent study in Britain by the NSPCC showing that 28pc of 11-12 year-old have already viewed online porn. The report found that youngsters were more likely to come across porn accidentally, for example via a pop-up ad, than to seek it out.

One 11-year-old girl told the NSPCC researchers about her experience of porn: "I didn't like it because it came on by accident and I don't want my parents to find out and the man looked like he was hurting her. He was holding her down and she was screaming and swearing."

A 13-year-old girl said: "It can make a boy not look for love, just look for sex, and it can pressure us girls to act and look and behave in a certain way before we might be ready for it."

In the face of these intrusions into childhood, the Fine Gael TD Jim Daly recently tried to introduce legislation banning the sale of mobile phones to under-14s, and even fining parents for giving their kids unrestricted access..

After talking to thousands of parents and children, Cliona Curley believes blanket prohibition does not work once children reach a certain age.

"The most important thing for parents is to make themselves part of the online lives of their children. They should know that they are doing online and who they are talking to. They should be having constant conversation about what they come across."

Exposure to the unreality of online pornography can be counteracted with discussions about true intimacy and relationships. Many parents don't realise that many devices now have sophisticated parental controls that restrict certain sites.

The child psychotherapist Colman Noctor believes all these controls should be used, but parents should bear one thing in mind: "There's no parenting app that will replace actual parenting."

So what is an appropriate age to give your child a phone? While most parents have handed over the keys to the mobile online world by the time their kids have reached 12, Noctor believes the right age depends on the child.

"There are some 11-year-olds who are well able to manage it and understand it. At the same time I would have grave concerns about the ability of some 17-year-olds to engage with the online world. They may over-disclose and be naive about the digital footprint they are leaving."

The psychotherapist advises parents to start with a high level of supervision, and gradually loosen the controls as children show themselves to be capable of navigating the internet.

Noctor is concerned that 24-hour access to phones is affecting the sleep of youngsters. He recently gave a talk at a primary school, where 200 children from the age of seven upwards were in a WhatsApp group. They were waking to up to 80 messages on their phone every day.

Another major concern for those who work in the area of mental health is the culture of social comparison that constant exposure to social media creates.

A decade ago, teenagers may not have known that a group of their classmates was out enjoying themselves. But now it is all documented and they feel the Fomo (fear of missing out).

Psychologist Allison Keating says: "There is a huge gap between the public persona shown on social media of having a good time and the reality of children being awkward in a normal way.

"At a young age, children are being modelled to market themselves as a product - and that creates depression and anxiety."

It remains to be seen whether the smartphone has really created a blighted generation, or whether parents and children will adapt to latest technological wave, as they always have done in the past. While she believes parents should embrace technology, Cliona Curley believes parents should be cautious with smartphones.

"They wouldn't open the front door of their house and allow their kids to roam across a main road. So they shouldn't allow them to roam freely online where they are potentially at risk."

@KimBielenberg

My best bet is to build up trust and communication

Andrea Mara: Dublin-based blogger and mother of three

The one thing I've learned about parenting is that every time I make a statement of intent, it comes back to bite me. Before I had kids, I knew exactly what kind of parent I would be - I wouldn't use soothers, I'd never bribe them with treats, and there was no way I was going to use TV as a babysitter. Then I actually had children, and realised that sometimes, the only things keeping me sane at the end of a long day were the soother, the treat, and the blessed TV babysitter.

So, much as I'm tempted to declare that none of my children will have phones before secondary school, I'm wary of making bald statements. Right now they're five, eight, and almost 10, and the only certainty is that none of them needs a smartphone yet.

As it happens, the almost 10-year-old started negotiations this week, asking if she could have a phone for her 12th birthday. I said no, not until secondary school. But realistically, if half way through sixth class, she's the last unplugged child, I may cave. And perhaps it's not so much about the phone, but the usage of the phone.

As a wise person once said to me, we are the first generation who can remember a time before the internet, and our children are the first generation who have never known life without the internet.

Social media isn't going away, and blanket bans won't work - one way or another, my daughter will eventually step on to that merry-go-round. So my best bet is to build up trust and communication, and to be there waiting when she arrives, so that I can help her navigate.

I need to be familiar with each app she uses. I need to know how to find privacy settings. I need her to tell me what's going on in her online world - and that's a conversation we've started before she gets there at all. So although she has no phone yet, I tell her this:

* Never share personal details with strangers, including people who, after a while, don't seem like strangers. Know that what you post online is forever, and don't share anything you wouldn't like me, your dad, or your teacher to see.

* Be aware of social media etiquette, and look out for cyberbullying. Watch out for trolls, and don't become a troll.

* Leave your phone downstairs at night, and accept that I will have access to all your accounts, at least at first. Tell me what's happening online - I'm here to help. And above all, don't let it suck you in and take over your life.

That last one may prove trickiest of all - I say that as a card-carrying Facebook, Twitter and Instagram addict - so I'm preparing the groundwork on that front, too. We have a strict no-phones-at-dinner rule, and I hope that by the time the kids are online, that will be ingrained. When they ask a difficult question, I resist turning automatically to Google (at least at first). And when I do go online while the kids are around, I tell them what I'm doing - so that I avoid getting lost in mindless scrolling while they're trying to get my attention.

I don't always succeed, but the spectre of a future role reversal keeps me trying.

Parents need to set good example

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Jane Hayes Nally (18): Student at Middleton College, Honorary president of the Irish Secondary Students Union

For me the solution doesn't lie in 'switching off'. The internet offers a brilliant advantage for this generation and we should make use of it, because it's here to stay.

I think we need to be a less self-indulgent, and more restrained with our screen time.

Parents can help by setting a good example of moderation and also ensuring that young people feel comfortable confiding in them.

It comes as no surprise to me if the rate of depressive symptoms in girls has risen dramatically.

There are aspects of social media - such as the need for affirmation amongst peers, the reliance some girls have towards their phones, and the fact that social media is predominantly a visual platform - which contribute to this. In so many cases, school breaks involve checking Instagram and messenger apps, and in the evenings there is mindless scrolling of Facebook timelines.

I find that it does affect sleep adversely, and I know all of my peers would agree with me.

Social media for lots of second-level students is an extension of their personality. It should more or less be accepted - it's another social profile except it's online.

We just need to keep in mind that this social profile is broadcast to the rest of the world.
Author Mikal O'Boyle moved to Ireland in 2009 to study at NUI Galway, where she met her future husband Adrian. Mikal's new mother-in-law had grown up in the thatched cottage, so when the couple were expecting their first child, Adrian's mother suggested restoring it to its former glory so that the young family would have a home.

The cottage had lain empty for about 35 years, so it was no easy feat for Mikal's father-in-law and brother-in-law to bring it back to habitable condition. They added two bedrooms to the upstairs loft, a kitchen, and renovated the hag - a three-walled room just large enough for a mattress that was traditionally located behind the hearth so that a bed-bound grandparent could keep warm yet be within earshot of the story-telling action in the living room. The family then hired Mayo thatcher Denis Wright to repair the thatch.

For the author of Snake the Gypsy, who grew up in a US home where the temperature was controlled with a flick of the thermostat, living in a thatched cottage in the west of Ireland has proven to be a learning curve.

Restoring and living in a traditional cottage is a longing held by many but not always a practical one. Through the restoration the O'Boyle family discovered both sides of the thatched dream.

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"The biggest challenge is heating the house," Mikal says. "I had to learn how to keep the range on all day by throwing in coal, turf and wood so it heats the radiators.

"To look at the outside of the cottage, you'd think you'd walk in and step back in time. But we do have Wi-Fi and I tutor English over Skype."

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In the 19th century, up to half of the Irish population slept under thatched roofs. But they began to fall out of fashion after the introduction in the mid-20th century of government grants that encouraged homeowners to replace thatch with easier-to-maintain slates or tiles. Thatched cottages became associated with housing for the poor and gradually were left to decay, according to The Irish Cottage: History, Culture and Design, a new book by Marion McGarry that has just been published.

Michael Masterson, a 62-year-old builder from Moyne, Co Longford who focuses on restoring old properties, says: "Slate came to be everything - it was an indication of an improvement in your standing or status - and the thatchers began to die out."

Indeed, there are now only 40 thatchers in Ireland, according to Thatch, a guide to the repairing of thatched roofs published by the Department of Culture, Heritage and the Gaeltacht in 2015. The guide estimates that there are 3,000 thatched buildings left in Ireland.

But people like Mikal O'Boyle and Michael Masterson are part of a burgeoning movement that is seeing homeowners eschew the comforts of new-builds for restoring thatched cottages, either to live in or to let out through Airbnb. For them, these timepieces are characterful slices of heritage that maintain a link with the past.

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In the early Noughties, Michael bought a patch of land with a collection of old buildings, including the dance hall where his parents met, with an eye on renovating them. Among them were the ruins of a thatched cob (with walls of compacted earth) cottage that Michael estimates was initially built in the mid-1700s.

"Growing up, that house had the first television in the village, in the 1960s," he says. "We'd go there to watch Tolka Row and The Riordans; my mother would bring three or four of us to the house and dress us up like we were going to the movies."

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In the meitheal tradition, Michael rebuilt the 18th-century cottage with the help of his four children and some neighbours in 2009. Despite getting a grant of 4,500 for thatching the cottage, the cold winters of 2009 and 2010 delayed him from roofing it. The work was finally carried out in 2012 by a nearby thatcher and artist called Orla O'Neill, using reeds Michael had bought in the Co Limerick village of Foynes, on the banks of the Shannon estuary.

"Orla was a curator at an art gallery in Scotland, and I brought her back to do the thatch," he says.

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Michael, whose grandmother lived in a thatched cottage until it fell in the 1960s, moved into his own cottage in 2013 but lets it out on Airbnb during the summer.

"The French have a great appreciation for it," he says. "I've also had a family from Lanzarote come to stay, and a man from Israel who lives in a yurt and builds yurts."

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Emma Byrne, a graphic designer who celebrated the beauty of the country's thatched cottages in her 2015 book Irish Thatch, fell in love with her four-bed cottage in north Wexford in 2007.

"I had been looking for a house in Dublin at the height of the boom and I realised that all I could get for my budget was small and poky," she says. "I asked if I could work from home a couple of days a week from Wexford, where I was hoping to buy a place with a bit of character. I found this thatched cottage, though some people told me I was mad because it was an old house that would require a lot of maintenance."

In 2014, when it was time for Emma to rethatch the cottage, she set out to research the craft and to find a suitable thatcher. But there was a dearth of information online, so she began to drive around the country to examine the work of thatchers and photograph it.

Emma's research into her own Wexford cottage revealed that it had been built in 1840, but that it was on the site of an older house that locals said had been there during the 1798 rebellion.

"Mice try and come in during the winter because the thatch is nice and warm," she says. "When an old socket blew upstairs and came off the wall, there was a mouse inside, curved around the middle; it was a feat of gymnastics. Then crows arrived and were pecking holes in the thatch, so I put up a dead crow on the roof to deter them."

Emma hired a master thatcher called Peter Childs after being impressed by examples of his work on other cottages. Some 80pc of the cost of the work was covered by a grant. Emma and her family continued living in the cottage while Peter Childs spent eight weeks stripping off the old thatch and redoing it, but she believes it was worth it.

"A new house doesn't appeal to everyone - there are other ways to live," she says. "I was cold during my first winter here, but I've never had a cold living here. And it's hardly a Victorian lifestyle: I have a shower, a bath, broadband, a dishwasher and a washing machine; I'm not exactly doing all my washing on a scrubbing board."
Some 58 years ago when living with my family in the village of Waltham St Lawrence, about 30 miles west of London, we were acquainted with the Carews , who seemed to be scions of the nobility of the area.

My friend's father was a bit of an entrepreneur and inventor and definitely what we would call now an "early adopter". And in 1960 nothing would indicate this more than his purchase of the first "Mini", which in truth was either an Austin Seven or Morris Mini Minor, in the village.

It was with some pride that I could go to my prep school and boast of being driven in what was to become an icon of popular culture - and probably the most influential car of the second part of the 20th Century and possibly, after the Ford Model T, the groundbreaking vehicle of mass manufacturing.

Those concepts were far from my mind at the time, but I do remember the feeling the link to the go-cart experiences I had been lucky to have had at a trade show my father had taken me to.

So began a love affair with the Mini, which in time involved rallying, lust and ownership.

It continues to this day, 17 years after the bigger and more premium model BMW Mini of Frank Stephenson's design replaced the original conceived by Alec Issigonis and launched in 1959. It did, however, manage to keep some of the most important DNA.

What a success it has been, with a phalanx of styles and customisation, including the full, family-sized off-roader the Mini Countryman ALL4, which last week saw me enjoy the latest twist in my long, relationship with the brand .

It has only suffered as the prices have gone up and the marque is no longer a car of the people - but one of a more privileged elite.

I think that my friend's father would understand why I was impressed with the version of the Mini I was driving.

He wouldn't have cared much for the size but the fact it was powered by an electric motor for much of the time would appeal to his early adopter and inventor brain.

The level of comfort would be almost mind-blowing for him. Gone are the cardboard door pockets and door handles which were little more than a loose length of wire.

The Mini Cooper SE ALL4 PHEV Countryman is a solid, premium car coming down with spec and safety equipment, and at the price, which we will go into later, it should.

However, the 18in Black Pin Spoke alloys were a bridge too far.

The car is powered by electric batteries under the rear seats and a 1.5 litre three-cylinder petrol engine.

The electric-only range is only 40km at best so this silent procession is really only for the urban commuter. But by using a mix of electric and petrol - which is totally seamless - there is no range anxiety and the pairing encourages frugal driving to get the most benefit from the mix.

Handling is not affected at all and under electric power, the All4 E becomes the first rear-wheel drive Mini as that's where the battery power goes.

And with the electric and petrol power in tandem, the car is punchier than its sisters. I loved the six-speed auto box and I'm getting to the age when such gearboxes take out another decision before I sign for the Fair Deal scheme. Yet, for now, the 0-100kmh in less than seven seconds keeps the brain intact.

Unfortunately, as the fuel tank has been shrunk by nearly 30pc to give space for the batteries, this means the chance to escape my minders and get to the continent undetected is unlikely. The overall economy sounds good, up to 134 mpg, but probably too good to be true.

There are some niggles, some silly, some not.

The back is just a little more restricted for full-size adults, albeit comfortable enough and the front seats aren't suitable for shorter people who will find the seat digging into the back of their knees.

There are also probably just too many controls and switches. Yet there is so much to like about the ALL4. It is just about a proper-sized SUV which will stand muster with anything out there, but there is still this price thing.

BMW's PR spokeswoman, Laura Condron, told me that although the ALL4 E starts at 43,290 at the moment, there is up to 9,500 off the RRP of the car, if you are trading in an EU4 or below diesel car with a retailer under our MINI 2,000 Lower Emissions Incentive and the 7,500 VRT and SEAI grant. So, the price would be down to 33,790.

Now that's very tasty. Unfortunately, there was another 8,439 in extras which pushed the price back up to 51,740.22 before the possible 9,500 off. This is a mighty price for a Mini Countryman or anything else.

But perhaps that's how the world is going.

I see that Waltham St Lawrence is a village much in demand. My childhood friend's home is fetching some 4.5million and Beauly, our fine Edwardian house on four acres, has been knocked down.

Related: Use our calculator to estimate your car loan repayments

A house with more size than style has replaced it. It is also now the headquarters of an olive oil, cheese and tobacco company. Maybe that says it all. Everything changes, gets bigger. A car for the people becomes one for the elite.

Such a shame, but I did like it.
'Goodbye England's rose, may you ever grow in our hearts,' sang Elton John at her funeral. Diana dead? The shock of it arrived in waves. Wave upon wave of disbelief.

The Princess of Wales was the most famous woman in the world, dazzling with the incandescence that fame bestows on its most graceful exponents. The idea that all that radiance, that intense young life had been snuffed out in a few cruel seconds in some scuzzy Paris underpass. No. Sorry. Category error.

Twenty years on, how is the Diana legend holding up? Well, there is no doubt that she changed the royal family, and changed it for good. Diana altered irrevocably what it means to be royal.

In July, Princes William and Harry produced a TV tribute that made it plain they see themselves as their mother's champions. Harry's memory of being on the other side of a room and feeling the force of her love for him was the finest tribute any mother could wish for. "She set us up well for life," William said, by which he meant her insistence that the brothers did normal kids' things outside the palace walls.

The princes have been criticised for speaking out about mental health, but it's a very Diana thing to do. What she did by holding the hand of a man with Aids, William and Harry may yet do to lift the taboo around depression. The brothers made public the anxiety and self-doubt that gnawed away at their mother in private.

This novice princess was taking on a daunting role. The British royals in the past had inspired awe, fear and respect; none had made the people feel protective.

Diana once said the royal family thought that her marriage to Charles fell apart because of her bulimia, when it was the other way around: the unhappy marriage caused the illness. It's not a mistake her emotionally intelligent sons are likely to make.

Witness the way the princes make a beeline for a baby in a crowd. Harry, in particular, is a magnet for small people. He looks happiest in the situations that make normal members of the royal family feel most uncomfortable.

The ability to inspire affection in people can be hereditary. It has not gone unnoticed that more and more requests pour in for visits by William and Kate, and Harry.

The Faustian pact between Diana and the media - the only weapon available to her, perhaps, but ultimately fatal - has left a lasting impression on her children.

"William literally believes that the media killed his mother," says a friend. This accounts for his obsessive protectiveness of the Duchess of Cambridge and their children. "One of the reasons the bond with Kate is unbreakable is because she was the first person he talked to about his mother's death."

The same is said to be true of Harry and Meghan Markle. The princes will do anything to avoid the chaos of their own childhood which, ironically, has made the future of the monarchy in Britain more stable and secure.

Can it really be two decades since the phone rang on my bedside table, dragging me up from a deep well of sleep? The story that was supposed to last my whole life (Diana and I were just a few months apart in age) had ended in the most brutal manner. All those chapters still unwritten. The loss felt deeply personal, and still does.

At Balmoral, the Prince of Wales was in anguish, weighing up whether to let William and Harry sleep until morning, granting them a few more innocent hours in which their mother was not dead.

Diana's death was a Rubicon for the monarchy. It was forced to confront just how out of touch it had become. By strictly observing protocol, the queen and the Palace were perceived to be showing the princess the same lack of compassion in death that they had dealt her in life.

Cut-glass condescension

The 'top lady', as Diana called her, was obliged to leave Balmoral and return to London, where she made a live broadcast to the nation - an extremely rare occurrence. Protocol be Princess Margaret was distressed by the smell of rotting bouquets outside her Kensington Palace apartment.

"She said the hysteria was rather like Diana herself," recalled a lady-in-waiting. "It was as if everyone got to be as hysterical as she was when she died."

But Margaret's cut-glass condescension was on the way out.

Diana may have tested the royal system to its limits, but she was no republican. "I so want the monarchy to survive," she wrote to her butler Paul Burrell, "and realise the changes that [sic] will take to put 'the show' on a new and healthy track".

Since the Princess of Wales's untimely death, the queen loses no time in turning up to support victims of national tragedies. When she chatted in a Manchester hospital to a little girl injured by the bomb at the Ariana Grande concert, you could imagine Diana smiling her encouragement.

At her funeral in the Abbey, all those years ago, the princess's favourite hymn, 'I Vow to Thee, My Country', co-existed with Elton John playing piano. It shouldn't have worked, but somehow it was wonderful. Diana proved that it was possible to be royal and modern.

In so doing, she guaranteed the survival of an institution that caused her so much pain. For that she will never be forgotten. The candle burned out long before the legend ever did.
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Eoghan Harris Opinion Misery media fails to give due credit to the Taoiseach

Taoiseach Micheal Martin must drive his advisers mad. Unlike Leo Varadkar or Donald Trump, he never bigs up success stories such as the effect of Level 3 Plus on Covid or his visionary Shared Island project. Last Friday, Tony Holohan and RTE cheerleaders seemed to imply Level 5 was responsible for the improved Covid situation. Not so.
Not for nothing was Barbara Bush known as 'The Enforcer'

Barbara Bush, tougher than her husband and known to her family as 'The Enforcer', is probably the most popular of all ex-US first ladies of recent times. Jackie Kennedy is remembered across the globe for elegance and tragedy, but she was not loved. Rosalynn Carter worked hard and was a noted campaigner on issues of mental health, but she has suffered in retrospect because of her bitterness at his defeat by Ronald Reagan, who is widely perceived to have been as great a success as Carter was a failure. The brittle Nancy Reagan was an essential support to her husband, but was thought to care little for anyone else. Hillary Clinton was loathed by those who thought her a careerist. The likeable Laura Bush did a lot of useful work but lacked her mother-in-law's commanding personality. And although Michelle Obama had rock-star status, that has diminished as she and her husband embrace luxury and celebrity. Betty Ford is probably the closest rival, having been far more effective and formidable than her husband Gerald, the 38th president, and still having a posthumous reputation for her prowess as a campaigner on addiction, not least because so many of the famous troop to the Betty Ford Clinic.
As much as 3bn could be lost to the Irish Exchequer as low-emission vehicles become the norm by 2030, according to industry experts. Huge amounts of revenue used to fund essential services are generated by vehicle registration tax, motor tax and fuel tax and could largely disappear as the petrol engine is slowly consigned to history.

Almost 5bn - or 7pc of government revenue - is generated through Vehicle Registration Tax (VRT), fuel tax, tolls, motor tax and Vat, it is estimated. As yet, there is no clear plan as to how this money can be replaced.

A government taskforce has been set up to explore options to accelerate the uptake of hybrid, electric and other low-emission vehicles. It will propose a package of measures for inclusion in October's Budget to promote electric vehicles in particular.

That, of course, is a laudable aim and fits with a pressing need for measures to mitigate climate change. Pictures over the past week from Houston and Donegal dramatically illustrate the good sense of this policy. Such measures are also absolutely necessary if Ireland is to avoid massive EU fines.

They will also help curtail the air pollution caused by the thousands of combustion engines that daily clog our towns and cities, damaging people's health. Just 8,000 electric vehicles will be sold in Ireland by 2020. But as this figure jumps - as it must - it is far from clear as to just how big a hole will be blown in Exchequer finances over the next 10 to 15 years.

A range of support measures encourage the adoption of electric vehicles and other environmentally friendly forms of transport. Up to 10,000 worth of grants and VRT relief is available. While the grants are likely to be scaled back as the electric fleet grows, it will be politically difficult to reintroduce VRT on such vehicles, with the system now directly related to a vehicle's emissions. In 2014 VRT generated 0.54bn.

Motor tax rates are also increasingly related to CO2 emissions. Motor tax generated 1.12bn in 2015 and was used to fund the country's local authorities, but this funding stream will only decrease as motorists leave behind their petrol guzzlers. As the environmentally friendly fleet grows, the Exchequer will take an increasing hit and the biggest hit of all will come from a dramatic fall in the amount of tax collected from fuel.

In simple terms, how do you levy fuel tax on an electrically-powered vehicle that does not use fuel? In 2015 alone, the Exchequer received 2.3bn in diesel and petrol excise and carbon taxes, excluding VAT. Indeed tax accounts for 70pc of the price of a litre of petrol. Little wonder it is known as one of "the old reliables". Not for long. As the huge fleet of petrol cars disappears in the next decade or so, the impact could be dramatic.

The big question that needs to be asked is how does this income stream for the State get replaced even as the country makes the absolutely crucial shift to low emission vehicles?

And it is not only an issue for motorists. Taxes raised by motoring pay for essential services right across society, such as health and education. Future governments will face some stark and difficult choices as they look to replace all of this lost income. Taxes on property, income and business may have to rise to fill the hole.

Indeed, in Norway, where subsidies and other measures saw the electric vehicle fleet grow to over 100,000 last year, the government has been forced to row back on some incentives due to their overwhelming success.

A more likely approach is the introduction of extensive road-user pricing. That is already implemented through tolls on motorways in Ireland and by congestion charging in cities such as London. But in its most developed form, this would see technology introduced to charge drivers per kilometre of road driven. For some drivers it could even mean a saving on the high level of taxation they face through other means at the moment, and it is the approach slowly being adopted right across Europe. But look at the debacle over new water charges to see just how difficult an issue this could become for any government operating in a four-year electoral cycle.

The Government should still accelerate its efforts to replace dirty, carbon-emitting vehicles as quickly as possible. But careful consideration is needed as to how the revenue this fleet generates is replaced, so that there is still cash to fund schools, hospitals and other essential services.
JUST A ROOF OVER MY HEAD: Sara Ortiz from Madrid on the hunt for accommodation in Dublin. Photo: David Conachy

Sara Ortiz is from Madrid. A psychology student who has come to Ireland to study in Maynooth College for a year as part of her university degree, the 27-year-old has been left in shock at Dublin's rental market - but even more so by the lack of action being taken to combat renters' woes.

"I came to Ireland to look for a place ahead of starting my course and I put two weeks aside to look around Dublin's rental market," says Sara.

"To say it has been very, very difficult would be a massive understatement.

"There are lots of places but they are very expensive, especially for what landlords are offering you, which is to live in very poor conditions."

Sara says her eyes were opened when she visited an apartment in Dublin's South city centre, after seeing an advertisement on Daft.ie.

"I went to visit one apartment in Dublin 2 and I was brought in to see the bedroom and there was four beds in it, two bunk beds on each side.

"For one of the beds I was asked to pay 700 per month and I had to share the small room with three others.

"It was totally crazy.

"When I got to the sitting room, the landlord, an Irish guy, pointed to the corner to show me where he would be living.

"It was a mattress on a floor in the corner of the living room. He had two bookcases around it to make a little wall so he could have a little space to sleep and for privacy. But the living room was joined up to the kitchen so he was going to be in this little communal area that we would all be living and eating in.

"I couldn't believe it."

She continues: "In another place near Drumcondra, I visited a house where 10 people were living. They wanted 600 per bed. The living room was a little place without light in the basement."

When her search in Dublin yielded no results, she expanded her search to Maynooth.

"It was no better there. Near the college they know they can charge people a lot of money for living conditions that aren't great because people are so desperate to find somewhere at this time of year.

"One of the places I visited there had 10 people sharing two bathrooms.

"When I spoke to the landlord he wanted me to pay 450 a month and he wanted the deposit up front and six months rent up front.

"So if I moved in to the place and found I couldn't stick it after a week I would have been stuck there for six months."

Now back in Spain, Sara says the rental market must be impacting on the mental health of city dwellers who find themselves stuck living in such conditions.

"I don't know how anyone can live in places like that long term," she said. Physically it is possible, yes, but mentally - how can you have any wellbeing with no space, no privacy and paying such high rents to be stuck in that situation?

"The stress for some people out there must be appalling. I couldn't imagine my life like that. I think it would be very difficult on your emotional and mental health."

Sara says what she is most taken aback by is not the rental market itself but the Irish attitude towards it.

"No one seems to be doing anything about it. I haven't seen or heard anything that shows it is going to be dealt with and people who live here just shrug and tell me that's what it's like, they seem to accept the situation for what it is.

"I have been to other cities around Europe and you can get far better accommodation for much cheaper.

"Dublin is meant to be a place for young people to come and live and work but I can see the rental market turning a lot of people off and them deciding to stay away - because it is just isn't worth it."
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un at an undisclosed location as state media said he he inspected the loading of a hydrogen bomb into a new ICBM (Korean Central News Agency/Korea News Service via AP)

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un inspected the loading of a hydrogen bomb into an ICBM, the country's state media has said (AP Photo/Wong Maye-E, File)

North Korea's biggest nuclear test to date was condemned around the world on Sunday, with U.S. President Donald Trump condemning the country as a "rogue nation".

The president tweeted just hours after news of the test was confirmed, writing; "North Korea has conducted a major Nuclear Test. Their words and actions continue to be very hostile and dangerous to the United States.....

"..North Korea is a rogue nation which has become a great threat and embarrassment to China, which is trying to help but with little success."

He added; "South Korea is finding, as I have told them, that their talk of appeasement with North Korea will not work, they only understand one thing!"

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Meanwhile, British politician Boris Johnson has condemned North Korea's "reckless" nuclear weapon test and stressed that "all options are on the table".

The U.N. nuclear watchdog also expressed grave concern and Russia saying it could lead to serious consequences.

The explosion of what North Korea said was an advanced hydrogen bomb caused residents across the border in China to flee their homes, fearing an earthquake. Japan and South Korea said it was around 10 times more powerful than the tremor picked up after the last test a year ago.

French President Emmanuel Macron urged the United Nations Security Council to react quickly and decisively.

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"The international community must treat this new provocation with the utmost firmness, in order to bring North Korea to come back unconditionally to the path of dialogue and to proceed to the complete, verifiable and irreversible dismantling of its nuclear and ballistic programme," he said in a statement.

China, the only North Korean ally that is a permanent member of the Security Council, urged its neighbour to stop "wrong" actions that worsen the situation. It said it would fully enforce U.N. resolutions on the country.

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With U.S. President Donald Trump yet to respond, the Russian foreign ministry called for calm.

"In the emerging conditions it is absolutely essential to keep cool, refrain from any actions that could lead to a further escalation of tensions," it said on its website, adding that North Korea risked "serious consequences".

Moscow urged all sides involved to hold talks, which it said was the only way to resolve the Korean peninsula's problems. Later on Sunday, Russian President Vladimir Putin is set to meet his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping in China.

Just hours before the nuclear test, Trump talked by phone with Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe about the "escalating" nuclear crisis. After Pyongyang fired a ballistic missile over Japan last week, he tweeted that "talking is not the answer".

The International Atomic Energy Agency, which has no access to North Korea, called the nuclear test, Pyongyang's sixth since 2006, "an extremely regrettable act" that was "in complete disregard of the repeated demands of the international community."

The organisation in charge of the global nuclear test ban treaty - which cannot come into legal force until ratified by the United States, China, India, Iran, Israel, Pakistan and Egypt as well as North Korea - said things had to change.

"I sincerely hope that this will serve as the final wake-up call to the international community to outlaw all nuclear testing by bringing the CTBT into force," said Lassina Zerbo, head of the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty Organisation.
Japan, South Korea and China are ramping up military capabilities and devising increasingly risky and unconventional plans to counter the growing threat from North Korea.

Pyongyang fired a ballistic missile over Japan earlier this week, causing alarm across the world and deep reflection from its neighbours on whether they are prepared to cope with a clash of arms.

A military response to the North would involve rapid pre-emptive strikes, the targeted assassination of leaders in Pyongyang and defensive measures to minimise casualties.

Covert efforts to bring down the regime would include instigating internal dissent and attempts to sabotage North Korean weapons.

A decision by Washington earlier this year to station the Gray Eagle attack drone, capable of carrying four Hellfire air-to-surface missiles, at the Kunsan Air Base near Seoul by 2018 fuelled speculation that the US could target the North Korean leadership during a military escalation.

Kim Jong-un, the North Korean leader, was reported this week to have hired 10 former KGB agents to train his bodyguards as he fears assassination.

Seoul, meanwhile, is reported to be accelerating its own "kill chain" pre-emptive strike capabilities, which would use satellite reconnaissance to identify when and where North Korea is manufacturing missiles and nuclear warheads, to destroy them before they become operational.

Covert methods aimed at bringing down the regime include attaching short-wave radios to balloons and sending them across the border.

Officials in Pyongyang worry that broadcasts revealing how comfortable life is in the South could create unrest.

The United States is also rumoured to be carrying out "left of launch" attacks against the North Korean missiles - in which it deliberately allows infected microchips and other components to be smuggled into the reclusive state to be used for its weapons programme.

When the defective parts are fitted into weapons, the US is said to have the ability to send them off course or destroy them.

Defence officials in Japan - where citizens awoke to wailing sirens and were told to take cover after the launch of the missile on Tuesday -sought to allay their citizens' fears with a request for a record Y5.26 trillion (44bn) defence budget in 2018 - an increase of 2.5pc on 2017.

The details of the budget were under discussion long before North Korea's most recent provocation, but the inability of the Japanese military to intercept the Hwasong-12 missile has added new emphasis to its security needs.

China, meanwhile, has established a brigade on its border with North Korea, where 24-hour surveillance is carried out.

Nuclear bunkers for civilians have also reportedly been built.

Wei Dongxu, a military expert in Beijing, said: "I don't think there is much chance China will send troops into North Korea or help North Korea to stop invading US troops."

Telegraph
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un at an undisclosed location as state media said he he inspected the loading of a hydrogen bomb into a new ICBM (Korean Central News Agency/Korea News Service via AP)

North Korea detonated its sixth and most powerful nuclear test on Sunday, Japan and South Korea said, hours after Pyongyang said it had developed an advanced hydrogen bomb that possesses "great destructive power".

Japanese and South Korean meteorological officials said an earthquake detected near the North's test site - measured by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) at magnitude 6.3 - was around 10 times more powerful than previous detonations.

The move is a direct challenge to U.S. President Donald Trump, who hours earlier had talked by phone with Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe about the "escalating" nuclear crisis in the region.

Japan immediately raised the prospect of further sanctions against the isolated North, with Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga saying that curbs on its oil trade would be on the table.

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A U.S. official who studies North Korea's military and politics said that seismic data on the tremors was being analysed, although the location suggested another nuclear test.

The official, who spoke on the condition of anonymity, said it was too early to determine if a test, if there was one, supported the North's claim that has succeeded in developing a thermonuclear weapon, "much less one that could be mounted on an ICBM and re-enter Earth's atmosphere without burning up".

The hydrogen bomb report by North Korea's official KCNA news agency comes amid heightened regional tension following Pyongyang's two tests of intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBM) in July that potentially could fly about 10,000 km (6,200 miles), putting many parts of the mainland United States within range.

Under third-generation leader Kim Jong Un, North Korea has been pursuing a nuclear device small and light enough to fit on a long-range ballistic missile, without affecting its range and making it capable of surviving re-entry into the Earth's atmosphere.

One expert said the size of Sunday's detonation meant it was possible it could be a hydrogen bomb test.

"The power is 10 or 20 times or even more than previous ones," Said Kune Y. Suh, a nuclear engineering professor at Seoul National University. "That scale is to the level where anyone can say a hydrogen bomb test."

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Witnesses in the Chinese city of Yanji, on the border with North Korea, said they felt a tremor that lasted roughly 10 seconds, followed by an aftershock. China said it had detected a second, 4.6 magnitude quake with near identical coordinates eight minutes later.

"I was eating brunch just over the border here in Yanji when we felt the whole building shake," Michael Spavor, director of the Paektu Cultural Exchange, which promotes business and cultural ties with North Korea. "It lasted for about five seconds. The city air raid sirens started going off."

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South Korea's military said the first earthquake "appeared to be manmade". A meeting of Seoul's National Security Council has been convened, national news agency Yonhap reported.

Japan said it had concluded there was a nuclear test.

"North Korea's mission is quite clear when it comes to this latest atomic test: to develop a nuclear arsenal that can strike all of Asia and the U.S. homeland," Harry Kazianis, director of defence studies at the conservative Center for the National Interest in Washington, said.

"This test is just another step towards such a goal. None of us should be shocked by Pyongyang's latest actions."

Earthquakes triggered by North Korean nuclear tests have gradually increased in magnitude since Pyongyang's first test in 2006, indicating the isolated country is steadily improving the destructive power of its nuclear technology.

After the fifth nuclear test in September, USGS measured a magnitude of 5.3. while South Korean monitors said the blast caused a 5.0 magnitude earthquake.

North Korea, which carries out its nuclear and missile programmes in defiance of UN Security Council resolutions and sanctions, "recently succeeded" in making a more advanced hydrogen bomb that will be loaded on to an ICBM, KCNA said.

"The H-bomb, the explosive power of which is adjustable from tens kiloton to hundreds kiloton, is a multi-functional thermonuclear nuke with great destructive power," KCNA said.

"All components of the H-bomb were homemade and all the processes ... were put on the Juche basis, thus enabling the country to produce powerful nuclear weapons as many as it wants," KCNA quoted Kim as saying.

Juche is North Korea's homegrown ideology of self-reliance that is a mix of Marxism and extreme nationalism preached by state founder Kim Il Sung, the current leader's grandfather. It says its weapons programmes are needed to counter U.S. aggression.

North Korea offered no evidence for its latest claim, and Kim Dong-yub, a military expert at Kyungnam University's Institute of Far Eastern Studies in Seoul, was sceptical.

"Referring to tens to hundreds of kilotons, it doesn't appear to be talking about a fully fledged H-bomb. It's more likely a boosted nuclear device," Kim said, referring to an atomic bomb which uses some hydrogen isotopes to boost explosive yield.

A hydrogen bomb can achieve thousands of kilotons of explosive yield - massively more powerful than some 10 to 15 kilotons that North Korea's last nuclear test in September was estimated to have produced, similar to the bomb dropped on Hiroshima, Japan, in 1945.

Kim Jong Un, who visited the country's nuclear weapons institute, "watched an H-bomb to be loaded into new ICBM" and "set forth tasks to be fulfilled in the research into nukes," KCNA said.

Pictures released by the agency showed Kim inspecting a silver-coloured, hourglass-shaped warhead in the visit accompanied by nuclear scientists.

The shape shows a marked difference from pictures of the ball-shaped device North Korea released in March last year, and appears to indicate the appearance of a two-stage thermonuclear weapon, or a hydrogen bomb, said Lee Choon-geun, senior research fellow at state-run Science and Technology Policy Institute.

"The pictures show a more complete form of a possible hydrogen bomb, with a primary fission bomb and a secondary fusion stage connected together in an hourglass shape," Lee said.

Tensions on the Korean peninsula have been high since last month when North Korea threatened to launch missiles into the sea near the strategically located U.S. Pacific territory of Guam after Trump said Pyongyang would face "fire and fury" if it threatened the United States.

North Korea further raised regional tensions on Tuesday by launching an intermediate-range ballistic missile over Japan, drawing international condemnation.

Trump and Abe spoke by phone and said that in face of an "escalating" situation with North Korea that close cooperation between their countries and with South Korea was needed, Abe told reporters.

The United States has repeatedly urged China, the North's sole major ally, to do more to rein in its neighbour.

Impoverished North Korea and the rich, democratic South are technically still at war because their 1950-53 conflict ended in a truce, not a peace treaty. The North regularly threatens to destroy the South and its main ally, the United States.
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un at an undisclosed location, as state media said he had inspected the loading of a hydrogen bomb into a new ICBM (KRT via AP Video)

President Donald Trump, with first lady Melania, outside church in Washington (Susan Walsh/AP)

US Defence Secretary Jim Mattis has reacted to North Korea's latest nuclear test by saying threats to the United States and its allies "will be met with a massive military response".

Mr Mattis spoke at the White House following a meeting with President Donald Trump and national security advisers. He said any response will be "both effective and overwhelming".

Mr Mattis said the United States is "not looking to the total annihilation" of North Korea, but added "we have many options to do so".

North Korea claimed "perfect success" in an underground test of what it called a hydrogen bomb - potentially vastly more destructive than an atomic bomb.

It was the North's sixth nuclear test since 2006, but the first since Mr Trump took office in January.

In a brief statement to reporters Mr Mattis said the international community was unified in demanding the denuclearisation of the Korean peninsula and said the North's leader, Kim Jong Un, should know that Washington's commitment to Japan and South Korea is unshakeable.

Earlier, Mr Trump raised the stakes in the escalating crisis over North Korea's nuclear threats, suggesting drastic economic measures against China and criticising ally South Korea.

With General Joseph Dunford, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, at his side, Mr Mattis said: "Any threat to the United States or its territories, including Guam, or our allies will be met with a massive military response - a response both effective and overwhelming."

Those words alone were within the usual bounds of US commentary on answering North Korean aggression. But he seemed to take it a step further with the reference to "total annihilation".

Mr Mattis, who did not take questions from reporters, said he had attended a "small group" national security meeting with Mr Trump and others. He said the president wanted to be briefed on each of what Mr Mattis called "many military options" for action against North Korea.

"We made clear that we have the ability to defend ourselves and our allies, South Korea and Japan, from any attacks, and our commitments among the allies are ironclad," he said.

Mr Trump, asked by a reporter during a trip to church services if he would attack the North, said: "We'll see."

The precise strength of the underground nuclear explosion had yet to be determined. South Korea's weather agency said the artificial earthquake caused by the explosion was five times to six times stronger than tremors generated by the North's previous five tests.

North Korea's state-run television broadcast a special bulletin to announce the test, and said Kim attended a meeting of the ruling party's presidium and signed the go-ahead order.

Earlier, the party's newspaper published photos of Kim examining what it said was a nuclear warhead being fitted onto an intercontinental ballistic missile.

Sunday's detonation builds on recent North Korean advances that include test launches in July of two ICBMs that are believed to be capable of reaching the mainland US.

The North says its missile development is part of a defensive effort to build a viable nuclear deterrent that can target US cities.

The Arms Control Association said the explosion appeared to produce a yield in excess of 100 kilotons of TNT equivalent, which it said strongly suggests the North tested a high-yield but compact nuclear weapon that could be launched on a missile of intermediate or intercontinental range.

Hans Kristensen, a nuclear weapons expert at the Federation of American Scientists, said the North probably will need to do more tests before achieving a functioning hydrogen bomb design.

Beyond the science of the blast, North Korea's accelerating push to field a nuclear weapon that can target all of the United States is creating political complications for the US as it seeks to balance resolve with reassurance to allies that Washington will uphold its decades-long commitment to deter nuclear attack on South Korea and Japan.

That is why some questioned Mr Trump's jab on Sunday at South Korea.

He tweeted that Seoul is finding that its "talk of appeasement" will not work.

The North Koreans, he added, "only understand one thing", implying military force might be required.

The US has about 28,000 troops stationed in South Korea and is obliged by treaty to defend it in the event of war.

Mr Trump also suggested putting more pressure on China, the North's patron for many decades and a vital US trading partner, in hopes of persuading Beijing to exert more effective leverage on its neighbour.

Mr Trump tweeted that the US is considering "stopping all trade with any country doing business with North Korea".

China's official Xinhua News Agency said President Xi Jinping and Russian leader Vladimir Putin, meeting on the sidelines of a Beijing-led economic summit, agreed "to adhere to the goal of the denuclearisation of the Korean Peninsula, have close communication and co-ordination and properly respond" to the test.

AP
Authorities in Houston have warned residents affected by Hurricane Harvey more flooding is likely.

Nine days after Harvey ripped its way across Texas, areas of west Houston braced for more water - not from the storm but from controlled releases to relieve swollen reservoirs.

Crews were urging residents whose homes had already taken on water to flee, and that they were shutting off power in some areas.

"If you have water in your homes, I have issued a mandatory evacuation for them because it's dangerous for those who are choosing to live there," Mayor Sylvester Turner told NBC.

"But also, it's very, very dangerous for our public responders, first responders, who are needing to be out there, trying to provide protection to them," he added.

Meanwhile, officials in nearby Beaumont worked to repair its water treatment plant, which failed after the swollen Neches River inundated the main intake system and backup pumps halted.

The Army Corps of Engineers sent pumps, and an ExxonMobil team built and installed a temporary intake pipe to try to refill a city reservoir. Exxon has a refinery and chemical plants in Beaumont.

In Crosby, outside of Houston, authorities continued to monitor the Arkema plant where three trailers of highly unstable compounds ignited in recent days, sending thick black smoke and tall flames into the air. A Harris County fire marshal spokeswoman said there were no active fires at the facility, but six more trailers were being watched.

Elsewhere, people began burying the dead and taking steps towards recovery. Friends and family gathered on Saturday in Tyler to remember a former high school football and track coach whose body was found on August 28.

The storm has been blamed for at least 44 deaths. Fire officials in the community of New Waverly, about 55 miles north of Houston, said a six-month-old was missing and presumed dead after being swept away by floodwaters, the Houston Chronicle reported.

Houston's school district said up to 12,000 students would be sent to different schools because of flood-damaged buildings. Harvey flooding is believed to have damaged at least 156,000 dwellings in Harris County, which includes the nation's fourth-largest city.

About 200 people waved signs and shouted as they rallied on Saturday outside a still-flooded subdivision in the western suburb of Katy, demanding to know when they can return home.

Mr Turner has warned residents that their homes could remain flooded for up to 15 days because of ongoing releases of water from two reservoirs protecting the city centre. About 4,700 dwellings are in the area affected by Mr Turner's evacuation order, but hundreds have refused to leave.

The school district assessed its own losses. Twenty-two of its 245 schools had extensive damage that will keep them closed for months. Though school is set to start on September 11, more delays could come.

President Donald Trump made his second visit to the devastated region on Saturday. He and first lady Melania Trump met evacuees sheltering at the NRG Centre in Houston, where they spent time with children and helped to serve food. Later, they helped load trucks with relief supplies at a suburban church. They also visited Lake Charles, Louisiana, to survey damage.

About 1,000 evacuees remained at the George R Brown Convention Centre, down from a peak of about 10,000.

Mr Trump has asked legislators for a 7.9 billion dollar (6 billion) down payment towards Harvey relief and recovery efforts - a request expected to be swiftly approved by Congress, which returns to work on Tuesday after its summer break.

Texas Governor Greg Abbott has called that a simple "down payment" on recovery funding he expects to soar past 120 billion dollars (93 billion).

Harvey came ashore on August 25 as a Category 4 hurricane, then went back out to sea and lingered for days off the coast as a tropical storm.

The storm brought five straight days of rain totalling close to 52 inches in one location, the heaviest tropical downpour ever recorded in the continental US.

Another storm churned far out over the Atlantic. Hurricane Irma was on a course that could bring it near the eastern Caribbean Sea by early this week. The Category 2 storm was moving north-west at nearly 13 mph. No coastal watches or warnings were in effect.

AP
Kenya's opposition leader Raila Odinga has said he will not share power, days after the Supreme Court's decision to annul President Uhuru Kenyatta's re-election and order a fresh election in 60 days.

Mr Odinga, speaking at a church service in Nairobi on Sunday, said his party cannot accept sharing power with "thieves".

President Uhuru Kenyatta similarly ruled out sharing power when addressing elected members of county assemblies from his Jubilee Party on Saturday.

Mr Odinga, 72, was named prime minister and Mr Kenyatta his deputy in a coalition government in February 2008 following the disputed presidential election of December 27, 2007.

More than 1,000 people died and 600,000 were evicted from their homes in post-election violence that erupted from that election.

The Supreme Court nullified Mr Kenyatta's win announced by the electoral commission on August 11.

The court voted 4-2 to nullify Mr Kenyatta's election, saying they found the electoral commission had performed irregularities and illegalities in adding up the presidential vote.

Mr Odinga said the electoral commission as currently constituted should not be permitted to conduct the fresh election, saying it was complicit in electoral fraud.

Mr Kenyatta, however, has said the electoral commission should not be interfered with and warned the court against taking action on the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission.

Since the Supreme Court ruling Mr Kenyatta has said chief justice David Magara and the judiciary are "crooks" and alleged they are on the payroll of donors.

Mr Kenyatta said he will fix the judiciary once he wins the coming elections because it ruled against him.

The move to nullify Kenya's election was unprecedented on the African continent.

It gave new hope to opposition leader Mr Odinga, who had alleged the electronic results of the August 8 balloting were manipulated. He had lost by about 1.4 million votes out of roughly 15 million ballots cast.

Mr Odinga, a longtime opposition candidate and the son of Kenya's first vice president, had unsuccessfully challenged the results of the 2013 vote that Mr Kenyatta won.

This time Mr Odinga's supporters at first had said they would not go to court but filed a petition two weeks ago.

Kenya had been braced for protests before the ruling, with police deployed to sensitive areas of the capital, Nairobi, and streets near the court were barricaded.

Human rights groups have said that police killed at least 24 people in unrest after the election.

Mr Kenyatta, 55, the son of Jomo Kenyatta, Kenya's first president, is trying to avoid becoming the first Kenyan president not to win re-election.

AP
Donald Trump has reportedly lashed out at his new chief of staff John Kelly amid the latest tensions inside the White House. The former Marine Corps general was brought in just over a month ago to impose discipline within the administration.

But Mr Kelly told colleagues he had never been spoken to in such a way during 35 years in the military, the New York Times reported.

Mr Kelly was said to have indicated he would not tolerate it happening again.

Mr Trump's outburst, of which there were few details, came as his chief of staff clamped down on the number of advisers allowed unfettered access to the president, leading to frustrations.

Roger Stone, a veteran informal adviser to Mr Trump, said it was "inevitable" the president would "rebel against the latest manager wanting to control him". Another informal adviser to Mr Trump said: "Although he was once kind enough to tell me 'Come in and see me any time', those days are now over."

Mr Kelly was also said to have stopped Omarosa Manigault, a communications aide, from bringing critical press reports to Mr Trump's attention because they enraged the president.

Speculation also mounted that Keith Schiller, a trusted aide to Mr Trump for two decades, and now director of Oval Office operations, was preparing to leave the White House.

Mr Trump wrote on Twitter that Mr Kelly was "doing a great job" and he "could not be happier or more impressed" with his chief of staff.

Mr Kelly was on board Air Force One with the president as he headed to Texas yesterday to comfort survivors of Hurricane Harvey. Mr Trump visited a shelter in Houston where he hugged survivors, including children. He said: "There's a lot of love."

The trip followed criticism that the president met local officials, rather than victims, on a visit earlier this week.

Mr Trump's predecessor, Barack Obama, became known as the "comforter-in-chief" for his role in consoling victims in times of national tragedy.

But Mr Trump faced a backlash following an initial trip to Texas on Tuesday when he only talked with officials.

He was also criticised by opponents after admiring the size of the crowd that turned out to greet him.

On his second trip, this time to Houston, the first people scheduled to meet Mr Trump and his wife Melania were individuals affected by the storm. The first couple also helped out packing boxes at a hurricane relief centre.

In a weekend radio address Mr Trump said: "All American hearts are with the people of Texas. Arm-in-arm, we will strive, we will endure."

He declared Sunday a "National Day of Prayer" for the victims and pledged a personal donation of $1m.

The death toll has risen to 47 as rescuers, using helicopters and boats, were still searching for people trapped in flooded homes.

Some White House officials believe Trump found his footing during the response to Harvey. Trump eagerly promoted the federal government's response and recovery efforts, and the White House has asked Congress for an initial $7.9bn (6.7bn) in emergency aid - a request expected to win quick approval.

Separately, the special prosecutor assigned to investigate any alleged ties between Trump's campaign team and Russian officials has joined forces with the US tax authority - the much feared Internal Revenue Service.

Robert Mueller has enlisted the help of the IRS's criminal investigative unit - the highly-focused 2,500-member unit that focuses on crimes like money laundering, tax evasion and other financial crimes.

The unit also has access to tax returns filed by Trump, who has thus far refused to make his returns public, as every other presidential candidate has done in the past.

He cited the reasons for his refusal as being under audit by the IRS and that tax returns do not give any kind of accurate picture of his financial life.

Telegraph
Donald Trump, when asked if the US will attack North Korea, said: "we'll see".

The President's comment comes after US intelligence officials said there was no reason to doubt the isolated state had conducted another test of a deadly weapon.

"We have nothing to cause us to doubt that this was a test of an advanced nuclear device," the official said, speaking to Reuters on condition of anonymity.

North Korea claimed to have tested an advanced hydrogen bomb for a long-range missile on 3 September.

The US official said, however, it would take some time to complete a thorough analysis of the size of the blast and type of device detonated.

In July 2017, US intelligence officials said they believed mercurial leader Kim Jong-un had been able to make a nuclear warhead capable of fitting on an intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM).

Pyongyang also made inflammatory threats towards Guam, the US territory in the Pacific where there are American military installations as well the country's nuclear submarine fleet.

More to follow...
US astronaut Peggy Whitson has returned to Earth after a record-breaking mission.

She has spent a total of 665 days off the planet - 288 days on this mission alone.

Ms Whitson's time in orbit exceeds that of any other American and any other woman worldwide.

Along with another American and a Russian, she landed in Kazakhstan shortly after sunrise on Sunday.

She became the world's oldest spacewoman at the age of 57 and most experienced female space walker following her launch last November. She was also the first woman to command the space station twice. This was her third flight.

Returning cosmonaut Fyodor Yurchikhin has logged even more time in orbit - 673 days over five missions. The other astronaut to return home was Jack Fischer, with 136 days in orbit. Both men flew up in April.
Walter Becker performs during the 2007 Jazz and Heritage Festival in New Orleans (AP/Dave Martin)

Walter Becker, the guitarist, bassist and co-founder of the rock group Steely Dan, has died. He was 67.

His official website announced his death on Sunday with no further details.

Donald Fagen released a statement in remembrance of his Steely Dan bandmate.

Fagen said he intended to keep the music they created together alive as long as he could with the Steely Dan band.

Becker had missed performances earlier in the summer in Los Angeles and New York.

Fagen later told Billboard that Becker was recovering from a procedure and hoped that he would be fine soon.

From Queens, New York, Becker met Fagen when they were students at Bard College in 1967 and founded the band in 1972.

They were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2001.

AP
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Cinema is a brilliant form of art. The way a story is brought to life for the silver-screen is amusing. But what happens when a form of cinema costs people their lives? What if one show changes their life forever. And yes, we are talking about horror films. While most of us need a company to watch films, some people really enjoy watching horror films. And then there are people who are fainthearted and still risk their lives to watch a horror film.

Image for representational purpose only

Annabelle: Creation has hit the theatres and the kind of stories that are flooding the internet will leave you scared. No, we are not exaggerating. Horror films can sometimes prove fatal and extremely brutal. In case you are not a horror film fan, read at your own risk.

1. A 20-year-old woman got hysterical and started punching herself after watching Annabelle: Creation

A viral video that is doing rounds on the internet shows a Brazilian woman filmed screaming and coughing on the floor of a shopping mall. The video has all her friends tried to unsuccessfully pacify her.

Dailymail reported that the woman started punching herself in the face as she left the cinema on Friday (August 18). She was rushed to a near-by theatre.

2. After a man died watching a late night show of Conjuring 2, his body went missing right before post-mortem

A Still from Conjuring 2

The 65-year-old man was watching The Conjuring 2 with a friend when during one of its scary scenes and started complaining of chest pains. He later fainted during at the Sri Balasubramaniar Cinemas in Tiruvannamalai, in South India. The man passed out and could never recover. He was declared dead. He was an Andhra Pradesh native and was then rushed to the Old Government Hospital. His body went missing after hospital staff asked the mans friend to take the body to the Tiruvannamalai Government Medical College Hospital for post-mortem. Reports later claimed that his body and his friend, both went missing.

3. In 2010, a student of class 8th passed away during screening of three back to back horror films in his hostel

Image For Representational Purpose Only

A TOI report claims that the incident happened at Marikavalasa village on the outskirts of Vishakapatnam where M Prabhakar, a student of class VIII, was among the 500 inmates of AP tribal welfare residential school watching the horror movies during recreation hour at the hostel. The films included Blood, Ghost, Aliens, and Atmakatha and were screened back to back till early morning. Prabhakar went to the loo at 11.30 pm and came out screaming in shock. He collapsed in the common room and other students failed to notice. It was later that other kids tried to wake him up and failed. Students called 108 services and he was then rushed to King George Hospital but was sadly declared brought dead.

4. 42-year-old Taiwanese man named Cuo passed away due to extreme excitement while watching Avatar

Image For Representational Purpose Only

James Camerons Avatar is considered as one of the finest works of world Cinema but it cost a healthy 42-year-old Taiwanese man named Cuo his life in 2010. Cuo had a history of high blood pressure while watching the film and his heart started pounding so hard that he suffered a stroke. Ushers took him to the nearby hospital but he was declared dead due to a massive brain hemorrhage.

5. In 2014, 57-year-old Gina Frost admitted that he had horrifying hallucinations and Post Traumatic Stress Disorder for 40 years after watching The Exorcist

Image for Representational Purpose only

She revealed that she was suffering vivid and horrifying hallucinations after watching the horror film at the cinema with an ex-boyfriend. She was deeply affected and scared by macabre visions of rats running up her walls and several scary sights. She had locked herself in her room for nine weeks after watching the film The Exorcist when it was released in 1973. She chose to hide her fear and condition from everyone close to her. In her claims, she said that the film left her with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder that lasted for past four decades. Even though she claimed that she was on a speedy road to recovery from her condition, she thinks she would never be able to watch a horror film ever again.

(Also read: I Watched Annabelle: Creation (2017) And Annabelle (2014) Back To Back & This Is What Happened)
Kangana Ranaut is one woman who doesn't like to mince her words. And why would she? She is a modern woman who is entitled to have her own opinions. Even though her opinions have often sparked controversies but it's a fact, if a woman has her own mind and views, the world gets intimidated.

Be it her alleged affair with Hrithik or her prolonged tiff with KJo, Kangana likes to give her unabashed opinions on her personal life.

While a lot has already been written and said about her affairs, personal life, and professional life, Kangana appeared on Aap Ki Adalat and made some striking confessions.

Screengrab

Here are the highlights of the interview that you wouldn't want to miss.

1. Even though Hrithik wanted to be with Kangana, he never wanted to make his relationship public.

Hrithik had clarified to Kangana that he would never leave his wife Sussanne. Kangana went on to say, I knew the reality when I entered in a relationship with him. It wasnt as if I was fooled. He told me that he would never accept me publicly and the way things were in his family, he would never leave his wife. So, I told him to leave me but he didnt want to do that either. This was the reason I didnt want to do Krrish 3 because when you are not ready to marry me, then I dont want anything with you. But he persuaded me for four months to sign Krrish 3.

2. Kangana clarified how it was after Sussanne and Hrithik ended their marriage that she went vocal about her affair with him. She said,

Instagram/Hrithik

He never thought Sussanne would leave him. So, when she left him, I think he got disturbed. We used to talk then and one day, he told me, I think I can see us together in the future. My divorce will finalise in October-November and after that, I will somehow make our relationship public. I found that a little weird and shady. I even told him that he should let that phase pass and then think about us with a clear perspective. But he was adamant.



3. Kangana confessed that Hrithik broke up with her in early 2014 but patched up with her right after her Queen released

He was shooting with an actress in Manali, when rumours of their affair cropped up. It was February and I called him to check about this affair. I said, You didnt call me on Valentines Day. To which, he replied, Why should I call you on Valentines Day? We dont have anything. I hope you havent told about us to anyone. I was appalled. I had shared about it to my mother and sister. He told me to forget him, get over him. And after a few weeks, Queen released. He called me up and apologised. He said, I am so proud of you. Everyone is talking about you. I am sorry. Then we met at Karan Johars party and I went up to him and talked about the future of our relationship. But he snapped at me and said I was letting success go to my head. But the reality was that I remained the same, it was he, who changed after Queen became a success.

BCCL

Vishal Bhardwaj suggested me to take help from Womens Commission after Hrithik sent me a notice, threatening to make my personal pictures and videos viral. First they took my case up but after a few days they called me, saying, We have good relations with Rakesh ji, you should not speak much. You should go easy. I was shocked and since then I hate Womens Commission. Imagine if they can be unfair to a Bollywood star like me, what would other common women go through if they go to them! Womens Commission is fake, and has been bought. She also revealed that a Bollywood writer wife told her to not raise any issue about Hrithik else she will be shamed for life. His wife is an actress, I wont name this couple but they called me home and he told me, These are very powerful, rich people. They can do anything. They will shame you. You will die one day due to that shame. So, dont speak much against them.

5. And for the first time ever Kangana spoke about being madly in love with Hrithik.

Twitter

I really loved that man. I wrote a few mails to him when I was in New York. Theres a zone you are in, when you love someone. It was like a death to see something so private, an intimacy shared between two people which I feel is the most beautiful thing in the world, in newspapers and websites and people making fun of them. That was the most challenging phase of my life in every which way. When host Rajat Sharma asked her if she ever feared for her life and thought to reach a compromise with the Roshans, the actor smiled and said, I feared him (Hrithik) when I was in love with him. I am not scared of him anymore, especially after seeing his antics.

6. During the shoot of Revolver Rani, she was held at gunpoint by Chambal dacoits

BCCL

During one of the scene, Kanagan said that they were shooting in the forest of Chambal when the whole crew was held at a gunpoint by the dacoits. However, things didn't get early and everyone escaped the intense situation unhurt.

7. Thanks to KJo's banner Dharma productions that Ungli became one of the biggest flops of her career

Till now, Kangana has done just one film with Dharma Productions and it turned out to be a big disaster. Talking about the film, she Slyly blamed KJo for giving the biggest flop of her career. She also said that she is not at all interested in working with the banner now.

Watch the entire interview here.




When it comes to celebrating festivals, our film fraternity surely knows how to celebrate. Be it Ganesh Chaturthi or Eid, people from the fraternity come together and have larger than life celebrations.

On the occasion of Eid al-Adha, celebs celebrated with their families and wished their fans joy and peace. Dangal star Fatima Sana Shaikh celebrated Eid with her onscreen father Aamir Khan and family and she posted some really adorable pictures. SRK, on the other hand, continued his yearly ritual of waving and greeting his fans with Abram! Here is a round-up of everything our stars did this Eid.

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#eid A post shared by Fatima Sana Shaikh (@fatimasanashaikh) on Sep 2, 2017 at 2:04am PDT

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Viral Bhayani

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Viral Bhayani

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Viral Bhayani

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Viral Bhayani

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Viral Bhayani

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#eidmubarak #junaidkhan #irakhan #fatimasanashaikh #aamirkhan @fatimasanashaikh A post shared by JunaidKhan Fanclub (@junzi_fans) on Sep 2, 2017 at 9:18am PDT

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Hrithik had clarified to Kangana that he would never leave his wife Sussanne. Kangana went on to say, I knew the reality when I entered in a relationship with him. It wasnt as if I was fooled. He told me that he would never accept me publicly and the way things were in his family, he would never leave his wife. So, I told him to leave me but he didnt want to do that either. This was the reason I didnt want to do Krrish 3 because when you are not ready to marry me, then I dont want anything with you. But he persuaded me for four months to sign Krrish 3.

Instagram and Viral Bhayani

Dangal star Fatima Sana Shaikh celebrated Eid with her onscreen father Aamir Khan and family and she posted some really adorable pictures. SRK, on the other hand, continued his yearly ritual of waving and greeting his fans with Abram! Here is a round-up of everything our stars did this Eid.

One of my favouritest ppl in the world.The very funny innovator boss man @sundarpichai graces @ted talks India.Thanks man. #TedTalksIndiaNayiSoch A post shared by Shah Rukh Khan (@iamsrk) on Sep 2, 2017 at 2:30am PDT

The reports of Google Boss Man Sundar Pichai marking his presence from the United States via a telepresence robot came out to be as SRK himself took to Instagram to share a candid picture with Sundar on his Twitter handle.

According to reports, there has been a casting reshuffle and Bhansali's biopic on Sahir Ludhianvi and author Amrita Pritam will not have Irrfan or PC. Instead, Bhansali has roped in Aishwarya Rai Bachchan and Abhishek Bachchan. Reports claim that the film will be helmed by debutante Jasmeet Reen and will go on floors next year.

AFP

According to In Touch magazine, Troy actor Pitt has been doing some thinking, and it has led him to reach out and say sorry to Aniston, reports mirror.co.uk. Hes been determined to apologise for everything he put her through, and thats exactly what he did. It was the most intimate conversation Brad and Jen have ever had, a source said. When Pitt apologised, the source says it brought back a lot of that old hurt. Jen was overcome with emotion. All the hurt feelings and resentment shed suppressed for years came flooding to the surface, and she broke down in tears.
Salman Khan has made headlines and not always for the right reasons. However, one fact that can't be changed is, he is down to earth and all his co-actors and filmmakers he has worked with have spoken highly of the actor.

We have time and again seen how his co-actors gush about working with him and sharing their experiences. The latest actor who has spoken about Salman is Actor Paresh Rawal.

Pinterest

According to him, Salman Khan has his own charm and style of acting and feels the superstar has become calmer today.

Images22

Both the actors have worked together in films like Ready, Baghban, Har Dil Jo Pyaar Karega, Dhulan Hum Le Jayenge, and Andaz Apna Apna, will be next seen with him in Ali Abbas Zafars Tiger Zinda Hai. Talking about his equation with Salman, he said,

Every actor has his own charm including Salman, everyone is good in their own way. I have worked with him in a couple of films. He is easy to work with, understands things and is always helpful. Today I think he has become calmer."

A lot of rumors have started floating the internet about the 1994 cult Andaz Apna Apna and Rawal essayed the double role of Teja and Ram Gopal Bajaj too have things to say about it. He said,

No one has come to me yet for the sequel. Its a good film, the premise is good... it was ahead of its time. Director Rajkumar Santoshi did a fantastic job. The sequel should be made provided the story is good."

Recalling the shooting experience for the comic caper, he says there were financial and date issues while filming, but the overall experience was great.

BCCL

During the climax shoot there was problem as half shoot was done here (in one place), half there (in another place). There were date issues so we had to shoot it differently. And people were not paid on time. That time the working style, work ethics were different including finance. We all had great fun doing the film and had never imagined the film will turn out to be a cult. Even during Hera Pheri we had not thought we are making a great film our job was to do the film and move on.

The 67-year-old actor reveals that work on the third part of hit Hera Pheri series had begun, but is currently stalled after director Neeraj Vora fell ill. His other super-hit film Oh My God, released in 2012, will see a sequel and work on the script was on. He added,

We are planning a sequel... the work is going on the script. It will all depend on the script whether Akshay Kumar and I will team for it or not."

On the professional front, Paresh Rawal is busy promoting his upcoming film Patel Ki Punjabi Shaadi that stars Rishi Kapoor, Vir Das, Payal Ghosh and Prem Chopra. The film is slated to release on September 15.
As North Korea's and the US continue to up the war rhetoric, Indian investors have lost nearly $100 billion (Rs 6.4 lakh crore) in just four trading sessions. The Bombay Stock Exchange's market capitalisation has crashed to Rs 133.1 lakh crore.

ap/representational image

According to a Reuters report, on August 7, BSE's market cap had closed at Rs 139.5 lakh crore, an all-time high. In its northward journey, Dalal Street had taken 23 trading sessions to reach Rs 139.5 lakh crore market cap from Rs 133 lakh crore on July 6.

Across the globe, the dent in investors' wealth was more than $1 trillion in the current week, a Reuters report said.

afp/representational image

On Friday, the sensex lost another 1%, or 318 points to close at 31,214, a two-month closing low while the nifty lost 1.1%, or 109 points at 9,711 points. During the week, the sensex lost about 1,100 points, or 3.4%. The Doklam standoff between India and China, Sebi's decision to suspend trading in 331 shell companies from Tuesday morning and weak corporate earnings also affected market sentiment during the week, dealers said.

The slide in the India market came on the back of a sell-off across the globe.

afp/representational image

On Thursday night the Dow Jone Index in the US closed nearly 1% lower and S&P 500 index lost 1.45% while in Europe, FTSE in UK lost 1.5%. In early trades on Friday, while US markets were flat, the UK market was deep in the red.

Market players across the globe, however, are nearly clueless about the probable risks in case a war breaks out between the US and North Korea. A note to investors by Aditya Birla Money quoted Timothy Ash, a senior strategist from London, saying it was "hard to price a potentially 'extinction event' like a nuclear war".

Friday's slide was mainly because of strong selling in Reliance, SBI and L&T while stocks like Infosys, Dr Reddy's and Axis Bank cushioned the fall partially.

bccl/representational image

A section of the market believes that the current correction is healthy for the market and is not over yet. "The current meltdown is more than welcome," said Arun Kejriwal, director, KRIS, an investment advisory firm. "Since it has brought down the gap between the richly valued stocks and the fairly valued ones by a few notches. It's not enough yet. However, there's a possibility of a short-term bounce-back during the later half of next week," he said.
A Canadian dad used Twitter to send a powerful message against the age-old notion of only women taking care of kids.

On Monday Justin Simard tweeted a photo of him with his 9 months old son in parking lot of Sotheby's supermarket in Stratford, Prince Edward Island. The photo shows the duo next to a sign designating the parking spot for Expecting Mothers and Mothers with Small Children.

Addressing the companys Twitter account, the dad tweeted, Crap, am I allowed to park here? #notababysitter #dadissues.

Simard told HuffPost when he first saw the sign, he simply thought, Oh good, a place to park that isnt too far from the door while Im with my son. But after he parked there, he had a change in perspective.

When I went to get out of my car, the person in the spot next to me gave me a dirty look, which quickly vanished when I took my son out of his car seat, Simard explained. Then the wording of the sign bothered me. What about single fathers? What about same sex couples? It occurred to me that the sign could be more inclusive.

This kind of crap obviously isn't the most egregious wrong in the world but it's still stupid and unnecessary. Just make it "parents." #dads https://t.co/KPx0fsgDIq  Aaron Gouveia (@DaddyFiles) August 22, 2017

Dad and blogger Aaron Gouveia retweeted Simard, noting This kind of crap obviously isnt the most egregious wrong in the world but its still stupid and unnecessary. Just make it parents.

Simard was happy to see a response from the Sobeys Twitter account. You are definitely entitled to that parking spot, Justin! the tweet read. Which location was this so we can update the signage? #SuperDad.

You are definitely entitled to that parking spot, Justin! Which location was this so we can update the signage? #SuperDad  Sobeys (@sobeys) August 21, 2017

I was blown away. The reply was almost immediate, and had exactly the tone I hope to find on social media  that is to say, I felt like a human being, being answered by a human being who could see my point of view, Simard recalled.
Britain and Japan's monarchy couldn't be more opposite. Where Kate Middleton, a commoner, became royalty after marrying Prince William, Japan's Princess Mako will have to surrender her royal status for marrying a commoner!

The eldest granddaughter of Japanese Emperor Akihito, Princess Mako, will wed a former classmate, the Imperial Household said today, confirming a marriage that will further deplete the royal family since she must become a commoner.

Reuters

Mako is one of only four royal grandchildren. The other three are her younger sister, Kako, her brother, Hisahito, and Crown Prince Naruhito's daughter, Aiko. The shrinking royal population, which mirrors the broader aging of Japanese society, has raised concerns that the prince may also be the last.

Ten-year-old Hisahito is one of four heirs to the throne behind Akihito's two middle-aged sons, whose wives are in their early 50s, and Akihito's octogenarian brother, Masahito.

Reuters

The engagement to Kei Komuro, who works in a Tokyo law office, comes after Japanese lawmakers in June approved a bill to allow Akihito to step down, the first abdication by a Japanese monarch since 1817.

A year ago, the first emperor not to be considered divine said in a rare public appearance that he feared age would make it hard to fulfil his duties. The 83-year-old has had heart surgery and been treated for prostate cancer.

But the legislation, which only applies to Akihito and not future emperors, makes no reference to the controversial topics of whether to revise a males-only succession law or to allow women to stay in the imperial family after marriage.

Reuters

Conservatives fear doing so would be a first step to letting females inherit the throne.

Mako and Komuro graduated from International Christian University. She has a master's degree from the University of Leicester and has been working as a researcher at a museum. Her fiance once served as a "Prince of the Sea" to promote tourism near Tokyo, according to media reports.
Disowned and unwanted, the plight of Rohingya Muslims unfolds further into a humanitarian crisis with no easy end.

More than 2,000 houses were set ablaze in Rakhine state, the violence hit area with Rohingya Muslims are in thick numbers, the Myanmar government said on Saturday, in one of the deadliest outbreaks of violence involving the Muslim minority in decades.

AFP

"A total of 2,625 houses from Kotankauk, Myinlut and Kyikanpyin villages and two wards in Maungtaw were burned down," the state-run Global New Light of Myanmar reported.

The Myanmar officials blamed the Arakan Rohingya Salvation Army (ARSA), which is said to be defending Rohingya Muslims, for the fires in Rakhine villages. The group claimed responsibility for last week's coordinated attacks on Army posts, which led to further clashes and a major clampdown by the country's military forces.

The Rohingya Muslims fleeing the violence to Bangladesh, however, insist that a campaign of arson and killings by the Myanmarese Army aimed at forcing them out of the country is responsible for the carnage and destruction in the area, according to reports.

The skirmishes and ensuing Army crackdown have killed at least 400 people and led to evacuation of more than 11,700 "ethnic residents" from the area, government officials said, referring to the non-Muslim population of northern Rakhine.

AFP

According to the UN estimate, nearly 58,600 Rohingya refugees have fled into neighbouring Bangladesh from Myanmar. Another 20,000 Rohingyas are thought to be stuck along the Naf river, which forms the border between the two countries, a BBC report said.
Boman Kohinoor is as old as Brittania & Co. Both the owner and his restaurant share the same birth year and have witnessed an equal number of memorable moments. At 95, Kohinoor is still full of enthusiasm for his restaurant and has many stories for the customers who visit the eatery.

It was around 1915 when the construction of Ballard Pier began, around the same time when Brittania was established. In an era when Bombay as we know it was at a nascent stage of slowly flourishing into a larger business hub than anyone would have thought back then, Kohinoor shares that Brittania was one of the oldest restaurants in the vicinity, and had its reputation as good as a Taj or a Trident have today.

I remember working for 12 to 15 hours a day and the people wouldnt stop coming, Kohinoor tells us.

Boman Kohinoor, owner of Brittania & Co

It is no secret that Kohinoor is an ardent admirer of the written to Queen Elizabeth II, inviting her to his restaurant and even received replies from Her Majesty. He asks one of the waiters in the restaurant to bring his pictures with the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge: William and Kate.

He is rather enthusiastic in showing us all the pictures and describing how the meeting was. They came here on a Sunday when the restaurant remains. Then they called me asked to meet me. I told them that they should have told me they were coming so I could make arrangements, he says, visibly still bothered by the fact that he could not do much to cater to the Royal couples needs.

Yesterday's stories

Kohinoor is the eldest son in the family, and that obviously came with a lot of responsibilities. Expressing his initial reluctance about taking over the restaurant, he said, after three elder sisters, I am the eldest son. Therefore I had no option but to look after my family and continue what my father started. If I had a choice Id be a lawyer.

People who enter are greeted by refrigerators full of puddings and raspberry drinks

For a couple of years, things were perfect for Kohinoor and Brittania. Businesswise, everything was fine as Kohinoor informed us that Brittania once had the reputation as high as a Taj or a Trident has today. His father had even gotten the restaurant renovated once he took over. But things began to get a little tricky once World War II began.

There were British forces here, especially all around this area. One day, a British gentleman walked in. I do not remember his name anymore, but he came into the restaurant and asked me to hand it over to him from the first of next month. I disagreed, he says with the same vehement expression of denial that we imagine he must have given the British gentleman.

checkered table cloths and vintage wooden chairs are a part of the charm of Brittania

The restaurant, however, had to be handed over for soldiers. Kohinoor was given enough compensation for the years that the war lasted and the soldiers remained sheltered in the restaurant. We hoped that we could see some remnants of this part of the restaurants history, but Kohinoor told us that after the British man left, the restaurant had to be renovated again.

Today's fresh

The restaurant is still as popular as it was back then. We say this because even on a Wednesday afternoon, the staff of Brittania remained busy catering to a crowd of people that walked in for lunch. While Kohinoor went about talking to the customers personally, he came and pointed to a man who he said was Turkish and that he himself was fascinated by their culture. Kohinoor is rather chatty, but not forgetful.

berry pulao, the specialty of Brittannia is available in both veg and non veg versions

He immediately orders a Berry Pulao for us before he goes off to talk to another set of customers. Interestingly, the recipe of the Berry pulao belonged to his late wife Parveen.

Every signature item in the menu was decided by wife, and nothing makes me happier than the fact that people are in love with all of her dishes, he says with a hint of pride in his voice.

The man sure knows his history well. Apart from telling us vivid details about how Parsis migrated from a region in Iran called 'Fars', (name of Parsis derived from their land of origin), to the details about world wars and the politics of India that only a veteran can possibly tell, if only they can remember it.

The tomorrow

The restaurant is now looked after by his son and granddaughter. His granddaughter Diana is rather keen on helping out with the business as she came in rushing through the bright entrance of Brittania and took over the duties at the counter. We sit gorging on the Berry Pulao and watch the father daughter duo work perfectly in sync as they through a busy afternoon.

Koinoor with his granddaughter and son

All Parsi bakery and restaurant owners have one major concern  what happens to their legacy after them? Kohinoors reaction is somewhat dramatic when we ask him this. He feels that he himself is 95, and his younger brother is 87, and both of them together still cannot carry forward the place even if they wanted to. My grandson wants to study and settle abroad. So does everyone in my family and community. I have absolutely no idea what will happen after I am gone, he says.

Kohinoor still attends to his customers and chats with them

The wooden chairs and round tables, still almost half a century old are a reminder of the times that Kohinoor has lived through, and literally lives to tell us all the tales.

The man, however, looks rather upset as he thinks that the next generation even from his family would not want to look after the restaurant. As long as I am here, I will make sure all the guests get the best services. Talking to each of them makes me happy and I like knowing people better, he tells us while sipping his last cup of rather fragrant Irani chai before heading off to talk to another customer, who will be getting lost in the web of true story he will spin of the legendary past of when Mumbai was Bombay.
Joe Arpaio Is No Aberration





By Margaret Kimberley

The carceral system must be torn out root and branch.

September 02, 2017 " Information Clearing House " - Even most leftish white Americans like to think that their country is good and its institutions are fair and equitable. According to this wishful thinking human rights abuses only happen in faraway places and injustices here are resolved by reining in a few bad apples. The facts say otherwise and prove that the United States is consistently one of the worst human rights violators in the world. The cruelty of its prison system extends far beyond headlines of a few well known villains like David Clarke and Joe Arpaio .

Donald Trumps pardon of former Arizona sheriff Joe Arpaio is quite rightly a big news story. Trumps pardon is easily denounced as an obvious violation of the spirit of the presidential pardon process. It was a sham used to circumvent an established process. Arpaio had not even been sentenced for his misdemeanor contempt of court conviction. Full pardons are rare in any case, with examples such as Chelsea Mannings being far more common. She received a commutation and only after serving seven years of her sentence.

Arpaio is surely deserving of scorn heaped upon him. He referred to his jails as concentration camps. He held prisoners outdoors in tents, a violation of national and international law. Arpaio was convicted of contempt of court because he continued to detain undocumented people without charge in violation of a judges order.

 Arpaio referred to his jails as concentration camps.

He used intimidation and charged anyone who opposed him with crimes and even faked an assassination attempt which sent an innocent man to jail for four years. Not only were female prisoners shackled while giving birth but he didnt bother to investigate hundreds of sexual assault cases. The judgments against him cost Maricopa County in Arizona millions of dollars.

But Arpaio differs from the rest of law enforcement only in the openness of his methods. Joe Arpaio was a media whore and relished the attention given to him by Fox news and other right wing outlets. He became a fixture among the people who elected Donald Trump and openly bragged about his untouchability.

It must be pointed out that the United States is full of Arpaios in all 50 states. Two judges in Pennsylvania literally made a fortune sending juveniles to jail. Women in New York state prisons are still shackled while giving birth , in direct violation of that states law.

No one knows for certain how many people died in Arpaios custody. But there are horrific stories of death in prison all over the country. Prisoners have died of thirst, or from treatable illnesses when denied medication. Some of these cases are brought to light but thousands of others go unreported. In the state of Texas alone, 6,900 prisoners died in custody over a ten year period.

 The United States is full of Arpaios in all 50 states.

Trump and Arpaio are inviting targets. Both men dispense with niceties and show the system in its barbaric glory. There is no attempt to mince words, beat around bushes or put a happy face on wrong doing. They are forthright in advocating their racism while the prison industrial complex grinds on, destroying lives and sometimes ending them.

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Arpaio and Trump show the dangers of allowing open racism to flourish. The Trump presidency emboldens white supremacy but in an ironic way minimizes it too. Mass incarceration is diminished by attention paid to the Trumps and Arpaios in this country. Because of the endless desire to cover up the countrys crimes, the focus falls on the most blatant evils. All the while the system goes on committing an unknown number of human rights abuses in jails and prisons across the country.

The system is built to incarcerate for the sake of incarcerating, and people of color are the primary victims. Their victimizers may not look for publicity like Arpaio did, but their actions as nameless bureaucrats are equally deadly.

 There are horrific stories of death in prison all over the country.

It is a grave mistake to reserve outrage and protest for the Trumps and the Arpaios of the world. Doing so allows the other killers to act with impunity. That is why the carceral system must be torn out root and branch. Prison abolition should be the watch words and mealy mouthed talk of reform must be dismissed.

The United States would still have more than 2 million incarcerated persons if Joe Arpaio didnt exist or if Donald Trump werent president. It should not be forgotten that a Democratic president, Bill Clinton, did more to expand mass incarceration than any other. But his successors did nothing to end it either.

The worst criminals are outside of the prison walls. Some of them are well known like Trump and Arpaio but most are faceless as they carry out horrific abuses. The focus of our attention must be on ending the system that allows them all to flourish.
Home Korea Crisis Exposes Orwellian West By Finian Cunningham September 02, 2017 " Information Clearing House " - The Western media would have us believe that North Korea and its nuclear arsenal is the worlds number one threat. The continual depiction of a "rogue" state in the Western media plays into the US agenda of a pre-emptive attack on North Korea. But lets get this straight. North Korea has an estimated 10-20 total number of nuclear warheads, according to the latest annual report from the respected Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI). That represents a minuscule fraction  some 0.1 per cent  of the worlds total stockpile of nuclear weapons. The United States has a nuclear arsenal of some 5,000 weapons  more than 300 times the size of North Koreas. The US along with Russia (also 5,000 warheads) account for 93 per cent of the worlds total inventory of nuclear weapons. What distinguishes the US are the following pertinent facts. (Yet these facts are rarely if ever considered in Western media news coverage.) It was the first country to develop such weapons of mass destruction, in 1945. Russia, the second country, developed its first atomic bomb four years later in 1949. The US is the only country to have used nuclear weapons, when it dropped two atomic bombs on Japan  just three weeks after it successfully tested the weapon in the New Mexico desert on July 16, 1945. The attacks on Japan killed at least 200,000 civilians. Official US justifications about swiftly ending the Pacific War with Japan are dubious and arguably irrelevant to the immoral barbarity. Since the end of the Second World War, the US has engaged in dozens of wars in dozens of countries, according to respected historians such as William Blum , with an estimated death toll of 20 million. Since the end of the Cold War with the Soviet Union, the US has been in a state of permanent war over the past two decades, carrying out aerial bombardments in up to seven countries simultaneously. Official US justifications for these wars are dubious if not contemptible. The incontestable fact is that the US is the biggest serial violator of international law with the blood of millions of civilians on its hands. It is arguable that Nazi Germanys Third Reich was succeeded by a Fourth Reich in the US. The US may not have used nuclear bombs since the mass destruction carried out in Japan in 1945. But in spite of the heinous shame of its unique criminality, American leaders continually reserve the right to threaten other nations with nuclear annihilation. The oft-repeated phrase "all options on the table" is the Orwellian language used by the US to refer to its self-ordained prerogative to use nuclear weapons, codified in its "first-strike doctrine." US President Donald Trump routinely invokes the veiled threat of nuclear annihilation against North Korea. His warning of "fire and fury like the world has never seen before" is a chilling reference. While Trumps senior administration have sought to temper his comments with vaguely worded possible diplomacy, they too at other times openly use the "all options on the table" nuclear threat. North Koreas defiant testing of ballistic missiles is wrongly presented by Western media in complete isolation from the crucial context of the United States habitually threatening Pyongyang with pre-emptive war. Both Russia and China have rebuked the US for its current display of military force during its annual war games on the Korean Peninsula as being destabilizing. But with incorrigible arrogance, Washington insists on its right to conduct such defensive maneuvers, and the Western media dutifully indulge this irrational distortion. North Korea has not been at war with any country since the end of the 1950-53 Korean War when it fought against the US-backed South. By contrast, the US has gone on to launch wars against dozens of countries under various pretexts, as well as retain a war-footing against North Korea by refusing to sign a peace treaty. If thats because Kim Jong-un is a "dictator," then what about Saudi Arabia? Nearly 50 years after signing the Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT), which mandates nuclear weapons states to disarm, the US is the process of upgrading its nuclear arsenal at a cost of $400 billion over the next 10 years, or at least $1,000 billion over the next 30 years, according to SIPRI. (That financial outlay will no doubt bring cheer to the millions of survivors of Hurricane Harvey.) Out of the 193 member states of the United Nations, only nine are believed to possess nuclear weapons. The US, Russia, China, Britain, France, India, Pakistan, North Korea and Israel. All of them are in the process of upgrading their nuclear stockpiles, not disarming. Russia, being a top nuclear power along with the US, has an onerous responsibility to lead the world towards nuclear disarmament. But there is a huge difference between Russia and the US. The record shows that Russia is not a warmongering state, nor a systematic violator of international law from waging wars of aggression on other nations. Unlike Washington, Moscow has never verbally threatened anyone with a nuclear first strike. No Advertising - No Government Grants - This Is Independent Media Get Your Free Daily Newsletter In the current crisis between the US and North Korea, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov reiterated again this week that diplomacy and dialogue was the only permissible option. Lavrov said that the day after US President Trump made the sinister comment that "talking was not a solution." It is the function of Western news media to present the world in a form that is favorable to Western governments. Put less delicately, the Western medias function is to distort the world in a way that justifies conduct by Western governments which would otherwise cause outrage due to flagrant violation of international law. Two instances of that can be seen from the way the US and its NATO partners invaded and destroyed Iraq and Afghanistan under bogus pretexts. Another instance is the way the US and its NATO allies sought to destroy Syria with a covert war of regime change involving the sponsorship of terrorist proxies. In every case, the Western media distort and sanitize the criminal conduct of their governments. The crisis with North Korea is another classic case of Western media distorting reality and audaciously inverting the problem. The objective facts clearly show that, by far, the biggest threat to world security  perhaps even world survival  is the United States with its track record of war-making and systematic decimation of international law. For every nuclear warhead suspected to be in North Koreas possession, the United States has nearly 333 weapons, each one manifold more destructive than those dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki. The US, uniquely, continues to arrogate the right to drop nuclear bombs on civilians. The US is holding massive military maneuvers on North Koreas border, not the other way around. It refuses to hold talks for mutual disarmament. Only in a thoroughly Orwellian brainwashed world, as presented by the Western media, could North Korea be viewed as "the threat." Infernally, not only is such a warped view of the world making a catastrophic war more likely, it is also precluding the morally rational option of a diplomatic, peaceful solution. Finian Cunningham has written extensively on international affairs, with articles published in several languages. He is a Masters graduate in Agricultural Chemistry and worked as a scientific editor for the Royal Society of Chemistry, Cambridge, England, before pursuing a career in newspaper journalism. He is also a musician and songwriter. For nearly 20 years, he worked as an editor and writer in major news media organisations, including The Mirror, Irish Times and Independent. This article was first published by Sputnik - See also - North Korea says has developed advanced hydrogen bomb that can be fitted on ICBM Search Information Clearing House === Click Here To Support Information Clearing House Your support has kept ICH free on the Web since 2002. Click for Spanish , German , Dutch , Danish , French , translation- Note- Translation may take a moment to load. 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Home Netanyahu in a Bind



Are the Israeli premiers domestic difficulties tempting him to go to war against Syria and Lebanon? By Abdel Bari Atwan September 02, 2017 " Information Clearing House " - To understand the state of panic currently afflicting the ruling elite in Israel, which has gone to the extent of openly threatening to bomb the presidential palace in Damascus and Iranian military formations in Syria, one need only refer to recent remarks made by Robert Ford. Ford was the last US ambassador to Syria and is currently a fellow at the Middle East Institute in Washington. He has long been one of the most prominent proponents and supporters of the Syrian revolution and the Western/Gulf-led effort to overthrow the regime in Damascus by force. But in an interview with the English-language UAE daily The National this week, he conceded that President Bashar al-Asad has defeated the armed campaign that was launched seven years ago to topple him and his regime.  The war is winding down little by little, he stated. Assad has won and he will stay. He may never be held accountable, and Iran will be in Syria to stay. This is the new reality that we have to accept, and there isnt much we can do about it. Ford was resigned to the idea that the regime would eventually reassert its full control over the entire country: T he Syrian government cannot and will not accept local administrations or decentralisation, despite the fact that the Russians keep talking about it, he said. I t might take two or four years, but they cant accept other governments  local or foreign  to control these places. And he warned that the shift in the dynamic in Syria has made the situation worse for Israel. He explained: The Israelis used to fly with no worry over Syria, but now their whole calculus has changed. Perhaps this explains the extreme angst displayed by Israel Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu when he travelled to Sochi on 23 August to meet Russian President Vladimir Putin and urged him stand by Israels side amid the strategic changes in Syria that have advanced the rise of Iran as a regional power. What Netanyahu wants from Putin  as he repeated openly to UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres when he visited Tel Aviv earlier this week  is for Iran to be prevented from establishing its presence in Syria and setting up missile factories there and in Lebanon. Otherwise, Israeli officials warned, Israeli warplanes would attack the presidential palace in Damascus and sites where Iranian military experts are located in Syria. No Advertising - No Government Grants - This Is Independent Media Get Your Free Daily Newsletter According to various Israel press reports that were confirmed by Russian media, Putin found his Israeli guest to be in a state of agitation bordering on hysteria as he explained the apocalyptic consequences of Irans regional ascendancy. But the Russian president kept calm and replied that Iran was Russias strategic ally in the Middle East, the main counterweight to the Arab-Islamic variant of Nato which the US is trying to establish in the region, and that Moscow has no intention of abandoning it for Israels sake  nor of taking lectures from Israel on how it should make its policies in the region. By what right does Netanyahu think he can demand that Russia and the US act to prevent Iran form building munitions plants in Syria and Lebanon, or oblige it to withdraw its forces from an allied country that has requested their presence? Does he expect Syria simply to agree to become a defenceless target which Israeli warplanes can bomb whenever and wherever they like? Syria and Iran never complained about Israels US taxpayer-funded Iron Dome and other missile systems, nor did Moscow object to its acquisition of F-35 warplanes, the most sophisticated in the US arsenal. For Netanyahu to demand Russian action against Iran is the height of impudence and arrogance, and Putin was right to slap him down. Unlike the US political establishment, Russia is not beholden to Israel nor prepared to take instructions from it, and with its extensive expertise in the region certainly does not need lessons from Netanyahu on how to operate in the region. Its priority is not to defend Israels interests but its own, and it cannot forget or ignore the fact that Israel is the US closest ally in the region and the world. What is worrying is that the clearly threatening tone used by Netanyahu  both in Sochi and at his meeting with the UN chief  could be a prelude for Israel to launch a large-scale attack on Syria and/or Lebanon, on the pretext that it faces a security threat from Iran in both countries and is acting in self-defence. This is made more likely by the many corruption charges that are closing in on Netanyahu, which could lead to his indictment and prosecution and force him out of office and into jail. He may be tempted to start a war to divert attention from these investigations and unite the country in a common cause  just as the embattled former premier Ehud Olmert did when he attacked Lebanon in July 2006. Will Netanyahu do the same, and launch a bombing campaign against the Syrian leadership and Iranian forces in Syria? He can try. But he would be well advised to recall that the Decisive Storm bombing campaign launched two and a half years ago  using much the same American warplanes as his own  has failed to impose surrender on impoverished and exhausted Yemen, which is armed with weapons whose sell-by-date expired half a century ago. So can his warplanes impose surrender on Syria whose army has stood fast for the past seven years, or Iran with its arsenal of 200,000 missiles, along with Hezbollah and its 100,000-strong rocket arsenal? Moreover, can Netanyahu name a single war in which his army emerged victorious in Lebanon? Israels 1982 invasion and occupation ended in an ignominious unilateral withdrawal in 2000, as did its 2006 assault on the country. It is not only sophisticated weapons that decide the outcomes of wars, but also the strength of the combatants convictions, their willingness to fight until martyrdom, and the capability of their commanders to manage the battles effectively  qualities that Syria, Iran, Hezbollah and their allies have proven to possess in abundance. Nevertheless, Netanyahu may still try. This article was first published by Raialyoum - Search Information Clearing House === Click Here To Support Information Clearing House Your support has kept ICH free on the Web since 2002. Click for Spanish , German , Dutch , Danish , French , translation- Note- Translation may take a moment to load. What's your response? - Scroll down to add / read comments Please read our Comment Policy before posting - It is unacceptable to slander, smear or engage in personal attacks on authors of articles posted on ICH. Those engaging in that behavior will be banned from the comment section. Click here to comment on our Facebook page
Putin's Warning To The World





North Korea "On The Verge Of A Large-Scale Conflict"



By Tyler Durden

September 02, 2017 " Information Clearing House " - As tensions between the US, its regional allies and North Korea continue ebb and flow, depending on what and where Kim lobs the next missile and whether Kelly can block Trump from tweeting for the next few hours, Russian President Vladimir Putin has decided to personally weigh in on the conflict for the first time since the UN passed new sanctions against the North earlier this month. In an article published on the Kremlins web site, the Russian president warned that the two sides are balancing on the verge of a large-scale conflict," adding that any efforts to pressure the North to end its nuclear program would prove futile, and that the only tenable solution to the standoff would be a "dialogue with preconditions."

"It is essential to resolve the regions problems through direct dialogue involving all sides without advancing any preconditions (for such talks)," Putin wrote. "Provocations, pressure, and bellicose and offensive rhetoric is the road to nowhere."

His remarks about a diplomatic solution alluded to a road map to peace formulated jointly between Russia and China.... without the U.S.

According to the joint Russian-Chinese deescalation plan, North Korea would stop work on its missile program in exchange for the US and South Korea halting large-scale war games, allowing tensions to gradually subside.

Heres more from AJ:

"Russia believes that the policy of putting pressure on Pyongyang to stop its nuclear missile programme is misguided and futile," he wrote in the article sent to media in Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa - the BRICS member states. "The region's problems should only be settled through a direct dialogue of all the parties concerned without any preconditions. Provocations, pressure and militarist and insulting rhetoric are a dead-end road."

As recently as last week, tensions between the two sides appeared to be easing, with US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson praising the countrys restraint after the North went nearly a month without a new missile test, despite restrictive new UN sanctions that took effect on Aug. 5. That quickly changed with the beginning of the US and South Koreas annual 11-day joint military exercises, which appeared to provoke an especially vitriolic response from the North this year, prompting not one but two rocket launches over the next few days.

Two days ago, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov reportedly warned Tillerson that it would be dangerous to push for more sanctions against North Korea.

Heres Newsweek :

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov told Tillerson that the U.S. should avoid taking military actions against Kim Jong Uns regime and that the Russian government believes additional sanctions could prove counterproductive and dangerous. Tillersons response to Lavrov is unclear, but the pair did condemn the Norths most recent test on Monday, when a missile sailed over U.S. ally Japan.

Of course, the Norths missile launch earlier this week which flew over Japan airspace appeared to - at least temporarily - startle investors, triggering a short-lived selloff in global stocks. A day ago, US and South Korea insisted on a provocation of their own, conducting a bombing drill with nuclear-capable US bombers and the new F-35 stealth fighter.

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Despite the bellicose rhetoric from both sides, an all-out war is much less likely than the public might believe. Echoing comments made by former White House chief strategist Steve Bannon, a professor warned yesterday that the US is in no position to start a war with the North because of the unprecedented devastation the Norths artillery could unleash on Seoul, the densely populated South Korean capital.

As Bannon said during an interview with the American Prospect, the US doesnt have a tenable military option for toppling Kim Jong Un.

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.

As the war of words stretches into its eighth month, observers will surely keep this in mind. Investors, on the other hand, are just looking for an opportunity to " buy the fucking nuclear war dip."

This article was first published by Zero Hedge -

In Case You Missed it

Putin's Warning: Full Speech 2016

See also - North Korea says has developed advanced hydrogen bomb that can be fitted on ICBM

Russia pledges 'harsh' response to U.S.

Whoever takes the lead in this sphere will become Lord of the World," President Putin
'Sad Day for Warmongers': UN Finds Iran in Total Compliance with Nuke Deal





Critics slam Trump for attempts to undermine Iran agreement



By Julia Conley

September 02, 2017 " Information Clearing House " - On what one observer called "a sad day for warmongers," the United Nations declared Friday that Iran is fully adhering to the nuclear deal reached in 2015, and that inspectors will not go looking for infractions at the request of the Trump administration.

Trump and the U.S. ambassador to the United Nations, Nikki Haley, have regarded Iran and the agreement with suspicion, with Trump threatening to withhold certification of Iranian compliance, and saying in an interview in July, "If it was up to me, I would have had them noncompliant 180 days ago."

Haley traveled to the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA)'s headquarters last week to demand inspections of Iran's military sitesbut presented no evidence of suspicious activity by the Iranians. IAEA officials reported that they would not be going on a "fishing expedition" to find Iran guilty of noncompliance. "We're not going to visit a military site...just to send a political signal," an IAEA official told Reuters, saying, "If [the Trump administration wants] to bring down the deal, they will. We just don't want to give them an excuse to."

The IAEA found that Iran has honored the commitments it made in the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), brokered by the Obama administration. Iran agreed to limit its nuclear program's capabilities while the U.S. and five other world powers eased economic sanctions on the country.

Iran currently has less than a third of the amount of enriched uranium that it's permitted to have under the JCPOA. After two slight breaches this past spring, its stockpile of heavy water is under the deal's threshold as well.

The U.S. has isolated itself from other signatories in its search for reasons to declare Iran to be noncompliant. Nicholas Hopton, the British ambassador to Iran, told the Islamic Republic News Agency on Thursday, "I cannot speak for the government of the United States of America. The British government, however, is fully committed to the JCPOA and to its successful implementation."

Trump critics spoke out on social media Friday about the president's claims regarding Iran's activities.

Sad day for warmongers in DC, Riyadh and Tel Aviv: Unlike the US, Iran is keeping all its promises. https://t.co/WnTtC6b2gO  Amir (@AmirAminiMD) September 1, 2017

@iaeaorg Trump is behaving like a third world despot in his efforts to undermine the #Iran nuclear deal. #cdnpoli https://t.co/QU6MUT6Wyg  Peggy Mason (@MasonPeggy) September 1, 2017

Iran nuclear deal is working UN says, despite (disingenuous) Donald Trump claim. via @guardian https://t.co/fY72iaY2Lw pic.twitter.com/M0hHqDSiP4  Matias Pizarro (@pysantanyi) September 1, 2017

The National Iranian American Council also released a statement noting that Trump himself has violated the agreement, rather than Iran.

There is a reason why Trump cant point to any specific evidence to justify his assertions that Iran is noncompliant with the nuclear accord. The IAEA, U.S. intelligence community and our allies in the P5+1 have all affirmed Irans compliance. Yet, Trump has violated the JCPOA and continues to hold the fate of the accord in doubt by threatening to withhold a Congressionally-mandated certification of Irans compliance in mid-October, which would trigger expedited consideration of snapback sanctions.

This article was first published by

Common Dreams

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Trump Is Building an Army for Civil War





The president may be preparing his supporters to revolt in the event that he's impeached.



By Jennie Neufeld

September 02, 2017 " Information Clearing House " - What will happen if the establishment Republicans using Trump to achieve their own plutocratic agenda decide they no longer need him? Who will he rely on and how will he ensure they remain by his side? Charles Blow fears Trump will turn to his most reactionary supporters, if he hasn't already.

In his Thursday column, Blow ruminates on how Trump's brief, spastic political career has revolved around the art of marketing. His obsession with polls is merely a byproduct of his desire to ensure his base become repeat customers":

Trump made an industry out of selling conspicuous consumption. He sold the ideas that greed was good, luxury was aspirational and indulgence was innocentTrumps supporters see him as vector; he sees them as market.

But Blow doesn't believe Trump is out to make a quick buck or grow his brand, at least not exclusively. Through his overwhelming support of police unions, militarized rhetoric, tacit defense of white supremacists and efforts to marginalize his opposition, he's building a veritable army. Blow continues:

You do that by dividing America into tribes and, as president, aligning yourself with the most extreme tribe, all the while promoting militarization among people who support you.

So what's his end game? As Robert Mueller closes in, teaming with New York Attorney General Eric Schneiderman to prevent the president from pardoning himself or his cronies, Blow thinks Trump wants to position any attempt to remove him as a political coup. And he's recruiting future confederates for when the time comes:

If these people should come to believe  as Trump would have them believe  that establishment systems have unfairly and conspiratorially acted to remove from office their last and only champion  another thing Trump would have them believe  what will they do?

If Trump is ultimately impeached, his supporters could revolt, and that possibility is not lost on the president.

Read Charles Blow's column at the New York Times.
In accordance with Title 17 U.S.C. Section 107, this material is distributed without profit to those who have expressed a prior interest in receiving the included information for research and educational purposes. Information Clearing House has no affiliation whatsoever with the originator of this article nor is Information ClearingHouse endorsed or sponsored by the originator.) Privacy Statement
Leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), Nnamdi Kanu has vowed to burn down the whole country, if he is rearrested by the Federal Government.

He also asked why those calling for his arrest why they have refused to call for the arrest of the coalition of northern youths who gave the quit notice to Igbos to leave the North before October 1.

I dont care! Quote me verbatim. If Im rearrested, this country will burn, I assure you.

From where that oil money they depend on, they can no longer have access to it. I assure them that. This is not empty threat.

Were IPOB, we dont abandon our own.

The Biafra gadfly also talked on the Anambra governorship election slated for November. He said it is the peoples civic responsibility to boycott the Anambra elections, adding that a total and absolute boycott will be implemented.

Kanu said the support he has gotten from his tour of Biafran territory has never been replicated by anyone, not by any visiting dignitary, Head of State, political or religious leader.

On President Muhammadu Buharis speech upon his return from his over 100 days medical vacation, Kanu said he doesnt believe the president wrote the speech.

Kanu said he still has plans to visit Lagos and Kaduna like he stated he would.

I have a lot of friends in Lagos and Southern Kaduna too. When the time comes, I will visit those places.

You spoke about my security, but Im telling you that Im not living any more. What you are seeing is but an empty shell that is only seeking for Biafra.

Source: ( Sun Newspaper )
An educationist, Mrs Olajumoke Akere, has urged the Federal Government to re-introduce Advanced Level (A-Level) as the third tier of learning, for a more efficient and functional educational system.

Akere, an adolescent and peer mentor, disclosed in Ibadan on Saturday that A-Level which was operational till early 80s was the missing link in Nigerias education system.

The education system is divided into kindergarten/primary education, secondary and tertiary education.

The nations Universal Basic Education stipulates six years of primary school education and three years of Junior Secondary School education, culminating in nine years of uninterrupted schooling up to the senior secondary level to obtain the West African Secondary School Examination certificate.

Akere said a re-introduction of A-Level as pre-university programme would further strengthen education system and make university or tertiary education more meaningful and better.

The ALevel programme provides solid foundation for students continuous educational journey by developing their knowledge, skills and understanding of issues before entering higher institutions.

If the programme is restored it will help to solve the myriads of problems as regards university admissions, she said.

Akere, who is the proprietress of a pre-university school in Ibadan, said the 10 years experience of preparing secondary school leavers for admissions into tertiary institutions had impacted positively on beneficiaries.

According to her, the transition from secondary school to higher institutions had challenges as some of them are ill-prepared, immature and confused.

When we started in 2007, the burden God placed on my heart is for young people, specifically, secondary school leavers.

It was expedient for me as I became convinced at a point that secondary school leavers need to be groomed and be matured before they go into the university, she said.

Akere said through follow-ups those who had post-secondary education (A-Level) performed better than fresh school leavers.

The Federal Ministry of Education had early this year cancelled diploma programmes (A-Level ) of federal universities through which they admit students for direct entry.

Source: ( PM News )
An attempt by Boko Haram to disrupt the peaceful Eid-el Kabir celebration in Borno was altered by the Nigerian Air Force.

This was mentioned by the Chief of Air Staff, Air Marshal Sadiq Abubakar,at a feast organized for officers and men of the service at the 105 Composite Group, Maiduguri.

Abubakar had held a grand feast for service men carrying out the counter-insurgency operation in the North-East, as part of the Eid-el Kabir celebration.

He disclosed that the Air Force in a joint operation with the army had destroyed insurgents hideouts thereby scuttling their plans to attack communities during the festivities.

Boko Haram insurgents planned to destabilize the Sallah celebration, but with help of the Almighty Allah and our collective efforts, we foiled their plans.

Our objective is to protect life and property, safeguard the national territorial integrity and make our communities safe so that farmers can go back to their settlements and cultivate their farmlands.

We will remain in the forest to protect our people.

The insurgents are on the run due to concerted military efforts; the only option left for them is to surrender, he said.

Abubakar congratulated the men and officers of the service for their dedication and gallantry, saying that Nigerians were proud of their achievements.

The air chief disclosed that the Air Force command had accorded priority to training and improvement of the welfare of its personnel.

He added that arrangement had been concluded for the training of air force personnel within and outside the country, to strengthen defence operations.

We are sending some service men for training in Jordan.

We are committed to providing logistics, uniforms and ammunition to counter terrorism while construction of housing is in progress to provide decent accommodation for officers and men serving in the counter-insurgency campaign, he added.

Abubakar urged officers and men of the service to remain disciplined, display high sense of professionalism and respect civilians in the discharge of their duties.

He also commended the people for their support to the service and called on them to provide useful information that would be helpful to the fight against Boko Haram.

Meanwhile, Lawali Babagana Ibrahim, the Ward Head of the Pompomari area of Maiduguri, has applauded the service for the successes recorded in the counter-insurgency campaign.

Ibrahim said the collaboration between the service and the vigilante group had helped to strengthen security in the area.

The service donated two cows to the vigilante group to enable them to celebrate Sallah.

There is mutual understanding between the service and the host community, he said.

The Borno Deputy Governor, Usman Durkwa, had declared that this years Eid-el-Kabir celebration was the most peaceful the state had recorded in the past seven years.

Source:( PM News )
US President Donald Trump has visited the victims Hurricane Harvey in Texas, the disaster made landfall in the state a week ago, causing devastating floods.

Some residents have been allowed to return to their homes but flood waters are still rising in other areas.

47 persons have been confirmed dead, and about 43,000 people are currently housed in shelters. Mr Trump has asked Congress for $7.8bn (6bn).

BBC reports that the sum would be an initial payment to help with recovery efforts following the flooding in both Texas and Louisiana, which has also hit production at Americas main petrol and oil refining centre.

Governor of Texas Greg Abbott has said the state may need more than $125bn in aid.

President Trump and his wife Melania visited Texas earlier in the week but stayed clear of the disaster zone, saying they did not want to divert resources from rescue efforts.

However, the president was criticised for not meeting victims of the flooding and for focusing largely on the logistics of the government response.

Visiting Texas again on Saturday, Mr and Mrs Trump made a point of meeting flood survivors and volunteers in Houston. They took part in food distribution at a shelter, handing out packed lunches, and posed for photographs with victims when they requested it.

Later in the week, they are expected to travel to Lake Charles, Louisiana, which was also hit by flash floods.

President Trump has declared Sunday a National Day of Prayer for victims of Hurricane Harvey.

Source:( PM News )
The extra judicial killings of Nigerians living in South Africa has been condemned by the Senior Special Assistant to the President on Foreign Affairs and Diaspora, Abike Dabiri-Erewa.

This was released in a statement by her Special Assistant on Media, Abdurrahman Balogun, on Saturday in Abuja.

She said the killing Kingsley Ikeri, another member of the Nigerian Union in that country at Vryheid town in Kwazulu Natal Province of South Africa on Aug. 30 was one death too many.

Ikeri, 27, was a businessman and native of Mbaitolu in Imo State and the second Imo indigene to be so killed in the last two weeks.

An extra judicial killing, also known as extrajudicial execution, is the killing of a person by governmental authorities without the sanction of any judicial proceeding or legal process.

She said in spite of all diplomatic talks between Nigeria and South Africa to put an early warning signal in place, it doesnt seem to be working.

Dabiri-Erewa described the latest extra judicial killing of another Nigerian in South Africa as worrying and condemnable.

She said that the latest gruesome killing of Ikeri by the Police in South Africa, is unacceptable to the people and government of Nigeria.

Dabiri-Erewa reiterated President Muhammadu Buharis calls to Nigerians to avoid crimes like drug peddling which attracts stiff penalties, sometimes death,

She noted that the latest killing had increased the number of Nigerians killed in South Africa through extrajudicial means in the last one year.

The barbaric behaviour of the perpetrators is not only unacceptable, but also calls for urgent attention by diplomatic authorities in Nigeria and South Africa, she said.

Dabiri-Erewa urged the South African government to ensure that justice prevails by carrying out investigation and bring the culprit to book.

She reiterated her calls to Nigerians living abroad to always respect the laws of their host countries and be good ambassadors of Nigeria.

My heart goes out to the families of the deceased and pray God to grant the departed soul eternal rest, the SSA prayed.

Bartholomew Eziagulu, Chairman of the Nigerian Union in the province, told the Newsmen on Friday that Mr Ikeri was allegedly tortured to death by the police.

He said the unions investigations revealed that the police arrested the deceased and a friend on suspicion that they were carrying hard drugs.

He said while interrogating him, the police used plastic to cover his face to extort information from him.

In the process, they suffocated the deceased. When the police took him to the hospital, he was confirmed dead, he said.

Adetola Olubajo, the Secretary General of the union, said the national secretariat had been informed about the death of the Nigerian.

He said the body had informed appropriate Nigerian authorities and the police in South Africa.

Report has it that a senior Diplomat from the Nigerian Consulate in Johannesburg had visited Vryheid on a fact-finding mission.

Dabiri-Erewa had in February during a meeting in Abuja with South Africa High Commissioner, Mr Lulu Louis Mnguni said a total of 116 Nigerians have been killed in South Africa through extrajudicial means in the last two years.

Seven in 10 of the killings were carried out by the South African Police.
President Muhammadu Buhari has assured Nigerians that they are allowed to live anywhere in the country, right to live, work and raise their families in any part of the country without restrictions this he said on Saturday in Daura, Katsina State.

Receiving the Governor of Katsina State, Aminu Masari, at his country home as part of the Eid-el-Kabir celebrations, President Buhari reiterated that the Federal Government would guarantee the security of everyone in the country, and ensure protection of all from harassments by reasons of their states of origin, tribes or ethnic backgrounds.

Assuring all Nigerians of their safety, Mr. Buhari said: Every Nigerian has a right to live, work and thrive in any part of the country, irrespective of their backgrounds.

Speaking to journalists after the visit, Governor Masari said President Buhari had brought so much honour and pride to his home state by living a life of integrity, fairness and kindness to all, a reflection of his fear of God.

He said Mr. Buharis leadership style had attracted positive global attention to the state, and the country, praying that God would continue to uphold him in good health.

The governor was accompanied on the visit by the Emir of Daura, Faruk Umar Faruk, and members of his cabinet.

Source: ( Premium Times )
President of Turkey, Recep Erdogan has congratulated President Muhammadu Buhari on his health recovery, this was released in a press statement signed by Garba Shehu, Senior Special Assistant to the President.

He said, President Muhammadu Buhari continues to receive felicitations from prominent personalities and leaders across the world following his remarkable recovery from the medical condition that took him abroad.

The Turkish leader also exchanged Eid greetings with President Buhari. Both leaders wished each other good health and success in their endeavours and extended their greetings and good wishes to the citizens of their friendly countries.

The two leaders also discussed at length, the forthcoming 9th Summit of D8, the Organisation for Economic Cooperation at the end of October in Istanbul.

The statement added that Mr. Erdogan extended an invitation to President Buhari for his participation at the event, an invitation Mr Buhari received with gratitude.

Mr. Buhari recently returned from a medical leave abroad where he had gone to treat an undisclosed ailment.

Source: ( Premium Times )
President Muhammadu Buhari is set for a trip to to Washington, DC, he will leave Abuja on Monday, September 4, 2017.

The Presidents trip to the US is at the invitation of President Donald Trump, with a Nigerian Presidency source telling S.R correspondent that Mr. Trump extended the invitation last February, shortly after his inauguration.

According to an itinerary seen by SaharaReporters, Mr. Buhari is scheduled to leave his hometown, Daura, by helicopter at 9:15 am on Monday for Katsina airport. From the airport, he will fly out at 10 am aboard a presidential jet to Washington, DC.

A source at the Presidency told SaharaReporters that the earlier plan was for Mr. Buhari to combine the official visit to the US with his participation at the UN General Assembly in New York from September 21 to 25, 2017.

Another Presidency insider said there was some anxiety within Aso Rock that the trip may turn out to have a medical tone.

Source: ( Sahara Reporters )
No Nigerian died due to the Hurricane Harvey in Texas, the Nigerian in Diaspora Organization, NIDO, Americas, has said.

Akin Awofolaju, a NIDO official, told the News Agency of Nigeria, NAN, on Sunday that the organisation had reached out to Nigerians in the area.

NAN reports that the devastating hurricane made landfall in the state a week ago and has been blamed for at least 47 deaths.

No fewer than 43,000 people are currently housed in shelters while 156,000 homes are reportedly affected.

So far, we dont have any Nigerian who has lost his or her life in the hurricane. Weve reached out to them and they are safe.

Weve spoken and have been speaking with Nigerians there; we have been reaching out to them and so far, no death has been recorded among Nigerians, he said.

NAN gathered that many Nigerians in Texas whose areas are not affected by the hurricane are accommodating Nigerians that are affected, pending when the floods recede and government relief assistance.

Awofolaju noted that for more than three months, relevant authorities have been telling people to evacuate, saying many people actually evacuated.

Many people listened and heeded the warnings; those who defied the warnings are most affected.

But one good thing about the U.S. is that insurance will cover most of the damages, he said.

NAN reports that President Donald Trump on Saturday returned to Houston in company of First Lady Melania, praising the relief response on his second visit to Texas.

The president also declared Sunday a National Day of Prayer for victims of Hurricane Harvey.

Mr. Trump had asked Congress for $7.9 billion as an initial payment to help with recovery efforts following the flooding in both Texas and Louisiana.

(NAN)
Mr Adetola Olubajo has been elected the new president of the Nigerian Union in South Africa, Olubajo is a native of Odogbolu in Ogun, was a former Secretary-General of the union.

He scored a total of 83 votes, despite the disqualification of his opponent, Mr Theodore Ezeunara.

Others elected at the union`s congress held in Durban in the Kwazulu Natal Province of South Africa on Saturday are Mr Joshua Itua and Mr Emeka Ezinteje, the new Secretary-General.

Mr Collins Mgbo was elected Assistant Secretary-General while Mrs Nkemdilim Chukwuma was Financial Secretary.

Others elected are Mr Saliu Habib, Publicity Secretary; Mr Ikele Odefa, Assistant Publicity Secretary and Mr Trust Owoyele, Welfare Officer.

Also elected are Mr Peter Ananaba, Assistant Welfare Officer and Bishop Longbap Nimram, Treasurer.

Speaking after the election, Olubajo thanked delegates for electing the new executive, assuring that his team would not disappoint.

We will use all avenues to achieve peace and unity within the Nigerian community in South Africa.

To do that, issues bothering on tribalism, gender discrimination and oppression will be eliminated.

Olubajo said the executive would make service delivery and community spirit its priority.

We will achieve these objectives by ensuring that when a brother or sister is in trouble, we will never close our eyes.

The new executive has come with a message of peace and unity, he said.

Olubajo commended the past president of the union, Mr Ikechukwu Anyene, and members of the board of trustees and other past officers, whom he said, made sacrifices to keep the Nigerian community united.

Source: ( PM News )
Spanish retailer and Zara founder, Amancio Ortega, is now the richest person in the world, with a $200 million edge over previous leader Bill Gates.

According to Forbes real time ranking, Ortega is now worth an estimated $85 billion, up an extra $1.2 billion from last month.

The 81-year-old Ortega has held the top position three times before, but he has always relinquished the lead within a day. Most recently, he surpassed Bill Gates on Tuesday, but by the end of the afternoon he was $100 million behind the Microsoft co-founder. Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos, who held the top spot for a brief period last month is now ranked No. 3 with $82 billion.

A former store clerk, Amancio Ortega founded Inditex with his late ex-wife, Rosalia Mera, in 1975. They grew the business into an international juggernaut that now has a market capitalization of more than $100 billion. The companys flagship store is Zara, but it also owns Zara Home, Massimo Dutti, Bershka, Oysho, Pull and Bear, Stradivarius and Uterque.
Award winning actress, Angelina Jolie attended the Telluride Film Festival in Colorado to debut her based-on-a-true-story drama, First They Killed My Father on Saturday.

The actress who might be getting back with his actor husband Brad Pitt made it a family affair, as she brought along each of her six children.

The movie which was directed, produced and co-wrote by the Oscar winning actress, is based on the book by Loung Ung, a human-rights activist who survived the Khmer Rouge regime in Cambodia and later escaped to America at 10-years-old.

Angelinas son, Maddox Chivan Jolie-Pitt, 16, whos a native of Cambodia, is also an executive producer of the film, having helped on the project since its told from a childs perspective.

More photos below..

Source: Linda Ikejis blog
A Catholic priest has been kidnapped and brutally murdered in an Imo State community, causing quite a stir in the area.

According to a Vanguard report, Imo State Police Command has confirmed the reported kidnap and murder of a Catholic priest, Rev. Fr. Cyriacus Onunkwo.

Confirming the ugly incident in a telephone chat on Sunday, the Commissioner of Police, CP, Mr. Chris Ezike, said the priests corpse has been recovered.

The matter was properly reported to the police and we went into action. Less than 24 hours after, the Orsu Divisional Police Officer, DPO, reported the discovery of an abandoned corpse in its area of jurisdiction, Ezike said.

According to the Imo police boss, priests of Orlu Catholic Diocese were called in immediately and they identified the corpse as their priest.

Although we are working on all leads over the matter. For now, it is a clear case of abduction and murder. If it was a case of kidnapping, his captives would have put a call across to anybody close their victim and made a demand,Ezike said.

Answering a question, the CP said that although nobody has been arrested in connection with the crime, we are investigating it.

He promised to keep Vanguard posted as investigation progress.
The leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra, Nnamdi Kanu, has issued a threat that if he is arrested again, the nation will burn.

Mr Nnamdi Kanu, leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), has boasted that Nigeria will burn if he is rearrested by the Federal Government.

Kanu made this declaration in an interview with The Sun newspaper.

He asked why those calling for his arrest have refused to call for the arrest of the coalition of northern youths who gave the quit notice to Igbos to leave the North before October 1.

Asked if he was afraid of being rearrested for flouting bail conditions, Nnamdi Kanu said: I dont care! Quote me verbatim. If Im rearrested, this country will burn, I assure you.

From where that oil money they depend on, they can no longer have access to it. I assure them that. This is not empty threat.

Were IPOB, we dont abandon our own.

The Biafra gadfly also talked on the Anambra governorship election slated for November. He said it is the peoples civic responsibility to boycott the Anambra elections, adding that a total and absolute boycott will be implemented.

Kanu said the support he has gotten from his tour of Biafran territory has never been replicated by anyone, not by any visiting dignitary, Head of State, political or religious leader.

On President Muhammadu Buharis speech upon his return from his over 100 days medical vacation, Kanu said he doesnt believe the president wrote the speech.

Kanu said he still has plans to visit Lagos and Kaduna like he stated he would.

I have a lot of friends in Lagos and Southern Kaduna too. When the time comes, I will visit those places.

You spoke about my security, but Im telling you that Im not living any more. What you are seeing is but an empty shell that is only seeking for Biafra.
A man who got really frustrated after his in-laws did something to him which he despised, has reacted by hurting himself fatally.

Samangwaro Chuzu, a Zimbabwean man from Mudzi, recently killed himself by drinking poison after his in-laws demanded that he pays huge lobola (bride price) for their daughter.

The New Zimbabwe reports that police have confirmed the death of Samangwaro Chuzu, 22, of Champion Village in Mudzi.

According to the police, Chuzu had a meeting with his in-laws and an argument followed over non-payment of lobala for his wife whom he married in court.

However the demands by his in-laws did not go well with Chuzu who went on to drink some pesticide.

Chuzu then informed his father, Isiah Chuzu, what had happened on the day and said they would meet in Heaven before he collapsed and died on the spot.

The father then made a report at Nyamapanda police station and the police officers are still carrying out investigations.
In what will come across as a really shocking development, a woman has committed suicide after attending an all-night prayer session in church.

The Zimbabwean police have confirmed that a 30-year-old woman recently committed suicide after attending an all-night prayer meeting in church in Marondera.

Paida Mapfumo, 30, of Sable Farm in Marondera is reported to have recently attended an all-night prayer meeting in the area.

When she arrived home early in the morning, her husband, Brighton Musemba was preparing for work before leaving her alone.

However on his return home for morning tea-break, Musemba discovered his wifes body hanging from the roof.

A report was made at Marondera police station.

Reasons why Mapfumo committed suicide remain unknown and police investigations are also underway
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A clash between the supporters of Kwankwasiyya and Gandujiyya in Kano State led several persons injured on Saturday, Dr Rabiu Sulaiman Bichi, former SSG and junior brother to Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso, Dr Adamu Yunus Dangwani and Comrade Aminu Abdulsalam, both former commissioners under Kwankwasos administration were among those injured.

The terrible incident was confirmed by Dr Dangwani to Daily Trust, he said:

We were watching the horse riders when suddenly the supporters of Gandujiyya descended on us. They hit the former SSG with a heavy stick and stabbed Yahaya with a knife on his shoulder.

He said they also injured scores of Kwankwasiyya followers, before the police intervened and rescued the rest of them.

The former SSG and Kwankwasos brother were later rushed to the Aminu Kano Teaching Hospital where they were treated and diacharged.

He said they were still compiling the figures of those that were injured and that they would brief the press today.

Honourable Baffa Babba Dan Agundi, a member of Kano State House of Assembly, who was accused of directing the thugs to attack the Kwankwasiyya members, denied the allegation.

It is not true. How can a lawmaker lead others to take laws into their hands. This is something that cannot happen. The Kwankwasiyya should prove the allegation beyond resoanble doubt, said Dan Agundi.

We are in the era of IT so they should prove the allegation with facts and figures. But we have our video clips of what happened at the durbar.

Also commenting, the State Commissioner of Information, Malam Muhammad Garba, said:

To the best of my knowledge there was no clash at the durbar. I did not see it and therefore I cannot confirm it. If there is a clash somewhere I dont know. But to be honest with you, I did not see any.

Source: ( Linda Ikeji )
A bus driver was left dead and several others injured in an accident involving a tanker and a Mazda commercial bus on the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway, according to an official of the Traffic Compliance and Enforcement Corps (TRACE).

Mr Babatunde Akinbiyi, the spokesman for the Ogun State confirmed the fatality in Abeokuta, TRACE.

Akinbiyi said the accident was caused by speeding on the part of the tanker driver, who was coming from Lagos.

According to him, the tanker hit the road barrier erected by the contractors working on the expressway and rammed into the Lagos-bound bus at 9. 25 a.m.

The driver of the bus lost his life in the accident which involved a tanker laden with ethanol marked AKD 650 XQ and the bus with registration no. BWR 515 XA.

The tanker which was coming from Lagos hit the barrier and rammed into the bus going to Lagos. Only the driver of the bus has died for now,  he said.

Akinbiyi said the body of the driver had been deposited at the morgue of the Olabisi Onabanjo University Teaching Hospital, Sagamu.

He said the accident had caused slow movement of vehicles on both sides of the expressway currently undergoing reconstruction.

Officials of TRACE and the Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) are on ground to monitor the situation.

Source: ( PM News )
Gardai in Galway are asking for help in finding a teenage boy missing since Friday.

Luke Adams, aged 16, was last seen in Claregalway at around 1pm on Friday.
Two more people have been confirmed dead in Texas in the wake of Storm Harvey, bringing the number of known fatalities to 44, eight days after it made landfall as a hurricane.

The medical examiner in Harris County, Texas, said that a man found floating in Cypress Creek floodwaters was a Harvey-related fatality.

Harris County is home to Houston. The addition to a list kept by the Harris County Institute for Forensic Sciences brings the total deaths in the county to 29.

And the family of an elderly woman found her body partially submerged in water in her flooded home in Port Arthur, Texas.

Justice of the Peace Brad Burnett told TV station KFDM on Saturday that the body of 88-year-old Dorothy Helen Lacobie was in her bedroom.

He said the house had at least two feet of water in it.

The raised death toll came as the mayor of Houston ordered mandatory evacuations for people who have not left their homes in a part of the city that remains flooded.

Mayor Sylvester Turner said about 300 people have stayed behind in western stretches of the city inundated by water that the Army Corp of Engineers has released from reservoirs. The mayor is now ordering those people to leave.

There are 4,700 dwellings in the flooded area, including houses and apartments.

Mr Turner asked residents in the area to leave on Friday, and on Saturday he said those who had stayed behind were endangering themselves and the emergency services.

A representative for CenterPoint Energy said the utility would start cutting power to homes in the area at 7am on Sunday local time.

Forecasters said what is left of Harvey is no longer a flood or heavy rainfall threat.

National Weather Service meteorologist David Roth said the storm system still has rain, but not much more than moderate rain. He said it may still exist as a remnant low pressure system throughout Sunday.

Harvey made landfall as a Category 4 hurricane on August 25 in Texas, then went back out to sea and lingered off the coast as a tropical storm for days.

The storm brought five straight days of rain totalling close to 52 inches in one location, the heaviest tropical downpour ever recorded in the continental US.

Meanwhile President Donald Trump made his second visit to the battered region, before returning to Washington on Saturday night.

He visited with members of the emergency services and others in Lake Charles, Louisiana, who helped during Harvey.

He was accompanied by his wife, first lady Melania Trump, and Louisiana's governor, John Bel Edwards.

Mr Trump went to Lake Charles after first visiting Houston, where he visited a shelter and a church where people were picking up food, toiletries and other supplies.
Sr Orla Treacy, from Bray, Co Wicklow, was selected from a shortlist of five nominated by the public for walking in the footsteps of the Killarney priest who was credited with operating a lifeline via the Vatican for up to 7,000 people during Nazi Occupied Rome.

Sr Orla was born in 1973 and lived in Tralee between the ages of two and six while her father Blaise Treacy was the local authoritys county secretary.

She completed her Leaving Cert in 1991 and graduated as a teacher from the Mater Dei Institute. She joined the Loreto sisters at the age of 24 and has spent the last 11 years in Sudan where she set up a mission and school with other Loreto nuns.

Her school in Rumbek in Lakes State has more than 500 boys and girls in attendance.

Announcing the winner of the award, chairperson of the Hugh OFlaherty Memorial Committee, Jerry OGrady said: Sr Orla possesses and displays the bravery and humanitarian commitment we have come to associate with the recipients of this award.

At a young age, and with a bright future ahead of her in Ireland, she decided instead to dedicate her life to those in need in what was already then a virtual war zone. On being told of her selection for the award, Sr Orla said: The work of Msgr Hugh OFlaherty has inspired so many in their fight against injustice for the protection of vulnerable populations.

I am genuinely very humbled to receive this award, and on behalf of Loreto Sisters and all our staff at Loreto Rumbek South Sudan I graciously accept this honour.

The girls and young people we work with in South Sudan fill us with hope for a better future for this country.

Among previous recipients of the Monsignor Hugh OFlaherty award were the late Donal Walsh, posthumously, Sharon Cummins, and Dr John Beavis. Last years recipient was Fr Shay Cullen.

As well as the annual conference and award ceremony each November, the Monsignor is remembered in Killarney with a life-size statue at a new entrance to the Killarney National Park.

Trips to Rome to walk in his footsteps take place most years.

Admission to the Humanitarian Award Ceremony in the Killarney Avenue Hotel on Saturday, November 4, is open to all.
The independent think-tank says that the number of homes needed to tackle waiting lists will never be built by the private sector.

The Governments Rebuilding Ireland programme, launched in July, 2016, proposes that 47,000 social-housing units be delivered by 2021. While 26,000 units are to be built exclusively as social housing, the remainder are to be acquired or bought by local authorities and housing associations from the private sector and from other sources.
Sunday, September 3rd, 2017 (7:57 am) - Score 5,918

The Government has chosen a Sunday to announce that theyve committed 10m from a new fund to launch 6 local pilots of full fibre (FTTP/H) broadband / Ethernet networks, which aims to test innovative ways of using the service to connect businesses, homes and public sector sites.

The test is being funded by a pot of 200 million that was set aside during the Budget 2017 announcement in March (here), which at the time pledged to help fund a programme of local projects to test ways to accelerate market delivery of new full-fibre broadband networks (e.g. connection vouchers, aggregated demand schemes, opening access to existing public sector infrastructure).

Budget 2017 Extract Full-fibre broadband  Starting in 2017, the government will invest 200 million to fund a programme of local projects to test ways to accelerate market delivery of new full-fibre broadband networks. These will combine the following approaches:  bringing together local public sector customers, to create enough broadband demand to reduce the financial risk of building new full-fibre networks.  offering full-fibre broadband connection vouchers for businesses, to increase take-up of services where new networks are built through the programme.  directly connecting public sector buildings, such as schools and hospitals. This will bring fibre closer to more homes and businesses, allowing them to be connected.  opening up public sector assets, such as existing ducts, to allow fibre to be laid more cheaply.

The remaining 190 million is due to be spent by 2020-21 and how that money is invested will no doubt depend upon the outcome of the above pilots. Sadly we dont get a lot of detail about the pilots themselves, although we are at least told which areas they will occur in.

The 6 Pilots Areas * Aberdeen and Aberdeenshire

* West Sussex

* Coventry and Warwickshire

* Bristol and Bath & North East Somerset

* West Yorkshire and Greater Manchester

Its interesting to note that some providers already have 1Gbps capable networks serving public sector sites and businesses in some of these locations, such as Cityfibres deployment in Aberdeen (here). Not to mention that traditional leased lines are already deployed by many other networks in similar areas.

The fact that the pilots appear to be at least partly targeted at urban areas suggests that, due to EU State Aid rules, solutions related to connection vouchers may dominate. Using public money in urban areas is difficult because those usually arent places that are deemed to suffer from market failure or a lack of private investment, but vouchers are more targeted than a general network build and thus avoid some of the legal issues.

We should point out that the fund itself appears to be open to both urban and rural areas. The press release also mentions homes, although the language appears to be firmly focused on business and public sector sites.

Andrew Jones MP, Exchequer Secretary to the Treasury, said: How we live and work today is directly affected by how good our broadband connection is. Reliable connections enable new industries to flourish, help create jobs and give people flexibility in how and where they work. For our economy to thrive, it is vital we make smart investments to ensure our digital infrastructure is world class and fit for the future. Full fibre connections are the gold standard and we are proud to announce today the next step to get Britain better connected.

Matt Hancock MP, Digital Minister, said: We want to see more commercial investment in the gold standard connectivity that full fibre provides, and these innovative pilots will help create the right environment for this to happen. To keep Britain as the digital world leader that it is, we need to have the right infrastructure in place to allow us to keep up with the rapid advances in technology now and in the future.

In keeping with todays announcement the Government has also published a summary of responses to their related Call for Evidence on Extending Local Full Fibre Networks (here), which received 125 submissions from communications providers, local bodies and other interested parties. However this is a very general summary of opinions and doesnt really give us a lot of new information.

On top of that the Government has also published the outcome of a new study (here) into the impact of their earlier Connection Voucher Scheme on businesses across the UK. The scheme gobbled 81m+ of public funding and approved grants for 54,000+ SME businesses (15,000 in Greater London alone) across 50 UK city areas, enabling them to install a superfast broadband (30Mbps+) service via individual vouchers worth up to 3,000 (here).

Sadly the above scheme came to an end in October 2015, after the funding dried up (here), although naturally the Government are keen to highlight its successes and the aim will be to replicate or build on those. A similar voucher level of 3,000 is also likely for the new scheme, not least since the cost of FTTP/H deployments has come down since the original effort and related ISPs are becoming more common.

Key Findings of the Voucher Study

 42,500 small firms were able to substantially improve their internet connection: on average new services were 18 times faster.  The UK benefited by at least 8 for every 1 spent.  One in four firms employed an extra full time member of staff and each made an average of 1,300 more profit per annum, through being more efficient and effective, and providing more reliable and faster delivery of goods and services.  Over 6,000 firms pooled their voucher with others in group schemes to get ultrafast connections at guaranteed speeds in areas previously prohibitively expensive and at reduced ongoing costs.  The scheme encouraged competition and consumer choice with 87% of funding going to smaller suppliers providing specialised services (average voucher value of 2,304), while only 13% of the funding went to the top 3 of BT, Virgin Media and TalkTalk (average voucher value of 438).

We should point out that some local authorities already have various different broadband voucher schemes of their own, such as the 2.8m Connect Westminster project in London or the Ultrafast Connectivity Voucher scheme in Wales. Any future scheme will likely complement those, although so far weve been given no solid detail about how the new scheme will work but this should become clear once more info. has been released.

UPDATE 4th Sept 7:09am

Some of the initial feedback and coverage that weve seen appears to confirm that a number of the pilots will be adopting the voucher scheme approach and most likely at a similar level to the previous one (up to 3,000). Bristol, which is one of the pilot areas, seems to be expecting to launch a voucher scheme to help businesses and this will go live by early November 2017. West Yorkshire also has a similar ambition.

All of this is despite the Government officially saying that the scope of the pilot(s) has yet to be finalised. The vouchers will also be open to all sorts of different operators, which is good because as we said above there are plenty of 1Gbps capable FTTP/H alternatives to Openreach, albeit mostly in urban areas.
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.
CHIPPEWA FALLS  For the first time, Leinenkugels Original lager will be sold in all 50 states this fall.

The old-school, macro-style lager will make its national debut in the Leinies 12-bottle Fall Explorer sample pack, with three bottles each of Original, Leinenkugels Red, Oktoberfest and Anniversary Lager. Leinies Red lager is returning by popular request after a two-year and contentious hiatus. And Anniversary Lager is a collaboration with Hofbrau Munchen released this spring to commemorate the Chippewa Falls brewerys 150th birthday.

Original also has a tie to Leinies history; its modeled after Jacob Leinenkugels 1867 recipe.

It will be interesting to see what type of comments we get from our lovers across the nation, as they get Leinies Original in an area where they dont usually get it, said Dick Leinenkugel, president of Jacob Leinenkugel Brewing and the fifth generation of his family to helm the brewery. This is a way for us to give our fans, our Midwest transplants, the taste from here.

Leinenkugel said about 20,000 barrels  5,000 barrels of each beer  will be dedicated to the Fall Explorer sampler.

That will take us through the end of the year, he said.

All those beers, except Oktoberfest, are made exclusively in Chippewa Falls; some of the Oktoberfest brew is made in Milwaukee.

Leinenkugel said the lagers of the Fall Explorer Pack  and in particular Original, which is sold in Wisconsin and Minnesota  is part of the brewerys heritage that many nationwide may not associate with Leinenkugels.

Weve been doing a variety pack since the late 1990s, he said. Typically, we have a shandy beer in that pack. People know us for our Summer Shandy and Grapefruit Shandy, but they dont know we have the great lager-style beers.

While the sampler pack has been around for several years, this is the first time Original has been included.

The rollout of Oktoberfest last month spells the close of Summer Shandy season, and that beers last brew of 2017 has ended, Leinenkugel said.

We typically want that beer to be in market through Labor Day, he said. Well have a record year for Summer Shandy.

But winter will bring another new shandy from Leinenkugels, following the Watermelon Shandy that debuted this spring.

The Winter Explorer Pack will feature the new Pomegranate Shandy, which will join Creamy Dark, Northwoods Lager and Snowdrift Vanilla Porter. The latter beer, introduced in 2012, is also returning to six-packs as a winter seasonal this year after being available only in the Winter Explorer Pack last year.

The Eau Claire Leader-Telegram and Chris Drosner of the State Journal contributed to this report.
While it should come as no surprise that there were fried cheese curds aplenty, Taste of Madison also served up a variety of distinctive food options among its more than 80 booths on Saturday.

The annual food and music festival on Capitol Square, which continues Sunday, features vendors with different savory and sweet small plates from around the world. With prices topping out at $4, visitors can get a taste of chicken peanut stew from Buraka East African Cuisine, Venezuelan arepas from La Taguara or a Korean fusion taco from Bulgogi Korean Taco.

Bulgogi owner Sean Lee said he was inspired by a food truck he saw in California that was selling Korean food in tortillas.

I was like, Oh, that might be a good idea, Lee said. I have good kimchi recipe, and I got good bulgogi recipe, so I tried it out.

More than four years later, Lee still uses kimchi  fermented chilli peppers, cabbage and other vegetables  and bulgogi  thin, marinated slices of meat or tofu.

Taste of Madison is a prime opportunity for exposure, Lee said.

In Madison, theres no Korean taco. Were the only one, Lee said. We wanted people to try it out and see how they like it.

His business doesnt have a storefront, but Lee said he usually sells the tacos from his food cart on weekdays at Library Mall on UW-Madisons campus.

Just Bakery sold key lime cheesecake, turtle brownies and cranberry oatmeal walnut cookies, which may not be the most unique offers at Taste of Madison, but its business model may be.

Just Bakery is a job-training program through Madison Area Urban Ministry for people who were formerly incarcerated or are homeless.

We teach commercial baking, and twice a year we do a savory cooking skills (class), said program coordinator Carmella Glenn.

Students from the 16-week program have gone on to work in kitchens at UW Hospital and restaurants in the Food Fight group, and some students have gone on to culinary school, Glenn said.

Ninety-seven percent of the people that go to prison are going home, and theyre moving into our neighborhoods. So why not have them employed? Glenn said. Most people just want to take care of their families, and support their families and re-enter society.

The Just Bakery program is free to its participants, and since American Family Insurance sponsored the group at Taste of Madison, money raised will go back to the program.

Taste of Madison first-timers Emily Nelsen and Mckenzy Suhr tried a bite from several of the local options, looking to expand their culinary experiences. Their choices included sweet corn, chicken tikka masala and Native American wild rice.

Because of her gluten allergy, Nelsen also appreciated the wide array of gluten-free options.

(Youre) seeing a lot of booths that you have heard of and seen around Madison, but seeing a lot of them that you havent heard of, Nelsen said. And then you say, Oh, this looks like something that would be really cool to go to, wanna check it out?
David P. Ross, a state assistant attorney general, has been nominated for a role within the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.

Currently acting as the director for the Wisconsin Department of Justice's environmental protection unit, Ross has been nominated by President Donald Trump to become an assistant administrator of the EPA's Office of Water.

Ross joined the state DOJ in 2016. He returned to his home state after working at the Wyoming Attorney General's Office.

"Wisconsin will lose a great environmental specialist when Dave departs, but I'm thrilled the entire nation will benefit from Dave's breadth and depth of knowledge and experience," state Attorney General Brad Schimel said in a statement.

Ross went to UW-Madison for an undergraduate degree and earned a law degree with a focus on environmental law at the Vermont Law School.

He replaced Thomas Dawson last year as the director of the DOJ's environmental protection unit, which Dawson had led since 2003.

Cathy Stepp, secretary of the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources, is also leaving her state job to join the EPA.
Talon Healthy IT Services has added a second call center in Waukesha, Wisconsin to its network. The new call center will allow parallel operations with the existing call center in Winston-Salem to provide interruption proof service to its clients throughout the country.

J. Dennis Bailey, a partner at Wall Babcock LLP, has been recognized by Best Lawyers as the 2018 Lawyer of the Year for Personal Injury Litigation  Defendants in the Winston-Salem/Greensboro metropolitan area. He received a J.D. degree from the Wake Forest University School of Law in 1985 and a B.A. degree in philosophy/religion from Elon College in 1982. Bailey was also recognized by Best Lawyers as Lawyer of the Year in 2016 and 2012.

R. Michael Wells, a senior partner of Wells Law, PLLC, has been selected by his peers for inclusion in The Best Lawyers in America for Trusts and Estates and Personal Injury Litigation  Plaintiffs. Wells is also AV Preeminent Peer Review rated by Martindale Hubbell.

Eric Aft has been named the chief operating officer at Second Harvest Food Bank of Northwest, a transitional position established in advance of the planned retirement of CEO Clyde W. Fitzgerald, Jr. in June 2018. Prior to joining Second Harvest, he was the director of development at Wake Forest University and was chief operating officer at the United Way of Forsyth County from 2004 to 2016. Aft holds a masters degree in health administration from the University of South Carolina.

Randy and Marcy Weavil have opened the Barn at Zenfield as an event center to celebrate special occasions. The barn was built in the late 1920s by Zennie Weavil, Randy Weavils grandfather. The Weavils renovated the barn and also built a fireplace behind it.

Christopher Cook, the owner of Alliance Insurance Services, has purchased Professional Insurance, Inc. of Mount Airy. Alliance Insurance Services, Inc. has offices in Surry, Stokes and Forsyth counties.

Tom Brown, has been named the vice president of programs at the Kate B. Reynolds Charitable Trust. He will oversee two program areas, Health Improvement in North Carolina and Local Impact in Forsyth County. Prior to joining the trust, he was the senior corporate grant writer at the Novant Health Foundation. Brown also served as special assistant to Chancellor Alex Ewing while at the UNC School of the Arts where he was instrumental in the creation of the School of Filmmaking and the establishment of the schools Summer Institute on Roanoke Island.

Alison Elster has joined the Kate B. Reynolds Charitable Trust as program coordinator. She is the first point of contact for organizations that are seeking to apply for grants. Elster also provides administrative and communications support for the program team and for the trusts two major long-term special initiatives: Healthy Places NC and Great Expectations. Prior to joining the Trust, Elster served as the development assistant at Guilford Child Development, where she managed food pantry operations, established and maintained a new volunteer and intern program, and assisted with fundraising and events. She received her undergraduate education at High Point University. Elster earned a Bachelor of Arts in Elementary Education from High Point University and a Masters of Public Affairs with a concentration in nonprofit management from UNC Greensboro.
RALEIGH  The conversation between Matthew James Phelps and the 911 dispatcher he phoned just after 1:10 a.m. Friday sounded almost clinical.

Phelps gives the dispatcher his address, name and phone number.

Dispatcher: Tell me exactly what happened.

Phelps: I think I killed my ... 

Raleigh police charged Phelps, 29, with murder a little after 6 a.m. Friday, said police spokeswoman Laura Hourigan, after finding his wife, Lauren Ashley-Nicole Phelps, also 29, mortally stabbed at the townhouse.

The couple had been married less than a year, according to their Facebook pages.

On the 911 call, the dispatcher asked Phelps had happened.

Phelps: I had a dream and then I turned on the lights and shes dead on the floor.

Dispatcher: How? How? How?

Phelps: Theres blood all over me, and theres a bloody knife on the bed. I think I did it.

I cant believe I did this, Phelps said later. I cant believe I did this.

Phelps told the dispatcher his wife was not breathing and that he did not know whether she was beyond help because he was scared to get close to her.

Phelps said he had taken cold medicine before going to sleep and that he did not know what time it was.

I took more medicine that I should have. I took Coricidin Cough and Cold because I know it can make you feel good and sometimes I cant sleep at night.

Phelps later told the dispatcher the blood he had on him was dried.

Oh my God, Phelps said. Oh God. She didnt deserve this. Why?

Police transported Phelps to the Wake County jail. He is being held without benefit of bail, a jail spokesman said Friday afternoon.
RALEIGH  About 30 percent of North Carolinas 6.8 million registered voters are Republicans. So how in the world do Republicans ever win election in the Tarheel State?

Be careful how you answer that question. GOP candidates have done quite well in recent election cycles. Yes, Republican margins in the North Carolina House and Senate are padded by favorable district maps. But theyve still won a majority of the statewide vote for legislature in every election since 2010. By contrast, during the previous decades, Democrats often won seat majorities despite losing the popular vote for legislature statewide. Republicans also hold a majority on the Council of State, composed of executives elected statewide, as well as on the state court of appeals.

Obviously, GOP candidates cant win with registered Republicans alone. They have to get other voters to cross over. So do state Democrats, who make up 39 percent of the electorate. Almost all the remaining voters are registered as unaffiliated, with about half a percentage point consisting of registered Libertarians.

To say that 30 percent of North Carolina voters are unaffiliated is not, however, to say that 30 percent of North Carolina voters begin each election as truly undecided and then swing to one or the other major party. Careful studies of voting behavior identify only about 10 percent to 15 percent of the electorate as true swing voters in todays polarized politics.

A new survey commissioned by the Civitas Institute of unaffiliated voters in North Carolina offers additional support for this model of the electorate. Of its random sample of 400 unaffiliated voters, about a third said they identified more with the Republican Party than the Democrats, a comparable percentage opted for Democrat over Republican, and the remaining third were truly independent of party preference.

Those fully up-for-grabs independents, then, constitute about a tenth of the North Carolina electorate. Add a few points of registered Democrats and Republicans who arent strongly committed to their parties anymore, and you have a reasonable estimate of the swing-voter population in an average election.

Democratic registration has been falling for many years, with Republican registration roughly flat and unaffiliated registration way up. Nevertheless, Democrats still outnumber Republicans. The latter have to win a sizable majority of unaffiliated and mildly Democratic voters in order to be competitive.

We know its quite possible to do that, since Republicans have won many (although clearly not all) statewide contests in recent cycles. One reason is that unaffiliated voters, on a whole, are somewhat more amenable to Republican messages than they are to Democratic ones.

Again citing the Civitas poll, unaffiliated voters are more likely to identify as conservative than as liberal, are much more likely to identify as fiscally conservative rather than as fiscally liberal, live mostly in suburban and rural areas, favor capital punishment, overwhelmingly favor either outright or partial repeal of Obamacare, and overwhelmingly favor a photo-ID requirement to vote.

On the other hand, unaffiliated voters are more split when it comes to social issues such as abortion. And at present, they are souring on the Republican Party as a brand. They disapprove of President Donald Trumps job performance by a 53 percent to 43 percent margin, while approving of Democratic Gov. Roy Coopers job performance by 56 percent to 27 percent. Their favorability ratings of the Democratic Party are mixed. Their ratings of the Republican Party are not, at 28 percent favorable to 50 percent unfavorable.

This is probably a Trump phenomenon, not a larger, lasting realignment. The 2018 midterms also remain quite a ways off. In 2013, for example, a comparable Civitas poll of unaffiliated voters had Democrats up 10 percentage points over Republicans in the generic ballot for legislature. As we know, that edge didnt stick through 2014. On the other hand, that cycle occurred under a somewhat-unpopular Democratic president. The 2018 cycle may well occur under a more-unpopular Republican one.

Id describe the surveys findings as good news for Democrats  with the usual admonition against counting unhatched chickens.
Nancy Zieman, the host and co-producer of Sewing With Nancy, is retiring from the long-running television program due to serious health complications.

Since 1982, Zieman has been a constant TV presence with her nationally broadcast Wisconsin Public Television show aimed at quilting and sewing enthusiasts. But in July, the 64-year-old Zieman found out that cancer she had been previously diagnosed with had spread to other parts of her body and could not be treated.

It was a devastating day, realizing that my life and my career, as I had known it, would end, Zieman said in a blog Saturday.

Zieman, who lives in Beaver Dam, was diagnosed with osteosarcoma, a bone cancer, and breast cancer in 2015. She continued to work on her show while going through surgical, chemical and radiation treatment.

But additional treatment would not be helpful now, she said.

It is not easy to say goodbye, especially since the terms were totally unexpected. I have learned during these past weeks to concentrate on my faith, she said. I am finding great peace today, knowing that I can thank you for your many years of dedication, viewership, and friendship.

Sewing With Nancy, which airs Saturday mornings, is in its 36th season. Zieman recorded 15 new episodes for the current season before her diagnosis in July. A total of 910 shows have been recorded throughout its run.

Over the past few weeks, Zieman said she has been working on how to wrap up the show. She is also looking to continue the annual Quilt Expo she sponsors with Wisconsin Public Television. This years expo will be held Thursday through Saturday at the Alliant Energy Center.

The television personality got her start after founding the mail-order business Nancys Notions for sewing supplies.

So, with a heavy, yet humble heart, I thank you and say goodbye, Zieman said.
Correspondent of the week

KATIE SONNEN-LEE, Winston-Salem

Safety and equality

Following the hateful events in the last few weeks, I reaffirm my support for the right of all people to live in peace and be free of the fear of violence. We must all vehemently denounce the philosophies and actions of white supremacy and other hate groups. Black or white, rich or poor, no matter who you love or who you are, we all have the right to safety and equality  in Forsyth County, in North Carolina and in the United States.

I recognize the right of protected free speech in America but do not believe this right should be used to intentionally incite fear in our neighbors and community. The actions in Charlottesville and elsewhere are exactly that  from the deliberately threatening display of torches and firearms to the white supremacist chants in the city streets and parks. This was, simply put, domestic terrorism, and it is undeniably wrong.

While the government cannot limit free speech even when hateful, those of us who hear it must exercise our right to combat it with our own words and actions. The inhabitants of this nation decide the morality America will fight for by speaking out and standing up for our beliefs and our neighbors. We cannot let this hate be the loudest voice.

The diversity of America enriches and strengthens our country, and we must continue to work for the social and economic well-being of all those who call America home.

RICHARD MERLO, Elkin

Self-initiative

African-American thinkers such as columnist Thomas Sowell say federal subsidies have hurt African-Americans. Theyve also hurt poor whites, crippling their self-initiative.

On the part of African-Americans, continued subsides seem tied to continued atonement for slavery. That begs the question: How long must atonement continue? How long must we apologize for something that happened before we were born?

***

LELAND STOAT, Winston-Salem

Campaign promise

President Trump ran on the alluring promise of building a ridiculous, costly border wall with Mexico, more symbolic than practical, considering the existence of tunnels and ladders, and forcing Mexico to pay for it.

Now hes threatening to shut down the government unless Congress promises to force American taxpayers to foot the bill.

Ladies and gentlemen, the president of the United States. Arent you proud?

***

CRAIG SCHAUB, Winston-Salem

The new district maps

It felt anything but accidental on Aug. 22 that participating in state hearings for newly proposed General Assembly district maps mirrored what we have experienced these last years as North Carolina voters. Like partisan-drawn, unconstitutional districts, we were packed and cracked at the hearings. Those of us who participated in the hearings were crammed into small rooms, sent to overflow spaces with poor technology and given maps without the essential data used to draw them.

We waited and waited to share our voices. At the Guilford Community College site, only two of us were heard in the first 95 minutes of the hearings. Just as we have waited and waited these last years for some equitable resolution to racist gerrymandering.

There was an efficiency gap in transitions from one of the seven state hearing sites to the next almost as great as the efficiency gap in the latest proposal. The Campaign Legal Center analysis indicates that GOP candidates for the North Carolina House, in the newly drawn districts, would need a statewide count of 45.7 percent to achieve a majority, compared to a 55 percent vote count for Democrats to achieve the same. In the North Carolina Senate, the gap is 46.15 percent for the GOP compared to 55.15 percent for Democrats.

The charade of the hearings mirrors the charade of the entire redistricting process. We will continue to be packed and cracked until the judiciary finds an equitable solution.

JOHN MYRACLE, Pfafftown

Fair representation

Redistricting is about fair representation of the public in our state legislature.

In the past, both Democrats and Republicans, when in power, have created districts to the unfair advantage of their partys constituents. It is time the districts become a vessel of fair representation of the will of the people of our great state.

All we want is a true representative government of and for the people of our state. All I ask of our legislators is to make history. Do the right thing for all the people of North Carolina.

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.
This year's Nov. 8 election didn't present any unforeseen outcomes, at least as it pertains to Dorchester County Council races. However, the competition between Republican Rita May Ranck and Democrat Carlisle Harrison was one of the more thrilling ones in the State, as the latter temporarily Read moreNewly elected Councilmember Rita May Ranck ready to 'work' and 'listen'
"If it happened in Kenya, it can happen in Zimbabwe as well," Zimbabwe's opposition leader Morgan Tsvangirai told thousands of supporters at a rally on Saturday.Tsvangirai, the leader of the Movement for Democratic Change (MDC), has made three failed attempts at the Zimbabwean presidency, losing all of them to President Robert Mugabe, who has kept an iron grip on the country since 1980.Elections in Zimbabwe have been marred by violence, intimidation and charges of electoral fraud. "This is an unprecedented decision in the whole of Africa and I think it's a good step towards democracy," Tsvangirai said. On Friday, Kenya's Supreme Court cancelled the results of the August 8 election, which kept President Uhuru Kenyatta in office, over widespread irregularities. The country now has until October 31 to hold a new election. "Kenyan judges have just given an extraordinary lesson to Africa and to the world," said Burundi's opposition leader Charles Nditije.Burundi has been in the grip of a political crisis since April 2015, when President Pierre Nkurunziza announced his intention to run for a third term. He won elections that July that were boycotted by the opposition, who branded the vote a violation of the constitution.Nditije, who heads main opposition group CNARED, said the Kenya decision stands in stark contrast to the "cowardice" shown by Burundi's Constitutional Court, which cleared Nkurunziza's re-election bid. Kenya's Supreme Court is "a model of independence for the judiciary to follow," Nditije said. The Burundian government, for its part, qualified the Kenya decision as a "lesson" for those who criticised the country's Constitutional Court for allowing Nkurunziza to run for a third term.

- 'Be independent' -

In Uganda, ruled since 1986 by President Yoweri Museveni, the main opposition leader Kizza Besigye applauded the Kenya decision. "This is unprecedented in Africa," Besigye told AFP. Besigye faced arrest before, during and after the February 2016 presidential election, coming second to Museveni in the controversial vote.Museveni, who has ruled the east African nation for 31 years, won in the first round with more than 60 percent of the votes, but foreign monitors said the election was held in an atmosphere of intimidation.Besigye said Museveni's victory came through cheating and fraud."The Ugandan judiciary should learn from their counterparts in Kenya, to be independent," Besigye said. "I doubt if the same would have taken place in Uganda". In Gabon, the office of opposition leader Jean Ping said in a statement that the Kenya decision was "normal". "The Kenyan case is simply normal, while Gabon is not," Ping's spokesman Jean-Gaspard Ntoutoume Ayi said.Ping, a 74-year-old career diplomat, was narrowly defeated by incumbent Ali Bongo in presidential elections last August.Gabon's Constitutional Court ruled that Bongo won 50.66 percent of the vote and Ping 47.24 percent, leading the opposition leader to accuse the administration of electoral fraud.The court rejected Ping's bid for a recount, upholding Bongo's victory, obtained by a winning margin of around 11,000 votes. For the Bongo government, the Kenyan ruling "is proof that it is the country's institutions that determine the electoral process and not international observers".

- 'Encouraging' for opposition -

"If a Supreme Court goes through the effort of cancelling rigged elections, I think that electoral commissions charged with organising elections will now pay more attention to the risk of seeming to be sanctioned by a higher institution," former Guinean prime minister Cellou Dalein Diallo said.Diallo has accused President Alpha Conde of electoral fraud and said he had "stolen" two presidential elections held in 2010 and 2015. Diallo hopes the Kenya ruling will inspire other courts charged with treating electoral disputes in Africa. In Tanzania, opposition lawmaker Zitto Kabwe called for amending the constitution: "Kenya has set the bar higher. Tanzania needs a new constitution" so there is a way to challenge an election before a court.And in Rwanda -- where President Paul Kagame was re-elected for a third term last month with nearly 99 percent of the vote -- opposition leader Frank Habineza said the Kenya ruling was "very encouraging for the opposition in Africa"."The independence of the justice system is important on this continent, and it helps to avoid other destructive choices such as setting up armed rebel groups and violent demonstrations," he said.
About 38 years ago, a recruiter from the American Legion came to Army veteran Denise Rohans door in Marshall, wanting to speak to her husband, who was also a veteran.

Rohan, who now lives in Verona with her husband, Mike, told the recruiter she was also eligible for Legion membership. But he suggested she instead look into the American Legion Auxiliary, made up of women whose relatives served in the military during wartime.

While proud to be a military wife, Rohan said, she also had every right to join the Legion. In August, Rohan, 61, became the Legions national commander, overseeing its more than 2 million members who advocate for patriotism, mentor youth and sponsor community programs.

She is the first woman elected to the position in the Legions 98-year history.

The Legion was chartered in 1919 by Congress as a national veterans organization that includes all veterans who served during any period of war, regardless of race, creed or gender. Rohan said she brings a different perspective to the organization, which will help bolster its inclusivity.

Its always been interesting to me that women were able to vote for the national commander of the American Legion before they could vote for president, Rohan said. The 19th Amendment allowing women the right to vote wasnt passed until a year later.

Rohan said shes not the only woman who felt pushed aside by the Legion  other female veterans told her they didnt feel welcomed  but Rohan urged those women to reach out to the Legion again because they may find the organization has a different attitude.

I represent all veterans, male and female, Rohan said. Everyone in basic training learns to have each others backs. You become brothers and sisters.

Family first

Over the two-year vetting and campaign process, Rohan ran on a family-first platform. She said it is important to her that veterans and their entire families are supported through the Legion  both emotionally and monetarily  which is why she continues to focus fundraising efforts on the Legions Temporary Financial Assistance program, which awards cash grants to minor children of veterans who are eligible for membership. The grants help families in need meet the cost of basic necessities and provide better home stability for families.

There are still many families of active-duty military personnel at home and overseas who could use the Legions help, Rohan said. The United States has been at war since the Gulf War began on Aug. 2, 1990, through the continuing War on Terror, Legions membership eligibility states.

Family has always been important to Rohan. It was her parents teachings that led her on a successful path in life, she said, both during her two years in the Army and her career at UW-Madison as assistant bursar of student loans until her retirement in 2012.

My parents always told me I could be or do anything I wanted to do as long as I worked hard, she said.

Campaigning was hard work for Rohan. It involved a lot of travel and new tasks at the Legion over the two years, including working as the chair of the Veterans Employment and Education Commission and consultant to the Legislative Division. Rohan said she appreciated the opportunity to gather knowledge about every aspect of the Legion.

They gave me a job, and I did it, and I learned everything I could along the way, Rohan said.

As part of her campaign for national commander, Rohan visited every state except Hawaii, as well as Washington, D.C., and Puerto Rico. She spoke to veterans and Legionnaires everywhere she went and listened to their specific needs, which opened her eyes to the unique and diverse needs of individual veterans, Rohan said.

One of the most prominent issues in the Department of Veterans Affairs is the state of its health system. For years, the VA has battled reports of months-long wait-lists for care, insufficient staffing and deteriorating facilities.

Rohan said she sees hope for the future of veterans affairs, saying things are slowly being corrected. She cited the signing of the Veterans Appeals Improvement and Modernization Act, which is intended to speed up disability appeals for veterans.

Rohan said she hopes the Legion will reach out more to the community to teach others about the military, its history and what it means to be a veteran. As national commander, she is asking Legion posts around the country to open their doors and host community events on Veterans Day, Nov. 11, as a way to change peoples opinion about the organization.

A lot of people think of the American Legion as just a building down the street where old people go, Rohan said. By inviting the community into our post homes, they can see who we are and what we do.

Rohan will serve one year  the term limit for national commanders  during which she will direct lobbying priorities for the Legion, promote service and fundraising and speak before congressional committees on veterans affairs.
The highlight of the week was undoubtedly Fridays decision by the Supreme Court of Kenya to invalidate the August 8 presidential election, a first in Africa. Kenyas media hailed the decision which, as said by daily newspaper The Star, "will reverberate for years to come in Kenya and around the continent". This is all the more so since President-elect Uhuru Kenyatta has accepted the decision, even if he launched a sharp verbal attack on the Court.

Representatives of opposition parties in Africa have also hailed the decision, including in Zimbabwe, Guinea and Mali. The decision of the Kenyan Supreme Court is a historic act, and it is also a strong sign of democratic culture taking root in Africa, said Guinean civil society leader Abdourahmane Sanoh, president of the National Platform of Citizens United for Development. Analysing the results along with recent events in Mauritania (constitutional referendum boycotted by part of the opposition in early August) and Mali (where President Ibrahim Boubacar Keita has suspended a referendum under pressure from the opposition), we can say that something fundamental is happening on our continent, because this example will set a precedent.

It remains to be seen if Kenya will be able to organize a new election within 60 days under a contested electoral commission in a tense and violent political climate. Previous presidential elections in 2007 led to a wave of violence and to the indictment of President Kenyatta and Deputy President William Ruto by the International Criminal Court. The ICC finally dropped the case, but Kenyans, whilst hailing this victory for rule of law, fear fresh trouble.

As Kenyan daily The Standard wrote: "What Kenya needs most now is an election conducted in a legal, fair and transparent manner." That is not yet certain.

Gambia and Tunisia

Another possible step forward for rule of law in Africa would be prosecution of Gambias former dictator Yahya Jammeh, a goal of renowned American lawyer Reed Brody. He is now assisting the victims of Jammeh, who ruled Gambia with an iron fist 22 years. Jammeh is now in exile in Equatorial Guinea, a country also ruled by a dictator , but Brody, whose work brought the conviction of Chadian dictator Hissene Habre by an African Court in 2016, explains: We showed in the Habre case, however, that when the victims tell their stories and make their cry for justice heard, they can create the political conditions even for African states to prosecute a former African leader.

Im obviously in favour of Jammeh being tried in his own country in the interests of the victims and Gambian society, not in a far off place like The Hague, and not by prosecutors and judges unaccountable to the victims and the Gambian people, Brody continues, even if he recognizes that Gambia is not yet ready to try its former dictator.

Finally, there may be new hope for womens rights in Tunisia, where President Beji Caied Essebsi says he wants to introduce real equality between men and women. Tunisia, last bastion of the Arab Spring and pioneer of transitional justice, has since 1956 and Bourguiba been ahead of other Muslim countries in this domain. But Tunisian women still suffer discrimination with regard to inheritance and marriage rights. The Presidents initiative has provoked a big, impassioned debate that has gone beyond our borders into the whole Arab region, writes our Tunisia correspondent Olfa Belhassine. This is another sign that `the status of women is at the heart of the questions that the Arab world is asking about itself, its identity and its relation to the wider world`, as historian Sophie Bessis writes.
Labor Day is celebrated to recognize the important contributions that U.S. workers make to the economic prosperity of America. But at the same time, it provides an opportunity to reflect on the declining relevance of organized labor to the success of our workers.

A century ago, unions played an important role in the labor movement by boosting workers wages, improving working conditions and giving workers a voice in the workplace. Unions were relevant then because organized labor provided a platform by which workers could better negotiate these issues with employers. But unions are increasingly unable to address the challenges that workers face in the 21st century.

When manufacturing employment started to decline in the late 1970s, due primarily to technological advances and automation and to a lesser degree globalization, workers did not flock to unions to shield them against these changes. In fact, union membership started to decline concurrently with the decline in manufacturing employment. In 1983, 16.8 percent of workers were part of a private-sector union  today that share has shrunk to an all-time low of only 6.4 percent. Over that period, manufacturing employment declined from 18 million to only about 12 million factory workers today.

While unions cannot be blamed for the job losses that have occurred due to technological advances and offshoring, in many ways unions made matters worse for companies facing those changing global forces. Typically, union wage premiums arise because unions negotiate compensation packages that are artificially above market compensation levels. For firms facing global competition, unions raise their employers labor costs and make them less competitive. This hastened the outsourcing of production overseas to take advantage of lower manufacturing labor costs in other countries.

Therefore, its important to recognize the hidden costs of union wage premiums. In the short run, unionized workers enjoy compensation packages that are above market levels. But in the long run, those wages reduce the profitability of their employers, and investment in the global economy will move away from companies with such high costs and low profitability.

For example, the Detroit automakers have consistently lost market share to foreign-based automakers in the United States, including Toyota, Volkswagen and Nissan. While the Big Three (GM, Ford and Chrysler) once had a 90 percent market share of U.S. vehicle sales in the 1960s, their market share slipped below 50 percent about a decade ago, and it now stands at only 45 percent.

Theres no question that union wages along with burdensome union work rules contributed to the decline of the Big Threes competitiveness and those automakers shrinking market share.

The shift away from organized labor is also apparent in the adoption of right-to-work laws in states across the country. Today, more than half of U.S. states (28) have passed these laws that affirm the right of Americans to work without being forced to join a union. Research suggests that companies are much more likely to set up production in states with these laws.

Foreign automakers like Toyota, Nissan, Volkswagen, BMW and Mercedes have almost exclusively located their U.S. plants in right-to-work states like Alabama, Mississippi, Georgia, Texas and Tennessee to take advantage of the greater flexibility in labor costs and work rules.

Understandably, business-friendly right-to-work states attract more investment and create more jobs. For example, a recent analysis of Bureau of Labor Statistics data from 2006 to 2016 revealed that overall employment grew by 8.1 percent in the states with right-to-work laws on the books in 2006 compared to employment growth of only 3.5 percent in compulsory union states.

The decline in unions also reflects the shift toward service-sector work. According to BLS projections, the 30 fastest growing occupations between 2014 and 2024 will be in the service economy  in professional, technical, medical and managerial fields that increasingly employ workers like web developers, computer technicians, physical therapists, nurse practitioners and financial advisers.

A one-size-fits-all union-type compensation contract with pay determined mostly by seniority and not merit is no longer desirable or relevant for the workers of the 21st century. Americas workers today are increasingly competing in a highly globalized economy and labor market, and they are no longer are best served by union representation that ignores individual effort and merit-based compensation.

The verdict is clear. In todays high-tech, service and knowledge-based global economy, collective bargaining and unions dont make sense as they once did in the manufacturing-based economy of the 1960s. For workers to rise up to the challenge of performing todays jobs and to enjoy wage gains, investing in skills training and education is a far better path forward than paying union dues to be represented by outdated organizations that will become increasingly irrelevant in the workplaces of the future.
This is the time of year when streets in college towns across the nation are packed with older coeds dragging thrift-store furniture into humble lodgings as wide-eyed, first-year students nervously search for their dormitories.

For many, theyre embarking on or continuing a journey of at least four years that requires early-morning lectures, late-night study sessions and stress-inducing examinations. Some will endure a period of significant financial discomfort, their studies and social lives fueled by ramen noodles, energy drinks and cheap beer.

For what?

Many seek in higher education a fresh start. For others its an opportunity to mature and become independent. Some seek a broad educational experience, to learn in areas that ultimately may not prove directly applicable to their future careers.

But for most, earnings potential is a factor. To help quantify this issue, PayScale recently released its 2017-18 College Salary Report. The company, which specializes in compensation data and software, surveyed 2.3 million graduates of more than 2,700 colleges and universities to create the report. Respondents were asked their pay, major, highest degree earned, and associate or bachelors degree school name.

The PayScale study ranked schools by their early-career pay (median salary with zero to five years of experience) and mid-career pay (median salary for alumni with 10-plus years of experience).

Nationally, the top three were California engineering school Harvey Mudd College ($81,000 early-career; $155,800 mid-career), Princeton University ($69,800; $147,800) and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology ($81,500; $147,000). Twenty of the top 50 were located in California or New York.

PayScale also listed the best colleges in salary potential by state. In Wisconsin, the private Milwaukee School of Engineering was No. 1, with early-career pay of $63,400 and mid-career pay of $106,900. Marquette University ($54,300; $103,100), UW-Madison ($53,400; $98,400) and Lawrence University ($47,000; $95,100) rounded out the top four.

Other institutions of higher learning fared well in the report  UW-Eau Claire was No. 7 ($49,100; $87,500) and UW-Stout was No. 10 ($48,000; $84,500). Thats out of 33 schools in Wisconsin.

The private school Carleton College topped the list in Minnesota ($53,800; $113,800), while Chippewa Valley Technical College ($40,800; $56,100) was among the best community and career colleges in Wisconsin by salary potential.

The PayScale report also broke down majors by salary potential. The top five bachelors degrees in mid-career pay were petroleum engineering ($175,500), actuarial mathematics ($131,700), actuarial science ($130,800), nuclear engineering ($127,500) and chemical engineering ($124,500). Among associate degrees, they were instrumentation technology ($92,500), radiation therapy ($87,500), management information systems ($78,800), nuclear medicine technology ($74,600) and construction management ($73,400).

However, the study was about more than just compensation. It also asked respondents whether their work makes the world a better place. A comparatively high number of CVTC graduates who replied, 61 percent, said it does. Majors in which at least 90 percent of respondents said yes to this question were pastoral ministry, medical laboratory science, music therapy, counseling, diagnostic medical sonography, occupational therapy and physical therapy.

Regardless of ones motivation or major, studies continue to show that a college degree does pay off. CNN Money cited a report by The College Board this year that found it takes 12 years to recoup the cost of getting your bachelors degree. An average graduate will have earned enough to repay the cost for the degree and make up for time out of the workforce by the age of 34.

So good luck both to area students attending college for the first time this fall and those continuing their studies.

College may not be for everyone, but it often pays dividends for those who choose that path.
President Donald Trump, with first lady Melania Trump with him, responds, "We'll see," as he is asked a question about attacking North Korea after the Trump's attended services at St. John's Church in Washington, Sunday, Sept. 3, 2017. The president last week named today a National Day of Prayer for victims of Hurricane Harvey. (AP Photo/Susan Walsh)
A man struggles to walk as another listens while lying on a couch during a meeting of the B.C. Association of People on Methadone in the Downtown Eastside of Vancouver, B.C., on Wednesday August 30, 2017. Drug users trying to quit heroin are gathered for a meeting in Vancouver with one mission in mind: to support each other through the struggles of a reformulated treatment drug they say hasn't worked and has instead contributed to the opioid epidemic. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Darryl Dyck
In this Thursday, March 30, 2017, file photo, opposition leader of the Cambodia National Rescue Party Kem Sokha prays during a Buddhist ceremony to mark the 20th anniversary of the attack on anti-government protesters in 1997, in Phnom Penh, Cambodia. Police have arrested the Kem in a surprise raid on his home early Sunday, Sept. 3, 2017. The government issued a statement accusing Kem Sokha of treason, saying he conspired with foreign powers against Cambodia. (AP Photo/Heng Sinith, File)
President Donald Trump talks with Rev. D. Andrew Olivo as he arrives to attend church at St. John's Church in Washington, Sunday, Sept. 3, 2017. The president last week named today a National Day of Prayer for victims of Hurricane Harvey. (AP Photo/Susan Walsh)
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. 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.
The first step in thinking through a problem is to ask whether its a problem at all. Problems without solutions, the saying goes, arent problems. Theyre facts.

Some people argue that a nuclear-armed North Korea is less of a problem and more of a fact. Murderous doughboy Kim Jong Un will never give up his nuclear toys. And lets face it: He would be stupid to. Perhaps the one true lesson of the last half-century of geopolitics is that the only way ambitious criminal regimes can protect themselves from outside threats is to have a nuclear deterrent. That was probably one of the last thoughts to go through Muammar Gadhafis mind before the Libyan dictator was killed by a U.N.-backed mob.

Advocates of more strategic patience argue that we should just accept a nuclear-armed North Korea and rely on the time-tested policy of nuclear deterrence.

Its not a bad argument, but it has problems. Nuclear weapons have uses other than simply laying waste to cities. The chief one, as I already mentioned, is they take regime change off the table forever. Hence North Koreas primary demand: permanent recognition of the illegitimate regimes legitimacy.

Nukes also provide all manner of maneuvering room. For instance, Iran, another country with a horrible government, wants a nuclear arsenal very badly. While the Israelis are worried  for understandable reasons  that the Iranians might one day use it against Israel, thats not the only reason it would be bad for Iran to have the bomb. Iran wants to be a regional hegemon able to meddle far beyond its own borders. Having nukes makes that much easier because it raises the stakes of any military confrontation.

North Korea, the so-called Hermit Kingdom, does not have any territorial ambitions, nor is it much interested in interacting with the rest of the world. The regimes existence depends on keeping the population ignorant of just how terrible they have it compared with nearly every other country in the world.

But the North Korean regime is best understood as a monarchy that operates a criminal enterprise. It makes much of its money through counterfeiting, sex and drug trafficking, and numerous other schemes.

Among its biggest profit centers is extortion from the international community. For 25 years it has been taking bribes to delay its nuclear program, as President Trump rightly noted on Twitter recently. And, obviously, the regime lied every time.

North Korea has also exported nuclear and missile technology to rogue nations such as Iran and Syria. Who really thinks that Kim will give up his business model?

If it were easy, the wisest course of policy would be to decapitate the North Korean regime. But that wouldnt be easy at all. A conventional war would be over relatively quickly  so long as China stayed out of it  but not quickly enough to prevent the destruction of South Koreas capital and the deaths of millions of people, including thousands of Americans.

Another widely discussed solution would be to induce China to overthrow the regime and install a puppet government. China could probably do it relatively easily. It surely has lots of North Korean generals on the payroll already.

But there are problems with this, too. China would demand a high price: total removal of American forces in South Korea and a tacit acknowledgement that China is the uncontested hegemon of the region. Such a grand bargain would effectively transfer Americas dominance to China, Hoover Institution scholar Michael Auslin writes in the Los Angeles Times. No matter how the White House spun such a deal, world leaders would infer that the U.S. had gone hat in hand to China.

The impact on South Korean politics, never mind Japans, would be tumultuous at best.

So what to do? Well, the first thing is to recognize that there are no good solutions. But perhaps the least bad option would be to openly declare that America already considers the North Korean regime to be Chinas puppet, and that North Korean misdeeds are really Chinese misdeeds.

That would come at a price, too. But it would incentivize China either to rein in the North Korean regime or, eventually, get rid of it.

Jonah Goldberg is a senior editor of National Review. You can email him at goldbergcolumn@gmail.com, or via Twitter @JonahNRO.
(Please see table at bottom, corrected to comply with an official correction from Lipper)

By Trevor Hunnicutt

NEW YORK, Aug 31 (Reuters) - U.S. fund investors regained their risk appetite during the latest week, draining money market funds and pouring their cash into stocks after six straight weeks of withdrawals.

Stock exchange-traded funds in the United States attracted $9.2 billion during the week ended Aug. 30, the most since June, according to Lipper data on Thursday.

That more than offset the $3.1 billion that bled from equity mutual funds in the same period, the research service said. Mutual funds are heavily favored by retail investors, while ETFs draw a diverse set of clients, including fast-trading hedge funds.

Tom Roseen, head of research services for Thomson Reuters' Lipper unit, said there is plenty to worry about with ongoing conflict between North Korea and the United States as well as "lofty" U.S. stock prices. Yet the global economy looks good.

"People were a little bit more aggressive," Roseen said of ETF investors. "They were just focused on the good news."

Funds focused on domestic shares pulled in $3.9 billion, the most since June. Internationally focused equity funds pulled in $2.2 billion, the most since July, Lipper said.

Money market funds, which have pulled in tens of billions this summer as calm markets turned turbulent, posted $19.9 billion in withdrawals during the latest week, the data showed.

But Roseen said uncertainty is keeping demand up for some safe-haven investments. Gold is trading at $1,321 an ounce, up nearly 9 percent from early July.

Precious metals commodities funds, which invest directly in gold and other similar assets, pulled in $766 million in their largest week of inflows since June. The VanEck Vectors Gold Miners ETF pulled in $213 million, the most since March. That fund buys shares in companies that produce bullion.

The following is a breakdown of the flows for the week, including mutual funds and exchange-traded funds:

Sector Flow Chg % Assets Assets Count

($blns) ($blns) All Equity Funds 6.136 0.10 6,126.670 11,448 -Domestic 3.928 0.09 4,199.973 8,165 Equities -Non-Domestic 2.208 0.12 1,926.697 3,283 Equities All Taxable Bond 2.128 0.09 2,503.163 5,773 Funds All Money Market -19.912 -0.77 2,560.250 1,092 Funds All Municipal 0.345 0.09 393.086 1,408 Bond Funds (Reporting by Trevor Hunnicutt; Editing by Jennifer Ablan and Andrew Hay)
AUSA announced that their members voted that the Pro Life Club should be disaffiliated and any clubs with similiar ideology be banned from affiliating in the future.

Auckland University should be ashamed they fund an organisation so intolerent of different viewpoints.

Where does it stop? Next theyll ban the Young Nationals or Young NZ First from affiliating.

Universities should be a place that welcome divergent views and the challenge of idea. I disagree with the views of the Pro Life Club but Id defend their rights to express the views to the death.

If AUSA doesnt wish to be representative of all students, then they should not be funded by all students through Auckland University.

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South Korea's total population rose slightly last year, but senior people outnumbered children for the first time in history amid a rapid aging trend, a national census showed Thursday.

A total of 51.27 million people lived in South Korea as of Nov. 1, 2016, up 0.4 percent, or 200,000, from a year earlier, according to the 2016 census by Statistics Korea.

The agency started to hold a census based on the national resident registration records every year starting from 2016, with the conventional person-to-person survey to be conducted every five years.

Out of the total, the number of South Korean nationals reached 49.86 million, while foreign residents who stayed in the country for at least three months totaled 1.41 million, accounting for 2.8 percent.

Some 49.5 percent of South Korea's population lived in the capital city area that covers Seoul, Incheon and Gyeoggi Province.












By Yoon Ja-young

Foreigners now account for 2.8 percent of the nation's population, with half of them being Chinese including ethnic Korean-Chinese.

According to the 2016 Population and Housing Census released by Statistics Korea, Thursday, the country's population stood at 51.3 million, up 0.4 percent from a year ago. It increased 1.76 times from 50 years ago when the recorded population was 29.19 million.

Among the population today, 25.7 million are males while 25.57 million are females. Nearly half of them live in Seoul, Incheon and Gyeonggi Province.

The population of Busan stood at 3.44 million, or 6.7 percent of the total, and South Gyeongsang Province had 6.5 percent.

Sejong, an administrative city built 130 kilometers south of Seoul, saw an 18.8 percent increase in population from the previous year, while Jeju saw a 2.9 percent increase. The population of Seoul, meanwhile, decreased by 1 percent, while that of Busan and Daegu dropped 0.2 percent each.

The number of senior citizens aged 65 or older stood at 6.78 million, surpassing the number of young people under 15. While the number of young people dropped 2 percent from the previous year, the number of senior citizens increased 3.1 percent, reflecting the aging of the society.

Foreign residents

There are 1.41 million foreigners residing in Korea as of 2016, 50,000 more than the previous year. Six out of 10 live in Gyeonggi Province, Seoul and Incheon.












By Park Hyong-ki





KRX headquarters / Yonhap

The Korea Exchange (KRX) has begun the process of accepting applications for the post of chief executive.



The market is once again watching this closely as to whether it will select a candidate with close ties to the government or an experienced businessman who can run the bourse with transparency and independence.



Already, some KRX insiders are leaking to the press their desire for a business executive as chief executive, not an ex-bureaucrat either from the Financial Services Commission (FSC), the finance ministry or even state-run policy banks.



This is because if they get the job, they will likely end up as their predecessors, including Jeong Chan-woo and others before him, and manage the bourse in the interest of politics.



Jeong recently resigned as the KRX chief amid controversy over his ties with ousted former President Park Geun-hye and links to the presidential scandal.



The top KRX position has mostly been awarded to former finance bureaucrats or regulators.



Since most key FSC positions are held by finance ministry bureaucrats and the KRX falls under the regulatory jurisdiction of the FSC, the stock market operator has favored former finance ministry officials as chief executive.



This way, the KRX would be able to operate with some degree of independence, while maintaining close relations with the government and regulators.



The government has no stake in the KRX, but the bourse operator is run like a quasi-sovereign agency. Private brokerage houses are the KRX's majority shareholders.



As the representative of the capital market, its operations have been more scrutinized and monitored by the state especially after the global financial crisis in 2008.



Industry sources say given the characteristics of the KRX under such circumstances, which are not likely to change for a while, it will have to seek a balance in finding a candidate who can be part politician and part businessman.



"Any top executive position requires that person to use both political and business leverage to achieve one's goal. If you just have one quality, the organization will not get very far. In the case of the KRX, it will need a new face who can play both parts and maneuver toward that goal," said an industry source, who asked not to be named.



Bringing someone from outside but related to the industry can help as such a person could give a fresh perspective to an organization, even though that could met with short-term resistance.



The KRX is sort of like Korea Electric Power Corp. (KEPCO). The latter needs to make money to continue operating, but has to gain political approval, for instance, before raising utility fees or investing in energy projects, industry sources say.



The stock market operator has been trying to change its structure into a holding company for more than a decade, in line with the global exchange trend.



It remains to be seen whether the next chief can take this to the National Assembly for review.



"It is questionable if he or she can start debates or raise public interest during this administration since the government's priority in finance is stabilizing the livelihoods of people with high debt," another industry source said.
By Park Hyong-ki



The country's antitrust agency has designated Naver as a quasi-conglomerate and its founder Lee Hae-jin as the owner with significant influence over the company's management, the Fair Trade Commission (FTC) said Sunday.



The FTC has also named four others  SM, Hoban Construction, Dongwon and Nexon  the same as Naver as their assets increased to over 5 trillion won.



This addition has increased the number of chaebol to 57 in total, including eight with no specific owners such as POSCO and KT, it said.



The reason for classifying Naver as chaebol was Lee held significant shares in the largest portal and that he has considerable influence over management.



"As its largest shareholder and founder, Lee has been participating in the management of the company. He was also the board chairman and is now a board member who can appoint outside directors," the FTC said in a press statement.



Naver, from now on, will face tougher regulatory scrutiny and restrictions.



The company will not only be obligated to disclose more details of its business, but also face restrictions on acquiring companies and moving into other business sectors. The antitrust law protects small companies from big companies moving into their turf and driving them out of business.



Last month, Lee appealed to the antitrust regulator not to label it chaebol, saying that the company is operating transparently with a board and chief executive in place.



Lee even reduced his interest in the portal, following this request, selling 110,000 of his shares to foreign investors.



He now owns a 4.31 percent stake in the internet company, down from 4.6 percent. Lee gained about 82 billion won from the sale.



He is currently the company's global investment officer, focusing his work on investing in startups.



The FTC said Lee remains the largest shareholder with power as the National Pension Service, Aberdeen and BlackRock are financial investors that do not participate in management.



Naver expressed its disappointment over the classification.



"Labeling private companies that grew in size chaebol is an old practice," said the company. "The company will abide by regulations and continue to operate transparently."



The FTC designated Nexon as chaebol because of its increased assets following brisk sales generated at its subsidiary Neople.



Dongwon and SM increased their assets through acquisitions, which warrant the FTC to brand them as chaebol. Dongwon acquired Dongbu Express, and SM acquired Korea Shipping.



Hoban Construction saw its assets grow on increase cash and cash equivalents during the real estate boom in the past, the FTC noted.



Naver has the highest number of affiliates at 71 among companies with assets of between 5 trillion won and 10 trillion won, followed by Kakao with 63.




By Park Hyong-ki



U.S. President Donald Trump has said he will discuss with his economic advisers the possibility of withdrawing from a free trade agreement (FTA) with Korea.



He told Reuters the agreement was "very much on my mind" after surveying natural disaster-hit Houston.



The Washington Post reported that Trump has ordered his economic advisers to prepare for the U.S. to withdraw from the FTA because the allies had only reaffirmed their differences on the trade deal at a recent meeting in Seoul.



The newspaper also reported that the U.S. could start the process this week.



Some officials in the Trump administration oppose the withdrawal because it could hurt the alliance in the face of North Korean hostility.



"The internal preparations for terminating the deal are far along and the formal withdrawal process could begin as soon as this coming week," the paper reported Saturday, quoting a source.



"Withdrawing from the trade deal would back up Trump's promises to crack down on what he considers unfair trade competition from other countries, but his top national security and economic advisers are pushing him to abandon the plan, arguing that it would hamper U.S. economic growth and strain ties with an important ally."



Observers say President Trump is seemingly using the FTA withdrawal card to gain leverage in renegotiations.



Should one side decide to withdraw, the trade pact will end within 180 days after the announcement.



President Trump called the FTA "horrible" in an interview with the Washington Post last April, saying the deal had killed many jobs in the U.S., and had only benefited Korean exporters.



U.S. Trade Representative (USTR) Robert Lighthizer said in a statement, "Unfortunately, too many American workers have not benefited from the agreement."



Korea's trade ministry said Sunday that it would "continue to engage in trade talks with the U.S."



It proposed a joint analysis of the five-year-old FTA and what really caused the U.S. trade deficit, before renegotiating the terms of the free trade deal. The ministry said the FTA did not cause the deficit.



Korea's trade surplus with the world's largest economy suffered a record decline of about 32 percent to $11.2 billion in the first half of this year, compared to a year ago, the Department of Commerce reported.



The U.S. exported goods worth $24.45 billion to Korea, up 22 percent in the same period.



Korea has been trying to reduce its surplus with the U.S. because Washington has been criticizing Seoul's trade and currency policies.



The USTR said its trade deficit doubled to $27.6 billion in 2016 after the deal became effective in 2012.




- A 5.7-magnitude tremor was detected near the nuclear test site in Punggye-ri, Kilju, according to the Korea Meteorological Administration and the U.S. Geological Survey.



- China's earthquake administration called it a "suspected explosion," according to Reuters.



- The tremor occurred around 12:29:58, at a depth of zero kilometers, according to China's Earthquake Administration.



- The second tremor with a magnitude of 4.6 occurred at the same site, eight minutes after the first tremor, according to the Chinese administration.



- It is not immediately clear whether North Korea has conducted its sixth nuclear test. Pyongyang conducted its fifth test last September.



- Data shows the suspected test was the most powerful to date.



- The suspected test came hours after North Korea claimed that its leader has inspected a hydrogen bomb meant for a new intercontinental ballistic missile.



- South Korean President Moon Jae-in is convening an emergency security meeting, and the



- South Korean military has raised its alert level.



- Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe condemned North Korea, saying, "If North Korea has indeed gone ahead with a nuclear test, it is completely unacceptable and we must lodge a strong protest."



------------------------------------------------------





North Korea seems to have carried out a nuclear test Sunday, South Korea's military said, citing a seismic activity detected in the vicinity of the North's nuclear test site.

The 5.7 magnitude "artificial earthquake" that occurred in the Punggye-ri area at around 12:29 p.m. is "presumed" to be from the North's sixth nuclear test, the Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) announced.

Pyongyang said it will make an "important announcement" at 3:30 p.m. (Seoul time). The secretive communist nation has often used such a method to make public its successful nuclear test or long-range missile launch.

The JCS said all South Korean troops have been put on high alert, with the North scheduled to commemorate its founding anniversary later this week.

"(We) are closely monitoring the North Korean military's move under South Korea-U.S. coordination," the JCS said.

South Korea's presidential office Cheong Wa Dae immediately convened a National Security Council meeting on the issue.

The Japanese government has concluded that the seismic waves stemmed from the North's six nuclear test, Japans' Foreign Minister Taro Kono was quoted as saying by the Kyodo news service.

The Korea Meteorological Administration (KMA) initially put the scale of the earthquake at magnitude 5.6 but revised it to 5.7.

China's Earthquake Administration said there was another quake in the North of magnitude 4.6 some eight minutes after the previous one, according to news reports.

Hours earlier, North Korea claimed that it has developed a hydrogen bomb that can be loaded into a new intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM).

The North conducted its first underground nuclear test in 2006 and carried out four others, including two last year, at the Punggye-ri site in the northeastern province.

The previous explosion a year ago, presumably with a yield of 10 kilotons, triggered a 5.04 magnitude earthquake.

"If an artificial quake is due to a nuclear test, a 0.2 increase in its magnitude is usually assessed as having a twofold increase in yield," a KMA official said. "The artificial quake this time (in the North) is presumed to have a yield of more than 9.8 times than that a year ago."

It means it was more powerful than any other nuclear experiments by North Korea, he added. (Yonhap)
Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe called a National Security Council meeting Sunday on the news that an artificial earthquake has been detected in North Korea's nuclear test site.

Earlier in the day, the South Korean weather agency said it has detected a magnitude 5.7 quake around Punggye-ri in the northwestern part of North Korea.

"Chances are there that North Korea carried out a nuclear test," Abe told reporters upon arrival at his office to convene the NSC meeting.

"The North's nuclear test, if it turns out to be true, could never be tolerated," he said.

Briefed on the possibility of the North's nuclear test, the sixth of its kind, at the meeting, Abe ordered Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga to gather and analyze information, immediately provide related information to the people and respond to the situation in cooperation with South Korea, the United States, China and Russia.

Chief of Staff of Japan's Self Defense Forces Katsutoshi Kawano told reporters, "(The government) is checking it now."

But an unidentified Japanese high-ranking official told Kyodo earlier in the day that the quake is sure to be the result of a nuclear test. (Yonhap)
Late 1970s: North Korea starts working on a version of the Soviet Scud-B (range 300 kilometers or 185 miles). Test-fired in 1984.

1987-92: Begins developing variant of Scud-C (range 500 km), Rodong-1 (1,300 km), Taepodong-1 (2,500 km), Musudan-1 (3,000 km) and Taepodong-2 (6,700 km).

Aug 1998: Test-fires Taepodong-1 rocket over Japan in what it calls a satellite launch -- the US and others say it is a missile test.

Sept 1999: Declares moratorium on long-range missile tests amid improving ties with US.

July 12, 2000: Fifth round of US-North Korean missile talks in Kuala Lumpur ends without agreement after North demands $1 billion a year in return for halting missile exports.

March 3, 2005: Pyongyang ends moratorium on long-range missile testing, blames Bush administration's "hostile" policy.

July 5, 2006: Test-fires seven missiles, including a long-range Taepodong-2 which explodes after 40 seconds.

Oct 9, 2006: Conducts underground nuclear test, its first.

April 5, 2009: Launches long-range rocket which flies over Japan and lands in the Pacific, in what it says is an attempt to put a satellite into orbit. The United States, Japan and South Korea see it as a disguised test of a Taepodong-2.

May 25, 2009: Conducts its second underground nuclear test, several times more powerful than the first.

April 13, 2012: Launches what it has said is a long-range rocket to put a satellite into orbit, but which disintegrates soon after blast-off.

December 12, 2012: Launches a multi-stage rocket and successfully places an Earth observational satellite in orbit.

February 12, 2013: Conducts its third underground nuclear test.












By Park Si-soo



China urged North Korea to stop its "wrong" actions, after the reclusive said it had a successful test of hydrogen bomb that can be mounted onto its inter-continental ballistic missiles on Sunday.

In a statement on its website, China's Foreign Ministry said China resolutely opposed and strongly condemned North Korea's actions, and urged the country to respect U.N. Security Council resolutions.



North Korea "has ignored the international community's widespread opposition, again carrying out a nuclear test. China's government expresses resolute opposition and strong condemnation toward this," the ministry said in the statement.












Citizens in Seoul Station watch news showing a North Korean newsreader announcing that Pyongyang successfully carried out a hydrogen bomb test, Sunday. / Yonhap



By You Soo-sun

Public anxiety in South Korea was growing Sunday in response to North Korea announcing it had conducted a sixth nuclear test.

The word spread quickly as television and online portal sites became inundated with news of strong seismic tremors, indicating what Pyongyang soon said was a "successful" hydrogen bomb test.

"I am deeply worried," Kim Gi-suk, 54, said. A restaurant owner in Seodaemun in northwestern Seoul, Kim was working and unaware of the news when first asked the question. And although she maintained her calm after being informed, her eyes widened as she said, "I'm scared about war. We're doing nothing as they continue developing their nuclear arms."

But Kim's daughter, Lim Sun-young, 27, thought the North's provocation was only to instigate fear. "There is no need to be nervous. Kim Jong-un will not use the bomb since that means he will die." Other employees at the restaurant merely tended to their customers, shrugging off the idea of war.












By Kim Se-jeong

With North Korea conducting a nuclear test Sunday, all eyes are on the deployment of an anti-ballistic missile defense system in Seongju, North Gyeongsang Province.

While the Ministry of Environment is conducting an environmental impact assessment of the Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) system, the Ministry of National Defense reportedly has given a deadline of today to the ministry.

The environment ministry said it had no comment, Sunday.

Following the surprise nuclear test, the likelihood is high that the deployment will be completed as early as possible.

Media outlets reported that extra police were being sent to near the deployment site.












By Park Si-soo



In his first reaction to North Korea's sixth nuclear test, U.S. President Donald Trump condemned the North, calling it a "rogue nation which has become a great threat and embarrassment to China."

Trump wrote in his tweeter that the reclusive state's "words and actions continue to be very hostile and dangerous to the United States,"



China



Chinese President Xi Jinping avoided mention of North Korea in his keynote address at the BRICS summit, which opened hours after Pyongyong claimed it had successfully tested a hydrogen bomb.

"We are in a great era of development, transformation and adjustment," Xi said in the speech. "The law of the jungle where the strong prey on the weak and the zero-sum game are rejected, and peace, development and win-win cooperation have become the shared aspiration of all peoples."



Russia



The Russian foreign ministry said on Sunday it was deeply concerned about North Korea's sixth nuclear test. The ministry said the test was a defiance of international law and deserved condemnation. It urged all sides involved to hold talks, which it said was the only way to resolve the Korean peninsula's problems.



United Kingdom













Britain's foreign minister Boris Johnson said on Sunday, "There's no question that this is another provocation, it's reckless." He said the North seem to be "moving closer toward a hydrogen bomb which, if fitted to a successful missile, would unquestionably present a new order of threat."



Germany and France



German Chancellor Angela Merkel and French President Emmanuel Macron called for tougher sanctions against Pyongyang. The German government said in a statement that Merkel and Macron spoke on the phone, with both strongly condemning the new nuclear test in North Korea.

"This latest provocation by the ruler in Pyongyang has reached a new dimension," it added. Merkel and Macron agreed that North Korea was violating international law and that the international community must react decisively to this new escalation, Berlin said. "In addition to the United Nations Security Council, the European Union also has to act now. The Chancellor and the President expressed their support for a tightening of EU sanctions against North Korea," the statement said.



Taiwan



Taiwan President Tsai Ing-wen said "Our government condemns any action that damages regional stability. We will continue to cooperate with the international community in joint actions to maintain stability and order."



Australia



Australia has condemned North Korea's "flagrant defiance" of UN Security Council resolutions and urged the world body to take further action against the "dangerous pariah regime."

"We call for the UN Security Council to urgently consider further strong measures that would place pressure on North Korea to change course," Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull said in a joint statement with Foreign Minister Julie Bishop.

Australia called for all countries, especially the five UN veto powers "to apply the maximum possible pressure to this dangerous pariah regime."



Denmark



Denmark slammed North Korea's nuclear test as "unlawful" and summoned Pyongyang's ambassador to convey its concerns.
By Kim Bo-eun



Health authorities are inspecting McDonald's bulgogi burgers, which are alleged to have caused stomach flu in multiple elementary school students in Jeonju, North Jeolla Province.



On Saturday, the global fast-food chain's Korean unit suspended sales of the locally-inspired burger nationwide.



McDonald's move came after seven elementary school students and a teacher showed symptoms of enteritis including stomachache, diarrhea and fever, after eating the burger at a McDonald's store in the southwestern city of Jeonju Aug 25. One of the students was reportedly hospitalized. They submitted a complaint to McDonald's Aug. 28.



"We deeply regret that the customers who visited the restaurant in Jeonju experienced any illness and wish the customers a quick recovery," McDonald's Korea said in a statement. "The company is cooperating with the government authorities' investigation to identify the cause of the illness _ the suspension of sales is a precautionary measure prior to uncovering the exact cause of the disease."



The Jeonju health center has taken samples of the ingredients of the bulgogi burger from the troubled outlet. Results of testing could be announced Wednesday, at the earliest.



The Ministry of Food and Drug Safety has also conducted a separate hygiene inspection of the outlet's kitchen. The Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention notified the public Saturday to report cases of similar symptoms after eating food at the Jeonju outlet.



The incident occurred only months after McDonald's was sued on charges of violating food safety regulations by the family of a four-year-old girl based in Pyeongtaek, Gyeonggi Province, who allegedly developed hemolytic-uremic syndrome (HUS), after eating an undercooked bulgogi patty.



The disease is known to damage the kidneys. The girl is reported to have lost 90 percent of her kidney function.



Several suits followed, and currently five children are alleged to have developed HUS from McDonald's burgers.



In early July, the Korea Consumer Agency conducted testing of 38 types of burgers at six fast-food franchises and three convenience store chains. It did not detect E. coli _ which causes the illness _ in any of the burgers, but detected food poisoning bacteria 3.4 times the legal standard in the McDonald's bulgogi burger.



At the time, McDonald's attempted to prevent the agency from releasing the results, claiming that the agency did not follow required standards. It filed an injunction with a court against the agency disclosing the results, but this was dismissed.



McDonald's said the inspector carried the sample in a paper bag without immediately putting it in an airtight container.



The burger scare comes after concern mounted over pesticide-tainted eggs, posing even greater concern over food safety among the public.




By Rachel Lee

Danish pharmaceutical company Novo Nordisk hosted the "Take Action _ Volunteer to Change Lives" event" in Korea on Aug. 25 to help low-income elderly living alone with seasonal side dishes.

Novo Nordisk employees, including general manager Rana Azfar Zafar, cooked various dishes including steamed pork with fresh vegetables on the side, stir-fried vegetables with mushrooms, and delivered them to 20 households, the embassy of Denmark said.

Deputy Ambassador Jesper Vibe-Hansen also joined the volunteer activity.

The company ran the volunteer event in more than 20 20 countries, with nearly 3,000 participating employees.

"Overseas offices are given freedom to identify social, environmental, and/or public health needs within the countries they are in, where Novo Nordisk can add a meaningful value through its actions," the embassy said.

Novo Nordisk, with affiliates and offices in 77 countries, manufactures and markets pharmaceutical products and services including diabetes medications and devices, as well as products involved with hemostasis management, growth hormone therapy, and hormone replacement therapy.

Novo Nordisk employs about 42,000 people globally and markets its products in 180 countries.

Novo Nordisk Pharma Korea was established in 1994.
Ambassador Umar Hadi, left, poses with winners of the "Ambassador Award" at his residence in Seoul Aug. 27. /Courtesy of Indonesian Embassy





By Rachel Lee

Ambassador Umar Hadi presented the "Ambassador Award" to two Korean CEOs on Aug. 27.

The Indonesian Embassy said Se Myeong Precise CEO Kim Moon-go and Daewon GSI CEO Seo Bo-sung received the award for giving appropriate rights to Indonesian workers.

Se Myeong Precise employs 11 Indonesian workers and produces gas stoves and household appliances. The latter has 12 Indonesian workers manufacturing rice-grinding machines.

At the award ceremony at the ambassador's residence in Seoul, Hadi underlined the importance of the award because it could motivate other companies to do the same thing for 36,000 Indonesian workers working in Korea.

"On behalf of Indonesian government, I would like to extend my gratitude and high appreciation to the CEOs," the ambassador said.

" You have treated Indonesian workers so well. You are the inspirations for other CEOs. Other than award, I am pleased to provide both of you with a free ticket for your holiday in Indonesia."

However, the envoy expressed concern about the safety of Indonesian workers in Korea, which he believes is relatively good, but needs to be improved for welfare.

"Therefore, today I declare as the start of the work safety and healthy campaign day. The Indonesian Embassy will make a systematic approach to the companies, the Korean government and also Indonesian workers.

" "The aim is to have no more victims. Indonesian workers have to succeed in Korea and succeed as entrepreneurs when they go back to Indonesia.

Kim said, "Our Indonesian employees are warm-hearted, diligent and hard workers."

Seo said, "I want to give these workers the best facilities, so they can do their best."

Three Indonesian workers also received the Ambassador Award, for being role models for other workers and citizens.
By Rachel Lee

British Minister for Asia Mark Field has arrived in Seoul to strengthen political, defence and economic relations with Korea.

The British Embassy said the minister would reaffirm the U.K.'s commitment to work alongside Korea and the international community to tackle North Korea's threat to regional and global security.

His visit comes just three weeks after the United Nations Security Council unanimously agreed on sanctions against North Korea, and during biannual U.S.-South Korea military exercises. The U.K. provided 25 personnel for the Ulchi-Freedom Guardian last month.

"I am here to express our support to South Korea in person and look forward to discussions on continuing the strong relationship between our two nations _ not just on security issues, but also global political, defence and economic issues," Field said.

"The U.K. has been clear that we stand alongside South Korea, and our international partners in the United Nations, in condemning the actions of North Korea and the destabilising impact the regime's pursuit of nuclear and ballistic weapons has had on this region."
The United States is considering a rotational deployment of its stealth jets to South Korea in response to North Korea's evolving nuclear and missile threats, government sources said Sunday.

South Korea and the U.S. are discussing the dispatch of F-22 and F-35B fighter jets on a rotational basis as part of efforts to boost extended deterrence against the North's threats, they said.

The allies are known to be discussing the deployment of U.S. strategic assets on a quarterly basis at U.S. air base in Osan, south of Seoul or Kunsan Air Base in the southwest of the divided peninsula, they added.

The U.S. has periodically sent strategic assets to South Korea, including B-1B bombers, as a show of force when North Korea's provocative acts are escalated.

But a possible rotational deployment reflects growing concerns about a fast advance in North Korea's nuclear and missile programs.
By Yi Whan-woo

The United States is considering deploying F-22 and F-35B stealth jets rotationally on the Korean Peninsula in consultation with South Korea, according to military sources in Seoul, Sunday.

The possible deployment comes as part of efforts to bolster extended deterrence against North Korea's fast-growing nuclear and ballistic missile threats, including its sixth nuclear test, Sunday.

The move is also believed to be in line with Seoul's growing demand for deployment of U.S. tactical nuclear weapons.

"The F-22 and F-35B are expected to maximize fear in North Korea while settling concerns over security in the South by showing U.S. determination on extended deterrence," a source said.

The possible deployment plans include dispatching F-22 Raptors and F-35B Lightning IIs every three months.

They will be deployed in either Osan, Gyeonggi Province or Gunsan, North Jeolla Province, where the U.S. Air Force Bases are located.

It would take 10 minutes from Osan and 20 minutes from Gunsan for the U.S. stealth jets to arrive over Pyongyang.

"They would not be detected by North Korea's air defense network. This could raise fear among the North Korean leadership, as they can't predict where precision strikes would be made," a source said.












Choi, far right on the front row, with his colleagues /Courtesy of Choi Jong-tae



By Kim Se-jeong

Choi Jong-tae, 46, is a social worker who also runs a rice cake company.

What connects two seemingly separate careers is people with hearing disabilities.

Seventeen years ago, he joined the Samsung Welfare Foundation which helps the deaf. He worked as a social worker, and when the foundation started the rice cake business, Samsung Tteok Prince, he was asked to manage the operation.

That was eight years ago. The purpose of the business was to create jobs for disabled people so that they could live independently.

Since its humble start in 2009 with three employees, the business has grown exponentially _ now it makes 5 billion won a year.

Choi currently employs 15 people  10 who are deaf and five with mental disabilities.

"It is such rewarding work," Choi said in a recent interview. "I hope to make more money and pay them more wages."

In 2012, his store was chosen by the Seoul Metropolitan Government as one of the best social enterprises in town _ the city offers support to companies with social goals to achieve. The company received financial support from the city government for a couple of years.

His main clients are companies and organizations which need cake catering services for parties. He also said, "People who have eaten my rice cake at parties call to place orders, too."

Samsung Tteok Prince also has contracts with military units in and near Seoul to deliver birthday cakes for young men serving in the military.

This means his team has to be creative.

"Imagine a plain rice cake for your birthday. They're young folks accustomed to sweet and beautifully decorated cakes from bakeries. I wouldn't eat the rice cake if I were them," he said.

He and his team began endlessly experimenting with trying different kinds of rice cake. What he created was a cake with layers of sweet potato, and whipped cream and toppings for decoration on the outside.

He said the key is to allow the cake to cool down well.

"One of my early experiences was when I delivered a rice cake to a soldier. When I arrived and opened the box, the whipped cream was gone _ it had melted away."

His experiments went on with other kinds of rice cake and they attracted new customers. Mango rice cake is another top-seller.

The city's recognition of the company as a good social enterprise helped to boost sales, but Choi feels there's a limit in terms of how far he can reach potential customers because it is a small business with limited resources.

But, he has no doubt that he makes the best rice cake in town.

"Here, no one has professional training in making rice cake or baking. This helps us because we can put ourselves in the customer's shoes when we make rice cake."
By Choi Ha-young



The main opposition Liberty Korea Party (LKP) began boycotting the regular National Assembly session on Saturday in protest against what it claimed is the liberal government's bid to control public broadcasters.



The measure came after a district court issued an arrest warrant for MBC President Kim Jang-gyeom, who is accused of unfair labor practices.



Earlier, the broadcaster's labor union voted to strike from Monday, saying the strike would continue until Kim stepped down.



The union members claim that Kim, appointed under the previous Park Geun-hye administration, hurt the freedom of journalism by demanding favorable reports about conservatives.



The union members claim that journalists who opposed the tone of the reports were isolated from news reporting and even fired.



At a press briefing on Saturday, the LKP defined the moves as "a leftist populist government's initiative toward dictatorship."



"We decided to boycott all National Assembly schedules, including the plenary session, ongoing confirmation hearings, and a special committee to revise the Constitution."



On Friday, the Assembly began its first regular session after President Moon took office in May. Parties have agreed to endorse Kim Yi-su, the nominee for president of the Constitutional Court, at the upcoming plenary session slated for Monday.



Theoretically, four other parties besides the LKP are able to vote to pass Kim, the decision having been up in the air since he was tapped in May. This could be a political burden for President Moon.



The ruling Democratic Party of Korea (DPK) lashed out at the LKP, citing the ex-President Lee's attempts to dominate the "left-leaning" MBC in 2008.



"The LKP's reaction proves that the party is part of the old evils who made the public broadcasters a mouthpiece of the conservative government," DPK vice spokeswoman Kim Hyo-eun said Saturday.



The minor liberal People's Party also blasted the LKP, saying, "The boycott is unjustifiable. The LKP's claim against the judiciary's enforcement will not gain public support."



But the conservative Bareun Party criticized Cheong Wa Dae's "blatant" measures against media companies, but stayed silent on the boycott.



Following the liberal president's inauguration, the fired journalists are returning to the stage, with three YTN reporters returning to their workplace nine years after being dismissed.



From Monday, journalists at KBS, the nation's largest public broadcaster, will go on strike, vowing to fight until CEO Ko Dae-young steps down.



President Moon has criticized the "alliance" between conservatives and the media. In the March televised debate on MBC, he said, "The MBC has collapsed severely. Citizens have been calling for rooting out the old evils and the most urgent task is the media."



Moon said during the debate, "If public broadcasters had performed their duty, the situation in which President Park was impeached and put behind bars would never have happened (as they would have discovered any misdeeds.)"




By Young H.K. Pae





North Korean leader Kim Jong-eun has frequently threatened to attack South Korea and the United States with missiles. U.S. President Donald Trump has counter-threatened with no less strength. The atmosphere is tense when looked at from outside but Koreans appear very relaxed.

If North Korea chooses to launch chemical warfare, missile attacks, or extreme nuclear missile attacks against its neighbors, what can we do to survive? Columnist Andrew Salman wrote in a recent article "Keep Calm and Stay in Seoul" that if there was a war, people living in Seoul would not have much to do.

So I asked my friends, What would you do if North Korea attacks and launches missiles at us?'

"I imagine my husband and I both will try to enjoy the final moments of our lives, maybe drinking some wine," says Kim Bo-hee, an editor.

Kim Sung-yong, a computer programmer said that he would get prepared to fight invading North Koreans after that attack.

Cho Young-hoon, a young man who is doing an alternative service for military tour of duty, says he wouldn't know what to do because he does not even know how to shoot a gun properly. Kim and Cho apparently answered on the premise that they survived the missile attacks.

For me, I have decided to go to the shelter upon hearing sirens of air raids.

I have identified the closest shelter to my home. I have purchased emergency items. They include a transistor radio and extra batteries, and gas mask as well as food and water for a month and some blankets.

The Ulji Freedom Guardian exercise, a ROK-U.S. joint military exercise, is coming to its end. Civil defense portions of it have been wrapped up in order to get the nation prepared for this emergency.

The Civil Defense Training was conducted on Aug. 23 to prepare the people for such emergencies as air raids and missile and artillery attacks from the North. In hindsight, there were accounts that people didn't take the training seriously.

The civil defense drills started in 1975 but now it is only conducted occasionally. Nearly three quarters of people don't know the nearest shelter they should go in emergency.

Ahn Jong-min at the community center in Seodaemun was quoted by Korean version of the Huffington Post as saying, "If war breaks out, Korean military would take the controls and handle the situation and we don't have a field manual for potential war."

All told, both the people and government don' take the current situation as seriously as we should. An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.



Young H.K. Pae is an educator, freelance writer and researcher at the Asia Institute.
By William R. Jones





"Made in China" is a country of origin label affixed to products manufactured in mainland China, excluding Hong Kong, Macau and Taiwan. Sara Bongiorni is the author of the book, "A Year Without Made in China: One Family's True Life Adventure in the Global Economy." It is a thought-provoking account of how the most populous nation on Earth influences almost every aspect of our daily lives. It tells of her family's attempt to outrun China's reach by refusing to buy Chinese made products. It looks at the big picture and breaks it down to a personal level.

About one-quarter of all Chinese exports are sold in the United States. It is difficult to avoid buying Chinese products. Many goods have components that are made in China, but are assembled elsewhere. Competition is king and those with the lowest costs rule. Standards of living are improved by people being able to purchase less expensive products no matter where they are made. So, living without foreign products may be an option, but it is not a very realistic one. In the 1950s, it was "Made in Japan" that was a concern. In the future it could be made somewhere else that will be a concern.

The "country-of-origin effect" also known as the "made-in image" or "nationality bias," is a psychological effect describing how a consumer's attitude, perception, and purchasing decision is influenced by a product's label of origin. Consumers have a relative preference or aversion for products, depending on their country of origin. In some countries, consumers tend to prefer products made in their own country (also known as consumer ethnocentrism) and in others foreign-made products tend to be preferred.

Nationality bias and consumer ethnocentrism would probably receive the stamp of approval with their national flag. Since 2014 the U.S. Department of Defense has required the purchase of completely American-made Stars and Stripes. The national flags must be wholly sourced from the U.S. like those made at North Bay Industries of California  and not made of any elements from overseas, including ink, thread, gold fringe and fabric. That ruling extended the existing Berry Amendment of 1941 that bans the Defense Department from buying military uniforms and some other things not grown or produced in the U.S., except in rare and special circumstances.

It was not necessarily unusual to learn that the U.S. government would purchase foreign-made American flags. However, it is incredible that it was ever authorized in the first place! Certainly, it would create dissonance, that is, inconsistency between military action and military belief.

The reality of globalization tells us that it's often less expensive to buy "Made in China"  however, quality may be another story. "Made in China" could soon be "Made in the U.S." (see Beijing Bureau Chief Eunice Yoon's report @www.cnbc.com 31 May 2017). "Lower corporate taxes, cheaper land and electricity, better air, safer foods, and straightforward access to funding and a government that doesn't intervene" are selling points that attract Chinese companies to manufacture products in America. Also, businesses can lower costs because in America they don't have to build employee dormitories and cafeterias or arrange transportation for their workers.





The writer has taught conversational English for 15 years. He currently works for Virginia State University. His e-mail address is: wrjones@vsu.edu.
Morocco, along with Algeria, escaped the turmoil of the Arab Spring. Three other North African states  Egypt, Tunisia and Libya  were turned upside down by the popular revolts that began in 2011.



Morocco's boat is now rocking slightly with the popular reaction to the death of a fish seller. Mouhcine Fikri, 31, was crushed to death in October in a trash compactor where he was dumpster-diving to try to retrieve a swordfish, confiscated from him by the authorities because it had been caught out of season. The public's reaction to his death was comparable to the reaction of the Tunisian public at the death of a fruit seller there in 2011, which led to the overthrow of the Tunisian government and a surge of street action and democratic change. It was considered the spark for the Arab Spring.



In Morocco, the protests stemming from the death of Fikri have continued longer than anyone expected. The government has arrested more than 200 people. Human Rights Watch reports receiving more than 40 complaints of police torture.



Part of the issue in Morocco was that the event occurred in the Rif region, always an area of minority Berber sentiment and activity. It is now a center of the anti-government Hirak Chaabi popular movement, led by Nasser Zafgafi, jailed by the Moroccan government since May.



Morocco, with a population of 35 million, became independent from France and Spain in 1956 with three small Spanish enclaves remaining on its territory. It is ruled by a king, Mohammed VI, who took the throne after the death of his better-known father, King Hassan, in 1999. A Sunni Muslim state, Morocco has been relatively stable across the years in spite of the turmoil in North Africa, referred to as the Maghreb.



Morocco has sometimes quarreled with other African states in the Organization of African Unity, which became the African Union, over the fate of the so-called Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic. Some of the other African states see it as independent of Morocco. Morocco does not agree.



It is hard to say if the new unrest in the Rif will amount to anything. King Mohammed is not as popular as his father was and it is certainly true that the winds of change continue to blow in North Africa and in the Middle East in general. The king's government is considered by Moroccans to be corrupt, and is seen by many as having neglected the country's infrastructure and economic development in general, in quest of retaining what some see as an archaic form of government in the monarchy.



On the other hand, the utter chaos in Libya, the instability of the Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi government in Egypt and the sometime stirring around in post-Arab Spring Tunisia has so far suggested to Moroccans in general that they are better off the way they are, including with a vigorous tourist industry, whatever the shortcomings of King Mohammed's rule. If one had to bet, it would probably make sense for the United States to continue to put its money, as it has for years, on the king's government.





This editorial appeared in the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette and was distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.



























foolsdie@koreatimes.co.kr




New ambassadors' lack of expertise raises concerns



President Moon Jae-in named his ambassadors to U.S., China and Japan last week, more than 100 days after he assumed office in May.



He has chosen Cho Yoon-je, a visiting professor at the Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology, as U.S. ambassador. The President named Noh Young-min, a former three-term lawmaker, as ambassador to China and Lee Su-hoon, a professor at Kyungnam University, as ambassador to Japan. All three contributed to Moon's presidential campaign.



The appointments come amid rising tension in the region due to North Korea's increasing provocations. Moon convened a National Security Council (NSC) meeting Sunday, after authorities detected a tremor from North Korea's Punggye-ri nuclear test site  a sign of a sixth nuclear test. Later in the day, North Korea's state media claimed it had successfully tested a hydrogen bomb that could be attached to an intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM).



The appointments of nonexperts to Korea's key diplomatic partners, however, show Moon's lack of urgency in dealing with the grave national security situation and other diplomatic challenges involving the three countries.



The common problem with all three appointees is that they do not have sufficient diplomatic expertise required for their posts. Cho is an economist who was an economic adviser to former President Roh Moo-hyun. He is also known as an architect of Moon's economic policy called J-nomics. He does have some diplomatic background because he was Roh's ambassador to the U.K. and a special presidential envoy to the European Union (EU) and Germany after Moon's inauguration. But, he has never dealt with Korea-U.S. relations, raising concerns about his ability to coordinate with the U.S. on key bilateral issues, such as North Korea and the Korea-U.S. free trade agreement (FTA).



Moon's choices of envoys to Japan and China are even more problematic.



Lee is a seasoned scholar in international relations, but has zero experience as a diplomat. Lee headed a presidential advisory group for Northeast Asia affairs during the Roh administration and the foreign affairs and security division of Moon's transition team.



Noh is a politician who had been considered as a nominee for North Chungcheong governor for the ruling Democratic Party of Korea in local elections next year. During his three terms as lawmaker, he served on committees related to industry and trade and did not have much to do with diplomacy or China.



It is important for an ambassador, who is the President's messenger in the host country, to have close ties with his or her boss. But that alone does not make them right for the job. It is more important for an ambassador to be sufficiently equipped with diplomatic experience and knowledge of the host country.




By Andrei Lankov





Writing a piece on the marriage habits of Koreans some years ago, I argued rather matter-of-factly: "Korean mainstream opinion does not look upon marriages with foreigners favorably." This was not mere extrapolation. Opinion polls administered regularly since at least the 1990s reveal that of all East Asian countries, including Japan, South Koreans were most reluctant to accept a foreigner as a son- or daughter-in-law.

However, Korea is a land of brisk change and transformation, where once-entrenched idiosyncrasies and impressions are prone to rapidly evolve or disappear entirely from decade to decade. Attitudes towards marriage with non-ethnic Koreans  so-called "international marriages," in the local vernacular  are no exception. In less than a generation, South Koreans have become much more open and likely to tie the knot with foreigners.

Beginning around 2000, the number of international marriages began to rise significantly. Three quarters of these marriages today (14,800 out of 20,600, to be precise) are between Korean grooms and foreign brides. Among these, Vietnamese are most numerous, 36 percent of the total. They are followed by Chinese (28 percent) and Filipinas (6 percent). The number of international marriages peaked at 29,000 in 2007 before leveling out and then slowly declining. Last year, some 20,600 Koreans registered their marriages with foreigners.

Though much more common today; international marriages are not exactly a new phenomenon in Korea. The earliest accounts date back to the 19th century and included several prominent figures in Korean society. Seo Jae-pil (Philip Jaisohn), the founder of Korea's first modern political party, and Syngman Rhee, the first ROK President, were both married to foreigners. Ditto Alexandra Kim-Stankevich, the first ethnic Korean communist organizer in Russia.

Beginning in 1945 the continuous presence of U.S. troops in Korea also ensured that a number of U.S. servicemen married Korean women  indeed, the accumulative number of such marriages approached 90,000 according to some sources, though official statistics do not exist. However, most of these women joined their husbands in the United States, more or less severing their connection to the peninsula. Worse, these women were often stereotyped by the Korean mainstream, and such unions were often understood as something not to be discussed. (One can suspect more than a little bit of male chauvinism and nationalism behind such embarrassment).

But in more recent times demographics are the primary driver behind the rapid number of international marriages. Most men who enter such unions are middle-aged farmers from remote rural areas. Since at least the early 1990s these areas experienced a mass exodus of young eligible women, who were perusing better opportunities in the city. Men were and continue to be less mobile, rooted by patriarchal obligations to their ancestral villages.

The introduction of ultrasound exacerbated this gender imbalance, particularly in the more conservative rural areas where selective abortions were not uncommon. The sex ratio has mostly balanced out since then, but many men in their twenties and thirties still outnumber women in rural South Korea.

In the 1990s some local activists, with a measure of government support, tried to address the problem by encouraging Korean women to marry into these rural families. The campaign ended in failure: urban girls, even if their parents were farmers themselves, were reluctant to marry into conservative and, frankly, not so affluent, households. Thus, residents in these remote villages began to look overseas.

Ethnic Koreans from China were a natural starting point. Many of these women spoke Korean as their native language, knew how to operate in a traditional Korean household, and could be attracted by the much higher living standards in South Korea. In many cases such marriages worked well, but these women quickly earned a reputation for being independent and outspoken, two less-than-desirable traits for traditionally-minded Korean men.

It did not help that it is widely believed by many Koreans that Korean-Chinese women often leave their husbands once they have spent enough time in Korea to qualify for citizenship. Their language skills made sure they would have little problem adjusting by themselves. Hence, interests have shifted to Vietnamese women who, as conventional wisdom held, were less likely to leave their husbands at the first opportunity.

The influx of these women, along with a small but steady number of foreign men that have continued to marry Korean women, has changed the Korean society to a not-insignificant extent. It has become less uniform, more multicultural and, to an extent, multiracial  and likely to stay as such for decades to come.





Andrei Lankov was born in St. Petersburg, Russia, and teaches at Kookmin University in Seoul. Reach him at anlankov@yahoo.com.
By Kang Seung-woo



Merck, a leading science and technology firm, and its partners OledWorks, OPVIUS and Kolon revealed a new textile facade concept combining organic photovoltaics (OPV) and organic light-emitting diodes (OLED) technologies, Thursday.



The German firm displayed it at the first Seoul Biennale of Architecture and Urbanism, an exhibition that takes place from Sept. 1 to Nov. 5, 2017 in Seoul. World-renowned architects, industry leaders, academics, and building scientists come together in Seoul to explore the potential opportunities for architecture and industry.



Merck said that one notable highlight of this project is the multidisciplinary work of architectural and technological processes.



For the Seoul Biennale, German architects Nikolaus Hirsch and Michel Muller, and New York-based Thai artist Rirkrit Tiravanija have developed a new building component of their ongoing "The Land" project.



This new facade system will produce energy and emit light using advanced OPV and OLED technology, while seamlessly combining natural beauty with innovative design.



The eye-catching, shingle-like facade concept is suspended from a series of four-meter long bamboo tubes, which symbolizes oriental elegance, integrity and simplicity.



The project is embedded in a sustainable and expanded life cycle that includes diverse sites and durations: from the Seoul Biennale in 2017 to the Luminale exhibition in Frankfurt, Germany, in 2018. It will finally arrive at "The Land" near Chiang Mai, Thailand, where the prototype is to be realized in a larger version: a 400 square meter building for research and workshops.



David Muller, global head of marketing photovoltaics at Merck, stressed Merck's cooperation with partners.



"From the grand success of OPV Trees at the MILAN Expo 2015 to our joint work with the Harvard Graduate School of Design in 2015, our collaboration with our valuable long-term partners OledWorks, OPVIUS and Kolon continues to yield exciting results," he said.



Martina Hueber, head of the global operative marketing OLED at Merck, added, "Merck material solutions demonstrate the capability to combine innovative technologies, transform architecture and extend the realm of possibilities".



Merck's partners also showed great interest in the work.



"It is a privilege to work with our strategic partner, Merck, on this exciting project that showcases the superb OLED lighting experience so elegantly," said David DeJoy, OLEDWorks CEO and co-founder.



"The OLED panels blur the line between light engine and light fixture, providing simplicity in integration of light with a myriad of construction materials. This is beautifully revealed in Hirsch, Muller and Tiravanija's stunning design."












By Lee Min-hyung





Song Dae-hyun, president at LG Electronics' home appliance and air systems unit, tells a press conference in Berlin about LG's plan to expand its smart home business. / Courtesy of LG Electronics

LG Electronics plans to double its annual investment in its smart home business by 2020, with the emerging tech area expected to be the hub to interconnect all trending technologies, such as artificial intelligence (AI), internet of things (IoT) and robots.

At an annual IFA tradeshow in Germany, the Seoul-based electronics giant unveiled its vision to lead the lucrative smart home industry. Toward this end, the company plans to expand its R&D workforce by more than 50 percent until 2020.

"We are going to push for an open innovation  focusing on AI, hardware devices, IoT and robots  in a move to expand our presence in the smart home industry," Song Dae-hyun, president at LG Electronics' home appliance and air systems business, told a press conference in Berlin on Saturday, on the sidelines of Europe's largest electronics fair.

"Mergers and acquisitions (M&A) will stand at the center of our plan to grow the smart home business," he said. "We will take a close look at such companies as retail players or those with unique technologies."

He did not specify the companies with which LG was discussing possible acquisitions.

"We have yet to narrow our differences with some companies, but are still looking for suitable partners," he said.

With the goal of achieving what it calls a three-tier open environment, LG pledged to continue expanding its smart home presence here and abroad. The strategy includes an open partnership, open platform and open connectivity.

In particular, LG has forged partnerships with the world's leading IT players  Google and Amazon  in AI and smart homes since last year.

LG showcased a group of home appliances voice-controlled by Amazon's AI speaker Alexa, at the trade show. LG this year plans to launch seven electronics devices in the United States  such as a refrigerator, washing machine and air conditioner  that support the Alexa voice assistant.

At this year's IFA the company also launched its new flagship V30 smartphone equipped with Google's voice recognition platform, Google Assistant. The software allows LG V30 users to operate the LG's home appliances simply by talking to the virtual personal assistant, according to LG.

Aside from the software sector, the company is also pushing to develop a series of robots with IoT and AI features. For example, LG has deployed its humanoid robots at Incheon International Airport since this July.

"Our robotics business has yet to reach a technologically perfect level for commercialization," Song said. But he said some of its robots  such as lawnmowers  could now tap into Europe or the U.S.
By Jhoo Dong-chan



New GM Korea President and CEO Kaher Kazem said in an inauguration email Sept. 1 that GM Korea employees need to change to better adapt for a sustainable future for the company.



Despite endless speculation about GM's possible departure from the Korean market, union members at the nation's third-largest carmaker have decided to stage a partial walkout Tuesday demanding more wages and benefits.



Noticing such ominous speculations accompanying a series of militant walkouts, Kazem called for cooperation and efforts to improve the company's competitiveness for its sustainable future.



"GM Korea has suffered huge profit losses for the last three years. Its deteriorating financial status is greatly threatening the company's sustainability," he said in the email.



"For GM Korea's sustainable future, we need to change. That's our duty. I believe in GM Korea and its workers' potential. If we work together as a team to improve our customer experience, we will be able to overcome ongoing challenges for our sustainable future."



GM Korea has reportedly suffered losses for the past three years. It netted losses of 353.4 billion won ($310.2 million) in 2014, 986.8 billion won in 2015 and 631.5 billion won last year. Its 2016 balance sheet showed debt of 1.29 trillion won. It also suffered a 258.9 billion won loss in the first quarter of 2017.



Despite his email to workers vowing his commitment to overcome present challenges, concerns are being raised over his appointment to the post because of his track record.



Kazem led General Motors' withdrawal and selloff of operations in India. He decided to sell off its production plants in Gujarat in March, and then cancel the carmaker's $1 million plan to expand its production line in India in May, announcing a de facto withdrawal from the market.



Despite the company's ominous external factors, union workers at GM Korea decided to stage a walkout, demanding raising their basic salary by 154,883 won, a 500 percent incentive payment, while reducing night shift work by one hour.



Compounding their decision to go on a strike, union members then met Incheon Metropolitan City Mayor Yoo Jeong-bok last week to request the local government and political circle's support to prevent GM's possible departure. They also staged a walkout at Bupyeong Station, Incheon, denouncing recent Korea Development Bank's announcement saying it cannot stop Detroit's decision if it decides to shut down the Korea operation.



"It is not the time for quarrels but a time for cooperation. I don't' think GM Korea workers fully understand the gravity of the situation," said an industry observer.



"They are now running the risk of losing their jobs. If GM Korea leaves, the impact on the nation's economy will be great considering the company's partners and subcontractors."
















Former Hyundai Motor Global PR Vice President Frank Ahrens / Courtesy of Frank Ahrens



By Jhoo Dong-chan

Hyundai Motor's presence has now become worldwide. Vehicles of the nation's largest carmaker are running on streets in the four corners of the world.

It is now well-known Hyundai Motor has carried out a number of decisive innovations in production and brand strategy in the 1990s through early 2000s to become one of the world's automotive behemoths.

It took less than 50 years for the carmaker to have risen to such a status, a stark contrast to most other major carmakers like Ford and GM that spent more than 100 years to do so.

Unlike Hyundai Motor's strong presence in the global market, however, its corporate culture has yet to be well-known. And a former Washington Post journalist, who spent three years as a Hyundai Motor global PR director, says his time with the carmaker was like "medicine."

"It doesn't always taste good to take medicine, but it does make you better," Frank Ahrens said in an interview with The Korea Times.

Ahrens joined Hyundai Motor as the company's global PR director in October 2012. He came to the country with his wife after quitting his 18-year career as a journalist at the Washington Post.

It was his first visit to Korea, and Ahrens said there were fewer than 10 foreign employees and he was the only American worker in the head office building in Seoul when he joined the company.

"It was very difficult in the first six months," he said, adding there was a rumor going around that he was going to quit and return to America.

"But that wasn't an option because my wife had a two-year posting at the U.S. Embassy in Seoul, and I wasn't going to quit. I had been at Hyundai for only six months but already I understood that being a Hyundai man means never quitting."

Ahrens said one of his challenges in his early days with Hyundai Motor was Korea's Confucian-influenced culture.

"One of the first mistakes I made was telling my team members and others, Call me Frank!'" he said. "I was trying to create a more level, democratic relationship between me and the team members. But they didn't want to call me Frank because it made them uncomfortable and it made some of them feel like they were working on a team of lower status from other teams whose bosses were addressed by last name and title."

When Ahrens was later promoted to vice president, it finally worked out as his team members started calling him "Fu Sang Moo," using the Korean sound for "F" (the first sound of "Frank") and Korean for vice president. And he liked it.

Ahrens also recalled his experiences with Hyundai Motor Group Vice Chairman Chung Eui-sun during his job interview before coming to Korea.

"Chung was, unlike other second- or third-generation chaebol heirs in Korea, a very forthright and open-hearted person. He often joined dinner meetings with employees and even watched movies together. He asked me during the interview how I digitally communicated with readers when I was a Washington Post journalist. Then, I understood he wanted me to utilize digital communication with media," Ahrens said in his book, "Seoul Man."

"One day, Chung will lead Hyundai Motor Group, and I have very high hopes for him considering his informal but practical approaches to agendas."

In his book, Ahrens also introduced another experience with Chung during the 2011 Detroit Motor Show, helping the vice chairman's media-day speech in a one-on-one meeting for the show.

"Chung and I worked and practiced together for the speech at his office in Seoul. He rehearsed out loud during the practice and asked me to do the same. I liked him because of his open-minded and folksy attitude. It is not something you can find with other Korean business leaders," he said.

During his days with Hyundai Motor, Ahrens said "hoesik," or get-togethers, were surprising and shocking in a bad way.

"I am not a big drinker and don't drink to get drunk. I couldn't understand why everyone was getting drunk so frequently, especially on work nights, and why bosses would require their employees to go to hoesik. Also I didn't like that team members who didn't like to drink felt pressured to drink," he said.

"By the time I left Korea, the Korean government started asking companies to reduce the number of hoesiks because of lost work production and because of the peer pressure they cause, and I started to appreciate the important team-building element of hoesik that is its real meaning."

Ahrens also commented on both Hyundai's corporate culture and the nation's work ethic in general.

"I was not shocked by how long Hyundai and Korean employees work," he said. "I had read about that. I was surprised, however, to find workers sitting at their desks long into the evening even if they had no work to do just because their boss was still at work. This long-hours-low-productivity problem is a known issue in Korea and companies and the government are trying to take steps to fix it, but it takes a long time to change a culture, especially one that is so affected by peer pressure, or nunchi in Korean."

Ahrens said he still has a great deal of affection for Korea, cares deeply about what happens to it, and maintains good friendships with many co-workers from his time at Hyundai.

"I think the arrows for both Hyundai and Korea still point up, despite the recent turbulence both have experienced. And my family still owns two Hyundais _ a Santa Fe and a Veloster," Ahrens said.
Project pushed back on priority list after Moon took office

By Kim Jae-kyoung





/ Graphic by Cho Sang-won

SINGAPORE  Concerns are mounting that Korea is lagging far behind in a bid to win the lead role in a Malaysia-Singapore high-speed rail (HSR) project as its efforts have been clearly losing momentum under the new administration.

This is in stark contrast to the fact that Japan and China, its two biggest rivals, are doubling efforts not only to develop strategic bidding plans but also to step up lobbying activities to win over the governments of the two Southeast Asian nations.

An international tender for the HSR project, designed to develop a 350km rail link between Kuala Lumpur and Singapore, is expected to be called by the end of this year. The construction is scheduled to wrap up by 2026.

The $15 billion project is considered particularly important because it can pave the way for any country to lay the groundwork in the burgeoning Southeast Asian infrastructure market.

However, it seems the project was pushed back on Korea's priority list after President Moon Jae-in took office. It was one of the key overseas projects under former President Park Geun-hye.

While Japan and China are jostling for the mega deal, South Korea is sitting idle just a few months ahead of the tender to appoint the assets company (AssetsCo), which will be responsible for designing, building, financing and maintaining all rolling stock and rail assets.

The Korean government, which has been trying to build a consortium for the project, has yet to come up with specific plans on how to pitch its rail system and court the two Southeast Asian nations.

Asked what kind of preparations are underway, a senior official from the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport said, "I think we will be able to do something in early October at the earliest."

Japan's pitch

On Monday, Japan's Minister of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism Keiichi Ishii hosted a symposium in Singapore to make a pitch for the HSR project by inviting ranking Singapore officials, including Singapore's Transport Minister Khaw Boon Wan.

Japan held similar symposium in Kuala Lumpur in May this year.

At the symposium, the Japanese government highlighted the strengths of Shinkansen, Japan's bullet train, and its knowhow in regional and human resource development, with a focus on safety and reliability.

The event was hosted jointly by three Japanese ministries  the land ministry, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry  as well as Japan External Trade Organization, Japan Railway Technology Service and Japan Overseas Railway System Association.

Also, they have sharpened up their strategies to become more competitive over rivals. On top of safety and reliability, they also focused on discussing technology transfer and development of regions around train stations, which are the areas Korea has highlighted as its key strengths.

What is notable is that they invited ranking officials from Taiwan and India, which imported Japan's HSR system, to share their views, which made Japan's system more credible and attractive.

Following the symposium, Japan set up a business meeting between its consortium and Singapore companies for possible joint ventures.

"We can suggest tracks can be produced locally by a Singapore company ... When it comes to building the actual infrastructure, I believe joint ventures are possible," Minister Ishii told reporters.

Market watchers say Korea needs to drum up efforts to make their bidding more competitive while trying to build relationships with local companies in Singapore and Malaysia.

"I think the Korean government should speed up its promotional plans if there are any. In this kind of megaproject, the government's role and timing are important," a source based in Singapore said, asking not to be named.

"In particular, high-level officials have to play a bigger role in pitching the project to show the country is ready to contribute to cooperation with the countries. Also, Korea needs to look into details of rivals' bidding plans and seek ways to differentiate its strengths."
Cheers to Campari, a pre-dinner cocktail imported from Italy. / Courtesy of Edrington Korea

By Lee Hyo-sik

Edrington Korea and the Italian Chamber of Commerce in Korea (ICCK) have completed a campaign to promote Campari, a pre-dinner Italian cocktail, among local fine diners.

In cooperation with 17 Italian restaurants in Seoul, Edrington, which imports Campari, and ICCK said Sunday that the Aperitivo Week campaign had been a success.

The campaign was the first in the Reddy to Italy year-long project to publicize Italy's dining culture, Campari and other pre-dinner alcohol drinks.

Over the past week, diners visited Harmonium, Il Chiasso and 15 other restaurants for complimentary welcome drinks and aperitivo cocktails that go well with Italian dishes.

Customers also received a free ticket to the aperitivo after-party, which will be held at BARN Lounge in Hannam-dong, Seoul, on Sept. 6. At the party, they will be given an aperitivo cocktail and canapes _ biscuits or bread with cheese or meat on top.

"Most Koreans usually drink wine with Italian or other Western dishes, but Campari and other cocktails from Italy also go well with them," said an Edrington Korea official. "This is why we organized the Aperitivo Week. Hopefully, many local diners experienced Campari, which has been loved by Italians for nearly 160 years, and other pre-dinner cocktails. We will continue to organize more promotional events in cooperation with Italian restaurants to raise the awareness of Italian food and alcohol."
Hugh Hefner spoke with the L.A. Times often  and always had something memorable to say

(Liz O. Baylen / Los Angeles Times)

Understanding Playboy-in-Chief Hugh Hefners revered  and reviled  lifestyle was often just a question or two away.

The iconoclastic publishing mogul, who died Wednesday at 91, was an open book when it came to his views on swinging ways and sexuality, particularly how his puritanical upbringing shaped his career and gave rise to the revolutionary Playboy empire.

Over the years, the perennially pajama-clad Hef was interviewed often by the Los Angeles Times. Heres a sampling of some of his memorable quotes.

On sexualitys problematic origins in America:

Our society is fragmented, he asserted in 1994. Messages regarding human sexuality have always been mixed in America. We are a schizophrenic nation. We were founded initially by Puritans, who escaped repression only to establish their own. Then the founding fathers gave us the Constitution to separate church and state. But the one thing that got left out of all those laws was human sexuality.

On the life he made for himself:

Much of my life has been like an adolescent dream of an adult life, he told The Times in 1992. If you were still a boy, in almost a Peter Pan kind of way, and could have just the perfect life that you wanted to have, thats the life I invented for myself.

OBITUARY: Playboy founder Hugh Hefner, who shook up American morality with an ideal of swinging singlehood, dies at 91

On why he was so happy:

You will find in my bedroom images from long ago, little photographs and things from when I was a kid. Im a very happy guy, and part of that has to do with my connection to my childhood, he said in 2009.

On how he became Hef:

Through a lifetime, you reinvent who you are, he explained in 2009. I actually reinvented myself the first time when I was 16, when a girl rejected me. I started referring to myself as Hef, started changing my wardrobe  the same thing I did in 1959-1960 with the magazine, when I came out from behind the desk and started living the life and got the first Playboy mansion, started to drive a Mercedes 300SL.

On how the 1942 film Casablanca led to the Playboy Club:

I think I opened the first Playboy Club because of Casablanca. I wanted to have a place where people came to hang out as they did at Ricks, he said in 2010. It has everything  not only Bogies charismatic character, but lost love, redemption, patriotism, humor  it had a great musical score.

On traditional attitudes toward marriage and sex:

If you dont commit, he told The Times in 1994, you dont get hurt. I was always unwilling to commit to marriage because I was afraid to lose the romance.

On the Playboy brands global status:

It has been said that the two most famous trademarks in the world are Coca-Cola and the Playboy bunny rabbit, he said in 1994. There is certainly no one else in our area that represents the American dream in this particular kind of way. That rabbit means economic freedom, personal freedom and political freedom. That potential is unlimited.

On the Playboy Jazz Festival:

Ive never found anything that Ive cared more about than the music from my youth. I loved the Beatles, sure, but I never became  except for dancing purposes  a hard rocker. To me, there is something incredibly celebratory, and so wonderful about really good big-band swing and Dixieland, he said in 2002.

When I started, I just wanted to put out a mens magazine. But by the end of the 50s, it was so successful that I seized it as a vehicle for changing the direction of my life, he added. And that crucial change in my life was also associated with jazz, because it all began within a space of about six months after the first Playboy Jazz Festival in August of 1959.

Hugh Hefner, founder of the Playboy empire, relaxes during a visit to England in 1966. (John Downing / Getty Images)

On his personal legacy:

One of the reasons that I have such tremendous satisfaction at this point in my life is because I know Ive made a difference, he said in 1994. Ive made a difference in a way that really matters to me.

On publishings shift to digital:

I dont sit around thinking about, Gee, what happened to the new generation and they dont read enough and why is the internet replacing books? he said in 2009.

On his fame and sex appeal:

I think that just as [Henry] Kissinger said, power is the ultimate aphrodisiac. Celebrity is the ultimate aphrodisiac in todays world. And Im lucky enough to have fallen into a unique kind of celebrity, he said in 2009. So against all logic, nothing else matters  age doesnt matter. When [my last long-term] relationship ended, last year, they were climbing over the gate. ... young women. Endless numbers of young women.

ALSO

Hugh Hefners life pushing boundaries started with comics

Hugh Hefners Playboy Mansion was hedonistic headquarters for his brand

Your legacy lives on: Hugh Hefner is remembered as an innovator, friend and supporter of civil rights
Greta Gerwig didnt get much sleep leading up to the Friday premiere of her directorial debut, the coming-of-age dramedy Lady Bird, at the Telluride Film Festival.

For the actress turned writer-director, previously best known for her work in such films as Frances Ha and 20th Century Women, the thought of screening Lady Bird in front of an audience of die-hard cinephiles and awards-season tastemakers  in the same opening-night slot that launched Moonlight last year, no less  was both thrilling and utterly frightening. On the flight to the festival, shed read through the program and felt a shudder of fear at the caliber of filmmakers she would find herself among.

As it turned out, Gerwig had nothing to worry about. In its first outing, warmly introduced by Moonlight director Barry Jenkins, Lady Bird soared. The Telluride crowd gave a rousing response to the semi-autobiographical film about a fiercely independent high school senior (Saoirse Ronan) who yearns to go to college in New York to escape what she sees as her drab hometown of Sacramento and a stormy relationship with her mother (Laurie Metcalf). Within minutes after the lights went up, speculations about awards prospects for the film, which opens Nov. 10, were bouncing across social media.

On Saturday morning, The Times sat down with Gerwig as she was still processing the events of the previous night to talk about making the shift behind the camera with a highly personal story.

Im sure youd gone through the best-case and worst-case scenarios for that screening in your head. How did the reality feel?

I think I only imagine worst-case scenarios. [laughs] It was the largest audience Id ever seen it with, so it was terrifying but also incredibly gratifying. It is such a generous audience here. Theyre all-in for whatever the ride is, and it feels so welcoming.

It was so meaningful when Barry Jenkins introduced the movie, I just started weeping. Barry and I met years ago on the festival circuit  he was with [his 2008 directorial debut] Medicine for Melancholy and I was with Nights and Weekends. So it kind of brought everything full circle for me.

One of my favorite things about Telluride is because its so small the directors are really there for each other. You look at another director and they feel the same thing you feel. I saw [Darkest Hour director] Joe Wright last night and its his seventh film, and I said, Does it get easier? And he said, It never gets easier. And I thought, Oh, well, I guess I know what Im in for.

How long had you been thinking about directing?

I think Ive always wanted to direct, but I didnt go to film school. I was lucky enough to work in movies, and I think those became my film school in terms of acting and watching directors work and also writing and co-writing and producing.

When I finished the draft of this film, I had a moment of not being sure I should be the person to direct it because, however much you prepare, being a first-time director there are just things that you cant know ahead of time. But I had to take the plunge. I had to start somewhere.

In Lady Bird, Saoirse Ronan portrays an independent high school senior who yearns to escape her hometown of Sacramento and a stormy relationship with her mother, played by Laurie Metcalf. (Merie Wallace / A24) (Photo by Merie Wallace, courtesy of A24)

You grew up in Sacramento and you went to New York for college, so everyone is assuming this movie is autobiographical.

Its funny when people say its autobiographical  I think, Oh, did you grow up with me? [laughs]

I definitely wanted to make a movie about Sacramento, and the first germ of the movie was how I would go about telling that story. None of the things that happen in the movie literally happened to me, but they all rhyme with the truth. I think I always have to start from some emotional truth and build out from there. Most of it is not real, but certainly there is a core that is.

Did you grow up with that feeling of wanting to be somewhere else?

I think its true of a lot of teenagers that youre convinced that life is happening somewhere else. In the film, New York is a mythical goal in a way. New York is like the green light in The Great Gatsby. Its the thing on the other shore that, youll get there and youll realize, Oh, it didnt instantly imbue me with the sense of meaning that I thought it would. But I think thats just everybodys journey in life.

I certainly had that feeling of, where is the real thing happening? And then you realize, no, the real thing happened to you.

FULL COVERAGE: Fall 2017 movie preview 

Weve seen plenty of coming-of-age movies that deal with high school angst, teenage infatuations, difficult relationships with parents, yearning to be somewhere else. Were you conscious of trying to avoid cliches weve seen before?

I feel like a lot of movies about teenage girls center around one guy  thats the driving thrust of the story. And I love those movies. I love John Hughes. I adore being sucked into that kind of story. But the reality of it is theres never just one guy  if theres a guy at all  and theyre all wrong but theyre all right in a different way, too. And I felt like Id never seen something that captured that.

I also feel like your primary relationship is with your parents, and relationships with friends and boyfriends are a way that you express your understanding of love based on what your family is. So its like a kaleidoscope in a way. I dont consciously think about cliches but I do think I like to subvert them, particularly with romantic tropes.

Saoirse Ronans performance in this movie is extraordinary but Im guessing, as an Irish actress, she wasnt the first person you had in mind to play a teenager from Sacramento.

Her performance is mind-boggling  I cant speak about her without becoming emotional. She transformed herself so fully that you dont see the transformation because you cant see the seams. All you see is this girl. In a way, it almost feels like the quality of finding an unknown. Even though shes Saoirse and shes been nominated for an Oscar twice, theres that same sense of discovery, like, Holy , she can do this too?

I dont consciously think about cliches but I do think I like to subvert them, particularly with romantic tropes.  Greta Gerwig

How did you end up casting her?

At the Toronto Film Festival in 2015, she was there for Brooklyn and I was there for Maggies Plan. Shed been given the script and had a strong reaction to it and really wanted to do it. I wanted to meet with her because I think shes amazing, but its called Lady Bird and she would be Lady Bird and it was this incredible undertaking.

I came to her hotel room with the script and we sat on her couch and drank Cokes and read the entire script out loud. I read every other part and she read Lady Bird, and I knew by Page 2 that she was right. She just had this intensity of emotion and purpose and her intelligence was so in focus that it was instantly funny and heartbreaking. She played it differently than Id always heard it in my head but so much better, which is always what you hope an actor does.

Youve still got a couple of months to go until this movie comes out. But have you thought yet about what you might want to direct next?

I definitely want to keep directing. I loved it. In a way, I felt like it was the most comfortable Ive felt and the most uncomfortable at the same time. It takes a long time to write but Im writing a lot of things. Im interested in long careers where you take detours. You have to keep at it. Its a tremendous amount of work but I cant imagine anything Id like to do more.

josh.rottenberg@latimes.com

Twitter: @joshrottenberg
Upscale soul food? It could only come from a chef like Jason Fullilove, at The Taste today

Chef Jason Fullilove built a following through a series of pop-ups and residencies. Now he has a place of his own. He calls it Barbara Jean, after his mother. The fare, he says, is soul food. (Mel Melcon / Los Angeles Times)

Jason Fullilove will be at the L.A. Times culinary stage at 12:45 p.m. doing a biscuit baking demonstration with David LeFevre.

This story recounts his career and the origins of his restaurant, Barbara Jean:

Not so very long ago, a visit to a new restaurant meant something very predictable happened. You entered under specific signage through heavy doors into a swank universe. There a hostess or maitre d greeted you like a favorite relative, ushered you to a draped table, through a performance of uniformed servers and low music and diners clustered in geometric order. This is not a lost world, but it is no longer the world we live in. And, maybe more to the point, it is not the world most chefs live in, especially chefs wanting to open their own restaurants, without access to deep-pocketted investors and elaborate support systems.

To find Barbara Jean, the restaurant that chef Jason Fullilove opened in June in the Fairfax neighborhood of Los Angeles, you stroll past the clothing boutiques and tattoo shops that line Melrose Avenue, into the Melrose Umbrella Co., a dim, wood-lined bar. The place looks like a slightly dusty set from Ken Burns documentary on Prohibition: high ceilings, exposed Douglas fir beams, retro-clad folks gathered around a watering hole. Pass the drinkers and their highball glasses, up some stairs, past a tiny, crowded kitchen and into the small patio in the back. This is the restaurant, almost hidden at the back of the bar like a reverse speakeasy, and which looks like an art installation crossed with someones 50s-era garage.

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Tony Young stepped outside the noodle shop and lit a cigarette.

As he did many afternoons, he was heading to play mah-jongg at the Hop Sing Tong, the 141-year-old Chinatown social club. But he had a gamblers intuition that the tiles would not fall his way.

Help me play a few hands. Lately, my luck has not been good, Young said to his lunch companion.

The friend declined, and Young headed west on the 10 Freeway from Alhambra to downtown Los Angeles on his own.

He had barely settled in at a table when a man barged in with a knife, slashing one of the mah-jongg players across the neck, then turning on Young, stabbing him seven times.

The Jan. 26 slayings shattered the quiet of Chinatown, where Young, 64, had been a fixture for decades, adapting to the changes around him with canny self-assurance.

Recently, he had been sworn in as president of Hop Sing Tong, a red rose pinned to his lapel as journalists from local Chinese newspapers documented the ceremony. At banquets, he cut a distinctive figure with his shaved head, winsome grin and well-cut suits. When foreign dignitaries visited Chinatown, he was in the receiving line.

But there was another side to Young that dated back to a more troubled time. The FBI had pursued him for years, convinced that he was a leader of the notorious Wah Ching gang, implicated in an armed robbery and at least two murders.

He escaped an extortion charge after a key witness fled the country. He was suspected of plotting to assassinate the Taiwanese president. But only one case against him, for financial crimes, stuck. Like many reputed gang bosses, he was an elusive quarry. He always insisted he was just a businessman.

His violent death brought his old life back to the surface, calling up some long-buried stories from the Chinese underworld and leaving some to wonder whether his past had finally caught up to him.

He exceeded his sell-by date by 35 years, said Ben Lee, a retired LAPD detective who worked the Chinatown beat.

Ben Lee, a retired LAPD detective who worked the Chinatown beat, talks about the area's past and present. (Christina House / For The Times)

The lure of the gang

Joe Hoe Tony Young arrived in Los Angeles from Hong Kong when he was 16.

He had trouble learning English and dropped out of Belmont High School, finding a calling elsewhere  in the glamour and fast cash of the gang lifestyle.

At 5 feet, 6 inches and 110 pounds, Young was slightly built, with a mane of black wavy hair. His nickname was Mut Joe, or Sweet Date in Cantonese.

In the early 1970s, Chinatown had three movie theaters and a population of youngsters who, like Young, had moved to Los Angeles after the U.S. government loosened restrictions on Asian immigration. Young and his friends congregated in Alpine Park or took in kung fu flicks while puffing on cigarettes, often without paying for their tickets, according to Lee, the retired detective.

Young also traveled to other cities where the Wah Ching, or Chinese Youth, had ties. By his early 20s, he was known to law enforcement on both sides of the Pacific.

Tony Young

In March 1974, Hong Kong police officers sent an urgent teletype to American law enforcement authorities. They had Young in custody and suspected his involvement in an armed robbery in San Rafael, Calif., where a Hong Kong film crew had been held up by four masked, Cantonese-speaking men.

They would have to release Young soon unless the Americans planned to arrest him, they said in the message.

Young eventually went back to California and does not appear to have been charged with the San Rafael robberies.

Around this time, a feud between the Wah Ching and the rival Joe Boys, which began over control of gambling, drugs and protection rackets, was spiraling into a series of deadly revenge shootings, one of which nearly killed Young.

At the Jade Palace nightclub in San Francisco in September 1976, four men fired pistols into the crowd, hitting Young in the chest and head. He was hospitalized in critical condition.

The feud reached a bloody climax a year later when Joe Boys members sprayed gunfire around the dining room of the Golden Dragon restaurant in San Francisco. No Wah Ching members were hit. Instead, five people with no gang ties were killed, and 11 were wounded.

After his brush with death, Young rose in the gang hierarchy and was eventually named the head of the Wah Chings Los Angeles chapter.

By then, he had traded the casual look of his youth for a blazer and dress shoes, exuding a nice guy vibe.

He was a very cunning person. He knew how to show respect, Lee said. He would never be disrespectful to a police officer.

Young was not shy about his gang affiliation and bragged to Lee about his position as a dai lo, or elder.

But Young was difficult to pin down. His only criminal convictions in the 1970s and 1980s were for drunk driving and smoking in a movie theater. He was never charged with a violent crime.

If I could have put handcuffs on him, I would have, Lee said.

Wah Ching organizational chart presented to the Committee on Governmental Affairs in 1991, listing Tony Young as the Los Angeles leader of the Wah Ching. (Committee on Governmental Affairs)

A Chinese godfather

In June 1982, four young men entered a gold commodities brokerage in Monterey Park and asked for money, hinting that saying no would lead to some trouble.

The companys president, William Liu, reported the incident to the FBI and wore a wire the next time he met with one of the men, Johnson Woo. The recording captured Woo demanding a $1,500 monthly payment.

When Liu asked if he would be beaten up for refusing, Woo responded: Well see how it goes.

Federal prosecutors believed the scheme was orchestrated by Young and other Wah Ching members. Young and Woo were charged with extortion.

As the trial approached, Liu left the country and did not return, forcing prosecutors to drop the case against Young. Based in part on the FBI recording, Woo was convicted and sentenced to six months in prison.

Years later, Liu told an FBI agent that he did not testify against Young because he feared for his life.

The witness advised that he was frightened for his life because he knew Young was the Wah Ching gang leader and he knew what Young could do to him so he did not testify. (Source: FBI documents filed by prosecutors in U.S.A. vs. Joe Hoe Young, National Archives at Riverside)

Tony had done such a good job for so long with intimidating potential witnesses and other gang members that it was difficult to make a case against him, said Christopher Johnson, a former federal prosecutor.

Word of Youngs criminal exploits traveled as far as Washington, D.C. Concern about Asian gangs was at its height in the late 1980s and early 1990s, and Congress periodically held hearings on the issue. A chart presented at one hearing showed Young at the top of the Los Angeles Wah Ching structure, four lieutenants fanned out beneath him.

In March 1987, after Youngs car was shot up by a member of a rival gang, a local casino dealer was beaten savagely while Young watched from his car, a congressional report said.

Young ran the Wah Chings gambling empire, which focused on pai gow, a game popular with Asian immigrants. He also monopolized the lucrative Chinese-language entertainment industry.

If the owners of Chinese video companies did not fall in line, they suffered consequences. One local video distributor reluctantly sold the rights to her business after her property was damaged and she received a phone call from Young, according to a congressional report.

When Chinese entertainers visited Southern California, Young asked Chinatown business owners to sponsor the concerts at up to $2,000 a pop, according to Hollman Cheung, who ran the Bicycle Club Casino in Bell Gardens.

Saying no was not an option, Cheung told the FBI in 1996.

Young was a godfather type, Cheung said, who used his influence and respect in the Chinese community to get what he wants instead of resorting to violence.

Now, Young is more sophisticated and a godfather type. He uses his influence and respect in the Chinese community to get what he wants instead of resorting to violence. (Source: FBI documents filed by prosecutors in U.S.A. vs. Joe Hoe Young, National Archives at Riverside)

The feds close in

On his 39th birthday, Young met with FBI agents at a Marie Callenders restaurant in Monterey Park to tell his side of the story.

He insisted he had quit the Wah Ching long ago, after he was shot at the San Francisco nightclub. The FBI was hounding him, looking for crimes that did not exist, he said in a Dec. 10, 1991, interview. He described himself as a smart businessman who made $12,000 a month.

But according to an FBI informant, Young was still very much a dai lo.

The following year, Young presided over a swearing-in ceremony at a Chinatown temple. Surrounded by statues of Buddha, 15 to 20 Wah Ching initiates sat around a long table, the air heavy with incense.

They cut their fingers with needles and let the blood drip into a bowl of water, pledging allegiance to their gang elders as Young watched from a corner of the room, the informant told agents.

Young said the F.B.I. is responsible for his title as Wah-Ching leader and he credited the F.B.I.'s investigation with giving him the unwanted reputation as the Chinese gang leader. (Source: FBI documents filed by prosecutors in U.S.A. vs. Joe Hoe Young, National Archives at Riverside)

Around this time, younger men began challenging Youngs leadership. As factions fought for supremacy, gunfire erupted at several locations, including a San Gabriel nightclub where a Wah Ching member was killed by one of his own.

In May 1993, Los Angeles County sheriffs deputies investigating the violence served search warrants at 38 locations, including Youngs Monterey Park house.

Young again declared his innocence, this time in an interview with The Times, saying he had been unfairly targeted by law enforcement for years.

How can they prove that? he said angrily. I hate extortion. Never! I hate extortion against our own people.

Los Angeles City Hall framed by dragon statues in Chinatown. (Wally Skalij / Los Angeles Times) (Wally Skalij / Los Angeles Times)

An assassination plot

In the end, Youngs downfall mirrored that of the legendary Chicago gangster Al Capone.

Buried in Youngs financial records, FBI investigators found evidence of criminal wrongdoing. In his applications for real estate loans, Young had submitted tax returns listing higher incomes than he reported to the Internal Revenue Service .

In one instance, Young applied for a loan with a tax return showing $139,663 in income when he had only reported $40,663 to the federal government. Youngs 1992 bankruptcy filing also conflicted with tax documents.

In 1995, Young was charged with two counts of lying to a financial institution and two counts of bankruptcy fraud. Instead of surrendering, he boarded a plane to Asia.

There, FBI agents believed, he got mixed up in a plot to kill Taiwans president, Lee Teng-hui, who was running in the islands first democratic presidential election.

FBI agents tipped off Taiwanese authorities, who arrested Young at the Taipei airport on March 19 and put him on a Los Angeles-bound flight.

Tony Young, flanked by two FBI agents, arriving at LAX in 1995. Taiwanese authorities arrested Young and put him on a Los Angeles-bound flight.

Young was convicted of two counts of lying to a financial institution and sentenced to 13 months in prison.

In a court declaration, the lead FBI agent, James Glynn, outlined a criminal career stretching more than two decades, from the San Rafael armed robbery to the alleged assassination plot.

Included in Glynns recounting was Youngs suspected involvement in a murder in San Francisco and one in Taiwan, though he was not charged with the killings.

For Glynn, putting Young behind bars for financial crimes was more than a consolation prize. It was a chance to take the head off the snake, he said recently.

Out of prison and out of power

After Young got out of prison, his influence in the Wah Ching appeared to wane.

A new generation of dai los was going strong. Their turf was not Chinatown but the San Gabriel Valley, the new epicenter of Chinese influence and the destination of choice for wealthy immigrants from Taiwan and Hong Kong.

By February 2001, the Wah Ching was at war with two other Chinese gangs, the Red Door and the Four Seas. Young was one of the elders who tried to broker peace.

On a recording captured by a confidential informant, Young could be heard speaking in Cantonese during negotiations among the rival gangs in Monterey Park and Arcadia, according to Dennis Lao, an FBI agent on the case.

Tony Young was one of the older guys who didnt want a gang war, said Lao, who retired last summer.

The younger Wah Ching leaders proceeded anyway. The violence that followed included the mistaken killing of an ally in Monterey Park.

Thirteen Wah Ching members were charged with federal crimes, including murder in aid of racketeering and distributing marijuana and ecstasy. Six of them were also charged with planning an armed robbery at an Alhambra brothel whose owner had refused to pay $3,000 a month in protection money.

The prosecutions disrupted the Wah Chings leadership structure.

By the time Tom Yu began investigating Asian gangs for the L.A. County Sheriffs Department in 2008, groups like the Wah Ching tended to be headless, lacking an organization chart like the one Young once topped.

Its ad hoc, loosely organized  not Whos your dai lo? Yu said.

In 2016, the Sheriffs Department disbanded its Asian gang task force. The Wah Ching is no longer a concern for the LAPD.

Theyre not active. Nothing regarding that gang is standing out, said Capt. Marc Reina of Central Division, which includes Chinatown.

An elder statesman

Sometime after the failed peace negotiations, Young moved to Shanghai, where he ran a bar.

When he returned to Los Angeles around 2008, he gravitated toward Hop Sing Tong and soon became a prominent member.

Housed in a three-story building with a pagoda-style red tile roof, the club occupies a prominent spot in Chinatowns central plaza. Its double doors are usually propped open, providing a glimpse of old men shuffling mah-jongg tiles or perusing Chinese newspapers.

Once a key player in violent wars against other Chinese tongs, Hop Sing Tong has long since become a quiet backwater.

In recent years, after teetering on the verge of obscurity, Chinatown has begun to reinvent itself. A gourmet hamburger stand occupies the corner across from Hop Sing Tong. At the Nashville hot chicken joint down the street, hipsters brave a line stretching nearly a city block.

Top, Los Angeles police look for a suspect who stabbed and killed Tony Young and Kim Kong Yun. Left, the plaza in front of the Hop Sing Tong Benevolent Association, a day after two men were stabbed to death. Right, outside Hop Sing Tong. (Gary Coronado / Luis Sinco / Los Angeles Times)

Young reinvented himself, too, becoming a respected community leader.

Peter Ng, executive director of the Chinatown Service Center, was aware of Youngs past. But Young seemed very open, direct, not the kind of person who would trick you, someone you could count on, said Ng, who likened Youngs return to that of the Biblical prodigal son  lost and now found.

Young often referred Hop Sing Tong members to Ngs center for help finding jobs or sorting out immigration problems  a function that tong leaders had always performed, along with doling out emergency cash, in keeping with the tongs mission as a mutual aid society.

Young achieved such stature that the Taiwanese government gave him an honorary title as a community liaison, the alleged assassination plot either forgiven or forgotten. On a visit to Los Angeles in 2015, then-Taiwanese president Ma Ying-jeou was photographed shaking hands with Young, the two men gripping and grinning in front of an image of the Hollywood sign.

He was a changed man. He was no longer the one who creates the problem, Ng said of Young. Instead, he was doing all the right things to help people.

Wayne Ng, the friend who shared Youngs last meal, said he met Young working at an underground casino in New Yorks Chinatown in the 1970s. At the time, both were members of the Wah Ching, which Ng insisted was a mutual aid society, not a criminal gang.

In those days, Young had a keen sense of chivalry and would not stand for the strong preying on the weak, Ng said. According to Ng, a few Wah Ching members sometimes bullied restaurant owners into forking over a few hundred dollars.

Not me and Tony, Ng said.

Decades later, when the two friends got together for lunch or coffee, they rarely reminisced about their youth, Ng said. After all he had been through, Young felt fortunate to be leading a quiet life.

He was really happy. He was 60-something and still walking around Chinatown, Ng said.

A bloody end

Like so many immigrants before him, Vinh Dao came to Hop Sing Tong looking for help. He asked for money to pay for an impounded car but was not happy with the amount he received.

Several days later, as Chinatown was gearing up for the Lunar New Year holiday, the 36-year-old returned, according to LAPD detectives.

After a solitary lunch at the nearby Plum Tree Inn, he sneaked out the back door without paying, restaurant workers said.

It was only a few yards to Hop Sing Tong, where Young and other retirees were gathered around a mah-jongg table. At 5 feet, 3 inches and 136 pounds, Dao was not physically imposing, but he had served prison time for a fatal stabbing.

Dao again demanded $400 for his vehicle impound fees, according to detectives. He then attacked 64-year-old Kim Kong Yun with a 6-inch knife, penetrating deep into the mans neck, clear through the vertebra and spinal cord, according to an autopsy report. Yuns wife said he was a retired casino worker who spent most days at Hop Sing Tong playing mah-jongg and had known Young since they were teenagers.

When Young came to his friends defense, Dao slashed him in the neck, chest, back, abdomen and arms.

Young slumped onto his left side next to a staircase, blood from his wounds pooling around him.

The news spread quickly in Chinatown and in law enforcement circles. Was it an unsettled score from decades ago?

But there was no need to delve into Youngs past.

Dao was arrested a day later and charged with both killings. An LAPD news release described him only as a longtime member of the Hop Sing Tong who spent his days at the club playing mah-jongg and visiting with friends.

Oxidized bullet recovered from Ant. L 2nd rib @ 1037hrs. (County of Los Angeles, Department of Medical Examiner-Coroner)

Five days later, Deputy Medical Examiner J. Daniel Augustine dissected Youngs body, starting with a Y-shaped incision from both shoulders down the middle of the abdomen. An LAPD officer stood by to witness the autopsy.

Augustine proceeded methodically through the mouth, neck and chest, coming across nothing abnormal except for the stab wounds.

Then, he found a bullet lodged in Youngs left second rib.

It was covered with rust.

cindy.chang@latimes.com

Twitter: @cindychangLA
Chris Hall was spraying his roof with a water hose Saturday morning when two police officers pulled up to his driveway on McGroarty Street in Sunland-Tujunga.

It was time to evacuate.

Now its mandatory, they told him. Get your stuff and go.

Hall said he wanted to stay but didnt argue. This was the scene for residents around the La Tuna fire, which has burned 5,000 acres and destroyed three homes near the Verdugo Mountains.

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Erratic winds have pushed the fire in different directions, forcing officials to issue evacuation orders in quick order.

More than 700 homes in the area are under evacuation, including 300 in Burbank, 250 in Glendale and 180 in Los Angeles, officials said.

The officers gave Hall 20 minutes to pack, but he said he already was prepared. The night before, he had organized his photos  those of his daughters birth, birthdays and visits to the zoo  and important documents, piling them in the trunk of his Nissan Sentra.

Everything else can be replaced, he said, sitting behind the wheel of his car and ready to flee.

Earlier that morning, after seeing flames creep up behind a nearby art center, he dropped his 5-year-old daughter and 12-year-old stepson, along with their pet hamster, at a friends home. He left their goldfish behind.

Over the last couple of weeks, as wildfires raged across California, Hall said he spent hours trimming trees and pruning bushes in case a fire erupted nearby.

We did a lot of cleaning, he said.

Chris Hall, 37, forced to evacuate Tujunga home due to La Tuna fire packed photos & important docs. "Everything else can be replaced" pic.twitter.com/zagsW2ZWJD  Alene Tchekmedyian (@AleneTchek) September 2, 2017

1 / 39 LA County firefighter Kevin Sleight extinguishes hot spots while battling the La Tuna Canyon fire along Crestline Drive Sunday. (Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times) 2 / 39 A couple survey the damage as they walk near a cross that remains standing amid the scorched hillside that destroyed three homes and a shed. (Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times) 3 / 39 A home, cars and property lies in ruins as it was one of three homes and a shed were destroyed in the the La Tuna Canyon fire. (Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times) 4 / 39 A scorched hillside and car is revealed after the La Tuna Canyon fire moved through the hills near Crestline Drive. (Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times) 5 / 39 LA County firefighter Kevin Sleight extinguishes hot spots while battling the La Tuna Canyon fire along Crestline Drive. (Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times) 6 / 39 LA Fire Dept. arson investigators search for clues along La Tuna Canyon Rd. (Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times) 7 / 39 Helicopters continue to drop water on the LA Tuna fire burning in steep terrain in the hills above Burbank. (Francine Orr / Los Angeles Times) 8 / 39 A home destroyed by the LA Tuna fire on Verdugo Crestline Drive near the Sunland-Tujunga area. (Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles TImes) 9 / 39 A fountain and truck parked in front of a home and property lies in ruin as it was one of three homes and a shed were destroyed in the La Tuna Canyon fire. (Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times) 10 / 39 White smoke is visible above Burbank, CA from Olive Ave. (Francine Orr / Los Angeles Times) 11 / 39 A home and car destroyed by the LA Tuna fire on Verdugo Crestline Drive near the Sunland-Tujunga area. (Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles TImes) 12 / 39 Firefighters work hot spots on steep terrain in the hills above Sun Valley on Sunday morning. (Francine Orr / Los Angeles TImes) 13 / 39 A L.A. County Fire helicopter does a water drop above Villa Cabrini Park in Burbank on Sunday morning. (Francine Orr / Los Angeles TImes) 14 / 39 A number of deer are on the streets and hillsides in Burbank on Sunday morning. (Francine Orr / Los Angeles Times) 15 / 39 The La Tuna fire continues to burn above Glendale as the sun begins to rise Sunday morning. (Francine Orr / Los Angeles TImes) 16 / 39 A homeowner uses a hose to water down his roof as the La Tuna fire threatens Sunland on Saturday. The house was spared from the fire. (Genaro Molina / Los Angeles Times) 17 / 39 A helicopter drops water as the La Tuna fire approaches homes on Oro Vista Avenue in Sunland. (Irfan Khan / Los Angeles Times) 18 / 39 A plane does a water drop on the La Tuna fire that crests into Sunland. (Genaro Molina / Los Angeles Times) 19 / 39 Los Angeles City Fire Fighter Robert Hawkins disappears into the smoke while trying to save homes from the La Tuna fire at the end of Glenties Way in Sunland. (Genaro Molina / Los Angeles Times) 20 / 39 Los Angeles County Fire Fighters hit hot spots of the La Tuna fire in Sunland. (Genaro Molina / Los Angeles Times) 21 / 39 The La Tuna fire approaches homes on Oro Vista Avenue in Sunland. (Irfan Khan / Los Angeles Times) 22 / 39 Firefighters work to contain the La Tuna fire near the 210 Freeway. (Irfan Khan / Los Angeles Times) 23 / 39 Scorched earth surrounds homes in the Verdugo Mountains above Burbank as crews battle the La Tuna fire. (Raul Roa / Burbank Leader) 24 / 39 Sunland resident Jeff Dalton sprays water near his home as flames from the La Tuna fire approach. (Genaro Molina / Los Angeles Times) 25 / 39 Residents watch the La Tuna fire raging in the Verdugo Mountains. (Irfan Khan / Los Angeles Times) 26 / 39 Fire continues burn in the Verdugo Hills above Burbank early Saturday morning. (Raul Roa / Burbank Leader) 27 / 39 A stretch of the 210 Freeway is closed due to the La Tuna fire in the nearby Verdugo Mountains. (Raul Roa / Burbank Leader) 28 / 39 Gregory Lasavio evacuates the Glenwood Oaks community as the La Tuna fire rages. (Genaro Molina / Los Angeles Times) 29 / 39 A firefighting aircraft makes a water drop on the La Tuna fire raging in the Verdugo Mountains. (Irfan Khan / Los Angeles Times) 30 / 39 A DC-10 drops fire retardant on the La Tuna fire in Burbank. (Genaro Molina / Los Angeles Times) 31 / 39 A helicopter approaches the Angeles National Golf Club to pick up water to battle the La Tuna fire in the Verdugo Mountains above Sunland-Tujunga. (Irfan Khan / Los Angeles Times) 32 / 39 Brush burns along La Tuna Canyon Road. (Irfan Khan / Los Angeles Times) 33 / 39 A firefighting helicopter makes its way toward the La Tuna fire in the Verdugo Mountains. (Irfan Khan / Los Angeles Times) 34 / 39 Golfers at Angeles National Golf Club play while the La Tuna fire burns nearby in the Verdugo Mountains above Sunland-Tujunga. (Irfan Khan / Los Angeles Times) 35 / 39 Flames from the La Tuna fire burn near La Tuna Canyon Road. (Irfan Khan / Los Angeles Times) 36 / 39 The La Tuna Fire burns near La Tuna Canyon Road. (Irfan Khan / Los Angeles Times) 37 / 39 Smoke from the La Tuna fire shrouds La Tuna Canyon Road. (Irfan Khan / Los Angeles Times) 38 / 39 An LAFD helicopter drops water on a hillside to protect homes threatened by the La Tuna fire in the Verdugo Mountains in Tujunga. (Roger Wilson / Burbank Leader) 39 / 39 An LAFD super-scooper drops a tankful of water on a brush fire in the Verdugo Mountains in Tujunga. (Roger Wilson / Burbank Leader)

Music teacher Valerie Keith was 40 minutes into her work day Saturday morning when her Tujunga neighbor called.

You gotta come home, the neighbor told her.

Keith already was already on edge. Her dogs and cat were home  alone  as flames crept closer to her house. She rushed back.

Soon after, police told her she needed to leave.

Keith frantically loaded her pets in her car, along with her two best violins, spilling on her hands the yogurt she had taken for breakfast but hadnt eaten.

I thought I was going to be safe today, she said.

Just about ready to escape, she remembered something. She dashed back inside and grabbed a framed photograph of her mother and a banjo made from a tambourine.

When you have to leave for safety, then you suddenly realize whats important, she said.

Music teacher Valerie Keith, 56, packed her dogs, cat & two violins and was ready to flee. Then she ran back inside for a photo of her mom pic.twitter.com/vvXp7Se5d9  Alene Tchekmedyian (@AleneTchek) September 2, 2017

andrea.castillo@latimes.com

ruben.vives@latimes.com

alene.tchekmedyian@latimes.com

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Smoke from the La Tuna fire, which has burned more than 5,000 acres in the Verdugo Mountains area, is causing unhealthful air in some areas.

The South Coast Air Quality Management District on Saturday issued a smoke advisory for the eastern San Fernando Valley and Burbank, which is likely to see smoke and ash.

Officials also said the San Gabriel Valley and San Gabriel Mountains could see unhealthful air.

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Hundreds of firefighters battled the blaze overnight and into the morning, and at one point, the flames were spreading in four directions amid intense heat and wild winds. Three homes have burned, but no injuries have been reported, officials said Saturday.

Firefighters faced another day of triple-digit temperatures in some inland areas of Southern California as a heat wave that has gripped the state continues. By Saturday afternoon, winds were blowing up to 17 mph in the area of the La Tuna fire, with humidity at 27%, which was almost 10 percentage points higher than the same time Friday.

Burbank recorded a high of 100 about 2 p.m. while the thermometer hit 95 in the Little Tujunga area, according the National Weather Service in Oxnard.

Winds are forecast to calm down this evening in the area of the fire, according to Carol Smith, a meteorologist with the weather service. Temperatures should drop to the mid-80s overnight, and humidity is expected to increase as monsoonal moisture from Tropical Storm Lidia moves into the region, Smith said. The weather system could bring rain and thunderstorms, which raises the flash flooding risk for burned areas, she said.

More than 700 homes in the area are under evacuation, including 300 in Burbank, 250 in Glendale and 180 in Los Angeles, officials said.

ruben.vives@latimes.com

andrea.castillo@latimes.com

alene.tchekmedyian@latimes.com

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A fast-moving brush fire west of Beaumont in Riverside County that erupted Saturday afternoon has grown to 3,200 acres and forced some residents to evacuate their homes.

The Palmer fire started around 1:30 p.m. near San Timoteo Canyon Road and Fishermans Retreat. The fire is 10% contained, authorities said.

The blaze is believed to have been caused by fireworks in the area of Fishermans Retreat mobile home resort and campsite, according to the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection.

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Authorities ordered mandatory evacuations for residents on Live Oak Canyon Road between Interstate 10 and San Timoteo Canyon Road, said April Newman, a spokeswoman with the Riverside County Fire Department.

Its burning at a rapid rate, Newman said.

Roughly 450 people have been evacuated from more than 100 homes in that area, said Jody Hagemann, spokeswoman with Riverside County fire.

Its fire season and the vegetation is tinder dry, Hagemann said. With all of our personnel well be out there all night and tomorrow trying to get it contained.

At 1:30 p.m. the fire was about 50 acres, burning at a moderate rate, according to Riverside fire officials. An hour later it had grown to 500 acres, and by 7:30 p.m., it had exploded to 3,000 acres, according to Cal Fire.

About 435 firefighters are battling the blaze and are being assisted by water-dropping aircraft, Newman said.

An evacuation center has been set up at Redlands Community Center, 111 W. Lugonia Ave. in Redlands.

Officials have closed Redlands Boulevard south of San Timoteo Canyon Road.

Redlands fire officials said voluntary evacuations are also in place for Outer Highway 10 from Live Oak Canyon Road to Alta Vista Drive; on Alta Vista Drive to Sunset Drive; and on Sunset Drive to Helen Court.

Be prepared to evacuate if the Palmer Fire jumps Live Oak Canyon Road, the Redlands Fire Department said in a Facebook post.

Drove down the road a little bit to see the big plane they have fighting this thing. #palmerfire pic.twitter.com/XKi9x7ynck  Ryan Walton (@RyanWaltonSBN) September 2, 2017

ben.poston@latimes.com

Follow @bposton on Twitter.

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More all-time heat records broken as California broils

UPDATES:

8:55 p.m.: This article was updated with new information about the cause of the fire.

7:50 p.m.: This article was updated with new information about the size of the fire and the number of evacuations.

This article was originally published at 5:50 p.m.
Firefighters are battling a brush fire that has now burned 3,800 acres in Riverside County and forced hundreds of people to evacuate their homes.

The Palmer fire broke out around 1:30 p.m. Saturday west of Beaumont, near San Timoteo Canyon Road and Fishermans Retreat, and rapidly spread by nightfall. The blaze is believed to have been caused by fireworks, according to the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection.

As of Sunday evening, the blaze was 35% contained. More than 400 firefighters have been working to stop its spread, assisted by air tankers.

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Evacuation orders and road closures were lifted at 4 p.m. Sunday. Residents had been ordered Saturday to evacuate on Live Oak Canyon Road between San Timoteo Canyon Road and Interstate 10, forcing nearly 450 people out of their homes. Redlands Boulevard was still closed south of San Timoteo Canyon Road.

Times staff writer Alene Tchekmedyian contributed to this report.

emily.alpert@latimes.com

Twitter: @LATimesEmily

UPDATES:

7:00 p.m.: This article was updated with updated acreage and containment.

4:45 p.m.: This article was updated to indicate evacuation orders were lifted.

This article was originally published at 9:35 a.m.
Judge Richard A. Posner, one of the nations leading appellate judges, whose acerbic wit attracted an almost cultlike following within legal circles, is retiring after more than three decades with the 7th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Chicago.

Posner, 78, who stepped down effective Saturday, was appointed to the court by President Reagan in 1981 and served as its chief judge from 1993 to 2000.

Posner said in a statement he has written more than 3,300 opinions in his time on the bench and is proud to have promoted a pragmatic approach to judging. He said he spent his career applying his view that judicial opinions should be easy to understand and that judges should focus on the right and wrong in every case.

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Posners biting and often brilliant written opinions as well as his unrelenting questioning from the bench have made him an icon of the court for years.

Known as a conservative at the time of his appointment, Posners views skewed more libertarian through the years, and he often came down in favor of more liberal issues such as gay marriage and abortion rights.

Lawyers who regularly appeared before the 7th Circuit knew that when Posner was on a panel they had to be ready for a line of questioning that could come out of left field. The salty judge was known to abruptly cut off lawyers who he thought were off-point, often with a dismissive No, no, no! delivered in his trademark nasal tone.

Hes a brilliant man who seems to relish in a vigorous dialogue with counsel, even if it didnt always seem to be directly related to the case, said Ronald Safer, a former federal prosecutor and now a partner at Riley, Safer, Holmes & Cancila. You are always on edge and you have to be at your sharpest whenever he is on the bench.

Posner seemed to be well aware of his image and never backed down from it. In a 2001 profile in The New Yorker, he described himself as having the same personality traits as his beloved cat, Dinah: playful, but with a streak of cruelty.

Hes also been an outspoken critic of the current state of the U.S. Supreme Court, telling a Hyde Park gathering in an appearance last year that he thought the countrys high court was awful and the result of a process that had become too political.

I think its reached a real nadir, Posner said at the Seminary Co-Op Bookstore. Probably only a couple of the justices, [Stephen] Breyer and [Ruth Bader] Ginsburg, are qualified. Theyre OK, theyre not great.

Posner was also in the headlines in 2012 when Justice Antonin Scalia accused him of lying about the justices new book in a review published in The New Republic.

In the review, Posner had accused Scalia of deviating from his own strict, text-based approach to interpreting law when he struck down a District of Columbia handgun ban in 2008 by considering the legislative history behind the law.

Scalia responded to the review by saying, To say that I used legislative history is simply, to put it bluntly, a lie.

Posner at the time declined to comment.

Judge Diane Wood, the chief of the 7th Circuit, said in a statement Friday that Posner is one of the leading public intellectuals in the world whose impact is immeasurable.

His opinions have had an impact around the world, Wood said. He has produced an unparalleled body of scholarship  books, articles and public commentary  covering virtually every legal topic that can be imagined.

Born in New York, Posner grew up with a left-wing mother who had many radical friends, including a couple who adopted the children of Julius and Ethel Rosenberg, the executed Russian spies, according to a Tribune Magazine profile in 2000. Posner has said he once gave away his train set to the Rosenberg kids.

He clerked for U.S. Supreme Court Justice William J. Brennan Jr. and in 1965 became the assistant to Thurgood Marshall, the future Supreme Court justice who was then the U.S. solicitor general.

Despite his old-school demeanor, Posner was a hit among young lawyers and law students who often quote his opinions and writings on social media. He even inspired a Twitter profile called Posner Thoughts that offered mock musings by the judge on topics including immigration policy, the Supreme Court and more.

Meisner and OConnell write for the Chicago Tribune.

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After Harvey, Texas rallies to rescue cats and dogs, with lessons learned from Hurricane Katrina
Storm-tossed Texans pressed ahead Sunday with door-to-door searches for frail and elderly survivors, and accelerated an exodus from evacuation centers where some had sheltered in the wake of the most powerful hurricane to strike the continental U.S. in more than a decade.

As tens of thousands in Houston and its environs spent the Labor Day holiday weekend mucking out homes from which stormwater from Harvey had receded, the citys mayor exhorted his constituents to move ahead as quickly as possible toward some semblance of normalcy in the nations fourth-largest city.

Im encouraging people: Get up, and lets get going, said Mayor Sylvester Turner, speaking on NBCs Meet the Press.

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Looking ahead to the Tuesday start of the work week, Turner exhorted businesses: Most of the city is dry, and Im saying if you can open, lets open up and get started.

But daunting perils remained, including chemical hazards and damaged infrastructure across the flood zone. The Environmental Protection Agency said Sunday that agency administrator Scott Pruitt was in constant contact with state, local and county officials about countering any hazards at 13 Superfund sites affected by flooding.

In some areas, the waters were slow to recede  or even rose amid controlled releases to take the pressure off overflowing reservoirs. On Saturday, the mayor ordered nearly 300 people to leave flooded homes in the western part of the city, effective Sunday morning, after which power would be cut for the safety of firefighters still carrying out door-to-door checks.

Parts of western Houston are still coping with high waters after the Army Corps of Engineers released water from two flood-swollen reservoirs. Turner said those waters might linger for another 10 days.

President Trump, who paid a second visit to Texas on Saturday, declared Sunday a national day of prayer for those afflicted by storm Harvey. In Washington, the president and First Lady Melania Trump attended services at St. Johns Episcopal Church, close to the White House.

President Trump and First Lady Melania Trump leave after attending services at St. Johns Church in Washington on Sunday. (Susan Walsh / Associated Press)

In Texas, one of the most devout states in the U.S., millions more attended services, some held in still-waterlogged or damaged churches.

About 300 worshippers gathered in a revival-style tent set up outside the damaged First Baptist Church in hurricane-hammered Rockport, Texas, exchanging news and offering one another encouragement. Parishioner Julie Lynch, 56, whose house was gutted by the storm and whose family appraisal business was cast into flux, wore a cap emblazoned Blessed.

The hard part is yet to come, she said, predicting it will take years for the town to recover.

As the storms death toll approached 50, with large swaths of Houston and smaller towns still being searched for bodies, the head of the Federal Emergency Management Agency said the powerful storm should serve as a wake-up call to officials at all levels to intensify disaster preparations.

I need state representatives, state legislative officials and local elected officials to listen up  this is a call, it is a wake-up call for this country, William Brock Long said on CBS Face the Nation.

What we need are for elected officials at all levels of government to hit the reset button, sit down, evaluate where their programs are with their state emergency directors as well as their local emergency management directors, and make sure that they have everything they need to increase their levels of self-sufficiency, he continued.

There were growing concerns about Harvey-spawned flooding of Superfund sites  polluted locales requiring long-term cleanup. The EPA said it had carried out initial aerial-imaging assessments at 41 sites in the storm-affected area, and that 13 of them had experienced flooding.

Texas Republican governor, Greg Abbott, said the EPA had been very aggressive on monitoring conditions at the sites. They have restraints on their ability to check out some of them, just simply because of the water, he said Sunday on CNNs State of the Union. But they are prepared to go in as early as possible.

The EPA said federal and state officials on the ground have been able to evaluate only two of the flooded sites to see if an emergency cleanup is needed. One of them is Falcon Refinery, a 104-acre site contaminated with chemicals in Ingleside, Texas, about 200 miles southwest of Houston. The other is Brine Service, a waste disposal pit in Corpus Christi. A number of other sites are in the Houston metro area, but none in the city proper, the mayor said.

Urgent repairs to storm-ravaged infrastructure moved ahead, but with frustrating slowness for some. In Beaumont, 90 miles east of Houston, officials were still struggling Sunday to repair the water treatment plant whose failure cut the water supply to more than 118,000 people.

Northeast of downtown Houston, in Crosby, authorities were keeping a close eye on the Arkema chemical plant, where volatile chemicals ignited last week and more storage vats were considered a risk to burst into flames as well.

School is to start on Sept. 11, but the Houston school district said it will have to find new places for up to 12,000 students because of flood damage. Of the districts 245 schools, 22 had extensive damage.

Abbott said Sunday that the storm had been one of the most expensive ever, estimating recovery costs at between $150 billion to $180 billion. He said Trump expected lawmakers to quickly approve a $7.9-billion preliminary payment toward relief efforts, and then move ahead with longer-term measures.

I think Congress understands this is a down payment on something that will cost far more, he said.

In Houston, Turner said people were eager to leave shelters and return to homes. Those still housed in city evacuation centers had dwindled to 1,400, he said Sunday, from a high of 10,000.

But he warned homeowners to be wary of mold and other toxins left behind by the epic flood. Sodden carpets and Sheetrock need to be pulled out, he said.

What we need is rapid-repair housing so people can stay in their homes while they make the necessary repairs, the mayor said on NBC.

Turner also has promised to look soon at lifting an overnight curfew. Businesses, especially restaurateurs, have complained to the mayor about not only needing to stay open to make money, but also saying people wanted to blow off steam at bars and restaurants after a devastating week.

Our goal is just to get back to normalcy as quickly as we can, for those who can, so we can support those who cant, Greater Houston Restaurant Assn. Director Melissa Stewart told the Houston Chronicle.

On Saturday night, there were signs of a return to Houstons former liveliness. Between the Astros two games against the Mets on Saturday night, bars and restaurants near Minute Maid Park were packed. Ride-share cars made their rounds. In an enterprising touch, a bicycle taxi pedaled up Chartres Street, picking up passengers.

Common hardship endured over the last nine days elicited touching tales of solidarity. At the Sunday service outside Rockports damaged church, Ken Garrett, a senior citizen and Army veteran, told fellow worshippers that when he and his wife were at a coin-operated laundry, washing their sodden, soiled clothing, they ran out of quarters.

A woman they did not know stepped up unbidden and began feeding the machine, he recounted. When they asked how she had fared in the storm, she quietly told them that except for the possessions she had been able to salvage and load into her car out front, she had lost everything.

And she was feeding our washing machine, Garrett said. I will never forget that as long as I live.

Branson-Potts reported from Houston, King from Washington and Hennessy-Fiske from Rockport, Texas.

hailey.branson@latimes.com

@haileybranson

laura.king@latimes.com

@laurakingLAT

molly.hennessy-fiske@latimes.com

Twitter: @mollyhf

UPDATES:

3:15 p.m.: This article was updated with EPA statement about flooding at Superfund sites and comments from governor.

11:50 a.m.: This article was updated with comments from the church service, water still out in Beaumont, chemical plant in Crosby being monitored.

This article was originally published at 9:50 a.m.
Tax cuts are the centerpiece of President Trumps economic agenda. Thats how hell deliver on his promise to create millions of new jobs and restore manufacturing in the heartland, he says.

But for Republicans in Congress, after their failure to repeal President Obamas healthcare law, tax reform is more than just another political battle. Its an existential one.

If we dont get tax reform done, were dead, Sen. Mike Lee, the refreshingly blunt senator from Utah, said last week. We might as well flip up our tent and go home.

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If Trump and his allies pass an ambitious tax bill, they will be able to ascribe every subsequent improvement in the economy  every job created, every spike in the stock market  to their own handiwork, whether they deserve the credit or not.

If theyre stymied, theyll have to prove that they didnt merely inherit a healthy economy from Obama. The increase in business confidence that followed the election, the Trump bump, may disappear if the promise of tax cuts turns out to be a mirage.

Seven months after Trumps inauguration, the president and his allies still dont have a tax plan.

So its not a good sign that the prospect of passing a tax bill already looks eerily like the repeal of Obamacare: a sure thing that turned into a debacle.

Seven months after Trumps inauguration, the president and his allies still dont have a plan. Trump launched his fall tax campaign last week with a speech in Missouri, but it was largely content-free.

Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin, a political neophyte, initially said he hoped to pass a bill by August. Now he promises a blueprint will arrive  not pass  in September.

Its not clear that GOP leaders in the House and Senate are even on the same page. Democrats, meanwhile, are largely unified in opposition to almost anything the administration is likely to propose.

If you listen closely, you can hear the administrations initial ambitions for its tax bill slowly shrinking. Last week, Trump said he still wants to enact a sweeping reform of individual income taxes, potentially the biggest ever. But full-scale tax reform  the kind that lowers tax rates, eliminates deductions and simplifies tax returns  takes years and, usually, bipartisan cooperation. The last big reform, in 1986, was the fruit of more than three years of talks. Trump and his Republicans have given themselves three months. And theyve already decided against seeking help from Democrats, who would have demanded painful compromises.

The president said last week that he wanted to work with Democrats, but charged that they are looking to obstruct tax cuts and tax reforms, just like they obstructed so many other things. Instead, Trump and his lieutenants are increasingly focused on only one part of their initial broad agenda: a cut in corporate taxes from the current top rate of 35%.

That could be a hard sell. Public opinion polls show most Americans think corporations pay too little in taxes, not too much. It would have been easier to sell an individual tax cut, especially one aimed at the middle class. This was the argument of Steven K. Bannon, the renegade Trump advisor who wanted to turn the GOP into a workers party. But Bannon isnt in the White House anymore. On taxes, Trumps chief economic advisers, Mnuchin and Gary Cohn, are in charge  and they arent populists.

There are defensible policy arguments for lowering the top corporate tax rate. Obama proposed a corporate tax cut, too, although not as deep as Trumps. But last week, Trump made it sound like a panacea. We must reduce the tax rate on American businesses so they keep jobs in America, create jobs in America, and compete for workers right here in America, he said. Lower taxes on Americas businesses means higher wages for Americas workers.

The problem with that sales pitch is that its only partly true  at best. Nonpartisan studies, including one from the Treasury Department, suggest that about 70% of the direct benefits of a corporate tax would go to owners and investors, not workers. Economic theory holds that those owners and investors will use some of that money to expand their businesses, which could include hiring more workers  a classic trickle down effect. But its not likely to have an immediate, visible impact on jobs or incomes.

Meanwhile, Trump is still promising a broad tax cut for the middle class, one that he may not win. In short, hes already over-promising  just as he did on healthcare, when he said that GOP bills wouldnt deprive anyone of their health insurance.

The good news for Trump and his allies is that they dont need to persuade every voter. If the tax bill wont blow a hole in the deficit, they need only 50 Republican votes in the Senate.

But there will still be battles, just as there were on healthcare. And Republicans will be waging those battles with the same president who repeatedly disrupted their attempts to repeal Obamacare. As healthcare showed, one GOP strategist told me, Were a party that doesnt know how to sell ideas any more.

The most likely outcome, especially against a year-end deadline, is that Republicans will opt for a skinny lowest-common-denominator bill, which probably means a corporate tax cut. The skinnier the bill, the smaller the impact  and the weaker the GOPs claim to economic wizardry.

doyle.mcmanus@latimes.com

Twitter: @DoyleMcManus

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There are two Vietnam wars, and the second is still going 40 years after the first ended. The United States fought the first one from 1959 to 1975 in the jungles, villages and airspace of Indochina. The second is the war over how that war, the first lost war in Americas national history, is remembered. This month, as Ken Burns 10-part Vietnam documentary is aired on PBS, the second conflict is sure to heat up again with renewed intensity.

The positions will be fiercely argued. What was the war good for? Absolutely nothing, as the 1970 song put it? Or was it a heroic cause? The most important  and poignant  group who will offer answers to these questions is Vietnam veterans themselves.

They see themselves reflected, against the roll of the dead, on the black granite walls of Maya Lins Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Washington, or in the faces of Frederick Harts evocative sculpture of three soldiers nearby.

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Many who served came home and got on with their lives, whatever the wounds and scars of war. A more visible subset of aging warriors sits astride motorcycles in Veterans Day parades or stands in the median strips of our streets holding cardboard placards. They live their lives as war survivors. They ponder what might have been.

Those who served in Vietnam or resisted may never be considered members of a Greatest Generation, like World War II veterans.

Often, no matter how their lives have unfolded, Vietnam vets have a chip on their shoulder. They ask or wish that their patriotism, their service, be better recognized, even glorified: They stepped forward, regardless of the flawed rationale and conduct of the war, when hordes of other young men, especially the so-called best and brightest, avoided the unpleasantness altogether.

For those who avoided the draft and the danger, there is often a quiet guilt  I have witnessed it many times. They dodge the inevitable question: How did you manage to get out of it? Hasty marriage? Graduate school? A trick knee? Men in this category do not invite conversation about that time in their lives, any more than combat veterans discuss the horrendous things they witnessed in the war zone. Only those who came of age after the draft turned into a lottery, the ones with high, untouchable numbers, or those who arrived after the Army went voluntary, escaped the moral dilemma of serving or resisting or malingering.

The statistics are revealing. Of the 26.8 million men who were eligible for service during the war period, 15.4 million were deferred, exempted or disqualified. Of those who served, 2.1 million were deployed to Vietnam. More than 58,000 died, 300,000 were wounded and 245,000 have filed for injuries incurred by exposure to the defoliant weapon Agent Orange. More than 50,000 draft-age men fled to Canada and Sweden. There are no statistics on those who suffer from permanent psychological wounds.

The men who actively protested against the war may feel best about themselves. They were engaged in the struggle of their generation, and they deserve the lions share of credit for stopping the war. Their resistance, especially from 1967 to 1969, when U.S. casualties were the highest, forced the hand of Americas leaders. They have a better argument for serenity in their old age than those who merely avoided service and stood smugly on the sidelines.

Then there are the politicians. The rationale for American involvement  the phony Tonkin Gulf resolution and the discredited domino theory  forced the moral dilemma on the Vietnam generation. Five years after Saigon fell, in the election of 1980, presidential candidate Ronald Reagan romanticized the conflict as a noble cause. He planted the enduring notion, so popular on political hustings nowadays, that America must never again fight a war it does not intend to win. This glib rhetoric is sure to be prominent in renewed debates over the war, and it may make those who bear the brunt of the wars loss feel better: It wasnt their fault. But scoffing detractors will ask whether more troops and more bombs would really have ensured victory. They will turn Reagans phrase upside down: America must never again force another generation to choose between service or resistance in an arguably immoral war.

It is with bitter irony that the Vietnam generation has witnessed the friendly visits of Presidents Clinton and Bush (both of whom avoided the war) to Hanoi, or the jovial Oval Office interchange between President Trump (deferred because of bone spurs) and Nguyen Xuan Phuc, the prime minister of our new ally and bulwark against China, the Peoples Republic of Vietnam. They must cope with the recent revelations that Richard Nixon scuttled a Lyndon Johnson peace deal during the 1968 election for cold political reasons, a deal that might have saved the 20,000 American soldiers who died during Nixons subsequent six-year presidency. With mixed feelings or quiet applause, they watched John Kerry, a bonafide war hero and an antiwar leader, in his last act as secretary of State, meet the Viet Cong veteran who tried to kill him in the murky waters of the Mekong Delta.

Reconciliation after divisive wars, especially a lost war, is a tricky business. Those who served in Vietnam or resisted may never be considered members of a Greatest Generation, like World War II veterans. Nevertheless, their experiences are authentically American, deeply revealing of divisions and ideals that haunt us still.

In the early 1980s, the design for the now-celebrated Vietnam memorial wall  a site that has evolved into a place of contemplation for the pacifist as well as the warrior  attracted advocates and enemies who saw it as yet another opportunity to re-fight the war. An editorial in the Boston Globe summarized what would become a five-year art battle this way: Commemorating the war in Vietnam is likely to prove no simpler than fighting it.

The Burns documentary airs in a week. Get ready for another round.

James Reston Jr. will be interviewed about his latest book, A Rift in the Earth: Art, Memory, and the Fight for a Vietnam Memorial, at Chevaliers Books on Sept. 28. Reston served in the U.S. Army from 1965 to 1968, and is a senior scholar at the Woodrow Wilson International Center.

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Every year I tell myself Im over Hurricane Katrina, and every year Im wrong. This year I got a double reminder that Katrinas wounds can be treated but never healed. First, in early August, a rain event flooded numerous New Orleans neighborhoods. Parts of the city were inaccessible. Two African American landmarks that were destroyed by Katrina in 2005 and rebuilt, the Zulu Social Aid & Pleasure Club and the Circle Food Store, were once again swamped. Some of my friends lost cars and other possessions. Then, Hurricane Harvey.

The two storms  one unnamed and the other with a name now imprinted on Texan brains the way Katrina is on mine  reignited the disbelief, pain and anger I felt back in August 2005, feelings Ive never completely let go of. It was surreal to watch so much of Texas go underwater. My family and I escaped to Houston after Katrina, so I recognized the random highway overpasses and frontage roads in the last weeks news reports.

Katrina didnt take my life. But it took almost everything else. On Aug. 28, 2005, I had a good job, a fine house and a fast car. A week later, I had none of those. I come from a large family and all eight or 10 of our houses within New Orleans city limits were consumed by water. Katrina was a shock because it was a surprise. A few days before landfall, it was a Category 1 storm. In New Orleans, thats an opportunity to take a day off work and spend time with your loved ones. Also, Katrina crossed the Florida peninsula, which usually acts like a buffer, turning potentially catastrophic weather into merely annoying weather. This time, Katrina regrouped over the warm waters of the Gulf of Mexico and grew exponentially at an incredible pace. Sound familiar?

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Texas was good to my family. When we arrived in Houston, we had nothing but a couple of days worth of clothes, my new guitar, and insurance papers, which would prove worthless when the insurers argued all flood damage was excluded from coverage. We were tired, rancid and broke. But a relief agency gave us a charge card for emergency expenses. Someone directed us to an apartment to rent in the Woodlands. At a Walmart in Katy, a random woman offered to buy us whatever clothes we needed. We didnt take her up on her offer, but the gesture made me feel like we werent alone. Like someone cared.

Hurricanes like Katrina and Harvey change you. In a fire, a home is lost. But in a catastrophic flood, a community is transformed.

Meanwhile, it was impossible to turn on the TV, radio or computer without seeing the devastation and breathless commentary about the devastation. A suburban malls parking lot was covered in water so that one of the big box department stores looked like a ship at sea. A voice on the radio wondered aloud if New Orleans would ever be habitable again. Someone online said we got what we deserved for tolerating Bourbon Street. And a major news network camera briefly panned toward a street sign near the corner of my house. High water lapped at the neck of the signpost. I didnt know what condition anything of ours was in: family photos, our desktop computer, my wifes wedding dress. My wish that the camera would swivel around for just a second didnt come true.

But the media missed the main part of the story. Not long after the water began to recede, the reporters and networks moved on to other matters. Two major airlines filed for bankruptcy. George W. Bush nominated John G. Roberts Jr. to the United States Supreme Court. Gilligan from Gilligans Island died. The cameras werent watching as New Orleanians displaced as far away as Alaska and Hawaii made plans to come home. Some would return. Many thousands couldnt afford to. We were lucky.

An arduous journey awaited us. A flooded home is a poisonous husk. Its filled with mildew, mold and soured memories. We needed a place to stay while the repairs moved forward. But rent in the city skyrocketed to Park Avenue levels. Flood insurance rates also increased. Trustworthy and skilled contractors were in short supply. The market reacted by attracting countless con artists who accepted checks, performed perfunctory work and promptly disappeared. The grocery stores were closed. The churches were closed. The restaurants were closed. It was rare to see a functioning street light or hear a child playing in a yard. Even the insects had been killed off by toxic water.

But we persisted. Washington couldnt tell us how to find a reputable contractor, but our friends and neighbors could. It wasnt the president who convinced us that we could help bring our city back. It was phone calls with family members.

It would take seven months of constant work before we were able to move back into our house. And even then it was only partly inhabitable. No kitchen, no master bedroom, no full bath. The house wouldnt be finished for nearly a year. We would never see half the neighbors on our block again. One neighbor came back, but didnt finish his repairs until just after the 10-year anniversary of Katrina. But his tardiness was justified: He did the work all by himself.

While its true the nation pays attention when the media descend on New Orleans every August since 2005, no reporters saw us muck ruined family photos into garbage bags. They didnt watch us haul our rotten refrigerator to the curb for collection. They werent there the first time we turned the lights back on.

Hurricanes like Katrina and Harvey change you. In a fire, a home is lost. But in a catastrophic flood, a community is transformed. The people you turn to in hard times  first responders, clergy, social workers  are suffering from the same psychic injuries as every other survivor. If you were touched by Hurricane Harvey, you will experience some form of mental health challenge: depression, anxiety, PTSD. The first time another storm threatens, you will wonder why you chose to live in Houston or Baytown or Rockport. You will wonder whether you should stay.

These are not questions with easy answers. Although there are solutions for the problems that cause flooding, they are costly and require enormous political will. Each person affected by Harvey will have to weigh whether to stand and fight or move to higher ground. As someone living below sea level for 40 years, Im in no position to offer impartial advice.

Maurice Carlos Ruffins debut novel, We Cast a Shadow, is forthcoming from One World Random House in 2019.

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To the editor: The decision by the Los Angeles City Council to remove any mention of Christopher Columbus from the Oct. 12 employee holiday is both an overreach of political correctness and also a failure to see the big picture. (L.A. City Council replaces Columbus Day with Indigenous Peoples Day on city calendar, Aug. 30)

For thousands of years the humans in the Eastern and Western hemispheres were completely unaware of those on the other side of the earth. Can anyone name a more important event in the history of humanity than the reconnection of the peoples of the two halves of the planet, which began on Oct. 12, 1492?

Of course we must discard the concept that Columbus discovered America, as if the millions of humans who already lived here didnt count. And the meeting of the two civilizations caused many tragic consequences that should not be glossed over.

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Yet Columbus rightfully deserves credit for his initiative and courage in leading the dangerous expedition that reunited the two halves of humanity.

Cyril Barnert, Los Angeles

..

To the editor: As a first-generation American who is proud of my Italian heritage, I want to speak in defense of replacing Columbus Day with Indigenous Peoples Day.

Yes, Italians have experienced discrimination and prejudice, as have the Irish and now Mexicans, but nothing compares with the treatment of native peoples beginning with Columbus arrival in the Americas.

Columbus was a courageous and skillful navigator, but his legacy includes the subjugation and enslavement of native peoples. He does not symbolize the best of Italian culture. In the sciences, the arts, music, philosophy and literature, other Italians have made major contributions to Western civilization.

Now is the time for acknowledging and celebrating the history and contributions of native peoples and their continuing presence in California.

Doris Isolini Nelson, Los Angeles

..

To the editor: Were living in difficult and dangerous times when many seek to divide us, even the man at the top. The Los Angeles City Council has shown a distinct lack of wisdom in swinging the celebration of the second Monday in October from Columbus Day to Indigenous Peoples Day.

This action is divisive and will foster resentment. How about instead declaring the holiday one that celebrates all those living here in the Western Hemisphere, something like Peoples of the Americas Day?

Walter Hall, North Hollywood

..

To the editor: Columbus was not the first white man to reach North American shores. The Vikings arrived in what is now Nova Scotia around the year 1000. And yes, there are artifacts to prove it.

Columbus barely touched the continent. Most of his exploration was confined to islands in the Caribbean Sea. To blame him for disease and other problems brought over by Europeans is ridiculous.

Columbus Day was proclaimed to acclaim the man as an explorer who had the courage to face the unknown. His sense for exploration in the 15th century was no different than that of our scientists who explore the universe with probing cameras. The difference is that Columbus risked his life while the scientists sit in front of a computer screen.

Before people start changing holiday names, they ought to understand history better. There may be some out there who want a Leif Erikson Day.

Joan Kerr, Torrance

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To the editor: The Times Editorial Board supports allowing local governments to set alcohol sales times past 2 a.m. The goal, it claims, is to improve night-time economies of bars and clubs and enhance city nightlife scenes. (Extend last call to 4 a.m. in California? Well drink to that, editorial, Aug. 30)

Thats a fine goal, but the editors dismiss the very real concerns of other local and concerned stakeholders  neighboring residents and merchants, local police and city officials, and health and social service providers. These concerns should have been identified and the editorial should have cautioned readers to consider them carefully.

It is especially concerning that The Times cited no meaningful studies. In fact, a major Norwegian study found that for every hour of extended serving, there was a 16% increase in police-reported assaults, and a recent assessment of 14 studies of enhanced trading hours found it was generally associated with higher incidences of alcohol-related harm.

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So, what kind of enhanced nightlife scene can we truly anticipate? Expect more violence, more medical problems, more heavy drinking, more DUIs, greater disruption to nearby residential neighborhoods and overburdened local police.

Steven Bloch, Laguna Niguel

Friedner Wittman, Berkeley

The writers are members of the California Strategic Highway Safety Plan Impaired Driving Committee.

..

To the editor: While I understand the argument for more individual freedom and increased commerce when alcohol sales are extended into the wee hours, I must make a counterpoint.

As an entertainer who has worked in bars, hotels and casinos in California, Nevada and Alaska, I have observed the effects of late-night drinking firsthand. As drunk as patrons were at 2 a.m., they were twice as inebriated at 3. When alcohol service was extended to 5 a.m. in Alaska, there was hardly a word to describe the state of the revelers.

In Nevada, where the partying is done mostly in casinos that have hotel rooms and security, there is no problem with around-the-clock drinking. In Alaska, where most of the towns are small, very drunk patrons dont have far to go and usually personally know someone nearby.

In Los Angeles, where the freeways already are full of drunks at 3 a.m., extending drinking hours past 2 a.m. would put many inebriated drivers onto the roads just as the very early risers are on their way to work. This is, literally, a matter of life and death.

Paul Moser III, Palm Desert

Follow the Opinion section on Twitter @latimesopinion and Facebook
With interest growing among congressional Republicans and Democrats in modifying the Affordable Care Act to bolster the nations health insurance markets, states are emerging as potential models for bipartisan cooperation.

The political battling over the 2010 healthcare law, widely known as Obamacare, may not be over, especially with President Trump continuing to undermine the law.

But Republicans and Democrats in a number of states have worked together on fixes and modifications in recent years, charting a more pragmatic path that has focused less on whether the federal law should be repealed and more on how it could be made to work better for patients.

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I dont think anyone here  Democrat or Republican  didnt believe that we needed to make sure our residents could get healthcare, said Lori Wing-Heier, Alaskas nonpartisan insurance commissioner, who worked with state legislators from both parties last year to help control insurance premiums.

Similar efforts to bolster insurance marketplaces created by the law have been undertaken in other states, including Minnesota, Iowa and Oklahoma.

Elected officials in red states such as Indiana and Arkansas have crafted bipartisan compromises to expand Medicaid coverage through the health law while incorporating conservative ideas for how the government safety net program should work.

You have to compromise and put the people most in need first, said Indiana state Rep. Charlie Brown, a Democrat who supported conservative Medicaid expansions under two Republican governors, including Mike Pence, who is now vice president.

Rarely does anyone get everything that they want, Brown said.

In Washington, the growing interest in bipartisan fixes to the healthcare law follows the collapse over the summer of the GOP repeal campaign amid widespread criticism that Republicans legislation would have stripped insurance protections from tens of millions of Americans.

And although its possible for congressional Republicans to revive the repeal push, that appears increasingly unlikely as GOP leaders turn to other legislative priorities, including must-pass legislation to fund the federal government and lift the government debt ceiling.

Starting this week, Senate Health Committee Chairman Lamar Alexander (R-Tenn.) and Sen. Patty Murray (D-Wash.), the committees senior Democrat, are kicking off a new approach by convening a series bipartisan hearings to consider legislation to help stabilize insurance markets.

A more informal bipartisan group of House lawmakers calling itself the Problem Solvers Caucus has been discussing similar measures.

And last week, a bipartisan group of eight governors, led by Ohio Republican John Kasich and Colorado Democrat John Hickenlooper, sent congressional leaders a five-page letter calling for a set of specific steps to strengthen insurance markets, including helping insurers cover high-cost patients and assuring federal funding to lower deductibles and co-pays for low-income insurance customers.

Lasting solutions will need support from both sides of the aisle, the governors wrote.

The obstacles to such solutions remain formidable, with many Republicans still committed to simply rolling back current law.

And even as members of Congress begin looking for ways to strengthen insurance markets, Trump, who has repeatedly threatened to let the law implode, is taking steps that threaten to undermine that effort, including refusing to commit to long-term funding to lower poor customers deductibles and co-pays.

Last week, the administration also announced a dramatic cut in federal efforts to help people enroll in health coverage, slashing planned advertising for the 2018 enrollment period by 90%.

But outside the Beltway, state elected officials have at times taken a more pragmatic approach to the health law, looking for ways to make it work better and adjusting it to help local residents.

Even GOP legislators who remain very critical of the law have agreed in some states to help their constituents struggling with rising costs.

Government shouldnt destroy peoples lives, said Minnesota state Rep. Greg Davids, a Republican and chairman of the state House tax committee. Anything we can do to help people, we should do it.

Davids and other Republicans in the Minnesota Legislature helped put together a bill to provide additional financial aid to residents who use the states insurance marketplace, where premiums have risen more than 50% in recent years.

Such local efforts have taken on added urgency in other states with high insurance costs.

In Alaska, which has some of the highest medical costs in the country, state leaders agreed to create a new government fund to backstop health insurers that have very high claims, a mechanism that helps control premiums for consumers.

A similar system is used in the Medicare Part D program to control premiums for prescription drug plans, and some in Congress are now talking about a national program to help control premiums on insurance marketplaces created by the healthcare law.

Obamacare 101: A primer on key issues in the debate over repealing and replacing the Affordable Care Act. 

Few parts of the law have proven as politically charged as Medicaid expansion, which GOP officials have fought in many red states around the country.

To date, 19 states have refused federal aid made available by the law to expand coverage to low-income adults, a population not traditionally covered by the safety-net program. Many Republicans argue the program is too expensive.

But like insurance market stabilization, Medicaid expansion has spawned several notable compromises around the country.

In Arkansas, for example, a state with historically high rates of uninsured, GOP leaders in the state Legislature backed a push by the Democratic governor to expand Medicaid coverage.

But they did it using commercial health plans in a nod to market-based principles traditionally championed by Republicans.

It was obvious to nearly all of us that it was important to expand coverage, said former state Senate President Michael Lamoureux, a Republican who worked with then-Gov. Mike Beebe, a Democrat, to craft the states Medicaid expansion. But it couldnt be done by simply expanding the government program.

As governor of Indiana, Pence championed a Medicaid expansion that requires poor patients to contribute to the cost of their medical care, a longtime Republican goal for the program.

Whether these models can be replicated remains unclear, but the Trump administration has expressed interest in letting states put more requirements on Medicaid patients, as Indiana does.

And though Democrats are wary, such changes to Medicaid may offer a path to expanding coverage in states that have historically denied such health protections.

Indiana state Rep. Ed Clere, a Republican who chaired a health committee in the Legislature and supported Indianas Medicaid expansion, said compromises would be good for the law and the country.

The fact is, Obamacare isnt all good or all bad, Clere said. Its sweeping legislation that requires major ongoing work. I hope someday there will be more appreciation for that.

noam.levey@latimes.com

@noamlevey
Trump promotes sons Justice with Judge Jeanine interview President Trump promoted via Twitter an interview with his son Eric Trump just before it aired Saturday night on Fox News Justice with Judge Jeanine. Eric Trump on @JudgeJeanine on @FoxNews now!  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 21, 2018 Eric Trump called into the show to defend his father from criticism prompted by the first government shutdown in more than four years, as well as a series of Womens March events that saw protesters in dozens of cities take to the streets to oppose the presidents policies. .@EricTrump joined me over the phone from Mar-a-Lago ! pic.twitter.com/Hro3TzUW52  Jeanine Pirro (@JudgeJeanine) January 21, 2018 Speaking to host Jeannine Piro  who is reportedly an old friend of the presidents  Eric Trump offered effusive praise for his father, ticking off glowing statistics to illustrate the strength of the U.S. economy and gains against Islamic State fighters overseas. My fathers working like no ones ever worked before to bring back this country and to fulfill his promise to make America great again, said the executive vice president of the Trump Organization. He also repeated a sentiment recently expressed on Twitter by his father: That Democratic lawmakers forced a government shutdown on the anniversary of the presidents inauguration in a bid to distract from his achievements. You look at this whole government shutdown, and the only reason they want to shut down government is to distract and to stop his momentum, Eric Trump said. I mean, my father has had incredible momentum. Hes gotten more done in one year than arguably any president in history. Facebook

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Trump tweets: a perfect day for all Women to March President Trump hailed the nationwide Womens March gatherings Saturday. On Twitter, the president called it a perfect day for all Women to March, seeming to imply that those taking part were celebrating his administrations accomplishments: Beautiful weather all over our great country, a perfect day for all Women to March. Get out there now to celebrate the historic milestones and unprecedented economic success and wealth creation that has taken place over the last 12 months. Lowest female unemployment in 18 years!  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 20, 2018 Participants in the marches across the United States were actually seeking to deliver a powerful rebuke to Trumps policies and mount a crucial mobilization for this years midterm elections. But Trump continued to tout his administrations unprecedented success in tweets sent later in the day: Unprecedented success for our Country, in so many ways, since the Election. Record Stock Market, Strong on Military, Crime, Borders, & ISIS, Judicial Strength & Numbers, Lowest Unemployment for Women & ALL, Massive Tax Cuts, end of Individual Mandate - and so much more. Big 2018!  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 20, 2018 The Trump Administration has terminated more UNNECESSARY Regulation, in just twelve months, than any other Administration has terminated during their full term in office, no matter what the length. The good news is, THERE IS MUCH MORE TO COME!  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 21, 2018 In addition to the roll call of major American cities where womens marches took place  including New York, Washington, Los Angeles, Dallas, Philadelphia, Chicago, San Francisco, Atlanta  protesters also raised their voices in suburbs and small towns, reflecting the aim of coalescing a broad-based movement on the anniversary of Trumps inauguration to oppose the presidents stance on immigration, healthcare, racial divides and an array of other issues. Read More This post contains reporting from Times staff writer Laura King. Facebook

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Trump calls shutdown a present from Democrats By Associated Press President Trump is blaming Democrats for the government shutdown  tweeting that they wanted to give him a nice present to mark the one-year anniversary of his inauguration: This is the One Year Anniversary of my Presidency and the Democrats wanted to give me a nice present. #DemocratShutdown  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 20, 2018 That comes after Senate Democrats late Friday killed a GOP-written House-passed measure that would have kept agencies functioning for four weeks. Democrats were seeking a stopgap bill of just a few days in hopes that would build pressure on Republicans, and they were opposing a three-week alternative offered by GOP leaders. Democrats have insisted they would back legislation reopening the government once theres a bipartisan agreement to preserve protections against deporting about 700,000 immigrants  known as Dreamers  who arrived in the United States illegally as children. Trump on Saturday accused Democrats of holding our Military hostage over their desire to have unchecked illegal immigration: Democrats are holding our Military hostage over their desire to have unchecked illegal immigration. Cant let that happen!  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 20, 2018 Democrats are laying fault for the shutdown on Republicans, who control both chambers of Congress and the White House and have struggled with building internal consensus. In a series of tweets hours after the shutdown began, the president tried to make the case for Americans to elect more Republicans to Congress in November in order to power through this mess: Democrats are far more concerned with Illegal Immigrants than they are with our great Military or Safety at our dangerous Southern Border. They could have easily made a deal but decided to play Shutdown politics instead. #WeNeedMoreRepublicansIn18 in order to power through mess!  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 20, 2018 He noted that there are 51 Republicans in the 100-member Senate, and it often takes 60 votes to advance legislation: For those asking, the Republicans only have 51 votes in the Senate, and they need 60. That is why we need to win more Republicans in 2018 Election! We can then be even tougher on Crime (and Border), and even better to our Military & Veterans!  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 20, 2018 #AMERICA FIRST!  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 20, 2018 The stopgap spending measure won 50 votes in the Senate, including five from Democrats. Although the House and Senate were in session Saturday, it was unclear whether lawmakers would take any votes of consequence. Trump had been set to leave Friday afternoon for a fundraiser at his estate in Palm Beach, Fla., where he intended to mark the inauguration anniversary. But he remained in Washington and ended up scrapping his plans to attend the Saturday fundraiser. Read More Facebook

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Trump tweet casts doubt on likelihood of averting shutdown President Trump appeared to cast doubt on the likelihood of reaching a deal to avert a government shutdown Friday night in a tweet. Trump also sought to blame Democrats for what would be the first shutdown since 2013. His message came just hours before the midnight deadline by which lawmakers must pass a measure to fund government agencies, or some operations will cease. Not looking good for our great Military or Safety & Security on the very dangerous Southern Border. Dems want a Shutdown in order to help diminish the great success of the Tax Cuts, and what they are doing for our booming economy.  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 20, 2018 Despite last-minute negotiations Friday between Trump and Senate Minority Leader Charles E. Schumer, Congress remained deadlocked over a spending bill and the federal government was headed toward a shutdown at midnight. Senate Democrats  joined by some GOP deficit hawks and immigration allies  were set to filibuster a stopgap funding bill approved by the House on Thursday. A Senate vote was planned for 10 p.m. Eastern, and even White House officials predicted it would fail. Read More This post contains reporting from Times staff writer Lisa Mascaro. Facebook

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Trump signs surveillance law after confusing tweets By Associated Press President Trump on Friday signed a bill into law to renew a foreign intelligence surveillance program, announcing his action in the latest in a series of confusing tweets about the spy program: Just signed 702 Bill to reauthorize foreign intelligence collection. This is NOT the same FISA law that was so wrongly abused during the election. I will always do the right thing for our country and put the safety of the American people first!  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 19, 2018 Trumps tweet on Jan. 11 created chaos in the House just before it voted to reauthorize what is known as Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act. He linked the intelligence program to a dossier that alleges his presidential campaign had ties to Russia. That caused people to wonder if he didnt support the program that allows U.S. spy agencies to collect intelligence on foreign targets abroad. Trump and other Republicans have alleged that Obama administration officials improperly shared the identities of Trump presidential transition team members mentioned in intelligence reports. Democrats say there is no evidence that happened. Shortly before the House vote, and after conferring with House Speaker Paul Ryan, Trump did an apparent about-face. This vote is about foreign surveillance of foreign bad guys on foreign land, he tweeted. We need it! Get smart! In his tweet announcing that he had just signed the bill, Trump wrote: This is NOT the same FISA law that was so wrongly abused during the election. I will always do the right thing for our country and put the safety of the American people first! There are no obvious links between the dossier Trump spoke of, which includes salacious but unsubstantiated allegations against him, and the reauthorization of the spying program, or between the program and Trumps oft-repeated claims that the Obama administration conducted surveillance on Trump Tower during the presidential campaign. Facebook

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In tweet, Trump suggests that Pennsylvania trip is a political one The White House press office was once again forced to walk back a tweet from President Trump on Thursday morning after he described a trip to Pennsylvania later in the day as a political one  a statement that would force the Republican Party, not taxpayers, to pay for the journey. The White House had said Trump was going to an industrial equipment company outside of Pittsburgh to highlight the good economy and new tax cuts, making it an official, policy-oriented event. It was widely assumed that the trip had a political cast  the area is holding a special election to fill a congressional seat vacated by a Republican who resigned. Trump, by his tweet, seemed to confirm that politics was the whole purpose: Will be going to Pennsylvania today in order to give my total support to RICK SACCONE, running for Congress in a Special Election (March 13). Rick is a great guy. We need more Republicans to continue our already successful agenda!  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 18, 2018 Trump later shared via Twitter a pair of video clips of his speech at H&K Equipment, in which he touted the tax cuts he signed into law just before Christmas and tried to turn the conversation back to his accomplishments after weeks dominated by distractions, including questions about his mental health and comments about immigration that some considered racist: Departing Pittsburgh now, where it was my great honor to stand with our incredible workers, and to show the world that AMERICA is back - and we are coming back bigger and better and stronger than ever before! pic.twitter.com/kWPgylqFzj  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 18, 2018 AMERICA will once again be a NATION that thinks big, dreams bigger, and always reaches for the stars. YOU are the ones who will shape Americas destiny. YOU are the ones who will restore our prosperity. And YOU are the ones who are MAKING AMERICA GREAT AGAIN! #MAGA pic.twitter.com/f2abNK47II  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 18, 2018 The Republican National Committee, rather than the White House, is supposed to pay for political travel so that taxpayers are not financing party activities; for trips that combine policy and politics, parties have split the cost under past presidents. Neither the RNC nor the White House responded to emails sent Thursday asking who would pay. White House Press Secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders released a statement later Thursday suggesting that taxpayers would foot the bill. She insisted that Trump would be conducting government business while in Pennsylvania. Read More This post contains reporting from the Associated Press and Times staff writer Noah Bierman. Facebook

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Trump tweets praise of Bob Dole after awarding him Congressional Gold Medal By Associated Press Former Senate Majority Leader Bob Dole knew the art of the deal before President Trump published the 1987 book of the same name. The two shared a stage under the Capitol dome Wednesday as Dole, 94, accepted Congress highest civilian honor, the Congressional Gold Medal, for his World War II service and decades of work in the House and Senate. Trump later praised Dole in a tweet, attaching to his message a video composed of clips from the ceremony: Today, we witnessed an incredible moment in history  the presentation of Congress highest civilian honor to our friend, and true AMERICAN HERO, Bob Dole. #CongressionalGoldMedal pic.twitter.com/qNQqDLRmCk  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 17, 2018 At the ceremony, the president saluted Dole as a patriot and gave tribute to Doles struggle as a veteran who worked his way back from a grievous shoulder wound he suffered in Italy. He knows about grit, said Trump. But it was Doles penchant for working across the aisle that earned him his latest award, according to the legislation. Bob Dole was known for his ability to work across the aisle and embrace practical bipartisanship, reads the legislation Trump signed in September. Some of the awards 300 recipients include George Washington and Mother Teresa, according to the Congressional Research Service. Read More Facebook

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Trump touts report that seeks to link terrorism cases with immigration By Joseph Tanfani The Trump administration on Tuesday released a report attempting to link terrorism with migration, arguing that it was evidence of the need to dramatically reshape the nations immigration system. New report from DOJ & DHS shows that nearly 3 in 4 individuals convicted of terrorism-related charges are foreign-born. We have submitted to Congress a list of resources and reforms....  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 16, 2018 ....we need to keep America safe, including moving away from a random chain migration and lottery system, to one that is merit-based. https://t.co/7PtoSFK1n2  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 16, 2018 The report, ordered by President Trump in an executive order last year, said that 75% of the 549 people convicted of terrorism charges since 9/11 were born outside the U.S. Administration officials called that a sign that the U.S. needs to scrap its policy of family preferences for visas, which they call chain migration, and a diversity visa lottery program. But the report did not specify how many  if any  of the convicted terrorists entered the country through those means. It also did not detail how many of the convictions were related to attacks or plans in the U.S. versus overseas and how many involved people who went to fight overseas for the Islamic State or another terrorist group. Those details were not available, officials said. The report, due last year, is being released in a highly charged moment in the immigration debate, as Trump and some Republicans in Congress seek tough new border and immigration measures in return for a deal protecting the 690,000 people in the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program. Trump also fired off a pair of tweets on the topic earlier Tuesday: We must have Security at our VERY DANGEROUS SOUTHERN BORDER, and we must have a great WALL to help protect us, and to help stop the massive inflow of drugs pouring into our country!  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 16, 2018 The Democrats want to shut down the Government over Amnesty for all and Border Security. The biggest loser will be our rapidly rebuilding Military, at a time we need it more than ever. We need a merit based system of immigration, and we need it now! No more dangerous Lottery.  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 16, 2018 The focus of our immigration system should be assimilation, a senior administration official said on Tuesday, speaking on condition that his name not be used. He said the nation should give priority to potential immigrants who speak English, who have an education and those who are committed to supporting our values  not family members of people already here. The official said the timing of the report was coincidental. Read More Facebook

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Trump tweets welcome to president of Kazakhstan By Associated Press President Trump said Tuesday that he and the president of Kazakhstan are united in a shared determination to prevent North Korea from threatening the world with nuclear devastation. Trump and President Nursultan Nazarbayev discussed North Korea along with other issues during meetings at the White House. Today, it was my honor to welcome President Nursultan Nazarbayev of Kazakhstan to the @WhiteHouse! pic.twitter.com/TerYFZViax  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 16, 2018 Trump said Kazakhstan, once part of the Soviet Union, is a valued partner in our efforts to rid the Korean peninsula of nuclear weapons. Together we are determined to prevent the North Korean regime from threatening the world with nuclear devastation, he said, as both presidents addressed journalists between meetings. Nazarbayev noted that his country once had one of the worlds largest nuclear arsenals but voluntarily gave it up after the Soviet Union collapsed. He said his country is in talks with Iran, which was the focus of a global deal that lifted some economic sanctions in exchange for Irans curbing its nuclear program. Trump has sharply criticized the Iran nuclear deal and threatened last week to pull out soon unless other countries fix what he says are terrible flaws. Read More Facebook

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Trump falsely claims his approval rating among black Americans has doubled By Alex Wigglesworth President Trump lashed out at the news media Tuesday morning in a tweet denouncing the special counsel investigation into Russian meddling in the 2016 election and possible collusion among members of his campaign team. Do you notice the Fake News Mainstream Media never likes covering the great and record setting economic news, but rather talks about anything negative or that can be turned into the negative. The Russian Collusion Hoax is dead, except as it pertains to the Dems. Public gets it!  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 16, 2018 It wasnt immediately clear exactly what prompted the presidents tweet, but it appeared as though he was watching Fox & Friends. A short time later, Trump tweeted a headline from a report that aired during that mornings episode: 90% of Trump 2017 news coverage was negative -and much of it contrived!@foxandfriends  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 16, 2018 The segment focused on the latest survey results from conservative watchdog Media Research Center, which purportedly analyzed the evening news broadcasts on ABC, CBS and NBC from Jan. 20 to Dec. 31 and found that 90% of the statements made about Trump were negative. Study: 90% of Trump media coverage in 2017 was negative pic.twitter.com/vbrwup4Drg  FOX & friends (@foxandfriends) January 16, 2018 But believe it or not, through all this negative coverage, they did a survey of 600,000 people about how black America views this president, co-host Brian Kilmeade said. His numbers have actually doubled in approval. Trump highlighted the statement in another tweet: Unemployment for Black Americans is the lowest ever recorded. Trump approval ratings with Black Americans has doubled. Thank you, and it will get even (much) better! @FoxNews  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 16, 2018 But its not true. The claim appears to have originated from a misreading of data from the online polling firm SurveyMonkey, according to factcheck.org. The firm polled 600,000 Americans in 2017 and found that Trumps approval rating among blacks actually dropped from 23% early in his presidency to about 17%, as of the week ending Jan. 3. Some conservative outlets, including Breitbart, produced an average from those and other SurveyMonkey figures and compared them to the scores Trump received from black voters in the 2016 exit polls. That methodology is not sound. And since the statistics measure different things, the comparison is misleading. Facebook

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Trump goes after senator who surfaced his immigration remark By Associated Press President Trump turned his Twitter torment Monday on the Democrat in the room where immigration talks with lawmakers took a famously coarse turn, saying Sen. Richard J. Durbin misrepresented what he had said about African nations and Haiti and, in the process, undermined the trust needed to make a deal. Senator Dicky Durbin totally misrepresented what was said at the DACA meeting, Trump tweeted, using a nickname to needle the Illinois senator. Deals cant get made when there is no trust! Durbin blew DACA and is hurting our Military. Senator Dicky Durbin totally misrepresented what was said at the DACA meeting. Deals cant get made when there is no trust! Durbin blew DACA and is hurting our Military.  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 15, 2018 Trump was referring to the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program, which protects young people who came to the United States illegally as children. Members of Congress from both parties are trying to strike a deal that Trump would support to extend that protection. Trump also cast doubt on the likelihood of reaching an agreement in tweets sent earlier Monday: Statement by me last night in Florida: Honestly, I dont think the Democrats want to make a deal. They talk about DACA, but they dont want to help..We are ready, willing and able to make a deal but they dont want to. They dont want security at the border, they dont want.....  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 15, 2018 ...to stop drugs, they want to take money away from our military which we cannot do. My standard is very simple, AMERICA FIRST & MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN!  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 15, 2018 On a day of remembrance for the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr., Trump spent time at his golf course with no public events, bypassing the acts of service that his predecessors staged in honor of the civil rights leader. Instead, Trump dedicated his weekly address to Kings memory, saying Kings dream and Americas are the same: A world where people are judged by who they are, not how they look or where they come from. That message was a distinct counterpoint to words attributed to Trump by Durbin and others at a meeting last week, when the question of where immigrants come from seemed at the forefront of Trumps concerns. Some participants and others familiar with the conversation said Trump challenged immigration from shithole countries of Africa and disparaged Haiti as well. Without explicitly denying using that word, Trump lashed out at the Democratic senator, who said Trump uttered it on several occasions. Read More Facebook

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Trump thanks pundit for laudatory Fox & Friends spot By Alex Wigglesworth President Trump thanked Fox News personality Stuart Varney after Varney praised Trump during an appearance on Fox & Friends. In a pair of tweets early Sunday, Trump quoted from Varneys commentary, in which he argued that Trump deserves more credit for the booming economy. The pundit, who also hosts a show on Fox Business Network, cited moves by some corporations to raise workers minimum wage or pay out one-time bonuses in response to the GOP tax cuts. President Trump is not getting the credit he deserves for the economy. Tax Cut bonuses to more than 2,000,000 workers. Most explosive Stock Market rally that weve seen in modern times. 18,000 to 26,000 from Election, and grounded in profitability and growth. All Trump, not 0...  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 14, 2018 ...big unnecessary regulation cuts made it all possible (among many other things). President Trump reversed the policies of President Obama, and reversed our economic decline. Thank you Stuart Varney. @foxandfriends  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 14, 2018 Varney was reacting to a quote from House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-San Francisco), who on Thursday called the bonuses handed down to workers pathetic in comparison to the gains corporations are expected to see from the tax cuts. In terms of the bonus that corporate America received versus the crumbs that they are giving to workers to kind of put the schmooze on is so pathetic, Pelosi told reporters. Its pathetic. Varney shot back Sunday that the bonuses, along with explosive stock market growth, are enriching all Americans. This is a huge shot in the arm, its the result of this tax cut deal and I think President Trump should get the credit for it, he said. .@Varneyco Sets the economic record straight after Nancy Pelosi calls U.S. mass bonuses crumbs pic.twitter.com/BvjIHGm3HE  FOX & friends (@foxandfriends) January 14, 2018 The sweeping tax plan passed last month lowers the corporate tax rate from 35% to 21% and cuts personal income taxes. Analysts say the benefits will largely flow to corporations and the wealthy, as theyre more likely to be in positions to share in corporate profits. For instance, Wells Fargo & Co., which responded to news of the tax overhaul by announcing it will raise workers pay to at least $15 an hour, also reported that it expects to pay an effective tax rate of 19% this year, down from about 31% in previous years. That should amount to tax savings of more than $3 billion annually. On average, middle-class Americans are expected to see a very small tax cut in the near term and a tax increase after 2025, when all of the tax cuts for individuals expire. The tax cuts for corporations, however, are permanent.  This post contains reporting from Times staff writer James Rufus Koren. Facebook

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Trump touts MLK proclamation in tweet, but ceremony is overshadowed by reports of racist remarks By Associated Press President Trump signed a proclamation Friday for Martin Luther King Jr. Day, noting the contributions of a great American hero. Today, it was my great honor to proclaim January 15, 2018, as Martin Luther King Jr., Federal Holiday. I encourage all Americans to observe this day with appropriate civic, community, and service activities in honor of Dr. King's life and legacy. pic.twitter.com/samlJsz1Nt  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 12, 2018 Overshadowing the event was mounting backlash from Trumps comments during a private meeting with lawmakers the day before. A short time after the meeting, which was called to discuss a possible immigration deal, reports emerged that Trump had asked participants why the United States should accept immigrants from shithole countries in Africa, Central America and the Caribbean. Illinois Sen. Richard Durbin, the Senates second-ranking Democrat, appeared to confirm those reports on Friday. Trump did not respond Friday to several questions about the incident, including whether he actually used vulgar language to describe African nations, or if he is racist. The president said at the White House that love was central to the slain civil rights leader. Trump said the nation celebrates King for standing up for the self-evident truth Americans hold so dear, that no matter what the color of our skin or place of our birth, we are all created equal by God.  This post contains reporting from Times staff writer Noah Bierman. Facebook

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Trump criticizes Democrats in tweet calling for stricter immigration rules President Trump hit out at Democrats on Thursday night in a tweet calling for stricter immigration rules. Trump wrote that members of the party seem intent on having people and drugs pour into our country from the border with Mexico: The Democrats seem intent on having people and drugs pour into our country from the Southern Border, risking thousands of lives in the process. It is my duty to protect the lives and safety of all Americans. We must build a Great Wall, think Merit and end Lottery & Chain. USA!  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 12, 2018 It wasnt immediately clear exactly what prompted the tweet. Earlier Thursday, Trump rejected a bipartisan compromise to resolve the standoff over so-called Dreamers, young immigrants who were brought to the United States illegally as children but have temporary permits to work, attend school or serve in the military. The president drew widespread condemnation after reports emerged that he had asked participants in an Oval Office meeting about the proposal why the United States should accept immigrants from shithole countries in Africa, Central America and the Caribbean. Read More Facebook

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Trump touts bill aimed at improving border screening for fentanyl By Associated Press President Trump signed legislation Wednesday aimed at giving Customs and Border Protection agents additional screening devices and other tools to stop the flow of illicit drugs. Speaking at a surprise bill-signing ceremony while flanked by members of Congress from both parties in the Oval Office, Trump described the bill as a significant step forward in the fight against powerful opioids such as fentanyl, which he called our new big scourge. He echoed that language Thursday in a tweet: Yesterday, I signed the #INTERDICTAct (H.R. 2142) with bipartisan members of Congress to help end the flow of drugs into our country. Together, we are committed to doing everything we can to combat the deadly scourge of drug addiction and overdose in the United States! pic.twitter.com/ELZvFol5Lo  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 11, 2018 The legislation will pay for new portable and fixed chemical screening devices to detect and intercept fentanyl at ports of entry and in the mail, along with other laboratory equipment and personnel, including scientists. Trump has made fighting the opioid epidemic a centerpiece of his administration, though critics say he hasnt dedicated nearly enough money or resources to make a difference. Trump suggested during his remarks on Wednesday that hed like to take a more aggressive approach to the drug crisis  but the countrys not ready for what he has in mind. So were going to sign this. And its a step. And it feels like a very giant step, but unfortunately, its not going to be a giant step, because no matter what you do, this is something that keeps pouring in, he said. And were going to find the answer. There is an answer. I think I actually know the answer, but Im not sure the countrys ready for it yet, he added. Does anybody know what I mean? I think so. Facebook

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Trump applauds news that Toyota-Mazda plant is slated for Alabama By Associated Press Japanese automakers Toyota and Mazda on Wednesday announced plans to build a mammoth, $1.6-billion joint-venture plant in Alabama that will eventually employ about 4,000 people. President Trump lauded the news in a tweet: Cutting taxes and simplifying regulations makes America the place to invest! Great news as Toyota and Mazda announce they are bringing 4,000 JOBS and investing $1.6 BILLION in Alabama, helping to further grow our economy! pic.twitter.com/Kcg8IVH6iA  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 10, 2018 Good news: Toyota and Mazda announce giant new Huntsville, Alabama, plant which will produce over 300,000 cars and SUVs a year and employ 4000 people. Companies are coming back to the U.S. in a very big way. Congratulations Alabama!  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 11, 2018 Several states had competed for the project, which will be able to turn out 300,000 vehicles per year and produce the Toyota Corolla compact car for North America and a new small SUV from Mazda. Alabama Gov. Kay Ivey and company executives held a news conference to announce that the facility is coming to the Huntsville area not far from the Tennessee line. Production is expected to begin by 2021. The decision to pick Alabama is another example of foreign-based automakers building U.S. factories in the South. To entice manufacturers, Southern states have used a combination of lucrative incentive packages, low-cost labor and a pro-business labor environment, because the United Auto Workers union is stronger in Northern states. Read More Facebook

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Trump highlights call for border wall in tweets on visit with Norways prime minister By Associated Press President Trump praised Norways prime minister in a tweet on Wednesday after Erna Solberg became the first foreign leader to visit with the president in 2018. Today, it was my great honor to welcome Prime Minister Erna Solberg of Norway to the @WhiteHouse - a great friend and ally of the United States! Joint press conference: https://t.co/qWR1BhfQZI pic.twitter.com/PJvwznjRCO  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 10, 2018 Trump also shared via Twitter a video clip of a joint news conference he held with Solberg on Wednesday afternoon. In the clip, Trump responds to a question from a reporter by saying there can be no bipartisan immigration deal absent funding for his long-promised wall along the U.S. border with Mexico. Republican and Democratic lawmakers have been seeking a solution for hundreds of thousands of so-called Dreamers, young people who were brought to the United States as children and are living here illegally. The United States needs the security of the Wall on the Southern Border, which must be part of any DACA approval. The safety and security of our country is #1! pic.twitter.com/4CFzQXb5aS  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 10, 2018 We need the wall for security, we need the wall for safety, we need the wall for stopping the drugs from pouring in, Trump said Wednesday.  Any solution has to include the wall because without the wall, it all doesnt work. On Tuesday, Trump drew widespread attention when he said during a meeting with a bipartisan group of lawmakers that he would be agreeable to signing a stand-alone bill to protect the Dreamers, before moving on to a more comprehensive immigration bill. That contradicted the Republican consensus that Dreamers fate needed to be part of a broader immigration bill that would include some version of Trumps promised border wall and other immigration reforms. Trump backed away from a stand-alone Dreamer bill in subsequent tweets and public comments. Read More This post contains reporting from Los Angeles Times staff writer Noah Bierman. Facebook

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Trump praises Cabinet in tweet touting meeting By Associated Press President Trump promoted a meeting of his Cabinet on Wednesday, sharing via Twitter a link to a video of the session posted on the White House YouTube account. In his tweet, Trump thanked his Cabinet for working tirelessly on behalf of our country and wrote that the last year has been one of monumental achievement. I want to thank my @Cabinet for working tirelessly on behalf of our country. 2017 was a year of monumental achievement and we look forward to the year ahead. Together, we are delivering results and MAKING AMERICA GREAT AGAIN! https://t.co/ptXa1hAPwW pic.twitter.com/yv6RALkQf3  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 10, 2018 The former reality television star continued to dispense accolades at the meeting Wednesday, greeting reporters in the Cabinet Room by saying: Welcome back to the studio. Then he proceeded to relive a Cabinet Room session from the prior day, when he had allowed reporters and TV cameras to stick around for much of his meeting with a bipartisan group of legislators on the thorny issue of immigration. It was a tremendous meeting. Actually, it was reported as incredibly good. And my performance  you know, some of them called it a performance  I consider it work, Trump said. Trump went on to say he had received letters from news anchors calling it one of the greatest meetings theyve ever witnessed. He added that the media will ultimately support Trump in the end, because theyre going to say, if Trump doesnt win in three years, theyre all out of business. Asked for examples of letters received from news anchors, the White House said it had received private communications. It also offered a series of positive on-air comments and tweets from journalists about the unusual access to the meeting. During his remarks, Trump swung from praising his own meeting coverage to telling journalists that they were dependent on his presidency for ratings to threatening a strong look at libel laws. Still, Trump thanked the journalists in front of him, joking: Youve gotten very familiar with this room. I appreciate your nice comments yesterday. Facebook

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Trump blasts DACA ruling in tweet calling courts broken and unfair By Lisa Mascaro President Trump denounced the federal courts Wednesday as broken and unfair after a district judge in San Francisco issued a nationwide injunction keeping protections in place for so-called Dreamers. Trump tweeted: It just shows everyone how broken and unfair our Court System is when the opposing side in a case (such as DACA) always runs to the 9th Circuit and almost always wins before being reversed by higher courts.  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 10, 2018 On Tuesday night, U.S. District Judge William Alsup in San Francisco temporarily blocked the Trump administrations decision to phase out the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program, known as DACA, which has protected from deportation some 700,000 people who came to the country illegally as children. Alsup granted a request by the state of California, the University of California and other plaintiffs to stop Trump from ending DACA on March 5. The administrations decision to end DACA, which was announced in September, was based on a flawed legal analysis, Alsup wrote in his decision. Dreamers would be irreparably harmed if their DACA protections, which allow them to live and work legally in the U.S., were stripped away before the courts had a chance to fully consider their claims, he ruled. The action is the mirror image of a ruling in 2015 by a federal judge in Texas who ruled in favor of that state when it sought to block President Obama from expanding DACA to include the parents of Dreamers. Trump administration officials praised that judicial ruling. By contrast, they sharply criticized Alsups decision. Read More Facebook

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Trump thanks lawmakers for productive immigration meeting, says deal must include border wall President Trump thanked a bipartisan group of lawmakers for participating in a meeting on immigration legislation on Tuesday. Much of the discussion involved so-called Dreamers, an estimated 700,000 young people who were brought to the country illegally as children and are now facing deportation. In a tweet, Trump wrote that there was strong agreement to negotiate a bill to protect Dreamers, as well as put into place some of the reforms favored by Republicans. Thanks to all of the Republican and Democratic lawmakers for todays very productive meeting on immigration reform. There was strong agreement to negotiate a bill that deals with border security, chain migration, lottery and DACA. https://t.co/SdqAQ3aL3z pic.twitter.com/8DYHZHspAy  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 9, 2018 The most notable exchange of the meeting came when Sen. Dianne Feinstein, the San Francisco Democrat, asked Trump whether he would be agreeable to signing a stand-alone bill to protect the Dreamers, before moving on to a more comprehensive immigration bill. Yeah, I would like to do it, Trump responded. The statement drew widespread attention because it contradicted the Republican consensus that Dreamers fate needed to be part of a broader immigration bill that would include some version of Trumps promised border wall and other immigration reforms. Trump later backed away from a stand-alone Dreamer bill, tweeting that a wall along the U.S. border with Mexico must be part of any deal: As I made very clear today, our country needs the security of the Wall on the Southern Border, which must be part of any DACA approval.  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 10, 2018 Pressure has been mounting for Congress to broker an immigration deal by Jan. 19 as part of a must-pass budget package to fund the government. This post contains reporting from Times staff writer Noah Bierman. Facebook

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Trump thanks officers and veterans in tweets President Trump doled out a slew of accolades Tuesday via Twitter. He thanked the nations law enforcement officers, including in his message a hashtag denoting a day of appreciation organized by a national support group for law enforcement families. On behalf of the American people, THANK YOU to our incredible law enforcement officers. As President of the United States - I will fight for you, and I will never, ever let you down. Now, more than ever, we must support the men and women in blue! #LawEnforcementAppreciationDay pic.twitter.com/Qb4uxB4JRm  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 9, 2018 Trump later expressed gratitude for federal immigration agents, in particular: .@ICEgov HSI agents and ERO officers, on behalf of an entire Nation, THANK YOU for what you are doing 24/7/365 to keep fellow Americans SAFE. Everyone is so grateful!#LawEnforcementAppreciationDay

President @realDonaldTrump https://t.co/HXCpTlruVo  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 10, 2018 The president thanked veterans as he cited his administrations efforts to curb the number of veteran suicides by improving mental health treatment for the high-risk group: Today, it was my great honor to sign a new Executive Order to ensure Veterans have the resources they need as they transition back to civilian life. We must ensure that our HEROES are given the care and support they so richly deserve! https://t.co/0MdP9DDIAS pic.twitter.com/LP2a8KCBAp  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 9, 2018 Trumps tweet included photos of the president signing an executive order Tuesday directing the secretaries of Defense, Homeland Security and Veterans Affairs to develop a plan to provide seamless access to mental health and suicide prevention resources for 12 months for members leaving the armed forces. Also on Tuesday, Trump touted a law he signed the day before designating the birthplace of the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. a national historic park: It was my great honor to sign H.R. 267, the Martin Luther King, Jr. National Historical Park Act, which redesignates the Martin Luther King, Junior, National Historic Site in the State of Georgia as the Martin Luther King, Jr. National Historical Park. https://t.co/Qe0b6HBFTY pic.twitter.com/QTgaqTawPT  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 9, 2018 And he thanked House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-Bakersfield) for sharing a video compilation comprised of clips of politicians and commentators praising the GOPs tax cut bill: Thank you @GOPLeader Kevin McCarthy! Couldnt agree w/you more. TOGETHER, we are #MAGA https://t.co/QaxtqpyXTR  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 10, 2018  This post contains reporting from the Associated Press and Times staff writer Alex Wigglesworth. Facebook

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Trump hails tax bill in tweets recapping speech to farmers By Associated Press Connecting with rural Americans, President Trump on Monday hailed his tax overhaul as a victory for family farmers. Farm country is Gods country, Trump told the annual convention of the American Farm Bureau Federation. Trump became the first president in a quarter-century to address the federations convention. His Southern swing also included a stop in Atlanta for the national college football championship game. Cant wait to be back in the amazing state of Tennessee to address the 99th American @FarmBureau Federations Annual Convention in Nashville! #AFBF18



On my way now - join me LIVE at 4:00pmE: https://t.co/QaljAqekdD. pic.twitter.com/Wm7Io0hYT8  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 8, 2018 Joined by Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue, Senate Agriculture Committee Chairman Pat Roberts (R-Kan.) and a group of Tennessee lawmakers, Trump said most of the benefits of the tax legislation are going to working families, small businesses, and who  the family farmer. The package Trump signed into law last month provides generous tax cuts for corporations and the wealthiest Americans, and more modest reductions for middle- and low-income individuals and families. In every decision we make, we are honoring Americas PROUD FARMING LEGACY. Years of crushing taxes, crippling regs, & corrupt politics left our communities hurting, our economy stagnant, & millions of hardworking Americans COMPLETELY FORGOTTEN. But they are not forgotten ANYMORE! pic.twitter.com/MdYS7xnukQ  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 8, 2018 The president vastly inflated the value of the package in his speech, citing a total of $5.5 trillion in tax cuts, with most of those benefits going to working families, small businesses and who? The family farmer. The estimated value of the tax cuts is actually $1.5 trillion for families and businesses because of cuts in deductions and the use of other steps to generate offsetting tax revenue. We have been working every day to DELIVER for Americas Farmers just as they work every day to deliver FOR US. #AFBF18 pic.twitter.com/QDH7fvFkZ7  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 8, 2018 From Nashville, Trump traveled to Atlanta to watch Alabamas Crimson Tide and Georgias Bulldogs face off Monday night in the College Football Playoff National Championship. We are fighting for our farmers, for our country, and for our GREAT AMERICAN FLAG. We want our flag respected - and we want our NATIONAL ANTHEM respected also! pic.twitter.com/16eOLXg6Fi  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 8, 2018 Before departing for the game, Trump referenced his ongoing defense of the American flag and the national anthem, saying there was enough space for people to express their views. We love our flag and we love our anthem, and we want to keep it that way, he said. Facebook

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Trump tweet hails drop in unemployment rate for African Americans By Associated Press President Trump touted a drop in the unemployment rate for African Americans on Monday in a tweet. African American unemployment is the lowest ever recorded in our country. The Hispanic unemployment rate dropped a full point in the last year and is close to the lowest in recorded history. Dems did nothing for you but get your vote! #NeverForget @foxandfriends  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 8, 2018 The rate fell to 6.8% in December, the lowest level since the government began tracking such data in 1972. The reasons range from a greater number of black Americans with college degrees to a growing need for employers in a tight job market to widen the pool of people they hire from. Trump also hailed the development via Twitter on Saturday. His latest tweet on the topic came about an hour after it was discussed during an episode of Fox & Friends, according to Mediaite. Facebook

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Trump talks up the economy and dresses down the media in Sunday tweets With President Trump cheering from the sidelines, the White House on Sunday pressed its defense of the presidents fitness to govern, as fired former aide Stephen K. Bannon reversed course and apologized for his role in a new books explosive portrait of Trump. The presidents critics, meanwhile, said Trumps stream of taunts and insults in response to the book  Fire and Fury: Inside the Trump White House, released last week  served only to underscore the authors unsettling portrayal of Trumps year-old presidency, depicting a leader whose own aides consider him childish, ignorant and dangerously erratic. Trump provided more ammunition Sunday morning, as he continued to attack the book via Twitter while preparing to depart Camp David for the White House: Leaving Camp David for the White House. Great meetings with the Cabinet and Military on many very important subjects including Border Security & the desperately needed Wall, the ever increasing Drug and Opioid Problem, Infrastructure, Military, Budget, Trade and DACA.  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 7, 2018 Ive had to put up with the Fake News from the first day I announced that I would be running for President. Now I have to put up with a Fake Book, written by a totally discredited author. Ronald Reagan had the same problem and handled it well. So will I!  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 7, 2018 The most vehement defense of Trump on Sunday came from senior advisor Stephen Miller, a onetime Bannon acolyte who distanced himself from his former mentor. In a combative appearance Sunday on CNNs State of the Union, Miller called the book grotesque and writer Michael Wolff the garbage author of a garbage book. Trump is known to closely monitor aides televised performances in putting forth his case, and he gleefully weighed in within moments of Millers televised clash with host Jake Tapper. CNN has long been a particular target of Trumps ire. Jake Tapper of Fake News CNN just got destroyed in his interview with Stephen Miller of the Trump Administration. Watch the hatred and unfairness of this CNN flunky!  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 7, 2018 Trumps reaction, however, seemed to bolster Tappers on-air depiction of Miller as using his appearance on the show to play to the president rather than addressing questions put to him. I get it  theres one viewer that you care about, the host said exasperatedly after Miller turned the discussion repeatedly to negative news coverage of the president while deflecting specific queries. Later on Twitter, Trump took up two themes that have been prevalent on his social media feeds recently. The president again went after the news media, tweeting that the recipients of his self-proclaimed most dishonest & corrupt media awards of the year, which he promised earlier in the week to announce on Monday, would actually be revealed the following Wednesday: The Fake News Awards, those going to the most corrupt & biased of the Mainstream Media, will be presented to the losers on Wednesday, January 17th, rather than this coming Monday. The interest in, and importance of, these awards is far greater than anyone could have anticipated!  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 7, 2018 Trump later lauded a New York Post opinion piece that compared him favorably with his predecessor, President Obama, as well as Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton. In quoting the op-ed, Trump initally misspelled consequential as consensual, but he deleted those tweets and re-sent the messages. His is turning out to be an enormously consequential presidency. So much so that, despite my own frustration over his missteps, there has never been a day when I wished Hillary Clinton were president. Not one. Indeed, as Trumps accomplishments accumulate, the mere thought of...  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 8, 2018 ...Clinton in the WH, doubling down on Barack Obamas failed policies, washes away any doubts that America made the right choice. This was truly a change election  and the changes Trump is bringing are far-reaching & necessary. Thank you Michael Goodwin! https://t.co/4fHNcx2Ydg  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 8, 2018 Trump also continued talking up the economy, which has been enjoying a period of strong gains. The Stock Market has been creating tremendous benefits for our country in the form of not only Record Setting Stock Prices, but present and future Jobs, Jobs, Jobs. Seven TRILLION dollars of value created since our big election win!  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 7, 2018 In addition to Miller, other senior administration officials made the rounds of Sunday news talk shows to decry the claims made in Wolffs book. CIA Director Mike Pompeo said Wolffs characterization of Trump as averse to digesting classified briefing material was ludicrous, and the ambassador to the United Nations, Nikki Haley, insisted that that those around Trump love their country and respect their president. Read More This post contains reporting from Times staff writer Laura King. Facebook

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Responding to book that mocks his intelligence, Trump tweets hes like, really smart By Tracy Wilkinson President Trump declared himself a very stable genius on Twitter on Saturday and later in a televised news conference called the author of a book that questioned his mental fitness a fraud. His comments came on a bone-cold day at Camp David during a weekend retreat with top administration officials and Republican congressional leaders strategizing on the years legislative agenda, including matters such as infrastructure, immigration, welfare reform and national security. Now that Russian collusion, after one year of intense study, has proven to be a total hoax on the American public, the Democrats and their lapdogs, the Fake News Mainstream Media, are taking out the old Ronald Reagan playbook and screaming mental stability and intelligence.....  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 6, 2018 ....Actually, throughout my life, my two greatest assets have been mental stability and being, like, really smart. Crooked Hillary Clinton also played these cards very hard and, as everyone knows, went down in flames. I went from VERY successful businessman, to top T.V. Star.....  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 6, 2018 ....to President of the United States (on my first try). I think that would qualify as not smart, but genius....and a very stable genius at that!  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 6, 2018 Still, Trumps explosive rebuttal to author Michael Wolffs claims not only opened the day, but it also ensured the presidents capability to fill the highest office in the land was a topic that would not go away. In his early-morning tweets, Trump said two of his greatest assets have been mental stability, and being, like, really smart. He noted that his former Democratic rival, Hillary Clinton, played these cards [about competence] very hard and, as everyone knows, went down in flames. I went from VERY successful businessman, to top T.V. Star to President of the United States (on my first try). Read More Facebook

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In morning tweets, Trump touts job numbers and takes digs at news media By Associated Press President Trump used Twitter on Saturday morning to tout a drop in the unemployment rate for African Americans. He also used the tweets as an opportunity to take digs at media outlets whose past coverage he has found to be critical. The African American unemployment rate fell to 6.8%, the lowest rate in 45 years. I am so happy about this News! And, in the Washington Post (of all places), headline states, Trumps first year jobs numbers were very, very good.  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 6, 2018 The unemployment rate for African Americans fell to 6.8% in December, the lowest level since the government began tracking such data in 1972. The reasons range from a greater number of black Americans with college degrees to a growing need for employers in a tight job market to widen the pool of people they hire from. Still, the rate for black workers remains well above those for whites and some other groups, something experts attribute in large part to decades of discrimination and disadvantages. Robust job creation has lowered unemployment for all Americans. U.S. employers added nearly 2.1 million jobs in 2017  the seventh straight year that hiring has topped 2 million. In his tweet, Trump praised a report that noted the numbers, touting the fact that it appeared in the Washington Post (of all places). Minutes later, Trump renewed his attack on an ABC News reporter who was suspended last month after filing an erroneous report on Michael Flynn, Trumps former national security advisor. Brian Ross, the reporter who made a fraudulent live newscast about me that drove the Stock Market down 350 points (billions of dollars), was suspended for a month but is now back at ABC NEWS in a lower capacity. He is no longer allowed to report on Trump. Should have been fired!  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 6, 2018 The reporter, Brian Ross, was reportedly reassigned within ABC News upon returning from his unpaid suspension. But on Saturday, Trump wrote that he should have been fired. Trumps tweets came hours before he was set to host congressional Republicans and administration officials at Camp David. The meeting scheduled to begin at midmorning Saturday was expected to touch on the budget, infrastructure, immigration, welfare reform and the shape of the midterm election this fall. Facebook

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Trump commends Sen. Rand Paul after he proposes eliminating all U.S. aid to Pakistan President Trump commended Sen. Rand Paul after the Kentucky Republican announced plans to introduce legislation that would eliminate all U.S. aid to Pakistan. Trump tweeted Friday night: Good idea Rand! https://t.co/55sqUDiC0s  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 6, 2018 On Thursday, the Trump administration announced it was suspending security assistance to Islamabad until the country moves aggressively against local militants who have attacked U.S. troops in neighboring Afghanistan. Trump has repeatedly expressed frustration at the apparent inability of Pakistani authorities to rein in militants who cross out of the countrys rugged tribal areas to attack U.S. troops in Afghanistan. Read More This post contains reporting from Times staff writer Tracy Wilkinson. Facebook

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Trump continues to lash out at Sloppy Steve Bannon in tweets on tell-all book By Associated Press President Trump is praising a major Republican donor family for distancing themselves from his former advisor Steve Bannon. Trump tweeted Friday: The Mercer Family recently dumped the leaker known as Sloppy Steve Bannon. Smart!  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 5, 2018 Trump has continued to lash out at Bannon over an explosive new book that quoted his former aide as questioning Trumps competence and describing a June 2016 meeting at Trump Tower among Donald Trump Jr., Trump campaign aides and a Russian lawyer as treasonous and unpatriotic. On Thursday, billionaire GOP donor Rebekah Mercer issued a statement distancing her family from Bannon. Mercer is a co-owner of Breitbart, the populist website Bannon helps run. I support President Trump and the platform upon which he was elected, Mercer said. My family and I have not communicated with Steve Bannon in many months and have provided no financial support to his political agenda, nor do we support his recent actions and statements. The book, Fire and Fury: Inside the Trump White House, quickly shot atop Amazons best-seller list, and the publisher moved up its release date by four days, to Friday. Trump took up the topic again on Twitter on Friday night, denouncing both Bannon and the books author, Michael Wolff, in starkly personal terms: Michael Wolff is a total loser who made up stories in order to sell this really boring and untruthful book. He used Sloppy Steve Bannon, who cried when he got fired and begged for his job. Now Sloppy Steve has been dumped like a dog by almost everyone. Too bad! https://t.co/mEeUhk5ZV9  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 6, 2018 Trumps message linked to a meme depicting a parody book cover titled, Liar and Phony, that featured a photo of Wolff and disparaging quotes about the author. In a tweet sent earlier Friday morning, Trump suggested the book was intended to serve as a distraction from the FBIs investigation into possible collusion between the Trump campaign and Russia, which Trump wrote is proving to be a total hoax. Well, now that collusion with Russia is proving to be a total hoax and the only collusion is with Hillary Clinton and the FBI/Russia, the Fake News Media (Mainstream) and this phony new book are hitting out at every new front imaginable. They should try winning an election. Sad!  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 5, 2018 That came amid reports that Trump directed his White House counsel to tell Atty. Gen. Jeff Sessions to not recuse himself from the Justice Departments Russia investigation. Trumps effort to keep Sessions, a vocal and loyal supporter of his election bid, in charge of an investigation into his campaign offers special counsel Robert Mueller yet another avenue to explore as his prosecutors work to untangle potential evidence of obstruction. Read More Facebook

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Trump praises the economy ahead of meetings at Camp David By Associated Press President Trump is praising the strength of the U.S. economy ahead of meetings at Camp David with congressional Republicans. Trump tweeted early Friday: Dow goes from 18,589 on November 9, 2016, to 25,075 today, for a new all-time Record. Jumped 1000 points in last 5 weeks, Record fastest 1000 point move in history. This is all about the Make America Great Again agenda! Jobs, Jobs, Jobs. Six trillion dollars in value created!  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 5, 2018 The president also told reporters on the South Lawn that the tax cuts are really kicking in after Congress passed a package of tax cuts at the end of 2017. And the president praised the December jobs report, which found U.S. employers added 148,000 jobs in December and the unemployment rate stayed at 4.1%, the lowest level since 2000. The modest but steady pace of hiring is a reassuring sign for investors who have been buoyed by the just-passed Republican tax plan and have been sending stock market indexes roaring to uncharted heights. The president is meeting with Republican congressional leaders and members of his Cabinet on Friday and Saturday to discuss the 2018 agenda. Read More Facebook

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Trump tweets as Dow crashes through 25,000 By Associated Press President Trump dispatched a congratulatory tweet as the Dow Jones industrial average rose above the 25,000-point mark Thursday, just five weeks after its first close above 24,000. Dow just crashes through 25,000. Congrats! Big cuts in unnecessary regulations continuing.  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 4, 2018 After the Dow closed above 25,000, Trump shared a graphic depicting the stock indexs record-setting rise. MAKING AMERICA GREAT AGAIN! pic.twitter.com/iONbr1DkVk  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 5, 2018 Later in the day, the president was back on Twitter, complaining that news outlets had barely covered the stock market milestone. He suggested that the strength of the economy would be the biggest story on earth, had it unfolded during the presidency of his predecessor. The Fake News Media barely mentions the fact that the Stock Market just hit another New Record and that business in the U.S. is booming...but the people know! Can you imagine if O was president and had these numbers - would be biggest story on earth! Dow now over 25,000.  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 5, 2018 The Dow broke past 1,000-point barriers in 2017 on its way to a 25% gain for the year, as an eight-year rally since the Great Recession continued to confound skeptics. Strong global economic growth and good prospects for higher company earnings have analysts predicting more gains, although the market may not stay as calm as it has been recently. The Dow has made a rapid trip since it reached 24,000 points Nov. 30, partly on enthusiasm over passage of the Republican-backed tax package, which could boost company profits this year with across-the-board cuts to corporate taxes. Read More Facebook

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Trump reacts to Fire and Fury book in tweet lashing out at author and Sloppy Steve President Trump lashed out at the author of a soon-to-be-released book about the chaotic first year of his presidency Thursday night. In a tweet, Trump called Fire and Fury: Inside the Trump White House, a phony book and claimed that hed never spoken to its author, Michael Wolff. Look at this guys past and watch what happens to him and Sloppy Steve! Trump wrote. He appeared to be referring to former White House chief strategist Stephen K. Bannon, whose stunning criticisms of Trump and his circle figure prominently in the title. I authorized Zero access to White House (actually turned him down many times) for author of phony book! I never spoke to him for book. Full of lies, misrepresentations and sources that dont exist. Look at this guys past and watch what happens to him and Sloppy Steve!  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 5, 2018 Trumps tweet came hours after he had his lawyer demand that Henry Holt & Co. and Wolff stop publication the book. Instead, the publisher expedited the books release to Friday, four days before it was slated to hit bookstore shelves, in response to unprecedented demand. Published excerpts on Wednesday and Thursday whetted that appetite and roiled Washington. Bannons comments, including that it was treasonous and unpatriotic for Trumps son Donald Trump Jr., son-in-law Jared Kushner and campaign manager Paul Manafort to have met in 2016 with Russians said to have dirt on Democratic rival Hillary Clinton, prompted Trump on Wednesday to rebuke his former advisor, saying Bannon had lost his mind. Read More This post contains reporting from Times staff writers Brian Bennett and Alex Wigglesworth. Facebook

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Trump thanks senators who attended meeting on immigration President Trump tweeted thanks to Republican senators who attended a meeting about possible immigration legislation on Thursday. In his message, Trump also listed his top priorities when it comes to any type of overhaul of the nations immigration system. Thank you to the great Republican Senators who showed up to our mtg on immigration reform. We must BUILD THE WALL, stop illegal immigration, end chain migration & cancel the visa lottery. The current system is unsafe & unfair to the great people of our country - time for change!  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 4, 2018 Trumps tweet echoed his remarks at the beginning of Thursdays meeting, when he insisted again that constructing a border wall and overhauling two legal immigration programs must be part of any deal with Democrats to protect the so-called Dreamers from deportation. Two-year deportation protections and work permits given under the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program begin to expire March 6 under an executive order. Trump announced in September that he was ending the Obama-era program, but told Congress to draft a law to continue protections for people brought to the country illegally as children  a group that has widespread public support. Read More This post contains reporting from Times staff writer Brian Bennett. Facebook

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Trump resumes Twitter war against kneeling NFL players President Trump has resumed his Twitter war against NFL players who kneel during the national anthem to protest social injustice and racial inequality. In a tweet early Thursday, Trump replied to a supporter who shared a meme that appears to depict family members lying on the grave of a fallen soldier with the caption: This is why we stand. Show this picture to the NFL players who still kneel! Trump wrote. So beautiful....Show this picture to the NFL players who still kneel! https://t.co/tJLM1tvbvb  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 4, 2018 The president has denounced players who kneel during the anthem in previous tweets. Hes also called for the firing of players who do so. His latest message came amid news that the NFL finished the regular season with TV ratings that fell nearly 10% below the previous season. Analysts attribute the drop to controversies facing the league, as well as changing viewing habits and a possible saturation point in the number of games available. Read More This post contains reporting from Times staff writers Stephen Battaglio and Alex Wigglesworth. Facebook

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Trump credits himself with facilitating talks between North and South Korea By Associated Press President Trump says his tough stance on nuclear weapons on the Korean peninsula is helping push North Korea and South Korea to talk. Trump tweeted early Thursday: With all of the failed experts weighing in, does anybody really believe that talks and dialogue would be going on between North and South Korea right now if I wasnt firm, strong and willing to commit our total might against the North. Fools, but talks are a good thing!  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 4, 2018 That assertion is in conflict with some of the presidents own statements. Last year, he ridiculed Secretary of State Rex Tillerson for talking about negotiations with the North. This week, Trump seemed open to the possibility of an inter-Korean dialogue after North Korean leader Kim Jong Un made a rare overture toward South Korea in a New Years Day address. But Trumps ambassador to the United Nations insisted that talks wont be meaningful unless the North is getting rid of its nuclear weapons. The overture about talks came after Trump and Kim traded more bellicose claims about their nuclear weapons. In his New Years Day address, Kim repeated fiery nuclear threats against the United States. Kim said he has a nuclear button on his office desk and warned that the whole territory of the U.S. is within the range of our nuclear strike. Trump mocked that assertion Tuesday evening in a tweet. Facebook

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After disbanding his vote fraud panel, Trump still says voting system is rigged By Brian Bennett One day after disbanding his troubled voter fraud commission without any findings of fraud, President Trump continued to call the U.S. voting system rigged and said states should require that Americans have voter-identification cards. In two tweets on Thursday morning, Trump blamed the commissions failure on the lack of cooperation from mostly Democrat States that refused to hand over voter rolls because they know that many people are voting illegally. However, voting supervisors in Republican-led states refused as well, objecting on privacy and other grounds. Many mostly Democrat States refused to hand over data from the 2016 Election to the Commission On Voter Fraud. They fought hard that the Commission not see their records or methods because they know that many people are voting illegally. System is rigged, must go to Voter I.D.  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 4, 2018 As Americans, you need identification, sometimes in a very strong and accurate form, for almost everything you do.....except when it comes to the most important thing, VOTING for the people that run your country. Push hard for Voter Identification!  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 4, 2018 Despite Trumps assertions, analysts have not found evidence of widespread voter fraud. Trump created the Presidential Advisory Commission on Election Integrity in May after alleging, without proof, that millions of illegal votes were cast for Hillary Clinton in the 2016 election. Trump was elected after winning a majority in the electoral college, but the nationwide count showed Clinton received nearly 3 million more votes. The commission sought personal data on voters across the country and faced mounting lawsuits in recent months over privacy concerns. Read More Facebook

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Trump touts another good day for stocks, credits tax cut By Associated Press President Trump touted another good day for the stock market Wednesday in a tweet. Stock Market had another good day but, now that the Tax Cut Bill has passed, we have tremendous upward potential. Dow just short of 25,000, a number that few thought would be possible this soon into my administration. Also, unemployment went down to 4.1%. Only getting better!  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 4, 2018 Big gains for technology and healthcare stocks helped U.S. indexes set records again Wednesday. Some analysts attributed the surge to investor enthusiasm for Trumps $1.5-trillion tax cut. All told, Wall Street analysts estimate the tax package should boost earnings for companies in the Standard & Poors 500 index by roughly 8% this year. Thats much more generous than the average tax cut of 1.6% that middle-class families will receive, according to the Tax Policy Center. MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN!  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 4, 2018 The public has been less enthusiastic about the tax law. A Monmouth University poll last month found that nearly half of Americans disapproved of it, with only 26% in support. Still, as Trump also noted on Twitter, some workers have seen a benefit: So far, dozens of companies have announced bonuses and higher minimum wages as a result of the tax cut. AT&T, Comcast, Bank of America, and American Airlines have all pledged to pay $1,000 bonuses to their employees. Some 40 U.S. companies have responded to President Trumps tax cut and reform victory in Congress last year by handing out bonuses up to $2,000, increases in 401k matches and spending on charity, a much higher number than previously known. https://t.co/bmWrwWzxMR  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 4, 2018 Investors also appear less concerned than many politicians about how the additional profits will be used. The Trump administration says it expects companies will plow much of the extra profit back into their businesses, purchasing more software, machinery, and other equipment. Those investments will make workers more productive and provide a key boost to the economys long-run growth. They should also boost wages and salaries for employees. Opponents of the tax law respond that companies are more likely to pass the windfall on to shareholders in the form of higher dividend payments and share buybacks, which raise the price of those shares still in investors hands. Previous cuts in corporate tax rates, in the United States and overseas, havent always led to higher wages. For Wall Street, its all good, at least in the short run. Most analysts take the view that either way, companies and the economy will benefit. Facebook

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Trump reacts to death of Mormon Church president By Associated Press President Trump mourned the death of Mormon Church leader Thomas S. Monson on Wednesday evening. Trump tweeted a link to a statement in which he said that Monson demonstrated wisdom, inspired leadership, and great compassion and delivered a message of optimism, forgiveness, and faith. Melania and I are deeply saddened by the death of Thomas S. Monson, a beloved President of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints...https://t.co/ETD3fWtfU3  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 4, 2018 A church bishop at the age of 22, Monson became the youngest church apostle ever in 1963 at the age of 36. He served as a counselor for three church presidents before assuming the role of the top leader of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in February 2008. After a life of church service, Monson died Tuesday at his home in Salt Lake City, according to church spokesman Eric Hawkins. He was 90. Read More Facebook

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Trump tweets that Iranian protesters will see great U.S. support at the appropriate time By Associated Press President Trump continued to express support for Irans anti-government protesters on Wednesday. In a tweet, Trump commended the protesters and pledged that the United States will support them at the appropriate time. Such respect for the people of Iran as they try to take back their corrupt government. You will see great support from the United States at the appropriate time!  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 3, 2018 Trumps tweet Wednesday morning came as Iranian Ambassador Gholamali Khoshroo sent a letter to United Nations officials complaining that Washington was intervening in a grotesque way in Irans internal affairs. The President and Vice-President of the United States, in their numerous absurd tweets, incited Iranians to engage in disruptive acts, the ambassador wrote to the U.N. Security Council president and U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres. The U.S. didnt immediately respond to the letter, which maintains that Washington has crossed every limit in flouting rules and principles of international law governing the civilized conduct of international relations. At least 21 people have been killed and hundreds arrested in Iran during a week of anti-government protests and unrest over economic woes and official corruption. Meanwhile, tens of thousands of people took part in counter-demonstrations Wednesday backing the clerically overseen government, which has said enemies of Iran are fomenting the protests. Trump has unleashed a series of tweets in recent days backing the protesters, saying Iran is failing at every level and declaring that it is time for change in the Islamic Republic. Facebook

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Trump congratulates Sen. Orrin Hatch upon news of his retirement By Associated Press President Trump congratulated Sen. Orrin Hatch for an absolutely incredible career upon news of Hatchs impending retirement. In a tweet Tuesday afternoon, Trump called Hatch a tremendous supporter and wrote that he will be greatly missed in the Senate. Congratulations to Senator Orrin Hatch on an absolutely incredible career. He has been a tremendous supporter, and I will never forget the (beyond kind) statements he has made about me as President. He is my friend and he will be greatly missed in the U.S. Senate! pic.twitter.com/0VjzLEeHTl  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 2, 2018 Hatchs decision to retire from the Senate after four decades lets the Utah Republican walk away at the height of his power after helping to push through an overhaul of the tax code and persuading Trump to downsize two national monuments. Retirement also preserves the 83-year-olds legacy by allowing him to avoid a bruising reelection battle that would have broken his promise not to seek an eighth term. Read More Facebook

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Trump tweet exaggerates progress in improving veterans care By Associated Press President Trump played up tremendous progress in improving care for veterans in his first year on Tuesday in a tweet. His message linked to an Instagram video describing eight accomplishments that show Trump is fighting for our veterans. But it overstates the impact of these steps. We will not rest until all of Americas GREAT VETERANS can receive the care they so richly deserve. Tremendous progress has been made in a short period of time. Keep up the great work @SecShulkin @DeptVetAffairs! https://t.co/ir25vW15hx pic.twitter.com/OtuzIgxMn6  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 2, 2018 Of the eight achievements cited, two are ceremonial proclamations recognizing National Veterans and Military Families Month and National Pearl Harbor Remembrance Day. Two are pieces of legislation that extended the troubled Veterans Choice program on a temporary basis. This became necessary because the Trump administration repeatedly miscalculated the amount of taxpayer dollars available to pay for care from private doctors outside the Veterans Affairs system when veterans had to endure long waits for treatment at VA medical centers. The departments poor budget planning caught lawmakers off guard. A fifth claim involves telehealth, a step letting doctors practice medicine across state lines using digital technology. Announced in August, it has yet to take full effect because a proposed VA regulation hasnt been completed. The VA wants authority to practice across state lines to come from legislation, not a regulation. On Wednesday, the Senate approved a telehealth measure that now goes to the House. A sixth claim refers to legislation that streamlines the appeals process for disability compensation claims within the VA. This step has had limited effect so far because it applies to new disability claims, not the 470,000 pending claims. The last two initiatives make it easier for the VA to discipline employees. The department has pointed to more than 1,300 employees who have been fired under Trumps watch. Because their infractions are not detailed in public documents, the effect on veterans care is not fully known. Facebook

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Trump unleashes his first tweetstorm of 2018 By Noah Bierman President Trump clearly didnt resolve to change his Twitter habits this year. With nine disparate tweets over three hours on Tuesday morning, the first working day of 2018, Trump continued to exploit social media to be the most aggressive commentator in chief in American history. For any other president, his posts would have made for a monumental day of (mis-)statements. Yet for Trump, the series  attacks on political foes and media, provocations of foreign leaders and self-praise for events he had nothing to do with  was all but unremarkable. His Twitter barrage  sent between 7:09 a.m. and 10:16 a.m.  reflected a familiar gamut after nearly a year in office: Attacks on political foes: Nearly 14 months after his election, Trump called for the jailing of Huma Abedin, Crooked Hillary Clintons top aid (his misspelling, another occasional feature of Trump tweets). Crooked Hillary Clintons top aid, Huma Abedin, has been accused of disregarding basic security protocols. She put Classified Passwords into the hands of foreign agents. Remember sailors pictures on submarine? Jail! Deep State Justice Dept must finally act? Also on Comey & others  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 2, 2018 In the same tweet, he disparaged the Deep State Justice Dept, headed of course by his appointees, calling on it to act against James B. Comey, the FBI director he fired for investigating the Russia thing. Diplomatic provocations: Trump again called North Korean leader Kim Jong Un Rocket man, ridiculed the volatile nuclear-armed foe for recent military defections and openly speculated about potential talks between North and South Korea. Sanctions and other pressures are beginning to have a big impact on North Korea. Soldiers are dangerously fleeing to South Korea. Rocket man now wants to talk to South Korea for first time. Perhaps that is good news, perhaps not - we will see!  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 2, 2018 Perhaps that is good news, perhaps not  we will see! Trump wrote. Later Tuesday, Trump tweeted: North Korean Leader Kim Jong Un just stated that the Nuclear Button is on his desk at all times. Will someone from his depleted and food starved regime please inform him that I too have a Nuclear Button, but it is a much bigger & more powerful one than his, and my Button works!  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 3, 2018 Also later Tuesday, Trump tweeted an attack on Pakistan, his second in as many days, and added a new one against Palestinians: It's not only Pakistan that we pay billions of dollars to for nothing, but also many other countries, and others. As an example, we pay the Palestinians HUNDRED OF MILLIONS OF DOLLARS a year and get no appreciation or respect. They dont even want to negotiate a long overdue...  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 2, 2018 ...peace treaty with Israel. We have taken Jerusalem, the toughest part of the negotiation, off the table, but Israel, for that, would have had to pay more. But with the Palestinians no longer willing to talk peace, why should we make any of these massive future payments to them?  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 2, 2018 Undermining media: Trump offered Congratulations! to A.G. Sulzberger, who took over as publisher of the New York Times this week. The Failing New York Times has a new publisher, A.G. Sulzberger. Congratulations! Here is a last chance for the Times to fulfill the vision of its Founder, Adolph Ochs, to give the news impartially, without fear or FAVOR, regardless of party, sect, or interests involved. Get...  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 2, 2018 ....impartial journalists of a much higher standard, lose all of your phony and non-existent sources, and treat the President of the United States FAIRLY, so that the next time I (and the people) win, you wont have to write an apology to your readers for a job poorly done! GL  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 2, 2018 But the two-part post was really yet another slam against a perceived media foe: Trump said the paper had a last chance to fulfill its journalistic mission, and accused it of relying on phony sources and substandard reporters  just days after he granted another exclusive interview to the paper. As a bonus, the tweet contained a recycled falsehood, that the paper apologized after the election for reporting on him unfairly. It didnt. Trump later said on Twitter that he would soon announce the most dishonest & corrupt media awards of the year. Stay tuned! I will be announcing THE MOST DISHONEST & CORRUPT MEDIA AWARDS OF THE YEAR on Monday at 5:00 oclock. Subjects will cover Dishonesty & Bad Reporting in various categories from the Fake News Media. Stay tuned!  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 3, 2018 The president also tweeted a quote from Fox Business Networks Lou Dobbs Tonight, which aired a segment praising Trumps first-year accomplishments. Dobbs reportedly joined Trump at Mar-a-Lago on Sunday for a gala to celebrate New Years Eve. President Trump has something now he didnt have a year ago, that is a set of accomplishments that nobody can deny. The accomplishments are there, look at his record, he has had a very significant first year. @LouDobbs Show,David Asman & Ed Rollins  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 3, 2018 Taking credit: Trump congratulated himself for policing the border with Mexico, an area where his policies and anti-immigration rhetoric are believed to have had some effect on reducing illegal crossings. Thank you to Brandon Judd of the National Border Patrol Council for your kind words on how well we are doing at the Border. We will be bringing in more & more of your great folks and will build the desperately needed WALL! @foxandfriends  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 2, 2018 He took credit for employee bonuses by companies after he signed Republican tax cuts into law last month. Companies are giving big bonuses to their workers because of the Tax Cut Bill. Really great!  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 2, 2018 But the jaw-dropper was Trump congratulating himself for planes not crashing. Since taking office I have been very strict on Commercial Aviation. Good news - it was just reported that there were Zero deaths in 2017, the best and safest year on record!  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 2, 2018 It was the safest year on record worldwide, but the American streak without commercial jet passenger deaths goes back to 2009. Trump, who has promoted deregulation as one of his top accomplishments, has not signed off on any new airline safety regulations. The White House pointed to new security screening of passengers, to electronic devices to prevent terrorist attacks and to Trumps support for privatizing air traffic control  a proposal that has gotten nowhere in Congress. Falsehoods: Trump said President Obama, in brokering the 2015 nuclear arms limitation deal with Iran, foolishly gave money to the brutal and corrupt Iranian regime. He didnt. The people of Iran are finally acting against the brutal and corrupt Iranian regime. All of the money that President Obama so foolishly gave them went into terrorism and into their pockets. The people have little food, big inflation and no human rights. The U.S. is watching!  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 2, 2018 The nuclear deal, which included major U.S. allies as signators, released Irans own funds that had long been frozen. Trumps art of the deal: When Trump sees a big deal looming, he often blasts the other side  to gain leverage, as hes written. This week he resumes a showdown with Democratic lawmakers over funding the government and immigration protections for so-called Dreamers, who were brought to the country illegally as children. Democrats are doing nothing for DACA - just interested in politics. DACA activists and Hispanics will go hard against Dems, will start falling in love with Republicans and their President! We are about RESULTS.  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 2, 2018 Trump, who in September ordered a gradual end of the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program, sought to shift blame for the resulting controversy, saying Democrats are doing nothing for DACA and are just interested in politics. Trump has insisted that any help for Dreamers be paired with funding for a border wall and a crackdown on legal immigration. Democrats, and some Republicans, are opposed. Read More Facebook

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In tweet, Trump suggests U.S. will withdraw financial assistance to Pakistan By Shashank Bengali Pakistan lashed out Monday after President Trump accused its leaders of lies & deceit and suggested the United States would withdraw financial assistance to the nuclear-armed nation it once saw as a key ally against terrorism. It was the presidents latest broadside against Pakistan after a speech in August in which he demanded its leaders crack down on the safe havens enjoyed by Taliban militants fighting U.S.-backed forces in neighboring Afghanistan. The United States has foolishly given Pakistan more than 33 billion dollars in aid over the last 15 years, and they have given us nothing but lies & deceit, thinking of our leaders as fools. They give safe haven to the terrorists we hunt in Afghanistan, with little help. No more!  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 1, 2018 U.S. Ambassador David Hale was summoned to the Foreign Ministry to discuss the presidents statement, U.S. Embassy spokesman Richard Snelsire said. Pakistan lodged a strongly worded protest and asked for clarification about Trumps comments, according to two foreign office officials who spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak publicly. Pakistans prime minister, Shahid Khaqan Abbasi, called a Cabinet meeting for Tuesday and a meeting of the National Security Committee on Wednesday to discuss Trumps New Years Day tweet. Read More Facebook

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Trump continues to tweet in support of Iranian protesters By Laura King President Trump expressed renewed support Sunday for protesters in Iran, declaring that people are finally getting wise as to how their money and wealth is being stolen and squandered on terrorism. In a tweet from his Florida estate, Mar-a-Lago, the president said the nationwide economic protests that began on Thursday  and have taken on wider political overtones as they have grown in size  were a signal that Iranians will not take it any longer. Big protests in Iran. The people are finally getting wise as to how their money and wealth is being stolen and squandered on terrorism. Looks like they will not take it any longer. The USA is watching very closely for human rights violations!  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) December 31, 2017 Trump has tweeted about the protests for three days straight as Iranians took to the streets despite a heavy police presence, tear gas and scores of arrests. The defiance gained urgency after two people were reported shot to death in the city of Dorud, about 200 miles southwest of Tehran. As the conflict escalated, Iranian authorities on Sunday slapped a temporary ban on Instagram and the messaging app Telegram, which were widely used to fan protest fervor. Iran, the Number One State of Sponsored Terror with numerous violations of Human Rights occurring on an hourly basis, has now closed down the Internet so that peaceful demonstrators cannot communicate. Not good!  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) December 31, 2017 Irans leaders already are casting Trumps increasingly effusive expressions of support for the demonstrators as opportunistic meddling and are painting the demonstrators as foreign pawns, adopting a strategy that some analysts say could jeopardize the legitimacy of the nascent antigovernment protests. Read More Facebook

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Trump tweets condolences after Colorado deputies are shot in ambush, one fatally By Associated Press A man fired more than 100 rounds at sheriffs deputies in Colorado early Sunday, killing one and injuring four others, before being fatally shot himself in what authorities called an ambush. Two civilians were also injured. President Trump expressed sorrow, writing on Twitter: My deepest condolences to the victims of the terrible shooting in Douglas County @DCSheriff, and their families. We love our police and law enforcement - God Bless them all! #LESM  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) December 31, 2017 Douglas County Sheriff Tony Spurlock said deputies came under fire almost
Trump Jr. to speak privately to Senate staff on Thursday

(Richard Drew / Associated Press)

President Trumps oldest son is expected to meet privately with a Senate committee investigating Russian interference in the 2016 presidential election, several senators said Wednesday.

Donald Trump Jr.'s appearance Thursday before the Senate Judiciary Committee would probably focus on a meeting he had with a Russian lawyer and others during the final stretches of last years campaign. Emails released in July show that Trump Jr. was told the session at Trump Tower in New York was part of a Russian government effort to aid his father, the Republican nominee.

Special counsel Robert Mueller is investigating that meeting, also attended by Trumps son-in-law, Jared Kushner, and then-campaign chairman, Paul Manafort. A grand jury has heard testimony about it.

Trump Jr. has also agreed to appear in the coming weeks before the Senate Intelligence Committee, which is conducting its own investigation.

Separately, President Obamas national security advisor, Susan Rice, was meeting on Wednesday with the House Intelligence Committee, according to a person familiar with the interview. This person wasnt authorized to discuss the committees confidential work and spoke on the condition of anonymity.

That committee has subpoenaed the Justice Department and the FBI for documents related to a dossier of salacious allegations involving Trump and possible ties to Russia.

As for Donald Trump Jr., some Democratic senators said they planned to attend his session though tradition dictates that senators cannot ask questions at such interviews conducted by committee staff.

Sens. Richard J. Durbin (D-Ill.) and Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.) said they would be there. Sen. Chris Coons (D-Del.) was considering it.

I go in with an open mind, Durbin said. I want to hear his answers to questions  there are plenty of questions  about the involvement of the Trump corporation as well as the Trump campaign with the Russians and other foreigners, and I just want to hear what Mr. Trump has to say.

Durbin said he would be shocked if questions werent asked about whether Trump Sr. knew about the Trump Tower meeting.

The critical part of his testimony will be following the financial dealing, Blumenthal said. He said he also wants to find out what Trump Jr. may know about potential obstruction of justice, adding there may have been conversations between the two about the firing of FBI Director James Comey and other matters.

Blumenthal and Coons said the private interview is no substitute for a public hearing, which the committee chairman, Sen. Charles E. Grassley (R-Iowa), has promised will happen.

This meeting is far less important than his public testimony, under oath, before the American people, Blumenthal said.

Grassley would not say on Wednesday whether he would issue a subpoena for Trump Jr. if he refuses to testify publicly.

Meanwhile, the Justice Department is reviewing subpoenas from the House intelligence committee.

In a letter Friday that was obtained by the AP, the committee wrote that it had served subpoenas on Aug. 24 to the department and the FBI for documents related to the committees investigation of Russian meddling. The Justice Department and FBI had missed the original Sept. 1 deadline, so the committee extended the deadline to Sept. 14.

The letter was signed by the committee chairman, Rep. Devin Nunes (R-Calif.), who stepped back from the Russia investigation this year after he was criticized for being too close to the White House. Rep. Mike Conaway (R-Texas) took over the leading role, but his name does not appear on the letter.

As chairman, Nunes retains subpoena power in the committee.

According to the letter, the original subpoenas requested any documents related to the dossier and sought information about whether the department was involved in its production.

If the documents are not produced, the committee is seeking to compel Atty. Gen. Jeff Sessions, who has withdrawn from investigations examining connections between Trump and Russia, and newly installed FBI Director Christopher Wray to testify in an open hearing. The committee issued two additional subpoenas to Sessions and Wray on late Tuesday.

Resort to compulsory process was necessary because of DOJs and FBIs insufficient responsiveness to the committees numerous Russia-investigation related requests over the past several months, the letter said.

If the committee is unable to obtain documents or testimony, Nunes wrote, the committee expressly reserves its right to proceed with any and all available legal options, including a House vote to hold Sessions and Wray in contempt.

The Justice Department confirmed it was reviewing the subpoenas but declined further comment.

The dossier attracted public attention in January when it was revealed that then-FBI Director Comey had briefed Trump, soon before he was inaugurated as president, about claims from the documents that Russia had amassed compromising personal and financial allegations about him.

Its unclear to what extent the allegations in the dossier have been corroborated or verified by the FBI because the bureau has not publicly discussed it.

Rep. Adam Schiff, the top Democrat on the Intelligence Committee, said Tuesday evening on MSNBC that the subpoenas were issued over the objections of Democrats. Schiff said Republicans are working harder to discredit those who compiled the dossier than to find out if the allegations in it are true. He said Republicans should be more focused on getting documents from the White House.

The subpoenas were first reported by the Washington Examiner.
It was a sun-dappled weekday morning and I was trundling east from Vancouver, Canada, on the SkyTrain transit lines shiny new Evergreen Extension.

I was heading for an unlikely craft beer hot spot in the small suburban city of Port Moody, the train flashing past wooded parks and sprawling shopping malls.

When I moved from Britain to British Columbia in the 1990s, transit train lines were limited and good libations were hard to come by. Since then, the SkyTrain network has unfurled across the region, and new microbreweries have frothed up faster than a freshly poured kolsch.

Vancouver is crowded with these ale makers, of course. But SkyTrains Evergreen Extension, which opened in 2016, has become an unofficial beer train linking four intriguing Port Moody alternatives.

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An hour away (with a platform change at Commercial-Broadway Station), they line Port Moodys Murray Street like a row of oversized bar taps.

On my journey, shoppers and day-tripping beer nuts like me dominated the air-conditioned cream-and-yellow SkyTrain cars. We briefly stopped at stations  Rupert, Holdom, Burquitlam  that sounded as though they had their own stories to tell. The glass towers of big city Vancouver faded as forested mountain ridges rose alongside.

By the time the doors swished open at Moody Centre Station, Burrard Inlet had been winking between the trees for several minutes. The vast waterway is one of the reasons Port Moody was founded; it also factored into an old railway tale I learned about later.

But first, it was almost noon and time to wet my whistle.

An easy bar crawl

I was on Murray Street within five minutes, finding a line of low-rise, smudge-gray buildings housing auto shops and cleaning businesses. Microbrewery tasting rooms were nestled between them like fresh-budded hops.

In a straight line and mere steps apart, it was the easiest bar crawl route Ive seen.

Not that a linear approach is required. I started at Yellow Dog Brewing Co., lured by its Labrador-themed signs. This microbrewery, opened in 2014, was Murray Streets first.

I joined a gaggle of drinkers on mustard-colored metal stools at its long, glossy, wood bar. Server Marni told me about Chase  the beloved family pet for which the brewery was named  while slotting my four-glass tasting flight into a dog bone-shaped paddle.

After I verbally wagged my tail about the smoothly hopped Play Dead IPA, she pointed out Mike Coghill, Yellow Dogs owner.

One of the big things my wife and I missed when we moved here from Vancouver was the microbrewery scene, Coghill said. But building this place was definitely a leap of faith  we didnt know if anyone here cared about craft beer.

Luckily, demand quickly bubbled up. And with production surging, the idea for a homegrown Moody microbrewery scene made sense.

The four breweries here are all quite different but we work together as much as possible, Coghill said. Were too small not to be supporting each other.

A few doors away, Parkside Brewery, opened in 2016, echoed the fraternal feeling, said Vern Lambourne, head brewer.

Parksides handsome rec room-style bar includes retro-look fridges, mint-green neon signs and a popular shuffleboard table. But the decks umbrella-shaded picnic tables are the main lure on sunny days.

As I slurped my tasting flight, set in a paddle shaped like a small-scale park bench, I discovered a love for the copper-colored Dusk Pale Ale and the subtly fruited Fuzzy Wuzzy Peach IPA.

There are typically seven or so year-round, seasonal and cask Parkside beers available, Lambourne told me, plus two guest quaffs from other favored British Columbia breweries.

The SkyTrain has definitely encouraged more Vancouver drinkers to come out here and give us a try, he said. But they often seem surprised that we have good beer in the burbs  people sometimes get a bit fixated on Vancouvers microbreweries.

A relaxed scene

Its not the first time locals have had to deal with a Vancouver fixation. Taking a breather from the beer, I nipped across the road from Parkside to Port Moody Station Museum, housed in a historic railway station building.

I found grainy photos and information panels on the early days of the pioneer-era community, and how it was chosen in 1879 as the western terminus of the mighty Canadian Pacific Railway.

The news triggered feverish investment in the tiny settlement until CP announced a line extension to Vancouver a few months later.

The history book I bought in the gift shop called the decision a bitter defeat for Port Moody, whose hopes of becoming the biggest town in the West were shattered like a dropped beer glass.

Locals likely drowned their sorrows with plenty of boozing, but these days the areas drinking scene is far more relaxed.

Near-windowless Moody Ales feels like a snug neighborhood bar where you can spend an afternoon nursing a pint or two over a board game.

I sat at the small L-shaped bar and talked to the friendly, tattooed server, who offered tasting flight suggestions.

I loved the Hardy Brown Ales toasted malts and the Huge Citrus Hazy Pales fruity spikes, before collaring co-founder Adam Crandall for a chat.

The rooms relaxed, accessible feel, he said, translates to the beverages.

We launched with some very approachable beers that we knew craft beer first-timers would like, he said. But once they trusted us, we introduced a few different ones to the mix.

That included the Hardy Brown Ale and a crisp-yet-malty Vienna Lager  both of which quickly gained a following  as well as some tasty smoked beers.

Not many people would have tried these when we first opened but now theyre really popular, Crandall said. Its like drinking a really delicious sausage.

I strolled over to St. Johns Street and dived into a deliciously gooey thin-crust boscaiola pizza at Pizzeria Spacca Napoli, one of a handful of new restaurants in Port Moody that have opened alongside the citys old mom-and-pop eateries. Fully fortified, I headed toward my final stop.

Twin Sails Brewing, next door to Yellow Dog, has a quirky tasting room with tall tables and faux-brick wall covering that recalls small-town taverns.

It was a sunny day, so the rooms garage-style front door was wide open. Its a laid-back little bar with an intriguing drinks roster.

The four small glasses I sampled looked, at first glance, all the same: cloudy and creamy orange in color. But the flavors were quite different.

Hipster-bearded co-owner Cody Allmin, who dropped by for a chat when he spotted my not-so-furtive note-taking, told me the lineup has changed dramatically since he launched the brewery in 2015 with twin brother Clay.

We started with German-style beers but then moved on to progressive American-style IPAs. We were the first brewery in British Columbia to specialize in these hazy, unfiltered beers, he said, as I sipped a silky, hop-forward Street Legal IPA and a lighter, delightfully citrusy Dat Juice, a Twin Sails best seller.

But theyre not resting on their hops. An ever-evolving lineup  theyre planning 15 stouts this fall  keeps the locals sated. And it inspires more travelers to move past their favorite downtown Vancouver microbreweries and hop the Evergreen line to Murray Street.

Vancouver has some great beers but Port Moodys are better, Allmin said.

If you go

Buy a TransLink transit DayPass (about $8 U.S.) from any SkyTrain station vending machine and youre covered for your trip to and from Port Moody. Take SkyTrains Expo Line from any downtown station and transfer at Commercial-Broadway Station to the Millennium Line. Be sure to board an Evergreen Extension train thats heading for Lafarge-Lake Douglas Station. Alight at Moody Centre Station.

Yellow Dog Brewing, 2817 Murray St., Port Moody; [604] 492-0191

Parkside Brewery, 2731 Murray St., Port Moody; [604] 492-2731

Moody Ales, 2601 Murray St., Port Moody; [604] 492-3911

Twin Sails Brewing, 2821 Murray St., Port Moody; [604] 492-4234

Port Moody Station Museum, 2734 Murray St., Port Moody; [604] 939-1648

Pizzeria Spacca Napoli, 2801 St. Johns St., Port Moody; [604} 939-5800


A gambling problem in Ghana Chinese slot machines began appearing throughout rural Ghana in early 2016. Though the scope of the phenomenon remains unclear, villagers and officials in the countrys Northern Region suggest the machines have proliferated widely, precipitating an
North Koreas claim that it had successfully tested a hydrogen bomb dramatically raised the stakes Sunday in its escalating confrontation with neighbors across northeast Asia, and with a U.S. administration that is increasingly running out of good options.

Japan and South Koreas leaders condemned the latest sign that North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, unfazed by strict U.N. sanctions and a chorus of international condemnation, has accelerated the countrys nuclear and missile development with astonishing success.



For the record: An earlier version of this article misspelled Council on Foreign Relations President Richard Haass last name as Haas.

President Trump denounced it as very hostile and dangerous to the United States.

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But Chinese officials met an even more sobering reality  that Beijing, Pyongyangs top ally and trading partner, has also become a target of its wrath.

On Sunday at exactly noon in Pyongyang, North Korea executed its sixth nuclear test  its first since Trumps inauguration, and its most powerful to date. The device had an estimated explosive yield of 120 kilotons, making it eight times more powerful than the bomb that destroyed Hiroshima, according to NORSAR, a Norwegian earthquake monitoring agency.

North Korean state media claimed that it was a hydrogen bomb and could be attached to a missile capable of reaching the mainland U.S. It called the test a perfect success.

Experts say the test puts both China and the U.S. in a bind. It occurred just hours before Chinese President Xi Jinpings introductory speech at the BRICS Summit, a major international conclave in southeast Chinas Xiamen city. The forum  attended by several heads of state, including Russian President Vladimir Putin  was Xis chance to show Chinas growing leadership role in the developing world, and the test was a striking intrusion.

Residents of Chinese cities and towns bordering North Korea reported feeling shock waves from the blast.

Its long been suspected that the North Koreans were designing this [nuclear and missile] program not only to keep the Americans out, but also to send signals to the Chinese, said Robert Kelly, a North Korea expert and professor at Pusan National University in South Korea.

They dont want to become a satellite state, like East Germany, he said. When the Soviets pulled the plug on East Germany, East Germany disappeared within 11 months. And North Korea just doesnt want to be that dependent on China.

North Korea has for decades posed a danger to its neighbors Japan and South Korea  in the event of a military conflict, its conventional weapons could kill thousands in Tokyo and Seoul. Yet it has been diplomatically and economically close to China since the 1950s. China accounts for 90% of North Koreas trade volume; its leaders fear that instability in Pyongyang could precipitate a refugee crisis along the two countries shared border.

To be sure, the timing wasnt just a slap in Chinas face. Americans woke to the news on Labor Day weekend.

The nuclear test was a vivid show of defiance against Trump, who warned last month hed bring fire and fury against the rogue nation if it continued to threaten the U.S.

Kims latest move presents one of the greatest challenges yet to the administration, which has issued muddled messages about its policy toward North Korea. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson has said the U.S. is open to negotiations with the country, while Trump last week said talking is not the answer.

In a tweet Sunday, Trump warned that he was considering stopping all trade with any country doing business with North Korea, in addition to other options. Such an action would impact some of Americas largest trading partners and could have a drastic effect on the global economy.

Earlier, Trump tweeted that South Koreas talk of appeasement with North Korea will not work.

The administration has found itself with the same buffet of dismal options as its predecessors. Any attack could lead to full-scale war on the Korean peninsula and cost millions of lives. But sanctions have failed to work, and China may only go so far.

Trump, who has alternately chastised China for its limited response and praised it, tweeted Sunday that North Korea has become a great threat and embarrassment to China, which is trying to help but with little success.

Treasury Secretary Steven T. Mnuchin said he was preparing a stiffer package of sanctions and hoped to enlist North Koreas neighbors in the effort. He specifically cited China.

Secretary of Defense James N. Mattis warned that any threat to the U.S. or its allies would be met with an effective and overwhelming military response.

The escalating North Korea tensions come as Trump is weighing pulling out from a free-trade pact with South Korea. One of Trumps key campaign issues was to scrap or renegotiate what he considers bad trade deals, but critics, including Sen. Jeff Flake (R-Ariz.) say withdrawing from the trade agreement with South Korea would be a bad move at this juncture.

I dont think that would be good in any circumstances  now is particularly troubling, Flake, a frequent Trump critic, said on CNNs State of the Union.

Chinese officials also are facing widespread public alarm.

On Sunday afternoon, Sina Weibo, Chinas version of Twitter, lit up with news of the test. One user named Gaogao said she was attending a friends wedding in Helong County, about 60 miles from the test site, when the blast occurred.

I asked my friend why are you knocking the table, she wrote. My friend said No, Im not. Then we felt the whole ground shaking, and a bottle of water fell from the table to the floor. We then realized something was going wrong. We all evacuated from indoors.

Kims repeated nuclear and missile tests have clearly worn Beijings patience. An underground nuclear test in January 2016 came on the eve of the Chinese New Year and after Xis government had explicitly asked Pyongyang to refrain from such actions.

Several weeks of talks between China and the Obama administration finally led to a unanimous United Nations Security Council vote on March 2, 2016, for sanctions against North Korea.

Those sanctions, which included mandatory cargo inspections and a ban on exports of most natural resources, were called at the time the toughest to date. Chinas agreement on the sanctions was seen as crucial, and a reflection of its anger with North Koreas behavior. China again supported a new and even more restrictive package of U.N. sanctions last month.

This marks the second time this year that North Korea has interrupted a crucial Chinese diplomatic meeting. It conducted a missile test during a major international forum in May touting Xis signature Belt and Road trade initiative.

The latest test occurred as China prepares for a major leadership shuffle next month, its most important political event in five years. Officials are eager to avoid any incidents that could make Xi appear weak.

Chinas Ministry of Foreign Affairs, in an unusually strongly worded statement on Sunday, expressed resolute opposition to the test and urged North Korea to stop taking actions that worsen the situation and return to the channel of dialogue.

Yet there are signs that China will remain cautious. Its position that stability in Korea is a top priority remains in place. In his speech Sunday, Xi did not mention North Korea, and Chinese state media have focused more on the BRICS conference than the blast. In a sign that Beijing is intent on trying to control the messaging, the term North Korea nuclear test has become unsearchable on Sina Weibo, apparently blocked by censors.

This test has forced every party into a corner, said Shi Yinhong, an international relations professor at Peoples University in Beijing. Chinas available leverage is being used up step by step, and still, nothing can assure [denuclearization].

He said Beijing would probably consider punishing North Korea by cutting off its oil supply  but perhaps only partially or temporarily.

I dont know what actions China will take, but I know that China is reluctant to completely and permanently cut off the oil supply to North Korea, he said. The first reason is, North Korea could hate China more and more. This is very bad. The second is that if China uses this measure, in the face of Mr. Trumps pressure, it will have even less room to maneuver.

South Korean President Moon Jae-in called the nuclear test severely disappointing, but added that South Korea would continue to seek peace talks with the North.

Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe said North Koreas nuclear and missile programs were grave and urgent threats to his country that had entered a new stage.

The denouncements are far from any solution to North Koreas enhancing technical capabilities.

This test shows greater yield/smaller size, Richard Haass, president of the Council on Foreign Relations, said in a tweet. So much for efficacy of UN votes, [economic] sanctions, Chinese pressure, American bluster.

ALSO

For North Korea and the U.S., its been threats, sanctions and vitriol. Whatever happened to negotiations?

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As China and India tussle in South Asia, a pristine mountain kingdom is caught in the middle

Kaiman is a Times staff writer and Meyers a special correspondent. Gaochao Zhang and Nicole Liu in The Times Beijing bureau, special correspondent Matt Stiles in Seoul and staff writers Tracy Wilkinson and Laura King in Washington contributed to this report.

jonathan.kaiman@latimes.com

For more news from Asia, follow @JRKaiman on Twitter

UPDATES:

6:05 p.m.: This article has been updated with additional comments from Trump and Mattis.

10:20 a.m.: This article has been updated with comments from Press Secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders and Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin.

This article was originally posted at 8:20 a.m.
Making his final state of the union address before national elections next year, Mexican President Enrique Pena Nieto on Saturday received a thunderous standing ovation when he vowed that Mexico would not compromise its national dignity in the countrys rocky relations with the Trump administration.

I have said it and I will reiterate it: We will not accept anything that goes against our dignity as a nation, said Pena Nieto, prompting the largest applause of the day from a crowd of gathered dignitaries. I am sure that in unity we will be able to defend the dignity of Mexico and its national interest.

The Mexican president did not mention President Trump by name during his 70-minute speech at the National Palace in downtown Mexico City.

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But his comments underscored a more robust stance that Mexico City has assumed in the face of Washingtons continued threats to cancel the North American Free Trade Agreement  a cornerstone of Mexicos economy  and Trumps insistence that Mexico will foot the bill for his plan to build a wall along the 2,000-mile border.

We will not accept anything that goes against our dignity as a nation.  Enrique Pena Nieto, Mexican president

The Mexican president did not refer directly the contentious wall proposal  he has repeatedly insisted that Mexico will not pay for it  but assured the country that Mexicos interests would be paramount in ongoing talks to retool NAFTA.

Pena Nieto also sent out Mexicos recognition, admiration and solidarity without reserve to the young dreamers, immigrants who arrived in the U.S. as minors and are shielded from deportation under an Obama administration initiative known as Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals.

Trump is expected to announce on Tuesday whether he will terminate the so-called DACA program, which has provided temporary legal status to almost 800,000 young men and women, mostly from Mexico. More than one-quarter of DACA beneficiaries reside in California.

Pena Nietos address came as officials from Mexico, the United States and Canada are in Mexico City engaging in the second round of complex talks to renegotiate the 23-year-old pact that eased trade barriers between the three nations.

Trump has repeatedly labeled NAFTA a disaster for the United States and threatened to scrap the deal. U.S. negotiators are seeking substantial changes to help reduce Washingtons more than $60-billion annual trade deficit with Mexico.

Mexico has says it will pull out of the NAFTA talks if Trump gives the required six-month notice indicating that the United States plans to terminate the trade pact.

Few expect major breakthroughs in the current round of NAFTA negotiations, which are scheduled to end Tuesday. Future rounds of negotiations in all three countries are expected to drag on through the end of the year at least.

Pointedly, Pena Nieto signaled that Mexico was keen to broaden its economic relationship beyond the United States, which accounts for about 80% of Mexicos foreign trade.

The prosperity of Mexico does not depend on one sole relationship, but rather on the maintenance of mutually beneficial links with countries all over the world, he said, adding that Mexico has a global vision.

In that vein, Pena Nieto voiced the hope for finalization of a new free-trade pact under negotiation with the European Union and for expanded commerce with China and Japan. The Mexican president is headed to China next week in a bid to strengthen commercial ties with Beijing.

The advent of the Trump administration and its perceived anti-Mexico stance have prompted Mexican economists and lawmakers to stress the nations need to diversify its overseas economic strategy.

But most of Pena Nietos address Saturday was dedicated to domestic issues, notably the problem of growing violence and crime. Mexicos homicide rate has soared this year, contributing to the presidents near record-low approval ratings.

To regain security is the major demand of society and the highest priority of the government of the republic, Pena Nieto said, without offering any bold new measures. We have a lot to do.

Criminal gangs, often acting in concert with corrupt cops and politicians, exert considerable control over much of the country. Critics say the rising homicide rate is indicative of how the Pena Nieto administration has failed to break the pernicious nexus between organized crime and corrupt governance that has shackled Mexico for years.

The state of the union address is traditionally a moment for Mexican presidents to list their accomplishments. Pena Nieto cited what he called improvements in various fields, including the economy, security, public education and restoring infrastructure.

But his political adversaries immediately denounced the speech as more spin than reality.

The presidents discourse did not correspond to the reality that people are living every day, Marti Batres, head of the left-wing Morena Party in Mexico City, told the Milenio television network. We are going backward. We need a political change in this country.

Mexicos presidential election is scheduled for next July 1. By law, Pena Nieto cannot succeed himself once his six-year term ends next year. The presidents low approval ratings have cast doubts on the ability of his ruling Institutional Revolutionary Party to maintain power in next years national balloting. A major challenger is Morenas Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador, twice-defeated presidential hopeful who is expected to make a third run next year.

Pena Nieto is scheduled to give one more state of the union address, after the presidential elections, but he will by then be a lame duck.

patrick.mcdonnell@latimes.com

twitter: @mcdneville

Cecilia Sanchez of The Times Mexico City bureau contributed to this report.

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Mexico signals tougher stance on NAFTA, may pull out of talks if Trump moves to scrap deal

The 1985 murder of a DEA agent still haunts Mexico. Finally, a drug lord gets sentenced in the case
The Easton Area School District has scheduled a special meeting to take questions from the public about its extensive school construction projects.

The district is renovating Tracy and Forks elementary schools and replacing Cheston and Palmer elementary schools with new schools. The high school got a new roof this summer.

The projects will cost more than $100 million. They follow a $17 million renovation to Paxionsa Elementary School that wrapped up this month.

The district held public hearings Aug. 29 to go over the Palmer and Cheston projects. You can watch video recordings of the hearings on the district website.

Board President Frank Pintabone said another public meeting is warranted to bring some of the new school board members up to date. Five sitting board members aren't running for re-election and will be replaced after the November election.

"We thought maybe there would be some other people in the public that have some questions as well," Pintabone said.

The special meeting will be 6 p.m. Wednesday, Sept. 13, at Cheston Elementary School, 723 Coal St., Easton.

Candidates running unopposed on both Republican and Democratic ballots this fall are George Chando, Meg Sayago, Brian Snyder, Thomas E. Guth Jr. and Susan Hartranft-Bittinger.

None of them are incumbents, although Chando is on the school board because he was tapped to fill in for a member who resigned in the spring.

All of them will serve starting in December unless an independent or write-in candidate takes the seat.

Rudy Miller may be reached at rmiller@lehighvalleylive.com. Follow him on Twitter @RudyMillerLV. Find Easton area news on Facebook.
Upper Macungie Township police are investigating the theft of an iPad later found to have been sold online.

A 70-year-old township woman, of the 6000 block of Helen Drive, initially reported the iPad stolen two years ago. A Georgia man recently contacted the woman asking for help in accessing the iPad and informed her he bought the device online, police said.

Police believe the Georgia man didn't know the iPad was stolen. The man then reported to his local police department in Georgia the iPad he bought was stolen.

Upper Macungie Township police ask anyone with information about the stolen iPad to call the department at 484-661-5911.

Pamela Sroka-Holzmann may be reached at pholzmann@lehighvalleylive.com. Follow her on Twitter @pamholzmann. Find lehighvalleylive.com on Facebook.
Forecasters are watching Hurricane Irma, but remain uncertain of its path -- whether it'll strike the East Coast by next weekend or move out to sea.

Irma, currently being designated as a Category 3 storm and packing 115-mph sustained winds, on Sunday remained 885 miles east of the Leeward Islands, 2,150 miles east-southeast of Miami and 2,150 miles southeast of Wilmington, N.C., according to maps by the National Hurricane Center and various published reports.

The National Hurricane Center already has sent out advisories for Puerto Rico, the Dominican Republic and Haiti, as well as the Bahamas. The Leeward Islands could be advised by later Sunday.

Joe Martucci, a meteorologist with WeatherWorks in Hackettstown, said the storm currently is over the waters east of the northern Lesser Antilles Islands, a collection of islands in the Caribbean, and is headed slightly southwest at about 15 miles per hour.

Irma then is expected to pass close to the northern Lesser Antilles Islands early next week before possibly becoming a threat to The Bahamas and U.S. East Coast by next weekend, Martucci said.

But the storm also could head back out to sea without making landfall. It just depends on where various high pressure systems, including one in Bermuda, could steer Irma, he said.

Meaning a really strong system could keep the storm west while a weaker system could send it up north a bit quicker, Martucci described, noting, "Those systems will determine the track."

The high-pressure systems could launch Irma toward the Bahamas and Bermuda or such U.S. states as Georgia and Florida. While he never says never, Martucci said he doesn't expect to see Irma strike the Jersey Shore area.

"We will have an idea of whether this system will actually threaten land on Tuesday night," Martucci said. "Then, on Thursday, we will really begin to key in on who, if anyone, needs to be prepared."

The high-pressure systems also likely will bring some fall-like weather after a pleasant, sunny Labor Day Monday is forecast with high temperatures reaching the low 80s. A cold front is expected to come in Tuesday evening and bring a rainy Wednesday with a high of 68 degrees.

Thursday, Friday and Saturday temperatures likely will be breezier, with highs not getting much above 70 degrees, according to the National Weather Service.

"After that, we'll see where the pressure moves," Martucci said.

Pamela Sroka-Holzmann may be reached at pholzmann@lehighvalleylive.com. Follow her on Twitter @pamholzmann. Find lehighvalleylive.com on Facebook.
More municipalities are fielding complaints from residents and taking action to curb bamboo growth in their towns.

Nazareth Borough Council will vote Tuesday to ban bamboo from being planted in the borough. Wilson Borough Council will vote Sept. 25 on an ordinance that also would restrict the species.

Similar limits on bamboo passed in Bethlehem Township in 2015, Forks Township in 2016 and Bethlehem City in April.

A Wilson resident raised the issue in July, which prompted Wilson's council to consider a new law. The proposed ordinance would ban new planting of any species of bamboo. It would allow existing plants to be grandfathered but property owners would have to take steps to stop the bamboo from spreading to neighboring properties.

Wilson's proposed ban with a grandfather clause is similar to Bethlehem City's ordinance. Violators would be subject to penalties.

Bethlehem Township doesn't ban the species outright but requires property owners to take reasonable measures to contain the bamboo. If bamboo encroaches onto an adjoining property, property owners are subject to fines that range from $100 to $1,000.

Forks' ordinance puts specific restrictions on planting it. Property owners may plant bamboo no closer than 10 feet from any public right of way or adjacent property but it must either be in an above ground planter or in the ground surrounded by a 30-inch-deep plastic barrier.

Diane Paine told Nazareth's council in June that she regrets buying her house in May on South New Street. Paine said her neighbor's bamboo has invaded her yard, caused damage to her siding and is a threat to her foundation.

The bamboo has grown underneath the sidewalk and street and is causing damage to municipal property, Paine said.

Nazareth Councilman Charles Donello said he has been trying to work with the people who own the property that is the bamboo's source. The property owners have cut the bamboo and used herbicide on it, Donello said.

Paine said the roots run too deep for those measures to work effectively.

"It continues to grow," Paine said.

The only way to remove the bamboo completely is to dig it up from the roots, which may mean digging up the sidewalks and street, Paine said.

Nazareth's council may require homeowners with problematic bamboo to pay for costs associated with any needed roadwork.

Nazareth Councilman Lance Colondo said Nazareth's proposed law is based on a Bucks County ordinance that penalizes property owners who have bamboo that creeps beyond property boundaries.

John Best is a freelance writer. Find lehighvalleylive on Facebook.
A 29-year-old has reportedly been charged in the murder of a missing 22-year-old Temple University student.

Joshua Hupperterz

Charged is Joshua Hupperterz of Philadelphia, 29, a former student at the university. He allegedly confessed to elements of the crime.

Jenna Burleigh, 22, of Harleysville, Montgomery County, initially went missing Thursday morning near the school campus in Philadelphia. She was last seen with Hupperterz, according to WFMZ-69 news.

WFMZ is reporting Hupperterz was taken into custody Saturday in Paupack Township, Wayne County. Authorities believe he killed Burleigh in Philadelphia, and her body was moved to a property in Jenkintown then to Paupack Township, according to the report.

Burleigh's body was found Saturday afternoon at the Wayne County home of Hupperterz's grandmother, the Philadelphia Inquirer reported.

Police found blood, large quantities of drugs and money in Hupperterz's Philadelphia home which is around the corner from Pub Webb, a bar where Burleigh apparently met Hupperterz for the first time, according to the report.

A police source told the Philadelphia Inquirer that a neighbor heard screams coming from the apartment around 4 a.m. Hupperterz was arraigned on multiple charges and online records show he is being incarcerated at a Philadelphia-based jail.

"Our Beautiful Angel Jenna is now in Heaven," Burleigh's father, Edward, posted Saturday evening on Facebook. "Now I know for sure that you can have a 'broken heart' RIP honey."

Temple University also released a statement, saying they were deeply saddened by the "tragic event" and anyone in the Temple community could be "deeply touched by it."

Burleigh had just joined the university that week as a junior transfer student from Montgomery County Community College. She was majoring in film and media arts.

"Our deepest sympathies go out to Jenna's family and her classmates, both here at Temple and at Montgomery County Community College," stated Richard M. Englert, university president.

Counseling services for students were being made available.

Pamela Sroka-Holzmann may be reached at pholzmann@lehighvalleylive.com. Follow her on Twitter @pamholzmann. Find lehighvalleylive.com on Facebook.
I got a text message from a friend on a recent Thursday afternoon saying Sean OCallaghan had died.

OCallaghan is the former IRA member turned Supergrass whose book The Informer lifted the lid on an undercover life.

But his drowning in a swimming pool in Jamaica last week, while on a visit to his daughter, has also brought a review of that life and his place in one of Irelands greatest mysteries  the kidnapping of Shergar.

Next March will mark 35 years since the famous racehorse was driven from Ballymany Stud in Kildare, leaving behind too few clues and a vacuum filled by the theoretical musings of the one-time Kerry IRA man.

As recently as last Christmas, jockey turned BBC broadcaster Mick Fitzgerald met OCallaghan in a Central London park to reflect on a kidnapping he claimed no part in, but could offer insight into, 34 years on.

Growing up in Kildare, the Shergar story always punctuated popular culture.

I was five when the horse was taken from the stud and Ive early memories passing the entrance on the far side of Newbridge and wondering about the world-news-making event that had happened on our doorstep.

Walter Swinburn, who famously rode Shergar, was the favourite jockey of my dads best friend, and the thing with the Shergar story is the volume of Kildare people who claim one degree of separation from the mystery.

Returning from a weekend in Galway in the mid-2000s, we fell into an impromptu conversation with a man in a chipper in Kildare town who claimed to have worked at Ballymany at the time of the kidnapping.

Another friend had a connection to Jim SpudMurphy who originally investigated the disappearance. And walk into any Newbridge pub on any night and youll find punters of a certain vintage with snippets of vital evidence!

In 2008, I met Jim Fitzgerald, the head groom who was abducted by an armed gang along with the horse. He agreed to an interview, having been tight-lipped for much of the previous 25 years.

But Fitzgeralds story, while compelling and insightful, was like so many others related to the disappearance  by the finish you were no closer to figuring out what exactly happened?

In the meantime, Shergar popped up in listicles celebrating famous unsolved mysteries, and TV documentaries filled with talking heads and the testimony of OCallaghan  the one man who did claim to be able to unlock the mystery.

The Kerry native was an IRA operative at the time Shergar went missing. He dropped names freely in his book about who he believed was involved, and how it all ended in a bloody hail of bullets after IRA handlers lost control of the horse.

I cant remember exactly how or thanks to who I ended up with OCallaghans mobile number, but I first made contact with the Kerry man while working as a reporter in London in 2010.

At the time, I would have been calling him for context on historical IRA processes in England, but it took until January of this year to meet him.

A colleague was researching a new lead related to the disappearance of Shergar. Testimony that centred on information from a source in America. The purpose of meeting was to rule this information in or out.

I remember waiting to meet OCallaghan  who picked the location and time in central London  and feeling a heightened sense of anticipation because of the sorry mystery that has been part of life growing up in Kildare.

OCallaghan had previously declined to meet and Id been forewarned by a security source to treat his testimony with scepticism.

So he arrived ahead of time, was very good company and appeared to be on first name terms with the staff of this side-alley cafe.

I remember thinking that they couldnt possibly have known OCallaghans back story. To them he was just a friendly regular, who drank cappuccinos and ducked in and out for cigarettes.

He wasnt a life-saving supergrass or an authority on the inner-workings of the IRA, or on this occasion a man capable of processing this new information to unlock the Shergar story.

The meeting yielded nothing. Hed never heard of the contact in America, couldnt substantiate the theory the man had put forward on the disappearance and the remainder of the conversation turned into just another version of the Shergar story hed told before  gripping, logical but extremely difficult to substantiate.

And in keeping with the texture of the Shergar mystery well now likely never know if his version of events is accurate or not!

Robert Mulhern is a London-based journalist contracted to RTE's The Documentary On One. To contact our columnist, email mulhernrobert@hotmail.com
This time last year I wrote a column all about Aidan heading off to playschool for the very first time.

I worried about how hed get on, about whether his speech delay would hold him back and about whether hed fit in.

I need not have worried. He flew it. He loved playschool.

Hes off to a new playschool this Thursday though. Im not as worried as I was last year but he, himself, is slightly nervous.

Hes off to Naionra Bhoin De, an all-Irish playschool beside the Gaelscoil in Newbridge.

Had you asked me twelve months ago if I thought he would have been able for a naionra, my answer would have been an emphatic no.

In 12 months, though, my little boy has come on in leaps and bounds. He doesnt have a speech delay anymore, indeed he never stops talking now.

He can count to ten as Gaeilge, has bainne going to bed and his favourite nursery rhyme is A haon, a do, muc is bo.

Weve been speaking the cupla focal a lot at home and he just picks it up effortlessly, so I have no concerns about him heading off on Thursday.

So why Naionra Bhoin De and hopefully Gaelscoil Cill Dara next September? There are a number of reasons.

Firstly is the fact the Grandad Chambers is a Gaeilgeoir, indeed he didnt even speak English until he left Tourmakeady in Mayo to work in London in his late teens.

Daddy Chambers had no proper interest in the language growing up and its a regret of his. I personally think Irish is not taught correctly in national schools. I dont want learning Irish, and Irish culture to be a chore for Aidan and Sarah.

Im also of the opinion that speaking two languages is only a good thing. Theres also evidence that suggest that children who learn through the medium of Irish find it easier to learn additional languages, which is only a good thing in my mind.

So many friends have asked myself and Daddy Chambers if well be able to handle helping the kids with homework if they do go on to the Gaelscoil. I dont think its going to be a problem. I was very good at Irish in school and although I wouldnt be able to hold a full conversation as Gaeilge, I would be able to listen to one and understand 99 per cent of it.

Things like that are only a problem if you let them be. To be sure, Ive enrolled myself in a refresher course in Irish and well all plough on from there. Grandad Chambers is going to help too. He talks a lot of Irish to the kids when we visit, and although they dont talk back to him as Gaeilge, they seem to understand almost every instruction he gives them.

Its lovely to see and I know Grandad is very excited and proud that Aidan is off to the Naionra. And so am I. So from Thursday, Aidan, or should I say Aodhan, will have muinteoiri who only speak Irish to him; its known as the early immersion model. He can answer and speak in English, naturally, and I cant wait for his little Irish vocabulary to grow.

In January Sarah will join her big brother in Naionra Bhoin De and I have no worries about her heading off either.

Indeed shes quite mature for her age and would probably be ready to go now, but because shes not three until December, Naionra Bhoin De wont take her for her first ECCE year until after Christmas.

Hopefully with Aidan coming home with the cupla focal, shell pick it up and slot in seamlessly in the new year.

So from here on in Im going to refer to Daddy Chambers as Daidi Mac Ambrais, Aidan as Aodhan ac Ambrais and herself as Sorcha Nic Ambrais! Ah, nil me ach ag magadh; Im only joking! Although those names have a lovely ring to them all the same.

The wee uniform (yes they have a tracksuit uniform in naionra) is ready and although hes not off to real school, its a big week for us. Its a big week for Aidan.

I cant wait to see how he gets on. I really hope he likes it.

I will let you know how it goes. Slan.

You can contact me on ruth@itsjustaphase.ie; Twitter - @_itsjustaphase_; Instagram - @itsjustaphaseblog, or youll find more of my musings at www.itsjustaphase.ie.
Sinn Fein Cllr Brendan Barry has welcomed the announcement of a new pilot grant scheme for cutting hedges along roads in Leitrim.

In a statement Cllr Barry said; "The issue of overgrown hedges along roads has being brought to my attention on numerous occasions ever since I joined the council. So I set about finding a practical solution to this problem.

"Last September I proposed that Leitrim Co Council request funding from the Department of the environment for this scheme. I then raised it at the environmental, transportation and infrastructural strategic policy committee where it received full support.

"I am delighted that the council has launched the scheme and I would like to thank the council staff for their hard work on developing the scheme. The grant will provide financial assistance 50/km to community groups and land owners to cut hedges to make Leitrim's roads much safer for everyone and user friendly for large vehicles.

"The scheme is open to applications until the 31st of October and I would encourage community groups and land owners to avail of this grant to maintain hedgerows.If I can be of assistance don't hesitate to contact me on 0876335513."
Tai Chi is a gentle art of health and well-being suitable for people of all ages and health conditions and is a form of exercise that both promotes health and relieves stress.

The benefits include: improved circulation, balance and posture; increased strength and flexibility; and reduced stress. With regular practice, these internal arts reach deep inside the body to benefit the entire physiology including the tendons, joints, spine, connective tissue and internal organs.

The slow, gentle movements allow every part of the body to be exercised without strain, releasing tension and reducing stress restoring the calmness and peace of mind that is often lost through the desires and anxieties of daily life. In the language of today, this art is green. No special equipment or facilities are required.

Comfortable footwear, loose clothing and some floor space are all that are needed. It is done both at home and with others, the social aspect making it more likely you will persist with your practice. It is pleasurable and asks the body to do what it is designed to do. Also as the body and mind cannot be separated each step in the training is intended to help the mind return to stillness, clarity and wisdom, and the body to a balanced, relaxed and healthy state.

New autumn beginner classes are now starting in Boyle, Carrick-on Shannon, Four-mile House, Roscommon and Longford town. Call in to our free introductory classes at the following locations: Convent Primary School, Carrick Road, Boyle, Monday evening September 4, 7pm- 8.15pm; The Studio (over Now Doc) Inver Gael, Carrick-on-Shannon, Tuesday September 5, 7.30-9.30pm; Kilbride Community Centre, Four Mile House, Wednesday September 6, 10.30am- 12pm; Temperance Hall Longford, Wednesday, September 6, 7.30- 9.30pm; The Studio (over Now Doc) Inver Gael, Thursday September 7, 10.30am-12.30pm.

For information on local daytime and evening classes, call us on: 089-4482769, email us at info@taoist.ie, visit us online at: www.taoist.ie. The Taoist Tai Chi Society of Ireland is a charitable, community based, voluntary organisation.
The Society of St Vincent de Paul (SVP) received a record number of calls in August, which included calls from over 5,000 families seeking back-to-school help.

That is about 40% of the requests for practical assistance received by the Society last month from households in need.

This figure may even be understated according to the Society as SVP members often see families cut back on essentials like food and heating due to school costs.

Particularly at this time of the year, families approach SVP for help with utility bills or food shopping because of the pressure of buying uniforms, books and other materials and paying for the so-called voluntary contribution. said SVP spokesperson Tricia Keilthy.

Back-to-school this week has been a really exciting time for lots of children and their parents. But for many low income and struggling households, the preparation for the new school year has been a huge source of stress and anxiety, with the prospect of further requests throughout the year for contributions for education, exam and extra- curricular expenses.

As well as the ordinary costs of school, some of the emerging issues that we see include the huge costs of Transition Year registration and trips and an increasing requirement for expensive digital devices.

Achieving in school can break the cycle of poverty, but if children dont have the materials they need to learn, if they feel different because their uniform is too small, or they cant take part in activities like their friends, that really influences their experience of school and educational progress. If we really want all to children to have good opportunities, we have to stop making cost a barrier to participation. she said

SVP is calling on the Minister for Education to start to make free education a reality with proper funding for schools and additional supports for parents.

While the increase in the Back to School Clothing and Footwear Allowance this year was welcome, says SVP, it remains significantly below 2011 levels. SVP members visit many families with parents in low income work who are a few euros above the threshold and receive no state assistance. Capitation grants have also been reduced since 2010 meaning schools are seeking contributions from families to subsidise running costs.
Leitrim hoteliers have expressed serious concern about the significant drop in British visitors during the first seven months of the year.

The latest CSO figures show a decrease of 6.2% nationally in trips from our largest market compared to the same period last year.

Local hotels in Leitrim, however, are reporting an even more pronounced drop in visitor numbers from Britain, which in many cases is almost double this figures.

Fergal Ryan, Chair of the Leitrim branch of the Irish Hotels Federation (IHF), said the recent recovery in tourism is now under threat as a result of Brexit, with fewer people from Britain visiting Ireland due to the significant drop in the value of Sterling and increased economic uncertainty.

He notes that Ireland is extremely reliant on visitors from Britain, which accounts for over 40% of overseas visitors.

Tourism in Leitrim in particular relies heavily on the UK market, so any fall off in numbers gives cause for serious concern. While the drop in visitors from Britain has been offset by increases in other markets, such as North America and the rest of Europe, we are seeing a significant slowdown in tourism growth so far this year.

"An additional concern is a weakening in visitor numbers from Northern Ireland that is also occurring. These are worrying trends both for the national tourism industry and our local economy.

So far this year visitors from the rest of Europe are up 4.3% while visitors from North America are up 17.4%, resulting in an overall increase in overseas visitors of 3.1% compared to 12.7% for the same period last year.

Tourism has received a welcome uplift in recent years which is being felt on the ground here in Leitrim. However, we cannot afford to take this recovery for granted.

Mr Ryan says the growth has been underpinned a number of direct actions from the Government, including the 9% tourism VAT rate and the zero rate travel tax. He states that the tourism VAT rate in particular has been of vital importance to the industry.

It has brought our VAT rate into line with other European destinations with which we compete and continues to deliver enormous benefits to the exchequer by making us more attractive as a tourism destination.

While Mr Ryan says that hoteliers in Leitrim are optimistic about the potential for continued growth that tourism can bring to the local economy, he states the industry has some pressing challenges which underline the fragility of the sectors recovery.

As the latest figures show, there is no denying that our industry faces significant risks associated with Brexit. Unfortunately regional tourism is likely to be hit hardest as the UK market has the widest regional seasonal spread of visitors.
The Irish Spirits Association this week hosted the inaugural meeting of Irelands Gin producers, to represent this remerging Irish food and drink sector.

Among those represented were The Shed Distillery (Leitrim)- Gunpowder, Von Hallers.

Recent figures suggest that gin has grown by 31.6% year-on-year, in on-trade value to reach 74 million. Mirroring this, preliminary figures from the CSO suggest that 2017 may see a significant and unprecedented increase in exports of gin from Ireland. This new group will provide a strong voice for one of Irelands fastest growing sectors.

The inaugural meeting of Irish gin producers provided a forum to scope out key issues affecting the sector. The group agreed that their number one priority was to support the creation of a legally-recognised standard for Irish Gin.

Pat Rigney, Managing Director of The Shed Distillery was elected chair of the new group. The Department of Agriculture and Food was also represented at the meeting, where regulatory issues affecting producers was discussed.

Speaking about the meeting, head of the Irish Spirits Association, William Lavelle said, Recent years have seen a resurgence in the market for gin as consumer seek to try out different brands. Consumers are looking at new combinations for which this age-old product can complement modern tastes.

"In Ireland, this resurgence in interest has been matched by an explosion in the number of brands of Irish gin producers with over 30 Irish brands now on the market.

While the domestic market has been key for to this growth, competition and innovation in the sector is also leading to export growth opportunities. Many Irish Gin producers are working with Bord Bia to enter new markets and increase their exports. The Irish Spirts Association is working to support the continued growth of Irish spirits exports in line with the FoodWise 2025 strategy.
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Independent TD Mattie McGrath has issued a statement in a bid to achieve some calm after he called for the head of the HSE to be fired over his comments about parents opposing the HPV vaccine.

In a press statement today it was stated:

"Minister McGrath assured Minister Harris that he supports the new campaign to encourage parents to avail of the HPV vaccine which saves lives and he welcomes the fact the whole purpose of the new campaign is to help inform parents and direct them to medical professionals to have any questions answered and facts provided.

"Ministers Harris and McGrath agree that the people qualified to give advice on vaccines are medical professionals and they would encourage parents to take advice from them.

HSE director-general Tony OBrien this week accused groups opposing the vaccine, which protects against cervical cancer, of emotional terrorism.

A well-orchestrated campaign was targeting parents, teenagers and teachers with disinformation with no basis in science, he told the launch of the HSEs information campaign on the vaccine.

Mr McGrath accused the HSE boss of a vicious and unwarranted attack on parents and said if he did not resign, he should be dismissed by the Minister for Health.

This is a pathetic and brutalising assault on all those parents and children who, from Mr OBriens perspective, have had the temerity to raise questions about the effectiveness and impact of the Gardasil vaccine.
Vince Cable has called for a parliamentary debate on the situation with North Korea as the country conducts its sixth nuclear missile test.

He said:

This alleged advancement North Koreas nuclear weapons programme only strengthens the need to for an urgent diplomatic response to the crisis. There is no military solution that does not risk the lives of millions, and no doubt that Trumps war of words with Kim Jong-un has only served to heighten tensions. Liberal Democrats are clear that the way forward requires engaging with China and other countries in the region to deescalate tensions. The government must urgently schedule time in Parliament to discuss this issue, and any unilateral military response must be ruled out.

I have to say that I cant see a situation where military action is going to make this situation better whether it is unilateral or not but at least Vince is, as ever, putting a bit of grown-up common sense into the debate.

* Caron Lindsay is Editor of Liberal Democrat Voice and blogs at Caron's Musings
Writing in the Financial Times, Nick Clegg gives his assessment of where we are with Brexit at the moment. He is unimpressed with the Governments Brexit papers, describing them as technocratic, insubstantial and lacking in leadership. He also sees Labours so called great shift on the single market as nothing more than a statement of the obvious.

The EU doesnt escape criticism either, as he points out that they are being way too rigid on the timetable  but that, as he adds, is something that could easily have been foreseen.

There is a profound misreading among British negotiators of the psychology of their EU counterparts. This is not just the familiar difference in the political styles  the improvised repartee of Westminster versus a more formal and legalistic political culture  it relates to a deeper question: who bears responsibility? Across European capitals, there is a strongly held view that the UK has taken a decision that they wish had not happened, which they do not fully understand, and which they believe will make life harder for everyone. Some are aghast that, at a time when Europe faces US isolationism, Russian belligerence, a refugee crisis and threats from terrorism to climate change, the UK should choose to pitch everyone into an interminable navel-gazing negotiation. Not unreasonably, they believe that the overwhelming onus should be on the UK to explain what it wants from Brexit. Surely, they ask, if Brexiters have spent a lifetime campaigning to quit the EU, they should have developed answers as to how that should be achieved?

Hes not worried about the argument over money. We all knew this would happen and itll sort itself out. There are much bigger problems emanating from the Governments incompetence, though.

What is more serious, because it is much more unexpected, is the petulant way in which Mrs May and David Davis, Brexit secretary, appear to believe that, having published such insubstantial papers, it is now up to Brussels to fill in all the gaps. It is difficult to exaggerate how unreasonable the UK will appear if it carries on passing the buck like this. We created the problem, yet our government seems to want to wash its hands of any serious responsibility to solve it. That is not how a great country should behave.

You can read the whole article here.

* Newshound: bringing you the best Lib Dem commentary in print, on air or online.
Welcome to the Golden Dozen, and our 487th weekly round-up from the Lib Dem blogosphere  Featuring the five most popular stories beyond Lib Dem Voice according to click-throughs from the Aggregator (27 August  2 September, 2017), together with a hand-picked seven you might otherwise have missed.

Dont forget: you can sign up to receive the Golden Dozen direct to your email inbox  just click here  ensuring you never miss out on the best of Lib Dem blogging.

As ever, lets start with the most popular post, and work our way down:

1. Thin pickings for the Lib Dems in this weeks Council by-elections by Mark Pack on Mark Pack.

Although it does help if we do actually field a candidate.

2. If Brexit goes badly wrong, how can the Tories survive? by Mark Valladares on Liberal Bureaucracy.

This is not an optimistic piece. Mark presents a scenario we should prepare for.

3. Co-founder, Labour against Brexit, joins the Lib Dems by Mark Pack on Mark Pack.

He cant stay while Corbyn advocates hard Tory Brexit.

4. Brexiteers think Australia is moored off the Kent coast by Jonathan Calder on Liberal England.

But their trade minister is focused on bigger fish than us.

5. Neal Ascherson on Heligoland by Jonathan Calder on Liberal England.

An example of how the brexiteers distort history.

And now to the seven blog-posts that come highly recommended, regardless of the number of Aggregator click-throughs they attracted. To nominate a Lib Dem blog article published in the past seven days  your own, or someone elses, all you have to do is drop a line to [email protected] You can also contact us via Twitter, where were @libdemvoice

6. How did Princess Diana manage to stay sane with all that misogynistic vitriol? by Jane Chelliah on Feminist Mama.

20 years on, a reminder of how she was treated by the media.

7. We must fight to keep students coming to the UK and to Liverpool by Richard Kemp on But what does Richard Kemp think?

They bring vital money and boost research and jobs.

8. The case for disregarding the Brexit vote by Peter Wrigley on Keynesian Liberal.

No good can come of it, argues Peter.

9. Is Theresa May staying on as PM for the next two years a good or bad thing for the Conservative Party? by Nick Tyrone on NickTyrone.com.

Nick says shes not doing them any favours.

10. Big Ben and the triviality of UK Politics by Peter Black on Peter Black.

The ridiculous scenes from Peter Bone et al a few weeks ago were not the first time Big Ben was the feature of a political storm.

11. The most important Brexit negotiation will be among the British people by Matthew Green on Thinking Liberal.

We still need to make up our minds what sort of a country we want to be.

12. Norman Lamb done in acrylic and hanging in Central London by Iain Brodie Browne on Birkdale Focus.

An interesting view of our health spokesperson

And thats it for another week. Happy blogging n reading n nominating.

Featured? Add this to your blog post!



<a href="https://www.libdemvoice.org/top-of-the-blogs-the-lib-dem-golden-dozen-487-55162.html"><img src="https://www.libdemvoice.org/images/golden-dozen.png" width="200" height="57" alt="Featured on Liberal Democrat Voice" title="Featured on Liberal Democrat Voice" /></a>

* Caron Lindsay is Editor of Liberal Democrat Voice and blogs at Caron's Musings
FOR THE first time since the crash farmers may not be the only bidders in the room at an upcoming auction in Limerick.

Builders could be tempted to the Kilmurry Lodge on September 21 at 3pm for the sale of 48 acres at Laught, Lisnagry.

Tom Crosse, GVM property director, said there is potential for building given its popular location and its proximity to Ahane.

It is near Ahane church and school and there is a lot of road frontage. Sites would be very much sought after in that location. There is a lot of valuable housing in the locality and it is a very attractive place to live. You are very near the motorway, UL, National Technological Park, Annacotty Business Park and excellent access to the city. It is a really hot location, said Mr Crosse.

Indeed, the nearby village of Castleconnell and the whole parish is back en vogue said the auctioneer. Last week, GVM sold a three bedroom semi-detached housing estate in Castlerock housing estate for around 220,000. In late 2014 / early 2015 a neighbouring house was bought for 120,000.

Thats a 100,000 increase in two and a half years. The area is very much en vogue. It is very popular, said Mr Crosse.

The 48 acres in Laught is being sold by the representatives of the late James Richardson. It is divided into lots - 1. farmhouse, in need of repair, together with out offices and circa 19 acres. 2. Thirteen acres. 3. Sixteen acres with frontage to two roads. 4. Half an acre of raised bog at Annaholty, Birdhill.

Since the crash the only people Mr Crosse has seen at auctions have been farmers but this is an interesting barometer of the economic recovery.

The sale is likely to attract interest outside of the farming community due to possible site potential and extensive road frontage. The land is excellent.

Of course, you will have farming interest as well. It was a beef farm but there are dairy farmers in the area. I would expect normal agricultural value per acre to be exceeded in this instance. A lot will depend on who comes in for it, said Mr Crosse.

In July, he sold 88 acres at Ballytannon, Croagh, for 965,000 and he wouldnt be surprised to see it beat that 11,000 an acre figure.

In last weeks Limerick Leader one of the newest residents of the area  Jean Marie Stander described why she and CJ decided to buy a property there.

We were looking to buy a house to make our own for quite some time. We had friends living in Castleconnell, and loved the area, so we were looking at property in and around Castleconnell.

Finally after two years of searching we found a house we could see ourselves living in, and the rest is history, said Jean Marie, who added that she and CJ both love the feeling of being close to the countryside but also so close to UL where CJ needs to be every day.

Indeed, Castlerock  the estate mentioned at the start of the piece  could also be expanding. It originally comprised 32.25 acres in total and had planning for 248 units, 147 of which are sold and occupied.

The built part of the estate is taken in charge by Limerick City and County Council. REA O'Connor Murphy are offering for sale the remainder of the site  18.7 acres - in four zones.
Managing conflict in the family business A three-step plan that can help family-run enterprises prepare for the succession when the founder is still around /news/talking-point/managing-conflict-in-the-family-business-111646982775272.html 111646982775272 story

Managing succession, next-generation induction and sibling rivalry in a family-run business is a complex, emotional and difficult task that many families are unable to navigate. Photo: iStockphoto

A familiar aphorismindustrialist to beggar in three generationsdescribes the likelihood of family-owned businesses failing even before the founders grandchildren take over.

Around 90% of Indian businesses are family-owned, yet less than 30% of them successfully hand over the baton to the second generation, and less than 10% make the transition to the third generation. Whether it is the grocery shop next door or Indias richest family, there is a high probability that the family business will split after the founders death.

Managing succession, next-generation induction and sibling rivalry in a family-run business is a complex, emotional and difficult task that many families are unable to navigate. To compound the problem, Indian families dont talk openly about succession and leadership transitionit is considered disrespectful to senior generations.

The first casualty of internal family conflict is the organization culture. The freewheeling entrepreneurial start-up culture which took the company to great heights abruptly changes to opaque silos, territorial mindsets, politics, inter-personal friction and bureaucracy. Staff functions which have proximity to the family become powerful at the expense of line functions and the organization loses its ability to respond to a fast-changing environment. In some cases, if the staff sees that a split is imminent, they start aligning themselves with either of the feuding factions. Loyalty begins to take precedence over performance.

Undeniably, the biggest challenge in succession planning is the founder himself. A founder who has worked a 12-hour day over the first 15-20 years of his/her journey finds it hard to walk away from a business he/she has built brick by brick. Founders of family-managed businesses in India typically work till they are at least 75 years old. When the second generation joins the business, sharing power and authority becomes a point of disagreement.

During this period, the second generation seeks increased authority and responsibility commensurate with their growing maturity and experience but can be frustrated by the founders repeated intrusions into their assigned territory". The founder, on the other hand, tends to believe the easy-going next generation doesnt really measure up, and lacks the grit and determination to succeed.

Before describing the three-step plan for managing family conflicts, it is important to get the context right by starting at the very beginning. For, if a succession plan is to work, it is the founder who must initiate the changes.

Take time out

The first thing to do is take two steps back from day-to-day operations and go off-site with family members to agree on the basics. What are the core values and what is the vision? Where does each family member see himself in five years? If the long-term vision as a family is not aligned, members will keep clashing on operational matters. Sometimes an experienced and trusted external facilitator can help structure discussions and play mediator. Once the vision and values are aligned, there is much less likelihood of conflict in day-to-day operations.

In the unlikely event that there is an unbridgeable gap in vision, it is best to split amicably in a fair and transparent way. Agree to disagree and move on.

Document a succession plan

Succession planning and induction of the next generation cannot translate to a one-day handover of charge that lets the founder walk off into the sunset. It is a 5- to 10-year journey, with increasing levels of responsibility. There should be time allocated for grooming and training the incoming generation. At every level, there should be a process for assessment and feedback by an independent team that should include professionals from outside.

A succession plan takes six-eight weeks to prepare and must factor in the needs of all stakeholdersfounders, all members of the family, professionals who report to the founder and share an uneasy relationship with the next generation, but will eventually have to report to them. This plan must also factor in the core capability and potential of every member of the next generation and provide options for those family members who want to exit to pursue other opportunities.

This step has to be implemented by the founder.

Create a family charter

As a last step in the three-point plan, a family charter that lists mutually acceptable rules and responsibilities should be put in place to ensure harmonious conduct of business. A family charter helps preserve the legacy of parents and grandparents whose contributions have made the business successful.

Family conflicts usually start with comparisons of visible status symbolshomes, cars, cheque-signing authority, job title and, of course, compensation. So these issues must be covered in the family charter.

A family charter neednt be a complex legal instrument. It can be a simple, easy-to-implement 5- to 10-page document, depending on the size and complexity of the business. Its a document that should be reviewed every year and modified to meet the changing needs of the business.

A formal family charter must be put in place within two years of the second generation joining the family businessby this time, areas of concern would have become visible.

While there is no guarantee of success, these three steps will maintain family harmony and help preserve the legacy of the founding generation.

Harsh Chopra is the founder of Partners4Growth, a management consulting company that works with family-managed companies, helping them to professionalize and scale up.
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When it comes to disasters, I've seen every variety. When it comes to charity rip-offs, sadly, I've seen too many.

In moments of crisis, people tend to let their guards down. They assume that all who say they want to help really mean it. Con artists and opportunistic aid groups know this, and they use it to their advantage.

Before I became a columnist, I spent 20 years covering wars and natural disasters for The Associated Press. From Rwandan refugee camps in Zaire, to Minnesota flooding in 1997, to an earthquake in India, to a volcano in Congo, to the tsunami in South Asia, I've seen plenty of death and destruction.

I've also witnessed remarkable heroism. And stupidity.

Aid groups have delivered high-heeled shoes to Sudanese refugee camps, sent tons of food where there was already plenty and supplied more Land Cruisers to a disaster zone than there were aid workers.

Men posing as preachers have conned the last pennies from the starving and literal fly-by-night aid groups have hung signs in disaster zones only long enough to take a fundraising photo before fleeing.

The most common problem, though, is the nonprofits that are more concerned with meeting payroll than offering assistance.

Sometimes even the biggest groups can lose their way, including the American Red Cross. Multiple investigations have cast doubt on the organization's fundraising and accounting practices without an adequate response from its CEO.

HURRICANE HARVEY: A closer look at Houston's biblical floods

National Public Radio and investigative reporting website ProPublica have documented irregular behavior in hurricane zones, such as driving empty trucks around to drum up free publicity.

Red Cross President and CEO Gail McGovern has so far refused to reveal how much of the money the organization collects is actually spent on disaster relief, and until she does, the group will be suspect.

Red Cross executive Brad Kieserman went on NPR to talk about Harvey relief efforts on Wednesday and refused to say how much of the millions of dollars the group has raised under Hurricane Harvey banners will actually end up helping victims.

"I am committed. My team is committed to using our resources and donor dollars in a way that best helps the people of Texas," was all Kieserman, vice president of disaster operations and logistics, would say. He added that he doesn't know details about fundraising.

Sen. Chuck Grassley, the Republican chairman of the Judiciary Committee, reported last year that the Red Cross received donations totaling $487 million to help Haiti and then spent $125 million, or about 25 percent, on itself. More than $360 million was given to partner organizations, many of which also took a substantial cut off the top for overhead before providing aid to the needy.

Just because an aid organization has an amazing marketing department doesn't mean it does the most good. The Red Cross gets only two out of four stars for financial performance from Charity Navigator, a nonprofit that evaluates Internal Revenue Service filings made by nonprofits.

My preference is to give to local groups that employ local people who have a vested interest in doing what's right by the community. The Greater Houston Community Foundation is a good option, among many others.

Then there are the rip-offs.

Last week I wrote about how victims can use crowdfunding sites to make it easier for friends and family to contribute to their recovery. After all, if someone you know needs a new car or to replace uninsured property, there is no more efficient way than to put money directly in their pocket.

Using a crowdfunding site to look for people in need, though, is a very bad idea. There are con artists setting up heart-melting profiles, complete with Bible verses, small children and puppies. If you don't have a long history with people, don't trust them.

WATCH OUT: How to avoid becoming a victim of insurance fraud

A special place, though, is reserved for those who victimize people a second time. And these scams can happen in person and via the internet.

The most detestable are those who promise to help you apply for thousands of dollars in assistance, if you pay them a fee. They usually claim the group they represent has lots of money, but they need to collect an application fee to discourage fraud. No reputable aid organization does this.

There are other con artists who claim to be federal disaster workers who are ready to help you fill out paper forms. They gather all of your personal information and then use it to steal your identity and the aid that you deserve. Always ask to see an ID.

Some scammers, meanwhile, will enlist Harvey victims as accomplices for insurance fraud. These folks exaggerate the damage done to your property for a cut of the extra-large payout. Get involved in a scam like this, and you can go to jail, too.

None of this should not deter people who want to help. The need is real, and insurance will only pay for so much. Just make sure you give wisely.
Hurricane Harvey interrupted the annual charity event, Houston Restaurant Weeks, but Houstonians won't let the disaster keep them from eating at their favorite restaurants to raise money for the hungry.

Charity organizer Cleverly Stone announced on her radio show this weekend that the event has been extended through Sept. 30.
With cool, clear water running through the Frio River, plenty of hiking trails and an outdoor dance floor, it's easy to understand why many Texans travel to Garner State Park each spring, summer and fall to enjoy its beauty.

But it's likely that not every visitor will be inclined to spend a night under the stars  cramped in a sleeping bag, inside a small tent, nestled among rocks, twigs, dirt and free-roaming wildlife.
Hurricane Harvey left a lot of damage in its wake, but the Bank of San Jacinto County has put together a Hurricane Relief Fund to help heal the wounds.

Many homes in San Jacinto County were flooded by Hurricane Harvey, with the Jones Educational Complex in Coldspring and the Shepherd Middle School campus and Shepherd Community Center serving as three of many shelters in the area taking in flood victims.

A board was formed that includes officers of the bank, as well as school board members and employees, to help alleviate some of the damage in the county by setting up the fund.

"We didn't have any government help so we just did it ourselves," said Bank of San Jacinto County CEO Denny Clark.

Clark says the bank is taking donations for the fund, which will be distributed locally among the county.

"Somebody had to do it and we stepped up and did it," said Clark.

While the board has not decided how they are going to distribute the funds, Clark says it will most likely come down to distribution among local charitable organizations like the Care/Share Food Pantry or the San Jacinto County chapter of Habitat for Humanity.

Anyone who wishes to donate to the cause only needs to talk to the bank tellers at the Bank of San Jacinto County to see about making a donation. There is no deadline for donations at this time.

"It's just ongoing," said Clark.

The fund has already gotten international attention, according to Clark.

"Please donate," he said. "It's for San Jacinto County."

The Bank of San Jacinto County is located at 100 Hwy 150 Coldspring, Texas 77331. For information on the relief fund, call the bank at 936-653-4395.
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Hurricane Harvey was a record-setting event for Pearland, creating massive flooding over roads and long lines at stores and prompting a visit to the city from President Donald Trump.

Alvin ISD was scheduled to start classes Wednesday, Sept. 6 and Pearland ISD was to start Tuesday, Sept. 5.

Fire Chief Vance Riley said the storm brought an unprecedented amount of rain.

"Some parts of Pearland received more than 46 inches of rain, causing severe flooding and damage and the fire department was called to handle more than 400 water rescues," Riley said a press conference Aug 30.

The National Weather Service reported Pearland broke a 40-year-old state record for total rainfall from a tropical system with 49.2 inches of rain fall recorded at Mary's Creek at Winding Road in east Pearland as a result of Harvey.

The previous record of 48 inches was set in 1978 in Medina during Tropical Cyclone Amelia, second in the U.S. only to a 1950 record 52 inches of rain fail in Hawaii following Hurricane Hicki.

The storm cause damage to the city's water sewage treatment system, but city officials say the water supply was not affected.

"Pearland water is safe," city manager Clay Pearson said during the press conference. "We have had losses in our sewage treatment plant. We continue to evaluate those and will make an announcement but we have at least two facilities that suffered damage."

Mayor Tom Reid said workers were assessing damage to the city.

"We are in the final stages of a preliminary damage assessment, and I'd like to report we had a small percentage of homes and businesses that suffered water damage and those that were (damaged), we are working with them on that," he said.

Many of the neighborhoods most affected lie near Clear Creek and Mary's Creek, Reid said.

U.S. Rep. Pete Olson, R-Sugar Land, said the costs associated with Hurricane Harvey also are expected to break records.

"Hurricane Harvey is the most expensive hurricane to hit the Texas Gulf Coast. According to numbers from the state, this hurricane will cost America $150 billion, seven times the cost of Hurricane Ike and five times the cost of Hurricane Katrina," Olson said.

"Pearland took that blow head-on twice and we have survived. We will rebuild and we will begin to start thriving again soon."
The videotaped arrest of a nurse at a Salt Lake City hospital - after she told police, correctly, that they weren't allowed to draw blood from an unconscious patient - has been roundly condemned by national nursing organizations, Utah officials and even the local police department.

The July 26 incident, captured by an officer's body camera, was made public last week after the nurse came forward. Since then, several groups have echoed the nurse's outrage, calling for greater consequences for the police detective in question and demanding increased awareness of patient-consent laws.

In the footage, Jeff Payne, a detective with the Salt Lake City Police Department, confronts Alex Wubbels, a nurse in the burn unit at the University of Utah Hospital, over her polite but firm insistence that police could not collect blood samples from a badly injured patient. Payne didn't have a warrant, Wubbels pointed out. And the patient wasn't conscious, so he couldn't give consent.

Wubbels cited hospital policy in the video - showing Payne a printout of the rules just before he abruptly arrests her - but her actions also were in line with a decision by the U.S. Supreme Court, which explicitly ruled last year that blood can be drawn from drivers only for probable cause, with a warrant.

In the moment, none of that seemed to matter to Payne, who snapped, seized hold of Wubbels, shoved her out of the building and cuffed her hands behind her back. A bewildered Wubbels screamed "help me" and "you're assaulting me" as the detective forced her into an unmarked car and accused her of interfering with an investigation.

Wubbels, who was not criminally charged, played the footage at a news conference Thursday with her attorney. They called on police to rethink their treatment of hospital workers and said they had not ruled out legal action.

"I just feel betrayed, I feel angry, I feel a lot of things," Wubbels said then. "And I'm still confused."

Judging by the overwhelming reaction to the video, which has since been widely shared, many agree with Wubbels.

On Friday, the department said two of its employees had been placed on administrative leave, pending the results of an investigation, but did not give details. A criminal investigation is underway, according to Salt Lake County District Attorney Sam Gill, and the city's mayor and police chief apologized to Wubbels in a statement.

"What I saw is completely unacceptable to the values of my Administration and of the values of the Salt Lake City Police Department," Mayor Jackie Biskupski said. "I extend a personal apology to Ms. Wubbles for what she has been through for simply doing her job."

However, the Salt Lake Tribune editorial board called for harsher consequences, saying the incident had raised "serious questions" about the city's police department and wondering why Payne had not been fired immediately.

"Unless the investigations turn up something that is not now apparent, it seems clear that Payne should already have lost his job, and that his certification to be a law enforcement officer should be permanently revoked," the board wrote Friday. "The fact that he was removed from the roll of officers who are allowed to take blood samples, but not placed on leave until the matter became public and a criminal investigation launched, can only serve to undermine public confidence in the whole department."

The Utah Nurses Association stated it was "deeply disturbed" by the video - and encouraged as many people as possible to view it to understand a nurse's "ethical duty to act in the best interest of our patients at all times and in all settings."

Nurses are bound by a code of ethics that dictates they must first promote the rights, health and safety of the patient, according to the American Nurses Association. By all measures, Wubbels followed that code.

"It is outrageous and unacceptable that a nurse should be treated in this way for following her professional duty to advocate on behalf of the patient as well as following the policies of her employer and the law," ANA President Pam Cipriano said in a statement. "Nurse Wubbels did everything right. It is imperative that law enforcement and nursing professionals respect each other and resolve conflicts through dialogue and due process."

Even if Payne believed he had "implied consent" to draw the patient's blood, it would not have applied under these circumstances, since Payne was trying to prove that the driver was not under the influence, criminal law professor Paul Cassell wrote in a guest piece for the Salt Lake Tribune.

"The ultimate requirement of our Constitution is that police must behave reasonably," Cassell wrote for the newspaper. "Handcuffing a nurse and throwing her into a squad car is, given all of the circumstances here, not reasonable - and, it turns out, was not ultimately supportable under Utah law."

The encounter started July 26 when a suspect speeding away from police in a pickup truck on a Utah highway smashed head-on into a truck driver, as local media reported. Medics sedated the truck driver, who was severely burned, and took him to the University of Utah Hospital. He arrived in a comatose state, according to the Deseret News. The suspect died in the crash.

A neighboring police department sent Payne, a trained police phlebotomist, to collect blood from the patient and check for illicit substances, as the Tribune reported. The goal was reportedly to protect the trucker, who was not suspected of a crime. Payne's lieutenant ordered him to arrest Wubbels if she refused to let him draw a sample, according to the Tribune.

A 19-minute video from the body camera of a fellow officer shows the bitter argument that unfolded on the floor of the hospital's burn unit. Things get especially rough around the six-minute mark, when Payne seems to lose it. He paces toward the nurse and tries to swat the phone out of her hand.

"We're done here," he yells. He grabs Wubbels by the arms and shoves her through the automatic doors outside the building.

Wubbels screams. "Help! Help me! Stop! You're assaulting me! Stop! I've done nothing wrong! This is crazy!"

Since the footage was made public, the unconscious patient has been identified as William Gray, a reserve officer with the Rigby Police Department in Idaho who is a full-time truck driver. That department said in a statement that it had not been aware of the incident until video of Wubbels's arrest went viral, and it praised the nurse for her actions.

"The Rigby Police Department would like to thank the nurse involved and hospital staff for standing firm, and protecting Officer Gray's rights as a patient and victim. Protecting the rights of others is truly a heroic act," the department said. "It is important to remember that Officer Gray is the victim in this horrible event, and that at no time was he under any suspicion of wrongdoing."

The incident prompted some health-care professionals to share their experiences about trying to protect the rights of patients in the face of law enforcement demands. Zachary Meisel, a doctor and professor of emergency medicine at the University of Pennsylvania, tweeted after watching Wubbels's video that he faced a similar situation years ago, minus the arrest. At the time, a police officer had threatened to arrest him if he didn't draw blood from a patient, even though the patient did not medically require any bloodwork.

Meisel wrote about that encounter for Slate in 2006:

"Drawing the patient's blood thus would serve only legal ends (which, given her slurred speech and tearful wails, seemed likely to benefit the prosecution). To step outside of my role as her caretaker seemed to violate fundamental tenets of our doctor-patient relationship. At the same time, I am an emergency physician trained in the field of public health and I know that alcohol is responsible for an enormous number of the tragedies that bring patients to the ER. I embrace efforts to reduce drunken driving, including helping to put the drivers behind bars. But the police wanted me to provide a tube of the patient's blood that I had no medical reason to obtain. A perfect storm of competing interests - those of bioethics, the law, and public health - had come crashing into my ER."

Meisel concluded:

"However worthy the goal of reducing injuries from drunken driving is, it is wrong to force a physician to flout central aspects of the doctor-patient relationship when the benefit to the patient is nil from her perspective and the benefit to society unclear, given the other available routes for testing. ... In the end, the bar for infringing on civil liberties should be set higher when it's a doctor or nurse who is in the position of undermining the rights of patients in the name of protecting the public. I am not sure this is a cause for which doctors would willingly to go to jail. But they shouldn't have to."
President Donald Trump pardoned a tough-on-immigration Arizona sheriff accused of racial profiling. He threatened a government shutdown if Congress won't deliver border wall funding. He banned transgender people from serving in the military. And he is openly contemplating ending a program that shields from deportation young undocumented immigrants who consider the United States home.

These and other moves - all since Trump's widely repudiated remarks about the hate-fueled violence in Charlottesville, Virginia, less than a month ago - are being heartily cheered by many of his core supporters. But collectively, they have helped cement an image of a president, seven months into his term, who is playing only to his political base.

Trump's job-approval numbers remain mired in the 30s in most polls, and several new findings last week gave Republicans interested in expanding the party's appeal fresh reason to worry. A Fox News survey, for example, found that majorities of voters think that Trump is "tearing the country apart" and does not respect racial minorities.

The findings come ahead of what could be another turbulent stretch in Trump's presidency. He and Congress are seeking this month to keep the government funded and raise the nation's debt ceiling, amid a Russia probe that is gaining steam and continuing feuds between Trump and fellow Republicans.

In interviews, White House aides and advisers played down concerns about Trump's standing in the polls, with some suggesting his numbers are more a reflection of broader disgust with Washington. Some also said it is important to keep Trump's base energized at a time when he has yet to deliver on legislative promises and has seen some erosion among key constituencies, including working-class whites.

At the same time, Trump allies pointed to his visits to areas ravaged by Hurricane Harvey - the latest on Saturday as he sought to show empathy for victims and emergency responders in Texas and Louisiana - as evidence of a president seeking to unite the country. The crisis in North Korea presents another test of Trump's ability to bring the nation together.

And heading into the fall, Trump aides and advisers argue that a major push for tax cuts has the potential to boost Trump's standing among Americans well beyond his base. Though there is no concrete plan and many thorny issues remain, Republicans in Congress are hoping to rally behind legislation that would demonstrate an ability to govern that so far has been elusive during Trump's tenure.

"Voters are very skeptical it will happen," said Tony Fabrizio, who served as Trump's pollster during last year's election. "If the president can get a tax-reform package passed, it will confound their expectations and be a huge win."

Trump plans to pitch the idea of tax legislation this week in North Dakota, marking the second trip in as many weeks aimed at building momentum for both corporate and personal income tax cuts. Both this visit and one last week to Missouri are being staged in states Trump won last year and where there is a Democratic senator whose support could be crucial to the fate of any legislation.

For an unorthodox president, such trips are fairly traditional ways to build pressure on Congress to act and have given more mainstream Republicans some reason for hope about Trump's engagement following the GOP failure to pass health-care legislation.

In the meantime, though, many in the GOP are openly questioning Trump's words and actions on issues that are divisive, even among Republicans. Trump's assertion that many "fine people" marched alongside white supremacists in Charlottesville drew condemnation across party lines.

And some in the GOP say other recent choices appear designed to bolster the president's standing only among his most loyal supporters. In recent weeks, Trump has continued his practice of holding campaign-style rallies in states he won, creating an echo chamber of support with his most loyal backers.

"It's almost as if he's the pilot of a plane that's in a terrible downward spiral and he's insisting on continuing to do things to make it worse," said John Weaver, who was chief strategist for the 2016 presidential campaign of Gov. John Kasich, R-Ohio. "You can't govern like that, and you can't win re-election like that, and you can't take your party into the 2018 midterms like that."

Recent polling has underscored the narrow band of support Trump enjoys for some of the policies he is advocating.

Only 34 percent said Trump did the right thing by pardoning former Maricopa County sheriff Joe Arpaio, while 60 percent said he did the wrong thing, according to an NBC/SurveyMonkey poll released last week. Arpaio, a major Trump booster during last year's campaign, was convicted of criminal contempt for ignoring a federal judge's order to stop detaining people because he merely suspected them of being undocumented immigrants.

In the same survey, only 30 percent said they oppose the policy begun under President Barack Obama that has provided two-year work permits to nearly 800,000 immigrants known as "Dreamers" who have been in the country illegally since they were children. Sixty-four percent voiced support for the policy, which Trump has threatened to dismantle. He plans to announce his intentions on Tuesday.

Some leading Republicans, including House Speaker Paul Ryan, R-Wis., on Friday urged Trump not to rescind the program.

Speaking more broadly, White House spokeswoman Lindsay Walters said that Trump "is a president for all Americans, and his agenda reflects that."

"This fall, he will be focused on funding recovery efforts for Texas and Louisiana following Hurricane Harvey and bringing real tax relief to American families," she said. "He's also been focused on renegotiating unfair trade deals, rebuilding our nation's military and many issues that all Americans, regardless of their party identification or who they voted for, can get behind."

Since taking office, Trump has repeatedly taken actions with little crossover appeal to Democrats or independents but strongly backed by Trump voters, including efforts to ban entry to the United States from a group of majority-Muslim countries and pull out of the Paris climate change accord.

Polls have also showed majorities of Republicans favoring a border wall but only small percentages of Democrats in support. In the Fox News poll, only 18 percent of overall voters thought it was a good idea to shut down government to force the issue - an idea Trump appears to have backed away from, at least for now.

Trump boosters say he is merely following through on his campaign promises.

"He is part of his base," said Barry Bennett, a Republican strategist who advised Trump during the general election. "When he does these things, the base likes it, but he's doing it because he believes it."

Others suggest there is more political calculation involved.

"He's stoking his base with rhetorical messaging in part because it's taking longer than hoped to get some of his major campaign promises checked off," said one Republican strategist close to the White House, who insisted on anonymity to speak candidly.

Trump associates say it's also important to keep the base energized so that they turn out for Republicans in next year's midterm elections and for Trump's re-election bid. Some of Trump's supporters last year were not regular voters.

Trump's job approval rating dipped to 34 percent last week in Gallup's daily tracking poll, matching his low mark for the year. Recent polls have showed erosion among Republicans and subgroups such as white working-class voters, who were key to Trump's election last year over Democrat Hillary Clinton. A poll by Fabrizio's firm, for example, showed the number of Republican and Republican-leaning voters who disapprove of Trump's performance rising from 19 percent in June to 25 percent in August.

Fabrizio, who said he has not done work for Trump since the election, characterized the erosion as "negligible" and pointed to a Fox News finding that 96 percent of Trump voters remain satisfied with their vote from last year. That is higher than the 93 percent of Clinton voters who remain satisfied.

Ed Goeas, a Republican pollster and strategist, argued that after an uptick following the election, Trump's favorability has basically fallen back to where it was during a campaign season in which voters faced a choice between two largely unpopular candidates.

The good news for Trump, Goeas suggested, is that many people who don't like Trump are turned off by his personality rather than the issues he's pushing. That creates the possibility of broader acceptance if he's successful in pushing tax cuts.

Charles Franklin, director of the Marquette Law School Poll, said the deterioration in Trump's overall job approval has been fairly typical of recent presidents during their opening stretch in office. What's different, he said, is that Trump started from a much lower point that other presidents.

Even Trump's detractors acknowledge that he seems to have a core group of supporters unlikely to abandon him regardless of what transpires in Washington. That in part explains Trump's frequent travel for campaign-style rallies, said Rick Wilson, a GOP strategist and frequent Trump critic.

"There's nothing he's got right now except adulation from his base," Wilson said. "He could eat a live baby on stage and they'd forgive him. He can do no wrong."

A Monmouth University poll released last month showed about a quarter of respondents saying that not only do they approve of Trump, but that they also "cannot see Trump doing anything that would make them disapprove of him."

Mary Anne Marsh, a Democratic consultant, said Trump appears to be battening down with his base in anticipation of fallout from the special counsel's investigation into Russian meddling in last year's election. If things get rough for Trump, the defense of core supporters becomes even more crucial, she said.

"If you look at it through that lens, it makes sense," Marsh said. "Any other president would have spent their time trying to expand their support."
ISTANBUL - It was nearly two years ago when Iran and Saudi Arabia cut diplomatic ties, worsening an already tense rivalry that has fueled conflicts across the Middle East. But this year, a rare bright spot in their relations has stirred hope of a possible detente.

More than 80,000 Iranian pilgrims are now in Saudi Arabia to perform the hajj, the annual pilgrimage to Islam's holiest sites, after they were barred last year from making the trip. The hajj, one of the five pillars of Islam, is obligatory for all able-bodied Muslims, and sees roughly 2 million worshipers descend on Mecca and Medina each year.

The return of Iranian pilgrims followed painstaking negotiations between officials from the two countries, after relations deteriorated sharply over the past two years.

Those discussions probably "helped ease some initial tension," said Reza Akbari, who researches Iranian politics at the Institute for War and Peace Reporting.

This week, Iranian President Hassan Rouhani said that if all goes smoothly, the pilgrimage could set the stage for further talks. Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif also said last month that Iran and Saudi Arabia were preparing to exchange diplomatic visits.

"The visas have been issued for both sides to make this trip," he told a local news outlet.

The friendlier cooperation comes even as the two countries fight proxy wars in Yemen and Syria, and continue to compete for influence from Afghanistan to Bahrain.

While the rivalry is geopolitical, it also is colored by the battle between competing branches of Islam.

For Iran, the strict version of Sunni Islam promoted by Saudi rulers has helped inspire Islamist militants around the globe. Saudi Arabia, in turn, has viewed Iran as a threat since the Islamic revolution in 1979. The Saudi government has encouraged anti-Shiite rhetoric both at home and abroad.

Tensions rose this spring when President Trump, speaking from Saudi Arabia, called on Muslim nations to isolate Iran. Later, Iran blamed Saudi Arabia for an attack on the nation's parliament by Islamic State militants. The attackers, all of whom were killed, were identified by Iran as local ethnic Kurds, the majority of whom are Sunni.

But as the world's largest gathering of Muslims, the hajj also has served as a battleground for the archrivals, which both claim to lead the global community of Muslims.

In 2015, Iran openly challenged Saudi control of Muslim holy sites after a stampede in Mecca killed more than 2,400 people, including at least 464 Iranians, according to a count from the Associated Press. Throngs of worshipers crowd the holy sites to reenact steps taken by the prophet Muhammad.

Iran's supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, accused the Saudi leadership of "murder" and urged Muslims to "fundamentally reconsider" allowing Saudi Arabia to continue to oversee the hajj.

Several months after the stampede, in January 2016, Saudi Arabia executed a Shiite dissident cleric, Nimr al-Nimr, and Iranian protesters attacked its embassy in Tehran. Saudi Arabia and several other countries then severed ties with Iran, and the spat spilled over into negotiations over the hajj, leaving Iranians unable to attend the pilgrimage.

Iran has consistently tried to undermine the Saudis "by questioning their ability to ensure the safety and security of pilgrims," Akbari said.

But the "hajj has been used as a political lever by both sides to exert or ease tensions as needed," he said. "It is a powerful tool that sends a clear signal to the entire region about Saudi Arabia and Iran's relationship status."

This year, Khamenei refrained from condemning the Saudis, instead calling on Muslims to focus on enemies such as Israel and the United States.

But others warned against viewing the pilgrimage as a sign of thawing relations between the two sides.

In the past, the two powers "have hurtled insults at each other, engaged in diplomatic footsie and then repeated this cycle," said Behnam Ben Taleblu, Iran expert at the Foundation for the Defense of Democracies.

"Muslim unity during the hajj season is a potent religious symbol," he said. "But it does not do away with the other factors driving their competition for Muslim hearts, minds and battlefields across the Middle East."
BERLIN - With three weeks to go before Germany decides whether to give Chancellor Angela Merkel another four years in office, she faced off Sunday night in a debate with her main rival that was billed by broadcasters as a duel but at times better resembled a duet.

The 90-minute session - the only such debate of the campaign - featured an entirely civil exchange of ideas between Germany's leader for the past dozen years and the man who wants her job, Martin Schulz.

On issue after issue - including refugees, the economy and, of course, President Donald Trump - the pair expressed occasional mild disagreement, but largely refrained from serious attacks.

Trump himself received far more criticism than either candidate unloaded on the other. Schulz, who leads Germany's center-left Social Democratic Party, said the U.S. president had "brought the world to the edge of a crisis" and cannot be trusted to resolve the standoff with North Korea.

Merkel, invited by a moderator to cite the values she shares with Trump, did not directly answer, and instead referred to climate change and responses to the race-fueled violence in Charlottesville as areas where there are "very clearly major differences."

On North Korea, which conducted its sixth nuclear test early Sunday, she said that "peaceful resolution is the only way forward" - a clear departure from Trump's position that all options, military included, are on the table.

Sunday's debate came as Merkel entered the homestretch of a race that she and her center-right Christian Democratic Union have comfortably led for months. Poll show her party winning around 40 percent of the vote, which would put her in commanding position to form another government - her fourth.

Schulz's party has polled well behind - in the low 20s - and has struggled to differentiate itself from Merkel's CDU after four years as its coalition partner. Another grand coalition between Germany's two biggest parties is among the possible post-election scenarios following the Sept. 24 election.

Earlier in the year Merkel had faced major questions over whether she would be able to survive a two-pronged assault, with Schulz attacking from the left even as she confronted a vigorous challenge from her right flank in the form of the upstart Alternative for Germany (AfD) party.

But both challenges have faded, and Merkel has succeeded in running a low-risk campaign that sticks to her achievements in guiding Germany's prosperous economy while sidestepping thornier questions about the country's future.

Sunday's debate largely allowed her to stick to that script. Schulz, the former president of the European Parliament, was widely seen as needing a major victory in the debate to upend the race. But quick-reaction polls conducted by broadcasters suggested he didn't get it, with viewers saying she was more credible and likable.

In a debate that covered a range of topics - but was notable for its absences, including Brexit, Russia and the future of the euro - Schulz repeatedly argued he would have done what Merkel did, just more successfully.

On perhaps the most controversial episode of Merkel's tenure - her handling of the refugee crisis - Schulz insisted that he would have worked more closely with European allies.

Merkel replied that she tried but was rebuffed, and that she stood by her decisions.

On the economy, Schulz called for a fairer system. "Germany is a prosperous country," he said, "but not everyone in the country is prosperous."

Merkel pointed to unemployment rolls that have been cut in half since she came to office, along with rising wages.

The fact that Schulz's party has governed alongside Merkel left him little room for maneuver. At several points, Merkel was able to blunt Schulz's critiques by noting that his own party had supported her.

The relative harmony of the television studio was not matched online, where Germany's smaller parties vied for attention after being left out of the debate. The AfD ran a live commentary in which it promised to say "the things Merkel isn't gutsy enough to say."

Christian Lindner, leader of the pro-business Free Democratic Party, tweeted after the debate that it had left out crucial issues including "education, digitalization, euro, energy, climate, innovation, bureaucracy."

Merkel herself said in her closing statement she was dissatisfied with the issues covered, and listed the challenges facing the country before adding with a reassuring smile: "I believe we can manage it together."

No one asked her how.

---

Luisa Beck contributed to this report.
As President Donald Trump sharply condemned North Korea's overnight nuclear test, he also tweeted a jab at an American ally, South Korea, that only added to building tensions, a former top national security official said Sunday.

Michael Hayden, a retired general and former National Security Agency and CIA director who has been critical of Trump, stressed that the president's tweets may foul up an otherwise respectable plan to get tough on North Korea.

"You gotta watch the tweets, and I think we had an unforced error over the weekend when we brought up the free-trade agreement with our South Korea friends on whom we have to cooperate ... it's wrong on the merits and its certainly not integrated into a broader approach to northeast Asia," Hayden said on CNN's "State of the Union."

Hayden served as NSA director from 1999 to 2005 and led the CIA from 2006 until 2009.

The slap at South Korea was among five Sunday morning tweets from the president related to North Korea's claim that it had detonated a hydrogen bomb.

"South Korea is finding, as I have told them, that their talk of appeasement with North Korea will not work, they only understand one thing!" he said.

North Korea said that it had detonated its most powerful nuclear device yet, a hydrogen bomb that could be attached to a missile capable of reaching the mainland United States.

Rep. Adam B. Schiff, D-Calif., the top Democrat on the House Intelligence Committee, questioned Trump's decision to admonish South Korea when the nation appears to be facing a growing threat.

"We need to be working hand in hand with South Korea, and with Japan," he said on CNN. "Why we would want to show divisions with South Korea makes no sense at all."

Schiff also said that there is "some skepticism" in the intelligence community about North Korea's claim that it could put a weapon like this on an intercontinental ballistic missile. But Schiff said that "even if that's not true today," experts believe it is only a matter of time before Pyongyang can make good on its threat.

Trump also has said he is considering withdrawing from a free-trade agreement with South Korea, a long-standing economic and diplomatic partner of the United States.

Asked by Fox anchor Chris Wallace whether Trump would pull the United States out of the agreement with South Korea, even amid a nuclear threat, Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin said, "The president has made clear that where we have trade deficits with countries, we're going to renegotiate those deals."

He added that there have been "no decisions" yet with regard to the trade accord with South Korea.

As tensions rise between the United States and North Korea, the Trump administration has not ruled out possible military action. Trump is convening a meeting of his national security team later Sunday to discuss the U.S. strategy, while Mnuchin said he is drawing up tough new economic sanctions to further isolate North Korea.
By PTI: New Delhi, Sep 3 (PTI) Four junior ministers -- Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi, Dharmendra Pradhan, Nirmala Sitharaman and Piyush Goyal were elavated to the cabinet rank and nine fresh faces inducted as Ministers of State in a major rejig of his team by Prime Minister Narendra Modi today.

The new ministers of state sworn in by President Ram Nath Kovind at a ceremony in the Rashtrapati Bhavan include Virendra Kumar, Anant Kumar Hegde and Gajendra Singh Shekhawat, former IAS officers Alphons Kannanthanam and R K Singh, former diplomat Hardeep Puri and ex-Mumbai police chief Satyapal Singh.

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Two other new faces are Ashwini Kumar Choubey, a member of the Lok Sabha from Bihar, and Shiv Pratap Shukla from Uttar Pradesh.

All the new ministers are from the BJP as its allies were not part of the exercise.

Six ministers of the Union Cabinet had put in their papers, days ahead of the reshuffle.

A highlight of the third reshuffle of the Modi cabinet in as many years is the induction of people with proven administrative ability like Puri, R K Singh, Satyapal Singh and Kannanthanam, underlining the Prime Ministers efforts to give a fresh impetus to governance.

Kannanthanam and Puri are presently not members of Parliament and are likely to be elected to the Rajya Sabha within the stipulated six months.

The promotion of Naqvi, Pradhan, Sitharaman and Goyal, who were all State Ministers with independent charge, is an endorsement of their good performance, official sources said.

Three of the BJP MPs being inducted -- Kumar, Hegde and Shekhawat -- are from Madhya Pradesh, Karnataka and Rajasthan respectively where Assembly polls are due next year. PTI NAB MP KR MPB ARC

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Tamil Nadu has been crying for justice for 17-year-old girl Anitha, who committed suicide in Ariyalur for not being able to clear the NEET exam despite scoring high marks in the state level. Tamil Nadu and Central governments have come under attack by various political parties, activists and students for letting down Anitha, who fought in Supreme Court to scrap NEET which did not give level playing ground to students.

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On Sunday, as tribute poured in for Anitha, many addressed her as "Dr Anitha". The Tamil Nadu government, which announced a solatium of Rs seven lakh and a government job to a member in the family were snubbed. The district collector Lakshmi Priya went to handover the cheque to Anitha's family which refused to receive it.

Her brother Maniratnman said," It was dream of Anitha that she become a doctor. My father has clearly said that government should help poor students become doctor and not be affected by NEET. Only if Tamil Nadu government fulfills that wish we will accept the solatium. We don't have the necessity to live with the money given by the government."

There is a growing cry to help students from Tamil Nadu who have been affected by NEET. DMK has convened an all party meeting on Monday evening to find a solution to help students affected by NEET.

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Culture / Art Republik

Sep 03, 2017 | By Art Republik

The Zhongshan is the brainchild of the owners of OUR Art Projects gallery, Liza Ho and Snow Ng. Boasting a freshly-painted white facade, distinct colonial features from the fifties, and its name in elegant vertical traditional Chinese lettering down the side of the building, the Zhongshan is tucked away at the bottom of Jalan Rotan.

Ho and Ng share a unified theory and vision for the Zhongshan building and its future. They became friends when they worked at Valentine Willie Fine Arts, and after the gallerys closure in 2012, teamed up to form OUR Art Projects in 2013. Before the ground floor gallery in the Zhongshan building opened in late 2016, they had organised pop-up exhibitions in various spaces around Kuala Lumpur.

The Zhongshan project got its big break when it received a grant from urban regeneration organisation, ThinkCity, whose agenda is to bring the arts and its people back to KL. At the time of my visit, OUR Art Projects was exhibiting Mark Tans Arrangements, a monochromatic meditation on memory and identity. The exhibition is multidisciplinary and contemporary, hallmarks of the artistic ethos of OUR Art Projects and the Zhongshan building at large. When the women looked back on past exhibitions, they realised the artists they worked with practiced across mediums. We were not aware we had wanted multidisciplinary artists, Ng says. But we realised theyre all outsiders  Those we have worked with are filmmakers, or theyve studied business, or are conceptual artists. Its all very similar to how we are in the arts, and how we have conceptualised this place.

The Zhongshan, in a past life, housed a butchery, as well as the Zhongshan Association clan, of which Hos grandmother-in-law was part of. The company was set up in 1962, and she slowly bought it up one by one, until she owned the whole place, Ho says. The space later came to Ho by way of her mother-in-law who had no plans for the space.

Right now, the building is being marketed as an arts hub  a community centre thats bringing together a host of seemingly mismatched artists, archives and collectives, giving them a space and drawing them back to the city centre. Over the past few years, various art spaces in Kuala Lumpur have either shuttered or moved on to cheaper, more inaccessible pastures, as skyrocketing rents and developers edged out artists. I think the arts scene has moved out of KL. A lot of studios have moved out to Puchong, Rawang and places like that, says Ho.

Currently, there are around 17 artists and collectives poised to occupy the building, among them individual artists  such as Yee I-Lann  the Malaysia Design Archive (MDA), lawyers Muhendran and Sri, Raman Roslans photo and video agency, a bespoke tailor (Atelier Fitton), the Rumah Attap humanities library, DJ collective Public School, and players from Malaysias alternative music scene.

It turned out that the current iteration of the Zhongshan building was Plan B; initially, the women wanted the building to serve as a kind of incubator for individual artists, which would have cost them time and resources that they didnt have. Doing it meant wed have to quit our jobs to run this incubator, says Ng. So we scrapped that plan.

In addition, the duo realised that they did not have the facilities and equipment, such as a printing machine, to make it work. So I think when we look back at how we have silkscreen artists, how we have music people, archives, booksthats what we wanted all along, says Ho. It doesnt have to run with us. Its easier for them to bring over what they have.

This leads one to wonder if it is all sustainable. Multidisciplinary artist Chi Too says that there was a lot of skepticism regarding the Zhongshan buildings long-term future. In Malaysia, these kinds of initiatives have a habit of disappearing into the ether, so the hope is that by placing the building in the hands of many, the communities would benefit from bigger audiences and non-exclusive patrons. We are all sharing audiences, he says. In a way were expanding our audiences, and that really helps with the sustainability of independent industries and businesses.

Had the Zhongshan building become an arts incubator, it might have missed out on playing a vital role in establishing much needed infrastructure for the arts scene to truly take seed. Incubators, by nature, are solitary, but also dependent on the singularity of the individual; artists compete, they focus in on their work, and then they depart. The insularity of the scene would be a poison unto itself.

The vision of the Zhongshan building boils down to an ideal of community and a sharing philosophy that seems quite alien to an arts scene largely commanded by capitalist sentiment. Show Yung Xin, who runs the Rumah Attap humanities library, says, It is not only a physical space for them to gather, but also a space for different communities to congregate, because before that, the arts scene was all within their own boundary, with the civil society and the activists are in another sector. Communities that traditionally hovered on the fringes are now being brought together in a science experiment testing the hypothesis that the fringe does not need to kowtow to the mainstream in order to survive.

The fact that the fringe exists simply means the fringe is sustainable, says Chi Too. Just because it does not earn as much money as the mainstream does not mean it cant sustain itself. Echoing this sentiment, Ho says, I think if we can organically foster more collaborations, that would be. Theres people doing similar things that they can potentially collaborate on. Already, they are pushing for the future residents of the building to begin speaking to each other, and to engage and find new ways to work together.

Establishing a culture of reflexive collaborative community lies at the heart of the vision that Ho and Ng have for the building. For them, without this connective force, its unclear whether or not the Zhongshan can truly survive. Collaborations. Thats what this whole building is for, says Ng. So we thought, why dont we join forces with all these indies, and then were a big indie, but still it can be whatever it wants to be. But its a progressive transformer, if I can put it that way.

Were like Mama-sans! joked Ng. Whenever people come to visit the gallery, we take them on tours of the whole building. The women are actively working to bring outsiders into the insular art world, and also to encourage artists to enter into working relationships with one another. Hopefully then the Zhongshans nascent artistic community can evolve into a long-lasting culture. Already some collaborations are beginning to bear fruit: MDA and Ricecooker are planning showcases that blend their music and visual resources, while Tandang and Bogus Merchandise have longstanding relationships that feed into the Malaysian alternative music scenes.

As Ho rattled off the list of tenants, it seemed like everyone was bringing their own friends and collaborators to turn the place into an arts kampung. Tandang Record Store and Bogus Merchandise have been introduced by Joe Kidd, who runs Ricecooker Archives. Raman Roslan plans to bring in indie publisher Rumah Amok, as well as the Kenyah sape player, Alena Murang, who has been making waves in the local music scene.

The concept of an artistic commune feeding itself is visibly referencing similar communities that already exist in the West. Its not a new concept but it takes a lot of work for it to work, says Ng. There are some parties that need to do the nurturing. Now that youre an anchor, you actually have to anchor these things. On their own, these indie groups might forever stay under the radar, but by pulling together these communities, the tenants will feed into each other and organically grow a foundation from which others can benefit from and engage with the arts.

Personally my practice does not require a studio, but I do think  and as much a sociophobe that I am  as an artist its important to have community, says Chi Too. Its important to be able to bounce things off other people, to rub off other peoples ideas and thoughts because I think the biggest problem with artists is how insular we are.

For more information about OUR Arts Projects, go to: http://ourartprojects.com/

This article is the second installment of the four-part More Life series covering visionary  and determined  individuals who are breathing life into the art scenes in Southeast Asian capitals. It was written by Samantha Cheh for Art Republik.
Sacked AAP leader Kapil Mishra had handled the portfolio before his ouster. It was then given to Rajendra Pal Gautam, a new minister.

By Ankit Tyagi: All eyes may have been on the Union Cabinet reshuffle today, but a small yet significant change is taking in the Delhi government too. Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal is all set to take charge of the Water Resources ministry, sources told India Today.

Sacked AAP leader Kapil Mishra had handled the portfolio before his ouster. It was then given to Rajendra Pal Gautam, a new minister.

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A letter about the reshuffle will be sent to Lieutenant Governor Anil Baijal in the next two or three days.

The Health, Electricity, and Water departments together constituted the Aam Aadmi Party's major focus during its second stint in power. Kejriwal and his party feel that while the first two have been performing satisfactorily, they haven't been able to sort out Water Resources as well as they wanted to.

Recent deaths of sewage workers have brought the focus back on the sector. What's more, when Kejriwal met voters in Bawana, the only complaint was about water and sewage, sources said.

The chief minister now wants to fast-track the resolution of water and sewage problems before the 2020 elections.

SUPERVISORY ROLE

During his first, short stint as Delhi CM, Arvind Kejriwal handled several portfolios. But he surprised many - and drew sharp criticism - for not having any during his second. The idea then was to perform a 'supervisory role.'

Kejriwal's decision to take charge of the Water Resources portfolio is not just an attempt to sort out the Delhi Jal Board mess. It's also part of an effort to change his image - to portray him as an able administrator who focuses only on Delhi's development.

The chief minister has been on 'silent mode' ever since his party suffered defeats in the Punjab Assembly elections and the MCD polls. His public outings are part of the same rebranding effort: to project him as a hands-on CM who wants to work for the people rather than as a Modi-baiter.

ALSO READ

Bawana election result 2017: What it means for AAP, BJP and Congress

Arvind Kejriwal asked by Delhi High Court to respond to allegations of perjury made by Arun Jaitley

ALSO WATCH

Arvind Kejriwal demands ban on protests outside his residence

--- ENDS ---
By PTI: New Delhi, Sep 3 (PTI) Prominent Brahmin face from Bihar, Ashwini Kumar Choubey, was appointed the Minister of State for Health and Family Welfare in todays cabinet reshuffle.

According to Health ministry officials, he will be entrusted with the responsibilities which his predecessor Faggan Singh Kulaste dealt with during his tenure.

Elected to the Bihar Legislative Assembly for five consecutive terms, Choubey, 64, coined the slogan "Ghar-ghar me ho shouchalaya ka nirman, tabhi hoga ladli bitiya ka kanyadaan" and helped in constructing 11,000 toilets for Mahadalit families.

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Choubey represents Bihars Buxar in the Lok Sabha and was a member of the Parliamentary Committee on Estimates, Standing Committee on Energy and Consultative Committee on Health and Family Welfare. He is also a member of Central Silk Board.

Choubey held portfolios such as Urban Development, PHED and Health both in NDA I (2005-2010) and NDA II (2010-2013).

A Bachelors in Zoology from Science College, Patna University, Choubey has also authored a book - "Kedarnath Trasadi" based on the 2013 deluge in Uttarakhand. Choubey along with his family had escaped the Kedarnath floods.

Kulaste had taken oath as minister of state on July 5, 2016. He represents Mandla constituency of Madhya Pradesh. Back in 2008, Kulaste had been a part of the cash-for-vote scandal. PTI PLB SBR IKA

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By PTI: By Sukanya Mohapatra

Manama, Sep 3 (PTI) Bahrain is offering islands, beaches, and desert areas as top destinations in order to tap Indias growing weddings as well as events market, a top official said.

"Bahrain, a bouquet of over 30 natural and man-made islands, offers a relaxed atmosphere and warm hospitality, which is ideal for Indians scouting for overseas wedding and MICE destination in the Middle East," The Bahrain Tourism and Exhibitions Authority (BTEA) Advisor Ali Hassan Follad told PTI here.

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He said, Bahrain is mainly looking at those well travelled Indians, who have been to the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries and the South East Asia and are now looking at something different yet a short haul destination.

"We want to tap the Indian wedding and meetings, incentives, conferences, events (MICE) market which is thriving and is growing every year. We are targeting the well travelled people who are done with the glitz and glamour of GCC countries and the South East Asian nations, and are now looking at something unique and serene," he added.

Besides, Bahrain offers a host of experiences and activities ideal for all age groups, he said.

Bahrain has very close cultural and historical ties that date back to more than 1,000 years and good connectivity that gives it an edge over long haul exotic destinations.

"The connectivity between both the countries is very good with 14 daily direct flights connecting six Indian cities with Bahrain as well numerous connecting flights," he said.

This, he said, makes Bahrain an ideal short haul destination for Indians as it takes only about 3 hours and 45 minutes.

Follad also said that Bahrain is infrastructure ready with convention centres and scenic locations that are capable to host small, intimate to very large weddings and MICE events.

In India, he said, Bahrain is targeting cities like Delhi and Mumbai for promotions to begin with and will slowly penetrate into other metros and tier II cities.

"Initially, we are looking at promoting Bahrain as a wedding and MICE destination in Delhi and Mumbai. However, through digital and social media, our reach will become wider as we are planning to slowly penetrate into other metro and tier II cities," he added. PTI SM NRB SBT

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When I started at Google in 2002, there were about 500 employees. When I left nine years later, there were over 50,000. For all that time, I marveled at the relative cohesion of company culturethe values that Google successfully conveyed to tens of thousands of employees across the world. Today Google has about 75,000 people on the payroll. The situation that exploded a few weeks agowith former employee James Damores contentious memo causing internal and public falloutmakes me wonder if this is the breaking point for Googles unique ethos of open communication.

https://www.wired.com/story/what-googles-open-communication-culture-is-really-like/
Overall, the best places for women to start businesses iif they want to be surrounded by other female entrepreneurs skew towards the western parts of the US. Still, as Zippias analysis showed, women from across the country have a harder time getting funding (from private investors, banks, or otherwise) than men do  no matter where they live.

Come To Montana! http://business.mt.gov/

By Chris Weller

Business Insider,

By Anaele Pelisson

Business Insider

http://www.businessinsider.com/best-states-for-female-business-owners-2017-8

Many thanks to Andy Shirtliff of the Governors Office of Economic Development http://business.mt.gov/ for sharing
Some high school students in Colorado may get prime jobs even before they get their diplomas. Thats because CareerWise, the nations first statewide youth apprenticeship program, links students to industries and addresses manufacturers demand for skills, while offering employment, academic credit and support for college. Hari Sreenivasan reports as part of our Rethinking College series.

http://www.pbs.org/newshour/bb/colorado-apprenticeship-program-turns-factory-floor-classroom/
Travis Roth said he was working "a dead-end job" when he saw something about Gallatin Colleges new two-year program training students for good-paying jobs building lasers.

"It seemed a great opportunity," said the student from Choteau.

Now starting their second year of classes in photonics and laser technology, Roth and six Gallatin College classmates are working toward their associate of arts degrees  and already have jobs at Bozemans laser manufacturers.

By Gail Schontzler Chronicle Staff Writer

http://www.bozemandailychronicle.com/news/montana_state_university/gallatin-college-trains-labor-force-for-laser-industry/article_570da218-1129-5e77-b8c2-a9e6ac2d70b0.html
Organized labor may be in a decades-long slump, but at least among the commentariat it appears to be making a comeback.

Frustrated at labors longtime slump, Larry Williams Jr. created UnionBase https://unionbase.org/ , which hes positioning as both a social network for union members and an organizing vehicle for unions.

BY RICK WARTZMAN

https://www.fastcompany.com/40461691/meet-the-millennial-whos-trying-to-save-the-labor-movement-with-a-facebook-for-unions
Bengaluru received more than 351.8mm rainfall in August alone and the BBMP Commissioner said that drains in Bengaluru were never designed for such extraordinary situations.

By Nolan Pinto: Bengaluru residents will continue facing problems in the next monsoon season as well because the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) is yet to completely remove all illegal encroachments on Storm Water Drains (SWD).

BBMP Commissioner Manjunath Prasad told India Today that out of 1952 illegal structures on SWDs identified by the authorities, some 1250 odd structures have been removed and 700-750 illegal structures still remain.

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But he said that the problem still persisted despite a lot of work being done because the drains in the city were never designed for such extraordinary situations that the city faced this month.

According to the Meteorological department, the city received more than 351.8mm of rainfall in August alone.

Also read: Heavy rains cause flooding in parts of Bengaluru

Bengaluru Development Minister KJ George told India Today that the rains were unprecedented in the month of August and some low-lying areas were affected. But he said that the work is going on to remove encroachments on the SWDs across the city.

The minister claimed to have found a permanent solutions to those areas which often get flooded such as Gali Anjaneya Temple. He said he is doing the same for the other areas as well. But the work will not be completed until next year.

"In the next Cabinet meeting, we are planning to take up works worth Rs. 300 Crores to find a permanent solution and this will be implemented in a year's time," KJ George told India Today.

Also read: Bengaluru: Manipur boy hospitalised after suspected racial attack

BBMP Comissioner also said that the cleaning and clearing of SWDs was never a priority earlier but the current government has allocated Rs 1100 crores for demolishing all encroachments regardless of whom they belong to in the past two years.

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Less than a week since the news of a Puducherry University student hanging himself in the campus allegedly after taking up the Blue Whale Challenge broke, two new cases have come out from the Union Territory.

By Pramod Madhav: The curiosity about the nefarious Blue Whale Challenge is spreading across India. Google search data is enough proof.

But what is spreading along with this curiosity is danger. And panic.

It's not been even a week since the news of a Madurai teenager committing suicide by hanging himself after taking up the Blue Whale Challenge made national headlines. And less than two days since the news of a Puducherry University student hanging himself in the campus allegedly after taking up the challenge, two new cases have come out from Puducherry itself. But the good news is that there have been no deaths.

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PUDUCHERRY POLICE RESCUES WOMAN WHO IS BELIEVED TO HAVE TAKEN UP THE BLUE WHALE CHALLENGE

Priya, a 21-year-old from Uppalam, works with a nationalised bank. On Sunday morning, Priya contacted one of her friends, said that she doesn't know where she was, and disconnected the call abruptly. Her friend panicked and informed the police who immediately sent search parties across the Union Territory.

One of the search parties found Priya sitting alone near the beach and rescued her. On analysing her phone, the cops were shocked to see that Priya had taken up the Blue Whale Challenge. Priya's parents were alerted about her involvement in the challenge. The police also promised that she could avail counselling any time she chooses to.

Priya's colleagues, who described her as a jovial person, said that over the past few days she came across as extremely depressed and said that they even worried that she could harm herself.

The police confiscated Priya's phone for further analysis and requested people to be more alert about what their children are up to.

In a separate incident, a teenager shared a video on Facebook, talking about how the Blue Whale Challenge trapped him and sought help and suggestions from people to pull himself out of it.

In the video, he says he regrets "downloading" the "game". "Three months ago, I got a link to the Blue Whale Challenge through Facebook. It asked me to log in with a Facebook or a Google account and I went ahead with my Facebook ID thinking it is a genuine site but I got trapped by hackers," he says in the video.

He said some Jonty John sent him the link to the challenge, that his account got hacked and that the hackers have all his information and requested people not to ask him about the Blue Whale Challenge because that is what got him into the trap. He said Jonty John doesn't know Tamil and that's the reason he chose to speak in Tamil in the video.

This case, however, cannot be linked to the Blue Whale Challenge as of yet. The teen said he "downloaded" the "game". The Blue Whale Challenge is not an application or a game that it can be "downloaded" from app stores. To take up the Blue Whale Challenge, you don't have to "login" to any website either.

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The fellow could have gotten scammed by some hackers who managed to hack into his account using the details they received when he logged into the website they wanted him to. They could be possibly blackmailing him too, but there is no solid connection with the Blue Whale Challenge.

OR

He could just be an attention-seeking youngster who tried to read up about the Blue Whale Challenge, got misinformed, and used those information in his video.

For more on Blue Whale Challenge...

ALSO READ

FYI | Blue Whale Challenge is not a hoax: Six cases reported from different parts of India

FYI | What governments, the police, and the public must understand about the Blue Whale Challenge

ALSO WATCH

Blue Whale suicide: Decoding the game of death

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The researcher presented her findings yesterday at the European College of Neuropsychopharmacology Congress , held in Paris, France.

Sleep duration was usually short due to school or work obligations in the morning. This sleep loss seemed to increase the severity of ADHD symptoms as well, explained Prof. Kooij.

She told us, I am a psychiatrist specialized in adult ADHD since 1995, and from the beginning, the sleep problems that most people with ADHD suffer from intrigued me. Most of them had a similar pattern of late sleep onset, and difficulty getting up in the morning, leading to fatigue during daytime and role impairment.

Prof. Kooij explained for Medical News Today that, as a psychiatrist who specializes in ADHD, she has dealt with many cases in which the disorder seemed to be linked with sleep disturbances. This gave her the first impulse to look more closely into the connection.

Mostly, ADHD and sleep disturbances have been treated as separate issues, but Prof. Sandra Kooij, from the VU University Medical Centre in Amsterdam, the Netherlands, believes that the two may be fundamentally interconnected.

Another concern that has been flagged up in relation to ADHD is the existence of sleep problems , including sleep apnea and disturbed sleep patterns.

ADHD is typically characterized by hyperactivity, a short attention span, and difficulties in self-organization. Sometimes, the disorder can be accompanied by one or several other conditions , including dyslexia , anxiety , and depression .

Among the adult U.S. population, the National Institute of Mental Health report a 4.1 percent 12-month prevalence rate for the disorder.

Data reported by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) indicate that approximately 11 percent of children aged 4 to 17 are diagnosed with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder ( ADHD ) in the United States.

Researchers suggest that there may be a stronger link between ADHD and sleep problems than hitherto believed, and that the two may not be completely separate issues after all.

Prof. Kooij and her colleagues have reviewed several studies that point to a link between sleep disturbances and ADHD, and they suggest that the evidence so far offers a strong basis for further evaluation.

If you review the evidence, it looks more and more like ADHD and sleeplessness are two sides of the same physiological and mental coin, explains Prof. Kooij.

Prof. Kooijs investigation has revealed several interesting facts about the presence of sleep disturbances in individuals diagnosed with ADHD, and many of those have led her to form her hypothesis.

She notes, in the first place, that the majority of people diagnosed with ADHD also exhibit a disturbed sleep pattern. The physiological aspects of sleep are also affected which, in turn, could lead to other, more severe health implications.

[W]e started to measure the onset of the sleep hormone melatonin in [the] saliva of people with ADHD with and without sleep onset problems. We found that late sleepers had their onset of melatonin 1.5 hours later than normal, correlating with the late sleep pattern, Prof. Kooij told MNT.

[A]lso, their movement patterns and temperature during 24 hours were delayed, she added. The next question was which other physical processes might be delayed, and what this would mean for their health in general.

People diagnosed with ADHD complain of a wealth of sleep disorders, such as:

restless legs syndrome , which is characterized by an urge to move ones legs during a state of rest, which disrupts normal sleep patterns

, which is characterized by an urge to move ones legs during a state of rest, which disrupts normal sleep patterns sleep apnea , in which abnormal  and disruptive  pauses in breathing occur during sleep

, in which abnormal  and disruptive  pauses in breathing occur during sleep various circadian rhythm disturbances , referring to disruptions of the regular physiological cycle that naturally times sleep and wakefulness, including delayed sleep phase syndrome (DSPS)

DSPS is characterized by an impossibility to fall asleep before the small hours and increased difficulty in waking up in the morning.

Prof. Kooij told us that these disturbances can intensify the risk of other conditions, including obesity, hypertension, cardiovascular disease, diabetes, and cancer.

Some individuals with ADHD may therefore benefit from taking melatonin supplements , or from bright light therapy . Both approaches are recommended to people with sleep disorders but are also sometimes used to improve depression, especially in the case of seasonal affective disorder.

We now aim to prevent this potential negative cascade of events for people with ADHD with lifetime sleep problems by advancing the late sleep phase using melatonin at night and/or light therapy in the morning, and measuring the effects on blood pressure, glucose levels, heart rate, and other biomarkers, Prof. Kooij told MNT.

Photophobia , or oversensitivity to light, is also reported by 69 percent of adults diagnosed with ADHD. Prof. Kooij suggests that this oversensitivity leads them to wear sunglasses indiscriminately during the day, which, in turn, may increase the prevalence of sleep-related problems. She told us that she wondered whether there is something going on in the eye that relates to ADHD and late sleep.

Prof. Kooij and her team are conducting research to find out which treatment may be most helpful in the case of sleep disorders. [W]e try to find out if a low dose of melatonin (0.5 milligrams) in the evening is as good as higher dosages (3 milligrams), and which is best: melatonin, placebo, or melatonin plus light therapy in the morning, she told MNT.

She also shared with us some tips for managing sleep disturbances, advising that people concerned about their sleep patterns should stop using the light of screens after 10 p.m., and that they should aim to get up at the same time every morning, and if necessary, use a strong lamp to wake up [the] brain.
A new study into the neuroscience of clinical pain suggests that perceptions of stiffness may not reflect the actual state of the spine and joints. The teams findings may pave the way for new therapies that help those with chronic pain in their lower back. Share on Pinterest New research suggests that persistent feelings of stiffness in the lower back may be some kind of self-protective trick that the mind plays on us in order to prevent further injuries. Lower back pain is a leading cause of disability worldwide, affecting around 9.4 percent of the global population. Sometimes, people with lower back pain do not manage to get rid of the pain. In fact, it is estimated that for approximately 20 percent of those with the condition, the pain evolves into chronic pain  that is, pain that does not ease for 12 weeks or more. But might the discomfort all be a matter of perception? Could feeling pain not necessarily reflect the state that our body is in? A new study published in the journal Scientific Reports suggests so. The researchers were led by Dr. Tasha Stanton, who is a senior research fellow at the University of South Australias School of Health Sciences in Adelaide.

Studying feelings of lower back pain Dr. Stanton researches the neuroscience behind clinical pain, and her motivation for this new study stemmed from previous evidence that amputees feel pain in a limb that they no longer have, or that the subjective feeling of pain can be influenced by a range of other perceptual factors such as visual or auditory stimuli. She and her team recruited 15 people with self-reported feelings and symptoms of chronic lower back pain, and an additional 15 healthy, age-matched control participants. The team conducted three experiments. In the first one, they used an established, customized device, validated in humans that applies pressure to the spine and can objectively measure the resulting stiffness. The researchers compared these measurements with what the participants reported to feel, using a scale from not stiff at all to most stiff imaginable. In the second experiment, the participants were told that they would receive an applied force and were then asked to estimate as accurately as they could the magnitude of the force they received. Finally, the third experiment aimed to examine whether or not adding sounds to the perception of pressure would change how the stiffness is perceived.
The characteristic smell emanating from the restroom after asparagus was on the menu is familiar to many. However, not everyone is under the spell of asparagus pee. Share on Pinterest Several chemical compounds are implicated in producing the pungent odor known as aparagus pee. Despite its well-known health benefits, asparagus is controversial. Whether green, purple, or white, its ability to cause some people to recoil after their next bathroom visit has fascinated humans for centuries. In fact, the first mention of the distinctive smell after asparagus consumption dates back to the 11th century. As Stephen C. Mitchell, from the Faculty of Medicine at Imperial College London in the United Kingdom, explained in an article published in Perspectives in Biology and Medicine, [] the Ancients thought asparagus had medicinal properties and took [] its odor-producing qualities as proof of its activity. So, what causes the smell? And why does it cause such grief to some, but not to others?

Producers versus non-producers The world is divided into two classes of people: those who produce asparagus pee and those who do not. What is not known is whether the non-producers actually do secrete the smelly substances in their pee, but the levels are too low to be detected by discerning noses. At the heart of the issue is the conundrum of which chemical compound is to blame for the smell; no one really knows. Mitchell explains that chemical structures that contain sulfur are often to blame for unpleasant smells. Rotten eggs are a prime example of this. Previous studies found the following compounds in urine after a healthy dose of asparagus was consumed: methanethiol, dimethyl sulfide, and dimethyl disulfide. That being said, the first two compounds have also been detected in the air when asparagus is boiled, which indicates that cooking could destroy them. So, what is the culprit?

Asparagusic acid In his article, Mitchell points to asparagusic acid. This aptly named compound is also known by its chemical description, 1,2-dithiolane-4-carboxylic acid. High levels of asparagusic acid are thought to protect the young asparagus shoots from parasites hungry for a tasty snack. The chemical structure of asparagusic acid is highly resistant to degradation by cooking, leaving our gut in charge of breaking it down. Whether it is, in fact, asparagusic acid, methanethiol, dimethyl sulfide, dimethyl disulfide, or another compound remains to be seen. Whatever the chemical basis, the reason why some of us find the smell of asparagus pee offensive and some do not lies in our genes.
Well, there are tons of iconic comic characters that we all love. However, the Joker from Batman has always been our favourite. Despite being ruthless and a psychopath, he is a legend and we are guilty of enjoying his madness. After all who doesn't like an evil one?

And now there are reports that Warner Brothers are trying their level best to cast Oscar-winner Leonardo DiCaprio as the Joker in the new origin movie. The studio wants the actor to play the titular character, which will explore the story of Batman's super villain, as reported by Hollywoodreporter.com.

(c) Giphy

The buzz itself has got many excited, including us. And we already can see DiCaprio donning the dark shade and setting the screen on fire with his magnificent performance.

If reports are to be believed, Warner Bros. is trying to convince producer-director Martin Scorsese to get the famous actor on board. Though nothing is official as of yet, as they still need to seal the deal with Scorsese in the first place.

(c) Giphy

Though DiCaprio is yet to be approached, this move clearly signifies that Warner Bros. is planning to carve out its DC future. It wouldn't be wrong to say that the banner has a very specific intention to bring iconic filmmaker Scorsese on board as he is the road to DiCaprio.

For people who ain't getting the point yet, Scorsese and DiCaprio have worked together several times giving us incredible films like The Aviator, Gangs of New York, The Departed, Shutter Island and The Wolf of Wall Street.

In fact, it is also being said that the studio desires to witness the critical success of Christopher Nolan's Batman films and aims to make to the Oscars.

(c) Giphy

But someone ain't happy about this. Actor Jared Leto, who in past was seen playing the Joker in DC Extended Universe movie 'Suicide Squad' and now is getting his own Joker spin off with Margot Robbie, was caught off-guard when he heard about this. Apparently, he also made his displeasure clear to his agents.

To write the script of that painted face criminal mind, Todd Phillips and Scott Silver have been hired. Though we still don't get how Phillips fits the bill as he has written comedy films like 'Hangover'. Though other details are being kept a secret we believe the cat will soon be out of the bag. And we can't wait for that moment.

(c) Twitter

If theories are to be believed, the film will throw light on how Joker was bullied when he was young. And that's not it, we might also get to see the mad love between the Clown of the Crime and his former psychiatrist Harley Quinn and how things end up with their breakup. This bit of information is already making us intrigued and excited about the plot and the film.

Now, all we got to do is keep calm and wait for the official announcement. Till then tell us how you feel about Leonardo DiCaprio playing the Joker.
At a time when India and China are looking to turn the page after the 72-day stand-off at Doklam, Chinese officials said they hoped the bilateral meet at the BRICS Summit would open "a new chapter" in ties.

By Ananth Krishnan: As Prime Minister Narendra Modi arrived on a rainy Sunday evening in the picturesque Chinese coastal city of Xiamen, Chinese officials said they hoped his bilateral meet with Chinese President Xi Jinping would open "a new chapter" in ties.

Modi and Xi are set to meet on Tuesday morning following Monday's BRICS Summit, and both sides are looking to turn the page after the 72-day stand-off at Doklam.

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Modi was welcomed at Xiamen airport by Chinese Assistant Foreign Minister Kong Xuanyou and the Chinese envoy to India Luo Zhaohui. As a result of heavy rain, the PM embarked not from the usual stairs but through an aerobridge.

Ahead of the PM's arrival, Luo, the Chinese envoy, "expressed his hope

that China and India could open a new chapter in the development of bilateral relations taking the forthcoming 9th BRICS summit as an opportunity", the State-run Xinhua news agency quoted him as saying.

Luo said "frequent interactions" between the two leaders - Xiamen will host their ninth meeting - had "greatly pushed forward pragmatic cooperation" and "enhanced political mutual trust".

On Monday, the PM will attend the opening of the BRICS Summit, and over two days in Xiamen will also hold several key bilateral meetings before he leaves for Myanmar on Tuesday afternoon. Besides Xi, the PM will meet with Russia's President Vladimir Putin, as well as the Presidents of Egypt and Brazil and K.V. Kamath, President of the BRICS New Development Bank.

The end of the Doklam stand-off ahead of the BRICS Summit has been a source of relief for Beijing, which did not want to see the BRICS Summit to be overshadowed. Beijing had in the lead up to the summit toned down its sharp rhetoric.

At the same time, certain hawkish sections of the press have called for Beijing to not play down the row and to celebrate what they call their "victory".

"The settlement of the Doklam was undoubtedly a victory for China after it pressured India into ending its speculative tactical intervention in the border region via military, diplomatic and other means," said a commentary in the Global Times. "It was a comprehensive demonstration of China's major-country strategy, and the wisdom and the ability of the Chinese leadership. It is no less significant than the armistice of the Korean War (1950-53), or the conclusion of the 1979 China's self-defense war against Vietnam, especially given its peaceful resolution."

"In this instance," the commentary added, "China's concerns that playing tough with India could have jeopardized the BRICS Summit, may instead have bolstered New Delhi's arrogance and paved the way for it to create a scene for China at the summit."

Also read: After Doklam standoff gets resolved, Narendra Modi-Xi Jinping bilateral meet on cards during BRICS Summit in China

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Also read: Ahead of PM Narendra Modi's visit, China says huge potential for cooperation

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By PTI: issues": Xi

By Priyanka Tikoo

Xiamen (China), Sep 3 (PTI) Chinese President Xi Jinping today underscored that the BRICS must uphold the value of diplomacy to resolve "hotspot issues" as the leaders of the grouping, including Prime Minister Narendra Modi, arrived here for the Summit, which is starting tomorrow in this port city of China.

Xi also appeared to take a reconciliatory tone when he, without directly referring to the recent Dokalam standoff with India, underlined that "peace and development" should be the underpin to resolve issues as the world does not want "conflict and confrontation."

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"We the BRICS countries should show our responsibilities to uphold global peace and stability," he said.

Modi and Xi are expected to meet on Tuesday, nearly a week after the two countries announced resolution of the 73- day-long Dokalam standoff.

According to officials, the two leaders are scheduled to hold a meeting on September 5 on the sidelines of the 9th Brazil-Russia-India-China-South Africa (BRICS) Summit. After the bilateral with the host, Modi will be travelling to Myanmar on a bilateral visit.

The Chinese and the Indian troops were in a standoff position for nearly 73 days since June 16 when the Indian side stopped construction of a road by Chinas army.

On August 28, external affairs ministry announced that New Delhi and Beijing have decided on "expeditious disengagement" of their border troops in the disputed Dokalam area.

The sense is that India wants to put behind the Dokalam bitterness and move ahead.

Xi, while inaugurating the BRICS business council, also called on BRICS countries to take a constructive part in the process of resolving geopolitical "hotspot issues" and make due contributions.

India is also expected to raise its concerns over terrorism at the BRICS Summit, with Modi asserting that the grouping has to make important contributions in upholding peace and security, and address global challenges.

Asked about Chinas comments that it will not be appropriate to discuss Pakistans counter-terrorism records at the BRICS summit at Xiamen, External Affairs Ministry Spokesperson Raveesh Kumar said he cannot pre-empt what Modi will say during his interventions at the restricted and plenary sessions of the summit.

But he asserted that Indias position on terrorism has been very clear and it has been raising the issue at various multilateral forums.

"We noticed that India, when it comes to Pakistans counter-terrorism, has some concerns. I dont think this is an appropriate topic to be discussed at BRICS summit," Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Hua Chunying had said ahead of the Summit.

According to sources, India is expected to flag its concerns over terrorism.

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The issue is also likely to find its place in the joint declaration with the Chinese president also saying that he was "convinced that as long as we take a holistic approach to fighting terrorism in all its forms, and address both its symptoms and root causes, terrorists will have no place to hide".

Yesterday, Modi in his departure statement had said "India attaches high importance to the role of BRICS that has begun a second decade of its partnership for progress and peace. BRICS has important contributions to make in addressing global challenges and upholding world peace and security".

The prime minister had also said he was looking forward to engaging with leaders of nine other countries, including BRICS partners, in an Emerging Markets and Developing Countries Dialogue, being hosted by Xi on September 5.

"We will also interact with the BRICS Business Council represented by captains of industry from all the five countries," he said.

Modi will hold bilateral meetings with several leaders including Russian President Vladimir Putin and President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi of Egypt, which is among the five counties - Mexico, Guinea, Thailand and Tajikistan - invited by China as the part of BRICS outreach exercise. PTI PYK MRJ

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By PTI: Ghaziabad, Sep 3 (PTI) A man today has alleged that a former legislator had conspired in the killing of his brother and local BJP leader Gajendra Bhati, the police said.

In his police complaint, Yogesh Bhati alleged that former MLA of Sahibabad constituency Amarpal Sharma had hatched the conspiracy to kill his brother, they said.

Gajendra alias Gajju and his friend Balbir Singh Chouhan were shot at by two bike-borne attackers at Khora colony last afternoon. They were rushed to a hospital in Noida where doctors pronounced the BJP leader dead on arrival, the police said.

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"We have received a complaint from Gajjus brother Yogesh in which he alleged that the former MLA, Sharma, had planned the murder as he was intending to contest the chairman election of the newly-formed municipality of Khora.

"A case has been registered under section 120B (criminal conspiracy) of the IPC against Sharma. The police is probing the matter," Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) H N Singh said.

However, Sharma rubbished the allegations, saying that the BJP was trying to "taint" his image and he claimed that he had no role in the killing.

He said he would take up the matter with Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath and would infrom the CM "how a history sheeter criminals family was attempting to damage his popularity".

The police today retrieved the CCTV footage in which two bikers are visible on the spot of shoot out, the SSP said. PTI CORR ANB

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Young ministers Dharmendra Pradhan, Piyush Goyal, Nirmala Sitharaman and Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi have clearly emerged as the performers and have been rewarded for that.

By Kumar Shakti Shekhar: Of the 48 ministers of state (MoS), including 12 with independent charge, in Prime Minister Narendra Modi's council of ministers, only four were elevated to cabinet rank in today's reshuffle of the ministry. All these four to get elevated - Dharmendra Pradhan, Piyush Goyal, Nirmala Sitharaman and Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi - were of MoS with independent charge.

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PM Modi seems to have awarded these four for, what he and BJP president Amit Shah may consider, their outstanding work. The government and party are learnt to have undertaken a performance review of all the ministers, MPs and other leaders to accordingly elevate, demote, drop or include members in the Modi ministry.

Young ministers Dharmendra Pradhan, Piyush Goyal, Nirmala Sitharaman and Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi have clearly emerged as the performers and have been rewarded for that.

DHARMENDRA PRADHAN

Pradhan has been awarded for the success that PAHAL and Ujjwala schemes of the Petroleum Ministry have achieved. The two schemes played one of the most important roles in changing the lives of the poor, particularly in the rural areas.

The Direct Benefit Transfer of LPG (DBTL) or Pratyaksh Hanstantrit Labh (PAHAL) scheme has been a runaway success. It found an entry in the Guinness Book of World Records for being the largest cash transfer programme in the world. The Centre had launched the PAHAL scheme in 54 districts of the country on November 15, 2014 and in remaining districts of the country on January 1, 2015. The LPG consumers who joined the PAHAL scheme got LPG cylinders at market price and received LPG subsidy (as per their entitlement) directly into their bank accounts. It was acknowledged by the Guinness Book of World Records for being the largest cash transfer program (households) with 12.57 crore households receiving cash transfer as of June 30, 2015.

Similarly, Ujjwala scheme gave access to the poor and rural households to smokeless stove, significantly changing the lives of the people, particularly the women. Ujjwala seems to have paid dividends to the Centre electorally. BJP registered historic win in Uttar Pradesh largely due to the Ujjwala scheme. Dharmendra Pradhan, who is tipped to be Odisha BJP's chief ministerial candidate during the 2019 Assembly elections, is clearly the man behind the success of the two success.

PIYUSH GOYAL

Piyush Goyal is credited with implementing reforms in the power and coal sectors. He has been instrumental in the record electrification of the rural areas. According to state-run Rural Electrification Corp (REC), as many as 13,685 villages have been electrified till June 20, 2017. Remaining 4,141 villages are to be electrified by 2018. REC is the nodal agency for Deendayal Upadhyaya Gram Jyoti Yojana (DDUGJY), which is an integrated scheme covering all aspects of rural power distribution - feeder segregation, system strengthening and metering. The scheme is aimed at transforming the lifestyle of villagers and bringing in overall socio-economic development in rural areas. Prime Minister Narendra Modi, in his Independence Day address to the nation on August 15, 2015, had pledged to electrify all 18,452 un-electrified villages within 1,000 days. Thereafter, the REC had taken up village electrification on a mission mode targeting the project completion by May 2018.

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Over 25.01 crore smart and energy efficient LED bulbs have been distributed under Unnat Jyoti by Affordable LEDs for All (UJALA) scheme and 26.90 lakh LED street lights have been installed in 25 States/UTs.

Further, as on March 31, 2017, the domestic LED programme UJALA and Street Lighting National Programme (SLNP) are implemented in 437 cities and 544 urban local bodies respectively, which is in excess of the target of covering 100 cities.

NIRMALA SITHARAMAN

Sitharaman won PM Modi and Smit Shah's confidence in handling the commerce ministry. According to sources, she is believed to have performed exceptionally in multilateral negotiations. She has deftly dealt with trade negotiations. She had visited China recently for the BRICS meeting and held discussions over Doklam. As BJP spokesperson too, she had played a major role in attacking the Congress-led UPA government.

MUKHTAR ABBAS NAQVI

Whether it is the party or the government, Naqvi has always been on the forefront to defend them and launching a counter-attack on the opposition. He is also the government's most prominent Muslim face. After the exit of Najma Heptulla, there was no Muslim minister in the Modi Cabinet. Naqvi will face that vacancy. He has also been a competent parliamentary affairs minister with additional charge of minority affairs.

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Also Read:

Cabinet reshuffle is also PM Modi's delicate balancing act of roles, polls, castes and political power

3,4,5,6 of Cabinet reshuffle: How Narendra Modi built his new team

Watch Video: Cabinet reshuffle: Piyush Goyal, Dharmendra Pradhan, Nirmala Sitharaman elevated; 9 new ministers sworn-in

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After the latest round of cabinet reshuffle and expansion, there are 72 ministers in PM Modi's council of ministers. Six slots still remain vacant and PM has not yet included any member of the BJP's alliance partner.

By Kumar Shakti Shekhar: After the third cabinet reshuffle carried out by Prime Minister Narendra Modi today, six slots still remain vacant in the council of ministers. The PM did not include any member of the BJP's alliance partner in today's exercise.

While Shiv Sena is sulking, Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar-led Janata Dal (United) is unrepresented in the ministry. JD(U) formally joined BJP-led NDA on August 19 after breaking away from mahagathbandhan partners Congress and Lalu Prasad's RJD.

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Till the latest round of cabinet reshuffle and expansion, there are 72 ministers in PM Modi's council of ministers - 24 of Cabinet rank, 12 MoS (independent charge) and 36 MoS. The PM could have added nine more ministers as the total number of council of ministers, excluding him, cannot exceed 81.

On July 7, 2004, Constitution (Ninety-first Amendment) Act came into force which provides that the size of the council of ministers in the union government and in a state government cannot be more than 15 per cent of the total number of members of the Lower House of the Parliament or State Legislature respectively.

However, PM Narendra Modi today added nine new faces while dropped six from his old team, taking the strength of his council of ministers three notches above to 75. At present, there are 27 ministers (excluding the PM) of cabinet rank, 11 ministers of state with independent charge and 37 ministers of state.

The PM can still add a maximum of six new members. It may be possible that AIADMK may join NDA. The PM may undertake another round of cabinet expansion to include members from AIADMK, JD(U) and Shiv Sena.

In any case, the present strength of PM Modi's council of ministers did not touch its highest of 78 which it did after the second cabinet reshuffle.

FIRST SWEARING-IN

The swearing-in of PM Modi and 45 ministers had taken place on May 26, 2014. The council of ministers comprised 23 of Cabinet rank, 10 ministers of state (independent charge) and remaining 12 ministers of state.

FIRST CABINET RESHUFFLE

PM Modi undertook the first cabinet reshuffle on November 9, 2014. He inducted 21 new ministers (four of cabinet rank, three ministers of state with independent charge and the remaining 14 as ministers of state).

In the first Cabinet reshuffle, the strength of PM Modi's council of ministers went up from 45 to 66. Of this, 27 including the Prime Minister were of Cabinet rank, 13 ministers of state with independent charge and 26 ministers of state.

Even at 66, the strength of council of ministers was leaner than the previous UPA and the Atal Bihari Vajpayee governments.

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The strength of Manmohan Singh's UPA government stood at 78 after its last Cabinet reshuffle in October 2012. The Vajpayee-led NDA government, which had started with 56 ministers went on to swell up to nearly 88 ministers.

SECOND CABINET RESHUFFLE

The second reshuffle took place on July 5, 2016. While Prakash Javadekar (minister of state with independent charge) was elevated to the Cabinet rank, 19 new faces were inducted as ministers of state.

With this expansion, the size of the cabinet grew to 78 ministers. It touched the same number as Manmohan Singh's Cabinet after his last reshuffle.

Before PM Modi's second Cabinet reshuffle, five ministers tendered their resignations to him. They were Nihalchand, Ram Shankar Katheria, Sanwar Lal Jat, Manuskhbhai D Vasva and MK Kundariya.

Before the third reshuffle undertaken today, six ministers - Kalraj Mishra, Bandaru Dattatreya, Rajiv Pratap Rudy, Faggan Singh Kulaste, Sanjeev Kumar Balyan and Mahendra Nath Pandey - tendered their resignation from the government.

Also read:

Piyush Goyal replaces Suresh Prabhu as railways minister. Can he keep it on track?

Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman leaves boardroom for war room, but only after 2 days

Cabinet reshuffle: Why Dharmendra Pradhan, Piyush Goyal, Nirmala Sitharaman, Naqvi were promoted

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JOINT BASE ELMENDORF-RICHARDSON, Alaska -- In the high-stress world of Alaska's Air National Guard rescue squadron "PJs," who respond to emergencies around the state and deploy overseas, it can be hard to deal with the mental tolls that come with the job.

But one member of the pararescue unit is a trained expert in knowing when someone on the team needs extra help, and he's believed to be the first of his kind in the U.S. military.

Instead of a flight suit or airman battle uniform, he simply wears a vest.

TOML, a one-year-old chocolate Labrador, joined the Alaska Air National Guard's 212th Rescue Squadron in 2016 and then deployed to Afghanistan with them. His name is the acronym for the pararescue community's motto, "That Others Might Live."

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When he passes his final test, which his trainer said will be scheduled soon, TOMLs ownership will officially be transferred to the unit from the non-profit organization that donated and trained him.

Although working dogs are common across the military, none is known to both officially belong to the unit and hold a service animal-specific role.

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Some unit chaplains, such as one Army chaplain stationed in Germany, own service animals that move with them across assignments.

And many units, such as 1st Brigade, "Bastogne," of the 101st Infantry Division at Fort Campbell, Kentucky, have mascot animals.

But officials with the 212th said they do not know of any other unit that has its own service dog.

The Army-directed Human Animal Bond program governs how these animals are cared for, and veterinary services and a care budget are provided through the Pentagon, unit officials said.

"I have yet to hear -- and I do a lot of research on this -- of any actual service dog for a unit deploying with them," said TOML's trainer April Gettys, founder of the non-profit Midnight Sun Service Dogs in Eagle River, Alaska, who facilitated the donation of the dog to the unit.

Gettys' husband, Air Guard Brig. Gen. Blake Gettys, is the joint staff director of the Alaska Guard's Joint Force Headquarters here.

TOML is what's known as a "facility animal," and trained as a service dog for multiple handlers.

He also can perform animal therapy functions and is being trained to do other working dog tasks, such as making jumps with a handler to assist in rescues. TOML is worth about $45,000, Gettys said.

"We're the dirty end of the business -- the stress of being alert non-stop, 24/7 and always being prepared ... and that adds a lot of stress. And then the stress of seeing people blown up and shredded and all that stuff," said Air National Guard Maj. Brock Roden, one of the handlers. "TOML is a part of that whole focus of the squadron, taking care of our members."

TOML responds to and works as a service dog for whichever handler he's been assigned to for the day, officials said.

His care and job rotates through the unit, and handlers can request time with him as desired.

Although there are plans to train the entire 60-member unit, about 10 members have gone through the handler training so far and can "check him out" to take him home and keep him during the day.

Although not typical for most service dogs, shuffling between handlers is not stressful on TOML, Gettys said, because he's been trained for it.

He has his own bed and "go bag" packed with brushes, toys, training treats, a medical kit and his journal, Roden said.

The handlers use the journal to log any new commands he's learning, medical events, or anything else important to pass on to the next person.

Unlike active-duty units, members of the 212th could be in the unit for their entire careers, thanks to the stability afforded by the Guard.

That means that a unit-owned service animal is a long-haul benefit -- and tasking -- for everyone involved.

Before agreeing to add TOML to the unit, Roden said his commander had a "talk" with the unit, not unlike the discussion parents have with their kids before agreeing to buy them a new pet.

"Our chief was like, 'This is a long-term commitment, it's multiple years and someone is going to have it every single day,' " he said.

TOML has inspired at least three other units to work with Gettys to get their own facility service dogs.

Three members of the 212th have received their own individual service dogs since TOML joined the unit, and four others are in the process, she said.

"You think there's one dog -- look how many lives he is affecting," Gettys said.

-- Amy Bushatz can be reached at amy.bushatz@military.com.
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...
Popularly known as Gajju Banna amongst his local supporters, Gajendra Singh Shekhawat is considered to have a strong support base locally in the Rajput community.

Gajendra Singh Shekhawat is the second Rajput from Rajasthan to get a berth in Modi Government. (ANI Photo)

By Dev Ankur Wadhawan: Celebrations broke out in Jodhpur over the induction of Member of Parliament Gajendra Singh Shekhawat in the Modi dispensation on Sunday. Workers burst firecrackers and were seen shouting slogans and thanking the BJP for Shekhwat's induction.

BJP youth wing workers danced, celebrated in traditional Rajasthani style and were shouted slogans hailing PM Modi for allocating berth to the Jodhpur MP. Party workers thanked Modi and BJP President Amit Shah for giving Shekhawat the opportunity to be a part of the Government.

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Popularly known as Gajju Banna amongst his local supporters, Gajendra Singh Shekhawat is considered to have a strong support base locally in the Rajput community.

Local BJP workers were seen dancing jubilantly. A song played in the background which had lyrics to the effect, "Paper (letter) has come from Delhi our Gajju Banna leaves for the station Modi ji and Amit Shah has summoned."

Earlier, information from within Rajasthan BJP revealed to India Today that Shekhawat is to be brought in to negate the negative publicity the BJP received in Rajasthan amongst members of the Rajput community after gangster Anandpal Singh's encounter.

Several members of the community had vociferously claimed in Rajasthan that Anandpal Singh was killed in a fake encounter in June this year. Widespread violent protests took place in Rajasthan's Nagaur, Churu and Sikar districts after the gangster's encounter by members of the Rajput community who had demanded a CBI enquiry into the matter.

After Rajyavardhan Singh Rathore, Gajendra Singh Shekhawat is the second Rajput from Rajasthan to get a berth in Modi Government. Shekhawat has been a member of the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Finance and Chairperson of the Fellowship Commitee. He is widely followed on Quora, is considered easy going and is one of the more popular leaders on the social media who can easily connect with youth. His Quora profile has more than 55,000 followers.

The BJP MP has an MPhil and an MA in Philosophy from Jai Narain University, Jodhpur. He had been actively involved in student politics as well and, in 1992, was elected as the Student Union President of JNVU University, He had fought under the banner of Akhil Bhartiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP).

Shekhawat also happens to be extremely technology savvy. Shekhawat's childhood days were spent in Rajasthan's Bhilwara. His father Shankar Singh Shekhawat was a senior Government officer in the Public Health Department.

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--- ENDS ---

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GRAND RAPIDS, MI -- Police are investigating an officer-involved shooting, the Grand Rapids Police Department reports.

The Grand Rapids Police Department posted on Twitter there was a heavy police presence at the 3800 block of Whispering Way related to an officer-involved shooting.

Heavy police presence - 3800 block of Whispering Way ref an Ofcr Involved Shooting. Please stay away from the area. GRPD PIO is enroute. pic.twitter.com/eMSrHzeNQ1  Grand Rapids Police (@GrandRapidsPD) September 3, 2017

A Kent County Sheriff's deputy who is a member of the Kent County Tactical Unit shot a man while executing a search warrant in the area, Grand Rapids Police Department Terry Dixon said.

The man was outside of a residence when he was shot, Dixon said.

Dixon said he did not know the man's condition at the hospital.

The Grand Rapids Police Department is handling the investigation, Dixon said.

Speaking about the usual process that follows an officer-involved shooting, Dixon said, typically the officer involved is placed on administrative leave while the investigation continues.

Police are asking people to stay away from the area as they investigate.
GRAND RAPIDS, MI - Grand Valley State University students who reside on Grand Rapids' West Side are invited to an orientation program Thursday, Sept. 7, to learn about the areas where they live, work and study.

The Grand Neighbor Orientation (GNO), in its second year, is organized by Grand Valley's Community Service Learning Center in collaboration with multiple West Side neighborhood associations and organizations.

The program is part of an ongoing effort to strengthen Grand Valley's connection to its West Side neighbors.

Last week, students began moving back to the Grand Rapids and Allendale campuses and classes resumed Aug. 28.

Officials say the partnerships and collaborations that have developed organically over the years have set the framework for a more intentional effort, and led to the development of the university's first Civic Action Plan.

The plan is producing new and expanded learning opportunities and events to create, enhance, and access our civic and community engagement.

"The Civic Action Plan has provided an opportunity to highlight, elevate and further develop the good work that many in our institution are already doing in the field of civic engagement, as well as further grow and develop commitments," according to the university.

Liz Collver, assistant director for Student Life, said students can learn how they can become a part of the West Side at this event.

"It's important for Grand Valley students to have an understanding and appreciation of their neighborhoods," she said.

"Living in a community takes effort and awareness, and we hope Grand Neighbor Orientation is just the start of many future relationships between the students who attend this event and their neighbors."

In 1986, Michigan legislators approved Grand Valley's downtown campus. The Robert Pew Campus is located at 401 Fulton St.

The event is scheduled from 6 to 8 p.m. at Lincoln Park, 1120 Bridge St. There will be opportunities to meet community organizations. Refreshments will be provided.

A 5 p.m. walking tour around West Side neighborhoods is planned before the orientation. Participants should meet at the courtyard of DeVos Center on the Pew Grand Rapids Campus. A movie in the park will follow the orientation at 8 p.m.

Register for the orientation on the GNO website. Students, faculty and staff members should bring their Grand Valley ID.
MUSKEGON, MI - Puppies from shelters in Texas arrived in Muskegon this weekend in an effort to make room for dogs rescued from flooding caused by Hurricane Harvey.

"I couldn't believe how happy they were, said Tamara Owen, executive director of the Noah Project.

The no-kill animal shelter located near Muskegon began sharing updates on Facebook about the operation on Thursday, Aug. 31. The dogs arrived at the Muskegon County Airport Sunday, Sept. 3.

"I don't know if they were just happy because they were happy, if they were happy to be in Michigan, or happy because what they've been through," Owen said.

Noah Project teamed up with nonprofit Pilots N Paws to transport about two dozens dogs in two planes from shelters on the Gulf Coast Sunday.

From Muskegon, they will find new homes in Michigan and nearby states, Noah Project board member Jane McGregor said.

Officials said 46 shelters from Michigan and more from nearby states have already contacted the Muskegon shelter saying that they are willing to assist in housing the animals. Another 40 foster volunteers and 30 transport-related volunteers have stepped up to help in the process.

Owen said she was surprised by the willingness of people to help.

"We knew we were going to have young dogs, so we wanted stuffs like Kongs, nylabones and peanut butter," she said. "And as soon as we put it on the Facebook page, within four hours, we had all of them."

McGreggor said the pets will be transported to the local shelter, where they can eat and rest before close examination.
As PM Modi brings in new ministers to his cabinet today, here's a look at the bunch of new ministers who are a curious combination of hardcore political equations and administrative equations.

By India Today Web Desk: Prime Minister Narendra Modi rearranged his council of ministers on Sunday morning promoting four of his ministers of state to the Cabinet rank and inducting nine new ministers. President Ram Nath Kovind administered the oath of office and secrecy to the 13 ministers at a glittering ceremony at Rashtrapati Bhavan's Durbar Hall. Six of these ministers had resigned ahead of the reshuffle.

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Ministers of State Dharmendra Pradhan, Piyush Goyal, Nirmala Sitharaman and Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi are now part of Narendra Modi's Cabinet. Even the critics of the government agree that the four have been rewarded for their performance in the ministries they hold at the moment. The six ministers who lost their positions were removed because of their poor performance, it is said.

Among the new ministers of state, there are two former IAS officers, a former IPS officer and a former IFS officer and career diplomat.

This reshuffle is thus being seen as Prime Minister Modi's big push for a delivery-oriented government as the ruling coalition led by BJP heads for the 2019 general elections.

The bunch of new ministers are a curious combination of hardcore political equations and administrative equations. Bihar, where the BJP has just formed a coalition with Janata Dal (U) led by Nitish Kumar, has got two new ministers as it lost one in Rajiv Pratap Rudy. Though the JD(U) did not get a place in the ministry but sources said the party may join the government at a later stage.

Former home secretary and former IAS officer RK Singh is a Rajput leader from Bihar inducted to offset the impact of the removal of Rajiv Pratap Rudy, another Rajput leader from the Bhojpuri belt. RK Singh has had a love-hate relationship with the leadership. He is the one who as a district magistrate had ordered the arrest of LK Advani during his Rath Yatra. He has often been outspoken when it comes to party decisions and as home secretary had accused the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh of indulging in what later became famous as 'Hindu Terror'. His induction surprised many because he was not perceived to be in the good books of the party leadership.

Ashwini Kumar Chowbey's induction came as no surprise as the party did not have a Brahmin representative from Bihar. As the BJP pushed for a more dalit- and OBC-friendly image, its traditional upper caste vote bank was left high and dry. Now all the four upper or forward castes of Bihar have found representation in the cabinet, with Bhumihar chieftain Giriraj Singh already well-heeled.

Anant Kumar Hegde is another surprising choice even though at least one Karnataka MP was sure to get a place. Hegde is a Hindutva-oriented veteran from North Karnataka, a five-time MP to boot. He has been embroiled in various controversies and not just verbal. In an infamous incident, he was caught on camera beating up doctors in a hospital. His regular outbursts against Muslims in the communally sensitive Uttar Kannada area have not helped his image either.

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Dr Virendra Kumar from MP, a dalit BJP leader from Madhya Pradesh, has risen up the ranks from an extremely deprived background. He has a lot of experience working in the parliament and sort of specialises in dalit and labour issues.

Satyapal Singh, a former IPS officer, is seen as a replacement for Sanjeev Baliyan, the Jat leader from western UP who was dropped from the council this time. While Baliyan is seen as a hardcore Hindutva leader, Singh has the image of a doer. He has dealt with Maoist insurgencies and handled the top police job in Nagpur, Pune and Mumbai. He is more than just a caste replacement like R.K. Singh is.

Shiv Pratap Shukla is a Rajya Sabha MP from Uttar Pradesh. He is from Gorakhpur and an arch-rival of Yogi Adityanath. The Uttar Pradesh chief minister comes from the Rajput community and Brahmins have of late been miffed with the BJP giving them a raw deal. Besides, UP veteran Kalraj Mishra was dropped this time along with Mahendra Pandey, another Brahmin. This is seen as a move to assuage the dominant Brahmins.

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A similar sentiment is attributed to the induction of Gajendra Singh Shekhawat. The Rajasthan Rajput leader is a social media star and enjoys remarkable connect with the youth. If the buzz in the Capital is to be believed Rajasthan chief minister Vasundhara Raje has been worried about the reaction of the Rajputs after a gangster, Anandpal Singh, was killed in an encounter. Anandpal enjoyed a Robinhood image among Rajputs who claim the encounter was fake. Shekhawat's entry takes the Rajasthan Rajput representation in the ministry to two.

Now, the two non-politician politicians. Career diplomat, former IFS officer Hardeep Singh Puri is a recent entrant into the BJP. Though the Prime Minister himself is said to admire him, KJ Alphons is new to politics. Puri will not just be a Sikh face because he brings to the table a life full of diplomatic experience. Similarly Alphons is more than a Christian face since he has done a lot of work in the field of urban development.

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BJP sees Kerala as the next opportunity after Karnataka in the South. The RSS has deep roots in the state yet the party hasn't been able to win over the people. Will KJ Alphons's introduction into the political system change that? Well, the people will decide that.

Also read:

Narendra Modi cabinet's new faces: Why they were chosen

All you need to know about major Cabinet reshuffle in 10 points

Cabinet reshuffle: All about 9 new ministers in Narendra Modi government

--- ENDS ---
Less than a year after he demitted office as the 23rd Governor of the Reserve Bank of India (RBI), Raghuram Rajan said he had cautioned the Centre on the short-term costs of demonetisation outweighing the long-term benefits.

These revelations form part of his memoir, I Do What I Do, a compilation of his speeches peppered with telling commentaries. Excerpts of the book were published in the Times of India and Hindustan Times today.

Putting rest to speculation that the central bank under Rajan was on board for demonetisation, Rajan wrote, At no point during my term was the RBI asked to make a decision on demonetisation.

I was asked by the government in February 2016 for my view on demonetisation, which I gave orally I made these views known in no uncertain terms. Rajan wrote, adding that he also offered better alternatives to help the government achieve its main goals. However, there is no mention of what these suggestions were.

Despite his reservations, Rajan said he was asked to prepare a note regarding the same, which the RBI did and handed to the government. A committee was then set up to consider the same. Rajan goes on to mention he was not part of this, though the central bank was represented by a deputy governor in charge of currency.

The excerpt remains silent on the notes contents but outlined potential costs and benefits of demonetisation, as well as alternatives that could achieve similar aims. If the government, on weighing the pros and cons, still decided to go ahead with demonetisation, the note outlined the preparation that would be needed, and the time that preparation would take. It also flagged concerns in a scenario where preparations were inadequate.

The sequence of events outlined suggest that the decision to scrap high-value notes of Rs 500 and Rs 1,000 (86 percent of the currency in circulation) on November 8, 2016 was not underway months earlier.

It also puts to rest conflicting media reports that were published in the wake of demonetisation on whether or not Rajan was in favour of it.

Rajan also said he did not immediately comment when demonetisation was announced because it may have interfered with the steps being taken by his predecessor.

The revelations come at a time when the government is facing intense scrutiny after RBI revealed that 99 percent of all demonetised notes have been come back into the banking system.

The economy too has taken a hit, with GDP growth falling from 7 percent in October-December 2016 to 6.1 percent in January-March and 5.7 percent in April-June 2017.

These numbers, however, fail to account for Indias informal or cash economy, which is pegged at two-thirds of India's GDP, (USD1.4 trillion or Rs 90 lakh crore). It is also bound to fuel the oppositions attack on the government, which has always maintained that demonetisation was ill-conceived and poorly executed.
New Delhi: MP's cars at Parliament house in New Delhi on Thursday. PTI Photo by Kamal Kishore (PTI12_15_2016_000095B)

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday elevated Nirmala Sitharaman as Indias first full-fledged woman defence minister, promoted three other high performing ministers to cabinet rank and inducted former top bureaucrats in a ministerial reshuffle 20 months ahead of the Lok Sabha elections in 2019.

Nine new union ministers, including four former top bureaucrats, also took oath today, joining Modis ministerial council in a mega cabinet rejig seen as part of a strategy to accelerate reforms and improve governance.

Cabinet Reshuffle LIVE: Prabhu moves to Commerce as Goyal gets Railways

The cherry-picked set of former civil servants and Rajya Sabha MPs, as also promotions to high performing ministers, demonstrated the Prime Ministers intent to walk the talk on maximum governance, keeping a sharp eye on political acumen to balance efficient administration with poll winnability.

Piyush Goyal, who will be Indias new Railway Minister, Petroleum Minister Dharmendra Pradhan and the Minority Affairs Minister Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi, have been elevated to Cabinet rank.

All four, including Sitharaman who was the commerce and industry minister, had been ministers of state with independent charge. Goyal, who was the minister for power, renewable energy and coal, will replace Suresh Prabhu as the rail minister.

Prabhu, a former chartered accountant who resigned as rail minister in wake of a spate of recent train accidents, will be the commerce and industry minister replacing Sitharaman.

Sitharaman, who was once a junior finance minister under Arun Jaitley, will take assume charge as defence minister from Jaitley, who was also holding both the finance and defence portfolios. Jaitley has been holding charge of the defence ministry since Manohar Parrikar was sent to Goa as chief minister earlier this year.

Former IFS officer and highly decorated diplomat Hardeep Singh Puri will assume charge as minister of state (independent charge) of the ministry of housing and urban affairs, a portfolio that has held by Venkaiah Naidu before he got elected as countrys Vice President last month.

Former IAS officer and ex-Delhi Development Authority (DDA) commissioner KJ Alphons is the minister of state (independent charge) for Tourism.

Former union home secretary RK Singh is the new minister of state (independent) charge for power and renewable energy, replacing Goyal, who will retain the coal portfolio along with railways.

Former Mumbai police chief Satya Pal Singh has been appointed as a minister of state for human resource development. He will also be junior minister for water resources, river development and Ganga rejuvenation.

Bihar MP Ashwini Kumar Choubey, MP from Uttar Pradesh Shiv Pratap Shukla, MP from Madhya Pradesh Virendra Kumar, MP from Karnataka Ananthkumar Hegde and MP from Rajasthan Gajendra Singh Shekhawat are the other new ministerial joinees in the Modi government.

The cabinet reshuffle has been guided by the 4P principle: passion, proficiency, professional and political acumen, aimed at delivering on Modis vision of New India by 2022, the 75th anniversary of Indias independencean idea he had first flagged in March in an address to party workers at the BJPs headquarters in Delhi.

Road transport and highways minister Nitin Gadkari has been given additional charge of water resources, river development and Ganga rejuvenation, taking charge from Uma Bharti who will now handle drinking water and sanitation.

Jaitley will have two new junior ministers in finance Radhakrishnan P and Shiv Pratap Shuklareplacing Santosh Gangwar and Arjun Ram Meghwal. While Gangwar will be the new minister of state (independent charge) for labour, Meghwal will be the new junior minister for Parliamentary Affairs as also Water Resources.

The promotions of Sitharaman, Pradhan, Goyal and Naqvi are seen as a reward for their performance across key ministries over the last three years, piloting critical reforms and policy intiatives in an uncertain social and economic environment.

Pradhan, barely months into office, shepherded the deregulation of diesel prices, making these linked to global crude oil price movements. Market-determined diesel prices free of administrative control has helped cut subsidies on petroleum products. This has also helped offset the shocks when global crude prices shoot up. Freeing diesel prices from state-control has been one of the most difficult reforms Indias complex political economy.

Pradhan, who will also now hold the additional portfolio of skills development and entrepreneurship, also successfully oversaw one of Modi's pet schemesGive it Up planurging people to forego subsidised cooking gas or LPG voluntarily.

Goyal oversaw the coal auction policy to give mining licences to private companies through competitive bidding, replacing the earlier controversial and scam-tainted policy of allotting coal blocks based on the recommendations of a bureaucrats panel, which was long overdue.

His role in the Ujwal Discom Assurance Yojana (UDAY) to turnaround the highly indebted state power distribution companies, has also been hailed by analysts. The scheme has resulted in efficient and healthy power distributors able to purchase more power from generators, while keeping consumers power bills to the minimum.

As commerce and industry minister Sitharaman oversaw the overhaul of foreign direct investment (FDI) norms for several sectors including defence, food products, aviation and retail, in a plucky drive to push reforms and growth.

The government has lifted overseas investment ceilings for civil aviation, defence, pharmaceuticals, multi-brand food retail and eased so-called restrictive conditions for single brand retail. Sitharaman also piloted the policy to allow upto 100 percent FDI in domestic airlines and new airports, a move that will foreign companies to fully-own Indian domestic carriers and `greenfield airports and upto 74 percent in existing airports. In defence, upto 100 percent FDI has now been allowed without the mandatory condition of bringing in state-of-the-art technology by the foreign partners.

The elevation of Naqvi, BJPs most prominent Muslim face, comes at a time when the Supreme Court, in a recent landmark ruling, has struck down instant triple talaq as unconstitutional.

Naqvi, the only Muslim face in the union cabinet, has been a prominent voice in Parliament, defending government policies, as well as demonstrating deft floor management skills in managing relations with the Opposition, particularly when the government was snowed under a barrage of criticism for stoking religious polarisation amid incidents of fringe elements accused of lynching people for allegedly transporting cows.

Olympic silver medallist Rajyavardhan Singh Rathore has been given independent charge as a minister of state for Sports Youth affairs. He also retains his position as a junior Information and Broadcasting minister. Former sports minister Vijay Goel have been moved to Parliamentary affairs as a minister of state.
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19:35 As Railway Minister, on recommendations of the government think-tank Niti Aayyog, Suresh Prabhu ended the 92-year-old practice of a separate Railway Budget, merging it with the Union Budget. The minister argued that the integration of the general and railway budgets would help create an effective national transportation policy.

This seasoned politician from Maharashtra was formerly associated with the Shiv Sena. He served four tenures as a Member of the Lok Sabha from Maharashtra's Rajapur constituency before joining the Cabinet.

Prabhu was Power Minister in the Vajpayee-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) government and worked extensively on the river-linking project, which is finally being greenlighted by Modi.

Read the full story here: Suresh Prabhu travels from Railways to Commerce: Did derailments end his three-year journey?

19:00 I will join tomorrow, get briefing, will try to understand the department: Hardeep Singh Puri, new Housing & Urban Affairs Minister, tweets ANI.

18:00 Here are some of the key challenges Piyush Goyal is about to face as the Railway Minister in the cabinet:

# The Indian Railways have always been questioned on issues of safety with many reported rail accidents in the recent past. The Indore-Patna railway derailment in 2016 killed 65 people alone in 2016 while the Utkal Express derailment in Uttar Pradesh in 2017 claimed around 23 lives and injured many.

# Railway Finances is also a major point of concern for Goyal as the Railway Ministry has suffered poor operating ratios in the past. The annual rate of cost has not been able to keep pace with the revenues generated in the Railways Ministry.

For other challenges that Goyal could face, click here

17:30 Sitharaman now becomes only the second woman after Indira Gandhi to take charge of the high-profile ministry, and is the first full-fledged woman defence minister.

In interviews to the media after her elevation as a cabinet minister Sitharaman said, "I am just overwhelmed and humbled. I can serve the country with something which is constantly on the top of my mind."

To a query whether her elevation showed Prime Minister Narendra Modi's commitment towards women empowerment, she said the Prime Minister has always been in favour. "I know his working style since the time he was in Gujarat. He always believed in giving women their due share. His belief is that women can also perform," she said.

Read full story here: Women to the fore: After Swaraj and Irani, Sitharaman gets top billing

17:00 The cherry-picked set of former civil servants and Rajya Sabha MPs, as also promotions to high performing ministers, demonstrated the Prime Ministers intent to walk the talk on maximum governance, keeping a sharp eye on political acumen to balance efficient administration with poll winnability.

Read full story here: Cabinet Reshuffle: Nine new ministers take oath; four elevated to cabinet rank

16:30 My gratitude to PM for reposing faith in me and giving me a very important ministry. Appeal to all sports federations, lets keep sportsmen as most important person,everything else will fall into place later: New Sports Minister Rajyavardhan Singh Rathore, tweets ANI

For the full list of portfolios allocated to the revamped Council of Ministers, click here.

15:06 Speaking to News18, Suresh Prabhu says he resigned because it was his moral responsibility to do so, even though he feels accidents reduced drastically during his tenure.

14:58 "Performance is the only message that the Prime Minister is trying to send through the reshuffling," says Arun Jaitley.

14:39 Outgoing Railway Minister Suresh Prabhu has welcomed his successor Piyush Goyal: "Welcoming my long time dear friend,colleague @PiyushGoyal to @RailMinIndia.I offer all my help to him to make railways world class.all best (sic)," he tweeted.

Prabhu is set to take charge of the Commerce ministry.

14:32 Here's what Nirmala Sitharaman said soon after she took oath this morning: "Somebody who has come from a small town, grown into the party with all the support of the leadership, and if given such responsibility, it just makes you feel sometimes that cosmic grace is there. Otherwise it is impossible."

14:20 Arun Jaitley is speaking to News18 now. Says it was not logistically possible to hold full-time charge of two heavy duty ministries in the form of defence and finance. He says that Nirmala Sitharaman will be a competent successor.

14:17 So as things stand, Nirmala Sitharaman's elevation as Defence Minister and Piyush Goyal's promotion as Railway Minister are the biggest surprises of this reshuffle.

14:14 After Sushma Swaraj, Nirmala Sitharaman will now be the second woman on the Cabinet Committee for Security.

14:08 There are now 75 ministers in Prime Minister Narendra Modi's Council of Ministers  27 Cabinet ministers, 11 Ministers of State with independent charge. and 37 Ministers of State.

14:05 Former Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar tells News18 that Nirmala Sitharaman is 'competent, efficient and analytical' and will do well in her new role.

14:00 Here's what the nine new faces in the Council of Ministers have been entrusted with:

Hardeep Singh Puri - Minister of State (Independent Charge) of the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs.

Satya Pal Singh - Minister of State in the Ministry of Human Resource Development and Minister of State in the Ministry of Water Resources,

River Development and Ganga Rejuvenation

Shiv Pratap Shukla - Minister of State in the Ministry of Finance

Alphons Kannanthanam- Minister of State (Independent Charge) of the Ministry of Tourism; and Minister of State in the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology

Raj Kumar Singh - Minister of State (Independent Charge) of the Ministry of Power; and Minister of State (Independent Charge) of the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy

Virendra Kumar - Minister of State in the Ministry of Women and Child Development; and Minister of State in the Ministry of Minority Affairs

Anantkumar Hegde - Minister of State in the Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship

Gajendra Singh Shekhawat - Minister of State in the Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare

Ashwini Kumar Choubey - Minister of State in the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare

13:54 Nirmala Sitharaman has become the first full-fledged woman defence minister of India.

13:52 Sushma Swaraj retains charge of the External Affairs Ministry, Nitin Gadkari keeps road and highways, while Arun Jaitley will continue to head the Finance Ministry.

13:49 Here are the big ones:

Suresh Prabhu - Commerce

Dharmendra Pradhan - Minister of Petroleum and Natural Gas; and Minister of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship

Piyush Goyal - Minister of Railways; and Minister of Coal

Nirmala Sitharaman - Minister of Defence.

Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi - Minister of Minority Affairs

13:45 Here's the full list of portfolios allocated to the revamped Council of Ministers.

13:43 The full list is out now. Piyush Goyal has been confirmed as the new Railways minister.

13:38 Former home secretary RK Singh will get independent charge of the power ministry.

13:34 Word coming in that Nirmala Sitharaman has been made the new Defence Minister. She is only the second woman after Indira Gandhi to take charge of the ministry.

13:28 In case you're just joining us, here's what has happened so far:

> Nine new ministers took oath this morning.

> Existing ministers Dharmendra Pradhan, Nirmala Sitharaman, Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi and Piyush Goyal have been elevated to Cabinet rank.

>Railway minister Suresh Prabhu announced his exit from the post.

> Prime Minister Narendra Modi has left for the BRICS Summit in China even as his ministers await word about their portfolios.

13:15 Sources are now saying that Nirmala Sitharaman will be named the next Defence Minister.

13:07 BJP President Amit Shah has congratulated the newly-inducted ministers. "I am sure they will leave no stone unturned in realising PM Narendra Modi's dream of a New India."

13:01 National Conference leader Omar Abdullah has something to say too: Spare a thought for Nitish Kumar ji who was the bee's knees in the UPA & now only hears of union cabinet reshuffles through the media.

12:56 The Congress has a message for the new ministers: Best wishes to the newly inducted, we hope you will deliver the promises made to the people. We are watching you.

12:53 Click here for full coverage of the Cabinet reshuffle.

12:43 Shashi Tharoor has some advice for the new Ministers of State: Being MoS is like standing in a cemetery - there's a lot of people under you but no one is listening!

Been there, done that.

12:37 Union Minister Nirmala Sitharaman terms the Cabinet reshuffle as a "sign of change amid continuity".

12:32 Sources are now telling News18 that Arun Jaitley may be divested of the defence portfolio. He has been holding additional charge of the ministry since Manohar Parrikar resigned to take over as Goa Chief Minister earlier this year.

12:26 Congress: Cabinet reshuffle is a sign that the BJP government has failed to deliver. The economy is in a shambles. Finance Minister Arun Jaitley should be replaced.

12:14 MoS Hardeep Singh Puri says he is leaving it to BJP president Amit Shah to take a call on his entry to Parliament via the Lower or Upper House.

12:10 Is Piyush Goyal going to take charge of the Railways? We'll find out anytime now.

12:05 Meanwhile, the Prime Minister has just boarded Air India One. He is heading to China for the BRICS Summit.

12:03 Sources suggest that there is a possibility of another reshuffle inducting JD (U) and AIADMK. The AIADMK has not yet joined the NDA, but is expected to do so once it gets its house in order.

12:00 Heres the full list of the new ministers:

CABINET MINISTERS



Shri Dharmendra Pradhan

Shri Piyush Goyal

Smt. Nirmala Sitharaman

Shri Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi



MINISTERS OF STATE



Shri Shiv Pratap Shukla

Shri Ashwini Kumar Choubey

Dr. Virendra Kumar

Shri Anantkumar Hegde

Shri Raj Kumar Singh

Shri Hardeep Singh Puri

Shri Gajendra Singh Shekhawat

Dr. Satya Pal Singh

Shri Alphons Kannanthanam



11:54 Two of the newly-inducted ministers  Kannanthanam and Puri  are presently not members of Parliament and will have to be elected to the Rajya Sabha within the stipulated six months.

11:47 Dharmendra Pradhan says the Prime Minister has tasked new inductees with taking India to new highs. He thanks PM Modi for reposing faith in him.

11:44 After being promoted to a cabinet rank, Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi said: Our duty is to match up to expectations of PM Modi. We pledge to carry our duties honestly, he told ANI.

11:41 The full list of portfolios is set to be out anytime now.

11:34 "No idea what is in store for me," Suresh Prabhu tells News18.

11:29 Railway Minister Suresh Prabhu has bid farewell to his colleagues. His tweet: Thanks to all 13 Lacs+ rail family for their support,love,goodwill.I will always cherish these memories with me.Wishing u all a great life (sic).

11:29 The Cabinet secretariat has not yet sent the list of portfolios to Rashtrapati Bhavan, reports News18.

11:24 The Prime Minister has just tweeted: I congratulate all those who have taken oath today. Their experience & wisdom will add immense value to the Council of Ministers. I congratulate my colleagues @dpradhanbjp, @PiyushGoyal, @nsitharaman and @naqvimukhtar on joining the Union Cabinet.

11:18 Lalu Prasad takes a swipe at Nitish Kumar. "One who leaves his people won't be taken in by others," he says.

11:10 Uma Bharti was not at the swearing-in ceremony. Amid speculation that she has been dropped from the Cabinet, she has tweeted saying that she had a prior engagement.

11:07 All eyes now on the allocation of portfolios. The full list should be out anytime now.

11:04 Alphons Kannanthanam is the second Cabinet minister to oath in English after Nirmala Sitharaman. And with that, all the new ministers have been sworn in and the ceremony has ended.

11:02 Former Mumbai Police Commissioner Satyapal Singh also takes oath. An IPS officer of the 1980 batch of the Maharashtra cadre, Singh has been recognised with medals like the Antrik Suraksha Sewa Padak and a Special Service Medal for extraordinary work in the Naxalite areas of Andhra Pradesh and Madhya Pradesh in 1990 by the government.

Singh is known for breaking the backbone of organised crime syndicates in Mumbai in the 1990s as the financial capitals commissioner of police. He also served as the commissioner of Pune and Nagpur police.

11:01 Gajendra Singh Shekhawat is next. A Lok Sabha MP from Jodhpur in Rajasthan, the The 49-year-old is a popular face in the Bharatiya Janata Party and will be the second Rajput after Rajyavardhan Singh Rathore to secure a place in Modi's cabinet.

10:59 Former diplomat Hardeep Singh Puri has been sworn in as well. He may be tasked with focusing on US and Israel relations.

10:56 Former Home Secretary RK Singh sworn in. He is known to deal effectively with bureaucracy. RK Singh could be the replacement for Giriraj Singh. He is an MP from Arrah in Bihar.

10:53 Madhya Pradesh MP Virendra Kumar takes oath, followed by Anant Kumar Hegde from Karnataka. Hegde is a member of the standing committee on external affairs. According to PRS, Kumar has an attendance rate of 96 percent in Parliament and has asked 245 questions.

10:50 Ashwini Choubey has been sworn in. He is close to the Sangh outfits and key to the Brahmin vote.

10:47 Shiv Pratap Shukla is the first of the new faces to take oath. Shukla has been elected to the UP Assembly four consecutive times, is a Rajya Sabha MP and is on the committee for Rural Development.

10:45 Nirmala Sitharaman has been sworn in as well, followed by Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi. Pradhan, Goyal, Sitharaman and Naqvi are all being given Cabinet positions.

10:42 Pradhan falters with the words of the oath and is corrected by President Kovind. Piyush Goyal takes oath next. He is also being elevated to Cabinet rank.

10:40 Petroleum minister Dharmendra Pradhan is the first to take oath. He has been elevated to Cabinet rank.

10:38 President Ram Nath Kovind has arrived for the ceremony and the national anthem is now playing.

10:36 The Janata Dal (United) has also skipped the ceremony. The newest NDA ally has not been allotted a Cabinet berth.

10:35 Uma Bharti is not attending the swearing-in ceremony. She is the Union water resources minister.

10:32 Amit Shah is seated next to Narendra Modi, followed by Rajnath Singh and Arun Jaitley.

10:28 Railway minister Suresh Prabhu is seated next to Road minister Nitin Gadkari. Will they hold the same portfolios in an hour from now?

10:23 Prime Minister Narendra Modi has arrived at the swearing-in ceremony.

10:10 The full list of portfolios should be out by 11am.

10:00 Just half an hour to go for the swearing-in ceremony to begin. Live visuals from Rashtrapati Bhavan show plenty of handshakes and hugs going around.

09:59 "Our National President (Nitish Kumar) had already made it clear, so no question of me or anyone from JDU joining cabinet," VN Singh, Janata Dal (United) leader, tells ANI.

09:57 Former IAS officer KJ Alphons says his induction into the council of ministers came as a great surprise.

Alphons, who hails from Kerala, was featured in Time Magazine's list of 100 Young Global Leaders and is said to have pioneered the literacy movement in India by making Kottayam the first 100 percent literate town in India in 1989.

09:48 Word is that there is unlikely to be a change in the 'big four' portfolios - defence, finance, external affairs and home. Arun Jaitley is currently in charge of the defence and finance ministries.

09:42 The list of portfolios that have been allotted will be known soon after the ceremony.

09:39 If you're just joining us, these are the nine new faces who will be inducted into the council of ministers.

09:37 The nine new ministers and the three set for an elevation have just left the Prime Minister's residence and will now head to Rashtrapati Bhavan.

09:33 Ahead of the swearing-in ceremony, RK Singh has thanked the Prime Minister for expressing confidence in his ability, adding that his portfolio has not been decided yet. Singh is a former home secretary.

09:30 Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi is also said to be in line for an elevation to Cabinet rank. He's currently the Minister of State for Parliamentary Affairs.

09:25 There is also buzz that NDA ally Shiv Sena will skip the swearing-in ceremony over not getting a fresh berth in the reshuffle.

09:20 Speculation is rife that Piyush Goyal may be given charge of the Railways. Suresh Prabhu had offered to quit last week in light of recent train derailments.

09:10 The Prime Minister is currently hosting a 'chai pe charcha' with the nine men set to join his Council of Ministers. Narendra Modi will be leaving for the BRICS Summit in China at 3pm today, so he will not have time to interact with his new ministers after the official portfolios are allotted.

09:08 Will Nitin Gadkari take charge of the Railways? "It is a discussion in the media," he said when asked about the possibility.

09:02 The nine new members to be inducted in the Union council of ministers include four former senior bureaucrats and also BJP leaders from the states of Karnataka, Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh which go to polls in the near future.

08:46 Dharmendra Pradhan (Petroleum), Nirmala Sitharaman (Commerce) and Piyush Goyal (Power) have received calls for elevation to Cabinet rank as a reward for their good work.

08:40 The President tweeted last night that the swearing-in ceremony of the new ministers of the Union government will take place at 10.30 am today.

10.40 pm The names of nine ministers who will be inducted into the Council of Ministers have been confirmed. They are Raj Kumar Singh, Shiv Prakash Shukla, Virendra Kumar, Hardeep S Puri, Satya Pal Singh, KJ Alphons, Ashwini Choubey, Ananth Kumar Hegde, Gajendra Shekhawat.

Here is a brief profile on each.

9.12 pm The swearing-in ceremony for the Council of Ministers is expected to be held at around 10 am at the Rashtrapati Bhavan. The list of portfolios that have been allotted will be known later in the day, probably in the afternoon before PM Modi leaves for the BRICS Summit in China.

8.59 pm But the short point being the NDA Cabinet does need a bit of a shake-up. Bench strength was perceived to be the biggest weakness of the ruling party, which rode to power on the popularity of one man -- and it has shown.

With general elections a couple of years away, PM Modi will need as much help as possible: demonetisation and the GST rollout have kept the economy soft recently, banks struggle with a gargantuan NPA burden, private sector investment remains sluggish while a jobs crisis looms.

8.53 pm Having said that, it is by now well known that PM Modi and BJP President Amit Shah like to keep their cards close to the chest. So one should not be surprised in cases of, well, surprise.

8.50 pm Here's what we know so far, courtesy our trusted sources:

- Finance Minister Arun Jaitley, who is also holding the defence portfolio, will likely hold only one of the two after the shuffle. Rising star in the NDA government, Power Minister Piyush Goyal could be elevated and given charge of one of these portfolios.

- BJP National General Secretary Ram Madhav also could be inducted into the Cabinet. Rajya Sabha MPs Bhupendra Yadav and Vinay Sahasrabuddhe could be the other new inductees to Modis council of ministers.

- There is also speculation that the agriculture and fertilizer ministries might be merged in the new system, while railways, aviation, roads and shipping ministries could be integrated into a single transport ministry. Highways minister Nitin Gadkari could head this integrated transport ministry.

- Suresh Prabhu may be moved to the environment ministry.

8.45 pm A cloud of uncertainty, however, hangs over the participation of the BJP allies like the JD(U) and Shiv Sena in the reshuffle, even as chances of the AIADMK joining the government appear slim.

8.42 pm Union ministers - Kalraj Mishra, Bandaru Dattatreya, Rajiv Pratap Rudy, Sanjiv Kumar Balyan, Faggan Singh Kulaste and Mahendra Nath Pandey -- had resigned yesterday ahead of the reshuffle.

Uma Bharti, too, had offered to resign but her fate remains in the balance amid speculation that there may be a few more exits.

So did popular Railway Minister Suresh Prabhu whose stint has seen the transporter roll out several new initiatives and services but which remains blighted by a poor safety record.

8.37 pm The Cabinet reshuffle is important coming as it does less than two years before the Modi government goes to polls in 2019. The PM, known to be an astute strategist, will have to keep in mind several interests: use it reinforce important political alliances and get caste and regional calculations right while picking ministerial candidates having the potential to help move the needle in an economy that faces several headwinds.

Welcome to the live coverage of the Cabinet reshuffle scheduled for Sunday morning. In less than 24 hours, we will come to know the full shape of the Union Cabinet following its third major reshuffle during the tenure of the Narendra Modi government.
Four ministers of state got elevation in the Cabinet reshuffle. Four of the new ministers are former bureaucrats. Five new ministers have strong caste or identity-based support base. Find out about the rest.

By Prabhash K Dutta: Nine new Union ministers took oath today at the Rashtrapati Bhavan. The swearing-in ceremony was attended by most of the senior members of the Council of Ministers including Prime Minister Narendra Modi. BJP president Amit Shah was also present during oath taking.

Modi-Shah team worked hard to get the balance right in the Cabinet with an eye on the next Lok Sabha elections - less than two years from now. Caste combination has been taken care of in Uttar Pradesh and Bihar. Poll-bound state of Karnataka has got a hardcore RSS member as Union minister. Besides, retired bureaucrats have also been inducted to get non-political work of governance done.

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The new team has come up as a result of an interesting number pattern, which can be explained as 3,4,5,6-formula.

THREE

It was the third Cabinet reshuffle by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in as many years. The Modi government was sworn-in in May 2015. Prime Minister Modi reshuffled his Cabinet in November that year within six months of forming the government. Suresh Prabhu and Manohar Parrikar were inducted in the Cabinet.

The second Cabinet reshuffle took place in July last year when 19 new ministers were included in the Union Council of Ministers. PM Modi had dropped five ministers of states while elevating Prakash Javadekar to cabinet rank.

There was another three - the number of vacancies in the Cabinet before reshuffle. Manohar Parrikar had resigned in March to take over as the Chief Minister of Goa. Arun Jaitley has since been taking care of Parrikar's defence portfolio.

The then Environment and Forest Minister Anil Dave passed away in May this year. Dave's portfolio passed on to Science and Technology Minister Harsh Vardhan. In July, M Venkaiah Naidu resigned to contest the vice-presidential election. His portfolios were distributed among Narendra Singh Tomar and Smriti Irani.

FOUR

Four is the number of former bureaucrats who took oath today as the Union ministers. They are Raj Kumar Singh, Hardeep Puri, Alphons Kannanthanam and Satyapal Singh.

Former Union home secretary and Lok Sabha MP from Bihar RK Singh had shot to fame during his bureaucratic career when he arrested veteran BJP leader LK Advani in 1990 at Samastipur in Bihar stopping his Rath Yatra. Hardeep Puri has had an illustrious career as diplomat. He was the permanent representative at the United Nations for several years. Hardeep Puri is also considered close to LK Advani and, in a sense, balances out RK Singh's presence in the Modi cabinet.

Alphons Kannanthanam and Satyapal Singh have vast administrative experience. Alphons Kannanthanam is known as the Demolition Man of the DDA. He has expertise in town planning and considered a good hand in infrastructure development.

Satyapal Singh is known for his drive against the underworld as the Mumbai police commissioner. His presence in the cabinet will also help the BJP counter the exit of Sanjiv Baliyan, the Jat leader from western Uttar Pradesh.

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Incidentally, four ministers of state - Dharmendra Pradhan, Piyush Goyal, Nirmala Sitharaman and Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi - have been elevated to cabinet rank.

Watch #CabinetReshuffle LIVE : Swearing-in ceremony of new Ministers of Union Govt. at @rashtrapatibhvn https://t.co/lCH1f9As4x- PIB India (@PIB_India) September 3, 2017

FIVE

Five of the nine new ministers found their way into the cabinet due to caste and political considerations. They are Shiv Pratap Shukla, Ashwani Kumar Choubey, Virendra Kumar, Gajendra Singh Shekhawat and Anant Hegde.

Shiv Pratap Shukla is a known rival of UP Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath. Both have strong Gorakhpur connection. Shukla's entry into the Cabinet also compensates the loss of Mahendra Nath Pandey as one Brahmin from UP replaces another in the Modi government.

Ashwani Kumar Choubey is another Brahmin from neighbouring Bihar. There was no Brahmin minister from Bihar in the Union Council of Minister. As a Rajput minister RK Singh from Bihar replaced Rajiv Pratap Rudy, Choubey's entry in the Cabinet looks at striking the right caste balance in Bihar BJP.

Virendra Kumar is a Dalit leader fromTikamgarh in the Budelkhand region of Madhya Pradesh. He is a six-time Lok Sabha MP. Virendra Kumar's induction in the cabinet comes roughly a month after Samptiya Uikey - a tribal leader from Madhya Pradesh - was made Rajya Sabha member by the BJP. The Dalit-tribal combination may help the BJP in Madhya Pradesh and Lok Sabha elections later.

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Gajendra Singh Shekhawat is known as affable Rajpur leader in Rajasthan. He is a Lok Sabha MP from Jodhpur. Shekhawat's induction by PM Narendra Modi is an attempt to give Rajasthan more representation at the Centre. There has been sentiment in the poll-bound state that Rajasthan is under-represented in the Modi government despite voting overwhelmingly in BJP's favour in the 2014-Lok Sabha elections.

Karnataka is heading to assembly polls and BJP hopes to cash in on the anti-incumbency against Siddaramaiah government of Congress. Ananth Hegde is a strong RSS leader. He is a Lok Sabha MP from Uttara Kannada. Anant Hegde has the reputation of a hardliner Hindutva leader.

SIX

And, finally the number six. This is the number of ministers who were dropped from Narendra Modi cabinet. It is speculated that they were dropped on the basis of their under-performance. They are Kalraj Mishra, Rajiv Pratap Rudy, Bandaru Dattatreya, Faggan Singh Kulaste, Sanjiv Balyan and Mahendra Nath Pandey.

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Modi and Shah are said to have relied on an excel sheet, prepared by a team of experts, who appraised performances of all the ministers. The excel sheet had a remarks column. Those ministers getting an "N" for negative were dropped from the Cabinet.

However, Kalraj Mishra is said to have been dropped on account of age - he is over 75 years now, and Mahendra Nath Pandey was set to go after he was made the UP BJP chief recently.

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Cabinet reshuffle LIVE: Piyush Goyal gets Railways, Arun Jaitley keeps Finance and Defence

WATCH VIDEO | Cabinet reshuffle: Piyush Goyal, Dharmendra Pradhan, Nirmala Sitharaman elevated; 9 new ministers sworn-in

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The NDA government's shake up of its Council of Ministers was probably the last major rejig ahead of the 2019 polls.

The reshuffle saw nine new cabinet members, out of which three are former bureaucrats. The three new ministers in charge of key ministries are  former Indian Administrative Service Officer and Delhi demolition man Alphons Kannanthanam, former Union home secretary and Lok Sabha MP from Arrah, RK Singh, and former Indian Foreign Service officer Hardeep Singh Puri.

Puri served as India's Ambassador to the UN in New York and Geneva has been appointed Minister of State (independent charge) of the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs.

A decorated former IFS officer of the 1974 batch, Hardeep Puri, has a four decade long distinguished career in diplomacy, foreign policy and national security.

The Delhi-born diplomat was a student leader during his days at the Hindu College and was active during the JP movement.

Puri, as the head of the Indian delegation to the UN Security Council has served as the Chairman of the Counter Terrorism Committee of the UN. He was also appointed the President of the UNSC in August 2011.

He has also served as the ambassador and permanent representative of India to the United Nations, ambassador to Brazil and UK and permanent representative of India to Geneva.

Currently, he is the President and Chairman of a think-tank called Research and Information System for developing countries (RIS).
Demanding "justice" for the 17-year-old Dalit medical aspirant, political parties, students' bodies and pro-Tamil outfits today hit the streets with many heavyweights like T T V Dhinakaran making a beeline for the girl's native village to pay their tributes.

Anitha, daughter of a daily wage earner, allegedly hanged herself at her house in Ariyalur district of the state yesterday. She was reportedly upset after it became known that Tamil Nadu will not be exempted from the ambit of National Entrance-cum-Eligibility Test (NEET).

She had moved the Supreme Court against NEET-based medical examinations in the southern state.

Road and rail blockades and attempts to picket government offices were organised by protesters, even as the BJP and the ruling AIADMK came under severe criticism.

Some students tried to stage a protest on Greenways Road near Chief Minister K Palaniswami's house here but were detained by police. Some activists also raised slogans against lawyer Nalini, wife of senior Congress leader P Chidambaram, who had represented pro-NEET students in the court.

The CPI(M) and its student and youth affiliates, SFI and DYFI, staged a road blockade here over the suicide of the girl. The party's state unit secretary G Ramakrishnan and many others were detained, police said.

Similarly, VCK party workers were held when they staged a road blockade at Kilpauk here. A students' outfit tried to picket state-run Multi-Super Speciality Hospital at Omanthurar Estate on the main road and its members were detained. They raised slogans against the central and state governments on the issue of NEET.

At Palayamkottai in Tirunelveli district, a "wailing protest" was held by women members of pro-Tamil 'Naam Tamizhar Katchi'.

Hundreds of students and workers of various political parties and organisations were arrested at Coimbatore when they attempted to stage agitation on the issue.

A few students asked the Tamil Nadu government to take moral responsibility and step down from office and sought a judicial inquiry into the incident, police said.

A group of workers belonging to Viduthalai Chiruthigal Katchi (VCK) assembled near Gandhipuram bus stand, blocked the road and raised slogans against the government and sought exemption for Tamil Nadu from NEET. Some workers also attempted to burn an effigy of Prime Minister Narendra Modi in Coimbatore, but the police prevented them. Police arrested 11 persons in this connection.

Protests were also held in Salem, Madurai and Rameswaram by students' and youth outfits who demanded justice for the girl and sought immediate withdrawal of NEET.

Meanwhile, Anitha's mortal remains were kept at her native village in Ariyalur for public to pay tributes. Among others, Dhinakaran, VCK founder Thol Thirumavalavan, DK leader K Veeramani and a host of social activists, cinema personalities and others paid tributes.

Some locals also raised slogans against Dhinakaran when he arrived at the girl's native village. Some of them claimed they opposed his visit as "he is part of the (ruling) AIADMK."

Dhinakaran later said that despite scoring "high marks" of 1176 out of 1200, Anitha could not get a medical seat. "In the interest of the people of Tamil Nadu, Central government should cancel NEET," he said.

Traders had also shut down shops in Ariyalur.

At the receiving end for the teen's suicide, the BJP said NEET was a "pan-India issue" and that its admissions were based on the merit lits following a Supreme Court verdict.

NEET is being held in Tamil Nadu following the apex court order, BJP state President Tamilisai Sounderrajan said even as she regretted the death of Anitha.

She claimed rural students have benefited more from NEET and that they have been highlighting the three attempts in the exam. "Let this not be highlighted as brutal politics. State BJP wants no more Anithas," she said. Union Minister of State, Pon Radhkarishnan said Anitha's death has caused "unbearable pain." Condoling her death, he also expressed sympathies with her family.

He further exhorted children to face their future with mental grit and urged politicians, activists and others to make encouraging remarks for children. Senior AIADMK leader and Lok Sabha Deputy Speaker M Thambidurai said his party was not in favour of NEET and expressed regret over Anitha committing suicide. "She could have avoided taking the step," he said.

The apex court had last month asked the state government to start counselling for admissions to MBBS and BDS seats in the state based on NEET merit list. It had given the directive after Centre told the court that it was not in favour of a recent ordinance passed by the state to exempt it from NEET this year.

Political leaders including DMK working president M K Stalin and Thol Thirumavalavan and actors Kamal Haasan and Rajinikanth, among others, had condoled Anitha's death.

Political parties and other outfits in Tamil Nadu are opposed to NEET, saying it will affect rural students.

Early this year, the state assembly had unanimously adopted two resolutions to ensure for the continuation of medical admissions in the state based on Class XII marks and not through an entrance exam, as envisaged by NEET.
New Delhi: Minister of State for Commerce & Industry (Independent Charge), Nirmala Sitharaman addresses at an Interactive Session with the Startup Ecosystem Stakeholders, during the first anniversary of Start Up India, in New Delhi on Monday. PTI Photo (PTI1_16_2017_000067B)

With Prime Minister Narendra Modi shuffling some of his key cabinet ministers and filling up vacancies, Nirmala Sitharaman on Sunday became the new defence minister of India, and the second woman to hold the superior portfolio.

Sitharaman has entered the top four circle of ministries close to the Prime Minister with her elevation from the MoS of Commerce Ministry to Defence Ministry which was left vacant by Manohar Parrikar after he resigned to become the Chief Minister of Goa.

Finance Minister Arun Jaitley had to take over the Defence ministry after Parrikar left, but Defence calls for a sole custodian of its own and according to Parrikar, Sitharaman is a clear-headed woman who will do justice to it.

The 58-year old spirited woman from Andhra Pradesh, has risen quite fast compared to most senior politicians and ministers. She got noticed for her work as a minister as well as for being an articulate mouthpiece of the ruling BJP.

Politically tempered by senior BJP leader and union minister Jaitley, Sitharaman had entered Rajya Sabha only in 2014.

Notably, she was a member of the National Commission for Women--the statutory body to safeguard legal and constitutional rights of women in India--for two years till 2005.

With the aim of making India a manufacturing hub, Sitharaman introduced several changes in industrial policies.

Under her regime as the commerce minister, The Department of Industrial Policy and Promotion eased a number of FDI rules in sectors like defence, food products, aviation and retail; they also fast-tracked application and approval processes to step up growth in economy and jobs.

The well-versed politician also piloted the policy to let up to 100 percent FDI in domestic airlines and new airports; as a result, foreign companies can now completely own Indian domestic carriers and 'greenfield' airports and up to 74 percent in existing airports. Defence also saw the doors opened for 100 percent FDI with the government's aim to bring in newer, up-to-date technologies through foreign partners.

Initiated during Sitharaman's tenure, a new industrial policy is also being drawn up after decades.

The commerce ministry has also been dealing with 21 crucial free trade agreements with several countries which will now be handled by new Commerce Minister Suresh Prabhu.

On the other hand, Sitharaman will have to take care of all critical tasks left unfinished by Parrikar in the Defence frontier.

Recently, the government has announced reforms for the Indian Army to improve their combat skills and optimize expenditure. The gigantic task includes redeployment of over half a lakh military personnel and shutting down military farms.

Added to Sitharamans significant responsibilities, is the diplomatic relationships with neighbouring Pakistan and China, given the rising tensions.
The love-hate relationship between Shiv Sena and BJP was at display once again after Uddhav Thackeray-led Shiv Sena chose to stay away from the oath-taking ceremony of the major cabinet reshuffle of the Modi government.

The far-right party broke an old alliance with the BJP in October Assembly elections of 2014 soon after NDA rose to power under Prime Minister Narendra Modi in May. However, the party mended its alliance again with the BJP in the same year.

Before the BMC polls in March, the two parties struck a sour note. Shiv Sena won 84 of the 227 seats in the BMC polls which is its highest tally in a ten years. On the other hand, the BJP won 82 seats up from just 26 seats that it got ten years back.

This has ruffled some feathers in the Shiv Sena ranks as its ally BJP has now turned into an important rival.

Interestingly, apart from Shiv Sena, BJPs most recent ally in Bihar, has also skipped the oath-taking ceremony.

JD(U) has recently got into an alliance under the leadership of Nitish Kumar with the BJP.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday left on a three-day visit to China to attend the BRICS Summit which he hoped would support the agenda for a stronger partnership among the member countries, amid strain in Sino- India ties over a host of issues.

On the second leg of his five-day tour, Modi will travel to Myanmar for his first bilateral visit with an aim of charting a roadmap for closer cooperation between the two countries in areas which include security and counter- terrorism.

In a statement yesterday, the prime minister said he was looking forward to productive discussions and positive outcomes at the BRICS (Brazil-Russia-India-China-South Africa) Summit in Xiamen city, building upon the results of last year's Goa Summit between him and Chinese President Xi Jinping.

The visit comes days after India and China managed to end the 73-day-long Dokalam standoff. From Xiamen, he will travel to Myanmar on August 5 before returning to the country on August 7.

A possible meeting between Modi and Chinese leader Xi on the margins of the Summit will be a major focus at a time when ties between the two major powers have nosedived over a number of issues including the Dokalam stand-off.

"I look forward to building upon the results and outcomes of the Goa Summit. I also look forward to productive discussions and positive outcomes that will support the agenda of a stronger BRICS partnership under the chairmanship of China," the PM said in a statement.

The Summit meeting will take place tomorrow.

The prime minister said he will have the opportunity to meet leaders bilaterally on the sidelines of the BRICS meet.

Replying to a specific question, the Ministry of External Affairs on Friday did not rule out a possible meeting between Modi and Chinese president on the margins of the Summit, saying it is a common practice to arrange bilateral meetings on the sidelines of such multilaterals.

India had hosted the previous BRICS Summit in Goa last year.

"India attaches high importance to the role of BRICS that has begun a second decade of its partnership for progress and peace. BRICS has important contributions to make in addressing global challenges and upholding world peace and security," Modi said.

The prime minister said he was looking forward to engaging with leaders of nine other countries, including BRICS partners, in an Emerging Markets and Developing Countries Dialogue, being hosted by Xi on September 5.

"We will also interact with the BRICS Business Council represented by captains of industry from all the five countries," he said.

About his first bilateral visit to Myanmar, Modi said both countries will look at strengthening existing cooperation in areas of security and counter-terrorism, trade and investment, infrastructure and energy, and culture.

He hoped his visit will help in charting a roadmap for closer cooperation between the two countries.

The prime minister said both countries will review developments in bilateral ties with a focus on "extensive" programme of development cooperation and socio-economic assistance India is undertaking in Myanmar.

Both sides will also explore new areas of cooperation, the statement said.

Modi said he was looking forward to paying a visit to the famed heritage city of Bagan, where the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) has done a "stellar work" in renovating the Ananda Temple.

The ASI will be undertaking further restoration work on a number of pagodas and murals that were damaged in an earthquake last year, he said.

Modi had visited Myanmar in 2014 to attend the ASEAN- India Summit.

The prime minister will meet President U Htin Kyaw and hold talks with State Counsellor Aung San Suu Kyi.

The Myanmarese president and Suu Kyi had visited India last year.
Chinese President Xi Jinping today asked BRICS members to shelve their differences and accommodate each other's concerns by enhancing mutual trust and strategic communication, as he opened the 9th annual summit of the five member emerging economies here.

The opening ceremony of the three-day BRICS summit started with BRICS Business Council in this southeastern Chinese city in Fujian province amid a downpour triggered by typhoon Mawar which had caused widespread disruption to the summit preparations and the city's traffic. The typhoon also caused considerable disruption to the flights.

BRICS - Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa - is a grouping of the five emerging economies. The BRICS summit brings together the leaders of these countries.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Brazilian President Michel Temer, South African President Jacob Zuma and Russian President Vladimir Putin will attend the summit.

In his speech broadly focusing on enhancing cooperation between the BRICS members, Xi said, "construction of a tall building starts with the foundation. We have laid the foundation and put in place the framework for BRICS cooperation."

Outlining BRICS cooperation in the last 10 years, he said treating each other as equals and seeking common ground while shelving differences is important part of cooperation.

"In terms of BRICS cooperation, decisions are made through consultation (and) not by one country. We respect each others model of development, accommodate each others concern and work to enhance strategic communication and mutual trust," he told about 1000 delegates from different countries.

"Given difference in national conditions, history and cultures, it is only natural we may have some differences in pursuing our cooperation," he said.

"However with strong faith in cooperation and enhancing collaboration the BRICS countries can achieve steady progress in our cooperation," he added.

The summit comes days after India and China last week ended a 73-day standoff in Dokalam by withdrawing troops from the area. The two sides were locked in a face-off after Indian troops stopped the Chinese People's Liberation Army from building a road in the area.

In a candid speech without directly referring to differences, Xi referred to his multi-billion dollar Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) in which the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) is a crucial component.

India had protested to CPEC as it passes through Pakistan-Occupied Kashmir. India also boycotted the Belt and Road Forum (BRF) hosted by China in May.

Xi said BRI is not a tool to advance any geopolitical agenda, but a platform for practical cooperation.

It is not a foreign aid scheme, but an initiative for interconnected development which calls for extensive consultation, joint contribution and shared benefits, he said.

"I am convinced that the BRI will serve as a new platform for all countries to achieve win-win cooperation and that it will create new opportunities for implementing the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development," he said.

He also said BRICS should promote the "BRICS Plus" approach to build an open and diversified network of development partners.

China has invited Egypt, Kenya, Tajikistan, Mexico and Thailand as guest countries for the Xiamen BRICS summit as special guests like India invited BIMSTEC (Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic) leaders for last year's BRICS summit at Goa.

"We should get more emerging market and developing countries involved in our concerted endeavours for cooperation and mutual benefits," he said.

Xi said as a cooperation platform with global influence, BRICS cooperation is more than about five countries.

"BRICS places high premium on cooperation with other emerging market and developing countries and have established effective dialogue mechanisms with them," Xi said.

Xi also said that BRICS cooperation has reached a crucial stage of development.

In assessing the performance of BRICS cooperation, it is important to bear two things in mind -- the historical course of global development and evolving international landscape; the historical process of development of BRICS countries, both individually and collectively, he said.

He said the development of the BRICS countries has delivered tangible benefits to more than three billion people.

Xi said that in the past decade, combined GDP of the bloc has grown 179 percent, trade increased 94 percent while urban population expanded 28 percent, contributing significantly to stabilising the global economy and returning it to growth.

He also said the BRICS countries have been committed to multilateralism, fairness and justice in the past decade.

BRICS countries have endeavoured to fulfil their international responsibility, and have staked out their positions on major regional and international issues and made proposals for addressing them during the past decade, Xi said.

The countries have promoted reform of economic governance to increase the representation and say of emerging market and developing countries, according to the president.

The bloc has also taken the lead in implementing the Millennium Development Goals and Sustainable Development Goals, and engaged in close dialogue and cooperation with other developing countries to pursue development through unity, the Chinese president said.

He said the BRICS countries should work to usher in second golden decade. Going forward BRICS countries have major tasks to accomplish, which are to grow economies and to strengthen cooperation, he said.

"It is time to set sail when the tide rises," Xi said, adding that countries should work to let their economic cooperation have more substance.

"Economic cooperation is the foundation of the BRICS mechanism," Xi said, referring to the progress in the operation of the New Development Bank and Contingent Reserve Arrangement and in e-commerce, trade and investment facilitation, trade in services, local currency bond issuance, scientific and technological innovation, industrial cooperation and public-private partnership.

He also said BRICS countries should implement agreements and consensus already reached while actively exploring new ways and areas of practical cooperation.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi arrived here today to attend the BRICS Summit during which he would look forward to having "productive discussions and positive outcomes" with leaders of the grouping to support the agenda for a stronger partnership among the member countries.

During his two day visit, Modi is also expected to hold a series of bilateral meetings including with Russian President Vladimir Putin and other BRICS leaders.

He is also expected to meet leaders of countries like Egypt, invited by China as part of the outreach exercise. China has invited Egypt, Kenya, Tajikistan, Mexico and Thailand as guest countries for the Summit.

"I look forward to building upon the results and outcomes of the Goa Summit. I also look forward to productive discussions and positive outcomes that will support the agenda of a stronger BRICS partnership under the chairmanship of China," the prime minister had said ahead of his visit to this Chinese city.

BRICS Summit 2017 Live: Click here to get all the latest updates

Modi's visit to attend the Brazil-Russia-India-China- South Africa (BRICS) Summit comes days after India and China managed to end the 73-day long Dokalam standoff.

On BRICS, the Prime Minister said he will have the opportunity to meet leaders bilaterally on the sidelines of the BRICS Summit.

"India attaches high importance to the role of BRICS that has begun a second decade of its partnership for progress and peace. BRICS has important contributions to make in addressing global challenges and upholding world peace and security," the prime minister had said.

The prime minister said he was looking forward to engage with leaders of nine other countries, including BRICS partners, in an Emerging Markets and Developing Countries Dialogue, being hosted by Chinese President Xi Jinping on September 5.

"We will also interact with the BRICS Business Council represented by captains of industry from all five countries," he had said.
The BRICS group of emerging economies must promote trade liberalisation and an open world economy, Chinese President Xi Jinping said at a business meeting on Sunday at the start of a three-day summit being held in southeastern China.

The heads of state from Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa will gather in the city of Xiamen through Tuesday, giving China as host its latest chance to position itself as a bulwark of globalisation in the face of US President Donald Trump's "America First" agenda.

BRICS leaders will be joined by observer countries Thailand, Mexico, Egypt, Guinea and Tajikistan, and officials will discuss a "BRICS Plus" plan to possibly expand the bloc to new members.

Mexico's President Enrique Pena Nieto is set to be in China to discuss trade and investment, as Trump has renewed threats to scrap the 23-year-old North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) that he has labelled a killer of US jobs.

"We should push for an open world economy, promote trade liberalisation and facilitation, jointly create a new global value chain, and realise a global economic rebalancing," Xi told BRICS business leaders and senior officials.

BRICS Summit 2017 Live: Click here to get all the latest updates

Xi said he still had "full confidence" in BRICS countries' development despite claims that the bloc's relevance had faded due to slower growth.

"The development of emerging market and developing countries won't touch anyone's cheese, but instead will diligently grow the world economic pie," he said.

Earlier, Chinese vice trade minister, Wang Shouwen, said the BRICS meeting was expected to "reach consensus for actions" to oppose trade protectionism. He added that China was interested in possibly establishing a free trade agreement with Mexico.

In July, Xi called on members of the Group of 20 (G20) nations to champion an open world economy, and at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, in January offered a vigorous defence of globalisation.

In Xiamen, Xi closed his 45-minute speech by saying that Beijing encouraged Chinese companies to continue going abroad, and "warmly welcomed" other countries' firms to invest in the world's second-largest economy.

But those remarks are cold comfort to some critics of China, foreign business groups and governments alike, who say China has done little to remove its discriminatory policies and market barriers that favour Chinese companies.

The BRICS summit comes just a week after China and India agreed to end a more than two-month standoff between hundreds of troops in a Himalayan border area, which had put a sidelines meeting between Xi and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi in question.

The standoff was the latest example how BRICS countries while sharing certain development goals, are far from unified.

Some have questioned the relevance of BRICS and China's commitment to its New Development Bank (NDB) in light of Xi's own global Belt and Road development initiative and the China-led Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank.

Set up in 20l5 as an alternative to the World Bank, the Shanghai-headquartered NDB was seen as the first major BRICS achievement after the group came together in 2009 to press for a bigger say in the post-World War Two financial order created by Western powers.

The bank aims to address a massive infrastructure funding gap in the member countries, which account for almost half the world's population and about a fifth of global economic output.

The NDB's president on Friday said it aims to make about $4 billion in loans next year. To date, it has invested in 11 projects, lending $1.5 billion in 2016 and $2.5 billion in loans set for this year.
Six term Lok Sabha MP Virendra Kumar found a place in the Union Cabinet on Sunday putting at rest speculation about who all would make it from MP in the expansion.

By Rahul Noronha: Six term Lok Sabha MP Virendra Kumar found a place in the Union Cabinet on Sunday putting at rest speculation about who all would make it from MP in the expansion.

Virendra Kumar's rise in BJP politics has been gradual. He began working with the student wing, Akhil Bhartiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP) in Sagar and was given the party ticket from Sagar Lok Sabha, then a SC reserved constituency in 1996.

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Virendra Kumar, who hails from the Khateek SC community, won the election and there was no looking back after that. He won the seat again in 1998, in 1999 and 2004 and then shifted to Tikamgarh (SC), a seat created after delimitation in 2008. He contested and won Tikamgarh in 2009 and 2014 Lok Sabha elections.

Virendra Kumar's beginnings were extremely humble. Residents of Sagar recall the sight of him working with his father at a cycle repair shop in the town. Incidentally, Virendra Kumar's father Amar Singh was also a Jan Sangh leader who contested elections, but did not win any prominent ones.

Virendra Kumar has kept the connect with the common man and seeing him in Sagar going about on a scooter was a common sight. He is often seen in a tractor or meeting people at wayside tea stalls and even cycle repair shops in areas falling within his constituency Tikamgarh.

Virendra Kumar's brother-in-law Dr Gauri Shankar Shejwar is presently a minister in the Shivraj Singh Chouhan cabinet. Shejwar is one of the senior most MLAs of the BJP in the House, being first elected in 1977.

Four out of the twenty six BJP MPs from Madhya Pradesh are Ministers while three out of the six BJP Rajya Sabha MPs from the state are Ministers.

ALSO READ:

Cabinet reshuffle: All about 9 new ministers in Narendra Modi government

Winners and losers of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's cabinet reshuffle

--- ENDS ---
Arun Jaitley

Arun Jaitley will attend a key security dialogue with Japan tomorrow though the charge of the defence ministry has been given to Nirmala Sitharamam in a major rejig of the Union Cabinet today.

Jaitley, who has been holding the defence portfolio, said due to logistical constraints, he will be attending the security dialogue.

Sitharaman will be the first woman full-time defence minister. Finance Minister Jaitley was holding additional charge of the ministry after Manohar Parrikar quit to become the Goa's chief minister in March.

"Normally, the new defence minister should have been going but logistically that doesn't seem possible today, being a Sunday, to make the changes. And it is a very important security dialogue between the two countries, particularly on the eve of Japanese PM's visit," Jaitley said.

He said, "I will continue for the next two days and participate. Sitharaman will take charge of the ministry as soon as the dialogue ends."

Jaitley, one of the seniormost ministers in the Modi Cabinet, was in charge of the defence ministry between May 26 and November 9, 2014 also.

As the defence minister in his second stint, Jaitley took a number of key decisions aimed at modernisation of the armed forces and to support the domestic defence industry.

In May, the defence ministry, after years of deliberations, had approved thestrategic partnership model under which select private firms would be roped in to build military platforms like submarines and fighter jets in India in partnership with foreign entities.

"I think this was a very fruitful and deep association where we were able to take some very important decisions which were pending for years and I am sure now that I have extremely competent successor in Sitharaman. She will carry that role further," Jaitley said.

Seen as a major initiative, the 'strategic partnership (SP) model' aims at creating a vibrant defence manufacturing ecosystem in the country through involvement of both the major Indian corporates as well as the micro, small and medium enterprises sector.

On August 30, the government had announced major reforms in the Indian Army to enhance its combat capability which include redeployment of nearly 57,000 officers and other ranks.

Jaitley also thanked officers and employees of the defence ministry and members of the Armed Forces for their cooperation.
GANGWON-DO, SOUTH KOREA - AUGUST 29: In this handout image provide by South Korean Defense Ministry, A bomb hits a mock target at the Pilseung Firing Range on August 29, 2017 in Gangwon-do, South Korea. The ballistic missile launched by North Korea flew over Northern Japan and fell into the Pacific Ocean. (Photo by South Korean Defense Ministry via Getty Images)

North Korea detonated its sixth and most powerful nuclear test on Sunday, Japan and South Korea said, hours after Pyongyang said it had developed an advanced hydrogen bomb that possesses great destructive power.

Japanese and South Korean meteorological officials said an earthquake detected near the Norths test site - measured by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) at magnitude 6.3 - was around 10 times more powerful than previous detonations.

North Korea said it would make an important announcement at 0630 GMT.

The move is a direct challenge to U.S. President Donald Trump, who hours earlier had talked by phone with Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe about the escalating nuclear crisis in the region.

Japan immediately raised the prospect of further sanctions against the isolated North, with Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga saying that curbs on its oil trade would be on the table.

A U.S. official who studies North Koreas military and politics said that seismic data on the tremors was being analysed, although the location suggested another nuclear test.

The official, who spoke on the condition of anonymity, said it was too early to determine if a test, if there was one, supported the Norths claim that has succeeded in developing a thermonuclear weapon, much less one that could be mounted on an ICBM and re-enter Earths atmosphere without burning up.

The hydrogen bomb report by North Koreas official KCNA news agency comes amid heightened regional tension following Pyongyangs two tests of intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBM) in July that potentially could fly about 10,000 km (6,200 miles), putting many parts of the mainland United States within range.

Under third-generation leader Kim Jong Un, North Korea has been pursuing a nuclear device small and light enough to fit on a long-range ballistic missile, without affecting its range and making it capable of surviving re-entry into the Earths atmosphere.

One expert said the size of Sundays detonation meant it was possible it could be a hydrogen bomb test.

The power is 10 or 20 times or even more than previous ones, Said Kune Y. Suh, a nuclear engineering professor at Seoul National University. That scale is to the level where anyone can say a hydrogen bomb test.

AIR RAID SIRENS

Witnesses in the Chinese city of Yanji, on the border with North Korea, said they felt a tremor that lasted roughly 10 seconds, followed by an aftershock. China said it had detected a second, 4.6 magnitude quake with near identical coordinates eight minutes later.

I was eating brunch just over the border here in Yanji when we felt the whole building shake, Michael Spavor, director of the Paektu Cultural Exchange, which promotes business and cultural ties with North Korea. It lasted for about five seconds. The city air raid sirens started going off.

South Koreas military said the first earthquake appeared to be manmade. A meeting of Seouls National Security Council has been convened, national news agency Yonhap reported.

Japan said it had concluded there was a nuclear test.

North Koreas mission is quite clear when it comes to this latest atomic test: to develop a nuclear arsenal that can strike all of Asia and the U.S. homeland, Harry Kazianis, director of defence studies at the conservative Center for the National Interest in Washington, said.

This test is just another step towards such a goal.

None of us should be shocked by Pyongyangs latest actions.

Earthquakes triggered by North Korean nuclear tests have gradually increased in magnitude since Pyongyangs first test in 2006, indicating the isolated country is steadily improving the destructive power of its nuclear technology.

After the fifth nuclear test in September, USGS measured a magnitude of 5.3. while South Korean monitors said the blast caused a 5.0 magnitude earthquake.

North Korea, which carries out its nuclear and missile programmes in defiance of UN Security Council resolutions and sanctions, recently succeeded in making a more advanced hydrogen bomb that will be loaded on to an ICBM, KCNA said.

The H-bomb, the explosive power of which is adjustable from tens kiloton to hundreds kiloton, is a multi-functional thermonuclear nuke with great destructive power, KCNA said.

All components of the H-bomb were homemade and all the processes ... were put on the Juche basis, thus enabling the country to produce powerful nuclear weapons as many as it wants, KCNA quoted Kim as saying.

Juche is North Koreas homegrown ideology of self-reliance that is a mix of Marxism and extreme nationalism preached by state founder Kim Il Sung, the current leaders grandfather. It says its weapons programmes are needed to counter U.S. aggression.

North Korea offered no evidence for its latest claim, and Kim Dong-yub, a military expert at Kyungnam Universitys Institute of Far Eastern Studies in Seoul, was sceptical.

Referring to tens to hundreds of kilotons, it doesnt appear to be talking about a fully fledged H-bomb. Its more likely a boosted nuclear device, Kim said, referring to an atomic bomb which uses some hydrogen isotopes to boost explosive yield.

A hydrogen bomb can achieve thousands of kilotons of explosive yield - massively more powerful than some 10 to 15 kilotons that North Koreas last nuclear test in September was estimated to have produced, similar to the bomb dropped on Hiroshima, Japan, in 1945.

HOURGLASS-SHAPED DEVICE

Kim Jong Un, who visited the countrys nuclear weapons institute, watched an H-bomb to be loaded into new ICBM and set forth tasks to be fulfilled in the research into nukes, KCNA said.

Pictures released by the agency showed Kim inspecting a silver-coloured, hourglass-shaped warhead in the visit accompanied by nuclear scientists.

The shape shows a marked difference from pictures of the ball-shaped device North Korea released in March last year, and appears to indicate the appearance of a two-stage thermonuclear weapon, or a hydrogen bomb, said Lee Choon-geun, senior research fellow at state-run Science and Technology Policy Institute.

The pictures show a more complete form of a possible hydrogen bomb, with a primary fission bomb and a secondary fusion stage connected together in an hourglass shape, Lee said.

Tensions on the Korean peninsula have been high since last month when North Korea threatened to launch missiles into the sea near the strategically located U.S. Pacific territory of Guam after Trump said Pyongyang would face fire and fury if it threatened the United States.

North Korea further raised regional tensions on Tuesday by launching an intermediate-range ballistic missile over Japan, drawing international condemnation.

Trump and Abe spoke by phone and said that in face of an escalating situation with North Korea that close cooperation between their countries and with South Korea was needed, Abe told reporters.

The United States has repeatedly urged China, the Norths sole major ally, to do more to rein in its neighbour.

Impoverished North Korea and the rich, democratic South are technically still at war because their 1950-53 conflict ended in a truce, not a peace treaty. The North regularly threatens to destroy the South and its main ally, the United States.
GANGWON-DO, SOUTH KOREA - AUGUST 29: In this handout image provide by South Korean Defense Ministry, A bomb hits a mock target at the Pilseung Firing Range on August 29, 2017 in Gangwon-do, South Korea. The ballistic missile launched by North Korea flew over Northern Japan and fell into the Pacific Ocean. (Photo by South Korean Defense Ministry via Getty Images)

The US Treasury Department will prepare a package of sanctions that would "cut off North Korea economically" following the isolated regime's latest nuclear test, the department chief said today.

"I'm going to draft a sanctions package and send it to the President for his strong consideration so anybody (who) wants to do trade or business with them will be prevented from doing trade or business with us," Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin said on "Fox News Sunday."

"We will work with our allies. We will work with China. But people need to cut off North Korea economically, this is unacceptable behavior," he said.

US President Donald Trump earlier today called North Korea a "great threat and embarrassment" to China and warned that "appeasement" won't work with Pyongyang, after the reclusive nation carried out its biggest nuclear test.

"North Korea has conducted a major nuclear test. Their words and actions continue to be very hostile and dangerous to the United States," Trump tweeted.

"North Korea is a rogue nation which has become a great threat and embarrassment to China, which is trying to help but with little success," he said in another tweet.

The North today claimed it has successfully tested a hydrogen bomb meant to be loaded onto an intercontinental ballistic missile. It was Pyongyang's sixth, and most powerful, nuclear test, which was set to raise tension in the region.

North Korea last carried out a nuclear test in September 2016.
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September 03, 2017

The Peanut - North Korea Tests A New Nuke - Continues To Press For Negotiations

Earlier today North Korea published pictures of its leader Kim Jong Un admiring a thermonuclear device or H-bomb. Hours later it tested such a bomb in an underground explosion. The North Korean news agency announced:

Pyongyang, September 3 (KCNA) -- Respected Supreme Leader Kim Jong Un guided the work for nuclear weaponization on the spot. He was greeted by senior officials of the Department of Munitions Industry of the Central Committee of the Workers' Party of Korea (WPK) and scientists of the Nuclear Weapons Institute before being briefed on the details of nuclear weaponization.

...

He watched an H-bomb to be loaded into new ICBM. Saying that he felt the pride of indomitably bolstering up the nuclear forces at a great price while seeing the Juche-oriented thermonuclear weapon with super explosive power made by our own efforts and technology, he expressed great satisfaction over the fact that our scientists do anything without fail if the party is determined to do.

...

The H-bomb, the explosive power of which is adjustable from tens kiloton to hundreds kiloton, is a multi-functional thermonuclear nuke with great destructive power which can be detonated even at high altitudes for super-powerful EMP attack according to strategic goals.



The Peanut - bigger

The Walter Cronkite of North Korean TV, Ri Chun Hee, showed more pictures from the visit (vid) the visit and later announced the nuclear test.

Some analyst nicknamed the new device the Peanut. The bomb type obviously differs from the implosion type Disco Ball of March 2016. The "Junche orientation" component, which presumably guarantees the ideological conformity of the device, seems to be the round white box on the left :-/.

(More seriously: Juche refers to self-sufficiency - i.e. North Korea made the components and built the device by itself.)

A graphic in one of the pictures shows the peanut within the warhead bay of a Hawsong-14 Inter-Continental Ballistic Missile.

An hour after the above release, earth-quake detection monitors in south Asia went off. A seismic event of 6.1 to 6.3 magnitude on the logarithmic momentum magnitude scale was detected in the area of Punggye-ri. Like earlier North Korean nuclear weapon tests in the same area, the event happened exactly on the half hour mark (at 12:00am local time). The magnitude points to a large device with an explosive power between 100 kilotons and 1 megaton TNT equivalent. (All previous North Korean nuclear tests were in the low kiloton range.) Some detection stations found another seismic event of 4.6 magnitude shortly thereafter. If confirmed it was likely caused by a "cave-in" of the sub-terrain test chamber. It will take some time to assess the data and to come to more precise estimates, but the qualitative different size of this test compared to previous ones is undeniable.

Added: A later statement by the North Korean news agency confirmed a successful test of a two-stage thermonuclear device. It claimed that no radiation was released to the atmosphere.

One must now assess that North Korea has the capability to make, launch and deliver staged thermonuclear weapons up to megaton size at ICBM ranges. Most of China, Japan and at least the U.S. west coast are in reach of such a weapon. With this warhead size the somewhat dubious accuracy of North Korean missiles has much less relevance.

Before the U.S. and South Korea started this years invasion maneuver Ulchi on August 22, North Korea had warned that it would test-launch four Hawsong-12 mid range ballistic missiles towards the large U.S. base on Guam if, and only if, the U.S. would continue to use "strategic equipment" around its borders. This referred to B-1B nuclear bombers and aircraft carriers.

The U.S. understood and scaled back the planned maneuver. No "strategic equipment" was used.

On August 28, when the maneuver had ended, North Korea launched a test of a single Hawsong-12 medium range missile into the Pacific. The missile crossed over Japan at a height of 550 kilometer. (It thereby did NOT violate Japanese air -space.) Earlier tests had been flown in unrealistic steep trajectories to avoid such an overflight. This test was likely designed to prove to the U.S. the capability to reach Guam.

On August 31 the U.S. flew another "show of force" with B-1B bombers and F-35 stealth fighter planes over South Korea. The planes trained precision bombing with live bombs at a South Korean training area. These plane types are "strategic equipment" and the training makes only sense in a "preemptive strike on North Korea" scenario.

One can understand today's nuclear test as a response to these continuing U.S. provocations. The U.S. will of course claim that only North Korea is "provoking" here and it itself is only "responding". But such a hen-egg discussion and juvenile tit-for-tat is not only useless but dangerous. History tells us that the U.S. completely devastated North Korea and killed some 20% of its population, not vice versa. So far only North Korea had to fear nuclear destruction. That has now changed into a more balanced situation. A preventive or preemptive war on North Korea is no longer an option.

Today's event should convince even the dumbest of the doubters that North Korea's claimed capabilities are real. It should also demonstrate to the White House that verbal "fire and furry" insults, tit-for-tat shows of force and further economic sanctioning of North Korea and/or China are, as predicted, only worsening the situation.

Phillipe notes in the comments that today is the opening of a BRICS summit in Xiamen in China. Xi Jinping is giving a big speech. He will not like this disruption. China strongly condemned the test but there is little else it could reasonably do.

North Korea has offered several times to negotiate with the U.S. towards a peace agreement. (As the Korea War only ended in a ceasefire the nations are still at war.) It offered to stop all its nuclear and missile testing if the U.S. stops the large scale maneuvers in South Korea. Russia, China and South Korea have long urged the U.S. to pick up on that offer. The U.S. could have done so every day since the offer was first made years ago. Not doing so has only created the current situation and today's events.

One September 9 North Korea will celebrate its Independence Day. Such occasions are often used to demonstrate new capabilities. Today's first KCNA statement included the lines:

[Kim Jong Un] watched an H-bomb to be loaded into new ICBM

...

[which] can be detonated even at high altitudes for super-powerful EMP attack

A strong nuclear explosion at great height can cause an Electro-Magnetic-Pulse which does not directly kill people on the ground but creates some damage to unprotected electric and electronic equipment. The EMP threat is largely exaggerated but a hobby horse of many fear- and war-mongers in Congress. North Korea surely knows this and the statement thereby touches a sensible point. I find it unlikely that North Korea would go with such an unproven concept. This is mere trolling. But a September 9 ICBM missile test, on a realistic trajectory and with a simulated nuclear load, is definitely a possible next step to up the pressure towards new negotiations.

I for one feel no urge to witness a full Hawsong-14 ICBM test with even a dud megaton nuclear device on board. If the White House feels the same it must NOW stop further provocations and immediately agree to open-ended talks with North Korea.

Posted by b on September 3, 2017 at 7:11 UTC | Permalink

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By India Today Web Desk: Earlier this year, Celina Jaitly posted a picture of herself flaunting her baby bump in a bikini "to break the stereotypes associated with pregnancy specially when it comes to Indian women". Now, in another snap supposedly aimed at promoting body positivity, Celina is seen posing nude in a bathtub, with her baby bump on display.

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While good wishes for the mom-to-be poured in, there was also a section of commenters who slammed her and asked "what is the need" for posting a nude photo.

Celina is currently in London after enjoying a babymoon with husband Peter Haag in Austria. The No Entry actor, who is already a mother to five-year-old twin sons, Viraaj and Winston, is expecting twins again and is due in October this year.

PHOTOS: Celina Jaitly is having a blissful babymoon in Austria with hubby Peter Haag

ALSO SEE: Pregnant Celina Jaitly flaunts her baby bump in a bikini

ALSO READ: Celina Jaitly pregnant with twins again, says was initially shocked

ALSO WATCH: Celina Jaitly takes on Baba Ramdev

--- ENDS ---
By PTI: Nepal

By Shirish B Pradhan

Kathmandu, Sept 3 (PTI) A Chinese joint venture today signed a special multi-million dollar agreement with the Nepal government to set up a cement factory in the country.

Investment Board of Nepal and Hongshi-Shivam Cement P Ltd signed Project Investment Agreement (PIA) in Kathmandu.

The agreement, called Project Investment Agreement (PIA), is the first of its kind in the country for private sector investments. The contract provides protection to the firms investment.

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As per the agreement, the company will make an investment of USD 359.18 million (NRs 36.75 billion) to build the factory in Nawalparasi district, in South-West Nepal.

The project, a joint partnership between Hong Kong Red Lion Cement Ltd, a subsidiary unit of Hongshi Group from China and Shivam Holdings, consisting representatives from various business groups in Nepal, plans to produce 6,000 tons of cement per day.

The company will start production by 2018 and it has a target to produce 12,000 tons of cement per day in the near future.

The project will provide high quality cement to the local market?s demand and also create competition for quality of cement production in Nepal. The company has been employing over 1000 people during its construction period.

"With this agreement today, we open endless doors of investment opportunity for foreign companies to confidently invest in Nepal and become a partner in its journey towards economic prosperity," the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the Investment Board of Nepal, Maha Prasad Adhikari, said. PTI SBP NSA

--- ENDS ---
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A very important event in oil history happened 158 years ago: Oil began flowing from Drake Well for the first time. Theres a curiosity, though, about which day should be celebrated.

On Aug. 27, 1859, driller William Uncle Billy Smith called it a day after the bit slipped into the rock crevice that ultimately would bear oil at a depth of 69.5 feet. It wasnt until the next day, however, that oil was actually seen. Smith and his son were on their way to spend time fishing that Sunday when Smith decided to stop by the well. When he looked down the pipe, he saw a glimmer on the water. He sent a can down and brought up oil for the first time.

So, when do we celebrate the Drake discovery: on Aug. 27th when the bit hit its final depth or the 28th when oil was actually seen?

We use Aug. 27, Susan Beates, historian and curator of the Drake Well Museum in Titusville, Pennsylvania, told the Reporter-Telegram. Thats the day the drill bit broke through into the rock that had the oil-bearing sand.

Recognition on Aug. 27 also has been used historically since the 1900s, when the Drake Day Association was formed, Beats said. It was a gathering of old oilmen who had been drilling in the 1860s, and they would come back to Titusville or Oil City on Aug. 27 to celebrate Drake Day.

Beates notes, though, that the museum doesnt refer to either Aug. 27th or 28th as days of discovery.

Native Americans already had been using oil possibly for thousands of years.

In the pits on the back end of the museum property, the crib work carbon dates from 1410 to 1460. Drake drilled in a Native American pit, she said. The Native Americans were skimming oil and taught English settlers how to skim for oil to be used for medicine, lubricant and lighting. Folks were using oil all over the world wherever it was found for thousands of years.

Instead of discovery, the museum refers to the day as the birth of the modern oil industry.

We use the birth of the modern oil industry because salt well drillers all over the U.S. and Canada had been finding oil with the salt brine, at which point the salt-brine well was abandoned, she said.

In 1829, a salt well driller hit a gusher in Kentucky. Rather than collect the oil, tickets were sold so people could view the spectacle  which grew in grandeur after it caught fire.

In the 1840s, oil was collected in Burning Springs, West Virginia, which was sold to the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad as a lubricant.

What made Drake Well different is that a full-fledged industry developed. Storage, transportation, refining, exchanges and advancements in technology occurred.

A lot of firsts happened here, Beates said, adding that Drake was the first to drill specifically for oil, not salt brine, and used a drive pipe. And he was incredibly lucky.

Drake drilled into stray sand. If the well had been located 30 feet one way or the other, he might not have hit that stray sand at 69.5 feet, Beates said.






Permian Basin oil and gas operators are going big: Big (as in long) horizontal laterals, big completions, big initial completions  as they work to develop the areas unconventional resources.

That effort requires Big Data.

Big Data is a growing concern in the oil and gas field as the amount of data increases, and new technologies are introduced to deal with it, Elise Sommer, senior community development coordinator with the Professional Petroleum Data Management association, said in an email.

Her association is teaming up with Midland Colleges Petroleum Professional Development Center to present a luncheon on the subject. Craig Covey, data analyst with Concho Resources, will present Big Data 101 Sept. 7 at the PPDCs offices, 221 N. Main St.

Covey will introduce the audience to a high-level overview of the world of big data, Sommer said. The world is flooded with data. And just as data is increasing, so are the buzzwords associated with that data. Words like big data, hadoop, machine learning, streaming, data science and many more that seem like they come from a Dr. Seuss childrens book.

Topics covered in the presentation will include defining big data, describing the types of big data, explaining the technology called Hadoop and a broad overview of machine learning, she said.

The association is a not-for-profit global society that aids the development of professional data managers, engages them in community and endorses a collective body of knowledge for data management across the oil and gas industry, according to Sommer. She said PPDM supports the growing Midland data management community with quarterly luncheons such as this featuring speakers, opportunities to network and chances to learn about whats new in the industry.

Pam Koscinski, USA representative for PPDM, said in an email, PPDM Events are an excellent way to meet new folks and keep up to date with industry trends. PPDM members and non-members are welcome to come and make new contacts and listen to this exciting presentation. We know it will be very popular, and are excited to engage more with the Midland student community.

On-site registration opens at 11:15 a.m.; lunch will be served at 11:30 a.m. Covey will begin his presentation around 12:15 p.m. The luncheon should end around 1 p.m. PPDM members are free; fee for non-members is $25.

Registration is available online at www.ppdm.org/events.
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Look at this idiot. Can you believe this?

These were the comments from the engineer to the conductor of the Union Pacific train when the first of two tractor-trailers crossed the railroad tracks at Garfield Street and Industrial Avenue nearly five years ago.

The comments came not long before the driver of a second tractor-trailer made the decision to cross the same railroad tracks, according to a 11th Court of Appeals opinion dealing with a lawsuit from the crash that killed four previously wounded veterans in Midland for a Show of Support event.

The opinion provided background about the tragedy that included:

- The Union Pacific train was approximately 2,500 feet (a little more than a half mile) from the Garfield Street railroad crossing when the engineer spotted the first tractor-trailer proceeding through the crossing.

- The train was 1,200 feet (about 400 yards, or a quarter of a mile) away when the second tractor-trailer proceeded through the Garfield Street railroad crossing.

- The crew sounded the trains horn when the train was 799 feet (266 yards) from the crossing.

- The train crew applied the emergency brake when the train was about 462 feet (150 yards) from the crossing.

- The trains brakes did not engage until the train was about 46 feet (15 yards) from colliding with the tractor-trailer.

- The train was traveling at approximately 62 miles per hour when it crashed into the second tractor-trailer.

- The train crashed into the last 39 inches (3 feet, 3 inches) of that tractor-trailer.

The aftermath of one of the most horrific scenes in Midland history was the deaths of Marine Chief Warrant Officer 3 Gary Stouffer, 37; Army Sgt. Maj. Lawrence Boivin, 47; Army Sgt. Joshua Michael, 34; and Army Sgt. Maj. William Lubbers, 43. Fourteen other people were injured.

Appellants hoped those facts showed the trial court erred in granting Union Pacifics motion for summary judgment on gross negligence claims.

However, in the opinion released Friday the court stated, in its analysis, that although the crew did see the first tractor-trailer proceed through the crossing -- eliciting the engineers comments -- a collision did not occur, and there was nothing in the record that shows -- based on the actions of the first tractor-trailer -- that the train crew could know the second tractor-trailer would proceed through the crossing.

Thus the train crews observation of the first tractor-trailer did not indicate that a collision with the second tractor trailer was imminent, the opinion states. Accordingly, the first tractor-trailer did not constitute a specific, individual hazard. Appellants second issue is overruled.

Appellants are Catherine Stouffer, individually and on behalf of the estate of Gary Lee Stouffer Jr. and as next friend of Shannon Stouffer and Shane Stouffer; Ada Stouffer; Gary Stouffer Sr.; Tiffanie Lubbers, individually and on behalf of the estate of William L. Lubbers and as next friend of Sydnie Lubbers and Zachary Lubbers; and Angela Boivin, individually and as personal representative of the estate of Lawrence Boivin.

Appellants also questioned the trial courts granting summary judgment against their warning time claims based on federal pre-emption grounds.

In the analysis, the court stated Union Pacific set the designed warning time for the Garfield Street crossing at 25 seconds, which included 5 seconds of buffer time. This exceeded the minimum warning time of 20 seconds required by federal regulation.

Furthermore, the performance of 20.4 seconds at the time of the accident did not constitute a defect of the design warning time ... because it did not constitute a significant difference because it fell within the acceptable performance range of plus or minus 5 seconds, the opinion stated. Accordingly, we conclude that the warning system at Garfield Street crossing performed in accordance with the federal standard of care for warning time systems. Thus Union Pacific was entitled to summary judgment on appellants warning time claim based on federal preemption.

The court also stated, Excessive warning time may cause a motorist to cross the track despite the operation of the flashing light signals. Accordingly a longer warning time does not necessarily result in greater safety.
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Hey, Texplainer: Will Gov. Greg Abbott soon release some of the $10 billion rainy day fund to help Texans affected by Harvey?

The rainy day fund is the states savings account. Formally called the Economic Stabilization Fund, it was created in the late 1980s to keep the volatile oil industry from playing havoc with the state budget process. A portion of taxes on oil and gas production are now sent directly to the fund. For more than a decade, the fund had less than $1 billion in it. Then an oil and gas drilling boom that began a decade ago quickly grew the funds balance. Currently, its projected to have a balance of $10.3 billion at the end of August, according to the most recent estimate from the Comptrollers Office.

Accessing the fund for anything, including Harvey relief efforts, would require legislative action, and a two-thirds majority vote from the state House and Senate. It has been used over the years to fund various state needs, including disaster relief.

The Legislature isnt scheduled to meet again until January 2019. Gov. Greg Abbott could call them back for a 30-day special session, as he did in July to address a 20-item agenda. On Friday, Abbott said a special session wouldnt be necessary to address Harvey relief.)

The rainy day fund has always been a political hot potato. Its been at the center of debates in the Capitol earlier this year over whether use funds to stave off budget cuts. Lawmakers ultimately agreed to tap the fund for about $1 billion to pay for repairs to the states aging mental health hospitals and other priorities.

Many Republican lawmakers have set a high threshold for using the states savings fund. Though it wasnt created with this intention, various Republicans have said the fund needs to permanently maintain a large minimum balance to preserve the states high credit ratings.

If Abbott chose the former, thered likely to be a political fight to prevent efforts to drain the fund completely  or maybe even mostly  for Harvey relief. Thats because neither state nor federal officials are currently aware how much recovery efforts will cost.

Over the past week, several lawmakers have expressed an interest in accessing the Rainy day Fund for Harvey relief efforts.

I dont think there would be any question that you would find consensus that this would be something that would be appropriate, state Rep. Chris Paddie, R-Marshall, said in an interview with Texas Tribune CEO Evan Smith on Wednesday.

Its rarely used for disaster relief, however.

Though lawmakers may ultimately choose to tap the rainy day fund to address Harvey, there are other ways for the state to get money for relief efforts.

Congress is expected to vote in September on an aid package related to Harvey. Energy Secretary Rick Perry said Thursday hes confident Congress will deal with federal aid in a timely way but had no idea how much the recovery efforts would cost.

This is just going to take longer, its going to be more difficult than any flood, any hurricane, any event that we have had. 

The bottom line: Gov. Greg Abbott would have to call lawmakers back for a special session if he wanted the state to use any of the billions in the Rainy Day Fund before 2019. While lawmakers have occasionally tapped the fund for disaster relief in the past, its always politically tricky.
Next Match: vs. Minot State 9/8/2017 | 2:30 p.m. Next Match Full Schedule Sep. 08 (Fri) / 2:30 p.m. vs. Minot State History

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The Minnesota State volleyball team picked up a pair of wins after coming back to down Gannon, 3-2 (21-25, 22-25, 25-10, 25-22, 15-12), and then cruising past Ohio Dominican, 3-0 (25-11, 25-21, 25-17), Saturday afternoon at the Warrior Invitational.With the wins, Minnesota State opens its season 3-1 including two shutout victories.In match one, Minnesota State came back to down Gannon, 3-2 (21-25, 22-25, 25-10, 25-22, 15-12), after winning the final three sets. The Golden Knights quickly doubled up the Mavericks with an 8-4 edge to gain momentum and force Minnesota State to use a timeout. MSU battled back to draw within one, 10-9, after a Gannon attack error. The Golden Knights then stretched their advantage to five, 20-15. The Mavericks responded late with three straight points highlighted by ankill to make the score 22-20. However, Gannon went on to win the opening set, 25-21.In the second frame after exchanging points,set upfor the kill to lock the frame up at eight. Gannon retaliated with 3-0 run to make the score 11-8. The Golden Knights then rode momentum establishing their largest lead of the set, 20-15. Later in the frame, Powell smashed two straight kills to pull the Mavericks within two, 22-20. Minnesota State could not get any closer as Gannon picked up the 25-22 victory.In the third frame, the Mavericks sprinted out a 9-3 lead following a block byand Powell. Minnesota State then increased its lead into the double-digits, 16-5, after Porter was once again able set up Powell for a kill. The Mavericks went on to cruise to a 25-10 win.Minnesota State was able to take advantage of a fast start creating an 8-3 edge forcing Gannon into a timeout. The Mavericks continued to apply pressure stretching their advantage to 11-5 with a Janzig kill. Minnesota State put the frame out of reach with three straight kills from Powell andto make the score 21-13. The Mavericks went on to take the set, 25-22, and lock the match, 2-2.In the deciding fifth frame, both teams battled tying the set three times. Minnesota State took control creating a three point edge, 13-10, with two service aces fromand a Gannon attack error. The Mavericks went on to win the set, 15-12, and the match, 3-2, to complete the comeback.Minnesota State held the edge in kills (62-50), assists (57-48), and digs (70-67). Each team recorded 12 blocks.Powell set the standard with a match-high 27 kills and added 14 digs. Redshirt freshman Ashton Lee also reached double-digits in kills with 14 while freshmanadded a team-best 22 digs. Juniordished a team-high 30 assists and Porter rounded out the top performers with 19 assists.In match two, Minnesota State cruised past Ohio Dominican, 3-0 (25-11, 25-21, 25-17). MSU wasted little time creating a five point, 10-5, advantage with the help of Porter setting up Olson for a kill. The Mavericks kept their foot on the gas stretching the lead to 14-9 following a Lee kill. Minnesota State put the frame out of reach growing its edge into the double-digits, 22-11, on the way to winning the opening set, 25-11.The Mavericks picked up where they left off in set two establishing a 13-8 lead with a Lee kill. Ohio Dominican attempted to climb back cutting the lead down four, 15-11. Minnesota State then pushed its advantage to 21-14 after Quam was able to set up Jones for a kill. The Mavericks went on to win the frame, 25-21.In the third and final set, neither team was able to pull away until Minnesota State found an offensive rhythm creating a 13-7 edge. The Mavericks continued to find success growing their lead to nine, 23-14, after Janzig smashed her fifth kill of the match. Minnesota State went on to close out the set, 25-17, and win the match, 3-0.As a team, the Mavericks held the edge in kills (34-27), assists (29-26), and digs (41-39).Lee set the pace with a match-high nine kills while Olson added seven. Garbe notched a match-best 15 digs while Risch and Porter both totaled 12 assists each.Minnesota State returns to action when it travels to Bismarck, S.D., to play in the Max & Erma's Classic. The Mavericks will open the tournament against Minot State on Sept. 8. First serve is set for 2:30 p.m.
By PTI: By Murtaza Merchant

Mumbai, Sep 1 (PTI) "We were all preparing to celebrate Bakr-eid. Even in our wildest dreams, we never thought our preparations would go awry," Jumana Mukadam, who lost her relatives in the Bhendi Bazar building crash, says in a choked voice.

Mukadams sons in-laws were among those killed in the building collapse yesterday.

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"It never crossed our minds even for a moment that our relatives and neighbours would not be there to perform the custom of sacrificing goats," said Mukadam as she struggled to come to terms with the loss of her dear ones in the tragedy.

Thirty-three people lost their lives in the crash.

"The tragedy befell on us when the family was preparing for Bakri Eid, celebrated by our (Bohra) community today. We never imagined that our families will be ripped apart a day before the most important day of our religion," she said.

Mukadam said Umaima, her 26-year-old daughter-in-law, is still in a state of shock as she lost her elderly parents and has barely spoken since yesterday. Umaimas brother was injured and is currently recuperating in Saifee Hospital.

A relative of another family, which lost all but two of its members - a nine-year-old girl and her grandmother - as the 117-year-old residential building collapsed said the child is yet to to be told what had happened to her parents.

"It was a family of six. A couple lived there with their two daughters and the mans parents. The man had just dropped his nine-year-old child to school and returned when the incident happened," he said.

"The entire family, except the girl and her grandmother, died. The child is yet to to be told her parents are no more," he added.

A resident of Bhendi Bazar, which housed the ill-fated building, which was a part of the redevelopment project being carried out by the Saifee Burhani Upliftment Trust (SBUT), run by the Bohra community, claimed they had refused to vacate their premises hoping a better deal by the trust.

He resides in an old building adjacent to the ill-fated structure. His building, too, will be redeveloped by SBUT, which has undertaken a cluster development project in Bhendi Bazar in South Mumbai.

"We have been offered transit in camps located far away from our original homes. Since we have lived all our lives here, accustomed to the area, its people and the mosques around, it is difficult for us to vacate our premises," he said.

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"We wanted them (SBUT) to offer accommodation near our original homes," he added.

Another man, living in a transit camp at Ghodapdev, around 4km from Bhendi Bazar, said it was very difficult to live in the first few floors of the building where he currently resides, as it does not have proper ventilation.

"We were used to proper sunlight and ample ventilation in our old homes. But in our new home, we get none of that. There are frequent health issues that we have to face due to the change in our living styles," he said.

Meanwhile, SBUT said it has shifted about 1,800 families, out of 3,200 affected by its project, in transit accommodations located at Anjirwadi, Ghodapdev and Sion.

An ex-landlord of Hussaini building, which collapsed yesterday, said he had made several attempts to convince the tenants to shift to the transit facility.

"The building had showed signs of structural weakness with leaking roof. Being an ex-landlord of this building, I had made multiple attempts to convince them to accept SBUT?s offer and shift to the transit facility," said Hatim Bootwala.

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A spokesperson of SBUT said in 2011, state-run housing agency MHADA had issued notices, declaring the building dilapidated and unfit for living.

"Post that, SBUT had offered transit facility and shifted 50 per cent of the families while the remaining ones did not accept the offer and continued to live in the old building," said the SBUT spokesperson. PTI MM NM RSY TIR

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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 []
Nirmala Sitharaman is the new Defence Minister. She was elevated to the cabinet rank in the Cabinet reshuffle that took place today.

By India Today Web Desk: Nirmala Sitharam is now the Defence Minister of India. She became the second woman to head defence ministry after Indira Gandhi who had kept the portfolio twice - for 20 days in December, 1975 and for about two years between January, 1980 and January, 1982 - while she headed the government as the Prime Minister.

Nirmala Sitharam is the first full-fledged woman Defence Minister of the country after today's Cabinet reshuffle. It was being speculated that following the Doklam standoff and CAG's castigating remarks about defence preparedness of the armed forces, a full-time Defence Minister would be appointed. Finance Minister Arun Jaitely, who was holding the additional charge of defence ministry, was not very keen on continuing with the dual role.

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NIRMALA SITHARAMAN BEFORE POLITICS

Born in a middle-class family at Tiruchirapalli district of Tamil Nadu, Nirmala Sitaraman spent her childhood in different parts of the state as her father's job was transferable. Her father worked in the Railways while her mother was an avid book lover. Nirmala Sitharama is known have imbibed the discipline of her father and love for books of her mother.

Nirmala Sitharaman graduated from Seethalakshmi Ramasamy College, Tiruchirappalli and joined the Jawaharlal Nehru University in Delhi from where she completed her masters. Globalisation was her favourite subject at the JNU.

Incidentally, following incidents of "anti-national" sloganeering at the JNU campus, V-C M Jagdesh Kumar recently wrote to the government asking for an army tank to instill nationalism among the students of the university. Now, an alumni of the JNU has become the Defence Minister.

After completing her post-graduation at the JNU, Nirmala Sitharaman married Parakala Prabhakar in 1986. She then moved to London, where she earned a reputation for herself as a successful corporate professional before coming back to India in 1991.

WHEN POLITICS CAME CALLING

Her husband Prabhakar and his family have been a Congress supporter for decades. But, when it came to Nirmala Sitharaman to take a call on her political career, she joined the BJP in 2006. Nirmala Sitharaman rose fast in the BJP ranks.

She was made a member of the National Commission for Women (NCW) in 2003 by the Atal Bihari Vajpayee government. She remained an NCW member till 2005. As NCW member, Nirmala Sitharaman came in touch with Sushma Swaraj, who recommended her to the BJP. She formally joined the BJP a year later.

In 2010, Nirmala Sitharama was made the spokesperson of the BJP when Nitin Gadkari was the party president. Nirmala was in the team of spokespersons headed by the present Law Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad. Nirmala Sitharaman defended the BJP in every situation and defended the Modi government of Gujarat.

Following remarkable victory of the BJP in 2014 elections, Nirmala Sitharama was inducted in the Narendra Modi cabinet as the MoS Commerce Ministry with independent charge. She also handled the ministry of finance and corporate affairs before today's Cabinet reshuffle, which gave her a major promotion.

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ALSO READ |

Cabinet reshuffle LIVE: Nirmala Sitharaman becomes Defence Minister, Piyush Goyal gets Railways

3,4,5,6 of Cabinet reshuffle: How Narendra Modi built his new team

ALSO WATCH | Cabinet reshuffle: Piyush Goyal, Dharmendra Pradhan, Nirmala Sitharaman elevated; 9 new ministers sworn-in

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By PTI: New Delhi, Sep 3 (PTI) Former diplomat Hardeep Singh Puri, who was today inducted into the Union Council of Ministers, said he will "do his best" to fulfil any responsibility assigned to him.

Puri was among the nine new Ministers of State sworn in by President Ram Nath Kovind at a ceremony in the Rashtrapati Bhavan.

"I am deeply grateful to the Prime Minister for having included me as a member of his team and whichever portfolio is assigned, I will do my very best," he told reporters after taking oath.

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Puri, who has decades of diplomatic experience, also appreciated the governments foreign policy, saying "diplomacy is going well and the challenges are being dealt well by the ministers under the guidance of the Prime Minister."

To a query over Modi inducting people with proven administrative abilities in his new team, he said "if you see, they are not only bureaucrats but they also come with experience in their respective fields...it will prove to be good."

A highlight of the third reshuffle of the Modi cabinet in as many years was the induction of bureaucrats like Puri, R K Singh, Satyapal Singh and Kannanthanam, underlining the Prime Ministers efforts to give a fresh impetus to governance.

Puri said he was sure that the good work the government has done in last three years will be continued for the remainder of the term.

Puri, 65, is a 1974-batch of the Indian Foreign Service and has served as Indias Permanent Representative to the United Nations from 2009 to 2013.

Known for his experience and expertise in foreign policy and national security, he is the president and chairman of think-tank Research and Information System for Developing Countries (RIS) and was the vice president of the International Peace Institute, New York. PTI MP ARC

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BROOKFIELD  Residents with leaky roofs or failing furnaces might be able to repair their homes thanks to a federal grant.

The town is encouraging low- and- moderate-income homeowners and renters to apply for assistance with their home repairs. The town was awarded a $400,000 Community Development Block Grant in July to provide funding for residents to fix their homes. Money is available to serve 12 to 15 households.
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Hurricane Harvey destroyed many homes in Texas, but for Katherine Ware Haarmann, it destroyed a home full of seven decades of memories.

Haarmann, wife of Ryan Haarmann, owned a home located on Brown Rd. in San Jacinto County before selling it to her husband's brother, Daniel Haarmann, in April of this year.

The home is also where Ryan and Katherine raised their son, Xavier Haarmann. Xavier is the fourth generation of the Ware family to have occupied that house as it dates back to Katherine's paternal and maternal grandmothers, Audra Phillips and the late Virginia Sunday.

RUMOR CONTROL: No, you won't get the plague from Harvey floodwaters

"It was the house that my dad was raised in," said Katherine.

The home holds many memories for the family and also represents an important milestone for Katherine.

"That was my first home to live in as a married adult," she said.

Hurricane Harvey started to affect San Jacinto County on Aug. 26. On Tuesday, Aug. 29, the storm devastated the Haarmann and Ware families when an oak tree fell onto the house.

"I felt like I lost a little piece of my grandma," said Katherine referring to Sunday.

AWFULNESS: Most unpopular opinions, hot takes on Hurricane Harvey

No one was in the house at the time and Katherine says she and the family remain grateful that no injuries occurred. A local neighbor, Tina Anderson, also turned off any running electrical equipment in case of a gas leak.

Katherine also describes how important the 100-year-old oak tree that was felled by the storm was to her family.

"It probably took about three people to wrap around that tree," said Katherine.

Katherine says the tree was large enough to shade the entire house.

"It just really hurts me that the tree is gone," she said.

While the house of her memories was destroy, there still remains the question of if the house is a complete loss. However, the family is expecting the worse and has plans to take parts of the home to use in projects and create new memories.

"We're going to take the wood doors and make a bed," said Katherine. "We may even take out a window or two if the house is a total loss to keep the memories."
Submitted

As Hurricane Harvey made its arrival along the Texas Gulf Coast, unleashing a strength and fury unlike anything the state has seen before, a tiny baby girl came into the world bearing the same name as the catastrophic storm unfolding around her. Nicole Rose Harvey made her appearance at 4:03 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 26, at Memorial Hermann The Woodlands Hospital. This bundle of joy, weighing 9 pounds and measuring 20-3/4 inches long, may share a namesake with a now infamous hurricane, but she's already bringing hope and optimism at a time when it's needed more than ever.

"It's always a good feeling to bring a newborn baby into this world, but this delivery was extra special for me and for our staff," said Dr. Marco Giannotti, an obstetrician at Memorial Hermann The Woodlands Hospital who delivered Nicole. "At a time when so much hurt and sorrow is happening all around, Nicole's arrival helped remind us that there's a light at the end of the tunnel."
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The community is invited to learn about advances in cancer treatment and clinical trials available in The Woodlands at a lecture that will take place at Houston Methodist The Woodlands Hospital from 6-8 p.m. Wednesday, Sept. 6.

Dr. Peter Morgan, radiation oncology, and Dr. Priya Ramshesh, hematology/oncology, will discuss services available close to home, including screening, diagnostics, genetic testing, advanced technology and patient support.

Morgan and Ramshesh joined Houston Methodist Cancer Center at The Woodlands in June 2017 prior to the opening of the cancer center and hospital on June 26. Together these board-certified specialists use modern technology and clinical expertise to design individualized treatment for each patient.

This informative event also will provide the opportunity for guests to ask our experts questions. Following the lecture, guests will enjoy tours of the cancer and infusion centers, hot hors d'oeuvres, refreshments and giveaways.

The event is free, but registration is required. Visit houstonmethodist.org/events to register.

What: Houston Methodist Cancer Center at The Woodlands

Open House and Lecture

When: Wednesday, Sept. 6, 2017, 6-8 p.m.

Where: Houston Methodist The Woodlands Hospital

17201 Interstate 45 South

Woodforest Bank Sky Plaza, 3rd Floor

The Woodlands, Texas 77385

Houston Methodist Cancer Center

Houston Methodist Cancer Center provides patient-centered services to address the full spectrum of cancer care  from prevention and screenings for early detection, to advanced treatment and survivorship. Nationally recognized physicians and scientists collaborate to research, diagnose, and treat the most common types of cancer using the most sophisticated techniques and therapies available. At the center's six locations throughout the Greater Houston area, specialists use a multidisciplinary team approach to create customized treatment plans for each patient, and highly skilled support staff help patients recover physically, psycho-emotionally, and spiritually

About Houston Methodist The Woodlands Hospital

Houston Methodist The Woodlands Hospital is a not-for-profit, faith-based hospital, which is part of Houston Methodist. For the fifth consecutive year, U.S. News & World Report named Houston Methodist Hospital one of the best hospitals in the country and the Best Hospital in Texas. Houston Methodist The Woodlands Hospital opened June 26, 2017. For more information on Houston Methodist The Woodlands, visit houstonmethodist.org/thewoodlands. To find a physician, call 936-270-3333.
Maryland's first legal medical marijuana crop is finally growing after years of delays. Industry officials estimate the drug will be available for purchase by early 2018. Here's what you need to know:

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How can I get it?

First, you must register as a patient with the Maryland Medical Cannabis Commission. For children to receive medical cannabis, at least one parent or guardian must register as a caregiver.

Then you need a certification from a doctor who is already registered with the commission. An expansion of the law also allows nurse practitioners, dentists, podiatrists and midwives to certify patients to use medical cannabis.

Dispensaries will check an online database of certifications before selling marijuana to patients. The registry is available on the cannabis commission's website.

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How do I find a doctor who will recommend marijuana?

The medical marijuana law is written with the idea that patients may use cannabis if it is recommended by their health-care providers. In practice, people probably will seek out providers who are willing to certify patients, and some health-care professionals will advertise their willingness.

Regulators are trying to avoid a system in which unscrupulous health professionals hand out certifications to anyone who pays.

Maryland's rules require a provider to have a "bona fide" relationship with a patient and to meet the patient in person before issuing a certification for medical marijuana. The list of participating providers is not public.

- - -

Can patients from other states purchase marijuana?

The law allows nonresidents to participate if they are being treated in Maryland (such as cancer patients receiving chemotherapy). But the commission is not currently registering out-of-state patients while it reviews its policies.

It is a federal offense to transport marijuana across state lines - even to the District, Delaware and Pennsylvania, where the use of medical marijuana also is legal.

- - -

What conditions qualify for treatment with cannabis?

Cachexia or wasting syndrome, anorexia, severe pain, severe nausea, seizures, severe or persistent muscle spasms, glaucoma, post-traumatic stress disorder and chronic pain are all treatable with medical marijuana, the law says.

But the regulations have a catchall provision that allow physicians and other providers to recommend cannabis for patients if they think doing so is in the patients' best medical interests.

- - -

Does medical marijuana need to be smoked?

In addition to the dried-leaf variety, companies have plans to process medical cannabis into a variety of other products including capsules, oils, creams, vaporizing pens and a peanut brittle-like substance called shatter.

State law does not allow edible medical marijuana products - such as brownies, cookies and gummies - which are popular in other states.
United States President Donald Trump sharply reacted to North Korea testing a nuclear bomb and said that the US is considering a global trade embargo on Pyongyang.

By AP: North Korea on Sunday claimed a "perfect success" for its most powerful nuclear test so far, a further step in the development of weapons capable of striking anywhere in the United States. President Donald Trump, asked if he would attack the North, said, "We'll see."

He also suggested squeezing China, the North's patron for many decades and a vital US trading partner, on the economic front, in hopes of persuading Beijing to exert leverage on its neighbor. Trump tweeted that the US is considering "stopping all trade with any country doing business with North Korea."

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The latest military provocation from the isolated communist country reinforces the danger facing America, Trump said earlier in a series of tweets, adding that "talk of appeasement" is pointless.

"They only understand one thing!" Trump wrote, without elaboration, as he prepared to meet later with his national security team, which he said would include John Kelly, his chief of staff, as well as Defense Secretary Jim Mattis "and other military leaders."

Sunday's detonation by North Korea was the first nuclear test since Trump took office in January.

After attending church near the White House, Trump made his "We'll see" comment in response to a question from reporters.

The precise strength of the explosion, described by state-controlled media in North Korea as a hydrogen bomb, has yet to be determined. South Korea's weather agency said the artificial earthquake caused by the explosion was five times to six times stronger than tremors generated by the North's previous five such tests. The impact reportedly shook buildings in China and in Russia.

Secretary of State Rex Tillerson was calling counterparts in Asia, and Trump's treasury secretary, Steven Mnuchin, said he was putting together proposed new sanctions for Trump to consider that would seek to cut off trade with North Korea.

The action suggested in Trump's trade tweet would be radical: The US imports about $40 billion in goods a month from China, North Korea's main commercial partner.

Click here to Enlarge Map locating North Korea's nuclear facilities and the site of a nuclear test on Sept. 3. (Reuters)

SANCTIONS PROVING INEFFECTIVE?

It's unclear what kind of penalties might make a difference. Lassina Zerbo, head of the UN test ban treaty organization, said sanctions already imposed against North Korea aren't working.

Trump warned last month that the US military was "locked and loaded, should North Korea act unwisely" and that the US would unleash "fire and fury" on the North if it continued to threaten America. The bellicose words followed threats from North Korea to launch ballistic missiles toward the US Pacific territory of Guam, intending to create "enveloping fire" near the military hub that's home to US bombers.

The North's latest test was carried out at 12:29 p.m. local time at the Punggye-ri site where it has conducted past nuclear tests. Officials in Seoul put the magnitude at 5.7; the US Geological Survey said it was a magnitude 6.3. The strongest artificial quake from previous tests was a magnitude 5.3.

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"North Korea has conducted a major Nuclear Test. Their words and actions continue to be very hostile and dangerous to the United States," Trump said in the first of a series of tweets.

He branded North Korea "a rogue nation which has become a great threat and embarrassment to China, which is trying to help but with little success."

Yet Trump appeared to be more critical of South Korean President Moon Jae-in, who has attempted to reach out to the North.

"South Korea is finding, as I have told them, that their talk of appeasement with North Korea will not work, they only understand one thing!" Trump said.

Click here to Enlarge People watch a TV news program at the Seoul Railway Station in Seoul, Sunday, Sept. 3, 2017, showing North Korea's announcement that it conducted an underground hydrogen bomb test. The signs read

China's official Xinhua News Agency said President Xi Jinping and Russian leader Vladimir Putin, meeting on the sidelines of a Beijing-led economic summit, agreed "to adhere to the goal of the denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula, have close communication and coordination and properly respond" to the test.

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North Korea's state-run television broadcast a special bulletin to announce the test and said leader Kim Jong Un attended a meeting of the ruling party's presidium and signed the go-ahead order. Earlier, the party's newspaper ran a front-page story showing photos of Kim examining what it said was a nuclear warhead being fitted onto the nose of an intercontinental ballistic missile.

Sunday's detonation builds on recent North Korean advances that include test launches in July of two ICBMs that are believed to be capable of reaching the mainland US The North says its missile development is part of a defensive effort to build a viable nuclear deterrent that can target US cities.

The North claimed the device it tested was a thermonuclear weapon - commonly called a hydrogen bomb. That could be hard to independently confirm. It said the underground test site did not leak radioactive materials, which would make such a determination even harder.

At the same time, the simple power of the blast was convincing. Japan's Defense Minister Itsunori Onodera said it might have been as powerful as 70 kilotons. North Korea's previous largest was thought to be anywhere from 10 to 30 kilotons.

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"We cannot deny it was an H-bomb test," Onodera said.

Click here to Enlarge Men walk past a street monitor showing North Korea's leader Kim Jong-Un in a news report about North Korea's nuclear test, in Tokyo, Japan, September 3, 2017. REUTERS/Toru Hanai

North Korea conducted two nuclear tests last year and has been launching missiles at a record pace this year. It fired a potentially nuclear-capable midrange missile over northern Japan last week in response to ongoing US-South Korea military exercises.

It said that launch was the "curtain raiser" for more activity to come.

Just before Sunday's test, according to state media, Kim and the other senior leaders at the party presidium meeting discussed "detailed ways and measures for containing the US and other hostile forces' vicious moves for sanctions."

The photos released earlier showed Kim talking with his lieutenants as he observed a silver, peanut-shaped device that the state-run media said was designed to be mounted on the North's "Hwasong-14" ICBM.

The North claims the device was made domestically and has explosive power that can range from tens to hundreds of kilotons. For context, the bomb dropped on Hiroshima by the US had a 15-kiloton yield.

North Korea's recent activity has been especially bold.

The North followed its two ICBM tests by announcing a plan to fire intermediate range missiles toward Guam. Kim signed off on the plan, but is watching the moves by the US before deciding when or whether to carry it out.

Guam is a sore point for the North because it is home to a squadron of B-1B bombers that the North fears could be used to attack their country. The US on Thursday had sent the bombers and F-35 stealth fighters to the sky over South Korea in a show of force - and North Korea strongly protested.

The two Koreas have shared the world's most heavily fortified border since their war in the early 1950s ended with an armistice, not a peace treaty. About 28,500 American troops are deployed in South Korea as deterrence against North Korea.

ALSO READ | India says it 'deplores' North Korean nuclear test

ALSO READ | North Korea conducts 6th nuclear test with hydrogen bomb, calls it perfect success

ALSO WATCH | North Korea conducts 6th nuclear test with hydrogen bomb

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At long last, Maryland's first legal marijuana crop is growing.

With 19 companies cleared to grow, process and sell the plant, the seeds of the medical marijuana program have literally been planted, four years after the state legalized cannabis for medical use.

In coming months, plants will flower in heavily secured facilities, and be harvested and taken to an independent laboratory for quality testing, with some processed into oils, creams and capsules. They'll end up available for purchase on dispensary shelves around the start of the new year, according to industry officials.

"This program is launched now," said Patrick Jameson, executive director of the Maryland Medical Cannabis Commission. "We have growers, processors and a dispensary, and we have a lab. The market will determine how this moves forward."

So far, only one dispensary - or medical pot store - has been licensed in Maryland, which because of bureaucratic missteps and legal disputes has been slower to launch its program than most of the other 27 states where medical cannabis is permitted. About 100 prospective dispensaries have received preliminary licenses and have until December to get set up, pass employee background checks and undergo final inspections.

Jennifer Porcari is cautiously optimistic that she'll soon get cannabis oil or a patch to ease her 10-year-old daughter's epilepsy. Parents of children with epilepsy have long seen medical marijuana as a way to reduce seizures and improve quality of life; some have even moved to Colorado and other states so they can legally obtain the drug.

But Porcari, who has spent years lobbying for legalization, said she won't celebrate until she has the cannabis in her hands.

"When we are able to go to a dispensary anywhere and pick it up, we are all ready for it," the Cheverly resident said. "They have spent so much time on it, it's going to be a great system. We just need it to go, go, go."

Nearly 13,000 patients have signed up to be able to purchase marijuana, and 428 health-care providers have registered to certify the patients' need for the drug, according to the commission. But hurdles remain.

Darrell Carrington, a lobbyist for marijuana companies, said some dispensaries are struggling to find landlords willing to lease to a type of business that is still considered illegal under federal law.

And while cultivation and processing centers are generally in more secluded areas, dispensaries are in neighborhoods where they are more likely to face "not in my back yard" resistance - opposition that marijuana businesses and advocates say is misplaced.

"We are talking about places that are going to have less dangerous and toxic things than CVS and Walgreens," Carrington said. "These are not like coffee shops in Amsterdam where people can go in and hang out for hours. They purchase their medicine and they go."

Carrington described the sole dispensary that has been fully licensed by the state so far - Wellness Institute of Maryland, in Frederick County - as an "upscale" doctor's office. It will offer mobile delivery service in high-demand neighborhoods for patients too sick to leave their homes.

But it and other cannabis companies still operate with a hint of intrigue. Wellness Institute's owner, for example, asked not to have his full name published in this article for fear of drawing unwelcome attention. He said the dispensary will screen out patients who seem to be gaming the system to get high instead of treating illnesses.

At least two of the dozen cultivators that Maryland has licensed currently have marijuana plants growing: ForwardGro, of Anne Arundel County, and Curio Wellness, of Baltimore County.

ForwardGro has been sharing photos of its plants on social media, but executives there declined to say when the company would be ready to sell product to dispensaries.

Curio Wellness, which says its primary focus is research and development, also has marijuana growing.

Chief executive Michael Bronfein said his goal is to have high-quality products that include tinctures - alcohol-based cannabis extracts - and vaporizing pens on the market by mid-December, ahead of any would-be competitors. He's awaiting approval to open a dispensary that would not only have shelves stocked with cannabis products, but would also have acupuncture rooms and massage therapy rooms.

"It'll look more like a day spa, very high-end in terms of physical attraction, with a very heavy emphasis on patient education, physician education and product selection," Bronfein said.

In Frederick County, black privacy shrouds cover a barbed-wire fence surrounding the Green Leaf Medical center. Armed guards escort visitors into a hallway where a sign reminds employees, who must be drug-tested, "No drugs at work."

Except, of course, for the marijuana plants that soon will be growing by the hundreds in flower rooms just down the hall. They'll develop in molten-rock cubes (instead of bug-friendly soil), on top of rows of gray benches connected to an irrigation system that delivers water and nutrients.

Chief executive Philip Goldberg wore sunglasses Friday as he walked into the "flower" room, which blazed with golden light emanating from about 100 lightbulbs of 1,000 watts each. He expects to have an annual power bill of about $500,000.

"We have a pharmaceutical-grade facility here, but this plant can grow outside in a ditch. It's like a weed," said Goldberg, who decided in 2014 to try to enter the legal cannabis industry. "What we are doing in here is making sure it grows in the fastest, safest and most efficient way possible."

He said he started his last major company, creating websites and software for businesses, with $2,000 in seed money. He was drawing customers within two months, he said.

For this latest venture, he said, his company has raised $8.7 million in investment so far. And the business has not brought him a single dime of revenue.

Goldberg estimated that he'll start by producing 320 pounds of marijuana a month. He has signed sales deals with 23 dispensaries.

"We knew it was going to take time. Did we think it was going to take four years? No," Goldberg said. "But it feels really good to finally be able to put seeds in the ground and start growing."
Hurricane Irma has regained Category 3 intensity, and additional strengthening is likely in the coming days as it tracks west across the Atlantic. Environmental conditions could even support Irma becoming a rare Category 5 hurricane at some point, the first since 2016's Matthew. Within the next five days, the Leeward Islands, Puerto Rico, Dominican Republic, Haiti, and the Bahamas are most definitely at risk and should prepare for hurricane conditions (at least a close encounter if not a direct landfall).

Beyond then, forecast confidence drops dramatically. Some models curve Irma back out to sea before reaching the continental U.S., but a significant percentage of models have Irma striking the U.S. East Coast as early as Saturday or Sunday. Therefore anyone with interests from Florida to New England should monitor forecasts closely.
TOKYO - South Korea's president tried late Sunday to dismiss talk of a dispute between Seoul and Washington over how to deal with North Korea following its sixth nuclear test, after President Donald Trump criticized the South Korean approach as "appeasement."

Moon Jae-in's office said that his government would continue to work toward peaceful denuclearization after tweets and actions from Trump that have left South Koreans scratching their heads at why the American president is attacking an ally at such a sensitive time.

As if to underline Seoul's willingness to be tough, the South Korean military conducted bombing drills at dawn Monday, practicing ballistic missile strikes on the North Korean nuclear test site at Punggye-ri.

The South Korean military calculated the distance to the site and practiced having F-15 jet fighters hit the target, the joint chiefs of staff said Monday morning.

"This drill was conducted to send a strong warning to North Korea for its sixth nuclear test," it said.

After North Korea conducted its nuclear test Sunday, Trump tweeted: "South Korea is finding, as I have told them, that their talk of appeasement with North Korea will not work, they only understand one thing!"

Trump did not talk to Moon on the phone Sunday - in stark contrast to the two calls he had with Shinzo Abe, the prime minister of Japan and a leader who has proven much more willing to agree with his American counterpart. This will worsen anxieties in Seoul that Tokyo is seen as "the favorite ally," analysts said.

Moon, who was elected in May, advocated engagement with North Korea but has also acknowledged the need for pressure to bring the Pyongyang regime back to talks. He has also come around to an agreement between his predecessor and the U.S. military to deploy an antimissile system in South Korea.

Trump's tweet was widely reported across South Korean media, and Moon's office responded to it with a measured statement Sunday night.

"South Korea is a country that experienced a fratricidal war. The destruction of war should not be repeated in this land," it said. "We will not give up and will continue to push for the denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula through peaceful means working together with our allies."

Trump's twitter jab came amid news that the U.S. president has instructed advisers to prepare to withdraw from a free-trade agreement with South Korea - a move that is resolutely opposed by South Korea and one that would undermine the two countries' economic alliance.

Analysts said Trump's actions were puzzling.

"It's strange to see Trump going after South Korea more aggressively than he's going after China, especially since China also thinks that dialogue is central to solving this problem," said John Delury, a professor of international relations at Yonsei University in Seoul.

In an earlier tweet, Trump had said that China "was trying to help," although he added it was "with little success."

Delury said that what he called the "passive-aggressive" tone of Trump's tweets suggested that Moon had been standing up to the American president during their previous phone calls. They spoke Friday after North Korea sent a missile over Japan.

"It sounds like Moon is saying, 'We're going to have to talk to these guys' - which is true - and Trump is frustrated," Delury said, noting that the latest tweet seemed to address Moon directly, with its "like I told them."

Trump's tweet was even more puzzling, analysts say, because Trump himself - both as a candidate and as president - had repeatedly suggested he would be willing to talk to North Korea's leader, Kim Jong Un.

On the campaign trail, Trump said that he would be happy to have a burger in a boardroom with Kim, and in recent months he has called Kim a "smart cookie" and has said he would be "honored" to meet him.

South Korea's response overall to Trump's recent pronouncements has been much more muted than its past explosions against its protector - a sign that they know Trump is a different kind of president.

"They think they're dealing with an unreasonable partner and complaining about it isn't going to help - in fact, it might make it worse," said David Straub, a former State Department official who dealt with both Koreas and recently published a book about anti-Americanism in South Korea.

"Opinion polls show South Koreans have one of the lowest rates of regard for Trump in the world and they don't consider him to be a reasonable person," Straub said. "In fact, they worry he's kind of nuts, but they still want the alliance."

On the Sunday talk shows in the United States, there was plenty of criticism of Trump's words.

"You gotta watch the tweets," Michael Hayden, a retired Air Force general and former head of the National Security Agency and the CIA who has been critical of Trump, said on CNN's "State of the Union."

"I think we had an unforced error over the weekend when we brought up the free-trade agreement with our South Korea friends on whom we have to cooperate. . . . It's wrong on the merits, and it's certainly not integrated into a broader approach to northeast Asia," Hayden said. He served as NSA director from 1999 to 2005 and led the CIA from 2006 until 2009.

Rep. Adam Schiff, Calif., the top Democrat on the House Intelligence Committee, also questioned Trump's decision to admonish South Korea when the nation appears to be facing a growing threat.

"We need to be working hand in hand with South Korea, and with Japan," he said, also on CNN. "Why we would want to show divisions with South Korea makes no sense at all."

Even before the nuclear test, Trump's approach to South Korea, an ally since the end of World War II, had been questioned. Analysts were asking why Trump would rip up the free-trade agreement with South Korea at all, rather than revising it, let alone at a time when a united front was needed in the region.

Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin said that "no decisions" had been made but that trade deals must be in the United States' economic interest.

"The president has made clear that where we have trade deficits with countries, we're going to renegotiate those deals," Mnuchin said on Fox News.
BEIRUT - An Islamic State convoy stranded in the Syrian desert for five days has split up and some fighters may have found their way into Iraq, despite the U.S. military's determination to stop them from reaching militant-controlled territory, according to reports from Syrian activists, Iraqi officials and the U.S. military on Sunday.

Conflicting reports and claims put the 17 buses that made up the original convoy in a variety of locations, illustrating the difficulty of establishing with any certainty events in the remote desert war zone spanning Iraq and Syria.

The buses set out in a convoy from western Syria on Tuesday under the terms of a deal brokered by the Lebanese Shiite Hezbollah movement to relocate the fighters to the Islamic State-controlled town of Bukamal on the Iraqi border, in return for the bodies of Lebanese army, Hezbollah and Iranian soldiers.

The convoy has since become the center of a regionwide controversy over whether such deals are acceptable, with the United States and its allies trading accusations with the Iranian-backed Hezbollah and its allies over who is doing more to fight terrorism.

Iraq's government expressed outrage at the relocation, which would have enabled the 300 Islamic State fighters on board the convoy to reinforce militant positions in Iraq. The U.S. military vowed to prevent them from doing so and on Wednesday blocked the convoy's path, by bombing the desert road ahead of it.

At least some of the buses have since been stranded in the desert between Syrian government and Islamic State lines, with U.S. warplanes circling overhead to deter any further attempts to reach Islamic State territory.

On Sunday, Iran's Foreign Ministry slammed the U.S. military's surveillance of the buses as "illogical" and said the lives of pregnant women are at risk, according to the official Islamic Republic News Agency.

On Sunday, the U.S. military said six of the buses had crossed back into government-held territory and headed toward the Syrian-government-controlled town of Palmyra, leaving 11 buses stuck in the desert. The whereabouts of the six buses that headed to Palmyra were not clear.

Hezbollah, meanwhile, said that four of the buses reached territory controlled by the Islamic State, in fulfillment of the Hezbollah deal, and that six were stuck in the desert. It did not say what had happened to the other seven buses. The Islamic State is also known as ISIS and ISIL.

According to Syrians in the area and Iraqi officials, however, all or most of the original fighters who set out on the convoy have got off the buses and made their way to Iraq, using back roads to bypass the path bombed by U.S. warplanes.

Omar Abu Layla, who heads an activist network called Deir al-Zour 24, said the fighters traveled on foot to meet up with Islamic State fighters nearby and have been transported to two western Iraqi towns, Rawa and Aana. He cited the accounts of two reporters in his network who live in the area.

Two Iraqi officials said they believed all of the fighters and their families had arrived in Rawa in recent days. Residents told Mohammed Karbouli, a member of Iraq's parliamentary committee on defense and security, that hundreds of Islamic State fighters from Syria showed up in Rawa on Friday and that they were apparently those from the convoy.

"That deal was a big mistake, and it harms only Iraq," he said.

Asmaa Al-Ani, a member of the local council in Anbar province, said residents of Rawa told her that about 700 Islamic State fighters and their families had arrived and had taken up residence in empty homes. "These reinforcements will have a negative impact on the military situation for the coming operations," she said, referring to the Iraqi army's plans to recapture the area, one of the last remaining pockets in Iraq controlled by the Islamic State.

The claims left it unclear who, if anyone, may still be aboard the buses stranded in the desert. Hezbollah has accused the U.S. military of endangering the lives of women and children who are on the buses, but the U.S. military says it will not prevent supplies from reaching the vehicles.

The U.S. military did not respond to requests for comment on whether the Islamic State fighters are in Iraq.

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Salim reported from Irbil, Iraq. Zakaria Zakaria in Istanbul contributed to this report.
NORWALK  About thirty miles from Houston, Texas, located directly next to the Brazos River, the small city of Rosenberg lies besieged by more than five feet of water after the deluge of Hurricane Harvey.

Earlier this week, Friar Lee Flores, the pastor of Our Lady of Guadalupe in Rosenberg, called on those outside of the storm radius to help his parishioners  a vast majority of which had lost everything to the once-in-a-century storm.

And from more than 1,700 miles away, Monsignor Walter Orlowski of St. Matthew Church answered Floress call to action.

As residents and organizations around Connecticut scrambled to assemble care packages and cash donations to mail to the regions of Texas struck hardest by Harvey, Orlowski was devising a way to make a difference firsthand.

Rather than asking someone else to go down there and do my bidding while I sit up here safe and dry in my high chair, I just believe that I need to be the one out there doing this, Orlowski said. I just think its important for church leaders to be down there on the front lines, to let people know that we are here for them.

On Tuesday, Orlowski put a simple plea out on Facebook: help me to fill trucks with much-needed supplies for those suffering and I will hand deliver it there myself.

Unlike wealthier Houston suburbs like Caty and Richmond, Rosenburgs population has a median income average well below the poverty line. With more than 16 percent of its population living in poverty already and more residents forced from their homes by the flood, Rosenberg residents were increasingly at risk of going unaided.

Thats why Orlowski asked the community to donate money as well as non-perishable items, bottled water, grooming and self-cleaning materials, Clorox, paper towels, toilet paper, LED flashlights and other first aid items. And, so far, the community response has exceeded his expectations, Orlowski said.

Local truck rental company Penske donated a large box truck to the church for the transportation of the goods down to Texas, and numerous other residents have already provided gas money for the trip.

In addition to nearly filling a single large Orlowski said that the church has already raised more than $6,000  money that he said will be distributed amongst parishioner families evenly, so that they can put it toward whatever they see fit.

There are people coming from all walks of life to come do what they can do. From little kids with toothpaste and toothbrushes that they just bought at the store to adults and senior citizens. Its truly been awe inspiring.

Norwalk resident Joe Squeo and his family members were amongst the first to respond to Orlowskis request. After donating as many boxes of bleach as the local branch of Costco had to offer, the Squeos went a step further and donated their time as well.

Squeo, whose 90-year-old parents were located right in the middle of the devastation wrought by Hurricane Sandy in 2012, had seen firsthand what a major hurricane could do to a city and its people. With another storm of that magnitude displacing thousands, Squeo said he couldnt just sit by idly.

Monsignor Walter basically opened the door for everybody to have an opportunity to help by taking the lead and telling us what was needed. Now, it gives everyone who saw it as too much of a challenge the chance the opportunity to contribute, said Squeo.

Not only did Squeo dedicate three days to collecting donations and packing them into the truck, but his son-in-law and former Houston resident, Mark Betz, will be driving a second truck of donated goods down to Houston on the tails of Orlowski.

After the first two trucks ship out to Rosenberg, the church will consider sending a third truck down depending on how many materials the church can collect.

But, Orlowski hopes the efforts wont stop with this first wave of donations.

Orlowski, who was put in charge of 10 parishes throughout New Canaan, Darien and Norwalk in April, said he hopes to recruit carpenters in his district who would volunteer to travel to Rosenberg once water levels drop in the hopes of helping residents rebuild their homes.

Youve got people down there in all types of economic situations, so obviously for some its harder than for others. Thats why what Monsignor Walter is doing is so important, said Betz, whose sister and father still live in the Houston area.

ptomlinson@hearstmediact.com; 203-842-2570; Twitter: @Tomlinson_PE
By PTI: New Delhi, Sep 3 (PTI) The BJP-led government today promoted four ministers, largely seen as performers, to the Cabinet, which also got a Muslim face with the induction of Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi.

The elevation of Dharmendra Pradhan and Nirmala Sitharaman, Rajya Sabha MPs from Odisha and Karnataka, is also reflective of the BJPs political calculation in these poll-bound states.

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Sitharamans stunning elevation from commerce ministry to Defence grabbed the lions share of attraction in the latest round of reshuffle.

She will be the second female face in the Cabinet Committee on Security apart from Minister of External Affairs Sushma Swaraj.

The second big gainer Piyush Goyal, entrusted with the Railways portfolio, is widely credited with astutely steering the Centres rural electrification agenda and turning around the coal sector as a Minister of State with independent charge for power, coal, new and renewable energy and mines.

Goyal will continue to head the Coal Ministry along with Railways.

A chartered accountant by profession, 53-year-old Goyal was elected to the Rajya Sabha from Maharasthra last year for the second time.

Pradhan and Naqvi retained their portfolios of Oil and Gas and Minority Affairs respectively.

Pradhans rise comes on the back of his performance as a Minister of State of Petroleum and Natural Gas, which is spearheading Prime Minister Narendra Modis pet scheme, Pradhan Mantri Ujjwala Yojana, of providing LPG connections.

48-year-old Pradhan, who has emerged as the partys most prominent face in Odisha, is also praised in the government circles for having made the Give It Up plan, on people giving up subsidised cooking gas voluntarily, a success.

His father, Debendra Pradhan, was a minister in the Atal Bihari Vajpayee government and an MP from Odishas Deogarh constituency.

In 2004, he was elected a member of the 14th Lok Sabha from the same constituency and held the seat till 2009, before he lost the subsequent poll. He was also a member of the Odisha legislative assembly between 2000 and 2004.

Sixty-year-old Naqvi, a Shia from Uttar Pradesh, is the lone Muslim face in the council of ministers of the Modi government. He has been handling the twin portfolios of Minority Affairs (Independent Charge) and Parliamentary Affairs.

One of the BJPs chief spokespersons before its ascent to power, Sitharaman (58) will be the BJPs first woman face in the Union Cabinet from south India. She is an alumna of the prestigious Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU).

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Karnataka, like Odisha, goes to polls in 2018 and the BJP is pulling out all stops to wrest power in these states from the Congress and the Naveen Patnaik-led BJD, which was a once a part of the National Democratic Alliance (NDA). PTI SBR IKA

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Frustration with standardized tests often goes like this: What about the people - legislators, bureaucrats, educators - who make kids do them? Why don't we force those adults to take the tests, too? Let's see how they like it.

That's been wishful thinking - until now. The co-founders of a successful charter school network in Texas told me theyare, astonishingly, requiring applicants for teaching spots to take the same anxiety-provoking exams they require of students.

The first time I heard this from Tom Torkelson, co-founder of IDEA Public Schools, I expressed disbelief. Say that again? Policymakers have long considered it wrong and insulting to subject even new teachers to these tests. Experts assure me this is the first time such a requirement has been imposed on U.S. educators.

It is an explosive event, sure to be denounced. But Torkelson and IDEA co-founder JoAnn Gama - former teachers themselves - see it as simple logic.

They run 61 schools with 36,000 students, almost all from low-income families in the poorest parts of the Rio Grande Valley, San Antonio and Austin. If you are applying to teach a college-level Advanced Placement class in one of the system's high schools, you must first take one of the three-hour AP tests in your subject. The same goes for the State of Texas Assessments of Academic Readiness (STAAR) one-hour tests required of third-graders through eighth-graders. If you want to teach those grades at an IDEA school, you must first take the relevant STAAR test. IDEA creates mock AP and STAAR exams using publicly released questions. It requires them only of applicants new to the network.

As IDEA was moving toward some of the highest AP participation rates in the country three years ago, Torkelson asked his staff members what percentage of their teachers had passed the AP exam in their subject. "I got a lot of blank stares," he said. "How complicated is it? If you are going to teach calculus, you've got to be able to pass the calculus exam."

So taking an AP test was added to the interview process. IDEA also required newcomers to take a STAAR test, Gama said, after it was discovered during a training session that some IDEA teachers couldn't pass the state's fifth-grade math test or eighth-grade social studies exam. Teachers already working for IDEA are not required to take the tests, but if they happen to do so and flunk, they are given extra training.

Torkelson acknowledged that the testing requirement is not a cure-all. "Ultimately, if you can pass the test, it's still possible that you're going to be lousy as a teacher," he said.

Reaction has been mixed. Trevor Packer, the College Board vice president who runs the AP program, said IDEA's practice "could help both school administrators and teachers identify whether an individual knows the discipline well enough ... and identify specific concepts and skills where that prospective teacher could benefit from additional professional learning."

Nina Rees, president of the National Alliance for Public Charter Schools, said the policy was "a great example of an innovative approach public charter schools are taking to help ensure teachers are experts in their subject area."

But Celeste Busser, senior press officer for the National Education Association teachers union, said taking the AP exam "as a condition of employment doesn't make any sense." She said it is not going to give anyone an understanding of "whether they can teach the content."

"What a good teacher does is more than drilling for the test," said Robert Schaeffer, spokesman for the National Center for Fair & Open Testing. "This reflects a further narrowing of the teaching of the course to reflect the test."

I hope IDEA's approach to ensuring teacher quality spreads, although the network should expect the outrage and disgust that often follow defiance of taboos. As for the psychometricians and politicians who create and install such tests, I doubt they will ever let themselves be examined on how much of that stuff they actually know.
The irony was stark.

Fifty years ago, Thurgood Marshall, the grandson of an enslaved man who had become one of the country's most famous litigators, was about to be sworn in as the first African-American justice on the Supreme Court. And Marshall wanted to take the constitutional oath of office from Hugo Black, a white associate justice who had once been a member of the Ku Klux Klan.

The optics on Sept. 1, 1967, were intentional. Marshall, then 59, had led the NAACP's legal team in the landmark 1954 case of Brown v. Board of Education, which ended legal racial segregation in U.S. public schools.

"Thurgood Marshall knew most Southerners, and Southern politicians, opposed his groundbreaking nomination," said Wil Haygood, author of "Showdown: Thurgood Marshall and the Supreme Court Nomination That Changed America."

Eleven Southern senators had voted against his confirmation on Aug. 30, 1967, complaining not about his race, but about his "activist" temperament.

"After all, he was the civil rights attorney who had upended many Southern discriminatory practices," said Haygood, a former Washington Post reporter. "Marshall's decision to have Hugo Black - a one-time Alabama Klansman and justice on the Supreme Court in 1967 - administer him the oath was seen as shrewd because Marshall wanted to make an overture to the South. As well, Black had by then long proven his liberal bona fides on the court," including being part of the unanimous decision striking down school segregation.

Black had sworn Marshall in once before, when in 1965 President Lyndon B. Johnson appointed him the country's first black solicitor general.

Black, who never finished high school or college before attending law school at the University of Alabama, had been nominated to the Supreme Court by President Franklin D. Roosevelt. He had been on the court only a few weeks when, on Sept. 12, 1937, the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette published a blistering expose on Black's membership in the Ku Klux Klan. He had been a member of the Klan from 1923 until 1925 - at a time when Klan membership had soared to 5 million across the country.

The Post-Gazette published Black's handwritten resignation letter from the Klan - a scoop that would win reporter Ray Sprigle a Pulitzer Prize. The story began like this:

"Hugh Lafayette Black, Associate Justice of the United States Supreme Court, is a member of the hooded brotherhood that for ten long blood-drenched years ruled the Southland with lash and noose and torch, the Invisible Empire, Knights of the Ku Klux Klan. He holds his membership in the masked and oath-bound legion as he holds his high office in the Nation's Supreme tribunal - for life."

Black had joined the "Robert E. Lee Klan No. 1, Invisible Empire, Knights of the Ku Klux Klan," on Sept. 11, 1923.

His July 9, 1925, resignation letter, scrawled on golden-yellow stationery of the Grand Dragon of the Alabama Klan, was the first move of his winning campaign for a U.S. Senate seat.

In barely legible black cursive that slanted from left to right down the page, Black wrote: "Dear Sir Klansmen: By to Tender you herewith my resignation as a member of the Knights of the Ku Klux Klan (officially) from this date on." Yours (illegible) Hugo L Black.

Black was in Europe when the story was published. When he returned, the Supreme Court justice delivered an 11-minute explanation in a highly anticipated radio address.

"I number among my friends many members of the colored race," Black told listeners. "Certainly, they are entitled to the full measure of protection accorded by our Constitution and our laws."

"I did join the Klan. I later resigned. I never rejoined. ... Before becoming a senator, I dropped the Klan. I have had nothing whatever to do with it since that time. I abandoned it. I completely discontinued any association with the organization. I never resumed it and never expect to do so."

Although dozens of newspapers called for Black's resignation, he remained on the court. And three decades later, the former Klan member helped Thurgood Marshall make history, swearing him in as his Supreme Court colleague.

Supreme Court justices are required to take two oaths - the constitutional oath and the judicial oath. The clerk of the court would later administer the judicial oath to Marshall on Oct. 2, 1967, and that was the moment that made front-page headlines.

Marshall's constitutional oath wasn't front-page news, and the Klan angle was largely ignored. The New York Times ran an Associated Press story on page 10. The headline read: "Marshall Inducted in Closed Ceremony."

"Thurgood Marshall was sworn in today as a Justice of the Supreme Court and was presented with a Bible by Justice Hugo L. Black, who officiated at the ceremony," the story reported. The swearing in was held in Black's chambers.

Marshall emerged from the court smiling. "Asked why the ceremony was held in private, he said it was a matter of protocol," the article said.

Decades later, Marshall's wife, Cissy Marshall, acknowledged the irony in an interview with The Washington Post.

Although Black had once been a member of the Klan, "when he got into the court, he turned out to be one of the most liberal justices," she said. And Justice Black and Justice Marshall became friends, serving together until Black's retirement from the court on Sept. 17, 1971.
WASHINGTON - President Donald Trump signaled Sunday that he was not ruling out a retaliatory strike against North Korea in response to its overnight nuclear test, while Defense Secretary Jim Mattis warned the isolated country that any threat to the United States or its allies would be met with "a massive military response."

Trump called North Korea's nuclear test, its biggest to date, "very hostile and dangerous to the United States" and said his administration was considering sweeping new economic sanctions to pressure China and every other country that trades with North Korea.

Asked as he left church services whether he was planning to attack North Korea after a nuclear test that defied his blunt warnings, Trump told reporters, "We'll see."

Trump convened a White House meeting Sunday afternoon of military leaders, his national security team and Vice President Mike Pence, where Mattis said they reviewed each of the United States' military options in the Asia-Pacific.

Trump's response to North Korea's announcement that it had detonated a hydrogen bomb that could be attached to a missile capable of reaching the mainland United States included an admonishment of South Korea for its handling of the crisis.

Following Trump's Twitter scolding of South Korea, a longtime U.S. ally, Mattis said after the White House meeting that "the commitments among the allies are ironclad," referencing the Japan, South Korea and the United States.

"Any threat to the United States or its territories, including Guam, or our allies will be met with a massive military response - a response both effective and overwhelming," said Mattis, who was flanked by Gen. Joseph F. Dunford Jr., chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.

Mattis added, "We are not looking for the total annihilation of a country, namely North Korea, but as I said, we have many options to do so."

In a pair of tweets issued Sunday morning, Trump wrote: "North Korea has conducted a major Nuclear Test. Their words and actions continue to be very hostile and dangerous to the United States ... North Korea is a rogue nation which has become a great threat and embarrassment to China, which is trying to help but with little success."

Trump also scolded South Korea, a longtime U.S. ally, stating "South Korea is finding, as I have told them, that their talk of appeasement with North Korea will not work, they only understand one thing!"

Trump warned in a fourth tweet, "The United States is considering, in addition to other options, stopping all trade with any country doing business with North Korea."

He said he would be meeting with Mattis, White House chief of staff John F. Kelly and other military leaders to discuss options.

"The national security team is monitoring this closely," White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders told reporters. "The president and his national security team will have a meeting to discuss further later today. We will provide updates as necessary."

After speaking with Trump on Sunday morning, Mnuchin called North Korea's nuclear test "unacceptable behavior" and said the United States was likely to impose stricter sanctions on Kim Jong Un's government and further pressure China, in particular, to "cut off" North Korea.

"We've already started with sanctions against North Korea, but I'm going to draft a sanctions package to send to the president for his strong consideration that anybody who wants to do trade or business with them is prevented from doing trade or business with us," Mnuchin said on "Fox News Sunday."

"We are going to work with our allies, we'll work with China, but people need to cut off North Korea economically. This is unacceptable behavior."

Trump's threat to halt all economic ties with any country that does business with North Korea amounts to his biggest trade salvo to date and would be nearly impossible to pull off without having enormous implications for the U.S. economy. China is a large trading partner of North Korea, but it is also the largest U.S. trading partner in terms of goods imported and exported.

In 2016, U.S. companies exported $169.3 billion in goods to China and China exported $478.9 billion in goods to the United States. Halting all of that trade would a major effect on both economies, even driving up prices on all sorts of consumer goods.

The tumult in the region comes amid escalating economic tensions with South Korea. Trump is considering withdrawing the United States from a free-trade agreement with South Korea, a long-standing economic and diplomatic partner of the United States.

The move would be in keeping with Trump's campaign promise to end what he considers unfair trade competition from other countries, but the president's advisers have cautioned a withdrawal from the agreement would strain ties with South Korea amid the mounting North Korean nuclear crisis.

Asked by Fox anchor Chris Wallace whether Trump would pull the United States out of the agreement, Mnuchin said, "The president has made clear that where we have trade deficits with countries, we're going to renegotiate those deals." He added that there have been "no decisions" yet with regard to the trade accord with South Korea.

North Korea's nuclear test came just a few hours after Trump spoke with Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, a key ally in the region.

In a Saturday evening phone call, the two leaders discussed "ongoing efforts to maximize pressure on North Korea," according to the White House.

"The two leaders reaffirmed the importance of close cooperation between the United States, Japan and South Korea in the face of the growing threat from North Korea," read a statement from the White House.

Trump also spoke recently with South Korean President Moon Jae-in. In a call on Friday, the two leaders talked about "our coordinated response to North Korea's continued destabilizing and escalatory behavior," according to the White House, which said Trump and Moon agreed conceptually to South Korea purchasing billions of dollars in U.S. military equipment.

North Korea's testing of its most powerful nuclear device yet comes just 3 1 / 2 weeks after Trump warned Kim that his continued nuclear provocations would be "met with fire and fury like the world has never seen."

Initially, North Korea seemed to back down from its threat of a nuclear strike in Guam, where many U.S. military are stationed. Trump said of Kim at an Aug. 22 rally in Phoenix, "I respect the fact that, I believe, he is starting to respect us."

That assessment turned out to be premature. North Korea's test this weekend drew alarm from both Republican and Democratic lawmakers.

"North Korea right now is the most dangerous place on the face of the planet," Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, said on ABC's "This Week." Cruz said of Kim, "He is radical, he is unpredictable, he is extreme, and he is getting more and more dangerous weapons."

Although Cruz said he would chose his words differently than Trump, the senator defended the president's bellicose rhetoric.

"I think the president is right that Kim Jong Un and other bullies only understand and respect strength, that weakness, that appeasement encourages this action," Cruz told ABC anchor Martha Raddatz.

Rep. Joaquin Castro, D-Texas, differed, saying Trump's rhetoric is inadvisable.

"I don't think that it's helpful to get into a Twitter shouting match with a 32-year-old dictator, Kim Jong Un, in North Korea," Castro told Raddatz in a separate interview. He said Trump should "let his diplomats and his military generals and others handle this situation."

Gen. Michael Hayden, a former director of the CIA and the National Security Agency, stressed that Trump's tweets are fouling up his otherwise respectable plan to get tough on North Korea.

"You gotta watch the tweets," Hayden said on CNN's "State of the Union." "Mr. President, this is not a manhood issue; this is a national security issue. Don't let your pride get in the way of wise policy here."

Senate Foreign Relations Committee Chairman Bob Corker, R-Tenn., said he spoke Sunday morning with Kelly about the situation.

"We stand ready to work with the administration to support a comprehensive strategy that not only places an emphasis on deterrence but also empowers our allies and partners in the region, who must do more to confront this threat," Corker said in a statement.

Sen. Jeff Flake, R-Ariz., said that "there are no good options" to manage the North Korea crisis but that "harsh rhetoric" does not appear to help slow Kim's nuclear program.

Flake said that ending the U.S.-South Korea trade agreement, as Trump is considering, would be inadvisable.

"I don't think that that would be good in any circumstances," Flake said on CNN's "State of the Union."

"Now it's particularly troubling given what South Korea is faced with. I think we need to do more trade, not less, and withdrawing from trade agreements is a very troubling sign."

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The Washington Post's Karoun Demirjian, Damian Paletta and Hamza Shaban contributed to this report.

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Video: President Trump said "we'll see" when asked if he would attack North Korea shortly after they conducted a nuclear test Sept. 3. (The Washington Post)

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President Donald Trump is expected to phase out the Obama-era program that grants work permits to about 800,000 undocumented immigrants brought to the United States as children, but delay its end for six months to give Congress time to pass legislation to replace it, according to multiple people briefed on the president's discussions.

Trump's plan remains fluid and could change, however, and administration officials stressed Sunday evening that the president has not finalized his decision. The White House has scheduled an announcement for Tuesday.

Trump has been wrestling over the future of the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program since the start of his presidency, and he has been known to change his mind about difficult policy issues until the moment he makes public a decision.

Politico first reported Sunday evening that Trump had decided to end DACA.

Two people briefed on Trump's deliberations confirmed Politico's report to The Washington Post, and a third person with knowledge of the internal discussions confirmed that the White House is preparing to slowly phase out the program so Congress could pass legislation for an alternative program to help the program's recipients, known as "Dreamers." All of these people spoke on the condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the discussions.

Many questions remain about how the policy would be implemented, including how long after Trump's announcement current DACA beneficiaries would have to renew their protected status.

Should Trump move forward with this decision, he would effectively be buying time and punting responsibility to Congress to determine the fate of the Dreamers. There is a consensus view among many of his top advisers that the DACA program, which President Barack Obama created by executive action, would not stand up in a court of law.

Attorney General Jeff Sessions, senior policy adviser Stephen Miller and recently departed chief White House strategist Stephen Bannon have advocated a hard-line immigration stance with the president, including ending DACA.

But Trump has long voiced sympathy for the program's beneficiaries, many of whom immigrated to the United States as young children and have lived here for most of their lives.

"We love the Dreamers," Trump told reporters Friday in the Oval Office. "We think the Dreamers are terrific."

Surrogates for Trump said Sunday that American workers would benefit by ending the DACA program, which has let undocumented children work and study in the United States without fear of deportation, but congressional Republicans urged the White House to leave the program intact.

Trump "wants to do what's fair to the American worker, what's fair to people in this country who are competing for jobs and other benefits," counselor to the president Kellyanne Conway said Sunday on "Fox & Friends." She said that the president's decision should be viewed as part of an "entire economic and domestic agenda" that includes an end to sanctuary cities, increased border security and constructing a wall along the southern border.

"He says we have to keep people and poison out of our communities. People who are coming here illegally and competing for those jobs," Conway said.

In an appearance on "Fox News Sunday," Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin said that he was "less concerned about the economic impact" of ending the DACA program because "we'll make sure that we have plenty of workers in this economy. We want to put more people back to work."

Neither Conway nor Mnuchin specified what Trump will say when he addresses the future of the DACA program on Tuesday.

As a candidate, Trump promised to end the program, but he has never acted on that promise. Instead, he has several times expressed sympathy for the plight of DACA recipients - and eschewed signing draft executive orders presented to him that would end the program.

Congressional pushback to reports Trump may end the DACA program continued unabated through the weekend, as lawmakers implored the president to leave the program alone.

"It would be the right thing to do to go back on that promise," Sen. Jeff Flake, R-Ariz., said of Trump's DACA campaign pledge on CNN's "State of the Union." "This is one that he ought to ignore."

Flake has long criticized Trump, but their relationship has deteriorated in recent weeks after the president endorsed his 2018 primary challenger Kelli Ward. On Sunday, Flake also voiced skepticism about the idea that Congress might barter with Trump to get him to leave the DACA program intact by funding his much-desired border wall. "If he's talking about a solitary, brick-and-mortar, 2,000-mile edifice on the border, then no, nobody ought to support that," Flake said.

Flake is not the only member of Congress attempting to stand in between the president and the DACA program. Those urging the president to let DACA survive include House Speaker Paul Ryan, R-Wis., and conservative senators like Orrin Hatch, R-Utah, who have implored Trump to give Congress a chance to address the program in law.

Tackling immigration is not easy for Congress, where many conservatives argue that more must be done to secure the border before addressing programs to streamline entry for immigrants or legalize the undocumented. Previous efforts to combine immigration and border enforcement initiatives have failed, even when Democrats had congressional majorities.

Still, the sympathetic cases of DACA recipients have inspired lawmakers from various corners of Congress to sponsor legislation to legalize their status. Their support raises the possibility that a handful of Republicans could join congressional Democrats to get a bill over the finish line.

But Conway suggested that even growing sympathy for DACA recipients - including Trump's own sympathies - would not change his mind about ending the program.

"I do want to remind everyone that President Trump was able to take issues that were languishing in low single digits, if not an asterisk in the polls in terms of what's most important to you - trade, illegal immigration - and he was able to expand them into an entire message of fairness," Conway said.
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A federal prison in Beaumont that decided Thursday not to evacuate inmates despite a precarious drinking water situation has come under criticism from the men being held inside.

FCI Beaumont, a federal prison that houses 1,812 low security male inmates, said that although the facility's water source was compromised and had intermittent power, it was "adequately maintained with generator backup power when needed. There is an adequate food and water supply for both inmates and staff," the Federal Bureau of Prisons said in a statement Thursday.

Messages from inmates obtained by Chron.com using a prison email system tell a different story.

EMPTY: In Texas gas shortage, man fills garbage cans at pump in Austin

One of those inmates is a 30-something-year-old man being held at Beaumont for possession of a large quantity of cocaine and possession of three firearms. His identity, and the name of the other inmate who provided messages to Chron.com, has been confirmed, but withheld because they fear retaliation from guards for speaking out against the prison. The man's girlfriend Andrea Hasberry said one way the prison could retaliate is by moving him to another facility farther away.

The man described a scene where a fellow inmate passed out Thursday night because of malnutrition; inmates haven't had a warm meal in more than five days, he said. Because of the water shortage, four portable toilets were brought in to service the man's building. No chemicals were placed in the toilets, which have already been "topped off" with waste, the man said.

"Save me Jesus," the man said in an email. "I never thought nothing like this would happen in prison."

SAVED: Stunning photo of coast guard rescuing infant during Harvey





This was a similar story from another 50-something-year-old inmate shared with Chron.com. He was found guilty of fraud. Communication with this inmate was facilitated by his daughter Morgan Owen.

"We are getting two bottles of water a day thus far. Which is obscene," the inmate said Friday morning over email. "We are getting three brown bags of peanut butter and bologna a day. ... Keep pounding the social media sites and call Washington, D.C. for the Texas senators, congressman, and attorney general Jeff Sessions who is actually in charge of us. The more information they get the better."

Hasberry has been using Facebook to raise awareness around conditions in the prison. She has also shared photos of her emails to her boyfriend on Facebook as well, which have received dozens of comments.

"Just because a person made a mistake they don't deserve to be treated as a animal," Hasberry told Chron.com Friday afternoon. "Animals are treated better then those men. They evacuated all those animals and made sure they were safe, why can't they make sure those men in those units are safe, fed, healthy with clean clothes and enough amount of water; they are people too."

HELPING HAND: Houston family takes in 16 strangers and pets displaced by Harvey

When presented with the exact claims brought up by both inmates, the Federal Bureau of Prisons provided Chron.com the following statement Friday afternoon: "[T]he storm impacted the city water supply; however, the FCC (federal correctional complex) has its own reserve of water for emergency situations to adequately operate the FCC. There is ample food and bottled water for inmates and staff."

On Tuesday, rising floodwaters from the Brazos River forced the relocation of an estimated 1,400 convicts from the Jester 3 and Vance prisons in Richmond to the other 100-plus state lockups across Texas.

Owen hopes her father feels some relief very soon.

"My dad has been without running or drinking water today, without AC and with maybe 1300-1500 calories of food all day. That speaks for itself doesn't it?" Owen told Chron.com Friday afternoon.
As the adrenaline ebbed away after a week of chaos brought by Tropical Storm Harvey, the long wait finally began for many in the Houston area  for floodwaters to recede, for insurance adjustors to arrive, for emergency housing, for missing relatives to be found.

Late Saturday, Mayor Sylvester Turner issued a mandatory evacuation order for 300 people in flooded parts of west Houston, where 4,000 homes and apartments have remained mired in floodwaters from continuing releases from the Addicks and Barker reservoirs.

Power will be shut off to the homes at 7 a.m. Sunday to protect residents and first responders.

"The situation of the release of water from the reservoir is not going to change in the next 10 days," Turner said. "Think of the first responders."

In Beaumont, residents went another day without water and officials reported an oil spill from the Exxon Mobil refinery after a sheen was detected near the plant.

All day Saturday, volunteers mustered in Dickinson and Cypress, in Kingwood and Clear Creek, in Meyerland and Tasfield to gut homes, feed the stranded and help neighbors displaced by Harvey's wrath.

But even as thousands of Houstonians worked to help their friends and fellow residents clean up and begin the long process of moving forward and recovering, tens of thousands remained stuck across the region, looking for a place to stay or waiting to rebuild.

Laporsha Patt sat on her cot at the George R. Brown Convention Center, hunched over, her eyes glued to her phone.

She, her husband, and her young three children had spent six days in the shelter after Harvey's floods filled their Southside apartment with neck-high water.

She filed her FEMA application as soon as her family arrived at the shelter last week, but no vouchers or even a denial of assistance had come.

A quick look at her phone showed the application still pending.

"Why is it still pending? This is a disaster zone, why make us wait?" she asked, as she sighed and rubbed her temples.

When she asked FEMA officials Friday about her application status, she said an agent told her to fax in her lease.

"Where am I going to get a fax machine?" she asked.

She isn't alone. FEMA reported Saturday it had received more than 507,000 applications for aid in the aftermath of Hurricane Harvey, and had approved $114.7 million to 161,000 people.

About $33.6 million went for housing assistance, such as paying rent for displaced residents, and $81 million to help replace personal property, pay for transportation and provide medical and dental assistance.

More than 2,500 people sheltering at NRG Stadium got a surprise visit from President Donald Trump, who served food and chatted with evacuees.

"It's been really nice. It's been a wonderful thing," Trump said. "As tough as this was, it's been a wonderful thing. I think even for the country to watch it, for the world to watch. It's been beautiful."

The mayor said he asked the president Saturday to expedite federal aid for first responders, many of whom lost their homes while they helped Houston residents.

Turner said he also asked for help providing transitional housing, for federal funds to assist in the collection and disposal of storm debris, which Turner estimated could cost $200 million to $300 million.

The financial toll of the storm continued to mount, climbing to more than $100 billion, according to recent estimates. That would make Harvey the second costliest natural disaster in U.S. history.

Across the region, however, the death toll continued to rise.

In Houston, officials reported the death of an 8-year-old boy who'd suffered an asthma attack during the flooding. And in northwest Harris County, a 25-year-old man was found floating in Cypress Creek.

North of Houston, Walker County authorities said a 6-month-old baby girl is missing and presumed dead. The child was swept out of her parents' arms last Sunday as they tried to flee from their vehicle, which was trapped in floodwaters along Highway 150 near New Waverly. The family had been headed for Louisiana to try and avoid the storm.

In Port Arthur, authorities said Saturday an 88-year-old woman was found dead in a flooded home, pushing the death toll from Harvey to more than 50.

Flooding also continued in low-lying parts of Harris County  particularly near the Addicks and Barker reservoirs - will likely see ongoing flooding as the dams continue to release water downstream  though most of Harvey's floodwaters have traveled downstream.

"It could be two to three weeks before the lowest lying houses are out of water," said Jeff Lindner, meteorologist with the Harris County Flood Control District.

The Harris County Flood Control District announced it had repaired the breached Inverness Forest levee, and had identified 2,000 cubic yards of material that needed to be removed from bayous.

More than 65 locations were identified along the network of bayous that had sustained significant erosion, he said.

Turner asked residents served by the Houston Water Department's West District and Turkey Creek Wastewater Treatment Plant in parts of west Houston conserve resources by not using extra water for showers, baths, laundry, dishes or toilets.

Turner said he would reconsider Monday a curfew that has been in place for days, limiting movement from midnight to 5 a.m. He said businesses are concerned about tax dollars lost in bars and restaurants during the curfew.

Flooding continued in other areas, as well. South of Houston in Brazoria County, the swollen Brazos River continued a slow push toward the Gulf of Mexico and was expected to rise to a 32-foot crest by sometime Tuesday morning.

Some residents, however, can re-enter their homes near the Barker Reservoir in Fort Bend County, while others are still under a mandatory evacuation order.

County officials caution that even though the evacuation order is lifted, returning may not be safe.

"Many neighborhoods within the Barker Reservoir area may still have hazards present such as flooded roads, fallen trees, displaced animals, and standing water," the county said in a statement Saturday evening. "Residents should use extreme caution when returning to their homes."

Flooding also spread to a few neighborhoods in northern Lake Jackson and western Richwood, forcing officials to order mandatory evacuations in areas that had previously only seen voluntary evacuation orders.

Chronicle reporters Gregory Fails, Lise Olsen, Monica Rhor, Dug Begley, Mihir Zaveri, Marialuisa Rincon, Katherine Blunt, Cindy George and Jacob Carpenter contributed to this report.
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San Antonio Mayor Ron Nirenberg took to Facebook on Saturday afternoon to urge residents to stop hoarding and panic buying of gasoline.

"San Antonio, at the moment, gas purchases are at 2.5x rate of daily purchases & folks are hoarding," the mayor wrote. "We need to do better as we resolve this together. Please be considerate. People are experiencing a gas shortage because others are loading up on more than necessary. If we all work on fueling as needed and not over consuming, we will expedite our return to normal. Share with one another and be a good neighbor."

The mayor's post comes two days after initial reports that regular deliveries of fuel to service stations could see delays because of Harvey. Rumors of fuel shortages and multiple stations running out of gasoline sent San Antonians, and many others around Texas, scurrying to their nearest corner store to fill up.

Compounding the problem were people showing up not just to top off their vehicles, but to hoard gasoline in everything from huge fuel bladders to household buckets.

This then caused an actual fuel shortage when there was none to begin with, officials said. As of noon Saturday, about 500 of San Antonio's 630 area gas stations were said to be out of fuel, according to motorists reporting to gas price tracker GasBuddy.com. By 7:30 p.m. that number had climbed to about 575.

However, the accuracy of the site is not a hundred percent and is prone to fluctuations as it is driven by consumers reporting outages. The total number of stations in San Antonio out of gas could not be completely verified Saturday.

Now Playing: Lines extend to the streets on Wednesday, Aug. 31, as gas stations run low after Harvey. Video: San Antonio Express-News

But area service stations have been inundated with long lines since Thursday. Multiple corner and grocery stores, who had gas Saturday morning, continued to see lines of vehicles as locals sought fuel for the long Labor Day weekend.

"People have been coming at us from all different directions," Ashley Chapman, station manager at Hollywood Park Automotive, a North Side Shell filling station, said. "And our phones are ringing off the hook, it's non-stop."

RELATED: Roughly 72 percent of San Antonio gas stations out of fuel as panic continues

Chapman said her station received a full delivery of 9,000 gallons Thursday about 12:30 p.m. By 10:30 p.m. the store was dry. A second delivery Friday afternoon of about 4,500 gallons lasted only three hours.

"We are out of gas, and will not have any until Tuesday," Chapman said.

Gov. Greg Abbott assured Texans on Friday that "we have a bunch of gasoline coming in."

Texas Railroad Commissioner Ryan Sitton also told media that there is no fuel shortage. The Texas Tribune reported that Sitton said the problem is too many people filling up at once when they don't need to.

The initial problem was one of logistics, Sitton said.

"This is not going to last a long time. There's nothing in the market that will make anyone not get gasoline," Sitton told the Tribune.

RELATED: Gas prices surge higher as Texas, San Antonio drivers rush to fill their tanks

Accompanying Texas' gas problems have been reports of stations taking advantage of the situation by overcharging. The Texas Attorney General's Office reported it received more than 500 complaints in the dallas area alone on Thursday.

According to the AAA gas prices website, the average price for a gallon of regular unleaded in the San Antonio area Saturday morning was $2.35, up from $2.29 Friday. Gasbuddy.com was reporting the average price as $2.61 a gallon.

Potential fraud victims are encouraged to call the attorney generals consumer protection hotline at 1-800-621-0508, email consumeremergency@oag.texas.gov, or file a complaint online on the attorney generals website.

Many neighboring cities also have been experiencing a run on the gas stations.

"I can't get over how the lines are backing up," said Clayton Campbell, 59, of Castroville at the Valley Mart, 521 U.S. 90 East in Castroville. "I haven't seen a real problem. I filled up last night here. I had to wait, but it wasn't bad."

Campbell said people are creating the very shortages they fear.

"C'mon, people, it's not going away," he said, of the gasoline.

Staff writers Joshua Fechter and Diana R. Fuentes and The Associated Press contributed to this report
The village panchayat raised a fierce protest when the first batch of EDMC trucks reached the spot on Sunday.

By Baishali Adak: A day after Lieutenant Governor Anil Baijal banned garbage dumping at Ghazipur and ordered the waste to be diverted to Rani Kheda, a site near Rohini in north Delhi, a mahapanchayat of surrounding villages has raised a stink.

The issue also created a wedge between the east and north municipal corporations, as the northern civic body mayor, Preety Agarwal, reached the L-G office in the evening to protest against shifting of garbage to the north zone.

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Till Saturday, about 2,500 tonnes of waste were dumped at the Ghazipur landfill site every day.

The mahapanchayat, which was attended by representatives from Rani Kheda village, Mundka village, Mubarakpur, Prem Nagar and Kirari managed to dump part of the garbage, were reloaded by the villagers who brought cranes for the purpose.

The crowd also blocked the Karala-Mundka and Kirari Main Road for several hours in protest and caused a massive traffic jam. Till late evening, heavy police presence was maintained to ensure the angry protesters did not turn violent.

The villagers had set up a tent at the site for an overnight stay to keep vigil. Jayender Kumar Dabas, leader of house in the North Municipal Corporation of Delhi attended and addressed the mahapanchayat, violating his party line and directives from senior Delhi BJP leaders.

"This area is thickly populated with over one lakh men, women and children who will be affected directly," said Dabas, who assured the villagers that Rani Kheda will not be turned into a "dumping ground for the east zone".

"There is a kuccha colony right next to the proposed dumping site wall called Yogi Rajpuram. Then there are several other villages which will have to bear the stench and diseases arising from the trash directly. I am the councilor from this area, I have to keep my people's interest in mind," Dabas said.

'RANI KHEDA TO BE USED ONLY FOR A WEEK'

Congress leader Naresh Lakda was also a part of the villagers' meeting and protest. NMCD mayor Preety Agarwal, after her meeting with Baijal, said: "I have been assured by the L-G that Rani Kheda will be used as an alternate site only for a week. Plus, the lieutenant governor has assured us that no animal carcasses from the Ghazipur slaughter house will be brought here at all."

Vikas Kumar, a villager at the site, said, "EDMC has no plans or scheme in mind for segregation of this. Who knows tomorrow this will also become a trash mountain like Ghazipur and come crashing on us. Our children will die of asthma and pollution." EDMC officers said they will take up the issue of providing an alternate dumping site on Yamuna river bank at NGT on Monday.

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However, environmentalists warn that this is the worst possible decision that can be taken with regard to the river which is already highly polluted with waste and sewage. Manoj Misra of Yamuna Jiye Abhiyan, an NGO, said, "We cannot let one tragedy (Ghazipur deaths) seed another. We are gravely alarmed at the rumours of reviving a 150-acre dumping site on the Yamuna bank. This will kill the river forever."

ALSO READ

FYI | In pics: Ghazipur's landfill mountain collapses, swipes away vehicles into canal

Delhi LG Baijal bans Ghazipur landfill; waste to be diverted to temporary site

--- ENDS ---
There is an increased Texas Education Agency presence in the community as the 2017-18 school year kicks off.

While it is a disturbing commentary on the state of affairs in some of the more dysfunctional traditional school districts, it provides a glimmer of hope that change is coming.

Governance issues have plagued local school boards for too long.

Some activities have warranted criminal investigations, which have yielded indictments. And those cases have reined in some of the more out-of-control boards, but only temporarily.

A federal grand jury earlier this year issued indictments involving insurance contracts at local school districts. A San Antonio Independent School District trustee who was indicted has since resigned.

It is a good thing that State Education Commissioner Mike Morath has been more aggressive in addressing these problems.

But a letter signaling an investigation that was issued to the South San Independent School District is now termed a mistake. This is a warning that the TEA should not be overzealous.

Morath has appointed a board of managers for the Edgewood and Southside independent school districts and has a conservator overseeing the activities of South San. In the past couple of weeks, Morath launched an investigation into activities of Harlandale school district.

Morath has also appointed a board of managers to assist in the closing of the San Antonio School for Inquiry and Creativity, a troubled charter school.

Speaking about the TEA actions against school districts, DeEtta Culbertson, a TEA spokeswoman, told the Express-News, To have this type of concentration in this area, in one county is unusual.

It certainly is a black eye for Bexar County public education and overshadows all the positive things happening in classrooms, but we remain optimistic it will result in positive changes.
HIS 4-5 is a mean machine and can service up to 20 women a day.

So two years ago, the 27-year-old decided to become a magosha.

This after he had been unemployed for a long time and people called him mahlalela, which he didnt like.

He said he met a woman at a club two years ago, they poked the whole night and the woman was impressed.

She told me most men couldnt give good se_x and that many women would pay good money for it. I told her I wanted clients and she referred some of her friends, who referred others and soon I had a long list, he said.

Now, the man is offering his customers a 50% discount this festive season.

I normally charge R600, but I will charge R300 this festive season. This is my way to thank my clients. Its because of them that I am able to survive. Ive got two kids and Im able to provide for them. Also, I was able to get myself a car, he said.

The man said he is a tiger between the sheets.

I gym in my free time to make sure a woman is attracted to me before we even start. She is already halfway to reaching 0rgasm when she touches my body. By the time I poke, my work is easy, he said.

He said that men, especially married men, should learn to appreciate their women.

Poke your woman because she will cheat when you deny her good se_x and you will cry. Most of my clients are married and their husbands are too relaxed, he said.

The mans first client confirmed she put him up to selling his se_x skills. He was very good. I had never tasted anything like that. I am still his client and I dont think I will ever leave him, she said.

Another client said her marriage almost ended, but was revived when she was introduced to the magosha.

My husband was forever tired and my side always called wanting to see me. My husband caught me and we had a big fight. I only see the magosha when I need a poke, she said.

 Daily Sun

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Sensational South African socialite and dancer Zodwa Libram  popularly known as Zodwa Wabantu  is finally coming again as she appears at Club Connect after postponing her eagerly-awaited appearances on two occasions.

The controversial Zodwa was first due to appear at Club Connect, Harare Private Lounge and Club 263 in Mutare in September but pulled the plug on the shows after local actress Anne Nhira petitioned politicians to ban her from gracing the gigs.

This was supposed to be during the Harare International Carnival. Last month, the South African socialite cancelled her two appearances at Harares Private Lounge and Club Connect at the last minute.

She later said she was afraid of being arrested by deposed former president Robert Mugabe who had publicly slammed her for choosing not to wear underwear at the functions she graced.

Finally, Zodwa says she is ready to dazzle at both Club Connect and the Private Lounge in Harare after the fall of Mugabe.

This time around, the dancer who has risen to stardom because of her racy dance moves and declaration that she does not like wearing underwear, will first appear in the capital tomorrow at the Private Lounge before flying to Bulawayo for her performance at Club Connect.

Despite her failure to come to Zimbabwe on two occasions, Zodwas fans cannot wait to have her either in Bulawayo or Harare.

You know Zodwa just like her name tag Wabantu is for the people so let her come but we hope this time around she will make it.

Imagine last time I was even willing to go to the Carnival in Harare to have a glimpse of her after I missed her first show here but she didnt turn up, said young Dj Stango.

Socialite, Buhle, told Southern News that she likes the atmosphere and the euphoria associated with the arrival of Zodwa.

I am not a fan of Zodwa, but I just like the way she gets down to her business and how she has managed to gain fame and fortune through her unique trade. Its a bit unique thats why you see many people are really anxious to see her, including those who attended her show the last time she was here, she said.

DJ T Bass, who is one of the organisers of Fridays show, said they had put everything in place to avoid a last minute no-show by Zodwa.

We really want to apologise to our fans for the failure by Zodwa to make it on two occasions.

But to make sure that she comes this time, we have already sent someone to South Africa to bring her and the good thing is that this time its not us who put the dates. She did it herself, so definitely she will be here, said Dj T Bass.

Zodwa is expected to arrive in Bulawayo from Harare on Friday morning.

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Chemonics has been engaged by the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria, with the concurrence of USAID to leverage on the GHSC-PSM health supply chain in Nigeria to provide warehousing and distribution services for Global Fund- procured HIV and malaria health commodities in Nigeria.Currently managed by the Global Funds Principal Recipients (PRs), Chemonics will work closely with the Global Fund, the PRs, and as needed USAID to implement the warehousing and distribution services for the Global Fund PRs all through till December 2017.This scope of work (SOW) sets forth the services to be provided by the Human Resources Associate to SAII Associates Ltd/Gte, an associate company of Chemonics International Inc. in the implementation of the USAID Global Health Supply Chain - Procurement and Supply Management (GHSC-PSM) in Nigeria.The purpose of the USAID Global Health Supply Chain ProgramProcurement and Supply Management single award IDIQ contract is to ensure uninterrupted supplies of health commodities to prevent suffering, save lives, and create a brighter future for families around the world.The IDIQ has four task orders that directly support the U.S. Presidents Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR), the Presidents Malaria Initiative (PMI), USAIDs family planning and reproductive health program, and maternal and child health. GHSC-PSM provides health commodity procurement services and systems strengthening technical assistance that address all elements of a comprehensive supply chain. All four task orders are implemented in Nigeria.The Human Resources Associate will support the Human resources processes by administering tests; scheduling appointments; conducting orientation; maintaining records and information.Provide support during the interview process by:aMaintaining the recruitment board.Placing advertisements and printing applications.Preparing interview packets and placing phone calls to candidates for confirmation.Arranging interviews and tests.Compiling the results of tests, interview scoring sheets.To create, maintain, and close/archive personnel files for all staff in GHSC-PSM Nigeria and maintain to a high standard.To ensure that all HR files are constantly and consistently updated (important documents are placed) and are accurate.To compile reports such as 13th month salary.To ensure that all HR forms are updated and shared with staff per their request.To maintain records on medical expenses and absence including annual leave and sick leave and keeping staff/supervisors and the Human Resources Manager informed of balances.To alert the HR Manager of probationary end dates and employment end dates well in advance.To ensure that personnel files are up-to-date with former employee/exited staff paperwork /clearance certificate and ensure that Finance is kept informed.To process and maintain record of Over-Time paymentsTo compile reports on the probation status for staff and follow up with the HR Manager and supervisors.To compile reports such as Annual Performance Reviews.To provide support in the performance management process -collecting information during the performance annual cycle.Perform other tasks as directed by HR Managers.Maintain a good knowledge and understanding of all office rules and procedures as set forth in the field office policy manual.Support the achievement of the overall project goals as required to ensure project performance.Bachelor's degree (or equivalent) in Human Resources, Administration, development, or a related field preferred.At least 2 years of relevant work experience.Experience working on a USAID or donor-funded project required.Excellent organizational skills with ability to meet deadlines and manage priorities.Good team member with experience working in a small team and supporting a wider program team.Reliable, organized and efficient with ability to pay attention to detail.HR experience within a multi-cultural environment preferred.Strong sense of self-awareness, flexible, and willing to learn.Computer skills  Word, Excel, use of the Internet, databases and email.A strong commitment to Diversity issues, Equal Opportunities and capacity building.Fluency in English is requiredSupervision:The HR Associate will report directly to the Human Resources Manager or his/her designee.6 September, 2017
Muslims had gathered to offer namaz in Gandhi Maidan, Joshimath but were left helpless due to heavy rains when a local gurudwara offered them its space to pray on the occasion of Eid.

By India Today Web Desk: As the country was immersed was celebrating Eid Al -Adha on Saturday, muslims in Joshimath, Uttarakhand were having trouble offering namaz due to heavy rains.

It was raining heavily in many parts of Dehradun since morning on Saturday. It was then that a Gurudwara (sikh temple) in Joshimath offered their space to Muslims who had gathered to offer Eid's namaz in Gandhi Maidan.

Uttarakhand-Devotees offered prayers at a Gurudwara in Joshimath as they were unable to do it at Gandhi Maidan due to heavy rains #EidAlAdha pic.twitter.com/FIzQientks- ANI (@ANI) September 2, 2017

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In times when communal harmony is debated on Prime Time news and communal tensions are increasing throughout the country, this incident had set a new example for communal harmony.

Joshimath is situated in Chamoli district in Uttarakhand and is situated right next to Badrinath. A similar incident was reported from the same Gurudwara in 2012.

Also Read:

FYI || From posters to Facebook posts: How communal harmony is disrupted in India ||

FYI || Communal harmony: Muslim family donates their land for a temple in Bihar ||

FYI || Malda: Muslim neighbours perform Hindu man's last rites, chant Hari Bol on way to crematorium ||

FYI || Communal Harmony: Muslims in Bareilly distribute food to kanwar yatra pilgrims ||

FYI || Communal kidney: Hindu, Muslim men break religious barriers to donate kidney to each other's wives ||

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(Natural News) A Silicon Valley startup company called Pyka is developing an autonomous (self-driving) plane to meet the burgeoning demand for planes that rely on artificial intelligence and sensor technology to replace co-pilots and possibly even pilots with remote operators or robots on commercial flights. The company has already produced a 400-pound plane that can take off and land in a small area (just 90 feet) and fly autonomously. However, while regulators conduct multiple tests before allowing human commercial flights, the company has hit on the brainwave of using the plane for another lucrative application: dousing agricultural land with toxic chemical pesticides.

Tech Crunch explains:

Pyka has developed a placeholder business doing crop dusting in New Zealand. That helps it earn $600 per hour while logging the hours necessary to prepare for the human transportation market. Crop dusting alone is a $1.5 billion business in the U.S.

The U.K.s Daily Mail claims that using an autonomous plane like the Pyka Plane makes agricultural chemical application safer, faster and more precise. The manufacturers have engineered the plane to execute such chemical application at high speed (over 70 miles an hour) and very close to the ground, at heights which would normally be dangerous. Though the plane is likely to be exorbitantly expensive, Pyka believes this expense will be offset by its extremely fast and affordable application capabilities. (Related: Learn why the toxic chemicals used in conventional agriculture are so dangerous at Chemicals.news.)

In theory, the concept behind the plane seems sound. The Mail reports:

The planes onboard sensors allow it to self-regulate its position, flying precise paths while spraying at the right times. This allows the plane to compensate if theres wind and drift, leading to using less chemicals per acre while also decreasing accidental exposure of chemicals to other areas.

While pesticide drift from conventional spraying is a big problem, Pyka is missing the point: Spraying toxic chemicals more efficiently doesnt negate the fact that they are toxic in the first place. What is needed is the eradication of pesticides, not the more efficient application thereof.

For years independent media leaders like Mike Adams of Natural News have been warning about the dangers of such pesticides, including Monsantos Roundup, which contains over 50 percent glyphosate. (Related: How Monsantos Roundup unleashes chemical violence against women and children.)

Big Agri came out with guns blazing against such allegations, insisting that glyphosate  and by extension Roundup  had been proven to be safe in countless scientific studies.

Then, in March 2015, the World Health Organizations International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) issued a report entitled IARC Monographs Volume 112: evaluation of five organophosphate insecticides and herbicides, which turned the agricultural world on its head and left Monsanto with serious egg on its face.

The report findings stated:

The herbicide glyphosate and the insecticides malathion and diazinon were classified as probably carcinogenic to humans (Group 2A). [Emphasis added]

With an increasing number of studies linking glyphosate to the cancer non-Hodgkins lymphoma, Monsanto is now facing a crippling barrage of lawsuits from plaintiffs and their families whose lives have been destroyed by chemical pesticides.

So, you see, searching for safer and more effective ways to dump these chemicals on farmland is not the solution. The only way forward is to stop using chemical pesticides and throw our collective weight behind the growing organic movement worldwide.

Sources for this article include:

DailyMail.co.uk

TechCrunch.com

NYTimes.com

IARC.fr[PDF]

NaturalNews.com
This is an older version of this story. For the latest updates on the La Tuna Fire, please click here.

Hundreds of homes have been evacuated and an 11-mile stretch of the 210 Freeway remain shut down Saturday as the La Tuna Fire scorched 5,800 acres and three structures in the Sun Valley area.



Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti said the blaze is "the largest fire in the history of LA city in terms of its acreage," at a press conference Saturday morning.

Garcetti signed a Declaration of Local Emergency Saturday evening.

About 800 firefighters from numerous departments are battling the blaze, which sparked for unknown reasons at approximately 1:25 p.m. Friday near the 10800 block of La Tuna Canyon Road.

Wind-blown embers sparked a spot fire on the north side of the 210 and by 4 p.m. Friday, firefighters were battling flames on both sides of the freeway as the fire raced up a hillside of the Verdugo Mountains in the direction of Burbank.

Erratic winds are feeding the flames, which expanded from 1,500 acres to 3,000 as the fire raced uphill on the Verdugo Mountains overnight. As of 10 p.m. Saturday, the blaze had spread across 5,800 acres and was 10 percent contained, according to the Los Angeles City Fire Department.

Hundreds of homes were evacuated Friday and Saturday morning, and one home was destroyed Saturday before noon in the Tujunga area. "The home was at the end of a road with a draw on either side that allowed the fire to run right up," read a statement from LAFD. Two other structures were also destroyed.

Two firefighters suffered dehydration. They were taken to a local hospital and are in stable condition, fire officials said at a Saturday evening news conference.



Approximately 50 homes were threatened as the blaze turned toward residential areas in Burbank late Friday night, prompting mandatory evacuations. Burbank police went door to door to issue evacuations to inform residents who stayed behind, or who were unaware of the threat.



"Right now the evacuation orders affect 300 homes in Burbank, more than 250 in Glendale, 180 in the city of Los Angeles," Garcetti said around 10:30 a.m. Saturday.

A full list of evacuations and evacuation centers can be found here.

All Burbank evacuations were lifted Saturday at 10 p.m., but new evacuations were ordered overnight for the Castleman Estates as the fire slowly crept downhill toward homes.

"Pets are welcome at the shelters too, so don't leave your pets behind, we will make sure we accommodate them as well," Garcetti said.

The city of Glendale urged evacuees with pets to go to Crescenta Valley High School, where the Pasadena Humane Society has set up facilities.

The westbound 210 Freeway remained closed between the 2 Freeway and Sunland Boulevard, while eastbound lanes were closed between Sunland Boulevard and Lowell Avenue Sunday morning.

Transition roads were also closed from the eastbound 118 Freeway to the eastbound 210 Freeway, the northbound 2 Freeway to the westbound 210 Freeway, the northbound 2 Freeway at the Ventura (134) Freeway and the eastbound and westbound 134 Freeway to the northbound 2 Freeway, according to the California Highway Patrol.

The CHP had no estimate on when the closures would be lifted.

The South Coast Air Quality Management District advised of unhealthy air quality in several areas due to the fire. People living in the areas of the west San Gabriel Valley, east San Fernando Valley, east San Gabriel Valley, San Gabriel Mountains, Glendale area and the San Fernando Valley were urged to limit exercise and time outside.

City News Service contributed to this report.
As part of a nationwide Labor Day effort, union members will be marching, chanting and rallying in various Bay Area locations for a $15 national minimum hourly wage Monday, union representatives said.

Union members will gather in locations including downtown Oakland, San Jose and Watsonville, according to organizers from the Service Employees International Union.

Union members will march through downtown Oakland starting at 9 a.m., then hold a rally at Frank Ogawa Plaza at 11 a.m., organizers said. The San Francisco Labor Council, the Alameda Labor Council and SEIU will take part.

In San Jose, members of SEIU Local 521 will caravan to protest at various South Bay locations, then hold a Labor Day picnic at the SEIU office on Zanker Road at noon.

In Watsonville, SEIU members and the Monterey Bay Central Labor Council will march through Watsonville, stopping at various locations, according to organizers, who said this event focuses on workers' right to unionize.
Twenty-six Wisconsin cheese companies are donating 17,000 pounds of "comfort food" to Houston's largest food bank, said Suzanne Fanning, vice president of the states Milk Marketing Board, NBC affiliate WMTV first reported.

"It's a very small thing for us to do with what they're facing," she told the station. "But let's face it: cheese is comfort food. It makes you happy. If we can bring a little bit of happiness to the folks down there then that's what we want to do."

The shipment, which will include everything from string cheese to cheese curds, as well as 300 pounds of butter, is expected to arrive in Houston on Thursday, according to WMTV.

After making landfall in Texas, the storm caused major damage to more than 13,000 mobile and multi-family homes in the county.
Astronaut Peggy Whitson returned to Earth late Saturday, wrapping up a record-breaking flight that catapulted her to first place for U.S. space endurance.

Whitson's 665 days off the planet  288 days on this mission alone  exceeds that of any other American and any other woman worldwide.

She checked out of the International Space Station just hours earlier, along with another American and a Russian. Their Soyuz capsule landed in Kazakhstan shortly after sunrise Sunday  Saturday night back in the U.S.

She set multiple other records while in orbit: world's oldest spacewoman, at age 57, and most experienced female spacewalker, with 10. She also became the first woman to command the space station twice following her launch last November.

Returning cosmonaut Fyodor Yurchikhin logged even more time in space: 673 days over five missions. NASA astronaut Jack Fischer returned after 136 days aloft. The men flew up in April.

It was an emotional farewell for Whitson, Yurchikhin and Fischer. Before retreating into their Soyuz, they embraced the three colleagues they were leaving behind at the 250-mile-high complex. Yurchikhin patted the inside of the station before floating into his Soyuz for the final time.

The station's newest commander, Randy Bresnik, noted the outpost was losing 1,474 days of spaceflight experience with the departure of Whitson, Yurchikhin and Fischer. Four years and two weeks, he pointed out.

"We are in your debt for the supreme dedication that you guys have to the human mission of exploration," Bresnik told them on the eve of their departure. He offered up special praise for Whitson  "American space ninja"  and wished them all Godspeed.

Whitson, a biochemist, set a breakneck pace on all three of her space station expeditions, continually asking for more  and still more  scientific research to do. Scientists on the ground said it often was hard to keep up with her. She even experimented on food up there, trying to add some pizazz to the standard freeze-dried meals. Tortillas transformed into apple pies on her watch.

Whitson was supposed to fly back in June after a half-year in space. But when an extra seat opened up on this Soyuz, she jumped at the chance to stay in orbit an extra three months. Only one other American  yearlong spaceman Scott Kelly  has spent longer in space on a single mission.

Except for the past week, Whitson said her mission hurried by. She's hungry for pizza and can't wait to use a regular flush toilet again. She's also eager to reunite with her husband, Clarence Sams, a biochemist who also works at Johnson Space Center in Houston.

Because of the effects of Hurricane Harvey, NASA could not get its plane from Houston to Kazakhstan in time for the crew's landing. Instead, the European Space Agency offered to transport Whitson and Fischer to Cologne, Germany, where they will meet up with the NASA plane for the final leg of their journey. They should be back in Houston on Sunday night.

Three men remain at the space station: Bresnik, a Russian and an Italian. They will be joined by two Americans and a Russian following liftoff from Kazakhstan on Sept. 12.
Eight people were killed and at least 35 more were wounded in shootings across Chicago over the Labor Day holiday weekend.

The numbers mark a drop from last year, which recorded at least 13 people killed and 52 others wounded over the three-day weekend.



The most recent fatal shooting was reported just before 11 p.m. Monday, when a 38-year-old man was shot in the chest, head and leg.

Police said the man was in the 4400 block of South Lawler when two men approached him on the sidewalk and opened fire. The man was transported to Mount Sinai Hospital where he was pronounced dead. Area Central detectives are investigating.

Roughly three hours early, a 15-year-old boy was fatally shot during an argument outside a home in the 1500 block of South Drake. Police said the teen was in front of a home when he became involved in an argument with a group of men. Someone in the group opened fire on the teen, striking him in the back.

The boy was taken to Stroger Hospital, where he was pronounced dead. Area Central detectives were investigating.

Just after 6:30 p.m. Monday, two people were shot during what police believe may have been a domestic incident.

Police said a 34-year-old man and a 26-year-old woman were found with gunshot wounds in the 4900 block of West Washington. Both were taken to Mount Sinai Hospital where they were pronounced dead. Authorities said preliminary information indicated the man's wound was self-inflicted.

Late Sunday, two men were shot, one fatally, on the city's Northwest Side in the Belmont Central neighborhood. A 26-year-old man was fatally struck by a gunshot to the torso, and a 29-year-old man sustained a gunshot wound to the abdomen.



Police said the men were standing on the sidewalk at about 10:40 p.m. in the 5900 block of West Belden Street when a man approached them on foot and fired multiple shots in their direction. No one was in custody.



About two hours earlier, a man was found in the driver's side of a vehicle in the 800 block of 102nd Street with a gunshot wound to the chest. He was later pronounced dead at a nearby hospital.

At 5:02 a.m. Saturday, Chicago police discovered a man lying on the ground with a gunshot wound to his head. The incident occurred in the 1000 block of North Waller. The man was taken to Stroger Hospital, where he was later pronounced dead.

Four people were shot in the 8300 block of S. Hermitage at approximately 1:20 a.m. Saturday. A 26-year-old man was shot in the chest and was pronounced dead at Christ Hospital when he was shot while sitting on a porch. A 23-year-old woman was shot in the leg and was taken to Christ Hospital in good condition. A 23-year-old man was shot in the shoulder and was taken to Christ Hospital in good condition, and a 25-year-old woman was also taken to Christ Hospital in stable condition after being shot in the arm.

By Monday morning, nearly 30 people were wounded in holiday weekend violence, a day before Chicago Public Schools students were set to return to class. Here's a look at the weekend:

Friday:



-- A 24-year-old man was shot in the chest while walking down a street in the 4100 block of W. Congress at approximately 11:20 p.m. He was taken to Stroger Hospital in stable condition.

Saturday:



-- Two people were shot at approximately 2:34 a.m. in the 4300 block of W. Wilcox. An occupant in a white SUV opened fire toward a group of people standing on the street, striking two of them. A 26-year-old woman was taken to Stroger Hospital in serious condition after being shot in the leg, and a 26-year-old man was taken to Stroger Hospital in critical condition after being shot in the abdomen and shoulder.



-- A 29-year-old man was driving down a street in the 1800 block of N. Mason at approximately 2:39 a.m. when he was shot in the leg. He was taken to West Suburban Hospital in critical condition.



-- A 27-year-old man was shot in the left forearm while he was driving in the 2800 block of N. California at approximately 3:04 a.m. He drove himself to Illinois Masonic in good condition.



-- A 15-year-old boy was shot in the arm and leg and was taken to Christ Hospital in stable condition. The incident occurred at 1:30 p.m. in the 6900 block of S. Paulina.

Sunday:



--An 18-year-old man was walking on a sidewalk in the 3100 block of N. Luna at approximately 12:31 a.m. when a man walked up to him and shot him in the right leg. He was taken to Illinois Masonic Hospital in good condition.



-- A 48-year-old man was shot and suffered a graze wound to the chin while he was standing on a corner in the 4700 block of W. Madison at approximately 1:54 a.m. He was taken to Cook County Hospital in good condition.



-- A 22-year-old woman was shot in the shoulder during a verbal altercation in the 2500 block of S. Spaulding at approximately 2:40 a.m. She was taken to St. Anthony's Hospital in good condition.



-- Two people were shot at approximately 4:32 a.m. in the 900 block of N. Central. A vehicle approached the victims and a person inside fired shots, striking both of them. A 23-year-old man and a 34-year-old woman were both shot multiple times and were taken to area hospitals in serious condition.



-- A 26-year-old man and an 18-year-old woman were both shot in the 4800 block of W. Chicago at approximately 1:52 p.m. The man walked out of a store and was shot by a person in a dark colored sedan. He suffered a gunshot wound to the leg and was taken to Mt. Sinai Hospital in stable condition. The woman suffered a graze wound to her abdomen and was taken to West Suburban in good condition.



-- A 25-year-old man was in a vehicle when a man approached the car and fired shots at him at approximately 5:15 p.m. in the 4300 block of W. North Ave. The man was taken to Norwegian Hospital with a gunshot wound to his back, and he's listed in serious condition after being transferred to Stroger Hospital.



-- A 25 year-old man was shot in the arm at about 6:53 p.m. in the 6400 block of South Ingleside and transported to Northwestern Hospital in good condition. Police said the man was standing in an alley when he heard shots and began running before feeling pain in his arm.



-- A 25-year-old man was shot in the leg at about 7:55 p.m. in the 1800 block of West 44th Street. Police said circumstances remain unknown as the victim was uncooperative with investigating officers.



-- Two men were shot, one fatally, at about 10:40 p.m. in the 5900 block of West Belden. A 29-year-old man sustained a gunshot wound to the abdominal area and was in critical condition at Illinois Masonic Hospital. A 26-year-old man was fatally struck by a gunshot to the torso. Police said the men were standing on the sidewalk when a man approached them on foot and fired multiple shots in their direction. No one was in custody.



-- Three people were shot at about 11:55 p.m. in the 2400 block of South Harding, police said. A 17-year-old woman and 31-year-old man were each shot in the left foot. A 46-year-old man was shot in the left leg. Police said a grey vehicle stopped at the intersection where the group was standing and fired multiple rounds at them. No one was in custody.



Monday:



-- A 27-year-old man was shot in the left arm at about midnight in the 6300 block of South Cottage Grove. Police said the man told officers he was standing on the sidewalk when someone in a passing vehicle fired shots in his direction.



-- A 26-year-old man was shot in the left shoulder at about 4:15 a.m. in the 3300 block of West Walnut. Police said the man was standing on the sidewalk when he heard shots and felt pain. No one was in custody.



-- A 39-year-old man was shot in the right leg at about 4:30 a.m. in the 1800 block of West Armitage. Police said the victim told officers a disturbance ensued at a residence during which a man shot the victim. No one was in custody.



-- A man sustained multiple gunshot wounds to the body at about 8:58 a.m. in the 7000 block of South Merrill. Police said a man wearing a red hoodie approached the victim on foot and fired shots.



--Two men, ages 24 and 30, were shot in the buttocks at about 10:30 a.m. in the 1500 block of East 68th Street. Police said a man wearing a black/gray shirt fired shots at them and fled northbound on Blackstone.




An Illinois woman convicted of falsely claiming she and her son had cancer saw her sentence increased after she asked for reconsideration of her original sentence.



Melissa D. Barton was sentenced in July to 18 months in prison after pleading guilty to two counts of felony theft by deception. She solicited money from donors for fraudulent cancer claims.



The Telegraph in Alton reports public defender John Rekowski contends the sentence was too harsh. But instead of probation, Madison County Judge Kyle Napp on Thursday gave Barton a two-year sentence.



Napp said giving Barton probation would "deprecate the seriousness of the crime."



State's Attorney Tom Gibbons said Napp modified the sentence to comply with the law, which sets the minimum at 24 months.



Rekowski called the new sentence "even more unfair than the original one."


The youngest person to win the Noble Peace Prize is coming to DePauw University to deliver a public lecture.

Malala Yousafzai (mah-LAH'-lah YOO'-suhf-zeye) is scheduled to speak Monday night at the Neal Fieldhouse in Greencastle before having an onstage conversation with a DePauw professor of religious studies.

She'll also answer audience questions during her appearance on the campus about 40 miles west of Indianapolis.

Yousafzai was 17 in 2014 when she became the youngest person to win the Nobel Peace Prize. She won that prize two years after being shot by a Taliban gunman in her native Pakistan for speaking out for girls' rights to an education.

Yousafzai was initially treated in Pakistan but later flown to a hospital in Britain, where she now lives with her family.
By PTI: New Delhi, Sep 3 (PTI) Retired diplomat Hardeep Singh Puri, who was today inducted into the Union Council of Ministers, has a distinguished four-decade career in diplomacy spanning a multilateral arena behind him.

The former diplomat has been allocated the housing and urban affairs ministry with an independent charge.

M Venkaiah Naidu had held the housing and urban affairs portfolio before he was picked as the NDAs vice-presidential nominee.

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The new minister will assume office at 11 am tomorrow.

His first major official engagement would be to attend the inauguration of the first phase of Lucknow Metro on September 5.

Puri took a preliminary briefing from his ministry secretary Durga Shanker Mishra this evening on various initiatives of the government in urban sector.

He said he would like to go into details of implementation and related issues in respect of each of the six new missions from tomorrow and would like to complete this exercise this week before talking to media on the way ahead.

The 65-year-old, who took oath as a Minister of State, has served as Indias Ambassador to the UN in New York and Geneva, and with his decades of diplomatic experience, his presence in the Council would be a rarity.

Puri has had an over 40-year innings in diplomacy covering the multilateral arena, including as Indias Permanent Representative to the United Nations both in Geneva (2002-2005) and in New York (2009-2013).

He is one of the few Indians to preside over the United Nations Security Council and the only one to have chaired its Counter-terrorism Committee.

Puri, a 1974-batch Indian Foreign Service officer, most recently served as Vice President at the International Peace Institute and as the Secretary General of the Independent Commission on Multilateralism in New York. He was also Indias envoy to Brazil and the United Kingdom.

An alumnus of Hindu College in Delhi University who also taught briefly at St Stephens College, he is the author of a book, Perilous Interventions: The Security Council & The Politics of Chaos, published last year.

During his college days, Puri was a student leader who was also active in the JP movement.

Earlier this year, he was appointed the chairman of the Research and Information System for Developing Country (RIS), a city-based autonomous think tank that works under the Ministry of External Affairs.

RIS is an organisation that specialises in policy research on international economic issues and development cooperation, besides focussing on promoting South-South Cooperation and assisting developing countries in multilateral negotiations in various fora. PTI KND PR MP ARC SMN

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A suspicious death of a man found in an apartment on Tremont Street in New Britain has been ruled a homicide, New Britain police said Sunday.



According to New Britain police, on Saturday morning officers were called to 93 Tremont Street for a report of an apparently deceased male on the first floor. The victim was found in an apartment and pronounced dead on scene. At the time, police said the death appeared suspicious.

The victim has been identified as 66-year-old Willie Woodson of New Britain.

On Sunday, the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner ruled the cause of death was sharp force injury and the manner of death as a homicide.

Police said the crime does not appear to be random and it may be drug-related. The investigation is ongoing.

Anyone with information is asked to call the New Britain Police Department at 860-826-3132. Tips can be made anonymously by calling the tip line at 860-826-3199 or online at NewBritainPolice.org.
Firefighters Sunday had 15 percent containment of a large, fast-moving, 3,300-acre brush fire that started west of Calimesa and triggered mandatory evacuations in Riverside County and neighboring Redlands.

About 275 firefighters assisted by water-dropping helicopters and bulldozers were working on the fireworks-caused blaze near San Timoteo Canyon Road and Fishernan's Retreat.

When the fire was reported at 1:33 p.m. Saturday, it had charred about 50 acres and was burning at a moderate rate, Jody Hagemann of the Riverside County Fire Department said.

At 10:52 p.m., it was reported the fire had blackened about 3,200 acres, she said.

Residents living on Live Oak Canyon Road between San Timoteo Canyon Road and Interstate 10 in Redlands were ordered to evacuate at 3:30 p.m., Hagemann said.

With 100 homes evacuated on the Riverside County side and nine in Redlands, a total of 450 residents were evacuated, she said.

The California Highway Patrol said flames were "moving fast" and closed the eastbound lanes of San Timoteo Canyon Road at Live Oak, along the evacuation area.

The blaze, dubbed the Palmer Fire, was being fueled by high temperatures and wind gusts blowing at up to 35 mph, according to the National Weather Service.

An evacuation center was set up for residents displaced by the fire at the Redlands Community Center at 111 West Lugonia Ave. A large and small animal evacuation center was set up at the Yucaipa Equestrian Center, 13273 California St. at G Street.

The road closures and evacuations ordered Saturday were still in effect around 7 a.m. Sunday.
California Gov. Jerry Brown on Sunday declared a state of emergency for Los Angeles County as flames from the La Tuna Fire continued to burn in the area.

The fire, which began Friday, had grown to 7,003 acres by Sunday, prompting hundreds to be evacuated from their homes. While 1,061 firefighters battled the blaze, the flames were only 30 percent contained as of 10:30 p.m. Sunday and were expected to continue to burn through Wednesday or Thursday.

In his declaration, Brown noted the "extreme weather conditions and high temperatures" increasing fire risks. Los Angeles Fire Department Battalion Chief Ralph Terrazas on Sunday said weather patterns were expected to "become more favorable" in the coming days, but cited wind as a major concern.

Crews from the Los Angeles County Fire Department, Glendale Fire Department, Burbank Fire Department, California Office of Emergency Services, California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection and the Federal Emergency Management Agency were working in tandem to get a handle on the blaze.
What to Know The fire is estimated to have scorched 7,000 acres since it started Friday afternoon.

The 210 Freeway was closed for more than a 10-mile stretch through Sunland and Burbank. It reopened Sunday evening.

Hundreds of homes were evacuated.

A portion of the Foothill (210) Freeway closed for more than two days by the massive La Tuna Fire was reopened Sunday, while a brief downpour, cooler temperatures and a heavy bank of clouds today helped firefighters battling the record-setting blaze.

However, strong winds associated with the leftovers of a tropical storm presented new challenges to crews fighting the blaze, which has grown to more than 7,000 acres, with 30 percent containment, authorities said.

"There are still embers that are smoldering and these strong winds could move those embers and help them to reignite. So we've turned a corner today, but this is still not over," Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti said at a briefing that included Los Angeles Fire Department Chief Ralph Terrazas, county Supervisor Kathryn Barger and the mayors of Burbank and Glendale.

Garcetti welcomed a state of emergency declared Sunday in Los Angeles County by Gov. Jerry Brown, saying the decision placed the blaze at the highest priority and would bring new resources to fighting it.

Barger told reporters the county would issue its state of emergency on Tuesday, after the holiday.

The 210 Freeway remained closed for most of a third day, until officials reassessed the situation and reopened it as of 6 p.m.

Once again heavy smoke blew across the San Fernando Valley Sunday creating an unhealthy air quality situation, especially for people with breathing disorders such as asthma.

It also was announced that mandatory evacuations have been lifted by the cities of Burbank and Glendale, as well as in Los Angeles.

There were 1,061 firefighters battling what the mayor had called the biggest brush fire in the city of Los Angeles history, as crews worked for the third day on pockets of unburned brush churning through the northern end of the Verdugo Mountains. The estimate of burned acres increased.

Flames on Saturday and overnight filled in unburned areas lying between the fire lines and the center of the blaze, according to maps released by the fire department.

Garcetti also said there were 9 aircraft fighting the fire and that only 10 people from the City of Los Angeles had found shelter in the public shelters. He said that an estimated 90 percent of the 1,400 who actually evacuated have returned to their homes and he expected that would rise to 100 percent by Monday.

The maps showed fire activity on the western flank, near the Villa Cabrini condominium complex, a large development north of Burbank Airport. Fire activity was also concentrated above the eastern end of Roscoe Boulevard, and more fire above the Morning Glow subdivision in La Tuna Canyon.

'There is (still) a lot of fuel out there left to burn,' Terrazas said during the 10 a.m. news conference at Hansen Dam in Lake View Terrace. At that point the fire remained at 10 percent contained with the effort of 206 engine companies, nine helicopters, five water tenders, four bulldozers, 12 hand crews and nine ambulances. It would rise to 15 percent contained by Sunday afternoon and 30 percent Sunday night, according to the unified fire command.

But the biggest concern in battling the blaze still remains the weather, he said.

"In terms of weather, that is our number one concern. Today and the rest of the week, we believe that the weather will become more favorable. Today we're looking at moderate heat impact, isolated thunderstorms with a very slight chance of showers, temperatures 90 and 94 degrees.

"Winds with three to four miles per hour with gusts at 12 (miles per hour) and that can change at a moment's notice and the wind can accelerate very quickly,' Terrazas said.

There were two firefighters taken to hospitals during the second day of the fire for heat-related illnesses. Their conditions were stable, he said. A total of four firefighters were treated, three for heat-related illnesses and one for burns.

Three homes have been destroyed and one was damaged. "We believe two of three had no brush clearance,' Terrazas said. "So I can't emphasize enough the importance of a minimum -- within L.A. city -- a minimum of 200 feet brush clearance, that's brush from your home. If there is no defensive space we cannot protect your house.

Mandatory evacuations in the city of Los Angeles remain in the McGroarty Park area, from McGroarty Terrace to Valaho Place, Wornom South of Sunland, and Morning Glow, South of La Tune.

In Glendale, in the Glenoaks area, at the end of Boston Avenue, El Lado Drive, Cedarbend Drive, Tanbark Place, Ferntree Place, Beechglen Drive, New York Avenue, and at Mountain Oaks Parks, Celita Way and Kadletz Road.

In Burbank, mandatory evacuation orders were up at midday for Castleman Lane, Wedgewood Lane, Kildare Court, Folkstone Court and Logan Court. Burbank police had also closed Joaquin and Haven; Bel Aire and Vista Ridge; Scott Road and Haven; Bel Aire and Amherst; Bel Aire and Cambridge; Groton and Stephen; Sunset Canyon and Walnut; Sunset Canyon and Harvard Road; Country Club and Walnut, and Keystone and Lamer.

McCambridge Park Recreational Center, 1515 N. Glenoaks Blvd., was the designated evacuation center, Green said.

Mandatory evacuations in Glendale were at Glenwood Oaks and Mountain Oaks, with voluntary evacuations at Whiting Woods and Oakmont Woods would be ended by 6 p.m., it was announced Sunday afternoon.

Glendale's evacuation center was at Crescenta Valley High School, 2900 Community Ave., where pets are welcome and Pasadena Humane Society has set up at the location. No new evacuations have been ordered in Glendale.

In the Los Angeles, mandatory evacuations were in the McGroarty Park area, from McGroarty to Valaho in Tujunga and in Sunland at Wormon and Sunland. Evacuees were told to find shelter at Sunland Park, 8651 Foothill Blvd.

Voluntary evacuations in Tujunga were at Aileen and Hilllhaven, and McGroarty, from Oro Vista to Plainview.

Voluntary evacuations in the Revierier area were at Alene Drive to Hillhaven Avenue, Reverier, Glen O Peace Parkway, Tranquil Drive, Inspiration Way, Tranquil Place and Hillhaven Place.

Voluntary evacuations in the Haines Canyon Area were at Charrick Drive, Charrick Place, Estepa Drive, Wexlord Drive (Tujunga).

And in Sunland, voluntary evacuations were at Shadow Island Drive and Wormon Avenue south of Sunland.
Tropical Storm Lidia weakened into a depression as it marched up Mexico's Baja California Peninsula on Saturday after flooding streets and homes in resort cities, stranding tourists and leaving at least five people dead.

Lidia's maximum sustained winds dropped to 35 mph (55 kph) late Saturday as its center passed over a sparsely populated area of the peninsula that is home to a large nature reserve and back out over Pacific waters.

Authorities have said the death toll could rise over the weekend as emergency crews surveyed the damage in villages with ramshackle homes. One person was considered missing and video broadcast on local networks showed vehicles being swept away by flooded rivers.

Baja California Sur Gov. Carlos Mendoza reported that Lidia had dumped about 27 inches (700 millimeters) of rain, "the largest amount of water we have had since 1933."

The dead included two people electrocuted by power lines, a woman drowned after being swept away by water on a flooded street and a baby was ripped from its mother's arms as she crossed a flooded area. Mendoza said late Friday that there was a fifth victim but did not give details.

State Tourism Secretary Luis Genaro Ruiz said about 20,000 foreign tourists were stranded after airlines suspended flights to the area.

About 1,400 people had sought refuge at storm shelters as the storm flooded streets and stranded tourists.

The U.S. National Hurricane Center said Lidia made landfall early Friday west of La Paz, the capital of Baja California Sur state.

The storm was centered about 95 miles (150 kilometers) north-northwest of Punta Eugenia on Saturday night and was heading northwest at about 10 mph (17 kph).

Earlier Lidia spread rains over a broad swath of Mexico including the capital.

The hurricane center forecast that some of the storm's tropical moisture would affect the U.S. desert Southwest over the Labor Day weekend, including parts of western Arizona, southern California and southern Nevada, in the form of scattered showers and thunderstorms.

Far out over the Atlantic, meanwhile, Hurricane Irma was following a course that could bring it near the eastern Caribbean Sea next week. It had maximum sustained winds near 110 mph (175 kph) and was moving west at 14 mph (22 kph).

There was no immediate threat to land, and no coastal watches or warnings were in effect.
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un inspected a new, "super explosive" hydrogen bomb meant to be loaded into an intercontinental ballistic missile, Pyongyang's state media said Sunday, a claim that raised suspicion that the country was conducting another nuclear test.

Photos released by North Korea showed Kim talking with his lieutenants as he observed a silver, peanut-shaped device that was apparently the purported thermonuclear weapon destined for an ICBM.

Aside from the factuality of the North's claim, the language in its statement seems a strong signal that Pyongyang will soon conduct another nuclear weapon test, which is crucial if North Korean scientists are to fulfill the national goal of an arsenal of viable nuclear ICBMs that can reach the U.S. mainland. There's speculation that such a test could come on or around the Sept. 9 anniversary of North Korea's national founding, something it did last year.

As part of the North's weapons work, Kim was said by his propaganda mavens to have made a visit to the Nuclear Weapons Institute and inspected a "homemade" H-bomb with "super explosive power" that "is adjustable from tens kiloton to hundreds (of) kiloton," the state run Korean Central News Agency said.

Early Sunday, the U.S. Geological Survey reported that a seismic event was recorded in North Korea.

The event was a "possible explosion, located near the site where North Korea has detonated nuclear explosions in the past," the USGS said on its website, adding to suspicion that North Korea did in fact conduct another nuclear test.

In July North Korea conducted its first ever ICBM tests, part of a stunning jump in progress for the country's nuclear and missile program since Kim rose to power following his father's death in late 2011. The North followed its two tests of ICBMs, which, when perfected, could target large parts of the United States, by threatening to launch a salvo of its Hwasong-12 intermediate range missiles toward the U.S. Pacific island territory of Guam in August.

It flew a Hwasong-12 over northern Japan last week, the first such overflight by a missile capable of carrying nukes, in a launch Kim described as a "meaningful prelude" to containing Guam, the home of major U.S. military facilities, and more ballistic missile tests targeting the Pacific.

To back up its bombast, North Korea needs to conduct nuclear tests. The first of its two such tests last year involved what it claimed was a hydrogen bomb; the second it said was its most powerful detonation ever. Experts and outside governments are skeptical of the hydrogen claim, but it is almost impossible to independently confirm North Korean statements about its highly secret weapons program.

It is clear, however, that each new missile and nuclear test gives the North invaluable information that allows big jumps in capability. A key question is how far North Korea has gotten in efforts to consistently shrink down nuclear warheads so they can fit on long-range missiles.

"Though we cannot verify the claim, (North Korea) wants us to believe that it can launch a thermonuclear strike now, if it is attacked. Importantly, (North Korea) will also want to test this warhead, probably at a larger yield, to demonstrate this capability," said Adam Mount, a senior fellow at the Center for American Progress.

North Korea's claim that "this warhead is variable-yield and capable of specialized weapons effects implies a complex nuclear strategy. It shows (North Korea) is not only threatening assured destruction of the U.S. and allied cities in the event it is attacked, but also that (North Korea) is considering limited coercive nuclear strikes, or is seeking credible response options for U.S. ones."

North Korea is thought to have a growing arsenal of nuclear bombs and has spent decades trying to perfect a multistage, long-range missile to eventually carry smaller versions of those bombs.

South Korea's main spy agency has previously asserted that it does not think Pyongyang currently has the ability to develop miniaturized nuclear weapons that can be mounted on long-range ballistic missiles. Some experts, however, think the North may have mastered this technology.

The White House has referred questions about North Korea's claims to intelligence officials, according to NBC News.

"We know North Korea has been working on more advanced nuclear weapons. In fact they claimed their January 2016 test was an H bomb. If it was, it clearly wasn't a success. We expect their next nuclear test - whenever it occurs - will again be of an advanced nuclear weapon design," a senior official in the Trump administration told NBC News.

The North said in its statement Sunday that its H-bomb "is a multi-functional thermonuclear nuke with great destructive power which can be detonated even at high altitudes for super-powerful EMP (electromagnetic pulse) attack according to strategic goals."

Kim, according to the statement, claimed that "all components of the H-bomb were homemade ... thus enabling the country to produce powerful nuclear weapons as many as it wants."

In what could be read as a veiled warning of more nuclear tests, Kim underlined the need for scientists to "dynamically conduct the campaign for successfully concluding the final-stage research and development for perfecting the state nuclear force" and "set forth tasks to be fulfilled in the research into nukes."
An SUV reversed into a Staten Island laundromat on Sunday morning, plowing through the building and pinning several people, New York City authorities said.

Three people were seriously injured and another three suffered minor injuries, according to the FDNY. Eight people were in the laundromat at the time.

The 74-year-old driver had just left the nearby Top Tomato grocery store in Tottenville Plaza. He was reversing in the parking lot when he sped up and was launched into the Page Laundromat.

Police say the incident appears to be an accident, and no one has been charged.

Surveillance video shows his white SUV back up quickly in the parking lot, crash through the wall and drive backward between a row of washing machines, striking people along the way. In one video, a person outside can be seen collapsing to the ground as they try to dodge the out-of-control vehicle.

Witnesses say one of the victims was pregnant.

"She couldn't feel her legs, she was in a lot of pain. So when she saw me, she was like, 'My legs!'" Josephine Torlone told NBC 4 New York.

Torlone, who has been going to the laundromat for more than a decade, ran inside to confront the driver. The driver told her he hit the gas instead of the brake.

In one surveillance video, another woman can be seen hitting the driver as he leans dazed against the driver-side door.

All of the victims were taken to Staten Island University North, firefighters said.

One of the victims, a man who didn't want to be identified, suffered an injury to his arm.

"I didn't get hit by the vehicle, but all these folding tables just came crashing, flying," he said.

Torlone said it's the scariest Sunday she's ever spent at the laundromat.

"I felt like it was almost like a movie scene, where somebody was trying to get revenge on somebody," she said.

The store owner said he has more than $20,000 in damages. A sign on the front window Sunday evening read: "Sorry... Closed due to car accident!"


A police officer shot and injured a man in a quiet neighborhood in Fort Lee on Sunday, the county prosecutor said.

Few details have been released, but the Bergen County Prosecutor's Office confirmed it was investigating an officer-involved shooting near the intersection of Edwin and Summit avenues after a man allegedly pointed a gun at police officers.

Jaquan Suber, a 29-year-old resident of Fort Lee, was arrested on several charges, including possession of a firearm for an unlawful purpose and possession of a handgun without a permit, prosecutors said.

Police were responding to Suber's home on Summit Avenue when Suber pointed a gun at officers, according to prosecutors. The circumstances around the confrontation are unclear, but at some point Suber was shot.

Julene Stassou, who lives nearby, said she saw someone suspicious around 10:30 a.m. "I saw a peculiar man running by, didn't think anything too much of it," she said.

A few minutes later she said she heard more than six gunshots.

"And then I heard someone scream, 'Get down!'" she said.

Stassou called police, but a dispatcher said officers were already on scene and advised her to stay in her house.

"So we went into the closet, where we remained, locked the door for the next 15 minutes," she said.

Several Fort Lee police officers went to Englewood Hospital for evaluation after the shooting. Any injuries they suffered aren't believed to be life-threatening.

The suspect was being treated at Hackensack University Medical Center, where he was listed in stable condition.

Investigators were gathering evidence at the scene hours after the shooting and the street was filled with heavily armed officers.
Bug-lovers, that is people with a taste for bugs, are descending on Brooklyn this weekend for a bug-eating festival featuring edible, six-legged critters from around the world.

Bugs are cooked into gourmet delicacies at the Brooklyn Bugs Festival, which bills itself as a "celebration of edible insects."

"New York City has been on the vanguard of many cultural movements," the festival's website reads. "As the food capital of the world, its time for us to become a hub and leader in the frontier of entomophagy."

Entomophagy is the practice of eating insects.

At a festival in Brooklyn, the main course crawls on six legs.

The festival ends on Sunday with a brunch at Bushwicks Guadalupe Inn.

The chef behind the festival claims there are benefits to eating insects. Besides being a good source of protein, he says swapping out red meat for bugs would reduce humans carbon imprint more than giving up cars.

For more on the event, head to the festival's website.
India released a statement saying that today's North Korean nuclear test was deplorable and such actions would adversely impact peace and stability in the region.

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un provides guidance on a nuclear weapons program in this undated photo released by North Korea's Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) in Pyongyang September 3, 2017 (Reuters)

By India Today Web Desk: India today said that it "deplores" North Korea's latest nuclear test, calling it a "matter of deep concern that DPRK [Democratic People's Republic of Korea] has once again acted in violation of its international commitments."

The North Korean nuclear test, its sixth and biggest-ever, goes against the objective of the de-nuclearization of the Korean peninsula, which has been endorsed by Pyongyang itself, New Delhi said. "We call upon DPRK to refrain from such actions which adversely impact peace and stability in the region and beyond."

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New Delhi also hinted at at its concern about North Korean nuclear missiles falling into the wrong hands, saying, "India also remains concerned about the proliferation of nuclear and missile technologies which has adversely impacted India's national security."

Today's nuclear test, which involved a detonation of a hydrogen bomb, marked a dramatic escalation of the Kim Jong-Un regime's stand-off with the United States and its allies. Pyongyang said it had tested an advanced hydrogen bomb for a long-range missile.

The test, which came mere hours before the BRICS Summit in China kicked off, drew swift international condemnation, including from US President Donald Trump, who described North Korea as a "rogue nation" and said its actions "continue to be very hostile and dangerous to the United States".

Posting on Twitter, President Trump said, "North Korea is a rogue nation which has become a great threat and embarrassment to China, which is trying to help but with little success."

North Korea, which carries out its nuclear and missile programmes in defiance of United Nations Security Council resolutions and sanctions, earlier said on state television that a hydrogen bomb test ordered by leader Kim Jong Un had been a "perfect success".

The bomb was designed to be mounted on its newly developed intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM), Pyongyang said in an announcement that saw the return of veteran newsreader North Korean Ri Chun-Hee who broke the story in her trademark melodramatic style.

The test had registered with international seismic agencies as a manmade earthquake near a test site in the North. Japanese and South Korean officials said it was around 10 times more powerful than the tremor picked up after North Korea's last nuclear test a year ago.

THERMONUCLEAR DEVICE?

Under third-generation leader Kim, North Korea has been pursuing a nuclear device small and light enough to fit on a long-range ballistic missile, without affecting its range and making it capable of surviving re-entry.

North Korea claimed in January last year to have tested a miniaturised hydrogen bomb, also known as a thermonuclear device, but outside experts were sceptical, suggesting it could have been a "boosted device", an atomic bomb that uses some hydrogen isotopes to increase its explosive yield.

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A US official who studies North Korea's military and politics said it was too early to determine if the test supported the North's claim that it had succeeded in developing a thermonuclear weapon, "much less one that could be mounted on an ICBM and re-enter Earth's atmosphere without burning up".

The test comes amid heightened regional tension following Pyongyang's two tests of ICBMs in July that potentially could fly about 10,000 km (6,200 miles), putting many parts of the US mainland within range.

One expert said the size of Sunday's detonation meant it was possible it could be a hydrogen bomb test.

"The power is 10 or 20 times or even more than previous ones," said Kune Y. Suh, a nuclear engineering professor at Seoul National University. "That scale is to the level where anyone can say (it was) a hydrogen bomb test."

AIR RAID SIRENS

When the test took place, people in the Chinese city of Yanji, on the border with North Korea, said they felt a tremor that lasted roughly 10 seconds, followed by an aftershock.

"I was eating brunch just over the border here in Yanji when we felt the whole building shake," said Michael Spavor, director of the Paektu Cultural Exchange, which promotes business and cultural ties with North Korea. "It lasted for about five seconds. The city air raid sirens started going off."

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Earthquakes triggered by North Korean nuclear tests have gradually increased in magnitude since Pyongyang's first test in 2006, indicating the isolated country is steadily increasing the destructive power of its nuclear technology.

The Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty Organisation (CTBTO) in Vienna said it had detected an "unusual seismic event" in North Korea that was larger than previous nuclear tests.

"North Korea's mission is quite clear when it comes to this latest atomic test: to develop a nuclear arsenal that can strike all of Asia and the US homeland," Harry Kazianis, director of defence studies at the conservative Center for the National Interest in Washington, said.

"This test is just another step towards such a goal. None of us should be shocked by Pyongyang's latest actions."

HOURGLASS-SHAPED DEVICE

Hours before the test, North Korea's state news agency KCNA had released pictures showing Kim Jong Un inspecting a silver-coloured, hourglass-shaped warhead during a visit to the country's nuclear weapons institute, accompanied by scientists.

Kim "watched an H-bomb to be loaded into new ICBM" and "set forth tasks to be fulfilled in the research into nukes", KCNA said.

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The shape shows a marked difference from pictures of the ball-shaped device North Korea released in March last year, and appears to indicate the appearance of a two-stage thermonuclear weapon, said Lee Choon-geun, senior research fellow at state-run Science and Technology Policy Institute.

KCNA said North Korea "recently succeeded" in making a more advanced hydrogen bomb.

"All components of the H-bomb were homemade and all the processes ... were put on the Juche basis, thus enabling the country to produce powerful nuclear weapons as many as it wants," KCNA quoted Kim as saying.

Juche is North Korea's homegrown ideology of self-reliance that is a mix of Marxism and extreme nationalism preached by state founder Kim Il Sung, the current leader's grandfather. It says its weapons programmes are needed to counter US aggression.

Impoverished North Korea and the rich, democratic South are technically still at war because their 1950-53 conflict ended in a truce, not a peace treaty. The North regularly threatens to destroy the South and its main ally, the United States.

(With inputs from Reuters)

ALSO WATCH | North Korea conducts 6th nuclear test with hydrogen bomb

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Affirming its disdain for "Obamacare," the Trump administration on Thursday announced sharp cuts in programs promoting health care enrollment under the Affordable Care Act for next year.

Advertising will be cut from $100 million spent on 2017 sign-ups to $10 million, said Health and Human Services officials.

Funding for consumer helpers called "navigators" will also be cut about 40 percent, from $62.5 million for 2017, to $36.8 million for next year. That change reflects a new performance-based ethic that penalizes navigator programs failing to meet their sign-up targets, administration officials said.

About 12.2 million people signed up for subsidized private health insurance under Barack Obama's signature law this year, many in states that President Donald Trump carried in November. Current enrollment is estimated to be around 10 million, due to attrition also seen in prior years.

Democrats quickly cried foul. "Instead of helping, the Trump administration is pulling the rug out from under Americans at every opportunity," Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Ore., said in a statement.

Trump and congressional Republicans have been unable to deliver on their vow to "repeal and replace" the 2010 health care law. The president has repeatedly pronounced the program on the verge of collapse, and has threatened via Twitter to cut off payments to insurers that help reduce consumers' copays and deductibles.

Independent observers say the ACA's insurance markets have problems, but are not on the verge of collapse. For next year all U.S. counties will have at least one participating insurer, although consumers in close to half of counties will only have a single carrier to pick from. Some major insurers have left the program after taking deep financial losses.

HHS officials announced the promotional cutbacks in a conference call with reporters. None of the three officials who described the details of the cuts wanted to be identified by name.

The administration says the government hasn't gotten much bang for its buck as far as ACA advertising and the navigator program, with some enrollment centers signing up very few customers.

By comparison, HHS said the combined advertising budget for Medicare Advantage and Medicare prescription drug plans is $9.7 million.

HHS officials said the 98 navigator programs funded by the ACA enrolled fewer than 82,000 people, or less than 1 percent of the total. Navigator staffers are supposed to guide consumers through the sometimes complicated enrollment process, which involves estimating income for the coming year, proving citizenship or legal residence, and sorting through various health plan options.

For next year, officials said navigator funding will reflect each sign-up center's prior performance. For example, if a navigator program met 70 percent of its enrollment target, it will get 70 percent of its previous funding. If it only enrolled 30 percent, its funding will be cut to 30 percent. However, every center will get some money from the government, even if it's only a few thousand dollars.

"Judging effectiveness by the amount of money spent, and not the results achieved, is irresponsible and unhelpful to the American people," HHS spokeswoman Caitlin Oakley said in a statement. "Obamacare's navigator program has been ineffective. During the upcoming enrollment period, navigators will be funded in proportion to their performance."

HHS said only 1 in 5 navigators met their own performance goals. Officials said 17 programs enrolled fewer than 100 people each, although they did not identify whether those programs were in urban areas or less populated rural zones. One program got $200,000 and signed up one person, HHS said.

Adding to sign-up challenges, the ACA enrollment season will be considerably shorter for 2018, running from Nov. 1-Dec. 15.
Click here to get the latest on the investigation into Jenna Burleigh's murder.

A 22-year-old Temple University student, whose remains were transported more than 100 miles using a Lyft car service, died from blunt trauma and strangulation, according to the Wayne County Coroner's Office.

Jenna Burleigh, from Harleysville, Pennsylvania, was last seen leaving a popular bar near Temple's campus in North Philadelphia with suspect Josh Hupperterz, a former Temple student with a criminal background, police said.

She was later killed in his apartment, officials said.

Grisly details of Burleigh's final hours were revealed by police over the weekend.

Photos: The Life of Jenna Burleigh

Her body was put inside a storage bin and moved from Hupperterz's North Philadelphia apartment to the Jenkintown home of his mother. Sources told NBC10 it remained there overnight.

Then, using a Lyft car service, Hupperterz transported Burleigh's remains to a shed at his grandmother's property in Paupack Township, Wayne County, investigators said.

Burleigh's body was found in the storage bin, sources told NBC10.

Hupperterz, from Hawley, Pennsylvania, was charged Sunday morning with killing Burleigh.

Charges against him include murder, abuse of a corpse, tampering with and fabricating evidence and other related offenses.

The 29-year-old was also arraigned on separate drug charges, according to court records.

Hupperterz was ordered held at the Curran-Fromhold Correctional Facility in Philadelphia without bail. No attorney was listed for Hupperterz. His preliminary hearing is scheduled for Sept. 20, according to court records.

A spokesperson for Lyft said the company is devastated by the allegations and stands "ready to work with the authorities in their investigation."

It is unclear if the Lyft driver, who has not been identified, knew what Hupperterz was transporting.

Surveillance video showed Hupperterz and Burleigh walking together after leaving Pub Webb around 2 a.m. Thursday morning. When she did not return home later that day, concerned friends and relatives reached out to Temple officials.

We need your help in finding Temple student Jenna Burleigh, who was last seen on August 31st at 2am. Please share any information. pic.twitter.com/eqRnyjcc3u  Temple Police (@TU_Police) September 1, 2017

University police talked by phone with Hupperterz on Friday, officials said.

"Hupperterz informed [a detective] that he had been so drunk when he left the bar he had no recollection of who he had been with," according to a statement by Philadelphia police.

Police said they were not satisfied with that answer.

Detectives obtained a search warrant Friday for the suspect's apartment at 1708 North 16th Street, two blocks from the bar. At the same time, state police went to the home of Hupperterz's grandmother in a small Wayne County borough in northern Pennsylvania and took him into custody.

STXfilms

City police and FBI agents spent Saturday morning and early afternoon scouring the North Philadelphia apartment. Investigators also talked to Hupperterz's roommate.

By late Saturday afternoon, the search for Burleigh ended tragically when her body was found at Hupperterz's grandmother's house, 150 miles north of Philadelphia.

"This really strikes home for you, particularly, thinking about the heartache and the grief that those parents must be going through right now," said Philadelphia Police Commissioner Richard Ross, adding that he also has a 22-year-old daughter.

"[Her] father, who last had dinner with his daughter, it really breaks your heart to hear ... that was the last time he saw her."

Burleigh's friends described her as a "bundle of fun."

"She was an exuberant person," said Danielle Halteman. "It's hard to imagine her not being here."

On the last night of Burleigh's life, she sang karaoke with friends at a Pub Webb.

"Anytime anyone was around her, you were laughing, you were crying and having just the best time," Halteman said.

Burleigh's father, Ed Burleigh, announced his daughter's death via social media on Saturday.

"Our Beautiful Angel Jenna is now in Heaven. Now I know for sure that you can have a 'broken heart' RIP honey," Ed Burleigh wrote on Facebook.

Burleigh spent the last two years at Montgomery County Community College and began her first semester at Temple earlier in the week. She was majoring in film and media arts, Temple spokesman Ray Betzner said.

"She literally started classes on Monday," Betzner said.

Police do not think Burleigh and Hupperterz knew each other prior to their encounter at Pub Webb.

However, one Temple student who took a class with Hupperterz said Hupperterz had a history of lying about his background.

"He tried claiming he was on the football team," Temple senior Ahmad Goode said. "It's just a red flag. You don't know what people are capable of, honestly."

Hupperterz's neighbor, also a Temple student, said she bumped into him in their apartment building just hours after Burleigh's death.

"It's scary to think I talked to him after everything just happened," Danielle Carabello said. "He just seemed off when I spoke with him. He was very short."

In 2013, the former Temple student was charged with burglary and other offenses after allegedly breaking into a Scranton-area home and stealing electronics, laundry detergent and a keg of beer, court documents showed.

A woman listed as the owner of the Wayne County home where Burleigh's body was found paid his bail during those initial charges, according to court records.



The relationship between the homeowner and Hupperterz was not immediately clear.

Temple University sent a letter to students Saturday night announcing Burleigh's death and Hupperterz's arrest.

"Our deepest sympathies go out to Jennas family and her classmates, both here at Temple and at Montgomery County Community College," Temple President Richard M. Englert said in a statement.

Temple is offering on-campus counseling 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m., Monday through Friday, at Tuttleman Counseling Services. Students can also call (215)204-7276.

CORRECTION (Sept. 3, 2017, 9:05 a.m.): An earlier version of this story misidentified Ed Burleigh. He is Jenna Burleigh's father.
As dozens of San Diegans prepare to deploy to the front lines of the Harvey disaster zones, the American Red Cross of San Diego/Imperial Counties put out a plea for more help.

Shelter volunteers are one of the organization's most pressing needs as it prepares to operate the temporary housing quarters in Texas, Louisiana, and parts of Tennessee.

Tish Alcantara, of Oceanside, California, was one of 17 people who showed up to a Saturday morning "Shelter Boot Camp" in San Diego designed to quickly get volunteers up to speed on the requirements of a deployment with the Red Cross to the Harvey-ravaged front lines.

Alcantara said she is excited to help and doesn't mind the simple accommodations for volunteers, which includes sleeping on cots, also in shelters.

Volunteers like Vista resident Merrill Peterson said the images on television provoked their desire to serve.

"You see little babies being held up by mothers, and mothers heads almost submerged in the water, how can you not be compelled to help?" Peterson told NBC 7.

While many San Diegans may have the desire to aid in the relief efforts, getting time off to meet the 14-day deployment requirement can be one of the toughest hurdles.

The Red Cross said volunteers must be available for two weeks straight to keep travel costs down and efficiency high. Volunteers must also be at least 18 years old and in good health.

While the Red Cross has 4,000 volunteers deployed to the disaster zones already, the organization is hoping to recruit thousands of new volunteers who will be able to backfill shelter positions needed over the next several months.

Currently, 20 San Diegans are deployed, but that number will likely double or triple by the end of next week as newly-trained volunteers begin to deploy.

Another Shelter Boot Camp will be held Sunday in San Diego and Imperial Valley, from 8 a.m. to noon.
Scorching temperatures lingered Saturday in San Diego as Labor Day weekend got underway.

The National Weather Service (NWS) said an excessive heat warning remains in effect through 10 p.m. Saturday in cities like Escondido, El Cajon, Santee, La Mesa, Poway and San Marcos, which will experience temperatures between 92 and 104 degrees.

Meanwhile, the NWS said a heat advisory is in effect through 10 p.m. Saturday for the cities of San Diego, Vista, Carlsbad and Encinitas. Temperatures will reach highs between 84 and 92 degrees near the beaches and 90 to 102 further inland. The heat advisory also impacts San Diego County Mountains, where temperatures will clock in between 88 and 98 degrees.

The heat wave brings heightened risk of heat-related illness, so the NWS said time spent outdoors should be limited. Its important to drink plenty of water and wear light clothing.

The NWS said the temperatures will decrease slightly on Sunday, with more clouds and moisture stemming from the remnants of Tropical Storm Lidia.

In her First Alert weather forecast, NBC 7s Liberty Zabala said there is a chance of scattered thunderstorms beginning Sunday, possibly lasting through Labor Day. San Diego County said Friday that it will provide sandbags at various locations across the county ahead of the forecasted rain. For details on that, click here.

The blistering heat  and the increased fire danger that it brings  has gripped California this week, with temperatures in some cities reaching record highs. Read about the impact on our state, as a whole, here.
For the two mild-manned moderates vying to be the next governor of Virginia, running for office in the Trump era makes for some awkward looks.

Republican Ed Gillespie, a polished Washington insider who has long advocated that the GOP needs to be more welcoming of minorities and immigrants, is now campaigning on promises to crack down on illegal immigration and prevent Confederate statues from being taken down.

Ralph Northam, the Democratic lieutenant governor who boasts of his good working relationships with Republicans, has pledged unyielding resistance to President Donald Trump and called him a "narcissistic maniac" and a "dangerous" man.

The closely watched race for Virginia governor is ramping up for the post Labor Day push when voters typically start to pay more attention and with the two major party candidates still trying to feel their way with Trump in the White House. Both are trying to stick with the traditional basics of a gubernatorial campaign, talking about jobs, schools, and health care, while also keeping Trump's opponents and supporters fired up.

"In a post-Trumpian election cycle, neither campaign can really cut loose from their base," said Shaun Kenney, a former executive director of the Republican Party of Virginia.

A swing state that resembles America in miniature, the outcome in Virginia could serve as an early referendum on Trump's first year in office and a bellwether for the 2018 midterm elections for control of Congress and statehouses around the country.

Only two states are electing new governors this year, and Virginia's race is expected to be much more competitive than New Jersey's. The Virginia race is getting plenty of out-of-state attention, and billionaire-backed outside groups like the conservative Americans for Prosperity and the liberal NextGen America, supported by industrialists Charles and David Koch and environmentalist Tom Steyer, respectively, have pledged significant spending.

Public opinion polls have showed a competitive contest between Gillespie and Northam.

The growing Washington suburbs in the northern part of the state, which are more diverse and liberal than other parts of Virginia, have helped Democrats hold an edge in recent statewide elections. Virginia was the only southern state Hillary Clinton won last year, and Democrats have won every statewide election since 2012.

Gillespie is no stranger to the state's changing demographics and the obstacles Republicans must overcome to win statewide. His underdog bid to unseat U.S. Sen. Mark Warner in 2014 fell just short because of the Democratic wall in Northern Virginia.

Gillespie is trying to win over those same suburban voters while also appealing to the state's Trump supporters, many of whom live in economically depressed rural areas and are skeptical of the former Washington lobbyist and confidante to President George W. Bush.

The result is that Gillespie has largely tried to avoid talking about Trump while mimicking some of the president's positions. Gillespie's campaign messaging alternates between a center-right focus on lower taxes to Trump-like stances of cracking down illegal immigration and expressing support for preserving Confederate monuments.

"Gillespie is essentially caught," said Quentin Kidd, a political science professor at Christopher Newport University. "He's being pulled in two directions."

Northam has also struggled to reconcile the disparate parts of his party, with two proposed natural gas pipelines serving as flashpoints. Anti-pipeline protestors, which include land owners and environmentalists, have castigated Northam for not directly opposing the pipelines. Northam has not said outright if he supports or opposes the pipelines, only that they should meet strict environmental safeguards if built.

Northam also has tried to appeal to the strong anti-Trump feelings of his base with sharp attacks on the president, calling Trump a liar and a danger to the country.

The violent white nationalist rally in Charlottesville last month over the city's planned removal of a state of Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee highlighted how polarized the race has become.

The Republican Party of Virginia had to apologize after it put out a tweet accusing Northam of having "turned his back on his own family's heritage" by supporting the removal of Confederate monuments because one of his ancestors may have fought for the Confederacy. Democrats, meanwhile, have repeatedly criticized Gillespie for not explicitly condemning Trump's racially fraught comments about Charlottesville, with one group of Jewish lawmakers saying it was a "moral abdication."
Two men were taken into custody early Saturday morning following an hour-long, high-speed pursuit in Massachusetts.

State police said they were notified of a reported stolen Ford Explorer out of Lynn at about 11:45 p.m. Friday.

A short time later, troopers spotted the SUV on Trapello Road in Waltham and attempted to stop the driver. Authorities said the driver fled onto Interstate 95 southbound then onto Interstate 93 southbound. The suspect kept driving until police were able to deploy a tire deflation device near exit 8 in Plymouth where he crashed.

The driver, identified as Timothy Crane, 24, of Lynn, and his passenger, Darian Almonte, 19, of Lynn, were apprehended without further incident.

One trooper had to be checked out at Beth Israel Deaconess Hospital for exposure to bodily fluid during the apprehension of the suspects.

Police said during the pursuit, Crane struck four cruisers.

Crane is facing larceny of a motor vehicle, assault and battery with a dangerous weapon, and other motor vehicle offenses.

Almonte is charged with larceny of a motor vehicle.

Both men are being held on bail pending their arraignments Tuesday.
Police in Cambridge, Massachusetts, are investigating two assaults that took place in the Harvard Square area on Saturday night.

In one incident, a Cambridge man told police he was walking at about 10:30 p.m., near the intersection of Eliot and Bennett streets, when a man came up behind him and struck him in the back of the head.

The victim was transported to an area hospital to be treated for a non-life threatening cut, believed to be a possible stab wound.

About 15 minutes later, police said an Arlington man told police he was leaving work and began walking towards JFK Park to smoke a cigarette, when a man reportedly stabbed him in the back and punched him in the face.

The victim returned to work but refused medical treatment. He also sustained non-life threatening injuries.

Police said in both incidents, the suspects were with other individuals when the altercations occurred.

"[It's] very scary, especially on a Saturday night. I'm out a lot by myself," siad Cambridge resident Catherine Clearly.

Mike Colabella, who works in Cambridge, said that he "definitely won't be wearing my headphones at night anymore, I tell you that much."

The suspect involved in both incidents was described as 6 feet tall with a medium build. In the first incident, the suspect was also described as having an Afro hairstyle.

It is unclear what type of weapon was used in either incident, but both victims described their assaults as stabbings.

Anyone with information on either of the incidents is urged to contact Cambridge Police at 617-349-3300.
Authorities say a Massachusetts woman has pleaded guilty in connection with the death of her 4-year-old son.

The Plymouth County district attorney's office says Tania Merisca, of Brockton, pleaded guilty Friday to accessory after the fact to murder in the June 2013 death of Chauncey Cohen. The 30-year-old woman was sentenced to four-and-a-half years and one day behind bars.

Authorities say Merisca had reported that the boy became unresponsive during a bath before he she took him to Good Samaritan Hospital, where the boy was later pronounced dead.

The medical examiner's office ruled the cause of the boy's death was blunt force trauma to the abdomen.

Authorities say Merisca knew her boyfriend had struck the boy, and attempted to mislead the investigation by asking family members to lie to police.
Groton Town police arrested two men on cocaine and heroin charges Friday.

Police said 28-year-old Casey Scott and 27-year-old Zachary Stewart, both of Groton, were arrested after the Regional Community Enhancement Task Force caught the pair in the act of a drug sale during a surveillance operation at a Groton hotel.

Investigators seized 96 bags of heroin, weighing about 19.86 grams, as well as crack cocaine and cash.

Scott was charged with possession of heroin, sale of heroin, possession of cocaine, and possession of cocaine with intent to sell. Stewart was charged with possession of heroin.

Police encourage anyone with information on illegal drug activity to contact their local authorities.
A Vermont swift water rescue team is in Texas and ready to get to work.

The team spent Saturday organizing equipment in five response vehicles, boats and trailers in preparation for getting to work.

Fifteen people were deployed from fire departments and rescue crews around the state after the request came in from Texas emergency management for help.

The mission will last 12 days, including the drive to and from Texas. Republican Gov. Phil Scott's office said they will be performing evacuations and rescues in flooded areas.
By PTI: Srinagar, Sep 3 (PTI) Army today said an inquiry was underway into the allegations that a person went missing while another was tortured after being taken into custody by Army personnel in north Kashmirs Kupwara district on August 31.

"Army has taken cognisance of the matter. It is under investigation," a defence spokesman said here.

He said "action will be taken accordingly".

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Protests broke out in Kupwara district on Friday as a man went missing and another was hospitalised in a critical condition after the duo were allegedly taken into custody by army personnel on the previous night.

Residents of Kakar Diver in Lolab area of Kupwara staged a protest demanding to know the whereabouts of Manzoor Ahmad Khan who, along with Nasrullah Khan, was allegedly taken into custody by troops of 27 Rashtriya Rifles.

The protestors alleged that while Nasrullah was released by Army on Friday morning, there was no word on the whereabouts of Manzoor.

Nasrullah was admitted at a local hospital for treatment but the doctors referred him to SKIMS hospital here. PTI SSB MIJ ARK

--- ENDS ---
Gridlock caused three-hour queues this afternoon

HUNDREDS of shoppers at IKEA Reading endured an afternoon of traffic chaos today as the car park once again became gridlocked.

Customers trying to leave the store were reportedly stuck in queues for up to three hours with the 1,000-space multi-storey car park becoming completely jammed.

Staff at the store in Calcot were forced to hand out bottled water to those trapped in their vehicles.

Many took to social media to vent their anger at the Swedish furniture store in Pincents Kiln Industrial Park, which has seen similar traffic jams on numerous occasions since its opening in July last year.

@TVP_WestBerks Ikea Reading gridlocked. Lots of irate folks losing humour. Can you help with the evacuation?  James Paton (@patonjames75) 3 September 2017

@IKEAUK absolute joke in ikea Reading car park. Not moved for 40 mins and stuck in top floor. No one around to help direct traffic. Joke  Jason Cook (@71jrc) 3 September 2017

Act now #ikeareading#ikea it is like this on every floor. Big joke, nearly three hours pic.twitter.com/QWes6BiMU0  Carla C (@Carlaspottydogs) 3 September 2017

Responding to the many complaints on social media, Ikea sent out a tweet blaming the gridlock on an accident near to the store.

There has been an accident on the roundabout near the Reading store, if this is the carpark you are referring to.  IKEA UK (@IKEAUK) 3 September 2017

However, a spokesperson for Thames Valley Police has since said their records showed officers had attended no such accident and blamed the car park on "traffic management issues in a private car park".

In February IKEA bosses told the Newbury Weekly News they were working to find a long-term solution to the now not uncommon car park gridlock.
By PTI

CHENNAI: Flagging concerns over the proposed hike in GST on luxury cars, German automaker Mercedes Benz has said it was eager to increase its output and headcount from the country if the government extended a little bit of support on taxation.

"We do not understand suddenly why the need to actually review the cess all over again. We have so much to contribute. We have high ends jobs that we are able to create, willing to create..." Mercedes Benz India Managing Director and CEO Roland Folger told PTI here.

Recently, the Union Cabinet approved promulgation of an ordinance to amend the GST compensation law to pave the way for increasing cess on mid and large sized cars. According to the proposed ordinance that seeks to amend the Goods and Services Tax (Compensation to States) Act, 2017, the maximum compensation cess can be raised to 25 per cent, from 15 per cent.

Noting that the country was offering "significant potential" for luxury car market, Folger said, "we need a little bit of support on the taxation side and we could significantly increase our output and also the manpower". The company was waiting to see the effect of the cess. "We are waiting for the timing and also waiting for the height of the cess," he said.

Folger was here recently for the inauguration of the AMG Performance Centre, designed to offer an exclusive and customized Mercedes-AMG product experience. He said the company was not only keen on increasing the employment opportunities at its factory (in Pune) but also at the dealership level, he said. "We were able to bring in new technologies to India as well. We have made it very clear that we are eager to do that", he said.

Asked whether the company would invest further at its Pune facility, Folger replied in the negative, saying, "it was not necessary at the moment". He also said the company was "extremely happy" to see its progress made so far. "We have achieved close to 50 per cent market share with sales of our AMGs (performance vehicles). This is in line with what AMG has seen overall around the globe". "We also see that in India... the testament to that is the expansion which came to 7 AMG centres", he said.

Mercedes Benz currently has AMG Performance Centres in New Delhi, Mumbai, Hyderabad, Bengaluru, Kochi, Pune and Chennai. On whether the company would make AMG Performance cars in India, he said though the company produced the vehicles from Germany, it was 'possible' to make them outside Germany. "But it still depends very much on volume. And that volume needs to raise significantly higher than what we have at the moment", he said.

Answering a query on the used car business, he said the company had been "signficantly investing" in it under the Mercedes Benz Certified cars. "We see that as an additional... not as a source of income to our dealers, but also we see the entry into the Mercedes Benz brand (by our customers). We are very much in favour of doing this", he said.

According to the company statistics, Mercedes Benz India sold 13,231 vehicles in 2016. From January to June 2017, the company has sold 7,171 units. The company's manufacturing facility at Chakan in Pune is spread across 100 acres set up at an investment of over Rs 1,000 crore. It has 89 dealership outlets in 41 cities.

CHENNAI: Flagging concerns over the proposed hike in GST on luxury cars, German automaker Mercedes Benz has said it was eager to increase its output and headcount from the country if the government extended a little bit of support on taxation. "We do not understand suddenly why the need to actually review the cess all over again. We have so much to contribute. We have high ends jobs that we are able to create, willing to create..." Mercedes Benz India Managing Director and CEO Roland Folger told PTI here. Recently, the Union Cabinet approved promulgation of an ordinance to amend the GST compensation law to pave the way for increasing cess on mid and large sized cars. According to the proposed ordinance that seeks to amend the Goods and Services Tax (Compensation to States) Act, 2017, the maximum compensation cess can be raised to 25 per cent, from 15 per cent. Noting that the country was offering "significant potential" for luxury car market, Folger said, "we need a little bit of support on the taxation side and we could significantly increase our output and also the manpower". The company was waiting to see the effect of the cess. "We are waiting for the timing and also waiting for the height of the cess," he said. Folger was here recently for the inauguration of the AMG Performance Centre, designed to offer an exclusive and customized Mercedes-AMG product experience. He said the company was not only keen on increasing the employment opportunities at its factory (in Pune) but also at the dealership level, he said. "We were able to bring in new technologies to India as well. We have made it very clear that we are eager to do that", he said. Asked whether the company would invest further at its Pune facility, Folger replied in the negative, saying, "it was not necessary at the moment". He also said the company was "extremely happy" to see its progress made so far. "We have achieved close to 50 per cent market share with sales of our AMGs (performance vehicles). This is in line with what AMG has seen overall around the globe". "We also see that in India... the testament to that is the expansion which came to 7 AMG centres", he said. Mercedes Benz currently has AMG Performance Centres in New Delhi, Mumbai, Hyderabad, Bengaluru, Kochi, Pune and Chennai. On whether the company would make AMG Performance cars in India, he said though the company produced the vehicles from Germany, it was 'possible' to make them outside Germany. "But it still depends very much on volume. And that volume needs to raise significantly higher than what we have at the moment", he said. Answering a query on the used car business, he said the company had been "signficantly investing" in it under the Mercedes Benz Certified cars. "We see that as an additional... not as a source of income to our dealers, but also we see the entry into the Mercedes Benz brand (by our customers). We are very much in favour of doing this", he said. According to the company statistics, Mercedes Benz India sold 13,231 vehicles in 2016. From January to June 2017, the company has sold 7,171 units. The company's manufacturing facility at Chakan in Pune is spread across 100 acres set up at an investment of over Rs 1,000 crore. It has 89 dealership outlets in 41 cities.
NEW DELHI: A 40-year-old woman today died after she fell off a moving train near the Old Delhi Railway Station here while resisting a snatching bid, the police said. They said the woman, Sudhir Bansal, was accompanying her son, Gaurav, who recently enrolled in Delhi University, to help him find accommodation. They boarded the Yoga Express from Rajasthan.

Sudhir was standing near the door of a compartment. When the train slowed down near the Mithai Pul, on the way to the railway station, a person caught hold of her bag, the police said. The woman tried to fight him off but lost her balance and fell down on the tracks. She came under the wheels of the train and was injured, the police said. Bansal's son tried to save her but was unsuccessful. She died while being taken to a hospital.

The person fled with the bag containing cash, some documents and an ATM card. The woman's body was handed over her relatives after an autopsy who took it to their hometown in Bhiwadi in Rajasthan, the police said.

NEW DELHI: A 40-year-old woman today died after she fell off a moving train near the Old Delhi Railway Station here while resisting a snatching bid, the police said. They said the woman, Sudhir Bansal, was accompanying her son, Gaurav, who recently enrolled in Delhi University, to help him find accommodation. They boarded the Yoga Express from Rajasthan. Sudhir was standing near the door of a compartment. When the train slowed down near the Mithai Pul, on the way to the railway station, a person caught hold of her bag, the police said. The woman tried to fight him off but lost her balance and fell down on the tracks. She came under the wheels of the train and was injured, the police said. Bansal's son tried to save her but was unsuccessful. She died while being taken to a hospital. The person fled with the bag containing cash, some documents and an ATM card. The woman's body was handed over her relatives after an autopsy who took it to their hometown in Bhiwadi in Rajasthan, the police said.
Rajitha S By

Express News Service

HYDERABAD: Thousands of Rohingya refugees are fleeing to Bangladesh. The count has reached close to 40,000 in the last two days and according to officials at Human Rights Watch (HRW), an international NGO working for advocacy of human rights, homes of 700 Rohingyas have been burnt.

People have been killed. One woman told us that her fathers throat has been slit. This is not an environment where they can be sent back, pointed Meenakshi Ganguly, South Asia Director, HRW.

The count of Rohingya Muslim deaths as on September 1 has reached 400. Reportedly, militants had attacked police posts in Rakhine on August 25 which sparked off a major battle, pushing thousands of Rohingyas to leave Myanmar.



The Supreme Court too has agreed to hear the plea of two Rohingya Muslims after Kiren Rijiju, the union minister of state for home affairs said that around 40,000 Rohingyas are living in the country as illegal immigrants. The National Human Rights Commission had intervened and issued a notice to the Indian Government to send a detailed report regarding identifying Rohingya Muslims across states in the country. While it is evident that the lives of Rohingya Muslims are at severe risk, following the governments directions, the Telangana Police will start its screening process to deport, not just illegal immigrants from Myanmar but also from other countries. We will begin the process by September 7 or 8 and it is not just Rohingya Muslims, but from other countries as well, informed V Satyanarayana, DCP, South Zone. The police screening will look into the number of immigrants living in the city, their occupations, and if they have identity cards issued by the United Nations High Commission for Refugees (UNHCR).

If there are any without the cards, we will see if they are issued cards. If there is anyone living here illegally, then they will be deported. If anyone has violated any of the laws, then they will be taken into custody, added the DCP. Though the Telangana Police has the authority to investigate any criminal activity, it has no right to send people across international borders. The principle of non-refoulement which India follows, is part of international customary law and therefore binding on countries whether or not they are signatories to the Refugee Convention. In addition, India is party to major international human rights instruments such as International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women, Convention on the Rights of the Child.

There has to be proper consular access. Sending them back is not an option. The Myanmar government has to acknowledge Rohingyas as Myanmar nationals if they can be deported. But they dont. Hence, this accounts to illegal trafficking of people by the Indian government, pointed Ganguly. While the police is prepping up for the process, the Rohingya Muslims living in the city shared that their only hope for their survival is now threatened. Not all of the Rohingya refugees in the city have UNHCR ID cards and children of those families have stopped going to school.

They dont wish to be identified and there is no point as they will be leaving soon, said one refugee.

Another, who reached the city in 2012, when a state of emergency was declared after clashes between Rohingyas and Rakhine Buddhists then said, We crossed two borders to reach here for a better life. Albeit encountering harassment from various quarters, we do not live under the constant fear of our children being slaughtered or our homes burnt down. If is better if they kill us here. At least we will have a grave. Back home, there is no one to even bury us.



Most of them work as scrap collectors and earn around `200 per day. Plastic sheets qualify as roofs and the scrap they collect is segregate is stored outsider their doors. A few work as daily wagers. Every morning, we have to hear locals say that our existence has made it hard for them to get jobs and they want us out, said another man. They avoid arguments or getting into fights, they claim as the police often remind them of their place. If we end up in the police station for any petty crime, officials tell us that they can send us back anytime. Now, that fear has only doubled added the refugee.

Left with noplace to go

Around 16, 500 Rohingyas are registered with the UNHCR in India

UNHCR issues ID cards to help prevent arbitrary arrests, detention and deportation

The Government also issues Long Term Visas to refugees which eases their access to public services, bank accounts and employment in the private sector

HYDERABAD: Thousands of Rohingya refugees are fleeing to Bangladesh. The count has reached close to 40,000 in the last two days and according to officials at Human Rights Watch (HRW), an international NGO working for advocacy of human rights, homes of 700 Rohingyas have been burnt. People have been killed. One woman told us that her fathers throat has been slit. This is not an environment where they can be sent back, pointed Meenakshi Ganguly, South Asia Director, HRW. The count of Rohingya Muslim deaths as on September 1 has reached 400. Reportedly, militants had attacked police posts in Rakhine on August 25 which sparked off a major battle, pushing thousands of Rohingyas to leave Myanmar. The Supreme Court too has agreed to hear the plea of two Rohingya Muslims after Kiren Rijiju, the union minister of state for home affairs said that around 40,000 Rohingyas are living in the country as illegal immigrants. The National Human Rights Commission had intervened and issued a notice to the Indian Government to send a detailed report regarding identifying Rohingya Muslims across states in the country. While it is evident that the lives of Rohingya Muslims are at severe risk, following the governments directions, the Telangana Police will start its screening process to deport, not just illegal immigrants from Myanmar but also from other countries. We will begin the process by September 7 or 8 and it is not just Rohingya Muslims, but from other countries as well, informed V Satyanarayana, DCP, South Zone. The police screening will look into the number of immigrants living in the city, their occupations, and if they have identity cards issued by the United Nations High Commission for Refugees (UNHCR). If there are any without the cards, we will see if they are issued cards. If there is anyone living here illegally, then they will be deported. If anyone has violated any of the laws, then they will be taken into custody, added the DCP. Though the Telangana Police has the authority to investigate any criminal activity, it has no right to send people across international borders. The principle of non-refoulement which India follows, is part of international customary law and therefore binding on countries whether or not they are signatories to the Refugee Convention. In addition, India is party to major international human rights instruments such as International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women, Convention on the Rights of the Child. There has to be proper consular access. Sending them back is not an option. The Myanmar government has to acknowledge Rohingyas as Myanmar nationals if they can be deported. But they dont. Hence, this accounts to illegal trafficking of people by the Indian government, pointed Ganguly. While the police is prepping up for the process, the Rohingya Muslims living in the city shared that their only hope for their survival is now threatened. Not all of the Rohingya refugees in the city have UNHCR ID cards and children of those families have stopped going to school. They dont wish to be identified and there is no point as they will be leaving soon, said one refugee. Another, who reached the city in 2012, when a state of emergency was declared after clashes between Rohingyas and Rakhine Buddhists then said, We crossed two borders to reach here for a better life. Albeit encountering harassment from various quarters, we do not live under the constant fear of our children being slaughtered or our homes burnt down. If is better if they kill us here. At least we will have a grave. Back home, there is no one to even bury us. Most of them work as scrap collectors and earn around `200 per day. Plastic sheets qualify as roofs and the scrap they collect is segregate is stored outsider their doors. A few work as daily wagers. Every morning, we have to hear locals say that our existence has made it hard for them to get jobs and they want us out, said another man. They avoid arguments or getting into fights, they claim as the police often remind them of their place. If we end up in the police station for any petty crime, officials tell us that they can send us back anytime. Now, that fear has only doubled added the refugee. Left with noplace to go Around 16, 500 Rohingyas are registered with the UNHCR in India UNHCR issues ID cards to help prevent arbitrary arrests, detention and deportation The Government also issues Long Term Visas to refugees which eases their access to public services, bank accounts and employment in the private sector
Chandrakanth Viswanath By

Express News Service

KOCHI: According to Francis Buchanan Hamilton, the Scottish physician who made significant contributions as a geographer, zoologist and botanist while living in India, the best time to buy pepper from Kerala was before Onam. The reason was simple. They used to sell it at low prices to celebrate the festival. This sheds light on the celebration and the importance given to it by our early generations. One of the early evidence to this was found from Thiruvattuvaya Shiva temple near Tiruvalla. The edict which refers to the Onam celebration dates back to 1100 AD. An edict at a temple in Kottathala in the same period also testifies to the point that Onam was celebrated even from those times.



During the Chera rule, the festival - which was more ritualistic - was observed for 28 days from Thiruvonam in Karkkidakam to Thiruvonam in Chingam. All the local chieftains under the ruler had to come to Thrikkakkara temple to perform the annual ritual in turns. Till the formation of Kerala, when the government started celebrating Onam officially, the main parade in connection with Onam was the Athachamayam from Tripunithura. Though it was up to Thrikkakkara in the early days, it was stopped in course of time.



According to historians, the vassals would bring offerings, the crops, to the landlord on Uthradam - the day before Thiruvonam - and they will be given a sumptuous meal on the same day. Persons from all castes and religions under a landlord attended this feast. It mutated into a secular celebration mainly due to a prominent section in the Christian community which welcomed some customs and rituals of the land without their belief being compromised.



Hence, lighting a lamp, sandal paste on the forehead or having a vegetarian meal was not objectionable. The Muslim community, mainly confined to the northern part of the state, also took the festival in the right spirit. Many Muslim families, as a mark of respect to the Hindu brethren, tried to have a vegetarian meal on the Thiruvonam day. All of the area coming under Malabar, Kochi and Travancore, except the northern Malabar region, used to have vegetarian sadya for Onam. Non-vegetarian food was allowed in areas north of Korappuzha or Elathur river. However, they stayed away from taking beef. Among the tribal community, only the Kurichias and Kanis had the celebration on the Thiruvonam day as most other tribes had it on another day.The commercialisation in all fields has influenced Onam celebration too. Hence, it has transformed to a festival for marketing every thing than being a festival of harvest.



KOCHI: According to Francis Buchanan Hamilton, the Scottish physician who made significant contributions as a geographer, zoologist and botanist while living in India, the best time to buy pepper from Kerala was before Onam. The reason was simple. They used to sell it at low prices to celebrate the festival. This sheds light on the celebration and the importance given to it by our early generations. One of the early evidence to this was found from Thiruvattuvaya Shiva temple near Tiruvalla. The edict which refers to the Onam celebration dates back to 1100 AD. An edict at a temple in Kottathala in the same period also testifies to the point that Onam was celebrated even from those times. During the Chera rule, the festival - which was more ritualistic - was observed for 28 days from Thiruvonam in Karkkidakam to Thiruvonam in Chingam. All the local chieftains under the ruler had to come to Thrikkakkara temple to perform the annual ritual in turns. Till the formation of Kerala, when the government started celebrating Onam officially, the main parade in connection with Onam was the Athachamayam from Tripunithura. Though it was up to Thrikkakkara in the early days, it was stopped in course of time. According to historians, the vassals would bring offerings, the crops, to the landlord on Uthradam - the day before Thiruvonam - and they will be given a sumptuous meal on the same day. Persons from all castes and religions under a landlord attended this feast. It mutated into a secular celebration mainly due to a prominent section in the Christian community which welcomed some customs and rituals of the land without their belief being compromised. Hence, lighting a lamp, sandal paste on the forehead or having a vegetarian meal was not objectionable. The Muslim community, mainly confined to the northern part of the state, also took the festival in the right spirit. Many Muslim families, as a mark of respect to the Hindu brethren, tried to have a vegetarian meal on the Thiruvonam day. All of the area coming under Malabar, Kochi and Travancore, except the northern Malabar region, used to have vegetarian sadya for Onam. Non-vegetarian food was allowed in areas north of Korappuzha or Elathur river. However, they stayed away from taking beef. Among the tribal community, only the Kurichias and Kanis had the celebration on the Thiruvonam day as most other tribes had it on another day.The commercialisation in all fields has influenced Onam celebration too. Hence, it has transformed to a festival for marketing every thing than being a festival of harvest.
TSR Subramanian By

Express News Service

It is in human nature that no two persons can fully agree on everything. Dissent, disagreement of the passive or active virulent kind is part of human history. Vajpeyi has not defined the term dissentthe compilation of this 500-page volume does little to clarify the issue, over 200 articles, letters, thoughts, opinions, utterances of many deservedly or undeservedly famous or infamous, or not-so-well-known individuals.

The Vedas and numerous other ancient texts get a passing referenceone cannot glimpse the totality of thought behind each cited work; they are clubbed under the omnibus term dissent. Likewise, Sundarar and Manikkavachakar, as well as an Andal or Meera, who passionately believed in the Supreme in their own way, apparently are dissenters. Curiously there is no reference to Gita which brings out the essence of the Vedas and Upanishads, and advocates contrary routes like Bhakti, Gyan etc.

What is the message of this large volume? Is it just a motley collection of names, irrespective of the object or purpose of their sayings; over disparate themes? The many splendored personality of Mahatma Gandhi is seen only in the political contextand does not refer to his contribution as a social reformer.

Likewise Raja Ram Mohan Roy is seen only in the context of Sati; Periar EVR only in anti-Brahminismit is injustice not to refer to him in the context of reviving the concept of Dravidinism.

Rohith Vemulas suicide note shows him as a troubled individualdoes not explain how he has been turned into a symbol of caste.

Rabindra Nath Tagore spoke passionately, of social issues being the primary problem of Indiathis was in 1917, when he had opined that India had never had a sense of nationhood; note that he also wrote our current national song, Jana Gana Mana to celebrate and commemorate the occasion of the British Durbar of Calcutta in 1911.

A highly readable Keki Daruwala with his brilliant expressive and evocative poetry is only seen through a brief non-descriptive article. Dr Amartya Sen the economist, and TN Krishna of Karnatic music stray from their areas of specialisation, indeed genius; are seen making trivial comments on contemporary social issues with little legitimacy or expertisenote that Charles Lindbergh the aviation hero was roundly condemned for expressing his opinion relating to World War II, and was effectively asked to shut up.

Somehow the impression seems to be given that difference, doubt, and argument are endemic in India. Recall Joan of Arc, who was a hero to many, and a witch for those who burnt her at the stake. Kepler, and later Copernicus had revolutionary new ideas of the solar system, in opposition to the earth-centric view of our universethey were barely tolerated.

Even in Ram Rajya, the Indian ideal of governance, a washerman cast doubt on the purity of the royal family. When Swami Sivananda sang dont read, Govinda, who is the agnostic and who the dissenter? There is a reference to the multitude of religions that have evolved in the past two millennia in India; hasnt Christianity spread into hundreds of sects in different parts of the world?

In a democracy, there is bound to be dissent; subterranean in a dictatorshiphuman beings are not clones. The hidden purpose of the book appears to show that there is an explosion of dissent in the current political regime; it is forgotten that India has a powerful judiciary, which permits dissent so long it is legal, and it protects individual against the wrath of the state.

It is sad that so much attention has been given to so-called political and cultural differences; so little on the tragedy of India that after 70 years of independence, the citizen is in poor shape, every Human Index is lowour politicians have collectively failed us.

Somerset Maugham once said that reading a thousand books, without learning anything is worse than ploughing a thousand fieldshe perhaps did not reckon for books with little to learn from them.

It is in human nature that no two persons can fully agree on everything. Dissent, disagreement of the passive or active virulent kind is part of human history. Vajpeyi has not defined the term dissentthe compilation of this 500-page volume does little to clarify the issue, over 200 articles, letters, thoughts, opinions, utterances of many deservedly or undeservedly famous or infamous, or not-so-well-known individuals. The Vedas and numerous other ancient texts get a passing referenceone cannot glimpse the totality of thought behind each cited work; they are clubbed under the omnibus term dissent. Likewise, Sundarar and Manikkavachakar, as well as an Andal or Meera, who passionately believed in the Supreme in their own way, apparently are dissenters. Curiously there is no reference to Gita which brings out the essence of the Vedas and Upanishads, and advocates contrary routes like Bhakti, Gyan etc. What is the message of this large volume? Is it just a motley collection of names, irrespective of the object or purpose of their sayings; over disparate themes? The many splendored personality of Mahatma Gandhi is seen only in the political contextand does not refer to his contribution as a social reformer. Likewise Raja Ram Mohan Roy is seen only in the context of Sati; Periar EVR only in anti-Brahminismit is injustice not to refer to him in the context of reviving the concept of Dravidinism. Rohith Vemulas suicide note shows him as a troubled individualdoes not explain how he has been turned into a symbol of caste. Rabindra Nath Tagore spoke passionately, of social issues being the primary problem of Indiathis was in 1917, when he had opined that India had never had a sense of nationhood; note that he also wrote our current national song, Jana Gana Mana to celebrate and commemorate the occasion of the British Durbar of Calcutta in 1911. A highly readable Keki Daruwala with his brilliant expressive and evocative poetry is only seen through a brief non-descriptive article. Dr Amartya Sen the economist, and TN Krishna of Karnatic music stray from their areas of specialisation, indeed genius; are seen making trivial comments on contemporary social issues with little legitimacy or expertisenote that Charles Lindbergh the aviation hero was roundly condemned for expressing his opinion relating to World War II, and was effectively asked to shut up. Somehow the impression seems to be given that difference, doubt, and argument are endemic in India. Recall Joan of Arc, who was a hero to many, and a witch for those who burnt her at the stake. Kepler, and later Copernicus had revolutionary new ideas of the solar system, in opposition to the earth-centric view of our universethey were barely tolerated. Even in Ram Rajya, the Indian ideal of governance, a washerman cast doubt on the purity of the royal family. When Swami Sivananda sang dont read, Govinda, who is the agnostic and who the dissenter? There is a reference to the multitude of religions that have evolved in the past two millennia in India; hasnt Christianity spread into hundreds of sects in different parts of the world? In a democracy, there is bound to be dissent; subterranean in a dictatorshiphuman beings are not clones. The hidden purpose of the book appears to show that there is an explosion of dissent in the current political regime; it is forgotten that India has a powerful judiciary, which permits dissent so long it is legal, and it protects individual against the wrath of the state. It is sad that so much attention has been given to so-called political and cultural differences; so little on the tragedy of India that after 70 years of independence, the citizen is in poor shape, every Human Index is lowour politicians have collectively failed us. Somerset Maugham once said that reading a thousand books, without learning anything is worse than ploughing a thousand fieldshe perhaps did not reckon for books with little to learn from them.
By PTI

GORAKHPUR: The UP Police today "apprehended" Dr Kafeel Khan from Gorakhpur who was removed from his post in the state-run BRD Medical College where 30 children died in two days last month, a senior official said.

He was the nodal officer of the 100-bed AES ward at the Baba Raghav Das Medical College and was removed following the deaths on August 10 and August 11.

"Kafeel Khan was apprehended today at around 9 am from Gorakhpur and he is being handed over to Gorakhpur Police," Yash said.

This is the third arrest made by the STF in the case.

The former principal of the medical college, Rajiv Mishra, and his wife, Purnima Shukla, were taken into custody by the UP STF on August 29 for questioning in connection with the deaths.

Mishra and his medico wife, who are named in an FIR lodged by the UP government, were picked up from Kanpur, where they had reportedly gone to consult a lawyer.

Yesterday, additional sessions judge Shivanand Singh issued NBW against seven of the nine people named in the FIR, a day after he sent former principal and his wife to 14-day judicial custody.

The warrants were issued against Khan, anaesthetist Dr Satish, pharmacist Gajanan Jaiswal, accountant Sudhir Pandey, assistant clerk Sanjay Kumar Tripathi and gas suppliers Uday Pratap Singh and Manish Bhandari.

Following the deaths, mostly of infants, cases were registered under various sections of the IPC, Prevention of Corruption Act and the Indian Medical Council Act.

Mishra was suspended as principal of the medical college on August 12 after the deaths were reported. He resigned the same day taking moral responsibility.

There were allegations that the deaths occurred due to disruption in oxygen supply as the vendor had not been paid for several months.

While the Uttar Pradesh government vehemently denied that shortage of oxygen led to the deaths, a high-powered probe committee headed by Chief Secretary Rajive Kumar indicted Mishra and others on charges of laxity among others.

Mishra was accused of sitting over the issue of payments to the vendor supplying oxygen gas to the hospital.

The doctor couple were booked on the basis of the report submitted to Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath by the chief secretary. Adityanath had formed the committee on August 12, a day after the deaths were reported.

The medical college attracted global attention when more than 60 children, mostly infants, died at the hospital within a week last month. The issue also acquired a political colour with the opposition attacking the government over it.

The Allahabad High Court had also sought a "detailed report" on the infrastructure and medical facilities at the medical college.

It directed the secretary of the Uttar Pradesh State Legal Services Authority to personally visit the medical college hospital and file a report along with photographs of various wards.

GORAKHPUR: The UP Police today "apprehended" Dr Kafeel Khan from Gorakhpur who was removed from his post in the state-run BRD Medical College where 30 children died in two days last month, a senior official said. He was the nodal officer of the 100-bed AES ward at the Baba Raghav Das Medical College and was removed following the deaths on August 10 and August 11. "Kafeel Khan was apprehended today at around 9 am from Gorakhpur and he is being handed over to Gorakhpur Police," Yash said. This is the third arrest made by the STF in the case. The former principal of the medical college, Rajiv Mishra, and his wife, Purnima Shukla, were taken into custody by the UP STF on August 29 for questioning in connection with the deaths. Mishra and his medico wife, who are named in an FIR lodged by the UP government, were picked up from Kanpur, where they had reportedly gone to consult a lawyer. Yesterday, additional sessions judge Shivanand Singh issued NBW against seven of the nine people named in the FIR, a day after he sent former principal and his wife to 14-day judicial custody. The warrants were issued against Khan, anaesthetist Dr Satish, pharmacist Gajanan Jaiswal, accountant Sudhir Pandey, assistant clerk Sanjay Kumar Tripathi and gas suppliers Uday Pratap Singh and Manish Bhandari. Following the deaths, mostly of infants, cases were registered under various sections of the IPC, Prevention of Corruption Act and the Indian Medical Council Act. Mishra was suspended as principal of the medical college on August 12 after the deaths were reported. He resigned the same day taking moral responsibility. There were allegations that the deaths occurred due to disruption in oxygen supply as the vendor had not been paid for several months. While the Uttar Pradesh government vehemently denied that shortage of oxygen led to the deaths, a high-powered probe committee headed by Chief Secretary Rajive Kumar indicted Mishra and others on charges of laxity among others. Mishra was accused of sitting over the issue of payments to the vendor supplying oxygen gas to the hospital. The doctor couple were booked on the basis of the report submitted to Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath by the chief secretary. Adityanath had formed the committee on August 12, a day after the deaths were reported. The medical college attracted global attention when more than 60 children, mostly infants, died at the hospital within a week last month. The issue also acquired a political colour with the opposition attacking the government over it. The Allahabad High Court had also sought a "detailed report" on the infrastructure and medical facilities at the medical college. It directed the secretary of the Uttar Pradesh State Legal Services Authority to personally visit the medical college hospital and file a report along with photographs of various wards.
By Online Desk

In the third cabinet expansion in three years of the Modi government, four cabinet ministers and nine ministers of state were sworn in by President Ram Nath Kovind at the Rashtrapati Bhawan.

Among the four cabinet ministers, who got a promotion, include Dharmendra Pradhan, who held the petroleum portfolio, Piyush Goyal, who held the power and coal portfolio, Nirmala Sitharaman, who held the commerce portfolio and Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi, who was looking after the minority affairs ministry.

All the nine ministers of state are new faces and include Shiv Pratap Shukla, a BJP member of the Rajya Sabha from UP, Ashwini Kumar Choube, a BJP Lok Sabha MP from Bihar, Virendra Kumar, BJP Lok Sabha MP from MP, Anantkumar Hegde, BJP Lok Sabha member from Karnataka, RK Singh, former IAS officer and BJP Lok Sabha member from Bihar, Hardeep Puri, former IFS officer, GS Shekhawat, BJP Lok Sabha member from Rajasthan, Satyapal Singh, former IPS officer and BJP Lok Sabha member from UP, and KJ Alphons, former IAS officer.

President Kovind administers the oath to the newly inducted cabinet members at Rashtrapati Bhavan in New Delhi on Sunday. (PTI)

This might be the last cabinet rejig before the 2019 Lok Sabha elections and also be the first time before President Kovind.

RELATED REPORTS:

HIGHLIGHTS

4:32 PM: Have to take care of the responsibility given under the leadership of PM: Ashwini Kumar Choubey, newly appointed MoS Health & Family Welfare.

4:25 PM: It is very big responsibility. To me, very overwhelming day, just can't express my feelings. Have to prove & perform to satisfy the goals which are expected of me. In all probability, it(taking charge) will be on September 6: newly appointed Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman [FULL REPORT]

4:05 PM: Considering population of our country, employment is an important aspect. Thankful to PM: Santosh Gangwar, new Labour and Employment Minister .

3:56 PM: It's a challenge. PM and party have shown confidence in me to meet this challenge, says RK Singh, newly appointed Power Minister on problems in power sector.

3:55 PM: My gratitude to PM for reposing faith in me and giving me a very important ministry. Appeal to all sports federations, lets keep sportsmen as most important person, everything else will fall into place later: New Sports Minister Rajyavardhan Singh Rathore

3:37 PM: Prime Minister has set the bar very high. It's clear that he is very closely monitoring performance of each ministry and individual: Jaitley

3:27 PM: I'll leave tonight for Japan. New Defence Min should've been going but logistically doesn't seem possible, today being a Sunday. I'll continue for next 2 days to participate in the security dialogue& N Sitharaman will take charge of ministry as soon as dialogue ends: Jaitley.

Arun Jaitley

3:10 PM: It is a case where a minister performs well and earns a higher responsibility for herself (Nirmala Sitharaman). I am sure, now that I have an extremely competent successor in Nirmala Sitharaman, she will carry the road forward: Union Minister Arun Jaitley.

3:06 PM: Very significant landmark in this reshuffle is that we now have Nirmala Sitharaman as the new Defence Minister: Union Min Arun Jaitley.

2:32 PM: Chhattisgarh CM Raman Singh congratulated all the 13 ministers. "I hope they work together towards bringing in New India," he told ANI.

2:12 PM: Giriraj Singh is now Minister of State (Independent Charge) Ministry of Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises.

2:00 PM: Suresh Prabhu appointed as Minister of Commerce and Industry.

Delhi: Union Minister Dharmendra Pradhan offered prayers at Jagannath Temple pic.twitter.com/IN1nL3xDFI  ANI (@ANI) September 3, 2017

1:55 PM: Ashwini Kumar Choubey gets MoS Health and Family Welfare; Anant Kumar Hegde appointed MoS Skill Development and Entrepreneurship.

1:45 PM: Vijay Goel will be MoS Parliamentary Affairs and MoS Statistics and Program Implementation.

1:42 PM: Union Minister Narendra Singh Tomar also gets Ministry of Mines.

1:40 PM: Arun Jaitley will keep Finance Portfolio & Ministry of Corporate Affairs.

1:38 PM: Rajyavardhan Rathore is now also Minister (Independent Charge) of Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports, Vijay Goel will be MoS.

Rajyavardhan Rathore is now also Minister (Independent Charge) of Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports,

1:36 PM: RK Singh gets Ministry of State (Independent Charge) of the Ministry of Power & Ministry of New and Renewable Energy.

1:32 PM: Alphons Kannanthanam is MoS (Independent Charge) Ministry of Tourism and MoS Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology.

1:30 PM: Petroleum Minister Dharmendra Pradhan also gets Skill Development and Entrepreneurship ministry

1:25 PM: Uma Bharti gets Ministry of Drinking Water and Sanitation. She previously held ministry of Water Resources, River Development and Ganga Rejuvenation, which is now given to Nitin Gadkari.

1:22 PM: Nitin Gadkari gets additional charge of Ministry of Water Resources, River Development Ganga Rejuvenation, previously held by Uma Bharti.

Nitin Gadkari

1:20 PM: Hardeep Singh Puri gets MoS independent charge of Urban Development ministry: TV reports.

1:15 PM: Shiv Pratap Shukla, who was sworn-in as minister of state, said he was told he would be working in Arun Jaitleys ministry.

Spare a thought for Nitish Kumar ji who was the bee's knees in the UPA & now only hears of union cabinet reshuffles through the media.  Omar Abdullah (@OmarAbdullah) September 3, 2017

1:10 PM: My programs were already fixed, I am not angry: Uma Bharti on not attending the cabinet reshuffle oath ceremony.

1:05 PM: Nirmala Sitharaman gets defence ministry, say TV reports. However, she tells reporters, portfolios yet to be assigned. [FULL REPORT]

Hopeful new team would help Andhra Pradesh,which has been facing problems after unfair and unscientific bifurcation :CM Chandrababu Naidu pic.twitter.com/ju4yJ9OcPU  ANI (@ANI) September 3, 2017

12:22 PM: Grateful to Buxar, Bhagalpur and entire India. Will work responsibly and never betray PM's trust: Ashwini Kumar Choubey after taking oath as Minister.

12:20 PM: It was BJP's internal reshuffle and not NDA's, so we would not like to comment on it: KC Tyagi, JDU.

12:15 PM: Prime Minister Narendra Modi leaves for BRICS summit in China.

12:10 PM: This cabinet reshuffle and the one before this were only BJP reshuffles not of NDA, says Shiv Sena's Sanjay Raut.

12:05 PM: Piyush Goyal gets railway ministry replacing Suresh Prabhu; Arun Jaitley to retain finance and defence berths: TV reports [FULL REPORT]

12:00 PM: Govt's image already tarnished. Whatever changes they make, it's tough to rebuild the image: Ghulam Nabi Azad, Congress.

Ghulam Nabi Azad

11:55 AM: Grateful to PM Modi. Working together to make India a leading nation by 2022: Dharmendra Pradhan after he was promoted to cabinet rank.

11:50 AM: Celebrations at the residence of BJP MP Satya Pal Singh in New Delhi after he took oath as minister.

11:45 AM: Indicating his exit, Suresh Prabhu tweeted out his thanks to all the employees of the Indian Railways.

Thanks to all 13 Lacs+ rail family for their support,love,goodwill.I will always cherish these memories with me.Wishing u all a great life  Suresh Prabhu (@sureshpprabhu) September 3, 2017

11:40 AM: Our duty is to match up to expectations of PM Modi. We pledge to carry our duties honestly: MA Naqvi after being promoted to cabinet rank.

11:30 AM: Portfolios announcement scheduled for 11:30 AM delayed.

11:20 AM: Prime Minister Narendra Modi takes to twitter and wishes the new members of his cabinet.

11:10 AM: They didn't even get invites (oath ceremony). One who leaves his people won't be taken in by others. It's Nitish Kumar's fate: Lalu Yadav. [FULL REPORT]

11:00 AM: Swearing-in ceremony ends. PM Modi to leave for Xiamen in China to attend the BRICS 2017 Summit.

[CLICK HERE TO READ PROFILE OF ALPHONS KANNANTHANAM]

10:57 AM: Satya Pal Singh, Lok Sabha MP from Baghpat, Uttar Pradesh takes oath. [READ PROFILE HERE]

10:56 AM: Gajendra Singh Shekhawat, Lok Sabha MP from Jodhpur, Rajasthan takes oath. [READ PROFILE HERE]

10:54 AM: Hardeep Puri, a decorated former IFS officer, takes oath. [READ PROFILE HERE]

10:52 AM: Raj Kumar Singh is a Lok Sabha MP from Bihar's Arrah takes oath. He is a Member of the Parliamentary Standing Committees on Health and Family Welfare, Personnel, Pensions and Public Grievances and Law & Justice. [READ PROFILE HERE]

10:50 AM: Anant Kumar Hegde a Lok Sabha MP from Uttara Kannada, Karnataka takes oath. [READ PROFILE HERE]

Anant Kumar Hegde a Lok Sabha MP from Uttara Kannada, Karnataka takes oath . (ANI)

10:48 AM: Virendra Kumar takes sworn in as minister. [READ PROFILE HERE]

10:45 AM: Ashwini Kumar Choubey takes oath as minister. [READ PROFILE HERE]

10:40 AM: MoS Shiv Pratap Shukla being administered the oath. [READ PROFILE HERE]

10:39 AM: Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi, currently MoS parliamentary affairs, takes the oath.

10:37 AM: Nirmala Sitharaman sworn in as a cabinet minister.

10:36 AM: Piyush Goyal, MoS with Independent charge, sworn in as a cabinet minister.

10:35 AM: Union minister Dharmendra Pradhan takes the oath as a cabinet minister.

10:30 AM: President Ram Nath Kovind arrives at Rashtrapati Bhawan, swearing-in ceremony to begin shortly

10:25 AM: PM Modi arrives for oath taking ceremony at Rashtrapati Bhavan.

10:20 AM: Union Minister Uma Bharti not present at oath taking ceremony, she is at an event in Varanasi.

10:05 AM: Union Ministers Ravi Shankar Prasad and Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi arrive at the Rashtrapati Bhavan for the taking ceremony.

10:00 AM:

President House geared up for the Oath taking ceremony. (ANI)

9:40 AM: Thrilled, I was not expecting this. Great surprise, says retired IAS officer Alphons Kannanthanam

9:35 AM: Shiv Sena unhappy, will not attend today's oath ceremony at Rashtrapati Bhawan.

9:20 AM: I am grateful to the PM for making me a part of his team: Hardeep Singh Puri.

9:00 AM: Our National President had already made it clear, so no question of me or anyone from JDU joining cabinet: VN Singh, JD (U)

ALSO READ: No JD(U), Shiv Sena names in list of new ministers at Modi Cabinet

8:00 AM: I thank the PM for expressing confidence in my ability. Portfolio has not been decided yet: RK Singh, BJP.

Official sources said that the selection of nine new names for ministership has been done by PM Modi keeping in view the 4Ps -- passion, proficiency, professional and political acumen, to deliver on his vision of a new India.

(With inputs from ENS and agencies)

In the third cabinet expansion in three years of the Modi government, four cabinet ministers and nine ministers of state were sworn in by President Ram Nath Kovind at the Rashtrapati Bhawan. Among the four cabinet ministers, who got a promotion, include Dharmendra Pradhan, who held the petroleum portfolio, Piyush Goyal, who held the power and coal portfolio, Nirmala Sitharaman, who held the commerce portfolio and Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi, who was looking after the minority affairs ministry. All the nine ministers of state are new faces and include Shiv Pratap Shukla, a BJP member of the Rajya Sabha from UP, Ashwini Kumar Choube, a BJP Lok Sabha MP from Bihar, Virendra Kumar, BJP Lok Sabha MP from MP, Anantkumar Hegde, BJP Lok Sabha member from Karnataka, RK Singh, former IAS officer and BJP Lok Sabha member from Bihar, Hardeep Puri, former IFS officer, GS Shekhawat, BJP Lok Sabha member from Rajasthan, Satyapal Singh, former IPS officer and BJP Lok Sabha member from UP, and KJ Alphons, former IAS officer. President Kovind administers the oath to the newly inducted cabinet members at Rashtrapati Bhavan in New Delhi on Sunday. (PTI) This might be the last cabinet rejig before the 2019 Lok Sabha elections and also be the first time before President Kovind. RELATED REPORTS: Here is the list of the full of council of ministers Sidelights from the swearing-in ceremony Piyush Goyal will have to walk a tight rope as railway minister Prime Minister Modi for long had wanted Nitin Gadkari to take charge of Ganga cleaning Cabinet reshuffle done on basis of performance analysis: Arun Jaitley Thrust on merit but eye on political goals too OPINION: Instead of reshuffles in Delhi, PM must allot ministers to states to change the narrative HIGHLIGHTS 4:32 PM: Have to take care of the responsibility given under the leadership of PM: Ashwini Kumar Choubey, newly appointed MoS Health & Family Welfare. 4:25 PM: It is very big responsibility. To me, very overwhelming day, just can't express my feelings. Have to prove & perform to satisfy the goals which are expected of me. In all probability, it(taking charge) will be on September 6: newly appointed Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman [FULL REPORT] 4:05 PM: Considering population of our country, employment is an important aspect. Thankful to PM: Santosh Gangwar, new Labour and Employment Minister . 3:56 PM: It's a challenge. PM and party have shown confidence in me to meet this challenge, says RK Singh, newly appointed Power Minister on problems in power sector. 3:55 PM: My gratitude to PM for reposing faith in me and giving me a very important ministry. Appeal to all sports federations, lets keep sportsmen as most important person, everything else will fall into place later: New Sports Minister Rajyavardhan Singh Rathore 3:37 PM: Prime Minister has set the bar very high. It's clear that he is very closely monitoring performance of each ministry and individual: Jaitley 3:27 PM: I'll leave tonight for Japan. New Defence Min should've been going but logistically doesn't seem possible, today being a Sunday. I'll continue for next 2 days to participate in the security dialogue& N Sitharaman will take charge of ministry as soon as dialogue ends: Jaitley. Arun Jaitley 3:10 PM: It is a case where a minister performs well and earns a higher responsibility for herself (Nirmala Sitharaman). I am sure, now that I have an extremely competent successor in Nirmala Sitharaman, she will carry the road forward: Union Minister Arun Jaitley. 3:06 PM: Very significant landmark in this reshuffle is that we now have Nirmala Sitharaman as the new Defence Minister: Union Min Arun Jaitley. 2:32 PM: Chhattisgarh CM Raman Singh congratulated all the 13 ministers. "I hope they work together towards bringing in New India," he told ANI. 2:12 PM: Giriraj Singh is now Minister of State (Independent Charge) Ministry of Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises. 2:00 PM: Suresh Prabhu appointed as Minister of Commerce and Industry. Delhi: Union Minister Dharmendra Pradhan offered prayers at Jagannath Temple pic.twitter.com/IN1nL3xDFI  ANI (@ANI) September 3, 2017 1:55 PM: Ashwini Kumar Choubey gets MoS Health and Family Welfare; Anant Kumar Hegde appointed MoS Skill Development and Entrepreneurship. 1:45 PM: Vijay Goel will be MoS Parliamentary Affairs and MoS Statistics and Program Implementation. 1:42 PM: Union Minister Narendra Singh Tomar also gets Ministry of Mines. 1:40 PM: Arun Jaitley will keep Finance Portfolio & Ministry of Corporate Affairs. 1:38 PM: Rajyavardhan Rathore is now also Minister (Independent Charge) of Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports, Vijay Goel will be MoS. Rajyavardhan Rathore is now also Minister (Independent Charge) of Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports, 1:36 PM: RK Singh gets Ministry of State (Independent Charge) of the Ministry of Power & Ministry of New and Renewable Energy. 1:32 PM: Alphons Kannanthanam is MoS (Independent Charge) Ministry of Tourism and MoS Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology. 1:30 PM: Petroleum Minister Dharmendra Pradhan also gets Skill Development and Entrepreneurship ministry 1:25 PM: Uma Bharti gets Ministry of Drinking Water and Sanitation. She previously held ministry of Water Resources, River Development and Ganga Rejuvenation, which is now given to Nitin Gadkari. 1:22 PM: Nitin Gadkari gets additional charge of Ministry of Water Resources, River Development Ganga Rejuvenation, previously held by Uma Bharti. Nitin Gadkari 1:20 PM: Hardeep Singh Puri gets MoS independent charge of Urban Development ministry: TV reports. 1:15 PM: Shiv Pratap Shukla, who was sworn-in as minister of state, said he was told he would be working in Arun Jaitleys ministry. Spare a thought for Nitish Kumar ji who was the bee's knees in the UPA & now only hears of union cabinet reshuffles through the media.  Omar Abdullah (@OmarAbdullah) September 3, 2017 1:10 PM: My programs were already fixed, I am not angry: Uma Bharti on not attending the cabinet reshuffle oath ceremony. 1:05 PM: Nirmala Sitharaman gets defence ministry, say TV reports. However, she tells reporters, portfolios yet to be assigned. [FULL REPORT] Hopeful new team would help Andhra Pradesh,which has been facing problems after unfair and unscientific bifurcation :CM Chandrababu Naidu pic.twitter.com/ju4yJ9OcPU  ANI (@ANI) September 3, 2017 12:22 PM: Grateful to Buxar, Bhagalpur and entire India. Will work responsibly and never betray PM's trust: Ashwini Kumar Choubey after taking oath as Minister. 12:20 PM: It was BJP's internal reshuffle and not NDA's, so we would not like to comment on it: KC Tyagi, JDU. 12:15 PM: Prime Minister Narendra Modi leaves for BRICS summit in China. 12:10 PM: This cabinet reshuffle and the one before this were only BJP reshuffles not of NDA, says Shiv Sena's Sanjay Raut. 12:05 PM: Piyush Goyal gets railway ministry replacing Suresh Prabhu; Arun Jaitley to retain finance and defence berths: TV reports [FULL REPORT] 12:00 PM: Govt's image already tarnished. Whatever changes they make, it's tough to rebuild the image: Ghulam Nabi Azad, Congress. Ghulam Nabi Azad 11:55 AM: Grateful to PM Modi. Working together to make India a leading nation by 2022: Dharmendra Pradhan after he was promoted to cabinet rank. 11:50 AM: Celebrations at the residence of BJP MP Satya Pal Singh in New Delhi after he took oath as minister. 11:45 AM: Indicating his exit, Suresh Prabhu tweeted out his thanks to all the employees of the Indian Railways. Thanks to all 13 Lacs+ rail family for their support,love,goodwill.I will always cherish these memories with me.Wishing u all a great life  Suresh Prabhu (@sureshpprabhu) September 3, 2017 11:40 AM: Our duty is to match up to expectations of PM Modi. We pledge to carry our duties honestly: MA Naqvi after being promoted to cabinet rank. 11:30 AM: Portfolios announcement scheduled for 11:30 AM delayed. 11:20 AM: Prime Minister Narendra Modi takes to twitter and wishes the new members of his cabinet. I congratulate my colleagues @dpradhanbjp, @PiyushGoyal, @nsitharaman and @naqvimukhtar on joining the Union Cabinet.  Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) September 3, 2017 11:10 AM: They didn't even get invites (oath ceremony). One who leaves his people won't be taken in by others. It's Nitish Kumar's fate: Lalu Yadav. [FULL REPORT] 11:00 AM: Swearing-in ceremony ends. PM Modi to leave for Xiamen in China to attend the BRICS 2017 Summit. [CLICK HERE TO READ PROFILE OF ALPHONS KANNANTHANAM] Alphons Kannanthanam takes oath as Minister #cabinetreshuffle pic.twitter.com/Lp6lskVTNA  ANI (@ANI) September 3, 2017 10:57 AM: Satya Pal Singh, Lok Sabha MP from Baghpat, Uttar Pradesh takes oath. [READ PROFILE HERE] 10:56 AM: Gajendra Singh Shekhawat, Lok Sabha MP from Jodhpur, Rajasthan takes oath. [READ PROFILE HERE] 10:54 AM: Hardeep Puri, a decorated former IFS officer, takes oath. [READ PROFILE HERE] 10:52 AM: Raj Kumar Singh is a Lok Sabha MP from Bihar's Arrah takes oath. He is a Member of the Parliamentary Standing Committees on Health and Family Welfare, Personnel, Pensions and Public Grievances and Law & Justice. [READ PROFILE HERE] 10:50 AM: Anant Kumar Hegde a Lok Sabha MP from Uttara Kannada, Karnataka takes oath. [READ PROFILE HERE] Anant Kumar Hegde a Lok Sabha MP from Uttara Kannada, Karnataka takes oath. (ANI) 10:48 AM: Virendra Kumar takes sworn in as minister. [READ PROFILE HERE] 10:45 AM: Ashwini Kumar Choubey takes oath as minister. [READ PROFILE HERE] 10:40 AM: MoS Shiv Pratap Shukla being administered the oath. [READ PROFILE HERE] 10:39 AM: Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi, currently MoS parliamentary affairs, takes the oath. 10:37 AM: Nirmala Sitharaman sworn in as a cabinet minister. 10:36 AM: Piyush Goyal, MoS with Independent charge, sworn in as a cabinet minister. Union Minister Piyush Goyal takes oath #cabinetreshuffle pic.twitter.com/Ttrp3E2FnH  ANI (@ANI) September 3, 2017 10:35 AM: Union minister Dharmendra Pradhan takes the oath as a cabinet minister. 10:30 AM: President Ram Nath Kovind arrives at Rashtrapati Bhawan, swearing-in ceremony to begin shortly 10:25 AM: PM Modi arrives for oath taking ceremony at Rashtrapati Bhavan. 10:20 AM: Union Minister Uma Bharti not present at oath taking ceremony, she is at an event in Varanasi. 10:05 AM: Union Ministers Ravi Shankar Prasad and Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi arrive at the Rashtrapati Bhavan for the taking ceremony. 10:00 AM: President House geared up for the Oath taking ceremony. (ANI) 9:40 AM: Thrilled, I was not expecting this. Great surprise, says retired IAS officer Alphons Kannanthanam 9:35 AM: Shiv Sena unhappy, will not attend today's oath ceremony at Rashtrapati Bhawan. 9:20 AM: I am grateful to the PM for making me a part of his team: Hardeep Singh Puri. 9:00 AM: Our National President had already made it clear, so no question of me or anyone from JDU joining cabinet: VN Singh, JD (U) ALSO READ: No JD(U), Shiv Sena names in list of new ministers at Modi Cabinet 8:00 AM: I thank the PM for expressing confidence in my ability. Portfolio has not been decided yet: RK Singh, BJP. Official sources said that the selection of nine new names for ministership has been done by PM Modi keeping in view the 4Ps -- passion, proficiency, professional and political acumen, to deliver on his vision of a new India. (With inputs from ENS and agencies)
Union Home Minister and MP from Lucknow, Rajnath Singh along with CM Adityanath will flag off the metro rail at Transport Nagar Station on 5th September.

By Kumar Abhishek: With all fanfare on 5th September the Lucknowites will get its first metro ride. Union Home Minister and MP from Lucknow, Rajnath Singh along with CM Adityanath will flag off the metro rail at Transport Nagar Station.

In first stretch, the Metro rail will cover 8.5km of the city and eight stations from Transport Nagar to Charbag Railway Station. It was all smooth till Samajwadi Party was keeping mum on this issue, but before the arrival of Rajnath Singh on Monday, the two photos of Ex-CM Akhilesh Yadav had detested the saffron party of their Metro inauguration plan.

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Samajwadi Party chief spokesperson Rajendra Chaudhary had released two photographs of Akhilesh Yadav symbolic inauguration of his dream project Lucknow Metro Rail in the background of red metro engine. These photographs show that then CM is handing over the key to the women pilots in the red metro back ground. Rajendra Choudhary in his press release sarcastically says, "In last five months, BJP had done nothing but changed the name of Akhilesh Yadav programmes and this project is classic example how one can rob the programme and policies of other party."

Yogi govt had planned big for the inauguration of this metro rail in Lucknow, where Rajnath Singh is specially coming for it. Akhilesh Yadav couldn't inaugurate because the Centre govt had not given the NOC for the metro run. Akhilesh Yadav had made this NOC a political issue in his election speech that he had completed the first stretch and it only need an NOC from Centre to start.

This photo of inauguration by Akhilesh Yadav along with his MP wife Dimple Yadav is now released for media, where as CM Akhilesh is handing over the keys to women pilots of Metro rail. According to press release, the metro station was ready by that time even names of metro station were written in English-Hindi and Urdu, this was deliberately made late to the take credit.

Finally, the Akhilesh camp is waiting for 5th September inauguration programme and will carefully watch if he is being invited or not. People close to Akhilesh say they will keep tab on what big leaders of BJP say about this dream project of Akhilesh Yadav.

ALSO READ:

Tata Projects completes part 1 of Lucknow metro tunnelling

Perks of travelling with Akhilesh Yadav: Convoy of supporters in 150 cars don't pay toll tax at Barabanki

--- ENDS ---
By Express News Service

KOLKATA: The central committee of Gorkha Janmukti Morcha (GJM) expelled rebel party leaders--former GJM chief coordinator Binay Tamang and former central committee member Anit Thapa from the party on Saturday.

The decision was taken after 12 members of the central committee held a meeting with GJM president Bimal Gurung at an undisclosed location near the West Bengal-Sikkim border on Friday evening.

However, in what is seen as a major shift from stand of the hardliners of the hill party, GJM has taken a resolution to attend the second round of talks called by West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee in Siliguri on September 12.

However, the party stated that it would talk with Mamata Banerjee on only one point agenda of formation of Gorkhaland state. Party supremo Bimal Gurung had earlier rebuked Tamang and Thapa for agreeing for second round of talks even after Mamata Banerjee had stated that formation of Gorkhaland was beyond her jurisdiction.

Meanwhile, expelled GJM leader Binay Tamang said that the GJM leadership was jealous of him.

The decision to lift the indefinite strike was instructed to me by Bimal Gurung and Roshan Giri. I still have the recording. They are jealous of me, Tamang said.

Sikkim-Bengal clash

Meanwhile, one close associate of Gorkhaland Rajya Nirman Manch president Dawa Pakhrin died allegedly during a West Bengal police operation to nab Bimal Gurung, against whom lookout notice has been issued, at Namchi in South Sikkim late on Friday night. The deceased, Dawa Bhutia, a resident of Pedong in Kalimpong district was killed during the operation to nab Gurung.

While West Bengal CID claimed that Gurung gave a slip to them, 10 of his close associates were nabbed and presented in Siliguri subdivisional court on Friday. On the other hand, Sikkim police has lodged an FIR under Section 302 (murder) against Kalimpong district SP Ajit Kumar Yadav and CID operatives for unlawfully entering Sikkim by posing as tourists and killing a person on Sikkim soil. A case has been booked against West Bengal CID at Namchi police station in South Sikkim for entering Sikkim with the sole purpose of killing a person.

South Sikkim district SP Pratap Pradhan said that the West Bengal police operatives posed as tourists going to Ravangla in western Sikkim. They should have informed us regarding the operation. This is gross violation of the security of Sikkim, he said.

KOLKATA: The central committee of Gorkha Janmukti Morcha (GJM) expelled rebel party leaders--former GJM chief coordinator Binay Tamang and former central committee member Anit Thapa from the party on Saturday. The decision was taken after 12 members of the central committee held a meeting with GJM president Bimal Gurung at an undisclosed location near the West Bengal-Sikkim border on Friday evening. However, in what is seen as a major shift from stand of the hardliners of the hill party, GJM has taken a resolution to attend the second round of talks called by West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee in Siliguri on September 12. However, the party stated that it would talk with Mamata Banerjee on only one point agenda of formation of Gorkhaland state. Party supremo Bimal Gurung had earlier rebuked Tamang and Thapa for agreeing for second round of talks even after Mamata Banerjee had stated that formation of Gorkhaland was beyond her jurisdiction. Meanwhile, expelled GJM leader Binay Tamang said that the GJM leadership was jealous of him. The decision to lift the indefinite strike was instructed to me by Bimal Gurung and Roshan Giri. I still have the recording. They are jealous of me, Tamang said. Sikkim-Bengal clash Meanwhile, one close associate of Gorkhaland Rajya Nirman Manch president Dawa Pakhrin died allegedly during a West Bengal police operation to nab Bimal Gurung, against whom lookout notice has been issued, at Namchi in South Sikkim late on Friday night. The deceased, Dawa Bhutia, a resident of Pedong in Kalimpong district was killed during the operation to nab Gurung. While West Bengal CID claimed that Gurung gave a slip to them, 10 of his close associates were nabbed and presented in Siliguri subdivisional court on Friday. On the other hand, Sikkim police has lodged an FIR under Section 302 (murder) against Kalimpong district SP Ajit Kumar Yadav and CID operatives for unlawfully entering Sikkim by posing as tourists and killing a person on Sikkim soil. A case has been booked against West Bengal CID at Namchi police station in South Sikkim for entering Sikkim with the sole purpose of killing a person. South Sikkim district SP Pratap Pradhan said that the West Bengal police operatives posed as tourists going to Ravangla in western Sikkim. They should have informed us regarding the operation. This is gross violation of the security of Sikkim, he said.
By PTI

Nirmala Sitharaman, who landed the crucial defence portfolio in a major rejig of the Modi government, today said she was "overwhelmed and humbled" and would serve the country with something she was "constantly" thinking about.

Sitharaman also credited her elevation to a cabinet rank minister to "cosmic grace" and support from party leadership.

"I am just overwhelmed and humbled. I can serve the country with something which is constantly on the top of my mind," she said.

Stressing that it was a big responsibility, Sitharaman said she was "very grateful" for the confidence the Prime Minister has on her.

Asked whether dealing with Pakistan in view of terrorism will be her priority, she said "I have not even taken charge.

I don't think it is appropriate to comment on it now...give me some time."

To a query whether her elevation showed Prime Minister Narendra Modi's commitment towards women empowerment, she said the Prime Minister has always been in favour.

"I know his working style since the time he was in Gujarat ... He always believe in giving women their due share.

His belief is that women can also perform," she said.

Sitharaman was among the four junior ministers who were given cabinet berths at the reshuffle today. Sitharaman was earlier the Minister of State (Independent Charge) Commerce.

"Somebody who has come from a small town, grown into the party with all the support of the leadership, and if given such responsibility, it just makes you feel sometimes that cosmic grace is there. Otherwise, it is impossible," she told reporters here soon after taking oath.

To a query on the opposition criticism of her working as the commerce minister, the BJP leader said she was neither averse, nor frightened by criticism.

"Every criticism is a message and we have to learn from it. I am not averse to criticism and also not frightened of it, but certainly take messages from them.

"Criticism per se do not reflect on performance. It only adds to your performance if you are ready to take on-board the corrections that may be workable," she said.

Sitharaman was also quick to highlight a number of initiatives by the commerce ministry like Start up India and Make in India.

"With the support of the prime minister, so many things have happened in the ministry like Start up India, Make in India etc. There is some misconception about 'Make in India', but it will be answered," she said.

Nirmala Sitharaman, who landed the crucial defence portfolio in a major rejig of the Modi government, today said she was "overwhelmed and humbled" and would serve the country with something she was "constantly" thinking about. Sitharaman also credited her elevation to a cabinet rank minister to "cosmic grace" and support from party leadership. "I am just overwhelmed and humbled. I can serve the country with something which is constantly on the top of my mind," she said. Stressing that it was a big responsibility, Sitharaman said she was "very grateful" for the confidence the Prime Minister has on her. Asked whether dealing with Pakistan in view of terrorism will be her priority, she said "I have not even taken charge. I don't think it is appropriate to comment on it now...give me some time." To a query whether her elevation showed Prime Minister Narendra Modi's commitment towards women empowerment, she said the Prime Minister has always been in favour. "I know his working style since the time he was in Gujarat ... He always believe in giving women their due share. His belief is that women can also perform," she said. Sitharaman was among the four junior ministers who were given cabinet berths at the reshuffle today. Sitharaman was earlier the Minister of State (Independent Charge) Commerce. "Somebody who has come from a small town, grown into the party with all the support of the leadership, and if given such responsibility, it just makes you feel sometimes that cosmic grace is there. Otherwise, it is impossible," she told reporters here soon after taking oath. To a query on the opposition criticism of her working as the commerce minister, the BJP leader said she was neither averse, nor frightened by criticism. "Every criticism is a message and we have to learn from it. I am not averse to criticism and also not frightened of it, but certainly take messages from them. "Criticism per se do not reflect on performance. It only adds to your performance if you are ready to take on-board the corrections that may be workable," she said. Sitharaman was also quick to highlight a number of initiatives by the commerce ministry like Start up India and Make in India. "With the support of the prime minister, so many things have happened in the ministry like Start up India, Make in India etc. There is some misconception about 'Make in India', but it will be answered," she said.
Amit By

Express News Service

NEW DELHI: Shortly after the cabinet expansion, Prime Minister Narendra Modi left for the three day BRICS Summit in Xiamen, China. The PM will also be on his first bilateral visit to Myanmar from September 5-7.

According to the PMO, India, which had hosted the previous BRICS Summit in Goa in October last year, looks look forward to building upon the results and outcomes of that meet.

I look forward to productive discussions and positive outcomes that will support the agenda of a stronger BRICS partnership under the chairmanship of China, PM Modi has said ahead of the 9th summit.

During the three day visit, the PM will interact with the BRICS Business Council represented by captains of industry from all five countries. In addition, he will engaging with leaders of nine other countries, including BRICS partners, in an Emerging Markets and Developing Countries Dialogue, hosted by Chinese President Xi Jinping on September 5.

The PM will also have the opportunity to meet leaders bilaterally on the sidelines of the summit.

India attaches high importance to the role of BRICS that has begun a second decade of its partnership for progress and peace. The grouping has important contributions to make in addressing global challenges and upholding world peace and security.

The PM will visit Myanmar on September 5-7 at the invitation of His Excellency U Htin Kyaw, President of the Republic of the Union of Myanmar.

The PM had visited Myanmar earlier in 2014 for the ASEAN-India Summit, but this will be his first bilateral visit to the country.

The PM is expected to meet Her Excellency Daw Aung San Suu Kyi, State Counsellor, Minister of Foreign Affairs, and Minister of President's Office. The PM had held discussions with the two Myanmar leaders during their visits to India in 2016.

During the visit, the PM will review developments in bilateral relations, especially the extensive programme of development cooperation and socio-economic assistance that India is undertaking in Myanmar, and explore new areas in which the two countries can work together.

They will also look at strengthening the existing cooperation on security and counter-terrorism, trade and investment, skill development, infrastructure and energy, and culture.

During the visit, the PM is expected to pay a visit to the famed heritage city of Bagan, where the Archaeological Survey of India has done stellar work on renovating the Ananda Temple, and where it will be undertaking further restoration work on a number of pagodas and murals that were damaged in last year's earthquake.

The PMs visit will end in Yangon, where he may visiting various historical spots that symbolise the shared heritage of India and Myanmar. The PM is also keen to meet and interact with the Indian-origin community of Myanmar, whose history goes back more than a century.

The centre is confident that the visit will open a bright new chapter in India-Myanmar relations.

NEW DELHI: Shortly after the cabinet expansion, Prime Minister Narendra Modi left for the three day BRICS Summit in Xiamen, China. The PM will also be on his first bilateral visit to Myanmar from September 5-7. According to the PMO, India, which had hosted the previous BRICS Summit in Goa in October last year, looks look forward to building upon the results and outcomes of that meet. I look forward to productive discussions and positive outcomes that will support the agenda of a stronger BRICS partnership under the chairmanship of China, PM Modi has said ahead of the 9th summit. During the three day visit, the PM will interact with the BRICS Business Council represented by captains of industry from all five countries. In addition, he will engaging with leaders of nine other countries, including BRICS partners, in an Emerging Markets and Developing Countries Dialogue, hosted by Chinese President Xi Jinping on September 5. The PM will also have the opportunity to meet leaders bilaterally on the sidelines of the summit. India attaches high importance to the role of BRICS that has begun a second decade of its partnership for progress and peace. The grouping has important contributions to make in addressing global challenges and upholding world peace and security. The PM will visit Myanmar on September 5-7 at the invitation of His Excellency U Htin Kyaw, President of the Republic of the Union of Myanmar. The PM had visited Myanmar earlier in 2014 for the ASEAN-India Summit, but this will be his first bilateral visit to the country. The PM is expected to meet Her Excellency Daw Aung San Suu Kyi, State Counsellor, Minister of Foreign Affairs, and Minister of President's Office. The PM had held discussions with the two Myanmar leaders during their visits to India in 2016. During the visit, the PM will review developments in bilateral relations, especially the extensive programme of development cooperation and socio-economic assistance that India is undertaking in Myanmar, and explore new areas in which the two countries can work together. They will also look at strengthening the existing cooperation on security and counter-terrorism, trade and investment, skill development, infrastructure and energy, and culture. During the visit, the PM is expected to pay a visit to the famed heritage city of Bagan, where the Archaeological Survey of India has done stellar work on renovating the Ananda Temple, and where it will be undertaking further restoration work on a number of pagodas and murals that were damaged in last year's earthquake. The PMs visit will end in Yangon, where he may visiting various historical spots that symbolise the shared heritage of India and Myanmar. The PM is also keen to meet and interact with the Indian-origin community of Myanmar, whose history goes back more than a century. The centre is confident that the visit will open a bright new chapter in India-Myanmar relations.
Amit Agnihotri and Pradip Sagar By

Express News Service

NEW DELHI: The biggest message from Sundays Union Cabinet reshuffle was the elevation of Nirmala Sitharaman as the countrys first woman defence minister. Sitharaman, 58, will take charge from incumbent Arun Jaitley on September 6 when the latter returns from a visit to Japan.

The only time another woman held the crucial portfolio was when former prime minister Indira Gandhi held the additional charge of the Defence Ministry.

Nirmala succeeds Jaitley, who was holding additional charge of the key ministry, at a time when the borders with both Pakistan and China are volatile. Jaitley, who had earlier held the defence portfolio, again got the responsibility in March after incumbent Manohar Parikkar moved back to his home state Goa as the CM.

Nirmalas new role is being seen as a reward for performing well as minister of state (independent charge) in the Commerce Ministry and for articulating Prime Minister Narendra Modis vision in the international fora. She recently attended a BRICS meeting in China.

As defence minister, she would be part of the all-powerful Cabinet Committee on Security, which will, for the first time, have two women members, the other being external affairs minister Sushma Swaraj.

Besides sending a positive message across the country, Nirmalas elevation will also boost the BJPs prospects in her home state Tamil Nadu.

Before being inducted in the Cabinet, Nirmala had been a vocal party spokesperson and was often seen presenting the partys views in TV debates. Her appointment would also disseminate the PMs message of woman power even as the Indian Air Force had inducted women fighter pilots for the first time in June.

However, the professional upgrade will bring its own challenges for Nirmala, including strengthening the defence apparatus and dealing with difficult neighbours like Pakistan and China. The appointment would also help the government stave off the charge that India has no full-time defence minister.

Nirmala would also need to work on improving the finances of the Defence Ministry. Following the closure of a deal with France for 36 Rafale fighter jets at a cost of 7.87 billion, the Centre has to select a fighter jet to be built indigenously with significant technology transfer. Further, in October last, India and Russia had concluded IGAs for five S-400 Triumf air defence systems and four stealth frigates and signed a stakeholder agreement for Kamov-226T utility helicopters, together worth over $10 billion. The final contracts are yet to be signed.

On November 30, the Defence Ministry signed the Letter of Acceptance for 145 M777 ultra-light Howitzers in a deal worth $737 million. All these deals are between governments and have offset clauses under which the companies are contract-bound to invest in India to source components.

NEW DELHI: The biggest message from Sundays Union Cabinet reshuffle was the elevation of Nirmala Sitharaman as the countrys first woman defence minister. Sitharaman, 58, will take charge from incumbent Arun Jaitley on September 6 when the latter returns from a visit to Japan. The only time another woman held the crucial portfolio was when former prime minister Indira Gandhi held the additional charge of the Defence Ministry. Nirmala succeeds Jaitley, who was holding additional charge of the key ministry, at a time when the borders with both Pakistan and China are volatile. Jaitley, who had earlier held the defence portfolio, again got the responsibility in March after incumbent Manohar Parikkar moved back to his home state Goa as the CM. Nirmalas new role is being seen as a reward for performing well as minister of state (independent charge) in the Commerce Ministry and for articulating Prime Minister Narendra Modis vision in the international fora. She recently attended a BRICS meeting in China. As defence minister, she would be part of the all-powerful Cabinet Committee on Security, which will, for the first time, have two women members, the other being external affairs minister Sushma Swaraj. Besides sending a positive message across the country, Nirmalas elevation will also boost the BJPs prospects in her home state Tamil Nadu. Before being inducted in the Cabinet, Nirmala had been a vocal party spokesperson and was often seen presenting the partys views in TV debates. Her appointment would also disseminate the PMs message of woman power even as the Indian Air Force had inducted women fighter pilots for the first time in June. However, the professional upgrade will bring its own challenges for Nirmala, including strengthening the defence apparatus and dealing with difficult neighbours like Pakistan and China. The appointment would also help the government stave off the charge that India has no full-time defence minister. Nirmala would also need to work on improving the finances of the Defence Ministry. Following the closure of a deal with France for 36 Rafale fighter jets at a cost of 7.87 billion, the Centre has to select a fighter jet to be built indigenously with significant technology transfer. Further, in October last, India and Russia had concluded IGAs for five S-400 Triumf air defence systems and four stealth frigates and signed a stakeholder agreement for Kamov-226T utility helicopters, together worth over $10 billion. The final contracts are yet to be signed. On November 30, the Defence Ministry signed the Letter of Acceptance for 145 M777 ultra-light Howitzers in a deal worth $737 million. All these deals are between governments and have offset clauses under which the companies are contract-bound to invest in India to source components.
Prabha Rao By

Prabha Rao Senior Fellow, Institute for Defence Studies and Analyses

Abu Mohammad al-Adnani (the IS spokesman who was killed in 2016), and IS ideologue and Tunisian cleric Abu Muqatil (killed in May 2016) have stretched their hands over their graves to direct jihad across continents. There are now frequently-coordinated messages by the IS and Al Qaeda on the issue of targeting the kufr; an example being the message sent out by Hamza bin Laden, son of Osama bin Laden, the upcoming youth star of the group. Hamza claimed to have a network of affiliates around the world, including the Taliban, the Al Qaeda in the Indian sub-continent, and former Hizbul Mujahideen commander and Kashmiri terrorist Zakir Musas new group Ansar Ghazwat-ul-Hind.

These messages have impacted the Friday sermons and qutbahs in Kashmir valley, which are quoting them, and joined with powerful images of carnage perpetrated by terrorists in Europe, are contributing towards radicalising the youth. This is an emerging problem not just in Kashmir, but several vulnerable pockets of India. Another aspect that is finding mention in sermons in Kashmir, and other areas in India, as also in Western mosques, is the concept of Gheerah (protective jealousy), which requires Muslims to protect Prophet Muhammad from blasphemy and diluting his pre-eminent position.

The Barcelona attack on August 17 though similar in modus operandi to the attacks in Nice (July 14, 2016), Berlin (December 19, 2016), and Westminster (March 22, 2017) attacks, has discernible, important differences. The intention to create panic by mowing vehicles through popular promenades was a common thread, but while the earlier attacks were more of lone-wolf initiatives, the Barcelona attack was conducted by a 12-member cell, and bears considerable resemblance to the Paris attacksCharlie Hebdo (January 7, 2015), Paris (November 13, 2015), and Brussels (March 22, 2016).

The fall of Mosul and eventually Raqqa, and the shrinking of the ISs space, is going to generate a re-migration of jihadis into the Afghanistan-Pakistan region, with security implications for India. Hence, Zakir Musas call in Kashmir for a movement beyond nationalism, is a matter of disquiet. His group is gaining traction with the unemployed youth.

The role of brothers and family in the more coordinated synchronised attacks is clear. In the Barcelona case, there were four sets of brothers, like the three sets in the Paris and Brussels cases. Closer home, we have seen that the most effective jihadist networks have family linksRiyaz and Iqbal Bhatkal and kin Yasin Bhatkal (Al Qaeda/Indian Mujahideen), or Sultan and Shafi Armar (IS), or Burhan Wanis close friends network from Tral/Pulwama.

While we are given to patting ourselves on the back for containing IS in India, we cannot ignore the real dangers that still lurk. Families have been our first line of defence against radicalisation, but the existence of family-/friend-centric radicalised gangs are emerging as a reality. The jihadi environment is intensifying, and fractious areas need close circuit monitoring. In this scenario, the government needs to take a call on monitoring qutbahs. This suggestion would predictably draw gasps of horror, on the grounds that it is a hit on our secular fabric. To those, I would say that at present there is some value in adapting a Benthamite approach in politics. This is what is being done in the UAE, which monitors all Friday prayers and has been able to successfully contain terror attacks. Internet penetration in India is growing exponentially. The threat of online radicalisation, coupled with extremist qutbahs, is a noxious brew we can do without.

Our vulnerabilities are myriad. Processions for the Ganesh Visarjan are underway all over India, and is being celebrated with especial fervour in Mumbai. The Mumbai cops, hard-pressed as they are, manage the crowd very professionally, but this year with the examples of mowing vehicles and persistent messaging, the threat level is at red. For instance, the Dream Theatre group from the US will debut in India with a concert at the MMRDA grounds in Mumbai on October 8 this year. The event is bound to draw huge crowds, raising fears of an attack such as the one perpetrated on Ariana Grandes concert in Manchester this year. A major attack would do far greater damage to the fabric of our society than regularising Friday sermons. Pro-active intervention of this kind would help the Muslim community by sending out positive messages about Islam, and help vulnerable individuals from getting further radicalised. It is time to bite the bullet on this issue.

prabhamurti@gmail.com

Prabha Rao Senior Fellow, Institute for Defence Studies and Analyses Abu Mohammad al-Adnani (the IS spokesman who was killed in 2016), and IS ideologue and Tunisian cleric Abu Muqatil (killed in May 2016) have stretched their hands over their graves to direct jihad across continents. There are now frequently-coordinated messages by the IS and Al Qaeda on the issue of targeting the kufr; an example being the message sent out by Hamza bin Laden, son of Osama bin Laden, the upcoming youth star of the group. Hamza claimed to have a network of affiliates around the world, including the Taliban, the Al Qaeda in the Indian sub-continent, and former Hizbul Mujahideen commander and Kashmiri terrorist Zakir Musas new group Ansar Ghazwat-ul-Hind. These messages have impacted the Friday sermons and qutbahs in Kashmir valley, which are quoting them, and joined with powerful images of carnage perpetrated by terrorists in Europe, are contributing towards radicalising the youth. This is an emerging problem not just in Kashmir, but several vulnerable pockets of India. Another aspect that is finding mention in sermons in Kashmir, and other areas in India, as also in Western mosques, is the concept of Gheerah (protective jealousy), which requires Muslims to protect Prophet Muhammad from blasphemy and diluting his pre-eminent position. The Barcelona attack on August 17 though similar in modus operandi to the attacks in Nice (July 14, 2016), Berlin (December 19, 2016), and Westminster (March 22, 2017) attacks, has discernible, important differences. The intention to create panic by mowing vehicles through popular promenades was a common thread, but while the earlier attacks were more of lone-wolf initiatives, the Barcelona attack was conducted by a 12-member cell, and bears considerable resemblance to the Paris attacksCharlie Hebdo (January 7, 2015), Paris (November 13, 2015), and Brussels (March 22, 2016). The fall of Mosul and eventually Raqqa, and the shrinking of the ISs space, is going to generate a re-migration of jihadis into the Afghanistan-Pakistan region, with security implications for India. Hence, Zakir Musas call in Kashmir for a movement beyond nationalism, is a matter of disquiet. His group is gaining traction with the unemployed youth. The role of brothers and family in the more coordinated synchronised attacks is clear. In the Barcelona case, there were four sets of brothers, like the three sets in the Paris and Brussels cases. Closer home, we have seen that the most effective jihadist networks have family linksRiyaz and Iqbal Bhatkal and kin Yasin Bhatkal (Al Qaeda/Indian Mujahideen), or Sultan and Shafi Armar (IS), or Burhan Wanis close friends network from Tral/Pulwama. While we are given to patting ourselves on the back for containing IS in India, we cannot ignore the real dangers that still lurk. Families have been our first line of defence against radicalisation, but the existence of family-/friend-centric radicalised gangs are emerging as a reality. The jihadi environment is intensifying, and fractious areas need close circuit monitoring. In this scenario, the government needs to take a call on monitoring qutbahs. This suggestion would predictably draw gasps of horror, on the grounds that it is a hit on our secular fabric. To those, I would say that at present there is some value in adapting a Benthamite approach in politics. This is what is being done in the UAE, which monitors all Friday prayers and has been able to successfully contain terror attacks. Internet penetration in India is growing exponentially. The threat of online radicalisation, coupled with extremist qutbahs, is a noxious brew we can do without. Our vulnerabilities are myriad. Processions for the Ganesh Visarjan are underway all over India, and is being celebrated with especial fervour in Mumbai. The Mumbai cops, hard-pressed as they are, manage the crowd very professionally, but this year with the examples of mowing vehicles and persistent messaging, the threat level is at red. For instance, the Dream Theatre group from the US will debut in India with a concert at the MMRDA grounds in Mumbai on October 8 this year. The event is bound to draw huge crowds, raising fears of an attack such as the one perpetrated on Ariana Grandes concert in Manchester this year. A major attack would do far greater damage to the fabric of our society than regularising Friday sermons. Pro-active intervention of this kind would help the Muslim community by sending out positive messages about Islam, and help vulnerable individuals from getting further radicalised. It is time to bite the bullet on this issue. prabhamurti@gmail.com
Vinod Mathew By

At any given point of time, diverse debates rage in Kerala, where multiple platforms provide room for such cerebral activity. Naturally, these debates rarely fail to draw an avid response. Thus, juxtapositions are made, inferences drawn and conclusions arrived at on many topics. Some issues, such as over faulty implementation rules on highways, with swelling traffic, causing over 4,000 deaths a year, a spike in sexual harassment of minors and the alarming rise in the number of children who remain untraced after going missing remain non-starters.

Here are some of the current favourites as far as narratives go: To what degree did the governments flip-flop mess up the medical college admission process? Is actor Dilip truly guilty or has he been framed? Did Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan deserve the clean chit in the Lavalin case? Would Kochi have withstood a Mumbai-like downpour, let alone a Hurricane Harvey? The list can go on

As the state is headed to a long administration break till next Thursday, starting with Bakrid on Friday and Onam on Monday, one cannot be faulted for assuming the state wouldve been happy to let things ride and take it easy. No way, sir, we are made of sterner stuff. We like to bite the bullet, take the trial by fire, face the music, cross the Rubicon, swallow the pill and call the spade a spade, shovel, whatever. So, the state government decides to slip one more potential debate topic into the public platter  the distance of a bar from a place of worship or educational institution has been reduced from 200 metres to 50 metres.

The official reason cited by the government is the need to give the tourism sector a helping hand. Naturally, the festival season will reverberate with debaters arguing the pros and cons of such a move. And in the bargain, perhaps people will shift their focus from the shortcomings of the government in handling the medical college admission. At least that is what is expected as these debaters seem to show no serious interest in the recent RBI report on the denotified currency imbroglio that has put the Central governments claims under a cloud.

Religious establishments are sure to see red but the red flag-bearers are convinced the government has only done things in line with the new liquor policy. This aims, among other things, at establishing status quo ante, vis-a-vis the erstwhile governments rules that got rolled out soon after taking office in 2011. There is no doubt the medical college admission flip-flops have scalded the future of many bright students.

Similarly, many entrepreneurs who had invested heavily in bars have already gone bankrupt. To that extent, the latest roll-back in rules pertaining to the logistics of where a bar can be located can hardly be a consolation for lost revenue and livelihood. So, when the state government talks about helping the tourism sector, one cannot be blamed for thinking of idioms such as closing the stable door after the horse has bolted. Over the past 34 years, the pace of the tourism sector growth has considerably slowed down, with mega-spender conferences that were big draws in Kerala, moving out to Goa, Rajasthan and Sri Lanka. The compounded deemed loss in lieu of the liquor policy flip-flop is put in thousands of crores.

So, enough meat for debate, one could safely assume. Unless, of course, the latest spot in which power minister M M Mani has landed in. Not sure if his disparaging remarks about women belonging to Pembilai Orumai getting referred to the Constitution Bench of the Supreme Court would be a real match for the bars being allowed to move closer to places of worship, by way of providing grist to the mill in terms of debating content.

Because, this is one of the ways agendas get set about what is important for the people of the state on a particular day, in some cases, for many ensuing days.

The state only needs to look at its Central counterpart for direction for goal-posts that get shifted and the ever-changing narrative. Just as the Supreme Court made right to privacy a fundamental right raising a potential conflict of interest with Aadhaar disclosures and a spate of accidents put the Railway Ministry and, by extension, the NDA government, in a spot, the focus of discussion shifted to the Ram Rahim saga. And the demonetisation report by RBI puncturing the government claims and GDP growth slowdown in the sixth consecutive quarter has got completely glossed over by the Sunday cabinet reshuffle.

Even Kerala, the only state to have its own brand of NRIs and NRKs, where narratives are decided locally, will have no option but to follow suit, given the Alphons Kannanthanam factor. Debaters would be salivating over the prospect of postulating why he and not someone else eventually became Narendra Modis choice for representation from Kerala. In the early days, Kerala boasted of a clutch of cultural leaders, who, for obvious reasons have now moved or have been nudged to the sidelines. Naturally, some have opted to go mute, given the high decibel levels that get generated while people communicate these days.

Taking over from where they left off is the rather loud depositories of wisdom, the professional debaters who can give their expert views on almost anything. While this phenomenon in itself cannot claim any specific Malayali flavour, there is no denying that some of this ability to debate seamlessly on multiple topics with panache can be traced back to the tea-shops of yore where both the Rajan murder case and the Nicaraguan liberation fight were discussed by all with equal intensity. Of course, passion did make up for insight about the nitty-gritty details about global events but no one dared admit it then. As they do not, now. No matter what narrative is the pick of the day.

Vinod Mathew

Resident Editor, Kerala

Email: vinodmathew@newindianexpress.com

At any given point of time, diverse debates rage in Kerala, where multiple platforms provide room for such cerebral activity. Naturally, these debates rarely fail to draw an avid response. Thus, juxtapositions are made, inferences drawn and conclusions arrived at on many topics. Some issues, such as over faulty implementation rules on highways, with swelling traffic, causing over 4,000 deaths a year, a spike in sexual harassment of minors and the alarming rise in the number of children who remain untraced after going missing remain non-starters. Here are some of the current favourites as far as narratives go: To what degree did the governments flip-flop mess up the medical college admission process? Is actor Dilip truly guilty or has he been framed? Did Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan deserve the clean chit in the Lavalin case? Would Kochi have withstood a Mumbai-like downpour, let alone a Hurricane Harvey? The list can go on As the state is headed to a long administration break till next Thursday, starting with Bakrid on Friday and Onam on Monday, one cannot be faulted for assuming the state wouldve been happy to let things ride and take it easy. No way, sir, we are made of sterner stuff. We like to bite the bullet, take the trial by fire, face the music, cross the Rubicon, swallow the pill and call the spade a spade, shovel, whatever. So, the state government decides to slip one more potential debate topic into the public platter  the distance of a bar from a place of worship or educational institution has been reduced from 200 metres to 50 metres. The official reason cited by the government is the need to give the tourism sector a helping hand. Naturally, the festival season will reverberate with debaters arguing the pros and cons of such a move. And in the bargain, perhaps people will shift their focus from the shortcomings of the government in handling the medical college admission. At least that is what is expected as these debaters seem to show no serious interest in the recent RBI report on the denotified currency imbroglio that has put the Central governments claims under a cloud. Religious establishments are sure to see red but the red flag-bearers are convinced the government has only done things in line with the new liquor policy. This aims, among other things, at establishing status quo ante, vis-a-vis the erstwhile governments rules that got rolled out soon after taking office in 2011. There is no doubt the medical college admission flip-flops have scalded the future of many bright students. Similarly, many entrepreneurs who had invested heavily in bars have already gone bankrupt. To that extent, the latest roll-back in rules pertaining to the logistics of where a bar can be located can hardly be a consolation for lost revenue and livelihood. So, when the state government talks about helping the tourism sector, one cannot be blamed for thinking of idioms such as closing the stable door after the horse has bolted. Over the past 34 years, the pace of the tourism sector growth has considerably slowed down, with mega-spender conferences that were big draws in Kerala, moving out to Goa, Rajasthan and Sri Lanka. The compounded deemed loss in lieu of the liquor policy flip-flop is put in thousands of crores. So, enough meat for debate, one could safely assume. Unless, of course, the latest spot in which power minister M M Mani has landed in. Not sure if his disparaging remarks about women belonging to Pembilai Orumai getting referred to the Constitution Bench of the Supreme Court would be a real match for the bars being allowed to move closer to places of worship, by way of providing grist to the mill in terms of debating content. Because, this is one of the ways agendas get set about what is important for the people of the state on a particular day, in some cases, for many ensuing days. The state only needs to look at its Central counterpart for direction for goal-posts that get shifted and the ever-changing narrative. Just as the Supreme Court made right to privacy a fundamental right raising a potential conflict of interest with Aadhaar disclosures and a spate of accidents put the Railway Ministry and, by extension, the NDA government, in a spot, the focus of discussion shifted to the Ram Rahim saga. And the demonetisation report by RBI puncturing the government claims and GDP growth slowdown in the sixth consecutive quarter has got completely glossed over by the Sunday cabinet reshuffle. Even Kerala, the only state to have its own brand of NRIs and NRKs, where narratives are decided locally, will have no option but to follow suit, given the Alphons Kannanthanam factor. Debaters would be salivating over the prospect of postulating why he and not someone else eventually became Narendra Modis choice for representation from Kerala. In the early days, Kerala boasted of a clutch of cultural leaders, who, for obvious reasons have now moved or have been nudged to the sidelines. Naturally, some have opted to go mute, given the high decibel levels that get generated while people communicate these days. Taking over from where they left off is the rather loud depositories of wisdom, the professional debaters who can give their expert views on almost anything. While this phenomenon in itself cannot claim any specific Malayali flavour, there is no denying that some of this ability to debate seamlessly on multiple topics with panache can be traced back to the tea-shops of yore where both the Rajan murder case and the Nicaraguan liberation fight were discussed by all with equal intensity. Of course, passion did make up for insight about the nitty-gritty details about global events but no one dared admit it then. As they do not, now. No matter what narrative is the pick of the day. Vinod Mathew Resident Editor, Kerala Email: vinodmathew@newindianexpress.com
T J S George By

What an amazing week it was. The judiciary made us feel proud, not once but three times back to back. At another level, though, the nation was shamed by a seducer whose frenzied followers killed and destroyed to support his freedom to rape. India remains an unending puzzle, inspirational one day, incorrigible the next. Just as a group of judges project the country as a model of democracy, a mob of idolaters turn it into the worlds laughing stock. Can we ever win?

For a long time to come, we will proudly recall that historic weeks triple bang: A No to the cruelty of triple talaq, a Yes to citizens right to privacy, and a firm No to the right to rape in Gods name. The talaq judgment, passed by a three-member majority in a five-member bench, was overshadowed by conventions of religion when in fact the emphasis should have been on constitutionality and the principles of equality. Nevertheless, the fact that the five judges came from five different faiths carried its own message at a time when majoritarianism is being asserted aggressively.

No shadows fell across a nine-member benchs unanimous verdict that privacy was a fundamental right protected as an intrinsic part of the right to life and personal liberty. Some sentences in the judgment read like aphorisms that should be put up in golden letters in offices and homes: Privacy constitutes the foundation of all liberty. Those who are governed are entitled to question those who govern. Criticism and critique lie at the core of democratic governance.

Tolerance of dissent is equally a cherished value. Against such proclamations, the governments reactions looked childish. The Law Minister turned himself into a farcical figure by claiming that the Court had actually affirmed the governments position that the right to privacy was a fundamental right subject to reasonable restrictions.

The governments stated position was not that at all. It was that privacy was a common law right that was a subspecies of many rights and hence incapable of being termed as a standalone homogenous fundamental right. Eminent lawyer K K Venugopal paid the price of accepting the position of Attorney General by putting up the contrived argument that the right to privacy was an elitist construct. The Court dismissed the submission as unsustainable. The message was clear: What is good for the politics of a ruling party is bad in law.

It becomes ugly when what is bad in law is tacitly approved by the establishment. Tens of thousands of men were pouring into Panchkula days before the verdict was to be pronounced in the Dera Sauda rape case. Weapons including AK 47s were also being stored. Yet, Haryanas Chief Minister Khattar did nothing, said nothing. Finally, when violence claimed 31 lives and left 250 injured, he said anti-social elements had created problems. The Punjab & Haryana High Court exposed him by calling the governments inaction a political surrender to allure vote bank.

Thats exactly what the official position was. Khattar and many BJP luminaries had been publicly cultivating the Dera Sauda leader because the man, for all the criminalities he was involved in, had gathered a following that ran into crores. This is a peculiar Indian phenomenon. No other country offers frauds such a free run. Born-again Christian zealots of the West and their imitators in India have developed the God industry with modern corporate efficiency. But they command neither the mass following nor the vote potential of the godmen in India.

Criminally culpable godmen have been riding high under all religious labels because of conspiratorial support by those in power. The illegalities of the Dera cult had received support from Chautalas National Lok Dal and from Hoodas Congress before the BJP, all of them condoning criminal actions for perceived vote bank support. What is new is the level of Khattars incompetence.

If he had belonged to any other party, the BJP would have created a ruckus for his removal. In the event, the BJP extended unprecedented protection to him, proving to be as unprincipled as all other parties. All the more reason we should admire the courage of the High Court and the CBI court judges. In a dangerously charged atmosphere, the CBI judge had to be airlifted to the makeshift court. Unperturbed by threats all around him, he pronounced that the Dera chief deserved no sympathy. The goodness of the few makes up for the wickedness of the many. To that heaven of upright minds, my father, let my country awake.

What an amazing week it was. The judiciary made us feel proud, not once but three times back to back. At another level, though, the nation was shamed by a seducer whose frenzied followers killed and destroyed to support his freedom to rape. India remains an unending puzzle, inspirational one day, incorrigible the next. Just as a group of judges project the country as a model of democracy, a mob of idolaters turn it into the worlds laughing stock. Can we ever win? For a long time to come, we will proudly recall that historic weeks triple bang: A No to the cruelty of triple talaq, a Yes to citizens right to privacy, and a firm No to the right to rape in Gods name. The talaq judgment, passed by a three-member majority in a five-member bench, was overshadowed by conventions of religion when in fact the emphasis should have been on constitutionality and the principles of equality. Nevertheless, the fact that the five judges came from five different faiths carried its own message at a time when majoritarianism is being asserted aggressively. No shadows fell across a nine-member benchs unanimous verdict that privacy was a fundamental right protected as an intrinsic part of the right to life and personal liberty. Some sentences in the judgment read like aphorisms that should be put up in golden letters in offices and homes: Privacy constitutes the foundation of all liberty. Those who are governed are entitled to question those who govern. Criticism and critique lie at the core of democratic governance. Tolerance of dissent is equally a cherished value. Against such proclamations, the governments reactions looked childish. The Law Minister turned himself into a farcical figure by claiming that the Court had actually affirmed the governments position that the right to privacy was a fundamental right subject to reasonable restrictions. The governments stated position was not that at all. It was that privacy was a common law right that was a subspecies of many rights and hence incapable of being termed as a standalone homogenous fundamental right. Eminent lawyer K K Venugopal paid the price of accepting the position of Attorney General by putting up the contrived argument that the right to privacy was an elitist construct. The Court dismissed the submission as unsustainable. The message was clear: What is good for the politics of a ruling party is bad in law. It becomes ugly when what is bad in law is tacitly approved by the establishment. Tens of thousands of men were pouring into Panchkula days before the verdict was to be pronounced in the Dera Sauda rape case. Weapons including AK 47s were also being stored. Yet, Haryanas Chief Minister Khattar did nothing, said nothing. Finally, when violence claimed 31 lives and left 250 injured, he said anti-social elements had created problems. The Punjab & Haryana High Court exposed him by calling the governments inaction a political surrender to allure vote bank. Thats exactly what the official position was. Khattar and many BJP luminaries had been publicly cultivating the Dera Sauda leader because the man, for all the criminalities he was involved in, had gathered a following that ran into crores. This is a peculiar Indian phenomenon. No other country offers frauds such a free run. Born-again Christian zealots of the West and their imitators in India have developed the God industry with modern corporate efficiency. But they command neither the mass following nor the vote potential of the godmen in India. Criminally culpable godmen have been riding high under all religious labels because of conspiratorial support by those in power. The illegalities of the Dera cult had received support from Chautalas National Lok Dal and from Hoodas Congress before the BJP, all of them condoning criminal actions for perceived vote bank support. What is new is the level of Khattars incompetence. If he had belonged to any other party, the BJP would have created a ruckus for his removal. In the event, the BJP extended unprecedented protection to him, proving to be as unprincipled as all other parties. All the more reason we should admire the courage of the High Court and the CBI court judges. In a dangerously charged atmosphere, the CBI judge had to be airlifted to the makeshift court. Unperturbed by threats all around him, he pronounced that the Dera chief deserved no sympathy. The goodness of the few makes up for the wickedness of the many. To that heaven of upright minds, my father, let my country awake.
Prabhu Chawla By

Today is the day of reckoning for the ministerial class in Delhi. As the constellation of the Narendra Modi solar system gets a reshuffle, some stars will fall. New stars will rise. Nevertheless, has restructuring the Union Cabinet ever made a tangible difference to governance at the ground level? Or does the Council of Ministers contribute substantially to the electoral fortunes of the ruling party?

In a parliamentary democracy, the Union Cabinet led by the prime minister is collectively held accountable for the good, bad or ugly performance of the government. However, election results have routinely exploded this maxim as a myth.

In the Lok Sabha elections, it is the prime minister who people have been voting in or out, and not Cabinet ministers. Ever since Indira Gandhi seized a status bigger than the institution of the Union Cabinet, ministers are appointed merely to honour a Constitutional compulsion, which mandates that the prime minister cannot take policy decisions without the sanction of the Cabinet, which he has chosen himself. Yet, from 1967 on, there has hardly been a time when no vacancies existed in the Cabinet. Even though the number of Union ministers has swelled from less than 25 during the 1950s to over 75 now, many of them hold multiple responsibilities.

Obviously, the size and quality of the Cabinet has less to do with workload or performance than the political compulsion to accommodate diverse pressure groups, which are the unavoidable tide-makers in a leaders political voyage. So, at best it seems like an exaggeration, and at worst unreasonable, to expect the induction of new faces and the removal of some old ones in the Cabinet to make much of a difference to the overall quality of delivery or governance. Prime Minister Narendra Modis decision to give a partial new look to his 75 odd-member Council of Ministers could mean rewards to some and punishment to some others.

His success as Indias 14th Prime Minister is hardly dependent on his ministers because he himself is the biggest and most credible brand for the BJP. It is Modi and not the party who won in 2014. Eight hundred million Indians would vote him back in 2019 based on his performance and not that of any of his Cabinet colleagues. Everything is in a nameits the fate of prime ministers such as Indira Gandhi, Atal Bihari Vajpayee and Manmohan Singh that the electorate had decided, more than their partys. Both Vajpayee and Manmohan had some outstanding ministers who had excelled in achieving their missions. But it was the people who sealed their fates.

Yet, all prime ministers since Independence has done the periodic ritual of reshuffling their pack of ministerial colleagues. Barring Jawaharlal Nehru, every other PM who completed a full term changed the size and colour of his Cabinet, over half-a-dozen times. Vajpayee made the changes more than a dozen times during his tenure of less than six years. Manmohan Singh, who won two consecutive terms, either reshuffled or expanded his Council of Ministers 15 times in his first term (2004-2009) and 11 times in the second term (2009-2014). P V Narasimha Rao reshuffled his Cabinet 17 times. And all three eventually lost the elections.

The reasons for the reshuffles were predictable: more representation to left-out regions, caste correction and inducting youth. Once the deed was done, the Cabinet ironically remained unrepresented by some region or communityor both. The puzzle is that numerous personalities who were dropped from the government, staged a comeback a few months or a year later. And a large number of ministers were still left holding multiple portfolios. For example, Manmohan moved P Chidambaram from Finance to Home, only to bring him back soon after Pranab Mukherjee became the President of India.

Modi, who had inducted Goa Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar as Defence Minister by relieving Arun Jaitley, sent him back home after the state polls, giving the ministry back to the Finance Minister. Many ministers hold multiple portfolios. However, a unique feature of Modis government is that he has allocated important ministries such as Coal, Petroleum, Power, Environment, Tourism, Communications and Commerce Minister to Ministers of State with Independent Charge. Over half a dozen ministers have been holding additional charges for almost over a year. Rarely have ministers been dropped or inducted on the basis of their perceived performance alone.

Over the years, a Cabinet post has become a status symbol rather than a barometer of the ministers political and administrative acumen. Each mantri is expected to implement the decisions taken by the Cabinet effectively and follow the prime ministers vision and mission. But most fail due to the complexities of the system, which links the performance of one ministry with that of many other ministries. For example, Nitin Gadkari was prevented from achieving his target by roadblocks placed in his path by the Environment Ministry, state governments and some NGOs.

To make the India story a success, the entire Cabinet does not need a change of face at frequent intervals. India needs a minimum Cabinet with maximum responsibility and accountability. Rajiv Gandhi had restructured many ministries by simply merging them with others with similar responsibilities. Modi, too, has adopted the instrument of mergers. Once there was a prime ministerial opinion that India needs only 12 cabinet ministers; each holding the portfolios of Treasury and Trade, Internal and External Security, National Transport, National Health and Fitness, Agricultural Development, Human Resource Development, Water Resources and River Rejuvenation, Judicial and Administrative Reforms, Global Relations, Research and Development.

They would be assisted by ministers without a portfolio at the Centre, but allocated respective states to ensure efficient implementation of Central government schemes and the proper flow of Central funds. For example, the Prime Minister could appoint a Union minister for each state. They would be mandated to serve as the link between the Union Cabinet and the state government. Similarly, a minister can oversee a cluster of smaller states.

Such an arrangement is in place in some states, where state ministers are also in charge of a specified number of districts. Allocating ministers to states other than their own, will force them to visit each and every district and report their findings to the Cabinet. At the moment, there is total disconnect between the states and the Centre. A single Union minister visiting all the states for ceremonial purposes, such as laying foundation stones and addressing elite gatherings, is counterproductive to development.

The lack of total success of the Prime Ministers innovative programmes such as Swachh Bharat, Digital India, homes for the poor, cleaning of rivers and construction of toilets for the rural and urban areas is because of the failure of the monitoring system at the senior level. Since a bulky and bloated Union Cabinet has been accepted as a necessary evil, isnt it better to convert its extra political calories into an instrument of delivery, rather than it remaining a symbol of arrogant power for display? Only Modi can change the paradigm.

Prabhu Chawla

prabhuchawla@newindianexpress.com

Follow him on Twitter @PrabhuChawla

Today is the day of reckoning for the ministerial class in Delhi. As the constellation of the Narendra Modi solar system gets a reshuffle, some stars will fall. New stars will rise. Nevertheless, has restructuring the Union Cabinet ever made a tangible difference to governance at the ground level? Or does the Council of Ministers contribute substantially to the electoral fortunes of the ruling party? In a parliamentary democracy, the Union Cabinet led by the prime minister is collectively held accountable for the good, bad or ugly performance of the government. However, election results have routinely exploded this maxim as a myth. In the Lok Sabha elections, it is the prime minister who people have been voting in or out, and not Cabinet ministers. Ever since Indira Gandhi seized a status bigger than the institution of the Union Cabinet, ministers are appointed merely to honour a Constitutional compulsion, which mandates that the prime minister cannot take policy decisions without the sanction of the Cabinet, which he has chosen himself. Yet, from 1967 on, there has hardly been a time when no vacancies existed in the Cabinet. Even though the number of Union ministers has swelled from less than 25 during the 1950s to over 75 now, many of them hold multiple responsibilities. Obviously, the size and quality of the Cabinet has less to do with workload or performance than the political compulsion to accommodate diverse pressure groups, which are the unavoidable tide-makers in a leaders political voyage. So, at best it seems like an exaggeration, and at worst unreasonable, to expect the induction of new faces and the removal of some old ones in the Cabinet to make much of a difference to the overall quality of delivery or governance. Prime Minister Narendra Modis decision to give a partial new look to his 75 odd-member Council of Ministers could mean rewards to some and punishment to some others. His success as Indias 14th Prime Minister is hardly dependent on his ministers because he himself is the biggest and most credible brand for the BJP. It is Modi and not the party who won in 2014. Eight hundred million Indians would vote him back in 2019 based on his performance and not that of any of his Cabinet colleagues. Everything is in a nameits the fate of prime ministers such as Indira Gandhi, Atal Bihari Vajpayee and Manmohan Singh that the electorate had decided, more than their partys. Both Vajpayee and Manmohan had some outstanding ministers who had excelled in achieving their missions. But it was the people who sealed their fates. Yet, all prime ministers since Independence has done the periodic ritual of reshuffling their pack of ministerial colleagues. Barring Jawaharlal Nehru, every other PM who completed a full term changed the size and colour of his Cabinet, over half-a-dozen times. Vajpayee made the changes more than a dozen times during his tenure of less than six years. Manmohan Singh, who won two consecutive terms, either reshuffled or expanded his Council of Ministers 15 times in his first term (2004-2009) and 11 times in the second term (2009-2014). P V Narasimha Rao reshuffled his Cabinet 17 times. And all three eventually lost the elections. The reasons for the reshuffles were predictable: more representation to left-out regions, caste correction and inducting youth. Once the deed was done, the Cabinet ironically remained unrepresented by some region or communityor both. The puzzle is that numerous personalities who were dropped from the government, staged a comeback a few months or a year later. And a large number of ministers were still left holding multiple portfolios. For example, Manmohan moved P Chidambaram from Finance to Home, only to bring him back soon after Pranab Mukherjee became the President of India. Modi, who had inducted Goa Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar as Defence Minister by relieving Arun Jaitley, sent him back home after the state polls, giving the ministry back to the Finance Minister. Many ministers hold multiple portfolios. However, a unique feature of Modis government is that he has allocated important ministries such as Coal, Petroleum, Power, Environment, Tourism, Communications and Commerce Minister to Ministers of State with Independent Charge. Over half a dozen ministers have been holding additional charges for almost over a year. Rarely have ministers been dropped or inducted on the basis of their perceived performance alone. Over the years, a Cabinet post has become a status symbol rather than a barometer of the ministers political and administrative acumen. Each mantri is expected to implement the decisions taken by the Cabinet effectively and follow the prime ministers vision and mission. But most fail due to the complexities of the system, which links the performance of one ministry with that of many other ministries. For example, Nitin Gadkari was prevented from achieving his target by roadblocks placed in his path by the Environment Ministry, state governments and some NGOs. To make the India story a success, the entire Cabinet does not need a change of face at frequent intervals. India needs a minimum Cabinet with maximum responsibility and accountability. Rajiv Gandhi had restructured many ministries by simply merging them with others with similar responsibilities. Modi, too, has adopted the instrument of mergers. Once there was a prime ministerial opinion that India needs only 12 cabinet ministers; each holding the portfolios of Treasury and Trade, Internal and External Security, National Transport, National Health and Fitness, Agricultural Development, Human Resource Development, Water Resources and River Rejuvenation, Judicial and Administrative Reforms, Global Relations, Research and Development. They would be assisted by ministers without a portfolio at the Centre, but allocated respective states to ensure efficient implementation of Central government schemes and the proper flow of Central funds. For example, the Prime Minister could appoint a Union minister for each state. They would be mandated to serve as the link between the Union Cabinet and the state government. Similarly, a minister can oversee a cluster of smaller states. Such an arrangement is in place in some states, where state ministers are also in charge of a specified number of districts. Allocating ministers to states other than their own, will force them to visit each and every district and report their findings to the Cabinet. At the moment, there is total disconnect between the states and the Centre. A single Union minister visiting all the states for ceremonial purposes, such as laying foundation stones and addressing elite gatherings, is counterproductive to development. The lack of total success of the Prime Ministers innovative programmes such as Swachh Bharat, Digital India, homes for the poor, cleaning of rivers and construction of toilets for the rural and urban areas is because of the failure of the monitoring system at the senior level. Since a bulky and bloated Union Cabinet has been accepted as a necessary evil, isnt it better to convert its extra political calories into an instrument of delivery, rather than it remaining a symbol of arrogant power for display? Only Modi can change the paradigm. Prabhu Chawla prabhuchawla@newindianexpress.com Follow him on Twitter @PrabhuChawla
By Express News Service

BENGALURU: Uttara Kannada MP Anantkumar Hegde is the surprise pick for Prime Minister Narendra Modis cabinet expansion scheduled today. BJP sources from Karnataka confirmed on Saturday that Hegde is the man picked among nine new faces for Modis cabinet reshuffle.

Hegde, who was born in Sirsi in 1968, became MP for the first time in 1996 at the age of 28. During his multiple stints in Parliament, he has been a member of various standing committees. Founder President of Kadamba, a national level NGO working in the field of rural development, rural health, formation of self-help groups, rural marketing and other rural welfare programmes, Hegde is also vice president of state BJP.

Hegde is also known as a controversial politician. In January this year, he was caught on camera assaulting hospital staff in Karwar. A suo motu case was registered against him in Sirsi for linking Islam to terrorism . He was booked in a case under section 295 (A) of IPC (deliberate and malicious acts intended to outrage religious feelings of any class, by insulting its religion or religious beliefs) .

BENGALURU: Uttara Kannada MP Anantkumar Hegde is the surprise pick for Prime Minister Narendra Modis cabinet expansion scheduled today. BJP sources from Karnataka confirmed on Saturday that Hegde is the man picked among nine new faces for Modis cabinet reshuffle. Hegde, who was born in Sirsi in 1968, became MP for the first time in 1996 at the age of 28. During his multiple stints in Parliament, he has been a member of various standing committees. Founder President of Kadamba, a national level NGO working in the field of rural development, rural health, formation of self-help groups, rural marketing and other rural welfare programmes, Hegde is also vice president of state BJP. Hegde is also known as a controversial politician. In January this year, he was caught on camera assaulting hospital staff in Karwar. A suo motu case was registered against him in Sirsi for linking Islam to terrorism . He was booked in a case under section 295 (A) of IPC (deliberate and malicious acts intended to outrage religious feelings of any class, by insulting its religion or religious beliefs) .
Shiv Sena boycotted the swearing-in ceremony with its sole minister in the Union Cabinet, Anant Geete, not participating in Rashtrapati Bhavan event.

Both Nitish Kumar and Uddav Thackeray told media they had no knowledge of the Cabinet reshuffle. Photos: PTI.

By India Today Web Desk: The Narendra Modi government today went for a third cabinet reshuffle in three years. Scotching speculations on NDA alliance partners joining the Modi cabinet, especially from Nitish Kumar-led Janata Dal (United), the BJP has only picked its partymen to join the government.

The BJP's move, many suggest, has not gone down well with its NDA (National Democratic Alliance) partners, particularly JD(U) and Shiv Sena. Shiv Sena has decided to boycott the swearing-in ceremony and the sole Shiv Sena minister in the Union Cabinet, Anant Geete, will not participate in the event at Rashtrapati Bhavan.

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Reports suggest that talks are on within the BJP on how to cool the frayed nerves of its alliance partners, given that leaders of both the JD(U) and the Shiv Sena maintained that they had no clue about who all are going to be inducted in the new Cabinet.

JD(U) chief Nitish Kumar and Shiv Sena supremo Uddhav Thackeray claimed that whatever information they have received on the Cabinet shuffle has been through media.

FOLLOW LIVE BLOG ON CABINET RESHUFFLE

YET TO GET AN INVITE TO JOIN CABINET, SAYS NITISH

A day ahead of the Cabinet reshuffle, Janata Dal (United) chief and Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar told media that his party is yet to get an invitation to join the Union Council of Ministers. "We have learnt about the JD(U)'s entry into the Union Council of Ministers through the media," Nitish Kumar said, adding that if his party gets an invite to join the government, he would take a call.

However, reports suggest that the deadlock between the BJP and the Janata Dal (United) over allocation of ministerial berths in the Narendra Modi government remained unresolved till last-minute.

It is believed that the BJP (Bharatiya Janata Party) had offered Janata Dal (United) two ministerial berths but Nitish Kumar was reportedly not pleased with the portfolios offered.

If sources are to be believed, Nitish Kumar's JD(U) wanted a senior portfolio like that of the Railways for the party. The JD(U) is also believed to have indicated that it cannot be compared to the Ram Vilas Paswan's Lok Janshakti Party which has got one cabinet berth in the Narendra Modi government.

Nitish Kumar's JD(U) has 10 members in the Rajya Sabha--the numbers are significant given the BJP's objective to consolidate its position in the Upper House where the Opposition has often stone-walled many bills.

WE ARE NOT POWER HUNGRY, SAYS UDDHAV THACKERAY

Another NDA partner, Shiv Sena, also maintained that it has not received any communication from the BJP over inclusion of its members in the Narendra Modi-led Cabinet.

"I have got news about the Cabinet expansion only from the media. I have neither received any communication from anybody, nor are we power-hungry," Shiv Sena chief Uddhav Thackeray said.

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Shiv Sena, which has been an alliance partner of the BJP since a long time, has only one Cabinet portfolio. Shiv Sena leader Anant Geete is the Minister of Heavy Industries and Public Enterprises.

The buzz in political corridors is that Uddhav Thackeray is miffed that Janata Dal (United) despite having fewer MPs has been offered two ministerial berths in the Narendra Modi government while Shiv Sena with 18 MPs in Lok Sabha and three MPs in Rajya Sabha is not getting its due.

Sena has often been critical of the BJP government. Shiv Sena MP Anil Desai had to return from Delhi airport over last-minute disagreement over cabinet berth in 2014.

ALSO READ:

Narendra Modi cabinet's new faces: Why they were chosen

Cabinet reshuffle: Why Assembly polls also determine who stays, who goes

Narendra Modi cabinet reshuffle: Ex-bureaucrats, diplomat among 9 new ministers likely to be inducted

ALSO WATCH: Nine new faces to join Narendra Modi's cabinet

--- ENDS ---
By Express News Service

BENGALURU: The group that is demanding a separate religion status for Veerashaiva Lingayats claimed on Saturday that Shivakumar Swamiji of Tumakuru and Shivaratri Deshikendra Swamiji of Sutturu have extended their support to their demand. With this, the group is exerting pressure on the state government to constitute an expert committee to look in to its demand.

At a press conference on Saturday, former IAS officer S M Jamdar said both the heads of the influential religious institutions have conveyed their support for the separate religion demand. They, however, have advised the groups that are demanding separate religion status for Veerashaivas and Lingayats to work together.

Jamdar said that said if they (Veerashaiva followers) can adopt Basava Dharma, they are welcome at any time. If they adopt it, 90 per cent of the issue will be solved. We do not have any problem with the name, provided they adopt Basava Dharma, he said.

He added that they have received support from people residing in Dubai and the US. We are not against Hindus, we are just telling we are different. We need the Constitutions recognition like how Buddists and Sikhs are recognised, he said.

Claiming that Panchapeetas that have showed resistance to the demand for separate religion tag all these days have also calmed down, Jamdar said, They were not ready to accept even Basavanna all these days, but his portrait is now seen in their mutts. They never visited any of the Lingayat Swamijis but now they visited Siddaganga Seer.

Jayamrutyunjaya Swamiji of Panchamasali Peetha of Kudala Sangama said they will organise awareness rallies. After Belagavi, a rally will be held at Lathur in Maharashtra on Sunday where more than 4 lakh people are expected to attend. It will be followed by a rally in Kalaburagi on September 10. Rallies will also be held in Vijayapura and other places followed by a massive rally in Bengaluru in December, he said.

BENGALURU: The group that is demanding a separate religion status for Veerashaiva Lingayats claimed on Saturday that Shivakumar Swamiji of Tumakuru and Shivaratri Deshikendra Swamiji of Sutturu have extended their support to their demand. With this, the group is exerting pressure on the state government to constitute an expert committee to look in to its demand. At a press conference on Saturday, former IAS officer S M Jamdar said both the heads of the influential religious institutions have conveyed their support for the separate religion demand. They, however, have advised the groups that are demanding separate religion status for Veerashaivas and Lingayats to work together. Jamdar said that said if they (Veerashaiva followers) can adopt Basava Dharma, they are welcome at any time. If they adopt it, 90 per cent of the issue will be solved. We do not have any problem with the name, provided they adopt Basava Dharma, he said. He added that they have received support from people residing in Dubai and the US. We are not against Hindus, we are just telling we are different. We need the Constitutions recognition like how Buddists and Sikhs are recognised, he said. Claiming that Panchapeetas that have showed resistance to the demand for separate religion tag all these days have also calmed down, Jamdar said, They were not ready to accept even Basavanna all these days, but his portrait is now seen in their mutts. They never visited any of the Lingayat Swamijis but now they visited Siddaganga Seer. Jayamrutyunjaya Swamiji of Panchamasali Peetha of Kudala Sangama said they will organise awareness rallies. After Belagavi, a rally will be held at Lathur in Maharashtra on Sunday where more than 4 lakh people are expected to attend. It will be followed by a rally in Kalaburagi on September 10. Rallies will also be held in Vijayapura and other places followed by a massive rally in Bengaluru in December, he said.
Venkatesan Parthasarathy By

CHENNAI: The Officers Training Academy (OTA), a premier army training establishment here, has thrown open its doors to yet another friendly countryTajikistan. For the first time ever, eight personnel from the Tajik National Army are undergoing training at the academy, along with other officer cadets.According to the academys Adjutant, Lieutenant Colonel Arjun Sharma, OTA, started training foreign cadets from 1980-81.

That year, around 74 personnel from Sri Lanka came here. Until now, more than 320 officers from foreign countries have undergone training, said Sharma. Among the countries which send their military personnel here are Afghanistan, Bhutan, Papua New Guinea, Uganda, Lesotho, Seychelles, Maldives and Fiji. The batch, which is about to pass out next month, consists of 25 foreign cadets, including 10 from Afghanistan, 12 from Bhutan, two from Maldives and one from Fiji.

A significant aspect this year, Sharma pointed out, is the enrolment of personnel from the Central Asian country of Tajikistan. Presently training alongside eight Tajiks are three women cadets from the Bhutanese army, following last year when the first women foreign cadet also from Bhutan passed out.

Sharma said the decision (to admit foreign cadets) was taken by the Central government, based on the mutual cooperation agreement signed with other countries.

The foreign cadets, who are sent here, are among the best from their countries. We respect their religion, culture and tradition and try to integrate them with the rest slowly. Since language is a problem, we conduct additional English classes, Sharma said.

CHENNAI: The Officers Training Academy (OTA), a premier army training establishment here, has thrown open its doors to yet another friendly countryTajikistan. For the first time ever, eight personnel from the Tajik National Army are undergoing training at the academy, along with other officer cadets.According to the academys Adjutant, Lieutenant Colonel Arjun Sharma, OTA, started training foreign cadets from 1980-81. That year, around 74 personnel from Sri Lanka came here. Until now, more than 320 officers from foreign countries have undergone training, said Sharma. Among the countries which send their military personnel here are Afghanistan, Bhutan, Papua New Guinea, Uganda, Lesotho, Seychelles, Maldives and Fiji. The batch, which is about to pass out next month, consists of 25 foreign cadets, including 10 from Afghanistan, 12 from Bhutan, two from Maldives and one from Fiji. A significant aspect this year, Sharma pointed out, is the enrolment of personnel from the Central Asian country of Tajikistan. Presently training alongside eight Tajiks are three women cadets from the Bhutanese army, following last year when the first women foreign cadet also from Bhutan passed out. Sharma said the decision (to admit foreign cadets) was taken by the Central government, based on the mutual cooperation agreement signed with other countries. The foreign cadets, who are sent here, are among the best from their countries. We respect their religion, culture and tradition and try to integrate them with the rest slowly. Since language is a problem, we conduct additional English classes, Sharma said.
Harpreet Bajwa By

CHANDIGARH: After his rape conviction, there is no end to the woes of Dera Sacha Sauda chief Gurmeet Ram Rahim. Now the Income Tax department has started appraising his income from the four trusts which were earlier exempted by the department. The income has been to the tune of Rs 250 crore per annum.

Sources in the I-T Department said that in 2007, four trusts (Dera Sacha Sauda, Shah Satnam Ji Educational Society, Shah Satnam Ji Green Welfare Force and Shah Satnam Ji Green S Welfare Force) were registered with the department for income tax exemption and after scrutiny they were exempted.

The exemptions were given to these trusts on grounds of education, health social and religious services, said a senior officer of the department.

The Dera headquarters

at Sirsa

The Dera Sacha Sauda Trust whose income was about Rs 70 crore per year, came down to around Rs 33 crore in the last four years. We dont know the reason for it, he added. Sources pointed out that these trusts have invested approximately around Rs 200 crore in land and building and around Rs 9 crore in other assets. Besides, Rs 2 crore was invested in the bio-gas plant set up at the Dera.

The Dera was running three medical institutions (multi- speciality hospital, ayurvedic centre, and naturopathy institute) and was also running 11 schools and two colleges, including a management institute. These institutions are in Haryana, Rajasthan, and Madhya Pradesh, said sources.

Besides, the Dera chief had around 80-odd companies in different names. The Dera use to sell hundreds of products from grocery items, to clothes to batteries, mostly under the brand name MSG.

Ram Rahim was sentenced to 20 years rigorous imprisonment after being convicted on charges of raping two women followers.

Excise Dept Prepares Details

Haryana Excise and Taxation Department is also preparing details on how shops, commercial establishments, and factories that were on the Dera Sacha Sauda premises were registered with the department.

Dera Land

The Dera Sacha Sauda has around 1,093 acres of land in 18 districts of Haryana alone, which is estimated to be worth around Rs 1,151 crore, including 700 acres of land on which Dera headquarters is situated in Sirsa. The value of the building constructed on the land is yet to be calculated.

In neighbouring Punjab, the Dera properties are worth Rs 58.2 crore, according to the state government. Bathinda has one of the biggest Deras of the sect in Salabatpura. Most of the properties are in the Malwa region.

Gurus Family

The family of Shah Satnam Singh Maharaj, the guru of Dera Sacha Sauda chief Ram Rahim, whom he succeededlives in Jalalana village some 40 km from the Dera headquarters in Sirsa. The family, which includes Satnams grandsons, lives in a normal house and does farming. The family has never visited the Dera since 2002the year the rape allegations against Ram Rahim involving the two Dera followers surfaced.

CHANDIGARH: After his rape conviction, there is no end to the woes of Dera Sacha Sauda chief Gurmeet Ram Rahim. Now the Income Tax department has started appraising his income from the four trusts which were earlier exempted by the department. The income has been to the tune of Rs 250 crore per annum. Sources in the I-T Department said that in 2007, four trusts (Dera Sacha Sauda, Shah Satnam Ji Educational Society, Shah Satnam Ji Green Welfare Force and Shah Satnam Ji Green S Welfare Force) were registered with the department for income tax exemption and after scrutiny they were exempted. The exemptions were given to these trusts on grounds of education, health social and religious services, said a senior officer of the department. The Dera headquarters at SirsaThe Dera Sacha Sauda Trust whose income was about Rs 70 crore per year, came down to around Rs 33 crore in the last four years. We dont know the reason for it, he added. Sources pointed out that these trusts have invested approximately around Rs 200 crore in land and building and around Rs 9 crore in other assets. Besides, Rs 2 crore was invested in the bio-gas plant set up at the Dera. The Dera was running three medical institutions (multi- speciality hospital, ayurvedic centre, and naturopathy institute) and was also running 11 schools and two colleges, including a management institute. These institutions are in Haryana, Rajasthan, and Madhya Pradesh, said sources. Besides, the Dera chief had around 80-odd companies in different names. The Dera use to sell hundreds of products from grocery items, to clothes to batteries, mostly under the brand name MSG. Ram Rahim was sentenced to 20 years rigorous imprisonment after being convicted on charges of raping two women followers. Excise Dept Prepares Details Haryana Excise and Taxation Department is also preparing details on how shops, commercial establishments, and factories that were on the Dera Sacha Sauda premises were registered with the department. Dera Land The Dera Sacha Sauda has around 1,093 acres of land in 18 districts of Haryana alone, which is estimated to be worth around Rs 1,151 crore, including 700 acres of land on which Dera headquarters is situated in Sirsa. The value of the building constructed on the land is yet to be calculated. In neighbouring Punjab, the Dera properties are worth Rs 58.2 crore, according to the state government. Bathinda has one of the biggest Deras of the sect in Salabatpura. Most of the properties are in the Malwa region. Gurus Family The family of Shah Satnam Singh Maharaj, the guru of Dera Sacha Sauda chief Ram Rahim, whom he succeededlives in Jalalana village some 40 km from the Dera headquarters in Sirsa. The family, which includes Satnams grandsons, lives in a normal house and does farming. The family has never visited the Dera since 2002the year the rape allegations against Ram Rahim involving the two Dera followers surfaced.
Anand S T Das By

PATNA: A week before the massive anti-BJP rally of Opposition parties hosted by RJD chief Lalu Prasad Yadav, Congress leaders in Bihar were puzzled about whether they should attend the event. A majority of the 27 Congress MLAs, who stood with RJD during the trust motion and voted against the Nitish Kumar-led JD(U)-BJP government a month ago, were happy that party national president Sonia Gandhi and vice-president Rahul Gandhi were unlikely to attend. State Congress chief Ashok Chaudhary had finalised plans to visit the flood-hit districts in Muslim-dominated Seemanchal region along with four MLAs on August 27, the day of the rally.

But Chaudhary, one of four ministers from the Congress in Bihars grand alliance government that collapsed in July, cancelled his Seemanchal visit. Senior Congress leader Ghulam Nabi Azad, who flew in from Delhi with two party colleagues for Lalus rally, told Chaudhary to read out a message from Rahul at the rally.

That act, both timely and shrewd, put a big brake on the momentum building among Congress MLAs towards a split led by Chaudhary. The high commands intervention has slowed it down, but it is yet to be killed, said a vice-president of Bihar Pradesh Congress Committee (BPCC).

Whipsawed by Lalus stifling influence on Bihar Congress and the indifference to the state units concerns by Sonia and Rahul, 14 MLAs have reportedly decided to quit the party and join JD(U). Hectic efforts are on to rope in another four MLAs so that the defecting groups strength reaches two-thirds of the whole to escape the anti-defection law.

Chaudhary, the 49-year-old Mahadalit leader and one-term MLA who became BPCC chief in March 2013, and Congress legislature party leader Sadanand Singh, a party veteran and nine-term MLA, are leading the defection bid despite an Sonia speaking to both and warning them in Delhi on August 31, said sources.

Chaudhary and Singh are known for their rapport with Nitish.

During his 20 months as education and IT minister as part of the JD(U)-RJD-Congress grand alliance government, Chaudhary was one of Nitishs favourites. Singh, who belongs to Nitishs Kurmi caste, has been close to him for two decades. After he deserted the grand alliance, both leaders were conspicuous by their perfunctory attack on the JD(U) chief for betraying Bihars mandate.

Nitish also enjoys the allegiance of 10 Congress MLAs who got tickets to contest the 2015 Assembly polls due to his intervention. In his brief speech during the trust vote in the Assembly, Nitish mentioned how Lalu was unwilling to allot more than 15 seats to Congress to contest and it was I who had intervened and raised it to 40 seats.

The nine Congress MLAs who had skipped a meeting in Patna convened by senior leader Jyotiraditya Scindia on August 11 were among these, said sources. They include Awidur Rehman, Tausif Alam, Mohammad Javed, Abdul Jaleel Mastan, Purnima Yadav, Anil Kumar and Sudarshan Kumar.

Nitishs clean image, unlike corruption-soiled Lalus, helped Congress win 27 seats in 2015, compared to just nine in 2005 and four in 2010, said a Congress MLA. Most MLAs see no future if Congress continues its alliance with RJD, but the high command refuses to see the elephant in the room, said another MLA.

Even if the dissident MLAs fail to muster 18 (two-thirds) of them to defect, they may resign from Congress as JD(U) is ready to field them in bypolls and ensure their re-election, said sources. At least eight ministerial berths also seem to be waiting for them. Nitishs Cabinet, which can have a maximum of 37 ministers as per the constitutional provisions, currently has 29.

Nitishs NDA government stands on a slender majority with just nine more MLAs above the 122 required in Bihars 243-member Assembly. Both JD(U) and BJP have little trust in two RLSP MLAs, two from LJP, one from HAM and three independents who support the government. This is why a split in Congress MLAs remains attractive to both sides.

PATNA: A week before the massive anti-BJP rally of Opposition parties hosted by RJD chief Lalu Prasad Yadav, Congress leaders in Bihar were puzzled about whether they should attend the event. A majority of the 27 Congress MLAs, who stood with RJD during the trust motion and voted against the Nitish Kumar-led JD(U)-BJP government a month ago, were happy that party national president Sonia Gandhi and vice-president Rahul Gandhi were unlikely to attend. State Congress chief Ashok Chaudhary had finalised plans to visit the flood-hit districts in Muslim-dominated Seemanchal region along with four MLAs on August 27, the day of the rally. But Chaudhary, one of four ministers from the Congress in Bihars grand alliance government that collapsed in July, cancelled his Seemanchal visit. Senior Congress leader Ghulam Nabi Azad, who flew in from Delhi with two party colleagues for Lalus rally, told Chaudhary to read out a message from Rahul at the rally. That act, both timely and shrewd, put a big brake on the momentum building among Congress MLAs towards a split led by Chaudhary. The high commands intervention has slowed it down, but it is yet to be killed, said a vice-president of Bihar Pradesh Congress Committee (BPCC). Whipsawed by Lalus stifling influence on Bihar Congress and the indifference to the state units concerns by Sonia and Rahul, 14 MLAs have reportedly decided to quit the party and join JD(U). Hectic efforts are on to rope in another four MLAs so that the defecting groups strength reaches two-thirds of the whole to escape the anti-defection law. Chaudhary, the 49-year-old Mahadalit leader and one-term MLA who became BPCC chief in March 2013, and Congress legislature party leader Sadanand Singh, a party veteran and nine-term MLA, are leading the defection bid despite an Sonia speaking to both and warning them in Delhi on August 31, said sources. Chaudhary and Singh are known for their rapport with Nitish. During his 20 months as education and IT minister as part of the JD(U)-RJD-Congress grand alliance government, Chaudhary was one of Nitishs favourites. Singh, who belongs to Nitishs Kurmi caste, has been close to him for two decades. After he deserted the grand alliance, both leaders were conspicuous by their perfunctory attack on the JD(U) chief for betraying Bihars mandate. Nitish also enjoys the allegiance of 10 Congress MLAs who got tickets to contest the 2015 Assembly polls due to his intervention. In his brief speech during the trust vote in the Assembly, Nitish mentioned how Lalu was unwilling to allot more than 15 seats to Congress to contest and it was I who had intervened and raised it to 40 seats. The nine Congress MLAs who had skipped a meeting in Patna convened by senior leader Jyotiraditya Scindia on August 11 were among these, said sources. They include Awidur Rehman, Tausif Alam, Mohammad Javed, Abdul Jaleel Mastan, Purnima Yadav, Anil Kumar and Sudarshan Kumar. Nitishs clean image, unlike corruption-soiled Lalus, helped Congress win 27 seats in 2015, compared to just nine in 2005 and four in 2010, said a Congress MLA. Most MLAs see no future if Congress continues its alliance with RJD, but the high command refuses to see the elephant in the room, said another MLA. Even if the dissident MLAs fail to muster 18 (two-thirds) of them to defect, they may resign from Congress as JD(U) is ready to field them in bypolls and ensure their re-election, said sources. At least eight ministerial berths also seem to be waiting for them. Nitishs Cabinet, which can have a maximum of 37 ministers as per the constitutional provisions, currently has 29. Nitishs NDA government stands on a slender majority with just nine more MLAs above the 122 required in Bihars 243-member Assembly. Both JD(U) and BJP have little trust in two RLSP MLAs, two from LJP, one from HAM and three independents who support the government. This is why a split in Congress MLAs remains attractive to both sides.
By AFP

SEOUL: North Korea appeared to carry out a sixth nuclear test Sunday, with seismic monitors measuring an "explosion" of 6.3 magnitude near its main test site.

Japan's government said it confirmed a nuclear test had been carried out.

Hours earlier, Pyongyang's state media claimed that the country had developed a thermonuclear warhead that could be fitted onto its new intercontinental ballistic missile, another brazen assertion of its weapons capabilities.

The official Korean Central News Agency said leader Kim Jong-Un had inspected a miniaturised H-bomb that could be loaded onto a missile -- although doubts remain over the veracity of Pyongyang's claims.

Here are key dates in the North's quest to develop a nuclear-tipped missile capable of hitting the United States:

Late 1970s: North Korea starts working on a version of the Soviet Scud-B (range 300 kilometres or 185 miles). Test-fired in 1984.

1987-92: Begins developing variant of Scud-C (range 500 km), Rodong-1 (1,300 km), Taepodong-1 (2,500 km), Musudan-1 (3,000 km) and Taepodong-2 (6,700 km).

Aug 1998: Test-fires Taepodong-1 rocket over Japan in what it calls a satellite launch -- the US and others say it is a missile test.

Sept 1999: Declares moratorium on long-range missile tests amid improving ties with US.

July 12, 2000: Fifth round of US-North Korean missile talks in Kuala Lumpur ends without agreement after North demands $1 billion a year in return for halting missile exports.

March 3, 2005: Pyongyang ends moratorium on long-range missile testing, blames Bush administration's "hostile" policy.

July 5, 2006: Test-fires seven missiles, including a long-range Taepodong-2 which explodes after 40 seconds.

Oct 9, 2006: Conducts underground nuclear test, its first.

April 5, 2009: Launches long-range rocket which flies over Japan and lands in the Pacific, in what it says is an attempt to put a satellite into orbit. The United States, Japan and South Korea see it as a disguised test of a Taepodong-2.

May 25, 2009: Conducts its second underground nuclear test, several times more powerful than the first.

April 13, 2012: Launches what it has said is a long-range rocket to put a satellite into orbit, but which disintegrates soon after blast-off.

December 12, 2012: Launches a multi-stage rocket and successfully places an Earth observational satellite in orbit.

February 12, 2013: Conducts its third underground nuclear test.

January 6, 2016: Conducts its fourth underground nuclear test, which it says was a hydrogen bomb -- a claim doubted by most experts.

March 9, 2016: Kim Jong-Un claims the North has successfully miniaturised a thermo-nuclear warhead.

April 23, 2016: Pyongyang test-fires a submarine-launched ballistic missile.

July 8, 2016: US and South Korea announce plans to deploy an advanced missile defence system -- THAAD (Terminal High Altitude Area Defense).

August 3, 2016: North Korea fires a ballistic missile directly into Japan's maritime economic zone for the first time.

September 9, 2016: Conducts fifth nuclear test, its most powerful to date.

March 6, 2017: Fires four ballistic missiles in what it says is an exercise to hit US bases in Japan.

March 7, 2017: US begins deploying THAAD missile defence system in South Korea.

May 14, 2017: North Korea fires a ballistic missile which flies 700 kilometres before landing in the Sea of Japan. Analysts say it has an imputed range of 4,500 kilometres (2,800 miles) and brings Guam within reach.

July 4, 2017: Test-fires a ballistic missile that analysts say brings Alaska within reach. Pyongyang later says it was a "landmark" test of a Hwasong-14 intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM).

July 28, 2017: Launches an ICBM with a theoretical range of 10,000 kilometres, meaning it could hit much of the United States.

August 26, 2017: Fires three short-range ballistic missiles.

August 29, 2017: Fires ballistic missile over Japan and into the Pacific, acknowledging for the first time that it has done so. South Korea says it flew around 2,700 kilometres at a maximum altitude of about 550 kilometres.

September 3, 2017: North Korea appears to carry out sixth nuclear test, with seismic monitors measuring an "explosion" of 6.3 magnitude near its main test site. Japan's government confirms a nuclear test has been carried out.

The apparent test comes hours after Pyongyang state media shows leader Kim Jong-Un inspecting what it professes to be an H-bomb that can be loaded onto an ICBM. The claims have not been confirmed

SEOUL: North Korea appeared to carry out a sixth nuclear test Sunday, with seismic monitors measuring an "explosion" of 6.3 magnitude near its main test site. Japan's government said it confirmed a nuclear test had been carried out. Hours earlier, Pyongyang's state media claimed that the country had developed a thermonuclear warhead that could be fitted onto its new intercontinental ballistic missile, another brazen assertion of its weapons capabilities. The official Korean Central News Agency said leader Kim Jong-Un had inspected a miniaturised H-bomb that could be loaded onto a missile -- although doubts remain over the veracity of Pyongyang's claims. Here are key dates in the North's quest to develop a nuclear-tipped missile capable of hitting the United States: Late 1970s: North Korea starts working on a version of the Soviet Scud-B (range 300 kilometres or 185 miles). Test-fired in 1984. 1987-92: Begins developing variant of Scud-C (range 500 km), Rodong-1 (1,300 km), Taepodong-1 (2,500 km), Musudan-1 (3,000 km) and Taepodong-2 (6,700 km). Aug 1998: Test-fires Taepodong-1 rocket over Japan in what it calls a satellite launch -- the US and others say it is a missile test. Sept 1999: Declares moratorium on long-range missile tests amid improving ties with US. July 12, 2000: Fifth round of US-North Korean missile talks in Kuala Lumpur ends without agreement after North demands $1 billion a year in return for halting missile exports. March 3, 2005: Pyongyang ends moratorium on long-range missile testing, blames Bush administration's "hostile" policy. July 5, 2006: Test-fires seven missiles, including a long-range Taepodong-2 which explodes after 40 seconds. Oct 9, 2006: Conducts underground nuclear test, its first. April 5, 2009: Launches long-range rocket which flies over Japan and lands in the Pacific, in what it says is an attempt to put a satellite into orbit. The United States, Japan and South Korea see it as a disguised test of a Taepodong-2. May 25, 2009: Conducts its second underground nuclear test, several times more powerful than the first. April 13, 2012: Launches what it has said is a long-range rocket to put a satellite into orbit, but which disintegrates soon after blast-off. December 12, 2012: Launches a multi-stage rocket and successfully places an Earth observational satellite in orbit. February 12, 2013: Conducts its third underground nuclear test. January 6, 2016: Conducts its fourth underground nuclear test, which it says was a hydrogen bomb -- a claim doubted by most experts. March 9, 2016: Kim Jong-Un claims the North has successfully miniaturised a thermo-nuclear warhead. April 23, 2016: Pyongyang test-fires a submarine-launched ballistic missile. July 8, 2016: US and South Korea announce plans to deploy an advanced missile defence system -- THAAD (Terminal High Altitude Area Defense). August 3, 2016: North Korea fires a ballistic missile directly into Japan's maritime economic zone for the first time. September 9, 2016: Conducts fifth nuclear test, its most powerful to date. March 6, 2017: Fires four ballistic missiles in what it says is an exercise to hit US bases in Japan. March 7, 2017: US begins deploying THAAD missile defence system in South Korea. May 14, 2017: North Korea fires a ballistic missile which flies 700 kilometres before landing in the Sea of Japan. Analysts say it has an imputed range of 4,500 kilometres (2,800 miles) and brings Guam within reach. July 4, 2017: Test-fires a ballistic missile that analysts say brings Alaska within reach. Pyongyang later says it was a "landmark" test of a Hwasong-14 intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM). July 28, 2017: Launches an ICBM with a theoretical range of 10,000 kilometres, meaning it could hit much of the United States. August 26, 2017: Fires three short-range ballistic missiles. August 29, 2017: Fires ballistic missile over Japan and into the Pacific, acknowledging for the first time that it has done so. South Korea says it flew around 2,700 kilometres at a maximum altitude of about 550 kilometres. September 3, 2017: North Korea appears to carry out sixth nuclear test, with seismic monitors measuring an "explosion" of 6.3 magnitude near its main test site. Japan's government confirms a nuclear test has been carried out. The apparent test comes hours after Pyongyang state media shows leader Kim Jong-Un inspecting what it professes to be an H-bomb that can be loaded onto an ICBM. The claims have not been confirmed
By AFP

GERMANY: German Chancellor Angela Merkel and French President Emmanuel Macron on Sunday urged tougher EU sanctions against North Korea, saying Pyongyang has "reached a new dimension of provocation" with its latest nuclear test.

"The chancellor and the president are in agreement that North Korea has trampled on international law and that the international community must therefore react with determination against this new escalation," Merkel's office said in a statement after she spoke on the phone with Macron.

Both leaders "are calling for tougher EU sanctions against North Korea," it added.

Separately, German Foreign Minister Sigmar Gabriel said Pyongyang's latest test "means that we have to find a level-headed but clear answer".

"We will discuss this reaction with our partners in the EU. I am sure that the UN Security Council will also take necessary measures in a decisive manner," he said.

GERMANY: German Chancellor Angela Merkel and French President Emmanuel Macron on Sunday urged tougher EU sanctions against North Korea, saying Pyongyang has "reached a new dimension of provocation" with its latest nuclear test. "The chancellor and the president are in agreement that North Korea has trampled on international law and that the international community must therefore react with determination against this new escalation," Merkel's office said in a statement after she spoke on the phone with Macron. Both leaders "are calling for tougher EU sanctions against North Korea," it added. Separately, German Foreign Minister Sigmar Gabriel said Pyongyang's latest test "means that we have to find a level-headed but clear answer". "We will discuss this reaction with our partners in the EU. I am sure that the UN Security Council will also take necessary measures in a decisive manner," he said.
By PTI

NEW DELHI: India today strongly condemned North Korea's nuclear test and asked the reclusive nation to refrain from actions which adversely impact peace and stability in the Korean peninsula.

North Korea carried out its most powerful nuclear test to date today, claiming to have developed an advanced hydrogen bomb that could sit atop an intercontinental ballistic missile.

External Affairs Ministry in a statement said it was a matter of deep concern that North Korea has again acted in violation of its international commitments.

It said the action by North Korea was against the objective of the de-nuclearisation of the Korean peninsula.

"We call upon North Korea to refrain from such actions which adversely impact peace and stability in the region and beyond," the statement said.

"India also remains concerned about the proliferation of nuclear and missile technologies which has adversely impacted Indias national security," it added.

NEW DELHI: India today strongly condemned North Korea's nuclear test and asked the reclusive nation to refrain from actions which adversely impact peace and stability in the Korean peninsula. North Korea carried out its most powerful nuclear test to date today, claiming to have developed an advanced hydrogen bomb that could sit atop an intercontinental ballistic missile. External Affairs Ministry in a statement said it was a matter of deep concern that North Korea has again acted in violation of its international commitments. It said the action by North Korea was against the objective of the de-nuclearisation of the Korean peninsula. "We call upon North Korea to refrain from such actions which adversely impact peace and stability in the region and beyond," the statement said. "India also remains concerned about the proliferation of nuclear and missile technologies which has adversely impacted Indias national security," it added.
By AFP

TEHRAN: Iran has tested its home-grown air defence system, designed to match the Russian S-300, the head of the Revolutionary Guards' air defence has said.

"In parallel with the deployment of the S-300, work on Bavar-373 system is underway," Farzad Esmaili told state broadcaster IRIB late Saturday.

"The system is made completely in Iran and some of its parts are different from the S-300. All of its sub-systems have been completed and its missile tests have been conducted."

Bavar (which means "belief") is Tehran's first long-range missile defence system, and is set to be operational by March 2018, he added.

In 2010, Iran began manufacturing Bavar-373 after the purchase of the S-300 from Russia was suspended due to international sanctions.

Russia resumed the sale following the 2015 nuclear deal with world powers which lifted sanctions, and Iran's S-300 defence system became operational in March.

On Sunday, state television aired the first footage from a "secret" drone base in an undisclosed desert location, where dozens of different types of unmanned aircraft were lined up.

"If necessary, a great number of Iran's high-speed eagles (drones) will land on the enemy," Esmaili said in the footage.

Iran has developed several military drones in recent years, drawing criticism from Washington.

This month, the United States claimed Iranian drones flew dangerously close to an aircraft carrier and a US Naval jet in two separate incidents in Gulf waters.

On Saturday, the new defence minister Amir Hatami said Iran has "a specific plan to boost missile power".

He said he hoped "the combat capabilities of Iran's ballistic and cruise missiles" would increase in the next four years.

The comments came amid increasing tensions with Washington, which has passed new sanctions against Iran's ballistic missile programme.

TEHRAN: Iran has tested its home-grown air defence system, designed to match the Russian S-300, the head of the Revolutionary Guards' air defence has said. "In parallel with the deployment of the S-300, work on Bavar-373 system is underway," Farzad Esmaili told state broadcaster IRIB late Saturday. "The system is made completely in Iran and some of its parts are different from the S-300. All of its sub-systems have been completed and its missile tests have been conducted." Bavar (which means "belief") is Tehran's first long-range missile defence system, and is set to be operational by March 2018, he added. In 2010, Iran began manufacturing Bavar-373 after the purchase of the S-300 from Russia was suspended due to international sanctions. Russia resumed the sale following the 2015 nuclear deal with world powers which lifted sanctions, and Iran's S-300 defence system became operational in March. On Sunday, state television aired the first footage from a "secret" drone base in an undisclosed desert location, where dozens of different types of unmanned aircraft were lined up. "If necessary, a great number of Iran's high-speed eagles (drones) will land on the enemy," Esmaili said in the footage. Iran has developed several military drones in recent years, drawing criticism from Washington. This month, the United States claimed Iranian drones flew dangerously close to an aircraft carrier and a US Naval jet in two separate incidents in Gulf waters. On Saturday, the new defence minister Amir Hatami said Iran has "a specific plan to boost missile power". He said he hoped "the combat capabilities of Iran's ballistic and cruise missiles" would increase in the next four years. The comments came amid increasing tensions with Washington, which has passed new sanctions against Iran's ballistic missile programme.
By AFP

BEIRUT: Fierce clashes between the Islamic State group and pro-regime forces in central Syria have left over 150 fighters dead in 24 hours, mostly jihadists, a monitor said Sunday.

The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said 120 IS fighters "were killed in clashes in and around the town of Uqayribat in the eastern Hama countryside... along with at least 35 regime troops and loyalist militiamen."

The town is the jihadist group's last bastion in the central province apart from a handful of small villages.

Pro-government forces seized Uqayribat on Friday night, but IS responded with a counter-offensive on Saturday that left it in control of most of the town, Observatory chief Rami Abdel Rahman said.

An intense barrage of artillery fire and Syrian and Russian air strikes on jihadist positions allowed pro-regime forces on Sunday morning to push the jihadists back out of the town and advance on villages to the west that remain under IS control.

IS has controlled Uqayribat since 2014, using it to launch attacks on regime-held areas and a strategically vital road Abdel Rahman described as "the only lifeline for the regime between Aleppo and central and southern Syria".

Regime forces, backed by heavy Russian air strikes, launched a major assault on IS-held parts of Hama in June.

"By consolidating their control of (Uqayribat) and ousting IS from the surrounding villages, regime forces could oust the organisation from the whole of Hama province," Abdel Rahman said.

Other rebel groups still control parts of the province's rural north.

Hama, which borders on six other Syrian provinces, is strategically vital to the Assad regime, separating opposition forces in Idlib from Damascus to the south and the regime's coastal heartlands to the west.

IS has suffered multiple defeats across Syria and neighbouring Iraq in recent months, notably in its main Syrian base of Raqa.

On Friday a US-backed Kurdish-Arab coalition seized Raqa's Old City and was advancing on the jihadists in the heavily defended city centre.

The Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) began their offensive in May, capturing the city of Tabqa and a key dam nearby before entering Raqa city in early June.

Meanwhile, pro-regime forces have advanced against IS in the eastern part of Homs province and western Deir Ezzor, where they have come to within 19 kilometres (12 miles) of the provincial capital.

Syria's conflict has killed more than 320,000 people and displaced millions since it started with anti-government demonstrations in 2011.

BEIRUT: Fierce clashes between the Islamic State group and pro-regime forces in central Syria have left over 150 fighters dead in 24 hours, mostly jihadists, a monitor said Sunday. The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said 120 IS fighters "were killed in clashes in and around the town of Uqayribat in the eastern Hama countryside... along with at least 35 regime troops and loyalist militiamen." The town is the jihadist group's last bastion in the central province apart from a handful of small villages. Pro-government forces seized Uqayribat on Friday night, but IS responded with a counter-offensive on Saturday that left it in control of most of the town, Observatory chief Rami Abdel Rahman said. An intense barrage of artillery fire and Syrian and Russian air strikes on jihadist positions allowed pro-regime forces on Sunday morning to push the jihadists back out of the town and advance on villages to the west that remain under IS control. IS has controlled Uqayribat since 2014, using it to launch attacks on regime-held areas and a strategically vital road Abdel Rahman described as "the only lifeline for the regime between Aleppo and central and southern Syria". Regime forces, backed by heavy Russian air strikes, launched a major assault on IS-held parts of Hama in June. "By consolidating their control of (Uqayribat) and ousting IS from the surrounding villages, regime forces could oust the organisation from the whole of Hama province," Abdel Rahman said. Other rebel groups still control parts of the province's rural north. Hama, which borders on six other Syrian provinces, is strategically vital to the Assad regime, separating opposition forces in Idlib from Damascus to the south and the regime's coastal heartlands to the west. IS has suffered multiple defeats across Syria and neighbouring Iraq in recent months, notably in its main Syrian base of Raqa. On Friday a US-backed Kurdish-Arab coalition seized Raqa's Old City and was advancing on the jihadists in the heavily defended city centre. The Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) began their offensive in May, capturing the city of Tabqa and a key dam nearby before entering Raqa city in early June. Meanwhile, pro-regime forces have advanced against IS in the eastern part of Homs province and western Deir Ezzor, where they have come to within 19 kilometres (12 miles) of the provincial capital. Syria's conflict has killed more than 320,000 people and displaced millions since it started with anti-government demonstrations in 2011.
By AFP

TOKYO: Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe today said a sixth nuclear test by Pyongyang would be "absolutely unacceptable," after a 6.3 magnitude explosion in the North indicated a new detonation.

"If it forcibly conducted a nuclear test, it's absolutely unacceptable. We have to strongly protest it," Abe said.

"There is a possibility that this is not a natural quake and that North Korea conducted a nuclear test," he said, adding that the Japanese weather agency detected a seismic wave.

TOKYO: Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe today said a sixth nuclear test by Pyongyang would be "absolutely unacceptable," after a 6.3 magnitude explosion in the North indicated a new detonation. "If it forcibly conducted a nuclear test, it's absolutely unacceptable. We have to strongly protest it," Abe said. "There is a possibility that this is not a natural quake and that North Korea conducted a nuclear test," he said, adding that the Japanese weather agency detected a seismic wave.
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By AFP

ISLAMABAD: Former military ruler Pervez Musharraf said he would return to Pakistan to face trial in the murder case of ex-prime minister Benazir Bhutto.

A Pakistani court on Thursday pronounced Musharraf a fugitive in the murder trial but acquitted five men accused of involvement in the 2007 assassination of Bhutto, the first female prime minister of a Muslim country.

In a statement issued to the media Sunday, Musharraf said the verdict of the Rawalpindi Anti Terrorism Court was not against him.

"I will certainly come back to Pakistan and face the trial, as and when I am medically fit," he said.

"I have been framed in the Benazir Bhutto murder case by way of political victimization, while I had nothing to do with her untimely and tragic death," he said.

"I have not been the beneficiary of prime minister Benazir Bhutto's murder and the entire case as pitched against me is materially false, fictitious, fabricated and is a result of political intrigue," the former army chief said.

The anti-terrorism court branded Musharraf as an absconder and ordered the confiscation of his property.

The verdicts are the first to be issued since Bhutto was killed in a gun and suicide bomb attack nearly a decade ago, sparking street violence and plunging Pakistan into months of political turmoil.

Former president and military ruler Musharraf is alleged to have been part of a broad conspiracy to have his political rival killed before elections. He has denied the allegation.

He was charged with murder, criminal conspiracy for murder, and facilitation for murder in 2013, in an unprecedented move against an ex-army chief, challenging beliefs the military is immune from prosecution.

But he has been in self-imposed exile in Dubai ever since a travel ban was lifted three years later.

Musharraf's government blamed the assassination on Pakistani Taliban chief Baitullah Mehsud, who denied any involvement. He was killed in a US drone attack in 2009.

In 2010, the UN report accused Musharraf's government of failing to give Bhutto adequate protection and said her death could have been prevented.

ISLAMABAD: Former military ruler Pervez Musharraf said he would return to Pakistan to face trial in the murder case of ex-prime minister Benazir Bhutto. A Pakistani court on Thursday pronounced Musharraf a fugitive in the murder trial but acquitted five men accused of involvement in the 2007 assassination of Bhutto, the first female prime minister of a Muslim country. In a statement issued to the media Sunday, Musharraf said the verdict of the Rawalpindi Anti Terrorism Court was not against him. "I will certainly come back to Pakistan and face the trial, as and when I am medically fit," he said. "I have been framed in the Benazir Bhutto murder case by way of political victimization, while I had nothing to do with her untimely and tragic death," he said. "I have not been the beneficiary of prime minister Benazir Bhutto's murder and the entire case as pitched against me is materially false, fictitious, fabricated and is a result of political intrigue," the former army chief said. The anti-terrorism court branded Musharraf as an absconder and ordered the confiscation of his property. The verdicts are the first to be issued since Bhutto was killed in a gun and suicide bomb attack nearly a decade ago, sparking street violence and plunging Pakistan into months of political turmoil. Former president and military ruler Musharraf is alleged to have been part of a broad conspiracy to have his political rival killed before elections. He has denied the allegation. He was charged with murder, criminal conspiracy for murder, and facilitation for murder in 2013, in an unprecedented move against an ex-army chief, challenging beliefs the military is immune from prosecution. But he has been in self-imposed exile in Dubai ever since a travel ban was lifted three years later. Musharraf's government blamed the assassination on Pakistani Taliban chief Baitullah Mehsud, who denied any involvement. He was killed in a US drone attack in 2009. In 2010, the UN report accused Musharraf's government of failing to give Bhutto adequate protection and said her death could have been prevented.
By AFP

HOUSTON: The governor of Texas said today the "long haul" of recovery from Hurricane Harvey was just beginning, appealing to Congress to provide tens of billions of dollars needed for reconstruction.

In the nation's fourth-largest city of Houston, which was devastated by record-setting rainfall, many residents whose homes had flooded returned over the weekend to begin removing soggy drywall, soaked carpets and ruined possessions.

A week of flooding had damaged 40,000 to 50,000 homes in Houston and sent tens of thousands of people fleeing to emergency shelters.

"The rebuilding process, this is where the long haul begins," Texas Governor Greg Abbott said on "Fox News Sunday."

"This is where we come to the part where Congress plays a role."

The White House has asked Congress for USD 7.85 billion for Harvey-related "response and initial recovery efforts," calling it a "down payment" on the long-term cost of recovering from the record flooding. In the end, Abbott said, recovery will cost "well over USD 120 billion, probably USD 150 billion to USD 180 billion."

White House budget director Mick Mulvaney has said the administration will later seek an additional USD 6.7 billion for disaster relief.

Harvey was blamed for at least 42 deaths, with the Houston Chronicle saying the toll of people who died or were feared dead was more than 50.

Yet Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner urged visitors to keep their travel plans to Houston, which he said was now 95 percent dry.

"I want to be very clear. Yes, it was a very serious storm, historic, unprecedented, but the city of Houston is open for business.

"And so if you have a conference, convention, concert, any of those things that were planning to come to this city we are still ready to welcome you," Turner said, adding that city employees will be back at work on Tuesday, following the US Labor Day holiday on Monday.

Houston is not only a regional hub, but also a center of the US petroleum industry. The surrounding Gulf Coast area is home to about a third of American refining capacity.

"That is a can-do city, we're not going to engage in a pity party," Turner said. He appeared Sunday on both CBS and NBC.

"We are getting back on our feet and we are open for business. We do want people to continue to come to the city."

While Houston was getting back to a semblance of normality, floodwaters in other hard-hit cities nearby such as Rockport, Beaumont and Port Arthur were slower to recede.

Meanwhile, America today marked a "National Day of Prayer" for victims of the storm.

In Washington, President Donald Trump and first lady Melania Trump attended morning services at historic St. John's Church, a short distance from the White House.

HOUSTON: The governor of Texas said today the "long haul" of recovery from Hurricane Harvey was just beginning, appealing to Congress to provide tens of billions of dollars needed for reconstruction. In the nation's fourth-largest city of Houston, which was devastated by record-setting rainfall, many residents whose homes had flooded returned over the weekend to begin removing soggy drywall, soaked carpets and ruined possessions. A week of flooding had damaged 40,000 to 50,000 homes in Houston and sent tens of thousands of people fleeing to emergency shelters. "The rebuilding process, this is where the long haul begins," Texas Governor Greg Abbott said on "Fox News Sunday." "This is where we come to the part where Congress plays a role." The White House has asked Congress for USD 7.85 billion for Harvey-related "response and initial recovery efforts," calling it a "down payment" on the long-term cost of recovering from the record flooding. In the end, Abbott said, recovery will cost "well over USD 120 billion, probably USD 150 billion to USD 180 billion." White House budget director Mick Mulvaney has said the administration will later seek an additional USD 6.7 billion for disaster relief. Harvey was blamed for at least 42 deaths, with the Houston Chronicle saying the toll of people who died or were feared dead was more than 50. Yet Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner urged visitors to keep their travel plans to Houston, which he said was now 95 percent dry. "I want to be very clear. Yes, it was a very serious storm, historic, unprecedented, but the city of Houston is open for business. "And so if you have a conference, convention, concert, any of those things that were planning to come to this city we are still ready to welcome you," Turner said, adding that city employees will be back at work on Tuesday, following the US Labor Day holiday on Monday. Houston is not only a regional hub, but also a center of the US petroleum industry. The surrounding Gulf Coast area is home to about a third of American refining capacity. "That is a can-do city, we're not going to engage in a pity party," Turner said. He appeared Sunday on both CBS and NBC. "We are getting back on our feet and we are open for business. We do want people to continue to come to the city." While Houston was getting back to a semblance of normality, floodwaters in other hard-hit cities nearby such as Rockport, Beaumont and Port Arthur were slower to recede. Meanwhile, America today marked a "National Day of Prayer" for victims of the storm. In Washington, President Donald Trump and first lady Melania Trump attended morning services at historic St. John's Church, a short distance from the White House.
By AFP

WASHINGTON: US President Donald Trump will convene his national security team Sunday and weigh possibly drastic economic sanctions against North Korea after Pyongyang test-fired what it claimed was a hydrogen bomb able to fit atop a missile.

"The national security team is monitoring this closely," said White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders. "The president and his national security team will have a meeting to discuss further later today."

In a tweet Sunday, Trump denounced the powerful test -- said to be the North's first blast to exceed in power the atomic bombing of Hiroshima, Japan -- as "very hostile and dangerous to the United States."

Other world leaders joined in the denunciation. China and Russia sharply condemned it, South Korean President Moon Jae-In called for the "strongest punishment," and Britain said China should step up economic pressure on the North.

In Washington, US Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin said he was preparing a package of economic sanctions to do that -- measures "that would go as far as cutting off all trade and other business" with the North.

"I'm going to draft a sanctions package and send it to the president for his strong consideration so anybody (who) wants to do trade or business with them will be prevented from doing trade or business with us," Mnuchin said on "Fox News Sunday."

But he also said Trump had made it clear that "he will consider everything" and "look at all our options."

While the United States has virtually no trade with the North, the burden of sanctions such as Mnuchin described would fall heavily on China. About 90 percent of North Korean exports go to China.

Early last month the United Nations Security Council adopted a seventh set of sanctions aimed at depriving the North of a billion dollars in income from exports. China approved the measures.

Trump has repeatedly insisted that Beijing lean on the neighboring Pyongyang regime to stop its nuclear and missile development.

But on Sunday he also aimed criticism at the government in Seoul, tweeting that the time for talks was over and that "appeasement" would not work.

WASHINGTON: US President Donald Trump will convene his national security team Sunday and weigh possibly drastic economic sanctions against North Korea after Pyongyang test-fired what it claimed was a hydrogen bomb able to fit atop a missile. "The national security team is monitoring this closely," said White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders. "The president and his national security team will have a meeting to discuss further later today." In a tweet Sunday, Trump denounced the powerful test -- said to be the North's first blast to exceed in power the atomic bombing of Hiroshima, Japan -- as "very hostile and dangerous to the United States." Other world leaders joined in the denunciation. China and Russia sharply condemned it, South Korean President Moon Jae-In called for the "strongest punishment," and Britain said China should step up economic pressure on the North. In Washington, US Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin said he was preparing a package of economic sanctions to do that -- measures "that would go as far as cutting off all trade and other business" with the North. "I'm going to draft a sanctions package and send it to the president for his strong consideration so anybody (who) wants to do trade or business with them will be prevented from doing trade or business with us," Mnuchin said on "Fox News Sunday." But he also said Trump had made it clear that "he will consider everything" and "look at all our options." While the United States has virtually no trade with the North, the burden of sanctions such as Mnuchin described would fall heavily on China. About 90 percent of North Korean exports go to China. Early last month the United Nations Security Council adopted a seventh set of sanctions aimed at depriving the North of a billion dollars in income from exports. China approved the measures. Trump has repeatedly insisted that Beijing lean on the neighboring Pyongyang regime to stop its nuclear and missile development. But on Sunday he also aimed criticism at the government in Seoul, tweeting that the time for talks was over and that "appeasement" would not work.
By AFP

WASHINGTON: US federal agents inspected a Russian trade mission in Washington to confirm its closure on Saturday, despite a furious diplomatic protest from Moscow.

The United States and Russia are in the grip of a diplomatic dispute, and the trade representative's office is part of a group of properties Washington has ordered closed.

Russian officials were forewarned of the inspection and, according to a report in Foreign Policy magazine, lit a fire on Friday apparently to burn documents at the facility.

"Today, Russian Embassy personnel, together with State Department officials, walked through three properties in San Francisco, New York and Washington, DC that the Russian government is required to close," a State Department official said.

"These inspections were carried out to secure and protect the facilities and to confirm the Russian government had vacated the premises," he said, adding that all three are now closed.

On Saturday, US agents could be seen on the grounds of the Washington mansion, which served as both the home and office of the Russian trade representative. It has been owned by Moscow since the Soviet era.

The US State Department official said Washington had fully complied with its duties under the Vienna Convention in preserving the security of foreign missions, but in Moscow the Russian foreign ministry was furious even before the inspection began.

The ministry summoned acting US mission head Anthony Godfrey and gave him a "note of protest over the intention of the American authorities to conduct a search."

Russian news agency RIA-Novosti reported that the search began in the presence of Russian officials.

But the ministry nevertheless warned that the visit "could be used by the US intelligence services to organize an anti-Russian provocation involving planting compromising materials."

The trade mission in Washington is one of three diplomatic buildings -- including the consulate in San Francisco and an office in New York -- that the US had ordered Moscow to vacate by Saturday.

Russia's foreign ministry said Friday that US intelligence was also planning to search the consulate in San Francisco.

Black smoke was seen rising from a chimney at the consulate on Friday, and firefighters confirmed its occupants were burning unidentified objects.

A spokeswoman for the Russian foreign ministry insisted the smoke was due to measures to "preserve the building" at a time when officials were gearing up to leave.

Diplomatic saga

Washington issued the closure order Thursday in retaliation for Moscow ordering the US to slash its diplomatic mission by 755 personnel by September 1.

The number of US diplomatic staff will now be capped at 455, the same number that Russia has in the United States.

The recent surge in tensions between the two nuclear-armed powers was an early diplomatic setback for US President Donald Trump.

During his campaign for office last year and in the early days of his presidency he had promised to try to improve relations with Russian President Vladimir Putin.

Ties had slumped to their lowest point since the Cold War after the Kremlin's seizure of Crimea from Ukraine in 2014.

The West slapped sanctions on Russia over its meddling in its ex-Soviet neighbor, sparking a revenge embargo from Moscow against agricultural products.

Last year, tensions again escalated after US intelligence accused Putin of masterminding a hacking and influence campaign to tip the presidential vote to Trump.

And in the waning days of his tenure, president Barack Obama punished Russia by turfing out 35 diplomats and closing diplomatic compounds in New York and Maryland.

Moscow initially held off from retaliating but when Congress passed new sanctions, the Kremlin decided to belatedly strike back and ordered the US staff cut.

Congress worded the sanctions bill to make it impossible for Trump to waive them without consulting lawmakers -- a move which further infuriated Moscow.

"First, it ends hopes for improving our relations with the new US administration," Russia's Prime Minister Dmitri Medvedev wrote on Facebook.

"Second, it is a declaration of a full-fledged economic war on Russia. Third, the Trump administration has shown its total weakness by handing over executive power to Congress in the most humiliating way."

Russia's Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said on Thursday that Moscow was studying the latest US order to shutter the compounds and would then decide how to react.

In a related development, the US Justice Department, in a court filing Friday, has confirmed there is no evidence to back up Trump's claim that Obama wiretapped Trump Tower during the 2016 election.

WASHINGTON: US federal agents inspected a Russian trade mission in Washington to confirm its closure on Saturday, despite a furious diplomatic protest from Moscow. The United States and Russia are in the grip of a diplomatic dispute, and the trade representative's office is part of a group of properties Washington has ordered closed. Russian officials were forewarned of the inspection and, according to a report in Foreign Policy magazine, lit a fire on Friday apparently to burn documents at the facility. "Today, Russian Embassy personnel, together with State Department officials, walked through three properties in San Francisco, New York and Washington, DC that the Russian government is required to close," a State Department official said. "These inspections were carried out to secure and protect the facilities and to confirm the Russian government had vacated the premises," he said, adding that all three are now closed. On Saturday, US agents could be seen on the grounds of the Washington mansion, which served as both the home and office of the Russian trade representative. It has been owned by Moscow since the Soviet era. The US State Department official said Washington had fully complied with its duties under the Vienna Convention in preserving the security of foreign missions, but in Moscow the Russian foreign ministry was furious even before the inspection began. The ministry summoned acting US mission head Anthony Godfrey and gave him a "note of protest over the intention of the American authorities to conduct a search." Russian news agency RIA-Novosti reported that the search began in the presence of Russian officials. But the ministry nevertheless warned that the visit "could be used by the US intelligence services to organize an anti-Russian provocation involving planting compromising materials." The trade mission in Washington is one of three diplomatic buildings -- including the consulate in San Francisco and an office in New York -- that the US had ordered Moscow to vacate by Saturday. Russia's foreign ministry said Friday that US intelligence was also planning to search the consulate in San Francisco. Black smoke was seen rising from a chimney at the consulate on Friday, and firefighters confirmed its occupants were burning unidentified objects. A spokeswoman for the Russian foreign ministry insisted the smoke was due to measures to "preserve the building" at a time when officials were gearing up to leave. Diplomatic saga Washington issued the closure order Thursday in retaliation for Moscow ordering the US to slash its diplomatic mission by 755 personnel by September 1. The number of US diplomatic staff will now be capped at 455, the same number that Russia has in the United States. The recent surge in tensions between the two nuclear-armed powers was an early diplomatic setback for US President Donald Trump. During his campaign for office last year and in the early days of his presidency he had promised to try to improve relations with Russian President Vladimir Putin. Ties had slumped to their lowest point since the Cold War after the Kremlin's seizure of Crimea from Ukraine in 2014. The West slapped sanctions on Russia over its meddling in its ex-Soviet neighbor, sparking a revenge embargo from Moscow against agricultural products. Last year, tensions again escalated after US intelligence accused Putin of masterminding a hacking and influence campaign to tip the presidential vote to Trump. And in the waning days of his tenure, president Barack Obama punished Russia by turfing out 35 diplomats and closing diplomatic compounds in New York and Maryland. Moscow initially held off from retaliating but when Congress passed new sanctions, the Kremlin decided to belatedly strike back and ordered the US staff cut. Congress worded the sanctions bill to make it impossible for Trump to waive them without consulting lawmakers -- a move which further infuriated Moscow. "First, it ends hopes for improving our relations with the new US administration," Russia's Prime Minister Dmitri Medvedev wrote on Facebook. "Second, it is a declaration of a full-fledged economic war on Russia. Third, the Trump administration has shown its total weakness by handing over executive power to Congress in the most humiliating way." Russia's Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said on Thursday that Moscow was studying the latest US order to shutter the compounds and would then decide how to react. In a related development, the US Justice Department, in a court filing Friday, has confirmed there is no evidence to back up Trump's claim that Obama wiretapped Trump Tower during the 2016 election.
By PTI

WASHINGTON: US President Donald Trump and Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe today discussed the "growing threat" posed by North Korea and the two leaders reaffirmed the importance of a close cooperation.

The discussion took place at a time when North Korea announced its sixth nuclear test - detonating a hydrogen bomb, with, what the state media called, "perfect success". The device was capable of being loaded onto long-range missiles.

"President Donald J Trump spoke today with Prime Minister Shinzo Abe of Japan to discuss ongoing efforts to maximise pressure on North Korea," the White House said in a readout of the call, the third between the two leaders in less than a week.

The readout, however, did not say whether the conversation came before or after the North's latest test.

According to the White House, Trump and Abe reaffirmed the importance of close cooperation between the US, Japan, and South Korea in the face of the growing threat from North Korea.

"Trump noted that he looks forward to continued trilateral coordination on the margins of the United Nations General Assembly," the White House said.

Yesterday, Trump also talked to his South Korean counterpart Moon Jae-in and discussed a coordinated response to deal with the "destabilising and escalatory behaviour" of North Korea.

WASHINGTON: US President Donald Trump and Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe today discussed the "growing threat" posed by North Korea and the two leaders reaffirmed the importance of a close cooperation. The discussion took place at a time when North Korea announced its sixth nuclear test - detonating a hydrogen bomb, with, what the state media called, "perfect success". The device was capable of being loaded onto long-range missiles. "President Donald J Trump spoke today with Prime Minister Shinzo Abe of Japan to discuss ongoing efforts to maximise pressure on North Korea," the White House said in a readout of the call, the third between the two leaders in less than a week. The readout, however, did not say whether the conversation came before or after the North's latest test. According to the White House, Trump and Abe reaffirmed the importance of close cooperation between the US, Japan, and South Korea in the face of the growing threat from North Korea. "Trump noted that he looks forward to continued trilateral coordination on the margins of the United Nations General Assembly," the White House said. Yesterday, Trump also talked to his South Korean counterpart Moon Jae-in and discussed a coordinated response to deal with the "destabilising and escalatory behaviour" of North Korea.
By PTI

MOSCOW: Russia demanded today that the US rethink its shuttering of Moscow's diplomatic premises, insisting that Washington bore sole responsibility for worsening ties after the "hostile act". "We consider what has happened as an openly hostile act and a gross violation of international law by Washington," the foreign ministry in Moscow said in a statement. "We call on the American authorities to come to their senses and immediately return the Russian diplomatic properties or all blame for the continuing degradation in our relations lies on the US." Kremlin spokesman Dmitri Peskov for his part accused Washington of "trampling on international law". Yesterday, Russia was forced to vacate its consulate in San Francisco and two diplomatic buildings in New York and Washington after the US ordered the move, the latest twist of a lengthy feud.

US federal agents inspected a Russian trade mission in Washington to confirm its closure, a step that drew a fierce diplomatic protest yesterday from Moscow. The foreign ministry said today that the "US intelligence services with the support of armed police were now in charge of the seized buildings." Washington issued the closure order Thursday in retaliation for Moscow ordering the US to slash its diplomatic mission by 755 personnel by September 1. The number of US diplomatic staff will now be capped at 455, the same number that Russia has in the United States.

The recent surge in tensions between the two nuclear- armed powers is a diplomatic setback for US President Donald Trump. During his campaign for office last year and in the early days of his presidency he promised to try to improve relations with Russian President Vladimir Putin. Last year, tensions again escalated after US intelligence accused Putin of orchestrating a hacking and influence campaign to tip the presidential vote to Trump. In the waning days of his tenure, president Barack Obama punished Russia by turfing out 35 diplomats and closing diplomatic compounds in New York and Maryland. Moscow initially held off from retaliating but when Congress passed new sanctions, the Kremlin decided to belatedly strike back and ordered the US staff cut.

MOSCOW: Russia demanded today that the US rethink its shuttering of Moscow's diplomatic premises, insisting that Washington bore sole responsibility for worsening ties after the "hostile act". "We consider what has happened as an openly hostile act and a gross violation of international law by Washington," the foreign ministry in Moscow said in a statement. "We call on the American authorities to come to their senses and immediately return the Russian diplomatic properties or all blame for the continuing degradation in our relations lies on the US." Kremlin spokesman Dmitri Peskov for his part accused Washington of "trampling on international law". Yesterday, Russia was forced to vacate its consulate in San Francisco and two diplomatic buildings in New York and Washington after the US ordered the move, the latest twist of a lengthy feud. US federal agents inspected a Russian trade mission in Washington to confirm its closure, a step that drew a fierce diplomatic protest yesterday from Moscow. The foreign ministry said today that the "US intelligence services with the support of armed police were now in charge of the seized buildings." Washington issued the closure order Thursday in retaliation for Moscow ordering the US to slash its diplomatic mission by 755 personnel by September 1. The number of US diplomatic staff will now be capped at 455, the same number that Russia has in the United States. The recent surge in tensions between the two nuclear- armed powers is a diplomatic setback for US President Donald Trump. During his campaign for office last year and in the early days of his presidency he promised to try to improve relations with Russian President Vladimir Putin. Last year, tensions again escalated after US intelligence accused Putin of orchestrating a hacking and influence campaign to tip the presidential vote to Trump. In the waning days of his tenure, president Barack Obama punished Russia by turfing out 35 diplomats and closing diplomatic compounds in New York and Maryland. Moscow initially held off from retaliating but when Congress passed new sanctions, the Kremlin decided to belatedly strike back and ordered the US staff cut.
Shikha Chawla was stranded in Mumbai during the heavy rains on August 29 when a cab driver offered to drop her home. She thanked him on Facebook and is now looking for a job for one of his relatives.

By India Today Web Desk: The recent flood-like situation in Mumbai brought forward many incidents that reinstated our belief in humanity. In one such incident, Shikha Chawal received help from a stranger while she was stranded in the Mumbai rains.

Shikha had left her office around 3 pm as heavy rains started falling in Mumbai and the streets started flooding. There was no way of going back home, trains were not working and there was a major shortage of cabs as well. It was then when a cab driver agreed to drop her home.

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"...a cab driver who already had someone sitting in the front seat, stopped, probably felt sorry for me and agreed to drop me home. On talking to him, I realized that he stayed around Bandra and was in the area to run a personal errand and the young man seated in the front seat was a relative. What started at 3 pm was a journey that continued for a good 5-6 hours!", Shikha wrote in a Facebook post.

As they moved ahead, they were slowed down by traffic lights, water logged streets, and never ending traffic. Meanwhile, Shikha was receiving calls from her friends and well-wishers. The driver assured her that she is safe in the cab and he will drop her home as promised.

"Not once did this man, flip, complain or ask me to walk my way to the destination," Shikha wrote.

As promised he dropped her till Andheri and then went all the way back to Bandra where he stayed. During the 5-6 hours that Shikha spent with the driver and one of his relative who was also traveling in the cab, she learnt that they were looking for a job for the young man.

Shikha took to social media to express gratitude to the cab driver and also appealed to people to give her leads about any job openings that might be suitable for the driver's relative.

The post received many positive responses with more than 200 shares. People who read the post gave leads regarding any job openings they knew about.

You can read the post below:

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The politics behind this mega narrative is but to ensure that all of Modi's heroes can saddle up for poll preparations, and the efficient junior ministers can carry on the work that has already been cut out for them either in independent charges or as second-in-command.

By Siddhartha Rai: Part disruption, part continuity imbued with a high premium placed on talent and core competence informed the latest Modi council rejig - one that for all practical purposes would be the last one before the next Lok Sabha polls.

The politics behind this mega narrative is but to ensure that all of Modi's heroes can saddle up for poll preparations, and the efficient junior ministers can carry on the work that has already been cut out for them either in independent charges or as second-in-command.

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While all soothsayers were sent packing when Nirmala Sitharaman was handed over the defence portfolio shortly after being elevated to the cabinet rank by the two top men - PM Narendra Modi and BJP chief Amit Shah - the large number of Ministers of State (MoS) were selected from among former bureaucrats and technocrats, apart from practicing career politicians, for a reason.

POLL GEAR

"The party is now moving into the poll gear and phase. The party wants all the top leaders, who are the best known and most effective mass movers on the ground to be plunged into the poll mode. Most of them also happen to be Cabinet ministers and they should be assisted by able and highly efficient junior ministers who can then take the jobs already cut out for them forward in their respective ministries so that governance does not suffer. Independent charges too have been doled out keeping in mind efficiency and freeing up of the most popular faces for mass politics on the ground," said a senior BJP leader who did not want to be named.

The choice of Hardeep Singh Puri and RK Singh to independently head MoUD and Power ministries respectively is an attestation of the trust put in them as able administrators as well as recognition of their talent.

With all flagship schemes of both ministries already in motion, they would be expected to keep things on track, also freeing Piyush Goyal for promotion to lead the beleaguered Railways.

While paucity of manpower to fill the ministerial gaps has been alleged by the Opposition, party leaders maintain that all but two of those appointed as ministers have been elected representatives of the party and that since they are absolutely new to the corridors of power, the Opposition is missing the point due to its "tunnel vision" of politics.

Another facet of the reshuffle has been the attestation of talent and quality of performance of existing ministers. Those elevated have had a great track record since they took charge of their ministries.

Sitharaman is credited with taking FDI inflows to a new high and easing FDI rules, thus fulfilling a pre-poll key promise made by Modi. Goyal achieved several milestones in rural electrification and claims to have turned India into a power-surplus country. Dharmedra Pradhan's ministry oversaw the success of the Ujjwala Yojana to provide poor households with LPG cylinders. Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi launched several schemes for the uplift of minorities and its endeavours have won BJP the hearts of many Muslims.

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NO BERTHS FOR ALLIANCE PARTNERS

BJP has also made it clear to its allies that it is the largest party inside the Parliament and the most popular choice of the electorate outside. While it was speculated that some berths would be given to alliance partners such as a sulking Shiv Sena and Nitish Kumar's JD(U), none were given any space in the new scheme of things.

BJP knows that it has lent crucial support to Nitish, but for which he would not be the CM and that it is no more obliged to give his party any berth in the cabinet.

The saffron party does not want to give out the slightest perception that it needs anyone to go to the 2019 polls. JD(U)'s KC Tyagi's statement to MAIL TODAY is insightful.

"This was BJP expansion and so it has taken its people into council of ministers. When it would be an NDA expansion, we too shall be included. I am not speaking in the same breath as the Shiv Sena. Also, there is no question of boycotting the swearing in ceremony as we were never called," Tyagi said.

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Cabinet reshuffle: Why Pradhan, Goyal, Sitharaman, Naqvi were promoted

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Cabinet reshuffle: Goyal, Pradhan, Sitharaman elevated; 9 new ministers sworn-in

--- ENDS ---
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Manama: Bahrain is offering islands, beaches, and desert areas as top destinations in order to tap India's growing weddings as well as events market, a top official said.



"Bahrain, a bouquet of over 30 natural and man-made islands, offers a relaxed atmosphere and warm hospitality, which is ideal for Indians scouting for overseas wedding and MICE destination in the Middle East," The Bahrain Tourism and Exhibitions Authority (BTEA) Advisor Ali Hassan Follad told PTI in Manama.



He said, Bahrain is mainly looking at those well travelled Indians, who have been to the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries and the South East Asia and are now looking at something different yet a short haul destination.



"We want to tap the Indian wedding and meetings, incentives, conferences, events (MICE) market which is thriving and is growing every year. We are targeting the well travelled people who are done with the glitz and glamour of GCC countries and the South East Asian nations, and are now looking at something unique and serene," he added. Besides, Bahrain offers a host of experiences and activities ideal for all age groups, he said.



Bahrain has very close cultural and historical ties that date back to more than 1,000 years and good connectivity that gives it an edge over long haul exotic destinations. "The connectivity between both the countries is very good with 14 daily direct flights connecting six Indian cities with Bahrain as well numerous connecting flights," he said. This, he said, makes Bahrain an ideal short haul destination for Indians as it takes only about 3 hours and 45 minutes.



Follad also said that Bahrain is infrastructure ready with convention centres and scenic locations that are capable to host small, intimate to very large weddings and MICE events.



In India, he said, Bahrain is targeting cities like Delhi and Mumbai for promotions to begin with and will slowly penetrate into other metros and tier II cities.



"Initially, we are looking at promoting Bahrain as a wedding and MICE destination in Delhi and Mumbai. However, through digital and social media, our reach will become wider as we are planning to slowly penetrate into other metro and tier II cities," he added.
New Delhi: KVIC, the nodal agency for implementing the Prime Minister's Employment Generation Programme (PMEGP), has said it has created over 3,000 additional sustainable jobs for women in the past two years.



It said these jobs were created by providing charkhas to women. They were in addition to 4.69 lakh jobs under the PMEGP in backward and unattended areas across the country.



Khadi and Village Industries Commission (KVIC) said in a release that sustainable employment has been created in Jayapur, Sewapuri and Kankariya villages of PM's constituency in Varanasi.



It said 25 new model charkha (spinning wheels) and five looms were given to Krishak Vikas Gramodyog Sansthan in Jayapur to make rural populations self-reliant.



KVIC has also established two training centres at Jayapur and Kakrahiya and provided 25 solar charkhas and five solar looms each in these villages to impart training. It said that 50 local women were given training to use these charkhas.



"Each of these trained women has also been provide a loan of Rs 80,000, under PMEGP in which 35 per cent subsidy has been provided by the KVIC to start their own venture of spinning. Working from their homes, these women are sure to earn at least Rs 200 per day," KVIC said.



A unit of "Lijjat papad" has also been established in the Sewapuri campus, in which as many as 176 local women have got direct employment and 10 indirect employment, it said.



In April, the KVIC had kicked off a new training-cum- production centre at Silimkhowa in the Kaziranga National Park area.



The commission gave 25 charkhas, five looms and other accessories to the village artisans. This unit has provided direct job opportunities to nearly 50 rural families of this area.



The Khadi Commission also said that it has revived its defunct Multi-Disciplinary Training Centre in Pampore in Jammu and Kashmir and provided 25 charkhas to make the women in the valley self-reliant.



Similarly, in a bid to generate employment, KVIC had given 45 charkhas to tribal women at Omkareshwar in Narmada Valley to start Khadi activities in Madhya Pradesh.



KVIC chairman Vinai Kumar Saxena said it is a new beginning in Narmada Valley and it would provide looms and

more charkhas to create more employment in remote areas.



"Our priorities have always been to create maximum number of jobs for the womenfolk of India. Right now, the new centre is equipped with 45 charkhas and 60 trained artisans, but we have already initiated to send 55 more charkhas there, which will incorporate more than 200 women there with proper jobs," he said.



PMEGP was implemented in 2008 by merging two schemes -- Prime Ministers Rojgar Yojana (PMRY) and Rural Employment Generation Programme (REGP) -- with KVIC as the nodal agency.
New Delhi: Seemingly not too happy with the show of PSUs like SAIL and RINL, Steel Minister Birender Singh has a policy prescription -- put to good use the huge Rs 60,000 crore investment made by them and beat private peers.



Acknowledging that things are not as bad for the steel sector as it used to be some two-three years ago, Singh strongly felt that PSUs should develop appetite for special steel as value addition remains the mantra for success. "Things are not that bad which it used to be two to three years back. I think in the last two years the private sector is improving more rapidly than the PSUs.



"PSUs ... when they have advantages like captive mines...why don't they utilise it...why not to put up washeries...why not to go for value addition...special grades of steel," Singh told PTI in an interview.



"Rs 60,000 crore has been spent on expansion and modernisation of our PSUs ...Their capacities have ramped up but the need today is to produce special steel also," he said. Despite India being the world's third largest producer of steel, it still is dependent on imports for some products and "there is dire need to develop technologies to produce electrical grade and auto grade steel in India to become self-sufficient. Instead of producing just semi-finished and basic steel products, we must produce high value added products, which also get better prices," he asserted.



Barely a few months back, Singh had minced no words in cautioning PSUs, including domestic giant SAIL, to "perform or perish", saying complacency cannot be tolerated at a time when private players are excelling on various parameters.



Chairing a meeting of chiefs of top steel PSUs, the minister had pulled up public sector firms like SAIL and RINL for lagging behind not only on international benchmarks, but also their private counterparts and being complacent in ramping up capacities.



"In production and productivity parameters, PSUs are far behind their counterparts in private sector. In terms of international benchmarks, performance of Indian steel companies is very poor," Singh had told PSU top brass and indicted SAIL for missing deadlines for modernisation.



He said one area which his ministry has prioritised for rollout of National Steel Policy is raw material security. "I have directed the ministry officials to take two actions on priority basis. These are setting up of coal washeries and optimising pellet utilisation. These will help reduce dependence on imports by maximising usage of domestic raw materials," he said.



The minister said Coal India and Bharat Coking Coal have agreed to set up 12 new coking coal washeries by 2019-20. He added that many players have shown interest in starting operations at a mine in Mozambique owned by ICVL, a JV of five PSUs including SAIL.



"We have already issued advertisement for expression of interest for Mozambique and some of the players have already approached us...Of the six-seven players, we have shortlisted two- three...We have three options there... only mining, mining plus transportation and the third is mining, transportation and putting up a thermal plant for power generation.



"Most of those who are in touch with us preferred mining only," he said, adding a final call will be taken soon. International Coal Ventures Ltd (ICVL) was formed for the acquisition of stakes in coal mines, blocks or companies overseas for securing coking and thermal coal supplies. Metallurgical or coking coal is a vital ingredient in the steel-making process.



ICVL had suspended work in Mozambique mine in December 2015 on viability grounds following a crash in coking coal prices.



Asked about any plans for PSUs acquiring stressed assets of companies in the sector recommended for insolvency, Singh said, "As far as stressed assets are concerned, only a few companies are from the steel sector... One of the PSUs made request (for acquiring) to the Finance Ministry in this regard."



The Reserve Bank has referred a number of defaulters for insolvency proceedings that include steel firms like Essar Steel, Bhushan Steel and Electrosteel.
Bhopal: An 11-year-old girl was allegedly gang-raped at gunpoint at her residence in Gwalior in front of her mother and teenage brother.



According to police, three men were arrested on Saturday in connection with the incident that took place in the wee hours of Wednesday.



"The girl was at home with her mother and brother when three men stormed into their house around 1 am on Wednesday.



While two accused threatened to shoot her mother and 14-year-old brother, the third one raped the girl," Gwalior's Bijoli Police Station in-charge Raghuvir Meena told over the phone on Sunday.



The accused, who sexually assaulted the girl, was identified as Jhanwar Singh Kushwaha (36), while two others who helped him in the crime were Raju Kushwaha (25) and Ramniwas Kushwah (24).



"The trio was arrested last night and further investigations are underway," he added.



The accused were booked under sections of IPC, including 376 D (gangrape), 450 (house-trespass in order to commit offence) 506 (criminal intimidation), 34 (acts done by several persons in furtherance of common intention) and relevant sections of the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act (POCSO).


New Delhi: Chinese President Xi Jinping on Sunday appeared to offer an olive branch to India, saying that the BRICS must uphold the value of diplomacy to resolve "hotspot issues".



Xi's statement came as leaders of the grouping, including Prime Minister Narendra Modi, arrived in Xiamen for the Summit which will starting on Monday.



Without directly referring to the recent Doklam standoff with India, Xi underlined that "peace and development" should be the underpin to resolve issues as the world does not want "conflict and confrontation", PTI reported.



"We the BRICS countries should show our responsibilities to uphold global peace and stability," he said, as quoted by PTI.



Modi and Xi are expected to meet on Tuesday, nearly a week after the two countries announced resolution of the 73-day-long Dokalam standoff.



According to officials, the two leaders are scheduled to hold a meeting on September 5 on the sidelines of the 9th Brazil-Russia-India-China-South Africa (BRICS) Summit. After the bilateral with the host, Modi will be travelling to Myanmar on a bilateral visit.



The Chinese and the Indian troops were in a standoff position for nearly 73 days since June 16 when the Indian side stopped construction of a road by China's army.



On August 28, external affairs ministry announced that New Delhi and Beijing have decided on "expeditious disengagement" of their border troops in the disputed Dokalam area.



The sense is that India wants to put behind the Dokalam bitterness and move ahead.



Xi, while inaugurating the BRICS business council, also called on BRICS countries to take a constructive part in the process of resolving geopolitical "hotspot issues" and make due contributions.



India is also expected to raise its concerns over terrorism at the BRICS Summit, with Modi asserting that the grouping has to make important contributions in upholding peace and security, and address global challenges.



Asked about China's comments that it will not be appropriate to discuss Pakistan's counter-terrorism records at the BRICS summit at Xiamen, External Affairs Ministry Spokesperson Raveesh Kumar said he cannot pre-empt what Modi will say during his interventions at the restricted and plenary sessions of the summit.



But he asserted that India's position on terrorism has been very clear and it has been raising the issue at various multilateral forums.



"We noticed that India, when it comes to Pakistan's counter-terrorism, has some concerns. I don't think this is an appropriate topic to be discussed at BRICS summit," Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Hua Chunying had said ahead of the Summit.



According to sources, India is expected to flag its concerns over terrorism.



The issue is also likely to find its place in the joint declaration with the Chinese president also saying that he was "convinced that as long as we take a holistic approach to fighting terrorism in all its forms, and address both its symptoms and root causes, terrorists will have no place to hide".



On Saturday, Modi in his departure statement had said "India attaches high importance to the role of BRICS that has begun a second decade of its partnership for progress and peace. BRICS has important contributions to make in addressing global challenges and upholding world peace and security".



The prime minister had also said he was looking forward to engaging with leaders of nine other countries, including BRICS partners, in an Emerging Markets and Developing Countries Dialogue, being hosted by Xi on September 5.



"We will also interact with the BRICS Business Council represented by captains of industry from all the five countries," he said.



Modi will hold bilateral meetings with several leaders including Russian President Vladimir Putin and President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi of Egypt, which is among the five counties - Mexico, Guinea, Thailand and Tajikistan - invited by China as the part of BRICS outreach exercise.



(With PTI inputs)
A former Home Secretary of India, RK Singh today became part of the Narendra Modi Cabinet. He was once famously involved in arresting LK Advani during his rath yatra and as Home Secretary claimed to have proof of RSS men's links to acts of bombings.

By Dev Goswami: In October 1990, then Bihar Chief Minister Lalu Prasad Yadav attempted putting the brakes on Lal Krishna Advani's infamous rath yatra, ordering a district magistrate in his state to arrest the BJP leader. That bureaucrat rose through the ranks to become India's Home Secretary and once claimed that men linked with the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh had played roles in several acts of bombings.

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That IAS officer, now retired, was Raj Kumar Singh, who today took oath as a minister of state in the Narendra Modi Cabinet's 3.0 avatar.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi recast his cabinet of ministers, inducting nine new men and reshuffling portfolios among his other ministers. RK Singh, a 64-year-old MP from Bihar, is among the nine new faces in the Modi Cabinet and has been entrusted with the independent charge of the power and new and renewable energy ministries.

Singh, a Rajput, has been with the Bharatiya Janata Party for nearly four years, having joined the party a few months before Modi won an overwhelming mandate in the 2014 Lok Sabha election.

That Modi and BJP chief Amit Shah would spring a few surprises with today's cabinet reshuffle was expected. However, the selection of RK Singh, a former Union Home Secretary, is particularly surprising considering how he rubbed the BJP the wrong way in the past, both while inside and outside the party.

His biggest claim to fame is the role he played in arresting BJP leader Lal Krishna Advani when the latter entered Bihar during his rath yatra. The same rath yatra that gathered momentum for the Ram Janmabhoomi movement and which is seen as having helped the BJP's political stock skyrocket at the national-level.

In October 1990, when LK Advani entered Bihar, enroute to Ayodhya in Uttar Pradesh, then CM Lalu Prasad Yadav tasked RK Singh, who was then the district magistrate of Bihar's Samstipur, to arrest Advani. Anecdotal accounts from the time tell of Singh, along with a police officer, landing up at a room Advani was in and telling him that they had been sent to arrest the BJP leader.

Did the Advani hold a grudge against the bureaucrat who dared arrest him? It doesn't seem so - RK Singh went on to serve as a joint secretary in the Union Home Ministry under LK Advani during the Atal Bihari Vajpayee years.

Singh continued his rise, becoming the Secretary of Home Affairs under the UPA government during the Manmohan Singh years. In fact, it was when Singh was Home Secretary that 2007 Mumbai attack terrorist Ajmal Kasab and 2001 Parliament attack convict Afzal Guru were hanged, according to a PTI profile of Singh.

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'SAFFRON TERROR'

It was also during RK Singh's tenure as Home Secretary that his ministry infamously used the term 'saffron terror' to talk about bombings allegedly carried out by saffron groups.

Singh, however, later distanced himself from the phrase, saying he had never used it. When he joined the BJP in December 2013, after his retirement, Singh said, "The term saffron terror was coined by [then] Home Minister Sushil Kumar Shinde. I never used that term."

Singh may not have used the term but he certainly hadn't shied away from linking the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh to incidents of bombings. It was during Singh's tenure when Indian investigative agencies probed a number of alleged acts of terrorism involving saffron groups, including the Samjhauta Express and Malegaon blasts.

In January 2013, shortly after the Home Ministry came under intense criticism for Shinde's 'saffron terror' remark, RK Singh said, "Yes, there is evidence [of men suspected of bombings having links to RSS]. During investigations we have found names of 10 who were associated with RSS at one point or the other." Singh went on to list names of a few men who he said were involved in bombings and linked to RSS.

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WITHIN THE BJP

After joining the BJP, Singh lauded the party for "its hardline orientation on issues of national security". "BJP and its other associates like RSS never compromise on this. Other parties tend to compromise due to their vote banks," he said in December 2013.

Once in the BJP, Singh went on to become an MP from Bihar. In 2015, Singh hit out at his party for "selling tickets" in Bihar ahead of the then upcoming Assembly elections. He accused the state's BJP leaders of giving tickets to "criminals" and ignoring popular leaders in comments that party termed Singh's "personal views."

The BJP famously lost that election. The party, however, managed to gain a foothold in the state this year, with Nitish Kumar, who vanquished the BJP in 2015, ditching Lalu Prasad Yadav and his RJD to partner with the BJP in Patna.

For RK Singh, who now holds the independent charge of power and new and renewable energy as a minister of state in the Modi Cabinet, life has come a full circle.

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ALSO READ | Cabinet reshuffle: Why Pradhan, Goyal, Sitharaman, Naqvi were promoted

ALSO READ | Cabinet reshuffle is also PM Modi's delicate balancing act of roles, polls, castes and political power

ALSO READ | Sitharaman joins the league of powerful woman defence ministers in 15 other countries

ALSO WATCH | Goyal, Pradhan, Sitharaman elevated; 9 new ministers sworn-in

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New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi seems to have a habit of making most significant political decisions just before embarking on foreign trips. Whether it be Cabinet reshuffles or huge economic reforms like introducing demonetisation and implementing GST.



The close proximity between momentous national decision and historic foreign tours may give an idea about how Modi juggles between his roles as the master political puppeteer, and Modi the international statesman.



Lets begin from November 2014. The first big Cabinet reshuffle had just happened on November 9 within six months of BJP assuming power at the Centre.



A total of 21 ministers, including four Cabinet Ministers, three ministers of state (Independent Charge) and 14 ministers of state were sworn in, taking the total of Union Cabinet from 45 to 61. Decisions were taken considering key elections like Bihar, which were due in a few months.



Just two days later Modi left on a 10-day visit to Myanmar, Australia and Fiji. He visited Myanmar to attend ASEAN-India summit and the East Asia Summit. In Australia, he attended the annual G20 Summit. He was also the first Indian Prime Minister to visit Australia since Rajiv Gandhi did in 1986. As an Indian premier to Fiji, Modi was the first to visit in 33 years.



Then in July 5, 2016, Modi reshuffled his Cabinet for the second time. It was more of an expansion than a reshuffle. The July 2016 reshuffle was done, according to Modi, to reflect the focus of the 2016 Budget, which was centered around agriculture and development of women and weaker sections.



Coming near the halfway mark, the second cabinet reshuffle was important also keeping in mind the crucial elections in Gujarat, Rajasthan and Uttar Pradesh. BJP later went on to win UP elections. East UP leaders like Anupriya Patel and Krishna Raj were inducted, and Prakash Javadekar was elevated to Cabinet rank minister in charge of HRD ministry.



And again, 48 hours after his new ministers were administered oath, Modi was off to a four-nation tour in Africa beginning from July 7. He visited Mozambique, South Africa, Tanzania and Kenya over the next five days.



Then on the eve of November 8, 2016 Modi made a surprise announcement on television. Rs 500 and Rs 1,000 currency notes were banned from midnight. These notes are just papers from tomorrow, said the prime minister, beginning one of the most audacious currency overhauls in the world. The move created a lot of chaos in informal and unorganised sectors, in agriculture and transportation sectors, caused a huge cash crunch and a six-month low in stock markets.



Hardly two days had passed and the then spokesperson for External Affairs Ministry, Vikas Swarup, tweeted An eastward sojourn begins, this time for the Annual Summit with Japan. PM @narendramodi departs for Tokyo.



Modi had left for an annual bilateral summit in Tokyo. This was his second visit to the country in as many years. During his three day visit India and Japan signed a landmark civil nuclear agreement. In statements released later Modi said he had gone to develop a Special Strategic and Global Partnership with Japan.



Six months later, on June 30 this year, Modi rolled out, in a special midnight session, the biggest tax reform in the country  Goods and Services Tax or as Modi described it in his speech Good and Simple Tax.



Scores of taxes like central excise, service tax, CVD, SAD, CST and state taxes like VAT, CST, entry tax, luxury tax were replaced with one GST, which brought over 1000 items within a single tax regime for the entire country under four tax slabs 5%, 12%, 18% and 28%.



Not four days had passed, while his ministers were admitting that there were teething problems in the implementation of GST, when Modi was hugging his Israel counterpart Benjamin Netanyahu at Ben Gurion airport in Tel Aviv. He became the first Indian Prime Minister to visit Israel, 25 years after India and Israel established diplomatic relations in 1992.



After spending three days in Israel, during which Modi and Netanyahu released several photos together, Modi left on a two day visit to Hamburg to attend the annual G 20 summit.



Finally Modi presided over the third reshuffle in his cabinet, which may be the last time he moves around ministers in key portfolios in union cabinet in this term. Although a smaller such exercise to accommodate some key allies like JD (U) and AIADMK, is expected in days to come. The main logic behind the Sundays reshuffle, apart from performance of cabinet ministers, is said to be the upcoming assembly polls in Himachal Pradesh, Gujarat, Karnataka, Rajasthan, and Maharashtra.



And as happened right after he took major national decisions, Modi is embarking on another major international trip now.



Modi will visit Xiamen in Fujian province from September 3 to 5 to attend the 9th BRICS (Brazil, Russia, India, China, South Africa) Summit. And will pay a state visit to Myanmar from September 5 to 7 on the invitation of Myanmar President U Htin Kyaw.



The trip to China is important in context of the 70 day long standoff between Indian and Chinese troops at Dokalam, which was recently resolved. And in his first ever visit to Myanmar he is expected to talk about the Rohingya migrant issue. India plans to deport some 40,000 Rohingyas from the country.


Chandigarh: Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar, who has been facing heat over his management of the Dera issue, on Sunday said the violence by the sect's supporters could have turned much worse had the government not been alert.



Khattar told reporters that the state government had taken steps after due consideration in compliance with the directions of the Punjab and Haryana High Court.



"Had the government had not been alert, the situation could have been much worse," he said in Karnal.



The Haryana government had come under attack for allowing a huge build up of Dera Sacha Sauda followers in Panchkula.



Violence broke out there after Dera chief Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh's conviction in rape cases, leaving 35 people dead. Six others died in incidents of violence in Sirsa.



Ram Rahim was later sentenced to 20 years in prison. On August 30, Khattar, had ruled out his resignation after meeting BJP chief Amit Shah in Delhi, saying his government had acted with "restraint" in handling the situation.



Khattar also told reporters today that he would contest the next election from Karnal as the people of the constituency have accorded him a lot of respect.



At the same time, he added he would accept whatever the party decides in this regard.



Khattar (63) is a first-time legislator from Karnal. He became the chief minister when BJP came to power for the first time on its own in Haryana in October 2014.



He said the Haryana government would also organise a programme on the completion of three years of its tenure.



"The programme would be organised on a grand scale between October 26 and November 1. The venue would be decided later by the committee concerned," he said.
Patna: Its his second tryst with the BJP. The first one happened in 1990, when as an IAS officer, he arrested BJP stalwart LK Advani - the then supremo of BJP  from Samastipur in Bihar. Now, 26 years down the line, he is sitting in the same BJP camp. This time as a minister. Life has come a full circle for bureaucrat-turned-politician Raj Kumar Singh.



This is his first plunge into politics, his first term as a parliamentarian, and here he is in the much prized MOS Powers chair, in an independent capacity.



A 1975-batch IAS officer from the Bihar cadre, Singh has earned laurels throughout his illustrious career, in whatever capacity he has served. The most talked about was when in 1991, then Bihar Chief Minister Lalu Yadav ordered him to air-dash to Samastipur and arrest the man on a mission, LK Advani, midway on his much talked about Somnath to Ayodhya Rath Yatra.



Advani was onboard the Rajdhani Express and was entering Bihar through Dhanbad  a part of then undivided Bihar. Later, it was decided to apprehend him at Rohtas, when the train would reach there.



Finally, after weighing all political fallouts, Lalu ordered Singh to take a chopper to Samastipur to execute the arrest order of Advani. The orders were executed flawlessly and Advani was arrested from the circuit house of Samastipur and taken to Masanjor guest house in Dumka to be kept in isolation.



As fate would have it, the man who once rubbed BJPs big man the wrong way, will now rub shoulders with him as a minister. Singh is known for his no-nonsense attitude, a man who left his footprints everywhere he served.



He is credited with turnaround of Bihars roads during Nitishs first tenure as chief minister. Singh served as the principal secretary of Department of Roads & turned Bihars potholed roads into ones that were at least motorable.



Singh later moved to Delhi on central deputation and served in the Ministry of Defence Production. There, he red-flagged the Tatra-BEML deals. As union home secretary, he was instrumental in sending 2008 Mumbai terror suspect Kasab to the gallows.



He also embarrassed the UPA regime by being vocal against Sushil Kumar Shinde and P Chidambaram over interference in Delhi police postings and the Afzal Guru controversies respectively. Known as an expert on internal security matters, he was instrumental in the crackdown on terror and naxalism under the UPA regime.



As his career as a bureaucrat came to an end, Singh joined the BJP & contested the 2014 Lok Sabha elections from Arrah, Bihar, defeating his nearest rival by over 1.35 lakhs votes. Now, three years down the line, here he is shaking hands with the President as the minister for power. Going by his track record, ministry of power will be the ministry to watch for, for action and surprises.
New Delhi: A few weeks after Jawaharlal Nehru University's vice-chancellor asked for a tank, to instill the spirit of patriotism, in the campus, Prime Minister Narendra Modi-led Union Cabinet has awarded it something far bigger. The university's alumna  Nirmala Sitharaman  has been appointed India's first full-time woman Defence Minister.



Hard to believe as it may be, the no-nonsense BJP leader secured her MA from JNU in 1980, and went on to submit a PhD on 'the India-Europe textile trade within the GATT framework'.



Born in Tamil Nadu and married in an Andhra family, Nirmala went on to join PricewaterhouseCoopers research unit in London, working on 'transferring Western audit systems to post-Cold War Eastern Europe'.



But she returned to Hyderabad with her economist husband, who also studied at JNU, in a move, as she said in a press conference some years ago, was a 'conscious decision' to have their children be born in India. Sitharaman during her time at Hyderabad opened public policy institute and a school.



She joined the BJP in 2006 after her tenure with the National Commission for Women ended. In a previous press conference she said, she joined the party not "in its days of glory and therefore being relevant in politics was the only criterion for me".



Sitharaman did not come from the Hindi speaking belt, which meant she wasn't naturally comfortable in speaking Hindi. Despite that she went on to become one of BJP's main spokespersons. She went on to become an MoS in Ministry of Commerce. And now shes become the first full time Minister of Defence.



Her appointment as the head of Defence Ministry has created another precedent. This is only the first time when two ministers, in charge of separate full-time ministries, are members of the crucial Cabinet Committee on Security.



Nirmala Sitharaman's name is said to have figured among the achievers in a spreadsheet assessment of Modi Cabinet ministers. As the MoS Commerce Ministry, she has negotiated a lot of trade agreements with various countries, provided a lot of support to Prime Minister's favourite  Start-Up scheme.



She also held several rounds of negotiations, to convince a lot of stakeholders, of the benefits of GST  another scheme that was not only close to Prime Minister Modi, but a scheme on which he had staked his political capital. She has been seen to be a quiet but efficient minister.



Sitharaman was appointed to the Commerce Ministry in May 2014 and among her main charges were to promote India's exports. Here is a look at how exports have performed under her watch. Exports dipped lower because of a difficult global economic situation.



Sitharaman is also seen to have served well the party as its spokesperson. She was among the primary spokespersons of the party, under Ravi Shankar Prasad, before being sworn in as the MoS. Also, she recently travelled to China for a BRICS meeting  a tricky assignment in the middle of a lengthy standoff at the border over Doklam.



There is perhaps another reason for the elevation of Sitharaman  Tamil Nadu elections. For some time now BJP is seen to have been promoting Sitharaman as the face of the party in Tamil Nadu. She has off-late made several trips to the state, and has held several rounds of meetings with leaders from Tamil Nadu.



She is said to have been the first leader from BJP to propose legalising Jallikattu through promulgation of a State Ordinance, a route that the state government eventually took.



The party president Amit Shah is said to be quite unhappy with the present handling of Tamil Nadu by those put in charge of the state. Sitharaman's elevation could be a part of an internal reorganisation of the party to that effect.



Born in Madurai and educated in Tiruchy, Sitharaman has been active in the state of Tamil Nadu, though not attached to any particular camp.


In a recent article in the Organiser, decolonising gender discourse , I recalled the Indic way in which nari shakti or women power has culturally been understood and respected. I made an emphatic appeal to go to back to appreciating our Vedic worldview of looking at Indian women and power so that we realise the real impact of westernised model of feminist struggles.Ideologically, the premise that women are an inferior sex never really held ground in the ancient Indic tradition. And historically, the legends of Rani Lakshmi Bai, Basantalata Hazarika, Tirot Sing Syiem, Rani Gaidinliu, Khuangchera, Rajkumari Gupta, Kittur Rani Chennamaa, Uda Devi, Janaky Athi Nahappan, Accamaa Cherian, Bhima Bai Holkar, Azizan Bai, Pritilata Waddedar, Rani Velu Nachiyar, Bhogeshwari Phuknani and Gulab Kaur among multiple others have proved the enthusiastic presence and mettle of women as frontier defence soldiers and commanders in the freedom struggle. However, it took more than seven decades in post-colonial India to have a woman at the helm of the all-important Defence Ministry.Nirmala Sitharaman joins Modi's Cabinet as the first ever non-dynast woman Defence Minister after the reshuffle. This elevation is an assertion of many opinions on part of the ruling dispensation. First, that gender will not come in the way of one's merit, irrespective of the historical precedents. Let us have a quick look at the portfolios women have held in independent India thus far.In Nehru's first cabinet, the sole woman minister Amrit Kaur handled the Health portfolio. In the second, third and fourth Nehru ministries, women were conspicuous by their absence. Similarly, Indira Gandhi  considered as the Durga of India, an epitome of women empowerment, did not allow any woman a ministerial berth in her cabinet in her entire political career. Rajiv Gandhi had one woman minister Mohsina Kidwai who held important portfolios. In Manmohan Singh's first regime, two women made it to the Cabinet. In UPA II too, two women occupied the Cabinet berth. The overall 10% representation of women in the entire ministry made Team Manmohan the most women-friendly cabinet. But in the new cabinet in 2014, women saw a 25% representation in Team Modi  the highest ever.Second, this reshuffle asserted that women will not be relegated to traditionally considered soft roles of Health, Social Welfare, Women and Child Development, Textiles and Housing alone. With Sushma Swaraj in External Affairs, Smriti Irani in HRD, Uma Bharati in Water Resources and River Development first and Drinking Water & Sanitation now, and Nirmala Sitharaman in Commerce first and defence now, the Modi government has shattered the glass ceiling of ministerial untouchability in certain portfolios. Detractors might dub it symbolism, but this symbolism was much needed in a country obsessed with women in stereotypical roles of scrubbing dishes in popular culture in a primly tied sari with a pallu over her head.Third, this is an ideological assertion of commitment towards women empowerment that resonates from a Prime Ministerial candidate in 2013 and early 2014 who for the first time called women home-makers and not derisively used the term house wives, in the hey days of his campaign. The carrying forward of that legacy in dealing with women and their role in his team as the Prime Minister is a historic opportunity that all feminists must lay claim to.I have been a huge fan of Nirmala Sitharaman. I have been fortunate to interact with her at length when she visited Assam in 2015. She visited as the inaugural speaker at the Assam Nirman Dialogue Series that we at the BJP were organising as a part of a public consensus-building exercise for the state vision document.Her graciousness to dress up in the traditional Assamese sari, her combative and tenacious spirit with which she dealt with detractors who wanted to corner her and pressurize her to accept the demands of business lobbies (she was the Commerce Minister then) and her graceful demeanour in accepting  and blushing at  profuse compliments that students offered her way, has had a huge impact on me.As a Defence Minister, one is not just required to be hot-headed. One is required to have the maturity and grace to handle situations symbolically and otherwise. One is required to be firm without being too aggressive. And of course, one is needed to be sensitive to the fragility of bilateral ties despite tough defence equations. Nirmalaji has proved herself as a graceful warrior in the recent meeting with the Chinese delegates in trying times.Here is wishing Nirmalaji all the best for her new innings and here is wishing all the women out there a renewed vigour in different battles we fight to claim our spaces.(The author is with India Foundation, views are personal)
The genesis of Gorkhaland movement is seen in the Hillmens' Association demand for a separate administrative unit for Darjeeling district in 1907. Since then the demand for a separate administrative set up for Darjeeling has been raised by many in different intervals of time. Various memorandums to the British were submitted in 1909, 1917, 1930, 1934, 1942 and 1947. However, after the independence of India the demand has been for a creation of separate state of Gorkhaland within the Union of India.



The declaration of the Indian National Congress, that the reorganisation of the provinces would take place on the basis of language, in its Nagpur session in 1920 gave a renewed impetus to the demand of the Gorkha people. This led the people to vociferously demand the inclusion of Nepali language in the schools curriculum. This was seen as many to be a domination of the Nepali speaking Gorkha people over the other two communitites, the Lepchas and Bhutias who were also instrumental in demanding the separate administrative unit for Darjeeling from the very beginning. The need to resolve the problem before it became detrimental to the unity of the people was understood by the leaders. Thus a meeting of the three communities was held and a decision to bring out a monthly magazine called 'Nebula' using the initials of these communities was taken. More importantly, it was decided that ethnically the three communities would be called Gorkha and their language would be Nepali (Samanta 2000:83). This understanding of Gorkha have been expanded today to include also those communities like the Marwaris, Biharis and Bengalis who are residents of the proposed state of Gorkhaland and support the creation of Gorkhaland.



The 1980s witnesses the Gorkhaland agitation under the leadership of Gorkha National Liberation Front (GNLF). This phase of the movement was violent and 1200 hundred lives (official figures) were lost and property worth crores of rupees was destroyed. The movement culminated in 1988 when the GNLF signed the tripartite agreement on Darjeeling Gorkha Hill Council (DGHC). With the signing of this accord the GNLF dropped the demand for Gorkhaland. GNLF led by Subhash Ghising was thrown out of power in 2007 by Gorkha Janmukti Morcha (GJM) led by Bimal Gurung. Under the leadership of Bimal Gurung, from the very beginning it was declared that the Gorkhaland movement would be peaceful one and fought on Gandhian principles of peace and non-violence. However, the state machinery retaliated brutally and many lives were lost till a tripartite agreement for the creation of Gorkhaland Terrritorial Administration (GTA) was signed. Unlike the DGHC agreement, the latter mentions that the demand for Gorkhaland will not be dropped.



In the month of June 2017 the compulsory introduction of Bengali language in the schools of West Bengal and thereby in Darjeeling too led to a new phase of movement which witnessed the killing of 11 people, youths on hunger strike unto death (which was subsequently lifted on the request of Home Minster) and a general strike which has entered the 80th day with people still resolute that the strike will only be lifted once concrete talks on the Gorkhaland movement begins. The unilateral call to lift the strike, by some leaders of GJM led to spontaneous protests across Darjeeling whereby the people voiced their displeasure. The people have clearly expressed that they are willing to undergo any hardship but the strike will be lifted only when a meaningful dialogue on the creation of Gorkhaland takes place.



This new found confidence among the people is the result of the involvement of the Gorkha diaspora from across the globe and this has perplexed many. This is the result of the shared experience and history of the people. Most of the people have experienced the 80s agitation in their younger days and are aware of the importance of Gorkhaland for their existence, identity and development. This has a pertinent connection with the issue of governance in Darjeeling. The region, the proposed state of Gorkhaland, has witnessed total failure on the part of the West Bengal government. Since 2004 the panchayats are non-existent. The root of democracy has been missing in the hills. Instead of the panchayats, the government started forming 'Development Boards' which was a ploy to divide the people on the lines of their caste. Political patronage was extended to all those who were in favour of the ruling party in West Bengal (TMC) and therefore all forms of corruption were conveniently overlooked. The avenues for people to improve their livelihood shrunk. This led to massive out migration and this has led to the support from the Gorkha diaspora.



With the movement intensifying with each passing day and support from every increasing section of the people, both Gorkha and non-Gorkha coming, some have started questioning the economic viability of Gorkhaland, if created. The proposed state is not just economically but also culturally and politically viable. The revenue from the tea, timber and tourism itself is enough for the proper functioning of the state. However, there are other sectors which will add to the economy like hydroelectric power, non-forest timber product, flora and fauna, small scale industry and the start-ups and business entrepreneurship that people have shown. Another, often overlooked point is the most important additions to the economy of the place, i.e. the remittance economy. With the Gorkhas spread across the globe this contribution to the economy is very high. This importance of the diaspora is visible when we look at the role they are playing in providing food relief to the people of Darjeeling especially by reaching out to those families and villages where people have not been able to earn their daily wages and therefore make ends meet.



It is also politically viable because it will be a small state with lot of potential to generate its own resources and as is evident from the failure of bigger states and success of smaller states in present day India. The proposed state will be and already is a cultural melting pot with people belonging to different regions of India as well as ethnicity, caste and creed living there. It will therefore encapsulate the vision of vibrant and inclusive India with the potential to excel in very arena.



(Binu Sundas was an Assistant Professor in the Department of Social Systems and Anthropology, Sikkim University and currently teaches at Miranda House, Delhi University)
PM Modi is expected to hold bilateral meetings with Chinese Pres Xi, Russian Pres Vladimir Putin & other leaders on the sidelines of summit. pic.twitter.com/cqddCwswEI  ANI (@ANI) September 3, 2017

Prime Minister Narendra Modi arrived at China's Xiamen on Sunday to attend the 9th BRICS Summit. He is set to meet Chinese President Xi Jinping on the sidelines of the three-day event.Their meeting will be keenly watched after the resolution of the Doklam border row, which pitted the armies of the two countries against each other for over two months.This will be the second bilateral meeting between the two leaders this year. The last one took place during the Shanghai Cooperation Organization Summit.They met informally at the G20 Summit in Germany in July amid the Doklam crisis.Besides, Modi is expected to meet Presidents Vladimir Putin of Russia and Michael Temer of Brazil. Also attending the event will be South African President Jacob Zuma.The Indian leader will address the BRICS leaders' dialogue with 'BRICS Business Council' meeting.He will take part in an event of the 'Emerging Markets and Developing Countries' Dialogue' on Tuesday morning.After the BRICS Summit, Modi will travel to Myanmar.
New Delhi: New defence minister Nirmala Sitharaman, who is the second woman to take charge of the ministry after former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi, says that PM Narendra Modi has sent a strong message that Indian women can perform. CNN-News18s Pallavi Ghosh caught up with her after her elevation. Excerpts:



Q. Its rare for a woman to become a full time Defence Minister. What is the sense you are getting, whats going through your mind?



A. I understand the impact of the decision and it is a huge responsibility. I just have no way to convey my gratitude to the Prime Minister and the party that they thought I am good enough for the role entrusted to me.



Q. In a way it is like breaking the glass ceiling



A. Yes. The Prime Minister has always supported women and today hes sent a strong message for Indian women that they can perform.



Q. What is the message it sends out?

A. Imagine, the Cabinet Committee on Security has two women. Decisions on security-related matters will be taken by women along with the others. This is a big message to women.



Q. A lot of women are demanding combat roles in the Army. Will you look into that?



A. Mr. Arun Jaitley has taken a lot of calls. I also want to see where this matter stands and I will talk to various stakeholders. This is a matter that I am going to look into with an open mind.



Q. What is the larger message the Prime Minister has sent out with the reshuffle? The Opposition has said its all candy floss and that he fell back on bureaucrats for want of talent.

A. I dont agree that its just all bureaucrats who have joined. Once they retired from their service, they joined the BJP and have been with the BJP for the last 7 or 8 years. Theyve been elected by people and are in the Lok Sabha and in some cases the state legislatures. Its not fair to say that for want of talent the Prime Minister has fallen back on bureaucrats.




New Delhi: Raghuram Rajan's new book is titled 'I Do What I Do', a line which he had once delivered at a press conference with the aim of not giving out any meaningful news. But it ended up making headlines nevertheless and the former RBI Governor's name forever became pre-fixed to the line.



In the video, Raghuram Rajan, now a professor of Finance at the University of Chicago's Booth School of Business, explains the sequence of events that led to him mouthing this unforgettable line.



He was asked if he was a dove like [Janet] Yellen or a Hawk like [Paul] Volker. "I was getting a little tired of these bird analogies as well as being compared with all these other people," Rajan says. "And so I started off laughingly, James Bondish: My name is Raghuram Rajan and I do what I do."



"Which is really, if you think about it, a meaningless statement. But it made the headlines the next day. What i did avoid was making the news by saying something about monetary policy, which was precisely what I didn't want to do," Rajan added.



The book is being released by Harper Collins this week and is an attempt by Rajan to give Indians a sense of what it was like to make policy at the RBI. It is a collection of speeches and articles that give a sense of his engagement with Indian economic policy. Rajan was governor from 2013-16.



The book is aimed at a broad audience and contains no economic graphs or equations. But it is also aimed at a younger audience and has not been dumbed down.



Separately, in an interview to Times of India Rajan said that demonetisation has not been an economic success. "I think all said and done, it would be fair to say the intent was good. But certainly at this point, one still cannot in anyway say it has been an economic success. But again, as I said, only time will tell".







Rajan said that the costs of demonetisation were substantial: GDP has suffered between 1 and 2 percentage points, as much as Rs 2.5 lakh crore; people standing in line; the printing cost of the new currency; the cost to the banks of withdrawing the money etc. "I think the people who mooted this must have thought that some of it would be compensated if money didn't come back into the system. The fact that 99% has been deposited certainly does suggest that aim has not been met, Rajan said.



At no point during his term as Governor was Rajan asked to make a decision on demonetisation. "I was party to the conversation, as I have already said, on the costs and benefits of the case but not on the date. Separately, we were moving to a new set of notes, not related to the demonetisation exercise necessarily, but as part of a move to a set of newly designed notes. Of course, the accelerated printing of the 2,000-rupee notes did make us better prepared for an eventual demonetisation without a specific date having been fixed," Rajan said.
It is a quietly triumphant Narendra Modi who has set foot on Chinese soil, for the first time since the Doklam standoff was resolved, as he arrived in Xiamen to attend the BRICS summit. The feeling a week after Doklam was defused seems to be that India has managed to win this round through quiet but resolute diplomacy.



Here are the five things to watch out for when Modi meets Chinese President Xi Jinping:



1. A MEETING OF EQUALS

After all, how often can India boast of having quietly tamed the dragon? Modi has met Xi on more than half a dozen occasions in the last 3 years, second only to the number of times he has met former US President Barack Obama. But this will be the first time that both will be speaking like equals, not merely on the back of rhetoric, but now the Chinese know that Modi is willing to walk that talk with strong action on the ground.



2. WILL EITHER PARTY BRING UP DOKLAM?

While this meeting in Xiamen is all about BRICS, it is unlikely that Doklam will occupy too much talk time. But since there is a standalone bilateral between both leaders, this issue cannot not be talked about. It will be interesting to see if both leaders agree to put in any new special mechanisms to deal with potential Doklams in the future. Or designate chosen officials to prepare one for the future.



3. THE ELEPHANT IN THE ROOM

Both sides will not be hard pressed to bring up the issue of Pakistan and terrorism sponsored by Islamabad against India. China has already said that they think this is not the right forum to bring up Pakistans role. But this is one issue that both sides cannot afford to ignore, especially in light of the recent freeze in ties between Islamabad and Washington.



4. TERRORISM

This has been one of Prime Minister Modis pet themes in various bilateral fora. At last years BRICS summit in Goa, the Prime Minister had alluded to Pakistan as the mothership of terror. In the end, the joint statement did not name Pakistan explicitly or denounce terror groups by name. But that could likely change this time around as the names of Lashkar, Jaish and other terror organizations are expected to feature.



5. AN EXPANDED BRICS

China, this year has invited five different countries as observers, as part of the BRICS outreach programme. These countries include Egypt, Tajikistan, Mexico, Guinea and Thailand. None of these countries have anything in common other than the fact that China wants to establish listening posts in these countries to further its own interests. India has been cool to the idea of expansion, fearing one day BRICS might be expanded to include Pakistan.
The Narendra Modi cabinet was reshuffled today - for a third time, and quite possibly the final time before the 2019 Lok Sabha polls. You can follow all the live updates right here. WATCH LIVE TV.

By India Today Web Desk: Prime Minister Narendra Modi got a new-look cabinet today. Nine ministers - Shiv Pratap Shukla, Ashwini Kumar Choubey, Virendra Kumar, Anantkumar Hegde, Raj Kumar Singh, Hardeep Singh Puri, Gajendra Singh Shekhawat, Satya Pal Singh and Alphons Kannanthanam were inducted into Cabinet 3.0. This is quite possibly the last reshuffle before the 2019 parliamentary elections.

It's likely that upcoming Assembly polls have also been taken into consideration ahead of the rejig. To understand why today's much-anticipated reshuffle is so important, read our comprehensive five-part analysis. And here's a list of bios of all the men who're expected to join the Cabinet.

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The NDA's choices show a certain blend of political considerations, and how the Modi government seemingly wants to improve its delivery mechanism. The political considerations, however, don't seem to be in play as much as they were in 2014, when Modi first came to power.

The first cabinet had a number of hard-core politicians who may not necessarily have been suited to the portfolios they were assigned. However, three years after Modi was elected on an overwhelming mandate, the government likely does not have any elbow room left. It's perform or perish - for Modi's ministers and for Modi himself.

You can follow all the live updates on this page. To watch our coverage of the event, click here.

Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi- Minister of Minority Affairs

Arun Jaitley- Minister of Finance and Minister of Corporate Affairs

Raj Kumar Singh- Minister of State (Independent Charge) of the Ministry of Power and Minister of State (Independent Charge) of the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy

Alphons Kannanthanam- Minister of State (Independent Charge) of the Ministry of Tourism and Minister of State in the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology

Hardeep Singh Puri- Minister of State (Independent Charge) of the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs

Dharmendra Pradhan- Minister of Petroleum and Natural Gas; and Minister of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship

Uma Bharti gets Drinking Water and Sanitation.

Nitin Jairam Gadkari- Minister of Road Transport and Highways, Minister of Shipping and Minister of Water Resources, River Development and Ganga Rejuvenation

Suresh Prabhu- Minister of Commerce and Industry

Smriti Zubin Irani- Minister of Textiles and Minister of Information and Broadcasting

Piyush Goyal- Minister of Railways and Minister of Coal

Nirmala Sitharaman- Minister of Defence

Grateful to PM Modi. Working together to make India a leading nation by 2022: Dharmendra Pradhan after he was promoted to cabinet rank

Delhi: Celebrations at residence of BJP MP Satya Pal Singh after he takes oath as minister.

Suresh Prabhu hints at exit, Piyush Goyal likely to be Railways Minister.

Thanks to all 13 Lacs+ rail family for their support,love,goodwill.I will always cherish these memories with me.Wishing u all a great life- Suresh Prabhu (@sureshpprabhu) September 3, 2017 I congratulate all those who have taken oath today. Their experience and wisdom will add immense value to the Council of Ministers, tweets Prime Minister Modi. I congratulate my colleagues @dpradhanbjp, @PiyushGoyal, @nsitharaman and @naqvimukhtar on joining the Union Cabinet.- Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) September 3, 2017

Swearing-in ceremony ends.

Satya Pal Singh, Alphons Kannanthanam take oath.

Gajendra Singh Shekhawat, Hardeep Singh Puri, R K Singh, Anant Kumar Hegde as MoS.

Ashwini Kumar Choubey, Dr. Virendra Kumar sworn in MoS sworn in as MoS.

Shiv Pratap Shukla sworn in as MoS.

Piyush Goyal, Nirmala Sitharaman and Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi sworn in as cabinet ministers.

Union Minister Dharmendra Pradhan takes oath.

Swearing in ceremony begins.

President Ram Nath Kovind reach Rashtrapati Bhavan for swearing-in ceremony.

PM Modi arrives for oath taking ceremony at Rashtrapati Bhavan.

PM Modi and Amit Shah at oath taking ceremony in Rashtrapati Bhawan #cabinetreshuffle pic.twitter.com/srLAy6gpg6- ANI (@ANI) September 3, 2017

Uma Bharti not to participate in swearing in ceremony. She is presently at an event in Varanasi.

Union Ministers Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi, Nirmala Sitharaman and Dharmendra Pradhan at Rashtrapati Bhavan.

Union Ministers Piyush Goyal and Narendra Singh Tomar at the oath taking ceremony in Rashtrapati Bhavan.

Union Ministers Ravi Shankar Prasad and Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi reach Rashtrapati Bhavan for the oath taking ceremony.

New ministers arrive at Rashtapati Bhavan.

KJ Alphons, BJP: Thrilled, I was not expecting this. Great surprise!

Shiv Sena unhappy. Will not attend today's oath ceremony at Rashtrapati Bhawan.

Ministers come out of prime minister's house after breakfast meet.

Amit Shah leaves PM's residence.

Congress's Manish Tewari questions Ananth Kumar Hegde's induction, cites video that allegedly shows him beating up doctors.

Hardeep Singh Puri, BJP: I am grateful to the PM for making me a part of his team

Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi and Nirmala Sitharaman also reach PM house for breakfast.

JDU leader Vashishtha Narayan Singh: Our National President had already made it clear, so no question of me or anyone from JDU joining cabinet

Nirmala Sitharaman, Piyush Goel, Dharmendra Pradhan and Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi likely to get promotion: Sources

Amit shah arrives at PM's residence.

Ashwini Chaubey before leaving for prime minister's breakfast meet: I ll abide by the responsibility PM Modi has given me with full dedication

New ministers leave for prime minister's residence.

Here's what BJP leader RK Singh has to say. I thank the PM for expressing confidence in my ability. Portfolio has not been decided yet: RK Singh,BJP #cabinetreshuffle pic.twitter.com/dEyO5T24pD- ANI (@ANI) September 3, 2017

PM Narendra Modi to meet new ministers over breakfast

New ministers to be sworn in by President Ram Nath Kovind at 10:30 am today.

Swearing-in ceremony of new ministers of the Union government will take place at 10.30 am on Sunday, September 3, at Rashtrapati Bhavan- President of India (@rashtrapatibhvn) September 2, 2017

ALSO READ

Narendra Modi cabinet reshuffle: Ex-bureaucrats, diplomat among 9 new ministers likely to be inducted

Cabinet reshuffle: Why Assembly polls also determine who stays, who goes

WATCH VIDEO

Cabinet reshuffle: Piyush Goyal, Dharmendra Pradhan, Nirmala Sitharaman elevated; 9 new ministers sworn-in

--- ENDS ---
How much beer can you take in one sitting? How can you say no to a party where drinks flow literally?Sometime in the 19th century, Godwin, a poulterer in England desperately wanted to say no to beer. He was busy in the backyard of his house with his family one morning when someone shouted beer. The poor man swiveled around and extended his hand to accept it.But it was too much beer for his feeble fingers.The beer picked him and his whole family, carried them through their house, and out of the front door where they were running a shop until fifteen minutes ago, and flung them into the opposite side of the street.Godwin had been swept off the floor many times by good beer. But this was different.He later learned that not all in his neighbourhood had survived to tell the story. A young girl was sitting on the first floor of her house with her mother when beer came. The torrent swept them off the balcony. Only the mother survived.It was the biggest tragedy ever recorded in the 7000 years of brewing history. Those who attended the party didnt ask for it. Those who couldnt, sulked that they were not invited.It was a tragedy to everyone.Twenty-four hours after the impact: Stories abounded of people collecting whatever beer that was left on the floor; some flinging themselves on the ground to lap up puddles.Ever since the tragedy, the place had become something of a holy place, a Mount Abora, for beer fans all over the world. Whenever they get cash-strapped for buying beer, they think about all that beer that flowed through the streets of England a couple of centuries ago and also about the people who drank it to their hearts content.It all began with the battle among brewers in England to build the largest beer vat in the country. Sam Whitbread, a brewer started the competition. He built a porter tun room and a vat in his brewery which was so huge that only Westminster hall was considered larger than it.Finally, the competition led to the building of the biggest vat in the Tottenham Court road near the Oxford street, London by the Meux brewery.The monster was 22 feet high, held together by 29 large iron hoops.On Monday 17th October 1814 Meuxs vat was filled to nine-tenth of its capacity. More than 511,920 litres of beer which had been ageing for the last ten months swilled inside, waiting for the day it would be siphoned off to little bottles, kegs, vessels and beer bellies.On that day, George Crick, a clerk in the brewery found that one of the 29 iron hoops fastened on the vat, had burst and blown off. He reported the matter. But the authorities dismissed it as they trusted the remaining 28 hoops to do the job, to hold the beer inside. This had happened many times before.At 6pm, Crick heard a deafening explosion. He dashed to the cellar where the vat was situated. I found myself up to my knees with beer, he later reported. Crick pulled his brother out from the wreckage. Together, they began to scoop up as much beer as they could from the floor. But they didnt realize they were in the middle of a monumental disaster, until they saw the body of one of their colleagues, floating past them.The explosion had triggered off a chain reaction; big corks flew out in all directions; vats burst one after the other; a huge wall of the brewery that was the last frontier was pulled down by the potent beer which had already got designs to surprise Godwin, his family and the neighbourhood.Next day, the Morning Chronicle reported that it was so powerful an explosion that bricks of the brewhouse shot like missiles over the tops of houses in the nearby street. The noise was apparently heard as far away as five miles!Nearly 2.6 million pints (10,00,000 Kingfisher-sized-bottles of beer!!!) flowed out in a tidal wave of beer engulfing the street outside. Most of the residents were poor, out of job, and hence were right at home when the vats burst. With little money they were dreaming about a remote chance of some good beer coming their way.It was.Those who were hit were taken to the Middlesex hospital. That set off a riot. Other patients suddenly smelled it, and accused doctors and nurses of holding out on beer they thought was served elsewhere in the hospital.Eight bodies were finally recovered after the beer flood. A ninth died later of alcohol intoxication. Poor guy, he tried to save as much beer as he could.The beer deaths were so unique those days that the relatives of the departed began to exhibit the dead bodies for tourists from afar for a fee. Finally the police intercepted and forced them to bury their exhibits. The stench of the beer lasted in the area for months.A few of them dead were reportedly teetotalers. But now drunk to death. Many alcoholics felt they were avenged.(On 15 January, 1919, another huge tank collapsed in Boston, Massachusetts. People had in mind the images of the London beer tragedy; they dived into the black, sticky liquid to save it as much as they could. 21 people died. It was plain molasses water).
New Delhi: The Cabinet reshuffle was expected to see a lot more faces from election-bound states, particularly Karnataka, where the BJP is trying to wrest power from the Congress in the Assembly elections 2018.



One addition from Karnataka  Anant Kumar Hegde  has left even the party men confused and surprised, as they had been expecting at least one MP from the Lingayat community to be added to the Ministry, keeping into account the debate over members of the community asking for a separate religion status.



Modi, however, settled for Hegde, a Brahmin leader, who has been elected to the Parliament five times from Uttara Kannada in coastal Karnataka. Sources said that by choosing Hegde, the BJP is trying to beat chief minister Siddaramaiah at his own game, after he came out in support for separate religious status for the Lingayat community. Hegde has consistently championed communal causes and the party feels they can whip up the support of the majority through him.



But this is an MP who comes with much baggage. Earlier this year, Hegde was allegedly involved in a fracas with doctors at the Totagarara Seva Samiti (TSS) Hospital in Sirsi. Hedge was caught on CCTV assaulting and manhandling the doctors, alleging negligence in treating his ailing mother. Later, the issue was settled after the hospital management and doctors reached a compromise with Hegde.



Interestingly, Hegde took oath in Hindi amid a row in Karnataka over alleged imposition of Hindi at the cost of Kannada.



There are zero FIRs against him as per the affidavit he filed ahead of the Lok Sabha polls in 2014. He doesnt hold a degree (hes passed class 12 though) and says his occupation is 'business and agriculture.' He first became MP at the young age of 27 in 1996, defeating sitting 4 times Congress MP Devaraya Naik in his first contest in electoral politics in a constituency where Muslims make up barely 12 percent of the electorate.



He has earlier been in the news for provocative speeches -- having said, in early 2016, that as long as Islam was there in this world, there will be terrorism.



"Until we eradicate Islam from the world we will not be able to eliminate terrorism from the world... Islam is a bomb placed to disrupt world peace. As long as there is Islam there will be no peace in the world," he reportedly told a press conference, brazenly asking all reporters to ensure they quote him verbatim.



The fact that Hegde carries so much baggage is perhaps less significant than the fact that even in party circles he is known as a short tempered person.



So what tipped the circumstances in his favour?



Perhaps the need to have a representative from coastal Karnataka, the communally sensitive region that has seen quite a bit of political violence, in the ministry. The BJP perhaps feels it can revive the sympathies of the majority communities as being victim of some of the violence. It is also where traditionally the BJP has won significantly, though it lost ground in the last Assembly elections.



There are nearly 30 Assembly seats where the BJP needs to do well if it has to be in a govt-forming position in Karnataka in 2018. Giving importance to a coastal MP, would give voters the necessary impetus they need.



There are three MPs from the region, but Hegde has won the most number of timesfive, as against the other two from the region  Sobha Karandlaje and Nalin Kumar Kateel. Karandlaje and Kateel are also known for their party organization skills, and perhaps better serve the needs of the party in managing pre-election campaigns and propaganda.



Besides, the party has already projected one prominent Lingayat  B S Yeddyurappa -- as its chief ministerial candidate for the 2018 elections -- so the high command perhaps did not feel the need to assuage this community any more than that. Suresh Angadi, for instance, who had been sounded out just last week and was confident of making it to the Cabinet, will remain disappointed.



So will B. Sriramulu, the party's Scheduled Tribe MP and thorn-in-the-flesh in Bellary, who was hopeful of a Cabinet berth, despite the illegal mining scam that Sriramulu and his friend Janardhan Reddy were alleged to be involved in, which ultimately cost the party its government in 2013. It remains to be seen how these two are used by the party ahead of 2018.
New Delhi: There was a time when Sushma Swaraj was not the minister of external affairs and Nirmala Sitharaman was not the defence minister.



Three years ago, Swaraj and Sitharaman, as leader of opposition and party spokesperson respectively, had a bit of a spat on Twitter, throwing into disarray the BJPs message of party unity and put forth questions whether everything was well in the party.



On February 20, 2014, when then PM Manmohan Singh addressed BJPs concerns over Seemandhra, Sitharaman had shared a tweet which took a dig at Swaraj.



Very soon, Swaraj tweeted saying with spokespersons like Sitharaman, u dont need enemies.



The tweet was soon deleted after senior members of the party intervened.



So, have Indias two powerful women buried that hatchet? Only time will tell.
New Delhi: Finance Minister Arun Jaitley, who was also in-charge of the Defence Ministry, says the ministry has gone to a competent woman, who has worked her way up to reach here. CNN-News18s Pallavi Ghosh caught up with Finance Minister Arun Jaitley after Sundays Cabinet reshuffle and the announcement of portfolios. Excerpts:



Q. Mr Jaitley, are you very, very relieved, because you had been open about the fact that you didnt want to be Defence Minister?



A. I must say that I enjoyed every minute of being the Defence Minister. I loved the job. I have had two opportunities to work in this ministry and I think the systems in the ministry are excellent, particularly dealing with the Armed forces and the bureaucracy of the ministry was excellent.



I have a sense of satisfaction that in a brief period, from strategic partnerships to implementing the pay commission, to sorting out anamolies in the pay commission report, we were able to sort a lot of issues. We were able to make headway on defence purchases and my last decision, with regard to streamlining the ordnance factories to the core areas and excluding the non-core areas, having 56,000 personnel shifted from non-essential areas, I think these were important directional changes which came about. Its a great job, but the Finance Ministry is also important.



Q. Also you're in charge of the Gujarat election...



A. It was not possible to take care of these two ministries for an indefinite period. The Prime Minister and I were both aware of this constraint. One should be holding only one job of this kind. And I am happier in the fact that I now have a very competent successor who's worked her way up in the last several years. She's proved herself in every job and she's earned that place for herself.



Q. You have two women in the Cabinet Committee on Security (CCS), that's a huge message that the government is wanting to send out, and the Prime Minister himself.



A. I can tell you that both these ladies who we have in the CCS  Ms Sushma Swaraj and Ms Sitharaman have established competence and both are recognized as ladies with substance, who have earned a frontline position. I think its a great thing not only for India, but globally, it sends out a message.



Q. Also at a time when women are insisting that they want to get into the Armed forces in a combat role.



A. That's one area where I wasn't able to do much, but Nirmala Ji will do.



Q. The opposition is already running off the reshuffle saying its a cosmetic change, and that there's a lack of talent in the government and that's why you're falling back on bureaucrats.



A. The UPA can't say this, they had a quasi-bureaucrat as the Prime Minister. And who are these people? Mr Hardeep Puri, a man with established competence in more than one field, has been a great diplomat and very competent in public affairs. He joined BJP as soon as he retired from services. He has been appearing as a spokesman for the party for so many years on TV, he has been writing articles, he was a part of our 2014 campaign.



Mr Alphons was an independent member of the Kerala Assembly. He gave up his membership of the Assembly, joined the BJP and has been working for the party for the last 7-8 years without any office being given to him. We always felt handicapped because we needed a representation from Kerala and obviously the community he belongs to had to be represented in the government. Just because we have lesser number of people from a community, you cannot have people not being represented. And I think he's been known as an honest crusader. So they are not only ordinary bureaucrats, but also people who joined the BJP years back and have been working for the party. What's the problem in giving them office?



Q. What is the message that the PM wants to send out with this reshuffle?



A. I think the message is one word: Accountability, Performance. He keeps a strict vigil on it, he makes his own analysis, as to who are the people who are going to be used and who are going to be promoted. And therefore, performance pays in this government. This is the only clear message of accountability that the PM has sent out.




New Delhi: Appointment of two Brahmin leaders, one as state president and the other as a Union minister, attempts to address the worry within BJP over its core upper caste vote base in a state which sends 80 MPs to the Lok Sabha.



The nominations come less than six months after BJP chose to hand over the reins of Uttar Pradesh to Gorakhnath Mutt Mahant, Yogi Adityanath, who has a Brahim-Rajput origin.



Interestingly, the two leaders chosen to placate the Brahmins in UP are from Poorvanchal region. Again, former Minister of State, HRD, Mahendra Pandey, who is the newly appointed Uttar Pradesh BJP chief, is being replaced by Shiv Prakash Shukla, another Brahmin leader from Gorakhpur.



Yogi Adityanath, as the head of the Gorakhnath Peeth, has his own fan following in the region, especially in East UP. Parallel to that in the battle of perception, he's also seen as a Rajput leader. The latter image of Yogi is subterranean, emanating from the traditional Brahmin-Rajput fault lines of upper castes in state politics. The last few heads of the Gorakhnath Peeth have all been Rajputs from Uttarakhand.



The other factor which could have forced BJP to take countervailing measures could be its emphasis and reliance on backward castes, especially the Most Backward Caste (MBC) votes to win UP.



Top MBC leaders were roped in by party leaders and allocated plum portfolios. Brahmins, who constitute more than 10 percent of the total votes in UP, shifted en-block to the party post-Mandal Commission phase, may have felt a little squeezed in the new scheme of things.



Most of the MBCs traditionally have been part of Bahujan Samaj Partys (BSP) social coalition built of core Dalit votes.



While the jostling within BJP has manifested itself many a times in the last few months, the murder of five Brahmins of a family at Uchahar in Rae Bareilly, recently led to a war of words between two ministers in the Yogi government  one a Brahmin and the other from an MBC community.



BJP's urgent bid to reach out to its core constituencies in UP is apparent from the fact that the current reshuffle has not tried to address the sub-regional imbalances in power sharing.



Union minister of micro, small and medium enterprises, Kalraj Mishra, also met with PM Narendra Modi and submitted his resignation on Saturday. He is a Brahmin leader from eastern UP, who has been dropped.



Now the chief minister, state party unit chief and a new minister, all are from eastern UP. Deputy CM Keshav Maurya is again from the same region, while the other deputy to Yogi, Dinesh Sharma, is from Lucknow.



Western UP has been given a berth in the Union Council with the appointment of Satyapal Singh, the Baghpat MP. However, he may only be a replacement to Sanjiv Balyan, the Jat Lok Sabha member from Muzaffarnagar, who may be asked to work for the organisation.
Patna: The Janata Dal (United), which came back in the NDA fold only last month, has said that the option of joining the Modi cabinet was on the cards but the AIADMK crisis and the reported stand taken by Shiv Sena, prevented that from happening.



A top leader of the JD (U), considered close to Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, claimed there was absolutely no differences with the BJP or within the party over joining the Union Cabinet.



"Nitish Kumar was open to considering the proposal of joining the Cabinet, but he himself said that there was no consensus within other the constituents of the NDA till last minute. Shiv Sena was perhaps demanding more share in the government and AIADMK in Tamil Nadu was also far from stable. These are the reasons why the PM and Amit Shah chose to limit the reshuffle within BJP," the JD (U) leader explained.



However, he claimed that a short expansion of the Cabinet was likely, soon after Prime Minister Narendra Modi's return from China.



Yet, the opposition did not refrain from using it as a weapon to attack the BJP. RJD chief Lalu Prasad Yadav claimed that Nitish and his team have been shown the mirror by Amit Shah.



"These people (JDU) were desperate for getting an invitation. In fact, they even announced the names of probable ministers from their party. But BJP is now playing their game and Nitish will soon realize it," Lalu said on Sunday, after the swearing ceremony got over.



Names of JD (U) MPs RCP Sinha and Ramnath Thakur propped up as probable ministers but it was clearer by Saturday evening that the party was not joining the Modi government.



"Only a few days after Amit Shah made the request, did our party join the NDA. This amply clarifies that we would join the Union Cabinet, if invited. I am expecting the expansion will happen soon, which will be only for the allies," he claimed.



Senior BJP leader and Bihar health minister Mangal Pandey added that JD (U) was NDA's natural allies and rubbished reports of differences over portfolio allocation.



"Union Cabinet is a matter of the central leadership but I can tell you for sure that there are no differences with the JD (U) over it in the state," he said.
Nirmala Sitharaman will be the new Defence Minister of India  the second woman to be in-charge of the portfolio after Indira Gandhi. By virtue of her elevation she automatically is now part of the all-powerful Cabinet Committee on Security (CCS). In the process, the first time MP leapfrogs over senior party colleagues in the Cabinet. Piyush Goyal is the new Railway Minister.

Stay tuned for LIVE updates:

Read all the Latest News , Breaking News , watch Top Videos and Live TV here.
New Delhi: Like another Minister of State who has been elevated to Cabinet rank Piyush Goyal, Pradhans political career has also risen steeply in the BJP. He is perceived to have worked well with the twin responsibilities of an MoS and a party worker.



Pradhan till now was the MoS, Petroleum and Natural Gas.



He performed well in a scheme close to Modi  Pradhan Mantri Ujjwala Yojana  through which LPG connections have been provided to 2.5 crore people. The ultimate aim of this project being to give LPG connections to 5 crore people by 2019 at Rs 1,600 per connection.



He also managed to make a success of the Give It Up - to forego subsidised cooking gas or LPG voluntarily - scheme that Modi had pitched in his 16 I-Day speech from Red Fort. the "Give it Up" plan for people.



The scheme was said to have been a contributing factor in BJP success in Uttar Pradesh.



In his other role  as a party worker  Pradhan has also performed for the party. He was made the in-charge of Uttarakhand where BJP won 56 of the 70 assembly seats.



But Pradhans elevation also comes in the backdrop of assembly elections due in Odisha, Pradhans home state. The party has increasing its clout in the state steadily over the last one year. The party doubled its seat share in the recently held panchayat election, rising from the earlier 18% to 33%. He has also worked for the party in Jharkhand, where the party is currently in power.



Pradhan comes from a political family. His father was also a BJP MP from Odisha who later went on to become a minister in AB Vajpayee government. Dharmendra Pradhan started as a student activist in ABVP, becoming its national secretary, and the national secretary of Bhartiya Janata Yuva Morcha. He was made the national secretary of the party in 2011.



Pradhan has since his appointment as MoS in 2014, maintained a low-profile and is seen to have kept various lobbies away from the oil ministry.
Patna: RJD supremo Lalu Prasad claimed that Nitish Kumar's JD(U) was not even invited to join the NDA government by Prime Minister Narendra Modi or BJP chief Amit Shah in the Cabinet reshuffle on Sunday.



Four junior ministers were on Sunday elevated to the cabinet rank and nine new faces inducted as Ministers of State, in a rejig by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.



"Some JD(U) leaders had got new Kurta Pyjama and Bundi stitched for the swearing-in ceremony, but the elusive invitation did not come," he alleged.



The JD(U) national president and Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar had on Friday admitted that his party had not been invited to join the government nor consulted by the BJP brass on the expansion issue, Prasad said.



"Why should Prime Minister Modi or BJP president Shah consult Kumar when they know about his character?" the RJD supremo said in a dig at the JD(U) chief, who had dumped the Grand Alliance in July to form a government in Bihar with the BJP.



"Modi and Shah are unlikely to bow before their new ally, the JD(U) and its chief Nitish Kumar," he said.



The RJD supremo took potshots at Kumar for withdrawing a dinner invite to BJP leaders, including the then Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi, at Patna in 2010, over an advertisement row and alleged that the latter had not forgotten it.



Modi was right in not "accepting" the invite to visit Patna for having lunch with the chief minister at his official residence recently after an aerial survey of the flood-affected areas of Bihar, the RJD leader said.



Prasad claimed, in doing so the prime minister has returned "favour" to Nitish Kumar for having cancelled the dinner invite for the visiting BJP leaders seven years ago.



On the induction of the former home secretary and the BJP MP from Arrah, R K Singh, in the Modi government, Prasad said that the former bureaucrat should have been made a Cabinet minister given his vast experience.
New Delhi: Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi, the party vice-president, was first given a ministerial portfolio back in 1998, in the Atal Behari Vajpayee government, where he was made an MoS for Ministry of Information and Broadcasting. Originally from Allahabad, Naqvi began his career from Rampur as a student activist.



It was from Rampur, where Naqvi was elected for the first time in 1998 to the Lok Sabha on a BJP ticket. He later went on to join Vajpayees Cabinet.



Naqvi is one of the most prominent Muslims faces in the party, and now after Najma Heptullas exit from the Modi cabinet, he becomes the only Muslim man with a full-fledged portfolio.



Mukhtar Naqvi has been an interface between the party and the election commission. He also serves the party as the Parliamentary Affairs Minister in Rajya Sabha, to which he was elected in 2016. Naqvi has also been serving as the party spokesperson for a long while now.



He is also member of various Parliamentary committees - on Finance, on Commerce, Joint Committee on the functioning of Wakf Boards and Committee on Information and Technology.



Two years after Vajpayees 98 government fell in just 13 days, Naqvi was made the partys general secretary in 2000. In 2002, he was elected to Rajya Sabha and in 2003 he was made member of a Parliamentary committee on finance. He has also served in Parliamentary committees on defence, commerce and external affairs ministry.



At the moment Naqvi is an MoS for minority affairs (independent charge) and Parliamentary Affairs.



As News 18 reached out to Naqvi as he came out of Prime Ministers residence, at Lok Kalyan Marg, he offered best wishes to the people of India.
It's the first ever survey done on a sample of 90,000 using the Rapid Assessment of Avoidable Blindness (RAAB)-6 methodology.

By Priyanka Sharma: In a bid to eliminate blindness from India, the Union health ministry conducted a National Blindness Survey (2015-2018) in collaboration with the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS).

But what came out in the survey is striking and alarming as nearly "62 to 65 per cent of those surveyed randomly were found to be having cataract".

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According to a senior AIIMS doctor, initial findings of the survey has revealed about 62 per cent to 65 percent cases of cataract is the leading cause of blindness in the population and percent of glaucoma and diabetic retinopathy would also be revealed.

Cataracts are considered to be the most common cause of blindness in India, and can only be treated by surgery.

RAAB METHOD

This is the first ever survey done on a sample of 90,000 using the Rapid Assessment of Avoidable Blindness (RAAB)-6 methodology.

RAAB is a scientific and rapid population-based survey of visual impairment and eye care services among people aged 50 years and above, to estimate the prevalence and causes of avoidable blindness and visual impairment in the population.

Speaking to MAIL TODAY, Dr Atul Kumar, chief and professor of opthalmology at AIIMS's RP eye centre said: "The National Blindness Survey (2015-2018) is being conducted by our dedicated team and it has been completed in 23 districts till date. This survey is scheduled to be completed in all 30 districts by June 2018."

"This survey will provide the most reliable representative current estimates of blindness and visuals impairment among aged 50 years and above population in India. The survey will also generate for the first time, the burden of DR and sight threatening DR in the population," said Dr Kumar.

Prof JS Titiyal, an ophthalmologist and a leading cataract surgeon at AIIMS, said as many as 65 lakh cataract surgeries were performed in India every year, but the number of cases was still so high.

"Nearly 65 per cent of NPCB budget is used only for cataract programmes. When we did a surgery in 1986- 89, the disease was about 80 per cent and in 2001 survey it reduced to 62 per cent."

Prof Dr Praveen Vashist, head of community ophthalmology at RP eye centre told MAIL TODAY, "As of now, in India, the evidence for the burden of visual impairment is nearly about 5.4 crore and blindness is about 50 lakhs, which is 20 per cent of the global economic burden."

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--- ENDS ---
New Delhi: Nirmala Sitaraman will be the new Defence Minister of India - the second woman to be in-charge of the portfolio after Indira Gandhi. By virtue of her elevation she automatically is now part of the all-powerful cabinet committee on security. In the process, the first time MP leapfrogs over senior party colleagues in the cabinet.



The aim to have a full time defence minister assumes importance in the wake of the opposition charge against the government of neglecting the the all-important ministry.



Broadly speaking, the Prime Minister effects cabinet reshuffles to meet two objectives- administrative spruce-up and political messaging. The former is to shed flab and inject fresh blood into the system. The latter, to reach out to social and caste groups for electoral mobilisation.



In the current shuffling of pack, being widely seen as the last rejig before the next general elections, Prime Minister would have had to do a fine balancing act in choosing the newer and dropping the laggards.



Of all the choices the Prime Minister has had to make- in this reshuffle - as also in the past, the biggest challenge for Mr Modi has been to find the right person for the defence ministry.



And for an outfit which claims to be a party with a difference, this is quite important. Its overt and vocal display of nationalism imbues seamlessly with its political rhetoric which sets BJP apart from other national parties. BJPs political documents and resolution - tend to lay a clear emphasis on national security - both internal and external.



When in opposition, the party is mandated by the people to seek answers from the government. When in power, there is a reversal of role and accountability is sought from the incumbent.



When the BJP won a massive victory in 2014, the defence ministry was first handed over to Arun Jaitley. He held the dual charge along with that of finance. Later Manohar Parrikar was drafted in from Goa. The first chance that he got, the IIT graduate decided to return to Panjim to lead a fragile coalition. The baton was again handed over to Jaitley till a replacement was found.



Prime Ministers in the past have shown great care in choosing their defence ministers. Aspirants are gauged on broadly three parameters- probity, loyalty and political experience.



Manmohan Singh had his share of problems when he was to rejig cabinet committee on security after Shivraj Patil was sent for gubernatorial assignment. Finally family loyalist A K Antony had to be brought in from Kerala to take on the mantle.



In the case of the BJP, the last thing it would want is the perception to grow that it did not take the defence portfolio seriously. Its a charge that opposition has repeatedly repeated, especially in the wake growing tension with China.



As it prepares to face the electorate again in 2019, the party would want to induce some sort of permanency to this key ministry.
New Delhi: Nirmala Sitharaman's elevation to the Defence Ministry marks the culmination of a long path that began in Tamil Nadu and shifted to Jawaharlal Nehru University along the way.



Only Indias second woman to assume the charge of the Defence Ministry, Nirmala Sitharaman was born in Madurai in Tamil Nadu. She graduated from Seethalakhsmi Ramaswami College in her hometown before heading to JNU.



She did her Masters in Economics in 1980, followed by a PhD in Indo-European textile trade within the GATT framework. Sitharaman then served at PriceWaterhouseCoopers as a senior manager and later worked with the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC).



While at JNU, she met Parakala Prabhakar, a Telugu Brahmin from Narsapur in Andhra Pradesh, who was doing his MPhil. They married in 1986 and settled in Hyderabad, where they became a political power couple.



In 2006, Sitharaman joined the BJP while Prabhakar joined Telugu film star Chiranjeevis newly floated political party, Praja Rajyam.



Parakala Prabhakar is the son of P Seshavataram, a veteran communist, who later moved to the Congress and served as a five time minister in Andhra Pradesh. His mother was a Congress MLA in the state.



Nirmala Sitharaman was enlisted as one of the spokespersons of BJP in 2010 and articulated the partys position successfully.



During the Telangana movement, Sitharaman was rooting for Telangana while her husband joined the Samaikhya Andhra (United Andhra) movement. As a member of the Praja Rajyam, he was considered to be the main, some would say the only, intellectual in the party.



Prabhakar is now the communications advisor to Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu.



When she was appointed the Commerce Ministry in 2014, Sitharaman was tasked with promoting Indias exports. She also led trade negotiations at the WTO and the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP), one of the worlds largest free trade deals that India is negotiating with ASEAN, China, Japan, Australia and New Zealand.



Although exports havent taken off in the way that was envisaged, this is not because of Sitharamans lack of effort.



The global trade environment has been depressed and Indias export decline is a reflection of that. However, her performance at trade negotiations has been lauded.
Ahmedabad: The Gujarat NCP spokesperson and members of the party's core committee were among more than 500 cadres who quit the party on Sunday to join the Congress in presence of its state election in-charge Ashok Gehlot.



According to the Congress, the NCP members from across the state, going to polls later this year, were "miffed" since two MLAs of the Sharad Pawar-led party--Jayant Patel and Kandhal Jadeja--voted for the BJP nominee in the last month's Rajya Sabha election against Congress leader Ahmed Patel.



However, the NCP's official line was that only one of its two MLAs had voted for the BJP during the RS elections. The NCP and Congress contested the 2012 assembly polls in Gujarat as coalition partners.



"Among prominent local leaders of the NCP who joined the Congress are its state spokesperson Manhar Patel, the core committee members Jeevanbhai Kabariya and Takhatsinh Solanki, Rajkot district president Lalitbhai Katodiya, Tarunbhai Gadhvi, Vijay Patel, and Rajesh Patel among others," the Congress said in a statement.



The Congress said these NCP members were angry over their party acting as the "B-team of the BJP".



"Several senior NCP leaders were today formally inducted into the Congress along with 500 party workers in presence of state Congress unit president Bharatsinh Solanki and the party's election in-charge Ashok Gehlot," it said.



Solanki said the NCP members were unhappy over the "undemocratic" activities of the ruling BJP and they were not interested in continuing with the NCP party leadership.



"The way the BJP and NCP came together during the Rajya Sabha elections is a matter of a grave concern. NCP was an important ally in the UPA government at Centre and in Gujarat, as the party contested the 2012 polls with the Congress. So it was expected from its two MLAs to support Congress' Rajya Sabha nominee Ahmed Patel, but they betrayed us," Gehlot said.



Ahmed Patel has welcomed the new inductees, saying their support will strengthen the party ahead of the assembly elections, as per the statement.
Islamabad: Former military ruler Pervez Musharraf said he would return to Pakistan to face trial in the murder case of ex-prime minister Benazir Bhutto.



A Pakistani court on Thursday pronounced Musharraf a fugitive in the murder trial but acquitted five men accused of involvement in the 2007 assassination of Bhutto, the first female prime minister of a Muslim country.



In a statement issued to the media on Sunday, Musharraf said the verdict of the Rawalpindi Anti Terrorism Court was not against him.



"I will certainly come back to Pakistan and face the trial, as and when I am medically fit," he said.



"I have been framed in the Benazir Bhutto murder case by way of political victimization, while I had nothing to do with her untimely and tragic death," he said.



"I have not been the beneficiary of prime minister Benazir Bhutto's murder and the entire case as pitched against me is materially false, fictitious, fabricated and is a result of political intrigue," the former army chief said.



The anti-terrorism court branded Musharraf as an absconder and ordered the confiscation of his property.



The verdicts are the first to be issued since Bhutto was killed in a gun and suicide bomb attack nearly a decade ago, sparking street violence and plunging Pakistan into months of political turmoil.



Former president and military ruler Musharraf is alleged to have been part of a broad conspiracy to have his political rival killed before elections. He has denied the allegation.



He was charged with murder, criminal conspiracy for murder, and facilitation for murder in 2013, in an unprecedented move against an ex-army chief, challenging beliefs the military is immune from prosecution.



But he has been in self-imposed exile in Dubai ever since a travel ban was lifted three years later.



Musharraf's government blamed the assassination on Pakistani Taliban chief Baitullah Mehsud, who denied any involvement. He was killed in a US drone attack in 2009.



In 2010, the UN report accused Musharraf's government of failing to give Bhutto adequate protection and said her death could have been prevented.
Cox's' Bazar, Bangladesh/Yangon: Myanmar urged Muslims in the troubled northwest to cooperate in the search for insurgents, whose coordinated attacks on security posts and an army crackdown have led to one of the deadliest bouts of violence to engulf the Rohingya community in decades.



The treatment of Buddhist-majority Myanmar's roughly 1.1 million Muslim Rohingya is the biggest challenge facing leader Aung San Suu Kyi, accused by Western critics of not speaking out for the minority that has long complained of persecution.



Aid agencies estimate that about 73,000 Rohingya have fled into neighbouring Bangladesh from Myanmar since violence erupted last week, Vivian Tan, regional spokeswoman for U.N. refugee agency UNHCR, told Reuters on Sunday.



Hundreds more refugees on Sunday walked through rice paddies from the Naf river separating the two countries into Bangladesh, straining scarce resources of aid groups and local communities already helping tens of thousands.



The clashes and military counter-offensive have killed nearly 400 people during the past week.



Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan said on Friday that violence against Muslims amounted to genocide.



It marks a dramatic escalation of a conflict that has simmered since October, when a smaller Rohingya attack on security posts prompted a military response dogged by allegations of rights abuses.



"Islamic villagers in northern Maungtaw have been urged over loudspeakers to cooperate when security forces search for Arakan Rohingya Salvation Army (ARSA) extremist terrorists, and not to pose a threat or brandish weapons when security forces enter their villages," a report in state-run newspaper Global New Light of Myanmar said on Sunday.



ARSA has been declared a terrorist organisation by the government. The group claimed responsibility for coordinated attacks on security posts last week.



In Maungni village in northern Rakhine, villagers this week caught two ARSA members and handed them over to the authorities, the newspaper added.



The army wrote in a Facebook post on Sunday that Rohingya insurgents had set fire to monasteries, images of Buddha as well as schools and houses in northern Rakhine.



More than 200 buildings, including houses and shops, were destroyed across several villages, the army said.



While Myanmar officials blamed the ARSA for the burning of homes, Rohingya fleeing to Bangladesh and human rights watchers say that a campaign of arson and killings by the army is aimed at trying to force out the minority group.



"TERROR AND DESTRUCTION"



On a Twitter account believed to be linked to the ARSA, the group accused the Myanmar army of "causing terror and destruction to the ethnic Rohingya population".



About a hundred protesters gathered in Myanmar's commercial capital Yangon on Sunday, calling for the authorities to step up security measures in northern Rakhine to protect ethnic Rakhine Buddhists.



"I want the government to protect the people (from insurgents) without any hesitation," said Zin Lin Aung, a university student.



More than 11,700 "ethnic residents" had been evacuated from northern Rakhine, the government has said, referring to non-Muslims.



In Bangladesh, authorities said that at least 53 bodies of Rohingya had either been found floating in the Naf river or washed up on the beach in the past week as tens of thousands continue to try to flee the violence.



A senior leader of al Qaeda's Yemeni branch has called for attacks on Myanmar authorities in support of the Rohingya.



Amid mounting anger over the violence against Rohingya in Indonesia, home to the world's biggest Muslim population, a petrol bomb was thrown at the Myanmar embassy in Jakarta on Sunday, causing a small fire.



Separately, hundreds protested in Jakarta, calling on the Indonesian government to take an active role in bringing a halt to human rights violations against the Rohingya.



Former colonial ruler Britain said on Saturday that it hoped Suu Kyi would use her "remarkable qualities" to end the violence.
North Korea has developed a hydrogen bomb which can be loaded into the countrys new intercontinental ballistic missile, the official Korean Central News Agency claimed Sunday. Questions remain over whether nuclear-armed Pyongyang has successfully miniaturised its weapons, and whether it has a working H-bomb, but KCNA said that leader Kim Jong-Un had inspected such a device at the Nuclear Weapons Institute.

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Seoul: North Korea said Sunday it had tested a hydrogen bomb which it can mount on a missile, declaring "perfect success" in its biggest-ever nuclear detonation and presenting a potent challenge to President Donald Trump.



Pyongyang has long sought the means to deliver an atomic warhead to the United States, its sworn enemy, and the test will infuriate Washington and regional powers. China, the Norths main ally, issued a swift condemnation.



A jubilant newsreader on state television hailed the "unprecedentedly large" blast,adding the device could be mounted on a missile.



It "marked a very significant occasion in attaining the final goal of completing the state nuclear force", she added.



Hydrogen bombs or H-bombs -- also known as thermonuclear devices -- are far more powerful than the relatively simple atomic weapons the North was believed to have tested so far.



Hours earlier, the North released images of leader Kim Jong-Un at the Nuclear Weapons Institute, inspecting what it said was a miniaturised H-bomb that could be fitted onto an intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM).



China, Pyongyang's main diplomatic protector, lost no time in issuing "strong condemnation" of the test, which overshadowed the opening of the BRICS summit in Shanghai by leader Xi Jinping.



Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe described the test as "absolutely unacceptable".



In Seoul, President Moon Jae-In called for new United Nations sanctions to "completely isolate North Korea" and said the South would discuss deploying "the strongest strategic assets of the US military".



That could be taken as a reference to tactical nuclear weapons, which were withdrawn by Washington in 1991. Their return would represent a significant escalation by the allies and alarm Pyongyang, which believes itself to be at risk of invasion.



US monitors measured a 6.3-magnitude tremor near the North's main testing site, which South Korean experts said was five to six times stronger than that from the 10-kiloton test carried out a year ago.



The tremor was felt in northeastern China, with people in the border city of Yanji saying they fled their homes in their underwear, and in the Russian Pacific city of Vladivostok.



Whatever the final figure for test's yield turned out to be, said Jeffrey Lewis of the armscontrolwonk website, it was "a staged thermonuclear weapon" which represents a significant advance in its weapons program.



Chinese monitors said they had detected a second tremor shortly afterwards of 4.6 magnitude that could be due to a "collapse (cave in)", suggesting the rock over the underground blast had given way.



'Super explosive power'



Pyongyang triggered a new ramping up of tensions in July, when it carried out two successful tests of an ICBM, the Hwasong-14, which apparently brought much of the US mainland within range.



It has since threatened to send a salvo of rockets towards the US territory of Guam, and last week fired a missile over Japan and into the Pacific, the first time time it has ever acknowledged doing so.



Trump has warned Pyongyang that it faces "fire and fury", and that Washington's weapons are "locked and loaded".



Analysts believe Pyongyang has been developing weapons capability to give it a stronger hand in any negotiations with the US.



"North Korea will continue with their nuclear weapons programme unless the US proposes talks," Koo Kab-Woo of Seoul's University of North Korean Studies told AFP.



He pointed to the fact that Pakistan -- whose nuclear programme is believed to have links with the North's -- conducted six nuclear tests in total, and may not have seen a need for any further blasts.



"If we look at it from Pakistan's example, the North might be in the final stages" of becoming a nuclear state, he said.



Pictures of Kim at the Nuclear Weapons Institute showed the young leader, dressed in a black suit, examining a metal casing with a shape akin to a peanut shell.



The device was a "thermonuclear weapon with super explosive power made by our own efforts and technology", KCNA cited Kim as saying, and "all components of the H-bomb were 100 percent domestically made".



Despite its power there were no readioactive leaks, KCNA said in a later report.



Actually mounting a warhead onto a missile would amount to a significant escalation on the North's part, as it would create a risk that it was preparing an attack.



Failure of sanctions



Pyongyang, which says it needs nuclear weapons to defend itself, carried out its first atomic test in 2006.



Its fifth detonation, in September last year, caused a 5.3 magnitude quake and according to Seoul had a 10-kiloton yield -- still less than the 15-kiloton US device which destroyed Hiroshima in 1945.



The North has been subjected to seven rounds of United Nations Security Council sanctions over its nuclear and ballistic missile programmes, but always insists it will continue to pursue them.



Atomic or "A-bombs" work on the principle of nuclear fission. Hydrogen bombs work on fusion and are far more powerful.



No H-bomb has ever been used in combat but they make up most of the world's nuclear arsenals.




U.S. President Donald Trump flew to Houston on Saturday to meet with victims of Hurricane Harvey and see the effects of the record-setting storm while he presses for a multi-billion-dollar aid package.Trump, facing the first natural disaster of his administration, was joined by his wife, Melania, as he passed out food and hugged, kissed and played with children at Houston's NRG Center, a 700,000-square-foot (65,000 square meter) facility that is now the city's largest emergency shelter.Trump, who is making his second trip to the stricken state this week, asked Congress late on Friday for an initial $7.85 billion for hurricane recovery efforts. The request comes as Washington faces tough budget negotiations.Trump told reporters at the center that his administration was moving fast to provide the financing for aid to the devastated region."We are signing a lot of documents to get money," he said.Trump appeared relaxed as he posed for photographs with volunteers and chatted with those relocated to the shelter alongside Texas Governor Greg Abbott. U.S. President Donald Trump and first lady Melania Trump visit with flood survivors of Hurricane Harvey at a relief center in Houston, Texas, U.S., September 2, 2017. (Photo: REUTERS)Melania, the sleeves of her blue denim shirt rolled up, hugged a woman and chatted with a child."It has been a wonderful thing," Trump said of his meetings with the children as he helped serve food to evacuees amid shouts of "Thank you, sir."Trump's visit came after a week of historic flooding in the area that killed at least 40 people, displaced more than 1 million and dumped as much as 50 inches (127 cm) of rain in some areas.The trip may have political implications for Trump, who was criticized for not meeting with victims and not showing more empathy on his first trip to Texas on Tuesday.Trump stayed clear of the disaster zone earlier this week, saying he did not want to hamper rescue efforts. Instead, he met with Cabinet members, state and local leaders and first responders in the state capital Austin and Corpus Christi, where Harvey first hit, focusing on the logistics of the government response."That was reasonable criticism," said Matt Mackowiak, chairman of the Republican Party in Travis County, Texas, who has praised the Trump administrations handling of the disaster.According to the Reuters/Ipsos tracking poll, almost 59 percent of the public disapproves of Trumps performance as president.
By PTI: By Shirish B Pradhan

Kathmandu, Sep 3 (PTI) India and Nepal today began their joint military exercise in the western part of the Himalayan country, focusing on counter-terrorism and forest fighting operations.

The exercise - Surya Kiran - was being participated by around 300 troops each side in Rupandehi district.

Senior Nepal Army officer Rajendra Karki inaugurated the exercise, according to a statement by the army.

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The 12th edition of Nepal-India joint military exercise will conclude on September 16.

According to the Indian Army officials, the Surya Kiran is the largest joint exercise in terms of troop participation.

The battalion-level joint training between the two armies will focus on counter-terror operations in mountainous terrain by facilitating interoperability.

Disaster management and joint operations for disaster relief will also be a part of the exercise. The 11th edition of the joint exercise was held in Pithoragarh in Uttarakhand.

The Nepal Army said the joint exercise will provide the two armies a platform to exchange experiences, ideas and skills.

"The joint military exercises will further strengthen friendly relations existing between the two countries for centuries and will promote mutual understanding between the two armies," it said.

Surya Kiran series of exercises are held alternately in India and Nepal. PTI SBP ABH

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Washington: North Korea on Sunday claimed a "perfect success" for its most powerful nuclear test so far, a further step in the development of weapons capable of striking anywhere in the United States. US President Donald Trump, asked if he would attack the North, said, "We'll see."



He also suggested squeezing China, the North's patron for many decades and a vital US trading partner, on the economic front, in hopes of persuading Beijing to exert leverage on its neighbor. Trump tweeted that the US is considering "stopping all trade with any country doing business with North Korea."



The latest military provocation from the isolated communist country reinforces the danger facing America, Trump said earlier in a series of tweets, adding that "talk of appeasement" is pointless.



"They only understand one thing!" Trump wrote, without elaboration, as he prepared to meet later with his national security team, which he said would include John Kelly, his chief of staff, as well as Defense Secretary Jim Mattis "and other military leaders."



Sunday's detonation by North Korea was the first nuclear test since Trump took office in January.



After attending church near the White House, Trump made his "We'll see" comment in response to a question from reporters.



The precise strength of the explosion, described by state-controlled media in North Korea as a hydrogen bomb, has yet to be determined. South Korea's weather agency said the artificial earthquake caused by the explosion was five times to six times stronger than tremors generated by the North's previous five such tests. The impact reportedly shook buildings in China and in Russia.



Secretary of State Rex Tillerson was calling counterparts in Asia, and Trump's treasury secretary, Steven Mnuchin, said he was putting together proposed new sanctions for Trump to consider that would seek to cut off trade with North Korea.



The action suggested in Trump's trade tweet would be radical: The US imports about $40 billion in goods a month from China, North Korea's main commercial partner.



It's unclear what kind of penalties might make a difference. Lassina Zerbo, head of the UN test ban treaty organization, said sanctions already imposed against North Korea aren't working.



Trump warned last month that the US military was "locked and loaded, should North Korea act unwisely" and that the US would unleash "fire and fury" on the North if it continued to threaten America. The bellicose words followed threats from North Korea to launch ballistic missiles toward the US Pacific territory of Guam, intending to create "enveloping fire" near the military hub that's home to US bombers.



The North's latest test was carried out at 12:29 p.m. local time at the Punggye-ri site where it has conducted past nuclear tests. Officials in Seoul put the magnitude at 5.7; the U.S. Geological Survey said it was a magnitude 6.3. The strongest artificial quake from previous tests was a magnitude 5.3.



"North Korea has conducted a major Nuclear Test. Their words and actions continue to be very hostile and dangerous to the United States," Trump said in the first of a series of tweets.



He branded North Korea "a rogue nation which has become a great threat and embarrassment to China, which is trying to help but with little success."



Yet Trump appeared to be more critical of South Korean President Moon Jae-in, who has attempted to reach out to the North.



"South Korea is finding, as I have told them, that their talk of appeasement with North Korea will not work, they only understand one thing!" Trump said.



China's official Xinhua News Agency said President Xi Jinping and Russian leader Vladimir Putin, meeting on the sidelines of a Beijing-led economic summit, agreed "to adhere to the goal of the denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula, have close communication and coordination and properly respond" to the test.



North Korea's state-run television broadcast a special bulletin to announce the test and said leader Kim Jong Un attended a meeting of the ruling party's presidium and signed the go-ahead order. Earlier, the party's newspaper ran a front-page story showing photos of Kim examining what it said was a nuclear warhead being fitted onto the nose of an intercontinental ballistic missile.



Sunday's detonation builds on recent North Korean advances that include test launches in July of two ICBMs that are believed to be capable of reaching the mainland U.S. The North says its missile development is part of a defensive effort to build a viable nuclear deterrent that can target U.S. cities.



The North claimed the device it tested was a thermonuclear weapon  commonly called a hydrogen bomb. That could be hard to independently confirm. It said the underground test site did not leak radioactive materials, which would make such a determination even harder.



At the same time, the simple power of the blast was convincing. Japan's Defense Minister Itsunori Onodera said it might have been as powerful as 70 kilotons. North Korea's previous largest was thought to be anywhere from 10 to 30 kilotons.



"We cannot deny it was an H-bomb test," Onodera said.



North Korea conducted two nuclear tests last year and has been launching missiles at a record pace this year. It fired a potentially nuclear-capable midrange missile over northern Japan last week in response to ongoing US-South Korea military exercises.



It said that launch was the "curtain raiser" for more activity to come.



Just before Sunday's test, according to state media, Kim and the other senior leaders at the party presidium meeting discussed "detailed ways and measures for containing the U.S. and other hostile forces' vicious moves for sanctions."



The photos released earlier showed Kim talking with his lieutenants as he observed a silver, peanut-shaped device that the state-run media said was designed to be mounted on the North's "Hwasong-14" ICBM.



The North claims the device was made domestically and has explosive power that can range from tens to hundreds of kilotons. For context, the bomb dropped on Hiroshima by the U.S. had a 15-kiloton yield.



North Korea's recent activity has been especially bold.



The North followed its two ICBM tests by announcing a plan to fire intermediate range missiles toward Guam. Kim signed off on the plan, but is watching the moves by the US before deciding when or whether to carry it out.



Guam is a sore point for the North because it is home to a squadron of B-1B bombers that the North fears could be used to attack their country. The U.S. on Thursday had sent the bombers and F-35 stealth fighters to the sky over South Korea in a show of force  and North Korea strongly protested.



The two Koreas have shared the world's most heavily fortified border since their war in the early 1950s ended with an armistice, not a peace treaty. About 28,500 American troops are deployed in South Korea as deterrence against North Korea.
After the Appomattox County Board of Supervisors passed its fiscal year 2018 budget that included about $9,000 less than the localitys electoral board requested, Electoral Board Secretary Mary Turner pushed back.

Appearing before the supervisors herself to discuss the issue in May, June and again in August alongside the full electoral board, Turner questioned why the board did not fully fund the departments request for $67,422 and instead only granted $58,105 to put on the anticipated two elections in the upcoming fiscal year.

In response, the supervisors pointed to the increase in election costs over the previous few years and requested the electoral board control its spending.

We have to control the costs where we can, Piney Mountain Supervisor Sara Carter told Turner at the boards August work session with the electoral board. I understand its a tough thing, and theres no criticism against yall, but I feel like we have to pull back and keep these costs under control.

Amid this funding discussion in Appomattox, localities statewide have faced increased election costs following the Virginia State Board of Elections mandated changeover from touch-screen voting machines to systems that use paper ballots due to cyber-security concerns in 2015.

Since swapping to the new paper ballot system, Turner said Appomattox has seen an increase in costs, including coding for the machines, costs per side of the ballot sheet, and costs per referendum issue, as well as other new financial challenges like larger machines that require extra staff members and a cost per candidate.

Switching to paper ballots has affected the bottom lines of localities across Central Virginia. In fiscal year 2013, Campbell County budgeted $190,859 to put on two elections. By fiscal year 2017, the county budgeted $239,259 to hold the same number of elections just a few years later. According to Campbells Director of Management Services Tyler Carraway, the costs came in the form of the paper ballots as well as the need to retrain election officials on the new system.

There were new supplies because it went to a paper system versus an electronic system, Carraway said. With any new system, we also had an increase in training costs and required travel to go through that needed training.

Bedford County and Lynchburg also saw increases, with Bedford seeing a spike in costs from $74,422 in fiscal year 2015 to hold two elections to $179,907 set aside to hold two elections in fiscal year 2018.

For fiscal year 2018, Lynchburg has budgeted $296,217 for upcoming elections, which is an increase from fiscal year 2014, when the city budgeted $220,102 for two elections. Despite the rise in costs, Lynchburgs Registrar Karen Patterson said she has received a lot of support from the city.

I have to put in the costs for each election, and the citys been supportive of the increases, Patterson told The News & Advance. I try on my own to be very frugal with our budget, and I try to project correctly, as close as possible, for the cost of each election.

On the other hand, in Amherst County, cost impacts have been relatively minimal, according to Amhersts Electoral Board Secretary Wanda Spradley. The county purchased new voting machines in 2016 and only has seen an increase in estimated costs from $83,045 in fiscal year 2017 up to $85,000 in fiscal year 2018.

Although budgeted costs appear unchanging most years, Spradley said the Amherst County Electoral Board has had to request more resources from the board of supervisors, especially in years with extra elections.

When weve had to go back and ask for more money, its been $10,000, $11,000 or even $12,000 more than budgeted, Spradley said.

Overall, she said they are weathering the change well despite the change to paper ballots.

Well see what this November election does to us, but I think were handling the changes pretty well, she said.

Every year, the Appomattox County Electoral Board budgets for two elections, but in years like fiscal years 2014 and 2015, where there was only one election, they ended up spending far less than was budgeted, Turner said.

Now that the county has switched over to the new machines and had several years in a row with more than one election, the costs appear out of control by comparison, she said.

It looks like all of a sudden, we doubled everybodys pays, because the amount that was spent [on election officers salaries] in 2014 was $12,000 and then in 2016 it was $24,000, Turner said in an interview this week. The difference was there was only one election in 2014.

For fiscal year 2017, the electoral board initially requested $65,074 in order to cover costs for two elections but was only initially granted $59,002.

Once the special election was calledto fill the Virginia State Senate 22 District seat that was vacated after Republican Tom Garrett won Virginias 5th Congressional District seat, costs spiked.

In order to pay for all three elections, Turner said they had to return to the county and receive about $15,000 extra toward costs.

According to Virginias Commissioner of Elections Edgardo Cortes, localities around the nation are struggling with mounting costs and the complexity of election requirements without financial assistance from their state or federal governments.

Elections are really a responsibility, and were at the point where nobody wants to pay for it, even though its super important, Cortes said in a phone interview. Its a struggle were having at the local, state and national level. As any local governing body is looking at it, they should take into account that our local election officials are doing a phenomenal job being able to put on very complex elections with limited resources.

Although the budget cuts in general were concerning to the Appomattox County Electoral Board, the biggest issue Turner fought for was the reinstatement of $3,200 back into the budget to cover the expenses of hiring movers to transport the boxes of paper ballots and the heavier machines.

Prior to the switch to new voting machines in 2015, Turner said the equipment was able to be transported by the elections officers. In her appearance before the board in June, Turner presented the board with photographs of the larger machines.

Were talking about our officers of elections prior to 2015 having cases that they could carry out the voting equipment in, Turner said. They didnt have to carry out ballots. Were talking in some cases 2,000 ballots that have to go out.

In response, County Administrator Susan Adams and other board members questioned why county employees could not physically move the equipment and transport it themselves in a trailer owned by the Appomattox County Sheriffs Department instead of hiring movers.

For me, the reason this all came up to begin with is the question was asked, why are we paying someone else to do something we already have employees to do? Appomattox River Supervisor William Hogan said at the August work session. Thats why the line item was pared down. I still havent heard a real good argument for why county employees cant move the equipment.

According to Adams, she conducted a survey of neighboring localities and found other comparable localities in size, such as Buckingham County, move their voting machines with county employees in a county-owned trailer.

I think if you look at the survey, I think we could probably mirror what the other localities are doing, Adams said at the August work session.

The city of Lynchburg and the counties of Bedford, Amherst and Campbell all move their voting equipment with county employees.

In response, Turner explained it would take multiple trips to move the equipment in the small trailer, and she was concerned the county would not be able to have the two employees necessary to move the equipment in a timely manner because other concerns could come up and pull employees away to other tasks.

I dont think this $3,200 dollars [for movers] that were talking about is worth the fight, she told the board. We are not spendthrifts. We are frugal individuals. I dont know what else we can say to convince you that. Yes, expenses have gone up, and its not because we are throwing money out the window.
For decades, young people have taken to the streets in cities across Sierra Leone to jog and exercise sociallysome groups in silent focus, others singing and clapping along the way. But the cultural pastime is now banned, with authorities citing "with dismay" that these groups are joined by "unruly individuals" and that the joggers betray a "hint of menace" as they obstruct traffic, pound on vehicles, play loud music, and "rain insults." But as activists tell the New York Times, the ban is widely seen as an assault on free expression in the months leading up to next year's elections. "The right to peaceful protests has been under attack since this government came to power," one activist says. "We have to defend our right to freedom of assembly. This is unacceptable."

How could packs of joggers influence an election? A decade ago, the now ruling party All People's Congress led an opposition movement and was accused of giving young people cash and alcohol to sing hate songs and shout anti-government chants while running through the streets. Their leader Ernest Bai Koroma won, but can't run again due to term limits, and some think his party is trying to avoid the other side using the same tactics it used: Two of the current opposition candidates regularly jog in Freetown with supporters singing and chanting in tow. Even the armed forces have been hit by the ban, and any group wanting to jog in the streets needs to apply for permission first so police "know who to hold responsible in case of a public disorder." (Hundreds have died in recent floods in Sierra Leone.)
Attention, Americans: Notre Dame needs your help. A $120 million fundraising drive is underway to save the Gothic cathedral's famous facade and sneering gargoyles. The target audience: the 14 million visitors who flock to the 850-year-old landmark each year, a huge chunk of them from the US. "The cathedral is a big part of Paris' history but also a big part of American history in the city," Michel Picard, the head of the Friends of Notre Dame foundation, told the Local in June. The foundation, created last year by the archbishop of Paris, gained tax-exempt status in the US in May, and the charity is planning a fundraising trip next spring to several US cities, including Boston, Chicago, and LA.

The French government contributes about $2.4 million annually for the upkeep of the double-towered edifice, an amount that can't fund the major restoration needed. A "stone cemetery" of toppled masonry is a testament to the "serious risk" the cathedral is facing if repairs don't happen soon to the worn and degraded exterior, Picard tells Reuters. Otherwise, "well risk seeing parts of the exterior structure begin to fall," he says. Time looks at two reasons for the deterioration: Traffic-related "pollution is the biggest culprit," per the architect in chief of historic monuments in France. The other is a bit counter-intuitive: Victor Hugo's The Hunchback of Notre Dame drew attention to the building's then-deteriorating condition and spurred an 1844 restorationbut low-quality materials were used that haven't withstood the test of time. You can donate here. (Read more Paris stories.)
By PTI: By Shirish B Pradhan

Kathmandu, Sep 3 (PTI) Nepal and India need to "update" their ties to reflect the people-to-people relations at the government level, Deputy Prime Minister Krishna Bahadur Mahara said today.

Mahara, who is also holds the foreign affairs portfolio, said that the "age-old ties" at the government level might be "fluctuated" but the people-to-people ties cannot swing.

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Speaking at an event here, he called for strengthening the bilateral ties.

He drew attention towards the changing perspective in the bilateral ties since the end of monarchy in Nepal in 2008. "Therefore, we need to update bilateral perspectives," he said.

Mahara praised the Indian government for providing support to Nepal in various sectors including health, education, agriculture and infrastructure developmental. PTI SBP ABH

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Houston is underwater, but Los Angeles is on fire as the largest wildfire in its history burned at least 5,000 acres and forced hundreds of people to evacuate amid scorching temperatures and unpredictable winds of up to 50mph. "The La Tuna Canyon Fire is an emergency that requires all available resources to protect our residents and keep our homes and other structures out of harm's way," LA Mayor Eric Garcetti said Saturday, per CNN. The fire, which broke out Friday near Burbank, is about 10% contained, notes the Washington Post. At least 100 firefighters who had been sent to help Houston in the Harvey aftermath were being recalled home. (Read more Los Angeles stories.)
North Korea detonated a thermonuclear device Sunday in its sixth and most powerful nuclear test to date, which it called a "perfect success" as its neighbors condemned it. Though the strength of the blast is undetermined, the artificial earthquake it caused was several times stronger than tremors generated by previous tests. It reportedly shook buildings in China and Russia. The test was carried out at 12:29pm local time at the Punggye-ri site where North Korea has conducted nearly all of its nuclear tests. Seoul put the magnitude at 5.7, while the USGS said it was 6.3. North Korea's state-run television reported Sunday that Kim Jong Un attended a meeting of the ruling party's presidium and signed the go-ahead order. Earlier in the day, the party's newspaper printed photos of Kim examining what it said was a nuclear warhead being fitted onto the nose of an ICBM.

North Korea in July test-launched two ICBMs believed to be capable of reaching the mainland US, reports the AP; this is the North's first nuclear test since President Trump assumed office. The North claimed the device was a thermonuclear weaponcommonly called an H-bomb. That could be hard to independently confirm. It said the underground test site did not leak radioactive materials, which would make such a determination even harder. The North claims the device was made domestically and has explosive power that can range from tens to hundreds of kilotons. Outside experts suggested the yield might be in that ballpark, though closer to the lower range. The bomb dropped on Hiroshima had a 15-kiloton yield. Kim, according to the state-run KCNA, claimed all components of the device were domestically produced, which he said means the North can make "as many as it wants." (Read more North Korea stories.)
President Trump has reacted to what he's calling "a major Nuclear Test" by North Koreabranding the North "a rogue nation" whose "words and actions continue to be very hostile and dangerous" to the United States. North Korea says it has conducted its sixth and most powerful nuclear test to dateand claims it was a "perfect success," reports the AP. Trump tweets that North Korea "has become a great threat and embarrassment to China, which is trying to help but with little success." He adds: "South Korea is finding, as I have told them, that their talk of appeasement with North Korea will not work, they only understand one thing!" In other global reaction:

French President Emmanuel Macron "calls on the members of the United Nations Security Council to quickly react to this new violation by North Korea of international law." He says the international community "must treat this new provocation with the utmost firmness" to bring North Korea back to the path of dialogue and give up its nuclear and missile programs.

The Russian Foreign Ministry is calling for all parties to refrain from escalating tension, and reaffirms it will participate in negotiations, "including in the context of the implementation of the Russian-Chinese road map." Under that, North Korea would suspend nuclear and missile tests in exchange for the US and South Korea suspending joint military exercises.

China's foreign ministry said Sunday that the Chinese government has "expressed firm opposition and strong condemnation" of Sunday's detonation and urged North Korea to "stop taking erroneous actions that deteriorate the situation."

South Korea says President Moon Jae-in will seek every available diplomatic measure, including new sanctions from the UN Security Council. Moon will also discuss with Washington ways to deploy the "strongest strategic assets" the US has to completely isolate Pyongyang.

(Read more North Korea stories.)
The Russian government has called out the United States for committing what it calls a "blatantly hostile act" by closing three Russian diplomatic posts. On Saturday the U.S. took control of the facilities following an order from the Trump administration, Reuters reports. The order to close down the Russian consulate in San Francisco and two trade offices in Washington, D.C., and New York came in response to an order from Moscow last month dramatically reducing the number of American diplomatic personnel in Russia, an order that itself came in retaliation for new sanctions signed into law by Trump last month. On its Web site the Russian foreign ministry calls the closure of the posts a "grave violation by Washington of international law."

The two countries are also bickering over how the transfers of the buildings took place, with the Kremlin accusing American officials of threatening to "break down the entrance door" of one of the trade offices and forcefully conducting a search, the Washington Post reports. State Department officials are denying those reports, saying American officials were joined on their walkthroughs of the buildings by embassy personnel. But Moscow is calling the search an "unprecedented aggressive action," and Russia's foreign ministry says it has lodged a formal protest with the U.S. deputy chief of mission in Moscow. (Read more Russia stories.)
The biggest evacuation in Germany since the end of World War II has gone off with barely a hitch. On Sunday about 65,000 residents living in a one-mile area of Frankfurt had to evacuate their homes while authorities defused an unexploded bomb, the BBC reports. The WWII-era British HC 4000 bomb was discovered Tuesday at a building site, and authorities said that an uncontrolled explosion could flatten a city street. Police made sure the area was clear by using heat-sensing technology, and noted a couple of stragglers may face criminal charges.

There are believed to be hundreds of thousands of unexploded WWII-era bombs in Germany. Officials believe about 15% of the bombs dropped on Germany during the war failed to explode, and many ended up buried deep in the ground. About 2,000 tons of unexploded ordinance are found each year. Before Sunday, the largest post-war evacuation in Germany took place last Christmas in Augsburg, when 54,000 residents were forced to leave their homes while a disposal squad defused a huge 1.8-ton aerial bomb. On Sunday afternoon, Reuters reported that the Frankfurt bomb had been successfully defused. (Read more Frankfurt stories.)
North Korea on Sunday carried out its most powerful nuclear test yet, an underground explosion that caused tremors that could be felt in China and South Korea. Pyongyang is claiming it tested a hydrogen bomb that can be mounted on an intercontinental ballistic missile capable of reaching the American mainland, and experts say the bomb has destructive capacity far beyond the one that destroyed Hiroshima. President Trump around noon on Sunday tweeted, "I will be meeting General Kelly, General Mattis and other military leaders at the White House to discuss North Korea." He added that "the United States is considering, in addition to other options, stopping all trade with any country doing business with North Korea." More on the situation:

NBC News also has video of Trump remarking, "We'll see," after a reporter asks if he will attack North Korea.

The Washington Post has published a history of nuclear tests and points out that North Korea is the only country to have performed one (or six) in the 21st century. It also explains the estimated yield (meaning how much energy is released in an explosion) was 100 kilotons, versus the yields of the atomic bombs dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki, which were 15 and 21 kilotons, respectively.

Per the BBC, the "largest man-made explosion ever on Earth" was the Soviet Union's Tsar Bomba in 1961, at "the height of the nuclear arms race."

Deutsche Welle explains the differences between the hydrogen bomb Pyongyang claims it tested and the weaker atomic bomb: It really comes down to the "detonation process."

Trump responded to news of the test by criticizing South Korea on Twitter, writing "their talk of appeasement with North Korea will not work, they only understand one thing!" The New York Times calls it a "notably harsh line" ... amid an escalating dispute over trade that threatens to weaken a central partnership in the region." More on Trump's debate over whether to withdraw from a major trade deal with the South here.

The Hill notes the perspective of a State Department official under Bush: "This is no time to lecture South Korea or suspend free trade agreement. Best way to deter North Korea is to stand firmly with Seoul+Tokyo."

Texas Sen. Ted Cruz appeared on ABC News' The Week Sunday morning and was asked what he thought of Trump's handling of the situation. "The president speaks in ways that I wouldn't speak, but that is his prerogative. I do think it helps for North Korea and for China to understand that we have a president who is strong. I think the president is right that Kim Jong Un and other bullies only understand and respect strength, that weakness, that appeasement, encourages this action."

(Read more North Korea stories.)
Defense Secretary Jim Mattis on Sunday shot back at North Korea's latest nuclear provocation with a blunt threat, saying the US will answer any North Korean threat with a "massive military response  a response both effective and overwhelming." While he said America does not seek the "total annihilation" of the North, he added somberly, "We have many options to do so." In a brief statement to reporters outside the White House, Mattis said the international community is unified in demanding the denuclearization of the Korean peninsula and said leader Kim Jong Un should know that Washington's commitment to Japan and South Korea is unshakeable, the AP reports. Earlier, President Donald Trump raised the stakes in the escalating crisis over North Korea's nuclear threats, suggesting drastic economic measures against China and criticizing ally South Korea.

Mattis said, "Any threat to the United States or its territories, including Guam, or our allies will be met with a massive military response -- a response both effective and overwhelming." Those words alone were within the usual bounds of US commentary on answering North Korean aggression. But he seemed to take it a step further with the reference to "total annihilation." Mattis, who did not take questions from reporters, said he had attended a "small group" national security meeting with Trump and others. He said the president wanted to be briefed on each of what Mattis called "many military options" for action against North Korea. "We made clear that we have the ability to defend ourselves and our allies, South Korea, and Japan, from any attacks, and our commitments among the allies are ironclad," he said. (Read more North Korea stories.)
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Nirmala Sitharaman was today appointed the new Defence Ministry in the Narendra Modi Cabinet. She will take over from Arun Jaitley only after two days.

By India Today Web Desk: Nirmala Sitharaman, today elevated to Defence Minister in the Narendra Modi Cabinet 3.0, called her appointment proof that the Bharatiya Janata Party is deeply interested in women empowerment. She, however, will have to wait two days before assuming charge of her ministry.

The Defence Ministry has a previously scheduled visit to Japan for its minister that Arun Jaitley will go on before relinquishing the post and taking full-time charge of India's finances.

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Sitharaman, who was previously the minister of commerce, spoke to India Today soon after she was named raksha mantri and said that it would be challenge to fill the Arun Jaitley's shoes. Jaitley, who held the additional charge of defence, leaves South Block to focus on the Finance Ministry.

Notably, Sitharaman will take charge as Defence Ministry only on Tuesday or Wednesday; speaking to the media earlier in the day, Arun Jaitley said that he will represent India as its Defence Minister during a previously scheduled visit to Japan. "I leave tonight for Japan, and normally the new Defence Minister should have been going. But logistically that doesn't seem possible today being a Sunday to make the changes," said Jaitley, who will hold a bilateral dialogue with his Japanese counterpart, ahead of a visit of Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe to India later this month.

"It is a very important security dialogue between the two countries ahead of the Japanese Prime Minister's visit and therefore changes are not advisable. I will continue for next two days to complete the dialogue, and Ms. Sitharaman will take the charge of the ministry as soon as the dialogue ends," he said.

Jaitley also hailed his successor Sitharaman calling her a very "competent" person for the portfolio, and said her appointment sent a positive message globally.

"I am happy with the fact that I now have a very competent successor who has worked her way up and proved herself. She has actually earned that place for herself," he said referring to Sitharaman, who has in past worked with him as Minister of State for Finance and Corporate Affairs.

Sitharaman's appointment comes at a time when India had gone without a full-time Defence Minister for around five months - Jaitley was given the additional charge after Manohar Parrikar left for Goa to head the BJP-led government in Panaji. She becomes India's first full-time female Defence Minister and the only woman to hold the portfolio after former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi.

"It would take days or even weeks to settle in," Sitharaman said, speaking to India Today TV. "I only got to know [about my appointment as Defence Minister] a few hours ago... I've had a briefing from Jaitley," she added.

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When asked whether her appointment could be seen in the context of Prime Minister Modi's oft-repeated theme of women empowerment, Sitharaman said, "PM Modi has always shown that he picks up on every opportunity to empower women... this [my appointment] could be one of them."

With Sitharaman in the South Block, India will also get two women in the Cabinet Committee on Security - the other one being External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj.

(With inputs from IANS)

ALSO READ | Cabinet reshuffle: Why Pradhan, Goyal, Sitharaman, Naqvi were promoted

ALSO READ | 3,4,5,6 of Cabinet reshuffle: How Narendra Modi built his new team

ALSO WATCH | Sitharaman appointed defence minister, second woman to hold portfolio after Indira Gandhi

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Fairbanks, AK (99707)

Today

Cloudy with snow. Low near 20F. Winds NW at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of snow 80%. Snow accumulating 1 to 3 inches..

Tonight

Cloudy with snow. Low near 20F. Winds NW at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of snow 80%. Snow accumulating 1 to 3 inches.
As Defence Minister, Nirmala Sitharaman today joins the club of woman defence ministers in as many as 15 countries, including France, Italy, Germany and Australia among others.

Nirmala Sitharaman is the second woman defence minister after Indira Gandhi. Photo: PTI.

By India Today Web Desk: In a move that surprised many, Nirmala Sitharaman was today appointed the Defence Minister in the Narendra Modi government.

With this, Nirmala Sitharaman has shattered a glass ceiling and taken charge of a ministry that has predominantly been helmed by male ministers. Indira Gandhi is the only exception to it and held the defence portfolio while she was the Prime Minister.

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Nirmala Sitharaman, however, is the first full-time Defence Minister in the country. As early as 1960, Sri Lanka had its first woman defence minister in Sirimavo Bandaranaike who was also the world's first woman prime minister.

As Defence Minister, Nirmala Sitharaman today joins the club of woman defence ministers in as many as 15 countries, including France, Italy, Germany and Australia among others.

Take a look at woman defence ministers across the globe:

FRANCE: Following the recent presidential elections in France, the government of Emmanuel Macron appointed Florence Parly as the Minister of Armed Forces (French equivalent of defence minister). Her predecessor Sylvie Goulard had resigned following allegations of her party misusing European parliament funds.

MACEDONIA: Radmila Shekerinska was elected the Minister of Defence of the Republic of Macedonia in June this year. Shelerinska was the deputy prime minister of Republic of Macedonia between 2002 and 2006.

SPAIN: Maria Dolores Cospedel took charge as the defence minister of Spain in November 2016. She is also the secretary-general of the ruling People's Party. Spain's first woman defence minister Carme Chacon died in April this year.

AUSTRALIA: Marise Payne was appointed the defence minister by the Malcolm Turnbull-led government in 2015. Prior to this, Payne was human resource minister in the Turnbull and Tony Abbott government in Australia.

SLOVENIA: Andreja Katic is responsible for the European country's security issues. Last year, Katic had said that Slovenia will offer military support to Kurdish forces in Erbil, Israel, to fight ISIS.

ITALY: Roberta Pinotti is the defence minister of Italy since February 2014. Initially a member of the Communist Party, she later joined the Democratic Party. A few years ago, she courted controversy over using slogans written in English for ads meant for a navy recruitment drive.

GERMANY: Ursula von der Leyen is the first woman defence minister of Germany. Appointed in 2013 by the Angela Merkel government, she is seen by many as the successor to Merkel. She came under heavy criticism when she alleged weak leadership in armed forces.

BANGLADESH: Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina is also Bangladesh's defence minister. In a political career that spans nearly four decades, Sheikh Hasina is considered the country's most powerful political leader.

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In addition to these countries, South Africa, Netherlands, Nicaragua, Kenya, Albania, Norway, Bosnia and Herzegovina also have woman defence ministers.

ALSO READ:

Leaving boardroom, new Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman will have to wait 2 days to take charge of war room

Cabinet reshuffle: Why Dharmendra Pradhan, Piyush Goyal, Nirmala Sitharaman, Naqvi were promoted

Rise and rise of Nirmala Sitharaman: JNU alumnus, BJP leader from family of Congress supporters

ALSO WATCH: Nirmala Sitharaman an extremely competent successor: Arun Jaitley

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New Delhi:

Former Reserve Bank of India (RBI) governor Raghuram Rajan in his latest book -- I Do What I Do  revealed that he was not in favor of PM Modis demonetisation move.

Rajan in his book wrote, I was asked by the government in February 2016 for my view on demonetisation, which I gave orally. Although there might be long-term benefits, I felt the likely short-term economic costs would outweigh them.

He also said that during his term, the government didnt ask RBI to make a decision on demonetisation.

At no point during my term was the RBI asked to make a decision on demonetisation, Rajan wrote in his new book which is a compilation of the wide-range speeches he delivered as RBI governor.

Rajans term as the governor of the central bank was not extended amid speculations and ended in September 2016. Barely two months after his ouster Prime Minister Narendra Modi unexpectedly announced the chaotic decision of demonetisation.

On November 8, PM Modi during his 45-minute long speech made many tall claims that the note ban would curb black money, corruption and flush out fake currency from the Indian market.

Also Read | RBI data suggests Prime Minister Modis demonetisation move failed on most fronts

However, the decision failed to serve any of the purposes and according to a recent RBI report, 99 per cent of the banned currency notes came back to the Indian Banking system.

According to the latest government data, the decision to ban Rs. 500 and Rs. 1000 banknotes which were the 86 per cent of countrys total cash had a huge negative impact on countrys economy.

The GDP growth rate slowed down from 7 per cent in October-December to 6.1 per cent in January-March and 5.7 per cent in the last quarter.

Raghuram Rajan, however, had reservations about the decision but despite the fact, he was asked to prepare a note, which RBI did.

The RBI note, he said, outlined potential costs and benefits of demonetisation, as well as alternatives that could achieve similar aims. If the government, on weighing the pros and cons, still decided to go ahead with demonetisation, the note outlined the preparation that would be needed, and the time that preparation would take.

Days after the demonetisation, the former RBI governor had said: My sense is the clever find ways around it. And his senses proved right, the adroit found ways and the so called demonetization 'mahayagna' failed to "purify the country" from corruption, black money, fake notes, and terrorism.

For all the Latest Business News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps.
New Delhi:

Bollywood Badshah Shah Rukh Khan who has always showcased his love and concerns for his little ones on social networking sites, expressed his care and adoration yet another time.

Latest media report suggests that the doting father is a bit upset now a days as his 17-year-old beautiful lass Suhana is on her way to London after spending a gala vacation on the occasion of Ganesh Chaturthi.

The 51-year-old actor is at present missing his beautiful princess like crazy and took to micro-bloggiong site Twitter to share a smart and adorable father-daughter duo on Sunday.

"When the little one goes back to school & there is nobody to point out that u r using too many filters," this is how Shah Rukh Khan captioned the lovely picture with his darling daughter Suhana.

When the little one goes back to school & there is nobody to point out that u r using too many filters! pic.twitter.com/KKU9wRsRi9  Shah Rukh Khan (@iamsrk) September 3, 2017

While the 17-year-old beauty is looking all attractive in a white sleeveless, the 'Dilwale' star has been seen in his usual heroic and cool avatar in the picture.

Apart from Suhana, SRK has two boy kids Aryan(19) and AbRam(4) and with them too he is too frequent to share pictures and creating buzzes across the social networking sites.

Also Read: Amitabh Bachchan is grateful to have 29 million Twitter followers

On the work front, Shah Rukh Khan who was last seen in Anushka Sharma-starrer 'Jab Harry Met Sejal' is at present busy shooting his upcoming venture 'Gustakhiyan'.

Also starring Priyanka Chopra and Sushant Singh Rajput in key roles the Sanjay Leela Bhansali flick is slated to hit the screens in 2018.

For all the Latest Entertainment News, Bollywood News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps.
New Delhi:

Former union home secretary Raj Kumar Singh, first came to limelight in 1990 after he arrested BJP leader LK Advani during the veterans Rath Yatra from Somnath to Ayodhya, has been made incharge of the Power Ministry as Minister of State (Independent Charge) and New and Renewable Energy Ministry in Prime Minister Narendra Modis third reshuffle on Sunday.

Singh a 1975 batch IAS officer joined Bharatiya Janata Party in 2013 after retirement. He is now a Member of Parliament (MP) from Bihars Arah. Prior joining full time politics, he as an bureaucrat had served both in Bihar and Centre.

With the Centre Singh was secretary defence production in the UPA government, joint secretary in the home ministry, when Advani was the home minister.

Singh, 64, first came to limelight when he was given the task of arresting LK Advani in Samastipur in Bihar, during the BJP leaders Rath Yatra from Somnath to Ayodhya, by the then Chief Minister Lalu Prasad Yadav.

He is also known for his contribution to schemes for modernisation of prison and police, and laying down a framework for disaster management.

Singh as home secretary oversaw alleged saffron terror cases involving blasts in Malegaon and Samjhauta Express and had courted controversy by releasing names of several suspects.

Singh had also openly criticised the ticket distribution process by BJP in 2015 Bihar assembly elections.

(With PTI inputs)
New Delhi:

BJP leader Manoranjan Kalia on Saturday said an Indian worker in Saudi Arabia, who was allegedly being exploited by his employer, has appealed for help from the government through a video posted on social media.

Kalia, the former Punjab minister said that he has brought the viral video to the notice of External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj.

In a press conference, the BJP leader said, I saw the video on a social media site and immediately sent it to Sushma Swaraj, appealing her to help the labourer, hailing from Bihar, back to India from Saudi Arabia.

The labourer, Lankesh Kumar in the video said that anybody who comes across the video, please take it to the Prime Minister and the external affairs minister.

ALSO READ | Indian women who are victims of domestic violence face higher death risk: Study

The union minister has assured me that the video will be examined and efforts would be made to bring him back, Kalia said. He has also sent the address and phone number mentioned by the man in the video to the union minister.

Kumar alleged that he had been offered 1,200 (Riyal) by a company, but for the last few months he was being paid between 200 and 400 (Riyal), the BJP leader said.

Kalia claimed that in the 2:18-minute video, Kumar said that he had no money or food, and wanted to return to his home in Bihar.

(With PTI inputs)

ALSO READ | Jalandhar woman Sukhwant Kaur sold, tortured in Saudi Arabia to return back to India tomorrow: Sushma Swaraj

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By PTI: New Delhi, Sep 3 (PTI) The third reshuffle in the Modi Cabinet turned out to be an all-BJP affair as its allies were not a part of the exercise.

It was expected that its new partner, the JD(U), would get representation in the central government, but it turned otherwise.

JD(U) spokesperson K C Tyagi said his party was not invited to join the government.

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The Shiv Sena too was unhappy with its non-inclusion in the Cabinet, stating that the NDA was "almost dead" and that BJP remembered it only when it needed some support.

Though a long-time ally of the BJP, the Sena has often been at loggerheads with the senior partner. Its lone member in the Union Council of Ministers is Heavy Industries Minister Anant Geete.

Sources in the BJP said that members of their alliance might join the government later as there was still a scope for expansion of the Union Council of Ministers.

They, however, added that a decision on the allies joining the government would be taken later. PTI KR PR SMN

--- ENDS ---
New Delhi:

Good news for all the parents of Karnataka as the state government has decided to provide free education for all girls from Class 1 to graduation in public and aided private schools and colleges from next year.



The Karnataka government has decided to provide free education for all girls from Class 1 to graduation in public and aided private schools and colleges from the next academic year.

"We expect around 18 lakh students whose parents' income would be less than Rs 10 lakh to opt for this scheme, and are planning to earmark Rs 110 crore," Higher Education Minister Basavaraj Rayareddi was quoted by the Times of India as saying. He hopes that only the poor will avail the scheme.



Earlier, in a landmark move, Telangana government launched a similar scheme, where girls are provided free education from kindergarten to postgraduation (KG to PG), while Punjab extended the scheme up to the PhD level and fulfilled its key poll promise.

Rayareddi also said about the scheme: "It's a model one and a major leap towards women's empowerment. The scheme is for all girls unlike their [the BJP's] schemes [in states ruled by them] which are restricted to certain classes and income groups."

The scheme is ostensibly aimed at discouraging girls from dropping out of school, especially in rural areas. Many girls don't continue their studies after Class X. This initiative will impart free education to girls from underprivileged communities.

"It is mainly in rural areas where girls come from families earning less than Rs 10 lakh that the government needs to extend incentives. But the government will not discriminate between cities and rural areas and poor and rich. It is ready to reimburse fees to all girl students," Rayareddi said.

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New Delhi:

Nirmala Sitharaman has been named the new Defence Minister in the BJP-led Centre government after the Cabinet reshuffle on Sunday.

Sitharaman, 58, a Rajya Sabha Member is the second woman to take charge of the crucial Defence Ministry after Indira Gandhi. But, she will be the first woman to take the complete responsibility of the department.

Indira Gandhi was the first woman to serve the position of defence minister but she had Defence Ministry as additional incharge while holding the post of prime minister in 1975 and 1980-1982.

Sitharaman was one of the four ministers elevated to cabinet ranks. She took over the Defence Ministry from Arun Jaitley, who had the ministry as additional in-charge.

Also Read | Modi cabinet reshuffle highlights: Disgruntled Shiv Sena threatens to break alliance with BJP



Sources in the BJP said that Sitharaman rose in party ranks quickly. She had made a mark as the party spokesperson when BJP was in opposition.

Before being elevated as Defence Minister, she was charge of minister of state of commerce.

Recently Sitharama participated in China for a Brics meeting where she engaged her counterparts in discussion on China-India row over Doklam.

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New Delhi:

North Korea on Sunday claimed of successfully testing a Hydrogen Bomb, raising fears among its neighbours and countries who have been regularly protesting the advances being made by the Korean country on nuclear warfare technology.

North Korea claims to have achieved making Hydrogen Bomb small enough to fit on a missile. While, experts across the globe claim it is not possible.

Know more about Hydrogen bomb

A hydrogen bomb has a far larger yield than any other traditional weapons. The bomb can be

small but the devastation is much greater than any other explosive weapon of its size.

Hydrogen bombs use fusion similarly the same process that powers our sun or any other star.

Isotopes of hydrogen are forced together to release a much bigger blast  hundreds times powerful than the nuclear weapon that have been used in warfare.

Also Read: North Korea nuclear test: China, Russia, Japan and South Korea expresses 'strongest condemnation'



Tritium

Atmospheric hydrogen is a mixture of three isotopes. The most common is called protium, second isotope is deuterium and third the Tritium.

The Tritium isotope is a radioactive gas with a half-life of about 121/4 years. It is used in making of an hydrogen bomb.

The Tritium nucleus is called the triton and it consists of a proton plus two neutrons.

Also Read: North Korea successfully tests 'missile ready' Hydrogen bomb



Making of fuel

Since there is nearly no naturally occurring of Tritium, so it has to be synthesized.

Synthesization is done in specially designed reactors, which arent easy to build and generate the fuel for the bomb. In special conditions the fuel is forced to start a nuclear chain reaction leading to rudimentary nuclear bomb.

First Hydrogen bomb

The Hydrogen bomb was first successfully tested by United States 60 years early. Countries like Russia, UK, China and France have been able to make one for themselves.

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New Delhi:

US Defence Secretary James Mattis on Sunday issued a blunt warning to North Korea after it carried out its biggest nuclear test saying they will launch a massive military response to any threats from the reclusive nation.

The official Korean Central News Agency claimed on Sunday claimed that North Korea has developed a hydrogen bomb which can be loaded into the countrys new intercontinental ballistic missile.

While interacting with reporters at the White House, Mattis said, We made clear that we have the ability to defend ourselves and our allies, South Korea and Japan, from any attack. And our commitment among the allies is ironclad: Any threat to the United States or its territories, including Guam, or our allies will be met with a massive military response, a response both effective and overwhelming.

ALSO READ: India deplores nuclear test conducted by N Korea, says such actions will adversely impact peace

After a small group of national security members held a meeting with US President Donald Trump and the Vice President Mike Pence on Sunday in view of the latest provocation on the Korean Peninsula, Mattis briefed the media about the same.

We have many military options. The president wanted to be briefed on each one of them, the US Defence Secretary said.

Kim Jong Un should take heed of the United Nations Security Councils unified voice - all members unanimously agreed on the threat North Korea poses and they remain unanimous on their commitment to the de-nuclearisation of the Korean Peninsula because we are not looking to the total annihilation of a country, namely North Korea. As I said, we have many options to do so, he added.

Mattis remarks came after US President Donald Trump warned that appeasement wont work with Pyongyang whose words and actions continue to be very hostile and dangerous to the US.

(With PTI inputs)

ALSO READ: Know more about Hydrogen Bomb and how it is made

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Xiamen (China):

Chinese President Xi Jinping on Sunday underscored that the BRICS must uphold the value of diplomacy to resolve hotspot issues as the leaders of the grouping, including Prime Minister Narendra Modi, arrived here for the Summit, which is starting on Monday in this port city of China.

Xi also appeared to take a reconciliatory tone when he, without directly referring to the recent Dokalam standoff with India, underlined that peace and development should be the underpin to resolve issues as the world does not want conflict and confrontation.

We the BRICS countries should show our responsibilities to uphold global peace and stability, he said.

Modi and Xi are expected to meet on Tuesday, nearly a week after the two countries announced resolution of the 73-day-long Dokalam standoff.

According to officials, the two leaders are scheduled to hold a meeting on September 5 on the sidelines of the 9th Brazil-Russia-India-China-South Africa (BRICS) Summit. After the bilateral with the host, Modi will be travelling to Myanmar on a bilateral visit.

The Chinese and the Indian troops were in a standoff position for nearly 73 days since June 16 when the Indian side stopped construction of a road by Chinas army.

On August 28, external affairs ministry announced that New Delhi and Beijing have decided on expeditious disengagement of their border troops in the disputed Dokalam area.

The sense is that India wants to put behind the Dokalam bitterness and move ahead.

ALSO READ: PM Modi reaches China to attend BRICS summit

Xi, while inaugurating the BRICS business council, also called on BRICS countries to take a constructive part in the process of resolving geopolitical hotspot issues and make due contributions.

India is also expected to raise its concerns over terrorism at the BRICS Summit, with Modi asserting that the grouping has to make important contributions in upholding peace and security, and address global challenges.

Asked about Chinas comments that it will not be appropriate to discuss Pakistans counter-terrorism records at the BRICS summit at Xiamen, External Affairs Ministry Spokesperson Raveesh Kumar said he cannot pre-empt what Modi will say during his interventions at the restricted and plenary sessions of the summit.

But he asserted that Indias position on terrorism has been very clear and it has been raising the issue at various multilateral forums.

We noticed that India, when it comes to Pakistans counter-terrorism, has some concerns. I dont think this is an appropriate topic to be discussed at BRICS summit, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Hua Chunying had said ahead of the Summit.

According to sources, India is expected to flag its concerns over terrorism.

The issue is also likely to find its place in the joint declaration with the Chinese president also saying that he was convinced that as long as we take a holistic approach to fighting terrorism in all its forms, and address both its symptoms and root causes, terrorists will have no place to hide.

Modi in his departure statement had said India attaches high importance to the role of BRICS that has begun a second decade of its partnership for progress and peace. BRICS has important contributions to make in addressing global challenges and upholding world peace and security.

The prime minister had also said he was looking forward to engaging with leaders of nine other countries, including BRICS partners, in an Emerging Markets and Developing Countries Dialogue, being hosted by Xi on September 5.

We will also interact with the BRICS Business Council represented by captains of industry from all the five countries, he said.

Modi will hold bilateral meetings with several leaders, including Russian President Vladimir Putin and President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi of Egypt, which is among the five counties - Mexico, Guinea, Thailand and Tajikistan - invited by China as the part of BRICS outreach exercise.

Modi was also greeted by a group of Indians on his arrival at the hotel.

ALSO READ | BRICS summit: Chinese President Xi Jinping asks members to shelve differences

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New Delhi:

Chinese President Xi Jinping has asked BRICS members to shelve their differences to develop mutual trust and strategic communication as he opened the 9th annual summit of the five member emerging economics on Sunday.

The three-day BRICS summit started with BRICS Business Council in southeastern Chinese city Xiamen in Fujian province.

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Brazilian President Michel Temer, South African President Jacob Zuma and Russian President Vladimir Putin are participating in the 9th annual BRICS summit.

BRICS members include Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa. These five countries are a group of five emerging economies.

Xi in his opening speech focussed broadly on enhancing cooperation between the BRICS member.

The Chinese president said, Construction of any tall building starts with foundation. We have laid the foundation and put in place the framework for BRICS cooperation".

He further added that all members should treat each other as equals.

"In terms of BRICS cooperation, decisions are made through consultation (and) not by one country. We respect each other's model of development, accommodate each other's concern and work to enhance strategic communication and mutual trust," he told about 1,000 delegates from different countries.

"Given difference in history, national conditions and cultures it is natural to have some differences. However with strong faith in cooperation and enhancing collaboration the BRICS countries can achieve steady progress in our cooperation, said Xi.

In his speech Xi referred to his multi-billion dollar Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) in which the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) is a crucial component.

Xi said, BRI is not a tool to advance any geopolitical agenda, but a platform for practical cooperation. It is not a foreign aid scheme, but an initiative for interconnected development which calls for extensive consultation, joint contribution and shared benefits, he said.

India had protested to CPEC as it passes through Pakistan-Occupied Kashmir and had also boycotted the Belt and Road Forum (BRF) hosted by China in May.

China has invited Egypt, Kenya, Tajikistan, Mexico and Thailand as guest countries for the Xiamen BRICS summit as special guests like India invited BIMSTEC (Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi Sectoral Technical and Economic) leaders for last year's BRICS summit at Goa.

(With PTI inputs)

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New Delhi:

Japans Princess Mako got engaged to a commoner on Sunday. The decision to get engaged to a commoner will cost her royal status.

Princess Mako is set to lose royal status according to law in Japans monarchy which underlines male-dominated nature.

Princess Mako is Emperor Akihito's eldest granddaughter. As she is a female, she will lose royal status as the law does not apply to royal males.

As per reports, Mako was visibly happy after the enagagement. Mako told that she was aware since childhood that she will leave royal status once she will get married.

Makos fiance works at a law firm. He is said to be very photogenic and once won a tourism promotion contest to win the honour of "Prince of the Sea."

Both Mako and her fiance have mutual admiration for each other.

Mako, 25, is the eldest daughter of Prince Akishino, Akihito's second son.

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Seoul:

North Korea has developed a hydrogen bomb which can be loaded into the countrys new intercontinental ballistic missile, the official Korean Central News Agency claimed on Sunday.

Questions remain over whether nuclear-armed Pyongyang has successfully miniaturised its weapons, and whether it has a working H-bomb, but KCNA said that leader Kim Jong-Un had inspected such a device at the Nuclear Weapons Institute.

It was a thermonuclear weapon with super explosive power made by our own efforts and technology, KCNA cited Kim him as saying, and all components of the H-bomb were 100 per cent domestically made.

Pictures showed Kim in black suit examining a metal casing with two bulges.

ALSO READ: Russian President Putin warns of 'major conflict' over North Korea

North Korea triggered a new escalation of tensions in July, when it carried out two successful tests of an ICBM, the Hwasong-14, which apparently brought much of the US mainland within range.

After its fourth nuclear test, in January 2016, it claimed that the device was a miniaturised H-bomb, which has the potential to be far more powerful than other nuclear devices.

But scientists said the six-kiloton yield achieved then was far too low for a thermonuclear device.

When it carried out its fifth test, in September 2016, it did not say it was a hydrogen bomb.

The North had further upgraded its technical performance at a higher ultra-modern level on the basis of precious successes made in the first H-bomb test, KCNA said, adding that Kim set forth tasks to be fulfilled in the research into nukes.

Actually mounting a warhead onto a missile would amount to a significant escalation on the Norths part, as it would create a risk that it was preparing an attack.

ALSO READ: North Korea says more missile to come, UN condemns launch

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New Delhi:

North Korea on Sunday tested a hydrogen bomb in its sixth nuclear test on Sunday, which judging by the earthquake it set off appeared to be its most powerful explosion yet. After which, China, Russia, Japan and South Korea strongly condemned NorthKorea's nuclear test.

South Korea's weather agency estimated the nuclear blast yield of the presumed test was between 50 and 60 kilotons, or five to six times stronger than North Korea's fifth test in September 2016. That would mark a significant step forward inthe North's quest for a viable nuclear missile capable of striking anywhere in the United States.

Also Read: North Korea successfully tests 'missile ready' Hydrogen bomb

On North Korean television, a newsreader called the testa "complete success" and said the "two-stage thermo nuclear weapon" had "unprecedented" strength. Hours earlier, Pyongyang claimed its leader had inspected a hydrogen bomb meant for a new inter continental ballistic missile.

Slamming Pyongyang for ignoring international condemnation of its atomic weapons programme. North Korea "has ignored the international community's widespread opposition, again carrying out a nuclear test. China's government expresses resolute opposition and strong condemnation toward this," the foreign ministry said in a statement on its website.

"We strongly urge the DPRK (North Korea) to face the strong will of denuclearisation from the international community, earnestly abide by the relevant resolutions of the UN Security Council, stop taking mistaken actions which worsen the situation and are also not in line with its own interests,and effectively return to the track of solving the problem through dialogue," it added.

The test came just hours before Chinese President Xi Jinping was scheduled to open a summit of BRICs nations in southern China.

North Korea's actions create a potentially embarrassing situation for Xi, who is preparing for a politically sensitive gathering of the ruling Communist Party in October, at which he aims to further consolidate his power.

The leader chose not to address the test during his more than 40-minute address to the assembled leaders of Russia, India, South Africa and Brazil. It was the second time this year that North Korea has timed a weapons test to coincide with a major international political gathering in China. In May Pyongyang fired a ballistic missile as leaders from 29 nations gathered in Beijing for a summit touting China's new Silk Road project.



Seoul's weather agency and the Joint Chiefs of Staff said an artificial 5.7 magnitude quake occurred at 12:29 p.m. local time, in Kilju, northern Hamgyong province, the site where North Korea has conducted nuclear tests in the past. Seoul officials revised their earlier estimate of 5.6 magnitude quake. The US Geological Survey called the first quake an explosion with a magnitude 6.3.

The US State Department had no immediate reaction. South Korea's presidential office said it will hold a National Security Council meeting chaired by President Moon Jae-in. South Korea's military said it has strengthened its monitoring and readiness while mulling a variety of possible responses that could be executed in collaboration with the US.

Japan confirmed that North Korea conducted a nuclear test, Foreign Minister Taro Kono said. "It is absolutely unacceptable if North Korea did force another nuclear test, and we must protest strongly," Prime Minister Shinzo Abe said. The USGS and China's earthquake administration detected a second tremor in North Korea minutes after the first, describing it as a cave-in or collapse. South Korea's weather agency, however, said no second quake occurred.

North Korea conducted two nuclear tests last year, the last nearly a year ago, on the September 9 anniversary of the nation's founding. It has since maintained a torrid pace inweapons tests, including its first two inter continental ballistic missiles test in July.

Last month, North Korea fired a potentially nuclear-capable midrange missile over northern Japan. Earlier, photos released by the North Korean government showed Kim talking with his lieutenants as he observed a silver, peanut-shaped device that was apparentlythe purported thermo nuclear weapon destined for an ICBM.

What appeared to be the nose cone of a missile could also be seen near the alleged bomb in one picture, which could not be independently verified and was taken without outside journalists present. Another photo showed a diagram on the wall behind Kim of a bomb mounted inside a cone. State media said Kim visited the Nuclear Weapons Institute and inspected a "homemade" H-bomb with "super explosive power" that "is adjustable from tens (of) kiloton to hundreds (of) kiloton."

North Korea's nuclear and missile programme has made huge strides since Kim rose to power following his father's death in late 2011. The North followed its two tests of Hwasong-14ICBMs by threatening in August to launch a salvo of its Hwasong-12 intermediate range missiles toward the US Pacific island territory of Guam. It flew a Hwasong-12 over northern Japan last week, the first such overflight by a missile capable of carrying nukes,in a launch Kim described as a "meaningful prelude" to containing Guam, the home of major US military facilities, and more ballistic missile tests targeting the Pacific.

It may be difficult for outside experts to confirm that the nuclear device detonated on Sunday was an H-bomb. State media reported that the test left no trace of radio active material.

The US and its allies attempt to detect blast material to gauge North Korea's progress, but Pyongyang has become better at containing it as its nuclear program has evolved.

To back up its claims to nuclear mastery, such tests are vital. The first of its two atomic tests last year involved what Pyongyang claimed was a sophisticated hydrogen bomb; the second it said was its most powerful atomic detonation ever.

It is almost impossible to independently confirm North Korean statements about its highly secret weapons programme. North Korea is thought to have a growing arsenal ofnuclear bombs and has spent decades trying to perfect a multistage, long-range missile to eventually carry smaller versions of those bombs. The White House said President Donald Trump spoke with Prime Minister Shinzo Abe of Japan regarding "ongoing efforts to maximize pressure on North Korea." The statement did not say whether the conversation came before or after the North's latest claim.

With PTI Inputs





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New Delhi:

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday reached Xiamen city of China to attend 9th BRICS summit. The Prime Minister was welcomed by members of the Indian community.

Modi and Chinese President Xi Jinping are expected to hold a bilateral meeting on Tuesday, nearly a week after India and China announced resolution of the 73-day-long Dokalam standoff.

According to officials, the two leaders are scheduled to hold a meeting on September 5 on the sidelines of the 9th Brazil-Russia-India-China-South Africa (BRICS) Summit, which will start tomorrow in this port city of China.

After the bilateral meeting with the host, Modi will be travelling to Myanmar.

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As the world huddles together to make sense of maverick dictator Kim Jong-un's move, there are immediate implications of the test.

By India Today Web Desk: Hours after North Korea claimed it had a hydrogen bomb that can be loaded onto a new intercontinental ballistic missile, an earthquake shook the region. It measured 5.6 (revised to 6.3 later) on the Richter scale and was at 0 depth.

The fear that it could be a thermonuclear test proved to be true. And within 10 minutes of the jolt, a second quake. The worst fear now is radiation leak as the second quake was likely caused by the test tunnel collapse.

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People in China and South Korea will be worried about which direction the wind is blowing!

The excited lady announcer on North Korean state TV, Ri Chun-hee, was there to announce the hydrogen bomb test. Here's that second most familiar face from North Korea, first being Kim Jong-un himself.

"The H-bomb, the explosive power of which is adjustable from tens kiloton to hundreds kiloton, is a multi-functional thermonuclear nuke with great destructive power which can be detonated even at high altitudes for super-powerful EMP attack according to strategic goals," the KCNA said.

It's wise to remember that the nuclear detonation yield of the bomb dropped on Hiroshima during World War II was just 13 kilotons and that of Nagasaki 20 kilotons.

As the world huddles together to make sense of maverick dictator Kim Jong-un's move, there are immediate implications of the test. It brings the world closer to a war in the region. There is no official response from the US yet, but South Korea is on high alert, Japan has said it couldn't tolerate this and China is scrambling a response and some jets too.

1. CHINA

The test comes on the eve of the BRICS Summit in Xiamen, China.

This is an embarrassment because the world has been impressing upon China to impress upon Kim Jong-un the importance of not conducting any further tests. That Kim does not care about China's advice shows Chinese Xi Xinping in a poor light.

Since China is North Korea's biggest benefactor and probably only friend, world suspects China of helping Kim.

If it was done without a care for China, it's an embarrassment. If it was done in defiance of China, it's an embarrassment. Especially when President Xi Xinping is scheduled to meet world leaders at Xiamen. Prime Minister Modi is there in Xiamen, days after the 72-day border tussle with China and this is not the time when China would like to be seen weak.

Xi begins his speech at BRICS Business forum Xiamen. North Korea's announcement came around 20 min before. Timing. pic.twitter.com/FIY0RJ0diW- Ananth Krishnan (@ananthkrishnan) September 3, 2017

2. UNITED STATES

The United States is far away from North Korea but now in the range of its intercontinental ballistic missiles.

Kim Jong-un has never minced words in declaring that its nuclear and missile programme is aimed at 'destroying' the US if it attempts any mischief. The US too now has a maverick president. Donald Trump has threatened 'fire and fury like the world has never seen' if North Korea continued defying the world. Now he will be forced to response.

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Will the US respond with an attack? Will the response again be a threat of war? Will the threat be empty?

3. JAPAN

The North Korean threat may not be empty. No longer. Last week, Pyongyang tested a missile that flew over Japan into the sea.

Japan has been a target for North Korea. Now those flyover missiles capable of carrying nuclear warheads may actually carry one. The confirmation of North Korea's nuclear capabilities puts Japan in an uncomfortable position. It is the only country to have suffered the fallout of a nuclear bomb. It cannot wait and watch.

4. SOUTH KOREA

The other Korea, the one that is an economic power. The one that Kim Jong-un hates from the bottom of his heart. A country under constant threat. South Koreans are always on alert because they could be hit by even conventional weapons. Kim Jong-un didn't need nukes to scare the South. But the spectre gets only larger and any war, more likely than ever now, on North Korea will directly affect the South.

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5. REST OF THE WORLD

Well, the rest of the world just trying to

- Duane Pemberton (@WineFoot) September 2, 2017

Also Read:

North Korea: Two quakes detected, first a suspected nuclear test, second a 'collapse'

North Korea conducts 6th nuclear test with hydrogen bomb, calls it perfect success

--- ENDS ---
North Korea has warned Japan over its plan to introduce a land-based version of the Aegis ballistic missile defense system to address Pyongyang's missile threats.

The warning came in a commentary carried on Saturday by the official newspaper of North's Korean Workers' Party, Rodong Sinmun.

The article criticized the Japanese government's plan to introduce the Aegis Ashore anti-missile system.

It said North Korea's ballistic missiles are targeted at the United States for threatening the country with nuclear force. It said Japan does not need to be afraid of the North's strategic arms unless it continues to support America's hostile policy.

The commentary also referred to recent joint drills involving fighter jets from Japan's Air Self-Defense Force and US B-1 bombers.
Police on Saturday arrested a 35-year-old Filipino man on suspicions including murder over a 2004 case in which a female Japanese university student in Ibaraki Prefecture, eastern Japan, was strangled.

Arrested was Lampano Jerico Mori, a factory worker living in the city of Mizuho in the central Japan prefecture of Gifu.

Mori is alleged to have strangled Misato Harada, 21, a second-year student at Ibaraki University's College of Agriculture, to death in the Ibaraki village of Miho around between midnight on Jan. 30, 2004, and 6:30 a.m. on the following day in conspiracy with two other Filipino men.

The police will put Mori's two suspected accomplices, 33 and 31, on an international wanted list after obtaining arrest warrants for them. They left Japan in 2007, according to investigative sources.

The body of the victim was found at a river in Miho around 9 a.m. on Jan. 31, 2004. The place where her body was discovered was about 6 kilometers from an apartment in the neighboring town of Ami, where she was living alone.

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Japanese Foreign Minister Taro Kono says the government has confirmed that North Korea conducted a nuclear test on Sunday.

After attending the National Security Council, Kono told reporters that based on the analysis of information gathered by the Meteorological Agency and others the government concludes that the earthquake was caused by a nuclear test in North Korea.

He added that the Japanese government condemned the North in the strongest terms through its embassy in Beijing, saying that if the country had in fact conducted a nuclear test, it is unforgivable and violates the UN Security Council resolution.

Kono said he called for coordination with the United States and South Korea to request the United Nations to hold an emergency Security Council meeting.

He added, given that North Korea apparently has no intention to engage in dialogue, Japan will coordinate with other countries to adopt a new Security Council resolution.

Kono said the content of the new sanction will be discussed with all options on the table.
"Today, the DPRK, despite universal opposition from the international community, conducted another nuclear test. The Chinese government expresses firm opposition to and strong condemnation of the test", China said.

By Geeta Mohan: North Korea's 'successful' detonation of a hydrogen bomb on Sunday came just ahead of the BRICS Summit in Xiamen, China.

Apart from the sharp reaction from the Chinese foreign ministry, the Chinese media was also monitoring the developments.

North Korea, an ally of China's, has managed to embarrass Beijing a couple of times in the past as well. Though BRICS members might discuss the recent developments in the Korean Peninsula, China has been reluctant to have North Korea overshadow yet another major international event hosted by Beijing.

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China condemned the test, saying, "Today, the DPRK, despite universal opposition from the international community, conducted another nuclear test. The Chinese government expresses firm opposition to and strong condemnation of the test."

A senior Chinese journalist, Qin Feng, who's covering the BRICS Summit, said, "I think everyone has had enough, but we need a solution to keep peace in the peninsula. China should seriously contemplate on its bilateral relations with North Korea".

INDIA'S RESPONSE

India also came out and deplored the act. "It is a matter of deep concern that DPRK has once again acted in violation of its international commitments which goes against the objective of the de-nuclearization of the Korean peninsula, which has been endorsed by DPRK itself."

The announcement of the test came when Chinese President Xi Jinping was addressing the BRICS Business Forum, but the Chinese leader refrained from directly attacking Pyongyang.

"We BRICS countries are committed to upholding global peace and contributing to the international security order. We should uphold the purposes and principles of the UN Charter and basic norms governing international relations, firmly support multilateralism, work for greater democracy in international relations, and oppose hegemony," he said.

China in August said it was considering implementing UN sanctions against North Korea.

ALSO READ

Will US attack North Korea after its nuclear test? 'We'll see,' says President Donald Trump

US defense chief threatens massive military response if North Korea attacks; UN Security Council to meet

ALSO WATCH

Kim Jong-Un's hydrogen bomb dare: How to contain North Korea?

--- ENDS ---
WESTPORT  The states annual 9/11 memorial ceremony to honor those killed during the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attacks will be held Thursday at Sherwood Island State Park.

Gov. Dannel P. Malloy and Lt. Governor Nancy Wyman said the ceremony will begin at 5:30 p.m. and invited members of the public to attend. Family members of those who lost their lives in the attacks will participate in the ceremony, and the names of the 161 victims with ties to Connecticut will be read aloud.
It was this time of year three years ago when a flood of southbound nighthawks filled the sky along the Housatonic River.

We went down there to release some chimney swifts into a big colony there, said Sean Grace, the director of the Sharon Audubon Center. I looked up and thought, Those arent chimney swifts.

In about 20 minutes, some 2,000 nighthawks flew over, Grace said.

They were following the Housatonic River because of the insects out over the water, he said.

This is the nighthawk time of year.

In late August through mid-September, theyre migrating overhead in their long looping flight, white bands showing on their wings as they soar. Theyre beautiful to see, but theyre a reminder  like deepening shadows and blooming goldenrod  summer is fleeting, fall is almost here.

This is the only time of year you will see them. In Connecticut, except during migration, theyre endangered.

Weve seen a few, said Ken Elkins, director of education at the Bent of the River preserve in Southbury, which, like the Sharon center, is owned by Audubon Connecticut.

Elkins said he has noticed migrating dragonflies show up first at Bent of the Rivers meadows. Then the nighthawks follow. Both are feeding on moths and smaller insects.

But in migration, the birds travel over meadows and mill towns alike.

Cities like Waterbury and Willimantic can be good places to see nighthawks, Elkins said. People have had success seeing them along the Naugatuck Valley.

Margaret Robbins, owner of the Birds Unlimited store in Brookfield, said she hasnt seen nighthawks at her Danbury home for years. But driving up Route 8 to visit family in Litchfield County, it was a different story.

I used to see them all the time, she said.

I can remember seeing nighthawks flying over Fenway Park, said Patrick Comins, executive director of the Connecticut Audubon Society.

Nighthawk is a name that evokes a dark glamor. Edward Hoppers famous painting of a nearly deserted diner is entitled Nighthawks. A Marvel Comics villain-turned-hero was The Nighthawk. So are members of Vince Giordanos jazz band.

But the common nighthawk  Chordeiles minor  is the antithesis of midnight drama.

For one thing, its not really a hawk. Although it has sharp wings and a long tail, its a member of the nightjar family, known unpoetically as goatsuckers. Its related to the whip-poor-will, not to eagles or falcons.

Nor is it a night-dweller. Its crepuscular  seen at twilight. (The Crepuscular Goatsucker will never be a Marvel Comic hero.)

Its a bird expert in camouflage, with its mottled gray-and-brown plumage disguising it on the bare, sand-and-gravel flats where it nests  if nest is the right word. Nighthawks scratch out a shallow depression, then lay their eggs on the bare ground. It is, Comins said, a cryptic bird.

It has a small un-hawk-like beak. But it can open its mouth very wide to catch moths and insects while it flies.

When we see them in the fall, theyre headed to Argentina, on one of the longest migratory flights taken by any bird.

Unfortunately, nighthawks are getting less common. The North American Breeding Bird Survey found from 1996 to 2014, nighthawk numbers declined by 61 percent.

Nighthawks tried to adapt to Connecticut. When developers built on the dry flats they used as nesting grounds, they found certain human structures  flat-topped gravel-roofed city buildings  worked equally well.

But cities have crows and raccoons and feral cats that eat nighthawk eggs. Building owners shoveled away the gravel and replaced it with easier-to-maintain rubberized asphalt.

So theres no good place for nighthawks to nest in the state, and theyre now one of the states most endangered species.

In Connecticut, the only nesting site I know of is in New Haven, Comins said.

The birds may be suffering from changes in the vast biomass of insects in the air above us.

In a 2013 report, the Connecticut Audubon Society sounded the alarm that many of the states aerial insectivores  including barn swallows, purple martins and chimney swifts  are in serious trouble. Loss of nesting sites, development of meadows and pastures and overuse of pesticides might play a role in this decline.

People  even people with feeders  who see them as birds flying around at twilight, might not know that nighthawks are dwindling.

Its a shame, Robbins said. Were losing a whole class of birds.

Contact Robert Miller at earthmattersrgm@gmail.com
Product photos are available at http://bit.ly/2gx2mIs

OTTAWA, Sept. 1, 2017 /CNW/ - Industry is recalling Shore Lunch brand Fish Breading/Batter Mix from the marketplace due to possible Salmonella contamination. Consumers should not consume the recalled products described below.

The following products may have been sold nationally.

Recalled products

Brand Product Size UPC Codes Shore Lunch Fish Breading/Batter Mix  Cajun Style 255 g 0 24739 19363 5 1064828 1/18/2018 Shore Lunch Fish Breading/Batter Mix  Original Recipe 255 g 0 24739 19362 8 1064839 1/17/2018

What you should do

If you think you became sick from consuming a recalled product, call your doctor.

Check to see if you have recalled products in your home. Recalled products should be thrown out or returned to the store where they were purchased.

Food contaminated with Salmonella may not look or smell spoiled but can still make you sick. Young children, pregnant women, the elderly and people with weakened immune systems may contract serious and sometimes deadly infections. Healthy people may experience short-term symptoms such as fever, headache, vomiting, nausea, abdominal cramps and diarrhea. Long-term complications may include severe arthritis.

Background

This recall was triggered by a recall in another country. The Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) is conducting a food safety investigation, which may lead to the recall of other products. If other high-risk products are recalled, the CFIA will notify the public through updated Food Recall Warnings.

The CFIA is verifying that industry is removing recalled product from the marketplace.

Illnesses

There have been no reported illnesses associated with the consumption of these products.

More information

SOURCE Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA)

For further information: Media enquiries: CFIA Media Relations, 613-773-6600

Related Links

http://www.inspection.gc.ca


The hydrogen bomb that was tested by North Korea on Sunday is estimated to have a yield of 100 kilotonnes, almost 4 to 5 times that of the nuclear bomb dropped at Nagasaki, Japan.

By India Today Web Desk: North Korea has confirmed that it has tested a hydrogen bomb successfully. This is North Korea's sixth nuclear test and as the world tries to make sense of what will be Kim Jong Un's next move, here's a look at the nuclear tests that were conducted by North Korea in the past.

1. October 2006

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The first nuclear test was carried out more than a decade ago in October 2006 in a remote tunnel in North Korea's Punggye-ri, which is a mountainous area. The test drew a lot of international ire and was said to produce an explosion of almost one kilometer. A quake of magnitude 4.2 was recorded by the United States Geological Survey (USGS).

2. May 2009

The second nuclear test by North Korea was carried out in May 2009. As per the data by USGS, the explosion that was done underground caused an earthquake of magnitude 4.7 on the richter scale. The test is said to have an estimated yield of 2-8 kilotonnes and the tremors of the shock were felt more than 200 km away on the Chinese border city of Yanji.

3. February 2013

The nuclear test in February 2013 was the first test conducted under North Korean leader Kim Jon Un. This nuclear test is said to be bigger than the previous two with an estimated yield of 7-8 kilotonnes. According to expert reports from US, China and Japan the earthquake caused in Punggye-ri area was somewhere between magnitude 4.7 and 5.2.

North Korean authorities said it used a "miniaturised and lighter nuclear device with greater explosive force than previously".

4. January 2016

North Korea conducted two tests in 2016, the first one in January when a "miniature" hydrogen bomb was tested. An earthquake of magnitude 5.1 was recorded 50km from Kilju city, near the Punggye-ri nuclear site.

5. September 2016

The fifth test was conducted in September 2016. An earthquake of magnitude 5.3 was recorded in Punggye-ri nuclear site. According to reports, the explosion had a yield of 10 kilotonnes, almost 10 times higher than the first nuclear test.

6. September 2017

A magnitude 6.3 earthquake was recorded in Kilju county, where the country's nuclear test site - Punggye-ri - is located. The latest test is estimated to have a yield of around 100 kilotonnes (around 4-5 times the bomb dropped on Nagasaki, Japan), the most powerful nuclear test by North Korea till date.

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Also Read:

North Korea: Two quakes detected, first a suspected nuclear test, second a 'collapse'

North Korea tests hydrogen bomb; What it means for the US, China and the rest

North Korea conducts 6th nuclear test with hydrogen bomb, calls it perfect success

--- ENDS ---
Network of Executive Women monthly luncheon

MILFORD >> The Network of Executive Women will hold its monthly luncheon at 12:15 p.m. Sept. 5 at Pops Family Restaurant, 134 Old Gate Lane.

Speaker will be Rob Thomas, principal of Rob Thomas CT and creator of the Rob Thomas Method of Networking, according to a release. His presentation, How to Improve Networking Skills, will look at the underlying networking mindset and breaking down the simple and strategic rules for going beyond the business card exchange in order to find and foster profitable business relationships, the release said.

Cost is $20 for members; $25 for guests and members who register after Aug. 30. To register, visit www.networkofexecutivewomen.org/Luncheons.html.

Chamber introduces bowling league

WALLINGFORD >> The Connecticut Gay & Lesbian Chamber of Commerce is taking sign-ups for the CT Pride Bowlers, an LGBTQ & Straight Friendly League, according to a release, at Wallingford Bowl, 980 N. Colony Road.

The league, with 3-person teams, bowls 26 weeks and is USBC and IGBO sanctioned, the release said, and all skill levels are welcome.

The league will start at 7:30 p.m. Sept. 14, with a fun night at 7:30 p.m. Sept. 7. Cost is $17 per person per night.

For information, call 203-949-1100 or email info@wallingfordbowl.com.

Nonprofit Resource Council can help with student loans

NEW HAVEN >> Applications are being accepted for The Nonprofit Graduate School Grant Program, according to a release from The Nonprofit Resource Council of the Greater New Haven Chamber of Commerce.

The grant program provides direct payments to graduate student loan servicers for up to $10,000 over two years, paid in semi-annual installments, to help nonprofit employees with graduate school loans, the release said. Funding for the program is administered by The Community Foundation for Greater New Haven.

Applicants must either have earned or will be earning a graduate degree and either be employed or be promised future employment for a minimum of 30 hours per week in a public service nonprofit organization with a current 501(c)(3) status, the release said. The applicant also must work for a nonprofit in one of the following municipalities: Bethany, Branford, Cheshire, East Haven, Guilford, Hamden, Madison, Milford, New Haven, North Branford, North Haven, Orange, Wallingford, West Haven or Woodbridge; have previously received need-related student loans through such vehicles as the GSLA (Stafford) or NDSL (Perkins) programs during their graduate studies; apply up to nine months prior to graduation and up to five years after graduation; and have a personal annual income of less than $60,000 at the time of the award.

Award recipients are selected based on their contributions to the community and financial need, the release said.

Applications must be received by Oct. 6. Grant recipients will be announced during the Nonprofit Awards breakfast at The Big Connect business expo at the Toyota Oakdale Theatre in Wallingford Nov. 16.

Applications can be downloaded online at www.gnhcc.com/Nonprofit-Graduate-School-Grant or by contacting Emily DeRosa at ederosa@gnhcc.com or 203-782-4342.

Woodbridge International announces sale of client

NEW HAVEN >> New Haven-based Woodbridge International, a middle-market mergers and acquisitions firm, announced in a release the sale of its client Shift Marketing Studios Inc. to investment group A5 Capital.

Both firms are based in Ontario, Canada, the release said.

Founded in 2010, Shift Marketing, founded in 2010, provides digital loyalty and conquest marketing programs to a client base of approximately 300 Canadian auto dealerships, the release said. A5, meanwhile, is a private equity firm comprised of entrepreneurial, growth-oriented investors focused on acquiring and building successful businesses.

Woodbridge International, a global M&A firm, was founded in 1993 and has 30 offices worldwide, according to the release.
There was once a poor farmer who struggled for years to make a living out of his land. The ground was rocky. The farmers pebbly and gritty soil had little nutrients. It held water poorly, and it didnt drain well. He tried. But nothing substantial seemed to grow. For it did not have enough organic material for many of his plants to survive.

Discouraged and grim, the farmer didnt see anything improving. It looked like it was over, so he thought, Whats the use of trying anymore? And after many difficult seasons, frustrated, the farmer decided to give up and quit. He sold the land and then left the farm to garner a livelihood elsewhere.

Years later, the farmer returned to his old farm. As he approached it, he couldnt believe his eyes. Stunned, he found dozens of workers and heavy machinery on the land. So the farmer collected himself. Then, he asked one of the workers, What are you doing?

After a short pause, the worker replied matter-of-factly, We are digging up diamonds.

The farmers farm was actually a diamond mine!

Is there something you have given up on today? Is there a situation in your life that seems impossible for you to prevail? Like the farmer, dont get discouraged when circumstances appear to be telling you that its too late or nothing is going to work out and then walk away and quit.

What youre up against might be difficult. But you were not created for fear, or to be shackled by negative emotions or memories. Present circumstances are not going to stop you. A bad break, an inconvenience or another bump in the road will not bring you down.

With an unwavering, can-do mindset, stand strong and be confident. Its just a matter of time before your breakthrough. God has new opportunities with which He wants to entrust you, so be on the lookout. A while back, my daughters and I were traveling out of town by car to a business meeting. I was driving, and the navigation was telling us to go on one road. But the paper directions we had said to travel a different route. I wasnt sure which way to go. Then, from the back seat, my youngest daughter chimed in and said, There is more than one way to get there.

Similarly, God has more than one way to get you to your destination. And He can lead in a variety of ways.

 God took Joseph from the prison and put him to the palace. (Genesis 41:37-45)

 God used Nehemiah to rebuild the city of Jerusalem. (Nehemiah 1-3)

 And Elijahs prayers and his persistence prevailed. (1 Kings 18:43-44)

If anything were possible, what would be in your future? Write down on paper the vision of your most successful life. Consider long and hard the dreams you are choosing. Have high expectations because you are capable of far more than you can imagine.

Remember that God has not forgotten you (Isaiah 49:15). For, He has written your name in the palm of His hand (Isaiah 49:16). You are More than a conqueror (Romans 8:38). Youre Strong in the Lord and in the power of His might (Ephesians 6:11). And you are Blessed coming in and blessed going out. (Deuteronomy 28:6)

Continue persisting, making a difference in the lives of others and allowing your faith to press you forward. Youre close to success. Gods mighty Hand of deliverance is going to bring you to a place of joy, peace and blessings. Soon, it will be a new day of victory in your life filled with exciting adventures, new friends and renewed hope.

Years ago, I heard a story about a bakery owner. Every morning, he gathered some of the towns needy children and gave them each a warm loaf of bread.

Rather than being appreciative for the bakers kindness, many of the children fought over who would get the largest loaf. They complained, were bitter about their present circumstances, and were just out for themselves.

However, there was one little girl in the crowd who had a different attitude. Day after day, patiently, she waited for the others to stop fighting, and she gratefully took the smallest loaf. Then, she thanked the baker and happily brought the loaf home to share with her family.

One day, as her mother was slicing the bread, she found several pieces of silver inside the loaf. Quite surprised, the mother showed her daughter what she discovered in the bread.

So, the next day, as usual, the children went back to the bakery. The little girl, who happened to be the neediest, also returned.

Holding out the palm of her hand, the girl revealed the silver coins to the baker and said, Sir, inside the loaf of bread that you so generously gave to us, we found your money. You must have accidently dropped the coins while you were baking the loaf.

The baker responded, I did not make a mistake, I put the coins in the smallest loaf of bread as a reward.

And ... a reward is coming for you. God works in mysterious ways. Dont stop now. Your situation is going to turn around. God is about to give you a miracle. Something good is ready to happen.

Despite what you are going through now or what has transpired in the past, if there were ever a time not to give up, this is it. Suddenly, youll meet someone, and that encounter can cause a long-held dream to transpire. Out of the blue, you will be at the right place at the right time and receive a blessing. Doors of opportunity will swing open. And, all of a sudden, your needs will be abundantly met.

God is soon going to grant you the desires of your heart. And He will take you further than you ever dreamed possible.

Its a new you ... and a new day of victory for you.

Email Catherine Galasso-Vigorito at cgv@anewyouworldwide.com. To order a copy of her new book, The Open Window, 8 Weeks to Creating an Extraordinary Life, visit www.anewyouworldwide.com or bookstores nationwide. Like me on Facebook!
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Like many people, my sympathies have been running high for the people of Texas who were assaulted by a force named Harvey that struck with fury, ripping sections of the state apart.

The more I look at the footage, the more unreal it seems watching people struggle through waist-high water carrying children, pets and belongings.

As a veteran of the US Navy, I can tell you that water can be friendly or frightening; most people only know the friendly.

As disturbing as images of the destruction of cities and towns are, they are nothing compared to the personal and tragic stories behind them, which will haunt the Lone Star state and its people for quite awhile.

But that isnt what this column is about  because despite the destruction, the tears and the fears of what lies ahead, Harvey didnt rip out the heart of Texas and the deadly storm gave this nation a reason to pause and remind us of the American spirit.

And that is what this column is about.

Hate groups have swept across the country, erupting in Charlottesville and Boston like old-time lynch mobs carrying knives and torches. The unsatisfied have brushed tolerance off their shoulders and now come bearing white hoods and black masks carrying a sack full of hate designed to disrupt, separate and menace.

That has been the image the world has seen lately from the country created in part so that all men could be equal.

But then Harvey came and there it was, on full display for the world to see  the real guts of America: white, black, Hispanic, Asian and probably some undocumented immigrants too doing what we always do: coming together to help one another.

And as usual, race, politics and accents took a back seat as courage, heroism and brotherly love rose to the occasion.

It didnt matter to the white reporter who stood bravely against torrential rain that it was a black man stuck in the truck with the water rapidly rising; she saved his life.

It didnt matter that the woman struggling through waist-high water carrying a baby was Asian; the white guy helped her through the waters.

It didnt matter that people who rescued the elderly women trapped in a nursing home didnt know them  help came through the treacherous waters to rescue them.

Help arrived anyway it could, by boats and by trucks and even by foot with whites, blacks, Hispanics and Asians and again, probably some undocumented immigrants too, wading through contaminated waters teeming with the threat of snakes and alligators.

Some even lost their lives trying to help others.

So, who are we fooling?

We may fight like brothers and sisters and at times go after one another like despised cousins but one thing we know: we are in this together  and we like the melting pot.

This isnt a new America we live in, just a country reinventing itself to meet the demands of a new century amid new attitudes and new thinking from its inhabitants and a new generation.

Some people are cheering, others are jeering.

But with all that, we, as Americans, have not changed. Texas proved that we still have our guts.

And with the white nationalists and antifa movements at each others throats like Hatfields and McCoys, it will take a Texas-size effort to hold on to that good will and grip tighter the founding principles of this nation.

America has been through many stages on her journey. President Trump says he wants to make America great again.

That is a good thing.

But for America to succeed, we should look to Texas and remember: it takes guts to get to glory.

James Walker is the Registers senior editor: He can be reached at 203-680-9389 or jwalker@nhregister.com. Follow him on Twitter @thelieonroars
Amid the astounding piles of clutter in the office of New Haven Public Defender Thomas Ullmann, I could almost make out on the wall a depiction of a muscular man laboring to push a gigantic rock up a mountain.

Thats Sisyphus, a character in Greek mythology who was condemned by the gods to spend eternity rolling a boulder up a hill, then watch it roll back down again and again.

I kept him near my desk during the Hayes trial, Ullmann said, referring to Steven J. Hayes, whom Ullmann defended during Hayes trial in 2010 for murdering Jennifer Hawke-Petit and her daughters, Michaela, 11, and Hayley, 17. The infamous case became known around the world as the Cheshire homicides.

Ullmann said Sisyphus represented my burden and the burden the defendant faced.

Ullmann readily acknowledged, as he always has done, how horrible were Hayes acts. But Ullmann also stressed how imperative it is in American courtrooms that everyone have a fair trial with first-rate attorneys.

Since the day I interviewed Ullmann two weeks ago, Sisyphus has been taken down and moved to Ullmanns New Haven home or perhaps discarded. After 32 years with the New Haven Public Defenders Office, which handles the many defendants who are too indigent to hire private attorneys, Ullmann retired last Thursday. He has headed the office since 1992.

Ullmann, 67, related Sisyphus daily struggle to his own task, with co-counsel Patrick Culligan, of representing Hayes, one of the most despised men in Connecticut. The two attorneys also had to contend with relentless media coverage, which confirmed the belief by most people that Hayes and co-defendant Joshua Komisarjevsky deserved to be executed. Both of them were found guilty by separate juries, who then ruled they should receive the death penalty rather than life in prison. The Connecticut Supreme Court later ruled the death penalty is unconstitutional; the two men are now serving life sentences with no possibility of release.

Recalling how a TV camera crew tracked him from Willoughbys coffee shop to the courthouse every day of the three-month Hayes trial, Ullmann said, It was something Id never encountered before, even with the other high-profile cases Ive had.

And with that media coverage came death threats. The most serious and substantive one came in an on-line comment to the Hartford Courant. Ullmann can still remember the words, which he recited: Ullmann, you dirt bag: I know where you and your family live. Ill be seeing you.

Ullmann contacted the State Police, who were able to trace the anonymous comment to a man who apparently had no intention of carrying out his threat. He wrote Ullmann a long letter of apology.

As the New Haven Registers courts reporter, I covered every day of the Hayes trial and was impressed by the dignity under fire of Ullmann, Culligan and their adversaries, New Haven States Attorney Michael Dearington and Senior Assistant States Attorney Gary Nicholson.

I never saw Ullmann lose his composure. But he told me he struggled mightily to control his emotions while Hayes death sentence was affirmed one-by-one in a courtroom polling of the 12 jurors. Each juror had to answer yes to every one of the many convicted counts, including the assault on Dr. William Petit Jr., who managed to break free and escape from his home shortly before it was consumed by flames.

That hour and 10 minutes of reading the death counts was one of the worst ordeals Ive ever experienced, Ullmann said. Hayes was trying to console me while it was going on.

Ullmann said he hadnt been surprised by the jurors convicting Hayes. But he was taken aback by the death penalty verdict.

As a trial lawyer, if youre doing your job correctly and love your job, you become convinced you should prevail, Ullmann said. Pat Culligan and I felt wed put up enough mitigating factors (Hayes upbringing, etc.) that he should have gotten life in prison, no matter how horrifying the crimes.

Ullmann said that until the death penalty was abolished in Connecticut and the 11 men on Death Row were spared, he was haunted by the possibility of Hayes being executed if his legal appeals failed. It was something you may have been able to prevent and didnt. Youre continually asking yourself questions about whether you used the right strategy, which witnesses you called upon. Trial lawyers think about these questions in their sleep.

When you have someones life in your hands, no matter what they may have done, Ullmann noted, thats an incredible burden: trying to save another human beings life.

But he added, Thats a constitutional imperative. And so to be saddled with that is an honor and a privilege. Its part of the heritage we have in this country. I take it very seriously and personally.

Ullmanns wife, Diana Pacetta-Ullmann, had seen the toll it took on Ullmann when he defended Jonathan Mills. In 2000, Mills stabbed to death his former aunt, Katherine Kleinkauf, and her two children, Rachael Crum, 6, and Kyle Redway, 4, in their Guilford home. He also strangled Mindy Leigh, 20, at the Guilford Fairgrounds. A jury in 2004 convicted Mills on many counts but Ullmann convinced them not to have him sentenced to death. Instead, the verdict was life in prison.

I spent four years on that case and got very close to him, Ullmann said. She watched me go through that.

And so she tried to persuade him not to take on the Hayes case.

During one of those lengthy discussions in their kitchen, Ullmann told his wife: Im an outspoken death penalty opponent in the community. What would it look like if I didnt take this case?

Ullmann recalled their elder son, Jesse, settled the issue when he walked into the kitchen and quoted a character, Hyman Roth, from the movie The Godfather: Part II: This is the business weve chosen

But many people cant understand why Ullmann does it. Often he is asked: How can you represent those people?

When I raised this question, Ullmann replied: Im someone who was affected by the civil rights and anti-war movements when I was young. I made a commitment to myself: I wanted to represent people when the government was coming against them. We try to change the directions of their lives, get them treatment, support and services. And we want to get people who havent committed crimes (but stand accused) out of the clutches of the system.

Ullmann usually tells somebody who asks him how he justifies his job: You never know when you or somebody in your family could be the subject of a criminal accusation.

The professionals in the legal system Ullmann has encountered, even his courtroom opponents, respect him. Dearington, now retired, said: He was an excellent trial lawyer, always well-prepared. It was always a challenge trying a case against him.

Senior Assistant Public Defender Beth A. Merkin, said, He was the lawyer that you always wanted to try to be, a very strong role model for all of us. Hes very passionate about his clients and the principles of law we all strive to make work.

Ullmann said he still loves his work and will miss it tremendously. But 2 1/2 years ago, he decided he would retire this year.

At that time in 2015, a close friend of mine got sick out of the blue and passed away within three months. Im leaving before something catastrophic happens. I have a lot of things I want to do: hiking, kayaking, traveling with my wife, seeing our sons.

Contact Randall Beach at rbeach@nhregister.com or 203-680-9345.
A statement on China's Earthquake Administration's website said the second quake, measured at a depth of zero kilometres, came eight minutes after the first quake, which it said was a "suspected explosion".

By Reuters: China's Earthquake Administration said on Sunday that it detected a second quake in North Korea of magnitude 4.6, which it termed as a "collapse".

A statement on the administration's website said the second quake, measured at a depth of zero kilometres, came eight minutes after the first quake, which it said was a "suspected explosion".

The coordinates of the two quakes were almost identical, according to figures provided by the administration.

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Yonhap news agency reported that the first quake was detected near Punggye-ri, a known test site. It quoted South Korea's meteorological agency.

While China's Earthquake Administration said its magnitude was 6.3, Yonhap reported that it was 5.6.

South Korea raises alert level of forces after North Korea nuclear test. This is standard and no cause of imminent concern.- DEFCONWarningSystem (@DEFCONWSALERTS) September 3, 2017

Earlier on Sunday, North Korea said it has developed an advanced hydrogen bomb that possesses "great destructive power" as US President Donald Trump and Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe talked by phone about the "escalating" nuclear crisis.

The report by North Korea's official KCNA news agency came amid heightened regional tension following Pyongyang's two tests of intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBM) in July that potentially could fly about 10,000 km (6,200 miles), putting many parts of the mainland United States within range.

Under third-generation leader Kim Jong Un, North Korea has been pursuing a nuclear device small and light enough to fit on a long-range ballistic missile, without affecting its range and making it capable of surviving re-entry into the Earth's atmosphere.

MULTI-FUNCTIONAL THERMONUCLEAR NUKE

North Korea, which carries out its nuclear and missile programs in defiance of UN Security Council resolutions and sanctions, "recently succeeded" in making a more advanced hydrogen bomb that will be loaded on to an ICBM, KCNA said.

"The H-bomb, the explosive power of which is adjustable from tens kiloton to hundreds kiloton, is a multi-functional thermonuclear nuke with great destructive power which can be detonated even at high altitudes for super-powerful EMP (electromagnetic pulse) attack according to strategic goals," KCNA said.

"All components of the H-bomb were homemade and all the processes ... were put on the Juche basis, thus enabling the country to produce powerful nuclear weapons as many as it wants," KCNA quoted Kim as saying.

Juche is North Korea's homegrown ideology of self-reliance that is a mix of Marxism and extreme nationalism preached by state founder Kim Il Sung, the current leader's grandfather. It says its weapons programmes are needed to counter U.S. aggression.

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North Korea offered no evidence for its latest claim, and Kim Dong-yub, a military expert at Kyungnam University's Institute of Far Eastern Studies in Seoul, was sceptical.

"Referring to tens to hundreds of kilotons, it doesn't appear to be talking about a fully fledged H-bomb. It's more likely a boosted nuclear device," Kim said, referring to an atomic bomb which uses some hydrogen isotopes to boost explosive yield.

A hydrogen bomb can achieve thousands of kilotons of explosive yield - massively more powerful than some 10 to 15 kilotons that North Korea's last nuclear test in September was estimated to have produced, similar to the bomb dropped on Hiroshima, Japan, in 1945.

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North Korea: Two quakes detected, first a suspected nuclear test, second a 'collapse'

--- ENDS ---
MADISON >> Holly Leicht wants to help governments stop building the plane while its in flight when it comes to preparing for and recovering from disasters.

Leicht, who lives in Madison and the Bronx, New York, served as regional administrator for New York and New Jersey in the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development from January 2014 to January 2017.

Her report, Rebuild the Plane Now: Recommendations for Improving Governments Approach to Disaster Recovery and Preparedness, presented at a symposium in New York City in July, is based on her experience coordinating recovery efforts in New York and New Jersey after Superstorm Sandy hit in 2012.

While recognizing that every disaster is unique, Leicht set out to memorialize lessons learned and provide recommendations for improving recovery and increasing preparedness at all levels of government, according to the report. The paper and its 41 recommendations will be distributed nationwide.

Its even more timely as Houston struggles through the aftermath of Hurricane Harvey, which as of Saturday had killed at least 50 people and could cause an estimated $125 billion in damage.

But that is just the latest of an increasing number of powerful storms that have walloped the Gulf and Atlantic coasts, including Sandy, Hurricane Irene and Tropical Storm Lee since 2011.

Everyones kind of poised once Texas has gotten through the emergency response to advise them on the longer-term recovery, which is really the heart of my report, Leicht said.

Given recent events, Leicht recognized that governments at all levels have not instituted policies to reduce the extent of damage to homes, businesses and infrastructure. They also remain largely unprepared for post-disaster recovery, including how to help their citizens cope after the loss of their homes and property.

The first point is glaringly obvious in Harris County, Texas, which includes Houston, the nations fourth-largest city. According to the Houston Chronicle, more than 360,000 new buildings were built in the county between 2000 and 2015, many in flood plains, which only exacerbated the flooding from Hurricane Harvey.

What is undeniable  there is just such mass development, Leicht said. Theyve been developing in flood plains pretty rapidly.  When you develop in wetlands and bayous, youre taking away natures protection.

Texas Gulf Coast had been hit hard before, notably by Hurricane Ike in 2008, when 28 people died. People at the time called it a wakeup call, but they have not put in the infrastructure yet to really reflect that change, Leicht said. There are projects underway but they also havent prioritized it in a way that it should be prioritized.

Its clear to Leicht that storms are have been growing stronger and more numerous. These concepts of 100-year flood, 500-year flood, they just dont mean anything anymore, she said.

New York, New Jersey and Connecticut are all in the process of building more resilient infrastructure, but it takes a long time, Leicht said.

Connecticut, which was hard hit by Irene in 2011 and Sandy in 2012, has made progress, using $150 million in HUD disaster-relief money as well as $64.5 million awarded in federal competitions after Sandy, according to David Kooris, director of rebuild-by-design and national-disaster-resilience programs for the state Department of Housing.

Our strategy for resilience looks at helping communities better prepare and respond to both acute shocks like hurricanes but also chronic stresses like poverty, Kooris said.

Leichts 41 recommendations include many simple steps, such as a federal disaster relief website that publicizes benefits offered by the Federal Emergency Management Agency, the Small Business Administration (which offers low-interest loans to homeowners who are victims of disasters) and HUD. Others would unify loan and grant programs in a single agency, such as the SBA, and reduce red tape.

Leicht also calls for significant action by states and municipalities to enable redevelopment of devastated areas. State and local governments should not shy away from acquiring at-risk properties  including using life estates, land-banking and even condemnation in rare cases  to facilitate responsible, comprehensive redevelopment of, and/or managed retreat from, vulnerable areas, she writes.

Life estates enable homeowners, particularly elderly residents, to sell their homes to the government while allowing them to continue to live there. Land banking involves buying up properties as they become available, holding them for future redevelopment.

What Harvey shows is we dont have time to waste, Leicht said, and some places are taking action to be prepared for disaster.

In North Carolina, badly hit by Hurricane Floyd in 1999, theyve actually gone through and designated areas that, if theres another flood, theyll go in and buy out homes, Leicht said. That planning process enabled them to do those acquisitions right after Matthew hit [in 2016]  and thats really the time when people want to sell, before youve done anything.

New York state passed legislation that every agency, when its going to fund a project, takes into account climate change and flood risk, Leicht said. They need to bake in mitigation for flood risk and climate change and thats a state directive to all the state agencies.

Even more effective is taking action on a town-by-town level, Leicht said. In Vermont, which was hard hit by Irene, municipal housing staffs actually did major meetings throughout the towns  debriefing of what they did well and didnt do well in Irene. Officials started rolling out some pretty aggressive education campaigns for how people can be better engaged.

That included property owners knowing what options they have concerning their house and financial assistance.

Each town needs to take responsibility for activating their citizenry to be part of that because it needs to get down to that granular level, Leicht said. What really good preparedness looks like at the local level is individuals know how to respond.

Local efforts are even more important now that President Donald Trump has signed an executive order rolling back the 2015 standard set by then-President Barack Obama that required climate change and sea-level rise to be taken into account in federal infrastructure projects.

The federal government backing off some of these lessons learned from Katrina and other disasters [means] its all the more imperative that states and cities take this on themselves, Leicht said. Hurricane Katrina, one of the deadliest storms on record with almost 2,000 deaths, ravaged the Gulf Coast in 2005.

Im hoping that the silver lining of Harvey is that some of those rollbacks will cease, Leicht said.

After the storm

A key for government to being able to redevelop devastated areas is to move quickly to acquire properties, either to redevelop in a more hazard-resistant fashion or to create wetlands and dunes that will resist incoming floods.

I think that there needs to be more recognition that in some places we need to allow more reclamation of the waterfront for natural flood barriers, Leicht said. The evidence is there that, if you have a dune system, thats going to be more protective than seawalls.

Connecticut does have a pretty good history in protecting its wetlands [but] a lot of dunes have been developed over, she said.

Planning for shore development is more important than ever, Leicht said. If you look at climate change, were really looking at complete changes of our waterfront.

At the end of the day, we cant build our way out of storm damage  Theres always going to be one bigger storm that goes over that seawall.

Despite that, she said, Im seeing a lot of new construction of large homes on the waterfront, some with even basements, and that concerns me that were not learning lessons of Sandy and Irene, and memories can be short, even shorter than I expected.

Leicht said shes heard of towns where the zoning board didnt even blink at giving zoning exceptions to setback requirements. It really takes local leadership to do the kind of preparedness thats needed.

Connecticuts progress

Kooris said Connecticut won $10 million from the federal Rebuild by Design competition after Sandy, and $54.5 million from the National Disaster Resilience Competition, both of which drew from HUDs Community Development Block Grant funds. That money was in addition to $150 million in federal disaster-relief money, which was spent primarily on raising homes and infrastructure.

Bridgeport has become a prime example of how Connecticut is spending its federal funds. The big project is a storm-surge protection system, essentially a berm that would keep the water out of the critical infrastructure area, Kooris said. Several power-generation facilities are clustered in one area, which means we can protect them at a neighborhood scale, he said.

Plans are also underway for the raising of some roads for evacuation and for emergency response access and then the green infrastructure for managing rain events, Kooris said.

The Marina Village public housing project in the South End, partly demolished and partly vacant, suffered damage in Hurricane Sandy. The federal grant money sets the stage for Marina Village to be redeveloped as mixed-income housing to replace that damaged public housing, incorporating disaster-resilient features, Kooris said. Its an example of types of economic development that will elevate the whole community, literally and figuratively, he said.

During Sandy, many residents of the South End of Bridgeport lost the contents of their refrigerators due to a loss of power and didnt have the resources necessary to restock, hampering their recovery, Kooris said. Limiting the impacts of poverty in the neighborhood will significantly enhance the communitys ability to recover.

The project will also include a community center to enhance community building and communication. The more neighbors know one another through events at the center, the better prepared they will be to help one another, for example by knowing where disabled residents live, he said.

In New Haven, federal money was used to assess the stormwater management system downtown and on Union Avenue, to study flood protection at Long Wharf and to design bulkhead improvements along the Quinnipiac River south of the Ferry Street bridge, Kooris said. Other money is designated to repair a bulkhead at Brewery Square north of the bridge and to implement erosion control along the East Shore.

More funds will be spent on a regional planning process that is covering all of Fairfield and New Haven counties, which will be launched this fall by the Connecticut Institute for Resilience and Climate Adaptation at the University of Connecticut.

Finally, a 2015 executive order signed by Gov. Dannel Malloy established the State Agency Fostering Resilience Council, which is committed to strengthening the states resiliency to extreme weather events including hurricanes, flooding, extreme heat, and slow onset events such as sea-level rise, according to its website.

When a state agency has a plan update or code update or some ongoing plan update, we would piggyback on that process to incorporate resilience, Kooris said. Examples are updates to the state Department of Administrative Services building codes and the state Division of Emergency Management and Homeland Securitys hazard-mitigation plan.

These resources will support communities up and down the coast to come up with that particular and unique strategy that best prepares them for disasters and prepares them well to recover after disasters, Kooris said.

The exact strategy will be different in each municipality, whether its raising homes, fortifying infrastructure or targeted retreat.

Call Ed Stannard at 203-680-9382.
SALISBURY >> A North Haven man is facing numerous drug and motor vehicle charges after State Police responded to a rollover crash Sept. 1 and found drugs in the vehicle, according to a press release from State Police.

The accident happened at about 10:45 p.m. in the area of Route 112 near Dugway Road, police said.
At the epicenter of the ongoing stalemate between Connecticut Democrats and Republicans over a state budget that should have been in place at least 65 days ago, is the working man.

Monday is Labor Day, the day ...dedicated to the social and economic achievements of American workers.

It constitutes a yearly national tribute to the contributions workers have made to the strength, prosperity, and well-being of our country, according to the description offered by the U.S. Department of Labor.

On this weekend-long celebration of the worker, what remains in contention is how much is going to come out of the workers pocket and how much from the millionaires.

Last June, Gov. Dannel P. Malloys administration negotiated a package with state employee unions that would save the state some $1.57 billion over two years in exchange for no-layoff safeguards.

In July, both houses of the legislature narrowly ratified the deal: Workers endorsed it by 83 to 17 percent.

Critics say the deal ties the hands of future administrations by locking terms in through 2027.

But one of the reasons the state has reached this point is because, historically, the Connecticut legislature has taken little apparent interest in matter of labor contracts.

According to a report released earlier this summer by the states Office of Legislative Research, of the 189 union contracts that have been presented to the General Assembly since 1991,124 passed without a vote in either the House or the Senate.

Under Connecticut law, collective bargaining contracts are considered approved if they have not been voted on within 30 days, even though union members must vote to approve collective bargaining agreements.

Of the remaining contracts, 55 were approved through a vote in both the House and Senate, while 10 were approved by the Senate but not voted on in the House, according to OLR.

Lawmakers proposed numerous bills during the 2017 legislative session to require votes on collective bargaining agreements. Republicans in the House of Representatives, for instance, proposed a rule change that would have required the House to vote on all contracts.

Democrats, with their small majority, blocked it, a disappointing move.

Fixed costs like pension and retiree health benefits are set in collective bargaining agreements and those costs have contributed to the states estimated $5.1 billion deficit.

Historically, according to the OLR report, those past contracts include major pension and health care agreements with the State Employees Bargaining Agent Coalition (SEBAC), wage and hour agreements with individual bargaining units, arbitration awards, and numerous stipulated agreements and memoranda of understanding that make relatively minor revisions to existing bargaining unit contracts.

The unions dont like the idea, of course, but the legislature, the body of individuals elected by the people of Connecticut to represent them, should weigh in on each and every contract.

It might have seemed OK in the past. Now we can see that the past has caught up with us. It wasnt right then, and it certainly isnt in a Connecticut with an ambiguous future.
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Han Solo famously told Luke Skywalker, in the original Star Wars film, that his beloved Corellian freighter may not look like much, but shes got it where it counts. A new Millennium Falcon Lego set definitely looks spectacular and judging by a reveal from the famed toy company, she does have it where it counts.

In order to make that Kessel Run that Solo bragged about, shes gonna have to haul more than 7,500 pieces across the galaxy, as Lego called the ship one of its biggest models ever. And the price tag reflects that, at a whopping $800.
Red Cross and American Medical Response teams and volunteers from Connecticut have deployed, or are currently en route, to Texas to provide aid following the devastating impact of Hurricane Harvey.

Regional Director Bill Schietinger for the East Region of AMR said there are teams across the country responding to requests for crews and ambulances in Texas.

Between (AMR) and our disaster response network providers, we have deployed 200 ambulances, 25 rotary and 29 fixed wing aircraft, Schietinger said.

Specifically from AMR Fairfield County, Schietinger said two paramedics and four EMTs have deployed to Texas.

The AMR CT opeartions have deployed a total of 19 care providers to assist in Texas, he said.

The AMR crews are working with state, local and national agencies to provide emergency and non-emergency transportation, Schietinger said. AMR has also provided incident management teams, non-ambulance EMS teams to assist relief efforts and communications specialists.

Aid from AMR in Connecticut began with Hurricane Katrina in 2005, Schietinger said. The AMR teams from Connecticut were shuttled down for a lengthy deployment.

We kind of threw people in trucks and said get driving, he said.

David Heiden, senior director of emergency services for Red Cross, said there are several thousand volunteers for Red Cross across the country responding to Texas.

From the Rhode Island and Connecticut region, Heiden said there are more than 50 volunteers several of which are from the Fairfield County area  that have deployed or are en route to Texas.

Schietinger said if deployment requests last long, AMR will rotate crews to Texas to relieve the ones that have been deployed.

Crews that go down initially are usually on anywhere from a 14- to 17-day activation, Schietinger said.

In order to get the crews down quickly and efficiently to Texas, he said the AMR crews from Connecticut were flown into San Antonio on commercial airlines and shuttled to AMR staging areas.

But Schietinger said he has to actively work to ensure these deployments dont affect the coverage provided to local communities. Nationwide, AMR has what is called the disaster response team, where employees are able to sign up to participate in assistance during situations like Hurricane Harvey.

Schietinger said once the Federal Emergency Management Agency requests assistance from AMR through the disaster response team, hell look at the schedule to see who can be sent out so it wont impact local coverage.

I have a certain amount of full-time employees and a lot of part-time employees, Schietinger said. Usually well deploy the full-time employees and the part-time employees will cover for them locally.
HAMDEN >> Without a state budget approved, several towns have delayed sending car tax bills.

But Mayor Curt B. Leng said he has waited long enough.

Even though there isnt a state budget in place, motor vehicle tax bills will be sent out with the unofficial 37-mill rate cap proposed by the state. In delaying the bills, Leng said his goal was to avoid the need to send a supplemental bill later in the year.

When the Legislative Council approved the 2017-18 operating budget, the state had not deliberated on legislation for the motor vehicle tax, so residents werent billed at the regular time.

We couldnt afford to wait any later than September to send these out, Leng told residents at the recent Mayors Night out. He said he felt comfortable finally sending out the bills based on numbers Gov. Dannel P. Malloy seems to support.

Lengs office said in a statement the mayor recognizes the incredible inconvenience this situation has caused for taxpayers.

Additionally, the town has communicated daily to impress upon the State the urgent need to complete the budget process to allay taxpayer burden, according to the statement.

Many other municipal leaders, who have been deliberating whether to send bills out or wait for more information from the state, sent bills out at the end of June.

Derby, Waterbury and Ansonia are all waiting for the state to approve a budget, according to their tax collector offices. Earlier this year in June, House Speaker Joe Aresimowicz, D-Berlin, said towns should move forward in sending out bills using the 37-mill rate.

Many towns, including West Haven, Milford and Orange, did mail their car tax bills out on the traditional schedule. Hamden mailed its bills Aug. 30.

Torrington, Newington and Manchester announced they would hold off sending car tax bills until October or when the state approved a budget, as reported by NBC Connecticut.
NEW HAVEN >> Paul Broadie knew hed be pressed to make waffles on the second day of classes at Gateway Community College.

Button-making was not on the schedule.

Students wanting to show their support for Hurricane Harvey victims decided to give out GCC Cares buttons to anyone who donated to the cause.

The buttons had to be made. So Broadie, president this fall at both Housatonic Community College in Bridgeport and Gateway, was called upon to pitch in.

He managed to squeeze in button-making after back-to-back meetings with allied health staff and the development office and before a quick trip up to tour Gateways automotive technology center in North Haven.

Time was tight. He was due back at Gateways downtown campus by 1 p.m. for a conference call meeting with other community college presidents.

Im enjoying it, I really am, the soft spoken Broadie said as he was ushered down a center stairwell at Gateway that is so large students plop down in the middle just to hang out.

Better with faces than names, Broadie professes to be a quick study and uses required Gateway name badges as a fall back.

He is learning his way around. When a student stops to ask this guy in a suit where the book store is, Broadie points her in the right direction.

Familiar territory

Splitting himself in two is not new to Broadie. He traveled between campuses as a vice president at Orange County Community College in New York.

President at Housatonic for three years, Broadies skill set was tapped anew when Gateways long time president Dorsey L. Kendrick retired in June. Broadie was asked to take over the helm of both colleges, indefinitely and is getting a $19,150 stipend on top of his $191, 500 annual salary to do so.

Some consider the arrangement a harbinger of things to come.

Located 20 minutes apart, Gateway and Housatonic are two of 12 community colleges in the Connecticut State College and University system, which like everyone else in the state is trying to do more with less. The system is living on an executive order budget 4 percent less than what it got from the state a year ago. Deeper cuts are possible.

Last spring, system President Mark Ojakian announced the intention to consolidate the 12 colleges into one institution, while allowing each to retain its own identities, missions and campuses.

Gateway will always be Gateway, Broadie said. Housatonic will always be Housatonic. They will always be independent but as a system we have to look for ways to put resources back to our students.

Broadie and his staffs are exploring ways the two urban colleges with very similar demographics can partner, share, but also stand out. Gateway has an automotive technology program that draws students from as far away as Norwalk.

Housatonic has an advanced manufacturing program gaining prominence.

Being on the ground in two places, Broadie said, gives him a chance to see opportunities he otherwise wouldnt. Gateway, he has discovered, has a commendable new student advising process.

Its a model we need to replicate at Housatonic, he said.

He also points out that he is not the only one pulling double duty. The colleges are sharing a dean of administration and finance. Asnuntuck and Tunxis Community Colleges are also sharing President James Lombella.

If its Wednesday it must be...

From the start Broadie mapped out a plan to spend two days a week at Housatonic, two at Gateway and split Fridays down the middle. A good chunk of his lunch hour on Fridays is being stuck in Interstate 95 traffic.

Having strong deans on both campuses keeps him from feeling he should be somewhere else.

I am an email away, Broadie said. If Im here and something is happening at Housatonic, I will just shoot down there.

Traffic free, its a 20 minute ride.

Broadie is described by several members of Gateways staff as drama-free and focused. He listens. Its hard not to when staff try to make the most of a short appointment with a part-time president.

On Wednesday, it was members of Gateways allied health staff bringing Broadie up to speed on a joint venture between Gateway and Housatonic in the area of surgical technology.

I know there is no budget but since you asked, we are in desperate need of a digital CT unit, said Julie Austin, who heads a radiography program, of a Computed Tomography machine that uses special X-ray equipment. The one we have is so old it doesnt give students a good foundation.

Broadie nodded, typed into a small tablet and asks if they had sought donations. The conversation concluded with Broadie asking them to send him a follow up note.

Built for speed

Mary Ellen Cody, Gateways dean of development and community partnerships, also covers a lot of ground in a limited amount of time, discussing some of the colleges most generous donors, partnerships in the works and an Oct. 5 Hall of Fame event that is the foundations major fundraiser of the year.

Can you map out a calendar of events so I can be at all of them and then check with Fiona (Hodgson ) to make sure there are no conflicts, Broadie asks. Hodgson is executive director, Housatonic Community College Foundation and executive director, Institutional Advancement and Resource Development. .

Broadie suggests Gateway invite Housatonics fundraising arm to Gateways event but makes a point of saying the foundations will not be merging.

All giving is local, Broadie said.

The meeting is interrupted briefly by Ben Florsheim, an aide to U.S. Sen. Chris Murphy, who stops by to say hi to the new president.

By noon, Broadie is on his way to Gateways automotive center in North Haven, a 15 minute drive from downtown.

Dan Fuller, chairman of automotive technology is waiting, anxious to show Broadie a shop full of donated GM cars that his second-year students are busy trouble-shooting.

The shop boasts 60 cars  but the one everyone gravitates toward is a bright yellow Corvette.

Offered the chance to get under the hood, Broadie says maybe next time.

Students leave the program with an associates degree and paid internship under their belts, and are on their way to becoming certified technicians.

Fuller gives Broadie his pitch to market the program across the state. There are already relationships between Gateways automotive program and all technical high schools in the state, including Bullard Havens in Bridgeport.

I am thinking you and I need to talk more about taking down those silos that currently exist and expanding our marketing, Broadie tells Fuller.

Absolutely, an excited Fuller responds before Broadie is pulled away.
By PTI: Ahmedabad, Sep 3 (PTI) The Gujarat NCP spokesperson and members of the partys core committee were among more than 500 cadres who quit the party today to join the Congress in presence of its state election in-charge Ashok Gehlot.

According to the Congress, the NCP members from across the state, going to polls later this year, were "miffed" since two MLAs of the Sharad Pawar-led party--Jayant Patel and Kandhal Jadeja--voted for the BJP nominee in the last months Rajya Sabha election against Congress leader Ahmed Patel.

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However, the NCPs official line was that only one of its two MLAs had voted for the BJP during the RS elections.

The NCP and Congress contested the 2012 assembly polls in Gujarat as coalition partners.

"Among prominent local leaders of the NCP who joined the Congress are its state spokesperson Manhar Patel, the core committee members Jeevanbhai Kabariya and Takhatsinh Solanki, Rajkot district president Lalitbhai Katodiya, Tarunbhai Gadhvi, Vijay Patel, and Rajesh Patel among others," the Congress said in a statement.

The Congress said these NCP members were angry over their party acting as the "B-team of the BJP".

"Several senior NCP leaders were today formally inducted into the Congress along with 500 party workers in presence of state Congress unit president Bharatsinh Solanki and the partys election in-charge Ashok Gehlot," it said.

Solanki said the NCP members were unhappy over the "undemocratic" activities of the ruling BJP and they were not interested in continuing with the NCP party leadership.

"The way the BJP and NCP came together during the Rajya Sabha elections is a matter of a grave concern. NCP was an important ally in the UPA government at Centre and in Gujarat, as the party contested the 2012 polls with the Congress. So it was expected from its two MLAs to support Congress Rajya Sabha nominee Ahmed Patel, but they betrayed us," Gehlot said.

Ahmed Patel has welcomed the new inductees, saying their support will strengthen the party ahead of the assembly elections, as per the statement. PTI KA NSK

--- ENDS ---
The latest symptom of Americas deepening political illness is the rise of antifa - short for anti-fascist. Clad in black and armed with clubs or pepper spray, these masked men and women style themselves the bane of neo-Nazis, Ku Klux Klansmen and other extreme rightists wherever the latter may appear. Unlike the use of force by the state, which antifa activists abhor as a matter of vague but intense ultra-left ideology, their violence is righteous  according to them.

Antifa and like-minded offshoots smashed windows and set fires in Washington on Inauguration Day, and committed such crimes again in Berkeley, California, soon after, to disrupt a planned speech by right-wing provocateur Milo Yiannopoulos. They were seen pummeling alleged right-wingers in Berkeley this past weekend, including a man they pushed to the ground and then kicked and punched until a journalist intervened. Whether the victim was or was not an actual fascist is not clear - but antifas indifference to such details is. There is a complete mob mentality here, the Los Angeles Times James Queally reported from the scene. People are randomly accusing random people of being Nazis.
Following Kings Letter

The majority of the approximately 40,000 counterprotesters in Boston, whom Boston Police Commissioner William Evans said were [there] for the right reasons - thats to fight bigotry and hate, demonstrated an appreciation for the words of Martin Luther King Jr. in his Letter from a Birmingham Jail (Letter).

Two important lessons from Kings Letter are: 1) a commitment to nonviolent direct action and that 2) Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere. As we know, the counterprotesters in Boston showed up to protest the bigotry and hatred displayed by the white supremacists and neo-Nazis who demonstrated the week before in Charlottesville.

Based on his tweet praising the Boston counterprotesters for speaking out against bigotry and hate (according to the New York times), I am hopeful that President Trump finally understands why so many people were upset by the actions of the white supremacists and neo-Nazis who supposedly were demonstrating, in Charlottesville, against the planned removal of a statue of Confederate General Robert E. Lee. Trumps previous comments, about Charlottesville, in which he stated the counterprotesters there were equally to blame for the violence in Charlottesville, demonstrated the same ignorance against which King railed in his Letter.

In his Letter, to fellow clergymen, King stated You deplore the demonstrations taking place in Birmingham. But your statement ... fails to express a similar concern for the conditions that brought about the demonstrations. When Trump deplored the demonstrations by counterprotesters in Charlottesville, he similarly failed to express a concern for the fact that white supremacists were chanting racist slogans, heavily armed, and displaying swastikas.

It might also be helpful for Trump to know that the statue of Lee in Charlottesville wasnt erected until 1924. According to Town and Country Magazine, like many similar monuments, this statue was likely constructed as a monument to Jim Crow segregation rather than to pay tribute to Civil War dead.

In the aforementioned tweet, Trump predicted America will heal and will soon come together as one. It is my earnest hope that this is correct.

 Ed Selender Derby

Can America survive Trump?

The recent pardon of ex-Sheriff Joe Arpaio of Arizona by President Trump may be legal but it certainly is putting the cart before the horse. This pardon brings to mind both a book and a movie I recall. The book, written by Franz Kafka, is about a man who is brought to trial, found guilty and executed without being told what he was tried for. The Trump pardon seems to be the reverse. The movie (whose title I cannot recall) has a scene in it that goes like this: Adolf Hitler has committed a terrible crime and it is witnessed by several people. Hitler calls upon one of his most devoted followers and instructs him to eliminate those eyewitnesses. The loyal follower returns to Hitler to inform him that all the eyewitnesses have been eliminated. And, he tells Hitler that only he and himself are now the only witnesses who know the truth. Hitler responds, and now eliminate yourself. Can America survive President Trump? I think our country is basically sound and the present leadership even with being beyond an anomaly. This inferno of modern bureaucracy (from Kafkas book) may well be causing many people some kind of catharsis. But not to worry, it will be over, hopefully in around 40 months.

 Marvin Cohen Hamden

Help available for families of addicts

I just finished reading James Walkers article on Opioids? The silent question nobody is asking, and I would like to remind people there is also help for the families of addicts.

Nar-Anon Family Groups are a worldwide fellowship for those affected by someone elses addiction. As a 12 Step Program, we offer our help and support by sharing our experience, strength and hope.

Please contact 2-1-1 or go to www.nar-anon.org to find a meeting in your area.

 Maxine Wallace Hamden
Labor Day 2017 might be a cause for celebration. This is the third-longest economic expansion in history -- almost 100 months. Unemployment is approaching a 16-year low, and employers are looking to hire.

Yet for many working- and middle-class families across America, these good tidings are overshadowed by a sobering reality: Wages and their purchasing power remain flat.

This is a long-term trend, decades in the making. More recently, affluent Americans have recovered beautifully from the Great Recession; most workers have not.

While economists debate the causes and cures, the political implications are profound. These economic struggles and the demise of the centerpiece of the American dream -- that kids will enjoy a more prosperous life than their parents -- played a role in Donald Trump's victory last year.

Most of his support came from reliably Republican voters, and some of it from his appeal to bigotry and the anybody-but-Hillary chorus. What made the difference, on the margins, in the important electoral states of Pennsylvania, Michigan and Wisconsin was an alienation, even despair, among some working-class voters. They used to be Democrats, but last year they became part of the Trump base.

Trump shrewdly pandered to their fears, blaming all the problems on bad trade deals, immigration and Washington elitists. It's instructive to recall that some of the same voters were attracted to Bernie Sanders for different reasons. "Nothing is working" was the reasoning, so why not radical change?

These voters will sour on Trump if he fails to deliver on his promise to increase the number of better-paying jobs. "Nothing Trump is doing will help raise wages more for this base," predicts Alan Krueger, who was chairman of the Council of Economic Advisers under President Barack Obama and is an expert on wage patterns.

Trump seems to have forgotten pledges he made as a candidate, like raising the minimum wage to $10 from $7.25 an hour. He commanded headlines by pressuring Carrier not to transfer better-paying jobs from Indiana to Mexico; less attention was paid to the company's recent announcement laying off hundreds of workers at that American plant.

The president continues to claim that deporting millions of undocumented workers and limiting new immigrants will raise wages for American workers. Many economic studies dispute this; the effect would be that low-paying, unskilled jobs go unfilled. Likewise, while global trade deals have helped some sectors and hurt others, the protectionist measures the administration is espousing won't reverse this and would cause damage.

Last week Trump claimed his sweeping corporate tax cuts will bring a big boost in wages. "Corporate tax reform will boost wages for CEOs," says Lawrence Katz, a Harvard labor economist. "It would have a pretty modest effect on most workers."

One Trump notion, Katz says, would be a big boost: a huge infrastructure program that would create high-paying jobs and longer-term productivity gains. But the White House has put infrastructure on the back burner behind health care and tax cuts.

The wage problem has bedeviled all recent presidents. There are many explanations: globalization and technology; reduced clout of labor unions; lower productivity; the replacement of some older employees by lower-paid younger workers; and insufficient investments in education and development of job skills.

Democrats believe one small help would be to raise the minimum wage, which at $7.25 hasn't gone up in nine years. Conservatives point to studies showing a negative impact on jobs in places like Seattle, which is increasing the level to $15 an hour. Krueger, who has extensively researched the issue, says other studies arrive at different conclusions, and he believes increasing the rate to $12 over four or five years would have net benefits.

Overall, little is likely to happen, and the lethal politics won't go away. The voters' anger last year "reflects the downward pressure on incomes for so many Americans," said Roger Altman, a Wall Street executive and economic adviser to Democrats. He predicts that "unless the weak wage trends of recent years are corrected, which is unlikely, there may be much more election volatility ahead."

---

Hunt is a Bloomberg View columnist. He was the executive editor of Bloomberg News, before which he was a reporter, bureau chief and executive Washington editor at the Wall Street Journal.
By PTI: Jammu, Sept 3 (PTI) Pakistani troops today violated ceasefire twice by firing on forward posts across the Line of Control (LoC) in Jammu and Kashmirs Poonch and Kupwara districts forcing the Army to retaliate, officials said today.

"The Pakistan Army initiated unprovoked and indiscriminate firing of small arms, automatics and mortars from 0850 hours to 1000 hours in the Krishna Ghati sector in Poonch along the LoC," a Defence spokesman said.

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The Army retaliated strongly and effectively to the provocation, he said.

In north Kashmirs Kupwara district, the Pakistani forces began firing upon Indian posts at midnight and the violation continued till today morning, an official said.

"The Pakistani troops resorted to unprovoked firing on Indian posts along the LoC in Karnah sector in Kupwara," an Army official said.

The firing was effectively retaliated by the troops, he added.

Earlier, on September 1, Assistant Sub Inspector (ASI) Kamaljit Singh of the Border Security Force (BSF) sustained bullet injuries due to enemy fire from across the LoC at a forward post in Krishna Ghati Sector, an officer said.

He was provided first aid and evacuated from the post but unfortunately succumbed to the injuries, he said.

Before that, on August 30, Pakistani troops resorted to firing and shelling in the Nowshera sector, targeting forward posts and civilian areas.

On August 27, five civilians, including a woman and two minor boys, were injured in a ceasefire violation by Pakistani troops in the Shahpur belt of Poonch district.

A day before, on August 26, BSF troops had retaliated against violations and killed three Pak rangers. On August 25, a BSF Jawan was injured in sniper fire by Pak rangers along the international border in Jammu.

On August 23, senior Army commanders of India and Pakistan held a flag meeting on the LoC in Poonch sector and agreed to institute mechanisms for durable peace and tranquillity.

The two sides agreed to keep channels of communication open between local commanders at the LoC, a spokesman had said.

The year 2017 has seen a sharp increase in ceasefire violations by Pakistani forces.

Till August 1, there were 285 such violations by the Pakistan Army, while in 2016 the number was significantly less at 228 for the entire year, according to the Army figures. PTI AB/SSB/MIJ ADS

--- ENDS ---
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 ...
Aduba Victor Nonso, a 28-year-old ex-soldier from Onitsha North Local Government Area of Anambra State, has disclosed how he spent over N3million which billionaire kidnapper, Chukwudumeme Onwuamadike (popularly known as Evans) gave him for participating in several alleged crimes.According to the ex-soldier, who said he joined the Nigeria Army on August 15, 2009 and was posted to Abati Barracks, women and hotels bills drained the money and reduced him to poverty.In an interview with Vanguard, Aduba said: My income was low and it wasnt enough to fend for my family. One of my friends who is also from my home town known as Ikenna, led me into crime. He brought one of his friends, known as Skudo. They told me that Skudo was an importer. He told me that he imported clothes from China and we became friends. I used to escort him to his village whenever he was travelling and he paid me handsomely.Sometime in January 2015, he called me and asked that I should meet him at Ago-Palace Way where he claimed he lived with his family.He told me that there was a man owing him money and he needed me to come with my army uniform so that I could intimidate the man with my uniform. When I got there I saw Skudo, Ikenna, Evans and another person inside the car.The front seat was empty and I entered and sat on it. We drove towards Ajao Estate. Ikenna and Skudo brought out two rifles and when I saw them, I was shocked. I asked what they were doing but Evans gave me a hot slap. He told me that I was now part of their group. Then they brought out a cup filled with gin and a bullet in it and they asked me to swear never to disclose what I saw to anyone.After that Evans got a call from someone about someone he had been monitoring. Evans drove fast and he caught up with the person and kidnapped him. Skudo, Ikenna and the other man came out of the vehicle and kidnapped the man. While on our way, I saw a man on a power bike and I suspected he was the person giving information to Evans.He asked us to all alight from the vehicle and gave me N5000, promising to call me. One month later, Skudo called and gave N200,000 as my share, saying the balance of the money would be paid later. One month after that Skudo called again and said Evans said I should come for my balance. When I got to Ago and entered his vehicle, I sat in the front and we drove into Festac Town where we kidnapped a man.One month after, Skudo called and gave me N1.8million as my share. I also took part in two other kidnappings in Amuwo Odofin and Satellite Towns where I was given N800,000 each as my share. Evans didnt pay me for the last operation and he stopped calling me for jobs.I spent most of the money on women and hotels. I also got married with part of the money.
Borno State Emergency Management Agency Boss Engr Satomi Ahmed alongside Caretaker Chairman Bama Local Council Hon Babashehu Gulumba, visited Banki community to commiserate with the victims and entire people of Banki, over Boko Haram attack on Sallah Day.

The insurgents in the early hours of Friday invaded the Internally Displaced Persons, IDPs, camp in Banki town, bordering Cameroon, killed eleven people and wounded two.

The group was said to have infiltrated the camp which has about 45,000 persons, attacking, killing and injuring their victims quietly with knives.

They were also said to have carted away food belonging to the displaced persons.

The terrorists used knives instead of firearms or explosives in order not to alert soldiers at the military base adjacent to the camp. However, soldiers were reportedly alerted once the attack was discovered and moved in to dislodge the insurgents.

At around 12:30 am (2330 GMT Thursday ) this morning some Boko Haram terrorists broke the barricade securing the IDP camp from the rear towards the Cameroon border and entered to seize food from IDPs, a senior military officer in the town told AFP.

"They killed 11 IDPs and wounded two in the attack, said the military officer who declined to be named.

Adamu Ahmad, a member of a civilian militia charged with protecting the Banki camp, who confirmed the incident said:






The federal government has declared that two firms allegedly involved in illegal mining may have taken out minerals worth over N100 billion.Yinka Oyebode, an aide to the Minister of Mines and Steel Development, Kayode Fayemi, quoted the minister as saying this in a recent meeting with staff of his ministry.Recall that eight Chinese nationals and about a dozen Nigerians were arrested in Plateau for allegedly working for the firms involved the mining.The suspects were later released while the firm involved denied that its mining activities were illegal.In a statement on Sunday, Mr. Oyebode, however, said the suspects activities was of concern to the federal government.
The Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) has warned that another civil war is imminent if the federal and state governments failed to step up efforts in dousing the tension of ethnic division in the country.In its Sallah message, Samson Ayokunle, the CAN president, warned that no country has ever survived two civil wars.In a statement signed by Bayo Oladeji, his spokesman, the CAN leader congratulated Muslim faithful in Nigeria on the celebration of this years Eid-el-Kabir.Ayokunle urged them to abide by the teachings of the Quran and be pious in their dealings.It is high time that the government at all levels wake up to their responsibilities with a view to reducing the economic hardship and the tension in the land because no country has ever survived two civil wars, the statement read.As faithful Muslims celebrate this years Eid-el-Kabir to commemorate Prophet Ibrahims obedience to Allah, it is imperative to remind them what the Holy Quran says that: It is not their meat nor their blood that reaches Allah. It is your piety that reaches Him.I urge the Muslim leaders in the country to join hands with us in our vision to have a nation where social justice, equity, peace, unity and progress are her hallmarks.It is also imperative to remind them that their piety should go beyond the celebrations in order to compliment the efforts of the government in making the dream of our founding fathers a reality.The Christian body enjoined politicians in the country to fulfill their campaign promises during the last election.Their words should be their bound, Ayokunle said.We are tired of hearing billions and trillions of naira they are sharing among the three tiers of government in Abuja with little or nothing to show on ground.The time has come when our leaders must be held accountable for our Commonwealth under their watch.
A pan Yoruba socio-cultural group known as Afenifere has weighed in on the recent calls for the re-arrest of the Leader of the Indigenous people of Biafra(IPOB), Nnamdi Kanu.



In a recent interview with Punch, the national publicity secretary of the group, Yinka Odumakin implied that only people from the Northern region of the country seek the re-arrest of Kanu.



He said;



To start with, experience has shown that arrest cannot resolve the question of self-determination. Two years ago, who knew Nnamdi Kanu? Maybe he was just on the Internet or Radio Biafra. But when he was arrested and detained for over a year he became popular.



You realise today that when he is addressing crowds in the South-East, thousands gather and follow (him). They (government) made him popular. If they rearrest him, they are going to further popularise him and bring into focus the issues he is fighting for. Why dont they deal with the issues, solve the nationality question and render his achievements ineffective? His arrest will not resolve the matter. Even if they sentence Kanu to death today, another person will rise  once they refuse to resolve the matter.



On the other hand, when you talk about the rule of law, that lady that symbolises justice is blindfolded. The essence of that is, she is no respecter of persons  she delivers justice to whoever offends the law. But then, you begin to go after Kanu and some people get up in Arewa land to say leave our land. The Kaduna governor says, Go and arrest them.



The vice president says, Arrest them. The minister of interior then says, No, they said they were misquoted. The thing the minister said they were misquoted on, they sat with governors from the North to say they were suspending the order (notice to quit given to Igbo in the North), and they were holding a press conference in Sheraton.



In fact, one of the (Arewa) youths, when they were looking for them, said, If Im declared wanted, I will give myself up. Even (for security agents) to invite them for a 30-minute chat and let them go, they didnt do that. When you refuse to do that, you create problems for the rule of law; you show that theres a double standard. That is not how to build an inclusive country.



Not that we endorse everything that Kanu is doing, but we are saying in order not to overheat the polity, what we need now is (for the Federal Government) to address the issues that have given rise to agitations. If we begin the process of restructuring this country, the separatist groups will be at bay. But if we dont address these issues, youre giving them, added energy.



When asked about Kanu's violation of his bail conditions, Odumakin said;



When you are granted bail, that is not the end of the matter. The bail means you can go home while the case continues. They have a case in court; let them go to the court. It goes beyond the whole question of courts. Kanu has not been put before the court for killing anybody, burning property or doing anything wrong. All they are taking him to court for is for statements they said he made.



Arewa youths made statements that threatened the unity of the country; they (government) said they should be arrested. The police did not arrest them. The minister of interior came out and started making excuses that the youths said they were misquoted.



Why didnt he say Kanu said he was misquoted? Now, those who are in favour of (Kanus) re-arrest are from the same section of the country where the Arewa youths come from. People can begin to draw insinuations that they are quick to ask for Kanus re-arrest because he is not from their section of the country, while they are shielding those who are from their section of the country. Thats why Im talking about inclusiveness. So, it goes beyond taking Kanu to court. Its on the basis of the same question of what Kanu said that they arrested him in the first place. Arewa youths made pronouncements that threatened the unity of Nigeria.



To date, the police could not invite them for a chat; (not) even to take them to a five-star hotel and interrogate them over drinks, pepper soup and groundnuts. To let them be roaming free and even for the minister of interior to be making very lame and unintelligent excuses for them  what kind of country are you building? The boys never said they were misquoted.



When they suspended their notice to quit, they repeated everything they said. That minister should have resigned by now. We are not holding the fort for Kanu at all. We are saying if you want to apply the law, you must apply it evenly; not a law for a section and another law for another section. That cannot work. In fact, that will create more problems and give more sympathy to Kanu.
Provincial police spokesman Lieutenant-Colonel Moatshe Ngoepe said the manhunt was launched after Tshepi Kotelo and her mother Makila Chileki 62 were found dead inside their home in Ntwane Village near Dennilton last Sunday, August 27.

Ngoepe said both Tshepi and Chileki had multiple gunshot wounds when they were discovered. He said Tshepis official firearm and two magazines were also missing. Tshepi was working as a traffic officer at the Globlersdal Traffic Station in Sekhukhune.

It is alleged that the suspect confronted the two deceased shot them and fled the scene Ngoepe said.

He said preliminary investigations revealed that the suspect was Tshepis boyfriend who fled the scene in a green Toyota Conquest. Ngoepe said the car was later found abandoned at the Siyabuswa petrol filling station. He urged members of the public to come forward with information.

New details said the suspect had been updating his Facebook timeline with messages supporting anti-women abuse campaigns.

On the day of the tragic incident, at exactly1.36am he posted this message: "Do for love be a brother 4 love life."

Three minutes later , his timeline was updated with a picture of himself walking two fierce-looking dogs.

A day before he murdered the women, at 8.52am , his Facebook update was a loving picture of the couple attending a public event. The photo is framed with anti-women abuse message.

Kotelo's family told Sowetan on Tuesday that she had sought a protection order against the suspect after he had beaten her up more than once.

But the man's social media profile paints him as someone supporting the campaign against violence on women.

The man, who is in his 30s, had used profile picture frames supporting the cause at least three times this year.

In other updates, the man posted lovebirds pictures of himself and Kotelo, accompanied by messages such as "Respect women" and "These queen gives me love so I protect her. Guys be man enough ... stop the ongoing abuse ..."

On August 14, he posted: "When you love someone just fight for her no matter how hard it is cos love is power ..."

But a post four days later , at 12.18am , suggested trouble in paradise: "I suppose I could just walkaway"

Source: Sowetan
By PTI: (Eds: rpting after changing slug)

Jammu, Sept 3 (PTI) Pakistani troops today violated ceasefire by shelling and firing on forward posts across the Line of Control (LoC) in Jammu and Kashmirs Poonch district, forcing the Army to retaliate, an official said.

"The Pakistan Army initiated unprovoked and indiscriminate firing of small arms, automatics and mortars from 0850 hours to 1000 hours in the Krishna Ghati sector in Poonch along the LoC," a Defence spokesman said.

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The Army retaliated strongly and effectively to the provocation, he said.

This is second ceasefire violation by the Pakistan Army this month.

On September 1, Assistant Sub Inspector (ASI) Kamaljit Singh of the Border Security Force (BSF) sustained bullet injuries due to enemy fire from across the LoC at a forward post in Krishna Ghati Sector, an officer said.

He was provided first aid and evacuated from the post but unfortunately succumbed to the injuries, he said.

Before that, on August 30, Pakistani troops resorted to unprovoked firing and shelling in the Nowshera sector, targeting forward posts and civilian areas.

On August 27, five civilians, including a woman and two minor boys, were injured in ceasefire violation by Pakistani troops in the Shahpur belt of Poonch district.

A day before, on August 26, BSF troops had retaliated against violations and killed three Pak rangers. On August 25, a BSF Jawan was injured in sniper fire by Pak rangers along the international border in Jammu.

On August 23, senior Army commanders of India and Pakistan held a flag meeting on the LoC in Poonch sector and agreed to institute mechanisms for durable peace and tranquillity.

The two sides agreed to keep the channels of communication open between local commanders at the LoC, a spokesman had said.

The year 2017 has seen a sharp increase in ceasefire violations by Pakistani forces.

Till August 1, there were 285 such violations by the Pakistan Army while in 2016, the number was significantly less at 228 for the entire year, according to the Army figures. PTI AB ADS

--- ENDS ---
The President of Turkey, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, has congratulated President Muhammadu Buhari on his recovery from an undisclosed ailment that held him down for over 100 days in London, United Kingdom (UK).A statement signed by Buharis Senior Special Assistant on Media and Publicity, Garba Shehu, and made available to newsmen on Saturday said: the Turkish leader also exchanged Eid greetings with President Buhari.The two leaders also discussed at length, the forthcoming 9th Summit of D8, the Organisation for Economic Cooperation at the end of October in Istanbul.Mr Erdogan extended an invitation to President Buhari for his participation. President Buhari expressed his gratitude for the good wishes, the statement added.
Nnamdi Kanu

The Arewa Consultative Form has explained why recognizing IPOB leader, Nnamdi Kanu is the same with rewarding bad behaviour.

Anthony Sani, the Secretary General of the sociopolitical group, Arewa Consultative Forum, tells BAYO AKINLOYE that the Igbo leaders have tacitly endorsed hate speech by the Indigenous People of Biafra

Some northern elders have said Igbo leaders are trivialising the hate campaign and divisive activities of Nnamdi Kanu and the Indigenous People of Biafra. What do you think?

Hate speech is a serious issue that is capable of splitting the country through avoidable conflagration or war. Yet, Igbo leaders have tended to tacitly endorse the hate speech by the Indigenous People of Biafra through their reticence until very recently  and despite their knowledge of dire experiences of civil war.

The northern leaders have equally been accused of shielding northern youths said to be guilty of inciting others to violence through the notice to quit they issued to Igbo living in that region. Dont you agree with that?

To accuse northern leaders of shielding the northern youths is most unfair. We say the accusation is most unfair because northern leaders did not support the notice to quit. For example, the Arewa Consultative Forum said even though it appreciated the youths frustrations with the activities of IPOB, the forum did not support the notice to quit because it was unconstitutional and illegal. We said two wrongs do not make a right. Hence, we did not support it. The Northern Governors Forum did not support the notice to quit. The same way the Northern Elders Forum did not support it except one member who supported it out of his anger at the activities of IPOB. After the notice to quit, northern governors and their leaders made a spirited effort and pressured the northern youths to withdraw the ultimatum given to the Igbo to leave the North  this has come to pass. So, how have the northern leaders supported violence through the notice to quit? We should be fair in apportioning blame.

The northern youths have been persuaded by the northern governors and northern leaders to withdraw the notice to quit. This has gone a long way in dousing the tension. To me, that is a heartening development which should attract plaudits from all well-meaning Nigerians  and not from northern governors and northern leaders alone.

Many in the South-South and South-East are saying the youths ought to have been arrested and prosecuted for making inciting comments. Is that a genuine call?

While it is correct to say that the notice to quit was illegal and could encourage hoodlums to take advantage (of the situation) and cause mayhem, I am not sure it was directly inciting as alleged; more so that the youths have denied making such incitement.

Do you support the rearrest of Nnamdi Kanu?

This is a legal matter of which I am not an authority. You would note that Nnamdi Kanu was arraigned on charges of treasonable felony and was granted bail on medical grounds with clearly spelt out conditions which he accepted of his own volition. But Kanu has observed the bail conditions more in the breach. This has tested the will of the Federal Government which has gone to court to either enforce the bail conditions or have him rearrested. But some other people believe that Kanus rearrest will make him a political factor in the polity. To this group, it is better to ignore Kanu, while some others are of the view that the Federal Government should dialogue with Kanu and bring about a political solution. But, do we now reward bad behaviours with recognition and concessions by playing up Danegeld in Biafra? To me  unless it is impossible  I would prefer that the law should take its course.

Do you think the Federal Government has dealt fairly with Kanu, incarcerating him for months without being tried?

I am not sure his trial hasnt begun. The delay in trying Kanu cannot be laid at the door of the Federal Government which is not expected to force the judiciary that is well known for its goodness in delay. Even Mr. President (Muhammadu Buhari) has himself expressed his regimes frustration with the judiciary in the delay of cases that have to do with corruption. So, the case of Kanu cannot be treated in isolation of how the judiciary treats cases in Nigeria. Mind you, the delay by the judiciary is responsible for many indicted people in the legislature making laws for us.

Do you think Kanus agitation for an independent state of Biafra is wrong?

I think the concern is in the methods of the agitation employed by IPOB, which include the use of uncouth language capable of incitement. He even used the word zoo to depict Nigeria and in blithe disregard for the fact that this same term was used in Rwanda to cause ethnic cleansing with dire consequences. There are countries where agitations for the split have taken place without the resort to the use of foul language and hate speech as we have experienced with IPOB. We have Catalonia in Spain; Quebec in Canada; and Scotland in Britain. Why should there be hate speech that is capable of incitement?

Your group publicly condemned the stance of Igbo leaders concerning Kanu. Some believe it would have been better for northern leaders to discuss the issue with them without making a public condemnation. Do you agree that your public denunciation of the role being played by the Igbo leaders can worsen the already bad situation?

While I agree that dialogue is preferred to an altercation in a democracy which is a contest of ideas and reasons, your position is a matter of judgment. Those who encourage dialogue in the case of IPOB ignore the dire consequences of rewarding bad behaviours with recognition and a form of concession. We must discourage threats and intimidation in a democracy which is a contest of ideas and reasons. It is not a bullfight.

Some people believe that to set a good precedent both Kanu and the Arewa youths should be arrested and prosecuted by the police. Do you share that view?

While I share the view that two wrongs do not make a right, it is important to be realistic. The (Arewa) youths were spurred into issuing the notice to quit by their frustration arising from the activities of IPOB  more so now that they have been persuaded to withdraw the notice to quit; which they have withdrawn. That underscores the impression that the two offences do not have the same weight nor can it be treated the same way.

There was an anti-Igbo song composed in Hausa that went viral on the Internet. No one has been arrested for that. Do you think the government and security agencies lack the will power to tackle hate speech in the country?

You would note there have been many instances of crimes in this country which perpetrators are not arrested immediately, either due to the need for thorough investigations or due to shortcomings by the authorities. The delay in the arrest of those who sang the hate song may not be due to the dearth in will power but due to the need for thorough investigations or shortcomings on the part of the security. It is important to note this point lest anyone ascribe wrong impressions on why they have yet to be arrested.

Do you support the fact that Kanu and others in the South-East have the right to demand an independent state of Biafra?

They have the right to demand anything within the law.

Do you agree that the South-East people are the most marginalised region in the country?

I find it very difficult to share the view that the South-East is the most marginalised (region). I recall President (Goodluck) Jonathan once said, when he was the governor of Bayelsa State, he thought the Ijaw were the most marginalised. But, when he became the president, he discovered every ethnic nationality in Nigeria claimed to be marginalised, and he began to wonder who was marginalising who. We better note that since 1970, the Igbo have been part and parcel of the Federal Government as the vice president; senate president; speaker of House of Representatives; secretary to Government of the Federation; coordinating minister; ministers; governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria; service chiefs; and as national chairman of the ruling party. The South-East held sway under Jonathan for five years. For them to still play victim may be understood but not acceptable. Nigeria has about 371 ethnic nationalities, most of which have not enjoyed ingress to the Federal Government compared to the Igbo.

The Hausa, whom the Igbo malign so much, have produced only Gen. Murtala Mohammed as head of state who ruled for only six months and died in the same circumstances like the Igbos Gen. (Johnson) Aguiyi-Ironsi  who also ruled for six months. Yet, the Hausa do not play the victim of marginalisation like the Igbo. Nigeria is going through hard times. But hard times should bring about national grandeur; bring about purposeful leadership at all levels and the best of everyone across the nation. I also believe the Igbo should note that the certain benefits of our togetherness in a big country are far more than the uncertain gains of the split. No country is without challenges  was there such a country, there would be no need for government. Our situation is not beyond redemption.

***

Culled from Sunday Punch
The Coalition of Niger Delta Agitators has said it will renew its attacks on oil installations in the Niger Delta on September 10.

The Coalition of Niger Delta Agitators has said it will renew its attacks on oil installations in the Niger Delta on September 10.It also stated that the notice to quit issued to Hausa and Yoruba in the Niger Delta had not been withdrawn.Our intelligence department has given us the list of the oil wells owned by the northerners. The northerners have over 90 per cent of the oil wells and the Yoruba have about seven per cent, while the Igbo have about two per cent and the Niger Delta people do not have up to one per cent of the oil wells.We are not talking only about the notice to quit; we are also talking about the Niger Delta Republic. We have seen that the Federal Government is not serious about the Niger Delta issue. Let me make a point here; the Academic Staff Union of Universities is on strike and the government has set up a committee to engage in a dialogue with ASUU.This has never happened in the case of the Niger Delta; the Federal Government has never inaugurated a committee to handle the Niger Delta issue. The only language the Federal Government seems to understand is violence. September 10 is the day we will resume attacks (on oil installations). By September 10, which is on Sunday, over 5,000 members of the Niger Delta Coalition of Agitators will shut down no less than over 20 platforms, the group told newsmenon Saturday.Similarly, the coalition refuted the claim that it gave the Pan Niger Delta Peoples Congress the mandate to withdraw the notice.The CNDA had in August told northerners and Yoruba to leave before October 1 or be forced out of the region.The leader of the Niger Delta agitators, John Duku, added, We have not given anybody any mandate to withdraw the notice to quit we issued. On the group (PNDPC) talked about, we have said we are not working with this set of old people again. The composition of that group is not different from that of PANDEF.Already, we are talking with leaders of ethnic nationalities and if at the end, we reach a conclusion, we will make it public. Nobody will withdraw the notice on our behalf  we will do that. The fact is that those that announced the withdrawal of the notice are not the ones that issued it. We dont know them.
In a bid to tighten their grip on religious activities in the country, authorities in China have banned children from attending churches...

In a bid to tighten their grip on religious activities in the country, authorities in China have banned children from attending churches.The new directive also prohibits them from attending religious sermons and other related activities across the country.Control on the countrys churches began several years ago when places of worship were ordered to remove crosses from their buildings in Zhejiang Province.William Nee, researcher for Amnesty International told MailOnline: At this point its unclear how widespread the ban on children attending church services are in China, but these alarming reports seem to be coming in from fairly diverse areas throughout the country.Speaking further, Nee said that the move reflects the tightening control of religion in particular Islam and Christianity under the present administration in the Asian country.Her told MailOnline that: In an important speech on religion last year, the President, Xi Jinping, said that young people must study science, believe in science and develop a correct worldview and set of values.It could be that the government is concerned that young people going to church or religious activities may challenge their monopoly on truth and the governments ability to instill its own historical narratives and worldview through the public education system.
Immediate past president, Goodluck Jonathan has called on well meaning Nigerians to come to the aid of victims of the flood disaster in Ben...

Immediate past president, Goodluck Jonathan has called on well meaning Nigerians to come to the aid of victims of the flood disaster in Benue State.

Jonathan, while commiserating with victims of the unfortunate incident, described the disaster as most unfortunate.





He said, I commiserate with the people of Benue state over the recent massive floods that appear to have affected over 100,000 people. Coming at a time when some members of the Muslim Ummah in Benue celebrate Eid-el-Kabir, this catastrophe is even more unfortunate.





My heart goes out to all of the victims of the flood as they grapple with this event and I pray for divine intervention for them.





I humbly and respectfully appeal to well meaning individuals in Nigeria and abroad to come to the aid of the government and people of Benue state because the sheer scale of the flood might put an unbearable strain on the resources of the state government.





My family and I will continue to pray for those affected by the floods and urge all Nigerians to do the same.
A delegation of the Forum of Former Ministers of the Peoples Democratic Party and other prominent members of the party on Saturday paid S...

A delegation of the Forum of Former Ministers of the Peoples Democratic Party and other prominent members of the party on Saturday paid Sallah visit to ex- President Dr. Goodluck Ebele Jonathan in his Abuja residence.

Members of the delegation included chairman of the Forum and former Minister of Special Duties and Intergovernmental Affairs Alhaji Kabiru Tanimu Turaki, former Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Alhaji Bala Mohammed and former Minister of Environment Mr. John Ode.








The Presidency has denied a report by Sahara Reporters on Sunday, September 3, which claimed President Muhammadu Buhari will leave Abuja on...



The Presidency has denied a report by Sahara Reporters on Sunday, September 3, which claimed President Muhammadu Buhari will leave Abuja on Monday, September 4, 2017 for a trip to Washington, DC. The online news platform had said in its report that the trip from Nigeria to the US is reportedly at the invitation of President Donald Trump.



But President Buhari's personal assistant on social media, Lauretta Onochie in a tweet said the report was totally untrue.





Earlier, Nigerian Eye reported that online news platform, Sahara Reporters, said a Nigerian presidency source stated that Trump extended the invitation last February, shortly after his inauguration.

The media house also reports that Buhari is scheduled to leave his hometown, Daura, by helicopter at 9:15 am on Monday, September 4, for Katsina airport.





From the airport, he will fly out at 10 am aboard a presidential jet to Washington, DC.





Also, Minister of Information and Culture, Lai Mohammed this afternoon released a statement saying the news of President Buhari traveling to the US, which has been credited to him, is fake.





In the statement released by his Special Assistant, Segun Adeyemi, Lai Mohammed, said a parody twitter created in his name was used to disseminate the information that President Buhari was traveling to the US to condole with President Trump over the recent Texas flood. Lai Mohammed said Nigerians should disregard this news as it is fake. Read the statement below





The Minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, has urged Nigerians to disregard the fake news being circulated via a parody Twitter account and an old NTA news video that President Muhammadu Buhari is traveling or has traveled to the US.





In a statement issued in Lagos on Sunday, the Minister said one of the numerous parody Twitter accounts in his name, @MohammedLai, was used to disseminate the fake and ludicrous news that claims that President Buhari is due to leave Nigeria for the USA on Monday ''to condole with President Trump over the floods in Houston''.





Also, he said, an old NTA News video being circulated on the Social Media claims that President Buhari has already left for the UN General Assembly in New York.





''This is a 2015 NTA News video that was repackaged to look current, and to give the impression that the President left Daura, where he is celebrating Eid-el-Kabir, directly for New York,'' Alhaji Mohammed said.





He said Nigerians should disregard any news credited to any account in his name, either on Twitter or Facebook, adding: ''Numerous parody accounts have been opened in my name on the two platforms, when indeed I have no Twitter or Facebook accounts.''





The Minister recalled how the same parody Twitter account used to disseminate the fake news about the President's purported trip was employed to circulate a fake report that he sharply criticized Senator Dino Melaye for attending the Notting Hill Carnival in the UK.





He said these two instances highlight the dangers posed to the polity by the purveyors of fake news and disinformation, and vowed that the Federal Government would soon fish out those behind the shenanigans.





''Fake news, disinformation and hate speech are the antics of the naysayers, those who are pathologically opposed to this Administration. That is why we are urging Nigerians to be more discerning and to double check any information emanating from the Social Media,'' Alhaji Mohammed said.




The United Kingdom is cracking down in the barbaric crime of modern slavery, International Development Secretary Priti Patel announced i...

The United Kingdom is cracking down in the barbaric crime of modern slavery, International Development Secretary Priti Patel announced in Nigeria, as she called for a world free from this abhorrent trade.Ms Patel, who spoke when she met with survivors of modern slavery in a safe house in Lagos, announced a support of 7 million to provide alternative livelihoods for potential victims of trafficking and modern slavery, including support for those who become victims to help them reintegrate into society and protect them from re-trafficking  reducing a crime that directly affects the UK. Information has it that Nigeria is the fourth largest source of human trafficking to the UK and International Organisation for Migration (IOM) estimates that approximately 80% of girls arriving to Europe from Nigeria are potential victims of trafficking for sexual exploitation.During a joint visit to Nigeria alongside Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson, Ms Patel raised the issue of trafficking at the highest levels in government and challenged the political and cultural acceptance of modern slavery, a trade which earns more for criminals around the world than any other, apart from the illegal drug trade.International Development Secretary Priti Patel said:It is shameful that in the 21st Century the evil crime of modern slavery lurks in every corner of the globe, including on the UKs streets, destroying the lives of young men and women. We will not stand aside and ignore this barbaric and often invisible crime which all too often reaches our shores and is damaging for everyone except the perpetrators.The UK is a global leader in stamping out modern slavery, pressing the international community including the Nigerian Government to tackle this crime at source, bring perpetrators to justice and protect victims who have been subject to unimaginable horrors. Our support is offering vulnerable girls and women an alternative life to slavery and exploitation and helping them reintegrate into society, stopping vicious cycles of abuse and creating a more prosperous and secure future for thousands, as well as for us at home.The British Prime Minister Theresa May has made clear that tackling modern slavery is a top priority for the UK, creating the world leading Modern Slavery Act in 2015, and establishing the cross-government taskforce, which includes the International Development Secretary.According to latest figures, 875,000 Nigerians are living in modern slavery worldwide, including in the UK, and Ms Patel heard from counsellors at a safe house she visited in Lagos run by the National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons (NAPTIP) , who have helped some of these vulnerable people. There she saw children  some as young as seven years old  who have been trafficked across the world, including to the UK, Europe, Libya and other countries across Africa.She vowed to challenge the cultural acceptance of human exploitation; often young girls and boys who end up trapped in this abusive trade are encouraged by their families to risk their lives in search of money and a better future.This new package of support builds on progress already being made by the UK in Nigeria and across the world . The UKs existing assistance in Nigeria is helping to support investigations and bring perpetrators to justice, as well as providing for victims.The British Government is driving reform within the international system to coordinate a more effective and focused approach to stamp out this exploitation. There are an estimated 46 million people living in modern slavery across the globe who have been trafficked, coerced or otherwise forced into terrible exploitation, labour or domestic servitude.The 7 million announcement will work to tackle the root causes as well as the symptoms of modern slavery and human trafficking in Nigeria The programme will build the evidence base and trial interventions to prevent modern slavery and be ready to scale up what works.  We will provide credible alternatives for women and girls in the high risk demographic and help diversify economic activity in Edo State  Nigerias trafficking hub  and other Niger Delta states. -We will improve the essential support for victims, including counselling and reintegration assistance, to prevent vulnerable people being re-trafficked and falling back into a cycle of exploitation.-DFID will challenge the Government of Nigeria to step up to tackle modern slavery and act as Champions who will help us advocate for reform. -This is a new allocation of funds from the DFID Nigeria budget towards explicitly tackling human trafficking and modern slavery.IOM estimates that approximately 80% of girls arriving to Europe from Nigeria are potential victims of trafficking for exploitation  whose numbers have soared from 1,454 in 2014 to 11,009 in 2016. The Home Office estimates that there were 10,000  13,000 potential victims of modern slavery in the UK in 2013. In December last year the International Development Secretary announced 8 million to double support to a special protection fund set up to keep women and girl refugees in the Mediterranean region safe from trafficking and exploitation.The announcement was made during a two day visit for the International Development Secretary and the Foreign Secretary, during which they announced a new package of humanitarian aid to help rebuild north east Nigeria, and saw how UK aid, defence and diplomacy are working together to build security and shared prosperity in Nigeria and at home.
President Muhammadu Buhari Sunday said that the country should not spend her resources and energy debating disintegration.

President Muhammadu Buhari Sunday said that the country should not spend her resources and energy debating disintegration.The President also said that the noises in some quarters about the division of the country was part of the rebirth going on, adding that God had designed that the country will be together. President Buhari spoke Sunday in his address on the occasion of the Eid- Kabir hosted by his wife Aisha Buhari as part of the Sallah festivities said what was required by every citizen was sacrifice so as to take the nation to the destiny designed by God.The President represented by the Vice President, Prof. Yemi Osinbajo at the gathering at the Old Banquet Hall, Presidential Villa, Abuja, said the nation God had in mind while bringing every ethnic nationalities together was a diverse nation. Although President Buhari was unable to be present at the occasion because he was celebrating Sallah at his home town Daura having been away from his country home for over a year said he held the belief that Nigeria will remain together.According to him, The significance of this celebration is the willingness of Abraham to make the great sacrifice of possibly the dearest thing to him, his son Isaac. Obviously, anyone who knows anything at all about the kinds of things that..it is a willingness to make a great sacrifice. And Abraham was able to make that sacrifice. And he made it in order to be able to fulfill his own destiny and the destiny of his people.The message today is that our nations elites, Muslims, Christians and all ethnicities must recognize that we also must make sacrifices, the sacrifices that are necessary to attain the destiny that God has brought unto our people.I am one of those who is extremely confident that our nation will remain united because I am convinced that Gods plans and purpose for Nigeria is that we would be the preeminent black nation in the world. Continuing, the President said the country would continue to show forth in culture, in technology and in commerce which he stated was Gods investment in the black race.He said, This is why today for every  four or five blacks, some people say one must be a Nigerian. That is not a mean attainment at all. That nation that God has in mind is a diverse nation. Diverse in resources, in ideas, in opinions.The kind of nation that we have, where there is an argument about something everywhere, before you get tired of that lone argument, another one arise and before you finish with that one there is yet another one. This is the type of country that God has ordained where we have diversity of opinions, diversity of ideas.People saying their own things here and there. But, He has also planned that this country will remain together, and that we will be a nation that is gifted just as we have the oil, the gas, and the most arable lands than most continents. This is a country that has all of what other countries will travel and spend money looking for the sort of resources that we have. All of the tourism resources that we have people will travel everywhere looking for it. It is a nation of men and women so creative and prosperous.That we will feed the entire continent and create opportunities for the world. All the different ethnic groups are important in that arrangement. On every ethnicity, incredible minds, brilliant and creative people doing all manner of things. Our energies and resources shouldnt be spent again on debate about division. Our manifest destiny is to be a great nation, not to be a nation where we are talking about division.We must focus out time, our energies and our resources on being that great nation that God has called us to be. I think we have started building that country already. Despite all the noise that we hear, all that noise is part of the building. Everybody knows that you cannot have birth without noise. No woman delivers a baby without some noise and without some pains. What we are hearing today are the noises and the pains of that great nation that God is about to give birth to.Wife of the President, Aisha Buhari thanked Nigerians for the prayers offered for her husbands speedy recovery while he was bedridden in a United Kingdom (UK) hospital. Represented by the Minister of Interior, Lt Gen Abdulrahman Dambazzau, she urged Nigerians to support the administrations effort to sustain the peace and development in the country.She said, Without development there will be no peace and without peace there will be no development. Messages from other speakers including the representative of the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) , Rev Israel Akanji, and Special Assistant to the President on Prosecution, Okoi Obono- Obla centered on Nigerias unity.
By PTI: (Eds: Rpting with changes in para 2)

New Delhi, Sep 2 (PTI) The selection of nine new names for ministership has been done by Prime Minister Narendra Modi keeping in view the 4Ps -- passion, proficiency, professional and political acumen, to deliver on his vision of a new India, official sources said tonight.

Committed to his track record of identifying fellow team members on the basis of merit and future potential, the prime minister will place them in key ministries, especially focusing on last mile delivery directly to the people, they said.

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The prime minister is committed to his vision of a new India, which will be built on the foundations of development and good governance, to further the cause of the poor, marginalised and the deprived segments of the society, the sources said.

The nine who will occupy ministerial berths are former IFS officer Hardeep Puri, ex-Mumbai Police chief Satyapal Singh, retired IAS officer Alphons Kannanthanam and former home secretary Raj Kumar Singh.

The others are BJP MPs Ashwini Kumar Choubey (Bihar), Virendra Kumar (Madhya Pradesh), Shiv Pratap Shukla (Uttar Pradesh), Anant Kumar Hegde (Uttar Pradesh) and Gajendra Singh Shekhawat (Rajasthan).

They "come from varied walks of life, bringing in their unique professional perspective and proficiency to the Council of Ministers. Many of them also bring rich administrative and governance experience," they said.

As a part of the restructuring, six people resigned as ministers.

The sources said that having made meaningful contributions during their tenures, all of them have been important members of the Council of Ministers.

The prime minister has recognised and appreciated their service to the nation, they added. PTI AKK SMN SC SMN

--- ENDS ---
By PTI: Mehsana, Sep 3 (PTI) President Ram Nath Kovind today said he wanted every citizen of the country to become a nation- builder by adopting the Gandhian concept of "trusteeship".

Addressing a function organised to felicitate Jain monk Acharya Shri Padmasagarsuriji on his 83rd birthday here, Kovind linked the monks work with Mahatma Gandhis philosophy of trusteeship, and urged him to spread the message further for the betterment of the society.

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"Acharyashri is doing a great work of identifying, preserving and cataloguing ancient manuscripts. However, he has refused to take the credit for such a great work, as he said he only utilised what the society gave to him and now he is giving it back," said Kovind, who is on a two-day visit to Gujarat.

"This is the concept of trusteeship given by Mahatma Gandhi. Citizens need to understand that we are indebted by what this society and the country has given to us. I want Acharyashri to spread this message of trusteeship through his millions of disciples. I want every citizen of this country to be a nation-builder," the president said.

During his address, Kovind recalled his connection with his "second home" Gujarat prior to assuming the countrys top Constitutional office.

"Though I came to Gujarat for the first time after becoming the president, my relation with Gujarat is almost 45 years old. I used to visit the state quite frequently in the past. Though I was born in Uttar Pradesh, I used to tell people that Gujarat is my second home," he said.

Kovind said he knew Acharyashri since 1994 when the latter had lunch at his residence during his journey from Delhi to West Bengal.

The president also hailed Gujarat for giving two prime ministers - Morarji Desai, with whom he had worked closely, and incumbent Narendra Modi.

Kovind began his tour by visiting the Mahatmas Sabarmati Ashram in Ahmedabad earlier in the day.

The President is supposed to take part in the foundation- stone laying ceremony for the link-IV of the ambitious SAUNI (Saurashtra-Narmada Avataran Irrigation Yojana) project near Jasdan town in Rajkot district tomorrow, where he will address a gathering.

He will also visit the Ghela Somnath temple near Jasdan, around 60 kms from Rajkot. PTI PJT PD NSK TIR

--- ENDS ---
TRENTON -- Gov. Chris Christie's administration is digging in on a labor dispute in which it refuses to pay public employees' step increases after their contracts expired, despite state court rulings that have largely upheld the practice.

The administration has asked the Public Employment Relations Commission to block the union's request to go to arbitration to argue that the state should pay their step increases.

Tens of thousands of state employees have missed one or more of these longevity pay bumps as the state froze salaries for workers whose contracts expired June 30, 2015. The state relied on a decision from PERC that upended a four-decades-old custom of step increases outliving the term of a contract.

Hetty Rosenstein, state director of the Communications Workers of America, New Jersey's largest state employee union, said that despite a state Supreme Court ruling in August rebuking PERC, Christie's administration is still seeking to freeze employees on the salary guide.

"The Christie administration wants to go back to PERC and pretend that there wasn't a (state Supreme Court) decision," said Rosenstein, whose union represents a wide range of clerical, professional and supervisory workers. "The administration is just going to try to stall rather than admit that they're wrong."

The judiciary branch has already agreed to and begun arbitration with CWA over step increases for thousands of employees in the wake of the high court's ruling, Rosenstein said.

The CWA filed a grievance against the state in 2015, and the administration submitted a petition to block arbitration over that grievance, but both agreed to put their applications on hold while the courts sorted out similar cases out of Atlantic County and Bridgewater Township.

In Atlantic County, the county froze officers in place on the salary guide after their contracts ended, though contract language said provisions of the agreement would continue until a new contract was in place. In the past, that meant step increases would continue to be paid.

Step increases are customarily automatic, so long as an employee meets performance markers, under something called the dynamic status quo doctrine, that since 1975 has said an employer should maintain the status quo during collective bargaining.

But in the dispute between the public safety unions and Atlantic County, PERC, a board of gubernatorial appointees, decided the county didn't have to pay them during lapses in contracts.

The practice, PERC said, served as a "disincentive" for unions to quickly settle labor disputes. The commission also agreed with Atlantic County that public employers faced new economic challenges in complying with state-imposed 2 percent caps on tax levy hikes.

In the second case out of Bridgewater Township, PERC went so far as to say step increases after a contract expiration were no longer a term and condition of employment that could be negotiated or arbitrated.

The New Jersey Supreme Court earlier this month reversed PERC and said Bridgewater and Atlantic County committed unfair labor practices. The two expired contracts contained explicit language guaranteeing the step increases would continue and the employers should have adhered to the salary grid, the court said unanimously.

"We find that the salary increment systems remained in effect after the agreements' expiration dates under the basic principles of contract law," Justice Lee Solomon wrote for the court.

But that does not mean state will just pay up.

The state has resurrected its petition for PERC to restrain arbitration, which would stop CWA from going to arbitration to argue step increases should be paid.

A spokesman for the Attorney General's Office declined to comment.

In an Aug. 14 letter in support of its request to restrain arbitration, an attorney for the state argued that the New Jersey Supreme Court ruled the step increases should be paid because the contracts say so and not because of the dynamic status quo doctrine, which PERC shot down.

The high court did not make any determination on the viability of the dynamic status quo doctrine. The last word on the policy comes from the appellate court, which said PERC had gone beyond its legislative mandate in abandoning the doctrine.

The state also said PERC's ruling in the Bridgewater case "that automatic movement on a salary guide after the contract has expired is not a term and condition of employment remain undisturbed," according to the letter.

An attorney for CWA responded that the state's "mischaracterization" of the August Supreme Court ruling "is troubling."

In its decision, justices said "salary step increments is a mandatorily negotiable term and condition of employment because it is part and parcel to an employee's compensation for any particular year."

"The Bridgewater issue, the issue of whether you can go to arbitration, couldn't be clearer," said Ira Mintz, who represented the unions against Atlantic County and whose firm represents CWA. "There's no basis whatsoever for a legal argument that pay of increment after expiration is not legally negotiable and arbitrable."

If PERC approves the state's scope of negotiations petition, the union would likely have to take them to court, Mintz said.

Samantha Marcus may be reached at smarcus@njadvancemedia.com. Follow her on Twitter @samanthamarcus. Find NJ.com Politics on Facebook.
Hurricane Irma strengthened to a Category 3 as it churns in the central Atlantic Ocean, but it's still too early to tell how it will impact the United States.

The National Hurricane Center says Irma, which first developed as a hurricane on Thursday, could grow in size in the next 72 hours and will be a "major hurricane" as it moves closer to the Lesser Antilles islands in the Carribean Sea over the next few days.

It will produce rough surf and rip currents and could cause dangerous winds, storm surge and heavy rainfall, according to the NHC.

Currently, Irma is producing maximum sustained winds up to 115 mph, but there are no coastal watches or warnings in effect.

It's still too early to tell how, or if, Irma will impact the United States.

6PM Sat NHC forecast for #Irma. Still too early to determine what impacts, if any, we'll see. Hopefully we'll have a better idea by midweek. pic.twitter.com/OXlYJCZLiZ  NWS Mount Holly (@NWS_MountHolly) September 2, 2017

The Weather Channel said in its Sunday update that "any potential impacts from Irma in the U.S. remain uncertain, and East Coast residents should continue to monitor the hurricane's progress."

Alex Napoliello may be reached at anapoliello@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @alexnapoNJ. Find NJ.com on Facebook.

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By PTI: By Namita Tewari

New Delhi, Sep 3 (PTI) Seemingly not too happy with the show of PSUs like SAIL and RINL, Steel Minister Birender Singh has a policy prescription -- put to good use the huge Rs 60,000 crore investment made by them and beat private peers.

Acknowledging that things are not as bad for the steel sector as it used to be some two-three years ago, Singh strongly felt that PSUs should develop appetite for special steel as value addition remains the mantra for success.

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"Things are not that bad which it used to be two to three years back. I think in the last two years the private sector is improving more rapidly than the PSUs.

"PSUs ... when they have advantages like captive mines... why dont they utilise it...why not to put up washeries...why not to go for value addition..special grades of steel," Singh told PTI in an interview.

"Rs 60,000 crore has been spent on expansion and modernisation of our PSUs ...Their capacities have ramped up but the need today is to produce special steel also," he said.

Despite India being the worlds third largest producer of steel, it still is dependent on imports for some products and "there is dire need to develop technologies to produce electrical grade and auto grade steel in India to become self-sufficient. Instead of producing just semi-finished and basic steel products, we must produce high value added products, which also get better prices," he asserted.

Barely a few months back, Singh had minced no words in cautioning PSUs, including domestic giant SAIL, to "perform or perish", saying complacency cannot be tolerated at a time when private players are excelling on various parameters.

Chairing a meeting of chiefs of top steel PSUs, the minister had pulled up public sector firms like SAIL and RINL for lagging behind not only on international benchmarks, but also their private counterparts and being complacent in ramping up capacities.

"In production and productivity parameters, PSUs are far behind their counterparts in private sector. In terms of international benchmarks, performance of Indian steel companies is very poor," Singh had told PSU top brass and indicted SAIL for missing deadlines for modernisation.

He said one area which his ministry has prioritised for rollout of National Steel Policy is raw material security.

"I have directed the ministry officials to take two actions on priority basis. These are setting up of coal washeries and optimising pellet utilisation. These will help reduce dependence on imports by maximising usage of domestic raw materials," he said.

The minister said Coal India and Bharat Coking Coal have agreed to set up 12 new coking coal washeries by 2019-20.

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He added that many players have shown interest in starting operations at a mine in Mozambique owned by ICVL, a JV of five PSUs including SAIL.

"We have already issued advertisement for expression of interest for Mozambique and some of the players have already approached us...Of the six-seven players, we have shortlisted two- three...We have three options there ... only mining, mining plus transportation and the third is mining, transportation and putting up a thermal plant for power generation.

"Most of those who are in touch with us preferred mining only," he said, adding a final call will be taken soon.

International Coal Ventures Ltd (ICVL) was formed for the acquisition of stakes in coal mines, blocks or companies overseas for securing coking and thermal coal supplies. Metallurgical or coking coal is a vital ingredient in the steel-making process.

ICVL had suspended work in Mozambique mine in December 2015 on viability grounds following a crash in coking coal prices.

Asked about any plans for PSUs acquiring stressed assets of companies in the sector recommended for insolvency, Singh said, "As far as stressed assets are concerned, only a few companies are from the steel sector... One of the PSUs made request (for acquiring) to the Finance Ministry in this regard."

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The Reserve Bank has referred a number of defaulters for insolvency proceedings that include steel firms like Essar Steel, Bhushan Steel and Electrosteel. PTI NAM ARD ABM

--- ENDS ---
A national report has found that Iowa is lagging behind much of the U.S. in foreign language instruction for K-12 students.

The study, conducted by the American Councils for International Education and the American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages, found that slightly more than 15 percent of Iowas K-12 students were enrolled in a foreign language course for the 2014-15 academic year, The Des Moines Register reported.

Iowa ranked 35th out of the 50 states and Washington, D.C., for foreign language instruction.

At Council Bluffs Community Schools, Spanish is now offered throughout the school year at two elementary schools  Carter Lake and College View  that are following International Baccalaureate requirements, as well as both middle schools and both high schools. Other languages are offered only at the high school level.

Offering a foreign language is one of the eight areas required for certification as an International Baccalaureate school, said Kerry Newman, principal at Kirn Middle School. The course has to be more than just an exploratory class, she said. The district could have offered any world language but chose Spanish because thats where its strength was.

Students will be immersed in Spanish now year-round, she said. They could be testing out of Spanish I or Spanish II by the time they reach high school.

The class goes beyond language proficiency, Newman said.

Theres a lot of culture and global understanding that gets built into it, she said.

With three Spanish teachers, students can be moved to the section that fits them the best, Newman said.

The way we set up our Spanish program, all kids will be supported learning at their own pace, she said.

Two Spanish teachers were added so the school, which is in its first year as an IB candidate, could serve all of its students, Newman said. The Iowa West Foundation provided startup funds.

Lewis Central Community Schools offers exploratory Spanish classes at the middle school level and four years of Spanish instruction at the high school level, said Dave Black, school improvement specialist.

We have a lot of students taking the exploratory class, he said.

There is a huge demand for the high school Spanish classes, Black said. About 380 high school students are currently enrolled in Spanish at one of the four levels. The district employs three full-time Spanish teachers at the high school level and a half-time Spanish instructor at the middle school level.

The district currently does not offer instruction in any other foreign languages, Black said.

We had talked about expanding our language offerings, but the problem is finding qualified teachers, he said.

Lewis Central used to offer German but has been unable to replace the teacher since that person left the district, Black said. When a position has been open, they have looked for a world language teacher, but received applications only from instructors with Spanish credentials  and not too many of them.

That is one of the areas of teacher shortage, he said.

Not surprisingly, funding wouldnt support expanding the world language program right now, Black said.

Were not going to probably be able to add staff, unless enrollment blossoms or money is shifted from another program, he said. We want to continue to offer a strong Spanish program.

Larger school districts can typically offer more foreign language options, which creates a rural-urban divide, said Jason Noble, president of the Iowa World Language Association.

Schools in Des Moines offer seven language courses for high school students. Teens in rural areas often have to enroll in online courses or at community colleges if they wish to learn another language.

Teacher shortages and budget issues have forced some Iowa school districts to cut programs in recent years. West Des Moines Community Schools stopped its Japanese program and cut back on Spanish elementary school classes because of budget shortfalls in 2015.

Its rare for elementary schools in the state to offer language instruction, said Stefanie Wager, a consultant with the Iowa Department of Education. That, of course, limits the percentage of students the state can have in foreign language classes. Middle school foreign language programs are often shorter introductory courses instead of full classes, she said.

Education advocates say they hope to add a special seal onto the high school diplomas of students who learn a foreign language in order to raise the prestige and spark interest.

The Seal of Biliteracy has been adopted by 26 states and Washington, D.C. Students can earn the seal by taking a test that demonstrates their proficiency in another language. State lawmakers considered the seal during the past legislative session but didnt enact it into law.

Material from The Associated Press was used in this report.
After a decade on Iowa Western Community Colleges Board of Trustees, Kirk Madsen wants to continue with another term to remain engaged as a former educator.

Madsen said he has a passion for education after teaching English and speech for 12 years at Thomas Jefferson High School. Hes spent the past 15 years as an account executive with SilverStone Group, and he was first elected to Iowa Westerns board in 2007.

As a past educator, it truly is a passion, he said. The opportunity to serve on the Board of Trustees certainly keeps me engaged in that capacity.

The community college has a lot of accomplishments in the past decade, he said, including a state-of-the-art student center and the opening of Kinney Hall. Reflecting on his time on the board, he is proud of programs such as robotics, advanced manufacturing and nursing.

As a board member, I have been a very, very good steward of the taxpayers money by trying to keep tuition low for students, Madsen said. Iowa Western Community College is one of the largest employers in the city, and being able to offer my expertise to staff and administration has truly been exciting.

Community colleges are important to build a strong, competitive workforce, he said. Iowa Western fills the void for highly skilled, prepared employees who are ready to contribute to their field, he said.

Given the high cost of four-year institutions, a community college is certainly a sound investment, Madsen added.

Maintaining that value can be difficult for the trustees, who must weigh the pros and cons of proposed cuts against tuition increases given the financial pressures from state funding and enrollment declines.

Lessened enrollment is a trend in Iowa and across the country, Madsen said. Generally, the enrollment in community colleges is cyclical depending on the strength of the economy.

We need to improve on increasing enrollment and credit hours, he said. We also need some help from our state legislators relative to funding.

When cuts to the budget are needed, Madsen said the college has a sound program in place to examine potential programs for cuts.

They study the number of students that are enrolled in a program, they track it, they try to work on ways to improve the overall program, he said. In my opinion, we do a great deal of due diligence before we come to that, and I would certainly make sure that is taking place before any program is cut at the college level.

Hard decisions must be made in tough times, though, he said.

I can guarantee I will study those with the utmost interest and attention to do what is best for the college and the taxpayers, Madsen said. Although it might be difficult if a certain program is not getting enough credit hours or participation, sometimes you have to make a hard decision and cut that program. Its just the nature of the beast.

Iowa Western does everything it can to make programs successful, he said. And a top priority is keeping tuition affordable.

The community colleges are just such a sound investment, he said, adding that it provides a valuable postsecondary opportunity. With my past experience, decade of experience, Im well suited to make those calls.
Some Iowa sheriffs say an increase in the number of nonprofessional permits to carry handguns, coupled with new or recent gun laws in the state, have increased safety risks in their counties.

They point to provisions in the new Iowa Omnibus Gun Law, adopted this year, that decreased the punishment for carrying a firearm while intoxicated and increased the ability to use a stand-your-ground defense when firing a gun at someone else.

That law followed one in 2011  established in Iowa Code 724.11  that changed a sheriffs right to issue non-professional permits to carry from may issue to shall issue, taking away much of the discretion sheriffs had when issuing non-professional permits to carry.

Several sheriffs interviewed by IowaWatch also expressed concern about the lack of training required to receive a permit.

There are people out there that I know I am issuing permits to, that the law forces me to, that shouldnt have a weapon, Linn County Sheriff Brian Gardner said.

Since the 2011 law took affect, the number of non-professional permits to carry issued has grown exponentially. From just 2010 to 2011, 29 Iowa counties saw more than a 380 percent increase in permits issued. The overall state increase was 158 percent.

In 2016, sheriffs offices in Iowas 99 counties issued 108,221 non-professional permits to carry a handgun.

No state data exists that details the number of individuals with permits to carry with previous criminal records, nor the number of permits that have been revoked in a given year, because the state does not require keeping those records.

However, Johnson County Sheriff Lonny Pulkrabek said he issued 203 permits to people with criminal records in 2016.

Pulkrabek, who is president of the Iowa State Sheriffs and Deputies Association this year, said he has kept a personal tally of the number of permits he has issued to individuals with criminal records whom he said he most likely would have denied before 2011.

He said his list covers serious misdemeanors, such as theft, but not traffic, disorderly conduct or public intoxication citations.

People with criminal records that do not include felony convictions may get a permit to carry. Felons are barred from possessing a gun in Iowa.

In Black Hawk County, Sheriff Tony Thompson said he has issued permits to carry to individuals who later committed crimes, such as driving while intoxicated, dealing drugs while carrying their firearm and displaying their gun in a road rage incident.

That permit does not mean: one, they are a good person; two, they are trained; and three, are aware of the law, Thompson said.

Sen. Matt Windschitl, R-Missouri Valley, said sheriffs continually have expressed discontent over not having the discretion they once had.

As floor manager of Iowas 2017 gun-related bill, House File 517, which was passed into law and went into effect July 1, Windschitl said he works with the Iowa State Sheriffs and Deputies Association often to address issues. However, he said, changing the law to shall issue in 2011 was necessary in order to eliminate any inequities across the state.

Your rights should not be limited by someones individual interpretation of whether you are a good person or a bad person, Windschitl said.

Before the law changed in 2011, sheriffs could deny permits for reasons beyond past criminal activity or mental health issues.

Gardner, who issued 5,298 permits in Linn County during the boom year in 2011 after issuing 1,433 in 2010, said he supports the shall issue provision in Iowas law. Before the law, he said, the equivalent of 99 different laws existed because sheriffs in each county could set their own criteria for issuing permits.

I know there are people that have applied for carry permits whose family has contacted us saying they shouldnt be carrying weapons because they have mental health issues, Gardner said. But because they havent gone to court, I have to issue a permit.

Gardner issued 8,351 permits in 2016, the last year for which full data are available.

Story County Sheriff Paul Fitzgerald, who issued 1,956 permits in 2011 after issuing 390 in 2010, said he has had similar experiences.

Despite the small number of permits issued in 2010, Fitzgerald said he denied few permits before 2011. Like other sheriffs, he cited news coverage of the law change and culture of Iowa as the reason for the uptick in 2011. Iowans, he said, understood the law and their gun rights better because of the coverage.

Reasons Fitzgerald would have denied a permit, he said, included a known history of mental health issues, family and/or spousal abuse and drug or alcohol addiction.

Other than that, I dont care if people have guns or what kind of guns they have, Fitzgerald said.

Fitzgerald cited one permit request, in which a background check showed the person had suicidal tendencies. While Iowa law states that a person who has been involuntarily hospitalized can be denied a permit to carry, simply being told by other community members or family members of the person applying for the permit does not meet the threshold for denial.

He said he is not aware of the person committing suicide or hurting anyone since receiving the permit.

Dubuque County Sheriff Joseph Kennedy said, Every once in a while, we get a permit request from a known gang member, but their level of criminality has not reached the point to where they cannot get a permit.

Wapello County Sheriff Mark Miller, who took office in 2012, said his county historically only would issue permits before 2011 to people like business owners, who could prove a need to protect items with monetary value.

Wapello County issued 1,473 permits to carry in 2011, compared to 135 in 2010. The county issued 1,632 in 2016. While Miller said there were concerns about the increase of citizens carrying for personal protection, his department hasnt experienced any problems as a result.

Other than the increased workload, we havent seen any bad side to this, Miller said, referring to the work of processing more permits. There hasnt been an influx of gun-related calls or anything like that.

Dan Belleau, a sales associate at G&G Retailers of Davenport, which sells firearms, said he favors Iowas gun law changes. He said stricter gun laws do not make for a safer society.

The 34-year-old said he didnt have to worry in his hometown of Buffalo about gun violence or robberies, despite a high prevalence of guns.

Everybody has a gun, multiple guns. People leave their doors unlocked. I can go over to my neighbors house while theyre not home, get some sugar or borrow a pop or something and leave a note, and they dont give a (expletive), Belleau said.

People say, Well if you ban guns, then nobody has any guns, then you cant get shot, he said. Well, you cant carry a gun in Chicago, and thats where the most shootings happen.

Why? Belleau asked. Its a mentality thing.

Mahaska County Sheriff Russell Van Renterghem said he initially had concerns with the lack of power sheriffs had over issuing permits, but also said he no longer worries.

We were concerned, and we actually had a couple of residents in town at that time, and I can remember them telling us as soon as they get their permit to carry, theyre gonna strap a gun on their side and walk down the aisles at Hy-Vee or Walmart, Van Renterghem said. But that didnt happen. We dont have people flaunting their guns now. Our concerns werent warranted.

Another law change made in 2011  set forth in Iowa Code 724.9  eliminated a sheriffs right to require certain types of firearms training in order to be granted a permit. Previously, many sheriffs, like Black Hawk Countys Thompson, required a proficiency qualification to be met.

Operating as a shall-issue sheriff since his election in 2009, Thompson said his only requirements for a permit were a face-to-face interview and a training course, offered by his department in conjunction with the community college, that required individuals to demonstrate that they could load and fire a handgun correctly. The course also informed individuals on Iowas gun laws.

It was a bad move, negating training and watering down training to the degree that there really was no value in it, Thompson said.

Since 2011, Thompson said the number of suspensions and revocations of permits he has issued in Black Hawk County has increased, with a total of 95 as of the end of 2016.

Some of these are happening due to ignorance of the laws, and of training, he said.

Delaware County Sheriff John LeClere, who issued 558 permits in 2011 after issuing only 110 in 2010, said he supports more required training. He said the states current training requirement for permits does not guarantee a person has any proficiency with a firearm.

As a law enforcement officer, were required to demonstrate proficiency with a firearm before we can carry it on duty, LeClere said. I would hate to see someone who has never fired a weapon take a training course that doesnt require firing a weapon and go out and not understand what will happen when they shoot.

Taking an online training course is an option, but Kim Smithe, owner of the Davenport gun shop G&G Retailers, said those courses are not sufficient.

These are people that have never even held a handgun before, she said. Ive had customers come in here that have taken an online (course) and gotten their permit and they pick that handgun up, with their finger on the trigger, looking down the barrel. Both of those are the first things you learn that are big no-nos, you dont do either one of those. So those online courses are not teaching anyone anything.

The 51-year-old said she believes in the right to carry a firearm, but believes stricter regulations are needed. She has had her permit to carry since 1988.

I think you need to be able to prove that you can handle that firearm and you have that knowledge, and if you dont, you shouldnt be able to carry, period, Smithe said.

One change made by Iowas Omnibus Gun Law was decreasing the severity of the punishment for carrying a firearm while intoxicated.

Previously, this crime was considered an aggravated misdemeanor, punishable by up to two years in prison. Since July 1, the crime has been considered a serious misdemeanor, punishable by up to one year in jail.

Additionally, carrying while intoxicated is no longer always terms for revocation of a permit. Other factors must be present, such as previous alcohol-related offenses that could indicate an alcohol addiction, which is grounds for revocation.

The simplest explanation is that, under the prior law, intoxicated carrying was clear grounds for suspension upon arrest, and clear grounds for revocation upon conviction, said Ross Loder, program services bureau chief at the Iowa Department of Public Safety. But under the new law, it becomes more situational, as there may or may not be grounds for suspension or revocation, depending on the existence or non-existence of other factors.

Thompson said, Im not sure what the driving force was behind watering that down.

He said hes baffled that state legislators recognize the dangers of operating a vehicle or heavy machinery while intoxicated, but not while carrying a firearm.

We know alcohol consumption blurs judgment, he said. Were looking for people in the state that can carry firearms responsibly, that dont infringe on the rights of other citizens.

In Johnson County, Pulkrabek said his staff now stamp not valid while intoxicated on all new permits issued.
The Iowa Army National Guard deployed two Chinook helicopters and 11 soldiers Friday to support response operations in the wake of Hurricane Harvey.

The Guard resources deployed to Houston, according to a release from the Iowa Governors Office. Two twin-engine CH-47 Chinook helicopters from the Nebraska National Guard have already spent the past few days hauling relief crews and thousands of pounds of supplies around Texas.

Iowa soldiers participating are stationed in Davenport, Boone and Johnson. The aircraft and crew will move supplies, equipment and people.

Iowas efforts are in coordination with Gov. Kim Reynolds and the Iowa Department of Homeland Security and Emergency Management, the release said.

Three other helicopters, along with 29 soldiers, were sent to Texas earlier this week from Nebraska, with the first mission seeing two UH-60 Black Hawks pick up 3,000 pounds of food and transport them from San Antonio to Galveston.

The Chinooks have a hoist that can be used for rescue missions if necessary, but our job is cargo, Nebraska Army National Guard Chief Warrant Officer Dallas Bundy said. Chinooks are workhorses that can haul thousands of pounds of supplies while still flying faster than the smaller and more compact Black Hawk helicopters often used for aerial water rescues.

Once the Chinooks have dropped off supplies, smaller aircraft, trucks or other forms of transportation can ferry the water or food to the places that need it most: hospitals, shelters or temporary military bases.

Were just trying to bring all the supplies and equipment that these guys need to set up operations, Bundy said.

The release from the Iowas Governors Office said the state of Texas formally requested Iowa join the multi-state support efforts.

The help is offered, according to the release, through the Emergency Management Assistance Compact, which unites all the states, two territories and Washington, D.C., to assist each other in times of crisis through a form of national mutual aid, similar to regional fire departments helping in an emergency.

 Contributing reporters were the BH News Services Steve Liewer from Omaha and Erin Duffy from Sugar Land, Texas.
After three train accidents in 10 days, Suresh Prabhu offered to quit. Prime Minister Modi asked him to wait. Now, Piyush Goyal as the Minister for Railways has a tough task at hand.

By Prabhash K Dutta: Suresh Prabhu was made the Railway Minister by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in the first reshuffle of the Cabinet in November 2014. PM Modi expected him to turn around the Railways. There were talks about high-speed trains, safety, high quality services in trains and a world quality operation of the Railways.

More than two-and-a-half years later, on August 4 this year, Suresh Prabhu informed the Rajya Sabha that 333 people lost their lives in the last three years in 206 train derailments. Fifteen days later, on August 19, another train derailed in western Uttar Pradesh (Kalinga Utkal Express) killing 22 more.

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In fact, three train accidents happened in a space of 10 days. On August 23, the Delhi-bound Kaifiyat Express derailed in Uttar Pradesh's Auraiya district. More than 80 people were injured in the mishap. On August 29, another train (Nagpur-Mumbai Duronto Express) derailed at Kalyan in Maharashtra. Several people were injured. However, no casualty was reported.

RAILWAYS - THE TROUBLEMAKER

Suresh Prabhu took moral responsibility and offered his resignation in a meeting with Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who asked him to wait for few more days. It had, by then, become clear that Suresh Prabhu will move out of the Railways. After the Cabinet reshuffle today, Piyush Goyal got the Railways portfolio, a promotion for him.

The state of Railways makes Piyush Goyal's job unenviable. The Railways have been a troublesome portfolio for the ministers. Of the 39 Railway ministers till date, only Jagjivan Ram (father of Meira Kumar) and Lalu Prasad Yadav have completed their full tenure of five years.

Very few Railways ministers have survived a major train accident. The list of casualties includes Lal Bahadur Shastri, who resigned after Ariyalur train accident in Tamil Nadu, where 142 people died in 1956 mishap.

BJP's new-old ally Nitish Kumar had to resign following a train accident in Assam where nearly 300 people were killed in 1999. Nitish Kumar's successor, Mamata Banerjee tendered resignation after twin train accidents in 2000. Now, Suresh Prabhu has been shifted or demoted after three train accidents in 10 days.

WHAT PEOPLE THINK ABOUT RAILWAYS

Piyush Goyal takes over the Railways on the basis of his performance in the power ministry, where he turned out to be a strict task master. But, the Railways, being the largest job provider under the government, may need a different handling as its problems are different from the energy sector.

In a recent survey conducted by the citizen's engagement platform LocalCircles, which has a tie-up with the consumer affairs department in the area of public grievances, people expressed concerns about safety, fares and quality of services offered by the Railways.

Only 13 per cent of over 10,000 participants said that safety of Railways was adequate. About 43 per cent are of the view that safety standards have improved only marginally while another 44 per cent feel that it has either deteriorated or remained the same as earlier.

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The new flexi-fare system introduced by Suresh Prabhu has not been received by people well. Piyush Goyal may have to reconsider the decision. About 54 per cent respondents in the survey do not see this as an improvement with 30 per cent terming it "worse". Only 14 per cent find it better than the previous system of ticket pricing.

On the question of services provided by the Railways during a train journey, about 69 per cent of the respondents find it same as before or worse. Only 22 per cent say that there has been "sizeable improvement."

People seem to be happy with the cleanliness in trains and at stations. About 77 per cent participants say that cleanliness in the Railways has improved either marginally or considerably.

During his last days as Railways Minister, Suresh Prabhu complained about the non-cooperation from the lower rung staff and officials of the department. Piyush Goyal's primary job would be to instill confidence among the people about safety of the Railways while instilling confidence among the staff of the department, who are now under greater scrutiny.

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ALSO READ |

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Sydney Roosters will open a blockbuster 2017 Telstra Premiership Finals Series on Friday night against Brisbane Broncos at Allianz Stadium.

The NRL today confirmed the times and venues for Week One of the Telstra Premiership Finals Series, which will also feature Melbourne facing Parramatta Eels on Saturday at AAMI Park.

The last two Premiers, Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks and North Queensland Cowboys, will play each other on Sunday afternoon at Allianz Stadium.

 Second-placed Sydney Roosters will play third-placed Brisbane Broncos on Friday night at 7.55pm at Allianz Stadium;

 Minor Premiers Melbourne Storm will clash with Parramatta Eels on Saturday at 4.10pm at AAMI Park;

 Manly-Warringah Sea Eagles will play Penrith Panthers on Saturday at 7.40pm at Allianz Stadium;

 Premiers Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks will host an elimination final against North Queensland Cowboys on Sunday afternoon at Allianz Stadium.

Melbourne Storm captain Cameron Smith will break the record for all-time NRL matches in the Storm-Eels contest.

NRL CEO Todd Greenberg said the opening weekend of the Finals Series offered some wonderful match-ups.

"The competition for Finals Series positions was incredibly close this year and we saw how much the makeup of the top eight changed even over the final few days of the regular season," Mr Greenberg said.

"That just highlights how close these teams in the Finals Series are.

"Anything can happen on any given day and Im sure we will see the closeness of the regular season replicated in the Finals Series.

"This will be a wonderful way to kick off the Finals Series."

NRL Telstra Premiership Finals Series  Week 1

Qualifying Final: Friday, September 8, 7.55pm, Allianz Stadium

NRL: Sydney Roosters (2) v Brisbane Broncos (3)

Holden Cup: Brisbane Broncos (6) v Newcastle Knights (7); 5.15pm

Qualifying Final: Saturday, September 9, 4.10pm, AAMI Park

NRL: Melbourne Storm (1) v Parramatta Eels (4)

Elimination Final: Saturday, September 9, 7.40pm, Allianz Stadium

NRL: Manly-Warringah Sea Eagles (6) v Penrith Panthers (7)

Holden Cup: Penrith Panthers (2) v St George Illawarra Dragons (3); 5.00pm

Elimination Final: Sunday, September 10, 4.10pm, Allianz Stadium

NRL: Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks (5) v North Queensland Cowboys (8)

Holden Cup: Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks (1) v Parramatta Eels (4); 1.30pm

Holden Cup: Nth Qld Cowboys (5) V Manly-Warringah Sea Eagles (8); 11.15am

Ticketed members prices start from $50 for families and $20 for Adults at every venue for the NRL Telstra Premiership Finals Series.

General Public tickets start from $65 for families and $25 for Adults at Sydney games.

Tickets will be on sale to Ticketed Club Members at 10am on Monday (September 4), while tickets for non-ticketed members will be on sale at 1pm and for nrl.com members at 4pm on Monday.

Finals Series tickets will be on sale to the general public at 10am on Tuesday (September 5) at nrl.com/tickets

All tickets to Allianz Stadium matches include return transport on Sydney trains and direct buses from Central to Allianz Stadium.

Fans are also reminded that tickets for the NRL Telstra Premiership Grand Final, on October 1, are also on sale at nrl.com/tickets
Q: Is there anything that you can do to prevent a will challenge? Should you leave someone that you are cutting out of the will a dollar so that they can't challenge the will? Can you say that if they challenge the will, they get nothing?

A: I'm not sure why people worry about will challenges. It has been my experience that will challenges are pretty rare, and successful will challenges are even more rare than that.

I've seen a handful of will challenges in the more than 20 years that I've been doing this. Of those, I think one was successful and the facts were pretty clear that something bad happened during the will-making process. Arguments were made by both sides, but I doubt that the outcome shocked anyone except for the parties that lost.

I remember a long time ago, an attorney told me about a case that he was involved with where a testator used a razor blade to cut out the names of people that he wanted to exclude. I think it was referred to as the Swiss cheese will. I can't remember the exact outcome, but I believe that all of the names that were cut out were put back in. That was kind of a weird one.

If you have concerns about a will challenge, the first thing that you should do is talk to the attorney. Let the attorney know your concerns and let them plan around them. Remember that it's easier to avoid a problem than to solve it later. The more information that you offer, the more likely that the problem can be avoided.

If you are favoring the child that has taken care of you for many years and you worry that the other children won't like that, talk about your concerns. The attorney may ask you to get a note from your doctor stating that in their medical opinion, you are of sound mind and have the capacity to make your own decisions. The attorney may record the will signing so that there is evidence that you weren't persuaded or pressured to sign. The attorney may insist that the care giving child is not at the signing so that undue influence is less of a concern.

Leaving someone that you intend to disinherit $1 won't do anything except cost the estate a buck. Just because you left them a $1 doesn't mean they can't challenge the will. Also, putting a provision in the will that says anyone who challenges the will is disinherited, isn't a solution. That sort of provision is known as an in terrorem clause and Indiana won't enforce them.

The moral of the story is to talk to the attorney and plan for the challenge. Chances are it will never come up, but if it does, your loved ones will be ready for it.
Employers didnt take online degree programs very seriously when they first came about in the '90s. Students paid tuition and clicked through checklist curriculums to quickly land degrees only to find out they were barely useful in the market place.

That landscape has now completely changed with the advent of new technologies and the rollout of online degree programs by major universities. Institutions like Duke, MIT and Stanford now offer online programs, and many employers are holding some of these degrees in the same regard as they might from a 4-year institution.

Some working professionals find it more convenient to pursue online degrees while balancing a career and family, and are also enrolling in a growing array of online graduate programs.

While online programs now offer a high level of credibility with employers, students still must evaluate the programs carefully. The FTC warns consumers at its website about signs a school might be a "diploma mill." Some of these warning signs include advertising a flat fee for the degree, a short completion time, pushy advertising tactics and accreditations from phony agencies.

Consumers should ensure the program is accredited, as this establishes legitimacy and requires the schools to undergo a rigorous review of their educational programs. Prospective students can search for the school in the Database of Accredited Postsecondary Institutions and Programs by the U.S. Department of Education and the Council for Higher Education Accreditation.

"If you use a so-called 'degree' from a diploma mill to apply for a job or promotion, you risk not getting hired, getting fired and possible prosecution," the FTC said.

Fortunately, the growth in online degree programs has given rise to organizations and publications that rank these programs. U.S. News' Best Online Programs ranks more than 1,300 online degree programs on such factors as faculty credentials and training, student engagement, student services, technology and peer reputation.

The 2017 rankings placed Embry-Riddle, Temple University, Pennsylvania State University, University of Oklahoma and Arizona State University near the top for bachelor's degree programs.

Prospective students should consider their career goals, the type of credentials that are most important, their financial situation and their time constraints. If the student is taking online courses with a mix of on-ground courses, it's also essential to ensure courses will transfer and meet degree requirements.
By PTI: Dokalam standoff

By Jatin Takkar

Vrindavan, Sep 3 (PTI) Backing the Narendra Modi government on demonetisation, the RSS today contended that it will benefit the country in the long run while also lauding the Centres handling of the Dokalam standoff saying the withdrawal of Chinese forces has enhanced Indias "prestige".

RSS Prachar Pramukh Manmohan Vaidya said China had never displayed such a gesture in the past.

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"The prestige of India and its armed forces has gone up internationally after the withdrawal of the armed forces of China from Dokalam," Vaidya claimed after a three-day meeting of the RSS coordination committee here.

He said China has indulged in such "misdeeds" in the past, but this was the "first time" that India presented its position so "decisively".

India asserted itself and as a result China had to step back from its position, Vaidya said.

On August 28, both India and China decided on "expeditious disengagement" of border personnel at Dokalam, ending a 73-day stand-off.

Vaidya said that it was also discussed about how to strengthen the position of India as the world was changing fast and happenings in Asia were at the centrestage.

Issues related to economic policy were discussed at length and Sangh affiliates also shared their views in the three-day meeting that ended today, he said.

"Earlier, the country was in a shock but now people are realising that the demonetisation decision will benefit the country in the long run," Vaidya said.

In the past, even some Sangh affiliates had criticised the government on the issue of banning high denomination notes of Rs 500 and Rs 1,000.

This was the first time that a top RSS functionary categorically supported demonetisation.

Vaidya said that in the meeting here, there were discussions on promoting domestic small scale industry and creation of employment in the country.

To a question on import of cheap Chinese goods, he said the RSS supports the Swadeshi Jagran Manch (SJM) in its movement to boycott foreign products.

The meeting was called for better coordination among all RSS affiliates. Vaidya said that there was no discussion about 2019 Lok Sabha polls or the functioning of the government.

Representatives of various all India organisations of the RSS appreciated the work of Seema Suraksha Jagran Manch in the border areas, he said and added that the stress was on solving problems related to education, employment and other local issues.

The RSS bodies advocated promoting small, medium and agriculture based industries to overcome unemployment, he stated.

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He said the coordination meeting also discussed casteism and to overcome the evil, encouraging people to follow the ideology of the Sangh.

Besides RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat, BJP president Amit Shah and Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath also attended the meeting. PTI JTR/CORR ADS

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As companies strive to increase profits amid a changing economy and consumer habits, the discussion often centers on challenges posed by the "gig economy" and its impact on work and employment.

Upstart companies like the Uber ride-sharing service tend to be the focus of concern; recent reports of such companies' drivers speaking out against perceived company efforts to trim their pay bear this out.

But the growing use of short-term contracts in industries such as construction is threatening traditional employment in a way some say has reached a critical phase.

The fight is over what's commonly called "employee misclassification"  or payroll fraud, in the view of unions and contractors. It involves an employer hiring workers as freelancing contractors who should be full-time employees, thereby allowing the employer to avoid paying payroll taxes, and worker's compensation and unemployment insurance premiums, among other costs.

"It's a problem that's been around for many decades," said Dewey Pearman, executive director of the Construction Advancement Foundation of Northwest Indiana. "But it's becoming epidemic."

Officials with the Indiana/Kentucky/Ohio Regional Council of Carpenters visit job sites frequently to talk to carpenters, said Scott Cooley, senior representative at the union's local headquarters. He said he often talks to contract workers who he believes should be formal employees.

"We run into it all the time," Cooley said. "It's just a regular occurrence."

Some workers in question receive a federal 1099 form at the end of the year, but others aren't reported at all, and are just paid cash for their work.

'No magic' in defining employment

Classifying employees properly isn't an exact science. It involves several variables, including the degree of company control over the employee; the financial arrangement, including who provides tools and supplies; whether there are benefits such as a pension and insurance; and whether work performed is a key component of the business' activity.

The Internal Revenue Service lists 20 factors to consider, and states in its guidance on the matter that "there is no 'magic' or set number of factors that 'makes' the worker an employee or an independent contractor."

But contractors and the carpenters' union say some building projects are rife with contract workers who clearly are misclassified: their hours and duties are assigned by their employer, their tools and supplies are provided, and their work is a core function of the company  all factors that generally make one an employee, not a contract worker, in the eyes of the law.

Quantifying the problem

A 2010 study commissioned by the Indiana Building & Construction Trades Council and the Indiana, Illinois, Iowa Foundation for Fair Contracting argued that a company's use of these workers gives employers who use the practice a decided, but unfair, competitive advantage.

The report, by economists from the University of Missouri-Kansas City, estimated 72,299 employers, 8,052 of them in construction, had misclassified employees in 2008. It said 15.3 percent of employees were misclassified, totaling 377,742 workers, of whom 24,323 were in construction.

The practice also has implications for governments at all levels, the study found. For the state in 2008, $30.4 million in unemployment insurance taxes were lost, $2 million of that from the construction industry.

Between $134.8 million and $224.6 million of income tax revenue went unpaid, with $10.6 million from the construction industry.

Local income tax losses statewide totaled $91.2 million, $7.2 million of that from the construction industry, according to the study. Also, $26.3 million of worker's compensation premiums were not properly paid, with $4.6 million of that from construction, according to the report.

Ultimately, the University of Missouri report estimated the costs to the state of Indiana, at a high end, of about $406 million annually.

But a precise evaluation of the cost to government is elusive. Several state agencies charged by the state's Pension Management Oversight Commission with doing a study of their own in 2010 disputed the methodology and assumptions of the university study.

They estimated 8 percent of workers, not 15.3 percent, are misclassified, and that the state loses $14 million to $20 million annually in tax revenue, "of which (the Department of Revenue) could be expected to recover a substantial portion."

The report, by the state departments of Workforce Development, Labor and Revenue and the Workers' Compensation Board, also questioned the impact on the workers' compensation and unemployment insurance system.

Organized labor remains relevant in the Region Unions don't have the numbers they used to but remain central to Northwest Indiana, where almost all the major industrial employers are unionized.

Finally, the report's writers argue that misclassification often is an innocent misunderstanding of the law. "Heavy-handed penalties will have little impact on these employers," the report concluded.

But contractors and unions dispute these conclusions, saying the effect on their work is clear and stronger enforcement is key. When a state legislative study committee investigated the issue last year, more than 40 contractors wrote letters contending that the misclassification problem has grown to the point that it threatens the viability of construction companies that abide by the rules.

The companies included Northwest Indiana's Berglund, Gough, Larson-Danielson, Precision, Prodigy, Solid Platforms, Specialty, Superior, and Pangere.

Misclassification "gives cheating contractors a 30 percent advantage in bidding, undermining the legitimate contracting community through low-ball bids that do not represent the cost of conducting lawful business," wrote Timothy Larson, president of Larson-Danielson Construction Co.

Enforcement elusive?



The carpenters' union recently had success when it filed a complaint with the National Labor Relations Board regarding a LaPorte hotel under construction. The complaint alleged that misclassification of workers impeded their ability to act collectively and form, or join, a union.

The complaint resulted in a settlement requiring the contractor to reclassify the employees and to inform them of their rights under federal law. But union officials called that settlement "a slap on the wrist" and, along with the contractors, have urged greater enforcement.

"There are laws on the books right now; the problem is they're not enforced," Cooley, of the tri-state carpenters' council, said.

Prominent local unions Unions once represented more than 40 percent of the workforce in Indiana. Times have changed and factories employ fewer workers than they used

Efforts on the state level have included a law that took effect in 2010 requiring the Labor, Workforce Development and Revenue departments, along with the Worker's Compensation Board, to share information on possible worker misclassification in the construction business.

The state also maintains an email address to receive tips, wagehour@dol.in.gov.

But further efforts to bolster enforcement have met with resistance, according to the state senator behind a bill proposed in the last session.

"We've got all these different departments, and they're supposed to share this information, but it doesn't always happen," said Sen. Karen Tallian, D-Ogden Dunes.

Tallian authored a law that would have created a Payroll Fraud Task Force made up of representatives of the four state agencies. The law would have required hiring an investigator dedicated to investigation and enforcement. The bill had one committee hearing but never received a vote.

"We recognize there's a problem. We just don't know how big the problem is, and we don't know for sure how to fix it," said the Pensions and Labor Committee chairman, Crawfordsville Republican Phil Boots, when he concluded the Feb. 1 committee hearing on it.

Tallian said the state government has downplayed the problem and the state agencies' potential to address it.

"It keeps getting worse," Tallian said. "This bill will be filed again. We're going to keep pushing it."
In the early 20th century, Northwest Indiana became a hub of heavy industry, from Hammond's meat packing plants to the west, to Michigan City's massive Pullman rail car facility to the east.

Industrialists John D. Rockerfeller and Andrew Carnegie lined the Region's lakefront with an oil refinery and steel mills.

Thousands of workers flooded in from Europe, Mexico and the Deep South to once-desolate marshland along the lake that was being transformed by hulking factories. They toiled in grueling conditions, with steelworkers clocking in 12-hour days. The work could be deadly. Nine men died at the Inland Steel Mill in East Chicago in 1910, according to United Steelworkers Local 1010's memorial wall.

Labor unrest spread across the country as workers clamored for safer conditions, more pay and shorter workdays. But the steelmakers that shaped Northwest Indiana resisted unionization for as long as they could, for instance, recruiting antagonistic groups like Serbian and Croatian immigrants who would be less likely to cooperate enough to form a union.

Northwest Indiana labor history was, of course, greatly influenced by national labor history, so passage of the National Labor Relations Act of 1935, which legalized union organizing and the Fair Labor Standards Act of 1938, which established the 40 hour week, have to be mentioned, retired steelworker and labor historian Mike Olszanski said.

Establishment of the CIO (Committee on Industrial Organization, later the Congress of Industrial Organizations) along with the SWOC (Steelworkers Organizing Committee) in 1936 got union organizing rolling in the Region, as well as nationally.

Better days ahead

The most galvanizing event in Northwest Indiana labor history was likely the Memorial Day Massacre in Hegewisch during the Little Steel strike when steelworkers from Chicago and Northwest Indiana went on strike at smaller steel companies, including Inland Steel, Republic Steel and Youngstown Sheet and Tube.

The Republic Steel Massacre on Memorial Day, 1937, in which 10 steelworkers were killed by Chicago police, has to be the salient event of 20th century labor history in the Region, Olszanski said. The Inland Steel Local 1010 lost four members in that police riot: Alfred Causey, Earl Handley, Kenneth Reed and Sam Popovich.

Over the next few years, all the major steel mills across Northwest Indiana became unionized. They helped lift Northwest Indiana blue-collar workers up into the middle class, bringing prosperity to the state's second-largest metro area and allowing future generations to head off to college.

Unions have undoubtedly raised wages and improved working conditions for workers  union and non-union  in Northwest Indiana, Olszanski said.

But for many of us, it is respect and security on the job that have been most keenly felt. A union contract means that conditions of employment are spelled out in a legal document, not subject to the whims of management. Safety rules are codified as part of the contract, not simply determined by management.

Unions endured a long struggle and violence including police shooting fleeing workers in the back before finally getting recognition, said James Lane, Indiana University Northwest professor of history emeritus. But during the New Deal era and World War II, steelmakers became more receptive to unions, because they feared losing out on lucrative government contracts.

The attitude of management changed, Lane said. They started looking at dealing with the unions. The unions got more recognition, contracts and representation of employees at the mills.

After World War II, the unions negotiated better pay and more benefits at a time when the economy was thriving.

The economy was transforming from a war economy to a consumer economy, and everything was going in the right direction for the workers, he said. Companies were friendly while negotiating, because it was going well economically for industry.

Down times return

Good times soured in 1959, when steelworkers went on a record-long 116-day strike over a management demand to reduce hours and change the number of workers assigned to a task.

President Dwight Eisenhower eventually intervened, and steel analyst Charles Bradford said the strike ended up having long-lasting and unforeseen repercussions on the U.S. steel industry, since it introduced foreign imports to the market for the first time.

Imports have captured more than a quarter of the domestic market share today, leading to ongoing contraction of the industry. Fewer jobs also are attributed to increased automation where steelworkers are more likely to monitor consoles than bust their backs doing the rigorous tasks of yore, such as shoveling coke into a blast furnace.

Northwest Indiana steel mills employed more than 66,000 workers in 1979, according to Times archives, but now have less than a third of that headcount.

In the 1970s, imports, especially from Japan, started to take a major toll on domestic steelmakers, Lane said. Northwest Indiana became the biggest steel-producing region in the country as many of the mills around Pittsburgh closed.

The union was heading into tough times, Lane said. The impact of imports was severe, and technology started to really affect the employment level.

Adapting to change

Despite the challenges, unions secured more environmental and workplace safety safeguards during that period, local steelworker Terry Steagall said.

There used to be an iron ore haze over the mills, he said. But there was a big fight during the 1970s and 1980s for more baghouse control, and the health and safety of union workers.

By 1986, unions attained more economic gains through contract negotiations, including better wages, pensions and job security, Lane said.

The steel industry went through ups and downs until 2001, when the steel crisis forced more than 30 companies into bankruptcy. Wall Street pushed for the elimination of legacy costs such as pensions and insurance benefits for retirees.

A wave of consolidation followed, and the big mills in Northwest Indiana ended up under the control of U.S. Steel or the newly formed global conglomerate, ArcelorMittal.

Since then, unions largely have been fighting to preserve the wages and benefits they already have, including the most recent round of contract negotiations, Lane said. They've also taken on a larger role in politics, lobbying against trade deals and for more tariffs on imports.

The unions are still fighting, Lane said. They defend benefits for the workers, and fight for the environment, health and safety, and trade.

Unions have struggled with declining ranks as more of the work in steel mills and other factories becomes automated. They've also weathered political attacks such as the Right to Work law Indiana lawmakers passed in 2012, which the USW branded as, Right to Work for less.

Indiana's right-to-work law gives employees the option of opting out of dues for union-provided representation and grievance services.

In the future, our unions must grow  or die, Olszanski said.
Valparaiso University professor Alfred H Meyer was an ardent proponent of something called sequent occupance  the notion that successive societies leave their cultural imprints on a place, each contributing to the cumulative cultural landscape. It is also referred to as human or cultural geography.

Using the history of the Kankakee Marsh, it is easy to see how the impact of succeeding cultural groups led to eventual draining and channelization of the marsh. The more Ive researched the concept of sequent occupance, the more sense Meyers 1935 The Kankakee Marsh of Northern Indiana and Illinois makes to me.

Meyer breaks down the succession of cultural groups into a logical,easy to understand, progression to what exists today  a 97-mile ditch where before existed a half a million acre ecological paradise for man, fin, fowl and fur. So how did we get where we are and where do we go in the future?

The Native American is the first group identified by Meyer. Meyer calls this the Pottawatomies Kankakee, (prehistory-1840). This group had the least impact on the Kankakee Marsh. They settled mainly on the higher marsh areas and sand islands. The Native American migrated seasonally between the marsh and the dunes of Lake Michigan. Artifacts have been discovered that reach back over 11,000 years.

The next cultural group was the pioneer hunter and farmer. This group, too, had little impact on the marsh. However, the pioneer farmers did begin some small-scale ditching and draining of their individual homesteads. Technology had not yet advanced to economical large-scale draining. The Erie Canal finished in 1825 did show some promise for future reclamation.

Today it is difficult for us to understand that the view of draining the marsh in the 19th century was seen as land reclamation. Today many refer to it as the destruction of an ecological wonderland.

The third stage of sequent occupance was the Ranchers and Recreationists Kankakee (1880-1910). During this period, cattle ranches began to have a large impact on the Kankakee. With the proximity with the huge meat packing industry in Chicago, the Kankakee Marsh was a logical choice to graze cattle on the abundance of marsh hay the area offered.

Nelson Morriss 23,000-acre ranch was the largest, but many smaller ranches thrived along the Kankakee. The runoff from the ranches added dramatically to pollution of the river, but at that time environmental concerns were nonexistent. However, the ditching and draining of ranch properties contributed to the eventual demise of the marsh.

The great influx of sportsmen and construction of clubhouses simply brought awareness of the beauty and bounty this Everglades of the North offered. It surprises me that these rich and famous political and business leaders did not rise up en masse and prevent the draining of their sportsmens haven. Many of these clubs held leases on huge amounts of marsh property, but with the draining of the marsh they lost all to the dredge shovel.

Meyer identified the Reclamationists and the Resorters Kankakee (1910-present) as the final cultural group that influenced the future landscape of the Kankakee. This period saw many of the hunt clubs being sold to private ownership. Numerous clubs became resorts where anyone, for the price of a train ticket, could enjoy the bounty of the Kankakee Marsh.

My next column will tell of Meyers plan for Kankakee River restoration.
CROWN POINT  A bribery scandal involving former Sheriff John Buncich left Lake County government's reputation for honest dealing with towing firms totaled.

County officials left in the wake of that wreckage said this week they are confident they have begun to bring transparency and integrity to county government towing.

A trial ending Aug. 24 left Buncich convicted of bribery, wire fraud and honest services wire fraud charges. His former second-in-command, Timothy Downs, and William "Willie" Szarmach, owner of CSA towing in Lake Station, pleaded guilty.

The sheriff denied wrongdoing, but Assistant U.S. Attorney Philip Benson convinced jurors the sheriff gave lucrative work to wreckers in return for $34,000 in campaign contributions and bribes. Jurors saw and heard surreptitious FBI recordings of the transactions.

Lake County Council President Ted Bilski, D-Hobart, and Councilman David Hamm, D-Hammond, and Commissioner Mike Repay, D-Hammond, said they couldn't wait for results of the trial to take back and reform the county's government towing program.

Repay said, "This has given (county government) towing a black eye."

The County Council announced Jan. 5  less than two months after a federal grand jury indicted the sheriff  to give the three-member Lake County Board of Commissioners authority over towing contracts.

"We wanted three sets of eyes on this," Hamm said.

Lake County Attorney John Dull said, "Commissioner Mike Repay (D-Hammond) deserves a lot of credit. There was the smell of something that was out there, and he wanted to clean it up."

Dull said there was little, if any, reliable specification and documents from Buncich's administration on which to rebuild towing. The sheriff testified last month he picked some wreckers he had known from his days as a county police officer. For other details, he relied on the rest of his police staff.

Officials sought professional standards

Commissioner Jerry Tippy, R-Schererville, said, "We took the state of Indiana police requirements, and we made it a little bit more stringent."

Dull said Repay and a committee of assistants selected the most stringent and appropriate criteria that a wrecker needed to have, to work for the county, to ensure firms had the necessary equipment, availability to take calls, experience and state-certified truck drivers.

"When a sheriff's police officer is on the side of the road with an overturned semi, he wants to know those guys can get out there and do it," Repay said.

Repay said the county sent out a general invitation to Lake towing firms, and 23 responded.

Repay said there were no applications from the key towing firms from Buncich's trial  Szarmach's CSA Towing or Merrillville's Samson's Towing. Scott Jurgensen, who owned Samson's, worked undercover for the FBI.

"When we put this out, there was nothing to prevent CSA or (Sampson) from submitting," Repay said.

Tippy said, "There were no exclusions going into the process. The only exclusions took place afterward, if companies didn't meet the specifications."

Commissioners disqualified three applicants for a lack of proper personnel and equipment and awarded contracts to the remaining 20 firms, including seven that previously towed for the former sheriff.

Commissioner Kyle Allen, D-Gary, said, "We changed some things obviously and as far as I know, I haven't seen any evidence of dissatisfaction."

Tippy said, "It seems to be running well. I think the way it was set up was fair. It greatly reduces the possibility of impropriety."

One critic of new system

The new program has one critic, John Nauracy, owner of JANs Towing, of East Chicago.

Nauracy, who had towed for the former sheriff and testified as a defense witness on his behalf, said last week he had wanted to apply to the commissioners to remain on the county towing list but refused to do so.

Nauracy said he objected to the commissioners wanting to continue requiring all wreckers working for the county to charge car owners a $50 "franchise fee" per tow.

Nauracy said he tows for East Chicago, which doesn't charge such a fee. He said he concluded such a fee was illegal after being interviewed by an IRS agent and called before a federal grand jury as a victim of the sheriff's bribery scheme.

The County Council dropped the $50 franchise fee last June at Repay's request. He said the county cannot charge a fee unless it is justified by the cost of an essential government service. "I couldn't justify that cost," Repay said.

Nauracy said he would like to apply to work for the county now that the county has dropped the fee, but hasn't yet been given that opportunity.

Repay said, "I've heard some gripes from towers who felt they weren't getting their fair share of tows."

How towing territories were decided

Dull said Repay and Lake County E-911 Director Mark Swiderski Jr. analyzed data from 911 towing calls before dividing the county into geographic districts, five for wreckers removing passenger vehicles and small trucks, and four districts to deal with overturned tractor trailers and larger trucks.

Repay said they assigned districts to wreckers based on the towing firm's ability to respond quickly to service calls. "We felt pretty good about the distribution," Repay said.

He said they will reassess the distribution after they gather reliable towing call numbers in the coming weeks.

Repay said the county doesn't set a ceiling on the amount a county wrecker will charge for a tow.

The basic price wreckers on the county's list charge car owners ranges from $100 to $185 and between $30 and $40 a day to store towed vehicles at their yards. The towing prices could rise further if the vehicle is particularly large and heavy.

"My thought is that if I'm in a business, then it shouldn't be different for county, city or private work," Repay said. "I didn't want to make it more difficult for the towers. Haven't heard of towing gouging. They submitted what they charge, and we have a record of that."
VALPARAISO  The Porter County Board of Commissioners recently tweaked the number of government employees with take-home vehicles in hopes of getting a better grip on the practice.

"We're enforcing the rules is what we are doing," said Commissioner President Jeff Good, R-Center.

The new list includes three employees with take-home vehicles in animal control, one for E-911, two with emergency management, five with facilities (maintenance) and eight with the highway department. This is in addition to employees at the sheriff's department driving home their work vehicles.

The take-home vehicle list was updated as part of a review of insurance costs, said Commissioner Jim Biggs, R-North.

He and the other two commissioners wanted to know who had take-home vehicles. After reviewing the list, it was determined that some were not needed.

The commissioners are basing their decisions on the employee personnel policy manual, which is itself being updated. The section of the policy dealing with vehicle usage appears to date back, at least in part, to 2002.

The policy eliminated all take-home vehicles with the exception of those approved by the commissioners during a public meeting. Those with work vehicles are prohibited from using them for personal use.

The sheriff's department prohibits anyone but employees from driving the take-home vehicles, Public Information Officer Sgt. Jamie Erow said.

The vehicles can only be used for on-duty purposes in Porter County, and there is to be no emergency speed driving with unauthorized passengers, she said. The vehicles can be driven to Lake, LaPorte and Jasper counties for off-duty reasons "for the purpose of enhancing and increasing the visibility of department vehicles as a deterrent to crime and to encourage public safety," she said.

Lake County government officials did not respond to inquiries about its take-home vehicle policy and LaPorte County was collecting information.

Some vehicles considered taxable "fringe benefit"

Biggs said part of the criteria he uses to determine if an employee needs a take-home vehicle is whether the majority of their work is "out in the field" and if they remain on call after going home.

Unlike the private sector, county government does not approve take-home vehicles as a perk, he said.

"It has less to do with compensation as it does with practicality," Biggs said.

But as county auditor, Vicki Urbanik is very much concerned with the compensation issue and in determining whether county employees should be paying taxes on their take-home vehicles as a fringe benefit.

The county policy cites the IRS in saying that the equivalent of $3 of taxable income will be added each day to employees with take-home vehicles unless they are considered exempt.

While the county policy lists exemptions, including police, emergency management and highway supervisors, Urbanik said she is in the process of reviewing that list with the county attorney.

"We need to follow the intention of the revenue code," she said.

It is her understanding that the exemptions include police, animal control, E911, emergency management and three of the five facilities department vehicles, which are modified vans, in accordance with the Internal Revenue Code.
GARY  The new director of the Indiana Landmarks Northwest field office believes we have a lot to learn from our past and that buildings are among the best ways to do that.

"I've quickly come to learn over the past three or four years how much preservation can breathe new life to and energize spaces," Brad Miller said. "I try to let people know it's not just about preserving old buildings, it helps bring a new spark to places sometimes."

Miller, 26, took over the Indiana Landmarks Northwest field office in June after former director Tiffany Tolbert left for a position in Chicago. As it was with Tolbert, Miller's role is to offer preservation and revitalization help in Lake, Porter, Newton and Jasper counties.

Miller was born and raised in central Pennsylvania. He attended Gettysburg College to study history and religious studies. Miller moved on to graduate school at Middle Tennessee State University to further his studies in public history and historic preservation.

"It's important to save the physical buildings, landscapes and communities," Miller said. "They all add up to tell the story."

After college, Miller lived in Boston for a year and helped out with a number of historical preservation projects there.

"It was a great opportunity to get my feet wet," he said. "It was a unique experience because of Boston's continued growth and history."

Miller worked out of the South Bend office of Indiana Landmarks prior to taking the position in Gary.

"It's been great," Miller said of the job so far. "One of the things I like about the organization and the job is it allows you to get out and meet people and go to where they are and hear what their needs are."

Duties of Indiana Landmarks directors include acting as consulting staff for local historical preservation commissions.

"We're kind of able to fill the gap between the city paying for a full-time or part-time staff and versus the commission members doing it all by themselves," he said.

There are also goals that include helping communities set up historic preservation commissions, getting ordinances written and historic districts established.

Miller consults for the Crown Point Historical Preservation Commission that oversees four districts, "so they have a big workload," he said.

"A community can have multiple districts," Miller said. "Crown Point has a commercial district, which is a totally different set of buildings. And then neighborhoods that kind of developed separately."

Miller said there is no limit to the amount of districts.

"You can have your own house or business designated on its own if it was significant enough," he said.

Miller said a lot of what Indiana Landmarks is founded on and continues to build on is working with local communities, whether it be commissions, city councils, non-profit organizations or mainstream organizations to help add preservation as one of their tools to economic development and neighborhood stabilization.

"Preservation isn't the end all, solve all," he said. "It's really just one of those other things we can put in our tool belts in our neighborhoods to strengthen our communities."
LAKE STATION  The sale of the city's water utility is expected to generate millions of dollars for the municipality, but it doesn't mean city leaders are planning a spending spree for next year.

City Council President Carlos Luna said Lake Station has started developing its 2018 budget proposal, and the community isn't looking to burn through its checkbook.

We're not going to go crazy, Luna said.

The council in June authorized selling the Water Department to Indiana American Water for nearly $20.7 million.

The acquisition is heading to the Indiana Utility Regulatory Commission for its approval, and that process could take several months.

Luna said Lake Station could receive funding from the sale in the first quarter of 2018.

Mayor Christopher Anderson said it will be the council's decision to appropriate that money.

No final decisions have been made, but there has been much discussion about using a portion of that funding to pay debt associated with the Water Department and to stabilize the general fund, which has long had a deficit. If Lake Station chose to pursue those options, there would be millions of dollars remaining from the sale, officials said.

As the city is looking to establish a spending plan for 2018, the council is aware municipal departments have many needs, including increasing personnel and adding new equipment. New police vehicles are among the items that have been requested.

Luna said the city will first look at grant opportunities to help fund upgrades in the various departments.

We're trying not to touch the extra (water sale) money, he said.

The council has long-term financial goals, and quickly diminishing the water sale proceeds wouldn't accomplish them, Luna said.
Region Communication Solutions is a non-profit public relations firm run by students from Purdue University Northwest. RCS is seeking local businesses and organizations to perform an audit on its communication culture.

A communication audit examines the companys internal and external communication methods and provides detailed analysis and recommendations based on the data gathered. The audit will assist the company in identifying and reaching each of its publics.

Communication within an organization is researched by utilizing benchmarking, interviews, focus groups, surveys with the organizations employees, customers, shareholders and the local community.

Dr. Thomas Roach created the class, Problems in Public Relations, in 1989 and in the years since classes have provided communication audit services to dozens of local and Chicago-area organizations. Previous clients include Graycor, the cities of Hammond and Portage, Strack and Van Til, Nipsco, BP Whiting Refinery, and the Griffith Police Department.

Many of our PR graduates currently hold top positions in the Chicago area, Roach said. When a client commits to this program, they will get the same quality of work as an established consulting firm would offer.

For more information, call 219-501-0271 or email at RegionComSolutions@gmail.com.
HESSTON  Ted Rita, general manager of the Hesston Steam Museum, asked some children at the Hesston Steam & Power Show on Saturday if they knew where bread came from.

The kids shouted, From the store!

Rita enlisted the youngsters to hand-thresh oats in a contest to see if they could complete the task faster than an old-fashioned threshing machine. Rita then asked the children to imagine they were living in the past, instructing them to quickly roll the oats between their palms to separate out the chaff.

What happens if we dont do this? asked Rita. The children responded, We starve!

The thrashing demonstration was one of a yard-full of activities for youngsters and other attendees at the 61st annual Labor Day weekend show at the Hesston Steam Museum.

Beside riding on the museums 1929 No. 7 Shay Logging Locomotive, visitors could watch pine logs being milled at the sawmill, watch a blacksmith at work and admire more than 30 tractors and old-time equipment in the events Parade of Power.

Steam is the best, said Kenny Hill, of Valparaiso.

Hill visited the show with his family, and helped hand-thresh oats with his granddaughter, Tatum Matthiesen, 3, of Oak Park, Illinois.

This is our first time here, Hill said. Weve been thinking about coming here for a long time. More of the family will be coming next time.

Families brought picnic food or purchased lunch from a variety of vendors and at Docs Soda Fountain, the museums restaurant, while others enjoyed the display of farm tractors and foods at a flea market on the 155-acre grounds.

Jim and Mary Potee, of Valparaiso, enjoyed watching the threshing demonstration and the old-fashioned hay baling machine.

If OSHA was here, they would go nuts, Jim Potee joked. I like the old gas engines and machinery.

Ross Van Overberghe, the museums head sawyer, is a member of the LaPorte County Historical Steam Society, whose volunteers staff the museum and the annual steam show.

Van Overberghe said the show provides an opportunity to demonstrate how the old-fashioned machines made life easier in their time.

Its a real family experience, said Van Overberghe, of Hudson Lake. It gets the kids away from electronics and iPads and helps them learn from history in a visual way. Its really what makes us unique.
VALPARAISO  The city is launching a road safety audit to assess areas where safety may be improved along the citys most traveled arteries.

"The road safety audit is a proactive measure meant to show us any issues were not already addressing  for motorists as well as pedestrians or cyclists. Were interested in sharpening our focus on improving safety and ultimately creating a master plan of recommended improvements and costs. Revealing areas of concern is our first step," City Engineer Tim Burkman said.

The road safety audit will assess main arteries including Silhavy Road, Burlington Beach Road, Calumet Avenue, Campbell Street, Lincolnway, Vale Park Road, Ind. 2, LaPorte Avenue and Harrison Boulevard. The audit will consider public input, accident data and traffic counts, and will identify both sight distance and geometry.

A key part of the audit is receiving public input on how they perceive the safety of these roads.

"We encourage people to weigh in with this survey and invite motorists, walkers and cyclists and bus riders to provide their input," Burkman said.

To complete the survey online, visit http://tinyurl.com/valpostreets (please type into your browser) through Sept. 22. The survey includes five questions, plus written comments. Printed surveys are available at Valparaiso City Hall, 166 Lincolnway. The public may share additional comments, including thoughts about roadways not included in the survey by emailing trafficsafety@valpo.us.

Requests for the survey in an alternative format may be directed to Burkman at tburkman@valpo.us or at 219-462-1161. TTY users may use the Relay Indiana Service by calling 711 or 800-743-3333.

The road safety audit is funded through a federal highway safety improvement grant, administered by the Indiana Department of Transportation and the Northwestern Indiana Regional Planning Commission.
By Anindya Banerjee: The gate of Keshav Dham in Vrindavan where the three-day-long RSS Conclave was happening was kept closed 24/7. Even BJP president Amit Shah had to get down from his car outside the gate. Inside there were two layers of white curtains so that no TV journalists can zoom in and capture anything. Such secrecy over an otherwise simple conclave of RSS inside one big room of the building which has no furniture other than a bunch of red colored plastic chairs to seat upon and discuss.

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The three-day-long conclave may look simple by its look, but the magnitude in terms of attendance of not only the top RSS functionaries, but BJP president and more than 40 RSS affiliated organizations makes it significant. This is coming just ahead of the much talked about Cabinet rejig of Modi sarkar and for the first time since Yogi Adityanath took over as UP CM.

The first day was dedicated for internal and external security, the second day was for economic scenario, and the third and last day was about evaluation of setting goals . The meet kicked off with Kashmir being the matter of discussion. Sources say it was discussed how to bring the stonepelters into main stream. There was also talks of sensitizing the cadres of RSS who are deputed on duty in the Valley and how they are expected to behave in a way that don't hurt the sentiment of the local populace. This, the RSS feels will not only help spread its organization in Kashmir, but compliment the government there to which BJP is an ally. The second half was about Kerala and West Bengal violence. Violence in both the states have been observed to be as 'state-sponsored murders'. Amit Shah made a brief statement for 2 minutes that day, sources say.

RSS is of the belief that the Union government handled the Kashmir crisis well and with maturity. That very day, the RSS also discussed India's external affairs. Akhil Bhartiya Prachar Pramukh Manmohan Vaidya said, "It was discussed how the world is becoming Asia-centric and the role that India needs to play in that world. Many nations have expectations from us."

A source adds, there was an unanimous applaud for India's recent China policy particularly in view of the Doklam impasse. When asked Vaidya said, "There's no doubt India made its position tough that no one has seen in all these years."

If Day 1 was about thumbs up for the Modi sarkar, Day 2 wasn't. It was about state of the economy and many affiliates weren't happy with the progress. Sources say at least 4 affiliates raised questions on government's claims of job creation. When asked pointedly, Vaidya had this to say, "Yes unemployment was discussed. It was also discussed how policies or certain schemes can create jobs in the market."

India Today has reliably learnt that many affiliates wants tangible changes on ground in terms of economy, something they can bet upon on 2019 general elections.

But what transpired between Day 1 and Day 2 remained the most exciting part of it. With 36 hours to go for the oath ceremony on Sunday, Amit Shah met Sarsanghchalak Mohan Bhagwat on the sidelines of the meeting after completion of Day 1. The meeting started at 8.30 pm on Friday evening and lasted for two days. Sources say the sole topic of discussion was cabinet reshuffle. Apart from Mr Bhagwat, Dattatreya Hosebole was also present in that meeting. The next morning Shah left his hotel early and reached Keshav Dham by 8am where he interacted with young cadres and then had a second round of discussion for half-an-hour with Mohan Bhagwat before the start of the main meeting.

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Cabinet rejig was the agenda there as well. Shah incorporated the sense what the sangh wants and excused himself early and left for Delhi at 10.30 am on Day 2. Later that night at 7.30pm when Shah met Modi that sense was conveyed to him which he took along from Vrindavan. That explains why many leaders weren't called as late as 8.30pm that night when the Shah-Modi crucial meeting ended, for the oath ceremony next morning.

Vaidya clearly denied Cabinet rejig was on the agenda. He is technically right, it wasn't a part of the main meeting. That's why it was discussed on the sidelines. Day 3 has been the evaluation of the affiliates and the goals for future till they meet again. And also what kind of government policies the affiliate organizations like Bhartiya Mazdoor Sangh wants.

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But, as it was a wrap from Vrindavan few things were clear evidently that how much important it is for the government to incorporate a sangh imprint in a Cabinet reshuffle which might as well go to election in 2019 as Team Modi. It has also been clear that how much criticism the government may face due to its brute stance in Kashmir. The RSS also is overtly happy with the new aggressive diplomacy of Modi sarkar than the apologist diplomacy of the previous regime that sorted the Doklam impasse. Now, probably what the government needs to do to keep RSS and its affiliates happy is to introduce schemes, probably in the line of Ujwala Bimala Yogana and create more jobs that they can talk about when they go to people to seek a fresh mandate in 2019 and ask for 'Fir Ek Bar, Modi Sarkar'.

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ALSO READ:

RSS meet in Vrindavan: West Bengal, Kerala violence, stone pelting in Kashmir discussed

When BJP bossman Amit Shah took backseat at RSS meet in Vrindavan

Will PM Modi undertake another cabinet expansion to accommodate alliance partners?

--- ENDS ---
On the day U.S. Sen. Joe Donnelly kicked off his re-election bid, the highly respected Cook Political Report moved the Indiana Senate race from Leans Democrat to Tossup. It isnt the only publication to enter the tossup zone, with Inside Elections and Sabatos Crystal Ball on the same page.

But at this early point, with already more than $5 million spilling into what will likely be a $100 million Senate race, my Howey Politics Indiana publication lists it as Leans Democrat. Normally I dont venture into a general election forecast until the field is set, but because of the gravity of this race, which could determine what party controls the Senate, this is an exception.

Currently the Republican field includes U.S. Reps. Luke Messer and Todd Rokita, state Rep. Mike Braun, of Jasper, Kokomo attorney Mark Hurt, New Albany educator Andrew Takami and Atlanta, Indiana, businessman Terry Henderson, with Attorney General Curtis Hill teasing a potential candidacy.

Without a Republican nominee, we dont have enough to gauge the relative strengths and weaknesses. Will Donnelly face an incumbent congressman coming from an institution with an approval below the 20th percentile, or Braun coming from the Indiana General Assembly with approval above 50 percent?

Donnelly has and will maintain a money advantage, reporting $3.7 million on his second quarter Federal Election Commission report, compared to Rokita and Messer reporting just over $2 million each. Rokita and Messer will mow through much of their funds between now and the primary and will have to reload. Conservative super PACs will certainly make this race competitive, but expect Donnelly to have a persistent money edge.

According to a Morning Consult Poll released last month, 55 percent of Republicans approve of Donnellys job performance. A constant phrase from Republicans is, I like Joe Donnelly. Theyll disagree with him on issues, but they respect him. It was once that way with former Sen. Evan Bayh, who always had a significant chunk of Republican support in his five victorious statewide general election races.

If Republicans can savage Donnellys reputation as they did to Evan Bayh last year, there will be a path to victory. But the other fork in the road is that Messer and Rokita are already pummeling each other.

Both Messer and Rokita vow to take aim at Donnellys 2010 vote for Obamacare. So did 2012 Republican nominee Richard Mourdock. But Donnelly won a close 2010 re-election bid against then-state Rep. Jackie Walorski, then defeated Mourdock in 2012 despite the Obamacare attacks.

Donnelly defends his Obamacare vote, noting that 400,000 Hoosiers have health insurance that didnt before.

Obamacare is not as toxic as Messer and Rokita would lead you to believe. The Kaiser Family Foundation Tracking Poll placed Obamacare as 52 percent favorable and 39 percent unfavorable nationally.

Gallup puts President Donald Trumps approve/disapprove numbers at 47/48 percent in Indiana in late July. Thats a serious erosion from his 19 percent plurality last November. Look no further than 2004, when President George W. Bush won Indiana by a 20 percent plurality, only to find Republican Reps. Chris Chocola, Mike Sodrel and John Hostettler losing in the 2006 mid-terms to Donnelly, Baron Hill and Brad Ellsworth because of the Iraq War debacle.

Peter Lemieux, writing for Politics by the Numbers, notes, The average decline in presidential job approval between Inauguration Day and the first subsequent off-year election has been a bit under 9 percent. That would take Trumps score down toward the mid-30s. However, because he started at just 45 percent approval when inaugurated, he may not experience the same decline as did presidents who started from a higher rating.

A key caveat: Past presidents didnt tweet.

If Trump dips into the low 30th percentile, the GOP majorities will be in trouble.

As we experienced in 2016, Trump presents a complete wild card. In June 2016, I issued a tsunami watch with the potential of swamping down-ballot Republicans. By November, the tsunami actually reversed, dooming Democrats John Gregg, Bayh and Shelli Yoder in the 9th Congressional District.

There is little doubt that this will turn into a very competitive race between Donnelly and the Republican nominee. But strange things can happen, like Todd Young defeating Evan Bayh by 9 percent last November, a spread no one was predicting.

Donnelly will have his challenges, but at this writing he also has key advantages.
I often get asked by people not in the construction industry why the vast majority of nonresidential construction work in Northwest Indiana is done by contractors who are union employers. Thats a good question with an answer that might surprise those not familiar with the construction industry.

The answer is that most contractors in Northwest Indiana choose a business model that essentially outsources much of their human resource functions in a way that guarantees them the highest quality, trained and skilled workforce. That is, these contractors choose to employ skilled craft workers through local craft unions.

Most people, especially business owners, are probably familiar with the process by which an employer enters into a collective bargaining agreement with a union. Federal law provides for a process by which a union interested in representing an employers workforce initiates steps that result in a vote among the employers workers.

If the workers vote to be represented by the union, then the union will take additional steps toward an eventual collective bargaining agreement with the employer. The employer may not have much influence in this outcome and may view the unions representation as a burden. All too often, an adversarial relationship develops between the employer and union.

The process in the construction industry is usually much different. In fact, the relationship between employers and unions is different in construction than it is in most other business sectors. Contractors, as a rule, enter into a collective bargaining agreement voluntarily because they have determined that do so is a benefit to their business operations. Under their agreement with the union, the union agrees to provide several valuable human resource services to the contractor.

First, the union agrees to provide to the contractor a readily available pool of highly skilled, trained craft workers. The contractor that needs additional skilled workers to complete a project can draw from that pool of workers to find the skilled craft workers they need for the project without a lengthy search and training process. All of that already has been done through the apprenticeship training programs.

When that job is done, the contractor can move those workers to another job or release them back into the hiring pool, knowing that when the next job comes along workers will again be available on short notice. The contractor doesnt have to incur the cost of keeping trained workers on their payroll for fear of not having them when the next project comes along.

As in most business sectors, the skill level of workers in construction is critical. Given the fluid nature of the labor supply/demand market of the construction industry, with workers moving frequently between employers, the centralized training model in the union sector of the industry provides the employer with another valuable benefit  an efficient and equitable cost-sharing system for skill training.

Absent the centralized training system of the apprenticeship schools, a contractor would have to bear all the cost of training a worker for three or four years as the apprenticeship schools do. Through the collective bargaining agreement between the union and employers, all employers share the cost of training the local skilled workforce in an equitable cost-sharing system.

The collective bargaining agreement also provides portable, centrally administered employee benefit programs such as pension and medical insurance. This relieves the employer from the cost of administrating their own benefit program and helps the union sector recruit the most skilled workers by offering attractive benefits.

The union employer in the construction industry is effectively outsourcing much of its human resource functions through the collective bargaining agreement.
Misclassification of employees as independent contractors, commonly referred to as payroll fraud, is a very disturbing and growing trend in the construction business.

In a competitive business like construction, where the low bidder is normally awarded the work on a project, misclassification of workers can provide a contractor a huge bidding advantage. This illegal business practice to lower costs gives them an unfair opportunity to get more work at the expense of legitimate contractors that follow the laws, building permit regulations and IRS rules for employees.

But this is not just a contractor problem. It is costing federal, state and local governments huge sums of money through the loss of payroll taxes.

This business model appears very prevalent and growing. Just a few years ago we were not aware of this issue, but last year in LaPorte, it was pretty well documented that misclassification of employees or payroll fraud was occurring on several projects. In the past, we had no suspicion of this type of illegal business practice, but now we are hearing more and more of it taking place.

I have been trying to figure out why a business would want to do this, because it is clearly illegal.

I would hate to see this business allowed to continue and have to face the reality someday that our firm would be forced to adopt this business model to survive and get work by classifying our employees as independent contractors instead of employees.

I did a little investigating how such a practice may affect our business and was surprised what I found. Maybe this will help put this in perspective.

If we were to follow the business model of payroll fraud, here is what I discovered:

We would not withhold or pay Social Security, Medicare and Federal unemployment taxes, which totaled nearly $800,000 last year.

We would not withhold or pay nearly $200,000 in Indiana state unemployment taxes.

We would not withhold or pay employee withholding taxes to the federal government for $1.4 million; the state of Indiana for $332,000; and local cities and county for $112,000.

With the use of independent contractors instead of employees, we would not pay $2.9 million for employee pension and 401k retirement plans to provide employees a secure retirement and not become burdens on state and federal governments later.

Health care costs would become their responsibility if they were not employees, saving us another $1.9 million. We would not pay workers compensation insurance on employees, a $164,000 savings.

For just my firm of 100 contractors, the total loss to federal, state and local governments would be $2.84 million.

The loss to employees for retirement plans, health care, etc., would be $5 million.

Profit to the unscrupulous businessman would be in the millions of dollars.

The reward for this business model, as you can see, is huge. The risk appears to be minimal as there does not appear to be any investigation or enforcement to stop this illegal business practice of misclassifying employees as independent contractors.

I am sure there are many businessmen out there asking themselves, why not? This could be very profitable, with little risk.

We need to make sure action is taken to stop this illegal business practice from stealing from government, Hoosier workers and legitimate, law-abiding businesses before it really does become the standard of business in the Indiana construction industry.
Trey Kovacs Aug. 25 column decrying workers payment of union dues is part of a thinly veiled ploy to weaken unions by encouraging workers to demand services without paying anything for them. His column notably failed to mention the benefits that union membership offers workers.

Union membership brings a tremendous economic advantage to workers, as evidenced by statistics released by the United States Department of Labor Bureau of Labor Statistics. Nationally, union members employed in the construction industry earned an average of $1,168 weekly in 2016, 49.7 percent more than the $780 per week for nonunion construction workers.

The reason for this difference is the power of collective bargaining, along with unions ability to employ staff to negotiate good wages and benefits for their members. Individuals like Kovacs encourage workers to withhold economic support for unions in an effort to reduce unions revenue and weaken their ability to negotiate these good wages and benefits for workers.

Unions are the best weapon against economic inequality, and I hope readers were able to see through Kovacs corporate-backed rhetoric, intended to trick workers into acting against their own interests.

David Fagan, financial secretary, International Union of Operating Engineers Local 150, Portage
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An update on a story first reported by NY1.

Neal Milano, the Sunnyside, Queens, condominium property manager, whose tenants say he harasses and bullies them, was arrested Sunday.

Sources said Milano is being questioned over a stalking complaint that one of his residents filed, and that police are taking away Milano's gun permits and any potential weapons.

Authorities will also search his apartment, sources told NY1.

Milano had been out of the country, but he returned Sunday, and police arrested him at the airport around 2:20 p.m.

Police officials said Milano stalked and harassed a 43-year-old woman between September of 2016 to this past July. Officials said Milano grabbed her at one point and verbally harassed her.

Sources said that woman no longer lives in the building, and that the stalking complaint was filed about two months ago.



Residents at the condominium building have also complained about Nazi imagery and Confederate flags on display in the lobby of Milano's building.

They say Milano also shares intimate details of their lives in public notices.



Milano denied harassing and stalking tenants when asked Sunday night.

A video posted on YouTube on August 23, shows Milano threatening eviction over a supposed rule violation:

"You go by the rules! You'll be evicted by this building! You're going to have rugs on your floor by August!" Milano said.

"I have rugs on my floor," someone responded.

"You what? You what?" Milano said.

"I'm recording all of this," said another person, who was recording.

"I don't care what you record! You got to go by the rules!" Milano said.

The building is the focus of three separate investigations by the city commission on human rights, the state attorney general's office, and the NYPD.



Queens Councilman Jimmy Van Bramer pushed for the items to be removed, and now says the tenants can relax.

"What they can now feel is a little more safety, a little more secure, a little more at peace, knowing that he's been arrested, knowing that he knows that the NYPD is on top of it and watching," the councilman said.


By PTI: New Delhi, Sep 3 (PTI) The RSS today hailed the elevation of Nirmala Sitharaman as the Defence Minister, saying it was a "great and remarkable" thing that a woman has been appointed to such a crucial post.

Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) spokesperson Manmohan Vaidya congratulated all those who were inducted or elevated in the Cabinet after the reshuffle today.

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"We congratulate all those ministers who took oath today and our wishes are with them.

"It is a great and remarkable thing that a woman has been appointed as the defence minister and now there will be two female ministers in the cabinet committee on security," Vaidya said.

The other members of the crucial cabinet committee are Home Minister, Finance Minister and External Affairs Minister, under the Prime Minister.

Sitharaman is the first woman to become a full-time Defence Minister of the country in a major rejig of the Modi Cabinet.

She is among the four junior ministers who were given a Cabinet berth in todays reshuffle. PTI PKS KR PKS TIR

--- ENDS ---
Glaucoma is known as a disease of aging, the kind that creeps up on people and slowly robs them of vision. But a researcher at the University of Nebraska Medical Center has traced the roots of a common form of the eye disease to a much earlier time, literally the earliest days of human growth and development.

The discovery, published recently in the journal Stem Cells, may offer opportunities for earlier diagnosis of the disease as well as new treatment options.

Iqbal Ahmad, a professor in the ophthalmology and visual sciences department at UNMC, said there are several forms of glaucoma, which ranks as the second-leading cause of blindness and affects approximately 3 million people in the United States and some 60 million worldwide.

All forms, said Ahmad, who led the team of researchers, have one thing in common: Cells inside the eye known as retinal ganglion cells, which extend from the retina and give rise to the optic nerve, begin to degenerate. The optic nerve carries visual messages from the eye to the brain.

The condition typically comes on with little notice and few symptoms, creeping up so slowly that patients often dont notice until their optic nerve is compromised and, with it, their vision. The loss begins on the periphery. Many unconsciously compensate by turning their heads.

Thats why they call it the silent robber of vision, Ahmad said.

High pressure inside the eye is a risk factor for glaucoma, he said. But in some cases, patients with normal eye pressures suffer optic nerve degeneration. Such cases were one of the factors that led Ahmad and his team to look to the early days of development.

Ahmad said the team hypothesized that the retinal ganglion cells, which form during gestation, were somehow vulnerable  or even flawed  from the start in those who develop glaucoma.

To study them, however, they had to go back to those early stages of development. So the researchers took blood from adults with primary open angle glaucoma, which affects 90 percent of glaucoma patients, and reprogrammed the blood cells back into an earlier state, known as induced pluripotent stem cells. Such cells, by definition, have the potential to differentiate into a number of different cell types, from bone to heart, with the right programming.

The team figured out how to make them differentiate into retinal ganglion cells in an unlimited supply they could use for research. Pooja Teotia, a post-doctoral scholar in Ahmads lab, played a crucial role in the work.

The stem cell model was based on a gene variation known to be associated with primary open angle glaucoma. About 40 percent of Caucasians have at least one copy, said Dr. Shane Havens, a glaucoma specialist at UNMCs Truhlsen Institute who is familiar with Ahmads work. More than 99 percent of people of African descent have it, which partially explains why African-Americans have higher rates of glaucoma.

Ahmad stressed that the process did not involve the use of embryonic stem cells. Research based on embryonic cell lines has been controversial because the original cells were derived from human embryos. The ethical dilemma we used to face has been circumvented, he said.

The researchers then compared the retinal ganglion cells derived from the glaucoma patients blood with those from a healthy adult who didnt have glaucoma. The glaucoma patient-derived cells differed in form, function and gene expression.

They even looked different, Ahmad said. The nerves that came out of the young retinal ganglion cells looked much weaker and smaller than the normal retinal ganglion cells. At the functional level, they were not behaving normally.

Ahmad said the team is excited about the next steps. Being able to study the abnormal cells in a dish is giving the researchers an amazing amount of information about what might have gone wrong at the molecular level as well as along the intricate signaling pathways in their development.

Both offer the potential for earlier diagnosis and for new treatments. Ideally they would be able to identify patients who might develop the disease decades down the road and treat them before degeneration occurs.

Havens said treatments for glaucoma currently involve lowering eye pressure with medication, lasers or surgery. But that often comes after people have lost a significant portion of the optic nerve.

About 2 percent of people in the United States have glaucoma, but about half of them dont know it.

This would allow us to start earlier in patients who are at risk, he said.

Ahmad said the researchers also are working to see whether they can correct abnormalities in the cells and to determine whether they would find their way and connect with the brain. If that works they may be able to transplant them into patients who already have the disease and reverse the degeneration.

Were seeing some encouraging signs, he said.

Havens said the work, particularly the stem cell technique involved, also has broader implications for the study and treatment of other diseases, such as Parkinsons disease, that involve the nervous system.

Its exciting work, for sure, he said.

***

Complete eye exams urged, especially for the most at risk

The only sure way to diagnose glaucoma, according to the American Academy of Ophthalmology, is with a complete eye exam. A glaucoma screening that checks only eye pressure is not enough to find glaucoma.

So when should someone have an eye exam? According to the group, adults with no signs or risk factors for eye disease should have a comprehensive medical eye evaluation at age 40, if they havent had one already. After age 40, the recommended interval is:

 Age 40 to 55, every two to four years

 Age 55 to 64, every one to three years

 Age 65 and older, every one to two years

For those at higher risk of certain diseases, including African-Americans and Hispanics who are at higher risk for glaucoma, comprehensive eye exams should be considered:

 Under age 40, every two to four years

 Age 40 to 54, every one to three years

 Age 55 to 64, every one to two years
By PTI: Mathura, Sep 3 (PTI) Lauding the Modi governments handling of the Doklam standoff, senior Rashtriya Swayamsewak Sangh (RSS) leader Manmohan Vaidya claimed today that the "prestige" of the country in the global arena had got enhanced after the withdrawal of Chinese forces.

Vaidya, the Akhil Bhartiya Prachar Pramukh of the saffron body, was here for a three-day meeting of the RSS coordination committee in Vrindavan.

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"The prestige of India and its armed forces has gone up internationally after the withdrawal of the armed forces of China from Doklam," Vaidya claimed.

China had never displayed such a gesture in the past, he said.

On demonetisation , Vaidya said that gradually people have started understanding its value. The fruitful result of demonetisation would be seen shortly, he added.

He also said that the country can overcome a slowdown as the family system is very strong.

Speaking about the coordination committee meeting, Vaidya said that there was no discussion about 2019 Lok Sabha polls or the functioning of the government.

Representatives of various all India organisations of the RSS appreciated the work of Seema Suraksha Jagran Manch in the border areas, he said and added that the stress was on solving problems related to education, employment and other local issues.

Representatives of various RSS bodies advocated promoting small, medium and agriculture based industries to overcome unemployment, he stated.

He said the coordination meeting also discussed casteism and to overcome the evil, encouraging people to follow the ideology of the Sangh.

It is not necessary to be a member of RSS to inculcate within the ideology of the RSS, he said.

Vaidya said that it was also discussed about how to strengthen the position of India as the world was changing fast and happenings in Asia were at the centrestage.

The value of ?spirituality, importance of good values and Swadeshi were also discussed in detail, Vaidya said.

Besides RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat, BJP president Amit Shah and Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath also attended the meeting. PTI CORR ADS

--- ENDS ---
A 2-year-old child from Omaha died after falling from a cliff while vacationing with family in Arizona, officials said.

Authorities in Sedona, Arizona, said in a press release that the child fell 50 to 60 feet down a cliff along the Midgley Bridge Trail on Saturday afternoon.

Rescuers rappelled down the cliff and found that the child had died, according to the Coconino County Sheriffs Office.

The incident is under investigation by the Coconino County Sheriffs Office and County Medical Examiners Office.

Lt. Gerrit Boeck of the Coconino County Sheriffs Office said his office would not release the name of the child Monday out of respect for the family. The child was with family on vacation.

The Midgley Bridge hiking area, along the popular Huckaby Trail, is maintained by the U.S. Forest Service.

Boeck said the County Medical Examiners Office had not determined a cause of death, and the Sheriffs Office still was interviewing witnesses.
HOUSTON  The Nebraskans  firefighters, doctors, helicopter pilots, engineers and medics  swept into Texas with a laser-like focus.

Tell us what you need. Give us a job. We want to help.

They arrived in the immediate aftermath of Hurricane Harvey, a natural disaster of staggering proportions that has brought death and destruction to swaths of Texas since it made landfall Aug. 25.

As swift waters closed in, the Nebraskans dangled out of helicopters and lifted residents off porches in Port Arthur. They ferried badly needed supplies  water, food, generators, batteries and blood  into hard-hit areas where power was spotty. They evacuated the frail residents of a Houston nursing home to higher ground, navigating boats and trucks through dark, treacherous waters that can hide downed power lines or submerged cars.

The Nebraskans who heeded the call  the Nebraska National Guard soldiers, the 80 members of the Lincoln-based Nebraska Task Force One urban search and rescue team and other volunteers feeding or otherwise helping evacuees  know they might be in Texas for a while.

The damage is so widespread. The need is so great.

I dont think theres anyone here who wants to go until the work is done, said Roger Bonin, the Task Force One team leader. Its never-ending.

***

The waters in Port Arthur were rising fast Wednesday, and the helicopters hovering overhead had nowhere to land. People had gathered in the flooded courtyard of an apartment complex seeking rescue.

Too many people were there to evacuate via a helicopter hoist. The Nebraska National Guard pilots finally navigated over to a grassy patch at a school for landing.

But a metal fence separated the school and the apartment complex, blocking the soldiers from the scared, wet residents they sought to evacuate.

Sgt. Ray Smith grabbed a crash ax out of the helicopter and started swinging at the chain on the gate.

BANG! BANG!

The soldiers loaded the evacuees into the helicopter and dropped them off at a makeshift evacuation zone at a nearby high school.

That day, Smith and his crew powered through stinging rain and fierce winds for eight grueling hours. In one four-hour leg they conducted five hoist missions and rescued 80 people.

Smith, who is with the Lincoln-based Company G, 2nd Battalion, 104th Aviation Regiment, returned in April from a deployment in Afghanistan.

But Ive never done a hurricane before, he said. Just seeing the peoples faces  they were happy we were there, but there were also a lot of tears as well. Because they had no idea where they were going.

***

When youre dangling in a hoist off a helicopter, hovering 100 feet over churning brown water, theres no time, no mental space to feel fear or uncertainty, said Staff Sgt. Lawrence Lind, a medic with Company G.

Lind has conducted numerous hoist operations out of a Black Hawk helicopter over the past week, grabbing people off of front porches or out of waist-deep waters. He celebrated his 39th birthday Thursday.

And the only thing in front of me, he said, is helping people, helping good folks out.

Lind hung onto an orange buoy-like cone. We got a strap that goes around the armpits, he said. We could fall off at any second, and so could they. When we go out on a hoist, its desperate, and those people were in desperate need of rescue.

After shinning up and down the hoist Wednesday, Linds lower body was covered in bruises. At one point the winds generated by the helicopter blades pushed him underwater, dragging him about 10 feet as he struggled.

Nothing prepares you for situations like this, he said. We picked up people off the sides of mountains in Afghanistan. Ive told (fellow soldiers) a thousand times This is worse than combat. 

***

Former Omahan Jerry Fennell, a Red Cross volunteer and retired attorney, tried in vain to comfort a man who had ended up at a crowded emergency shelter in north Houston.

He was about 60, Fennell said, and he said Ive lost everything. His home was totally destroyed, his car was gone, hed lost every picture. His computers, his phone, everything. He was rescued from his car. He was despondent.

Fennell, 72, grew up in the Cathedral neighborhood and has volunteered for the Red Cross since the late 1950s. He has worked 11 disaster relief deployments, including the aftermath of Superstorm Sandy on the East Coast as well as California wildfires.

This is as severe as Ive seen it on this scale, he said.

An advanced team shelter manager, he arrived in Houston before Harvey made landfall to help set up a shelter for 500 people at a school complex. At its height, the total swelled to 1,500 people, from young children to Alzheimers patients who had been separated from their caregivers.

Food was scarce, and rationed out at points only to children under 10, the critically ill and evacuees older than 70.

Several shell-shocked evacuees were placed on suicide watch.

Fennell watched two children sleep on top of their fathers legs, barely covered by blankets. The father was stretched out on the floor, lying on his back.

He was sacrificing himself to keep them comfortable, Fennell said.

***

First responders know to seize any opportunity for water, food, bathroom breaks.

Staying physically and mentally sharp on missions, Staff Sgt. Ben Mattox said, means getting a decent nights sleep, if possible, staying hydrated and grabbing whatever food can be scavenged.

And dont forget to keep your feet dry  even if you have to put on dirty socks.

Soldiers and the Lincoln-based search and rescue team tore into calorie-dense MREs, or meals ready to eat.

1st Sgt. Ron Schroeder ran out one night and came back with containers of Indian food from a gas station. Maj. Dan Smith kept a bag of peanuts and a can of pop in his zipped pants pockets. Arriving at a hotel after a grueling day of rescues, a famished Warrant Officer Galen Kreifels ordered two entrees from the kitchen: meatloaf and mashed potatoes, and chicken fingers.

Outside Houstons Tully Stadium, where search and rescue teams were staging, the Big Time Texas Bar-B-Que competition team fed the crews smoked pork loin, chicken, sausage, baked beans and potato salad.

One night Company G set up base inside the pilots club quarters at Sugar Land Regional Airport, packing into a movie theater and stretching out on recliners.

Other nights they were able to book hotel rooms around Sugar Land, despite a limited inventory of rooms.

***

The calls from home were brief and to the point.

Im OK. I love you. Dont worry. No, I dont know when Ill be home.

First responders snatched precious minutes to call or text anxious spouses, children, mom and dad.

Maj. Dan Smith, a father of four, FaceTimed with his kids on his phone during a refueling break. Wives followed Twitter updates.

Its more the families who are trying to cope, said Chief Warrant Officer Dallas Bundy, a Chinook helicopter pilot with Company B, 2nd Battalion, 135th Aviation Regiment, based in Grand Island. My wifes asking me Are you ever coming home? 

Bundy has been with the Nebraska National Guard for 23 years. He works for the Guard full time, too, as a test pilot.

National Guard pilot and Chief Warrant Officer Derek Whisler has two kids, ages 6 and 3. He keeps a little stuffed dog, Dug from the Disney/Pixar movie Up, on the dashboard of the helicopters he flies.

Whisler, who flies 747s in his civilian life, snaps photos of Dug inside the chopper on deployments  in Kuwait, in Texas  and sends them to his kids so they can get a glimpse into dads missions.

Theyre super proud that Im doing what Im doing, he said, but they want me home.

For the National Guard pilots, rescue missions require extreme concentration.

Wednesday was harrowing. Helicopter pilots were trying to land in extremely tight spaces: next to fences, dangerous power lines, in the skinny strip of road or parking lot not swallowed by water.

Desperate for a signal from a cell tower, they checked Google Maps on their phones, trying to navigate in areas whose landmarks  street signs, businesses, schools  were fully or partially submerged. Nonstop radio chatter came in from all channels as they received orders and relayed back their location.

As first responders flocked to hard-hit areas, the skies were filled with helicopters  from the Navy, Coast Guard, U.S. Customs and Border Protection  even a canary yellow one from a childrens hospital.

At one point Wednesday, soldiers estimated 45 aircraft were flying in a 5-mile radius  a volume thats virtually unheard of.

And then theres the mental and emotional strain of working a disaster.

Its tough knowing what were doing, Whisler said. Were taking these people away from their life, home, everything that theyve done, every family picture.

A house can be rebuilt, he said, but if grandmas best china is on the first floor, thats gone now.

At some point, the soldiers know, the adrenaline-pumping rescues of toddlers and the elderly will give way to the recovery of bodies.

The next weeks going to be miserable, Whisler said. Its going to be sunny, 90 degrees, 100 percent humidity. All those damn mosquitoes are coming out, the ticks, the water moccasins.

Well take it day by day, he said. This is what we do.

World-Herald photographer Chris Machian contributed to this report.
NEW YORK (AP)  North Korea's leader is "begging for war," the U.S. ambassador said Monday at an emergency meeting of the U.N. Security Council, as members called for punishing the country with even stronger sanctions for its powerful nuclear test.

Ambassador Nikki Haley said the U.S. would look at countries doing business with the North  which include China  and planned to circulate a resolution this week with the goal of getting it approved Sept. 11.

"Enough is enough. War is never something the United States wants. We don't want it now. But our country's patience is not unlimited," Haley said.

"The United States will look at every country that does business with North Korea as a country, that is giving aid to their reckless and dangerous nuclear intentions," she said.

The move came as South Korea said it was seeing preparations in the North for an ICBM test and fired missiles into the sea to simulate an attack on the North's main nuclear test site.

Also on Monday, President Donald Trump spoke by phone with South Korean President Moon Jae-in and agreed that Sunday's underground nuclear test by North Korea was an unprecedented provocation. The two leaders also agreed to remove the limit on the payload of South Korean missiles.

The emergency U.N. session was scheduled after North Korea said it detonated the hydrogen bomb and came six days after the council strongly condemned what it called Pyongyang's "outrageous" launch of a ballistic missile over Japan. Less than a month ago, the council imposed its stiffest sanctions yet on Kim Jong Un's reclusive nation.

Still, the U.S. resolution faces an uncertain future. Russia and China have both proposed a two-pronged approach: North Korea would suspend its nuclear and missile development, and the United States and South Korea would suspend their joint military exercises.

Washington and Seoul say the maneuvers are defensive, but Pyongyang views them as a rehearsal for invasion. The North recently requested a Security Council meeting about the war games.

The U.S. says there is no comparison between its openly conducted, internationally monitored military drills and North Korea's weapons programs, which the international community has banned.

Russian Ambassador Vassily Nebenzia told reporters after the meeting that sanctions alone will not solve the issue and that negotiations are needed as well.

"Resolutions aimed solely at sanctioning North Korea have not worked well before," he said.

Diplomats from France, Britain, Italy and other countries reiterated demands for the Kim regime to halt its ballistic missile and nuclear weapons programs and urged further sanctions.

French Ambassador Francois Delattre said France was urging the adoption of new U.N. sanctions, swift implementation of existing ones and new, separate sanctions by the European Union.

"Pyongyang poses a clear threat to international peace and security and is increasingly and seriously challenging the global nonproliferation regime," said Ambassador Sebastiano Cardi of Italy, which heads the North Korea sanctions compliance committee. He noted that North Korea is the only country to have tested a nuclear device in the 21st century.

The North trumpeted that its sixth nuclear test blast since 2006 was a "perfect success."

"We cannot waste any more time. And in order to do that, we need North Korea to feel the pressure, but if they go down this road there will be consequences," Japanese Ambassador Koro Bessho told reporters before the meeting.

Chinese Ambassador Liu Jieyi said the situation on the Korean peninsula "is deteriorating constantly as we speak, falling into a vicious circle." He called for restarting talks and asked Washington and Seoul to suspend their exercises.

The council aimed to take a big bite out of the North Korean economy earlier this month by banning the North from exporting coal, iron, lead and seafood. Together, those are worth about a third of the country's $3 billion in exports last year.

The council could look to sanction other profitable North Korean exports, such as textiles. Another possibility could be tighter limits on North Korean laborers abroad; the recent sanctions barred giving any new permits for such workers. The United States suggested other ideas earlier this summer, including air and maritime restrictions and restricting oil to North Korea's military and weapons programs.
The writer is an attorney with Rosen Bien Galvan & Grunfeld LLP in San Francisco.

The Omaha World-Heralds Aug. 27 editorial Common ground made a strong argument for the State of Nebraska and the ACLU to find common ground through negotiations, rather than through the long and expensive litigation process, to achieve the goal of a reformed criminal justice system.

Nebraskas prisons are among the most overcrowded in the nation, resulting in conditions dangerous to all who live and work inside and to the general public.

Every day prisoners are being released without having received the medical and mental health care, substance abuse counseling and rehabilitation needed to return as productive and contributing members of society.

Recent efforts have not stopped the trend and, in fact, overcrowding is getting worse, not better. On Aug. 16, my firm joined with the ACLU, Nebraska Appleseed, the National Association for the Deaf and DLA Piper in a lawsuit on behalf of Nebraska prisoners.

The editorial correctly points out that Nebraska has known about problems with prison health care for years. Reducing the level of overcrowding is essential to address deficient medical and mental health care and other serious constitutional and statutory violations.

For a decade, the ACLU and other advocates have been encouraging the Nebraska Legislature to be more thoughtful about prison conditions. In more recent years, the ACLU and others have warned that the state has been in violation of the Constitution. The ACLU has attempted to negotiate, and the state has failed to act.

Ultimately, as The World-Herald noted, the state could be ordered to reduce its prison population consistent with the design of its prisons so it could operate without violating the basic constitutional rights of the human beings it incarcerates. Federal law calls this a prisoner release order, but a state facing such an order can comply without actually releasing any prisoners.

The editorial states, and it has been widely reported, that California was forced to release thousands of inmates. What actually happened in California is more complicated but important for Nebraskans to understand.

I served as counsel in the case leading to the 2011 United States Supreme Court decision which ordered California to reduce its overcrowded prison system from 165 percent of capacity (about where Nebraska is now) to 137.5 percent of capacity. There was no order that required California to release any prisoners  California had the choice of reducing overcrowding by whatever means it chose, including expanding capacity (building prisons or renting prison beds), or making sentencing and credit-earning reforms. By 2015, California instituted a variety of population reduction methods designed to reduce overcrowding and increase public safety.

A major part of Californias population reduction was achieved by a 2011 state law which required that new parole violations and certain nonviolent felonies be served in county jails and not state prisons. Certain nonviolent felonies were reduced to misdemeanors, credits earned for good behavior were increased, and credit earning was added for evidence-based rehabilitation programs, such as education, substance abuse, anger management and mental health treatment also increased.

Californias citizens also passed propositions giving first-time drug offenders a diversion option and reforming the three-strikes law so that a nonviolent felony (marijuana possession or a minor theft) could no longer result in a life sentence.

Californias population reduction measures have been successful in bringing its level of overcrowding below the court-ordered cap of 137.5 percent with no measurable increase in crime. In fact, several studies show that Californias crime rate went down with the reduction in prison population.

Outside experts and consultants already have recommended safe and proven methods for Nebraska to reduce its bloated prison population. Nebraska knows what needs to be done. Further delay in addressing overcrowding is simply no longer an option.

The ACLU stands ready to negotiate a solution with the state. The unconstitutional conditions in Nebraskas prisons are causing unnecessary and avoidable suffering, pain and death. It is time to act.
By PTI: New Delhi, Sep 3 (PTI) Markets regulator Sebi will soon consider how much information the management and boards of listed companies can share with their non-executive promoters and whether independent directors need to play more active role to ensure best corporate governance practices.

The proposed move assumes significance in the wake of bitter face-offs seen between some promoter groups and the top management personnel in case of Infosys and others.

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A high-level panel, headed by noted banker Uday Kotak, is already looking into various aspects of corporate governance, while the regulator has been receiving several representations from various groups of domestic and foreign investors as also from other stakeholders such as proxy advisory firms following the Infosys crisis and earlier in case of Tatas and others.

A top regulatory official said these issues are likely to be discussed in detail during Sebis board meeting later this month, though any final guidelines would be framed only after putting up a draft for public consultation. The proposed draft will deal with a number of corporate governance issues, including the systems required to be put in place for sharing of information between the management of listed companies and their promoters, including founders.

Several of these issues have come to fore in the backdrop of recent developments at Infosys where CEO Vishal Sikka abruptly resigned amid sharp differences coming into the public between the IT majors board and founders.

In the tussle, a bone of contention was about founders, including N R Narayana Murthy, alleging that adequate information was not provided by the then board with respect to certain deals of the company.

With effect from October, a detailed set of corporate governance norms are already coming in force for listed companies, requiring stricter disclosures and protection of investor rights, and also equitable treatment for minority and foreign shareholders.

These rules will require companies to get shareholders approval for related party transactions, establish whistle blower mechanism, elaborate disclosures on pay packages and have at least one woman director on their boards.

In June, Sebi had set up the committee under the chairmanship of Kotak to look at corporate governance standards at listed firms and come out withe recommendations. The panel included representatives of India Inc, stock exchanges, professional bodies, investor groups, chambers of commerce, law firms, academicians and research professionals, and Sebi. The panel was to make recommendations to Sebi on ensuring independence in spirit of independent directors and their active participation in functioning of the company and steps for improving safeguards and disclosures pertaining to related party transactions. Besides, the committee was to suggest measures for addressing issues faced by investors on voting and participation in general meetings and ways for improving effectiveness of board evaluation practices. It has also looked into issues pertaining to disclosure and transparency. Separately, the regulator is looking afresh into complaints of alleged corporate governance-related lapses at Infosys. Sebi had received several representations regarding the ongoing crisis, including about allegations and counter allegations from various sides.

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Some of these complaints came even before Infosys announced the resignation of its first non-founder CEO Vishal Sikka on August 18.

Earlier also, the regulator had looked into alleged corporate governance lapses following a whistle-blowers letter, presumably on Panaya deal and executive pay. PTI BJ RAM MKJ SBT

--- ENDS ---
BJP,CPI (M) gave a political colour to the infamous Guddia Rape and murder case

India

oi-Oneindia

By Vijyender Sharma

Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh while addressing a massive gathering at Patlandar in Hamirpur district on Sunday exhorted the party cadre to join hands to fight the propaganda of BJP and work together for the party sincerely in view of ensuing assembly elections in the State, which were around the corner.

He said that it was the practice of the Congress earlier to elect leaders and the members of its Working Committees, right from Block level to Pradesh Congress Committees, or even AICC through elections, but now-a-days it has been observed that this practice was being shown the wind and the members were nominated instead of being elected.

He said that young people should come elected right from block level and for Pradesh Congress Committees or All India Congress Committee (AICC). He said that the Constitution of the Party needs to be reorganised.

Chief Minister said that all the political parties should make it necessary to elect their leaders and members of the inner working committees, and added that it was the cause of concern and an issue to be pondered upon. Only such people should come who have following behind them and should be elected in constitutional manner rather than to make him or her sit and take decisions against the wishes of few dedicated workers of the party, he added.

Virbhadra Singh said that the Congress don't believe in mud-slinging and character assassination as opposite to BJP leaders who have spoiled the political atmosphere of the state. Instead of involving themselves in unruly incidents, they (BJP) should agitate in a decent manner, he added.

He said that it was upto the High Command to take a decision of his leading the party or contesting elections. He said that if party requires, his services he would be undoubtedly the first to serve and if they think that there can be a better choice than him, he would still serve the people rising above politics and sincerely work for the party throughout his life.

Chief Minister said that few unfortunate incidents are reported everywhere, but that does not mean that the law and order has completely failed. The BJP people make a mountain out of a molehill and now were quite tightlipped on Haryana bedlam, he remarked.

Virbhadra Singh said that the BJP and CPI (M) gave a political colour to the infamous Guddia Rape and murder case, damaged the public property and created unrest in the State. Action would be taken against those who destroyed the public property, as this was not the way to protest, he said. One of the former BJP Minister was involved in all this and creating scare amongst the people and certainly action would be taken against him, he added.

Chief Minister said that the forest clearance was awaited to pave the way for construction of Medical College in Hamirpur though the State Government has adequate budget for the same. He said that fate of AIIMS yet undecided and he has request the Central Union Minister, Shri J.P Nadda to pursue the matter as the State Government has provided enough land as per the requirement of Union Ministry of Health.

Chief Minister assured the ex-service men of all possible help. He also assured for deploying Child and Gynae specialists in Civil Hospital Sujanpur. He also announced starting of post-graduation classes in Degree College Nadaun.

Vice-Chairman, State Disaster Management Authority Rajinder Rana, while addressing the gathering attacked the BJP MLA from Nadaun for attacking the police personnel. He blamed the BJP for spreading lawlessness in the State. He said that the people were aware that Haryana was burning and the Khattar Government of Haryana completely failed to control the arson and violence in which as many as 38 people died. Why the BJP leaders were mum over this issue and not even uttering a word, he questioned. He said that the BJP was directly responsible for creating hullabaloo and unrest in the State as they were airing petty issues and leveling false charges against the Chief Minister.

He also counted the development of the area. He said that the BJP was anti-employee and it was the Congress Party that took decision to regularize the contract employees after three years of service from five years.

Chief Parliamentary Secretary Inder Dutt Lakhanpal, Ex-MLA Shri Kuldeep Pathania, Chairman Kangra Central Co-operative Bank Jagdish Saphiya, Chairman Ex-servicemen Corporation Col. BC Lagwal, Chairman APMC Prem Kaushal, DCC Member Promila Devi were present on the occasion amongst others.

OneIndia News
Cabinet reshuffle: An attempt to divert focus from govt 'failure, says Mayawati

India

oi-PTI

BSP chief Mayawati took a dig at the cabinet reshuffle on Sunday by saying it as an attempt to divert the attention of the people from the government's "failure" in tackling burning issues the country is facing.

The ruling party's Cabinet reshuffle saw nine new faces inducted, of whom, four are former bureaucrats.

The former Uttar Pradesh chief minister criticised the fact that retired bureaucrats were being relied on more than politicians.

The expansion is an attempt to divert attention of the people from the "failure of the government on burning problems like poverty, unemployment, Ganga cleaning" as well as promises made by the BJP during the Lok Sabha polls, Mayawati said.

"This is new drama being enacted by the BJP. The people have lost hope and are angry with the government. In place of politicians, retired bureaucrats are being relied on more in the expansion and an attempt is being made to propagate the agenda of RSS," she said in a statement.

The expansion reflects the tensions in the BJP and in the NDA, she added.

Sources close to Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar had said that he's "disappointed" that despite joining the BJP's national coalition about two weeks ago, "there was no call from PM Modi" discussing the reworking of ministries.

Earlier, the Shiv Sena has also voiced it's displeasure over the cabinet reshuffle, calling it a BJP reshuffle instead of one involving the NDA coalition.

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Story first published: Sunday, September 3, 2017, 20:18 [IST]
Sonia tells Lalu, Nitish to meet her again after Cong gets new president

Cabinet reshuffle: It's Nitish Kumar's fate, says Lalu Prasad Yadav

India

oi-Madhuri

RJD chief Lalu Yadav on Sunday taking a dig at Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar said that its fate of Nitish that he was not even being invited for the oath taking ceremony.

Lalu Yadav said,''They didn't even get invites (oath ceremony). One who leaves his people won't be taken in by others. It's Nitish Kumar's fate.''

Earlier, a day ahead of the Cabinet reshuffle, Janata Dal (United) chief and Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar told media that his party is yet to get an invitation to join the Union Council of Ministers.

Kumar said, "There was no such talk of JD(U) joining the Union Cabinet. No talks were held on the issue (between BJP and JD (U))," Bihar CM Nitish Kumar said in Patna.

With swearing-in ceremony over, the Modi Cabinet has got nine new ministers and four others have been given Cabinet berth. Piyush Goyal, Nirmala Sitharaman, Dharmendra Pradhan and Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi have been given Cabinet rank.

OneIndia News

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Story first published: Sunday, September 3, 2017, 11:37 [IST]
Mahendra Nath Pandey

Mahendra Nath Pandey has been made the UP president of the BJP and under one-man-one-post policy, he will be dropped from the Modi cabinet.

Kalraj Mishra

Kalraj Mishra is moving out of the Cabinet due to age (he is past 75) and may get a gubernatorial role.

Bandaru Dattatreya

News of only Union Minister from Telangana Bandaru Dattatreya being asked to put in his papers ahead of the Union Cabinet reshuffle on Sunday came as a surprise to the state BJP leadership. It is believed that he was asked to resign so that the party could utilise his services for the organisational work in near future.

Sanjiv Kumar Balyan

Sanjiv Kumar Balyan was appointed as minister of state for Agriculture and food processing in the National Democratic Alliance government in May 2014. Then, in July 2016, he was moved to be Minister of State for Water Resources, River Development & Ganga Rejuvenation, under Minister Uma Bharti.

Rajiv Pratap Rudy

Rajiv Pratap Rudy was made Minister of State (Independent Charge) for Skill Development and Entrepreneurship in Narendra Modi's government, a key ministry in view of Modi's slogan of 'Make in India' and associated attempts to make India a production hub. He also shares Parliamentary Affairs department jointly with another Minister of State, Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi. Rudy is a General Secretary of Bharatiya Janata Party.
Will give compensation to kin of dera followers killed in violence if court directs: Haryana CM

Dera violence could have been much worse, says Khattar

India

oi-PTI

Haryana chief minister Manohar Lal Khattar, who was under Opposition fire over his management of the Dera issue, on Sunday said the violence by the sect's supporters could have turned much worse had the government not been alert.

Khattar told reporters that the state government had taken steps after due consideration in compliance with the directions of the Punjab and Haryana high court.

"Had the government had not been alert, the situation could have been much worse," he said in Karnal.

The Haryana government had come under attack for allowing a huge build up of Dera Sacha Sauda followers in Panchkula.

Violence broke out there after Dera chief Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh's conviction+ in rape cases, leaving 35 people dead. Six others died in incidents of violence in Sirsa.

Ram Rahim was later sentenced to 20 years in prison.

On August 30, Khattar, had ruled out his resignation after meeting BJP chief Amit Shah in Delhi, saying his government had acted with "restraint" in handling the situation.

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Story first published: Sunday, September 3, 2017, 23:50 [IST]
After Blue whale, this new TikTok 'Skull breaker' challenge is so dangerous that may lead to injury

Final stage of Blue Whale Challenge said Gujarat boy before jumping of a bridge

India

oi-Vicky

By Vicky

Ashok Mulana from Gujarat killed himself before posting a video on Facebook in which he said he was completing the Blue Whale Challenge.

The victim in Gujarat was identified as Ashok Maluna, who jumped off a bridge into the Sabarmati river on Friday shortly after posting a video on Facebook in which he said the step was him completing the Blue Whale Challenge.

The Blue Whale Challenge requires participants to complete a number of tasks within a 50-day period. The tasks become increasingly harmful through self-mutilation, and the final step is suicide.

Police in Gujarat said the suicide victim, Maluna, shot a video in which he said, "this is final stage of my Blue Whale Challenge and now I am going to commit suicide".

In the video, Maluna, in his early twenties, said that he stole Rs 40,000 from home and he, along with a friend, had gone to Mumbai to commit suicide. Due to heavy rain, he said, they couldn't complete their task.

OneIndia News

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Story first published: Sunday, September 3, 2017, 5:36 [IST]
Rajasthan Cabinet Reshuffle: 15 new ministers take oath; Pilot camp gets 5 berths

Cabinet reshuffle in Odisha: New Ministers to take oath tomorrow at 12 pm

West Bengal Cabinet reshuffle on Wednesday, 4-5 new faces in: Mamata Banerjee

Mamata Banerjee to reshuffle West Bengal Cabinet today | All you need to know

Bengal cabinet reshuffle: Babul Supriyo, 8 others take oath as ministers

Modi Cabinet reshuffle: Nirmala is new Defence minister; Goyal gets railways

India

oi-Madhuri

New faces was inducted into the Union Government today. Ahead of the oath taking ceremony, Prime Minister Narendra Modi met with his council of ministers for breakfast. Four former bureaucrats also sworn-into into the ministry. Six ministers had resigned to make way for new faces.

Who will be promoted and which minister will get Railways and Defence?

Here are the highlights.

02: 36 pm: Congratulate all the 13 ministers. I hope they work together towards bringing in New India: Chhattisgarh CM Raman Singh

02:35 pm: Giriraj Singh is now Minister of State (Independent Charge) Ministry of Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises.

02:33 pm: Ashwini Kumar Choubey gets MoS Health and Family Welfare; Anant Kumar Hegde appointed MoS Skill Development and Entrepreneurship.

02:32 pm: Vijay Goel will be MoS Parliamentary Affairs and MoS Statistics and Program Implementation

01:51 pm: Union Minister Narendra Singh Tomar also gets Ministry of Mines

01:50 pm: Arun Jaitley will keep Finance Portfolio & Ministry of Corporate Affairs

01:48 pm: Rajyavardhan Rathore is now also Minister (Independent Charge) of Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports, Vijay Goel will be MoS

01:47 pm: Alphons Kannanthanam is MoS (Independent Charge) Ministry of Tourism and MoS Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology

01:46 pm: Petroleum Minister Dharmendra Pradhan also gets Skill Development and Entrepreneurship ministry

01:45 pm: Uma Bharti gets Ministry of Drinking Water and Sanitation.

01:32 pm: Smriti Irani retains Information & Broadcasting Ministry. Irani, who held the additional charge after the elevation of Venkaiah Naidu as the Vice-President of India, will now retain the I&B portfolio. However, India is likely to get a new textiles minister.

01:30 pm: Suresh Prabhu is the new Commerce Minister.

01:30 pm: Hopeful new team would help Andhra Pradesh, which has been facing problems after unfair and unscientific bifurcation, said CM Chandrababu Naidu to ANI

01:28 pm: Piyush Goyal gets Railways. Smriti Irani is the new Information and Broadcasting Minister and Suresh Prabhu the Commerce Minister.

01:27 pm: Nirmala Sitharaman is the new Defence Minister

01:26 pm: More barbs directed at Bihar CM Nitish Kumar after Lalu Prasad Yadav, National Conference leader Omar Abdullah expresses sympathies over twitter

12:40 pm: JD(U) spokesperson KC Tyagi says party will not comment on not being included in cabinet expansion.

"It was BJP's internal reshuffle and not NDA's, so we would not like to comment on it," said Tyagi, ANI reported.

12:38 pm: Congress party extends its wishes to the newly inducted ministers, but warns that is "watching" them.

12:10 pm: Shiv Sena MP Sanjay Raut hit out at the BJP over not being included in the expansion. "This cabinet reshuffle and the one before, this were only BJP reshuffles not of NDA," ANI quoted him as saying.

12:00 pm: Piyush Goyal set to be new railway minister, replacing Suresh Prabhu, government sources said after the swearing-in ceremony.

11:37 am: Ministers who retained their portfolios:Arun Jaitley: Ministry of Defence and Finance MinistryRajnath Singh: Home MinisterNitin Gadkari: Minister of Road Transport and Highways of IndiaSushma Swaraj: Minister of External Affairs of India

11:19 am: All eyes now on the allocation of portfolios. The full list should be out anytime now.

11:07 am: After the elevation of four MoS to cabinet rank and the induction of nine new MoS rank ministers, the swearing-in ceremony is over.

11:05 am: Satyapal Singh takes oath

10:56 am: Hardeep Singh Puri to be MoS

Puri was one of the top diplomats of India. A 1974-batch IFS officer, he is reported to be made a MoS defence or commerce.

10:54 am: RK Singh takes oath

10:54 am: Ananth Kumar Hegde takes oath

Anantkumar Hegde, the Lok Sabha MP from Uttar Kannada, was one of the youngest MPs in the 11th Lok Sabha in 1996. Hegde is a five-term MP, who became a giantkiller by defeating Margaret Alva

10:51 am: BJP's Veerendra Kumar is a six-term MP from Tikamgarh and an important Dalit face of the BJP.

Kumar is a six-term MP from Tikamgarh and an important Dalit face of the BJP.

10:48 am: Ashwini Kumar Choubey takes oath

Choubey, who has been a health minister is the Nitish Kumar government in the past, is a Brahmin strongman from Bihar. He is currently a Lok Sabha MP from Buxar.

10:46 am: Rajya Sabha MP Shiv Pratap Shukla is the first one to take oath as Minister of State.

10:45 am: Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi takes oath as Cabinet minister

10:43 am: Nirmala Sitharaman takes oath

10:42 am: Piyush Goyal second person to take oath as Cabinet minister

10:39 am: Dharmendra Pradhan Takes Oath

10:35 am: President Ram Nath Kovind arrives

10:32 am: PM Modi arrives for oath taking ceremony at Rashtrapati Bhavan

10:29 am: Oath taking ceremony of new inductees in Modi cabinet to being shorty at President House

10:26 am: Swearing-in to begin once Narendra Modi and Ram Nath Koivnd come to Rashtrapati Bhavan

10:25 am: Union Minister Uma Bharti not present at oath taking ceremony, she is at an event in Varanasi

10:22 am: Cabinet list disappears from website, new list now awaited

10:04 am: Union minister Uma Bharati will not attend the swearing in ceremony. According to NDTV, the firebrand leader will remain in Lalitpur.

10:03 am: Swearing-in ceremony to begin shortly as ministers arrive at Rashtrapati Bhavan

09:55 am: Thrilled, I was not expecting this.Great surprise: KJ Alphons,BJP

09:54 am: Hardeep Puri likely to be made MoS Commerce or Defence, say reports

09:53 am: BJP leader Hardeep Singh Puri says that he is grateful to the PM for making him a part of his team.

09:52 am: Meeting between new minsters and Prime Minister Narendra Modi ends

09:51 am: Unhappy Shiv Sena will not attend oath taking ceremony

09:40 am: Narendra Modi meets newly elected ministers.

09:25 am: Ahead of Cabinet resuffle Piyush Goyal likely to be the new Railways Minister.

09:11 am: Ahead of Cabinet reshuffle: "Our National President had already made it clear, so no question of me or anyone from JDU joining cabinet, says VN Singh, JDU

09:10 am: BJP President Amit Shah has reached PM Narendra Modi's residence ahead of the swearing in ceremony of the Union Council ministers.

08:53 am: BJP President Amit Shah has left for the breakfast meet ahead of the swearing in ceremony of the selected cabinet ministers.

08:50 am: Ministers leave for PM residence ahead of swearing-in.

08:46 am: Strength of ministry to be at 76 with nine new inclusions.

08:42 am: 'I thank the PM for expressing confidence in my ability. Portfolio has not been decided yet,' says RK Singh ahead of cabinet reshuffle.

08:40 am: Mukthar Abbas Naqvi, Nirmala Sitharam, Dharmendra Pradhan and Piyush Goyal likely to get promotion.

08:33 am: Nine new faces in Narendra Modi 's team have diverse backgrounds, vast experience

08:22 am: Ahead of Cabinet reshuffle, the breakfast meet between PM Narendra Modi and the newly selected ministers is going to take place at Lok Kalyan Marg.

08:18 am: Swearing-in ceremony of new ministers of the Union government will take place at 10.30 am on Sunday at Rashtrapati Bhavan.

08:15 am: I believe the information to be authentic only when I get it from official sources said Shiv Pratap Shukla. Meanwhile, celebrations had already broken out at his residence.

Modi's 9 new ministers: This is how they reacted

07:45 am: It is yet to be seen if any leader from the BJP's ally JD(U) will be inducted. However there was no indication of any JD(U) leader making it to the ministry.

Cabinet reshuffle: All you need to know about nine new ministers to be sworn-in

07:30 am: Modi is said to have not included anyone from the AIADMK since there is a tussle within the party still on.

07:15 am: The Shiv Sena is also not part of the reshuffle.

What is Modi's 4P formula that guided the Cabinet reshuffle

OneIndia News
Modi cabinet reshuffle: Nine new ministers to take oath at 10:30 am today

India

oi-Madhuri

The much-awaited reshuffle in the Modi cabinet will take place on Sunday at 10:30 am at the Rashtrapati Bhavan and their portfolios are likely to be announced later in the day. Out of those who will take oath for their respective ministers, names of nine have been declared already.

It earlier reported that Prime Minister Narendra Modi and BJP chief Amit Shah will hold a meeting on Saturday evening to finalise the cabinet list. It is, however, not clear if the meeting would take place. Reports say that Road Transport Minister Nitin Gadkari will retain his portfolio.

Several ministers - Rajiv Pratap Rudy, Sanjiv Kumar Balyan, Faggan Singh Kulaste and Mahendra Nath Pandey, Kalraj Mishra - had resigned ahead of the rejig

NDTV, while quoting sources, said that Modi is "very happy" with the performance of Gadkari. The BJP is said to have considered moving Gadkari to Railways Ministry, but wasn't keen to take the responsibility. "It is PM Modi's prerogative who should be given what responsibility. He is the one to decide on tomorrow's (Cabinet reshuffle)," Gadkari told the media on Saturday.

JD (U) may not join the cabinet as was earlier reported. Nitish Kumar, in fact, said he had no information about the cabinet reshuffle.

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Story first published: Sunday, September 3, 2017, 7:24 [IST]
In Modi Cabinet reshuffle, no AIADMK, JD(U) and Shiv Sena

India

oi-Vicky

By Vicky

There are no JD(U), Shiv Sena or AIADMK names in the Modi Cabinet reshuffle. The JD(U) had indicated on Saturday that there have been no talks on the reshuffle and it is unlikely to join the Cabinet.

Bihar chief minister Nitish Kumar said in Patna on Saturday, "There was no talk of JD(U) joining the Union Cabinet. No talks were held on the issue (between the BJP and JD-U)".

BJP chief Amit Shah met Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday evening to finalise the reshuffle, and there were indications that besides the JD(U), Shiv Sena is also unlikely to join the government. Chances of the AIADMK, which recently merged its two factions, joining the Cabinet also remain dim.

In the lead up to the reshuffle, six ministers have resigned so far - Kalraj Mishra, Bandaru Dattatreya, Rajiv Pratap Rudy, Sanjiv Kumar Balyan, Faggan Singh Kulaste and Mahindra Nath Pandey. The fate of water resources minister Uma Bharti hangs in the balance.

Before the six resignations, there were 72 ministers in Modi's Council of Ministers. Of these, 24 were Cabinet rank, 12 ministers of state (independent charge), and 36 ministers of state. The total strength of the Council of Ministers cannot exceed 81. Shiv Sena chief Uddhav Thackeray also said in Mumbai that he had received no information from the BJP.

In the case of the AIADMK, however, their internal squabbles are proving to be the stumbling block in its joining the government.

OneIndia News

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Story first published: Sunday, September 3, 2017, 5:14 [IST]
Nirmala Sitharaman is the new Defence Minister

India

oi-Madhuri

Nirmala Sitharaman, who just took oath as the new Cabinet member, has been given the Defence Ministry portfolio. She has become the first full-time woman defence minister of India and only the second woman to hold the crucial ministry after Indira Gandhi.

She is elevated to the Cabinet rank in the reshuffle carried out by the Modi government on Sunday. Earlier, she served as a Minister of State for Finance and Corporate Affairs under the Ministry of Finance headed by Arun Jaitley and before that as a national spokesperson for the Bharatiya Janata Party (called Bharatha Makkal Kazhagam in Tamil). Currently, she has been allotted the MP seat in the Rajya Sabha representing the state of Karnataka.

Jaitley has been handling the ministry after Manohar Parrikar quit to become the Goa's chief minister.

Puducherry governor Kiran Bedi praised Sitharaman and congratulated her.

With swearing-in ceremony over, the Modi Cabinet has got nine new ministers and four others have been given Cabinet berth. Piyush Goyal, Nirmala Sitharaman, Dharmendra Pradhan and Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi have been given Cabinet rank.

OneIndia News
By PTI: (Correcting figure in Para 4)

By Arunav Sinha

Lucknow, Sep 3 (PTI) Data on deaths of children compiled by the Uttar Pradesh government show a sharp drop in casualty figures in the BRD Medical College in Gorakhpur this year compared to those in the last three years.

According to the data compiled by the UP health department, made available to PTI, 1,317 children had died in the state-run facility so far this year.

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The number of deaths stood at 5,850 in 2014, 6,917 in 2015 and 6,121 in 2016, the department data said.

The data showed the average daily deaths translating to 16 in 2014, 19 in 2015 and 17 in 2016 -- as against 5.3 a day till August this year.

"This (death figure) is much lower than that in the previous years," Health Minister Sidharth Nath Singh said.

Congress spokesperson Ashok Singh had charged the Uttar Pradesh government with failing to check the deaths in the BRD medical college. "The toll is alarmingly high and the government has failed to check the casualties," he had said. Countering him, the health minister said "good work" was being done by the Yogi Adityanath government in the state.

"The reason (for the fall in death figures) is the good work done in the last five months. We have strengthened encephalitis treatment centres and taken various effective measures to check the dreaded disease so that more patients are treated at community health centre levels and do not just rush to the BRD medical college," Singh told PTI.

According to BRD medical college records, 152 children died in January this year, 122 in February, 159 in March, 123 in April, 139 in May, 137 in June, 128 in July and 325 in August. Taking into account 32 deaths in the first two days of September, the total came to 1,317.

A total of 51,018 children were admitted to the hospital in 2014, 61,295 in 2015 and 60,891 in 2016, according to the data put together by the department and its partner, PATH Foundation, a nonprofit organisation. There were no admission figures for this year.

Health department sources said till August 31, admissions in district hospitals and encephalitis treatment centres had gone up to 62 per cent as compared to BRD hospital. "We have to bring this up to at least 80 per cent. We are on the right path," said an official.

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Because of seasonal illnesses, August usually saw a rise in the number of children being admitted to the medical college which caters to Gorakhpur and adjoining districts in Uttar Pradesh, with patients also coming from neighbouring Bihar and Nepal.

The Numbers of deaths of children in August in 2016, 2015 and 2014 were 587, 668 and 567 respectively, as against 324 last month, according to the data. "During 2017, larvicidal spraying and fogging were undertaken in 529 villages/urban areas in seven endemic districts of Gorakhpur and Basti division where community meetings and awareness programmes for health workers are being carried out," Singh said while explaining the drop in the casualty figure this year. The health minister said, "The combat against Japanese Encephalitis (JE)/Acute Encephalitis Syndrome (AES) continues to be a priority for the state government and every effort is being made to ensure proper treatment and management of cases by taking preventive initiatives to educate and involve the community in our fight against these diseases." He said a special vaccination campaign was carried out in 38 endemic districts from June 29 to July 15 this year covering 92 lakh children in the 1-15 year age bracket.

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When contacted, Congress spokesperson Singh expressed doubts over the figures, while Samajwadi Party leader and MLC Rajpal Kashyap dismissed the data.

"The government is trying to run away from its responsibilities of providing better health care facilities," Kashyap said. PTI NAV SMI BDS ARK

--- ENDS ---
Rohingya Muslims assaulted after locals object to buffalo slaughter on Eid

India

oi-Vicky

By Vicky

The police have registered a case against unidentified persons after an assault on Rohingya Muslims was reported in Haryana. The Rohingya Muslims were assaulted by local people who objected to their plan to slaughter two buffalo calves on the occasion of Eid.

"They first tried to take the animals, and when we objected, they asked us to sell the calves to them. We refused and told them that we had pooled in money and bought them for sacrifice on Eid," said Sakir Ahmed, a Rohingya Muslim.

Around 5 am on Saturday, before the refugees could take the animals to the market, a group of "15 or 20 men" came - some on bikes, others by foot - and allegedly assaulted them. "They released the calves and started to beat up anyone who tried to stop them.

A case has been registered at the Ballabgarh Sadar police station against "unidentified persons" under Sections 323 (voluntarily causing hurt), 147 (rioting), 148 (rioting, armed with deadly weapon), 149 (unlawful assembly), and 379 (theft) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC).

"An FIR has been registered under relevant sections of the IPC, and we are in the process of identifying the accused," said Hanif Qureshi, Commissioner of Police, Faridabad.

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Story first published: Sunday, September 3, 2017, 5:44 [IST]
Spate of arrests continue in the Hills as police crackdown on GJM

India

oi-Amitava

The Sikkim and West Bengal police standoff that had taken place on Friday saw Gorkha Janmukti Morcha central committee member and former nominated member of the Gorkhaland Territorial Administration (GTA) Sabitri Rai being produced at a Namchi Court in Sikkim.

12 others including GJM central committee members were produced at the Siliguri court out of which 6 were taken into police custody.

Sikkim police have alleged that a West Bengal police team in plains clothes had entered Sikkim without informing Sikkim and without any legal documents required in such cases. The Central Committee meeting of the GJM was underway at Seven Hill Resort in Namchi in the South district of Sikkim on Friday when the West Bengal CID team barged in.

Though the main target was to nab Gurung, the GJM President managed to give the police a slip. However some central committee members were arrested by the police. Sources stated that a part of the West Bengal police team left Namchi with most of the arrested.

However the Sikkim police stopped the remaining from returning to the Darjeeling Hills with the others arrested. Among them were Sabitri Rai. Jagdish Singh and Bimal Rai. Jagdish Singh and Bimal Rai both from South Sikkim.

Sikkim sources stated that as the West Bengal police failed to produce any legal documents, 7 police personnel from West Bengal including officers were detained by the Sikkim police. Late at night they were released. Police also released Jagdish Singh and Bimal Rai.

Sabitri Rai was produced at the Namchi Court on Saturday. The West Bengal police had put in a prayer for transit remand. The court however released Savitri on bail.

An incident of shootout had allegedly occurred at Sadam, near Namchi on Thursday afternoon. A dead body was later found by the Sikkim police. The deceased was identified as Dawa Bhutia (34 yrs), from Pedong, Kalimpong. He was the driver of Dawa Lepcha, former GTA sabha member.

The dead body was taken to the Namchi hospital in Sikkim for post mortem. Sikkim police have alleged that during the alleged shootout the Bengal police were present at the spot. "A murder case has been initiated at the Namchi police station against the Superintendent of Police, Kalimpong and his team. Three vehicles including the vehicle of the Kalimpong SP have been seized" stated Pratap Pradhan, SP Sikkim South.

The Sikkim Democratic Front (SDF- ruling party of Sikkim) has condemned the alleged entry of West Bengal police into Sikkim without prior information and valid legal documents. They have thanked the South district police for prompt action but have demanded that all the persons involved be brought to book at the earliest.

Bimal Gurung vehemently criticized Friday's standoff and remarked that the Sikkim Government should thoroughly probe the incident and specially the death. "This clearly shows the extent they can go to and how they misuse power" alleged Gurung on Saturday, talking to media persons over the phone from his hideout.

Meanwhile the West Bengal Government has raised questions as to how Gurung who has been charged under the Unlawful Activities Prevention Act be provided a safe house in Sikkim. The Home Ministry, Government of West Bengal, has shot a letter to their Sikkimese counterpart requesting cooperation in future cases.

Jyoti Rai, GJM Central Committee member claimed that the Central Committee meeting had taken place and the meeting unanimously expelled Binoy Tamang and Anit Thapa from all posts and primary membership of the party for announcing the withdrawal of the indefinite bandh without consultation.

Meanwhile 13 others including some GJM Central Committee members were arrested on Friday in connection with different cases of the Darjeeling Hills were also produced at the Siliguri court. The Addition Chief Judicial magistrate Court remanded Dawa Lama, treasurer GJM to police custody along with GJM Central Committee members Shanker Adhikari, Hemant Gautam, Buddha Sharma, Ganesh Sharma and Siddhant Adhikari. The others were sent to judicial custody.

Police today arrested Krishna Limbu Subba, the Chairman of Kurseong Municipality in connection with attempts to torch the Kurseong Government Tourist Lodge. He was produced in a Siliguri court and sent to judicial custody.

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Story first published: Sunday, September 3, 2017, 5:06 [IST]
West Bengal Police had intimated Sikkim Police before raids in Sikkim

India

oi-Amitava

By Amitava

Darjeeling, September 3, 2017: The Sikkim - West Bengal police controversy over West Bengal police reached a new high with evidence of West Bengal police having intimated their Sikkim counterparts before conducting raids and even seeking cooperation. This has definitely put Sikkim police in a sticky wicket.

In another incident there was an IED blast at 6th mile police camp in Kalimpong in the wee hours of Saturday.

A letter had been sent to the Superintendent of Police, South Sikkim on August 31, 2017 from the Office of the Special Superintendent of Police (North), Criminal Investigation Department, Siliguri, West Bengal in which the West Bengal police have requested for police assistance for conducting raids in South Sikkim. A digital copy of the receipt copy of the letter is available with Oneindia.

The letter states "There is credible information and input that several accused wanted in the above noted case who are absconding, are available under your jurisdiction. Kindly render necessary police assistance during raid under your jurisdiction to apprehend Bimal Gurung, Prakash Gurung, DK Pradhan and others in connection with the above noted case."

The letter gives reference to a Darjeeling Sadar Police Station Case no. 115/17 dated 09/06/17 under section relating to rioting, arson, criminal conspiracy of the Indian Penal Code read with sections of the Arms Act, Explosives Act, West Bengal Maintenance of Public Order Act and Prevention of Damage to Public Property Act.

The letter was signed by Ajoy Prasad, Spl. Superintendent of Police, CID, West Bengal. The letter bears the received seal of the SP, South Sikkim dated September 1. Raids were conducted on Friday.

Sikkim police had alleged that a West Bengal police team in plains clothes had entered Sikkim on Friday without informing Sikkim and without any legal documents required in such cases. The Central Committee meeting of the GJM was underway at Sevel Hill Resorts in Namchi in the South district of Sikkim on Friday when the West Bengal CID team barged in.

Though the main target was to nab Bimal Gurung, the GJM President managed to give the police a slip. However some central committee members were arrested by the police. Sources stated that a part of the West Bengal police team left Namchi with most of the arrested.

However the Sikkim police stopped the remaining from returning to the Darjeeling Hills with the others arrested. Among them were Sabitri Rai, Jagdish Singh and Bimal Rai. Jagdish Singh and Bimal Rai are both residents of South Sikkim.

Sikkim sources stated that as the West Bengal police failed to produce any legal documents, 7 police personnel from West Bengal including officers were detained by the Sikkim police. Late at night they were released. Police also released Jagdish Singh and Bimal Rai.

Sabitri Rai was produced at the Namchi Court on Saturday. The West Bengal police had put in a prayer for transit remand. The court however released Savitri on bail.

An incident of shootout had allegedly occurred at Sadam, near Namchi on Thursday afternoon. A dead body was later found by the Sikkim police. The deceased was identified as Dawa Bhutia (34 yrs), from Pedong, Kalimpong. He was the driver of Dawa Lepcha, former GTA Sabha member. His body was taken from the Namchi Hospital to Pedong on Saturday.

The Sikkim police then registered a murder case against Superintendent of Police, Kalimpong and the team. They seized three vehicles including the vehicle of SP Kalimpong.

When contacted by media persons regarding the West Bengal CID letter, the Superintendent of Police, South Sikkim abstained from commenting.

There have been questions raised by West Bengal regarding Sikkim's role in the Darjeeling unrest. There are allegations of Sikkim harbouring and providing safe passage to agitators wanted in West Bengal. "How can Sikkim allow safe passage to Bimal Gurung and other leaders who have been charged under the Unlawful Activities Prevention Act?" questioned Gautam Deb, Tourism Minister, Government of West Bengal.

In the past also there have been allegations of Sikkim fanning the Gorkhaland fire. In June 2017 Sikkim Chief Minister Pawan Chamling had written to Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh in support of Gorkhaland. Chief Minister Chamling had also moved a resolution in the Sikkim Legislative Assembly in March 2011 in support of Gorkhaland.

Meanwhile two persons from Sikkim had been nabbed and the vehicle they were travelling in was seized on Friday night from the Gosainpur area under the Bagdogra Police Station near Siliguri. An improvised gun, two rounds of live ammunition and posters were recovered from the vehicle.

The poster stated that the ongoing indefinite bandh in the Hill will continue protesting against the anti-Gorkha stance of the Bengal Government. Under no circumstances will the bandh be lifted. It was signed as GJM, Kalijhora Unit.

The two arrested Dipesh Limboo and Prabhat Chettri were produced at the Additional Chief Judicial Magistrate Court, Siliguri on Saturday.

At around 1:30am on Saturday an IED was lobbed in an empty police camp at 6th Mile under the Rungli Rungliot Police Station in the Darjeeling sub division. The walls, ceiling and windows and doors were damaged in the blast. However no one was injured as the camp was empty.

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Story first published: Sunday, September 3, 2017, 11:28 [IST]
Donald Trump, Abe discuss 'growing threat' posed by North Korea

International

pti-PTI

Washington, Sep 3: The US and Japan discussed the 'growing threat' posed by North Korea with President Donald Trump and Japan Prime Minister Shinzo Abe reaffirming the importance of a close cooperation.

The discussion took place in the backdrop of North Korea announcing the development of a hydrogen bomb which can be loaded into the country's new intercontinental ballistic missile.

"President Donald J Trump spoke today with Prime Minister Shinzo Abe of Japan to discuss ongoing efforts to maximize pressure on North Korea," the White House said in a readout of the call, the third between the two leaders in less than a week.

According to the White House, Trump and Abe reaffirmed the importance of close cooperation between the United States, Japan, and South Korea in the face of the growing threat from North Korea. "Trump noted that he looks forward to continued trilateral coordination on the margins of the United Nations General Assembly," the White House said.

Yesterday, Trump also talked to his South Korean counterpart Moon Jae-in and discussed a coordinated response to deal with the "destabilising and escalatory behaviour" of North Korea.

PTI
North Korea says it tested Hydrogen bomb, can be loaded onto missile

International

oi-Madhuri

North Korea on Sunday carried out a sixth nuclear test, with seismic monitors measuring an explosion of 6.3 magnitude near its main test site, sending tensions over its weapons ambitions to new heights.

The apparent test came just hours after it claimed to have developed a hydrogen bomb that could be loaded into the country's new intercontinental ballistic missile.

According to United States, Geological Survey recorded the magnitude at 6.3 -- larger than any previous test.

It is bound to increase the tension hours after United States President Donald Trump and Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe talked by phone about the "escalating" nuclear crisis.

Earlier, Nuclear-armed Pyongyang has long sought the means to deliver an atomic warhead to the United States.

Meanwhile, the Japan government confirmed that North Korea has conducted a nuclear test. South Korea and Japan are gathering and analyzing data to confirm details of the test, which Japanese Minister Shinzo Abe said could not be tolerated.

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Trump likely to announce bid for presidency next week

Trump considering cutting all trade with countries doing business with N Korea

International

oi-Deepika

By Deepika

United States President Donald Trump on Sunday threatened to cut off economic ties with any countries that do business with North Korea.

"The United States is considering, in addition to other options, stopping all trade with any country doing business with North Korea," he said in a tweet.

Trump's threat came after Pyongyang detonated what it claimed was a hydrogen bomb able to fit atop a missile.

Earlier in the day, Trump slammed North Korea for carrying out its biggest nuclear test, saying that the actions of the east Asian nation are a threat to the United States.

In a sharp critique, Trump called North Korea a "rogue" nation and "embarrassment" to China.

"North Korea has conducted a major nuclear test. Their words and actions continue to be very hostile and dangerous to the United States," the US President said in a series of tweets.

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Story first published: Sunday, September 3, 2017, 23:30 [IST]
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The CBI, which had registered two FIRs in the infamous Shimla gangrape-murder and custodial death cases last month, has finally found a 'police hand' in the custodial death case.

By Manjeet Sehgal: Normally it is the police which arrests people for their hand in the criminal cases but in Shimla, the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has found a 'police hand' in the infamous gang rape-murder and custodial death cases.

The arrest of an Inspector General of Police, Zahur H Zaidi and seven other senior police officers has brought shame to the Himachal Pradesh Police, which otherwise has been less corrupt as compared to their counterparts in neighbouring states.

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The CBI, which had registered two FIRs in the infamous Shimla gangrape-murder and custodial death cases last month, has finally found a 'police hand' in the custodial death case in which one of the accused Suraj Singh, a 29-year-old Nepalese labourer, had died in Kotkhai police lockup on July 18.

A brave heart and true policeman, Dinesh Sharma, who was posted as sentry on July 18 night when Suraj Singh had died in police lock-up, was the first to expose corrupt police officials who allegedly killed the accused Suraj. While the police had claimed Suraj and Rajinder had an altercation in which the former died, the sentry had told the CBI that the police was cooking a false story as Rajinder alias Raju was alone in the lockup and there was no fight between him and Suraj. In fact, it was the police which took Surj somewhere.

Framing impotent man as accused

Accused of arresting the innocent farmer labourers from day one, Shimla police is also accused of framing a farm labourer who cannot rape a woman as he is impotent.

Sources said one out of four farm labourers, Deepak alias Deepu, arrested for raping the minor, is not sexually active and is impotent. He had told the CBI officials about his weakness and also exposed the corrupt Shimla Police how the cops had tortured him and compelled to sign the confession. The CBI is likely to make him a witness now.

Sources say that the CBI has come to the conclusion that the gangrape and murder co-accused Suraj was not murdered by Rajendra, but by the police. If the allegations are true, then the question which needs an answer is, if the cops killed Suraj then what was the motive behind his murder.

What third degree torture was given to Suraj. Was the third degree torture by the police responsible for his death. What were the circumstances in which he died. When Suraj and other accused had confessed having raped and killed the minor girl, then why the police wanted to kill him.

Postmortem report has revealed that the Suraj was killed first and then efforts were made to strangulate him. He died of head injury and there were also injuries on his private parts.

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The police sentry Dinesh who was on duty on July 18 night when Suraj was killed in police lock-up. While the police had said Suraj and Rajinder had an altercation, the sentry had told the CBI that police accused Rajinder alias Raju was alone in the lock up and was compelled to sign the documents.

Was IGP Zaidi under pressure to save some influential people?

Sources close to the CBI also say that traces of the involvement of police officials in the murder of accused Suraj have also been found during the investigation. Police officials had destroyed some evidences to save the actual perpetrators. Was there any political pressure on IGP Zaidi to save them? Did Suraj know some secrets. CBI is trying to find out why Suraj was killed. Did the police fear the secrets can expose it?

Not only the Shimla Police, but the working of state-owned forensic lab has also come under scanner. The DNA samples picked from victim's body have mismatched with the accused. Either the samples were not genuine or were not drawn properly. If the samples did not match, then it means the arrested farm labourers are innocent and the real culprits are beyond the reach of police. CBI is likely to quiz the lab technicians.

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Police had taken nine blood samples, but none of them matched. Forensic team had reached the spot five hours after victim's body was recovered.

CBI on August 29 had arrested IGP and other members who were part of the SIT constituted by the state government to probe the gangrape, murder and custodial death. A minor school girl was found dead on July 7 in a forest under Kotkhai Police Station in Shimla district. She was allegedly gang-raped and then tortured to death by unknown men. Police had arrested four farm labourers, including the son of an apple orchard owner. The Himachal Pradesh High Court on July 21, 2017 had ordered a CBI probe.

All eight arrested police officers are on a remand till Monday.

ALSO READ:

Shimla gangrape-murder case: CBI arrests IG, 7 other cops for custodial death of co-accused

India Today Investigation: Shimla gang rape victim was subjected to horrific torture

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Shimla gangrape-murder case: Protests rock hill city, people accuse police of mishandling the case

--- ENDS ---
By PTI: Colombo, Sept 3 (PTI) Sri Lankan President Maithripala Sirisena vowed today to defend the military after a rights group filed lawsuits against a former general for alleged human rights abuses during the final phase of the conflict with the LTTE.

Sirisenas remarks came as Human rights groups filed lawsuits in Brazil and Colombia against Sri Lankas ambassador in Latin America Jagath Jayasuriya.

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Jayasuriya was a commander in the final stages of the civil war with separatist Tamil rebels in 2009.

Tens of thousands of Tamils - and the rebel leadership - were killed at the end of the conflict, in which both sides were accused of atrocities.

Referring to the lawsuit filed against Jayasuriya, Sirisena said, "I will not allow any war hero to be touched by anyone for defending the country".

"This was an action taken outside Sri Lanka by an NGO sympathetic to the LTTE. I will not bow to their commands," Sirisena said during his Freedom Partys 66th anniversary convention.

The president said when he took over in January 2015 from his predecessor Mahinda Rajapaksa Sri Lanka was on the verge of being slapped economic sanctions due to war crimes allegations being levelled through the UN human rights council resolutions.

"My government managed to stop that. The world leaders assured me support to carry on with reconciliation and protection of human rights," Sirisena stressed.

He said his unity government arrangement with his party?s main rival, the UNP led by Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe, was the reason for his success in countering international threats by way of economic sanctions against Sri Lanka.

Sirisena?s address came amidst speculation that some of his party members may leave the government to sit in opposition. PTI Corr NSA

--- ENDS ---
BANG Showbiz 16 Jul 2022

Maria Sharapova has taken to Instagram to reveal that she and fiance Alexander Gilkes welcomed son Theodore together earlier this..
2017 Card Personalization Equipment Market Research Report for Period 2017 till 2022 Datacard, Muehlbauer, Atlantic Zeiser, Emperor Technology, NBS, Matica, Ulian Equipment and others

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The personalization process includes different sub-systems and technologies such as laser engraving and high-end printing systems (thermal printing, dye-sublimation), lamination or embossing.Request for Free Sample Copy of Global Card Personalization Equipment Market 2017 atTop Company Profiles and Analysis included in this report: Datacard Muehlbauer Atlantic Zeiser Emperor Technology NBS Matica Ulian EquipmentCard Personalization Equipment Market : Key Product Type: Small-Volume Card Personalization Equipment Mid-Volume Card Personalization Equipment High-Volume Card Personalization EquipmentCard Personalization Equipment Market : Key Application Financial Government Healthcare Commercial OtherCard Personalization Equipment Market : Key Application North America (USA, Canada and Mexico) Europe (Germany, France, UK, Russia and Italy) Asia-Pacific (China, Japan, Korea, India and Southeast Asia) South America (Brazil, Argentina, Columbia etc.) Middle East and Africa (Saudi Arabia, UAE, Egypt, Nigeria and South Africa)Card Personalization Equipment Market belongs to equipment industry and it comprise of detailed quantitative as well as qualitative information for Card Personalization Equipment Market . 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The Card Personalization Equipment 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 @Table of Contents1 Market Overview1.1 Card Personalization Equipment Introduction1.2 Market Analysis by Type1.2.1 Small-Volume Card Personalization Equipment1.2.2 Mid-Volume Card Personalization Equipment1.2.3 High-Volume Card Personalization Equipment1.3 Market Analysis by Applications1.3.1 Financial1.3.2 Government1.3.3 Healthcare1.3.4 Commercial1.3.5 Other1.4 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).Continue(Card Personalization Equipment 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. 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2017 Cryocooler Market Research Report for Period 2017 till 2022 Sumitomo Heavy Industries, Sunpower, Inc, Cryomech, Inc, Thales Cryogenics, Brooks Automation, Inc, DH Industries BV and others

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Global Cryocooler Market report provides detailed analysis of companies namely Sumitomo Heavy Industries, Sunpower, Inc, Cryomech, Inc, Thales Cryogenics, Brooks Automation, Inc, DH Industries BV 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.Cryocooler comes from the phrase cryogenic cooler, and is a device for providing active cooling of something down to cryogenic temperatures. There is a wide range of these devices (pulse tube, Stirling, GM, Joule Thompson) that use different thermodynamic cycles and techniques to generate the cooling.Request for Free Sample Copy of Global Cryocooler Market 2017 atTop Company Profiles and Analysis included in this report: Sumitomo Heavy Industries Sunpower, Inc Cryomech, Inc Thales Cryogenics Brooks Automation, Inc DH Industries BV Ricor-Cryogenic and Vacuum Systems Chart Industries, Inc Advanced Research System, Inc Superconductor Technologies, IncCryocooler Market : Key Product Type: Gifford-Mcmahon Cryocoolers Pulse-Tube Cryocoolers Stirling Cryocoolers Joule-Thomson Cryocoolers Brayton Cryocoolers OthersCryocooler Market : Key Application Military Medical Use Energy Transport Research and Development Space Agriculture and Biology OthersCryocooler Market : Key Regions North America (USA, Canada and Mexico) Europe (Germany, France, UK, Russia and Italy) Asia-Pacific (China, Japan, Korea, India and Southeast Asia) South America (Brazil, Argentina, Columbia etc.) Middle East and Africa (Saudi Arabia, UAE, Egypt, Nigeria and South Africa)Cryocooler Market belongs to equipment industry and it comprise of detailed quantitative as well as qualitative information for Cryocooler Market . This research report provides consumption data and expected growth rate for major consuming regions worldwide. Cryocooler Market report provides detailed segmentation for market of electromechanical switch 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 Cryocooler Market . Additionally, the report provides the comprehensive study of expected opportunities in Cryocooler Market in coming future.The Cryocooler Market analysis report provides detailed value chain for analysis of Cryocooler 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 Cryocooler 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 @Table of Contents1 Market Overview1.1 Cryocooler Introduction1.2 Market Analysis by Type1.2.1 Gifford-Mcmahon Cryocoolers1.2.2 Pulse-Tube Cryocoolers1.2.3 Stirling Cryocoolers1.2.4 Joule-Thomson Cryocoolers1.2.5 Brayton Cryocoolers1.2.6 Others1.3 Market Analysis by Applications1.3.1 Military1.3.2 Medical Use1.3.3 Energy1.3.4 Transport1.3.5 Research and Development1.3.6 Space1.3.1 Agriculture and Biology1.3.2 Others1.4 Market Analysis by Regions.Continue(Cryocooler 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: +1-888-220-3424
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Automotive Human Machine Interface (HMI) Report by Material, Application, and Geography Global Forecast to 2021 is a professional and comprehensive 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).In this report, the global Automotive Human Machine Interface (HMI) market is valued at USD XX million in 2017 and is projected to reach USD XX million by the end of 2021, growing at a CAGR of XX% during the period 2017 to 2021.Get The Sample Copy Of This Report :The report firstly introduced the Automotive Human Machine Interface (HMI) 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.The major players profiled in this report include:DENSOAlpineClarionNUANCENVIDIAContinentalBeijerThe end users/Applications and product categories analysis:On the basis of product, this report displays the sales volume, revenue (Million USD), product price, market share and growth rate of each type, primarily split into-Android system Automotive HMIWindows system Automotive HMILinux system Automotive HMIOn 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 Automotive Human Machine Interface (HMI) for each application, including-Industrial AutomationAutomotive industryAppliaction CBrowse Full Report :Table of ContentsPart I Automotive Human Machine Interface (HMI) Industry OverviewChapter One Automotive Human Machine Interface (HMI) Industry Overview1.1 Automotive Human Machine Interface (HMI) Definition1.2 Automotive Human Machine Interface (HMI) Classification AnalysisAndroid system Automotive HMIWindows system Automotive HMILinux system Automotive HMI1.2.1 Automotive Human Machine Interface (HMI) Main Classification Analysis1.2.2 Automotive Human Machine Interface (HMI) Main Classification Share Analysis1.3 Automotive Human Machine Interface (HMI) Application AnalysisIndustrial AutomationAutomotive industryAppliaction C1.3.1 Automotive Human Machine Interface (HMI) Main Application Analysis1.3.2 Automotive Human Machine Interface (HMI) Main Application Share Analysis1.4 Automotive Human Machine Interface (HMI) Industry Chain Structure Analysis1.5 Automotive Human Machine Interface (HMI) Industry Development Overview1.5.1 Automotive Human Machine Interface (HMI) Product History Development Overview1.5.1 Automotive Human Machine Interface (HMI) Product Market Development Overview1.6 Automotive Human Machine Interface (HMI) Global Market Comparison Analysis1.6.1 Automotive Human Machine Interface (HMI) Global Import Market Analysis1.6.2 Automotive Human Machine Interface (HMI) Global Export Market Analysis1.6.3 Automotive Human Machine Interface (HMI) Global Main Region Market Analysis1.6.4 Automotive Human Machine Interface (HMI) Global Market Comparison Analysis1.6.5 Automotive Human Machine Interface (HMI) Global Market Development Trend AnalysisSend an enquiry :Chapter Two Automotive Human Machine Interface (HMI) 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 Automotive Human Machine Interface (HMI) Industry (The Report Company Including the Below Listed But Not All)Chapter Three Asia Automotive Human Machine Interface (HMI) Market Analysis3.1 Asia Automotive Human Machine Interface (HMI) Product Development History3.2 Asia Automotive Human Machine Interface (HMI) Competitive Landscape Analysis3.3 Asia Automotive Human Machine Interface (HMI) Market Development TrendChapter Four 2012-2017 Asia Automotive Human Machine Interface (HMI) Productions Supply Sales Demand Market Status and Forecast4.1 2012-2017 Automotive Human Machine Interface (HMI) Capacity Production Overview4.2 2012-2017 Automotive Human Machine Interface (HMI) Production Market Share Analysis4.3 2012-2017 Automotive Human Machine Interface (HMI) Demand Overview4.4 2012-2017 Automotive Human Machine Interface (HMI) Supply Demand and Shortage Analysis4.5 2012-2017 Automotive Human Machine Interface (HMI) Import Export Consumption Analysis4.6 2012-2017 Automotive Human Machine Interface (HMI) Cost Price Production Value Profit AnalysisChapter Five Asia Automotive Human Machine Interface (HMI) Key Manufacturers Analysis5.1 DENSO5.1.1 Company Profile5.1.2 Product Picture and Specification5.1.3 Product Application Analysis5.1.4 Capacity Production Price Cost Production Value Analysis5.1.5 Contact Information5.2 Alpine5.2.1 Company Profile5.2.2 Product Picture and Specification5.2.3 Product Application Analysis5.2.4 Capacity Production Price Cost Production Value Analysis5.2.5 Contact Information5.3 Clarion5.3.1 Company Profile5.3.2 Product Picture and Specification5.3.3 Product Application Analysis5.3.4 Capacity Production Price Cost Production Value Analysis5.3.5 Contact InformationMRRbiz 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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It's an untimely example of the fox guarding the henhouse.

What's up with Oregon Senate President Peter Courtney appointing State Senator Alan Olsen to the Oregon Global Warming Commission? From what I've seen, Olsen appears to doubt the reality of climate disruption. Aware that policy demands that both a Democrat and a Republican serve on the Commission, I can't help but wonder if there isn't a Republican more inclined to support the commission's stated goal "to reduce Oregon's greenhouse gas emissions." We the People, state leadership and conscious minds everywhere have to accept climate science and move forward in protecting life on this special planet.

Bonnie McKinlay, Southwest Portland
Last week, Oregon House Speaker Tina Kotek doubled down on Democrats' dubious strategy to protect a $604 million package of health care taxes and fees.

The Democratic leader abandoned House rules by failing to check in with her counterpart, Minority Leader Rep. Mike McLane, R-Powell Butte, to discuss her choices for a committee that would write the all-important ballot description if the tax package is referred to voters this fall.

Taken alone, Kotek's mistake could be written off as a procedural error. And, considering what's unfolding across the nation and the world, political bickering over committee appointments seems small potatoes.

But what's getting lost in the political posturing and tit-for-tatting is that this debate centers on health coverage for Oregon's poorest families. An Oregonian diagnosed with a major health issue today is likely to be confused and rightly concerned about what access to medical care they can expect in the years to come.

Of course this isn't just an Oregon issue. It's frighteningly unclear at the federal level if Congress will attempt another health care revamp or will opt to let the Affordable Care Act waste away without needed fixes or funding - as President Trump has threatened.

Both are scary propositions that could hurt Oregon's most vulnerable populations. That's why Oregonians must be able to trust that their state leaders are working openly and in good faith to address health care funding.

Yet that's been a problem throughout the creation of this tax package.

First, there was the double-cross. House Democrats needed one Republican to support the package. They found it in Rep. Sal Esquivel, R-Medford, who traded his vote for several million to pay for three projects back home. Yet after the tax package passed, Esquivel joined the controversial effort to undermine it. Gov. Kate Brown helped unveil the horse-trading when she announced plans to veto Esquivel's projects.

Then came the sneakeroo. When it was clear Rep. Julie Parrish, R-West Linn, would follow through on her threat to fight the package, Democrats turned to the stinky strategy that both parties have used for years. They required the referendum go before voters in January, not May - a change that nearly guarantees a low-turnout election and will cost an extra $3 million.

At the last minute, Democrats also ditched the usual process that allows citizens to write ballot descriptions. They decided lawmakers should do it. And because of the political make-up of the Oregon house, it's barely bipartisan: four Democrats and two Republicans -- all chosen by Democratic leaders.

That brings us back to the flawed committee selection process and how it feels a bit like a house of cards built on a house of cards.

Kotek rightly apologized to McLane this week for her error. She maintains she chose the best House Republican for the job: Rep. Greg Smith, a senior lawmaker with deep budget knowledge who'll be able to help fill the gap if the tax package is tanked.

She also told The Oregonian/OregonLive Editorial Board that the committee will hold more public meetings than the usual process allows, providing more opportunities for citizens to submit comments for the committee to consider. Hopefully, that's the case.

McLane maintains his biggest beef is Kotek's choice for the committee's leader: Rep. Dan Rayfield, D-Corvallis, whose comments about Parrish's work on the referendum led her to file a formal complaint against him.

"If she's going to have Rep. Rayfield as the chair of this committee and he's such a strident opponent of the referendum, she should have a proponent on this committee," McLane told The Oregonian/OregonLive Editorial Board. "If there was a different chair, someone who was not such a strident opponent, maybe there wouldn't be such a need for balance.

"But why is balance wrong?"

It's not, and McLane's questions about Rayfield at the helm seem appropriate considering how this process has played out. Balance is something that's been sorely lacking.

-- The Oregonian/OregonLive Editorial Board

Oregonian editorials

Editorials reflect the collective opinion of The Oregonian/OregonLive editorial board, which operates independently of the newsroom. Members of the editorial board are Laura Gunderson, Helen Jung, Mark Katches and John Maher.

To respond to this editorial, post your comment below, submit an OpEd or a letter to the editor.

If you have questions about the opinion section, email Laura Gunderson, editorial pages editor, or call 503-221-8378.
Congress, coming back to work Tuesday after a four-week recess, is about to discover something long known to high-school students and air conditioner repairmen:

When you take off all of August, September just looks worse.

The rest of the country, and especially Oregon, is about to learn it as well.

August, marked by calamities in Charlottesville and Houston, hasn't been a recess from anything. Republican senators and representatives who held town hall meetings last month - a notably limited number - often received a vacation message of wish-you-weren't-here.

Returning at last to the books, Congress faces a daunting pile of assignments. By Sept. 30, it needs to pass some kind of budget to keep the United States government from shutting down. Congress has actually shut the government down several times before, with results so calamitous that several members are eager to do it again.

Congress also needs to raise the debt limit to keep U.S. Treasury checks from bouncing, an experiment that's never been tried, but seems unlikely to work out well. Still, various members seem ready to try it, and take the U.S. financial system hostage.

(Nice dollar you got here. Shame if anything happened to it...)

President Trump also wants Congress to immediately take up tax reform, although it's not clear what he actually wants, and redrawing the entire tax system is not something you do in a tweet.

Congress also needs to spend much of September throwing a literal, and very expensive, lifeline to a drowning Houston - although the House Budget Committee's plan calls for sharply cutting emergency aid and environmental recovery programs.

Between now and Sept. 30, Congress has scheduled a total of just 12 legislative days, making it all a considerable assignment, especially for a body that has taken seven months to accomplish very little.

In the midst of everything it has to do in September, Congress might lose track of some smaller things. You know, items dealing with smaller people.

This September, Congress must reauthorize the 20-year-old Children's Health Insurance Program, which covers 8.9 million kids. Oregon has taken particular advantage of the mostly federally funded program, using it to cover 100,000 of the state's children. Between CHIP and the Affordable Care Act, Oregon has managed health coverage for 98 percent of its children.

That is, as of August.

The Senate Finance Committee has scheduled a hearing on CHIP for Thursday, and its leaders, committee Chairman Orrin Hatch of Utah and ranking Democrat Ron Wyden of Oregon, strongly support the program.

But Republican leaders in both houses have talked about using CHIP reauthorization to push through some of the cuts in health care they failed to pass in July. Last week, The Wall Street Journal reported the idea was gaining momentum.

(Cuts to the Affordable Care Act, which has added 440,000 people to the Oregon Health Plan, could also hit Oregon's kids.)

Along with reauthorizing CHIP, Congress also needs to fund it as part of a budget. The proposed Trump budget cuts CHIP by 20 percent, and reauthorizes it for only two years, although some previous reauthorizations have been for five.

Without reauthorization or funding, "States would have to depend on unspent funds to continue," says Robb Cowie, spokesman for the Oregon Health Authority. "We would be looking at a pretty short flight path before it started to defund us."

Still, there are reports that some House Republicans argue that Congress doesn't really have to deal with CHIP until later this year, when the states' money actually starts to run out.

Just about everybody, one way or another, says nice things about health care for kids. But this September in Congress could be the kind of headlong desperate rush where small things, and small people, somehow get trampled.

David Sarasohn's column appears on the first and third Sundays of the month. He blogs at davidsarasohn.com.
Address our climate reality: Hurricane Harvey is not an isolated storm. Climate scientists have made it clear that climate change makes storms like Harvey much stronger and wetter. What is unfolding in the Gulf Coast is the result of a hotter planet, and the administration's climate denial is making things worse.

Hurricane Harvey is a warning for us all.

It's long past time to hold public officials accountable for action on climate and to push forward proposed solutions. We need policy that listens to climate scientists and prepares us for the magnitude of impacts from climate change that are happening, and will continue.

The suffering caused by Harvey is enormous, and we must not sweep the realities of climate impacts and the devastating consequences on vulnerable communities under the rug.

Glenna Hayes, Southwest Portland

Take action now: In response to the Oregonian's piece, "Hurricane Harvey and the increase in annual weather disasters," and in watching the coverage regarding the natural disaster, I am exceedingly more anxious to see action being taken on climate change. While it cannot be proven that the hurricane was a direct cause of climate change, there is evidence to suggest that the changes in our climate thus far likely intensified this storm's ability to wreak havoc. This includes the noted increase in global temperature of 1 degree Celsius, the increase in water vapor due to this warming, the levels of which are directly correlated with the strength of tropical storms, as well as the already known increase in sea level of 8 inches on average, which disproportionately affects coastal areas.

As the mother of a newborn, I am sincerely concerned for the safety of my daughter's future in the current climate setting. The best option we have to slow down this process is to put a price on carbon containing products. While there have been different proposals on how to do this, one very effective method suggested is to price carbon at an increasing rate yearly, then divide and allocate the dividends equally out to the American public. Economists and scientists agree that this is the most rapid way to reverse our reliance on fossil fuels while creating millions of jobs in the alternative energy sector. I implore our politicians to place this into legislation to ensure a livable world for all.

Meera Ramachandran, Southeast Portland
Akhilesh Yadav and Samajwadi Party leaders organised a function to honour Param Vir Chakra (posthumus) recipient Abdul Hamid's wife. Akhilesh Yadav and Samajwadi Party leaders honoured some random woman who claimed to be Hamid's wife.

By India Today Web Desk: On Wednesday, an event was organised by a local Samajwadi Party unit in Azamgarh's Natthupur village to honour 1965 India-Pakistan war hero and Param Vir Chakra (posthumus) recipient Abdul Hamid's wife Rasoolan Bibi, and the family members of other martyrs from the district.

A good gesture.

But neither Akhilesh Yadav himself, nor any of the Samajwadi Party leaders and members present there, knew who Rasoolan Bibi is. When Rasoolan Bibi was called to the dais, a 70-year-old woman walked up to the stage. She was felicitating and left with the reward. But that was not Abdul Hamid's wife.

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Abdul Hamid's wife Rasoolan Bibi is 95 years old now. It seems she learned of the programme only through local newspapers and said, "I did not get any invitation. I did not attend that function either."

#FYI WHO WAS PVC ABDUL HAMID?

Company Quartermaster Havildar Abdul Hamid joined The Grenadiers regiment of the Indian Army on December 27, 1954 and was posted to the fourth battalion of the regiment -- 4 Grenadiers -- where we went of to become the non-commissioned officer commanding the battalion's recoilless rifle platoon.

#FYI WHAT DID ABDUL HAMID DO DURING THE INDO-PAKISTANI WAR OF 1965 THAT GOT HIM THE PVC?

Realising Pakistani Patton tanks penetrated the forward position on a vital area ahead of village Cheema on the Bhikkiwind road in the Khem Karan Sector, Company Quartermaster Havildar Abdul Hamid who was commander of a RCL gun detachment moved out to a flanking position with his gun mounted on a jeep, under intense enemy shelling and tank fire. Taking an advantageous position, he knocked out the leading enemy tank and then swiftly changing his position, he sent another tank up in flames. By this time the enemy tanks in the area spotted him and brought his jeep under concentrated machine-gun and high explosive fire. Undeterred, Company Quartermaster Havildar Abdul Hamid kept on firing on yet another enemy tank with his recoilless gun. While doing so, he was mortally wounded by an enemy high explosive shell.*

The Bharatiya Janata Party took no time to take advantage of the goof up that happened. The BJP slammed SP leaders and said Akhilesh Yadav and his party humiliated Rasoolan Bibi. Now, BJP is planning another function on September 10 to honour Rasoolan Bibi.

Hope they get it right.

Meanwhile, Samajwadi Party Zilla President Hawaldar Yadav and former Rajya Sabha MP from SP Nandakishore Yadav met Rasoolan Bibi at her house, apologised for the grave error on their side and felicitating her there.

Better late than never, right?

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By PTI: New Delhi, Sep 3 (PTI) Bollywood actor Manisha Koirala firmly believes that body and mind are inter-connected and staying positive during her cancer treatment was "tough but achievable" for her.

Koirala, who has done many memorable films after debuting with "Saudagar" in 1991, said it was "shocking" to learn about her ailment, but she said she has learnt her lessons from her painful struggle to survive the disease.

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"Earlier I used to fall apart and crumble even while facing small challenges in life. But I had no choice this time. I had to face the situation positively and be brave and have faith in myself.

"I firmly believe that body and mind are inter connected. Body reacts accordingly to a negative and a positive mind. It is really essential to stay positive for all those who are going through this challenge. It is tough but it is achievable," she said.

The actor was attending a programme, "Hausla- Fight against Cancer" here organised by NGO Grameen Sneh Foundation.

She said she tries to motivate other patients to have hope and get the best treatment they can.

"When I meet cancer patients, the only thing that I tell them is to get a better medical treatment. Every decade is a change of experience and mindset. In todays world there are many examples of cancer survivors. So one must have hope," she said.

Koirala has been associated with the NGO, which has been working to support cancer patients across the country, for the past three years.

Under the programme, she is also promoting a mobile application, Sneh Cancer App, for easy interactions between cancer patients and their doctors.

According to Sneha Routray, president of Grameen Sneh Foundation, said more than 900 cancer patients have benefitted from the programme.

"We have been running this programme in rural areas where we screen people and make them aware about the disease. Lack of information is one of the main reasons behind the increase in number of cancer patients," she said. PTI RJS TRS TRS

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BLOOMINGTON  Retired Army Lt. Col. Jill Henry says, I learned in the Army: never volunteer, but that didn't stop her from becoming an ambassador for the Women in Military Service for America Memorial.

The memorial, located in Arlington National Cemetery, will mark its 20th anniversary this fall and Henry is on a mission. She wants to increase awareness of the memorial and get more female veterans to register and tell their stories.

They call it a living memorial, said Henry, of Bloomington, who was an Army nurse and nurse anesthetist for 20 years. It's for veterans like me, those who are serving and women of the future. She recently became the first female member of the American Legion Honor Guard.

Referred to simply as The Women's Memorial, it is both a memorial and a museum containing displays, artifacts, memorabilia and information on women who have served.

The memorial, operated by the Women in Military Service for America Memorial Foundation, contains the records of about 265,000 women who have served and registered, said retired Army Lt. Col. Marilla Cushman, director of public relations and development for the memorial.

That's substantial, she said, but then reminds you to consider 3 million women have served over time.

The mission for which Henry volunteered is to get more women to register and share their stories. Women can register at www.womensmemorial.org, by picking up a registration form and mailing it in or by calling 703-533-1155. You can also email Henry at wimsa.amb.il1@gmail.com for help.

Henry's story is one of those recorded at the memorial.

She became a nurse through the Walter Reed Army Institute of Nursing at a time when nurses were being recruited for the Vietnam War. By the time she graduated, the war was over, but she stayed in for 20 years and 14 days, eventually becoming a nurse anesthetist.

She was deployed during Operation Desert Storm with the 15th Evacuation Hospital, 44th Medical Brigade. She spent six months in Saudi Arabia in the middle of nowhere about six miles south of the Iraq border.

If we don't keep our own history and tell our own history, no one will  or someone else will do it, but it won't be accurate, Henry said.

In addition to the stories of the women who have registered, the memorial includes a world class collection of artifacts and memorabilia from the women and about the women who served, said Cushman.

They include wedding dresses made from parachutes in World War II, rare documents and photos, women's uniforms from World War I to the present, medical kits and even government-issue panties.

Cushman finds all the items quite moving, but particularly seeing the images of women serving today, many of whom are the age of my son, who's deployed three times.

We have a wonderful exhibit called, 'War Knows No Gender,' said Cushman.

Among the stories told there is that of Army Cpl. Jessica Ellis of Oregon, a 24-year-old combat medic who was killed by an improvised explosive device in Iraq on Mother's Day in 2008.

Then there is Nancy Lacore, a Navy captain who was so taken by the stories she saw at the memorial that she decided to run one mile for each of the  at that time  160 women who had died in Iraq and Afghanistan since 9/11, recalled Cushman.

She ran from Norfolk, Va., to the Women's Memorial. In the final half mile, she was joined by 161 people, each carrying a photo of one of the 161 women who had died at that point, to pay tribute to them in what was called the Valor Run, said Cushman.

Work on the memorial project began in 1986 with legislation signed by Ronald Reagan. The memorial was dedicated Oct. 18, 1997. Since then, it has had about 2 million visitors, according to Cushman.

It's the only memorial for all women of all services who have served our country, said Henry.

Many of those behind the push were World War II veterans.
Former Deputy CM of Bihar Tejashwi Yadav is not mincing his words while talking about PM Modi's cabinet reshuffle.

By Rohit Kumar Singh, India Today Web Desk: Prime Minister Narendra Modi, before leaving for his China visit, undertook his third cabinet reshuffle where he included nine new ministers in his cabinet. However, the Opposition criticised the move as a wasteful exercise.

RJD Chief Lalu Prasad's younger son and former Deputy Chief Minister Tejashwi Yadav lashed out at PM Modi for the cabinet reshuffle. He said that nothing will improve if the driver [PM Modi] himself is inefficient and impractical.

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Tejashwi tweeted, "Will changing the engine, steering, tyres, clutch and brake, even a new vehicle help if the driver is not efficient, effective and practical?"

Will changing Engine,Steering Tyres,Clutch,Break& even new Vehicle help if driver is not efficient,effective & practical? #cabinetreshuffle- Tejashwi Yadav (@yadavtejashwi) September 3, 2017

He then attacked Chief Minister Nitish Kumar and his deputy Sushil Modi saying that two MPs from Bihar, Raj Kumar Singh and Ashwini Choubey who were included in the Union cabinet today, were from anti Nitish-Sushil Modi camp which sent out a strong signal that PM did not pay heed to Bihar CM and his deputy while choosing his new ministers.

Taking potshots at Bihar CM, Tejashwi expressed hope of Nitish's well being in the NDA.

|| MORE ON CABINET RESHUFFLE ||

Piyush Goyal replaces Suresh Prabhu as railways minister. Can he keep it on track?

Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman leaves boardroom for war room, but only after 2 days

Why Dharmendra Pradhan, Piyush Goyal, Nirmala Sitharaman, Naqvi were promoted When Piyush Goyal's mother-in-law fainted; a senior minister joked 'my job is safe'

ALSO WATCH

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There are lots of compelling reasons not to pardon the countrys most famous racist in the middle of a hurricane.

So why exactly did President Trump decide to pardon Joe Arpaio?

Maybe, some speculated, Trump wanted to toss some red meat to his base. Trumps recent Phoenix campaign-rally crowd practically frothed at the mouth when he hinted at a coming pardon of the former Maricopa County sheriff. As Trumps overall approval hovers around 35 percent, a high-profile pardon of a notorious racial profiler might be a way to shore up his support.

But Trump had also previously pursued more behind-the-scenes moves to help Arpaio avoid facing justice, as my Washington Post colleagues reported over the weekend. Which suggests that public credit may not have been the primary goal.

Others speculated that the pardon was about rewarding a longtime ally for his loyalty. Arpaio was, after all, one of the first politicians to board the Trump train. But Attorney General Jeff Sessions was also among Trumps earliest political supporters, and loyalty alone did not shield him from public torment and humiliation at the hands of the president.

Another popular theory is that the pardon was a signal to other Trump confederates coming into special counsel Robert Muellers orbit that the president will protect them.

In my view, the most likely explanation for this stomach-churning pardon is much simpler: Its projection. Trump sees himself  or what he sometimes aspires to accomplish, anyway  in this local tin-pot dictator.

Think about it. Trump has not exactly proved himself to be the forward-looking, calculating mastermind implied by those alternative explanations. And he makes everything  including the Charlottesville violence, the Houston catastrophe, even the eclipse  about himself.

Trump and Arpaio both built their political careers by demonizing immigrants. They also both raised their national profiles by claiming that Barack Obama was secretly a Kenyan-born Muslim, a racist conspiracy theory that Arpaio even sent a taxpayer-funded deputy to Hawaii to investigate.

And more broadly they both seem to use law and order as code for encouraging law enforcement to harass people of color.

Those are the best-known parallels between the two politicians, but theyre hardly the only ones. There are many other ways in which Arpaio has proved to be Trumps mini-me.

Arpaio has, for example, jailed journalists who wrote critical stories about his hidden commercial real estate transactions. Trumps antipathy for the media likewise goes beyond bashing us as the enemy of the people and threatening to open up the libel laws  he reportedly asked the FBI director to fight leaks by throwing journalists in jail.

Or consider their preferred forms of pomp and circumstance.

For years as sheriff, Arpaio rode a giant tank in local parades. Trump hoped (but failed) to emulate this in his own inaugural parade in January. Trump also plans to issue an executive order expanding the militarization of local police forces, which Obama had rolled back.

Both Trump and Arpaio also have launched attacks on the independence of our federal judiciary.

Trump did this by, among other things, questioning the ability of a U.S.-born judge of Mexican descent to remain impartial in a Trump University case. Arpaio, for his part, refused a court order to stop racial profiling  earning him a contempt-of-court conviction, the crime for which he was pardoned.

Before that, Arpaio secretly investigated a judge assigned to his trial, and then claimed that this same judge could not be impartial because the judge had learned about the politically motivated investigation.

Politically motivated investigations were actually a mainstay of Arpaios law enforcement career, as well as Trumps campaign rallies (Lock her up!), while both claim to be victims of political witch hunts themselves.

And woe betide those who actually find themselves imprisoned under eithers authority.

Trump throughout the presidential campaign repeatedly advocated torturing prisoners held abroad; Arpaio often acted on this brutal impulse in his own jails. He set up a tent city, which he sometimes referred to as a concentration camp, housing inmates in temperatures reaching up to 145 degrees; conditions got so hot that prisoners shoes sometimes melted.

And at least three prisoners died  each at the time held down in a restraint chair  via suffocation.

Trump and the White House repeatedly alluded to 85-year-old Arpaios advanced age when justifying his absolution, perhaps another reason that the oldest man to assume the presidency empathizes with the recipient of his first pardon.

Over the two years of his political life, Trumps insults have often been of the I-know-you-are-but-what-am-I projectional variety. Turns out his praise and clemency are, as well.
Most Americans probably have only a vague knowledge of President Grover Cleveland, but you can thank him for having Monday off work.

It was Cleveland who signed legislation in 1894 creating Labor Day, after the deaths of 30 workers during the bloody Pullman Strike in Chicago. The holiday grew out of a politically attuned desire to smooth tensions with the increasingly powerful trade unions at the time.

Yet like the other summer bookend, Memorial Day, Labor Days original intention has been lost amid a flurry of holiday sales and the blur of a badly needed three-day weekend.

And thats a shame.

Because while Labor Day should certainly recognize the contributions of people like Walter Reuther, John L. Lewis, Cesar Chavez and Mother Jones, it also is about the American worker. It recognizes something thats a core part of our human spirit  the desire to be part of something, to build something, to earn a living.

Labor Day recognizes that we work.

We work because we pay our own way. We want to.

We work because we want to make things better for ourselves and our children.

We work because thats how we prosper as a community, as a family and a society.

Bloomington-Normal will celebrate Labor Day, as it has for decades, with a parade that celebrates all workers. It steps off at 10 a.m. Monday from Front and Roosevelt streets in downtown Bloomington and ends at Miller Park.

The parade  the city's largest each year  features floats, high school marching bands, union members, nonprofit groups and, of course, politicians.

Whether assembly-line workers, front-line employees, managers or CEOs, we work  and Labor Day is the day we should give pause to those who came before us, who built this country, who created what we experience today. We owe them for safe working conditions, fair pay and diversity in the workforce.

Sure, the American worker today faces trials unthinkable even a generation ago. Radical shifts in technology have changed the economy and how we do our jobs, wages sometimes have struggled to keep up with our workload, and it increasingly seems like the middle class is on the ropes. But the life force of the American worker continues.

Studs Terkel, the irascible Chicago oral historian, once said, Work is about a search for daily meaning as well as daily bread, for recognition as well as cash, for astonishment rather than torpor; in short, for a sort of life rather than a Monday through Friday sort of dying.

That might be a little dramatic, but we agree with the spirit of his message.

Todays American workforce numbers 160 million strong, creating the most robust economy in the world. Through all the ups and downs, American workers persevere.

We say keep up the good work  and thank you to the many workers who make our lives richer every day.
A commuter sesshin, Zen retreat, is a strange and wondrous thing. Normatively one would all gather together and stay together. This coming and going thing makes it possible for us. So, all to the good. But, it does set things up a bit differently.

I am up in Seattle at the University Unitarian Church about to launch the second of our nine to nine all day sits, as we call it in Zen lingo, the days linked thematically, but as commuters, with a slightly different cast of characters each day.

Im used to a somewhat tighter container. But, clearly, even our leaky vessel is helping carry folk across those troubled waters. Me, I know Im finding the opportunity to sit longer a good thing. I am grateful. Endlessly so

I note that on this day in history several things of moment on the religious front occurred. In 484 before our common era the temple of Castor and Pollux was dedicated in Rome. In the year 70 Titus and his Roman army breached the walls of Jerusalem. In 1834 the Spanish Inquisition was officially concluded, its work more than adequately done. And, in 1838 Ralph Waldo Emerson delivered his famous Divinity School Address, launching the great theological dispute within American Unitarianism we call Transcendentalism.

I find all these mysteries folding together within my intentions as we prepare to launch.

And, in minutes we resume the great silence.

So, blessings on all. Speak to you later.

And as the late Zen master Seung Sahn liked to caution folk, get enlightened quickly, and save the many beings!
Patna: Chief Minister Nitish Kumar on Sunday said that there was no talk between him and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leaders at the Center about his MPs being accommodated in the latest reshuffle of the cabinet saying he, like others, heard the rumors of JD-U possibly being included in the cabinet through the media only.

"I never had any formal talk with anyone in the BJP about our party leaders being given place in the NDA cabinet. We have been in the NDA for barely a month and it would be unrealistic to assume to be accommodated in the cabinet this soon," the Chief Minister told the reporters in Patna.

Kumar, however, added that he would definitely take a call if the BJP invited him to be a part of the Union Cabinet.

Some sections in the media had been reporting of possibly induction of JD-U leaders R C P Singh and Santosh Kushwaha in the Modi cabinet though that was not meant to be, at least for now.

JD-U National Secretary and spokesperson K C Tyagi also downplayed the exclusion of his party members saying this was an expansion of the BJP leaders and there was no reason to read too much into it.
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.
Former High Commissioner to Namibia, Alhaji Abdul-Rahman Harruna Attah has debunked reports about a beef he supposedly has with the President of the Republic Ghana, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo.



I have no quarrels with the current President just like with Rawlings; I made my positions very clear on issues with him. Also, Ive made my position clear on a number of issues, he stressed.



Harruna Attah said, undermining the integrity of the President will be harmful to him and said he hopes Nana Akufo-Addo or his appointees wouldnt push him with their actions.



Hes now the president of our republic, is not for me to undermine him. When I undermine him, Im undermining the integrity of the presidency of Ghana and Im doing myself harm".



"So, I wont do it. I wont engage myself in any act that would bring dishonour to his person or to his office. That I wont do and I pray that his own action or the action of his lieutenants will not also tempt me to misbehave, he asserted.



Alhaji Harruna Atta prior to the 2016 general elections was purported to have accused the then presidential candidate of the NPP, Akufo-Addo of being tribalistic, a deed which warranted a series of backlash from the NPP quarters.



Harruna Attah maintained that what he said were the facts, and wondered why he was being tongue-lashed by members of the NPP just because some persons disagreed with the contents of his article.

Source: Ghanaweb.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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Ghanas former High Commissioner to Namibia, H.E Alhaji Abdul-Rahman Harruna Attah has disclosed that the rift between him and the former President Jerry John Rawlings has long been resolved after he publicly apologised to him.



Speaking in an exclusive interview with Paul Adom Otchere on Good Evening Ghana, Harruna Attah indicated that he used to have a very bitter relationship with JJ Rawlings until he realised time was needed to make amends since age was catching up with them.



According to him, he took advantage of his daughters marriage to apologise to Rawlings and his wife Nana Konadu Agyeman Rawlings.



I took the initiative to openly apologise to him and his wife that if I have done them any wrong, they should forgive me. I didnt intend to harm them and I had no intention of harming them".



"The time has come, our children had grown, my daughter was marrying that day, so I use the opportunity to say that these children are now growing, we cannot continue living in a state of siege, a state of fear, a state of fighting, so Im stepping out of the way to apologise to them, he said.



He further stated that he now feels at ease and relaxed since he made peace with the Rawlingses saying some heaviness has been lifted off him.



I think its also good to make peace. When you make peace, its very nice. You feel so relaxed, its as if youve removed some weight and put down there. So peace pays, peace is nice, he stated.

Source: Ghanaweb.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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This wasn't your usual Made in America Festival weather.

Usually the Philadelphia festival is a hot, sunny affair. The 2017 edition, however, kicked off with a decidedly cool, wet day on Sept. 2.

But there was more than the weather to talk about when it comes to Made in America. Here's a quick recap in five points:

Rapper Cardi B performs onstage during the 2017 Budweiser Made in America festival - Day 1 at Benjamin Franklin Parkway on September 2, 2017 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Kevin Mazur/Getty Images for Anheuser-Busch)

Cardi B is queen.

Made in America was a triumph for rapper Cardi B. The crowd clearly loved her. At one point she let them rap a good chunk of her hit "Bodak Yellow" for her (if you'd like to see a video click here, but be warned that there are curse words).

She also got to meet and have her photo taken with Beyonce, which is a win for pretty much anyone.

Cardi B and Beyonce at the MIA Festival pic.twitter.com/gjQ6u8HSOW  Daily Cardi (@DailyCardi) September 3, 2017

And, to top it all off, Cardi B used Made in America as a platform to announce her release plans for her new album. Fans can expect it to drop sometime in October.

J. Cole performs on the Rocky Stage on Sept. 3 at Budweiser's Made in America Festival in Philadelphia as the evening's headliner. He opened his set by entering through what appeared to be a prison doors. The Labor Day weekend event is curated by Jay-Z. Julia Hatmaker | jhatmaker@pennlive.com

J. Cole made a statement right away (and then brought the rain)

The hip hop artist entered the stage through a pair of prison doors, after being given directions by a guard. He wore an orange jumpsuit with an upside down American flag with the words "property" on his back.

He then became the rainmaker.

Festival-goers had been enjoying a reprieve from the rain prior to the start of his set, but once he said the line "I see the raining pouring down" from his song "For Whom the Bell Tolls," the heavens opened up and drenched everyone. It was not appreciated (but many were too impressed by the timing to be that upset).

Also, it was very cute when he gave Ari Lennox a hug after she came onstage and sang "Change" with him. Lennox had performed earlier at the festival's Tidal Stage.

Solange stunned

Solange's performance was art, every part of it crafted and staged. She gave herself a beautiful set, with columns and pyramids and a giant background with a giant red sun. Everyone danced, even the musicians on the stage had choreography. The result was a spectacular set, both visually and sonically.

For #Solange, its not just a performance. Its an experience. Go to the #RockyStage right now to watch her live. #TIDALXBMIA pic.twitter.com/72YCpnf4ay  TIDAL (@TIDAL) September 2, 2017

Vic Mensa had power problems

Rapper Vic Mensa couldn't catch a break in his set, experiencing technical difficulty after technical difficulty. At one point he even had to leave the stage so technicians could get everything working again. He handled the situation well though and left fans wanting more.

Queen of Jeans nailed an Aaliyah cover.

Philadelphia-based band Queen of Jeans is known for their covers (notably a wonderful rendition of "Walk Like an Egyptian"), but they opted to close their Made in America set on the Skate Stage with a new one: Aaliyah's "Are You That Somebody?" It won rave reviews from those watching (and a few of the skaters nearby).

Made in America continues Sept. 3 with performances by Jay-Z, Marshmello, The Chainsmokers, Run the Jewels and more. Get more information at madeinamericafest.com.
By PTI: Hyderabad, Sep 3 (PTI) Vice President M Venkaiah Naidu today said terrorism is the biggest enemy of mankind and the biggest danger to the world peace.

He stressed on the need for international community to come together and curb it mercilessly.

Addressing the 78th session of Institut de Droit International (IDI), Institute of International Law, at the NALSAR University of Law here this evening, Naidu said India in later years and particularly after the September 11 attacks put considerable effort in fighting international terrorism.

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"Several conventions resulted from the efforts exerted under the auspices of the United Nations. Mention may be made in this connection of the SAARC convention on the suppression of international terrorism as well as the Indian proposal to conclude a comprehensive convention on suppression of international terrorism now under consideration of the UN," he said.

"...Thats the need of the hour...the biggest danger to the world peace is from terror. Terror has no religion, it has no colour and it has no sex. But, unfortunately some people are trying to mix terror and religion for their own narrow political and partisan ends.

"The world community must be aware of the evil designs of these forces and see to it that we all come together for an agreement at the earliest to have a comprehensive convention on suppression of international terrorism," the vice president said.

Naidu further said "Terrorism is the biggest enemy of the mankind. I underline and I urge upon the international community particularly the lawyers and professionals to come to some understanding and bring stringent laws in their respective countries and broad international agreement on fighting terror and ending all sources of terror."

He said "what has happened in India the pain was not felt by others earlier but now today what has happened in the US, what has happened in European countries and different parts of the world.

"Everybody is becoming a victim...thats why I said its an enemy of humanity and it should be curbed mercilessly. And it should be curbed legally, politically and administratively and it should be curbed by creating awareness among the people."

Naidu underlined the need for entire humanity to speak in one voice to condemn terror of any kind.

"There cannot be any justification at all for terror. However great the cause may be, there are legal methods. Now we are living in a civilised world.

"World is moving on and we are living in a global village and we are not living in isolation...we must all resolve to come together and take strong resolve to put an end to this menace of terror which is enemy of the mankind, which is affecting the progress of people of world community," he said.

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India is keen to see the conclusion of this important convention in the near future without further delay in view of the growing incidents of international terrorism, which are threatening world peace, the vice president added.

Indias foreign policy is based on sovereign equality of states, non-intervention in the internal affairs of other states and peaceful settlement of disputes in accordance with principles articulated in Article 33 of the United Nations, he said.

India attaches huge importance to the implementation of international statutes and the rule of law, and is a firm believer in promotion of peace and justice globally, said Naidu.

The Institute of International Law is meeting for the first time in India in its long history of nearly 150 years. PTI VVK RMT KUN

--- ENDS ---
Update

The body of missing Temple University student Jenna Burleigh was found in Wayne County, according to WNEP.

Jenna Burleigh, 22, was last seen at about 2 a.m. Thursday, in the area of Pub Webb, a bar and restaurant along the 1500 block of Cecil B. Moore Avenue.

Police said Saturday they discovered Burleigh's body on Hupperterz's grandmother's property in Wayne County. WNEP reports that it is not immediately clear how she died.

A source told Philly.com that officers found blood and drugs inside a residence of a man questioned about the her disappearance. Joshua Hupperterz was reportedly shown on local surveillance cameras walking with Burleigh to his house early Thursday morning, according to the report.

On Friday night, police executed a search warrant at Hupperterz's home in the 1700 block of North 16th Street, police spokeswoman Officer Tanya Little told Philly.com. She said only that police went there after receiving "credible information that led us to that location."

In the home, police found blood spattered near the kitchen sink, rear door, and on a trash can lid, along with 10 to 15 pillow-case size bags of marijuana and about $20,000 in cash, a police source said.

Hupperterz has been taken into custody and taken back to Philadelphia, but he has not been charged.
LANCASTER, Pa. -- Authorities say they believe a man shot and killed his adult son and then himself several days before their bodies were found in a Pennsylvania home last week.

Lancaster County officials said a probation and parole officer found the bodies of 57-year-old Scott Halstead and 29-year-old Justin Halstead in the Hempfield Hill Estates mobile home park in West Hempfield on Wednesday.

District Attorney Craig Stedman said both died of gunshot wounds to the head. The county coroner Dr. Stephen Diamantoni, ruled the younger man's death a homicide and the older man's death a suicide.

Stedman said a probation officer was sent because the younger man had failed to appear in court. He said the motive is unknown but father and son were close. He called the case "a real tragedy."

Justin Halstead was in the Army and served in the Iraq War, according to his obituary.

Another death in West Hempfield Wednesday also involved a domestic situation.

Brett Hambright, spokesman for the DA's office, said Darren Hatcher, 37, was found when police responded to a 1:30 p.m. call about a shooting in the 300 block of Main Street in Mountville.

It appears that Hatcher assaulted his 41-year-old estranged wife, shot her 20-year-old boyfriend in the leg, then shot himself in the head, Hambright said. He said Hatcher had recently been served with a protection from abuse order.
By PTI: By Lalit K Jha

Washington, Sep 3 (PTI) US President Donald Trump plans to withdraw from a free trade agreement with close-ally South Korea, a move that could cause a fresh economic rift between the two countries amid heightened tensions over North Korea.

Trump yesterday confirmed that he was talking with advisers amid reports that he had instructed aides to prepare to withdraw from free trade agreement with South Korea, The Washington Post reported.

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"I am. Its very much on my mind," Trump said when asked if he was talking to advisers and would do something in the coming week.

A White House spokesperson was quoted by the report as saying that "discussions are ongoing but we have no announcements at this time".

The move would likely be aimed at benefiting domestic industries, though could force South Korea to respond by slapping tariffs on its goods imported by the US.

Key White House officials are urging Trump not to scrap the deal, including Defence Secretary James Mattis, national security adviser HR McMaster and National Economic Council Director Gary Cohn, sources were quoted as saying by the report.

The plan is the latest move by Trump to deliver on his campaign promises to tear up trade deals that he has argued put US workers at a disadvantage.

Trumps reported move comes amidst the US renegotiating the North America Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) with Mexico and Canada.

Early this week, Trump said that he would terminate NAFTA indicating that renegotiations are not going well.

The US South Korea Free Trade Agreement was reached in 2007 and went into effect five years later in 2012.

Trumps plan to withdraw from South Korea trade deal could stoke tensions between the US and South Korea at a time when the two countries are coordinating efforts to confront North Korea over its missile programme.

North Korea triggered a new escalation of tensions in July, when it carried out two successful tests of an Inter- Continental Ballistic Missile which apparently brought much of the US mainland within range. PTI LKJ UZM

--- ENDS ---
Autoparts supplier Magna International Inc. has unveiled its new autonomous driving platform it says can be integrated into any vehicle shown in this undated handout image provided by Magna International Inc. Canadian companies could be serious contenders in the global self-driving vehicle race, experts have suggested after Magna International Inc. fielded the country's latest entry with the debut of the auto part giant's own autonomous technology. Toronto-area auto parts supplier Magna launched its Max4 Autonomous Driving Platform last week into a market that is gaining interest from most major automakers, as well as technology firms such as Google, Apple and Intel. Magna's addition to the race focuses on making the technology components that drive autonomous vehicles nearly invisible. THE CANADIAN PRESS/HO-Magna International Inc.
Conservative MP Erin O'Toole talks to media outside the House of Commons on Parliament Hill, as Tory MP Pierre Paul-Hus looks on, in Ottawa on June 20, 2017. Attack mode, says the Conservative Party's new foreign affairs critic, will not be the opposition's first instinct when dealing with the Liberal government's renegotiation of the North American Free Trade Agreement. Conservative MP Erin O'Toole says his party is willing to offer non-partisan support to the Liberal government during the continuing NAFTA renegotiation, which entered its second round this weekend in Mexico City. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Adrian Wyld
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announces federal and territorial funding for improving access to mineral-rich areas in the Yukon while Yukon MP Larry Bagnell, centre, and Yukon Premier Sandy Silver loook on at a press event in Whitehorse, Yukon, Saturday, September 2, 2017. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Joel Krahn
A man watches a TV reporting on a possible nuclear test conducted by North Korea at the Seoul Railway station in Seoul, South Korea, Sunday, Sept. 3, 2017. South Korean officials say they have detected an artificial earthquake in North Korea and are analyzing whether Pyongyang has conducted its sixth nuclear test. The signs read "South Korean JCS said North Korea have detected an artificial 5.6 magnitude quake." (AP Photo/Ahn Young-joon)
People stop to watch black smoke coming from the roof of the Consulate-General of Russia Friday, Sept. 1, 2017, in San Francisco. The San Francisco Fire Department says acrid, black smoke seen pouring from a chimney at the Russian consulate in San Francisco was apparently from a fire burning in a fireplace. The smoke was seen billowing from the consulate building a day after the Trump administration ordered its closure. (AP Photo/Eric Risberg)
Remember Dear David, the dead child who was haunting Twitter user Adam Ellis? Well, Adam's tryst with David is getting creepier by the day.

By India Today Web Desk: Twitter user Adam Ellis posted about some unusual activity in his apartment almost a month ago. In a series of tweets Adam told that he had seen a ghost of a dead child, David. Adam saw a little girl in a dream one night who told him that he is allowed to ask David only two questions, if he asks him a third question David will kill him.

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As expected, David appeared in Adam's dream and David asked him three questions. Since then, Adam had experienced unusual activities in his apartment.

Adam's cats have been behaving weirdly, going to the door every night before midnight and crying in front of the door.

Well, you thought it was the end of it, didn't you?

There's more. The unusual activities never stopped. Adam continued to experience more such incidents.

He even went on to the extent of recording the noises in his apartment while he sleeps.

These happened between 2-3 AM. I have no explanation for them. I'll keep recording and share if I find anything curious.- Adam Ellis (@moby_dickhead) August 11, 2017

Things just don't stop for Adam there. As time passes, Adam buys a new polaroid camera and takes pictures of his apartment to check the camera. What he comes across then is quite shocking.

Left is with my phone. Right is with with Polaroid. The hall light was on both times. Why is it pitch black each time with the Polaroid? pic.twitter.com/Sh94OKP0xA- Adam Ellis (@moby_dickhead) August 14, 2017

Adam's dreams don't stop. He dreams about David dragging him by the arm in an empty warehouse, discovers a scar on his arm the next morning and even finds an empty warehouse on his way to get coffee. He then discovers that his cats have now changed the time at which they gather in front of the door every night.

The Twitter user is scared but doesn't know what to do. He plans to go on a vacation to Japan soon and thus tries to forget about the incident. He buys a pet camera for his cats to keep an eye on them while he is overseas. The camera sends notifications to the user's phone each time an activity is recorded.

While out one time, he decides to test the camera. Throughout the evening, he gets notifications and feed of his cats playing and running around the apartment. But then around 11 pm he gets a notification and the feed shows something strange.

That's the last of updates Adam has sent out. He has set up a Spotify of all his "Dear David" tweets.

Meanwhile, people on Twitter had been reacting in different ways. While some are joking about it, many are decoding the photos and clips posted by Adam. One Twitter user also claimed that they saw the reflection of a child in one of the photos Adam posted.

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This looks like something straight out of paranormal activities, y'all.

FYI || Twitter user claims a ghost is trying to kill him ||

--- ENDS ---
FILE - This Aug. 21, 2017 file photo shows members of the Cleveland Browns kneeling during the national anthem before an NFL preseason football game between the New York Giants and the Cleveland Browns in Cleveland. Unions representing Cleveland police and paramedics say they wonAot hold a large American flag before the Cleveland BrownsAo season opener because of previous player protests during the national anthem. The president of the Cleveland Association of Rescue Employees Local 1975 said Saturday, Sept. 2, 2017 the protest has upset union members. (AP Photo/Ron Schwane, file)
Firefighters battle a fatal house fire in the 400 block of South Fourth Street in Hamburg, Pa., late Saturday night, Sept. 2, 2017. Authorities say a pregnant woman and her two young children were killed in the fast-moving house fire. A man was able to escape from a bedroom window and was hospitalized with injuries. (Michael Yoder/Reading Eagle via AP)
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 PTI: By Aditi Khanna

London, Sept 3 (PTI) The UK government has joined the international community to increase pressure on Myanmar to tackle the violence against Rohingya Muslims, warning that the treatment of the Rohingya is besmirching the reputation of the country.

UK Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson said the attacks were "besmirching the reputation" of the country following reports by a human rights group that people, including young children, have been burned alive in the country, while others have been beheaded.

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Johnson said in a statement this week: "Aung San Suu Kyi is rightly regarded as one of the most inspiring figures of our age, but the treatment of the Rohingya is alas besmirching the reputation of Burma."

"She faces huge challenges in modernising her country. I hope she can now use all her remarkable qualities to unite her country, to stop the violence and to end the prejudice that afflicts both Muslims and other communities in Rakhine."

Rakhine, the poorest region in Myanmar, is home to more than a million Rohingya. They have faced decades of persecution in the Buddhist-majority country, where they are not considered citizens.

"It is vital that she receives the support of the Burmese military, and that her attempts at peacemaking are not frustrated. She and all in Burma will have our full support in this."

Suu Kyi won the Nobel Peace Prize for her political activism in Myanmar, which led to the first non-military elected head of state in the country since the military coup in 1962.

Although Htin Kyaw was sworn in as President in 2016 ? as Suu Kyi is constitutionally barred from holding the position ? she is considered the de facto leader of the country.

Suu Kyi, who has the title State Counsellor of Myanmar, came to prominence in the 1990s when she was placed under house arrest by the military government.

Soldiers and armed residents have been accused of carrying out a killing spree against Rohingya Muslim men, women, and children in Chut Pyin village, leaving more than 200 dead.

About 58,600 Rohingya civilians have left Myanmar, also known as Burma, and fled to neighbouring Bangladesh.

Some have drowned while trying to make the journey. PTI AK NSA

--- ENDS ---
Somebody ratted Patrick Kelly out to the Philadelphia Gas Works, which dispatched a revenue-protection team to his Fox Chase home in 2015 to inspect his incoming gas line.

Investigators for PGW discovered a flexible metal hose attached to the house's service line, bypassing the utility's meter. The illegal line supplied free fuel to two furnaces, a hot water heater, a gas range, a gas dryer, and a swimming pool heater.

PGW cut off service to the house in the 700 block of Strahle Street and said the customer owed $21,000 for unauthorized gas used from 2003 through 2015, on top of the $7,800 Kelly was actually billed.

A heating and air-conditioning contractor, Kelly denied knowledge of the bypass and complained to the Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission.

On Thursday, an unsympathetic PUC voted, 3-1, to uphold a recommended decision that Kelly pay $18,378.72, an amount adjusted down to reflect a change in the estimated date when one of his gas appliances went into service.

Commissioner David W. Sweet cast the only dissenting vote, but not in Kelly's favor. Sweet argued that a deadline had passed to legally adjust the amount owed, and that Kelly should actually pay $21,000, plus reconnection fees.

"I see no reason for this commission to reach beyond our lawful authority in order to give partial relief to this particular complainant," he said.

The panel also rejected Kelly's request that PGW give him a payment agreement.

Each year, the PUC deals with thousands of utility customers' complaints, a fraction of which proceed through a formal hearing and go to the full commission. But few customers caught with an illegal bypass go public and seek relief from the agency.

"Theft of natural gas is a dangerous practice that puts people's lives at risk and forces honest ratepayers to cover the fuel cost," PGW spokesman Barry O'Sullivan said Friday. The city-owned utility was satisfied with the PUC's decision, he added.

Kelly did not respond to email and phone messages left with his answering service and his lawyer.

He converted his residence to propane and electric appliances after PGW shut off his service in October 2015 and did not dispute that PGW found an illegal tap on his property. But in testimony before a PUC administrative law judge, Kelly denied knowing anything about the bypass.

Neither PGW nor the PUC attempted to determine who installed the bypass, since Kelly was responsible for it because it was on his property. "People can draw their own conclusions," O'Sullivan said.

Andrew M. Calvelli, the administrative law judge, dryly noted in his recommended decision that Kelly has owned a heating and air-conditioning business since 1993. "Mr. Kelly installs a lot of air conditioners, heaters, walk-in boxes and refrigeration equipment as part of his business," the judge wrote.

According to public records, Kelly bought the house in 2003 for $225,000. It had a gas dryer, a gas water heater, and a gas range.

Kelly installed a 100,000 BTU gas heater in 2003 and added a 50,000 BTU heater in 2009. In April 2014, he had a pool installed at the address, along with a 300,000 BTU gas heater to heat the pool.

The size and installation dates of the appliances were pertinent when PGW went about computing how much unbilled gas was consumed. For instance, PGW said it estimated that the pool was open from May to September, which is typical for a residential outdoor pool in Philadelphia, and was heated to 78 to 80 degrees.

Kelly disputed PGW's methodology, testifying that he let the weather heat his pool, and that he did not maintain the temperature between 78 and 80 degrees as suggested.

"I do not find such testimony to be credible," Calvelli wrote in his recommended decision.

The administrative law judge did adjust down the estimated total, which Commissioner John F. Coleman Jr. said he found acceptable, despite Sweet's dissent.

"While I share the displeasure with my colleagues of the conduct of this customer, I believe the evidentiary record requires that we affirm the ALJ's decision," Coleman said.
The bust of Richard Stockton that was removed from display at the Stockton University library in Galloway Township amid debate over the legacy of this slave-owning signer of the Declaration of Independence. Read more

Stockton University is named for Richard Stockton, who signed the Declaration of Independence and was put in chains by the British.

Less well-known is the fact that, as a slave owner until his death, Stockton himself kept other human beings in bondage.

In late August the university announced it had "temporarily" moved a bust of the eloquent Princeton lawyer and accomplished swordsman from a prominent spot in the lobby of the library on the main campus in Galloway Township.

The abrupt action sparked complaints from some alumni and others  there were cries about those legendarily nefarious liberal "snowflakes" sanitizing history, etc.  as well as expressions of support.

And last week, university president Harvey Kesselman selected a group of Stockton administrators, educators, and students to work with volunteers from the larger community and determine where and in what manner to utilize the bust in telling the fuller story of the school's flawed namesake.

This strikes me as an eminently sensible and not overly sensitive notion.

"We are not ignoring or revising history here," says Kesselman, who was named Stockton's president in 2015 after more than three decades of service as a faculty member and administrator at the institution he unabashedly loves.

So far, "the conversation has been civil, thoughtful, inclusive, and supportive of Stockton University," Kesselman says. The school serves a total of nearly 9,000 students at its Galloway, Atlantic City, Woodbine, and Manahawkin facilities and is building a residential campus in Atlantic City as well.

An early alum  he attended classes in Atlantic City's Mayflower Hotel while the Galloway campus was under construction in 1971  Kesselman also says Richard Stockton's history of slave ownership has long been known and discussed at the school.

But the national uproar over the dismantling of Confederate statuary spurred his decision to move the bust and appoint the eight-member Stockton Exhibit Steering Committee, which he describes as diverse.

"This is a strong leadership move  to begin change by looking in the mirror," says R. Akbar, an attorney and actor who grew up in Philadelphia and graduated from Stockton in 1987. He served for two years as student government president and was the first African American to hold that position.

"What is beautiful about the exploration" his alma mater is undertaking, Akbar says by phone, "is that we all get to learn more about not only Stockton, but the history of the university."

Founded as Stockton State College  with a woodsy setting, groovy architecture, and progressive '70s ambiance  the school was rebranded as the Richard Stockton College of New Jersey in 1993. A few years later, the bust by the late sculptor Joanna Gichner Kendall was put on a pedestal in the library lobby; in 2015, the state upgraded Stockton to university status.

I found plenty of online biographical material about Richard Stockton that praises his patriotism and professional skills, but little mention of the fact that he owned slaves. The practice was lamentably common among the era's agrarian gentry, Northern as well as Southern, and many if not most signers of the Declaration of Independence owned Africans who had been enslaved.

What's also often omitted from typical narratives about Stockton: The enduring question of whether he betrayed the Revolutionary cause in exchange for release from his brutal incarceration  an arguably inconvenient truth that led one independent historian to suggest last year that removal of a sculpture of Stockton in Washington ought to be considered.

In his book Abductions in the American Revolution (McFarland, 2016), Christian M. McBurney says New Jersey might want to replace the figure of Stockton in the Capitol building's National Statuary Hall with a less problematic state luminary.

"[B]ecause strong evidence indicates that [Stockton] signed an oath of allegiance to the Crown, I do not believe he should be celebrated as one of New Jersey's greatest heroes," McBurney wrote in a story published in the Journal of the American Revolution.

Nevertheless, "I'm concerned that the university took this step [removing the bust] without providing background evidence that Stockton was a slave owner," McBurney tells me by phone from the Washington suburbs.

I have no problem with the sequence of events on campus; I also believe the process beginning to unfold is well-intentioned and wise.

Having grown up in Massachusetts, where Paul Revere dominated Revolutionary War history, I knew hardly anything about Richard Stockton. But I'm learning more  there's much to admire about the man  and expect others will be doing so as well.

Stockton grew up in a wealthy Princeton family and was educated at the College of New Jersey, an institution his father helped establish (it later became Princeton University). He was admitted to the bar, became a judge, and raised six children with his wife, Annis, a widely respected poet.

Yet a published abstract of his will includes a revealing sentence: "My wife may free what slaves she wishes."

Just like that.

"What slaves."

In the abstract, the individual slaves aren't named.

I don't know whether Annis Stockton did as her husband apparently intended.

Perhaps the Stockton Exhibit Committee will spur researchers to find out.

And perhaps such information can help educate students and others who wish to contemplate the bust of Richard Stockton where it belongs  on the campus of the university that bears his name.
Joshua Hupperterz (right), 29, from North 16th Street was arrested for his involvement in the murder of Jenna Burleigh (left), a 22-year-old student at Temple University. She was last seen about 2 a.m. Aug. 31 near the campus in North Philadelphia. Read more

The man who was last seen with missing Temple University student Jenna Burleigh has been charged with her murder and was ordered held without bail Sunday morning, according to court documents.

Joshua Hupperterz, 29, admitted to "elements of the crime" in a partial confession, Philadelphia Police Capt. John Ryan, commanding officer of the homicide unit, told reporters Saturday night without providing details.

Hupperterz was arraigned at 4:52 a.m. Sunday on charges of murder, abuse of a corpse, and other crimes.

Burleigh, 22, a commuter student from Lower Salford Township, Montgomery County, was last seen near the Temple campus in North Philadelphia around 2 a.m. Thursday. She was reported missing by her father later that day.

Burleigh's body was found Saturday afternoon at the Wayne County home of Hupperterz's grandmother, Ryan said.

"Our Beautiful Angel Jenna is now in Heaven," Burleigh's father, Edward, posted Saturday evening on Facebook. "Now I know for sure that you can have a 'broken heart' RIP honey."

Police found blood, large quantities of drugs and cash in Hupperterz's North Philadelphia home, a police source said, which sits around the corner from Pub Webb, a bar where Burleigh apparently met him for the first time.

Hupperterz was picked up Saturday morning at his grandmother's home in Hawley, 140 miles north of Philadelphia.

While police officials discussed the facts of the case, Burleigh's family gathered inside their two-story brick house in a quiet, upscale subdivision in Harleysville. Candles flickered in their windows as a light rain fell outside. A family friend lamented the senseless nature of Burleigh's death, but said her parents were too grief-stricken to talk.

Ryan said the killing did not appear to be premeditated, and that police did not yet know a cause of death. Burleigh was killed in Philadelphia, he said, then her body was moved to the Jenkintown home of Hupperterz's mother and stepfather, before finally being transported to the Wayne County property where investigators made the grim discovery.

Sources said local surveillance cameras captured footage of Hupperterz, a former Temple student who last took classes in the spring, walking with Burleigh to his apartment early Thursday morning.

On Friday night, Philadelphia police executed a search warrant at that home in the 1700 block of North 16th Street, police spokeswoman Officer Tanya Little said.

In the home, police found blood spattered near the kitchen sink, rear door, and on a trash can lid, along with 10 to 15 pillow case-size bags of marijuana and about $20,000 in cash, a police source said.

A neighbor heard screams coming from the apartment around 4 a.m. Thursday, the source said.

Hupperterz had scratches on his face and a cut of some kind on his hand. He told detectives that he injured his hand on a broken bowl in his home, according to the source.

Ryan said Hupperterz was the only person in police custody and would be charged with murder and related offenses. He did not rule out the possibility of other arrests, though he described Hupperterz as the "primary individual" involved in Burleigh's death.

A roommate who lived with Hupperterz in the North Philadelphia property had obtained a lawyer, but had not made any statements to investigators, sources said.

Burleigh was a junior transfer student from Montgomery County College majoring in film and media arts.

Passionate about issues of social justice and equity, Burleigh was outspoken about racism, feminism, and LGBTQ rights.

"I truly believe in the good in people and the magic that can be found in all of us," she wrote in her most recent blog post in March.

"I will always fight for what's right. I will fight for intersectional feminism because the whitewashing has to stop," she wrote. "I will always fight for equality for ALL. And my journey is just getting started."

In a statement released Saturday evening, Temple University President Richard M. Englert said the school was "deeply saddened" to learn of Burleigh's murder. "Our deepest sympathies go out to Jenna's family and her classmates, both here at Temple and at Montgomery County Community College," he said.

According to court records, Hupperterz pleaded guilty in 2013 to theft from a motor vehicle and in 2011 to possession of drug paraphernalia. Hupperterz also popped up on the radar of police in Scranton in 2013, when he allegedly broke into a home and stole electronics, credit cards, laundry detergent, and a half keg of beer.
A home security camera of the kind that Winslow Township Police hope will help them solve crimes faster. Read more

Police in Winslow Township were searching for a suspect who held a hunter's knife to the neck of a 78-year-old woman, grabbed her purse, and fled on foot. Though the crime last month occurred around 3 p.m., in a residential neighborhood of this Camden County town, police had no real leads for the first six days.

Then came video from a homeowner's surveillance system. The camera had captured the entire mugging, and within 12 hours, there was an arrest.

The delay in obtaining that video could have been eliminated, Police Capt. Richard Ostermueller said, if a registry had existed to show which locations are covered by surveillance systems installed by homeowners and businesses.

Such a registry "would give us phone numbers and emails, so that we can reach people more quickly when a crime occurs, rather than trying to track them down by knocking on doors," Ostermueller said.

Winslow launched its Electronic Eye registry program last week. Registering is voluntary.

Township officials had discussed such a program for months, but it was the mugging of the elderly woman that prompted action, Ostermueller said.

Other towns across the state, and in Kansas, Nevada and South Carolina, have adopted similar programs in recent years.

"We're not looking to be Big Brother. We just want a database so that we can see where all the cameras are when there's a crime," Ostermueller said. "We live in a day and age where, if you think you're not being recorded in some way, shape, or form when you're just walking down a street, well, there's always a camera somewhere."

The database would be confidential and accessible only to law enforcement. It also would provide police with a map indicating where these cameras are so that officers can gather evidence faster.

Another advantage, Ostermueller said, is the registry would note how long each home surveillance system retains the images, so that police can view them during an investigation before they are erased.

The police, he said, are not seeking remote access to the footage or to tap into the cameras.

Winslow has 72 police officers, and the array of cameras installed at private buildings throughout the 58-square-mile township can help the police keep the community of 39,000 safe, Ostermueller said. He couldn't estimate how many private surveillance cameras may be out there, but he said the systems have become cheaper and more accessible to the public in recent years.

The database is being created by the department in-house, he said.

Lindenwold police created a similar registry, under its Citizens Electronic Eye program, three years ago. It "maps out the locations of the cameras, so officers can find possible evidence faster," a police press release said.

In Winslow, Michael Castrataro was the first homeowner to sign up for the registry, last week. "I think police should have access if something is going on," he said.

Castrataro, 59, an electrical contractor, described himself as "security conscious," and said that he can remotely tap into the his cameras from his phone to make sure his home is safe. He has four monitoring cameras installed on his property.

"One day, several people parked in front of my house, knocked on my door, and left, without leaving a note or business card. I just want to know what's going on around my house," he said.

If police needed to see the footage while investigating a crime, Castrataro said, he would gladly provide it. "The more eyes out there for the public to use, the better," he said.
Our Mother of Sorrows Church in West Philadelphia will close this fall. Read more

Our Mother of Sorrows Church in West Philadelphia will close this fall, the Archdiocese of Philadelphia announced Sunday.

The church at 48th Street and Lancaster Avenue opened in 1852 but has not been home to its own parish since 2013, when it merged with nearby Saint Ignatius of Loyola Parish as part of the archdiocese's ongoing review and consolidation of parishes and properties.

Saint Ignatius of Loyola became the main church for the merged parish. Since last year, only one Mass a month was celebrated at Our Mother of Sorrows, which was designated as a worship site. That Mass was discontinued in February, the archdiocese said, because few attended it, and no funerals or weddings have been celebrated there.

Saint Ignatius spent more than $100,000 caring for the Our Mother of Sorrows property in the last fiscal year, the archdiocese said.

"The formal request to close this worship site originated from the parochial administrator of Saint Ignatius of Loyola Parish together with his parish pastoral and finance councils," the archdiocese said in a news release.

Archbishop Charles J. Chaput approved relegating the church building to profane use, as of Oct. 9, at which time it will no longer be used as a Catholic church.

Parishioners learned of the closing at Masses this weekend.

The future of the church, school, and convent buildings remains uncertain. That will be determined by Saint Ignatius of Loyola Parish, the archdiocese said.
By PTI: By Aditi Khanna

London, Sep 3 (PTI) Closed circuit television (CCTV) security systems are to be installed across internal corridors of the UK parliament building to address the increasing terror threat fears, but the plan is facing resistance over privacy and other concerns.

Both the House of Commons and Lords Speakers have signed off on the installation of the security cameras in all areas of the Palace of Westminster that can be accessed by visitors.

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However, according to The Sunday Telegraph, there is a delay in their actual installation due to fears the devices would stand out as unsightly in the heritage building.

While the use of CCTV cameras is more widespread in parliaments newer buildings, parliamentary authorities have largely restricted the placement of cameras in the Palace of Westminster to outside areas and private areas "considered vulnerable to intrusion".

The widespread use of cameras in the Palace has also been resisted for decades due to concerns about the privacy of MPs.

However parliamentary sources have told the newspaper that the authorities decided to overhaul the policy towards the end of last year amid concerns that while there were "hundreds of CCTV cameras outside", security officials were unable to track people using the devices once they entered the estate.

"The purpose was to allow security to, broadly speaking, work out where somebody has gone, so they can at least follow them down the corridor," a senior source told newspaper.

The "principle" for CCTV coverage to be extended into "internal public and semi-public areas" of the estate was agreed last November by the Commons and Lords commissions ? chaired by John Bercow, the Commons speaker, and Lord Fowler, his counterpart in the House of Lords. And, the devices are expected to be installed in a matter of "months".

A Commons spokesperson declined to comment on the decision and subsequent discussions, saying: "We do not provide details of security arrangements on the Parliamentary Estate."

In March, Khalid Masood ran over pedestrians on Westminster Bridge before stabbing PC Keith Palmer to death at the gates of the parliament. Sir Jon Murphy, a former police chief constable, was asked to review perimeter security of the building in the wake of the attack.

His key findings reported by The Sunday Telegraph last week include a physical barrier known as a boom to be placed in the river to stop boats approaching parliament.

Armed guards had already been stationed at parliament gates since the attack in March.

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New passes will be issued to 15,000 people who work in parliament, with names and photographs on both sides. PTI AK ABH

--- ENDS ---
The man suspected of fatally shooting a Sacramento County sheriffs deputy and injuring two California Highway Patrol officers in a shootout Wednesday died from his injuries on Saturday, the Sheriffs Department said.

Thomas Daniel Littlecloud, 32, was named by the department as the gunman who fatally shot deputy Robert French as he fled from a room at the Ramada Inn on Auburn Boulevard. Auto theft investigators with an inter-agency task force were attempting to enter the room when they say someone fired multiple rounds through the walls, striking two undercover CHP officers.

Littlecloud was seen carrying a high-powered assault rifle as he fled from the hotels balcony into a nearby car, shooting French in the process, the department said. He led officers on a vehicle pursuit south on Fulton Avenue and then east on El Camino Avenue before crashing the car just west of Watt Avenue.

French, a 21-year veteran of the department assigned to the North Patrol Division, died on his way to the hospital, the Sacramento Bee reports.
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The following post, written by The Rev. Robert A. Franek, is a part of Politicus Policy Discussion, in which writers draw connections between real lives and public policy.

The violence perpetuated by white supremacists and neo-Nazis in Charlottesville and the destruction of Hurricane Harvey in Houston and throughout the Gulf Coast region gave opportunity for the best of humanity to shine in response to each of these devastating events.

The country stood in solidarity against the hate, bigotry, and violence that erupted in Charlottesville and condemned unequivocally all expressions of racial prejudice and white supremacy. But unfortunately, the marches and rallies, even CEOs abandoning President Donald Trumps business councils do not make the racism and white supremacy inscribed in our nations history, culture, and statute go away.

Throughout the storm as the rains continued to fall day after day in unprecedented volume, the country stood with Texas. People came together across all divides to help one another in life-saving recovery from flooded homes. Now, people from across town and across the country are beginning to meet up to share in the work of cleaning out homes that were submerged in the flood. Gratitude for life and love, compassion and hope covers the exhaustion and grief, anxiety and sadness.

Disasters have a way of erasing all markers of division and bringing people together revealing the best of our shared humanity. Strangers are helping strangers without question and little introduction. Saving lives is all that matters. Getting people to safety is the unifying concern. Around this common goal people mobilize and give their all to help their neighbor, whoever that may be. It is this collective spirit of cooperation and reaching out a literal life-saving hand that needs to be translated from a search-and-rescue mission amid a great flood to the policy work on the House and the Senate floor.

These two events have raised many policy concerns to what seems to be a tipping point as Confederate statues are being toppled over and the need to face the ever-increasing severity of storms is on the rise. We cannot miss this moment in history to do what is right. It is incumbent upon each one of us to use this opportunity to reframe old debates in light of new realities.

Confederate statues erected in a Jim Crow era as monuments to slavery and treason with the goal being an undisputable statement of white supremacy must come down. But this is only a single step of many in moving forward towards a more inclusive and just society. Another crucial step is addressing the systems and structures that are plagued with racial inequality. The criminal justice and immigration systems are undeniably broken and replete with racial prejudice. Vote suppression, redlining, and wage inequality are ripe for reforms. As we continue to protest these injustices and those who perpetuate the subjugation of people, we must work to turn our prayers into policies that benefit the common good of all people. We cannot let our lawmakers tweet one day that they condemn racism and white supremacy while they fail to address its systemic and structural manifestations.

Following Hurricane Harvey and knowing that no amount of foresight and planning could have mitigated entirely against its destructive deluge, can we admit that there are good reasons for regulations in city planning and knowing about the quantity and make up of combustible chemicals? Can we admit that we are seeing the effects of global warming and stop pretending its debatable? Can we admit in budget planning that we cant fight hurricanes and floods with war machines? Can we admit that funds for FEMA, the CDC, and EPA are just as vital to our national security as defense spending, if not more so?

From Charlottesville to Houston and beyond our country is coming to grips in being honest about the prejudice of our past that continues to infect the present while also rising to a new accord of unity and greater inclusivity.

Perhaps while the walls of our daily divisions and debates are down and as we unite in solidarity across every divide with the people of Texas in offering signs of compassion and hope with our prayers, generous giving (especially of money which is needed the most right now), and advocacy for smart rebuilding, we can also work for legislation that has the best interests of our neighbor in mind, especially those vulnerable ones reaching out for rescue from unjust policy and prejudice whether we know them or not. In this way we will continue to shine as beacons of hope and light.
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By Jack Kim and Soyoung Kim

SEOUL (Reuters)  North Korea conducted its sixth and most powerful nuclear test on Sunday, which it said was an advanced hydrogen bomb for a long-range missile, marking a dramatic escalation of the regimes stand-off with the United States and its allies.

The test drew swift international condemnation, including from U.S. President Donald Trump, who described North Korea as a rogue nation and said its actions continue to be very hostile and dangerous to the United States.

Appeasement with North Korea will not work, they only understand one thing, he said in messages on Twitter.

Hours before the test Trump had talked by phone with Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe about the escalating nuclear crisis in the region. The U.S. president has previously vowed to stop North Korea developing nuclear weapons that could threaten the United States.

North Korea, which carries out its nuclear and missile programs in defiance of United Nations Security Council resolutions and sanctions, said on state television that a hydrogen bomb test ordered by leader Kim Jong Un had been a perfect success.

The bomb was designed to be mounted on its newly developed intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM), the North said.

(For a graphic on nuclear North Korea, click http://tmsnrt.rs/2lE5yjF)

The test had registered with international seismic agencies as a manmade earthquake near a test site in the North. Japanese and South Korean officials said it was around 10 times more powerful than the tremor picked up after North Koreas last nuclear test a year ago.

There was no independent confirmation that the detonation was a hydrogen bomb, rather than a less powerful atomic device, but Japans Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga said Tokyo could not rule out such a possibility.

Experts who studied the impact of the earthquake caused by the explosion  measured by the U.S. Geological Survey at magnitude 6.3  said that there was enough strong evidence to suggest the reclusive state has either developed a hydrogen bomb or was getting very close. [L4N1LK0BM]

The head of the UNs nuclear watchdog, IAEA Director General Yukiya Amano said the nuclear test was an extremely regrettable act that was in complete disregard of the repeated demands of the international community.

French President Emmanuel Macron called on the international community to react firmly to this new provocation, and South Korean President Moon Jae-in said Seoul would push for strong steps to further isolate the North, including new UN sanctions.

Japan also raised the prospect of further sanctions, saying curbs on North Koreas oil trade would be on the table.

China, North Koreas sole major ally, said it strongly condemned the nuclear test and urged Pyongyang to stop its wrong actions.

The United States has repeatedly urged Beijing to do more to rein in its neighbor, but Beijing has lambasted the West and its allies in recent weeks for suggesting that it is solely responsible for doing so. It has said military drills by South Korea and the United States on the Korean peninsula have done nothing to lessen tensions.

Russia said North Korea risked serious consequences but urged cool heads to avoid further escalation.

THERMONUCLEAR DEVICE?

Under third-generation leader Kim, North Korea has been pursuing a nuclear device small and light enough to fit on a long-range ballistic missile, without affecting its range and making it capable of surviving re-entry.

North Korea claimed in January last year to have tested a miniaturized hydrogen bomb, also known as a thermonuclear device, but outside experts were skeptical, suggesting it could have been a boosted device, an atomic bomb that uses some hydrogen isotopes to increase its explosive yield.

A U.S. official who studies North Koreas military and politics said it was too early to determine if the test supported the Norths claim that it had succeeded in developing a thermonuclear weapon, much less one that could be mounted on an ICBM and re-enter Earths atmosphere without burning up.

The test comes amid heightened regional tension following Pyongyangs two tests of ICBMs in July that potentially could fly about 10,000 km (6,200 miles), putting many parts of the U.S. mainland within range.

One expert said the size of Sundays detonation meant it was possible it could be a hydrogen bomb test.

The power is 10 or 20 times or even more than previous ones, said Kune Y. Suh, a nuclear engineering professor at Seoul National University. That scale is to the level where anyone can say (it was) a hydrogen bomb test.

AIR RAID SIRENS

When the test took place, people in the Chinese city of Yanji, on the border with North Korea, said they felt a tremor that lasted roughly 10 seconds, followed by an aftershock.

I was eating brunch just over the border here in Yanji when we felt the whole building shake, said Michael Spavor, director of the Paektu Cultural Exchange, which promotes business and cultural ties with North Korea. It lasted for about five seconds. The city air raid sirens started going off.

Earthquakes triggered by North Korean nuclear tests have gradually increased in magnitude since Pyongyangs first test in 2006, indicating the isolated country is steadily increasing the destructive power of its nuclear technology.

The Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty Organisation (CTBTO) in Vienna said it had detected an unusual seismic event in North Korea that was larger than previous nuclear tests.

North Koreas mission is quite clear when it comes to this latest atomic test: to develop a nuclear arsenal that can strike all of Asia and the U.S. homeland, Harry Kazianis, director of defense studies at the conservative Center for the National Interest in Washington, said.

This test is just another step towards such a goal. None of us should be shocked by Pyongyangs latest actions.

HOURGLASS-SHAPED DEVICE

Hours before the test, North Koreas state news agency KCNA had released pictures showing Kim Jong Un inspecting a silver-colored, hourglass-shaped warhead during a visit to the countrys nuclear weapons institute, accompanied by scientists.

Kim watched an H-bomb to be loaded into new ICBM and set forth tasks to be fulfilled in the research into nukes, KCNA said.

The shape shows a marked difference from pictures of the ball-shaped device North Korea released in March last year, and appears to indicate the appearance of a two-stage thermonuclear weapon, said Lee Choon-geun, senior research fellow at state-run Science and Technology Policy Institute.

KCNA said North Korea recently succeeded in making a more advanced hydrogen bomb.

All components of the H-bomb were homemade and all the processes  were put on the Juche basis, thus enabling the country to produce powerful nuclear weapons as many as it wants, KCNA quoted Kim as saying.

Juche is North Koreas homegrown ideology of self-reliance that is a mix of Marxism and extreme nationalism preached by state founder Kim Il Sung, the current leaders grandfather. It says its weapons programs are needed to counter U.S. aggression.

Impoverished North Korea and the rich, democratic South are technically still at war because their 1950-53 conflict ended in a truce, not a peace treaty. The North regularly threatens to destroy the South and its main ally, the United States.

(Additional reporting by Elaine Lies, Kiyoshi Takenaka, Tim Kelly, Takaya Yamaguchi and Nobuhiro Kubo in Tokyo, Jane Chung, Yuna Park, Ju-min Park and James Pearson in Seoul, Sue-Lin Wong in Yanji and Steve Holland and David Brunnstrom in Washington and Shadia Nasralla in Vienna; Writing by Alex Richardson; Editing by Raju Gopalakrishnan)
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President Obama anticipated incoming President Donald Trumps assault on democracy in his letter to the 45th president.

In an exclusive regarding the last direct communication between the 44th and 45th presidents, CNN obtained a copy of the letter President Obama left for President Trump, in which he warns against using the power of the office for political gain.

We are just temporary occupants of this office. That makes us guardians of those democratic institutions and traditions  like rule of law, separation of powers, equal protection and civil liberties  that our forebears fought and bled for, read the third piece of advice from then President Obama to Trump.

Regardless of the push and pull of daily politics, its up to us to leave those instruments of our democracy at least as strong as we found them.

CNNs Kevin Liptak observed, That passage, read seven months after Trump took office, appears prescient. Trump has been accused of flouting rule of law in his broadsides against federal judges and his own attorney general. His verbal assaults on Congress have led to charges that hes disregarding the constitutionally enshrined separate but equal branches of government.

Trumps attacks on the tenets of democracy in a mere seven months are dizzying. Trump might not be a competent president, but he is good at grabbing resources, abusing power, creating chaos, and spitting on the very principles upon which our country was founded, so Trump is not without talent.

Obamas letter is as gracious as the man showed himself to be during his eight years in office, opening with Trumps much needed praise and flattery, Congratulations on a remarkable run. Millions have placed their hopes in you, and all of us, regardless of party, should hope for expanded prosperity and security during your tenure.

No one can ever say Barack Obama doesnt understand the people with whom he has had to deal; he knew he had to open with praise or his words would have no hope of reaching Trump. Obama is ever the diplomat.

Yet I fear President Obamas language too lofty for the current President of the United States, whose Twitter talk continues to provoke North Koreas crazy. The ideas Obama presented  rule of law, separation of powers, equal protection and civil liberties  are principles for which Trump has shown disdain and contempt. Its not even clear if Trump understands these basic tenets of democracy or how they apply to the executive branch.

For the man who thinks Twitter is an appropriate format to deal with North Korea, there is slim hope that the founding ideals of our country might appeal.

Obama tried. Its up to the people of the United States now.
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Sen. Jeff Flake (R-AZ) refused to say that Trump was mentally fit and able to handle the North Korea nuclear crisis.

Video:

Transcript via CNN State Of The Union:

BASH: Senator, there are a lot of people waking up this morning in this country very concerned about what theyre hearing from North Korea.

Do you share Clappers concern, not just about North Korea, but with the presidents ability to respond?

FLAKE: Well, I  I do have good confidence in our national security team and those who are advising the president.

And the president does not have experience in this  in this kind of situation, but few presidents do when they come into office.

[09:10:07]

And Im confident that the people around the president are giving him good advice, and I believe that he will follow it. I sure hope he does. Obviously, you like a leader thats measured and sober and consistent. Our allies want to hear that.

I think our adversaries need to hear that. But we have got a good team around the president.

BASH: Senator, you talked there about the presidents team, but not about the president himself. Are you concerned about the president himself, as James Clapper is?

FLAKE: Well, like I said, no president comes in prepared with regard to foreign policy experience. Thats why you have a good team around them.

I have had my concerns, I think everyone has, at some of the statements that have been made by the president with regard to NATO and other areas in foreign policy.

Like I said, I think we  we want somebody who is  who is measured and sober and consistent and conservative in this regard. But he has a good team around him, and I have confidence in them.

To understand why the White House sent Defense Secretary Mattis out to deliver a statement instead of North Korea, it is important to realize that a Republican Senator would not say that his own president is mentally fit enough to handle this crisis.

Nowhere in Sen. Flakes answer was a statement of confidence about Trumps mental fitness. Instead of vouching for Trumps competency, Flake praised the people around Trump who can keep him in check.

Jeff Flake has been critical of Donald Trump, but he has also personally dealt with the man, and if the people who have been in the room with the President wont confirm Trumps ability to handle a crisis, it is a strong signal that the President Of The United States could very well be mentally unfit and incompetent.
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Defense Secretary James Mattis warned North Korea that any threat to the United States would be met with a massive and overwhelming military response.

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Defense Secretary James Mattis: Any threat to the United States  will be met with a massive military response https://t.co/7WzbWvGoIK  CNN Politics (@CNNPolitics) September 3, 2017

Mattis said, Any threat to the United States or its territories, including Guam, or our allies will be met with a massive military response, a response both effective and overwhelming.

The Defense Secretary also called on North Korea to listen to the united voice of the UN Security Council, All members unanimously agreed on the threat North Korea poses and they remain unanimous in their commitment to the denuclearization of the Korean peninsula. We are not looking to the total annihilation of a country, namely North Korea, but as I said we have many options to do so.

Mattis was sent out to threaten North Korea because he has more credibility than Trump. The North Koreans arent taking the President Of The United States seriously, so the White House to send out the Secretary of Defense to illustrate how serious this crisis has become.

The statement that Mattis read looks like nothing more than more saber rattling and empty threats from this administration. Until there are concrete signs that the US is planning military action, the North Koreans know that they can afford not to take Trump and his administration seriously.

Trump has damaged the presidency to such a degree that less than a year after taking office, he has to send his Defense Secretary out to deliver stern warnings and deal with a looming nuclear crisis.
US Defense Secretary Jim Mattis said Washington was not looking for the "total annihilation of a country, namely North Korea. But as I said, we have many options to do so."

By India Today Web Desk: US Defense Secretary Jim Mattis on Sunday threatened a "massive military response" to any attack on the United States or its allies after North Korea conducted its most powerful nuclear test to date.

Speaking outside the White House, Mattis said: "Any threat to the United States or its territories, including Guam or our allies will be met with a massive military response, a response both effective and overwhelming."

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Mattis said Washington was not looking for the "total annihilation of a country, namely North Korea. But as I said, we have many options to do so."

Earlier, President Donald Trump, asked if he would attack North Korea, said, "We'll see."

He also suggested squeezing China, the North's patron for many decades and a vital US trading partner, on the economic front, in hopes of persuading Beijing to exert leverage on its neighbor. Trump tweeted that the US is considering "stopping all trade with any country doing business with North Korea."

The United States is considering, in addition to other options, stopping all trade with any country doing business with North Korea.- Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) September 3, 2017

SIXTH TEST

North Korea conducted its sixth nuclear test on Sunday, which it said was an advanced hydrogen bomb for a long-range missile.

It was the first test since Trump took office in January.

The precise strength of the explosion, described by state-controlled media in North Korea as a hydrogen bomb, has yet to be determined. South Korea's weather agency said the artificial earthquake caused by the explosion was five times to six times stronger than tremors generated by the North's previous five such tests.

The impact reportedly shook buildings in China and in Russia.

UN SECURITY COUNCIL TO MEET

The United Nations Security Council will meet at 7:30 pm (IST) on Monday on North Korea's nuclear test at the request of the United States, Japan, Britain, France and South Korea, the US mission to the United Nations said in a statement on Sunday.

We along w/Japan, France, the UK and S.Korea have called for an emergency Security Council meeting on N.Korea in the open tomorrow at 10am- Nikki Haley (@nikkihaley) September 3, 2017

India said it "deplores" North Korea's latest nuclear test, calling it a "matter of deep concern that DPRK [Democratic People's Republic of Korea] has once again acted in violation of its international commitments."

(With inputs from agencies)

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Will US attack North Korea after its nuclear test? 'We'll see,' says President Donald Trump

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North Korea conducts 6th nuclear test with hydrogen bomb, calls it perfect success

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Kim Jong-Un's hydrogen bomb dare: How to contain North Korea?

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Watchdog and Public Service reporter

Thad Moore is a reporter on The Post and Couriers Watchdog and Public Service team and a graduate of the University of South Carolina. To share tips securely, reach Moore via ProtonMail at thadmoore@protonmail.com or on Signal at 843-214-6576.
By PTI: By Lalit K Jha

Washington, Sep 3 (PTI) The US seized control of Russias Consulate in San Francisco and its two annexes in New York and Washington DC today after confirming that Moscow had complied with the Trump administrations order to vacate them within two days, officials said.

The Trump administration had asked Russia to close down its three diplomatic complexes, which was mainly in retaliation for Moscows decision last month to reduce the number of American diplomatic personnel by several hundreds.

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"The Department of State can confirm that the Russian government complied with the order to vacate its Consulate and two annexes," a senior State Department official said.

The official said Russia will no longer be permitted to use these facilities for diplomatic or consular purposes and the state department will control all access to the three buildings, along with the responsibility for securing and maintaining them.

"Entry or access to the properties will be granted only with permission of the Department of State, which will secure and maintain the facilities in keeping with its responsibilities. No Russian diplomats are being expelled from the US in connection with these closures," the official said.

According to the official, Russian Embassy personnel, together with the State Department officials, walked through three properties in San Francisco, New York and Washington, DC that the Russian government was required to close.

"These inspections were carried out to secure and protect the facilities and to confirm the Russian government had vacated the premises. The United States is fully adhering to the Vienna Convention, US law, and bilateral agreements in these actions as well as in its demands for Russia to draw down those diplomatic properties," the official said.

The US had made separate arrangements to end existing residential uses that will allow families sufficient time to pack out and move.

"Accusations made by the Russian government, including that US officials threatened to break down doors in the relevant properties or that the FBI is clearing the premises, are untrue," the official added.

Last month, Russia forced the cut in US diplomatic staff earlier this year in retaliation for American sanctions. The US had to reduce its diplomatic staff by 755 people.

Moscow ordered the US to cut its diplomatic and technical staff in Russia by more than half to 455 people, after Congress overwhelmingly approved new sanctions against Russia.

The sanctions were imposed in response to Russian meddling in the 2016 presidential election and to punish Russia further for its 2014 annexation of Crimea from Ukraine. PTI LKJ ZH

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SC Attorney General Alan Wilson is challenging the CDC's recommendations on COVID vaccinations for kids. They have no force of law, so this is no different than the left trying to enforce its woke orthodoxy. Read moreEditorial: Alan Wilson should stick to the law, stop trying to silence opinions he dislikes
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
Conan OBrien has been touring Israel over the past week for a Conan Without Borders episode of his late night show on TBS. In Israel he acted like a tourist. He hit the highlights. He approached Israelis in an ingenuous spirit of appreciation and the appreciation was mutual. If youve been to Israel, you know that Israelis are grateful to be seen in the same light as the rest of humanity.

Conan himself has turned to Facebook here and other social media to document his trip. He links to his accounts here. Ive been following his trip on Twitter here. This tweet made me laugh.

Conan had some experiences not available to regular tourists. The one he documented at the Ziv Medical Center demonstrated the distinctive character of Israel in a bad, bad neighborhood.

Meeting Syrian victims of the civil war being treated at an Israeli hospital near the border. Faces blurred for their safety. pic.twitter.com/MvghboAl80  Conan O'Brien (@ConanOBrien) August 31, 2017

I think Conan had some help getting this stop on his schedule too.

Katie Pavlich checked in on Conan in Israel here. Noa Amouyal has a good roundup for the Jerusalem Post here. She commented that Conan is Roger Waterss worst nightmare. His heart is not full of hate.

As I say, Israelis are grateful to be judged on the same standard we apply to the rest of humanity. Amouyal offers this quote from a Foreign Ministry spokesman: [His visit] demonstrates that Israel is a great country. And when someone like Conan says all these nice things about Israel  nobody is forcing him to do it  its really a great feeling.

To take one example, the Jerusalem Post quoted Conan telling the medical teams with which he met at Ziv: I am amazed and excited by what is being done here at Ziv for the sake of people from a neighboring country and an enemy, and I think you are the ones who need to receive the Nobel Peace Prize. Conan cant say that, can he? Roger Waterss worst nightmare indeed.

In the interest of the Hinderaker aesthetic I should probably include Conans tweet on this stop as well.

PAUL ADDS: My wifes cousin was an attendant on Conans flight to Israel. She was thrilled to meet him and have her picture taken with him.
Its getting drafty around here. Special Counsel Robert Mueller reportedly is scrutinizing President Trumps draft statement explaining the firing of James Comey. Meanwhile, Senators Grassley and Graham have complained that Comey drafted statements exonerating Hillary Clinton before the FBI interviewed her and other seemingly material witnesses.

Good thing I dont write draft blog posts.

Comeys draft statements have caused some to question the truthfulness of testimony he gave to Congress. On Fox News last night, at least one member of Bret Baiers panel argued that Comey lied to Congress in testimony delivered last September.

The Daily Caller makes the same suggestion. It relies on Comeys testimony at a House Judicial Oversight hearing on September 28, 2016. Comey testified that he did not make the decision not to charge Clinton before she was interviewed on July 2. To drive home the point, he added:

If colleagues of ours believe I am lying about when I made this decision, please urge them to contact me privately so we can have a conversation about this. All I can do is tell you again, the decision was made after [the Clinton interview] because I didnt know what was going to happen in that interview.

However, Comey also explained it was possible Clinton would lie during the interview. This point is crucial to the question of whether Comey lied to Congress, it seems to me.

Even if Comey was certain prior to the interview with Clinton that she had not violated the Espionage Act or any other criminal law, to the point where nothing she could say to the FBI could change his view, it was still possible she would lie to the FBI about material facts. In that event, Comey might have decided to prosecute her for doing so.

Thus, Comey could only make the call on prosecuting Clinton after the interview, and was not lying to Congress when he said he made the call only then.

In addition, its not entirely clear to me that Comey was so wedded to his view that Clinton shouldnt be prosecuted that he couldnt have changed his mind based on the interview with her, or with others who were interviewed late in the process. He may have been, but I dont think we can so say for sure based on the fact that he had already drafted and circulated statements of exoneration. Many of us can probably think of cases where we drafted something one way, but came out another way in the end.

This is not to say that Comey was being completely forthright with Congress. In fact, I think he was being cagey, as is his wont. Anyone on either side of the political divide who still considers Comey a stand up guy should have his or her head examined.

But I dont think he lied to Congress about when he made the decision not to prosecute Clinton.
I have been friends with the nonconservative attorney I quoted yesterday in Waiting for Al Franken since our senior year in high school. His name is Michael Frost. Mike attended Harvard College and University of Virginia Law School. He practices in the area of trusts and estates.

Im still trying to learn from him. I asked him if the ignorance displayed by the five attorney signatories to the Star Tribune column published yesterday opposing the confirmation of Minnesota Supreme Court Justice David Stras to the Eighth Circuit surprised him. Mike responded generally:

Ignorance never surprises me. It seems to be our natural state. Reread Alexander Pope. Have you ever read an article about a legal or tax matter in the general press (usually written by a non-lawyer) that even approached being accurate? I suspect that this is true for all professions. Look at the nonsense displayed in todays column in the Star Tribune opposing Strass nomination, written by people supposedly learned in the law or at least aware of its processes; their diversity argument boils down to their false notion that the judiciary is somehow better able to divine, protect, and represent the will of the people (and minorities, that seemingly includes almost everyone) than the legislature  the peoples elected representatives. While it is obvious that the law, properly applied, can and does protect minorities from the tyranny of the majority, such power should be sparingly and judiciously applied. Its inappropriate and indiscriminate application inevitably results in the tyranny of the minority.

Al Franken and Amy Klobuchar are of course prime purveyors of the nonsense. They seek to take advantage of it. They seek to turn it to their own purposes. It is their source of strength.

Hot Airs Ed Morrissey has been broadcasting from the Minnesota State Fair. He caught up with former Minnesota Governor Tim Pawlenty to talk about the Stras nomination last week. Governor Pawlenty knows what hes talking about; he appointed Stras to the Minnesota Supreme Court. He is not playing games when he talks about Stras. Listening to Governor Pawlenty talk with Ed reminds me how much his voice is missed in Minnesota politics.
By India Today Web Desk: Speculation was rife that Deepika Padukone would be paired with Varun Dhawan for the first time in Shoojit Sircar's October, but that is not the case. Varun, who has been finalised as the leading man, put an end to conjecture about the film's heroine.

The actor shared a picture on Instagram and captioned it, "She is the #October girl I was looking for #soojitsircar #ronnielahari (sic)."

She is the #October girl I was looking for #soojitsircar #ronnielahari A post shared by Varun Dhawan (@varundvn) on Sep 2, 2017 at 4:43am PDT

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However, there is a catch. The girl is hiding half her face behind Varun, and the other half is out of focus. Excited fans have already started guessing as to who the leading lady is.

October is slice-of-life love story written by Juhi Chaturvedi, who has also written the director's earlier films like Vicy Donor and Piku. The film is scheduled to release on June 1, 2018.

ALSO WATCH: Varun Dhawan gets a pay hike after Badrinath Ki Dulhania's success?

ALSO READ: Wedding bells for Varun Dhawan and Natasha Dalal? Here's what the actor has to say

ALSO WATCH: Varun Dhawan talks about his first kiss, college romance, and being cheated on

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The National Hajj Commission of Nigeria, NAHCON, has said it is considering reducing the number of pilgrims that would perform hajj in 2018.

The Executive Chairman of NAHCON, Abdullahi Muhammad, disclosed this on Sunday during inspection of pilgrims tents in Muna, Saudi Arabia.

The News Agency of Nigeria reports that at present, Nigeria has a total of 95, 000 hajj slots as approved by the Saudi Ministry for Hajj and Umrah Affairs.

NAN further reports that the figure ranked Nigeria as the fifth country with highest number of pilgrims.

According to statistics by NAHCON, no fewer than 81,000 Nigeria pilgrims performed this years hajj which was higher than the number of pilgrims that participated in 2016 hajj with 10, 000.

Mr. Muhammad, who was represented by Suleiman Usman, Director, Planning, Research and Statistic, said the commission was not happy that several states got inadequate number of tents to accommodate pilgrims, resulting in shortage of toilets.

He attributed some of the challenges to late preparation on the side of Nigeria, saying due to delay in completion of payments several states were not sure of their total number of pilgrims within required time for adequate reservations.

NAHCON is even thinking of reducing the number of pilgrims because there is no way to expand Muna and the numbers of pilgrims keep increasing.

It is still an option, but we are trying to see how the welfare of pilgrims can be improved.

Muna was planned for about 900,000 pilgrims; it is now accommodating more than two million pilgrims.

So, we are still contemplating reducing the number to a manageable size. But that would be subject to consultations with all stakeholders, Mr. Muhammad said.

NAN reports that during the inspection, the officials of several states expressed concern about inadequate space for pilgrims and insufficient number of toilets as major challenges facing pilgrims.

The Head of Kaduna State Pilgrims Welfare Board, Imam Hussein, told the delegation that they had three complaints of inadequate toilet, lack of enough space in the tent and ineffective cooling system at Arafat.

As you can see, we have shortage of tents, several of our pilgrims are sleeping outside and if it were to rain, they will all be soaked.

We also have shortage of toilets. We are finding it difficult to separate between male and female toilets.

At Arafat, the cooling system at the tents did not work properly. They blew hot air and that also affected our pilgrims, he said.

The situation was not different at Kano, Sokoto and Bauchi States tents visited as pilgrims spread mats in an open space, while several others endured long queues to use toilets.

Meanwhile, pilgrims began to leave the Tent City early hours of Sunday after spending four nights.

Pilgrims will return to Makkah for the final stages of hajj rites and return flights to various countries are expected to begin on September 6

(NAN)

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By India Today Web Desk: Baahubali's Bhallaladeva aka Rana Daggubati will soon be seen on Viu's upcoming web series Social. The series is thriller based on cyber crime and Rana plays Vikram Sampat, a CEO of a top-notch tech company named Social.

The actor looked dapper in the corporate look. Rana shared the trailer of the series on Twitter and wrote, "One click can destroy your life. The thrilling trailer from my first Digital Show, #SocialSeries is out!"

One click can destroy your life. The thrilling trailer from my first Digital Show, #SocialSeries is out! Watch => https://t.co/RpBQt2D0rr- Rana Daggubati (@RanaDaggubati) September 2, 2017

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The trailer shows that a girl named Veda mysteriously goes missing. After which, her brother Prithvi (Naveen Kasturia) and his gang of friends uses Social to launch an online campaign to find his missing sister. They feel that if the campaign goes viral, the government and the police will be left with no option than to help them find Veda. So, they form a gang that has a hustler, a coder, a techie and a seductress.

The tagline of the series is 'a click can destroy your life'. The trailer is quite intriguing and is said to be inspired by true stories. It is not clear if Rana is the villain in the series but it would be interesting to find out the culprit behind the crime.

The series will premiere on September 8 in Hindi and Telugu on YouTube.

Also read: Bose to Sacred Games: Here are 6 web series to look forward to

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WILDWOOD  The 35-year-old man who drowned in the ocean Sunday afternoon appeared to be trying to save two children on a sandbar, police said.

Hany Mohamed, 35, of Middletown, Pennsylvania, drowned at Leaming Avenue, Detective Lt. Kenneth Gallagher said.

Lifeguards entered the water about 12:50 p.m. to rescue several swimmers in distress, police said. Once at shore, it was discovered Mohamed was still missing.

Two children playing on a sandbar were carried into deeper waters, possibly by a riptide, and it appeared Mohamed swam out to help them, Gallagher said.

Police, fire and beach patrol units from Wildwood, North Wildwood and Wildwood Crest, the State Police Marine Unit and the U.S. Coast Guard conducted the search-and-rescue for Mohamed.

Surfers at the beach near Rambler Avenue in Wildwood Crest located Mohameds body in the water about 2:50 p.m., police said.

Wildwood Crest lifeguards retrieved the body and tried to revive him until borough rescue officials arrived, police said.

Mohamed was taken to Cape Regional Medical Center, where he was pronounced dead.

South Jersey beaches experienced an active season of rip currents that created dangerous swimming conditions, leading to five other drownings and hundreds of rescues.

In Atlantic City, three people died this summer. In Sea Isle City, two people died. A Cape May effort involving two firefighters and several lifeguards in August rescued one person.

Staff Writer Waldy Diez contributed to this report.
For the past year, Lisa Hunt Sodano has been on a mission to make sure local families in need get the support they are sometimes too afraid to ask for.

I just kind of feel like its my calling, Sodano said.

Inspired by her own experiences and the community support she was given, Sodano, 41, of Somers Point, started an organization called Loving Families in Need Matter in the summer of 2016.

Through a partnership with Lifegate Church in Somers Point, Sodano has helped hundreds of Atlantic County residents  some struggling parents, others displaced by fire or flood  by providing donated items and support, as well as connecting them with others who can help.

Helping people is second nature to Sodano, who is a nurses aid for in-home care. The mother of five sons, ages 12 to 25, is no stranger to tragedy.

What's next for Miss America in Atlantic City? ATLANTIC CITY  Miss America will call Boardwalk Hall home until at least 2018, but come Sep

In 2007, Sodanos first husband committed suicide in front of her and her four children at the time. The day of her late husbands funeral, she received a call that her home was robbed and then burnt to the ground. To her surprise, the community came out to support her with donations.

It wasnt a lot, but it was enough to get us back on our feet, Sodano said.

Through the years, Sodano said she has volunteered her time to help others. But when she came across a homeless man bleeding from the head outside the Somers Point Acme, and saw the lack of help he was receiving from passers-by, Sodano said she was inspired to do more.

Our homeless situation in Atlantic County is really bad and it needs some attention, and Im doing the best I can, she said.

For the second year, Sodano hosted a back-to-school event in August where she provided school supplies, free haircuts, family activities and necessary toiletries to about 100 children.

Atlantic City's Dusk nightclub at Caesars closes for good ATLANTIC CITY  After eight years in operation, including an expansion three years ago, Dusk

Loreal Chrisp and her girlfriend, Chrissy Bishop, of Brigantine, took their three sons to volunteer this year and were immediately struck by Sodanos generosity.

When we talked to Lisa, she just opened her arms to us, said Chrisp, 36. When I tell you, hands-down, shes awesome. Shes amazing.

Chrisp, 36, said Sodano has created a community within the community for people who need help to lean on each other for support.

I felt like this is something that we really need to be a part of, Chrisp said. Its not like shes not struggling herself.

Sodanos current husband, a kidney donor, is undergoing medical complications related to his donation.

Unfortunately, the medical services we needed couldnt be provided in the state of New Jersey, Sodano said.

So she and her family packed up their belongings and are staying with extended family in Pennsylvania until he is in better health.

Still, she is in the midst of organizing her second Christmas event for another 100 families.

Sodano said that because her group is not 501(c3)-approved, its harder to collect donations, but she hopes to apply for the nonprofit status soon.

And the homeless man who inspired her? Sodano said she helped that day to get him the medical care he needed. She said she maintains contact with him and has helped him get several jobs.

For more information, see facebook.com/groups/860085667468470/.
The terrible devastation in the Houston area from Hurricane Harvey strikes a deep chord of sympathy in residents along the Jersey Shore. They know the damage water can do, and they experience cyclonic storms that sit on the coast and dump rain inland (called noreasters here), although nothing close to Harveys record 52 inches of rainfall.

Damages from Harvey are sure to exceed those of Hurricane Sandy, which even though it wasnt still a hurricane when it made landfall in Ocean County caused losses of $75 billion (in 2012 dollars). Even Hurricane Katrinas 2005 cost of $108 billion seems likely to be exceeded.

Jersey Shore residents hope their Texas counterparts have a better experience getting federal help. New Jersey officials and storm victims generally agreed with Gov. Christies assessment that the planning and management of federal aid and claims payouts in the years after Sandy were awful.

The provision of help to homeowners flooded by Sandy still isnt finished, and they should remain alert to see if there is aid yet available to them.

For example, the federal Reconstruction, Rehabilitation, Elevation and Mitigation Program helped fund the elevation of several thousand homes in the years following Sandy to reduce their risk of future flooding.

This year, many shore municipalities have taken advantage of an ongoing Federal Emergency Management Agency program to get qualifying homeowners reimbursements of up to 75 percent of the cost of having raised their residences.

In the Flood Mitigation Assistance Program, towns individually or in concert with other towns seek a grant to reimburse homeowners who have suffered serious flood damages two or more times and elevated their homes.

In May, Avalon, Ocean City, Sea Isle City and Stone Harbor jointly applied for grants of $1 million each. Brigantine, Longport and Margate partnered on a similar application for their qualified homeowners. Atlantic City and Ventnor are finishing up their applications, and interested homeowners should contact their city and be prepared to provide documentation including proof of flood insurance and an elevation certificate.

This year, FEMA is allocating $97 million for the program in New Jersey. Dont expect that level of funding next year.

The National Flood Insurance Program is already $23 billion in debt and needs to be reauthorized by the end of this month. Some in Congress proposed raising flood insurance rates by 1 percent a year until there is enough cash to weather the next big storm payout  but Harvey hit before there was even a vote on it. Now, who knows how the federal government will find the money to cover the more than $1 trillion of NFIP-insured property at risk and help the majority of natural-disaster victims who arent insured.

Jersey Shore municipalities are doing one thing sure to benefit their residents  making and implementing floodplain management programs. That reduces the risks from future storms and gets property owners significant discounts on their flood insurance premiums under FEMAs Community Rating System.

Only 1,391 communities participate in the rating system, just 5 percent of the 22,000 in the flood insurance program, but New Jersey is just about all in with 96 municipalities working to achieve better risk-management ratings.

Atlantic City this month was rewarded for a variety of improvements with a leap from the lowest Class 9 to Class 6. That boosted the premium discount for residents from 5 percent to 20 percent. Two years ago, Ventnor moved up a notch to Class 6.

Stone Harbor in 2014 and Ocean City in 2016 joined the handful of municipalities at the highest level achieved in New Jersey, Class 5. That earns a 25 percent premium discount. Others in South Jersey already there were Avalon, Beach Haven, Brigantine, Longport, Long Beach Township and Sea Isle City.

Just five towns nationwide are at Class 1, getting the maximum 45 percent discount.

Further improvements by Jersey Shore communities probably will be more challenging, but theyre bound to get more worthwhile. The cost of flood insurance can only go up.

The oceans and Gulf of Mexico are wonderful to live near, as long as Americans are prepared to deal effectively and fairly with their danger and destructiveness. As Sandy showed this state five years ago and Harvey painfully proved this past week, prevention and mitigation well ahead of storms is the far cheaper approach.
By PTI: (Eds: Updating with more quotes)

Xiamen (China), Sep 3 (PTI) Chinese President Xi Jinping today asked BRICS members to shelve their differences and accommodate each others concerns by enhancing mutual trust and strategic communication, as he opened the 9th annual summit of the five member emerging economies here.

The opening ceremony of the three-day BRICS summit started with BRICS Business Council in this southeastern Chinese city in Fujian province amid a downpour triggered by typhoon Mawar which had caused widespread disruption to the summit preparations and the citys traffic. The typhoon also caused considerable disruption to the flights.

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BRICS - Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa - is a grouping of the five emerging economies. The BRICS summit brings together the leaders of these countries.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Brazilian President Michel Temer, South African President Jacob Zuma and Russian President Vladimir Putin will attend the summit.

In his speech broadly focusing on enhancing cooperation between the BRICS members, Xi said, "construction of a tall building starts with foundation. We have laid the foundation and put in place the framework for BRICS cooperation."

Outlining BRICS cooperation in the last 10 years, he said treating each other as equals and seeking common ground while shelving differences is important part of cooperation.

"In terms of BRICS cooperation, decisions are made through consultation (and) not by one country. We respect each other?s model of development, accommodate each other?s concern and work to enhance strategic communication and mutual trust," he told about 1000 delegates from different countries.

"Given difference in national conditions, history and cultures, it is only natural we may have some differences in pursuing our cooperation," he said.

"However with strong faith in cooperation and enhancing collaboration the BRICS countries can achieve steady progress in our cooperation," he added.

The summit comes days after India and China last week ended a 73-day standoff in Dokalam by withdrawing troops from the area. The two sides were locked in a face-off after Indian troops stopped the Chinese Peoples Liberation Army from building a road in the area.

In a candid speech without directly referring to differences, Xi referred to his multi-billion dollar Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) in which the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) is a crucial component.

India had protested to CPEC as it passes through Pakistan-Occupied Kashmir. India also boycotted the Belt and Road Forum (BRF) hosted by China in May.

Xi said BRI is not a tool to advance any geopolitical agenda, but a platform for practical cooperation.

It is not a foreign aid scheme, but an initiative for interconnected development which calls for extensive consultation, joint contribution and shared benefits, he said.

"I am convinced that the BRI will serve as a new platform for all countries to achieve win-win cooperation and that it will create new opportunities for implementing the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development," he said.

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He also said BRICS should promote the "BRICS Plus" approach to build an open and diversified network of development partners.

China has invited Egypt, Kenya, Tajikistan, Mexico and Thailand as guest countries for the Xiamen BRICS summit as special guests like India invited BIMSTEC (Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic) leaders for last years BRICS summit at Goa.

"We should get more emerging market and developing countries involved in our concerted endeavours for cooperation and mutual benefits," he said.

Xi said as a cooperation platform with global influence, BRICS cooperation is more than about five countries.

"BRICS places high premium on cooperation with other emerging market and developing countries and have established effective dialogue mechanisms with them," Xi said.

Xi also said that BRICS cooperation has reached a crucial stage of development.

In assessing the performance of BRICS cooperation, it is important to bear two things in mind -- the historical course of global development and evolving international landscape; the historical process of development of BRICS countries, both individually and collectively, he said.

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He said the development of the BRICS countries has delivered tangible benefits to more than three billion people.

Xi said that in the past decade, combined GDP of the bloc has grown 179 percent, trade increased 94 percent while urban population expanded 28 percent, contributing significantly to stabilising the global economy and returning it to growth.

He also said the BRICS countries have been committed to multilateralism, fairness and justice in the past decade.

BRICS countries have endeavoured to fulfil their international responsibility, and have staked out their positions on major regional and international issues and made proposals for addressing them during the past decade, Xi said.

The countries have promoted reform of economic governance to increase the representation and say of emerging market and developing countries, according to the president.

The bloc has also taken the lead in implementing the Millennium Development Goals and Sustainable Development Goals, and engaged in close dialogue and cooperation with other developing countries to pursue development through unity, the Chinese president said.

He said the BRICS countries should work to usher in second golden decade. Going forward BRICS countries have major tasks to accomplish, which are to grow economies and to strengthen cooperation, he said.

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"It is time to set sail when the tide rises," Xi said, adding that countries should work to let their economic cooperation have more substance.

"Economic cooperation is the foundation of the BRICS mechanism," Xi said, referring to the progress in the operation of the New Development Bank and Contingent Reserve Arrangement and in e-commerce, trade and investment facilitation, trade in services, local currency bond issuance, scientific and technological innovation, industrial cooperation and public-private partnership.

He also said BRICS countries should implement agreements and consensus already reached while actively exploring new ways and areas of practical cooperation. PTI KJV ZH

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PBA president questions Camden policing model

Regarding the Aug. 20 editorial, Norcross, Camdens champion, offers a plan for Atlantic City:

The editorial and the comments by George Norcross on our contract and county police model caused alarm and disappointment across our department. A multimillionaire claiming our contract benefits are the most lucrative in the galaxy?

Where is the detail, supporting math showing the county model is more affordable? What does that size department with massive technology upgrades actually cost? Is the funding federal, state, county or city? Who pays for it if politics change and outside funding dries up? How would Atlantic City community policing initiatives survive with a turnover rate like that in Camden County? Why has only one of the 37 towns in Camden County joined if it is so effective?

The crime rate reduction? Stop starting the comparison from 2012, the year before the county plan was implemented (and the city department was disbanding). Start with any preceding year. Atlantic Citys crime rate? Using that population-only formula, Stone Harbor has a much higher per capita crime rate.

As president of Atlantic City PBA #24, I look out for the best interests of the hardworking but attacked Atlantic City police officers. I also am very aware of the struggles brought on by the tax rate upon taxpayers and businesses here. It would be foolish to ignore their interests to simply benefit ourselves.

My questions would be, is an outside multimillionaire doing the same? Does he really want to unite the seven South Jersey counties or be the king of the south?

Matt Rogers

Margate

Treat mental health woes to reduce hate, violence

An Associated Press article said the age of the driver accused of killing by car in Charlottesville, Virginia, was given as 20. When he was 13 or so, the police were called because he had assaulted his mother. To me, the age and having had such an incident are red flags of something not being right.

It also said the accused confided that he had been diagnosed with schizophrenia when he was younger. If he does have schizophrenia, then it seems that the medical issue may have contributed to this assault.

I think the best thing to do is to concentrate on finding causes and cures for this and other mental diseases. The only way to stop hate is to find cures for mental diseases and disorders, including paranoia, narcissistic personality disorder and the anti-social personality disorders.

Jim Munroe

Absecon
SHENYANG China, Sept. 3, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- 3SBio Inc. (01530.HK, the "Group"), a leading Chinese biopharmaceutical company, is pleased to announce today that it has entered into a Shareholder Agreement with CPE Funds, pursuant to which a Joint Venture (the "JV") shall be established. The Group and CPE Funds seek to position the JV as a global, comprehensive and biologics-focused contract development and manufacturing (CDMO) platform. On September 1st, the JV entered into an Asset Purchase Agreement with Canada-based biologics manufacturer Therapure Biopharma Inc. to acquire its CDMO business, Therapure Biomanufacturing, for US$290 million. Further to the signing and in accordance with the terms of these two agreements, 3SBio will seek its shareholders' approval to complete the transactions contemplated thereunder.

Through this acquisition, the Group intends to enter the North American biopharmaceutical sector, an important milestone towards the Group's strategy of building a leading global biologics business. The acquisition enables the Group to significantly enhance its connections with global biotechnology and pharmaceutical companies, and potentially explore diverse strategic partnerships and license innovative products across the world. At the same time, the expansion in the Group's CDMO business is expected to optimize the utilization of its manufacturing assets, enhance its own technical capabilities and improve its financial profile.

Dr. Jing Lou, Chairman of 3SBio, commented on the acquisition: "This is a key milestone of the global expansion strategy of our biologics manufacturing business, adding a high quality asset and leadership team in Canada that will serve as a platform for growth. Over 340 biologics professionals in North America focusing on operations and management, market development, R&D and manufacturing are expected to join 3SBio, which is a big step forward in our strategy to expand our talent pool and establish global presence. The acquisition effectively integrates our mammalian cell culture capabilities and Therapure's downstream purification and plasma source technologies. The combination of Sunshine Guojian's 38,000-liter production capacity, Sirton's production and service capabilities and Therapure's competitive advantages will deliver enormous synergies in both operations and profitability. 3SBio's global expansion strategy is now on fast track. We intend to accelerate the development and commercialization of innovative products toward our ultimate goal of benefiting patients around the world."

3SBio is a leading Chinese biotechnology company with core competitive strengths in R&D and innovation, advanced manufacturing technologies, stringent quality control and strong market leadership. As part of its global expansion plans and with a view to evolving into a leading global biopharma company in China, since its acquisition of Sirton, a contract-based pharmaceutical manufacturer in Italy in 2014, 3SBio has continued to actively search for overseas targets with strong growth potential and complementary capabilities. Through strategic cooperation and acquisitions, 3SBio aims to enhance its global influence and strengthen its biologics manufacturing technologies while generating more value for its shareholders by fully leveraging its CDMO capabilities in the biopharma industry.

Founded in 2008, Therapure Biopharma Inc. is based in Ontario, Canada. It is strategically located 15 minutes away from the Toronto airport and enjoys proximity to North American biotechnology hubs in Boston, New Jersey and California. It provides an array of therapeutic protein development and manufacturing services, including technology transfer and process development, analytical development and testing, scale-up and cGMP manufacturing and aseptic fill/finish and lyophilization. Its production lines are established according to US, Canadian and EU biologics cGMP standards. The Group intends to retain Therapure's existing management team to manage integration, and lead the next phase of development of the CDMO business.

Commenting on the acquisition, Therapure's President and CEO Nick Green said: "This transaction is exciting for the future of Therapure. It will be a powerful enabler for further growth and expansion of both 3SBio and Therapure in high growth areas of the market through our combined capabilities. This will put us in a stronger position to lead, innovate and grow, and further support our current and future clients."

About 3SBio Inc.

3SBio Inc. is a fully-integrated biotechnology company in China with market-leading biopharmaceutical franchises in oncology, auto-immune diseases and nephrology. Its main products include TPIAO, the only commercialized recombinant human thrombopoietin ("rhTPO") product in the world; Yisaipu, the first-to-market recombinant human tumor necrosis factor- receptor II (TNFR) - IgG Fc fusion protein for the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis, ankylosing spondylitis and psoriasis; and EPIAO and SEPO, recombinant human erythropoietin ("rhEPO") products. 3SBio Inc. is focused on building an innovative product pipeline, with over 16 National Class 1 candidates under development. 3SBio manufacturing capabilities include recombinant proteins, monoclonal antibodies and chemically synthesized molecules, with production centers in Shenyang, Shanghai, Hangzhou, Shenzhen and Como, Italy. 3SBio Inc. is actively pursuing international expansion through acquisition, licensing and partnerships. For more information on 3SBio Inc., please visit www.3sbio.com.

SOURCE 3SBio Inc.

Related Links

http://www.3sbio.com


TORONTO, Sept. 1, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Christine Topjian announced today the upcoming release of her latest children's picture book Love and Kindness. This is the second book in The Jesus Series, published by Lighthouse Christian Publishing. The first book in the series Jesus Loves You won the 2017 CSPA Book of the Year for Children's Gift Book.

Jesus Loves You!

"The purpose of the series is to inspire readers to develop a one-on-one, intimate and meaningful relationship with Jesus," says Christine Topjian. "I myself did not have this experience until later in life and looking back, I wish I had. With these books, I hope to help others realize His love in their life earlier on."

In Love and Kindness, Jesus reminds us to "love one another as I have loved you" and to display kindness to everyone, including those we do not always get along with very well. Demonstrating acts of love and kindness are so important in our world today. We never know what a person (young or old) is going through, and what difficulties they may be facing. One kind word or one kind act can make a world of difference to someone. It can brighten their day, their week or their month. So the next time you see an opportunity to be kind or helpful to someone, won't you take it?

What People Are Saying About The Jesus Series:

"Jesus Loves You is a wonderful little book aimed at primary school age children the message that Jesus loves you comes across clearly. This is an important message for every child. A lovely picture book that should be in every Sunday school class."  ChristianBookaholic.com

"heartwarming Christian storybook for children this book is a perfect selection for story time highly recommended."  5 Stars, Readers' Favorite

To learn more, go to http://www.thejesusseries.com/

For further information, to request a review copy, or to set up an interview, please contact Kelsey Butts at Book Publicity Services at [email protected] or (805) 807-9027.

SOURCE Christine Topjian

Related Links

http://http://www.thejesusseries.com


WASHINGTON, Sept. 2, 2017 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- NASA astronaut Peggy Whitson , who set multiple U.S. space records during her mission aboard the International Space Station , along with crewmates Jack Fischer of NASA and Commander Fyodor Yurchikhin of Roscosmos, safely landed on Earth at 9:21 p.m. EDT Saturday (7:21 a.m. Kazakhstan time, Sunday, Sept. 3), southeast of the remote town of Dzhezkazgan in Kazakhstan.

While living and working aboard the world's only orbiting laboratory, Whitson and Fischer contributed to hundreds of experiments in biology, biotechnology, physical science and Earth science, welcomed several cargo spacecraft delivering tons of supplies and research experiments, and conducted a combined six spacewalks to perform maintenance and upgrades to the station.

Among their scientific exploits, Whitson and Fischer supported research into the physical changes to astronaut's eyes caused by prolonged exposure to a microgravity environment. They also conducted a new lung tissue study that explored how stem cells work in the unique microgravity environment of the space station, which may pave the way for future stem cell research in space.

Additional research included an antibody investigation that could increase the effectiveness of chemotherapy drugs for cancer treatment, and the study of plant physiology and growth in space using an advanced plant habitat . NASA also attached the Cosmic Ray Energetics and Mass Investigation ( ISS CREAM ) on the outside of the space station in August, which is now observing cosmic rays coming from across the galaxy.

The crew members received a total of seven cargo deliveries during their mission. A Japanese H-II Transfer Vehicle launched to the space station in December 2016 delivering new lithium-ion batteries that were installed using a combination of robotics and spacewalks. Orbital ATK's Cygnus spacecraft arrived at the station in April on the company's seventh commercial resupply mission. Three SpaceX Dragon spacecraft completed commercial resupply missions to the station in February, June and August. And, Russian ISS Progress cargo spacecraft docked to the station in February and June.

Whitson's return marks the completion of a 288-day mission that began last November and spanned 122.2 million miles and 4,623 orbits of the Earth  her third long-duration mission on the station. During her latest mission, Whitson performed four spacewalks, bringing her career total to 10. With a total of 665 days in space, Whitson holds the U.S. record and places eighth on the all-time space endurance list.

Fischer, who launched in April, completed 136 days in space, during which he conducted the first and second spacewalks of his career. Yurchikhin, who launched with Fischer, now has a total of 673 days in space, putting him seventh place on the all-time endurance list.

Expedition 53 continues operating the station, with Randy Bresnik of NASA in command, and Sergey Ryazanskiy of Roscosmos and Paolo Nespoli of ESA (European Space Agency) serving as flight engineers. The three-person crew will operate the station until the arrival of NASA astronauts Mark Vande Hei and Joe Acaba , and Alexander Misurkin of Roscosmos. Vande Hei, Acaba and Misurkin are scheduled to launch Sept. 12 from Baikonur, Kazakhstan.

Get breaking news, images and features from the station on Instagram and Twitter at: https://instagram.com/iss and https://www.twitter.com/Space_Station

SOURCE NASA

Related Links

http://www.nasa.gov


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Makkah (Saudi Arabia), Aug 31 : Nearly two million Muslims from around the world have gathered here in an effort "to renew their sense of purpose in life, erase past sins and beg God for forgiveness and guidance" at the annual Haj pilgrimage.

Around 1,70,000 Indians are on the Haj pilgrimage this year.

Saudi Arabia organises and conducts the pilgrimage, under the supervision of King Salman bin Abdulaziz and Crown Prince Mohammad bin Salman -- the Custodians of the two holy mosques (Al-Masjid al-Haram in Mecca and Al-Masjid an-Nabawi in Medina).

"Hosting Haj each year is an honour and a great responsibility for the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, one we hold dear to our hearts," Saudi Minister of Culture and Information Awwad Alawwad said in a statement on Thursday.

"We spare no effort when it comes to the well-being of pilgrims and our number one priority is to welcome individuals from all over the world as they seek to fulfil their religious and spiritual duty," he added.

Haj, the largest annual international gathering, is the Muslim pilgrimage to Makkah, which began on Wednesday. It will go on till September 4.

The rituals involved are intended to cleanse the soul and demonstrate the equality and solidarity of all Muslims, in their submission to God, said the statement.

In fact, along with the idea of successful organisation of Haj, Saudi Arabia is also seeking to position itself as a welcoming and inclusive destination for all Muslims to celebrate their faith and culture, according to the Culture Ministry's statement.

It further said that the country plans to leverage Haj as an opportunity to position Islam as a united, tolerant and peaceful faith, so that pilgrims take a message of hope and unity back home.
New Delhi, Sep 2 : Eid Al-Adha or Bakri Eid was celebrated with traditional piety and joy by the Muslim community of the national capital on Saturday.

Thousands of Muslims came out early morning dressed in their finery to offer the special Eid congregational prayers at mosques here.

Later, they hugged and greeted each other with 'Eid Mubarak' before setting off for the ceremonial sacrifice of goats. Select portions of the sacrificial meat were distributed among family, friends, relatives, neighbours and other community members.

Mufti Mukarram Ahmad, Imam of Shahi Masjid Fatehpuri Mosque in old Delhi, said people celebrated Eid with traditional piety and joy.

"People gathered in large numbers to offer prayers at the mosque. We prayed for communal harmony and progress of the country," Ahmad said.

Eid Al-Adha is celebrated on the 10th day of the month of Zilhajj or Zulhijja and coincides with the Haj Day or Arafat Day, to commemorate the sacrifices of Prophet Ibrahim, Prophet Ismail and his mother Hager.

Muslims believe that Prophet Ibrahim offered to sacrifice his son Prophet Ismail to please Allah. Just as Ibrahim was about to sacrifice him, the Almighty replaced Ismail with a sheep.

Eid Al-Adha commemorates this extraordinary display of faith in Allah and Muslims celebrate it by sacrificing animals on this day.
Washington, Sep 2 : NASA astronaut Peggy Whitson, who holds the record for maximum time spent in space by any American astronaut, is set to return to Earth on Saturday, completing a 288-day mission at the International Space Station.

Whitson and her Expedition 52 crewmates Jack Fischer of NASA and Fyodor Yurchikhin of the Russian space agency Roscosmos are scheduled to land in Kazakhstan at 9.22 p.m. EDT on Saturday (6.52 a.m. Sunday, India time).

At the time of their landing, she will have accrued a total of 665 days in space over the course of her career, more than any American astronaut, placing her eighth on the all-time space endurance list, NASA said.

Whitson's return will mark the end of her third long-duration stay onboard the space station.

She launched on November 17 with 377 days in space already under her belt, and on April 24 broke Jeff Williams' standing US record of 534 cumulative days in space.

Whitson also holds the record for most spacewalks by a female.

Yurchikhin and Fischer, who launched in April, will complete 136 days in space on their return. Yurchikhin will return to Earth with a total of 673 days in space on his five flights, putting him in seventh place on the all-time endurance list.

At the time of undocking, Expedition 53 will begin aboard the station under the command of Randy Bresnik.

Along with his crewmates Sergey Ryazanskiy of Roscosmos and Paolo Nespoli of ESA (European Space Agency), the three-person crew will operate the station until the arrival of three new crew members.

Mark Vande Hei and Joe Acaba of NASA and Alexander Misurkin of Roscosmos, are scheduled to launch on September 12 from Baikonur, Kazakhstan, NASA said.
Baghdad, Sep 3 : The Iraqi forces killed over 2,000 Islamic State (IS) militants and more than 50 suicide bombers during a major offensive to free Tal Afar area in west of Mosul, officials said.

"The IS total casualties in the blitzkrieg during the period from August 20 to 31 were more than 2,000 terrorists and over 50 suicide bombers, along with destroying and detonating of 77 car bombs, 71 booby-trapped buildings and 990 roadside bombs," Lt. Gen. Abdul Amir Yarallah from the Joint Operations Command (JOC) said at a televised press conference on Saturday, Xinhua news agency reported.

More than 40,000 Iraqi fighters from the Iraqi army, federal police and its commandos known as Rapid Response forces and Counter-Terrorism Service (CTS) forces, in addition to ten brigades of the paramilitary Hashd Shaabi fighters, participated in the offensive, which was supported by Iraqi and international coalition aircraft, Yarallah said.

Yarallah also said that the Iraqi forces sustained 115 martyrs and 679 wounded during the 12-day battles to liberate Tal Afar and its surrounding areas, including the towns of Mahalabiyah and Ayadhiyah.

"Those who take a look at this figure (Iraqi forces casualties) will realize that fierce battles took place in Tal Afar area," Yarallah said.

The troops evacuated a total of 40,758 people from the city of Tal Afar and surrounding areas before and during the offensive, 18,822 before August 20 and 21,936 others during the 12-day offensive, Yarallah said.

The Tal Afar area is about 3,206 sq. km, which consists of the city of Tal Afar and three towns: Zummar, which is under control of the Kurdish security forces, Mahalabiyah and Ayadhiyah, which were freed from IS militants during the offensive.

The whole Tal Afar area consists of 47 villages scattered around the city and its three towns.

The majority of the population in the Tal Afar area are Sunni and Shiite Turkomans, in addition to the Kurds and other minorities.

On Thursday, Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi declared full liberation of the city of Tal Afar and surrounding areas from the extremist IS militants.

"I declare to you that Tal Afar has joined the liberated Mosul and returned to the homeland," Abadi said in a statement issued by his office.

"The joy of victory has been completed and the entire province of Nineveh has become in the hands of our heroic forces," Abadi said.

The Prime Minister also vowed to defeat IS group all over Iraq, saying "wherever you (IS militants) are, we are coming for liberation, and you have no choice but to die or surrender".
Lonavla, Sep 3 : He is known for his performance in the film "Taare Zameen Par" as the father a the dyslexic child and has since then essayed and is offered a lot of fatherly roles. Unhappy with the cliche casting, actor Vipin Sharma says a major struggle that an actor faces in the film industry in Mumbai is that you cannot say no to roles else you become the enemy.

Present at the first edition of LIFFT India Filmotsav 2017, here, on Saturday, Vipin conducted a master class amid actors like Tanuja and Kanwaljit Singh with the director of LIFFT India Filmotsav, Riju Bajaj, sitting on the other side to question him.

Categorised as the "universal dad" in the film industry, Vipin said: "This is cliche casting because they still cast me as the father, I still get that. And I am tired of it".

"In Mumbai, another struggle for the actor is that if you say no, you become an enemy. It's very difficult. I try, I really try . I understand how old I am, yes I fit that category very well. But I want to do something else too".

"I don't want namelessly father roles. It's is very difficult. In Mumbai if you ask for the script you become bad... 'why do you want to read the script'," added Vipin, who is an alumnus of the prestigious acting school National School of Drama.

Hailing actors like Irrfan Khan and Nawazuddin Siddique, Vipin, who has films like "Paan Singh Tomar", "Gangs of Wasseypur" and "Raanjhanaa" to his credit, says he "admires Aactors who have struggled for so long to create a space for themselves which they already deserved".

"People like (late actor) Om Puri and Naseeruddin Shah... we really liked up to them but when you come here you realise that it is a really big fight. Somehow the city... Lot of people don't understand acting and actors in the context we should be understood," added Vipin.

Talking about the art and definition of acting, Vipin, who was last seen in veteran filmmaker Mani Ratnam's directorial "Kaatru Veliyidai", opined that for a lot of people, acting happens between action and then word 'cut'. But he believes that "acting is before that and then you say cut".

Vipin reminisced that despite being an NSD pass out, he doubted his acting skills and went to Canada and became an editor.

"I had quit acting for a decade and I became an editor. I am a professional editor now. I have edited lots of short films, videos...

"Irrfan and I were friends since NSD days... at that time "Maqbool" had released and he said that things are changing in Indian cinema. So I went and saw it, agreed that Indian cinema has certainly changed," he said.

"So when I decided to act again while in Toronto, a friend told me about the Meisner Acting Classes. I stayed there for 30 weeks. Unfortunately in India not many know about it. It's an amazing technique. Although there are a few of fake Meisnar classes happening in India," he added.

Besides acting, Vipin is also penning scripts and has made a film," Akki Te Vikki Te Tikki", which is a story of three non-actors who think that they are actors.

He has also completed writing another script, and his web series titled, "What the Folks (WTF!)".

LIFFT India Filmotsav 2017 started here on Friday and will go on till September 5.

(The writer's trip is at the invitation of LIFFT India Filmotsav 2017. Kishori Sud can be contacted at kishori.s@ians.in)
Washington, Sep 3 : US President Donald Trump has paid a second visit to Texas, after he was criticized for keeping distance from flooded areas and survivors during his first visit.

Trump, along with First Lady Melania, arrived at Ellington Field, Texas on Saturday and joined hurricane survivors at a relief center in Houston as they lined up for lunch, Xinhua news agency reported.

Trump stopped for hugs and posed for photos with flood survivors and offered words of encouragement for those affected by the deadly storm.

"The message is that things are working out well. Really, I think people appreciate what's been done. It's been done very efficiently," he said.

Trump also credited Texas government for relief efforts, and pledged full support from the federal government on reconstruction.

The US President also adjusted the Texas Disaster Declaration, which he originally signed on August 25, by increasing the level of federal funding for debris removal from 75 to 90 per cent.

The first couple will also travel to Louisiana later Saturday to meet with local officials and relief workers.

Trump first visited Texas on Tuesday, but stayed away from the most badly hit regions. He came under fire on Wednesday for tweeting that he "witnessed first hand the horror and devastation caused by Hurricane Harvey," which was refuted by reporters.

The White House later issued a statement saying that Trump had met with local officials that were "eating, sleeping, breathing the Harvey disaster," and it was "certainly a first hand account".
Mexico City, Sep 3 : Mexico will not accept any condition that are damaging to its dignity, Mexican President Enrique PeAa Nieto said on Saturday, in an oblique reference to the US.

During his fifth state of the nation address on Saturday, the first since Donald Trump was inaugurated as the US president, Pena Nieto spoke of his country's newly tense ties with Washington, Xinhua news agency reported.

"I have said it before and I reiterate: we will not accept anything that goes against our dignity as a nation," Pena Nieto told an audience of some 1,500 invited guests at the National Palace in capital Mexico City.

After several weeks of silence on the controversial subject, Trump recently revived his calls for a wall on the US-Mexico border.

He also suggested the US might be better off withdrawing from the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA), amid talks to re-negotiate the deal. The statement was interpreted by officials in Mexico as a tactic to pressure the country into giving in to Washington's demands on trade.

Pena Nieto said his country will continue to work with the United States on common problems, such as a safe border and immigration.

"The relationship with the new government of the United States, as with any other nation, needs to be based on irrevocable principles: sovereignty, defense of national interests and the protection of our fellow nationals," said Pena Nieto, referring to undocumented Mexican migrants living in the US.

Amid rumors that Trump plans to abolish Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals, or DACA, a 2012 program that extends educational and employment rights to young Mexicans who were taken to the United States by their undocumented parents, Pena Nieto expressed his solidarity for the youth, who are known as "dreamers."

"To all of you young dreamers, my greatest recognition, admiration and solidarity," said Pena Nieto.

Without DACA, dreamers will no longer be able to renew their residency and work permits, and run the risk of being deported.
New Delhi, Sep 3 : Ahead of their swearing-in ceremony, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday met the nine people to be inducted in the union council of ministers over breakfast.

BJP President Amit Shah was present at the Prime Minister's residence.

The nine include former diplomat Hardeep Puri, former union Home Secretary R.K. Singh, former bureaucrat K.J. Alphons, former Mumbai Police Commissioner Satyapal Singh and MPs Ashwini Choubey and Anant Kumar Hegde.
Washington, Sep 3 : US President Donald Trump on Sunday said the latest nuclear test by North Korea posed a danger to the US and raised questions about South Korea's ability to control Pyongyang.

"North Korea has conducted a major nuclear test," Trump said in a series of Twitter posts. "Their words and actions continue to be very hostile and dangerous to the US."

The US President tweeted that North Korean leader Kim Jong-un's regime had again violated international law with the test of a hydrogen bomb at the Punggye-ri site, Efe news reported.

The explosion caused a 6.3-magnitude earthquake and North Korean state media confirmed that a bomb with "unprecedented power" had been successfully tested on the orders of leader Kim Jong-un.

"North Korea is a rogue nation which has become a great threat and embarrassment to China, which is trying to help but with little success," Trump tweeted.

He also warned South Korea that its strategy for dealing with Pyongyang had been a failure.

"South Korea is finding, as I have told them, that their talk of appeasement with North Korea will not work, they only understand one thing!" Trump said.

The hydrogen bomb test follows North Korea's August 29 launch of a ballistic missile that landed in the Pacific off northern Japan.

North Korea said the miniaturised hydrogen bomb can be mounted on an intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM).
Xiamen (China), Sep 3 : Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi arrived here on Sunday to attend the 9th BRICS Summit in the Chinese southeastern city Xiamen. He is set to meet Chinese President Xi Jinping on the sidelines of the three-day event.

Their meeting will be keenly watched after the resolution of the Doklam border row, which pitted the armies of the two countries against each other for over two months.

China's Assistant Foreign Minister Kong Xuanyu and Chinese Ambassador to India Luo Zhaohui were there to receive Modi, who reached Xiamen on a rainy evening.

Modi arrived at the Wyndham Grand hotel where some 50 locals were present to welcome him.

This will be the second bilateral meeting between the two leaders this year. The last one took place during the Shanghai Cooperation Organization Summit.

They met informally at the G20 Summit in Germany in July amid the Doklam crisis.

Besides, Modi is expected to meet Presidents Vladimir Putin of Russia and Michael Temer of Brazil. Also attending the event will be South African President Jacob Zuma.

The Indian leader will address the BRICS leaders' dialogue with 'BRICS Business Council' meeting.

He will take part in an event of the 'Emerging Markets and Developing Countries' Dialogue' on Tuesday morning.

After the BRICS Summit, Modi will travel to Myanmar.
New Delhi, Sep 3 : India on Sunday said it "deplores" the nuclear test conducted by the North Korea, which has once again violated its international commitments on de-nuclearisation of the Korean peninsula.

It also called upon North Korea to "refrain" from actions which disturb peace and stability in the region "and beyond".

"India deplores the nuclear test conducted by the DPRK (Democratic People's Republic of Korea)this morning," said a statement by the External Affairs Ministry.

"It is a matter of deep concern that DPRK has once again acted in violation of its international commitments which goes against the objective of the de-nuclearization of the Korean peninsula, which has been endorsed by DPRK itself.

"We call upon DPRK to refrain from such actions which adversely impact peace and stability in the region and beyond," it said, adding India is also concerned about proliferation of nuclear and missile technologies "which has adversely impacted India's national security".

North Korea on Sunday said that in what could be the most powerful detonation, it successfully conducted a test of a hydrogen bomb that can be loaded onto a intercontinental ballistic missile, its state-media media reported.
Darjeeling, Sep 3 : Two Gorkha Janamuti Morcha (GJM) leaders were arrested on Sunday on the charges of spreading violence and unrest in the northern West Bengal hills and Dooars region, police said.

Amid intensified search operation by police in the Darjeeling hills since a lookout notice was issued on September 1 for three top GJM leaders including party Chief Bimal Gurung, police on Sunday arrested Rohit Thapa, GJM's organising secretary in the Dooars region, from the Alipurduar district.

"Rohit Thapa, a senior GJM leader has been arrested from Alipurduar district's Jaigaon, near the West Bengal-Bhutan border, on Sunday afternoon. He will be produced before court tomorrow," said Superintendent of Police Avaru Rabindranath.

Police was on the lookout for Thapa since his alleged involvement in an incident of arson and attack on police during a GJM rally in the area on July 30.

Meanwhile, Sarita Chettri, a leader of GJM's women wing was arrested from Darjeeling district's Kurseong.

According to district police sources, the leader of GJM Nari Morcha was arrested on Sunday afternoon from a secret location where she has been hiding.

The situation in the hills of Darjeeling and adjoining area remained tense as the GJM sponsored indefinite shutdown saw its 81st day on Sunday. The impasse continued as GJM leadership revoked party convener Binay Tamang's announcement to withdraw the shutdown for 12 days and expelled him from the party.

The pro-shutdown activists took out rallies at various parts of the hills including Darjeeling, Mirik and Kalimpong during the day. The picketing by the morcha supporters has also been increased.

Police said they have registered a case under Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act in Friday night's blast in Six Mile police outpost in Darjeeling.

The outpost in Darjeeling's Rangli Rangliot area was wrecked in the blast the on Friday, but no one sustained injuries as it was empty at that time.
Berlin, Sep 3 : German Chancellor Angela Merkel and French President Emmanuel Macron on Sunday issued a joint statement condemning North Korea's latest nuclear test and called for imposition of harsher sanctions against Pyongyang by the European Union.

Merkel and Macron agreed that North Korea was "trampling" on international law and that the global community needed to react "decisively and cohesively" to counter this latest escalation, Efe news reported.

"The most recent provocation from the strongman in Pyongyang has reached a new dimension. In addition to the UN Security Council, the EU also has to act now. The Chancellor and the President expressed their support for a tightening of EU sanctions against North Korea," read the joint statement.

Meanwhile, Germany's Foreign Minister Sigmar Gabriel said that news of the nuclear missile test -- reportedly involving a hydrogen bomb that could be fitted on an intercontinental ballistic missile -- was "deeply worrying".

"Were the indications confirmed, it would be a renewed blatant violation of international law and of existing UN Security Council resolutions," Gabriel added.

He also accused North Korea of deliberately inflaming the already heated tensions on the Korean Peninsula. "The regime again shows us that it represents a serious threat to world peace."

Seismological agencies in South Korea, Japan and China, as well as the US Geological Survey and the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty Organisation, registered a tremor with a magnitude of 6.3 at a site previously used by North Korea for nuclear tests.

The incident occurred on the same day that North Korean state media released an image of leader Kim Jong-un purportedly inspecting the installation of a hydrogen bomb.
Tehran, Sep 3 : A Saudi Arabian delegation will visit Iran for the first time after Riyadh severed ties with Tehran last year, Iran's Foreign Ministry confirmed on Sunday.

"The Saudi delegation simply comes to visit diplomatic buildings because the buildings have been empty after the two countries broke off relations. At the same time, we will visit our buildings in Saudi Arabia," Press TV quoted Foreign Ministry spokesman Bahram Qasemi as saying.

Qasemi confirmed that the visas for the Saudis have been issued long before, but for "reasons that are related to them, they have not come yet, and their travel has likely been postponed until after (annual Muslim) Hajj ceremonies", Xinhua news agency reported.

He added that the date for the Iranian delegation's visit has not been set yet.

Saudi Arabia severed its diplomatic relations with Iran in January 2016, following demonstrations held in front of the Saudi embassy in Tehran and its consulate in the city of Mashhad by angry protesters who set the diplomatic missions ablaze for the execution of top Shiite cleric Nimr al-Nimr by Saudi Arabia.
Hyderabad, Sep 3 : India is keen to see the conclusion of convention on the suppression of international terrorism without further delay in view of the growing incidents of terrorism, Vice President M. Venkaiah Naidu said on Sunday.

Addressing the 78th Session of International Institute of Law at NALSAR University of Law here, he noted that several conventions resulted from the efforts exerted under the auspices of the United Nations and the Indian proposal to conclude a comprehensive convention on suppression of international terrorism is now under consideration of the world body.

"India is keen to see the conclusion of this important convention in the near future without further delay in view of the growing incidents of international terrorism, which are threatening world peace," he said.

Describing terrorism as the biggest danger to the world, the Vice President said that India has put considerable effort in fighting the menace.

Stating that the concept of the rule of law has been practiced in India from times immemorial, he said a 'sloka' in "Manu Smriti" sums up the basic Indian philosophy that the law will protect and defend those who protect and defend it.

Naidu said that India attaches huge importance to the implementation of international statutes and the rule of law and is a firm believer in promotion of peace and justice globally.

"It should be noted that India was among the countries which played a key role in the development of some of the important global conventions and also those formulated by the United Nations like the Law of Sea Convention," he added.

He hoped that, holding of this 78th Session of International Institute of Law in India will create greater awareness on the importance of international law and inspire young lawyers and students to specialize in this subject.

Andhra Pradesh and Telangana Governor E.S.L. Narasimhan, Acting Chief Justice of High Court of Judicature at Hyderabad, Justice Ramesh Ranganathan, Telangana Law Minister Indrakaran Reddy, ANALSAR Vice-Chancellor Prof Faizan Mustafa, and President of International Institute of Law Dr. P.S. Rao also spoke on the occasion.
Ahmedabad, Sep 3 : In a shot in the arm for the Congress in Gujarat ahead of the assembly elections, as many as 500 full-time activists of the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) here on Sunday joined the party expressing anguish over their two legislators switching loyalties to the ruling BJP during the recent Rajya Sabha elections.

NCP's Gujarat spokesperson Manhar Patel, senior leader and former IPS official B.J. Gadhvi and two core committee members, besides various other state and district level functionaries joined the Congress here at the Rajiv Gandhi Bhawan.

The 500-plus NCP activists joined the state's key opposition party in presence of its state President Bharatsinh Solanki and Congress General Secretary in charge of Gujarat Ashok Gehlot.

They expressed their commitment to the party stating in their brief speeches that going to Congress from the NCP was like a home-coming and Solanki, in response, said "it feels as if the younger brother has returned after long".

The NCP members were angry over their two legislators, Jayant Patel 'Boski' and Kandhal Jadeja, voting for the BJP in the August 8 Rajya Sabha elections against Congress leader Ahmed Patel keeping everyone in the dark.

Manhar Patel asserted there was a larger secret truck between the BJP and NCP bosses Sharad Pawar and Praful Patel while the party's rank and file was completely kept in the dark. The Congress and the NCP had contested the 2012 assembly election as coalition partners.

Among others who joined the Congress are core committee members Jeevanbhai Kabariya and Takhatsinh Solanki, Rajkot district president Lalitbhai Katodiya, Tarunbhai Gadhvi, Vijay Patel and Rajesh Patel.
United Nations, Sep 3 : United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Sunday condemned North Korea's latest nuclear test calling it a breach of international obligations that destabilises the region.

"This act is yet another serious breach of the DPRK's (Democratic People's Republic of Korea's) international obligations and undermines international non-proliferation and disarmament efforts," his spokesperson Stephane Dujarric said.

"This act is also profoundly destabilizing for regional security."

"The DPRK is the only country that continues to break the norm against nuclear test explosions," he added.

Any UN action against Pyogyang hinges on its veto-powered patron China, which can block the Security Council from acting.

North Korea carried out a nuclear test on Sunday morning - its sixth and the most powerful so far.

The regime of dictator Kim Jong-un said the hydrogen bomb could be fitted on a missile.

North Korea has recently tested ballistic missiles that have the potential to reach major cities in the US. Last week Pyongyang sent a ballistic missile over Japan.

The UN Security Council has repeatedly condemned North Korea's missile and nuclear programmes, and on August 5 tightened sanctions banning exports of coal, iron, iron ore, seafood and lead, and prohibiting countries from hiring any more of that country's citizens.

German Chancellor Angela Merkel and French President Emmanuel Macron called for actions against Pyongyang by the Security Council and the European Union.

In the region, Australia and South Korea have released statements demanding even more stringent sanctions by the Security Council.

(Arul Louis can be reached at arul.l@ians.in)
United Nations, Sep 3 : United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Sunday condemned the nuclear test carried out by North Korea while the Security Council scheduled an emergency meeting on Monday at the request of five countries.

"This act is yet another serious breach of the DPRK's (Democratic People's Republic of Korea's) international obligations and undermines international non-proliferation and disarmament efforts," Guterres's spokesperson Stephane Dujarric said on Sunday. "This act is also profoundly destabilizing for regional security."

"The DPRK is the only country that continues to break the norm against nuclear test explosions," he added.

The US, Japan, France, Britain, and South Korea requested the emergency Security Council meeting to be on Monday, the US mission announced Sunday afternoon.

German Chancellor Angela Merkel and French President Emmanuel Macron called for actions against Pyongyang by the Security Council and the European Union.

In the region, Australia and South Korea have released statements demanding even more stringent sanctions by the Security Council.

Any UN action against Pyogyang will hinge on its veto-powered patron China, which can block the Security Council from acting and has opposed stronger sanctions.

North Korea carried out a nuclear test on Sunday morning - its sixth and the most powerful so far.

The regime of dictator Kim Jong-un said the hydrogen bomb could be fitted on a missile.

North Korea has recently tested ballistic missiles that have the potential to reach major cities in the US. Last week Pyongyang sent a ballistic missile over Japan.

The UN Security Council has repeatedly condemned North Korea's missile and nuclear programmes, and on August 5 tightened sanctions banning exports of coal, iron, iron ore, seafood and lead, and prohibiting countries from hiring any more of that country's citizens.

(Arul Louis can be reached at arul.l@ians.in)aa
Lonavla, Sep 4 : In the time where the digital platform is booming, there are still a lot of people in the industry who want a theatrical release over digital medium. However in the case of most independent filmmakers, Suri Gopalan, the founder of Vista India, a platform which offers media companies with high calibre and secure localisation, post production and aggregation services, says theatrical release is not for them.

Gopalan, Rajiv Raghunathan, the CEO of Vista India and Noella Dias, the manager of content acquisition and licensing at Vista India Digital Media Inc, were present here at the LIFFT India Filmotsav 2017 for a discussion which was conducted by the founder of the film Fest, Riju Bajaj, here on Sunday.

"The demographics have changed so much that unless the filmmakers understand that the audiences are now are... It is as it is difficult to get your films for a theatrical release. With Hollywood coming in... The programmers at PVR... the chances of them releasing any of the films at this festival, is virtually out of question. They might give you one slot at early morning timings where five people show up," said Gopalan.

"Theatrical is out of question for independent filmmakers. Rather use that money, work hard and come up with a smart digital strategy. Which is a combination of social media, driven by a release date, driven by Google play, Amazon apple.

"The day that independent filmmakers take on the initiative of building up their audiences, saying yes I made a film that has an audience and invest in that and reach out. We find the results can be amazing. For example the director Pawan Kumar who made 'UTurn'. It was crowd funded... self distributed with limited theatrical release which was in Karnataka only , went into digital did very well and we did syndication for him on Netflix. Then used that and made another film," he added.

Gopalan also threw light on the fact that in India most people watch full length videos on their mobile phones whereas such is not the case in the US. He shared that the officials of Netflix there too were surprised with their findings.

Gopalan stressed that making a film is not difficult unlike the process of establishing the market for all the independent films.

"Digital is the perfect medium for that number of different end points we have in India itself like Voot, Hotstar, so many new platforms opening up.

"All the telecoms wanting to be in it. Video is .. India is the largest user of mobile Video in the world more than China. So it's a whole new brave world of video consumption. So, by default it opens up avenues for filmmakers... which is a part of solution here," Gopalan added.

Exploring the angle where comes the transparency in the revenue incurred by the films, Raghunathan said that the digital medium "has eradicated any doubts".

"A company like Apple will give you all reports of every transaction, be it rental or a purchase, which territory. You cannot doctor these reports. If some of you have music, you can publish it on iTunes, you must be aware that the revenues are so systematic and transparent," he said.

"Digital has solved that problem. A lot of people at one point never knew what their true theatrical revenue would be because single screens may not disclose some numbers, multiplexes might have a way of disclosing numbers.

"The question of reporting... digital has taken care of that problem with larger companies coming in and also a lot of us realising the essence of accurate reporting, ethical of business practices listed here," he added.

What are the basic requirements for a film or documentary to have a place in the digital platform like Netflix, what are they looking for?

"We have for the past five years licensed a 1000 films on Netflix. I think it is pretty much what most VOD platforms would be looking at. Each wants content.

"They all want new releases, that is given. They all want the big ticket window. But what is becoming more and more apparent is. The content needs to be interesting. It necessarily may not have big names. It can have fare production value, it can have a decent cast which can perform well... but at the end of the day it is story which needs to interesting and unique, short and crisp," Raghunathan added.

LIFFT India Filmotsav 2017 is a five day long extravaganza which started on September 1 and will end on September 5.

The fest is not only screening films but is also holding sessions of book reading, solo plays by actors like Rajit Kapur, conversations and masterclasses by actors like Vipin Sharma, and is yet to have a book reading session with Mita Vasishth.

(The writer's trip is at the invitation of LIFFT India Filmotsav 2017. Kishori Sud can be contacted at kishori.s@ians.in)
Dallas Probate Attorneys: Burdette & Rice, PLLC Being appointed to this committee is an important validation of Mark's expertise on guardianship issues.

Burdette & Rice, one of the leading Dallas, Texas, law firms focused on estate, trust, and probate law, is excited to announce the firm attorney, Mark Caldwell, accepted an invitation to serve on a State Bar of Texas committee whose purpose is to recommend legislation to the Texas State Legislature impacting guardianship laws, also knowns as conservatorships in other states. Mark will serve on the real estate, probate and trust law statewide guardianship committee for guardianships for the 2019 Texas Legislative session.

Being appointed to this committee is an important validation of Mark's expertise on guardianship issues," explained Elliott Burdette, Managing Director of Probate Litigation at Burdette & Rice. Even more important, however, is the contribution we are sure Mark will make for more logical and up-to-date laws in Texas concerning guardianship."

Journalists, bloggers, and other persons interested in learning more about Mark Caldwell at http://www.dallasprobateattorneys.com/mark-r-caldwell/. The lay public with interest in guardianship under Texas law can read the firm's information page on guardianship disputes at http://www.dallasprobateattorneys.com/guardianshipdisputes/. In addition, any person facing potential guardianship litigation is strongly urged to reach out to Burdette & Rice for a consultation; journalists and bloggers seeking interview opportunities may do so as well.

More on Mark R. Caldwell, Texas Estate and Probate Attorney

Mark Caldwell represents individuals involved in contested guardianships actions and has wide experience in protecting clients rights in disputed matters involving trusts, estates, guardianships and breaches of fiduciary duty. He is a recognized lawyer throughout Texas in areas of trust, probate, and estate litigation, and Mark earned his law degree from the New England School of Law in Boston, Massachusetts, in 2005, before returning to Dallas, Texas. Interested parties are referred to the website to read a full list of Marks publications and speaking experience. Mark is a prolific writer and frequent speaker at many continuing education events throughout Texas.

About Burdette & Rice, PLLC

Burdette & Rice, PLLC is a top Dallas probate law firm, with lawyers dedicated to listening to their clients, being fully present to them, and advocating their clients positions in the simplest and most persuasive way possible. The law firm employs some of the top probate and estate lawyers in Dallas, Texas. Clients come to Burdette & Rice to contest a will in Texas, work on complex inheritance litigation and disputes, and to litigate disputes over powers of attorney, guardianship and trustee issues all based on Texas law.

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Schiff made the remarks when CNN's Dana Bash asked him about recent revelations that Trump's longtime lawyer and confidant, Michael Cohen, had reached out to a senior Kremlin official during the campaign about a Trump Organization venture in Russia.

In particular, he emailed Dmitry Peskov, a top aide to Russian President Vladimir Putin, last January during the campaign requesting his "assistance" in securing a real-estate deal for a Trump Tower location in Moscow.

The email represents the clearest interaction reported thus far between a senior Trump adviser and a member of the Russian government.

"Over the past few months I have been working with a company based in Russia regarding the development of a Trump Tower - Moscow project in Moscow City," Cohen wrote to Peskov,according to The Washington Post. "Without getting into lengthy specifics the communication between our two sides has stalled."

Cohen continued: "As this project is too important, I am hereby requesting your assistance. I respectfully request someone, preferably you, contact me so that I might discuss the specifics as well as arranging meetings with the appropriate individuals. I thank you in advance for your assistance and look forward to hearing from you soon."

Schiff said the interaction was "very significant" and indicated that "the president was dishonest when he said during the campaign that he had no business in Russia, was pursuing no business in Russia."

He added that the revelation was also important because if Trump or his businesses were pursuing ventures with Russia during the campaign, "that might have influenced the positions that the candidate took in a more pro-Russia direction."

"I will tell you that, I think, in terms of leadership, [Putin] is getting an A and [Obama] is not doing so well," Trump told Bill O'Reilly in September 2015.

He also repeatedly advocated for foreign policy goals that support Russia's objectives in hotspots like Syria, and he downplayed the threat Russia posed to the global order.

When he was asked what he would do about Russia during a November 2015 Republican primary debate, for instance, Trump deflected the question and instead pivoted to talk about dangers posed by China, North Korea, and Iran.

And when Putin complimented Trump as a "bright and talented person" and "the absolute leader of the presidential race" in December of that year, Trump replied that it was "a great honor to be so nicely complimented by a man so highly respected within his own country and beyond."

In January 2016, toward the end of the Trump Organization's push for the Moscow deal, Fox Business Network host Maria Bartiromo asked Trump about British investigators' assessment that Putin ordered the assassination of a Russian dissident.

"Well, I don't know if anything has been determined," Trump replied. "I don't think they found him guilty. They say a lot of things about me that are untrue, too."

Schiff said on Sunday that if Trump was indeed pursuing business deals in Russia when he was running for president, "if they were going to be criticizing Putin, criticizing Russia, that would diminish the chances that this deal would go through."

"So I think it's very significant," he said, adding that he expected Cohen, as well as Russian-born businessman Felix Sater, to testify before the committee.
"The United States is considering, in addition to other options, stopping all trade with any country doing business with North Korea," Trump wrote in a tweet.

It could be an empty threat. China remains a major US trade partner  according to the US Trade Representative, US goods and services traded with China in 2016 alone totaled an estimated $648.2 billion. Other US trade partners like India, Thailand, and the Philippines also maintain some economic ties with North Korea.

The least credible policy t... @ ian bremmer

I am no economist but cutti... @ Clara Jeffery

A threat to stop all trade ... @ Ankit Panda

Trump's comments came several hours after US Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin called for an additional round of sanctions on North Korea on Sunday following the test of the country's most powerful weapon yet.

In an interview on "Fox News Sunday," Mnuchin said North Korea's test of what it claims was a hydrogen bomb was "completely unacceptable behavior."

"We've already started with sanctions against North Korea, but I'm going to draft a sanctions package to send to the president for his strong consideration," Mnuchin said.

He added: "People need to cut off North Korea economically."

Mnuchin also did not rule out implementing stronger regulations on Chinese companies and financial institutions that regularly interact with North Korea.

"China has a lot of trade with them, there's a lot that we can do to cut them off economically, much more than we've done already," Mnuchin said.

North Korea claimed that Kim Jong Un on Sunday inspected a hydrogen bomb that could eventually be mounted on an intercontinental ballistic missile.

Following news of the test, Trump chided China for refusing to cut economic ties with Noth Korea, and reiterated his hints at using potential military force to eliminate North Korea's weapons.

North Korea has conducted a... @ Donald J. Trump

..North Korea is a rogue na... @ Donald J. Trump

South Korea is finding, as ... @ Donald J. Trump
The troops headed to the war-torn country  presumably several thousand of them  will join the roughly 12,000 already on the ground. But the total number is yet to be announced.

Seven F-15C Eagles and 140 airmen recently deployed to Lithuania to take over an air-policing mission through the end of the year.
READ MORE: SHS postings out

He set record by winning the Best Economics Researcher( Golden Pens), Best Graduating student, 2017 Research Award, 2017 Millennium Doctorate Best Male award and The School of Business Honor.

Osumanu did his first degree at the University of Cape Coast and later proceeded to the University of Amsterdam through the Erasmus Mundus program to pursue his masters program in Economics. He graduated as the best international student from a challenging course and eventually won the 2014 ERASMUS MUNDUS NOBLE ECONOMICS PRIZE.

He later won a scholarship from the World Bank Group to pursue a PhD program in the same university.

Osumanu has said he did not expect to win five awards since the University of Amsterdam is among the highly ranked university in the world.

He told oilcitytoday.com that hard work and dedication did the difference.

He said: "First and foremost we give all the thanks to God. Well it was a great feeling after receiving those awards though I didnt expect as many as five awards since my school is among the top world best universities and you can however imagine the caliber of intellectuals who studies there as well.

"So I knew most of them will also get some of the awards but in the end I think hard work and dedication made the difference.

READ MORE: This is why Muslims must take girl child education serious

"I gain lots of motivation from the fact that I hail from a continent that has in long years been looked down by the other continents as poor and underdeveloped with weak people
GES had given them 48 hours to log onto myjshresults.net and select an option available to them within 48 hours from September 1.

READ MORE: SHS postings out

But according to GES Director General Prof. Kwasi Opoku-Amankwa, many students including those who were placed have not been able to check their postings.

Qualified candidates who were not placed in any SHS now have up to Tuesday 5th September to conclude the process.

Prof Opoku-Amankwa said :In the past for candidates of that kind, we used our own discretion to place them in schools and we had challenges, they complained that theyve been placed in schools that they did not select.

This time round we want people to do their self placement and we want them to do it online. Our idea is that everybody who passed should have the opportunity to go to school. We expect that by Tuesday well look at the numbers and if theres the need for us to get back to it, well do that.

The whole idea is that we want them to go to school by 11th September. In the past admission and placement could go on till the end of the first term.

We also realized that therere complaints about the number of terms students spend in school to write the WASSCE. Were taking various measures to ensure that they have their full nine terms in the schools, and this is one of them.

A total of 267, 327 candidates secured places in schools of their choice, whilst 150,770 candidates could not be placed in schools of their choice.
The government has announced plans to build 20 new technical and vocational schools to provide employable skills training to the youth.Dr. Fred Kyei Asamoah, acting Executive Director of the Council for Technical and Vocational Education and Training (COTVET), said these institutions would be adequately equipped and resourced to enhance the quality of training.He was addressing the 33rd annual conference of Principals of Technical Institutions (APTI) at Akwatia.He indicated that a skills development fund was also going to be set up to aid skills acquisition and development.He said the goal was to assist provide industry with the requisite manpower to optimally perform.Investing in human capital required that we develop a globally competitive workforce that would support the socio-economic development of the country, he added.We need to ensure that technical and vocational education training institutions are well equipped with state-of-the-art tools and equipment, the right learning environment, well-trained and motivated facilitators or instructors and well-developed curriculum that meets industry standards.Dr. Asamoah said currently a comprehensive skill gap analysis and auditing was being conducted to help identify the relevant skills required by industry and support job creation.This, he said was meant to reduce the current supply driven approach where people were trained without reference to the skills on demand by the labor market.He added that a detailed profiling and needs assessment of all TVET institutions would be conducted to know their current state and what was required, for them to deliver.Mr. Albert Adusei, acting President of APTI, underlined the need to put premium on technical education and said that was important to speed up industrial development.Ghana, he said must learn from the example of countries like China, Germany and the United States (US).Osabarima Kofi Boateng III, the Akwatiahene, called for upgrading of the Akwatia Technical Institute into a polytechnic.
Upper Michigan Source reported that the suspect was apprehended on Thursday, August 24, 2017, by police deputies.

The news site also disclosed that he is being "charged with receiving and concealing stolen property over $1,000 but less than $20,000", an offence expected to earn him five years behind bars.

Adekola was arrested following an investigation into an identity fraud and stolen property processing operation, report says.

ALSO READ: Nigeria ranks 3rd in cyber crimes rating globally

He has been accused of being part of a criminal enterprise that deals with stealing personal details of unsuspecting people and using them for online purchases.
Reports have it that the victim was attempting to withdraw money at an Automated Teller Machine (ATM) when the yet to be identified security agent attacked him.

He had simply refused to be bullied off the queue by the officer who had just arrived the bank and was reluctant to join the long line.

Here is the situation of things in clear terms. Nigerian policemen are a bunch of entitled brats who think their uniform should earn them special privileges.

Ponder on this example. You find yourself in a really slow traffic on Ikorodu road and then you suddenly hear a wailing siren getting really close.

You are tired and really not interested but it is 09:30 PM and you still have about two hours to get home. Being stuck in the hold-up for a long period made you feel like you need a distraction so you turn around on your tight seat to look.

Blimey! It is a group of security officers in a van trying to muscle their way out of the traffic. That is your Nigeria Police Force!

And you wonder why the LASTMA contingents never challenge them? Here is your answer - everything and anything that is dressed in a uniform is pretty much the same. The Army, Navy, Airforce; they will march you with their boots like the Akure policeman did to the civilian in question.

Never insist on your rights is what they are telling us but is that what their bosses have instructed? To victimize and intimidate the people they were sworn to protect?

Have you ever taken a wrong turn while driving in an area you are not familiar with and visiting for the first time? A Nigeria police officer will never let you go with a warning. Abi you don go?

Let's not kid ourselves. Nigeria is no America! There are road signs but they are not placed everywhere.

Even if they were, the street hawkers standing and selling used wares at the Ikeja bypass would have blocked your vision, preventing you from seeing what lies ahead until a policeman with a cane jumps in front of your car and declares that you have committed a traffic offence.

The obvious problem is that these so-called security personnel aren't getting the right training and evidently not being managed properly.

Part of the on-boarding procedure for anyone looking to join the force must include a psych evaluation and an etiquette test.

The truth is that these men are no different from an average Nigerian. They have an annoying landlord and get broke a bunch of times. They often resume their patrol duties on their poor mental state and the outcome is a no-brainer - intense hostility against civilians.

But not all their misdeeds are motivated by bad days. Most arms bearing agents are simply just psychopaths no different from the criminals they claim to be fighting.

They don't like to be questioned no matter how polite one addresses them.

These are the set of individuals that get in the news for domestic violence at their homes. They are the reasons why we have headlines like "Policeman stabs wife for serving late dinner ". These guys are just not right in the head.

Police officers should actually be role models. They should look smart and neat in their uniforms, be respectful and bring honour to the force.
He has accused deputy chiefs of staff Francis Asenso-Boakye and Abu Jinapor of corruption as well as the Minister of communications, Ursula Owusu-Ekuful.

Speaking on Omans FM Boiling Point last Thursday, the maverick politician accused the police of spreading falsehood about him.

He said: The Police are warned, if they dont take care theyll forever regret their actions.

Because they asked me a question about Abu Jinapor and I told them I dont have any information on Abu. Now I believe its the police who are spreading such falsehood and it has gone viral on social media.

You inform the media that youve invited Ken Agyapong and even go ahead to say he fought when he came to meet the police when Ive not stepped my foot there, then you turn around and give me a call wanting to see me.

On the same show, he vowed not to cooperate with the police to back his corruption allegation.
READ MORE: What the Election Nullification means for Kenyans

However, following the annulment of the presidential results by Kenya's Supreme Court in a 4-2 decision, and an order for a re-run in 60 days, some Ghanaians have taken to social media to troll Mr Mahama.

They have accused him of executing his job poorly and that the cancellation of the August 8 vote is a proof.

But Dr Akwetey, who was also an observer, has jumped to his defence, saying Mr Mahama and Mbeki acquitted themselves well as leaders of the Commonwealth and AU Election Observer Missions to kenya.

Holding brief for Mr Mahama, Dr Akwetey explained that there was no way he could have detected hacking and tempering of the transmitted results.

In a Facebook post he explained: "Please hold your fire. Prez Mahama and Prez Mbeki acquitted themselves well as leaders of the Commonwealth and AU Elections Observer Missions to Kenya, respectively. I was in Kenya as an observer of the elections too. First, all observers agreed that the voting, vote counting and the e-transmissions of the results were transparent and credible. Therefore if the results published by the IEBC followed logically from the observations at the polling stations, then the results ought to be accepted as credible too. However, Raila and the NASA'S allegations about hacking and tampering with Form 34 A/B, they effectively raised doubts about the transmission of the IEBC results.

"Secondly, the international observers and their leaders could neither investigate the hacking etc allegations on the spot nor stop the declaration of the results, which the IEBC alone was empowered to do. The two leaders however engaged the IEBC and reported back to observers and the international media the IEBC had rejected the allegations by Raila & Co. Prezs Mahama and Mbeki repeatedly advised Raila & Ci to resort to the Supreme Court to deal with their claims.

"Thirdly, Raila & Co initially rejected the two Prezs advice and rather accused them of being friends or sympathisers of Kenyatta. But the leaders maintained their composure and their stand that the elections as observed were transparent and credible. But doubts about the credibility of the results ought to be sorted out in the SC, which was empowered to scrutinise the issues being raised by Raila & Co.

"Fourthly, Raila & Co proceeded to resort to the streets by calling for a nationwide strike. But the strike flopped; thereafter they decided to go the SC, as Prez Mahama and Mbeki had earlier advised. It is a good thing that Raila &Co eventually went to the Supreme Court as they had earlier been advised.

"By eventually respecting the advice of Prez Mbeki and Mahama to pursue justice in the SC, Raila and Co saved Kenya from explosive post-elections violence. Both those who insisted on the SC route and those who acted accordingly have been vindicated.

"The Kenyan SC has ruled thst the process of transmitting the results had serious flaws. Serious enough to undermine the integrity of the results and warrant a re-run of the Prez elections in 60 days.

"Today is a good historic day on which Kenya set a higher standard for credible elections, democracy and the rule of law in Africa.
I have never given any evidence against Ursula that she has taken bribe or is corrupt; I have never given any evidence against Asenso or Abu Jinapor so who is saying this? If they police are not careful the way I will treat them they will regret. I believe the police are setting their own agenda because they were even asking me if I have any information on Abu. Nobody has invited me, he disclosed on Oman Fms Boiling Point show.
Ping, a 74-year-old career diplomat, was narrowly defeated by incumbent Ali Bongo in Gabon's August presidential election and accused the administration of electoral fraud.

A number of demonstrations have been held in support of Ping in cities around the country, leading to numerous arrests and clashes with police in the capital and the seaport of Port-Gentil.

On August 18, Ping called on the Gabonese "to rise up as one to solemnly mark (his) rise to power".

Mangala said the "temporary administrative measure" is aimed at leaders of political parties and others at the heart of the Coalition for the New Republic (CNR), which supports Ping.

The directive has affected former prime minister Casimir Oye Mba, who was scheduled to leave for France on Friday.

"At the airport, the police told me I couldn't leave and that they were only following orders," he said, adding that it was the third time that such a measure has prevented him from leaving Gabon.

Albert Ondo Ossa, a former presidential candidate and economics professor, said he too was prevented from boarding a flight to Cameroon last week.

"In an arbitrary and illegal manner, this government has decided to sequester opposition leaders inside the country," Ping spokesman Jean-Gaspard Ntoutoume Ayi told AFP.
The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said 120 IS fighters "were killed in clashes in and around the town of Uqayribat in the eastern Hama countryside... along with at least 35 regime troops and loyalist militiamen."

The town is the jihadist group's last bastion in the central province apart from a handful of small villages.

Pro-government forces seized Uqayribat on Friday night, but IS responded with a counter-offensive on Saturday that left it in control of most of the town, Observatory chief Rami Abdel Rahman said.

An intense barrage of artillery fire and Syrian and Russian air strikes on jihadist positions allowed pro-regime forces on Sunday morning to push the jihadists back out of the town and advance on villages to the west that remain under IS control.

IS has controlled Uqayribat since 2014, using it to launch attacks on regime-held areas and a strategically vital road Abdel Rahman described as "the only lifeline for the regime between Aleppo and central and southern Syria".

Regime forces, backed by heavy Russian air strikes, launched a major assault on IS-held parts of Hama in June.

"By consolidating their control of (Uqayribat) and ousting IS from the surrounding villages, regime forces could oust the organisation from the whole of Hama province," Abdel Rahman said.

Other rebel groups still control parts of the province's rural north.

Hama, which borders on six other Syrian provinces, is strategically vital to the Assad regime, separating opposition forces in Idlib from Damascus to the south and the regime's coastal heartlands to the west.

IS has suffered multiple defeats across Syria and neighbouring Iraq in recent months, notably in its main Syrian base of Raqa.

On Friday a US-backed Kurdish-Arab coalition seized Raqa's Old City and was advancing on the jihadists in the heavily defended city centre.

The Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) began their offensive in May, capturing the city of Tabqa and a key dam nearby before entering Raqa city in early June.

Meanwhile, pro-regime forces have advanced against IS in the eastern part of Homs province and western Deir Ezzor, where they have come to within 19 kilometres (12 miles) of the provincial capital.
READ MORE:

In a pre-election economic and fiscal report released before the Aug. 8 polls, Kenyas national treasury said the preparation and execution of the election will cost $480 million.

The electoral commission got the largest allotment in the budget and used almost $413.2 million to hire personnel, procure election materials, conduct voter education exercises, besides collecting and transmitting results.

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In addition, some $38 million was spent on enhancing security in hotspot counties and border areas.

Kenyans will be heading to the polls again on September 1 to choose a new leader after the August vote as quashed by a 4-2 Supreme Court decision.
A jubilant newsreader on state television hailed the "unprecedentedly large" blast,adding the device could be mounted on a missile.

It "marked a very significant occasion in attaining the final goal of completing the state nuclear force", she added.

Hydrogen bombs or H-bombs -- also known as thermonuclear devices -- are far more powerful than the relatively simple atomic weapons the North was believed to have tested so far.

Hours earlier, the North released images of leader Kim Jong-Un at the Nuclear Weapons Institute, inspecting what it said was a miniaturised H-bomb that could be fitted onto an intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM).

China, Pyongyang's main diplomatic protector, lost no time in issuing "strong condemnation" of the test, which overshadowed the opening of the BRICS summit in Shanghai by leader Xi Jinping.

Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe described the test as "absolutely unacceptable".

In Seoul, President Moon Jae-In called for new United Nations sanctions to "completely isolate North Korea" and said the South would discuss deploying "the strongest strategic assets of the US military".

'Super explosive power'

That could be taken as a reference to tactical nuclear weapons, which were withdrawn by Washington in 1991. Their return would represent a significant escalation by the allies and alarm Pyongyang, which believes itself to be at risk of invasion.

US monitors measured a 6.3-magnitude tremor near the North's main testing site, which South Korean experts said was five to six times stronger than that from the 10-kiloton test carried out a year ago.

The tremor was felt in northeastern China, with people in the border city of Yanji saying they fled their homes in their underwear, and in the Russian Pacific city of Vladivostok.

Whatever the final figure for test's yield turned out to be, said Jeffrey Lewis of the armscontrolwonk website, it was "a staged thermonuclear weapon" which represents a significant advance in its weapons program.

Chinese monitors said they had detected a second tremor shortly afterwards of 4.6 magnitude that could be due to a "collapse (cave in)", suggesting the rock over the underground blast had given way.

Pyongyang triggered a new ramping up of tensions in July, when it carried out two successful tests of an ICBM, the Hwasong-14, which apparently brought much of the US mainland within range.

It has since threatened to send a salvo of rockets towards the US territory of Guam, and last week fired a missile over Japan and into the Pacific, the first time time it has ever acknowledged doing so.

Trump has warned Pyongyang that it faces "fire and fury", and that Washington's weapons are "locked and loaded".

Analysts believe Pyongyang has been developing weapons capability to give it a stronger hand in any negotiations with the US.

"North Korea will continue with their nuclear weapons programme unless the US proposes talks,"Koo Kab-Woo of Seoul's University of North Korean Studies told AFP.

He pointed to the fact that Pakistan -- whose nuclear programme is believed to have links with the North's -- conducted six nuclear tests in total, and may not have seen a need for any further blasts.

"If we look at it from Pakistan's example, the North might be in the final stages" of becoming a nuclear state, he said.

Pictures of Kim at the Nuclear Weapons Institute showed the young leader, dressed in a black suit, examining a metal casing with a shape akin to a peanut shell.

Failure of sanctions

The device was a "thermonuclear weapon with super explosive power made by our own efforts and technology", KCNA cited Kim as saying, and "all components of the H-bomb were 100 percent domestically made".

Despite its power there were no readioactive leaks, KCNA said in a later report.

Actually mounting a warhead onto a missile would amount to a significant escalation on the North's part, as it would create a risk that it was preparing an attack.

Pyongyang, which says it needs nuclear weapons to defend itself, carried out its first atomic test in 2006.

Its fifth detonation, in September last year, caused a 5.3 magnitude quake and according to Seoul had a 10-kiloton yield -- still less than the 15-kiloton US device which destroyed Hiroshima in 1945.

The North has been subjected to seven rounds of United Nations Security Council sanctions over its nuclear and ballistic missile programmes, but always insists it will continue to pursue them.

Atomic or "A-bombs" work on the principle of nuclear fission. Hydrogen bombs work on fusion and are far more powerful.
Its best hope may be to further expand its already wide-reaching economic sanctions against the North, hoping this new pain might finally bring Kim Jong-Un to show restraint.

A military strike? Unlikely

North Korea's latest nuclear test does not seem to have altered the American equation, though it may have toughened US rhetoric. Defense Secretary Jim Mattis said Sunday that "any threat to the United States or its territories, including Guam or our allies, will be met with a massive military response."

And President Donald Trump tweeted earlier of the North Koreans that "they only understand one thing" -- presumably force.

But experts said force has clear limits.

"There are no realistic military options in terms of striking North Korea, because doing so would likely spark a full-scale war,"Mark Fitzpatrick, executive director for America of the International Institute for Strategic Studies, told AFP.

The North has massed powerful artillery units at the border of South Korea capable of wreaking immense destruction on Seoul, a city of 10 million just 35 miles (55 kilometers) away. An American strike against the North could thus spark a conflagration between the two Koreas that could spread quickly into a regional conflict.

"Before everyone goes nuts, a nuclear test by North Korea is a troubling development but does not change the nature of the challenge we face," tweeted Jon Wolfsthal, of the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace.

"Such a test does not require a military response, which is good because we don't have any viable options."

Applying military pressure

Without actually striking, the United States can increase its military pressure on Pyongyang. Before the North's latest nuclear test, the American and South Korean presidents had agreed to strengthen Seoul's missile capabilities -- a way to bolster its dissuasive capacity.

"Viable military options include moves such as deploying additional assets to the region," Fitzpatrick said. "Note that South Korea now wants to consider redeploying US tactical nuclear weapons" -- a move he called complicated but viable.

The US military withdrew all its tactical arms from South Korea 25 years ago.

Another form of pressure requires no weapons -- the sort of bellicose rhetoric Trump employed when he uttered his famous phrase about unleashing "fire and fury" on the North. On Sunday, Mattis even evoked the possibility of the "total annihilation" of the North, should Pyongyang bring matters to a head.

But rhetoric, too, has its limits. During a lull late last month after Trump's "fire and fury" comment, the US president said he thought Kim was "starting to respect us," but days later the North sent a missile sailing over Japan.

And on Sunday came the test of a bomb more powerful than the one that destroyed Hiroshima.

Again, economic sanctions

The American administration seemed on Sunday to be leaning toward economic sanctions.

"The United States is considering, in addition to other options, stopping all trade with any country doing business with North Korea," Trump tweeted.

Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin said he would propose a series of tough economic sanctions for Trump's consideration aimed at any country doing business with the North. He said he wanted to work with US allies and with China, which buys 90 percent of all North Korean exports.

On August 22, the US announced sanctions against six individuals and 10 companies from Russia and China for doing business with the North.

The United States was behind the last set of United Nations sanctions against North Korea, adopted unanimously on August 6 by the Security Council, with the notable support of China and Russia. That seventh series of sanctions aimed to deprive the North of a billion dollars in revenues from sales of coal, iron and seafood.

The next step from the UN could be a full or partial petroleum embargo.
After congratulating Trump on a "remarkable run," Obama said that the two of them and their predecessors had been "blessed, in different ways, with great good fortune."

"Not everyone is so lucky. It's up to us to do everything we can (to) build more ladders of success for every child and family that's willing to work hard," Obama wrote.

Since receiving the letter, CNN reported, Trump has shown it to Oval Office visitors, as well as to people visiting his private White House residence. CNN received the letter from someone Trump showed it to.

Obama did not disclose the letter's contents to his closest aides, according to CNN.

Obama also wrote in the letter that it was up to the president to demonstrate American leadership by maintaining the international order "that's expanded steadily since the end of the Cold War."

Third, he said, it was critical for Trump to leave politics aside and maintain the democratic institutions that form the backbone of American democracy, including rule of law, separation of power, equal protection, and civil liberties  institutions that "our forebears fought and bled for."

Last, Obama recommended that Trump try and make time for friends and families despite the demands of the office.

"They'll get you through the inevitable rough patches," the former president wrote, before wishing Trump and incoming first lady Melania Trump success as they took over.

It has become customary for outgoing presidents to leave letters for their successors, and every president has done so since George H.W. Bush wrote one for Bill Clinton.
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The victim, Cyriacus Onunkwo, was said to have been abducted from his vehicle in Orlu, a town in the state on Friday morning.

The police said they discovered Onunkwo's body in a bush in the town during a manhunt on Saturday.

The Commissioner said investigations are ongoing to round up Onunkwos killers.

The police said that the priest may have been strangled as no gunshot nor stab wounds were found on his body.

ALSO READ: Another victim of Evans narrates his ordeal

The report also said the assailants did not take anything from Onunkwo's car.
According to an Instagram post, the security agent was not willing to wait in line so he opted to take the victim's position which led to a tussle between the pair.

In the process of defending himself from the aggressor, an unknown group of men wearing civilian dresses joined the latter in an offensive against him.

They were seen in the clip dragging the sufferer who was outnumbered and helpless. Attempts made by some sympathizers to calm the policeman yielded no result.

His frantic attempt to repel attacks by the assaulter was also unsuccessful. The video saw him being repeatedly molested until the scene ended.

Intimidation of innocent people by law enforcement officers who were sworn to serve and protect them has become quite common lately.

Military regimes in Nigeria saw an intense violation of human rights as less attention was paid to the rule of law especially when it concerns civilians who are without wealth.

ALSO READ: Soldiers brutalize crippled man for wearing camouflage

Democracy has hardly impacted the attitude of security personnel in respect to maintaining civility.
The Minister said the news was circulated via a parody Twitter account in his name, @MohammedLai, and an old NTA news video.

In a statement issued on Sunday, September 3, by the Minister's Special Assistant, Segun Adeyemi, he described the report as "ludicrous".

The handle had tweeted that Buhari is due to leave Nigeria for the US on Monday "to condole with President Trump over the floods in Houston''.

An old NTA News video further caused confusion on Social media - the video report said the President already left for the United Nations General Assembly in New York.

'This is a 2015 NTA News video that was repackaged to look current, and to give the impression that the President left Daura, where he is celebrating Eid-el-Kabir, directly for New York,'' Mohammed said.

Mohammed stressed that Nigerians should disregard any news credited to any account in his name, either on Twitter or Facebook.

"Numerous parody accounts have been opened in my name on the two platforms, when indeed I have no Twitter or Facebook accounts," he said.

ALSO READ: Lai Mohammed says FG must respect privacy of looters

The Minister recalled how the same parody Twitter account was employed to circulate a fake report that he sharply criticized Senator Dino Melaye for attending the Notting Hill Carnival in the UK.

He said these two instances highlight the dangers posed to the polity by the purveyors of fake news and disinformation, and vowed that the Federal Government would soon fish out those behind the shady actions.
"Our intelligence department has given us the list of the oil wells owned by the northerners. The northerners have over 90 per cent of the oil wells and the Yoruba have about seven per cent, while the Igbo have about two per cent and the Niger Delta people do not have up to one per cent of the oil wells," The leader of the coalition, John Duku told Punch on Saturday, September 2.

"We are not talking only about the notice to quit; we are also talking about the Niger Delta Republic. We have seen that the Federal Government is not serious about the Niger Delta issue. Let me make a point here; the Academic Staff Union of Universities is on strike and the government has set up a committee to engage in a dialogue with ASUU.

"This has never happened in the case of the Niger Delta; the Federal Government has never inaugurated a committee to handle the Niger Delta issue. The only language the Federal Government seems to understand is violence. September 10 is the day we will resume attacks (on oil installations). By September 10, which is on Sunday, over 5,000 members of the Niger Delta Coalition of Agitators will shut down no less than over 20 platforms."

The group also denied the claim that it gave the Pan Niger Delta People's Congress the mandate to withdraw the notice.

In August, the CNDA had told northerners and Yoruba to leave before October 1 or be forced out of the region.

"We have not given anybody any mandate to withdraw the notice to quit we issued. On the group (PNDPC) talked about, we have said we are not working with this set of old people again. The composition of that group is not different from that of PANDEF.

"Already, we are talking with leaders of ethnic nationalities and if at the end, we reach a conclusion, we will make it public. Nobody will withdraw the notice on our behalf  we will do that. The fact is that those that announced the withdrawal of the notice are not the ones that issued it. We dont know them."

Similarly, some other militant groups, who are believed to be members of Niger Delta People Democratic Front (NDPDF), Concerned Militant Leaders (CML) and Rainbow Marabas (RM) have also threatened to launch attacks in some states of the Federation if Nnamdi Kanu is re-arrested.
"I don't see them ever joining and I had never believed that it would happen," she said during a televised debate with Martin Schulz, her Social Democratic rival in elections later this month.

She added that she would speak with her EU counterparts to see if "we can end these membership talks".

Merkel's tough stance came after Turkey arrested two more German citizens this past week "for political reasons", infuriating Berlin.

The arrests brought the number of German political prisoners in Turkish custody to 12, at a time when ties between the two NATO allies were already at an all-time low.

The plunge in relations began after Berlin sharply criticised Ankara over the crackdown that followed last year's failed coup attempt.

The arrest of several German nationals, including the Turkish-German journalist Deniz Yucel, the Istanbul correspondent for the Die Welt newspaper, further frayed ties.

Yucel has now spent 200 days in custody ahead of a trial on terror charges.

German journalist Mesale Tolu has been held on similar charges since May, while human rights activist Peter Steudtner was arrested in a July raid.

After Steudtner's arrest, Germany vowed stinging measures impacting tourism and investment in Turkey and a full "overhaul" of their troubled relations.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, for his part, has also sparked outrage after charging that Germany is sheltering plotters of last year's coup, as well as Kurdish militants and terrorists, and demanded their extradition.

Erdogan added to the tensions this month when he urged ethnic Turks in Germany to vote against Merkel's conservatives and their coalition partners, the Social Democrats, in September 24 elections.
Pyongyang's key ally China expressed strong condemnation while South Korean President Moon Jae-In called for the "strongest punishment" against the North, including new UN sanctions to "completely isolate" it.

Tensions on the Korean peninsula have spiralled in recent weeks, with North Korea testing an intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) and threatening to fire missiles towards the US Pacific island of Guam and Trump warning he would rain "fire and fury" on the country.

"North Korea has conducted a major Nuclear Test. Their words and actions continue to be very hostile and dangerous to the United States," Trump tweeted.

After North Korea sent a missile over Japan last week, Trump said the time for talks was over and on Sunday he tweeted that "appeasement" would not work.

"North Korea is a rogue nation which has become a great threat and embarrassment to China, which is trying to help but with little success," he said.

Trump had previously pledged the North would not get an ICBM and has warned that Washington's weapons are "locked and loaded".

China, which is hosting a summit of the five BRICS nations, said it "expresses resolute opposition and strong condemnation" over Pyongyang's sixth nuclear test, which was felt in Chinese cities hundreds of kilometres from North Korea's borders.

China, a key provider of aid and trade to the North, is seen as the only country holding any real influence over its truculent neighbour. But relations have become more strained in recent years, in part because of Pyongyang's dogged pursuit of its nuclear programme in the face of international condemnation.

The North should "stop taking mistaken actions which worsen the situation and are also not in line with its own interests, and effectively return to the track of solving the problem through dialogue," the Chinese foreign ministry said.

President Xi Jinping and his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin remained silent on the subject at the opening of the BRICS summit in Xiamen, which includes Brazil, India and South Africa.

'Creating serious threat'

Russia's foreign ministry however expressed "strongest condemnation" of Pyongyang's actions, while adding "it is imperative to remain calm and to refrain from any actions that lead to a further escalation of tension".

The ministry said it regretted that the leadership of North Korea was "creating a serious threat" for the region and warned that "the continuation of such a line is fraught with serious consequences" for Pyongyang.

Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe slammed the test as "absolutely unacceptable" and said North Korea's nuclear and missile programmes now pose a more "grave and urgent" threat to his country.

"Whether we can stop North Korea's reckless actions that threaten world peace depends on the cooperation and solidarity of the international community," he added.

German Chancellor Angela Merkel and French President Emmanuel Macron urged tougher EU sanctions, saying Pyongyang had "reached a new dimension of provocation".

EU foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini said she was looking forward "to the UN Security Council addressing the matter and taking a firm and effective stand".

British Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson called the test "reckless" but said "none of the military options are good".

"Our message to the Chinese, we think there is more scope for you the Chinese to put more economic pressure on the North Koreans," he told Sky News.

NATO secretary general Jens Stoltenberg condemned the test as "yet another flagrant violation" of multiple UN Security Council resolutions.

"NATO is concerned by Pyongyang's destabilising pattern of behaviour, which poses a threat to regional and international security," he said.

Pyongyang, for its part, called the nuclear detonation "a perfect success".
The MPLA party of former president Jose Eduardo Dos Santos won just over 61 percent of the votes cast on Wednesday and an absolute majority with 150 of the 220 seats in parliament, according to a provisional vote count.

The commission is due to release the official results on Wednesday.

Isaias Samakuva, head of the National Union for the Total Independence of Angola (UNITA), read a statement to reporters saying the process to determine definitive election results "was not conducted, in a large number of cases, in accordance with the law".

The statement was signed by three other leaders of Angola's main opposition parties.

Besides "irregularities," the coalition cited "the disappearance of ballot boxes, the appearance of new ballot boxes, the disappearance of voting forms" and "the illegal presence of foreign individuals" during the counting process as reasons for contesting the vote.

But they also charged that the electoral process was "unconstitutional and illegal" and called for a recount of votes in the provinces by a commission comprised of figures from civil society and churches.

The opposition coalition warned it would contest the election through other means if their demands were not met.

The day after the vote, UNITA deputy party leader Rafael Massanga Savimbi had said it found "substantial differences" between its own tallies at voting stations and those of the electoral commission.

Opposition leaders across Africa, long frustrated in their campaigns to topple firmly entrenched leaders, have been hailing the shock overturn of last month's presidential vote in Kenya, calling it an example for their own countries to emulate.

On Friday, Kenya's Supreme Court cancelled the results of the August 8 election there, which kept President Uhuru Kenyatta in office, over widespread irregularities. The country now has until October 31 to hold a new election.

According to preliminary results of the Angola election, UNITA and the Casa-CE party garnered 26 percent and 9 percent of the vote, respectively.
Sebastien Ajavon is accused of having used several of his businesses to execute an elaborate tax dodge for three years and now allegedly owes 167 billion CFA francs ($302 million, 254 million euros).

"He is accused of organising tax evasion through several of his companies in the years 2014, 2015 and 2016," Benin's tax service told AFP.

Ajavon's overall tax bill eclipses Benin's per capita GDP of $2,200 and is more than one percent of the country's overall domestic product, as measured in 2016.

The 52-year-old has so far declined to comment publicly on his massive tax bill, according to local media.

"From May to mid-August 2017, a team of five tax inspectors were embedded in Sebastien Ajavon's companies," a source close to the investigation said.

Ajavon's supporters have accused authorities of persecuting the businessman-turned-politician, saying they "are seeking to put him prison by any means," according to supporter Cyrille Hounsou.

Ralmeg Gandaho, a lawyer, said Ajavon could appeal the charge and choose to sue the government.

Ajavon, who made his fortune in the food industry, received almost a quarter of the vote in the first round of the 2016 presidential election, coming in third.

He then threw his weight behind fellow businessman and eventual winner, Patrice Talon, who has described Ajavon as a "great man" and a "great business operator".

Ajavon defines himself as a "self-made man" and has interests in the transport and media sectors, owning the Sikka TV station and radio Soleil FM.

This is not the first time he has faced legal troubles.

In October 2016, Ajavon was arrested after an 18-kilogramme (40 pounds) shipment of cocaine, with a street value of $16 million, was found in a container destined for one of his businesses.
Details of his alleged affairs with as many as eight women were splashed on Sunday newspapers, after the business man turned politician failed to gag media from publishing the story in a late night urgent court application.

He denied cheating with eight women but admitted to having one affair.

"I had a relationship with only one person and it ended. I dealt with it with my wife. We now have a professional relationship," Ramaphosa told Sunday Times.

The 64-year-old Ramaphosa and Zuma's ex-wife Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma have come out as front runners to replace Zuma when he steps down as ANC president in December.

The leader of the ANC becomes an automatic candidate for president of the country.

Ramaphosa said the report which is based on leaked email correspondence between himself and the women was a "smear campaign" ahead of the crucial elective conference.

"I have to be prevented at all costs from ascending to the position of president of the ANC. Some have even said it will over their dead bodies," Ramaphosa told Sunday Times.

"I have not committed any crimes, I have not stolen any money, I have not looted state resources. But I am being targeted and smeared," he said.

He stated that the relationship with the woman who was his medical doctor ended eight years ago.

Pictures of several women purported to be some of his girlfriends had been circulating on social media since Saturday, with the public rebuking his conduct.

But the leader received unlikely support from Julius Malema, the radical leader of Economic Freedom Fighters who was expelled from the ANC in 2012

Malema tweeted: "Ramaphosa, his wife & supporters will have to be extremely strong especially as they move close to the conference, dirty truck on steroids."

It was still early to determine how much impact the scandal would impact his ANC leadership bid.

On Saturday afternoon, Ramaphosa released a lengthy statement after a list of media questions sent to him on the story were leaked on social media.

"This latest episode extends far beyond an attempt at political smear," he said.

Ramaphosa is the latest high ranking South African politicians to be implicated in a sex scandal. President Zuma was himself in 2005 tried and later acquitted for rape of a 31-year-old daughter of a friend.
They say if it's at all possible, you should make a career out of doing what you love. Well, so far, so good.

I love this grand old dame of a newspaper and all she represents, or else I wouldn't be celebrating my 22nd year of hanging out here every weekday. I love the little "koosh" my office chair makes when I flop into it every morning. I love that first sip of coffee. I love watching my inbox fill up every morning with mail.

But that's Daytime Shane. Nighttime Shane loves one thing more than anything else: music. I don't have a lick of musical ability, but I live my life in awe of those who do. I could change records on my parent's stereo before I could walk. I've heard tapes of 5-year-old me screaming, "I WANNA BE A DEE JAY!" If I can't be the guy who plays music, the next best thing is being the guy who pushes the "play" button.

I've been DJ-ing professionally on nights and weekends for 30 years now. Clubs, dances, raves, parties  you name it; I've been a DJ there. There's just one kind of event I only agree to do on rare occasions. Apparently an upcoming weekend is rare  I'm DJ-ing a wedding reception.

I'm not a big fan of DJ-ing wedding receptions, but I'm even less a fan of simply going to them. Why? Because I'll be forced to sit there and listen to some sub-standard, sub-Shane DJ doing a job I'm better at. I will armchair-DJ the heck out of that reception.

I'll be fine at this one, I'm sure. I've DJ-ed more than 100 wedding receptions by now, and I've yet to wreck anyone's big day. But I'm a worrier. Sweating over a DJ gig might be the closest I ever get to pre-wedding jitters.

Why the worry this time? I just got their request list. You know: songs for the first dance, the father-daughter dance, mother-groom dance, and so on. And every song on the list is country. This is not my world.

I am an expert at Top 40 DJ-ing. I'm even better when it comes to club and EDM music. When it comes to '80s new wave and '70s disco, this DJ might very well save your life. But country? Not my strong suit. It's not even my weak suit. It's more like a suit I've never worn or wouldn't even buy in the first place.

"But Shane," you say, "country music tells a story." Yep, it sure does  especially if you enjoy stories about beer, pickup trucks and hearts both achy and breaky. It's a world I will never understand. One of the biggest country tunes of the past year actually was called "Huntin', Fishin', and Lovin' Every Day." If you think about it, that translates to "I Really Enjoy Killing Small Animals." Isn't that what got Ozzy Osbourne in trouble all those years ago? Maybe we should stop watching Marilyn Manson and keep a better eye on that Luke Bryan fella.

But the country on the list for this wedding isn't trendy new country. No, it's serious country. Randy Travis, Clint Black, that sorta thing. That's the country music I don't even know. When that stuff was big, I was busy spiking my hair up, wearing trench coats, listening to The Cure and trying desperately hard to be so uncool it came back around to being cool again.

So, I have some homework to do in the next couple of days. I'm hoping to have enough of that stuff to fake my way through a few songs, but heaven help me if they want that music all night long. I have this horrible fear I'm going to bust out "Y.M.C.A." and be greeted by the blank stares of 100 unamused Randy Travis fans.

The bride and groom tell me not to worry. They're "not big music people," they tell me. I don't know what that kind of existence even means. But he assures me the open bar will have people to the point "you could bang on a bucket, and they'll dance to it." Maybe they all also will be so schnookered they won't realize their DJ doesn't know Clint Black from Clint Eastwood.

Until then, I'll be hopin', prayin' and lovin' every day I make it through this gig. Now, if you'll excuse me, I have a boot-scootin' boogie to attend to in my basement. Pray for me.
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Luke Bryan is one step closer to being a judge alongside already announced panelist Katy Perry on the ABC re-boot of "American Idol."

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TMZ said the music competition show's producers have made the country music star an offer, but it is unclear if he has accepted it.

Lionel Richie and Charlie Puth are also rumored to be under consideration as panelists.

"American Idol" ran for 15 seasons on FOX before ending in 2016, with Jennifer Lopez, Keith Urban, Harry Connick, Jr. as judges.

The revival is expected to premiere on ABC in 2018.

Series host Ryan Seacrest recently confirmed he will be returning.
Infosys' first non-founder CEO had been granted 232,329 RSUs at Rs 5 a unit.

Ayan Pramanik reports from Bengaluru.

Former Infosys chief executive officer Vishal Sikka 'exercised' about a third of the restricted stock units (RSUs) granted to him in the weeks before quitting the company.

Sikka exercised 70,772 RSUs between June 22 and August 21, and the last of the three exercises happened three days after he announced his resignation as CEO on August 18, according to the company's disclosures to shareholders in a postal ballot on Friday night.

The value of the exercised RSUs is Rs 6.51 crore (Rs 65.1 million/about $1 million), according to the share value of Infosys on September 1.

Sikka, Infosys' first non-founder CEO, had been granted 232,329 RSUs at Rs 5 a unit over two years since he joined the company in August 2014.

Of this, he had exercised 10,824 shares in the second year, according to the disclosures.

Sikka resigned last month after a prolonged public spat between the Infosys board and its founders, alleging that personal attacks on him had distracted his focus on running India's second largest software exporter.

The former SAP executive had positioned Infosys as a software plus services company, bringing in more automation and artificial intelligence in delivering services to clients such as HSBC Bank and Microsoft.

But the acquisition of Panaya, an Israeli technology firm, for $200 million, caused a rift in the company that led to the exit of Rajiv Bansal, the then chief financial officer.

A huge severance pay to Bansal did not go down well with its founders who raised concerns about corporate governance and disclosure norms at the firm.

Sikka's exit and the subsequent fallout between Infosys co-founder N R Narayana Murthy and its then chairman R Seshasayee saw investors recalling co-founder Nandan Nilekani to stem the crisis.

Nilekani took charge as non-executive chairman, leading Seshasayee and two board members -- Jeffrey Lehman and John Etchemendy -- to quit the company.
'The reshuffle was expected to show some sign about the BJP's awareness of the looming difficulties.'

'But there is no certainty that the new inductees will be able to breathe life into the government,' says Amulya Ganguli.

More than the unexpected choice of Nirmala Sitharaman as defence minister and Suresh Prabhu's expected removal from the railways, Narendra Modi's third ministerial reshuffle may well be noted for the royal snub that he has meted out to Nitish Kumar.

The rebuff would have been marginally less if the Janata Dal-United had not given the impression -- unlike the Shiv Sena, which apparently knows its 'ally' better -- that it was almost certain about some of its members being taken into the Union council of ministers.

The scene for the JD-U has been made worse by reports that Nitish Kumar is resentful of his party being overlooked and Laloo Prasad rubbing salt in the wound by saying that it is the Bihar chief minster's 'fate'.

While it is too early to say what effect this sign of strain will have on BJP-JD-U relations, what is clear is that it is yet another example of the hauteur for which the ruling party at the Centre has become known.

However, to what extent this attitude is helpful for it is doubtful, for whatever BJP President Amit Shah may think about his party winning 350 seats in the next general election, the prospects of the National Democratic Alliance will not be enhanced by the BJP's arrogance.

This disadvantage will be all the greater because the BJP is not as securely placed as it probably believes in the wake of the lawlessness in Haryana, the deaths of children in UP, the continuing worries about the agricultural sector and the slowing down of the economy as is evident from the growth rate falling to 5.7 per cent, which will exacerbate the unemployment problem.

The reshuffle was expected to show some sign about the BJP's awareness of the looming difficulties.

True, the departure of as many as six supposedly 'non-performing' ministers underlines the realisation that the 'chalta hai' attitude will not do, as the prime minister once told bureaucrats.

But there is no certainty that the new inductees will be able to breathe life into the government.

Perhaps the most controversial of the appointments is that of Nirmala Sitharaman.

She is the third defence minister to be tried by Modi after Arun Jaitley and Manohar Parrikar.

Of them, considerable hope was placed on the Goa chief minister because he was seen as competent. But he proved more adept at organising defections in his home state to enable the BJP to emerge from its No 2 position in the assembly elections to grab power.

Like Parrikar, Sitharaman is perceived as competent. But it is one thing to be a commerce minister and quite another to hold the heavyweight portfolio of defence, especially at a time of turmoil in South and East Asia with China licking its wounds after its Doklam misadventure and Pakistan sulking on being scolded by Donald Trump.

To compound the scene, North Korea appears to be itching for war.

Sitharaman, therefore, will have her hands full. If she comes out unscathed from these near-apocalyptic conditions, she will be hailed as a genius.

For the present, most people will keep their fingers crossed.

Like her, Piyush Goyal is also known to be a hands on minister. But the railways is a different kettle of fish from the power ministry.

As the series of accidents which derailed Suresh Prabhu shows, reforming the railways is a gigantic task.

Unfortunately, BJP simply does not have in its ranks enough senior and experienced people to handle major departments.

Because of the dearth of talent, it had to depend for long on the ever reliable Arun Jaitley to be both finance and defence ministers.

Nitin Gadkari is also deemed to be efficient. But as a heavyweight who is known for his pronounced RSS background, it is probably 'safer'; to keep him confined to road transport, highways, shipping, etc, with Ganga rejuvenation now being added to his portfolios, where he can be given a free hand.

Handing him defence or the railways would have only added to his weight, especially if he was successful.

No one knows whether Modi's expectation that his new team will deliver better results than the earlier ones will be fulfilled.

But it is clear that time is running out for the prime minister for whom the glory days of 2014 now probably appear to be receding further and further into the distance while 2019 is advancing towards the party at a seemingly faster pace.

Yet, few will believe that the new ministry will usher in a sea change and bring the unrealised achhey din nearer.

Amulya Ganguli is a writer on current affairs.
Both nations have to find ways to be sensitive to each other's politico-strategic and economic concerns, say Dr Rahul Mishra and Sana Hashmi.

IMAGE: Soon after the expansion of the Union council of ministers, Prime Minister Narendra D Modi emplaned for China to attend the 9th BRICS Summit in Xiamen, China, September 3, 2017. Photograph: Press Information Bureau

One of the positive outcomes of the Doklam standoff is that there is now little doubt about the significance of BRICS for India and China.

With the ninth edition of the multilateral summit kicking off on Sunday, both nations have displayed maturity in resolving the Doklam issue.

India and China's success in containing the differences and rising jingoism over the boundary standoff, has not only demonstrated New Delhi and Beijing's astute diplomacy at a moment of crisis but also disproved the popular media perception, particularly Western, that BRICS cannot sustain the differences among its member countries, all of whom are aspiring to lead the regional and global order.

It has also signalled that China understands well that it alone cannot lead the five-nation grouping that includes Brazil, Russia, India, and South Africa, which are together home to ore than 40 percent of the world's population and who contribute roughly 20 percent of the global nominal Gross Domestic Product.

The ninth BRICS summit in Xiamen, Fujian, which will conclude on September 5, has numerous tests to pass before it can be termed a forward-moving, cohesive group that holds a bright future.

Together, the following five challenges are a litmus test for BRICS, and will shape the group's future.

One, terrorism has been the biggest menace to the modern world, and has infested almost all the countries.

Within BRICS, India and Russia have suffered the most at the hands of the terrorist and Islamic radical organisations.

Of late, China too has witnessed first-hand, the wrath of terrorists.

For Beijing, securing its supplies and human resources outside China has been of critical importance.

China is vulnerable to Pakistan's Lal Masjid-like episodes in the future.

Two, climate change has turned out to be another long-term challenge for the fast growing economies of BRICS.

This is particularly significant in view of the Trump administration's reluctance to join the climate change dialogue process, and China's expression of interest in leading the world in fighting climate change and global warming.

Three, tardy implementation of several proposals that were agreed upon in the past eight BRICS summits has led to delays in executing plans that have remarkable potential.

For instance, the Currency Resource Arrangement agreed in the 2016 Goa summit is a critical step still waiting to be taken.

Likewise, the proposal to have an independent BRICS credit rating system is another major initiative that needs to be expedited as it will help members counter the current system which is heavily dominated by Western countries and is arguably tilted against developing economies.

Four, rising disparities within BRICS pose a long-term challenge to the grouping.

For instance, China is the biggest trading partner of the other four members. However, the other four countries are not robustly linked with each other in terms of trade.

India, for one, has a trade volume worth $7.4 billion with Russia, $6.5 billion with Brazil, $9.36 billion with South Africa, which are insignificant in comparison to India's whopping $71.4 billion trade with China.

The other significant challenge for all members barring China is that all of them have a huge trade deficit with China; something they must think through to deal with.

Five, BRICS, which began as BRIC in 2009 before inducting South Africa in 2010, has been trying to reach out to other growing economies. In fact, there have been talks of forming a BRICS Plus, but that is still at the conception stage.

A few years ago, there was a debate over whether BRICS should turn into BRICSI with Indonesia adding 'I' to BRICS.

Nevertheless, BRICS has evolved as an outreach mechanism whereby the host country is allowed to invite a regional organisation of its choice, or countries of its choice.

At the 2016 Goa summit, India had invited the BIMSTEC countries -- Bhutan, Bangladesh, Myanmar, Nepal, Sri Lanka and Thailand.

This year, China has invited Guinea, Mexico, Egypt, Thailand and Tajikistan to participate in the meeting.

Clearly, while inviting countries, China has kept its massive infrastructure and connectivity project, One Belt, One Road, in mind.

Although, expanding BRICS or working on the outreach programme is a good idea, it must be ensured that cohesion within the group, and bonhomie among the five BRICS members, is of prime importance.

In this context, the pivotal relationship that has the potential to determine the fate of BRICS is the India-China dynamic.

Both nations have to find ways and means to understand each other in a more comprehensive manner, resolve outstanding differences, and be sensitive to each other's politico-strategic and economic concerns so that an incident like Doklam is not witnessed in the future.

Dr Rahul Mishra is a New Delhi-based strategic affairs expert. Sana Hashmi is a Delhi-based Sinologist and the author of China's Approach towards Territorial Disputes: Lessons and Prospects.
Defence Minister Arun Jaitley leaves for Tokyo on Sunday evening for a security dialogue with Japan, a visit that acquires huge significance after North Korea's hydrogen bomb test on Sunday morning.

Vivek Gumaste glances at the India-Japan relationship that resulted in a nuclear treaty last year.

While focusing on the secular concept of energy development, it broadsides a common nemesis, China, with an unequivocal blunt message and re-choreographs the dance of geostrategic interests in the region.

China's visceral animosity towards India is a complex multi-faceted trait. Strategic interests and local boundary disputes do play a role, but are marginal to the overarching sentiment of rivalry and intense jealousy that fuels this deep-set antipathy that dates back to the early 1950s and the days of then prime minister Jawaharlal Nehru and then Chinese premier Zhou Enlai.

In the early 1950s, India and China were two fledgling States eager to make their mark on the world stage.

India with its ancient culture, exemplary democracy and the moral legacy of Mahatma Gandhi had an edge which China could neither fathom nor stomach.

Zhou, referring to India's claim of having introduced China to the non-aligned nations, once reportedly remarked that he was surprised at the 'effrontery of a third-rate power like India claiming to introduce to the world the prime minister of a first-rate power like China.'

Moreover, India's humiliating military defeat in 1962 was primarily intended to demoralise and cut India down to size rather than resolve a boundary dispute.

China's 'contain India' strategy continues to this day in the form of abetting Pakistan, blocking India's entry into elite international bodies and support for anti-India terrorists like Masood Azhar.

India's diplomatic efforts have till now remained lacklustre and listless. Consumed by perpetual second guessing, it has been unable to effectively counter China's provocative stance.

The thrust of the India-Japanese agreement, however, resonates with the changed tenor of India's revamped foreign policy under Prime Minister Narendra D Modi.

India's approach no longer subscribes to archaic, futile and esoteric principles like morality that have kept us bound irrevocably to self-destructive positions like unilateral restraint or champion high sounding but defunct doctrines like non-alignment that deliver little in terms of tangible benefits.

The Modi blitzkrieg is shaping our foreign policy with a daring that is unabashedly self-centred, but vocalised with a sophistication that is eloquent and convincing to our friends and deterring to our foes.

India will now pay back its detractors in kind.

That this new policy is having its impact is clear.

India's alignment with Japan has unnerved China.

Consternation in the Chinese ranks was evident in the run-up to the India-Japan meet last year, with the official Chinese media indulging in a bizarre exercise of sabre-rattling that was all over the place: Stridently castigating India in one editorial, sternly cautioning Japan in another and counselling India to take the path of rapprochement.

An op-ed in the Global Times (November 11, 2016) warned India that any interference in the South China imbroglio would not only be unsuccessful but counterproductive in terms of trade and bilateral relations:

'... India does not feel at ease with China... It admires China's imposing changeover, especially its economic takeoff, but it has never relaxed its wariness of China's rise. The complicated feelings could drive India to make mistakes in its China policy. Delhi is seeking support from Tokyo...'

'India lacks legitimacy and leadership in making new waves in the South China Sea. India should beware of the possibility that by becoming embroiled in the disputes, it might end up being a pawn of the US and suffer great losses, especially in terms of business and trade, from China.'

'India and China should put more efforts into resolving problems like the imbalance of their trade ties. India won't benefit much by balancing China through Japan. It will only lead to more mistrust between New Delhi and Beijing.'

Then, an editorial in the same newspaper the next day went on to caution Japan even as it attempted to cast India in more favourable light:

'... Japan wants to use the disputes between China and India to court India to help contain China. Japan seeks to urge India to meddle in the South China Sea issue, even at the cost of changing its long-held position of reducing nuclear usage to offer special benefits of civil nuclear cooperation to India.'

'India is in need of acquiring nuclear and military technology from Japan and attracting more investment for its manufacturing industries and infrastructure, like high-speed railways.'

'India will not become a pawn for Japan to contain China, as it wants to become a power on par with China and Japan and benefit from both sides. China and India have many problems between them, however, Sino-Indian relations are improving. National leaders frequently meet and are securing the right direction in bilateral ties.'

Both these articles (proxies for official Chinese positions) seem to harp on improving Sino-Indian relations overlooking the fact that the current distrust is to a great extent China's own doing.

If China is really sincere about a rapprochement, as these two articles suggest, it must walk the talk by disengaging itself from Pakistan's anti-India shenanigans, endorse India's move to declare Masood Azhar as a UN-designated terrorist and support India's entry into the NSG.

The economic history of the world indicates that India and China dominated the world economy without any mutual antagonism till the 1800s (The Atlantic. The Economic History of the Last 2,000 Years. June 19, 2012).

With both countries on the rise, a repeat performance is possible. For that China, must exhibit some good sense.

IMAGE: Prime Minister Narendra D Modi and his Japanese counterpart Shinzo Abe near the Shinkansen bullet train at Tokyo station. Photograph: Kyodo/Reuters
'Gurmeet Ram Rahim's political clout inhibited the chief minister, affected the bureaucracy and restricted the police.'

It was a "total collapse" in Panchkula, says Prakash Singh, the former chief of the Border Security Force, Assam and Uttar Pradesh police.

In an interview to Veer Arjun Singh, Singh says political procrastination and bureaucratic tardiness stopped the police from taking action against the followers of Gurmeet Ram Rahim, the self-styled godman who controls a large vote bank.

The riots that ensued immediately after the conviction of Dera Saccha Sauda chief Gurmeet Ram Rahim killed over 30 people and injured 250. What were the lapses from the side of the authorities?

There were lapses at every level.

There was political procrastination, bureaucratic tardiness and half-hearted action from the side of the police.

There was poor planning even after foreseeing a crisis.

It's my experience that when political directions are clear, firm and unambiguous, the authorities have no problem in dealing with such a situation.

It's only when the political leadership is not sure and signals that some action has to be taken, but may be not too harsh and acts only under political obligation that things get out of control.

This kind of political procrastination, where the authorities are careful about not letting their vote bank slide to the other side, leads to confusion.

Would you say some preventive measures by the police could have controlled the fallout?

Panchkula DCP (deputy commissioner of police) Ashok Kumar (who has been suspended) had issued a faulty prohibitory order that did not ban a gathering of five or more people as under Section 144 of the IPC (Indian Penal Code).

He merely put a check against carrying weapons and incendiary material.

The question it raises is whether it was inadvertent or deliberate.

If it was a mistake, then the DCP is incompetent and should be sacked.

But I don't think it was a mistake. I think he followed instructions, which may have asked to let the people come unarmed.

This is my hunch. No DCP would make such a mistake. He must have been given unwritten instructions by his bosses or his political masters.

The Punjab and Haryana high court reprimanded the Haryana government for the chaos. Was there a lack of will to act or was the police being cautious?

The Haryana government is privy to such large gatherings. The prohibitory orders had a grave lacuna.

I have a strong suspicion that the state government allowed this congregation. It should not have.

In context of unconfirmed intelligence reports, I believe the government had an idea that these people were collecting small arms, incendiary material such as petrol bombs et cetera.

If this is true, then it was an even bigger error on the government's part to not issue proper prohibitory orders.

It means that it believed that the followers of the self-styled religious icon would not indulge in violence.

Do you think more stringent action by the police could have reduced the scale of damage and loss of lives?

The epicentre of violence was Panchkula; the police should not have allowed so many people to enter the city.

Shepherding people back to their homes could have been a difficult exercise, but the police should have at least taken these people to designated areas such as stadiums or grounds before the verdict, unarmed them and contained them.

Either this was not done or not attempted or could not be accomplished.

Politicians from successive governments, both in the state and at the Centre, have paid their respects to the Dera chief ahead of elections. Was it his political clout that kept the police from taking strict action?

Yes, it is his political clout that has inhibited the chief minister, affected the bureaucracy and restricted the police.

I am very surprised that it is a failure at all levels.

Four people have to share the blame: The chief minister, the chief secretary, the additional chief secretary of home affairs and the DCP. All of them should be held accountable for the mess that cost over 30 lives.

The clashes with the police were a grim reminder of the Jat agitation in Haryana a few months ago. Has the police been soft or ineffective in dealing with chaos arising from sentimental issues?

They say a picture is worth a thousand words.

I saw one on the front page of The Indian Express in which the police was falling back in the face of the aggression from the rioters.

I feel ashamed. Yes, the police has been ineffective in tackling sentimental issues.

Maybe some of them are followers of the culprit and have a soft corner for these people, or they know that their bosses or netas have a soft corner for them.

One of the greatest problems in the psyche of policemen is that they are not sure if their actions will be appreciated and defended in front of the judiciary.

IMAGE: Policemen during the August 25 violence in Panchkula. Photograph: Cathal McNaughton/Reuters
'Neither State should take the matter into a terrain that involves tension -- and certainly not war.'

Nepal's Deputy Prime Minister Krishna Bahadur Mahara of the Unified Communist Party of Nepal Maoist, tells Aditi Phadnis that Kathmandu is looking to leverage the economic gains of the Belt and Road Initiative.

What is your assessment of Prime Minister Sher Bahadur Deuba and your India visit?

It was a five-day visit. We met all important leaders -- the prime minister, foreign minister, President, vice-president... We got a lot of respect and attention from the Government of India.

We signed eight agreements with the government. There is a package of four agreements on health, culture, education and housing.

We have agreed to cooperate on narcotics control. There is one agreement on standardisation. And one on a bridge on the river Mechi.

There is an agreement between the chartered accountant bodies in the two nations.

We also discussed a lot of bilateral issues.

Of particular interest is the agreement between the two prime ministers that floods are a common problem for the two countries and there must be a permanent joint mechanism to study this.

We have set up a group and it will submit its report soon.

The other issue that came up was the Pancheshwar hydel power project, discussions on which have been going on for the past 18 years. We wanted to go ahead with this.

Narendra Modiji said he would take it up with his colleagues.

True, there was no agreement on this, but it has been revived and flagged as a matter of interest.

Overall, we consider this a successful visit.

Lately, there has been a lot of discussion here about the activities of China, which is also a neighbour of Nepal.

Some observations of China that they might enter the Kalapani area (a subject of dispute between India and Nepal) has been interpreted as a threat by India.

Did this matter come up at all?

How would you like India to behave with China so that Nepal feels reassured and safe?

First, this matter was not discussed. This was a bilateral visit and we did not want any other country's issues to intrude.

You referred to the border issue. Nepal's view is crystal clear.

This is a matter for the two affected parties to sit together and discuss -- in a peaceful, diplomatic dialogue.

Neither State should take the matter into a terrain that involves tension -- and certainly not war.

Only if India and China progress together will Nepal benefit.

If there is a problem, it must be resolved via dialogue, peacefully.

Was any reference made to Lipu Lekh?

No discussion at all.

At a venue where Deuba (seen left with his wife and Prime Minister Narendra D Modi) was present, an Indian minister referred to Chinese activities on the border.

Deuba sharply contradicted the minister and set the record straight by saying that Nepal's relations with China were excellent.

How do you see this divergence of opinion?

Yes, I also heard this and this was a topic of discussion. But this should not have been a matter of discussion in that venue during this trip.

We could have discussed relations between India and Nepal. But that was not the place to discuss the affairs of third countries.

So whatever discussion took place, it must be closed there.

You have visited China, you were part of the conclave that country hosted on BRI. India stayed out of it.

What is your impression of what China wants to achieve? Should India and the rest of the world be worried about BRI?

First, while the Government of India did not attend, there were a lot of Indian private sector companies that did participate.

As far as China goes, BRI is a way for China to expand business; I do not believe it wants to create zones of geographical interest or influence.

From this point of view, we see it as a positive development.

Nepal can see China's rapid economic progress. We would like to leverage the benefits of this progress.

What benefit can we get? Nepal is not a rich and wealthy country, despite all our natural resources. But that doesn't mean we want to be poor permanently.

We also want to grow economically, ensure a better deal for our people. So we want to explore how China's economic growth can help us grow.

We view India in the same way.

We want to accept and adapt everything that a growing economy in our neighbourhood or elsewhere can offer us, to improve the lot of our people.

Nepal and India have a unique relationship that defies description.

There are family ties, contiguity, a security relationship. But relations tend to turn sour now and then.

In today's context, this relates to the rights of the people of Terai-Madhes. How do you see this?

Sometimes, quarrels break out between two people who have the closest possible relationship. This is natural.

When there are two dishes in a kitchen cupboard, they will clash and make a noise.

India has helped Nepal a lot and has got a lot of help from Nepal in return.

Recently all that has happened, especially in the context of the Madhesi issue, I think the Madhesi issues are getting resolved slowly.

We tried to overcome some resistance to the rights of the Madhesi people by including some modifications in the constitution. This was unsuccessful.

But this does not mean the problems of the Madhesi people will remain unresolved forever.

For instance, the Madhesi parties decided that in the forthcoming elections, they will keep their issues before the people but will participate in the election in a democratic manner.

Deuba flagged this issue in a transparent way here as well. He conceded that efforts to modify the constitution had not been successful, but said he would address it afresh.

We told the Government of India as well that we have had one round of elections and we expect your good wishes for them as well as the ones we are going to have in the future.

Good wishes not just in terms of logistic technicalities, but also politically.

I was so happy to hear the Indian statement 'You (Nepal) have conducted an election. This is very good, thank you'. This will help our elections to be representative and inclusive.

vThe election cycle in Nepal consists of three levels -- local, provincial and federal.

The third and last phase of the local elections will be completed by the end of September.

The provincial and federal elections will follow simultaneously, beginning in November.

All Nepal is immersed in elections right now.

How do you see the outcome of the elections? Who will be PM?

(Laughs) I cannot say anything now. We would want our party to be the largest, contributing the prime minister.

But one thing I can say with certainty: After this election, Nepal will break from its past of unstable governments and the government that comes to power will rule for five years.

In India, there is anxiety that violence might return to Nepal.

Absolutely not. That phase is over. Violent politics will not return to our country.

IMAGE: Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chinese President Xi Jinping at the G-20 summit in Hamburg, July 7, 2017.
Ministerial expansion: Focus on Purvanchal, Brahmin voters in UP.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi's ministerial reshuffle turned the spotlight on Purvanchal or eastern Uttar Pradesh and the Bharatiya Janata Party's efforts at balancing regions and caste equations, political leaders in Lucknow said.

Shiv Pratap Shukla's induction as a minister of state highlighted the importance of the Brahmin vote for the BJP, they said.

Shukla, who belongs to Gorakhpur, Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath's citadel -- joined the Union council of ministers just days after Mahendra Nath Pandey from Ghazipur, also in eastern UP, was made UP's BJP chief.

Shukla and Pandey are Brahmins, and the moves are being seen as efforts by the BJP to keep the community in its fold for the 2019 Lok Sabha election.

UP Deputy Chief Minister Dinesh Sharma is also a Brahmin.

"Brahmins are being given their due. The expansion is well thought out and balanced. This will strengthen the party for the 2019 Lok Sabha polls," a BJP insider said.

In a bid to also embrace western UP, Modi picked Satyapal Singh, a former Indian Police Service officer representing Baghpat in the Lok Sabha, as a minister of state.

Singh had trounced mighty Jat leader and Rashtriya Lok Dal supremo Ajit Singh, relegating him to the third spot in the west UP constituency in 2014.

Brahmins account for over 10 per cent of the electorate in UP and are considered a force to reckon with in the highly caste-based electoral politics in almost all its regions -- Bundelkhand, Rohilkhand, Purvanchal, Avadh and western UP.

Traditionally seen as Congress supporters, Brahmins started supporting the BJP in large numbers in the post-Mandal era. However, sections later also voted for Mayawati's Bahujan Samaj Party.

Perhaps keeping this factor in mind ahead of the 2019 Lok Sabha election, Pandey was picked up from eastern Uttar Pradesh bordering Bihar.

"Purvanchal (eastern UP) has once again been given importance in the ministry," BJP state spokesman Shalabh Mani Tripathi said.

Pandey, an MP from Chandauli, shot into prominence after his induction into the Union government in July 2016 just months before the assembly election in the state.

The slot has now been filled by Shukla with Pandey being handed over the mantle of party chief in UP, ahead of the parliamentary election less than two years away.

Similarly, Sanjeev Balyan's resignation from the Union ministry was filled by Satyapal Singh.

Balyan, a Jat, is from western UP as is the MP from Baghpat, who, like him, also belongs to the community that dominates the region.

Satyapal Singh, who wanted to be a scientist before he joined the IPS in 1980 and was given the Maharashtra cadre, had earlier said his 'inner voice' urged him to change his profession.

He quit the job of a police officer, became an MP and now as a Union minister aims at working "for the entire country with renewed energy".

The elevation of Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi, who belongs to Rampur in UP and is a member of the Rajya Sabha, to Cabinet rank sends a message to Muslims about the BJP's bid to take the community along, especially after its strong stand against the triple talaq, state BJP leaders said.

"The government has reposed faith in the minorities," UP Minority Affairs Minister Mohsin Raza said.

Illustration: Uttam Ghosh/Rediff.com
Only 40 of the 160 projects under the Namami Gange Mission -- a Rs 20,000 crore project for cleaning the river -- have been completed.

Faced with the herculean task of fulfilling the government's promise of cleaning the Ganga, the Centre needed nothing short of a silver bullet to meet the deadline for the project, which some allege, is being implemented at a snail's pace.

This sluggish implementation is the ostensible reason behind Transport Minister Nitin Gadkari, considered one of the top- performing ministers, getting additional charge of the water resources ministry, sources say.

The ministry is tasked with the responsibility of executing the project dear to Prime Minister Narendra D Modi.

Gadkari replaces Uma Bharti who has now been given charge of drinking water and sanitation in the rejigged Modi Cabinet.

The Centre has set a target of 2018 for cleaning the mighty river which touches the lives of millions of Indians in one way or the other.

According to sources in the water resources ministry, a total of 160 projects, worth around Rs 12,500 crore (Rs 125 billion), have been approved under the Namami Gange Mission -- a Rs 20,000 crore (Rs 200 billion) project for cleaning the river.

These include developing river fronts, setting up sewage treatment plants and construction of ghats and crematoria, among others.

Till now, only 40 projects have been completed, the sources said.

The BJP coming to power in Uttarakhand and Uttar Pradesh, two of the five key Ganga basin states, in March did not help the project gain the expected momentum, they added.

Bihar, West Bengal and Jharkhand are other three Ganga basin states.

In Bihar, the BJP returned to power only towards the end of July.

"The reason offered until six months ago (prior to the UP and Uttarakhand assembly polls) that barring Jharkhand the remaining four states had non-BJP governments, too, seems specious," a source in the water resources ministry said, requesting anonymity.

"Because, even though the BJP came to power in UP and Uttarakhand, things haven't changed much. This could be the reason that there is a change in guard in the ministry as the deadline pressure mounts," the source added.

Gadkari has been associated with the Namami Gange Mission in his capacity as the transport and shipping minister to develop waterways in the 2,525-km river. Sources said this may have worked in his favour.

"Since he is aware of the project in some or the other way, he may not eat into much of the crucial time left to understand the project's nitty-gritty.

"Plus, he is considered as a go-getter, a minister who prefers to hear answers from officers only in either 'yes or no'," the sources added.

Apart from Namami Gange, the water resources ministry is implementing the key Ken-Betwa river-linking project, the first project aimed at connecting two rivers to meet the water needs of drought-prone swathes of the Bundelkhand region, which falls in both Uttar Pradesh and Madhya Pradesh.

The project, too, has been delayed due to environmental clearance issues. The BJP government in Madhya Pradesh refused to give its approval for implementing the project.

Meanwhile, eminent water activist Rajendra Singh has urged the Centre to take up the cleaning of rivers on a priority basis and emphasised the need to educate the present generation about the importance of water bodies.

The Magsaysay Award-winning campaigner was speaking at an international conference in Thane, where speakers called for a ban on building hotels and houses within a 1 km radius of river banks in the country.

The participants highlighted the need to ban hazardous fishing activities and prevent discharge of harmful effluents and town sewage of solid waste into the rivers.

Singh, popularly known as the `Waterman of India', spoke about how the Vedic approach towards environmental crises were about traditional, localised adaption of techniques which were not only decentralised but also cost-effective. They were unlike the modern mitigation techniques which were complicated and cost prohibitive.

IMAGE: Sewage and effluents flow unchecked into the Ganga in Ghazipur. Photograph: Kind courtesy: ITBP
While season seven of American Horror Story may not be the scariest -- unless youre afraid of clowns -- it may be the most satirical.

I can picture co-creators Ryan Murphy and Brad Falchuk talking to each other immediately following the presidential election and saying weve got to use this. And why not? With so much political and social unrest, building a horror series around it is a no-brainer.

While screening the early episodes of Cult, which premieres at 9 p.m Tuesday on FX (Spectrum channel 61), more than once Ive found myself giggling, especially during the second episode written by executive producer Tim Minear, who delivers one dig after another to liberals and conservatives alike.

Theres a scene when political candidate Evan Peters, during a door-to-door canvas of a neighborhood, spouts some facts to homeowner Sarah Paulson about immigration and crime. She questions the numbers' authenticity, asking Peters where he got his information.

Facebook, he replied. Funny stuff. Also, listen closely to Billie Lourd, who plays a nanny. Just about everything she says is a satirical comment, beginning with her reaction to the elections outcome.

Peters and Paulson -- both AHS regulars -- are the main characters here. Instead of lovers, which they portrayed in season sixs Roanoke, they are adversaries, with Peters as a deranged cult leader and Paulson as an emotionally unhinged wife and mother, who becomes a target of Peters.

Unlike the previous six seasons, there is no supernatural element to this one. Its just people being unsavory people, which is scary enough. Grade: B

News and notes

* Danny Elfman composed the theme to The Simpsons, but Alf Clausen has been the man behind the rest of the Fox series music -- until now. Variety reported the animated show fired Clausen after 27 years, with Clausen saying he was told the show wanted a different kind of music.

* Oscar winner Reese Witherspoon, a favorite to win an Emmy later this month for HBOs Big Little Lies, will return to the small screen when she guest stars in a season 6 episode of Mindy Kalings The Mindy Project on Hulu.

* How popular is HBOs Game of Thrones? Consider last weeks season seven finale drew an estimated 16.5 million viewers after replays and streaming were factored in. Those are the kind of numbers The Big Bang Theory and NCIS put up, which air on broadcast (i.e. FREE) television. Viewers must pay to watch HBO.

* A couple of weeks ago I noted actor Vin Diesel is looking to reboot Miami Vice. Well, this should come as no surprise: a reboot of the 1970s cop drama Starsky & Hutch also is in the works, with Guardians of the Galaxy director James Gunn co-writing the pilot and serving as executive producer, according to Deadline.

* Amazon has renewed Transparent for a fifth season, a month ahead of the fourth seasons premiere. Getting renewed for second seasons are EPIXs Get Shorty and FXs Snowfall.
Repeating patterns of birds and flowers fill the skies above rolling fields and bright red barns in the paintings of Jenny Kruger. On view in her Kiechel Fine Arts exhibition Revisions of Home, the paintings are unquestionably landscapes, but theyre clearly not representational.

Rather, they are the views of an artist who has lived in Nebraska since 2013, reflecting on her new home through the prism of her life history.

The daughter of a Mexican mother and an Irishman, Kruger lived in Utah as a child, went to school in Mexico and lived with her family on a sailboat along the Atlantic coast. She studied in Italy, St. Louis and New York, where she received her master's degree from the School of Visual Arts.

My nontraditional upbringing makes me question the innate and environmental influences that compose the individual, Kruger writes in her artists statement. Unable to isolate a single defining location, event or circumstance, I view each person as the sum of all events that shaped her character. Each of us views our surroundings from the point of view of our experience. The landscapes I paint are my perspective on mine.

When I see Nebraska, my current home, I see beauty, mystery, power, and wealth. I feel awe and tremendous pride in calling Nebraska home. Yet, it is from my vantage point as an outsider, an immigrant that I observe my new home. The landscapes I paint are artificial and fantastical, intended to seduce. They are metaphors for my experience as a foreigner in a foreign land.

Those metaphors, however, incorporate traditional Midwestern/regionalist imagery: barns, either red or dilapidated; flowing hills and fields that create the horizon line; birds and flowers. That point is smartly driven home by the inclusion of a pair of John Steuart Curry floral paintings and a Dale Nichols piece with a prominent red barn in the show.

But Kruger combines those elements in fresh fashion, spinning them into juxtapositions of scale  the birds and flowers can be close to life size  and content with the repeating sky patterns over conventional imagery.

By using india ink on birch panels rather than oil or acrylic paint on canvas or linen, Kruger gives her paintings vibrant color and even more pattern that comes from the support, again setting them apart from and, to some measure, commenting on traditional landscape.

Most of the works in the show are larger than those Kiechel has previously exhibited by Kruger and theyre hung with plenty of space throughout the gallerys first floor. That allows the panels of her triptychs and one four-panel piece to be separated rather than pushed together edge to edge.

Splitting of those images creates more dynamics to the paintings, breaking the landscape into pieces while the pattern seems to continue across all the panels in pieces like Elegy, which finds a repeated red parrot in the sky over a landscape dominated by a yellow swath of ground (maybe its ready to harvest wheat).

The majority of the paintings feature barns and farm buildings  the falling apart barn with robins in the sky of Birds of a Feather is particularly evocative. But there are other views  a depiction of cows near a fence line, with purple flowers in the sky in Heartland, and traditional land-and-sky pieces titled Nebraska.

The final group of paintings incorporate wind turbines into the landscape, in large scale in Wind Farm No. 1 with two big turbines and a points and pieces of blades seen on the horizon, and in the two smallest pieces in the show, a pair of studies that are instructive to Krugers process that appear to be bifurcated  the landscape, then the sky pattern that almost always includes interlocked flowers.

There are a handful of departures from the landscape that fit perfectly into the show, depictions Im guessing of the artist and her children. Shes seen Awaiting a Sign in a meditative pose and is found between the kids, all of them sleeping in a Dreamer series, one of the images covered with paisleys.

Those dreams fit with the unreality created by the sky imagery, one of the places where Kruger contemplates her relatively new home that she imaginatively and freshly brings to her paintings.
Leader Kim Jong Un (C) looking at a metal casing at an undisclosed location in an undated picture released by North Korea's official Korean Central News Agency (KCNA), Sept. 3, 2017.

North Korea conducted its most powerful nuclear test to date on Sunday, declaring "perfect success" with an advanced hydrogen bomb and drawing condemnation from Asian neighbors, Europe and the United States.

Pyongyangs sixth nuclear test since 2006 was the first detonation during the seven-month-old administration of President Donald Trump, who condemned North Korea as a "rogue nation" whose policies are very hostile and dangerous to the United States.

North Koreas latest nuclear test at its Punggye-ri testing site was recorded by the United States Geological Survey as a magnitude 6.3 earthquake. South Koreas meteorological agency said Sundays explosion was as much as six times the size of its most recent test, in September 2016.

"North Korea has conducted a major Nuclear Test. Their words and actions continue to be very hostile and dangerous to the United States," Trump wrote in a series of tweets posted Sunday morning.

North Korea is a rogue nation which has become a great threat and embarrassment to China, which is trying to help but with little success," added the president.

Trump's tweet also underscored his skepticism about the utility of diplomacy with North Korea, taking a dig at U.S. ally South Korea's efforts to open dialogue and resume stalled cross-border projects with the North.

South Korea is finding, as I have told them, that their talk of appeasement with North Korea will not work, they only understand one thing! wrote Trump.

South Korea also condemned the test, with President Moon Jae-in quoted by an aide as saying he would never allow North Korea to continue advancing its nuclear and missile technologies.

Trump spoke by telephone with Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe before the test, the White House said.

The two leaders reaffirmed the importance of close cooperation between the United States, Japan and South Korea in the face of the growing threat from North Korea, the White House said in a statement.

China's foreign ministry joined the chorus of criticism of North Korea.

The Chinese government resolutely opposes and strongly condemns this, the ministry said in a statement.

China will work together with the international community to comprehensively and completely implement the relevant resolutions of the Security Council of the UN, unswervingly push forward the denuclearization of the peninsula, and unswervingly maintain the peace and stability of the peninsula, it added.

North Korean state media said that the test of the accuracy of an H-bomb to be placed at the payload of the ICBM was a "perfect success."

North Korea tested an intercontinental ballistic missile for the first time in July, asserting after two firings that month that they could now reach the United States mainland. Last week North Korea firing a missile over Japan and into the Pacific Ocean, in what was seen as a drill for a missile attack on Guam, a U.S. territory.

CNN quoted NORSAR, a Norway-based group that monitors nuclear tests,as saying the device tested on Sunday was more than eight times more powerful than the nuclear bomb dropped on Hiroshima in 1945.
1877: A movement was started to promote the idea of lighting Lincoln streets with a gas light system.

1887: Fourteen Lincoln dairymen signed an agreement stating they would not sell milk for less than 6 cents a quart.

1897: Lincoln businessmen started an auditorium subscription fund with $250 each.

1907: A porter was fined $1.50 for driving a one-horse gig over the speed limit.

1917: Gov. Keith Neville threatened to suspend Omaha police officers who did not enforce the prohibition law.

1927: Federal agents and Lincoln police raided a Lincoln residence, securing considerable amounts of illegal liquor.

An opening-day attendance record was set at the Nebraska State Fair: 35,133.

1937: The opening of schools in Lincoln was postponed one week because of infantile paralysis in the area.

1947: Increases providing an additional $10 for each year of service were authorized for members of the state Safety Patrol.

1957: The University of Nebraska received $2 million from the estate of A.B. Sheldon for construction of an art gallery on campus.

A survey showed 10 percent of Lincoln city employees were moonlighting during their off hours to earn extra income.

1967: State Fair attendance, helped by a "parade of the century," favorable weather and the champagne music of Lawrence Welk, totaled 440,000, a record by 22,000.

Gov. Norbert Tiemann and U.S. Sen. Roman Hruska conferred but agreed their differences on Republican policy were not fully resolved.

1977: Statistics showed more Nebraskans divorcing each other and fewer getting married.

1987: Fifteen public and private schools in Lincoln teamed up with local businesses for "Ventures in Partnerships," a program sponsored by the Lincoln Chamber of Commerce and Lincoln Education Association. Modeled after "adopt-a-school" efforts in Omaha and other cities, the fledgling program that began development in May showed great potential for the future.

1997: Huntington Elementary Schools students started classes 12 days after the regular school year because their classrooms were at State Fair Park while a new school was built at 4601 Adams St.

2007: Union College has reached an enrollment figure that hadnt been seen in 24 years. Union offered free lunches and ice cream to all students and faculty to honor the 1,000 student mark.

The Lincoln-Lancaster County Planning Commission will consider declaring as blighted 403 acres between downtown and Salt Creek as the site for a new arena, convention center. The planning commissions vote is just a recommendation to the Lincoln City Council, which will also be asked to declare the area blighted in about a month.
The number of Rohingya Muslims who have escaped to southeastern Bangladesh from a new wave of violence in Myanmar has surpassed 70,000, stretching humanitarian resources at already crowded refugee camps, the U.N. said Sunday, as local officials struggled to control the rapidly growing influx.



As of Sunday, according to the United Nations refugee agency (UNHCR), at least 73,000 refugees had crossed into Bangladesh since Aug. 25 from Rakhine state, where mass atrocities against civilians have been reported as the Myanmar security forces fight an insurgency group that calls itself the Arakan Rohingya Salavation Army (ARSA).



The current focus is on providing life-saving support within our increasingly strained resources, Vivian Tan, a regional spokesman for UNHCR told BenarNews, an RFA-affiliated online news service.The current figure of 73,000 new arrivals since the last week of August was based on combined estimates from various agencies, she added.



There is an urgent need to register the new arrivals in order to target the assistance, Tan said in an email from Coxs Bazar, a Bangladeshi district that houses refugee camps where at least 400,000 Rohingya, who had fled earlier cycles of violence in Rakhine, are concentrated.



Sundays figure was almost double the total number of new arrivals estimated by the U.N. as of Friday. Two days ago, the estimates of new arrivals since Aug. 25 stood at 38,000.



UNHCR and our U.N. and NGO partners are working with the local authorities to respond as best as we can. In the existing refugee camps of Kutupalong and Nayapara, we are working to provide emergency shelter in schools and community centers, and have also set up temporary structures to provide temporary accommodation, Tan said.



NGOs such as Action Against Hunger were providing hot meals to new arrivals, and members of longer-standing refugee circles had mobilized community kitchens to feed them, she said.



We are working to identify vulnerable arrivals to refer them to the services available, such as medical treatment and psychosocial counseling, Tan added.



Desperate to enter Bangladesh



Since the fighting broke out in Rakhine on Aug. 24, nearly 400 people  mostly ARSA insurgents  have been killed on the Myanmar side of the border, according to the government there.

On the Bangladeshi side, since the crisis began the bodies of at least 54 people have been pulled from the Naf River, after they drowned while trying to cross over to Bangladesh by boat, local authorities said Sunday.



They have been coming in large numbers. We on the administration side have really been struggling to handle them, Ali Hossain, the deputy commissioner of Coxs Bazar, told BenarNews on Sunday night, referring to the thousands of Rohingya who had come over along with hundreds of Hindu families also displaced by violence in Rakhine.



The local government has been giving them some support and humanitarian aid, he said.



A huge number of people have been waiting at different points to enter. We have been trying to convince them to get back to Myanmar. But it is not working, Lt. Col. S.M. Ariful Islam, the commander of the Bangladesh border police in Teknaf, a sub-district of Coxs Bazar, told BenarNews.



They are not listening to us because they are desperate to enter Bangladesh.



Local people were helping out the new arrivals by giving them food, water, medicine and other supplies, Islam said. Injured refugees, he added, were being treated at different hospitals in Coxs Bazar and Chittagong.

There is genocide there



The violence in neighboring Rakhine ignited on Aug. 24 when ARSA carried out multiple attacks on Myanmar police outposts, in which more than 100 people, including dozens of insurgents were killed, according to the Myanmar authorities.



The insurgents say they are fighting to uphold the rights of the stateless Rohingya people, whom Myanmar does not recognize as citizens and whose Buddhist majority refers to pejoratively as Bengalis.



Allegations of atrocities committed by the military or government-backed forces against Rohingya civilians as well as massive acts of arson targeting Rohingya villages in Rakhine have provoked international outrage and concern. ARSA, for its part, has been accused of committing atrocities against local Buddhists.



The dire situation facing our Rohingya brothers and sisters must be alleviated for good of Myanmar & region, Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak said Sunday on Twitter.



Elsewhere, Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan was blunt as he accused the Myanmar government of trying to wipe out the Rohingya people.



There is genocide there, the leader of Muslim majority Turkey said Friday, according to Agence France-Presse. Those who close their eyes to this genocide perpetuated under the cover of democracy are its collaborators.



On Saturday, the Myanmar government reported that more than 2,600 homes had been burned down in Rakhine, but it blamed the Rohingya insurgents for the arson acts.



That day, New York-based Human Rights Watch released satellite images showing several hundred buildings burning in Chein Khar Li, a Rohingya Muslim village in Rathedaung Township.



This new satellite imagery shows the total destruction of a Muslim village, and prompts serious concerns that the level of devastation in northern Rakhine State may be far worse than originally thought, Phil Robertson, deputy Asia director at Human Rights Watch, said in a statement.



Yet this is only one of 17 sites that weve located where burnings have taken place. Independent monitors are needed on the ground to urgently uncover whats going on, he added.



Meanwhile, Myanmar State Counselor Aung San Suu Kyi, who was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for her past efforts in leading her nations pro-democracy movement while Myanmars ruling generals kept her under house arrest, has been widely criticized for not speaking out against or acting to stop the violence against the Rohingya.



She has been the target of pro-Rohingya street protests in Malaysia and in Indonesia, where a small group of activists demonstrated outside the Myanmar embassy in Jakarta on Saturday. According to reports, a small fire broke out Sunday morning when someone threw a Molotov cocktail at the embassy.



Also on Sunday, the Indonesian government announced that Foreign Affairs Minister Retno Marsudi was traveling to Myanmar and Bangladesh to hold talks with officials in both countries about the crisis in Rakhine.



Retno is expected to arrive in Dhaka on Tuesday, said Manjarul Karim Khan Chowdhury, director general in charge of the Southeast Asia desk at Bangladeshs foreign ministry.



We will discuss many bilateral issues with her, and infiltration of Myanmar nationals into Bangladesh will be one of the issues of discussion, Chowdhury told BenarNews.

Reported by BenarNews, an RFA-affiliated online news service.
This month, Middlebridge School science teacher Marjory Stevens sailed aboard the research vessel Endeavor as part of the Rhode Island Teachers at Sea Program. During the three-night journey, Stevens and 11 other teachers from around the state assisted in the research of University of Rhode Island Graduate School of Oceanography students, who were examining ocean currents, sea-floor minerals and plankton populations. Pictured above is Stevens with the multicore research device.
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Construction on a modern office building modeled on the headquarters of Silicon Valley tech companies and other university research parks is underway at Nebraska Innovation Campus.

Footings for the three-story, 80,000-square-foot facility being built northeast of 21st Street and Transformation Drive were being poured this week and elevator shafts are expected to soon rise above the space on the former State Fairgrounds.

Work to clear dirt for a new parking lot on the campus has also been completed.

Tetrad Property Group, which is privately funding and developing the $15.3 million building  which includes $3.1 million in tax-increment financing  at the research park, plans to open the building to tenants in late summer 2018.

A team representing Innovation Campus toured several companies and research parks in San Francisco and Toronto to learn what spaces young professionals want to work in, using those experiences to influence the design of the new building.

The design is a modern take on office space, said Josh Berger, director of operations for Tetrad. The amenities weve included in the building reflect what we have learned about what the next generation of the workforce wants in their working environment.

The three-story, multiuse facility will be business-focused with a business incubator and spaces designed to spur collaboration.

While it wont feature classrooms, laboratories or conference centers the way other facilities on the campus do, developers expect the new building to still be a hub for students  particularly as student entrepreneurs launch their own enterprises.

Multiple companies have shown interest in the new building and have begun negotiating lease agreements for office space when the building opens, according to Kate Engel, director of communication and culture at the campus.

The new building will connect into the existing Centralized Renewable Energy System that uses wastewater from the nearby Theresa Street Wastewater Treatment Facility to heat and cool buildings at Innovation Campus and maintain a low carbon footprint.

The as-of-yet unnamed building marks the next phase of development at Innovation Campus.

In the first phase, contractors transformed the Industrial Arts Building and the 4-H Building into offices, laboratories and conference halls, while also building new facilities such as the Nebraska Innovation Commons and the Plant Innovation Center.

The University of Nebraska-Lincoln moved its Department of Food Science and Technology into the former Industrial Arts Building  now the Food Innovation Center  in 2015, which through an agreement with Tetrad triggered development on the new building.
A half-dozen members of a heroin distribution network learned in recent weeks that theyll each spend years behind bars.

The network was headed by a Chesterfield County man, Richard J. Pontani, who would travel to New Jersey to get drugs and bring them back for resale throughout the Richmond area.

Investigators said a conservative estimate is that Pontani brought 5.5 pounds of heroin into the area from September 2016 to the time of his March arrest. That would have an estimated street value of $250,000.

Pontani, 51, will not learn of his sentence on seven drug charges until Dec. 5, but Henrico County Circuit Judge James Stephen Yoffy over the past two weeks has sentenced other members of the network who were convicted of conspiracy to distribute the heroin locally or of helping to bring it into the state.

To explain how they got involved in dealing drugs for the network, some of the defendants told the judge at an Aug. 25 hearing that they had struggled with their own drug addiction.

I have no excuses for it other than I was an addict, said Tommy Taylor, a 35-year-old Henrico man convicted of dealing drugs for the network.

Bennico Cooper, a 33-year-old Henrico woman who plead guilty in June to a pair of drug charges in the ring, made a similar statement at that same sentencing hearing.

If it wasnt for my addiction, I probably wouldnt be in this courtroom today, Cooper said.

The judge told both Taylor and Cooper that their efforts contributed to a tragic addiction cycle.

In order to support your addiction, you got other people addicted, Yoffy said.

Yoffy gave Taylor a six-year sentence. He sentenced Cooper to a total active prison sentence of nine years on her two drug charges.

Kristopher Lavalliere, 32, of Chesterfield got a six-year sentence for a drug distribution charge at the Aug. 25 hearing. Randy David Reblora, a 39-year-old Chesterfield resident, received a five-year sentence at that hearing, while Damien Rock, a 35-year-old Richmond man, received six years on a pair of drug charges

A week later, Ryan Dillon, a 22-year-old Richmond man, got a five-year sentence in the case. The first person to be sentenced was 45-year-old William Clowney, a Henrico man who prosecutors said was a low-level figure in the network. Clowney was sentenced in June to serve 18 months, said Susan Parrish, an assistant commonwealths attorney for Henrico.

The defendants roles in the network varied, Parrish said.

Investigators said that beyond his drug trade, Pontani was a hard worker who did have a legitimate business doing stucco work. He would sometimes use the money from the drug business to help cover costs in his stucco business, investigators said.

I think his ultimate goal was probably to be able to support himself legitimately, Henrico police detective C.R. Hoover said. But the drug business took off. The customers dont go away.

Hoover said some of the defendants worked at the stucco business and took at least some of their payment from Pontanti in drugs to feed their own addiction, Hoover said.

(Pontani) was the one who established the situation where people were dependent on him for their addiction or their money, Hoover said.

In March, police arrested Pontani on Interstate 95 in Chesterfield with a kilogram of heroin in his vehicle, Hoover said. The detective said that kilogram also contained fentanyl, a powerful synthetic opioid that can be absorbed through the skin.

G. Russell Stone, Pontanis attorney, said that after being confronted by the police, his client was up front that he had been bringing large amounts of heroin to the area.

Hes a really self-aware, smart, intelligent guy who I think got involved in this stuff due to financial circumstances and things of that nature, Stone said in a telephone interview. He was not living high on the hog. Its not like he was driving a Ferrari or living in a mansion or anything like that.

Pontanis wife, Aerrie Sammon, 53, will be sentenced Dec. 5. on a pair of drug charges in the case. Another woman, Elise Williams, 27, of Chesterfield will be sentenced in February on drug charges for her part in the network, court records show.
A 28-year-old man was shot and injured early Sunday at a Petersburg apartment complex, police said.

The shooting was reported at 12:25 a.m. in the 1800 block of Boydton Plank Road, according to a police news release.

The victim was taken to Southside Regional Medical Center in Petersburg to be treated for injuries police said were not life-threatening.

Police asked that anyone with information contact the Petersburg/Dinwiddie Crime Solvers at (804) 861-1212 or text the keyword pdcash followed by a tip to 274637.
A 38-year-old Richmond man died after he was found shot in the 3400 block of Walmsley Boulevard early Sunday morning, police said.

Officers were called to that area shortly after midnight for a report of random gunfire, according to a police news release.

The victim was identified as Leonard S. Carr, who lived in the same block of Walmsley Boulevard. He died at the scene from gunshot wounds, police said.

Detectives asked that anyone with information call police at (804) 646-3926, Crime Stoppers at (804) 780-1000 or at www.7801000.com.
When last seen two years ago, a wheelchair-bound Russian national-turned-Afghan jihadist was preaching in an unlikely forum  the federal courthouse in Richmond.

Wounded and captured in a 2009 firefight with United States paratroopers, Irek Hamidullin delivered a 30-minute screed shortly before he was sentenced to life plus 30 years in prison by U.S. District Judge Henry Hudson in a still-unsettled criminal case with groundbreaking legal issues and highly unusual facts.

Last month, the Richmond-based Fourth U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, which normally decides cases less than three months after hearing argument, ordered Hamidullins case be to be re-argued in December  a year after it first heard arguments in Hamidullins appeal.

Complications include the retirement last week of one of the three judges on the panel initially handling the case and an unsuccessful attempt by at least one judge  for reasons not specified  to have the entire court take up the case instead of the three-judge panel.

Hamidullin appears to be the first non-American to be tried as a criminal in a U.S. civilian court for his alleged conduct on a foreign battlefield. His 15 convictions in a 2015 jury trial include attempting to destroy a U.S. military aircraft, conspiracy to use a weapon of mass destruction and attempting to kill an officer of the United States.

His lawyers argued to the appeals court panel last year that Hudson erred when ruling that Hamidullin could be prosecuted and was not entitled to the immunity afforded legitimate enemy combatants. Since then, the appeals court has asked for briefs on whether Hudson, or the military, has jurisdiction to answer that question.

Though exceptional, Hamidullins case is no longer unique: Ahmed Abu Khatallah, a Libyan and the alleged leader of the 2012 attacks on the U.S. Embassy in Benghazi, Libya, is awaiting criminal trial in federal court in Washington.

Dru Brenner-Beck, a retired U.S. Army lieutenant colonel and former judge advocate who has done legal research and writing on Guantanamo cases, said one of the reasons such cases are popping up is because conflicts often involve insurgents and terrorists rather than conventional military foes.

When conflicts involve groups the U.S. considers to be terrorist organizations and not legitimate armed forces, the U.S. position at times has been that if an applicable federal law has been broken, the members can be tried in federal court, she said.

That is what I think Abu Khatallah is facing, and I think its what youre seeing with Hamidullin, said Brenner-Beck.

Lawyers in the offices of the U.S. attorney and federal public defender declined to comment last week on the status of the case. The appeal was filed in December 2015 and argued before the three-judge panel last December, with new arguments set for this December.

Carl Tobias, a professor at the University of Richmond School of Law and expert on the Fourth Circuit, said, Its hard to read the tea leaves. But he said it is unusual for the court to take so long between initial argument, asking for more briefing and then rescheduling new argument.

All of that is extraordinary, he said

He said it is likely the request for new arguments is related to the retirement of Judge Andre M. Davis, who left Thursday to become solicitor for the city of Baltimore.

Tobias pointed out it will be a year from the date of the first argument in the case to the one now set for this December. He speculates that the amount of time spent on the case thus far, the request for yet more briefs and the effort to get the full court to hear the case point to the complications involved and suggest that the original panel was split.

A one-page order filed by the court on July 31 shows that the judges polled themselves on whether to take the case up as a full court. The measure lost in a 2-13 vote. Only one of the members of the original three-judge panel, Judge Henry F. Floyd, voted in favor of the full court handling it.

The full court rarely takes up matters initially, as it did earlier this year over President Donald Trumps travel ban, unless it is a matter of serious public importance. Instead, virtually all cases are first assigned to three-judge panels, Tobias said.

After turning down hearing the case as a full court, on Aug. 10, the case was tentatively rescheduled for argument during its December session and the parties were authorized to file more briefs by Sept. 11.

The court had also asked each side for supplemental briefs on June 23 on whether Hudson had jurisdiction to first decide if Hamidullin qualifies as a prisoner of war under the Third Geneva Convention or if Army Regulation 190-8 required a military tribunal to determine the legal status of a detainee.

The government argues among other things that Hudson had jurisdiction to rule that Hamidullin did not qualify as a prisoner of war because the Taliban did not satisfy the Third Geneva Convention requirements a military organization must meet for its members to qualify for lawful combatant status.

The prosecution contends that by 2009 when Hamidullin was captured on a battlefield, the conflict with the Taliban was a non-international armed conflict and the regulation applies only to international conflicts.

And even if it did apply, the regulation does not call for a tribunal decision for every captured individual, only when there is doubt as to their legal status. President George W. Bush, a competent authority, determined in 2002 that Taliban detainees do not qualify for POW status.

Hamidullins lawyers counter that the government is wrong. The Afghanistan conflict is the first time the United States (has denied) the applicability of the Geneva Conventions to opposing forces in an armed conflict, his lawyers wrote.

They ask the appeals court to vacate Hamidullins convictions and order his return to military custody.

Brenner-Beck said, Its interesting in that somehow its morphed into a jurisdictional challenge to federal court because clearly federal court has jurisdiction to try violations of federal law. She said similar challenges were unsuccessfully raised by Guantanamo prisoners.

The case stems from a 2009 predawn attack on an Afghan border police camp led by Hamidullin. No Afghans or Americans were killed or wounded, but the attackers were wiped out except for Hamidullin, who fired on Afghan police and U.S. soldiers sent to mop up and do battle damage assessment.

After his wounding and capture, he was held at the Bagram Air Force base in Afghanistan, where he implicated himself in surreptitiously recorded statements made to the FBI and was later flown to Virginia for trial.

In a pretrial ruling Hudson wrote, This case presents issues of war in a unique context. This courts analysis focuses on the legality, not the wisdom or foreign policy implications, of this prosecution.

While many of the principles governing the issues at hand have been well-developed in courts of the United States, their application to a group of insurgents purportedly affiliated with the Taliban is a venture into a new frontier, he added.

In siding with the government on the question of whether Hamidullin was entitled to lawful combatant status, he wrote that his analysis focuses on the legality, not the wisdom or foreign policy implications, of this prosecution.

While the appeals court attempts to settle things, Hamidullin, a 57-year-old former Soviet tank commander and Muslim convert, is being held at the federal supermax prison in Florence, Colo., home of 430 inmates deemed the most dangerous in the federal prison system.
President Donald Trump intends to nominate Greg Ibach as the USDA under secretary for marketing and regulatory programs, according to a release from the White House.

Ibach is the director of the Nebraska Department of Agriculture.

Sen. Deb Fischer said in a release that she's happy with Trump's decision and is "pleased the president accepted my recommendation of such an impressive Nebraskan."

Ibach is a University of Nebraska-Lincoln alumnus who spent much of his career at Farm Credit Services before holding several roles within the state Department of Agriculture. He's spent the last 12 years as the department's director.

He runs a cow/calf and grain operation in Sumner.

Gov. Pete Ricketts congratulated Ibach, saying in a news release that he looks forward to continuing to work with Ibach, who will be a resource for Nebraska as well as the USDA.

During his 12 years as director of the Nebraska Department of Agriculture, Greg helped grow Nebraska by building the Nebraska brand and Nebraskas international trade relationships, Rickets said.

After the president makes a formal nomination, the Senate will vote to confirm Ibach.

The USDA under secretary for marketing and regulatory programs supervises policy development and day-to-day operations of the Agricultural Marketing Service, Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service, and Grain Inspection, Packers and Stockyards Administration.

Ricketts noted that Ibach will bring broad experience to his new role from his work with Nebraskas animal and plant health programs, as well as the livestock disease traceability program.

Sen. Ben Sasse commended Ibach.

"A Nebraskan through and through, Greg has served our state well, and I have full faith that he will serve America with the same skill and hard work," Sasse said in a news release. "Nebraska's farmers and ranchers congratulate Greg and his family on the President's decision to invite him to this new calling."
A Place for All Conservatives to Speak Their Mind.
Twenty years after the memoir about his life was published, Morrie Schwartz is still teaching lessons about life, love, forgiveness and generosity.

That, says author and Free Press columnist Mitch Albom, is more than he ever hoped for Tuesdays with Morrie, the book he wrote about lessons learned from weekly visits with Schwartz, his favorite college professor and mentor, in the months leading up to his death in 1995 of ALS, a progressive neurodegenerative disease.

Last week, when he appeared on Oprah Winfreys show, SuperSoul Sunday, on OWN, Albom talked about how those lessons still resonate.

Im happy that Morrie still gets to teach, Albom said. For someone whos not even here to have that kind of influence 20 years later, I think every teacher dreams about having that kind of effect. And (Oprah) helped bring that to the world.

It was Winfreys 1997 television endorsement, Albom said, that made his book. Most of the publishers we went to werent interested, he said, and Oprah helped turn it into an international best-seller.

I dont even know how Oprah Winfrey found out about it, he said. But she found it, and after I did the show, I remember the president of her company called my publisher and said, I dont know how many books you have out there, but you should probably print up some more.

As soon as the show aired, the country was sold out; you couldnt get them anywhere in America for like three weeks until they reprinted them again.

I always was grateful to her for finding Tuesdays with Morrie when nobody else had really known it was out.

The SuperSoul Sunday episode featuring Albom was filmed at Winfreys Santa Barbara, California, home.

He was impressed with her interview skills 20 years ago, and was equally impressed at this meeting, noting that Winfrey had the latest edition of his book which includes Alboms reflections two decades after Schwartzs death.

She asked me what did I mean by this, and what did I mean by that, he said. Shes still the same after all these years and despite all her success. She takes every book very seriously, and every interview very seriously. We were very comfortable seeing each other.

She asked me a lot about the lessons that still resonate from the time that I spent with Morrie. The ones that resonate with her and the ones that resonate with me as weve both gotten older, and which ones have been easier to live up to than others and the impact that the book has had around the world, what Ive seen and where Ive gone and what Ive put into action, and how its changed me, how its changed the trajectory of my life.

Albom said Winfrey was curious about his work in Haiti, where he operates the Have Faith Haiti Orphanage/Mission in Port-au-Prince, and about his time with Medjerda (Chika) Jeune, a little girl from the orphanage who had incurable brain cancer and came to live with Albom and his wife, Janine. Chika became part of their family; she died in April.

She knew about that, and she asked me about what that was like, he said, noting that his experiences with Schwartz and his time with Chika had some parallels.

It was almost to the month 20 years earlier, I found out Morrie had ALS and 20 years later, I found out Chika had a brain tumor, he said. And in both cases, my life changed dramatically once I heard that news.

You know, in Morries case, I started to go and visit him, and everything that led to. In Chikas case, I brought her to America, thinking wed be able to take care of it and shed be back in Haiti in a month or two. But she never left; she never went home. She was here for two years.

The hourlong show, he said, affords him the chance to talk in depth about the lessons he learned from Schwartz and how his time with Chika also touched his life.

SuperSoul Sunday is a thinking show; its a philosophical show, he said. Winfrey talks about things that resonate for other people. Its not an interview. Its not about like, Tell us about what its like to be an author. Its not about that at all.

Rather, he said, Winfrey explores deeper questions about issues like forgiveness, and why Schwartzs mantra  forgive everybody everything  is one shes come to embrace over the years.

Ive had a lot of people say to me, Oh, I saw you on Oprah, talking about Tuesdays with Morrie. Well, to all the people whove said that to me over the years, heres the second part of that conversation. Its 20 years later, and weve finished talking about it. Hopefully, theyll enjoy it. I felt very honored that she had taken the book very seriously 20 years ago and still does.
Theres been a lot of talk lately about tearing down certain statues and monuments around the Old Dominion. But such an endeavor is inherently negative and backward gazing.

Wouldnt it be better to look forward, and spend the time and energy conceiving new edifices to honor Virginia historical figures?

Heres a modest proposal for one.

The honoree in question was a World War II and Korean War veteran who achieved the rank of commander in the U.S. Navy. An ardent anti-Communist, he held a diehard belief that America is a Christian nation.

In 1959, he established a political organization in Virginia, elements of which spread across the United States and are still growing today. His profile rose through electrifying speeches he delivered far and wide  including in Roanoke  and via interviews on TV, radio and in national publications.

In 1965, he was on the ballot for governor and pulled thousands of votes. Arguably, that puts him in the ranks of Virginia statesmen.

And almost exactly 50 years ago, a Nazi assassin gunned him down in Arlington. So you could call the fellow a martyr, too. That half-century mark suggests its time we consider a monument, or statue, or at least a plaza, park or street name.

The honoree would be George Lincoln Rockwell  founder of the American Nazi Party.

Right now you may be thinking, What?! Honor a Nazi? and Is Casey nuts? People have been asking the latter question for decades. As for the former, theres a case to be made for a Rockwell monument in Virginia.

Like it or not, George Lincoln Rockwell is part of Virginia history. We cant change that, and we shouldnt deny it. Its a fact. Rather than cast judgment on our past, and negative emotions attached to it, we should acknowledge it and move on. Erasing history smacks of totalitarianism. Even worse, it denies our heritage and culture.

Right?

Rockwell certainly was a controversial figure in Virginia and America. The eldest offspring of two vaudeville performers, he left Brown University after less than two years and enlisted in the Navy, where he was commissioned as an officer and became an aviator. Tall, dark haired and handsome, he smoked a corncob pipe like Gen. Douglas MacArthur, one of his idols.

Rockwells views on Anti-Semitism and racial separation crystallized late in his military career. That ultimately led the Navy to discharge him (honorably) in 1960, after 19 years service. They booted Rockwell one year short of his eligibility for a full pension. In that respect, he was an early victim of political correctness  discriminated against because of his beliefs.

A year earlier, he had formed the American Nazi Party and established its headquarters in Arlington. Rockwell believed blacks were inherently inferior to whites, and once told an interviewer that it was easier to train chimpanzees for certain tasks.

But Rockwell claimed he didnt hate the black race. Occasionally he spoke admiringly of Elijah Muhammad and Malcolm X, who had espoused black separatism.

Rockwell advocated fiercely for deportation  of all African-Americans to Africa. He seemed to hate some black leaders, too, and invented racially disparaging nicknames for them.

That rhetorical technique endures today, with elected officials who derisively refer to Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass. as Pocahontas.

The Nazi leader also despised the media, even as he used it to spread his message. Fifty years before fake news entered the American lexicon, Rockwell was trashing journalists for the stuff they wrote about him. In a 1967 speech at UCLA, he said: Wherever I speak, ladies and gentlemen, I tape every word of every interview, because I am lied about every day, every hour, every minute, so much.

You can hear echoes of that in 2017. Its another sign of Rockwells lasting influence.

Rockwell idolized Adolf Hitler, and compared the German dictator to Jesus. (Rockwell compared himself to St. Paul.) As you might guess, much of Rockwells hatred was reserved for Jews. He believed they were fomenting a global communist takeover, and were at the root of all the worlds problems.

Such sentiments arent necessarily a relic of the past. Consider the torchlight procession at the University of Virginia the night of Aug. 11, where marchers defiantly chanted, Jews will not replace us! Does anyone doubt Rockwell wouldnt have considered those demonstrators very fine people?

Rockwell and some cohorts visited Roanoke on Aug. 10, 1963, as he barnstormed Virginia to recruit counter-protestors for the 1963 March on Washington. He and his followers came here even though the politically correct Roanoke City Council wouldnt allow him an indoor public space for his speech.

Instead, Rockwell chose Elmwood Park. On a Saturday night, he spoke for 40 minutes to about 400 people. According to The Roanoke Times coverage, he drew applause after proclaiming: My dear fellow white Virginians, the white race is not going down the drain! The crowd cheered when Rockwell dared then-Attorney General Bobby Kennedy to arrest him.

Four years later in northern Virginia, Rockwell was gunned down by one of his own associates, who hed kicked out of the American Nazi Party over a disagreement. That happened Aug. 25, 1967, in the parking lot of the Dominion Hills Shopping Center in Arlington. The gunman hid on the shopping center roof, sniper style, with a German-made rifle. He caught Rockwell outside a coin laundry where the Nazi leader was washing his clothes.

A week ago Friday, on the 50th anniversary of the assassination, six neo-Nazis showed up at the commercial strip center with a large, swastika-emblazoned flag and a small wreath of commemoration. As startled onlookers watched uncomfortably, the Nazis gave an 88-second stiff-armed salute. (In neo-Nazi circles, the number 88 means Heil Hitler because H is the eighth letter of the alphabet.)

One could argue its outrageous that an occasion marking such a moment in Virginia history had to be so clumsily improvised outside of whats now a humble barber shop. For one thing, it disturbed some patrons who were peacefully seeking haircuts. Their eyes nearly popped out of their sockets.

Consider: If there was a statue, or a plaza, or something  anything  named after Rockwell, those neo-Nazis could have honored their hero and their heritage more solemnly, in classier trappings. But theres no such public place or marker anywhere in the commonwealth. Its as if the history of Rockwell and his Arlington-based movement has been expunged from Virginia.

That calls to mind a campaign email Republican gubernatorial candidate Ed Gillespie sent out Tuesday, urging supporters to oppose the dismantling of the many Virginia statues and monuments celebrating Confederate leaders  who fought to split the country in two, and for the continuation of slavery.

I think we should keep them up, Gillespie was quoted in the email. We should teach history  NOT erase it.

Its quite an argument. You could cite the same reasoning for erecting a statue to George Lincoln Rockwell.

How about in Elmwood Park?
Roanokes only remaining school named after a Confederate general could be renamed.

In response to citizen requests, the Roanoke School Board plans to evaluate the name of Stonewall Jackson Middle School, board Chairwoman Annette Lewis said.

We are developing a committee to address the request, Lewis wrote in an email.

The board is still choosing its members, she said.

The middle school was built in 1923 and named after Thomas Stonewall Jackson, the Confederate commander who earned his nickname in the First Battle of Manassas (Bull Run) in 1861 and campaigned until his death following a friendly fire incident at Chancellorsville in 1863.

A portrait of Jackson also hangs in the school, district spokesman Justin McLeod said.

Its hard to tell how many schools in Virginia are named after Confederates. The Southern Poverty Law Center, which looked for schools named after well-known generals, tallied up 21 throughout the state. The SPLCs list didnt include schools named for less-prominent members of the Confederacy though, like A.P. Hill Elementary in Petersburg or Turner Ashby High in Rockingham County.

In July, Fairfax Countys school board voted to rename J.E.B. Stuart High, named for a Confederate cavalry officer. A new name hasnt been decided.

Since the Unite the Right rally in Charlottesville last month ended in the deaths of two state police troopers and one woman who was protesting the gathering of white supremacists, many have called on districts to change the names of schools named in honor of Confederates.

Besides Fairfax, a few other districts are considering name changes as well. Hampton City Schools plan to hold public hearings about the possibility of renaming two of its schools named for Confederate President Jefferson Davis and Gen. Robert E. Lee. In Prince William County, the school board chairman started a GoFundMe campaign to raise money to change the name of two schools named for Jackson.

SPLCs survey of schools, compiled in 2016, found that most schools named after Confederates were built between 1950 and 1970, largely after Brown v. Board of Education mandated school integration.

Roanokes middle school was built far earlier than that, but still during a time when Jim Crow laws ruled the South and mandated segregation. Another Roanoke school named for a Confederate general, Lee Junior High, was built in 1911. That school was torn down to make way for the Poff Federal Building.

Among the 109 schools nationwide that SPLC identified, about a quarter have student populations that are majority black. At Roanokes Jackson Middle, about 23 percent of students were black in 2016-17, according to enrollment data. Minority students made up almost 53 percent of students last year.

Black students make up a plurality of the district as a whole, about 45 percent last year.
Blake Collingsworth understands the value of a life jacket.

In June 2008, Collingsworth's 2-year-old son, Joshua, drowned in a backyard pool at their home near Wilderness Park after wandering outside during a family get-together.

He wasn't wearing a life jacket.

In the wake of the tragedy, Collingsworth and his wife Kathy founded the Joshua Collingsworth Foundation, to promote better water safety and education.

This summer, the foundation started a new initiative promoting safe swimming and boating at two of Nebraska's state recreational areas with life jacket stations where people can borrow jackets for free.

And the program has been working.

Stations at Branched Oak and Pawnee lakes near Lincoln  where swimmers and boaters can borrow free life jackets  have been emptying out almost daily this summer, says Collingsworth.

The stations were implemented Memorial Day weekend, in hopes of helping people who may have forgotten a life jacket at the lakes stay safe.

Collingsworth introduced the idea earlier this year to the East Lincoln Rotary Club, who agreed to fund 20 life jackets at both lakes.

The stations include life jackets in varying sizes stored in boxes near boat slips at the lake. Lake-goers can borrow a life jacket as needed and are expected to return it to the station at the end of the day.

"Some people come unprepared, with not enough life jackets for everyone or not the proper fitting," said Collingsworth. "So these stations are making a difference. It would be no different if you had an old car and you could loan someone a seatbelt."

The Collingsworths have been advocates for safe swimming and drowning prevention since July 2008, when they founded the Joshua Collingsworth Foundation.

The foundation is meant, "to educate children and adults worldwide about water safety through the utilization of drowning prevention campaigns and early childhood water safety training," according to its website.

In 2011, Blake Collingsworth authored "Josh the Baby Otter," a children's book about safe swimming that has sold over 120,000 copies worldwide.

Like "Josh the Baby Otter," the life jacket stations educate the public through signs at the station promoting proper life jacket protocol, said Collingsworth, who also serves as the vice president of the National Drowning Prevention Alliance.

The stations have had to be restocked occasionally as people forget to return the life jackets.

Dave Brown, a sailing instructor at Branched Oak Lake, said the stations work well, even if some jackets go missing.

"At least for now, you can say at least 30 people have life jackets who didn't have them before," said Brown, who is at the lake nearly three times a week. "Life jackets are a mandatory thing and people should wear them. Unfortunately, people who drown, most weren't wearing one."

Eighty percent of fatal boating accident victims drown and of those victims, 83 percent were not wearing a life jacket, according to U.S. Coast Guard.

Nebraska Game and Parks regulations mandate that boats must carry U.S. Coast Guard-approved life jackets for every person aboard.

Collingsworth is glad his son's legacy is having an impact on people, even if it's difficult to directly measure the success of the life jacket stations.

"We're doing this in his memory and it's touching other people's lives," Collingsworth said. "
RICHMOND  State officials say they knew weeks in advance of a now-infamous white nationalist rally in Charlottesville that the event had all the ingredients for violence and mayhem.

But on the day of the protest, the police officers stationed between rally attendees and counterprotesters were outfitted in their standard uniforms and initially did not intervene in the melee that quickly spiraled out of control.

We were hoping for a peaceful event, said Charlottesville Police Chief Al Thomas at a press conference two days after the rally. Once the violence erupted, we had to quickly transition our officers into their protective gear.

The approach stands out in contrast to the departments forceful response to a much smaller rally in July organized by the Klu Klux Klan in a similar park a few blocks away, where officers outfitted with riot helmets and shields formed two lines, parting the sea of anti-racist protesters to create a path for the Klan.

After the KKK rally was over, riot police dispersed protesters lingering in the road, eventually firing three tear gas canisters to force the crowd to leave.

The action caused a storm of blowback for the Charlottesville City Council, raising the question of whether the political fallout over tactics used at the first rally influenced the tactics used at the second.

At the so-called Unite the Right rally in August, where there was little to no physical separation between white nationalists and the counterprotesters, officers in riot gear were used to clear the park only after the melee was declared an unlawful assembly.

That declaration, which forced the white nationalists back into the streets, preceded more violence, including the deadly car attack near the Downtown Mall and the beating of a young black man at a nearby parking garage.

Virginia State Police spokeswoman Corinne Geller said law enforcement used the same assessment method for both rallies, equipping its officers as needed in reaction to conditions in the crowd.

The uniforms of those on that assignment reflect the environment, Geller said. As the potential for violence and the threat escalates, then we advance to a more tactical uniform.

Some 22 people were arrested during the July KKK rally, prompting anti-racist activists to demand that the charges be dropped for those who stood up to the Klan. Police made only a handful of arrests on the day of the so-called Unite the Right rally in August, but arrest totals have ticked up as police track down suspects using video and photos of apparent crimes.

Some officials have defended the police tactics by stressing that, apart from the car driving into the crowd, few serious injuries occurred near the rally itself, even with numerous armed people in the mix.

After facing accusations of being overly aggressive at the KKK rally, police are now under fire for a response many saw as too mild. On Friday, a Charlottesville man announced a federal lawsuit claiming officers stood by while he was beaten and maced.

City and state officials, who have adamantly denied speculation that officers were told to stand down, said the political atmosphere in Charlottesville did not influence their planning for the rally.

We certainly heard the criticism concerning the use of chemical irritants after the July 8th event, City Manager Maurice Jones said in a written statement. However that criticism did not fundamentally affect the decision-making of the Charlottesville Police Department or our partners with the Virginia State Police as they prepared for and responded to the events of August 12th.

In a post-rally email included in a leaked memo, city council member Kristin Szakos said the citys elected body had been counseling restraint. In an interview, Szakos declined to elaborate on whether the council made specific suggestions about how police should respond to the second rally.

Charlottesville Mayor Mike Signer has repeatedly said he and other council members have no authority to give orders to law enforcement under the citys council-manager form of government. On the day of the August rally, Signer tried to enter a police command center and became frustrated when he wasnt allowed in.

City and state police officials were in regular contact during the planning stage, but Gov. Terry McAuliffe also took the unusual step of calling Signer to offer security recommendations and said after the rally that he wants to explore ways to give the state more operational control when state police are deployed in significant force.

The governor wasnt dissuaded by criticisms, said Secretary of Public Safety and Homeland Security Brian Moran. He ordered up the National Guard for the first time in decades.

Though officials say they were hoping for a peaceful event, a vivid preview of the Aug. 12 violence played out the night before as torch-wielding white nationalists clashed with protesters on the University of Virginia grounds.

Despite all the warnings, law enforcement experts say there are valid reasons police might not have wanted to show up in riot gear.

When youre in a regular uniform, what youre really showing is, were here if needed to help you have a peaceful protest, said Tod Burke, a professor of criminal justice at Radford University. When you start bringing in militarized equipment, youre saying that youre expecting something worse, and it could lead to escalation.

At the same time, Burke said, it can work the other way: A show of force can act as a deterrent, he said.

William Pelfrey, an associate professor of criminal justice at VCUs Wilder School, agreed. He said the militarization of police and how to best respond to civil unrest is something police departments across the country have been grappling with for decades.

When you look more like an army than police  with helmets, batons and shields  you elicit a certain reaction from people, but Im not sure how relevant that is for this group, because a whole lot of participants showed up looking like that, he said.

Another possible explanation?

Public criticism has a significant influence on police action, he said.

In July, the council was berated at length by activists and residents angered by what they saw as a militarized response to the KKK rally.

We have profound concerns with the militarized law enforcement presence on July 8, with police wearing riot gear, driving armored vehicles and carrying weapons typically reserved for war zones, said Mary Bauer, the executive director of the Legal Aid Justice Center and one of a dozen speakers to criticize the citys handling of the KKK rally.

We ask the city to acknowledge that this choice to use these kinds of tactics instead of planning for de-escalation is inconsistent with Charlottesvilles values and good policing.

Bauer called for an inquiry into why state police were dressed in riot gear and why tear gas was deployed.

At the same meeting, activist Jalane Schmidt handed Mayor Mike Signer an emptied tear gas canister she said had been launched at her during the rally.

You dropped something, councilor, she said, ending her comment with a call for restraint by police going forward. This has to stop, this militarization of the police. When theres militarization, the inevitable result is violence. To a hammer, everythings a nail.

The citizen backlash appeared to have at least some influence on the thinking of city officials.

Council member Wes Bellamy urged his colleagues to keep in mind the complaints about police being too aggressive.

Bellamy said he agreed with activist calls for an investigation into the police response to the first rally, particularly the use of riot gear and tear gas.

Some of this has to be true in some shape, form or fashion, Bellamy said.

We cant act as if none of it is true or that all of these people are making this stuff up.
OMAHA  Douglas County Sheriff's deputies shot and wounded one person after the suspect fired at them.

The deputies were responding to a possible hostage situation on the southwest edge of Omaha before 5 a.m. Sunday when the shooting happened.

Douglas County Sheriff's Capt. Steve Glandt says when deputies arrived, the suspect was outside a home with a shotgun.

Glandt says the suspect fired at deputies. One of their vehicles and a sheriff's deputy were struck by shotgun pellets.

The deputies returned fire and wounded the suspect, who is in stable condition at an Omaha hospital. The injured sheriff's deputy received only minor injuries.

The suspect wasn't immediately identified Sunday.
As the U.S.-led coalition accelerates its campaign to destroy the Islamic State's remaining strongholds in Syria, the Trump administration faces a big decision about the future: Does it want to keep some U.S. troops inside the country to help stabilize Syria after the jihadists are defeated, or does it want to pack up and come home?

The dilemma is eerily like what President Obama faced in Iraq in 2011, and the risks and benefits are similar. President Trump, like his predecessor, has expressed skepticism about permanent U.S. wars in the Middle East. But he also knows that pulling out U.S. troops from bases east of the Euphrates could create a vacuum that might trigger ethnic slaughter, regional proxy wars and a new wave of jihadist violence.

The military and civilian officials who have been closest to U.S.-Syria policy appear convinced that America should maintain a residual presence, probably something under 1,000 Special Operations Forces that could continue to train and advise -- and also, restrain -- the Syrian Kurdish militia that has been America's key partner against the Islamic State. But this alliance with the Kurds is controversial, inside Syria and out.

The political map of Syria, for now, looks like a patchwork quilt, with different bands controlled by rival groups and their patrons. The U.S. and its Kurdish partners dominate east of the Euphrates. The Syrian regime with its Russian and Iranian allies control the vast center of the country; Turkish-backed forces control a strip along the northern border; and a Jordanian-Russian "deconfliction" agreement has pacified the southwest.

Few analysts expect that Syria can be reunified by President Bashar Assad. So, for the foreseeable future, the country will be divided into these zones of influence -- awaiting a political transition process that can re-establish the legitimacy and authority of a new central government in Damascus.

The U.S. piece of this puzzle is the area east of the Euphrates. The Syrian Kurdish militia known as the YPG, advised by elite American forces and backed by U.S. air power, has swept across this area over the past three years, and, in about six weeks, is expected to seize the Islamic State's capital of Raqqa. As they advanced, the Kurds recruited Sunni Arab allies into a broader coalition known as the Syrian Democratic Forces.

The ad hoc military alliance that produced the SDF has many critics. The Sunni-dominated Syrian opposition fears that the Kurdish fighters want to create an independent state, and neighboring Turkey sees them as terrorists. But battlefield success generates its own political momentum, and, as the U.S. and the SDF have advanced, something of a bandwagon effect has developed. Sunni opposition groups now seem eager to fight alongside the Kurdish-led forces, under overall U.S. command.

This new willingness to work in tandem with the Kurds was voiced by Riad Hijab, the head of the Syrian opposition coalition known as the High Negotiations Committee. He said in a recent interview that his supporters want "to fight ISIS and other terrorist groups, alongside with the SDF, as long as we fight independently in separate fronts."

Hijab claimed that up to 5,000 Sunni opposition forces would be ready to join the U.S. and the SDF in liberating Deir el-Zour, the next big town in the Euphrates Valley southeast of Raqqa. The Sunni opposition groups apparently prefer allying with Kurds to Assad's regime.

American officials are pleased that Hijab and other opposition leaders want to join the fight in the Euphrates Valley. But they say the new recruits aren't ready for heavy fighting, and that Deir el-Zour will almost certainly be taken by 10,000 Syrian regime troops that are already in the town, joined by regime forces now moving east, with Russian and Iranian backing. The Iranian presence worries some U.S. officials, but they say regime control of Deir-el-Zour is probably inevitable.

U.S. commanders say the real strategic prize is further south. They say as soon as Raqqa is secure, SDF troops (joined by whatever other Arab forces are ready), will advance toward the lower Euphrates Valley, south of Deir el-Zour. The U.S. hopes that Iraqi forces across the border will help check Iranian power in the area.

What happens next? That depends in part on whether U.S. military advisers stay in eastern Syria. If they remain, say U.S. officials, they can curb the Kurds' ambitions for independence, deter the Turks from intervening, and encourage the Sunni opposition to work with all sides. A future U.S. presence "will be essential," says Hijab.

And if they leave quickly? We've seen this movie before.
The Giles Early Education Project (GEEP) recently coordinated with the national organization Quilts Beyond Borders to help children and other people in need in Giles County. Regional Coordinator and Vice President of Quilts Beyond Borders Tina Freudenberger, who moved to Eggleston about a year ago, was instrumental in donating more than 50 beautiful handmade quilts.

Through a mutual friend, GEEP became aware of a group that wanted to donate 40 quilts to deserving children in our county. GEEP got in touch with Sherri Nipper-Williams, director of the Giles County Department of Social Services, who provided the names of 20 foster children; their names were embroidered on these special quilts that were then sent to DSS. GEEP also arranged to send 10 quilts to the Baby Store and 10 quilts to the To Our House homeless shelter. Since then, 16 more quilts, with names embroidered by Freudenberger, have also gone to foster children through DSS.

The Giles quilts were made by more than 25 quilters, including Freudenberger, who graciously stitch them as a labor of love to give to those who need them. Freudenberger told GEEP member Ann Goette that as you can imagine, being able to provide quilts was a wonderful opportunity for QBB. The quilts came from all over the U.S. and from three different regional coordinators.

Since 2007, Quilts Beyond Borders has distributed more than 9,500 quilts to orphans and displaced children from 25 countries all over the world. According to Freudenberger, last year Quilts Beyond Borders provided nearly 1,000 quilts for Syrian refugees and more will be sent to them throughout the year. QBB has also recently donated to Haiti, Maya Midwifery in Guatemala, One Heart Baltimore and Camp Heartland. In addition, they have commitments to provide quilts for the Navajo and a few other organizations. The organization is hoping to top 10,000 donated quilts by the end of this year.

Goette commented, Because of the good fortune of Tina moving to Giles, Syrian children, orphans worldwide and our own local children, all of them having hard lives, are wrapped in the same bright colors and soft cloth.

GEEP has been working to better the lives of preschool children in Giles County for the past five years through networking with area service agencies and by supporting area preschool development centers and county summer lunch programs.

Working with Freudenberger and QBB was a natural collaboration.

Quilts Beyond Borders is always looking for more quilters to participate in their mission of providing the warmth and comfort of a quilt, especially to children and orphans, wherever they are needed in the world.

To learn more, visit https://quiltsbeyondborders.wordpress.com/.

Submitted by Karen M. Yolton
It's an old story, freshened anew by Hurricane Harvey: Republicans profess to hate "Big Guvmint" as a matter of principle -- until catastrophe hits a red state. Suddenly, they're fine with federal spending and completely dump their rhetorical boilerplate about the nanny state.

And, hey, Texas is truly entitled to all the help it needs. It's just annoying that the Republicans currently begging for help are such hypocrites.

When New Jersey -- indeed, the entire East Coast -- needed massive federal aid in the wake of Sandy, Texas Republicans denounced it as "pork" and voted against it. But now that their own fiefdom has been devastated, it's supposedly a different deal. For proof, let's check in with Texas' most infamous performance artist, Sen. Ted Cruz.

In January 2013, when Congress readied a $50 billion Sandy recovery package, 36 Republican senators -- including Cruz and fellow Texas Sen. John Cornyn -- voted to reject it. Those are the same senators, who, in the wake of Harvey, wrote a letter begging the federal government "to provide any and all emergency protective measures."

This week, when Cruz was on MSNBC pleading for his "any and all" Harvey recovery package, he was asked about his thumbs-down Sandy vote. In response, he insisted that "the bill was filled with unrelated pork. Two-thirds of that bill had nothing to do with Sandy."

Cruz lied.

According to a report released four years ago by the nonpartisan Congressional Research Service, virtually all of that recovery money was targeted for damage caused by Sandy -- plus, in a few cases, to repair lingering damage from previous disasters.

Some of the naysaying Texas Republicans (23 of 24 House members voted "no") had also complained that a slice of the Sandy money was earmarked for the Head Start program -- but, as fact-checkers point out, "that was limited to facilities that had been damaged [by Sandy] in New Jersey and New York."

But, when Texas gets whacked, their impulse is to open the spigot.

As Washington Post columnist Jennifer Rubin observed, "When something like Harvey comes long, the light ever so briefly goes on for the anti-government types. ... When the tragedy is in deep-red Texas, not deep-blue New Jersey or New Orleans, suddenly the wonders of government become clear to them ... The crew that cheered Trump's proposed 11 percent cut to FEMA (government is bad!) will support billions of dollars in Harvey relief (my people are suffering!)."

This kind of thing is standard Republican (mis)behavior. I'll refresh your memory.

Sen. Tom Cotton, an Arkansas Republican, voted "no" on that Sandy recovery package -- but in 2015, he pleaded for federal money when his red state was hit by floods. Four Colorado Republican lawmakers voted "no" on the Sandy package -- but months later, they pleaded for federal money when their state was hit by floods.

In 2011, Oklahoma Sens. Tom Coburn and James Inhofe tried to cut FEMA's budget, and, when the emergency agency temporarily ran out of money, Coburn voted not to refund it. Then, in 2013, both guys voted "no" on the Sandy package.

But when their own state got hit by killer tornadoes later that year, they begged for federal aid. Coburn declared: "As the ranking member of the committee that oversees FEMA, I can assure Oklahomans that any and all available aid will be delivered without delay."

Then we have South Carolina. This one is a classic.

None of the senators or congressmen voted for the 2013 Sandy recovery package. Then-Rep. Mick Mulvaney -- who now serves as Trump's budget director -- even insisted that if the federal government sent aid to New Jersey, there should be corresponding cuts elsewhere in the federal budget.

But in 2015, when South Carolina was flooded by a killer storm, Mulvaney suddenly felt differently. He insisted that his state's relief money didn't need to be offset by budget cuts elsewhere: "There will be a time for a discussion about aid and how to pay for it, but that time is not now."

The star of that show was Sen. Lindsey Graham. He also voted "no" on the Sandy package, falsely calling it a "porkfest." But when South Carolina got flooded, he surfaced on CNN to say that the taxpayers needed to pony up, big time: "Rather than put a price tag on it, let's just get through this thing, and whatever it costs, it costs."

But that line of his -- "whatever it costs" -- sounds like the Cruz-Cornyn letter, which begs for "any and all" federal bucks. Hence, my definition of a big-government liberal: A conservative whose state has been hit by a climate catastrophe.

Rest assured, when Congress votes on the Harvey recovery, Democrats won't whine about "pork" and budget "offsets." They'll vote to bail out Texas because they know it's the role of government to aid citizens in crisis. And the next time a climate disaster strikes a blue state, it would nice if Republicans park their hypocrisy and respond with the same generosity.
"'Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or needing clothes or sick or in prison, and did not help you?'

"He will reply, 'Truly I tell you, whatever you did not do for one of the least of these, you did not do for me.'" -- Matthew 25:44-45.

They are the least of these.

They are women without faces, men without voices, children without names. More to the point, they are families without homes, running to escape hunger, war, oppression and death.

And maybe this would pull at your heartstrings, open up within you that reliably human thing we saw in Houston, where people reached out to the suffering stranger, squeezed tighter in the boat to make room for one more. Except that the people we're talking about are not from Houston.

They come from different places, speak different languages, sing to another God. And they huddle behind a collective noun: refugee. All of which makes it easier to objectify them, to see them as anonymous and abstract, to subsume their trauma in your unreasoned fears. It makes it easier to support dumb ideas like "extreme vetting."

Anyone who does could benefit from reading "Refugee," the new novel by Alan Gratz. It is a tripartite narrative, stories of escape as experienced by three children in three different eras.

In 1939, Josef and his family are running from Nazi Germany and its persecution of the Jews. In 1994, Isabel and her family are fleeing the hunger and repression of the Castro regime. In 2015, Mahmoud and his family are trying to get away from the civil war that that has turned Aleppo, Syria, into a wasteland of blasted rubble.

Gratz is a writer of young adult fiction, but there is nothing childish about the ordeals these children face. Captured by the Nazis, Josef must help his mother make an unbearable decision. Capsized in the Mediterranean Sea, Mahmoud must do the unthinkable to save his infant sister. And then, there is Isabel, racing for the bright lights of Miami Beach as a U.S. Coast Guard ship bears down.

Under the immigration policy later dubbed "wet foot, dry foot," if she and her family and friends are caught before reaching land, they will be sent back to Cuba, but if they make the beach, they can stay. That rule was always controversial. People complained that it discriminated against Haitian refugees, who enjoyed no such favor. Others feared a new influx of refugees would overwhelm Florida's economy.

But those concerns are far from your mind as the Coast Guard closes in on Isabel. Having endured a harrowing trip with her on a rickety boat crossing the Florida Straits, you're just pulling for her to make it.

It's not that the political concerns are immaterial or even wrong, but that they tell only part of the story. In "Refugee," Gratz tells the rest, which is that human beings and human lives get caught in the gears of those politics.

His book is dangerous because, once having lived in Isabel's shoes, in Josef's and Mahmoud's shoes, you will find it that much harder to ever again reduce a refugee's plight to just its policy dimensions. Much less, to your fears. The book demands more. It demands your humanity.

At its best, fiction is a lie that reveals truth. The truth these pages reveal could not be more timely for a nation arguing over Muslim bans even as Syrian families run for their lives.

That truth is this: What we so readily see as nameless, voiceless, and faceless is really none of those things. It is girls and boys, women and men, people like us, just trying, like us, to navigate safely through this challenging life.

And all they're asking for is a seat in the boat.
"Government regulation hurts businesses and affects jobs." In Houston, there is limited to no regulation of development. The free market approach used in Houston allows one to develop the land they own any way they want to.

It's ones right. The daily news feed shows the folly of this approach. If one says that Harvey is an epic storm and couldnt be planned for they should also recognize that the Gulf of Mexico, which fueled the storm, is at record high temperatures -- why, and what does this have to do with the future?

The Obama administration required that construction of public and other structures funded with federal money be such that floods, etc. would not cause major harm to them. Several weeks before Hurricane Harvey, Trump rescinded this requirement as causing unnecessary costs.

Now the expectation of Texas' "free market is that the American taxpayer should bail them out. Texas' senators and most of its representatives voted against aid for the victims of Hurricane Sandy. The rest of the U.S. Congress felt otherwise and voted aid.

Any aid to Texas should have the condition that future development in Texas be regulated with the view to minimize catastrophes such as this. Hurricane Sandy would have been a far worse catastrophe if the states of New York and New Jersey used the free market of Texas in development.

Darryll Pederson, Lincoln
CALEDONIA  At Oh Dennis Saloon & Charcoal House, the grill is tucked in a somewhat unusual spot, behind the bar. Restaurant owner JoAnn DeMark explains why: Her late husband, Dennis DeMark, wanted to greet all the customers, thats why.

From the restaurants opening in 1987 to 2012 when Dennis died, he was the face of this ever-popular restaurant, 4301 Douglas Ave., that feels like a northern Wisconsin supper club. The dark atmosphere is accented all around by colored neon-light beer signs and the three signs specially made for Oh Dennis: Eat like a pig, Get sauced, and the caveman sign that is the restaurant logo.

JoAnn explained that one originated with the boyfriend of Oh Dennis first bartender, Molly, whose boyfriend would sit at the bar and draw cartoons. Dennis liked the one of himself as a caveman, and about a year later had it made into his restaurants signature sign.

Eat like a pig is a sly reference to the ribs for which the restaurant is very likely best known. Coming up on three decades in business, Oh Dennis still gets its ribs from Denmark. JoAnn explained why.

The difference is: Most (U.S. ribs) come out of hogs, and in Denmark they come from pampered pigs. It cuts down on the fat. And theyre smaller; theyre using smaller animals.

Theyre true baby back ribs, said General Manager Steven Gaskill. We slow-cook them  with a house seasoning. A small rack, about two-thirds pound, sells for $16 and the large rack, about 1 pounds, for $24.

Gaskill said the Oh Dennis ribs may be what draws people there the first time. But he said, We sell a lot of everything.

JoAnn  who said, Half of my customers call me Mrs. Oh Dennis  had to think for a few seconds to come up with her favorite menu items. Then she named the panko-breaded perch and the ribs.

The walleye is wonderful, too, she added. And the steaks.

Home cooking

The Oh Dennis kitchen is so small that JoAnn, who bakes all the desserts, does that labor of love at home, and the pans are shipped to the restaurant. On average she sends about 15 to 20 pans a month of desserts such as banana pecan or walnut cake, pineapple-pecan torte, chocolate cake and chocolate chip shortcake.

My dad was a cook in the Navy, and both my parents were great cooks, JoAnn said. My aunt was a pastry chef. I love baking.

JoAnns son, Michael DeMark, manages the bar which has eight beers on tap. Gaskill said a popular drink is the chocolate martini which sells really well.

That martinis menu description says this: All we can tell you is its made with vodka and Dennis secret sauce.

Oh Dennis may be one of the few restaurants that has guest books. From day one, Dennis had that practice, JoAnn said. The wait staff are still expected to take a guest book to their customers so they can leave their remarks for posterity. The family still keeps every one of those guest books, JoAnn said.

Recently five Dominican nuns in full habits dined there, JoAnn said, and One (wrote) that the felt like they were in a romantic movie.

When Dennis died, JoAnn said, she kept Oh Dennis open for the employees. He was the most amazing man you will ever want to meet, she said about her late husband.

All the same recipes are being used.
This team was led by Leata Alaimoana, Special Projects Manager - Aviation & Aerospace for Industry Attraction, Queensland Government.

Qantas yesterday announced that four 787-9 Dreamliners will be based in Brisbane, bringing 470 new jobs and opening up new potential international routes.

The first of eight Dreamliners ordered by the national carrier will be delivered from Boeing in late October this year, and the first to be based in Brisbane will arrive in mid-2018. All four Brisbane-based aircraft will be in place by the end of 2018.

Qantas Group C.E.O, Alan Joyce, said basing four of the airlines Dreamliners in Brisbane will help drive international tourism into the state over the long term.

Queensland is the birthplace of Qantas and its fitting that we will base four of our Dreamliners in the state. The 787 offers a step-change for customers in terms of comfort and efficiency and we are pleased Queenslanders will be able to experience them direct from Brisbane."

Each aircraft we base in Brisbane brings new jobs. One hundred and twenty of our Dreamliner cabin crew and pilots will be based in the city, with many choosing to settle in the state. A further 350 indirect jobs are expected to be created as a result."

Weve said that initially our Dreamliners will replace the routes that our older 747 fly but there are also new destinations we are looking at given the capability of the aircraft. A range of exciting options is on the table that will help drive tourism to the state and we look forward to making that decision in coming months."

Id like to acknowledge the support of the Queensland Government, Brisbane Airport Corporation and Tourism Australia for helping to make our Brisbane Dreamliner base a reality, said Mr. Joyce."

This team was led by Leata Alaimoana, Special Projects Manager - Aviation & Aerospace for Industry Attraction, Queensland Government.

From Brisbane, the Qantas Dreamliner is capable of flying non-stop to destinations such as Seattle, Chicago and San Francisco in the United States, Vancouver in Canada, as well as Asia.

Qantas operates 58 return, direct international services each week from Brisbane to Auckland, Christchurch, Queenstown, Hong Kong, Los Angeles, Noumea, Port Moresby, Singapore and Tokyo. The airline also operates more than 620 return services from Brisbane per week to 25 destinations across its domestic network and more than 390 return services per week to 20 destinations within Queensland.
The Ombudsman, Maiava Iulai Toma, has not upheld a complaint by a businessman who accused the Ministry of Revenue of wrongdoing in relation to import duty compliance.

Manu Meredith, the Owner of Le Well Company Ltd., had been questioning the Ministry of Revenue since 2015 about what he claimed as unfair practices involving liquor taxes and prices.

Earlier this year, Mr. Meredith asked the Ombudsmans Office for an investigation after numerous attempts for an explanation went unanswered.

In a copy of his investigation report sent to the Samoa Observer, the Ombudsman said the complaint cannot be sustained.

The Ombudsmans Office points out that the calculation for trading purposes of the landed cost for the wine in the shipments investigated accord with widely used practice.

The figures and values used in the calculations accord with Customs documents relating to the shipments of the merchandise, the report reads.

Presumption of misconduct from low prices charged for the wine in Apia is not sustained.

The Ombudsman cannot say with any degree of confidence that quantities of wine imported correspond to quantities submitted in invoices during the period investigated due to the lack of spot checks.

The Ombudsman notes with satisfaction that the Ministry has instituted appropriate surveillance measures since June 2016 to enhance compliance with Customs requirements and appropriate standards.

The Ombudsman noted that his office would maintain a continuing investigative interest on the issue of submitted Invoices and their correspondence to merchandise actually landed.

To this end he requests the C.E.O of Ministry of Revenue to facilitate random Office of Ombudsman observation of the spot checks that are occasionally carried out by Border Operations teams, the report reads.

According to the Ombudsmans Office, Le Well, which imports wine, was alarmed when they noticed that certain wine retailers were under-selling wines for which Le Well were local Agents.

As they were importing at their N Z suppliers lowest prices and assuming these other traders to be supplied by middlemen, Le Well requested Customs in December 2015 to investigate if their competitors were paying correct duties, the report reads.

In March 2016, Le Well re-emphasized its request to Customs with focus on a certain competitor who was selling a particular red wine (the wine) at a price clearly lower than what Le Well considered reflected realistic landed cost.

Le Wells concern was for uniform compliance and fair competition in the market place. The Company continued to follow up the matter with reminders over the ensuing months. There were sporadic exchanges of e-mails and letters.

Information conveyed from time to time by Customs officials failed to satisfy the complainant who grew more and more convinced, of improper activity and, of his concerns not being properly investigated.

He recorded sighting a bottle of the red wine selling for $19.90 which he claimed to be below landed cost for that wine. The complainant expressed doubts about the competence and ethics of the officials concerned in a letter dated 3 May 2016.

The letter prompted a Customs investigation of the situation and the insinuations inherent in it.

The Investigation reviewed three importations of the red wine by Le Wells competitor on 31 March, 6 October and 31 December 2015.

This represented twelve months supply of the wine in question for the importer.

Following this investigation the Ministry of Revenue advised Le Well on 27 June 2016 that the processing of entries for the wine in question had been regular and resulted in the correct amount of duty, excise tax and VAGST being levied and paid.

It turns out however, that the original processing of the Customs entries had overlooked duty for ten cases of free of charge (FOC) wine that had been included in two of the three shipments under consideration, the report reads.

A Customs Officer had picked this up in April 2016 as a direct result of the complainants pestering. An adjustment for the oversight was made and additional duty paid. The complainant was advised and thanked by letter dated 19 April 2016 for his part in the discovery.

The June 2016 special investigation by Customs picked up neither the original omission nor the adjustment made in April 2016. This failure detracts from the thoroughness and comprehensiveness of the June 2016 investigation.

At any rate, the Ministry determined from that investigation that neither Le Wells competitor nor Customs officials had committed any offence under Customs legislation. The Ministry was satisfied that the invoices submitted were cleared Customs certified invoices but it could not at the late juncture verify quantities actually landed because wine from the shipments had been sold.

The Ministry intended to carry out a physical examination of the next shipment by Le Wells competitor to ascertain whether quantities of the wine in the container correspond with invoices that are submitted.

But Le Well Co Ltd was not satisfied with explanations given to them following the Customs investigation.

On 13 February 2017 Le Well requested the Ombudsman to make an Inquiry into the Ministry of Revenue practices regarding import and duty compliance. It alleged less than diligent Customs surveillance of imported quantities resulting in the payment of less than the required duties.

Customs were slow to respond to the Ombudsmans call for information. They were unhappy to be investigated at the behest of a Company, not for something Customs supposedly had done or had not done to that Company, but on that Companys dark suspicions of misconduct beneficial to a competitor.

Moreover Customs had investigated the situation that had been pointed out as manifestation of misconduct and were satisfied Le Well were misguided in their suspicions.

The role of the Ombudsman is to uncover truths relating to allegations of misconduct and bad decision making by public bodies and make determinations and recommendations where appropriate.

This is not only beneficial to complainants and the wider public in providing a final avenue for redress but also for any public authority whose actions can be independently verified as reasonable and correct by the Ombudsman when faced with complaints to the contrary.

Delays in provision of documentation to the Ombudsman are unfortunate and delay the overall findings whether that be in supporting the actions of the authority or finding areas for improvement.

Eventually on 25 July 2017 documentation and explanations enabling a proper examination of Le Wells complaint to begin were in the hands of the Ombudsman.
The Regional Fisheries Roadmap report card for 2017 has been published and there is much to be optimistic about.

However, Pacific Forum leaders still have their work cut out for them this week as there are areas that need improvement particularly with regards to meeting their goals for increasing the value of the regions tuna catch and growing the total direct employment in the fishing industry.

The Tuna Fishery Report card provides high level advice on the current status of Pacific Tuna fisheries in relation to the goals, indicators and strategies adopted by Forum Leaders in the Regional Roadmap for Sustainable Pacific Fisheries.

The report card focuses in the four main areas of: Sustainability, Value, Employment and Food Security.

Leading up to the 48th Pacific Islands Forum Meeting, the Director General of the Pacific Islands Forum Fisheries Agency (F.F.A), James Movick and the C.E.O of Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries, Tilafono David Hunter, told us the good news.

The results show that the regions sustainability targets were being met.

It was revealed that tuna stock was not being overfished and that overfishing is not occurring.

The results were somewhat surprising according to the Deputy Director General of the Pacific Islands F.F.A, Wez Norris, but they were based on key developments that started ten years ago when the Sustainable Pacific Community (who do the stock assessments) first raised concerns and identified that the Pacific Islands Forum Fisheries agency were not using the right growth information because traditionally the data used was inferred from other parts of the world and had no relevance to the Pacific.

I dont think that any of us were expecting that much of a difference, he said.

The project that was invested in a few years ago has been completed and what its shown is that the Bigeye Tuna is far more productive than was thought before so it grows more rapidly, reaches maturity quicker.

Each fish stays reproductive for longer and the combination of those three things make it a stock that can therefore sustain a whole lot more fishing pressure than was thought before.

The numbers for employment in the fishing industry (FFA Island members public and private sector) continues to grow, providing nearly 25,00 jobs in 2016.

However, Mr. Movick says that it was not quite the growth they were looking for and they were looking at ways to increase the spread of employment across the F.F.A members, noting that currently employment is concentrated in the processing industries within Melanesia.

Most of the big processing facilities, particularly canneries are located in the Melanesian countries primarily because you need a large population based water and land we are continuing to see some steady growth and the possibility of having similar size facilities in some of the other smaller island countries is certainly a possibility in a number of Micronesian as well as Polynesian states.

In Samoa, F.F.A is looking at a number of similar frozen long-line facilities because with fresh frozen product there is much more opportunity across the region even if they will be fairly small facilities.

However, the addition of even a couple of hundred jobs would be of great value. Crew-based employment was also an area that they were looking at but Mr. Movick cautioned that there were some disadvantages.

Yes that continues to be an area that Polynesians could try and develop some further opportunities there but what we have to keep in mind is that those countries that have fishing vessels and those countries that have licensing boats will want themselves to place crew on those fishing boats so theres a combo of factors across the region that we have to look at specific to each country before one can assess if something is working.

Mr. Movick wanted to emphasise that the report card is made up of composite figures for the whole region and that they were aiming to work closely with governments to get them to realise the importance of having a national report card and in addition they were also going to be developing similar data for each country so that they are able to track at a national level.

Being a small fish in a big pond is something that Mr. Movick acknowledges is a challenge especially with the deeply entrenched disagreements within the broad Western and Central Pacific Commission (W.C.P.F) membership.

To make the W.C.P.F.C more effective, Mr. Movick emphasised that the Forum leaders need to take a hardline approach with some member states during the conference this week.

One of the key areas is that we continue to have deep arguments and an inability to reach decisions in the broad W.C.P.F.C membership because of the unwillingness of many of the Distant Water Fishing Nations to accept the zone line based management approach that we adopted in the Pacific, he said.

Too often they come in with proposals that would seek to have management measures based on flag state rights and flag state allocations which suits the distant water fishing nations but not the pacific island countries who dont have those fishing boats and who dont have those flags.

So often times we end up having these very strong disagreements on the basic legal framework and principles right at the onset and nothing ever gets done as both sides become entrenched.

On the eve of the 48th Pacific Islands Forum Meeting, Mr. Movick said Forum leaders need to be mindful that Pacific Island countries have fought hard and long to ensure the rights of small island states and it is imperative to communicate that to distant water fishing nations.

I think the forum leaders need to remind the distant water fishing nations that under the United Nations conference on the law of the sea, the fish stock agreement and the W.C.P.F.C Convention that the Pacific Island countries fought very hard and long all the way back to the Law of the Sea Convention to ensure that the rights of small island states in particular, would be protected with regard to their rights for management and access to their resources within their 200 mile zone and unfortunately we continue to face these problems in the W.C.P.F.C.
The Small Island States Leaders Meeting is underway ahead of the 48th Pacific Islands Forum Leaders Meeting in Apia, which is scheduled to be officially opened tomorrow.

At the Conference room of Sheraton Samoa Aggie Greys Hotel this morning, the membership of the Smaller Island States held a brief opening ceremony before the meeting was closed to the media.

Members include Cook Islands, Federated States of Micronesia, Kiribati, Marshall Islands, Nauru, Niue, Palau and Tuvalu.

The Smaller Island States grouping was established in 2005 to facilitate special assistance to those Forum countries that experience limited development capacity and a fragile and vulnerable environment.

A press conference is being schedule this afternoon.
At Matautu Falealili on Saturday, it was all about the good times, laughter and joy.

The occasion was the villages mini-Teuila Festival organised by the Womens Committee.

The membership of the womens Committee were divided in groups where they took part in various activities including a pageant, traditional Samoan dance competition and other challenges.

President Leleiga Tauiliili told the Samoa Observer the event is a first in the village.

We know that this week is the Teuila so we decided to bring the Teuila spirit closer to Matautu. So why not have our own Teuila?

That way we dont have to go to Apia to watch the Teuila because we have our own now.

The women were even more proud claiming nothing that is happening in the Teuila was left out of the programme. The Beauty Pageant was a big hit.

This is another to create a lot of fun, to forget about our troubles but come together to rejoice in the spirit of Teuila.

Our village enjoys having tourists come to visit us and we hope all the people who are visiting Samoa today will enjoy our country.

President Leleiga said they hope to continue the programme on an annual basis.
CHICOPEE, Mass. (AP)  Police in a Massachusetts city are warning of fake social media accounts that have popped up to scam people since a local woman won the $758.7 million Powerball jackpot.

Chicopee (CHIH'-kuh-pee) police say fake Twitter, Facebook and Instagram accounts state they belong to Mavis Wanczyk (WAHN'-zihk), who was announced as the Powerball winner last week.

The fake accounts say following and answering private messages will result in getting money. Police warn people not to provide personal information.

State Lottery officials say Wanczyk chose to take a lump sum payment of $480 million, or $336 million after taxes. It's the largest grand prize won by a lottery ticket in U.S. history.

Wanczyk says she always thought winning the lottery was "a pipe dream." She immediately quit her hospital job.

Police have provided extra patrols around her house.
Think a minuteJesse Owens was a world-class athlete in track and field in the 1930s. He was told that because he was a black, African American, there was no way he could win against the white Nazi German athletes at the world Olympics in 1936.

That year the Olympics were held in Berlin, Germany. Adolf Hitler, the Nazi dictator, refused to even look at the African American athletes. The white German athletes were praised and cheered on the field, while Jesse Owens and the other American athletes were insulted and ignored. Yet Jesse did not let Hitlers cruel, evil prejudice intimidate or stop him. In fact, he was determined more than ever to reach his goal of doing his very best. Remember, One of the great joys in life is doing what people say you cant.

Jesse made mistakes in his first two long jumps, but he did not let that discourage him. Then, on his last jump, Jesse won! He went on to win all three other events in which he competed. So Jesse Owens came home to America with a record four Olympic Gold Medals!

A Japanese proverb says: If you fall down seven times, stand up eight times. We all fail and fall down. Thats OK. But to stay down and not even try to get up again is to truly fail. Its a sad and serious state of the heart, because you give up hope. Remember: We all failat least the best of us who are brave enough to try something new. So just because you may lose sometimes does not mean you are a loser. The famous inventor Thomas Edison said: Many people who failed in life did not know how close they were to success when they quit trying.

When challenges come your way, including when you fail, you still have the choice to keep going and reach your goal. What you do with a great opportunity depends on what you already are; and what you already are depends on your years of daily choices.

This is why we need Jesus to develop in each of us His inner strength and perseverance that is greater than any obstacle we face. You will never regret asking Him to take full charge of your heart and way of living from this day forward.

Just think a minute
It had been about two years since members of Racines First Presbyterian Church had last visited Cuba, when they returned to the Caribbean island nation at the end of July on their latest mission trip.

The mission team  led by the Rev. Gillian Weighton, pastor at First Presbyterian, and Georgia Herrera, church member and local attorney  returned to Cuba to continue building its partnership with the Central Presbyterian Church in Matanzas.

And while they did experience some changes in Cuban life since their first visit  which occurred soon after the U.S. began easing some travel and trade restrictions with Cuba in 2015  they also found people still living very impoverished lives, in which basic necessities such as safe, running water, medicine, food and housing are scarce.

Still hopeful

Cuba is a country of contrasts in which beautiful, lush countryside surrounds cities like Matanzas, where buildings are literally crumbling from lack of maintenance and repair, according to team members. Without access to the necessary parts and materials, things cant be fixed.

Everyday items ranging from kitchen tools to toilet paper are in short supply, according to Kathi Wilson, another member of First Presbyterians mission team. And access to the internet is very limited, with the Central Church having just 20 minutes of DSL connection per month, Wilson said.

Mission team members did notice more signs for Rooms for Rent, a few privately owned restaurants, and other signs that free enterprise is beginning to make its way into Cuban life during this trip.

Progress is slow, but also very hopeful, Weighton said.

Resourceful, happy

Yet, even without many things that Americans might consider necessities, Cuban people seem happy and are very proud of their culture and their country, she said. They are very resourceful people, who also have a very strong sense of family, community and caring for one another.

The infrastructure is broken down, yet people are still filled with joy, Weighton said.

And witnessing their joy was very inspiring for team members, Herrera said.

It is a good reminder for us, about how much we dont really need.

Building relationships

During their week in Matanzas, in late July and early August, team members spent most of their time building relationships with the people of Central Church. They shared meals, craft projects, worship and prayer time and more, as they got to know one another. And they brought much-needed items, ranging from aspirin and vitamins to school supplies, to the people of Matanzas.

Our focus is to join with them in a real spiritual way and to add to their quality of life, Herrera said. What is really important to them is that they know there are people out there who care about them.

Sure, the supplies they bring are much appreciated, but the relationships formed between the two congregations are whats most important, Weighton said.

Our presence there brings a lot of hope and that is such a great joy to see, she said.

One of the experiences that sticks in Wilsons mind is a Bible study she attended in a church members home, which people from the surrounding neighborhood were invited to attend. Together, they talked about peace, and Wilson said people soon realized that they all shared the same basic needs  to be safe, to be loved, to have kindness and enough food to eat.

For me, this was peace in action, she said. This whole experience will never leave my heart.

One step at a time

On Sept. 24, the mission committee will give a presentation about their latest trip at First Presbyterian Church, 716 College Ave. Looking to the future, they plan to continue building relationships with the people of Central Church and hope to eventually be able to bring some of its youth here to Racine.

We are taking one step at a time, Weighton said. Our plan is to grow this partnership and to always be in conversation with people there, asking How can we help?
Is the long  and so far futile  effort to move the 3.55 million pounds of nuclear waste off the beach at the San Onofre Nuclear Generating Station (SONGS) on the verge of finally making some progress?

Or is an out-of-court settlement announced last week just more of the same?

The attorneys for the plaintiffs who initiated the case describe the agreement as an important step toward finally soothing the nerves of many of the 8.4 million people in Southern California who live within a 50-mile radius of SONGS.

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But the settlement has not assuaged a number of other activists, united in their antagonism for the utility that manages the now-shuttered plant, who consider the agreement practically toothless and say it offers false hope.

There are also serious questions about whether any sites can be found, not to mention whether the regulatory, political and anticipated legal hurdles can be cleared.

Stranded spent fuel is hardly unique to SONGS. Nuclear waste has piled up at plants across the country, nearing 80,000 metric tons, with the industry adding about 2,200 tons each year.

The federal government was supposed to come up with a long-term storage solution but has never opened a working site.

Michael Aguirre, the former City Attorney of San Diego who is one of the lead attorneys in the plaintiffs case, said he understands the scope of the problem.

As I have said many times, its going to take as much intellectual horsepower to figure out how to dispose of this nuclear waste as it did to create it, Aguirre said.

What the settlement lays out

The settlement came after months of private negotiations between the plants operators, Southern California Edison, and a pair of the utilitys harshest critics. It was approved Monday afternoon by San Diego Superior Court Judge Judith Hayes.

Under the agreement, Edison will adhere to a quicker schedule to inspect and maintain the canisters containing SONGS waste and will produce a contingency plan should any of them crack or leak. The utility also pledged to give progress reports on a monthly, and then quarterly basis.

In addition, the deal stipulates that Edison make a good faith effort to look at sites to send SONGS waste. That includes spending $4 million to hire a team of experts to develop a strategy.

A May 2017 photo shows construction at the San Onofre Nuclear Generating Station of an Independent Spent Fuel Storage Installation where dry cask storage of used nuclear fuel will be stored. Currently, 50 canisters are stored at an adjacent dry cask storage facility. ((Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times) )

In what Aguirre says is a critical element, the agreement is enforceable by the court, meaning the judge will retain authority to make sure its terms are carried out.

The agreement gives hope where there was none before, said Maria Severson, Aguirres legal partner in the case. And the fact there are benchmarks that have to be met will allow us to see the progress.

In a statement Monday, Edison president Ron Nichols said the utility is proud to take a leadership role in what we expect will become an industry-wide effort over many years to work with the federal government and other key stakeholders to achieve off-site storage.

The Union-Tribune asked to speak to a company representative to elaborate on the agreement for this story but an Edison spokeswoman said we are not commenting on the settlement beyond what was said in prepared remarks Monday.

The lawsuit was filed by Patricia Borchmann of Escondido and Citizens Oversight, an East County-based civic group, to fight a 2015 decision by the California Coastal Commission that approved a 20-year permit for Edison to expand a storage system to place the plants spent nuclear fuel into heavy, dry casks.

The national coordinator for Citizens Oversight, Ray Lutz, has called Edisons storage plans an example of the insanity of this nuclear industry.

Lutz said the agreement is about the best that we can do and hopes some real progress will be made.

I dont know if were going to be successful on moving this (waste) but I think forcing everyone to talk about it is going to be really useful, Lutz said. We keep kicking the can down the road but not ever talking about the solution.

Potential sites to send SONGS waste

Getting the waste off the beach at San Onofre has long been a priority for many who live in the area. California has a notable history of seismic activity, fueling fears of a Fukushima-like tsunami and SONGS is sandwiched between the Pacific Ocean to the west and Interstate 5, one of the busiest freeways in the U.S., to the east.

The agreement specifically mentions three sites that could potentially accept SONGS spent fuel.

One is the Palo Verde Nuclear Generating Station, located about 50 miles from Phoenix. Even before Mondays announcement, Aguirre mentioned Palo Verde as a logical place for San Onofres waste because Edison is a part-owner at Palo Verde, with a 15.8 percent stake.

Last year an official with the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) said in an email to the Union-Tribune that Palo Verde used a different storage design than San Onofre.

The same day the settlement was announced, the utility that operates Palo Verde, Arizona Public Service, said it is not interested in accepting any spent fuel from SONGS.

We are not licensed to store used fuel from any other facility, and there is no initiative that makes sense to start the licensing process, the company said in a statement.

Severson was undeterred by the Palo Verde statement, saying, I think its way too early to tell.

The agreement also mentions two other sites, one in West Texas and one in southeastern New Mexico.

Each of the sites are categorized as consolidated interim storage facilities  based in relatively isolated locations that would require consent from their local communities to accept nuclear waste.

The people behind the New Mexico site are upbeat but the facility has yet to break ground.

We have a very isolated area here that is seismically stable and we have utilities that come to the site, said John Heaton, the chairman of the Eddy-Lea Alliance, named for the two counties backing the project. Its 35 miles from any population. Its just a superb location.

Heatons group has filed a 40-year licensing request with the NRC for the site, which is proposed to be massive  holding about 120,000 metric tons of waste  and has received support from local political leaders and New Mexico Gov. Susana Martinez.

If the project gets approved, developers say it could be up and running in as little as five years  a quick turnaround given the complicated and deliberate pace associated with nuclear projects.

This is a way we can create employment, said Heaton, who back in May briefed the SONGS Community Engagement Panel about the project. There will be a number of years of construction and it will provide revenue for the state and local area.

The West Texas site is more problematic.

Located near the town of Andrews, Texas, the facility is owned by a company called Waste Control Specialists. The site already stores low-level radioactive waste but its plans to expand have been put on hold because of financial problems.

In June, the U.S. Justice Department blocked a merger Waste Control Specialists executives were seeking. A phone message to the companys public relations representative asking about Waste Controls interest in accepting waste from SONGS went unreturned.

When asked about the question marks, Aguirre said, as per the settlement, potential sites for SONGS waste are not limited to West Texas, Palo Verde or New Mexico.

Those are just some of the prospects in the near future, he said.

There has been movement on Capitol Hill and by the Trump administration to resurrect the Yucca Mountain nuclear waste repository in Nevada. The federal government has already spent $15 billion on Yucca but the process to revive the site  provided it survived political, regulatory and legal hurdles  would likely take years.

Yucca as far as Im concerned is very much an option, Aguirre said.

Lutz said he also wants Edison to consider moving the waste within the boundaries of Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton, to a location about three or four miles inland that would offer more of a buffer zone than the current site.

It is a seismically active area and its only a few kilometers from a fault line but at least it would be (farther than) 100 feet from the water, Lutz said. Where theyre putting it now is truly insane.

A sample of a fuel assembly inside the conference room at the closed San Onofre Nuclear Generating Station. Inside each rod contains uranium pellets. This is the configuration of the fuel and what it would look like when its in dry cask storage. ((Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times) )

What nuclear industry experts say

Eugene Grecheck, former president of the American Nuclear Society who worked for years in nuclear engineering and development for Dominion Energy in Virginia, said he had no doubts about the physical act of moving nuclear waste to another site.

From an engineering standpoint, its not that difficult, Grecheck said. But I think the licensing process would be contested no matter where you put it. Somebody will contest the location and I suspect it would be a long, drawn out process.

Peter Lyons, a former commissioner for the NRC and former assistant secretary for nuclear energy for the U.S. Department of Energy, agreed, adding that licensing requirements chew up time.

The NRC, which is charged with protecting public health and safety related to nuclear energy, must sign off on any transfer and moving waste across state lines would likely involve the U.S. Department of Transportation.

And while the spent fuel at SONGS is the responsibility of SCE, the waste eventually must be handed over to the U.S. Department of Energy.

Theres multiple years involved here, Lyons said. Its not impossible but it aint gonna happen fast.

Some of the waste at SONGS sits in 50 canisters that are stacked horizontally in dry storage, at an installation behind a seawall 28 feet high.

Another installation for the rest of the spent fuel is in the process of being constructed. The fuel now cooling in wet storage  in a deep pool of water  will eventually be moved to 73 thick, vertical casks.

Grecheck and Lyons said the waste at SONGS is safely stored.

I know the processes the NRC goes through to license any of these facilities, Lyons said. I know the processes the NRC goes through to license those casks  Theyre just incredibly robust. I just do not foresee a problem. Ive been to San Onofre. I dont think theres an issue.

What other activists say

Lyons would get plenty of argument from a host of activists living near SONGS.

Public Watchdogs, based in La Mesa, calls the plant the single biggest public health issue facing the residents of Southern California and the groups executive director, Charles Langley, called Mondays a defeat because Edisons storage plans remain in place.

Theyre doing their best to put a pretty face on it, but the details are ugly, Langley said in a statement.

A view of the 27-foot sea wall with San Onofre State Beach in the background at the decommissioned San Onofre Nuclear Generating Station in May 2017. ((Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times) )

San Clemente resident Donna Gilmore, who edits a website critical of Edison and often focuses on the canisters storing the spent fuel, called the out-of-court settlement a fantasy document.

Its an illusion to think were going to to be safe if (the waste) is at Palo Verde, even if they would take it, Gilmore said. Were focusing on the wrong problem. We need this stuff safely stored no matter where it is.

Gilmore says the canisters may leak or crack and Edison should go out for bid for thick-walled casks. Edison officials insist the waste is safely stored.

The Los Angeles chapter of Physicians for Social Responsibility criticized the plan, saying it would require transporting the waste twice, once to the temporary location and then again to a permanent facility, essentially doubling the transport risk.

The group supports moving the waste within the premises of Camp Pendleton.

It would address the issue of sea level rise, said Denise Duffield, the groups associate director. One of the greatest risks associated with irradiated fuel is terrorism; it is hard to think of a better location to protect it (than) within a Marine base.

Critics of the settlement say it doesnt do enough to make sure Edison lives up to its end of the bargain. Aguirre and Severson disagree, saying Edison must consult with the plaintiffs when it comes to assembling the panel of experts and point to agreements condition allowing the court to retain jurisdiction to enforce the settlement.

The agreement also received a bad review from David Victor, the chairman of the SONGS Community Engagement Panel (CEP) that hosts meetings every three months about the progress of the plants decommissioning.

The CEP, the California delegation in Washington, Edison and many others are already looking at all viable options for moving the spent fuel out of here and have been doing that for years, Victor said in an email.

Victor, who said he was speaking for himself and not for the CEP, dismissed the Palo Verde option as just theater and pointed to the fact that Edison agreed to pay costs and attorneys fees of $800,000 to Aguirre and Seversons firm.

Severson defended the payment, saying Citizens Oversight is a nonprofit and California law allows for prevailing parties to get their legal costs covered.

Otherwise, no one would be able to afford a lawyer to try to affect public change, she said. If you make a change, if you do something thats positive, then the law pays for it because its for the public good.

Going forward

The move to put together the team of experts will begin quickly.

A request for proposal for qualified candidates must be delivered within 60 days and the panel must be retained within 90 days of receiving the proposals, meaning the panel will be assembled in five months.

The agreement calls for appointing experts who are authorities in engineering, radiation detection, nuclear waste siting and transportation. Likely candidates are expected to come from major universities, research institutions, national laboratories and the nuclear industry.

In an earlier version of this story, there was a typographical error in one of the quotes from Maria Severson. The quote has since been corrected.

Business

rob.nikolewski@sduniontribune.com

(619) 293-1251 Twitter: @robnikolewski

ALSO

Court settlement looks to move nuclear waste from San Onofre

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House panel passes bill aimed to resurrect Yucca Mountain
As a gig worker, you decide who to work for. You pick the tools you think are best for the job, and decide when, where and how to work. Youre the billing department, and if need be, in charge of chasing down late payments. Taxes, insurance, saving for retirement -- its all on you.

Its quite different from being an employee, where a good chunk of when, where and how you work is decided for you, and paychecks come like clockwork, minus the usual deductions.

But as more companies farm out duties to contractors and more people leave the ranks of full-time employment to become self-employed, the lines between gig worker and employee have gotten fuzzier.

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Companies such as Uber, Lyft, GrubHub and, TaskRabbit have added to the confusion by using legions of people to provide the services they offer.

Those employers claim that the people they hire to drive, deliver or provide other services are independent contractors. Some of those individuals and their supporters maintain that they should be classified as employees because of the conditions under which they work, and because the businesses wouldnt exist without them.

Its not a minor quibble. Disputes over employee misclassification have led to multiple lawsuits and drawn the attention of state and federal regulators.

Misclassification is a serious issue, said Sara Horowitz, founder and executive director of Freelancers Union, a nonprofit that supports gig workers.

Understanding the difference between independent contractor and employee is important if youre considering working for yourself. Its also important if youre job hunting and want to know if the position youre after is contract work or a staff job with benefits and perks.

Employee Misclassification Lawsuits

California has been a hotbed for employee misclassification lawsuits filed against companies such as Uber and GrubHub. A suit against the latter scheduled to go to trial in California federal court in September is being closely watched because it is the first case of its type to make it to the final phase of litigation. In dispute: whether a former GrubHub driver was misclassified as a contractor and therefore was denied rightful employee benefits such as unemployment, insurance and expense reimbursements.

In March Lyft paid $27 million to end a class-action lawsuit brought by 95,000 drivers in the state who sought to be classified as employees, however, the settlement did not address the question of the drivers worker status. In 2016, Uber proposed a $100 million settlement to end similar legal challenges brought by some of its drivers, but it was rejected by a federal court judge in North Carolina. In July, the same court gave Uber drivers permission to proceed with a class-action lawsuit .

Under the Obama administration, federal regulators had sought to make the distinction between employee and gig worker clearer, but President Trumps efforts to cut government red tape reversed that. In June, the Labor Department rescinded guidance it had issued in 2015 meant to help companies clarify who is and isnt an employee. The retracted guidelines from the departments Wage and Hour Division elaborated on standards partly based on an economic realities test that could help show if an individual is economically dependent on an employer or in business for him or herself. Current Labor Secretary Alexander Acosta has said using guidance memos to set policy sidesteps more formal rulemaking; the department has not indicated what additional actions it could take, if any.

Getting Started as an Independent Contractor

Lawsuits and changing government policies dont appear to be stopping people from setting up shop as gig workers. Last year, 55 million people in the United States engaged in some type of gig work, up 3.7 percent from 2014, according to a 2016 study conducted for Freelancers Union and Upwork, an online platform that helps companies find gig workers.

If youre an independent contractor, you can take steps to establish yourself as a business entity to avoid appearing like an employee of companies you work with. Have an office, even if its a home office. Print business cards. Create a website or blog about what you do. Advertise. Apply for a business license. Carry insurance. Get an employer identification number from the Internal Revenue Service. Negotiate with clients to be paid by the job, not by the hour. Hire subcontractors when you take on more work than you can handle alone. By doing all those things, it will make someone hiring you comfortable that youre holding yourself out to the general public as an expert at what you do, said Gabrielle Worth, an employer defense lawyer with Dorsey & Whitney LLP in Costa Mesa.

You may consider yourself an independent contractor, but technically you may be an employee if you work mainly for one company, or the service you provide is integral to the companys business. You may also be an employee if youre paid by the hour, work from the companys office, have a company email address, are required to use their equipment, or must attend their meetings and functions.

To avoid being classified as an employee, the rule of thumb has been to work less than 1,000 hours a year for one company, which equals about 48 percent of full time, Worth said. More important than that is showing that a company doesnt control what you do. The moment they do that, youre dead as an independent contractor, she said.

If you arent sure of your status, you could fill out IRS Form SS-8 to request a determination of worker status, prompting the agency to decide whether youre an employee or contractor. The problem is for employers if they made a mistake, the penalties and taxes are really heinous, it discourages them from coming forward and switching it around, she said.

Tips for Job Hunters

If youre looking for work, one way to determine if a job youre interested in is an employee position or really contract work in disguise is by asking about schedules, said James McDonald, managing partner with employer defense firm Fisher & Phillips LLP in Irvine. Ask if youre required to work a schedule set by the employer or if you can work for other employers, too. Other questions to ask: whether youll be paid by the hour or the job, if the company will withhold taxes from your paycheck, and if youre eligible for benefits such as health care insurance.

In some cases its black and white whether a position is contract work or not, McDonald said. Many cases fall somewhere in the middle. Just the fact that a person has a company email address wouldnt make them an employee, or being asked to attend meetings.

Learn more

Worker Misclassification - This California Department of Industrial Relations site at www.dir.ca.gov includes an FAQ that details differences between independent contractors and employees, and also lists instructions for filing a wage claim with the state labor commissioners office. Employers can go to the states Employment Development Department and use a PDF worksheet to determine if a worker is an independent contractor. They can also call EDDs Taxpayer Assistance Center at 888-745-3886 for help.

Independent Contractor (Self-Employed) or Employee? - Updated in April 2017, the Internal Revenue Service site  www.irs.gov  is a compendium of information on employee misclassification for employers and self-employed workers, with links to rules, forms, tax guidelines and other relevant information.

IRS Form SS-8 - If youve reviewed IRS information and still cant determine whether youre being miscategorized as an employee, fill out this form and the IRS will review the facts and make a determination, though results could take up to six months, according to the agency.

Freelancing in America 2016 - A 2016 study commissioned by Freelancers Union and Upwork at www.upwork.com offers some of the latest statistics on gig workers and the gig economy.

Michelle V. Rafter writes about jobs and employment issues. Contact her at michellerafter@comcast.net or find her on Twitter @MichelleRafter.

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Michelle V. Rafter writes about jobs and employment issues. Contact her at michellerafter@comcast.net or find her on Twitter @MichelleRafter.
Freelancing used to be something people did to pay the bills between full-time jobs. Today, instead of a job of last resort, its the profession of choice for people of all ages and professions.

Its easy to see why. Companies looking to work at a faster pace need a workforce they can easily scale up and down or pivot to focus on new endeavors. Freelance and contract labor fills that need. Close to half (49 percent) of companies with 100,000 employees increased their use of gig workers since 2011, and 40 percent expect to do the same in the next five years, according to a 2016 EY study.

Companies arent the only ones pushing the gig economy. More than six in 10 gig workers said theyre working for themselves more by choice than necessity, up from 53 percent in 2014, according to a 2016 study conducted for Freelancers Union and Upwork, an online platform that helps companies find gig workers.

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How to get in on the action?

One way is by using any of the dozens of cloud-based platforms like Upwork that have cropped up in recent years to match gig workers with companies looking for contract help. Youd be in good company. More than half of freelancers (54 percent) have found work online, and of that group, half got work in less than three days, according to the Freelancers Union/Upwork report.

Online platforms for finding gig work have matured along with the rest of the gig economy. Some cover multiple industries worldwide and list large quantities of work, a lot of it low-paid. Other platforms are highly specialized, focusing on specific industries and offering higher-paid work. Some platforms include Yelp-like ratings of both companies and workers to give all parties a better sense of who they would be working with. Others go beyond matching to offer services that make it easier for gig workers to communicate and collaborate with internal teams, get paid, bid on new assignments, and more.

Regardless of how theyre set up, platforms have one thing in common - gig workers dont pay a thing to use them.

Help for Freelance Success

If youre considering freelancing, here are some platforms to help you find work and get support:

Industry-agnostic platforms  Companies such as Upwork, Guru, Fiverr, OneSpace, and Freelancer.com are combination electronic matchmakers, project management platforms and payroll processors. Freelancers can use the sites to find or bid on projects that match their skills and experience. Gigs posted on these sites can be short term or last for days, weeks or months. Online platforms like these make money by charging corporate users a monthly subscription or project-based fee for pairing them up with freelancers, collecting tax forms, getting contracts signed, making payments (often via PayPal) and handling other administrative duties. Upwork, for example, is used by 5 million companies in 180 countries, including 20 percent of the Fortune 500. The platform is also used by 12 million freelancers globally who have more than 5,000 skills in over 90 categories. Many of the fastest growing skills are tech- or content-related, including virtual reality, natural language processing, SEO auditing, and video advertising.

Niche platforms - While platforms such as Upwork and Fiverr cater to the many, niche marketplaces zero in on specific industries or types of work. Some of these niche sites offer more high-end, white collar work, including Skyword and Contently for writers, editors and other creatives; Joomlancers for software programmers; and 99designs for designers. Other platforms focus on the on-demand services the gig economy has become famous for. These platforms include DoorDash and GrubHub for food deliveries; Lyft and Uber for ride-hailing; Postmates for deliveries of all kinds; and Taskrabbit for everyday chores. Platforms such as Snagajob list only jobs that pay by the hour.

Apps - Most freelance platforms have mobile apps so you can look up jobs from your phone. Some matching services put their apps front and center. Gigwalk, for example, matches anyone looking to make a few extra bucks with short-term retail merchandising jobs such as taking pictures of product displays in a store. According to Gigwalk, jobs take 5 minutes to a couple of hours and pay $3 to $100. People who want work as a gigwalker download the app to an iOS or Android phone, set up an account, link it to their PayPal account, and use the apps Apply to this Gig button and their phones GPS to find open jobs near them.

Portfolio sites - Freelancers can use platforms such as Contently, Scripted, Muck Rack and LinkedIn to create free portfolios to showcase their best work. Companies use keyword searches of freelancers portfolios to connect with individuals for projects. Other free portfolio sites for graphic designers, photographers and other creatives include Carbonmade, Behance, and Dribble; and GitHub for software developers.

Benefits - Freelancers Union isnt a union in the true sense of the word since it doesnt engage in collective bargaining on behalf of its members. However, the New York-based group offers other benefits of traditional unions. For gig workers living in California, eight other states and the District of Columbia, the organization offers medical and dental benefits through a wholly owned subsidiary called Freelancers Insurance Agency. Freelancers Union members also can get discounts on rental cars, office supplies and software, and can use a software tool for creating customized contracts. Membership is free. Platforms such as Upwork and Guru offer gig workers health care and other benefits through Freelancers Union. In May, Sen. Mark Warner (D-VA) introduced a bill to set aside $20 million to explore creating a portable benefits program that would cover gig workers and other people who move from job to job.

Networking groups - Working alone can get, well, lonely, so national and local groups hold regular meetups to help freelancers connect. A Meetup group called San Diego Independent Business Professionals has 189 members and holds monthly networking meetings.

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Michelle V. Rafter writes about jobs and employment issues. Contact her at michellerafter@comcast.net or find her on Twitter @MichelleRafter.
When it comes to narcissistic personality disorder, Dr. Allen Frances wrote the book.

So the 75-year-old Coronado resident and retired Duke University psychiatrist perks up when he hears the increasingly open speculation about whether President Trump has the disorder or some other form of mental illness.

His verdict: No.

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But that doesnt mean he approves of Trumps behavior. Far from it, as he makes clear in a scathingly critical new book, Twilight of American Sanity: A Psychiatrist Analyzes the Age of Trump, due out Tuesday.

Blaming Trump for all our troubles misses the deeper, underlying societal sickness that made possible his unlikely ascent, Frances writes.

By societal sickness, he means the delusions that deny the impacts of climate change, overpopulation, resource depletion, income inequality  problems that will bequeath to our children an unlivable planet. He was concerned about those before last Novembers election.

I dont think Trump is the problem, Frances said. Hes the symptom of the underlying disease.

His book comes out amid a flurry of discussion in government circles, the national press, late-night talk shows and social media about the presidents mental stability and fitness for office.

On Aug. 18, Zoe Lofgren, a Democratic congresswoman from San Jose, introduced a resolution urging Trump to get a psychiatric exam to determine if he should be removed from office under a little-known section of the 25th Amendment. She pointed to an alarming pattern of behavior and speech causing concern that a mental disorder may have rendered him unfit and unable to fulfill his Constitutional duties.

That followed a bill introduced in April by a Democratic congressman from Maryland that would  also under the 25th amendment  create a panel of doctors who would assess the presidents ability to govern and could recommend removal. The bill now has almost 30 co-sponsors.

A petition for mental health professionals on Change.org declares that those signing it believe Trump manifests a serious mental illness that renders him psychologically incapable of competently discharging the duties of the presidency. It asks that Trump be removed from office. More than 60,000 people have signed.

And about two-dozen mental health professionals are contributing to a book due out in early October called The Dangerous Case of Donald Trump, which argues that the president is a clear and present danger to the nation.

Some see all this as political, not psychological.

With all the medical opinions out there, its as if doctors have left their practices due to the Obamacare disaster and are now attempting careers in TV, White House press secretary Sarah Sanders said in a statement quoted by USA Today. This is nothing more than another absurd attempt to attack the President. It did not work during the campaign, and it will not work now.

The doctor demurs

Its called the Goldwater Rule.

Adopted in 1973 by the American Psychiatric Association, it says offering a diagnosis of a public figures condition is unethical unless he or she has conducted an examination and has been granted proper authorization for such a statement.

The rule got its named from Barry Goldwater, the 1964 Republican nominee for president. During the campaign, a magazine called Fact published the results of a survey of psychiatrists. Almost 1,200 of them declared Goldwater unfit for office because of personality defects, including paranoia and a God-like self image.

Goldwater sued for libel and won $75,000, and in the fallout doctors pushed for the new ethical boundary.

Other groups of mental health professionals adopted similar restrictions, but that hasnt stopped members from weighing in publicly over the years about other presidents. Was LBJ narcissistic? Nixon paranoid? Clinton a sex addict?

Trumps volatile campaign and presidency have brought new attention to the Goldwater Rule, and sparked debate about whether it should be eased. In August 2016, the APA reiterated its stance that long-distance diagnosing is irresponsible, potentially stigmatizing, and definitely unethical. Some psychiatrists resigned from the association in protest and others openly flouted the rule.

In February, 35 psychiatrists, psychologists and social workers sent a letter to the New York Times. We fear that too much is at stake to be silent any longer, it read. We believe that the grave emotional instability indicated by Mr. Trumps speech and actions makes him incapable of serving safely as president.

At home in Coronado, Frances read the letter and wrote a response. It was published under the headline, An Eminent Psychiatrist Demurs on Trumps Mental State.

In the letter, Frances pointed out that he wrote the criteria for narcissistic personality disorder in the so-called bible of his profession, the fourth edition of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders. He said Trump doesnt meet the criteria.

He may be a world-class narcissist, but this doesnt make him mentally ill, because he does not suffer from the distress and impairment required to diagnose mental disorder, Frances wrote. Mr. Trump causes severe distress rather than experiencing it and has been richly rewarded, rather than punished, for his grandiosity, self-absorption and lack of empathy.

The letter created a stir in psychiatric circles and beyond. Frances was quoted in the New Yorker (We need to be looking in the mirror to see whats wrong with us that would allow someone so unsuitable for the Presidency to rise to the highest and most dangerous office in the world). A columnist for the Los Angeles Times drove down and interviewed him in his living room.

And the book he was writing took on a new urgency.

A hypocrite?

Frances wrote Twilight of American Sanity for his grandchildren.

It seems to me criminally irresponsible as parents and grandparents that were handing on to our next generation a world so materially worse than the one we inherited, he said.

Thats why the first chapter looks at global warming, population growth, resource depletion, income inequality, an expensive and inefficient health-care system, and other problems.

The book was basically going to be about societal delusions and to wake us up to understand them, he said. And to suggest a different, more rational, generous and sustainable way of running the world in the future. Then Trump came on the scene, and everything that was crazy about society before went on speed.

After the election, Frances couldnt understand how so many Americans could possibly be so gullible. Then his wife, Donna Manning, also a psychiatrist, called him out as a hypocrite.

She said it was easy enough for us to feel superior to the Trump crowd, because we were so insulated from the problems and dangers they were facing, he writes in the book. Trump might be the worst of all possible messengers, but that shouldnt allow us to discredit his message or disrespect those who were sending it.

So he explores issues like the outsourcing of jobs, stagnant wages, immigration, rapid cultural change.

I understand completely why people voted for Trump, Frances said. Theyre suffering. Theyre angry. The system is not working for them. But they hired a fox to guard the hen house.

The books cover is a photo of an American flag on a pole, flying upside down. According to the U.S. Flag Code, its only supposed to be displayed that way as a signal of dire distress in instances of extreme danger to life or property.

Dire distress  thats a diagnosis, Frances said, that fits

.

john.wilkens@sduniontribune.com
Helicopters from two North Island-based Navy squadrons landed in Texas on Friday, joining a gathering force of military teams to aid local rescuers in the wake of Hurricane Harvey.

Colorado-based U.S. Northern Command ordered crews to fly two MH-60S Seahawks from the Blackjacks of Helicopter Sea Combat Squadron 21 and two more from the Wildcards of Helicopter Sea Combat Squadron 23 to College Station.

Military leaders tasked them with conducting search and rescue missions, airlifting emergency supplies and bolstering federal, state and local agencies responding to record rainfall across large swaths of Texas and Louisiana.

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Navy Cmdr. Justin Juice McCaffree, the Wildcards executive officer, helms the detachment of 35 helicopter crew members and 62 mechanics, community liaisons and other sailors. There is no timetable for when the sailors might return.

Everyone is excited about this deployment because everyone wants to help, said Navy spokeswoman Cmdr. Jeanette D. Groeneveld.

She said that the expeditionary teams from North Island are perfect for the mission because they already were prepared for overseas deployments, are capable of sustaining operations for long periods of time and are trained and equipped to provide humanitarian relief worldwide.

On Thursday, sailors from Helicopter Sea Combat Squadron 28  the Dragon Whales from Norfolk, Virginia  rescued 14 people and four dogs trapped at the Pine Forest Elementary School in the Texas town of Vidor, about 130 miles northeast of Houston.

It was a very surreal experience. Landing on the field of an elementary school in a relatively tight landing zone, rescuing people of all ages and even animals wasnt necessarily what I pictured for my first rescue, said Naval Aircrewman 2nd Class Jansen Schamp, a rescue swimmer, in a statement provided to The San Diego Union-Tribune.

It was very humbling and rewarding in every way. The people we evacuated had lost their homes, they were scared, and they were sad. But most of all they were so grateful for the help they received. This will forever be one of my most memorable experiences.

The wettest tropical cyclone in Americas recorded history, Harvey has dumped more than 4 feet of precipitation across 50 Texas counties, triggering catastrophic flooding deep inland from the Gulf of Mexico and unleashing tornadoes in Tennessee and Alabama.

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cprine@sduniontribune.com
Inside tanks at the Autonomous University of Baja California, thousands of totoaba hatchlings are growing larger by the day. In a few weeks, they will be swimming off the coast of San Felipe, growing to adulthood in the nutrient-rich waters of Mexicos Gulf of California.

Totoaba fishing has been banned in Mexico since 1975, yet there is now talk of bringing back a hook-and-line totoaba fishery to the Gulf of California, and this small campus hatchery is key to that effort.

The end, the ultimate end, is to get back the use of the species, said Conal True, an oceanographer and professor who has spent two decades hatching and raising totoaba. Theres tremendous value to it, and theres a lot of fishermen that are not allowed to fish anymore.

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For Baja Californias top fisheries official, a totoaba sportfishing industry can be key to reviving the economy of San Felipe, a port and fishing town south of Mexicali that has been struggling in recent years. Thats our vision, said MatIas Arjona, the states secretary of fisheries and aquaculture. Its a long process but possible.

The totoaba, which can grow to over 6 feet long and weigh more than 200 pounds, is a fish that is endemic to the Gulf of California. For decades in the early 20th century, the totoaba formed a thriving fishery that gave identity and pride to Upper Gulf fishing communities. Today, only totoaba raised in farms off of Baja California Sur are sold legally as a delicacy in upscale restaurants of Mexico City, Guadalajara, Monterrey, and even Baja Californias Guadalupe Valley.

Rampant poaching

Off the coast of San Felipe, its a different scenario, with the species the object of rampant poaching fueled by demand in Asia for its swim bladder. Consumers there who believe in the totoaba bladders medicinal qualities pay high prices on the black market  up to $30,000 for a single bladder. A recent report by the Washington, D.C.-based nonprofit organization, C4ACDS, concluded that drug-trafficking organizations have become involved in their illegal trade.

Totoaba brood stock swims in one of the tanks at the lab of Dr. Conal David True, a professor at the Autonomous University of Baja California in Ensenada. (John Gibbins / San Diego Union-Tribune)

The growing frenzy to catch totoaba of recent years has contributed to the decimation of the critically endangered vaquita porpoise, an elusive and shy mammal that shares the totoabas habitat. The vaquita, which must surface to breathe, often end up as by-catch in totoaba nets and drown. Now on the verge of extinction, the vaquitas population is estimated at fewer than 30 individuals.

While environmental groups have focused on saving the vaquita, the totoaba fish have their own story, one that is still being written. And True, a world-known expert on the totoaba, is one of those writing the story. For him, the optimal outcome would be the development of sustainable fisheries that support the fishing communities that have been on the front lines both of totoaba poaching and vaquita rescue efforts.

Totoaba has not received as much attention (as the vaquita), because its a fish, its a slimy, scaly fish, True said in an interview last week at his campus hatchery. But to me, every effort that can be put into tototaba conservation and sustainability, that has nothing to do with nets, could benefit the vaquita.

Both the Mexican federal government and state of Baja California are helping fund a new $3.8-million hatchery structure on the campus of the Autonomous University of Baja California. Scheduled for opening in 2018, it will be able to produce up to 1 million hatchlings annually  with at least half of any production used to restock the totoabas Gulf of California habitat.

Once plentiful

Totoaba were once plentiful in the Gulf of California. A thriving hook-and-line fishery first developed in the early 20th century due to Asian demand for its swim bladders. This led to the establishment of fishing camps in the communities that have grown into San Felipe, Santa Clara and Puerto Penasco.

To this day, older fishermen in San Felipe reminisce, sometimes with tears in their eyes, about the days of abundance, when their fathers and grandfathers would catch totoaba. Some of those fish made their way to the United States  and were served in San Diego restaurants.

But as over-fishing led to a sharp drop in the totoabas population, Mexican authorities closed the fishery in 1975. The following year, it was listed on Appendix 1 of the International Convention on Trade in Endangered Species of Fauna and Flora, prohibiting its importation to the United States. The International Union for the Conservation of Nature since 1986 has listed the totoaba as a critically endangered species. Fishing for totoaba is also prohibited under Mexican law.

Yet in even in the face of these measures  and a gillnet ban in the upper Gulf  tototaba are still captured illegally, caught with large-mesh nets that also ensnare vaquita.

Moving forward

For anything to move forward, a key question now must be answered: How many totoaba are there? The Mexican government has been working on two surveys, both nearing completion. It looks like the results are positive, that the biomass is becoming healthy, said Arjona, the Baja California fisheries secretary.

With sufficiently high numbers, the next step would be to rescind the fishing ban, and open the region to totoaba sportfishing  an activity that would be closely controlled through government quotas and fishing permits.

That will activate the economy of San Felipe, well have first-class fishermen come and try to catch totoaba, Arjona said.

Top Mexican federal officials also share the vision of opening the Gulf of California, said Barbara Taylor, a conservation biologist with the Southwest Fisheries Science Center in La Jolla.

Mexicos Environmental Secretary, Rafael Pacchiano, really expects that totoaba are going to step up and be an economic savior in the region, said Taylor.

But she said there is still much to do. Even if they can show that the status of the totoaba is OK, which they havent done, Taylor said, then theyve got a huge amount of homework to do to convince the international community, and to make it viable for international trade.

Bringing benefits to fishing communities

Octavio Aburto, a marine biologist with the Scripps Institution of Oceanography at the University of California San Diego, has worked with fishing communities in Baja California and understands their frustrations.

With the challenges that fishermen, vaquita, authorities, scientists are facing, its not crazy to think that totoaba fishing can be an option to solving many of these problems, Aburto said.

For me that could only happen if the fishery would be a recreational fishery, Aburto said. And for it to work, it has to be set up where all fishermen have a chance to benefit  not just a handful, he said.

When True opened his totoaba laboratory in 1994, it was the first facility to bring totoaba into captivity. Their research has focused on how to get the totoaba to spawn and reproduce. In the early years, it was very small scale, True said, and much of it was trial-and-error.

We had to find out all the factors that caused them to die, not to develop what they required as feeding, salinity, husbandry.

But as authorities search for a solution for fishing communities in the Upper Gulf of California, interest in the totoaba is growing.

In mid-October, south of San Felipe, off the fishing village of Puertecitos, Baja Californias governor is expected to participate as the state university hatchery sends its latest crop of 20,000 juvenile totoabas to the sea.

Also participating in restocking efforts farther down the gulf is Earth Ocean Farms in Baja California Sur, a commercial farm launched with juveniles from the UABC lab that now sells its product to Mexican restaurants.

Maybe not my kid, but my grandkids will be able to fish totoaba like we fish dorado or tuna, said Pablo Konietzko, the companys director general, because the fish isnt endangered anymore.

sandra.dibble@sduniontribune.com

@sandradibble
North Korea on Sunday confirmed that it has conducted its sixth underground nuclear test  the detonation of a hydrogen bomb of unprecedented power designed to be transported by an intercontinental ballistic missile.

The latest brash move threatens to heighten an already tense situation on the Korean Peninsula and raises new questions about how the Trump administration will respond to Pyongyangs latest provocation.

In just over a week, North Korea has test launched at least four ballistic missiles  including one that flew over Japan, causing serious alarm on the island  and boasted about creating a warhead that could, in theory, be used against the United States.

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North Korean officials released a statement a few hours after the launch confirming that they had successfully completed testing of major portions of their ideal nuclear system  a missile that, in theory, could reach the United States.

Todays event was meaningful, for weve reached our goal of completion of national nuclear power, said an announcement read on North Korean state television.

The statement said the test marked a significant occasion in attaining the final goal of completing the state nuclear force.

In a Sunday morning tweet, President Trump called North Korea a rogue nation and a threat to the United States.

North Korea has conducted a major Nuclear Test, said the tweet. Their words and actions continue to be very hostile and dangerous to the United States.

Tremors from the blasts could be felt in Yanji, a Chinese city of 650,000 on the North Korean border, according to Chinas official New China News Agency. The agency tweeted a short video of a crystal chandelier, its hanging crystals swinging.

Chinas online social networks lit up with news of the tests; a post by Chinas earthquake-monitoring authorities announcing the seismic activity garnered nearly 23,000 likes and 17,000 comments.

Chinas ministry of foreign affairs expressed resolute opposition and intense condemnation to the latest test.

Realizing a nuclear-free Korean peninsula and safeguarding systems of nuclear nonproliferation and peace and stability in [Chinas] northeast is the firm position of the Chinese side, and the common will of the international community, the ministry said in a statement.

Others in China expressed concern about possible radiation from the powerful blast.

What I really care about is the safety of the northeastern provinces, posted Hu Xijin, editor in chief of the Global Times, a state-run tabloid. I believe that the countrys emergency response authorities have already moved on this. If there was indeed a nuclear test, Im most concerned by whether there was a radiation leak, and I believe the government feels the same.

U.S. and South Korean officials say the detonation caused an unnatural seismic tremor detected by sensors, a tell-tale sign of a nuclear test. Initially, U.S. and Korean officials believed the blast to have occurred in a village in northeastern North Korea known as Punggye-ri  a site closely watched by international nuclear experts.

North Korean state television later confirmed the test occurred at Punggye-ri. The countrys five previous tests, including two last year, also occurred there.

The magnitude of the nuclear test, North Koreas first since last September, was estimated at 5.6, according to South Korean officials. Other reports put the magnitude at 6.3. The seismic wave occurred about 12:30 p.m.

The latest experiment  a clear violation of international resolutions, though not unexpected by United States officials  raises new concerns that North Korea continues to advance as a nuclear state, despite years of effort by the international community to curb its atomic program.

The detonation was felt just hours after North Korea boasted that a hydrogen bomb had been mounted on a new intercontinental ballistic missile and that leader Kim Jong Un had inspected the device.

North Korea, one of the worlds most isolated and unpredictable states, appears to be violating global norms with increased impunity.

In August, President Trump was blunt in his warning about the nuclear program.

North Korea best not make any more threats to the United States, Trump told reporters. They will be met with fire and fury like the world has never seen.

Later, he said that North Koreans better get their act together or theyre going to be in trouble like few nations ever have been in trouble in this world.

The rogue state is still technically at war with South Korea, a United States ally that has roughly 28,000 American forces stationed on bases, largely within a few hundred miles of the shared Korean border.

Provocations in recent years, under dynastic young ruler Kim, have included numerous ballistic missile tests; the lengthy prison sentence given to an American tourist, who later died after being released; and a land mine incident along the border in 2015 that severely injured two South Korean soldiers.

The test is the latest provocation by the North, which in April paraded a massive battery of military hardware before the world in a recent celebration  including, perhaps, long-range devices capable of striking targets outside Asia.

In July the country test launched what the international community now believes were intercontinental ballistic missiles  devices in theory capable of reaching the United States.

Im not shocked by what North Koreans have done in the last few days at all, said Harry Kazianis, director of defense studies at the Center for the National Interest. The North Koreans over the last few months have really ramped up their testing schedule, with their missiles. So a nuclear test was going to happen.

Kazianis added that we shouldnt be shocked anymore. Theyve been working toward nuclear weapons. This has been their goal. Its something theyve stated for years.

North Korea, which security experts say could have more than a dozen nuclear devices, first conducted an underground test in 2006. The tests power has increased over time, and last year state media reported advances in the miniaturization and manufacturing of nuclear warheads in addition to its strongest experiment to date last September.

The standardization of the nuclear warhead will enable the DPRK to produce at will and as many as it wants a variety of smaller, lighter and diversified nuclear warheads of higher strike power, the government said last September, using the initials of North Koreas formal name, the Democratic Peoples Republic of Korea.

Security experts in recent years have begun to shift their focus away from disarming the country to studying methods for deterring the countrys desire to use or share nuclear weapons.

At the same time, the North has made steady progress in its land- and sea-based missile programs, which already have the ability to strike regional American allies in Seoul or Tokyo. In a televised New Years Day message this year, Kim boasted that the country was also making significant progress in its effort to launch intercontinental ballistic missiles capable of striking American targets in the Pacific Ocean, or perhaps even the U.S. mainland.

Kims New Years address pushed then President-elect Trump to tweet: North Korea just stated that it is in the final stages of developing a nuclear weapon capable of reaching parts of the U.S. It wont happen!

Trumps administration is still adapting to its new policy of pressure and engagement on North Korea. Such efforts toward North Korea have baffled the last three American presidents who watched, with few good options for intervention, as the country became a nuclear state.

In a visit to Seoul in March, Secretary of State Rex Tillerson called for a different approach for dealing with the Norths nuclear ambitions, acknowledging that previous administrations efforts to apply pressure and use covert actions have failed. Its unclear what that approach might be, however, though Tillerson did suggest that military intervention was still an option.

A looming concern for American officials is the extent to which China can  or is willing to  apply additional economic pressure to persuade the North to denuclearize, or perhaps to talk about it. Trump has said that the United States would tackle the problem alone, if needed, a posture questioned by experts who note the issues regional complexity.

Some in South Korea, whose densely populated capital is within striking range of conventional weapons like artillery, see the recent provocations as a test for China. Its leaders, including President Xi Jinping, have urged restraint.

Last month, members of the United Nations Security Council, including China, voted to impose a new round of sanctions targeting North Koreas primary exports, including iron and coal, in retaliation for missile tests. North Korea said the United States will pay dearly for the sanctions, estimated to be worth about $1 billion to the North Korean economy.

Stiles is a special correspondent. Times staff writer Jonathan Kaiman in Beijing contributed to this report.

ALSO

U.S. officials condemn North Koreas missile launch over Japan

U.S. flies bombers and fighter jets in a show of force against North Korea

Syria may be in ruins, but it looks like Assad has won the war militarily

UPDATES:

6:15 a.m.: Updated with President Trumps tweet.

12:50 a.m.: Updated with reaction in China.

12:05 a.m., Sept. 3: Updated to report that North Korea confirms it detonated a nuclear device.

10:47 p.m.: Updated with comments from Harry Kazianis and details on economic sanctions imposed on North Korea last month.

10 p.m.: Updated with background on U.S.-North Korean relations and additional details on the apparent nuclear test.

9:15 p.m.: Updated with the seismic wave.

This article was first published at 5:10 p.m.
There may be a rush to the ballot box next year to raise taxes, but not everybody thinks success will be easier than in the past as many believe.

Last week, the state Supreme Court issued a ruling that had all the makings of a political earthquake.

The initial interpretation of the ruling was that citizen ballot initiatives to boost taxes do not require two-thirds majority approval as had been the case for decades.

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The gist was the two-thirds requirement, initiated by Proposition 13 and solidified by Proposition 218 in 1996, was to make it harder for government, not citizens, to raise taxes with the higher vote threshold. Thus, citizen initiatives to raise taxes dont face that restriction.

Now, thats a pretty drab way of putting it. Justice Mariano-Florentino Cuellar, however, really teed it up.

As Ulysses once tied himself to the mast so he could resist the Sirens tempting song  voters too can conceivably make the clear and important choice to bind themselves by making it more difficult to enact initiatives in the future, he wrote in the majority opinion. The electorate made no such clear choice to tie itself to the mast here.

But he didnt exactly come out and say that, as of now, initiatives need only a simple majority to pass. What followed was a lot of parsing of the opinion and a necessary venture into the weeds of the state constitution by various analysts.

(Dont worry, Im not going to compare Article XIII C(2)(b) with XIII C(2)(d). Though, fortunately, some people did.)

Cuellar clearly separated the intent of Proposition 218, applying to government but not initiatives, on a few occasions. That was enough for many folks.

But some believe there will need to be further clarification by the courts because, in their view, the case was more about the timing of an election. After all, the matter before the court was a once-obscure dispute related to medical marijuana in San Bernardino County that wasnt focused on raising taxes (California Cannabis Coalition v. City of Upland).

Usually, there has been agreement on what local tax measures require a two-thirds vote. A general purpose tax does not, but one targeted for a specific purpose  say a stadium or convention center  does. Or so we thought.

Its been up to local jurisdictions to make that call. Now when specific tax increase measures get more than 50 percent of the vote, but less than two-thirds, lawsuits seem a given.

If a city says a supermajority is needed, the tax proponents will sue. If the city says it isnt, the folks opposed to the tax will sue.

We might have seen that after the November election regarding two San Diego city hotel tax increase measures related to stadium and convention center plans, because the Upland case pending before the high court had the potential to lower the bar from two-thirds.

But both fell short of a simple majority. So it was all over. No shouting.

Getting out in front of an emergency?

San Diego City Councilman David Alvarez late Thursday called on the mayor to declare a homeless emergency. Doing that, he said, would allow the city to bypass certain codes that could prevent the old downtown library or Golden Hall from being used as temporary shelters.

He also underscored the need for better sanitation as the scourge of hepatitis A has claimed the lives of 15 people  mostly homeless  in the region so far. The growing outbreak has shown no signs of abating.

A few hours later, Mayor Kevin Faulconers office responded that he and the city had done that in the past two years  and Alvarez voted for at least one of them  when they approved resolutions declaring a shelter crisis.

Early the following morning, the mayor put out an extensive release, listing all the things the city and county have been doing to combat hepatitis A  taking meaningful actions that include providing free vaccinations, distributing educational materials and installing hand-washing stations throughout the city.

The latter has been a sore point because a lot of the anticipated stations hadnt been installed because of permitting snafus, as Lisa Halverstadt of the Voice of San Diego pointed out.

The City of San Diego will be expediting the process to ensure that the County can install the stations immediately, the mayors office promised in the crack-of-dawn release Friday.

Alvarez and the mayor put out their statements after the county sent the city a letter, which hadnt become public, outlining a plan of action to improve sanitation among the homeless  the key cause and affected population in the hepatitis crisis. The county publicly announced on Friday that more hand-washing stations were being placed in the central San Diego area.

The behind-the-scenes word on Thursday was that the county on Friday was going to declare a public health emergency, which could lead to state and federal funds to combat the outbreak.

With knowledge of that, the mayors release called on the county to make such a declaration.

The county and city launched a sanitation program Friday morning that also included weekly street and sidewalk cleaning in certain areas to remove all feces, blood, bodily fluids or contaminated surfaces.

That night, the county issued the emergency declaration.

Tweet of the Week

Goes to Mason Herron (@mason_herron), chief of staff to Assemblyman Randy Voepel, regarding the notion that an early Democratic endorsement of Nathan Fletcher might dissuade former DA Bonnie Dumanis from running for county supervisor.

Not in the entire history of politics has an early endorsement by one party dissuaded a candidate of another party from running.
BURLINGTON  Facing nearly $1.8 million in infrastructure repairs following the July 11-12 flood, city leaders are trying to minimize disruptions to the community.

Were trying to move as quickly as possible in order for the city to get back to normal, said Burlington City Administrator Carina Walters.

The city is currently building out a first-floor room of the Police Department to house information technology servers, 911 dispatch equipment, phones as well as other equipment once stored in the basement that flooded during the event.

Were going to minimize any usage in the basement of the Police Department, Walters said.

Earlier this month, the City Council had initial discussion with Racine County about a consolidated dispatch, but no final decision has been made and the council is expected to discuss it further at a later date, according to Walters.

Repairs to dam

The City Council is expected to take up a long-term plan for the Echo Lake Dam, which also is in need of repair from the flood. Walters said the city is not discussing removing the dam.

Thats a rumor, Walters said. The dam did perform extremely well (during the flooding event) as an outcome of the DNR report. It is structurally sound.

Last week, the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources gave the city permission to close the dam gates and partially fill the lake to help eliminate a swampy smell coming from the lake during repairs.

Its literally the decomposition of the exposed dirt. Pretty simple, Walters said.

The smelly situation prompted Mayor Jeannie Hefty to address it in a Mayors Corner publication she restarted last week.

We understand the frustration that everyone is experiencing with the smell, Hefty said in a statement. Staff is working diligently to keep moving the repair work along.

The city is expected to replace the stop log (devices that regulate the flow of water), install additional signage, and patch the concrete on the spillway. The city is working with the contractor who is designing and building the stop log, as well as identifying contractors who will be able to repair the concrete on the spillway.

On Monday, concrete was poured underneath the public walkway where chunks were washed away by the flood.

There are some cracks and some maintenance concrete (work) that needs to be done to the spillway. Were in the process of working with contractors to do some patching, Walters said.

The DNR will not allow the city to fill the lake to capacity until the repair work is completed.

Public Works crews also added some grass seed to clean up city parks affected by the flood.

With FEMA failing to approve federal aid following the flood, city leaders will have to decide how to pay for the infrastructure repairs.

Were going to have to (offer a) bond or a short-term note. That is up to the City Council, Walters said.

Walters is also expected to present a final report on the dam from Ayres and Associates at the next City Council meeting.
A man robbed a Hillcrest pharmacy of prescription medicine early Sunday morning, San Diego police said.

For the second time in as many months, a man hopped the counter and nabbed an unknown amount of medications from the CVS pharmacy at 315 Washington St., according to a release from the San Diego Police Department.

A masked suspect  described as a black man, 5 feet 11 inches tall and 230 pounds  entered the store around 3:45 a.m., police said.

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The man, donning a grey hooded sweatshirt and blue jeans, intimated a pharmacist while grabbing the medications, according to Sundays release. He then ordered employees not to call the police before exiting the store and fleeing south down an adjacent alleyway.

Officer Michael Sweet said he didnt know what kind of drugs were taken or if the suspect, who was not armed, was thought to be the same man sought in connection with a mid-August robbery reported at the same CVS location. He said investigators are treating the robberies as series related events.
Firefighters stopped a grass fire at about one acre before it could damage any structures in Valley Center Saturday.

It burned relatively close to homes off Woods Valley Road and Woods Valley Court, a Cal Fire spokesman said.

The fire was reported about 3:30 p.m. Sheriffs deputies blocked Valley Center Road between Woods Valley and South Lake Wohlford Road for about an hour to make room for fire engines.

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Crews had most of the flames out by about 4:15 p.m. and were mopping up hot spots for the next several hours.

Investigators were called in to try to determine what ignited the blaze.
Union-Tribune science and technology reporter Gary Robbins wrote todays In-Depth story about Walter Munk and nine other scientists who helped transform the Scripps Institution of Oceanography into an elite science center during a golden era of exploration.

Oceanographer Walter Munks 100th birthday stirs memories of Scripps golden era

The era stretched from the mid-1930s to late 1970s. Robbins explains why he undertook this project.

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Q: Why did you decide to write this package now?

A: Walter Munk will turn 100 next month, so its the perfect moment to reflect on the life and career of a man who is known to many as the Einstein of the oceans. Walter (he wants you to call him Walter) did everything from improve wave forecasting during World War II, helping amphibious forces, to getting support for an international deep sea drilling program that profoundly changed how scientists think about the earth and its oceans.

Theres a second reason; I simply like Walter. Hes a modest and generous soul who doesnt trade on his fame. He prefers to concentrate on his work  and hes still at work. When I dropped by his house recently, he was sitting at his desk, pencil in hand, noodling about an aspect of oceanography that hes been trying to solve for years. He told me, I think I know the answer, but I cant prove it.

Walter is also a bit of a nomad. I look at him and I think of lyrics from a A Pirate Looks at 40, the old Jimmy Buffett song. The lyrics say, in part, Mother, mother ocean, I have heard you call, wanted to sail upon your waters since I was three feet tall. Youve seen it all, youve seen it all.

Q: You chose to highlight 10 Scripps scientists, rather than focus just on Munk. Why?

A: Walter played a pivotal role in turning Scripps into an elite oceanographic institution. But so did a lot of other scientists. I wanted to help the public understand what happened at Scripps during a period of exploration that will probably never be matched. At least, not when it comes to the oceans.

Q: How did you select the other nine scientists?

A: Some of it was easy. People like Roger Revelle and Charles Keeling made extraordinary contributions to science. Theyd be on anyones list. I felt the same way about Carl Hubbs and Harald Sverdrup. Friendship and respect led me to choose Wheeler North, who helped open the worlds eyes to the importance of kelp beds. I also asked Scripps faculty for advice, and they suggested names like John Isaacs, whose work blew me away. He made automatic cameras that sank to the ocean floor after you dropped them in the water. A day later, the cameras would pop to the surface. He usually got great images because he attached bait to the cameras. The bait attracted a lot of creatures that humans had never seen. The dude was a genius.

Q: It sounds like you have a special love for the ocean. Is that true?

A: Yes. I was born and raised on the coast of Maine, and I have lived on the coast my entire life. I also grew up in a Navy family. Im very proud of that. I hear that there are some wonderful things east of the I-5 freeway. Ill just have to take peoples word for it.

Q: What was the best moment of researching this story?

A: My wife, Diana, has heard me talk about Walter for years. I always wanted her to meet him. And she recently got to. Walter overheard me say that I was having trouble finding a book that Wolfgang Berger wrote. The next day Walters wife, Mary, called to say, He found that book! Cmon over. About an hour later, Diana was shaking Walters hand. That meant a lot to me.

Science Playlist  On Now In a first, scientists rid human embryos of a potentially fatal gene mutation by editing their DNA On Now Space station flyovers visible from San Diego this week 0:55 On Now UCSD's 'ghost drivers' begin testing people's reaction seemingly empty cars 1:29 On Now 10 interesting facts about Mars On Now Kids can add years to your life On Now LA 90: SpaceX launches recycled rocket On Now Big passions, big giving: Malin Burnham 2:30 On Now Big passions, big giving: Darlene Shiley 2:40 On Now Big passions, big giving: Joan and Irwin Jacobs 2:45 On Now Ocean temperatures warming at rapid rate, study finds

Twitter: @grobbins

gary.robbins@sduniontribune.com
If you think back, you may remember seeing Temecula-area bus stops sprinkled, on occasion, with people in Sunrise Rotary Club tee shirts. What is it about bus stops that attracts them?

Its community service, actually. Seventeen years ago, the Temecula Sunrise Rotary Club donated bus benches to the city of Temecula and, ever since, the group has diligently maintained the benches on a monthly basis. All 28 of them.

With just 14 members, the Temecula Sunrise Rotary Club is the little engine that could, leading efforts to create youth scholarships and literacy initiatives; organizing an annual Run Through the Vineyard fundraiser to finance programs; presenting Safety Town, an interactive safety awareness course for children from 5-8 years of age; and, yes, bus bench cleaning.

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Frank J. Appice is a long-time Temecula Sunrise Rotary Club member and acts as race director for Run Through the Vineyard. Frank took time to share a little about the club, its community impact and what the small but mighty group will be working on through the end of the year.

Q: How would you describe the Temecula Sunrise Rotary Club, and what is its purpose?

A: Our members are volunteers who come together to create positive and lasting change in our communities by their involvement in local community service projects and by supporting other projects around the world. Rotary International, with the help of monies from local Rotary clubs, has been instrumental in working to eliminate polio.

Q: One of your signature fundraising events is the annual Run Through the Vineyards. How did that event go this year? How many attended and how much was raised?

A: The 30th annual Run Through the Vineyard, held April 29, was a huge success. We had 708 registered race participants, with 644 persons completing the course. In the end, $23,000 was raised for our service projects. This was up from the 2016 event with 500 participants, 415 who finished, and $13,000 raised. On April 28, 2018 we will present the 31st annual run.

Q: What initiatives are club members working on right now?

A: Although this is our quiet time through the end of November, we are presently cleaning bus benches in our contract with the city of Temecula; were working with Rancho Damacitas Children & Family Services and the Oak Grove Center to review applicants for $12,000 in scholarship money; and were determining which students will be attending Rotary leadership programs in December.

Q: Are any projects planned for the holidays?

A: In another month or so well begin organizing the annual Community Christmas Turkey Dinner at the Temecula Senior Center, which we prepare along with many volunteers from two other local Rotary clubs. The dinner is for seniors, homeless people, veterans and anyone in the valley that needs a hot meal. Last December, more than 1,600 persons attended. In addition, we give away toys for the children.

Q: Are you accepting new members, and if so, how does someone interested in your club get started? Is there a cost? Is there specific time commitment?

A: Yes, we are always looking for good people willing to donate their time to further our cause. In August, we inducted a new member, John Tamalunas, who is passionate about getting involved in the community. We meet every Tuesday morning at 7:30 a.m. at Journey Restaurant at Pechanga. Anyone interested in visiting us and receiving a free breakfast is welcome to email me, Frank Appice, at frankappice@earthlink.net. There are quarterly dues, but no specific time commitment except to attend meetings and be involved in activities on a regular basis.

Q: Where do you see the Temecula Sunrise Rotary Club 10 years from now?

A: At that time, I will be 84 years old so I hope we will have grown and will have many new and dedicated members so that we will continue to have an impact on our community.

For more information: The Temecula Sunrise Rotary Club is online at temeculasunriserotary.com and on Facebook at facebook.com/thetemeculasunriserotary. The club meets every Tuesday, at 7:30 a.m., at Journeys End at Pechanga, 45000 Pechanga Parkway, Temecula.

Email: temecula@sduniontribune.com
After Charlottesville, President Trump was vilified for accurately pointing out that there was violence on many sides. The days since have brought more violent clashes between far-right demonstrators and far-left counter-protesters.

Yet despite the hyper-aggressive tactics of the latter, the collective community  fueled by one-sided media coverage  continues to denounce only the former. Just attending a pro-Trump rally might be enough to get you beaten up these days.

The message seems clear: Violence is acceptable if its in response to objectionable speech or unpopular political views. Cant get much more un-American than that.

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Carla Bohnet

Pacific Beach

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Wendy Wheatcroft (Concealed carry bill misses the target, Aug. 26) urges opposition to a national concealed carry law, for reasons of public safety due to people carrying firearms as I understand the letter.

However, there is no data to support an issue of public safety merely due to allowing open carry (legal with some restrictions in 45 states) or concealed carry with no permit required (legal in about a dozen states so far).

With this many states allowing people to carry firearms as they choose, there is no data-driven situation that such permission presents a risk to public safety. There simply is not an outbreak of violence in evidence due to people being allowed to carry a firearm as they choose.

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California does not allow open carry, and in many counties a CCW permit is impossible to obtain, hence effectively preventing the right to a practical self-defense.

Bill Stoops

Solana Beach

This benignly named bill touts itself as the panacea for the current hodge-podge of state concealed-carry laws; it establishes a national standard for concealed-carry licensing. Sounds good, right? But wait, what is that standard? Rather than adopting the more stringent standards set by states like California, the bill adopts the standards of states with few or no permitting requirements.

Gun owners with no vetting as to their suitability to carry a concealed weapon would not only be legally able to carry their hidden firearm across state lines, but also onto schools, which are gun-free zones.

I join Wheatcroft in her plea to keep Californias gun laws strong.

Carol Landale

Mission Valley

Letters and commentary policy

The U-T welcomes and encourages community dialogue on important public matters. Please visit this page for more details on our letters and commentaries policy. You can email letters@sduniontribune.com or leave a comment below.

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Support your right to carry concealed guns

The letter published on House Resolution 38 (Concealed carry bill misses the target, Aug. 26) presents the usual misrepresentation of facts and outright lies designed to scare people. It would gut our gun laws is the claim. It makes no changes but seeks to unify into a national licensing system the current mix of laws that exist in parts of the country.

Violent criminals will be allowed to carry loaded guns in public Simply not true as felons are barred from owning a weapon.

What HR 38 will do is to provide the same level of self defense to all, not to those elite few who can afford to contribute to a re-election campaign, or have to live in fear of criminals striking first before they even get considered for a permit. All it will to do is provide a national licensing system similar to a driving license. I urge people to educate themselves on the facts.

Tony Cash

Escondido
San Diego flood plains are overbuilt

When I was an elementary school teacher in San Diego some 50 years ago, I often told children the true story of Charles Hatfield, the rainmaker who, in 1915, made good on his claim to break a severe drought, but with unintended consequences.

At the time, the county was largely undeveloped. Now, the watershed is covered by rooftops, tarmac and concrete, leaving no place for floods to be absorbed.

The next sustained heavy rainfall will fill Mission Valley to the brim and leave total devastation of all the development there in its wake. You can bank on it.

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Stan Levin

San Diego

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RACINE  Racine Unified School District is facing a number of consequences if it receives a failing grade from the state, some of which deeply concern the candidates in the upcoming mayoral special election.

The candidates for the Sept. 19 mayoral primary are particularly concerned with the possibility of a takeover of the failing schools by Racine County and the possibility of referendums to split schools in Mount Pleasant, Caledonia and Sturtevant away from the district.

None of the candidates support the possibility of a county takeover were the schools to receive another failing grade.

I dislike the idea, and hope that Unified and the citizens of Racine can work together to bring our standards up to where that is not even a consideration, said 6th District Alderman Sandy Weidner.

Pastor Melvin Hargrove, a former president of the Unified School Board, and Fabi Maldonado, a local Green Party leader, strongly opposed the potential takeover.

I believe Racine Unified is on a positive trajectory with its focus on the high school career pathways as well as the middle-school transformation, Hargrove said. This takes time to really form and become successful.

Maldonado said: Our ability to address problems that are known to the people of Racine is lost once that authority is handed over to an external group. We have problems in our schools that must be addressed, no question, however the people of Racine know them better than any group from the outside.

State Rep. Cory Mason, D-Racine, took exception to the language of the proposal from his Republican colleagues in the state Legislature.

I urge Republicans to reconsider the language they adopted to allow county takeover of our schools, Mason said. This was done without public input or warning, and if this moves forward, I predict lots of strife, upheaval and division just as we are trying to move our community forward.

Suburban split

The candidates expressed grave concern over the possibility of suburban schools breaking away from Unified via referendum were the district to receive another failing grade.

No one wants the school district to be divided, said Wally Rendon, a community organizer and former Unified board member. As a community we need to work with RUSD to seek ways to make it more effective.

The possible divide also worries Mason and Hargrove.

It is unacceptable to move our community into one mostly white, more affluent school district and another urban one made up mostly of poorer kids of color, Mason said. This will segregate the school district between the haves and the have-nots.

Added Hargrove: I was disheartened to read about and hear of some of the amendments attached to the Opportunities Schools Partnership Program and the possible outcomes whether intended or not intended will be hurtful to the city.

Possible solutions?

The separate nature of the city government and school district makes any direct action difficult. Still, the candidates offered ways that they would try to deal with the challenge facing the school district.

Local business owner Austin Rodriguez said the city must remain steadfast and encourage development of high-tech corridors.

We have to see how it all will work out in the end, he said.

Weidner said she would work with Unified in any way they may find helpful, as long as it didnt run counter to her responsibilities.

A program of parental education on how to best guide children through the educational process, offered at community centers and online, could be a valuable option, she added.

Maldonado said the city must work with and for its education system.

We need to listen to our teachers when they express what they see are the flaws in the system, and implement solutions based off a combination of their first-hand experience and from the changes made in school systems across the country that have successfully turned around their performance, he added.

Rendon proposed the city assign a person to help oversee the goals of the districts academies program and to serve as a go-between with the city and local businesses. Mason encouraged residents to contact local Republican representatives and urge them to reconsider the language of the legislation, saying it pits our communities against each other for years to come.

Hargrove said his experience on the School Board could be a unifying factor.

We must first realize this is definitely all of our challenge as a city, he added. We must also realize that the School Board must take the leadership in addressing this situation.

The two top finishers in the Sept. 19 primary advance to the Oct. 17 general election.
RACINE  The Racine Unified School District has a mandate from the state: raise the district report card and be compliant with Act 10 or face the possibility of its suburbs splitting off to form their own school districts.

The reality of the latter has sunk in with district officials and School Board members.

This is a very serious issue for this community and this district, School Board President Robert Wittke said at a work session on Wednesday night about how to move forward and keep the district intact. Its probably the most significant challenge that we will face.

To prevent the Opportunity Schools and Partnership Program from going into effect, which could result in control of several failing Unified schools being taken away from the district, the Joint Finance Committee passed an omnibus provision on Aug. 28 that would delay implementation one year.

However, there were two key stipulations included in the omnibus that would take place regardless of the OSPP delay: The committee specifically required the district to be in compliance with Act 10  which prohibits public employee unions from negotiating for benefits  with regard to its employee handbook. And if the district does receive a failing grade from the state Department of Public Instruction this fall, suburbs could immediately begin the process to break off from Unified.

The district has until Feb. 15 to have an employee handbook in compliance with Act 10.

We must be compliant with our handbook, Superintendent Lolli Haws said at Wednesdays meeting. We have to submit our handbook to the (state) Department of Administration  that department has to review our handbook and say that it satisfies them in terms of being compliant.

In August, the School Board attempted to approve a new employee handbook, but the measure was deferred. Since then, the district has been meeting with the Racine Education Association and surveying employees to get their feedback on the handbook.

We have a revised handbook ready, Haws said. It does not include any language about advisory groups or committees with benefits. That does not mean we wont do it, but we dont have it in the handbook. And it does not include any language about employee input for changes to the handbook. That does not mean that we will not be doing that, we certainly will, but we do not have it in the handbook.

Possible timeline

Jeff Pertl, senior policy adviser for the Department of Public Instruction, participated in the School Board meeting last week via online communication to walk the district through the potential timeline of events over the next year in the event Unified receives another failing grade from the state.

None of this existed prior to (Aug. 28), Pertl said. It is a significant change in policy. It is a very, very profound change in how this process works.

If Unified receives another failing grade, the following timeline could go into effect, according to Pertl:

Sept. 28: Unified will be able to review a draft of report card data and make revisions as necessary. That information is not public.

Oct. 15: Statutory requirement for DPI to issue OSPP notifications. Determinations will be made based on updated secure data, but provisional pending final publication.

Later in October (30 days after state budget signed): Issue request for proposal for district study.

Late October/early November: District report cards will be finalized and published.

By Nov. 30: Proposed statutory deadline for DPI to notify clerks of each village board whether RUSD is subject to the school district provision.

By Jan. 30, 2018: Village boards may pass a resolution to begin the process of secession and creation of a new school district (dependent on binding referendum).

Feb. 15: Deadline to demonstrate compliance with the prohibition on school boards directly or indirectly delegating decisions about benefits (Act 10 compliance).

February: Distribute district creation study. Study findings will be made public and distributed to village boards.

FebruaryJuly: If one or more villages adopt a resolution to create a new school district, a School District Boundary Appeals Board will be formed to address issues related to district creation, dissolution, annexation or boundary disputes.

Nov. 12, 2018: Residents cast votes on binding referendum to create a new school district.

Dec. 12, 2018: If the referendum is approved, the village boards will have 60 days to specify the number of school board members, the terms of the initial members of the school board and the method of election of school board members.

Wittke challenged his fellow board members to make the tough decision on passing the employee handbook, considering the districts current situation.

This is unprecedented and very profound, Wittke said of the changes to the OSPP. And it is going to require a similar action by this board if were going to move forward as a district and prevent some of this from happening.

The district is appreciative of the one-year delay, Haws said, but Unified is working with legislative representatives to consider the secession timeline be tied to the one-year delay like the OSPP.

We are under enormous pressure this year to not (have a failing report card) the next year, Haws said. While thats going on, villages are voting, people are doing studies and reports, Im sure rumors are flying  imagine trying to hire teachers to work here next spring with all of that going on.

The Unfied School Board plans to set a date in the next few weeks to vote on the employee handbook.
HEMINGWAY, S.C.  Carl Harmon, the founder of Caring and Sharing, the largest food bank in South Carolina, was worried about the people of Texas affected by Hurricane Harvey.

It would tear my heart up every time I watched it on TV, he said, and I knew we had to do something to help.

The organization is collecting financial donations that will be sent to the Houston Food Bank so people there will have instant access to needed food.

This is the best way we have found to do this: Deal with people who know their city and have their feet on the ground, Harmon said. This has happened to us here in South Carolina, and we needed the help of others. Now the people of Houston need our help.

Jesus said that if we help the least of these, its the same thing as helping him, said Harmon, who was a Marion Medallion recipient in February. The Lord expects us to help our brothers and sisters.

The food bank celebrated its 20th anniversary this year.

I keep praying that we will continue making a difference in the lives of those around us, Harmon said. We are a tax-exempt organization and good stewards of the money entrusted to us. It will go where it needs to go and help a lot of people.

People who want to donate can send a check to Caring and Sharing, PO Box 910, Hemingway, SC 29554.
Mention the word Confederate these days and you sound like youre itching for an argument. It shouldnt be that way.

For months across the South, there have been calls to remove Confederate monuments or to rename buildings or streets honoring long dead Confederate soldiers. At the same time, others have said to leave the statues and names alone.

But last month in Charlottesville, Virginia, everything changed. During a white nationalist rally over the removal of a statue of Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee, a car plowed through a crowd, killing a 32-year-old woman. Violence ensued between white nationalists and counter-protesters. More than 30 were injured. The governor declared a state of emergency. A nation was stunned  and got mad.

Now the South, as it has many times before, is grappling with its past and a civil war that technically ended 152 years ago but still simmers for too many people.

Its time for everyone to move on. But how, some ask, when there are visible reminders on town squares and in public parks that continue to glorify the Lost Cause of the Confederacy?

Perhaps we need to accept that the war happened, regardless of why it occurred. Then we can apply what weve learned through recent decades and move forward. Instead of glorifying the past, lets remember it and learn from it.

This suggests a middle path, a way to move forward thats different from the polarizing debates that keep us apart.

One side says to tear down the monuments because they keep the Civil War alive. They say the monuments memorialize 19th-century traitors to the American cause of liberty by leaders who wanted to split up the Union and its principles. Those monuments, they say, are painful reminders of a past predicated upon the enslavement of a people who were beaten and battered in a degrading economic system.

The other side says the monuments, street names, public buildings and other recognitions need to stay exactly where they are because they honor the dead, allow us to remember the past and keep history alive.

Theres no perfect solution to these arguments. If we keep having them, no one will be satisfied and another generation will be lost to the past. But a middle way that wont satisfy anyone might help everyone move on.

This middle path, proposed in monument-filled Charleston by Mayor John Tecklenburg, seeks to add to our understanding of the Souths past and provide context so that we can learn and grow. He has proposed amending existing Civil War monuments with historical markers that allow people to better understand history and the times. He also has proposed a new monument in Charleston to honor black Union soldiers who fought in South Carolina.

Not everybody is happy about Tecklenburgs plan, perhaps blinded by ideological barriers that they have to stay up like they are or they have to come down.

But just as people mature from one year to another, so too can communities and states. We can grow. We can absorb history more deeply. Perhaps we can adopt this middle approach and move on.

You cannot have any forward motion unless there are two sides, renowned African-American artist Jonathan Green told The Post and Courier this week. Put the full story on those monuments rather than tearing them down, because its a piece of art, so why should it be torn down?

Theres also something that the S.C. General Assembly can do. In 2000 during the effort to move the Confederate flag from the Statehouse dome, lawmakers passed the Heritage Act. It requires a two-thirds vote by the House and Senate for a monument to be removed, effectively protecting all monuments in cities and counties across South Carolina.

In a state where politicians often say the best government is that which is closest to the people, having a statewide mandate freezing local sentiments is heavy-handed. State legislators should repeal the Heritage Act and let local communities deal with how they honor history.

Some people might take down monuments. Other people might leave them alone. And yet others might take the third path by leaving them up and adding more context to help everyone better understand the war that wont go away.
The Port of Houston - general cargo and breakbulk - ia now reopening; the port at Corpus Christi - further to the south - has also now reopened with daylight transits, and oil refineries operated by Citgo, Valero and Flint Hills Resources were also set to reopen.

On the tanker side, re-opening of individual facilities is more complicated, as refineries and processing plants may have been fully or partly shut down- mainly due to power outages, and cannot come back online instantly. AIS showed that tankers were now moving into Corpus Christi Bay, though none had docked yet at Refinery Row, south of Nueces Bay, though it appeared that ATBs (tug/ barge combos) were now moving though the navigation channel.

In Houston, there was limited tanker traffic beginning to move into Galveston Bay, and it appeared that vessels had now docked in Texas City - the site of multiple refineries. Nevertheless, analysts and commentators were talking in terms of several weeks before refineries around Houston, and farther to the northeast - in Beaumont/ Port Arthur, would be back online. These include the giant Motiva refinery, 600,000 barrels per day, at Port Arthur and a smaller Total refinery nearby, both of which were reportedly shut down due to power outages induced by the massive flooding in the area.In Texas and the southeastern US, shortages of gasoline were in evidence with lengthy queues at petrol stations shown on the evening news broadcasts. Farther afield, refineries in

Lake Charles, La and the lower Mississippi River, where heavy rains had fallen, but without the massive flooding, were open. Trans-Atlantic gasoline cargoes were expected to be coming into the US East Coast, with spot hires on international flag MR tankers surging to levels with time charter equivalents equating to around $23,000 per day on the TC2 run- for an MR tanker from Rotterdam into New York. This compares to torpid pre-Hurricane numbers of circa $4,000 per day just before Hurricane Harvey made landfall a week ago.

The FFA market looks for these hires to calm down in the coming weeks, with September settle, reflecting an overall monthly time charter equivalent), pegged at around $14,000 per day. October FFAs on this route have advanced to around $9,000 per day time charter equivalent.

The humanitarian crisis in Beaumont/ Port Arthur area saw another maritime wrinkle - the US Maritime Administration (MARAD) had been making inquiries in the marketplace regarding vessels to provide temporary accommodation for displaced people. Additionally, MARAD was expressing interest in procuring vessels that could transport and store potable water, with Beaumont (population circa 110,000) having lost its municipal water supply.
Press Release

September 2, 2017 Legarda Renews Support for Peace Talks on 25th Anniversary of The Hague Joint Declaration Senator Loren Legarda today expressed anew her support for the peace talks between the Government of the Republic of the Philippines (GRP) and the National Democratic Front of the Philippines (NDFP). Legarda made the statement in line with the 25th Anniversary of The Hague Joint Declaration, which has been the guiding framework for the peace talks between the GRP and the NDFP since the administration of President Fidel V. Ramos. "As someone who has been involved in negotiating releases of captives by the New People's Army (NPA) when I was a neophyte senator, I have seen the sincerity of all sides to this conflict and have witnessed the intense desire for peace," said Legarda, who actively participated in the safe releases of General Victor Obillo, Captain Eduardo Montealto, Sergeant Alpio Lozada, Major Roberto Bernal and then Major Noel Buan, among other military and police officials who were held captive by the NPA. "We all desire for peace. We may have different views on how to pursue national development, but I believe we can find our common ground with the help of The Hague Joint Declaration," she added. She explained that The Hague Joint Declaration states that the holding of peace negotiations must be in accordance with mutually acceptable principles, including national sovereignty, democracy and social justice. Legarda, who chairs the Senate Committee on Finance, also assured that the national budget would support the NDFP's social agenda reform. "Many of the items in the NDFP's social reform agenda can already be addressed through existing laws and programs. We also have several proposed measures in the Senate that would support these programs. We just have to pursue peace for the sake of the millions of Filipinos who will benefit from a peaceful and progressive nation," Legarda concluded.
Press Release

September 3, 2017 Study shows PH among worst places to die

ANGARA PUSHES FOR BILLS SEEKING TO IMPROVE HEALTHCARE SERVICES FROM WOMB TO TOMB Senator Sonny Angara is pushing for the passage of bills that seek to ensure that Filipinos will be provided with better quality of health services from maternal and infant care up to the end-stage of life. Angara is the principal author of Senate Bill 1537 or the Healthy Nanay and Bulilit Act, also known as the First 1,000 Days Act, that mandates the implementation of a comprehensive healthcare program for mothers, covering the nine months of pregnancy, and the first two years of children. He has also filed Senate Bill 1555 that integrates hospice and palliative care into the Philippine healthcare system. Under the bill, palliative and hospice care aims to improve the quality of life of patients with life-limiting, complex and chronic illnesses or those experiencing progressively debilitating diseases beyond any benefit from curative treatment. "We are thankful to our colleagues for their overwhelming support--with 15 senators as co-authors--for the First 1,000 Days bill. We are very hopeful that it will swiftly pass in the Senate. Sana ay makatanggap din ng ganitong suporta ang Palliative and Hospice Care bill na tumutugon naman sa pangangailangan ng mga may karamdamang wala nang lunas at may taning na ang buhay," Angara said. The senator cited a 2015 Quality of Death study index that listed the Philippines as one of the worst places to die, next only to Iraq and Bangladesh. The poor scores of the Philippines, which ranked 78th out of 80 countries, in terms of the quality of end-of-life care available was attributed to: the severe shortage of specialized palliative care professionals; lack of government-led strategy for the development and promotion of national palliative care; limited number of government subsidies or programs for individuals accessing palliative care services; and, limited public understanding and awareness of palliative care services. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), the following diseases require palliative care at the end-stage of life: cancer, cardiovascular diseases, chronic lung diseases, diabetes, tuberculosis, kidney failure, HIV-AIDS, Alzheimer's disease and other dementias, among others. Data from WHO showed that in 2012, about 300,000 of the estimated 515,000 reported deaths in the Philippines were due to noncommunicable diseases such as stroke, heart attack, cancer, chronic lung disease, and diabetes. To address this, Angara's bill mandates all government and private hospitals to provide standard quality palliative and hospice care services to patients with life-threatening illnesses. The bill further mandates the Philhealth to expand its benefit package to include inpatient palliative services, outpatient hospice care and home-based palliative care. Immediate family members or relatives who are employed and are assigned by the family to provide palliative and hospice care to a critically ill relative shall also be allowed to use all existing leave benefits granted by their employers. "Maaaring wala nang lunas ang kanilang karamdaman at paghihirap, pero hindi ito dahilan upang itigil natin ang pagkalinga sa kanila. This bill is a step forward in ensuring that every Filipino family can be given proper care and assistance during the most challenging stages of illness," Angara said.
2 arrested with demonitised IC worth Rs 6.8 million

Metropolitan Police Crime Division arrested two persons with demonitised Rs 500 and Rs 1000 Indian currency notes from Annapurna Chowk area in Kathmandu Metropolitan City-15.
The Castro Valley man accused of killing a Sacramento County sheriffs deputy and wounding two California Highway Patrol officers died Saturday, succumbing to the injuries he suffered during a shootout with police Wednesday.

The Sacramento County Sheriffs Department announced the death of 32-year-old Thomas Daniel Littlecloud.
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The day Diane Evans escaped the Hurricane Katrina flood zone, she boarded an overcrowded evacuation bus at the edge of Interstate 10 in Louisianas Jefferson Parish, praying it would go to Houston.

Evans, now a 71-year-old San Francisco resident, is one of several Katrina refugees who resettled in the Bay Area. This time, she said, Houston is on the other end of her prayers.

Right now, Im reliving everything. Reliving the entire experience, she said. I know what those people are going through. I know what theyre dealing with. I just pray. I just pray that they dont do to them what they did to us.

Evans was among the tens of thousands of people who left New Orleans and never moved back after Katrina devastated the city 12 years ago. About 1,000 of them came to the Bay Area. Its an exodus that could be repeated in Houston and across southeastern Texas, as the floodwaters from what was once Hurricane Harvey recede and people discover how much theyve lost.

Theres no predicting how their futures will unfold. Evans landed here with almost nothing in her pocket and is still angry that we were treated so poorly by this country. Her adult daughter was better able to make a new start, and now has a job indirectly helping flood victims in Texas.

Some people who were younger when they relocated to the Bay Area have thrived. One is running a startup. Another found an avocation pushing for the rights of others in the Katrina diaspora.

And a few returned. It took years of part-time separation from her husband, his hard work and her financial creativity from 2,000 miles away, but eventually, one woman was able to move back into her once-devastated home in New Orleans.

Harvey has killed at least 44 people and left thousands displaced in Houston and elsewhere since Aug. 25, when it made landfall as a Category 4 hurricane. But 12 years back, Houston was a safe haven for Diane Evans, her then 40-year-old daughter, Carmen, and her 6-year-old grandson.

Their journey began by swamp boat when the Cajun Navy rescued them from a neighbors home in the Gert Town neighborhood of New Orleans, four blocks from the 14th Street canal. The way Carmen Evans remembered it, there were eight adults in the house, her young son, three dogs, one cat and enough food for a week.

They were stranded for two days before the boat took them  but not their pets  to higher ground six blocks south. From there, they splashed 2 miles down Jefferson Highway through ankle-deep water before a pickup truck driver gave them a lift to the freeway. There they caught the bus bound for the Houston Astrodome, which had been turned into a shelter.

As they got off the bus outside the covered stadium, Diane Evans recalled, they saw people waiting for missing family members. One woman had a sign reading, Lil Mikey Jones, 3 years old, she said, and everybody started crying.

They werent at the Astrodome for long. Carmen Evans worked at Continental Airlines, and she was quickly able to arrange a free flight to San Francisco for the whole family.

But Bay Area housing in 2005 wasnt any more affordable than it is today, especially for Diane Evans, a newcomer then pushing 60 years old who had previously worked as a hotel maid. The nonprofit that helped Katrina refugees gave everyone who came to the Bay Area a debit card with $349 on it, Diane Evans said. And that was it.

She ended up living with her daughter in Burlingame for several years. When Carmen Evans found a job with United Airlines in Chicago in 2012, Diane refused to leave the Bay Area. She said she was homeless for about four months until a vacancy opened at the Curry Senior Center in the Tenderloin. She didnt tell her daughter until she had a roof again.

I was determined to stay in San Francisco. ... I wanted my daughter and son to live independent of me, she said. I knew that whatever I had to go through, I could go through it. And I did.

She loved New Orleans. But she doesnt want to go back.

There were no jobs in New Orleans, no housing in New Orleans, no schools in New Orleans, Evans said. My last job was as a night maid in a hotel. San Francisco is a better place for me, a senior. My favorite city in the world is New Orleans. But in terms of services for seniors, San Francisco is far better.

Carmen Evans is settled in Chicago with her now-19-year-old son and is a load planner for United. One of her tasks is arranging for the delivery of flood-relief supplies to Houston.

For two days after Harvey hit, she had to call in sick. Evans said she spent those days crying.

Its been a long road. I honestly didnt believe it was going to hit me this hard, she said.  I feel so badly for the people in Houston. All I can say is theyre going to need psychological counseling more than anything.

I just really feel bad that this country wasnt prepared better for Harvey, she said. I mean, come on.

One of the people the Evans family got to know in the Bay Area was a fellow Katrina evacuee, C.C. Campbell-Rock. Her home in the St. Roch neighborhood of New Orleans was elevated 4 feet above the surrounding ground, but was still inundated with 12 feet of water when the hurricane hit. A painting of her late mother, her own birth certificate and her prized portfolio of published articles that predated the digital stuff were destroyed.

You know what, its not the things you lost, Campbell-Rock said of being displaced. Its the intangibles. Its the camaraderie of friends  your circle of friends. And being transplanted to another place where people are lovely, people are nice, but it wasnt the same.

In the Bay Area, Campbell-Rock said, I always felt like an invisible person. I was there but not there. I was physically present, but mentally gone.

Santiago Mejia/The Chronicle

For a year, she was the beneficiary of a local resident who was moved by the plight of uprooted evacuees. He never wanted his name made public, but when Campbell-Rocks adult son  who was already living here  talked at a Pleasanton city meeting about the problems she and her two teenage children were having, the man found them a two-bedroom apartment in the city and paid a year of rent.

People were really lovely. They really, really were, Campbell-Rock said. They were lovely and the environment was lovely. But it wasnt home.

Her husband initially stayed behind in New Orleans, trying to salvage their home. He would come out for visits as the family moved from Pleasanton to federally subsidized housing in Dublin, then an apartment in Concord.

To help support the family, Campbell-Rock worked as a journalist, ran a Katrina recovery ministry program with Lutheran Social Services of Northern California, and headed an aid program for foster youth. But the family never lost the hope of returning to their New Orleans home.

Damage to it was estimated at $126,000. The Federal Emergency Management Agency gave them $20,000 to replace furniture and cover some other expenses. Louisianas Road Home program gave her $38,000 for physical damage and $15,000 to elevate their home.

Campbell-Rocks husband is a carpenter and contractor, so he did most of the work himself and hired neighborhood people to help reinstall everything from plumbing to electricity. In 2014, she finally moved back.

But its not the same. The city still has overgrown vegetation, big empty lots and boarded-up houses. Like Campbell-Rock herself, New Orleans hasnt quite recovered.

Im not over it yet, and its 12 years, she said, now 68. We lost everything.

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Dan Smolkin did not have a school to return to after Katrina hit.

Smolkin was two weeks into his junior year at Ben Franklin High School in New Orleans when the flood came. When the evacuation order was given, he piled into a Lincoln Continental with his father and grandparents and headed for Alexandria, La. After a couple of days in a hotel that served as a refugee center, he boarded a flight to the Bay Area.

Santiago Mejia/The Chronicle

For the next year, he lived with an aunt and uncle in Palo Alto, and eventually graduated from Gunn High School there. After college at James Madison University in Virginia, he came back to work at a startup in Mountain View. After four years there, he formed his own startup, Integraph, and moved to San Francisco.

Smolkin, 29, said hes focused on living in the Bay Area but makes a point to show his New Orleans roots. He celebrates Mardi Gras every year with all the king cakes and beads he can get ahold of.

Its a city that I absolutely love, and theres no place Ive been that comes close to it, he said. I know it sounds cheesy. I carry the mentality of being a New Orleanian with me wherever I go.

Amber McZeal doesnt like to talk about what she lost in the flood, or her journey to California.

As one might guess, losing everything isnt that fun, said McZeal, 35. The transition was very rocky. My heart goes out to the folks in Texas right now.

But the major piece about Katrina and about the transition was how the storm exposed centuries of institutional and systemic racism, she said. Losing everything isnt necessarily a problem if you have equitable access.

McZeal was in her early 20s studying jazz at the Southern University of New Orleans when Katrina flooded her college. FEMA provided her housing in New Orleans until January 2006, when an official gave her two weeks notice and told her the agency wouldnt pay for housing unless she left the state, McZeal said.

She decided to move to the Bay Area, where she met up with a musician friend. FEMA paid for a room for two months at a hotel in Emeryville. After that, she scrounged up enough money to live in Berkeley and set out to get involved with activists.

She began working with nonprofit organizations focused on the right to return for the thousands of the Katrina refugees who were in limbo. She was hired as a caseworker to help fellow evacuees get re-established  a responsibility she said the government shirked for poorer African Americans who had been renters in New Orleans.

Shes particularly scathing about the Road Home program, which she said directed the bulk of recovery funds at homeowners.

The systems of power that go back to before America was America really got revealed and exaggerated by the storm, McZeal said.

Now she lives in Oakland, but says she wants to go home someday. And Louisiana will always be home, McZeal said. My roots arent here. My roots are there. My entire familys from there.

But, she said, one can make peace with where they are.

Jenna Lyons is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: jlyons@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @JennaJourno
San Francisco Mayor Ed Lee often refers to his departments heads as being part of the city family  but sometimes the family ties can get a bit complicated.

Take the case of Nicole Elliott, the just-named, $149,459-a-year director of the newly created Office of Cannabis.

Elliot had been the mayors liaison to the Board of Supervisors. She is also married to Jason Elliott, who was named as the mayors chief of staff after the recent retirement of longtime top staffer Steve Kawa.

Jason Elliotts elevation to chief of staff, however, meant that Nicole would be reporting directly to her husband if she remained as board liaison, which is against the rules.

To avoid the conflict, Nicole Elliott was transferred to City Administrator Naomi Kellys office to fill in for Kellys deputy Bill Barnes. He has taken a leave to assist in Supervisor Jeff Sheehys campaign to hang onto the District Eight seat next year.

Kelly is the one who picked Nicole Elliott to write the citys recreational pot policies. Its a bit of a risky move  Elliott, who is white, doesnt have all the diversity credentials that some members of the Board of Supervisors were pushing for, and she has no history in the marijuana business.

Its an important job and a complex one  I hope she is up to the task, said Sheehy, who authored the legislation to create the department.

Supervisor Sandra Fewer said: Legalization is an opportunity to reinvest in communities that are disproportionately impacted by racist drug laws. The Office of Cannabis, she said, will have a tremendous responsibility to come up with ways to advance equity measures.

Kelly, who is part of another City Hall tandem  her husband is Harlan Kelly, general manager of the Public Utilities Commission  said Elliott was the right person for the job. Someone who is not from the weed world will be a neutral and objective regulator, she said.

In dealing with the supervisors as Lees liaison to the board, Kelly said, Elliott has accumulated plenty of experience drafting legislation and become familiar with numerous city departments. She said that will come in handy at the Office of Cannabis, because Elliott has to navigate all the bureaucracies to put together a program in an aggressive fashion for the city to be ready for recreational sales Jan. 1.

Kelly has shown some bureaucratic smarts of her own  naming Elliott to the job while the supervisors were on their summer break and not around to complain.

Good fences: San Francisco spent roughly $10,000 for the fence that was hastily erected around Alamo Square Park the morning the conservative group Patriot Prayer said it would hold a news conference there.

Officials scrambled to enclose the 13-acre park after Patriot Prayer canceled its Crissy Field rally at the last minute in favor of the Aug. 26 press event. That raised the specter of right-wingers and counterprotesters duking it out in full view of tourists expecting only a view of the Painted Ladies Victorians.

Deirdre Hussey, Mayor Ed Lees spokeswoman, said the fence was worth every dime. Not only did it keep potential combatants out, but it also protected the citys just-completed, $5.3 million resodding of the parks grass and renovation of its restrooms.

No word, however, on the cost of the hundreds of police officers who ringed the park, most of whom were brought in on overtime.

Ahead of the weekends scheduled events, Hussey sent a talking point to city department heads: We are more determined than ever to show the country and the world what San Francisco is, and will always be, a city of love, inclusiveness and compassion.

And from the looks of things, it all went according to script.

Out of a job: Just months after being hired by District Attorney George Gascon to investigate officer-involved shootings, Roger Guzman has resigned amid accusations of off-duty misconduct.

The retired Los Angeles police detective was hired in November at a salary of $116,000 a year  part of a team Gascon assembled after a string of officer-involved shootings raised questions about police use of deadly force.

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In April, Guzman was picked up on suspicion of public drunkenness after attending a training session for D.A. investigators near Sacramento. When word of his arrest reached his bosses in San Francisco, Guzman was removed from the specialized unit and handed other investigative assignments.

Alas, there was more trouble to follow.

According to court documents, a former girlfriend obtained a temporary restraining order against Guzman last week for alleged acts of domestic violence.

After San Francisco law enforcement was alerted, Gascons office referred the case to police agencies in the Los Angeles and San Diego areas for investigation, sources say.

Were told Guzman submitted his resignation Tuesday, a day before he was to be called in to be fired.

D.A. spokesman Alex Bastian declined to comment, other than to say that Guzman no longer works here.

Guzman could not be reached for comment.

San Francisco Chronicle columnists Phillip Matier and Andrew Ross appear Sundays, Mondays and Wednesdays. Matier can be seen on the KPIX TV morning and evening news. He can also be heard on KCBS radio Monday through Friday at 7:50 a.m. and 5:50 p.m. Got a tip? Call (415) 777-8815, or email matierandross@sfchronicle.com. Twitter: @matierandross
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When Alex Ghenis moved into his Berkeley apartment, he spent thousands of dollars remodeling to accommodate his wheelchair, adding a roll-in shower, accessible shower fixtures, and hardwood floors in the living room and bedroom. In the bedroom, he set up a Hoyer Lift for transferring between his wheelchair and the bed. The landlord installed an automatic door opener at the building entrance.

Here I am with all these resources, said Ghenis, 29, who has used a wheelchair since a spinal-cord injury 13 years ago. When I travel, it would be great to stay in an apartment that is just as accessible  and to open up my place for other people.

Thats the goal of Accomable, an Airbnb-style marketplace for short-term rentals for people with disabilities. Ghenis has listed his place on Accomable to rent to other wheelchair users when hes out of town. In turn, hell also use the site to seek out places to stay in other cities.

It looks like a fantastic resource, said Ghenis, who travels for his work as a policy and research specialist at the World Institute on Disability. It would be good for my pocketbook if someone rents (my place) when Im out and about.

Accomable CEO and co-founder Srin Madipalli, 31, who uses a wheelchair because of spinal muscular atrophy, was a corporate lawyer in London with a travel bug. In 2010, he took off on a six-month trek around Europe, Africa and Asia. While he loved seeing the world, finding a place to stay was often an ordeal.

I was constantly turning up to hotels and finding out they werent accessible, even if they had said they were, he said.

During the next few years he got an MBA at Oxford, learned coding and started a travel blog, Disability Horizons, with a friend. Feedback from blog readers made him realize how many people with disabilities had trouble finding suitable lodgings while traveling. That was the impetus for founding Accomable two years ago.

Madipalli coded the website himself, and it grew organically. I curated all the first few listings myself; Id call up the owner and ask, Can I come stay? and would work on coding while I was there, he said.

He advertised on Twitter, Facebook and elsewhere for hosts whose places had features such as roll-in showers, hoists and electric beds; at least one bedroom and bathroom must have step-free access. Some hosts are disabled themselves; some have a disabled relative, he said. While wheelchair accessibility is a particularly large concern, it also caters to travelers who are blind or deaf, as well as the elderly. Accessibility can take many different forms, he said.

Brittany Dejeans family used Accomable while traveling to Europe last summer. Her dad, a quadriplegic, had not traveled abroad for years because of how inaccessible the travel industry is and how hard it is to get information, she said. But they trusted Accomable because it was clear that its founders had personal understanding and were committed to making sure all properties truly worked.

Leah Millis / The Chronicle 2017

They booked an accessible apartment in Madrid. That was where my dads soul lived; he loved it there so much and hadnt been in two decades, she said. It was a phenomenal, life-changing trip that reopened this window of passion for travel that my dad had had to shut.

As executive director of AbleThrive, a San Francisco nonprofit that provides resources for people with disabilities, Dejean is helping find hosts for Accomable.

Accomable is truly trailblazing in its awareness of the market, she said.

Most Accomable listings are for entire homes; there are also about 300 hotels. The initial cohort of hosts are in Europe, but Accomable is now making a push into the United States. Madipalli has been meeting with hosts in the Bay Area, along with venture capitalists. The company has about half a million dollars in initial funding.

Its screening process is rigorous, and not all properties make it. Accomable asks hosts to send photos or videos of every accessible feature in their home to verify them. It has about 1,200 listings, and 3,500 more are being vetted.

As with other marketplaces, hosts set their own rates. Accomable takes a 10 percent cut.

The increasing popularity of marketplaces like Airbnb, Uber and Lyft has concerned disabled people and their advocates, who have spent years fighting for the regulations that govern accessibility by the hotel and taxi industries. The Americans with Disabilities Act does not apply to owner-occupied lodgings with fewer than six units for rent. Lyft and Uber let riders request wheelchair-accessible vehicles, but in general have no rules about how many such vehicles are available.

In June, a Rutgers study found that people with disabilities were often rejected by Airbnb hosts, even when the hosts said their lodgings were wheelchair accessible.

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Airbnb said that the study was out of date, and that its taking steps to improve accessibility, including new ways for hosts to describe accessibility features, host education materials, and trained customer service. Airbnb has a permanent team of engineers, data scientists, researchers, and designers whose sole purpose is to advance belonging and inclusion and to root out bias, including bias against people with disabilities, it said.

Arun Sundararajan, a New York University business professor and author of the book The Sharing Economy, generally believes in a laissez-faire attitude toward these new companies. But in the case of disability access, he thinks the government should step in if the companies dont do enough.

Regulation is necessary when theres market failure, which means, if left to its own devices, the market under-provides something society needs, he said. To me, the right response for Uber and Lyft would be to mandate a minimum fraction of vehicles in any given geographic area that are wheelchair accessible.

For Airbnb, he said, it would be strategic for it to proactively invest in ensuring it has accessible listings, and verifying their claims itself, rather than relying on its reviews system to do so.

This is a serious issue that requires a new approach, he said. There always will be a necessary role for government intervention to set standards and place minimums. This may require a creative new way to share responsibility between the (companies) and the government.

Madipalli welcomes those much larger companies addressing the issue.

Long term, his goal is for Accomable to be a one-stop shop for accessible travel. Wed be a marketplace for all these services  accommodations, specialty equipment, adaptive cars, insurance, he said. I want to encourage others that they can do things; that their disability shouldnt be a barrier.

Carolyn Said is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: csaid@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @csaid
Just months after being hired by District Attorney George Gascon to investigate officer-involved shootings, Roger Guzman has resigned amid accusations of off-duty misconduct.

The retired Los Angeles police detective was hired in November at a salary of $116,000 a year  part of a team Gascon assembled after a string of officer-involved shootings raised questions about police use of deadly force.

In April, Guzman was picked up on suspicion of public drunkenness after attending a training session for D.A. investigators near Sacramento. When word of his arrest reached his bosses in San Francisco, Guzman was removed from the specialized unit and handed other investigative assignments.

Alas, there was more trouble to follow.

According to court documents, a former girlfriend obtained a temporary restraining order against Guzman last week for alleged acts of domestic violence.

After San Francisco law enforcement was alerted, Gascons office referred the case to police agencies in the Los Angeles and San Diego areas for investigation, sources say.

Were told Guzman submitted his resignation Tuesday, a day before he was to be called in to be fired.

D.A. spokesman Alex Bastian declined to comment, other than to say that Guzman no longer works here.

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.

Guzman could not be reached for comment.

San Francisco Chronicle columnists Phillip Matier and Andrew Ross appear Sundays, Mondays and Wednesdays. Matier can be seen on the KPIX TV morning and evening news. He can also be heard on KCBS radio Monday through Friday at 7:50 a.m. and 5:50 p.m. Got a tip? Call (415) 777-8815, or email matierandross@sfchronicle.com. Twitter: @matierandross
Three masked men robbed an Emeryville Target store at gunpoint shortly after midnight Saturday, police said.

The men entered a Target at 1555 40th Street as the store was closing, according to Emeryville Police officers.

One man had a rifle and another carried a handgun, police said. They told everyone inside to get on the floor, then took an undisclosed amount of money from the cash drawer.

The men fled in four-door silver sedan.

Police would not release further details on the incident.

Jenna Lyons is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: jlyons@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @JennaJourno
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HOUSTON  President Trump cupped a boys face in his hands and then gave him a high five. He snapped on latex gloves to hand out boxed lunches of hot dogs and potato chips. And he loaded relief supplies into vehicles, patted storm victims on the shoulder and declared the work good exercise.

An upbeat and optimistic president visited with victims of Harvey on Saturday, touring a Houston mega-shelter housing hundreds of displaced people and briefly walking streets lined with soggy, discarded possessions. Trump met the scene with positivity, congratulating officials on an emergency response still in progress and telling reporters that he had seen a lot of love and a lot of happiness in the devastation the storm left behind.

As tough as this was, its been a wonderful thing, Trump said of the Harvey response after spending time with displaced children inside NRG Center, an emergency refuge housing about 1,800 evacuees.

The trip, to Houston and Lake Charles, La., was Trumps second to survey the damage since Harvey hit and a chance for a president to strike a more sympathetic tone. He had rushed to Texas on Tuesday, heading to Corpus Christi and Austin to talk to first responders. The trip, which included scant interaction with residents or extended expressions of concern, was criticized as being off-key for a presidential visit to discuss communities in crisis. What a crowd, what a turnout, hed said as he stood outside a Corpus Christi firehouse.

Trumps trip Saturday was something of a do-over. Joined by first lady Melania Trump, the president went directly to the NRG Center and was greeted warmly by volunteers and children. The Trumps brought coloring books and crayons and sat with families that had been displaced.

They served food in the lunch line and then moved on to First Church in the Houston suburb of Pearland, where they loaded boxes and bottles of water into vehicles.

I like doing this, Trump told one of the volunteer coordinators. I like it.

Harvey is blamed for at least 44 deaths and believed to have damaged at least 156,000 dwellings in Harris County. The American Red Cross said more than 17,000 people have sought refuge in Texas shelters.

The Trumps were joined by an entourage that included four Cabinet officials, the administrator of the Federal Emergency Management Agency, Texas Gov. Greg Abbott and Texas Sen. Ted Cruz.

Darlene Superville and Julie Bykowicz are Associated Press writers.
8 Nepalis in M-sia out of contact following scuffle with Tamil group

Eight Nepali migrant workers in Malaysia have been missing since five days following a confrontation with knife wielding group of Tamil individuals.
At the Netroots Nation conference in Atlanta last month, Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren opened her speech to 3,000 progressives with a spirited attack on ... former Democratic President Bill Clinton.

The Democratic Party isnt going back to the days of welfare reform and the crime bill, she said, referring to a pair of Clintons best-known centrist accomplishments. It is not going to happen.

A few days earlier, a group of moderate Democrats, including Colorado Gov. John Hickenlooper, former Iowa Gov. Tom Vilsack and former Kentucky Gov. Steve Beshear, announced the formation of NewDemocracy.net, whose first order of business was a thinly veiled shot at ... the progressive followers of Warren and independent Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders.

For many working class and rural voters, the (Democratic) partys message seems freighted with elite condescension for traditional values (especially faith) and lifestyles, according to the groups mission statement.

Donald Trump might be president, Republicans might have control of the House and Senate, and decades of hard-won liberal programs and victories may be in danger of being rolled back, but that hasnt stopped Democrats from fighting with one another.

Its a dangerous road to take, said Larry Gerston, a former political science professor at San Jose State University.

This isnt just carping or disagreeing with colleagues, he said. The seeds are being sown for internecine warfare.

The continuing intraparty fighting may be baffling, but it shouldnt be particularly surprising, said Thad Kousser, a political science professor at UC San Diego.

Democrats are always going to have different platforms and priorities, he said. But theres not much difference between the groups. Its not like there are Democrats opposed to a strong minimum wage.

Much of the dispute spins from last years rancorous Democratic primary, when Sanders ran a surprisingly strong  but ultimately unsuccessful  challenge to former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, the choice of the partys establishment.

For Sanders and his allies, Clintons shocking November loss cleared the way for what they argue should be a progressive takeover of the party.

We are not the gate crashers of todays Democratic Party, Warren told the Netroots Nation crowd. We are not a wing of todays Democratic Party. We are the heart and soul of todays Democratic Party.

But its been anything but a quiet changing of the guard for the Democrats, with party leaders angrily resisting the progressives efforts.

In California, for example, Sanders supporters swarmed into a speech by Democratic National Committee Chairman Tom Perez at the state party convention in Sacramento last May, shouting down calls for unity from Perez and calling on the party to ban corporate campaign contributions and back a nationwide single-payer health care system.

Shut the f up or go outside, John Burton, the partys outgoing state chairman, told the demonstrators.

Sanders supporter Kimberly Ellis of Richmond, whose slogan was Reshaping what it means to be a Democrat, lost a tight race for party chair to Eric Bauman, the Democrats state vice chairman, but has refused to concede, arguing that the election was rigged.

Its a similar situation elsewhere in the country. When the chair of the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, Rep. Ben Ray Lujan of New Mexico, said his group might aid candidates who oppose abortion rights, he was attacked by progressives, womens rights supporters and plenty of mainstream party officials who argued that its impossible to be a loyal Democratic officeholder without being pro-choice.

Arguing that Clinton and the Democrats lost because the party was trying too hard to appeal to voters in the center, progressives are working to push the party left on issues like single-payer health care.

Any Democrat that doesnt unequivocally say Medicare-for-all is the way to go? To me, theres something wrong with them, Nina Turner, president of Our Revolution, a group spun off from the Sanders campaign, said last month. No more hemming and hawing. No more game playing. Make your stand.

That type of bold, all-or-nothing talk is unnerving to more pragmatic Democrats, especially coming off an election where even typically Democratic states like Pennsylvania, Wisconsin and Michigan joined the sea of Republican red between the blue Democratic outposts on the two coasts.

In todays politics, one size doesnt fit all voters, California Gov. Jerry Brown said in a Meet the Press interview last month.

You cant let these hot button issues ... be the guiding light for a national party that covers a very wide spectrum of belief, he said. Running in San Francisco is not like running in Tulare County or Modoc, Calif., much less Mobile, Ala.

Yet when Assembly Speaker Anthony Rendon, D-Paramount (Los Angeles County), in June shelved a state Senate-passed bill establishing a statewide single-payer system, he was attacked by Sanders supporters and threatened with recall.

And rookie Democratic Sen. Kamala Harris is taking fire from progressives who argue that her record as Californias attorney general and her support from corporate America arent what they want to see in a potential party leader.

Those calls for Democrats to fight Trump with a perfectly progressive candidate are misplaced, Gerston said.

Theres no room for purity in politics, which is based on compromise, he said. It might make you feel good for a minute, but it wont lead to victory.

But what looks like division might actually be a good thing for Democrats, argued Simon Rosenberg, founder and president of NDN, a liberal think tank and advocacy group formerly known as the New Democratic Network.

Its a sign of health, he said. Where parties get into trouble is when theyre stale and these debates dont happen.

While its always possible for these policy debates to slip into rancor, the Democrats desire to oust Trump is enough to keep even squabbling factions on the same path, Rosenberg added.

Trump will create consensus, he said. Hes a common opponent, and the need to blast the Trump presidency will outweigh everything else.

That cant happen soon enough for the Democrats, Gerston said.

Every day that goes by with the Democrats looking inside rather than outside is a great day for the Republicans, he said.

John Wildermuth is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: jwildermuth@sfchronicle.com Twitter:@jfwildermuth
San Francisco has taken a tentative step toward deciding on whether it will become the first local government in the country to run its voting machines on open-source software.

The notion of shifting away from using proprietary technology sold by private companies to computer code made freely available for anyone to use and modify has been talked about for years. But its been getting more attention since the city allocated $300,000 to study the issue.

Last week, Elections Director John Arntz opened discussions with Slalom, a consulting group selected by the city to prepare a detailed report on what San Francisco would face if it decides go to an open-source voting system. The report is expected to be finished by January at a cost of around $175,000.

Proponents of open-source voting systems say local governments using them would be able to hold elections with an unprecedented level of control, transparency and security. Its a concept thats gaining wider attention nationwide given the specter of vote tampering that arose during last years presidential election.

California Secretary of State Alex Padilla has said he would support an open-source voting system, assuming it could pass the states certification protocols. In April, Padilla endorsed the Voting Modernization Bond Act of 2018, which seeks $450 million to upgrade the states antiquated voting machines. Some of that money could be spent by county elections officials to research and develop open-source voting systems.

Supporters say open-source systems would be reliable because they can be constantly assessed by a swarm of programmers who can spot bugs and recommend improvements before election day.

To put it simply, you want to have as many eyes on the code as possible, said Brent Turner, secretary of the California Association of Voting Officials, a group dedicated to implementing open-source voting systems.

Open-source software could allow the city to more fully understand and adjust how votes are tallied. Currently, vendors of electronic voting equipment provide few details about how their machines operate, claiming those details are proprietary. Governments are also beholden to private vendors if they want to make a change to the software running the machines.

Youre stuck with whatever they provide, said Chris Jerdonek, president of the San Francisco Elections Commission and the chairman of the commissions Open Source Voting System Technical Advisory Committee. Open-source would give the city an opportunity to say, We want to make a tweak, and then theyd be free to do that.

Open-source proponents also say governments could save money by reducing their reliance on outside vendors. Just how much San Francisco might save isnt totally clear, but for the past 11 years, the city has spent an average of $2 million annually on its voting equipment, which it buys from Dominion Voting Systems. This year, the city renewed its contract with Dominion through 2018 for $2.3 million.

There are doubters, however.

Many technology and security experts stress that open-source software is not inherently more secure just because a lot of people are looking for bugs and plugging security holes.

Software designed for inspection tends to be better  although transparency does not magically improve security, said Deirdre Mulligan, an associate professor at UC Berkeleys School of Information.

And Jack Miller, the chief information security officer at SlashNext, a cybersecurity firm, questioned whether an open-source voting project could attract enough skilled volunteers to police the software code effectively.

But Turner said the term open source can be a bit of a misnomer, suggesting that the code is open to inspection and alteration at any time. In reality, Turner said, access to the code could be controlled by the city, even if it remains visible to the public.

Its a publicly held code that can be locked down before its utilized in a real election, Turner said. And if hackers do manage to manipulate the code, with an open-source system, someone will see it and youll have all these smarty-pants try to outshine each other to fix the problem. Theyre the proofreaders, Turner said.

Any hope of receiving additional funding to exploring open-source voting will be fully contingent on the consulting firms findings in January, said Jerdonek, the elections commissioner. The biggest potential roadblock, he said, is getting city officials to take the risk of being the first in the nation to try it.

Dominic Fracassa is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: dfracassa@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @dominic fracassa
The four hour-long episodes that comprise the Netflix docuseries Fire Chasers were filmed a year ago. Together, they tell the story of a single fire season in California, a season that has become, on average, 78 days longer than it had been in the past four decades.

But if you watch it when it becomes available on Friday, Sept. 8  and you should  you may learn things that have nothing to do specifically with fire, or even California.

Ken Pimlott, director of the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection, says early in the series that factors such as climate change, development, vegetation change and other human-made alterations to nature, have resulted in a more fire-prone landscape in California.

Can that concept be applied to other forms of natural disaster?

A day or so after Hurricane Harvey made landfall in Texas, former Federal Emergency Management Agency Director James Lee Witt was being interviewed on CNN and said that when Houston and the other storm-drenched areas of Texas begin the daunting task of rebuilding, they would be wise to build with plan that takes permanent climate change into account. What happened with Harvey, what happened with Sandy and Katrina, and what happens every year in California are the direct result of changes in the environment that cannot be undone and are likely to worsen. These catastrophic events, and many more, are not merely one-offs. They are, as Pimlott says of the nearly year-round fire season in California, the new norm.

Produced by Appian Way (Leonardo DiCaprios production company), Stone Village Television and Original Pictures, Fire Chasers tells the story of the 2016 fire season through people who fight the fires, including professionals, volunteers and female members of the Inmate Firefighter Program.

The most eloquent testimony about the ravages of wildfires in California, though, comes from the visual images, which are terrifying, perversely beautiful at times and unusually intimate. We see the men and women scrabbling up and down hillsides, through the burning woods. We watch them clawing furiously at the dried grass on a hillside, trying to denude an area wide enough to halt the advancing flames marching only inches away from them. And when the flames lick closer, we hear the shouts, Get in the black, get in the black, ordering the crew to get into an area thats already burned and is therefore safe.

The human narratives include some by the women in the inmate program, including Michelle Hedden, serving two years for driving under the influence, and Bri Cody, a young single mom who got in with the wrong crowd and is in prison on a burglary charge. You will often hear inmates say their lives have been changed and that everything will be different when they get out, but you cant help feeling that will be true for these two women. Theyve been trained to fight fires, and theyve also been trained to find strength within themselves and to find strength in working together.

We also meet young trainees in Malibu like Victor Villa, who is getting schooled in knowing what to do and to do it by instinct, in a flash, because even the shortest delay can cost a life.

Veteran firefighters are highly valued because of their experience, but they are either retiring or moving to municipal fire departments. The need for trained and experienced men and women on the front lines of fighting forest and wildfires has only increased, not only because of the length of the modern-day fire season in California, but also because of the frequency of fires in the state. There are about 1,000 more fires in California per year than there were five years ago.

Some of the increase is due to post-drought conditions, but the fact that 39 million people live in the state today means that almost all of the fires are somehow caused by people. It is very rare for a fire to be ignited by lightning. Vegetation that used to be restricted to Southern California has migrated northward and higher in elevation in recent years, because of climate change and the drought. And with a population that large, even a small fire can leave a big imprint, Pimlott says. In money, in natural destruction and in human lives.

Vegetation is reaching well below critical levels of moisture that weve never recorded before, Pimlott says.

What is the cost of a fire? The July 2016 Soberanes Fire in Monterey County, the most expensive wildfire in U.S. history, burned more than 130,000 acres, was fought by 5,000 personnel and cost $260 million to douse. Fifty-seven structures were destroyed. One man lost his life. It was all the result of an illegal campfire in nearby Garrapata State Park.

Fire is like water, says Midcoast Fire Brigade volunteer Brent Bispo. Its looking for the least path of resistance and its looking for food.

We have created a lot of food for fires, just as we have created a lot of food for floods.

Everyone becomes complacent that we will always respond, Pimlott says in the film. But we are not going to be able to protect every home. Communities need to be more fire resistant.

Perhaps one of the most provocative and certainly controversial ideas in the film comes from Randy Hanvelt, a member of the Board of Supervisors in Tuolumne County. Prefacing his suggestion by admitting it will sound radical and anything but politically correct, he asks if we are doing the right thing trying to save everything in a fire and, by extension, other natural disasters. Climate change, he says, is not new. The Ice Age is an example of a significant worldwide change in climate. Life either adapted or died off. Should we approach climate change in our own time with that in mind?

We may not be willing to let plant and animal life die off, but adaptation is possible. Weve seen it in small ways, such as clearing space of vegetation around a rural or mountain home.

So what would real, full-throttle adaptation look like today? For one, it would look like what Pimlott calls fire-resistant communities, or what FEMAs Witt implied when he suggested that Houston rebuild in a way that would reflect the near certainty that a hurricane like Harvey will strike again and that flooding, possibly at the same level weve seen since Aug. 25, will result as well.

Adaptation on that scale would take a lot of courage, a lot of work and a lot of foresight. Those seem to be among the most endangered elements of contemporary life, but without them, we can expect to be chasing fires, flooding and other disasters for years to come.

David Wiegand is an assistant managing editor and the TV critic of The San Francisco Chronicle. Follow him on Facebook. Email: dwiegand@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @WaitWhat_TV

Fire Chasers: four-part documentary series, available Friday, Sept. 8, on Netflix
Iran deal: Trita Parsi, a Middle East expert who advised the Obama White House during the talks leading to the U.S.-Iran nuclear deal, discusses the pacts prospects under President Trump. Sponsored by the World Affairs Council. Admission is $20 for non-council members, $7 for students. Event is from 6:30 to 7:30 p.m. Tuesday at the World Affairs Auditorium, 312 Sutter St., Suite 200 in San Francisco. Information: http://bit.ly/2glLrow

Coal film: Screening of the film From the Ashes, a look at the coal industry and its role in climate change. Film begins at 6 p.m. Wednesday in the Koret Auditorium of the San Francisco Main Library, 100 Larkin St. Free. Information: http://bit.ly/2woej7t

Abortion rights: Meet-up and panel discussion on abortion rights. Event is from 5:30 to 8:30 p.m. Thursday at Nurx headquarters, 81 Langton St. in San Francisco. Information: http://bit.ly/2gozC4S

Town hall: A forum for students in West Contra Costa middle and high schools and Contra Costa College. Speakers include members of the Richmond and El Cerrito city councils and other government panels. The event, hosted by Contra Costa Young Democrats, is at 5 p.m. Thursday at John F. Kennedy High School, 4300 Cutting Blvd., Richmond. Information: www.youngdems.org

Voter registration: Volunteers will help new U.S. citizens register to vote after a swearing-in ceremony. Sponsored by Democracy Action, which works to advance Democratic candidates. 10 a.m. to noon Thursday outside Paramount Theatre, 2025 Broadway, Oakland. Information:

https://demaction.us

Town hall: State Sen. Nancy Skinner, D-Berkeley, and other community leaders discuss reforming Proposition 13s commercial property tax system. Hosted by Make It Fair, the event is from 10:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Saturday at the First Congregational Church of Oakland, 2501 Harrison St. Information: http://

bit.ly/mifbay17

Picnic in the park: Assemblyman David Chiu, D-San Francisco, hosts a picnic in Golden Gate Parks Marx Meadow picnic area Sunday. RSVP: http://chiuassembly.ngpvanhost.com/form/-1081566039410473216

Prayers for peace: Multifaith prayers for peace and justice on the 16th anniversary of the 9/11 attacks. Event is from 7 to 8 p.m. Sept. 11 at King Plaza, 250 Hamilton Ave. in Palo Alto. Information: http://bit.ly/

2wQEUNz

Climate action: Climate Action in the City, a panel discussion on adapting to climate change in San Francisco, sponsored by San Francisco Tomorrow. Event is from 7 to 9 p.m. Sept. 13 at the Richmond District Police Station community room, 461 Sixth Ave., San Francisco. Information: www.sftomorrow.org/

Town hall: Rep. Jared Huffman, D-San Rafael, holds a town hall at 7 p.m. Sept. 15 at West Marin School Community Gym, 11550 Shoreline Highway, Point Reyes Station. Information: http://bit.ly/2vpinSI

Cap-and-trade forum: Oil industry experts and activists in the climate and environmental justice movement will explain Californias cap-and-trade law and its recently approved extension. Hosted by Sunflower Alliance and 350 Bay Area. Event runs from 6:30 to 9 p.m. Sept. 17 at 155 Grand Ave. in Oakland. Information: www.sunflower-alliance.org/the-cap-and-trade-scam-sept-17/

Politics and media: Longtime San Francisco journalist Tim Redmond discusses media coverage and the Trump administration. Event begins at 2 p.m. Oct. 7 in the Richmond Meeting Room of the Sen. Milton Marks Branch Library, 351 Ninth Ave. in San Francisco. Information: http://bit.ly/2wJub72

To list an event, email Trapper Byrne at tbyrne@sfchronicle.com.
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HOUSTON  Texans flocked to Sunday worship services, pressed ahead with door-to-door searches for frail and elderly survivors, and accelerated an exodus from evacuation centers where some had sheltered for more than a week after the most powerful hurricane to strike the continental U.S. in more than a decade.

As tens of thousands in Houston and its environs spent the Labor Day weekend cleaning out homes from which floodwaters had receded, the citys mayor exhorted residents to move quickly toward some semblance of normal in the nations fourth-largest city.

Im encouraging people: Get up, and lets get going, Mayor Sylvester Turner said on NBCs Meet the Press.

In some areas, though, the waters were slow to recede. On Saturday, the mayor ordered nearly 300 people to leave flooded homes in the western part of the city, effective Sunday morning, after which power would be cut for the safety of firefighters still carrying out door-to-door checks.

Parts of western Houston were still coping with high waters after the Army Corps of Engineers released water from two flood-swollen reservoirs. Turner said those waters might linger for another 10 days.

Authorities also conducted a controlled burn Sunday at the Arkema chemical plant in Crosby, outside Houston, damaged by Hurricane Harvey that had already seen several explosions, saying highly unstable compounds inside needed to be neutralized.

Officials announced proactive measures to ignite the six remaining trailers at the Arkema plant, but said doing so wouldnt pose any additional risk to the community. People living within a mile and a half of the site were still evacuated.

President Trump, who paid a second visit to Texas on Saturday, declared Sunday a national day of prayer for those afflicted by Harvey. In Washington, the president and his wife, Melania, attended services at St. Johns Episcopal Church, close to the White House.

In Texas, millions more attended services, some held in still-waterlogged or damaged churches.

As the storms death toll approached 50, the head of the Federal Emergency Management Agency said the powerful storm should serve as a wake-up call to officials at all levels to intensify disaster preparations.

Texas Gov. Greg Abbot said the storm had been one of the most expensive ever, estimating recovery costs at between $150 billion to $180 billion.

Hailey Branson-Potts and Laura King are Los Angeles Times writers.
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LOS ANGELES  Smoke filled the sky and ash rained down across Los Angeles on Sunday from a destructive wildfire  one of several blazes that sent thousands fleeing homes across the U.S. West during a blistering holiday heat wave.

In Oregon, crews rescued about 140 hikers forced to spend the night in the woods after fire broke out along the popular Columbia River Gorge trail. Search and rescue crews air-dropped supplies on Saturday as flames prevented the hikers escape.

A wildfire also entered a 2,700-year-old grove of giant sequoia trees near Yosemite National Park, forced evacuations in Montanas Glacier National Park and drove people from homes in parts of the West struggling with blazing temperatures.

California Gov. Jerry Brown declared a state of emergency for Los Angeles County after the wildfire destroyed three homes and threatened hillside neighborhoods. More than a thousand firefighters battled flames that burned through more than 9 square miles of brush-covered mountains.

By Sunday evening, authorities were able to cancel the evacuation orders and allow all of the 1,400 people who had fled to return to their homes.

Temperatures were in the mid- to high 90s, but crews got a break with increased humidity and calm winds, Los Angeles Fire Capt. Ralph Terrazas said.

That can change in a moments notice and the winds can accelerate very quickly, he said Sunday. There is a lot of fuel out there left to burn.

Burbank resident George Grair was not in the evacuation zone but watched uneasily as flames blackened a hillside in the near distance.

Its very difficult to feel safe. Ive got kids in the house, he told KABC-TV. I probably slept two hours all night.

In the Sierra foothills, authorities opened a center where evacuated residents could find out if their home was one of 44 destroyed in a Butte County blaze about 70 miles north of Sacramento.

Another wildfire burning near Yosemite had grown to 9 square miles and entered the Nelder Grove of 106 giant sequoias. Fire officials said the blaze has charred the ground but the sequoias remain untouched.

Christopher Weber is an Associated Press writer.
Bakar-Eid being observed today

The Muslim community across the country is observing the Bakar-Eid with much fanfare on Sunday.
Farmers struggle to find fertiliser

Farmers of more than half of the dozen districts of Tarai who are struggling to get over the devastating floods which damaged their crops are now marred with the shortage of chemical fertilisers.
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The Bay Area started to get some relief Sunday following two days of scorching heat that broke all-time records and sent residents scrambling for sanctuary.

Temperatures still hit the triple digits in some areas before the real cooling was set to begin later in the week, forecasters said.

Its significantly cooler than it was yesterday in spots, said Steve Anderson, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service. But its still hot inland.

The heat eased off anywhere from 5 to 35 degrees from Friday and Saturdays oven-like burn that left nowhere in the state untouched  normally cool Eureka was 87, Monterey was 98 and Redding was a hellish 114.

While things were cooler everywhere around the state on Sunday, officials warned that the Bay Area was not yet over the heat hump, with temperatures not expected to return to normal until Tuesday.

The weather service issued an excessive heat advisory for parts of the inland East Bay and higher elevations in the North and South Bay. Livermore hit 106 by the midafternoon on Sunday and Concord was 102.

San Jose and Oakland were in the mid-90s. San Francisco, which had a high of 102 Saturday, topped out at 84.

Freeways in the most popular places along the North and South Bay coastline have been clogged up by an influx of drivers seeking refuge from the heat over the Labor Day holiday weekend.

Now Playing: KTVU's Rosemary Orozco has your forecast. Video: KTVU

Roads in and out of Half Moon Bay, including Highway 1, were gridlocked into late Saturday as thousands of Bay Area residents converged on the small coastal community.

At the same time, crews with Pacific Gas and Electric Co. were busy restoring power to thousands of customers as soaring temperatures put stress on electrical equipment amid high demand from whirring air conditioners.

Overnight Saturday, more than 12,000 customers were without power around the Bay Area, a number that fell to just over 2,200 by 8 a.m. Sunday, said J.D. Guidi, a PG&E spokesman.

The cooling comes as a mass of high pressure over the West Coast begins to weaken and push east into the Great Basin in Nevada and Utah, forecasters said.

The weakening pressure will allow the remnants of Tropical Storm Lidia to push north into California in the coming days. The moisture and some humidity from the storm, which hit western Mexico late last week, will likely be concentrated over the South Bay and possibly inland areas.

Though temperatures will ease in the coming days, the hazy conditions of late are not likely to vanish. Smoke from wildfires in Oregon, Northern California and the Sierra Nevada may continue to collect around the region, contributing to poor air quality.

The Bay Area Air Quality Management District issued Spare the Air alerts for Sunday and again for Monday. That makes five Spare the Air days in a row and 14 for the year.

Residents were warned about unhealthy air quality and asked to cut back on pollution-causing activities like driving and using aerosol products.

Evan Sernoffsky is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: esernoffsky@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @EvanSernoffsky
Govt and EC at odds over early election code

The Election Commission (EC)s move of imposing election code of conduct for the federal and provincial polls has riled political parties, with some senior ministers also saying the poll code was enforced too early.
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A husband, wife and son were arrested Friday in Lake County on suspicion of working together to kill the wife's lover on a rural Sonoma County Road, sheriff's officials said today.

Deputies arrested 40-year-old Clearlake woman Maria Torres, 40-year-old Rene Martinez Sr. and 20-year-old Rene Martinez Jr. on suspicion of homicide and conspiracy.

The alleged offenses unfolded early in the morning Friday when Torres was with her lover in a Toyota Previa on a dirt turnout in the 4500 block of Porter Creek Road.

Torres allegedly got out of the van as her husband and son pulled up alongside it in another vehicle.

Shots were fired into the Toyota.

ALSO: SFPD releases video of possible hate crime assault

The victim was hit and got out of the van on the passenger side and ran into a ravine where he fell and died.

At about 8:30 a.m. California Highway Patrol officials call Sonoma County sheriff's officials because officers came across a suspicious vehicle on Porter Creek Road.

The vehicle reportedly had bullet holes in it and blood was on the inside and outside of the vehicle.

Deputies arrived just before 9 a.m. and found the Toyota with its windows shot out and bullet holes in the driver's side.

MORE: Kittens left for dead in cooler bag rescued in San Rafael

They searched the area and found the body of a Hispanic man in his 30s in a ravine nearby.

Sheriff's officials said evidence inside the Toyota led detectives to a motel in Santa Rosa where they were able to get information allegedly linking the victim to Torres.

Deputies then went to Lake County where they interviewed Torres, her husband and son. During the interviews they learned that Torres had allegedly been in a romantic relationship with the victim.

Sheriff's officials are not saying yet who shot man. His name is not being released until his family is told.
Handicraft exports up 13pc

Nepals handicraft export earnings rose 13 percent in the last fiscal year driven by higher demand for felt products, metal craft, cotton goods, glass products and woollen goods in the international market.
Health Minister urges public to trust services of public hospitals

Minister for Health Giriraj Mani Pokharel has urged one and all to avail healthcare services from public health institutions being confident of their services.
Indra Jatra begins (In photos)

Indra Jatra, known as the biggest festival of the Kathmandu Valley, formally began on Sunday with the erection of a wooden ceremonial pole (lingo) and the fluttering of a flag named after the Hindu God Indra at Hanumandhoka.
PHNOM PENH, Cambodia  Cambodian authorities arrested the leader of the main opposition party on Sunday, accusing him of conspiring with the United States to topple the government. The move sharply escalates political tensions in the Southeast Asian nation and raises questions over whether elections due next year can be free or fair.

The party of Kem Sokha, whom police detained during a midnight raid on his Phnom Penh home, denied the allegations and said the charges were politically motivated.

The arrest appeared to be part of a broader push by the government of Prime Minister Hun Sen, one of the worlds longest-serving rulers, to eliminate his opponents and silence critics ahead of the 2018 vote.

Speaking to 4,000 Cambodian garment factory workers Sunday, Hun Sen claimed Kem Sokha had colluded with the United States against his government and warned the opposition party it could be dissolved if it defended him. He provided no details or evidence.

A U.S. State Department spokeswoman, Heather Nauert, did not address the allegations against Washington, but issued a statement expressing grave concern over the arrest, saying Ken Sokha has a long, distinguished, and internationally recognized commitment to human rights and peaceful democracy.

Nauert said the detention and unprecedented restrictions recently imposed on independent media and civil society raise serious questions about the governments ability to organize credible national elections in 2018

Relations between the two countries have deteriorated significantly in recent weeks. Last month, Cambodia expelled the Washington-based National Democratic Institute and ordered local radio stations to stop broadcasting reports from the U.S. government-funded Voice of America and Radio Free Asia. It has also ordered the English-language Cambodia Daily, founded by an American journalist in 1993, to cease publishing by Monday. It accuses the paper of failing to pay taxes.

Kem Sokhas daughter, Monovithya Kem, who is also a member of his embattled Cambodia National Rescue Party, said her father was taken away in handcuffs after a force of up to 200 officers swept into his home in a surprise raid.

Interior Ministry spokesman Gen. Khieu Sopheak said Kem Sokha was being held at the Tropeang Phlong prison facility in Tbuong Khmum province, 80 miles east of Phnom Penh. He said the next step will be his court appearance to officially face the charges, which carry a prison sentence of 15 to 30 years.

The government appeared to have based part of its claims against Kem Sokha on a video clip published on YouTube in 2013 that shows the opposition leader giving a public speech in which he describes a grassroots political strategy to challenge Hun Sen with U.S. support.

The government said the video and other evidence indicated secret plans of a conspiracy between Kem Sokha ... and foreigners to harm the Kingdom of Cambodia. The statement called the actions treason.

Todd Pitman and Sopheng Cheang are Associated Press writers.
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SHAH PORIR DWIP, Bangladesh  Relief camps were reaching full capacity as thousands of Rohingya refugees continued to pour into Bangladesh on Sunday fleeing violence in western Myanmar, aid officials said.

Some 73,000 people have crossed the border since violence erupted Aug. 25 in Myanmars Rakhine state, said U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees spokeswoman Vivian Tan.

The violence and the exodus began after Rohingya insurgents attacked Myanmar police and paramilitary posts in what they said was an effort to protect their ethnic minority from persecution by security forces in the majority Buddhist country. In response, the military unleashed what it called clearance operations to root out the insurgents.

Another aid official said Saturday that more than 50 refugees had arrived with bullet injuries and were moved to hospitals in Coxs Bazar, on the border with Myanmar. Refugees reaching the Bangladeshi fishing village of Shah Porir Dwip described bombs exploding near their homes and Rohingya being burned alive.

From an area close to the Bangladeshi border town of Teknaf, soaring flames and smoke could be seen rising from Myanmar across the border on Sunday.

Aid workers said large numbers of refugees required immediate medical attention as they were suffering from respiratory diseases, infection and malnutrition. The existing medical facilities in the border area were insufficient to cope up with the influx and more aid and paramedics were needed, aid workers said.

Both Myanmars security officials and Rohingya insurgents accuse each other of atrocities. The military has said nearly 400 people, most of them insurgents, have died in clashes. Bangladesh police, meanwhile, say dozens of Rohingya have died attempting to cross the river separating the country from Myanmar.

The Myanmar government blames the insurgents for burning their own homes and killing Buddhists in Rakhine. Long-standing tensions between Rohingya Muslims and Buddhists erupted in bloody rioting in 2012, forcing more than 100,000 Rohingya into displacement camps, where many still live.

Indonesias president called for an end to the violence and on Sunday sent his foreign minister to discuss the plight of the Rohingya with the countrys leader Aung San Suu Kyi.

At a news conference, President Joko Jokowi Widodo said he deplores the violence in Rakhine and promised humanitarian assistance.

Real action is needed, not just statements and condemnations, he said. This violence and humanitarian crisis must end.

Bernat Armangue is an Associated Press writer.
International conference on physics gets underway

A two-day international conference on Physics of Space and Materials kicked off in the Capital on Saturday.
Medical College affiliation controversy: Oli accuses PM Deuba of abusing authority

CPN-UML Chairperson KP Sharma Oli has said the decision to grant or not to grant affiliation to medical colleges should not be taken under pressure. He said the decision of Tribhuvan University (TU) to put on hold the affiliation granted to Kathmandu National Medical College (KNMC) was a deliberate move of the government.
More air quality checking stations coming up

Amid concerns of air quality getting worse in the country, the government is gearing up to install more monitoring stations in at least four new locations across the country.
STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. -- After the city Health Department found new data that sexually transmitted diseases are still on the rise, a new campaign is being introduced to appeal to young, sexually active New Yorkers.

The new campaign is launching risque advertisements featuring emojis to encourage sexually transmitted infections testing on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, the Gay Ad Network, hookup app Grindr, bus shelters and subway cars across the five boroughs.

Emojis, such as the eggplant, water droplets and the peach -- which are widely used to represent sexual activities -- are used in posters and advertisements for the campaign.

The posters read, "Whether it's a fling or a serious thing... Get tested!"

From 2015 to 2016, New York City rates of syphilis increased by 27 percent, rates of gonorrhea rose by 13 percent and rates of chlamydia rose by six percent.

"The increase in rates of sexually transmitted infections is a disturbing national trend that has had a widespread impact on this city," said Health Commissioner Dr. Mary T. Bassett. "Fortunately, these infections are easily preventable and treatable when detected early. All sexually active New Yorkers should play safe, get screened regularly and have fun."

The campaign follows the city's "Bare It All," campaign that encourages residents to talk openly with their physicians about their sex lives, drug use and other issues affecting their health.

Most syphilis and gonorrhea cases are among men, while women continue to have the highest rates of chlamydia. All three can be cured with antibiotics. Increases can be contributed to more New Yorkers being tested for STIs.

To prevent STIs, the department recommends condom use and regular testing. Early this year, the city expanded clinical services and hours of operations at Sexual Health Clinics. Anyone 12 years or older can be tested for syphilis, chlamydia, gonorrhea and HIV at the clinics, even if they have no symptoms.
National Medical College affiliation put on hold

The Tribhuvan University has decided to put the decision of granting affiliation to Kathmandu National Medical College on hold.
STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. - It's Labor Day weekend. Which means summer is unofficially over.

It also means we're about to learn something very important about traffic on Staten Island.

It's been a bit of a downer weatherwise, as the remnants of Hurricane Harvey made their way through the region, raining out a big chunk of our holiday weekend. (The Mets' Matt Harvey should pack such a punch next season. And have such staying power. But I digress.)

If you drive on the Staten Island Expressway in the direction of New Jersey, you may have noticed that traffic seems to have been worse this summer. It's been bumper-to-bumper earlier and earlier in the day on Friday. And sometimes earlier in the week than that.

Used to be that weekend traffic headed toward New Jersey would start to pick up on Friday just before the evening rush hour. Like three or four o'clock in the afternoon.

But this summer, we've noticed traffic getting worse and worse earlier and earlier in the day. Get on the expressway at eleven in the morning or noon and you can find yourself stuck in traffic heading toward the Goethals Bridge.

More recently, it seemed to be even worse. We were on the expressway at about 1 p.m. on Thursday and were stuck in bumper-to-bumper congestion.

It's getting to the point where if you're leaving for vacation on a Friday or a Saturday, either leave at six in the morning or, better yet, get a hotel on Thursday near your destination and drive up early.

There were half-hour delays on the expressway headed to the Goethals Bridge on Friday.

I've tried to explain it all away. It's Labor Day weekend. Most forecasts called for rain Saturday and Sunday. So folks who wanted to get away to the Jersey Shore probably took off from work on Thursday and well as Friday in order to get a little a little bit of sun. So that can account for some of the additional traffic.

And there could be other reasons. We have the new Goethals Bridge. There's still work being done in connection with the bridge on the New Jersey side. You know the spot: Right when you come off the New Jersey Turnpike and have to maneuver into the cattle chute in order to get onto the bridge.

So maybe there are seasonal reasons for traffic. If so, those reasons shouldn't be valid for much longer. You won't have beach traffic any more. You won't have as many day trippers headed to the Jersey Shore. Traffic patterns should return to normal.

But if they don't, then you'll know that something is up. You'll know that things have changed. And, yes, the end of summer means the beginning of school. So we're going to have more vehicles on our roads no matter what.

There was a time when the reconstruction of the Staten Island Expressway seemed to have solved some of that road's notorious traffic problems. No longer was there traffic at all times of the day and night. No longer did people come home from long roadtrips and find traffic only when they hit the Staten Island Expressway.

But now it seems we're getting that traffic back again. At least when we're driving toward New Jersey. And we're getting jammed up on the other side of the New Jersey bridges as well. The traffic is getting worse and worse on Sunday nights, when people are trying to come back from the shore. It's particularly bad at the Outerbridge Crossing, but people have also reported that the Turnpike lanes leading to the Goethals Bridge exit have also been more difficult than normal lately.

Again, maybe it's all seasonal. Maybe things will get back to normal and things won't be so inexplicably aggravating. Summer is over. We'll know soon enough.
Nepse falls flat, down 37.78 points

Nepal Stock Exchange (Nepse) plunged 37.78 points to close at 1,580.03 points last week, as investors were put off from the sectors announcement requiring investors to have a permanent account number (PAN) before investing.
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Pacangel 17 operation provides some solace to Gorkha folk

Life in Gorkha Bazaar which lies around 45km south of Barpakthe epicentre of the 2015 Great Earthquakemay have returned to normalcy, but the scars of dreadful disaster remain.
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Who prepares for my reading by having a long hot shower and listening to some Jay-Z. And whose co-workers on-site are terrified of looking him directly in the eye, lest he see some deep dark secret from their past or predict an early death.

This story stars psychic medium Steven Paul - a tradie and dad-of-three from north Canberra who prefers jeans and an Adidas hoodie to leather.

I know from the headline you're thinking this story will feature a charismatic, middle-aged man in a leather jacket, a dark room, a table covered in a velvet cloth and a deck of tarot cards.

I'm a bit gobsmacked when I meet young ginger-haired Steven. I think mostly because, like you, I expected John Edward.

We meet at the Canberra Times office in Fyshwick and head over to our unheated photo studio. It's so cold that I'm shivering and can see my own breath when I talk. But - bizarrely - Steven is sweating profusely. He's bright red and droplets are literally pouring down his face. It's what happens when he starts to "raise my vibration", he says.

It turns out a psychic medium is two distinct things: a psychic (someone who sees the future) and also a medium (someone who connects with the spirit guides surrounding a person, namely deceased friends and family). Not many can do both, but Steven can.

He doesn't use tarot cards, crystals, or any tools at all to see the future or talk with the non-living. Steven sees through his third eye - "picture the Maccas logo in your mind, you can see it right? You're not looking directly at it in real life but you still see it" - and with the help of spirit animals, namely a black female panther.

My psychic reading starts with me playfully accusing Steven of Facebook-stalking and Googling me prior to our session.
Not that they're even model parents, let alone model citizens. Their self-centred daughter, Kirstie (Tyla Williams) lives her life on social media and their son Nicky (Christopher Bartlett) wishes they'd acknowledge his existence

Add in the neighbours from hell, Mike (Jayden Gobbe) and Jen (Emily Mann) and, eventually, the refugee himself, Ferran (Nicki Kaalim), and the scene is set, Widdowson says, for a play with some very dark-tinged comedy indeed. The Dawes family must try to impress the representative, display their cultural awareness and sensitivity, prove themselves worthy to take in Ferran, and keep unwanted elements at bay. It's all a big challenge.

"Not everybody makes it out alive - literally."

Because of what he calls the "no holds barred" nature of his play and the sensitivity of the subject matter, Widdowson asked several playwrights for feedback on the script. All but one were encouraging; the exception, a Queensland writer, was "disgusted" and called the play " irredeemably racist", Widdowson says, which gave him pause.

Widdowson approached prominent barrister and refugee advocate Julian Burnside through contacts and asked him to read the play and say if he thought it was racist.
Clinton Pryor's 5581 kilometre walk across Australia ended on Sunday with a corroboree at the Aboriginal Tent Embassy in Canberra.

The Wajuk, Balardung, Kija and Yulparitja man set off from Western Australia almost a year ago in protest of the forced closure of Aboriginal communities.

He met with Indigenous groups along the way, including in Kalgoorlie where he attended the funeral of teenager Elijah Doughty, who died after being hit by a ute.

On Sunday, Mr Pryor told a crowd of several hundred supporters he would meet with politicians on Tuesday and Wednesday to fight for a better world for all Aboriginal people.
Parties struggle to pick their candidates for Dhanusha

Political parties in Dhanusha are yet to pick their candidates for the last phase of local elections scheduled for September 18 in Province 2.
Greens crossbencher Caroline Le Couteur says natural burials should be allowed at the site of a new cemetery at Tuggeranong to "bridge the interim period" after Woden Cemetery fills up.

A site on Mugga Lane has been reserved for a new cemetery, dubbed the Southern Memorial Park, for about a decade but the project was put on the backburner in favour of an expansion at the Woden Cemetery.

Greens MLA and former cemeteries board head Caroline Le Coutuer says allowing natural burials could be a way of extending the life of the Woden cemetery. Credit:Jamila Toderas

A cloud now hangs over that expansion because of the second stage of the light rail project.

Land in the centre of Woden will increase in value when the tram connects Civic to the suburban centre.
Fire crews are closely monitoring a fire in Kowen Forest in Canberra's east after strong winds caused a planned burn-off to catch fire again last week.

On Monday morning, an ESA spokesman said the fire was "smouldering" and well within containment lines, but there would be heightened patrols in the area over the next few days.

Smoke over Canberra on Wednesday morning due to the burn off at Kowen Forest. Credit:Jamila Toderas

One crew remained on the scene.

ACT Parks conducted a hazard reduction pile burn at the forest, north east of Queanbeyan, early last week.
An Australian financial crime investigator, speaking on condition of anonymity, said the discovery process that is taking place at CBA was creating major headaches for the institution. "The bank is in serious trouble because there are internal reports talking about these things from several years ago. That's my understanding from talking with various people, a number of whom were former bank executives and managers," he said. Sanctions concerns After the problems first emerged with CBA's smart ATMs in 2015 the bank ordered a review which discovered it lacked automated transaction monitoring (TM) in debt capital markets, leasing, institutional lending in Australia and across Singapore, Hong Kong, Shanghai, Tokyo, London and New York. On Friday, Commonwealth Bank acknowledged that an internal report had found problems with its transaction monitoring but said it was a "working document"  part of a continuing "program of action".

The bank was trying to set out a process to automate tasks currently undertaken manually. "A combination of automated and manual monitoring is common practice across the industry," the bank said. An illustration of the potential risk facing CBA is found in a recent stress test for an Australia bank. The test used a hypothetical scenario where they were fined $10 million by AUSTRAC for AML/CTF breaches but the worst-case scenario for fines from US regulators was $1 billion. "This reflects the fact that Australian banks think the risk of enforcement in the US is 100 times higher than what it is back home," said Bill Majcher, a former Canadian AML undercover investigator. Another penalty available to US regulators is to place conditions on a bank's access to US dollar clearing.

US lawyers said it was unlikely that regulators would accept the "manual monitoring" claim, especially if the problems were not self-reported to the regulator back in February when they came to light. American regulators are understood to be already reviewing potential vulnerabilities that may have emerged as a result of CBA's smart ATMs, which have formed the basis of the AUSTRAC civil action. Stanley Foodman, founder of Foodman & Associates in Miami, said the seriousness of the allegations and the fact CommBank has a New York presence suggested FinCEN and other federal and New York state regulatory agencies would investigate. "A request from another regulatory authority is a likely trigger for a US federal and New York state regulatory investigation," Foodman said. "Also, any US federal or New York state regulator reading the international press regarding this matter could initiate its own US-based investigation."

The best course of action now for CBA would be to disclose everything to the US regulators, sources said. Self-identified and reported issues often received leniency in the United States compared with issues that regulators uncovered. CBA would know this and was likely to be undertaking an internal review as result, Stumbauer said. Nigel Morris-Cotterill, a regional financial crime risk strategist, said there was a complicated matrix of regulators in the United States that would make CBA's reporting and liaison more difficult than in Australia. CBA's presence in New York was a risk because the New York Department of Financial Services was tough on overseas banks that overlook their AML obligations. "DFS likes to isolate itself from the other regulators and to demand its own deals. It likes to make a public spectacle of people and the bank," Mr Morris-Cotterill said.

Mr Majcher, who is now chief executive of risk consultancy EMIDR in Hong Kong, said US regulators would be tougher to deal with than the Australian agencies want to know whether the bank's failed cash machine policy had introduced systemic risk into the wider banking system. US regulators would be unimpressed by the Australian bank's "coding errors" defence and want explanations for the collective failure of technology, oversight and the auditing systems, Mr Majcher said. "There is zero doubt in my mind that CBA will face enforcement action in the US based on the past and current actions of CBA. The awareness of the IDMs and transaction monitoring failures are significant in themselves," he said. As a former AML undercover investigator, Mr Majcher said overseas banks were always surprised by how much regulatory reach and enforcement appetite the US agencies had in cases such as these. "The US can use any number of mechanisms, including initiating an open-ended criminal investigation, as they can articulate 'reasonable suspicion' that some of the funds involved may have come from Americans engaged in tax evasion, funds may have been used to commit crimes against America and Americans," he said.
Unions are preparing to fight the NSW government over plans to encourage overseas businesses to set up shop around Badgerys Creek airport.

NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian will host an Aerotropolis 2026 summit in the middle of next year, calling for international investment proposals and ideas on how to build Badgerys Creek airport as an integrated new city that will boost the economy of western Sydney.

NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian will host an Aerotropolis 2026 summit in the middle of next year. Credit:Dan Himbrechts

Fairfax Media has reported that Ms Berejiklian said she wanted to model Badgerys Creek on Incheon aerotropolis in Seoul, and learn from its successes and mistakes.

Unions NSW secretary Mark Morey said he was concerned that the Premier was considering "a cut-price labour zone" around Badgerys Creek "where wages are below minimum and people can be forced to work dangerously long hours in Third World conditions".
North Korea has the initiative. It is flying rockets over Japan, it claims to have mounted a hydrogen bomb on to an inter-continental ballistic missile and it may have conducted a sixth nuclear test.

It seems little can be done. Diplomacy, economic sanctions and military threats have proved ineffective. We may just have to learn to live with a nuclear-armed Korea. Or so many commentators would have us believe. But there are some options that might impose penalties that could have an effect on North Korea and its long-term ally and protector, China.

They will only change their deliberately chosen path if the cost of continuing towards building a long-range nuclear-tipped rocket force exceeds the benefits.



First, during the Cold War, the US shared thermonuclear weapons with Germany, Belgium, Italy, the Netherlands and Turkey. The logic was to give Europe a means to defend itself when technological developments meant the American homeland became within range of Soviet long-range missiles.

Without sharing it was feared America would not risk nuclear attack in a crisis and so the Soviets could drive a wedge in the US-Europe alliance. That scenario is playing itself out again in north-east Asia. Japan and North Korea might be left isolated if North Korea can blackmail America from providing military assistance in time of crisis because of fear of nuclear attack.



Sharing American nuclear weapons with Japan and South Korea would frighten China. China is already worried about America's deployment of a single Terminal High Altitude Area Defence anti-missile battery to South Korea.
Let's start with a history lesson. Lieutenant James Cook did not "discover" what became known as Australia, or as it then was in the logbooks of early Dutch mariners  Terra Australis Incognita (the unknown southern land).

Nor, it must be said, did he "invade" Australia. He came ashore for repairs at what is now Cooktown in far north Queensland after his ship was holed and in danger of sinking on the Barrier Reef.

In Cooktown he had various interactions with Indigenous people who were for the most part  not in all cases  peaceable.

According to the official Australian government version: "In 1770 Englishman Lieutenant James Cook charted the Australian east coast in his ship HM Barque Endeavour."
British chef Rick Stein continues his thoroughly agreeable little pootle around the Mediterranean today, starting in Ravenna. He admires the Byzantine mosaics in the Basilica of St Vitale (and points out the "Monty Python-esque" appearance of the hand of God bursting through some clouds) before hopping on a ferry to Croatia. In the picturesque harbour town of Split he's barely had time to wolf down a plate of rustic seafood before serendipity strolls into the frame in the form of a young jazz band. They set up in a laneway outside the tiny restaurant in which Stein is filming and demand to be put on TV. As it turns out, their mellow sound provides the perfect accompaniment to the process of making an old-fashioned Croatian fish stew. The low-key delights keep coming as Stein heads to the hills, where lamb and goat join the menu. Brad Newsome

SBS, 7.35pm

There's no love lost for this week's victim in Royal Murder Mysteries, a five-part romp through the premature dispatching of the more egregious members of the global elite. The victim: Josslyn Hay, the 22nd Earl of Erroll and ringleader of a bunch of sybaritic bluebloods who partied away the 1930s and '40s in the safety of colonial Kenya. The suspects: half of the notorious Happy Valley set, including cuckolded husbands and former lovers. Cue an hour packed to the gunwales with historians who say "Keenya" and that mysterious breed of person known as the royal correspondent. Jolly good fun, old chaps. Larissa Dubecki

movie To Have and Have Not (1944)

Fox Classics (pay TV), 10.10pm

There are still four months to go, but it is hard to believe that there will be a more important Blu-ray released this year (only in the US, so far) than Michael Curtiz's The Breaking Point (1950). It is a lost masterpiece starring John Garfield and Patricia Neal, and based on Ernest Hemingway's To Have and Have Not. The setting may have been changed from the Florida Keys and Cuba to California and Mexico, but it is much more faithful in plot and tone than Howard Hawks' six-years' earlier version, with Humphrey Bogart and Lauren Bacall (screening tonight). That is not to say one is better than the other, because they are both fabulous, the first like film noir and disturbing, the other whimsically romantic and irresistible. It just depends on one's mood, and I am always in the mood for Howard Hawks, especially when Bogart and Bacall light up the screen like this. Scott Murray
Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull says voters will be "sickened" if Labor attempts to destabilise the Parliament over the citizenship saga, as the government confronts the growing threat of North Korea and important economic matters.

The opposition has signalled it will ramp up pressure on Barnaby Joyce this week, with the Deputy Prime Minister due to take on acting prime ministerial duties for the first time since he revealed he was elected to Parliament as a dual citizen, bringing into question his eligibility to sit in Parliament.

Deputy opposition leader Tanya Plibersek said on Sunday it was "untenable" for Mr Joyce to continue in his ministerial roles and warned "anything could happen" as MPs return to Canberra for two parliamentary sitting weeks.

Labor's chief strategist in the House of Representatives, Tony Burke, told reporters on Monday the opposition would not take a backwards step on the issue.
Australia is woefully unprepared for the next pandemic flu, with doctors hoping this winter's deadly outbreak will serve as a wake-up call for people too lazy to get vaccinated.

Australian Medical Association president Michael Gannon has expressed frustration that take-up rates for flu vaccines remain stubbornly low, warning it could end in disaster.

"Australia is woefully unprepared for the next pandemic flu," he told Fairfax Media.

"You never know when it's going to come  whether it's five years away, 10 years away, 15 years away  but people are lazy and they just don't take it seriously enough. Hopefully, the headlines we've seen this week will serve as a reminder to the population we need to do better next year."
A new method of assessing patients with chest pain for heart attack risk has saved Queensland hospitals millions of dollars.

An "accelerated diagnostic protocol" (ADP), known as ADAPT, was introduced to 16 hospitals from October 2013 to November 2015.

A different method for assessing emergency department patients with chest pain has freed up millions of dollars for Queensland hospitals. Credit:Louise Kennerley

The Accelerated Chest Pain Risk Evaluation - or ACRE - project tested the results of the study in Queensland hospitals and was funded by Queensland Health.

Outcomes were recorded for 30,769 patients presenting before and 23,699 presenting after the ADP was introduced.
Post scribe conferred award

Post scribe Lal Prasad Sharma has been conferred with Captain Rudraman Gurung Memorial Rural Journalism Award in recognition of his contribution to the promotion of rural tourism through journalism.
Motorists face paying two sets of tolls to drive from western parts of Sydney to the city's main airport as property and construction giant Lendlease seeks the rights to build a crucial motorway link from the WestConnex toll road to both the airport and port.

Lendlease, which is riding a construction boom in NSW, has lodged an unsolicited proposal with the state government for the so-called Sydney gateway, extending from a major interchange for WestConnex at St Peters in Sydney's inner west to Mascot.

While few details of the link's likely final shape have been released, the government says the gateway will not be part of the distance-based tolling regime for WestConnex, which is capped at $8.60 in today's dollars.

That means motorists driving from parts of western Sydney such as Parramatta to the airport face paying well above the toll cap if separate charges are imposed on the gateway.
A man has been charged with attempted murder after a homeless man was seriously assaulted in Sydney's Hyde Park early on Sunday morning.

A 38-year-old man was sleeping on a bench in the park about 5am when a 52-year-old man allegedly approached and hit him in the face with a glass bottle, causing a serious wound to his nose.

Police say the older man then raised a trolley resembling an airport luggage cart over his head and hit the younger man repeatedly until a passerby intervened, protecting the victim with his bike.

Police have seized the trolley, which they believe may belong to the victim.

Officers from Sydney City Local Area Command attended a short time later and arrested the older man.
A five-car crash has added to the traffic nightmare along the Bruce Highway after a trifecta of crashes, within the space of 30 minutes, earlier on Sunday morning at Caboolture.

The first crash was a truck rollover in the northbound lane near the Pumicestone Road turnoff at Caboolture about 10.15am.

The driver was treated for a laceration to his knee.

Traffic has banked up along the Bruce Highway after multiple crashes at Caboolture.

Just 10 minutes later, there was a nose-to-tail crash in the southbound lane, directly opposite the truck rollover.
Residents of West and North Melbourne are battling to keep a lid on development as apartment numbers skyrocket and two mega transport projects get under way.

"There's a massive battle going on between residents and developers," said Michael Buxton, professor of environment and planning at RMIT University.

North and West Melbourne were two of Melbourne's most "under pressure" areas, he said.

"It's the number of developments, it's the scale of proposals."
The West Australian Liberal Party has voted in favour of a motion to investigate the state seceding from the federation.

The non-binding "WAxit" policy motion, put forward by the Brand division, passed 89-73 at the Liberal state conference on Sunday.

Western Australians voted to self-govern in 1933 but the move was overruled.

It called for the establishment of a committee "to examine the option of WA becoming an independent state within the Commonwealth".

The idea for the state to secede came in response to long-held unhappiness in the state with GST distribution.
Canberra: Australia has called on the United Nations to take urgent action against North Korea over its nuclear weapons following the communist state's latest nuclear weapons test.

The federal government has also urged China to use its political and economic leverage with North Korea to "rein in" its actions.

A shallow, 6.3-magnitude earthquake shook North Korea on Sunday with Pyongyang later confirming it had successfully tested a hydrogen bomb that possesses "great destructive power".

"North Korea's reckless conduct poses a grave danger to global peace and security," Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull said in a joint statement with Foreign Minister Julie Bishop and Defence Minister Marise Payne.
Jakarta: Indonesian President Joko Widodo has sent his foreign minister to Myanmar to urge its government to halt violence against Rohingya Muslims, he said on Sunday after a petrol bomb was thrown at the Myanmar embassy in Jakarta.

The embassy attack, which police said caused a small fire, came in the early hours of Sunday morning against the backdrop of mounting anger in Indonesia, home to the world's largest Muslim population, over violence against Rohingya Muslims in Myanmar.

A police officer patrolling a street behind the embassy spotted a fire on the second floor of the building at around 2.35am Jakarta time and alerted police officers guarding the front gate, a Jakarta police statement said.

A group of activists had held a protest at the embassy on Saturday, calling for the Nobel Prize Committee to withdraw the Nobel Peace Prize from Myanmar leader Aung San Suu Kyi, state news agency Antara wrote.
Istanbul: It was nearly two years ago when Iran and Saudi Arabia cut diplomatic ties, worsening an already tense rivalry that has fuelled conflicts across the Middle East. But this year, a rare bright spot in their relations has stirred hope of a possible detente.

More than 80,000 Iranian pilgrims are now in Saudi Arabia to perform the hajj, the annual pilgrimage to Islam's holiest sites, after they were barred last year from making the trip. The hajj, one of the five pillars of Islam, is obligatory for all able-bodied Muslims, and sees roughly 2 million worshippers descend on Mecca and Medina each year.

Muslim pilgrims cast stones at three huge stone pillars in the symbolic stoning of the devil, outside the holy city of Mecca, Saudi Arabia, on Saturday. Credit:AP

The return of Iranian pilgrims followed painstaking negotiations between officials from the two countries, after relations deteriorated sharply over the past two years.

Those discussions probably "helped ease some initial tension," said Reza Akbari, who researches Iranian politics at the Institute for War and Peace Reporting.
Beijing: North Korea's sixth nuclear test was expected. The timing speaks of Kim Jong-un's willingness to provoke China; and an attempt to seize the moment to wedge South Korea and Donald Trump.

A military response from the United States appears less likely than a decision by China to finally reach for its biggest gun - cutting the oil pipeline to North Korea.

North Korea, for its part, thinks it has just strengthened its hand for talks.

The United States has been urging China to cripple North Korea by cutting its energy supply. China has to date resisted and Chinese foreign policy analysts have said this is because Beijing had to keep one card up its sleeve for the day Pyongyang crossed its red line.
Seoul: North Korean scientists have built an advanced hydrogen bomb that can be mounted onto an inter-continental ballistic missile, state media says.

Pyongyang's official mouthpiece, the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA), said on Sunday leader Kim Jong Un was present at a factory as the nuclear weapon was loaded onto a missile.

The bomb has an explosive power that is adjustable up to "hundreds" of kilotons and can be detonated at high altitudes with its indigenously produced components allowing the country to build as many nuclear weapons as it wants, KCNA reported.

The White House said US President Donald Trump had spoken with Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe on Saturday to discuss the escalating threats from North Korea.
Susta folks take risky boat ride to avoid Indian security check

People living in Susta town of Nawalparasi district depend on bordering Indian market for their daily essentials. Recently these town folks have been commuting in makeshift boats to visit nearby Indian markets after Indian security forces started annoying them in the name of security check, Susta locals say.
US President Donald Trump said "we'll see" when asked on Sunday whether the United States would attack North Korea.

His comment after leaving a church service came after sharp condemnation on Twitter earlier in the day following North Korea's overnight nuclear test.

Mr Trump described the test and North Korea's announcement that it had detonated a hydrogen bomb that could be attached to a missile capable of reaching the US mainland as "very hostile and dangerous to the United States".

The President also used the series of tweets to admonish South Korea for its handling of the crisis.
Bucharest: Romania's ruling Social Democrats hope to organise a referendum to restrict the constitutional definition of family, which would in effect rule out the possibility of legalising same-sex marriage, party leader Liviu Dragnea said on Saturday.

The plan for a referendum came about after the Coalition for the Family, a civil society group, collected 3 million signatures last year in favour of changing the constitutional definition of marriage as a union strictly between a man and a woman from the existing "spouses".

A broken poster depicting the leader of the ruling Social Democrat party Liviu Dragnea, which reads "In a democracy, thieves are in jail", lies on the pavement in Bucharest, Romania. Credit:AP

Under Romanian law, the constitution can be changed after a proposal by the president, the government, a quarter of all lawmakers or at least 500,000 citizens. Parliament must approve any revision, which must then pass a nationwide referendum.

"It is known that we are committed ... in this direction," state news agency Agerpres quoted Dragnea as saying at a party meeting at a resort on the Black Sea.
"North Korea's reckless conduct poses a grave danger to global peace and security," he said on Sunday. "We call for the UN Security Council to urgently consider further strong measures that would place pressure on North Korea to change course, and for all nations, especially the Permanent Five UNSC members, to apply the maximum possible pressure to this dangerous pariah regime." Australia is doing its part to exert pressure on North Korea through full implementation of UNSC and autonomous sanctions. "We have repeatedly said we are committed to the path of diplomatic and economic pressure to resolve this crisis," Mr Turnbull said. "We will continue to work with our ally and partners to change North Korea's behaviour and deter it from threatening the region and the world with illegal weapons.

"We welcome China's intent to implement sanctions and urge it to use its substantial economic and political leverage to rein in North Korea's actions." Japan and South Korea concluded on Sunday afternoon that the tremor had been caused by a nuclear test. China's Earthquake Administration said it had detected a 6.3 magnitude earthquake in North Korea that was a "suspected explosion", conducted at zero depth. It said it detected a second quake in North Korea of magnitude 4.6, which it termed as a "collapse". It said the second quake, measured at a depth of zero kilometres, came eight minutes after the first quake. The co-ordinates of the two quakes were almost identical.

Residents in the Chinese city of Yanji, on the border with North Korea, said they felt a tremor that lasted roughly 10 seconds, followed by an aftershock. South Korea convened a national security council meeting to discuss the crisis. Hours before the test, North Korea's official mouthpiece, the Korean Central News Agency, said North Korean scientists had built an advanced hydrogen bomb that could be mounted onto an intercontinental ballistic missile and had an explosive power that was adjustable up to "hundreds" of kilotons. Later on Sunday, it said a test of the bomb had taken place to "examine and confirm the accuracy and credibility" of the country's technology. The nuclear test was the sixth and largest conducted by North Korea.

In July, North Korea tested two intercontinental ballistic missiles, which experts said could reach parts of the US. In response, the United Nations Security Council voted unanimously to impose increased sanctions on the regime worth more than $US1 billion ($1.25 billion). Last week, North Korea fired a test missile that flew over Japan, prompting the US and its allies to send fighter jets and bombers over the Korean Peninsula in a so-called "show of force" operation. In response to the latest suspected test, Australian Labor deputy leader Tanya Plibersek said it was vital the international community continued to assert pressure for peace and a de-escalation of the situation. "The greatest threat to peace and stability in our region at the moment is the conflict that is emerging on the Korean Peninsula.

"Right across our region, government would be watching North Korean actions with a great deal of concern and trepidation. We know that really the only friend North Korea has is China ... We do ask the government of China to continue to make extra efforts to reduce the likelihood of a very dangerous situation emerging." In August, Trump threatened to unleash "fire and fury" against North Korea if Kim continued issuing threats against the US. "North Korea best not make any more threats to the United States," Trump told reporters at his golf club in New Jersey during a working holiday. "They will be met with fire and fury like the world has never seen. "He has been very threatening beyond a normal state, and as I said, they will be met with fire and fury, and frankly power the likes of which this world has never seen before."

The comments, which were later reported to have been made off the cuff, stoked fears of the possibility of nuclear war, not least because they appeared to change US policy on North Korea, which has been only to respond to force with force. Trump's rhetoric also marked a departure from the firm measured language on the regime used by his predecessors. Senator John McCain, the chairman of the powerful Armed Services Committee, said he feared the rhetoric would only increase tension. "All it's going to do is bring us closer to some kind of serious confrontation." Undeterred by the comments, North Korea responded by saying it would create "an enveloping fire" around Guam, the western Pacific island which is home to a major US Air Force base.

Various US attempts to address the North Korean situation have all ended in failure. At the start of his administration, Trump declared the policy of "strategic patience" - a reference to Barack Obama's approach - was over. So far, though, the new administration's harder line has met with no more success. In an unguarded interview he gave shortly before he resigned as Trump's chief strategist, Steve Bannon said that there was "no military solution" to nuclear threats posed by North Korea. "Until somebody solves the part of the equation that shows me that 10 million people in Seoul don't die in the first 30 minutes from conventional weapons, I don't know what you're talking about; there's no military solution here, they got us." Experts and officials have said North Korea could conduct its sixth nuclear test at any time, and that the reclusive country has maintained a readiness at its nuclear test site to conduct another detonation test at any time.

Russian President Vladimir Putin has warned that the stand-off between North Korea and the United States is close to spilling into a large-scale conflict, and said it was a mistake to try to pressure Pyongyang into halting its nuclear missile program. After the missile launch over Japan, Trump dismissed the idea of negotiating with Kim's regime but his defence chief said the US hadn't exhausted its diplomatic options. After suggesting that North Korea's leader "is starting to respect us", Trump on Wednesday returned to his tougher line. "The US has been talking to North Korea, and paying them extortion money, for 25 years. Talking is not the answer!" he said in a Twitter post. South Korea, the US and Japan are pressing China to impose stronger economic measures to stop Kim's nuclear ambitions.

The United Nations Security Council has unanimously voted to tighten sanctions that targeted about a third of North Korea's $US3 billion in exports. The UN has banned North Korea from developing nuclear weapons and imposed sanctions after past tests. Kim's regime has said it won't give up its nuclear weapons and missile program until the US drops its "hostile" policies such as joint military drills with South Korea that ended last week. Loading North Korea and South Korea, along with its allies including the United States and Australia, have technically been at war since Korean War hostilities ended with an armistace in 1953.
London: UK Prime Minister Theresa May's grip on leadership of the Conservatives is being threatened by bitter divisions with the party over her stance on Brexit as the parliament prepares to debate the "Great Repeal Bill".

May has warned her MPs that Britain could be faced with a Brexit "cliff edge" if they fail to back her EU repeal bill, as reports suggest momentum is growing within the ruling Conservative party to unseat her.

She faces a growing Tory revolt over her leadership as it emerges that party whips are telling Remain-supporting Conservative MPs they will be seen as "supporting Jeremy Corbyn" (the Opposition Labour leader) if they attempt to soften the Brexit bill.

Furious Conservatives, including former ministers, said such threats and arm-twisting from the whips' office would "backfire" spectacularly, making it more likely the prime minister would face a challenge within weeks. Many are dismayed that she has said she intends to stay at the helm until the next general election nominally scheduled for 2022.
GREAT BAY (DCOMM):---Prime Minister William Marlin on Friday afternoon in the conference room of the Government Administration Building, chaired his first Emergency Operations Center (EOC) meeting to get a briefing with respect to the countrys preparations in the event Hurricane Irma was to pose a direct threat to the country.

Hurricane Irma on Friday was located over 1300 miles from the Leeward Islands. It has been described as a very dangerous Category 3 hurricane with sustained winds of 120 miles per hour.

At this point in time Irma does not pose a direct threat to Sint Maarten. Due to the fact that the hurricane is a major system, the Prime Minister decided on Friday to request military assistance from the Dutch Ministry of Defense as a precautionary measure.

This assistance calls for additional manpower of up to 40 Marines that would be deployed from barracks on either Curacao or Aruba.

Prime Minister Marlin told those present that it was key to prepare early and not wait until the hurricane was knocking at the door to start preparations.

The Prime Minister reminds the Sint Maarten community that they should review their Hurricane Emergency Preparedness Plans over the weekend, check their hurricane shutters/roof on their homes and businesses, and take stock of what needs to be done should the call come to shutter the aforementioned.

The Governments Disaster Management Organization continues to monitor closely the progress of major Hurricane Irma and makes preparations in the event the system poses a direct threat.

Ministry VROMI is currently lowering water levels to below sea level in the Great Salt Pond. The objective is to ensure that if there is a large amount of rainfall, the ponds holding capacity will be sufficient to retain the water thereby avoiding potential flooding of nearby areas.

Assessments have been carried out with respect to Hurricane Shelters, the Landfill, as well as other relevant preparations underway by government agencies.

The goal is to have shelters in every district and the EOC is working to expand the number of shelters. Shelters should only be used as a last resort as they will only open after a hurricane has passed, and will be open for only 48-hours.

Persons who dont feel safe at home prior to the arrival of a hurricane should make preparations to go stay with family or friends before a hurricane is to hit the island.

Additional meetings are planned for Sunday morning (COPI Disaster Management Organization Operational) and in the afternoon the Prime Minister will chair his second EOC meeting where a statement will be made with respect to preparations for Monday, September 4th.

Attending the EOC meeting were representatives of the Fire Department/Office of Disaster Management, Police, Marines, Meteorological Services of St. Maarten, Department of Communication (DCOMM), Ministry of Public Housing, Spatial Planning, Environment and Infrastructure Management, Ministry of Public Health, Social Development and Labour (Collective Prevention Services, Public Health, Ambulance Services, NV GEBE, Director of the Cabinet of the Governor, and the Secretary General of the Ministry of General Affairs.

The remaining storm names for the 2017 Atlantic hurricane season are Jose, Katia, Lee, Maria, Nate, Ophelia, Philippe, Rina, Sean, Tammy, Vince and Whitney.

The 2017 hurricane season started on June 1 and runs through November 30.
BRIDGETOWN, Barbados:---The Caribbean Tourism Organization (CTO) and the Ministry of Tourism of St. Kitts and Nevis regret to advise of the cancellation of the Climate Smart Sustainable Tourism Forum, scheduled for 6-8 September St. Kitts due to the threatening Hurricane Irma.

We have been monitoring the progress of the system, including its predicted path, and we have been forced to take this decision in the interest of the safety of our guests and the people of St. Kitts and Nevis.

We will explore dates for rescheduling the event and we will advise of our decision in the near future.

In the meantime, the CTO and the St. Kitts and Nevis Ministry of Tourism will offer a full refund of the registration fee to delegates who have paid their registration.

Delegates who were scheduled to travel to St. Kitts are advised to check with your airline and hotel regarding refunds.
PHILIPSBURG:--- Due to the threat of Hurricane Irma, Minister of Tourism and Economic Affairs Mellissa Arrindell-Doncher will not be travelling to Seatrade Europe in Hamburg Germany on Sunday, September 3.

The Minister, who is also responsible for the Met Office, Aviation and Harbour affairs, will remain on St. Maarten to assist the Council of Ministers and emergency branches of government with the preparation for Hurricane Irma and its aftermath.

The Minister will still be represented in Germany by her Chief of Staff Cecil Nicholas. Port St. Maarten will also be represented at the event.

The Minister was scheduled to attend Seatrade Europe which begins September 6 until September 8 and brings together senior buyers, planners and key decision makers from Europe's ocean cruise lines with suppliers from all sectors of the industry.
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.
Notebook: Notre Dame keeps blocking punts, WR Braden Lenzy hauls in amazing TD catch

Jack Kiser became the sixth different player with a blocked punt this year for Notre Dame.
TU puts med college affiliation on hold

The Tribhuvan University on Saturday decided to put the affiliation granted to the Ghattekulo-based Kath-mandu National Medical College on hold after widespread criticism.
Over a month ago I did respond to Deus Kibambas opinion regarding the conflict between my country, the Sahrawi Republic (SADR), and Morocco.

I did so then, as I am doing it now, in an act of legitimate self-defence. Deus Kibamba appeared out of the blue to defend, with unfounded statements and wrong concepts, the expansionism of Morocco and to misinform about the Maghreb region.

It was then easy to refute his baseless and absurd affirmation that Morocco offers lessons for regional integration and his suggestion that The stalemate in the Maghreb should be a lesson to regional communities all over Africa.

I just stated what is common knowledge among politicians, diplomats and journalists with true expertise on the region: there is no integration in the Maghreb and nobody can offer what he has not.

I warned African regional communities of that misinformation, advising them not to follow our model simply because it is not an example to follow. I explained abundantly why the regional organisation, the Arab Maghreb Union (AMU), has been born dead and why it is not functioning at all.

Although there is a cease-fire agreement brokered by the UN in 1991 between the POLISARIO Front and the Kingdom of Morocco, supervised by the UN peacekeeping troops in the Territory, there is a de facto state of war. An aggressive Moroccan military berm of more than 2700 km long, surrounded by over 7 million of landmines and barbed wires still divides Western Sahara and its people, separating families and wreaking havoc in the whole region.

Human rights violations in the occupied part of the Sahrawi Republic are a systematic practice, while the occupying authorities persist in their massive plunder of the natural resources of the Territory.

On 17 August, in The Guardian, Kibamba resurfaces, this time brandishing his pretentious long training in the field of international relations, diplomacy and regional integration and seeking again to defend and justify the Moroccan illegal occupation and annexation of Western Sahara.

In an article titled Morocco and Sahrawi in African international law: Any comparisons?, he states: It shocked me and most of my IR students that one can qualify Morocco as an occupying power. I see no legal basis for this but rather a distortion of the definition of occupation, as established in international, conventional and common law or even wisdom.

Indeed, what is shocking is Kibambas claim that Morocco cannot be qualified as an occupying power. I would like to cite for his reference Resolution 3437 that was adopted by the UN General Assembly on 21 November 1979, in which the General Assembly 5. Deeply deplores the aggravation of the situation resulting from the continued occupation of Western Sahara by Morocco and the extension of that occupation to the territory recently evacuated by Mauritania; and, 6. Urges Morocco to join in the peace process and to terminate the occupation of the Territory of Western Sahara.

This is the language of the UN General Assembly representing the ensemble of the International Community.

The legal basis for calling Morocco an occupying power, which Kibamba fails to see, were obvious from the very beginning. The legal opinion of the International Court of Justice (ICJ) regarding the territorial claims of Morocco left no doubt.

In October 1975, the ICJ unequivocally ruled that there had never been any ties of territorial sovereignty between the Kingdom of Morocco and Western Sahara. The ICJ also affirmed the inalienable right of the Sahrawi people to self-determination in accordance with the principles set forth in the UN Charter and in the General Assembly Resolution 1514 (XV) of 14 December 1960 containing the Declaration on the Granting of Independence to Colonial Countries and Peoples.

In December 2016, the European Court of Justice reaffirmed the ruling of the ICJ reiterating that Morocco has no sovereignty over Western Sahara and firmly stating that the EU-Morocco trade agreements did not and could not apply to Western Sahara because it is distinct and separate from Morocco.

Furthermore, if Morocco is not an occupying power of Western Sahara, then why is there no single international and regional organisation or country in the world that recognises Moroccos forceful annexation and occupation of Western Sahara? It would indeed have been better had Kibamba taken the trouble to explain to his IR students this undisputed fact.

I have provided these references in my previous response but, as the saying goes, there is no deaf worse than he who does not want to hear.

It seems that Kibamba, conceited by his presumptuous training, dares to contradict all those authoritative sources of jurisprudence and even to challenge the OAU/AU resolutions.

Perhaps he ignores the fact that Moroccos historical territorial claims do not end in Western Sahara. Moroccan chimerical empire also encompasses the whole of Mauritania, a part of Algeria and the northern part of Mali.

Perhaps he also ignores the fact that it took Morocco nine years to recognise Mauritania as an independent country and that, barely a year after the achievement of Algerias independence, Morocco also tried to occupy by force a part of the Algerian western desert in 1963.

Of course, the Algerians, with their wounds still bleeding following a long liberation struggle against colonialism, defeated the invaders pushing them back to their real borders. These are solid, documented historic facts that nobody can deny. History is very important; those who do not know the past cannot understand the present.

In his brief account of the so-called Green March, the author refers to resolution 380 (1975) adopted by the Security Council on 6 November 1975, but he wittingly chooses to omit its substance in an embarrassingly dishonest way.

What resolution 380 (1975) says, which can be verified by his IR students if they wish, is that the Council indeed deplores the holding of the march and calls upon Morocco immediately to withdraw from the Territory of Western Sahara all the participants in the march. The author also claims that By virtue of the Madrid agreement, Morocco was duly noted by the United Nations General Assembly in its resolution 3458-8 of 11 December 1975 as the administrating power in the Sahara.

This is another unfounded claim. The proof comes from none but the former UN Under-Secretary-General for Legal Affairs, the Legal Counsel, in his letter addressed to the President of the Security Council on 29 January 2002, in which he affirms the following:

The Madrid Agreement did not transfer sovereignty over the territory, nor did it confer upon any of the signatories (Mauritania and Morocco) the status of an administering Power - a status which Spain alone could not have unilaterally transferred. The transfer of administrative authority over the territory to Morocco and Mauritania in 1975 did not affect the international status of Western Sahara as Non-Self-Governing Territory (paragraph 6).

Following his questionable line of argument, the author maintains that on the international level, the Polisario is not recognised as a liberation movement and does not have juridical or popular legitimacy to claim being the sole and only representative of the Sahrawi population.

To prove his point totally wrong, I would like to refer the author to Resolution 35/19 on the Question of Western Sahara adopted by the UN General Assembly at its 56th plenary meeting on 11 November 1980 to hopefully realise how unfounded his claim is.

As if the above-unmasked misrepresentations of the author were not enough, Kibamba goes on to claim that As for the allegation that Moroccan sovereignty over the Sahara lacks international recognition, suffice here to recall that the UN Secretary General has asserted that the independence of Western Sahara is neither a realistic option nor an attainable objective.

The overconfidence in his sources seems to have led him to rehash this preposterous claim in an embarrassing and unprofessional way. Let it be abundantly clear to everybody that no UN Secretary-General has ever uttered such unfounded statement, and I do challenge Kibamba and his sources to name the UN Secretary-General who allegedly said this and where and when he did so. I look forward to his meeting this challenge as readily as he seems to act in venturing these kinds of statements.

Reproducing verbatim the Moroccan well-known war propaganda, the author further claims that: the situation of the sequestered Sahrawi inside the Tindouf camps, is unique in the eyes of international humanitarian law. Taking hostages, for decades, entire population of men, women and children to score political gains

The Sahrawi refugees, whom the author describes as hostages, arrived in Algeria fleeing the horrors of the Moroccan invading troops. During their exodus through the desert hundreds died under the bombardment of Moroccos warplanes with napalm and many disappeared. Mass graves of that period were discovered and documented recently by European forensic experts.

The refugees referred to as hostages by the author have been visited by eminent personalities such as the late Oliver Tambo, the then Presidents in office Kenneth Kaunda, Joaquim Chissano, the late Thomas Sankara and four successive United Nations Secretaries-General.

There is a UNHCR permanent office in the Sahrawi refugee camps as well as many NGOs including the Spanish Red Cross, ECHO, Solidarite Internationale, Oxfam and Triangle. Many governmental and parliamentary delegations as well as journalists visit the Sahrawi refugee camps and the SADR liberated territories on a regular basis.

An honest Moroccan journalist, Ali Lmrabet, editor of the weekly magazine in French, Demain, visited the Sahrawi refugee camps in 2003. Upon his return, he was sentenced by a Moroccan tribunal to three years in prison. He was also prevented from exercising his job as journalist during a period of ten years because he did not describe the refugees as hostages. In the same vein, the author claims that the refugees held against their will in the refugee camps of Tindouf by the Algerian army and its Polisario proxies. This language should sound familiar in Tanzania!

It is a reminder of how the regime of Apartheid, the white minority government in Rhodesia as well as the colonial rulers in Angola and Mozambique attacked Tanzania for hosting the African refugees and the Liberation Movements.

We all remember how heroes such as Mandela, Tambo, Mondlane, Machel, Neto, Chissano, Mugabe, Nujoma and others were branded as terrorists. Those great men and brave freedom fighters, who symbolize the pride of Africa, were also hosts of Algeria and enjoyed its hospitality and support. No wonder that Amilcar Cabral called Algeria the Mecca of the Revolutionaries.

The solidarity and support of Tanzania with just causes is proverbial; it is a shining and bright jewel in her history as a paramount actor in the liberation of Africa to such an extent that Prime Minister in the white minority government of Rhodesia, Ian Smith called Nyerere the evil genius behind the liberation wars (Godfrey Mwakikagile, Nyerere and Africa: End of an era.)

Julius Nyerere also was the righteous genius and promoter of former OAUs Ad Hoc Committee of Wise Men that paved the way for the admission of the Sahrawi Republic (SADR) into the continental organisation when the Committee realised that Morocco was never sincere in its intention to allow the referendum of self-determination to take place. As Julius Nyerere clearly said, No nation has the right to make decisions for another nation, no people for another people.

That legacy and historical and moral heritage is a highly valuable asset that must be protected from corruption by all means. Endorsing false, defamatory statements and wrong concepts in the narrative is equivalent to smuggling faked products and adulterated foodstuff into the domestic market.

We know who is moving the pawns in its war against us. Only unscrupulous individuals with no credibility to lose accept being used as cannon fodder to harm and hurt the feelings of others.

They are like hired assassins who, for a handful of dollars, murder people they do not even know. Moroccos modus operandi of buying peoples consciences was unmasked when its official correspondence was revealed by the hacker Coleman.

Once the recruited agrees to use Moroccos official vocabulary and narrative, he or she immediately becomes an expert and, most probably, is sent to New York as petitioner during the UN Fourth Commission session to lobby for Moroccos colonial thesis.

I conclude by pointing out that the inverted commas that the author uses to refer to my condition of being a diplomat will not affect that condition. However, it is indeed hard to believe that someone who has long training in the field of international relations, diplomacy and regional integration, as Kibamba authoritatively claims, is capable of coming up with such an incoherent piece that is fraught with all sorts of preposterous biases, misrepresentations and sheer falsifications.

After all, Kibambas piece is no more than an amateurishly concocted replica of the propagandistic pamphlets distributed worldwide by Moroccan officials and their co-opted media outlets.

On a concluding note, I hope that my provoking rejoinder, as Kibamba describes it, is not the only thing that will inspire his interest for further research about this issue but also the realisation that integrity, rigour and high sense of responsibility are indispensable for any trustworthy and serious work, journalistic or otherwise.

*Mr. Brahim Salem Buseif is the Ambassador of the Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic in Tanzania (SPS)

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http://www.ippmedia.com/en/columnist/sahrawi-republic-and-moral-bankruptcy




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

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Dominic Figuei via Connecticut Post

HARTFORD >> In the wake of Hurricane Harvey and the devastation it caused in Texas, Gov. Dannel P. Malloy has urged Connecticut residents to prepare for the possibility that Irma or some other big storm will strike the state, according to News 8, WTNH.

Malloy made the remarks Friday during a visit to the Red Cross headquarters in Farmington.
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STAMFORD  The citys only Civil War monument was destroyed long before remembrances from that part of U.S. history became a national debate.

A cannon from the USS Kearsarge  a warship best known for its defeat of a Confederate commerce raider during the Civil War  adorned what was known then as West Park on Main Street from 1901 until 1942, when it was removed for scrap by Luders Marine Construction Company.

In the 1960s, West Park was renamed Columbus Park and placed there was a granite statue of the 15th Century Italian explorer that still stands there today  the citys only monument to a prominent historic figure.

Were not a big monument city, and we have very little in the way of public sculptures in general, said Renee Kahn, a local historian.

The city has a tendency to memorialize the every man, rather than individuals, with monuments like the one in Veterans Memorial Park and the Soldiers and Sailors monument at the intersection of Main, Grove and Elm Streets, which bares the names of Stamford residents who served in battles dating back to the Revolutionary War.

Monuments are a product of their own times, said Wes Haynes of the Connecticut Trust for Historic Preservation. The Soldiers and Sailors monument went up after WWI, and it expressed the feeling of community at that time. People were pretty tired of war WWIit was gruesome.

Rethinking Columbus

Stamfords tribute to Christopher Columbus hasnt come under fire, but across the country other statues of the explorer  who committed atrocities against the indigenous people of North and South America  have uncertain futures amid a national movement to remove controversial monuments after white nationalists protested removal of a statue of Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee in Charlottesville, Va. last month.

The Columbus monument in Stamford is better understood when put in context of the time is was erected, according to Haynes. Columbus memorials were fashionable in the 1960s, as the Genoa, Italy-born explorer came to be known as an unofficial saint to Italian-American immigrants.

Columbus never even came to Stamford, of course, but Italian-Americans adopted image the of Columbus as a positive image, Haynes said. In the 1960s, Columbus was taught as a popular figure, but today hes taught about with a lot more nuance  like the fact that he didnt really discover America, and he was sailing under the Spanish flag, which is another complication to story.

Haynes says it might be a good idea to rethink memorializing Columbus.

Perhaps the Italian community might want to revisit that statue and think of another symbol of their culture, he said. I can appreciate statues as great works of art, but Im not sure if that one rises to the standard of one of our greatest works of art.

Stamfords Columbus, who looks up to the sky, was actually supposed to be looking straight ahead. But a notch in the granite at his Adams apple forced a slight change in the design.

Haynes suggested taking it out of public spacemaybe even relocating Columbus to the Italian Center in North Stamford  if Native American or Latin American groups in the city come forward to reject the monument as a symbol of hate.

Im a preservationist, so I feel our buildings are the real monuments to Italians contributions to Stamford, he said. If (Columbuss) symbol is offensive to Latin American groups especially, that could be a problem. That community has made significant contributions to the city in more recent history.

But Kahn is more tentative when it comes to the conversation about removing historic monuments.

Monuments are fun and they are history, she said. Maybe if we found a way to keep them and explain what the people they commemorate were, so people can understand historic context, is a better way to go about it.

Kahn worries about how far these crusades against hateful monuments could go.

There are negatives to history, so do you whitewash over them or can you explain them? Kahn said. There are people who will say, Columbus killed so many Indian tribes, and yes, Columbus was not heroic all the time, but its import to know and explain what he did that was worthwhile and what he did that today would be frowned upon.

Stamford war heroes

That Columbus likely never set foot in Stamford could suggest there are better candidates for public statues.

The city does have markers highlighting famous former residents, including a small plaque on Ocean Drive West commemorating Revolutionary War military officer Benjamin Tallmadges guerilla raid on British loyalists at Lloyds Neck  the citys most famous Revolutionary event.

Tallmadge was not from Stamford, but he was an important aide to Washington and launched a small flotilla of rowboats from Shippan Point with the aim of disrupting the food supply chain to British troops stationed in New York harbor.

At the corner of Tresser and Washington boulevards is a dedication to Samuel Tresser, a local war hero who died in combat in WWI.

Tresser, namesake of one of the citys main thoroughfares, enlisted the military in response to the sinking of the Lusitania. He sought to guard the Connecticut coast from similar sub and air attacks long before the United States formally joined WWII.

Tresser was later killed in France and is buried in the American military cemetery there.

Both the Tallmadge and Tresser monuments date from the late 20th century, Tressers coinciding with the renaming of the reconfigured former Willow Street in his honor, Haynes said. I feel we could do better by both.

nnaughton@stamfordadvocate.com; @noranaughton
Matt Scanlan, co-founder and CEO of Naadam Cashmere, takes us on his wild journey from an unemployed tourist sitting in dive bar to the head honcho of a multimillion-dollar company. Don't miss this harrowing tale filled with goat milk vodka cocktails, motorcycle rides and a bold business plan set on the dusty stage of the Gobi Desert.

Related: How to Protect Your Company's Most Valuable Asset

Discover more about segments and guests below ...

[00:00:00] Millennials Discover Multimillion-Dollar Venture

When a couple of 20-something travelers got stranded in a rural corner of Mongolia, they discovered a business prospect that would change their lives and disrupt a millennia old industry. Returning a few short years later with $3 million cash in an unprotected SUV, Naadam Cashmere co-founder and CEO Matt Scanlan and his business partner bet big on cashmere (100 tons of raw materials, big). We learn how the audacious entrepreneur went from a perpetually troubled student to textile mogul.

[00:06:01] Stranded in the Gobi Desert Without a Plan

Scanlan ditched his sterile New York City office to journey more than 6,000 miles around the world to Mongolia. He had no travel plan, not even a place to hang his hat after a grueling 38-hour flight. A chance encounter at a local bar led to a morning drive to "the countryside." After nearly a full day of driving, the car broke down. Scanlan and his travel mates found themselves stranded in the belly of the Gobi Desert.

[00:11:30] Goat's Milk Vodka and the Kindness of Strangers

Scanlan and his Naadam Cashmere co-founder, Diederik Rijsemus, were marooned in a rural Outer Mongolia village. As the two travelers sipped fermented goat's milk, they began to grasp the reality of their situation; it would be nearly a month before they could return to the city. They had no extra clothing, no food and no cash. The weeks passed, and Scanlan and Rijsemus became increasingly aware of the economic disparity between the goat herders and cashmere buyers. They realized that in order to make a significant impact on the nomadic community that selflessly cared for them, they would need to shatter the traditional supply chain and jettison the greedy middlemen. Listen in as Scanlan describes the overwhelming and transformative experience.

[00:18:20] Raising Raw Materials Costs to Lower Bottom Line

With a Toyota Land Cruiser loaded floor to ceiling with $3 million in cold hard cash, Scanlan and Rijsemus set off to buy 100 tons of cashmere in the Gobi Desert. After bribing local auctioneers to raise the bidding price of the raw material, they were able to cut out traders, increase the profits of herders by approximately 40 percent, save consumers money on a luxury product and still manage to turn a profit. Scanlan explains how Naadam's savvy and sustainable supply chain catapulted the company to over $8 million in revenue by the close of year two. Plus, find out why Scanlan and Rijsemus feel the name Naadam, which literally translates to "games," perfectly encapsulates their brand.

[00:26:37] Matt Scanlan Says, "Don't Fake it Til You Make It"

Explosive business growth inherently involves a steep learning curve. Scanlan echoes this sentiment as he recounts the most costly mistakes he made while launching Naadam Cashmere. Find out why Scanlan no longer subscribes to the "fake it until you make it" philosophy and shares his single most important lesson: Know when you should ask for help.

[00:33:21] Coming Soon for Naadam Cashmere

What's next for Naadam Cashmere? Scanlan divulges his long-term goals for the disruptive company, and outlines details of the heavy expansion to come within the next year. Learn how a strong value proposition and brand identity could make Naadam a household name.

Entrepreneur Radio, hosted by award-winning broadcast professional, Alan Taylor, equips fans with the critical information necessary to grow their business through practical advice and thought-provoking interviews. Tune in live on Saturdays 2 p.m. EST/11 a.m. PST and Sundays 10 a.m. EST/7 a.m. PST and listen to weekly episodes on demand on Entrepreneur.com.

Related:

This Entrepreneur Discovered a Multimillion-Dollar Business Idea When He Got Stranded in Mongolia's Gobi Desert

How to Protect Your Company's Most Valuable Asset

Debunking the 5 Biggest Myths of Entrepreneurship



Copyright 2017 Entrepreneur.com Inc., All rights reserved



This article originally appeared on entrepreneur.com


Some communities in rural Nebraska are facing the closure of what many would consider an essential business in their community. Grocery stores, cafes, restaurants, clothing, hardware, gas/service stations and variety stores often top the lists of businesses calling it quits. Most of the time the business is the only one of its kind in town.

The decision to close a store can be attributed to a variety of reasons. Oftentimes in the case of local owners, longtime owners are retiring with no succession plan or someone to take over the family business. Sometimes a store closes due to health reasons of the owners. The volume of business, or lack thereof, may contribute to the decision to close as well.

Whatever the reason, the closing of a primary business in a community can have far-reaching effects. It is likely to affect every other business in town in some fashion with a reduction of customer traffic and economic activity. The closing of the business certainly affects the current residents in that they now have no choice but to travel out of town to buy what used to be available locally. Over the long term, business closures may affect the property values of homes and businesses in the community. It may affect the attractiveness of a community for people who may be considering moving to the area. That affects schools and churches as well as other businesses.

Finding a buyer who is willing to keep that small business open is a challenge. Many businesses, although small in comparison to similar businesses in urban areas, can be capital intensive investments. Expertise in operating a specific kind of business in a small town may be lacking. Questions about long-term viability may linger.

When options for keeping the store open seem to be waning, some community leaders have created an opportunity for a group of local people to keep a store open or to reopen a closed store. This ownership group may be small or large in number. New owners might be 5-10 people in a limited liability company or 175 or more people in a cooperative or anything in between. The cooperative business model or shared ownership model can be an effective way to keep that essential service open, as a community owned business. The Nebraska Cooperative Development Center has worked with several communities across rural Nebraska on this concept.

Seems like a simple solution? Its not! It takes a significant amount of time on behalf of the community by a volunteer steering committee to go through the process of asking some hard questions and assessing what risks there may be along the way. Why did the former store close? Are the physical facilities for the business available or do we have to build from the ground up? Do community residents believe this business is important and will they patronize the business if it opens? Can the business sustain itself financially over the long term? Are residents of the area interested in being a part of the business financially, emotionally and socially?

The power of the cooperatively owned business model starts with a steering committee that has at its core a mix of skills and talents from all parts of the community. The background and experience of all potential committee members, both young and old, is the foundation for a successful project. The process begins with the blending of those skills and talents into a cohesive group of 8 to 10 volunteers who share a common vision.

Oftentimes, the steering committee begins by seeking input from the community in the form of a simple survey. Community involvement in the whole process is essential. We need to know what area residents think is important about this business. Is this business important to our community? How much does your household spend on this kind of goods/services? If we had a new business with a reasonable supply at reasonable prices, how much of your spending would you honestly intend to do here in our local store? What kinds of services are missing at our community that this store might be able to offer?

With answers from the survey, the committee takes the data and begins to divide and conquer the work ahead of them. Subcommittees work on things like facilities, financial and written plans for the business, legal components and requirements, as well as marketing, advertising, and communications. Each subcommittee is tasked with finding the appropriate solution for the new business and coming back to the full committee with their best recommendation. The full committee needs to trust their fellow volunteers and accept the recommendation knowing it has been well researched and studied by their peers. This process works well to keep the project moving. The alternative is that each detail of every decision is looked at and discussed by the full committee over and over and the process will take years instead of months to complete.

The subcommittees work independently but simultaneously. Information gathered by one subcommittee becomes a needed part of the information for another committee. For example, the cost of building or renovation becomes a part of the start-up budget required by the financial subcommittee. Marketing and advertising ideas may impact how the facilities committee envisions the store layout. The type of business incorporation will affect the accounting and software needed. Accounting and software costs are placed in the financial needs for month-to-month operations, and so on.

Each step of the way, the full committee is addressing opportunities and roadblocks, and making go/no-go decisions based upon the information gathered. Along the way, the committee will need to share their findings with the community. A community meeting where the committee shares the direction they are headed, what they are finding out, what opportunities and obstacles are being encountered along the way, and the work yet to be done is laid out. Sharing information with everyone at the same time helps keep the community involved, helps keep the rumor mill quiet, and lets people know that progress is being made. Open meetings may be held two or three times during the process.

When all the information has been gathered and studied, the committee makes their final recommendation to everyone in the community. They have either decided that we should not proceed further, or they recommend incorporation of the business. If the recommendation is to move forward, the committee members are saying that they believe the business is viable and they are committed to being a part of the business. The committee will recommend how to best capitalize the start-up of the business and begin operations. In the case of a cooperative or a limited liability company, the majority, if not all, of the capital formation is accomplished through the sale of shares in the business to local residents. The committee incorporates and offers shares to others in the community. If the capitalization goals are reached, the business plan is implemented and plans become reality! If the capitalization goal falls short, the money is returned to the potential investor minus some minor expenses.

The incorporating board puts the business plan into action and hires management, prepares the facility and all of its operational components, stocks inventory and opens for business!! The shareholders are often involved in getting their business ready to open. The business will be open to everyone, not just shareholders. The new business serves the needs of the community. The community is now part of the business.

User Owned, User Controlled, User Benefited are the three principles of cooperative ownership. The community members own their store. They elect a board of directors to control and manage the business on their behalf. Owners and the community in which they live benefit from keeping an essential business in their community. They also come to the realization that one of the best parts about this new business is... the owner will never retire!
Meadowlark Hearth is hosting its fifth annual seed celebration. The public is invited to celebrate the harvest and see where your vegetable seed is grown. Visitors will have the opportunity to see what carrots, onions and beets look like when they are going to seed.
A recent incident at central Nebraskas Calamus Reservoir is a reminder for all water users  especially boaters  to clean, drain and dry their equipment after every use.

A catfish tournament at Calamus attracted anglers from several states.

A Nebraska Game and Parks Commission aquatic invasive species technician inspected the boat of a nonresident participant and discovered zebra mussel shells in the boat live well. The boat previously had been on a Kansas reservoir, and blue catfish caught there apparently regurgitated adult zebra mussels in the live well.

The boat, which already had been on the water, was impounded and decontaminated before being allowed to launch again. Game and Parks thinks the zebra mussels in the live well were dead and the risk of zebra mussels being introduced to Calamus was minimal.

Boaters should drain all water from their boat, including gas motors (tilt the motor up and down to help drain water from the lower unit). Use a towel to speed the drying of other areas on a boat, such as the live well. Boaters who plan to launch into a different water body within five days should spray all water storage areas with vinegar to assist in killing any young, microscopic mussels that might be present.

Find additional information about aquatic invasive species, their threat, and what water users can do about them at stopaquatichitchhikers.org.

Wetland conditions

The conditions of wetlands across the state are varied, according to the Nebraska Game and Parks Commission.

On Friday, Game and Parks released a report on the status of Rainwater Basin wetlands, as well as pumping plans for the teal season. While conditions were good in some areas, they were dry in others.

Hunters need to keep in mind that conditions can change quickly if we get a significant rain event and they should scout areas ahead of time, said Ted LaGrange, Game and Parks wetland program manager.

The teal season ends Sept. 10 in the High Plains Zone and Sept. 17 in the Low Plains Zone. Regular duck seasons open in October.

Visit OutdoorNebraska.org for more information on waterfowl hunting and to purchase permits and stamps.

Bits and pieces

 Becoming an Outdoors-Family Camp at Ashlands Camp Carol Joy Holling is Sept. 23 and 24. The camp is for families that are new and novice campers who are looking to get started camping. For more information and to register, visit outdoornebraska.org/BOF.

 The Nebraska Big Game Conservation Association is raising funds for the Hunters Helping the Hungry program. Through Oct. 1, the association will match up to $5,000 in donations to HHH when individuals donate to the program through biggameconservationassociation.com/hunters-helping-the-hungry.

Ground venison is distributed by charitable organizations to Nebraskans in need.

For more information about the association, contact Chris Edwards at biggameconservation@gmail.com or visit nebiggame.com.

 The Nebraska Ornithologists Union, a statewide group of birders and bird-watchers, will hold its annual fall meeting Sept. 15 to 17 in Ogallala. This event is open to members and nonmembers. Registration at noubirds.org/meetings/next.aspx closes this weekend.

Calendar

SUNDAY

 Buffalo Cookout and Living History, Indian Cave SP, Shubert

 Nature Journaling Walk, Ash Hollow SHP, Lewellen

MONDAY

 Wildlife Day Celebration, Lake McConaughy State Recreation Area (SRA), Ogallala

 Lets Go Birding, Lake Ogallala SRA, Ogallala

TUESDAY

 Portions of some state recreation areas open to hunting through end of spring turkey season

WEDNESDAY

 Full Moon Walk, Ash Hollow SHP, Lewellen

THURSDAY

 Lets Go Birding, Ash Hollow SHP, Lewellen

FRIDAY

 My, What Changes We Have Seen, Fort Robinson SP, Crawford

SATURDAY

 Night Owl 5K Run/Walk, Niobrara SP, Niobrara

 Feathered Friends, Wildcat Hills SRA, Gering

 Fly-Fishing Clinic, Fremont SRA, Fremont

 Geocaching Treasure Hunt, Windmill SRA, Gibbon

SUNDAY, SEPT. 10

 Oktoberfest Meal, Fort Atkinson SHP, Fort Calhoun

 Family Fishing Event, Riverside Discovery Center Pond, Scottsbluff
Cast Paper Art

Owner  Steve Deines

Age  63

Home  Glendale

Family  Mary Beth, wife of 19 years; and son Connor, 24, in Denver

What he sells  Fine handmade paper products and stationery that incorporates wedding bouquets, centerpieces and other floral arrangements. Or request plantable paper products embedded with a combination of 12 varieties of perennial wildflowers seeds  Corn Poppy, Blue Salvia, White Yarrow, Patridge Pea, Annual Gaillardia, Perennial Gaillardia, Rocket Larkspur, Lance-Leaved Coreopsis, Plains Coreopsis, California Poppy, Crimson Clover, Black-Eyed Susan and Baby Blue Eyes. Prices vary, but the custom wedding cards are $2.25 each or $112.50 for a minimum of 50 cards. Plantable seed thank you cards are $20 for a pack of 10.

How to buy  Visit 811 Lafayette Avenue or castpaperart.com; 314-968-6896 or (toll free) 1-877-922-4766; email customerservice@castpaperart.com

It started with my mother making paper in Seattle, Steve Deines said. His mom, Joyeanna Chaudiere, had been making paper ornaments because she was always creative, he said. And it sparked his imagination. She introduced him to papermaking, and he thought it could become a business. He was also looking for a steady occupation. He launched the business in a garage in Glendale the fall of 1996 and married after a long-distance romance in 1997.

Blooming business  Some of his first products included making blooming wedding favors that guests could plant in honor of the couples special day. It took some trial and error, Deines said, because they had to keep the seeds from sprouting during the process. From there, they thought to manufacture wedding invitation paper, pet memorial cards, sympathy cards and thank-you notes. Soon he realized that instead of just embedding seeds he could really personalize the bridal stationery by including the flowers used the day of the wedding. Its also a great way to repurpose those beautiful but costly floral arrangements.

Emotional correspondence  Its a little tricky that we exist in the (funeral) memorial industry and the wedding industry, but those are all times when people want something beautiful, unique and personalized, Deines said, noting that its the same balance that floral designers must consider.

Recycled goods  To create the cards, Deines and his nine employees use 100 percent recycled cotton that is shipped to him from North Carolina. The mill processes fiber, and the natural byproduct is tons of lint that makes great pulp for paper.

Something to sing about  Deines spent 12 years singing in regional opera productions after doing his graduate studies in Vienna. He was a tenor but jokes that hes more comfortable with a baritone now. Although sadly, he doesnt sing much these days, just around the house and in the shower when theres an audience he notes with a wink.
ST. LOUIS  A man accused of opening fire on two police officers north of downtown on Friday, injuring them and a woman in a nearby house, has been charged with assault and other crimes.

Meanwhile, the injured officers have been released from the hospital, police said Sunday. The woman was critically injured. There was no update on her condition Sunday.

Devonte Morgan, 24, of the 1400 block of North Ninth Street, was charged Saturday with three counts of first-degree assault, three counts of armed criminal action and unlawful possession of a firearm. His bail was set at $300,000 cash only.

Another suspect, 22, was also arrested on Friday, but was not charged in the shooting.

Morgan opened fire on the officers, members of the gang squad, in what police called an ambush when he saw they recognized him and wanted to question him, according to the department.

Court documents say the two officers were driving in an unmarked car, a Grand Prix, when they pulled into a parking lot in the 1400 block of North Ninth Street, near Morgans home. Morgan was standing on the sidewalk by the parking lot. The officers saw him raise a gun, point it at them and begin firing, according to court documents. Both officers were shot; one fired one shot.

One of Morgans shots missed the officers car and went through the door of a neighboring house, hitting a 24-year-old woman identified by her mother as Tamara Collier. Colliers injury was described as critical.

The officers, a man, 35, with nine years of experience on the force, and a woman, 32, with 10 years of experience, were shot about 1:40 p.m. They drove themselves to near 14th Street and Cass Avenue and called for help.

They were treated at Barnes-Jewish Hospital until they were released, police said on Sunday.

Court records show Morgan was sentenced to three years in prison for theft in 2012.

Joel Currier of the Post-Dispatch contributed to this report.
Fifty-one cats evacuated from Hurricane Harvey's path in Houston arrived in St. Louis Saturday and will be available for adoption.

The Humane Society of Missouri Animal Cruelty Task Forces Disaster Response Team traveled to Texas and rescued the cats that were previously surrendered by their owners or available for adoption at the Houston SPCA.

Earlier this week, the St. Louis team transported 43 dogs and puppies from affected areas to St. Louis that are up for adoption.

The cats arrived at the Humane Society of Missouri headquarters Saturday morning after being spayed or neutered and will be available for adoption on Tuesday, said spokesperson Anne McLaughlin. "They had a 19 hour drive so we're letting them hang out and chill," she said. "They're all very nice and I don't see any trouble getting them adopted."

To free up room at the adoption center for the Houston cats, adult cats will be available Sunday from noon to 4 p.m. at 1201 Macklind Ave. for no adoption fee and kittens will be available for a $75 adoption fee, which is about half-off the typical fee.

The Humane Society is in need of monetary donations to help fund the rescue efforts, which are still ongoing, McLaughlin said. "We still have a team in Texas," she said. Additionally, donations of blankets, towels and newspapers are needed.
PHOENIX  We know that Donald Trump is a virtuoso at the politics of resentment. But does he lead a movement?

That is the question to be tested in next years Republican Senate primary in Arizona. Pro-Trump forces are wiping the drool off their ties while contemplating a humiliating primary defeat for Trump critic Jeff Flake  the Republican incumbent whom Trump reportedly calls the flake. (I suspect that Flake has heard that taunt before, but not since third-grade recess.) Professional Trump sycophants Sean Hannity and Laura Ingraham have endorsed a Republican challenger to Flake named Kelli Ward. Trump moneyman Robert Mercer has already donated $300,000 to Wards campaign. And Trump himself implicitly endorsed Ward on Twitter last month, while labeling Flake as toxic.

Recent polling seems to justify a belief in Flakes vulnerability. Among likely Republican voters, Ward wins a head-to-head with Flake by double digits.

All this would be deeply disturbing for establishment Republicans  if it were not mostly rubbish.

Polling a year away from a primary has as much predictive power as a tarot pack. The most important factors determining the outcome are entirely contingent. A year hence, Trump could be a vengeful political colossus or headed toward impeachment; America could be at war or at peace; the economy could be in depression or riding a boom.

So far, Flake has reason to be pleased with outside interventions in the race. Trump forces in Arizona have not yet settled on Ward  highly inexperienced and gaffe-prone  as their candidate. (She is not a buffoon, one close observer of Arizona politics told me, but she says buffoonish things.) Outside endorsements of Ward have come as state Treasurer Jeff DeWit and former party chair Robert Graham are discussing which of them might enter the race as a Ward alternative. And Trump himself has since backed off his apparent endorsement of Ward. When Trump visited Phoenix a few weeks ago, he had a backstage meeting with DeWit and Graham. Ward was not invited.

Graham would probably be a stronger candidate than DeWit, who has even less political experience than Ward. Graham gained Trumps confidence by defending him during the Access Hollywood scandal. (True-blue, bona fide Trump loyalists are apparently defined by their willingness to ignore boasting about sexual assault.) But for a Trump challenge to Flake to run smoothly, Graham or DeWit would need to persuade the independent-minded Ward to leave the race. (Recently pardoned octogenarian Joe Arpaio  who lost his last election decisively  likes to talk about running but is not a serious possibility.)

Even if Arizona Trumpites settle on a single candidate, it is not clear what support from Trump forces really means. Does a Trump endorsement bring buckets of money? Does it bring organizational help? Trump organizers were thin on the ground even during his own campaign. And the power of presidential tweets to help people other than Trump is untested. Can Trump actually follow through on his political threats without the normal architecture of a political movement?

The answer depends on a different question, posed to me by the much-respected Arizona Republic political columnist Robert Robb: Is Trump a singularity, or does he represent the beginning of the redefining of the Republican Party along Trump lines? Robb, who walked me through the Arizona political basics, is skeptical of the latter. He is doubtful that tea party activists  who rose in reaction (in part) to Barack Obamas stimulus package  will be enthused about Trumps trillion-dollar infrastructure package. He is doubtful that Arizonas generally libertarian and tea-party primary voters will be generally attracted to Trumps ethno-nationalism.

But who knows? The Flake primary race will be a good test, one way or the other. Flake has been a tough and consistent critic of Trump, based less on ideology than on the presidents preference for vitriolic, tribal politics. But Flake is no moderate. He once ran an Arizona think tank dedicated to conservative and libertarian ideas. He supports Trump on regulatory policy and other issues. To defeat Flake, Arizona voters would need to choose a right-wing populist in the tradition of Pat Buchanan over a libertarian in the tradition of Barry Goldwater. This would involve, not just an electoral choice, but a rethinking of Republican orthodoxy, with far-reaching implications.

If Republicans like Flake are ousted in primaries, the Republican Party as we know it will be unrecognizable and unsupportable.

Michael Gerson

Copyright The Washington Post
Illinois has become the 10th state in the past three years to adopt a form of automatic voter registration, which expands the number of people eligible to vote. In an era when many red states  and the Trump administration  are trying to reduce access to the ballot, its notable that Illinois Republican governor, Bruce Rauner, signed the measure into law.

These are the kinds of praiseworthy moves that help bridge the nations unhealthy partisan divide. Rauner had vetoed a similar measure last year, saying it could inadvertently open the door to voter fraud and run afoul of federal election law. This year he and the Democratic Legislature cooperated, and Rauner signed the bill Aug. 28.

The new law links the drivers license registry with the states voter registration system. When Illinoisans apply for or renew a drivers license, theyll automatically be registered to vote unless they opt out.

Automatic voter registration is generally seen as a progressive issue, with Democrats believing those least likely to be registered would support Democratic candidates and causes. Most of the 10 states that have adopted automatic registration lean Democratic, though West Virginia, Alaska and Georgia certainly dont. An 11th state, deep-red North Dakota, has the best voter registration law in the country: none. Anyone 18 or older who meets residency requirements can cast a ballot.

This is as it should be. Any sort of voter registration holds down participation in the most fundamental right of democratic government.

For Democrats, getting voters registered is only half the battle. People who arent motivated to register often arent motivated to vote, either. In Oregon, Democrats actually lost legislative seats after automatic registration began. After it began in Georgia, Republican Karen Handel beat Democrat Jon Ossoff in a high-profile special congressional election in June.

Still in most states, Republicans have taken steps to suppress Democratic votes, including in Missouri, where the GOP legislature put a photo ID amendment on last Novembers ballot. At the national level, President Donald Trump appointed Kansas Secretary of State Kris Kobach and Vice President Mike Pence to investigate voter fraud, which studies have shown to be effectively nonexistent.

In Kansas, Kobach made unproven allegations about rampant voter fraud. Given power by the Legislature to investigate it, Kobach got nine convictions among Kansas 1.8 million voters in two years, most of them confused seniors casting absentee ballots.

Trumps Justice Department also entered the fray, dropping an Obama-era challenge to Texas voter ID law and backing off a challenge to Ohios purging of inactive voters from voter rolls. The U.S. Supreme Court will hear the case next month.

American demographics are slowly getting more blue. Republicans are fighting this tide on every front, including restricting the right the vote. Rauner should be proud to be an exception.
The National Party is promising a crackdown on methamphetamine use in New Zealand, with an $82 million investment over four years to tackle organised crime and drug dealers.

They also plan to fund more treatment places for those addicted to methamphetamine and other drugs, if re-elected to government.

Gangs are increasingly pushing dangerous drugs into our communities and we are committed to stopping them, locking them up and seizing their ill-gotten gains, says Police Minister Paula Bennett.

National will redouble its efforts to stop drugs getting into the country, stamp out meth labs and disrupt the supply networks as part of a refreshed Methamphetamine Action Plan.

Well also increase police powers to stop gang members from committing crimes in the first place, backing up our investment in more police officers and smarter policing and our tougher sentencing of offenders.

A new National government will spend $40 million over four years on drug treatment and education services including, 1500 additional in patient drug treatment places and community-based treatment, prevention and education services provided by NGOs and iwi.

National will also invest $42 million over four years on a crackdown on gangs and the supply of serious drugs by:

Giving police new power to search the cars and houses of the most serious criminal gang members at any time to ensure they dont have firearms through new Firearms Prohibition Orders (FPOs)

Doubling the number of drug dog teams and introducing them in domestic airports, ferries and mail centres to clamp down on trafficking

Increasing penalties for manufacturing and distributing synthetic cannabis from a maximum of two years imprisonment to eight years, but no changes to charges for possession

Imposing new obligations on gang members on a benefit so that if they cant justify expensive assets, they can have their benefit cancelled or be declined a benefit

Introducing a new charge of wilful contamination for people who contaminate rental properties

Introducing compulsory police vetting for anyone working at ports, mail centres or airport baggage centres (this includes contractors)

These measures come on top of the $503 million announced earlier this year for 1125 more police staff, which included 80 police to target organised crime and drugs.

Paula says serious drugs like methamphetamine and the gangs who peddle them are a scourge on our society.

These drug dealers are destroying lives for profit and greed and these drugs have no place in our country.

We need to help those that are already addicted and find ways of stopping new victims of this drug and the gangs who peddle them.

Our investment in strengthening our borders will also help reduce harm because we know the most effective way to tackle this problem is to stop drugs reaching our shores in the first place.

National is the party of law and order  we take the safety of all New Zealanders seriously. The mission of police is for New Zealand to be the safest country in the world, and National wholeheartedly supports this goal.

The $82 million over four years will be made up of $40 million from the proceeds of crime and $42 million of new funding.
New Zealand First has been finding out what matters to Western Bay of Plenty residents, with local candidates touring Tauranga and Te Puke in their distinctive campaign bus.

Tauranga-based NZ First MP Clayton Mitchell was joined by Bay of Plenty candidate Lester Gray and Coromandel candidate Anne-Marie Andrews on Saturday, braving the rain to deliver their partys message.

Clayton says they made around 11 stops from Te Puke through to Papamoa, Mount Maunganui, Tauranga central, Bethlehem, and Greerton.

We had good feedback from people and positive responses. We managed to get a crowd of people talking and listening wherever we pulled up, he says.

We had hoped to do some door knocking, but the weather didnt really permit for it. Well do that next week.

So what was on the minds of voters who stopped to have a chat? In Tauranga, Clayton says it is housing affordability.

People say theyre not hearing anything from the two establishment parties about the effect of immigration and foreign buyers on housing. People know a lot of these houses are being bought up by overseas non-residents, but nobodys talking about it.

The other big issue was traffic, and what were going to be doing about the ever-increasing problem of congestion.

One of the most significant aspects of yesterdays tour was finding out just how many undecided voters are out there.

There are people whove always voted a certain colour, and theyre telling us theyre not sure about voting for that party this time round. So theyre genuinely interested in the policies of other parties and what theyre pushing for.

He says Jacinda Ardern has created some interest as the new Labour Party leader, but believes Labours policies to be too vague.

In three weeks time I think were going to have an upset. The mainstream media over the last few weeks have given us very little oxygen, unless its to do with Winstons repayments.

People are getting sick of the backwards and forwards from the two main parties.
Tazewell County got national and international exposure last week.

The Widows Sons Masonic Riders Association held their grand convention in Tazewell. Nearly 800 motorcycle riders from 30 states and seven countries attended the week -long event.

They filled motels across southwest Virginia and southern West Virginia and several camped at the fairgrounds and at Cavitts Creek. They used the fairground as a base with vendors displaying products and riders registering and taking part in fund raising events.

Tazewell Countys tourism office had a rack at the fairgrounds so that every rider that checked in had brochures on all area attractions. Chris Hubbard, president of the said the riders were having a good time and enjoying all the area has to offer.

Hubbard said the group has a regional gathering in even years and a national in odd years. They have a patch designed for each reunion and this years is almost an exact replica of the last time the national was in Virginia at Poquoson.

Riders came in to the fairgrounds and registered and spent their day riding and sightseeing.

Hubbard said the rain had held off and allowed them to get a good bit of riding in. One of the things they did was a poker run that sent the riders to local businesses and restaurants to get cards for their hand.

Proceeds from those fund raisers went to Shriner causes and to the local sheriffs office and police department.

Hubbard said the majority of the groups members are ex military and many of them are employed in either emergency services, police work or fire services. They worked closely with Sheriff Brian Hieatt and his office and the Tazewell Police Department during their time in the county.

Hieatt was highly impressed with the group and did his weekly television broadcast from the fairgrounds. Hubbard said that broadcast had over 14,000 hits as of Aug. 31. After nearly a week in the area the riders departed early Sept. 3.
CICERO, N.Y. -- An Oswego County woman in her 50s has died from her injuries after a two-car crash Saturday on Route 31 in the town of Cicero, Onondaga County sheriff's deputies said.

The Parish woman, whose name will not be released until her family is notified, was a passenger in a white Chrysler Sebring that was struck shortly after noon, Sgt. Jon Seeber said, speaking for the sheriff's office.

A 39-year-old Cicero woman in a blue Toyota Prius was driving west on Route 31 when her car crossed over into the eastbound lane, striking the Chrysler Sebring, Seeber said.

The driver of the Prius suffered serious upper body injuries, Seeber said.

The driver of the Chrysler suffered serious lower body injuries. He was the husband of the woman killed, Seeber said.

Deputies have ruled out alcohol as a factor in the crash, he said.

"We are still investigating why (the driver of the Prius) crossed over into the other lane," Seeber said. "We will be reviewing phone records to make sure texting wasn't involved."

Deputies also still need to talk to the driver to find out why she crossed the center line, he said.

Sheriff's deputies, South Bay and Cicero volunteer firefighters, and NAVAC Ambulance responded to the crash on Route 31 near Eastwood Road after someone called 911 to report the head-on crash at 12:07 p.m.

The crash severely crumpled the front end of both cars -- trapping the Parish couple inside their car and the Prius driver inside her car. After rescue crews cut the three occupants from their cars, ambulances took them to Upstate University Hospital in Syracuse.

The female passenger who was in the Chrysler later died at the hospital from her injuries, deputies said.

A portion of Route 31, between Eastwood Road and Lakeshore Road, was closed for a several hours after the crash while the sheriff's Accident Investigation Team processed the scene.

The crash remains under investigation at this time.
CICERO, N.Y. -- The Onondaga County Sheriff's Office has identified the Oswego County woman who was killed Saturday in a head-on collision in Cicero.

On Saturday, the driver of a blue Toyota Prius was heading west on Route 31 near Eastwood Road around 12:07 p.m. when her car crossed over into the eastbound lane, striking a white Chrysler Sebring, deputies said.

The Chrysler contained driver Michael Barrisford, 59, and his wife Carmella Barrisford, 58, both of Parish N.Y. Carmella Barrisford, who was in the passenger seat, died from her injuries, and Michael Barrisford suffered serious lower-body injuries.

The Prius driver, Eloisa Vilches-Olea, 39, of Cicero, suffered serious upper-body injuries, said sheriff's office spokesman Sgt. Jon Seeber.

Deputies are still investigating why Vilches-Olea veered into the eastbound lane, but they have ruled out alcohol as a factor, Seeber said. Deputies will review phone records to see if she was texting, he said.

The crash severely crumpled the front end of both cars -- trapping passengers in both vehicles inside their cars. After rescue crews cut the three occupants free, ambulances took them to Upstate University Hospital in Syracuse.

A portion of Route 31, between Eastwood Road and Lakeshore Road, was closed for a several hours after the crash while the sheriff's Accident Investigation Team processed the scene.
Update: Oswego County woman killed in 2-car head-on Cicero crash

CICERO, N.Y. -- A woman was critically injured Saturday after a head-on crash in Cicero.

Two cars were driving in opposite directions on Route 31 shortly after noon when they crashed near Eastwood Road, said Sgt. Jon Seeber, of the Onondaga County Sheriff's Office. Deputies are working to determine which car veered into oncoming traffic, he said.

The crash severely crumpled the front end of both cars -- trapping three people inside the two vehicles.

A white Chrysler Sebring came to a stop perpendicular to the road with its front end in a ditch. Firefighters with the South Bay and Cicero fire departments had to cut away a door and other parts of the damaged car to free the driver and passenger.

The passenger -- a woman in her 50s -- was rushed to Upstate University Hospital in Syracuse. She is in critical condition with life-threatening injuries, Seeber said.

The driver of the Sebring, a man in his 50s, was also taken to Upstate. Although the extent of his injuries wasn't immediately clear, the man is in stable condition, Seeber said.

A blue Toyota Prius stopped facing the wrong way in the westbound lane.

The driver of the Prius -- a woman in her 30s -- is in stable condition at Upstate, Seeber said. Deputies are interviewing her about the crash, he said.

This story will be updated with additional photos.
SYRACUSE, N.Y. -- Joe Jonas led such an electric show on Saturday night that I almost forgot how awful his mustache looks.

Right off the bat, the DNCE frontman and his lively bandmates took the title for best stage entrance this season at Chevy Court. The dance-pop quartet surged onstage wearing lion heads and waving flags to the opening notes of "Circle of Life" from "The Lion King."

Jonas held up a stuffed lion, their Simba, before diving in to "Naked," the first of many lusty dance numbers.

"We should come back next year!" he declared, grinning at his screaming fans. Another wave of cheers erupted from the crowd, including a lone cry: "Bring your brother!" (His little bro, Nick Jonas, did play at the fair in 2015).

DNCE doesn't skimp on theatrics or horseplay. They played the party animals, prowling the stage and pouncing on each other for their young fans' Snapchat stories.

Flanking Jonas on either side, guitarist Jinjoo Lee and bassist Cole Whittle brought more energy than Mexican jumping beans. They bounced around the stage as Jonas swung his mic stand around like a sword. Drummer Jack Lawless banged away like a muppet behind them, with flailing arms and a blonde mop of hair.

While Whittle played the shirtless wild card (who did headstands and ran into the crowd after "Cake by the Ocean"), Lee proved to be the most musically gifted member of the band. Looking cool as ice in dark sunglasses, Lee often stole the spotlight with her wailing solos.

Halfway through the set, the band huddled together at the front of the stage to play three slow songs. "We don't have that many," Jonas promised the dance-loving crowd, before showing off some strong falsetto work with Whittle on "Jinx" and "Almost." Jonas's voice is a dead ringer for Adam Levine, when he wants it to be.

DNCE also paid tribute to many 1990s pop stars, with rock covers of "No Scrubs" by TLC, "Wannabe" by The Spice Girls and "Oops...I did It Again!" by Britney Spears. The band took a leaf out of Kanye's book too, dropping to the stage floor to play a few verses while lying down.

Whittle handily rapped on a couple songs, though his motormouth failed him for Nicki Minaj's solo on "Kissing Strangers." The crowd didn't seem to mind, but only Minaj has the chops to "put it in his lap," as they say.

Unlike Blue Oyster Cult the night before, it almost helps if you turn your brain off at a DNCE show. It's best not to take this band too seriously or think too hard about catchy-stupid lyrics like: "Memories, the memories, the Instagram's tellin' me everything but I regret nothing."

This crowd came to dance and scream, and the band delivered. But is Jonas the "king of the jungle" of pop, as his opening number suggests?

Jonas will always arguably have a spot in the royal court of pop music, thanks to his long-term success with the Jonas Brothers, massive social media presence, high-profile girlfriend and good looks. Though, for someone leading a band called DNCE, you'd expect him to dance a bit more.

It's unclear if he could ever unseat the reigning male pop nobles (Timberlake, Mars and Bieber), but he's got the right attitude. The New York State Fair audience certainly screamed a lot, and a handful of die-hard fans waited for him since the fair gates opened on Saturday morning.

The crowd of 9,200 enjoyed a clear, cool night until rain suddenly drenched Chevy Court as the band played their biggest and final hit, "Cake by the Ocean."

Rain started pouring as soon as @DNCE played Cake by the Ocean  #joejonas Watch to the end to see rogue bassist @colewhittle pic.twitter.com/vNpqh8ibU4  Katrina Tulloch (@katrinatulloch) September 3, 2017

Earlier on Saturday, Jonas and "Game of Thrones" star Sophie Turner jetted around Syracuse, with a stop at Cafe Kubal downtown. Before leaving after the show, Jonas and Turner rolled down their window to show off their new puppy, "Porky Basquiat," to the fans who stayed for one last look.

 PUPPY ALERT  Crowd waited 20 mins in rain for this moment! Joe Jonas & @SophieT hold up new puppy as they leave #NYSFair in #Syracuse! pic.twitter.com/82Hsy5hOTL  Katrina Tulloch (@katrinatulloch) September 3, 2017

DNCE at NYS Fair

Chevy Court | Sept. 2, 2017

Circle of Life (walked on to theme from "The Lion King")

Naked

DNCE

Body Moves

Zoom

No Scrubs / Hold On, We're Going Home (covers of TLC, Drake)

Blown (with "Freedom" cover of George Michael)

Good Day

Doctor You

Truthfully

Jinx

Almost

Toothbrush

Kissing Strangers

Unsweet

Pay My Rent

Wannabe / Oops!... I Did It Again / Fade (covers of Spice Girls, Britney Spears and Kanye West)

Cake by the Ocean

Chevy Court 2017 reviews: Robert Randolph and the Family Band | 3 Doors Down | The Family Stone | Chevelle | The Fabulous Thunderbirds | The Beach Boys | Stephen Marley | Lynyrd Skynyrd | Earth, Wind and Fire | Herman's Hermits | Kansas | The Marshall Tucker Band | Daya | Taylor Dayne | Bret Michaels | Skid Row | LeAnn Rimes | A Tribe Called Red | Blue Oyster Cult

Katrina Tulloch writes music and culture stories for Syracuse.com and The Post-Standard. Contact her: Email | Twitter | Facebook
Don Cazentre

By Don Cazentre | NYup.com

Geddes, N.Y. -- From sliders and slices to panzerotti and zingers, it's clear the Taste NY Food Truck Competition at the 2017 New York State Fair needed an extra day.

Instead of 17 trucks competing on one day, as in 2016, this year's contest featured up to 40 trucks. The competition started Saturday, Sept. 2, and continues Sunday, Sept. 3. Each day during the competition, about 20 trucks ring Chevy Court from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. The chefs must use products made or grown in New York to qualify for the competition.

The food truck chefs will offer $3 samples of the dish they've entered into the competition. Fair visitors can vote on their favorites each day for the People's Choice awards. There's also be a judges' panel each day.

Last year, more than 2,500 fairgoers voted in the contest. The Meatball Truck's Meatball Cup won the People's Choice award and The Silo Truck's Telekinetic Fried Chicken won the Judges' Choice award.

Pictured above is co-owner Jesse "Chicken Wizard" Steve of The Silo Truck of Ithaca with its Not So Hott Chicken for the 2017 State Fair.

Here's a sampling of more of the trucks and foods from Day 1 of the State Fair food truck competition:

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The Louisiana Cookery of Buffalo

$3 item: Shrimp and Grits

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The Louisiana Cookery of Buffalo, Shrimp and Grits

Taste NY Food Truck Competition at the New York State Fair, Day 1

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Cafe 119 of Syracuse

$3 item: Lemon Zinger

Taste NY Food Truck Competition at the New York State Fair, Day 1

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Cafe 119 of Syracuse, Lemon Zinger

Taste NY Food Truck Competition at the New York State Fair, Day 1

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Limp Lizard of Syracuse

$3 item: Pulled Turkey Slider

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Don Cazentre | dcazentre@nyup.com

Limp Lizard of Syracuse

$3 item: Pulled turkey sliders

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Pascarella's of Syracuse

$3 item: , Panzerotti

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Pascarella's of Syracuse

$3 item: Panzerotti

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Pinkie's BBQ of Binghamton

$3 item: Carolina Pork Slider

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Wolf's Patio Pizza of Liverpool

$3 item: German Pizza

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Wolf's Patio Pizza of Liverpool

$3 item: German Pizza

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Lady Bug Lunch Box of Syracuse

Pam Dwyer of the Lady Bug Lunch Box of Syracuse

$3 item: Spicy Popeye Grilled Cheese

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Lady Bug Lunch Box of Syracuse

$3 item: Spicy Popeye Grilled Cheese

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Tonzi's Catering Company of Auburn

$3 item: Bacon Jalapeno Macaroni and Cheese Fritter

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Cheesed and Confused of Geneseo

$3 item: Pork & Mac Grilled Cheese Slider

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Cheesed and Confused of Geneseo

$3 item: Pork & Mac Grilled Cheese Slider

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Chef's Catering of Rochester

$3 item: BBQ Pulled Pork Fries

Taste NY Food Truck Competition at the New York State Fair, Day 1

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Crunch Roll Factory of Buffalo

$3 item: Buffalo Chicken Crunch Roll

Taste NY Food Truck Competition at the New York State Fair, Day 1

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Midnight Smokin BBQ of Rochester

$3 item: Smoked Chicken Wings

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Via Napoli Express of Liverpool

$3 item: Esposito Pizza

Taste NY Food Truck Competition at the New York State Fair, Day 1

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Stewart's Root Beer Mobile Restaurant of Sidney

Stewart's Root Beer Float

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More NY State Fair food trucks Sunday

These are the food trucks and their $3 items invited to Day 2 of the Taste NY Food Truck Competition (Sept. 3) at the 2017 New York State Fair:

Mo's Pit BBQ of Syracuse, Corn on the Cob

Shattuck's Paddy Wagon of Liverpool, Falafel Tots

Toss 'n' Fire Wood Fired Pizza of Brewerton, Cuse Salt Potato Pizza

Bob's Barker of Cicero, Bacon Cheese Hot Dog

The Chicken Bandit of Cicero, Korean BBQ Chicken Taco

Ponchito's Taqueria of Syracuse, Smothered Nachos

Rob's Kabobs of Rochester, Sweet Hot BBQ Chicken Kabob

Global Taco of Watkins Glen, Korean Taco

Come Fry With Me of Rome, Taco Fries

Sarita's of Rome, Tomato Basil Fresh Mozzarella Empana

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Don Cazentre | dcazentre@nyup.com

da

Smoothies Plus of Rochester, Mango and Pineapple Smoothie

Cue-Dogs of Syracuse, Cheese Fries

The Cremeria of Syracuse, Blueberry Sorbetto

The Meatball Truck of Rochester, Meatball in a Cup

PB & J's Lunchbox of Syracuse, Spinach and Artichoke Dip Grilled Cheese

That's What's Up of Syracuse, Smashed Potatoes

Gabriella's Farm to Fork of Dryden, Fried Chicken Cobb Salad

Macarollin of Rochester, Surf & Turf Macaroni and Cheese

Salt City Truck of Syracuse, Pork Taco

Birdsong Cafe of Syracuse, Lavender Lemonade with Kiwi Bubbles

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On #NYSFair food truck contest: Tonzi's of Auburn won judges' & people's choice awards for their bacon jalapeno mac & cheese fritters.  pic.twitter.com/i4S5wqRfP7  Katrina Tulloch (@katrinatulloch) September 2, 2017

And Saturday's winner ...

From my colleague Katrina Tulloch, via Twitter

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WASHINGTON - President Donald Trump signaled Sunday that he was not ruling out a retaliatory strike against North Korea in response to the isolated country's overnight nuclear test, which he called "very hostile and dangerous to the United States."

Asked as he left church services whether he was planning to attack North Korea after a nuclear test that defied his blunt warnings, Trump told reporters, "We'll see."

Trump's response to North Korea's announcement that it had detonated a hydrogen bomb that could be attached to a missile capable of reaching the mainland United States included an admonishment of South Korea for its handling of the crisis.

Trump is convening a meeting of his national security team later Sunday to discuss the U.S. strategy, while Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin said he is drawing up tough new economic sanctions to further isolate North Korea.

In a pair of tweets issued Sunday morning, Trump wrote: "North Korea has conducted a major Nuclear Test. Their words and actions continue to be very hostile and dangerous to the United States ... North Korea is a rogue nation which has become a great threat and embarrassment to China, which is trying to help but with little success."

Trump also scolded South Korea, a longtime U.S. ally, stating "South Korea is finding, as I have told them, that their talk of appeasement with North Korea will not work, they only understand one thing!"

Trump warned in a fourth tweet, "The United States is considering, in addition to other options, stopping all trade with any country doing business with North Korea."

He said he would be meeting with Defense Secretary Jim Mattis, White House chief of staff John F. Kelly and other military leaders to discuss options.

"The national security team is monitoring this closely," White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders told reporters. "The president and his national security team will have a meeting to discuss further later today. We will provide updates as necessary."

After speaking with Trump on Sunday morning, Mnuchin called North Korea's nuclear test "unacceptable behavior" and said the United States was likely to impose stricter sanctions on Kim Jong Un's government and further pressure China, in particular, to "cut off" North Korea.

"We've already started with sanctions against North Korea, but I'm going to draft a sanctions package to send to the president for his strong consideration that anybody who wants to do trade or business with them is prevented from doing trade or business with us," Mnuchin said on "Fox News Sunday."

"We are going to work with our allies, we'll work with China, but people need to cut off North Korea economically. This is unacceptable behavior."

The tumult in the region comes amid escalating economic tensions with South Korea. Trump is considering withdrawing the United States from a free-trade agreement with South Korea, a long-standing economic and diplomatic partner of the United States.

The move would be in keeping with Trump's campaign promise to end what he considers unfair trade competition from other countries, but the president's advisers have cautioned a withdrawal from the agreement would strain ties with South Korea amid the mounting North Korean nuclear crisis.

Asked by Fox anchor Chris Wallace whether Trump would pull the United States out of the agreement, Mnuchin said, "The president has made clear that where we have trade deficits with countries, we're going to renegotiate those deals." He added that there have been "no decisions" yet with regard to the trade accord with South Korea.

North Korea's nuclear test came just a few hours after Trump spoke with Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, a key ally in the region.

In a Saturday evening phone call, the two leaders discussed "ongoing efforts to maximize pressure on North Korea," according to the White House.

"The two leaders reaffirmed the importance of close cooperation between the United States, Japan and South Korea in the face of the growing threat from North Korea," read a statement from the White House.

Trump also spoke recently with South Korean President Moon Jae-in. In a call on Friday, the two leaders talked about "our coordinated response to North Korea's continued destabilizing and escalatory behavior," according to the White House, which said Trump and Moon agreed conceptually to South Korea purchasing billions of dollars in U.S. military equipment.

North Korea's testing of its most powerful nuclear device yet comes just 3 1 / 2 weeks after Trump warned Kim that his continued nuclear provocations would be "met with fire and fury like the world has never seen."

Initially, North Korea seemed to back down from its threat of a nuclear strike in Guam, where many U.S. military are stationed. Trump said of Kim at an Aug. 22 rally in Phoenix, "I respect the fact that, I believe, he is starting to respect us."

That assessment turned out to be premature. North Korea's test this weekend drew alarm from both Republican and Democratic lawmakers.

"North Korea right now is the most dangerous place on the face of the planet," Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, said on ABC's "This Week." Cruz said of Kim, "He is radical, he is unpredictable, he is extreme, and he is getting more and more dangerous weapons."

Although Cruz said he would chose his words differently than Trump, the senator defended the president's bellicose rhetoric.

"I think the president is right that Kim Jong Un and other bullies only understand and respect strength, that weakness, that appeasement encourages this action," Cruz told ABC anchor Martha Raddatz.

Rep. Joaquin Castro, D-Texas, differed, saying Trump's rhetoric is inadvisable.

"I don't think that it's helpful to get into a Twitter shouting match with a 32-year-old dictator, Kim Jong Un, in North Korea," Castro told Raddatz in a separate interview. He said Trump should "let his diplomats and his military generals and others handle this situation."

Gen. Michael Hayden, a former director of the CIA and the National Security Agency, stressed that Trump's tweets are fouling up his otherwise respectable plan to get tough on North Korea.

"You gotta watch the tweets," Hayden said on CNN's "State of the Union." "Mr. President, this is not a manhood issue; this is a national security issue. Don't let your pride get in the way of wise policy here."

Senate Foreign Relations Committee Chairman Bob Corker, R-Tenn., said he spoke Sunday morning with Kelly about the situation.

"We stand ready to work with the administration to support a comprehensive strategy that not only places an emphasis on deterrence but also empowers our allies and partners in the region, who must do more to confront this threat," Corker said in a statement.

Sen. Jeff Flake, R-Ariz., said that "there are no good options" to manage the North Korea crisis but that "harsh rhetoric" does not appear to help slow Kim's nuclear program.

Flake said that ending the U.S.-South Korea trade agreement, as Trump is considering, would be inadvisable.

"I don't think that that would be good in any circumstances," Flake said on CNN's "State of the Union."

"Now it's particularly troubling given what South Korea is faced with. I think we need to do more trade, not less, and withdrawing from trade agreements is a very troubling sign."
A new report on the state of obesity cases in the United States revealed that one in every five Americans is obese. Still, experts are hopeful about the progress Americans are making in the fight against obesity.

2017 Obesity Report

A new report released by the Trust for America's Health (TFAH) and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF) revealed that in all 50 states, one in five Americans is obese. Gathering their information with help from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's (CDC) state- and territory-specific data, the report showed a slight leveling off of obesity rates in 2016.

Out of 50 states, 45 exceeded 25 percent in adult obesity rates, something that has not happened since the year 2000. The state with the highest obesity rate was West Virginia at 37.7 percent, while Colorado had the lowest at 22.3 percent. That being said, Colorado and West Virginia are two of four states which showed an increase in obesity rates along with Washington and Minnesota.

Generally, Southern states such as Alabama, Louisiana, and Mississippi have the highest obesity prevalence at 32 percent, with the Midwest (31.4 percent), Northeast (26.9), and the West (26.0) following closely behind. What's more, adults without high school education had the highest self-reported obesity at 35.5 percent, while college graduates had the lowest at 22.2 percent.

Reason For Hope

Even with the prevalence of obesity in the country, authors of the report are still hopeful because even with the increase in obesity rates in four states, Kansas reported a decrease while the rest remained the same with the prior year. The previous report was the first to record decreased obesity rates, and at the same time, growth rates had gradually started to slow down.

As such, authors are urging policy makers to continue investing in obesity prevention programs at both state, local, and community levels such as Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP). Further prioritizing school-based policy programs are also encouraged, as well as expanding health care coverage to obesity prevention, management, and treatment.

Why Is This Important?

Millions of Americans are affected by obesity, making them at risk for serious diseases and health issues such as obesity-related cancers, stroke, cardiovascular diseases, poor mental health, and difficulties during pregnancy.

Obesity also affects children's development, and the nation's military readiness, community protection, and societal equity. It is a serious issue that must also be given serious action lest the progress that the nation has done so far slide back.

The 14th annual 'State of Obesity: Better Policies for a Healthier America based its discussion on American obesity on self-reported obesity information from the Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS), as well as interview and physical examination results from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES).

 2022 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
Huawei unveiled its newest chipset, the Kirin 970, at IFA 2017, while also teasing its next flagship smartphone, the Mate 10.

The China-based Huawei is hoping that the Kirin 970-powered Mate 10 will provide a legitimate challenge to Samsung's Galaxy Note 8, which is already being shipped to customers, and Apple's upcoming iPhone 8, which will be unveiled this month.

Huawei Kirin 970: What Can It Do?

At IFA 2017, Huawei CEO Richard Yu unveiled the Kirin 970, describing the chipset as the "world's first mobile device with a neural processing unit" and the "world's fastest mobile modem."

This means that the Kirin 970 will have artificial intelligence embedded within it, compared to other smartphones that rely on connecting to the cloud to activate their artificial intelligence capabilities.

The AI-enabled Kirin 970 will help make smartphones more personalized and allow the devices to anticipate the interests and actions of users. As an example of how AI can be used by Kirin 970-powered devices, Yu said that users will be able to translate foreign languages in real-time, activate functions through voice commands, or take advantage of augmented reality, among numerous other possibilities.

Yu added that the speed and low power requirement of the Kirin 970 will give its smartphones an edge over the iPhone 8 and the Galaxy Note 8. The battery life on its smartphone will increase by up to 50 percent thanks to the chipset, with faster feature performance and more compact design.

According to Yu, the cost of the development of AI for the Kirin 970 has cost the company billions of Chinese yuan over the past five years, resulting in breakthrough technology in the field.

"The NPU can think and actively work to provide you the best user experience, whereas other A.I. assistance like Google Assistant only works reactively," Yu said.

Huawei Mate 10 To Be Unveiled Soon

The first smartphone that will showcase the capabilities of the Kirin 970 is Huawei's next flagship smartphone, the Mate 10.

Yu confirmed that the Mate 10 will be unveiled on Oct. 16 in Munich, and while the executive did not provide any previews of the smartphone, he teased that the front of the device will be completely bezel-less.

In his keynote speech, Yu also showed a pair of photo samples. Both images were shown side-by-side with pictures taken by the Galaxy S8, with Yu later confirming that the Kirin 970 images were taken using the Mate 10. This shows how the NPU of the Kirin 970 takes better pictures by taking advantage of two image signal processors, for faster processing of image, data, and light information.

 2022 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
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What I know about banking could be written on the back of a $3 bill, so it was with some trepidation that I sat down to read the official repo
Bollards of beauty There has been discussion of late regarding the provision of safety bollards in strategic places. The idea has merit, but any engineer with a taste for beauty could make the bollards in the shape of seats. The seats could be square or circular but have the capacity to soak up the impact of a car driven at high speed. They could be constructed of reinforced concrete. A seat constructed of steel could be equally engineered to take up high-speed contact. an artistic designer/engineer could make them strong and attractive. The modern car is designed to soak up impact in any case. The impact of a car designed to reduce immediate impact and an engineered seat designed to soak up impact would guarantee people on the pavement would have protection. Howard Carew, Isaacs

Seeds of security I write about our clear need for barrier protection against vehicular terrorism. I declare an interest as being part of the team who put in place and maintained the colourful flowers throughout Civic for almost 10 years. We now seem to have barriers/bollards generally made from harsh, ugly, graffiti-covered concrete. An example of this visual pollution is on graphic display at Manuka Oval. I would like to suggest that these could be easily and effectively done as attractive, colourful, planter boxes. If the ACT government were to commission and purchase such barriers I could repeat our success with the Civic hanging baskets of flowers, all year round, at probably no more cost than my previous service.

So, "beauty and barrier". Byam Wight, Griffith Have some thought To all those able-bodied folks who think it is OK to use disabled toilet facilities, on behalf of the many disabled people like myself who have had to wait, sometimes in some distress, while you use toilets that are specially designed to meet our particular needs; I want to name you selfish and arrogant and ask that you try to imagine what it is like for us when you prevent or delay our use of those facilities. Believe me, if we could use normal facilities we would. D. J. Taylor, Kambah

Change of hours I would like to correct an editing or typographical error inadvertently introduced into my letter (September 2). I drew attention to GP fees at certain group practices which calculate to as much as several hundred dollars per hour, not seven hundred dollars as published. Even I don't assert that it is possible for GPs to charge $700 per hour. The figure in these particular group practices could, in fact, peak at $500 per hour; but more likely would fluctuate around $400, depending on the mix of appointment lengths they process. In a community where significant numbers of the vulnerable "working poor" earn as little as $18 per hour, even the lowest of these calculations is very problematic.

This production error is unfortunate, as it opens my letter to criticism on that number  but far more importantly distracts from the issue of the perfunctory gouging that has crept into the industries of medical treatment and testing. Ross Kelly, Monash Who's embarrassed? So the government has finalised its findings after the Deloitte audit of the Brumbies but refuses to publicly release that report because it contains "sensitive information". Just who would be embarrassed by the content of the Deloitte report? The government, one or more ministers, the University of Canberra, the Brumbies? More to the point, why would they be embarrassed?

There are many more questions the ACT public and Brumbies supporters are entitled to answers to. Fred Barne, Bruce The Harvey problem H. Ronald's letter (August 31) says he'd be interested to read the scientific basis on which David Pope claims "Hurricane Harvey was the result of climate change" (August 30). Michael Mann, a distinguished professor of atmospheric science at Penn State University, states that climate change was not the cause of the hurricane but as it took shape the warmer than normal water temperatures in the Gulf of Mexico, and higher sea levels meant the absorption of more moisture than usual than it would have in the absence of human-caused warming. Glenys Hammer, Narrabundah

Building on shaky ground As an age pensioner I am much in agreement with the front page article of September 2 ("ACT rates pain spreads"). We are one of the Canberra households who are living in increasingly reduced circumstances plus facing difficulties paying higher costs for just about everything. None are more symbolic of this than the rising imposition of ACT government charges for rates plus other expenses in this government's "city-building" endeavours. Council of the Ageing ACT executive director Jenny Mobbs says rates increases had prompted some elderly Canberrans to consider downsizing from their family home of many years. This household has no way to afford the considerable costs involved with "downsizing" or moving elsewhere. We struggle to pay the rates plus all the other ongoing increases like electricity, gas, water and food, transport etc as it is. It seems incredible the "ACT government spokeswoman" admitted "no modelling had been done about the impact of rate rises on home owners on fixed [and low] incomes". Why not? An oversight, or complacency?

Is there no perception that what "the haves" can afford, many cannot and are falling further and further into a hole of debt through little fault of their own? Chris Yates, Scullin You heard it here first There have ben numerous complaints over rates to The Canberra Times Letters page. The saddest thing about them is the rate rises were predicted before the last election. In an ACT economy that is based on land sales and rates primarily there is no room for wasteful projects.

Light rail is an example. Infrastructure Australia and leading transport and economic analysis have all predicted that it has too small an economic return to be feasible. How almost 50 per cent of the ACT electorate failed to take in those warnings most of us who did will never understand. I also predict with confidence that Andrew Barr will prove to be the most economically illiterate of all our chief ministers. I further predict that the second stage of light rail will never eventuate. Howard Carew, Isaacs Who will provide?

The ACT government spokeswoman reported ("Landlords looking to sell up as hikes hit investors", September 2, p5) as saying "if landlords chose to exit the ACT market, it would free the properties up for owner-occupiers to buy", just doesn't "get it". There are many renters who have no chance of buying a home. They have to rent. Rental properties will not be supplied unless investors or social/government housing provides them. Yes house prices may fall if investors pull out of the market, but not to the extent that many renters could buy and certainly not immediately. So who will provide the rental stock if it is uneconomic for investors? Land tax is effectively an additional tax on renters, as investors will pass it on if they can. This tax is not paid by people living in their own homes. Current land tax charges make those who can often least afford it effectively pay more government taxes than home owners. Canberra rates and land taxes, comparing an average property in Woden with a much more valuable property in Sydney, are double those charged on the Sydney property. This, plus quicker capital growth, makes Sydney a more attractive investment option. One way to make rental housing cheaper is for a scheme to be developed where land tax on rental properties is waived or rebated for properties made available for lower income households. Hopefully this will be one of the strategies considered in the ACT Assembly's inquiry into housing. Public submissions to this inquiry close on October 31.

Gina Pinkas, Aranda Marriage no monopoly It is apparent from recent letters to the editor on the subject of marriage equality that many Christians regard marriage as a specifically Christian institution over which they are being asked to give up control and ownership. However, there is no basis for claims such as that by Johann Sheller (Letters, August 30) that "the term marriage is traditionally a religious one". Marriage has existed in most societies and well predates Christianity. Certainly the Catholic Church increasingly attempted to assert control over marriage, particularly since the Council of Trent, but the rest of us are not obliged to accede to this aspiration. One can only hope that some reflection on this may help those Christians opposed to marriage equality (who I realise may well constitute a minority of Christians as a whole) to feel more relaxed about the matter. H. Simon, Watson

Salute the secular If, as Johann Sheller suggests (Letters, August 30), "religious freedom" includes the freedom to dictate what others may or may not do irrespective of their own beliefs or state of enlightenment, then the tendrils of religious freedom have crept too far and need to be curtailed. It is quite misleading to say that religious freedom will be protected  intolerant and exclusionary Christian authoritarianism (which is completely indistinguishable from religious freedom for many Australians) has operated carte blanche since the first European settlers arrived, and religious freedom (or freedom from religion) has never been a reality for non-conformists. However, it is precisely because the extreme views of people like Mr Sheller were resisted that Australia grew into the modern, vibrant, secular society that it is today, and his sense of entitlement to impose his beliefs on others is almost as offensive as his flimsy procreation argument is disingenuous. James Allan, Narrabundah TO THE POINT

LET US BE SEATED It's good news to know that ACT is going to get another House of Representatives seat. But what about the Senate? If Tasmania gets 12 senators, why can't we get more than two Senate seats? Sankar Kumar Chatterjee, Evatt LET THEM SPEAK The federal government has refused entry to Australia of a leading American anti-vaxxer ("Anti-vaxxer denied entry", September 1, p10). While this is understandable, nobody should be prevented from speaking in Australia or any democracy, no matter how obnoxious, incorrect or dangerous.

Rod Matthews, Fairfield, Vic ANSWERS REQUIRED Correctly, citing the ongoing court case, ACT ministers cannot comment on why authorities did not act over Bradyn Dillon ("Questions remain on why officials did not act over Bradyn", August 31, p6). However, afterwards all we will receive is weasel words about new procedures to prevent a repetition. Not good enough. We want a detailed explanation on why this tragedy occurred. Greg Cornwell, Yarralumla

ENEMY AT THE GATE "The Philippines is a friend in need." We are generous, no question about this, but we must also be honest with ourselves. It is in our best interests to help defeat ISIS wherever they are, particularly if in our backyard. Mokhles K Sidden, South Strathfield, NSW HAND THAT GIVETH A government member stated that paying subsidies for renewable energy is ridiculous. It is also ridiculous to pay subsidies for coal. I wonder who the Liberals are getting donations from.

Ken Morehouse, Wangaratta, Vic HEROES HAILED Thank you, Raiders, Ricky, ball boys, Victor, and the Viking Clap. Go away, referees and the bunker. Good luck for 2018! Brian Hale, Wanniassa WHICH JOBS?

John L. Smith of Farrer, your point is well taken; some jobs have to go (Letters, September 2). But what do you suggest we do to create jobs that provide a living wage for the half of potential workers who are less capable than the more capable half? John F. Simmons, Kambah HUMAN HEADLINING "Derryn Hinch cleared of constitutional breach in citizenship drama" screams The Canberra Times (September 2). The only drama Hinch has is "relevance deprivation" on a grand scale. A social security number is not citizenship.
Specialist teams of trained firefighters wearing ballistic gear and equipped to rush in to unfolding terrorist attacks are a key element in the fight against modern terrorism, the former chief of the world's biggest fire brigade says.

Ron Dobson, who retired as commissioner of the London Fire Brigade last year, said firefighters can no longer sit back and wait until the threat has subsided to enter a bomb site or mass shooting.

His comments come as Fairfax Media can reveal that terrorism-specific training will be rolled out to all NSW firefighters in the next year and a new disaster-response training academy will soon start operating day and night.

"In the '70s, '80s and '90s when we were dealing with IRA-type bombs, our role was very much to respond and wait until the police said it was safe to enter," said Mr Dobson, a 37-year firefighting veteran who is in Sydney to speak at a fire and emergency management conference on Monday.
A motorcyclist has died after he was thrown from his bike into the Brisbane River on Saturday night.

The rider, 31, was on Ann Street in the city when he lost control around the bend leading to the on ramp towards Coronation Drive about 10.20pm.

The motorcyclist was thrown from his bike into the Brisbane River.

The motorcycle crashed into the side barrier, throwing the Gold Coast man over the edge and into the Brisbane River.

Water police searched the area and found the rider near the Queen Street Ferry Terminal.
Queensland's Liberal National Party opposition has flagged a plan to freeze bonuses handed out to executives of state-owned energy companies until power prices fall.

LNP Leader Tim Nicholls has promised to implement the move if his party takes office at the upcoming Queensland election.

Mr Nicholls said households are hurting under rising power costs while some government energy bosses earning more than $900,000 per year and getting bonuses of more than $100,000.

Opposition Leader Tim Nicholls plans to freeze bonuses handed out to executives of state-owned energy companies until power prices fall. Credit:AAP/Dan Peled

"Under the LNP, power company executives will have to earn their money - and that means freezing their bonus payments for as long as everyday Queenslanders continue to suffer from soaring power bills," Mr Nicholls said in a statement.
Last week, Village Roadshow co-CEO Graham Burke announced the company will start suing Australians who infringe on its copyright. This means anyone who has streamed or downloaded a movie via an illegal pirate site is potentially in its cross hairs.

But when will litigation begin? Who will be targeted? And how much money will you need to pay? We spoke directly to Burke to get some answers.

It's safe to say that the salad days of "free" online content are over. After years of taking piracy lying down, rights holders have declared war on Australian copyright infringers, and they appear to be getting results.

In December last year, Foxtel and Village Roadshow successfully lobbied the government to instruct ISPs to block five popular torrent sites from its customers. Since then, over 60 additional websites have been added to the blacklist, along with 250 related domain names. According to Burke, these sites account for approximately 95 per cent of criminal trade.
The man who was shot in the head on the Mornington Peninsula last night remains in a critical condition at The Alfred hospital.

He was found in a car on Eastbourne Road with a gunshot wound to the head about 8pm last night. Police believe the shooting is suspicious.
In today's shopping strips, change can happen so fast it gives you whiplash.

You blink and your favourite fruit shop or book shop has been replaced by a slick nail salon or cafe devoted to kimchi and cheese toasties.

Aron Lewin was worried that large chunks of our history  the stories of shops loved by entire communities  were disappearing without trace.

And so, in an era obsessed with everything new, he started a website, Tales of Brick and Mortar, profiling Melbourne's older retail outlets.
Police are calling for witnesses to a fatal crash on the Mitchell Freeway in Gwelup on Saturday where a ute flipped, crashed through train barriers and landed close to train tracks.

The horror smash, which happened just before 3pm, saw the freeway shutdown and trains suspended while emergency crews worked to free the man from the wreckage.

The ute finished close to train tracks. Credit:9 News Perth

They had to remove the vehicles roof to get to the 34-year-old male driver, however the man suffered life threatening injuries in the crash and died shortly after being rushed to Royal Perth Hospital.

The crash occurred when a white late 2000's model Toyota Hilux utility, was travelling south on Mitchell Freeway collided with a concrete barrier near the Karrinyup Road overpass, a police spokesperson said.
Cambodia's opposition leader Kem Sokha has been arrested and accused of treason in an escalating purge of critics of Hun Sen, one of the world's most notorious autocrats.

Mr Hun Sen's government said in statement it had a video clip and other evidence that pointed to "secret plans between Km Sokha, others and foreigners to harm the Kingdom of Cambodia".

Cambodian Opposition Leader Kem Sohka pictured in cufflinks as he is led away by government officials. Credit:Fresh News

"The above act of this secret conspiracy is treason," it said.

Fresh News, a pro-government website, said the charge related to a television broadcast showing Mr Ken Sokha speaking to his supporters in Australia in 2013, saying he had been advised by American and Canadian professors on how to run Cambodia "with a similar strategy as that was done in Yugoslavia".
The city of Los Angeles is under siege from a bushfire which the city's mayor has described as the largest in its history.

The fire, which is burning in the La Tuna area in the north-east of the city, has consumed about 2000 hectares of brush in the San Fernando Valley's Verdugo Mountains.

By late on Saturday three homes had been lost and another 700 homes had been evacuated, roughly 550 of them from the Burbank and Glendale areas, which are adjacent to the fire.

The Burbank neighbourhood is also home to three of the city's biggest film studios, Universal, Warner Bros and Disney.
Sumiteru Taniguchi, a survivor of the 1945 atomic bombing of Nagasaki, shows a photo of himself taken in 1945. Credit:AP As Taniguchi tried to climb to his feet after the explosion, "the skin of my left arm, from the shoulder to the tip of my fingers, was dripping like rags", he said. "I put my hand to my back, but there was no clothing. I could only feel something slimy." He retrieved the scattered letters from his mailbag. "I didn't feel any pain and there was no blood," he said. "But all my energy seemed to vanish."

He was carried to a grassy spot on a hill and placed alongside other victims. "When the morning came," Taniguchi said in 1994, "no one lying with me was still alive." He was not rescued for three days. He was eventually taken to a Japanese military hospital. His skin was stripped away from his back, exposing his muscles. He spent almost two years lying on his stomach, while his back oozed with blood and infections. "The doctors were clueless about how to treat me," he said. In January 1946, a film crew from the US Strategic Bombing Survey came to the hospital and recorded Taniguchi being treated for his wounds. The three minutes of silent colour film were so gruesome that they were not shown in public for more than 25 years.

"From shoulders to waist, his raw, blood-red tissue glistens under the lights," Southard wrote in Nagasaki. Burns and blisters covered much of the rest of his body. "He cried every time he heard the instrument cart approaching," Southard wrote, "and when the nurses removed the gauze from his back, he screamed in pain and begged the nurses to let him die. 'Kill me, kill me,' he cried." Taniguchi was not released from the hospital until 1949. He later went back to his job as a mail carrier and was not considered completely healed until 1960, although he continued to have medical problems throughout his life. He dealt with keloid scars and tumours and, despite his ramrod straight posture, never went a day without pain. At a 2010 United Nations conference to review terms of a treaty on the nonproliferation of nuclear arms, Taniguchi held up a picture of himself as a young man, with his back exposed on the hospital bed.

"I am not a guinea pig, nor am I an exhibit," he said. "But you who are here today, please don't turn your eyes away from me. Please look at me again." He became one of several prominent hibakusha, or "atomic bomb-affected people", who spoke out about their suffering, often in spite of public ridicule of their disfigurement. "We never received any professional psychological counselling," Taniguchi told The Guardian newspaper in 1988, "but in our group of 60 people we've tried to do it for each other - at least to make the survivors talk about that day. We've saved some people from killing themselves." Taniguchi became a determined advocate for the elimination of nuclear arms. He often travelled overseas to speak at conferences, including in the United States, and called for the Japanese government to pay the medical expenses incurred by the survivors. He noted that the United States had never shown remorse for the damage caused by atomic weapons, but he was even harsher towards his own country.

"No one in the Japanese government has ever apologised about getting involved in that war, either," he said. After the end of World War II, Japan adopted a constitutional provision renouncing war and prohibiting the deployment of military forces outside the country's borders. Amid 70th-anniversary observances of the atomic attacks in 2015, new legislation was passed and signed by Prime Minister Shinzo Abe allowing Japanese forces to take part in international conflicts. Taniguchi denounced the change in policy, calling it a betrayal of the country's pacifist principles. "I am worried about what will happen to the world," he said, "when there are no more atomic bomb survivors." Taniguchi was born in Fukuoka, Japan, on January 26, 1929. According to Japanese news reports, his mother died when he was an infant. His father worked for the railroad before being conscripted into the military.

Taniguchi spent much of his childhood with his maternal grandparents in Nagasaki before going to work for the postal service at 14. When he was 24, Taniguchi had an arranged marriage that was put together by friends and family members. "My wife never saw me before the wedding and was not told about my injuries," he told the Chicago Tribune in 2001. "She cried a lot on our honeymoon. It wasn't the scars so much that frightened her, but fear how long I would survive." His wife, Eiko, applied lotion to her husband's scars and massaged his back. She died last year. Survivors include two children; four grandchildren; and two great-grandchildren.


Matthew Felsman, APP Securities

BUY RECOMMENDATIONS

Healthscope (HSO)



Chart: Share price over the year

Substantial share price falls in the past 12 months bring Australias second biggest private hospital operator into attractive valuation territory. I see growth on 16.9 times estimated 2018 earnings. Take advantage of an investor overreaction after recent reports. Invest for an ageing Australian population and increasing demand for health care.

Telstra (TLS)



Chart: Share price over the year

Investors recently dumped the stock following a big cut to its dividend. Reported earnings were a slight miss, but not big enough to justify current valuations. Technically, the stock recently looked to have formed a low. Trading on a recent fully franked dividend yield of 5.71 per cent still adds decent income.

HOLD RECOMMENDATIONS

BHP Billiton (BHP)



Chart: Share price over the year

Resources are very bullish. Stronger commodity prices have led to positive capital management and the market likes it. But we shouldnt forget that sector volatility is just around the corner. But with no strong sell signals, hold for now.

Alumina (AWC)



Chart: Share price over the year

Great earnings results recently and a dividend that exceeded forecasts. I expect further upgrades and optimism going forward. AWC is the most leveraged Australian metals and mining company to alumina and aluminium, and it should also benefit from Chinese supply rationalisation.

SELL RECOMMENDATIONS

Qantas (QAN)



Chart: Share price over the year

With the share price up by 600 per cent since 2013, valuations are looking stretched. I find it difficult to pinpoint where further substantial growth is going to emerge. At this price altitude, any uncertainty from a potential upcoming management shake-up could see selling.

Insurance Australia Group (IAG)



Chart: Share price over the year

A negative technical view sees this stock retreating closer to $5, in my view. The insurance sector is out of favour. IAGs underlying insurance margin fell from 14 per cent in fiscal year 2016 to 11.9 per cent in fiscal year 2017. The shares were trading at $6.37 on August 31.



Tony Paterno, Ord Minnett

BUY RECOMMENDATIONS

The Star Entertainment Group (SGR)



Chart: Share price over the year

Offers a stable and domestic revenue growth profile. Investing in Sydney, Gold Coast and Brisbane casino properties will drive gaming spending. VIP turnover is volatile, but this is priced into the stock. Asian tourism remains a medium term driver.

AMP (AMP)



Chart: Share price over the year

Cost savings should result in improving short term growth. Adverse issues on claims and life insurance lapses should start to improve following industry reforms and AMP rectifying claim trends and policy design.

The contemporary wealth division, the growth engine of AMP, can grow by up to 6 per cent a year on our estimates.

HOLD RECOMMENDATIONS

Mirvac Group (MGR)



Chart: Share price over the year

This property group offers an attractive pipeline of projects with strong residential pre-sales and office pre- commitments. But medium term concerns around apartment settlement risk are likely to persist while lending conditions remain tight.

Wesfarmers (WES)



Chart: Share price over the year

Earnings from its Coles supermarkets business are under pressure from improving rival Woolworths. The Bunnings hardware division is a strong performer, but its dealing with management changes and expansion challenges. Kmart continues to perform well, but among challenges in the companys retail division is increasing competition.

SELL RECOMMENDATIONS

Challenger (CGF)



Chart: Share price over the year

We expect margin pressure and increasing capital requirements to be a drag on return on equity. An uncertain investment environment increases risk to reported earnings and its capital position. Demand for annuities is expected to increase, but, in my view, product costs are likely to limit their attraction.

Tabcorp (TAH)



Chart: Share price over the year

Tabcorp has defensive cash flows and a consistent history of returning capital to shareholders. Digital migration is positive for margins. But the company is exposed to declining wagering yields from competitive pressures and corporate bookmakers. These factors were a challenge in the first half of fiscal year 2017 and are expected to remain.



Michael Wayne, Medallion Financial Group

BUY RECOMMENDATIONS

Bapcor (BAP)



This automotive aftermarket parts provider is arguably one of the brightest prospects in the consumer discretionary space. The business recently delivered an impressive report, which highlighted strong margin growth, same store sales and cash generation. Although debt levels remain relatively high after a series of acquisitions, impressive free cash flow generation ensures it can comfortably service debt. For a business with an impressive earnings profile and strong competitive advantage, the valuation multiple appears attractive at only 17 times 2018 earnings.

Janus Henderson Group (JHG)



Chart: Share price over the year

The most recent result delivered funds under management, fund flows and investment returns beyond market expectations. The recent merger brings together two asset management businesses (Janus and Henderson) with enviable reputations and track records. The merger also enables the new entity to cut costs. It has cut $57 million so far.

HOLD RECOMMENDATIONS

Trade Me Group (TME)



Delivered a better than expected fiscal year 2017 result after a recent investment delivered strong earnings growth. Management flagged that earnings growth is likely to slow in 2018 as the company looks to re-invest in the business. Trade Me has strong brand equity in New Zealand.

A2 Milk (A2M)



A2M continues to power ahead, with strong price momentum supported by solid earnings growth. Recently trading around 43 times earnings, the company isnt cheap by conventional standards. But with rapid expansion into China, the US and the UK, A2M can continue to deliver outstanding growth going forward. The primary risk facing the business is emerging competition from companies looking to capitalise on the apparently healthy A2 protein.

SELL RECOMMENDATIONS

Myer Holdings (MYR)



Being among the most shorted stocks on the ASX doesnt always mean a company is set for failure. However, in MYRs case, I feel the short sellers have got it right. Although currently changing hands at just 8 times trailing earnings, MYR, in my view, has been a value trap for investors. The company has again downgraded full year guidance and its difficult to see things improving with the inevitable arrival of Amazon.

Insurance Australia Group (IAG)



Chart: Share price over the year

IAG delivered a result that slightly missed expectations. It was recently trading on 17 times one year forward earnings, a premium thats hard to justify for a mature business with declining margins and minimal room for growth across its consumer and business divisions.

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Some retail investors rationalise their search for outsized returns from higher risk stocks with the observation made by US investor Peter Lynch in his book One Up on Wall Street  big companies dont have big stock moves.

Market commentators that favor small cap stocks frequently cite this quotation from one of the great investors of all time. Yet readers who have actually read the book know Lynch went beyond the quote and acknowledged that as a big company stocks recovering from a series of misfortunes can make big moves.

Large Cap Skeptics have only to compare the performance of the worst performers from the ASX 100 in Fiscal Year 2016 with their performance to date in 2017. The ASX 100 is a mix of Large Cap stocks  minimum market cap of $4.9 billion  and Mid-Caps  minimum market cap of $1.7 billion.

Conventional wisdom tells us Big Cap stocks have limited growth prospects when compared to Small Cap stocks. That wisdom also tells us dividend-paying Big Caps provide a margin of safety in a diversified stock portfolio.

The following table looks at the bottom 20 ASX 100 performers for FY 2016, with the percentage decline in shareholder return (dividend payments plus share price appreciation) along with total return to date for 2017. The comparison is not perfect, as the Fiscal Year ends on 30 June and we are two months beyond at 31 August. The table also includes two-year growth forecasts for earnings and dividends.



Three of the stocks did not reverse course in 2017, although one could argue that Ansell Limited (ANN) at -0.3% was essentially flat. Fifteen of the remaining 18 stocks have seen double digit gains so far in 2017. Investors concerned about Big Cap growth should note 10 stocks are forecasted to achieve double digit earnings growth over the next two years.

With the exception of Primary Health Care (PRY) with negative returns to date coupled with negative forward earnings growth forecast, any of the stocks in the table could be candidates for a list of stocks to watch, depending on investment style.

Arguably the best of the lot are those stocks achieving both double digit total returns to date along with double digit future earnings growth forecasts. Five Large Cap stocks meet those criteria along with two Mid Cap stocks.

The Mi C-cap that stands out is Iluka Resources (ILU), a global supplier of rare earth minerals derived from mineral sands. The company claims to be the major producer of zircon globally as well as a large producer of rutile and synthetic rutile, derived from high-grade titanium dioxide.

China is the world leader in rare earth minerals and in 2011 their stated intention was to restrict exports of these minerals vital for products ranging from renewables to autos to telecom and batteries. The price skyrocketed and companys like Iluka were in high investor demand in expectation of a new mining boom.

The boom turned to bust rapidly but the rise of Electric Vehicles in particular and renewable energy products in general have industry experts predicting a new boom. In 2016 falling prices led Iluka to close its main zircon mining operation in South Australia to sell down inventory. The company reported a loss of $0.021 per share, but the reopening of mining operations coupled with rising prices are forecasted to increase earnings per share to $0.295 in FY 2017 and $0.636 by 2018. It should be noted that the rare earths produced by Iluka find their way into tiles and pigments, with only their use in water and air purification systems possibly considered as renewables.

The following price movement chart illustrates the boom/bust cycle for this stock.



Downer EDI Limited (DOW) offers its customers a variety of services through its three operating units  Infrastructure; Mining; and Rail. These divisions serve customers in transportation, mining, energy, industrial engineering, and utilities. Investors have been rewarded with average annual rates of total shareholder return of 21.6% over five years and 21.1% over the last three years.

After a series of starts and stops including a miserable response to a capital raise to fund the acquisition, Downer has effected a takeover of complementary company Spotless Group Holdings (SPO), a provider of facilities management services to both private & government institutions in Australia and New Zealand.

In the midst of a dismal 2016 Downer management forecasted profit for the Full Year 2017 at $171 million. On 29 August, the company announced profit at $181.5 million, along with a 6.4% rise in sales. To cap it off, management expects the Spotless acquisition to contribute to a 5% profit increase for FY 2018.

Origin Energy (ORG), produces electricity and gas for the retail market. The company was one of many jumping into the LNG (Liquefied Natural Gas) sector in anticipation of a golden age of gas. Massive cost overruns and production delays at virtually every project coupled with falling oil prices led to substantial write downs, with Origin taking a $3.2 billion dollar hit leading to an FY 2017 loss of $2.2 billion.

The good news for long term Origin investors was that excluding the write downs the companys statutory profit rose 51%. The companys electricity generating and retailing operations are highly profitable. Origin has decided to spin off its conventional oil and gas assets into a new public offering, Lattice Energy. Origin will focus exclusively on electricity and the Asia Pacific LNG project. Analysts are bullish on Origin, with a consensus rating of OUTPERFORM.

Orica Limited (ORI) primarily serves the mining and infrastructure sectors with blasting equipment and chemicals. The demise of the mining boom hurt this company badly, swinging from a profit of $604 million in FY 2014 to a $1.2 billion dollar loss in FY 2015. Although revenue continued to drop in FY 2016, the company did post a profit of $342 million for the year.

Orica and rival Incitec Pivot (IPL) both embarked on cost cutting and productivity improvement strategies following the decline in mining construction projects which appear to have paid off. Oricas Half Year 2017 results were mediocre at best, with a slight decrease in revenue and a slight increase in profit. Management outlook, however, was positive enough to merit a dividend payment increase from $0.205 to $0.235. The following price movement chart compares the performance of the two over the last two years.



Some analysts and market commentators have been warning investors to stay away from the Big Four banks for some time, based on diminishing growth opportunities. Yet the banks keep producing for their shareholders. Skeptics claim the low interest environment propping up the banks cannot last forever. Australia and New Zealand Banking Group (ANZ) has a new strategy of improvement initiatives in place in anticipation of the changing environment. ANZ has been actively reducing its insurance and retail banking operations throughout Asia. The companys prior super regional strategy was hemorrhaging capital expenditures without compensatory profit. In the long term, returning home to focus heavily on the Australian market may prove to be the wrong move. In the short term, it is already paying off as ANZs Half Year 2017 results showed a 6% increase in profit.

Woolworths Limited (WOW), held the title of Australias most valuable brand in 2015, falling behind Telstra Limited (TLS) and now Commonwealth Bank of Australia (CBA), ranking fifth in 2017. With the spectre of Amazon looming over the Australian retail landscape, Woolworths has more to worry about than its branding.

In a highly competitive, low margin market, Woolworths has been seeking to streamline itself, first exiting the home hardware sector, then the petrol market, with rumours now afoot the company may be planning to exit the liquor business as well. The arrival of Amazon has been long anticipated, but few expected that companys latest move in the US  buying brick and mortar grocery chain, Whole Foods. In reaction here, shares of Australian food retailers dropped. Within days of the takeover, Amazon began lowering prices at Whole Foods by as much as 43%.

Woolies lacks the resources to engage in a price-war with Amazon, but the invader would first have to acquire brick and mortar retailers. Skeptics of the doomsday prophecies for Woolworths point to the once impending doom from the arrival of US discounter Costco, which never happened.

Lend Lease Group (LLC) is a global developer, builder, and owner of large scale projects in major urban areas, as well as rail and roadway infrastructure projects. Concerns over our property market are growing, but Lend Lease is aggressively pursuing international expansion, especially in the US. Lend Lease has more than 20 major projects in development there, beginning in 2017 and extending to 2057, with multiple projects already operational.

Lend Lease announced its Full Year 2017 results on 28 August, preceded by an embarrassing accidental leak of some of the results. Newly completed projects in Australia and New York boosted the companys net profit by 8.7%, with an 11.4% revenue increase.

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Glen Scotia reveals its latest release

Campbeltown whisky distillery Glen Scotia has revealed its latest expression, Glen Scotia 18 Years Old.

In the Victorian age, Campbeltown was known as the whisky capital of the world and was once home to more than 30 distilleries operating along the Kintyre peninsula during the 19th Century.

With Campbeltown now recognised as one of the five distinct malt producing regions, Glen Scotia is one of just three left, has a history dating back to 1832 and a heritage steeped in Victorian values.

A single malt whisky matured in oak casks for a minimum of 17 years which are then selected as they display the distillerys character, before being married together and finished in Oloroso sherry casks for 12 months before bottling.

Master blender for Glen Scotia, Michael Henry, says: Glen Scotia distillery is one of only three surviving Campbeltown Scotch whisky distilleries and much of the original design has remained the same over that time, with the stillroom, dunnage warehouse and fermenters all dating back to the 19th Century.

Glen Scotia 18 Year Old is bottled at 46% ABV, natural colour and is non-chill filtered ensuring the whiskys rich smooth taste and distinctive flavours are preserved. On nose you will detect the scent of sweet toffee, perfumed floral notes and an air of crisp saltiness. On the palate, it imparts notes of rich deep vanilla fruit flavours, with mild hints of apricot, pineapple and plump sultana. The finish is long and dry, with gentle warming spice. A true taste of Glen Scotia and Campbeltown.

Glen Scotia 18 Year Old is priced at 85 for 70cl. In the UK it is available to buy at all good independent whisky specialists, online and on the Glen Scotia website. It will also be available in global markets, including Taiwan, Germany, Belgium and Poland.

3 September 2017 - Sam Coyne The Drinks Report, news editor
Making a return to our two favourite summer locations, Mount Maunganui and Nelson in early January 2023, we've got whiff of the first release lineup and me oh my, yes boy
In an awful way, it all made perfect sense, Gail T. Wells remembers thinking as neurologist Thy Nguyen matter-of-factly explained that she was ordering tests to check for an underlying cancer.

Cancer would explain the worsening symptoms - abdominal pain, incessant cough, weight loss and crushing fatigue - that had plagued Wells, to the puzzlement of her doctors.

"I felt like I was dying," said Wells, a nurse practitioner, of her initial meeting in February 2016 with Nguyen, an assistant professor of neurology at the University of Texas Health Science Center in Houston. "I really wasn't surprised. It was more like a kind of resignation."

But it was a resignation punctuated by icy stabs of fear, as Wells quickly underwent a mammogram and other scans in an effort to pinpoint where a malignancy might be lurking. She broke the news to her husband and their four grown children, reviewed her funeral arrangements and tried to steel herself for what lay ahead.

Four days later, the neurologist called. Wells's bloodwork showed no sign of cancer. In fact, most tests were normal. But one revealed a long-standing problem Wells had never known about.

"You could have told me I was pregnant, that's how astonished I was," recalled Wells, who was then 62.

The finding proved to be the key to her diagnosis and subsequent successful treatment. The possibility had been repeatedly overlooked because Wells had not shown the manifestations common to someone with her condition.

In 2005, after years of working in hospitals, Wells founded a primary-care clinic in Houston to treat people who were uninsured or underinsured.

She had long thrived on a pace others might consider grueling: 12-hour workdays during which she was often too busy to eat. To stay in shape, she ran and worked out regularly. Her only notable health problem was sporadic migraines.

About 15 years ago, after taking a powerful anti-seizure drug used to treat migraines, she developed numbness, or neuropathy, in her toes. The problem abated when she stopped the drug, but it never entirely disappeared.

In 2010, Wells developed heartburn and, later, a chronic cough, which she attributed to acid reflux.

In 2013, when her husband retired, Wells did, too. She sold her clinic, and the couple decided to spend more time traveling. Over the next two years, they visited Portugal, Spain, Italy and the Caribbean, trips that Wells found increasingly joyless and difficult. She noticed that normal activities, such as walking for exercise in her neighborhood, were becoming physically taxing.

She and her husband thought that she might be depressed. Wells had been busy for so many years that, once retired, she had relatively little with which to fill her days. To counter her malaise, she took a few graduate medical courses and registered with an agency for temporary nursing jobs.

Neither helped. Her fatigue worsened, and she found interacting with people increasingly exhausting. Some days, she didn't have the energy to get out of her pajamas.

Wells also developed an odd new problem. Once or twice a month, she would awaken from a sound sleep with intense abdominal cramps. Vomiting would sometimes relieve the pain, which typically disappeared after about eight hours, leaving her feeling wiped out.

Wells had also lost about 10 pounds between 2013 and 2015, which she attributed to better eating habits and the elimination of the two glasses of red wine she habitually drank after work. Because unintended weight loss can be a sign of underlying illness - including cancer - her primary-care doctor ordered tests to check her liver, kidneys and pancreas.

Everything looked normal. The doctor recommended that she see a gastroenterologist. Wells had never undergone a colonoscopy, which is recommended at age 50 for people at normal risk.

"I'm a big chicken," she said.

But in August 2015, before she made a gastroenterology appointment, Wells experienced an unnerving episode. Her left leg and lower lip suddenly went numb, and her tongue began tingling. Wells said she didn't think she was having a stroke because she could think clearly; the symptoms abated within hours. She saw a neurologist, who suspected multiple sclerosis or a vitamin B deficiency, both of which were soon ruled out. But a nerve conduction test, which uses electrodes attached to the skin to assess damage, showed decreased rates of nerve conduction in her left leg and both feet.

Because no underlying cause could be found, Wells was diagnosed with idiopathic degenerative neuropathy - nerve deterioration for no apparent reason - and advised to stay physically active to preserve muscle function.

That became increasingly difficult.

During Houston's mild winters, her feet felt constantly numb and cold, like "blocks of ice." She wore wool socks around the clock and slept beneath an electric blanket and two comforters. Her cough worsened, and Wells periodically felt short of breath, even though a chest CT scan and a TB test were normal.

"I felt like I was aging super-fast," she said. "I thought, 'How do people manage in their 70s and 80s?' "

In February 2016, she consulted Nguyen for a second opinion.

"I remember she was tearful," Nguyen said. "She said, 'I've been looking forward to retiring, and now I can't do anything.' " Her neurological exam, Nguyen added, was consistent with the weakness she described.

Nguyen decided to repeat the nerve conduction test, which showed a significant worsening. "Things were going kind of fast, and that's very unusual," Nguyen said. "At that point, you have to start thinking out of the box."

The neurologist ordered sophisticated blood tests. Among the most likely culprits, she thought, were a paraneoplastic syndrome (whose symptoms are caused by substances circulating in the blood in response to a cancer), elevated levels of vitamin B6 or Sjogren's syndrome, an autoimmune disorder that attacks mucous members and joints.

Four days later, Nguyen received the results of Wells's blood tests.

"I was pretty surprised - and I was nervous to call her" to break the news, the neurologist recalled.

There was no sign of an underlying cancer. But Wells was clearly infected with hepatitis C, a potentially fatal disease that can cause liver cancer.

For reasons that aren't clear, hepatitis C is most common among the members of Wells' generation: baby boomers born between 1946 and 1964. It is also an occupational hazard for health-care workers, the result of accidental needlesticks or other contact with a patient's infected blood. Before 2014, there were no oral medicines specifically approved to treat hepatitis C, which was discovered in 1989.

"I was gobsmacked" by Nguyen's news, Wells recalled. She knew, and had told all her doctors, that she had been exposed to another infection, hepatitis B, years earlier, most likely in 1983 while working in an emergency room on a drug dealer who was bleeding profusely after a machete attack. Days after the incident, she had tested positive for hepatitis B. Like 95 percent of adults, Wells cleared the virus from her system and then became immune to hepatitis B.

But most adults are unable to clear hepatitis C from their bodies and unknowingly go on to develop a serious, chronic infection that can fester for years, damaging their livers.

Wells suspects she was exposed to hepatitis C during the same incident because co-infections were common in those days.

But her liver function tests had always been normal.

So what exactly was the cause of her symptoms?

Wells turned out to have a rare disorder caused by hepatitis C known as Type 2 mixed cryoglobulinemia.

It occurs when cryoglobulins - abnormal proteins in the blood - thicken and clump together, restricting blood flow to surrounding organs and causing damage to blood vessels. Cryoglobulins often develop in response to hepatitis C or an autoimmune disorder; roughly half of those with a chronic hepatitis C infection are believed to have cryoglobulins circulating in their blood, but fewer than 30 percent of them develop symptoms. Those signs include fatigue, abdominal pain, weakness, neuropathy and Raynaud's disease, a reaction to cold temperatures or stress that can result in a narrowing of blood vessels. Cryoglobulinemia is three times as common in women as in men. Most cases have been reported in those between ages 40 and 60.

"It's the most common manifestation of hep C outside the liver," Nguyen said. "In Europe, it's more commonly recognized."

The disorder was overlooked, Nguyen speculated, because Wells' symptoms - abdominal pain, numbness, fatigue - are common to many other diseases. And before Nguyen, no doctor had ever thought to screen Wells for hepatitis C.

Wells consulted a liver specialist, and in the summer of 2016 began a 12-week course of treatment with Harvoni, a medicine that costs about $92,000 and is considered to effectively cure hepatitis C. The cryoglobulin count in her blood steadily decreased, and by April of this year it was undetectable. (Although doctors didn't know at the time that Harvoni could reactivate her hepatitis B, Wells suffered no such complication.)

Nearly all of her symptoms, except the leg numbness, disappeared.

"I was just so relieved to have a cause," she said, "and so blown away that we actually had a cure." She is especially relieved that her family tested negative: Hepatitis C can sometimes be transmitted during childbirth and to those who live in the same house.

Wells says she feels "a renewed appreciation for life every waking hour." Her energy level has rebounded, and she feels well enough to take week-long out-of-town work assignments.

She wonders how many other people might have simmering hepatitis C infections or cryoglobulinemia, without knowing it.

"If I had not had hepatitis B," she said, "would anybody have found this?"

---

Video: Gail Wells was diagnosed with hepatitis C and a rare condition that she says could have killed her. (Patrick Martin/The Washington Post)

URL:

http://wapo.st/2vyIQC8

Embed code:
NORWALK  Paul Gilbertie remembered going on a school field trip to each of the various statues and monuments around Norwalk as a child.

Despite his teachers best efforts, none made a lasting impression. It was so long ago, he said, shaking his head.

But when it came to the suggestion of taking them down  or moving any of the statues around the country, for that matter  Gilbertie was definite. I think they should leave all of them. I think people who want to take them down want to shape the past, he said. But the past is what shaped today.

While controversy surrounds many Confederate statues in the South, Norwalkers weighed in on the historical significance of their own statues. The Riverside Civil War Statue and the Soldiers and Sailors Monument in Norwalk commemorate the Union. Certainly a Union monument, I dont think theres any controversy about that, said Tod Bryant, the president of the Norwalk Preservation Trust. He said the same of the World War monument on the Norwalk Town Green.

But when it came to the Roger Ludlow monument at the end of Ludlow Park, Bryant was of two minds. Ludlow is celebrated as the founder of Norwalk. He also had a history of bloody encounters with Natives Americans, including the Great Swamp Fight, when the majority of surviving Pequots at the time were trapped near Southport, the men killed and the women and children given to allies as servants or slaves.

When Gilbertie heard about Ludlows history, he paused from eating his fries at a table at Niks Place facing the monument. Times were different back then, he concluded. Society was different, beliefs were different. You cant judge him on societys standards because they arent the same as they were 400 years ago.

He was a bad guy, offered a diner at a nearby table. Unfortunately, it was probably accepted practice back then.

Bryant said he couldnt argue with the fact that the colonists had oppressed Native Americans. But I dont think thats what that monument is about. I think its about the fact that Ludlow was the person who founded Norwalk, he said.

He thinks that intentionality is important to consider. When the Southern Poverty Law graphed the dates when Confederate statues and monuments were erected on a timeline, there were two memorializing frenzies  one in the early 1900s, as Jim Crow laws were being enacted, the NAACP was founded and the Ku Klux Klan was reviving, and the other in the 1960s during the Civil Rights movement.

I looked at the graph, and it seemed like those numbers correlated pretty closely, said Bryant. You can draw your own conclusions about why that happened.

While two Christopher Columbus statues in New York were vandalized in recent days  one decapitated, the other graffitied  the Christopher Columbus statue near the interchange between Interstate 95 and Route 7 still stands proud. Erected by the Italian American People of Norwalk on Columbus Day 77 years ago, it was moved to Heritage Wall along with the Hungary 1956 Freedom Fighters Memorial Monument in a celebration of Norwalks diversity.

Now people want to get rid of this statue and that statue, said former councilman Fred A. Bondi.

Even when it comes to Confederate generals, he believed people should not be villainized for doing their jobs. The whole debacle brought a more recent, more personal war to mind.

Guys didnt want to go to Vietnam, he remembered. Bondi himself was of age to be drafted at the time. He did not end up going, but had many friends who did. They killed a lot of people. Does that mean we cant have a wall in Washington with their names on it?

In the end, many expressed desires to learn both about and from history. Hopefully we can get all of this squared away someday, and we can live harmoniously, Bondi said.
NRDs at Husker Harvest Days to assist public

Hundreds of Colorado blue spruce tree seedlings are currently being prepared and packaged for Nebraskas natural resource districts (NRDs) for distribution at Husker Harvest Days 2017.

The NRD blue building at Lot 1106 will have NRD general managers, NRD staff and several agencies and organizations inside the building. They can answer questions on conservation methods, grants, cost-share programs, water quality and soil protection.

Husker Harvest Days is set for Sept. 12-14.

Not only will there be free tree seedlings, but the NRDs are also handing out native prairie grass seed. The Nebraska Forest Service is displaying a new educational tool they use.

Also, the Nebraska Department of Health and Human Services will offer free water testing for nitrates. If youd like to participate, please bring a 2-ounce sample of water from home.

At 11 a.m. on Wednesday, Sept. 13, the NRDs are holding a press conference at Lot 1106 to announce three new Hall of Fame inductees who have made significant contributions to protecting Nebraskas natural resources.

New online exchange to benefit farm producers

A new online tool from Nebraska Extension aims to connect farmers and cattle producers to encourage mutually beneficial agreements to use crop residue for grazing. The Crop Residue Exchange tool provides a searchable database of cropland available for grazing.

After creating an account, farmers can list available cropland by drawing their plots on an interactive map and entering information on the type of residue, fencing, water availability and dates available.

While the primary objective of this exchange is to assist in the development of farmer-cattlemen relationships, we plan to add educational materials and tools that support these relationships in the near future, said Jay Parsons, associate professor of agricultural economics at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln.

Items in development include a lease agreement template; links to tools and guidelines to help farmers and cattle owners correctly stock crop-residue fields; and information on crop-residue grazing rates.

For more information, go online to www.cropresidueexchange.unl.edu.

Nebraska cattle on feed up 3 percent

LINCOLN  Nebraska feedlots, with capacities of 1,000 or more head, contained 2.16 million cattle on feed on Aug. 1, according to the USDAs National Agricultural Statistics Service. This inventory was up 3 percent from last year.

Placements during July totaled 385,000 head, up 10 percent from 2016.

Fed cattle marketings for the month of July totaled 445,000 head, up 3 percent from last year.

Other disappearance during July totaled 10,000 head, unchanged from last year.

Corn board elects Juniata farmer to at-large post

LINCOLN  The Nebraska Corn Board has elected Jay Reiners, a farmer from Juniata, to serve as its at-large director. Reiners will replace Alan Tiemann from Seward, who is stepping down after 12 years with the Nebraska Corn Board.

Reiners currently grows field corn, seed corn and soybeans on his 1,700-acre farm. He is the vice president of the Adams County Lutheran Education Association and is involved with the Adams-Webster Corn Growers Association and the Nebraska Corn Growers Association.

Nebraska Corn Board directors serve three-year terms, with opportunities to be re-elected. Reiners began his role directly following the election. In addition to the at-large director selection, the Nebraska Corn Board also held officer elections at its Aug. 25 board meeting.

David Merrell, District 7 director, was re-elected as the chairman of the board. Merrell, who has been with the Nebraska Corn Board since 2006, has farmed for over 20 years near St. Edward. His family farm consists of 1,200 acres of corn and soybeans. He is active in the National Corn Growers Association and U.S. Grains Council.

David Bruntz, District 1 director, was re-elected as the vice chair of the Nebraska Corn Board. Bruntz has been farming for more than 30 years near Friend. He grows irrigated and non-irrigated corn and soybeans, and he also feeds cattle.

Debbie Borg, District 4 director, was elected secretary/treasurer of the board. Borg lives near Allen, in northeast Nebraska, and is a partner in TD Borg Farms, a fifth-generation farm. On their farm, the family raises corn, soybeans, alfalfa, feed cattle.

Each of the officer positions are effective immediately and will last one year. The Nebraska Corn Board is made up of nine farmer directors who serve three-year terms. Eight members represent specific Nebraska districts and are appointed by the governor. The board elects a ninth at-large member.

Nebraska LEAD announces 2017-19 Fellows

LINCOLN  Nebraska LEAD (Leadership Education/Action Development) Group 37 participants have been announced by the programs director, Terry Hejny. The two-year program will begin in September.

The newest members of Nebraskas wo-year agricultural leadership development program are involved in production agriculture and/or agribusiness in Nebraska. Central Nebraskans in the latest LEAD class are Evan Janzen of Aurora, Clay Govier of Broken Bow, Scott Sorensen of Cairo, Jamison Jensen and Adam Pavelka of Hastings, Jose Valles of Kearney and Dan Vech of St. Paul.

LEAD Fellows will participate in 12 monthly three-day seminars across Nebraska, a 10-day national study/travel seminar and a 14- to 16-day international study/travel seminar. The goal of the program is to develop problem solvers, decision makers and ag spokespersons.

Seminar themes include leadership assessment and potential, natural resources and energy, leadership through communication, agricultural policy and finance, Nebraskas political process, global perspectives, social and cultural issues, understanding and developing leadership skills, agribusiness and marketing and information technology.

The Nebraska LEAD Program is operated by the non-profit Nebraska Agricultural Leadership Council in cooperation with the Institute of Agriculture and Natural Resources at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln and 12 other institutions of higher education throughout Nebraska.
Ditch Witch UnderCon has opened a new store at 4704 Gold Core Drive, in the Industrial Park near Hall County Park.

The business sells and rents machines used in underground construction (trenchers, boring machines, backhoes, vacuum excavators). They also sell parts and service each of those machines in dealership or on-road calls.

Brands sold there include Ditch Witch, Subsite, Belshe Trailers, PJ Trailers, Hammerhead, Felling Trailers, Yanmar, Sullair, and Bandit.

We are excited to be a part of the Grand Island community and to serve our customers in the best way possible and to grow our business, said Jake Sadler, co-owner of the business.

He said there are many exciting things about their new location in Grand Island.

Im excited about Ditch Witch UnderCon getting better every day, he said. Im excited about our new facility being a positive experience for our customers and I like that our dedicated, loyal employees have a nice place to work in.

The companys history began with Lenny Sadler, who was the son of the first CFO for Charles Machine Works (Ditch Witch) when the company first began in the late 1940s. During college, Sadler worked for his uncle Russ Sadler at Sooner Equipment Co. in January of 1968.

Russ Sadler was the first Ditch Witch dealer and was located in Oklahoma City, Okla. He then continued to grow the company and expanded by adding a location in Tulsa, Okla. At that time, Lenny Sadler moved to Tulsa. Sadler, his wife, Linda, and oldest son helped run the store.

On one of Lenny Sadlers trips to the factory in Perry, Okla., he was offered the opportunity to head west and purchase Ditch Witch of West Texas in Amarillo. This was on Aug. 16, 1972, one week before his second child and first daughter was born.

For the first couple of months, Sadler slept at the newly purchased dealership and showered each morning at the local YMCA. After time and a lot of hard work, business grew and Sadler eventually moved his entire family to join Amarillo.

The business moved to its current Amarillo location in 1974.

In 2001, his youngest son, Jake, came to work for him. In 2012, Jake was made a 50 percent owner of the company and in that same year they purchased Ditch Witch of Kansas and Nebraska. Today, they do business as Ditch Witch UnderCon. In 2015 Ditch Witch of Omaha was added to the UnderCon family.

Since the purchases, the owners have been remodeling and starting from the ground up with their dealerships to give their customers the best experience possible. The first dealership to be completed was Park City, Kan., which was finished in June 2014.

Now theyve built a new dealership in Grand Island at 4704 Gold Core Drive, which was previously on South Locust. They also own stores in Lincoln and Omaha.

Ditch Witch UnderCon has been honored with the Crescent Club award nine times in the last 12 years. This award is given to the top 10 dealerships and is measured by sales and marketing of the product line, financial performance, personnel training, and parts and service operation.

Store hours are 7:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday; closed Saturday and Sunday. For more information, call (308) 382-1300 or (800) 658-4312 , or visit the website at www.dwundercon.com.
Here in the heartland, we are predominantly small business.

Workers are often seen as neighbors and friends. Small businesses enjoy the strong Midwestern value system instilled in our citizens. But, small businesses also struggle. Growth and vitality can be difficult to achieve when considering low unemployment and economic leakage as online shopping becomes easier and cheaper.

The more a local region can support each other, the better our economic health will be. This means both as consumers and business-to-business. Much attention has been given to encourage the consumer to shop locally, but there is very little emphasis on business-to-business. This is why Grow Grand Island has issued the P.O. Challenge, which asks our local businesses to examine their purchases, identify a purchase order currently going out of our area and re-source it locally.

The challenge was issued in July and will continue through the end of September. With a month left, I wanted to highlight a couple of businesses who have participated  and, they represent both ends of the impact spectrum  but each has contributed to our local economy in a new way.

Nebraska Truck Center rose to the challenge when it became time to renew their property, casualty, garage and umbrella insurance policies. They sought local quotes and made a decision to move away from their current out-of-state provider. The economic impact of this P.O. is more than $100,000 annually.

Our industry has special insurance requirements and in years past the local options just didnt pan out. That is no longer the case and I am happy to have found a local fit, said Kent Brown, president.

Phil Hranek, an Edward Jones Advisor, typically gets his copy paper from an online source. He decided to take the challenge and resource it locally. Although the economic impact of this purchase order is less than $50, it can add up when other businesses do something similar.

It was a bit more expensive, but knowing the money was staying locally, I could accept it, Hranek said.

There is still time to participate in the challenge, and we want to hear from you when you do. The process is simple and only takes a couple of minutes. Just visit growgrandisland.com and click on the PO Challenge button. Answer a few short questions and you are done. There is also a Purchasing Survey button. This is an opportunity to help identify obstacles and gaps to purchasing locally. Local leaders will use this information to improve our business-to-business climate. Whether taking the P.O. Challenge or taking the purchasing survey, your participation helps Grow Grand Island.

Tonja Brown chairs the implementation committee for Grow Grand Island.
After working in, and watching the Regional Planning Department, the city of Grand Island and Hall County grow over the years, Ed Maslonka is calling it a career.

Maslonka retired Friday after 49 years and seven months working as a planning technician in the Regional Planning Department.

I was going to do it March 3, but things didnt evolve right so (I didnt do it then), Maslonka said of his retirement. I was talking to a friend who said he was retiring on his birthday. I thought, my birthday is coming up, so this would be a pretty good time for me to retire.

Regional Planning Director Chad Nabity explained Maslonkas job functions include map making and managing zoning maps for the city of Grand Island, Hall County and the base maps for the small communities within Hall County. He added Maslonka also works to keep subdivisions up-to-date.

Whenever somebody subdivides property, Ed puts those things into the system and puts new easements into the system, Nabity said. A lot of the things are back-end things, but are very important when you are trying to make a determination on what you can do on a piece of property.

Maslonka began his career in 1968, he had just finished working for an architectural firm in Columbus. He was told about the planning technician position, was hired and the rest is history.

As a planning technician 49 years ago, Maslonka said there were no computers, and if there were, they were big monsters in somebodys room. Instead, he drew everything by hand with a T square and a triangle.

In addition to technology, Maslonka said, the city of Grand Island has gotten bigger and so have the maps he draws.

We had a 32-inch plotter, which pretty much covered the city to a readable size, he said. Now, our zoning maps come in two sections and weve got a 42-inch plotter. We have to put it together because its gotten that big.

Maslonka said his job as a planning technician is just like any other job where you have a number of projects and are rushing, to later have a dead spot where nothing is done for a while.

In the span of 49 years, Maslonka worked for three planning directors: Nelson Helm, Dave Barber and Nabity. He said he got along with all of them and none of them were pushy or demanding.

They just let me do my things and they approved it or didnt approve it, Maslonka said. The only hard thing of the whole situation is they come in and request the map. It is hard to read their mind on what kind of map they really want. They have something in mind and you have something in mind that is different. Sometimes you have to redraw it or tweak it several times in order to get everybody happy.

Grand Island Building Department Director Craig Lewis said Maslonka is an extremely talented individual who will be missed.

To find somebody that can replace his talent and expertise in drawing and developing maps is going to be difficult to find, he said. Ed has spanned out from where he did everything by hand, to now where it is all computer generated. He was able to make that transition smoothly. Ed is a good guy and a good person. He will definitely be missed.

Nabity said the thing that has fascinated him the most about Maslonka is his overall knowledge of the city and the history of planning throughout the city.

Ed really knows a lot about that, he said. His knowledge of the area has allowed him to be a resource for me to go to to ask questions.

On his final day working as a planning technician Friday, Maslonka said it does not feel like he has worked for the Regional Planning Department for 49 years and wondered where the time went. He added he has no post-retirement plans.

Everybody asks me what I am going to do this weekend. I have no plans. I take it as it comes, Maslonka said. But I tell people now that the first thing I am going to do is set my alarm clock from 5 a.m. to 7 a.m.
Being a firefighter is no easy task, as was proven at the Scott Firefighter Combat Challenge Saturday at the Nebraska State Fair.

Firefighters from across Nebraska and the U.S. competed, totaling 52 participants. Military, volunteer and career fire departments were represented in the competition. Firefighters competed for a qualifying time to move on to the world finals, which is held in Louisville, Ky., this year. More than 100 people watched and encouraged the firefighters.

Firefighters, in full uniform, carried 42 pounds to the top of the 40-foot-high stair tower. Once at the top, they levered a 42-pound donut hole to the top from a rope before running back down the stairs.

At the bottom once more, they took a hammer and pounded to move a 160-pound steel beam.

Then, the firefighters ran and weaved through the course to grab the fire hose. They ran the hose through small swinging doors to aim it at a target.

After hitting the target, competitors had to take a 175-pound rescue mannequin back to the other side over the finish line.

The course was no easy feat, but the competitors made it look easy.

Fred Benzel, 34, is a firefighter and paramedic for the Grand Island Fire Department. It was his first time competing in the single competition. He competed in 2009 on a team.

Benzel said to prepare, he lost 55 pounds in four months, trained and ran a lot of stairs. Though the challenge is tough, its a reflection of what firefighters do on a daily basis.

If we catch a fire, this is what we do, Benzel said.

Grand Island Fire Chief Cory Schmidt helped open the competition.

It takes a lot of effort and time and physical strength and stamina to do it (firefighting), Schmidt said.

Firefighters of all ages competed, from people in their 20s to late 50s. Participants started the competition with the sound of a buzzer, which could go at any time. Mike Word, the announcer for the event, said that emulates the unpredictability that firefighters face daily.

Men and women powered through the course as their fellow firefighters and the crowd cheered them on. Other local firefighters who competed were Aaron Armstrong, Harvey Langrehr and Brandon Wiedel of G.I. Rural Fire.

Benzel said he was extremely nervous at first when he was up to go. Though the heat was blistering as he wore his uniform, ran and carried lots of weight, he, like many others, persevered.

Never quit is the biggest thing, Benzel said.

He said the stairs and the hose pull were the hardest, especially since everything is heightened because it happens so fast. Within a minute, most of the firefighters climbed, pulled the 42-pound donut and ran back down the stairs in one minute or less.

Benzels finishing time was three minutes and 31 seconds. He said he was competing against himself and aimed to do his best.

I couldnt be happier, Benzel said of how he finished.

As he pulled the mannequin in the last stretch, a group of people surrounded him, cheering him on. His fellow firefighters and paramedics, whether from Grand Island or California, also encouraged him. With every firefighter who competed, everyone was supportive of each other. Being surrounded by his fire brothers and sisters and competing with them was pretty awesome, Benzel said.

Were here for each other, he said, noting that firefighters are a big family.
Visitors to the State Fairs birthing pavilion love seeing piglets that are only a few days old. Sometimes, though, the pavilion is the scene of actual birthing.

A sow giving birth always gets a big crowd, said Dr. Richard Randle, whos on duty in the pavilion. The word spreads really quickly.

A pair of sows have already given birth during this years fair.

On Saturday, two other sows were due to farrow any day now. Their piglets might arrive at the pavilion at the same time fairgoers do.

The birth is on full display if it happens between 9 a.m. and 9 p.m., But sometimes, the mothers wait for the public to leave.

Because of the high-stress environment, when you have all of the people that are here, theyll wait until after the fair closes, said University of Nebraska-Lincoln student Reilly Grealish, who was working Saturday.

Sometimes, the sows wait until the middle of the night, said Grealish, a senior at UNL. Even if that happens, there will be somebody there to provide help if needed.

People trained in veterinary science are on hand around the clock. They care for and feed the animals and provide assistance when they need it during the birthing process, said Randle, who is the beef extension vet at the UNL School of Veterinary Medicine and Biomedical Sciences.

If a sow, for instance, stops delivering after two or three piglets, they might examine the mother just to make sure theres not one crosswise or giving them a problem. But otherwise, were just here to ensure that everything comes out all right, Randle said.

Young members of the public often want to pet one of the piglets, or take one home.

But petting isnt allowed, Randle said. Preventing human contact guards against the spread of disease. Wed rather be safe than sorry, Randle said.

Many people ask about the crates that the sows are kept in temporarily.

A sow weighs 450 to 600 pounds, while a pig weighs 2 pounds at birth. We have a lot of problems with these big hogs laying on their babies and smothering them, Randle said. The farrowing crates help keep the piglets from being squished by mom.

Also on display were twin lambs, born Friday evening. A pair of crossbred lambs were born Aug. 25. In addition to baby chicks, visitors could check out a pair of 9-day-old calves.

The 10 piglets that were the center of attention were 12 days old. They were the offspring of a York Cross sow.

Daniel Cole of Long Pine, a clever 10-year-old, noted that the piglets were born the same day as the total solar eclipse.

Its fun to just listen to kids reactions to the piglets.

Theyre adorable, said Bailey Hyatt, an 8-year-old from Cozad.

I think I could snuggle up with one of them, said Paige Horn, 12, of Fullerton. How long would she snuggle? Probably forever.

The kids identified with the babies, while the mothers sympathized with the pregnant parents. Oh that poor pig, said Brittany Kreifels, referring to a sow that was ready to pop.

Its crazy to think they can all fit inside Momma Sow, said Paytra Tebrink of Denton. Her mother thought about the animals quick rate of growth.

Faith Polacek of Wahoo said the twitching of the piglets indicates they were in a deep sleep.

What did her father think of the piglets? Theyre fat and roly-poly, said Paul Polacek.

In the Consbruck family of Giltner, it was the mom who wanted to take a baby pig home. We want a fun pet, Amy Consbruck said. Her husband, Alex, is thinking about getting a dozen feeder pigs, so they might have some swine around the house.

Grealish is a member of the pre-vet club at UNL. Helping out in the birthing pavilion is a fundraiser for the group.

She likes to point out to people that theres more to pigs than just being cute. Caring for them is a lot of responsibility. A lot goes into taking care of the animals before they give birth, during and after, Grealish said.

But many of the kids who come to the pavilion already know that, because theyve been in 4-H, she said.

Last year, Colston Karr of Bladen got to name one of the piglets. Colston, now 6, named the cute little animal Oinky.

One might wonder whatever happened to Oinky.

He was probably tasty, said Colstons uncle, Bruce Moritz.

Colstons grandmother, Jane Tonjes, was in the birthing pavilion with two daughters and her grandchildren.

Tonjes, who lives in Kearney, says her grandchildren ask to go to the birthing pavilion every year to see what animals are there this year. The pavilion, she said, is an excellent educational site.

Her kids were in 4-H and her grandchildren are in 4-H. She helps the kids with their projects. So we keep 4-H alive in the state of Nebraska, Tonjes said.
Fact: The average cow produces 120 glasses of milk per day.

Fact: Chicks hatch from an egg able to walk, see and feed themselves.

Fact: Over 900 different breeds of cattle have been recorded.

Random facts about agriculture abound throughout the Nebraska State Fairgrounds at Fonner Park. From the Raising Nebraska exhibit to the livestock barns to the birthing pavilion, the more than 350,000 people who visit the State Fair annually have access to a wealth of information about agriculture.

More than 60 food vendors are spread out across the fairgrounds, but much of that food starts out as critters one can see at the livestock barns  whether it be beef, pork, poultry, rabbits, sheep or goats. In those livestock barns, visitors can learn about animal husbandry and the different breeds  whether it be the most prolific dairy cow in the U.S., the Holstein, or the mother of all cows, Braunvieh cattle, which may be the oldest breed of cattle known and one that can be both a dairy and beef breed.

Jim Mueller has been the superintendent of the open class sheep show at the Nebraska State Fair for many years.

When you come to the fair, what do you come to the fair for? Mueller said. You come here to learn some things. Things you didnt know before.

Mueller said growing up on a farm, people have memories of agriculture. But coming to the Nebraska State Fair can help people better understand the generational changes that have transformed Nebraska farms and ranches.

You can see how the animals have changed, as we have more breeds than we have ever had before because of the genetics we have nowadays, he said.

In Nebraska, about two-thirds of its people live in the states large cities, such as Omaha, Lincoln, Bellevue and Grand Island. While farms and ranches become larger and fewer in number, Nebraskas 4-H program continues to grow, drawing young people from the urban areas.

One of the fastest growing areas of livestock are the smaller animals, such as sheep, goats, rabbits and poultry that more and more 4-Hers are showing at their county fairs and the State Fair.

Nebraska State Fair officials are starting to feel the pressure of those growing numbers when it comes to having enough space for those rapidly expanding shows. Mueller said thats also true with the open class shows.

Its people who have a hobby or have a liking and want to learn more about it and do better themselves, Mueller said. There is competition, but a lot of people challenge themselves on how can they make it better.

Throughout the livestock barns there are signs informing the public what to watch for when judging a hen, pig, sheep or cow during a competition in the show ring. It is education, Mueller said, whether its the livestock competitors or the general viewing public.

One of the more popular breeds of sheep at the fair, Mueller said, is the Rambouillet.

It has been a real hit, he said. Everybody and their brother will come and stare at him because he has those big horns. I dont know if anybody in the state of Nebraska has ever seen one of these before. I come in here at midnight to do chores and there are still people here staring at him.

Over in the Dairy Barn is Roger Henrichs of Blue Springs, who is the fairs dairy superintendent.

We have all seven breeds of dairy animals here, he said. We give milking demonstrations five times a day and we talk to people and we try to educate them about the dairy industries.

Henrichs said one of the most popular questions he gets from the public is, Why are dairy cattle so bony?

It is really rather simple compared to a beef cow, he said. With dairy cattle, we are trying to get every pound of milk out of her that we can get. She is also developing a new calf in her at the same time. They are under a lot of stress and they eat and drink more than a beef cow.

To illustrate that point, one of the information signs in the Dairy Barn area tells the visitor that a dairy cow can drink up to 30 gallons of water per day, which is enough to fill up a typical bathtub. That water is needed because during her lifetime, she will produce 200,000 glasses of milk.

Henrichs said one of the more popular things people learn about a dairy cow is her milk vein.

It is really a blood vein, he said. To produce one gallon of milk, that animal has to pump around 500 gallons of blood through the udder. Then you figure that a cow is giving 10 gallons of milk per day  just think about how much blood has to circulate in that udder.

Henrichs said he likes visiting with the public to tell them about the dairy industry in Nebraska. One of the questions he gets from the kids, sometimes, is which of the breeds gives the chocolate milk.

Sometimes we like to play with them and tell them its the brown cow, Henrichs said.
Whats the biggest criminal enterprise in California? MS-13? The remnants or successors to the Crips and the Bloods? The Mexican Mafia? If were talking about the sheer volume of offenses, the answer is clear: Wells Fargo.

Its no easy task to keep track of the San Francisco-based megabanks misdeeds, but heres a rough tally: Wells has admitted that, beginning in 2011, it opened approximately 2 million bank and credit card accounts for customers who did not need, seek or even know about them, plunging a number of these unknowing customers into default. Earlier this month, the bank announced it may have significantly undercounted the number of unauthorized accounts. Goldman Sachs estimated last year that more than half-a-million of the customers whod been saddled with these accounts may have had to pay an extra $50 million to borrow money as a result of their damaged credit.

This July, Wells also acknowledged that, starting in 2012, it had charged a further 570,000 customers for auto insurance that they neither needed nor sought, pushing 274,000 of them into delinquency on their combined car-and-insurance payments, which led to nearly 25,000 wrongful vehicle repossessions.

Just last Thursday, attorneys for the bank argued in an Atlanta federal appellate court that the judges should toss a lower-court ruling enabling customers to file a class-action suit against Wells for altering the sequence of its customers deposits, withdrawals and payments so that it could charge them higher overdraft fees. While other major banks have settled such claims, Wells contends that its bilked customers have no right to sue as a group, and that they must go through an individual arbitration process that will likely cost them more in legal fees than any reward they may receive.

Not all of these acts violated criminal statutes. But if a single individual devised a way to compel a client, without her knowledge or consent, to pay him more money or to suffer a loss of credit or her car, that individual could well face charges of theft, fraud or forgery. Confronted with exposes that began with a Los Angeles Times story in 2013, Wells has admitted to being party to such deeds on a massive basis.

Yes, Wells has had to pay penalties. The Times article led Los Angeles City Attorney Michael Feuer to file suit against Wells for its unauthorized accounts, and joined by the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, that suit compelled Wells last September to pay $185 million to its defrauded customers. The bank also discharged 5,100 of its low-level employees whod been encouraged or compelled by superiors to open the fraudulent accounts. Under pressure from Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., and other progressives, it dropped its CEO, John Stumpf and, more recently, a couple of its longtime board members.

Some public policy reforms may soon be in the offing as well, at least in Los Angeles. For the past nine years, the city has had a contract with Wells to handle its basic banking services  payrolls, payments to vendors, the works. With that contract expiring next year, a coalition of bank reformers has asked the city council to put some teeth into the citys Responsible Banking Ordinance so it will never again give its business to a bank like Wells.

Their suggested amendments include a ban on doing business with banks that place unreasonably high sales demands on their employees, and with banks that dont explicitly protect whistle-blowers. These amendments will likely come before the council soon after Labor Day.

These are clearly necessary changes, but they dont go far enough. A good case can be made that Wells should be prosecuted under federal and state racketeering (RICO) laws  under which, we should remember, not just organized crime groups but also Michael Milken was prosecuted (he pleaded to lesser counts) and his bank, Drexel Burnham Lambert, was threatened (it, too, pleaded to a lesser count).

President Trumps administration is hardly likely to consider, much less lodge, such charges against a major bank. But California, under its own anti-racketeering and fraud laws, certainly could.

The effects of such an action and its attendant disclosures could result not only in convictions and some forfeiture of assets, but also deter such future mischief. They might even lead to the establishment of a state-run bank in California  a way to ensure that at least one financial institution in the state views the public as its master, not as sheep waiting to be fleeced.
President Trump had the right to pardon Sheriff Joe Arpaio of Arizonas Maricopa County after he was convicted of defying a federal judge. But just because a president has the right to do something doesnt make it the right thing to do.

Those are two different questions, and Trumps pardon symbolized many of the worst instincts of his presidency: his contempt for the rule of law and the role of federal judges; his appeal to racial fears and phobias; and his willingness to divide the country and pander to his political base, no matter how deeply he offends national traditions and values.

And thats not the worst of it. Trumps pardon raises a deeply troubling question: Is he signaling his future intentions? Is he ready to cause a constitutional crisis, using his power to abrogate any convictions emanating from special counsel Robert Muellers investigation into Russian meddling in last years election?

Professor Cas Mudde of the University of Georgia, an expert on political extremism, told the Washington Post that Arpaios example could undermine Muellers work: There are several key people in (the presidents) former entourage who are at the point of caving to pressure to working with the Mueller investigation. Trump has shown them that they have nothing to fear, because he can and will pardon them, irrespective of the circumstances.

Trump and his supporters are defending his actions by recalling how past presidents abused the pardon power. And yes, Bill Clinton made a huge mistake exonerating the fugitive financier Marc Rich after Richs wife contributed heavily to Democratic causes.

But Arpaio is in a very different category. He was a sheriff sworn to uphold the law. Instead, he used his position to target Hispanic immigrants for persistent harassment. When he defied a court order to stop, a federal judge found him guilty last month of criminal contempt, citing his flagrant disregard for the law.

Trump said Arpaio was convicted for doing his job when the exact opposite is true. The sheriff corrupted his position and violated his oath, and now the president has endorsed that corruption, a record that deeply offends true conservatives like the ones writing the editorial page of the Wall Street Journal.

Pardoning Mr. Arpaio sends a message that law enforcers can ignore court orders and get away with it, they wrote. All you need is a political ally in the White House or the governors mansion. Down that road lies anarchy.

Trump is clearly Arpaios ally, even his soul brother. Like the sheriff, the president has repeatedly tangled with federal judges. And like the sheriff, Trump has pursued a cynical and destructive strategy, demonizing racial minorities as a way of galvanizing his political base. Both men were early proponents of the birther movement that tried to brand Barack Obama as foreign-born, non-Christian and non-American.

Arpaio had the power to arrest Hispanics and detain them under harsh conditions he openly called concentration camps. Trump didnt have a badge, so he had to settle for calling Mexican immigrants rapists, advocating a ban on Muslims entering the country and saying the neo-Nazis that marched in Charlottesville included some very fine people.

But Trump has one power Arpaio never had: the presidential pardon. And fears about how he may use it in the future are clearly justified. After all, Trump has repeatedly tried and failed to thwart the legal process through other means.

Former FBI director James Comey has testified that Trump demanded his personal loyalty and urged him to drop a criminal investigation of former national security adviser Michael Flynn. When Comey resisted, he was fired.

Trump has openly derided his own Attorney General, Jeff Sessions, for recusing himself from the Russian probe and allowing a special counsel to be appointed. He has denounced the special counsels work as the single greatest WITCH HUNT in American political history  led by some very bad and conflicted people. And Trumps confidant Chris Ruddy has said on PBS: I think hes considering perhaps terminating the special counsel. I think hes weighing that option.

Trump is quickly learning the limits of his power. He cannot control judges  or journalists, for that matter. Republicans on Capitol Hill are openly defying him. Firing Mueller would get very messy.

But issuing pardons to Muellers targets? No one can stop him. There are no checks and balances here. Except for one thing: A president cannot pardon himself to escape impeachment.

In the end, no president  and no sheriff  is completely above the law.
WASHINGTON  Suppose we all stood up at exactly the same minute, from Maine to Hawaii, and shouted at the top of our lungs: Infrastructure!

Would it make any difference? Not likely.

You-know-who would probably be tweeting about how badly he is treated, and wed all be ignored. Again.

As danger, misery and heartache in the form of Hurricane Harvey plague those we love in Texas and Louisiana, we hear again and again that if aging reservoirs, pot-holed roads, outmoded drains and weathered water treatment plants had been in better shape, things might be a little better despite more than 51 inches of rain. The deja vu feelings, so long after Hurricane Katrina, are enough to make us despair.

All over this vast country, things are falling apart. Let alone disaster relief, this is affecting our daily commutes, business opportunities and job availability, with American companies refusing to open new plants in America.

Modernizing our infrastructure  roads, bridges, ports, waterworks, cybersystems, et cetera  was supposed to be doable. Even with Republicans and Democrats barely on speaking terms (that was before the Republican Senate majority leader and the Republican president stopped speaking), fixing our broken infrastructure was an agreed-upon goal, a vital and imperative need.

We knew it would cost at least a trillion dollars and probably much more. But the prospect of modernizing this great country to face the future and compete more strongly with mighty China, for example, made even the cold hearts on Wall Street beat faster.

So is Congress considering infrastructure legislation? Has the president proposed sweeping, detailed plans after promising he would do so? Is he using the bully pulpit to persuade Americans that this is the most important thing we as a nation can do for our children? Are legislators working hard behind the scenes trying to figure out a public-private partnership?

You know the answers. No to all of the above.

But President Donald Trump did rush to Texas three days after the hurricane struck, somehow managing to not see a single raindrop, shake the hand of a single victim, or mention a single first responder by name  not even the one who died. Trump seems to not have a single drop of human empathy in his entire being. Even as the rains came down and first responders went door to door rescuing stranded families, Trump was speculating on when he and other politicians would be able to congratulate each other on a job well done.

And even earlier, days before Hurricane Harvey hit, Trump signed orders reversing federal regulations aimed at making infrastructure more impervious to flooding. Former President Barack Obama had ordered the federal government to take into account flooding risks and sea-level rise caused by climate change when building or rebuilding after disasters. Could Trump give a good rationale for such a heartless, short-sighted action? No. Consequently, many of the billions of dollars that will be spent on rebuilding after Hurricane Harvey and future disasters will be wasted and wont prevent future weather emergencies or mitigate the damage they cause.

Despite all that, we are once again amazed, uplifted and heartened at how wonderfully kind, good-hearted and generous Americans are to each other in times of destitution and desperation. Friend helping friend. Neighbor helping neighbor. Stranger helping stranger. And the first responders! Wow! True heroes. Over and over, the victims try to stop feeling sorry for themselves by one observation: So many people are worse off than they are.

But once the adrenaline stops pumping, the bleakness of thousands of people who have lost everything will become far more poignant and widespread. The knowledge that Trump has decreed that federal standards for rebuilding not take into account future disasters will be even more maddening.

Lets hope the Republicans who control Congress will find the backbones they mislaid after the election and undo what the feckless Trump has wrought.

Our rallying cry? Fix our infrastructure and do it right!
WASHINGTON  Summer brings no respite for academics committed to campus purifications, particularly at the institution that is the leader in the silliness sweepstakes, Yale. Its Committee on Art in Public Spaces has discovered that a stone carving that has adorned an entrance to Sterling Memorial Library since it opened 86 years ago has become not appropriate.

The carving, according to Yale Alumni Magazine, depicts a hostile encounter: a Puritan pointing a musket at a Native American. Actually, the Native American and the Puritan are looking not hostilely at each other but into the distance. Still, one cant be too careful, so the musket has been covered with stone. This is unilateral disarmament: The Native Americans weapon, a bow, has not been covered up. Perhaps Yale thinks that armed white men are more triggering (this academic-speak means upsetting to the emotionally brittle) than armed people of color. National Review Onlines Kyle Smith drolly worries that Yale might be perpetuating harmful stereotypes.

If such campus folderols merely added to what Samuel Johnson called the public stock of harmless pleasure, Americans could welcome a new academic year the way they once welcomed new burlesque acts. Unfortunately, the descent of institutions of learning into ludicrousness is symptomatic of larger social distempers that Frank Furedi has diagnosed abroad as well as in America.

Furedi is a professor emeritus in England and author of Whats Happened to the University?: A Sociological Exploration of Its Infantilization. Writing in The American Interest, he cites a warning issued to Oxford University postgraduate students about the danger of vicarious trauma, which supposedly results from hearing about and engaging with the traumatic experiences of others. This, Furedi says, is symptomatic of the medicalization of almost everything in universities that strive to be therapeutic. Universities are promoting theories and practices that encourage people to interpret their anxieties, distress and disappointment through the language of psychological deficits. This generates self-fulfilling diagnoses of emotionally fragile students. They demand mental-health services on campuses that are replete with trigger warnings and safe spaces to insulate students from discomforts, such as the depiction of a musket. What academics perceive as an expanded set of problems tracks right along with the exponential growth of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders.

The socialization of children, which prepares them to enter the wider world, has been shifted from parents to primary and secondary schools, and now to higher education, which has embraced the task that Furedi calls re-socialization through altering the norms that undergraduates grew up with. This is done by using speech codes and indoctrination to raise awareness about defects students acquired before coming to campuses that are determined to purify undergraduates.

Often, however, students arrive with little moral ballast bequeathed by parents who thought their role was, Furedi says, less to transmit values than to validate their childrens feelings and attitudes: This emphasis on validation runs in tandem with a risk-averse regime of child-rearing, the (unintended) consequence of which has been to limit opportunities for the cultivation of independence and to extend the phase of dependence of young people on adult society.

The therapeutic universitys language  students are vulnerable to routine stresses and difficulties that are defined as traumas  also becomes self-fulfilling. As a result, students experience a diminished sense of capacity for moral agency  for self-determination. This can make them simultaneously passive, immersing themselves into groupthink, and volatile, like the mobs at Middlebury College, Claremont McKenna College, University of California, Berkeley and other schools that disrupt uncongenial speakers. Hence universities provide trigger warnings that facilitate flights into safe spaces. Furedi quotes an Oberlin College student who says: Theres something to be said about exposing yourself to ideas other than your own, but Ive had enough of that.

Times do, however, change, as the Yale Alumni Magazine delicately intimated when it said the stone now obscuring the Puritans musket can be removed in the future without damaging the original carving. And the future has come with strange speed to New Haven.

In a peculiar letter in Tuesdays Wall Street Journal, a Yale official says the university is removing the stone that a construction project team had placed on the stonework. By clearly suggesting, implausibly, that this team acted on its own, the letter contradicts the magazines report that the covering up was done because the Committee on Art in Public Spaces deemed the carving not appropriate. The letter, which says the uncovered carving will be moved to where it can be studied and contextualized, speaks volumes about Yales context.
During his seven-plus decades on this earth, Bobbie Collins has always tried to behave like a role model should behave.

I always acted like some young person was watching me and might want to be like me, because thats what I did when I was growing up, says Collins, who has written an autobiography that he hopes will help young people avoid the pitfalls of his own life.

The book, reasonably enough, is titled The Autobiography of Bobbie Collins. Collins signed copies of it Tuesday in the lobby of the Madison County Administration Building. Its subtitle, No Excuses, would have gotten top billing had he not discovered it was already taken. Thats a shame, because No Excuses would have resonated with the heroes he admired growing up: Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and an uncle who admonished him after a bully had taunted him.

They spoke words of wisdom that resonate with me today, Collins said of King and the uncle.

King, he said, spoke to the youth of his day about the need to set high goals and for having a blueprint for the words you speak and the life you lead.

Both were committed to the basic principles of excellence, truth, love and justice.

The book is slender. Bob Daiber, the Madison County Regional Superintendent of Schools, said he intends to put a copy in every high school in Madison County. Collins told a small gathering at the Administration Building that he was concerned that too many kids are dropping out of school and winding up in the criminal justice system.

Quoting King, he said that even if your lot in life is to be a street sweeper, sweep the streets like Michelangelo painted a picture.

Sweep the streets like Beethoven composed music, he said. Sweep the streets like Shakespeare wrote poetry. Sweep the streets so that all the host of heaven and earth will have to pause and say: Here lived a great street sweeper who swept his job well.

Collins was born in St. Louis but raised on his aunt and uncles farm in New Jersey He attended a Catholic school for first grade and public schools after that. The family was poor. Often he and his cousins were the only blacks at school. Collins told the story of an early encounter with racism, one that taught him the importance of forgiving people who showed hatred toward him.

It happened when he was 4 or 5 years old. He and his aunt approached a house with a For Rent sign outside and knocked on the door to learn more.

The man who answered turned them away with a racial slur that compared blacks to dogs. I was floored by that, Collins said. As he walked away, I asked her why he said that. She said, Son, forgive him because he knows not what he does.

Collins says he didnt let the remark cause him to become bitter.

I didnt let that stop me or burn that fire of hatred in my heart, he said. It made me a better man in life, and Im a better man today.

Collins moved back to Illinois and graduated from Madison High School.

Collins went on to become co-founder of 100 Black Men of Alton and today he is a member of the Alton Branch of the NAACP.
TheJakartaPost

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Linkedin (Agence France-Presse) Strasbourg, France  Sun, September 3, 2017 17:08 1897 4065a5a8898c7cc661d4adf97aeffc16 2 World accident,France,concert,lightning-strike Free

Fifteen people were injured, two of them seriously, when lightning struck a tent during a music festival in northeast France on Saturday, local officials and reports said.

"The lightning struck in several areas during" the Vieux Canal festival in the northeast town of Azerailles, the regional council said in a statement.

A woman in her 60s and a 44-year-old man were said to be in serious condition after being struck. The victims were "directly hit by the lightning and suffered burns".

According to local media, lightning struck a big tent under which festival goers had taken refuge, which was located near a large tree.

Those injured received first aid from the festival's emergency centre before being taken to hospitals in the area.

Two children aged about 10 were also taken to hospital after suffering shock.

All Saturday evening concerts have since been cancelled, local reports said.
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Linkedin (Agence France-Presse) Jakarta  Sun, September 3, 2017 21:08 1897 4065a5a8898c7cc661d4adf97af06c43 2 City Myanmar,Rohingya,protest,violence,jakarta Free

A petrol bomb was thrown at Myanmar's embassy in on Jl. Agus Salim in Central Jakarta early Sunday, police said, as anger grew across the mainly Muslim archipelago about violence against Rohingyas in Myanmar.

No one was injured in the incident, said Jakarta police spokesman Argo Yuwono.

A patrolling police officer saw fire at the rear terrace on the second floor and immediately informed police who were guarding the embassy.

"We are still trying to catch the perpetrator," Agus told AFP.

Indonesians are becoming increasingly concerned at the treatment of the Rohingya, a stateless Muslim minority in mainly Buddhist Myanmar.

Some 60,000 refugees, mostly Rohingya, have poured into neighbouring Bangladesh since the latest round of fighting broke out nine days ago when Rohingya militants attacked security instrallations.

Myanmar's army says nearly 400 people have died, among them 370 Rohingya militants.

Dozens of people on Saturday protested outside the embassy, demanding that Myanmar end the crisis. They called on the Nobel Prize committee to withdraw the peace prize awarded to Myanmar's leader Aung San Suu Kyi in 1991.

Several groups protested in Jakarta's Buddhist area on Sunday.

Topics : Myanmar Rohingya protest violence jakarta
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Linkedin (Agence France-Presse) Moscow, Russia  Sun, September 3, 2017 15:27 1897 4065a5a8898c7cc661d4adf97aef60da 2 World NorthKorea,Nuclear,test,Russia Free

Radiation levels in Russia's Far East remained "in normal range" Sunday after North Korea said it tested a hydrogen bomb, Russian monitors said.

"After the alleged nuclear test by North Korea no excesses in background radiation levels were detected on the territory of the Primorsky region," local state monitoring service Primgidromet said in a statement.

"The radiation situation remains stable," the statement said, adding that "the level in the region remains within the normal range."

Neighbouring North Korea declared itself a thermonuclear power on Sunday, after carrying out a sixth nuclear test more powerful than any it has previously detonated, presenting President Donald Trump with a potent challenge.

Shockwaves were detected along Russia's border with North Korea, while residents in the city of Vladivostok, some 130 kilometres (80 miles) from the frontier, reported mild tremors, Primgidromet representative Viktor Chulkov told AFP.

Topics : NorthKorea Nuclear test Russia
A sign is seen at the entrance of the compound of the Trade Representation building of the Russian Federation on Sept. 2, 2017 in Washington DC. The United States on October 31 ordered Russia to close its consulate in San Francisco, the chancery annex in Washington (pictured), where Moscow has a giant embassy complex, and a consular annex in New York. Eric BARADAT / AFP (Agence France-Presse/Eric Baradat)

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Linkedin Dave Clark and Max Delany (Agence France-Presse) Washington, United States  Sun, September 3, 2017 12:22 1897 4065a5a8898c7cc661d4adf97aef40f3 2 World US,Russia,diplomacy,Russia-meddling,Washington Free Topics : US Russia diplomacy Russia-meddling Washington Topics :
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Linkedin (Agence France-Presse) Tokyo, Japan  Sun, September 3, 2017 16:22 1897 4065a5a8898c7cc661d4adf97aefa330 2 World Japan,royals,wedding,tradition,princess-mako Free

Japan's Princess Mako and her fiance -- a commoner -- announced their engagement Sunday, a match which will cost the princess her royal status according to a law that highlights the male-dominated nature of Japan's monarchy.

Like all female imperial family members, Mako, who is Emperor Akihito's eldest granddaughter, forfeits her status upon marriage to a commoner under a controversial tradition. The law does not apply to royal males.

But at a televised press conference held to announce her engagement, she told the nation that she felt "really happy".

"I was aware since my childhood that I'll leave a royal status once I marry," she said. "While I worked to help the emperor and fulfill duties as a royal family member as much as I can, I've been cherishing my own life."

Her fiance, Kei Komuro, a telegenic 25-year-old who works at a law firm and once won a tourism promotion contest to be crowned "Prince of the Sea", said he had proposed to her more than three years ago.

He described Mako as someone who quietly watches over him "like the moon".

The princess said his smile was "like the sun."

The announcement had originally been planned for July but the couple decided to postpone it out of consideration for a southern region hit by heavy rains and flooding in the month.

An official of the Imperial Household Agency said their wedding will take place after the summer of 2018.

Mako, 25, is the eldest daughter of Prince Akishino, Akihito's second son.

The law removing her royal status upon marriage does not apply to male royals, with Akihito and both his sons wedded to commoners, who are now part of the monarchy.

The news of the engagement has intensified a debate on whether the law should be changed so women born into the imperial family can continue in their royal roles.

That could help increase the number of potential male heirs to a monarchy that does not allow females to ascend the Chrysanthemum Throne.
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Linkedin Ruslan Sangadji (The Jakarta Post) Palu  Sun, September 3, 2017 10:44 1897 4065a5a8898c7cc661d4adf97aef13cb 1 National Palu,central-sulawesi,police,BNN,narcotics,Mutiara-SIS-Aljufri-Airport,crystal-methamphetamine,drugs,drug-offenses Free

An alleged drug courier, Muhammad Isa, 31, was shot by Central Sulawesi Police narcotics unit officers at the Mutiara SIS Aljufri Airport in Palu, Central Sulawesi, on Saturday.

Isa came from Seunade Kunyet village in Padang Tiji district, Pidie regency, Aceh.

The police attempted to nab him when he was walking to the airport's bathroom after getting off the airplane. But he resisted arrest and retaliated so officers fired shots to immobilize him, Central Sulawesi Police spokesperson Adj. Sr. Comr. Hari Suprapto told The Jakarta Post on Saturday.

Isa suffered gunshot wounds to his right and left thighs. He is now recovering at the Central Sulawesi Police Bhayangkara Hospital in Palu.

The police seized 700 grams of crystal methamphetamine from the suspect.

Read also: Jakarta Police seize 225 kg of marijuana trafficked from Aceh

A follow-up investigation led the police to arrest two Palu residents who were allegedly part of the drug distribution network.

The Palu citizens are 20-year-old student Wahyu Riski Pratama and 23-year-old Mohammad Rifai, Hari said.

According to Hari, Wahyu, who was allegedly assigned to pick up Isa at the airport, was nabbed at the airport's parking lot. Wahyu took the police to Mohammad Rifais house.

On Aug. 15, the Central Sulawesi branch of the National Narcotics Agency arrested an alleged drug dealer, Azis, and his two colleagues at his house in Tavanjunka village, Tatang district, Palu. (bbs)
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Linkedin Fedina S. Sundaryani, Tama Salim and Callistasia Anggun Wijaya (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Mon, September 4 2017

Amidst all the international and domestic pressure building up around the recent outbreak of violence in Myanmars Rakhine state, Indonesia has launched what is arguably one of its most ambitious peace missions to date, fielding its top diplomat to meet with Myanmars top brass.

All eyes will be on Indonesia, which in spite of its continued engagement and historic affinity to Myanmar, will still have to prove whether it has enough leverage to resolve a multi-faceted problem that has persisted throughout many years without reaching a solution to the statelessness of the Rohingya Muslim minority.

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Linkedin Jessicha Valentina (The Jakarta Post) Chiang Rai, Thailand  Sun, September 3, 2017 14:46 1897 4065a5a8898c7cc661d4adf97aef4ee4 1 News travel,#travel,traveling,#traveling,Akha-tribe,Chiang-Rai,Thailand,#Thailand,tourism,#tourism,destination,#destination Free

Situated in the northern part of Thailand, Chiang Rai slips under the radar of Indonesian tourists as the area is not as popular as its neighboring city Chiang Mai.

However, Chiang Rai actually offers one-of-a-kind attractions, varying from a majestic white temple to Akha tribe tradition, which cannot be found anywhere else.

Those wanting to know more about Chiang Rai may consult the list below:

Wat Rong Khun

Visitors write down their wishes on lucky leaves. (JP/Jessicha Valentina)

While other temples in Thailand are painted with gold, Wat Rong Khun, popularly known as the White Temple, displays white color and pieces of glass. The two architecture elements make the temple sparkling, making it among the must-visit places in Thailand.

The temple reportedly had been around for over 100 years. However, Thai visual artist Chalermchai Kositpipat rebuilt the temple in 1997, giving a touch of contemporary design.

Here, visitors can learn about Buddhist teachings, enjoy contemporary murals that feature modern characters, such as Superman and Doraemon, as well as write down their wishes on lucky leaves.

Read also: Thailand wants more tourists who act like Australians

Pha Mee village

Women of Akha hill tribe. (JP/Jessicha Valentina)

Located in Mae Sai district, Pha Mee village is home to the Akha hill tribe. In the past, the village was known as an opium producer and conflict area. However, with the help from the late King Rama IX, Pha Mee has transformed into a peaceful village.

During Asean Travel Journo Camp  a nine-day trip organized by Thai Journalists Association and Thai AirAsia to commemorate the 50th anniversary of Association of Southeast Asian Nations  The Jakarta Post discovered that the tribe recently developed a community-based tourism program, allowing tourists to catch a glimpse of their daily lives through various activities.

By contacting local guides such as Local Alike or go to the Pha Mee directly, tourists can expect to learn about Akha hill tribe tradition, the village history, sample the local Arabica coffee or hop on the villages giant swing.

Singha Park

A picturesque oolong tea plantation at Singha Park. (JP/Jessicha Valentina)

Singha is recognized as a Thai beer producer. However, in Singha Park, visitors would not see brewery or the likes, but instead a picturesque oolong tea plantation.

Meanwhile, tucked inside the park, the Phu Phi Lom restaurant is ready to satisfy your taste buds with Northern Thai delicacies. (kes)
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Linkedin (Pesona Indonesia) Jakarta  Sun, September 3, 2017 13:32 1897 4065a5a8898c7cc661d4adf97aef4e4f 2 News Tourism-Ministry-Pesona-Indonesia,tourism-ministry-wonderful-Indonesia,bali,Paris,tourism-promotion Free

A nonprofit organization that was established by four French youngsters called Bali Surgawi (Heavenly Bali) is set to host a festival that will highlight the beauty of the Island of the Gods for the first time on September 10 in Paris, France.

Together with tourism ministrys Indonesia Tourism Officer (VITO) in France, the festival will be held at Petit Bain in Paris and for one full day and will feature plenty of shows and attractions such as traditional market that sells Balinese food and traditional art performances.

[The festival will also feature] a kecak dance performance and traditional music. In the evening there will be performances from Gamelan Puspa Warna, Joged Nusantra and Sekar Jagat Indonesia, said VITO's Eka Moncarre.

The event will also feature an art exhibition with Balinese sculptor Nyoman Bujana is set to showcase his skills onsite.

Read also: Tana Toraja wants to promote local coffee to tourists

There will also be a photo exhibition which will feature the works of photographers such as Made Sukerta, Virginie Marion and Karyne Lamouille, Eka added.

Bali has recently been named as the best destination in the world according to American travel website company TripAdvisor.

France is one of the top three European countries that have the highest number of tourists coming to Indonesia, following after the United Kingdom. Surprisingly, 60 percent of French tourists who travel to Indonesia are from places outside of France.

Last year, the ministry managed to increase 20 percent of the number of French tourists to 250,921 people.

This year the target is 330,000 French tourists and 15 million visits from other international tourists. (asw)
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Linkedin (Pesona Indonesia) Jakarta  Sun, September 3, 2017 11:01 1897 4065a5a8898c7cc661d4adf97aef2071 2 News Tourism-Ministry-Pesona-Indonesia,tourism-ministry-wonderful-Indonesia,Makassar,festival Free

The city of Makassar is going to hold Makassar International Eight Festival & Forum (MIEFF) 2017 from September 6 to 10.

The event will take place along the famed Losari Beach and will highlight eight main elements called the 8Fs: Fashion, Film, Food & fruit, Folk, Flora & fauna, Fine arts, Fusion music, Fiction writers and font.

Tourism minister Arief Yahya, however, suggested for the organizers to select the top three Fs out of the eight Fs as the main icons of the festival.

Read also: How to use your vacation to relax and unwind

My suggestion is food with 32 percent, fashion with 30 percent and the other one is craft [fine art]. These three will dominate more than 80 percent of the event and will subsidize the other elements. It doesn't mean that the others are not important, but they still lack in commercial value, said Arief.

The festival will feature 10 iconic culinary dishes, 1,000 music performances, 10,000 cultural attractions and 100,000 arts performances. MIEFF 2017 targets one million visitors from 100 cities, globally.

Last years event managed to exceed the target of 60,000 visitors and instead it welcomed 300,000 people.

Tourism in Makassar is the main pillar to connect everything, in the future we would like for its marine tourism to become interconnected, said tourism ministry's archipelago marketing development deputy, Esthy Reko Astuti. (asw)
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Linkedin (Pesona Indonesia) Jakarta  Sun, September 3, 2017 19:02 1897 4065a5a8898c7cc661d4adf97af0183a 2 News Tourism-Ministry-Pesona-Indonesia,tourism-ministry-wonderful-Indonesia,DerawanIslands,Wonderful-Sail-2-Indonesia-Rally-2017 Free

Participants of the ongoing Sail Indonesia 2017 made a stop in Tarakan, North Kalimantan on August 30. While they were there, the group traveled to Derawan Islands that is located in Berau regency, East Kalimantan.

This is a very alluring place, it has a clean beach that houses plenty of coral reefs and fish [] Some of the yachters told me that Derawan is very beautiful, the water is clean and houses plenty of fish species. They said that they would like to visit Indonesia again soon, said tourism ministry's marine tourism acceleration team head, Indroyono Soesilo.

Derawan Islands consists of four main islands: Derawan, Sangalaki, Kakaba and Maratua. To reach the Derawan Island, tourists need to travel by sea from Tarakan or Balikpapan.

Read also: Kei Islands still a hidden gem waiting to be explored

To travel to the other three islands, tourists need to rent a speed boat from Derawan. The rent price for a boat is Rp 1,500,000 ($112) and they are able to utilize the boat for one whole day.

The travel time from Derawan to Kakaban is around 45 minutes whilst from Kakaban to Sangalaki takes around 30 minutes.

There are two interesting sites that tourists shouldnt miss while visiting these islands. One is the turtles captive breeding in Sangalaki and another one is Jellyfish Lake in Kakakban.

The latter tourist attraction is one out of the only two jellyfish lakes in the world with the other one located on Palau Island, Micronesia, a thousand kilometers away from the Philippines.

International yachters of Sail Indonesia 2017 is currently sailing across the archipelago before their final meeting at Sail Sabang 2017 that will be held on November 28. (asw)
People are being urged to burst out of their comfort bubbles on social media and engage with people whose opinions differ from their own.

Psychologist Uta Frith, best-known for her work on autism at University College London, said that, in an uncertain world, it is important to be open to a diverse set of views.

Social media sites, such as Twitter, provide a false sense of certainty for users by implying that everyone thinks the same way they do, she argued.

Speaking ahead of a speech at next weeks British Science Festival, Professor Frith said: Social media has changed the world, and in lots of ways for the better. But we must be more aware of the pitfalls of living in a digital world as well. By shielding ourselves from contradictory views, and reacting to the emotional opinions of others, we are putting ourselves at risk.

Because we are such intensely social creatures, we seek the comfort of being with like-minded people. We have a need to belong. We are pleased if we find people who like the same things we like. We are happy to have our prejudices confirmed.

The problem is that the same information is repeated over and over again and remains in the bubble without spreading to other bubbles, and little new information gets in.

People need to break free from bubbles which just reinforce their opinions (Adam Davy/PA)

The professor will be addressing the festival in Brighton as incoming president of the British Science Association, which is hosting the event.

She admitted that she herself is a confirmed Twitter fan who is bewitched by the comfort of bubbles.

Prof Frith added: When we talk

of diversity, we often have in mind gender and ethnicity. But there are many other aspects of diversity: different expertise, different interests, different experiences, different personalities, and we need them all.

My three top tips would be to look for multiple independent sources, neither only trusting gut instinct nor cold reason alone, and strive for diversity in all walks of life to break us out of bubbles we have created on social networks.
North Korea claimed earlier this morning to have effectively carried out a hydrogen bomb test. According to experts in South Korea, this may have caused a heart-quake of 6.3-magnitude, causing the whole world to hold its breath amidst fear of nuclear retaliation.

Following Trump promises of fire and fury last month and his well-known short temper, its not hard to imagine how North Korea increasingly daring actions could lead to a nuclear disaster.

North Korea has conducted a major Nuclear Test. Their words and actions continue to be very hostile and dangerous to the United States.....  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) September 3, 2017

South Korea is finding, as I have told them, that their talk of appeasement with North Korea will not work, they only understand one thing!  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) September 3, 2017

It is important then to stop for a second and consider the consequences that such a catastrophe would bring to the world, in order to make leaders of the free world consider viable alternatives.

The power of nuclear weapons is measured in kilotons; each kiloton matches the explosive power of 1,000 tons of TNT.

The bomb that exploded over Hiroshima was 12.5 kiloton and killed approximately 100,000 people, destroyed buildings, vaporising the river water and annihilating all life in its blast radius.

The way nukes work is a complex one. Upon exploding, a nuclear bomb releases five tremendously destructive effects: a powerful blast wave, an electromagnetic pulse, a thermal wave, a radiation burst, and radioactive fallout.

The blast wave generates a supersonic-speed, massive wind that propagates in all directions from ground zero, destroying everything in its stride for miles.

The electromagnetic pulse that follows can damage electronic devices over an enormous area, disrupting all electrical power and all forms of modern communication.

The blast also origins a thermal wave with a temperature of 10 million degrees Centigrade or higher; incinerating anything close to ground zero, and causing severe burns to anyone within several miles.

The intense light from this thermal blast causes retinal burns in anyone looking directly at it, making people instantly blind, even from miles away.

Finally, radioactive dust and particles from the explosion will float downwind of ground zero. People hit by the fallout will suffer damages to their immune systems and will be subjected to a greater cancer risk.

Should a nuclear war come to be, and therefore multiple fallouts, the food supply around the world could be contaminated, disrupting sanitation systems and increasing the risk of infectious disease outbreaks.

An even darker setting could occur. It has been estimated that, if as few as 100 bombs were to explode over densely-populated cities, residues from the resulting fires would enter the atmosphere and lead to global cooling for a decade or moreresulting in a nuclear winter and likely leading to a mass extinction and the end of civilisation and life as we know it.

So, before the U.S. start a war that nobody will be able to stop, we need to consider this very carefully.

As world leaders discuss how to deal with North Koreas nuclear provocations, the future of our our planet hangs in the balance.
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:

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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
My name is Khan and I am not a terrorist is something thousands of young Muslims find themselves saying across the country.

Many of them are killed in encounters, the truth of which can never be established. Framed as a Terrorist is the story of Mohammad Aamir Khans 14-year struggle to prove his innocence and one might call him one of the fortunate ones. Despite the police brutality and cross examinations, Khan has managed to emerge from the depths of jail to tell his story with the help of Nandita Haksar.

We are familiar with the details he describes because we have read them a thousand times in all kinds of literature and media reports. The young men arrested for being Naxalites for example in Bengal, who vanished in the night and/or were lost forever  they did not have the benefit of trials. Khan ran the barrage of electric shocks and beatings.

Not to mention the regular medical checkups, which failed to mention the marks of torture in the reports. There were appearances in court where the word, torture, was not mentioned either. Khan found himself clearing one charge only to find himself being confronted by another and another. His parents struggled to prove his innocence and Khans only brief absence from prison was when the judge allowed him an hour to visit his father in hospital.

His father died soon after that when Khan was cleared of 11 cases with eight more to go and his mother took on the task of trudging from lawyer to lawyer. Khans story is one of the triumph of hope in the face of despair. His strength came from the people who believed in him and who worked for him outside the Tihar system. He also had kindness from fellow convicts a Sikh would throw dates into his cell to help him break his fast when he was observing roza in solitary confinement.

And, when he emerged from jail, his childhood sweetheart was still waiting for him and her father was persuaded to allow the two of them to marry, despite his doubts about having a jailbird for a son-in-law. There are differences in Khans story, but ultimately his is the story of any young man picked up from the road and condemned without a hearing, condemned by the fact of religion, being in the wrong place at the wrong time, or by political affiliation.

To be Muslim is the most common of the condemnations and Khans time in jail was complicated by the attack on Parliament that took place. What caused the police to pick on an ordinary young man from Delhis bylanes? The fact that his elder sister lived in Pakistan and while preparing to visit her, he was approached by an agent and asked to spy for India.

He was given documents to take back with him to India but when he reached the border, his terror at being caught by the Pakistani authorities caused him to throw the bag away. His arrest followed after that.

Today, though he is a free man, the State has not acknowledged his innocence. He has not been given any compensation for the 14 years he mouldered in jail, nor have the police officers who arrested him been charged for wrongful arrest and harassment.

However, Khan wrote the book not to right his wrongs but to let civil society know about the kind of treatment that gets meted out to those who do not deserve it and about others like him who, despite being innocent, havent managed to set themselves free.

(The reviewer is a freelance contributor)
Translating literature into cinema is not new for the Hindi film industry. Now with the emergence of digital platforms and a shift in audience tastes, publishers and content providers are increasingly looking to chart a more streamlined roadmap to bring compelling narratives to screen.

This idea of adapting a book to a movie is becoming more commonplace as compared to five years ago, Anish Chandy, who heads business development and sales at Juggernaut Books, said.

Around five years ago, there was no demand. So we were on a zero base. But now, theres a significant demand, where people are getting in touch with us and asking what else is there, said Chandy, who describes over-the-top (OTT) platforms Amazon Prime Video and Netflix as rich uncles who have given a boost to the word-to-screen format.

Netflix has already commissioned Sacred Games, based on author Vikram Chandras book, and Selection Day, based on the book by author Aravind Adiga, for the Indian market. These apart, there are a string of books being made into films or web series.

Hoping to bridge the gap between all the players involved, Jio MAMI (Mumbai Academy of Moving Image) Mumbai Film Festival with Star organised the second edition of the Word to Screen Market in Mumbai last month. It saw representatives from content studios and publishing houses as well as filmmakers and authors.

Actress Sonam Kapoor, who has confirmed that she is featuring in a screen adaptation of Anuja Chauhans 2008 novel The Zoya Factor, said at the gala: Books were my respite when I was growing up and then films became my profession. I think the marriage of both is very important, especially because for a consumer who cant consume books as well, its easier to consume films.

Filmmaker Kanu Behl said: Books seem to be disappearing off desks and the hard copy versions of books are going out of peoples minds. So in todays time, its even more important that books are talked about.

While the filmmaking world has become more receptive to the idea of adapting from books, publishers and authors are trying to decode the right pitch apart from looking for the red flags while dealing with content producers.

Chandy says 20 per cent queries from content providers turn into deals, and according to him thats huge for now.

We are hoping for it to increase on a rapid pace, he said.

Arpita Das of Yoda Press said, The writers are back in the centre. The writer had been relinquished or sidelined for sometime, and I think the next step would be to look towards literature and the stories that it has because thats a better source.

The Jio MAMI team is trying to put in place a skeletal system that can help filmmakers, publishers and authors in recognising the best content and in striking the right deals.

Says Smriti Kiran, Creative Director, Jio MAMI: This broken, sporadic relationship that the film industry and literature share in this country needs fixing. Cinema needs stories and literature has plenty to offer. We are trying to enable these two worlds to forge friendships, collaborations and find these untapped narratives.
A former BSP legislator for Sahibabad was booked in the murder case of BJP worker shot dead on Saturday, the Uttar Pradesh Police said.

Police said the brother of deceased Gajendra Singh Bhati has lodged a complaint with the Khoda police station, alleging that his brother was killed at the behest of former Bahujan Samaj Party legislator Amar Pal Sharma.

In his complaint, Yogesh Bhati said that he noticed his brother had been disturbed for the last three-four days and on asking the problem, was told that he (Gajendra Bhati) wanted to contest in the upcoming municipal elections in Khoda but Sharma had threatened him not to enter the fray.

He said that when his brother did not agree, Sharma hired contract killers who killed him and critically injured his party colleague who is struggling for his life at a Noida hospital.

Giving an account of Saturdays crime, he said that around noon, he and his sister-in-law Reena Bhati were travelling in a car and ahead were Gajendra Bhati and his colleague, Balbir Chauhan, riding on a motorcycle.

As they reached near R.K. Memorial school in Khoda, two men started firing at Gajendra Bhati and Chauhan and then fled towards Delhi. Taken to hospital, Bhati was declared dead by doctors.

Yogesh Bhati said that he can recognise the assailants if they are produced before him.

Both are BJP workers. No complaint has been filed so far but police are attempting to nab the criminals, said an aide to Ghaziabad SSP H.N. Singh.
The RSS has commended the Narendra Modi government for the tough handling of the Doklam standoff issue with China in the Sikkim Sector, RSS leader Manmohan Vaidya said on Sunday.

He said the issue of external security was discussed during the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sanghs three-day coordination meet here.

It is perhaps the first time that India took such a strong stand that China had to withdraw its forces (from Doklam), he told media persons here.

Vaidya, however, dismissed reports that the RSS took stock of the governments work during its meeting. This is not the platform to review governments performance.

The RSS leader said the organisation also expressed concern over the lack of jobs for the youth and said the National Democratic Alliance government should work to create more jobs in the country.

Vaidya said the RSS was of the view that there was need for society to come forward and contribute to employment generation.

He said priority should be given to small and medium enterprises, especially those in rural and agricultural domains.

There is a large section of young population in our country. There is a need to create employment for them. Not only the government but society, too, should come forward and contribute, he said.

The RSS leader also said that the 2019 General Elections and Sundays Cabinet reshuffle did not come up for discussion during the meeting. The issue of Ram Mandir at Ayodhya in Uttar Pradesh was also not discussed since the matter is in the Supreme Court, which will soon take it up.

Vaidya said that with a changing global landscape, the meeting provided an opportunity to discuss Indias role in the new world order and how it can play it better.

The RSSs annual coordination committee meeting with its affiliates began here on September 1
I n the last two weeks, my team at People for Animals has been examining all the religious sites on the Net to see what kind of nonsense is being put on it in the name of Hinduism. Ever since I learnt about the Hathajodi magicTalisman, which is just the sexual organ of the giant monitor lizard being sold by sites that claim it brings health, wealth and attraction, we have been looking for more rubbish being sold.

Siyar Singhi is supposedly the horn of a jackal. For one thing, the jackal is protected from killing by the Wildlife Protection Act 1972. For another, the jackal does not have a horn. The sites selling this agree that it normally does not have a horn.

But when it hoots (they probably mean howls) with its head facing downwards (a technical impossibility) then suddenly a horn emerges from its forehead. If the jackal is killed and the horn is taken with a tuft of hair on it, the hair will keep growing forever and in different colours as long as it is kept in vermillion powder.

It supposedly keeps away evil spirits  if you do regular havans round it for which, of course, you have to get havan priests and spend a lot more. Otherwise it doesnt work (of course, then it is your fault).

This nonsense about the Siyar Singhi doesnt just extend to Hindus. It seems to be all pervasive in Muslims and Buddhists as well. In Sri Lanka some illiterates use it (its called narric  combo) as an amulet to win in gambling. The Tharu tribes of Nepal and India believe it will grant the men the ability to see in the dark and seduce women.

In Bengal it is placed in safes (as is the hathjodi) to increase wealth. However, since this can only be done if a puja is done before the safe, the gang that passes off as priests usually take the opportunity to rob it later. Some sites have gone even further and said that the Bible has written that the jackal is the mother of the Devil and so keeping the horn of the mother will ensure that the devil stays away. The Golden Jackal had 13 subspecies.

It is now down to 7. It is a small dog-like animal that eats fruit, insects, small reptiles, birds and small rodents. The family lives together in small groups of parents and children. They are portrayed in the Jatakas and Panchatantra as intelligent creatures and to hear a jackal howl was a sign of good luck. The Jackal is associated with the goddesses Kali, Chamunda.

The jackal is eaten by Koli and Vaghir tribes of Gujarat and Rajasthan and by the Narikaruravas in Tamil Nadu who eat anything from rats and squirrels and stolen pet dogs and cats from Chennaishouses. But the real reason for the decline is this mumbo jumbo rubbish of people wanting an imaginary bone in its head to bring them luck.

According to these sites, which are now on the radar of the police and will be shut down and the owners arrested, this bone of a scavenger considered unclean by most of the shastras will now bring wealth, win law cases, help you get on with your married partner, restore health, acquire property, remove depression. Ifactivated (this means a set of expensive poojas running into lakhs) it will cure autism, mental diseases, Panic Disorders, Attention-deficit or hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), Autism spectrum disorder (ASD), Eating disorders, Schizophrenia, Substance abuse etc.

You, of course, have to recite mantras that vary from site to site  and religion to religion  Mumkaraya Kuru Namah,Om Padma Shrim, Om Hariram Purva Dakshin Uttar Paschim, Adhik taralpadarth sabhi janya agyakari kuru kuru nama, gidar singhi amuk mother vashayankuru kuru sawah. None of them make any sense in Sanskrit but, depending on the site, you have to say these, ranging from 21-108 times.

And even then it wont work unless a crystal mala is bought from the same site and charged regularly- which costs even more money. The Muslims are told that Allah has put a special power inside it. And buying just one is not good enough.

You have to get a male and female. According to them the horn is collected only on the waning moon on a particular nakshatra which is only known to the masters.You must put the siyar singhi in your hand and say I own you my name is so and so you have to obey me and then put this in a silver box along with 3 cloves and 2 cardamoms.

You can use this item to cause extreme pain and even death to your enemies. In order to make it even more expensive, the sites have gone into incredible detail: The jackal is not any jackal, but a rare species called Motiya. And not any motiya either. It has to be the leader of the pack. And how will you know that he is the leader and carries the horn.

Because he dies after he hears a regular outburst of strange voices. He cannot be old, as the singhi disappears from his head, so he has to be a young leader of a pack -which is even rarer. How does one make out the horn is real? Put the singhi in mercury (the kind you get in old thermometers).

The horn will eat it up! If that wasnt bad enough, one type of Siyar Singh, called Linga SiyarSinghi which comes from the male jackals sexual organ is now being pushed as a sacred object. I suppose it is easier to verify than an imaginary horn.

Every site claims that every other site and shop selling this Siyar Singhi is selling fakes taken from dogs and pigs and stuck onto bones with glue. In the 21st century if you believe that a bone and a hank of hair can get you what you cant get through work, prayer, education and ambition, then go ahead and make these fake site owners rich!

(To join the animal welfare movement contact [email protected] , www.peopleforanimalsindia.org)
The Partition of the Indian subcontinent in 1947 has become indissolubly linked to horrific, haunting images of armed gangs or mobs attacking helpless groups of men, women and children trying to cross a border that had just been scratched on the map.

Literature registers the shock in works that make harrowing reading. Partition literature becomes a tragic subgenre in the subcontinent. However, this image of Partition literature does not apply uniformly throughout the region.

The massacre was centred on the Punjab. South India, mercifully, was spared the horrors. In the east the pattern of violence was quite different, and had a different sort of demographic and literary fallout. The holocaust in the Punjab left no Hindus or Sikhs west of the border and no Muslims to its east.

In Bengal, instead of such wholesale demographic changes, there has been migration in spurts and trickles prompted by episodes of communal conflict. Bangladesh is unique in that it has undergone the experience of partition three times; and each time it has been different from the other two. The first partition, which took place in 1905, and was repealed six years later, mainly touched Calcutta-based writers.

In 1947, Bengali Muslims wanted an undivided province to go to Pakistan, while Hindus favoured partition. The Muslim peasantry identified a dual antagonist comprising the Hindu zamindars and British colonisers. The opposition was further complicated by a class dichotomy among Bengali Muslims, with Muslim zamindars and their other upper-class coreligionists labelling themselves superior (ashraf) as opposed to the inferior Muslim common people (atraf).

Consequently, two kinds of Muslim political formations emerged, Fazlul Huqs Krishak Praja Party claiming to represent the peasantry; while the Muslim League was dominated byashrafpoliticians, many from the zamindar class.

The internal dialectic of Muslim politics became a tussle between the two groups for the support of the Muslim masses, with the upper-class leaders happily falling back on the universalist message of Islam to paper over class differences. Perhaps the earliest fictional treatment of Partition by a Bangladeshi writer was the short story, The Escape, written in English by Syed Waliullah (1922- 1971) and included in the Pakistan PEN Miscellany (1950).

The locale is unspecified but can be taken to be North India, though it could be on either side of the newly-drawn border, and the action takes place on a train, an iconic emblem of hope and horror in that region. Except for the detail of a skull cap on someones head there is nothing to indicate the religious affiliation of the passengers, thus lending the story greater universality.

The same effect is produced by an anonymous corpse lying on a station platform. A moving piece, it uses expressionistic devices to evoke the horror of what was happening  a character described as a madman by another, and who leaps off the running train; a story that the narrators interlocutor is not interested in listening to and remains unfinished.

Another story of Waliullahs that subtly captures the inner turmoil wrought by Partition on those who had become uprooted is Ekti Tulsi Gachher Kahini. It features a group of refugees from India who break into and occupy an abandoned Hindu home.

One of them finds a tulsi plant in a bedraggled state on the grounds of the house and wants to pull it out as it is sacred to Hindus. Another refugee, who has caught a cold, points out its medicinal value in treating coughs and colds, and the plant is spared.

Someone quietly tends the plant so that it begins to thrive again. Through the mediation of the plant the dispossessed owners of the house and its illegal occupants come to realise their common fate. Niaz Zaman in The Divided Legacy, the only book-length study of Partition literature by a Bangladeshi critic, aptly comments, Both the groups are homeless refugees, both forced to vacate their homes for an uncertain future in an unknown place Despite religious and political differences, Waliullah suggests, the human bond remains somewhere underneath.

The story ends with officials evicting the squatters from the house, which has been requisitioned by the government. The tulsi plant, with none to water it, begins to wither again. The implication is clear; the suffering brought on by Partition is to be blamed on the impersonal decisions of officials.

The first Bangladeshi novel dealing with Partition is Ranga Prabhat (1957) by Abul Fazl (1903-1983). Two novels, both Marxist in inspiration, focusing on the anxieties and social tensions in the decades leading up to Partition, are Alauddin Al AzadsKshudha O Asha (1964) Sardar Jainuddins Anek Suryer Asha (1966).

A much more ambitious novel is Shahidullah Kaisers Shangshaptak (1965), which was also made into a highly successful television serial. Shahidullah Kaiser (1927-1971) was not only Marxist-inspired; he was a card-carrying member of the Communist Party at a time when it was an underground organisation.

The Communist Party of undivided India, though opposed to the dismemberment of the subcontinent, advised members to accept it as an inexorable historical reality and to carry on party activities in whichever country they happened to have their domicile. Kaiser therefore views Partition as a historical accident within the broad dialectical play of social forces and classes.

His protagonist Zahed starts off as a committed Muslim League activist but turns later into a communist. The conflicts that led to partition give way to other conflicts, between West and East Pakistan, while the inherent class conflicts continue to impact peoples lives. Abu RushdsNongor(1967), is the work of a West Bengali Muslim who chose to move to (East) Pakistan. It may be described as bourgeois realist fiction depicting the existential choices of a protagonist, Kamal, who is in many ways the authors persona.

Nostalgia is a powerful theme in Partition-related fiction from West Bengal, but not in Bangladeshi works. And so, when Taslima Nasreen forays into this theme it is with a Hindu migrant to India who visits her old home in Fera (1993). Her protagonist Kalyani comes back to Mymensingh only to be dismayed at the changes that have overtaken the place.

Akhteruzzaman Elias (1943-1995) has produced a novel of epic proportions in Khoabnama (1997). Supriya Chaudhuri in her essay The Bengali Novel describes it, with good reason, as possibly the greatest modern Bengali novel, a prose epic spanning a vast and diverse timeline and creating a distinctive kind of magic realism drawing on indigenous traditions of folk narrative, memory and legend, as on subaltern history.

The narrative opens with the fakir rebellion of the late 18th century, and follows the lives of later generations steeped in legends derived from that hoary age. Villagers bring up questions of sectarian differences of which the urban middle classes are hardly aware. Some characters affirm their identity as Muhammadi (that is, adherents of the Tariqae-Muhammadi, a Wahhabi-inspired sect).

The ideological effort of the proPakistan activists to paper over such crucial local differences is exposed as a ploy to ensure that leadership of Muslims stays with a certain class. The problems of the tenancy system led to the Communistled tebhaga movement around the time of Partition; this unsuccessful venture aimed to obtain two-thirds of the produce for the tenant farmers instead of the customary half.

Khoabnama received the Ananda Prize, the most prestigious literary award given in Kolkata, as did Agunpakhi by Hasan Azizul Huq (2006). Unlike Elias, Huq hails from West Bengal. He migrated to Pakistan in a most lackadaisical manner, as a brief interview reveals. In Burdwan, where his family came from, the Muslims of that area did not experience any real trouble, he says.

His sisters husband was an English teacher in a college in what had become East Pakistan. They asked him to live with them and study, so he went. After completing an MA at Rajshahi University he returned to Burdwan and took up a job as a schoolteacher.

After three months a visiting school inspector questioned his bona fide as an Indian, even though he had an Indian passport, so he came back to Rajshahi and settled there. He persuaded his parents to join him and his brother there, but his uncles and cousins stayed on in India even though they had supported the Pakistan movement.

Agunpakhi is a first person account in the dialect of Burdwan of the life of a middle class Muslim woman who sees the organic community into which she had been born shatter under the impact of communal politics. But in the end she takes a stand and refuses to accompany her family to Pakistan. Lets end with a cursory look at the presence of Partition in the work of writers born after the event.

A short story in English, Khademul IslamsAn Ilish Story, published in the Bangladeshi journal Six Seasons Review, presents a scene in a middle class Bengali home in Dhaka in the aftermath of the independence war of 1971. The narrator has escaped with his family from Pakistan, where they would have been treated like prisoners.

He watches his grandmother cut and dress a hilsa fish (ilish in Bengali). As she does so she narrates what she has seen and heard during the war. 1971 was 1947 all over again, she says, as she holds both ends of the fish with her hands and vigorously saws it back and forth across the blade. The description of the cutting becomes increasingly gory as she narrates how in her native district, a maulvi led an attack on a Hindu family in the neighbourhood.

Mahmud Rahmans short story collection, Killing the Water (2010), includes a few pieces that sketch in the Partition as an unavoidable backdrop. Tahmima Anams debut novel, A Golden Age(2007), links up Partition with the 1971 war through the family of Rehana Ali of Calcutta.

It is an interesting facet of our current cultural climate that the younger generation is drawn to a critical examination of the trauma of Partition in order to see their historical situation in perspective. An anthology of graphic narratives issued in 2013, This Side That Side: Restorying Partition, curated by Vishwajyoti Ghosh, brings together the attempts of writers and artists from Pakistan, India and Bangladesh to deal with the existential spin-off of the event. When the book was launched at the Dhaka Hay Festival in November 2013, all 70 copies were sold out in record time; and so would have three times that number.

Last year Lexington Books, US, published Revisiting Indias Partition: New Essays on Memory,Culture,and Politics, edited by Amritjit Singh, Naini Iyer, and Rahul K Gairola; it includes two essays by Bangladeshis, Md Rezaul Haque (on The Case of Hasan Azizul Huq) and myself (Partition and the Bangladeshi Literary Response, from which the present piece is adapted.)

The 70th anniversary of Partition will witness the publication of an anthology, Looking Back:Indias Partition Seventy Years On, edited by Debjani Sengupta, Tarun K Saint and Rakshanda Jalil, and published by Orient Black Swan. Bangladeshs Partition literature deserves to be considered alongside similar works from other parts of the subcontinent. But more important than literary criticism is the task of transcending the conflicts that have given rise to the literature.

Perhaps the most deleterious outcome of Partition has been the partitioning of the sub-continental mind. We have not only become an extended family of squabbling nations, we have grown to deny our civilisational unity. It is imperative that we make efforts to rediscover our commonality. This is true in every realm of experience, the cultural as well as the socio-economic and political.

We cannot go back to the status quo ante, we cannot undo a tragedy, but we can try to go beyond towards a better order of things. Dealing critically with the cultural fallout of Partition is a necessary first step in that endeavour.

(The writer is a poet, translator, essayist, critic and academic The Daily Star/ANN)
Silver jubilees are not uncommon, yet 25 years as head of an educational institution is indeed something of a rarity. That achievement has just been recorded by Stephen DaCosta, Principal and Manager of the Frank Anthony Public School in Lajpat Nagar, New Delhi. After teaching in reputed schools in Lucknow and Allahabad, DaCosta joined FAPS in 1989 as Vice-Principal and was appointed to the top slot in 1992. Teaching English literature is his specialty. Under his stewardship the school, which caters to 3,500 students and prepares them for examinations conducted by the CISCE, has grown in both sizeand stature. A series of awards have been earned by DaCosta, most prominent among them being the HRD Ministrys National Award for Teachers, which was presented to him in 2007 by the President of India. He has served on the managing committee of leading schools across the country. A man of many parts, Stephen is an active social worker who has been president of the New Delhi YMCA. A tireless worker for his community, he is the long-standing president of the Delhi Branch of the All India Anglo Indian Association and has been a member of thenational executive of the organisation. Awards etc were recently overshadowed by the recognition extended by FAPS at a function to mark his 25 years of sterling service. While colleagues lauded his professional prowess, what was outstanding was the respect, admiration and love exuded by the students ~ a schoolteacher could ask for nothing more.

Resident Knight

The only permanently-based British knight in Delhi, Sir Mark Tully, fell seriously ill some time back and surprisingly enough only one local paper reported his admission to a Saket hospital. Hopefully he has recovered now and gone back home. Sir Marks No1 East Nizamuddin house became a landmark after his retirement as BBC Bureau Chief in India. Just adjacent to the Siri City wall of Alauddin Khilji, he shared the residence with his live-in partner Gillian Wright, herself a writer, who has acquired a rare proficiency for a Briton in spoken Urdu and literature.Except for short visits to meet his family in England, Sir Mark faces Delhis climate of extremes with great fortitude. He did a feature film for the Railways on the romamce of steam engines some years ago, travelling on trains through the length and breadth of the country, which endeared him to many. He also acted in a film on the Mutiny of 1857, in which he rode a horse in period costume.

The last time one met him was in February at the Gymkhana club, where he sat under a shamiana on a secluded seat, taking down copious notes, probably for a column he writes for a Delhi paper. Now 81, one hopes Sir Mark will grace the Delhi socio-cultural scene for many years to come.

Double benefit

Usually people are afraid to change~ obviously who wants to come out of ones comfort zone? But a colleague came across a group of male teachers in Ranchi, who changed themselves after attending a few lectures. Surprisingly, those lectures were not meant for them but students in their schools. The colleague, who was on a field visit to schools in Kunthi district of Jharkhand, organised by an NGO, interacted with some students and teachers trying to check the impact of intervention. The NGO, which works for gender equality, had held some sessions for middle school students in Kunthi district. During the interaction, the students, particularly boys, informed how the sessions changed their lifestyle. They recounted how they now treated girls as equal, worked at home, helped their mothers in household work and several other changes in their daily lives. Once done with the students, our colleague turned to the teachers, who also shared their experience following these sessions. To our friends surprise, many of them enthusiastically informed how these session changed their thinking and so their lifestyle. Among a host of changes, now many of them have started cooking or helping their wives to cook. As can be expected, this feedback brought a big smile on the faces of the organisers standing there.

Tailpiece

Overheard: If nothing else, the new set of currency notes are certainly a colourful lot ~ one can now spend by the colour!

* * *

Contributed by: Keith Flory, R V Smith, Rakesh Kumar and Asha Ramachandran
Terrorists do not sit still, and nor should we. As we crack down on one form of terror, they find others to pursue. They adapt to changing technology and changing trends, and so should we.

Over recent days, Europe has once again been struck by terror; in Barcelona and Cambrils, Spain, and Turku, Finland, attacks have killed and injured citizens from across the continent and across the world. Those sad events remind us that, today, no corner of Europe is immune, no country unaffected.

By whatever means they are pursued, there is nothing noble in these acts of cowardice. There can be no justification for such murder and violence. Faced with these threats, citizens  rightly  expect us to do more than just condemn after the fact.

Maintaining peoples security is a primary role of any government; and it is certainly a priority of the current European Commission too. We cannot promise that such attacks will not occur again; I wish we could, but in this  as in other areas  there is no such thing as zero risk. What we can do is make it harder and harder for those who would seek to perpetrate murder and atrocity.

Terrorists need weapons. New EU laws, agreed earlier this year, restrict gun ownership, closing loopholes that were so tragically exploited nearly two years ago in Paris; meanwhile, we continue to intensify our fight against illegal trafficking through routes like the Balkans. And weve tightened controls around the materials used to build homemade explosives.

Terrorists need money. Last December we proposed new ways to combat money laundering, to tighten controls on illicit cash movements, and to freeze and confiscate the assets of suspected or convicted criminals and terrorists. And terrorists need to move.

We are making it harder for them to do so. Since last April, anyone seeking to enter or leave the EUs Schengen zone faces new security checks. Countries will share information about those flying to, from or within Europe, under new EU rules on passenger name records agreed in April 2016  even if many EU countries still need to get moving to implement those rules. Under our proposals for a European travel information and authorisation system, those hoping to visit the EU would have to undergo checks before even setting foot on European soil.

Finally, we are working to improve how Europes different law enforcement information and data bases talk to each other, making it harder for terrorists to assume different identities in different countries, or otherwise slip through the cracks. Terrorists do not sit still, and nor should we. As we crack down on one form of terror, they find others to pursue. They adapt to changing technology and changing trends, and so should we.

So we also take upstream action to tackle radicalisation. EU networks help national practitioners learn from each other and support those on the front line challenging radicalisation in our communities. The European internet forum, grouping internet companies and national authorities, tackles radicalisation online.

Around 90 per cent of the terrorist content identified by Europol gets taken offline and were working with the internet companies to make detection more automatic. Toughened EU antiterror laws mean those travelling to Syria to fight for Isis, or those receiving terrorist training, face criminal prosecution. The Commission is working with national and local authorities to identify and spread the best practice in protecting so called soft targets, such as public spaces, airports, stations, schools or hospitals. In September, I will be meeting city leaders from across the EuroMediterranean region, who are gathering in Nice to reinforce their efforts to tackle radicalisation and protect their citizens. This is not the first time Europe has faced a terror threat.

In recent decades we have seen the Baader-Meinhof Gang, the Red Brigades, ETA and the IRA. But todays threat is more global. It targets our European way of life, seeks to divide our communities, and undermine our values. When it comes to security, national authorities remain the first line of responsibility, and the first line of defence.

But the EU can and does provide significant support: improving information sharing on potential threats, boosting cooperation, and cutting the space available for terrorism to thrive and spread. When terrorism strikes, citizens across Europe rise up to show their compassion for victims, and their revulsion at the attackers nihilistic worldview: Je Suis Paris, I Am London, No tinc por. We need to show that same solidarity and determination, redoubling our efforts at local, national and European level to defeat those who seek to do us harm.

(Julian King is the European Commissioner for the Security Union The Independent)
Indian and Pakistani troops traded heavy gun fire on Sunday on the Line of Control (LoC) in Jammu and Kashmirs Poonch district.

Defence Ministry sources said heavy shelling and firing started between the two armies in Mendhar and Mankote areas.

After the Pakistan Army resorted to unprovoked shelling and firing at Indian positions, Indian military retaliated strongly and effectively, an official said and added Shelling and firing exchanges are going on.

In a significant development on Saturday, no greetings were exchanged between the two armies on Eid-ul-Azha because of heightened tensions along the LoC.
Former diplomat Hardeep Puri, former union Home Secretary RK Singh, former bureaucrat KJ Alphons, former Mumbai Police Commissioner Satyapal Singh and five other new faces including MPs Ashwini Choubey from Bihar and Anant Kumar Hegde from Karnataka will be inducted into the Union Council of Ministers in the expansion and reshuffle to be carried out by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday.

The oath-taking ceremony will take place at 10.30am at the Rashtrapati Bhavan.

The others to be inducted are Shiv Pratap Shukla, a Rajya Sabha member from Uttar Pradesh, Virendra Kumar, a Scheduled Caste member of Lok Sabha from Madhya Pradesh and Gajendra Singh Shekhawat, a Lok Sabha member from Rajasthan.

Sources said six ministers have resigned as part of restructuring for which the Prime Minister has chosen the power of four Ps  Passion, Proficiency, Professional and Political Acumen for Progress.

Among those who resigned are Skill Development Minister Rajiv Pratap Rudy, Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises Minister Kalraj Mishra, Minister of State for Human Resource Developmet Mahendra Nath Pandey and junior Water Resources Minister Sanjeev Balyan.

However, sources did not indicate as to whether the new entrants are being inducted into the Cabinet or as Ministers of State. Since they will be first timers in the government, all the nine may be inducted as Ministers of State.

The disclosure of names came after a final round of discussions between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and BJP President Amit Shah after Shah returned from Vrindavan where he met top RSS brass including Mohan Bhagwat on the third reshuffle exercise by Modi, seen as crucial ahead of assembly polls in some states and 2019 Lok Sabha polls.

Petroleum Minister Dharmendra Pradhan met Shah in the evening triggering speculation of a promotion to cabinet rank.

There was no indication as to the changes being made at the cabinet level amid speculation that Modi could appoint a Defence Minister while shifting Railway Minister Suresh Prabhu to some other ministry.

Puri, who was Indias Permanent Representative at the United Nations, had joined BJP ahead of the 2014 Lok Sabha elections. An officer of the 1974 batch of IFS, he is known for his experience and expertise in foreign policy and national security.

RK Singh, a Lok Sabha member from Ara in Bihar, was union Home Secretary during the UPA rule and had served in various capacities including as Defence Production Secretary and Joint Secretary in the Home Ministry.

Alphons, who earned the sobriquet Demolition Man when as DDA commissioner he undertook a campaign against unauthorised constructions in the national capital scrapping 15,000 buildings, is a former IAS officer who had joined BJP in Kerala.

As Collector, Alphons had played a leading role in making Kottayam the first literate town in the whole country in 1989. Like Puri, he is not a Member of Parliament.

Satyapal Singh, an MP from Baghpat in western Uttar Pradesh, was Mumbai Police Commissioner known for his extraordinary work in Maoist-affected areas of Andhra Pradesh and Madhya Pradesh. As Police Commissioner in Mumbai, Pune and Nagpur, he is credited with breaking the backbone of organised crime syndicates in the 1990s.

In the political category, Shiv Pratap Shukla, the Rajya Sabha MP from Uttar Pradesh is a member of Parliamentary Standing Committee on Rural Development and a four time member of the Uttar Pradesh assembly. He has served as cabinet minister in the state for eight years and is known for his work in rural development, education and prison reforms.

The other nominee from Bihar Ashwini Choubey is a Lok Sabha member from Buxar. He was elected MLA from Bhagalpur for five consecutive terms and has held portfolios of Health, Urban Development and Public Health Engineering for eight years.

Virendra Kumar is a six-time Lok Sabha member from Tikamgarh in Madhya Pradesh and is the chairman of Parliamentary Standing Committee on Labour. Choubey and Kumar have participated in JP movement in 1970s and were imprisoned during the Emergency.

Hegde, a Lok Sabha MP from Uttara Kannada in Karnataka, is a seasoned parliamentarian having won five elections. He is a member of the parliamentary committee on External Affairs and Human Resource Development and has keen interest in rural development. Assembly elections are due in Karnatka early next year and in Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan in the later part.

Shekhawat, a first time MP from Jodhpur in Rajasthan, is a techno savvy progressive farmer and is seen as a role model for the rural community. Known for his simple life style, he is one of the most followed political leaders on Quora globally.

The sources said in continuation of his track record identifying his fellow team members on the merit of their past performance and future potential, the Prime Minister has selected the new ministers with a mandate to deliver on his vision of new India. The vision is built on foundations of development and good governance with a focus on poor opressed and deprieved section of the society.

They said the ministers were going to be strategic placed in key ministries, specially focussing on last-mile delivery directly to the people. They come from diverse social and economic backgrounds as well as from across the country.
The Line of Control (LoC) with Pakistan is today more volatile than it has been in the past five years. The number of terrorist attacks in Kashmir has risen sharply this summer. The standoff with the Peoples Liberation Army (PLA) at Doklam has stretched to two months. The rhetoric being spewed out by the Chinese government-controlled media is getting shriller by the day. China-Pakistan collusion is increasing and India will have to face a two-front situation during any future conflict.

With the dogs of war barking in the distance, the Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) released an explosive report in July about continuing ammunition shortages. There are large-scale deficiencies in other important military items of equipment as well. The inadequacies in the state of Indias defence preparedness, termed as critical hollowness by General V K Singh, former COAS, merit the governments urgent attention.

Deficiencies in ammunition have an adverse impact on the ability to sustain military operations over a period of time, when necessary. According to the CAG, in March 2013, 50 per cent of the different categories of weapons (including tanks and artillery guns) had stocks for less than ten days of fighting. Since then, there has been some improvement, but for 40 per cent of its weapons, the army is still holding stocks for less than ten days of conflict.

The Kargil conflict in 1999 had lasted 50 days and a future border conflict may also be prolonged. During the Kargil operations, 50,000 rounds of 155 mm artillery ammunition had to be imported from South Africa. Such a critical situation during a time of crisis must be avoided through a prudent replenishment and stocking policy.

The armys sister Services are no better off. Over the last five years, the Indian Navy has had major accidents on board INS Sindhurakshak and INS Sindhuratna, both submarines. In another accident, submarine batteries that should have been replaced much earlier were still being used due to inordinately long acquisition procedures. From its peak at 39 squadrons over a decade ago, the fighting strength of the Indian Air Force has gone down to 32-33 squadrons, whereas actually 42-45 squadrons will be required to meet future threats and challenges.

Obsolescent fighter aircraft like MiG-21s and MiG-27s and vintage helicopters are still in service. The holding of surfaceto-air missile (SAM) systems for air defence operations is grossly inadequate as indigenous research and development projects have been plagued by time and cost overruns. The fortification of forward air bases against terrorist attacks (Pathankot was attacked in January 2016), has not yet been completed.

The continuance of obsolete and obsolescent weapons and equipment also affects the countrys defence preparedness as these are usually in a poor state of maintenance. Modernisation of the armed forces has been stagnating due to the inadequacy of funds, the black-listing of several defence manufacturers and bureaucratic red tape that stymies the acquisition process. Several pragmatic amendments have been made in the new Defence Procurement Procedure (DPP 2016) to streamline procurement procedures and encourage participation of the private sector in defence manufacture.

Defence procurement projects worth over Rs 1,50,000 crore have been accorded acceptance of necessity (AON), or approval in principle, by the NDA government, but it will take up to five years before deliveries of the weapons systems begin. And, as during in the UPA regime, significantly large amounts of funds continue to be surrendered unspent from the capital budget.

Artillery modernisation has been stagnating. There is an urgent need to acquire approximately 3,000 pieces of 155 mm/52-calibre guns to replace obsolescent towed and self-propelled guns and howitzers. So far a contract has been signed only for 145 pieces of M777 155 mm/45-calibre howitzers from the US. Another contract for 114 pieces of 155 mm/45-calibre howitzers based on the Bofors design is expected to be signed with the Ordnance Factories Board (OFB) shortly if the gun clears all trials. Air defence and army aviation units are also equipped with obsolete equipment that has substantially reduced their combat effectiveness and created vulnerabilities.

Modern wars are fought mostly during the hours of darkness, but a large number of the armys armoured fighting vehicles ~ tanks and infantry combat vehicles ~ are still night blind. Only about 650 T-90S tanks of Russian origin have genuine night-fighting capability. The infantry battalions need over 30,000 third generation night vision devices, new assault rifles ~ a soldiers basic weapon, carbines for close quarter battle, general purpose machine guns, light-weight antimaterial rifles, mine protected vehicles, 390,000 ballistic helmets, and 180,000 lightweight bullet-proof jackets.

The navy is in the process of commissioning an air defence ship at Kochi to replace the aircraft carrier INS Vikrant and is building six Scorpene submarines at Mazagon Docks. It is also building 22 destroyers, frigates, corvettes, fast attack craft, landing ships and support ships. However, Indias maritime security challenges are growing and the navy not only needs to modernise but also expand its footprint in the Indo-Pacific region along with the navies of Indias strategic partners.

The modernisation plans of the air force are making progress, but at a snails pace. The MMRCA project to acquire 126 fighter aircraft to replace obsolete MiG-21s is stuck in a groove, with the exception of the purchase of 36 Rafale fighters from France. Lockheed Martin (F-16) and Boeing (F-18) have jumped into the fray again with offers to produce their fighter aircraft locally with transfer of technology (ToT).

The IAF also requires several additional AWACS early warning aircraft, six mid-air refueller tankers, 56 transporter planes, 20 advance jet trainers, 38 basic trainers, 48 medium-lift helicopters, reconnaissance and surveillance helicopters, surface-toair missile systems and electronic warfare suites. All three Services need to upgrade their C4I2SR capabilities to prepare for effects-based operations in a network-centric environment and to match ever increasing Chinese military capabilities.

The planned acquisitions are capital intensive and the present defence budget cannot support many of them. The defence budget has dipped to 1.56 per cent of the countrys projected GDP for 2017-18 ~ the lowest level since the disastrous 1962 war with China. It must be progressively raised to 3.0 per cent of the GDP if India is to build the defence capabilities that it needs to meet future threats and challenges and discharge its growing responsibilities as a regional power in South Asia.

Unless deficiencies in weapons, ammunition and equipment are made up quickly, the management of the defence budget improves by an order of magnitude and the defence procurement process is streamlined further, thoughts of critical hollowness will continue to haunt Indias defence planners.
North Korea has intensified its defiance of world opinion, but the comity of nations, notably the US, is groping for a commensurately robust response after the Kim Jong-un regime fired yet another missile, this time over pacifist Japan.

Last Mondays renewed bout of muscle-flexing ~ after the recent firing of a second ICBM missile ~ marks an unprecedented escalation of the Norths nuclear designs. In Donald Trumps reckoning, words are not enough and all options are on the table, a perception that underlines the enormity of the crisis that is brewing in the peninsula.

Yet in todays conduct of international relations, a war is not quite the immediate option. China, however close to North Korea, has let it be known that it intends to strengthen economic sanctions to the maximum point that the UN collectively, and China specifically, would find politically tolerable. In response to the ICBM tests, China allowed the UN to ban North Korean exports of coal, iron, iron ore, lead, lead ore and seafood ~ industries that form the bedrock of the secluded nations economy. It also prohibited countries from increasing the number of North Korean labourers working abroad, as well as bans on new joint ventures with the country.

Nine individuals and four entities were added to a UN blacklist, including Pyongyangs primary foreign exchange bank. If Beijings immediate response is any indication, the cache of sanctions will almost certainly be intensified.

The Security Council has been united in its condemnation of Pyongyang, but the world ~ pre-eminently South Korea, Japan, and the US (the ultimate target) ~ does expect an unqualified censure matched with suitable action.

The Western powers are floundering in search of a response; this at any rate has been the impression conveyed this week. If Iran is held up as a case-study, while sanctions can be effective up to a point, the crippling curbs can scarcely bring a regime to its knees. While the US is still chewing over the issue, China, which may even be quietly pleased at the Wests discomfiture with its acolytes antics, would appear to be pursuing its traditional policy of thus far-and no further. Small wonder that Beijing is opposed to what they call a collective economic measure in the shape of a ban on the export of energy to North Korea.

Such a step, China says, could destabilise the North Korean regime in dangerous ways, even create a humanitarian catastrophe, sending tens of thousands of refugees pouring over the border into China. The comity of nations does expect Beijing to ratchet up the pressure on Pyongyang, but geostrategy might determine policy ahead of the crucial party congress which is expected to extend President Xi Jinpings tenure by five years.

Hence the fear that the collapse of the North Korean regime is likely to result in the enforced reunification of the Korean peninsula. No, this is not on Chinas agenda.
A news item that didnt seem to get any traction at all this week was the filing of war crimes charges in Brazil and Colombia against the former chief of the Sri Lankan army Gen Jagath Jayasuriya who is reported to have fled Latin America.

The charges relate to the alleged war crimes, including summary execution of surrendered/captured Tamil Tiger cadres, rape and torture of men and women, disappearances, and then mass-scale targeting of civilians in no-fire-zones recorded in eastern Sri Lanka using rockets and artillery.

Jayasuriya was the operational commander as a major-general in northern Sri Lanka during the last stretches of the war which saw the army finally crushing the terrorist Liberation Tiger of Tamil Eelam and declaring victory in May 2009, bringing to a close the quarter century-old conflict.

Later, after his elevation as army chief which was followed by his retirement from the army in 2015, Jayasuria was posted as his countrys envoy to Brazil with simultaneous accreditation to Colombia, Argentina, Peru, Chile and Suriname based in Brasilia.

The charges were filed by the South Africa-headquartered International Truth and Justice Project (ITJP) in partnership with human rights organisations in Latin America. They were represented by Spanish lawyer Carlos Castresana Fernandez. Charges relate to Jayasuriyas role in the final phase of the Sri Lankan civil war when the UN estimated between 40,000 and 70,000 Tamil civilians were killed. In 1996, Fernandez was among the Spanish lawyers who filed cases against Chilean dictator Gen Augusto Pinochet in the Spanish National Court.

As head of the Commission Against Impunity in Guatelama (CICIG), he indicted Guatemalas former president Alfonso Portillo and a number of other Guatemalan war criminals including members of organised crime.

He was also involved in the cases against Argentine dictator Gen Rafael Videla for crimes committed during his tenure from 1976 to 1981.

I am shocked to see there is even more evidence of grave crimes in this lawsuit than in the cases we started against Gen Pinochet or Videla, said Castresana, according to the ITJP.

Nobody believed at first that the Pinochet case would go anywhere or that the Argentinian courts would ever be able to make the military juntas accountable; nobody believed the Guatemalan security forces could be held accountable, but with a handful of good, committed people I want to tell you that it is possible to deliver justice for the victims. I dont care that he fled Brazil; the case is just starting. He has made things easier for us, because fleeing he will not enjoy immunity anymore.

The ITJP says the charges relate to Jayasuriyas role in the final phase of the civil war in 2009 when the United Nations estimated between 40,000 and 70,000 Tamil civilians were killed and a 2015 UN Investigation found reasonable grounds to conclude the Sri Lankan military had committed systematic and widespread violations of international humanitarian law.

The lawsuit filed in Brasilia and Bogota on Monday alleges that Jayasuriya bears individual criminal responsibility as the commander of units that committed repeated attacks on hospitals, carried out acts of torture and sexual violence and were responsible for enforced disappearances and extrajudicial killings. Jagath Jayasuriya was the Vanni Security Force commander from 2007- 09 and, by his own admission, overseeing the entire conduct of the final phase of the war during which Tamil civilians were indiscriminately shelled and bombed and hospitals targeted.

He oversaw the offensive from one of Sri Lankas most notorious torture sites, known as Joseph Camp. The ITJP has collected testimony from 14 survivors of torture and/or sexual violence in this camp that occurred while Gen Jayasuriya was in command of the site.

Joseph Camp had purpose-built torture chambers, equipped with manacles and chains, pulleys for hoisting detainees upside down, bars for handcuffing them to the ceiling and underground holding cells.

Victims describe hearing other detainees screaming at night, which the general would also have been able to hear from his house in the camp. The lawsuit also alleges Jayasuriya, who went on to become Sri Lankan army commander, had command responsibility for acts of extrajudicial execution and the enforced disappearance of hundreds of those who surrendered at the end of the conflict. The Sri Lankan government, for its part, rejected the charges against one of the countrys war heroes and described them as part of the Tamil diasporas propaganda against Colombo and its forces. It has also said it is happy to investigate any credible charges of such crimes.

Having read through the details of testimonies of some of the survivors a picture of immense horror emerges of brutal torture and sex crimes against the detainees before their summary execution. In many cases, soldiers involved in the actions were making videos of the whole exercise on their phones, lending credence to charges that this was an orchestrated effort. One is, of course, not naive about how vicious this war was and how nearly insane was the LTTEs founder-leader Vellupillai Prabhakran as his quest for a separate Tamil homeland in the north of the country included using child soldiers and deploying suicide bombers.

He also spurned a credible peace effort a few years before being killed in the final phase of the conflict. But that a countrys trained armed forces would so systematically disregard the law and trample on human rights is shocking to say the least. Whether Jayasuriya is ever brought to court anywhere in the world one cant say. What one can say is that such cases should serve as a warning to other autocratic governments and officials that one day their horrible crimes will chase them and leave them with no place to hide.

Look at the Sri Lankan generals fate. From representing his country in several countries in South America, he will now live the rest of his days on his small island state, too fearful to step out let alone travel abroad for fear of facing justice.

(Dawn/ANN)
Our foreign service posting was in India and the US Embassy found for us a large three-story house in central New Delhi. We loved the house and accepted it happily as our home. We were told to be watchful, however, because the Iraqi Embassy was our nextdoor neighbor. Our security guards in particular were asked to be especially vigilant.

As I sat drinking a Sidecar and doing a Sudoku one evening, the senior guard came to tell me that a thief had breached the perimeter and was apprehended. When the other guards brought the thief forward, I was surprised to find him singularly well-dressed. He had a cashmere jacket on his arm.

I asked him in an Indian language what he was doing in my house. He replied that he was sorry he did not speak Indian languages, but would be glad to respond in English or French.

An Indian thief, in an expensive suit, who did not speak Indian languages, but was ready to converse in French! It needed some exploration. To the chagrin of the guards, I asked the man to come in to the living room and offered him a drink. I alerted him that I had been told that he was an intruder, probably a thief.

The man came and sat down and thanked me for my hospitality. He then identified himself as Jacques Durand, a Frenchman. He explained that, since he lived in an English speaking country, the United States, he usually gave out his name as Jack Durand.

I had lived in this house earlier, as the World Bank representative in India, for a number of years, he said.

Presently he was returning from an official mission in Tokyo. On arrival of his flight in New Delhi, he found that his connecting flight to Washington had been delayed by several hours.

I could just sit in the airlines facility at the airport for some hours and have a few drinks. Then I thought it would be more interesting to take a look at the city and visit my earlier home. This house has many pleasant associations for me. My only child was born in this house and learned to walk here.

He took a taxi from the Delhi airport, drove around the Jorbagh area he knew so well and finally left the taxi to have a glimpse of his earlier home.

The moment he crossed the gate, he was apprehended, and all his explanations fell on deaf ears. The guards simply did not understand or trust his nostalgia for the house. I offered Jack another drink, then took him on a tour of the house. An hour later I called a taxi to take him back to the Delhi airport.

I thought that was the end of the story. I was wrong.

A year later, by sheer coincidence, I joined the World Bank in Washington. In short order, I met Jack Durand again. Jack became my closest colleague and friend. I warned him that, if he came to rob my home again, I will not offer him a drink and certainly report him to the police.

The writer is a Washington-based international development advisor and had worked with the World Bank. He can be reached at [email protected]
For long migration has been looked at pessimistically. Its time to look at the other side of the coin for a different perspective on migration.

Most discourse today focuses on the negative impact of the latest Syrian influx into Germany, France, Canada and other western countries. In 2016, Oberwil-Lieli, a small Swiss town turned down asylum seekers, preferring instead to pay a hefty fine. This attitude towards refugees and migrants, especially unskilled or lowskilled migrants, is not uncommon. So, who is a migrant?

According to the UN, a migrant is any person who lives temporarily or permanently in a country where he or she was not born, and has acquired some significant social ties to this country (UNESCO, 2017). We must remember though that some countries consider even children of migrants as migrants, and make a common classification of first and second-generation migrants.

In India, migration is not a new concept. Since the early 1800s Indian labourers were taken by the British to their colonies abroad in large numbers. For example, Indians built the railways and roadways in Kenya, Uganda and worked on plantations in Trinidad, Fiji, Malaysia and Surinam, where even today, a large Indian diaspora reside. When these countries gained independence, Indians were actively discriminated against for they were among the most successful communities.

Perhaps the most famous expulsion of Indians was in Uganda during the 1970s, where properties and businesses of Indians were confiscated. Discrimination against migrants is anomnipresent phenomenon. India also witnessed a wave of migration during independence.

The 1947 migration was perhaps the largest ever movement of people seen in history, excluding wars. Even more recent, it is thought that northIndian states, particularly of Assam and Tripura are seeing an influx of migrants from Bangladesh. Can India turn this problem into an asset? Migrants are equally important for the host and home countries growth.

Economists point to the tremendous influence that migrants can have on the growth of not just one, but two countries. In Borderless Economics for example, Robert Guest argues that migrants learn to adapt to new cultures fast and therefore, are more creative and enterprising than locals. It is no wonder then that in the United States, 51 per cent of firms have at least one immigrant founder, according to research by Y Koh. Furthermore, as they have assimilated into two cultures seamlessly and best understand the needs of each society, they can cater to them accordingly, creating successful empires across borders. Countless examples of such companies exist from Zoho to Sun Microsystems and Yahoo! to eBay.

Even one of Indias biggest technological projects  the UIDAI  had some of the brightest Indians from across the world working on it like Srikant Nadhamuni and Raj Mashruwala. Studies also show that companies founded by migrants are more likely to trade with their home country. Further, there is scope for tremendous knowledge transfer between migrant networks.

Scientists and engineers can enthusiastically collaborate with each other to create products unlike before. Programmes like the Ramanujan Fellowship and INSPIRE further aid in this process. Migrants also tend to be highly motivated and creative, propelling them to achieve greater success. A good example of a twoway benefit of migration is between India and Nepal.

Nepalis can freely enter and work in India, often taking up jobs that most Indians are unwilling to do. The Gorkha regiment for example consists of many Nepalis who are contributing to Indias security. Similarly, Nepal too benefits from this migration as the Nepali workforce in India often sends back remittances to Nepal.

Moreover, one of the biggest contributions of migrants is in the form of remittances. India received around $62 billion in remittances (approximately 3 per cent of our GDP) in 2016, making it the worlds largest remittance recipient. Remittances can further lead to financial inclusion and also uplift the lives of the recipients.

Prime Minister Modi has also been actively reaching out to our diaspora, in a bid to entice them back to India or to contribute to Indias story from abroad. The scope of contribution of migrants is tremendous. The Indian diaspora have done well for themselves  they are after all, one of the richest communities in the world. Tapping on their potential could help Indias growth story.

They will be more willing to invest in India, to move back for employment, to found start-ups and send remittances to family, all of which benefits India. While we have to acknowledge the fact that unskilled migrants can drain the countrys resources, we cannot deny there exists a potential for migrants to contribute and improve the economy of the home country.

(The writer is associated with the Observer Research Foundation.)
In an effort to highlight places of interest in countries across the world, their varied culture, economy and history, The Statesman brings to you a Weekly Focus on countries with which India shares diplomatic ties and friendship. This weeks focus is on Madagascar. Know all about the country.

Capital: Antananarivo, Currency: Malagasy ariary, Language: French (official), Malagasy (official), English. Religion: Christian, indigenous, Muslim Ethnic groups: Malayo-Indonesian (Merina and related Betsileo),

Cotiers (mixed African, Malayo-Indonesian, and Arab ancestry  Betsimisaraka, Tsimihety, Antaisaka, Sakalava), French, Indian, Creole, Comoran.

CLIMATE

The mountains, including Antananarivo, are dry, cool and windy during September to December, shifting to warm and thundery from November to April. Dry season runs from April to October. Travelling to Madagascar between January and March is ill-advised due to extreme storms and occasional cyclones. From December to March. the rainforests in the eastern and northern parts of the country are battered by tropical storms brought on by cyclone season, and temperatures tend to hover around 30C . Despite being rainy season up north, during this period, the central parts will be a lot drier and cooler, with temperatures around 25C. The southern and western coasts are the driest parts of the country.

90 WEEKLY FLIGHTS

More than 90 weekly connecting flights from New Delhi to Ivato airport are available. The major airlines flying on this route are Air Seychelles, Jet Airways, Etihad Airways, Emirates, and Air India. Nearly 70 flights operate from Mumbai to Madagascar, every week. Mumbai, Mahe Island, Mauritius, Dubai and Abu Dhabi are the major layover airports.

INFLUENTIAL DIASPORA

There are about 22,000 persons of India origin in Madagascar, including approximately 2,500 Indian passport holders. Some of the Indian diaspora are quite influential and their contribution to the total GDP of Madagascar is substantial. Most Indians are in trading but some are also in manufacturing and other businesses as well. In recent years, a number of Indian professionals have been working in multinational companies in Madagascar.

Street snacks aplenty

Street snacks to watch out for include slices of coconut and peanuts in a sweet coconut or toffee coating. If you spot a man carrying a glass case on his head, he is probably selling koba (banana, peanuts and rice, ground to a paste, wrapped in a banana leaf and served in slices),sambos(samosas) or nems (spring rolls). On the coast, seafood naturally predominates, including all manner of fish, as well as lobster and shellfish. Pizza is popular too.

Indian investments rising

The main items of exports from Madagascar to India are coffee, spices, edible vegetables, salt, sulphur and earth, essential oils and resinoids, base metals, precious and semi-precious stones. The major imports from India are cereals, apparel, iron & steel, cotton, pharmaceutical products, products of the milling industry, sugar and sugar confectionery.

Following the installation of popularly elected government and subsequent international recognition, the Indian companies are showing renewed interest in investing in Madagascar. Major Indian investments amounting to approximately $907.4 million by Indian companies were in the mining, oil and gas sectors, telecom sector and health sectors. Airtel is the main player in mobile telephony and Dr Aggarwals Eye Hospital in the health sector. Others who have invested in Madagascar but are yet to commence operations include the Tatas, Essar, Varun Industries, GIMPEX Osho Ventures, Sahara (India), Diamond Cement and Jindals. Madagascar has vast mining potential in oil and gas.

NATURAL WONDERS

Ile Sainte Marie: It was the major centre of piracy due to its lagoons and vegetations that hinder navigation. Diving, fishing, surfing and whale watching are the famous aquatic activities.

Ranomafana: Famous for its dozen species of lemurs, Ranomafana National Park is a rainforest that is spread over more than 41,000 hectares of land. It is in the southeastern part of the country and is rich in biodiversity. In 1991, it was given the status of National Park to limit human interference.

Tsingy De Bemaraha: In 1990, Unesco included Tsingy de Bemaraha in the list of World Heritage Sites due to its mangrove forests, specific wildlife population and unique karst limestone rock formation. The southern side is a National Park that is open to people while the northern part is a strictly cosseted natural reserve.

Compiled by Kunal Jain ([email protected])
A rain-soake d Manali greeted one as the state transport Volvo, the Himsutva, parked itself obliquely at the bus terminus.

The inter-state bus terminus was a practicing orchestra  difficult as a collective but each note meaningful to the right set of ears. A ride to Leh-Ladakh, onwards to Shimla maybe or someone just trying to set you up in a nice hotel! I walked out of the terminus, turned right and proceeded to Old Manali. I stayed at Dragon Inn  a quaint place surrounded by quirky cafes with their Israeli clientele  and visited Hadimba Temple, Gatotkach-ji ka Mandir and Manu Temple.

Each site endangered with a colourful crowd, armed with a contraption called the selfie stick. The next days 5 am start got delayed due to landslides and one could start only by mid-day, encountering a huge traffic snarl near Rohtang after crossing Gulaba and Marhi. Shades of green wrapped the rocky brown mountains around. And mountain streams born of melting snow caps were smoky white highlights in those gorgeous frames. A sudden turn brought up the distant snowcapped peak glistening in the slant sun rays.

A fusion of colours only natures palette could conjure! The road was practically non-existent after Gramphoo, which is a cross-road point of sorts. The black top smooth Leh-Ladakh highway and a sharp right turn towards the treacherously beautiful road ride towards Kaza. The day slowly melted into the evening and I was still over a good 150 kms away. One has to cross over 16 to 18 streams of various intensities. Those are streams or waterfalls that occur after glaciers melt and gush over broken roads in all their fury,deep and dangerous to cross.

Arranging the rocks to ensure the car tyres do not sink or get stuck, discussing with drivers to broadly mark out the left and right of the tire track and lastly pumping each other up. Motion mey nikalna hain, do not stop, roll through in a single flow was the ultimate neuron firing message. Just looking up to see the water fall from a great height punctuating massive rock faces is such a humbling sight.

A clear blue sky was dulled a bit by the setting sun and bracketed all around by the Himalayas. The rapids had a thunderous presence with the sound of waterfalls being a rhythm divine. A needle prick chill in the air completed the sensational feel.

I crossed that rapid bare foot. Cars had to cross over as light as possible so their occupants were off loaded and the ustadjis (thats how drivers are referred to) revved up their automobiles and gripped the steering to rush and tackle the nallah. I found my feet shaking involuntarily as I timidly stepped into the gushing fury. I was shivering furiously and the rock bed to the bare feet felt sharp and uncertain.

The body unsteady and unsure assumed a shape of the first parenthesis! I reached Chhatru, the half-way marker of the journey, at around 7.30 in the evening as the last traces of sunlight vanished. It was time for a round of tea, coffee and refuelling at the Chandra Dhaba for the 120 km ride ahead. One crossed the Kunzum Pass around midnight and paid homage to the Kunzum Mata on the way back but it was too late and arduous to stop then. At over 15,000 feet, Kunzum Top is supremely windy. T

he sound of wind tunneling through the terrain and fluttering a zillion colourful prayer flags were captivating. The village of Losar was around 19 kms from Kunzum and then 78 more to Kaza. I entered Kaza around 1.30 am  at over 12,500 feet, it is the main administrative centre of Spiti. It is home to the Sakya Tangyud Monastery and nodal point to visit Ki (Key) and Kibber as well as monasteries at Tabo and Dhankar. It would be home for a few days before I journeyed further up to Langza and Komik. But at two in the night outside Snow Lion, the hotel, lit up by a million stars, the town of Kaza felt welcoming, like an entry gate to a wondrous passage.

It was cold, yet standing on the hotel roof dwarfed by mountains all around, and not seeing a soul in sight, I felt the 14- hour ride was but a small price. From my first bike ride at over 15,500 feet to fossil hunting to meeting Tsering, the ten-year-old daughter of Tanpa ji, little did I know what lay ahead.

A journey had begun It was Juley Spiti Valley before calling it a day!
Born in Male in 1970, Ahmed Mohamed has been the Maldives Ambassador to India since January 2015. Prior to this, he has served his country in various capacities, including as Minister of Economic Development. In this interview to Ashok Tuteja, he speaks candidly about India-Maldives relations and attempts by China to increase its footprints in the archipelago.

Excerpts:

Maldives is facing a prolonged period of political uncertainty, with the Opposition on the warpath with the establishment. Dont you think the situation is a cause for concern?

Despite many calls by the government for dialogue, the opposition has refused to be engaged. When there is no dialogue there will be little opportunity to comprise. There will be little opportunity to address concerns. It is the collective effort of all concerned that will bring in solutions.

Let me also dwell a little bit more on trying to present to you the ground realities of the Maldives. One needs to understand the ground realities of the Maldives to assess and deliver a fair judgement on what is happening in the Maldives.

Ever since the modern democratic system of governance which came in to effect in August 2008, we have had the same state of affairs. A difficult and inflexible situation.

Firstly, the political situation in the Maldives is in a highly polarised state. Why do I say that? The Maldives has a population of just over 3,40,000 people. The electorate comprises of all above 18 years of age. The population above 18 years is close to 75 per cent of the total population. Among the eligible voters over 55 per cent is a registered member of a political party.

Where do we find such a high proportion of politically active population? There are five main political parties. A small population with such a high proportion of political activism and polarisation leading to inflexibilities. But I would not call this an uncertain situation. It is not only now, there have been difficult periods in the past as well. But we have ~ by which I mean the Maldivians have ~ found solutions to overcome them. Of course, for a young and evolving democracy there is scope for more that can be done.

What we have been telling the international community and other bilateral partners is that all parties need to participate in a national dialogue. The solutions also need to be homegrown. What had worked in one country may not necessarily be as effective in another country. The culture, the attitude, the understanding, the acceptance, the environment: All these factors matter.

If one wants to help, do not offer prescriptive solutions, but be engaged, hold our hands, and help us strengthen our democratic institutions. But if a segment of both the domestic and international community continues to rock the boat, the time it takes to reach a calm and safer harbour will be longer.

Do you see any role for India in the current crisis?

Well, as I said earlier, we will welcome efforts by our bilateral parners to be engaged with us. We would like our bilateral partners to understand the ground realities of the Maldives. We would like our partners to assist us to develop and implement homegrown solutions and not prescriptive solutions. We would also like our partners to assist us in building institutional and human resource capacity.

China seems to be wooing Maldives in a big way as part of its string of pearls policy to encircle India. Your comment?

Well, I must say that we go by the foreign policy of the Maldives. We would like to be engaged with all our bilateral partners. We would like to enjoy cordial and friendly relations will all of them.

However, little realised and little acknowledged in public domain is the fact that the Maldives and India enjoy a special relation. The Maldives practises and follows an India First Policy when it comes to security and peace in the India Ocean.

Based on this and India being one of closest neighbours of the Maldives, the relationship we have with India has special dimension to it. It is more interlinked. It is more engaging.

And if your question was with regard to the various development projects for which we have secured financing from China, then the response is India being the closest in terms of proximity and in terms of the special foreign policy focus which I just mentioned, India is in a much better position to provide concessional financing for our developing needs and has more wider scope and space to further enhance and further strengthen the special relationship.

Anti-India sentiments appear to be rising in Maldives. What is the possible reason?

It is certainly not a fact. I would categorically deny that. But when the voices of disgruntled politicians are perceived or portrayed as the reality then such a question is quite possible. The various lies that have been brought to the forefront through controlled social engineering tactics which has been projected as the voice of the dissent are fallacies and nothing but a ruse to create chaos and get sympathy. A projection of a mirage, and that is all.

How do you look at the South Asian satellite launched by India recently?

I would have to quote Prime Minister H.E. Modi here, Sabka saath. Sabka vikas. Well, as the President of Maldives, H.E. Abdulla Yameen said at the launching ceremony of the South Asia Satellite, We are grateful for the people and government of India for providing a very special gift to the South Asia region. We believe that the South Asia Satellite will help to improve the lives of the people of South Asia. We now have the benefit of using it to improve people-to-people linkages and enhance capacity and quality of services such as telecommunication, telemedicine, tele-education, mapping of natural resources and disaster management support.

Do you think the SAARC has failed to achieve its true potential as a regional grouping due to India-Pakistan rivalry?

The SAARC, from its inception, has had difficulties in achieving the intended goals of that organisation. The Maldives strongly believes that SAARC member-states must work towards the common good of all. The Maldives will remain committed to work with all our South Asian neighbours towards the greater good of all.

Maldives is considered an attractive tourist destination by Indians.At the same time, many Indians with limited budgets believe it is quite costly to go to Maldives. How do you propose to attract middle-class Indian travellers to Maldives for tourism?

We are witnessing an increase of Indian tourist arrivals to the Maldives year on year. We would like to encourage more Indian tourists visit to the Maldives. We have different varieties of accommodation facilities in the Maldives. There are resorts, liveaboards, hotels and guesthouses. There is need to increase connectivity from northern cities of India as well.

Can you throw light on defence cooperation between India and Maldives, especially in the fight against terrorism and maritime security?

We hold regular exercises jointly both on land and at sea. We receive Indian assistance for the work of the National Counter Terrorism Centre.
The US deputy chief of mission in Moscow was summoned to the Russian Foreign Ministry and given a note of protest over American authorities launching a search operation in the Trade Representation of the Russian Federation in Washington.

The Foreign Ministry note on Saturday vehemently protested what it called an illegitimate search without the presence of Russian officials and deemed it as an unprecedented, aggressive threat to break the front door, reports CNN.

The note also said that US Special Services could use this action to organise an anti-Russian provocation by planting compromising objects.

The US authorities must stop the gross violations of international law and breaching the immunity of Russias diplomatic institutions. Otherwise, we reserve the right to reciprocate on mutual basis, the note said.

The State Department announced on Thursday that it would close the Russian Consulate General in San Francisco as well as annexes in Washington and New York in response to forced staff cuts at the American mission in Russia, reports CNN.

The department denied the accusations by the Russian government, including that US officials threatened to break down doors.

Russia has complied with the order to vacate the three facilities. The department has allowed families living in the consulate sufficient time to pack and move.

Alexander Stadnik, Russias trade representative in Washington, told the media on Saturday that all Russians have left the citys trade annex and documents were moved to the Russian Embassy.

A senior aide to Russian President Vladimir Putin called Washingtons decision a raider takeover designed to escalate tensions with Russia.

These new steps push the bilateral relations further into a deadlock, Yuri Ushakov told Russian state media late Friday.

The plan to close the three diplomatic facilities abruptly marks the latest in a series of tense diplomatic exchanges between the two nations, following US allegations that Russia interfered in the 2016 presidential election.
Japan and China on Sunday strongly condemned North Koreas sixth nuclear test.

Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe slammed the test, saying the countrys nuclear and missile development poses a grave and immediate new level of threat and seriously undermines peace and security of the region.

The UN Security Council has strongly criticized North Korea for repeatedly going ahead with ballistic missile launches this year We find it completely intolerable that North Korea has conducted a nuclear test in such an environment, Abe said in the statement.

Meanwhile, Chinese Foreign Ministry issued a statement expressing firm opposition to and strong condemnation of the nuclear test by North Korea.

North Korea has ignored the international communitys widespread opposition and conducted a nuclear test again. The Chinese government expresses resolute objection to and strong condemnation of it, the ministrys statement said.

We strongly urge North Korea to face the firm determination of the international community on the denuclearisation of the Korean Peninsula, fully abide by the relevant treaties of the UN Security Council and return to the track of solving problems through dialogue, the statement added.

US National Security Adviser H R McMaster spoke with his South Korean counterpart, Chung Eui-yong, for about 20 minutes in an emergency phone call about the nuclear test, to discuss the possibility of deploying US military defence devices in South Korea.

Chung said South Korea will also seek new UN Security Council sanctions to completely isolate North Korea.

North Korea on Sunday said that in what could be the most powerful detonation so far, it successfully conducted a test of a hydrogen bomb that can be loaded onto a intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM), state-media media reported.
Irans air defence base has in the last six months sent two stern warnings to US spy aircraft which approached Iranian airspace, a defence official said on Sunday.

We warned a U2 reconnaissance aircraft on March 21 and a US drone on August 26, Irans Arabic language TV station al-Alams website quoted the countrys Chief of Air Defence Farzad Esmaili as saying. He did not mention the location.

Esmaili said we do not allow such rabid aircraft to enter our territory and if necessary, we will not hesitate to destroy them.

Iran has repeatedly announced such activities over the past years to demonstrate the capabilities of the countrys armed forces.

Meanwhile, Iran has tested its home-grown air defence system, designed to match the Russian S-300, state broadcaster IRIB reported.

The system is made completely in Iran and some of its parts are different from the S-300. All of its sub-systems have been completed and its missile tests have been conducted, Xinhua news agency quoted Esmaili as saying.

In parallel with the deployment of the S-300, work on Bavar-373 system is underway, he added.

Bavar (which means belief) is Tehrans first long-range missile defence system, and is set to be operational by March 2018, he added.

Iran began manufacturing Bavar-373 in 2010 after the purchase of the S-300 from Russia was suspended due to international sanctions.

He said he hoped the combat capabilities of Irans ballistic and cruise missiles would increase in the next four years.
A look at squatter's rights and Newfoundland and Labrador's Lands Act

The land you are standing on, thats been in your family for many years, possibly generations, that youve been paying taxes on, built on, farmed  do you own it? Maybe not, according to the provincial government. The CBC reported last week on the ...
North Korea has claimed to have successfully detonated a hydrogen bomb. The news has shocked world leaders and may infuse massive volatility in financial markets. Gold may shoot up to dizzying heights, yen may jump and stock markets may sink as an initial overreaction. Panic will subside later on, but anxiety will be elevated and markets may not return to calm in the near future. The US and South Korean security personnel convened a meeting and agreed for an unspecified military response. Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe said it was totally unacceptable. However, Trump has kept silent so far. World leaders and financial pundits anxiously await the US response.

With the recent nuke test, which was 10 times more powerful than the test held September last year, North Korea might have entered a point of no return and it has also put China in a very awkward position. Gold, yen and Swiss francthe safe heavensmay open sharply higher. Last week, North Korea test-fired a ballistic missile which violated Japanese airspace. US President Donald Trump responded that North Korea has been charging extortion money for the last 25 years and that there was no meaning of talks. However, US Defence Secretary Jim Mattis indicated that there was still room for dialogue.

The Russian and German stand on the the crisis in the Korean peninsula are not strange. German Chancellor Angela Merkel supported dialogue with North Korea. Merkel's aspirations to solve this crisis and take credit for peace can be easily figured out as the election, which will be held on 24 September, is a do-or-die litmus test for Merkel. Brokering North Korea peace deal could dramatically bolster Merkel's winning probability.

In a separate, yet very strategic move, Russian President Vladimir Putin also called for a dialogue and said it was a mistake to pressure Pyongyang. This has weakened Trump's case for military action, but might have inspired Kim to be more aggressive. The test has come in the midst of BRICS summit and Kim has scored many points in a single shot. He embarrassed big brother China and also placed Putin and Merkel in an awkward position about their suggestion on dialogue.

Having achieved entry in H-bomb club and Inter-Continental Ballistic Missile (ICBM) club, Kim has now achieved maximum deterrence status and can compel western leaders to sit with him at the discussion table. An ICBM loaded with hydrogen bomb can trigger an electromagnetic pulse attack and can disrupt the electricity network of USA. In wake of the latest aggression, all world leaders condemned the action. The China and Russian response remain relatively muted. Markets await the US response. While world leaders will call for restrain, the H-bomb will make the US reluctant to take any punitive military action. However, the US hegemony is in decline; after Trump's fire and fury tweet, the US rating also at a stake

Jump in safe havens like gold, yen and Swiss franc; equities may tank and US bond may rise

Latest tension in the Korean peninsula may boost the safe haven appeal of gold. The bullion has been up since the previous week's missile launch by North Korea and subsequent token bombing by the US near North Korea. London Gold rallied from 1298 to 1325 and it may shoot up to 1350-1360 on Asian morning trading. The US markets are closed, which may exacerbate panic buying or short covering. Crude oil may also recover. Among financial paper assets, yen may jump. Yen is a safe haven in Asian currency markets.

Global equities

Asian equities may overreact and tank as an initial response. Asian stocks may also take a pounding. South Korean and Japanese stock markets are most vulnerable. The Indian stock market is also likely to show some effect in early trading; however, negative effects will be minimal as macro fundamentals are reasonably sound. Rupee may show some weakness. However, the macro fundamentals are good. Broader USD weakness is supportive of rupee resilience.

Among major currencies, dollar may temporarily gain and pound may be pressured. However, the US banks and futures markets are closed. Hence, most of the anxiety will be absorbed and would have subsided by Tuesday, subject to no surprise military action by the US.

Gold rediscovers inner bull: Bullion is up nearly 10& and rally looks sustainable, more gains are likely

Gold has rediscovered its inner bull. It is an effective hedge against uncertainty and chaos. Factors like geopolitical tension in Korean peninsula, political uncertainty in Europe ahead of German election in the third week of September, and China People's Congress meeting in October, which is a key meeting regarding leadership reshuffle in Chinese top brass, are capable enough to take gold towards 1375-1400 USD. Domestic prices are already up from Rs 28000 to Rs 30000 per 10gm for 999 purity gold. It may increase further towards Rs 31000-31500 per 10 gm before Diwali.

(Author is a CEO of Paradigm Commodity Advisors Pvt Ltd, a research boutique in Ahmedabad which provides risk management and strategic consulting in major markets)
On September 1, when 17-year-old medical aspirant Anitha killed herself, she would not have thought that that her death would instigate the simmering public anger against a non-existent government. Anitha, who had filed a petition against the National Eligibility and Entrance Test in the Supreme Court, could not achieve her medical dreams because of the entrance exam.

Tamil Nadu has witnessed widespread protests across the state and among different sections over her suicide. Several hundreds of protesters hit the streets to stage rallies, blocked roads on Saturday blaming both the Centre and the state government for the death of Anitha.

Anitha is believed to have committed suicide, a few months after the Supreme Court dismissed her petition. She had prayed for an exemption from NEET saying it was detrimental to the interests of students like her from rural areas. Anitha had scored 1176 out of 1200.

Shouting slogans like Vekka kedu Vekka Kedu (shame, shame), the protesters held the BJP and the AIADMK responsible for wrecking the dreams of hundreds of rural students like Anitha. In Chennai, several protesting students were detained and later let off. The CPI and the CPI(M), too, staged protests in the state.

At Anithas Ariyalur, the simmering anger did not settle till late in the evening, even when her protesting family which first refused to take back her body finally relented. And then there was a beeline of political leaders visiting Anithas house to pay last respects to her.

Late in the evening opposition leader M.K. Stalin, as he landed in Chennai from Mumbai, proceeded straight to Ariyalur. Anithas suicide is the collective failure of the Centre and the state government. Both promised exemption from NEET and did not heed to it. Four ministers including Chief Minister Edappadi K. Palanisamy and Health minister C. Vijayabhaskar should step down holding responsibility for the death of Anitha, he said. DMK has called for an all party meeting on September 4 in Chennai to decide on the next course of action and protests.

The simmering anger has now turned into protests across the state, like how it began for the Jallikattu protests in January this year. We are talking about the Jallikattu protests and calling it a success. But I want everyone to draw inference from the anti-Hindi agitation. It was a student protest that set the tone and only after that the political parties took it forward which led to a change in government, recalls a senior journalist.

In fact in her 2016 election manifesto and during the campaign, Jayalalithaa had strongly opposed NEET saying it would affect the rural students. NEET will affect the medical aspirants from villages and other rural areas. I assure you that NEET will not be implemented in Tamil Nadu and the state government will take necessary steps to bring an ordinance, she had said while campaigning at Palayamkottai near Tirunelveli.

Yet another dalit student being killed because of the failure of the system and because of the policies of the Modi government. This time they have taken umbrage behind the Supreme Court. It is the colossal failure of the judiciary and the political parties in power, says S. Rajeshwari, a medical aspirant from Trichy who lost because she could not score in NEET.

If not MBBS, I thought at least dental would be possible. But I have lost all hopes. Anithas suicide is making me tremble like a worm. I am very agitated at mind, she adds. In fact, Rajeshwaris mother Mahalakshmi has been with her 24X7 after she lost in NEET. It's okay if she is not a doctor. She is very much disturbed after the counselling. But we have been telling her that there are other options to study, tells Mahalakshmi. But like Anitha and Rajeshwari, the NEET, says Mahalakshmi, had thrashed the dreams of many students. We voted for Modi and for AIADMK believing we will have rulers who will be for us. But they have cheated us, she tells.

The NEET, according to the protesters in Tamil Nadu, is being forced in the name of a better system. NEET is not systemic change. It is one more complication and not a solution not a step towards rationalising our education, say the students. Though we need to rationalise education, we need doctors who suit our rural system. Research and developments have to be more specific. NEET is not a step towards that goal, tells Krishna Priya Narayanan, a teacher in a private school in Chennai.

NEET and Anitas death is the first failure of the political system. All the promises were given by our ruling parties. But they werent loyal to it. They werent loyal even to the family or the caste whose vote they got during the elections. Power politics is playing big here and so they will not do anything for the government, says R. Sindhan, CPI(M) comrade.

Not even an AIADMK minister has visited Anithas house, fearing agitation. Chief Minister Palanisamy has announced a solatium of Rs 7 lakhs and a government job for anyone eligible in her family. Minister Harshavardhan Singh who was supposed to visit Coimbatore for a public event had reportedly cancelled his visit following widespread agitations. The BJP ministers and leaders in the state, too, have stayed away from Ariyalur and other southern districts fearing protest.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday left for China to take part in the 9th BRICS summit at Xiamen.

He will also attend the Emerging Markets and Developing Countries Dialogue to be hosted by Chinese President Xi Jinping.

His visit comes after the end last week of over two-month long military stand-off at Doklam in the Sikkim section.

Modi departed for China after attending a swearing-in ceremony at Rashtrapati Bhavan in which nine new ministers were inducted and four Ministers of State joined the council of ministers.

On Saturday, Modi said that India attached high importance to the role of BRICS (Brazil, Russia, India, China, South Africa) grouping "that has begun a second decade of its partnership for progress and peace".

"BRICS has important contributions to make in addressing global challenges and upholding world peace and security."

The Prime Minister said that he looked forward to meeting leaders of nine other countries, including BRICS partners, in the Emerging Markets and Developing Countries Dialogue.

From China, Modi will go to Myanmar on Tuesday in what will be his first ever bilateral visit to the eastern neighbour. He visited Myanmar in 2014 to attend the Asean-India Summit.

Besides capital Nai Pyi Taw, the Prime Minister will visit the heritage city of Bagan and Yangon.

During the course of the three-day visit to Myanmwar, Modi will hold meetings with President U Htin Kyaw and State Counsellor Aung San Suu Kyi, who is also Minister of Foreign Affairs and Minister of President's Office.

Both Kyaw and Suu Kyi visited India last year.
After working in the retail sector for 15 years, Vikrant Mishra wanted to fulfil his dream of working in the food industry. So, he returned to his hometown Delhi, after spending years in Mumbai and Aurangabad. Initially, his plan was to start a cafe in Gurugram, but he realised that the budget he had was not sufficient to rent a decent place in millennium city. One day, while flipping through channels, he chanced upon a programme on food trucks, which are quite popular in the west.

A year later, Mishra started Eggjactly, with his lawyer partner Lavanika Partis. The problem with the concept of food trucks in India was that nobody knew about them, says Mishra. The authorities had no clue.

Today, Eggjactly offers a variety of comfort foodpasta, lamb burgers, wraps, chicken wings, tacos, shakes, coolers, waffles, pancakes and crepes. Its main clientele comprises techies and other professionals working in the cyber city. A meal would cost anywhere between Rs 150 and Rs 300. Besides the fact that the food quality is good, the quantity is sufficient and it is light on the pocket, says banker Jyoti Sharma, 29, a regular.

Today, Mishra owns three food truckstwo Eggjactly and one Sushi House Mafia, which specialises in sushi. We wanted to introduce something that nobody had thought of, says Mishra. Apart from fish-based sushi, we also serve chicken sushi.

Eggjactly offers a variety of comfort food

A food truck is different from a food van. A food truck has a kitchen which is almost one-third the size of a standard restaurant kitchen. So the food served is fresh and hot. There is no compromise on quality. Only 20 per cent of the food is cooked in the base kitchen. For example, if we are preparing pasta, it is boiled in the base kitchen. The rest of the cooking is done on location, says Mishra. Our chefs also ensure that the quality is maintained.

Harish Mittal, an engineer, moved from Meerut to Gurugram in 2012 to join a finance company. While the new job was exciting, the food served in the companys cafeteria was not. Though there was variety, it lacked flavour and taste, says Mittal, 31. He is a fan of food trucks that offer clean, wholesome and pocket-friendly food.

The National Capital Region boasts several specialty food trucks. Frugopop, for instance, sells popsicles made of fresh and natural ingredients. Pallavi Kuchroo, 30, was working in an ad agency in Mumbai. But a desire to be her own boss prompted Kuchroo to return to her hometown, Gurugram. During an event, she met Sudheer Grover, who was running a food truck in Mumbai that sold popsicles. Kuchroo had a feeling that the idea would work in Gurugram, too. So, she started Frugopop These popsicles are fresh, natural and do not have any artificial colours, says Kuchroo. They are low-calorie and great in taste. In Delhi and NCR, people love ice creams, lollies and chuski. I wanted to introduce them to something healthy that would not just enhance their taste, but also change it.

The food truck also offers sugar-free popsicles, and for those who dont like sweets, there is even a salty variety. The popsicles are made in a factory in Mumbai. We have obtained the licence from the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India, says Kuchroo. Each fruit is handpicked and checked before it is sent to production. Everything is handcrafted. Hygiene is maintained throughout, even inside the van, where everything is covered in transparent pouches.

Eggjactly offers a variety of comfort food.

Frugopop serves two category of flavourssorbet and dairy. Sorbet flavours have fresh fruit in them, while dairy flavours include milk-based ice creams. The salty popsicle comes in salsa, avocado and nachos flavours.

Unlike a restaurant, a food truck doesnt require heavy investment. So, even amateurs, with a passion for food, are trying their luck. Take the case of Shakti Pratap Singh and Gaurav Rathi, both 28, who started The Rolling Kitchen that serves Lebanese food. We picked Lebanese cuisine because it had a lot of healthy ingredients, says Singh.

The duo met while preparing for the civil services examination. They did extensive research before starting the food truck in May 2016. The food truck is managed by trained chefs who have experience in preparing Lebanese cuisine. It was essential for us to find the right chefs because we wanted to serve authentic Lebanese food, and not its Indianised version, says Singh.

The Rolling Kitchen offers shawarma, falafel, shawarma manakeesh (Lebanese pizza), rolls, breads, fish, mezze platters, pita breads and salads. We personally audit the food truck regularly. Though the sauces and batter are prepared in the base kitchen, all finished products are made within the trucks so that the quality is not compromised, says Singh. Since some people are finicky about the way vegetarian and non-vegetarian dishes are prepared, we have different chopping boards for the two. The staff wears kitchen caps and uniforms.

Hot meals on wheels: While Sushi House Mafia serves fish-based and chicken sushi

The newest player in the food truck business is Luck Nawabi that serves Lucknowi dishes. Naman Tripathi was blown away by the fare from a food truck, so he decided to try something similar. Originally from Lucknow, Tripathi got together with his two friends, Rohit Gupta and Vinayak Gupta, to start Luck Nawabi.

Since I am from Lucknow, I wanted to start a food truck selling Lucknowi cuisine. But at the same time, I wanted to maintain the authenticity, says Tripathi, an MBA graduate. We employed chefs who understand the cuisine well. Each chef has a well-defined job. While one chef handles the tandoor and paranthas, another one makes the accompanying dishes. This way, we ensure smooth functioning of the kitchen.

From kebabs to biryani, the food truck has something for everyone. However, their star attraction is kebabs, be it the galauti kebab or boti kebab (boneless mutton chunks served with a thick gravy). Their chicken korma, and mutton and chicken biryanis, too, are a big hit with the crowd. We did trial runs and invited chefs, food critics and bloggers from Lucknow to taste our food before we actually opened for business, says Tripathi.

Hot and hygienic street food. What more could a foodie ask for!
Mysterious incidents affecting the health of American diplomats in Cuba continued as recently as August, the United States said Friday, despite earlier U.S. assessments that the attacks had long stopped. The U.S. increased its tally of government personnel affected to 19.

The new U.S. disclosures came the same day that the union representing American diplomats said mild traumatic brain injury was among the diagnoses given to diplomats victimized in the attacks. In the most detailed account of the symptoms to date, the American Foreign Service Association said permanent hearing loss was another diagnosis, and that additional symptoms had included brain swelling, severe headaches, loss of balance and cognitive disruption.

At the State Department, spokeswoman Heather Nauert said the U.S. was continually revising its assessments of the scope of the attacks as new information was obtained. She said the investigation had not been completed.

We can confirm another incident which occurred last month and is now part of the investigation, Nauert said.

U.S. officials had previously said that the attacks, initially believed to be caused by a potential covert sonic device, had started in fall 2016 and continued until spring 2017. Last week, Nauert had said at least 16 Americans associated with the U.S. Embassy in Havana had been affected, but that the incidents were no longer occurring.

The evolving U.S. assessment indicated investigators were still far off from any thorough understanding of what transpired in the attacks, described by the U.S. as unprecedented. As the bizarre saga has unfolded, the U.S. has encouraged its diplomats to report any strange physical sensations. So its unclear whether some symptoms being attributed to the attacks might actually be unrelated.

Still, the fact there was an incident as recently as August suggested the attacks likely continued long after the U.S. government became aware of them and ostensibly raised the issue with the Cuban government, creating even more uncertainty about the timeline and who was responsible.

Notably, the U.S. has avoided accusing Cubas government of being behind the attacks. The U.S. did expel two Cuban diplomats, but the State Department emphasized that was in protest of the Cubans failure to protect the safety of American diplomats while on their soil, not an indication the U.S. felt that Havana masterminded it.

U.S. investigators have been searching to identify a device that could have harmed the health of the diplomats, believed to have been attacked in their homes in Havana, but officials have said no device had been found.

One of the diplomats affected had arrived over the summer of 2017 to work at the U.S. Embassy and was later diagnosed with concussion-like symptoms, said a U.S. official, who declined to specify the symptoms that led the diplomat to report the situation.

And in Canada, a government official said that the Canadian government had first learned in March 2017 that one of its citizens was affected. Ottawa had previously confirmed that at least one Canadian diplomat was involved, but had not revealed any timeline for when it occurred or came to light.

Both the U.S. and Canadian officials demanded anonymity because they werent authorized to comment publicly.

Its unclear whether Canadians were intentionally targeted or whether there could have been collateral damage from an attack aimed at Americans, given that diplomats from various countries often live in the same areas of a foreign capital. U.S. officials have said the Americans were targeted in their homes in Havana, not in the Embassy.

Canadian officials have been actively working with U.S. and Cuban authorities to ascertain the cause. A Cuban attack deliberately targeting Canadians would be even more confounding, given that Canada  unlike the U.S.  has long had friendly ties to Cuba.

The American Foreign Service Association, in describing the damage to diplomats health, said it had met with or spoken to 10 diplomats affected, but did not specify how many of the 10 had been diagnosed with hearing loss or with mild traumatic brain injury, commonly called a concussion.

Yet the confirmation that at least some diplomats suffered brain injury suggested the attacks caused more serious damage than the hearing-related complaints that were initially reported.

We cant rule out new cases as medical professionals continue to evaluate members of the embassy community, Nauert said. She added that the embassy has a medical officer and has been consistently providing care to those who have reported incidents.

Asked for further details about what the U.S. had learned about the cause or culprit in the attacks, the State Department said it had no more information to share.

Traumatic brain injury, or TBI, typically results from a bump, jolt or other external force that disrupts normal brain functioning, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Short- and long-term effects can include changes to memory and reasoning, sight and balance, language abilities and emotions.

Not all traumatic brain injuries are the same. Doctors evaluate patients using various clinical metrics such as the Glasgow Coma Scale, in which a numerical score is used to classify TBIs as mild, moderate or severe.

AFSA strongly encourages the Department of State and the U.S. Government to do everything possible to provide appropriate care for those affected, and to work to ensure that these incidents cease and are not repeated, the union said in a statement.

(AP)
A once-imprisoned radical Islamic cleric is behind bars again, this time because of an unusual investigation that took New York City police officers far beyond their jurisdiction, to the Middle East, to make contact with a member of the Islamic State group.

The international sting that led to the arrest of Abdullah el-Faisal in Jamaica last week was pulled off by the New York Police Department without the involvement of the FBI or federal prosecutors, and without the target ever setting foot in New York.

Many details of how the investigation unfolded are still secret, but an indictment filed in state court in Manhattan said an undercover NYPD officer posing as a budding jihadist connected on social media with el-Faisal. El-Faisal is accused of trying to recruit the officer to become a medic for the militant group.

The indictment said the cleric introduced the officer to a facilitator based in the Islamic State stronghold of Raqqa, Syria, who exchanged phone messages with the officer earlier this year.

The NYPDs Intelligence Division dispatched a team of investigators to the region in the late stages of the yearlong probe, authorities said in a statement that didnt offer further details of the NYPDs activities abroad.

The police department said it got U.S. Department of Justice clearance to extend its investigation overseas.

Instead of working with federal prosecutors, the NYPD teamed with a special unit of local prosecutors, formed in 2015 by Manhattan District Attorney Cyrus Vance Jr., which relied on rarely used New York anti-terrorism laws to seek an indictment under the clerics birth name, Trevor William Forrest.

It became clear to me that the Manhattan district attorneys office, sitting in a city thats the nations No. 1 terrorism target, should have the ability to support the countrys counterterrorism fight, Vance said.

Its unusual for the FBI-NYPDs Joint Terrorist Task Force not to take the lead on a terrorist investigation, especially one with an international reach. Nor did the case involve any local suspects or a direct threat to the city that would explain why the prosecution is being conducted at the state level.

Vance said his office consulted with the task force before determining that state charges were the best option for prosecuting el-Faisal.

Our goal is to bring him back to America, he said. Im confident weve done everything in this process to make that happen.

The FBI declined to comment on its absence from the case.

El-Faisal, 53, remains in custody in Jamaica pending extradition. It was unclear if he has attorney. New York authorities said hes expected to seek bail at a court hearing in Jamaica later this month.

The 53-year preacher, known as al-Jamaikee or the Jamaican, has been on the radar of authorites around the globe for a long time.

He was imprisoned in the United Kingdom in 2003 after being convicted of incitement to murder and stirring racial hatred by urging followers to kill Hindus, Jews and Americans. He was deported from Britain to Jamaica, where he was born, upon his release in 2007.

In 2010, el-Faisal was arrested by anti-terror police in Kenya on charges he violated his tourist visa by preaching in mosques there. He was again sent back to Jamaica, where authorities had warned he could be a catalyst for aspiring jihadists among the countrys roughly 5,000 Muslims.

Fresh evidence of el-Faisals influence surfaced earlier this week in an unrelated federal case charging a New York City man with travelling to Saudi Arabia in an attempt to join the Islamic State group. Agents found jihadist lectures by el-Faisal on the suspects computer, according to a criminal complaint.

Police Commissioner James ONeill, in announcing the arrest, credited his department with a sting operation against el-Faisal that should bring an abrupt end to his global outreach in support of terror groups.

The investigation reflects how New York Citys municipal police force decided to take a more aggressive counterterrorism role after the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks.

The NYPD has been criticized, at times, for going beyond city limits in its hunt for radical extremists who might pose a threat.

The departments leaders, though, have repeatedly defended those practices as necessary to protect the city. The department has several officers stationed permanently overseas as part of its intelligence-gathering network.

El-Faisal began a corresponding with the undercover police officer in November 2016, court papers said. He offered to help him join the Islamic State group, telling him, I can link u with someone there.

The undercover officer told el-Faisal he was certified to perform first aid and wanted to assist foreign fighters in the region, authorities said. The cleric soon connected the undercover officer with an unnamed co-conspirator who texted the officer, I live in R, meaning Raqqa.

The co-conspirator told the undercover officer in substance that now is the time to come  We need people in the medical field,' court papers said.

The man also cautioned the officer that he should be ready for anything.

(AP)
Billions of pounds are being spent on installing 'smart' energy reading meters in homes that will leave householders out of pocket.

Energy firms are hoping to fit all 26million homes with these new monitors in an 11billion project launched three years ago and ending in 2020. But experts fear the scheme is a waste of money with meters vulnerable to hackers.

The devices do away with estimates for bills and meter readings, as usage is read remotely by the supplier using radio waves.

Scroll down for video

Power crazed: 'Gaz' and 'Leccy' appear in a series of TV ads for the meters

The smart meter also comes with a hand-held display that can sit in the kitchen and show how much energy a home is consuming.

Television adverts featuring 'Gaz' and 'Leccy' relentlessly promote the virtues of the smart meter. But they are not as consumer-friendly as Gaz and Leccy are letting on.

TRUE COST OF A SMART METER

Every household, whether they want a smart meter or not, is being forced to fork out 420 to help fund the 11billion smart meter project. The cash is being pickpocketed from our energy bills  rising up to 10 per cent this year to an average 1,150.

Gordon Hughes is professor of economics at the University of Edinburgh and a former senior adviser on energy and environmental policy at the World Bank.

He says: 'The introduction of the smart meter is a dog's breakfast. At best it is misconceived and an astonishingly expensive project. For those claiming it will bring major savings, I say they need to grow up.

'Studies confirm that after just a couple of weeks the novelty of a smart meter wears off and people go back to their old energy usage habits.

'A smart meter might end up shaving one per cent off a utility bill  a tenner a year.'

With the cost per household of the project estimated at 420, it will take decades for smart meters to provide savings to households.

Alex Henney also believes the introduction of smart meters is a waste of money. He is a former government adviser on energy privatisation and ex-director of London Electricity.

A dog's breakfast... misconceived and astonishingly expensive Gordon Hughes, Professor of Economics

In a written statement to the Parliamentary Energy and Climate Change Committee four years ago  a year before smart meters started to be installed  he wrote: 'The British roll-out of smart meters is one of the most incompetent, one of the most expensive, and definitely the most complex.

'The project is likely to be a shambles with negligible consumer benefit.'

Henney stated civil servants 'cooked the books' to give meters a net benefit of almost 5billion  but independent analysis found it would end up costing the nation at least 4billion.

Even the Government's own savings projections look poor value for money. It claims meters may provide households with initial savings of 23 a year.

But 13 of this annual saving is expected to come from the money that energy companies will pocket by no longer having to send meter reader workers out to come and visit.

The rest of the meagre savings are predicted to come from homeowners looking at their energy display monitors and realising the cost of many energy-sapping devices around the home.

For example, televisions that still burn up electricity when left on standby.

POTENTIAL TARGET FOR HACKERS

There are fears that the new smart meters can be hacked, giving criminals the opportunity to raid people's bank accounts and plan burglaries.

Jim Gee is head of forensic and counter-fraud services at accountancy firm Crowe Clark Whitehill.

He is also visiting professor and chair of the Centre for Counter Fraud Services at the University of Portsmouth.

He says: 'As with all wireless technology, there is a risk that smart meters will be hacked. It is not a question of making them secure but of providing greater resilience.

'Hackers use viruses that can adapt and mutate over time to break in to smart meters. Even the latest technology is vulnerable.'

He adds: 'There is a line of code in smart meters that can be deciphered.

'Fraudsters could then commit billing fraud, leading to money being taken out of households' bank accounts.

'Hacking a smart meter also enables a fraudster to discover when you are out, making it a tool for a burglar deciding when is the best time to break in.'

Gee, co-author of a recent fraud report that shows cybercrime costs the economy 193billion a year, believes arsonists could even take advantage of flaws in the technology.

He says: 'There have been instances where fires have been caused due to sudden increases of power to a home. Smart meter technology could possibly be abused in this way.'

Earlier this year the BBC Watchdog programme investigated whether there were links between fires caused at 18 homes after smart meters were fitted.

QUICK MONEY SAVER:CUT YOUR BILLS YOURSELF? If you want to shave money off your energy bill, there is a quick and easy alternative to installing a smart meter you could try first. Reviewing your energy contract regularly to ensure they are on the cheapest deal will make sure you never get stuck on an expensive tariff. Even moving every other year will save you significant amounts. If you are one of the millions of people who have NEVER switched (i.e. stuck with your original supplier), then you should save a big chunk of cash. A tenth of switchers saved 616 in the first half of 2016, according to energyhelpline. You only need to be interested in the tariff that is going to be cheapest where you live, so do your own postcode comparison in minutes using the tool above - or here - to find the best price. Read more about other quick tricks to make sure you are getting the best deal on your household bills here

RISK OF FALSE METER READING

A smart meter enables energy companies to read usage wirelessly using radio wave signals through a 'national communication network'.

Yet industry insiders are concerned the technology is not foolproof and the wrong meter  or reading  could still be taken by an energy firm.

Earlier this year some meters in Britain  supplied by energy provider SSE  gave false readings due to a computer glitch

Research by scientists at the University of Twente, in the Netherlands, found meters can in some cases produce readings up to six times too high  though the ones it tested were not used in the UK.

The issue was caused partly by LED bulbs and dimmer switches distorting the shape of the electric current read by the meter.

Earlier this year, some meters in Britain  supplied by energy provider SSE  gave false readings due to a computer glitch.

One stated a household was consuming more than 30,000 worth of gas and electricity in a day.

SSE did not bill the customer for the mistake. A spokesman for SSE says: 'The issue affected a small group of meters and was investigated as a matter of urgency.

'We continue to monitor the performance of our meters to ensure they are operating correctly.'

But Hughes fears such assurances are not enough. He says: 'It is most difficult to make a system of this kind genuinely secure. It could be a real menace if it is ever connected to the internet.'

The professor believes part of the problem is that smart meters are being forced on the industry by the Government without proper consideration of the commercial implications.

For example, the wirelessly controlled smart meters are not the same for each provider, making it hard for consumers to switch energy firms. A further layer of confusion is added if meters are installed by a third party.
More than 27billion has so far been paid to customers mis-sold payment protection insurance. But billions more in compensation is still up for grabs.

An industry campaign fronted by an animatronic model of Arnie Schwarzenegger as The Terminator has now been launched to unearth the millions of people yet to claim cash redress before the claims deadline expires in 2019.

Here, The Mail on Sunday answers the key questions on this sorry mis-selling scandal and how you can file a claim.

Campaign: The ad featuring 'Arnie' is designed to spur people on

WHAT IS PPI?

It is an insurance policy that was sold by the bucketload alongside loans, credit cards, hire purchase arrangements, shopping catalogue credit, store cards and mortgages.

It was primarily offered between the 1990s and 2010. If someone was unable to work  perhaps through redundancy or an accident  it would meet any loan repayments for a short period, usually at most a year.

WHY DID IT BECOME A SCANDAL?

Millions of people were persuaded to take cover when they either did not need it or could not claim on it, perhaps because they were self-employed.

Many did not even know they had a policy because providers added it to monthly loan repayments without their knowledge.

So far, lenders have shelled out more than 27billion in compensation with Lloyds Banking Group alone forking out 18billion.

The group, whose brands include Bank of Scotland, Halifax and Lloyds Bank, has also set aside more cash for future complaints.

The overall bill for sorting out the mis-selling debacle could balloon to 100billion.

WHO SHOULD COMPLAIN NOW?

Sales push: Judgment Day came out in 1991

You may have to look back a couple of decades to discover whether you were mis-sold a policy.

The big sales push in cover began about the time Terminator 2: Judgment Day, hit movie screens in 1991.

If the dusty statements you uncover contain references to PPI or other terms such as 'loan care', 'credit insurance' and 'payment cover' then you are likely to be in line for a windfall.

Even if you have already had a complaint rejected, you may still be owed compensation if the lender charged excessive commission on the policy.

Sales commission often ate up two thirds of the premium.

More recent rules allow you to get back that commission plus interest, even if the policy was not mis-sold.

Policies affected by this commission rule are mainly those attached to loans that were in place in April 2008 and thereafter.

HOW TO GET COMPENSATION

A do-it-yourself claim is the most profitable approach to take as victims stand to pocket the full compensation owed.

The sum paid may be far greater than you expect. This is because a minimum 8 per cent a year flat interest is added to the premiums paid as part of the compensation package.

The average compensation claim paid to date is 3,000, but some claimants have clocked up six figure sums. Such payments have given the economy a boost as windfalls are often spent on consumer goods and services.

To claim, check out the relevant bank's website. You will then need to provide your personal details, including the address at the time of the policy's purchase and the period you held the insurance.

The cut-off date for most claims is August 29, 2019, but it could be earlier if your provider has already approached you about making a claim.

Miss the deadline and legal action is the only option.

It is helpful but not essential to include the policy number.

Make clear whether your complaint involves mis-selling or the high levels of commission paid to the sellers.

If you have lost the paperwork providers must trawl their own records.

If nothing materialises, check your credit report with a reference agency such as Experian, Equifax or Callcredit that should contain details about old loans.

Alternatively, try the Financial Ombudsman Service at financial-ombudsman.org.uk. If you need a helping hand through the claims process try a free online complaints service such as Resolver or Which?. Get tips at moneyadviceservice.org.uk.

CLAIMS CHASERS

People who cannot be bothered to do the ground work can give permission to a third party to do it, such as a claims handling company.

Claims firms are the operations that plague householders over the phone and by text at all hours of the day. Many are legitimate, but the payoff is they take a fee of as much as a third of any compensation paid.

But there is no guarantee you will get anything. If you take this route only use a claims company authorised by the Claims Management Regulator, part of the Ministry of Justice.

Firms must give written information about the service they offer, spelling out charges and when you must pay them.

Although many work on a 'no win, no fee' arrangement, you may still have to pay their expenses  1,000 plus  if your claim fails.

James Walker, founder of Resolver, says: 'It is frustrating the two most common urban money myths about claims managers still persist.

'First, that it is easier to pay someone to deal with the complaint than handle it yourself. Secondly, that it will improve your chances of winning. Both are untrue.'

WHERE TO FIND EXTRA HELP

Go to the Financial Conduct Authority website at fca.org.uk/ppi or phone 0800 101 8800.

This is Money also has a guide with letter templates explaining exactly how you can check for mis-sold PPI.
Berkeley Group is braced for a shareholder revolt this week over boardroom payouts totalling 92million  one of the largest pay deals in British corporate history.

The housebuilder, which specialises in upmarket London property, awarded six executives the sum in long-term share bonuses for 2016.

Chairman Tony Pidgley earned 29.2million and chief executive Rob Perrins 28million under the plan, while two other directors took home eight-figure payouts.

Pidgley has earned 74million in the past three years, while Perrins has taken home 51million.

Berkeley Group is braced for a shareholder revolt this week over boardroom payouts

Shareholder advisory groups Glass Lewis and Pirc are advising shareholders to reject the pay arrangements at the group's annual meeting on Wednesday.

Another influential adviser, ISS, said it had 'concerns' over the package, but recommended its clients vote in favour. But it made clear it is offering only 'qualified' support.

A major pay revolt would thrust the builder, which is set to be promoted to the FTSE 100 this month, into the frontline of a growing debate about corporate excess.

The Prime Minister said last week she planned to name and shame firms where shareholders have objected to excessive pay.

Berkeley's directors hit the jackpot after exceeding targets drawn up in 2011.

The pay committee promised executives a total of 19.6million shares as targets were hit over a ten-year period.

The housing market has boomed since then, and those shares are now worth 725million.

Glass Lewis called the payouts 'grossly excessive' and cast doubt on the scheme's ability to incentivise bosses to work for the long-term growth of the firm.

PIRC has recommended shareholders also reject the re-election of the directors on the remuneration committee.

Earlier this year Berkeley bowed to pressure and introduced a cap on future payouts. But it has not scaled back the lavish awards for the year ending April 30, 2017, which have already been paid. This week's vote is non-binding.

A spokesman said: '90 per cent of executive pay last year came from shares earned over the past six years.

'It reflected exceptional sustained performance. This year we recommended halving key executive pay, which was backed by 97 per cent of shareholders.'
Women bosses make up such a tiny portion of chief executives at top firms that they are even outnumbered by men called 'Dave'.

An investigation by The Mail on Sunday has revealed there are just six female chief executives in the FTSE100  Britain's biggest companies by value listed on the London Stock Exchange.

Meanwhile, eight of the firms are run by men called Dave or David  including supermarket bosses Dave Lewis at Tesco and David Potts at Morrisons, and David Thomas at builder Barratt Developments.

Only one woman, Alison Cooper, who runs tobacco company Imperial Brands, ranked among the 25 best-paid Footsie chiefs

The survey revealed one female boss in the top half of the table; Alison Cooper, the 22nd highest-paid Ceo on 5.5 million, who runs tobacco firm Imperial Brands.

The remainder, including Alison Brittain at Costa coffee chain-owner Whitbread, were at the bottom of the list.

Even when they do break through, women are likely to earn significantly less than the men.

The half dozen trail-blazing female bosses took home an average annual pay and bonus package of 2.6million. For the 94 men, the average was 4.5million.

Or, as the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development puts it, women leaders accounted for 6 per cent of the index in 2016, but received just 4 per cent of the pay.

Only one woman, Alison Cooper, who runs tobacco company Imperial Brands, ranked among the 25 best-paid Footsie chiefs.

She came in at number 22 with an annual pay and bonus of 5.53million.

Cooper, 51, a mother of two, is one of the few women to have reached the boardroom in the male-dominated tobacco industry, and since she took over in 2010, Imperial shares have gone up 74 per cent.

Jet-lagged: EasyJet's Carolyn McCall was the lowest paid female Footsie boss despite shares rising 202 per cent

The remaining female chief executives were confined to the bottom third of the Footsie salary list.

'Men are more forceful on salary because they are in the boys' club,' said Justin Urquhart Stewart of Seven Investment Management.

'They are likely to have a group of mates who serve on pay committees and benefit from the locker room chat on pay and perks.'

Alison Brittain, boss of Whitbread, left, and Veronique Laury, CEO of Kingfisher

He added that he expected to see more women at the top in future because they were more flexible and skilled at handling change.

He said: 'At the risk of a stereotype, women can multi-task.'

The lowest paid female Footsie boss of 2016 was easyJet's Dame Carolyn McCall, who came 93rd in the rankings.

McCall, 55, won plaudits for her time at the budget airline despite patches of turbulence.

Liv Garfield, 41, left, boss of Severn Trent, is the youngest female FTSE boss. Right: Moya Greene, the Canadian boss of Royal Mail

A mother of three teenagers, she puts her success down to having to be 'hyper-organised'.

After arriving at the airline in 2010, the former boss of the Guardian media empire delivered seven years of successive profits, and on her watch the shares have risen more than 200 per cent.

Though her pay was fairly modest last year at 1.46million, she earned 6.2million in 2015, and has made about 30million in her time at the company.

David Potts, chief executive of Morrisons

From left: David Atkins of Hammerson, David Sleath of Segro and David Hathorn of Modi

McCall is one of the best-regarded executives of either gender in the Footsie and recently won the plum job of chief executive at ITV.

When she takes over at the broadcaster next year, it will be on a lower base salary and pension than her predecessor Adam Crozier, but on a higher long-term incentive plan that could deliver a maximum of 25.2million over five years, slightly more than his potential reward.

Liv Garfield, 41, was the youngest female Footsie boss when she took over at water firm Severn Trent in 2014, having made her name at BT.

A Yorkshire-born mother of two and a Cambridge graduate, she has seen shares rise by 27 per cent since she arrived  but she is only number 70 in the pay table.

Dave Lewis, chief executive of Tesco

Shares in Whitbread, the owner of Premier Inns and Costa Coffee, have fallen since former banking executive Alison Brittain, 52, took the helm in 2015. But she still commands admiration from City experts, who say she's turning the business around.

Urquhart Stewart says: 'She has done a brilliant job but has yet to see that reflected in the share price.'

Brittain is 67th in the pay table and says, despite her credentials, men sometimes 'try to talk over me'.

Moya Greene, 63, the Canadian boss of Royal Mail, took over a business that was challenged by difficult trade union relations, fierce competition in the parcels business, set against the demise of traditional letters with the advent of texting and email. With a package of less than 2million a year, she is 82nd on the pay list.

David Thomas of Barratt Development

Royal Mail's share price has been volatile since the flotation in 2014 at 330p and the company dropped out of the FTSE 100 last week.

Even so, Greene is highly respected and with good reason. The group was suffering losses of 49million a year when she joined, but this year made a 712million operating profit.

She has just joined the board of easyJet, where she is tipped to take over from Carolyn McCall  a timely return as a Footsie boss.

In 87th place is Veronique Laury, 52. The mother of three and former showjumper, counts home renovation as her main hobby  appropriately enough for the boss of Kingfisher.

She has renovated three houses in her native France, earning herself the nickname 'Madame Bricolage' or 'Mrs DIY'.

David Bellamy, chief executive of St. James's Place Wealth Management

She hasn't yet been able to renovate Kingfisher's share price, which is down 7 per cent since she took the helm in 2014 though analysts say it has done better than some rivals in a troubled sector.

The female bosses who graced the Footsie in 2016 have recently been joined by another, Emma Walmsley, 48, at pharmaceutical group GlaxoSmithKline.

Full details of the mother of four's rewards will not emerge until next year, but her overall package is expected to be 25 per cent less than that of her predecessor Sir Andrew Witty.
The European Commission is poised to hit Google with another record-breaking fine over competition concerns about its Android mobile phone software, it has been claimed.

Brussels has accused the internet search company of unfairly requiring handset makers to pre-load its apps on to smartphones before they are sold to customers.

It could see competition commissioner Margrethe Vestager impose a penalty on the firm within weeks.

Google is accused of requiring handset makers to pre-load its apps on to smartphones before they are sold to customers

This could be even bigger than the record-breaking 2.1billion fine handed down by Vestager in July for Googles manipulation of shopping search results to favour its own services.

A commission spokesman yesterday declined to comment. But such a move against Google would significantly up the stakes in the European Unions battle with the Silicon Valley company.

If the company challenges the commissions proposed fine, it could set the stage for years of bitter legal wrangling.

A spokesman for Google declined to comment.
Veteran City fund manager Richard Buxton is leading talks with private equity firms about a takeover of Old Mutuals 25billion asset management arm.

The 53-year-old has discussed a buyout of Old Mutual Global Investors with potential backers who include TA Associates.

Goldman Sachs is also said to be consulting potentially interested parties.

Talks: Richard Buxton is currently chief executive of Old Mutual Global Investors

Buxton is currently chief executive of Old Mutual Global Investors, which is part of Old Mutuals wealth management business.

The Anglo-South African financial services group is itself in the middle of an ambitious break-up into four new companies. A spokesman for Old Mutual Wealth confirmed Old Mutual Global Investors could also develop as a separate and distinct business.

A source familiar with the matter told Reuters that options for the unit led by Buxton include a management buyout or an acquisition by a trade buyer. He would remain as chief executive under the proposals.

The multi-asset arm of Old Mutuals wealth management business, which is run by Paul Simpson and controls about 16billion of assets, is not expected to be included in any deal struck.
A schism is emerging among pro-Brexit economists over how Britain should attempt to negotiate trade deals after leaving the EU single market.

The dispute could have a major effect on the future of manufacturing and farming in the UK.

Gerard Lyons  a former economic adviser to Boris Johnson  believes Britain should maintain tariff barriers on imports in order to keep some bargaining chips when negotiating trade deals with other countries.

At loggerheads: Gerard Lyons, left, and Professor Patrick Minford

He also argues that the UK needs to employ transitional arrangements to protect key sectors such as manufacturing and agriculture, which could otherwise be threatened by cheap foreign competitors.

His views put him at odds with Professor Patrick Minford, his former colleague on the Economists for Brexit body and a one-time adviser to Margaret Thatcher.

Minford insists the UK should ditch external tariff barriers in order to slash the price of goods and deliver an estimated 135 billion annual economic boost.

However, Lyons fears that such a 'big bang' approach could harm certain sectors and tie Britain's hands when negotiating future deals.

Lyons told The Mail on Sunday: 'The debate now is about whether you immediately go to this new framework or whether you go in a gradual way.

'And I think given that so many things are also changing elsewhere in the UK's policy framework it makes more sense to adopt a gradual approach, keeping tariffs in place.'

He added that Britain needs to be 'mindful' that adjustment could be painful.

EU farmers are protected by relatively high tariffs, so a zero-tariff policy could see a flood of imports making life hard for those working in British agriculture

Lyons has outlined his preference in a book co-written with fellow Brexiteer Liam Halligan, due to be published later this month.

The disagreement is likely to be highly significant for farmers and manufacturers in particular.

EU farmers are protected by relatively high tariffs, so a zero-tariff policy could see a flood of imports making life hard for those working in British agriculture.

Lyons said: 'Having tariffs existing in place will be a useful part of future negotiations.'
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By Gina Martinez

Queens firehouses will be getting major upgrades, thanks to city funding.

Borough President Melinda Katz and City Councilman Paul Vallone (D-Bayside) joined members of FDNY and CB7 Tuesday in Whitestone to announce that over $2 million in funding was going towards capital improvements at six Queens firehouses, including Engine 295/Ladder 144 in Whitestone, which has been in service since 1915.

Katz and Vallone allocated $375,000 for door replacements for four firehouses in northeast Queens, including Engine 306 at 40-18 214th Place in Bayside, Engine 295/Ladder 144 at 12-49 149th St. in Whitestone, Engine 297/Ladder 130 at 119-11 14th Road in College Point, and Engine 313/Ladder 164 at 44-01 244th St. in Little Neck.

Firehouses hold New Yorks Bravest, our heroes who fearlessly run toward danger and crisis when everyone else runs away, Katz said. Firehouses are the pillars of the neighborhood, where Queens families turn to for safety and rescue at our most vulnerable hours. In partnership with the department and leaders like Council member Vallone, weve issued significant capital investments this year toward important upgrades at several Queens firehouses.

In addition to the door replacements, $500,000 was allocated by Katz for a window upgrade at Engine 275/Ladder 133 in Jamaica and $1.2 million was allocated by the borough president for a kitchen upgrade at FDNY Engine 307/Ladder 154 in Jackson Heights.

Vallone said the city owes an immeasurable debt to its firefighters and first responders.

The best fire department in the world deserves the best in return, he said. This funding will go a long way to improving these firehouses and is a shining example of what can be accomplished by partnering with our fellow elected officials.

FDNY Commissioner Daniel Nigro thanked the elected officials for their investment.

The department is grateful to Borough President Katz, Council member Vallone, and all of our elected officials who have provided generous support to upgrade our facilities, he said. This funding is not only an investment in our firehouses, its a commitment to help our firefighters protect all New Yorkers.
Countries around the world swiftly condemned North Korea\s announcement that it had tested a hydrogen bomb Sunday, with South Korea calling for the "strongest punishment" against Pyongyang while key ally China strongly condemned it.

Tensions on the Korean peninsula have spiralled in recent weeks, with North Korea testing an intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) and threatening to fire missiles towards the US Pacific island of Guam and President Donald Trump warning he would rain "fire and fury" on the country.

Last week the North fired a missile over Japan and into the Pacific.

South Korean President Moon Jae-In called for the "strongest punishment" against the North over its nuclear test, including new UN sanctions to "completely isolate" it.

China, which is hosting a summit of the five BRICS nations, said it "expresses resolute opposition and strong condemnation" over Pyongyang\s sixth nuclear test, which was felt in Chinese cities hundreds of kilometres from North Korea\s borders.

China, a key provider of aid and trade to the North, is seen as the only country holding any real influence over its truculent neighbour. But relations have become more strained in recent years, in part because of Pyongyang\s dogged pursuit of its nuclear programme in the face of international condemnation.

The North should "stop taking mistaken actions which worsen the situation and are also not in line with its own interests, and effectively return to the track of solving the problem through dialogue," the Chinese foreign ministry said.

President Xi Jinping and his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin remained silent on the subject at the opening of the BRICS summit in Xiamen, which includes Brazil, India and South Africa.

Russia\s foreign ministry however expressed "strongest condemnation" of Pyongyang\s actions, while adding "it is imperative to remain calm and to refrain from any actions that lead to a further escalation of tension".

The ministry said it regretted that the leadership of North Korea was "creating a serious threat" for the region and warned that "the continuation of such a line is fraught with serious consequences" for Pyongyang.

Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe slammed the test as "absolutely unacceptable" and said North Korea\s nuclear and missile programmes now pose a more "grave and urgent" threat to his country.

"Whether we can stop North Korea\s reckless actions that threaten world peace depends on the cooperation and solidarity of the international community," he added.

French President Emmanuel Macron also called for a "very firm" response by the international community and urged the UN Security Council to "quickly react".

EU foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini said she was looking forward "to the UN Security Council addressing the matter and taking a firm and effective stand".

NATO secretary general Jens Stoltenberg condemned the test as "yet another flagrant violation" of multiple UN Security Council resolutions.

"NATO is concerned by Pyongyang\s destabilising pattern of behaviour, which poses a threat to regional and international security," he said.

Pyongyang, for its part, called the nuclear detonation "a perfect success".

The test was substantially larger than previous ones, generating a 6.3 magnitude earth tremor according to US monitors.

Washington has not responded so far.

After North Korea sent a missile over Japan last week, Trump tweeted that the time for talks was over.

"The US has been talking to North Korea, and paying them extortion money, for 25 years. Talking is not the answer!" he wrote.

Trump had previously pledged the North would not get an ICBM and has warned that Washington\s weapons are "locked and loaded".

SOURCE: AFP
Tonzi's Catering Company won over fairgoers and judges to sweep the awards at the New York State Fair's Taste NY Food Truck Competition Saturday.

The Auburn food truck  the lone entry from Cayuga County  beat out 16 other contenders to win the Judges' Choice and People's Choice awards.

Tonzi's entry was a bacon jalapeno macaroni and cheese fritter. The fritter was topped with chipotle sauce and served with a side of jalapeno pickle relish.

This was the first year Tonzi's participated in the fair's food truck competition. In August, Michael Tonzi said he and his wife decided to enter after attending prior food truck contests at the fair.

"We operate our catering business part-time and figured we'd give it a try this year," Tonzi said.

With the food truck competition expanding to two days this year, there were 40 entrants  20 for each day. The food trucks that competed Saturday included the Silo Truck, of Ithaca, that won the 2016 Judges' Choice award.

Tonzi's had a prime spot at the corner of Chevy Court. Not only could they take advantage of traffic coming from different directions, but the truck was located across from the ballot boxes for the People's Choice award. Fairgoers didn't have to walk far to cast their votes for the Auburn company.

There were competitors from across the state. Crunch Roll Factory, a truck from Buffalo, served its Buffalo chicken crunch roll. Pinkies BBQ of Binghamton offered samples of its pulled pork slider.

Most of the entrants, like Tonzi's, hailed from central New York. Via Napoli Express, a Liverpool food truck, served its Esposito pizza, which was made with sauce, mozzarella cheese, house-made spicy sausage and local honey drizzle. The Bite Box, a Syracuse-based food truck, sold samples of its sweet chili chicken slider.

While there was stiff competition, Tonzi's won top honors from fairgoers and judges. It's the first time in the three-year history of the food truck contest that a participant has won both awards.

The food truck competition will continue Sunday. Twenty trucks are expected to participate on the final day. The entrants include PB&J's Lunchbox, a Syracuse food truck that won the Judges' Choice award in 2015. PB&J's will offer samples of its spinach and artichoke dip grilled cheese.

The list of competitors for Sunday, Sept. 3:
Tens of thousands of residents of Germany\s financial capital Frankfurt evacuated their homes on Sunday ahead of the planned defusing of a massive World War Two bomb discovered on a building site.

Bomb technicians had been scheduled to begin work shortly after noon (1000 GMT), but the fire department said there were delays as some people refused to leave.

Helicopters with heat-sensing cameras circled to spot stragglers and police chiefs said they would use force if necessary to clear the area, warning that an uncontrolled explosion would be big enough to flatten a city block.

Around 60,000 people were ordered to leave in what was Germany\s biggest evacuation since the war, with more than a thousand emergency service workers helping to clear the area.

A steady flow of people filed into a temporary shelter at Frankfurts trade fair site, with bananas and beverages on offer. Others sat in cafes on the edge of the evacuation zone.

The device was found last week in the city\s leafy Westend neighborhood, home to many wealthy bankers. The evacuation area includes the central bank where $70 billion in gold reserves are stored.

Police set up cordons around the evacuation area, which covered a radius of 1.5 km (roughly a mile).

Premature babies and intensive care patients had to be evacuated along with everyone else from two hospitals and rescue workers helped about 500 elderly people leave residences and care homes.

In Frankfurt, bomb disposal experts will use a special system to try and unscrew the fuses attached to the HC 4,000 bomb from a safe distance. If that fails, a water jet will be used to cut the fuses.

The bomb was dropped by Britain\s Royal Air Force during the 1939-45 war, city officials said. British and American warplanes pummeled the country with 1.5 million tonnes of bombs that killed 600,000 people. Officials estimate 15 percent of the bombs failed to explode, some burrowing six meters (yards) deep.

More than 2,000 tonnes of live bombs and munitions are found each year in Germany, even under buildings. In July, a kindergarten was evacuated after teachers discovered an unexploded World War Two bomb on a shelf among some toys.

Three police explosives experts in Goettingen were killed in 2010 while preparing to defuse a 1,000 lb (450 kg) bomb.

Roads and transport systems, including parts of the underground, were to remain closed during the work and for at least two hours after the bomb is defused, to allow patients to be transported back to hospitals.

Air traffic from Frankfurt airport could also be affected and small private planes, helicopters and drones were banned from the evacuation zone.

Museums were offering residents free entry on Sunday, and many hotels offered discounts.

SOURCE: REUTERS
A 2014 Niskayuna High School graduate no longer faces a misdemeanor charge of tampering with evidence in connection with the hazing death of Penn State University pledge Tim Piazza, according to published reports.

A Centre Court district judge dismissed that criminal charge against Braxton Becker, 21, who had been accused of ordering other people to destroy any evidence on social media and forensics from phones, the published reports say.

A message left Saturday at the law office of attorney Karen Muir, who had represented Becker in earlier proceedings, was not immediately returned.

The Philadelphia Inquirer also reported that District Judge Allen Sinclair threw out the most serious criminal charges, involuntary manslaughter and felony aggravated assault, against several other members of the fraternity.

The collegians still face other offenses, including hazing and furnishing alcohol to a minor stemming from Piazza's death on Feb. 4.

In a statement, Penn State said it had completed disciplinary proceedings for 35 students involved in the Beta Theta Pi case but declined to list the outcomes.

The fraternity itself also remains charged with hazing and furnishing alcohol to minors.

Piazza, prosecutors allege, was forced to consume large amounts of alcohol during a Feb. 2 hazing ritual, and later fell down the basement stairs.

Authorities say fraternity members then left him on a couch and didn't call for emergency help until almost 12 hours later and then tried to cover up the death. Piazza died Feb. 4 of a head injury, ruptured spleen, and collapsed lung.
Melania Trump has been taking a lot of heat on Twitter for her fashion choices as she departs for Houston with President Donald Trump to tour the flooding and devastation from Hurricane Harvey.

The First Lady could be seen on Tuesday boarding Air Force One wearing high heels, and Twitter erupted with criticism:
Tipperary TD Jackie Cahill has called for a common sense approach to be adopted by the Department of Education and Bus Eireann when it comes to the School Transport Scheme.

Deputy Cahill was reacting to a number of cases across the county where children are forced to travel long distances to pick up points or walk down dangerous busy roads to get on the bus.

The current situation is so strict that in some cases it is easier for parents to drive their kids to the school rather than drop them to the school bus pick up point, he said.

The Fianna Fail TD said that there were situations where the bus passed metres away from the students home but they were being told that they had to go to another bus stop to get on the bus.

Its a completely ludicrous situation, he said.

Deputy Cahilll said he had also been dealing with a number of cases whereby one student was deemed eligible for a place on the scheme while their neighbours, who may only live a couple of hundred metres away, were not.

He said that this situation had come about as a result of the Departments insistence that the distance between the home and the school was determined by the shortest traversable route.

Bus Eireann have clarified that it is the shortest traversable route by foot, and not by car. To my mind, this doesnt make sense. There are routes that cars and, indeed, cars are not allowed to use, but children are being put out because they are walkable, he said.

And he said that it was also the case that some of the measurements were across small country roads unsuitable for large school buses.

If Department officials and representatives from Bus Eireann were forced to travel on some of these routes, they would not stand over the decision or the policy itself, said Deputy Cahill.

There needs to be an element of flexibility within this system and I am calling on Minister Halligan and Bus Eireann to reconsider the current route guidelines and allow for a more common sense approach to be adopted, said Deputy Cahill.
Independent public representatives Mattie McGrath TD, Councillors Martin Lonergan and Richie Molloy have slammed Tipperary County Councils decision to proceed and lodge a Planning Application with An Bord Pleanala for Ardfinnan Bridge.

The application will include the construction of sensored traffic lights and the installation of a footpath on the carriageway of the bridge despite major opposition locally and in the surrounding hinterlands.

The confirmation came after Officials from Tipperary County Council met Clonmel Area Councillors and Oireachtas Members in Clonmel this afternoon.

While the three Public Reps acknowledged the fact that repairing the bridge was extremely necessary and should be carried out as soon as possible, they had called on the CEO, Joe MacGrath and Director of Services for Roads and Transportation, Marcus OConnor to stall the placing of a permanent footpath and traffic lights on the bridge until alternative funding could be sourced for either a cantilever/independent style pedestrian crossing however, this would not be facilitated or even considered.

They were also extremely critical of the County Councils lack of consultation with the public and their attitude in what has been a battle over almost two years.

Even though the County Council had been asked that the Press and representatives from Ardfinnan Community Council be allowed attend this week's briefing, this was rejected out of hand.

The three Public Representatives said that this was an affront to local democracy and to the people of Ardfinnan.
[September 03, 2017] Therapure Biopharma Inc. Announces Spin Off and Sale of Contract Development and Manufacturing Business for US$290 Million

Therapure Biopharma Inc. ("Therapure" or the "Company") today announced that a joint venture between 3SBio Inc. (HKG:1530) ("3SBio"), a leading global biotechnology company, and CPE Funds (investment funds advised by CITICPE) ("CITICPE") has entered into an agreement to acquire Therapure's contract development and manufacturing (CDMO) business and certain rights to plasma products and technology for the Chinese market for US$290 million, subject to certain adjustments. The CDMO business will continue to operate under the Therapure brand and be led by Therapure's CEO Nick Green and the current senior management team at its manufacturing facilities located in Mississauga, Ontario. The Catalyst Capital Group Inc. ("Catalyst") will retain ownership of, and will support future investments in, Therapure's plasma protein and therapeutic products business under a separate entity ("ProductsCo"). The joint venture between 3SBio and CITICPE will contribute at least an additional C$20-25 million to ProductsCo under the terms of the agreement to be used for the construction of a new commercial facility. This new relationship with 3SBio and CITICPE provides the CDMO business access to greater mammalian cell and downstream purification manufacturing capabilities and a broader geographic reach. In addition, it also provides strategic support for the expansion of the CDMO business and facilities, providing employees and stakeholders with greater opportunities in Canada. This transaction will also form a strategic partnership between Catalyst, 3SBio and CITICPE. Operationally the CDMO business will continue to produce clinical material with the team's leading expertise in plasma proteins manufacturing in the existing facilities and will construct a new commercial facility on behalf of ProductsCo for the manufacture of its plasma proteins commercial portfolio. This transaction allows ProductsCo to focus on the clinical development and commercialization of its plasma proteins products in high growth markets, initially in the US and Canada. In addition, it leverages 3SBio's knowledge and expertise in commercializing Therapure's PlasmaCap EBA(tm) technology in the Chinese market. "This transaction is exciting for the future of Therapure and for the Canadian biopharma industry," said Nick Green, President and Chief Executive Officer of Therapure. "It will be a powerful enabler for further growth and expansion of both 3SBio and Therapure in high growth areas of the market through our combined capabilities. This will put us in a stronger position to lead, innovate and grow, and further support our current and future clients." "Therapure is a business that we started from scratch and through a focused corporate strategy and discipline we have built the leading Canadian biomanufacturing operator and established a great product pipeline that is entering a new value creation stage as an independent company," said Gabriel de Alba, Chairman of Therapure and Managing Director and Partner at Catalyst. "We are very excited about the ongoing business and investment relationship with 3SBio and CITICPE and look forwardto product commercialization in China and to jointly expanding manufacturing capabilities in Canada and globally with 3SBio and CITICPE as new partners. For the products business, which we believe is also a high growth opportunity, we are focused on the next stage of value creation through strategic alternatives that, among other options, may include an initial public offering."



"As part of our global expansion strategy, the addition of Therapure's CDMO business represents an important milestone for 3SBio and we look forward to working with the talented and experienced Therapure CDMO team to further expand the business in Canada, North America, and elsewhere," said Dr. Jing Lou, Chairman and CEO of 3SBio. "The collaboration with Therapure's CDMO business is exciting and we expect to create significant technological, operational and revenue synergies between 3SBio and Therapure's CDMO business." Following 3SBio shareholders' approval, the acquisition is expected to be completed by the end of this year.

Advisors Wells Fargo (News - Alert) Securities served as exclusive financial advisor to Therapure. About Therapure Biopharma, Inc. Therapure Biopharma Inc. is an integrated biopharmaceutical company focused on complex biological therapeutics and technologies that can provide new options for patient care. Therapure Biopharma Inc. has two divisions: Therapure Biomanufacturing and its product division comprised of Therapure Biologics (plasma derived product) and Therapure Innovations (drug discovery and product development). Therapure Biopharma Inc. operates out of two facilities located in Mississauga, Ontario: a 130,000-square foot cGMP facility that includes biomanufacturing, research and quality control laboratories and is built to meet FDA (US), HPFB (Canada), EMA (News - Alert) (Europe) and MHRA (UK) standards, and a new 43,000 square foot facility housing 30,000 square feet of cGMP warehouse. For more information on Therapure Biopharma Inc., please visit www.therapurebio.com. About Therapure Biomanufacturing Therapure Biomanufacturing is a global contract development and manufacturing organization (CDMO) offering integrated services for developing, manufacturing, purifying and packaging complex biological therapeutics. Its scientific and manufacturing expertise, as well as its flexible state-of-the-art cGMP facility, provide clients with optimal biomanufacturing solutions to advance their biotherapeutics from discovery to market. For more information on Therapure Biomanufacturing, please visit www.therapurebio.com/CDMO. About The Catalyst Capital Group Inc. The Catalyst Capital Group Inc., a private equity investment firm with more than $6 billion in assets under management founded in 2002, is a leader in operationally focused turnaround investing. The firm's mandate is to manufacture risk adjusted returns, in keeping with its philosophy of "we buy what we can build." Catalyst's Guiding Principles of investment excellence through operational involvement, superior analytics, attention to detail, intellectual curiosity, team and reputation are key to the firm's success. The Catalyst team collectively possesses more than 110 years of extensive experience in restructuring, credit markets and merchant and investment banking in Canada, the United States, Latin America and Europe. For more information, please visit www.catcapital.com. About 3SBio Inc. 3SBio Inc. is a fully-integrated biotechnology company in China with market-leading biopharmaceutical franchises in oncology, auto-immune diseases and nephrology. Its main products include TPIAO, the only commercialized recombinant human thrombopoietin ("rhTPO") product in the world; Yisaipu, the first-to-market recombinant human tumor necrosis factor-a receptor II (TNFR) - IgG Fc fusion protein for the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis, ankylosing spondylitis and psoriasis; and EPIAO and SEPO, recombinant human erythropoietin ("rhEPO") products. 3SBio is focused on building an innovative product pipeline, with over 16 National Class 1 candidates under development. 3SBio manufacturing capabilities include recombinant proteins, monoclonal antibodies and chemically synthesized molecules, with production centers in Shenyang, Shanghai, Hangzhou, Shenzhen and Como, Italy. 3SBio is actively pursuing international expansion through acquisition, licensing and partnerships. For more information on 3SBio Inc., please visit www.3sbio.com. About CITICPE CITICPE is a leading Chinese asset management firm focusing on private equity investment. CITICPE is highly committed to supporting 3SBio's growth agenda in order to capture the significant growth potential of the CDMO industry. View source version on businesswire.com: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20170903005043/en/

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BNL girls thump Mitchell at The Hive

Bedford North Lawrence defeated Mitchell 78-20 at the Hive on Saturday evening. The win moved the Stars to 3-0 on the season.
One ethics commissioner recused for own conflict of interest. and the fact is that the ethics fight over the airport isn't finished yet.

This wee we talked about ethics at City Hall for a good laugh . . . However, in fairness, it's important to show the other side of the equation . ..Former Missouri Rep. Jeremy LaFaver was quick to rush to Council Lady Jolie's defense by way of social media.For those with short-term memory loss . . . Here's a reminder about former Rep. LaFaver's biggest accomplishment:Like it or not, this is the winning side of the debate.However a quick correction amid the victorious chest thumping . . .The decision wasn't exactly "unanimous" in the 12th & Oak endorsement of Council Lady Jolie . . .Developing . . .
Uneasiness in St. Louis as verdict nears in officer's trial As a judge weighs evidence in the first-degree murder case against a former white St. Louis police officer charged with killing a black suspect, there is growing uneasiness that the city could see the sort of unrest that followed the fatal police shooting of Michael Brown in nearby Ferguson three years ago.

Preview of another round in the culture war where partisans and professional activists fight for control of the discourse by destroying a few convenient consumer options. Checkit:
KANSAS CITY PROGRESSIVES PETITION THE KCPD AND MAYOR SLY TO SEPARATE ARMED MILITIA FROM CIVILIAN PROTESTERS!!!

KCPD: Keep the Militia on a Leash

Local author and activisthas championed a powerful petition to purportedly provide more safety at future Kansas City protests and, as of this writing, 2,105 people have signed their names in support.While 2nd Amendment activists might not appreciate the added regulation . . .At the last encounter, this division was basically enforced but here's a more formalized effort to make the separation part of policy asReal talk . . . If the situations were reversed and armed leftists showed up with guns at Conservative events, the outcry would be equal and/or greater than this ongoing advocacy.Read more . . .On the weekend of August 19, 2017, leftist activists organized two events in Kansas City, Missouri: a rally against prisoner abuse and a march against white supremacy. Though successful, these rallies were stalked by men dressed in camouflage and armed with knives, handguns, and rifles -- members of a right-wing "militia" group called the "Three Percenters."These men were inspired by the "militia" that protected the neo-Nazis, Klansmen, and Confederates in Charlottesville, Virginia, the week before. They were not present to protect the Kansas Citians gathering for justice for prisoners and people of color, as they absurdly implied in the press and to passersby. They came to intimidate, no doubt with some hope a protester would break a window or step out of line in some fashion so they could murder said protester and call it justified. The Three Percenters circled the protesters during speeches and then followed them on their march.The Kansas City Police Department allowed this. It could have kept these counter-protesters behind a police line, cornered off away from the crowd, as it did during a June 10, 2017 protest/counter-protest. But instead the "militia" was allowed to stalk the crowd. Videos even surfaced of a disturbingly friendly police-"militia" relationship, in which one Three Percenter says the KCPD asked them to come and another tells police they'd "keep you in the loop" concerning any altercations (highlighting what they were there for, to take matters into their own hands, the police a mere afterthought).Because the Three Percenters were there to intimidate, because weaponry readied against unarmed protesters is both unnecessary and enormously increases the risk of altercations, violence, or death, because protesters felt unsafe, and because (as with a car mowing down protesters) it is only a matter of time before a "militia" kills a protester for no reason, we demand the following:########You decide . . .
Travellers expectations have changed drastically during the pandemic and the travel industry needs to better understand the behaviours and expectations of the new traveller in order to respond to them, says Roshan Mendis of Sabre.
Bahrains Electricity and Water Affairs Minister Dr Abdulhussain Mirza recently met executive heads and senior officials of major non-oil companies, a report said.



Dr Mirza explained the background of the setting up of the Sustainable Energy Unit and its two main objectives - to encourage investment in renewable energy as well as to raise the efficiency and rationalization of energy consumption, reported Bahrain News Agency (BNA).



The minister spoke of the national objectives adopted by the Council of Ministers. He said the objective of the meeting was to work towards achieving objectives of the National Energy Efficiency Plan (NEEAP) and the National Renewable Energy Plan (NREAP).



The minister reviewed the plans and objectives of the Sustainable Energy Unit along with those of NEEAP and NREAP and their initiatives related to the petroleum, petrochemical and gas industries.



Dr Mirza also reviewed the activities and achievements of the National Committee to follow up the implementation of these plans, through its agenda and sub-committees emanating from it, and the initiatives that are included in the national plans.



The visitors expressed their readiness to support the national energy plans and the work of the National Committee in addition to their readiness to support the efforts and objectives of the Sustainable Energy Unit.



The minister thanked the attendees for their constructive suggestions and support.



United Nations Resident Coordinator and UNDP resident representative Amin Al-Sharqawi, along with senior officials of Bahrain International Airport, Alba, Batelco, Garmco, JBF Bahrain, MAF Investment, Seef Properties, Triebacher Al Zayani and Abu Hussain Fiberglass attended.
ON THE MOVE: Academy Hires Capelo for Rates, Davison In at QB

J. Christopher Giancarlo, chairman of the Commodity Futures Trading Commission, has chosen derivatives expert Bruce Tuckman as chief economist of the agency. Tuckman will succeed Sayee Srinivasan, who will become a special adviser to the CFTC.

Societe Generales most recent prime brokerage reshuffle will mean John OHara not only maintains control of foreign exchange prime brokerage and FX clearing, but his promotion will also see him responsible for US prime brokerage lines, futures and OTC derivatives clearing.

If you have a new job or promotion to report, let me know at jdantona@marketsmedia.com

Academy Securities, a certified Disabled Veteran Business Enterprise, and Minority Business Enterprise, announced the addition of Glen Capelo as Managing Director and Head of the Rates Group. Capelo is a professional with over 30 years of experience in fixed income sales and trading. He started his Wall Street career at Salomon Brothers, rising to the level of Managing Director as a trader on the Government Bond desk. After 17 years at Salomon he joined Greenwich Capital where he traded both US Treasuries and Agencies. Most recently Mr. Capelo was a Managing Director and Co-Head of Rates at Mischler Financial.

The Chicago Board Options Exchange has hired Mike Cahill. Cahill was a former relationship manager within KCGs FX market making business and will oversee sales for European systematic trading and asset management firms, based in London. Prior to KCG, Cahill worked at Nomura Securities within FXEM eCommerce sales and also worked at Morgan Stanley for more than seven years in e-FX sales having first joined the investment bank in 2006. He reports to head of European FX sales at Hotspot, Ben Leit.

Goldman Sachs has been bulking up its algo team. According to reports, in the past few months the firm brought on both Timo Tatzel, a program trader from Barclays and Davinder Bedi, a special situations trader, also from the British bank. They follow fellow ex-Barclays electronic traders like Alex Harman, who joined Goldman a few years ago. Goldmans also boosting its electronic execution sales and marketing capabilities. Since June, its hired Pierre Cornet dElzius and Tom Groothaert, salesmen from Credit Suisse and Alexandra Marciniak, former head of marketing for Bloombergs trade book (who joins as an associate). Its also understood to have recruited Jack Leppard in electronic execution sales from KCG.

Wilshire Consulting, the institutional investment advisory and outsourced-CIO business unit of Wilshire Associates, announced the appointment of four company executives; Bradley Baker, Rose Dean, Ali Kazemi, and Ned McGuire, to the position of Managing Director.

Bradley Baker joined Wilshire in 2005 and provides consulting services to corporate and public pension funds, endowments, foundations and healthcare organizations. He will continue to serve as the chair of Wilshire Consultings Private Real Assets Asset Class Committee in his new role.

Rose Dean specializes in providing consulting services to corporate and public pension funds, endowments, foundations and healthcare organizations. She also currently serves on the Fixed Income/LDI and Private Equity/Credit Asset Class Committees. She joined Wilshire in 2015 after running a start-up alternative investment consulting business, where she advised on opportunities focused on alternative investment strategies. She spent the first half of her 16-year career in the financial markets as a fixed income trader and a portfolio manager.

Ali Kazemi provides investment and risk management consulting services to public and corporate pension plans, foundations and endowments, and insurance companies. He joined Wilshire in 2001 and worked for many years in product development and client servicing with Wilshire Analytics' Total Fund Analytic products before joining Wilshire Consulting to help build the risk management team, which he also now heads.

Ned McGuire joined Wilshire in 2011 and is a member of Wilshire Consultings Pension Risk Solutions group. He is responsible for researching and maintaining Wilshires proprietary asset allocation models, conducting asset allocation studies and serving as an actuarial consultant to plan sponsors. He will also continue to serve as a member of Wilshire Consultings Fixed Income/LDI Asset Class Committee in his new role.

Liquidnets former head of Australia, Tristan Baldwin, relocated to Hong Kong following his promotion as regional head of sales for Asia-Pacific.

For more information on related topics, visit the following channels:
Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, September 2

Four snatchings were reported in the city in less than 28 hours. The police said two-motorcycle borne miscreants snatched a gold chain from a Sector 44 resident, Kulvir Kaur. The incident was reported on Friday around 12.30 pm. The victim was returning home with her child when the snatchers targeted her.

The second snatching was reported around 8.45 pm. Sources said motorcycle-borne miscreants fled with the purse of 56-year-old Kusum Mittal, a resident of Sector 32. The victim raised the alarm, but the accused managed to flee.

The third incident took place in Sector 22 at 3 pm today. Bhawna Singh, a resident of Kalka, was targeted by two bikers who took away her gold chain.

At the Sector 38/40 light point, a two-wheeler rider sped away after snatching a handbag from Anju Bala, a Sector 40 resident. She said the purse contained Rs 1,000 in cash, an ATM card and some documents.

The police are scanning CCTV cameras grabs. Cases have been registered.
Ramkrishan Upadhyay

Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, September 3

Another auction of the citys heritage furniture has begun on foreign soil.

This time, the auction is being held online for furniture designed by Le Corbusier and Pierre Jeanneret, world-famous architects who designed the City Beautiful. These items have been put on sale by the Bidsquare online platform. The items that are on sale include a two-seat cinema bench from Tagore Theatre in Chandigarh. The bid price for the bench begins at Rs 4 lakh.

The website states that the bench is made of teak, woven cane and brass, and was procured from Tagore Theatre, which was designed by Aditya Prakash, another known architect, and Le Corbusier.

Tagore Theatre was designed at the time of the making of the city and has great heritage value. The original chairs were designed by Pierre Jeanneret.

Ajay Jagga, an advocate, said there should be an investigation to find out how the items reached the auction houses abroad. The UT Administration renovated Tagore Theatre some years ago for a modern look. Besides, eight V-leg armchairs from administrative buildings in Chandigarh have also been put on sale. A three-part room divider from the city is also included in the list of items for auction. Among other items being auctioned is a student chair from Chandigarh. The chair was designed by Pierre Jeanneret.

The Bidsquare online platform claims that it is the destination for individuals and collectors seeking exceptional, one-of-a-kind pieces. Bidsquare delivers a vast array of exceptional property, from fine art to estate jewellery to modern design and historical artifacts, all vetted by Americas foremost auction houses.
Rajinder Nagarkoti

Tribune News Service

Panchkula, September 2

The Panchkula police have arrested two more commandos of Dera Sacha Sauda chief Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh, who, along with others, had conspired his escape from the custody of Haryana Police on August 25.

Rohit from the Haryana Police and Satbir from the Punjab Police were in the Z security squad of the dera chief. A senior Panchkula police official said the duo was brought on transit remand from Sirsa. Their names had cropped up during the interrogation of seven security guards of Ram Rahim.

They were today produced in a local court, which sent them to two-day police remand. The police maintained that they wanted to recover phones through which they were in touch with the other guards for executing the escape plan.

Meanwhile, seven other security guards who were produced in the court today, were sent to 14-day judicial custody.

Of the seven guards, the Haryana Government has already dismissed five Haryana policemen, who were arrested by the Panchkula Police and were part of the Dera Sacha Sauda chiefs security team for trying to free him after the special CBI court verdict on August 25.

Of the five dismissed cops  Ajay, Ram Singh, Vijay Singh, Balwan Singh and sub-inspector Krishan Das  three were trained commandos. They, along with deras two private security guards Pritam Singh and Sukhbir, were initially booked under Section 307 (attempt to murder) and the Arms Act. Later, sedition charges were slapped on them.

Two unidentified bodies cremated

The Panchkula police have cremated two unidentified bodies. Of the 35 bodies, 33 have been identified. The police had issued advertisements in newspapers and even pasted posters of these two unidentified bodies, but to no avail.

Security for injured dera followers

Paramilitary forces and Haryana Police personnel continue to guard 18 injured dera followers who are recuperating at the Sector 6 General Hospital.
MK Bhadrakumar

MK Bhadrakumar

AS the 9th BRICS Summit gets under way in Xiamen in China, an episode comes to mind that could have been the groups finest hour which the then US President, Barack Obama, and his Secretary of State Hillary Clinton jointly thwarted. The venue was the climate change conference in Copenhagen in December 2009. There is a riveting description of it in the masterly book on high-level intrigue by Mark Landler  Alter Egos: Hillary Clinton, Barack Obama, and the Twilight Struggle Over American Power.

Landler writes: When it became clear that the Chinese delegation was trying to water down any agreement, holing up in a conference room with windows taped over to conceal their dealings from the Americans, Obama and Clinton decided to take matters into their hand Confusion swirled as Clinton and Obama tried to find out who was in the room with the Chinese. An advance person told them it was the Indians, the Brazilians, and the South Africans. Now Clinton was mad: The Indians had told American officials they had already left for the airport. A major developing country was lying to avoid dealing with the US on climate change? She and Obama looked at each other in disbelief. Cmon, lets just do this, he said to Clinton. She moved first, ducking under the outstretched arm of a Chinese security guard and barging into the room, which drew a collective gasp from the leaders huddled around a conference table. Obama was right behind her. Hi, everybody! he bellowed, like a dad coming home early to find his teenage kids throwing a keg party in the backyard.

Obama literally broke up the working session of BRICS prime ministers who were ironing out a consensus stance on climate change. The episode is instructive today when another keg party just got under way in faraway Xiamen. The Copenhagen episode testified to the strict vigilance the US maintained over cooperation among non-Western countries. The salience is relevant today, because in the downstream of the denouement to the Doklam standoff, there is speculation that China blinked to make the Xiamen summit a success.

The really disturbing part here is the notion among many in India that BRICS is Chinas baby  and India is a stepmother. This false notion is symptomatic of a flawed understanding of contemporary world politics and what the BRICS is all about. The BRICS was Indias foster child in the playpen in Goa only last October. But then, member countries take turns at parentage, guided by three core principles  equality, respect for each others opinions and consensus. They are expected to show seamless patience to coordinate divergent opinions. The essential pre-requisite is openness and trust. BRICS has been a role model.

Nonetheless, BRICS has a long way to go. It has become an influential voice of emerging powers on issues of global governance but it lacks an effective institutional structure to leverage the international system or promote cooperation among the member states. It has failed to break the logjam in the reform of global economic governance. There is only limited economic cooperation among the member countries of the grouping. BRICS badly needs a dramatic moment to elevate itself.

The summit will be a litmus test when it grapples with the concept BRICS Plus. China, the host country, has set its sights on expanding the BRICS partnerships to broad base it as a platform of South-South cooperation. By drawing developing countries into the BRICS circle of friends, China hopes to link it with the belt and road initiative (BRI). As a scholar at the Chinese Academy of International Trade and Economic Cooperation put it: The expansion of BRICS will consequently result in an evolution of the grouping to become a bellwether in advancing the B&R Initiative.

This puts India on the horns of a dilemma. On the one hand, the Chinese proposal aims to promote a new vista of globalisation tailored to meet the needs of the emerging economies and developing countries, something that India should welcome. But the flip side is that a new BRICS process on such lines will effectively promote the BRI, which India disfavours. The dilemma stems from certain dichotomy in Indian thinking. On the one hand, India has common interests with its BRICS partners relating to development. Notably, it shares the frustrations of being in a disadvantaged position in the international economic, financial and political system. India is acutely conscious of its capabilities and credentials to make greater contribution to global governance, but lacks the capacity to push the economic order to make it equitable.

On the other hand, India also hopes to play the role of a swing state in the international system vis-a-vis China. On certain global and regional issues, it sides with Western countries. Arguably, the defining partnership with the US increasingly modulates Indias stance on key issues such as terrorism or the situation on the Korean peninsula. Chinas advantage is its ability to weigh in on issues intrinsically rather than in juxtaposition to Indias or anyone elses agenda. India needs to get rid of its unipolar predicament and feel more confident about its own strength and uniqueness inside the BRICS tent. But that needs a fine grasp that development  not geopolitics  is the leitmotif of international relations in contemporary world politics. The trajectory of ASEANs relations with the US and China is a telling example. The Indian approach can be dialectical, because BRICS is neither antithetical to the West nor is viscerally opposed to it. All BRICS countries give importance to their ties with the West. Despite the sanctions imposed by the West, even Russias foreign policy priority is to add as much content as possible to its relations with Europe and the US.

The bottom line is that BRICS loses its gravitas in the absence of China or India. The Chinese commentators admit that by exercising restraint and seeking a peaceful solution to the Doklam standoff, Beijing was safeguarding the unity of BRICS nations. Indeed, Obama and Clinton could get the Paris climate deal once they tore into the BRICS consensus. This is how Mark Landers recounts: Mr Prime Minister, are you ready to see me now? he (Obama) said, turning to face the nonplussed Chinese premier, Wen Jiabao, who was anything but. Taking seats at the cramped conference table, Obama and Clinton began sketching out the terms of a deal like the lawyers they were, their aides scribbling on pieces of paper that they pushed back and forth across the table. The rest is history.





The writer is a former ambassador
Rajeshwari

Rajeshwari

The most common causes of childhood death are the diseases that are readily preventable or treatable with proven, cost-effective and quality-delivered interventions. Infectious diseases and neonatal complications were responsible for the vast majority of deaths under five globally during the year 2015 when about 5.9 million children died below the age of five. India alone shared the burden of 1.4 million deaths (UNICEF, 2016). The majority of under-five deaths (about 45 per cent) occur within 28 days of birth, known as neonatal mortality, and 70 per cent occur within one year, i.e., in infancy.

Infant mortality rate (IMR) is the probability of dying before one year of age, expressed per 1,000 live births. It is the most sensitive index of quality of life, as it reflects the state of public health, availability and accessibility of health care infrastructure, health policies and programmes, environmental sanitation, and cultural and socio-economic development of society. It is important to know that today almost all our neigbouring countries and those of the South-Asian region have lower IMR than India. Nepal has 29, Bangladesh 31, and Sri Lanka with a stellar performance of 8 per 1,000 live births is far ahead of India that has an IMR of 41. It may also be noted that 60 years ago, India and China had almost the same IMR, but at present in China it is just nine, which is less than one-fourth of Indias IMR (hence the large population size cannot be an excuse for high mortality).

It is not that child mortality has not decreased in India. It has shown a reduction of 53 per cent since 1990. Various interventions in terms of provision of vaccination against deadly diseases (immunisation), oral rehydration salts, intervention in child nutrition, etc., have shown desired results. But this progress is marked with large interstate variations. Within India, there are states which can equate in IMR to any country of Europe and America (Kerala with an IMR of 6 per 1,000 live birth) and also states which may be equated to sub-Saharan African countries (e.g. IMR and U5 mortality in Uttar Pradesh is 64 and 78; Chattisgarh 54 and 64; Madhya Pradesh 51 and 65, respectively).

The vaccines for Japanese encephalitis (cause of infant deaths in Gorakhpur) were introduced under the Universal Immunisation Programme in 2006. But a 2015 survey by the Indian Council of Medical Research found that a large percentage of children in the Gorakhpur division have either not received it at all or have received only one of the two required doses. Nor have preventive measures to restrict the disease been taken, such as vector control, effective surveillance systems, early intervention, or dealing with the unsanitary conditions that contribute to the spread of the disease.

One wonders how Kerala has attained these levels and why other states in India have not reached this level. Generally, economic growth and employment in gainful activities (prosperity) are considered one of the main factors by which health conditions in any society improves, as economic growth and employment provide the means of health care and nutrition within the reach of all sections of society.

In case of India, however, this does not seem to be true. Had this been the proposition, economic giants such as Maharashtra, Gujarat, Punjab and Haryana should have been on the top in terms of child health, but IMR in these states is quite high (ranging between 30 to 40 per 1,000). In fact, world over, many developing countries like Sri Lanka, Cuba, Costa Rica, Jamaica, and many low-income countries have achieved remarkable improvements in health conditions without much economic growth.

It is the specific support of food consumption, community health, medical care, basic education and awareness that has transformed the general health conditions. In the case of Kerala and Tamil Nadu, economic growth and public support have worked independently of each other. The proportion of malnourished children in terms of stunting, wasting and being underweight in Kerala is 15 to 19 per cent against the national average of 35 to 38 per cent. Though malnutrition is not a cause of death on its own, but it magnifies the role of infectious diseases in causing mortality.

Research indicates that malnutrition multiplies the number of deaths caused by infectious diseases rather than following an additive model. Studies have also revealed that the major reasons of high child mortality and more specifically of high IMR are high episodes of diarrhoea, pneumonia, low birth weight, low access to medical care and low levels of full immunisation, which are largely preventable in nature.

The health and overall status of women  which is associated with age at marriage, maternal literacy, ante natal care, birth spacing and utilisation of maternal and child health services  translates into major risk factors in child mortality. It may be noted that these two southern states have achieved low IMR with the strength of these pillars.

It also needs mention that 35 years ago, at the Alma Ata Conference in 1982, there was a paradigm shift in tackling health inequalities, and all countries joined the Primary Health Care Movement for better health to its population. Today the success story of various countries in terms of health suggests that the PHC has remained the benchmark for those countries discourse on health. The access to medicine and nutrition not only increases the survival, it also reduces the economic and social costs associated with poor health and low productivity. The perils of ignoring primary health care services (low health spending, lack of medicos and personnel, lack of infrastructural facilities) in many states of India are before us  the most unfortunate are the infant deaths in Uttar Pradesh (Gorakhpur) and Jharkhand.

All children possess the same right to grow up healthy, strong, well educated and capable of contributing to their societies. A fair chance of survival to every child is a matter of political commitment. It is also a matter of collective will, a matter of choice, which we can make. A choice we must make.

The writer is Chairperson of the Department of Geography, Kurukshetra University
Last week the Supreme Court agreed to take up, for final hearing, the Bofors case, the grand old scandal that had titillated, since 1987, the practitioners of politics of accusation. Many of the dramatis personae have since passed away, yet the rites of vindictiveness are deemed to have remained unperformed. Twelve years ago, in May 2005, the Delhi High Court had quashed charges against the three Hinduja brothers as well as the Bofors company. The CBI chose not to file an appeal against the High Court judgment. In October 2005, the apex court admitted a petition, from a publicly-spirited citizen, against the CBI decision not to question the Hindujas acquittal. For 10 years, the petition remained unattended. Suddenly, the Bench headed by the new Chief Justice of India has agreed to take up the matter for final disposal.

In not filing an appeal, the CBI was breaking from the straight-jacket protocol of going in appeal in each and every case, especially in a corruption case, lest there be a charge of the agency going soft on this or that accused. Memories of a politically sensitive case remain more potent than the evidence. Cases drag on; the judicial system gets choked up; yet politics does not favour any closure. In its judgment of May 2005, the Delhi High Court had alluded to the irony that the investigative agency had already spent over Rs 250 crore of the tax-payers money in a case that allegedly involved a bribe of Rs 64 crore. Admittedly, no pricetag can be put on achieving the end-objectives of criminal justice.

The Bofors case is a political matter, through and through. Everything about Bofors remains political. It may be pure coincidence that just when the Supreme Court has agreed to take up the case, evidence is being made available to insinuate that while the investigative agency was always in favour of going in for appeal against the Delhi High Courts May 2005 verdict, it was the political executive (the UPA government) that withheld the requisite clearance. So, once again, the Bofors dots are being connected to suit a political narrative.
Tribune News Service

Karnal, September 2

Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar today inaugurated and laid the foundation stones of several projects worth over Rs 100 crore. He inaugurated 33 kv substation of Bhoji Khalsa and two single span bridges on the Western Yamuna canal. He also laid the foundation stones of storm water works under AMRUT scheme and a 33 kv substation at Gharaunda.

While addressing a gathering, the Chief Minister said that the government was committed towards development. He said nearly 3,500 announcements had been made by the government during the last three years, of them nearly 2,100 either had been completed or the work on them had been started. He said that for the projects announced in the last months of 2016, the file work was going on and these would also be accomplished soon.

He hailed the several initiatives taken by the state government and said that the transfer policy of teachers was also appreciated even by Prime Minister Narendra Modi. As many as eight states were going to implement it in their states for transparency in transfers.

After it, the Chief Minister held several rounds of meeting with party workers and office-bearers.

He not only took feedback about the government and working style of officials, but also pacified them as resentment prevailed among the workers. Several workers living across the railway lines had removed the name plates with party symbols from their houses some days back.
Tribune News Service



Jhajjar, September 3

All India Jat Aarkshan Sangharsh Samiti threatened to renew protests unless the state government enforced reservations for the caste in government jobs and education.

The organisation, a leading campaigner for reservation for the community, passed a resolution at a meeting held on Sunday. The resolution gave the state government under Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar two months to complete the process.

The resolution asks the central government for a law for a National Commission for Socially and Culturally Backward Classes, and also castigates Haryana Finance Minister Capt Abhimanyu for not dropping arson cases against Jat youths accused of damaging his house during the violent protests of February 2016.

READ: HC keeps Haryanas Jat quota Act on hold

The development came days after the Punjab and Haryana government suspended an Act that provided for reservation to Jat and five other communities under the newly-created BC (C) category until March 31, 2018. It sent the case back to the Haryana State Backward Classes Commission. The commission must send a report by March 31, it said.



More than 30 people were killed in violent protests for reservation that swamped the state in February 2016.
Sushil Manav

Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, September 2

The family of a girl studying in Dera Sacha Sauda has alleged that she has been missing ever since Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh was convicted for the rape of two women followers on August 25.

The family from Tiwala village of Charkhi Dadri in the state has claimed that they have not been in touch with Shradhha since 2008.

Shradhha was among 29 girls living in the Shahi Betiyan Basera, an orphanage run by the dera.

While the authorities have rescued 18 minor girls from the shelter home and shifted them to the Balgram at Rai in Sonepat, 11 others, who are above 18 years of age, are allowed to go to the places of their choice after tendering an undertaking to this effect.

Sirsa SDM Paramjit Singh Chahal said Shradhhas undertaking was among those the dera management gave to the authorities. The girls family members were also in Sirsa when I along with members of the Child Welfare Committee went to the dera to rescue girls from the Shahi Betiyan Basera. Shradhha was not willing to go to her family and instead went with Poonam Insan, caretaker of the dera, said Chahal. However, Poonam denied that Shradhha or any other girl was with her.

Earlier, I worked with the dera as the caretaker of the Shahi Betiyan Basera. But after Gurmeet Ram Rahims conviction in rape cases, my family took me back to our home. So, I am no more with the dera and no girl is living with me now, she said.

Poonam gave another phone number for any inquiry about the girls. However, the woman, who answered the call on that number, said that she neither knew Poonam nor Shradhha. Who gave you my number? she asked. I have nothing to do with Dera Sacha Sauda in Sirsa or its Shahi Betiyan Basera, he added.

A Child Welfare Department official said the girl had perhaps stayed at the Bhai Kanhaiya Ashram, an NGO in Sirsa.

However, Gurvinder Singh, promoter of the ashram, said two girls had sought shelter in his NGO ashram on August 25 night but they left next morning.

Sources said the families of two other girls from Delhi, too, were waiting for the return of their daughters.
Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, September 2

Former Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda said today that had the Haryana Government not changed the affidavit in the Supreme Court, reservation for Jats and other castes given by his government would have been upheld by the court.

Speaking to mediapersons at his residence in the MLA Flats here, Hooda alleged that the present BJP government lacked the intention to work for the people. He said he would not comment on the decision given by the High Court on the issue of reservation, but the intention of the government was clearly wrong.

He said it had first changed the governments affidavit in the Supreme Court and then entered into a compromise with Jats only after large-scale violence caused extensive damage in the state.

Hitting out at Manohar Lal Khattar government, Hooda alleged that it lacked the will to act against rioters who had assembled in Panchkula ahead of the verdict against Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh.

A little vigilance by the government could have saved Panchkula from burning. When Section 144 of the CrPC was in force, the government should have ensured that people did not assemble in large numbers in Panchkula, he said.

He said the government should resign taking moral responsibility for its failures and Presidents rule should be imposed in the state.

The former Chief Minister also claimed that the government had exhibited a similar lack of intention at the time of the Jat agitation for reservation.

After the Jat agitation, the government told the people that everything would be fine once Parkash Singh committee submitted its report. But when the report came and it indicted the government and senior functionaries, the government dragged its feet, he alleged.

On the question of not contesting the Gurugram elections on the party symbol, Hooda said the decision had been taken by the Congress high command after consultation with the partys candidates for Assembly segments, parliamentary constituency candidate and local leaders.

Asked whether his party would not seek Dera Sacha Saudas support after Ram Rahims conviction, Hooda said he had never visited the dera when he was Chief Minister. Our candidates may have individually sought the deras support as candidates have to seek votes from everyone, but we never struck a deal with the dera, he said.
Tribune News Service

Shimla, September 3

All the eight police officials, including an IG and DSP rank officer, arrested by the CBI in connection with the custodial death of Suraj, one of the six accused in the Kotkhai minor rape and murder case, would be produced before the court here tomorrow. After the arrest of eight police officials on August 29, the CBI had called ASP Bhajan Negi and DSP Rattan Negi to Delhi (both members of the Special Investigation team (SIT) constituted by the state police) on August 31.

A day later, SP DW Negi, who was not a party of the SIT but was the SP of Shimla district when the rape and murder of the minor girl took place in Kotkhai on July 4, was also called to CBI headquarters in Delhi. However, the CBI sources confirmed that no new arrest has been made so far.

Sources said that questioning of the arrested police officials besides narco test of the remaining five accused Ashish Chauhan, Rajender, Subhash Singh Bisht, Deepak and Lok Jung can provide a significant lead in cracking the Kotkhai minor rape and murder case.
Dinesh Kanwar

Hamirpur, September 3

I have served the Congress for 55 long years and would lead from the front to ensure party victory in the forthcoming Assembly elections. I may or may not contest the election, but would stand by the party so that it makes it to the next Assembly, said Chief Minister Virbharda Singh here today. When asked whether he would lead the party in the coming Assembly elections, the Chief Minister said that the Congress high command would consider the seniority. He said that the party ticket would be distributed on merit and winning ability.

Speaking on the demand of the Opposition about the imposition of Presidents Rule or dissolving the Assembly he said that the government would complete its tenure and elections would be held as per schedule.

Addressing a public meeting at Patlandar, the Chief Minister said that the party cadre would fight the propaganda of the BJP and work together for the party sincerely in view of the ensuing Assembly elections which were around the corner.

The BJP and the CPM tried to politicise the Kotkhai rape and murder case and created unrest in the state, Virbhadra said adding that one of the former BJP ministers was involved in creating scare among the people and action would certainly be taken against him.

The Chief Minister said he would file a defamation suit against those who were trying to implicate him in the Kotkhai rape and murder case for leveling false allegations. He said that he had personally written a letter to the Prime Minister requesting him to hand over the case to the CBI.

Virbhadra Singh said the Congress did not believe in mud-slinging and character assassination and these were the BJP leaders who had spoiled the political atmosphere of the state. He said a few unfortunate incidents had been reported, but that did not mean that the law and order had completely failed in the state. The BJP made a mountain out of a mole hill. The party was tightlipped on the Haryana mayhem.

Chief Parliamentary Secretary Inder Dutt Lakhan Pal, ex-MLA, Kuldeep Pathania, chairman Kangra Central Co-operative Bank Jagdish Sapheiya, chairman, ex-servicemen Corporation Col BC Lagwal, Chairman, vice-chairman Disaster Management Authority Rajinder Rana, APMC chairman Prem Kaushal, DCC president Naresh Thakur were present on the occasion.

CM opens projects worth Rs35 cr in Sujanpur

Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh dedicated development works worth Rs 35 crore in Sujanpur today. He inaugurated Rs 8.68 crore sewerage scheme for Sujanpur and Lift Water Supply Scheme (LWSS) at Patlander-Kashiri-Mahadev-Chamiana-Doohak-Chabootra worth Rs 12.15 crore. The scheme will benefit 40,000 residents.

The CM also inaugurated augmentation of LWSS of Rs 81.87 lakh at Jhaniara-Bassi, primary health centre at Utpur built at a cost of Rs.89 lakh, Rs 97 lakh police post building at Bhawani in Taunidevi and a footbridge on Ghaon-da-Nallaha at Jhaniara worth Rs 55.50 lakh.

Virbhadra Singh also laid foundation stone of veterinary hospital building at Sujanpur. The building will be constructed at a cost Rs 58 lakh. He also laid the stone of town hall at Sujanpur worth Rs 3.46 crore, a bridge over Pung Khud on Khaih Thalkana road (Rs 2.23 crore) and 33 KV sub-station at Onsla worth Rs 7.55 crore.

Kotkhai case: Threatens defamation case

The Chief Minister said he would file a defamation suit against those who were trying to implicate him in the Kotkhai rape and murder case for leveling false allegations. He said that he had personally written a letter to the Prime Minister requesting him to hand over the case to the CBI

Virbhadra Singh said that the forest clearance was awaited for the medical college in Hamirpur and enough land had been given by the state government for the AIIMS at Bilaspur as per the requirement of the Union Ministry of Health.
Legal Correspondent

Shimla, September 2

The judiciary has played a vital role in providing justice to the weaker and marginalised sections of society. This was said by Justice Madan B Lokur, Judge, Supreme Court of India, while delivering a lecture on the Different Facets of Indian Constitution which was organised today by the HP State Legal Services Authority.

He further said there were laws on various issues but the implementation was not proper and on some issues there were no laws. In both the cases, the courts were duty bound to impart justice to the common people for protecting their rights. He further said through the Public Interest Litigation (PIL), the Supreme Court and High Courts had played an important role in this field by protecting the rights of prisoners, children, women, acid-attack victims and marginalised sections of the society. He further said courts would not be a mute spectator if there was injustice.

Speaking about the judicial activism he said that such activism was necessary to impart fair justice to the common people where there was inaction on part of the executive and legislature. On this occasion, Justice Lokur also facilitated 16 mediators and advocates who had rendered pro-bono services for providing speedy justice.

Justice Lokur praised the efforts initiated by the HP State Legal Services Authority in providing speedy justice to the people in state. He also appreciated the idea of organising lok adalats, pre-litigation programmes and tree plantation drive by the Himachal Pradesh Legal Services Authority. On the occasion, Justice Lokur also inaugurated the new wing of the mediation centre in the HP High Court premises.

In his welcome address, Acting Chief Justice Sanjay Karol said India was the largest democracy and had the lengthiest Constitution in the world and to understand the features of the Constitution, this lecture series was being organised by the legal services authority. He also said the State Legal Services Authority was organising pre-litigation programme in order to provide speedy justice to the common people. It was pointed out by Justice Karol that yesterday on September1, a pre-litigation mediation adalat was organised in the High Court to settle the claim of 45 persons who died in the HRTC bus accident near Kotkupi in Mandi District on August, 12, 2017, in which 16 claims were settled and a total of Rs15,48,500 was disbursed to the families of victims.

Justice Dharam Chand Chaudhary, Justice Tarlok Singh Chauhan, Justice Sureshwar Thakur, Justice Vivek Singh Thakur, Justice Ajay Mohan Goel, Justice Sandeep Sharma, Justice Chander Bhusan Barowalia, members of the bar and law students and teachers from Law University were present on the occasion.
Dipender Manta

Tribune News Service

Kullu, September 2

The Himachal Pradesh High Court decision on the Raghunath Temple takeover petition has come as a big blow to BJP stalwart leader and Kullu MLA Maheshwar Singh.

The politics of Kullu revolves around deity culture, in which people have deep faith. Being an erstwhile scion of the Kullu royal family and the chief caretaker of Lord Raghunath, the people of district have reverence for Maheshwar Singh.

Political analysts said Maheshwar Singh had been gaining success in politics for long, but the decision might affect his political fortune.

Maheshwar Singh, on the other hand, is hopeful that he will find some legal remedies to cope with the situation.

Maheshwars opponents in the BJP and the Congress have welcomed the decision and are hopeful that it will have a huge impact on his influence in Kullu.

Budhi Singh Thakur, District Congress Committee president, told The Tribune, It will directly impact the politics of Maheshwar Singh in Kullu in coming days and benefit the Congress. The majority of people in Kullu district have welcomed the verdict of the court, while few of his supporters are against it.

Trouble loomed large for Maheshwar Singh after differences cropped up between Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh and him over the merger of his Himachal Lokhit Party in the BJP last year.
Our Correspondent

UNA, SEPTEMBER 3

Health Minister Kaul Singh Thakur today said that one must understand that in politics, no leader was indispensable and somebodys exit from a party never left a vacuum behind. The minister was reacting to Chief Minister Virbhadra Singhs statement to quit electoral politics only to take a u-turn after meeting Congress high command in New Delhi.

Kaul Singh said people of the country were skeptical about who would lead the nation after Jawaharlal Nehru. He said Indira Gandhi continued the good work and then Rajiv Gandhi carried forward the baton after her death. He said growth and decay was the law of nature and nobody can stop it, adding that the Congress high command had answers to leadership issues.

Replying to another question, the veteran Congress leader said he did not support the decision of state Congress president Sukhwinder Singh Sukhu to create four new party organisational districts by splitting the district units of Kangra and Mandi. He said the process had only helped adjust some party persons, but there had been no strengthening of the party organisation.

Taking on the BJP, Kaul Singh said the opposition had first launched its 50 plus campaign, claiming it would bag 50 Assembly seats in the coming elections. Now, he said, they were talking of 60 plus target, questioning why the BJP was contemplating leaving eight seats. He claimed that the Congress would repeat victory in the Assembly elections on the basis of development works.

The health minister said 625 new doctors were inducted into the government hospitals during the present Congress regime, though there was still shortage of about 650 doctors. He said despite arranging walk-in interviews not many doctors were coming forward.

Earlier, Kaul Singh visited the Una district hospital and inspected the facilities available for patients. He said a system to audit prescription of generic medicines by doctors will be put in place so that patients get quality medicines at affordable costs in the government hospitals. He said 319 generic medicines will soon be available at district level institutions and strict action will be taken against doctors who prescribe branded medicines.

Kaul Singh said a dialysis centre would be made operational at Una district hospital soon, adding that a 100 bed Mother and Child Healthcare Centre would come up at the district hospital at a cost of Rs 20 crores to be provided by the Union government.

Responding to complaints regarding vacant posts of doctor at the hospital, the minister ordered the cancellation of transfer orders of all doctors recently posted out of the institutions, adding that at least two specialist doctors will be available here in every important discipline. He also dedicated to the hospital an ambulance donated by an industrial house.

Bilaspur AIIMS not okayed by Cente

Kangra: Health Minister Kaul Singh Thakur said that the proposed AIIMS for Bilaspur figured only in the Arun Jaitleys Budget speech and the Central Cabinet has not approved it. It has not been even notified and no funds allocated for this AIIMS by the Central government. The Health Minister was talking to media persons here yesterday after inaugurating a guest house of Regional Health and Family Welfare Training Centre (RHFWTC) at Cheeb in this town. He said the state government had provided land for AIIMS at Bilaspur and the project had also been approved by the state Cabinet. He appealed to JP Nadda, Union Minister for Health, to expedite the process of setting up the AIIMS. The health minister said the government had decided to impart training to doctors, para medical staff, including health workers, of six districts at the Cheeb RHFWTC. This training had been necessitated after 120 PHCs were opened in the state in the last four-and-a-half years. He ridiculed BJP government for opening only 19 PHCs in the state during five-year rule. He said that in Kangra district alone seven civil hospitals were opened to provide better healthcare to people. In reply to a question, Kaul Singh described Kotkhai rape and murder case as unfortunate and hoped that the culprits would be brought to book soon. He said that there was neither any political interference nor political protection to culprits and said that the CBI would resolve the case and justice would be given to the family of the victims. Dr Gurdharshan Gupta, Principal, RHFWTC, welcomed the minister. OC

Generic medicines
Lalit Mohan

Tribune News Service

Una, September 3

Tracking of pregnancies in Una district have led to bouncing of sex ratio in the past one year among the vulnerable groups. The sex ratio in Una was lowest in Himachal Pradesh at 911 females for every 1,000 male children. However, after the district administration monitored the pregnancies among the vulnerable groups, the sex ratio bounced to 972 girls for every 1,000 male children.

Vikas Labroo, Deputy Commissioner, Una, while talking to The Tribune said that due to low sex ratio in the district, the administration had started the initiative of tracking the pregnancies among vulnerable groups. The vulnerable groups were those women who had single girl child and two girl children. The women who had single girl child were kept in yellow group and those having two girl children were kept in red group. The administration decided to track the pregnancies among these groups as their desire for male child was more than other groups, Vikas Labroo said.

The Deputy Commissioner said 670 pregnancies were registered with the district health authorities in yellow category (females having single girl child) and 132 under red category (females having two female children). Initially, the administration organised a campaign to make the registered women aware of female foeticide. We identified women from Una district who had done exceptionally well in different professions. We were able to find women IPS and Army officers from the district. The posters of these successful women were put on display in various parts of the district. Their mothers were invited and made to counsel the women from vulnerable groups. The groups were also addressed by me, the Deputy Commissioner said.

Thereafter, anganwadi workers were hired to keep track of the pregnancies in these vulnerable groups. The jump in sex ratio after tracking was a very positive sign, Vikas Labroo said.

When asked, the Deputy Commissioner admitted that the jump is ratio was not indicative of entire district of Una because only pregnancies that were registered with the Health Department were tracked. However, one thing that has come out of the entire exercise was clear that there was something wrong as there was impressive jump in the sex ratio when the pregnancies were tracked.

Labroo said he would be submitting his suggestions to the state government so that the exercise of tracking of pregnancies could be extended to other parts of the state and groups where the sex ratio was alarmingly low.

Una district has been under vigil of the health authorities due to low sex ratio in Himachal. The state health authorities had been alleging that the sex determination tests were being held in border areas of Punjab which were affecting the sex ratio in Una district. The national health authorities had conducted raids in the recent past on scanning centres on both sides of the state borders. Some traps were also set in which a scanning centre located in Una district was sealed.

The recent exercise carried out by the district administration, however, revealedthat much more needed to be done to improve sex ratio in Una.

How the District administration worked
Sanjiv Kumar Bakshi

Hoshiarpur, September 3

As many as 39 persons have tested positive for dengue in the district this year. Most of the cases have been reported from the city.

So far, 630 suspected dengue patients have been admitted to hospitals in the district. Of them, 39 patients have tested positive for dengue.

Of the total 39 patients, 22 are from the city, one from Bhunga, seven from Garhshankar, four from Sham Chaurasi and five from Harta Badla.

However, suspected dengue patients continue to come to hospitals for treatment.

Rumours about the death of a person due to swine flu at the Civil Hospital have caused a panic among residents. But officials of the hospital have clearly stated that the patient died of a respiratory disease. They said the cause of death was not swine flu.

District epidemiologist Dr Manohar Lal told The Tribune that of the 22 dengue cases that have been reported from the city, three are from the Islamabad area.

On being asked about the measures taken to tackle dengue, he said continuous checking was being carried out to destroy mosquito larvae. He said the Health Department was working with the Municipal Corporation, dividing the city into 10 sectors, to tackle dengue.

He said, We issue warnings to the owners where larvae are found for the first time. We challan them if larvae are found again on the same place. So far, 27 persons have been challaned for the same.

District swine flu outbreak in-charge Dr Shailesh said no person had been died of swine flu.

On being questioned about the death of a suspected swine flu patient at the local Civil Hospital, he said, The patient was first admitted to a private hospital for four to five days. Later, he was brought to the Civil Hospital due to a respiratory disorder. There is no confirmation that the patients had tested positive for swine flu. The test for swine flu will be carried out.
Tribune News Service

Jammu, September 2

The Army today bid farewell to BSF officer Kamaljit Singh (50) who attained martyrdom while serving at the Line of Control (LoC) in the Krishna Ghati sector of Poonch district on Friday.

In this connection, a wreath-laying ceremony was organised in honour of Assistant Sub-Inspector (ASI) Kamaljit Singh here.

The General Officer Commanding (GOC), 25 Infantry Division, among other military dignitaries, laid wreaths on behalf of Northern Command chief Lt Gen Devraj Anbu and GOC, White Knight Corps, Lt Gen AK Sharma.

The ASI hailed from Malkana village in Talwadi Sabo tehsil of Bathinda district in Punjab.

The ASI was a dedicated, brave and sincere soldier and a thorough professional. The nation will remain indebted to him for the supreme sacrifice and devotion to duty. He will continue to motivate the future generations, Lt Col Manish Mehta, a defence spokesperson, said in a statement.

The BSF officer had attained martyrdom while manning a forward post in the KG sector under 10th Brigade of the Army. He was hit by a Pakistani sniper from across the LoC at about 5.30 pm on Friday. He had joined the BSF in 1988.

On August 12, Naib Subedar Jagram Singh Tomar of the Mahar Regiment had also attained martyrdom in the same area when he was hit by a sniper shot from across the LoC.

On August 16, a soldier of the Punjab Regiment, Sushil Kumar, was also hit by a sniper in the Nowshera sector but he had a narrow escape.
Tribune News Service

Jammu, September 3

The states Health Department has ordered a probe into a major promotion scam at Government Medical College (GMC) and its associated hospitals.

The government has constituted a four-member inquiry committee to probe various irregularities and tasked it to submit the report within 15 days.

The probe order followed the directions from Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti who received a complaint of major irregularities in promotions of employees through the CMs Grievance Cell.

The sanction is accorded to the constitution of an inquiry committee of four officers to inquire into various irregularities committed while making 97 OPG (Own Pay Grade) promotions out of various non-gazetted employees of the GMC, Jammu, and its associated hospitals causing financial loss to the state exchequer, an order of Health and Medical Education Department has said.

The probe panel comprises Mohammad Rafeeq, Director Finance, and Naseer Ahmad Wani, Additional Secretary, both from the Health and Medical Education Department. Other two members are Ansuya Jamwal, Personal Officer, GMC, Jammu, and Tara Chand, Assistant Accounts Officer, SMGS Hospital, Jammu.
Ishfaq Tantry

Tribune News Service

Srinagar, September 3

In a rare decision, the Jammu and Kashmir High Court has dismissed a petition challenging the detention of a person from Baramulla under the Public Safety Act (PSA) on the grounds that there was a likelihood of the detainee being granted bail in three FIRs registered against him at the Baramulla police station.

While dismissing the petition of detainee Maqsood Ahmad Khan, a resident of Mohara Uri, Baramulla, a single bench of Justice Sanjeev Kumar observed that it might be legitimately possible in the given case for the detaining authority to draw inference that there was a likelihood of the detainee being granted bail.

The detainee by filing a habeas corpus petition before the High Court had challenged and sought quashing of the PSA order issued on February 6, 2017, passed by the District Magistrate (DM), Baramulla, against him. The petition said the respondent No. 2, the DM, Baramulla, while slapping preventive detention on the detainee had not adhered to the constitutional and statutory safeguards available to him under the Constitution of India and the J&K Public Safety Act, 1978.

The petitioners counsel had argued that the cases mentioned in the grounds of detention had no nexus with the detainee and had been fabricated by the police to justify its illegal action. It further said the allegations were vague, non-existent, stale and sketchy.

The grounds of detention reflected as many as five FIRs, including 144/2016, 152/2016, 220/2016, 219/2016 and 238/2016, registered against the detainee.

Of these five FIRs, the detainee had secured bail from the court of competent jurisdiction in two FIRs  144/2016 and 220/2016 on January 30, 2017, and February 4, 2017, respectively.

That being the position, the detaining authority was not wrong in saying that there is every likelihood of the detainee to be admitted to bail and in case he gets released, there is a well-founded apprehension that he may again indulge in similar activities, which are prejudicial to the maintenance of public order inasmuch as in view of his profile and involvement in the cases, his activities have been rightly said to be highly prejudicial to the maintenance of public order, the High Court observed in its orders made available today.

The expression likelihood of being admitted to bail connote chances of the detainee being bailed out not only in one case but in other cases as well, which have been registered against him. The word likelihood shows it can be either way, the High Court said while accepting the contentions of the detaining authority and dismissing the petition.
Majid Jahangir

Tribune News Service

Srinagar, September 2

A militant of the Lashkar-e-Toiba blamed by the police for being part of the group, which abducted and later shot dead Lt Ummer Fayaz in May, was killed in a brief gunfight in south Kashmirs Kulgam district on today.

Lashkar militant Ishfaq Ahmad Padder of Machiwa Yaripora was killed in the gunfight when forces launched a cordon and search operation in Tantraypora Bihibagh, over 80 km from Srinagar.

This morning we launched an operation in Tantraypora after an input about the presence of militants. As parties were approaching, hiding militants fired at the forces which was returned. In the nearly 20-minute gunfight Ishfaq Padder was killed, Superintendent of Police, Kulgam, Sreedhar Patil told The Tribune.

He said they had reports that another militant was injured during the gunfight and a search was on to trace him.

Patil said the slain militant was part of the group that abducted and killed Lt Ummer in Shopian.

Lt Ummer was abducted by a group of masked men from uncles house in Shopian on May 9 evening during a marriage ceremony. His bullet-riddled body was found the next morning. The police later registered a case under Sections 302 (murder) and 364 (kidnapping or abducting in order to murder) of the Ranbir Penal Code. The police had blamed Hizbul Mujahideen for the killing of the young Army officer.

Shopian SP Ambarkar Shriram Dinka said Paddar was associated with Hizbul Mujahideen when Lt Ummer was killed.

Later, he had joined the Lashkar. Padder was part of the group that abducted Lt Ummer and later killed him, the SP Shopian said.

Mobile Internet services were suspended in Shopian and Kulgam districts after the killing of the militant.

The militant was killed hours after Lashkar militants ambushed a police bus on Srinagar outskirts, killing a policeman and wounding four others.

Ultra belonged to Lashkar
Shyam Sood

Rajouri, September 3

The Pakistan army today resorted to unprovoked mortar shelling and indiscriminate firing with small and automatic weapons about 9 am on forward posts in the Mendhar and Krishna Ghati sectors in Poonch district.

The firing and mortar shelling continued for about one hour on forward Indian posts. No loss to life or property was reported. The Indian Army retaliated strongly and effectively to the provocation, said defence spokesman Lt Col Manish Mehta. However, the Pakistan-occupied Kashmir administration claimed that a five-year-old girl was killed in the Indian Armys retaliation in Polas village of the Abbaspur sector.

According to sources, enraged residents of Polas later held a protest demonstration against the district administration, demanding a separate colony at a safer place. Since August 23, when a Battalion-level flag meeting was held at Chakan da Bagh in Poonch district and both Indian and Pakistan armies agreed on the importance of exercising restraint on the Line of Control, Pakistan has violated the truce agreement four times.

On August 27, five civilians were injured in Bandichechyan and Qasba villages in Poonch district when Pakistan violated the truce agreement. On August 30, the Pakistan army resorted to heavy mortar shelling at the Kalal sector in the Nowshera sub division of Rajouri district. Apprehending firing in other areas, the local administration had closed more than 13 schools near the LoC. On September 2, Assistant Sub-Inspector of the BSF Kamaljit Singh was injured in sniper fire in the Krishna Ghati sector. He succumbed to his injuries on the way to hospital.
Tribune News Service

Jammu, September 2

The festival of Eid-ul-Azha was celebrated with religious fervour and gaiety across the state with prayers for peace and tranquility in Jammu and Kashmir.

All the mosques were fully decorated and markets witnessed huge rush of people purchasing sweets, gifts, clothes and exchanging Eid greetings with each other.

The biggest religious congregation was held at the Eidgah on the Residency road where thousands of Muslims offered Eid-ul-Azha prayers.

Inspector General of Police (IGP), Jammu, SD Jamwal, Jammu east MLA Rajesh Gupta, Divisional Commissioner, Jammu, Mandeep Bhandari, Deputy Commissioner, Jammu, Rajiv Ranjan, Jammu SSP Sunil Gupta other senior functionaries of civil and police administration were also present on the occasion and exchanged Eid-ul-Azha greetings with Muslim brethren. They said such religious occasions helped in cementing the bonds of love and brotherhood among different sections of society.

Mufti Inayatullah Qasmi, Imam of Jama Masjid, Jammu, said, We always pray for peace and tranquility in the state. May Allah bless all the people of the state and maintains brotherhood among all of them. The Muslims exchanged wishes, sweets and gifts with people from all walks of life on the occasion.

Elaborate arrangements were made by the administration for the celebration of Eid-ul-Azha festival across the Jammu division.

Eid-ul-Azha was also celebrated in Ramban district amid a pleasant weather. The reports of Eid namaz were reported from across the Ramban district from all tehsils and blocks.

The biggest Eid congregation was reported from Banihal where about 10,000 Muslim devotees offered their namaz at the Eidgah in Banihal town. The Army at various places organised lunches and refreshments for the locals. Speaking on the occasion, moulvis, elders and other prominent people of the towns lauded the initiatives and expressed hope that such initiatives by the Army would give a fillip to social harmony in the region.

In Kashmir, people clad in colourful dresses were seen attending congregational prayers at Eidgahs, mosques and other places where speakers threw light on the philosophy of celebrating Eid.

Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti offered her Eid prayers at the white-marbled Hazratbal mosque in Srinagar today.

People in large numbers today visited Mehbooba at her residence and offered Eid greetings. Those who visited the Chief Minister included ministers, legislators, public representatives, government functionaries, prominent citizens, political workers and common people.

Earlier in the day, the Chief Minister visited the Dara Shikoh Park at Bijbehara and offered fateha to former Chief Minister Mufti Muhammad Sayeed.

The major congregational prayers in the city were offered at Hazratbal, Eidgah, and Jamia Masjid while thousands of worshipers had also gathered at prayer grounds and mosques in other districts of the region.

In the remote Kargil district, the Eid was celebrated with fervour and enthusiasm and huge congregational prayers were held.

Clashes amid celebrations

Srinagar: Eid-ul-Azha celebrations commenced on Saturday in the Kashmir valley with thousands of worshippers offering special prayers amid brief clashes between protesters and security forces that erupted at several places in the region. The clashes erupted immediately after the Eid prayers ended at Eidgah here, Janglat Mandi in south Kashmirs Anantnag district and in north Kashmirs Sopore sub-district. The police fired teargas shells to disperse the crowds that had gathered after the prayers in the three districts, eye-witnesses said. There were no reports of any injury during the clashes that lasted for brief durations. (Azhar Qadri)
Doda, September 2

Pro-freedom slogans were raised during a procession after the conclusion of Eid-ul-Azha prayers in Kishtwar today.

Senior Superintendent of Police, Kishtwar, Sundeep Wazir said, We have identified a few youth who were raising pro-freedom and anti-national slogans during a procession after the conclusion of Eid-ul-Azha prayers at the historical Hadyal Chowk. The function of Eid remained peaceful throughout the district with the cooperation of locals but few miscreants with a motive to disturb the peaceful atmosphere raised pro-freedom slogans. However, the police have identified them and submitted a report to the Deputy Commissioner of Kishtwar, the officer said.

In Doda, Eid-ul-Azha was celebrated with religious fervour and gaiety across the district amid prayers and wishes. Hundreds of Muslims from adjoining areas offered prayers at the Eidgah, Doda, which was addressed by the Imam of Jamia Masjid, Doda, Khalid Najeeb Suharwardy.

Bakery and cake shops were decorated and remained occupied with visitors in Bhaderwah, Doda and Gandoh and children attired in colourful dresses asked for Eidi from elders and relatives on the occasion.  OC

We have identified some miscreants: SSP

Kishtwar SSP Sundeep Wazir said, We have identified a few youth who were raising pro-freedom and anti-national slogans during a procession after the conclusion of Eid-ul-Azha prayers at the historical Hadyal Chowk. A report has been submitted to the Kishtwar DC.
Vikram Sharma

Tribune News Service

Jammu, September 2

A wreath-laying ceremony was held here with full police honours for Head Constable Krishan Lal, who lost his life in an attack on a police bus on Pantha Chowk on the outskirts of Srinagar last evening.

The mortal remains of Krishan reached the District Police Lines parade ground, Jammu, around 11 am, which were received by the police, civil and political personnel.

Krishan had received serious injuries when a group of terrorists attacked the bus taking police personnel to the District Police Lines in Sringar from Zewan through Pantha Chowk. Three more police personnel were injured in the attack. Head Constable Krishan Lal who belonged to Chullana village at Sangar Railway Station, Surinsar, is survived by his wife and four sons.

After the state honours, Krishans body was taken to his native village by his son and relatives for last rites.

After laying the wreath, Deputy Chief Minister Nirmal Singh termed the attack a cowardly act of terrorists on the holy eve of Eid.

The perpetrators of terrorism do not belong to any religion. They do not have respect for any auspicious occasion. They are only demons and know no religion, said Deputy CM Nirmal Singh, adding that it was Pakistan which was sponsoring terrorism here. Islam is a religion of peace. They (Pakistani terrorists) are defaming it by conducting terrorists activities, he said. Inspector General of Police SD Singh said though his force had lost a jawan in terrorist activity in the Valley, his men were highly motivated to take on any challenge and thwart it with full force.

He ruled out that the popular belief that 400 to 500 terrorists were waiting on the other side of the border in terrorist camps to infiltrate into this side. There are no concrete camps on the other side. Terrorists keep moving through mobile camps only. We keep a strict vigil on such movements through the generalised inputs received by us and deal the situation according to the topography of the enemy area, said Singh. Irrigation and Flood Control Minister Sham Chaudhary, state BJP president Sat Sharma, Jammu East MLA Rajesh Gupta and National Conference provisional president Devender Rana, under whose constituency Krishans village falls, were among others present on the occasion.
Tribune News Service

New Delhi, September 3

Even as the Bihar allies  BJP and JD-U  are claiming all is well, the fast-changing political canvas in the state appears to be far from settled and a perception has gone down that the saffron outfit is not ready to play the second fiddle to Chief Minister Nitish Kumars party.

There were clear indications that the JD-U would get ministerial berths in the Narendra Modi government. But, when the expansion-cum-reshuffle of Union Council of Ministers took place today, there was none from the JD-U and instead the BJP leadership decided to drop one (Rajiv Pratap Rudy) and induct two (RK Singh and Ashwini Kumar Choubey) from the state, while retaining Giriraj Singh, a Bhumihar.

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The selections from Bihar not only send signal to the BJPs core forward caste support base, these also balance the intra-party equations. Choubey, a Brahmin and an MP from Buxar, has had an uneasy relationship with Deputy CM Sushil Kumar Modi and his induction is seen as a balancing act by the party.

Induction of Singh, a former bureaucrat and an MP from Arrah, is seen as rehabilitation. He was once left in cold after his outburst against the partys choice of candidates following the humiliating drubbing in the 2015 Assembly elections. But luck favoured him, as Modi chose Singh, a Rajput by caste, to replace Rudy.

Thus, the BJP, along with its apparent OBC-outreach programme, has set an eye to consolidate its support base among the forward castes by giving representation to all three dominant ones  Brahmin, Bhumihar and Rajput.

Meanwhile, the spin doctors in the two Bihar allies in the course of the day were found quick to explain the denial of ministerial berth to Kumars party, as one of the senior JD-U leaders went to the extent of claiming that a short expansion in the Union Council of Ministers would take place once Modi returns from the China-Myanmar visit.

Echoing the sentiment, senior BJP leader and Bihar Health Minister Mangal Pandey said, Union Cabinet is a matter of the central leadership but I can tell you for sure that there are no differences with the JD-U over it in the state.
Lucknow, September 3

Prime Minister Narendra Modis Cabinet reshuffle on Sunday turned the spotlight on Purvanchal or eastern Uttar Pradesh and the BJPs efforts at balancing regions and caste equations, political leaders here said.

The induction of Shiv Pratap Shukla as a minister highlighted the importance of the Brahmin vote for the Bharatiya Janata Party, they said.

The 65-year-old Shukla, who belongs to Gorakhpur  the citadel of Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath  joined the Union Council of Ministers just days after Mahendra Nath Pandey from Ghazipur, also in eastern UP, was made state BJP chief.

Shukla and Pandey are Brahmins, and the moves are being seen as efforts by the party to keep the community in its fold for the 2019 Lok Sabha election. Deputy Chief Minister Dinesh Sharma in UP is also a Brahmin.

Brahmins are being given their due. The expansion is well thought out and balanced. This will strengthen the party for the 2019 Lok Sabha poll, a BJP insider said.

In a bid, however, to also embrace the western parts of the state, Modi did a fine balancing act by picking up Satyapal Singh, a former IPS officer representing Baghpat in the Lok Sabha, as a minister of state.

Often referred to as a giant killer, Singh had trounced mighty Jat leader and Rashtriya Lok Dal supremo Ajit Singh, relegating him to the third spot in the west UP constituency.

Brahmins account for over 10 per cent of the electorate in the state and are considered a force to reckon with in the highly caste-based electoral politics in almost all its regions  Bundelkhand, Rohilkhand, Purvanchal, Avadh and western UP.

Traditionally seen as Congress supporters, the community started supporting the BJP in large numbers in the post-Mandal era. However, sections later also voted for Mayawatis BSP.

Perhaps keeping this factor in mind ahead of the 2019 Lok Sabha election, Pandey was picked up from eastern Uttar Pradesh bordering Bihar.

Purvanchal (eastern UP) has once again been given importance in the ministry, BJP leader and state spokesman Shalabh Mani Tripathi said.

Pandey, an MP from Chandauli, shot into prominence after his induction into the Union government in July last year, just months before the Assembly election in the state.

The slot has now been filled by Shukla, with Pandey being handed over the mantle of the party in UP, ahead of the crucial parliamentary election less than two years away.

Similarly, the resignation of Sanjeev Balyan from the Union Ministry was filled by Singh. Balyan, a Jat, is from western UP; as is the MP from Baghpat, who, like him, also belongs to the community that dominates West UP.

Singh, who wanted to be a scientist before he joined the IPS in 1980 and was given the Maharashtra cadre, had earlier said his inner voice urged him to change his profession.

He quit the job of a police officer, became an MP and now as a Union minister aims at working for the entire country with renewed energy.

Tripathi stressed the BJP was working on its Sabka Saath Sabka Vikas (development for all) agenda.

The governments core issue is development for all areas, taking along everyone, he said.

The elevation of Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi, who belongs to Rampur in UP and is a member of the Rajya Sabha, to the Cabinet rank sends a message to Muslims about the BJPs bid to take the community along, especially after its strong stand against the Triple Talaq, the state leaders said.

UP Minister Mohsin Raza stressed minorities were being given their due.

The government has reposed faith in them, he said. PTI
K V Prasad

Tribune News Service

New Delhi, September 3

Moments before the commencement of the swearing-in ceremony, there was a commotion inside the Darbar Hall of Rashtrapati Bhavan as an elderly lady fainted.

The lady, a close relative of Union Minister Piyush Goyal, was taken away on stretcher and later admitted to the All-India Institute of Medical Science, Rashtrapati Bhawan officials said.

Even as doctors and paramedical staff swung into action, two medical doctors, who are Ministers now in the Modi government, too rushed to attend on her.

While Dr Jitendra Singh, was seen feeling her pulse and inquiring about her history, including whether she has diabetes, Dr Mahesh Sharma too came in.

The officials said the lady along with other relatives came this morning from Mumbai for the ceremony to witness Goyal taking oath as the Union Cabinet Minister.
By Moses Kyeyune

The opposition in Uganda has hailed Kenyas President Uhuru Kenyatta for respecting the Supreme Courts Ruling.

Kenyas election commission had declared Kenyatta the winner of last months election by a margin of 1.4 million votes but the result was immediately challenged in court by his closest challenger, Raila Odinga.

Subsequently, Kenyas Supreme Court on Friday declared the results of the August 8th presidential poll invalid, null and void and ordered that another be conducted within 60 days.

Now speaking to KFM, the Forum for Democratic Change president Maj Gen Mugisha Muntu says Kenyattas stand makes him a true democrat.

Meanwhile the Peoples Development Party President, Abed Bwanika says Kenyattas stand is a lesson to Africas presidents.

The opposition in Uganda has often accused the judiciary of being biased and making judgments in favor of the president and government, saying they should borrow a leaf from Kenya.

However, the ruling National Resistance Movement (NRM) Deputy Secretary General Richard Todwong tells KFM that courts only adjudicate on matters of law and do not vote, urging the opposition to rather concentrate on mobilizing for support than wishing that courts would nullify election of rightfully elected leaders.
Manas Dasgupta

Ahmedabad, September 2

Former Mehsana district Patidar Anamat Andolan Samiti convener Narendra Patel today denied ever naming Gujarat Patel quota stir leader Hardik Patel in his police complaint.

Narendra claimed while the attack on him and others did take place at Patan last week, but we never named Hardik to be involved in it. The Patan police had arrested Hardik and his close associate Dinesh Bhambhania on charges of dacoity and loot after Narendras complaint. The court sent the duo to judicial custody yesterday after three days of police remand.

The police claimed that as per the complainants, Hardik and his men got into altercation with Narendra and his associate at a restaurant and later abused and attacked them, snatched a gold chain and broke their mobile phone.

On social media, Narendra said the PAAS convener was innocent and claimed that he had given exact names of people who attacked us. We had said they belonged to a section of Hardiks supporters. We have not filed any complaint against Hardik.
Xiamen (China), September 3

Chinese President Xi Jinping on Sunday asked BRICS members to shelve their differences and accommodate each other's concerns by enhancing mutual trust and strategic communication, as he opened the 9th annual summit of the five member emerging economies here.

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The opening ceremony of the three-day BRICS summit started with BRICS Business Council in this southeastern Chinese city in Fujian province amid a downpour triggered by typhoon Mawar that had caused widespread disruption to the summit preparations and the city's traffic. The typhoon also caused considerable disruption to the flights.

BRICS  Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa  is a grouping of the five emerging economies. The BRICS summit brings together the leaders of these countries.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Brazilian President Michel Temer, South African President Jacob Zuma and Russian President Vladimir Putin will attend the summit.

In his speech broadly focusing on enhancing cooperation between the BRICS members, Xi said, "construction of a tall building starts with foundation. We have laid the foundation and put in place the framework for BRICS cooperation".

Outlining BRICS cooperation in the last 10 years, he said treating each other as equals and seeking common ground while shelving differences is important part of cooperation.

"In terms of BRICS cooperation, decisions are made through consultation (and) not by one country. We respect each other's model of development, accommodate each other's concern and work to enhance strategic communication and mutual trust," he told about 1000 delegates from different countries.

"Given difference in national conditions, history and cultures, it is only natural we may have some differences in pursuing our cooperation," he said.

"However with strong faith in cooperation and enhancing collaboration the BRICS countries can achieve steady progress in our cooperation," he added.

The summit comes days after India and China last week ended a 73-day standoff in Dokalam by withdrawing troops from the area. The two sides were locked in a face-off after Indian troops stopped the Chinese People's Liberation Army from building a road in the area.

In a candid speech without directly referring to differences, Xi referred to his multi-billion dollar Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) in which the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) is a crucial component.

India had protested to CPEC as it passes through Pakistan-Occupied Kashmir. India also boycotted the Belt and Road Forum (BRF) hosted by China in May.

Xi said BRI is not a tool to advance any geopolitical agenda, but a platform for practical cooperation.

It is not a foreign aid scheme, but an initiative for interconnected development which calls for extensive consultation, joint contribution and shared benefits, he said.

"I am convinced that the BRI will serve as a new platform for all countries to achieve win-win cooperation and that it will create new opportunities for implementing the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development," he said.

He also said BRICS should promote the "BRICS Plus" approach to build an open and diversified network of development partners.

China has invited Egypt, Kenya, Tajikistan, Mexico and Thailand as guest countries for the Xiamen BRICS summit as special guests like India invited BIMSTEC (Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic) leaders for last year's BRICS summit at Goa.

"We should get more emerging market and developing countries involved in our concerted endeavours for cooperation and mutual benefits," he said.

Xi said as a cooperation platform with global influence, BRICS cooperation is more than about five countries.

"BRICS places high premium on cooperation with other emerging market and developing countries and have established effective dialogue mechanisms with them," Xi said.

Xi also said that BRICS cooperation has reached a crucial stage of development.

In assessing the performance of BRICS cooperation, it is important to bear two things in mind  the historical course of global development and evolving international landscape; the historical process of development of BRICS countries, both individually and collectively, he said.

He said the development of the BRICS countries has delivered tangible benefits to more than three billion people.

Xi said that in the past decade, combined GDP of the bloc has grown 179 per cent, trade increased 94 percent while urban population expanded 28 per cent, contributing significantly to stabilising the global economy and returning it to growth.

He also said the BRICS countries have been committed to multilateralism, fairness and justice in the past decade.

BRICS countries have endeavoured to fulfil their international responsibility, and have staked out their positions on major regional and international issues and made proposals for addressing them during the past decade, Xi said.

The countries have promoted reform of economic governance to increase the representation and say of emerging market and developing countries, according to the president.

The bloc has also taken the lead in implementing the Millennium Development Goals and Sustainable Development Goals, and engaged in close dialogue and cooperation with other developing countries to pursue development through unity, the Chinese president said.

He said the BRICS countries should work to usher in second golden decade. Going forward BRICS countries have major tasks to accomplish, which are to grow economies and to strengthen cooperation, he said.

"It is time to set sail when the tide rises," Xi said, adding that countries should work to let their economic cooperation have more substance.

"Economic cooperation is the foundation of the BRICS mechanism," Xi said, referring to the progress in the operation of the New Development Bank and Contingent Reserve Arrangement and in e-commerce, trade and investment facilitation, trade in services, local currency bond issuance, scientific and technological innovation, industrial cooperation and public-private partnership.

He also said BRICS countries should implement agreements and consensus already reached while actively exploring new ways and areas of practical cooperation. PTI
Xiamen (China), September 3

Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chinese President Xi Jinping are expected to hold a bilateral meeting on Tuesday, nearly a week after India and China announced resolution of the 73-day-long Dokalam standoff.

According to officials, the two leaders are scheduled to hold a meeting on September 5 on the sidelines of the 9th Brazil-Russia-India-China-South Africa (BRICS) Summit, which will start tomorrow in this port city of China. After the bilateral meeting with the host, Modi will be travelling to Myanmar.

The Chinese and the Indian troops were engaged in a standoff since June 16 after the Indian side stopped the construction of a road by the Chinese army.

On August 28, India's External Affairs Ministry announced that New Delhi and Beijing have decided on "expeditious disengagement" of their border troops in the disputed Dokalam area.

Modi will also hold bilateral meetings with other leaders including Russian President Vladimir Putin and President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi of Egypt, which is among the five counties Mexico, Guinea, Thailand and Tajikistan  invited by China as part of 'BRICS Plus' outreach exercise.  PTI
Satya Prakash

Tribune News Service

New Delhi, September 2

Service details of an employee cant be shared with an RTI applicant as personal information is exempt from disclosure under the Right to Information Act, unless theres a larger public interest involved, the Supreme Court has ruled.

Terming the RTI application as wholly misconceived, a Bench of Justice RK Agrawal and Justice AM Sapre set aside an order of the Kerala High Court.

Citing its earlier verdicts on the issue, the top court said personal information was exempt from disclosure under Section 8(1)(j) of the Act and cant be shared with RTI applicants, unless there was larger public interest involved.

By an order dated September 20, 2007, the High Court had directed the Deputy General Manager of Canara Bank to part with information regarding transfer and posting of the entire clerical staff from January 1, 2002, to July 31, 2006, in all branches in Mallapuram district with CS Shyam, a clerk with the bank.

The High Court had upheld the order of the Central Information Commission which had reversed the decisions of Chief Public Information Officer and Public Information Officer not to part with the information asked for by Shyam.

Allowing the banks appeal against the High Courts order, the top court restored the decisions of Chief Public Information Officer and Public Information Officer. The Bench said the RTI applicant failed to disclose larger public interest involved in seeking such information of the individual employee.

We are of the considered view that the application made by respondent No.1 (Shyam) under Section 6 of the Act was wholly misconceived and was, therefore, rightly rejected by the Public Information Officer and Chief Public Information Officer whereas wrongly allowed by the Central Information Commission and the High Court, the Bench said in its August 31 verdict.
Vibha Sharma

Tribune News Service

New Delhi, September 3

Till just about 24 hours back, the buzz in Delhis political circles was that Commerce Minister Nirmala Sitharaman may be eased out of the Narendra Modi Cabinet and sent back to the party organisation.

Indias exports had fallen during her tenure, even though a key factor for that was a slowdown in world economy. Also, given her excellent track record as a defender and spokesperson of the BJP during Modis 2013-14 election campaign, it was being said that BJP chief Amit Shah wanted her back in the organisation for the 2019 General Election.

However, belying all speculations, this Sunday she emerged as the biggest newsmaker when she was declared Indias new Defence Minister. Indira Gandhi had held the portfolio but as Prime Minister, so that makes Sitharaman practically the first woman Defence Minister of the country.

From being a BJP spokesperson to the Raisina Hill, the academician-turned-politician has come a long way. She is now the second woman in the Modi Cabinet to be seated on the Raisina Hill where key ministries are housed. She will also attend the all-important Cabinet Committee on Security (CCS) along with Minister of External Affairs Sushma Swaraj.

Apart from the optics of a woman Defence Minister who will be saluted by the three Service chiefs, Sitharaman with roots in both Tamil Nadu and Andhra region will be serving many messages.

She is someone who is considered among the performers. When she had joined the government in 2014 as a Minister of State, the only credentials she carried with her were a degree in economics from Jawaharlal Nehru University, a good track record as a BJP spokesperson and an impeccable knowledge of a range of subjects.

An unassuming Sitharaman, who looks more like a serious, hardworking educationist than a politician, told The Tribune in 2014, when she first joined the government, how she prepares for Parliament.

I read a lot and interact with experts to take a brief, which is normally a short brief. Preparation is important. It requires a lot of reading. There are subjects I have no experience of, like the application of law. For instance, how is a Bill prepared? From whom should I take permission? How should I speak about it? I spend a lot of time learning all this, she had said.

Born in 1959 in Madurai, Nirmala holds a Masters degree in economics and had worked in London and was also briefly with the BBC World Service. She was a member of the National Commission for Women from 2003 to 2005 and joined the BJP in 2006.

Rising through the ranks, she became a member of the partys national executive in 2008 and was appointed spokesperson in 2010.

An excellent command over issues and English were her biggest assets as also following the protocol, almost military-like. Watching her interact with her seniors, like mentor Finance Minister Arun Jaitley, is almost like a junior officer in the Army taking the brief from a commander. While at JNU, she met Parakala Prabhakar, a Telugu Brahmin from Narsapur in Andhra Pradesh. The couple have a daughter named Vangmayi.

Her husband is the Communication Adviser to Andhra CM N Chandrababu Naidu.

Her face breaks into a smile when she talks of her collection of saris. I go to handloom centres. I have Odiya, Sambalpuri saris. Handloom, both silk and cotton, is my favourite. There used to be those happy moments when I would walk down Baba Kharak Singh Marg, go into every emporium and pick up saris. Now it isnt possible, she had told The Tribune in 2014.

Political pundits had nearly written off Nirmala when in she initially failed to make the cut for a BJP ticket either for the Lok Sabha or the Rajya Sabha in 2014.

And as she made history today, they were again left eating their words.
SC Vasudeva

Q. I want a clarification about the exemption of Rs 3,500 interest on Post Office savings bank account from the income-tax as I understand Rs 10,000 interest is exempt from income-tax from banks savings bank account under Section 80TTA. I have read that exemption of Rs 3,500 from interest in post office vide letter No. Income Tax Act 501296(E) dt. 3.6.2011 is allowed (i.e. 10,000 + 3,500). This shows that Rs 3,500 is in addition to Rs 10,000. Please advise. I am a super senior citizen aged above 84 years.  Devinder Kumar Verma

A. The amount of interest received by an individual from post office savings account is exempt to the extent of Rs 3,500 under Section 10(15) of Income-tax Act 1961 (The Act). The said amount would not be includible as part of total income of an individual. However, deduction under Section 80TTA is admissible to the extent of Rs 10,000 from total income in respect of interest earned in savings bank account (whether with the bank or with the post office).

Q. What are the legal implications if my NRI son delays/does not convert his savings account in India into an NRO account?  Balkrishna

A. In accordance with the Foreign Exchange Management (Deposit) Regulations, 2016 dated 1.4.2016 as amended from time to time, the existing account is required to be designated as a NRO account. You would therefore be well advised to inform your bankers about the status of your son having migrated abroad with an intention to stay outside India for an uncertain period. The implications of not informing earlier should be checked up with your bankers.

Q. How much rebate on income-tax is permissible if treatment is taken from a super specialty hospital  for OPD and IPD treatment for general health treatment i.e. without specified/ chronic diseases. No medical reimbursement is availed from the Punjab Government as well as insurance company.  Ajit Singh Kaler

A. In computing the total income of an assessee, being an individual, a deduction is allowable for the whole of the amount paid on account of medical expenditure incurred on the health of an assessee or any member of his family as does not exceed Rs 30,000. This deduction is admissible to a very senior citizen (a person of 80 years of age or more) provided no amount has been paid to effect or keep in force insurance on the health of such person. Further, the payment in respect of such expenditure has to be made in any mode other than cash.
Tribune News Service

Batala, September 3

Followers of the Divya Jyoti Jagrati Sansthan, Nurmahal (Jalandhar), and members of the Guru Granth Sahib Satkar Committee clashed in Ghuman town last evening, leaving 10 injured.

Senior police officers, including SSP Opinderjit Singh Ghuman, camped in the town throughout the day today.

An anti-drug camp by the Divya Jyoti sect followers was in progress when Guru Granth Sahib committee members attacked them. A heated exchange between the groups escalated into a clash, in which 10 members of the Divya Jyoti sect were hurt.

The injured persons were taken to the local Civil Hospital, from where they were referred to hospital in Amritsar.

The SSP said the Guru Granth Sahib committee members were angry over the Divya Jyoti followers decision to visit homes of addicts, claiming their privacy would be intruded.

Divya Jyoti sect member Jagbir Singh claimed that when he and other followers went to the Ghuman police station to lodge a complaint, they were attacked again with swords and other weapons.

A case has been registered against 20 Guru Granth Sahib committee members under Sections 307 (attempt to murder), 323 (voluntary causing hurt), 324 (causing injuries using sharp-edged weapons), 148 (rioting) and 149 (unlawful assembly) of the IPC.

The police have rounded up 10 of the accused and a hunt is on to arrest the others, the SSP said.

He added, The situation is under control. If the need arises, we will seek forces from other districts.
Archit Watts

Tribune News Service

Muktsar, September 2

The district administration and the police today sealed the local Truck Operators Union complex on the Jalalabad road here.

Though Chief Minister Capt Amarinder Singh had disbanded the truck unions across the state, yet the office-bearers of the truck union here were still charging monthly fee from the operators, which had divided the operators.

Some of them had recently met the Deputy Commissioner and SSP and lodged a complaint .

Police personnel visited the union complex and sealed it this evening. The trucks parked there were also moved out.

Charanjit Singh, Naib Tehsildar, Muktsar, said, The truck unions have been disbanded by the state government and here two groups were having a dispute over it. Thus, the union complex was vacated today on the orders passed by the SDM.

Meanwhile, Rajpal Singh, SDM, Muktsar, said, We had an input of a possible clash between the two factions of the truck operators. Thus taking precautionary measures, the naib tehsildar and the police were sent there. Besides, there is a case underway in my court regarding the union land.

Meanwhile, Baldev Singh, who was vice-president of the Truck Operators Union before its disbanding, said, I just heard that the administration has sealed the union complex.

A number of policemen were present there till the time of filing the report.
Tribune News Service

Amritsar, September 2

The Amritsar (rural) police said today that teams had been sent to various parts of the state to nab gangster Sahil Hansawala and his accomplices, who had helped another gangster, Shubham Singh, escape from custody yesterday.

According to the police, at least seven accomplices had also been identified. However, police officials did not reveal their names, saying that it could hamper the investigation.

About 13 criminal cases had been registered against Sahil across the state on the charges of attempt to murder and under the NDPS Act.

An intelligence official told The Tribune that the accused had used the Swift Dzire car which was taken away from a farmer-transporter, Jagdeep Singh of Chawinda Devi village, a couple of days ago. Armed robbers in a car had intercepted him on the Amritsar-Batala bypass. They had pulled him out and taken away his car at gunpoint.

In yesterdays incident, the accused were seen travelling in a Swift and a Verna.

Amritsar (rural) SSP Parampal Singh said it was yet to be confirmed whether the gangsters had used the farmers car. He said the cops from whose custody Shubham was freed had not noted down the cars registration number.
Ravi Dhaliwal

Tribune News Service

Gurdaspur, September 2

The Deputy Commissioner and SSP were shifted after Congress MLAs from the district aired their grievances before PPCC president Sunil Jakhar in Chandigarh last evening.

Six of the seven Assembly seats in the district are represented by legislators of the ruling party.

DC Amit Kumar had been at loggerheads with Dera Baba Nanak MLA Sukhjinder Singh Randhawa. Three months ago, the MLA had asked the DC to take action against a revenue official after he had demanded bribe to settle a land dispute. Randhawa had also sent an audio clip to authenticate his claim, but the DC refused to budge.

Later, the DC and the legislator were engaged in a telephonic spat following which the latter complained to the Vidhan Sabha privileges committee. The DC was called by the Speaker three times to give his viewpoint and was all set to appear before the privileges committee when the transfer orders reached his desk last evening.

The SSP, BS Virk, was shifted after an altercation with another Congress MLA. Insiders say the official line being attributed to the officers shifting was his incompetence in handling the Gurdwara Chhota Ghallughara case, but senior officers admit that the SSP was shown the door because of his growing differences with the legislator.

The district police chief served for just five months.
Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, September 2

Even as Punjab awaits big-ticket investors, the state government is relying on the old warhorses to launch a mega employment generation programme.

The governments employment mission, Ghar Ghar Rozgar, will kick off with an employers meet in Mohali on September 5. Home-grown industry majors SP Oswal, chairman, Vardhman Textiles; Rajinder Gupta, chairman, Trident Group; AS Mittal, vice chairman, Sonalika International Tractors; Bhavdeep Sardana, senior vice president, Sukhjit Starch and Chemicals; and Sarvjit Samra, founder and managing director of Capital Small Finance Bank; are among those who will deliberate on various aspects of employment generation.

Krish Iyer, CEO of Walmart  which runs four stores in the state  and Isher Judge Ahluwalia, chairperson of the Indian Council for Research on International Economies, will also be present. The meet is aimed at getting feedback from industrialists and policy-makers on current opportunities for employment and creating future ones by skilling the youth.

Talking to mediapersons here today, Rakesh Kumar Verma, Secretary, Industry and Commerce, said this was the first time that employment generation had been taken up as a focused agenda by the state government. Punjabs industry is strong in sectors such as textile, retail and food processing. These are also the thrust sectors in the states new industrial policy, which will be announced later this month. Industry doyens from these fields can help in creating more job avenues, he said. Apart from the employers, the meet will also feature select invitees from the sector skill councils, skill training agencies and university representatives.

Verma added that micro small and medium enterprises (MSMEs) remained the backbone of the states industrial sector. In terms of employment generation, the state is hopeful of a large volume of opportunities from MSMEs, he added.

A government spokesperson said the employers meet would be followed by a state-level job fair to be held at GMADA Stadium, Mohali.
Jupinderjit Singh

Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, September 3

Even as Punjab enters a new phase of tension over which way the followers of Dera Sacha Sauda move in terms of faith in a sect or religion, the unease over unsolved cases of targeted killings, apparently to create communal tension in the state, continues.

What is more worrying is that the police have not been able to pick any clue in six out of the seven such murders, many of which seem to have been coordinated by the same entity, whether from within or outside India. The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), which was handed some of the cases, too has not been able to make headway.

Over 15 months have passed since some of the murders, which coincided with the disturbance over the series of sacrilege incidents across Punjab. This is the most serious challenge posed to the security agencies since militancy ended in early 1990s.

One of the charges the Congress had levelled against the previous SAD-BJP government was that it was not solving these cases. But in the five months of Congress rule, only one of the seven cases has been cracked, while one more killing  of a Christian priest  has taken place.

Police theories

The police feel that barring the assassination of Mata Chand Kaur of the Namdhari sect, and perhaps the recent murder of pastor Sultan Masih, the other killings have a common thread and were carried out by one group and likely even the same assassins.

An exasperated senior officer involved with the investigations told The Tribune: Believe us, we have done everything possible to trace the culprits. But the criminals may remain lucky all year, we need to get lucky for just one day.

Most police officers The Tribune spoke to seem convinced that Sikh terror groups or modules were behind these killings. They even believe that the planning was done by Pakistans ISI, which attempted to exploit the tension prevailing at the time between various deras, religious organisations, and Sikhs to cause trouble.

Circumstantial evidence points to a common modus operandi  the same 9mm and 0.32-bore guns were used in most cases; the killers were two in number, and came on a motorcycle and vanished without an electronic trail like the use of mobile phone. The vehicles involved also could not be traced. The police say they have gone through crores of phone calls. The assassins seemed to be professionals.

But there is another view. One officer said: Some of the killings, especially the assassination of RSS Punjab vice-president RS Gagneja, can have a personal or political angle also. You cannot ignore the fact that these killings and the bomb blast at Maur took place in an election year that saw three parties in the race. Also, Sikh groups in the past have not hesitated in admitting any act they may have carried out. It would be odd for them to kill someone and not claim the credit.

Meanwhile, the mystery continues despite thousands of posters seeking information being put up across the state, and even a reward of Rs 50 lakh and a post of Sub-Inspector in the police being promised for any clue.

Changes in police set-up post killings

7,000 fresh constables and 300 Intelligence staff recruited

Intelligence wing and cyber cell set up in Mohali

Special Bureau of Investigation set up

A task force for drugs

Special Operations Cell and Anti-Terror Squad set up

Number of DGPs up from six to 13 since June 2015. Similar increase in ADGPs and IGs. Thousands of promotions for lower ranks

Series of transfers at the top; finally, several posts back with officers under whose watch the incidents took place

Incidents that targeted peace

April 4, 2016

Mata Chand Kaur , 88, killed by two assailants inside Namdhari sect headquarters at Bhaini Sahib, near Ludhiana

, 88, killed by two assailants inside Namdhari sect headquarters at Bhaini Sahib, near Ludhiana Significance: She was the matriarch of the prominent sect that worships a living guru, which is opposed by Sikh hardliners

Police theory: Suspected in-house job owing to a war of succession

Probe agency: CBI and Punjab Police

Status: Unsolved; sketches released; no one detained

April 26, 2016

Durga Prasad Gupta , head of the labour wing of the Punjab Shiv Sena, shot in Khanna

, head of the labour wing of the Punjab Shiv Sena, shot in Khanna Significance: Third Hindu outfit leader targeted

Police theory: Sikh hardliners/Pakistans ISI targeted him to foment tension

Probe agency: Punjab Police

Status: Unsolved

June 13, 2016

Gurdev Singh , 31, Dera Sacha Sauda follower shot dead at Burj Jawahar Wala village

, 31, Dera Sacha Sauda follower shot dead at Burj Jawahar Wala village Significance: The first sacrilege incident took place in the village, caused law and order trouble

Police theory: Sikh hardliners against dera culture suspected

Probe agency: Punjab Police

Status: Solved; radicalised killer gang of Ashok Kumar Vohra, alias Amna Seth (a Hindu convert); Gurpreet Singh Gopi; and Babbar Khalsa activist Jaswant Singh Kala arrested

January 31, 2017

Blast at Maur Mandi in Bathinda kills seven

Significance: Days before Assembly polls, blast targeted Congress leader Harminder Singh Jassi, a close relative of Dera Sacha Sauda chief Gurmeet Ram Rahim. Political motive of implicating AAP in being close to radical elements possible

Days before Assembly polls, blast targeted Congress leader Harminder Singh Jassi, a close relative of Dera Sacha Sauda chief Gurmeet Ram Rahim. Political motive of implicating AAP in being close to radical elements possible Probe agency: Punjab Police

Punjab Police Status: Unsolved. Only a few false leads came up

February 25, 2017

Two Sirsa dera followers, Satpal and son Ramesh, murdered in Khanna by two assailants

Significance: Murders in Naam Charcha Ghar seen as provocation by Sikh hardliners

Police theory: Motive of causing trouble between dera followers and Sikhs

Probe agency: Punjab Police

Status: Unsolved; CCTV grabs of assailants with faces covered released

July 15, 2017

Christian priest Peter Masih murdered

Significance:First attack on a Christian priest. Warning to Christians on alleged conversions

Probe agency: Punjab Police

Status: Unsolved. Gangster and some Hindu groups are suspects.

August 6, 2016
Pushpa Girimaji

The recent deaths of a large number of infants in Gorakhpur, Uttar Pradesh, have raised some serious questions about the accountability of medical professionals and hospitals. I want to know whether the parents of all those children who died at the hospital file cases for compensation under the Consumer Protection Act?

In order to seek compensation under the Consumer Protection Act, the parents have to fulfil two important requirements. The first one is to show that the treatment at the hospital is not free. Under the Consumer Protection Act, consumers have a right to seek redress, including compensation, only in respect of paid services because services that are rendered free are outside the purview of the forums or the courts constituted under the CP Act. Having said that, I must mention that soon after the consumer courts came into being, government hospitals argued that they do not come under the jurisdiction of these courts. In Indian Medical Association Vs VP Shantha and others, the Supreme Court went into this issue at length and held that services rendered at a government hospital or dispensary where no charge whatsoever is levied on any person availing the service (whether rich or poor) is outside the purview of the consumer law. The payment of a token amount for registration purposes would not alter this position.

However, services rendered at a hospital or dispensary, where services are offered free as well as for a fee, would fall under the ambit of the law. In such cases, even those patients who have received free service or have not made any payment, have the right to seek redress under the Consumer Protection Act, the Supreme Court has said.

The second condition that they have to meet is to show that the death was caused on account of the negligence of the hospital or its staff. If the children, for example, died because the hospital did not ensure uninterrupted supply of oxygen, then obviously, there is negligence on the part of the hospital administration. Or if the children died on account of hospital-induced infection or any other kind of negligence on the part of the hospital or its staff, then the parents have a right to seek compensation and they must do so. I think the probe ordered by the government on the deaths would give the parents of those children adequate information on the negligence of the hospital. That should help them in filing the case.

Can you give examples of government hospitals being asked to pay compensation by the consumer court?

In a number of cases, government hospitals have been asked to compensate the patient or their relatives for negligence in rendering medical service. However, because of space constraints, I will briefly mention just two cases here. In Prasanth S. Dhanaka Vs Nizam Institute of Medical Sciences, for example, the National Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission held the institute guilty of negligence and awarded a compensation of Rs 14 lakh to the complainant and Rs 1.5 lakh to his parents, besides Rs 25,000 as costs.

In 1990, Prasanth, then a 22-year old engineering student, had driven to the government institute in Hyderabad on his two-wheeler for an excision biopsy of a benign tumour detected in his left chest cavity. However, a botched up surgery, in which his spinal cord was injured, left him a paraplegic. That was not all. The hospital also failed to protect him from secondary damages. Eventually, he left the hospital after seven months of acute physical and mental agony and trauma, in a wheelchair, the lower part of his body and legs completely paralysed.

Subsequently, in response to his appeal, the Supreme Court enhanced his compensation to Rs 1 crore along with six per cent interest calculated from 1999, the date of the apex consumer courts order, besides Rs 50,000 as costs (Nizam Institute of Medical Sciences Vs Prasanth S. Dhanaka, CA No 4119 of 1990).

In Post-graduate Institute of Medical Education and Research, Chandigarh Vs Jaspal Singh, PGI was held guilty of transfusing mismatched blood to a patient, Harjit Kaur, in 1996, eventually leading to her death. The blood group of the patient, admitted with burn injuries, was A positive, but she was administered B positive blood on two days! The State Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission awarded a compensation of Rs 2 lakh in this case and this was upheld by the National Commission and later, the Supreme Court (CA No 7950 of 2002, order dated May 29, 2009).
Protima Tiwary

The unicorn food revolution briefly took over our lives last year; with unicorn-coloured cakes to ice-creams and noodles, the multi-coloured food trend was quickly taking over Instagram. Aquamarine-coloured toasts and ice-cream followed next, but the rainbow-coloured foods still stayed our favourite. What came next caught us by surprise. A change from the pleasant, happy posts, when we expected a new colourful food trend to rule Instagram, we saw black-coloured food taking over. Goth food seemed like the perfect anti-unicorn trend, but has now made its way to being the next big thing. If a little black dress is a fashion staple, then it seems a little black dish is a culinary must-have today.

A trend that started in the United States has made its way to the desi kitchens today. This pitch black food that employs charcoal as its main ingredient served as the perfect antidote to the plethora of edible techni-colour. Black ice-cream, cupcakes, crepes and pastas soon made their way into our Instagram feeds.

Morgenstern, an ice cream parlour in New York City, and Little Damage, an ice-cream shop based in LA, made black ice-cream go viral. Before you know it, black lattes started popping up in New York, Jakarta, Australia, and even the UK! Charcoal also made its way to the recipes of some home bakers in the United States.

Black-coloured food was available in India back in 2015 too, with black burgers and black pav bhaaji making an appearance in the menus of some esteemed Delhi and Mumbai establishments. The colour black is courtesy the use of activated charcoal, an ingredient that has been used in food previously for its health benefits.

A long way to go

The trend has got people noticing new foods, but there is a long way before it becomes a mainstream trend in India. There are a lot of improvements to be made in terms of presentation. Since this largely plays on aesthetics, it is imperative that the end product look worthy of an Instagram post.

Chef Tushar Deshpande from Indigo Deli believes that quality will win in the end; Always make sure you use the best product and not a cheap one. This trend completely depends on the likes of the people around and the capability of the chef who is delivering the product. We have come up with charcoal buns and charcoal tortellini in our day specials, and see that these are quite popular.

In a world of unicorn croissants and lattes, you sometimes just need a black ice-cream to balance things out. Are you prepared to cross over to the dark side?

Health benefits

Activated charcoal is a by-product of burning coconut shells, wood, or other plant materials. Activated charcoal can withstand high temperatures, and does not affect the end flavour of the dish. Research implies that activated charcoal has anti-inflammatory effects and can be used to treat gastrointestinal issues. It also has anti-aging benefits as it helps lower cholesterol and even helps in weight management!

Before activated charcoal hit mainstream food culture, it was quite a popular choice for detox enthusiasts. It has also been popular as an ayurvedic ingredient as a detoxifying agent.

What are the cons?

If used in extreme, activated charcoal can result in malnutrition as it absorbs calcium, potassium and other essential vitamins. Since it is an absorbent, it will negate the effects of prescription medicines if in case you are under treatment. It can also drastically decrease the effectiveness of contraceptives.

Celebrity chefs, the likes of Kunal Kapur, strongly believe this is a trend that will slowly catch up. Chef Paul Kinny, culinary director of the Bellona Hospitality Services Limited, terms this as a superfood that is a great detoxifying agent. He believes that this ingredient has its roots in ancient Chinese medicine, and also celebrated this by curating a menu around it at Shizusan, Pune.
Tanvi Bhatia

The eastern Australian coast is known for its beaches and scenic coast line. One of the worlds most liveable cities, it also has worlds one of the most unusual natural wonders. A few kilometres down south from Sydney, is a quaint little neighbourhood town of Kiama. A two-hour drive from Sydney through the Royal National Park, along the side of stunning coast will take you there. What makes it more amazing is the drive on the magnificent Sea Cliff Bridge with endless blue waters of the ocean on the one side and giant cliffs on the other; it is truly one of the most photogenic experiences you can have! Kiama is a wonderful seaside escape popular for a rare and spectacular natural phenomenon called as Blowhole.

The Kiama blowhole was discovered in 1797 by George Bass when he anchored his whale boat in the Kiama harbour on his coastal exploration voyage. But the blowholes existence was long known to the local Aborigines and they called it as Khanterintee which means mysterious noise. You can spot the blowhole point from a distance as it is situated next to an active historic lighthouse known as Kiama Light and which acts as a landmark for the blowhole. As you near the blowhole, you can hear thuds of water splashing away before you could see the water being turned into a vertical lofty spray coming from natural cavities of the rocks. This interesting phenomenon is caused by waves accompanied by wind entering the rock cavities. The escaping air causes a loud sound, along with the water spout. When the sea is fairly turbulent, the water can rise as high as 20 metres in air totally drenching the bystanders! The awe-inspiring soars of water also makes this blowhole one of the worlds largest blowholes. The area is floodlit at night making this an amazing night-time attraction. A ten minute drive down further south from the Kiama blowhole, off TingiraCresent, will take you to Kiamas best kept secret which is a little blowhole. This little gem is catching traction as it is a lot more consistent that its elder brother and also offers marvellous ocean views. Predominantly when the winds are blowing from north east, even with moderate seas, you can see best performance of this blowhole with strong sprays of water abounding from a natural rocky cove. Once at the blowhole point, you can enjoy at several picnic spots, restaurants and coastal walks alongside the blowhole making it a perfect weekend getaway!

The deafening boom accompanied with splendid water eruption and fabulous ocean views has made it a popular attraction. This landmark has been attracting people for over 100 years now. Plumes of water on a backdrop of breathtaking oceanview; this place can easily find a place on ones travel bucket list.
Ira Pande

Looking back at the last month, which started with the tragic infant deaths in Gorakhpur and ended with the mayhem in Panchkula, I am filled with an unutterable sadness. Ironically, the middle of the month also saw the celebration of 70 years of freedom but if this is how we plan to proceed, what will be left to celebrate as we head to the next landmark? I might not be alive to see the centenary of our freedom from colonial rule, but am ashamed of the world we are leaving behind for our children and grandchildren. This is a country riven with hatred and violence, widespread anger, a total disregard for the rule of law and a weak-kneed state and administration unable to protect its citizens from the goons and mafias that have overtaken virtually every state in this country.

From Kashmir to Kanyakumari, state after state has fallen into the hands of those who seem to have no idea of how to render justice or provide a safe administration. So when a judge delivers the justice that is our right to expect as citizens, we hail him as a hero. Friends in Panchkula had sent me frightening pictures of the hordes that were assembling prior to the verdict. Even as far away as Zirakpur, there was a sea of humanity heading towards Panchkula. What was the administration doing? Had they never heard of Dafa 144or Ek sau saat ikvanja that are laid down in the CrPC? These are two provisions  Sections 144 and 107(51)  in our Criminal Law Procedure that empowers even the SDM of a sub-division to clamp down prohibitory orders on unlawful assembly and round up anti-social elements as a precautionary measure to pre-empt any risk of rioting and violence. After this, one round of the SDM or DM along with the DSP or SP of the area and all would calm down as word spread of 'action' being taken.

Even assuming that our politicians have their own sordid reasons for delaying action, there is no excuse for the district administration to have been complacent. Yet, such is the state of our bureaucracy now that individuals fear the reprisals they may face after independent action taken in the interest of the greater good. The rot is now so deeply entrenched that no cosmetic surgery can disguise the cancer that has eaten the innards of our once famed steel frame. Behind every corrupt politician is a loyal court of enablers who advise him or her on how to hoodwink law. Do you think that a Chief Minister learns how to steal and loot when in his mother's womb? There is simply no political party that has an ethics committee warning it of the perils of a step wrongly taken or anyone even remotely concerned with ethics and public morality. Expediency is all as the means are twisted to justify the end. No wonder all politicians cite political vendetta when confronted with their sins.

The truth is that we are all responsible for this mess. As voters, we either choose to not vote because we have seceded from the republic or we turn a blind eye to reality and vote according to our caste and religious disposition. One hopes that the shameful aftermath of the Dera Sacha Sauda (what a joke the name sounds now!) scandal, we will have learnt our lesson.

Let us turn to Mumbai, where two days of rainfall exposed the underbelly of its municipal corporation, reputedly the richest in India. There was a time when Bombay was in the hands of a Mayor and Sheriff, chosen from its eminent citizens to run the city. Granted the population was a fraction of what it is now, there was a close relationship between the people who looked after the city and its residents. Power generation and transmission was the responsibility of the Tatas, while the splendid transport system-whether the smart BEST buses or the local trains-were the pride of the city. Similarly, Calcutta power was run by the Martin-Burns Company and it is only after the Left government took over that its power problems started, shutting down virtually every factory in this once-prosperous industrial hub. In the name of trade unions, goons ran successful extortion rackets and soon this disease spread to Bombay and places such as Kanpur, once known as the Manchester of the East. Remember the sorry mess of power in Delhi before it was handed over to private companies?

What will it take for our politicians to consider privatising power, transport, roads and similar public amenities as an option? Where I live in Noida, the expressway that connects us to Delhi is the lifeline of lakhs of commuters. About a year ago, farmers (funded by dodgy political outfits) launched a vicious campaign to make it toll-free. Within a year, it has lost its smoothness and soon, as repairs and regular inspections become victims of fund-cuts, it will become another potholed bumpy mess. Public-private partnerships, close civic relations, community support-these are the way forward. Until we all treated as owners of public amenities, we will continue to curse the governments and municipal boards for the mess that we land in every rainy season.

For change to happen, we must vote the right people in.
Mukesh Ranjan in New Delhi

Mukesh Ranjan in New Delhi

Controlling an unruly crowd is the sole responsibility of the civil administration with the help of the police and armed forces. While doing so, as per the norms established by the Police Act of 1861, which has successively been amended to suit the needs of a free and democratic India, the administration is supposed to ensure the minimum loss of life.

A senior retired IPS officer, currently attached with the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) as an adviser, says Section144 of the CrPC empowers the police to use force up to causing death in the event of dealing with an unruly crowd to restore peace and order. But this power can be exercised only after a process and due diligence. The two exercises are meant to avoid loss of life and damage to property.

Basic principle

Since the 1861 Act does not stipulate the specifics for the conduct of the forces on the ground, and the police being the state subject, all states have their own specific Police Manual. The common thread is that you can use force only in a calibrated manner, which allows you to escalate it as per the need to control the crowd. Restraint is the hallmark restraining the state force from using indiscriminate firing.

Civil administration officials are required to initiate negotiations, and the force is asked to stay away from the crowd. But when they fail, the police are asked to intervene, first through non-contact measures such as use of water cannon, tear-gas and colour spray. Once these measures fail, the forces resort to lathi-charge and other weapons. The basic principle of firing is that first you have to fire in the air, and if it fails to deter the crowd, you fire at people, but below their waist, the officer said.

What happened in Panchkula on that fateful day has certainly exposed the murderous face of the forces. But the police alone cannot be held responsible  the entire state apparatus had collapsed. The political will was lacking in taking pre-emptive measures. The administration had allowed such a huge number of people to gather at one place. Even the state intelligence failed to predict the nature of the crowd and fallout from the court verdict in the rape case.

Had the firing been resorted to below the waist, the number of casualties would not have been so high. But for this you need to train the man with lethal arms. Training is dismal. Constables or jawans of Central forces never get a chance to practise more than 6-7 rounds at a training range in his lifetime. Can you expect them to fire with precision? It is not possible, the MHA official said. Most of the time ammunition is not available, and weapons are not manufactured to suit the police needs.

Police manual

The training manual of the police force in Haryana specifies that a head constable and a constable have to fire 30 rounds in a year, and Assistant Sub-Inspectors (ASI) and officers ranked above, 114 rounds annually. The training for these in-service police personnel is split into two parts, conducted twice a year. As per the drill manual, police personnel are instructed to fire at the legs to incapacitate the rioter. The shots are fired straight at rioters only when they are armed with deadly weapons and threaten the life of security force personnel.

Union Home Secretary Rajiv Mehrishi, who demitted office on August 31, refuses to blame the Haryana government for its alleged failure to handle the situation, saying it was not right to judge a situation sitting in Delhi as law and order is a live and dynamic situation.

State report almost silent

In its report to the Centre on violence following the conviction, the Haryana government did not mention of lapses on part of the authorities, sources said. The report only narrated the incidents which took place in various parts of the state, the number of deaths and those injured, and about destruction of properties, they said. It also did not mention how the 20,000 paramilitary personnel sent by the Centre were deployed.

Former home secretary GK Pillai says the situation could have been handled better had the authorities avoided abiding by the diktats of their political masters. It is possible that the state authorities were under pressure from the political patrons of Ram Rahim, who might have insisted that the Dera followers arriving in Panchkula would do no harm.

He says the police should have gone by an impartial assessment of the situation, which clearly pointed to trouble in the event of a build-up. Once the build-up was allowed, violence was a natural consequence. Though I would add that the situation was handled reasonably well given the huge buildup and violence was contained within the first few hours.

Senior IPS officer and former DG BSF Prakash Singh says the casualties in Panchkula are on the higher side. This could have been contained if timely and preventive actions were taken. Had that been the case, the police could have nipped the crisis in the bud with less number of deaths, he said.

The entire state administration, including the police was at fault in allowing the problem to escalate. The symptoms were there. It needed a cure at an early stage. But when the situation worsened, there was no option but to go in for a surgery, Singh said. He is willing to accept the argument that it was difficult to completely sanitize the area, but the numbers could have been contained to the minimum possible.

The conflation of events leading up to August 25 in Panchkula  32 people were killed and over 250 injured in clashes and firing by security forces after a CBI court convicted Gurmeet Ram Rahim of rape  is much more than a time warp. Chief Minister ML Khattar and his colleagues have already disclaimed the consequences of political dalliance with the Dera head and justified the enormous casualty figure as a court-instigated has-to-be-enforced action. Yet facts are afloat: nowhere in the country in the recallable memory have so many people died in a span of about three hours in a situation where security personnel were forced to open fire to kill men and women comprising violent mobs. Over a week later, Panchkula is all peace.

The Tribune goes beyond this suddenness of peace and dissects events  mainly involving the police and paramilitary forces  in an attempt to find out if shoot to kill would henceforth be more than a jargon for security forces called upon to control crowds allowed to hold a town to ransom.

First, the rules of engagement:
Dehradun, September 3

Staff members of GVK EMRI 108 Emergency Ambulance Service have not been paid salaries for the last three months as the Department of Medical and Health stopped payment of funds to the private partner over the TDS issue.

Manish Tinku, state head for GVK EMRI emergency ambulance service, said, We have not received funds from the state as the TDS matter has not been resolved. The state government has demanded TDS receipts amounting to Rs 12 crore since 2010 before the funds are released.

Along with non-payment of dues to the employees, the emergency ambulance service is also facing problem of maintenance of their vans. Altogether there are 800 employees and 139 ambulances that require regular maintenance. Both the state and the Central government provide funds to the private partner for running the ambulance service.  TNS
Dehradun: Dehardun is all set to host International Biodiversity Congress next year. Uttarakhand Biodiversity Board will stage the conference in assistance with Uttarakhand Council for Science and Technology and Navdanya, Dehradun. Dr Rakesh Shah, chairman of the Uttarakhand Biodiversity Board, said issues such forest, agro-biodiversity, wild life, sustainable tourism, hydrology and climate change would be discussed. TNS
Assembly Minority Leader Brian Kolb revealed last week that he's considering a run for governor in 2018. He's not the first Republican to express interest in the race, and he's certainly not the first upstate GOP leader to explore a gubernatorial bid.

State Sen. John DeFrancisco, the No. 2 Republican in the state Senate, is already traveling around the state and attending GOP events. He announced in late July that he was exploring a run for governor.

The two Republican leaders have plenty in common. Both are conservatives. They represent similar parts of the state. (DeFrancisco, R-Syracuse, is in central New York. Kolb, R-Canandaigua, is in the Finger Lakes region.)

Kolb's announcement that he was considering a run for governor came when he was asked by The Citizen about DeFrancisco's interest in the race. Until that interview last week, Kolb hadn't publicly shared his plan to explore a gubernatorial campaign.

Kolb praised DeFrancisco, calling him a "very capable guy." But he also offered a critique of the Syracuse Republican's voting record  that he's supported state budgets that include many of Gov. Andrew Cuomo's prized initiatives.

In past budgets, Cuomo has successfully advocated for a free tuition program, the creation of a paid leave program and raising the minimum wage, at least in downstate areas, to $15 an hour.

"I think Senator DeFrancisco's challenge, though, really is he has voted for everything that Governor Cuomo wanted," Kolb said. "I'm not so sure if he were the candidate what's he going to say he would do differently?"

Kolb highlighted his own voting record and opposition to the minimum wage hike, paid leave and other proposals backed by the governor.

When asked to respond to Kolb's comments Friday, DeFrancisco said he's "perfectly capable of defending" his legislative record.

"That's easy for Brian to say when you're in the minority and you can pound away and beat the issues up and remain true to your word," DeFrancisco said, adding that he fought hard to amend certain proposals to make them less of a burden on the state.

It's true that DeFrancisco and Kolb find themselves in different positions. As a member of the Assembly minority, Kolb can rail against Cuomo's agenda and has very little impact on key negotiations because the minority parties aren't included in discussions.

DeFrancisco and Senate Republicans, however, are in the majority and they're regularly in talks with the governor's office about legislation, including the annual state spending plan.

"The fact of the matter is with a thin majority sometimes the final option you have is either to not have a budget or to have one," DeFrancisco said. "I'll defend my record about being the most vocal against the issues that I'm most concerned about. But (Kolb and I are) in a totally different position."

DeFrancisco called Kolb

When DeFrancisco was set to begin his exploratory effort, he called several people. One of the individuals on his phone list was Kolb.

DeFrancisco recalled that Kolb "hinted" he was thinking of running for governor, too. When Kolb announced he's considering a gubernatorial bid, it didn't surprise DeFrancisco.

The two upstate GOP leaders aren't the only potential candidates. Harry Wilson, a former Republican candidate for state comptroller and a corporate restructuring expert, is exploring a run. Dutchess County Executive Marc Molinaro has been mentioned as a possible challenger.

Westchester County Executive Rob Astorino, who challenged Cuomo in 2014, could seek the GOP nomination again. The same is true for Buffalo businessman Carl Paladino, who lost to Cuomo in 2010.

DeFrancisco's view of the growing field of potential candidates: the more, the merrier.

"The more people that get out there, get actively involved, I think more issues are going to come out," he said.

Since announcing his interest in the gubernatorial race, DeFrancisco said he's visited nine counties. That includes Cayuga and Onondaga counties, which he represents in the state Senate.

He has plans to visit five more counties in September and at least two each in October and November.

Avoiding a primary

There appears to be a consensus among Republicans that they should avoid a primary and focus on challenging Cuomo in 2018.

"It's tough enough for a Republican to win in the state of New York which is so heavily Democrat," DeFrancisco said. "If a primary where the two candidates or three are vying for the nomination, it's obvious the losers are not going to be as energized to back the candidate that they lost to."

When Cuomo was first elected in 2010, Republicans had a four-way race for the nomination at one point. It eventually was whittled down to two: Paladino and former U.S. Rep. Rick Lazio.

Paladino won the nomination, but the party struggled due to the primary. Cuomo comfortably won the general election.

DeFrancisco has said he will not run in a primary if the party decides to support another candidate. He wants to focus on the main target  Cuomo  and avoid a fight over the GOP nomination, which he said could be "destructive."

"I think by having various people involved in the process looking to get their name out there hopefully that will energize the Republican Party to get the best candidate and get everybody unified for the common goal," he said.
Frankfurt, September 3

German explosives experts started to defuse a massive World War-II bomb in Frankfurt on Sunday after tens of thousands of people evacuated their homes.

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The bomb was discovered on a building site last week and around 60,000 people were ordered to leave their residences in what was Germanys biggest evacuation since the war. The work by bomb technicians started later than planned as some people refused to leave the evacuation area despite fire chiefs warning that an uncontrolled explosion would be big enough to flatten a city block.

The device was found last week in citys leafy Westend neighbourhood.  Reuters
Beijing, September 3

China strongly condemned North Koreas todays nuclear test, slamming Pyongyang for ignoring international condemnation of its atomic weapons programme.

North Korea has ignored the international communitys widespread opposition, again carrying out a nuclear test.

Chinas government expresses resolute opposition and strong condemnation toward this, the foreign ministry said in a statement on its website.

We strongly urge the DPRK (North Korea) to face the strong will of denuclearisation from the international community, earnestly abide by the relevant resolutions of the UN Security Council, stop taking mistaken actions which worsen the situation and are also not in line with its own interests, and effectively return to the track of solving the problem through dialogue, it added.

The test was North Koreas sixth and far more powerful than any weapon it has previously detonated.

Pyongyang declared the test of what it called a hydrogen bomb to be a perfect success.

Beijing is North Koreas main diplomatic ally and economic supporter and is seen as playing a crucial role in efforts to get Pyongyang to curb its weapons programme.

The test came just hours before Chinese President Xi Jinping was scheduled to open a summit of BRICs nations in southern China.

North Koreas actions create a potentially embarrassing situation for Xi, who is preparing for a politically sensitive gathering of the ruling Communist Party in October, at which he aims to further consolidate his power.

The leader chose not to address the test during his more than 40-minute address to the assembled leaders of Russia, India, South Africa and Brazil.

It was the second time this year that North Korea has timed a weapons test to coincide with a major international political gathering in China.

In May Pyongyang fired a ballistic missile as leaders from 29 nations gathered in Beijing for a summit touting Chinas new Silk Road project. AFP
Seoul, September 3

North Korea said it detonated a hydrogen bomb designed for a long-range missile today and called its sixth and most powerful nuclear test a perfect success, sparking global condemnation and promises of tougher US sanctions.

Pyongyang residents threw their arms aloft in triumph as a jubilant television newsreader hailed the unprecedentedly large blast. It marked a very significant occasion in attaining the final goal of completing the state nuclear force, she added.

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But world reaction was swift and angry. US President Donald Trump said on Twitter Pyongyangs words and actions continue to be very hostile and dangerous to the United States. The US Treasury Department will prepare sanctions that would cut off North Korea economically, said Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin.

Hours before the test, the North had released images of leader Kim Jong-Un at the Nuclear Weapons Institute, inspecting what it said was a miniaturised H-bomb that could be fitted onto an intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM). China, the Norths sole remaining major ally, issued a strong condemnation of the test, which overshadowed the opening of the BRICS summit in Xiamen.

Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe described it as absolutely unacceptable, while Russias foreign ministry expressed strongest condemnation but urged calm. In Seoul, President Moon Jae-In called for new United Nations sanctions to completely isolate North Korea and said the South would discuss deploying the strongest strategic assets of the US military.

That could be taken as a reference to tactical nuclear weapons, which were withdrawn from South Korea by Washington in 1991.

US monitors measured a 6.3-magnitude tremor near the Norths main testing site, which South Korean experts said was five to six times stronger than the 10-kiloton test carried out a year ago.

The tremor was felt in northeastern China, with people in the border city of Yanji saying they fled their homes in their underwear, and in the Russian Pacific city of Vladivostok. It was even detected as far away as Germany.

Whatever the final figure for the tests yield, said Jeffrey Lewis of the armscontrolwonk website, it was a staged thermonuclear weapon which represents a significant advance.

Pyongyang triggered a new rise in tensions in July, when it carried out two successful tests of an ICBM which apparently brought much of the US mainland within range. Last week it fired a missile over Japan.  AFP

India deplores move
Washington, September 3

US President Donald Trump today called North Korea a great threat and embarrassment to China and warned that appeasement wont work with Pyongyang, after the reclusive nation carried out its biggest nuclear test.

North Korea is a rogue nation which has become a great threat and embarrassment to China, which is trying to help but with little success, Trump said in a tweet.

The North today claimed it has successfully tested a hydrogen bomb meant to be loaded onto an intercontinental ballistic missile. It was Pyongyangs sixth, and most powerful, nuclear test, which was set to raise tension in the region. North Korea last carried out a nuclear test in September 2016.

Last month, North Korea threatened to launch missiles near the US Pacific territory of Guam after Trump said Pyongyang would face fire and fury if it threatened the US. Those threats have not deterred the Norths nuclear weapons programme. Trump today indicated he favours tougher approach against Pyongyang to curtail its nuclear programme.

South Korea is finding, as I have told them, that their talk of appeasement with North Korea will not work, they only understand one thing! Trump said.

Earlier today, Trump and Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe discussed the growing threat posed by North Korea and the two leaders reaffirmed the importance of a close cooperation.

President Donald J Trump spoke today with Prime Minister Shinzo Abe of Japan to discuss ongoing efforts to maximise pressure on North Korea, the White House said in a readout of the call, the third between the two leaders in less than a week. The readout, however, did not say whether the conversation came before or after the Norths latest test.

According to the White House, Trump and Abe reaffirmed the importance of close cooperation between the US, Japan, and South Korea in the face of the growing threat from North Korea. Trump noted that he looks forward to continued trilateral coordination on the margins of the United Nations General Assembly, the White House said.  PTI

Its Ri Chun-Hee again

Pyongyangs favourite newsreader, a woman in her 70s, returned to the airwaves today to declare its proud possession of a hydrogen bomb.

Ri Chun-Hee has previously told her loyal viewers of the deaths of the countrys founder Kim Il-Sung and his son Kim Jong-Il, several of the nuclear tests that have seen it subjected to multiple rounds of United Nations sanctions.

Nowadays her appearances are rare, but two months ago she announced the launch of its intercontinental ballistic missile, and she was back on Korean Central Television screens today with its latest milestone.

Russia, China slam N-test, urge calm

Moscow: Russia urged calm as it slammed North Korea after Pyongyang said it successfully tested a hydrogen bomb. China too slamming Pyongyang for ignoring international condemnation of its atomic weapons programme. North Korea has ignored the international communitys widespread opposition, again carrying out a nuclear test. Chinas government expresses resolute opposition and strong condemnation toward this, the foreign ministry said in a statement .

Merkel, Macron seek tougher EU sanctions

Berlin: German Chancellor Angela Merkel and French President Emmanuel Macron today urged tougher EU sanctions against North Korea. The chancellor and the president are in agreement that North Korea has trampled on international law and that the international community must therefore react with determination against this new escalation, Merkels office said in a statement after she spoke on the phone with Macron, adding that both leaders are calling for tougher EU sanctions against North Korea. AFP

Extremely regrettable, says UN watchdog

Vienna: North Koreas latest nuclear test is extremely regrettable and in complete disregard of the international communitys repeated demands, the head of the UN atomic watchdog said. Todays nuclear test by the Democratic Peoples Republic of Korea (DPRK) is an extremely regrettable act, International Atomic Energy Agency head Yukiya Amano said in a statement. AFP
Washington: NASA astronaut Peggy Whitson, the first female International Space Station commander, who broke multiple space records, has safely landed on Earth along with her crewmates. Whitsons return marks the completion of a 288-day mission that spanned 4,623 orbits of the Earth  her third long-duration mission. At 57, Whiston is also the oldest female astronaut in the history of space exploration. PTI

Mein Kampf signed by Hitler to fetch $20k

New York: A rare, personally inscribed and signed copy of German dictator Adolf Hitlers autobiography Mein Kampf is estimated to fetch 20,000 USD at an auction. The front flyleaf is boldly inscribed and signed by Hitler as Only in battle will the noble man survive! Adolf Hitler on 18/August 1930. PTI

Iconic Yellow Pages to cease printing in UK

London: Iconic telephone directory  Yellow Pages  will publish its final print next year, more than 50 years after it was launched in 1966 in the UK. Yell, the company that owns Yellow pages, announced that the first of the 104 final editions will be distributed in Kingston in the UK in January 2019. A final directory will be sent out in Brighton, where it was first published in 1966. Yell has decided to go fully digital. PTI

Tomb of Chinas Shakespeare discovered

Beijing: Archaeologists have discovered the tomb of ancient playwright Tang Xianzu, often described as Chinas Shakespeare. A cluster of 42 tombs were found at the end of last year, including 40 from the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644), in the Jiangxi Province of China. Xianzu, born in 1550, was best known for four plays dubbed Four Dreams. His masterpiece Peony Pavilion tells of a romance between an officials daughter and a poor scholar, as they pursued love and freedom, state-run news agency Xinhua reported. PTI
Coxs Bazar, September 2

More than 2,600 houses have been burned down in Rohingya-majority areas of Myanmars northwest in the last week, the government said on Saturday, in one of the deadliest bouts of violence involving the Muslim minority in decades.

About 58,600 Rohingya have fled into neighbouring Bangladesh from Myanmar, according to UN refugee agency UNHCR, as aid workers there struggle to cope.

Myanmar officials blamed the Arakan Rohingya Salvation Army (ARSA) for the burning of the homes. The group claimed responsibility for coordinated attacks on security posts last week that prompted clashes and a large army counter-offensive.

But Rohingya fleeing to Bangladesh say a campaign of arson and killings by the Myanmar army is aimed at trying to force them out.

The clashes and army crackdown have killed nearly 400 people and more than 11,700 ethnic residents have been evacuated from the area, the government said, referring to the non-Muslim residents.

It marks a dramatic escalation of a conflict that has simmered since October, when a smaller Rohingya attack on security posts prompted a military response dogged by allegations of rights abuses.

A total of 2,625 houses from Kotankauk, Myinlut and Kyikanpyin villages and two wards in Maungtaw were burned down by the ARSA extremist terrorists, the state-run Global New Light of Myanmar said. The group has been declared a terrorist organisation by the government. But Human Rights Watch said the Myanmar security forces deliberately set the fires. Army chief Min Aung Hlaing said there is no oppression or intimidation against the Muslim minority and everything is within the framework of the law.

New satellite imagery shows the total destruction of a Muslim village, and prompts serious concerns that the level of devastation in northern Rakhine state may be far worse than originally thought, said the groups deputy Asia director, Phil Robertson.  Reuters

Bloodiest chapter in five-year crisis

The renewed violence is the bloodiest chapter yet in a bitter five-year crisis that has heaped international condemnation on Myanmars army and the government of Aung San Suu Kyi

The militant attack in late August on police posts that killed 15 officials has led to army crackdown, killing nearly 400 people and displacing Rakhine states Rohingya in huge numbers

The treatment of Myanmars roughly 1.1 million Rohingya is the biggest challenge facing leader Suu Kyi, accused by Western critics of not speaking out for the Muslim minority

Bdesh feels pressure of heavy influx
Houston, September 2

Rescue workers are desperately searching flooded neighbourhoods across Texas for survivors stranded by Hurricane Harvey, one of the most destructive storms in American history that claimed at least 50 lives.

More than 185,000 homes were damaged and 9,000 destroyed as 42,000 people remain in shelters amid overflowing rivers and reservoirs, Texas officials said.

Harvey wrecked water pumping stations in the city of Beaumont, about 100 miles east of Houston, leaving residents and hospitals without clean water.

Many remain trapped by debris and waist-high murk that carries a risk of disease. Amidst all this, death toll has reached 50,

Houston Chronicle quoted local officials as saying. Houstons two main airports have resumed limited service and traffic has begun trundling through dry, sunny streets, giving a sense of normality. But some 37,000 homes in the region were still without power, about half the number from Thursday, said mayor Sylvester Turner. He urged conventions and visitors to come.

Turner said the US army corps of engineers needed to release water in reservoirs to create capacity lest more rain come and bring fresh disaster. He reiterated that people should not stay in their homes if they had water.

Meanwhile, the Arkema plant in Crosby has exploded, sending dark, black smoke into the air. In words most wouldnt expect to follow that sentence, that was expected to happen.  PTI
Kathmandu, September 3

India and Nepal today began their joint military exercise in the western part of the Himalayan country, focusing on counter-terrorism and forest fighting operations.

The exercise  Surya Kiran  was being participated by around 300 troops each side in Rupandehi district.

Senior Nepal Army officer Rajendra Karki inaugurated the exercise. The 12th edition of Nepal-India joint military exercise will conclude on September 16.

According to the Indian Army officials, the Surya Kiran is the largest joint exercise in terms of troop participation. The battalion-level joint training between the two armies will focus on counter-terror operations in mountainous terrain by facilitating interoperability.

Disaster management and joint operations for disaster relief will also be a part of the exercise. The 11th edition of the joint exercise was held in Pithoragarh in Uttarakhand.

The Nepal Army said the joint exercise will provide the two armies a platform to exchange experiences, ideas and skills. Surya Kiran series of exercises are held alternately in India and Nepal.  PTI
Tone it down: Some members of Oklahomas congressional delegation continue to be exasperated by President Donald Trumps tone, if not his agenda.

Youre not going to bully United States senators, this isnt the Apprentice, Fourth District Congressman Tom Cole told the Associated Press last week. You cant look at them and say youre fired. Youre going to need their vote and you oughtta remember that theyre going to be at the table in every major deal you need for the next three years. So I just dont think thats a productive way to proceed.

Dots and Dashes: U.S. Sen. Jim Inhofe praised Trumps decision to remove restrictions on surplus equipment the U.S. military can transfer to local law enforcement agencies. Inhofe said the equipment makes law enforcement more effective and maximizes defense expenditures. ... U.S. Sen. James Lankford lauded anti-corruption efforts in Guatamala, a country in which he has taken a particular interest in recent years. ... John Collison, formerly a senior aide to Inhofe and more recently a top official at the Oklahoma Farm Bureau, is now Of Counsel with the Washington consulting firm Ervin Hill Strategy, according to Politico.
MUSKOGEE  Okmulgee County veteran Jack Flanagin says the Veterans Choice program has been a godsend.

But it hasnt always been that way.

Implemented in 2014, Veterans Choice was supposed to shorten waiting times for Veterans Health Administration services and increase access for veterans in areas with limited or no VHA facilities. It allows veterans on a waiting list for 30 days or more or who live at least 40 miles from a VA clinic or hospital to be routed to a private provider.

That part worked well for Flanagin. It allowed him, after what he says was a dozen years of waiting for a heart procedure at the VA hospital in Oklahoma City, to have it done at the Oklahoma Heart Institute in Tulsa.

Veterans Choice also made it possible for him to see a Tulsa urologist.

What didnt work so well was the paper pushing.

Because of billing mix-ups and misunderstandings, Flanagin wound up with a $42,000 rock on his credit that took two years and 2nd District Congressman Markwayne Mullins office to lift.

I called them (his creditors) monthly to say I was working on it, Flanagin said. I am not a mooch.

News reports and an inspector generals report suggest that Flanagins experience was not unusual. Veterans Choice did help some veterans get better care faster.

But there also were numerous billing foul-ups, and sometimes wait times were actually longer for Veterans Choice because providers were slow to accept it.

Aside from that, some people suspected  or, alternately, hoped  Veterans Choice would be a pathway to full privatization of veterans health care. Some veterans groups were leery of the program because they feared it would divert money from the existing network of VA hospitals and clinics.

So with Veterans Choice nearly out of cash in mid-summer, some seemed content to let it die, at least in its current form.

But in Mullins field office, the phone began ringing as soon as word got out that the new Veterans Choice program might be allowed to lapse.

Whenever the rumors were just beginning to be whispered around, our phones started blowing up, said Jake Marlin, a veterans caseworker for Mullin.

Our veterans here (in Muskogee) came right in to tell us in person, said William Barnes, who also handles veterans issues for Mullin.

Whether delivered in person or over the phone, the message was the same  dont take away Veterans Choice.

Ultimately, Congress and President Donald Trump agreed. Last month, Trump signed legislation putting another $2.1 billion into the program, plus an additional $1.8 billion into the traditional VHA system.

Veterans affairs is a big part of most congressional offices constituent services. The 2nd District is no different. Barnes, Marlin and colleague Jason Self averaged around 400 cases the past two years and have nearly that many closed and ongoing cases combined this year.

With that many veterans  and both a VA hospital and a major regional benefits center in his district  Mullin has been involved in quite a bit of veterans legislation, including the Veterans Choice and several other VA bills signed by Trump recently.

Veterans Choice seemed promising for the 2nd District and for other Oklahomans who rely on the Eastern Oklahoma VA Health Care System, based in Muskogee, for care.

The Jack Montgomery Medical Center in Muskogee has trouble recruiting and retaining specialists in certain areas, such as rheumatology, urology, sleep studies and ophthalmology. Veterans Choice allowed patients to be routed to private specialists within driving distance.

In at least one case, Marlin said, that meant a veteran and his wife had to travel only to Tulsa instead of to Houston.

But it took a while to gather the private providers into a network and work out administrative kinks, said Mark Morgan, director of the Jack Montgomery Medical Center.

It has been quite a lot of work, but it is a good idea, he said.

The Muskogee hospital is the hub for the Eastern Oklahoma VA Health Care System, which includes clinics in Tulsa, Vinita and Hartshorne. A contract VA clinic recently opened in Idabel, and the Veterans Health Care System of the Ozarks, based in Fayetteville, Arkansas, operates a clinic in Jay.

Morgan said the focus now for the Eastern Oklahoma system is to continue adding specialists to the provider network and to encourage the VA to further streamline administration of the program.

I see the VA and private sector relationships continuing to improve, he said. I dont see this sliding back.

Thats encouraging news for veterans such as Flanagin.

It took a while and the will of some people to make this Choice program work, Flanagin said. It is so much better.

Id be very sad about losing the Choice card.
NORMAN  The states Military Hall of Fame will induct 10 new honorees at its annual banquet next month, among them two posthumous Medal of Honor recipients, Hall officials announced last week.

The 2017 Oklahoma Military Hall of Fame banquet and induction ceremony is set for 6 to 10 p.m. Oct. 21 at the Embassy Suites hotel, 2501 Conference Drive, in Norman.

Seven inductees are deceased. The Medal of Honor winners are:

 Staff Sgt. George Dennis Keathley, a former Lawton resident and World War II veteran. He was awarded the Medal of Honor for his actions on Sept. 14, 1944, at Mount Altuzzo in northern Italy. Keathley took command of his company after all the officers were wounded or killed, and despite being mortally wounded himself, fought on, inspiring the men around him.

 Spc. Edward Allen DeVore Jr., a Henryetta native and Vietnam veteran. On March 17, 1968, he carried out an assault on enemy positions with his machine gun that allowed a number of trapped soldiers to reach safety. DeVore, who was mortally wounded in the assault, was awarded the Medal of Honor for his actions.

The other posthumous inductees include:

 Lt. Col. Walter E. Price, a Tulsa native and later Stillwater resident.

 Sgt. Maj. Eugene Rockholt of Moore.

 Capt. Peter C. Rollins of Stillwater, a former English professor at Oklahoma State University.

 Col. Tom J. Rounsaville, formerly of Atoka.

 Command Sgt. Maj. Robert A. White, a longtime figure at Fort Sill.

The three surviving inductees are:

 Spc. Dwight Wayne Birdwell, an Oklahoma City attorney and former Cherokee Nation Supreme Court justice.

 Chief Warrant Officer Terry L. Frabott of Edmond.

 Col. Jerry Wayne Shipman of Sand Springs.

Collins will also receive the Halls Maj. Gen. Douglas O. Dollar Distinguished Service Award. The award  named after the Halls founder and based on service rather than valor  is presented in recognition of service to veterans and support of community activities, officials said.

Also to be honored at this years event will be the Oklahoma National Guard for its role in training citizen soldiers for every American conflict since the Spanish American War.

Deadline for reservations to the banquet is Oct. 11.

For more information, or to make reservations, go online to okmhf.org, email info@okmhf.org or call 405-424-5313.
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Tom Vanderpool decided when he grew up and got old he was going to have a boat on the ocean.

Vanderpool, a Jenks optometrist, bought that boat 15 years ago. Although it is beat up and ready to sink, hes used it to travel to Bimini, an island in the Bahamas, to provide eye care for the past nine years to the 250 kids living there.

As he looks forward to his 10th trip in January, hes ready for the next step.

Nursing a cup of coffee, Vanderpool, 68, runs a hand across his head and muses, You can only go there so many times and go to the same island so many times before you need a bigger adventure.

He pulled out a yellow legal tablet to draw the Florida Peninsula. He then added dots farther away from Florida to represent the Bahamian islands.

Bimini is 56 miles from Florida; the next island is 90 miles away and Man-O-War Cay, the island Vanderpool wants to travel to in January, is 120 miles away from Bimini.

Traveling to another island to serve more kids is more difficult than it sounds.

When Vanderpool makes his annual monthlong trip to Bimini in January with his wife, Susan, and 11-year-old son, Max, he screens the kids while Susan keeps track of all the prescriptions and frames.

They have to come back to Jenks to make 60 to 80 pairs of glasses before turning around and delivering them to Bimini in February. The Bahamian mail system is too unpredictable to send the glasses, and customs would charge $40 to $50 duty on each pair.

Ideally, we would have a boat that could hold a lab to make the lenses and bring the frames, and we could basically live on it and make the glasses there, Susan Vanderpool said. If we give some kid the wrong prescription, then weve really screwed them up. Having a lab right there to make them  we could help so many people so much faster.

The Vanderpools said they hope to get one step closer to achieving what theyve dubbed their vision boat in September at the fourth annual Gala for Sight. The fundraiser was developed for their nonprofit Vision for Children.

The goal for this fundraiser is $50,000. Susan Vanderpool realizes the money wont cover the full expense of the boat they need, but its a good start, she said.

Tom Vanderpool was introduced to Bimini on a fishing trip 15 years ago. Like most people who think of the Bahamas, he wasnt expecting to find third-world living conditions.

They run ads about beaches, resorts and those are fancy pictures, but right behind there in the neighborhood theres poverty, Tom Vanderpool said. They have a little resort on this island, but the people who live there dont work there.

Theres a lack of industry on the Bahamian islands that creates a lack of jobs, poor education and poverty, he said.

You have 14 people in a one-room house. If they have a floor, youre lucky. Otherwise, you sleep on the sand, Susan Vanderpool said.

Some of them are nice houses with tile floors, but they cant afford to go somewhere and get glasses.

Aside from spending a month and a half working on eye care in the Bahamas, Tom Vanderpool runs his private practice in Jenks and helps kids in northeastern Oklahoma with their vision needs when possible. He joked that getting some young doctor to help the children on Bimini would lighten his load.

The Vanderpools have worked with an optometry school in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, in an attempt to set up regular visits to the islands. The prime minister and deputy prime minister of the Bahamas almost sanctioned the deal until an election took place four months ago.

The prime ministers the Vanderpools had built relationships with hadnt been re-elected. Now, they will have to work to re-build those relationships, but theyre still holding onto faith that someone somewhere will be able to provide more regular help to the island.

Yolanda Daves, finance chairman for Gala for Sight, traveled to Bimini in February to see how investing in Vision for Children could help create a better future for the Bahamian people.

Im a glasses wearer, and if youve never been able to see clearly, it can totally change the world of children, Daves said. Children are our future, if you can educate them and help them with their vision needs, its going to make a better tomorrow for all of us.
Udaku Special

NAFASI ZA AJIRA BONYEZA HAPA

SUMMARY> Law Society of Kenya commended President Uhuru for also declaring that he respects courts decision which he does not agree with> LSK, condemned his further attacks towards Judiciary terming the remarks as inappropriate and unconstitutional> President Uhuru hit out at the Supreme Court questioning the grounds on which his nullification was determined and threatened to deal with Judiciary if he will be reelected within the 60 daysThe Law Society of Kenya says President Uhuru Kenyatta is entitled to express his dissatisfaction in yesterdays Supreme Court ruling which invalidated the announcement of his reelection on August 11. LSK commended Uhuru for also declaring that he respects courts decision which he does not agree with.In a press conference on Friday, shortly after the ruling President Uhuru said he disagrees with Supreme Court ruling but will respect it. He has urged Kenyans to maintain peace and shun tribalism.I respect the Supreme Courts decision but I dont agree with it... Millions of Kenyans queued and voted, but six people have decided that they will go against the will of Kenyans Again I say, the Court has made its decision and we respect it but we do not agree with it, said Uhuru who was accompanied by Deputy President William Ruto.However the LSK, condemned his further attacks towards Judiciary terming the remarks as inappropriate and unconstitutional.Further statements by President describing the Chief Justice and other judges of the Supreme Court of Kenya as 'wakora' (crooks or scoundrels) and ominously declaring that they should wait for him after he is successful in the coming fresh elections are unfortunate and wholly inappropriate remarks from the head of state who under the Constitution is a symbol of national unity, enjoys immunity from criminal and civil proceedings and must promote and enhance the unity of the nation. Said the Law Society in a press statement.On Saturday, President Uhuru hit out at the Supreme Court questioning the grounds on which his nullification was determined. He threatened to deal with the Judiciary if he will be reelected within the 60 days that Supreme Court ordered the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) to conduct fresh presidential polls.Even if you are so stupid, ask yourself something: The people elected an MCA, results were transmitted, and no one asked questions. Those of MPs and senators were transmitted, and no one asked questions and they have been sworn in. Those of governors were transmitted, no one asked questions. Now how do four people and wake up and say there was a technicality in the transmission of the results of the President only? How? asked Uhuru.LSK urged President Uhuru to respect, uphold and safeguard the Constitution an obligation which extends to respecting, upholding and safeguarding the rights of the Chief Justice and each of the judges of the Supreme Court of Kenya under Article 28 of the Constitution.Those remarks violate this obligation and are condemned unreservedly by the Law Society of Kenya. And they do not in any way lower, in the eyes of their fellow Kenyan citizens, the high esteem in which the Chief Justice and the judges of the Supreme Court of Kenya are now held, LSK insisted.
Miriam Velasquez, Adriana Angel, Valentina Diaz, Sebastian Diaz, Ricardo Angel show off their bread at the family's bakery in San Jose, Costa Rica.  UNHCR/Santiago Escobar-Jaramillo

SAN JOSE, Costa Rica  When Ricardo Angel, Miriam Velasquez and their children fled the armed conflict in Colombia in 2002 they reached Costa Rica with little more than hope.

Now 15 years on, the couple run a highly successful gluten-free bakery in the Central American nations capital, San Jose.

Despite having their education disrupted by war and flight, their children Alejandro and Adriana are now both successful professionals. Alejandro is a graphic designer for a Costa Rican TV network and Adriana is a dental assistant.

There was a lot of uncertainty when we left Colombia but we have been able to sow these seeds of success, says Ricardo.

It is no coincidence that the Angel Velasquez family have been able to lead productive and fulfilling lives in Costa Rica, a small country with a big tradition of welcoming refugees in their hour of need.

We received a lot of support as refugees and we are hard-working people.

During the turbulent 1970s and 1980s, when civil wars roiled much of the region from El Salvador and Nicaragua to Colombia, Costa Rica remained a haven of peace, keeping its doors open to those at risk.

The country has developed standout systems of protection allowing refugees to flourish. It allows refugees two asylum appeals and grants them the right to work and attend schools while their petitions are processed.

Through the Living Integration programme, developed by the Costa Rican Migration Agency in collaboration with UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency, refugees and asylum seekers are also given employment skills training, access to job fairs, and support to set up their own businesses. Nearly 2,000 refugees have benefitted from this initiative since 2014.

We received a lot of support as refugees and we are hard-working people, says Ricardo, who noted that the help the family received allowed them to overcome obstacles when they first arrived.

While Costa Rica has traditionally welcomed South American asylum seekers like the Angel Velasquez family, it is increasingly receiving applications from Salvadorans, Hondurans and Guatemalans fleeing extreme gang violence. Asylum requests from these countries have increased 319 per cent in the last two years alone.

Among additional support for the new arrivals is counselling to help overcome mental anguish and distress -- particularly valuable for Fernanda*, a Honduran journalist and activist whose family survived an assault by motorbike riding assailants in 2014.

Costa Ricas support for those seeking a place of safety is exemplary, and is a model for the region.

I received a lot of psychological help because I was having panic attacks back then, she says, recalling the time after her arrival. We couldnt sleep. We would hide under the beds at night.

Granted refugee status in 2015, she now has a job and sleeps at night.

Costa Ricas support for those seeking a place of safety is exemplary, and is a model for the region, said UN High Commissioner for Refugees Filippo Grandi during a visit to the country, where he met with President Luis Guillermo Solis and senior government officials.

UNHCR is currently working with governments in the region to develop a Comprehensive Regional Protection and Solutions Framework (MIRPS is the Spanish acronym). Based on last years New York Declaration, it is a step towards the Global Compact on Refugees to be agreed upon in 2018.

It seeks to address the full scope of forced displacement, from its root causes, strengthening asylum and protection systems and working on durable solutions. So far Costa Rica, Mexico, Panama, Honduras, Guatemala and El Salvador have joined the regional initiative.

*Name changed for protection reasons

With reporting by James Fredrick


Lyft Las Vegas partnered with Acelero Learning-Clark County Head Start program and Divine Light Center for Empowered Living this week to provide 1,000 backpacks and other necessary school supplies to children in need as they head into the school year (Pictured: Lyft General Manager Yacob Girma donating backpacks  Photo credit: Stacey Torma).

Photo credit: Stacey Torma

Giving a child a headstart in their education is crucial and were humbled to be able to provide a little help during such an integral time in their lives, said Yacob Girma, Lyft Las Vegas general manager.

Photo credit: Stacey Torma

Acelero Learning Clark County provides Head Start and Early Head Start services to 1,531 children in our community, said Michael Mitchell Acelero Learning executive director. We are excited to partner with Lyft as we seek to positively impact our community and meet the needs of students and families.
Helen Harold and Maddie Smith are an unlikely pair. Yet, the two have joined forces to put local human trafficking in the crosshairs.

Together, Harold and Smith have trained 14 other volunteers to canvas hotels in the Coulee Region, alerting them to signs of human trafficking.

In the past, Harold, a retired West Salem school teacher and grandmother of eight, helped start the Community Care and Share food pantry and served on the West Salem Village Board. She currently acts as the Peace and Justice representative for Church Women United, a group representing 24 local churches.

Smith, a senior at University of Wisconsin-La Crosse from Marshfield, is just beginning to test the waters of activism. Majoring in public health, she interns as a resource advocate at New Horizons Womens Shelter in La Crosse. Social justice is high on her list of priorities-and that includes human trafficking.

According to Harold, hotels and motels can offer convenient locations to harbor sex trafficking victims. Situated on Interstate 90 between Chicago and Minneapolis, La Crosse falls in the eye of the storm. Church Women United hopes to change the weather.

Trafficking is a $150 billion worldwide industry, ensnaring an estimated 20 million victims into a lurid ecosystem that sustains itself on the poor. About a quarter are children.

While most people think of it as an overseas problem, Smith who also doubles as the human trafficking intern at New Horizons knows differently.

In 2016, New Horizons helped 19 victims of human trafficking, she said. And those are only the ones who sought help.

But mixing Smiths energy with Harolds experience, however, required a catalyst, and that came in the person of Sister Marlene Weisenbeck of the La Crosse Area Task Force on Human Trafficking.

She suggested having a packet to leave and gave us guidance-she was a great help, said Harold.

And so, with a little guidance, Harold put her teaching experience to work, creating folders on human trafficking and its link with the hotel industry. She and Smith used the packet as curriculum for a training program held at First Free Church in Onalaska.

The material also served as a tool for hotel managers, helping them to educate employees and identify signs of possible trafficking.

The most important thing we tell them is to train your staff, Harold said.

Information in the packet included facts about trafficking. According to Smith, one of the telltale signs of trafficking is a female, often 12-14 years of age traveling with an older boyfriend. Smith said that many trafficking connections often get started on Facebook using the Messenger app. The packet even included a script Harold penned to get the volunteers started on their pitch to hotel managers.

Not only did Smith personally recruit nine volunteers, but she and Harold joined the other volunteers to hit the pavement, setting a goal of reaching 32 hotels and motels in the greater La Crosse area.

I was a little nervous because we didnt know how people would respond to it, she said as she described her visits. Its hard to throw an elevator speech at them in a short period of time.

While neither Smith nor Harold encountered any negative response, Smith found that some hotels seemed to have a better grasp of the problem.

Some were more perceptive than others, but everyone was on board, she said.

Smith was surprised to find that one hotel had already trained its staff.

Those who know its an issue are the ones who dont need it, she said. But then added, some mom and pop places were a little less receptive.

Whether youre working to fight it or not, its, going to happen, she said. Turning a blind eye to it will not make it go away.

Sister Eileen Lang of La Crosse had a similar experience when she shared the packet with the managers of a large hotel chain in La Crosse. Lang said that in the past, the hotel would periodically broach the subject with employees, but didnt have systematic training in place. After Langs visit, things changed.

They said they would take the materials to human resources and the general manager along with a recommendation to make a more formal approach to employee training, said Lang.

In addition to education, volunteers provided managers with information about joining The Code. The Code is a moniker for, The Protection of Children from Sexual Exploitation in Travel and Tourism. Harold explained that while hotels pay a fee to join, the incentive is a place on a national registry. Travelers can then find assurance that the place where they lodge is vigilant and has zero tolerance for trafficking.

While CWU cant immediately know the outcomes of their work, in September, the group will make return calls to see if the visits paid off.

At least we planted a seed, said Smith. We got people having conversations about it.

Smith is philosophical about her work and internships.

The thing that moves me every day is that it really makes your problems seem small, she said. It makes me know how privileged I am.
Artists are set to gain two Waco spaces to sell their works in upcoming weeks with the opening of two galleries, one in West Waco, the other in downtown.

At 2012 N. Valley Mills Drive in Ridgewood Village, the Thomas Leath Gallery plans to open formally on Friday, while downtown at 712 Austin Ave., the space that recently hosted the Waco 52 Pop-Up Gallery will reopen Oct. 6 as 7twelve.

Theyre independent, but united in their separate owners passion for art and a desire to provide space for artists to sell their creations.

For Thomas Leath, 50, the gallery that carries his name represents the personal dimension that brought it into being. The two dozen paintings that presently line the walls of the two-room space come from his personal collection of more than 65 artworks.

The Waco native, a social media consultant and a founding partner in GeekNation.com, moved from Dallas back to Waco in 2005, in part to provide closer support for his mother Alta.

The move started Leath thinking about a friends comment that he had enough art to start a gallery. After six years on the Art Center of Waco board, Leath decided the time was right to try his hand at selling art in Waco.

Im not afraid of a challenge, but this is something Ive never done before, he said.

Leath bought his first piece of art, a lithograph, when he was 18 and began collecting not as an investment but simply because he loved art. The son of longtime Central Texas Congressman Marvin Leath, Leath was 11 when his family moved to the art-rich environment of Washington, D.C., in 1979. Leaths love for art was shaped by time spent in the Smithsonian museums, the National Gallery of Art and the Capitol with its sculptures and art.

Later, trips abroad often featured visits to famous art museums, such as the Prado Museum in Madrid, Spain. While exposure to world-famous art whetted his appetite, a limited budget as an adult also steered his purchases.

If you buy art strictly by price, youve got to buy it because you like it, he explained, adding that underlines the intent for his gallery: affordable art for those whose tastes mirror his. Its a different concept: If I can appreciate it, others can, too.

The paintings in his gallery reflect wide-ranging tastes, from contemporary abstracts to landscapes and portraits, though most share a love or appreciation for color. Artists represented include Houstons Susie Rosmarin, California artists Howard Lamar and Christian Schumann, Jean-Claude Picot of France, Cuban Diego Torres and New Orleans Reginald Mitchell, and Leath is open to broadening that with Waco-area artists.

Leaths gallery shows about 24 paintings in connected rooms with natural lighting. He plans to rotate works on display on a regular basis and mount shows every few months.

The gallerys grand opening is planned for Friday. Exhibiting hours are 11 a.m.- 6 p.m. Mondays through Saturdays or by appointment. Leath can be reached at info@thomasleathgallery.com or through the gallerys Facebook, Instagram and Twitter accounts.

7twelve

Art is a labor of love, too, for Rebekah and Jeremy Hagman, who are taking over 712 Austin Ave. and intend to repurpose it as a combination gallery and performing arts space, or as their 7twelve business card has it, cultural market and gathering place.

The Californian newlyweds, married May 28, moved to Waco in July for Jeremys job with the Waco Independent School District, where he teaches in a Basic RESET class at Mountainview Elementary School.

With arts and community involvement in their backgrounds  Jeremy, 39, studied musical theater at Long Beach City College while Rebekah, 33, has a vocal performance degree from Colorado Springs Conservatory  they found Waco a right-sized place of opportunity.

Rebekahs background also includes nonprofit development and property management as well as a dream of opening an art gallery.

When she met with Creative Waco director Fiona Bond, 712 Austin Ave. owner T.J. Ermoian and Creative Waco arts entrepreneur Luann Jennings, she found her dream aligned with their hopes for a downtown arts space. All of us just clicked, Rebekah Hagman said.

Ermoian had allowed the use of 712 Austin Ave. to host the Waco 52 art exhibit organized for a May showing at the state capitol in Austin, partly in hopes that others could find a way to continue it as an art gallery, studio space for working artists or performing space. From 2009 to 2013, the Croft Art Gallery operated at that location, which once had housed a downtown bakery.

Rebekah Hagman said details of a lease agreement are still being worked out, but plans are underway to reopen the space in several weeks as 7twelve, a venue that would combine art exhibits, performing arts, fundraiser rentals and second-floor artist workspaces. No hours have been set yet for 7twelve, but Rebekah said they would be similar to the hours for the Waco 52 exhibit.

She invited those interested in sharing their ideas for the downtown space to contact her online at waco7twelve@gmail.com, through waco7twelve.com or its Facebook and Instagram accounts.

We were looking for a community we could invest in and make an impact, she said. I feel like we got beyond blessed.
Have you ever wondered where you came from?

Are there murderers, thieves or just normal boring folks in your bloodline? Should you be concerned for your children with the whole nature versus nurture question, if some of your ancestors did bad things?

This is the question Helene Stapinski found herself asking often and wondering if the stories she heard about her great-great-grandmother being a murderer were true.

Helene was told that Vita, her great-great-grandmother, fled Italy in 1982 with her three children after committing murder. This story was told to her often by her mother who heard the story by her father, Grandpa Beansie. Grandpa Beansie himself had spent time in prison for stealing and other illegal activities.

Helene was a journalist and was consumed with discovering the truth about her great-great-grandmother and her story partly due to the fact that Helene had two small children and one of them prone to temper tantrums and outbursts. Was this normal child behavior or was it something more, passed down from generation to generation?

She had little to go on, just a death certificate for Vita, birth certificates of Vitas sons and a few street names. With this information she made the decision to take her two small children and her mother on a trip to Italy for a vacation to try and find some answers. Thus beginning her 10-year journey to discover the truth about her ancestors and writing the book, Murder in Matera: a True Story of Passion, Family, and Forgiveness in Southern Italy.

This true story takes you on the journey with Helene. The story goes from present day following Helenes journey of discovery to the past and Vitas journey from childhood to her death at the age 64. Unfortunately, Vita couldnt read or write, so there were no journals for Helene to use so the voice of Vita is as Helene imagined her thoughts and reactions to be. She didnt have much luck on her first trip to Italy but going back 10 years later she had much better results.

She discovered Vita had left Italy to go to America in 1892, the same year a quarter million Italians emigrated to escape horrible hardships. It wasnt normal for women to travel without a man as Vita did and with her three children. Not three boys as the stories said but two boys and her 7-year-old daughter who unfortunately was lost on the long journey to America. Vitas life wasnt an easy one, and the stories that Helene had been told starting at the age of 4 was filled with untruths and misinformation, yes there was a murder and Vita had an affair, but some things were completely out of her control.

Discovering your ancestors can be a fun and surprising journey. If local history is what youre after check out local author on West Salem history, try Errol Kindschys book, Taking Care of Business, the West Salem Way.

There are some resources available at lacrossecountylibrary.org. We have a link to Heritage Quest online, a collection of genealogical and historical sources. From our website click on Badgerlink on the bottom of the page and go to all resources, from there to heritage quest. Also check out our link for ECHO (exploring cultural history online) from the Winding Rivers Library System which has an online collection of pictures and a searchable database.

Stop in at any of our La Crosse County Library locations at Bangor, Campbell, Holmen, West Salem and Onalaska to pick up or order any of your favorite library materials or visit us at lacrossecountylibrary.org to search our catalog or see whats happening at the library.
Class acts

Amber Cashion, of Robinson, was awarded her Bachelor of Science degree in nursing from Shreiner University in Kerrville at the ends of the summer semesters.

Johan John, of Waco, graduated in May with a Bachelor of Science degree in liberal arts engineering from Wheaton College in Wheaton, Illinois.

Allie McDonald, of Woodway, graduated cum laude in May with a Bachelor of Arts degree in elementary education and a minor in biology from Wheaton College in Wheaton, Illinois.

The Texas Exes-Waco Chapter presented the following students with scholarships to the University of Texas at Austin: Daniel Ocampo, Marlin High School, $1,000; Corey Karnei, Midway High School, $500; and Carly Campbell, Lorena High School, $500.

Lester Sander, a sophomore from Waco majoring in English education, was named to the deans list for the spring semester at Augustana College in Rock Island, Illinois.

Applause

Midway ISD Superintendent Dr. George Kazanas was chosen as one of 10 stakeholder representatives on an 18-member steering committee created by the State Board of Education to help it develop a new long-range plan for public education.

The committee will work throughout the 2017-18 school year to draft recommendations that will be sent to the state board, which will ultimately approve the final plan.

The first meeting of the steering committee is scheduled for Sept. 12 in Austin.
After years of failed proposals in the Texas Legislature, drivers in the state are now subject to fines for texting while driving and stiffer penalties for injuring others in a texting-while-driving crash.

The statewide ban on texting, reading, writing or sending from an electronic device while driving starts Friday. Under the new law, violators may face a misdemeanor charge and a fine of between $25 to $99, although penalties can reach more than $200 for repeat offenders.

Texting drivers who cause a wreck that leads to death or serious injury could be charged with a Class A misdemeanor punishable by up to a year in jail and a fine of up to $4,000, Texas Department of Public Safety Sgt. D.L. Wilson said.

In the McLennan County area, weve seen serious bodily injury or fatality crashes due to texting or talking on cellphones, Wilson said. Speaking about texting specifically, even though there was never a law for texting and driving in Texas, if you are reckless in your actions while operating a motor vehicle you will be held accountable for your actions.

Texas motorists can still talk on the phone while driving, if motorists only briefly touch the phone or use the car to start and end a call. The new measure also does not have an impact GPS systems or music applications on cellphones.

We are seeing a lot more crashes because of distracted driving, and cellphones are playing a big part in that, Waco police Sgt. W. Patrick Swanton said. People are so used to looking at, being on, checking in and doing so much with their cellphones, they just forget to realize that they are still operating a 2,500 pound missile down the street.

In 2011, former Gov. Rick Perry vetoed similar legislation banning texting while driving, saying the state should not micromanage adult behavior. Swanton said the new law is limited and is not likely to have much of an impact on local and statewide distracted driving statistics.

People are being hurt and killed for texting and driving, but that being said, the new law as it is written is what we call a feel good law,  Swanton said. It makes people feel good that it is out there and they feel like it can help, but the reality of it is that, the way the law is written, it is extremely difficult to enforce.

Its not going to be a significant help to law enforcement to reduce accident or incident numbers because of distracted driving. If anything, it will give people a reason to do the right thing.

In 2014 alone, more than 3,170 people were killed nationwide in crashes involving distracted drivers, and 431,000 people were injured. In 2016, there were 109,658 traffic crashes in Texas alone that involved distracted driving, causing more than 3,000 serious injuries and at least 455 fatalities, according to the Texas Department of Transportation.

State law also bans cell phone use by drivers in school zones, drivers under the age of 18 and bus drivers with minors on board. About 95 Texas cities also have some type of local ban on cell phone use while driving, though no McLennan County cities have their own ban.

Texas is joining 46 states in banning texting while driving. Arizona, Missouri and Montana are the last three states without a statewide ban, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures.

State troopers and many local agencies will not have the resources to subpoena cellphone records for each motorist accused of texting while driving, Wilson said.

We have to visibly see them texting and driving or holding it down and reading it, but thats all we need for the violation, Wilson said. If the motorist causes serious bodily injury or death, we will subpoena cellphone records and hold motorists accountable for their actions.

Though the law may not yield a turnaround in distracted driving statistics, it could make a difference and encourage parents to teach their kids not to text while driving.

If the new law starts a trend like that, hopefully this law can stop a serious crash from happening, Wilson said. If it can save one life, it is worth it.
If you were to ask children what they wanted to be when they grow up, pilot might be on many lists. But, as time passes, most change their minds before they leave high school and pursue something else. Then there are others who, from an early age, know exactly what they want and set about achieving it.

Thats what Lorena resident and retired Air Force Maj. Harv Peterson, 73, did with his military career.

The desire started when he used to watch crop dusters flying. Born and raised in Northwood, North Dakota, Peterson planned for his future as a pilot. He attended high school at Northwest School of Agriculture in Crookston, Minnesota, where he lived about six months every year between the planting/harvesting seasons.

Peterson graduated in 1961 and attended the University of North Dakota with an eye to getting his bachelors degree to get a commissioned spot in the Air Force. While there, he joined the universitys aero club and learned to fly.

By the time Peterson graduated with a bachelors degree in industrial arts, I was qualified to fly airplanes, but unqualified for the Air Force, he said. I had to get the brainwashing and a much more serious level of training.

And that he got. Pilot training was called the year of 53 weeks, Peterson said. From early June 1966 to late June 1967, he trained on the T-41 and the T-37 at Williams Air Force Base in Arizona, with advanced training on the T-38, a twin-engine, two-seater, supersonic trainer (a plane which goes faster than the speed of sound).

Once he completed basic and advanced training, Peterson went to T-37 instructor pilot training school at Perrin AFB in Texas, followed by four years of teaching undergraduate pilot training at Vance AFB in Oklahoma.

It was during the buildup of Vietnam and pilots were sorely needed. The Air Force would accept just about anyone who could safely get in and out of a plane, Peterson said. There were a couple that were really questionable, he said, and there were a couple who died in Vietnam due to pilot error.

By the time his turn came to serve in Vietnam, Peterson was ready. He had already received training on his choice of plane, the C-130 cargo and troop carrier, also known as Hercules.

Based in Ching Chuan Kang Air Base, a Republic of China Air Force base in Taiwan, Peterson served with the 39th Tactical Airlift Squadron, 317th Tactical Airlift Wing wherever he was needed. He would deploy for two weeks at time, hauling everything from troops and equipment to North Vietnamese prisoners and even deceased American troops  one of the hardest of his assignments and something he doesnt like to talk about.

During his 13-month Southeast Asia deployment in 1972-73, Peterson took some hits in his plane when he dropped troops at various landing zones or served on fighting missions. The tracers he saw coming at him during night flying were particularly frightening, but he didnt have time to be scared.

Doing what's needed to be done

It didnt do any good to be frightened. You do what youve got to do, he said.

Peterson would go on to serve 14 more years in the Air Force, including four years at Randolph AFB in San Antonio, where he was an instructors instructor for the T-37; three more years there in a non-flying job as a field training detachment commander; and his remaining seven years at Pope AFB in North Carolina, from which he retired in 1987.

During that time, he service took him throughout the world. He was part of the rescue mission of (mostly) American medical students in Grenada in 1983. It felt good, he said. One woman said, I thank you with my life.  Its one of the better memories of his service. All told, Peterson served 21 years with the Air Force, amassing some 7,000 flight hours.

He went on to work for a cargo plane company, but didnt care for the night flying. For about three years, he worked as a pilot and flight engineer refresher trainer, but he got a call from an old squadron commander inviting him to come to Waco, Texas to fly with what originally was Chrysler Technologies Airborne Systems; the company changed ownership several times until he retired in 2006. (Today, L3 is located there).

While serving in Athens, Greece, Peterson met his future wife, who worked as a civilian for the Air Force. He and Georgia Jenkins married in April 1990 and have been together 27 years.

Peterson still lives with the memories of Vietnam. Im okay when Im not talking about it, he said, but when he does, it all starts coming back, and it can be rough going.
James Powers Exum

Dec. 5, 1926 - Aug. 25, 2017

James Powers Exum, 90, passed away on August 25, 2017, at Providence Hospice. Funeral service will be at 3 p.m., Wednesday, September 6, at Connally Compton Funeral Directors. The family will receive friends one hour prior to service. Burial will take place 11 a.m., Thursday, September 7, in Cook-Walden Capital Parks Cemetery in Pflugerville, TX.

James was born on December 5, 1926, in Kansas City, MO, to James Powers, Sr. and Louise (Ramsay) Exum. Following his graduation from Austin High School, he attended The University of Texas. While there he became a legacy member of Theta Xi Fraternity. He graduated with a major in Mechanical Engineering. Throughout his lifetime he worked as an engineer for United Gas Co. and Pipeline in several different cities including Houston, Beaumont, Jackson and Shreveport.

James was a veteran of the United States Navy. Some of his hobbies included Ballroom dancing, Stamp collecting, Train Locomotive excursions and philanthropy. He was also an avid Longhorns fan.

He was preceded in death by his parents; and infant brother, Robert Ramsay Exum.

Survivors include his devoted and loyal wife of 68 years, Betty Jean Clement; children, James Powers Exum III of Seminole, AL, Beth Exum Johnson of New Orleans, LA, and Frank Exum of Waco, TX; and several grandchildren.
Jimmie Kerr was born in Tampa, FL on December 8, 1937, to Charles S. A. and Olive Marie (Fields) Kerr. He grew up in Tampa and joined the Army in 1957. After serving two years, which included a year in Germany as a medic, he was discharged honorably in 1959. He moved to Waco where his mother and sister then resided and shortly thereafter met and married Barbara Gray. This was a bit of a challenge for Jim, as he had grown up with one sister and married into a family of six brothers and one girl. As a young couple they moved to Dallas in 1960. In 1962, Jim went to work for Ryder Truck Rental and spent the next 30 years as a mechanic. During this time they had three wonderful children. Jim was a quite reserved, soft spoken devoted husband and father. He met all the challenges in his life head on without flinching. He went to work for Walmart after retiring from Ryder in 1993, and worked for the company for 14 years. Thinking he would try the "easy life", he soon discovered it wasn't for him. In 2007 he got a job with Brookshires in Hillsboro and enjoyed working in the produce department. After a car accident in 2013, it became necessary for Jim to finally stop "punching the clock."
They DID it! My daughter Traci and son-in-law Kim gave me some Cheetos bling for my birthday! Somehow they managed to get their hands on a dimeand Cheeto ring (see photo). Now maybe you understand why I am such a proud mom!

With all the hubbub surrounding my birthday and whatever that lunar or solar event was Aug. 21, Ill bet not many of you thought to celebrate the 58th anniversary of the statehood of our 50th state, Hawaii. What would we be without this tropical paradise, the dream destination of so many, and the No. 1 consumer of Hormels oft-maligned delicacy, SPAM?

English explorer Capt. James Cook came across the Hawaiian Islands on Jan. 18, 1778. Just imagine what it would be like if he had not offended the natives, which lead to his death on Feb. 14, 1779.

At that time the native islanders took back the name Hawaii. Had that not happened, our tropical paradise, dream destination and 50th state might just be Sandwich.

Thats right. Cook, who by accounts was not a very nice man, renamed the Hawaiian Islands the Sandwich Islands in honor of his equally unlikeable friend, John Montagu, the fourth Earl of Sandwich, who is credited with the idea of slapping meat between two slices of bread and eating it.

Just think: you might be having your destination wedding on Sandwich. Imagine telling your envious friends that you are spending your honeymoon in Sandwich! Or thanking your kids for gifting you with a trip to Sandwich to celebrate your silver wedding anniversary. Think of the honor of being Miss Sandwich and representing your state in the Miss America or Miss Universe pageants.

Doesnt quite have the same ring, does it!?

In belated honor of our 50th states 58th anniversary of statehood, I am going to share some authentic Hawaiian recipes today. I cant swear to their authenticity, but allrecipes.com, which for today has been dubbed alloharecipes.com, says they are the real thing and who am I to argue with them?

I have chosen a fried rice side dish, a dessert, a beverage, and for those who think Captain Cooks island name was appropriate, a luau roasted pork sandwich made without the hassle of digging up your yard and burying a whole pig.

The rice dish was submitted by Chen, who says of it Everyone in Hawaii has their own version of fried rice. This is my own version of fried rice that the locals ate in Hawaii. Feel free to substitute other meats for the SPAM, but be advised that you risk compromising that authentic island flavor!!

Saxony provided the dessert, saying This recipe for mochi is an easy Hawaiian local-style treat made with coconut and butter in a rice flour base. A great dessert for any tropical themed party. In case you are unfamiliar with mochiko, Wikipedia says mochigomeko (mochiko for short) is sweet, or glutinous, rice flour, although it is neither sweet nor contains gluten. It can be purchased online from various outlets, including Amazon.

The very simple slushy fruit punch has long been a favorite of CindyRNs family, and they use it as a breakfast beverage. For the adults in the crowd, you could add a little rum or brandy.

Island-Style Fried Rice

1 cups uncooked jasmine rice

3 cups water

2 teaspoons canola oil

1 (12-ounce) can fully cooked luncheon meat (such as SPAM(R)), cubed

 cup sliced Chinese sweet pork sausage (lup cheong)

3 eggs, beaten

2 tablespoons canola oil

1 (8-ounce) can pineapple chunks, drained

3 tablespoons oyster sauce

 teaspoon garlic powder

 cup chopped green onion

Bring rice and water to a boil in a saucepan over high heat. Reduce heat to medium-low; cover and simmer until rice is tender and liquid has been absorbed, 20 to 25 minutes. Let cool completely. Heat 2 teaspoons oil in a skillet over medium heat; brown luncheon meat and sausage. Set aside. Pour beaten eggs into hot skillet; scramble and set aside. Heat 2 tablespoons oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium heat; stir in rice. Toss rice in hot oil until heated through and beginning to brown, about 2 minutes. Add garlic powder; toss rice 1 more minute to develop garlic taste. Stir in luncheon meat, sausage, scrambled eggs, pineapple and oyster sauce. Cook and stir until oyster sauce coats rice and other ingredients, 2 to 3 minutes. Stir in green onions and serve. (chen; alloharecipes.com)

Ono Butter Mochi

1 pound mochiko (glutinous rice flour)

2 cups white sugar

1 teaspoon baking powder

 cup butter, melted

3 cups whole milk

5 eggs

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 cup sweetened, flaked coconut

Heat oven to 350 degrees. Grease a 9-x13-inch baking dish. In a medium bowl, whisk together eggs, vanilla and milk. In a separate larger bowl, stir together rice flour, sugar, and baking powder. Pour wet ingredients into dry ingredients; stir to blend. Mix in melted butter and coconut. Pour into pan; bake 1 hour. Cool completely; cut into squares to serve. (Saxony; alloharecipes.com)

Luau Punch

1 (46-ounce) can pineapple juice

1 (6-ounce) can frozen orange juice concentrate, thawed

2 liters lemon-lime flavored carbonated beverage

In an empty gallon milk jug or pitcher, pour pineapple juice and orange juice concentrate. Shake to mix; slowly add lemon-lime soda (you may need to stop to let the fizz settle; then return to pouring). This will fill the gallon. Freeze overnight. Let punch start to thaw 2 hours before serving. Serve slushy. (CindyRN; alloharecipes.com

Luau Pig in a Slow Cooker

1 (6 pound) pork butt roast

1 tablespoons Hawaiian sea salt

1 tablespoon liquid smoke flavoring

Artisan bread or rolls

Pierce pork all over with a carving fork. Rub salt, then liquid smoke over meat. Place roast in a slow cooker. Cover; cook on Low 16 to 20 hours, turning once during cooking time. Remove meat from slow cooker; shred, adding drippings as needed to moisten. Serve generous portions of the shredded meat on your favorite artisan bread or rolls. It should be perfect as is, but feel free to add your condiment(s) of choice. (kikukat; alloharecipes.com)
Ronald O'Bier

June 20, 1956 - Aug. 30, 2017

It is with deep regret that we announce the passing of Mr. Ronald Lee O'Bier, age 61, of Waco, Texas. Ronnie went to be with the Lord on August 30, 2017, at Baylor Scott & White Medical Center in Waco, surrounded by his family and friends.

Services will be at 1 p.m., Tuesday, September 5, at Pecan Grove Funeral Home, 3124 Robinson Drive, Waco, with burial to follow at Rosemound Cemetery. Visitation will be from 5 to 7 p.m., Monday, September 4, at the funeral home.

Ronnie was born on June 20, 1956, in Waco, to Dorothy Jean O'Bier and the late Roy Alfred O'Bier. He was a devoted husband and an amazing Dad and PePaw. He was a valued employee at Airgas Southwest for 17 years and worked for the City of Waco for 20 years prior to that. His Love was felt by everyone around him.

He is survived by his wife of 20 years, Lisa Suzanne O'Bier; his mother, Dorothy Jean O'Bier; his children, Cody Braxton Coe, Nikki Cheyenne Coe, Crystal Dawn O'Bier and Cody Allen O'Bier. He also leaves behind four grandchildren, Katie McKenzie Sadler, Caden Blaine Coe, Cannon William Coe and Dasia Rose Ruiz. Ronnie also leaves behind a brother, David O'Bier and sister-in-law (twink), Robin Stine; as well as a niece, Tanci Hommel; and a nephew, Jeff O'Bier.

We'd also like to give a special thanks to all the staff at Scott & White for being so comforting during this hard time.

Online guestbook www.pecangrovefuneral.com.
Americans eventually tire of the presidents they elect. The political skills that fuel the rise of Roosevelts, Reagans and Obamas always seem to lose their allure over time as the promise of Morning in America and Hope and Change devolves into the cynicism of Been There, Done That.

Lyndon Johnson won in a landslide in 1964 but was pushed out of office four years later. Ronald Reagan breezed to re-election by winning 49 states in 1984, but two years later his power of persuasion was gone. In 1986, the Great Communicator couldnt persuade voters living through the last days of the Cold War to support anti-communist allies in Central America. Even in the afterglow of Barack Obamas 2012 re-election, the biggest political star in the world couldnt pass gun reforms that 90 percent of Americans supported following the Sandy Hook massacre.

President Donald Trump is the most radical example of this negative political phenomenon. Seven months into his maniacal presidency, Trump is driving his approval ratings to record lows and causing friends and foes alike to experience premature presidential fatigue.

Former allies on the editorial pages of the Wall Street Journal and Washington Examiner now criticize Trump for leadership failures and abuse of power. Republicans on Capitol Hill more frequently call out the presidents aberrant behavior. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell questions the presidents ability to survive. The chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee questions Trumps stability.

By now, the presidents low poll numbers rarely raise an eyebrow. Newspapers have repeated ad nauseam that Trump is saddled with the worst approval ratings in U.S. history at this stage of his presidency. Last week those lame approval ratings collapsed to a new low of 34 percent. A Fox News poll released Wednesday found that nearly 6 in 10 Americans believe Trumps presidency is tearing America apart.

And even Trumps famously forgiving base is growing tired of the commander in chiefs reckless routine. Trump supporters in a Pittsburgh focus group talked about how their patience with the petulant president was reaching an exhausting end.

One womans blunt advice: Everybody knew he was a nut, but there comes a point in time where you need to become professional. Hes not even professional, let alone presidential. Chill out, man. Another Trump supporter said Trumps manic need to dominate news cycles was driving him crazy: Hes on the television all the time.

That focus group sounded a lot like recent phone calls I had with friends in Pensacola, Florida, and Birmingham, Alabama, who have been Trump supporters from the start. Not long ago, most were telling me that I needed to back off the president and give him a chance to succeed. But after racially charged Charlottesville, that began to change. One friend after another tells me they have had enough of Trumps self-destructive behavior and are tired of the president being his own worst enemy.

The president keeps bleeding support, Democrats remain rudderless, Washington is still gridlocked and the problems that propelled Trump to the presidency are getting worse. And many Trump voters would prefer a leader who stops attacking allies, stays off Twitter and lets Congress get something done before Democrats retake control.
A few words about the Unite the Right hate rally in Charlottesville and some of the responses to it: To be clear, this is not a right or left, Republican or Democratic, North or South or black or white issue. This is a matter of right or wrong.

We are now confronted with a life-and-death moral dilemma. We must decide whether to take a stand against those who advocate racism, anti-Semitism and xenophobia. A united body of blacks, whites, Christians, Jews, Muslims, Democrats, Republicans and like-minded individuals willing to reject purveyors of hate will defeat their attempt to take this country back to a very dark place.

We must publicly denounce these attitudes and behavior. To remain silent is to condone it. To equivocate is to give it cover. This must not be the message of our nation or of our leaders.

The Waco NAACP condemns the blatant, heinous acts of hate groups and so too should those who respect our countrys most treasured values. To many African Americans, Jews and others, the images of armed Ku Klux Klanners, white nationalists and neo-Nazis marching in Charlottesville seemed like a horrific nightmare recalling decades of intimidation, violence and murder. Tragically, those scenes were all too real as these groups gathered in a so-called Unite the Right rally to take America back.

Here in 2017, carrying guns, knives and other weapons, the KKK marched on Charlottesville. White supremacists with torches surrounded a church filled with African-American ministers and their allies. Intending to evoke the 1930s Hitler Youth marches, neo-Nazis conducted a torch-lit parade through the campus of the University of Virginia shouting Nazi slogans: Blood and soil! You will not replace us! Jews will not replace us!

Minus the hoods of the 20th century, these mostly white young men instead proudly exposed their faces and wore white polo shirts and khaki pants. Former KKK leader David Duke and white nationalist leader Richard Spencer were conspicuously present at the events.

The intimidation of the parade and march was followed up the next day by actual violence. White supremacists savagely beat African-American Deandre Harris in a parking lot. Two state troopers monitoring the rally from a helicopter crashed and died. The KKK, white nationalists and neo-Nazis armed with shields and wooden clubs charged and attacked a group of counter-protesters. Counter-protesters fought back. Ultimately, a white nationalist (allegedly) deliberately drove his car into a crowd of counter-protesters killing Heather Heyer and wounding 19 others.

The presidents repeated refusal to unequivocally condemn these hate groups demonstrably serves to embolden them. The president must be called out for failing to show moral leadership. To do so is not a partisan tactic. It is simply right. Casting blame on the counter-protesters, who chose to defend themselves, is reminiscent of charges brought against civil rights marchers in the 1960s who were called violent when they were attacked by white citizens, law enforcement and the KKK. The president must not give quarter to the KKK, white supremacists and neo-Nazis through ambiguous rhetoric or false moral equivalency. African Americans  indeed all Americans  need the president to unreservedly side with us against the purveyors of hate. Period.

We must all stand together against those who are uniting for hate. Make no mistake. Richard Spencer and his cohorts will not stop with Charlottesville. While Texas A&M has prevented a rally inspired by [Charlottesvilles] Unite the Right event, that will probably be a temporary situation. The hate groups are coming.

The racist damage at Willow Grove Baptist Church near Speegleville demonstrates that they are already among us in Central Texas. Those who would minimize the incident at Willow Grove as teenaged vandalism misjudge the case. If the damage was perpetrated by teenagers, that is both tragic and dangerous. Tragic, because it means young people have imbibed racist, bigoted ideas. Dangerous, because youth can be violently impulsive. We must engage our youth and teach them that the KKK terrorized and lynched African Americans and burned their churches for decades. We must teach them that the Nazis exterminated homosexuals, the intellectually disabled, gypsies and 6 million Jews. And we must love them, because love transforms and redeems. However, to reclaim these young people we must recognize that evil is among us.

My personal experience proves that hate groups are already here. On July 16, while sitting in church, I started to open the Bible app on my phone and was inundated with racist text messages calling me nigger, likening me to images of monkeys, declaring that the texter had the power to keep niggers down and referring to the NAAC Pee Pee. (And no, I will not use the n-word. The writer of those texts did not call me the n-word. He repeatedly called me nigger.)

This moment in our country requires us to face hard truths about our racial history. For instance, we must face the fact that most of the Civil War statues and memorials around this country were erected with the express purpose of reasserting white supremacy over African Americans after Reconstruction, during the Jim Crow era and after the civil rights movement.

Some may argue that they were erected to recognize our history. Yes, the Civil War is a part of our history. It is the history of people who left the United States and waged war against it in order to keep black people enslaved. That objective was written into the constitution of the Confederacy. Some may argue that the Civil War was fought over states rights. States rights to do what: to enslave black people.

The Nazi era is a part of Germanys history. You do not see statues of Hitler sprinkled around that country. Whether Confederate statues remain, come down or are removed to museums, they represent a flashpoint of conscience which this country must confront. The purveyors of hate have made their position clear. The rest of us must decide which side of history we are on.

The Waco NAACP will continue to be steadfast and immovable in the fight against discrimination, prejudice and hatred. The Waco NAACP is prepared to meet, march and hold rallies that counter the racist, white supremacist ideologies that these groups espouse. The Waco NAACP will persist till we drive out racism and racist actions. We will accept all people of goodwill who are willing to stand with us. And we are not afraid.
Last weeks Gathering for Racial Unity at First Presbyterian Church of Waco, put together in response to an increasingly venomous racial divide nationwide symbolized by the violence in Charlottesville, proved a thoughtful, warmly reassuring affair, complete with testimonials from folks on all spots of the political, religious and racial spectrum. Organizer Berkeley Anderson, the Rev. Leslie King and church officials rate our deepest thanks for its execution.

Yet there was hard truth in the words of Peaches Henry, president of the Waco NAACP, when she delivered the evenings final remarks: When I was asked to participate in this event, I almost said no. I was hesitant because I am weary of attending these flash-point racial-unity events where we come together, comfort each other, hold hands, sing We Shall Overcome and go our separate ways without effecting any real change.

While this newspaper has occasionally had sharp disagreements with Henry, her words do issue a worthy challenge to our community. Its easy for people of different colors, faiths and backgrounds to assemble in a hallowed hall and speak feel-good words designed to capture a noble sentiment that, once were dismissed, ceases to figure in mind and deed. Happens all the time.

Certainly, no one can doubt the words of attorney Wesley Lloyd, president of the McLennan County Republican Club and a resolute conservative in his tenets and principles, when he spoke about being the white father of a black son: Raising a black child will make it very obvious that racism still exists in this country. Its in degrees varying from unintentional or oblivious to disgustingly blatant.

In offering a prescription for fighting racism, Lloyd suggested one some of his fellow conservatives dismiss: First, we must acknowledge that racism still exists in everyday life and that it is a problem, always. That means stop being dismissive and acting as though persons of color have no reason to be angry. Stop. When you dismiss their perspective, I think they are justified in becoming angrier because it angers me.

Again, powerful words. But such words demand far more from us all. It means thinking twice about how some of us on the right end of the political spectrum excuse, if not overt racism, then certainly reckless, insensitive racial mob talk by candidates and politicians. By the same token, those on the left end of the spectrum should think hard before readily playing the all-too-convenient race card in matters of political disagreement.

The striking down of Texas sanctuary cities law by a federal judge Wednesday is yet another example of where all should have searched for ways to ensure this law was not discriminatory. We didnt. Our state lawmakers put language in the bill forbidding racially discriminatory actions, yet structured the legislation to make it all too easy for police to racially profile Hispanics about immigration status during traffic stops.

Words are powerful, inspiring, thought-provoking but ultimately cheap. How those at the pulpit and in the pews actually meet the challenge will determine whether Dr. Henrys original hesitation about racial-unity events was justified.
NASHVILLE (TNS)  Paul Ryan was once seen as the intellectual leader of the GOP. Ted Cruz was its conservative purist. Mitch McConnell was the partys brilliant strategist, and Rand Paul, its inconvenient but consistent libertarian, pushing to broaden Republican appeal.

But as Labor Day of the presidents first year nears, party officials and veteran operatives concede that the GOP belongs to Donald Trump more than anyone else  and he is reshaping it in ways that will have dramatic implications for the party for a generation.

Right now, it is his party, said Peter Wehner, who has served in the last three Republican presidential administrations.

Thats a political tragedy to me, he said. There will be an enormous cost. Ultimately, the Republican Party has got to reclaim its identity apart from Trump. But right now, its his party and we can cry if we want to.

The vast majority of Republican voters are distinctly dry-eyed. Despite historically low approval ratings at this point in the presidency, Trumps approval among Republican voters is close to 80 percent. While thats down from earlier in his presidency, its an unquestionably strong number given the self-inflicted wounds and controversies this president has suffered.

Perhaps most critically, Trump polls much better with Republicans than the GOP-led Congress does  the congressional approval rating among Republicans is only 16 percent, according to a Gallup survey earlier this month.

And that basic truth has kindled among Republicans in Washington a fear of alienating Trumps voters, giving the president an extraordinary level of control over internal dissent, even as he shocks and offends GOP officials over everything from Charlottesville to Russia and apparent nuclear threats against North Korea.

He got a lot of flak for saying he could kill someone on Fifth Avenue. Its kind of true. He can do anything and its OK, marveled one GOP strategist in attendance at the summer meeting of the Republican National Committee here in Nashville, speaking of Trumps grip on the base.

Youre seeing it even with Charlottesville. After two days, his people are still there, they hate Congress more than him. Its kind of like, what is it going to take for these guys?

At the meeting of the Republican National Committee, the official party apparatus closely tied to the White House, there is virtually no appetite for anything other than a full embrace of the president.

In conversations with RNC officials from across the country, gathered here at a sprawling resort last week, the vast majority of them expressed positive views of Trump, pointing to his help in fundraising for the party, his work on rolling back regulations and his appointment of Neil Gorsuch to the Supreme Court. Two RNC members were even overheard in a heated hallway argument over just how strongly one had initially supported Trump.

The right answer in that conversation, clearly, was: from the beginning.

Eric Trump, the presidents son, was greeted warmly at the private RNC dinner Thursday night, where behind closed doors he ticked through all of the times his father had been underestimated during the campaign, and touted the RNCs strong fundraising as a sign of his fathers popularity, and of the partys, according to Pennsylvania GOP Chairman Val DiGiorgio and others in the room.

The RNC meeting featured a parade of Trump loyalists, from Brad Parscale, Trumps 2016 digital director who is now involved in the presidents political efforts; to Trump TV surrogate-turned-RNC spokeswoman Kayleigh McEnany; and Michael Glassner, who is spearheading the presidents re-election campaign.

The party is generally very supportive of his statements and actions regarding North Korea, his recent speech on Afghanistan, great progress hes made already on regulatory reform, said Bill Palatucci, the Republican national committeeman from New Jersey. Those are campaign promises kept that a lot of Republicans are really happy with.

Certainly, there are plenty of Republicans  some inside the RNC, and many more outside of it  who have been deeply bothered by what they see as Trumps often-divisive tone, a far cry from the pushes for inclusiveness that lawmakers like Ryan, Paul and Marco Rubio have been making for years.

In a recent op-ed, former Missouri Sen. John Danforth, a Republican, warned that our party has been corrupted by this hateful man, calling Trump the most divisive president in our history and urging the party to break with the president.

Trumps equivocating response to the neo-Nazis and white supremacists rallying in Charlottesville prompted genuine disgust among some Republicans  and also stoked fears that efforts to broaden the partys appeal to more diverse constituencies were destroyed in that moment. Trumps approach to that incident drew the most significant Republican backlash he has faced in his administration, and strategists predict there is only more to come.

Even if hes the president, this party is not defined by the words or inaction of one man, insisted Clarence Mingo, a candidate for Ohio state treasurer who is considered a rising star, and was the states only black delegate to the 2012 Republican National Convention.

The president is not leading the nation on this issue of race relations, and in the absence of leadership, conservative Republicans have a responsibility to make sure the nation understands what the values of our party are, and what it means to be an American in 2017, Mingo said.

At the RNC, too, there were a handful of people who were  quietly  troubled by Trumps response to Charlottesville.

The committee passed a resolution that strongly condemned the violence and racist beliefs of white supremacists demonstrating in Charlottesville. Palatucci, who sponsored it, told the AP he thought Trump got it wrong on the day that the president, in a news conference, said there were very fine people on both sides. And RNC Chair Ronna Romney McDaniel earned a standing ovation when she said rejection of hate should be nonpartisan, though she characterized Trumps response to Charlottesville as speaking out strongly against any group that uses hate or violence.

Others here had qualms about Trump and his attacks on fellow Republicans. But they would only share those concerns privately for fear of alienating the White House.

We understand the president has disagreements with his own party, but I think a lot of us would like the president to remember Ronald Reagans axiom: Someone who votes with you 70 percent of the time is your friend, not your enemy, one longtime RNC member told McClatchy.

Instead, Trump is prone to tearing into members of his own party, including Sen. Jeff Flake, one of the GOPs most vulnerable senators running in 2018, as well as McConnell and Ryan. And that was just in recent days.

But for members of Congress, Trumps lock on the party base means that their fate is tied to his, said Scott Jennings, a former Bush administration official and veteran Kentucky-based strategist who is generally supportive of the president.

They will rise and fall together, he said. If the president is succeeding, it probably means the Congress has passed legislation that largely matches what he wants. If Congress is succeeding, it means Donald Trump is signing into law things they have passed. If you judge success by, are we passing bills, writing legislation that is responsive to campaign promises and enacting them into law, they rise and fall together.

Alex Conant, a Republican strategist who has served as a top adviser to Rubio, said he expects members of Congress to feel more comfortable breaking with Trump on more issues as they return to Washington from August recess.

Trump is pretty much out of political capital at this point, Conant said. After seven months in office, he has very little to show for his legislative agenda, his poll numbers are at historic lows and weve seen his standing amongst Republican voters start to fall. The idea that hes going to come back and find a unified Congress willing to follow his lead is laughable at this stage.

But, Conant allowed, Its always the Republican primary voters party.
National Australia Bank will roll out "virtual bankers" to perform tasks previously completed by staff in call centres, as part of a wider overhaul of its processes expected to net the lender hundreds of millions of dollars.

With banks using automation to cut costs and save customers time, NAB is launching a "chatbot" to deal with common administrative questions in its business banking arm, and there are plans to roll the technology out more broadly in the bank.

The chatbots allow up to 200 customer queries to be answered by a computer, rather than a human, and they are initially being trialled handling administrative questions about business credit cards.

By 2020, NAB expects it can save up to $16 million through the chatbots in its business banking arm, because of the sheer volume of calls it receives about relatively simple matters.
Among the giants of the so-called "sharing economy", Airbnb is often viewed as the model student to Uber's problem child.

The $US30 billion ($A37.6 billion) valued home-sharing app provider has a much more benign, inoffensive reputation than its trailblazing ride-sharing peer, which has been mired in scandal ever since it burst on to the scene a few years ago.

But with critical regulations over room-sharing in Australia's two biggest states hanging in the balance, resistance to the popular service is building momentum. And, as maneuvering over this regulation intensifies, this opposition is poised to become more visible.

If it follows a similar path to the US, then fireworks are possible.
Networking at a big conference is a bit like speed-dating with business cards  why not apply some modern dating tech to improve the process?

That's part of the thinking, explains Martin Enault, behind the braindating app system used at international business event C2.

C2 chief operating officer Martin Enault, right, with media host Dan Debuf, says business couples should give their "date" three turns of the Ferris wheel. Credit:Paul Jeffers

"The problem we are trying to solve is finding the right people at the event in a sea of people," said Mr Enault, the chief operating officer at C2, noting that many people attending conferences tried to simply pass out as many business cards as possible in the hope of making a connection.

"The best way to network and meet someone is to connect on common ground and connect as humans and not as executives, so what if we took a dating approach to matching executives and find better ways to connect two executives together rather than looking at their title and their industry looking at what they have to offer to other people."
On this day of fathers, this holy day of dads, we pay our respects at the altar of the padre, and ponder, oh father of mine, why are your jokes so bad?

The realm of the Dad Joke; daggy, cringey, and all too predictable, is perhaps one of the least exalted ouvres of comedy. But they hold a special place in our hearts. There's something familiar and comforting about these ever present and oh-too-consistent gags.

The car is the habitat in which dad jokes flourish best. Credit:Karen Hardy

Once a dad makes a joke, it seems, there is no limit to how many times it can be revisited. For my tenth birthday dress-up party, a friend came toting a box of cornflakes and a fake knife: a "Cereal Killer" (a classic Dad joke in itself). We have remained friends, and dad has never called her anything else. In fact I'm not even sure he remembers her real name. Shockingly unfunny, but the persistence is nothing short of admirable.

So, where do dad jokes come from? Do dads become daggy because they're dads? Or are the already daggy inclined towards daddiness? Is there an uber-dad somewhere, coming up with these groaners, and distributing them in a secret handbook to expectant-fathers at prenatal classes?
Power companies would remotely turn down home airconditioners and swimming pool pumps to cut power use on hot summer days in exchange for cash rewards for consumers, under a plan by Australia's energy watchdog.

The Australian Energy Regulator wants power utilities to increase electricity supply by helping consumers use less, rather than building expensive new poles, wires and other infrastructure and passing the cost on to customers.

Amid soaring power bills, rising greenhouse gas emissions and the risk of blackouts, the regulator this week released a draft plan to give incentives to electricity distributors who manage the power use of consumers.

As well as saving customers money, experts say so-called "demand management" could deliver far more capacity than the Turnbull government's proposed $2 billion Snowy Hydro expansion.
"I've gone through those experiences that have made me stronger," Sergeant Valerie Wagstaff says. Credit:Janie Barrett Marriage equality, classroom syllabus and gender-transitioning children are increasingly frequent talking points in Australia. And organisations, from schools to police forces, are changing the way they operate to foster more inclusive environments. Wagstaff speaks to each round of police recruits about gender diversity, sharing her personal experience to hundreds of eager soon-to-be officers. "To stand in front of 200 to 300 officers and say, 'This is who I am', I think that shows incredible courage," says Assistant Commissioner Tony Crandell, the police sponsor for sexuality and gender diversity. "It really instils in students and police how important their position in society is and how critical it is to treat people with equity and fairness." Valerie Wagstaff with her mother. There are believed to be three transgender officers in the NSW Police Force.

Recently a police working group was established to look at transgender policies, with the hope of encouraging more recruits from the transgender community. Before joining the police ranks, Wagstaff grew up as one of four boys to loving parents in South Auckland, New Zealand. While her brothers gravitated towards the nation's renowned love for rugby union, Wagstaff preferred to shadow her mother with the household chores. "I just was always attracted to girl-like activities, I used to like helping mum around the house, I tended to hang out with girls as friends," she says. "I think it became evident that I wasn't going to be a rugby player." She always had a lingering sense that something was not quite right. She felt like an "oddball". She was bullied at school, teased about having a girly voice. During her college years, her brother Gary taught her to walk like a man to curb the nasty attacks from school mates. But, despite his best efforts, the endeavour was doomed for failure "due to my overwhelming feminine tendencies winning out," Wagstaff says, laughing.

After falling in love with a man in her late teens, only to return from a trip overseas to discover he had moved in with a woman, Wagstaff decided she needed to get away. She moved to Australia. "I did a couple of different jobs, still presenting as a male I suppose," she says. "What happens with the suppression thing is you think about it but then you put it away ... You think, 'Nah it's too much, what am I going to do? It's too much of a challenge. What are my family going to do? Are they still going to love me?'" she says. "But what happens is you will think about it once a year and then it becomes once every six months." It was when Wagstaff was working as a bus driver in NSW that she decided she couldn't suppress those thoughts any longer.

"I actually remember saying in my head, I am going to do this," she recalls. "I thought, 'I might be an ugly woman but I'm going to do what makes me happy. I don't know how people are going to react but I'm going to do what I need to do.'" In 1992, Wagstaff came up with a timeline for her transition that included electrolysis, hormone treatment, seeing a doctor and telling her parents. As the physical changes occurred, Wagstaff worked in male-dominated industries, first as a courier and then a bus driver. While working for a motorcycle company, a co-worker repetitively taunted her for being transgender. In a moment that now brings a smile to Wagstaff's face, she recalls finally confronting him, telling him she was "more of a man that he would ever be". The negative remarks stopped and she earned praise from her other male colleagues.

While working on buses, Wagstaff changed depots in the hope of making a fresh start, but rumours about her transition circulated. One devoutly religious employee stopped talking to her and another spread ignorant rumours that colleagues could get AIDS because Wagstaff (who didn't have the disease) shared the women's bathroom. Wagstaff was behind the wheel of a bus one day when she picked up a passenger at Darlinghurst's Taylor Square, ironically Sydney's symbolic heart for the LGBTI community. The man unleashed a torrent of abuse at Wagstaff, labelling her an "abomination". After bearing witness to the abuse, a female passenger gave Wagstaff a bunch of flowers, telling her "I think you are really beautiful". "I thought to myself at that point, from that experience you get bad people in this world and people that say nasty things," she says. "But from that one person you have a lot more people who are kind-hearted and loving and you need to focus on that." Seeking a new challenge, Wagstaff looked to the NSW Police Force in the late '90s.

The only hurdle in applying was changing her education qualifications from her male name to her female name. In a display of unwavering support, Wagstaff's father contacted her former education institutions in New Zealand to request new certification. "I am lucky because a lot of people who go through what I go through, they dump them like hot potatoes which is very sad," she says. "I have known a lot of people whose families never speak to them ever again. But I am lucky, my mum and dad loved me and he did that for me." Over the course of Wagstaff's policing career she has been targeted in only a handful of discrimination incidents. Her zero-tolerance responses have helped her view them as "defining moments". In the late '90s, Wagstaff was one of hundreds of aspiring police officers at a Goulburn-based training academy. At the local pub one night, a constable grabbed her arm, in view of his sheepish-looking mates, and called her a "dirty f---ing tranny".

"I just thought, 'I don't deserve that'," she remembers. "I am a good person ... I am, like everyone else, trying to get through this course and I want the eventual outcome  to become a police officer." Embarrassed and confused about how to handle the situation, Wagstaff took it up with a higher-ranked officer at the academy. "There was that police officer who did the wrong thing but then I had someone in a senior position who treated me with respect and dignity," she says. "That gave me the confidence to know if that comes up, they would be there to support me." As the conversation turns to recent debate around LGBTI issues, including opposing views on raising children, Wagstaff pauses as a tear rolls down her cheek. Family is an issue that clearly touches her. "You question yourself: 'Why am I doing this?'" she says. "And I think the answer is, you see and hear the negativity that is out there at the moment, and you think, 'I am a good person, I have family and friends, just like everyone else'.
A Sydney hospital has apologised after a surgical needle was left in a young mother's uterus following a cesarean section.

Thi Nguyen, 19, had to have a second operation at Fairfield Hospital on Wednesday to remove the needle after she'd earlier that day had a baby boy.

"After the surgery, they left a needle tip inside her, and they didn't even tell me when they commenced the second surgery," her husband told the Nine Network on Saturday.

South Western Local Health District chief executive Amanda Larkin offered a "sincere apology" to the couple for any distress caused.

"Fairfield Hospital wishes to stress this is not a clinician error but a suspected product fault which was discovered quickly through hospital procedures and processes," she said in a statement on Saturday.
When Mark Woodland left the army in 2010 he helped his mother out in the reception of her newly opened childcare centre.

"I thought the army was bad with regulation and paper work but it turned out education was far worse so I started developing software to reduce the demands on my time," the 35-year-old says.

Xplor chief executive and founder Mark Woodland taught himself to code to put his plans into action. Credit:Darrian Traynor

Woodland approached an app developer with his idea for an app-based sign in for children at childcare centres but the cost of the developer creating the app was prohibitive.

"I taught myself how to code and did it myself out of sheer necessity," Woodland says.
A teenager is recovering in hospital after falling from an apartment balcony in East Perth during an attempt to enter his unit after locking his keys inside.

Police were called to a unit on Hay Street at 9am on Sunday morning following a report a man had fallen four or five stories from a balcony.

The man was trying to reach his apartment after locking himself out (file photo). Credit:Tamara Voninski

St Johns Ambulance and police officers attended and located the man conscious and responsive.

The 18-year-old man said he was attempting to enter his unit on the ninth floor after locking his keys inside.
In the liturgy of the Catholic Church, there are basically two official prayer cycles: the temporal cycle, wherein the church celebrates the mysteries of Christ every Sunday and on all the feasts, and the sanctoral cycle, wherein the church remembers canonized saints on the weekdays throughout the year.

Catholics worship and pay homage to the triune God alone, Father, Son and Holy Spirit, despite what some non-Catholic Christians believe. However, Catholics honor the saints in heaven who are venerated because of the excellence they attained in living a life in imitation of Christ in this world. The love and honor a person gives to God's saints does not end with the saints themselves, but rather, it reaches ultimately to God. Therefore, nothing is taken away from the glory and worship of God through veneration of the saints; in fact, God is truly honored when we venerate those who excelled in love for him.

When we run into trouble in our lives, we frequently ask friends or family members to pray for us. We ask them for their prayers even though we're praying, too, because we believe in the power of prayer. The saints in heaven stand before God and offer him their prayers, too. And since we believe in the Communion of saints, we can ask the saints to pray for us, just as we ask our friends and family to do so. When we make such a request for their intercession, we make it in the form of a prayer.

Over the years, some saints have become associated with specific requests: St. Anthony to find lost objects, St. Francis for the blessing of animals and concern for the environment, St. Jude for impossible cases, St. Lucy for those afflicted with eye problems, St. Christopher for safe travel, St. Florian for firefighters, St. Michael the Archangel for military personnel, and so forth. There is one saint to whom those suffering from cancer have prayed, and he is St. Peregine.

Peregrine Laziosi was born of a wealthy family at Forli, Italy, in the year 1260. A man of violence and anger when he was young, he turned away from his former way of life and entered the Order of Friar Servants of Mary (Servites) and gave himself to the service of the sick and needy.

In reparation for his wild youth, he imposed a special penance upon himself: He would stand whenever it was not necessary to sit. When tired, he would support himself on a choir stall. At the age of 60, he developed an infection in his leg. His condition deteriorated to the point that the physician decided to amputate his leg.

The night before the surgery, Peregrine spent time praying before a fresco of the Crucifixion in the chapter room. He fell into a deep trance-like sleep and seemed to see Jesus descend from the cross to touch his leg. The following day, the doctor arrived to perform the amputation and, finding no sign of the cancer, news of the miraculous cure spread throughout the town.

Peregrine died on May 1, 1345, at the age of 85. An extraordinary number of people from the town and countryside honored him in death. Some of the sick who came were healed through his intercession. He eventually was canonized by Pope Benedict XIII in 1726.

St. Peregrine has been called the wonder worker for his intercession on behalf of those living with serious illness. He is the patron saint of all who are afflicted with cancer, leg ailments or any life-threatening illness. He is popularly known as The Cancer Saint.

A St. Peregrine prayer service for healing will begin as a monthly event at 5:30 p.m. Tuesday, Sept. 5, at St. Francis of Assisi Church at 303 Clark St. in Auburn. The prayer service will be regularly scheduled on the first Tuesday of every month. The service will consist of prayers for those who are afflicted with cancer or any other serious illness; each individual may receive a blessing with the relic of St. Peregrine.

The Shrine of St. Peregrine at St. Francis of Assisi Church is affiliated with the National Shrine of St. Peregrine at the Basilica of Our Lady of Sorrows in Chicago. All, whether Catholic or not, are welcome to the prayer service on the first Tuesday of every month.
Interviews that helped researchers map out regional dialects from across the country are now available digitally for the first time  offering snapshots of history from the late 19th century on.

The audio clips were recorded by fieldworkers with the Dictionary for American Regional English (DARE) in the late 1960s, as part of a five-year project to uncover regional pronunciations and vocabulary. The interviews  a supplement to a questionnaire meant to reveal regional word usage  were gathered from respondents in all 50 states. The fieldwork later formed the basis of the projects five-volume dictionary.

But the interviews also offer an accidental accumulation of stories and knowledge from across the country, covering the mundane, the political and everything in between.

The project was launched in the 1960s by UW-Madison English Professor Fred Cassidy, who saw the importance of capturing varying dialects of American English. The dictionary captures regional pronunciations, etymologies, and vocabularies. The last volume was published in 2012.

However, for the past 15 years, DARE staff have also been working on releasing digital recordings accumulated in the course of the fieldwork.

But staff left out the full interviews  which included a variety of casual conversation  due to privacy concerns. Now, after a four-year process of bleeping participants names or identifying factors from the 1,800 recordings, they are available for free online.

A significant portion of DAREs entries are based on a large collection of written materials, including newspapers, documents, novels and letters. But about 50 percent of the volumes entries reference the questionnaire and the recorded material.

Using a survey with 1,600 questions that would best capture all the oddities of everyday vocabulary, Cassidy sent out 80 fieldworkers to interview people in more than 1,000 communities. The aim was to find people who could best represent the dialectical nuances of a community, have them read passages from a short story and answer as many of the questions as they could.

The fieldworkers, who traveled the country in re-purposed Dodge vans called Word Wagons, also encouraged the 2,777 participants to talk freely about things that interested them, to get more information on pronunciation and specialized word use, DARE chief editor George Goebel said.

The huge mass of audio recordings informed over 5,000 of the dictionarys entries, but for the most part, they werent necessarily of linguistic interest, but valuable for cultural history, Goebel said.

The search for words

August Rubrecht, 75, a former DARE fieldworker, called the experience one of the most interesting years of my life. Starting in the summer of 1967, he traveled through his home state of Arkansas, Louisiana, Tennessee, Delaware and New York to gather data for the project.

Rubrecht, who was attending the University of Florida at the time, based his dissertation on his DARE recordings from Louisiana. His research focused on vowel and consonant patterns as they varied across the state, mapping out how different words are pronounced.

Fieldworkers tried to talk to mostly middle-age and older informants  with a smattering of the young  in order to catch what they knew before they died out or were forgotten, Rubrecht said.

Rubrecht, who was 26 at the time he began the expedition, interviewed more than 100 informants in 37 locations, often over the course of days. Occasionally, he even became close to some of the subjects. In northern Louisiana, he met a family that that took him raccoon hunting and invited him to try the animal (tastes like house cat, he recalled saying). He remembers mulling over the word Cawon  a Cajun word for turtle  with a bartender in Cameron, Louisiana, over a glass of cognac.

Rubrecht went on to teach English at UW-Eau Claire for 35 years, and would occasionally reference his fieldwork when advising students about embarking on their own research.

A rich collection

of stories

Bronte Wieland, a former DARE volunteer who majored in linguistics at UW-Madison, listened to about 300 of the recordings  which equates to a good 150 to 250 listening hours, he said. Wieland was one of several students who helped to bleep out personal information from the recordings. He describes the stories he cataloged as rich.

Wieland, who is now finishing up an MFA program in creative writing at Iowa State, said he still thinks about some of the recordings often  such as a story out of Alaska on a trouble-making witch doctor running around town, casting spells and antagonizing the settlers, he recalled.

Wieland also enjoyed the descriptions of everyday life  things he typically would not have found interesting if not for the personal and compelling detail  such as the nitty gritty of owning a tobacco plantation.

Most stories are comfortingly banal  a Wisconsin couple explain how brick cheese got its name, while a dog barks intermittently in the background; a woman with a thick New Jersey accent discusses the antisocial proclivities of a fish in her fish tank. But others paint invaluable portraits of regional milieus  for example, through the discussion of segregated schools in Ashland, Pennsylvania.

Now, not only are the interviews available to the public, but volunteers are also transcribing the recordings.

Thomas Purnell, an English professor at UW-Madison who teaches classes on language and grammar, often assigns students to transcribe some of the material. He uses DAREs recordings for both his own research on topics such as speech patterns and sounds, and as a learning tool in the classroom.

The interview conversations were meant to uncover something interesting about words, but they also provide unintended lessons in syntax and cultural context, Purnell said.

(Students) are able to explore a geographic region, like the Mississippi, and see how language changes over the region ... I think it helps open their eyes to the amount of variation we have in the U.S., Purnell said.

The evolution

of DARE

Goebel started working with DARE in 1983, shortly before the first volume was released. When he joined, he was working on what would become the third volume, which began with the letter J.

He finds whimsy in the variability of words, giving the example of slingshot, which has a wealth of alternatives, such as bean shooter. He recently learned that the term parking ramp is a regional term specific to Wisconsin and Minnesota.

Youre always learning interesting things, he said.

Goebel is the last man standing with the project, which will be wrapping up its work when he retires later this year. He plans to continue updating the entries after retirement.

DAREs main work has come to a close, but as regional language continues to evolve and advance, it could go on forever, Goebel said.
By West Kentucky Star Staff Sep. 02, 2017 | 10:35 AM | MARSHALL COUNTY, KY

A two-vehicle crash Thursday afternoon in Marshall County left two people injured.

According to the Marshall County Sheriff's Office, the collision happened around 3:30 pm on US 641 near Draffenville. Deputies said 48-year-old Dondra Hackney, of Benton, was making a right turn from High School Road to US 641. A vehicle, driven driven by 18-year-old Cassandra M. York, of Benton, was traveling north on US 641.

Hackney told deputies there was a vehicle in the turn lane blocking her view and she did not see the York vehicle coming. When Hackney made the turn, the two vehicles collided.

York was transported to a local hospital for treatment of her injuries. Hackney was transported by private vehicle for treatment.








November 13, 2022 Another rum Sunday at WF Towers With more and more whisky bottlers delving into rum as well, no wonder we're really getting spoilt for choice. First, our ritual little aperitif

(picture, Mhoba Distillery, Malalane, South Africa)



Cartavio 18 yo 'XO' (40%, OB, Peru, +/-2022)

We've tried another XO around ten years ago, which had been rather not too bad in our book; at least not totally a sugar bomb (WF 78). Let's see Colour: brown amber. Nose: rather a mix of corn syrup, triple-sec, prickly pear liqueur and Frappuccino, which I'm not finding unpleasant at all. Some raspberry liqueur too, Mandarine Napoleon, cassata cream At least it's not as monolithic as other sweet rums (pineapple and banana liqueur, and basta cosi). Mouth: nah, it is sugary, rather cloying, and a little hard to swallow without ice (and/or lime juice). Strawberry liqueur this time Wait, maybe with champagne, to make some kind of kir royal al sugarcane? We'll try that later on. Finish: long but way too sugary. To wash down with Perrier. Comments: I must have been in a jolly good mood back in 2013. That or they used to make them a little less cloyingly sweet. Still rather good.

SGP:730 - 75 points. Villa Rica 23 yo 'Single Barrel' (40%, OB, Mexico, +/-2022)

The word 'single' is always magic. I've never tried Villa Rica, but I've often had good surprises with Mexico's Mocambo, especially with some of their barricas unicas, precisely. Colour: dark amber. Nose: a little molassy too but you do not really feel it's all concentrated liqueurs and syrups. We're rather nosing some moist fruitcake, with emphasis on figs, then coffee and nocino, as well as a little (sweet) vieille prune. A good surprise is still possible, let's see Mouth: yeah, good fun, we're rather on an old V.O.R.S. sherry, with dark honeys and molasses, homemade coffee liqueur, walnut wine, muscovado sugar, turon They should bottle this at a higher strength, despite the sugars it is a fine, pretty complex 'ron'. Finish: rather long, on more old cream sherry, coffee liqueur, and walnut wine. Chocolate and coffee in the aftertaste, with a caney touch. Comments: good Spanish-style rum, really a good surprise and no 'sticking of the tongue to the palate' this time. The word 'single' is always magic. I've never tried Villa Rica, but I've often had good surprises with Mexico's Mocambo, especially with some of their barricas unicas, precisely. Colour: dark amber. Nose: a little molassy too but you do not really feel it's all concentrated liqueurs and syrups. We're rather nosing some moist fruitcake, with emphasis on figs, then coffee and nocino, as well as a little (sweet) vieille prune. A good surprise is still possible, let's see Mouth: yeah, good fun, we're rather on an old V.O.R.S. sherry, with dark honeys and molasses, homemade coffee liqueur, walnut wine, muscovado sugar, turon They should bottle this at a higher strength, despite the sugars it is a fine, pretty complex 'ron'. Finish: rather long, on more old cream sherry, coffee liqueur, and walnut wine. Chocolate and coffee in the aftertaste, with a caney touch. Comments: good Spanish-style rum, really a good surprise and no 'sticking of the tongue to the palate' this time.

SGP:731 - 81 points. Off to the isles Foursquare 15 yo 2005/2021 (60.2%, Malt, Grain & Cane, Barbados, bourbon, 267 bottles)

This baby from Singapore, where they know their rum. Colour: dark gold. Nose: starts with whiffs of dried coconut, warm praline and puff pastry, then there's more milk chocolate and millionaire shortbread. No toughness despite the high ABV. With water: some metallic touches (copper, old coins) and some lighter earth, then macaroons, more coconut, halva and oriental pastries (honey, orange blossom, almonds) Mouth (neat): very typical self-blended Foursquare, with oranges and nougat, cane syrup, triple-sec Feels sweet but I'm sure that's the high ABV. With water: on honey and cane honey, plus earl grey and other, more precious teas. Darjeeling, perhaps? Finish: medium, caney, with more millionaire shortbread and more cane syrup. Perhaps a few drops of sweet PX in the aftertaste. Comments: it is a very good high-definition, cakey and honeyed Foursquare, excellently balanced. Well done everyone. This baby from Singapore, where they know their rum. Colour: dark gold. Nose: starts with whiffs of dried coconut, warm praline and puff pastry, then there's more milk chocolate and millionaire shortbread. No toughness despite the high ABV. With water: some metallic touches (copper, old coins) and some lighter earth, then macaroons, more coconut, halva and oriental pastries (honey, orange blossom, almonds) Mouth (neat): very typical self-blended Foursquare, with oranges and nougat, cane syrup, triple-sec Feels sweet but I'm sure that's the high ABV. With water: on honey and cane honey, plus earl grey and other, more precious teas. Darjeeling, perhaps? Finish: medium, caney, with more millionaire shortbread and more cane syrup. Perhaps a few drops of sweet PX in the aftertaste. Comments: it is a very good high-definition, cakey and honeyed Foursquare, excellently balanced. Well done everyone.

SGP:641 - 89 points. Oh well Foursquare 16 yo 2005/2021 (59.9%, HNWS Taiwan, Barbados, bourbon barrel, cask #41, 265 bottles)

Colour: dark gold. Nose: as expected, we're very close, with similar notes of milk chocolate, grated coconut, orange blossom, earl grey, shortbread, toasted hazelnuts With water: a notch drier, earthier, with more herbal teas, chamomile, green tea with coconut oil (do not shoot!) Mouth (neat): perhaps a notch hotter, but certainly full or oranges as well, orange liqueur(s), thick cane syrup, rich nougat With water: same as its brother this time, they're identical, which is great news indeed. Same cane honey, sweet wine PX-style (from Montilla), black tea Finish: same. Very pleasant, not thick, leaves your mouth (almost) fresh and ready for another glass of the same. Comments: that's what we call a very moreish Foursquare, if you ask me.

SGP:641 - 89 points.

Foursquare 2006/2022 (60.6%, Swell de Spirits, Wonders of the World, Barbados, 387 bottles) Also a good feeling here This baby's spent 14 years in the tropics, mind you, so will it have earned that GI that seems to be in the pipe? Colour: light amber. Nose: this is a little different, probably more exotic as far as fruits go, with some ultra-ripe mangos (don't touch, a spoonful of the juice alone would wreck your Armani suit forever), maracuja, ganaches, golden sultanas, jasmine, guava, elderflowers There's something in there With water: indeed, it's rather less cakey than the 2005s, and brighter as a consequence. More tropical fruits and all the syrups, liqueurs, cordials and cocktails you could make out of them. Mouth (neat): closer to the 2005s but rather less 'sweet', and fruitier and fresher instead. Mango and orange syrups with touches of liquorice. But-it-is-strong With water: a little earth coming through, perhaps tobacco, tiny echoes of mint, eucalyptus and camphor Finish: long, fresh, citrusy. Comments: could have been a Balblair. I am joking, but I love it.

SGP:651 - 90 points. Off to pastures new Mhoba 2017/2022 (64.8%, Navigate World Whisky, South Africa, bourbon, 158 bottles)

Single estate pot still rum from South Africa, bottled for a South African company, that's all very enticing. Remember we've already tried a Mhoba by LMDW a few weeks ago, and thought it was excellent. Colour: gold. Nose: benzine, olives, tar, new rubber, drop of ammonia, crushed olives We know this song, it's one of our favourites. With water: some gentler caneyness is fighting back at approx. 45% vol. Mouth (neat): salty, acetic, briney, tarry Take tumbler, crush olives, add lime juice, add a drop of liquorice essence, stir, et voila. With water: ah perfect, sitting exactly between a 'funky' Jamaican and a more 'civilised' agricole. Funny how water works with this wee Mhoba. Finish: long, a little sweeter, a little rounder. An acetone-y touch in the aftertaste, those must be the Jamaican genes. Comments: very, very impressive. To think that only three months ago, I had never heard of Mhoba. But then again, I'm no rum expert, and shall never be.

SGP:463 - 87 points.

Uitvlugt 24 yo 1997/2022 (46.9%, The Whisky Jury for Sips Bar, Guyana, refill American oak barrel, cask #7, 211 bottles) The Sips Bar, love that name! It's located in Antwerp, Belgium. Colour: white wine - probably European aging. Nose: pure lime juice, anchovies, sardines and olives, then a little carbon dust, seaweed, oysters, ink and light ashes. A lot of distinction and elegance in this one. Mouth: I believe the lower natural strength made the liquorice stand out on the palate, while the 'funkier' elements (petrol and such) went to the background. This is an unusual combination, some kind of liquoricy and salty honey, with custard, poured over dried apricots and plums. Well, something like that. No one will ever manage to reproduce this! Finish: medium, soft, indeed rather on soft liquorice and perhaps pear cake? Comments: always an utter joy to come across a fairly deviant dram of anything. The thing is, it is both different and excellent.

SGP:553 - 88 points. A last rum for the road. Wait, didn't we say 'not a rum session without a Hampden'? Hampden 12 yo 2010/2022 'HLCF' (61.9%, OB for LMDW, Jamaica, cask #78, 231 bottles)

It's amazing all the Hampdens that La Maison are having this year. A shame that they also have thirty-six starving dobermans and fifty Chechens armed to the teeth guarding their warehouse. The marque 'HLCF' indicates 500-700 grams ester/HLPA, so pretty high but not the highest. To be honest, we've never found any straight relation between those marques and the perceived funkiness in the glass, if I may use that expression. Colour: gold. Nose: minimalistic but brilliant arrival on the nose, with tarry olives, 2-stroke petrol and a lot of lovage. First time I'm finding this much lovage in Hampden, or in any rum for that matter. Now remember, 61.9%. With water: gym socks and pony saddle, then dried litchis, jujubes, rambutans, raisins Mouth (neat): evident. Rotting pineapple, acetone and ammonia, fermenting fruits (not durians, or assam durian, I swear) and tapenade mixed with carbon and rubber (bits of tyre). With water: superbly fermentary, bacterial would we add, and yet roundly fruity. Finish: long, on some fruitcake moistened with Hampden (that's smart, S.!) Comments: splendid Hampden, fruitier than usual. Hate to go with the pack but all the new ones are splendid anyway, with pronounced differences and yet a house style that's always there. It's amazing all the Hampdens that La Maison are having this year. A shame that they also have thirty-six starving dobermans and fifty Chechens armed to the teeth guarding their warehouse. The marque 'HLCF' indicates 500-700 grams ester/HLPA, so pretty high but not the highest. To be honest, we've never found any straight relation between those marques and the perceived funkiness in the glass, if I may use that expression. Colour: gold. Nose: minimalistic but brilliant arrival on the nose, with tarry olives, 2-stroke petrol and a lot of lovage. First time I'm finding this much lovage in Hampden, or in any rum for that matter. Now remember, 61.9%. With water: gym socks and pony saddle, then dried litchis, jujubes, rambutans, raisins Mouth (neat): evident. Rotting pineapple, acetone and ammonia, fermenting fruits (not durians, or assam durian, I swear) and tapenade mixed with carbon and rubber (bits of tyre). With water: superbly fermentary, bacterial would we add, and yet roundly fruity. Finish: long, on some fruitcake moistened with Hampden (that's smart, S.!) Comments: splendid Hampden, fruitier than usual. Hate to go with the pack but all the new ones are splendid anyway, with pronounced differences and yet a house style that's always there.

SGP:653 - 91 points. Adios for now. November 12, 2022 Angus's Corner

From our correspondent and

skilled taster Angus MacRaild in Scotland Bruichladdich, Ledaig and Laphroaig A bit of a mixed bag today, but these three names are usually pretty dependable in my book Bruichladdich 8 yo 2013/2022 'Islay Barley' (50%, OB, 75% American oak, 25% ex-wine casks)

Colour: straw. Nose: hay, barley, freshly baked breads, buttered oatcakes and lighter green fruit notes such as cut apple and gooseberry. Also a slightly coastal edge and some feelings of pollens and beers. I don't detect much in the way of wine influence thankfully. With water: sandalwood, beach pebbles, oatcakes plain cereals and soda bread. Mouth: nicely balanced between honeys, wood saps, hoppy IPA, pollens, grass and some herbal teas. Also lots of fresh breads along with some citrus rinds and light peppery notes too. I like it plenty, but I recall previous batches being a bit more 'immediate'. With water: lemons, limes, more beers, grist and green tea with lemon. Finish: medium and perhaps a tad oaky here and there, but still with some of these nice green and citrus fruits coming through. Comments: I'm not sure what the wine casks brought to the proceedings here, but I definitely prefer the earlier fully bourbon matured examples. Not that this isn't very fine and easy to sip young Laddie!

SGP: 561 - 84 points. Bruichladdich 10 yo 2011/2021 'Biodynamic' (50%, OB, 1st fill barrels, 5000 bottles)

Distilled using biodynamically grown barley harvested in 2010 from Yatesbury House Farm in England. So, not 'terroir' but something equally fascinating Colour: bright straw. Nose: wonderfully fresh and rather exuberantly on barley extracts, fresh cereals, cooling wort, lemon barley water and this impression of lemon washing powder but not in a soapy way - if you get my drift. It's also nicely starchy with linens and that lovely 'laundry drying by a seashore' vibe. Modern and rather impeccable. With water: more citrons, waxy lemon rinds, new leather, sandalwood and gorse flower. Still superbly fresh and vibrant. Mouth: surprisingly tense and chiselled. On chalks, linens, putty, white flowers and mirabelle eau de vie. A rather 'crunchy' impression of freshly kilned barley, the natural sweetness of malt extract and that familiar impression of many various beers and freshly baked breads. With water: malty, bready, naturally sweet and now perhaps a little more peppery with new world hops, nettles and fennel seed. Finish: good length, on sea salt crisp, dried rosemary, lanolin and lemon oil. Getting more coastal now I feel. Comments: I couldn't tell you what the biodynamic component is bringing to this, but I am left with the same impression I often get when trying these young, modern, fully ex-bourbon matured Bruichladdichs. That this is top class, impeccably made modern Scottish single malt whisky that has been made with care and skill using top quality ingredients. I tend to prefer the Islay barleys and especially the Bere barley editions, but this one is extremely fine and of similar style and pedigree. A style that's really about freshness I think.

SGP: 551 - 88 points. Bruichladdich 29 yo 1991 (41.2%, Club Qing 'Scary Tales', cask #3037, hogshead, 216 bottles)

Colour: straw. Nose: lovely and extremely classical! All on ripe melons, honey, guava, kiwi and wee hints of gooseberry and lime. One of those noses that makes you see 'green' in your mind's eye. Some subtle notes of herbal tea and white peppery underneath. Overall, a very gentle but charmingly expressive nose. Mouth: again we are firmly in classical Laddie territory, lots of overripe green and garden fruits, some mashed banana, green apple, a little tart gooseberry and some lemon rinds in green tea. Soft, elegant and still rather close to the raw ingredients with wee hints of sweet cereals and malt extract. Finish: medium, a little sappy, some muesli, persistent green fruitiness and a little runny honey and flower pollen. Comments: the epitome of Bruichladdich's elegance, fruitiness and charm. Just a little more oomph here and there would have propelled it higher. But it's still one of those perilously easy and pleasurable malts to sip away at.

SPG: 641 - 88 points. Ledaig 10 yo 2010/2020 (53.7%, Valinch & Mallet 'The Spirit Of Art', cask #700414, bourbon & sherry, 648 bottles)

Seemingly some kind of sherry finish. Colour: ruby/mahogany. Nose: a sharp and salty fusion of sherry and peat that prickles with some tart red berry fruits but is also highly dominated by soy sauce, Maggi and nori. Extremely salty and heavily on the saltiest of Dutch liquorice, natural tar resins and drying beach kelp. Also add to the mix some hessian and dried smoked chillis. A beast! With water: more tar, wood resins, smoked paprika, cured meats with smoked chilli and more of this wonderfully sharp and zingy red fruitiness. Mouth: same feeling of quite brilliant saltiness that immediately brings to mind lashings of soy sauce, anchovy paste, smoked mussels and oysters in their brine and then earthier things such as liquid tar, camphor and creel rope. Only thing is the mouth feels textural a little lighter than expected but in a very pleasant way, it's nicely syrupy and easy on the gums, which may be to the softer ABV? With water: brilliantly tarry and salty with some sweeter undercurrents now and also a thick and encroaching peatiness. Finish: long, densely peaty, tarry, full of smoked dark fruits, bitter chocolate, smoked sea salt and umami seasonings. In the aftertaste I find some more grizzly smoky impressions that feel a little more like the modern Ledaig distillate coming through. Comments: what sorcery is this? More specifically, what sort of sherry cask was this finished in, and for how long? I'm also guessing it was probably not flushed before re-racking, although now I sound like a playground gossip. An extremely good young Ledaig that marries together the two forces of sherry and peat with aplomb and in a way that recalls some of the great sherried Ledaigs on the early 1970s. I find it extremely impressive and very fun! Bottle ageing should probably deliver a couple of extra points in around 20-30 years I'd hazard

SGP: 576 - 89 points. Ledaig 15 yo 2006/2022 (54.7%, The Whisky Exchange 'Whisky Show 2022', cask #13, sherry butt)

Colour: amber. Nose: there's a few of these teenage sherried Ledaigs around at the moment and, I have to say, I generally find them excellent. This one is no exception at first: lots of BBQ coals and smouldering wood embers. Then roof pitch, antiseptic, aniseed and smoked cocoa powder. A sherry and peat combo that dances with class and precision! With water: softer peat smoke, that goes more towards kiln air tinged with farmyard things, sheep wool oils and a gentle mineral aspect. Mouth: big, hearty and tarry with lots of very chiselled, salty and dry peat smoke. Dried kelp, tarred rope, burnt toast, paprika, aniseed distillate and herbal toothpaste. Also some top notch black olives in brine along with anchovy paste and salty liquorice. Globally a very salty style I'd say, that makes you think of some excellent bone-dry Amontillado. With water: brine, tar, pickling juices, roast coffee beans and lashings of German rauchbier. Finish: long, very tarry, on aniseed and salted liquorice again with that sharper peat flavour again in the aftertaste. Some smoked teas as well. Comments: for those that enjoy them big, powerful and without frills or nonsense. I like it a lot, perhaps just a notch more complexity would have nudged it higher for me.

SGP: 467 - 87 points. Ledaig 20 yo 1997/2017 (59.9%, Kingsbury 'Or Sileis', cask #800109, hogshead, 243 bottles)

Colour: pale amber. Nose: a softer style of sherry, one that's much earthier and 'darker' with a meatiness and funkiness that is almost dirty, but not sulphuric. Many game meats, but I'm particularly thinking of top class Iberico ham, salted almonds, bacon jam and smoked walnuts with drops of Maggi and tar liqueur. I'm enjoying this more and more as it goes along. With water: many dried herbs, more meats with impressions of bouillon, various gravies and Bovril. Also smoked teas and English mustard powder. Mouth: superbly concentrated and oily, with that familiar wave of tar, smoked olive oil, pickling juices, camphor and many tiny wee notes of ointments, iodine and TCP coming through loud and clear. Also some wood saps, salt-baked root vegetables and herbal mouthwash. With water: very much on herbal cough syrups, antiseptics, iodine, TCP and a feeling of concentrated meat stocks and smoked dark teas. Excellent concentration and power while also nicely complex. Finish: long, earthy, nicely drying, salty, tarry and peppery with squid ink, pickled tarragon and iodine in the aftertaste. Comments: I would say it strikes a perfect balance between all the various chunky and muscular components. You just have to like your sherry rather earthy, drying and 'chunky' . I think it works very well in this instance, probably due to the solid age.

SGP: 477 - 90 points. Ledaig 25 yo 1997/2022 (52.6%, Club Qing for Thea Tung, cask #800056, hogshead)

Colour: bright straw. Nose: fatty, greasy and fermentary smokiness! Pure Ledaig gunge that invokes greasy toolboxes, smouldering sheep wool and various medicinal ointments, pickling juices and quite a lot of farmy stuff like silage and damp bailed hay. A rather sooty and flabby smokiness emerges as well over time. With water: smoked teas, smoked oatmeal, camphor, tiger balm, iodine, smelling salts and putty - quite the box of tricks! Mouth: sharper and more chiselled than on the nose, with kelp, smoked sea salt, iodine and engine oils. Although, globally this is still a very 'dirty' in the good sense whisky. Extremely greasy, fat, oily and farmy with a kind of heavily peated waxiness. Like eating the contents of the Tobermory low wines and feints receiver with a dessert spoon (I imagine). Probably quite a divisive style but I really like it how fun it is. With water: still persistently fatty and greasy, but now incorporating preserved and fermenting lemons, bandages soaked in seawater, mineral oils, smoked yoghurt, olive oil cut with pickling brine and anchovies. Finish: long, tarry with a big, greasy peaty vibe, smoked olive oil and more tar and greasy phenolics. Comments: a crazy whisky, that actually makes you think of a strange love child of Ardmore and Lagavulin that you'd keep in the attic and only let out at Halloween. Seriously though, this is no doubt a divisive whisky and very hard to score. But I really like it, so

SGP: 477 - 88-ish points. Back to Islay Laphroaig Cairdeas 'Warehouse 1' (52.2%, OB, 2022)

Fully matured in bourbon barrels inside Laphroaig's Warehouse 1. Remember, you aren't a proper Islay distillery these days unless you have a world famous warehouse Colour: pale straw. Nose: very fresh and coastal and zippy at first nosing. This rather typical modern Laphroaig ashiness, but there's also some brighter tones of citrus, coal smoke and embrocations. Perhaps a little ink too, and in time some more hallmark notes of iodine and TCP. Bish bash bosh, very good. With water: pure olive brine with lemon juice and mercurochrome now. Mouth: rather limey up front, lime and lemon curds, acidic grapefruit juice, green peppercorns in brine and anchovy paste. Very salty and vividly coastal. Laphroaig seem good at this kind of uncomplicated, gutsy and highly evocative profile for their larger batch festival releases. At least, when they aren't tinkering with ridiculous amounts of silly oak doping. With water: a notch more complexity now with a more intricate smokiness, some salted liquorice and smoked teas. A little herbal too. Finish: quite long, ashy, smoky, briny and showing iodine, TCP and bandages once again. Comments: simple, probably quite young and certainly humble. But at the same time this is excellent core distillate that still possesses quite a definite distillery character. The kind of juice you could easily guzzle on a summer evening on Islay, while simultaneously applying it to your bare skin in an attempt to fend off the midgies. Only thing I'd say is that, even if the youngest component is 5yo, why not simply add an age statement to a bottling like this?

SGP: 357 - 86 points. Laphroaig 18 yo 1990/2008 (56%, The Whisky Agency, hogshead, 240 bottles)

Reasonably high expectations here Colour: straw. Nose: many elegant things. Coal smoke, bandages, squid ink, umami paste, pink grapefruit and various subtle ointments and touches of gentian. With time this sense of roots and medicines becomes more dominant, also more bandages, gauze and waxy citrus rinds. With water: smoked olive oils, preserved lemons in brine, pickled mussels and grapefruit again. Lovely but maybe just ever so slightly simple. Mouth: nice sense of controlled power upon arrival. Lots of seawater and salty liquorice but shored up by a soft and thick smokiness, tangy peat, white pepper and touches of fish sauce and anchovy butter. Some dried seaweed and nori as well. With water: a lovely fatness comes out now, oilier and thicker in texture with a deeper and drier peat smoke flavour. Kelp, tarry rope and iodine all coming through. Finish: long, ashy, briny, full of smoked olive oil, pickling juices and lemon oils. Comments: emblematic of this era and extremely good. Maybe just lacking a little complexity, which would have propelled it past the 90 mark.

SGP: 367 - 89 points. November 11, 2022 The Time Warp Sessions,

today raw Speyburn A session sponsored by Fiddler's Highland Restaurant, The Green Mainstreet, Drumnadrochit, Inverness IV63 6TU, United Kingdom. That'll be a beer, Jon.

Speyburn 12 yo 2009/2021 (51.8%, Alambic Classique, bourbon barrel, cask #21013, 142 bottles) Colour: white wine. Nose: as raw and natural as malt whisky can be, that is to say totally on 'barley eau-de-vie', lager, kirschwasser, bison vodka, artisan cider and granny smith. No makeup whatsoever. With water: some chalk and fresh plaster, raw wool, cider apples Mouth (neat): distilled lager. Believe me, I've done that quite some years ago. Porridge, gooseberries, apples, cider, kirshwasser, and only distant echoes of vanilla. With water: barley, apples, stewed rhubarb, sweet bread. Millimetrically seminal, shall we shamelessly add. Finish: medium, malty, a notch grassier but always very eau-de-vie-ish. A little lemon in the aftertaste. Comments: not earthshattering, should we add 'of course', but extremely likable. Pure malt.

SGP:451 - 83 points.

Speyburn-Glenlivet 15 yo 1975/1991 (63.1%, Cadenhead, Authentic Collection) Reassuringly 'matured in an oak cask', as always. Always better said. We've stumbled upon quite a lot of perfect rocket fuel within this series, let's see And by the way, it's to be noted that there was also a stunning 'black dumpy' bearing exactly the same data, but not sure it was the same batch. One of the best Speyburns ever bottled. Colour: white wine. Nose: there are many similarities, around apples and eau-de-vie, but there are also extra-layers of waxes, metal polish and limoncello, plus some old chartreuse. With water: incredible, taking water gracefully. Fresh paint, more limoncello, chalk, some camphor, old cough syrup, Benedictine Were some monks running Speyburn Distillery in 1975? Mouth (neat): burns a bit but you do feel that this is going to be perfect, with an incredible oily texture that doesn't only come from the high ethanol. Some sublime old-school herbal liqueurs kept in stoneware, plus chalk and, indeed, homemade limoncello. Every tried grapefruitcello? Or pompelmocello? (not sure that's the real name). With water: amen. More chalky pompelmocello (just checked Google, that's an actual name!) Finish: very long, with even more herbs and citrus, waxes, honeys, eucalyptus Comments: it could well be that it was the same liquid as that that was in that stunning black dumpy 1975/1991 at 63.1%. Terrific Speyburn by Cadenhead. Excuse me, Speyburn-Glenlivet.

SGP:571 - 92 points. (Many thanks, Tomek!) Check the index of all Speyburn we've tasted so far November 10, 2022 Highland Shhh, quite a few So, secret Orkneys and consorts, of which there are hectolitres around. Shall we find a Scapa? In our wildest dreams, we would stumble upon a Stromness





Whitlaw 9 yo 2013/2022 (59.2%, Signatory Vintage for La Maison du Whisky, Plume, first fill sherry, 671 bottles) The name of this lovely series being plume, which means feather in French, we cannot not wonder whether this will be featherlight or not. Doubt it. Colour: dark red amber. Nose: some extremely chocolaty sherriness. Imagine we would be nosing a family pack of Mars bars. Indeed, caramel, chocolate, and that kind of mousse, plus black nougat, peanut brittle and halva. With water: red apples and a little pepper and carbon dust. Some heavy sour wine, old cellar, dunnage Mouth (neat): it is a liquid Mars bar. Werther's Originals and black turon are playing around as well. With water: excellent, with once again, more earthiness and pepper. Finish: long, more savoury. Gravy, chocolate sauce Leathery aftertaste. Comments: I'm not sure I would have said 'HP', as the sherry was really heavy, but it is a very fine dram. Impressive changes when you add water.

SGP:462 - 85 points. Orkney 11 yo 2011/2022 (50%, Thompson Bros., 406 bottles)

Colour: white wine. Nose: lovely, as expected, full of grist and chalk, wool and mud, apple peel and juice, seawater and crabs, and certainly some peat smoke, way in the back. With water: more apple peel and more seaweed, I would say. More raw wool too, right after sheep shearing on Orkney or Islay. Mouth (neat): more coastal, more mezcaly, peatier than your average HP, with green olives, smoke, oysters and capers. Disconcertingly excellent. With water: a pretty peaty batch. More salt, smoke, oysters and chalk than usual. Finish: same. Wonderful freshness and tightness. Comments: ah, there, I'm seeing that this baby was finished in an ex-Caol Ila cask, so it's in-cask blending. Nothing against that kind of short-circuit, as long as the end result is as good as this. I think Douglas Laing were having a 'Double-Barrel' that was a bit like this.

SGP:454 - 87 points. Orkney islands 14 yo 2008/2022 (60.8%, Fadandel.dk, refill bourbon hogshead, cask #12, 321 bottles)

Colour: pale white wine. Nose: you couldn't do this with most Scottish malts, bottling some virtually unaged quasi-newmake and come up with something pretty lovely, albeit raw and rustic. Having said that, there isn't much happening but that may be the high ABV. Mind you, almost 61%. With water: not too sure Chalk and porridge and mud and grist for sure, but beyond that White cherries? Mouth (neat): sweet barley, some earth, some smoke, some lemon, some cider apples, some chilli. With water: we've finally unleashed the HPness, with tangerine skins, zests, citrusy honey, chalk Finish: long, classic ueber-young HP. It takes it because it is HP. Comments: a good example of a make that may have needed reduction, down to 50 or even 46%, if I may. Forgot to say, I like it rather a lot. Colour: pale white wine. Nose: you couldn't do this with most Scottish malts, bottling some virtually unaged quasi-newmake and come up with something pretty lovely, albeit raw and rustic. Having said that, there isn't much happening but that may be the high ABV. Mind you, almost 61%. With water: not too sure Chalk and porridge and mud and grist for sure, but beyond that White cherries? Mouth (neat): sweet barley, some earth, some smoke, some lemon, some cider apples, some chilli. With water: we've finally unleashed the HPness, with tangerine skins, zests, citrusy honey, chalk Finish: long, classic ueber-young HP. It takes it because it is HP. Comments: a good example of a make that may have needed reduction, down to 50 or even 46%, if I may. Forgot to say, I like it rather a lot.

SGP:462 - 83 points.

Orkney 15 yo 2007/2022 (59.7%, North Star Spirits, oloroso hogshead, 328 bottles) I don't know why I cannot get Northern Lights by the band Renaissance out of my head whenever I try some whisky by North Star Spirits. Check it out, Annie Haslam has got one of the greatest voices in rock and roll. De nada. Colour: gold. Nose: it's a moderate, gentler sherry monster, rather on softer walnuts, walnut cake, pecan pie, mocha and espresso, black nougat All that elegantly, almost diminuendo. With water: mud and grist, ground malt, earth, even game, mushrooms (horns of plenty) and Italian black cigars (Toscano ans such). Mouth (neat): a fighter on the palate, but that's the strength. Raw kirsch, bitter walnuts and leather Well at least it's truly oloroso-y. With water: yeah, there, mud, earth, chewing your cigars, drinking walnut cordial, sipping extreme moka Finish: as long as a day without bread, with a lot of black malt, black Belgian beer (I remember a Rochefort) Comments: huge. Love it but it is a little unromantic (wha-a-at?) And I agree Renaissance could get a little schmaltzy.

SGP:362 - 89 points. Secret Orkney 2007/2022 (50.8%, Michiel Wigman, They Inspired)

Sukhinder Sing on the label here, while another one bearing a much lousier so-called whisky personality whom I know only too well, a Glentauchers, came out at the very same time. Go for Sukhinder! Colour: light gold. Nose: back to the purer, more crystalline ones, at times you could almost believe they've used fresh cane juice. Sea breeze, beach sand, kelp It is a pretty maritime HP. With water: plastics and varnishes, Woolite, baker's yeast, porridge, in short, an all-natural HP. Mouth (neat): class, lemons, zests, menthol, gentian, barley, samphires With water: better yet, a tad rounder, more candied, with zests, angelica, dried pears Finish: medium to long, with more smoke, straight peat, smoked kippers Did we move to Islay? Comments: awesome, if a little swirling and fluttering here and there. Something may have happened prior to bottling.

SGP:452 - 88 points. Orkney Islands 15 yo 2007/2022 (52.3%, Maltbarn for 15th anniversary of EPower, Japan, bourbon cask, 143 bottles)

There's a constant, albeit thin stream of great bottlings stemming from Maltbarn. Quality over quantity, I would suppose (well, that's what I've noticed). Colour: white wine. Nose: pure, crystalline, coastal, peely, paraffiny HP. The ones we like best, unless we're talking old glories. With water: holy Molly! A Chinese laundry and a lot of plaster. Mouth (neat): salt, lime juice, cider apples, seawater, olive brine, wax and, err, well, mezcal (insert Carlos Santana's rendition of A Whiter Shade Of Pale here  another earworm). With water: perfect, as long as you wouldn't add too much water. Best friend, worst enemy, remember. Gets saltier. Finish: long, salty, chiselled, calling for a plate of oysters. Comments: a bladey, unsexy, austere HP, the ones we like best. But remember, personal taste etcetera. There's a constant, albeit thin stream of great bottlings stemming from Maltbarn. Quality over quantity, I would suppose (well, that's what I've noticed). Colour: white wine. Nose: pure, crystalline, coastal, peely, paraffiny HP. The ones we like best, unless we're talking old glories. With water: holy Molly! A Chinese laundry and a lot of plaster. Mouth (neat): salt, lime juice, cider apples, seawater, olive brine, wax and, err, well, mezcal (insert Carlos Santana's rendition of A Whiter Shade Of Pale here  another earworm). With water: perfect, as long as you wouldn't add too much water. Best friend, worst enemy, remember. Gets saltier. Finish: long, salty, chiselled, calling for a plate of oysters. Comments: a bladey, unsexy, austere HP, the ones we like best. But remember, personal taste etcetera.

SGP:362 - 90 points.

Orkney Single Malt 13 yo 2007/2020 (51.3%, Whisky-Fassle, hogshead) Only ducks and no duds, that could be Whisky-Fassle's motto. Our favourite ducks in the business. Colour: white wine. Nose: immediate. That honey, those herbs, this citrus. This will be quick. With water: wool, grist, chalk, granny smith, white peaches, heather. Mouth (neat): nothing to argue about. Lemons, chalk, green apples, paraffin With water: some salt, lemon, green apples, a little smoke, oysters In truth this is one of the saltiest HPs we've tried this week. And we've tried many. Finish: rather long, clean, salty Comments: but whether duck or goose, what a distillate! Also one of the best.

SGP:452 - 89 points.

A Secret Orkney 16 yo 2006/2022 (48.2%, Wu Dram Clan, bourbon hogshead, 150 bottles) Colour: white wine. Nose: one of the most fermentary ones, all on leaven, fresh bread, baker's yeast, new sweater, ink, drawing gum, linseed oil and new Tesla. I agree I need to apologise, new Porsche would be better, but there's much less plastic in Porsches. With water: closes down. No waterz please. Mouth (neat): tight, citrus-led, pretty hoppy, pungent. With water: No waterz please. Finish: rather long, citrusy, salty and herbal. Comments: this one was hard to control. Another case of the whisky being the boss, I mean, f***!. Tough baby that's playing it close to the vest.

SGP:362 - 87 points. They're all excellent, the spirit speaks out, only whacky red wine casks or other winey oddities for lazy distillers marketers could put an end to this rather perfect stroll.

Orkney 16 yo 2006/2022 (57.1%, Thompson Bros. for Milroy's of Soho, refill hogshead, 280 bottles) Wallace and Jack's Milroy's of Soho was, and still is the seminal place for whisky in London. I mean, whenever we used to fly to London, and instead of the British Museum or Harrod's, we would have first taken a black cab to Milroy's (and, let's be honest, to the nearby Vintage House). Colour: white wine. Nose: more austere, paraffiny, grassy, leafy HP. Certainly not the easiest this far. With water: yeast, dough, grist, porridge. Elementary HP. Mouth (neat): no, sweeter, fruitier, very waxy, still a little brutal but that's the strength. With water: success, we've unleashed plums. Finish: rather long, grassy, with a saltier aftertaste. Comments: one of those austere HPs. We love them at WF Towerz, but we agree they're not consensual at all. They're very tough babies, be warned.

SGP:362 - 87 points. Orkney 16 yo 2006/2022 (57.1%, Orkney Sponge, refill hogshead, 342 bottles)

The Whisky Sponge on Orkney. Colour: light gold. Nose: panettone, dough, crushed banana, grist, fresh white bread, strawberry yoghurt. Strawberries are playing a rather interlope game with malt whisky, just wander around Port Ellen Maltings and you'll notice. With water: white toasts. It wouldn't really expand; water may be superfluous here. Mouth (neat): powerful, citrusy, pleasantly bitter, hoppy, peppery. With water: back to great HPness, with citrons, grist, chalk, doughs, and salty elements. Peppered langoustines, perhaps? (although that would lead to murder and desolation). Finish: long, salty, doughy; this one too is an HP that's got its eyes on the Isle of Islay. Comments: the huge saltiness is impressive. Quite possibly one of the saltiest Highland Parks we've tried this far.

SGP:462 - 88 points. Further down the vintages

Secret Orkney Distillery 17 yo 2004/2022 (49.4%, Whisky Nerds, butt, cask #13, 248 bottles) Isn't all this becoming silly? I mean, a secret Orkney Distillery? Something by Putin? Loukachenko? Kim Jong-un? King Charles III? Colour: gold. Nose: another pretty austere one, grassy, on fern, parsley, agave juice, grapefruit skin With water: there, raw wool, chalk and porridge. And waxed paper, and cold candles. Mouth (neat): grassy and waxy, salty, peppery, really big. With water: dry, slightly cardboardy, gristy, faintly muddy. Finish: medium, dry, slightly cardboardy, with strawberries in the aftertaste (again!) Comments: all right, all fine, close to our nature.

SGP:462 - 87 points. A last one please, down to the roaring nineties An Orkney 21 yo 1999/2021 (53%, The Whisky Agency for Whisky Picnic Bar Taiwan, bourbon hogshead, cask #7033, 242 bottles)

A Lorraine Cross on a whisky label, why wouldn't we applaud? Colour: light gold. Nose: there's this perfect moment when ripe bananas would chime in, together with a high-pitched lemonness. As we're rather into musical analogies, let's say stuff by the band Pavlov's Dog. Under 60? Check that. Whaff. With water: not quite worth it, water doesn't add anything to this already great combination. Mouth (neat): so very good, stunningly leafy, teaish, spicy, herbal But indeed it needs water now. With water: yeah good, very elegant, with small herbs, even smaller berries and fruits, resins, waxes Finish: long, piney, grassier, austere, intellectual (wie bitte?) Comments: yeah, it's an intellectual Highland Park, somewhere between Wittgenstein and Nietzsche (wie bitte?) A Lorraine Cross on a whisky label, why wouldn't we applaud? Colour: light gold. Nose: there's this perfect moment when ripe bananas would chime in, together with a high-pitched lemonness. As we're rather into musical analogies, let's say stuff by the band Pavlov's Dog. Under 60? Check that. Whaff. With water: not quite worth it, water doesn't add anything to this already great combination. Mouth (neat): so very good, stunningly leafy, teaish, spicy, herbal But indeed it needs water now. With water: yeah good, very elegant, with small herbs, even smaller berries and fruits, resins, waxes Finish: long, piney, grassier, austere, intellectual (wie bitte?) Comments: yeah, it's an intellectual Highland Park, somewhere between Wittgenstein and Nietzsche (wie bitte?)

SGP:462 - 88 points. Wait, couldn't we have a very last one, since we're here? Orkney 22 yo 1999/2022 (47%, Thompson Bros. for Bar Shamrock and Heather Honey, Japan, refill hogshead, 188 bottles)

I truly admire these young folks, the Thompsons, the Sponge, Jonny and others, as only ten years ago, nobody up there in Scotchland used to even remotely care about anything related to Scotch whisky. To our amazement, everything was only about vulgar, multinational-wide, nasty, inelegant, dirty, stinky, no-morals business. But things they are changing Colour: white wine. Nose: candle smoke, sunflower oil, baguette (that's proper bread, no?) plus grapefruits and just fresh-mown lawn. Kelp on the beach and damp plaster. Mouth: a tad difficult, salty, very fermentary, peppery, lemony, grassy, tough And perfect. You just have to like them extremely grassy, peppery, rooty, tough, Jansenist, almost masochistic and barely explainable. No surprise that some friends in glorious Japan would have selected this very tough baby. Finish: yeah, as I said. Comments: who said whiskies had to be easy and even (sometimes) woreish? I truly admire these young folks, the Thompsons, the Sponge, Jonny and others, as only ten years ago, nobody up there in Scotchland used to even remotely care about anything related to Scotch whisky. To our amazement, everything was only about vulgar, multinational-wide, nasty, inelegant, dirty, stinky, no-morals business. But things they are changing Colour: white wine. Nose: candle smoke, sunflower oil, baguette (that's proper bread, no?) plus grapefruits and just fresh-mown lawn. Kelp on the beach and damp plaster. Mouth: a tad difficult, salty, very fermentary, peppery, lemony, grassy, tough And perfect. You just have to like them extremely grassy, peppery, rooty, tough, Jansenist, almost masochistic and barely explainable. No surprise that some friends in glorious Japan would have selected this very tough baby. Finish: yeah, as I said. Comments: who said whiskies had to be easy and even (sometimes) woreish?

SGP:262 - 88 points. Pretty much grouped fire this trime again - no surprise. As we used to say, CU.



Oh by the way, just noticed that that one was my 18,000th whisky review. Not that that's very important, is it. -S. November 9, 2022 Quite a few disclosed Highland Park We wrote 'disclosed' because there are many more 'Secret Orkneys' or 'Whitlaws' or 'St Magnus Delights' or else around these days. But we'll try some of those later (picture Sigrid Storrada, wikipedia)





Highland Park 'Cask Strength Batch 3' (64.1%, OB, 2022) This brand-new baby that was bottled at rocket fuel strength, just like its predecessor will you say, is ex-first Fill sherry American and European oak. Colour: gold. Nose: it is a meaty, grassy, slightly metallic sherry, which makes it really rustic and robust on the nose. Now at 64% vol., anything will be robust. With water: only few changes, it remains grassy, slightly fermentary, with some ale, walnuts, some raw chocolate, ham It is less honeyed than last year's C/S. Mouth (neat): sweet and pungent at the same time, with some leather, hay, walnut skins, pureed chestnuts, cured ham, peppery oak Robust and rustic indeed! Water is absolutely obligatory in this context. With water: there, the fruits are coming out, first bitter oranges, then bitterer apples, plus some triple-sec and always these walnuts, as well as bitterer vegetables, around our good friends the artichokes and eggplants, not to mention Baldrick's turnips. Finish: long, still leathery and a little bittersweet. Some welcome raisins in the aftertaste. Comments: I like my HPs more al natural, but this one's good for sure, if a little rustic and robust indeed. For the hipflask with a skull, bones and an Harley logo.

SGP:452 - 83 points.

Highland Park 13 yo 2008/2021 'Sigrid Storrada' (66.5%, OB, for Poland, first fill European oak sherry butt, cask #2530, 652 bottles) Brought back from the very excellent Whisky Live Festival Warsaw, a single cask for lovely Poland. As for the strength, no comments, I may just call my lawyer before we proceed By the way and according to wikipedia, Sigrid Storrada, a.k.a. Swietos?awa (968-1014) was a Polish-born queen of Sweden and Denmark. Colour: dark red amber. Nose: hectolitres of walnut wine and stain in your glass, plus similar amounts of coffee, as well as some damp black garden peat. That's pretty all this far, because I wouldn't try 'too hard'. But with water: long story short, it is a double espresso with a few drops of armagnac. Say the Gascon way (50% coffee, 50% armagnac). Mouth (neat): black Corinth currants, prunes, tamarind jam, ganache, pipe tobacco, more walnut wine, Fernet Branca Those sorts of things. With water: back to civilisation, with honey, raisins, chestnut puree, touches of chilli, marmalade and armagnac indeed. Very good, but you really need a pipette. Finish: long, drier, rather on unsweetened coffee, pipe tobacco, clove and bitter chocolate (Wedel's, naturally). Some saltiness in the aftertaste. Comments: we had a blast in Warsaw a few days ago. This is just a tiny, yet excellent example, a dark HP that never stopped improving in the glass and that took water without flinching. Cheers Piotr and Jarek, and na zdrowie!

SGP:562 - 89 points.

Highland Park 30 yo (45.2%, OB, 2667 bottles, Spring 2019) We've never tried this batch, however we've tried many earlier 30s, all bottled at 48.1%. Always stunning stuff in my book, but let's see how this one will survive the sherry monster from Poland... Colour: gold, so a rather lighter colour given the age. Nose: subtle and delicate, rather on branches, leaves, herbs and vegetal oils, as well as mosses, fern, fresh mushrooms, pinecones and nuts. Fresh-crushed hazelnuts, almond milk, some hay, perhaps one tiny cigarillo, then old manzanilla, seawater, and perhaps one tiny drop of raspberry liqueur in the end. Good fun, that. Mouth: some resemblances and some differences. There's this subtle leafiness that would include resins and tobacco, but also more fruits, around apricots and quinces, coated with the trademark heather honey. That part is rather reminiscent of Highland Park of old. Tends to become earthier after a short while, and then we're back on manzanilla, walnuts, tobacco and pine resin. Finish: raisins chiming in, old rancio, and stronger honey such as chestnut. Comments: you do feel the oak and yet it never gets oaky. Excellent old-style Highland Park that you could have with food, such as foie gras. Or perhaps Parmesan cheese? But beware, it goes down fast and as some friends would say, 'it would tend to evaporate faster than others'.

SGP:452 - 90 points. After the 30, there's the 40

Highland Park 40 yo (43.2%, OB, Spring 2019) The last official HP 40 I've tried had been bottled around 2008 (WF 91 despite a generous amount of oak). Let me salute Sir Martin of Highland Park, a great man of whisky and the best ambassador any whisky brand could ever dream of. Colour: deep gold. Nose: oh! There are echoes of the 1960s, of 'the' John Goodwin, of the St Magnus labels, of the black dumpies round black labels Do you see what I mean? That would translate into this very specific, some would say idiosyncratic, kind of honeyed meaty fruitiness that you wouldn't find in any other makes. Old Sauternes, preserved peaches with a little mint, old mead, earthy charcuterie, softer tobacco, chartreuse and verbena liqueur, with also a little caraway (but caraway may stem from the wood, we shall see) Mouth: when tasting them, always remember that very old spirits are very old (bravo, S.!) Some moist fruitcake (Alsatian beerawecka), some very delicate teaishness that's bordering on, well, old oak, old sweet wines, marsalas, malagas Several honeys, not just heather or clover, old cognac (but again, remember old malts and old brandies do tend to converge), dried fruits and jams, figs, sultanas It is just dazzling and would just never falter, at any moment. Finish: perhaps not the longest ever, but it's aligning dried fruits and old sweet wines as if on parade. Comments: no surprise here, it is perfect Highland Park. Some would say that we're having the one-million times cheaper official 10 yo at WF 90, which is true, but they're discontinuing that 10 yo. Good things never last.

SGP:551 - 92 points. Shall we add some indies, and do that retro-vertically?...

Highland Park 20 yo 1997/2018 (55.8%, Hunter Laing, The First Editions, refill hogshead, cask #HL 14625, 286 bottles) We shall expect something tenser. A 18 yo 1997 (HL 12099) had been splendid (WF 90). Colour: gold. Nose: exactly. Sunflower oil, stearin, wool, engine oil, oyster shells, chalk, suet, grist You see. With water: more chalk, grist and wool, less of the rest. More porridge too, this is some perfect breakfast drink (rather than champagne or sekt, as they do in eastern Europe). Mouth (neat): apple juice, lemon juice, lime juice, rhubarb juice, tangerines, grapefruits, two raisins, one dollop of heather honey. With water: what a distillate. Water makes it fatter and brings out more honey and beeswax as a consequence. Finish: long, both tight/vertical and rather fat, which is pretty much oxymoronic, I agree. Comments: one of these whiskies you could score without even opening the bottle. Make + vintage + bottler + wood, that's almost all you need; but I hereby solemnly swear that we'll never do that, cross my heart.

SGP:552 - 90 points.

Highland Park 10 yo 2011/2022 (64.2%, The Whisky Blues, hogshead, cask #15, 261 bottles) Awesome label here; the pedigree doesn't sound too bad either, but isn't this just another lethal strength? Let me call my lawyer back Colour: pale white wine. Nose: it's a killer, it's extremely close to the distillate, while we all know that the distillate is perfect. Wax and grist and seawater and lemon and stuff. We shan't go on, we need our nose. With water: mezcal, chalk, seawater, oysters, varnish, grist, porridge. Enough said (even if lemons are missing). Mouth (neat): extraordinary rocket fuel. Elon M. should have bought Highland Park instead of Twitter. With water: top five distillate, no doubt, while there's a funny Cynelishness in here. Granny smith, paraffin, lemons (there) and bitterer leaves in the background. This is where it's missing the 90-mark. Finish: long, a notch spirity, but otherwise perfect. Barley sugar. Comments: could be that this one should have gone to 12 or 15, it is still a wee tad wobbly. But, yeah, brilliant distillate, maybe to be cellared for 30 additional years?

SGP:551 - 88 points. Maybe a last one Highland Park 5 yo 2015/2021 (59.7, Joecy and Or Sileis, oloroso octave, cask #565B)

Colour: white wine, so no first fill oloroso for sure. Nose: some younger yet HP, so probably more immature, at a pretty high strength. Wool, porridge, chalk, flour, bakers' yeast, fresh baguette and leaven bread. With water: mud, chalk, porridge, wool, iodine, beach sand, rainwater, carbolineum. Mouth (neat): classy distillate, fruitier here, with cherry drops, Kriek, oranges, marshmallows, varnish Much youth for sure. With water: same. Finish: rather long, kirschy, eau-de-vie-ish. Comments: great distillate, bottled when a little too young if you ask me. But better wait than dump into very active wood (STR or else) when the spirit is this classy (but that's not my business, naturally) Colour: white wine, so no first fill oloroso for sure. Nose: some younger yet HP, so probably more immature, at a pretty high strength. Wool, porridge, chalk, flour, bakers' yeast, fresh baguette and leaven bread. With water: mud, chalk, porridge, wool, iodine, beach sand, rainwater, carbolineum. Mouth (neat): classy distillate, fruitier here, with cherry drops, Kriek, oranges, marshmallows, varnish Much youth for sure. With water: same. Finish: rather long, kirschy, eau-de-vie-ish. Comments: great distillate, bottled when a little too young if you ask me. But better wait than dump into very active wood (STR or else) when the spirit is this classy (but that's not my business, naturally)

SGP:551 - 83 points. Next time, secret ones! Check the index of all Highland Park we've tasted so far November 8, 2022 Little duos, today Deanston once more Deanston is one of those names that we love to try pretty often, probably more so than bigger names that don't always have much to say. Because remember, we try whisky, we don't try labels (yeah yeah) Deanston 21 yo 2000/2022 'Organic Whisky' (50.9%, OB, 2784 bottles)

Organic malt whisky matured in organic bourbon casks and finished in organic fino sherry casks. Probably not something very easy to do, especially with ex-solera sherry  unless that would have been 'anada' (single vintage) sherry instead. Colour: deep gold. Nose: there's really a lot of fino, as if the finishing casks had been 'extremely wet'. But naturally, that could not be. Basically, that translates into chalk and walnuts, bone-dry, almost acidic white wine, apple peel, a little curry, a little mustard, and a little fudge. The fino's having the lead guitar, on the other hand we just loooove good fino. With water: a curious sulphur-like touch at first, then old Jerez vinegar, musty old cellar, curry indeed, miso, malt extracts and a lot of chalk. Mouth (neat): huge fino indeed, plus pepper, heavy marmalade, chutneys, dried pears, and walnut wines and liqueurs. You could have said 'this is nocino', amigo. With water: back to maltiness, liquorice, amontillado rather than fino, chocolaty walnuts, chalk Finish: very long, very bitter-sour, with walnuts running the show, for good. Comments: feels a little unnatural here and there, but Nature is sometimes overrated (what???) What's sure is that it is very Jerezian and probably not for everyone. I'm on the right side. By the way, I remember a 2013 'The Union Exclusive' that was also organic and ex-fino, and very good too (WF 85).

SGP:372 - 87 points. Back to nature. Deanston 13 yo 2008/2022 (57.7%, Whisky Age for Whisky Picnic Bar and O'my Bar, bourbon barrel, cask #185, 179 bottles)

Colour: white wine. Nose: it is almost hilarious, in a good way of course, to try such a pure, immaculate malt after a much more, say made-up counterpart. It's almost as if Iggy Pop's brother were a clergyman, well, I mean, you get the idea. So, pure apples, pears, barley, beer, bread and vanilla, plus cut celeriac and gentian. With water: more beer, paraffin, bread, nut oils Mouth (neat): pure pear cider, plums, biscuits, assorted fruit drops, sweet beer, vanilla, drops of barley syrup, toffee apple, boiled sweets With water: more bitter leaves, Campari, ginger, turmeric Rather bizarrely, water made it bigger. Finish: rather long, sweeter and fruitier when neat, leafy and bitterish when reduced. Mezcaly aftertaste (when reduced). Comments: Distillers would have asked for more selling points (read woods, wines etc.) They would have been wrong, it is an excellent malt.. Colour: white wine. Nose: it is almost hilarious, in a good way of course, to try such a pure, immaculate malt after a much more, say made-up counterpart. It's almost as if Iggy Pop's brother were a clergyman, well, I mean, you get the idea. So, pure apples, pears, barley, beer, bread and vanilla, plus cut celeriac and gentian. With water: more beer, paraffin, bread, nut oils Mouth (neat): pure pear cider, plums, biscuits, assorted fruit drops, sweet beer, vanilla, drops of barley syrup, toffee apple, boiled sweets With water: more bitter leaves, Campari, ginger, turmeric Rather bizarrely, water made it bigger. Finish: rather long, sweeter and fruitier when neat, leafy and bitterish when reduced. Mezcaly aftertaste (when reduced). Comments: Distillers would have asked for more selling points (read woods, wines etc.) They would have been wrong, it is an excellent malt..

SGP:551 - 86 points. Check the index of all Deanston we've tasted so far November 7, 2022 In search of the perfect Aberfeldy There Serge, that is a proper headline!

Aberfeldy 15 yo 'Napa Valley' (43%, OB, batch #2922/B, +/-2022) It's hard not to laugh, to me at least. Apparently, someone's decided that it would be a good idea to finish a 15 yo Aberfeldy, probably just fine, in some 'Cabernet Sauvignon wine casks from the Napa Valley'. And French oak, I suppose. I mean, beyond the tastes, imagine the carbon footprint. Do they then export this to San Francisco? To Sausalito's bourgeoisie, you say? Colour: apricot. Nose: naturally, they are not stupid (of course they aren't), you do not feel the red wine upfront, you rather get fruitcakes, dried apricots, then heather honey and, indeed, some strawberry jam and marshmallows. At this point, we're still fine (even if I'd love some regular Aberfeldy instead) Mouth: starts okay, then falls apart, killed by red berries and oak spices. Blackcurrants, never such a good idea in whisky, if you ask this very humble little taster. Clafoutis, Mon Cheri, green pepper, leaves, cherry stems Pass. Finish: medium, leafy, bitterish, some chocolate in the aftertaste kind of saves it, though. Those Mon Cheri again. Comments: it's not that it's utterly bad, it's that it's not needed. But then again and again, only one man's opinion.

SGP:651 - 79 points. Aberfeldy 18 yo 'Tuscan Red Wine' (43%, OB, batch #2922/A, +/-2022)

Phew, they're on a stroll! Tuscan, that would mean either Sangiovese (great), or Bordeaux blend a.k.a. Super-Tuscan (bad, well just watch the movie Mondovino again). Now on the label, there is a drawing of a little cask that says 'Bolgheri', which suggests a Bx Blend ala Sassicaia indeed. Bad news, I never managed to finish a bottle of Sassicaia Or of Ornellaia for that matter Colour: apricot. Nose: this time again, it starts gently, on cakes, brioches, crema catalana But fruity teas and red berries are approaching. Some earthiness too, which I find nice. All in all, a nice nose, not too winey. Not winey at all, actually. But careful Mouth: let's remain honest, this is okayish at first, even if the whole's unbalanced and too spicy. Everything goes pear-shaped after that, disjointed, bitter, and un-Scotch. Finish: medium, unpleasant, bitter, sour. Comments: makes illusion for a few seconds, then falls apart. Why do so many brands torture and torment their own makes like this these days? Phew, they're on a stroll! Tuscan, that would mean either Sangiovese (great), or Bordeaux blend a.k.a. Super-Tuscan (bad, well just watch the movie Mondovino again). Now on the label, there is a drawing of a little cask that says 'Bolgheri', which suggests a Bx Blend ala Sassicaia indeed. Bad news, I never managed to finish a bottle of Sassicaia Or of Ornellaia for that matter Colour: apricot. Nose: this time again, it starts gently, on cakes, brioches, crema catalana But fruity teas and red berries are approaching. Some earthiness too, which I find nice. All in all, a nice nose, not too winey. Not winey at all, actually. But careful Mouth: let's remain honest, this is okayish at first, even if the whole's unbalanced and too spicy. Everything goes pear-shaped after that, disjointed, bitter, and un-Scotch. Finish: medium, unpleasant, bitter, sour. Comments: makes illusion for a few seconds, then falls apart. Why do so many brands torture and torment their own makes like this these days?

SGP:451 - 72 points. The good news is that you can always count on the indies

Aberfeldy 7 yo 2014/2021 (57.7%, Cut Your Wolf Loose, refill hogshead, 266 bottles) Some fun, at last! Aren't we also tired of faux Victorian designs? Colour: white wine. Nose: there, some barley, some bread, some cakes, some shortbread, some butterscotch, cappuccino, mocha, latte Everything! With water: same, almost. Mouth (neat): it instantly kills the two red-wined OBs, but that was to be expected. Then we have panettone (panettone, back on WF!) and cornflakes, mead, honey cake, makrouts, Turkish delights, pistachio nougat, candied bergamots With water: very good, malty, fresh, a tad bitter here and there, perhaps. Some ale and some liquorice wood. Finish: long, otherwise not particularly noticeable, but it does call for the next dram (of the same whisky). Comments: malt whisky as in malt whisky, and Aberfeldy as in Aberfeldy, not as in lousy self-appointed Super-Tuscans. Oh forgot to say, and I'm quoting some PR here, 'each bottle is labelled with custom artwork by London-based graffiti artist Tom Blackford. The labels depict a 'rambunctious' seagull dressed in 'informal attire'. Well, as long as it's fun

SGP:551 - 86 points. November 6, 2022 Quite a few more rums At random, as always, and starting with a wee aperitif, as often

Batavia Arrack 'By The Dutch' (46%, OB, Indonesia, finished in Cognac, +/-2022) Nicknamed 'The World's First Luxury Spirit' (by the owners, while we had thought that was Dalmore), this Indonesian rum distilled from molasses in pot stills is stemming from the island of Java. This baby's said to be 8 yo, while 'Batavia' is Jakarta's ancient name. Some say they use some ex-red rice yeast but I'm really not sure. Colour: white wine. Nose: somewhere between a Cuban and a cachaca, I would say, with an herbaceous lightness that's certainly not unpleasant, plus some liquorice wood and bits of sawn pinewood. I find this pleasant. Mouth: same grassiness, notes of cane juice indeed, the whole being very dry, then evolving towards something like moutai? Not too sure. It is not your 'average' rum for sure. Finish: medium, with a salty touch and, indeed, echoes of sake. No, really. Comments: it is not a very bold rum, but I would guess some single casks selected by good bottlers would be interesting to try. Who would take up the challenge?

SGP:351 - 77 points. French Antilles 2021/2022 'Grand Arome' (57%, S.B.S.)

White rum, ex-molasses, what's called 'rhum industriel' and not agricole. Grand Arome means high-esters, in this case around 500g/HLPA. This should stem from Le Galion in Martinique. Colour: white. Nose: these very typical whiffs of fresh glue (UHU) and gherkiny varnishes, moving towards high pineapples and even strawberries. Acetone would tend to dominate after a few seconds, but bizarrely, we enjoy acetone in our spirits. With water: some dirtiness, around old fruits rotting in earth, plus some juniper. Much, much nicer than that sounds. Mouth (neat): really between acetone/glue and very aromatic fruits, indeed pineapples, peaches, plus some brine and the obligatory green olives. Touches of aquavit (you would have thought this would rather belong to the Batavia arrack). With water: anchovies coming out, more olives, some fermented fruits (plums) and a drop of miso. Finish: rather long, with fermented tropical fruits at the forefront and those salty glues and varnishes in the back. Comments: everybody's thinking agricole whenever we're talking Martinique, but these 'industriels' can be rather superb too, especially when 'grand arome' indeed. White rum, ex-molasses, what's called 'rhum industriel' and not agricole. Grand Arome means high-esters, in this case around 500g/HLPA. This should stem from Le Galion in Martinique. Colour: white. Nose: these very typical whiffs of fresh glue (UHU) and gherkiny varnishes, moving towards high pineapples and even strawberries. Acetone would tend to dominate after a few seconds, but bizarrely, we enjoy acetone in our spirits. With water: some dirtiness, around old fruits rotting in earth, plus some juniper. Much, much nicer than that sounds. Mouth (neat): really between acetone/glue and very aromatic fruits, indeed pineapples, peaches, plus some brine and the obligatory green olives. Touches of aquavit (you would have thought this would rather belong to the Batavia arrack). With water: anchovies coming out, more olives, some fermented fruits (plums) and a drop of miso. Finish: rather long, with fermented tropical fruits at the forefront and those salty glues and varnishes in the back. Comments: everybody's thinking agricole whenever we're talking Martinique, but these 'industriels' can be rather superb too, especially when 'grand arome' indeed.

SGP:552 - 86 points. Australian Rum 10 yo 2012/2022 (66.9%, Swell de Spirits, ex-bourbon, 368 bottles)

This baby, most probably a secret Beenleigh, has been first spending 6 years in Oz, then 4 years in the UK. We've already had some superb Beenleigh, let's hope this is Beenleigh indeed. Colour: gold. Nose: this feeling of 'a bourbon of rum', with some vanilla, coconut, cakes, and really a lot of ethanol. No chances taken at WF Towers, my friend. With water: coconut and vanilla running the whole show, plus baked bananas. Quite some fudge too. Mouth (neat): just half a drop Well, the expected and obvious pears, butterscotch, pineapple liqueur With water: good, with touches of genever perhaps, aniseed too, caraway, then rather floral tones, viognier and pinot gris, pomegranates Finish: medium, with a little green tea, more viognier, a drop of pineapple juice, rosewater The aftertaste is the nicest part, with a lovely liquoricy earthiness and even a touch of mint. Comments: not a top Jamaican, but the evolution is fascinating, it would never stop gaining depth and, well, earth. But is it really Beenleigh? Shh, that's a secret. This baby, most probably a secret Beenleigh, has been first spending 6 years in Oz, then 4 years in the UK. We've already had some superb Beenleigh, let's hope this is Beenleigh indeed. Colour: gold. Nose: this feeling of 'a bourbon of rum', with some vanilla, coconut, cakes, and really a lot of ethanol. No chances taken at WF Towers, my friend. With water: coconut and vanilla running the whole show, plus baked bananas. Quite some fudge too. Mouth (neat): just half a drop Well, the expected and obvious pears, butterscotch, pineapple liqueur With water: good, with touches of genever perhaps, aniseed too, caraway, then rather floral tones, viognier and pinot gris, pomegranates Finish: medium, with a little green tea, more viognier, a drop of pineapple juice, rosewater The aftertaste is the nicest part, with a lovely liquoricy earthiness and even a touch of mint. Comments: not a top Jamaican, but the evolution is fascinating, it would never stop gaining depth and, well, earth. But is it really Beenleigh? Shh, that's a secret.

SGP:641 - 85 points. T.D.L. 13 yo 2008 (61.15%, Thompson Bros., Trinidad, Error 502, cask #SR22062, 82 bottles)

Bad gateway, apparently, but there were only 82 bottles. Colour: amber. Nose: very much on fudge, toffee and butterscotch. All right. With water: black garden earth (a little compost), liquid sponge cake, a little marmalade, agave syrup, white chocolate, a little natural rubber Well there's something very appealing in this one. With water: awesome earthiness. Mouth (neat): it is unusual, but this salty earthiness mingled with praline and coconut butter is not unpleasant at all. We see no obvious errors this far. With water: like it! Some acetone in this one too, some bitterish clove, very bitter chocolate, mint essence, heavy liquorice And earth. Finish: long, saltier. Black olives. Comments: pst, between us, it's almost as if someone would have poured a few litres of heavy Caroni into this wee cask, while no one was watching. Love this one, even if it's a little deviant here and there. Shh

SGP:562 - 89 points. Penny Blue 2009 (55%, OB for Kirsch Import, Mauritius, whisky cask, cask #203, 132 bottles, 2022)

From Medine distillery, said to be the oldest 'living' distillery in Mauritius. What's a whisky cask, exactly? Colour: gold. Nose: on squash, cane honey, crushed roasted hazelnuts, oranges liqueur With water: a relatively light caneyness. Do you say caneyness? Mouth (neat): superb arrival, on pear peel and rhubarb, getting tighter by the minute, complex, with lemons, tangerines, khaki With water: would tend to backpedal, becoming lighter in style. Not sure it needs water. Finish: medium, a little sweet. Some saltiness in the aftertaste, some tequila too. Comments: it's lighter than I would have thought. Very good, but perhaps little frustrating here and there, because of that lighter body. There is also an ex-sherry, but we'll have it later.

SGP:551 - 81 points. Oh, why not this possible glory Enmore 32 yo 1988/2021 (48.1%, Rum Sponge, Guyana, 201 bottle)

I agree, we took our time. Love the half-Aztec, half-Mayan label. Colour: gold. Nose: model glue, anchovy paste (a lovely Portuguese thing), peppermint, some tar, tapenade (really a lot), caraway bread, fennel seeds, and fresh rubber. Say new scuba diving suits. It is a fascinating nose, I find it extraordinary. It's an interesting unpolitical debate that we should have one day, tropical aging vs early landed. Mouth: frankly, it is an extraordinary spirit, even if some sides have become a little extreme over the years (burnt plastics and salted tar, you see). Vegetables, artichokes, grapefruit skin, glue (again and again), seashells (razorfish?), moussaka, tapenade, aioli (garlic sauce), paraffin It's all rather incredible and, in truth, reminiscent of some very old fino sherry. Ah, there, forgot to mention walnuts. Finish: long, on similar notes, globally. Tar, salt, glue, olives, anchovies Etcetera. Comments: thirty-two years! It's magical Enmore. Probably the Versailles still, if you ask me.

I agree, we took our time. Love the half-Aztec, half-Mayan label. Colour: gold. Nose: model glue, anchovy paste (a lovely Portuguese thing), peppermint, some tar, tapenade (really a lot), caraway bread, fennel seeds, and fresh rubber. Say new scuba diving suits. It is a fascinating nose, I find it extraordinary. It's an interesting unpolitical debate that we should have one day, tropical aging vs early landed. Mouth: frankly, it is an extraordinary spirit, even if some sides have become a little extreme over the years (burnt plastics and salted tar, you see). Vegetables, artichokes, grapefruit skin, glue (again and again), seashells (razorfish?), moussaka, tapenade, aioli (garlic sauce), paraffin It's all rather incredible and, in truth, reminiscent of some very old fino sherry. Ah, there, forgot to mention walnuts. Finish: long, on similar notes, globally. Tar, salt, glue, olives, anchovies Etcetera. Comments: thirty-two years! It's magical Enmore. Probably the Versailles still, if you ask me. SGP:463 - 91 points. Such an Enmore called for more old Enmore Enmore 30 yo 1990/2021 (53.8%, Nobilis Rum, for Caksus, 213 bottles)

Remember the Versailles wooden pot still was moved from Enmore to Uitvlugt around 1994, then to Diamond Distillery when Uitvlugt was closed in its turn. But it was still at Enmore when this was distilled (marque VSG). Colour: lighter gold. Nose: it is the same rum, more or less. I would say there's even more fennel seeds, caraway, mint, glue Brilliant, just brilliant. Mouth: a tiny notch less complex than the Sponge, but also a touch fuller and more assertive (as they say when they don't know what to say). Finish: indeed, it's a little straighter, but frankly, we're splitting hairs once more. These Versailles at Enmore are part of the most fantastic rums ever made by human entities, in my opinion. Comments: I've read that the wood that was used when they built this legendary wooden pot still was greenheart, a.k.a. chlorocardium rodiei. It's said to be very durable and resistant to most insect attacks. Fantastic! Remember the Versailles wooden pot still was moved from Enmore to Uitvlugt around 1994, then to Diamond Distillery when Uitvlugt was closed in its turn. But it was still at Enmore when this was distilled (marque VSG). Colour: lighter gold. Nose: it is the same rum, more or less. I would say there's even more fennel seeds, caraway, mint, glue Brilliant, just brilliant. Mouth: a tiny notch less complex than the Sponge, but also a touch fuller and more assertive (as they say when they don't know what to say). Finish: indeed, it's a little straighter, but frankly, we're splitting hairs once more. These Versailles at Enmore are part of the most fantastic rums ever made by human entities, in my opinion. Comments: I've read that the wood that was used when they built this legendary wooden pot still was greenheart, a.k.a. chlorocardium rodiei. It's said to be very durable and resistant to most insect attacks. Fantastic!

SGP:463 - 91 points. Remember our latest motto, not a session without Hampden! Hampden 12 yo 'DOK' (63.7%, OB, LMDW, cask #11, 168 bottles)

At Hampden, DOK is the marqua maxima. DOK means from 1500 to 1700 grams esters per HLPA; It is insane. Colour: gold. Nose: dead animals, gherkins, cucumbers, Chinese glues, and probably prickly pears, which are making it much gentler, rather unexpectedly. With water: no, really, let's be honest, it is splendid spirit, probably the greatest baijiu we've ever nosed (ooh that's smart, S.) Mouth (neat): drinking a pot of glue blended with green lemons (well, the juice made thereof), seawater, assorted fermented fruits and diesel oil. With water: a tad gritty now, but we shan't care. Finish: long and salty, tarry, rubbery, Ardbeggian (with apologies to whom this may concern). Comments: king o' rum and that's just a confirmation. At Hampden, DOK is the marqua maxima. DOK means from 1500 to 1700 grams esters per HLPA; It is insane. Colour: gold. Nose: dead animals, gherkins, cucumbers, Chinese glues, and probably prickly pears, which are making it much gentler, rather unexpectedly. With water: no, really, let's be honest, it is splendid spirit, probably the greatest baijiu we've ever nosed (ooh that's smart, S.) Mouth (neat): drinking a pot of glue blended with green lemons (well, the juice made thereof), seawater, assorted fermented fruits and diesel oil. With water: a tad gritty now, but we shan't care. Finish: long and salty, tarry, rubbery, Ardbeggian (with apologies to whom this may concern). Comments: king o' rum and that's just a confirmation.

SGP:563 - 91 points. Wouldn't we do a quick Long Pond before we call this a tasting session? Long Pond 3 yo 2019/2022 'STCE' (60%, Habitation Velier, LMDW, Jamaica, 1800 bottles)

550 to 700 gr esters/HLPA, I think. Colour: white wine. Nose: it is a gentler one, floral and herbal at first, fragrant (ylang-ylang) and only then more olive-y and spicy. Big notes of juniper, cumin and fennel. A lot of freshness, this is almost Jamaican pastis. With water: some menthol and plywood, plus pencil shavings. A lot of pencil shavings. Mouth (neat): young and a tad oaky(ish) but the core is noble, rather citrusy, kind of smoky, and only marginally gluey. Growing caraway notes in the background. With water: the pencil shavings are back, but it's all under control, so not fear the cedarwood effect. Finish: rather long, with some zests, liquorice, menthol and tar. Not an unseen combination, I agree. Some cedarwood in the aftertaste. Comments: the youth feels, but it's a marvellous young rum. Yep, daiquiri-ready, if you like.

SGP:562 - 86 points. November 1, 2022 Little Duos, today Glenrothes OB Several old Glenrothes are in the pipe, let's say this is a warm-up lap

Glenrothes 18 yo (43%, OB, +/-2022) One of these newish vintage-less official Glenrothes. Loved the old 'vintages' even if some years or dates were sometimes a little hard to understand. I mean, those dates of 'approval' Colour: gold. Nose: toffee with some sunflower and even a drop of olive oil, then a large pecan pie, roasted peanuts, milk chocolate and a Mars bar. Not obligatorily a deep-fried one. A good slice of walnut cake too, from some good sherry I would presume. Mouth: very nutty, very Glenrothes OB. More toffee and roasted pecans, then coffee liqueur and dark chocolate, with touches of cracked pepper. I find it relatively dry. Finish: medium, spicier, on cinnamon and cloves. More bitter chocolate and coffee, as well as burnt nuts plus marmalade and thin mints in the aftertaste. Comments: very well composed, with a prominent amontillado-y sherry. Not saying it was amontillado, having said that.

SGP:451 - 85 points.

Glenrothes 22 yo 1995 (57.6%, OB, LMDW, Antipodes, 593 bottles, 2022) The numbers are a little mysterious here, but it's true that LMDW would tend to like to play with them, always rounding them down  when they do. Well I know what I'm trying to say. Colour: deep gold. Nose: there's this official Glenrothesness again, blending toffee with chocolate and coffee, millionaire shortbread, a little charcoal, more roasted nuts, Linzertorte, then Schwarzwald cake, with a double amount of kirschwasser. With water: same combination, only with even more toffee, then some beef jerky and Mozart Kugeln (chocolate and marzipan). Mouth (neat): huge and lovely, sheltering all Jaffa cakes already baked this year, plus indeed some kirschwasser. I know this is 'only' 57.6%, but it rather feels like it's 65%. With water: still punchy, still a little hot, but the responsiveness is awesome here, and so is all the marmalade and chocolate. Finish: pretty long, while I wouldn't dare mention Mon Cheri. Whoops, I just did. Comments: this one's ready for Christmas. Great, potent Glenrothes.

SGP:451 - 87 points.

October 2022 Serge's favourite recent bottling this month:

Tomatin 45 yo 1976/2022 'Warehouse 6 ' (46%, OB, hogsheads, casks #32+33, 350 bottles) - WF92



Serge's favourite older bottling this month:

St Magdalene 19 yo 1979/1998 (63.80%, OB, Rare Malts) - WF94



Serge's favourite bang for your buck this month:

Ardbeg 10 yo 'Ten' (46%, OB, +/-2022) - WF91



Serge's favourite malternative this month:

Vallein Tercinier 'Rue 34' (42%, OB, for LMDW, Antipodes, Grande Champagne, cask #034, 50 bottles) - WF94



Serge's Lemon Prize this month:

Abuelo XII anos 'Two Oaks' (40%, Panama, +/-2021) - WF60 October 31, 2022 A few Bruichladdich Do not expect any form of logic here.

Bruichladdich 7 yo 'Waves' (46%, OB, 2006) We've tried another 'Waves' that was not carrying any age statement and which I had rather enjoyed twelve years ago (WF 82), but this one's clearly advertised as a 7 on the label. I bought it on location back then and couldn't help wondering where this distillate was stemming from, as the former new owners restarted production in 2001 after a pretty long hiatus. In whisky, mysteries come in waves. Colour: apricot gold. Nose: they've used Madeira and that feels. Mustard, walnuts, some varnish and even some glue, plus an unusually grassy smokiness. Mouth: punchy, with once again some smoke, ashes, touches of varnish, then melons and walnuts plus some cracked pepper. Finish: rather long, a little bitter. Some fruit skins and some zests. Comments: this wee smoke is interesting. Are we sure it couldn't have been the 'new' Bruichladdich already, after all? I remember they did make it rather peaty in the very early days.

SGP:552 - 80 points. Bruichladdich 'High Noon' (48.7%, OB, Feis Ile 2015, 1881 bottles)

Funny outturn, remember the Distillery was originally built in 1881. Not too sure about the casks that have been in use here Colour: deep gold. Nose: plenty happening, with some dry and sweet Madeira, once more, whiffs of rum (why not some of those agricoles from Madeira, precisely), then rather a lot of sweeter gravy, English-style, as well as prunes and ripe damsons. Zwetschke pie, also a little lighter pipe tobacco. A little unusual, but very, very nice for sure. Mouth: a little tougher than expected, rather in the style of some Juras, with a saltiness, some leather, tobacco, bitter zests, then raisins of all kinds, especially black ones. Touches of dried porcinis, and perhaps chicory coffee. Very solid body at 48% vol. Finish: long and much spicier, predominantly on mustard and cracked pepper. Bitter artichoke cordial in the aftertaste. Comments: very peculiar, and very different on the palate, after a pretty civilised and really awesome nose. Funny outturn, remember the Distillery was originally built in 1881. Not too sure about the casks that have been in use here Colour: deep gold. Nose: plenty happening, with some dry and sweet Madeira, once more, whiffs of rum (why not some of those agricoles from Madeira, precisely), then rather a lot of sweeter gravy, English-style, as well as prunes and ripe damsons. Zwetschke pie, also a little lighter pipe tobacco. A little unusual, but very, very nice for sure. Mouth: a little tougher than expected, rather in the style of some Juras, with a saltiness, some leather, tobacco, bitter zests, then raisins of all kinds, especially black ones. Touches of dried porcinis, and perhaps chicory coffee. Very solid body at 48% vol. Finish: long and much spicier, predominantly on mustard and cracked pepper. Bitter artichoke cordial in the aftertaste. Comments: very peculiar, and very different on the palate, after a pretty civilised and really awesome nose.

SGP:462 - 85 points. Bruichladdich 15 yo 2006/2022 (58.9%, Private Cask, first fill bourbon barrel, cask #1222)

This private cask from one of Norway's finest whisky connoisseurs, Michael Alvarez, who celebrated his 60th birthday right yesterday (but yesterday was malternative day at WF). Colour: gold. Nose: typical, with fresh broken branches, sea air, grape pip oil, melon skin, some stearin, fresh cut grass, green apples Certainly a little austere, but I believe that is an asset here. Water may/should unleash the melons With water: vanilla, then popcorn, then mirabelles and quinces, then indeed, honeydew melon... Mouth (neat): a typically fruity, orchardy Bruichladdich, but once again there's rather a lot of grass and peelings. Green apples, pears, greengages With water: gone is the main grass, welcome more apples and sweet roots, apricot liqueur (apricotine) and just a drop of bison vodka. A pretty pure Bruichladdich that's not very far from the earlier makes, say distilled in the early 1990s. Finish: medium, clean, half-way between plums and vegetal oils. Comments: excellent Bruichladdich, totally al natural. Cheers Michael! This private cask from one of Norway's finest whisky connoisseurs, Michael Alvarez, who celebrated his 60th birthday right yesterday (but yesterday was malternative day at WF). Colour: gold. Nose: typical, with fresh broken branches, sea air, grape pip oil, melon skin, some stearin, fresh cut grass, green apples Certainly a little austere, but I believe that is an asset here. Water may/should unleash the melons With water: vanilla, then popcorn, then mirabelles and quinces, then indeed, honeydew melon... Mouth (neat): a typically fruity, orchardy Bruichladdich, but once again there's rather a lot of grass and peelings. Green apples, pears, greengages With water: gone is the main grass, welcome more apples and sweet roots, apricot liqueur (apricotine) and just a drop of bison vodka. A pretty pure Bruichladdich that's not very far from the earlier makes, say distilled in the early 1990s. Finish: medium, clean, half-way between plums and vegetal oils. Comments: excellent Bruichladdich, totally al natural. Cheers Michael!

SGP:551 - 87 points. Bruichladdich 17 yo 2004/2021 (56.2%, The Maltman for HNWS Taiwan, bourbon hogshead, cask #640, 201 bottles)

Colour: light gold. Nose: this doesn't happen very often, but it is the same whisky on the nose. Trying to find any differences, even very subtle ones, would mean splitting hairs, or trying to be smart. Nah, the 2006 and this 2004 are organoleptically identical this far. Mouth (neat): once again, identical whiskies. The oily texture is remarkable. With water: ditto, same whisky. Lovely grass, fruit peel, plums, beets Finish: even the finish is identical (not taking into account any unnecessary personal elucubrations that could have occurred). Comments: and they weren't even sister casks. Colour: light gold. Nose: this doesn't happen very often, but it is the same whisky on the nose. Trying to find any differences, even very subtle ones, would mean splitting hairs, or trying to be smart. Nah, the 2006 and this 2004 are organoleptically identical this far. Mouth (neat): once again, identical whiskies. The oily texture is remarkable. With water: ditto, same whisky. Lovely grass, fruit peel, plums, beets Finish: even the finish is identical (not taking into account any unnecessary personal elucubrations that could have occurred). Comments: and they weren't even sister casks.

SGP:551  87 points. (Thank you Arild, Otto!) October 30, 2022 A word of caution

Let me please remind you that my humble assessments of any spirits are done from the point of view of a malt whisky enthusiast who, what's more, is aboslutely not an expert in rum, brandy, tequila, vodka, gin or any other spirits. Thank you  and peace! A few rums as they come No preconceptions, no plans, no fears. As he used to say, preparing for the worst, expecting the best, taking what's coming. San Miguel 'Extra Anejo  Solera 1952' (43%, OB, Ecuador, +/-2022)

Right right right, this from a solera that was started in 1952. How many drops? I've only ever tried two other Ecuadorian rons, a Cimborazo (WF 68) and a Cotopaxi (WF 70). There's room for improvement (with love to Ecuador!) I've seen that this was matured in altitude Colour: deep gold. Nose: some good fun, with some fumes from an old two-stroke engine (a Kawasaki, naturally) and some metallic molasses, chestnut puree, muscovado sugar, a box of cheap chocolates, a little coffee liqueur Well, you just never know Mouth: not too bad! First, it's not cloyingly sugary, second it's got some pretty good grassiness, all that before a vast amount of rotting bananas would take over. Then a lot of sugarcane syrup. Nothing against that, but it's frankly sweet. Finish: a little short, a tad indefinite. I would suppose ice should have been added at this stage. Comments: progress! (being a little positive here, I'd love to visit Ecuador one day). Right right right, this from a solera that was started in 1952. How many drops? I've only ever tried two other Ecuadorian rons, a Cimborazo (WF 68) and a Cotopaxi (WF 70). There's room for improvement (with love to Ecuador!) I've seen that this was matured in altitude Colour: deep gold. Nose: some good fun, with some fumes from an old two-stroke engine (a Kawasaki, naturally) and some metallic molasses, chestnut puree, muscovado sugar, a box of cheap chocolates, a little coffee liqueur Well, you just never know Mouth: not too bad! First, it's not cloyingly sugary, second it's got some pretty good grassiness, all that before a vast amount of rotting bananas would take over. Then a lot of sugarcane syrup. Nothing against that, but it's frankly sweet. Finish: a little short, a tad indefinite. I would suppose ice should have been added at this stage. Comments: progress! (being a little positive here, I'd love to visit Ecuador one day).

SGP:630 - 72 points. To Trinidad Ten Cane 2008/2022 (63.4%, L'Esprit, Trinidad, cask #BB 12, 264 bottles)

From Ten Cane Distillery, a short-lived operation started by LVMH in 2005 and closed in 2015, said to have produced for Angostura. It is supposed to be 'light'. We've tried only one Ten Cane in the past but liked it a lot (WF 88). And Brittany's L'Esprit is always a sure bet. Colour: dark amber. Nose: light my hat. Lots of plastics, plywood, putty and paint, engine oil But no chances taken at WF Towers. With water: more petroly notes, varnishes, dirty oils, then black chocolate and coffee, sailing away towards thick molasses. Mouth (neat): perfect, on petrol, varnish, olives, tar and very heavy liquorice. But boy is it strong. With water: mad. Salt, soups, varnish, heavy tar, acetone, carbon, burnt sugar, glues, coal tar Finish: very long, on exactly the same flavours (in the same order). Heavy chocolate + liquorice in the aftertaste. Comments: very thick rum, you'd almost need a knife. What happened at (and to) Ten Cane, exactly? From Ten Cane Distillery, a short-lived operation started by LVMH in 2005 and closed in 2015, said to have produced for Angostura. It is supposed to be 'light'. We've tried only one Ten Cane in the past but liked it a lot (WF 88). And Brittany's L'Esprit is always a sure bet. Colour: dark amber. Nose: light my hat. Lots of plastics, plywood, putty and paint, engine oil But no chances taken at WF Towers. With water: more petroly notes, varnishes, dirty oils, then black chocolate and coffee, sailing away towards thick molasses. Mouth (neat): perfect, on petrol, varnish, olives, tar and very heavy liquorice. But boy is it strong. With water: mad. Salt, soups, varnish, heavy tar, acetone, carbon, burnt sugar, glues, coal tar Finish: very long, on exactly the same flavours (in the same order). Heavy chocolate + liquorice in the aftertaste. Comments: very thick rum, you'd almost need a knife. What happened at (and to) Ten Cane, exactly?

SGP:563 - 88 points. Bielle 13 yo 2009/2022 (47.7%, David's Rum Selection, Elegant, Marie-Galante, cask #24, 194 bottles)

I can't see what could go wrong here. Colour: deep gold. Nose: unusual, with some sandalwood, tiger balm, lemon curd, tangerine liqueur, ylang-ylang and vetiver, green oranges In truth I'm reminded of a lovely eau-de-toilette by Hermes, 'Eau d'Orange Verte' (green orange water  well you got it I'm sure). Touches of cumin and caraway too. Mouth: some piney wood, green liquorice, turmeric, beeswax, some salty elements, a soft tarriness, liquorice allsorts, peppermint, drop of bitter, drop of creme de menthe You would almost believe a high-league mixologist composed this. Finish: medium, all on fruits and soft liquorice. Bielle's class speaks. Comments: really intriguing at first, but in the end, this is a perfect, deep, almost classic Marie-Galante. It feels a little older than just 13, in my little book and, well, I love it. Bielle is class. I can't see what could go wrong here. Colour: deep gold. Nose: unusual, with some sandalwood, tiger balm, lemon curd, tangerine liqueur, ylang-ylang and vetiver, green oranges In truth I'm reminded of a lovely eau-de-toilette by Hermes, 'Eau d'Orange Verte' (green orange water  well you got it I'm sure). Touches of cumin and caraway too. Mouth: some piney wood, green liquorice, turmeric, beeswax, some salty elements, a soft tarriness, liquorice allsorts, peppermint, drop of bitter, drop of creme de menthe You would almost believe a high-league mixologist composed this. Finish: medium, all on fruits and soft liquorice. Bielle's class speaks. Comments: really intriguing at first, but in the end, this is a perfect, deep, almost classic Marie-Galante. It feels a little older than just 13, in my little book and, well, I love it. Bielle is class.

SGP:662 - 90 points.

Uitvlugt 1999/2021 (52.6%, The Colours of Rum, Wealth Solutions, cask #54, 184 bottles) I should be in Warsaw when I publish this. Colour: straw. Nose: awesome grassy and petroly start, very typical, with even asparagus, leek, wisteria, honeysuckle and above all, elderflowers. Whiffs of new shoes, leatherette With water: perfect sauna oils and myrtle, plus more asparagus, plus grapefruit skin. Unquestionably perfect combo, as far as combos go (what?) Mouth (neat): these are just superb. Lemons, brine, riesling, liquorice, green bananas, smoked fish, tar With water: the saltiness further comes out, sardines, anchovies, salted liquorice, some varnish Finish: long, saltier. One of the saltiest spirits, no one does this on Islay. Perhaps 'some' Bowmores. Comments: shortage stress starting to strike us. Do they still have many from these quasi-continental batches?

SGP:463 - 91 points.

Guyana 19 yo 2002/2022 (49.2%, Transcontinental Rum Line, The Navigator, bourbon, cask # EN02KFM33, 280 bottles) This one was aged in Europe. Distilled in that single wooden pot still, so most probably Enmore. Colour: white wine. Nose: new tyres, caraway and fennel seeds, this is well Enmore. Then new sneakers, aniseed, anchovies in brine, olives, plastic, and a small tomato leaf. Mouth: all these ones range from utterly terrific to rather terrific. This one's got a lighter fruitiness, around plum eau-de-vie, then these adorably subtle briny notes, with olives, tar, and some kind of smoked toffee. Excellent. Finish: long, saltier yet, perhaps fatter, with notes of limy putty or something. Drops of Grand-Marnier in the aftertaste. Comments: just brilliant. This is Major Tom to ground control, we remain in the stratosphere  as far as rums go.

SGP:563 - 90 points.

Hampden 12 yo 2010/2022 'HCLF' (61.3%, OB, Rare Casks Series, LMDW Antipodes, cask #80, 252 bottles) It is fascinating to read LMDW's latest catalogue. You would learn that Hampden's rums had never been aged, let alone bottled on location until 2009, and that the first aged OBs only came out in 2018. Colour: gold. Nose: heavy glues and varnishes, acetone, ammonia, in the back some banana liqueur. HCLF means between 500 and 700 gr ester/HLPA, so say upper-middle-echelon esterness. With water: olives chiming in, together with carbon dust. Mouth (neat): whatever the marque, there's no light Hampden. Certainly not this one. Varnish and high-concentration raspberry spirit, rotten bananas, liquorice With water: soft landing with liquorice and a stunning floral side. Gorse and acacia blossom, perhaps. Finish: long, saltier and brinier. In short, more on olives. Hampden owe big time to olives. Comments: they should start to use marks/marques in Scotland too. As far as this wee Hampden goes, I can only bow my head. I know, boringly predictable; having said that, we can only wonder, would the heavy-esterers be this successful if the heavy-peaters had never met, well, success as singles? After all, the stories are extremely similar.

SGP:553 - 91 points. October 29, 2022 Angus's Corner

From our correspondent and

skilled taster Angus MacRaild in Scotland Checking in on Daftmill It's been a while since we Daftmilled here on Whiskyfun. Always fun to check in with what Mr Cuthbert has been up to Daftmill 2008/2021 (56.6%, OB for Master Of Malt, cask #25, bourbon barrel)

Colour: pale gold. Nose: this has the slightly more assertive grassiness of those earlier Daftmill vintages but combined with a similarly overt fruitiness from the Summer batch. Rather a lot of tinned pineapple rings in syrup, lemon curd, fruit sherbets, wee touches of eucalyptus and spearmint. Familiar notes of crushed nettle and lime as well. Quite excellent! With water: very green and aromatic now, lots of ferns, wet moss, grass, nettles, green tea with lemon and touches of bergamot and citrus rinds. Mouth: rather sweet up front, lots of sweet fruit juices and more lemon jam, also some nibbles of ginger and cinnamon from the oak. There's some furniture oil and boot polish as well which is new to me from Daftmill. The whole evolves towards things like cough syrup and golden syrup. An active but very good cask. With water: those oaky touches are swept aside in the favour of warm grist, green pepper, lemon cough drops, wintergreen and sweet breakfast cereals. Finish: long, peppery, warming, quite herbal, trademark grass and nettles, and also more very slight mentholated and minty things in the aftertaste. Comments: water definitely adds a single fat point here in the way it opens everything up. Excellent levels of complexity and development on display here.

SGP: 651 - 89 points. Daftmill 2009/2021 (60.7%, OB for Kirsch Import, 1st fill oloroso butt, cask #024/2009, 627 bottles)

Colour: deep orangey gold. Nose: marmalade on pumpernickel toast and various roasted nuts, Brazils and walnuts spring immediately to mind, beyond that some freshly roasted coffee beans and dark chocolate. I'm also finding quite a bit of strawberry jam with just a hint of hardwood sawdust and also bouillon powder. With water: some lovely aromatic wood spices and dark spiced teas coming through. Bouillon, treacle, plums baked in Armagnac, nicely rustic in fact. Mouth: very jammy with some stewed dark fruit, more bitter chocolate and cocoa notes, fig paste and walnut oil. Veers nicely between umami and sweet with a sherry profile that is a halfway house between old school and modern. Some nicely gooey and fudgey qualities about it as well, also I can't help but get impressions of Nutella - which is very fitting for a German market bottling. With water: still nicely dark, jammy and fruity with this earthy and nutty undercurrent. Well balanced, punchy and hearty sherry. Finish: good length, back on breads, dark beers and roasted nuts with chocolate sauce. Comments: very hard not to think of early A'bunadh batches when tasting these big sherried Daftmills. Francis seems to get some excellent sherry casks it would seem - and of course makes very tidy whisky too, although overall I think I prefer the bourbon ones.

SGP: 561 - 88 points. October 27, 2022 Royal Brackla is back! I mean, on little Whiskyfun. Advertised as 'The King's Own Whisky', but he was William IV. We'll see if Charles III will follow suit. Royal Brackla 18 yo (46%, OB, palo cortado finish, +/-2022)

We've never tried this 18 but I believe it's a fairly recent expression. Yet another finishing, looks like more and more official whiskies need some extra-seasoning, or flavour adjustments. That could be a global issue, the SWA should be on the alert! Colour: gold. Nose: indeed, there are walnuts, some earth, some toasted bread, then gooseberries, not unseen in Brackla, and wildflower honey. It is not a very demonstrative malt whisky. A bittersweet feeling. Mouth: firm, nutty, with walnuts, toffee, then more of those honeys and a growing spiciness, towards cinnamon. Also bitter nuts, almonds, bitter apples Finish: medium, spicier, with more sweet and sour notes, probably from the sherry. Bitter and peppery aftertaste. Comments: the price is very high and perhaps even a little pretentious (150), but indeed it is a fine drop, in my book. But I would never finish a 18, that sends a wrong message (like, after 18 years of careful maturing, our whisky needed some seasoning). We've never tried this 18 but I believe it's a fairly recent expression. Yet another finishing, looks like more and more official whiskies need some extra-seasoning, or flavour adjustments. That could be a global issue, the SWA should be on the alert! Colour: gold. Nose: indeed, there are walnuts, some earth, some toasted bread, th
HENDERSONVILLE'S PARDEE HOSPITAL IS MANAGED BY UNC HEALTH CARE

NEW PARTNERSHIP CREATES ONE OF THE LARGEST HOSPITAL NETWORKS IN THE COUNTRY

WITH OVER 50 HOSPITALS

AND MORE THAN 90 THOUSAND EMPLOYEES

SUNDAY'S RALEIGH NEWS-OBSERVER TAKEs A CLOSER LOOK:

The partnership proposed last week between two of the states largest health care providers could be a prelude to a full-blown merger, says one state lawmaker.

UNC Health Care and Charlotte-based Carolinas HealthCare System on Thursday announced a plan to create one of the largest hospital networks in the country, with some 90,000 employees and 50-plus hospitals. The executives of both organizations stressed that this was not a merger, taking care to call it a joint organization.

Under the proposal, each health system would keep its own board of directors, but would also answer to a new board that would oversee the joint company.

Republican State Sen. Jeff Tarte, a retired health care business consultant from Cornelius, said something bigger may be on the horizon.

Basically what I see is, theyre headed down the path to see whether they would fully merge their entities at some point, Tarte said. Its very close to a merger. Its sort of a trial balloon.

Tarte said the creation of the combined health care company would require the legislatures involvement, because the deal involves UNC, a state-owned asset, and has sweeping implications for North Carolinas health care sector. He predicted the combined organization would eventually be controlled by the much larger Carolinas HealthCare, which is the states biggest health care system with $9.8 billion in annual revenue, and noted that for UNC to control the new organization would create a level of debt obligation the state has never seen.



At some point we will have to decide whether we will let UNC Health Care lead as the state entity, absorb Carolinas HealthCare and take on additional obligations, Tarte said. Youre talking about the state absorbing 40 hospitals, including one of the largest facilities in the state of North Carolina.

The nations health care market is in the midst of a hospital consolidation wave, with mergers coming under intense scrutiny by regulators for their potentially harmful effects on costs and services. Some health care companies, like Raleighs WakeMed Health & Hospitals and Durhams Duke University Health System, have opted for limited collaborations in specific areas, like heart care and cancer care, in which they can steer patients to each others doctors and facilities.

The UNC proposal with Carolinas HealthCare doesnt follow the standard pattern.

This particular partnership is a step beyond what weve seen recently, said Republican Rep. Nelson Dollar of Wake County. This is at a new level where theyre creating a separate overall board.

Legislative support sought

The partnership could be reviewed by the Federal Trade Commission if it raises significant concerns, and could take at least a year to come to fruition. But support from the state legislature also is widely seen as essential to the joint companys acceptance, and lawmakers will be closely monitoring the partnership as it develops.

Bill Roper, CEO of UNC Health Care, notified key lawmakers about the deal in the days leading up to the public announcement.

The legislature is of great interest to us, Roper said Wednesday during an interview at The News & Observer. We want to have their support and encouragement for this project.

UNC spokesman Alan Wolf on Saturday emphasized the proposal is not a merger. UNC Health Care will continue to exist as created by statute, Wolf said. While we will operate together, neither organization is going away and no assets are changing hands.

Lawmakers are ultimately responsible for UNC Health Care. The state-owned 12-hospital system is under the UNC systems board of governors, whose members are appointed by the legislature. Roper and Carolinas HealthCare CEO Gene Woods said the new joint company would turn UNC into an academic research powerhouse that will be able to recruit the best national talent, and compete for federal grants to fund prestigious research projects.

Dollar said any changes to UNC Health Cares status as a state-owned entity would likely require legislative changes, but whether or not lawmakers could block the deal would require a legal analysis.

He noted that lawmakers have various options to express their will. While he declined to offer specifics, in the past two years, the UNC board of governors pushed out then-UNC president Tom Ross, and the Republican-led legislature defunded the UNC Center on Poverty and is now seeking to ban the UNC Center for Civil Rights from filing lawsuits.

Some lawmakers said in interviews last week that they are for the proposed partnership. They say they are encouraged by the promise made to increase health care options in the states rural regions, which are struggling economically and have a shortage of doctors and services.

For long-term strength in an uncertain health care world, this is a good move, said Sen. Tommy Tucker, a Union County Republican who previously co-chaired the Senate Health Care Committee. Theyre taking a very aggressive position to help the rural areas, which of course is fairly key to the health of the state.

UNC Health Care and Carolinas HealthCare signed a letter of intent last week to begin discussions on how to combine operations, a process that will play out over the coming months. The two groups expect questions about their companys effect on health care access and competition in the state, and say all concerns will be addressed so that the proposal can move forward.

Ethan Hyman This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Questions remain

For others, the proposal raised questions about the potential of a mega-sized hospital network to dominate the states health care market and steer patients away from competing hospitals and their medical practices.

People are concerned about control and about monopolies, said Republican Rep. Gregory Murphy, a urology surgeon from Greenville. It would be the biggest health care system in the state and possibly a monopoly.

Tarte, whose consulting work for hospitals specialized in strategic planning, and mergers and acquisitions, said understanding the nature of this business relationship may come down to figuring out which of the two partners will ultimately come out on top.

I can tell you, in 95 percent of these deals, there is no equals, Tarte said. Someone ends up being the dominant player, and their executives tend to get the corporate positions.

Tarte said the legislature is likely to assign this matter to at least one oversight committee to assess the partnerships benefits and implications for the state, and to understand the legislatures fiduciary responsibility and stewardship role.

This has got to be one of the biggest health care quote potential mergers  or headed that way  in the entire country in years, Tarte said. Especially to blend a $9 billion entity with a major medical center  thats almost never done.

The health care partners have not yet selected a name for their joint company or the location of its headquarters.

Roper will chair the new board and Woods will be chief executive, but the executive management team has not been assembled. Each organization will continue to employ its own workforce, but the facilities will be rebranded under the banner of the joint company.

For now, lawmakers say they have lots of unanswered questions about the deal, mostly about its benefits for the residents of North Carolina and about the rationale for undertaking such an ambitious venture.

The verdict is still out whether this is going to be good or not for North Carolinians, said Democratic Sen. Don Davis of Greenville, a sociology instructor at Lenoir Community College. Everybody who gets engaged dont necessarily need to get married. And everybody who gets married dont need to be married.
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Gloria Alatorre and her 2-year-old son had red and yellow paint on their hands Saturday morning under the Jaycee Pavilion in Lake Park, the result of painting a peace sign and a couple of hearts on a mural a few minutes earlier.

I enjoy having my son interact with many materials that can help him create things and explore colors and shapes, as he is in the age of exploration, Alatorre said. I think art is the best source to create, and just a way to connect with the community as well.

Thats one of the goals for Family Art Day, put on by the River Arts Alliance and Winona Park & Recreation. The 10th annual event, made possible in part by a grant from the Southeastern Minnesota Arts Council, welcomed people of all ages to experiment and explore. Twenty-two different activities, including painting, puppeteering and pottery, were available.

Master Puppeteer Dr. Bob, or Robert Armstrong, came with materials that puppet makers could build from the ground up. Starting with a skewer and a marshmallow, kids and parents could craft a puppet with intricate details or a simple design.

Its all about character development, Dr. Bob said.

Other materials included colorful pipe cleaners, edible cake markers and googly eyes of different sizes. Anything added on is more depth to the puppet that tells more of its story.

Theres a lot of community outreach going on these days about getting to know your neighbor, Dr. Bob said. Something like this is super important because everybody loves to create. Its like the foundation of the youth.

At another station, necklace-makers were making use of an ingenious tool previously used by Indigenous Americans. The Native American pump drill was used to create holes in seashells so they could be strung onto a necklace.

The mechanics use the momentum of a platform pushed down by the user to spin a shaft that twists strands of rawhide connected to the platform. With a balance of timing, focus, patience and a little bit of dexterity, precision drilling can be done on each shell before it is strung onto a piece of jewelry.

Heading this section of Family Art Day was Patty Albrecht, who wore her own necklace complete with bones, shells, turquoise stone and beads that she created with this very same process.

Kids get so much more out of the crafts because of the self discipline involved. Albrecht said. Theres a sense of empowerment when they complete something.

On the grass next to the pavilion, a large set of bubble makers were laid out, waiting to be caught by the wind.

The soap buckets were filled by Spencer Klaus, who was observing the large bubbles as they floated by.

Its impermanent, Klaus said. Yet while it lasts, its quite enjoyable.

One of the more technical tables had a mixture of wood scraps alongside hot glue guns and wire that could be used to bind it all back together.

Liam Dunbar, 7, was putting the finishing touches on his unique structure that he calls the Hole-Pipe.

Im trying to build ramps and stuff for toys at home, like cars and motorcycles, Dunbar said.

Jamie Schell recalled how the idea formed, and how he became inspired to give kids a chance to think beyond outside of their usual box.

Being a furniture maker and a sculptor, I end up with a lot of scrap-type material, Schell said. I had a bin of scraps, and it got dumped over on the floor, then the kids just migrated to that pile of scraps and started stacking and building. They spent a couple hours just at it by themselves.

Some built rigid and straight shelters while others made abstract creations. Random objects were pieced together into truly unique works that kids were allowed to take home.

I think it definitely challenges them a lot more, Schell said.
Slavery in the American colonies was initiated in August 1619 with the first shipment of slaves arriving in Jamestown, Virginia; by the middle of the 1700s slavery could be found in all 13 colonies. Thousands of years of family history, culture and tradition was destroyed for the individual people who were captured and survived the trip to become slaves. For several generations the people who served as slaves were truncated from any family history and their own nuclear families were subject to dispersal at the whim of their owners. Slaves were prohibited from learning to read and were subject to the cruelest punishments a cruel owner could think of including being tortured to death.

Thomas Jefferson referred to slavery in his original draft of the Declaration of Independence and that passage initiated the most intense debate among the delegates gathered at Philadelphia in the spring and early summer of 1776:

He has waged cruel war against human nature itself, violating its most sacred rights of life and 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. This piratical warfare, the opprobrium of infidel powers, is the warfare of the Christian King of Great Britain. Determined to keep open a market where Men should be bought & sold, he has prostituted his negative for suppressing every legislative attempt to prohibit or restrain this execrable commerce. And that this assemblage of horrors might want no fact of distinguished die, he is now exciting those very people to rise in arms among us, and to purchase that liberty of which he has deprived them, by murdering the people on whom he has obtruded them: thus paying off former crimes committed again the Liberties of one people, with crimes which he urges them to commit against the lives of another.

He is King George III of England. Jefferson blamed the removal of this passage on delegates from South Carolina and Georgia and Northern delegates actively involved in the slave trade. The decision was based on economics, not Christian values.

The constitution forbade the federal government from banning the importation of slaves prior to January 1, 1808. In March 1807 congress passed a law prohibiting the importation of slaves effective January 1, 1808.

George Washington specified in his will that the slaves he owned were to be freed after Marthas death. Martha sought additional security to avoid the temptation of Washingtons slaves trying to speed up their freedom by speeding up her death.

Thomas Jefferson also considered freeing his slaves in his will but he was a poor money manager and he had cosigned a $20,000 loan for a friend who defaulted on the loan shortly before Jeffersons death so at his death Jeffersons slaves no longer belonged to him.

It has been 150 years Since the Emancipation Proclamation. The 13th Amendment to the Constitution Section 1 reads: Neither slavery nor involuntary servitude, except as a punishment for crime where of the party shall have been duly convicted, shall exist within the united State, or any place subject to their jurisdiction. The effect of this was that freed slaves were able to be picked up for loitering or vagrancy and put right back into slavery.

In 1954 (Brown V. Board of Education) the Supreme Court held that racial segregation of children in public schools violated the Equal Protection Clause of the 14th Amendment. This is when people started promoting the Confederate battle flag according to some people that lived in the south during the 1930s and 40s.

It has been more than 50 years since the Civil Rights Act and the Voter Rights Act were passed. A republic is a representative government. It might be hard to keep our republic if politicians limit the ability of the descendants of slaves, and other minorities, to vote for their representatives.

I student taught at Brown Junior High in Inner City Washington DC in the fall of 1971. All the students were black and so were the teachers, except for me. My college supervisor from Howard University, Constance Tolson, came to visit one day and some of the kids were acting up. Mrs. Tolson spent several minutes laying into that class on their behavior.

When Mr. Montplaisir goes back to North Dakota, what do you think he is going to tell those people about how little black boys and girls behave? . . . Youve heard of southern hospitality havent you? Who do you think taught those southern boys and girls how to behave towards their elders and how to treat people in a hospitable manner? It certainly wasnt those white mothers; it was the black women that were raising those white babies. It was black women raising white children with black culture and values that created southern hospitality. . . .

Mrs. Tolson went on about how the behavior some kids were exhibiting towards their parents, teachers and others was not black culture. If Id had better control on my class that day, I never would have heard that speech from an angry black woman lamenting the loss of black culture by the modern day kids of 1971.

Considering our history, it is not a surprise that immigrants who come to this country with their family histories and cultures in tack do better than some of the people who grew up in this country without their family histories and cultures.
Over the years, Garrison Keillor had a lot of fun with Norwegian bachelor farmers. Many of his stories about these characters were absolutely hilarious. Years ago, when I was attending the Air Force Command and Staff College, I ran into Southerners who were loyal listeners of Keillors Prairie Home Companion. Alabamans told me that they knew some of fellows Keillor talked about. Sure, they might not be Norwegian but they live right here in Alabama and I know them I was told.

Having grown up in the small Norwegian town of Peterson, I was acquainted with a bunch of them. There are some great stories. There was a 90-year-old bachelor farmer I knew that passed away not long ago.

I didnt get to know him until he was in his late 70s. He almost always had lunch, well dinner here in Minnesota, in a small cafe in Peterson. He always sat so he could watch a television in a corner to see how the stock market was doing.

There were rumors that he was well-to-do though he didnt look particularly prosperous. And he sure as heck didnt live that way. From time to time I tried to treat him to dessert. Nope, he wouldnt touch it. Spend money on dessert? No way.

One day he told me that he had lost a pick-up truck the previous day. What, I wanted to know, did someone steal your truck? No, he said, the stock market dropped and he had lost the equivalent dollar value of a new pick-up. Interesting I thought. Now I had two knowns and probable costs for a new pick-up. Given that information, I could easily figure out, within a range, of how much he was worth.

Holy Smoke, I thought when I did the math, he was worth some distance north of doing good. I wont get into specifics but he was doing quite well.

He was once given the honor of being the Grand Marshall in a local towns parade. He sat on a tractor that was not moving anywhere during part of the affair. I was there and kind of watched, from time to time, to see how he was doing. I noticed that there were a number of older ladies who stopped by to talk to him. His responses were pretty much yep and nope and yep and nope some more. I told him that he was not safe from the charms of the fairer sex until they started throwing dirt on top of him. He usually just grumbled a little. But he is safe now.

He contracted a fatal disease and knew he was dying. He was in a rest home and had an awful time seeing the picture on an old TV in his room. Would he spend just a few dollars on a new one that he could see? Of course not. That would cost money. An unidentified someone bought him a new TV with access to RFD TV. That he really enjoyed.

As he got closer to death, he thought there might be a few things he should take care of before he died. One was his funeral expenses. But when he was told him how much it would cost, he wouldnt pay it. Because? To pay the bill, he would have had to take money out of the stock market. Are you kidding, why would he take money out of the market when his stocks were doing so well he wanted to know?

But what about the funeral expenses people helping him wondered? Im not going to worry about that, you take care of it after Im gone he said. But I am not taking my money out a strong stock market run just for that.

Another concern was about the suit he would be buried in. He said that there was a suit hanging on a nail in a closet that he would like to be buried in. When he died, the suit was found on the nail as he described, but it wasnt even close to being presentable. It was old, badly stained, tattered, and was the suit he had worn many, many years before when he was the best man at the wedding of the parents of his now much older relatives.

What to do, what to do? They knew our bachelor farmer wouldnt have approved of using any stock sales just for a burial suit. They went looking in second hand stores and found a very nice one. Everything, including the shirt and tie, cost less than ten dollars. Our bachelor farmer would have approved and would have been very proud.

When he passed away, he was very generous with his church neighbors and many relatives. Our bachelor farmer had been the churchs treasurer for decades. My father once asked him if his small church had any money. Well, sometimes he said they were a little short. What did you do then my Dad asked? Well, he said he just made up the difference whatever it was.

He now is where Christians want to be and where he looked forward to going.

Is there an end to Norwegian (German, Irish, English, Polish, Swedish) bachelor farmer stories? Nah. You could spend your life documenting them and youd probably just scratch the surface.

For example, do you know about the Norwegian bachelor farmer who took on the fanciest pedigreed engineers from Ford, General Motors, and Chrysler and beat them? Well, no, thats not quite right. He actually whipped them. Formal education? All the way through eighth grade. He went to country school though so the educational advantage the Big Three automaker engineers had wasnt nearly as great as one might think. Maybe Ill write about him some time. If hell let me.
1967

Chuck King, local John Deere dealer, announced that he will be entering into a partnership for his retail farm equipment business. The new partner is Howard Miller, who is originally from Illinois. The new firm will be known as King-Miller Inc.

Columbus is nearly 125 years old, but it is now having its first murder trial. Charged with murder is Richard Roberts, who is accused of shooting Mrs. Walter Howe on March 11, who died of the gunshot wounds on May 11.

1977

The Columbus Hospital Auxiliary will be sponsoring a Tour of Homes. Included are the homes of Attorney and Mrs. Ted Long, Mr. and Mrs. Russell Seier and Mr. and Mrs. Richard Nordgord. Margaret Platz is chairman of the bake sale, to be held on the lawn of Dr. Rolf Chub Poser as a part of the tour.

Rick Goodinson, Glenn Dykstra and Dennis Langfeldt won first place in the water battles at the Fall River Firemans Festival.

1987

The Columbus Chamber of Commerce sponsored sale-bration activities that included a Pajama Party for adults and a big-wheel race for children. Downtown merchants were offering special Moonlight Madness sales.

The Columbus Public Library was selected as one of 10 libraries to participate in a book discussion programming on the 200th anniversary of the signing of the United States Constitution.

1997

Mert Walcott has just completed chairing and organizing his 16th annual Washboiler Dinner sponsored by the Columbus Kiwanis Club. Corn on the cob, cabbage, onions, potatoes and polish sausages cooked in 17 washboilers on a camp stove, and 450 persons were served at the dinner. Mert remarked that At 85, I thought I could retire, but it doesnt look that way!
People from all over Wisconsin and other states including Kansas, Florida and Pennsylvania and from as far away as other countries such as Guatemala, Portugal and even the Netherlands showed up to attempt a record-breaking throw at the 43rd annual Wisconsin State Cow Chip Throw and Festival Sept. 2 at Marion Park in Prairie du Sac.

Each contestant received two chips to throw with the chip landing the furthest within bounds counting. Chips had to be at least six inches in diameter. If the chip breaks up during the throw, the piece landing the farthest is the one thats counted, according to the official rules.

Prairie du Sac resident Josh Sheard, a physical education teacher with the Sauk Prairie School District, said he came back to compete in the festival after many years.

Sheard grew up in Prairie du Sac about a block away from Grand Avenue School and said he always came to the event with his family to watch people throw in the contest. For a while I havent thrown just because I was away at college and stuff, Sheard said. This is the first time Ive done it in a long time; I probably did it when I was in elementary school but havent been able to get back here for a while.

Sheard wasnt too impressed with his throws. Well Im not on the leaderboard, I think I chose the wrong chips, he said. I think you want a flatter piece and I didnt go for a flatter piece. You want something a little bit dense so it doesnt fall apart.

While Jamie and Nathan Weyh of Baraboo didnt come to participate in the throw, they said they had fun watching it with their family.

At the event for the first time, the Weyhs originally came for the 5K run.

This is our first time; the reason we found it is because my daughter Haylie ran the 5k this morning, Jamie Weyh said. Shes in seventh grade and runs cross country so we find 5ks around the area so that led us here.

Jamie Weyh said they have enjoyed checking out all the Wisconsin State Cow Chip Throw and Festival has to offer.

Its a great event; we went to the parade for a while, and we listened to the band and we got to watch the cloggers, Jamie Weyh said. Weve also bought some souvenirs and enjoyed the food as well.

Its a lot of people who are really loyal to the community, Nathan Weyh said. Everybody who is here is having a good time and you can just tell.

Also new to the Wisconsin State Cow Chip Throw and Festival was Andrea Roggenbuck, who sells homemade bubble wands. The arts and crafts fair featured more than 120 vendors and exhibits selling everything from furniture and lawn decorations to picture frames, baskets, quilts, ceramics, stained glass and more.

As a first time vendor in the arts and crafts fair, Roggenbuck, who hails from the Wausau area, said she started expanding her online business to festivals over the past year.

Its been really good; its been a lot of fun; its a great atmosphere, Roggenbuck said. I searched a lot of different craft shows and this one came into my radar and I wanted to give it a try. So far its proven to really be a great show.
A new report shows the state Ethics Commission, in its first year in operation, investigated just one alleged violation of ethics, campaign finance and lobbying laws  a far less active investigatory pace than its predecessor, the Government Accountability Board.

The disclosure comes from the first annual report issued by the commission, which, along with a new Elections Commission, replaced the accountability board last year.

The report gives a glimpse into the commissions workings, much of which are shrouded, by law, in secrecy. Hidden from public view under the law are complaints to the commission alleging violations of ethics, campaign finance or lobbying laws, as well as deliberations by the bipartisan, six-member commission on whether to investigate complaints.

From July 2016 through June 2017, the commission fielded 39 complaints of alleged legal violations, according to the commissions administrator, Brian Bell.

Thirty of those were within the commissions jurisdiction, and one led to an investigation of alleged use of public resources for private benefit, according to the report. Bell said the investigation is ongoing, precluding the release of further details about it.

The commission fielded 18 requests for legal advice and issued 14 legal opinions in response, according to the report. It also provides recommendations to lawmakers to clarify and streamline ethics, campaign finance and lobbying laws.

Republican lawmakers and Gov. Scott Walker passed a law in 2015 creating the commissions, contending the accountability boards approach was partisan, inconsistent and too guided by staffers. The accountability board came under particularly fierce fire for its role in the secret criminal probe into ties between Walkers campaign and outside conservative groups, which the state Supreme Court ended in 2015.

Critics of the creation of the Ethics Commission, which included Democrats and government-transparency groups, predicted it would be a far less aggressive watchdog of state ethics and campaign finance laws.

But Assembly Speaker Robin Vos, R-Rochester, said the commission has proven to be responsive to legislators and staff.

The Commissions success should not be judged based on the number of investigations but whether violations were prevented and the laws were followed, Vos said. The people of Wisconsin should be pleased that the new bipartisan commission is working and that the state is no longer operating under the Government Accountability Board, which was used as an instrument for partisan witch hunts.

Senate Majority Leader Scott Fitzgerald, R-Juneau, declined to comment.

More investigations in previous years

Investigating alleged violations of those laws is one  though not the only  means by which the commission may ensure compliance.

From fiscal 2010-11 through 2012-13, the now-defunct accountability board conducted 17 investigations of ethics, campaign finance or lobbying matters. That information is public through a 2015 audit of the accountability board by the states Legislative Audit Bureau.

The former director of the accountability board, Kevin Kennedy, said the three-year period examined in the audit is an imperfect benchmark because it included the recall elections of 2011 and 2012, which he said triggered an unusually large volume of complaints.

Bell said attempting to draw conclusions from the volume of enforcement actions by the commission could be quite misleading. He said the pace of investigations can be dictated by election cycles, which tend to bring more complaints, and other factors such as the extent to which candidates, elected officials and groups regulated by the commissions are educated on the law.

Other factors in play

A legal change that requires subjects to be notified when a complaint is filed also may play a role in the drop-off of investigations, Bell said. The law allows subjects of complaints to respond quickly and in writing, which Bell said gives commissioners both sides of the story when considering whether to open an investigation.

A new state law dialing back state campaign finance regulations also may play a role, said Kennedy and Jay Heck, director of Common Cause in Wisconsin, a nonpartisan government-transparency group that opposed the creation of the commission. That law was passed in tandem with the one creating the Ethics and Elections commissions.

Theres much less for (the Ethics Commission) to investigate because theres less regulation, Heck said.

The commission also is more restricted in its ability to probe alleged wrongdoing than was the accountability board, in part because it may not initiate investigations; it may only investigate in response to allegations made in formal complaints.

Heck said the report shows the Ethics Commission is operating exactly as it was designed.

It was designed to take a hands-off approach, Heck said.

Bell said the commission has taken other steps to boost enforcement and compliance. It increased auditing of campaign finance and other reporting, Bell said, and automated functions that enable staffers to respond more swiftly to complaints or requests for legal advice.

I would estimate that even though the Ethics Commission has a considerably smaller staff than the GAB did, we have either maintained or improved upon the timeliness with which the Ethics Commission has responded, Bell said.




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Denise Brandenbury, of Woonsocket, was at the Rhode Island Blood Center in Woonsocket Thursday donating blood, which has seen a large influx of new donors in the wake of the devastation in Texas as a result of Hurricane Harvey.
Friends and family members of Taylor Johnson and Marsha Crowley attend a vigil Friday night at the site where they were killed earlier this week on Mendon Road.
Eight boxes of unprocessed court records from the Coulee Region Joint Municipal Court contain a lot of information  and require a lot of answers that taxpayers have a right to know.

Thanks to a new court supervisor, an unknown number of tickets and court cases  possibly everything from unprosecuted citations to unreported convictions  were discovered.

The Onalaska city administrator has asked the city attorney to investigate.

When the investigation is finished, the public deserves a full accounting:

How many cases have gone unprosecuted  and what will happen to those cases?

How much money was potentially lost with unprosecuted cases  and how much money did the investigation of this nonsense cost taxpayers?

Was this merely clerical incompetence, or were select cases boxed up and shoved in the corner to pay off favors?

How long did this go on before it was discovered?

Who was responsible for the mess and what are or were the consequences?

We need answers to all of those questions  and we need them quickly.

The Coulee Region Joint Municipal Court was founded in 2003 as a collaborative way of handling thousands of ordinance and traffic tickets each year.

The court serves Onalaska, Bangor, Holmen, Rockland, West Salem, Campbell, Holland and Shelby.

We like the collaborative approach. We dont like the apparent lack of oversight.

When everyone is in charge, no one is.

Eric Rindfleisch told Tribune reporter Anne Jungen: I technically have little administrative authority within the Coulee Region Joint Municipal Court, but as the new administrator for the city of Onalaska, I took action so we can clean up the files and ensure all the work of the court in the past was done correctly.

Thats the right approach, but this investigation needs to be on the fast track. The Joint Municipal Court Committee  made up of representatives of the various municipalities  isnt scheduled to meet until Oct. 19, but the public deserves answers much sooner.

This is a violation of public trust  and that trust can only be regained with a full report that answers the questions.

Someone needs to take charge of this mess and assure taxpayers that there will be administrative oversight going forward to make sure we can trust that the court is operating properly.
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (AP) - Florida Gov. Rick Scott wants Congress to take action to let young immigrants brought into the country illegally by their parents to remain in the United States.

Scott late Friday jumped into the debate over the fate of the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program, or DACA, which has given nearly 800,000 young immigrants the ability to work legally in the country and a reprieve from deportation. President Donald Trump is expected to announce next week his plans for the program.

The Republican governor said in a statement that "I do not favor punishing children for the actions of their parents."

Scott, who is expected to challenge U.S. Sen. Bill Nelson next year, did say that then-President Barack Obama was wrong to create the program by executive order.
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (AP) - A Florida man convicted of killing two people more than three decades ago is once again scheduled to be executed.

Gov. Rick Scott signed a death warrant Friday for 57-year-old Michael Ray Lambrix, also known as Cary Michael Lambrix. The execution is set for Oct. 5.

Lambrix was convicted of the 1983 killings of Clarence Moore and Aleisha Bryant. Prosecutors said he killed them after an evening of drinking at his trailer near LaBelle, about 30 miles from Fort Myers.

Lambrix was scheduled to be executed last year, but it was delayed after a U.S. Supreme Court decision found the state's death penalty law unconstitutional. State legislators have since changed the law twice.

This marks the third time in 30 years that Lambrix's execution has been scheduled.
TIFTON, Ga. (WTXL) - According to the Georgia Bureau of Investigation (GBI), A joint investigation with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (BATF) and the Tift County Sheriffs Office has led to the arrest of a Tifton man for manufacture/possession of explosive devices.

On Tuesday, August 29, 2017, the GBIs Bomb Disposal Unit was requested by the Tifton Police Department to assist with a post blast investigation. During the early morning hours of Sunday, August 27, 2017, authorities say a destructive device was placed on an empty vehicle in the employee parking lot at Tift Regional Medical Center. According to the GBI, the device was timed and detonated, causing moderate damage to the vehicle. No one was injured.

Officials say further investigation determined this incident was related to three other similar cases that occurred in the area from December 24, 2015 to now.

The multi-agency investigation resulted in the arrest of Douglas Kennedy, 72. Officials say a search of Kennedys home found a large amount of explosives and bomb making material.

Authorities say Kennedy has been charged with four counts of manufacture/possession of an explosive device, four counts of criminal damage to property, one count of aggravated assault, and two counts of possession of a firearm by a convicted felon.

The GBI says the investigation into these cases is ongoing and additional charges are expected. Anyone with information concerning the case is asked to call the GBI office in Sylvester at 229-777-2080 or the Tift County Sheriffs Office at (229) 388-6020.
TIFT COUNTY, Ga. (WTXL) - An investigation is underway after a woman died and a man was seriously hurt after a police chase.

A Georgia State Patrol trooper said Saturday that Michael Canady, 42, hit a GSP patrol car Friday night and kept driving, leading the trooper inside on a chase.

Authorities say Canady lost control of his car and drove into a yard and hit a home in the 400 block of 17th Street. Troopers say two people, a man and a woman, were in the yard and were hit by Canadys car.

The female, identified as Ruthie Richardson, 59, died from her injuries. The man was seriously hurt.

Wonder Richardson, 36, is grieving the loss of his mother, saying: "It's a hurting feeling. You know to lose your mom like that you know. Having your mom taken away from you like that."

Troopers say Canady will be charged with multiple charges, including homicide by vehicle, reckless driving, DUI, aggravated assault, and various traffic charges.

The crash is still under investigation.
State Department of Transportation officials have extended the closure of State Route 410 through at least Wednesday night.
Franklin County Sheriff deputies and Washington State Patrol trooper investigate the scene on Highway 395 about three miles north of Pasco, where a man was shot in the leg on Aug. 18. Witnesses have remained silent about the incident, which is still under investigation. Watch a video at tricityherald.com/video Bob Brawdy Tri-City Herald
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(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 (4) Jun 26 (4) Jun 25 (4) Jun 24 (4) Jun 23 (4) Jun 22 (6) Jun 21 (3) Jun 20 (3) Jun 19 (6) Jun 18 (5) Jun 17 (5) Jun 16 (5) Jun 15 (4) Jun 14 (4) Jun 13 (5) Jun 12 (4) Jun 11 (3) Jun 10 (4) Jun 09 (3) Jun 08 (3) Jun 07 (4) Jun 06 (3) Jun 05 (4) Jun 04 (5) Jun 03 (5) Jun 02 (4) Jun 01 (5) May 31 (4) May 30 (4) May 29 (4) May 28 (5) May 27 (5) May 26 (5) May 25 (4) May 24 (5) May 23 (4) May 22 (4) May 21 (3) May 20 (6) May 19 (4) May 18 (4) May 17 (4) May 16 (5) May 15 (3) May 14 (3) May 13 (4) May 12 (3) May 11 (3) May 10 (3) May 09 (3) May 08 (3) May 07 (3) May 06 (3) May 05 (3) May 04 (3) May 03 (3) May 02 (3) May 01 (4) Apr 30 (4) Apr 29 (6) Apr 28 (3) Apr 27 (3) Apr 26 (3) Apr 25 (4) Apr 24 (4) Apr 23 (3) Apr 22 (3) Apr 21 (4) Apr 20 (3) Apr 19 (3) Apr 18 (3) Apr 17 (6) Apr 16 (3) Apr 15 (4) Apr 14 (3) Apr 13 (6) Apr 12 (4) Apr 11 (4) Apr 10 (5) Apr 09 (7) Apr 08 (3) Apr 07 (4) Apr 06 (4) Apr 05 (4) Apr 04 (6) Apr 03 (4) Apr 02 (4) Apr 01 (3) Mar 31 (4) Mar 30 (5) Mar 29 (5) Mar 28 (6) Mar 27 (5) Mar 26 (5) Mar 25 (3) Mar 24 (4) Mar 23 (3) Mar 22 (3) Mar 21 (5) Mar 20 (3) Mar 19 (5) Mar 18 (4) Mar 17 (5) Mar 16 (5) Mar 15 (3) Mar 14 (6) Mar 13 (4) Mar 12 (4) Mar 11 (5) Mar 10 (4) Mar 09 (7) Mar 08 (5) Mar 07 (5) Mar 06 (6) Mar 05 (4) Mar 04 (4) Mar 03 (4) Mar 02 (6) Mar 01 (4) Feb 28 (4) Feb 27 (4) Feb 26 (5) Feb 25 (4) Feb 24 (5) Feb 23 (5) Feb 22 (6) Feb 21 (6) Feb 20 (3) Feb 19 (6) Feb 18 (7) Feb 17 (4) Feb 16 (5) Feb 15 (7) Feb 14 (5) Feb 13 (5) Feb 12 (6) Feb 11 (8) Feb 10 (4) Feb 09 (6) Feb 08 (4) Feb 07 (3) Feb 06 (6) Feb 05 (3) Feb 04 (6) Feb 03 (4) Feb 02 (3) Feb 01 (4) Jan 31 (5) Jan 30 (4) Jan 29 (6) Jan 28 (3) Jan 27 (6) Jan 26 (6) Jan 25 (4) Jan 24 (5) Jan 23 (5) Jan 22 (5) Jan 21 (5) Jan 20 (5) Jan 19 (5) Jan 18 (4) Jan 17 (6) Jan 16 (4) Jan 15 (3) Jan 14 (5) Jan 13 (3) Jan 12 (4) Jan 11 (5) Jan 10 (3) Jan 09 (6) Jan 08 (5) Jan 07 (4) Jan 06 (5) Jan 05 (6) Jan 04 (4) Jan 03 (3) Jan 02 (2) Jan 01 (4) Dec 31 (3) Dec 30 (3) Dec 29 (5) Dec 28 (3) Dec 27 (3) Dec 26 (4) Dec 25 (4) Dec 24 (3) Dec 23 (4) Dec 22 (5) Dec 21 (3) Dec 20 (4) Dec 19 (4) Dec 18 (7) Dec 17 (5) Dec 16 (5) Dec 15 (5) Dec 14 (5) Dec 13 (3) Dec 12 (3) Dec 11 (6) Dec 10 (4) Dec 09 (3) Dec 08 (5) Dec 07 (4) Dec 06 (3) Dec 05 (4) Dec 04 (5) Dec 03 (5) Dec 02 (3) Dec 01 (6) Nov 30 (5) Nov 29 (3) Nov 28 (4) Nov 27 (4) Nov 26 (3) Nov 25 (5) Nov 24 (3) Nov 23 (4) Nov 22 (4) Nov 21 (4) Nov 20 (5) Nov 19 (5) Nov 18 (4) Nov 17 (5) Nov 16 (3) Nov 15 (4) Nov 14 (4) Nov 13 (4) Nov 12 (4) Nov 11 (3) Nov 10 (4) Nov 09 (4) Nov 08 (3) Nov 07 (5) Nov 06 (4) Nov 05 (4) Nov 04 (5) Nov 03 (4) Nov 02 (3) Nov 01 (4) Oct 31 (3) Oct 30 (5) Oct 29 (4) Oct 28 (5) Oct 27 (5) Oct 26 (4) Oct 25 (3) Oct 24 (3) Oct 23 (5) Oct 22 (3) Oct 21 (4) Oct 20 (2) Oct 19 (4) Oct 18 (2) Oct 17 (3) Oct 16 (4) Oct 15 (5) Oct 14 (4) Oct 13 (3) Oct 12 (4) Oct 11 (4) Oct 10 (2) Oct 09 (5) Oct 08 (3) Oct 07 (3) Oct 06 (3) Oct 05 (5) Oct 04 (3) Oct 03 (6) Oct 02 (4) Oct 01 (3) Sep 30 (5) Sep 29 (3) Sep 28 (6) Sep 27 (4) Sep 26 (4) Sep 25 (5) Sep 24 (3) Sep 23 (3) Sep 22 (4) Sep 21 (4) Sep 20 (2) Sep 19 (4) Sep 18 (4) Sep 17 (4) Sep 16 (4) Sep 15 (5) Sep 14 (5) Sep 13 (4) Sep 12 (4) Sep 11 (5) Sep 10 (3) Sep 09 (3) Sep 08 (3) Sep 07 (3) Sep 06 (3) Sep 05 (6) Sep 04 (5) Sep 03 (4) Sep 02 (4) Sep 01 (4) Aug 31 (4) Aug 30 (4) Aug 29 (2) Aug 28 (3) Aug 27 (2) Aug 26 (3) Aug 25 (3) Aug 24 (4) Aug 23 (4) Aug 22 (2) Aug 21 (5) Aug 20 (3) Aug 19 (4) Aug 18 (4) Aug 17 (3) Aug 16 (2) Aug 15 (3) Aug 14 (3) Aug 13 (4) Aug 12 (3) Aug 11 (4) Aug 10 (3) Aug 09 (3) Aug 08 (3) Aug 07 (6) Aug 06 (3) Aug 05 (4) Aug 04 (5) Aug 03 (4) Aug 02 (3) Aug 01 (3) Jul 31 (3) Jul 30 (4) Jul 29 (3) Jul 28 (4) Jul 27 (4) Jul 26 (3) Jul 25 (3) Jul 24 (4) Jul 23 (3) Jul 22 (3) Jul 21 (2) Jul 20 (3) Jul 19 (4) Jul 18 (3) Jul 17 (4) Jul 16 (3) Jul 15 (5) Jul 14 (3) Jul 13 (4) Jul 12 (5) Jul 11 (4) Jul 10 (4) Jul 09 (8) Jul 08 (6) Jul 07 (4) Jul 06 (3) Jul 05 (3) Jul 04 (4) Jul 03 (3) Jul 02 (4) Jul 01 (5) Jun 30 (3) Jun 29 (4) Jun 28 (3) Jun 27 (3) Jun 26 (4) Jun 25 (3) Jun 24 (3) Jun 23 (3) Jun 22 (2) Jun 21 (1) Jun 20 (2) Jun 19 (2) Jun 18 (4) Jun 17 (4) Jun 16 (3) Jun 15 (7) Jun 14 (3) Jun 13 (3) Jun 12 (5) Jun 11 (4) Jun 10 (3) Jun 09 (4) Jun 08 (3) Jun 07 (5) Jun 06 (3) Jun 05 (4) Jun 04 (4) Jun 03 (4) Jun 02 (3) Jun 01 (4) May 31 (3) May 30 (3) May 29 (3) May 28 (3) May 27 (3) May 26 (3) May 25 (4) May 24 (2) May 23 (4) May 22 (3) May 21 (2) May 20 (3) May 19 (2) May 18 (4) May 17 (4) May 16 (3) May 15 (2) May 14 (6) May 13 (4) May 12 (2) May 11 (3) May 10 (2) May 09 (3) May 08 (4) May 07 (4) May 06 (3) May 05 (3) May 04 (4) May 03 (3) May 02 (4) May 01 (3) Apr 30 (2) Apr 29 (5) Apr 28 (2) Apr 27 (2) Apr 26 (3) Apr 25 (3) Apr 24 (4) Apr 23 (4) Apr 22 (2) Apr 21 (3) Apr 20 (2) Apr 19 (3) Apr 18 (5) Apr 17 (4) Apr 16 (3) Apr 15 (2) Apr 14 (4) Apr 13 (5) Apr 12 (3) Apr 11 (3) Apr 10 (5) Apr 09 (4) Apr 08 (4) Apr 07 (3) Apr 06 (4) Apr 05 (4) Apr 04 (4) Apr 03 (4) Apr 02 (5) Apr 01 (6) Mar 31 (2) Mar 30 (5) Mar 29 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SEOUL - North Korea claimed Sunday it has successfully conducted test of hydrogen bomb meant for intercontinental ballistic missile, hours after Japan and South Korea confirmed the North had detonated its sixth and most powerful nuclear test.

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The hydrogen bomb test ordered by leader Kim Jong Un was a "perfect success" and was a "meaningful" step in completing the country's nuclear weapons program, state television said.

The announcement came hours after Japan and South Korea detected an artificial earthquake at 12:29 pm local time, originating in Kilju, northern Hamgyong province, near the North's test sitemeasured by the US Geological Survey (USGS) at magnitude 6.3with meteorological officials saying it was around 10 times more powerful than previous detonations.





Photo: Reuters

China's earthquake administration detected a second tremor of magnitude 4.6 in North Korea minutes after the first. It described the event as a cave-in. South Korea's weather agency, however, said no second quake occurred.

The move is a direct challenge to US President Donald Trump, who hours earlier had talked by phone with Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe about the "escalating" nuclear crisis in the region.

The US State Department had no immediate reaction. South Korea's presidential office said it will hold a National Security Council meeting chaired by President Moon Jae-in. South Korea's military said it has strengthened its monitoring and readiness while mulling a variety of possible responses that could be executed in collaboration with the US.



Japan immediately raised the prospect of further sanctions against the isolated North, with Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga saying that curbs on its oil trade would be on the table.

"It is absolutely unacceptable if North Korea did force another nuclear test, and we must protest strongly," Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe said.

A US official who studies North Korea's military and politics said that seismic data on the tremors was being analyzed, although the location suggested another nuclear test.

The official, who spoke on the condition of anonymity, said it was too early to determine if a testif there was onesupported the North's claim that has succeeded in developing a thermonuclear weapon, "much less one that could be mounted on an ICBM and re-enter Earth's atmosphere without burning up."

The hydrogen bomb report by North Korea's official KCNA news agency comes amid heightened regional tension following Pyongyang's two tests of intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBM) in July that potentially could fly about 10,000 km (6,200 miles), putting many parts of the mainland United States within range.

Under third-generation leader Kim Jong Un, North Korea has been pursuing a nuclear device small and light enough to fit on a long-range ballistic missile, without affecting its range and making it capable of surviving re-entry into the Earth's atmosphere.

One expert said the size of Sunday's detonation meant it was possible it could be a hydrogen bomb test.

"The power is 10 or 20 times or even more than previous ones," Said Kune Y. Suh, a nuclear engineering professor at Seoul National University. "That scale is to the level where anyone can say a hydrogen bomb test."

'Manmade' earthquake

Witnesses in the Chinese city of Yanji, on the border with North Korea, said they felt a tremor that lasted roughly 10 seconds, followed by an aftershock. China said it had detected a second, 4.6 magnitude quake with near identical coordinates eight minutes later.

South Korea's military said the first earthquake "appeared to be manmade." Japan said it had concluded there was a nuclear test.

"North Korea's mission is quite clear when it comes to this latest atomic test: to develop a nuclear arsenal that can strike all of Asia and the US homeland," Harry Kazianis, director of defence studies at the conservative Center for the National Interest in Washington, said.

"This test is just another step towards such a goal. None of us should be shocked by Pyongyang's latest actions."

Photo: Reuters

Vipin Narang, a Massachusetts Institute of Technology professor specializing in nuclear strategy, said before the earthquake that it's important to note that the photos showed only a mockup of a two-stage thermonuclear device, or H-bomb. "We won't know what they have until they test it, and even then there may be a great deal of uncertainty depending on the yield and seismic signature and any isotopes we can detect after a test," he said.

It is almost impossible to independently confirm North Korean statements about its highly secret weapons program. It is clear, however, that each new missile and nuclear test gives the North invaluable information that allows big jumps in capability. A key question is how far North Korea has gotten in efforts to consistently shrink down nuclear warheads so they can fit on long-range missiles.

"Though we cannot verify the claim, (North Korea) wants us to believe that it can launch a thermonuclear strike now, if it is attacked," Adam Mount, a senior fellow at the Center for American Progress, said before the quake. "Importantly, (North Korea) will also want to test this warhead, probably at a larger yield, to demonstrate this capability."

Earthquakes triggered by North Korean nuclear tests have gradually increased in magnitude since Pyongyang's first test in 2006, indicating the isolated country is steadily improving the destructive power of its nuclear technology.

After the fifth nuclear test in September, USGS measured a magnitude of 5.3. while South Korean monitors said the blast caused a 5.0 magnitude earthquake.

North Korea, which carries out its nuclear and missile programs in defiance of UN Security Council resolutions and sanctions, "recently succeeded" in making a more advanced hydrogen bomb that will be loaded on to an ICBM, KCNA said.

"The H-bomb, the explosive power of which is adjustable from tens kiloton to hundreds kiloton, is a multi-functional thermonuclear nuke with great destructive power," KCNA said.

"All components of the H-bomb were homemade and all the processes ... were put on the Juche basis, thus enabling the country to produce powerful nuclear weapons as many as it wants," KCNA quoted Kim as saying.

Juche is North Korea's homegrown ideology of self-reliance that is a mix of Marxism and extreme nationalism preached by state founder Kim Il Sung, the current leader's grandfather. It says its weapons programs are needed to counter US aggression.

North Korea offered no evidence for its latest claim, and Kim Dong-yub, a military expert at Kyungnam University's Institute of Far Eastern Studies in Seoul, was skeptical.

"Referring to tens to hundreds of kilotons, it doesn't appear to be talking about a fully fledged H-bomb. It's more likely a boosted nuclear device," Kim said, referring to an atomic bomb which uses some hydrogen isotopes to boost explosive yield.

A hydrogen bomb can achieve thousands of kilotons of explosive yieldmassively more powerful than some 10 to 15 kilotons that North Korea's last nuclear test in September was estimated to have produced, similar to the bomb dropped on Hiroshima, Japan, in 1945.

Hourglass-shaped device

Kim Jong Un, who visited the country's nuclear weapons institute, "watched an H-bomb to be loaded into new ICBM" and "set forth tasks to be fulfilled in the research into nukes," KCNA said.

Pictures released by the agency showed Kim inspecting a silver-colored, hourglass-shaped warhead in the visit accompanied by nuclear scientists.

The shape shows a marked difference from pictures of the ball-shaped device North Korea released in March last year, and appears to indicate the appearance of a two-stage thermonuclear weapon, or a hydrogen bomb, said Lee Choon-geun, senior research fellow at state-run Science and Technology Policy Institute.

"The pictures show a more complete form of a possible hydrogen bomb, with a primary fission bomb and a secondary fusion stage connected together in an hourglass shape," Lee said.

Photo: Reuters

North Korea's nuclear and missile program has made huge strides since Kim rose to power following his father's death in late 2011. The North followed its two tests of Hwasong-14 ICBMs by threatening in August to launch a salvo of its Hwasong-12 intermediate range missiles toward the US Pacific island territory of Guam. US President Donald Trump said Pyongyang would face "fire and fury" if it threatened the United States.

The North flew a Hwasong-12 over northern Japan last week, the first such overflight by a missile capable of carrying nukes, in a launch Kim described as a "meaningful prelude" to containing Guam, the home of major US military facilities, and more ballistic missile tests targeting the Pacific.

The United States has repeatedly urged China, the North's sole major ally, to do more to rein in its neighbor.

Impoverished North Korea and the rich, democratic South are technically still at war because their 1950-53 conflict ended in a truce, not a peace treaty. The North regularly threatens to destroy the South and its main ally, the United States.
An IDF soldier was able to briefly escape Prison 4 in Tzrifin on Thursday and was caught four hours later.

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The soldier claimed he was beaten by the Military Police officers while in handcuffs after they captured him, leaving him with bruising to his face and upper body, a cut near his eye and hemorrhaging in his head.

The soldier was jailed by the Military Police last Wednesday after a nine-month absence from service.





Prison 4 (Photo: Amit Shabi)

According to the soldier, he decided to escape the very next day due to the serious mental issues he is suffering from.

An initial investigation found the soldier was able to escape the military prison in a similar way as other prisoners in the past.

On Thursday, around 9pm, he climbed on the roof of the prison's synagogue wearing nothing but an undershirt and boxer shorts. He jumped from there onto the roof of Company C's mess hall, then onto the roof of Company A's mess hall. He then jumped over the prison fence and made his way to Shikun HaMizrah neighborhood in Rishon Lezion.

Immediately upon discovering he was gone, four teams of Military Police went out to look for him, searching the Tzrifin base as well as train stations in central Rishon Lezion and in Lod.

He was eventually found close to midnight by his company commander near the Beit Dagan Junction, suffering from exhaustion.

He escaped shortly before an indictment could be filed against him for desertion.

Prison 4 (Photo: Yariv Katz)

Now, the military prosecution is planning to also charge him with escaping custody, despite claims by his lawyer Idan Dvir that the arrest order against his client was invalid.

"He was detained for 11 hours without an arrest order, and this should be taken under consideration. The detainee was beaten by the military police on his way back to prison, in the car, while handcuffed," Dvir said.

The soldier's remand was extended on Friday until Sunday at noon.

The IDF said in response that "the claim that force was used against the deserter because he resisted arrest is being examined. The incident will be investigated in full and the necessary conclusions will be drawn."

This is not the first time detainees at Prison 4 manage to escape. Four years ago, a dangerous prisoner held in maximum security was able to escape twice over the course of a month and was found only after extensive searches in southern Israel.

Following that prison break, the IDF's Manpower Directorate decided to dismiss some of the officers serving at the prison, including the facility's commandera lieutenant colonel.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu addressed the asylum seeker issue and his visit to the neighborhoods of south Tel Aviv last week.

"These aren't refugees," Netanyahu said at the beginning of the cabinet meeting, "or most of them aren't. Most of them are only looking for jobs."

"We need to safeguard our borders," Netanyahu added. "We'll be creating a special ministerial team today to meet with residents there every few weeks. Our main goal is to return these neighborhoods to their residents and to remove illegal aliens who don't belong here from Israel."
A multiyear program, the first of its kind, will be presented to the cabinet Sunday that would combine the development of all 147 infrastructure projects planned in Israel for 2017-2021 to the tune of NIS 116 billion ($32 billion).

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The program was drafted after the government reached a decision in August of last year to map out all national infrastructural projects in transportation, education, welfare, environmental protection, agriculture, energy and more.

This newly drafted list contains every infrastructure project in Israel according to the following criteria: its cost is estimated to be more than NIS 100 million, its economic feasibility was examined, and a governmental decision or budgetary arrangement is in place to finance it.

Highway 531, inaugurated just this year (Photo: Netivei Israel)

"We're continuing the infrastructure investment and construction upswing all across Israel," Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said. "We'll continue bringing the periphery closer to the center for the benefit of all Israelis and build more roads, interchanges and train tracks."

"This program will allow the government to provide Israel's citizens with better service in transportation, energy, health and many other fields," he added.

"Mapping the project is a crucial first step in raising foreign investment in infrastructure, in increasing those investments and in developing the Israeli economy," noted Director-General of the Prime Minister's Office, Eli Groner.

"The program was put together in light of insights stemming from meetings we held with international investment bodies that consider Israel a preferred destination for investment in infrastructure," Groner said. "Making the program known to the public is yet another component in integrating effective organizational culture relating to planning and monitoring to the civil service. Transparency in the government's main areas of activity further leverages improving it."

Bank of Governor Karnit Flug told the ministers that improving public transport infrastructure would be one area of investment.

"The level of infrastructure in Israel is insufficient, particularly in the area of public transportation, and mainly in the major cities, but also in the electricity delivery system and in communication infrastructure," Flug said.

"The volume of annual investment is low by international comparison, and we are therefore not closing the gap in the level of infrastructure compared to other advanced economies, which weighs down productivity and the growth potential of the economy."

Flug said the government should set up a special unit to specialize in the management and monitoring of public-private partnership (PPP) tenders and contracts.

"It is important that an informed estimation of the costs be made, and that the budgetary sources be defined, in order to avoid stopping projects and sharp cutbacks in projects as has happened in the past at times of budgetary stress," she said.

Large investment in transportation

Most of the projects the list showcases are in transportation63 of the 147 total projectswith 51% of the construction costs coming from the light rail projects in Tel Aviv, Jerusalem and Haifa, 22% from building new roads, 15% from building train tracks, 5% from creating new public transport lanes, an additional 3% for high-capacity urban public-transit system, 1% for bike lanes and more.

The light rail's forthcoming green line, for instanceset to connect Rishon Lezion, Tel Aviv and Herzliyawill encompass a public-private partnership: the line's lower structure will be publically funded whereas the uppermost structure will be operated as a public-private partnership through franchising to private firms.

Minister of Transportation Katz unveiling the light rail's red line (Photo: Moti Kimchi)

The same goes for the purple line between Ramat Gan and Tel Aviv and the green line in Jerusalem connecting the Gilo neighborhood with the Government Quarter.

Similar methods will be utilized to obtain funding for high-speed lanes planned on Highway 20 and Highway 2, expected to open 2025, and on Highway 16, expected to open a year prior.

In energy, 61% of construction costs go to projects in power, 14% to water-conduction systems, 12% to gas infrastructures, 11% to sewage conduction and 2% to fuel and LPG (liquefied petroleum gas) projects.

Examined according to the Ministry of Interior's division to districts, 31% of infrastructure investment in the program will go to projects in the central district, 27% to Tel Aviv projects, 17% to the northern district, 10% to the southern, 9% to Jerusalem, 5% to Haifa and 1% to the West Bank.

Prime Minister Netanyahu and Minister of Transportation Yisrael Katz at a ceremony for the Valley train in Afula (Photo: Avihu Shapira)

The next cabinet meeting will also discuss a decision to appoint an overseeing team to accompany the project, set to include Groner, the accountant general and the director of budgets. This team will monitor the projects' implementation and expand their suitability to implementation and financing through the private sector. The team will also work to improve the structure of tenders and to increase infrastructure transparency to the government, public and investors alike.

The main principle behind the program and its many attendant details is constructing new managerial methods to invest in Israeli infrastructure. To that end, for instance, each ministry will have to examine whether a prospective infrastructure investment project is suitable for foreign or other outer-governmental investment.

A rather stunning statistic shows only 6% of infrastructural projects in Israel bring the private sector into the fold, while foreign investment funds are yearning to invest in Israel. Another added effect of outsourcing certain financing to the private sector is that the government is not bound by budgetary constraints when it does so.

Work on the Tel Aviv light rail

This new method will make it far easier for the state to put together funding for infrastructure projects, say sources within the Prime Minister's Office, to spread them over more years and to get better prices for them. "This will instill uniform management in all government ministries," the sources said. "It will change the government's DNA. We're trying to communicate to the ministries they can think big."

"We're forcing ministries to be more effective and use their purchasing power," said another PMO official. "They shouldn't think small about the next year or two or work with small contractors to build a few missing daycare centers. Instead, put together a list of all the daycare centers you need around the country and let's build hundreds of them at once. Let's invite huge multinational companies to build them. Same goes for classrooms."

The program's infrastructure mapping will be made public every six months. The Prime Minister's Office is hoping the next batch of plans will go from NIS 116 billion to 500 billion, and within a year or two reach the first trillion.
The cabinet has approved budgeting for the creation of Amichai, a settlement intended for Amona evacuees.

The budget, totaling NIS 60 million, will be transferred to the Ministry of the Interior for continuing construction.

Amona evacuees welcomed the decision, thanking Prime Minister Netanyahu and Minister of the Interior Deri on their efforts in promoting it.
US President Donald Trump branded North Korea on Sunday as a "rogue nation" that "only understands one thing" in his first reaction after Pyongyang conducted its sixth and most powerful nuclear test.

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"South Korea is finding, as I have told them, that their talk of appeasement with North Korea will not work," Trump wrote on Twitter.

He went on to say the embattled and isolated nation's "words and actions continue to be very hostile and dangerous to the United States."

US President Donald Trump (Photo: AFP)

Russia struck a more cautious tone. "In the emerging conditions it is absolutely essential to keep cool, refrain from any actions that could lead to a further escalation of tensions," Russia's foreign ministry said, adding that North Korea risked "serious consequences."

Moscow said talks were the only way to resolve the crisis. Later on Sunday, Russian President Vladimir Putin was set to meet his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping in China.

China urged North Korea to stop "wrong" actions and said it would fully enforce UN resolutions on the country.

Britain's foreign minister Boris Johnson called the nuclear test "reckless" and a "provocation."

"They seem to be moving closer towards a hydrogen bomb which, if fitted to a successful missile, would unquestionably present a new order of threat," he told Sky news, adding that there were no palatable military solutions.

French President Emmanuel Macron urged the United Nations Security Council to act. "The international community must treat this new provocation with the utmost firmness, in order to bring North Korea to come back unconditionally to the path of dialogue and to proceed to the complete, verifiable and irreversible dismantling of its nuclear and ballistic programme," he said in a statement.

French President Emmanuel Macron (Photo: AP)

The International Atomic Energy Agency, which has no access to North Korea, called the nuclear test, Pyongyang's sixth since 2006, "an extremely regrettable act" that was "in complete disregard of the repeated demands of the international community."

North Korea claimed Sunday it has successfully conducted test of hydrogen bomb meant for intercontinental ballistic missile, hours after Japan and South Korea detected an artificial earthquake at 12:29 pm local time, originating in Kilju, northern Hamgyong province, near the North's test site.

The earthquake was measured by the US Geological Survey (USGS) at magnitude 6.3, with meteorological officials saying it was around 10 times more powerful than previous detonations.

The move is a direct challenge to Trump, who hours earlier had talked by phone with Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe about the "escalating" nuclear crisis in the region.

The US State Department had no immediate reaction. South Korea's presidential office said it will hold a National Security Council meeting chaired by President Moon Jae-in. South Korea's military said it has strengthened its monitoring and readiness while mulling a variety of possible responses that could be executed in collaboration with the US.

Japan immediately raised the prospect of further sanctions against the isolated North, with Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga saying that curbs on its oil trade would be on the table.
Since the High Court made its ruling on illegal aliens last week, Israeli public discourse has seen an all-out assault on the court and the entire justice system. Social media has been inundated with badmouthing of the court and its judges.

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We'll put aside the fact the High Court has come more than halfway, once again, for the government. We'll ignore the fact human rights organizations were effectively rejected and beaten. We'll also forget the court determined aliens seeking work in Israel may be deported to a third country, so long as they don't object to deportation.

The justice system has paramount importance in any properly functioning country. In Israel, its importance is practically existential: our society is made up of the Gathering of Israel, with people of different belief systems and cultures and a community filled to the brim with polarized opinions and ideological differences, to say nothing of the fact government institutions are weak, maybe even hollow. "A country held together with spit," somebody once described Israel.

The Supreme Court justices (Photo: Alex Kolomoisky)

The justice system's strength is the column supporting the entire shaky structure. It's no coincidence, then, that messianic "redemption" groups, Hilltop Youths and nationalistic and religious zealots, all seeking to shatter the country, include the courts in their slogan: "Defeat the government, break the court, uproot Zionism."

Judges aren't saints, true. They've always had a certain indulgence to them. 1950 was one of the hardest years Israel has experienced. There was nothing to eat, food was rationed, the security situation was precarious and the country saw wave after wave of immigration. So, in 1950 the judges set an ultimatum: if our pay isn't raised by 50 percent immediately, we'll all collectively resign. Their wages were, of course, were raised.

Austerity then passed and gave way to prosperity. The Supreme Court seemed to have gotten confused and forgot justices are appointed, rather than elected. All of a sudden, everything was justiciable. A great light shone down from the heavens, showing people the country may be run through demonstrating legal standing. The Supreme Court created a new god"the reasonable man"and started praying to him. And who was this "reasonable man"? None other than a supreme court justice.

This revolution, religious in nature, was spearheaded by Aharon Barak, one of the preeminent jurists of our times. Barak's rhetoric, far more overzealous than his actual rulings, invited counter-rhetoric. This counter-rhetoric was more simplistic, and therefore far more communicable.

The golden statue of Chief Justice Miriam Naor placed near the Supreme Court last week

A pointed spiritual disagreement, meanwhile, erupted between the court's own judges. Menachem Elon, for instance, wrote, "Who and what are we, what authority and position do we have that enables us to determine political and military issues?"

The High Court wasand still issubservient, national, even right-wing. It allowed targeted killings and expanded the scope of the "ticking time bomb" definition. It approved the separation barrier with only slight changes. It forbade the boycotting of cottage cheese manufactured in the West Bank but allowed a boycott based on its price. It allowed terrorist deportation. It increased reparation to Gush Katif evacuees, despite proof their living expenses beyond the Green Line were miniscule and their profits astronomical. It was under the High Court's veiled gaze that 125 settlements and 80 to 90 unapproved outposts exist all over the West Bank without a care in the world.

A speedy, deep erosion has ravaged Israeli politics. People hovering around the cabinet table and in the ruling party boast about never having read a book in their lives. Others may have, but they don't understand what they read and don't remember what they didn't understand to begin with. These learned scholars, members of the coalition, are leading the herd stampeding over the justice system and providing its elected representatives with the coveted likes and applause.

The precious verdict on illegal aliens objected to the "open facility," since a semi-incarcerated alien will find it hard to fill their life with meaning, find a partner, pick up some hobbies. In an article I wrote then I wondered whether Israel was created to provide Eritreans and Sudanese with an outdoors holiday or summer camp, or was it created to provide shelter for those wretches fleeing the sword hanging over their heads.

The line between courteous criticism of a judicial decision and boorish, low class tongue-lashing by ministers and MKs is the line separating the civilized and the cretins.
A day after reporting low levels of harmful algal boom toxins had been found in Auburn's raw water supply, the Cayuga County Health Department said follow-up testing did not detect toxins.

The information was reported after state Department of Health sent back results of samples taken Saturday morning from the water supply.

"Drinking water from the City of Auburn and the Town of Owasco remains safe to drink," the county health department said in a press release issued Saturday night.

On Friday night, the department reported Auburns untreated water sampled on Thursday was found to have an algae toxin level of 0.16 micrograms per liter, which was below the federal method reporting limit, meaning its value is approximate. It was also below the Environmental Protection Agency's level of 0.3 micrograms per liter for triggering a health advisory for children not to drink water.

No toxins were detected in the city's treated water at any time.

The heath department said that Auburns water treatment plant activated its newly installed carbon treatment system to prevent any raw water toxins from getting into the treated drinking water. On Saturday, the department said that system will continue to run throughout the weekend "out of abundance of caution."

The city of Auburn provides drinking water to residents in the city of Auburn, the towns of Aurelius, Fleming Water District 6, Throop, Mentz, Brutus, Montezuma, Sennett, Springport Water District 2, and the villages of Port Byron, Weedsport and Cayuga.
NAIROBI, Kenya  Kenya's police say two officers were killed when gunmen attacked them at a church they were guarding by Kenya's Indian Ocean coast.

Coast Police Chief Larry Kieng said Sunday gunmen on a motorcycle shot the two officers, killing one on the spot and the other died of injuries at a hospital. He said the gunmen took the officers' guns and drove off.

Somalia's extremist group al-Shabab is suspected as it has carried out similar attacks in Kenya in revenge for Kenyan troops fighting the extremist rebels in Somalia. Kenya's security forces have managed to limit al-Shabab's attacks to areas near the Somalia border in the past year.
The office of German Chancellor Angela Merkel says North Korea's provocations have "reached a new dimension" with the nation's sixth nuclear test.

Merkel spoke on the phone Sunday with French president Emmanuel Macron. Her office says both leaders "condemn North Korea's new nuclear tests in the sharpest possible terms" and that "the latest provocation by the rulers in Pyongyang has reached a new dimension."

Macron's office said he, Merkel and Italian Prime Minister Paolo Gentiloni agree on the need for a "strong international reaction" against North Korea, including new sanctions from the European Union.
After nearly a year of operating an undercover cop within northern Israel's major crime organizations, the police carried out arrests overnight Saturday of suspected arms and drug traffickers, arresting 33 of them, including the infamous crime boss Michael Mor, and confiscating large amounts of guns, ammunition and drugs.

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Mor, 39, is a renowned criminal and resident of Ramat Gan who is believed by the police to head a major criminal organization in northern Israel. His remand was extended by nine days, as he faces charges of running a criminal outfit, importing and trading drugs, trading weapons and weapon accessories, and trading in stolen car parts.

Michael Mor, during a remand hearing, Oct. 2014 (Photo: Zvika Tishler)

Another person arrested during the operation is Shimon Sharvit, 37, Mor's right-hand man and the son-in-law of Ze'ev Rosenstein, an infamous drug trafficker.



There have been several violent incidents in Nahariya and the Krayot in recent weeks as part of the infighting between the criminal underground gangs in the north, where grenades and explosive charges have been used to eliminate rivals.

K-9 handler during the raid (Photo: Israel Police)

Just last Thursday, an explosive device detonated underneath a car belonging to a person connected to one of those organizations, stationed in Kiryat Haim in Haifa, seriously wounding its owner.

The investigation against the crime organization, which was originally based in Nahariya, is usually conducted by the police's Central Command in the Coastal District. This time, however, the investigation was conducted by the Central Command in the Northern District, and also encompassed the phenomenon of arms trafficking in the Arab sector.

Photo: Israel Police

As part of the undercover agent's activities, he purchased weapons and drugs, including two Carl Gustav rifles, an M-16 rifle, an MP5 submachine gun, a FN pistol, a Beretta pistol and a silencer, a Glock pistol, a Smith & Wesson pistol, and four more guns of different types. In addition, he bought half a kilogram of cocaine and 2.7 kilograms of marijuana.





Photo: Israel Police

Photo: Israel Police

The police also seized drugs, about NIS 200,000 in cash and several vehicles and motorcycles, which were believed to have been used by the suspected criminals to carry out transactions.

Photo: Israel Police

Photo: Israel Police

Photo: Israel Police

The investigation was made known when on early Sunday morning, about 250 police officers, detectives, border police officers, border guards, K-9 handlers and others surrounded and raided the houses of suspects in Ramat Gan, Petah Tikva, Afula, Migdal Ha'emek, Nahariya, Umm al-Fahm, and ShibliUmm al-Ghanam.

Photo: Israel Police

Seven people suspected of involvement are already held in prison for previous offenses.

The police said this is part of its determined struggle against serious and violent crime, especially the phenomenon of illegal weapons in the Arab sector, dealing in various types of weapons, drug trafficking and violence over disputes between criminal organizations, which they defined as "a danger to the peace and security of the general public."

"The suspects strongly deny the suspicions against them," said the lawyers representing them. "We have no doubt that this is a false arrest and that they will be released in the next few days."
President Reuven Rivlin today, Sunday, met at his residence with US Director of National Intelligence, Dan Coats, who was making his first visit to Israel in his new position. He was accomapnied by Director of the Mossad, Yossi Cohen.

The meeting addressed a range of issues including the strengthening of US-Israel security cooperation, regional developments, and the global threat of terrorism.

President Rivlin stressed to Director Coats, Israel's concern for the negative influence of Iran on the stability to the whole region, and told him of his great appreciation for the United States unwavering support for the security of the State of Israel.
250 people are participating in a demonstration at Habima Square in Tel Aviv with members of Abera Mengistu's family to mark three years of captivity by Hamas.

The participants call upon the Israeli government to work to bring the young Ethiopian back to his family.

"Three years have passed since and we received no sign of life, three years in which we are without a shred of information," his family said.
Justice Minister Ayelet Shaked (Bayit Yehudi) and Interior Minister Aryeh Deri (Shas) held discussions Sunday on the possibility of deporting illegal migrants against their will, despite a recent decision by the High Court of Justice (HCJ) restricting their detention in holding facilities to 60 days.

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Two main points were discussed during the meeting. The first involved altering agreements signed with other African countries, which would enable the possibility of forcing the migrant workers leave without their consent.

The second possibility which was mooted was the alteration of current legislation which would enable the state to bypass the ruling.

Politicians and residents of the areas most affected by the waves of illegal migrants in recent years have complained that soliciting their consent will become an increasingly arduous task given that the migrants now know that they only have to hold out for 60 days before being discharged from detention facilities.

Ayelet Shaked and Aryeh Deri (Photo: Yoav Dudkevitch and Ohad Zwigenberg)

According to the existing law, foreign migrants may be indefinitely held in detention centres until they are convinced into agreeing to being deported. The new HCJ verdict therefore seriously curtails the states power to lean on migrants who resist forced deportation by depriving it of the tool of prolonged detention.

The discussions considered creating a series of incentives for the migrants to leave Israel, whether voluntarily or without their full consent.

The ruling enables the state to remove the infiltrators even without their consent, Shaked insisted during the talks, but it completely stifles matters in cases where there is an agreement on their part. In order to solve this problem, minor adjustments are required to the agreements with other countries in order for the deportations to be carried out and withstand the test of law."

Deri emphasized the need to begin by cutting off the phenomenon of work prospects for the migrants, stating that business-owners would no longer be able to employ those who refused to leave Israel without serious ramifications.

Eritreans in south Tel Aviv (Photo: Yuval Chen)

It is inconceivable that an infiltrator refuses to leave and is then released into a free and normal life and is employed by Israelis, said Deri.

The meeting was attended by Director General of the Population and Migration Authority (PMA) Prof. Shlomo Mor-Yosef, Deputy Attorney Generals Roi Sheindorf, Dina Zilber and Raz Nazri. Also joining the discussions were representatives of the PMA and officials from the Ministries of Justice, Finance and Foreign Affairs.

Speaking earlier during the opening of the weekly cabinet meeting, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu reiterated the position he laid out on the matter last week before a crowd of South Tel Aviv residents.

Photo: Mark Yisrael Salam

We are not talking about refugees. Only a few of them are refugees but the majority are economic migrants. We need to protect our borders, he told his cabinet.

Today we will establish a special team of ministers who will meet with the residents every few weeks. The main aim is to return these neighborhoods to the residents and to deport from the State of Israel the illegal infiltrators whose place is not here.
Yuma News

Yuma, Arizona - On Friday, afternoon at approximately 4:45 p.m. Yuma Police Officers responded to a disturbance call at the Maverick Bar, 1460 S. 4th Avenue.

The initial investigation revealed that a male subject was stabbed. He was transported to Yuma Regional Medical Center with non-life threatening injuries.

The suspect was taken into custody.

The incident is still under investigation.

The Yuma Police Department encourages anyone with any information about this case to please call the Yuma Police Department at (928) 373-4700 or 78-Crime at (928) 782-7463 to remain anonymous. Remember if your information leads to an arrest you may receive up to a $1,000 cash reward.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-09-02 11:20:44|Editor: Mengjie

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VIENTIANE, Sept. 2 (Xinhua) -- Lao Minister of Public Works and Transport Bounchanh Sinthavong has witnessed "Chinese speed" at the construction of the China-Laos railway during a recent inspection visit.

The project management department of China Railway No. 5 Group Co. Ltd told Xinhua on Saturday that it has been the second visit by Bounchanh to the site of the construction.

During his visit last Wednesday, the minister learned about the construction situation of railway tunnels as well as the compensation for land acquisition and difficulties faced during the construction process.

Minister Bounchanh expressed his satisfaction over the quality, progress and safety of the project.

Talking with project manager Zhou Xiaoxia, the minister said: "At my first visit here, the section I construction site of China Railway No. 5 Group Co. Ltd, a cave was just being digged for tunnel construction. But only five months after that, as many as 5,000 meters of the tunnel have been completed. I have witnessed the real 'Chinese speed,' while site management is also really good. You are so great!"

The minister said that the Lao government attaches great importance to the construction of the railway and will create favorable conditions for the construction so as to boost interconnectivity between the two countries.

The China-Laos railway has a total length of 414.332 kilometers with over 62.7 percent being bridges and tunnels, linking Mohan-Boten border gate in northern Laos and capital Vientiane.

Operating speed on the route is designed at 160 km per hour.

The construction of the project is scheduled for five years with an investment of some 40 billion Chinese yuan (5.8 billion U.S. dollars), 70 percent of which comes from Chinese investment and the rest from the Lao side.

The China-Laos railway is the first overseas route connecting with the railway system in China, using Chinese technology, equipment and investment.
Nairobi: Al Shabaab said it killed 26 Somali soldiers early on Sunday when the militants attacked a military base in a village near the port city of Kismayu.

Abdiasis Abu Musab, al Shabaab`s military spokesman, told Reuters: "This morning, we stormed the Jubaland base near Bula Gudud. We killed 26 soldiers, burnt two cars, and took three cars from the base."

Residents in the village and a Somali military officer in Kismayu confirmed the attack.
Washington: The United States Justice Department has said that there is no evidence to support President Donald Trump`s claim that his predecessor Barack Obama wiretapped Trump Tower during the 2016 presidential campaign.

"Both FBI and NSD confirm that they have no records related to wiretaps as described by the March 4, 2017 tweets," CNN quoted the Justice Department as saying in a court filing on Friday.

According to the report, the DOJ made the statement in a motion for summary judgment filed in response to a Freedom of Information Act lawsuit by a group pushing for government transparency, American Oversight.

"Terrible! Just found out that Obama had my `wires tapped` in Trump Tower just before the victory. Nothing found. This is McCarthyism!," Trump had tweeted in March this year.

"How low has President Obama gone to tap my phones during the very sacred election process.This is Nixon/Watergate," Trump said in a tweet.

Earlier in March, James Comey, who was FBI director at the time Trump made the statements, had informed the Congress that there was no evidence to support the contention that Trump Tower had been wiretapped.

However, the Justice Department clarified that it and the FBI "do not confirm or deny the existence" of any other records that are responsive to the group`s request, which was broader than the alleged wiretaps of Trump Tower.

Trump has never produced any evidence to back his claim over wiretapping of Trump Towers.
Mumbai: After many years of a rough ride, Skoda Auto India expects over 30 per cent sales growth this year on the back of the momentum it has been witnessing of late and has set a target of 18,000 units volume by December.

Over the weekend, the Volkswagen Group company rolled out a racing variant of its popular model Octavia- the Octavia RS 230 - at a killer price of Rs 24.63 lakh, which is going to give a tough time to the rivals, which are priced much higher.

The Czech automaker expects the performance-oriented RS 230 to contribute over 15 per cent of the Octavia sales, which is the second largest volume grosser for the company.

"Our internal target is to touch 18,000 units volume by December. In the first seven months of 2017, we've grown at over 22 per cent to 10,500 units from 13,300 units we had sold in the entire 2016. So, we should be growing at about 40 per cent this year to meet the target. The industry during this period grew just about 10 per cent," Skoda India sales, service & marketing director Ashutosh Dixit told PTI.

He said August volumes at over 1,750 units are the highest ever for the company and the momentum will gain further speed in the rest of the months due to festive sales.

On sales expectation from the new Octavia RS, he said at least 15 per cent of Octavia volumes should come from this, adding that the new car has already received over 100 pre-launch bookings though it's priced Rs 4.5 lakh above the Octavia.

The RS 230, rolled out from the Shendra plant near Aurangabad, is powered by a 2-litre petrol engine with a top speed of 250 km/hm and can accelerate from 0 to 100 km in 6.8 seconds, making it the fastest Skoda made in the country.

Compared to other Octavia models, the RS 230's chassis is lower by 15 mm. Globally, the company has sold over 2 lakh RS models, half of which since 2013.

The RS 230 is pitched against the BMW 3 Series priced at Rs 43 lakh, the Mercedes C Class Cabriole priced at Rs 49 lakh, and the Jaguar XF, which is steeply higher at Rs 61 lakh. The main difference is that these rival models are diesel-powered, while the RS 230 is petrol-powered.

In terms of speed, the RS 230 vrooms to 100 km from 0 in 6.8 seconds, XF does that in 7 seconds, Merc's C Class in 6.4 seconds, and the 3 Series in 6.1 seconds.

On the new launches, Dixit said the company will shortly roll out the 7-seater SUV Kodiaq, having already launched a new variants of the Superb, the Rapid (Monte Carlo) and the Octavia. It had long back discontinued its compact SUV the Yeti here and currently has only three models on sale now- the Superb, Octavia and the Rapid.

On dealerships, he said they have opened four new outlets this year and two more to take the total to 70 by December.
Ahmedabad: In a shot in the arm for the Congress in Gujarat ahead of the assembly elections, as many as 500 full-time activists of the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) here on Sunday joined the party expressing anguish over their two legislators switching loyalties to the ruling BJP during the recent Rajya Sabha elections.

NCP`s Gujarat spokesperson Manhar Patel, senior leader and former IPS official B.J. Gadhvi and two core committee members, besides various other state and district level functionaries joined the Congress here at the Rajiv Gandhi Bhawan.

The 500-plus NCP activists joined the state`s key opposition party in presence of its state President Bharatsinh Solanki and Congress General Secretary in charge of Gujarat Ashok Gehlot.

They expressed their commitment to the party stating in their brief speeches that going to Congress from the NCP was like a home-coming and Solanki, in response, said "it feels as if the younger brother has returned after long".

The NCP members were angry over their two legislators, Jayant Patel `Boski` and Kandhal Jadeja, voting for the BJP in the August 8 Rajya Sabha elections against Congress leader Ahmed Patel keeping everyone in the dark.

Manhar Patel asserted there was a larger secret truck between the BJP and NCP bosses Sharad Pawar and Praful Patel while the party`s rank and file was completely kept in the dark. The Congress and the NCP had contested the 2012 assembly election as coalition partners.

Among others who joined the Congress are core committee members Jeevanbhai Kabariya and Takhatsinh Solanki, Rajkot district president Lalitbhai Katodiya, Tarunbhai Gadhvi, Vijay Patel and Rajesh Patel.
New Delhi: Here is the profile of Ashwini Kumar Choubey, MoS Ministry of Health and Family Welfare.

He is a Lok Sabha MP from Buxar in Bihar. Choubey is presently a member of the parliamentary committee on estimates and standing committee on energy. He is also a member of the Central Silk Board. Choubey was elected for five consecutive terms to the Bihar Assembly and has held important portfolios including Health, Urban Development and Public Health Engineering. Starting early in politics as the president of the students union of Patna University, Choubey actively participated in the JP movement in the 1970s and was taken into custody during the Emergency under MISA. Choubey is credited with the slogan "Ghar - Ghar me ho Shauchalaya ka nirman, Tabhi hoga Ladli Bitiya ka Kanyadaan" and has helped construct 11,000 toilets for Mahadalit families. He has also authored a book on the Uttarakhand floods of 2013 after facing the situation at Kedarnath with his family. Choubey is a Bachelors of Science in Zoology and has a special interest in yoga.
New Delhi: The Janata Dal United (JD(U)) on Sunday clarified that no one from the party is joining Prime Minister Narendra Modi's new team, under the mega Cabinet rejigscheduled to take place today.

"Our National President has already made it clear, so there is no question of me or anyone from the JD(U) joining the cabinet," JD(U) leader Vashistha Narayan Singh told ANI.

Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar had earlier said that the JD(U) had no talks with the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) at the Centre on his party joining the Cabinet.

"We have no information about the Cabinet reshuffle. We didn't have any talks about it. We got the information about this from the media," Nitish told the reporters.

Contrary to this, reports had earlier quoted that JD(U) leaders R.C.P. Singh and Ramnath Thakur were likely to be inducted into the Union Cabinet on Sunday morning.

Prime Minister Modi will reshuffle his Cabinet on Sunday at 10.30 a.m. before leaving for China to attend the BRICS Summit.

Several Cabinet ministers have already stepped down from their posts, viz. Bandaru Dattatreya, Rajiv Pratap Rudy, Sanjeev Baliyan and Faggan Singh Kulaste.
New Delhi: The mega Cabinet reshuffle on Sunday morning saw the promotion of Piyush Goyal as the new Railway minister. Power minister Goyal was handed over the Railways portfolio after Suresh Prabhu offered to step down from his post, in the wake of a spate of train derailments recently.

It has been said that Goyal had brought about a turnaround in power production and delivered on the government's plan to electrify villages.

Taking to Twitter, Suresh Prabhu congratulated all those leaders who took oath on Sunday as Cabinet ministers. He posted, "Congrats to Dharmendra Pradhan, Piyush Goyal, Nirmala Sitharaman and Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi for their new responsibilities Best wishes for great success."

He also expressed his gratitude to the railway family for their support. "Thanks to all 13 Lacs+ rail family for their support,love,goodwill.I will always cherish these memories with me.Wishing u all a great life," the former Railway Minister tweeted.

Thanks to all 13 Lacs+ rail family for their support,love,goodwill.I will always cherish these memories with me.Wishing u all a great life  Suresh Prabhu (@sureshpprabhu) September 3, 2017

Congrats to all members of #TeamModi for new responsibility.Making our conuntry better is our common mission.#NewIndia #cabinetreshuffle  Suresh Prabhu (@sureshpprabhu) September 3, 2017

If reports are to be believed, Prabhu may get the environment or power portfolio.

On August 23, Prabhu had informed that though he takes moral responsibility of the recent train derailment incidents, Prime Minister Modi asked him to wait. Prabhu took to Twitter and said, "In less than three years as Minister, I have devoted my blood and sweat for the betterment of the Railways. Under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, I tried to overcome decades of neglect through systemic reforms in all areas, leading to unprecedented investment and milestones."

"New India, envisioned by Prime Minister Modi, deserves Railways, which is efficient and modern. I promise that is the path on which Railways is progressing now," he further said. "I am extremely pained by the unfortunate accidents, injuries to the passengers and loss of precious lives. It has caused me deep anguish. I met Hon'ble Prime Minister Narendra Modi, taking full moral responsibility. He has asked me to wait."

The Congress had also demanded Prabhu's resignation after the derailment of the Puri-Haridwar Kalinga Utkal Express, which claimed the lives of 23 people and left more than 100 injured, at Muzaffarnagar's Khatauli region on August 19 evening.

Meanwhile, Prime Minister Narendra Modi also congratulated Cabinet ministers and Ministers of State and said their wisdom "will add immense value" to his government. "I congratulate all those who have taken oath today. Their experience and wisdom will add immense value to the council of ministers," Modi tweeted.



I congratulate all those who have taken oath today. Their experience & wisdom will add immense value to the Council of Ministers. September 3, 2017

He specifically congratulated Nirmala Sitharaman, Dharmendra Pradhan, Piyush Goyal and Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi for being elevated to the Cabinet. Nine others, including former diplomat Hardeep Singh Puri, were made Ministers of States.

Apart from Goyal, Dharmendra Pradhan, the Minister of State for Petroleum and Natural Gas, and Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi, the Minister of State for Parliamentary Affairs, took the oath as the Cabinet ministers at the ceremony held at the Rashtrapati Bhavan.

Pradhan is known to have spearheaded one of Prime Minister Modi's main schemes - the "Give it Up" plan for people to forego subsidised cooking gas or LPG voluntarily. Beside managing to maintain ties with the Opposition parties, Naqvi has done wonders for the Union Government as the spokesperson in the Parliament and outside.

Nirmala Sitharaman, serving as the Minister of State (Independent Charge) for the Ministry of Commerce and Industry as well as a Minister of State for Finance and Corporate Affairs under the Ministry of Finance headed by Arun Jaitley, also took the oath.

Sitharaman had travelled to China for a BRICS meeting, in the middle of a lengthy standoff at the border over Doklam.
New Delhi: An hour ahead of much-awaited reshuffle in the Modi cabinet, the souring relationship between the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and its ally Shiv Sena was visible as the latter has decided not to attend the swearing-in ceremony of new ministers on Sunday at Rashtrapati Bhavan.

The decision came after the government source yesterday diclosed the list of names who are slated to be inducted today. All the names are from ruling Bharatiya Janata Party.The list has no names from the BJP allies JD(U), Shiv Sena and AIADMK. Reports claim that the Sena is dispirited over not been given even a single berth in the cabinet expansion.

The ministers will be introduced in Modi-led government today at 10.30 am at the Rashtrapati Bhavan, in presence of President Ram Nath Kovind. Ministers who are likely to be inducted into Prime Minister Narendra Modis Council of Ministers are Shiv Pratap Shukla, Ashwini Kumar Choubey, Virendra Kumar (SC), Anantkumar Hegde, Raj Kumar Singh, HardeepSingh Puri, Gajendra Singh Shekhawat, Satya Pal Singh, and Alphons Kannanthanam.

It is notable that Prime Minister Modi is going to make significant changes to his Council of Ministers with the power of 4P for Progress. 4Ps are: passion + proficiency + professional & political acumen.

The new Ministers are going to be strategically placed in key Ministries, especially focusing on last mile delivery directly to the people.The new Ministers come from varied walks of life, bringing in their unique professional perspective and proficiency to the Council. Many of them also bring rich administrative and governance experience.

All the Ministers are highly qualified, with a number of them having professional as well as PhD degrees.

(With inputs from agencies)
New Delhi: Five days after India and China decided to end the 73-day Doklam stand-off, Prime Minister Narendra Modi will head to the port city of Xiamen in China for the 9th BRICS (Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa) summit.

The Prime Minister will depart after inducting the nine new faces in his cabinet on Sunday night. PM Modi is expected to connect with the Chinese President Xi Jinping on the sidelines of the summit.

Following US statement on Pakistan being a safe haven for extremists, India is likely to press for strict measures against terrorism in the region.

Earlier, in a Facebook post, PM Modi wrote, "India attaches high importance to the role of BRICS that has begun a second decade of its partnership for progress and peace. BRICS has important contributions to make in addressing global challenges and upholding world peace and security."

"India had the privilege of hosting the previous Summit in Goa in October last year. I look forward to building upon the results and outcomes of the Goa Summit. I also look forward to productive discussions and positive outcomes that will support the agenda of a stronger BRICS partnership under the chairmanship of China," he further added.

Also on the table for discussions are emerging markets, trade protectionism, promoting cooperation on development and world peace.

The theme of the 9th BRICS summit is "Stronger Partnership for a Brighter Future.
Poonch (Jammu and Kashmir): The Pakistan Army resorted to unprovoked firing of small and heavy arms in the Mankot sector area along the Line of Control (LoC) of Jammu and Kashmir's Poonch, on Sunday morning. The Indian Army has been retaliating efficiently and effectively.

Defence Ministry sources said heavy shelling and firing started between the two armies in Mendhar and Mankote areas. "After the Pakistan Army resorted to unprovoked shelling and firing at Indian positions, Indian military retaliated strongly and effectively," an official said. "Shelling and firing exchanges are going on."

Further details are awaited.

On August 31, Pakistan violated the ceasefire in the Naushera sector of Rajouri. The Pakistan Army had previously violated the ceasefire in Poonch on August 27 and August 16. Earlier on Saturday,

Earlier on Saturday, Border Security Force (BSF) trooper was killed on Friday in a ceasefire violation by Pakistan troops on the line of control in Poonch. "A BSF trooper was killed when Pakistan Army violated ceasefire in Barnoi area of the LoC in Poonch. Indian positions have retaliated strongly and effectively," police sources had said.

(With inputs from agencies)
New Delhi: Retorting to the flak over Janata Dal (United) (JD(U)) not being able get a representation in the recent Cabinet reshuffle, party general secretary KC Tyagi on Sunday said that the rejig was Bharatiya Janata Party`s (BJP) internal matter and non-National Democratic Alliance (NDA) affair.

Tyagi said JD(U) commenting on an internal reshuffle, hence, was not pertinent.

"This was a reshuffle, amid the BJP and it is the Prime Minister`s prerogative to handle his Cabinet. It was the BJP`s internal reshuffle and not the NDA`s, so we would not like to comment on it," said Tyagi.

Tyagi also downplayed Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) supremo Lalu Yadav`s remarks ridiculing Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar and said that the latter is famous for making frivolous comments."Lalu Yadav is known for his non-serious comments and people don`t give any importance to his statements. Nitish Kumar`s fate is better than Lalu Yadav`s fate," he added.

At a time when JD(U) patched-up with the BJP, it was speculated that the Nitish Kumar led party will claim high stakes in Prime Minister Narendra Modi`s Cabinet.

However contrary to the expected, no JD(U) leader got upgraded in the Central team.The Cabinet rejig saw the promotion of as many as four Ministers of State to the rank of Cabinet ministers today.

Dharmendra Pradhan, the Minister of State for Petroleum and Natural Gas, and Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi, the Minister of State for Parliamentary Affairs, took the oath as the Cabinet ministers at the ceremony held at the Rashtrapati Bhavan.

Pradhan is known to have spearheaded one of Prime Minister Modi`s main schemes - the "Give it Up" plan for people to forego subsidised cooking gas or LPG voluntarily.

Beside managing to maintain ties with the Opposition parties, Naqvi has done wonders for the Union Government as the spokesperson in the Parliament and outside.

Nirmala Sitharaman, serving as the Minister of State (Independent Charge) for the Ministry of Commerce and Industry as well as a Minister of State for Finance and Corporate Affairs under the Ministry of Finance headed by Arun Jaitley, also took the oath.

Sitharaman had travelled to China for a BRICS meeting, in the middle of a lengthy standoff at the border over Doklam.

Piyush Goyal, the Minister of State with Independent Charge for Power, Coal, New and Renewable Energy and Mines, was also sworn-in as the Cabinet minister.

He had brought about a turnaround in power production and delivered on the government`s plan to electrify villages.

Other ministers who were handed over bigger responsibilities are:

-Shiv Pratap Shukla-Ashwini Kumar Choubey, who is a Lok Sabha MP from Buxar, Bihar

-Virendra Kumar, a Lok Sabha MP from Tikamgah, Madhya Pradesh

-Anant Kumar Hegde, a Lok Sabha MP from Uttara Kannada, Karnataka

-Raj Kumar Singh

-Hardeep Puri

-Gajendra Singh Shekhawat

-Satya Pal Singh

-Alphons Kannanthanam, a distinguished former IAS officer of the 1979 batch, Kerala cadrePrime Minister Modi is scheduled to leave for China wherein he would attend the BRICS Summit.
New Delhi: Nirmala Sitharaman who is set to become India's first full-time woman defence minister, started her political journey as a spokesperson for the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday elevated her to a Cabinet rank for her exceptional work in a major Cabinet reshuffle.

The 58-year-old, who hails from Tamil Nadu's Madurai city, was able to impress the prime minister and BJP chief Amit Shah with her skilled handling of the commerce ministry.

Sitharaman holds an M.Phil in Economics from Delhi's Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU).

As a professional, she served at various UK-based organisations like the Agricultural Engineers Association, PricewaterhouseCoopers and BBC World Service.

After returning home, she worked as a deputy director of the Centre for Public Policy Studies at Hyderabad. She was also a member of the National Commission for Women from 2003-2005.

She stepped into politics in 2008 when she joined the BJP as a member of the National Executive. She was made the party's national spokesperson in 2010.

Straightforward approach and clear command describe her the best.

After BJP came to power in 2014, she was made the MoS Finance and Corporate Affairs and later made MoS (Independent Charge) Ministry of Commerce and Industry.

(With agency inputs)
New Delhi: President Ram Nath Kovind and Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday extended his greetings to people on the auspicious occasion of Onam.

President Kovind said in his message, "I offer my greetings and good wishes to the people of the country, particularly to our brothers and sisters from Kerala."

''Onam greetings to everyone. May this auspicious festival enrich our society with happiness, harmony and wellbeing,'' the Prime Minister tweeted.

According to the Malayalam calendar, Onam is celebrated in the month of Chingam which is equivalent to the Hindu solar calendar followed by people in other parts of India.

The festival is spread over 10 days and culminates with Thiruvonam, the most important day.

This year, Onam began on August 25 and will last until September 6.
New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi left for a five day-visit to China for the ninth BRICS summit at Xiamen on Sunday.

He will also attend the Emerging Markets and Developing Countries Dialogue to be hosted by Chinese President Xi Jinping.

His visit comes after the end last week of over two-month long military stand-off at Doklam in the Sikkim section.

Modi departed for China after attending a swearing-in ceremony at Rashtrapati Bhavan in which nine new ministers were inducted and four Ministers of State joined the council of ministers.

On Saturday, the Prime Minister said that he expect productive outcome from the summit as he asserted, "India had the privilege of hosting the previous Summit in Goa in October last year. I look forward to building upon the results and outcomes of the Goa Summit. I also look forward to productive discussions and positive outcomes that will support the agenda of a stronger BRICS partnership under the chairmanship of China".

The theme of the ninth BRICS summit is 'Stronger Partnership for a Brighter Future'.

From China, Modi will go to Myanmar on Tuesday in what will be his first ever bilateral visit to the eastern neighbour. He visited Myanmar in 2014 to attend the Asean-India Summit.

Besides capital Nai Pyi Taw, the Prime Minister will visit the heritage city of Bagan and Yangon.

During the course of the three-day visit to Myanmwar, Modi will hold meetings with President U Htin Kyaw and State Counsellor Aung San Suu Kyi, who is also Minister of Foreign Affairs and Minister of President`s Office.

Both Kyaw and Suu Kyi visited India last year.

(With Agency inputs)
New Delhi: The following are the profiles of four ministers who were elevated in the Cabinet reshuffle on Sunday.

1. Dharmendra Pradhan: Petroleum and Natural Gas Minister

Pradhan has served as MoS Petroleum and Natural Gas. He is a member of the 14th Lok Sabha. Son of former BJP MP Dr. Debendra Pradhan, he was elected to the Rajya Sabha in March 2012 from Bihar. He had represented the Deogarh constituency of Odisha. Pradhan, who holds an MA (Anthropology) degree from the Utkal University in Bhubaneswar, is an active member of RSS and BJP.

Pradhan is also a general secretary of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). Pradhan, who was assigned additional responsibility to look after the party activities in Jharkhand in August 2011, is a close confidant of Amit Shah. He has been lauded for two flagship projects of the petroleum ministry - PAHAL and the Ujjwala schemes - both played a key role in changing the lives of the poor.

2. Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi: Minority Affairs Minister

Naqvi studied arts and mass communication. He was jailed at the age of 17 during the Emergency. As a student leader, he had participated in the activities of the Janata Party. Naqvi had unsuccessfully contested the UP assembly elections in 1980 as a candidate of Janata Party (Secular). He had also contested Lok Sabha elections as an independent candidate from the Ayodhya constituency. 1998, he was elected to the Lok Sabha and subsequently made MoS Ministry of Information and Broadcasting in the Vajpayee government. He was elected to Rajya Sabha in 2016. He became MoS Minority Affairs and Parliamentary Affairs in 2014 in the Modi government. After the resignation of Najma Heptulla in July 2016, he got independent charge of the Ministry. Naqvi is the most prominent Muslim face in the Modi government.

3. Nirmala Sitharaman: Defence Minister

Sitharaman began her political journey as a spokesperson for Bharatiya Janata Party. Born in 1959, Sitharaman hails from Madurai in Tamil Nadu. She completed her M.Phil in Economics from Delhi's Jawaharlal Nehru University. As a professional, she served various UK-based organisations like Agricultural Engineers Association, PricewaterhouseCoopers and BBC World Service. After returning to India, she worked as a deputy director of the Centre for Public Policy Studies in Hyderabad. She was also a member of the National Commission for Women from 2003-2005. Sitharaman was made a member of the party's National Executive. After BJP came to power in 2014, she was made MoS Finance and Corporate Affairs. She also held the independent charge of Commerce and Industry Ministry.

4. Piyush Goyal: Railways and Coal Minister

Before his promotion, Goyal served as MoS (Independent Charge) for Power, Coal, New and Renewable Energy and Mines. Presently, he is a member of Rajya Sabha. Goyal had earlier held the position of National Treasurer of BJP. He has been consistently brilliant in academics. He holds an all-India second rank in Chartered Accountancy and also in Law in Mumbai University. Goyal has been an eminent investment banker, having advised top banking professionals on growth and management strategy. The 53-year-old also worked with the State Bank of India and Bank of Baroda. His elevation in PM Modi's Cabinet reshuffle comes after his exceptional performance. Goyal has been credited for implementing major power and coal sector reforms. He was instrumental in the record electrification of the rural areas.
New Delhi: New Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman is likely to take charge of her ministry after a couple of days, as Finance Minister Arun Jaitley, who was holding additional charge of Defence, will be traveling to Japan on Sunday for a bilateral dialogue.



Jaitley, who took additional charge of defence after Manohar Parrikar returned to Goa to take over as the Chief Minister, is leaving on Sunday night for Japan, where he will hold a bilateral dialogue with his Japanese counterpart, ahead of a visit of Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe to India later this month.



"I leave tonight for Japan, and normally the new Defence Minister should have been going. But logistically that doesn`t seem possible today being a Sunday," Jaitley told reporters.



"It is a very important security dialogue between the two countries ahead of the Japanese Prime Minister`s visit and therefore changes are not advisable. I will continue for next two days to complete the dialogue, and Ms. Sitharaman will take the charge as soon as the dialogue ends," he said.
New Delhi: Former Union Minister for Water Resource Minister Uma Bharti on Sunday skipped the swearing-in ceremony of new ministers of the Union government at the Rashtrapati Bhavan.

It was speculated that Bharti skipped the event as she was reportedly not pleased with the Cabinet reshuffle.

However, the BJP leader rubbished the report and said that her program was already fixed and hence she had to skip the ceremony.

'"I am not in Varanasi. I am in Jhansi-Lalitpur, in my parliamentary constituency. My program was fixed in advance as I have to participate in Siddi," she said.

The mega cabinate reshuffle took place on Sunday at Ashok Hall of Parliament and was witnessed by President Ram Nath Kovind, PM Narendra Modi, Home Minister Rajnath Singh among several other senior leaders.

This is the third cabinet reshuffle since the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) came to power in 2014.
New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday rewarded four proficient ministers of his union council with Cabinet ranks for their exceptional work.

Their contributions in the respective ministries said to have exceeded the expectation of the man at the helm, hence duly rewarded.

Dharmendra Pradhan, Piyush Goyal, Nirmala Sitharaman and Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi were among the 12 MoS with independent charge.

All four were elevated today.

Pradhan has been made the Petroleum and Natural Gas Minister, Goyal becomes Railways Minister, Sitharaman gets Defence and Naqvi becomes Minister of Minority Affairs.

Here is a look at why the government and the party were so impressed with their performance:

Dharmendra Pradhan:

He has been lauded for two flagship projects of the petroleum ministry - PAHAL and the Ujjwala schemes - both played a key role in changing the lives of the poor. PAHAL found an entry in the Guinness Book of World Records for being the largest cash transfer programme.

All eligible LPG consumers under the scheme received subsidy directly into their bank accounts. About 12.57 crore households said to have received cash transfer as of June 30, 2015, It was the world's largest cash transfer program. Likewise, Ujjwala scheme gave smokeless stoves to the poor and the rural households, significantly changing their lives, particularly women. BJP's historic election win in Uttar Pradesh is said to be largely due to the Ujjwala scheme.

Piyush Goyal:

He has been credited for implementing major power and coal sector reforms. Goyal was instrumental in the record electrification of the rural areas. As many as 13,685 villages said to have been electrified till June 20, 2017.

Citing the state-run Rural Electrification Corporation, India Today reported that the remaining 4,141 villages are to be electrified by 2018. He was lauded for the successful implementation of the Deendayal Upadhyaya Gram Jyoti Yojana which is aimed at bringing overall socio-economic development to the rural areas. In 2015, PM Modi had pledged to electrify all 18,452 un-electrified villages within 1,000 days. Thereafter, the power ministry had taken up village electrification on a mission mode.

More than 25.01 crore LED bulbs have been distributed under the scheme, while 26.90 lakh LED street lights have been installed in 25 States/UTs.

Nirmala Sitharaman:

She won the confidence of PM Modi and Amit Shah in handling the commerce ministry. Sitharaman, who is also a BJP spokesperson, is said to have performed exceptionally in trade negotiations. She held trade talks with her counterparts and also held discussions over Doklam.

Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi:

Naqvi, the government's most prominent Muslim face, has been a competent parliamentary affairs minister with the additional charge of minority affairs. He has been an eloquent speaker and competently thwarted the opposition attacks on the government and the party.
New Delhi: Finance Minister Arun Jaitley on Sunday hailed appointment of Union Minister Nirmala Sitharaman as the country`s first, full-fledged Defence Minister, saying it sends "a message globally".



"It is great for the country, not just for the women. it also sends a message globally," said Jaitley, who had held charge of Defence after Manohar Parrikar left the post to become Goa Chief Minister earlier this year.



Noting that the Cabinet Committee on Security would now have two women ministers, with Sitharaman joining External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj, he said: "Both ladies in CCS have established their competence, both are recognised as ladies with substance, who have earned a front-line position for themselves."



Asked if women in combat maybe a reality with a woman as Defence Minister, Jaitley quipped: "That was one area in which I wasn`t able to do much."
Jammu: The Pakistani troops on Sunday violated ceasefire for the second time in Jammu and Kashmir's Kupwara district.

As per ANI report, the ceasefire violation was reported at Kupwara's Karnah region.

Earlier today, the Pakistan Army resorted to unprovoked firing of small and heavy arms in the Mankot sector area of Poonch along the Line Of Control.

The Indian Army retaliated efficiently and effectively to the firing from across the border, said a Defence official today.

On August 31, Pakistan violated the ceasefire in the Naushera sector of Rajouri. The Pakistan Army had previously violated the ceasefire in Poonch on August 27 and August 16.

More details awaited.
Imphal: Three human traffickers, including two women, were arrested early on Friday in Manipur when they were transporting three tribal women to Thailand, police said.

The arrests have exposed the flourishing international human trafficking trade in the northeast, the police said.

The rescued women, hailing from poor families in Churachandpur district, are aged between 19 and 27 years.

The women traffickers, Esther Lalpianmoi and Lalngalomi, both 32, were arrested along with driver Lunkhosat Haokip (31) at 2.30 am when they were taking the women towards Moreh, the town on the border with Myanmar. The three are in police custody.

Churachandur district`s Superintendent of Police Rakesh Balwal said: "We had received information that some women would be taken towards the border. Two women sub-inspectors of the anti human trafficking unit laid multiple traps."

"We have learnt that the women were to be handed over to foreign agents at Moreh from where they would be taken to Thailand. They were to be sold as sex workers," Balwal said.

Human traffickers pay money and tell the poor parents in the northeastern states that their daughters would be given lucrative jobs in foreign countries. But they were forced into flesh trade, he said.

The traffickers told the police that they had paid Rs 10,000 each to the parents of the three women with the promise of Rs 90,000 each more once they return from Moreh.

They had assured the parents that their daughters would be employed in Thailand.

Officials said this is not the first case and that many girls from the northeastern states have been lured to foreign countries for flesh trade.

Some years ago, three girls in Manipur told reporters that they were taken to Singapore but managed to return by collecting money from some helpful tourists.

They said: "There are many other girls from northeast who could not escape from the clutches of the traffickers."

Some women traffickers were also nabbed earlier while transporting girls to Chennai. However, till date no women trafficker has been convicted.
New Delhi: The festival of Eid evokes the feeling of brotherhood, love and friendship. Let us not forget the exuberant aroma of biryani, the cheerful atmosphere that can be felt and the happiness of meeting old friends after a long time.

Eid-Al-Adha was observed on September 2 this year and a lot of Bollywood stars celebrated with family, friends and co- stars.

'Dangal' girl Fatima Sana Shaikh took to Instagram to share a picture of herself, celebrating the festival with full gusto with on-screen daddy Aamir Khan, his wife Kiran Rao and other friends.

Fatima and Kiran looked lovely in sarees which they paired with matching earrings, donning the ethnic attire with grace and elegance. While Aamir's daughter Ira too looked stunning in a traditional outfit.

Aamir can be seen wearing a white kurta pyjama which makes him look absolutely dashing along with a silver nose pin and earring.

Here is the post by Fatima:

A post shared by Fatima Sana Shaikh (@fatimasanashaikh) on Sep 2, 2017 at 2:04am PDT

A fan club of Fatima shared a picture of her along with Aamir's daughter, Ira.

Here is the fanclub post:

A post shared by Fatima, Sanya, Zaira, Suhani (@fattyholic) on Sep 2, 2017 at 12:17am PDT

Fatima Sana Shaikh and Aamir Khan's 'Dangal' released on December 23, 2016, and is currently the highest grossing Indian film worldwide. Sanya Malhotra played the grown-up Babita Phogat in the film.
New Delhi: Superstar Shah Rukh Khan is a family man and that we all know. He is a doting dad to his three kidsAryan, Suhana and AbRam. SRK often keeps his followers updated about his whereabouts on Twitter, keeping the bond between him and his crazy fans intact.

Recently, King Khan took to the micro-blogging site and shared a picture where he can be seen posing with daughter Suhana. He captioned the image as: When the little one goes back to school & there is nobody to point out that u r using too many filters!

When the little one goes back to school & there is nobody to point out that u r using too many filters! pic.twitter.com/KKU9wRsRi9  Shah Rukh Khan (@iamsrk) September 3, 2017

The pic has both Shah Rukh and Suhana wearing dayum cool sunglasses. While the superstar has used creative colourful filters to make him loo dashing and Suhana has aced her diva look.

On the professional front, Shah Rukh will next be seen in Aanand L Rai's yet-to-be-titled flick starring Katrina Kaif and Anushka Sharma. SRK will be seen playing a dwarf in the film.

Also, recently there was a strong rumour about Suhana making her big Bollywood debut soon.
New Delhi: While the RBI launched the 200-rupee note a week ago, it may take up to three months for ATMs to start dispensing the new denomination currency as it will involve a huge exercise of recalibration.

Some banks have even asked the ATM companies to begin testing the new note for recalibration of the machines, though they have not got supplies of the new currency. Only last year, the banks were involved in recalibration of ATM machines after the demonetisation of high-value currency notes in November.

Reserve Bank of India (RBI) did issue a statement saying that the supply of the new Rs 200 notes would soon be ramped up, but has not given any time-frame by which it will be available in adequate numbers.

ATM manufacturing companies said that they have not received any directive from the RBI regarding the recalibration of ATMs for the new Rs 200 note. They disclosed that some banks have at an informal level have asked them to start testing of the new note, since it is of a different size.

It is yet to be seen whether all the 2.25 lakh ATM machines across India would be recalibrated for dispensing the new note.

Ravi B Goyal, Chairman and Managing Director, AGS Transact Technologies Limited, which claims to have an installed base of 60,000 ATMs, told IANS, "The process of recalibration will begin once we receive the directive from the RBI. The size of the new notes is different from the existing ones and so, once we receive the new notes, we will have to understand its dimensions and accordingly reconfigure the ATM cassettes. Next, we will have to check if the supply of notes is good enough to run the cassettes at full capacity."

"The entire process of recalibration can be completed within 90 days without affecting the regular functionality of ATMs to a large extent. In fact, the ATMs will continue to be fully operational during recalibration and will continue to supply Rs 100, Rs 500 and Rs 2,000 denominations," he said.

Among the other companies operating in the sector are NCR Corporation, which has over 1,08,000 machines, and BTI Payments, which has 4,500 cash dispensers.

NCR Corporation said that while some banks have reached out to them to start testing of the new note, they were yet to receive the supply to begin the process.

"Banks have started getting in touch with us for testing the same. They will let us know which machines they wish to configure for Rs 200, which will require physical visits to ATMs. However, the new notes are still to be provided to us by the respective banks so that the testing can begin," Anand Garollu, General Manager (Services), NCR Corporation said.

K. Srinivas, Managing Director and CEO of BTI Payments, an RBI-licensed firm that operates cash dispensers not owned and managed by banks, said, "Recalibration will begin as and when we receive adequate quantity of Rs 200 notes. We are looking to roll this out as quickly as possible."

He said that the industry was expecting Rs 200 notes to be available over a period of time across various geographies.

"The recalibration can be done progressively as and when the new denomination note starts to become available. Unlike the last time around (during demonetisation), when we had to recalibrate all machines in one go," Srinivas added.

The ATM companies said that they were expecting to receive official communication on recalibration of ATMs soon. However, e-mails to RBI in this regard did not elicit any reply, they said.

"The production of these (Rs 200) notes is being ramped up by the currency printing presses and over time, as more notes are printed, it will be distributed across the country through the banking channels and will be available for public in adequate quantity," the RBI had said in a statement.

Currently, Rs 200 notes are available only through select RBI offices and some banks.

While State Bank of India and Punjab National Bank are reported to have received the new Rs 200 notes, Eknath Baliga, Manger, KYC-Antimoney Laundering Cell, Corporation Bank, Mangalore, told IANS that none of its branches across the country had received the Rs 200 notes so far.

The Rs 200 note is currently being printed only by RBI presses. Security Printing and Minting Corporation of India (SPMCIL) sources told IANS that the company has not received any indent so far for the printing of Rs 200 notes. India`s two currency presses are owned by RBI and two by SPMCIL, which is a government-owned company.

How the ATM recalibration happens:

Usually, an ATM holds four cassettes -- three of which can continue to be used for Rs 100, Rs 500, Rs 2,000, and the fourth cassette can be used for the new Rs 200 notes. On an average, each cassette has a capacity to hold 2,000-2,500 notes depending upon the quality of cash issued by banks. However, there are many ATMs that only have either two or three cassettes.

The number of slots in the ATM can be configured as per the bank`s preference. The banks decide which denomination needs to be configured in a machine on the basis of the customer profile in the area where the ATM is located and the number of transactions on that machine.

The banks need to make requisite changes at their ATM switch before the roll-out of the physical recalibration at the ATMs in the field.

The recalibration of a new denomination takes 30-45 minutes per ATM. The process of recalibration is not very difficult but is time-consuming given an engineer has to visit every ATM and configure it to dispense the requisite denomination.

The introduction of the Rs 200 note has been welcomed as it would ease the currency circulation in the market as people prefer lower denomination cash withdrawals from ATMs. Rs 200 would also be more convenient for rural consumers.
New Delhi: After clocking up a career-total of 665 days in orbit, record-setting astronaut Peggy Whitson made a successful, smooth landing in Kazakhstan amid huge applause, along with her two crewmates  Jack Fischer and Fyodor Yurchikhin.

US space agency NASA aired the entire process, the crew members' last moments at the space station, the undocking of the Soyuz spacecraft and finally their landing. The crew's Russian Soyuz capsule touched down in Kazakhstan at 9:21 pm EDT Saturday (0121 GMT Sunday).

The 57-year-old astronaut  who is also called the 'American space ninja' by fellow astronauts  said she feels great after ending her extended 9-month stay aboard the International Space Station (ISS).

"I love working up here. It's one of the most gratifying jobs I've ever had," Whitson said, during an inflight interview on Monday.

During her third mission aboard the station, the biochemist spent much of her time on experiments, including studies of cancerous lung tissue and bone cells. She also completed four spacewalks, adding to her six previous outings, to set a record for the most time spent spacewalking by a woman.

Two crewmates who launched with Whitson in November returned to Earth three months ago. Her tenure was extended in order to fill a vacancy after Russia scaled down its station staff from three to two cosmonauts.

"I'm looking forward to seeing friends and family," Whitson said during another interview.

"But the thing I've been thinking about the most, kind of been fantasizing about a little bit, are foods that I want to make, vegetables that I want; things that I've missed up here."

In April, Whitson broke the 534-day US record for cumulative time in space. Only seven Russian men have logged more time, including Gennady Padalka, the world record-holder with 878 days in orbit.

Whitson became an astronaut in 1996 and was the first woman to command the space station and also the first woman and first non-pilot to serve as chief of the NASA Astronaut Corps.

(With inputs from Reuters)
Chennai: Amidst the internal bickering in the AIADMK, a meeting of the party MLAs called by Chief Minister K Palaniswami camp, is likely to be held here on September five, sources said.

MLAs of the sidelined AIADMK Deputy Chief TTV Dhinakaran camp have also been invited to the meeting, party sources said.

They were tight lipped about the agenda of the meeting.

However, the meeting comes in the wake of the ongoing tussle for power between Palaniswami and Dhinakaran, even as 19 MLAs owing allegiance to the latter have revolted against Palaniswami.

The revolting legislators had told the Governor Ch Vidyasagar Rao that they had lost confidence in Palaniswami and had sought his removal as Chief Minister.
New Delhi: Kriti Sanon is having a blast in Spain and her pictures on Instagram speak for themselves. The actress looks ravishing in each picture and seems to be having a great time over there.

Here is Kriti's Instagram post, from four days ago in which she is absolutely rocking the slit black t-shirt along with shorts and black gliders.

A post shared by Kriti (@kritisanon) on Aug 29, 2017 at 6:45am PDT

While in another post, the actress has shared a picture with a wonderful view of the place. The perfect weather, beautiful houses and a church in the frame make us want to visit the place in a jiffy! Later on, Kriti shared a post with her travel companions and the trio looks awesome against the dreamy view!

Here are her posts:

A post shared by Kriti (@kritisanon) on Aug 30, 2017 at 12:00am PDT

Spain Bound @ayeshoe @aasifahmedofficial #SpainLove #traveldiaries A post shared by Kriti (@kritisanon) on Aug 30, 2017 at 12:05am PDT

Spain is known for its beautiful architecture and beaches, and Kriti's next posts are all about enjoying her time in Spain to the fullest. Let's not forget to mention how adorable she looks in the beachside pictures with her floral print shorts and a white tank top!

If these ain't travel goals, we don't know what are!

Check out the remaining posts here:

@ayeshoe #SpainLove A post shared by Kriti (@kritisanon) on Aug 30, 2017 at 12:08am PDT

A post shared by Kriti (@kritisanon) on Aug 30, 2017 at 12:09am PDT

A post shared by Kriti (@kritisanon) on Sep 1, 2017 at 4:27am PDT

A post shared by Kriti (@kritisanon) on Sep 1, 2017 at 5:07am PDT

Beaches make me happyyyyy #SpainLove #TravelDiaries A post shared by Kriti (@kritisanon) on Sep 1, 2017 at 6:21am PDT

A post shared by Kriti (@kritisanon) on Sep 2, 2017 at 3:32am PDT

On the work front, Kriti recently starred in 'Bareilly Ki Barfi' along with Ayushmann Khurrana and Rajkumar Rao. The movie is directed by Ashwiny Iyer Tiwari and was well received by the audience.
Gorakhpur: Accused Dr. Kafeel Khan, who was earlier held in connection with the death of more than 70 children at the Baba Raghav Das Medical College's Hospital, was sent to police custody on Saturday.

Khan was produced before the court, which took cognisance into the case filed against him.

The Uttar Pradesh Special Task Force (STF) on Saturday arrested accused Dr. Khan and thereafter, was handed over to the Sahjanwa Police in Gorakhpur.

After Dr. Khan made headlines, he was removed from the post of the Nodal Officer for the Department of Pediatrics of the hospital.

Khan is the third accused so far in the case.

The court has ordered Non-Bailable warrants against seven accused including Dr. Khan and Dr Satish.

The report of the Chief Secretary's Committee, was presented to state Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath and catered towards suggestions and improvements for the better working conditions in hospitals in Gorakhpur and other districts.

In a press release issued earlier, the government had stated that all recommendations of the probe committee were accepted.

It further said that the committee recommended registration of criminal cases against former principal of BRD Medical College, Dr Rajeev Mishra; Dr Satish, in-charge of oxygen supply and head of anesthesia department; Dr Khan, in-charge of the 100-bed AES ward; and Pushpa Sales.

According to data procurred from the BRD hospital, 70 children died in a week, followed by another 70 in just four days
Seoul: North Korea appears to have conducted a sixth nuclear test, the South's Yonhap News Agency said Sunday citing military officials, just hours after Pyongyang claimed to have developed a hydrogen bomb that could be loaded into a long-range missile.

South Korean President Moon Jae-in has convened an emergency National Security Council (NSC) meeting following the earthquake and a report by North Korean state-media that Kim Jong-un inspected a hydrogen bomb being loaded into a new intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) after it claimed to have made a "more developed nuke".

Soon after the tremors, the South Korean military said, "The 5.6 quake that struck North Korea was artificial, analyzing to see if it was a nuclear test."

The USGS upgraded the magnitude of the shaking caused by the nuclear test to 6.3 and added that the quake struck 55 km north northwest of Kimchaek. There were no immediate reports of damage or casualties.

USGS recorded what they described as a shallow 5.1-magnitude "mining explosion" 24 kilometres (15 miles) east northeast of Sungjibaegam in North Korea, in an updated report. "An artificial quake was detected at 12:36 pm in areas in the North Hamgyeong Province," the Korea Meteorological Administration told AFP.

Earlier, media reports said that an earthquake measuring 5.2 struck North Korea on Sunday.

Previous recent tremors in the region have been caused by nuclear tests. Since 2006, North Korea has carried out five nuclear tests, including two last year.

Jana Pursely, a USGS geophysicist, told AFP: "It`s an explosion rather than an earthquake."

Nuclear-armed Pyongyang has long sought the means to deliver an atomic warhead to the United States, its sworn enemy.

Questions remain over whether it has successfully miniaturised its weapons, and whether it has a working H-bomb, but the official Korean Central News Agency said before the quake that leader Kim Jong-Un had inspected such a device at the Nuclear Weapons Institute.

It was a "thermonuclear weapon with super explosive power made by our own efforts and technology", KCNA cited Kim as saying, and "all components of the H-bomb were 100 percent domestically made".

Pictures showed Kim in black suit examining a metal casing, with a shape akin to a peanut shell.

North Korea triggered a new ramping up of tensions in July, when it carried out two successful tests of an ICBM, the Hwasong-14, which apparently brought much of the US mainland within range.

It has since threatened to send a salvo of rockets towards the US territory of Guam, and last week fired a missile over Japan and into the Pacific, the first time time it has ever acknowledged doing so.

US President Donald Trump has warned Pyongyang that it faces "fire and fury", and that Washington`s weapons are "locked and loaded".

Trump spoke by telephone to Japan`s Prime Minister Shinzo Abe to discuss the need to "maximize pressure on North Korea" in the face of the "growing threat" it presented, according to a White House readout of the call, without specifying when it took place.

The North has repeatedly claimed that it has a thermonuclear weapon, which can be far more powerful than other nuclear devices.

(With Agency inputs)
Pyongyang: China has strongly condemned North Korea for conducting sixth and most powerful nuclear test on Sunday and slammed Pyongyang for ignoring international condemnation of its atomic weapons programme.

Chinese Foreign Ministry has issued a statement on Sunday, expressing firm opposition to and strong condemnation at the nuclear test by the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK), The Global Times reported.

North Korea "has ignored the international community's widespread opposition, again carrying out a nuclear test. China's government expresses resolute opposition and strong condemnation toward this", the foreign ministry said in a statement.

North Korea's sixth nuclear test was far more powerful than any weapon it has previously detonated.

North Korea on Sunday announced that it has successfully conducted a test of a hydrogen bomb that is meant to be loaded into an intercontinental ballistic missile.

The news reader of the North Korean Central Television said North Korea's leader Kim Jong Un ordered the test and termed it a "perfect success". The quake was felt in northern China, with emergency sirens blaring in Yanji, near the North Korean border, according to local media.

Meanwhile, Japan has dispatched so-called "radiation sniffer" planes to take samples to confirm that a nuclear explosion did in fact take place.

On August 14,China has issued an order to carry out the United Nations sanctions imposed on the rogue regime.

The U.N. Security Council unanimously approved the tough new sanctions on Aug. 5 in a bid to punish North Korea for its escalating nuclear missile programs. The sanctions include a ban on exports valued at more than $1 billion.
Colombia: Colombia`s ELN guerrilla group said a Russian-Armenian citizen it held hostage for six months was killed in April while trying to escape, a startling admission that risks throwing current peace talks with the government into jeopardy.

In a rare interview, a commander of the National Liberation Army, Colombia`s last active guerrilla group, said that ransoms from kidnappings were necessary to keep its fighters in the field and that peace would be impossible without state funding to feed and clothe the rebels.

The ELN seized Arsen Voskanyan in November. The group claimed that he was collecting endangered, poisonous frogs in the jungles of the northwestern department of Choco and accused him of wanting to smuggle wildlife overseas.

After his lengthy captivity, Voskanyan was shot when he grabbed a hand grenade in a bid to escape, according to the ELN commander, who would only give his nom-de-guerre Yerson.

"He`s dead," Yerson told Reuters in a remote area along the banks of a river that sees frequent combat between the leftist rebels, government troops and right-wing paramilitaries.

"The grenade exploded ... several of our boys were wounded, the entire unit of five boys. He fled, he was shot and killed ... The issue of his body will be negotiated," he said, adding that the death took place within his unit. Yerson supplied no evidence to back up his assertions.

Another person with knowledge of the matter also subsequently confirmed that Voskanyan had been killed.

Reuters could not independently confirm the circumstances surrounding Voskanyan`s death.

Colombia`s government said it knows nothing of the ELN`s claim and the last it knew was a statement from the ELN that said he had escaped.

"The responsibility is with the ELN," the senior official said, asking not to be named.

The Russian Embassy in Colombia, Colombia`s High Peace Commissioner and the Foreign Ministry in Moscow did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

The ELN`s practice of kidnapping civilians is a key issue at peace talks taking place in the Ecuadorean capital of Quito. The fact that Voskanyan was killed as talks progress and the ELN failed to inform the government may complicate already tricky negotiations to end 53 years of war and make the need to agree a ceasefire more pressing.

"It makes it urgent to get a bilateral, verifiable ceasefire as soon as possible so this doesn`t keep happening," leftist Senator Antonio Navarro Wolff, who once belonged to now-demobilized urban guerrilla group the M-19, told Reuters.

Yerson and his troops said they are not optimistic a peace agreement can be reached because neither side will give ground on kidnapping.

The ELN has refused to stop taking hostages for ransom, launching bomb attacks and extorting foreign oil and mining companies while talks are ongoing. The government has said it will not move forward on issues like a bilateral ceasefire until it does.

Talks with the ELN are being held as the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC), until this year the biggest rebel group, has demobilized, formed a new political party and ended its part in a civil war that killed more than 220,000 people and displaced millions over five decades.

ELN HAD SAID HOSTAGE ESCAPED

His face covered by a thin black balaclava and wearing a beret and camouflage fatigues, Yerson, 35, said he has been fighting in Colombia`s jungles and mountains "for many, many years."

Flanked by two fighters carrying semi-automatic rifles as other rebels watched on, he questioned the government`s willingness to make sufficient concessions but said he would adhere to the wishes of his leadership if a peace deal was reached.

The ELN has sought peace before, holding talks in Cuba and Venezuela between 2002 and 2007, but experts have said those discussions were dogged by lack of will on both sides.

Yerson is the commander of the Ernesto "Che" Guevara Front, that fights under the command of the ELN leader known as Uriel who commands the Western War Block Omar Gomez. He declined to say how many rebels fight in his unit.

The ELN - which has kidnapped hundreds of Colombians and foreigners for economic and political gain - previously said in a statement that Voskanyan escaped injured after a struggle that left several fighters wounded as they tried to release him to the International Committee of the Red Cross.

The killing of Voskanyan may turn already dire public perception further against the ELN, analyst Ariel Avila told Reuters.

"The impact will be on public opinion and in the questioning of the talks," he said.

Inspired by the Cuban revolution and established by radical Catholic priests in 1964, the ELN was close to disappearing in the 1970s but steadily gained power again.

By 2002 it had as many as 5,000 fighters, financed by "war taxes" levied on landowners and oil companies. It is now believed to have about 2,000 fighters, but Yerson, who would not confirm the number, said the group is heavily recruiting.

Considered a terrorist group by the United States and the European Union, the ELN has stepped up attacks on economic infrastructure this year, hitting oil pipelines and power lines repeatedly.

President Juan Manuel Santos, who meted out some of the most crushing military blows against the FARC and earned a Nobel Peace Prize last year for his efforts at peace, has had less success with the ELN, which moves in mobile units of four or so fighters.

The ELN has said it may declare a temporary ceasefire to honor Pope Francis during his visit next week to Colombia.
Houston: President Donald Trump on Saturday said he would discuss the fate of a five-year-old U.S.-South Korean free trade deal with his advisers next week, in a move that could see him pull out of the accord with a key American ally at a time of heightened tensions on the Korean peninsula.

Trump made his remarks to reporters while visiting hurricane-hit Houston a day after he spoke with South Korean President Moon Jae-in and struck a deal allowing Seoul access to longer-range missiles as well as a potential arms sale.

The U.S.-Korea Free Trade Agreement (KORUS), hammered out by Trump`s Democratic predecessor Barack Obama, has been a frequent target for Trump, who in earlier interviews with Reuters threatened to withdraw from what he called an unequal deal in which Washington runs a goods trade deficit of almost $28 billion with Seoul.

"It is very much on my mind," Trump said in Houston when asked if he is talking to advisers and will do something about the pact this week.

The U.S. Chamber of Commerce said in an email to members that it and other business groups "have received multiple reports" that the Trump administration is prepared to notify South Korea of its intent to withdraw from KORUS on Tuesday, and possibly sooner.

The largest U.S. business lobby urged member companies to have senior executives call the White House and other administration officials to tell them not to proceed, and to enlist Republican governors in the effort.

"This is an all hands on deck effort," the group said in a memo seen by Reuters that recalled another emergency campaign in April to persuade Trump not to withdraw from the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA).

Trump agreed to renegotiate NAFTA`s terms but on Aug. 27 renewed his threat to scrap the 23-year-old trade pact, even as U.S., Canadian and Mexican trade negotiators were preparing for this weekend`s second round of talks in Mexico City.

Trump is also likely to face resistance from within his own administration to any move to quit KORUS. National Economic Council Director Gary Cohn and other senior administration officials had opposed a unilateral NAFTA withdrawal.

Trump`s comments on Saturday came amid a standoff over North Korea`s missile and nuclear tests. North Korea sharply raised regional tension this week with the launch of its Hwasong-12 intermediate-range ballistic missile, which flew over Japan and landed in the Pacific.

Washington wants to change the South Korea deal to help cut its trade deficit with Asia`s fourth-largest economy.

A South Korean trade ministry official said the government has been "thoroughly preparing for all possibilities" and would negotiate with Washington with an open attitude.

South Korean and U.S. officials began talks about possible revisions to the agreement on Aug. 22 but failed to agree on how to move forward. U.S. Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer, South Korean Trade Minister Kim Hyun-chong and the trade pact`s joint steering committee participated in a one-day videoconference that ended without a decision on the next steps for possible revisions.

The pact was initially negotiated by the Republican administration of President George W. Bush in 2007, but that version was scrapped and renegotiated by Obama`s administration three years later.

Trump has blamed the accord on his 2016 Democratic presidential election opponent, Hillary Clinton, who as Obama`s secretary of state promoted the final version of the agreement before its approval by the U.S. Congress in 2011.

Pulling out of KORUS would mark the latest step taken by Trump to abandon the type of international trade agreement that had exemplified world economics for decades.

Days after taking office in January, Trump formally abandoned the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP), an ambitious accord brokered by Obama that would have joined a dozen nations from Canada and Chile to Australia and Japan in a complicated array of trade rules.
Nairobi: Kenyan President Uhuru Kenyatta on Saturday lashed out at the judiciary for overturning his re-election, and refused opposition demands to replace the tarnished polls commission.

While repeating his assertion that he respected the Supreme Court decision, a bellicose Kenyatta set the stage for a bitter and tense re-run of the presidential election which must take place before October 31.

Chief Justice David Maraga on Friday declared Kenyatta`s victory in August 8 polls "invalid, null and void", pointing to widespread irregularities in the electronic transmission of vote results.

"Every time we do something a judge comes out and places an injunction. It can`t go on like this... there is a problem and we must fix it," said Kenyatta.

"I think those robes they wear make them think that they are more clever than the rest of us Kenyans," Kenyatta said of the Supreme Court judges, taking specific aim at Maraga.

"Maraga thinks he can overturn the will of the people. We shall show you... that the will of the people cannot be overturned by a few people."

On Friday he slammed the judges as "crooks" -- after weeks of urging the opposition to turn to the courts and "use whatever legal mechanisms that have been created via our wonderful constitution to express their dissatisfaction."

Law Society of Kenya president Isaac Okera condemned his remarks as "wholly inappropriate" and "ominous".Meanwhile the fate of the electoral commission (IEBC) was shaping up as the next battle between Kenyatta and opposition leader Raila Odinga, heirs to a dynastic rivalry dating back to independence in 1963.

Maraga said the IEBC had failed to properly conduct the presidential election, and that there had been "irregularities and illegalities".

Odinga demanded the discredited commission be replaced, while IEBC chairman Wafula Chebukati said there would be some "internal changes" but refused to resign.

The previous commission -- tarnished by a corruption scandal and poor handling of 2013 polls -- was forced to stand down last October after widespread protests.

Kenyatta dismissed the option of a change at the IEBC, stating "we don`t have time for any more reforms."

He accused Odinga of seeking to derail the election "to join the government through the back door" by forcing a coalition government.

"Let IEBC do their job, let them declare the date (of a new election) and Raila let us meet at the ballot."It is the first time a presidential election result has been overturned in Africa. Similar court rulings have been seen in Austria, Haiti, Ukraine, Serbia and the Maldives.

Zimbabwe`s opposition leader Morgan Tsvangirai on Saturday hailed the court decision in Kenya as a "step towards democracy".

"If it happened in Kenya it can as well happen in Zimbabwe," he said from a nation where Robert Mugabe has fought off challenges to his nearly 40-year rule.

And in the western African nation of Guinea, opposition leader Cellou Dalein Diallo similarly hailed the Kenyan court decision.

"This is a first and I hope this decision inspires other jurisdictions charged with handling contentious elections in Africa," he said.

Kenya`s press hailed the ruling as a hard-fought victory for the rule of law, and sign of a maturing democracy.

An editorial in the Nation newspaper said the ruling "signalled the end of the era of impunity that has painfully assailed this country for too long."

"Kenyans have struggled for decades to institutionalise the rule of law. We have fought, shed blood, lost lives and property in search of constitutional order," the paper said.

The press also raised prickly questions about the weeks to come.

"How (the IEBC) will conduct the next elections in the next 60 days is unimaginable," said the Nation.

The Standard said the IEBC must "clean up house".

"What Kenya needs most now is an election conducted in a legal, fair and transparent manner."The opposition National Super Alliance (NASA) cried foul after the August 8 poll over alleged hacking of the electronic system transmitting results from over 40,000 polling stations to the national tallying centre.

NASA argued that tallying forms meant to back up the electronic result were riddled with irregularities: unsigned, not stamped, illegible or lacking serial numbers or watermarks.

While Maraga cited "irregularities and illegalities", his full ruling has not yet been published.

Observers have warned that the new election could bring even more tension to a country where politics is largely divided along tribal lines.

"The outcome of the next election may be controversial again," said analyst Nic Cheeseman of the University of Birmingham.

The Nation newspaper warned that there was still a long road ahead: "This is not the end. The toughest journey, campaigns and elections, is yet to begin."
New Delhi: Google has come up with a novel idea to help netizens tackle their day-to-day household chores.

From installing lightbulbs to fixing a washing machine and toilet, the search giant has come up with a ready-reckoner to help those in need.

There is a reason for doing that. Google has found that some of these daily life hassles have been the most searched online topics since 2014.

So its 'Trends' team has collaborated with award-winning designer Xaquin Gonzalez Veira to create a series of visuals to help people fix their broken doors, windows, toilets and even washing machines and refrigerators.

Other common online quiries that Google has found include how to tie a tie, kiss, geting pregnant, lose weight, draw, make money, pancakes and french toast, write a cover letter, lose belly fat and so on and so forth.
Mecca: Even at Islam`s holiest sites and during the most sacred time of year for Muslims, some people cannot stop talking about Donald Trump.

Among one group of American, Canadian and British pilgrims in Mecca this week for the annual haj, the US President and policies they say target Muslims and immigrants are a regular conversation topic.

"People are irritated, angry, sombre, a little bit worried," said Yasir Qadhi, an Islamic scholar who travelled from Tennessee for his fourteenth pilgrimage.

"No one that I know is happy at the current circumstances or the current administration. No one, not a single person in this entire gathering."

As a candidate, Trump proposed barring Muslims from entering the United States. In office, he ordered temporary bans on people from several Muslim-majority countries, which have been blocked by courts that ruled they were discriminatory.

His administration has denied any intention of religious discrimination in the travel ban, saying it is intended purely as a national security measure.

But sharp rhetoric about the threat posed by "radical Islam" which was a central part of his campaign has also drawn accusations he risks alienating more than three million Americans who practise Islam peacefully.

Many American Muslims say his stance has fuelled an atmosphere in which some may feel they can voice prejudices or attack Muslims without fear of retribution.

`Stop Attacking Islam`(bold)

The haj, a five-day ritual which retraces the journey the Prophet Mohammad took 14 centuries ago, is a religious duty once in a lifetime for every able-bodied Muslim who can afford it.

It is the world`s largest annual Muslim gathering, with over 2.3 million people attending this year. The faithful come from nearly every country in the world, speaking dozens of languages and sometimes practising Islam in different ways based on local customs or traditions.

American Wajahat Ali said friends back home had asked him to pray for the United States while on haj, and other pilgrims he met offered sympathies and encouragement that the situation would improve.

Malaysian pilgrim Abdul Azim Zainul Abideen said the president should stop what he called his attacks on Islam.

"We don`t have anything against any Americans or non-Muslims," he said on Friday at a symbolic stoning of the devil, part of the haj rituals.

His sister, 27-year-old Anisa, said she was worried by reports of an uptick in violence against Muslims in the United States "just because of wearing hijab (headscarf) in the streets or just because you have a beard".

Saudi Arabia, which stakes its reputation on organising the haj, has urged pilgrims to put aside political concerns and focus on spirituality. But Islamophobia is a common subject at meals and while waiting in long lines to pray and conduct rituals.

"Muslims across the world are now more aware of the different political situation," said Yusuf Badat, an imam from Toronto.

"They`re all working together to try and have a better image for themselves because many times the coverage is given to ISIS and these types of fringe groups."

Islamic State, also called ISIS or ISIL, has carried out or inspired deadly attacks around the world after proclaiming a self-styled caliphate in Iraq and Syria to rule over all Muslims. The ultra-violent group has been widely denounced by Muslim religious and political leaders.

Baha al-Deen, a pilgrim from ex-Soviet Georgia, said any labelling of Muslims as terrorists should stop.

"God gave us minds and tongues so we can understand each other and talk about our problems," he said. "Otherwise we will fight like animals."
Seoul: North Korea on Sunday said it has developed an advanced hydrogen bomb that possesses "great destructive power" as U.S. President Donald Trump and Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe talked by phone about the "escalating" nuclear crisis.

The report by North Korea's official KCNA news agency comes amid heightened regional tension following Pyongyang's two tests of intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBM) in July that potentially could fly about 10,000 km (6,200 miles), putting many parts of the mainland United States within range.

Under third-generation leader Kim Jong Un, North Korea has been pursuing a nuclear device small and light enough to fit on a long-range ballistic missile, without affecting its range and making it capable of surviving re-entry into the Earth`s atmosphere.

North Korea claims to develop ''advanced hydrogen bomb'' with 'great destructive power'

North Korea, which carries out its nuclear and missile programmes in defiance of UN Security Council resolutions and sanctions, "recently succeeded" in making a more advanced hydrogen bomb, KCNA said.

"The H-bomb, the explosive power of which is adjustable from tens kiloton to hundreds kiloton, is a multi-functional thermonuclear nuke with great destructive power which can be detonated even at high altitudes for super-powerful EMP (electromagnetic pulse) attack according to strategic goals," KCNA said.

"All components of the H-bomb were homemade and all the processes ... were put on the Juche basis, thus enabling the country to produce powerful nuclear weapons as many as it wants," KCNA quoted Kim as saying.

Juche is North Korea`s homegrown ideology of self-reliance that is a mix of Marxism and extreme nationalism preached by state founder Kim Il Sung, the current leader`s grandfather. It says its weapons programmes are needed to counter U.S. aggression.

Kim Jong Un, who visited the country's nuclear weapons institute, "watched an H-bomb to be loaded into new ICBM" and "set forth tasks to be fulfilled in the research into nukes," KCNA said.

Pictures released by the agency showed Kim inspecting a silver-coloured warhead in the visit accompanied by nuclear scientists, with a concept diagram of its Hwasong-14 long-range ballistic missile seen hanging on the wall.

Tensions on the Korean peninsula have been high since last month when North Korea threatened to launch missiles into the sea near the strategically located U.S. Pacific territory of Guam after Trump said Pyongyang would face "fire and fury" if it threatened the United States.

North Korea further raised regional tensions on Tuesday by launching an intermediate-range ballistic missile over Japan, drawing international condemnation.

The KCNA report made no mention of plans for a sixth nuclear test.

Trump and Abe spoke by phone and said that in face of an "escalating" situation with North Korea that close cooperation between their countries and with South Korea was needed, Abe told reporters. They also agreed that pressure on North Korea must be raised, Abe said.

Trump told Abe that the United States, as an ally, was 100 percent with Japan, Deputy Chief Cabinet Secretary Yasutoshi Nishimura told reporters.

The United States has repeatedly urged China, the North`s sole major ally, to do more to rein in its neighbour.

Experts and officials have said North Korea could conduct its sixth nuclear test at any time, and that the reclusive country has maintained a readiness at its nuclear test site to conduct another detonation.

U.S. officials have told Reuters that while North Korea has had parts in place for a nuclear detonation going back several months, no new activity had been seen recently at its known nuclear test site in Punggye-ri in its northeastern region.

North Korea last year conducted its fourth and fifth nuclear tests, saying the fourth in January 2016 was a successful hydrogen bomb test, although outside experts say the claim has not been proven.

Earthquakes triggered by North Korean nuclear tests have gradually increased in magnitude since Pyongyang`s first test in 2006, indicating it is steadily improving the destructive power of its nuclear technology.

Its fifth nuclear test in September 2016 was measured to be possibly North Korea`s biggest detonation ever, but the earthquake it caused was still not believed to be big enough to demonstrate a thermonuclear test.

Impoverished North Korea and the rich, democratic South are technically still at war because their 1950-53 conflict ended in a truce, not a peace treaty. The North regularly threatens to destroy the South and its main ally, the United States.
Seoul: A shallow magnitude 6.3 earthquake shook North Korea on Sunday, suggesting it had detonated its sixth and most powerful nuclear test device, hours after Pyongyang said it had developed an advanced hydrogen bomb that possesses "great destructive power".

The earthquake, which Japan said was a nuclear test, struck 75 km (45 miles) north northwest of Kimchaek, where previous tests have been conducted. Such a move would be a direct challenge to U.S. President Donald Trump, who hours earlier had talked by phone with Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe about the "escalating" nuclear crisis in the region.

The 6.3 magnitude recorded by the U.S. Geological Survey would represent North Korea`s most powerful detonation yet, which one expert said could support its claims to have developed a hydrogen bomb.

"The power is 10 or 20 times or even more than previous ones," Said Kune Y. Suh, a nuclear engineering professor at Seoul National University. "That scale is to the level where anyone can say a hydrogen bomb test."

A U.S. official who studies North Korea`s military and politics said that seismic data on the tremors was being analysed, although the location suggested another nuclear test.

The official, who spoke on the condition of anonymity, said it was too early to determine if a test, if there was one, supported the North`s claim that has succeeded in developing a thermonuclear weapon, "much less one that could be mounted on an ICBM and re-enter Earth`s atmosphere without burning up".

The hydrogen bomb report by North Korea`s official KCNA news agency comes amid heightened regional tension following Pyongyang`s two tests of intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBM) in July that potentially could fly about 10,000 km (6,200 miles), putting many parts of the mainland United States within range.

Under third-generation leader Kim Jong Un, North Korea has been pursuing a nuclear device small and light enough to fit on a long-range ballistic missile, without affecting its range and making it capable of surviving re-entry into the Earth`s atmosphere.

AIR RAID SIRENS

Witnesses in the Chinese city of Yanji, on the border with North Korea, said they felt a tremor that lasted roughly 10 seconds, followed by an aftershock. China said it had detected a second, 4.6 magnitude quake with near identical coordinates eight minutes later.

"I was eating brunch just over the border here in Yanji when we felt the whole building shake," Michael Spavor, director of the Paektu Cultural Exchange, which promotes business and cultural ties with North Korea. "It lasted for about five seconds. The city air raid sirens started going off."

South Korea`s military said the first earthquake "appeared to be manmade". A meeting of Seoul`s National Security Council has been convened, national news agency Yonhap reported.

Japan said it had concluded there was a nuclear test.

North Koreas mission is quite clear when it comes to this latest atomic test: to develop a nuclear arsenal that can strike all of Asia and the U.S. homeland," Harry Kazianis, director of defence studies at the conservative Center for the National Interest in Washington, said.

"This test is just another step towards such a goal.

None of us should be shocked by Pyongyang`s latest actions."

Earthquakes triggered by North Korean nuclear tests have gradually increased in magnitude since Pyongyang`s first test in 2006, indicating the isolated country is steadily improving the destructive power of its nuclear technology.

After the fifth nuclear test in September, the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) measured a magnitude of 5.3. while South Korean monitors said the blast caused a 5.0 magnitude earthquake.

North Korea, which carries out its nuclear and missile programmes in defiance of UN Security Council resolutions and sanctions, "recently succeeded" in making a more advanced hydrogen bomb that will be loaded on to an ICBM, KCNA said.

"The H-bomb, the explosive power of which is adjustable from tens kiloton to hundreds kiloton, is a multi-functional thermonuclear nuke with great destructive power," KCNA said.

"All components of the H-bomb were homemade and all the processes ... were put on the Juche basis, thus enabling the country to produce powerful nuclear weapons as many as it wants," KCNA quoted Kim as saying.

Juche is North Korea`s homegrown ideology of self-reliance that is a mix of Marxism and extreme nationalism preached by state founder Kim Il Sung, the current leader`s grandfather. It says its weapons programmes are needed to counter U.S. aggression.

North Korea offered no evidence for its latest claim, and Kim Dong-yub, a military expert at Kyungnam University`s Institute of Far Eastern Studies in Seoul, was sceptical.

"Referring to tens to hundreds of kilotons, it doesn`t appear to be talking about a fully fledged H-bomb. It`s more likely a boosted nuclear device," Kim said, referring to an atomic bomb which uses some hydrogen isotopes to boost explosive yield.

A hydrogen bomb can achieve thousands of kilotons of explosive yield - massively more powerful than some 10 to 15 kilotons that North Korea`s last nuclear test in September was estimated to have produced, similar to the bomb dropped on Hiroshima, Japan, in 1945.

HOURGLASS-SHAPED DEVICE

Kim Jong Un, who visited the country`s nuclear weapons institute, "watched an H-bomb to be loaded into new ICBM" and "set forth tasks to be fulfilled in the research into nukes," KCNA said.

Pictures released by the agency showed Kim inspecting a silver-coloured, hourglass-shaped warhead in the visit accompanied by nuclear scientists.

The shape shows a marked difference from pictures of the ball-shaped device North Korea released in March last year, and appears to indicate the appearance of a two-stage thermonuclear weapon, or a hydrogen bomb, said Lee Choon-geun, senior research fellow at state-run Science and Technology Policy Institute.

"The pictures show a more complete form of a possible hydrogen bomb, with a primary fission bomb and a secondary fusion stage connected together in an hourglass shape," Lee said.

Tensions on the Korean peninsula have been high since last month when North Korea threatened to launch missiles into the sea near the strategically located U.S. Pacific territory of Guam after Trump said Pyongyang would face "fire and fury" if it threatened the United States.

North Korea further raised regional tensions on Tuesday by launching an intermediate-range ballistic missile over Japan, drawing international condemnation.

Trump and Abe spoke by phone and said that in face of an "escalating" situation with North Korea that close cooperation between their countries and with South Korea was needed, Abe told reporters.

The United States has repeatedly urged China, the North`s sole major ally, to do more to rein in its neighbour.

Impoverished North Korea and the rich, democratic South are technically still at war because their 1950-53 conflict ended in a truce, not a peace treaty. The North regularly threatens to destroy the South and its main ally, the United States.
Columbia: US President Donald Trump on Sunday called North Korea`s actions "very hostile and dangerous" to the United States, after Pyongyang conducted its sixth nuclear test.

"North Korea has conducted a major Nuclear Test," Trump said on Twitter. "Their words and actions continue to be very hostile and dangerous to the United States."
Most read of the week
Aladino is a 100% Authentic Honduran puro that comes from JRE Tobacco Company. JRE Tobacco Company is an operation that was founded by Julio R. Eiroa and his son Justo M. Eiroa. Julio and Justo are the father and brother of Christian Eiroa, who is best known for running Camacho Cigars before founding CLE Cigar Company. JRE Tobacco Company is a fully vertically integrated operation as it grows tobacco at the Eiroa Tobacco Farm, produces its cigars at Julio Eiroas Las Lomas factory, and handles its own distribution. Last year, we took a look at the Aladino Elegante  a lancero offering. It was a cigar that was quite impressive and it earned the #2 Cigar of the Year on the Cigar Coop countdown. Today, we look at another size in the Aladino in the Robusto size. Like the Elegante, the Aladino Robusto is an excellent cigar  and one that has plenty of magical qualities as well.

Just prior to the 2015 IPCPR Trade Show, CLE Cigar Company announced the Aladino along with the Rancho Luna and Tatascan brands. The common denominator to the three brands was that they were all projects spearheaded by Julio Eiroa. Following the trade show, CLE would do a soft-launch for the brands. Earlier in 2016, it was announced that a new company headed by Julio and Justo Eiroa called JRE Tobacco Company would now be handling distribution. This essentially would become a logical extension to Julio Eiroas factory and farm.

Following this announcement, the Aladino, Rancho Luna, and Tatascan brands underwent some changes in terms of blends and packaging. While the packaging remained the same with Aladino, the blend was slightly changed to incorporate a higher priming wrapper and three new sizes were introduced.

Aladinos name can be traced back to the 1970s. There was a historic movie theater in Danli, Honduras known as El Cine Aladino. This theater was operated by Christian and Justo Eiroas grandfather. Today, Christian owns the Aladino factory, which is in the theaters former location. Aladino is also the name that Julio Eiroa chose to name one of his brands.

As mentioned the Aladino features 100% Authentic Corojo from Honduras. The goal of this cigar was to deliver a classic, old-fashioned cigar experience reminiscent of those during the golden age between 1947 and 1961.

Without further ado, lets break down the Aladino Robusto and see what this cigar brings to the table.

Blend Profile

As mentioned, the Aladino consists of 100% Authentic Corojo tobacco grown in Honduras at the Eiroa Family Farms.

Wrapper: Authentic Corojo (Honduras)

Binder: Authentic Corojo (Honduras)

Filler: Authentic Corojo (Honduras)

Country of Origin: Honduras (Las Lomas)

The Eiroas grow what is referred to as Authentic Corojo. Corojo tobacco traces its origins to Cuba and eventually made its way outside the island nation. The Corojo plant is one that has been susceptible to fungus and blue mold and as a result, it has often has had lower yields. As a result, the Corojo seed fell out of favor with many growers. Many other growers have worked with hybrid versions of the Corojo plant to mitigate this fungal and mold problem  most notably Corojo 99. In 1997, Julio began to work with the Authentic Corojo seed at his Honduran farm and by the year 2000, he reintroduced the tobacco into the U.S. market with Camacho. Julio Eiroa has continued to grow Authentic Corojo and today the crops produced on his farms are considered one of the best varietals in the world. Its something the whole Eiroa family is very proud of.

Vitolas Available

There are twelve sizes of the Aladino. Nine of these sizes have under a 50 ring gauge.

Santi: 5 1/2 x 32

Elegante: 7 x 38

Petit Corona: 4 x 40

Palmas: 6 x 43

Corona: 5 x 44

Cazador: 6 x 46

Rothschild: 4 1/2 x 48

Churchill: 7 x 48

Robusto: 5 x 50

Patton: 9 x 48

Toro: 6 x 50

Gordo: 6 1/2 x 60

All are packaged in 20-count boxes. The Palmas, Rothschild, and Churchill are also available in 3-count packs. The Petit Corona is available in four count packs. The Santi is available in a 50-count single pack while the Patton is packaged in a coffin, with 10 coffins per box.

Appearance

The Authentic Corojo wrapper of the Aladino Robusto has a medium brown color. Depending on how the light shines on it, it may give off a rosado tint. There wasnt much in the way of oil on the surface of the Aladino Robusto. The Corojo wrapper also had a smooth surface with only some thin visible veins and minimally visible wrapper seams.

There is one band on the Aladino. The front and center of the band features a brown circular field with silver trim. On that field is a large silver A with the text ALADINO arranged in a curved fashion above it. To the left of the circle is the text 1947 while to right is the text 1961  both in silver font sitting on a background consisting of a combination of brown and maroon. Sitting on that same row to the far right side is the text (also in silver font). HECHO A MANO. The lower portion of the band almost looks like a pseudo-secondary band. It is yellow in color with silver trim. The text JULIO R. EIROA appears in maroon font on that yellow background.

At the recent 2017 IPCPR Trade Show, JRE Tobacco unveiled a packaging change to Aladino. The inside of the Aladino boxes received new art work.

The newer box incorporates the Aladino name into the artwork (the one below it did not have that name on the inside cover).

Preparation for the Cigar Experience

Prior to lighting up the Aladino Robusto, I used a straight cut to remove the cap. Once the cap was removed, I proceeded with the pre-light draw. The dry draw was pretty much in line with the Elegante size as I detected notes of bakers spice and natural tobacco. While it was a simple pre-light draw, I found it to be quite satisfying. At this point, I was ready to light up the Aladino Robusto and see what the smoking experience would deliver.

Flavor Profile

The Aladino Robusto started out with a mix of white pepper and earth. There was a slight amount of bakers spice and mixed fruit notes in the background. I also found a nice creamy texture in the flavor profile. There was also a subtle spice on the retro-hale which eventually became more of a white pepper varietal.

As the Aladino Robusto moved through the first half, there was an increase in sweetness. The fruit notes moved into the forefront and were joined by notes of caramel and natural tobacco. The fruit, caramel, and natural tobacco alternated in intensity. In addition, the creamy texture remained present. In the background, the white pepper and earth were present. Meanwhile, the bakers spice was also present in the distant background.

At the start of the second third, Aladino Robusto transitioned to more of an earth profile in the forefront. The trifecta of fruit, natural tobacco, and caramel was still present, but this started to recede; thus reducing the amount of sweetness. As the Aladino Robusto moved into the later stages of the second third, the fruit remained in the background with the natural tobacco and caramel dissipating. It was around this time that the pepper and bakers spice began to increase.

By the last third, the Aladino Robusto still maintained an earthy profile. There was less creaminess by this point. Meanwhile, the white pepper and bakers spice had now eclipsed the fruit sweetness. Overall there still was a nice balance of flavor. This is the way the cigar experience of the Aladino Robusto came to a close. The resulting nub was cool in temperature and slightly firm to the touch.

Burn and Draw

The burn of the Aladino Robusto performed quite well. While there was some occasional jaggedness, for the most part, this cigar maintained a straight burn line. The burn path remained straight and there was never a danger of this cigar meandering on its burn. The resulting ash was light gray and skewed toward the firm side. The burn rate and burn temperature were both ideal.

The draw to the Aladino Robusto was flawless. It had a touch of resistance  which is something that I like. This was as good a draw as I have had  for that it earns our exceptional rating.

Strength and Body

Overall I found the Aladino Robusto to be on par with its Elegante counterpart when it came to strength and body. This was a cigar that started out medium strength and medium body. For the most part, I found the strength and body levels to remain constant throughout the smoking experience.

In terms of strength versus body, I found both attributes to balance each other nicely, with neither one overshadowing the other.

Final Thoughts

When I assessed the Aladino Elegante, I called it nothing short of a masterpiece. Now that I have smoked the Robusto (and some of the other sizes), it is clear to me that the Aladino line is worthy of that title. This has great flavor, great balance, great construction, and plenty of complexity. Like the Elegante, the Robusto can appeal to those who prefer either a classic or contemporary styled cigar. Its also a cigar that can appeal to both novice and experienced cigar enthusiasts. As for myself, this is a cigar that I would smoke again  and its one worthy of a fight with Chuck Norris.

Summary

Key Flavors: Earth, Natural Tobacco, White Pepper, Bakers Spice, Mixed Fruit, Caramel

Burn: Very Good

Draw: Excellent

Complexity: Medium to High

Strength: Medium

Body: Medium

Finish: Very Good

Rating

Assessment: 4.5-Fight Chuck Norris for Them

Score: 94

References

News: JRE Tobacco Showcases Aladino at 2016 IPCPR Trade Show

Price: $10.00

Source: Purchased

Brand Reference: JRE Tobacco Co.

Photo Credits: Cigar Coop
The GOSPEL EXPRESS Radio show has been on the air at CKCU 93.1 for over 20 years. The goal of the show is to bring a good mix of gospel music to the community. The Gospel Express radio show plays the best and most popular Traditional and Contemporary Black Gospel music. The greatest current songs from all the major labels and artists are featured on the show as well as numerous independent, local and foreign artists  artists that would not be known to the community otherwise.



The GOSPEL EXPRESS was founded in 1990 by Richard Wilson who hosted the show with his brother, Paul Wilson. Richard, a gospel music artist in his own right, had a vision to bring Gospel Music outside of the four walls of the church and to the community. His vision prompted him to submit a proposal to CKCU that was later accepted by the Station Manager, Lance, and the board. Together, Richard and his brother pioneered the show, exposing the Ottawa community to Gospel Music and by this, shattered the impression of many who thought that Gospel Music simply consisted of chants and hymns. They showcased various artists from all over the world and demonstrated that gospel music is a powerful tool and that it can bring Word of God to the community through the medium of music - the Word in Song.



Over the years the show has undergone many changes, including air days, times, and show length. In addition, the shows hosts have changed over time, giving opportunity to others who love Gospel Music (Howard Peart, Emmanual Guillaume, Nathaniel Hamilton) to reach the community through this medium. The one thing that has not changed is the mission of the show and that is to spread Gospel Music to the community.



The show endeavours to stay informed of current events in the gospel community and communicates them to the listeners while also providing a platform to the community for other types of announcements. Current events are discussed on the show as well as topics of interest to the community, e.g. the Abuse against Women series which featured several community speakers.



The goal of GOSPEL EXPRESS is to remain as a tool on the radio to bring Gospel Music to the community and to provide upliftment and encouragement to those in need so that they will know that regardless of how bad things seem, there is always a Word in Song for them.




With strong disapproval from a large swathe of Venezuelans, the Constituent Assembly of Venezuela, an illegitimate political body imposed by the Maduro regime, usurped the legislative powers of the democratically-elected National Assembly.

The creation of the Constituent Assembly was the Maduro governments latest bid to bluntly circumvent elected representation. By purporting to elevate the Constituent Assembly over Venezuelas democratic institutions, and by stocking it with hand-picked supporters of the ruling party, the Maduro regime continues to conduct itself as a dictatorship.

Instead of listening to growing alarm by the Venezuelan people and the international community, Maduro has chosen to embrace dictatorship more fully, most recently through the constituent assembly's usurping of power from the democratically elected national assembly. This further demonstrates the regime's disregard for the will of the Venezuelan people, said a senior U.S. administration official during a recent teleconference.

In response, President Donald Trump on August 25th signed an executive order issuing a fourth round of sanctions prohibiting U.S. persons from dealings in new debt and equity of the Government of Venezuela and its state-owned oil company, Petroleos de Venezuela. This measure denies the regime a critical source of financing with which it maintains its authoritarian rule. It also protects the U.S. financial system from complicity in Venezuelas corruption and in the impoverishment of the Venezuelan people.

The U.S. government will not allow the Maduro regime and a few corrupt individuals to use the U.S. financial system to divert Venezuela's scarce resources away from the real needs of the Venezuelan people and into their own pockets. We will not let the regime use our financial system as a vehicle for their efforts to abuse the Venezuelan people and their constitutional rights, said the senior administration official.

In the words of President Trump, [The United States] will not stand by as Venezuela crumbles.
Baku, Azerbaijan, Sept. 3

Trend:

The government allocated low interest loans of more than two billion manats for entrepreneurs over the last years, of course, entrepreneurs also invested their funds. As a result of this initiative, nearly four billion manats or perhaps even more funds were allocated to the real sector of the country's economy, said President of the Republic of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev as he addressed a republican conference on the development of tea, rice and citrus fruits production in Lankaran.

The Azerbaijani President noted that loans were mainly allocated to regions, agriculture and processing industry.

Although the price of oil is still very low today, we have increased our currency reserves by $3.6bn in 7 months.
Baku, Azerbaijan, Sept. 03

By Kamila Aliyeva  Trend:

The US-Iran harsh rhetoric and constant frictions will continue as US seeks to prevent a flux of Iranian oil on the market, an expert believes.

Irans missile program is just one of the multiple cards on the table, which Tehran is using, as its right to pressure the international community on the JCPOA and get a better agreement, especially regarding the full abolishment of the economic sanctions, Andrea Falconi, security and political analyst, told Trend.

He believes that the real question is what would happen to the oil and gas world prices, which are considerably low already, in case of Irans full integration in the international community and freedom to trade its resources with the rest of the world.

"The US is trying to prevent a flux of Iranian oil on the market, especially in this particular historical moment, when the Saudis, with the back of Washington, made two different attempts to low the price," he noted.

"US President Donald Trump, for sure, is not going to pull the brake on US fracking sector, therefore the only solution is to continue to postpone Irans oil export," he said.

Therefore, for some years more, the conflict dialects will continue, as it does since 1979, sanctions will continue, and all the other business will go on, Falconi noted.

"Meanwhile, all the European countries would benefit from an opening of Iranian market, especially in terms of energy, and there are efforts to understand what Iran could need in exchange for that," he added.
Baku, Azerbaijan, Sept. 1

By Fatih Karimov Trend:

The trade turnover between Iran and China stood at $20.8 billion in first seven months of 2017, according to the latest statistics released by the Chinese Customs Administration.



China's exports to Iran in the 7-month period amounted to $10.428 billion, 21.3 percent more, year-on-year.

China exported $1.566 billion worth of goods to the Islamic Republic in July 2017, compared to $1.392 billion of exports in July 2016.

The country also imported $10.433 billion worth of goods from Iran in that period, 32 percent more compared to the 7-month period of 2016.

Chinas imports from Iran amounted to $1.22 billion in July 2017, meanwhile the figure stood at $1.249 billion in July 2016.



The trade turnover between the two countries was $51 billion in 2014, 31 percent more compared to the preceding year.



The figure stood at $34 billion in 2015, indicating a 34-percent plunge.
Baku, Azerbaijan, Aug. 29

By Umid Niayesh Trend:

There is no doubt that the International sanctions, imposed against Iran due to its disputed nuclear program crippled Irans economy in the past several years, but it also had certain advantages for Iranian entrepreneurs in the IT sector.

Due to lack of dominant international companies, Iranian entrepreneurs started to develop local versions for popular and useful global mobile and computer applications.

The international sanctions brought an extraordinary opportunity to some Iranian startups to dominate Irans big app market. Domestic Android app store is one of them.

According to the latest statistics released by Irans ICT ministry there are almost 41 million smartphone users. The ICT minister recently announced that iOS devices have an 11 percent share in Iranian market. There are some estimates that some 5 percent of the market belongs to Windows Phones. So, Android devices are dominant in Irans market with an estimated 84 percent share or over 34 million devices.

By tightening the US sanctions against Iran, many international communications technology companies including Google stopped providing their services to Iranians. Google Play Store (where you can purchase music, books, and Android apps) was among the services blocked for Iranian users.

So there was a lucrative opportunity for domestic startups to meet the needs of the massive number of domestic Android users.

Once Google decided to remove the certain bans in 2013, the Iranian market was already dominated by domestic startups such as Cafe Bazaar, Myket, Cando, etc, which took over the market once Google Play was gone.

A deep look inside Irans Android store market

The largest local app store in Iran is Cafe Bazaar, which has a cracking monopoly in the market. Cafe Bazaar was launched 5 years ago by a number of Tehrans Sharif university graduates or students when Google Play stopped its services to Iranians due to sanctions. Based on the Cafe Bazaars latest annual report and the updated data (June 21, 2017), there are over 34 million active installs of the Cafe Bazaar app, 98 percent of which are in Iran.

By March 20, 2017 there were 33 million Cafe Bazaar active installs and a total of 111,600 apps on Cafe Bazaar store.

According to the Cafe Bazaar data, there are around 40 installed apps and games on every users device, on average.

Cafe Bazaar is followed by Iranapps with some 10 million active users, and a total of 160,000 apps on its store. According to the company's data, at least 27,000 developers have published their apps on Iranapps store.

Another local Android store, Myket which shared its data with Trend, says that they share over 8 million active installs from the market.

Other smaller Android app store platforms such as Candoo and ParsHub, did not respond to Trend's requests for information.

As previously mentioned, Google Play is now available for Iranian users following the easing of sanctions, something that may endanger the Iranian startups share, which took control of the Android market under the sanctions.

Amir Haghighat, a representative of Cafe Bazaar, believes that Google Play is still a main competitor due to its wider range of published contents with less limitations.

"Cafe bazaar is, however, endeavoring to maintain sustainable competitive advantages by providing better localized, customized, innovative and tailored services to its users in the region," Haghighat told Trend.

He added that Cafe Bazaar has gained enduring advantages over Google Play by establishing a high reputation as the leading local Android market which provides wide-ranging services.

"Most apps and games are either developed in Iran or localized and supported in Farsi for our users convenience. Users and developers enjoy a 24/7 support via phone, emails and in-app forms," Haghighat said.

"Iranian Customers can also pay for their apps or use in-app purchase services easily since we have implemented several easy-to-use payment methods," he added.

Payment system is a key point, as Iranians without any international payment services (because of sanctions) are only able to download free apps from the Google Play.

Sepehr Khadem, Head of Mykets Marketing office also believes that Google Play presence in Irans market is a "big threat" for Iranian startups but also confirms that Google is facing serious challenges to compete with Iranian firms due to payment problems for Iranian users and developers.

It also should compete with Iranian firms which provide tailored services for domestic users, Khadem said.

However, he added that some Iranians use Gift Cards to make purchases from the Google Play store.

Gift cards, are prepaid cards that work as a credit. There are many businesses in Iran that sell gift cards online, another business developed under the sanctions.

There are lots of gift cards all over the Internet, ranging from Google Play, iTunes, Spotify, Playstation Network (PSN), Amazon, Xbox Live Gold Membership, Steam and WebMoney to Visa and Master Cards.

Khadem said that it is hard for Google to compete with local Iranian services on the Android platform, but the company has the capability to handle the obstacles, in order to enter the Iranian market.

"But there is another important question? Is Iranian market attractive enough for Google?," Khadem argued.

The Iranian startups also have an eye to foreign markets in particular in the region.

Cafe Bazaar has already expanded its activity to Farsi speaking countries, mainly in Afghanistan.

"Our main focus, at the moment, is on Farsi speaking users, no matter where they live. Although Cafe Bazaar does not provide any local payment services or special feature to users outside Iran," Haghighat said told Trend, adding that there are users from Iraq, USA and Turkey who have Cafe Bazaar app on their devices.

Myket is also planning to find a footprint in the regional markets. The platform is already offering applications in Arabic, Azerbaijani, Dari and Kurdish languages.

While responding to a question about the main restrictions against the app market entrepreneurs in Iran, Haghighat referred to ambiguity in laws and regulations about hosting and app stores. However he added that it is not so unusual due to the new nature of the industry.

Besides that, international barriers ahead of project development in international dimensions is a main problem for Iranian developers, Khadem said, adding that low Internet speed and penetration rate in Iran are the other obstacles.

Commenting on the future of the Irans app market, Haghighat said that mobile app industry has been expanded dramatically over the last few years as well as the noticeable growth in the number of Iranian developers and publishers. Many big companies have already developed apps or shown interest in doing so.

He added that total developers revenue from Cafe Bazaar platform reach to over 1000 billion Rials (each USD makes 33,000 rials) by the end of last Iranian fiscal year (March 2017).

Khadem, for his turn, believes that once the barriers for presence of Iranian developers in international market is removed then there is hope that the development rate of application market in Iran will accelerate, given the fact that Irans application industry is growing amid the severe economic stagnation in the country.
Baku, Azerbaijan, Sep. 3

By Khalid Kazimov  Trend:

The Islamic Republic of Iran exported 752,555 tons of metal products through 20 ports across the country over the last Iranian calendar month ending August 22.

According to the latest data available on the website of Irans Ports and Maritime Organization, the country loaded and unloaded 948,437 tons of metal products at its ports in the one-month period, indicating a 29.96 percent increase year-on-year.

In the meantime, the country imported 195,882 tons of metal products through the organizations ports.

Iranian ports saw loading and unloading of a total of 13 million tons of various goods and commodities, including oil and food products in the mentioned period.
Iran has confirmed a report that a Saudi Arabian delegation will travel to Tehran, less than two years after the kingdom unilaterally ruptured its relations with the Islamic Republic, PressTV reported.

The confirmation by Foreign Ministry spokesman Bahram Qassemi on Sunday came after Kuwaiti daily Al Jarida said the Saudi officials would take the trip following the Muslim festivities of Eid al-Adha, which will end on Monday.

The kingdom broke off its ties in January 2016 in protest at demonstrations in front of its diplomatic premises in Tehran and Mashhad against its execution of leading Shia cleric Sheikh Nimr al-Nimr.

After cutting the ties, Saudi Arabia also halted cooperation on arranging Hajj pilgrimage trips for Iranian nationals.

Iranian protesters chant slogans as they hold pictures of Shia cleric Sheikh Nimr al-Nimr during a demonstration against the execution of Nimr in Saudi Arabia, outside the Saudi Arabian Embassy in Tehran.

The Kuwaiti paper said the Saudi team would be visiting its diplomatic facilities in Iran. It said the delegation was initially supposed to take the trip two months ago, but differences with Iranian officials concerning the arrangements postponed the visit.

Ties began to deteriorate following a human crush in Mina, near the Saudi holy city of Mecca, in September 2015, which killed thousands of pilgrims, including hundreds of Iranians. The incident cast doubt on the kingdoms efficiency in hosting the rituals.

Iran is still pressing Saudi Arabia to clarify the circumstances of the incident and a separate crane crash earlier that month in which another number of Iranian pilgrims were killed.

On Saturday, representative of Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei in Hajj and pilgrimage affairs Seyyed Ali Qazi-Askar told Iranian pilgrims in Mina that the Islamic Republic was pursuing the cases of "martyrs" in Saudi Arabia.

He "expressed hope that follow-up efforts in this regard would yield the desired outcome as soon as possible," the official news agency IRNA reported.

Tensions between the two countries eased considerably recently during preparations for the pilgrimage this year when Iranian Hajj officials and diplomats met with Saudi officials to discuss arrangements for Iranian pilgrims.

According to Al Jarida, an Iranian delegation is expected to visit Saudi Arabia following the mission by the Saudi assessment team amid hopes that the exchange of visits would mark the start of a new chapter in the relations between the two countries, particularly as bilateral contacts would be open and direct instead of via third parties.

The paper said Iranians were looking forward to the visits succeeding in settling differences and the resumption of diplomatic ties, adding Tehran viewed the presence of the Saudi team in Iran as an indication of the kingdoms intention to resume diplomatic relations.

More than 80,000 Iranian pilgrims are now in Saudi Arabia to perform the Hajj, the annual pilgrimage to Islams holiest sites, after they avoided the trip last year because Riyadh failed to provide assurances about their safety.

The return of Iranian pilgrims followed painstaking negotiations between officials from the two countries.

Last week, Iranian President Hassan Rouhani said that if all goes smoothly, the pilgrimage could set the stage for further talks. Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif also said last month that Iran and Saudi Arabia were preparing to exchange diplomatic visits.

"The visas have been issued for both sides to make this trip, he told a local news outlet.
Prime Minister Theresa May warned lawmakers on Saturday that Britain could be faced with a Brexit cliff edge if they fail to back her EU repeal bill, as reports suggest momentum is growing within the ruling Conservative party to unseat her, Reuters reported.

On Thursday, British lawmakers will hold their first full parliamentary debate on legislation dubbed the Great Repeal Bill, which will sever the countrys ties with the European Union.

May failed to win a clear mandate at a snap June 7 election and only has a slim majority in parliament thanks to an agreement with a smaller party. She remains vulnerable if her pro-European lawmakers team up with other parties to vote down legislation or support amendments.

The main opposition Labour Party is planning to table several changes to the repeal bill designed to keep Britain in the single market and customs union during a Brexit transition period after 2019, according to The Times.

On Saturday, Mays deputy warned Conservative lawmakers from doing anything that would increase Labours chances of returning to power, while May said the bill was the best way to ensure Britains successful exit from the European Union.

The Repeal Bill ... (is) the single most important step we can take to prevent a cliff-edge for people and businesses, because it transfers laws and provides legal continuity, she said in comments provided by her office.

We ... welcome the contributions of MPs from across the House. But for us to grasp the great prize ahead of us, that contribution must fit with our shared aim: to help Britain make a success of Brexit.

But in a move that would irk many Eurosceptics, May is preparing to pay a Brexit divorce bill of up to 50 billion pounds ($65 billion) to the EU, The Sunday Times reported, citing an unnamed source. A spokeswoman at Mays office told Reuters the report is simply not true.

Earlier this week, May tried to draw a line under leadership speculation by saying she wanted to continue as Britains leader beyond the next parliamentary election, not due until 2022, dismissing expectations she would quit as early as 2019.

But the Sunday Times reported that her announcement prompted two or three more Conservative lawmakers to sign up to a letter calling on her to quit, bringing the total to about 25. At least 48 are needed to trigger a leadership contest. A spokeswoman at Mays office declined to comment on the report.

The Observer newspaper cited unnamed parliamentarians, including former ministers, as saying there was growing anger among pro-European Conservatives as they are told that softening the repeal bill with be seen as backing Labour, making a leadership challenge against May more likely this autumn.

But May is trying to grow support by winning over younger people who backed Labour in the election with plans to reform tuition fees and provide cheap homes to key public sector workers, the Sunday Times said.
U.S. President Donald Trump on Saturday spoke by telephone with Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe to discuss the escalating threats from North Korea, the White House said.

The conversation between the American and Japanese leaders came as North Korea said it had developed a more advanced thermonuclear weapon that possesses great destructive power.

Pyongyang said the weapon would be loaded on a new intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) that experts believe has the range to hit much of the U.S, Reuters reported.

The two leaders reaffirmed the importance of close cooperation between the United States, Japan and South Korea in the face of the growing threat from North Korea, the White House said in a statement. President Trump noted that he looks forward to continued trilateral coordination on the margins of the United Nations General Assembly.

Trump spoke to Abe while flying back to Washington after visiting storm-ravaged Houston.
Unusual seismic activity in North Korea indicates that the country probably carried out its sixth nuclear test, Japans NHK TV reported on Sunday.

A 5.6-magnitude tremor was registered on the countrys territory, TASS reported.

South Korean intelligence earlier reported that North Korean authorities have completed preparations for a nuclear test at two underground tunnels at the Punggye-ri nuclear test site in the northeast of the country.

North Korea carried out five nuclear tests in the past years - in 2006, 2009, 2013 and two in 2016. In response, the UN Security Council imposed more sanctions on Pyongyang. South Korean military officials said this March that North Korea was preparing to test a new type of a nuclear bomb.
Russia calls on the U.S. authorities to return immediately the diplomatic property (buildings of the Consulate General in San Francisco, trade representations in Washington and New York), or Washington would bear the entire responsibility for further degradation of the relations, Russias Foreign Ministry said in a statement on Sunday, TASS reported.

"On September 2, the U.S. authorities seized buildings of the Russian Consulate General in San Francisco and the Trade Representation in Washington, which are the Russian property enjoying the diplomatic immunity," the document reads. "To Russian representatives have been closed access also into the building of the Trade Representations branch in New York."

"We are calling on the American authorities to think better of it and to return immediately the Russian diplomatic facilities. Otherwise, the U.S will bear the entire responsibility for the continuing degradation of the relations between the countries, on which depend a lot the global stability and international security," the Foreign Ministry said.

"We consider this situation as a clearly hostile act, as Washington grave violation of the international law, including the Vienna Convention on Diplomacy and Consular Relations, the bilateral Consular Convention," the Foreign Ministry said.

The outrageous step of the American authorities "is in line with the actual expropriation in December last year of the Russian-owned diplomatic residential facilities near Washington and New York," the ministry said. "In the seized buildings now are the U.S. intelligence services, supported by the armed police.".
The situation around North Korea was in focus of a telephone conversation between Russian President Vladimir Putin and Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe on Sunday, TASS reported.

"Vladimir Putin called on the international community not to yield to emotions and act calmly and in a balanced manner. He also stressed that a comprehensive solution to the nuclear and other problems of the Korean Peninsula can be reached only by political and diplomatic means," Russian presidents press secretary Dmitry Peskov told journalists.

"The leaders discussed North Koreas nuclear test on September 3, which undermines the global non-proliferation regime, violates the United Nations Security Council resolutions and norms of international law, and creates a real threat to regional peace and stability," he said, adding that the two leaders agreed to continue dialogue on that subject at a meeting they are expected to have on the sidelines of the Eastern Economic Forum in Russias Far Eastern city of Vladivostok on September 7.

According to Peskov, the Russian president spoke with the Japanese prime minister when he returned to the hotel after his contacts with Chinese President Xi Jinping.
A Turkish soldier was martyred Sunday in a rocket attack by PKK terrorists in the southeastern Hakkari province, Anadolu reported.

A statement by the provincial governor's office said that PKK terrorists in Iraq launched a rocket attack on Turkish soldiers in Hakkaris Cukurca district, which lies along the Turkish-Iraqi border.

A soldier critically wounded in the attack was taken to Hakkari State Hospital, where he succumbed to his wounds, the statement added.

More than 1,200 people, including security personnel and civilians, have lost their lives since the PKK -- listed as a terrorist organization by Turkey, the U.S., and EU -- resumed its decades-long armed campaign in July 2015.
KYODO NEWS - Sep 2, 2017 - 03:16 | All

Japanese wrestler-turned-lawmaker Antonio Inoki plans to visit North Korea next week for talks with top officials, a source close to the matter said Friday, just days after the North fired a ballistic missile across northern Japan into the Pacific Ocean.

Inoki, an independent member of the House of Councillors, has repeatedly visited North Korea and developed connections with its authorities despite the lack of diplomatic relations between Tokyo and Pyongyang.

Inoki last visited North Korea in September last year, and North Korea carried out its fifth nuclear test while Inoki was there.

North Korea often times its shows of force to coincide with anniversary days, prompting speculation that it could conduct another ballistic missile launch or a sixth nuclear test around Sept. 9 when the country observes national foundation day.

Inoki may be seeking a breakthrough with officials over North Korea's tests of nuclear weapons and ballistic missiles in defiance of international sanctions, but he is likely to be criticized for making the trip amid the North's refusal to halt those actions.

The Japanese government has called on all its citizens to refrain from travel to North Korea as part of its unilateral sanctions.

According to the source, Inoki plans to go to Beijing on Sept. 6 and travel to Pyongyang the following day in time for national foundation day on Sept. 9, returning to Japan on Sept. 11.

He is seeking a meeting with Ri Su Yong, North Korea's top foreign affairs official, and may also meet ceremonial head of state Kim Yong Nam, the source said.

Ri, thought to have a close bond with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, manages the Workers' Party of Korea's diplomatic affairs.

He is also chairman of the Supreme People's Assembly's committee on foreign affairs, which was revived in April this year after a roughly 20-year hiatus.

In his meetings in Pyongyang, Inoki is expected to convey his personal opinion that the issues around North Korea's nuclear and missile development should be resolved through dialogue rather than through increased pressure on the country.

The administration of Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe takes a tougher stance on the issue. Tuesday's ballistic missile launch prompted Abe to agree with U.S. President Donald Trump and other world leaders to compel the international community to step up pressure on Pyongyang.

Inoki may also ask North Korean officials to allow a multi-party group of Japanese lawmakers to visit the country, the source said.

During his stay, Inoki is also expected to take part in ceremonies relating to the national foundation day and spend time with North Koreans involved with Olympic activities.
France 24

La COP27 llega en un momento en el que los efectos del cambio climatico ya se estan sintiendo en buena parte del planeta. Desde 1995 se celebran estas cumbres internacionales con el objetivo de mitigar los efectos provocados por la actividad economica del hombre en el clima. Reuniones que se han puesto numerosos objetivos en estos anos, pero que no han supuesto cambios profundos entre los paises mas contaminantes debido a que los acuerdos no son vinculantes. Repasamos su historia.
The first half of the year saw companies flock to CES in Las Vegas and MWC in Barcelona to show off the devices they hope you'll want to buy for the rest of the year. As we approach the holiday season, tech companies are clamoring for your attention once again, launching gadget after gadget to fight each other for a spot on your shopping list. At IFA 2017, a dizzying array of wearables, laptops, smartphones and headsets were unveiled at various press conferences before the show floor even opened.

Samsung launched three new wearables while Sony improved its popular wireless headphones, updated its Xperia phones, unveiled its Google Assistant speaker and even pushed out a teeny tiny new RX0 GoPro-like camera. Then there's Lenovo, which officially unveiled its Explorer mixed reality headset, refreshed its mainstream laptops and made a speaker accessory for its tablets to turn into makeshift Amazon Echo Shows. Whew. I'm barely even close to being done recapping all of them.

As we hunt the hidden gems inside the labyrinthine convention center here in Berlin, here's a video to catch you up on all the important news from the show -- and all without even leaving your chair. You lucky reader, you.

Follow all the latest news from IFA 2017 here!
David Hung Axovant

David Hung knows a thing or two about building companies.

Now the CEO of Axovant, a company that has a shot to launch the first new Alzheimer's drug in 15 years, Hung had previously founded Medivation, a cancer drugmaker that Pfizer bought for $14 billion in August 2016.

Since Hung joined Axovant in April, the company's doubled in size from 55 employees to about 105 now.

Hung told Business Insider that it's key to have the right people in place when building a company, especially one that's focused on building new drugs.

"The first thing you think about is how you survive," Hung said. "You can't really build too much if you die early." To do that, Hung said he focuses on the business's concept, makes sure that the company has enough capital, and starts to hire great people.

"Once you become successful and survival is no longer in question, I focus a lot on how I want my company to grow," he said. "In particular, I focus on not only the objective I want to achieve, but the way in which I want to achieve it."

For Hung, that means developing new treatments for diseases like cancer or Alzheimer's that don't already exist and investing time in having the right employees.

"The reason I named Medivation 'Medivation,' is because I didn't want to make a me-too drug  I wanted to make sure that everything I worked on represented true medical innovation," Hung said. "So I focused not only on the objectives I want to achieve, but as importantly how I want to achieve them. I spent a lot of my time and effort focusing on the culture of my company, the kind of people I want to work with. It's really important to me that my employees are treated well. I think that employees are by far the most valuable asset of a company."

So even if you have a great drug in development from the beginning, if you don't have the right people working on it, it won't have a chance at succeeding.

"There are plenty of great assets, but with the wrong team they'll never come to fruition," he said.

Story continues

NOW WATCH: Fidelity sector expert: Reports of a stock bubble are exaggerated





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Among its peers, Google is an unparalleled lobbyist. Between April and June of this year, Google spent $5.4 million lobbying the federal government, more than double the lobbying budget for Apple, a comparable global behemoth that also has to fend off regulatory scrutiny. The tech giant has also long funded a lengthy roster of think tanks, academics, and nonprofits that grapple with issues that could seriously impact Googles bottom line, such as privacy, net neutrality, and tax reform.

So when the New York Times reported Wednesday that the New America Foundation (a Google-funded think tank) severed ties with Open Markets (an antimonopoly group housed within New America) after complaints from a top Google executive (Eric Schmidt, executive chairman of Googles parent company), it seemed like a rare glimpse at how Google wields its power behind the scenes. Emails between New America and Open Markets reviewed by WIRED and others also give greater insight into the way that funding from Google can influence a policy group's internal dynamics.

The rift dates back to June 27, when Barry Lynn, the director of Open Markets, wrote a 150-word press release celebrating a major antitrust loss for Google in Europe. As part of the ruling, the EU fined Google 2.5 billion for abusing its dominance and ordered Google to stop boosting its own products in search. Lynn, a leading scholar on antitrust reform, encouraged American regulators to follow suit. Googles market power is one of the most critical challenges for competition policymakers in the world today, Lynn wrote. In Lynn's account of events, shared with the Times, Schmidt communicated his displeasure, to New Americas CEO and president Anne-Marie Slaughter hours after the statement was published. Around that time, the post went offlinethen reappeared after a few hours, the paper says. A couple days later, Slaughter told Lynn that Open Markets and New America would be parting ways.

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Google denies playing any role in New Americas decision or threatening to cut off funding. (Although a spokesperson confirmed to WIRED that Schmidt was displeased.) New America said in a statement that it had nothing to do with Lynns work; he was terminated over repeated refusal to adhere to New Americas standards of openness and institutional collegiality, a sentiment echoed in emails that Slaughter wrote to Lynn, published on New Americas website in the name of transparency.

But Slaughters email dump had an unintended consequence: The correspondence shines a light on Googles preferred lobbying tacticnot muzzling critics with ultimatums, but through the soft power of Googles displeasure. WIRED has obtained three additional emails from the same conversations, including Lynns responses. None of the emails describe overt demands from Google to edit a blog post, disinvite an unfriendly panelist, or kill a policy paper. (For all the concern about silencing thought, the emails dont mention the content of Lynns work.)

Instead, Googles chief concern, at least on the surface, seems to be getting notified in advance about events and articlesand making sure Googles perspective was heard at an Open Markets antitrust conference in 2016, where the keynote speaker, US senator Elizabeth Warren (D-Massachusetts), planned to give a talk about monopoly power.

In an email from Slaughter dated June 22, which was not among the ones published by New America, Slaughter appeared distressed about an upcoming meeting with Susan Molinari, the former Republican senator turned Googles top lobbyist. Slaughter insisted that Lynn provide answers so that she could explain why Google wasnt informed about an upcoming antitrust conference or about Warrens speech.

In his response, Lynn empathized with Slaughter about the challenges of her role but said that Open Markets had never given advance warning about events and articles in the past, and he did not understand why an employee from Google corporate (Stephanie Valencia, who works on strategic outreach and partnerships for Google) would expect that from him.

In Slaughters reply, which was later published on New Americas website, she urged Lynn to consider how his actions might jeopardize funding for his colleagues. [J]ust THINK about how you are imperiling funding for others, she wrote. We are in the process of trying to expand our relationship with Google on some absolutely key points. I also need the current write-up of the event right away. Right now.

The last email from Lynn is dated July 3, a week after he had been fired. Lynn, who worked at New America for 15 years, recounts the meeting where he was let go. According to the email, Slaughter told Lynn that Googles response to the press release made it necessary for his team to leave. He shared his disappointment in her rationale but respect for the difficulty of Slaughters position.

One major detail that isnt referenced in the emails is Lynns claim that hours after his press release went online, Slaughter called him up and said: I just got off the phone with Eric Schmidt and he is pulling all of his money, a story he later told the Wall Street Journal, but not Times.

Slaughter also shared new information piecemeal. In an email to New America members late Thursday night, Slaughter explained that she asks for an advance copy of public statements out of courtesy to colleagues and funders, not censorship, but may debate the tone. "I have nevernor would I evercensor anything, but I might well ask questions about accuracy or tone. And I wanted to give the funder a heads up that a critical statement was coming, and send it over ourselves. That seems like a defensible minimum courtesy that an institution can offer its funders," Slaughter wrote. In the internal email, Slaughter denied that Schmidt contacted her before New America took Lynn's statement offline. She did not elaborate on why the press release was temporarily removed.

The cornerstone of Open Marketss advocacy work is the idea that consolidation of power erodes political liberties and democratic values. But the dustup shows how easy it would be for Google to manipulate public debate on national issues without leaving much of a fingerprint. A Google spokesperson tells WIRED that its financial support does not interfere with any think tanks independence, personnel decisions, or policy perspective." But in the emails, Slaughter comes across as more of a conduit than a firewall between New Americas donors and intellectual work of its scholars.

Open Markets, which is now raising funds as an independent organization, says the correspondence is a cautionary tale. "The emails clearly show the influence that Google wields over New America's operations. What Google did in pressuring New America to suppress the work of reporters and researchers who have directly criticized how Google wields its power is common among think tanks in DC. It is why [former Supreme Court justice] Louis Brandeis warned tirelessly of the political dangers posed by concentrations of power, the group said in a statement on Thursday.

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MOUNTAIN VIEW, CA - SEPTEMBER 02: The new Google logo is displayed on a sign outside of the Google headquarters on September 2, 2015 in Mountain View, California. Google has made the most dramatic change to their logo since 1999 and have replaced their signature serif font with a new typeface called Product Sans. (Photo by Justin Sullivan/Getty Images)

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Up until this fiasco, New America was seen as proof that a think tank could take tech money and still maintain intellectual independence and integrity, says Frank Pasquale, a law professor who has been a vocal critic of similar practices by Google and author of The Black Box Society, a book about secretive algorithms. Schmidt has strong financial ties to New America, which has received $21 million in donations from Google, Schmidts family, and Schmidts family foundation since it was founded in 1999. Schmidts willingness to express his displeasure over a press release coincides with Open Marketss rising influence. Lina Khan, a former Open Markets fellow, says her team is regularly in conversations with staffers from both the House and Senate, including discussions about antitrust concerns around mergers, such as Amazons acquisition of Whole Foods. (Note: WIRED editor in chief Nick Thompson was a New America fellow.)

Typically, Pasquale says, tech moneys influence on academia and policy work manifests itself in subtler ways. The impact can be seen in what is not covered and a focus on more trivial issues, like a tech-backed privacy organization that researches the behavioral economics of a single feature rather than protecting consumer data, Pasquale says. Its not like people are silenced, but I think they know theres a big pool of money out there, he says.
As the Hurricane Harvey storm system dissipates and the water it dropped recedes, Houstonians left without shelter face the daunting task of rebuilding their lives. Many people are focused on the staggering figure of 40,000 homes lost, but another number also deserves close scrutiny: The flooding destroyed as many as a million cars in the Houston metro area.

Reliable transportation is a daily, fundamental need, almost more so in the wake of a disaster. Add in the fact that Houston is a car-dependent city, and the consequences of the destruction of so many vehicles comes into stark focus. How will rental companies and dealerships suddenly supply cars to people who need them right now? How do people get permanent cars? And what is the fate for the many people who cant afford to replace their way of getting around?

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You really have to have a car if youre in Houston, says Andrea French, executive director of Transportation Advocacy Group Houston, which advocates for better funding for all modes of transportation. People in the city center may commute by bus or bike, and Uber and Lyft have made it easier to go without a personal vehicle, but as a rule its hard to get by without your own wheels. Thats why 94.4 percent of households in the Houston area have cars1.8 each on average, according to analyst firm Cox Automotive. Only Dallas has a higher percentage.

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HOUSTON, TEXAS -- TUESDAY, AUGUST 29, 2017: An aerial view of Lake Houston's spillway in Houston, Texas, on Aug. 29, 2017. (Marcus Yam / Los Angeles Times)

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With Harvey, Imperfect Engineering Meets a Perfect Storm

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As of Thursday morning, insurance companies had received about 100,000 claims for cars hit by Harveys flooding, 75 percent of them totaled. In an event like this, that numbers gonna be rising daily, says Mark Hanna of the Insurance Council of Texas. There are probably cars still submerged that people cant get to. A lot of people are just now returning to Houston to assess what theyve lost and start rebuilding.

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Counting just licensed cars (though many of the destroyed were waiting on dealer lots), the cost of the losses sits somewhere between $2.7 and $4.9 billion.

New Wheels

The need for replacement vehicles, therefore, is massive and immediate. For many with insurance, the first step will be getting a rental car until their payment comes through and they can take home a new forever car. Exacerbating the problem, bereaved car owners arent the only ones in need: FEMA staff, emergency services, and other groups like the Red Cross also have to get around.

To cope with the surge in demand, rental companies are shipping thousands of extra cars from all over the country into the region. We are moving vehicles into the affected areas as quickly as possible to increase inventory, says Katie McCall, head of communications for Avis, which is also waiving fees for extended loans, late returns, and one-way trips. Hertz locations in Harvey-hit areas have extended their operating hours.

A rental can only last so long, though, and most Houstonians will be eager to get a permanent replacement for their ruined vehicle. Car dealerships that survived the deluge have already seen a spike in business, but theres good news for customers too, at least those with means: Auto industry sales surged between 2014 and 2016, and millions of cars leased then are now sitting in used car lots.

We have plenty of new vehicle supply, says Jonathan Smoke, chief economist at Cox Automotive. Based on current market offerings, rates of car owners with insurance, and vehicle registration data, he estimates 30 to 40 percent of replacement vehicles will be brand new. Automakers sense a good PR opportunity and a chance to bring new customers into the fold: Both Ford and Volvo, for instance, are offering healthy discounts to Harvey victims.

The Most Vulnerable

But some ruined cars wont be replaced at alland thats where Harveys impact may prove most devastating. Roughly 15 percent of Texas vehicle owners dont have any kind of car insurance, despite laws saying they must, according to Hanna, at the Insurance Council of Texas. Of the remaining 85 percent, just three-quarters have comprehensive insurance policies that are sure to cover flood damage. Assuming those percentages apply to the Houston areaand using a lowball estimate of 300,000 destroyed vehiclesthats 100,000 people who may have to pay for a replacement out of pocket. Many of them may have also lost homes and most of their belongings.

Weve increased the number of vulnerable people, says French, the transportation advocate. A situation like this sheds a lot of light on the lack of existing infrastructure. Its difficult to get around when its not flooded. Houstons public transit agency had half of its bus lines up and running by Friday, and Harveys aftermath could provide an impetus for expanded and improved service. But thats no help to people stuck without cars, living far from bus lines.

And thats where another specter raises its head: title washing, or taking a damaged vehicle, fixing it up a bit, and fudging the record (either by forgery or taking advantage of legal loopholes by moving states) to hide the fact that it was once the victim of serious problems. A 2014 study by Carfax found there were nearly 800,000 cars on US roads that had been through this sort of fraud; 650,000 of those were flood damaged or salvage vehicles.

Because these cars tend to be sold cheap, their sellers are likely to target the many people now in desperate need of a new chariot. Flooded vehicles will be showing up on the market, says Fred Britton, owner of Public Auto Auctions in Niederwald, Texas, near Austin. Thats always a bad thing. Cars that have been submerged are almost certain to be totaled: Water can wreak havoc on the engine, exhaust, electrical systems, and computer controls. Somebody may be able to get it running again, Britton says, but the problems caused by the water will almost certainly persist and eventually resurface.

And so the pain of the storm could continue to throb long after the water dries up.
If Apple tradition holds, its next big smartphone, the so-called iPhone 8, will make its long anticipated debut at an upcoming event likely to showcase both new products and refinements to existing gadgets. The keynote, set to occur on September 12 at the Steve Jobs Theater on Apples new spaceship campus, is expected to be packed with announcements ranging from a new 10th anniversary edition iPhone to an updated Apple Watch, Apple TV and more.

Apples next-gen smartphones form and specs will undoubtedly be the headliner: its expected to change in nearly every way, from its physical design to the size and quality of its screen and the sensors within. Heres a closer look at the hardware were expecting to see in Apples 10th anniversary iPhone  which could be called the iPhone 8 or iPhone X  based on the most recent supply chain rumors.

An updated processor and faster memory

Apple never (as in never, ever) discusses its future products ahead of unveilings, but historically its always outfitted new phones with updated processors. Its thus going out on no limbs to say the iPhone 8 will be powered by a next-gen chipset, probably dubbed Apple A11 if the company keeps to current naming conventions. (The current iPhone 7 models are powered by the Apple A10.)

This new system on a chip processor is expected to have a more efficient 10-nanometer architecture (smaller than the A10s 16-nanometer one), according to Bloombergs Mark Gurman. Apple is also widely rumored to be launching updated s versions of the iPhone 7 and 7 Plus that will adopt this processor. The iPhone 8 and iPhone 7s Plus are both expected to include 3GB of higher speed RAM, according to KGI Securities analyst Ming-Chi Kuo, while the iPhone 7s would have 2GB of memory.

A bigger, brighter, sharper screen

Heres one iPhone 8 rumor thats persisted for months: Apple will use an OLED, or Organic Light Emitting Diode display, rather than an LCD panel for its new smartphone. These types of displays, which are already common in phones made by Samsung and others, generally offer notably better contrast and deeper blacks than LCD screens, producing much more vibrant imagery.

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This screen will be larger than that of the 5.5-inch iPhone 7 Plus, says Bloomberg, although the report doesnt specify by exactly how much. KGI Securities Kuo predicts that Apple will use a 5.8-inch panel for the iPhone 8, but that some of the screen space will be used for virtual buttons, as MacRumors notes.

A totally new 3D sensor

Multiple reports have surmised the new iPhone will include a 3D sensor for facial recognition, which could allow users to unlock an iPhone simply by looking at it. In a note from earlier this year, KGI Securities Kuo detailed what he predicts that sensor might entail, calling it a revolutionary front-facing camera system according to MacRumors.

The selfie camera would include three main components based on Kuos research: an infrared transmitting module, an infrared receiving module and the same front camera as in Apples current iPhones. These modules would make it possible for the front-facing camera to sense depth, using algorithms from PrimeSense, the Israeli company Apple acquired in 2013. Rosenblatt Securities analyst Jun Zhang points to California-based Viavi Solutions as a potential supplier for Apples 3D-sensing sensors, according to a report from Barrons.

Read more: iPhone 8 Release Date: Everything We Know So Far

Three color options

Apples new iPhones will let you pick from three colors, including a black, silver and gold option, says KGI Securities Kuo. YouTuber Danny Winget claims to have received mockup units showing what the iPhone 8s color choices will look like, as 9to5Mac notes. In his video below, he shows three different colors: black, white and a third that looks almost like Apples current Rose Gold option.

A radical new design

Apple hasnt fully redesigned its iPhone since it released the iPhone 6 and 6 Plus in 2014, but thats likely to change on September 12. The companys 10th anniversary iPhone is expected to be radically different, with an edge-to-edge screen that includes a notch at the top for the selfie camera, according to Bloomberg. Other physical changes could include rounded edges for the screen, as well as a glass back with stainless steel edges that somewhat resemble the much older iPhone 4 and 4s.

Wireless and faster wired charging

Apple is expected to make some changes to the way you charge an iPhone this fall, most conspicuously the addition of support for wireless charging, though thats a feature Android phones have long supported. But the new iPhones may charge at a slower rate than some competitors over wireless, according to a report from Macotakara. Its worth noting that Apple joined the Wireless Power Consortium earlier this year, an organization that develops industry standards, which could be a signal that wireless charging is indeed in store for future iPhones.

Separately, KGI Securities Kuo predicts that all new iPhone models will come with support for USB-C power delivery through the Lightning connector, which should enable quicker charging when plugged in.

A rear camera optimized for augmented reality

Given Apples recent focus on augmented reality, its no surprise to hear chatter that the new iPhone may come with a new camera setup to better enable such experiences. The new device will include two rear cameras, like Apples current smartphones, but theyll be situated one atop the other rather than side-by-side, according to Bloomberg. This should position the camera system to work better with augmented reality apps, says the report.

Code buried in Apples HomePod firmware, which developer Guilherme Rambo discovered, also points to a new Smart Camera feature for the next iPhone. This capability would enable the iPhone to recognize specific scenes and objects, such as babies, fireworks, a bright stage and snow, among other scenarios.

A new spectrum of storage capacities

Those who miss the 64GB storage option Apple previously offered may be in luck. The iPhone 8 is expected to be available in 64GB and 256GB storage capacities, as both KGI Securities Kuo and Chinese social media account GeekBar have noticed. The latter, however, also claims Apple could launch a new 512GB option, which would be a first for iPhones.
Jim Mattis Joseph Dunford

Secretary of Defense Jim Mattis warned on Sunday of a "massive," and "overwhelming" military response to North Korea's missile and nuclear weapons programs after a small group meeting with President Donald Trump in response to Pyongyang testing its sixth and largest-ever nuclear device.

Mattis stressed that the US has "many" military options for dealing with North Korea, but that the US does not seek the annihilation of any country.

Mattis was most likely referring to the US military's roughly 28,000 troops located in South Korea and its massive presence in Japan and in the Pacific. At the time of Mattis' speaking, the US does not have an increased naval or military presence in the region, though the US and South Korea did just complete a joint war-gaming exercise.

Earlier on Sunday Trump floated the idea of cutting off trade with China, North Korea's treaty ally and main trading partner, in response to North Korea's greatly increased provocations. "The United States is considering, in addition to other options, stopping all trade with any country doing business with North Korea," Trump wrote in a tweet.

The Trump administration has repeatedly said that "all options" are on the table in dealing with North Korea, and stressed military might represents a part of that package.

Historically, China has agreed to UN Security Council resolutions against North Korea following nuclear tests, but despite sanctions, loopholes remain that allow Pyongyang to finance its weapons programs.

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un provides guidance on a nuclear weapons program in this undated photo released by North Korea's Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) in Pyongyang September 3, 2017. KCNA via REUTERS

The nuclear device tested by North Korea on Sunday had a yield of hundreds of kilotons, meaning it was most likely a hydrogen or thermonuclear bomb, according to expert estimates and North Korea's own statements.

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The completion of an intercontinental ballistic missile and a thermonuclear warhead represent North Korea achieving its ultimate goal of building a credible deterrent against invasion and regime change. Experts assess that North Korea's main goal in developing nuclear weapons is to secure its regime, and that it will not use the weapons offensively, unless provoked.

NOW WATCH: This map reveals the most dangerous and safest states in America





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The Nokia 8 broke cover in the run-up to IFA 2017, so while it wasn't officially launched at the show in Germany, it's one of several phones vying for your cash ahead of a certain company's next phone. It's the most accomplished Android phone that Nokia has made, but with Nokia's tradition of pushing mobile-imaging forward, how does it fare against the mighty cameraphone competition in 2017? We took an early device around Berlin to see how it fared.

So has Nokia kept up? It's certainly tried to. Pairing two camera sensors together is the 2017 thing to do with flagship phones, and with the Nokia 9, it's a combination of two 13-megapixel sensors. One deals in monochrome; the other, in color. That monochrome sensor helps the phone to deal with low-light and other difficult shooting environments, while also offering the opportunity for true black-and-white photography -- right from the source.

My monochrome shots turned to be some of my favorite images -- it was a feature that several editors at Engadget also loved on Huawei's P10. However, it doesn't quite pack the punch of that phone, which used a mightier 20-megapixel sensor -- that's seven megapixels beyond the Nokia handset, and so images are a little flatter, a little less textured.

So how about "twin" mode, which combines the input from the two sensors all at once? They're good, but not stellar. Damning with faint praise perhaps, but while some pictures came out wonderfully, I was often disappointed by either the dynamic range (blue skies would wash out anything else in the frame) or underperforming focus. Many of the test shots you see here are my "best" ones: 13 megapixels should be more than enough for crisp shots, but the Nokia 8, despite those Zeiss lenses, delivered merely good images  not great. Color accuracy was generally good, but I felt many of my images were a little muted compared to reality, even with HDR mode turned on. A sunny day in Berlin is the chance for a smartphone to shine, but my photos don't seem to show that. This was further compounded when comparing the results against LG's V30 in similar conditions.

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Also, after being spoiled with the camera-app control options of Nokia's Lumia phones years ago, the lack of true manual controls and tweaks was also disappointing. There are three focus modes: include center-weighted, evaluative -- which generally involves face detection -- and old-fashioned auto, while there's similarly limited options for focal range photography. Macro, infinite distance and auto are your three only options. And that software-driven bokeh mode that we're seeing on most smartphones with two lenses? The Nokia 8's interpretation of it is just not that good. It typically smeared objects outside the main area of focus and usually neglected to take into account the details of, say, the stag statue antlers.

That's not to say there's nothing to play with inside the camera app. The simple control UI includes the ability to combine the front facing camera with the rear-facing duo for simultaneous photos and video. This is what a "bothie" is made of.

The good parts: The cameras on both the front and back use the same resolution, so your images don't look particularly uneven. There were, however, times when the front-facing camera struggled with changes in lighting. The biggest problem was the physical challenge of lining up what you're trying to capture. I took some "bothie" video as we drove around the Berlin Victory Column during the photography testing, and it was hard to balance capturing both the building and myself in the back of the car. You could say that's fine for rough-and-ready live broadcasts, but it's difficult to make anything look particularly good. A wider-angle lens on the front-facing camera would have alleviated things.

And about that live-casting: Nokia added the ability to live-stream directly from the camera app to YouTube or Facebook -- which is a smart idea. However, when trying it out, I barely seemed to notice that hyped-up Nokia OZO-branded audio recording. Despite promises of 360-degree directional audio and three microphones embedded inside the phone, the quality was pretty rough. My voice blasted out on Facebook, while video compression wrecked the quality of the video. This isn't completely the fault of the Nokia 8: Phone signal quality and Facebook's own compression tricks are all involved. But the bottom line is that I don't want to share something that sounds grating and looks muddy. What's the point in that?

Another issue I had was the delay in switching between the two sensors on the back of the Nokia 8. This was a problem with several of the first wave of dual-lens camera phones last year, but most have figured out how to speed up this transition. We got to test this Nokia 8 ahead of its retail launch in Europe, so there is the chance that the company can tweak some of these issues through software updates. At this point, there's certainly plenty for the engineers to work on.

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Scientists have been using quantum theory for almost a century now, but embarrassingly they still dont know what it means. An informal poll taken at a 2011 conference on Quantum Physics and the Nature of Reality showed that theres still no consensus on what quantum theory says about realitythe participants remained deeply divided about how the theory should be interpreted.

Some physicists just shrug and say we have to live with the fact that quantum mechanics is weird. So particles can be in two places at once, or communicate instantaneously over vast distances? Get over it. After all, the theory works fine. If you want to calculate what experiments will reveal about subatomic particles, atoms, molecules and light, then quantum mechanics succeeds brilliantly.

But some researchers want to dig deeper. They want to know why quantum mechanics has the form it does, and they are engaged in an ambitious program to find out. It is called quantum reconstruction, and it amounts to trying to rebuild the theory from scratch based on a few simple principles.

If these efforts succeed, its possible that all the apparent oddness and confusion of quantum mechanics will melt away, and we will finally grasp what the theory has been trying to tell us. For me, the ultimate goal is to prove that quantum theory is the only theory where our imperfect experiences allow us to build an ideal picture of the world, said Giulio Chiribella, a theoretical physicist at the University of Hong Kong.

Theres no guarantee of successno assurance that quantum mechanics really does have something plain and simple at its heart, rather than the abstruse collection of mathematical concepts used today. But even if quantum reconstruction efforts dont pan out, they might point the way to an equally tantalizing goal: getting beyond quantum mechanics itself to a still deeper theory. I think it might help us move towards a theory of quantum gravity, said Lucien Hardy, a theoretical physicist at the Perimeter Institute for Theoretical Physics in Waterloo, Canada.

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The Flimsy Foundations of Quantum Mechanics

The basic premise of the quantum reconstruction game is summed up by the joke about the driver who, lost in rural Ireland, asks a passer-by how to get to Dublin. I wouldnt start from here, comes the reply.

Where, in quantum mechanics, is here? The theory arose out of attempts to understand how atoms and molecules interact with light and other radiation, phenomena that classical physics couldnt explain. Quantum theory was empirically motivated, and its rules were simply ones that seemed to fit what was observed. It uses mathematical formulas that, while tried and trusted, were essentially pulled out of a hat by the pioneers of the theory in the early 20th century.

Take Erwin Schrodingers equation for calculating the probabilistic properties of quantum particles. The particle is described by a wave function that encodes all we can know about it. Its basically a wavelike mathematical expression, reflecting the well-known fact that quantum particles can sometimes seem to behave like waves. Want to know the probability that the particle will be observed in a particular place? Just calculate the square of the wave function (or, to be exact, a slightly more complicated mathematical term), and from that you can deduce how likely you are to detect the particle there. The probability of measuring some of its other observable properties can be found by, crudely speaking, applying a mathematical function called an operator to the wave function.

I think quantum theory as we know it will not stand. Alexei Grinbaum

But this so-called rule for calculating probabilities was really just an intuitive guess by the German physicist Max Born. So was Schrodingers equation itself. Neither was supported by rigorous derivation. Quantum mechanics seems largely built of arbitrary rules like this, some of themsuch as the mathematical properties of operators that correspond to observable properties of the systemrather arcane. Its a complex framework, but its also an ad hoc patchwork, lacking any obvious physical interpretation or justification.

Compare this with the ground rules, or axioms, of Einsteins theory of special relativity, which was as revolutionary in its way as quantum mechanics. (Einstein launched them both, rather miraculously, in 1905.) Before Einstein, there was an untidy collection of equations to describe how light behaves from the point of view of a moving observer. Einstein dispelled the mathematical fog with two simple and intuitive principles: that the speed of light is constant, and that the laws of physics are the same for two observers moving at constant speed relative to one another. Grant these basic principles, and the rest of the theory follows. Not only are the axioms simple, but we can see at once what they mean in physical terms.

What are the analogous statements for quantum mechanics? The eminent physicist John Wheeler once asserted that if we really understood the central point of quantum theory, we would be able to state it in one simple sentence that anyone could understand. If such a statement exists, some quantum reconstructionists suspect that well find it only by rebuilding quantum theory from scratch: by tearing up the work of Bohr, Heisenberg and Schrodinger and starting again.

Quantum Roulette

One of the first efforts at quantum reconstruction was made in 2001 by Hardy, then at the University of Oxford. He ignored everything that we typically associate with quantum mechanics, such as quantum jumps, wave-particle duality and uncertainty. Instead, Hardy focused on probability: specifically, the probabilities that relate the possible states of a system with the chance of observing each state in a measurement. Hardy found that these bare bones were enough to get all that familiar quantum stuff back again.

Hardy assumed that any system can be described by some list of properties and their possible values. For example, in the case of a tossed coin, the salient values might be whether it comes up heads or tails. Then he considered the possibilities for measuring those values definitively in a single observation. You might think any distinct state of any system can always be reliably distinguished (at least in principle) by a measurement or observation. And thats true for objects in classical physics.

Gabriela Secara, Perimeter Institute for Theoretical Physics

In quantum mechanics, however, a particle can exist not just in distinct states, like the heads and tails of a coin, but in a so-called superpositionroughly speaking, a combination of those states. In other words, a quantum bit, or qubit, can be not just in the binary state of 0 or 1, but in a superposition of the two.

But if you make a measurement of that qubit, youll only ever get a result of 1 or 0. That is the mystery of quantum mechanics, often referred to as the collapse of the wave function: Measurements elicit only one of the possible outcomes. To put it another way, a quantum object commonly has more options for measurements encoded in the wave function than can be seen in practice.

Hardys rules governing possible states and their relationship to measurement outcomes acknowledged this property of quantum bits. In essence the rules were (probabilistic) ones about how systems can carry information and how they can be combined and interconverted.

Hardy then showed that the simplest possible theory to describe such systems is quantum mechanics, with all its characteristic phenomena such as wavelike interference and entanglement, in which the properties of different objects become interdependent. Hardys 2001 paper was the Yes, we can! moment of the reconstruction program, Chiribella said. It told us that in some way or another we can get to a reconstruction of quantum theory.

More specifically, it implied that the core trait of quantum theory is that it is inherently probabilistic. Quantum theory can be seen as a generalized probability theory, an abstract thing that can be studied detached from its application to physics, Chiribella said. This approach doesnt address any underlying physics at all, but just considers how outputs are related to inputs: what we can measure given how a state is prepared (a so-called operational perspective). What the physical system is is not specified and plays no role in the results, Chiribella said. These generalized probability theories are pure syntax, he added  they relate states and measurements, just as linguistic syntax relates categories of words, without regard to what the words mean. In other words, Chiribella explained, generalized probability theories are the syntax of physical theories, once we strip them of the semantics.

Shouldnt this shock anyone who thinks of quantum theory as an expression of properties of nature? Adan Cabello

The general idea for all approaches in quantum reconstruction, then, is to start by listing the probabilities that a user of the theory assigns to each of the possible outcomes of all the measurements the user can perform on a system. That list is the state of the system. The only other ingredients are the ways in which states can be transformed into one another, and the probability of the outputs given certain inputs. This operational approach to reconstruction doesnt assume space-time or causality or anything, only a distinction between these two types of data, said Alexei Grinbaum, a philosopher of physics at the CEA Saclay in France.

To distinguish quantum theory from a generalized probability theory, you need specific kinds of constraints on the probabilities and possible outcomes of measurement. But those constraints arent unique. So lots of possible theories of probability look quantum-like. How then do you pick out the right one?

We can look for probabilistic theories that are similar to quantum theory but differ in specific aspects, said Matthias Kleinmann, a theoretical physicist at the University of the Basque Country in Bilbao, Spain. If you can then find postulates that select quantum mechanics specifically, he explained, you can drop or weaken some of them and work out mathematically what other theories appear as solutions. Such exploration of what lies beyond quantum mechanics is not just academic doodling, for its possibleindeed, likelythat quantum mechanics is itself just an approximation of a deeper theory. That theory might emerge, as quantum theory did from classical physics, from violations in quantum theory that appear if we push it hard enough.

Bits and Pieces

Some researchers suspect that ultimately the axioms of a quantum reconstruction will be about information: what can and cant be done with it. One such derivation of quantum theory based on axioms about information was proposed in 2010 by Chiribella, then working at the Perimeter Institute, and his collaborators Giacomo Mauro DAriano and Paolo Perinotti of the University of Pavia in Italy. Loosely speaking, explained Jacques Pienaar, a theoretical physicist at the University of Vienna, their principles state that information should be localized in space and time, that systems should be able to encode information about each other, and that every process should in principle be reversible, so that information is conserved. (In irreversible processes, by contrast, information is typically lostjust as it is when you erase a file on your hard drive.)

Whats more, said Pienaar, these axioms can all be explained using ordinary language. They all pertain directly to the elements of human experience, namely, what real experimenters ought to be able to do with the systems in their laboratories, he said. And they all seem quite reasonable, so that it is easy to accept their truth. Chiribella and his colleagues showed that a system governed by these rules shows all the familiar quantum behaviors, such as superposition and entanglement.

Courtesy of CIFAR

One challenge is to decide what should be designated an axiom and what physicists should try to derive from the axioms. Take the quantum no-cloning rule, which is another of the principles that naturally arises from Chiribellas reconstruction. One of the deep findings of modern quantum theory, this principle states that it is impossible to make a duplicate of an arbitrary, unknown quantum state.

It sounds like a technicality (albeit a highly inconvenient one for scientists and mathematicians seeking to design quantum computers). But in an effort in 2002 to derive quantum mechanics from rules about what is permitted with quantum information, Jeffrey Bub of the University of Maryland and his colleagues Rob Clifton of the University of Pittsburgh and Hans Halvorson of Princeton University made no-cloning one of three fundamental axioms. One of the others was a straightforward consequence of special relativity: You cant transmit information between two objects more quickly than the speed of light by making a measurement on one of the objects. The third axiom was harder to state, but it also crops up as a constraint on quantum information technology. In essence, it limits how securely a bit of information can be exchanged without being tampered with: The rule is a prohibition on what is called unconditionally secure bit commitment.

These axioms seem to relate to the practicalities of managing quantum information. But if we consider them instead to be fundamental, and if we additionally assume that the algebra of quantum theory has a property called non-commutation, meaning that the order in which you do calculations matters (in contrast to the multiplication of two numbers, which can be done in any order), Clifton, Bub and Halvorson have shown that these rules too give rise to superposition, entanglement, uncertainty, nonlocality and so on: the core phenomena of quantum theory.

Another information-focused reconstruction was suggested in 2009 by Borivoje Dakic and Caslav Brukner, physicists at the University of Vienna. They proposed three reasonable axioms having to do with information capacity: that the most elementary component of all systems can carry no more than one bit of information, that the state of a composite system made up of subsystems is completely determined by measurements on its subsystems, and that you can convert any pure state to another and back again (like flipping a coin between heads and tails).

Dakic and Brukner showed that these assumptions lead inevitably to classical and quantum-style probability, and to no other kinds. Whats more, if you modify axiom three to say that states get converted continuouslylittle by little, rather than in one big jumpyou get only quantum theory, not classical. (Yes, it really is that way round, contrary to what the quantum jump idea would have you expectyou can interconvert states of quantum spins by rotating their orientation smoothly, but you cant gradually convert a classical heads to a tails.) If we dont have continuity, then we dont have quantum theory, Grinbaum said.

Katherine Taylor for Quanta Magazine

A further approach in the spirit of quantum reconstruction is called quantum Bayesianism, or QBism. Devised by Carlton Caves, Christopher Fuchs and Rudiger Schack in the early 2000s, it takes the provocative position that the mathematical machinery of quantum mechanics has nothing to do with the way the world really is; rather, it is just the appropriate framework that lets us develop expectations and beliefs about the outcomes of our interventions. It takes its cue from the Bayesian approach to classical probability developed in the 18th century, in which probabilities stem from personal beliefs rather than observed frequencies. In QBism, quantum probabilities calculated by the Born rule dont tell us what well measure, but only what we should rationally expect to measure.

In this view, the world isnt bound by rulesor at least, not by quantum rules. Indeed, there may be no fundamental laws governing the way particles interact; instead, laws emerge at the scale of our observations. This possibility was considered by John Wheeler, who dubbed the scenario Law Without Law. It would mean that quantum theory is merely a tool to make comprehensible a lawless slicing-up of nature, said Adan Cabello, a physicist at the University of Seville. Can we derive quantum theory from these premises alone?

At first sight, it seems impossible, Cabello admittedthe ingredients seem far too thin, not to mention arbitrary and alien to the usual assumptions of science. But what if we manage to do it? he asked. Shouldnt this shock anyone who thinks of quantum theory as an expression of properties of nature?

Making Space for Gravity

In Hardys view, quantum reconstructions have been almost too successful, in one sense: Various sets of axioms all give rise to the basic structure of quantum mechanics. We have these different sets of axioms, but when you look at them, you can see the connections between them, he said. They all seem reasonably good and are in a formal sense equivalent because they all give you quantum theory. And thats not quite what hed hoped for. When I started on this, what I wanted to see was two or so obvious, compelling axioms that would give you quantum theory and which no one would argue with.

So how do we choose between the options available? My suspicion now is that there is still a deeper level to go to in understanding quantum theory, Hardy said. And he hopes that this deeper level will point beyond quantum theory, to the elusive goal of a quantum theory of gravity. Thats the next step, he said. Several researchers working on reconstructions now hope that its axiomatic approach will help us see how to pose quantum theory in a way that forges a connection with the modern theory of gravitationEinsteins general relativity.

Perhaps when we finally get our hands on quantum gravity, the interpretation will suggest itself. Lucien Hardy

Look at the Schrodinger equation and you will find no clues about how to take that step. But quantum reconstructions with an informational flavor speak about how information-carrying systems can affect one another, a framework of causation that hints at a link to the space-time picture of general relativity. Causation imposes chronological ordering: An effect cant precede its cause. But Hardy suspects that the axioms we need to build quantum theory will be ones that embrace a lack of definite causal structureno unique time-ordering of eventswhich he says is what we should expect when quantum theory is combined with general relativity. Id like to see axioms that are as causally neutral as possible, because theyd be better candidates as axioms that come from quantum gravity, he said.

Hardy first suggested that quantum-gravitational systems might show indefinite causal structure in 2007. And in fact only quantum mechanics can display that. While working on quantum reconstructions, Chiribella was inspired to propose an experiment to create causal superpositions of quantum systems, in which there is no definite series of cause-and-effect events. This experiment has now been carried out by Philip Walthers lab at the University of Viennaand it might incidentally point to a way of making quantum computing more efficient.

I find this a striking illustration of the usefulness of the reconstruction approach, Chiribella said. Capturing quantum theory with axioms is not just an intellectual exercise. We want the axioms to do something useful for usto help us reason about quantum theory, invent new communication protocols and new algorithms for quantum computers, and to be a guide for the formulation of new physics.

But can quantum reconstructions also help us understand the meaning of quantum mechanics? Hardy doubts that these efforts can resolve arguments about interpretationwhether we need many worlds or just one, for example. After all, precisely because the reconstructionist program is inherently operational, meaning that it focuses on the user experienceprobabilities about what we measureit may never speak about the underlying reality that creates those probabilities.

When I went into this approach, I hoped it would help to resolve these interpretational problems, Hardy admitted. But I would say it hasnt. Cabello agrees. One can argue that previous reconstructions failed to make quantum theory less puzzling or to explain where quantum theory comes from, he said. All of them seem to miss the mark for an ultimate understanding of the theory. But he remains optimistic: I still think that the right approach will dissolve the problems and we will understand the theory.

Maybe, Hardy said, these challenges stem from the fact that the more fundamental description of reality is rooted in that still undiscovered theory of quantum gravity. Perhaps when we finally get our hands on quantum gravity, the interpretation will suggest itself, he said. Or it might be worse!

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Right now, quantum reconstruction has few adherentswhich pleases Hardy, as it means that its still a relatively tranquil field. But if it makes serious inroads into quantum gravity, that will surely change. In the 2011 poll, about a quarter of the respondents felt that quantum reconstructions will lead to a new, deeper theory. A one-in-four chance certainly seems worth a shot.

Grinbaum thinks that the task of building the whole of quantum theory from scratch with a handful of axioms may ultimately be unsuccessful. Im now very pessimistic about complete reconstructions, he said. But, he suggested, why not try to do it piece by piece insteadto just reconstruct particular aspects, such as nonlocality or causality? Why would one try to reconstruct the entire edifice of quantum theory if we know that its made of different bricks? he asked. Reconstruct the bricks first. Maybe remove some and look at what kind of new theory may emerge.

I think quantum theory as we know it will not stand, Grinbaum said. Which of its feet of clay will break first is what reconstructions are trying to explore. He thinks that, as this daunting task proceeds, some of the most vexing and vague issues in standard quantum theorysuch as the process of measurement and the role of the observerwill disappear, and well see that the real challenges are elsewhere. What is needed is new mathematics that will render these notions scientific, he said. Then, perhaps, well understand what weve been arguing about for so long.

Original story reprinted with permission from Quanta Magazine, an editorially independent publication of the Simons Foundation whose mission is to enhance public understanding of science by covering research developments and trends in mathematics and the physical and life sciences.
Pyonyang's return to missile-firing activities this week proves more needs to be done to rein in the rogue nation. President Trump acknowledged that on Tuesday, saying that "all options are on the table" after North Korea fired a ballistic missile that passed over Japan. He signaled his impatience for continued negotiations with this tweet on Wednesday morning:tweetBut stopping negotiations doesn't mean an imminent conflict. Here's what President Trump needs to do now instead: 1) Increase the U.S. military presence in the region and 2) Issue more serious economic sanctions against China.Remember it was Ronald Reagan's policy of increasing military presence in Europe in the 1980s without firing a shot that worked in getting the U.S.S.R. to first take the U.S. political will more seriously, and then eventually made Moscow realize it could never match American military spending. China and North Korea need to see more of that same American military resolve.But the non-military options are harder to find when confronting North Korea directly, because North Korea's economy is so small as it is. For economic sanctions to have a better chance of working, the U.S. and its allies must threaten to level serious sanctions on China.The Trump team has indeed levied sanctions already , but they've been on bit part players and they don't hit hard enough. And that means it may be time to at least threaten to hit a major Chinese bank and block its access to U.S. business and dollars. And the Bank of China would be a good first target as it was reportedly cited in a U.N. report in 2016 for being used by North Korea to evade sanctions. That means that sanctioning that bank could serve the triple purpose of proving to the world that the U.S. is serious about protecting its western coast and its allies, aims to punish all who aid North Korea's missile adventurism, and help enforce the economic sanctions already in place against North Korea itself. There is support for this tactic from a bipartisan set of figures. Many conservatives want to try a shutdown immediately, and former Obama administration Treasury official Anthony Ruggiero, and now a senior fellow at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies said in an email that, "sanctions against the Bank of China are overdue." He added that fines should be tried first before assets are frozen or access to the U.S. financial system is totally denied. Another former Obama administration official at the CIA, David S. Cohen, is also calling for much more stringent sanctions on Chinese banks and downplaying the ramifications of China's response to them. In the Washington Post earlier this year, Cohen noted the positive results that came from the Obama administration's actions against Chinese banks that were still doing business with sanctioned banks in Tehran. Cohen believes China would be similarly willing to cut off financial dealings with North Korea to avoid a war. "China is worried about ... military action to destroy North Korea's nuclear and missile programs. Whatever sanctions pain China was willing to endure to avert a military strike by the United States (or Israel) against Iran, its deep-seated fear of a military confrontation on the Korean Peninsula means its pain tolerance for secondary sanctions against North Korea would be even higher."Still, it's vital for every American to understand the potential downside of that kind of sanction. First off, Beijing could still decide to at least temporarily respond angrily and move to block U.S. banking activities in China, such as they are. Second, U.S. businesses and jobs that rely on Chinese investment would be effected and maybe even lost. Many economists have made the honest assessment that the worst case negative effects from shutting down a major Chinese bank would be severe and difficult to fully anticipate. That includes a nasty scenario where Russia could use its banks to swoop in to ease the effects of a major sanction like this. But that's where the Trump administration has to weigh the costs of different general options for proving American resolve. A buildup of U.S. naval, infantry, and air power in the region is serious enough for a while, but a war weary American public is going to demand solid evidence that this president has explored as many non-military options as possible before supporting an actual attack. And even if the public does become more supportive of an actual strike, President Trump really owes that to the U.S. troops and the millions of civilians on both sides who would be put in harm's way. The good news is that this kind of sanction could work even before it goes into effect, as long as the Trump team makes an effective and credible threat to shut down a major Chinese bank. That means more than just a Trump tweet, but a detailed description of what the U.S. plans to do from someone like Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin . Another bit of good news is that unlike the destruction and deaths from air strikes and other attacks, a bank shutdown can be temporary and its effects easier to reverse. And the final bit of good news is that Russia's latest banking woes look like they'll at least significantly curtail much of Moscow's ability to interfere with this kind of move. That's about where the good news ends. What everyone has to accept is that responding properly to a serious menace like Kim Jong Un is not going to be easy. There will be economic hardships to endure right here in the U.S. and for some people and businesses, they could be severe.President Trump and the U.S. owes it to our troops, our endangered allies, and all the civilians in the region to pursue the most serious non-lethal options before ordering any kind of attack. Sanctioning a major Chinese bank is one of those options, and it would be appropriate in this situation. This administration must prepare to do so right away.Commentary by Jake Novak, CNBC.com senior columnist. Follow him on Twitter@jakejakeny. For more insight from CNBC contributors, follow @CNBCopinion on Twitter. Pyonyang's return to missile-firing activities this week proves more needs to be done to rein in the rogue nation. President Trump acknowledged that on Tuesday, saying that "all options are on the table" after North Korea fired a ballistic missile that passed over Japan. He signaled his impatience for continued negotiations with this tweet on Wednesday morning: tweet But stopping negotiations doesn't mean an imminent conflict. Here's what President Trump needs to do now instead: 1) Increase the U.S. military presence in the region and 2) Issue more serious economic sanctions against China. Remember it was Ronald Reagan's policy of increasing military presence in Europe in the 1980s without firing a shot that worked in getting the U.S.S.R. to first take the U.S. political will more seriously, and then eventually made Moscow realize it could never match American military spending. China and North Korea need to see more of that same American military resolve. But the non-military options are harder to find when confronting North Korea directly, because North Korea's economy is so small as it is. For economic sanctions to have a better chance of working, the U.S. and its allies must threaten to level serious sanctions on China. The Trump team has indeed levied sanctions already , but they've been on bit part players and they don't hit hard enough. And that means it may be time to at least threaten to hit a major Chinese bank and block its access to U.S. business and dollars. And the Bank of China would be a good first target as it was reportedly cited in a U.N. report in 2016 for being used by North Korea to evade sanctions. That means that sanctioning that bank could serve the triple purpose of proving to the world that the U.S. is serious about protecting its western coast and its allies, aims to punish all who aid North Korea's missile adventurism, and help enforce the economic sanctions already in place against North Korea itself. There is support for this tactic from a bipartisan set of figures. Many conservatives want to try a shutdown immediately, and former Obama administration Treasury official Anthony Ruggiero, and now a senior fellow at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies said in an email that, "sanctions against the Bank of China are overdue." He added that fines should be tried first before assets are frozen or access to the U.S. financial system is totally denied. Another former Obama administration official at the CIA, David S. Cohen, is also calling for much more stringent sanctions on Chinese banks and downplaying the ramifications of China's response to them. In the Washington Post earlier this year, Cohen noted the positive results that came from the Obama administration's actions against Chinese banks that were still doing business with sanctioned banks in Tehran. Cohen believes China would be similarly willing to cut off financial dealings with North Korea to avoid a war. "China is worried about ... military action to destroy North Korea's nuclear and missile programs. Whatever sanctions pain China was willing to endure to avert a military strike by the United States (or Israel) against Iran, its deep-seated fear of a military confrontation on the Korean Peninsula means its pain tolerance for secondary sanctions against North Korea would be even higher." Still, it's vital for every American to understand the potential downside of that kind of sanction. First off, Beijing could still decide to at least temporarily respond angrily and move to block U.S. banking activities in China, such as they are. Second, U.S. businesses and jobs that rely on Chinese investment would be effected and maybe even lost. Many economists have made the honest assessment that the worst case negative effects from shutting down a major Chinese bank would be severe and difficult to fully anticipate. That includes a nasty scenario where Russia could use its banks to swoop in to ease the effects of a major sanction like this. But that's where the Trump administration has to weigh the costs of different general options for proving American resolve. A buildup of U.S. naval, infantry, and air power in the region is serious enough for a while, but a war weary American public is going to demand solid evidence that this president has explored as many non-military options as possible before supporting an actual attack. And even if the public does become more supportive of an actual strike, President Trump really owes that to the U.S. troops and the millions of civilians on both sides who would be put in harm's way. The good news is that this kind of sanction could work even before it goes into effect, as long as the Trump team makes an effective and credible threat to shut down a major Chinese bank. That means more than just a Trump tweet, but a detailed description of what the U.S. plans to do from someone like Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin . Another bit of good news is that unlike the destruction and deaths from air strikes and other attacks, a bank shutdown can be temporary and its effects easier to reverse. And the final bit of good news is that Russia's latest banking woes look like they'll at least significantly curtail much of Moscow's ability to interfere with this kind of move. That's about where the good news ends. What everyone has to accept is that responding properly to a serious menace like Kim Jong Un is not going to be easy. There will be economic hardships to endure right here in the U.S. and for some people and businesses, they could be severe. President Trump and the U.S. owes it to our troops, our endangered allies, and all the civilians in the region to pursue the most serious non-lethal options before ordering any kind of attack. Sanctioning a major Chinese bank is one of those options, and it would be appropriate in this situation. This administration must prepare to do so right away. Commentary by Jake Novak, CNBC.com senior columnist. Follow him on Twitter @jakejakeny . For more insight from CNBC contributors, follow @CNBCopinion on Twitter.



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A fair worker presents the "Vivoactive 3" multisport smartwatch at the booth of Garmin at the IFA Consumer Electronics Fair in Berlin

With just a few months to go until the high-tech spending bonanza of the Christmas season, Berlin's IFA trade fair is the place to spot the trends that will mark high streets this year.

Here are a few of them:

- Ultra-HD TVs -

IFA's aisles are wallpapered with OLED screens this year. The technology dispenses with a backlight as each pixel illuminates itself -- making for a very sharp image with strong contrasts, even in moving images. And the ultra-thin displays can be made transparent or even flexible.

The images buyers will be screening are also getting an upgrade, as the ultra-high-definition 4K standard becomes more widespread with sets starting at around 2,000 euros ($2,370). More video is being filmed in the high-resolution format that makes owning such a display worthwhile, with manufacturers betting public interest will follow.

And more and more TVs boast connections to internet video-on-demand services or applications, like Sharp's latest models with an Android interface.

- Mobiles get chatty -

Manufacturers are still vying to cram as much screen as possible into their smartphones, like LG's LGV30 with its "borderless" 5.7-inch display.

But the action can be found in the guts of the devices, where firms are racing to offer the most intelligent voice-activated digital assistants alongside typical upgrades to storage space or cameras.

This chatty artificial intelligence looks set to implant smartphones even more deeply into daily life, controlling connected gadgets around the home.

Samsung said it would strengthen its work with the Open Connectivity Foundation, aiming to help its voice assistant Bixby to talk more easily to other manufacturers' products. And Chinese giant Huawei said it would join the vocal race with a chip known as Kirin to be built into upcoming smartphones.

- Second wind for smart watches-

Could 2017 be smartwatches' turn to be a hit with the general public after years being seen as a gimmick? Consultancy Gartner expects more the 67 million of them to be sold worldwide this year, more than doubling the 30 million shifted in 2015.

Story continues

At IFA, makers of high-tech "wearables" are vaunting their water resistance to appeal to fitness fanatics.

Fitbit is offering a large-faced watch with a plastic strap that's waterproof up to 50 metres, while Samsung tempts potential buyers of its Gear Fit Pro 2 with an offline version of Spotify aimed at runners. The business version can be used to control Powerpoint presentations.

Not neglecting accessories to the accessories, the Korean firm also has colourful earbud headphones with simple touch controls.

- AI butlers share the load -

This year has seen tech titans Google and Amazon join the battle over intelligent personal assistants -- voice-controlled AI helpers built into speakers that sit in the user's home, organising online shopping or domestic chores.

And the IFA is a showcase for connected home devices that allow people to control appliances and manage energy usage via a smartphone or tablet.

Tying into Amazon's Alexa assistant, Siemens' "home connect" offers interior views of the fridge at home, one-hour delivery of needed groceries, or the ability to turn on the oven from afar -- all from the driver's seat of the user's car.

Once dinner guests are gone and the crockery is cleared away, a scanner can judge how dirty the tablecloth is and programme a custom wash into the washing machine.

"Robots are arriving in your house, and they're going to know a lot about you," joked IFA co-organiser Roland Stehle.
President Donald Trump on Sunday floated cutting off all US trade with any country that maintains economic ties to North Korea, a not-so-veiled threat to the country's primary trading partner, China.

"The United States is considering, in addition to other options, stopping all trade with any country doing business with North Korea," Trump wrote in a tweet.

It could be an empty threat. China remains a major US trade partner  according to the US Trade Representative, US goods and services traded with China in 2016 alone totaled an estimated $648.2 billion. Other US trade partners like India, Thailand, and the Philippines also maintain some economic ties with North Korea.



The least credible policy threat made by Trump since assuming the presidency. #Chinahttps://t.co/C3Uj9o74yM

 ian bremmer (@ianbremmer) September 3, 2017



I am no economist but cutting off trade with China seems like it might have pretty dramatic repercussions on the US economy. https://t.co/zjugPHFzBF

 Clara Jeffery (@ClaraJeffery) September 3, 2017



A threat to stop all trade with China is not credible & Beijing knows. Expansive secondary sanctions? More so. https://t.co/9iUeZafhvg

 Ankit Panda (@nktpnd) September 3, 2017

Trump's comments came several hours after US Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin called for an additional round of sanctions on North Korea on Sunday following the test of the country's most powerful weapon yet.

Story continues

In an interview on "Fox News Sunday," Mnuchin said North Korea's test of what it claims was a hydrogen bomb was "completely unacceptable behavior."

"We've already started with sanctions against North Korea, but I'm going to draft a sanctions package to send to the president for his strong consideration," Mnuchin said.

He added: "People need to cut off North Korea economically."

For more news videos visit Yahoo View, available on iOS and Android.

Mnuchin also did not rule out implementing stronger regulations on Chinese companies and financial institutions that regularly interact with North Korea.

"China has a lot of trade with them, there's a lot that we can do to cut them off economically, much more than we've done already," Mnuchin said.

North Korea claimed that Kim Jong Un on Sunday inspected a hydrogen bomb that could eventually be mounted on an intercontinental ballistic missile.

Following news of the test, Trump chided China for refusing to cut economic ties with Noth Korea, and reiterated his hints at using potential military force to eliminate North Korea's weapons.



North Korea has conducted a major Nuclear Test. Their words and actions continue to be very hostile and dangerous to the United States.....

 Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) September 3, 2017



..North Korea is a rogue nation which has become a great threat and embarrassment to China, which is trying to help but with little success.

 Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) September 3, 2017



South Korea is finding, as I have told them, that their talk of appeasement with North Korea will not work, they only understand one thing!

 Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) September 3, 2017

Watch a clip of Mnuchin on Fox News:

NOW WATCH: Golf legend Greg Norman reveals the truth behind President Bill Clinton's late-night 1997 injury





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The Trump administration has launched an aggressive drive to renegotiate U.S. trade deals, but one country may manage to stymie major changes: South Korea . President Donald Trump during an April interview with the Washington Post called the U.S.-Korea Free Trade Agreement, known as Korus, a "horrible deal" that has "destroyed" his country, and he threatened to terminate it. A report in The Wall Street Journal on Saturday said the Trump administration could serve notice of withdrawal from the pact as early as next week. U.S. Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer had sought a special meeting with South Korea on the deal in a bid to address the administration's concerns about the U.S. goods trade deficit with the North Asian country. That meeting ended last week with the USTR issuing a statement reiterating concerns that the U.S. goods deficit with South Korea had more than doubled from the 2012 implementation of the deal through 2016. The USTR didn't respond to CNBC's request for comment. On the South Korean side, however, Trade Minister Kim Hyun-chong, who was the country's chief negotiator for Korus, said last week that the two sides had "different views," on both the cause of the goods deficit and whether there was a need to amend the deal. The U.S. goods trade deficit with South Korea has certainly risen since the deal took effect. It's gone from $13.2 billion in 2011, the last full year before implementation, to $27.6 billion in 2016, according to USTR figures. But it's neither clear that Korus is to blame for that change, nor does that figure include the services component of trade, in which the U.S. has a surplus with South Korea. Analysts pointed to several reasons the USTR might be on shaky ground when it came to trying to force through changes to the deal.

Deborah Elms, executive director at the Asian Trade Centre, pointed to one big problem with the USTR's claim that Korus was causing a goods trade deficit: The sectors that were responsible for it, which were electronics and autos. "Korus didn't touch electronics. It didn't touch electronics because electronics were already tariff free," she said in an interview last week, noting that was due to an existing agreement with the World Trade Organization . Additionally, "if we have a trade deficit in autos, it's really hard to blame Korus for that because the timeline for Korus hasn't done anything to autos yet," she said. Others also noted that it would be difficult for the USTR to pin specific issues on the deal. "The trade agreement came into effect five years ago and under normal kind of conditions you would not be making a decision at this early stage of the success of the FTA," Joshua Meltzer, senior fellow in global economy and development at think tank Brookings Institution, told CNBC's " Street Signs " last week. "A lot of the provisions are phased in over a number of years and are only coming into effect now." Meltzer also noted that the rise in the goods trade deficit might be simply macroeconomic, with South Korea entering a recession shortly after the deal was completed in 2011. "Korea naturally was going to be importing less than the U.S. and the U.S. was growing quite strongly and so it was sucking in more imports from Korea," he said. "It's not clear, fundamentally, what is the problem with the trade agreement and certainly what could be done to address the bilateral deficit." Others noted that it wasn't entirely clear who was being hurt by the deal. "Our companies tell us that it is a good deal as written," Tami Overby, the senior vice president for Asia at the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, told CNBC last week. She noted that around 95 percent of the tariffs U.S. companies had faced on products going into South Korea had been reduced to zero, and once the deal was fully implemented, that would go to as high as 99 percent. "Those are huge tax cuts for American companies," she said.

Overby added that terminating the deal would put U.S. firms at a "very significant disadvantage," particularly the agriculture industry, as South Korea has aggressively negotiated trade deals with competitors including the European Union, Canada, Australia, India and China. There's another reason that it's hard to effectively blame Korus for a goods trade deficit, and it's one that's common to all trade deals: It's difficult to parse statistics to show cause and effect, Asian Trade Centre's Elms said. As an example, she pointed to Vietnam , which saw an investment boom in anticipation of the 12-nation Trans-Pacific Partnership trade deal taking effect. Trump had deemed the deal a "disaster," and withdrew the U.S. from the pact shortly after taking office in January. The deal had been considered all but dead until May, when the remaining 11 nations agreed to pursue a deal without the U.S. "Vietnam is actually getting a boom, a little less now, but they were getting a boom in inbound investment ahead of TPP," Elms said, noting that when companies were interviewed, they would say it was in anticipation of the deal taking effect. "Now we don't have TPP, have they pulled out? Most of them, no. They're still investing in Vietnam," she said, adding that such situations highlight how difficult it is to disentangle statistics on trade deals.



More From CNBC


The recent disclosures by the Wells Fargo & Company WFC has raised skepticism over the mega banks existence. It revealed to have identified an additional 1.4 million fake accounts apart from the 2.1 million accounts disclosed last September.

After being pressured by the legislators for expanding the review period from the beginning of 2009 instead of 2011, the new discovery was made. Investigation of about 165 million deposit and credit-card accounts found that the employees had been conducting illegal sales practices for an even longer period.

Wells Fargo stated that of the total unauthorized accounts that were opened, about 190,000 had incurred fees and other charges compared with 130,000 disclosed earlier. The bank is now expected to pay $10.7 million in compensation to its customers, which includes refunds of about $7 million, up from $3.3 million previously.

It has been almost a year since the news of Wells Fargos involvement in unfair sales practices had spread in the market. Apart from being penalized by the regulators with a fine of about $185 million, Wells Fargo had to go through a lot of restructuring. Its executives faced pay cuts and about 5000 employees were fired.

Further, the repercussions of this new disclosure keep us anxious.

The review also revealed issues with the online bill pay service that the bank provides to its customers. It was uncovered that about 528,000 unauthorized online bill-pay enrollments were made without customers knowledge. The reviewers found those accounts to have only one transaction of a nominal amount. The bank has promised to refund $910,000 to the affected customers.

Currently, Wells Fargo is caught in a horde of litigations over several malpractices which have come into the spotlight. It is going to be a long and expensive journey for the bank till it gets all the dust settled.

The banks performance over the past year reflects investors disappointment. Shares of Wells Fargo have gained 1.7%, significantly underperforming the industrys rally of 26.8%.

Story continues

Currently, the stock carries a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold). You can see the complete list of todays Zacks #1 Rank (Strong Buy) stocks here.

Some better-ranked stocks in the same space are State Street Corporation STT, Washington Federal, Inc. WAFD and FB Financial Corporation FBK. All these stocks carry a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy).

State Streets Zacks Consensus Estimate for current-year earnings was revised 3.7% upward for 2017, in the past 60 days. Also, its share price has increased 31% in the past 12 months.

Washingtons current-year earnings estimates were revised nearly 1% upward, over the past 60 days. Further, the companys shares have jumped 17.2% in a year.

FB Financials Zacks Consensus Estimate for current-year earnings was revised 3.2% upward, over the last 30 days. Moreover, in the past year, its shares have gained 67.5%.

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Re: Although it claims to delve into political issues, television can be [ #permalink

87 Kudos 68 Bookmarks Expert Reply

Hey All,



I was asked by PM to answer this one, so here I am!



This question involves modifiers and subject-verb agreement, and is pretty straight forward from there.



83. Although it claims to delve into political issues, television can be superficial such as when each of the three major networks broadcast exactly the same statement from a political candidate.

(A) superficial such as when each of the three major networks

PROBLEM: The subject here is "each" (of the three major networks is just a modifier of each). Each is singular, so it can't work with the verb "broadcast". Also, we need a comma before "such as". This is a complicated issue involving the notion of essential versus non-essential modifiers. This sentence makes sense without the modifier (i.e. "television can be superficial"), so we would call the modifier after it NON-essential. We put commas before non-essential modifiers.



An example of an essential use of such as: "Words such as "ye" used to denote old-time language are based on an incorrect understandings of older scripts."



Notice how this sentence doesn't make sense without the modifier... "Words...are approximations based on incorrect understandings..." doesn't make any sense. The "such as "ye"" is essential.



(B) superficial, as can sometimes occur if all of the three major networks

PROBLEM: "When" and "if" don't mean the same thing. This occurs WHEN all three major networks broadcast the same thing, not IF they do. Also, the doubling of "can" is pretty ugly, because it's unclear what the "sometimes occurring" is referring to.



(C) superficial if the three major networks all

PROBLEM: This is even worse then above, but the same issue. It's not that television can be superficial if the networks do something, it's that television becomes superficial WHEN they do that thing.



(D) superficial whenever each of the three major networks

PROBLEM: Same as A, "each" is singular here.



(E) superficial, as when the three major networks each

ANSWER: Okay. I know what you're thinking...there's an "each" here, too. Why should this one be plural when the others are singular. Well, there's a big difference. When you have "each" as the subject (followed by a prepositional phrase, as in A and D), it's singular. When you use "each" AFTER a plural noun with which it is in apposition (that's right, each is a MODIFIER of "three major networks"), each IS NOT the subject, but an adjective modifying whatever comes before it, in this case "three major networks", which is plural, and matches "broadcast".



Phew!



-tommy
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Gina Loiacono is going into the second year of her "dream scenario" job as a social studies teacher at Auburn High School, a position that took a year-and-a-half for her to land.

Loiacono, who is from Auburn, was a long-term substitute teacher in the Dryden Central School District for a month-and-a-half, did short-term substitute work at multiple districts and taught summer school at Auburn in 2015 and 2016 before getting the full-time offer on Aug. 1 of last year.

"How could I forget that phone call?" Loiacono said.

Before landing that offer, however, she had sent out applications for every job she could find and attended multiple interviews. She recalled many of her fellow graduates got hired that same month, as well.

But long-wait scenarios like what Loiacono said she and her contemporaries faced may be slowly decreasing, as recent studies have pointed to a possible teacher shortage on the horizon in the United States. And some Cayuga County-area educators, fresh off a summer of hiring to fill open positions for the new school year, now report some difficulties finding qualified candidates in certain areas.

One new report, released in July by the SUNY Rockefeller Institute of Government, lays out trends that may point to a large future teacher shortage, like declining enrollment in teacher preparedness programs, the lack of teachers with certifications for certain subjects, a possible feeling among teachers of a perceived "demonization" of the profession in America and new teachers reporting feelings of isolation and a lack of support.

Auburn Enlarged City School District Superintendent Jeff Pirozzolo said it is difficult to find qualified candidates for technology, language and secondary math positions. Those with dual certifications  like in biology and chemistry  are preferred for potential science teachers, though finding people with that experience is also challenging.

Pirozzolo said when he went to teacher recruitment-specific events a few years ago, he would spend two to three days interviewing 60 applicants out of 2,000 at the event. The most recent time he went, however, there were only 600 total applicants, he said.

Jordan-Elbridge Central School District Superintendent Jim Froio said teachers with certain science certifications are often extremely difficult to find.

"If you're walking around with a master's degree in chemistry there's a lot of options out there for you where you're probably going to make more money. Same thing with physics," Froio said.

That said, the overall teacher job market in recent years has been marked by many more job candidates than open positions.

Froio has noticed more applications coming in for elementary jobs than for secondary positions, saying the district is often greeted with 200 applications for just one elementary position. He said the reason for this could be that working with younger children is appealing for people, noting that not everyone is cut out to work with teenagers.

State of uncertainty

Loiacono said that for some of her contemporaries, the idea of paying a lot of money for college and getting certified as a teacher may not be worth the time and funds if they are uncertain about getting a job. She said she believes hiring rates "can only get better" from this point, with aging veteran teachers eventually retiring.

The SUNY Rockefeller report said there have been some consistent shortages in the teaching profession. The report specifically cites New York state, noting staff issues in minority and low-income areas like Yonkers and New York City.

While job difficulty and low pay have been offered as reasons behind shortages in these subjects and geographic areas, the report suggests average pay may not be the deciding element for teachers some thought it to be.

In an examination of median salaries in some counties in New York, it was found districts with consistent teacher deficits actually have higher median pay, like the southern tier region, the report said. But it was also suggested entry-level pay plays a larger role in bringing in more candidates and possibly those with better qualifications.

Moravia Central School District Superintendent John Birmingham said while it is important for districts to have competitive starting wages, he believes a school's culture, programs and other factors can be used as "leverage" to bring in and keep teachers.

The report said pay levels and more out-of-pocket expenses could drive highly qualified people from teaching certain subjects or from certain geographic locations, though the report suggests New York state has not seen the steep drops other states have.

Teacher prep enrollment dips

With the Great Recession in 2009, the market for teachers decreased, the report said. The education field was hit particularly hard by drops in state revenue, as increasing local taxes could only somewhat mitigate that revenue loss. Around 300,000 teachers and other school staff members were left jobless.

That had an impact on enrollment in educator preparedness programs. "Most educator-preparation programs in New York State and across the country experienced unprecedented levels of declining enrollment over the past decade," the Rockefeller report said.

Smaller enrollments could beget less funding for these college programs, which may alter universities and colleges' ability to handle future demand when coupled with factors like decreased instructional materials, facilities and staff members, the report said.

Pirozzolo said students in the Auburn school district remember the various job cuts the district has made since the recession, and that may have impacted students' decisions about whether to go into education.

The report also mentions the possibility of a perceived "demonization" of teaching being a problem as well, as it cites a report from the TeachNY Advisory Council that suggested politicians and others have laid problems in the U.S. educational system at the feet of educators.

Cheryl Miskell, president of the Auburn Teachers' Association and an educator in the district, said there are factors that impact a student's success that teachers don't have control over like attendance, but some people may still blame teachers for a perceived lack of achievement.

Sara Levy, assistant professor of education for Wells College's teacher program, said some teachers may be demoralized by negative perceptions of teaching. She also noted a 2016 report on public opinion polls on various issues facing schools from the education journal EducationNext, which said participants generally thought higher of the public schools they went to themselves than of U.S. public schools overall.

At this point. though, Loiacano said she had not noticed a demonization of her profession.

"Personally, I feel supported so I try to not focus on the negative things," the young Auburn teacher said.

In addition, Levy said some teachers may feel certain administrative aspects of teaching, like evaluations or an instructor documenting their own progress through paperwork, may leave less time for teachers to study new and innovative ways of helping their students learn.

The Rockefeller report said though job retention in education has been consistent, there are more issues retaining teachers depending on certain geographic areas and subjects. The study also mentions that the education field has seen less turnover than in other industries.

That said, data showed certain areas  less affluent ones in particular  had lower retention rates, according to the report.

Locally, though, Pirozzolo, Froio and Birmingham said the retention rates for their respective school districts have been high.

The report said "novice" teachers often require support, with many vacating the profession within their first five years.

"(Novice teachers) frequently report feeling isolated, without supportive partners, at times working within a school environment that is more competitive than cooperative," the report said.

Reasons why teachers opt to leave the profession include low wages, student motivation and discipline issues, little professional autonomy and a dearth of school leader support, according to the report.

Birmingham, the Moravia superintendent, said fostering a healthy school culture can help teachers remain in the district and the profession.

"You make it fun, you make it a place people enjoy coming to," Birmingham said.

Levy, as an assistant professor of education in Wells' education program, said extra preparation time would be beneficial for teachers.

The report said professional development and support are critical to encouraging teachers to stay in the field and that it also adds to student achievement. Education leaders at both the state and local levels can cause positive change through reforms in school culture, induction and mentoring programs and the learning and teaching environment, the report said.

Pirozzolo said that although the teaching profession has its challenges, he believes helping children succeed yields tremendous benefits as well.

"Teaching is a great profession, it is very rewarding, but it's a very difficult position," Pirozzolo said.
In 2013, following Ahmadinejads second term in office, a surprisingly successful campaign was launched by Hassan Rouhani, with the release of the rival faction leaders as one of its talking points. Despite Rouhanis victory, his administration took no recognizable steps to secure the release of these political figures. Still, the same promise was reiterated in Rouhanis reelection campaign in May, before being quickly undermined by the presidents own public remarks following his reelection.

Rouhanis inaction may be a motivating factor behind the decision of the 79-year-old Karroubi to launch a hunger strike. The reformist cleric suffers from heart disease and has been hospitalized during the six years he has been kept under armed guard inside his home. A further motivating factor may be the rash of reports about other hunger strikes being carried out by political prisoners in facilities across the country. Such protests are a time-tested tradition in Iran, but recent actions have seemingly grown both in their scope and their severity, with some hunger strikes lasting upwards of two months and garnering substantial attention both domestically and internationally.

However, the breadth of this attention and the willingness of Iranian citizens to launch protests in support of the hunger strikes has also prompted authorities to crack down on persons who have announced hunger strikes or their intention to begin them. Thus, Karroubis announcement may open him up to additional pressures or arbitrary punishments, including the denial of potentially life-saving medical treatment  a strategy that is known to be used frequently by prison authorities and the judiciary.

The persistence of the crackdown on actual and would-be hunger strikers was made clear on Wednesday by the Center for Human Rights in Iran. The organization reported that more than 50 political prisoners in Rajai Shahr Prison have been transferred into harsher conditions and stripped of their personal belongings. At the same time six hunger strikers were moved into solitary confinement in Rajai Shahr Prison. In precious cases, such isolation has arguably been used in order to prevent the outside world from receiving verified information about the health condition of the prisoners, which could incite the sorts of widespread protests that have sometimes compelled authorities to publicly address the cases.

This raises the possibility that the regime will strive to undermine Karroubis hunger strike by cutting him off from access to the internet and other forms of communication. And this possibility was perhaps made to appear more likely by another CHRI report, this one concerning the overall crackdown on the internet and free expression in the Islamic Republic. Also on Wednesday, the CHRI reported that President Rouhanis choice for his second-term Minister of Information and Communications Technology has been directly linked to the suppression of the uprising in 2009.

At the time, Mohammad Javad Azari Jahromi was working with the Intelligence Ministry and was reportedly identified as an interrogator by some of the people who were arrested for their peaceful demonstrations. Although Jahromi now denies such direct participation in the Intelligence Ministrys crackdown, he has proudly acknowledged overseeing the development of technological infrastructure responsible for widespread surveillance that continues to this day, evidently in violation of Iranian law.

This account of Jahromis past record is a further indication of Rouhanis swift betrayal of his reformist reelection campaign. In his campaigns for both his first and second terms, he promised greater freedom of expression in Iranian society, but did not subsequently speak out against efforts by regime authorities to expand restrictions on the internet and social media, or to arrest and prosecute people for peaceful demonstrations or social behavior declared to be un-Islamic or otherwise undesirable.

The CHRIs description of Jahroni also comes after the release of statements by the National Council of Resistance of Iran and other opponents of the regime, criticizing Rouhani for appointing Alireza Avai as the head of the Ministry of Justice. The previous occupant of that position, Mostafa Pourmohammadi, came under fire for his declared role in the 1988 massacre of political prisoners, which was largely aimed at destroying the leading opposition group, the Peoples Mojahedin Organization of Iran. But while Pourmohammadi was one of four members on the Tehran death commission that determined which detainees would be hanged, Avai played a virtually identical role in Khuzestan Province.

The recent appointments of Avai and Jahromi, along with the more general fact that all appointees are Shiite Muslims and men, have been cited as bad signs for the prospect of reform under Rouhanis second term. This, in turn, bodes poorly for the prospect of Karroubi or Mousavi being released or even avoiding further punishment in the wake of actions like the newly announced hunger strike.
He highlighted the power of the people saying that they cannot be underestimated, basically predicting another uprising and revolution in the country. He strongly criticised Supreme Leader Khamenei and his family and the role they play in ruling the country and influencing the Iranian government.

His comments were made during a recording that was partly released on his Twitter account. He promised that the full recording would be released in the very near future.

Ahmedinejad said: No one is more important than the people. Positions of power in any government are not inherited by a special group. We did not rise in a revolution against a family to replace it with another family.

Relations between the Supreme Leader and the former president turned bad during the most recent election campaign. Ahmedinejad who wanted to run for presidency was told to stand down by the Supreme Leader. The reason he gave was that he did not want the country to become polarised.

The Guardian Council, basically a panel of jurists that decide whatever the Supreme Leader wants them to decide, disqualified Ahmedinejad. Also disqualified was his ally Hamid Baghaei. The reason behind the disqualifications was their ineligibility to run for presidency in these elections. The Guardian Council has a large role in getting rid of any candidates that the Supreme Leader does not want to succeed in the elections.

As part of this conflict between the two parties, Hamid Baghaei was arrested by authorities last month. He was held for several days before being released again. Ahmadinejads former media adviser, Abdelraza Daouri, was also arrested on the charge of offensive remarks found on his Facebook page (written by other people). He was sentenced to three years in prison.

He is not the first person to comment on an escalation of dissident activity in the country. At the annual Free Iran rally, organised by the main opposition  the National Council of Resistance of Iran (NCRI) in Paris last month, the numerous prominent political figures from across the world commented on how the increasing dissent in Iran was going to bring imminent regime change to the country.
Meanwhile, Abbas Jafari Dowlatabadi stipulated that the contents of the statement were criminal and it was allegedly claimed that the defendant had been held captive at Guantanamo Prison. Therefore, the Judiciary has the right to prosecute him.

In a statement released on July 1, 2017, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad called the arrest of Hamid Baghaei as an illegal measure and a gross oppression. He also said that the Judiciary is responsible for any possible harm to his health.

Hamid Baghaei was arrested for unlawful seizure, collusion with non-governmental transactions, and embezzlement during the conflicts among the gangs and fractions.

Meanwhile, some media reported that the regimes Judiciary has given the IRGC the authority to arrest Rouhanis brother and assistant, Hossein Rouhani and to freely investigate on his case as well.
Kristin Zaitz believes that her nuclear power plant is safe.



Zaitz is an engineering manager at Diablo Canyon Power Plant, California's only working nuclear power center. She believes it is so safe that she worked there during both of her pregnancies. She has also gone diving in waters off the California coast to inspect the plant.

Zaitz wears jewelry with a small piece of uranium inside, something that often leads to questions about nuclear power.

In a few years, Diablo Canyon will suspend operations, like many nuclear plants around the country. A combination of lower natural gas prices and efforts to cut energy waste has reduced the need for nuclear power in recent years.

There have also been concerns about public safety. Worldwide, nuclear plants have been in operation for less than 60 years. Yet, there have been major environmental disasters connected to three nuclear plants: Fukushima Dai-ichi in Japan; Chernobyl in Ukraine (then part of the Soviet Union); and Three Mile Island in the United States.

In addition to the possibility of power plant accidents, critics of nuclear note that its waste can remain dangerous for hundreds of thousands of years.

Nuclear is 'cleaner' than coal and gas

But supporters of nuclear, like Kristin Zaitz, say it is clean, safe and good for the environment.

And, they argue that, when a nuclear plant closes, not enough wind and solar power is available to replace it. They are unhappy that power companies often move to coal and natural gas, which produce environmentally harmful emissions.

Together, Zaitz and her coworker Heather Matteson, a reactor operator, started a non-profit group called Mothers for Nuclear. The group hopes to prove to Americans that nuclear power is better for the environment than some alternative energy sources.

Matteson says, when she took the job at Diablo Canyon, she was afraid of nuclear.

And it took me six to seven years to really feel like, okay this is something good for the environment. I don't want other people to take six years making that decision, and we don't have that long.

Like Zaitz, Matteson also wears uranium jewelry in hopes of speaking with others about nuclear energy. Nuclear is fun, she said. She said her jewelry produces less radiation than a banana.

Women seen as powerful voices

Nuclear industry experts say that women in the industry can be powerful voices for nuclear. They say these women can help influence other women about the value of nuclear energy.



At the recent U.S. Women in Nuclear conference in San Francisco, women working in the industry talked about how to demonstrate the value of nuclear power.

Heather Matteson says she and others think women may be the right people to do this.



As mothers, I think we also have an important role to play in letting the public know that we support nuclear for the future and for our children."

Their message is that nuclear energy is cleaner than coal or gas because it does not release heat-trapping gases into Earths atmosphere. And, that message is aimed at women. Industry experts say that women who support nuclear are seen as more believable than men.

But critics of nuclear energy say it doesn't matter who is expressing support for it.

Kendra Klein is a scientist with Friends of the Earth, an environmental group.

Using mothers' voices to argue for a technology that is fundamentally dangerous and that has been demonstrated by disasters like Fukushima to be not safe for the communities that surround nuclear power plants or even cities that are hundreds of miles away is disingenuous.

Still, some younger women are looking to careers in the nuclear industry.

Lenka Kollar works for NuScale, an Oregon business that designs and markets small nuclear reactors.

I went into this wanting to do something good for the world, wanting to bring power to people. There are still over a billion people in the world that don't have access to electricity.

While the future of nuclear power in the United States may be unclear, the women here say they have a positive story to tell.

I'm Alice Bryant.

Michelle Quinn wrote this story for VOA News. Alice Bryant adapted it for Learning English. George Grow was the editor.

______________________________________________________________

Words in This Story

power plant  n. a building or group of buildings in which electricity for a large area is produced

uranium  n. a radioactive element that is used to make nuclear energy and nuclear weapons

solar  adj. of or relating to the sun

emission  n. the act of producing or sending out something (such as gas)

alternative energy  n. any electrical power produced by energy sources other than coal and gas

fundamentally  adv. at the simplest level

reactor  n. a large device at nuclear power plants to produce nuclear-based energy


Rosa Parks became famous in 1955 when she refused to give up her seat on a bus to a white passenger in Montgomery, Alabama.

She was important in the movement for civil rights in the American South during the 1950s and 60s.

At the time, blacks in the South were forced to sit in the back of public buses and to give up their seats to white people.

Parks moved to Detroit, Michigan, in 1957 to escape death threats. She continued living in Detroit until her death in 2005, at age 92.

But the house in Detroit where Parks lived for many years was abandoned and scheduled to be torn down. Her niece, Rhea McCauley, bought it for $500 to stop it from being destroyed. She then gave it to American artist, Ryan Mendoza.

Mendoza and others took it apart and then sent it across the Atlantic Ocean to the German capital of Berlin. There, he led efforts to rebuild the house.

It now is behind his own house in Berlin. It gets daily visitors, although it is difficult to find, Mendoza said.

Artist wants to return Parks home to U.S.

But less than a year after the house was rebuilt in Berlin, Mendoza decided it should be returned to the United States.

He made the decision after deadly violence took place at a recent white nationalist event in Charlottesville, Virginia. That incident increased calls for removing statues of Confederate leaders from the Civil War in the U.S.

Mendoza said there are not enough civil rights monuments to balance things out with the Confederate statues.

He said the Rosa Parks house belongs back in America.

Imagine if the house were on a public setting in a prominent city in the U.S., Mendoza said. Thats an education tool that shouldnt be denied the American people. They have to know their past.

Peter Hammer is a law professor and director of the Damon J. Keith Center for Civil Rights at Wayne State University in Detroit. He believes the house would be welcomed back in Detroit.

My sense is that the Germans have adequately shamed us for not protecting our own history, Hammer told VOA.

He noted that Detroit has failed to protect historical homes in the past. Such houses include the former home of Ralph Bunche, the first African-American to win the Nobel Peace Prize.

He received the award in 1950 for helping negotiate peace between Israelis and Arabs that led to the creation of the country of Israel in 1948. Bunches home in Detroit became a parking lot.

Detroits failure to protect history also is shown by the loss of the Rosa Parks house, Hammer said.

He said that Parks was an important civil rights activist long before" she refused to give up her seat on a bus in Alabama.

In Detroit, Hammer said Parks served as a mentor to people fighting for equal rights. A mentor is someone who gives help and advice to people who are less experienced.

Im Bruce Alpert.

The Associated Press reported on this story. Bruce Alpert adapted the story and did additional reporting for VOA Learning English. The editor was Mario Ritter.

We want to hear from you. Write to us in the Comments Section and share your views on our Facebook Page. Is there someone near where you live who you think should be remembered with a special exhibit or by preserving his or her home?

_______________________________________________________________

Words in This Story

abandon - v. left without people living there

schedule - v. a plan of things that will be done and the times when they will be done

monument - n. a building or statue that honors a person or event

prominent - adj. put in a place that is important and where it will receive attention

adequately - adv. enough to meet some need

shamed - v. to cause someone to feel embarrassed or ashamed
Colleges begin the new school year under pressure to protect free speech -- even when many students strongly disagree with the speakers messages.

Many of the protests in the last school year tried to block conservative and white nationalist speakers. And some colleges that experienced violent protests have announced new efforts to encourage free speech.

Colleges encourage support for free speech

Fifteen leading scholars at three of the nations top universities -- Harvard University, Yale University and Princeton University -- wrote a letter this week with this advice for new college students: Think for yourself.

The letter said that means students should honestly consider arguments, even from people with opinions they find objectionable.

Kansas State University recently announced it will work hard to protect free speech. A statement from the schools top officials said free speech is one of our most cherished rights, protected by the United States Constitution.

At Claremont McKenna College in California and Middlebury College in Vermont, officials promise more speeches by people with different opinions. During the last school year, demonstrators at the schools blocked speeches by conservative speakers.

The two schools punished some protesting students. Claremont McKenna went further than Middlebury by banning five students from campus for up to a year.

At the University of California Berkeley, new Chancellor Carol Christ called for a return to the schools reputation as the home of the Free Speech Movement.

Free speech must include speeches by people whose opinions conflict with the values we hold as a community, Christ said. Those values include acceptance of all people and diversity, she said.

If you choose to protest, do so peacefully, she said in a recent message to Berkeley students and teachers. She said the school will not tolerate violence.

Just days after Christ asked students and teachers to support free speech, there was another violent protest. It took place in a park near the Berkeley campus during a free speech event.

Demonstrators, some with their faces covered in black cloth, attacked at least five people, including the leader of a politically conservative group, the Associated Press reported.

Some of the attackers were from a group called Antifa, short for anti-fascists. Some Antifa members say that violence is acceptable to fight racism. It was not known if any of the Antifa members were Berkeley students.

Protests against the left

Conservatives and white nationalists are not the only groups whose free speech rights are being questioned.

Mark Bray is a lecturer at Dartmouth College and considered an expert on Antifa. On NBCs Meet the Press, he said Antifa supporters believe that Nazis and other Fascists cannot be stopped with free speech alone. Bray said the Nazis in Germany and other fascist leaders in Europe before and during World War II were only stopped by violence.

Dartmouths President Philip Hanlon said Bray seemed to be saying that violence is acceptable. He said Dartmouth does not accept anything but civil discourse in discussing opinions and ideas.

That led 120 Dartmouth teachers to defend Bray. At most colleges, an official whose expertise is reported on by national news reports is praised, the teachers said in a letter.

Evergreen State College in the Western state of Washington is another college that experienced conflict during the last school year.

It began when some students moved to change a yearly event that seeks to make the college community aware of racism. In previous years, African-American students and college employees would leave the college for a day to show the loss that takes place when they are not present.

Last spring, the event was changed with white students and white employees asked to leave for a day. Brett Weinstein, a white biology professor, refused. Weinstein said that he and his wife, another Evergreen teacher, were called racists and threatened by some students.

The school was also closed for several days after a threat of violence from an unidentified caller. The threat came after some conservative groups said liberals controlled the college and threatened those with different opinions.

This year, the college says, it will hold a special program for new freshman. The school calls the program, Conversing across Significant Differences." The goal is to help students learn how to peacefully deal with different opinions.

But all is not well. Weinstein recently went to court to charge college officials with permitting his rights to be violated.

Senator Chuck Grassley is a Republican from Iowa and chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee. At a recent hearing, he said, Higher education rests on the free flow of ideas. Grassley added that colleges must do more to protect free speech.

Im Jill Robbins.

And I'm Bruce Alpert.

Bruce Alpert reported on this story for VOA Learning English. Hai Do was the editor.

We want to hear from you. Write to us in the Comments Section and share your views on our Facebook Page. Are their conflicts where you go to school? How are they resolved? And do you think its important to at least listen to people with different opinions than your own?

_______________________________________________________________

Words in This Story

cherish - v. to remember or hold an idea or belief in a deeply felt way

reputation - n. the common opinion that people have about someone or something

diversity - n. the quality or state of having many different forms, types, ideas

tolerate - v. accept

fascist - n. a way of organizing a society in which a government ruled by a dictator controls the lives of the people and in which people are not allowed to disagree with the government

civil discourse - n. exchanging ideas without anger or threats

converse - v. to have a discussion

flow - n. movement
Now its time for Words and Their Stories, a program from VOA Learning English.

On this program, we explore common words and expressions in American English. Sometimes we tell you their origins, but we always teach you how to use the words in conversation.

Today, we are going to talk about something bad; in other words, something naughty.

Have you ever listened to a private conversation? Maybe you were standing by a door or in a hallway and you heard people talking about someone else you know. And you could not help it. You paused  you perked up your ears  and you listened.

You knew, of course, that these people were not speaking to you. They did not invite you to be part of their conversation. You invited yourself. You eavesdropped.

To eavesdrop means you secretly listen to the conversations of others. Some types of people are very good at eavesdropping. Nosy people, people who like to gossip and spies are all good eavesdroppers. The only difference among my examples is that spies get paid and could get killed for getting an earful.

Originally, however, the word eavesdrop had nothing to do with spying or listening to private conversations.

When it was first used in the 1600s, eavesdrop was the water that fell, or dropped, from the eaves of a house.

Eaves are the parts of the roof that hang over the walls and shade the outside of a house. After more time passed, eavesdrop came to mean the ground near the house where the water fell. After even more time passed, eavesdropper described someone who stood near a house to secretly listen to a conversation happening inside.

These days you can be standing anywhere to eavesdrop. The word simply means "to listen secretly to something said in private."

English has another expression related to eavesdropping and the home: the walls have ears. This means be careful what you say as there might be people listening.

Some word experts say this expression may come from story about an ancient Greek ruler (430367 BC) who had an ear-shaped cave cut and connected between the rooms of his palace. This allowed him to listen to conversations in other rooms.

This form of eavesdropping became common practice with rulers from many cultures. In English, the phrase "the walls have ears" was first recorded in its present form in the mid-1600s.

Now, if you like (or hate) learning English phrasal verbs, theres a great one for eavesdropping  to listen in on. Usually our phrasal verbs have only one preposition. Not this one. It has two!

When you listen in on something, you listen to people speaking without joining in, usually secretly.

But not always.

You can listen in on a class at university or listen in on a meeting at work. These examples do not suggest that you were listening secretly. But if you are listening in on a private conversation, chances are you are listening to something private that does not concern you. You are not minding your own business.

Now, maybe you were minding your own business. Maybe you just happened to have overheard a private conversation. Overhearing is more innocent than eavesdropping. You can overhear something by being in the wrong place at the right time.

Now, lets listen in on two people talking to learn how to use these words and expressions in a conversation. And its okay. We're not eavesdropping. I've given you permission!

So, Amy, I was listening in on the management meeting today. Our manager said that hes putting your project on hold. Youre thinking about leaving the company, arent you?

I havent told anyone that except Ann Marie. Did she spill the beans to you?!

No. She didnt tell me anything. I just happened to overhear you two talking in the cafeteria yesterday.

Were you eavesdropping on our conversation, Alex?!

No! I was walking behind your table and accidentally overheard what you guys were talking about. Honest.

Alex, it was a really long conversation. Unless you were purposefully listening in on us I dont see how it could have been an accident.

Okay, I was standing behind your table. When I overheard you and Ann Marie talking about your project my ears perked up. So, I stayed there and listened for a little while  okay, for a long while.

Alex, youre such a snoop! Look, dont tell anyone. I didnt accept the other job offer yet. So no one knows, okay?

No one except Ann Marie  and me and 

Urgh! Alex!

And that brings us to the end of this Words and Their Stories.

I'd like to know how you talk about listening to private conversations in your language? Let's talk in the Comments Section ... where the whole world is able to eavesdrop!

Im Anna Matteo.

__________________________________________________________

Words in This Story

naughty  adj. sometimes used humorously to describe an adult who does something slightly wrong or improper

nosy  adj. wanting to know about other people's lives, problems, etc.

gossip  v. to talk about the personal lives of other people

eave  n. the lower border of a roof that overhangs the wall usually used in plural

snoop  v. to look for private information about someone or something :  n. someone who looks for private information about someone or something

perk up your ears  idiomatic phrase : to listen more closely : to lift (the ears) in a quick or alert way, often used figuratively of a person <I perked up my ears [=I began to listen closely] when I heard his name mentioned.>

spill the beans  idiomatic phrase : to let secret information be known : to give away a secret or surprise
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ONEOK, Inc., together with its subsidiaries, engages in gathering, processing, storage, and transportation of natural gas in the United States. It operates through Natural Gas Gathering and Processing, Natural Gas Liquids, and Natural Gas Pipelines segments. The company owns natural gas gathering pipelines and processing plants in the Mid-Continent and Rocky Mountain regions. It also gathers, treats, fractionates, and transports natural gas liquids (NGL), as well as stores, markets, and distributes NGL products. The company owns NGL gathering and distribution pipelines in Oklahoma, Kansas, Texas, New Mexico, Montana, North Dakota, Wyoming, and Colorado; terminal and storage facilities in Kansas, Missouri, Nebraska, Iowa, and Illinois; and NGL distribution and refined petroleum products pipelines in Kansas, Missouri, Nebraska, Iowa, Illinois, and Indiana, as well as owns and operates truck- and rail-loading, and -unloading facilities connected to NGL fractionation, storage, and pipeline assets. In addition, it operates regulated interstate and intrastate natural gas transmission pipelines and natural gas storage facilities. Further, the company owns and operates a parking garage in downtown Tulsa, Oklahoma; and leases excess office space. It operates 17,500 miles of natural gas gathering pipelines; 1,500 miles of FERC-regulated interstate natural gas pipelines; 5,100 miles of state-regulated intrastate transmission pipeline; six NGL storage facilities; and eight NGL product terminals. It serves integrated and independent exploration and production companies; NGL and natural gas gathering and processing companies; crude oil and natural gas production companies; propane distributors; municipalities; ethanol producers; and petrochemical, refining, and NGL marketing companies, as well as natural gas distribution and electric generation companies, producers, processors, and marketing companies. The company was founded in 1906 and is headquartered in Tulsa, Oklahoma.
The following companies are subsidiares of Pfizer: AH Robins LLC, AHP Holdings B.V., AHP Manufacturing B.V., Agouron Pharmaceuticals LLC, Alacer, Alpharma Holdings LLC, Alpharma Pharmaceuticals LLC, Alpharma Specialty Pharma LLC, Alpharma USHP LLC, American Food Industries LLC, Anacor Pharmaceuticals, Anacor Pharmaceuticals Inc., Angiosyn, Array BioPharma, Ayerst-Wyeth Pharmaceuticals LLC, BIND Therapeutics Inc., BINESA 2002 S.L., Bamboo Therapeutics, Bamboo Therapeutics Inc., Baxter International - Marketed Vaccines, BioRexis, Bioren, Bioren LLC, Blue Whale Re Ltd., C.E. Commercial Holdings C.V., C.E. Commercial Investments C.V., C.P. 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London Stock Exchange Group plc engages in market infrastructure business primarily in the United Kingdom, the United States, Italy, France, and internationally. The company operates in six segments: Information Services, Post Trade Services A- LCH, Post Trade Services A- CC&G and Monte Titoli, Capital Markets, Technology Services, and Other. It operates a range of international equity, ETF, bond, and derivatives markets, including London Stock Exchange; Borsa Italiana; MTS, a European fixed income market; and Turquoise, a pan-European equities multilateral trading facility. The company provides capital formation, intellectual property, and risk and balance sheet management services; financial indexing, benchmarking, and analytic services; data and research services; and post trade and risk management, clearing house, and custody and settlement services. The company also develops and operates technology solutions, including trading, market surveillance, and post trade systems for organizations and exchanges; and offers information and data products, such as indexes and benchmarks, real time pricing data, product identification, reporting, and reconciliation services, as well as network connectivity and server hosting services. In addition, it provides market information services comprising indices, market data and statistics, real time data, and regulatory news; education and training, events space, and studio hire services; and capital markets technology and services, trading solutions, technical services, infrastructure solutions and services, and market connectivity, as well as operates data centers and trading venues. Further, the company licenses capital markets and related IT infrastructure. London Stock Exchange Group plc was founded in 1698 and is headquartered in London, the United Kingdom.
National Fuel Gas Company operates as a diversified energy company. It operates through four segments: Exploration and Production, Pipeline and Storage, Gathering, and Utility. The Exploration and Production segment explores for, develops, and produces natural gas and oil in California and in the Appalachian region of the United States. As of September 30, 2021, it had proved developed and undeveloped reserves of 21,537 thousand barrels of oil and 3,723,433 million cubic feet of natural gas. The Pipeline and Storage segment provides interstate natural gas transportation and storage services through an integrated gas pipeline system in Pennsylvania and New York; and owns and operates underground natural gas storage fields. This segment also transports natural gas for National Fuel Gas Distribution Corporation, as well as for other utilities, industrial companies, and power producers in New York State; and owns and operates the Empire Pipeline. The Gathering segment builds, owns, and operates natural gas processing and pipeline gathering facilities in the Appalachian region, as well as provides gathering services to Seneca Resources Company, LLC. The Utility segment sells natural gas or provides natural gas transportation services to approximately 753,000 customers in Buffalo, Niagara Falls, and Jamestown, New York; and Erie and Sharon, Pennsylvania. The company markets gas to industrial, wholesale, commercial, public authority, and residential customers primarily in western and central New York, and northwestern Pennsylvania. As of September 30, 2021, the company also owned approximately 95,000 acres of timber property; and managed approximately 2,500 additional acres of timber cutting rights. National Fuel Gas Company was incorporated in 1902 and is headquartered in Williamsville, New York.
The Eternal Flame Church in Cape Town has turned down an offer to have a cellphone mast placed on its new 9m-tall steeple, despite being offered a monthly rental payment.

According to a report in the Sunday Times, Pastor Charles White said a company approached it with the offer  which included a monthly rental payment of R35,000.

We sided with the community that the mast is dangerous to children and health in close proximity, said White.

He added that his hair started falling out when he worked at his previous office, which was near a cellphone base station.

No problems here

On the other side of Cape Town, however, the AGS Durbanville church is planning to have a cellphone mast erected next to its creche.

According to the report, the churchs Sirol Roselt said the church community supports the move.

I have yet to see studies that have proved any health-related downside to masts, he said.

The news follows the Muslim Judicial Council calling for an independent investigation into the dangers of cellphone masts, as networks target tall buildings  including mosques  in urban areas for their infrastructure.

Multiple studies have found that cellphones and cellular network base stations pose no health risks to users and nearby residents.

Despite this, many South African residents have taken extreme measures to protect themselves from cellphone towers, including covering their windows in tinfoil.
Intel Corp.s eight-year clash with the European Union over chip pricing has dragged on so long that the 1.06 billion-euro ($1.26 billion) antitrust fine, a record at the time, now seems like a distant memory.

But Wednesdays ruling in the case at the EU Court of Justice could be a blast from the past if it ends the European Commissions decades-long winning streak in cases about monopolies.

Victory for Intel would encourage others to switch to a fighter mode said Georg Berrisch, a lawyer for Baker Botts LLP in Brussels. Rather than agree to settle cases with the EUs antitrust enforcers, they would be more likely to head to court to appeal any fines, he said.

The Brussels-based commission hasnt lost a big antitrust case in court in more than 20 years. Knowing that and facing likely defeat, most companies being probed for monopoly abuse tend to cave in. They agree to a binding deal to change their behavior, shutting down the EU investigation early to avoid fines or get a reduced penalty.

This may be the case to disturb that trend, said Pat Treacy, a competition lawyer specializing in intellectual property and technology at Bristows LLP in London.

Qualcomm, Google

Qualcomm Inc. could be the most directly affected by the ruling. The EU is probing whether the company unfairly paid Apple Inc. to only use Qualcomm chipsets in its products. Google, under investigation for inducing phone makers to use its Android software, will also be watching closely.

Intel continued its battle against the commissions 2009 penalty for using discounts to push out Advanced Micro Devices Inc., and a decision by the EUs second highest court to back the regulator. Giving hope to the chipmaker, Nils Wahl, an adviser at the blocs top tribunal, in October said the earlier ruling mistakenly dismissed the need for regulators to prove that Intels payments to manufacturers  or rebates  for buying its chips were illegal.

Intel is one of the longest-running cases in the commissions history and one of the few to reach the EUs top court. Its been closely watched because it deals with one of the most common and commercially relevant issues, rebates and deals with one of the current hot-topics in competition law about the level of proof needed with infringements, said Treacy.

The EUs investigation found that Intel impeded competition by giving rebates to computer makers from 2002 until 2005 on the condition that they buy at least 95 percent of chips for PCs from Intel. It said Intel imposed restrictive conditions for the remaining 5 percent, supplied by AMD, which struggled to overcome Intels hold on the market for processors that run PCs.

Dell, HP

The computer makers coaxed to not use AMDs chips included Acer Inc., Dell Inc., Hewlett-Packard Co., Lenovo Group Ltd. and NEC Corp., the commission said in 2009. The EU also said Intel made payments to electronics retailer Media Markt on the condition that it only sell Intel-based PCs. It ordered Intel to stop using illegal rebates to thwart competitors, an instruction that Intel complained was unclear.

The company settled an antitrust case with the U.S. Federal Trade Commission in 2010 and agreed not to give PC makers discounts or other inducements in exchange for promises they will buy chips exclusively from Intel.

Intel, which declined to comment on the EU case, has said all along that its Market Development Funds are volume discounts that are in line with typical industry practices. The EU commission also declined to comment.

Intels antitrust fine was the EUs biggest at the time, more than double the 497 million-euro penalty against Microsoft Corp. in 2004. It represented about 4 percent of Intels $37.6 billion in sales in 2008, below the maximum penalty of 10 percent of yearly sales regulators can impose. The record stood until June, when the EU slapped Google with a 2.4 billion-euro penalty for skewing results to thwart smaller shopping search services.

Clarity Sought

Lawyers are hoping that the EU court will deliver clarity on each of the issues raised by Intel. The advocate general did exactly this, chiding the lower court over its analysis on rebates, but also on procedural questions where Wahl was critical of the EUs handling of evidence it gathered against Intel.

To have a ruling that wouldnt address all these points would be extremely unsatisfactory, said Berrisch. It would create huge legal uncertainty.

A key issue is how dominant companies can offer rebates and loyalty bonuses to companies purchasing from them without automatically infringing competition law. It will be interesting to see what kinds of rebates are automatically illegal, and which can only be found illegal after an analysis of the economic effects, said Treacy.

Still, Intel could also end up winning on procedural points, without the court addressing the deeper legal questions. In October, Wahl seemed to back Intels arguments that its rights to a defense in court were harmed when the EU failed to note details of a meeting with a Dell executive to gather evidence. The lower court was mistaken to say the EU did nothing wrong and that any problems were remedied by providing the information later on, he said.

Apple Tax

A ruling on this point could embolden pending court challenges by Apple and Ireland in which they argue having been unfairly kept in the dark on the process of an EU state aid probe into their tax affairs.

Whether an Intel victory ends up emboldening companies to take on a long court appeal in the end comes down to money and stamina.

To fight the substance of a case, companies need to have a deep conviction that they are in the right, and deep pockets too, said Treacy. The legal costs, plus significant business uncertainty over the lengthy period it takes to challenge a commission decision, will undoubtedly continue to be off-putting to many potential challengers.

The case is: C-413/14 P, Intel Corporation v. Commission.
Stack Overflow has published its analysis of how programming languages correlate to a countrys gross domestic product.

It analysed traffic to its website between January and August, using the tags on questions to determine which languages developers were asking the most questions about.

Based on the analysis, it found that the amount of Android and PHP traffic is negatively correlated to a countrys income, while Python and R are positively correlated.

A data scientist for Stack Overflow noted that the analysis was biased towards developers who could understand English.

Programming languages by GDP

Stack Overflow used the World Banks income categories for countries for its research, grouping them into high-income and non-high-income territories.

The charts below show how traffic to questions involving specific programming languages on Stack Overflow compared to GDP, and these high-income and rest of world categories.

Android in South Africa

As the graphs above show, the one area where South Africa stood out in the analyses was Android.

In general, Stack Overflow found that countries with lower GDP per capita visit substantially more Android-tagged posts than countries with high GDP per capita.

However, South Africa was an outlier. The percentage of traffic from South Africa relating to Android was lower than our GDP per capita suggests it should have been.

Android vs iOS

When Stack Overflow plotted Android traffic against iOS traffic, it found that the traffic ratios tended to cluster based on continent.

Here, South Africa fell in the same cluster as American and European countries, rather than its fellow African countries.

Now read: Programmers who use spaces earn more than those who use tabs
Alpine to make 3 electric crossovers

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Reuters: U.S. to demand EU colleagues to continue aid to Kyiv at G20

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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!'

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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

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Speaking up against Breitbart would be doing the absolute least. So if she can't even do that.. especially as someone hyper aware of her image.

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Right? The fact that she can't even denounce that is very telling



She's the pr queen putting stories and statements right when something is written about her, but won't stay anything about this? Ok bitch I see you 

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All she would have to do is make a statement saying she's offended her lyrics are being used by a hate group. Feels pretty simple/easy.

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Yep



She's legit a tool of Satan I swear.

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Her team has the time and idleness to go after etsy sellers and Taylor has personally feuded with Katy for ridiculous reasons and a ridiculous length of time - and YET she can't refute nazis and say anything against Trump?



She ain't shit. She's a sympathizer, clear and simple.





Edited: y'all are fond of saying that Taylor is really progressive and liberal but doesn't speak out against white supremacy because she doesn't want to lose racist money. Like that's ANY better? You're telling me she doesn't believe this shit but still wants to profit off off it? Staying silent is being complicit. No one asks her to solve any politics issues, but she NEEDS to voice her opinion, otherwise she IS helping them.



Adele had no problems telling Trump to fuck off, even though her fanbase skews older and more conservative (or rather across the spectrum). Why can't Taylor do it?



Edited at 2017-08-27 02:08 pm (UTC)

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Yeah, that "through no fault of her own" is precious. She has no problem running her mouth when she needs pity and dollars but she has shit to say here? White Power Daddy bought that career and loves him some Donald. Something about apples and trees, whatever.

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ia. i'm sure her stans are crying about her being a secret woke queen or something and not wanting to give them the attention, but sis, that time has passed. you gotta denounce their shit in this climate.

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sometimes...people that are silent...are sympathizers.

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omg

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omg I just spat out my covfefe



(I went back and read that post and jfc what a wild ride, can't believe it's already been 2 months since covfefegate)

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OMG

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Oh nooooooooo

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Honestly being silent on issues such as these is just as bad as actively supporting them.

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this whataboutism tho...



the swifties really are radicalized like that other post said. sad!

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Fake news!

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he was sick!

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Um excuse yoooou... he only met with a fascist to discuss ~multicultural issues~

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I don't know why y'all keep bringing this up like the people who drag Taylor in these posts aren't the same ones that call Kanye trash in his posts. We're allowed to think that they're both terrible. That doesn't change the fact that the narrative in which her entire career has been framed and her refusal to call out the white supremacists that keep her name in their mouths blatantly caters to the prejudiced causes of these groups. Silence in this sort of situation may have been acceptable 5 years ago, but it sure as hell isn't now. Take off the stan glasses and think about it for a minute ffs.



Edited at 2017-08-27 02:20 pm (UTC)

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mte

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This ONTD though. If you denounce one thing it means you automatically support the alternative.

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mte

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EXACTLY

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And? This isn't an either or. They're both assholes.

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lol, nice derail tactic but this post isn't about Kanye.

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pop music's equivalent of "but her emails"?

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E X A C T L Y

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lmao I'm so here for this mess

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it's too early! it's too early!

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i like the edit of this gif where the cat picks up 2 suitcases

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fuck! i need that one

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Lol I wanna see that

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There are plenty of valid reasons to dislike Swift. Her not risking a torrent of shit from some of the most toxic, violent, and disgusting members of the internet is not one of them.

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Fair point. I feel like there's NO WAY that she doesn't have some multi-million dollar PR spin master advising her everyone move, so there must be SOME viable reason that she's ignoring this aside from the possibility that she a super secret Nazi who keeps an SS uniform in her batcave, right?

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..for instance, that she's a sympathizer?

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Not that I would wish that on anyone, but, speaking as a Black woman, I and many like me don't get that luxury. Literally just existing puts me at risk, and not just from these vile creatures. Even those who are meant to serve and protect are a risk to my safety and those in my community.

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girl she's pissed off so many rabid fan bases at this point getting anon hate from nazis after doing the right thing wouldn't be that different in terms of ha mentions

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lmao poor ha, able to threaten etsy sellers but unable to do the LEAST to tell nazis to fuck off

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Mte this obsession with her and Trump is truly over the top. It is not HER responsibility to bring that upon herself. We all know the vitriol she would get on top of what she already gets. Why is this her job? I think she made it pretty clear she wasn't voting or him. People always expect the women to risk their safety and careers, but what about the male popstars?

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She has used feminism as part of her brand and controls every part of her image, she addressed the suitcase dumb rumor and other actually petty and dumb stuff, like other celebrities, female celebrities have condemned Nazis, it's not too much to ask her to speak up about this, specially because they are using her lyrics and are calling her an aryan princess.





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lol @ this comment when some of the most powerless groups in the country have already been threatened/faced worse violence

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She's super rich and can afford security. She'd be fine lmao

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White Lady Logic



"But then they'd be mad at mmmeeeeeeeeeeeee."

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Her not denouncing Nazis is a perfectly valid reason to dislike her. Y'all stay trying it.

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But she's all good doing it when it's a "feud" with a black man over which her white ass got CAUGHT lying and she STILL comes out looking like a victim?



Please. She's privileged as fuck. The rest of us are out here risking OUR lives to fight nazis but we're worried about a little rich white girl getting her feelings hurt by nazis not buying her albums? I don't think so.

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lol oh please, fuck her!

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She has a responsibility to speak up against them, otherwise she's supporting them and their cause.

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Yep

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Part of me really does want her to ignore them and just pretend like they don't exist because having the biggest pop(?) star in the world give them attention is exactly what they want.



She could definitely say something about T*ump tho.

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I guess if someone is really self centered enough, they might secretly relish being at the center of any insane controversy/ conspiracy. I mean, there's no way this shitfest isn't generating a TON more internet traffic about her, and if that's more important than the specific nature of an image... why shut it down so quick?

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She doesn't need to speak out if she doesnt want to. Though it'd be nice just to see the alt-right get pissed.

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yes. she does. It's a moral responsibility as a human being, especially for someone so influential. It's such a white privilege thing to say "oh It doesn't affect me so I don't have to do anything" and its worse because she is actually benefiting from them by buying her album, etc.



Unless of course, the only reason she doesn't want to speak out is because she agrees with them... which is the only conclusion here because she is known to easily speak out over the most random, shallow things like people using her lyrics to sell items on easy, yet when alt-right use her lyrics to promote their causes, she is silent.

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You all need to stop with this shit.

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she's sidestepping and doesn't want to alienate part of her fanba$e. cares more about her coins. sad! but why hasn't she even acknowledged trump?she's sidestepping and doesn't want to alienate part of her fanba$e. cares more about her coins. sad!

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AHAHAAHAAHAH WHAT THE FUCK

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??? lmao that is like some kind of weird video game glitch like where they are walking against an invisible wall

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She doesn't fucking have to. Why do we need celebrities to validate our political choices? This is so stupid.

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OMFW

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is she supposed to?

or some rules she has to speak out? im confused

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for someone so image conscious you would think she would say something but the silence says so much.



welcome to trump's america

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Her perpetual victimization and 13 year-old mindset are pathetic on their own, but this... this is unforgivable.



The LEAST she can to is distance herself from nazis. It's not like Taylor's team isn't monitoring the news closely; it's not like she isn't aware of this. Breitbart is going all out for her (I'm not going to post anything from their website, but you should google that shit - unbelievable). And that Aryan goddess thing has been around for a while, too.



I was never a fan of Taylor and found her obnoxious since her 2010 VMA performance. I don't know how anyone can still be ignorant of her faux feminism and self-serving narratives.

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If she isn't a Trump supporter like her stans keep saying, she probably won't denounce Trump and the alt Right movement until her new record is out. Or she won't say anything at all because to her $$$$$ is everything.

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MTE. She's extremely calculated and all she cares about is money. No way in hell is she alienating anyone by speaking out about anything that matters.

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me opening ontd every morning these days

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I would die

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This is so cute

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lol it flopped so gently, cute

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lol they put the snake in the box just to film this

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so cute

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FUCK lmaoo

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never eating cheerios again now tbh!

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OMFG

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nooo

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aww is that where bb was hiding <3

ugh I hope taylor doesn't ruin snakes for me :C

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roflmfao

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lol

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you all are truly doing the most with this reach lol its new york times font. probably because the album cover has newspaper clippings all over it?? you can google it if you want.

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actually it's a cc0 font called Life of Pablo you can get on dafont.com iirc

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The official font of the Nazi regime was actually DIN.

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Remember when bratty Michelle was princess for the day bc she took stephanie's turn?

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that was literally gonna be my comment in this post lol

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I've been re-watching Full House a lot lately for the first time in over a decade, and Michelle is sooo bratty, like damn. I can't believe we were supposed to think she was cute, lol. I also never noticed before how many Beatles covers were on the soundtrack.

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Well pin a rose on her nose

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i always related to stephanie judith.

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I despised Michelle, lol.

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This is immediately what I thought of.

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don't remind me

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And also that bullshit about "I want to swim in the kiddy pool when it's cold outside"

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LMAO ugh Michelle was soooo annoying in that episode

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I think about that all the time and get pissed off all over again. lol

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She was awful, and I stopped watching when they kept building so many episodes around her. she was such a pain in the ass.

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omg classic

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lol literally the alpha and the omega of full house and disney parks!



i watch it whenever i miss disney parks 

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That episode pissed me off for the longest time. Still does.

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Michelle Tanner is the devil

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That's a good response and apology imo. I hope they uphold it though.

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Isn't Disney good with this sort of thing?

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It wasn't a read on Disney tbh. I'm just always skeptical when it comes to diversity and big companies. Fingers crossed though!

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I'm just glad it wasn't one of those "We are sorry if we offended anyone" apologies.

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A lot of kids under five are crazy into the Disney princesses thing. Especially Elsa, because she has S U P E R P O W E R S



Like she's sparkly and beautiful and has superpowers, what is the problem here.

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Yeah my three year old son loooooves Elsa and we've never even watched Frozen before.

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Yup. I work at a preschool and plenty of boys love princesses. They jam their hearts out to the Disney soundtracks the teachers play. One little boy straight up ballroom dances with any little girl willing (which they all are).



If their parents weren't such asses and just let them enjoy what they wanted, they'd come in wearing Elsa sneakers and tshirts like the little girls do. But they're too busy telling their kids what is and isn't acceptable to like, which trickles down to their kids and by the time they're 4ish, you start to see kids teasing others for liking "girl" or "boy" things. It's sad.

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Same.

I probably wouldn't be into drag but I used to hide that I was a fan of pop music, mainly Britney.



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This is a BIT much but werq

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bc it likely is

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that's what I always think in these situations



(Not the situation of a little boy liking "girl" things but the situation of a kid being SUPEr into something different and the parents getting a bunch of interviews and shit done because of it....imo, If you weren't projecting a LITTLE you wouldn't even have wanted to get media and shit involved)

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That's a really deep voice for an 8 year old. Also looks 12.

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Idk about that blaccent tho

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i made the mistake of reading the comments. now my blood is boiling.

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I thought that said the kid's name was Nemesis...

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I mean, good for that kid for being confident but I am so uncomfortable with children wearing make up and heels. I hated it when it wad the kids from Toddlers and Tiaras, I hated it when it was that infamous Noah Cyrus Halloween costume picture, and I hate it now.

And yeah, that blaccent...

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this is both cute and irritating

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it's.. odd to me that a kid taht age would know so much about drag culture and i feel like there's something off with the mom although good on her for being so open.



also wow at that kid's makeup collection. ridiculous for a mom to be buying their 8 year old too faced and KVD (i guess it's probably her makeup?) but I'm also v jealous.

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i feel like elsa is every little boys favorite princess



my little brother was OBSESSED with elsa that year frozen was everywhere he had a lunchbag with elsa on it and he didn't even get a full week with it before he quietly asked us for another since a kid at school teased him for having a 'girls' lunchbag



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Have you told this before? I feel like I have heard it lol your brother sounds sweet

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i think I've told it before



my baby brother the best, truly someone who will be somebody amazing in this world



but for now he's 8 and obsessed with this girl named jojo from dance moms



he named his puppy after her he is so extra i love him lol



Edited at 2017-09-03 03:51 am (UTC)

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Aw, poor bb :(

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aw man, that's a bummer. Its a lunchbag ffs.



My cousins son is obsessed with Moana. He made a 'boat' for his Moana doll & they have bath time adventures, I love it.

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I feel like everyone loves Elsa lol Which is weird cause she's the ice queen



But I love Elsa too so who am I to say anything



Anyways I guess this was a good response? I'm just not sure why the Disney worker sent that email unless it was in their policy or they talked to someone higher up and were told to respond that way?

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Anna is bright and bubbly, the best friend we want to have. My theory is we all feel a little Elsa somedays, quiet and introverted, nobody understands us, even a little bit shunned. Then Elsa says 'fuck this' and builds herself an awesome ice palace #lifegoals Anna is bright and bubbly, the best friend we want to have.

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man i hope noah gets the VIP treatment now and for free!



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So do i

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This song is quite subversive tbh!

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bless them for making it right.



My baby (he's closer to 4? now) cousin went through an Elsa phase himself. He would carry one of the stuffed Elsas with him EVERYWHERE LOL

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Edited at 2017-09-03 03:27 am (UTC) I feel like the other Disneyland would have treated him better

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was at disneyland a few weeks ago and i saw a little boy wearing a belle pajama dress and holding a rapunzel doll and rapunzel and flynn came walking out and went right up to him and he was so happy. the end.

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Awwwww that's so cute

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it put a little tear in my eye.

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aaaah this is so cute.



I love that children (sometimes) get to be themselves and are accepted.

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good that they apologized but they should have given the kid and his family free tickets lmao

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The apology statement is what they released to the press, but I'm betting they also comped their tickets. I know for a fact that Disney World Orlando is really good about stuff like this, I know several people for whom they've comped tickets or upgraded hotels because of little mistakes. A potential PR disaster like this, I'm guessing that family's trip was free.

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Yep, I agree. They have good customer service.

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I saw a mom buying her son a pink glitter fairy wand at michaels and that made me happy

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Just coming in to this post to share my favorite flowchart.

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Love it.

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lol

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lmaoooo

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Choking

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lmao perfect

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Super important reminder or we'd get another wank post about someone's little cousin playing with a dildo accidentally and I for one am not ready for that.



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LMAO

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LOVE THIS

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What in the ever loving fuck is that.

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omg

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Lmfao

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i use this ALL THE TIME

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yep

great flowchart

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Theres more excitement than usual at Marcos Pizza in Thornton, Colorado, since news spread Tuesday that a rare dinosaur fossil was unearthed at a construction site up the street.

General Manager Daniel Perez, 24, whos lived in the Denver suburbs all his life, called the discovery one of the biggest, most exciting things hes ever experienced. So exciting, in fact, he is considering donating some pies to the researchers and security crews working at the site, hopeful they will reciprocate by offering a sneak peek at what paleontologists say is a 66-million-year-old adult triceratops.

Whatever we can get, Perez told The Washington Post on Wednesday, well take it.

It appears to be a comprehensive find, said Todd Barnes, Thorntons communications director. It is hoped most if not all of the dinosaurs full skeleton will be recovered.

Already, the dinosaurs horns and its shoulder bones have been located.

The discovery was made Friday on a patch of Earth thats mostly loose sand, which should facilitate a relatively swift excavation, officials say. Eventually, the property will house a new facility for Thorntons police and fire departments.

Things were kept quiet, at first, because city officials worried the news might attract thieves or vandals, Barnes said.

We scurried over the weekend to get security in place, he told The Post, to make sure no one can take bones or damage them.

The site is now patrolled by security around the clock, Barnes said.

Its believed most triceratops weighed upward of six tons, and stood about 10 feet tall and 30 feet long, according to a National Geographic fact sheet. Scientists believe the herbivores moved slowly, making them easy prey for larger meat eaters, especially the giant Tyrannosaurus rex.

From National Geographic:

Like a modern-day rhinoceros, Triceratops probably spent much of its time grazing on plant matter. It used its beaklike mouth and powerful jaws lined with rows of sharp cheek teeth to shred and grind cycads, ferns, and other low-lying vegetation. Triceratopss head was its most imposing feature. It measured 4 to 5 feet across and was ornamented with impressive horns and a head plate. It used its hornsa short one above its mouth and two long ones above its eyesto charge predators, such as T. rex. They likely were also used in mating rituals.

This one is unique, though.

During a Facebook Live broadcast from the discovery site, Joe Sertich, dinosaur curator at the Denver Museum of Nature and Science, explained that, as with other triceratops located in the Denver area, this one appears to be about half the size of those that lived farther north, in the Dakotas and Montana.

We dont really know why, he added. Even though we have hundreds of triceratops from the American West, we only have three good skulls. And this might be one of the best skeletons to tell us why Denver triceratops are smaller than all of their cousins everywhere else.

The bones found in Thornton also appear to be disaggregated, Sertich said. So this triceratops, he surmised, may have died and laid on the ground for a few days or weeks.

The bones fell apart, the flesh fell apart, he said. Things like T-rex wouldve come and taken bites out it.

That means, they could locate T-rex teeth as well, potentially unlocking new clues about the fearsome carnivores also.

Once the bones are fully uncovered, theyll be wrapped in a protective cast to prevent them from breaking. And when completely excavated, the fossils will be sent to the museum for clean up, assembly and display.

Sertich has praised the construction crew that made the find. Too often, its unclear to the untrained eye the magnitude of whats been found, so workers just carry on with the task at hand, destroying or building over important history in the process.

They knew what they found the moment they hit it, he said. They stopped what they were doing, they recognized it as a significant and really important fossil. And they called the right people.
Leaders of a community coalition and an elected official who called for Milwaukee County Sheriff David Clarke to step down are hailing his sudden resignation as a victory, but saying there is still work to be done.

"Thats what weve been fighting for," said Voces de la Frontera Executive Director Christine Neumann-Ortiz.

Voces is a member of the Coalition for a Peoples Sheriff, a group of organizations convened to defeat Clarke because of his "incompetent," "unethical" and "inhumane" actions. Clarke has been in office since he was appointed in 2002. Since April 2016, six people have died  the most recent earlier this week  while incarcerated at the Milwaukee County Jail, which was managed by Clarke. He has also been criticized for using county funds while traveling for media engagements.

Recently, a grand jury recommended charges against seven people involved in the detention of Terrill Thomas, who died of dehydration while in the county jail. Neumann-Ortiz and Milwaukee County District 10 Supervisor Supreme Moore-Omokunde suggested scrutiny for those actions should extend to Clarke, who Neumann-Ortiz said, "promoted a culture of neglect and abuse."

Milwaukee County District Attorney John Chisholm will decide who to charge in the case. The DAs office did not respond to questions about when a decision could be expected, or whether charges are being considered against Clarke.

While in office, Clarke also applied to take part in the federal 287(g) program, which trains and authorizes deputies to act as immigration agents. The program was popularized by former Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio, and has been called racially discriminatory. Arpaio was recently pardoned by President Donald Trump after being convicted of criminal contempt for violating a court order designed to stop illegally detaining people because of their suspected immigration status.

Clarke was in Nashville for a National Fraternal Order of Police convention when a resignation letter was delivered to the Milwaukee County Clerk just before noon Thursday. In a written statement from the Sheriffs Office, Clarke, whose term would have ended next year, said, "I have chosen to retire to pursue other opportunities." Clarke declined to answer additional questions about the reason and timing of the decision.

Gov. Scott Walker will appoint an interim sheriff who will serve until next year, when voters will elect a new sheriff. Walkers office did not respond to a request for comment.

Walker ignored calls from Voces, the Coalition for a Peoples Sheriff and others, to remove Clarke from office. Neumann-Ortiz said mounting pressure  including two statewide boycotts and demonstrations that attracted tens of thousands as well as the threat of lawsuits and possible criminal charges related to the jail deaths  contributed to Clarkes departure. She said it is "an example of the pressure that can be brought to bear when we unite and when we have clear demands around the kind of community we want to build."

In a statement, the Wisconsin Working Families Party questioned Walkers willingness to listen to constituents now.

"Scott Walker has been asleep at the switch while grave abuses were committed against members of our community in Milwaukee County jails," said Rebecca Lynch, political director of the Wisconsin Working Families Party. "The Wisconsin Working Families Party demands a sheriff who upholds the dignity, life and health of all Milwaukee residents."

In June, when Clarke was being considered for a federal appointment, The Coalition for a Peoples Sheriff submitted a letter to Walker outlining a platform that opposed the implementation of 287(g) and endorsed a sheriff who would work with the community to protect human rights and address systematic abuse against traditionally marginalized groups.

Neumann-Ortiz encouraged residents to call and email Walker  as well as sign a petition that Voces will re-release  urging him to appoint someone whose character aligns with the platform. She said its important to "send a message," calling this "an opportunity for the people to really put pressure to make sure that these abuses end."

Ultimately, voters will have an opportunity to elect a new sheriff in 2018. According to Neumann-Ortiz, its essential that the new sheriff work with residents to address Milwaukees "shameful" legacy of poverty and mass incarceration in an effort to build "strong and beautiful communities where all families can prosper."

She said, "Thats the community we want built, and its up to the people to make that happen."

Voces will participate in a Labor Day march Sept. 4 in support of working people, a living wage and immigrant workers. On Sept. 18, the first day of the states legislative session, the group will be in Madison to protest Assembly Bill 190, which would require municipalities to hold people for 48 hours who were arrested for a crime and suspected of being in the country illegally.
New York City Bar Opinion 2017-5 (July 2017), here, provides some interesting information about the care lawyers must take before allowing a lawful search of an attorneys smartphone, laptop, or the like. The opinion is obviously important given the international nature of intellectual property practice and the growing frequency (still small, though) with which Customs officials ask for passwords that could reveal client confidences.

The opinion states in part that lawyers should consider whether they should not carry electronic devices that could permit disclosure to sensitive client information when traveling abroad, and, if asked upon return to provide access to the device, the opinion states:

At the border, if government agents seek to search the attorneys electronic device pursuant to a claim of lawful authority, and the device contains clients confidential information, the attorney may not comply unless reasonably necessary under Rule 1.6(b)(6), which permits disclosure of clients confidential information to comply with law or court order. Under the Rule, the attorney first must take reasonable measures to prevent disclosure of confidential information, which would include informing the border agent that the device or files in question contain privileged or confidential materials, requesting that such materials not be searched or copied, asking to speak to a superior officer and making any other lawful requests to protect the confidential information from disclosure. To demonstrate that the device contains attorney-client materials, the attorney should carry proof of bar membership, such as an attorney ID card, when crossing a U.S. border. Finally, if the attorney discloses clients confidential information to a third party during a border search, the attorney must inform affected clients about such disclosures pursuant to Rule 1.4.

Ive never been asked to provide a password, or to handover an electronic device, but the opinion provides some useful reminders of precautions that may be necessary in todays world.
China strongly condemned North Korea's Sunday nuclear test, slamming Pyongyang for ignoring international condemnation of its atomic weapons programme. North Korea "has ignored the international community's widespread opposition, again carrying out a nuclear test. China's government expresses resolute opposition and strong condemnation toward this," the foreign ministry said in a statement on its website. "We strongly urge the DPRK (North Korea) to face the strong will of denuclearisation from the international community, earnestly abide by the relevant resolutions of the UN Security Council, stop taking mistaken actions which worsen the situation and are also not in line with its own interests, and effectively return to the track of solving the problem through dialogue," it added. The test was North Korea's sixth and far more powerful than any weapon it has previously detonated. Pyongyang declared the test of what it called a hydrogen bomb to be a "perfect success." Beijing is North Korea's main diplomatic ally and economic supporter and is seen as playing a crucial role in efforts to get Pyongyang to curb its weapons programme. The test came just hours before Chinese President Xi Jinping was scheduled to open a summit of BRICs nations in southern China. North Korea's actions create a potentially embarrassing situation for Xi, who is preparing for a politically sensitive gathering of the ruling Communist Party in October, at which he aims to further consolidate his power. The leader chose not to address the test during his more than 40-minute address to the assembled leaders of Russia, India, South Africa and Brazil. It was the second time this year that North Korea has timed a weapons test to coincide with a major international political gathering in China. In May Pyongyang fired a ballistic missile as leaders from 29 nations gathered in Beijing for a summit touting China's new Silk Road project.
TWIN FALLS  The CSI Community Education Center is offering a variety of classes.

One of the classes, Metal Stamping with Jenny Wren, will be held from 6-8 p.m. on Monday, Sept. 18. The class will meet in Taylor 276 on the CSI campus. Cost of the class is $25 plus a $10 supply feed paid to the instructor.

Other classes being offered include past life research, conversational Spanish and book folded art.

In the metal stamping class, each student will choose metal pieces and embellishments to design their own unique piece of jewelry. This class will introduce participants to the necessary tools and materials needed for this fun and addicting technique. The instructor will guide students through the stamping and jewelry assembly process. By the end of the class, participants will walk away with a beautiful piece to call their own.

Instructor Jenny Hefner has been a jewelry artist since 2010, when she established her brand Jenny Wren Designs.

Students can register or learn more about this and other classes at csi.edu/communityed, by going to the CSI Community Education Center, or by calling 208-732-6442.
Fierce clashes between the Islamic State group and pro-regime forces in central Syria have left over 150 fighters dead in 24 hours, mostly jihadists, a monitor said Sunday. The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said 120 IS fighters "were killed in clashes in and around the town of Uqayribat in the eastern Hama countryside... along with at least 35 regime troops and loyalist militiamen." The town is the jihadist group's last bastion in the central province apart from a handful of small villages. Pro-government forces seized Uqayribat on Friday night, but IS responded with a counter-offensive on Saturday that left it in control of most of the town, Observatory chief Rami Abdel Rahman said. An intense barrage of artillery fire and Syrian and Russian air strikes on jihadist positions allowed pro-regime forces on Sunday morning to push the jihadists back out of the town and advance on villages to the west that remain under IS control. IS has controlled Uqayribat since 2014, using it to launch attacks on regime-held areas and a strategically vital road Abdel Rahman described as "the only lifeline for the regime between Aleppo and central and southern Syria". Regime forces, backed by heavy Russian air strikes, launched a major assault on IS-held parts of Hama in June. "By consolidating their control of (Uqayribat) and ousting IS from the surrounding villages, regime forces could oust the organisation from the whole of Hama province," Abdel Rahman said. Other rebel groups still control parts of the province's rural north. Hama, which borders on six other Syrian provinces, is strategically vital to the Assad regime, separating opposition forces in Idlib from Damascus to the south and the regime's coastal heartlands to the west. IS has suffered multiple defeats across Syria and neighbouring Iraq in recent months, notably in its main Syrian base of Raqa. On Friday a US-backed Kurdish-Arab coalition seized Raqa's Old City and was advancing on the jihadists in the heavily defended city centre. The Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) began their offensive in May, capturing the city of Tabqa and a key dam nearby before entering Raqa city in early June. Meanwhile, pro-regime forces have advanced against IS in the eastern part of Homs province and western Deir Ezzor, where they have come to within 19 kilometres (12 miles) of the provincial capital. Syria's conflict has killed more than 320,000 people and displaced millions since it started with anti-government demonstrations in 2011.
The future of economic development in China's far western Xinjiang region lies behind the shattered glass door of a welcome centre on the outskirts of the ancient Silk Road city of Kashgar. Inside, a dusty model depicts a modern urban development with wide, tree-lined boulevards and a pair of twin skyscrapers -- but outside the project remains a ghost town reflecting Beijing's struggle to bring prosperity to the restless region. Dubbed "Shenzhen City" after the bustling southern port city that financed it, the more than 200,000 square metre development is part of a government project to stabilise Xinjiang with massive economic stimulus. Beijing has paired promises of wealth with strict controls on personal and religious freedoms in an effort to quell ethnic strife between the country's Han Chinese majority and the region's mostly Muslim Uighur minority. But outside the welcome centre, where a broken LED sign flashed out an investment hotline number like an SOS, the plan for a vibrant oasis on the western edge of the Taklamakan desert stood like a mirage. The landmark buildings' half-finished silhouettes jut out of a rubble-strewn construction site, surrounded by withered trees and grass. Several such ambitious projects around Kashgar have stagnated despite government plans to bring the poverty-stricken region's economy on par with the rest of the nation. To do so, Shenzhen and 18 of the country's other wealthiest cities and provinces have been required to pump a fraction of their GDP into Xinjiang under a "pairing assistance" programme. The rationale is "if you can improve people's economic conditions, they will become less politically restive," said Enze Han, a lecturer on politics at the University of London's School of Oriental and African Studies. But "if you look at the ground, the story in Xinjiang is a failure," he said. - 'Pairing assistance' - In 2010, a year after deadly riots in Xinjiang's capital Urumqi killed around 200 people, authorities rolled out the "pairing assistance" programme to raise the region's per capita GDP to the national average within five years. By the end of 2015, cities such as Beijing and Shanghai had invested some $8.5 billion in the region, according to the official Xinhua news agency. But President Xi Jinping shifted the focus back to security in 2014 after Uighurs perpetrated a series of violent attacks across the country, killing dozens. Two years later, the gap between Xinjiang and the rest of the country had only grown, with its per capita GDP expanding about 18 percent more slowly than the nation as a whole during the five-year period after the assistance programme began, according to calculations by AFP using government statistics. - 'Stability maintenance problems'  Another project lies largely abandoned across town: Guangzhou New City, a 1.5 million square metre "urban centre" in suburban Kashgar funded by the wealthy southern province of the same name. In late June, Michael Jackson music blared from speakers around the complex, where rubbish piled up in front of empty store fronts covered in fading "for rent" signs. Toilets in the men's bathroom were still wrapped in their original cellophane. When the development opened in 2012, promotional materials promised 20,000 jobs and housing for up to 80,000 people, roughly 15 percent of Kashgar's population. But local officials had to beg businessmen to come, said Lal Muhammad, a Pakistani trader, who signed a three-year lease for $1,000, which he soon abandoned. "Few people came. Very few," he said, adding that the ubiquitous police checkpoints encircling the city had made it difficult for customers to come and go. "The project is a flop." There is no easy answer as to why the Kashgar projects have stumbled. Ji Yeon Hong, a Xinjiang expert at the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, said that while fears of violence deter economic investment and development, the projects "seem unrelated to what the local population needs." Shenzhen City was stopped because its "prospects were not good," a project manager surnamed Yang told AFP without elaborating. But a 2014 prospectus by the Shum Yip Group, a company involved in the development, said "frequent terrorist violence" made it difficult to attract labour or businesses. "Some shops have closed because of Kashgar's stability maintenance problems," said Zou Zebin, the owner of a high-end furniture store, one of the few remaining shops in Guangzhou New City. Xinjiang's ever stricter security may also be negatively affecting businesses, according to Adrian Zenz, an expert on Chinese security at Germany's European School of Culture and Theology. "Regular businesses and manufacturing there are no longer competitive due to the added expenses caused by security measures," he said. But Zou believes the "cities" can still replicate their namesakes' success, as Kashgar is a key part of China's One Belt, One Road initiative, a massive global infrastructure project to revive the ancient Silk Road. "The country's investment in Xinjiang is really big," Zou said. "I think in three years, we'll see the benefits."
MANILA (Reuters) - Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte will discuss with Indonesia and Malaysia the possibility of creating a task force to combat Islamic State-inspired militancy, he said on Sunday. Duterte even expressed willingness to open the borders to Indonesian and Malaysian security forces hunting Islamist fighters. He plans to meet with Indonesian President Joko Widodo and Malaysian Prime Minster Najib Razak on the matter. "We have agreed that we will talk, the three of us. We are just waiting for the right time," he told reporters. Asked what could be discussed, he said: "In all probability, it will be a joint ... task force. And I will open my borders to the Malaysian authorities and Indonesian authorities. They'll be given access." Southeast Asian nations have agreed to use spy planes and drones to stem the movement of militants across their borders, as concerns rise over the growing clout of Islamic State in the region. In June the three nations agreed to pool intelligence and tackle militant financing. Last November, the Philippines agreed to allow Malaysia and Indonesia to carry out "hot pursuits" in its territorial waters to tackle kidnappings and piracy by Islamist Abu Sayyaf rebels. Duterte indicated the meeting with Widodo and Najib could take place after the siege of Marawi city in southern Philippines involving militants loyal to Islamic State has been fully resolved. More than 600 militants, 45 civilians and 136 soldiers and policemen have been killed in more than 100 days of fighting in Marawi. The military has expressed confidence the end is in sight for what has been its biggest security crisis in years. Pockets of militants remain dug in in the ruins in Marawi, possibly together with their leader, Isnilon Hapilon, presidential spokesman Ernesto Abella said. "Recent military assessments indicate that he is still very much in Marawi," Abella said in a statement. "Our forces are hot on their heels and it will only be a matter of time before we get him." (Reporting by Enrico dela Cruz; Additional reporting by Manuel Mogato; Editing by Robin Pomeroy)
Pope Francis visits Colombia next week on the latest in a series of emotionally charged trips to his home region of Latin America. Here are five key challenges that the Argentine pope has confronted in a continent stricken by poverty and crime: - Colombian peace - Francis supported the contested peace deal that has seen FARC rebels disarm after a half-century war against the state. He visits Colombia from September 6 to 10. "With this visit the pope is saying to the whole region that a cycle has come to an end," said Gianni La Bella, a Latin America specialist in the San Egidio Catholic movement. "That the armed conflict is over and no longer justified; that Christians choose the path of non-violence." - Venezuela crisis - Francis has tried to help Colombia's neighbor Venezuela find a way out of its deadly economic and political crisis. The Vatican last year mediated in negotiations between the government and opposition but talks collapsed with the sides accusing each other of bad faith. "In the Venezuela the situation is deadlocked. The Holy See's efforts for dialogue failed," said La Bella. - Cuba transition - Francis was one of the facilitators of the diplomatic rapprochement between Cuba and the United States in 2015. But the Vatican has been silent on tensions between the two countries since Donald Trump took over as US president this year, threatening to tighten restrictions on Cuba and pressure it into political change. "The Holy See is doing the same as Cuba: waiting to see whether Trump's announcements turn into concrete measures before speaking about them," said Luis Badilla, founder of the Vatican affairs website Il Sismografo. - Mexico drug wars - During a visit to Mexico in February 2016, Francis urged young Mexicans to "dare to dream" of a crime-free life in a region torn by violent drug gangs. "I understand that often it is difficult to feel your value when you are continually exposed to the loss of friends or relatives at the hands of the drug trade, of drugs themselves, of criminal organizations that sow terror," he said. "It is a lie to believe that the only way to live, or to be young, is to entrust oneself to drug dealers or others who do nothing but sow destruction and death." - Poverty and corruption - Badilla said Francis on his trip will also address issues such as inequality and violence as well as corruption in countries like Brazil, where a huge scandal has seen scores of politicians jailed. In 2015 he visited three of the region's poorest countries -- Bolivia, Ecuador and Paraguay -- and apologized for atrocities against indigenous people during the Spanish conquest. "Peace is only possible if the causes of social injustice, inequality and oppression are tackled," said Monsignor Octavio Ruiz, a member of the papal delegation, commenting on the Colombia trip.
BUCHAREST (Reuters) - Romanias ruling Social Democrats hope to organise this autumn a referendum to restrict the constitutional definition of family, which would effectively rule out the possibility of legalizing same-sex marriage, party leader Liviu Dragnea said on Saturday. The plan for a referendum came about after the Coalition for the Family, a civil society group, collected 3 million signatures last year in favour of changing the constitutional definition of marriage as a union strictly between a man and a woman from the existing "spouses." Under Romanian law, the constitution can be changed after a proposal by the president, the government, a quarter of all lawmakers or at least 500,000 citizens. Parliament must approve any revision, which must then pass a nationwide referendum. "It is known that we are committed ... in this direction," state news agency Agerpres quoted Dragnea as saying at a party meeting at a resort on the Black Sea. "Our intention is to end up organising the referendum to change the constitution on the family issue this autumn." Few politicians openly support same sex marriage or even civil partnerships in the socially conservative eastern European nation of 20 million, where the Orthodox Church yields significant influence. Notable exceptions include centrist President Klaus Iohannis, an ethnic German, who has said that as a member of an ethnic and religious minority, he supports tolerance and openness towards others who are different while rejecting religious fanaticism and ultimatums. The opposition Save Romania Union (USR) also held an internal vote on the issue and decided to oppose the referendum. In June, dozens of Romanian rights groups jointly asked parliament to reject the proposed constitutional change that they said would push the European Union state onto a populist, authoritarian track leading to an erosion of democratic rights and liberties. The Coalition for the Family also supports cancelling subsidies for contraception and elective abortion, forcing parents of minors to have counselling if they want to divorce, and lowering some taxes for married couples. Restricting the definition of family based on a marriage between man and woman also would hurt single parents, non-married couples and other non-traditional parenting units, rights groups have said. (Reporting by Luiza Ilie; Editing by Bill Trott)
Motorola (NYSE:MSI) is resurrecting its Moto X line with a fourth generation called the Moto X4. With Amazons Alexa and a rugged build, the X4 can be an affordable utilitarian phone for small businesses.

Since being discontinued in 2016, the has phone lost its place as the companys flagship mobile device. The distinction is now held by the Moto Z2 lineup. Not being a flagship phone has it pros and cons. For small businesses looking for a more affordable phone, the Moto X4 has entered the mid-price range. But it also means it is not going to have top of the line specs.

On its blog, Motorola said, Moto X has always represented the best of what Android has to offer. The powerful combination of pure Android and Moto Experiences has been a mainstay of the Moto X franchise.

Specs of the Motorola Moto X4

Instead of the Qualcomm Snapdragon 835 offered on the companys flagship phones, the X4 has a Snapdragon 630 processor, which explains the price. The rest of the key features are:

5.2in full-HD screen

3GB of RAM and 32GB storage (4GB of RAM and 64GB in some markets) and Micro SD card

Two rear 12MP cameras, one with a color sensor, the other black-and-white

16MP front camera

3,000mAh battery with TurboPower charger

Android 7.1.1 OS

What makes the X4 rugged is the IP68 rating to protect it from accidental spills and splashes, along with an anodized aluminum frame with Corning Gorilla Glass 4 protecting the front and back of the device.

The use of Alexa by small businesses is increasing, and with the X4 the virtual assistant will respond to voice commands even when locked. So when you are busy in your office or driving, you can ask Alexa to give reminders, to make calls and more.

Moto X has always incorporated the best software experiences to make your phone smarter and easier to use. So its no surprise Moto X4 features all the Moto Experiences you love, plus new software features that make your phone even better to use.

Availability

Motorola says the new Moto X4 is going to be available in several countries in Europe starting in September. The US and other regions in the world will have to wait until later this fall, with no specific date mentioned in the release.

The price the company has set is 399 ($475 in the U.S.) for the 32GB, and 439 ($520) for the 64 GB. But this might change depending on location, the carrier and promotional considerations.
TWIN FALLS  The Twin Falls Rotary Club is looking for community members to participate in its annual Bites of Brilliance series in October. Bites of Brilliance is an event featuring community members who give short presentations on various topics that are of general interest to the community. Participants can select topics to teach, entertain or inspire.
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. 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Teleflex Incorporated designs, develops, manufactures, and supplies single-use medical devices for common diagnostic and therapeutic procedures in critical care and surgical applications worldwide. It provides vascular access products that comprise Arrow branded catheters, catheter navigation and tip positioning systems, and intraosseous access systems for the administration of intravenous therapies, the measurement of blood pressure, and the withdrawal of blood samples through a single puncture site. The company also offers interventional products, which consists of various coronary catheters, structural heart therapies, and peripheral intervention and cardiac assist products that are used by interventional cardiologists and radiologists, and vascular surgeons; and Arrow branded catheters, Guideline and Trapliner catheters, the Manta Vascular Closure, and Arrow Oncontrol devices. It provides anesthesia products, such as airway and pain management products to support hospital, emergency medicine, and military channels; and surgical products, including metal and polymer ligation clips, and fascial closure surgical systems that are used in laparoscopic surgical procedures, percutaneous surgical systems, and other surgical instruments. The company also offers interventional urology products comprising the UroLift System, an invasive technology for treating lower urinary tract symptoms due to benign prostatic hyperplasia; and respiratory products, including oxygen and aerosol therapies, spirometry, and ventilation management products for use in various care settings. It provides urology products, such as catheters, urine collectors, and catheterization accessories and products for operative endourology; and bladder management services. The company serves hospitals and healthcare providers, medical device manufacturers, and home care markets. The company was incorporated in 1943 and is headquartered in Wayne, Pennsylvania.
By Noe Torres and Frank Jack Daniel MEXICO CITY (Reuters) - The current front-runner for Mexico's 2018 presidential election on Sunday rejected comparisons of his leftist party to Venezuela's socialist government, saying his movement was a Mexican-made revolution against rampant corruption. Former Mexico City Mayor Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador has led early opinion polls for the 2018 election, supported by frustration with rising crime and corruption scandals that have battered the ruling Institutional Revolutionary Party (PRI). Just last week, President Enrique Pena Nieto compared the 63-year-old to Venezuela's Nicolas Maduro, suggesting Lopez Obrador could unleash economic chaos if he wins office. "(They are) saying that if MORENA wins Mexico, it's going to be like Venezuela. That's a lie!" Lopez Obrador told a crowd of thousands of supporters who rallied at a monument in the nation's capital. "We're not taking inspiration from any foreign government ... Neither Maduro, nor Donald Trump." Earlier this year, Pena Nieto's PRI sought to brand Lopez Obrador's National Regeneration Movement (MORENA) an ally of Venezuela. Analysts have compared Lopez Obrador's populist appeal to that of Trump. While Trump blamed immigrants and free trade deals for declining incomes among working-class Americans, Lopez Obrador's message is that corruption is keeping Mexicans poor. "People are fed up with corruption," Lopez Obrador said. "This is the cancer that we are going to end with our movement." In his annual state of the nation address on Saturday, Pena Nieto did not directly attack Lopez Obrador but he said Mexico faced the choice between backing his reforms, like the opening of the energy sector, that were "transforming" Mexico or "a model from the past that has failed." Lopez Obrador was the runner-up in Mexico's past two presidential contests. A victory by him could mark a leftward shift in Latin America's second-largest economy, where centrist technocrats have held sway for decades, and further complicate relations with top trade partner the United States. Maduro's government has been criticized by Washington, the United Nations and major Latin American nations for cracking down on protests and failing to allow the entry of foreign humanitarian aid to ease a severe economic crisis. Critics of Lopez Obrador have long sought to depict him as an economic liability, likening him to Maduro's fiery, late predecessor, Hugo Chavez, in previous runs for the presidency. "Pena Nieto told pure lies. He says all these things, but it's all corruption," said 71-year-old Ana Maria Hurtado as she stood among the crowd at the Lopez Obrador rally. (Reporting by Noe Torres Frank and Jack Daniel; Writing by Michael O'Boyle; Editing by Phil Berlowitz)
BERLIN (Reuters) - German Chancellor Angela Merkel said on Sunday she would seek an end to Turkey's membership talks with the European Union in an apparent shift of her position during a televised debate weeks before a German election. "The fact is clear that Turkey should not become a member of the EU," Merkel said in the debate with her Social Democrat (SPD) challenger Martin Schulz. "I'll speak to my (EU) colleagues to see if we can reach a joint position on this so that we can end these accession talks," Merkel added. The comments are likely to worsen already strained ties between the two NATO allies that have deepened since Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan's crackdown on opponents in the aftermath of a failed coup attempt in July of last year. There was no immediate reaction from Turkey which is in the midst of a national religious holiday. Merkel's comments came after Schulz appeared to surprise her by vowing to push for an end to the negotiations if he was elected chancellor in the Sept. 24 federal election. "If I become German chancellor, if the people of this country give me a mandate, then I will propose to the European Council that we end the membership talks with Turkey," Schulz said. "Whether we can win over all the countries for this I don't know. But I will fight for this." Merkel initially cautioned against such a move, saying it would be irresponsible to endanger ties with Turkey at a time when German citizens are imprisoned there. Twelve German citizens are now in Turkish detention on political charges, four of them holding dual citizenship. "I do not intend to break off diplomatic relations with Turkey just because we're in an election campaign and want to show each other who is tougher," she said. But after the moderators had moved on and asked the two candidates a question about U.S. President Donald Trump, Merkel returned to the Turkey issue, suddenly throwing her weight behind an end to the membership talks. Merkel's conservative party, the Christian Democratic Union (CDU), has long opposed Turkish membership in the European Union. But the green light for membership talks was given months before Merkel became chancellor in 2005 and she has always said that she will respect that decision, referring to the negotiations as "open ended". The accession talks have ground to a virtual halt and EU leaders have stepped up their criticism of Erdogan. (Reporting by Michael Nienaber and Noah Barkin; editing by Ralph Boulton)
TWIN FALLS  A newly formed group of kinship care advocates in the Magic Valley is tackling Idahos child-custody laws. Grandparents United for Change says the states laws are outdated and dont reflect todays reality.

Only one-third of children in the U.S. today live with both parents, according to the U.S. Census Bureau. Often these children end up living with grandparents when something happens to the custodial parent.

Grandparents in Idaho, however, dont have natural rights to their grandchildren. They must go through the same legal process as foster parents to gain guardianship or custody of their grandchildren.

The process to gain guardianship or custody of a grandchild in need of care is fraught with emotional battles and heart-wrenching legal obstacles, says the groups founder and executive director, Myril Houk Ray.

Ray formed Grandparents United a year ago, hoping to provide support for grandparents and others raising minor family members. The group created a four-member board and has since received its nonprofit status from the Internal Revenue Service.

We have served 10 families since opening our doors, Ray said, by providing contacts, resources and emotional support to those going through the process.

The group also created a mentoring program ready to go when school starts. Mentoring will be done by teens who have been through the same situation as the younger kids are going through, Ray said.

These efforts help put out current fires, but the board is also focused on long-term solutions such as changing or amending existing child-custody laws. Ray declined to say what those changes might be.

The committee wants to work in confidentiality at this time until they have something concrete, she said. Once their proposal is finalized, the group will ask a state legislator to look at it.

Ray speaks from firsthand experience. She and her husband, Gil, help raise her daughter Samis three children. Sami is a drug addict, and the childrens father has full custody of the children at his home in Twin Falls. Krystena, Taylee and Trevor live with their grandparents two weekends a month in a modest farmhouse near Hazelton.

The farm provides a safe, stable environment, Ray said. The older children do chores and keep an eye on 100 head of sheep, herding dogs and farm cats.
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Mandi Price never thought shed be diagnosed with cancer at age 24.

She was a healthy college student finishing her senior year when, during a regular Pap smear, her gynecologist found abnormal cells in her cervix. It was stage II cervical cancer.

Even more devastating was the fact that her cancer was preventable. Doctors detected a strain of human papillomavirus, the most common sexually transmitted infection in the U.S., in Prices cancer cells.

That strain of HPV is targeted by a vaccine called Gardasil. But Price never got the vaccine. Her primary care doctor in Washington state didnt recommend it when she was a teenager. Had she received it before becoming infected with HPV, she might not have gotten cancer.

Price dropped out of her classes to get treatment. She needed surgery to remove the tumor from her cervix, then underwent chemotherapy and radiation to kill any remaining cancerous tissue.

At her one-year follow-up appointment, doctors found that the cancer had spread. She endured chemotherapy for another six months. Now, at 29, Price is in remission and is working in Los Angeles. Most of my 20s comprised being in a hospital. It was isolating, she says.

Mercks Gardasil vaccine was considered a breakthrough when it was approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration in June 2006. It was the first vaccine to protect against several cancers.

But more than a decade after the vaccine came out, vaccination rates in many places in the U.S., especially in the South, Midwest, and Appalachian states, still remain much lower than rates for other childhood vaccinestoo low to stop transmission of the most dangerous HPV strains.

In 2016, only about 50 percent of girls and 38 percent of boys had all the required doses of the HPV vaccine needed to be fully protected, according to data released last week by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Those figures are up slightly from last year, but still not close to the 80 percent that public health experts want to achieve.

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HPV vaccination

Getty Images/Joe Raedle

Gardasil is approved to protect against cervical, vulvar, and vaginal cancers in girls and women ages 9 through 26, as well as anal cancer for the same age group in both girls and boys. Recently, the vaccine has also been shown to protect against oral cancersin men. HPV causes about 32,000 cancers every year, with cervical cancer the most common for women and oral cancers the most frequent in men.

Electra Paskett, a cancer epidemiologist at Ohio State University, says she is still surprised that the vaccines uptake has been so slow. Its crazy that theres not a line around the corner. If we said we have a vaccine for breast cancer, wed be vaccinating day and night, she says.

The problem the vaccine has faced is its link to a taboo in American culture: sexual activity among teenagers. About one in four people in the U.S., including teens, are currently infected with HPV. Health-care providers are the biggest hurdle to getting more children vaccinated. Some primary care physicians, like in Prices case, may not recommend it at all.

For Merck, the worlds largest vaccine maker, Gardasil has been a profit generator even though the company admits the uptake of the vaccine has been surprisingly slow. The company says its trying to increase rates by educating health-care providers.

William Schaffner, a professor of preventive medicine and infectious diseases at Vanderbilt University, remembers the initial excitement in the medical community when Gardasil first came out. I thought the advent of our first explicitly anti-cancer vaccine, and the fact that it was so incredibly successful and safe, would be immediately embraced with pizzazz and rose petals, he says.

Snow Winter America Car Old Midwest Michigan

REUTERS/Joshua Lott

Regional differences

State vaccination rates were as high as 73 percent among girls in Rhode Island and as low as 31 percent in South Carolina for all three doses in 2016. Among boys, Wyoming had the lowest rate, with only 20 percent getting the full round of shots.

Overall, teens living in major metropolitan areas were far more likely to get the vaccine than those living in rural areas, which may be more socially conservative and lack access to certain health-care services. In some of these places, average household incomes are lower than the national average, and parents might not be able to afford to take their pre-teens or teens to get the vaccine.

In some states with low vaccination rates, HPV-caused cancers are the among the highest. In Mississippi, for example, only about 34 percent of girls and 25 percent of boys get all required doses of the vaccine. The state also has one of the highest rates of HPV-related cervical cancer in the country. Wyoming tells a similar story, with high rates of HPV-associated cancers in both men and women.

Of course, those cancer rates cant yet be tied to the states low vaccination rates. Gardasil was introduced just over a decade ago, and many of these cancer cases are in people who were too old to get the vaccine when it came out. But it means that these disparities could grow if more people there dont get the vaccine.

HPV vaccination for boys is especially lagging in some areas. Paskett, who has studied cancer in Appalachia, say theres a perception that HPV only causes cancers in women. A lot of parents dont know that boys should be vaccinated, she says. Boys and men not only carry HPV but can get HPV-related cancers, like anal, penile, throat, and tongue cancers.

Price says shortly after her cancer diagnosis, she urged her parents to get her two younger brothers vaccinated.

doctor

Reuters/Philippe Wojazer

Doctor hesitancy

A 2015 study found that a little over a quarter of the 776 pediatricians and family physicians surveyed do not strongly endorse the HPV vaccine. About one-third of the total doctors surveyed also said that having to talk about a sexually transmitted infection makes them uncomfortable.

Nneka Holder, associate professor of adolescent medicine at University of Mississippi Medical Center, says she is frustrated that so many doctors dont recommend the HPV vaccine because they think it means they have to talk to parents about sex.

We dont usually explain to patients how they get hepatitis or meningitis, she says. So why should HPV be different? Instead, she says health-care providers should focus on the cancer prevention aspect of the vaccine, rather than how HPV is spread.

Even health-care providers who do talk to parents about the vaccine arent always effective at getting their message across. A study from 2014found that 47 percent of Minnesota health-care physicians and nurses that did ask parents about their concerns with the vaccine said they lacked time to probe the issue further, and 55 percent felt they couldnt change parents minds.

Schaffner says doctors that are most successful with getting parents on board with the HPV vaccine are the ones who dont call special attention to it. He says the best tactic is for physicians to sandwich in the HPV vaccine with other recommended vaccinesas in, Its time for your son to get the meningococcal, HPV, and Tdap vaccines.

Parent concerns

Since the vaccine is just over 10 years old, its too early to know how many cases of cancer it has prevented so far. But clinical trials have showed that the vaccine provides nearly 100 percent protection against cervical infections caused by certain strains of HPV. These infections have fallen by 64 percent among teen girls in the U.S. since 2006, when the vaccine was introduced. Large clinical trials of the HPV vaccine have also shown its safe for both boys and girls.

These benefits have led Virginia, Rhode Island, and Washington, D.C., to adopt public school mandates for HPV vaccination. But some parents are still uncomfortable about the HPV vaccines association with sex and think their children dont need it because theyre not sexually active. That has led parents to form groups in opposition to such mandates.

Aimee Gardiner, director of one such group called Rhode Island Against Mandated HPV Vaccine, says she doesnt see HPV as the epidemic she thinks the CDC has made it out to be. For me the risk of developing a cancer from any HPV is so insignificantly small that I do not feel like the vaccine is a necessity, she says. Gardiner has two children, one of whom isnt old enough to receive the vaccine and the other who hasnt received it. She says she doesnt plan to vaccinate them with Gardasil.

Its true that for most people, the immune system clears the virus from their systems naturally. But for a small number of people, HPV persists and can turn cancerous. For those patients, like Price, cancer can be a major life ordeal, not to mention much more expensive than a vaccine that costs about $150 per dose.

Looking ahead

HPV vaccination rates continue to increase steadily, but the problems associated with its uptake could spell trouble for other vaccines in the future. For example, researchers for years have been working on a vaccine that would protect people from contracting HIV, the virus that causes AIDS. If a vaccine for HIV were ever to be successful, it could run into the same problems. HIVs risk factorsunprotected sex and intravenous drug usemake it even more taboo.

Another worry is that rising anti-vaccine sentiments causing parents to opt out of vaccinating their children will hurt efforts to expand HPV vaccine coverage.

One factor that may increase vaccination rates is a new guideline from the CDC announced in October 2016. Children ages 11 to 14 now only need two doses of the HPV vaccine at least six months apart instead of three, which was previously recommended. Teens 15 and older still need to complete the three-dose series. This change may increase uptake of the vaccine, as vaccination rates drop off after each dose.

For Price and other cancer patients, the thought of not getting a vaccine that could prevent something so terrible is unimaginable. I am a huge proponent of it, she says. If you had the chance to prevent cancer in your son or daughter, why wouldnt you do that?

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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.
Barnes & Noble Education, Inc. operates bookstores for college and university campuses, and K-12 institutions in the United States. It operates through three segments: Retail, Wholesale, and Digital Student Solutions. The company sells and rents new and used print textbooks, digital textbooks, and publisher hosted digital courseware through physical and virtual bookstores, as well as directly to students through Textbooks.com. It also offers First Day and First Day Complete access programs; BNC OER+, a turnkey solution for colleges and universities, that offers digital content, such as videos, activities, and auto-graded practice assessments; and general merchandise, including collegiate and athletic apparel, school spirit products, lifestyle products, technology products, supplies, graduation products, and convenience items. In addition, the company sources, sells, and distributes new and used textbooks; and sells hardware and a software suite of applications that provides inventory management and point-of-sale solutions to approximately 350 college bookstores. Further, it offers direct-to-student subscription-based writing services; and bartleby, a direct-to-student subscription-based offering that includes textbook solutions, expert questions and answers, and writing and tutoring services. The company operates 805 physical college and university bookstores; 622 virtual bookstores; 8 True Spirit e-commerce websites; pop-up retail locations; 73 customized cafes and 11 stand-alone convenience stores; and a media channel for brands targeting the college demographic. Barnes & Noble Education, Inc. was founded in 1965 and is headquartered in Basking Ridge, New Jersey.
TWIN FALLS  Money has poured into efforts to slow the spread of white-nose syndrome, a deadly fungal disease that has killed millions of bats in the past decade.

Because much about the disease remains a mystery, research is key to stemming the tide as the fungus threatens the nations bat population, biologists and wildlife specialists say.

The fungus kills bats during hibernation, when their energy reserves are critically low.

Idaho Department of Fish and Game is partnering with National Park Service, Bureau of Land Management, U.S. Forest Service, Idaho Power Co. and Idaho National Laboratory to monitor for the fungus and to plan for its eventual arrival in Idaho. So far, Idaho remains symptom-free, said Ross Winton, a Fish and Game regional wildlife biologist, after taking swab samples from bats hibernating in Magic Valley caves last winter.

But since the disease turned up in the western U.S., near Seattle, more than a year ago, WNS-infected bats were confirmed in three more states  Oklahoma, Nebraska and Rhode Island  bringing the total to 31 states and five Canadian provinces. In addition, the fungus that causes the disease has been found in Mississippi and Texas where it has not killed bats, leading researchers to believe the virus can be carried by some bats without infecting them.

The impact of the disease and how quickly it spreads cant be underestimated, says the Canada Wildlife Health Center, which is coordinating Canadas response to what it calls one of the most significant health issues ever faced by the wildlife community.

In the states, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is leading the effort to defeat the disease, which has decimated some bat populations in the eastern U.S.

As Deadly Fungus Approaches, Idaho Scrambles to Investigate Bats TWIN FALLS  Chances are youve seen them just after sunset  dark winged bodies flitting ag

The FWS recently awarded more than $1 million in grants to 37 states in an attempt to stop the disease from spreading while increasing survival rates of afflicted bats. Idaho received $27,500, Winton said. In the past eight years, states have received a total of $7 million in an international effort involving more than 100 state, federal, tribal, academic and nonprofit partners.

Increased research in other states has already revealed more information about bats, Winton said. While dead or dying bats have been found mostly in or around mines and caves, more have been found in rocky talus slopes and cliffs, indicating that bats seek winter refuge in a wider range of hibernacula than previously thought.

The fungus, Pseudogymnoascus destructans, attacks bats even before the appearance of its symptoms  a powdery fungal growth on a bats nose and wings. The immune systems response to the fungus causes the bat to become active during its hibernation, depleting its energy reserves.

The bat dies either from exposure to the cold or from starvation.
Newell Brands Inc. designs, manufactures, sources, and distributes consumer and commercial products worldwide. It operates in five segments: Commercial Solutions, Home Appliances, Home Solutions, Learning and Development, and Outdoor and Recreation. The Commercial Solutions segment provides commercial cleaning and maintenance solutions; closet and garage organization products; hygiene systems and material handling solutions; and home and security, and smoke and carbon monoxide alarms products under the BRK, First Alert, Mapa, Quickie, Rubbermaid, Rubbermaid Commercial Products, and Spontex brands. The Home Appliances segment offers kitchen appliances under the Crock-Pot, Mr. Coffee, Oster, and Sunbeam brands. The Home Solutions segment provides food and home storage; fresh preserving; vacuum sealing; and gourmet cookware, bakeware, cutlery, and home fragrance products under the Ball, Calphalon, Chesapeake Bay Candle, FoodSaver, Rubbermaid, Sistema, WoodWick, and Yankee Candle brands. The Learning and Development segment offers writing instruments, including markers and highlighters, pens, and pencils; art products; activity-based adhesive and cutting products; labeling solutions; and baby gear and infant care products under the Aprica, Baby Jogger, Graco, NUK, Tigex, Dymo, Elmer's, EXPO, Graco, Mr. Sketch, NUK, Paper Mate, Parker, Prismacolor, Sharpie, Waterman, and X-Acto brands. The Outdoor and Recreation segment provides outdoor and outdoor-related products under the Campingaz, Coleman, Contigo, ExOfficio, and Marmot brands. It serves warehouse clubs, department and drug/grocery stores, mass merchants, home centers, office superstores and supply stores, contract stationers, and distributors, e-commerce, sporting goods, specialty, and travel retailers. The company was formerly known as Newell Rubbermaid Inc. and changed its name to Newell Brands Inc. in April 2016. Newell Brands Inc. was founded in 1903 and is based in Atlanta, Georgia.
When former Treasury Secretary Jacob J. Lew announced in April 2016 plans for a $20 bill redesign that would put abolitionist Harriet Tubman's image on the front, it came largely in response to an impressive advocacy effort by people around the nation who understood the important and overdue tribute such a move would accomplish.

They held rallies and launched petitions, reached out to elected and appointed federal officials and vigorously spread the word on social media, among other efforts.

"I have been particularly struck by the many comments and reactions from children for whom Harriet Tubman is not just a historical figure, but a role model for leadership and participation in our democracy," Lew said at the time. "You shared your thoughts about her life and her works and how they changed our nation and represented our most cherished values."

The news, of course, was cause for celebration in Auburn, where Tubman lived for so many years and where a national park has been established at properties associated with her time here.

Lew noted that the goal was to have the Tubman bill out in 2020, the 100th anniversary of the 19th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, which gave women the right to vote.

But is all of that now dashed? There's certainly cause for concern after current Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin deflected a straight-forward question last week about whether he supported following through on the plan.

The reaction among the bipartisan base of Tubman bill supporters was swift and loud, and we were glad to see our federal elected lawmakers representing us in Washington  U.S. Rep. John Katko and U.S. Sens. Charles Schumer and Kirsten Gillibrand  step up to call for Mnuchin to get behind the plan.

But if anyone thinks a couple of days of social media posts and a handful of letters by congressional representatives are going to get the job done, they are setting up for major disappointment.

Much like the initial effort to convince the Obama administration to do the right thing by honoring this black woman's immense contribution to our nation's evolution, this new effort needs to be organized and persistent.

Yes, it may be frustrating to feel like a hard-fought battle has to be repeated, but advocates need to channel Harriet's stubbornness and spirit and get the job done once again.

The Citizen Editorial Board includes publisher Rob Forcey, executive editor Jeremy Boyer and managing editor Mike Dowd.
BURLEY  Where will tomorrows officers come from?

Lingering anti-police sentiment and a strong economy have kept law enforcement training enrollment dwindling across the state, the programs leaders say.

In 2016, they cited low pay, strict state standards, age requirements and anti-police culture as playing a role in the decline.

Anti-police Sentiment, Legalized Pot Contribute to Idaho's Law Enforcement Student Decline Anti-police sentiment and neighboring states legalized marijuana are contributing to a dramatic reduction in enrollment numbers in Idaho law enforcement programs. The decrease in new officers can leave departments scrambling to fill vacancies, especially in small communities that struggle to compete with larger cities' wages. And manpower shortages keep cops on the job more hours a day, increasing stress in an already stressful environment.

Both the College of Southern Idaho and Idaho State University revamped their 11-month programs, shortening them to a semester, in hopes of enticing more people.

Today at CSI, law enforcement program enrollment remains about half of what it was in 2014. Ten students are enrolled at CSI for the fall semester; in the spring the program had eight students.

I believe that low unemployment and continued negative national attention regarding a few incidents has made recruitment more difficult, said Robert Storm, director of CSIs law enforcement program.

In spring 2014 it had 19 students enrolled; that dropped to 14 in spring 2015 and nine in spring 2016.

Idaho Peace Officer Standards and Training, which offers certification for patrol officers along with other types of certifications, also shows a dip in the number of students in its patrol academies.

Prior to 2010 the Meridian facility saw an average enrollment of 200 students annually in its patrol academies. By 2015 that had dropped to 149 a year. In 2016 the academies registered 133 patrol officers, and there are 125 for 2017.

That matters to agencies trying to hire new officers.

Cassia County Undersheriff George Warrell said his department still struggles to recruit officers for patrol positions and at the jail.

Years ago, Warrell said, hed see 30 to 50 applicants for one job.

Now we are lucky to get five. And that doesnt mean that they are qualified, Warrell said.

The regions low unemployment rate makes it difficult for departments to compete with private industry in a profession that often comes with lower pay and with work hours that include holidays, weekends and graveyard shifts.

Legalization of marijuana in surrounding states may also influence some potential candidates decisions on pursuing a career as a police officer in Idaho, because Idahos rules for admission into a law enforcement program include no use of marijuana in the past three years and no habitual use in the past five years.

Other people, Warrell said, may not want to undergo the rigorous background checks that are required.

All of those things could factor into a decision for someone teetering on the edge of whether to become a police officer, he said.

To combat declining enrollment, Storm is taking his message about the honor of the job to high schools.

We talk about ethics, integrity, hard work, treating people well and being guardians of the Constitution, Storm said. Im hoping to make a difference by painting law enforcement as the honorable career I chose, and I hope to pass those values along to the next generation.
Bristol-Myers Squibb Company discovers, develops, licenses, manufactures, and markets biopharmaceutical products worldwide. It offers products for hematology, oncology, cardiovascular, immunology, fibrotic, neuroscience, and covid-19 diseases. The company's products include Revlimid, an oral immunomodulatory drug for the treatment of multiple myeloma; Eliquis, an oral inhibitor for reduction in risk of stroke/systemic embolism in NVAF, and for the treatment of DVT/PE; Opdivo for anti-cancer indications; Pomalyst/Imnovid indicated for patients with multiple myeloma; and Orencia for adult patients with active RA and psoriatic arthritis. It also provides Sprycel for the treatment of Philadelphia chromosome-positive chronic myeloid leukemia; Yervoy for the treatment of patients with unresectable or metastatic melanoma; Abraxane, a protein-bound chemotherapy product; Reblozyl for the treatment of anemia in adult patients with beta thalassemia; and Empliciti for the treatment of multiple myeloma. In addition, the company offers Zeposia to treat relapsing forms of multiple sclerosis; Breyanzi, a CD19-directed genetically modified autologous T cell immunotherapy for the treatment of adult patients with relapsed or refractory large B-cell lymphoma; Inrebic, an oral kinase inhibitor indicated for the treatment of adult patients with myelofibrosis; and Onureg for the treatment of adult patients with AML. It sells products to wholesalers, distributors, pharmacies, retailers, hospitals, clinics, and government agencies. The company was formerly known as Bristol-Myers Company. The company was founded in 1887 and is headquartered in New York, New York.
Two professors at New Mexico Institute of Mining and Technology are embarking on a research project in the tropics that they hope will help scientists better predict weather patterns.

The pair has also launched an educational climate and water center at the university.

A $2.8 million grant from the National Science Foundation will allow Zeljka Fuchs and David Raymond to travel across the globe and fly in a private plane over the Eastern Pacific Ocean so they can collect data. The two will spend the summer of 2019 in the area making about 20 runs in the airplane that will take off from an airport in Costa Rica. They chose the location because of its possible scientific significance.

Raymond said there is a tropical band of rain that circles the entire globe along the equator. The highest temperatures within the band can be found near the equator. However, in the area Fuchs and Raymond will study, the warmer temperatures are found north of the equator, which makes what happens there important globally.

The tropical band as a whole contains a large part of the rain that falls on the earth and it is associated with the global air circulation that goes up in the tropics and comes down at middle latitudes (like New Mexico), he said.  The east Pacific piece we want to study is a small segment of the entire tropical band, but because the ocean temperatures are lowest on the equator in the east Pacific, the rainfall patterns and the clouds that produce them are different from those occurring elsewhere. It is these differences that we want to sort out.

Raymond is a longtime professor of physics and research at New Mexico Tech and the project has been years in the making. Fuchs, a native of Croatia, came to the university in the 1990s as a graduate student when Raymond was her adviser. She returned years later during a sabbatical from her work as a professor in Croatia and Raymond asked if she would be interested in conducting atmospheric research with him. She is now the director of the New Mexico Tech Climate and Water Center, which the grant money helped fund.

The duo has conducted similar research in the past but Fuchs said the data was limited because they did not have an airplane that could go high enough to collect more accurate data. They will be going up in a Gulfstream V research jet provided by the National Center for Atmospheric Research.

Once in the air, they plan to release a tube about 18 inches long from the airplane. The tube, which has a small parachute attached to it, is able to record humidity, pressure and winds as it travels through the atmosphere while descending into the ocean. The plane will also have a radar pointing straight down that monitors the clouds and precipitation.

Raymond said the ultimate hope is that their research and data can help make weather models more reliable.

We could get better weather forecasts everywhere, Fuchs said. Like in New Mexico, we know we have the monsoons. But research like this could help us understand more precisely when and where during the monsoon season its going to rain. It wouldnt be just a range.

Fuchs said its her hope that the climate and water center will eventually become a way to engage the community and provide useful information to farmers and ranchers.

What good is knowledge if its only in the peer review papers? Fuchs said. We want to open the channels of communication between us and those who need these types of forecasts.

Raymond said the center could also become a vehicle to getting young people more interested in science. The center opened a few months ago on the New Mexico Tech campus.
WASHINGTON  President Donald Trump has instructed advisers to prepare to withdraw the United States from a free-trade agreement with South Korea, several people close to the process said, a move that would stoke economic tensions with the U.S. ally as both countries confront a crisis over North Koreas nuclear weapons program.

Withdrawing from the trade deal would back up Trumps promises to crack down on what he considers unfair trade competition from other countries, but his top national security and economic advisers are pushing him to abandon the plan, arguing it would hamper U.S. economic growth and strain ties with an important ally. Officials including national security adviser H.R. McMaster, Defense Secretary Jim Mattis and National Economic Council director Gary Cohn oppose withdrawal, said people familiar with the process who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss internal White House deliberations.

Although it is still possible Trump could decide to stay in the agreement to renegotiate its terms, the internal preparations for terminating the deal are far along, and the formal withdrawal process could begin as soon as this week, the people said.

A White House spokeswoman said discussions are ongoing, but we have no announcements at this time.

Rolling back free-trade agreements was a top priority of some of the senior members of the Trump administration who have left in recent weeks, including former chief strategist Stephen Bannon. Bannon often found himself outmaneuvered internally by Cohn and others who aligned with business groups to warn of the economic consequences of withdrawing from trade deals, but Trumps pursuit of terminating the South Korea deal appears to demonstrate the presidents personal commitment to reverse U.S. policymakers long-standing pursuit of free trade.

Trump has threatened before to withdraw from trade pacts only to pull back, but his threat to South Korea comes as the two countries look to create a united front against North Korea at a time when military tensions are at their highest level in years.

As if to underscore the point, North Korea said Sunday that it had developed a more advanced nuclear bomb with great destructive power, releasing photos of Kim Jong Un inspecting what it said was a hydrogen bomb that could be attached to a missile capable of reaching the mainland United States.

All the components of the H-bomb were homemade so North Korea could produce powerful nuclear weapons as many as it wants, the state-run Korean Central News Agency quoted Kim as saying.

North Koreas latest pronouncement could not be verified. It claimed that a nuclear test in January last year was of a hydrogen bomb but experts said the seismic waves generated were consistent with an ordinary nuclear device, not a thermonuclear one.

The U.S.-South Korea deal, which was reached in 2007 and went into effect in 2012, reduces trade barriers between the two countries. Proponents say it gives U.S. companies more access to the wealthy South Korean economy, but critics charge that South Korea has reaped a greater share of the benefits of the deal, an allegation Trump has personally echoed multiple times since his election while calling for changes to the deal.

South Korea elected a new president, Moon Jae-in, in May, and Trump has been frustrated that Moon is not willing to accept the initial U.S. trade demands, several trade experts said. Foreign leaders at first worked hard to build strong relations with Trump, but there has been a marked change in recent months as numerous leaders have stood up to his brand of nationalism.

South Korean media have been telling trade representatives in Seoul to stand their ground against the United States in the renegotiations.

The North Korean nuclear crisis is pushing tension on this divided peninsula to new highs, the Korea Times wrote in an editorial. But that should be no reason for Seoul to put its economic interests far behind security matters, weakening its bargaining leverage and playing into the hands of the U.S. leader, the self-styled artist of the deal. 

Trump is playing with fire, said Gary Schmitt, co-director of the Marilyn Ware Center for Security Studies at the American Enterprise Institute. There is a new president in South Korea whose instincts probably are to be probably not as pro-America as his predecessor, and now you are putting him in a situation where he has to react. In fact, what you need now is as much cooperation as possible.

White House advisers are trying to stop Trump from withdrawing from the South Korea free-trade agreement in part because they do not want to isolate the government in Seoul during a perilous time on the Korean Peninsula. North Korea has become increasingly adversarial with its missile program, testing nuclear weapons and firing missiles over Japan in a way that has alarmed the international community.

Wendy Cutler, who was the chief U.S. negotiator for the free-trade agreement, said the prospect of canceling the deal could not come at a worse time.

If not handled carefully, the latest impasse could lead to renewed trade tension between the U.S. and Korea, she wrote in the Hill this week. It also takes place at a time, after exceedingly threatening North Korean missile tests, when the bilateral alliance could not be more important.

South Korea is the sixth-largest goods trading partner with the United States, accounting for $112.2 billion in two-way trade last year, according to the U.S. trade representative. U.S. companies exported $42.3 billion in goods to South Korea and imported $69.9 billion in goods last year, leaving a trade deficit of $27.7 billion.

Trump and Moon spoke on the phone late Friday, but a readout of the call provided by the White House referenced only national security issues and did not mention the escalating trade dispute.

If Trump withdraws from the agreement, he could try to force South Korea to import more U.S. products with little to no import restrictions, something he believes will help U.S. companies and workers. South Korea could also decide to refuse any discussions with Trump, kicking off a trade war between the countries.

Withdrawing from the deal could lead to a large increase on tariffs levied against products the United States imports from South Korea, such as electronics, cellphones and automobiles. South Korea would also immediately start charging very high tariffs on goods and services imported into its country. Chad Bown, who served as an economist in the White House during the Obama administration, said the tariff the U.S. government charges against many Korean imports would rise from 0 to 3.5 percent. The tariff South Korea charges against U.S. imports would rise from 0 to almost 14 percent, making it harder for U.S. companies to find buyers there.

The Pentagon referred a request for comment to the Commerce Department, which did not respond. Trumps consideration of starting the process to pull out of the deal was first reported by Inside U.S. Trade.

In July, U.S. Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer revealed some of Trumps complaints with the South Korea deal during a special session that was called in an attempt by the White House to begin renegotiations.

Lighthizer said at the time that since 2012, the U.S. trade deficit in goods with Korea has doubled from $13.2 billion to $27.6 billion, while U.S. goods exports have actually gone down. This is quite different from what the previous Administration sold to the American people when it urged approval of this Agreement. We can and must do better.

South Korea, though, has so far refused to renegotiate the trade deal.

In an April interview with The Washington Post, Trump called the agreement a horrible deal that has left America destroyed.

With the Korean deal, we terminate and its over, Trump told The Post in that interview.

Trump has expressed widespread frustration that he has not been able to follow through on campaign promises to rip up trade deals he argues have disadvantaged U.S. workers. He came close several months ago to starting a withdrawal from the North American Free Trade Agreement, but he stopped short after intense lobbying by advisers and the business community.

But in recent days, he has said he might still withdraw from NAFTA, accusing Mexico in particular of refraining to offer concessions during negotiations.

Trump has said many countries that export more goods to the United States than they import are fleecing U.S. workers and consumers.

The U.S.-South Korea free-trade agreement, known as KORUS, allows the United States to terminate it after six months if it wishes to. So if Trump signed a letter to withdraw from the agreement, the deal would effectively be terminated in March 2018. KORUS was approved by Congress, but Trump could to pull out of the agreement on his own.
LOS ANGELESRomulo Avelica Gonzalez was a taquero.

He worked at a modest Mexican restaurant near his home in the Los Angeles neighborhood of Lincoln Heights in the citys Eastside.

Like most immigrants in the country illegally, Avelica Gonzalez kept his head down. He had his job making tacos, the love of his wife, Norma, and four daughters, and not much else the outside world would probably care to know about.

Then he was arrested while taking his two youngest daughters to school. One of them recorded the encounter with her cellphone  and that would make all the difference.

Taken to an immigrant detention facility, he remained there for six months until he walked out, Wednesday night, to a battery of TV cameras.

The cook had become an activist. Or at least thats what his lawyer called him.

Avelica Gonzalez, 49, balks at the label, but not the burden.

We have to do something to stop that  the separation of families, he said Thursday to a supportive crowd. Because its not just us who suffer in there. Our kids also suffer. Theyre citizens.

Avelica Gonzalezs release comes during a week when President Donald Trump is rumored to be considering ending an Obama-era policy that shields DACA (Deferred Action for Child Arrivals) recipients  immigrants brought illegally to the U.S. when they were young  from deportation, and after he pardoned former Arizona Sheriff Joe Arpaio, who was convicted of criminal contempt in connection with racial profiling of Latinos during his crusade against illegal immigration.

He joins an often rhetorically brutal debate over illegal immigration in which warring factions reach for symbols  whether its a deported mother or, in the case of Trump, U.S. victims of crimes by those in the country illegally.

In late February, Avelica Gonzalez was detained by agents with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement wearing jackets with POLICE on the back. His daughter Fatima, now 14, sobbed as she filmed the encounter. It went viral.

Lawyers settled Avelica Gonzalezs decades-old misdemeanor convictions  for driving under the influence and for receiving stolen car tags  that prompted the deportation order that led to his arrest. He pleaded guilty to lesser vehicle code violations, which would ordinarily not make him deportable.

An immigration appeals court threw out Avelica Gonzalezs final deportation order last month. He is still in deportation proceedings, but because of massive backlogs, it could take years for his case to go back through the local immigration court process.

On Wednesday morning, an immigration judge ruled that he was eligible to post bond. That night he walked out of the Adelanto Detention Facility in San Bernardino County wearing the same green shirt and salsa-stained work pants he had on when he was arrested.

Back in L.A, the family first stopped at historic Mission San Conrado. Falling to their knees, they gave thanks to Jude the Apostle, the patron saint of desperate situations and lost causes.

He left detention with a list of more than 20 names and phone numbers of immigrants praying to get out just as he did  even if their ultimate fate, like his, remains murky.

Its easy to give up in there, he said, pulling out and unfolding the list, handwritten on a scrap of paper, from his shirt pocket.

Avelica Gonzalez said people he met while in detention inspired him to do more than go back to his old life.

Some were so poor they had no money even for a phone call, he said. A few got so depressed that they began considering signing their deportation papers just so they could leave.

Some did, including one of his friends, a farmworker whose wife and children had lost their apartment without his income. The man had convictions for driving under the influence and illegal reentry, Avelica Gonzalez said. Desperate to work, he decided that going back to Mexico was better than waiting locked up in the U.S.

Everything I lived through in there, my experiences and especially the stories of my friends  its really tough, he said. And even though my own heart was hurting, I tried to encourage them. Id tell them, You have to try, OK? Dont give up.'

On Thursday, Avelica Gonzalez kept that man and the others on his list in mind as he addressed reporters in front of the Los Angeles County Sheriffs Department headquarters. He wore the braided white cross and the pendant with an image of his favorite patron saint that had been confiscated by guards as contraband immediately after The Times interviewed him last month.

He voiced his support for Senate Bill 54, which would block local and state law enforcement from using resources to help federal immigration agents, and announced that on Tuesday he will participate in a caravan to Sacramento to rally in support of the bill.

Commonly called the sanctuary state bill, it would limit the information that immigration agents receive about county jail inmates, including immigrants release dates, with the exception of those who have committed violent crimes. Sheriff Jim McDonnell has said the bill could hurt immigrants by forcing immigration agents to go deeper into communities to arrest people instead of going through the jail system. He said that could cause other immigrants to get caught up in the net.

Pablo Alvarado, executive director of the National Day Laborer Organizing Network, said Avelica Gonzalez fights not just for his family but for all families of immigrants facing deportation.

The importance of this victory, of this case, is that Mr. Romulo told Trump and all our adversaries, I dont have fear,' Alvarado said.

Standing before a large banner that read #FREEROMULO, Avelica Gonzalez took a pair of pruning shears and sliced the slogan in half. He and his daughter Fatima held up the part of the banner that now read: #FREE.

Still, Avelica Gonzalez said he doesnt consider himself an activist, saying the word carries more responsibility and preparation than he has. But his experience gave him a platform, and he said hell use it to do what he can.

And despite the new attention, he doesnt think itll be hard to settle back into his former life.

On his first night out of detention, as hunger gnawed at him, the man his lawyer declared an activist would have to wait for the taquero. It was nearing 10:30 p.m. when the family pulled up to the restaurant where he worked.

Reuniting with his boss at the grill, Avelica Gonzalez scooped meat onto tortillas, taking taco orders from everyone in line. Five asada. Two al pastor. That night, they were on the house.

Regular customers welcomed him with friendly slaps on the back. An in-house musician serenaded him on an acoustic guitar with a song about Nayarit, his home state in Mexico.

Finally, he took a seat next to his wife and said a quick prayer before digging into his tacos. Hed been dreaming of the moment for half a year.
Hurricane-turned-Tropical Storm Harvey unleashed the fury of a warming planet on the Gulf Coast of Texas last week, leaving hundreds of thousands displaced and homeless, thousands languishing in crowded shelters, and killing at least 28 people. It is projected to be the costliest disaster in the nations history, with the heaviest rainfall ever recorded in the continental U.S., inundating a number of cities, including Houston, the fourth-largest and most diverse city in the United States.

Houston, the Petro Metro, is home to one-quarter of the petroleum refining capacity in the United States. Include the entire Gulf Coast, and the percentage increases to half. In the midst of this massive storm, sprawling petrochemical facilities were forced to shut down abruptly, ejecting millions of pounds of toxins into the air, impacting most heavily the poorer communities of color near where these plants have historically been built.

On Tuesday, President Donald Trump, peddler of the lie that climate change is a hoax created by the Chinese to hurt the U.S. economy, made a predictably superficial visit to Texas. What a crowd, what a turnout, Trump boasted as he landed in Corpus Christi. He made no mention of the victims.

Climate denial in the face of Harveys devastation is incomprehensible, ignorant and immoral.

Given that both Trump and Texas Republican Gov. Greg Abbott are climate-change deniers, it is important to understand the science. Its not debatable now. These are all well-established facts, Dr. James Hansen explained on the Democracy Now! news hour. He is the former top climate scientist at NASA and current director at Climate Science, Awareness and Solutions at Columbia Universitys Earth Institute. With the beginning of changes in atmospheric composition, caused mainly by burning fossil fuels, the planet is getting warmer, and sea level has begun to go up, because the ocean is getting warmer and because ice is melting. He continued: The amount of water vapor in the atmosphere is increasing because the atmosphere is getting warmer, and therefore the amount of water being dumped during these storms is larger because of human-made global warming. Thunderstorms, tornadoes, tropical storms all get their energy from the latent energy of water vapor. There are substantial human-made effects on these storms. Larger storm surges. More rain. Stronger storms. Intensified by climate change, this storm has slammed into the epicenter of the U.S. petroleum industry.

The flooding is bad enough. Then you have the toxins released. Bryan Parras, as organizer for the Beyond Dirty Fuels campaign with the Sierra Club in Houston and co-founder of Texas Environmental Justice Advocacy Services (t.e.j.a.s.), works in the poor and working-class communities of color in Houston, where people live up against the fences of large, toxin-spewing petrochemical plants. All of the facilities, all of the refineries went into voluntary shutdown mode. When that happens, they often have to go through the process of burning off these excess chemicals. But it is a dirty burn. So you can see actually the black smoke  unfortunately, that adds thousands of pounds of cancer-causing chemicals to the air, he told Democracy Now!.

Writer and activist Naomi Klein has long made the connection between disasters and economic opportunism. A key ingredient, she says, is a compliant media. What you dont hear, or you hear very, very rarely, is an explanation for why the word unprecedented, record-breaking  why these words have become meteorological cliches, she said on Democracy Now!. We hear them all the time, because were breaking heat records year after year. Were seeing record-breaking wildfires, record-breaking droughts, record-breaking storms, because the baseline is higher.

Klein continued: Nobody is saying that climate change caused this storm. What were talking about are what are the superchargers of this storm, the accelerants that took what would have been a disaster, in any situation, and turned it into this human catastrophe.

That is a central tenet of climate science: You cant attribute any given weather event to climate change, but human-induced climate change is making extreme weather events stronger and more frequent, more costly, more deadly. While the people in Texas and Louisiana suffer the final days of rain and begin recovery, over 1,200 people have been killed by massive floods in Bangladesh, India and Nepal. The planet is drowning in denial. Climate change is real, and it needs to be addressed.

Amy Goodman is the host of Democracy Now!, a daily international TV/radio news hour airing on more than 1,400 stations. She is the co-author, with Denis Moynihan and David Goodman, of Democracy Now!: 20 Years Covering the Movements Changing America. Distributed by King Features Syndicate.
DEMING  Out in the Bootheel near the border fence east of the Big Hatchet Mountains of Hidalgo County, a simple headstone marks the official southern terminus of a trail reaching from the Mexican border to Canada with the statement: The trail unites us.

The Continental Divide National Scenic Trail extends across 3,100 miles and five states: Montana, Idaho, Wyoming, Colorado, and New Mexico. Parts of the trail are incomplete, requiring through-hikers to bushwhack or hike alongside roads, but the Continental Divide Trail Coalition, founded in 2013, organizes efforts nationwide to complete the trail, promoting it as a conservation project and a unifying force bringing people of all walks of life together, as stated on its official website.

It is also an economic development project, drawing hikers from around the world to local communities. With its southern terminus near Columbus, the village and Luna County are weighing strategies to promote the trail and improve the services and hospitality available to visiting hikers and bicyclists.

The real terminus is by Antelope Wells, but (Columbus) is an alternate, so we get hikers and bikers through our community, said Columbus Mayor Philip Skinner, who is also the proprietor of the Los Milagros Hotel located in the center of the village. As a hotel operator, I get them as guests.

A preliminary meeting in August at the Luna County Courthouse brought together representatives of Luna County, Columbus and Deming; local businesses; one experienced hiker and backpacker; the Deming Luna County Chamber of Commerce; and a Department of Health representative from Grant County. The meeting was convened by Matt Robinson, who led the meeting on behalf of the Luna Countys Healthy Kids, Healthy Communities project.

Robinson said he hoped to assess local interest in being certified by the Coalition as a Gateway Community, following the example of Silver City, establishing a working relationship that includes conservation planning and promotion of tourism and outdoor recreation for communities. Benefits of the certification would include access to grants and technical assistance.

The way I see it, either way, if we are certified or not, we have a wonderful asset that we could promote, Robinson said. I see it as an opportunity for more physical activity for local people to promote it, make it easier to find where it is, get out there and use it  but also maybe an economic opportunity for us to get more visitors out here, to get more travelers, tourists, whatever it may be.

Luna County Manager Ira Pearson noted that, in April, Silver City will host its third annual Trail Days kickoff celebration, an event that has drawn a growing number of visitors to Grant County each year. Silver City was the first to be certified as a Gateway Community.

I could see us doing something in Columbus, Pearson said. Here is an event every year that we gear up towards.

The southern end of the Continental Divide Trail is remote, with two of its three recognized termini out in the Bootheel. The third, Columbus, offers hospitality, services and supplies. Columbus is also the northern terminus for the Cabalgata Binacional Villista, a 250-mile trail ride from the town of Bachiniva in Mexico, tracing the historic route of Pancho Villas 1916 invasion of the United States at Columbus.
HATCH  Jimmy Lytle and his pioneering farming family have built a chile legacy in this southern New Mexico village, laying claim to iconic varieties from the mild Big Jim named after his father to the new, hot chile, Miss Junie, named for his mother.

These days, the Lytle tradition is facing tough competition from across the border and state line, and the patriarch is fighting back the best way he knows how: focusing on his roots and knowledge of the heirloom qualities that give New Mexico chile its flavor.

New Mexico chile grown in Hatch is famous the whole world over, he said while standing in his store crowded with visitors flocking to the annual Hatch Chile Festival.

Whats going to help us survive is people who want New Mexico chile, the 74-year-old said.

Jo Lytle helps a customer at her family's Chile Express store in Hatch. The Lytles only sell locally-grown chile including their own heirloom varieties. They sold 10,000 forty pound sacks of chile this past year. Jimmy Lytle, a farmer in Hatch, helps a customer from Tijeras who bought six boxes of freshly roasted and peeled green chiles for family and friends. Jimmy Lytle, a Hatch farmer,watches as chile is roasted at his Chile Express store. Andrew Trujillo packed his truck with boxes of freshly roasted chile for his family. He makes the drive from the South Valley in Albuquerque every year to buy the pick of the crop during the harvest season. Jimmy Lytle's family are pioneering chile farmers in Hatch. He is working to preserve heirloom qualities that give New Mexico chile is flavor. New Mexico State University Vegetable Extension Specialist Stephanie Walker wearing a wide brimmed hat and graduate student Israel Calsoyas in a baseball cap, examine chile plants in Rincon. NMSU researchers work with New Mexico farmers to collect the best seeds to preserve heirloom qualities. Stefanie Walker, a vegetable extension specialist at New Mexico State University and graduate studetn ISrael Calsoyas examine plants in a field in Ricon. Researchers from New Mexico State University, including those at The New Mexico Chile Pepper Institute work with farmers in the Mesilla Valley to select seeds to preserve the flavor of New Mexico chile. Stefanie Walker, an NMSU vegetable extension specialist stands in a chile field in Rincon. She and other researchers, including those at The New Mexico Chile Pepper Institute, work with farmers to save seeds and preserve the vareity, production and flavor of New Mexico chile. Prev 1 of 8 Next

This is about more than a fight to preserve a family legacy, its the battle to protect New Mexicos emblematic crop. The number of acres of chile in New Mexico has dwindled due to a farm labor shortage, water availability and growing competition from neighboring states such as Arizona, Colorado and Chihuahua, just across the border in Mexico, and as far away as India and China.

Researchers at New Mexico State University, including the New Mexico Chile Pepper Institute, are working with Lytle and other farmers in the region to develop heirloom varieties that give growers an edge.

Many of the farming families here around the Hatch area have saved their own seed, said Stephanie Walker, an extension vegetable specialist at NMSU.

On a recent visit to a field in the Hatch area, Walker and graduate student Israel Calsoyas examined plants to check on the size of the chiles. They were flagging larger fruit that could provide seed for new selections.

If we would abandon this and only get seed from seed companies, you know, a seed company from another state, another country, potentially are not going to have that same knowledge of this crop and same passion for preserving what we love about New Mexico chile, Walker said.

And no one is more passionate about chiles than Jimmy Lytle. The challenge is developing heirloom varieties that produce a big harvest for farmers but preserve flavor. Lytle says the new hot chile he cultivated, Miss Junie, named for his 93-year-old mother, shows a lot of promise.

Its already beating Arizona variety in yield, flavor, everything, he said.

Like Christmas

The flavor and the smell of fresh-roasted New Mexico chile this time of year attracts nearly 30,000 chile lovers from across the Southwest and beyond to the Hatch Chile Festival, which coincides with the peak in the harvest season and Labor Day weekend.

Its where we get our chile every year as soon their crop comes in, said Andrew Trujillo, 48, from the South Valley in Albuquerque.

Trujillo, who drove in the day before the festival started to beat the crowd, has been making the annual trip to Hatch for the past 20 years.

This is the first time Im getting it peeled. Im a little embarrassed, said Trujillo, explaining that his relatives traditionally get together to peel the chiles but, like many families, are too busy this year.

Many of those waiting for their freshly roasted and peeled chile at the Lytles Chile Express store were also getting a stash for relatives, friends and co-workers.

The Spauldings, a couple from Tijeras, were picking up six large sacks of chile.

We got them for my son, my daughter in Oregon, my hairdresser, and my daughter and son in Albuquerque, said Mari Spaulding, 68.

Her 12-year-old grandson who is visiting took a plane and chile back to his mother in Portland today.

Others stuffed their trunks with boxes of chile for the drive home from Hatch.

Its the busiest time of year for Jo Lytle, Jimmys wife, and their daughter, who ring up sales in the chile store. And though the fight to preserve and promote New Mexico chile is year-round, southern New Mexico growers are celebrating a healthy harvest.

For farmers here in the Valley, said Jo Lytle, its like Christmas.
Should New Mexico attorneys petition the court for people seeking professional guardians or conservators when they also represent the prospective guardian or conservator company in other matters?

Thats among the sticky ethical questions that guardianship commission Chairwoman Wendy York has posed to the states chief disciplinary counsel, William Slease, for an opinion.

York announced at a Friday commission meeting in Albuquerque that her research on guardianship issues has raised questions about potential conflicts of interest and other ethical issues that can arise in cases involving third-party corporate guardians and conservators.

I wanted to know whether our current rules address this issue, York said.

Attorneys play a major role in guardianship/conservator cases, which are cloaked in secrecy under state law. All records, except for a brief court docket sheet summarizing actions in the case, are sealed. All hearings in the case are sequestered.

To file a guardianship request, a petitioner, often a family member, typically needs an attorney. Judges often rely on the petitioner and his or her attorney to recommend a guardian or conservator for appointment.

At times, those companies attorneys also represent the petitioner.

A petitioners attorney, for example, might be reticent to challenge or try to remove a guardian or conservator on behalf of a client if that same lawyer also represents the guardianship company in other cases. Sometimes clients arent told about such potential conflicts beforehand and find themselves having to hire a new attorney.

Adds York, now a private mediator, I think the guidance (from the chief disciplinary counsel) might be helpful.
WASHINGTON  Defense Secretary Jim Mattis on Sunday shot back at North Koreas claimed test of a hydrogen bomb with a blunt threat, saying the U.S. will answer any threat from the North with a massive military response  a response both effective and overwhelming. Earlier, President Donald Trump threatened to halt all trade with countries doing business with the North, a veiled warning to China, and faulted South Korea for its talk of appeasement.

The tough talk from Americas commander in chief and the retired Marine general he picked to oversee the Pentagon came as the Trump administration searched for a response to the escalating crisis. Kim Jong Uns regime on Sunday claimed perfect success in an underground test of what it called a hydrogen bomb. It was the Norths sixth nuclear test since 2006  the first since Trump took office in January  and involved a device potentially vastly more powerful than a nuclear bomb.

Trump, asked by a reporter during a trip to church services if he would attack the North, said: Well see. No U.S. military action appeared imminent, and the immediate focus appeared to be on ratcheting up economic penalties, which have had little effect thus far.

In South Korea, the nations military said it conducted a live-fire exercise simulating an attack on North Koreas nuclear test site to strongly warn Pyongyang over the latest nuclear test. Seouls Joint Chiefs of Staff said the drill involved F-15 fighter jets and the countrys land-based Hyunmoo ballistic missiles. The released live weapons accurately struck a target in the sea off the countrys eastern coast, the JCS said.

The U.N. Security Council scheduled an emergency meeting at the request of the U.S., Japan, France, Britain and South Korea. It would be the Security Councils second urgent session in under a week on the Norths weapons tests, which have continued in the face of a series of sanctions.

Members of Congress expressed alarm at the Norths test and emphasized strengthening U.S. missile defenses. Leaders in Russia, China and Europe issued condemnations.

In briefs remarks after a White House meeting with Trump and other national security officials, Mattis told reporters that America does not seek the total annihilation of the North, but then added somberly, We have many options to do so. The administration has emphasized its pursuit of diplomatic solutions, knowing the potentially horrific costs of war with the North. But the decision to have Mattis deliver a public statement seemed to suggest an escalating crisis.

Mattis also said the international community is unified in demanding the denuclearization of the Korean peninsula and that Kim should know that Washingtons commitment to Japan and South Korea is unshakeable.

The precise strength of the underground nuclear explosion had yet to be determined. South Koreas weather agency said the artificial earthquake caused by the explosion was five times to six times stronger than tremors generated by the Norths previous five tests.

North Koreas state-run television broadcast a special bulletin to announce the test, and said Kim attended a meeting of the ruling partys presidium and signed the go-ahead order. Earlier, the partys newspaper published photos of Kim examining what it said was a nuclear warhead being fitted onto an intercontinental ballistic missile.

Sundays detonation builds on recent North Korean advances that include test launches in July of two ICBMs that are believed to be capable of reaching the mainland U.S. The North says its missile development is part of a defensive effort to build a viable nuclear deterrent that can target U.S. cities.

The Arms Control Association said the explosion appeared to produce a yield in excess of 100 kilotons of TNT equivalent, which it said strongly suggests the North tested a high-yield but compact nuclear weapon that could be launched on a missile of intermediate or intercontinental range.

Hans Kristensen, a nuclear weapons expert at the Federation of American Scientists, said the North probably will need to do more tests before achieving a functioning hydrogen bomb design.

Beyond the science of the blast, North Koreas accelerating push to field a nuclear weapon that can target all of the United States is creating political complications for the U.S. as it seeks to balance resolve with reassurance to allies that Washington will uphold its decadeslong commitment to deter nuclear attack on South Korea and Japan.

That is why some questioned Trumps jab Sunday at South Korea. He tweeted that Seoul is finding that its talk of appeasement will not work. The North Koreans, he added, only understand one thing, implying military force might be required. The U.S. has about 28,000 troops stationed in South Korea and is obliged by treaty to defend it in the event of war.

Patrick Cronin, an Asia expert with the Center for a New American Security, said Trumps comment on South Korea was probably intended to stiffen the spine of an ally. He said he agreed with the intention.

I think Washington is very serious about showing some unexpected resolve, he said. We need our ally and we need to remain ironclad. But at the same time, we cant afford South Korea to go weak in facing down this growing danger.

Trump also suggested putting more pressure on China, the Norths patron for many decades and a vital U.S. trading partner, in hopes of persuading Beijing to exert more effective leverage on its neighbor. Trump tweeted that the U.S. is considering stopping all trade with any country doing business with North Korea. Such a halt would be radical. The U.S. imports about $40 billion in goods a month from China, North Koreas main commercial partner.

Secretary of State Rex Tillerson was calling counterparts in Asia.

Its unclear what kind of sanctions might make a difference. Lassina Zerbo, head of the U.N. test ban treaty organization, said sanctions already imposed against North Korea arent working.

Chinas official Xinhua News Agency said President Xi Jinping and Russian leader Vladimir Putin, meeting on the sidelines of a Beijing-led economic summit, agreed to adhere to the goal of the denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula, have close communication and coordination and properly respond to the test.

Experts have questioned whether the North has gone too far down the nuclear road to continue pushing for a denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula, an Obama administration policy goal still embraced by Trumps White House.

Denuclearization is not a viable U.S. policy goal, said Richard Fontaine, president of the Center for a New American Security, but neither should the U.S. accept North Korea as a nuclear power. We should keep denuclearization as a long-term aspiration, but recognize privately that its unachievable anytime soon.

Trump warned last month that the U.S. military was locked and loaded, should North Korea act unwisely and that the U.S. would unleash fire and fury on the North if it continued to threaten America. The bellicose words followed threats from North Korea to launch ballistic missiles toward the U.S. Pacific territory of Guam, intending to create enveloping fire near the military hub thats home to U.S. bombers and other aircraft.

__

Associated Press writer Eric Talmadge in Tokyo contributed to this report.
Its become almost passe to critique the role of money in politics these days. Almost everybody assumes something shady is going on. And that includes lawmakers themselves.

Driven by concerns elections are being bought in Idaho, top legislators formed a bi-partisan working group last session to examine whether the states campaign finance laws need reform. The laws havent seen any significant updates since 1974, a time well before todays era of intense lobbying, political action committees and the scale and scope of huge amounts of money in political campaigns thats become the norm.

The working group met most recently late last month, when Secretary of State Lawerence Denney recommended sweeping changes to the outdated law. Those include proposals for much more frequent financial reports from candidates and elected officials and better technology to track the reports and allow regular Idahoans easier access to see how money is funneled through political campaigns.

Its about time. Idaho has long been considered one of the most lax states when it comes to rules regulating money and politics.

In a bit of irony, Denney himself helped trigger some of those criticisms back when he was a state legislator.

In 2002, Denney came under fire for transferring money from the House Victory Fund, a pool of money to help Republican incumbents get reelected, to a political action committee targeting his opponent. It was perfectly legal, but the move drew the ire of many in the GOP, including current House Speaker Scott Bedke, who helped set up the working group now considering reforms.

Many of the proposals originate with ethics advocates who tried unsuccessfully to force a voter initiative that would have curbed donation limits, banned gifts from lobbyists to lawmakers and increased penalties for violations.

The group failed to trigger a ballot initiative, but the ideas resonated with legislative leaders and the secretary of state.

Those include:

A reduction in donation limits for statewide candidates from 5,000 to 3,000 and $1,000 to $500 for legislative candidates

A ban on corporate donations from companies bidding to do state work

A one-year waiting period before an elected official who leaves office can register as a lobbyist

The establishment of an online database to track campaign spending

And harsh penalties for violators, among other proposed changes

These area all good ideas that lawmakers should seek to adopt. But it remains to be seen just how many of these suggestions will actually become law. The working group can issue recommendations only; lawmakers would have to vote on them in 2018 for them to become law. And its an election year, meaning some lawmakers may be reluctant to clamp down on money that would otherwise flow into their coffers.

Watch those votes carefully when they happen in a few months, and youll get a good indication on just how dedicated your elected officials really are to transparency and open government.
HALTOM CITY, Texas  Police in Haltom City just northeast of Fort Worth say a 9-year-old boy has fatally shot himself with a gun he found in a home.

Authorities say officers were flagged down Saturday by a woman crying hysterically and found the boy in a master bedroom of the home. A semi-automatic handgun was nearby and a drawer to a nightstand was open.

Fire department and emergency medical personnel also responded but the boy was pronounced dead at the scene.

Police tell TV station KTVT they believe the boy found the gun and was playing with it when it went off.

The shooting remains under investigation.

___

Information from: KTVT-TV, http://dfw.cbslocal.com
The Google Nexus 6P will likely receive an update that will install Android 8.0 Oreo on September 11, according to the Canadian carrier Rogers. The carrier maintains a list on its official forums, wherein it details when updates to certain devices will arrive, and what features are incorporated into the software upgrades, and it was recently edited to include the Google Nexus 6P, and its upcoming Android Oreo update. Rogers, however, noted that the actual date of roll out may change, as it may have to test the new software due to the changes made to the radio firmware.

Android 8.0 Oreo is the latest version of Googles operating system, and it contains many new features, and under-the-hood improvements. Autofill remembers the login information entered into each app, once the user enables the feature in the device settings. In addition, a Picture-in-Picture mode allows the user to view two apps simultaneously, with one app layered on top of a full-screen application. The upgraded version of the Android operating system also introduces notification dots, which can be tapped to show a set of quick actions, like quick reply, and share content. Under-the-hood improvements include much faster boot speeds, and improved smartphone security. The latter is achieved through the incorporation of Google Play Protect, and the additional restrictions that will prevent hostile downloads from installing malware.

It is advisable that the update is downloaded once the handset is connected to a Wi-Fi network, as the file will likely exceed 900MB in size. Moreover, device owners should ensure that there is sufficient free space in the internal flash storage, to temporarily store the software package, and they should also check if the handset has enough battery charge to last the entire installation process. To prevent any loss of important data, files and images stored in the device should be backed-up by the user, either to an external microSD card or to a PC. It may take several days before the roll out is completed, although people have the option to manually trigger the update process, by going to the About Phone section of the device settings, and then tapping the Check for Updates option.
Pre-orders for the UMIDIGI S2 Pro will start on September 18, the Chinese original equipment manufacturer (OEM) announced earlier this week, noting how its latest offering comes in the form of the first full-screen device in the world which can last two days on a single charge. The handset is powered by a 5,100mAh battery with quick charging support over a USB Type-C port, with the phablet itself having a 5.99-inch screen with a resolution of 2,160 by 1,080 pixels, which amounts to an aspect ratio of 18:9, i.e. 2:1. This particular image format has already been adopted by a number of major OEMs over the course of this year and is expected to maintain its momentum for the foreseeable future, with UMIDIGI being the latest company to follow the newest design trend in the smartphone industry. The Sharp-made display panel found on the UMIDIGI S2 Pro is protected by Cornings Gorilla Glass 4 and should be completely resistant to scratches, with the phone having a screen-to-body ratio of nearly 90 percent, the company said.

The UMIDIGI S2 Pro is powered by the Helio P25 (MT6757CD), a MediaTek-made 64-bit system-on-chip (SoC) which was commercialized earlier this year, boasting eight Cortex A53 cores clocked at a maximum operating frequency of 2.6GHz and featuring the Mali-T880 GPU. The device is also backed by 6GB of LPDDR4 dual-channel RAM, thus making the most of its SoCs RAM support and allowing for an optimal user experience, the Chinese consumer electronics manufacturer claims. The UMIDIGI S2 Pro also boasts an all-metal unibody design and will be available in two main color options  black and red. The OEM is also working on a limited edition Mercury Silver variant, as well as the EUROPA version meant specifically for consumers on the Old Continent, with the firm revealing that this model will be designed to commemorate its many years of commercial presence in Europe.

The UMIDIGI S2 Pro boasts a dual camera setup comprised of two Sony-made IMX258 sensors, a couple of 13-megapixel modules capable of generating wide-angle shots and natural depth of field effects, the company says. The device is also said to boast advanced autofocusing capabilities, with its software supposedly being capable of finding the perfect focus at every zoom level captured by the f/2.0 lens which is also advertised as being capable of quality performance in low-light conditions. The default Camera app shipping with the UMIDIGI S2 Pro comes with a number of shooting modes like Beautification, the OEM revealed, adding that the phone itself comes with 64GB of internal flash memory.

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Consumers interested in placing an advanced order on the UMIDIGI S2 Pro and thus participating in its global pre-sale will receive a $50 discount on the phone, in addition to being enrolled in an international giveaway which will provide them with a chance to win one unit free of charge, the Chinese firm said. Refer to the banner below to find out more details about that contest and the general availability of UMIDIGIs latest Android-powered flagship(s) whose price tag has yet to be announced.
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ECU

Well, if you're dealing with a Honda such as the one that recently attended the velocity event in the piece of footage below, the answer is a big, fat "yes".The front-wheel-drive machine got together with the GT-R at a Street Car Takeover event, with the Honda leaving the Nissan behind in its quarter-mile fury.If we pay attention to the take-off phase of the race, we'll notice that the reaction time is the one that gave the Civic the edge. In other words, the guy behind the wheel of the R35 could use some extra Christmas Tree practice.Nevertheless, it's obvious that the Honda has the horsepower to make up for its less-than-idealtakeoffs. For instance, while the GT-R completed the 1,320 feet sprint at 129 mph, the Honda's trap speed was considerably more impressive, sitting at 140 mph.This means that the Honda would've had serious chances of giving the R35 Nissan GT-R a hard time even if the driver of the latter had delivered a sharper game at the start of the drag brawl.As for the tech state of the GT-R, the Nissan could pack light mods, such as anremap. And that's because the supercar managed to complete the 1/4-mile task in 10.9 seconds. For the record, the factory stock incarnation of the car is a 11s machine, with its performance varying depending on the model year.As for the spiced-up Honda, the thing stayed true to its sleeper aura, as demonstrated by its impressive ET - the Japanese machine managed to play the quarter-mile game in 10.58 seconds.
After North Korea today detonated what's believed to be its most powerful device yet, President Trump tweets:

"North Korea has conducted a major Nuclear Test. Their words and actions continue to be very hostile and dangerous to the United States ... North Korea is a rogue nation which has become a great threat and embarrassment to China, which is trying to help but with little success."

a major Nuclear Test. Their words and actions continue to be very hostile and dangerous to the United States ... North Korea is a rogue nation which has become a great threat and embarrassment to China, which is trying to help but with little success." "South Korea is finding, as I have told them, that their talk of appeasement with North Korea will not work, they only understand one thing!"

The latest: As he left church, Trump was asked if he'd attack North Korea. "We'll see," he said. He later tweeted that he'd be convening a national security meeting, and threatened to end trade with "any country doing business with North Korea."

The N.Y. Times says the test, which North Korea claims is a hydrogen bomb that could be mounted on an intercontinental ballistic missile, "was the first to clearly surpass the destructive power of the bombs dropped on the Japanese cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki in World War II."

Why it matters: The tweets are quite revealing of Trump's psychology, and consistent with his past views. Trump has never viewed diplomacy as a realistic option, and doesn't think economic pressure is working. So a military response  "fire and fury," with a catastrophic human fallout -- looks more likely.

One nuance: Extreme threats don't necessarily mean extreme actions. Trump clearly thinks the only way Kim Jong-un will back off is if he believes the U.S. will wipe out his country.

What's new: "North Korea announced it detonated a thermonuclear device Sunday in its sixth and most powerful nuclear test to date, a big step toward its goal of developing nuclear weapons capable of striking anywhere in the U.S.," per AP:

South Korea's weather agency said the artificial earthquake it caused was five to six times stronger than tremors generated by its previous tests. It reportedly shook buildings in China and in Russia."

said the artificial earthquake it caused was five to six times stronger than tremors generated by its previous tests. It reportedly shook buildings in China and in Russia." "The nuclear test is the first since Trump assumed office in January."

The Hardy Boys might call this "The Case of the Bad Timing": Word leaked yesterday that Trump is seriously considering withdrawing from the U.S.-Korea Free Trade Agreement (KORUS), which would be an affront to South Korea. No decision has been made.

WashPost's Damian Paletta: Trump's "top national security and economic advisers are pushing him to abandon the plan."

Trump's "top national security and economic advisers are pushing him to abandon the plan." A decision could come this week, per the Wall Street Journal: "Trump has repeatedly complained about the pact and the sharp increase in the U.S. trade deficit that followed the 2012 implementation of the agreement."

this week, per the Wall Street Journal: "Trump has repeatedly complained about the pact and the sharp increase in the U.S. trade deficit that followed the 2012 implementation of the agreement." Why it matters, from Axios' Jonathan Swan: More than $100 billion of annual trade between U.S. and South Korea in goods  and billions more in services  hangs in the balance as Trump weighs this decision. Withdrawing from the trade deal would also damage relations between the U.S. and a key ally in Asia at the same moment the North Korean threat is escalating to historic proportions.

Be smart: This debate has been overtaken by events. Withdrawal now unlikely.

Go deeper: North Korea's remaining steps ... How ready is U.S. to defend itself.
Defense Secretary Mattis spoke Sunday afternoon from the White House after a meeting with President Trump and other national security officials about Saturday's North Korean nuclear test.

"We have many military options and the president wanted to be briefed on every one of them."

Other quotes:

"Any threat to the United States or its territories, including Guam, or our allies, will be met with a massive military response  a response both effective and overwhelming."

"We're not looking to the total annihilation of a country, namely North Korea."

"Our commitments among the allies are iron-clad."

Go deeper: Trump's latest threat, The cycle of escalation, The countries that do business with North Korea, North Korea's remaining steps, How ready is U.S. to defend itself?
President Trump said "we'll see" in response to a reporter's question about whether he'll attack North Korea. Trump is meeting with Defense Secretary James Mattis, Chief of Staff John Kelly and others today to discuss next steps with North Korea.

He also threatened to stop "all trade with any country doing business with North Korea," a threat apparently aimed at China. Reality check: The U.S. traded $578 billion in goods with China last year.

Go deeper: The cycle of escalation with North Korea
3 September 2017 08:40 (UTC+04:00)

By Trend

President of the Republic of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev has attended the opening of Khazar Palace hotel complex in Lankaran.

The head of state cut the ribbon symbolizing the opening of the hotel.

The complex is two hectares in area. Construction of the five-storey 39-room hotel started in May 2015 and was completed this August.

President Ilham Aliyev was told that the hotel staff, which are mainly Azerbaijani nationals, completed special trainings. The hotel houses a conference hall and several restaurants, which offer dishes of the Azerbaijani and world cuisine.

President Ilham Aliyev viewed rooms and gyms of the hotel.

Khazar Palace hotel will provide 100 people with permanent jobs. There are also eight cottages in the hotel`s area.

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3 September 2017 08:30 (UTC+04:00)

By Trend

President of the Republic of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev has viewed Janub Agro LLC`s rice paddies and inaugurated a rice plant as part of his visit to Lankaran.

The head of state was told that the complex occupies a total area of 225 hectares. The rice paddies occupy an area of 35 hectares, which will be expanded by 27.5 hectares in the future.

President Ilham Aliyev was informed of the latest technologies used to cultivate rice. Rice farming is being developed in the district`s Girdani, Veravul, Urga, Siyavar, Hirkan, Kholmili, Shikhakaran, Mamusta, Separadi and other villages.

The head of state then launched the rice plant, which is one hectare in area. Construction of the plant started last November and was completed this August.

President Ilham Aliyev viewed production process here. The plant has a monthly processing capacity of 300 tons and drying capacity of 900 tons. It created 15 permanent jobs. The capacity of the plant will be increased twice in the future, while the number of staff will reach 60.

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3 September 2017 08:19 (UTC+04:00)

By Trend

President of the Republic of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev has visited Astara Chay LLC`s plantations in Lankaran.

The head of state was told that the total area of tea plantations in the country is 1,016 hectares, including 568 hectares in Lankaran, 345 hectares in Astara, 60 hectares in Zagatala and 43 hectares in Masalli districts.

Astara Chay LLC has 289 hectares of tea plantations.

President Ilham Aliyev spoke with the company`s workers and posed with them for photographs.

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3 September 2017 10:00 (UTC+04:00)

By Trend

A Chinese investment company has said it will help Iran build a railroad in return for Iranian crude oil, Tasnim news agency reported August 28.

The offer was made by the representative of the company in a meeting with officials of the Iranian Ministry of Transport.

The preposition of the Chinese side was to "swap technology for oil".

According to Deputy Minister of Transport of Iran Kheirollah Khademi, the railway in question would be an express train track between Tehran and Tabriz (northwest Iran) with the length of 700 kilometers.

Iran has been trying in the wake of its 2015 nuclear deal, which lifted economic sanctions on the country, to refurbish its railway system.

Recently news outlets said a Russian bank had agreed to provide 1 billion euros to electrify a 500 km railway route in northern Iran.

The loan is related to a 1.2 billion euro deal that Russia and Iran signed to electrify the Garmsar to Inche Burun line during a visit by Russian President Vladimir Putin to Tehran in November 2015.

The railway line extends into Turkmenistan and Kazakhstan, linking Central Asia to the Persian Gulf and beyond.

A month earlier, Russias largest manufacturer of locomotives and rail equipment, CJSC Transmashholding, signed a 2.5 billion euro deal with IDRO Group in Tehran for joint production of rolling stock in Iran.

In July, Iran signed another deal worth 1.2 billion euros with Italys state railway company Ferrovie dello Stato (FS) to build a high-speed railway between the central cities of Arak and Qom.

Under a national plan, Iran seeks to stretch out the nationwide railroad line to 25,000 kilometers by 2025 from under 15,000 kilometers now.

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3 September 2017 10:19 (UTC+04:00)

By Trend

Today, on September 2, Uzbekistan marks the Day of Remembrance of Islam Karimov, the first president of the country, Uzbekistan National News Agency (UzA) reported.

Islam Karimov served as Uzbek president for more than 25 years. He passed away Sept. 2, 2016 at the age of 78 after suffering a stroke. Islam Karimov was buried in Samarkand city, his hometown.

In early December 2016, presidential election was held in Uzbekistan, and Shavkat Mirziyoyev, who previously served as prime minister, gained victory at the election.

At the end of January this year, Mirziyoyev signed a decree on commemorating the first president of Uzbekistan. According to the document, Karimovs birthday will be celebrated every year on Jan. 30, and the day of his remembrance  on September 2.

In accordance with the decree, the Tashkent International Airport, the car plant in the city of Asaka, Tashkent State Technical University, the Palace of Arts in the city of Fergana were named after the first President of Uzbekistan Islam Karimov. Streets in several cities of the country were also named after the first Uzbek president.

Today, Samarkand also hosted a ceremony of opening a monument to the first president of Uzbekistan.

A monument to Islam Karimov was erected in a park near Registan Square, not far from the house where he grew up. The monument was opened by Shavkat Mirziyoyev, who arrived to attend the ceremony, and Tatyana Karimova, widow of the first president. Flowers were laid at the foot of the monument, and the national anthem of Uzbekistan was played.

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3 September 2017 10:35 (UTC+04:00)

By Trend

Iranian government is prepared to provide more political freedom in the four-year term ahead, according to spokesman Mohammad Bagher Nobakht.

"As Interior Minister Abdolreza Rahmani Fazli has said, his ministry is prepared to consider a wider space for activities of political groups," Nobakht told Trend Aug. 29.

Asked how the political atmosphere of the country would differ from that of the past four years notwithstanding the fact that in both terms the Interior Ministry has been headed by the same person, the spokesman said the body of the government will use its policy of moderation and tolerance to promote the activities of political parties.

President Hassan Rouhani was elected on May 19 for a second four-year term. Recently, his proposed cabinet received vote of confidence from the Parliament.

Both in his previous term and in the current one, Rouhani promised increased freedom of expression and political activity and inclusion of various viewpoints.

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Almost half of female engineers in Australia report experiencing discrimination because of their gender, a new report reveals.

And on average, female engineers make about $12,000 less than their male counterparts.

Female engineers are paid on average $12,000 less than their male counterparts. Credit:Erin Jonasson

The Women in Engineering: Realising Productivity and Innovation Through Diversity report, due to be released on Monday, found the pay gap arose out of the concentration of women in roles with lower levels of responsibility, with men more likely to be employed at the upper echelons.

While 47.1 per cent of female engineers said they had experienced discrimination based on gender, that figure was only 3.4 per cent for men.
Lachlan Murdoch is restricted by media ownership laws. Credit:James Alcock Keen to see whether the ACMA is in fact keeping tabs on what happened at Network Ten, Fairfax Media submitted a Freedom of Information request for emails, internal investigations and file notes written the week Ten went into administration. In return for a fee, the ACMA agreed to release Ten's stock market announcements (which are publicly available anyway) and 14 heavily redacted emails, including 14 totally blank pages. It found a further 24 documents related to the search, but is keeping these secret because they contain 'deliberative matters', legal advice, and personal information. The emails and schedule of documents prove there was a flurry of activity on Tuesday, June 13 when Ten went into a trading halt and again when it went into administration on Wednesday, June 14. For example, at 11.46 am on June 14 acting chairman Richard Bean sent an email to the manager of the ACMA's Diversity branch, Jenny Brigg.

"Hi Jenny, you may have seen that Ten has announced the appointment of an administrator.". The rest of Mr Bean's email has been redacted, but Ms Brigg replies "I'll call him now". By lunchtime Ms Brigg advises she has been in touch with the in-house legal department and by 5pm she has emailed KordaMentha's Jennifer Nettleton to "make sure you are aware of your obligations as a controller of commercial television broadcasting service licences". The ACMA reminds KordaMentha it has ten business days to lodge of any change in control for all five commercial television broadcasting licences controlled by Ten. The regulator was also in touch with the Communications Minister's office and its four authority members. But it remains secret whether the regulator raised concerns about ownership breaches, or was simply sending a memo in case the Minister or authority members missed the biggest news story of the day. While releasing this internal correspondence could "promote transparency...in relation to issues that are a matter of public debate", Ms Brigg told Fairfax Media it could also compromise future law enforcement.

"In my view, if material of this nature were released prematurely, it would prejudice the ACMA's ability to act in this matter by disclosing the ACMA's approach to certain issues," she wrote as justification for the opacity. The regulator also refused to reveal what information it received from outsiders because this "would demonstrate how the ACMA gathers intelligence and information for the purpose of actively monitoring potential breaches of media ownership rules," Ms Brigg said. An email received from one outsider was withheld because it contained commercially sensitive information about several businesses that "may cause significant harm to the ongoing operations of Ten" if it were released. In short, the ACMA may be working behind the scenes to uphold existing laws, or it might not be. It might have found a breach, or not. "The ACMA has been actively monitoring, and continues to monitor, the activities and developments in relation to Network TEN," a spokeswoman said on Friday, adding it has been making "all of the inquiries necessary to satisfy itself" media rules are complied with.

The subtext being silence equals compliance. "Where the ACMA is of the view that a regulatory breach has occurred, it will take regulatory action commensurate with the seriousness of the breach and the level of harm," the letter reads. The ACMA uses "the minimum power or intervention necessary to achieve compliance", she added. Seven years ago Mr Murdoch did breach media ownership rules when he became the director of too many radio stations in the Brisbane-Nambour area between October and November 2010. And his business advisor, Siobhan McKenna, made a similar breach from December 2009 to November 2010. The ACMA revealed these breaches two months later in January 2011 and took no further action noting their "resignations and co-operation in the matters". The breach was easily fixed.
Angelina Jolie (right) with Sareum Srey Moch as a young Loung Ung during the film shoot. Jolie says going to Cambodia opened her eyes to camps and refugees. Credit:Roland Neveu / Netflix "He's my son but he belongs very much also to Cambodia, so it was nice to see him at home." On this day, Jolie is in a hotel suite in Beverly Hills, California, to discuss the film and is doing her best to look calm and confident. The bright red lipstick on the Oscar winner's famously bee-stung lips draws attention away from her eyes, which look as if they could fill with tears at any moment. She is eager to talk about her passion project but knows there is an elephant in the room  her split with Brad Pitt. Their 12-year relationship (and two-year marriage) ended reportedly due to Pitt's alcohol issues and a well-documented blow-up with Maddox on the tarmac during an airport stopover. Jolie filed for divorce in September last year  requesting full custody of their six children, aged nine to 16. Pitt recently told GQ magazine he had been sober for six months.



How is she? "I'm OK. It's hard," she says softly. "I am a little shy at this time, because I am not as strong I think inside as I have been in the past." A scene from the film, which follows Loung's struggle to survive during the genocidal rule of the Khmer Rouge in 1970s Cambodia. Credit:Pax Jolie-Pitt Jolie, 42, is uncharacteristically cautious when asked how she has handled the past year. "It's been difficult and I haven't worked, other than teaching and focusing on my work in Nairobi [involving a June visit to mark World Refugee Day]. I've actually spent most of my days just taking care of the children," she says, her voice cracking. "I will eventually balance more and do more work but because of family issues it's been extremely tough.

"It's not easy doing press right now ... I can't pretend this isn't a tough time in my life, but I'm trying to get through it by just moving forward and knowing it's part of being human. Sometimes I can forget that and we can all get pretty hard on each other ... Maybe sometimes it appears I am pulling it all together, but really in fact I am just trying to get through my days." Angelina Jolie with Maddox in 2004. She says he is her son but he also belongs to Cambodia. Credit:AP Jolie also tears up when she talks about her awakening as a humanitarian after her first visit to Cambodia and what that country means to her. "Going there the first time helped me realise how little I knew about the world and opened my eyes to camps and refugees and the landmine issue," she says. "But I also became a mother through Cambodia, when I found Maddox, and I've been a citizen for over a decade and we have our home in the north, near the Thai border, so making this film brought everything I love into one place." Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt in 2008. Jolie filed for divorce in September last year. Credit:AP

Jolie cast a wide net to find a young Cambodian girl to portray Loung Ung. She found the expressive Sareum Srey Moch and says she exceeded expectations. "What I've learned from my own kids is that you really can't tell them what to do," she laughs. "She showed up every day and surprised me." As for claims that the film's casting team used exploitative methods during auditions involving giving and taking away money in a "game", Jolie has called the allegations "false and upsetting". (From left) Jolie, Maddox Jolie-Pitt and Loung Ung during the making of First They Killed My Father. Credit:Pax Thien Jolie-Pitt She says of Sareum: "I asked her if she wanted to be an actress and she said, 'no, I want to be a director.' She's obviously learnt very quickly!" Loung later joins Jolie in a joint interview and they appear close, giggling and whispering as if we are talking about someone else who suffered the trauma that is depicted in the film. Loung's parents, two sisters and 20 other relatives (the title of the film is the plot spoiler) were killed during the Khmer Rouge reign. In 1980, Loung and her older brother Meng escaped by boat to Thailand, where they spent five months in a refugee camp before moving to the US to live with a host family in Vermont. Loung returns to Cambodia frequently for her non-profit work and has been reunited with her surviving siblings, pictured with her in a moving cameo in the film's final scene.

Loung Ung says her 2000 book 'First They Killed My Father' is a story of love and resilience. "I don't see it as a story about horror or war but a story about love," Loung says. "I think it's a story about resilience; about a child and a family and a country going through a genocide but it also shows how love, as broken as it was, inspired us all to survive." Jolie is less guarded when asked about her ongoing struggle with her health, after opting to have a preventive double mastectomy in 2013  sending her into early menopause  and more recently being treated for hypertension and Bell's palsy. "Yes, my body has sometimes taken a hit with all of the things that I had to do," she says matter-of-factly. "And then, emotionally, it was a difficult year on top of all that. But I don't want my children to feel my stress; they need to feel my joy and have joy in just living every day. I see them together and it gives me great peace to know that the day I pass away, they will have each other and take care of each other for life." Her tone turns lighter when asked where she'd like to be in 10 years. "I guess all my kids will be off on their own and I'll be visiting them and chasing them around, but I hope I'm not a grandmother yet!"

She shudders at what she put her parents through as a wild teenager. "Now I have them, I know there are many complications that come with it. But I am just hoping that nobody will ever be as difficult as I was  and so far they are not." Having watched this former wild child of Hollywood evolve into a devoted mother and humanitarian, you have to wonder what the next chapter of her life will look like. "Maybe watching my kids growing up makes me start to realise my own sense of play and joy has been put on hold a little bit," Jolie says. "Maybe them hitting their teens is going to bring out a little more fun in mum. Maybe I'm going back; maybe it's time." First They Killed My Father is released on September 15 on Netflix. CAMBODIA ON FILM
A Santos plan to develop coal seam gas in northern NSW has been found by an independent expert panel to lack key data that potentially underestimates impacts on threatened ecosystems and ground and surface water.

The report by the Independent Expert Scientific Committee, released without fanfare last month, identified "knowledge gaps, uncertainties and data limitations" within the Environmental Impact Statement submitted by the energy company for the $1 billion-plus Narrabri project.

Among those gaps is the question of just how much wastewater the planned 850 CSG wells will extract and the wider impact on groundwater. The experts had "low confidence in the water balance modelling" provided by Santos.

"Contingency actions are not provided to address the possibility of excess water storage if other beneficial reuse options [such as for irrigation] are not available," the panel's report said.
Johnny and Aviana play in her bedroom on her birthday in Darwin. Credit:Louise Kennerley When Aviana was three months old she was diagnosed with spinal muscular atrophy type 1 (SMA1), the biggest genetic killer of infants. Every year in Australia roughly 30 babies are born with SMA, triggered by a mutation on their fifth chromosome that interrupts the production of a particular protein critical for muscle development. Infants with SMA1 deteriorate rapidly, unable to crawl, roll over or turn their heads. Eventually they lose the ability to swallow and breathe. For decades, parents with SMA1 babies were told to go home and love their children until they died. The average lifespan for a baby with SMA1 is nine months. But over the past few months, Bethan and Johnny have allowed themselves to feel a cautious kind of optimism.

Aviana is not wasting away. She's growing stronger. "We've always said we'll keep fighting, but at the same time we didn't want to have false hope and then have that all come crashing down," Bethan says. "Then a few months ago, we were like, 'I think she's going to be fine. She's going to make it to her first birthday!"' Aviana is in uncharted territory. She was the first baby in Australia and the ninth in the world to be treated at no cost with Nusinersen (Spinraza), a new treatment for SMA1, outside of a clinical trial through an extended access program (EAP). This antisense drug interferes with the mutation's effect on motor neurones, boosting the level of SMN protein in the central nervous system.

"We know it's not a cure, but this drug is working for our daughter," Bethan says. "She's smashing it, and there is no doubt in our minds that this drug is keeping her alive. "We don't know how much longer we'll have her. But whatever it is, we'll take it." Aviana's birthday Bethan has decorated the void deck at their home in one of Darwin's northern suburbs with a magical menagerie of giant novelty balloon animals. Two giant unicorn heads flank the pool table.

The total cost of the party supplies is a wobbly figure, rising and falling depending on whether Johnny is in earshot. "We might've gone a bit overboard," Bethan laughs. A friend's mother has driven the 300 kilometres from Katherine with a two-tiered unicorn cake in the back of her car. Johnny's mates bring a mobile brewery fitted to a trailer and a frozen margarita machine. All up, about 100 people come to celebrate much more than a birthday. Bethan McElwee and her husband Johnny with Aviana and their niece at Aviana's first birthday party at their home in Darwin. Credit:Louise Kennerley

"Since the diagnosis it was horrible telling everyone the devastating news," Bethan says. "To be able to give them some hope now and show them she's doing really well ... it is just so special to see friends and family all so overjoyed for her and for us. "I don't think any other birthday will be able to compare." A lively brood of babies crawl and waddle about on chubby little limbs, knocking into each other and vying for toys. They are able to move in a way Aviana can't, developing at a rate she can't match.

But her remarkable progress is undeniable  she waves her hands in greeting, kicks her legs when she is excited, has a pincer-grip on her unicorn wand, and shakes her head from side to side in answer to every question. "The natural course of a child [with SMA1] is certainly not this," Johnny says. Many children with SMA aren't so lucky. Bethan McElwee holds Aviana as she inspects her birthday decorations. Credit:Louise Kennerley Political backing

As Bethan and Johnny celebrate, they are also preparing to join other families at a landmark event in Canberra to urge politicians to radically change Australia's approach to SMA. SMA1 babies can access the treatment via drug manufacturer Biogen at no cost, but children with other SMA subtypes can't access the unapproved drug. The cost of the drug in the US is roughly US125,000 per dose, and between $US650,000 (AU$850,000) and $750,000 ($A976,000) for one course of treatment  five to six doses over the first year. "We're riddled with guilt on a daily basis because we're getting a chance of life for Aviana with this treatment that many other families have missed out on," Bethan tells the gathering of SMA families, politicians and their staffers at Parliament House in early August, as Aviana gurgles in Johnny's arms at the back of the room. Spearheaded by support and awareness group SMA Australia, families, SMA clinicians and researchers have three demands: Subsidise preconception carrier screening so would-be parents can find out if they are at risk of having a baby with SMA;

Add SMA to the newborn screening program so the condition can be detected at birth;

List Nusinersen on the PBS so all families can access the treatment.

SMA Australia chief executive Julie Cini has devoted her life to supporting families of children with SMA since her daughters, Montana and Zarlee, died of SMA1 aged 10 and 12 months respectively over a decade ago. "My biggest concern is to make sure the government knows what SMA is, because they really can do what needs to be done to make sure other families don't go through what I did," she said. "We'll keep fighting until there is change in Australia for SMA." Jonathan McElwee and Bethan McElwee with their one-year-old daughter Aviana, who visited Parliament House in Canberra for a Spinal Muscular Atrophy Australia event on August 16, 2017. Credit:Alex Ellinghausen It's an exciting new era for SMA advancements, says Michelle Farrar, a paediatric neurologist at Sydney Children's Hospital.

Several clinical trials have shown nusinersen combats the effects of the condition. "Infants may live substantially longer with treatment, and may have improvement in function and independence," Farrar says. Few children have been on the drug for over two years, and uncertainties remain as to its long-term effects. "[But] we can now imagine a future with the first therapies of SMA emerging, and huge implications for clinical care and research," she adds. Nusinersen has now been approved in Japan and Canada as well as the European Union and the US.

The Therapeutics Goods Administration is currently considering an application from Biogen to approve or reject registration for the drug. SMA advocates hope a PBS listing will follow, with political backing. The earliest the drug could be listed is April 2018. "Having the drug on the PBS for every child with SMA would give everyone that little bit more of a chance ... a little bit more time to be a parent, which is a pretty amazing thing," Johnny says. 'I do daydream about what could be,' Bethan says. "The thought that Aviana might still be here and maybe not start school, but maybe preschool  and use an electronic wheelchair to move herself around  it's just an amazing feeling for me."

It is easy to focus on the positives, Bethan says. "Until unexpectedly, it's not." "I saw a little girl about five years old wobbling about on her bike down the footpath and I started crying because I imagine Avi at five. "But there's no point getting upset. That's no life for her or for us. She wouldn't want us to be upset." Rob Tait is the paediatrician who first told Bethan and Johnny their baby had SMA. "I certainly didn't see her making it to 12 months old," he says. "But a week after Aviana's first birthday, we spotted Bethan at the horse races.

"I watched Bethan lift Aviana out of her pram and hold her on her hip. "She was reaching out with her arms, she was showing muscle strength that I never thought she would have. It was such an incredible moment." The paediatrician has seen the corrosive effects a child's terminal illness can have on parents' once strong and tender bonds. "The uncompromising love and strength those two have for each other has been phenomenal to watch. They build up each other and I am in awe of them. It's something you can't assume," Tait says. Taking in the sunsets

When yearly birthdays are a precarious possibility, every month is a celebration. And so every month since Aviana was born, the three McElwees make their way to Dripstone Cliffs overlooking Casuarina beach to watch the sunset. "We have these monthly stickers we give her and we have a couple of beers or wine and cheese and crackers and we say 'Happy Month Birthday!'," Bethan says. Bethan and Johhny McElwee watch the sun set at Dripstone Cliffs in Darwin on Aviana's first birthday. Credit:Louise Kennerley The sunset on Aviana's first birthday was a stunner. The dregs of the day are so often a forlorn omen. Not for the McElwees. "People probably think we are sad a lot of the time but we're kind of really not, it does the opposite," Bethan says.

"If you have a family member with a terminal condition  you just kind of try to live life happily and appreciate all the time with them rather than mope about and be sad." "In a way we're lucky we know we're on the clock, and we appreciate the time we have with her," Johnny says. "A lot of families with SMA don't get that. We've met parents who get the diagnosis in the morning and by the afternoon they're in the ICU." Newborn screening Timely diagnosis is critical, not only to allow families to process their new reality, but to achieve better outcomes with treatment.

Nusinersen is most beneficial when started early, before symptoms emerge, Farrar says. It's why SMA advocates are pushing for the condition to be added to the newborn screening program, the heel-prick test all newborn babies undergo. It has been over 15 years since a condition was added to the newborn bloodspot screening program. But a national framework for newborn screening is currently being considered by the federal government's Standing Committee on Screening (SCoS). The new framework is expected to be approved by the end of 2017, a spokeswoman for the Department of Health says. SMA Advocates are hopeful SMA will be added to the heel-prick test once the framework is in place. 'I don't know why, darling'

There is relief in knowing Aviana is too young to know she is sick. But the older she gets, the closer she comes to that realisation. "I do get a bit panicky when I think about what to tell her, when, and how much," Bethan says. "I don't know if that will ever be appropriate, to tell her she'll have a shorter life, but I do want her to know that she has been born with this condition and it's not fair. "If she asks me why [she has SMA], I just think I would say to her: I don't know why, darling, I don't know why you have it. I wish you didn't but you do, and we're doing our best and you can still have a great life. "I imagine myself talking to her a bit more openly and honestly rather than filling her head with stories," she says.

Bethan McElwee with Aviana at their home in Darwin. Credit:Louise Kennerley Johnny's content to let Aviana take the lead. "Aviana has taught us how to be parents so far, so she'll just teach us how to do the rest as well ... we've just got to ride with it," he said. "And having Aviana for longer, we wouldn't change it for the world." But the McElwees are adamant: no parent should be blindsided by the diagnosis as they were. Reproductive choice

Roughly one in 40 people carry the SMA mutation. If both would-be parents are carriers, they have a one in four chance of having a baby with SMA. The American College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists recently recommended obstetricians, gynaecologists and other related healthcare providers offer pre-pregnancy carrier screening for genetic diseases to all patients. "Amongst the heartbreak and devastation of SMA, I am saddest when parents tell me about how they prepared for a healthy child, had all the tests, didn't drink, didn't smoke and didn't know about preconception carrier screening," Farrar says. It is important to at least give parents the option to get tested, so they can make informed reproductive choices, she says. Parents may opt to undergo IVF to select an unaffected embryo.

Carrier testing for SMA and other rare genetic conditions costs between $350 and $1000. The tests are not routinely offered and few parents are aware of the conditions, let alone the tests. "There is very little awareness around this kind of testing, and for lots of couples the amount of money they would need to fork out is a real challenge," says professor Monique Ryan, director of the department of neurology at the Royal Children's Hospital, Melbourne. Advocates want the Australian government to consider subsidised population-based screening that would encompass a range of conditions. "It would be expensive," Ryan says, "but the reality is we are only going to see more expensive drugs like nusinersen emerging for a range of conditions. "The government will need to come to grips with the fact that it could be more cost-effective to fund carrier screening to prevent these conditions, rather than fund the drugs."

Professor Nigel Laing, laboratory head of Neurogenetic disease at the Harry Perkins Institute of Medical Research, says Australia needs to do the legwork to find out if population-based preconception carrier screening would be cost-effective. "At this stage we really don't know because the research hasn't been done," he says. Laing points to the pan-ethnic screening program in Israel, which tests for almost 100 recessive diseases among more than 60,000 people every year. "It's about giving people reproductive choice," he says. On the wall above Aviana's change table is a postcard-sized multi-coloured piece of graffiti art. On closer inspection, the text reads 'F---face'.
Making tax-deductible superannuation contributions has long been a way to reduce capital gains tax in certain circumstances. A classic example is a retired couple aged 64 who sell property or shares that trigger a capital gain of $100,000, which reduces to $50,000 after application of the 50 per cent discount. By making a deductible contribution of $25,000 each to super, they can wipe out the capital gain.

I used the example of a couple aged 64 because you cannot contribute to super past the age of 65, unless you can pass the work test, which involves working 40 hours in 30 consecutive days in the financial year you make the contribution. I also used a retired couple because, until very recently, a person could not make a tax-deductible contribution if an employer was paying superannuation for them. Given that employer super is mandatory for most workers, this ruled out anybody who was working.

Superannuation contributions can be used to reduce your capital gains tax liability. Credit:Jessica Shapiro

It was an illogical regulation because anybody who wanted to make contributions in pre-tax dollars could simply enter into a salary-sacrifice arrangement with the boss.

But the playing field was levelled when the rules were changed on July 1, 2017. Now the restriction has been lifted and anybody who qualifies under the age limits can make total deductible contributions up to the limit of $25,000 a year (which includes any employer contributions made on their behalf).
A fire has ripped through about 350 hectares of bush in a national park at Kurnell in Sydney's south, with 100 rural firefighters working to bring it under control.

The bushfire broke out in the historic Kamay Botany Bay National Park on the Kurnell Peninsula just after 5pm on Sunday.

Authorities are investigating whether the fire, which was not part of a hazard reduction burn, was deliberately lit.

The blaze burnt throughout the night in an area near the Caltex oil refinery and the Sydney Desalination Plant with reports of fresh fires breaking out on Monday morning.
A Brisbane company specialising in equipment to counter improvised explosive devices has launched a product that can disable and control drones entering defined air spaces in a bid to increase public safety.

EPE Australia managing director Warwick Penrose told industry leaders at the World of Drones Congress in Brisbane on Friday that aerial drones were being used by criminal organisations to conduct counter-surveillance on authorities.

We are seeing criminal activity using drones now for surveillance assets for law enforcement, he said.

The bad guys are using drone technology to look at what we are doing and how we are doing it to try and avoid capture.
Just hours before a 31-year-old motorcyclist was thrown from his bike to a "nightmare" death in the Brisbane River, he shared his twin fears of drowning and falling from a great height, his sister says.

Dean Jagger was riding through the Brisbane CBD about 10.20pm on Saturday when he lost control on the ramp to the waterside Coronation Drive, crashing into the barrier and flying into the river.

Dean Jagger died when he was thrown from his motorbike into the Brisbane River.

His grief-stricken sister Tracy took to Facebook on Sunday to post a series of tributes to her brother and lash out at the pub where she said he had been drinking and lost about $2000 on poker machines before the crash.

He was telling Rolf last night how drowning would be the worst way to die, she wrote on Facebook.
Horror films and septic toilets were among a range of topics discussed at the first state-wide Parents & Citizens assembly in 1947, according to the meetings minutes.

P&C Queensland, originally named Queensland Council of State School Organisations, was formed to command recognition from the state government, according to the minutes from the meeting at Empire Chambers on Wharf Street on Wednesday, November 12, 1947.

Minutes taken from the first P&C Queensland meeting.

President F.A. Larkin told the committee the formation of a state body was "long overdue".

In the past, each body had gone its own way and consequently had received very little encouragement from the government in its efforts to better conditions for the school children of Queensland, he said.
Then one of Australias largest-ever warships, the HMAS Sydney moored at Brisbanes Queen's Wharf, in the days before the Story Bridge and the Riverside Expressway restricted big ships coming up river.

Brisbanes original Queen's Wharf was below William Street, almost opposite South Bank Parklands.

Before the Story Bridge was built big warships would berth at Queens Wharf, which was opposite South Bank Parklands.This is this famous WWI warship, the HMAS Sydney at Queens Wharf in 1924. Credit:State Library of Queensland.

Queen's Wharf is the site of the new casino and resort development at the Parliament House end of the city, but it used to live up to its name.

King's Wharf, as it was known, began operations about 1824 and was the sole port facility for the Moreton Bay penal settlement.
Thousands of runners were up early to pound the pavement past some of Canberra's most iconic landmarks on Sunday.

More than 4000 participants traded their weekend sleep-in to run, jog, dance and walk their way through 14km, 10km and 5km courses in this year's The Canberra Times Fun Run.

14km Start at The Canberra Times Fun Run. Credit:Jamila Toderas

Competitors braved light rain and a brooding sky heavy with dark clouds before the sun peeked through as the runners - some jubilant, some spent - crossed the finish line to grab their medal.

Oxley teenager Joshua Torley spent much of the race in front and took line-honours in the 14-kilometre course with a time of 43 minutes and 15 seconds.
"The fact that I'm probably one of the most prominent South Australian members of parliament means you're all salivating at the prospect," the Defence Industry Minister told the ABC's Insiders program.

And the most likely target for that switch would be Boothby, held by fellow Liberal newcomer, and conservative MP, Nicolle Flint.

Christopher Pyne has suggested he would swap seats if an electoral redistribution made his seat of Sturt more marginal. Credit:Joe Armao

The comments raise the prospect of a tense internal preselection contest within the Liberal Party if the moderate Mr Pyne  a 24-year parliamentary veteran  believes challenging a sitting colleague is his only chance of staying in politics.

Christopher Pyne has suggested his high profile has unreasonably fuelled media speculation that his seat of Sturt will be abolished in a redistribution, but hinted he would switch seats even if Sturt is retained but is rendered more marginal by boundary changes.

"But I'm sure that Labor and the Nick Xenophon Team would quite like to see my seat merged. All the speculation is all very exciting but somewhere, in some seat, will be the people that I represent, where I represented for 24 years and I intend to continue to represent them as long as they keep voting for me."

The leader of the government in the House of Representatives has ruled out a joint Labor/Liberal submission to the Australian Electoral Commission to save his seat by instead abolishing the sole Nick Xenophon Team-held federal electorate of Mayo.

The absorption of Mayo into the remaining electorates is emerging as among the more likely outcomes of the looming boundary charge.

However, even that is expected to have major ramifications, just one of which is that Mr Pyne's seat of Sturt could become more marginal or even unwinnable for the Liberals.

It is the latest headache for the beleaguered Turnbull government, which by virtue of an electoral redistribution of voters and electorates, will go into the next election not merely trailing in the opinion polls, but needing to actually pick up seats just to stay where it is.
Queensland Rail has trained 35 of the 200 new train drivers needed to restore reliability to the timetable.

Philip Strachan's inquiry into the failings at QR that led to mass cancellations in 2016 found there was a shortage of drivers and an over-reliance on overtime to meet an expanded timetable after the opening of the Redcliffe Peninsula Line.

Queensland Rail has 35 of the 200 required new train drivers working on its network. Credit:Tammy Law

Mr Strachan recommended opening driver and guard recruitment to external applicants with no prior rail experience - and hiring 200 new train drivers and 200 new guards - but, in February, the door was only opened to people with prior QR experience.

Fairfax Media can reveal more than 100 trainee drivers and 260 trainee guards have been recruited.
Donald Trump 'does not qualify to get into Jesus' kingdom,' says Rev. Jesse Jackson

Donald Trump is worried about who can enter the United States but civil rights campaigner the Rev. Jesse Jackson thinks he should be more worried about whether he can enter the Kingdom of Heaven.

He made the fiery comments at the 'Ministers March for Justice' organized by another veteran campaigner, the Rev. Al Sharpton.

Under the RAISE (Reforming American Immigration for Strong Employment) Act, potential immigrants will be judged on their English proficiency and work qualifications.

The event brought together numerous ministers who are against the Trump opposition and was held on the 54th anniversary of Martin Luther King Jr.'s March on Washington.

Rev. Jackson said: 'Trump says you must be able to speak the language of English, [be] qualified, and have a job skill,' he said. 'Jesus would not qualify to come in Trump's countryhe would not qualify to get into Jesus' kingdom.'

He kept to the religious rhetoric when he quoted from the Gospel of Matthew and Jesus' teaching on Judgment in which He warns that those who feed and clothe 'the least of these' are feeding and clothing Christ Himself.

'I was hungry you fed me, naked you clothed me, captive and you set me free,' the campaigner said.

Rev. Sharpton said it was 'immoral to try and take health care from your mama because you don't like Obama.'

'It's immoral to try and give a tax cut to the rich while we need infrastructure and jobs,' he said.

Catch Rev. Jackson addressing the march in the video below:
Chancellor of Germany Angela Merkel attends a press conference in the Chancellery in Berlin, Germany on July 05, 2017. Maurizio Gambarini | Anadolu Agency | Getty Images

If pollsters are to be believed, half of all Germans eligible to vote will be glued to their television sets on Sunday evening for the only debate between Chancellor Angela Merkel and her challenger, Martin Schulz. In a campaign that otherwise feels soporific to outsiders, and even to Germans, this "showdown" will pass as a climax. Can Schulz, trailing badly in the polls, land a punch? Will Merkel, comfortably ahead, seem robotic or defensive in parrying his blows? These questions are fun, and we will soon have answers. But they distract from a bigger point: Germany should not have such debates at all, for they are, like so many things in Germany, an American import that does not fit into Germany's culture of democracy, which is very different from America's. More from Handelsblatt Global: Merkel Warms Up for TV Debate Merkel, Uncut Still on Vacation? Job Opening: Leader of the Free World The debate format that is indigenous to German democracy is the so-called "elephant round". In such a gathering the leaders ("elephants") of all the political parties in the Bundestag converge around a table for a discussion that, in practice, is more chaotic, less scripted and vastly more revealing and informative than any US-style debate. During the 1970s and 80s, these rounds were major political spectacles on television. They had no time limits; one, in 1976, went on for four hours! Smoke billowed around the dueling peacocks, especially when Helmut Schmidt, a chain smoker, was involved. Small parties were heard just as much as large parties, as all sides auditioned for the voters' favors based on their manifestos and ideas and armed only with their wit.

SPD leader Martin Schulz (L) and Chancellor Angela Merkel Michele Tantussi | Getty Images

This style fits German democracy because Germans do not elect their chancellor directly, as Americans do (via an electoral college that nowadays only amplifies the often close results in each state). On their ballots, Germans tick two boxes: In the first, they choose a representative for their own district, rather as Brits and Americans do. In the second and more important box, they choose a party. These second votes determine how the various parties will be represented in proportion to one another in parliament. The purpose of this system was and is to favor ideas over personalities and coalition bargaining and compromise over all-or-nothing swings between rival ideologies. Simultaneously, however, Germans have always been fascinated by the more blustering and theatrical American style of democracy. Those Germans with television sets in 1960 were as rapt as Americans by a badly shaven and shifty Richard Nixon, wilting beside a tan and youthful John Kennedy. They cringed when George H.W. Bush checked his watch on stage; winced as Al Gore puffed his beefy frame behind Bush junior; and almost fainted as Trump did to Hillary Clinton whatever one calls that sort of thing. What drama. If German elephant rounds evoked the smoky, intellectual and very European air of Madame de Stael's salons, American presidential debates had the atavistic appeal of the O.K. Corral.

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People watch a television display at a train station in Seoul on September 3, 2017 showing a news broadcast about North Korea's latest possible nuclear test.

North Korea said on state television on Sunday afternoon that it successfully carried out a test of a hydrogen bomb intended to be carried by an intercontinental ballistic missile.

"North Korea's supreme dear leader signed the order to test hydrogen bomb to be fitted to the ICBM and accordingly North Korea has tested a hydrogen bomb at noon on Sept. 3rd (North Korea time) and succeeded totally," a female newscaster said on the KCNA televised announcement, according to an NBC News translation.

A hydrogen bomb is much more powerful than the simpler types of atomic weapons tested by North Korea five times previously, or the bombs dropped on Japan during World War II. H-bombs are also harder to develop.

The test, which the North said was a "perfect success," produced a greater yield than previous tests, with no adverse impact on the environment, North Korea's news agency KCNA said in a statement.

The bomb was "of unprecedentedly big power," and marked a "very significant occasion" toward a final goal of becoming a nuclear state, the full text of the announcement said.

On Sunday, President Donald Trump condemned North Korea's latest weapons test, saying the nation's actions were very "hostile and dangerous" to the United States, and an embarrassment to China.

North Korea's announcement followed reports of as many as two tremors in the rogue state at around noon local time, which officials in South Korea and Japan had said appeared to be the country's sixth nuclear test.

Norway-based geoscience research foundation Norsar, which works to verify compliance with the Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban Treaty, said on Sunday that the underground nuclear test on Sunday was estimated to have an explosive yield of 120 kilotons, compared with the estimated 15 kiloton yield of the nuclear bomb dropped on Hiroshima in 1945.
The North Korean agency responsible for developing nuclear weapons released a statement on Sunday afternoon local time describing its alleged test of a hydrogen bomb.

The awkwardly phrased statement from the country's Nuclear Weapons Institute claims North Korea "successfully carried out a test of H-bomb for ICBM in the northern nuclear test ground of the DPRK at 12:00 on September 3." The announcement was obtained by NBC News.

A hydrogen bomb is much more powerful than the simpler types of atomic weapons tested by North Korea five times previously, or the bombs dropped on Japan during World War II. H-bombs are also harder to develop.

The repeated use of the word "Juche" in the second half of the statement is a reference to quasi-religious, official state ideology in North Korea.

Juche ideology places North Korean founder Kim Il-sung  the grandfather of current, 33-year-old dictator Kim Jong-un  at its center as godlike figure. The word translates roughly as"self-reliance."

Pyongyang, September 3 (KCNA) -- The Nuclear Weapons Institute of the DPRK gave the following statement in connection with the perfect success in the test of a hydrogen bomb for ICBM:

Scientists in the nuclear field of the DPRK successfully carried out a test of H-bomb for ICBM in the northern nuclear test ground of the DPRK at 12:00 on September 3, true to the Workers' Party of Korea's plan for building a strategic nuclear force.

The H-bomb test was carried out to examine and confirm the accuracy and credibility of the power control technology and internal structural design newly introduced into manufacturing H-bomb to be placed at the payload of the ICBM.

The result of the experimental measurements showed that the power specifications of nuclear warhead including total explosion power and fission to fusion power rate and all other physical specifications reflecting the qualitative level of two-stage thermo-nuclear weapon fully complied with design figures. It was also confirmed that even though the recent test was carried out with the bomb of unprecedentedly big power, there were neither emission through ground surface nor leakage of radioactive materials nor did it have any adverse impact on the surrounding ecological environment.

The test re-confirmed the precision of the compression technology of the first system of the H-bomb and the fission chain reaction start control technology and proved once again that the nuclear material utility rate in the first system and the second system reached the levels reflected in the design.

Symmetrical compression of nuclear charge, its fission detonation and high-temperature nuclear fusion ignition, and the ensuing rapidly boosting fission-fusion reactions, which are key technologies for enhancing the nuclear fusion power of the second-system of the H-bomb, were confirmed to have been realized on a high level. This helped prove that the directional combination structure and multi-layer radiation explosion-proof structural design of the first system and the second system used for the manufacture of the H-bomb were very accurate and the light thermal radiation-resisting materials and neutron-resisting materials were rationally selected.

The test helped draw the conclusion that the Korean-style analytic method and calculation programs for the complicated physical processes occurring in the first and second systems were put on the high level and that the engineering structure of the H-bomb as a nuclear warhead designed on the Juche basis including the structure of the nuclear charge of the second system was creditable.

The test once again confirmed the reliability of the concentration-type nuke detonation control system fully verified through a nuclear warhead detonation test and test-launches of various ballistic rockets.

The perfect success in the test of the H-bomb for ICBM clearly proved that the Juche-based nukes of the DPRK have been put on a highly precise basis, the creditability of the operation of the nuclear warhead is fully guaranteed and the design and production technology of nuclear weapons of the DPRK has been put on a high level to adjust its destructive power in consideration of the targets and purposes. It also marked a very significant occasion in attaining the final goal of completing the state nuclear force.

The Central Committee the WPK extended warm congratulations to the scientists and technicians in the nuclear field in the northern nuclear test ground on their successful H-bomb test for ICBM.
North Korea's biggest nuclear test to date was condemned around the world on Sunday, with several leaders calling for new sanctions and U.S. President Donald Trump saying "appeasement" would not work.

The explosion of what North Korea said was an advanced hydrogen bomb came just days after it fired a missile over Japan.

Trump, who said after last week's missile launch that talking to Pyongyang "is not the answer", tweeted that Sunday's test showed North Korea's "words and actions continue to be very hostile and dangerous to the United States".

U.S. Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin said he would put together new sanctions to potentially cut off all North Korea's global trade.

German Chancellor Angela Merkel and French President Emmanuel Macron said they planned to tighten European Union sanctions.

"This latest provocation by the ruler in Pyongyang has reached a new dimension," the German government said in a statement after Merkel and Macron discussed the issue by phone.

Britain's foreign minister Boris Johnson said: "They (North Korea) seem to be moving closer towards a hydrogen bomb which, if fitted to a successful missile, would unquestionably present a new order of threat," adding that there were no palatable military solutions.

British Prime Minister Theresa May said the U.N. Security Council should urgently look at new measures.

Russia struck a cautious tone.

"In the emerging conditions it is absolutely essential to keep cool, refrain from any actions that could lead to a further escalation of tensions," Russia's foreign ministry said, adding that North Korea risked "serious consequences".

Later on Sunday, Russian President Vladimir Putin met his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping in China where they agreed to "appropriately deal with" the crisis, Chinese state news agency Xinhua said.

"The two leaders agreed to stick to the goal of denuclearization on the Korean Peninsula and keep close communication and coordination to deal with the new situation," Xinhua said.

Earlier, China urged North Korea to stop "wrong" actions and said it would fully enforce U.N. resolutions on the country.

As North Korea's most important trading partner, the position of China - a permanent member of the U.N. Security Council  will be closely watched. A Japanese government source said there would be pressure on Beijing to impose an oil embargo.

"They will probably act eventually but ... it is possible that will not be before their October (party) convention," the source said. "Russia does not have real influence on North Korea. It's China that matters."

Trump said North Korea had become "a great threat and embarrassment to China" and that Beijing had tried but failed to solve the problem. What he called South Korea's "talk of appeasement" would not work as "they (the North Koreans) only understand one thing!"

The International Atomic Energy Agency, which has no access to North Korea, called the nuclear test, Pyongyang's sixth since 2006, "an extremely regrettable act" that was "in complete disregard of the repeated demands of the international community".
President Donald Trump and former President Barack Obama talk on the East steps of the US Capitol after inauguration ceremonies on January 20, 2017, in Washington, DC.

On Sunday, CNN exclusively reported on the contents ofa handwritten letter former president Barack Obama addressed to Donald Trump prior to leaving the Oval Office. In a tradition carried out by at least three prior presidents, CNN reports, Obama wrote a letter to Trump, reflecting on his eight years as president and detailing four points of advice. Obama congratulated the newly elected President Trump on his new job and reminded him that "millions have placed their hopes" in him. Trump himself called the note a "beautiful letter" during a press conference two days after receiving it. It was just over twice as long as those written by three previous presidents' letters, according to an analysis by CNBC. (We counted! See this doc.) "This is a unique office, without a clear blueprint for success, so I don't know that any advice from me will be particularly helpful," Obama wrote. "Still, let me offer a few reflections from the past 8 years." Here are Obama's four points of advice to Trump ahead of his new job.

Build more ladders of success

In his first point, Obama says that, unlike himself and Trump, not everyone has been blessed with good fortune. Ladders of opportunity tweet "It's up to us to do everything we can (to) build more ladders of success for every child and family that's willing to work hard," Obama writes. That resonated with core policy goals articulated by the former Illinois U.S. senator. Obama spent much of his tenure emphasizing the creation of more economic opportunities for the middle class.

Sustain the international order

Obama stated that American wealth and safety depend on maintaining the "international order that's expanded steadily since the end of the Cold War." He added: "American leadership in this world really is indispensable." Obama also wrote that that it's up to the American president to maintain U.S. leadership "through action and example."

Leave the 'instruments of our democracy at least as strong as we found them'

Obama notes that, as president, Trump became a guardian of protecting basic and constitutional rights upon which the U.S. prides itself. Examples Obama gave included the rule of law, separation of powers, equal protection and civil liberties. Obama constitution tweet "We are just temporary occupants of this office," Obama reminds Trump. "Regardless of the push and pull of daily politics, it's up to us to leave those instruments of our democracy at least as strong as we found them."

Take time for friends and family
President Donald Trump on Sunday condemned North Korea's latest weapons test, saying the nation's actions were very "hostile and dangerous" to the United States and later responded to a suggestion of an imminent military attack by telling a reporter: "We'll see."

Early Sunday, the regime led by Kim Jong Un claimed on state television that it had successfully conducted a test of a hydrogen bomb that could be carried by an intercontinental ballistic missile. Though that claim was not immediately verified by U.S. authorities, seismic activity within North Korea suggested a large detonation consistent with a nuclear test.

"North Korea's supreme dear leader signed the order to test hydrogen bomb to be fitted to the ICBM and accordingly North Korea has tested a hydrogen bomb at noon on Sept. 3rd (North Korea time) and succeeded totally," a female newscaster said on the KCNA televised announcement. The country called the test a "perfect success."

Responding on Twitter, Trump called the country "a rogue nation which has become a great threat and embarrassment to China, which is trying to help but with little success." Later in the day, the president was asked by a White House pool reporter whether he'd launch an immediate strike against North Korea, and responded by saying: "We'll see."

Acosta

In the past, the president has attempted to leverage the U.S.-China relationship to rein in North Korea. The two countries share an 870-mile border, and trade between North Korea and China has surged by nearly 38 percent in the last year  even as the crisis has gathered momentum and Pyongyang has become increasingly bellicose.

..North Korea is a rogue nation which has become a great threat and embarrassment to China, which is trying to help but with little success.

Via Twitter, the president later said that one measure under consideration may include the U.S. "stopping all trade with any country doing business with North Korea"  which would presumably include China, the world's 2nd largest economy.

China on Sunday also lashed out at North Korea, with its foreign ministry issuing a statement of "strong condemnation" and urging the country to "stop taking mistaken actions which worsen the situation," the AFP reported.



The White House said in a statement that Trump's national security team "is monitoring this closely," and would meet with the president later on Sunday to discuss the latest developments. During an appearance on "Fox News Sunday," Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin said he'd draft a new package of North Korean sanctions for Trump's consideration.
President Donald Trump took to Twitter on Sunday to say the U.S. is considering slapping a trade embargo on countries that currently do business with North Korea.

So as the world grapples with its Herculean effort to mitigate Pyongyang's threat, exactly how much is at stake?

TWEET: The United States is considering, in addition to other options, stopping all trade with any country doing business with North Korea.

To be sure, North Korea has a small impact on world trade flows, ranking as the 119th largest export economy in the world, according to MIT's Observatory of Economic Complexity. The communist nation exports just shy of $3 billion worth of goods per year, which include items like coal, petroleum and retail. The country relies heavily on imports totaling nearly $3.5 billion, MIT data show.

However, a few large economies do business with both the U.S. and North Korea. Among these countries are India, Russia, and Pakistan, all of which have strong bilateral ties to the U.S. Most importantly China, North Korea's largest trading partner, looms large in any retaliatory effort. In 2015, China accounted for approximately 85 percent of North Korea's overall trade volume, according to data from the United Nations Comtrade database.

In fact, China, India and Pakistan are North Korea's top three export destinations, MIT figures state, while the Chinese, Indians, Russians and Thais are North Korea's top importers.

Meanwhile, there's little doubt America itself could sustain a substantial economic hit. China is also one of the U.S.' largest trading partners. In 2016, the U.S. imported $462.62 billion in Chinese goods and exported $115.6 billion in goods to China, according to the International Trade Administration  an imbalance Trump has vowed to rectify one way or another.
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Ltd., Codian Robotics, Codian Robotics B.V., Codian Robotics of the Americas, Combustion Engineering Inc., Cylon Controls, Cylon Controls Limited, Cylon Energy Inc., DynaMotive Ltd., ELBI Elektrik, Edison Holding Corporation, Enervalis NV, Envitech Energy, Epyon, GE Industrial Solutions, Gomtec, Gresin Grupo Estudios Industriales, IMV Invertomatic Victron UK Limited, In-Charge Energy, Industrial C&S Hungary Kft., Industrial C&S of P.R. LLC, Industrial Connections & Solutions LLC, Industrial Connections of SA Pty. Ltd., Intrimmo BVBA, Jinan ABB SRI Rail Transit Equipment Technology Co. Ltd., Jordan Acquisition Group, KEYMILE - Business, Kaufel S.A., Kuhlman Electric Corp., Lineage Overseas LLC, Lineage Power (Argentina) S.R.L., Lineage Power (Luxembourg) S.A.R.L., Lineage Power China Co. Ltd., Lineage Power Holdings Inc., Lineage Power Matamoros S.A. de C.V., Lorentzen & Wettre, Los Gatos Research, Mincom, NUB3D S.L., Newave Energy Holding, Newron System, PT ABB Sakti Industri, Pinghu Zhuangbest Technology Development Co. Ltd., Power-One, Powercorp, Powertel India Pvt. Ltd., RGM - Rail vehicle power business, RMI Automation Co. Ltd., SVIA, SWISS TURBOCHARGERS SA DE CV, Saudi Industrial Solutions Ltd., Shanghai Zhuangbest Technology Development Co. Ltd., Shantou Winride Switchgear Co. Ltd., Sirius Holdings B.V., Smart Power Technology Co. Ltd., Spirit IT, Swissturbo (Shanghai) Investment Limited, SynerLeap powered by ABB AB, TURBO SYSTEMS AUSTRALIA PTY LTD, TURBO SYSTEMS ITALY S.P.A., TURBO SYSTEMS RUS LLC, TURBO-SUPERIOR SYSTEMS INDIA PRIVATE LIMITED, TURBOCHARGING GREECE SINGLE MEMBER SA, Thomas & Betts, Thomas & Betts Saudi Arabia Limited Liability Co., Trasfor, Tropos Networks, Turbo Systems Argentina S.A., Turbo Systems Canada Inc, Turbo Systems Colombia SAS, Turbo Systems Dominican Republic SRL, Turbo Systems Finland Oy, Turbo Systems Germany GmbH, Turbo Systems Holding Ltd, Turbo Systems Iberia S.L., Turbo Systems Korea Ltd., Turbo Systems Myanmar Limited, Turbo Systems Pakistan (Private) Limited, Turbo Systems South East Asia Pte. Ltd., Turbo Systems Switzerland Ltd, Turbo Systems The Netherlands B.V., Turbo Systems Turkey Muhendislik Makine Sanayi Ve TicaretAnonim Sirketi, Turbo Systems US Inc., Turbo Systems United Co. Ltd., Turbo Systems Verwaltungs Ltd, Turbocharging Bangladesh Limited, Turbocharging Brasil Ltda., Turbocharging Systems Co. Ltd., Turbocharging Systems France SAS, Turbocharging UK Limited, Turbosystems Nigeria Limited LTD, Validus DC Systems, Vectek Electronics, Ventyx, Verdi Holding Corporation, W.J. Furse & Co. Ltd., Yangzhou SAC Switchgear Co. Ltd, and Zhejiang Chargedot New Energy Technology Co. Ltd..

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Ken Bush Jr. will be a great asset to the Onondaga County Legislature. The Onondaga County Veterans Party endorses him and I proudly endorse him. I served in the U.S. Navy and I am a combat Vietnam War veteran, past commander of VFW Post 8122, past commander American Post 1127, current member of Baldwinsville VFW Post 153 and Skaneateles Falls American Legion Post 317. Ken has been a great supporter of veterans and veterans organizations. For over 40 years, Ken has been chair of the Jordan Memorial Day Parade, honoring those who have served and given the ultimate sacrifice. Ken has also been awarded the veterans and community service recognition awards from both the American Legion Post and VFW Post for his dedication and service to those veterans in the community.

As supervisor for the town of Elbridge, Ken created the veterans service coordinator position. This is one of the first in the county. The veterans service coordinator works with the towns veterans to assist with connecting them to the different services available to them throughout the county, state and country. By creating this position, Ken has developed a way for veterans in the town to have more accessibility to the variety of programs afforded to them. Ken has always had the veterans' backs and we should have his back as he goes into the Republican and Conservative primaries on Sept. 12. I encourage all veterans to come out and support Ken Bush Jr. for county legislator.
CONGRESS should pass a law determining the fate of the billions of pesos in public funds stashed away by the Marcos family, President Rodrigo Duterte said Sunday as he confirmed talking with the late dictators eldest daughter, Ilocos Norte Gov. Imee Marcos, about a deal to return the ill-gotten wealth to the government.

Congress must pass a law then provide the steps of how to recover [the money], Duterte said in an early morning interview Sunday. The President cannot [do it] it has to be a law. And the law must come from Congress, not from me.

Congress must authorize it because that is money to be recovered by the government of the Philippines and that was the offer. That was the rationale of the governor when she offered it, he added, referring to Marcos, who was in Davao City for a gathering.

Duterte added that Justice Secretary Vitaliano Aguirre II will be the one to decide if the government would continue to pursue cases against the remaining members of the Marcos family following the negotiations.

If Congress decides to give him the powers to negotiate with the Marcoses, he said he will form a committee consisting of the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas governor, the secretary of Finance, the commissioner of the Bureau of Internal Revenue and the secretary of Justice to proceed with the talks.

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President Rodrigo Duterte

Duterte added that he and the Ilocos Norte governor did not discuss the exact amount that would be returned to the government, but said he was open to the proposal to bring closure to the issue.

In a speech before newly appointed government officials last week, Duterte said the Marcoses told him that the late dictator stashed away billions in government funds to protect the economy and that he had thought of regaining Malacanang after his ouster in 1986.

Marcos, who ruled the country from 1965 to 1986, had amassed a fortune estimated at between $5 billion and $10 billion while in office, or up to 650 times more than his annual salary, based on an estimate by the Supreme Court and source documents provided by the Presidential Commission on Good Government.

In the same interview, Duterte accused the PCGG of doing nothing to recover the remaining ill-gotten wealth as he shot back against suggestions made by former PCGG chairman Ruben Carranza, who led the agency from 2001 to 2005, who said that the government doesnt need to negotiate with the Marcos family since there is already a 2003 Supreme Court ruling that states that the Marcoses legally earned only $300,000 from 1965 to 1986.

Why is Carranza being boastful? There was money which was already returned, but what have you done?

PCGG  just because you recovered a few millions there, you claim youre doing your work? But why did you fail to look into the ones being offered now by Imee? he said in Filipino.

The President said Imee Marcos did not admit that the money was ill-gotten.

Over the last 30 years, the government has recovered at least P170 billion (nearly $3.6 billion) in cash but the total recovery efforts could reach over P200 billion ($4.2 billion), as the PCGG winds up its work to sell the remaining illegally acquired assets in its possession.

The President brushed aside rumors that the offer was a move to aid Ferdinand Marcos Jr.s alleged plan to run for president.

I dont care about that. In five years I will no longer be at the political scene, Duterte said.

Earlier, Aguirre said that a possible compromise agreement with the Marcos family might be sealed in exchange for the return of their so-called ill-gotten wealth.

Aguirre, who exercises administrative supervision over the PCGG, said a compromise agreement would need further study as the deal would have repercussions on the cases filed against them.

He also said the plan of the President to form a new agency to replace the PCGG should be taken into consideration, since it would take another two years to completely wind up its operations as the commission is still holding more than P200 billion in sequestered money and assets.

Former senator Aquilino Pimentel Jr. on Sunday said the return of some of the Marcoses ill-gotten wealth does not mean they will no longer be accountable for the human rights violations committed during the term of the late strongman Ferdinand Marcos.

In an interview on radio dzBB, Pimentel said he was worried that the return of a portion of the amassed wealth may be set as a condition for the Marcoses to be pardoned.

Bill Casas

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China Unicom (Hong Kong) Limited, an investment holding company, provides cellular and fixed-line voice, and related value-added services in the People's Republic of China. It also provides broadband and other Internet-related, information communications technology, and business and data communications services. In addition, the company offers communications technology training, technical, and Internet information and value-added telecommunications services; telecommunications network construction, planning, and technical consulting services; and consultancy, survey, design, and contract services relating to information and construction projects. Further, it provides customer, project design consultation and management, property management, e-payment, venture capital investment, communications technology development and promotion, auto informatisation, financial, data processing, and tourism and information services; advertising design, production, agency, and publication services; technology development, transfer, and consulting services; and technology promotion service of intelligent transportation system's products. Additionally, the company offers technology development and consultation, and other services; technology research and development, consultation, and services of TV video and mobile video; internet of things technology, and online data processing and transaction services; and big data, and cloud computation and infrastructure services. It also provides online video and reading materials; network music; financing leasing services; and data analysis and application services, as well as sells handsets and telecommunication equipment. As of December 31, 2019, it had approximately 254 million 4G subscribers, 83 million fixed-line broadband subscribers, and 54 million fixed-line local access subscribers. The company was incorporated in 2000 and is based in Central, Hong Kong. China Unicom (Hong Kong) Limited is a subsidiary of China Unicom (BVI) Limited.
Ecolab Inc. provides water, hygiene, and infection prevention solutions and services in the United States and internationally. The company operates through Global Industrial, Global Institutional & Specialty, and Global Healthcare & Life Sciences segments. The Global Industrial segment offers water treatment and process applications, and cleaning and sanitizing solutions to manufacturing, food and beverage processing, transportation, chemical, metals and mining, power generation, pulp and paper, commercial laundry, petroleum, refining, and petrochemical industries. The Global Institutional & Specialty segment provides specialized cleaning and sanitizing products to the foodservice, hospitality, lodging, government and education, and retail industries. Its Global Healthcare & Life Sciences segment offers specialized cleaning and sanitizing products to the healthcare, personal care, and pharmaceutical industries, such as infection prevention and surgical solutions, and end-to-end cleaning and contamination control solutions under the Ecolab, Microtek, and Anios brand names. The company's Other segment offers pest elimination services to detect, eliminate, and prevent pests, such as rodents and insects in restaurants, food and beverage processors, educational and healthcare facilities, hotels, quick service restaurant and grocery operations, and other institutional and commercial customers. This segment also provides colloidal silica for binding and polishing applications in semiconductor, catalyst, and aerospace component manufacturing, as well as chemical industries; and products and services that manage wash process through custom designed programs, premium products, dispensing equipment, water and energy management, and reduction, as well as real time data management. It sells its products through field sales and corporate account personnel, distributors, and dealers. The company was founded in 1923 and is headquartered in Saint Paul, Minnesota.
Synchrony Financial, together with its subsidiaries, operates as a consumer financial services company in the United States. It provides credit products, such as credit cards, commercial credit products, and consumer installment loans. The company also offers private label credit cards, dual cards, co-brand and general purpose credit cards, short- and long-term installment loans, and consumer banking products; and deposit products, including certificates of deposit, individual retirement accounts, money market accounts, and savings accounts to retail and commercial customers, as well as accepts deposits through third-party securities brokerage firms. In addition, it provides debt cancellation products to its credit card customers through online, mobile, and direct mail; healthcare payments and financing solutions under the CareCredit, Pets Best, and Walgreens brands; payments and financing solutions in the apparel, specialty retail, outdoor, music, and luxury industries; and point-of-sale consumer financing for audiology products and dental services. The company offers its credit products through programs established with a group of national and regional retailers, local merchants, manufacturers, buying groups, industry associations, and healthcare service providers; and deposit products through various channels, such as digital and print. It serves digital, health and wellness, retail, home, auto, powersports, jewelry, pets, and other industries. Synchrony Financial was founded in 1932 and is headquartered in Stamford, Connecticut.
Ducommun Incorporated provides engineering and manufacturing products and services primarily to the aerospace and defense, industrial, medical, and other industries in the United States. It operates through two segments, Electronic Systems and Structural Systems. The Electronic Systems segment provides cable assemblies and interconnect systems; printed circuit board assemblies; higher-level electronic, electromechanical, and mechanical components and assemblies, as well as lightning diversion systems; and radar enclosures, aircraft avionics racks, shipboard communications and control enclosures, shipboard communications and control enclosures, printed circuit board assemblies, cable assemblies, wire harnesses, interconnect systems, lightning diversion strips, surge suppressors, conformal shields, and other assemblies. It also supplies engineered products, including illuminated pushbutton switches and panels for aviation and test systems; microwave and millimeter switches and filters for radio frequency systems and test instrumentation; and motors and resolvers for motion control. In addition, this segment provides engineering expertise for aerospace system design, development, integration, and testing. The Structural Systems segment designs, engineers, and manufactures contoured aluminum, titanium, and Inconel aero structure components; structural assembly products, such as winglets, engine components, and fuselage structural panels; and metal and composite bonded structures and assemblies comprising aircraft wing spoilers, large fuselage skins, rotor blades on rotary-wing aircraft and components, flight control surfaces, engine components, ammunition handling systems, and magnetic seals. It serves commercial aircraft, military fixed-wing aircraft, military and commercial rotary-wing aircraft, and space programs, as well as industrial, medical, and other end-use markets. The company was founded in 1849 and is headquartered in Santa Ana, California.
In the coming weeks, well hear a lot about Americas debt ceiling, or borrowing limit.

Once again, Congress and the president will wrestle with whether and how to raise the nations borrowing limit and thus avoid Americas first-ever default on our official debt.

Playing games with our government debt  all the bills, notes and bonds issued by the U.S. government to fund operations and pay our bills  has become a great pastime in our nations capital.

Congress succeeded in winning a downgrade in U.S. debt by S&P rating agency when it flirted with default in 2011. Now America no longer boasts a AAA rating, the best there is.

And President Donald Trump recently threatened to shut down government and veto a bill raising the debt ceiling if it doesnt contain (U.S. taxpayer) funds for his border wall with Mexico.

The mere risk of a government default would send stock and financial markets into gyrations, surely not a welcome gift anytime, but particularly not for a nation still struggling to recover fully from the ravages of the 2008 financial crisis and Great Recession.

An actual default would send shock waves through financial markets here and abroad and almost certainly pull the legs out from under our broader economy.

Although some politicians talk glibly about default, stiffing our creditors would put America in the dubious company of countries like Russia, Greece, Argentina, Pakistan, Ukraine, Ivory Coast, Moldova, Uruguay, Nicaragua, and Grenada  all of which have defaulted on their official debt in recent decades, some twice.

And because our economy, financial system and dollar are at the heart of the global economy, a default by America would hit other countries hard. It also would undermine investors trust in our debt, making it harder to raise funds and increasing the cost of the funds we do raise.

How did we get into this situation? And how can we get ourselves out of it?

Because spending authority is vested in the U.S. Congress under the Constitution, Congress must approve all spending by federal agencies and all borrowing necessary to fund U.S. government operations.

Prior to Americas entry into World War I, Congress voted on each issuance of debt as a separate piece of legislation. But in 1917, as large amounts of war bonds were issued, Congress moved to make the process more flexible and efficient by establishing a ceiling on how much debt could be issued before Congress would have to vote again. (Thanks to the nonpartisan Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget for this historical tidbit.)

Total government debt today is $19.85 trillion, or 104 percent of our economy. That figure represents the sum of all federal budget deficits amassed over the years, when weve borrowed to fill the gap between spending and receipts.

With the exception of the closing years of the Clinton administration, when the federal budget was in surplus, and in 1960, when the budget was in rough balance, the federal government has operated in deficit each year since World War II.

The current debt ceiling of $19.86 trillion means the Treasury Department has very little wiggle room until spending hits the ceiling and the government cant pay all bills coming due.

Those bills run the gamut from military salaries and pensions; firefighting costs; Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid payments; to interest on outstanding debt. And that debt is held by pension funds, insurance companies, foreign governments, individual investors in U.S. Treasury savings bonds, and millions of other firms and individuals here and abroad seeking safe investments.

Not paying those bills  as politicians who advocate default effectively support  will do nothing to reduce future spending or reduce fiscal deficits. It will only ruin faith in America as a safe place to invest and hurt those people and firms not being paid.

Its a bit as if a spendthrift couple is saddled with high credit card debts and decides the best way to fix their spending problem is to stop payments.

The math is simple.

The only way to slow the growth in government debt is to run smaller fiscal deficits, i.e., shrink the gap between spending and revenue.

The only way to actually reduce government debt is to run budget surpluses  spend less than we take in and pay down the debt.

Holding the debt ceiling hostage in the push for less spending has become a dangerous game of chicken.

Its time for elected officials in both parties to return to the job of budgeting for our nations future in a responsible manner.

Its called leadership.
Sami Spencer, the CEO of Missoula Bone & Joint, oversees roughly 160 employees at the companys headquarters on Mullan Road in Missoula. She sends out surveys to employees every year, and the feedback she gets is that many people are proud to work there.

Our reputation in the community is a big thing for us, she said.

The company offers four-day workweeks, a great health insurance package, profit-sharing, retirement plans, life insurance and other perks.

We try to make sure the environment is a good one, Spencer explained. We focus on unity and that sense of community and outreach.

"Missoula Bone and Joint is the best employer because they truly care about the members of the company, said employee Stephanie Rowold. They take the time to get to know their employees, communicate frequently and have excellent benefits for their full time staff.

Spencer said that anyone who works 32 hours a week is eligible for full-time benefits.

The providers are compassionate toward both their patients and staff, and there is mutual respect shown across the various departments working together to provide the best patient care," Rowold added. "I feel that everyone genuinely enjoys being at work.

The company hosts various parties and company picnics throughout the year, including a lip-sync battle that the doctors take part in.

There is a formal mentoring program to help employees with career goals as well as work/life balance, said employee Samantha Spencer. They promote from within with many job openings filled by current employees. There are too many to list but suffice it to say that MBJ is a wonderful company that truly cares about their employees. I wouldnt want to work anywhere else!
Many of the 150 employees at Missoula Federal Credit Union say its more than just a place to work.

Its a family, said Brian Fitzgerald. The senior leadership in the company works extremely hard to take care of the employees and create an environment where people succeed and feel great about the work they do. Our teams are empowered to make decisions and help our members succeed.

Jason Kolberg, whos worked there for over 25 years, said hes always been proud of his employer.

Many of our staff have been here for over 20 years which is quite an accomplishment, he said. I enjoy working to meet the mission of the credit union, which is to be a force for good in banking. This is not just a slogan. We really embody that in helping our members every day achieve their goals.

Carrie Schuster said MCFU is like no other place shes worked.

They care about their employees, the members we serve, and the community we live in, she said. The work environment is one where everyones ideas, thoughts and passions are taken into account when implementing new products, services and procedures. I am part of something bigger than myself when I come to work everyday.

Callie Piane said the company offers fun and frequent employee gatherings and giveaways.

On top of some of the best benefits Ive seen at a company, MFCU goes above and beyond to show it values its employees, she said. MFCU is great at making you feel like coming to work everyday is not a chore but instead is an exercise in helping us live our company values and truly be a force for good in banking.

Jessica Dahlen cited the companys promotion of offering Buzz Points to customers who shop at local businesses as proof that they care about the community.

We strive to make Missoula a better place for our members, she said.
BUTTE  Pet boarding in Butte has headed in a whole new direction.

Kirsten Martin recently launched R&R Pet Resort, a luxury boarding facility that offers patrons several ways they can pamper their pooch  or their cat, lizard or bird.

Instead of a kennel, why not offer your furry companion his or her own private room?

Martin said R&R features various accommodations, ranging from small rooms that measure 5 feet by 8 feet to 10x10-foot family suites.

But the private rooms arent just a novelty. Instead, Martin said, the rooms are for the comfort of the animal and can reduce stress and anxiety while their owners are away.

They arent nose-to-nose, said Martin. When theyre in their rest time, they actually get down time  When they eat their meals or their treats, its private for them  its not an eating competition.

But a stay at R&R isnt just about solitude  its also about play.

The facility is equipped with a fenced, private yard where dogs are taken out every hour-and-a-half to every two hours for a 30-minute playtime with an assigned group of like-minded dogs, Martin said. The groups range from senior sweethearts, who just want to sit back, relax and get the occasional pat on the head, to energetic playful pups.

They get a lot of interaction, said Martin. They are not just kenneled.

To group the dogs, Martin said, staff gives each new client a size and behavioral assessment. The assessment involves playing with the dog to see how they interact with staff, passing the dog in front of another dogs room to test their reaction and slowly introducing the animal to a small group of dogs.

If the animal is dog-aggressive, they get individual playtime with staff only. However, the facility does not accept human-aggressive dogs, Martin said.

The yard, meanwhile, is made of dog-safe turf, which is short-enough that the dogs dont eat it, and hearty enough that they cant dig holes.

Martin added that dogs are social animals and can offer each other a unique form of play that their human companions cant quite muster. Humans dont wrestle, she said, and they arent very fast when it comes to a game of chase.

Theres things that dogs can do for other dogs that humans sometimes just cant, said Martin.

Its fun to watch them interact, its pretty entertaining, she added.

In addition to overnight boarding services, R&R offers long-term boarding, daycare, nail trimming and ear flushing, and toys, bedding and bowls for clients who request them.

We provide everything but food and treats, said Martin, noting that staff likes to use the same food dogs eat at home.

Future plans for the facility include grooming services and an indoor playroom where Martin wants to add ramps and a ball pit for days with hot or cold weather.

Martin, a Butte native, recently moved back to the Big Sky State from Idaho, where she lived with her husband.

I wanted to be back  I missed Montana people, Martin said, explaining the move.

Martin, 32, said she got the idea for R&R in Idaho where she boarded her animals in a similar facility. Shes a self-described dog, horse and cat lady, and although she didnt say it, Martin seemed to have a soft spot for R&Rs senior sweethearts.

They like to sunbathe and just hang out and get loved on, she said.
Lexus entered the Indian market in March 2017 with a product portfolio featuring the ES300h, RX450h and the LX450d. Since then, the automaker has opened four guest experience centres in Mumbai, Bengaluru, New Delhi and Gurgaon.

The new strengthened leadership team is headed by Akito Tachibana, Chairman, Lexus India. Akitoshi Takemura in his role as President leads the Lexus India business. Lexus is focussing on strengthening the leadership of core functions to deliver exceptional customer experience.

The new structure enables the brand to harness operational efficiencies for sustainable growth, with Arun Nair moving into the role of Vice President, overseeing Operations.

Lexus India's decision to operate independently in the country will allow the brand to cement its position as a luxury lifestyle brand. The company aims to strengthen its market presence in one of the world's fastest growing economies.

Vice President of Lexus India, Arun Nair said, "The changes we are announcing today will help Lexus ride that momentum to drive further, sustainable growth in India."

Akitoshi Takemura, President, Lexus India said, "India is an extremely important market for Lexus. Today's announcement of a new and independent organizational structure is a signal that we intend to build a business that continues to drive growth not only in India, but with India and for India."

DriveSpark Thinks!

Lexus has announced its restructured organisation to operate independently in India. The brand has already four dealerships or guest experience centres in the country. Now, with the new leadership, the company is planning to strengthen its position as a luxury lifestyle brand.
By Marlene Cimons

Seafood lovers be warned. That delectable slab of seared tuna on your plate soon could become a lot smallerand more scarcethanks to climate change.

As ocean temperatures climb, many species of fishtuna among themlikely will shrink, decreasing in size by as much as 30 percent, according to a new study published in the journal Global Change Biology.

The study confirms the authors previous research, which showed that fish wont be able to get enough oxygen to grow if ocean waters keep heating up. Fish, as cold-blooded animals, cannot regulate their own body temperatures. When ocean waters become warmer, a fishs metabolism accelerates, and it needs more oxygen to sustain its body functions. Fish breathe through gills, organs that extract dissolved oxygen from the water and excrete carbon dioxide.

The problem is that the gills surface area does not grow at the same pace as the rest of the fishs bodyand warm water contains less oxygen than cooler water. If a fish like cod grows 100 precent larger, its gills might only grow by 80 percent or less, according to the study.

Tuna, which are fast-moving and need more oxygen may shrink by as much as 30 percent, researchers said. By contrast, brown trout, which are not as active as tuna, will only decrease in body size by about 18 percent with each degree Celsius of warming.

There is a point where the gills cannot supply enough oxygen for a larger body, so the fish just stops growing larger, said William Cheung, director of science for the Nippon FoundationUniversity of British Columbia Nereus Program and a co-author of the study.

Warmer waters hold less oxygen, causing fish to shrink. Global Change Biology

Daniel Pauly, the studys lead author and a principal investigator with Sea Around Us, a University of British Columbia research initiative, agreed. He emphasized that fish are constrained by their gills in the amount of oxygen they can extract from the water. This constraint manifests itself especially in big fish. With increasing temperatures, fish require more oxygen but get less.

The researchers first posited their principle about warming waters and fish size, which they call gill oxygen-limitation theory, or GOLT, in a 2013 paper published in Nature Climate Change. Their conclusions were challenged by three researchers from Norway and France who claimed their models were based on erroneous assumptions.

Cheung and Pauly responded to the criticism by restating both the principle upon which the 2013 study was built, and by re-computing the effect of warming on shrinkage in more detailed fashion, which increased the shrinkage, Pauly said.

With a drop in maximum body size, potential fisheries production will decrease and that will directly affect the fishing industry, Cheung said. This could result in a loss of potential catch amounting to about 3.4 million metric tons for each degree Celsius of atmospheric warming, he said.

Some parts of the world, such as in the tropics, are going to see even larger decreases, he said. This will have substantial impacts on the availability of fishes for people. Scientists said that fish are already shrinking.

We are already seeing the effects and shrinking of fishes due to warming, Cheung said. For example, colleagues in the UK analyzed long-term data of fish body size in the North Sea and found that fish stocks such as haddock and sole had decreased in maximum body size in the last few decades, and such shrinkage of size was significantly related to ocean warming in that region, even after correcting for the effects of fishing.

Moreover, oxygen-starved fish may truly end up breathless. Pauly noted that oxygen deprivation is already killing fish in the U.S. and around the world. Though, he added, Oxygen scarcity doesnt necessarily kill fish. If it is mild, it will only reduce their growth. This is the reason why fish farmers aerate their ponds on very warm days, when the fish therein are literally gasping.

Oxygen scarcity will affect a multitude of sea creatures, not just smaller fish, but also larger species further up the food chain. They are affected by global warming because their prey are, Pauly said.

Basically, big fish eats small fish, Cheung said. So, changes in body size may alter food web interactions and structure, affecting ecosystem functions and services.

Reposted with permission from our media associate Nexus Media.
Beginning this week, the library kicks off the month-long program A New Way to Library, a series of events that focus on library innovations, community collaboration, as well as MPLs mission and future. This weeks event is listed below. For a complete list of events, visit http://tinyurl.com/newwaytolibrary.

A New Way to Serve: Putting the Public in Public Library

Wednesday, Sept. 6, from 5:30 to 6:30 p.m. in the Large Meeting Room

Featuring Honore Bray, MPL Director, and Joel Baird, MCAT (Missoula Community Access Television) Manager.

Writers Anonymous meets this week

Local writers can receive constructive criticism on their writing and provide feedback for others in a supportive environment during Writers' Anonymous, a writing group sponsored by the library that meets on Tuesday, Sept. 5, from 6 to 8 p.m. in the library's Board Room. This adult writing group meets on the first Tuesday of every month at the library.

World Wide Cinema

Enjoy a screening of a recent foreign film when the library hosts this month's installment of its World Wide Cinema film series, with a film screening on Friday, Sept. 8, at 7 p.m. in the librarys Large Meeting Room.

This month's film is "Amnesia from Switzerland and France, and is in English, German, French and Spanish with English subtitles. It follows the story of Jo, a 25-year old music composer who moves to the Spanish island of Ibiza to be a DJ at the club Amnesia. Soon enough, Jo befriends his neighbor, Martha, who has been trying for 40 years to forget her past in World War II-era Germany. As their friendship grows, Martha puts everything she had previously lived by into question.

Library closed for Labor Day holiday

The Missoula Public Library will be closed on Sunday, Sept. 3, and Monday, Sept. 4, for the Labor Day holiday. It will reopen at 10 a.m. on Tuesday, Sept. 5. During this time, patrons will still be able to drop off their materials to our book drops, as well as access their account and place holds online through our website, located at: http://missoulapubliclibrary.org.

Staff Reviews

The Passion of Dolssa by Julie Berry (Listening Library, 2016) Call number: YCD Berry

Dolssa de Stigata is a deeply religious girl with an aptitude for healing who has an overwhelming desire to share her knowledge to anyone who would listen. However, in thirteenth century Europe, with the crusades so fresh in peoples minds, Dolssa is treated as a heretic. On the run from a friar who is determined to prosecute her, she is starving and on the verge of death. Rescued and hidden by three young sisters who are also struggling to survive, Dolssas health is restored and is soon revered by many in the small village. Dolssas story is mostly told through Botille  one of the sisters  and we learn much about her story as well. Multiple narrators were used for this novel and were well chosen. They do a great job of conveying the feel for the era as well as the characters. Jayne Entwhistle, who narrates for Botille, always does an excellent job as a narrator and this novel is no exception. The story is well written and researched, and the audiobook really brings it to life.

Reviewed by Lyndy Parke

MakerSpace Offerings

Intro to Web Design

Wednesdays (Sept. 6, 13, 20, 27) from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. in the Computer Classroom

This class  which will meet every Wednesday night from Sept. 6 to Oct. 25  is designed to provide students a good general understanding of website design. This course focuses on the introduction of general web programming concepts using HTML and CSS in support of these goals.

The class is open to those aged 18 and older. Space is also limited to 5 participants. Registration opens Sept. 1. Register online at tinyurl.com/mplintrowebdesign.

Computer Electronics

Thursday from 3 to 6 p.m.

Do you have an interest in the Arduino microcontroller? Come in and try out this platform during the drop-in program Computer Electronics.

Open Hours

Tuesday and Wednesday from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. and Friday from 1 to 6 p.m.

Open Hours allows visitors to explore the resources of the MakerSpace, or to work on a project of their choice.

Community Creative Writing Workshop

Tuesdays from 6 to 7:30 p.m.

Computer Classes

Android Tablets and Smartphones

Wednesday, Sept. 6, from 12:30 to 1:30 p.m.

Are you new to using an Android-based tablet or smartphone? This class offers instruction on the features, settings and apps common to Androids.

Registration is required to attend MPLs computer classes. Please call 406-721-2665 to register.
By Marlene Cimons

Orange isnt just the new black. Its also the new green. Twenty years ago, an orange juice producer dumped thousands of tons of orange peels and pulp onto a barren section of a Costa Rican national park, which has since transformed into a lush, vine-laden woodland. The shift is a dramatic illustration of how agricultural waste can regenerate a forest and sequester vast sums of carbonfor free.

Even more remarkable, it was an accident.

I was totally floored, said Timothy Treuer, a Princeton University researcher and lead author of a new study published in the journal Restoration Ecology about the rejuvenated forest. The area that received the orange peels was divided from the [area that did not receive the peels] by a single track dirt road, but the two areas looked like completely different ecosystems.

On one side was a pasture with a few scattered scraggly trees, he said. On the other, was an overgrown jungle, so lush it required a machete to move through. Once I was done picking my jaw up off the ground, I realized that I was looking at something truly special. It blew my mind.

Scientists have long worried about the impact of food production on climate change. So they are devising new ways to use food waste that might otherwise end up in a landfill, where it would decompose into methane, a powerful greenhouse gas. The goal is to create new products from the waste, whether they be foods, clothes, farms orin this caseforest.

Tropical forests are a part of our species collective cultural and natural heritage, said Jonathan Choi, a co-author who studied the region while a senior at Princeton University majoring in ecology and evolutionary biology. While we obviously want to protect every forest that remains on this planet, the idea that we might be able to help regrow the forest that weve lost in a way that saves everyone money is exciting.

Heres what happened.

During the 1990s, 1,000 truckloads of peels and pulp amounting to 12,000 metric tons were deposited as part of a deal struck with Del Oro, an orange juice manufacturer that had just begun production along a northern border of Costa Ricas Area de Conservacion Guanacaste, a national park.

In the mid-1990s, 1,000 truckloads of orange peels and pulp were unloaded onto a barren pasture in a Costa Rican national park. Today, that area is covered in forest. Daniel Janzen and Winnie Hallwachs / University of Pennsylvania

A husband and wife team, Daniel Janzen and Winnie Hallwachs, both ecologists at the University of Pennsylvaniawho also worked in the park as researchers and technical advisersoffered the company the opportunity to dump their orange waste on degraded land if Del Oro would donate part of their own forested land to the national park. The company, which had considered building an expensive facility to safely deal with the waste, readily agreed. After first extracting the oils and acidswhich are commercially valuable in household cleaning productsthe process began.

But, a year after the contract was signedand the peels and pulp were left on the landa rival fruit company, TicoFruit, sued to stop the process, arguing that Del Oro had defiled a national park. The Costa Rican Supreme Court agreed, halting the dumping. The land was pretty much forgotten over the ensuing years.

In 2013, while Treuer was discussing possible research projects with Janzen, they talked about the site in Costa Rica, wondering whether it was time to take look. On a subsequent research trip to Costa Rica, Treuer decided to stop by.

It took me two trips to the site to actually figure out where it was, he recalled. It didnt help that the six foot long sign with bright yellow lettering marking the site was so overgrown with vines that we literally didnt find it until years later after dozens and dozens of site visits.

The research team evaluated two sets of soil samples to determine whether the orange peels were responsible for enriching the soils nutrients. Essentially we took a measuring tape, stretched it out 100 meters, and measured and identified every tree with three meters of the tape, Treuer explained. We did this three times in the fertilized area, laying the tape out in parallel lines 25 meters apart, and three times in the unfertilized area on the other side of the dirt road.

They looked at changes in tree growth and soil nutrients between the orange peel site and an abandoned pasture that was 100 yards away. They found dramatic differences between the two studied areas; the land fertilized by the orange peels had richer soil, more tree biomass, a greater variety of tree species and a larger forest canopy closure.

Orange peels and pulp left nutrients in the soil. Daniel Janzen and Winnie Hallwachs / University of Pennsylvania

One of the most surprising results of our tree survey was the number, size and diversity of trees in the area treated with orange peels, Treuer said. I was expecting a field of Cecropiaa fast-growing pioneer species that often pops up along roadsides and heavily disturbed areasbut two of the most common species were [those] associated with old-growth forests. One of the fig trees we measured was already so large it would have taken three people to wrap their arms all the way around it.

The diversity was even more striking when compared to the control area that hadnt been treated with orange peels, where just two pasture-associated species made up the vast majority of trees, he added.

How did the orange peels work their magic?

Thats the million dollar question that we dont yet have the answer to, Treuer said. I strongly suspect that it was some synergy between suppression of the invasive grass and rejuvenation of heavily degraded soils. Theres plenty of evidence of both of those factors limiting forest recovery in other parts of the tropics.

Choi agreed. Well unfortunately never know what the exact mechanisms for regrowth were in this system, given that we dont have data from before the oranges, he said. But we imagine that putting this amount of orange peel on the system both infused a ton of nutrients into the soil, and suppressed an invasive grass that was preventing the growth of additional trees.

The researchers hope that the insights gained from this unintentional experiment will inspire more collaboration in the future between the private sector and the environmental community.

We live in a paradoxical world where nutrient starved degraded lands and nutrient-rich waste streams occur simultaneously, Treuer said. Resolving that paradox means profits for private industry, more resources for conservation areas, and potentially gigatonnes of climate change-causing gases getting sucked out of the atmosphere.

This wasnt just a win-win partnership between a business and a park, he added. It turned out to be a win-win-win blueprint, where the biggest winners are everyone who cares about handing off as healthy and robust an environment to their kids as they inherited from their parents.

Reposted with permission from our media associate Nexus Media.
Individuals affected with PTSD (Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder) demonstrate changes in microRNA (miRNA) molecules associated with gene regulation. A controlled study, involving military personnel on deployment to a combat zone in Afghanistan, provided evidence for the role of blood-based miRNAs as candidate biomarkers for symptoms of PTSD. This may offer an approach towards screening for symptoms of PTSD, and holds promise for understanding other trauma-related psychiatric disorders. Limitations of the study are that this was a small pilot study, and the findings need to be validated, extended and confirmed. First results will be presented at the ECNP conference in Paris.

PTSD is a psychiatric disorder which can manifest following exposure to a traumatic event, such as combat, assault or natural disaster. Among individuals exposed to traumatic events, only a minority of individuals will develop PTSD, while others will show resiliency. Little is known of the mechanisms behind these different responses. The last few years have seen much attention given to whether the modification and expression of genes - epigenetic modifications - might be involved. But there are several practical and ethical challenges in designing a research study on humans undergoing such experiences, meaning that designing relevant study approaches is difficult.

The research group from the Netherlands, worked with just over 1,000 Dutch soldiers and the Dutch Ministry of Defense to study changes in biology in relation to changes in presentations of symptoms of PTSD in soldiers who were deployed to combat zone in Afghanistan. In a longitudinal study they collected blood samples before deployment, as well as 6 months after deployment. Most of the soldiers had been exposed to trauma, and some of the soldiers had developed symptoms of PTSD.

For this pilot study, from the initial group, subgroups were selected of in total of 24 subjects; 8 of the soldiers had developed symptoms of PTSD; 8 had endorsed traumatic experiences but had not developed symptoms of PTSD; and another 8 had not been in serious traumatic circumstances and served as a control group. Using modern sequencing techniques, several types of miRNAs of which the blood levels differed between the groups were identified.

MiRNAs (Micro RiboNucleic Acids) are small molecules with chemical building blocks similar to DNA. Unlike the more famous DNA, miRNAs are typically very short - comprising only around 20 to 25 base units (the building blocks of nucleic acids), and they do not code, in other words they do not specify the production of a protein or peptide. However, they have very important roles in biology (every miRNA regulates the expression, and thereby also the activity of several other genes), and they are known to regulate the impact of environmental factors on biology. In addition, brain-derived miRNA can circulate throughout the human body and can be detected in the blood.

Differences in miRNA levels have been associated with certain diseases, such as some cancers, kidney disease, and even alcoholism. This regulatory role makes them also a candidate for investigation in PTSD.

"We discovered that these small molecules, called miRNAs, are present in different amount in the blood of persons suffering from PTSD compared to trauma-exposed and control subjects without PTSD", said first author Dr Laurence de Nijs (Maastricht University).

"We identified over 900 different types of these small molecules. 40 of them were regulated differently in people who developed PTSD, whereas there were differences in 27 of the miRNAs in trauma-exposed individuals who did not develop PTSD."

"Interestingly, previous studies have found circulating miRNA levels to be not only correlated with different types of cancer, but also with certain psychiatric disorders including major depressive disorders. These preliminary results of our pilot study suggest that miRNAs might indeed be candidates as predictive blood markers (biomarker) to distinguish between persons at high and low risk of developing PTSD. However, several steps need to be performed before such results can really have an impact on the larger field and in clinical practice. In addition to working towards biomarkers, the results may also provide novel information about the biological mechanisms underlying the development of PTSD".

Dr de Nijs explained

"Most of our stressful experiences don't leave a long-lasting psychological scar. However, for some people who experience chronic severe stress or really terrible traumatic events, the stress does not go away. They are stuck with it and the body's stress response is stuck in 'on' mode. This can lead to the development of mental illness such as PTSD.

These individuals experience symptoms including re-experiencing of the traumatic event through flashbacks or recurrent nightmares, constant avoidance of reminders of the event, negative mood, and extreme arousal. This can manifest itself through insomnia and or hyper-alertness. Individuals with PTSD are six times more at risk of committing suicide and having marital problems, and the annual loss of productivity is estimated to be approximately $3 billion. Currently, there is no definite cure for patients with PTSD, and available treatments often are not effective".

Commenting, Professor Josef Zohar (Ex-ECNP Chair, Tel Aviv, Israel) said:

"The relevance of a better understanding of stress related events is unfortunately becoming clearer and clearer after each terror attack. This work points to an innovative avenue regarding the potential identification of risk factors for susceptibility to developing post-traumatic stress disorder".

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Funding: Dr de Nijs was awarded a Marie Curie fellowship grant by the European Union to perform this study, within a network of other expert scientists in PTSD and epigenetics. The Dutch cohort of soldiers (PRISMO) was funded through the Dutch Ministry of Defence.
Scientists have found that brain functions in young men and women are changed by long-term alcohol use, but that these changes are significantly different in men and women. This indicates not only that young people might be at increased risk of long-term harm from alcohol use, but also that the risks are probably different in men and in women, with men possibly more at risk. This work is presented today at the ECNP meeting in Paris.

A Finnish research group worked with 11 young men and 16 young women who had a heavy 10-year alcohol use, and compared them with 12 young men and 13 young women who had little or no alcohol use. All were between 23 to 28 years old at the time the measurements were taken. The researchers examined the responses of the brain to being stimulated by magnetic pulses - known as Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (TMS), which activates brain neurons. The brain activity was measured using EEG (electroencephalogram).

Previously, the researchers had found that heavy alcohol users showed a greater electrical response in the cortex of the brain than non-alcohol users, which indicates that there had been long-term changes to how the brain responds. This time, they found that young men and young women responded differently, with males showing a greater increase in electrical activity in the brain in response to a TMS pulse. As researcher Dr Outi Kaarre (University of Eastern Finland and Kuopio University Hospital, Finland) said:

"We found more changes in brain electrical activity in male subjects, than in females, which was a surprise, as we expected it would be the other way around. This means that male brain electrical functioning is changed more than female brains by long-term alcohol use"

The EEGs also allowed the researchers to show that male brains have greater electrical activity associated with the GABA (gamma-amino butyric acid) neurotransmission than do female brains.

Dr Kaarre continued, "Generally, our work showed that alcohol causes more pronounced changes in both electrical and chemical neurotransmission in men than women. There are two types of GABA receptors, A and B. Long-term alcohol use affects neurotransmission through both types in males, but only one type, GABA-A, is affected in females.

We're still trying to figure out what this means, but GABA is a pretty fundamental neurotransmitter in the inhibition of many brain and central nervous systems functions. It's involved in many neurological systems, and is important in anxiety and depression. Generally it seems to calm down brain activity.

We know from animal studies that GABA-A receptor activity seems to affect drinking patterns, whereas GABA-B receptors seem to be involved in overall desire for alcohol. It has been suggested that women and men may respond differently to alcohol. Our work offers a possible mechanism to these differences."

We know that long-term alcohol use can be risky for young people. What this work means is that long-term alcohol use affects young men and women very differently, and we need to find out how these differences manifest themselves. It may be that we need to look at tightening regulations on youth drinking, since none of our study participants met the diagnostic criteria for alcohol use disorders and still these significant changes in brain functioning were found. It may also mean that gender differences should be taken into account when planning pharmacological treatment for alcoholism".

Commenting, Professor Wim van den Brink (Professor of Psychiatry and Addiction at the Academic Medical Centre, University of Amsterdam, and ex Chair of the ECNP Scientific Programme Committee):

"These are very interesting findings, especially since young women are catching up with young men when it comes to drinking and heavy drinking in Europe. This may also mean that a different group of women is getting involved in early heavy alcohol use than used to be the case; in other words, when heavy drinking occurs more frequently and tends to become the norm, women do not need to have some aberrant personal characteristic to become an early heavy user of alcohol.

The finding of a different EEG-pattern in male and female early heavy drinkers may indeed have important consequences for the treatment of male and female patients with an alcohol use disorder. One of the most recent new medications for the treatment of alcohol dependence is the GABA-B agonist Baclofen, which has shown mixed results which may be explained by this work.

A limitation of the study is that it says nothing about possible pre-existing neurobiological differences between the groups, an explanation for the observed differences that is equally valid".

###

Note: this is an edited version of a longer comment, available from the press officer.
Around 75% of children and adults with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) also have sleep problems, but until now these have been thought to be separate issues. Now a in a pulling together of the latest research, Scientists are proposing of a new theory which says that much of ADHD may in fact be a problem associated with lack of regular circadian sleep.

Presenting the proposal at the ECNP Conference in Paris, Professor Sandra Kooij (Associate Professor of Psychiatry at VU University Medical Centre, Amsterdam and founder and chair of the European Network Adult ADHD) said:

"There is extensive research showing that people with ADHD also tend to exhibit sleep problems. What we are doing here is taking this association to the next logical step: pulling all the work together leads us to say that, based on existing evidence, it looks very much like ADHD and circadian problems are intertwined in the majority of patients.

We believe this because the day and night rhythm is disturbed, the timing of several physical processes is disturbed, not only of sleep, but also of temperature, movement patterns, timing of meals, and so on.

If you review the evidence, it looks more and more like ADHD and sleeplessness are 2 sides of the same physiological and mental coin".

Professor Kooij laid out the links which have led to the synthesis:

In 75% of ADHD patients, the physiological sleep phase -- where people show the physiological signs associated with sleep, such as changes in the level of the sleep hormone melatonin, and changes in sleep-related movement - is delayed by 1.5 hours.

Core body temperature changes associated with sleep are also delayed (reflecting melatonin changes)

Many sleep-related disorders are associated with ADHD, including restless-leg syndrome, sleep apnea, and the circadian rhythm disturbance, the delayed sleep phase syndrome

ADHD people often show greater alertness in the evening, which is the opposite of what is found in the general population

Many sufferers benefit from taking melatonin in the evening or bright light therapy in the morning, which can help reset the circadian rhythm

Recent work has shown that around 70% of adult ADHD sufferers show an oversensitivity of the eyes to light, leading many to wear sunglasses for long periods during the day - which may reinforce the problems associated with a 'circadian shift'.

Chronic late sleep leads to a chronic sleep debt, associated with obesity, diabetes, cardiovascular disease and cancer. This cascade of negative health consequences may in part be preventable by resetting the sleep rhythm.

Professor Kooij continued:

"We are working to confirm this physical-mental relationship by finding biomarkers, such as Vitamin D levels, blood glucose, cortisol levels, 24 hour blood pressure, heart rate variability, and so on. If the connection is confirmed, it raises the intriguing question: does ADHD cause sleeplessness, or does sleeplessness cause ADHD? If the latter, then we may be able to treat some ADHD by non-pharmacological methods, such as changing light or sleep patterns, and prevent the negative impact of chronic sleep loss on health."

"We don't say that all ADHD problems are associated with these circadian patterns, but it looks increasingly likely that this is an important element."

Commenting, Professor Andreas Reif (University Hospital, Frankfurt, and leader of the EU CoCA project on ADHD ), who was not involved in the research, said "A disturbance of the circadian system may indeed be a core mechanism in ADHD, which could also link ADHD to other mental illnesses such as depression or bipolar disorder. But also beyond these pathophysiological considerations, sleep problems and abnormalities of circadian rhythms are a huge problem for many patients, heavily impacting on their social life" He continued "More research into the interconnections between ADHD and the "inner clock" is thus very relevant to improve patients' lives and to shed light on the disease mechanism of ADHD."

###

Note: Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is a group of behavioural symptoms with a neurobiological background, that include inattentiveness, hyperactivity, mood swings and impulsiveness. ADHD is highly heritable, and several differences in brain volume and function have been shown compared to controls. Symptoms of ADHD tend to be noticed at an early age and may become more noticeable when a child's circumstances change, such as when they start school. Most cases are diagnosed when children are 6 to 12 years old, but ADHD is also increasingly recognised in adults and older people, as ADHD can persist during the lifespan. People with ADHD often have additional problems, such as sleep, mood- and anxiety disorders. Between 2 and 5 % of children, adults and older people suffer from ADHD.
A small pilot study has indicated that neurofeedback - where patients concentrate on modifying their own brainwave patterns - has potential to treat many of the 100m people worldwide who suffer from Treatment-Resistant Depression (TRD). This is the first time that neurofeedback has been shown to improve both individual symptoms and overall recovery in TRD.

According to the World Health Organisation*, "Depression is the leading cause of disability worldwide", with over 300m people suffering globally. There are treatments for depression, but up to a third of people don't respond to treatment, even after trying different antidepressants. This is Treatment-resistant depression (TRD). For these patients, there are limited options.

Now a new pilot study from Korea indicates that neurofeedback may be offer a viable treatment to patients suffering from TRD, if used with antidepressants. Working with 12 patients with TRD and 12 controls, the researchers put patients through 12 weeks regular training sessions, where the patients learned how to vary their brainwaves in response to audio and visual signals.

In past research, different brainwaves have been shown to be associated with different moods and brain states, so these patients were asked to concentrate on changing the levels of particular types of brainwaves as they were displayed on a computer screen. On each visit, patients received beta/sensorimotor rhythm training for 30 min, and then alpha/theta training for 30 min. Psychological progress was measured using various standard depression questionnaires** at the start of the treatment, then at 1, 4 and 12 weeks. These questionnaires showed how treatment affected such factors as interpersonal relationships, work ability, and family life.

The researchers found that in the neurofeedback group, 8 of the 12 patients responded to treatment, and 5 of those responded well enough to be classified as being in remission. Most of these patients are now under long-term observation to see if remission has continued. In contrast the control group did not show significant improvement from baseline after 12 weeks.

Project leader, Professor Eun-Jin Cheon (Yeungnam University Hospital, South Korea), said:

"Neurofeedback has been trialed with psychological conditions in the past, but as far as we know this is the first time that anyone has succeeded in achieving remission and overall recovery (functional recovery)with treatment-resistant depression. This is particularly important, because this is an otherwise untreatable group of patients.

In our study we included patients with major depressive disorder, who still had residual symptoms and functional impairment despite receiving antidepressant treatment. Our results suggested that neurofeedback might be an effective complementary treatment to make patients feel well again and successfully engage with life. The most promising thing about neurofeedback is it doesn't cause even mild side effects. It could also improve self-efficacy by participating active, voluntary treatment.

We need to emphasise that this is a small study - if you like, it's still at the level of clinical science rather than clinical treatment, so we are a long way from this finding its way into the clinic. But the results surprised us, it merits further investigation"

Commenting, Henricus G Ruhe, MD, PhD, (Department of Psychiatry Radboudumc, Nijmegen, the Netherlands, and member of the ECNP Scientific Advisory Panel) said:

"This is a very interesting study targeting remaining depressive symptoms in patients who insufficiently responded to previous treatment trials of antidepressants. Although the number of included patients are small (12 treated with neurofeedback vs. 12 controls) we should consider this pilot study as promising and suggesting that alternative approaches (relative to antidepressants) might be beneficial in nonresponding depressed patients.

Further work is needed to both replicate these results and compare this strategy with alternative treatment options (e.g. psychotherapy or additional pharmacotherapeutic steps). This will enable the community to determine where neurofeedback must be positioned and/or when it should be recommended in future guidelines".

###

Dr Ruhe was not involved in the research.

*http://www.who.int/mediacentre/factsheets/fs369/en/

**The questionnaires used were the Hamilton Depression Rating Scale(HAM-D), the Beck Depression Inventory (BDI-II), Clinical Global Impression-Severity (CGI-S), Euro Quality of Life Questionnaire 5-Dimensional Classification (EQ-5D), Sheehan Disability Scale (SDS)

For background, see also: http://www.webmd.com/depression/guide/treatment-resistant-depression-what-is-treatment-resistant-depression

See notes for funding info, and how this has been reviewed
LUGANO-MADRID, 04 September, 2017 - European women with ovarian cancer can safely stick to the standard three-week dosing schedule for paclitaxel rather than boosting up to a weekly dose-dense regimen, according to results of the phase III ICON8 trial to be presented at the ESMO 2017 Congress in Madrid. (1)

"The results clearly demonstrate that, although well-tolerated, using weekly scheduling to achieve dose-intensification of paclitaxel as part of the first-line treatment of epithelial ovarian cancer does not extend progression-free survival in this population," said study investigator Dr. Andrew Clamp, from The Christie NHS Foundation Trust and The University of Manchester, UK. "Therefore, this approach cannot be recommended as a standard-of-care treatment option for this population." But he added "it remains appropriate to continue to offer weekly dose-dense paclitaxel as a treatment option to Japanese women."

The conflicting recommendations stem from the fact that findings from ICON8 contrast with those of JGOG3016, a previously reported study of Japanese ovarian cancer patients which showed significantly increased median progression free survival (PFS) and overall survival (OS) in those treated with dose-dense weekly paclitaxel compared to the standard three-weekly schedule. (2)

To evaluate for a similar effect from weekly paclitaxel, ICON8 randomised 1566 predominantly European patients to receive six cycles of either the standard three-week dosing regimen (carboplatin AUC 5/6-paclitaxel 175 mg/mq; Arm 1), compared to two different regimens that included once-weekly dose-dense paclitaxel (carboplatin AUC 5/6+paclitaxel 80 mg/mq weekly, Arm 2; and carboplatin AUC2+paclitaxel 80 mg/mq weekly, Arm 3). All patients entered ICON8 after immediate primary surgery, or received neo-adjuvant chemotherapy with planned delayed primary surgery.

The study found no benefit to either of the once-weekly regimens.

PFS was 24.4 months with standard dosing, compared to 24.9 and 25.3 months in arms 2 and 3 respectively. In terms of toxicity, there was a slight increase in grade 3-4 toxicity in arms 2 and 3 compared to arm 1 (63% vs 53% vs 42% respectively), although this increase was predominantly due to uncomplicated haematological toxicity.

Noting that the study was "robust and appropriately powered", Clamp said it is "not entirely clear" why ICON8 and JGOG3016 showed contrasting results. "Both were well-conducted trials and achieved the goal of increasing paclitaxel dose-intensity. We know the histological profile of ovarian cancer is slightly different between Japanese and Caucasian women but I think it is unlikely that this accounts for the difference. It is more likely that there are pharmacogenomic differences between these two ethnic groups that account for the different results seen."

Commenting for ESMO, Dr. Domenica Lorusso, from Fondazione IRCCS National Cancer Institute of Milan, Chair of the Gynaecological Tumours track at ESMO 2017, said: "The trial confirms that carboplatin-paclitaxel every 3 weeks is the standard first line treatment in ovarian cancer, a standard which has remained unmodified in the last 20 years, at least in the Caucasian population." She agreed that success with weekly dosing in the Japanese population "is possibly due to genetic differences.

According to the Tokyo's 5th Ovarian Consensus conference standard options to be discussed with the patients for first-line ovarian cancer treatment include carboplatin-paclitaxel every 3 weeks, as well as the dose-dense schedule (at least in the Japanese populations)."

###

The trial was funded by Cancer Research UK, and coordinated by the MRC Clinical Trials Unit at UCL.

Notes to Editors

Please make sure to use the official name of the meeting in your reports: ESMO 2017 Congress

References

1 Abstract 929O_PR 'ICON8: A GCIG Phase III randomised trial evaluating weekly dose- dense chemotherapy integration in first-line Epithelial Ovarian/ Fallopian Tube/ Primary Peritoneal Carcinoma (EOC) treatment: Results of Primary Progression- Free Survival (PFS) analysis' will be presented by Dr Clamp during Proffered Papers Session 'Gynaecological cancers' on Friday, 8 September 2017, 16:00 to 17:30 (CEST), in Cordoba Auditorium.

2 Katsumata et al. Lancet 2009/ Lancet Oncol 2013.

Disclaimer

This press release contains information provided by the authors of the highlighted abstracts and reflects the content of those abstracts. It does not necessarily reflect the views or opinions of ESMO who cannot be held responsible for the accuracy of the data. Commentators quoted in the press release are required to comply with the ESMO Declaration of Interests policy and the ESMO Code of Conduct.

About the European Society for Medical Oncology (ESMO)

ESMO is the leading professional organisation for medical oncology. With 16,000 members representing oncology professionals from over 130 countries worldwide, ESMO is the society of reference for oncology education and information. We are committed to supporting our members to develop and advance in a fast-evolving professional environment.

http://www.esmo.org
LUGANO-MADRID, Sept. 3, 2017 - Even small tumours can be aggressive, according to a study in patients with early stage breast cancer that will be presented at the ESMO 2017 Congress in Madrid. (1) Researchers found that nearly one in four small tumours were aggressive and patients benefited from chemotherapy. Aggressive tumours could be identified by a 70-gene signature.

"Our results challenge the assumption that all small tumours are less serious and do not need adjuvant chemotherapy," said lead author Dr Konstantinos Tryfonidis, a researcher at the European Organisation for Research and Treatment of Cancer (EORTC), Brussels, Belgium.

The MINDACT study is managed and sponsored by the EORTC in collaboration with the Breast International Group (BIG) and included 6,693 women with early stage breast cancer (lymph node negative or 1-3 lymph node positive). (2) As previously reported, MINDACT showed that around 46% of patients who were at high clinical risk for recurrence, defined using Adjuvant! might not require chemotherapy. (3) These women had a low genomic risk for recurrence according to MammaPrint, a genomic signature that assists in predicting clinical outcomes in women with early stage breast cancer. (3,4)

The sub analysis presented at ESMO 2017 included the 826 patients in MINDACT with a primary tumour size of less than 1 cm (pT1abpN0). Clinical and genomic risks were assessed and 196 patients (24%) were found to be at clinical low risk and genomic high risk. These patients were randomised to receive, or not receive, chemotherapy. The researchers found that at five years, very few patients who received chemotherapy experienced disease relapses, showing high rates of distant metastases-free survival, disease-free survival and overall survival, which confirms that they derived benefit from chemotherapy.

"We found that nearly one in four patients with small tumours are at risk of distant metastases and do benefit from chemotherapy," said Dr Fatima Cardoso, senior author of the study, Co-Principal Investigator of MINDACT and Director of the Breast Unit of the Champalimaud Clinical Centre, Lisbon, Portugal. "This was striking because based on clinical criteria alone you would say that these tumours are not aggressive and therefore patients do not need chemotherapy. But 24% of small tumours had an aggressive biology, which shows that not all small tumours are the same."

Commenting on the results for ESMO, Dr Evandro de Azambuja, Head of the Medical Support Team, Academic Promoting Team, Jules Bordet Institute, Brussels, Belgium, said: "This study shows that it's not only tumour size that is important for breast cancer patients but also tumour biology. All tumours in the study were small - less than 1 cm - and the lymph nodes were free of cancer (node negative), which in principle should be a signal of good prognosis. But nearly one in four patients - those identified as genomic high risk - derived benefit from chemotherapy."

"Small node negative tumours can be very aggressive, even if they are classified as clinical low risk," said de Azambuja. "Tumour biology needs to be taken into account when deciding adjuvant treatments in this patient population. One cannot forget the patient's age, performance status, comorbidities and preferences during the discussion."

###

Notes to Editors

Please make sure to use the official name of the meeting in your reports: ESMO 2017 Congress

References

1 Abstract 150O_PR 'Not all small node negative (pT1abN0) breast cancers are similar: Outcome results from an EORTC 10041/BIG 3-04 (MINDACT) trial substudy' will be presented by Dr Konstantinos Tryfonidis during Proffered Paper Session 'Breast cancer, early stage' on Friday, 8 September 2017, 14:00 to 15:30 (CEST) in the Pamplona Auditorium.

2 The MINDACT study is managed and sponsored by the EORTC in collaboration with the Breast International Group (BIG), Agendia, and many other academic and commercial partners, as well as patient advocates.

3 Cardoso F, et al. 70-Gene Signature as an Aid to Treatment Decisions in Early-Stage Breast Cancer. N Engl J Med. 2016;375(8):717-729. doi: 10.1056/NEJMoa1602253.

4 van de Vijver MJ, et al. A gene expression signature as a predictor of survival in breast cancer. N Engl J Med. 2002; 347:1999-2009.

Disclaimer

This press release contains information provided by the authors of the highlighted abstracts and reflects the content of those abstracts. It does not necessarily reflect the views or opinions of ESMO who cannot be held responsible for the accuracy of the data. Commentators quoted in the press release are required to comply with the ESMO Declaration of Interests policy and the ESMO Code of Conduct .

About the European Society for Medical Oncology (ESMO)

ESMO is the leading professional organisation for medical oncology. With 16,000 members representing oncology professionals from over 130 countries worldwide, ESMO is the society of reference for oncology education and information. We are committed to supporting our members to develop and advance in a fast-evolving professional environment.

http://www.esmo.org
Scientists at the University of Sussex have invented a new algorithm that enables smartwatches to detect and record your every move, without being told beforehand what to look for.

Current smartwatches can recognise a limited number of particular activities, including yoga and running, but these are programmed in advance.

This new method enables the technology to discover activities as they happen, not just simply when exercising, but also when brushing your teeth or cutting vegetables.

The algorithm can even track sedentary activity, for instance whether you are lying or sitting down.

Dr Hristijan Gjoreski of the University of Sussex said: "Current activity-recognition systems usually fail because they are limited to recognising a predefined set of activities, whereas of course human activities are not limited and change with time.

"Here we present a new machine-learning approach that detects new human activities as they happen in real time, and which outperforms competing approaches.

"Traditional models ' cluster' together bursts of activity to estimate what a person has been doing, and for how long.

For example, a series of continuous steps may be clustered into a walk. Where they falter is that they do not account for pauses or interruptions in the activity, and, so, a walk interrupted with two short stops would be clustered into three separate walks.

The new algorithm tracks ongoing activity, paying close attention to transitioning, as well as the activity itself. In the example above, it assumes that the walk will continue following the short pauses, and therefore holds the data while it waits.

Dr Daniel Roggen, head of the Sensor Research Technology Group at the University of Sussex, will speak at the British Science Festival on 6 September in the event 'In the era of wearable technologies' . He added: "Future smartwatches will be able to better analyse and understand our activities by automatically discovering when we engage in some new type of activity.

"This new method for activity discovery paints a far richer, more accurate, picture of daily human life.

"As well as for fitness and lifestyle trackers, this can be used in healthcare scenarios and in fields such as consumer behaviour research."

The research will be published at the International Symposium on Wearable Computers in Hawaii, USA, in September.

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ACLA panel: The Mediterranean Cemetery: Clandestine Crossings, Migrants, and Refugees

Hakim Abderrezak and Edwige Tamalet Talbayev

The Mediterranean is commonly referred to as a crossroada stage for exchanges and passages of all sorts, including human. Yet the refugee crisis has shown another reality: under the surface, thousands of refugees are populating a cemetery. Shifting the worlds attention from Middle Eastern regional conflicts to one of their most visible consequences, the refugee crisis has put the Mediterranean cemetery on the worlds radar. The Levant has indeed witnessed the departure of thousands of migrants setting off to sea to escape from wars and social unrest in Syria, Iraq, and Afghanistan. Footage of this mass exodus has also featured departures from North African countries like Libya, Egypt, and Tunisia, as well as sub-Saharan Africa.

However, tragedies did not begin with the refugee crisis. Clandestine crossings constitute multifaceted processes reflecting complex Mediterranean histories, economies, geopolitics, and societies. For decades, migrants leaving Moroccan shores have died on their way to Spain aboard rowboats called pateras. In addition, although clandestine Mediterranean passages have often been conceived as south-to-north movements, earlier waves of European pateristas also undertook the perilous journey to North Africa to flee Francos regime. While refugees have been associated with wars and oppression and migrants with economic and material mobility, clandestine crossings also take place in countries at peace, and, as Boualem Sansal has indicated, they are not always undertaken for economic and material reasons. It is hogra, or state-sanctioned humiliation, which led Mohammed Bouazizi to set himself on fire and set the Arab Spring in motion. The desperate act of setting out to sea, or to burn the Sea, as we call it, is revealing of a complicated geopolitical reality, while increasingly stringent anti-immigration policies have rendered the Mediterranean even more intricate and certainly more tragic.

In this seminar, we will explore the pull and push factors that account for unauthorized human migrancy around the Mediterranean, including both economic migrants and refugees. We will focus particularly on failed crossings resulting in death. This will lead us to reflect on the place, nature, function, and symbolic resonance of the maritime cemetery in literary and artistic productions from various Mediterranean and non-Mediterranean languages and contexts.

Topics might include:

The materiality and spatiality of death

The social landscapes and meaning-making processes that the Mediterranean cemetery fosters

The creation of collective/public memory among audiences

State territoriality and border politics

Biopolitics and biosecurity

New understandings of national and linguistic borders

Heterotopia, in-betweenness, nomadism

Migrant death and war

Narratives of disaster and catastrophe

Survival, bare life, precarity

Liturgical models of commemoration

Post-traumatic expression, grief, mourning

Submissions should be sent via the conventions website (https://www.acla.org/node/add/paper) before September 21.
The latest statistics show imports of sheep meat from New Zealand have declined while UK production has increased.

In the first six months of 2017 UK sheep meat production increased to 137,000 tonnes, five per cent more than last year.

Exports grew by 18 per cent, with France being the primary market  and other markets around the world also increased.

During the same period, the volume of sheep meat imported from New Zealand reduced by almost 24 per cent from the previous year, a fall of more than 10,000 tonnes.

AHDB Head of Beef and Lamb Marketing, Nick White said: The UK produces one of the largest volumes of sheep meat in the world, and is the third largest exporter. British farmers play an important part in a global marketplace, producing high quality meat for consumers both around the world and at home.

However, against this background, consumer research indicates that UK consumption of lamb is declining. This is where initiatives like Love Lamb Week, create opportunities for sheep farmers to encourage British consumers to put lamb back on their plates, trying recipes with cuts like the lamb leg steak, which is easy to prepare any day of the week.

Domestic consumption down

Now in its third year, Love Lamb Week runs from September 1 to 7 and is organised by farming organisations, the AHDB, the National Sheep Association and supported by the NFU.

Yesterday, BBC cooking programme Saturday Kitchen interviewed Wiltshire based sheep farmer, Richard Taylor who prepared a barbecued lamb recipe on Saturday 2 September, and social media users have been showcasing the best of British lamb by tweeting the hashtags #LoveLambWeek and #LoveLamb.

However, amid the positive reaction over UK lamb exports being up and NZ volumes into the UK down, there are concerns that domestic consumption of lamb has reduced overall.

Phil Stocker, NSA Chief Executive, said: The initial reaction on hearing that UK lamb exports are up and NZ volumes into the UK are down might be positive but this can only mean that domestic consumption of lamb has reduced overall, a fact which appears to be backed up by consumer research.

Keeping lamb in shoppers baskets as a product of choice has to be an essential part of any future marketing strategy, even more so as post-Brexit trade options remain unclear.

NSA welcomes the chance to be actively involved in Love Lamb Week  an excellent example of industry working collaboratively to support our sheep producers.

Sheep facts and figures

The UK sheep sector employs 34,000 people on farms and a further 111,405 jobs in allied industries. This contributes a huge 291.4m to employment.

Over the last year, the UK bought more than 108,000 tonnes of lamb spending 845 million.

The average UK household buys 4.6kg of lamb a year, with London buying the most at 5.7kg and Scotland and the Borders buying the least at 3.5kgs.

Because of the huge range of terrain and landscapes, the UK hosts approximately 90 different sheep breeds and crosses, which have adapted to life in hilly, upland and lowland areas
Beverly and Samuel Reynolds celebrated their 60th wedding anniversary at a celebration at their beloved Lake Inez cabin. Beverly and Samuel were married on July 13, 1957. They both attended the University of Wisconsin and Sam received his journalism degree from Columbia University. Sam was editorial page writer for the Missoulian from 1964 to 1990. Beverly was a professor of speech pathology at the University of Montana.

The celebration was attended by all four of their children and their spouses, Sarah Englert of Boise, Idaho, Ellen Reynolds of Thermopolis, Wyoming, Chris Reynolds of Clancy and Dottie Wood of Lakeside and six grandchildren. It was a weekend to commemorate and appreciate their lives together for all of these years. Everyone ate great food, worked hard all together to help get the cabin and the land "polished up," swam, laughed and really enjoyed our time together. We are blessed to be able to be able to celebrate this momentous occasion together as a family and we love you, mom and dad, very much!
Red Bull team boss Christian Horner has hailed Daniel Ricciardos performance in Sundays Italian Grand Prix after the Australian came from 16th on the grid to finish just off the podium in fourth  pulling off some spectacular passing moves along the way.

He got a little bit too much wheel spin off the line, he was fighting right at the back of the field with the Saubers, but from there he got his head down and had an incredible comeback, said Horner.

I think he's one of the best overtakers out there  his judgement of being able to brake late enough for the apex is quite phenomenal.

That judgement was most obvious on lap 41 when Ricciardo came from a long way back to out-brake the Ferrari of Kimi Raikkonen into the first chicane and seize fourth place.

I'll give him the credit and say he raced clean and fair, but I would have done it on anyone to be honest, said Ricciardo. Especially when you are coming up through the field and you have that momentum, it doesn't matter who you come up against.
Everything you should know about Google's ARCore Features oi -GizBot Bureau

While Apple is planning to launch its AR kit soon, Google, on the other hand, released a developer preview for ARCore, with a whole new platform for bringing AR capabilities to Android devices.

Moreover, the search engine giant is all set to work with various handset makers including Samsung, Huawei, LG, and Asus to make more phones supporting the upcoming mixed-reality content. As this is the continuation of Tango AR platform, the ARCore doesn't need any additional hardware to function.

The ARCore runs on Java OpenGL and game engines Unity and Unreal. As of now, the ARCore is launching on the Pixel and Galaxy S8 smartphones, but it will gradually increase the devices to 100 million by the time it goes public.

As of now, the ARCore is focussed mainly on detecting horizontal planes, managing motion tracking to determine the position and orientation of a phone and detecting light estimation to make virtual objects to blend in with the lighting of a room.

SEE ALSO: 4 Best apps to solve your bookmarking needs

Additionally, Google has also released an experimental AR-focused build of Chromium, alongside an iOS-based browser that uses Apple's ARKit.

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Xiaomi Redmi Note 4 gets a new paint job: Will now come in blue color variant as well News oi -Samden Sherpa Xiaomi Redmi Note 4 Lake Blue edition has been launched to commemorate the company's latest project of Wake the lake' campaign.

We all know that the Xiaomi Redmi Note 4 has been one of the highest selling smartphones in India. While the smartphone has managed to garner a lot of attention as well as make headlines on numerous occasions, the Chinese OEM has yet again come up with a new surprise for the fans as well as consumers.

Xiaomi has now launched a new color variant for its Redmi Note 4 smartphone. Dubbed as the Redmi Note 4 Lake Blue edition, this special variant will come with 4GB RAM and 64GB storage options. However, the main purpose behind the smartphone launch is that it has been designed to commemorate the company's latest project of 'Wake the lake' campaign.

Commenting on the launch of the Lake Blue edition, Manu Jain, Vice President of Xiaomi said, "We are a company who believes in giving back to the community. Water bodies have been the source of water for ages for people of Bengaluru but over the past decade, these water bodies have been facing a serious threat."

He further added, "To show our concern for the cause we are taking up the maintenance of Kempabudhi kere, to support BBMP in bringing it back to its initial days of glory as a project under Swachh Bharat Abhiyan. To commemorate this cause, we are launching Redmi Note 4 Lake blue edition which would further contribute to this cause."

So, apart from offering customers a new color choice, with the smartphone Xiaomi has said that the proceeds from the sale of each device will go towards supporting the Government's Clean India initiatives under the Swachh Bharat Abhiyan.

The "Lake Blue" edition of the Redmi Note 4 is available at Rs. 12,999 and the device will go on sale starting September 4 at 12:00 PM via Mi.com and Flipkart. The same handset will also be available for purchase at Mi Home stores and Mi Preferred Partner stores.

However, apart from the new color, the rest of the specifications remain the same as the existing Redmi Note 4.

Just to recall some of the key features, Xiaomi Redmi Note 4 comes with a 5.5-inch Full HD display with a 2.5D curved glass on top. It is powered by a Qualcomm Snapdragon 625 processor. The Redmi Note 4 is equipped with a 13MP rear camera and a 5MP front-facing camera. The device has recently been updated to Android Nougat based on MIUI 8. In addition, the handset is backed by a 4100mAh battery.

In any case, what do you think of the new color? Do let us know your thoughts in the comments.

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Montana might soon preserve the emails of some top officials for decades, or even permanently, as has long been practice for their letters, papers and other public records.

Were a civilization in motion in terms of information, managing massive amounts of information that didnt use to exist, Secretary of State Corey Stapleton said. Weve changed the way government communicates to the extent the old ways are becoming obsolete about once a decade.

A series of stories by Lee Newspapers revealed earlier this year that state employees were inconsistent in following Montana public records laws when it came to email. State policy provided a "10,000-foot view" of what was required  treat emails like any other public record  but with little practical guidance on how and when to store them, said Deputy Secretary of State for Records and Information Management Joe DeFilippis. And the only mechanism to enforce compliance is for a records requester to file a lawsuit.

Governments of all sizes in the United States have struggled with how to manage digital information in a way that protects access to public records, a right enshrined in the Montana Constitution.

The issue became a state conversation in 2016 when a lawsuit revealed that all emails of Gov. Steve Bullock and his top staff were deleted as he transitioned out of the attorney generals office. This year, the nonprofit Campaign for Accountability sued Montana and Sen. Jennifer Fielder for failing to release emails about state business she sent from a private account.

With social media and text messages, Lee Newspapers similarly found inconsistent compliance with state policy, if guidance existed at all. Last month, Bullock became the first Montana governor to make some of his text messages public in response to a records request, but his office has so far refused to recover and release texts sent by his budget director. This week, Bullock staff said they still are reviewing if they have a legal obligation to do so.

This is something the Legislature, as well as others, have to decide, Bullock said. Is it (worth) the cost for retaining every email?  What is a public record? At what point does it make sense to draw that line?

Currently, state law and a string of Montana Supreme Court opinions say everything in a fixed format and retrievable is presumed to be public record unless the government can clearly demonstrate an individuals privacy exceeds the merit of public disclosure. That has traditionally meant things like health records and Social Security numbers are not public, but nearly everything else is. Content determines how long it must be saved.

Since late 2016, the State Records Committee has discussed how best to update the states email guidelines and has listed policies for other digital communication tools among its next priorities. The group of record managers, IT professionals, archivists, agency heads and attorneys is tasked with providing guidance to the executive branch about best practices for records management and reviews requests to destroy records. Although it wields soft power to start conversations and make recommendations, ultimately changes can only be made through policies and laws that must come from the governor, secretary of state, or the Legislature.

At the Records Committee's June meeting, Committee Chair DeFilippis announced they would focus on developing a capstone approach for emails, similar to the current practice of federal agencies. The rough idea is that the messages of top officials  like governor or department director  would be saved the longest, division heads for a few years, and lower-level employees for even shorter periods.

The committee and Department of Administration also have proposed automating the process to minimize human judgment about what to save, for how long and where. The current state email system can automatically archive all emails in a central location, and each agency can set retention rules based on individuals' jobs.

Of the 36 major units across the executive, legislative and judicial branches, 11 had elected to activate that feature in the last three years. A list of which departments was not available last week, nor was the Department of Administration able to say how many used job titles to set storage rules.

The archiving tool was rolled out to all of Montana government on July 1. If the proposed capstone policy is adopted, it might require each agency to use role-based retention rather than a blanket policy.

A weakness in the process, however, is what happens to the archival files after an employee leaves state government or switches jobs.

Currently, emails are maintained for 30 days after an employees departure. Their manager is sent several email reminders to review the archive for records that must be preserved and to find a new place to store them. In practice, Lee Newspapers found that most state agencies did not save any emails after the 30-day period.

One possible fix discussed by the Records Committee would be to require state employees to earn training certificates that demonstrate their agencys records manager has taught them about their responsibilities and about practical tools for following state records law.

Even if Montanas email policy changes, it would not apply to the Legislature, which sets its own rules. It also would not capture other types of digital messages, such as texts.

DeFilippis said some people have told him they are concerned about the capstone approach because it moves away from using a records content to decide how it should be handled. He admitted the draft policy is not perfect.

Its not a solution. Its a Band-Aid to say were taking steps toward a better solution, he said.

While the Department of Administration has been coordinating with the State Records Committee, Bullock said he has not yet personally reviewed the proposal and declined to discuss its merits.

A timeline has not been set for implementing the new policy. The State Records Committee meets again this fall.

Some members of the committee, as well as Stapleton and Bullock have suggested the policy might not be enough. They say, to varying degrees, that legislators might need to tweak Montana law to clarify the definition of a public record.

As technology has changed over the years, thats all a little bit grayer, Bullock said.

The Montana Constitution actually makes the matter black and white, said Helena attorney Mike Meloy, a public information law expert who volunteers for the Montana Freedom of Information Hotline and is representing the Campaign for Accountability in its public records lawsuit against the state.

Although text messages and emails did not exist when the Constitution was adopted they are clearly government documents and the legislature properly included them within the scope of the right to know. And, if they serve as a road map to permit the public to know why a particular decision was made, then that's an important piece of the fabric of open government, Meloy said.

In March, Jeff Hindoien, Stapleton's chief legal counsel, similarly cautioned the state Records Committee when some members suggested limiting the types of files retained either through policy or law.

People have the right for public information. We cant cavalierly say were not going to make it a public record, he said. There would be legal recourse.

State leaders have raised multiple other ethical and legal questions while debating state email policy and open government laws:

Should state law allow the public access to communications about state business that were sent from personal email accounts, personal phones or in private Facebook messages?

Should the state charge higher fees of people requesting public records?

Are security risks or corruption temptations created by centralizing the storage of all state emails?

Is it legitimate for national political operatives to use Montanas open government as a tool to dig up fodder for attacks on campaign opponents?

Stapleton wondered: Should the scope of Montanas law be restricted somehow to better balance the intent of transparency with the political and fiscal costs of storage?

We have a pretty quiet warehouse full of boring stuff. Youre trying to prove a point and youre making like Sherlock Holmes and smoking guns, but for 99 percent of the stuff its a huge, boring, growing problem. We create so much information on a daily basis that didnt used to exist. We dont need to save all of it, Stapleton said to a reporter.

He later added: Since 1889, weve never been able to see what the budget director and key legislators were talking about because they were having coffee or meeting in the basement and had secret handshakes. Our state has still thrived.

Meloy pushed back against the suggestion that some requests for public information are more legitimate than others or that some types of records should be exempt from state law out of convenience even though their content is about public business.

The right to know is designed to permit the governed to obtain information about how those doing the governing are acting. The public can then make up its own mind about whether it wants to keep the person in office," he said. "Information is the fuel that makes a democracy work.
By Makhan Saikia

Marawi in South Philippines has suddenly become the centre of jehadi struggle in the island nation. It is widely believed that Islamists from Mosul, Chechnya, Indonesia, Saudi Arabia, Malaysia, Afghanistan and various parts of Africa have descended in large numbers in this restive Filipino region. Their ultimate aim is to establish a chapter of Islamic State (ISIS) in South East Asia. Now for about three months since the end of May this year, the Filipino forces are battling to clear the city from the jehadis. President Rodrigo Duterte has already declared martial law and now taking all possible steps to flush out the hiding terrorists from the city.

What incentives have suddenly turned this island nation into a safe haven for ISIS? Who are these Islamists? Will they be capable enough to establish an Asian caliphate in the Philippines? How President Duterte will handle this threat to his country ?

Marawi is actually a Muslim majority city, which falls in the province of Mindanao. And, Mindanao has a long history of conflict with the mainland. This directly offers a fertile ground for another offensive against Manila. And this time, unfortunately the global jehadis with the connivance of the local militias have come together to turn the poor island into a caliphate. This all have happened as the immediate fall of Mosul and Raqqa have stoked fear in the minds of the surviving jehadis and they have been looking for a suitable site for preaching their monstrous ideology.

The global terror experts say that as the heat of the coalition forces, backed by the US, falls upon the self-styled caliph Abu bakr al Baghdadi and his followers, it is likely that the Islamists will try hard to escape, fight back (wherever possible), return to their homelands, launch wolf attacks, and use conflict zones around the world as their fresh hideouts. As Mindanaos background has become a referral point for ISIS, it may help establishing an epicentre of the caliphate for the entire Southeast Asia. Though this has been advocated by a sizeable number of experts, they all are either downplaying or ignoring the very fact that no jehadi training camps in Mindanao had ever permanently used beyond their tactical expediencies. It is true that in the past such camps were founded in this region, but there was no sign of a persistent linkage with the global terror groups or any immediate intention to convert the zone into a permanent terror hub.

All these jehadis are a mix of both locals and a host of international terrorists coming from various conflict zones of the world. To begin with, the battle for Marawi began only when the Filipino Government received a message that Isnilon Hapilon, the leader of a notorious kidnap-for-ransom group Abu Sayyaf which pledged allegiance to ISIS three years back, is hiding there. Interestingly, in return ISIS quickly proclaimed him the Emir of the Philippine province of its caliphate. What really shocked Duterte was that when the Government forces went there in the island town to fight Hapilon, hundreds of fighters came out from nowhere and challenged the former. This clearly shows that rebels around Hapilon were already in a combat mood and they had the power to take over the city. Along with Hapilon, the Maute group, which is now at the centre of the fight, is based in Lanao del Sur, the province of which Marawi is the capital. The group is fast recruiting young people even from Mindanao State University. Some reports say that the two Maute brothers had studied in West Asia and had strong links with the jehadis in Indonesia. But many say that if the Filipino army carefully proceeds, it might be the end of the Maute group and the rising terror factory of Hapilon.

Whether the jehadis would be able to capture the province and whether they are capable of heralding an Islamic caliphate are serious questions for now. But precisely, Hapilon and his associates, assisted by all sorts of criminal elements of the island province, have raised alarm bells for the Philippines in particular and Southeast Asia in general. Many more countries, such as Indonesia, Malaysia, the Maldives, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Thailand, etc, might fall into such traps. But it may so happen that Hapilon and his gang may not be able to exploit Marawi the way Baghdadi masterminded things in the war-torn Iraq and Syria. Indeed, armed conflict in Mindanao is a volatile mix of local political animosities and clan rivalries, and it had a serious role of deep religious narratives rooted in the history of the country. Since the Spanish colonial era, the Philippines had largely witnessed the presence of collusion between local officials, indigenous tribal leaders of the region and clan-backed militias in so-called organised criminal activities. Therefore, Mindanao had a strong history of criminal networks which at times posed threat to the colonial state much before the birth of the independent Philippines.

Further, unlike the austere life-style displayed by Baghdadi, the Filipino rebels like that of the Aby Sayyaf group had a history of solely depending on organised criminal activities for their survival. This gang after the death of its leader Abdurajak Abubakar Janajalani almost lost its ideological moorings and turned towards gang wars for earning their livelihood. Basically they have made themselves extortionists who hardly look for anything unlike an Islamic caliphate designed by Baghdadi in Mosul and in Raqqa. Frankly speaking, they will not have rich reservoirs of oil and other resources for their survival the way ISIS received. Thus, the Hapilon group may not have a future like Baghdadi. Also, the Philippines is not immediately connected to any other neighbouring Muslim countries through land borders the manner in which we see a strong connectivity between Syria and Iraq. In fact, this contributed a lot to the development of the ISIS network. The entire zone has become a living empire of jehadism particularly after the occupation of Iraq by the American forces in 2003. Such syndromes and allied factors of long established dissensions typically do not exist in the Philippines.

Currently, Marawi is under martial law and the Filipino army is struggling to eliminate the combatants from the island. Though the mopping up operations are on, the terrorists are actively using human shields across the city so as to limit the armys room for manoeuvre. Hence the battle is far from over and it may take longer than what President Duterte recently predicted. Meanwhile tens of thousands of evacuees languish in Government refugee camps, which are poorly managed. Now what is looming large over this small city is that for the locals there is nothing left and they have almost no home to return. This is because almost the whole town has been flattened in the fierce fight between the Islamists and the Filipino forces.

Whatsoever, the sudden rise of ISIS in the Philippines is a disturbing signal. As international terror experts such as Rohan Gunaratna commented last year, It is very likely that (Aby Sayyaf) will declare a satellite of caliphate in the coming year, indicating that once that is done, it will be much more difficult to dismantle these groups.

There are media reports that nearly 1,200 South East Asians have already joined ISIS in the West Asia. Therefore many global terror analysts say that South Philippines could act as a point of lure, offering both the fresh and old terrorists a foolproof platform for high-level attacks across Asia. With this development in Marawi, some ISIS-inspired groups might try to upstage their strengths thinking that their caliphate is coming nearer to them only. A report submitted by ISIS Study Group of the Center for a New American Security based in Washington DC says that the Indonesian operatives have already begun transporting Syria-trained tutors for advanced weapons and training grounds to Mindanao. Also it was recorded that jehadis from Morocco and Uighurs of China have already descended in Southern Mindanao for spearheading the conflict.

Now, what Pangulo (as the President is referred to in the local Filipino language) will do will show the future of the trouble-torn Mindanao and Marawi. Of course, he will have all the good reasons to extend the current emergency martial law till the end of this year. But some of his allies in the Government want it to continue for five years i.e. till the end of Dutertes presidential term. It is largely felt across the Philippines that under such martial laws it becomes easier for the army to conduct search operations and prevent sudden terror attacks like the current one. The army makes it clear that it has no intention to govern Mindanao by creating a permanent environment for martial law. That is why it is handing over the terror suspects to the countrys civilian courts. But the Opposition parties and human rights group say that martial law undermines accountability of the Government in trouble-torn region such as Mindanao wherein Duterte needs to be more transparent. And the Opposition in the Philippines finds it really difficult to trust an avowed authoritarian like Duterte and his long-term intentions in politics.

(The writer is an expert on international affairs)

Filipinos accused of links to Marawi siege to be freed

Philippine prosecutors have dismissed rebellion complaints against 59 men who were stopped by police and army troops at two checkpoints in the south and accused of attempting to join Islamic State (ISIS)-linked terrorists who laid siege to a southern city.

Senior Government prosecutor Peter Ong on Thursday said the complaints filed by the military against the Muslim men were dismissed because of a lack of strong evidence, and authorities were ordered to free all the men. It is clear that respondents were not committing the crime of rebellion or any crime at the time of their arrests, Ong and two other prosecutors said in their findings, a copy of which was seen by The Associated Press.

The men, who travelled in two big groups, may have sparked the suspicion of troops and police at checkpoints because of the Marawi siege, but suspicion alone is not sufficient to arrest, detain, charge and indict respondents, the prosecutors said.

Military spokesman Brigadier General Restituto Padilla said the military respects the prosecutors decision but that security officials still believe the men could perhaps be eventually deployed to Marawi.

The ruling shows that the rule of law continues to work under martial law that was declared in the south by President Rodrigo Duterte to deal with the Marawi crisis, said Padilla, adding that the men were treated well and would be flown back to the south on an air force plane.

The 59 were taken into custody in southern Zamboanga city and Ipil town on July 25 amid Intelligence reports that Muslim terrorists would attempt to reinforce the gunmen who attacked Marawi and were being bombarded by military airstrikes and ground assaults.

A lone witness said the mostly young Muslim men were to be given combat training and then deployed to reinforce the beleaguered terrorists, who were holding out in buildings and mosques in Marawi.

The arrested men strongly denied the allegation, saying they were recruited by a man who promised to bring them to a rebel camp for combat training and then help them be integrated into the military and police under a peace deal with the Government.

Ong said he and the other prosecutors did not find the witness credible.

During a hearing at the Department of Justice on July 28, some of the arrested men, guarded by heavily armed police commandos, told reporters they were poor and jobless and in search of work and a better life.

The violence in Marawi, a centre of Islamic faith in South Phillippines, has left nearly 800 people dead, including more than 600 terrorists, and sparked concerns that ISIS terrorists were gaining a foothold in Southeast Asia by helping influence and arm local terrorists.

An estimated 40 gunmen remain in Marawi and are continuing to fight as troops advance in previously scenic lakeside communities that are now a smoldering wasteland of disfigured buildings.

Source : Daily Pioneer
HJS creates awareness towards immersion of idols in flowing water by displaying banners in hand

Devotees abide by Dharma by immersing Shri Ganesh idols in flowing water on 7th day of Ganesh festival : Effect of awareness created by Sanatan and HJS

Jaisingpur (Dist. Kolhapur) : Volunteers of Hindu Janajagruti Samiti (HJS) stood on the bank of River Krushna carrying boards in their hands near Ankali Bridge (Udgaon) creating awareness amongst devotees towards immersion of Shri Ganesh idols in flowing water, on 7th day i.e. 31st August. Owing to awareness created by HJS, many devotees preferred to immerse their idols in water.

Udgaon Gram-Panchayat promotes donation of idols by displaying banners which is against Hindu Dharmashastra !

Banners were placed at the river-bank making appeal that Shri Ganesh idols cause pollution; so, people may donate idols instead of immersion. As a result, many devotees kept their idols at the bank without immersing them. Pits have been dug up near the river and idols are going to be put in the pits which will be closed later.

Highlights

1. Vibhach Chowk Ganesh Mandal from Shahunagar helped in immersion of Shri Ganesh idols at Jaisinghpur by using rafts.

2. Shri Shivapratishthans Shankarrao Kulkarni made an appeal to devotees that immersion of Shri Ganesh idols did not cause pollution; therefore, devotees should immerse idols in river.

3. Many people coming for immersion to river-bank, read the boards with lot of interest.

Solapur : Spontaneous response for short play staged by HJS

Ganeshotsav Mandals ready to hold HJS drives even during Navaratri festival !

Solapur : Hindu Janajagruti Samiti (HJS) undertakes drive for ideal celebration of Ganesh festival every year and under its drive, a short play titled Hindu Tejaa Jaag Re is being staged in different Ganeshotsav Mandals. Demos are presented on increasing oppression of women, eve  teasing, robbery etc and how everyone can successfully face such situations; thus, emphasizing the need for self-defence, through this play. Good response is received for the play from young men and women. There is demand from different Ganeshotsav Mandals for staging of the short play even for their Mandals. The play has been staged so far in areas such as Neelam nagar, Sunil nagar, Vidi Gharkul etc.

Awareness is being created through the play on how women must learn self-defence techniques and should not tolerate oppression but retaliate. Women can then carry on the legacy of great Hindu women. Awareness is also extensively created through the play on social insecurity.

India is facing several problems like infiltration by Bangladeshis, Chinas threat over Doklam issue, tension like situation on borders etc which are also touched upon through the play.

Highlights

1. The play was staged at Neelam nagar cha Raja Ganeshotsav Mandal when 10-12 youth from Rajgharana Pratishthan Ganeshotsav Mandal. They said that they liked the short play. Earlier, there were differences between these two Ganshotsav Mandals.

2. Stage this play even at our Ganeshotsav Mandal- demand by another Ganeshotsav Mandal

3. Exhibition devised by HJS on revolutionaries will be organized !  Ganeshotsav Mandal , Neelam nagar

4. Will organize this play at 4 places  a devout Hindu

5. We will join HJS drives even during Navaratri festival  Few Ganeshotsav Mandals

Spontaneous response received at Nagpur for ideal Ganeshotsav drive

Nagpur : Under celebration of ideal Ganeshotsav drive undertaken by Hindu Janajagruti Samiti (HJS), guidance was given by Sou. Kiran Jain and Shri. Atul Arvenla to Ganeshotsav Mandals and in residential colonies on Dharmashastra related type of Ganesh idol to be installed, reasons for offering red flowers and durva to Shri Ganesh, meaning of modak offered to Shri Ganesh, how Ganesh festival should be celebrated publicly and what should be avoided in such celebrations; importance of immersion of idols in flowing water instead of artificial water tanks; so also boycotting Chinese products. Devout Hindus gave good response to the lectures. Planning has been made to give such lectures at few other Ganeshotsav Mandals and for holding exhibition of boards on Dharmashikshan and life history of revolutionaries.

Highlights

1. The lectures have led to people demanding to start Dharmashikshan classes.

2. Many GaneshotsavMandals are responding positively to drives undertaken by HJS.

Representation submitted to Municipal Commissioner on behalf of all Hindu organizations

Sangli Municipal Corporation should not interfere with religious traditions of Hindus, by promoting concept like donation of idols, is the demand

Sangli : Dolphin Nature Club and Rotaract Club of Krushna Valley jointly undertook anti-Hindu Dharma drive of donation of Ganesh idols, though Ganesh idols do not cause pollution. Idols donated by devotees have been numbered and will be returned to devotees next year. As per spiritual science, Shri Ganesh idol has to be immersed in flowing water. Collecting idols by way of donation is totally against Hindu Dharmashastra; therefore, Sangli Municipal Corporation should not interfere in Hindus religious traditions by promoting unscientific drives like donation of idols. Representation to the above effect was submitted to Municipal Commissioner of Miraj and Kupwada which was accepted on his behalf, by Shri. S. V. Patil, officer of Ward 1.

It has been further stated in the representation that sewage water is mixed with water of River Krushna throughout the year and water from Sheri nullah is also mixed with river water by Municipal Corporation. Few sugar factories are releasing effluents in River Krushna and such pollution is very high but these organizations do not raise voice against such pollution. In fact, Sangli Municipal Corporation should not promote anti-Dharma and unscientific concepts like donation of idols and interfere in Hindus religious traditions. Shri. Dharmendra (Aba) Koli, District-President of Vahatuk Sena; Shri. Sachin Pawar of Shri Shivapratishthan; Shri. Retharekar and Shri. Desai of Hindu Janajagruti Samiti were present on the occasion. Shri. Shrikrushna Mali, a Trustee of Mali Samaj and Shri. Sachin Pawar of Gouraksha Samiti had conveyed their support to drive for celebration of Ganesh festival as per science.
A federal judge has approved a petition against Billy McFarlands Fyre Fest LLC that will force the company into Chapter 7 bankruptcy, Billboard reports.

Judge Martin Glenn sided with a trio of investors who claimed they lended McFarland $530,000 to help fund this springs bungled Fyre Festival, and were never repaid. According to their lawyer, Robert Knuts, Fyre Fest LLC did not attempt to contest the petition.

If the money was burned up in the Bahamas were not going to be able to recover it but at least well know where it went, Knuts said.

Judge Glenn has ordered McFarland to file all schedules, statements, lists and other documents that are required under the Federal and Local Rules of Bankruptcy Procedure.

The festival, which promised performances from the likes of G.O.O.D. Music and Blink 182 at a luxurious tropical paradise in the Bahamas, was a complete disaster and prompted numerous lawsuits against McFarland. From a New York Times investigation:

Well into March, the events website  which briefly vanished because its designer had not been paid  claimed it would take place on Fyre Cay, a private island that once belonged to the drug lord Pablo Escobar. Ticket packages included the $400,000 Artists Palace, with four beds, eight V.I.P. tickets and dinner with one festival performer. But there was no such island or palace. Fyre employees recalled higher-ups inventing extravagant accommodations just to see if people would buy them  and some did, they said.

Earlier this summer, McFarland was arrested on charges of fraud for allegedly making false representations to investors. He faces up to 20 years in prison.

Fyre Festival
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Apple's newest operating system for iPhones and iPads, iOS 11, finally launches this month. We'll learn the official release date for iOS 11 at Apple's big event on September 12; Apple calls its newest iOS "a giant step for iPhone" and "a monumental leap for iPad."

Here are 13 things everyone will love in the next big iPhone and iPad update:

1. Live Photos will be much better.

Now you can make your live photos into GIFs, which you can make bounce back and forth. Also, you can finally choose which still frame of the Live Photo is the main image, making it easier to find the perfect moment to share on social media.

2. Youll be able to store way more photos and videos on your phone.

Apple is changing the compression formats in iOS 11, which will allow you to store more photos and videos on your phone. Apple says you'll be able to save twice as many photos and videos on your device than in iOS 10.

3. The App Store is getting a much-needed face-lift.

Apple is finally bringing the design language it established for newer apps like Music and News to the App Store itself.

Not only did Apple make the App Store look cleaner, with better, bolder text, it also changed its organization. Now everyone will have a personalized "Today" tab to highlight unique apps and games.

And speaking of games, Apple has finally dedicated a full tab of the App Store to games, making new or notable ones much easier to find.

4. The Messages app is getting cleaned up.

It felt like mayhem when Apple added the app drawer to its Messages app. Suddenly, you could add stickers and GIFs and all sorts of buttons and visuals to your messages, but all the new options weren't easy to find and were somewhat overwhelming. Apple redesigned the app drawer in Messages for iOS 11, making it much easier to browse all the various stickers and emojis at your disposal.

5. Siri sounds more natural and can translate for you.

Apple says Siri is going to get much more advanced through machine learning and artificial intelligence  it's unclear whether these changes would make Siri better to use, but at the very least, Apple has made Siri sound a bit less robotic and more natural, a bit like Amazon's Alexa assistant.

And Apple is also testing a cool translation feature for Siri, where if you ask the assistant to say a certain phrase in a different language, like Chinese or Italian, it will speak on your behalf in the desired language.

6. The iPhone keyboard is getting smarter.

A signature feature of Google Now is finally coming to the iOS ecosystem: When you type in iOS 11, the keyboard will suggest words you may have recently viewed on your phone  from your Messages app, for example, or Safari. So when your friend texts you the name of a restaurant, it may be one of the first suggestions when you start searching for that restaurant on the web.

Also, you'll be able to use the keyboard with one hand  just hold the emoji key and select one-handed typing to move all the keys closer to your thumb.

7. Apple is finally letting you manage your Control Center.

The Control Center was perhaps the most useful feature of iOS 7, released in 2013. By swiping up from the bottom of your screen, you could access a variety of shortcuts and buttons. Four years later, you'll finally be able to choose what those shortcuts and buttons are.

8. Notifications are getting simplified.

In iOS 11, all your notifications  both recent and missed  are in one place, with no separate tabs. Just pull down from the top of the screen to see everything at once.

9. There's a new feature that could actually save your life.

Distracted driving is a real, deadly problem. Apple has added a clever feature that triggers Do Not Disturb mode when the iPhone is in the car to hide notifications for texts, calls, and other apps while you're driving. The feature can even notify people that you're driving and will contact them soon.

10. Apple Maps are better, indoors and out.

Apple is adding indoor maps for hundreds of airports and shopping centers around the world, making it much easier to navigate your local mall.

And speaking of navigation, Apple has finally added lane guidance to Apple Maps for more precise turn-by-turn directions.

11. Setting up a new iPhone or iPad is much easier.

If you just bought a new iPhone or iPad, you can hold it close to an iOS device you already own to magically import all your settings, preferences and iCloud Keychain passwords. It helps you start using that brand-new device much more quickly than before.

12. The volume box is moving out of your way.

When you change the volume on your iPhone or iPad, a translucent box pops up in the middle of the screen. It's a bit annoying, so Apple is redesigning the volume box in iOS 11. Here's how it'll look:

Much better.

13. You can instantly share Wi-Fi passwords.

Soon, you'll no longer need to save your Wi-Fi password on a wrinkled piece of paper in a drawer somewhere. In iOS 11, if you need a Wi-Fi password for a given network, just find someone who is already using it and hold your device near theirs to transfer the password instantly.

Read more:

 This chart is easy to interpret: It says we're screwed

 How Uber became the world's most valuable startup

 These 4 things could trigger the next crisis in Europe

Read the original article on Business Insider UK.  2016. Follow Business Insider UK on Twitter.
After a judge decided that Missoula County broke state law nearly 20 years ago when it changed a subdivision in the Grant Creek area, the county commissioners have reached an agreement to pay the current landowners more than $2 million.

In January 2016, retired District Court Judge Ed McLean ruled that the county violated state law by not requiring a plat and infrastructure bond when it reconfigured the Gleneagle subdivision in lower Grant Creek into fewer, larger tracts in 1999.

In the late 1980s, Missoula County acquired ownership of the properties through tax deeds after the previous developers plans went bust. Litigation between the developers and the county ended with the 1999 agreement.

The county then helped a developer sell the 25 undeveloped lots for more than $2 million and received a fixed percentage for each, totaling $480,000 for costs it had incurred. Many of those lots were later sold, but never developed.

Under the settlement reached last week, the Missoula County Commissioners agreed to pay $2,265,000 to the 22 landowners, with the first payment of $1,265,000 due in the next three months and the remaining money being paid out over the next two years. The first payment is being financed through insurance payments and 1.05 mills being levied over the next three years.

The county said in an announcement of the settlement that the payment method for the second half of the money will be addressed in the 2020 budget process.

The county is still contesting another lawsuit regarding the subdivision involving developer Mark Denton, who is seeking more than $6 million in damages and wants the county to take back 17 acres of land in the subdivision area that it traded in exchange for a conservation easement as part of the 1999 agreement.

Steve Carey, the attorney hired to defend the county in the lawsuits, says the county believes Denton was given exactly what he agreed to in the 1999 agreement. The county will be filing for summary judgement in the case soon, Carey said, adding that if the Denton suit is not otherwise resolved it is likely to go to trial sometime next year.
Bhubaneswar/ Kolkata, Sept 3 (IBNS): Tata Steel has set up a 150-seater library building at the Kalinga Institute of Social Sciences, the worldas largest tribal residential educational institute that has just been conferred with deemed university status by the Ministry of Human Resources Development, Government of India.

The library was inaugurated here today by Chief Minister of Odisha, Naveen Patnaik. Others present on the occasion included Dr Achyuta Samanta, Founder of KISS, T V Narendran, Managing Director, Tata Steel India & SEA, Sunil Bhaskaran, Vice President, Corporate Services and Arun Misra, Vice President, Project Gopalpur and Managing Director, Tata Steel Special Economic Zone among other dignitaries.

Set up at an investment of Rs 4.40 crore, the 150-seater library is a Prefabricated Engineering Building that has been constructed using steel structure as its base. It is equipped with furniture, electrical and sanitary fittings and other furnishings.

Of the total cost, an amount of Rs 30 lakh has been contributed by Tata Power. The library is indeed yet another testimony of Tata Steels commitment to partner and facilitate education initiatives in Odisha.



In 2009, Tata Steel had signed a Memorandum of Understanding with KISS to jointly work towards the uplift of the States tribal population, with special emphasis on providing education to the children of the rehabilitated families of Kalinganagar. The collaboration today culminated in Tata Steel setting up the library at the institute, which is home to over 25,000 students belonging to tribal communities.



In his address, T V Narendran said: Improving the quality of life of people living in and around our areas of operations is integral to the business philosophy of Tata Steel. Our operations are largely confined to areas that have a sizeable SC&ST population, and we believe that promoting Affirmative Action is the right way to serve communities around us.
Guwahati, Sept 3 (IBNS): The busiest traffic on one of Guwahatias road on Sunday morning came almost to a standstill for nearly 28 minutes to allow the movement of an ambulance carrying a critically ill six-month-old child to the Lokopriya Gopinath Bordoloi International (LGBI) airport.

The ambulance carrying the critically ill child named Snigdharaag Bhuyan was provided a Green Corridor by the Kamrup (Metro) district administration for a quick passage to airlift.

The Green Corridor in Guwahati was set up along a 33-km stretch from Pratiksha Hospital to LGBI airport.

An air ambulance later flew the boy, who hails from northen Assam's Biswanath district with his parents to New Delhi for advanced treatment in the Gangaram hospital.

Snigdharaag is suffering from a rare infection of the lung and spinal cord and he was admitted at the Guwahati based hospital two months back and was being kept on ventilation at the hospital.

Guwahati city police commissioner Hiren Nath, who had supervised the 33-km long Green Corridor said that, it usually takes nearly about 90 minutes to cover the distance due to rush traffic, but the child reached at the LGBI airport in 28 minutes with the help of public, police personnel.

"Assam Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal has taken the matter very seriously and asked us to make special arrangement for the critically ill child. Then we appealed the public and received remarkable responses from the public," Hiren Nath said.

This is the second Green Corridor arranged in the state for passage of patient.

Earlier, Green Corridor was arranged in Dibrugarh for passage of a patient.

According to the reports, the air ambulance had left from the LGBI airport at around 11-50 am.

Snigdharaag parents said that they have to need a special arrangement for their child to provide advanced treatment in Delhi.

"After consultation with the doctors of Pratiksha hospital, we are requesting the state government and Kamrup (Metro) district administration to arrange a special movement for passage of our child. We are very thankful to the state government, Kamrup (Metro) district administration, Guwahati city police and people of Assam in our time to need," the child's mother Madhumita Saikia Bhuyan said.

Meanwhile, Assam Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal said that, the state government would bear the expenses of the child's treatment.

The Chief Ministers Office (CMO) has already directed the resident Commissioner of Assam House in New Delhi to provide all necessary assistance to the family of Snigdharaag.

Earlier in March this year, a similar Green Corridor was arranged in New Delhi with intervention of Prime Minister Narendra Modi for an only eight-day-old baby from Dibrugarh, who was flown to Delhi for advanced treatment.

Meanwhile, the people of Assam had offered their prayers in many places in the state for the child's well being.



(Reporting by Hemanta Kumar Nath)
Bengaluru, Sept 3 (IBNS): In what might be a major move in the educational scenario of the country, the All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE) is planning to shut down 800 engineering colleges in India.

The move might be taken as there are no takers for the seats in the colleges.

AICTE chairman Anil Dattatraya Sahasrabudhe told The Times of India that admissions are plunging in these institutions every year.

According to reports, colleges which lack proper infrastructure or have less than 30% admissions for five consecutive years will need to shut down.

"Most engineering college professors or lecturers are MTech or PhD holders. They don't usually have experience in teaching aspiring engineers. Now onwards, any engineering college lecturer joining anew will have to undergo six months of exclusive and compulsory training so that they can train future engineers better. Existing engineer lecturers have three years to undergo this training compulsorily," Sahasrabudhe told the newspaper on the future plans regarding faculty assignment for the colleges.

He said the AICTE is looking forward to make students industry-ready.

He advised students to be attentive and hardworking during internships.

"Internship is the time when most students are observed by companies and have a fair chance of being absorbed. So it's better to be hired that way instead of depending on just five minutes of interview at campus placements. My advice to budding engineers is that they should be attentive and hardworking during internship," he said.
Guwahati, Sept 3 (IBNS): The Assam government will recruit 10,000 more TET qualified teachers next week.

Assam education minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Sunday said the BJP-led state government has already recruited 17,000 TET qualified elementary teachers in the state and the state government is going to recruit 10,000 more TET qualified teachers in next week.

While distributed the appointment letters to 6172 TET qualified teachers at elementary schools under Sarva Siksha Abhiyan, Assam during a ceremonial programme held at Veterinary College playground at Khanapara in Guwahati, the Assam education minister said that a section of intellectuals of Assam based in Guwahati are trying to divide Assam again.

Himanta Biswa Sarma accused the intellectual section that they are trying to make a separate propaganda for it from the capital city of Assam.



The BJP-led state government is committed to fulfill the promises given by the saffron party before the assembly election to the people of Assam. We will do for greater interest of the state, Sarma said.



The Assam education minister expressed happiness that TET has made the teacher recruitment process in the government schools completely transparent and eliminated all scopes for corruption from the system.



On the other hand, Assam Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal said that, teachers must commit themselves to the cause of creating capable citizens for the country as primary school teachers are the agents of change for the society who can instill good qualities in the students from a nascent stage.



Urging the newly appointed teachers to take up the responsibility of spreading light of education in the far flung and remote areas of the state, Sonowal said that teaching is not a mere profession but an opportunity to serve the society and to become partners in nation building by shaping the future generations of the country and he urged the teachers perform their duties with Gyan (Knowledge), Bhakti (Devotion) and Boiragi (Sacrifice).



For building a society based on equality where all people are empowered to lead a life of dignity and to meet modern day challenges like corruption and increasing crimes, the education system must produce citizens with high moral values and integrity, Sonowal said.



Saying that the government is striving to facilitate an environment for growth and economic progress in the state so that meritorious and brilliant students do not need to go outside the state for finding employment and live a better life, Sonowal informed that state governments plans to build International Trade Centre at Guwahati with twin towers of 65 floors and expansion of the Guwahati City for creating State Capital Region are steps towards making Guwahati the gateway to Southeast Asia.



The Trade Centre will bring global industrial players to the state who will set up their bases here for doing business in South East Asia and it will create a lot of employment opportunities for the youth of the state, Sonowal said.



Reiterating Prime Minister Narendra Modis vision for the Northeast region to become the new engine of growth for the country, the Assam CM said that some elements are trying to foment trouble in the state by inciting the people of different religious faiths and linguistic groups against each other and he called on the people to maintain age old peace and harmony to defeat all such designs of forces inimical to the states growth and development.



It was our electoral promise to recruit 28 thousand TET qualified teachers and we are on our way to fulfil that promise, Sonowal said.



He also said that an ACS Training Centre would be set up at Umrangsu in Dima Hasao district covering an area of 1000 bighas which would be able to provide training to not only Assam Civil Service officers but also to officers of other state civil services as well.

On the other hand, urging all TET qualified elementary school teachers to enrol themselves at the National Institute of Open Schooling (NIOS) website by September 15, 2017 for obtaining D.El.Ed. (Diploma in Elementary Education) within March 2019, the Assam education minister stated that without the Diploma all those teachers working in the state would have to lose their jobs as Right to Education (RTE) Act, 2009 has mandated teachers to have D.El.Ed as minimum qualification for teaching from April 1, 2019.

A One Day Orientation Programme for Newly Recruited TET passed Teachers of Elementary Education was also organised by Sarba Siksha Abhiyan, Assam in collaboration with Krishna Kanta Handique State Open University.

Commissioner and Secretary of Elementary Education Department Pritam Saikia, Commissioner and Secretary of Secondary Education Department R.C. Jain, Mission Director SSA, Assam Aruna Rajoria, Vice Chancellor of KKHSOU Hitesh Deka were also present on the occasion among others.

(Reporting by Hemanta Kumar Nath)
BJP Twitter Handle

New Delhi, Sept 3 (IBNS): Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday is likely to appoint new Defence and Railways ministers as the country will witness a Cabinet reshuffle.

According to reports nine union ministers, all from the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), will take oath on Sunday after meeting PM Modi.

Four ministers including Nirmala Sitharaman and Piyush Goyal will be elevated to Cabinet rank, reports by NDTV said.

Power Minister Piyush Goyal could be the new Rail Minister, the channel reported citing sources.

Seven ministers have resigned from the Modi government since Thursday.

The list of ministers who had resigned includes Uma Bharti, Kalraj Mishra, Rajiv Pratap Rudy, Sanjiv Kumar Balyan, Faggan Singh Kulaste, Bandaru Dattatreya, Mahendra Nath Pandey.

Apart from them, few other ministers had also resigned in 2017 that led to a number of vacancies in Modi's cabinet.

Manohar Parrikar resigned as the Defence minister to become the Goa chief minister.

Venkaiah Naidu also resigned from the Information and Broadcasting ministry and the central government as he became the Vice President of India.

Presently, Arun Jaitley is handling the two portfolios, finance and defence ministries.

Speculations are rife that Minister for Road Transport and Highways and Shipping, Nitin Gadkari, might get an additional charge of Railway ministry after Suresh Prabhu offered to resign from his post following multiple train accidents in recent times. Earlier, Prabhu said he was asked by the PM Modi to wait.

Rajiv Pratap Rudy and Sanjeev Balyan both said they were told to resign by the party and they unquestioningly did so.

"It's not my decision, it's the decision of the party, and I will follow (it)," Rudy told NDTV.

According to media reports, Rudy and Balyan are expected to be given key organisational roles in the BJP in preparation for the 2019 elections.

NDTV said the new-look council of ministers will include BJP leaders from states where elections will be held in the next few months, like Gujarat, Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh and Karnataka.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi will also take the flight to China on Sunday to attend the BRICS Summit 2017.
New Delhi, Sept 3 (IBNS): Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday left for China to attend the 9th BRICS Summit in Xiamen.

Ahead of his visit, Modi said he is looking forward to the summit which will witness the outcomes of the Goa Summit held last year.

At the BRICS Summit, looking forward to building upon the results & outcomes of the Goa Summit last year.  Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) September 2, 2017



He said India attaches high importance to BRICS, which has begun a second decade of its partnership for progress and peace.

India attaches high importance to BRICS, which has begun a 2nd decade of its partnership for progress and peace.  Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) September 2, 2017



Modi will attend the Summit from Sunday to Tuesday.
New Delhi, Sept 3 (IBNS): President of India Ram Nath Kovind greeted citizens on the eve of Onam.

On the occasion of Onam, I offer my greetings and good wishes to the people of the country, particularly to our brothers and sisters from Kerala," Kovind said in his message.

"Coinciding with the beginning of the harvest season, Onam celebrates the hard work and toil of our farmers. May this festival be an occasion for celebration and sharing joy with our families, while not forgetting to reach out to those in need. Let us work unitedly to promote harmony and fraternity in our society, the president said.

Onam is an annual Hindu festival with origins in the state of Kerala.

It falls in the Malayalam calendar month of Chingam, which in Gregorian calendar overlaps with AugustSeptember.

The festival commemorates the Mahabali, Vamana (Vishnu avatar), Kashyapa and Parashurama-related mythologies of Hinduism.
Beijing, Sept 3 (IBNS): Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday reached China where he will attend the BRICS summit.

MEA spokesperson Raveesh Kumar tweeted: "Namaste China! PM @narendramodi arrives at Xiamen Gaoqi International Airport for 9th #BRICS2017."

He shared Modi's images after he reached China for the crucial visit to the neighbouring nation.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi earlier in the day left for China to attend the 9th BRICS Summit in Xiamen.

Ahead of his visit, Modi said he is looking forward to the summit which will witness the outcomes of the Goa Summit held last year.

"At the BRICS Summit, looking forward to building upon the results & outcomes of the Goa Summit last year," PM Modi tweeted.

He said India attaches high importance to BRICS, which has begun a second decade of its partnership for progress and peace.

Modi will attend the Summit from Sunday to Tuesday.

Image: Raveesh Kumar Twitter page
Guwahati, Sept 3 (IBNS) : A hardcore militant belonging to NSCN-K was gunned down in an encounter with security forces in Arunachal Pradeshas Longding district on Saturday night, officials said.

According to the reports, based on intelligence input, the troops of Assam Rifles under the aegis of DAO Division had launched near Kunsa village in Longding district about NSCN-K militants trying to exfiltrate from Indian territory.



The Khonsa battalions swiftly launched an operation, establishing an ambush on likely exfiltration route of the militants. The column saw move of few torches towards them, the column challenged the approaching party to ascertain if the party was of villagers. The militants did not stop and opened automatic fire, the column immediately returned fire and the exchange of f

ire lasted 20 minutes in which a hardcore NSCN-K militant was eliminated. The other militants managed to escape using cover of darkness and bad weather. In subsequent search operation launched early morning the column found the hardcore militant in combat dress who had succumbed to bullet injuries, Kohima based Defence PRO Colonel Chiranjeet Konwer said.



Security personnel had recovered a pistol and other incriminating evidence in possession from the slain militant.



Searching operation against the fled militants at the area is still in progress.



The slain militant was identified as Honcham Wangsa, Self Styled Corporal of NSCN-Ks Mobile two group.



The militant was involved in an ambush on Assam Rifles column at Nignu on Dec 3, 2016 and is also known to be involved in extortion activities in the area.



Security forces has been carrying out aggressive operations in the South Arunachal Pradesh and this elimination has struck a blow to the illegal activities being carried out by the underground militants of the group in the area.

On the other hand, the Khonsa battalion of Assam Rifles on Sunday had apprehended a senior NSCN -K militant identified as self styled second Lieutenant Gantaih Pansa with a pistol and ammunition.

The nabbed militant is a senior leader of NSCN-K Mobile two group and has been coordinating extortion activities in Wakka Circle in Tirap district.

The militant had joined NSCN-IM in 2006 and underwent three months weapons training.

(Reporting by Hemanta Kumar Nath)
New Delhi,Sept 3 (IBNS): India on Sunday said it 'deplores' nuclear test conducted by North Korea.

In a statement, the MEA said: "It is a matter of deep concern that DPRK has once again acted in violation of its international commitments which goes against the objective of the de-nuclearization of the Korean peninsula, which has been endorsed by DPRK itself."

"We call upon DPRK to refrain from such actions which adversely impact peace and stability in the region and beyond. India also remains concerned about the proliferation of nuclear and missile technologies which has adversely impacted Indias national security," said India.

North Korean state-run media has reported that the country has successfully tested a Hydrogen Bomb, which is way more powerful than an atomic bomb.

This was the reclusive nations's sixth test, according to reports.

According to South Korean media reports, the latest test was conducted near Kilju County, where the North's Punggye-ri nuclear test site is situated.

The tremor felt was 9.8 times more powerful than the one from the fifth test, the country's state weather agency said.

South Korean President Moon Jae-in urged the world for the "strongest" response to the test and further isolate North Korea, including imposing new UN Security Council sanctions, according to Yonhap state news agency.

According to a CNN report, Chung Eui-yong, the South Korean Presidents chief security advisor, said that South Korea will seek diplomatic measures to completely isolate North Korea.

North Korea today ignored the repeated warnings from us and the international society and conducted a stronger nuclear test than before, he told reporters, reported the US media.

President Moon has ordered the most powerful response to condemn [North Korea], along with the international society and decided to seek diplomatic measures such as pushing ahead for an UNSC resolution to completely isolate North Korea, it said.

Earlier, the Kim Jong-un led government had claimed that they have successfully managed to miniaturise a nuclear weapon that can be loaded on to a missile.

The development looks ominous as the reclusive nation has already threatened the US.

Even though many, including the American President Donald Trump, speculates the gravity of the threat, US intelligence have told the Washington Post that North Korea has progressed at a much faster rate than expected and is capable of striking the US.

In the past, Kim and his men have conducted umpteen tests, ignoring sanctions against them, but have mostly failed to threaten the likes of the US, against whom it plans to mount an attack.

However, the repeated tests have kept countries like Japan, South Korea, China and Russia on alert.

Last week, the Pyongyang confirmed that it flew a projectile over Japanese air-space.

The missile was 'personally guided' by Kim.

Even though it physically didn't damage anything, except the already battered bi-lateral ties, the move was met with much scorn by the Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe.

North Korea's antics also halted several operations in Japan as residents were ordered to stay indoor and take cover.

A day later, Kim Jong-un was quoted in the state-run media as saying that the launch was a "meaningful prelude to containing" the US Pacific territory of Guam.

The North Korean leader also warned of further strikes.

Experts believe that the strikes are in connection with the latest sanction it faces from the United Nations, where the US played a major role.

According to the new sanctions, importing coal, seafood, iron and iron ore, lead and lead ore from North Korea is banned.

Under the new rule, no country can hire or receive North Korean workers.

Countries have also been barred from entering into ventures from North Korea.

The member states will have to report within 90 days on how they have gone about the job.
Theres a new app in town and it aims to benefit restaurants, their customers and charities that help feed people in need.

TangoTab, based in Texas, coined the tagline: When you eat, they eat. Founder and CEO Andre Angel started the program in Texas in 2011 as a simple way for people who dine out to help others who cant afford a meal.

And it doesnt cost diners a cent. People download the app to find nearby restaurants that participate in the program, with the app sometimes offering deals to customers.

When customers arrive at the restaurants, they check in on the app. The restaurant pays TangoTab a small fee and a portion of that is donated to designated charities to help cover the cost of meals to clients.

In Billings, those nonprofits include the Montana Rescue Mission, which aids the homeless; Tumbleweed, which works with homeless teens; and Volunteers of America, which, in part, helps homeless veterans.

Saturday marked the launch of the app in Billings.

Montana will be the first entire state to join TangoTab, Montana director Julia Bryant said during a launch party at Uberbrew in downtown Billings.

She organized a small group of people at Uberbrew, one of the apps restaurants, to assemble bag lunches for the Montana Rescue Mission. The crew made turkey-and-cheese sandwiches and then placed baby carrots in one plastic bag and raisins in another, placing them all in paper bags.

With September designated Hunger Action Month, Bryant said, it seems an appropriate time to expand TangoTab throughout Montana. Bryant will host similar launch events in other Montana cities: Sept. 9 at Big Sky Brewing in Missoula; Sept. 10 at The Garage Soup Shack & Mesquite Grill in Bozeman; and Sept. 16 at Hub Coffee in Helena.

TangoTabs mission has two components, she said. We want to end hunger and we also want to ignite economic development in cities were involved in by working with restaurants.

Bryant has already lined up 30 restaurants in downtown Billings, and she plans to do the same for the other Montana cities.

One of TangoTabs connections to Montana happened when Angel spoke in July at the Innovate Montana Symposium in Billings. In a news release provided by Tango Tab, Angel said he is thrilled to be launching the app in Montana.

Montana is a place that stays in your heart from the moment you visit, he said. I see infinite opportunity for TangoTab to make a real difference in this community and for us to continue to fight hunger with future growth in the agriculture industry, creating jobs in Montana for Montanans.

Bryant explained that a long-term goal is to partner with farmers in Montana and subsidize the cost of hiring homeless veterans and at-risk youth on those farms.

In return we would help pay farmers for some of their product that would go straight to the shelter, she said. We want to take away processed foods available at shelters and provide more farm-to-table foods.

Bryant is organizing a round table in October with industry leaders on how to make that happen in Montana.

On Saturday, Denise Smith, public relations director for the Montana Rescue Mission, joined in the sandwich-making at Uberbrew. With the rescue mission serving about 125 people daily for lunch and dinner, any financial donations from TangoTab will be welcome.

Any new source of funding is amazing and were thankful for anything we get, she said.

Kelsey Wagner, office manager for Tumbleweed, added that meals are important for people who are vulnerable, living on the streets.

Because if youre hungry, you cant really do anything else, she said. Its hard to find a job, its hard to move out of that state of homelessness. So this is a really cool program for us.

Troy Soulsby, general manager for Uberbrew, hadnt heard of TangoTab before he talked with Bryant.

I just downloaded the app, he said.

Soulsby said he was glad to offer his restaurant as a place for the apps state kickoff. And hes happy to be involved with the program.

It sounds like a good thing to do, he said. Its good for the community, to help food shelters and places like that.
Guwahati, Sept 3 (IBNS) : Arunachal Pradesh Chief Minister Pema Khandu on Sunday called on Governor P.B. Acharya at Raj Bhavan, Itanagar.



They discussed on their observations in recent district tours.



The governor toured the Districts of Longding, Tirap and Changlang, while Chief Minister tour Lower Dibang Valley District.



Sharing his observations, Acharya expressed his concerns on infrastructure, educational and health care and socio economic issues faced by the common people of Longding, Tirap and Changang Districts.



He had a meeting earlier with the Chief Minister and the Chief Secretary Shakuntala D. Gamlin on Aug 31 last.



Earlier, the Arunachal Pradesh CM presented a copy of The Ocean and The Blue Mountains, a coffee table book about His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama and Arunachal Pradesh to the governor.



On the other hand, in his effort to reach out to the indigenous communities and to know more about their traditional beliefs and faiths, Arunachal Pradesh governor P.B. Acharya on Sunday visited to the Golgii Bote Donyi Polo Ganggiing, near Jawaharlal Nehru State Museum, Itanagar.

Joining the Adi Community, the governor paid obeisances at the Donyi Polo Altar and distributed fruits in the weekly prayer meeting.



Interacting with the Donyi Polo faith believers, Acharya conveyed his appreciation for organising regular prayer meetings on the chosen day of the week. He exhorted them to preserved the rich cultural values in the faith and sustain it.



The governor emphasised on maintaining sanctity, discipline, reverence, respect for other faiths and Swachhta (Cleanliness) in and around the place of worship.



He called upon the people from all faiths and religions with similar beliefs, traditions and values to come together and participate in each other festivals and prayer meetings.



President, Golgii Bote Donyi Polo Ganggiing, Itanagar Talom Dupak, ADC, Capital Complex, and Er. Anong Perme, CE (Power), President, Society for Festival of Adis and Chairman, Adi Galo Heritage Society were present on the occasion amongst other.



On the other hand, an indigenous faith prayer meeting was organised in the Vivekananda Hall, Raj Bhavan, Itanagar.

The members of Golgii Bote Donyi Polo Ganggiing, Itanagar, led by its President Talom Dupak, ADC, Capital Complex and Er. Kaling Tateh conducted the congregation.

The Arunachal Pradesh governor attended the prayer meeting along with Raj Bhavan officials. Er. Anong Perme, CE (Power), President, Society for Festival of Adis and Chairman, Adi Galo Heritage Society was also present on the occasion.

Numbers of believers of Donyi Polo faith participated in the meeting.

Sacred threads or the healing twines Ridin were tied onto the wrist of the devotees by the Shaman, symbolizing the blessing of Donyi Polo.
Kabul, Sep 3 (IBNS): At least 12 insurgents were killed in separate anti-terrorists raids in Kandahar and Paktika provinces of Afghanistan.

Local Khaama Press quoted Afghan Ministry of Defence (MoD) officials as stating that while nine insurgents were killed in Khakrez district of Kandahar, at least four militants sustained injuries.

A vehicle along with six weapons were also destroyed during the operation.

MoD officials added that at least three militants were killed and two suffered injuries in a separate raid in Khair Kot district of Paktika province.

The operations were conducted by the Afghan National Defense and Security Forces (ANDSF) in between Thursday and Friday.

During the same period, at least 12 clearance operations along with nine special operations were conducted in ten provinces of the country.

Image: Wallpaper
Pyongyang, Sep 3 (IBNS): North Korean state-run media has reported that the country has successfully tested a Hydrogen Bomb, which is way more powerful than an atomic bomb.

This was the reclusive nations's sixth test, according to reports. Reports said it is ten times more powerful than the last test by the nation.

Meanwhile, even though independent sources have not confirmed the reports, it was reported that seismologists had detected an earth tremor.

Analysts have warned other nations to treat the matter seriously, adding that the regime's nuclear programmes are picking up speed.

According to South Korean media reports, the latest test was conducted near Kilju County, where the North's Punggye-ri nuclear test site is situated.

The tremor felt was 9.8 times more powerful than the one from the fifth test, the country's state weather agency said.

South Korean President Moon Jae-in urged the world for the "strongest" response to the test and further isolate North Korea, including imposing new UN Security Council sanctions, according to Yonhap state news agency.

According to a CNN report, Chung Eui-yong, the South Korean Presidents chief security advisor, said that South Korea will seek diplomatic measures to completely isolate North Korea.

North Korea today ignored the repeated warnings from us and the international society and conducted a stronger nuclear test than before, he told reporters, reported the US media.

President Moon has ordered the most powerful response to condemn [North Korea], along with the international society and decided to seek diplomatic measures such as pushing ahead for an UNSC resolution to completely isolate North Korea, it said.

Earlier, the Kim Jong-un led government had claimed that they have successfully managed to miniaturise a nuclear weapon that can be loaded on to a missile.

The development looks ominous as the reclusive nation has already threatened the US.

Even though many, including the American President Donald Trump, speculates the gravity of the threat, US intelligence have told the Washington Post that North Korea has progressed at a much faster rate than expected and is capable of striking the US.

In the past, Kim and his men have conducted umpteen tests, ignoring sanctions against them, but have mostly failed to threaten the likes of the US, against whom it plans to mount an attack.

However, the repeated tests have kept countries like Japan, South Korea, China and Russia on alert.

Last week, the Pyongyang confirmed that it flew a projectile over Japanese air-space.

The missile was 'personally guided' by Kim.

Even though it physically didn't damage anything, except the already battered bi-lateral ties, the move was met with much scorn by the Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe.

North Korea's antics also halted several operations in Japan as residents were ordered to stay indoor and take cover.

A day later, Kim Jong-un was quoted in the state-run media as saying that the launch was a "meaningful prelude to containing" the US Pacific territory of Guam.

The North Korean leader also warned of further strikes.

Experts believe that the strikes are in connection with the latest sanction it faces from the United Nations, where the US played a major role.

According to the new sanctions, importing coal, seafood, iron and iron ore, lead and lead ore from North Korea is banned.

Under the new rule, no country can hire or receive North Korean workers.

Countries have also been barred from entering into ventures from North Korea.

The member states will have to report within 90 days on how they have gone about the job.

KCNA website grab / Wallpapers
New York, Sept 3(Just Earth News): The United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) said Saturday that an estimated 16 million children are in urgent need of life-saving support in the wake of torrential monsoon rains and catastrophic flooding in Nepal, India and Bangladesh.

Millions of children have seen their lives swept away by these devastating floods, said Jean Gough, UNICEF Regional Director for South Asia. Children have lost their homes, schools and even friends and loved ones. There is a danger the worst could still be to come as rains continue and flood waters move south, she added.

UNICEF is on the ground working in close coordination with respective governments and humanitarian partners in the South Asian countries to scale up its responses and respond to immediate needs of affected children and their families.

Since mid-August, there have been at least 1,288 reported deaths, with over 45 million people estimated to be affected.

Many areas remain inaccessible due to damage to roads, bridges, railways and airports. The most urgent needs for children are clean water, hygiene supplies to prevent the spread of disease, food supplies and safe places in evacuation centres for children to play.

Massive damage to school infrastructure and supplies also mean hundreds of thousands of children may miss weeks or months of school, said Gough. Getting children back into school is absolutely critical in establishing a sense of stability for children during times of crisis and provides a sense of normality when everything else is being turned upside down.

In Bangladesh alone, more than 8 million people have been affected by flooding, including around 3 million children. An estimated 696,169 houses have been damaged or destroyed and 2,292 primary and community schools have been damaged by high water. There have already been more than 13,035 cases of water-borne diseases in the country.

In Nepal, 1.7 million people, including 680,000 children, have been affected with 352,738 displaced from their homes. More than 185,126 homes have been damaged or destroyed in addition to 1,958 schools, affecting the education of 253,605 children.

In India, four states in northern India have been extensively affected by the flooding, affecting over 31 million people including 12.33 million children. Some 805,183 houses are either partially or fully damaged and 15,455 schools have been damaged, disrupting the education of nearly one million students. Further heavy rains in Mumbai resulted in at least five deaths by drowning and three people including two children died due to house collapse.

Photo: UNICEF Nepal/2017/NShrestha

Source: www.justearthnews.com
Washington, Sept 3 (IBNS): US President Donald Trump on Sunday slammed North Korea and called it a 'rogue nation'.

North Korean state-run media has reported that the country has successfully tested a Hydrogen Bomb, which is way more powerful than an atomic bomb.

This was the reclusive nations's sixth test, according to reports.

Reacting to the latest test conducted by North Korea, Trump tweeted: "North Korea has conducted a major Nuclear Test. Their words and actions continue to be very hostile and dangerous to the United States....."

"North Korea is a rogue nation which has become a great threat and embarrassment to China, which is trying to help but with little success," he said.

Trump said: "South Korea is finding, as I have told them, that their talk of appeasement with North Korea will not work, they only understand one thing!"

According to South Korean media reports, the latest test was conducted near Kilju County, where the North's Punggye-ri nuclear test site is situated.

The tremor felt was 9.8 times more powerful than the one from the fifth test, the country's state weather agency said.

South Korean President Moon Jae-in urged the world for the "strongest" response to the test and further isolate North Korea, including imposing new UN Security Council sanctions, according to Yonhap state news agency.

According to a CNN report, Chung Eui-yong, the South Korean Presidents chief security advisor, said that South Korea will seek diplomatic measures to completely isolate North Korea.

North Korea today ignored the repeated warnings from us and the international society and conducted a stronger nuclear test than before, he told reporters, reported the US media.

President Moon has ordered the most powerful response to condemn [North Korea], along with the international society and decided to seek diplomatic measures such as pushing ahead for an UNSC resolution to completely isolate North Korea, it said.

Earlier, the Kim Jong-un led government had claimed that they have successfully managed to miniaturise a nuclear weapon that can be loaded on to a missile.

The development looks ominous as the reclusive nation has already threatened the US.

Even though many, including the American President Donald Trump, speculates the gravity of the threat, US intelligence have told the Washington Post that North Korea has progressed at a much faster rate than expected and is capable of striking the US.

In the past, Kim and his men have conducted umpteen tests, ignoring sanctions against them, but have mostly failed to threaten the likes of the US, against whom it plans to mount an attack.

However, the repeated tests have kept countries like Japan, South Korea, China and Russia on alert.

Last week, the Pyongyang confirmed that it flew a projectile over Japanese air-space.

The missile was 'personally guided' by Kim.

Even though it physically didn't damage anything, except the already battered bi-lateral ties, the move was met with much scorn by the Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe.

North Korea's antics also halted several operations in Japan as residents were ordered to stay indoor and take cover.

A day later, Kim Jong-un was quoted in the state-run media as saying that the launch was a "meaningful prelude to containing" the US Pacific territory of Guam.

The North Korean leader also warned of further strikes.

Experts believe that the strikes are in connection with the latest sanction it faces from the United Nations, where the US played a major role.

According to the new sanctions, importing coal, seafood, iron and iron ore, lead and lead ore from North Korea is banned.

Under the new rule, no country can hire or receive North Korean workers.

Countries have also been barred from entering into ventures from North Korea.

The member states will have to report within 90 days on how they have gone about the job.

image: Michael Vadon/Wikipedia
Relations Between Israel and Jordan Frozen as Re-entry of Israeli Ambassador Refused by IMEMC

he Jordanian government is reportedly refusing to allow the return of the Israeli ambassador to the country, more than a month after an Israeli embassy security guard shot and killed two Jordanian citizens, Israeli news website Ynet reported on Thursday.

(photo: Israeli police officers on site following the attack, Wikipedia)





Additionally, Ynet reported that relations between Israel and Jordan have remained frozen and no visas are being issued, meaning that thousands of Jordanians and Palestinians living in Jordan who cannot enter Israel through the Allenby crossing and 163 passports of Jordanian citizens waiting to receive a visa to Israel have been held in a safe of the Israeli embassy in Jordan.



Staff members of the Israeli embassy to Jordan, including the security guard who Ynet identified as Ziv Moyan  who killed Jordanian citizens Muhammad Zakariya al-Jawawdeh, 17, and Bashar Hamarneh in what Jordanian media and officials said was a professional dispute  had returned to Israel in late July, just days after high tensions following the shooting incident.



According to Jordanian media, the Jordanian government had decided not to allow the Israeli ambassador to Jordan and the embassy staff to return to Amman until gaining complete assurances guaranteeing that Moyan would be prosecuted.



Ynet reported that Jordans refusal to accept ambassador Einat Shlains return to Amman was due Shlains participation with Moyal and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in a celebratory reception upon their return to Tel Aviv.



At the time, Jordanian news sites reported that Jordans King Abdullah had criticized Netanyahus welcoming home of the guard as a political showoff, saying it was provocative and destabilizes security and encourages extremism in the region.



According to Maan News Agency, Ynet cited unidentified sources as saying that Israel will have no choice but to appoint a new ambassador, if it intends to restore normal relations with Jordan.

Meanwhile, Israeli police are ongoing in their investigation of Moyan, who has maintained that he acted in self defense.
In a televised address, he said, Our commitments to the world are clear our relations with the IAEA (International Atomic Energy Association) are defined by rules, not by the US. He added that Iran was still committed to the nuclear agreement, but we do not accept bullying. Rouhani claimed, I see it as unlikely that the IAEA will accept the request for inspections, but even if they do, we will not.

Mohammad Bagher Nobakht, Irans government spokesman, told reporters that Ambassador Nikki Haleys demand wasnt worth any attention. Iran will not accept any inspection of its sites and especially our military sites. He said the sites and all information about them are classified.

Haley met with IAEA chief Yukiya Amano and discussed accessing Iranian military sites so Irans compliance with the 2015 JCPOA deal could be ensured.

International sanctions were eased under the landmark accord, in exchange for stringent controls on Irans nuclear program with close IAEA inspections. The inspections are designed to prevent nuclear material being moved from nuclear centers to other areas, including military bases. The IAEA continues to report that Iran is in compliance with the deal.

Rouhani said that US President Donald Trump would struggle to get support for tearing it up, as Iran has the support of Europe and other signatories, and added, The US is in the most difficult situation in its history for creating unity against us and I think its not possible for it to do so now. Twenty-eight EU countries, which are Americas allies, clearly say we are committed to the JCPOA.

French President Emmanuel Macron confirmed his commitment to the deal on Tuesday, and said there was no alternative.

Foreign policy adviser, Ali Akbar Velayati, called the reported demand for inspections as sloganeering by the new US administration for domestic consumption. He added, The Americans should take the dream of visiting our military sites, using the pretext of the JCPOA or any other pretext, to their graves.

However, the deal remains under threat, as the US has strongly criticized recent Iranian missile tests, and imposed new, non-nuclear sanctions.

Rouhani responded in mid-August by saying that Iran could easily walk away from the deal within hours if forced to do so.

Haley stated that new US sanctions against Iran relate to Irans support for worldwide terrorism and other destabilizing activites in the region, and said Tehran could not use the nuclear deal to hold the world hostage.
Burma Arson and Bloodshed in Rakhines Maungdaw

A burned down market in Myo Thu Gyi village on August 26. / Moe Myint / The Irrawaddy

MAUNGDAW, Rakhine State  Having fled their own village weeks ago, about 150 Mro, a sub-ethic group of Arakanese, were preparing to escape the violence gripping northern Rakhine again.

They had taken refuge at Arakanese village Kai Gyee in southern Maungdaw after six farmers were brutally killed at the start of August in their 50-household village, known as Kai Gyee Mro, near the Mayu mountain range. Police found another body a few days later, and presumed another missing villager dead.

The government tied the deaths to Arakan Rohingya Salvation Army (ARSA), whose attacks on police stations on Aug. 25 left at least 59 of the militants and 12 security personnel dead. Since then, clashes between ARSAdeemed a terrorist organization by the governmentand the Myanmar Army have devastated communities in the area.

Latest UN estimates suggest about 58,600 Rohingya Muslimscalled Bengalis by many in Myanmar to imply they are interlopers from Bangladeshhave fled into that neighboring country. Many of these refugees say the Myanmar Army is burning their homes and killing them. The government says ARSA is culpable for the burnings.

Meanwhile, more than 13,500 Arakanese and Hindus have been evacuated to shelters, according to the government. With civilian causalities and regular clashes between Myanmar security forces and ARSA, the 150-strong group of Mro was preparing to leave the Arakanese village on Aug. 31 for a shelter in Maungdaw under the protection of security forces when The Irrawaddy met them.

We have never seen anything like this before. We do not dare to stay in this village anymore because all of Arakanese already left the village. We are also going to move again today, said U San Tun, head of Kai Gyee Mro village.

We could not sleep well at night, he added. We could clearly hear the drumming and chanting voices from Muslim villages located right behind us.

The Mro had led lives relatively free from regional politics. Their village, at the foot of the mountains, depends on crops and paddies deep in the forest. It can only be accessed by a trek of about two hours.

Most of the villagers do not speak the Myanmar language, but their predicament is echoed across the Maungdaw region. Residents of the village in which they have taken refuge have fled to Border Guard Post 3-mile checkpoint near Tha Si village or state capital Sittwe, where some have relatives.

Civilian Deaths

ARSA has killed 15 members of Myanmars security forces since its early morning offensive on Aug. 25, according to the government, while the Tatamadaw says it has killed 370 and captured nine militants tied to ARSA, as well as confiscated nine firearms, and 23 improvised explosive devices (IEDs).

ARSAs claim that it would not target civilians has been sullied by the deaths of seven Hindus, three ethnic Daingnet, and four Arakanese in recent days, which were at the hands of militants, according to witnesses. Thirty-three shelters protected by security forces have been established in the region.

The Irrawaddy heard a first-hand account of a suspected ARSA attack from Kamala, one of 12 Hindu family members who were returning home from working as casual laborers in Myin Hlut village in southern Maungdaw on Aug. 26 when they were caught in clashes between ARSA and the military.

Kamala of No. 4 Quarter in downtown Maungdaw recalled seeking refuge in a district court building that was undergoing construction when about 100 militants wielding guns, machetes, and slingshots shouted at them, Hindus are therewe must kill them first, she said through a translator.

The militants wore black clothes and masks, she said, and screamed, Allah has come to take you. Six of the family was killed, including her husband and one of her children, she said, while she was shot in the chest, fell unconscious and left for dead.

Four children and another woman managed to escape to a neighboring village where security forces were deployed.

Kamala was hospitalized in Buthidaung Township where she met The Irrawaddy and was transferred to Sittwe on Saturday for further medical treatment.

Village Lockdown

Residents of the Muslim village of Maung Ni, in the six-village tract of Shwe Zar near Maungdaw town, are restricted from gathering in groups larger than five and from going outside between 6 a.m. and 6 p.m.

Village administrator Havene Husong told The Irrawaddy that no homes had been burned in the tract of some 20,000 peoplemany of whom are Muslimunlike other villages in the region.

People are sharing food with each other, he said, as the market is opened for only a few hours per day and fishermen have been stopped from going out. Some displaced people from Myo Thu Gyi village located outside of the tract whose homes were burned came to stay with relatives in Maung Ni. It was not clear who burned the houses, said Havene Husong.

People can solve the food shortage here if the authorities let us open the market a bit earlier, he said. Security forces have blocked entrances to the creeks, market and closed border gates.

Muslim villager Ro Shid said locals have not clashed with authorities, though in the volatile atmosphere, many stay indoors, even forgoing food shopping to avoid possible conflict with non-Muslims that could exasperate the current situation in Maungdaw.

A Muslim resident who asked for anonymity told The Irrawaddy his entire village has rejected the ARSA attacks.

This kind of conduct is not acceptable, he told The Irrawaddy. Now trust has collapsed between the Rakhine and Muslim communities again. Firstly, we must rebuild trust to restore a normal situation, he said, acknowledging that restoring a peaceful climate would take longer than the aftermath of previous communal conflict.

Calls for Evacuation

People living in rural areas have been calling to be evacuated amid the ongoing violence. The government has airlifted civil servants in some villages where they fear of being assaulted by Muslim militants active in the area.

Guran Gaw, a Hindu resident of Maungdaw who was sheltering in a downtown school, told The Irrawaddy on Wednesday that nearly 300 Hindus were stranded in La Tha village on the outskirts of the town, where they felt vulnerable to the threat of militant attacks.

Militants told the Hindus we will kill you if you try to flee from this village, he said. Another Hindu, Shu Bun, also known as Kyaw Kyaw Naing, and several other Hindus said they saw on Aug. 26 militants shoot a Hindu man and torch Hindus houses.

The Irrawaddy was unable to independently verify the account. According to Shu Bun, 30 Hindus have been missing since the clashes flared.

On Sep. 1, Myanmar security forces escorted 300 Hindus from La Tha and 199 Hindus from Nga Yan Chaung village, according to the government. Several Hindu sources, were concerned, however, that Hindus of Kha Maung Siek village in northern Maungdaw needed evacuating.

Altogether, the government says so far it has evacuated about 13,530 non-Muslims, including 9,402 from 43 villages in Maungdaw, and 2,326 from 34 villages in Buthidaung. Some 1,800 are Hindus and the rest Arakanese.

Reduced to ash

Latest government updates state ARSA militants have torched 32 villages in Buthidaung and Maungdaw townships, including two quarters in downtown Maungdaw, in order to taint Myanmars name on the international stage.

Satellite imagery from Human Rights Watch (HRW) shows burnings taking place at 17 separate sites across northern Rakhine from Aug. 25-30, including the torching of 700 buildings in Rohingya village Chein Khar Li in Rathedaung Township, a near total destruction of the village.

But the government has not provided any evidence to support these allegations, stated HRW, nor did they prove similar allegations during the burning of Rohingya areas between October and December 2016. The rights group determined Myanmar security forces deliberately set those fires.

The Irrawaddy witnessed the smoldering remnants of hundreds of houses surrounding Maungdaw town and in its downtown quarters. Eyewitnesses described the situation as worse than previous arson attacks after Oct. 9 militant assaults on border posts.

Near the entrance of downtown Maungdaw is the some 1,230-house Myo Thu Gyi village, one of the largest Muslim villages in the area, with a population of about 8,600. The homes flanking the main road; the market; the school; and the government office have mostly been reduced to heaps of ash.

Mass Exodus

Tens of thousands of Arakanese, Hindus, and Muslims are fleeing the violence. Local reporters in Maungdaw told The Irrawaddy that businesspeople, government workers, and others are leaving.

Only men who can defend themselves are staying in the town, said a local reporter under the condition of anonymity. The rest [of the Arakanese] are moving to more peaceful towns in Rakhine.

The Irrawaddy met eight families appealing for funds from the public near Buthidaung jetty on Thursday afternoon in order to buy tickets to Sittwe.

Thick grey clouds rolled above the town, releasing a downpour that stirred the displaced people to fix tarpaulin over the heads of their children.

Kha Yay Myaing village resident of southern Maungdaw, Daw Ma Oo Sein, who was among the crowd, said her son was killed by ARSA militants on the way to Border Guard Post 3-mile checkpoint. Other family members escaped, she said.

I dont want to stay in this place anymore, she added. Life is more precious than property.
News Molotov Cocktail Thrown at Myanmar Embassy in Indonesia

Activists and protesters take part in a rally in support of Myanmar's Rohingya during one of the deadliest bouts of violence involving the Muslim minority in decades, in Jakarta, Indonesia September 3, 2017. / Darren Whiteside / Reuters

JAKARTA  A molotov cocktail was thrown at the Myanmar embassy in Indonesian capital of Jakarta in the early hours on Sunday, Jakarta police said, causing a small fire.

This comes amid mounting anger in the Southeast Asian nation, home to the worlds biggest Muslim population, over violence against Rohingya Muslims in Myanmar.

A police officer patrolling a street behind the embassy spotted a fire on the second floor of the building at around 2.35 a.m. Jakarta time and alerted the police officers guarding the front gate of the embassy, according to a statement by Jakarta police on Sunday.

After the fire was extinguished, police found a shattered beer bottle with a wick attached to it, the statement said, adding that the unknown perpetrator is suspected to have driven away from the scene in an MPV car.

Jakarta police is currently investigating the incident, said spokesman Argo Yuwono. Police are yet to find out the motive behind the attack.

A group of activists on Saturday held a protest at the embassy calling Nobel Prize Committee to withdraw Nobel Prize from Myanmar leader Aung San Suu Kyi, state news agency Antara wrote.

Protests continued on Sunday in Jakartas city central, with dozens of people under Islamic groups and activist groups calling Indonesian government to be actively involved in solving the human rights violation against the Rohingya community.

The treatment of Buddhist-majority Myanmars roughly 1.1 million Muslim Rohingya is the biggest challenge facing leader Aung San Suu Kyi, accused by Western critics of not speaking out for the minority that has long complained of persecution.

Aid agencies estimate about 73,000 Rohingya have fled into neighboring Bangladesh from Myanmar since violence erupted last week.
News Yemeni al Qaeda Leader Calls for Attacks in Support of Myanmars Rohingya

Rohingya refugee men carry a man after travelling over the Bangladesh-Myanmar border in Teknaf, Bangladesh, September 1, 2017. / Mohammad Ponir Hossain / Reuters

DUBAI  A senior leader of al Qaedas Yemeni branch has called for attacks on Myanmar authorities in support of minority Rohingya Muslims, the SITE monitoring center said on Saturday as thousands fled what they say is a government assault on their villages.

Myanmars roughly 1.1 million Rohingya pose one of the biggest challenges facing leader Aung San Suu Kyi, accused by Western critics of failing to support the Muslim minority that has long complained of persecution.

In a video message released by al Qaedas al-Malahem media foundation, Khaled Batarfi called on Muslims in Bangladesh, India, Indonesia and Malaysia to support their Rohingya Muslim brethren against the enemies of Allah.

Batarfi, who was freed from a Yemeni prison in 2015 when Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP) seized the port city of Mukalla, also urged al Qaedas Indian Subcontinent (AQIS) branch to carry out attacks.

So spare no effort in waging jihad against them and repulsing their attacks, and beware of letting down our brothers in Burma [Myanmar], Batarfi said, according to the US-based monitoring center.

About 58,600 Rohingya have fled into neighboring Bangladesh from Myanmar, according to UN refugee agency UNHCR.

Myanmar officials accuse the Arakan Rohingya Salvation Army (ARSA) of burning homes. The group claimed responsibility for coordinated attacks on security posts last week that prompted clashes and a large army counter-offensive.

But Rohingya fleeing to Bangladesh say the Myanmar army is conducting a campaign of arson and killings to drive them out.

The Rohingya are denied citizenship in Myanmar and regarded as illegal immigrants, despite claiming roots that date back centuries.

Bangladesh, where more than 400,000 Rohingya live since they began fleeing Myanmar in the 1990s, is also growing increasingly hostile to the minority.
Guest Column Putting Myanmars Buddhist Extremism in an International Context

Buddhist monks who support Ma Ba Tha sit as they attend a celebration of the establishment of four controversial bills decried by rights groups as aimed at discriminating against the countrys Muslim minority, with a rally in a stadium at Yangon October 4, 2015. / Soe Zayar Tun / Reuters

This article further develops an idea I had briefly discussed in an earlier piece written for New Mandala in February 2017. A recent phenomenon in Myanmar, which has been called by different names by commentators depending on their preference, has put the country in the international spotlight. It has been characterized, among others terms, as Buddhist nationalist, ultra-nationalist, militant Buddhist and Buddhist extremist, the latter being used in the title of this article. Ma Ba Tha or the Organization for the Protection of Race and Religion, being the largest of the groups described by these various terms, has triggered a good deal of scholarly and journalistic attention.

What is problematic with the articles such as the ones using the terms quoted above is that most of them overemphasize the role of these groups as promoters of Islamophobia. In order to advance our understanding of this worrying trend, I will make the case here that more attention needs to be given to another role Buddhist nationalist groups play, which has hitherto been glossed over or commented on only in passing: that is, that they are in fact voracious consumers, albeit uncritical and selective, of global media coverage on Islam. This is where the international factor comes in.

Based on my reading of recent literature of the Buddhist nationalists in the Burmese language, I have observed at least three ways in which the international factor feeds into Islamophobia, as consumed and purveyed by these groups in Myanmar.

First of all, incidents of violence perpetrated by Muslims, from Boko Haram to ISIS to the suicide bombings of Islamic terrorists, have found their way into the literature of Myanmars Buddhist nationalist groups. For instance, one speaker at the third annual assembly of Ma Ba Tha in June 2016 reported that suicide bombings are becoming daily occurrences in countries like Syria, Somalia, Nigeria, Iraq, Pakistan, Afghanistan and Bangladesh. More to the point, Maung Thwe Chun, one of the most influential lay figures in the Ma Ba Tha movement and a prolific writer, asked, Who could say that there isnt going to be war given that Al Qaeda has declared jihad [on Myanmar]? These quotations are just a smattering of a growing body of Buddhist nationalist thought on Islamic terrorism growing out of global media coverage.

Secondly, the rise of xenophobic populism in the West, which has a significant Islamophobic element, has played well into the hands of Myanmars Buddhist nationalists, lending credibility and justification to their arguments and narratives. For instance, the poster child of extreme Buddhist nationalists, Ashin Wirathuwho is highly respected among Ma Ba Tha leadershipwasted little time in congratulating Donald Trump on his election, thanks in large part to the latters anti-Muslim rhetoric in the campaign. Many others of a milder nationalist persuasion also did the same on Facebook and Twitter. Likewise, in an article in Thaki Thwe, one of Ma Ba Thas journals, a leading member of the organization, Dr. Ashin Thawbaka, wrote that he admires the US president and says thank you to him because he prioritizes the fight against terrorism, national security and nationalist politics. The ripple effects of rising populism are spread all over the world. Ian Buruma, editor of The New York Review of Books and Professor of Democracy, Human Rights, and Journalism at Bard College, writes that Trumps America first approach, Islamophobia, support for torture, and attacks on the mainstream media are being used by anti-liberals and autocrats worldwide to justify closing their borders and crushing enemies of the peoplewith violence if need be.

Lastly, what happens in the Muslim world and the state of affairs for religious minorities exerts a huge influence on the attitudes of the Buddhist nationalists towards Muslims in the country. In the most recent blasphemy index published by the United States Commission on International Religious Freedom, the five worst performing countries have a Muslim majority: Iran, Pakistan, Yemen, Somalia and Qatar. In the latest Human Rights Watch report, countries like Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, Indonesia and Egypt, all members of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) have appalling records on human rights, including rights of religious minorities. One can argue that Myanmar trumps all these countries as a human rights violator, however, the point remains that Muslim-majority states are doing a rather poor job of defending minorities of all kinds within their own borders. Buddhist nationalists use the poor human rights records of Muslim-majority states to frame their arguments and construct their narratives; the irony, though, is that they are admitting that they are more like their critics, who they want to push a peg or two down the moral ladder.

By bringing these points to the discussion, I am not defending cultural relativism, but only highlighting the quagmire of complexity into which events around the world are dragging people. Pushing the international factor out of the context misses a crucial part of the picture, and thus impoverishes the debate. For example, the author of a recent Economist piece, writes the following: Buddhists account for almost 90 percent of Myanmars population. There is no evidence that their share of the population is declining. The monkhood, or sangha, is as popular as ever with an estimated 500,000 membersalmost 1 percent of the population. Aung San Suu Kyi, the countrys leader, is a practicing Buddhist.

The suggestion seems to be that it is irrational for such an overwhelming majority to fear such an unthreatening minority. The term siege mentality has been used to describe this supposedly irrational feeling. However, as I have already pointed out, with growing criticism from the Islamic world and declaration of jihad from Al Qaedaalthough these have come only as a response to the persecution of a Muslim minority in western Myanmar internationally known as the Rohingyathe minority feeling among the Buddhist nationalists is hardly unfounded. Furthermore, this majoritys minority complex is not unique to Buddhists in Myanmar. In Religion and Nationalism in Southeast Asia, Professor Joseph Liow describes a similar sentiment in Malaysia, where the numerical majority has been accompanied by a minority mindset defined by insecurity toward the religious rights of the Muslim community, at least on the part of these Islamists and Muslim conservatives who soughtand were denieda more assertive role for Islam in politics and national affairs.

The emergence of groups like Ma Ba Tha, which have counterparts in even the so-called liberal parts of Europe such as France and Germany, is a localized response to rising Islamophobia in the world. The reception of these groups and operating space in their own countries will vary depending on a number of enabling factors. It is worth noting that just as white supremacists have been roundly condemned by some government officials, members of the public and the media in the US, Buddhist nationalists have been subjected to severe criticism in the local media, social media and in public campaigns.

Furthermore, it is imprecise to characterize Ma Ba Tha simply as anti-Islamic. It is not that it is not anti-Islamic, but it is more anti-Rohingya than against Islam if its official statements are any guide. Islamophobia is a lot less popular than the anti-Rohingya feeling widely shared in the country, but the two are separate things, although inextricably linked. In other words, in the Buddhist nationalist literature I have reviewed, the Buddhist nationalists categorically reject the term Rohingya and their legal claim to the Myanmar state. In contrast, regarding the non-Rohingya Muslims, they recognize their legal status and the citizenship rights that come with it; what they dispute is their belonging to the Myanmar race or the Myanmar nation.

In ending, I draw the following conclusions. The international factor must be given a much more prominent place in the debate on so-called Buddhist nationalism in Myanmar, to the extent that developments and events do not occur in isolation, but reinforce and inspire one another, which I argue to be the case. Doing so will caution us against searching for solutions in the context of Myanmar alone. Criticism against Myanmar is justified and must be sustained as long as its human rights record remains as abysmal as it currently is. Existence of human rights violators around the world does not give it reason to be one, but to try to stop being one. However, progress on this front in Myanmar will be more or less conditioned by progress in the rest of the world. International factors such as rising anti-Muslim populism in the West and prevailing human rights norms in the Islamic world will have an influence on the attitudes of the Burmese, including Buddhist nationalists attitudes towards Muslims. The OIC have called on the Myanmar government to protect the rights of the Muslim Rohingya minority. However, as I have pointed out, members of the OIC in general themselves have such a poor record of protecting minorities that such calls come out as hypocritical and gain little purchase among the Buddhists.

Things are not all bad though. The permissive space in which the Buddhist nationalists operate is always in flux and recent actions by the National League for Democracy government and civil society groups show that the excesses of these groups are not unchallenged. Anti-Islamic sentiments in the country are not set in stone, and we should avoid essentializing them as such.

Aye Thein is a Research Fellow based at the Department of Politics and International Relations, University of Oxford. He currently works on the Understanding Buddhist Nationalism in Myanmar: Religion, Gender, Identity and Conflict in a Political Transition project, funded by the Economic and Social Research Council of the UK.
The SMW3 subsea cable between Perth and Singapore that services South East Asia, among other regions, has suffered a break with a repair date at least six weeks away.

As a result, TPG-owned broadband providers iiNet and Internode have been forced to re-route their services through their higher latency US connections.

The 39,000km SMW3, completed in 2000, services South East Asia, the Middle East and Western Europe.

Vocus has confirmed a cable break on the Perth to Singapore section on segment 3.3 between R345 and R346.

Describing the event as serious on its network status page, iiNet has advised that the estimated time of repair is 13 October.

However, this date is also described as tentative and, based on the experience of previous cable breaks, the outage could be longer.

Perth-based iiNet and its South Australian subsidiary Internode were acquired by TPG in September 2015 for $1.56 billion.

Because of its location on the West coast of Australia, iiNet (and Internode) are heavy users of the SMW3 cable.

The break has meant that the two broadband providers have re-routed their Internet traffic through the US, which has slowed services for their customers.

Customers will experience higher than expected latency and slower speeds to International sites in Asia, iiNet says on its site.

In December 2016, Vocus announced that in conjunction with Alcatel Submarine Networks, it would build its own 4600km cable between Perth and Singapore, with a target completion date of August 2018.

Image: courtesy Wikipedia
An unauthorised broadcaster interfered in a police chase in Victoria last Tuesday, forcing the officers concerned to call off their chase of two men suspected of being involved in an armed robbery.

The detectives from East Gippsland were investigating an incident in Sale. The pirate broadcaster is believed to be operating from the East Gippsland area, a police notice said.

The broadcaster impersonated a police officer during the chase which began after an alleged attempt at robbery in a shop in Sale, according to a report in the Brisbane Times.

The man who reportedly carried out the robbery fled in a car along with a woman and the police gave chase.

"Throughout the incident there were a number of disruptions during the radio transmissions which are being investigated," Victoria Police spokeswoman Lauren Kells told the website.

The Victorian Government said the incident highlighted the need for a more up-to-date radio transmission system.

Victoria Police Minister Lisa Neville said Telstra had been given the job of installing base networks for a digital radio system.

This would be used by regional police, the Country Fire Authority and Lifesaving Victoria.

The system, costing $12 million, is expected to be up and running by mid-2018.
Showcased at IFA 2017 in Berlin, Ecovacs Robotics is pre-empting its imminent Australian launch by launching the Deebot Ozmo 610, and Google Home enabled Ozmo 930.

Oh, Ecovacs. My straight up joke when thinking of robot vacuum cleaners is that it sucks to be you, which in your case, is quite literal and one of your major selling points! I know, I know, it has been used since the dawn of vacuum cleaners, but I can't help myself with a Dad-style joke on Father's Day (even though that role yet eludes me).

Now, Ive never heard of Ecovacs before, but hey, thats the reason why youre sucking up to the Australian media, in the hopes that youll clean up your reputation by solidly establishing it ahead of your local launch, whereby Aussie dirt and dust is hereby warned to watch out, as Ecovacs is smartly coming for you.

And, thats a great segue into the fact that IFA 2017s theme this year is Smart Living, which was presumably a smart way to ensure people think of home technologies and home robots as faithful helpers and friends, rather than future Terminator-like enemies hoping to suck our souls into SkyNets systems.

Ecovacs had an impressive range of cleaning robots on display at its stand, with the two standouts being the DEEBOT OZMO 610 and Google Home-enabled DEEBOT OZMO 930, which will launch in Australia later this year.

That date has to be relatively soon, because theres not much more of 2017 left, and if you want to actually suck up some Christmas and end-of-year shopping-season profits, launching in the next two-or-so months is critical, lest profits end up being sucked away by Dyson, cheap K-Mart Dyson clones, Godfreys, Kogan suck sticks and whoever else is out there trying to clean up from the cleaning business.

So, the big question is, just how much do the Deebots suck?

It would have to be an excellent sucker to have any hope of vacuuming up the hearts, minds and wallet-contents of consumers, so what does Ecovacs say Deebots Ozmo technology can do  and how can we be sure the Deebot does not turn into a robotic Despot?

Well, naturally we start off with the statement that Ozmo technology improves floor cleaning results. This is a key statement, because if we were being told that Ozmo technology improved egg boiling times, or microwave oven efficiency, or your cars fuel milage, then something would be wrong.

Thankfully, it is only my imagination which has gone astray, with Ecovacs telling us that whether the floor surface is parquet, laminate or tiled, the DEEBOT OZMO 610 and DEEBOT OZMO 930 are equipped with OZMO technology, which is designed to sweep and mop entire floor surfaces in one easy to manage step".

Further detail is necessary, and is supplied with the statement that this is made possible by an extra-large, electronically controlled water tank that moistens a washable cloth during the cleaning process. Depending on the degree of cleaning required, the amount of water dispensed can be adjusted manually via an easy to use Ecovacs Robotics app".

Here's the Deebot Ozmo 610:

Aha! Robot control, controlled by humans! This is the kind of robot humans like to see, as opposed to T-800s and T-1000s that actually do suck very badly, as opposed to the rather excellent suckage Ecovacs is promising.



So, what does the Google Home-enabled Deebot Ozmo 930 offer to one-up its little brother?

We are told the Deebot Ozmo 930 manages to go one step further as it recognises different floor coverings and automatically adjusts cleaning modes to suite these.

Carpeted floors, for example, receive a burst of extra suction power to help remove even more dirt and dust than previous models. Other features such as Intelligent Surface Technology help to protect carpets and rugs by avoiding these areas during the mopping process.

Damian Commane, Ecovacs A/NZ country manager, who is a kind of Commander Commane, commented on IFA and the imminent launch of the Ecovacs Robotics brand and its products in Australia: IFA is a very exciting time for us, and the timing could not be better to be showcasing products such as the DEEBOT OZMO 610 and DEEBOT OZMO 930.

With the launch of the Ecovacs Robotics brand imminent for the Australian market, this is a great way to introduce products that we anticipate will be available as well as get first-hand experience of reactions from the public.

We have had a strong level of success globally and now it is time to realise our plans for the Australian market. We believe Australia is buoyant market and very good for early-adoption, which will be especially helpful as we introduce new technology such as OZMO to Australian consumers.

The inclusion of OZMO technology is helping our products give back time to our customers so they can enjoy more special moments with family and friends. Our DEEBOT OZMO 930 is also Google Home enabled, which not only aligns with this years IFA smart living theme, but also provides our customers with an added layer of sophistication and convenience. We believe this is a value proposition that will appeal to many Australian consumers, said Commane.

The Deebot Ozmo 930's custom cleaning map:

Pricing and dates of availability for both Deebot Ozmo models will be announced to the Australian market in due course, which sucks because wed like to know now, but hey - the power of anticipation is an amazing thing, and will deliver a fantastic excuse to write another article about Ecovacs in the future.

Now, to conclude, if youve never heard of Ecovacs like me until now, we are told that the Ecovacs Group was founded in 1998 by Qian Dongqi.

Eight years later, in 2006, Ecovacs Robotics was formed: a company specialising in the research and development, design, manufacture and distribution of household robots, expanded its operations. Under the motto "Live Smart. Enjoy Life," we are told that the aim of Ecovacs Robotics is to offer innovative products that relieve customers of their daily housework and make life easier and more enjoyable".

This also includes robot window cleaners, which clean windows robotically (and not Microsoft's code), which weren't mentioned by Ecovacs in its media release, but which I could certainly use at home when they are finally launched in Australia, too.

Here's the Winbot:

So, forget about robot overlords, because if Ecovacs is successful, well soon have robots under foot sucking up to us big time, with the robot revolution finally starting to ratchet up a notch.

All well need in the future is some of Asimovs laws so the robotic despots of the future dont do a clean-up job on humanity, nor suck our initiative by doing everything for us so we simply sit With Folded Hands".

Here's the Deebot Ozmo 610 charging up:

Here's an "ambience" shot of the 930 in action:
The resumes of thousands vying to get jobs as mercenaries with TigerSwan, a North Carolina-based private security firm, have been found exposed to public gaze on the Internet.

The material was found in a cloud-based repository by the Cyber Risk Team at Upguard, a security firm which has found many such unsecured caches of data in the past.

The sensitive personal details of the job applicants, many claiming top-secret security clearance from the US government, were left unsecured by a recruiting company with whom TigerSwan had cut ties in February 2017, according to UpGuard.

Most of the data belongs to US military veterans and exposed details about their past duties, which included elite or sensitive defence and intelligence roles.

Apart from routine information such as addresses and phone numbers, the CVs also listed security clearances, drivers' licence numbers, passport numbers and at least partial US Social Security numbers.

A sample resume from the stash with data redacted. Courtesy UpGuard

UpGuard said in addition there were resumes from Iraqis and Afghans who had co-operated with US forces, contractors and government agencies in their home countries and who could be endangered by the disclosure of such details.

The document stash was found by UpGuard's director of Cyber risk research Chris Viceroy on 20 July, in an Amazon Web Services S3 storage bucket configured for public access  as has been the case with some previous discoveries.

It was located at the AWS subdomain "tigerswanresumes" and TigerSwan was notified the following day by email and again by both phone and email on 22 July. But the files were not secured until 24 August.

Describing the find, UpGuard's Dan O'Sullivan wrote: "A cursory examination of some of the exposed resumes indicates not merely the varied and elite calibre of many of the applicants as experienced intelligence and military figures, but sensitive, identifying personal details. Applicant names, home addresses, phone numbers, email addresses, and drivers license numbers are exposed throughout."

There were numerous others whose details were exposed: for example, a former UN worker in the Middle East, a parliamentary security office from Eastern Europe, an active Secret Service agent, a Central African logistical expert, an ex-soldier tasked with providing security in war zones for TV news crews and a police chief in a southern state.

O'Sullivan wrote: "The battlegrounds of Iraq and Afghanistan recur throughout the repository, with 3669 and 2712 resumes mentioning each, respectively.

"A sizeable number of these resumes mention service in these two flashpoints not just as US soldiers, but from other Coalition and NATO member states like Canada and the UK, as well as through private military contractors like DynCorp, Blackwater, Aegis, Kellogg Brown Root, Lockheed Martin, and Titan, among others."

Additionally, the contact information of a former US ambassador to Indonesia and a former director of the CIA's clandestine service were listed among the references in a resume.

"The potential utility of the repository that was left unsecured here is multivaried. While criminals could use the deep knowledge of work experience and personal details for anything from identity theft to one of the phishing scams known to specifically target veterans, the value of this database to foreign intelligence agencies if they were to access it is not insignificant," O'Sullivan wrote.

"The presence of extremist sympathisers in Western nations makes the prospect of publicly exposed Iraqi and Afghan nationals that much more alarming. Given these risks, the month-long delay from when TigerSwan was notified about the exposure and the data ultimately being secured is especially unfortunate. A strong cyber resilience programme should include the ability to respond quickly and with agility when exposure of sensitive information is discovered."
Melbourne University will end up getting fibre-to-the-premises as its NBN technology after the NBN Co and university authorities considered the degree of difficulty in wiring up the buildings.

In a blog post, the company said the job of connecting the University, one of the country's oldest, was put off for 18 months while a suitable modus operandi was considered.

Properties surrounding the University were among the first to be wired up, but work on the institution itself was delayed.

The NBN Co communications adviser Greg Thom said there were numerous people who had views on what technology should be used, heritage sensitivities and disputed ownership of below-ground infrastructure that contributed to the degree of difficulty.

As the University covered a huge area, the work was divided into four stages.

NBN Co deployment manager Harry Iliaskos was quoted as saying a main issue "was that, although we had a single point of contact at the University, there were multiple people who also had to be consulted for not only each building, but sometimes a single floor".

He said that once a solution was agreed on, the wiring would go in as far as could be done first time.

We are putting it (fibre) in all the way up to the Network Termination Device and activating that NTD, he says.

Our view is its difficult to get in there, so lets get in as far as we can so we dont have to go back.

Photos: courtesy NBN Co
A new kids smartwatch, the MT30, and new Alcatel Androids, the A7 and Idol 5S among others, have launched at IFA 2017, and are coming to Australia in the latter stages of 2017 and early 2018".

Top value brand Alcatel announced new products at IFA 2017, but theyre not listed at Alcatel Australias site yet as theyre yet to arrive down under.

That said, tech companies worldwide are using the Berlin-based consumer electronics extravaganza that is IFA 2017 to showcase what theyll be offering to consumers for the traditional end-of-year sales shopping bonanza, and Alcatel is no different.

Naturally, it bills its new products as being part of a range of new and exciting devices that continue to build on its legacy of delivering feature-rich, affordable and lifestyle-driven options for Australian consumers, which is certainly a true description of the company.

We are told that all of these products will be headed for Australia in the latter stages of 2017 and early 2018, and includes several new smartphones as well as their first smart watch to be launched in Australia".

Of note is the fact each product listed below is listed as arriving in "early 2018", so precisely which products will actually make the 2017 cut and have a chance of capturing some Christmas 2017 sales is yet to be seen  perhaps other Alcatel products in the range not specifically listed are coming  and we'll see if Alcatel's people can shed any more light on this.

Sam Skontos, vice-president and regional managing director of Alcatel South-East Asia and Pacific, said: Our releases announced today at IFA prove once again that premium and innovative technology can be met with affordability and accessibility. The MOVETIME Family Watch is a particularly exciting addition for us, as we move further into the wearables space.

It provides the independence kids crave with the peace of mind parents need, all delivered in a fun, intuitive and affordable smart watch that we cant wait to bring to Australia and New Zealand.

So, whats the detail on the new smartwatch and the two featured Alcatel Androids?

The first new product to get top billing is the MOVETIME Family Watch (MT30), set to retail for $149 and arriving in early 2018".

Its a 3G smartwatch designed as a daily companion for kids which enables them to call or message their parents and friends, while also providing accurate location tracking and geo-fencing capabilities should children exit a pre-set zone.

Naturally, it has a compact, interactive and colourful design, and comes with changeable watch faces and wristbands".

As you can imagine, it has a touch screen, and is built with software that is easy for young children to use as they add friends through Bluetooth, send emoji icons and play built-in games".

On top of that, and adding to its kid-friendly nature, it is IP67 robust, water-proof and dust-proof (up to one meter of static water), while having a 450mAh battery capable of up to two days of battery life on a single charge".

Its has the Snapdragon Wear 2100 platform inside, which niftily includes integrated GPS capabilities, allowing a variety of location features such as indoor and outdoor positioning, two-way calling and geo-fencing".

Theres an SOS button on the watch which enables the device to call for help in an emergency and be located with superior accuracy, while the geo fence feature can send alerts when their device exits a pre-set zone. Through the dedicated MOVETIME Track & Talk app, parents can view their childs whereabouts or contact the device".

To help with chores and to further convince parents to tech-up their children, Alcatel explains its MT30 also provides children with a to-do list and reminder function to help teach time-management, with the promise that it makes parents everyday lives easier with an easy way to flag important dates and appointments".

Specs of the MOVETIME Family Watch MT30 are as follows:

3G Connectivity

Bluetooth

IP67 Robust

Water-Proof (Up to 1 meter of static water)

Dust-proof

Qualcomm Snapdragon Wear 2100

GPS tracking via MOVETIME Track and Talk App

Next up is info on Alcatel IDOL 5S and the Alcatel A7.

The Alcatel A7 will retail for $299, and will be available in Australia in "early 2018".

Alcatel advises its A7 is a stylish phone with a modern look, boasting a generous 5.5-inch super bright display and a premium range of finishes".

Proudly boasting of an incredible 16MP rear camera with a wide f/20 aperture and ultrafast phase detection autofocus (PDAF), we are told that this ensures users capture super clear photos every single time".

On the front is a crisp 8MP front camera said to be ideal for selfies and video calls".

Pumping up the power stakes is a huge 4000mAh battery with 9V 1.67A fast charging support, which Alcatel bills as allowing consumers to spend less time powering up and more time where it matters".

Speed demons wanting faster LTE speeds in a phone that doesnt cost $1499 will appreciate up to Cat6 4G LTE connectivity, while the MediaTek octa-core processor promises fast performance when multitasking or gaming, coupled with 32GB storage and 3GB RAM for what is the promise of a zero-lag multimedia experience".

It even offers features like VoLTE, or voice over LTE, delivering better voice quality in 4G areas on compatible telcos.

Ill be keen to see how true this is in real life, for lower-cost phones normally come with lower-cost stutter, but as we are talking about what is a 2017 smartphone (to be sold in early 2018), its performance for the price should be a lot better than value phones have offered in the past.

A7 Specs are as follows, IDOL 5S details below these specs, please read on!

DIMENSIONS

152.7 x 76.5 x 8.95mm

DISPLAY

5.5 FHD IPS (1920 x 1080 pixels), Full Lamination

Dragontrail glass, Oleophobic coating, GFM 10 touch points

BANDS

Nano SIM

2G: GSM B2/3/5/8

3G: B1/2/5/8, (42Mbps DL, 11Mbps UL)

4G LTE CAT6: B1/3/7/8/20/28A, (300Mbps DL, 50Mbps UL)

OS

Android 7.0 Nougat

CPU

MediaTek Octa Core (4 x 1.5GHz + 4 x 1.0GHz)

CONNECTIVITY

VoLTE, Wi-Fi 802.11b/g/n, Wi-Fi direct, Wi-Fi display

Micro USB 2.0, GPS with A-GPS, Bluetooth 4.2, NFC, HAC M3

CAMERAS

16MP AF camera, LED dual-tone flash

Sensor size 1/3, Aperture f/2.0, PDAF, HDR, EIS,

Video capture: 1080P@30fps

Video playback: 1080P @30fps

8MP front camera with wide-viewing angle (84), Single LED front flash, Real time face beautification, Selfie Album, Face Show

MEMORY

Internal memory: 32GB STORAGE + 3GB RAM

End user memory: 23GB

Support MicroSD

BATTERY

4000mAh, 9V 1.67A fast charging

CHIPSET

MT6750T

OTHERS

Fingerprint, G-sensor, Proximity sensor, Light sensor, E-compass, Gyro

HD Voice, Photo hide, Wi-Fi transfer, 3.5mm audio jack



Then we get to the IDOL 5S, retailing for $349 in early 2018

Alcatel says its stylish IDOL 5S (4G LTE) features a slim 7.5mm metal unibody hosting a super bright 5.2-inch display wrapped in 2.5D curved glass for silky smooth edges".

Its front facing dual speakers seamlessly integrate into the metal and glass body to enhance its sleek appearance, while the built-in Now key enables users to pre-set to launch specific apps, tasks or other actions".

Presumably this Now key will be more useful than Samsungs Bixby key on its S8 and S8+ smartphones, given that it can be programmed to seemingly whatever you want, as opposed to the single capability of Samsungs key.

Billed as designed to capture crystal clear snapshots, the IDOL 5S features a 12MP rear camera with dual tone LED flash and an 8MP front camera with flash".

For the creatives, Alcatel proudly posts its IDOL 5S comes with the ability to create Cinemographs (still photos with minor moving elements) and Light Trace (an imaging technique that adds light to an under-illuminated subject while taking a long-exposure photograph)".

Cinemagraphs sounds like another way to save Live Photos, but hey, thats competition for you.

It comes with a MediaTek MT6757CH processor, 32GB storage and 3GB RAM and 2850 mAh battery.

No VoLTE is listed in the specs below, even though this is supposed to be the premium phone in the range, but it does sport plenty of other features. Ill check with Alcatels people to see whether its listing was missed, or not, but if it isnt there, its hardly the end of the world as calls would simply go over the 3G voice network as is the case with every other non-VoLTE phone out there, which is the vast majority of them today.

IDOL 5S Specs are as follows:

DIMENSIONS

148 x 72 x 7.5mm

DISPLAY

5.2 FHD TFT IPS (1920 x 1080 pixels)

Full lamination, Corning 2.5D glass, Oleophobic coating, Capacitive multi-touch, 160 viewing angle

BANDS

Nano SIM

2G: GSM Quadband 850/900/1800/1900

3G: UMTS B1/2/5/8, (42Mbps DL, 11.5Mbps UL)

4G LTE CAT4: B1/3/7/8/20/28A, (150Mbps DL, 50Mbps UL)

OS

Android 7.0 Nougat

CPU

MediaTek Octa-core (4 x 2.35GHz, 4 x 1.64GHz)

CONNECTIVITY

Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac (2.4GHz & 5GHz), Wi-Fi direct, Wi-Fi display

Type C USB 2.0, GPS with A-GPS, Bluetooth 4.2, Support OTG

CAMERAS

12 MP rear camera, PDAF, CAF, Aperture: f2.0, sensor size: 1/2.8, pixel size:1.25m, 6P lens, dual-tone led flash

Video Capture: 1080P@30fps

Burst Shot, HDR, Photo collage, Super Resolution, ZSL, Night Mode, Panorama, Snapshot in video recording, Real time photo filters, Manual Mode, Light Trace, 360 Photo, Cinemagraph, Video stabilization (EIS), Real time video filter, Micro-video, Slow motion video, Face show

8 MP front camera, FF, Aperture: f2.0, sensor size 1/3.2, pixel size: 1.4m, 5P lens, High CRI flash

Face beauty, Selfie panorama

MEMORY

Internal memory: 32GB STORAGE + 3GB RAM

End user memory: 23GB

Support MicroSD

BATTERY

2850mAh

CHIPSET

MT6757CH

OTHERS

JBL headset, Dual speakers with Smart PA, Dual mic, Noise cancellation, E-compass, G-sensor, Proximity sensor, Light sensor, Gyroscope, Torch Light, FM Radio, HD Voice, MiraVision 2.0, HD recording, Dirac EQ, Glonass, Hall Switch

Finally, as you can see from the two images below, Alcatel has an IDOL 5 model, presumably less featured than the 5S, and also an Alcatel A7 XL model to go along with the A7. Whether these two other phones at different price points also make it to Australia is something we'll ask Alcatel's people, maybe it was a test to see who would notice and ask the question! :-)

As always, please turn phone horizontal if viewing on mobile to see the full images.

Related: Laptop Tablet Review: Alcatel PLUS12 2in1
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By Juan Cole | (Informed Comment) |  

Libyan activist Hend Amry makes an important point about the relative lack of interest of television news in stories such as the persecution of the Burmese (Myanmar) Muslims by the Buddhist establishment:

When Muslims are the victims of terrorism, there isn't the fraction of western attention as when they're the perpetrators. https://t.co/yxFOR8O4TY  Hend Amry (@LibyaLiberty) September 2, 2017

When Muslims are perpetrators, as in Brussels, Paris and Barcelona, the mass media often goes into 24/7 coverage mode usually reserved for natural disasters and Trumps tweet storms.

But the horrific attacks on the Rohingya Muslims of Burma (Myanmar), which have forced thousands to flee in recent days, have elicited no interest. I did keyword searches for Rohingya, Burma and Myanmar in Broadcast News in a major database. I got lots of hits for the BBC and AsianNews and a few from EuroNews. Nothing from US networks or cable news in the past week. Nothing. As a control, I searched Hurricane Harvey, and got hits from all the major US television media on the front page. In other words, a major human rights crisis is invisible to viewers of American television news.

As for other Muslim victims, I dont need to bother to research. You will almost never see any mention in US television news of the severe human rights violations daily perpetrated by Israelis against the Palestinians of the West Bank, including theft of property, destruction of buildings and orchards, and assault. This is a low-intensity human rights catastrophe and has been going on for decades. But if Palestinians victimize Jews in Israel, then it is another 24/7 blanket coverage. It should be, and Jews should not be victimized. But you also have to cover what is being done to Palestinians who are militarily occupied.

Or take Yemen, which is the worst humanitarian crisis in the world now that al-Assad has won the civil war for the moment. The United States is backing the Saudi-led war on Yemen to the hilt, with logistical support and even help in choosing targets to bomb. The bombing began in spring of 2015. By now, you have millions living on the edge, who could fall into starvation is just one more thing went wrong. (Social scientists call this being food insecure). You have a massive cholera outbreak. Not to mention the people killed or wounded by Saudi and allied air strikes. Whatever you think of the battling sides in the war, surely we can all agree that the children being victimized are innocent.

But youd go blind scanning the television in the US for news about the Yemen war. And remember, it is to some extent an American war! NBCs intrepid Richard Engel, among the best in the business, is an exception here but even he hasnt been given more than a spot or two over the past two years.

As for ISIL, most of its victims have been Muslims, but youd never know that from the television news coverage.

In the old days, print newspapers were an important avenue for people to get news, but they have been eclipsed (even for our president) by broadcast news. And broadcast news is doing such a bad and imbalanced job of covering the world for viewers that it should be sued for malpractice or false advertising (I can almost never find any actual news on cable news channels).

The prejudices of top cable and network news executives are warping the consciousness of our whole country. In this bizarro world, Muslims are never victims and never presented sympathetically, while whenever some emerge as perpetrators, they are made out to be ten feet tall.

No wonder weve ended up with a president, shaped by right wing cable and you tube news services, who wants to ban Muslims. The prejudices of our billionaires are defining what news is and distorting national policy in dangerous ways.



Related video:

AP: Airstrike hits hotel in Yemen, many dead
As summer break draws to a close, millions of American children are returning to school with their new backpacks, shiny pencils and empty notebooks. As Missoula children head off to school in bright yellow buses, we look out of the living room window and wonder what will become of them, all the while knowing that they will arrive at school safely and benefit from the public education that we ourselves had and now take for granted.

In many developing countries such as Kenya, Somalia and Bangladesh, such opportunities are not available. Instead, many families are unable to afford the uniforms and fees of schools; moreover, children must often work to help support their families. Girls are even sold into marriage at a very young age by their own families in exchange for cattle to provide for other children.

Currently, there are 263 million children not attending school, often because of no access to school. And if children are fortunate enough to get to a school, there is no guarantee of learning. Over 1 million students attending secondary school in developing nations can't read or write a simple sentence. For years, the focus in the fight for global education has been on getting kids to school rather than making sure teachers were there and knew how to teach.

We are beginning to see improvements in global education because it is multilateral, not bilateral. This is the approach of the Global Partnership for Education (GPE). By combining the forces of the International Monetary Fund, World Band, corporations, non-governmental organizations, and donor and recipient governments, the GPE is able to secure greater funding and country-specific expertise to allow for the development of national education systems that are built to last. This is done by giving the recipient countries a seat at the table during the development of these programs, so programs are tailored to that country's needs and what's already been done and found effective. Plus, each recipient country must devote 20 percent of its GDP to its own national education system to get GPE aid. As part of the planning and funding, such a country develops a sense of ownership of its expanding education programs. Finally, the aid is given in increments and only after the funded programs have been measured and proven effective. Those Americans who worry that in giving U.S. resources to foreign nations, much of it won't reach the ground, and there will be no return on such expenditures, can find comfort in the fact that the GPE focuses on giving a hand up, not a hand out, effectively providing the guidance and assistance that developing nations choose themselves and contribute to.

Taking a quick glance at GPEs statistics in the field, it is impossible to ignore the remarkable results. Since 2003, $2.3 billion U.S. dollars have been allocated to countries which have been impacted by conflict and are fragile. As a direct result of these allocations, 72 million more children are in primary school now than before this funding. In addition, the number of girls completing primary school, compared to boys, is rising.

The Global Partnership for Education has made fantastic strides in ensuring that more children have the opportunity to receive a good education, which is why I encourage all of you to reach out to U.S. Rep. Greg Gianforte to ask him to cosponsor the bipartisan House Resolution 466, which calls for the leadership and commitment of the United States to improve access to quality education for the poorest and most marginalized children and youth worldwide, through increased funding for the Global Partnership for Education.
The Atlantic | (Video Report) |  

Liberty requires vigilance and sacrifice so we remain standing in defense of our Constitution and its values, says Khizr Khan. The lawyer and Gold Star father of Captain Humayun Khan, a Muslim-American soldier killed in Iraq, spoke out against President Trump at the Democratic National Committee Convention in 2016. Interviewed at the 2017 Aspen Ideas Festival, Khan discusses how his sons death thirteen years ago compels him to act today.
By Doug Bandow





Three years ago Thailand's military seized power. Installed as prime minister at the head of the self-proclaimed National Council for Peace and Order was Gen. Prayuth Chan-ocha, a comic figure highly sensitive to criticism and with delusions of grandeur.

Last year the dictator, who after ousting the elected government composed a song on happiness for his countrymen, brought criminal charges against those who used Facebook to mock his manifold foibles. "They can't make fun of me" the very unhappy generalissimo declared.

The generalissimo's determination to stay in power after failing to act on his promise to restore democracy is reflected in the trial of former Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra in a criminal case involving a pork barrel rice subsidy scheme she implemented after being elected prime minister in 2011. She fled abroad ahead of almost certain conviction.

It was bad policy, not illicit corruption. But the junta obviously remains afraid of the populist movement created by Shinawatra's brother, Thaksin, who was elected prime minister in 2001, only to be ousted by the military in 2006.

Although Thaksin Shinawatra remained in exile, his party won successive elections, making Yingluck Shinawatra prime minister in 2011. However, Bangkok remained an opposition bastion and her opponents turned out mobs which made the country almost ungovernable.

After the coup Generalissimo Chan-ocha preached happiness while jailing his opponents, demanding "attitude adjustments" of those in custody, and employing draconian lese majeste laws against critics and their family members. Last year the junta finally held a rigged referendum on a constitution drafted to ensure continued military dominance over Thai politics.

The prosecution of Yingluck Shinawatra over a scheme designed to help Thai farmers is a further attempt to drive her and her brother from politics. The military apparently decided that only misuse of the criminal law, resulting in either jail or exile for the former prime minister, could break the Shinawatra family's hold over Thai politics.

One of the tragedies of the ego-driven Chan-ocha dictatorship is that it has turned the Shinawatras into symbols of democracy. A wealthy businessman, Thaksin engaged in self-dealing and conducted a "dirty war" against drug dealers.

But both of the Shinawatras were elected and reelected by the Thai people. And they didn't persecute their opponents.

The latest State Department human rights report ran 62 pages. It cited "decrees limiting civil liberties, including restrictions on freedoms of speech, assembly, and the press."

Other problems included "arbitrary arrests and detention" and "excessive use of force by government security forces, including harassing or abusing criminal suspects, detainees, and prisoners." Finally, of course, "citizens no longer had the ability to choose their government through free and fair elections."

Earlier this year the International Federation for Human Rights published a detailed study entitled: "Under Siege: Violations of Civil and Political Rights under Thailand's Military Junta." In reviewing the events of last year Human Rights Watch criticized the junta's failure to fulfill its promises "to respect human rights and restore democratic rule. A new constitution, which will entrench unaccountable and abusive military power, was adopted in a referendum marked by repressive tactics against critics of the proposed constitution."

Amnesty International observed: "Human rights researchers have also been investigated for their work on rights violations, lawyers for defending their clients, land rights activists for supporting communities at risk, journalists for reporting on sensitive topics, and academics for expressing opinions on academic freedom." In charging human rights attorneys with sedition the junta mimicked China's Communist Party.

Overall, Freedom House judged Thailand to be "Not Free." Alas, none of this appears to bother the Trump administration.

Earlier this year the Trump administration followed its policy of accommodating dictators and invited Generalissimo Chan-ocha to visit, though his trip was postponed after being initially planned for July. Kasit Piromya, a functionary in the handpicked "National Reform Steering Assembly," said the visit would provide the junta with "respectability and legitimacy."

However, the State Department's unexpected cut in aid to Egypt because of that military regime's failure to respect human rights suggests that Secretary of State Rex Tillerson, at least, remains committed to democracy. He should similarly punish the Thai junta for its failure to respect individual liberties and promote genuine democracy.

Especially after the trial of Yingluck Shinawatra. Such a political trial makes a mockery of the rule of law, which is far more serious than denigrating "Mr. Happy" Chan-ocha's personal dignity. The U.S. and Bangkok's democratic neighbors should stand on the side of liberty and refuse to condone tyranny in Thailand.





Doug Bandow is a senior fellow at the Cato Institute and a former special assistant to President Ronald Reagan. He is the author of "Foreign Follies: America's New Global Empire."
An example is his purported support for our veterans. I think we all support our veterans and would do anything for them. However, I have misgivings about Testers support of disabled veterans when I see him supporting the limiting of access to our public national forests to special-interest groups that can walk, ride a horse or a bike, while he continually supports the publics national forest's continued closing of roads to our handicapped veterans and others who are elderly or otherwise handicapped. These forests belong to all the citizens of this country, and we all should enjoy equal access.
Popularized by the character Timon in the animated Disney film "Lion King," meerkats are often viewed as meek animals constantly on the lookout for danger. But within their small groups, these creatures are anything but meek  including when it comes to their mating behaviors.

Meerkats (Suricata suricatta) live in complex, hierarchical social groups or "mobs" consisting of two to 50 individuals. These groups are ruled by a dominant male and female, called the alpha pair, that have exclusive breeding rights. The group also contains subordinate females who are typically closely related to the dominant female; subordinate males who are usually the offspring of the alpha pair; and one or more unrelated immigrant males.

Meerkats reach sexual maturity at 1 year old, and males willingly leave their group permanently at around 2 years old to attempt to join or take over another group. Adult subordinate females, on the other hand, are often forcefully (and sometimes violently) evicted by the dominant female  they'll sometimes remain on the group's territory, sleeping and foraging alone or with other evicted females until the dominant female's aggression towards them subsides. [Strange Love: 11 Animals with Truly Weird Courtship Rituals]

Some females don't return to the group and instead form new groups, sometimes becoming the alpha female, said Tim Clutton-Brock, a zoologist at the University of Cambridge in the United Kingdom. A female may alternatively become alpha by inheriting the position in her natal group upon the death of the previous alpha (by being the largest and most powerful subordinate).

"And it's very common that the breeding males in groups are the ones that have fought and evicted other males," Clutton-Brock told Live Science.

Dominant females don't have much choice in their mate, given that the dominant male will do all he can to prevent her from mating with immigrant males in the group. And the dominant male will usually only mate with the dominant female, because the other sexually mature females in his group are his offspring.

Similar to humans, meerkats are able to breed year-round. But in their native home range in southern Africa, mating often coincides with periods of high rainfall, Clutton-Brock said, adding that "the rainfall is unpredictable but it's lowest between April and July."

Given that mating typically occurs underground, it's unclear if meerkats engage in many courtship rituals. In some cases, the dominant male may fight with the dominant female and grip her by her nape until she subdues and allows him to mount her from behind.

Subordinate females may occasionally mate with the immigrant males from within the group or outside of the group. But this sneaky behavior comes at a price  dominant females routinely kill subordinate females' pups and evict the wrongdoers (sometimes while the subordinate female is pregnant, forcing her to abort).

As payment for their misdeeds, subordinate females that lose their litters or return to the group after being evicted act as wet nurses for the dominant female's pups.

The dominant female has up to four litters a year and will often remain in her position until her death. When that happens, the remaining females will fight for the ruling seat, with the biggest female often coming out ahead. The ultimate winner will experience spikes in testosterone and estrogen, as well as a rapid increase in weight and skeletal size, in the three months after taking over, Clutton-Brock said.

Interestingly, recent research shows that subordinate meerkat sisters in a group actively compete with each other through eating. In experiments, Clutton-Brock and his colleagues fed younger sisters lots of food to increase their size. Older sisters responded by eating more on their own to grow bigger, helping them keep their place in the queue for the crown and the right to breed.

Follow Joseph Castro on Twitter. Original article on Live Science.
Metal Bulletins monthly price assessment for Brazilian local rebar was stable month-on-month on Friday August 4, at 3,250-3,410 Reais ($1,028-1,079) per tonne delivered, all taxes included, a value that is expected to be maintained in September.

Brazilian mills were said to be attempting to raise rebar prices by about 10% this month, stimulated by higher long steel prices in the global market and increases in flat steel prices announced locally, according to sources.

But unlike the flat steel segment, long steel demand in Brazil is still reported to be weak, mostly due to the low level of activity in the construction sector.

An increase in long steel prices would be hard to pass on [to the whole steel chain], a distributor said.

The construction sector, which takes as much as 65% of the steel consumed in Brazil, is expected to recover only from 2018 onward.

As a result of the countrys subdued economic activity in recent years, Brazil saw long steel consumption levels fall by 36% in 2016 compared with 2013, to 7.70 million tonnes from 11.90 million tonnes, according to figures presented by Gerdau ceo Andre Gerdau Johannpeter during the Brazilian Steel Congress last week in Brasilia.

Exports

Brazilian long steel export volumes, meanwhile, rose to 1.70 million tonnes in 2016 from 1.20 million tonnes in 2013, according to Johannpeter.

The poor conditions in the domestic market led us to export, he said.

Brazilian long steel producers continue to bet on foreign markets to keep their mills operating.

In mid-August, rumours of offers from Brazil led Latin American long steel prices to increase.

Metal Bulletins weekly price assessment for Latin America-origin rebar exports rose to $540-545 per tonne fob on August 21, from $490-500 per tonne fob a week before.

Over the same period, Metal Bulletins weekly price assessment for Latin Americas wire rod exports also rose to $540-545 per tonne fob from $490-495 per tonne fob.
Afro Pop artiste, Felicia Nuna Tawiah, known in showbiz as Feli Nuna, says she enjoys having her nipples played with during intimacy.

According to her, she gets aroused when her nipples are being touched or sucked by her partner.

Feli Nuna revealed this in an interview with host KMJ on the Moment of Truth session on Hitz FM which lures celebrities to reveal their secrets on radio.

The Gelaway hit maker also revealed that, she prefers sleeping naked because it makes her very comfortable.

Its not easy to say this! My nipples turn me on and sometimes playing with my butts. I dont sleep with my clothes on. I sleep naked, no underwear she disclosed on Daybreak Hitz.

Feli Nuna also debunked rumours that she is at loggerheads with dancehall artiste, Ebony

She explained, though she loves Ebonys songs, most of the lyrics are inappropriate especially for the youth.

Feli Nuna noted that, as musicians, they are role models thus their songs should educate rather than encourage them to be promiscuous.

I love sponsor. I love the melody. I only said I wasnt comfortable with the lyrics but its a very good song. Ebony is a great artiste and I have no beef with her she stated.

Nevertheless, Feli Nina further encouraged female musicians across the country to do well in engaging more collaborative songs to move Ghana music industry forward.

We [Female musicians] dont do a lot of collaborations. Thats true. You know women and our issues. Getting us into the studio is not as easy as guys. Its a big problem and we are working on it. I am working on a female collaboration with two sisters in the industryshe said.
Nairobi (AFP) - Kenyan judges have slammed the "veiled threats" made by President Uhuru Kenyatta after the judiciary overturned his election on the ground that it was flawed.

Calling it "an assault on the judiciary", the Kenya Magistrates and Judges Association (KMJA) late Saturday asked people to ignore "political rhetoric."

"The president of this country referred to the president of the Supreme Court and the other judges as "wakora", or crooks in Swahili, it said.

"He went on to make veiled threats against the same judges based on their decision. The same threats against the judiciary have been repeated at State House," said its chief Bryan Khaemba, referring to the presidential palace.

"We condemn this assault on the decisional independence of the honourable judges," he said.

Chief Justice David Maraga on Friday declared Kenyatta's victory in the August 8 polls "invalid, null and void", pointing to widespread irregularities in the electronic transmission of vote results.

An enraged Kenyatta said he respected the decision but lashed out against the judges, saying: "Every time we do something a judge comes out and places an injunction. It can't go on like this... there is a problem and we must fix it.

"I think those robes they wear make them think that they are more clever than the rest of us Kenyans," Kenyatta said of the Supreme Court judges, taking specific aim at Maraga.

"Maraga thinks he can overturn the will of the people. We shall show you... that the will of the people cannot be overturned by a few people."

On Friday he slammed the judges as "crooks".

This is the first time a presidential election result has been overturned in Africa and the decision has been welcomed by Kenyatta's challenger Raila Odinga, who has lost elections in 1997, 2007 and 2013.

Odinga however said he has no faith in the national election commission, which is tasked with organising elections in the next 60 days.

Kenyan media have hailed the ruling as a hard-fought victory for the rule of law, and a sign of a maturing democracy.
Accra, Sept. 2, GNA - Dr Kwaw Andam, Research Fellow, International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI), says high-quality data is essential for the acceleration of the socio-economic development of developing countries.

He said the importance of timely, high-quality data on agricultural research and development could be not overstated.

'This is the case for all developing countries in general, but it is especially vital for lower middle-income countries such as Ghana. That is because a lower middle-income status implies that policymakers are faced with everyday decisions that, cumulatively, can lead to regression or progress in agricultural development and economic growth,' Dr Andam said at a stakeholders' dissemination workshop in Accra.

He said the difference between the two paths - regression or backward steps on the one hand in agricultural development or rapid progress and transformation on the other hand - was often determined by the relevance, timeliness, and effectiveness of policies adopted by decision-makers at all levels.

'That, in turn, hinges on the quality and timeliness of the data upon which those decisions are based,' he said.

'We all know this intuitively, but in practice, we know that major decisions, that can have far-reaching consequences, are often made without recourse to important data and information. Sometimes it is because the data are unavailable, other times because it is inaccessible, often it is because the data and information may point in unwanted directions,' he said.

The workshop dubbed 'Enhancing the use of Agricultural Science and Technology Indicators (ASTI) Data for Analysis and Policy Influencing Stakeholders' Workshop' was organised by the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research - Science and Technology Policy Research Institute (CSIR-STEPRI) in collaboration with the IFPRI.

Dr Andam expressed the hope that initiatives such as ASTI could tackle all of these reasons for which policy might not be backed or supported by credible data.

He said the agricultural research in Ghana was facing many obstacles; and that these data could point researchers and policy makers in the right directions as they start to tackle these obstacles.

'This is why, under IFPRI's general mandate to conduct research and support evidence-based policy-making, the institute has engaged in country strategy support programmes,' Dr Andam said.

He said the Ghana Strategy Support Programme had developed statistical capacity in the Ministry of Food and Agriculture's Statistics, Research, and Information Directorate (SRID).

He urged the participants to support the efforts to disseminate the ASTI findings and ensure that these data were used to support policymaking at all the right levels, to promote agricultural research and development for the economic development of Ghana.

Dr Victor Agyemen, the Director General of CSIR, in a speech read on his behalf, said the decline in the fortunes of the agricultural sector in the country was a wakeup call to all stakeholders to take the necessary steps to ensure that the sector played its backbone roles for rural livelihood and poverty alleviation.

Dr George Owusu Essegbey, the Director STEPRI-CSIR, called for the re-engineering of the agricultural systems to let it make its rightful contributions to economic growth and social transformation.

ASTI is led by IFPRI through collaboration with national, regional and international partners to collect time series data on the funding, human resource capacity and outputs in agricultural research in low and middle-income countries.

Based on this information, ASTI produces datasets, analysis, capacity-building tools and outreach products to facilitate policies for effective and efficient agricultural research.

ASTI is widely recognized as the authoritative source of information on the status and direction of agricultural research systems in developing countries.

Some of the key objectives of ASTI are to provide high quality up-to-date data and information on agricultural Research and Development (R&D) to enable policy makers make informed decisions at national and regional levels in addition to building national and regional capacity for both data collection and analysis.

The main objective of the stakeholders' workshop was to present the achievements and outcomes of the ASTI surveys in Ghana over the past few years to all the relevant stakeholders in the agriculture sector.

More importantly it would increase awareness of the need to use ASTI data for analysis and influencing decision making by policymakers.

GNA

By Iddi Yire, GNA
Accra, Sept. 2, GNA - The first ever Ghana Energy Awards to recognize outstanding contributions and achievements of industry players have been launched.

The maiden awards also opened nominations for 20 categories and outlined entry procedures, rules and requirements for prospective individuals and institutions.

All nominations and supporting materials must be submitted electronically through the www.ghanaenergyawards.com's online platform or via email at [email protected], chairman of the Awarding Panel, Dr Kwame Ampofo said at the launch.

Nominations will be closed on 30th September 2017 and grand finale taking place on 30th November 2017.

'Companies or individuals should not be nominated for more than one award that is based on the same merit or as a single achievement as justification for both,' he said, 'such nominations will be discarded by the judges.'

Dr Ampofo, who is an Energy Expert and the immediate past Board chairman of the Energy Commission, enumerated the various procedures and rules governing the nominations and culminating into the final selection.

The top four nominees will be shortlisted by the judging panel by 30 October 2017, one month prior to the awards ceremony on the Ghana Energy Awards website.

The shortlisted nominees would also be informed via a press release and contacted directly about their chance of winning the GEA in the respective category

Recipients of awards would not be declared and notified, he said, before the Ghana Energy Awards gala ceremony.

The categories are divided into petroleum, and power sub-categories to differentiate between the two core industries.

It includes: Chief Executive Officer of the Year; Industry Leadership Award; Emerging Energy Company of the Year.

The Petroleum sub-category covers both upstream and downstream sectors.

'We establish comparable factors and criteria that will allow us to judge both upstream and downstream nominees and rank them against each other in three categories,' Dr Ampofo said.

'We additionally set up distinctive award categories that are solely reserved to the upstream and to the downstream sectors,' he added.

They are Exploration and Production Company, BDC of the Year, Oil and Gas Marketing Company of the Year.

Others are Energy Personality of the Year and the apex award would be given to an outstanding person who achieved wide spread success and approval in the energy sector through his/her actions and achievements that positively benefited the sector and Ghana as a whole

Both public and private sector personality are considered while male and female recipients are awarded separately.

CEO of the Year would go to a Chief Executive Officers or Managing Directors who through leadership and strategy have a significant impact on his or her organization.

The rest are Industry Leadership Award; Emerging Energy Company of the year; Energy Institution of the year; Rising Star Award (individual); and Best Energy Reporter of the year awarded to outstanding journalist and media personnel.

Others are Lifetime achievement award; Brand of the year; Exploration and Production Company of the year; BDC of the year; Oil and Gas Marketing Company of the year; Renewable company of the year; Corporate Social Responsibility Company of the year; and Innovation Project of the year.

The rest are Best Local Content Compliance Company of the year; Energy Insurance Provider of the year; Energy Financial Provider of the year; Energy Consultancy Services Company of the year; Engineering and Construction.

GNA
The Deputy Minister for Works and Housing, Freda Prempeh has expressed concerns about the terrible state of government bungalows across the country.

Speaking to Citi News after inspecting some government bungalows at Koforidua in the Eastern Region, the Deputy Minister expressed her displeasure about the development, saying I am not happy about what I have seen . It seems the problem basically runs through in all other regions. We've experienced some of these problems in Accra. I experienced the same thing in Takoradi on Monday and I have just started my tour in Koforidua and it is basically the same problem.

According to her, persons occupying these bungalows had developed a laissez faire towards maintenance, a situation she described as worrying.

I have always said that if it is a government bungalow it is your identity and that is where you live but because the word government is part of the system , people feel they can do anything with it and that is not good for us.

She believes the situation could compel government to use tax payers money to bring the bungalows back to life.

The Deputy Minister also charged coordinating directors and estate officers to ensure that retired government workers who are still occupying government bungalows hand them over to be used by new recruits.

I want to tell those in charge, the RCC to ensure that those who are not suppose to be in government bungalows leave the place for other people to fill in and also ensure that the tenants maintain the bungalows that have been allocated to them.

Atta Kyea

The Works and Housing Minister had earlier stated that cronies of some public officials were occupying state bungalows without paying rent.

Samuel Atta-Akyea stated that there is an ongoing audit of such properties and those who fail to justify paying their rent will be kicked out in three months.



By: Marian Ansah/citifmonline.com/Ghana

Follow @EfeAnsah
Government will have to use taxpayers' money to renovate state bungalows which are currently in a terrible state, Deputy Minister for Works and Housing, Freda Prempeh has revealed.

She made this revelation while expressing concerns about the state of government bungalows across the country.

I have always said that if it is a government bungalow it is your identity and that is where you live but because the word government is part of the system , people feel they can do anything with it and that is not good for all of us. Government will have to use the taxpayers money to bring the bungalows back to life, the Deputy Minister said.

Speaking to Citi News after inspecting some government bungalows at Koforidua in the Eastern Region the Deputy Minister also charged coordinating directors and estate officers to ensure that retired government workers who are still occupying these bungalows hand them over to be used by new recruits.

I want to tell those in charge, the RCC to ensure that those who are not suppose to be in government bungalows leave the place for other people to fill in and also ensure that the tenants maintain the bungalows that have been allocated to them.

She further expressed concerns about how some persons had developed a laissez faire towards maintenance of these bungalows, saying I am not happy about what I have seen . It seems the problem basically runs through in all other regions. We've experienced some of these problems in Accra. I experienced the same thing in Takoradi on Monday and I have just started my tour in Koforidua and it is basically the same problem.

The Works and Housing Minister, Samuel Atta-Akyea had earlier stated that cronies of some public officials were occupying state bungalows without paying rent.

Samuel Atta-Akyea stated that there is an ongoing audit of such properties and those who fail to justify paying their rent will be kicked out in three months.



By: Marian Ansah/citifmonline.com/Ghana

Follow @EfeAnsah
Johannesburg (AFP) - South Africa's Deputy President Cyril Ramaphosa who is vying to replace President Jacob Zuma has admitted to an extramarital affair but lambasted as "political smear" its revelation in newspapers, media reported Sunday.

Details of his alleged affairs with as many as eight women were splashed on Sunday newspapers, after the business man turned politician failed to gag media from publishing the story in a late night urgent court application.

He denied cheating with eight women but admitted to having one affair.

"I had a relationship with only one person and it ended. I dealt with it with my wife. We now have a professional relationship," Ramaphosa told Sunday Times.

The 64-year-old Ramaphosa and Zuma's ex-wife Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma have come out as front runners to replace Zuma when he steps down as ANC president in December.

The leader of the ANC becomes an automatic candidate for president of the country.

Ramaphosa said the report which is based on leaked email correspondence between himself and the women was a "smear campaign" ahead of the crucial elective conference.

"I have to be prevented at all costs from ascending to the position of president of the ANC. Some have even said it will over their dead bodies," Ramaphosa told Sunday Times.

"I have not committed any crimes, I have not stolen any money, I have not looted state resources. But I am being targeted and smeared," he said.

He stated that the relationship with the woman who was his medical doctor ended eight years ago.

Pictures of several women purported to be some of his girlfriends had been circulating on social media since Saturday, with the public rebuking his conduct.

But the leader received unlikely support from Julius Malema, the radical leader of Economic Freedom Fighters who was expelled from the ANC in 2012

Malema tweeted: "Ramaphosa, his wife & supporters will have to be extremely strong especially as they move close to the conference, dirty truck on steroids."

It was still early to determine how much impact the scandal would impact his ANC leadership bid.

On Saturday afternoon, Ramaphosa released a lengthy statement after a list of media questions sent to him on the story were leaked on social media.

"This latest episode extends far beyond an attempt at political smear," he said.

Ramaphosa is the latest high ranking South African politicians to be implicated in a sex scandal. President Zuma was himself in 2005 tried and later acquitted for rape of a 31-year-old daughter of a friend.

Several other ministers in Zuma's cabinet have had sex scandals but never resigned from their jobs.
Folks, there is good reason to say that a national leader who is really worth anything at all must have a network of "admirers" and partners outside his/her own country. In other words, a national leader needs the goodwill of his/her peers to move beyond the local to the global sphere and tap into relationships for the good of his/her country. No country is an island. Good networking can yield dividends to enhance good governance, based on who is whose ally in the community of influential world leaders. That is why every leader seeks to connect with peers for mutual benefit. Of course, monkeys play by size.

I am aiming at something. In our case in Ghana, our leaders have had circles of friends to make us know who/what they were/are.

Nkrumah had his niche carved all over the place, especially among the Eastern bloc that he rubbed shoulders with and commanded much respect and authority. Be it the defunct Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR), Czechoslovakia under Tito, Romania under Nicolai Ceacescu (I hope I have the spelling right here), China under Chu en-Lai, or wherever else.

In the West, he had his allies and foes too. He was greatly admired by the British and guardedly respected by the United States (which was why John F. Kennedy supported his bid for the huge involvement of Kaiser Aluminium Company in the construction of the Akosombo Hydro-Electricity project) and many others, including the deployment of the United States Peace Corps elements in Ghana (which might turn out to be his undoing as they dug into issues to collude with the CIA and internal collaborators for his overthrow).

Nkrumah was widely recognized as an astute leader. His own peers within the ambit of the organization of African Unity either admired him for whatever he was or envied him for not being able to outmatch him. He had the circle that he needed to advance his agenda.

Fast forward to the era of other Ghanaian leaders, excluding the military toads (Afrifa, Ankrah, Acheampong, and Akuffo). You may be tempted to add Jerry Rawlings too; but wait a minute because despite the anger that he evoked for assuming power and doing things the way he did with his PNDC, he couldn't be dismissed as an irritant and despised. He quickly built a good circle and connected well with world leaders.

His brush with the United States over the Soussoudis affair turned glorious in the end. He had friends all over the globe, which was why the IMF and World Bank didn't hesitate locking arms with him for economic reforms whose implications are still being debated.

So much. Bring in happenings in this our 4th Republic to see how Rawlings enjoyed the warm friendship with world leaders. Visits to Ghana by such world leaders (especially the US' Bill Clinton) and many others proved his worth as an enticer. Did Ghana benefit from that? Don't ask me.

Move on to Kufuor. He was widely regarded as a "Gentle Giant" and attracted international renown for who/what he was as the president of Ghana. He easily made good friends with world leaders and cannot be disregarded as such. Even in retirement, he still commands dignity and respect among such circles.

Focus on Atta Mills and you can easily see who in the international community gravitated toward him. He had a good circle as well. So did John Dramani Mahama when in power (and even out of power, he hasn't lost the touch with them).

Okay. Bring in the NPP's Akufo-Addo. Slightly more than 8 months in power, who can we say he has attracted in the community of international leaders? We know how more than 24 leaders were officially invited to observe (or was it to "participate"?) in his inauguration (an occasion that he abused to commit the worst blunder of plagiarism in the history of Presidential inaugural speeches in Ghana).

As of now, I am not sure I know who exactly in the international arena has gravitated toward Akufo-Addo as a force to reckon with. Does anybody know more than I do? Please, bring it on.

The truth is that Ghana has been regarded as a beacon in the struggle of Africans and people of the Third World for self-identification and emancipation from all kinds of oppression. It takes leaders with the right acumen and attraction to connect with peers elsewhere to advance that cause.

Who is an Akufo-Addo ally on the global scene for us to know how he is situating himself to connect with the world? After all, Ghana is not an island. neither should it be seen as the only pebble at the beach.

So far, nothing from the US's Trump or Britain's Theresa May or Germany's Angela Merkel or Russia's Vladimir Putin or just from anywhere in Africa to pit Akufo-Addo as an ally to rub shoulders with.

Even in our West African sub-region, he is dwarfed. In the context of the African continent, he is nobody. When will he rise up to be counted?

Don't tell me that Akufo-Addo doesn't need any circle of international/global leaders to fulfill his electioneering campaign promises to Ghanaians or to do better than his predecessors. He needs them more than ever.

As is commonly said in Ghana, "Show me your friend, and I will tell you your character". Of course, Akufo-Addo doesnt necessarily need allies on the international scene to assert his traditional self; but without such international allies, where does he stand? As of now, I dont see any. What does it say about him?

(Don't get me wrong, folks. I have chosen to voice my feelings this way because I am not sure how Akufo-Addo is working to build networks among his peers). Those who appreciate blissful ignorance can now rejoice. I am gone for now but will return!!
In 1979, Capt. Tom Shanahan, commanding officer of the USS Canisteo, did something no U.S. Navy officer had done since the Revolutionary War. He refused to take his ship to sea.

It wasn't mutiny. Shanahan declined to certify the ship and crew as seaworthy. The Canisteo was short-staffed, its crew inadequately trained.

Shanahan's stand sparked a firestorm of public controversy over the "hollowing out" of the American military, which occurred after the Vietnam War.

Today, history looks to be repeating itself.

Recent collisions involving U.S. naval ships at sea and a spate of U.S. Air Force accidents have heightened already high concerns about how chronic underfunding of our armed forces over the last six years has eroded readiness and raised risks among those in uniform.

These concerns are well-founded. While defense spending soared after 9/11, the lion's share went to pay for combat operations in Iraq and Afghanistan _ not to refurbish the force fighting the war. Investments to rebuild our military never got made.

The pace of deployment has remained high, even as the number of troops has been cut and spending on repairs and training have been scaled back. In the Navy, for example, some of the maintenance backlog for deferred repairs goes back four years.

The problem is bigger than just unready ships, pilots and crews. The U.S. military is too small to cover the missions it has been assigned. While it is true our Navy has some of the best ships on the planet, each of those ships can be in only one place at a time.

Insufficient force size, combined with insufficient resources to keep the force ready, much less modernize it, leaves the Navy and other services sailing into a perfect storm of unpreparedness.

Here is what the Navy needs.

First, we need to think ahead. The ships we build today will constitute the majority of the fleet in the 2030s and beyond. Currently, the Navy has 277 ships.

The Navy says it needs 355 _ assuming it will be able to build more-capable ships. Some outside experts say as many as 459 ships will be required.

Regardless of future ship and platform capabilities, the fleet will need to grow. And it must start growing now to keep up with missions to protect vital U.S. interests. Those interests span the seven seas, extending even to the upper reaches of the Arctic.

The Navy wouldn't have to cover all that water if the sea lanes were safe. Keeping them secure and open is vital to the prosperity of our nation, our allies, and indeed, most everyone in the world.

Of the world's 195 nations, 147 border an ocean or sea. Forty percent of the world's population lives within 63 miles of an oceanic coast. In addition, maritime trade via international shipping lanes comprises over 90 percent of global commerce.

What goes on under the sea is important, too. Ninety-nine percent of all international data conveyed via phone, texts, and internet are transported via approximately 200 undersea fiber optic cables at speeds eight times faster than by satellite.

Yet today, China poses a growing maritime security threat in the South China Sea and the Pacific. A resurgent Russian Navy has established new bases in Syria and the Arctic while cementing its hold in Crimea. Threats from Iran and North Korea are growing as well.

America has a long to-do list to meet these challenges. At a minimum, it must sustain a modern force of 12 aircraft carriers. It must develop and deploy a new frigate-class ship as well as a next-generation platform for destroyers. Most critical of all, it must retain its competitive advantage in undersea warfare.

And did I mention readiness?
By Dr. Michael J.K. Bokor

September 3, 2017

Folks, North Korea has eventually emerged as a major threat to global security, testing all kinds of missiles, flying some over Japan, and threatening more and more, especially against the United States.

Despite the harsh sanctions and emphatic threatening by the United States and its allies, North Korea is unperturbed as it intensifies its efforts at acquiring nuclear capabilities.

Now, it has conducted a 6th "successful" nuclear test that has put all on edge. Where will it all take us?

No amount of horrifying threat by the US has so far accomplished anything deterrent. China and Russia have cautioned against anything that may worsen the situation. As the US' Donald trump says the US doesn't need any dialogue with North Korea, there appears to be no immediate window of opportunity to use diplomacy instead of military action or intense sanctions to curb North Korea's nuclear ambitions.

There seems to be something terrible afoot.

I shall return
Folks, in reacting to happenings in Kenya regarding the overturning of the electoral fortunes of the incumbent Uhuru Kenyatta by the countrys Supreme Court, I have made my stance clear that the Courts decision was nonsensical.

I dont regret for going that way and wont ever. Enough exists for my stance. All that the Court hinged on can be dismissed as mere technicalities that are detached from what actually happened on the ground when the voters thumb-printed the ballot papers. What did the Supreme Court find wrong with that thumb-printing to warrant its decision? None!! Instead, its focus was on the means by which the outcome of the elections was transmitted. Sheer poppycock, removed from the reality on the ground regarding the electoral decisions made by voters, which is the recipe for disaster!!

As the NPPs Dr. Borrowmia had told the Ghanaian panel of Supreme Court judges hearing the NPPs useless petition at the 2012 hearing, You and I were not there. But what was being used to tilt the table in favour of the genuine losers of the polls was the pink sheet and whether it was duly endorsed by those certified to do so. In effect, then, mere technicalities on display and being used to subvert the verdict of the voters who stood in the sweltering heat to make their voices heard on who should rule them. Okay.

So, the mechanism regarding the Kenyan electoral process was spelt out clearly. The Supreme Court fell for the technicalities, as has been captured in this self-explanatory analysis by the BBC.

The Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) was expected to follow laid-down procedures for conducting the elections and announcing the results from the lowest to the highest levels.

But it's the way the results were transmitted, rather than the actual voting process, which was riddled with irregularities. There was a legal requirement to send copies of the signed returns from every one of more than 40,000 polling stations to the central results centre.

These 34A forms would quickly prove the accuracy of the initial results, electronically delivered from across the country. It was on this basis that the international observer missions declared their support for the process.

But when the election results were announced, there were claims as many as 11,000 forms were missingand this appears to have been the focus of the court's deliberations.Verifying such huge volumes of data - and paper - in the tight time-frame allowed for the court to make a ruling was always going to be difficult. The four judges who overruled the two dissenting opinions believed there was enough uncertainty to undermine the entire process. (See http://www.bbc.com/news/world-africa-41129919).

So, folks, we can see now where the apples are and where the oranges stand. Comparing both in this situation makes a mockery of the verdict of the voters who weathered the storm (the heat, the inconveniences, and many other debilitating factors) to vote.

The substantial issue now is: Should attention be focused on the exact happenings at the various polling stations in terms of what the voters went for or should it be reduced to mere technicalities on how the verdict of the voters was transmitted?

Let us not go any further into this issue. But we can say at this point that what the Supreme Court of Kenya has come out with is more of a complication than a solution to the problem that Kenya has faced ever since the descendants of the two bitterest political foes have pitted their strengths and weaknesses against each other.

Uhuru Kenyatta is the son of Kenyas independence hero, Jomo Kenyatta, whose exploits within the ambit of the Mau Mau got the British authorities fearing their own shadows. Indeed, Jomo Kenyatta can be rightfully regarded as the Father of Kenya just as Ghanas Osagyefo Dr. Kwame Nkrumah remains the Founder of Ghana. Let haters go to blazes!!

On the other hand, Raila Odinga, at 72 years now, is the son of the failed opposition leader, Odinga Oginga, who has nothing standing in Kenya as a monument to commemorate his politicking. Even, the forces that backed him in his reactionary political mischief against the rightful forces to liberate Kenya have long written him off as a marked failure to be pooh-poohed. Why his son should attempt resuscitating his memory/image at this time when there is nothing positive in history about him baffles me.

Folks, let us get it right here that Kenya is one of the countries in Africa that is well-known for its contacts with the early European marauders. The intellectuals (also known as explorers or journalists/writers (Stephen M. Stanley, Lord Luggard, etc.) who explored it and wrote enticing news reports about its abundant resources might have facilitated the annexation of Kenya (especially the Kenyan Highlands) by the British after the Berlin Conference in 1884/85.

Find out why the Gikuyus, Masais, and other deprived communities cant to date claim the land as theirs or why they fight over water and grazing land while the foreigners owing the Kenyan Highlands exalt in their world of plenty. Too bad.

Turn your eyes to Nairobi, a sprawling city that has become the haven for all manner of Kenyans seeking means for survival but not finding it when most needed. If you look closely at why Raila Odinga is exploiting the plight of the down-trodden Kenyan rejects living in slums in Nairobi, you shouldnt go far. Its all a matter of technicalities.

Folks, we want to say at this point that what the Kenyan Supreme Court has come out with is a mere test of pulse that will dissipate as soon as the verdict of the people is reinforced at the polls in the next 60 days as proposed. Had the Supreme Court found evidence of vote rigging at the polls, we might be taking a different stance. But for as long as its verdict is based on what doesnt have anything to do with why the voters voted the way they did, t he least thought about or said about it, the better.

Sixty days isnt far off. I hope that all will be put in place for the re-run, even as there is concern about the Supreme Courts own inadequacies in not suggesting measures for resolving the crisis. In its ver4dict, it only found fault with technicalities in the transmission of results without offering any suggestion for what should be done at the polls.

So, if the voters mobilize themselves to challenge its verdict, what follows? In our kind of politics, mere te4chnicalituies belong to the realm of the Don Quixotes, not the real voters feeling the pinch of governance and wanting their voices heard through the ballot that they cast at the polls.

This Kenyan example is a clear instance of a confused system that plays more to the rivalry between political forces than serving the needs of the deprived people wishing for a system of governance to help them enjoy the benefits of democracyimproved living standards such as good drinking water, access to schools for education, decent accommodation, access to good health, education, social welfare and many other facilities to make them live their lives in some measured comfort before they pass on).

Unfortunately, what this Kenyatta and Odinga political rivalry is wreaking on Kenya is nothing to be proud of. Those who freed Uhuru Kenyatta and his co-accusers from trial at the International Criminal Court in terms of the disaster that occasioned his election to power some two years ago should begin revising their notes. The storm is gathering for a repeat. (Why didnt they also charge Raila Odinga anyway? After all, lives got lost because of their political rivalry, which he was part of).

Here comes the main issue for contention. Considering the barrage of damnatory criticisms from his political opponents (all over Ghanaweb and other media) against John Dramani Mahama as the head of the Commonwealth Observer team that monitored the Kenyan polls and certified it as fair and free) what could Mahama have done to retain Uhuru in power if he was out of it in the verdict of the Kenyan voters?

Eventually, what does Kenya under Uhuru have to offer Ghana with Mahama out of power? (We have seen pictures of Mahama enjoying his vacation in some parts of Kenya; but what does that give Ghanaians, generally? And how will Akufo-Addo deal wit h Kenya as such, knowing very well that a historical link exists between both countries: Ghanas former Chief Justice Akpaloo was appointed as Kenyas Chief Justice, and the army general Joshua Hamidu under Rawlings sought refuge in Kenya before re-surfacing as whatever he might want to be upheld).

Folks, African politics is still in its myopic stage, given what we have seen thus far? Too much to get us going!! So much for now. Later!!

I am gone for now but will return!!
03.09.2017 LISTEN

Tema, Sept. 3, GNA - President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo's establishment of a pineapple factory in Ekumfi, is a monument to the late President John Evans Atta Mills, who hailed from the town.

'It is not only a mark of faithfulness, but one that engenders national cohesion, a leading member of the ruling New Patriotic Party (NPP) in Tema West, Mr. Dennis Amfo Sefa, who is popularly known as Nana Boakye, has said.

Nana Boakye, a passionate activist of the NPP, said the establishment of the factory was a fulfillment of a campaign promise by the President and that it was symbolic of the fact that President Akufo-Addo was making politicians trustworthy again.

'On Saturday, 18th June 2016, the President had promised in Ajumako that if voted into office, he would establish a factory in Professor Mills' hometown as part of the one district, one factory policy. And by the grace of God he has started doing just that,' Nana Boakye said.

He thanked the President for fulfilling the promise adding, 'I can only say thank you to His Excellency for this faithfulness. I know Prof will be happy wherever he is.'

As the opener for the execution of the government's flagship 'One district, One factory' policy', the Ekumfi pineapple factory formed a launch pad for the whole policy, making Ekumfi the hometown of the late President Mills, the take off base.

As President Akufo-Addo had politically rivalled the late President Mills, narrowly losing to him in the 2008 Presidential election, the move to use Mills' hometown as the launch pad for President Akufo-Addo's flagship policy had been applauded as a show of political maturity.

In fact, indigenes of Ekumfi had since taken to social media to thank President Akufo-Addo for putting Ekumfi on the map.

'Even the NDC, which Professor Mills identified with could not put his hometown on firmly on the map the way Nana has done. That alone shows what a blessing President Akufo-Addo is to Professor Mills himself,' Nana Boakye said.

He added that the President's usage of Ekumfi as the launch pad for the one district, one factory policy' is also a lesson for all Ghanaians that irrespective of political differences, the interest of Ghana must be pursued.

'President Akufo-Addo is teaching all of us that politics is not a matter of enmity; that it is just a battle of ideas about how to better build the nation.'

He dismissed claims by the opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC) that credit should be given to President Mahama for the establishment of the factory.

'The NDC is dreaming. Go to Ekumfi, the site of the factory and see if there is any factory there. It is now that the factory is being built after President Akufo-Addo cut the sod for its establishment. So how can anybody claim credit for something that does not exist?

Lawyer Aubby Aidooh, an aspiring NPP Parliamentary Candidate for Tema Central, was also full of praise for the President for his good works and urged Ghanaians to rally behind God-fearing politicians who can easily articulate the developmental concerns of their people and ensure that such concerns were concretized.
Accra, Sept. 3, GNA - Mr Samuel Ayim, Chief Executive Officer, Centre for Transformational Leadership in Africa (CTL Africa), has called for a redefinition of the concept of leadership and to inculcate the same into the national values of African states.

He said this could be done through a new curriculum of education from the basic level through to all higher levels of the educational system.

Mr Ayim was speaking during a press conference, ahead of the Leadership Growth Conference under the tag phrase 'Live2Lead' in Accra.

The event is aimed at mentoring aspiring leaders and motivating all leaders to positively impact their communities.

The conference being held in Atlanta, USA will be simulcast in 300 locations and in over 30 countries by the John Maxwell Company but hosted in Ghana by CLT-Africa through a live streaming feed at the College of Physician and Surgeons.

Mr Ayim said in every discussion on the development of Africa, the issue of leadership was fingered and it has almost become a clichA to cite countries like Malaysia, Singapore and even Rwanda, as examples of where leadership has made a difference.

He said the problem lies in the very definition put on leadership.

'The concept of leadership as a position, a higher position, from where all solutions should emanate, and that we should all strive to attain that position before we can make any meaningful contribution is a flawed one, 'Mr Ayim said.

He said the concept of leadership as position that should bring to the occupant the maximum personal benefit was a faulty one.

Mr Ayim said as written and taught by John Maxwell, a renowned leadership expert, the true meaning of leadership was influence and the highest purpose of leadership was to add value to others.

'True leaders do not serve their own personal interest but true leaders make a difference in their societies and in the lives of their people,' he added.

The CEO said true leaders aim to change the circumstance of their communities for the better and as a country we need a new concept of leadership that indicates each and every one of us could lead.

Mr Ayim said this was the concept of leadership that 'we should begin to adopt and inculcate as part of our national culture and attitude, we should begin to introduce this concept into our educational system from the basic level.'

He was of the view that the difference between poor and rich nations was not the age of the nation, nor the availability of natural or even human resources but the difference was the attitude of the people, moulded for many years by education, moral responsibility and culture.

'Leadership is influence; therefore whether you are father, mother, family head, supervisor or chief executive of an organization, a driver or the president; you must set high ethical values for yourself and those you are leading and be strategically focused to succeed in your area of influence,' Mr Ayim said.

He said as a leader one needed a strong character, appropriate training and skills to lead effectively and provide development for the people.

Mr Ayim said this new concept of leadership was what Live2Lead was all about; an annual leadership programme, which CTL Africa, a civil society organisation in partnership with the John Maxell Company was bringing to Ghana on October 6, 2017 and it would be held annually to help inculcate this new concept of leadership the people.

The event will feature four renowned world class speakers and leaders to address different aspect of this concept of leadership to equip participants to lead and create change with renewed passion and drive.
Accra, Sept. 3, GNA - A two-day watershed training for members of the Ghana Wastsan Journalist Network (GWJN) is underway in Accra with a call on the public to change their unhygienic behaviours and support the clean agenda of saving the land.

Mr Kweku Quansah, the Deputy Director in-charge of Environmental Health Sanitation Directorate of the Ministry of Sanitation and Water Resources, who made the call on Friday, said when good hygienic practices are adopted, it would help address major sanitation challenges confronting the country.

He said: 'According to a WHO research in 2016 the extensive adoption for hand wash and sanitation will reduce diarrhea diseases by 89 per cent.'

Mr Quansah said to complement the clean, safe agenda, the Ministry would employ 40,000 sanitation workers to support the already 4, 000 plus sanitation health workers to help increase and promote the campaign.

'This has become necessary especially when 60 per cent Ghanaians use shared toilet facilities, with 15 per cent having access to improved toilet facilities while 19 per cent practice open defecation hence making Ghana to be perceived in international circles as among the least clean countries in the world,' he said.

Mr Quansah said when it came to open defecation in the country, following a 2014 demographic report based on regions; Northern region was ranked highest with 67.6 per cent while Ashanti and Greater Accra had 6.6 per cent respectively and being ranked as lowest.

'Central Region had 13.5 per cent, Brong Ahafo 6 per cent, Eastern 9.1 per cent, Upper West 49.7, Upper East 21 per cent, Volta 23.6 and 7.2 per cent for the Western Region,' he said.

On a regional waste generation research conducted in 2010, the Deputy Director in-charge of Environmental Health Sanitation Directorate of the Ministry of Sanitation and Water Resources said Ashanti Region was leading with 3,363,126 with the Upper West Region recording 493,953.

Accepting the challenge that had been there all these years, Mr Quansah said the only way that could make these setbacks be addressed was through the enforcement of laws and the collaboration of the media in exposing culprits and letting them know their actions that hinder sanitation in the country are bad.

Mr Patrick Apoya, the Executive Director of Fox Limited, a Consultancy firm in the WASH Sector, said despite the high access to safe water supply (80 per cent) it fell short to 20 per cent under the Sustainable Development Goals which requires that water be safely managed and available.

The training, which forms part of a five-year project of Watershed Ghana has the objective of building media capacity in advocacy to enable them work with other partners towards the push for the integration of Water Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH) and Integrated and Water Resources Management (IWRM) had about 20 members of the GWJN across the ten regions participating.

The training was sponsored by IRC of Netherlands.

Some members who spoke to the Ghana News Agency said the training had enlightened them on the critical issues in the WASH and IWRM sector.

The Watershed Ghana work package, a component of a 5-year multi-country strategic partnership between the Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs and IRC (lead), Simavi, Wetlands International and Akvo, to deliver improvements in water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) services through CSO advocacy and lobby was launched in Accra on 30 June, 2016.
03.09.2017 LISTEN

Fiapre (B/A), Sept. 3, GNA - The Bishop Brown African Methodist Episcopal (AME) Zion Church Child Development Centre (CDC) at Fiapre has received a total fund of GH173,840.37 from the Compassion International Ghana since September 2016 to June 2017.

Within the period the Fiapre AME Zion Church has also supported the Centre with GH  6, 823.00.

The Compassion International Ghana, a partner of the CDC is a Christian non-governmental organisation (NGO) that is financially supporting the Centre's projects.

Its main objective is 'to release children from poverty in Jesus name' through the provision of clothing, shelter, health services and educational materials in collaboration with the Centre to identify and develop the talents in them.

The CDC then is bringing the children up with the cooperation of their parents and guardians for them to become useful and skilful citizens in various vocations and professions to contribute positively for the progress of their communities and the nation in general.

Reverend Dr Gideon Ndebugri, an Assistant Superintendent of Prison (ASP) and the Founder of the Centre, made this known during a durbar organised to mark the one-year anniversary of the CDC at Fiapre in the Sunyani West District of Brong-Ahafo Region.

The celebration held under the theme 'Empowering Our Children to Impact the Society' and it was aimed to outdoor the Centre which was established in July 2016 to the general public, particularly residents of Fiapre and its environs.

Reverend Ndebugri said the support of the parents and guardians was very necessary before the Centre's aim to provide comfort for the children with difficult financial backgrounds and train them to become useful in the society could be achieved.

He said the Centre was established with 209 children aged between three to seven years from poor family backgrounds and financial obscurity, adding that out of the total number, 186 beneficiaries were being sponsored by individuals in the United States of America while 26 were unsponsored.

Reverend Ndebugri advised parents to be passionate as they perform their parental responsibilities to shape the lives of their children.

Mr George Yaw Ankamah, the Brong-Ahafo Regional Director of Department of Children of the Ministry of Gender, Children and Social Protection, said children needed holistic development by training them in all aspects of modern ways of life.

He reminded parents and guardians of their obligations to give quality care to their children and wards notwithstanding the socio-economic challenges.
Kinshasa (AFP) - The leader of the opposition in the Democratic Republic of Congo, Felix Tshisekedi, returned to Kinshasa on Sunday just as police arrested some of his supporters during a demonstration.

Tshisekedi landed at the Ndjili airport around midday after a trip to Europe, a member of his team said.

He was to travel on to his residence in Kinshasa's Limete neighbourhood, where earlier Sunday four opposition activists were arrested by police using teargas to break up an unauthorised demonstration.

"We picked up three or four people who did not obey police orders. They will be set free," national police spokesman Pierrot Mwanamputu told AFP.

Tshisekedi is the son -- and successor in the opposition movement -- of Etienne Tshisekedi, a longtime leading opponent of President Joseph Kabila. He died in February in Belgium, aged 84.

Kinshasa police had said Saturday that they were banning Sunday's planned demonstration of the opposition coalition, saying they feared violent clashes.

The opposition parties have called for Kabila to step down. The president's second term ended in December 2016 and the constitution bars him from standing for re-election.

The country's authorities, which have yet to fix a date for the next election, promised on Thursday to quickly publish a "realistic" electoral timetable.

The political instability in the vast country of 70 million has raised international concerns.

One of the main obstacles to organising elections is the continuing violence in the central, diamond-rich Kasai region, where a rebellion has been going on for a year now, the electoral commission chief said last month.

Both the government and rebels are accused of atrocities in Kasai.
Nairobi (AFP) - Sparks were flying in Kenya on Sunday as the main rival of President Uhuru Kenyatta called for the ousting of members of the country's election commission, likening them to "hyenas", while judges slammed "veiled threats" by the president after the shock annulment of his re-election victory.

Raila Odinga, who will now get another shot against Kenyatta in an election to be held within two months, said he had no faith in the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC), and called for its members to be expelled from Kenya.

"Those IEBC thieves must go. We will not allow them to conduct the fresh elections," Odinga told supporters after attending mass in Nairobi.

"We can't take our goats where they will be taken care of by hyenas," he said. "Hyenas cannot take care of goats."

Later Sunday, in the Nairobi slum of Mathare, an opposition bastion where at least 21 people were killed in violence which followed the August 11 announcement of Kenyatta's re-election, Odinga told a crowd of thousands: "Everything has been exposed now".

"That was not an election," he said, while dismissing claims that he would seek to avoid a new election by agreeing to a power-sharing deal.

"We will get the full loaf after elections, because we will win," he said.

'There is a problem'

Supporters of Kenya's Raila Odinga celebrating in Mathare, a Nairobi slum and opposition bastion, after the Supreme Court annulled the re-election of President Uhuru Kenyatta on Friday

On Friday, Supreme Court Chief Justice David Maraga declared Kenyatta's victory in the August 8 poll "invalid, null and void", citing widespread irregularities in the electronic transmission of vote results.

Kenyan media have hailed the decision as a hard-fought victory for the rule of law, and a sign of a maturing democracy.

It is the first time a presidential election result has been overturned in Africa, and follows three failed bids by Odinga for the presidency, in 1997, 2007 and 2013.

But an enraged Kenyatta, while saying he would respect the decision, lashed out at the judges, saying: "Every time we do something a judge comes out and places an injunction. It can't go on like this... there is a problem and we must fix it.

"Maraga thinks he can overturn the will of the people. We shall show you... that the will of the people cannot be overturned by a few people."

On Friday he also slammed the judges as "crooks".

'Assault' on the judiciary

Calling Kenyatta's remarks "an assault on the judiciary", the Kenya Magistrates and Judges Association (KMJA) late Saturday asked people to ignore "political rhetoric".

"The president of this country referred to the president of the Supreme Court and the other judges as "wakora", or crooks in Swahili, said the association's chief, Bryan Khaemba.

"He went on to make veiled threats against the same judges based on their decision. The same threats against the judiciary have been repeated at State House," he said, referring to the presidential palace.

"We condemn this assault on the decisional independence of the honourable judges."

The electoral commission has vowed to make "internal changes" ahead of the new vote, though its chairman, Wafula Chebukati, ruled out resigning himself.

The current crop of IEBC commissioners took office only seven months before the election, after their predecessors were forced to step down following widespread protests.

The previous commission had been tarnished by a corruption scandal and its handling of flawed 2013 elections, which saw a series of high-tech safeguards failing on election day.
Nairobi (AFP) - Two Kenyan police officers were killed Sunday by gunmen on a motorbike as they were guarding a church near the Indian Ocean, in an attack police believe could be the work of Shabaab miliants.

"An investigation has been launched and we are not ruling out terrorism because this attack is not a normal robbery," regional police chief Larry Kieng told journalists of the shooting in the town of Ukunda.

The area in the far southeast of the country has largely escaped the attacks waged by the Islamist Shabaab group in Kenya and neighbouring Somalia.

Kieng said the assailants shot at the officers and grabbed their guns, killing one on the spot while the other died in hospital.

Since May, more than 20 police officers and a similar number of civilians have been killed in a resurgence of attacks in Kenya, including roadside bombings.

Ukunda, about 30 kilometres (19 miles) south of the main port of Mombasa, has an airport used by the many tourists visiting Kenya's southern coast, including the popular beaches of Diani and Tiwi.

The Shabaab is fighting to overthrow the internationally backed government in Mogadishu but also often carries out attacks in Kenya, which has troops in Somalia as part of an African Union force.
Nairobi (AFP) - Opposition leaders across Africa, long frustrated in their campaigns to topple firmly entrenched leaders, are hailing the shock overturn of last month's presidential vote in Kenya, calling it an example for their own countries to emulate.

"If it happened in Kenya, it can happen in Zimbabwe as well," Zimbabwe's opposition leader Morgan Tsvangirai told thousands of supporters at a rally on Saturday.

Tsvangirai, the leader of the Movement for Democratic Change (MDC), has made three failed attempts at the Zimbabwean presidency, losing all of them to President Robert Mugabe, who has kept an iron grip on the country since 1980.

Elections in Zimbabwe have been marred by violence, intimidation and charges of electoral fraud.

"This is an unprecedented decision in the whole of Africa and I think it's a good step towards democracy," Tsvangirai said.

On Friday, Kenya's Supreme Court cancelled the results of the August 8 election, which kept President Uhuru Kenyatta in office, over widespread irregularities. The country now has until October 31 to hold a new election.

"Kenyan judges have just given an extraordinary lesson to Africa and to the world," said Burundi's opposition leader Charles Nditije.

Burundi has been in the grip of a political crisis since April 2015, when President Pierre Nkurunziza announced his intention to run for a third term.

He won elections that July that were boycotted by the opposition, who branded the vote a violation of the constitution.

Nditije, who heads main opposition group CNARED, said the Kenya decision stands in stark contrast to the "cowardice" shown by Burundi's Constitutional Court, which cleared Nkurunziza's re-election bid.

Kenya's Supreme Court is "a model of independence for the judiciary to follow," Nditije said.

The Burundian government, for its part, qualified the Kenya decision as a "lesson" for those who criticised the country's Constitutional Court for allowing Nkurunziza to run for a third term.

'Be independent'

In Uganda, ruled since 1986 by President Yoweri Museveni, the main opposition leader Kizza Besigye applauded the Kenya decision.

"This is unprecedented in Africa," Besigye told AFP.

Kenya's Supreme Court rendered a shock ruling this month cancelling the results of the August 8 election over widespread irregularities

Besigye faced arrest before, during and after the February 2016 presidential election, coming second to Museveni in the controversial vote.

Museveni, who has ruled the east African nation for 31 years, won in the first round with more than 60 percent of the votes, but foreign monitors said the election was held in an atmosphere of intimidation.

Besigye said Museveni's victory came through cheating and fraud.

"The Ugandan judiciary should learn from their counterparts in Kenya, to be independent," Besigye said. "I doubt if the same would have taken place in Uganda".

In Gabon, the office of opposition leader Jean Ping said in a statement that the Kenya decision was "normal".

"The Kenyan case is simply normal, while Gabon is not," Ping's spokesman Jean-Gaspard Ntoutoume Ayi said.

Ping, a 74-year-old career diplomat, was narrowly defeated by incumbent Ali Bongo in presidential elections last August.

Gabon's Constitutional Court ruled that Bongo won 50.66 percent of the vote and Ping 47.24 percent, leading the opposition leader to accuse the administration of electoral fraud.

The court rejected Ping's bid for a recount, upholding Bongo's victory, obtained by a winning margin of around 11,000 votes.

For the Bongo government, the Kenyan ruling "is proof that it is the country's institutions that determine the electoral process and not international observers".

'Encouraging' for opposition

"If a Supreme Court goes through the effort of cancelling rigged elections, I think that electoral commissions charged with organising elections will now pay more attention to the risk of seeming to be sanctioned by a higher institution," former Guinean prime minister Cellou Dalein Diallo said.

Guinea's former prime minister and opposition leader Cellou Dalein Diallo, left, says he hopes the Kenya ruling will inspire other courts charged with treating electoral disputes in Africa

Diallo has accused President Alpha Conde of electoral fraud and said he had "stolen" two presidential elections held in 2010 and 2015.

Diallo hopes the Kenya ruling will inspire other courts charged with treating electoral disputes in Africa.

In Tanzania, opposition lawmaker Zitto Kabwe called for amending the constitution: "Kenya has set the bar higher. Tanzania needs a new constitution" so there is a way to challenge an election before a court.

And in Rwanda -- where President Paul Kagame was re-elected for a third term last month with nearly 99 percent of the vote -- opposition leader Frank Habineza said the Kenya ruling was "very encouraging for the opposition in Africa".

"The independence of the justice system is important on this continent, and it helps to avoid other destructive choices such as setting up armed rebel groups and violent demonstrations," he said.

burs-ndy/su/js
Professionally, I am an associate professor. I blog about current events, politics, higher education, the economy and whatever else interests me. I believe in free markets. I live in West Shokan, New York, near Woodstock, NY. All material on this blog  copyright 2003-2012 Mitchell Langbert.
A 28-year Ghanaian Dr. Sebastian Osumanu, obtained his Doctorate degree from the University of Amsterdam sweeping five awards and becoming the most celebrated student of the year.

Dr. Osumanu became an Economics noble prize winner in 2014 after he graduated with a master degree in that same university with other awards.

He is a former student of the University of Cape Coast, Ghana where he had his first degree in Economics. At the senior high school of Breman Asikuma, he passed out his high school examinations before furthering to the above mentioned university.

He is currently holding an unconfirmed (from him) appointment with the World Bank Group as a Chief Economist to a located country in Europe. He was at the graduation ceremony described as the new era of African youth of change tool who will contribute to the growth and development of the Africa continent.

However he was likened to the current Vice President of the Republic of Ghana who is also an Economist and a Northerner but Dr. Osumanu after recognizing his Vice President credentials and achievements said, indeed he is a mentor but he looks up to be the Sebastian Osumanu who will mentor the younger generation also.

He also stated that having a PhD at age 28 do not fill his heart with joy because age doesn't really determine human efficiency and productivity but rather determination, hard work, dedication and life experiences. Finally he advices the students to put more seriousness and hard work in their studies so as to achieve their goals in life .
03.09.2017 LISTEN

Many Ghanaian Muslims and their brothers and sisters the world over would surely have double spiritual benefits Allah permitted on Friday September 1.

The day had been declared by Islamic calendar a day to commemorate Eid ul Adha, during which thousands of Muslims the world over do converge in open spaces or large mosques toworship after Arafat day in Saudi Arabiathe day before.

Millions of Muslims also do sacrifice sheep and other animals in connection with the celebration in much the same way Prophet Abraham did on the orders of God in accordance with the Quran to sacrifice his son Ismael but wasmiraculously made to sacrifice a sheep instead.

September 1 being Friday was as usual a day Muslims were required to go to mosques in the afternoon to observe the Friday Muslim Jumma worship.

Muslims do have a lot to do, by offering prayers,sacrificing more animals with some preparing food to share with their families, neighbors, the poor and needy and friends who are Muslims and non-Muslims.

Succeeding presidents including President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo Addo who took part in this years Eid al Adha prayer service at the Independence or Black Star Square was full of praise for Muslims in Ghana for being largely non-violent and their peaceful co-existence with other religious adherents in the country.

Speaking at the Eid prayers in Accra, he admonished them to maintain their good mannerisms which distinguish them from Muslim radicals in other nations who often engage in terrorism.

Nana Akufo Addo laid emphasis on promoting education as a good way of assisting Muslim children and asked Muslims to attach importance to the free education scheme introduced by the current government under the leadership of Nana Akufo Addo. Muslims would no longer have any excuse to keep their children at home due to lack of money because education henceforth would be largely free.

Muslims would be of help to themselves if the Imamsand Islamic scholars working through their associations are able to lend support to the free education scheme through sermons and counselling services to get parents to send their children to school.

There are organizations like Ahlul Sunna Wal Jammaa,Islamic Council for Development and Humanitarian Services [ICODEHS],Ahmadiyya Muslim Mission and Ghana MuslimMission that are building many schools and are in the business of promoting education within the Muslim areas in Ghana.

All they need to do is continue their good works in cooperation with government by identifying needy children to be assisted to pursue education up to tertiary levels. We are currently fortunate to have charitable organizations like Zakat Fund of Muslims in Parliament of Ghana, and Sheikh Osman NuhuSharubutu Education Fund [SONSETFUND] engaged in activities to offer needy Muslim students with financial support to study to becometeachers nurses, doctors and engineers etc. In addition to the above named organizations the Inner Cities and Zongo Ministry has been established to also offer help to the less developed parts of Ghana including the Zongos.

The idea for the establishment of the Ministry of Zongo Affairs is good especially so when a fund with a substantial amount has been set up for the ministry. In all their undertakings education must be their priority. The ministry must do well to push a lot of Muslim youths most of whom are found in street corners doing nothing and those sellingpetty goods in our city centers near traffic lights to schools dotted around the country. This way the government would achieve its major objectives of getting many of our youths to get access to education.

Executive Director eanfoworld for sustainable development
Ghana has always been continentally known and called the Black Star of Africa. Being the first among black African countries to gain political independence from the White colonialists, it became the beacon of hope to then downtrodden, exploited, subjugated and exasperated African countries. Many an under-colonial rule sister-African countries looked up to Ghana for emulating.

Ghana became the pacesetter and a guide to almost all the African countries thereby triggering their adrenaline to agitate for political independence from the colonial masters. However, whether extricating ourselves from subordination and the White dominance has worked well for Ghana and all politically-independent African countries or not, is not the crux of the matter today, Saturday, 2 September 2017, but how Kenya has in a day or two ago remarkably overtaken Ghana as the brilliantly shining Black Star of Africa.

How has Kenya outpaced Ghana, one may ask? Corruption in all its forms and shapes as ostensibly perpetrated and perpetuated by our African politicians, opinion leaders and traditional leaders, permeating the very human fabrics of the African, has been the bane of the socio-politico-economic development of the African and their countries.

In Ghanas 2012 general elections with its concomitant 2012 Supreme Court petition following some perceived electoral irregularities, omissions and commissions tantamount to vote rigging hence marring the credibility, sanctity, acceptance and recognition of the results as declared by the Chairman of the Electoral Commission, Dr Kwadwo Afari-Gyan, the Supreme Court ruled to maintain the declaration.

As the evidence and facts submitted by the petitioners were so abundant and credible, as agreed by many a discerning Ghanaian or worldwide public member that had the opportunity to follow the live telecast of the court proceedings, it was a unique opportunity for the Supreme Court to deliver a killer blow to election rigging in Africa, the solid foundation on which corruption thrives to devastate our African countries and people. However, the Atuguba (JSC), Adinyina (JSC), Akoto-Bamfo (JSC), Baffoe-Bonnie (JSC), Gbedegbe (JSC) etc. failed to seize the golden opportunity presented to them on a silver platter to nail the ruinous corruption to the cross.

They allowed Dr Kwadwo Afari-Gyan and the National Democratic Congress (NDC) to have their way hence ushering in the most corrupt, incompetent, clueless and callous government and politicians never witnessed in the annals of Ghanas politics.

The Supreme Court judges decided to safeguard the peace Ghana has been enjoying since independence so seeing the credible evidence as a nonsensical taboo that had the potential to through Ghana into political conflagration should they set precedent by kicking John Dramani Mahama and the NDC in the tooth by pronouncing gospel-truth verdict in line with the facts and honest evidence submitted or adduced by the New Patriotic Party (NPP) petitioners.

Corruption has always made it difficult for Ghanaians to initiate precedents. They always cite preposterous reasons to support their failure to be the first country among equals to set precedents for others to copy or follow. We only prefer to be lazy follow follow people always waiting for the white to do then we copy or follow suit.

Anyway, Kenya has taken the political limelight out of Ghana by the farsightedness, professionalism and honesty of her sensible Supreme Court judges. When they saw and established the irregularities that had taken place in their general elections of August 2017, bloated by about one million votes of ghost and dead peoples names cast in favour of the incumbent President Uhuru Kenyatta, they pronounced a judgment of nullification of the election results. Kudos to them!

A new election has to be re-run. What a sensible verdict that has what it takes to put brakes on the wheels of Kenyan political corruption. Now the incumbents will think twice in their absurd aspirations to illegally enrich themselves using the politics as an arena to get rich quick.

While the star of Kenya is twinkling high up in the sky that of Ghana has long been dimmed by Atuguba and his ilk. Has Asantehene Otumfuo Osei Tutu II, the facilitator of the 2012 infamous Ghana Supreme Court verdict seen or heard what has happened in Kenya? He can bury his head in his palms in shame.

As Kenya marches forward, Ghana has retreated but under His Excellency President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, we shall catch up with Kenya.

Rockson Adofo
Luanda (AFP) - Four opposition parties in Angola on Sunday called for a recount in last week's general election, alleging "irregularities" during the vote that kept the ruling party in power.

The MPLA party of former president Jose Eduardo Dos Santos won just over 61 percent of the votes cast on Wednesday and an absolute majority with 150 of the 220 seats in parliament, according to a provisional vote count.

The commission is due to release the official results on Wednesday.

Isaias Samakuva, head of the National Union for the Total Independence of Angola (UNITA), read a statement to reporters saying the process to determine definitive election results "was not conducted, in a large number of cases, in accordance with the law".

The statement was signed by three other leaders of Angola's main opposition parties.

Besides "irregularities," the coalition cited "the disappearance of ballot boxes, the appearance of new ballot boxes, the disappearance of voting forms" and "the illegal presence of foreign individuals" during the counting process as reasons for contesting the vote.

But they also charged that the electoral process was "unconstitutional and illegal" and called for a recount of votes in the provinces by a commission comprised of figures from civil society and churches.

The opposition coalition warned it would contest the election through other means if their demands were not met.

The day after the vote, UNITA deputy party leader Rafael Massanga Savimbi had said it found "substantial differences" between its own tallies at voting stations and those of the electoral commission.

Supporters of Kenya's opposition National Super Alliance party celebrated in Nairobi on September 1, 2017 after the Supreme Court cancelled the results of last month's poll over widespread irregularities

Opposition leaders across Africa, long frustrated in their campaigns to topple firmly entrenched leaders, have been hailing the shock overturn of last month's presidential vote in Kenya, calling it an example for their own countries to emulate.

On Friday, Kenya's Supreme Court cancelled the results of the August 8 election there, which kept President Uhuru Kenyatta in office, over widespread irregularities. The country now has until October 31 to hold a new election.

According to preliminary results of the Angola election, UNITA and the Casa-CE party garnered 26 percent and 9 percent of the vote, respectively.

The MPLA, which has ruled since Angola's independence from Portugal in 1975, had predicted it would win easily, but the result showed a fall in support from the last election in 2012.
03.09.2017 LISTEN

Global and regional environmental issues are increasing rapidly along the slopes of Africa and particularly in Ghana. What have accounted for these sudden changes?

What effort is government making to fight against this abysmal diseases? Debates and seminars over environmental concerns over the years prove fragile as government remains silence over the top issues affecting the environmental growth of the country.

We live in a country while flies are licking our intestines, where everyone shows less concern about the happenings to the environment.

A persons environment is the event and culture that the person lives in. Therefore a persons beliefs and actions depend on his environment. The surrounding of an organism affects its growth and development. If the environment is solely made up of things (natural and built features) surrounding us then we wont have a society if we stand helpless observing the beauty of nature getting deteriorated. The future then beacons us today to start determining its brightness and greener pastures for the generations unborn.

In other to make our generation and the generations unborn proud, boast and recognize our intensive and tremendous efforts displayed the environment should be protected to keep it safe for the improvement of their lives. The South Korean diplomat who was the eight Secretary-General of the UN from January 2007 to December 2016, Ban Ki Moon said and I quote

Saving our planet, lifting people out of poverty, advancing economic growth..these are one and the same fight. We must connect the dots between climate changes, water security, energy shortages, global health, food security and women empowerment. Solutions to one problem must be solution to all.

The world, together with its environment is in a state of emergency and careful strategies must be develop to solve this canker.

The question still remains  what have accounted for these sudden damages to the environment ?

The impact of technological advancement on our environment is devastating if reasonable measures are not employed to solve this phenomenon. There is no denying the benefits we have gained from technological advancement but as with all things on earth moderation is key. The German-born theoretical physicist, Albert Einstein in his early researches about technology said

 Technological progress is like an axe in the hands of a pathological criminal .

Being aware of the harmful impacts of the overuse of technology in our environment will help to avoid unnecessary pitfalls.

The introduction of harmful contaminants such as dynamites, chlorinated hydrocarbons from mining industries into the natural environment affect the smooth growth and functioning of the organisms that support the growth of the forest. Heavy tracks such as tractors, excavators etc. are been used by constructors, mining industries, lumbers to clear the forest without reafforestation for their activities thereby leaving the land bare and also exposing it to natural agents of erosion.

Overgrazing and bush burning also destroy the environment. This occurs when the environment is exposed to intensive grazing for a extended periods of time. It is caused by livestock in poorly managed agricultural societies. Game reserve by hunters also destroy the lives of the organisms in the forest thereby lowering their activities of fortifying the soil leading to poor growth and development.

Are there measures to circumvent this problem?

Is much easier to create a desert than a forest if measures are not developed to preserve the environment for the generations unborn. Environmental pollution is an incurable disease it can only be prevented. It is horrifying that we have to fight our own government to save the environment. The laws concerning the protection of the environment enacted and entrenched in the constitution must be preserve, uphold and practice by all individuals across the country to ensure the safeness of the environment.

The government should strengthen and enforce the environmental protection agencies by giving them the requisite help to preserve the environment. Education should also be given to all people across the country about the implications of environmental pollution to our health and environment plus awards to citizens who contribute meanifully and wholeheartedly towards the preservation of the environment by the various agencies established by law to check the environment.

In conclusion, if we are destroying our trees and also destroying our environment and hurting animals, sooner or later we will have to recognize that the earth has rights, too, to live without pollution. What mankind must know is that humans cannot live without the environment but the environment can live without humans.

Thank you

Ngissah Mungo Park Desmond

Kwame Nkrumah University Of Science And Technology

Department Of Land Economy
03.09.2017 LISTEN

Accra, Sept. 2, CDA Consult - The African Court on Human and Peoples Rights to hold its 46th Ordinary Session from September 4 to 22 at, Arusha, the United Republic of Tanzania.

The Judges of the African Court will examine over 30 applications and four Requests for Advisory Opinion.

The African Court is composed of eleven Judges, nationals of Member States of the African Union elected in their individual capacity.

In a statement copied to the CDA Consult in Accra, identified those entitled to submit cases to the Court as: the African Commission on Human and Peoples Rights (the Commission), and the State Party which had lodged a complaint to the Commission.

Others are: the State Party against which the complaint has been lodged at the Commission, and the State Party whose citizen is a victim of human rights violation.

Others are: African Intergovernmental Organizations, when a State Party has an interest in a case, it may submit a request to the Court to be permitted to join and the Court may also entitle relevant Non Governmental organizations (NGOs) with observer status before the Commission, and individuals to institute cases directly before it, in accordance with article 34 (6) of this Protocol.

The African Court was established by virtue of Article 1 of the Protocol to the African Charter on Human and Peoples Rights on the establishment of an African Court on Human and Peoples Right.

It was to complement the protective mandate of the African Commission on Human and Peoples Rights with a view to enhancing the protection of human rights on the continent.

Communication for Development and Advocacy Consult (CDA Consult) provides tailor made development communication tools necessary for operational transformation and translating dreams into achievable goals and equips clients with mechanism for public education on specific issues.

It also provides effective back-up or frontline monitoring and evaluation tools to ensure value for money delivery of projects, whilst providing clients with skills to deliver timely and accurate information on their activities, work, programmes and projects.

CDA Consult is also aimed at building a responsive working culture for corporate growth through a social process at institutional levels based on dialogue using a broad range of tools and methods.

It also assists client to use continuous and adaptive process of gathering, organising and formulating information and data into argument and to communicate to policy-makers through various interpersonal and mass media communication channels.
The call that investments in agriculture, energy and infrastructure require long planning horizons is essential to manage climate change in the coming decades. Accordingly, while climate change is expected to unfold gradually over the coming decades, it is very important that climate issues are factored into national planning processes in every country and geographical area across the globe.

I see such call being echoed by European Commission on the need to deal with climate change as refugees, especially the Syrians who are currently finding their way into some European countries will compound effect of climate change on the affected Europeans countries.

The flood of Syrian refugees into Europe has spurred European leaders to call for an ambitious, robust and binding global climate deal.

This was the mood set by European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker who noted that climate refugees will become a new challenge  if we do not act swiftly. These comments were made during Junkers first annual State of the Union speech to the European Commission in which he highlighted that climate change is one of the root causes of the ongoing refugee crisis out of Syria.

The strong words may be seen by some as a warning, as Junker wanted it to be very clear to our international partners that the EU will not sign just any deal at the UN climate talks in December. This he concluded would include a strong global emissions reduction target of at least 60% by 2050.

This is a major concern; however, the problem of climate change does not pertain to only the European Commission as they plan to salvage the situation regarding the flood of refugees into their countries. Arguably, this calls for national and international programs in dealing with every respective countrys challenge to climate change.

In this connection, there is the need to identify every countrys peculiar problem as far as the effect of climate change is concern and the road map in terms of planning and projections to reduce the potential impact of climate change on every possible country.

Now major constraint to mainstreaming climate change within development policies is the lack of empirical evidence to inform decision making. While sector studies are crucial for determining specific vulnerabilities, individual impact channels often interact with each other, either offsetting or amplifying final outcomes. A multi-sector approach is therefore essential for evaluating climate impacts.

Moreover, there is considerable uncertainty surrounding climate change, with a wide range of climate projections for countries including Ghana. It is essential to consider the range of potential climate realizations in order to identify major risks and to avoid incurring large opportunity costs if certain projections are not realized.

However, Ghana is known to be vulnerable to climate change in at least three areas that are crucial for the countrys long-term economic development. First, agriculture is a major sector of the economy. It accounts for about a third of national income and export earnings and employs almost two thirds of the workforce . The sector is already exposed to climate variability in Ghana, particularly in its northern regions, and this could worsen under climate change.

According to a story filed by Joseph Opoku Gakpo of Joy New in Ghana,on 17 September 2015.

Drought in Techiman, in the Brong Ahafo Region, has forced Islamic leaders in the town to hold special prayers to call on God for rains.

Farmers in the municipality are lamenting several weeks of drought have caused huge crop losses, leaving them in debt.

Techiman, a town with a large Muslim population is noted as the hub for the production of corn, yam, and other crops to feed other parts of the country. The farmers say they have not had any rains for several weeks, causing them huge losses on their fields.

Joy News Joseph Opoku Gakpo who was in the area reports some of the farmers took loans from the banks to finance their activities and have since not been able to pay back.

This year, the way the rain has treated us was so bad. On my farm, I have planted on the same field three times, and the sun burnt it all. I took a loan of 1,200 cedis from the bank to invest in the farm, but I cannot repay that money now, 2010 best district farmer Mathew Tuah told Gakpo.

He says this has made it impossible for him to take care of his childrens education.

My child is supposed to leave for school in Obuasi, but I dont know where to get money from for him, he lamented.

An agric Extension Officer in the area Mujis Abdulai explained the major planting season is supposed to run from April till August during which the rains usually fall frequently to ensure they get good harvest, but that has not been the case this year. He says the minor planting season then runs from August till December, but the rain has fallen only once. Mr. Abdulai says the farmers are struggling.

What the farmers will eat themselves is even a problem, not to talk about what to take to the market to sell. I fear this could cause food crisis he told Joy news.

At the special prayer session at one of the school parks in Techiman on Saturday, the Islamic leaders recited special versus from the Quran to call for rain.

Men, women and children took part in the prayers in the scorching sun.

They explained the Holy Prophet Mohammed said those same prayers during His days when there was drought; hence they are hopeful the situation will change.

We waited for a very long time for God to help us with rain, and the rain wasnt coming. So our Mallams and Imams had to come together and say lets pray. And the path of the prophet is that whenever there is difficulty with rain, he meets with his disciples and they pray and call on Allah to help us with rain. So we know we are going to get the rains, Insha Allahu, one of the leaders of the prayer session told Gaskiya Radios Anas Sabbit at the prayer ground.

However, analysts believe that unless the UN climate talks agree to make sharper short term goals, we may risk soaring over the 2 degree mark.

The analysts from Climate Analytics looked into 15 different national plans to cut emissions by 2030. These included the US, the EU and China, which together account for 51% of global emissions.

In Africa ,the NEPAD Agencys Comprehensive Africa Agriculture Development Programme (CAADP) has increasingly showed commitment to transform Africas agricultural sector.

For the past decade, CAADP has served as the continents policy framework for agricultural sector growth and economic development.

The Maputo Declaration of African Heads of States was unprecedented, says Dr. Augustin Wambo Yamdjeu, Coordinator of CAADP.

In Maputo, governments showed preparedness and commitment to increase their public expenditure to agriculture by allocating a minimum of ten percent of annual budgets to the sector.

There is now the quest to grow the agriculture sector by an annual six percent under the Malabo Declaration, which is crucial to consolidate the achievements and gains in the implementation of CAADP to ensure food and nutrition security.

The Malabo Declaration is a game-changer, said Dr. Yamdjeu during a media teleconference on Walking the Talk  Malabo Declaration. He has emphasized that the two declarations are mutually re-enforcing.

What they have found is that a recent trend for countries to submit emissions reductions targets for 2030 could inadvertently lead us down a dangerous path.

It is clear that if the Paris meeting locks in present climate commitments for 2030, holding warming below 2 degrees could essentially become infeasible, and 1.5C beyond reach said Bill Hare of Climate Analytics.

They argue that this may in fact lock in recklessly high emissions until 2030, and that the UN urgently needs to step in and enforce a 2025 target that would allow countries to revise their emissions reductions plans.

Professor Kornelis Blok of Ecofys noted that with current policies being insufficient to limit emissionsby 2025, it is clear that ramping up greater policy action needs to be encouraged as part of the Paris Agreement.

If commitments are not increased, the world could be facing a swathe of potential Syrian refugee crises.

Junkers statements linking climate change to Syria may have been inspired by a report by the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences arguing that drought, in addition to its mismanagement by the Assad regime, contributed to the displacement of two million in Syria.

It is these 2 million that are now knocking on Europes door, and the worlds conscious. However, the question remains whether or not the Syrian crisis will shock countries into making stronger short-term goals to reduce dangerous greenhouse gasses.

In addition to Syrian crisis there is whole lot economic challenges facing many countries especially those in Africa and this problem has come about as result of economic mismanagement by many Africa leaders. This situation when left to persist will increase migration from Africa to some European countries to eventually overwhelm the climate impact of those countries.

As analysts suggest, this will require a concerted effort at the UN talks in December to ensure that the current levels of emissions reductions are not locked in until 2030, opening up a window for increased action in 2025.
Togo, a German colony until end World War I to be given as a reparation compensation to the French, is in serious disarray. The opposition tried to end the Family Dynasty from late father to current son and President that violates the constitution against the will of the people holding on to the Presidency. Neighbouring countries officially keep their silence certainly knowing behind the scene that ugly times can possibly await them with displaced people to feed in Ghana, Benin and surrounding countries that already have Togolese citizens on their home ground.

By their own accounts, Togolese still remember the times Germans were their Colonial Masters and enjoyed not only SIEMENS electric wiring till date but their approach to govern over them, while they have bad memories of their French Colonial Masters. Ewes in the Volta Region were divided by force into a part located in Ghana, the other part in Togo, are known for JuJu and Witch Craft across board while the people in the North are poorer off in finances and spirit.

Togo is a country, unlike Ghana, Nigeria, Cameroon or Guinea, Ivory Coast, Liberia and Sierra Leone not blessed with significant natural resources a fact that makes the country one of the poorest among the countries in West Africa. Known to grow cotton, the Togolese producers compete with harsh completion from around the world making high prices to develop the country a problem. Only one Telecom provider makes a call from Ghana to Togo three times more expensive that a call from Ghana to Germany as the President takes his share also.

The brother of the current President is the head of the Armed Forces. Freedom of speech in Togo brings anyone into prison or coffin when tested, as Human Rights are in the hands of the President and not the Law Book or independent and well trained judges. Foreign powers see this small country of approx. 6 Mio. citizen as a problem, not a benefit to their economic and political agenda. Without foreign AID, Togo cannot see the light of the day.

As the suffering of the people of Togo increases by the day and the opposition forms a stronger alliance against the current President and its regime, a coup, by which the father of the present Ruler came once into office, is a challenge by the nature of the Army structure; yet the President can no longer relay with absolute certainty that his days possibly are not numbered, as others had fallen before him in Burkina Faso, Ivory Coast and The Gambia. This will inspire him to transfer national assets out of the country for the most likely event that he shortly will have to find exile in another African country. The opposition certainly is aware of this danger loosing much needed funds for re-building the country after the end of the Democratic Dictatorship and must stop any such attempt.

Behind the scene - most likely - opposition leaders have or will travel to Western Countries to ask for support and allocating of a safe haven for the future ousted President. Any such powers that want to assist the process will be faced with immense uncertainty about the opposition leaders not to see one of them stepping into the shoes of the current President and repeat the African cycle of political insecurity and poverty. To make a new Government successful means having to support Togo with vast amount of money. Any foreign powers with sense should realize the moment of time in African history and advice the opposition that political and financial support will be given ONLY to a by them trusted White Man that is mandated to govern as a Trustee over the independent Togolese until a positive turn around has successfully been accomplished and a new generation of trustworthy black Leaders has been raised and trained to take the Baton of Power to the next level. Other strategies have proven, over and over again, to be an expensive failure financially, politically and on humanitarian groundsenough is enough!

P.S.: Former Ghanaian Military Dictator turning President, J.J. Rawlings (mother black Ghanaian, father undisclosed white Scotsmanit is in the blood!) was forced from outside the country to end his Dictatorship and rule the country for another 8 years as President based on the 1992 Constitution, not by internal demands for a Democratic Setting making most Ghanaians wish today that another Rawlings would arise and rule over them.

Author: Dipl.-Pol. Karl-Heinz Heerde, Sakumono, Tema West, Ghana, phone +233(0)265078287, [email protected] , 31.08.2017
03.09.2017 LISTEN

Certainly Geez was the language Moses spoke with God. But for strange reasons the world doesnt want to look at the Abyssinia Hypothesis.

The Arab Yemeni Israelite took refuge in Abyssinia for 430 years all their traditions and culture became Ethiopian. So their tales came from that environment and not from anywhere else.

The Israelite and the Hebrew were Arab Yemeni. Early Jews and Modern Jews are Turkic Mongolians mixed with Asian and European slaves.

Egyptian and Hebrew cultures NEVER borrowed from each other and there was no way to accommodate large nomadic herding people in Egypt, and they left no graves neither in Egypt nor in Sinai, and they hadnt seen the Pyramids or knew any Egyptian king.

The Israelite were never enslaved, they abused the hospitality of Africans and enslaved Ethiopians, Eritrean, Nubians (Kerma), and other Sudanese. That is why they were expelled then fled in the Biblical Exodus of 1446 BC.

Egypt have no records of nomadic Israelite. Hebrew were created after the Arab Yemeni Israelite invaded and colonized Canaan in 1406 BC.

Moses and even Abraham never went to Egypt, they went to Abyssinia only, so they spoke Geez with God. And even after the Exodus they used Geez back in Yemen and not Yemeni, which was close to Geez. The Ten Commandments were written in Geez, not in Yemeni or in Hebrew (which was not yet developed), nor Egyptian.

I wonder what kind of prejudice that blinds scholars, academia, and the public? Moses, Abraham, and the Israelite were not in Egypt, Mesopotamia, or any other place. It is quite clear that the conventional Egypt Hypothesis as well as the alternative Arabia Only Hypothesis are both illogical and cannot be scientifically proven.

The Abyssinia Hypothesis is certainly the only way to discover the true history of Israel, Jews, and Judaism.

There are numerous contradictions in the Hebrew Bible that defy any logic and science. For example mentioning camels, while they were never brought to Egypt before the Persian invasion of Egypt in 525 BC. They only existed in East Africa, and not even in Arabia.

Christianity was turned into Judaeo-Christianity first by Paul then by Turkic Jewish migration into Rome which resulted in the collapse of the Roman Empire.

Judaism was invented by Turkic Mongolians who created Persia. First the Arab Yemeni Israelite and Hebrew started the changing the scriptures, then came the Jews and completed the job.

Egypt didnt influence or borrowed from Israelites and Jews. The only link between the religion of Egypt and Israelite is that Amenhotep IV Akhenaten (13531336 BC) heard about Abraham and tried to unify the faith of Egypt, but that was a failure and short-lived.

It is very wise to point to two extremes. Some ignorant or dishonest people want the world either to take nonsense or to believe in nothing.

Believers must discover the truth and avoid crafty denial of faith.
03.09.2017 LISTEN

Mafi-Sasekpe (V/R), Sept. 3, GNA - Mama Klebetesi III, newly installed queen-mother of Mafi-Sasekpe in the Central Tongu District has stated her resolve to 'combat' the scourge of teenage pregnancy in the area.

She said in 2013, more than 20 per cent of all child births recorded in health facilities in the District were by teenage mothers and in 2014, over 80 teenage girls dropped out of school due to teenage pregnancy and vowed to reverse the trend.

Mama Klebetesi made the commitment when she and Togbe Boapo IV, were out-doored as new queen-mother and chief respectively for the farming community.

The two, Mama Klebetesi, known in private life as Belinda-Barbara Woelinam Azumah and Togbe Boapo, known privately as Martin Ayikpah, were installed in April this year following the demise of their predecessors some 30 years ago.

Mama Klebetesi, who was crowned Miss Asogli in 2009, pledged to work with the Ministry of Chieftaincy and Religious Affairs and the local Assembly to empower girls to realise their potentials and reduce incidence of child mothers.

She also promised to support education of children and seek assistance from non-governmental organizations to help small businesses, especially women in 'gari' production in the catchment area.

Togbe Boapo expressed gratitude to the natives for the 'patience, fortitude, and the spirit of unity,' which had led to their installation and coronation.

He said he would work with the Assembly towards the establishment of a 'gari' processing factory in the community under government's 'One District, One Factory,' to prevent young people from migrating to urban centres in search of jobs.

Togbe Boapo appealed to government to construct the Mafi-Kumasi-Sasekpe-Wute road to facilitate movement of people and goods and open up the area.

The coronation was characterized by merrymaking, drumming and dancing.
After 98 years of providing Butte residents with furniture, one of the citys oldest family-owned businesses is coming to the last chapter of its story  or is at least coming to the first page of its sequel.

Mike and Pam Rudolph -- who have been with Rudolph's Furniture for over 39 years -- said Tuesday they plan to retire and are putting the business and its building at 65 E. Park St. up for sale.

For weeks, signs have been posted on the buildings windows, advertising a retirement sale. Mike Rudolph said he doesnt have an exact closing date, but that the store will shut its doors once the inventory is gone.

Weve been working six days, seven days a week going on 42 years, said Mike Rudolph, noting that living life at a slower pace will certainly be a transition. However, he said hes sure to find an outlet for the energy thats kept the family business going all these years. I like being busy, Rudolph said.

For many in Butte, Rudolphs is more than just a store.

Its a business that spans three generations and is often cited as the oldest furniture store in Montana. It survived the Depression, a world war and the mine closures of the 1980s and has seen some of Buttes largest employers, Montana Power Co. and Touch America, ride high and then sink low into oblivion.

Some might say whats kept the store afloat was a framework laid out by the stores founder, Rudolphs grandfather, a Prussian immigrant named Kalman Rudolph. He started the business in 1919 after coming to United States to escape unrest in his home country.

Joel Broudy, who owns Wein's Men's Store, 66 W. Park St., another longtime Butte business, described Kalman as a direct, down-to-earth business person.

He was sort of a matter-of-fact-guy, said Broudy.

When Kalman started the business, it was The Butte Furniture Exchange at 105 E. Park St., just down the street from the businesss current location.

There, Rudolphs father Lew and his uncle Newt began working at the store with their father Kalman from a young age. Newt gave a lifetime to the business, working at the Park Street store from 1948 until he died in 1998 at age 72.

Many articles were written about Rudolphs over the years, and through all of the sentences wrought by reporters who have since come and gone, one theme seemed to get repeated: Lew Rudolph was someone who knew how to roll up his sleeves.

According to a 2005 Montana Standard article, Lew was just 14 years old when he drove for the first time the business truck from Butte to Seattle to pick up a load of furniture. It was a time when his father had fallen ill and Lew had to take responsibility for the family business.

It was the way you were brought up, when something had to be done, you did it, Lew said in 2005.

The sentiment is something he carried with him during economic highs and lows.

In the good times you prosper and in the bad times you have to pull together and survive, he said

Lew retired in 2009, but was a daily visitor at the store. He died in 2015. In addition to being a longtime business owner, he was also a World War II veteran, having served as a waist gunner on a B-17 bomber.

Like their father, Rudolph and his brother Larry began working at the store as young men. Rudolph left the store to attend college but he returned when Larry passed away in the 1970s. In the 1980s, he began managing the store with his father and his uncle.

Like many family-owned businesses these days, Rudolphs will not move on to the next generation.

With a lot of industries, thats going to be an issue, said Rudolph, noting a national trend in which an increasing number of young people are leaving small towns in search for work and experiences.

George Everett of Mainstreet Uptown Butte, meanwhile, says hes not worried.

He believes theres a new generation of young entrepreneurs who are ready and willing to start businesses Uptown.

He noted that when Sharp Expressions closed on Park Street in 2003, residents lamented the closure of what was then an Uptown mainstay and reporters asked questions about the vitality of Uptown.

Years later, Everett said, the location is occupied by the Taco del Sol restaurant and new owners have breathed new life into the building.

As for Rudolphs, Everett had nothing but praise for the multi-generational business, noting that the wisdom and experience of its owners will be missed.

Its going to be sad to see them go, said Everett.

Broudy agreed.

They were all really good businessmen, he said of the Rudolph clan. I dont know if youre born with it or if its intuitive.

Broudys own store has been in Butte since 1906 and in his familys ownership since 1920.

He said hes known all three Rudolph owners and that in Lew and Kalmans time, you could run a business on one simple principle: you took care of the customer, and the customer took care of you, he said.

Pam Rudolph has been working at the store with her husband for 39 years.

She said starting a new chapter in her life is bittersweet and that shell miss working with employees and her customers.

I have such mixed emotions, said Pam. Its been our life and our identity and our familys identity almost for 100 years.
The youthful, beautiful, adorable and charming TV personality, Amira Ibrahim-Alfa, has been unveiled as the official host for the launch of the affordable diffusion line F E Y I by LuxuryByFeyi.

This a "luxe meet modest" clothing line specially tailored for the Nigerian market.

The launch will also be celebrating the gracious and evergreen fashion icon, Princess Abah Folawiyo, the founder of the famed fashion brand Labanela who recently clocked 75.

Amira is currently the Face of AFWN & AFWL 2017. Amira has worked with notable fashion designers. She has hosted few red carpet Events.

In 2016 she was named the most promising red carpet host" during the Glam & Essence style award & running show and a judge in few pageants.

Amira has so far grown to become any photographer's delight immediately she steps on the red carpet to prove her versatility and she has never failed in stepping out in lovely outfit to promote the true African woman.
'The big truck is still on ...
- The Nigerian Air Force has revealed how it was able to foil a Boko Haram attack in Borno

- According to the military, the attack was stopped on Saturday, September 2, during the Eid-el-Kabir celebration

- It was reported that the insurgents had planned to destabilise the Sallah celebration

On Saturday, September 2, the Nigerian Air Force said it had foiled an attempt by Boko Haram insurgents to destablize the peaceful Eid-el-Kabir celebration in Borno.

Sadiq Abubakar, the Chief of Air Staff, disclosed that the Air Force in a joint operation with the army had destroyed insurgents hideouts thereby scuttling their plans to attack communities during the festivities.

According to NAN, Mr Abubakar then held a grand feast for officers and men of the service at the 105 Composite Group, Maiduguri for service men carrying out the counter-insurgency operation in the North-east, as part of the Eid-el-Kabir celebration.

He said: Boko Haram insurgents planned to destabilise the Sallah celebration, but with help of the Almighty Allah and our collective efforts, we foiled their plans.

Our objective is to protect life and property, safeguard the national territorial integrity and make our communities safe so that farmers can go back to their settlements and cultivate their farmlands.

We will remain in the forest to protect our people. The insurgents are on the run due to concerted military efforts; the only option left for them is to surrender."

READ ALSO: Nigerian Air Force aircraft drops bombs, rockets on Boko Haram in Sambisa

He also congratulated the men and officers of the service for their dedication and gallantry, saying that Nigerians were proud of their achievements.

The air chief then spoke on arrangements for the training of air force personnel within and outside the country, to strengthen defence operations.

We are sending some service men for training in Jordan.

We are committed to providing logistics, uniforms and ammunition to counter terrorism while construction of housing is in progress to provide decent accommodation for officers and men serving in the counter-insurgency campaign, he explained.

In conclusion, Mr Abubakar urged officers and men of the service to remain disciplined, display high sense of professionalism and respect civilians in the discharge of their duties.

Meanwhile, the Ward Head of the Pompomari area of Maiduguri, Lawali Ibrahim has applauded the service for the successes recorded in the counter-insurgency campaign.

In his opinion, the collaboration between the service and the vigilante group had helped to strengthen security in the area.

READ ALSO: UK considers selling more weapons to Nigeria to fight Boko Haram

The service donated two cows to the vigilante group to enable them to celebrate Sallah.

There is mutual understanding between the service and the host community, he said.

Meanwhile, suspected members of the dreaded Boko Haram sect reportedly attacked and killed 18 people at the Internally Displaced Persons (IDP) camp in Banki town, Bama local government area of Borno state on Thusday, August 30.

PAY ATTENTION: Watch more videos on Legit.ng TV

According to reports, the terrorists sneaked into the camp and murdered at least 18 youths at about 11 pm and forcefully took away many others, including young girls and women.

Watch this Legit.ng video of how Nigerians celebrated the Sallah:

Source: Legit.ng
Shame on Butte for no homeless shelter

With despair and hope I viewed the news of the destruction brought by Hurricane Harvey. Despair because of the vastness of the destruction and the accompanying loss of life, property, and basic necessities like shelter, clean water and food. But I also experienced hope when I saw friends helping friends, neighbors helping neighbors. It didnt matter whether you were black, white or Hispanic. Young were helping elderly. Able bodied were helping the infirm. No one asked if they were Republican or Democrat. You just helped  thats what communities do. They help each other.

Then Tuesday morning, I looked at the headline in The Montana Standard and read that once again the Butte Rescue Mission had been thwarted in its efforts to provide shelter to the homeless in our community. Butte should be ashamed of itself. To everyone who said that the shelter provided a much-needed service but I dont want it in my neighborhood  shame on you or they seemed to help a lot of people but Im glad theyre moving it someplace else  shame on you. To governing bodies and boards that have once again put up barriers because there was no exigency (which means emergency, by the way) to justify the zoning board holding a special hearing  shame on you.

How many of us are just one paycheck, one family emergency, one natural disaster away from being homeless? Lets step up to the plate RIGHT NOW and demand that whatever processes have to be followed be expedited, because if this isnt an emergency for the homeless, what is? The cold weather of fall and winter is just around the corner. Butte is a CAN DO city. Lets prove it and get this done!

-- Joyce Gehrke, Butte
According to reports, the Chinese government has issued orders banning children from attending church services in the country.

The government claims its new orders to stop children from attending church services within the country, was made in an effort to tighten their hold on religious activities.

DailyMail reports that over 100 churches in Wenzhou, China, were given a notice from government officials, informing them of the ban against children attending or participating in church activities.

This order seems to have been a long time coming, as some churches in the Zheijang Province, were made to remove symbols like the cross, from their buildings in 2014.

READ ALSO: Religious ban: Shiites blast Gov El-Rufai

William Nee, a researcher for Amnesty International spoke to MailOnline, saying:

"At this point, it is unclear how widespread the bans on children attending church services are in China, but these alarming reports seem to be coming in from fairly diverse areas throughout the country. China is in the midst of a religious revival and the current government seems concerned that religion could be a means through which foreign values may 'penetrate' into China and ultimately affect political stability."

READ ALSO: Removal of CRK could lead to religious war - HURIWA

Nee also said:

In an important speech on religion last year, the President, Xi Jinping, said that young people must study science, believe in science and develop a correct worldview and set of values. It could be that the government is concerned that young people going to church or religious activities may challenge their monopoly on truth and the governments ability to instill its own historical narratives and worldview through the public education system.

In this speech, President Xi Jinping also re-emphasized the need for Communist Party cadres to be strict Marxist atheists, and not to find values or beliefs in religion. As a result, weve seen more cadres and government employees punished and fired government for attending religious activities."

Na wa!

Meanwhile, see this video of Nigerians responding to 'can you give up your religion for $5m?'

Source: Legit.ng
- The Coalition of Niger Delta Agitators (CNDA) threatens to resume attacks on oil installations beginning from September 10, 2017

- CNDA says its investigation has shown that northerners own over 90% of oil wells in the Niger Delta region

- The group states that the Yoruba own 7% of oil wells while Igbo have about 2% of wells in the region

Militants under the umbrella of the Coalition of Niger Delta Agitators (CNDA) have denied reports that they have withdrawn a quit notice issued to people of northern and Yoruba descents residing in the Niger Delta region.

READ ALSO: BREAKING! Gruesome motor accident along Kaduna-Abuja expressway (photos)

The group also threatened to resume attacks on oil installations in the region beginning from September 10, 2017.

CNDA in a statement sent to the Punch newspapers on Saturday, September 02, said it findings had shown that northerners owned over 90% of the oil wells and that the Yoruba have about 7% of the wells.

It stated that while the Igbo have about 2% of oil wells, the Niger Delta people do not have up to 1% of the oil wells.

The group said: We are not talking only about the notice to quit; we are also talking about the Niger Delta Republic. We have seen that the Federal Government is not serious about the Niger Delta issue. Let me make a point here; the Academic Staff Union of Universities is on strike and the government has set up a committee to engage in a dialogue with ASUU.

PAY ATTENTION: Watch more videos on Legit.ng TV

This has never happened in the case of the Niger Delta; the Federal Government has never inaugurated a committee to handle the Niger Delta issue. The only language the Federal Government seems to understand is violence. September 10 is the day we will resume attacks (on oil installations). By September 10, which is on Sunday, over 5,000 members of the Niger Delta Coalition of Agitators will shut down no less than over 20 platforms.

Legit.ng had reported that coalition of Niger Delta militants has withdrawn the October 1 quit notice they issued to northerners and Yoruba living in the region.

The Pan Niger Delta Peoples Congress (PNDPC) claimed they were given the mandate by the issuers of the quit notice to withdraw it, The Nation reports.

Chief Mike Loyibo who the coalition had named as its coordinator/convener confirmed that the coalition mandated the PNPDC to announce the withdrawal of the quit notice.

Watch a Legit.ng TV video below of Nigerians talking about the issue of restructuring of the country:

Source: Legit.ng
Hours after the Norths sixth nuclear detonation, an announcer on its official Korean Central Television declared: The hydrogen bomb test was a perfect success.

Earlier monitors measured a 6.3-magnitude tremor near its main testing site, which South Korean experts reportedly said was nearly 10 times more powerful than the 10-kiloton test carried out a year ago.

US President Donald Trump called North Koreas actions very hostile and dangerous in a series of tweets.

North Korea has conducted a major Nuclear Test, Trump wrote. Their words and actions continue to be very hostile and dangerous to the United States.

See more ..North Korea is a rogue nation which has become a great threat and embarrassment to China, which is trying to help but with little success.  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) September 3, 2017

See more South Korea is finding, as I have told them, that their talk of appeasement with North Korea will not work, they only understand one thing!  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) September 3, 2017
Les emplois a Rennes sont abondants et varies. Il y a quelque chose pour tout le monde. Que vous soyez a la recherche dun emploi []
4 of 9

Its really quite amazing when you think that freedom of the press  is now itself under attack from the president himself, said what global leader of President Trumps repeated denunciations of some media outlets as so-called fake news?
No Drag: Robust Q2 and H1 Mark Yggdrasil Ascendance

Published September 3, 2017 by Lee R

There is no spike in sight for the benefits of upwardly trending Yggdrasil performance.

The latest Yggdrasil update shows a promising and robust H1 has just concluded.

Q2 Highlights

Highlights of the report released by the Swedish gaming supplier revolve around revenues for Q2 jumping 103 percent year-on-year to MSEK 40.4 (19.9). That quarterly growth was supplemented by 44% gains in EBITDA to MSEK 18.0 (9.8).

Player Activity

Player activity was up 84 percent year-on-year to 801 million player transaction rounds, with important mobile gaming growth increasing to 56 percent of total gross game win.

More Q2 Drivers

Other drivers of growth for the quarter include the Yggdrasil expansion into Italy via client operator GVC Brands; the four new game offerings of Power Plant, Sunny Shores and Spina Colada and exclusive Betsson offering Trolls Bridge; the hiring of a full-time CTO and CSO for the first time; the forte addition of 14 new licence agreements signed with new client operators; and the technological innovation of a revamped version of its trademark iSENSE 2.0+ platform.

Q2 Recognition

Industry recognition for Yggdrasils Q2 exploits included a successful defence of its Slot Provider of the Year title at EGR B2B Awards for Yggdrasils second consecutive yearly win.

H1 Highlights

As for H1 overall, Yggdrasil highlights include revenue increases of 116 percent to MSEK 73.8 (34.1); a 76% jump in EBITDA to MSEK 31.2 (17.7); and a 42% jump in EBITDA margin.

H1 Player Activity

H1 patronage showed a 99% jump in player transaction rounds to 1.5 billion rounds, playing a total of 7 new games from Yggdrasil.

Big Fish

William Hill joined the Yggdrasil fold in H1 2017.

Groundbreaking New Program

Yggdrasil execs also found the time to launch a unique new business initiative to facilitate and foster mutually beneficial partnerships amongst entrepreneurs and gaming businesses.

H1 Recognition

As for H1 industry recognition, Yggdrasil the Innovator of the Year crown at the 2017 International Gaming Awards.

H1 Technological innovation

Yggdrasil also released ground-breaking game technology in Fusion Realms.

CEO Speaks

Yggdrasil CEO Fredrik Elmqvist could not have been more pleased, saying he was I thrilled to report further impressive growth as we continue to reap the benefits of our long-term strategy.

Outlook

With Yggdrasil continuing to expanding into and invest in new markets, the Swedish powerhouses expansion strategy appears ready to continue paying dividends for some time to come.
Small Island Grows in iGaming: SiGMA sets Malta for Lift-off in November

Published September 2, 2017 by Lee R

This is an unforgettable year for Malta in iGaming.

SiGMA 2017 is coming back in November with a sharp new look set to amaze!

New Look

From November 22-25, Summit of iGaming Malta SiGMA17 will take place in Malta Fairs & Conventions Centre (MFCC) in TaQali within a bigger venue boasting an entire iGaming Village complete with six themed bars, three restaurants and two lounge areas all located within the expo grounds.

Sweet Comps

Drinks, lunch, cigars and the shuttle to enjoy to these delights will all be on the house to make MFCC a welcoming home.

Enriched Format

The conference set-up will remain the same, with the engaging round tables and big stage, and offer the super SiGMA expo next to it as well.

Rolling with the Changes

The further new layout looks to absorb and reflect SiGMAs growth as it has doubled in size from a self-designated simple bedroom project to a rich and dynamic show respected by top industry executives in just three years.

Global Market

The 2017 version represents the globalisation of the show, with the promoters committed to expanding the introduction of Malta to the global community this year by addressing the needs of industry heavyweights across all continents.

Feedback Used

The expansion of the conference was guided by the feedback organisers gathered from SiGMA16, resulting in the introduction of upgrades that include fine-tuning the content for maximum engagement and communications efficiency, which includes innovative formats such as fish bowls, speed dating and enhanced technological and app support of interaction between speakers and audience using latest technologies and apps available, with speakers being rated on the spot at times through audience feedback.

Enhanced Promotion

An enhanced promotion this year at the new and improved SiGMA is the 1,000 Free Flights program. Inspired by the popular holdover promotion from last year in which 300 flights were given away to conference affiliates, 500 new affiliates along with 500 top C level executives including mostly CTOs, CPOs, CEOs, COOs will be given away to keep the B2B side of the business fresh.

Flight Destinations

Destinations waiting at the end of the flights for VIP guests will be a string of SiGMA hospitality events around SiGMA to put Maltas most welcoming foot forward.

Expanded Pitch Program

The SiGMA Startup Pitch will be enhanced after its launch last year to adapt the unique, swift three minute presentation format with a seven minute Q and grill with the investors. This year, promoters will further give qualifying startups the possibility to not only pitch but receive added exposure via the SiGMA magazine, website, and shows exhibit.

Outlook

The innovations continue with a new office space, venue size, sponsor recruitment process, and vetting of visitors, strategic partnership program to meet the needs of the full array of affiliates, operators, B2Bs, startups, investors and other professionals this year at the enhanced and globalized SiGMA 217, which looks to be nothing short of mind-blowing.
From Gush Shalom

A FEW days ago I found myself in Caesarea, sitting in a restaurant and looking out over the sea. The sunbeams were dancing on the little waves, the mysterious ruins of the ancient town arrayed behind me. It was hot, but not too hot, and I was thinking about the crusaders.

Caesarea was built by King Herod some 2,000 years ago and named after his Roman master, Augustus Caesar. It once again became an important town under the Crusaders, who fortified it. These fortifications are what now makes the place a tourist attraction.

For some years in my life I was obsessed with the Crusaders. It started during the 1948 "War of Independence," when I chanced to read a book about the crusaders and found that they had occupied the same locations opposite the Gaza strip which my battalion was occupying. It took the crusaders several decades to conquer the strip, which at the time extended to Ashkelon. Today it is still there in Muslim hands.

After the war, I read everything I could about these Crusaders. The more I read, the more fascinated I became. So much so, that I did something I have never done before or after: I wrote a letter to the author of the most authoritative book about the period, the British historian Steven Runciman.

To my surprise, I received a hand-written reply by return of post, inviting me to come and see him when I happened to be in London. I happened to be in London a few weeks later and called him up. He insisted I come over immediately.

Like almost everyone who fought against the British in Palestine, I was an anglophile. Runciman, a typical British aristocrat with all the quaint idiosyncracies that go with it, was very likeable.

We talked for hours, and continued the conversation when my wife and I visited him later in an ancient Scottish fortress on the border with England. Rachel, who was even more anglophile than I, almost fell in love with him.

WHAT WE talked about was a subject I brought up at the very start of our first meeting: "When you were writing your book, did you ever think about the similarities between the Crusaders and the modern Zionists?"

Runciman answered: "Actually, I hardly thought about anything else. I wanted to subtitle the book A Guidebook For the Zionist About How Not To Do It." And after a short laugh: "But my Jewish friends advised me to abstain from doing so."

Indeed, it is almost taboo in Israel to talk about the crusades. We do have some experts, but on the whole, the subject is avoided. I don't remember ever having heard about the Crusades during the few years I spent at school.

This is not as astonishing as it may sound. Jewish history is ethnocentric, not geographical. It starts with our (legendary) forefather, Abraham, and his chats with God, and continues until the defeat of the Bar Kochba rebellion against the Romans in 136 AD.

From then on our history takes leave from Palestine and dances around the world, concentrating on Jewish events, until the year 1882, when the first pre-Zionists set up some settlements in Ottoman Palestine. During all the time in between, Palestine was empty, nothing happened there.

That is what Israeli children learn today, too.

ACTUALLY, LOTS of things did happen during those 1,746 years, more than in most other countries. The Roman, Byzantine, Arab, Ottoman and British empires followed each other until 1948. The crusaders' kingdoms were an important chapter by themselves.

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So frequently is the word 'freedom' employed in the political vernacular, it has come to mean whatever the listener desires. For Mr. Trump, it is one word in the volcanic plume countering a society's rhythm, designed to attract attention. That he has garnered in spades, enough to win him the highest office in the land.



To many freedom is an absence of worry. The desire and need for a social fabric knit well to support the basic prerequisites: food, shelter, health and education. None of them charity, because they are an investment in the fundamental source of a society's well-being: human capital.



The selfishness of the haves has contributed to loss of competitiveness. The old GM was paying $100-$200 per car in health insurance costs, and manufacturers were also forced to provide remedial education for high school graduates to enter the world of complex modern manufacturing. Neither was a similar burden on competitors from Japan and Germany. Suffice to say though that this was not the only reason for problems.



But selfishness is not all with regard to healthcare, the focus of this piece. The biggest culprit by far is general complacency. Added to a Republican majority in Congress and Donald Trump, there is little hope in the near future.




Congress Switchboard: 202-224-3121

"Rob Kall gives readers an important wake up call to the bottom up power that they have to protect their rights, powers, and freedoms. His advice applies to all aspects of life, including politics, economics, journalism, entertainment, and psychology and wellness. Kall's book explains the differences between the top-down leadership approach of dominating, fear based, disconnected authoritarianism and the bottom-up connection consciousness that emphasizes values, justice, fairness, equity, and kindness. This book helps readers see the whole elephant as opposed to the disconnected parts. Kall gives great advice as to intensifying, expanding, prolonging, and deepening connections. With his professional background, Rob Kall is the perfect person to write this book. This is a very well-researched book that includes dozens of insightful interviews with top-notch experts. Kall shows how bottom-up small acts can produce massive results. He emphasizes that since we cant avoid this emerging bottom-up connection revolution, we need to learn how to navigate and embrace it. This bottom-up leadership will result in power to the people. This is a fascinating and insightful book, especially in this new era of digital hunting and gathering."



Larry Atkins, author of Skewed: A Critical Thinker's Guide to Media Bias
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From Counterpunch



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Hovering Hurricane Harvey, loaded and reloading with trillions of gallons of water raining down on the greater Houston region -- ironically the hub of the petroleum refining industry -- is an unfolding, off the charts tragedy for millions of people. Many of those most affected are minorities and low-income families with no homes, health care or jobs to look forward to once the waters recede.

Will this tragedy teach us the lessons that so many politicians and impulsive voters have been denying for so long?

The first lesson is that America must come home: we must end the Empire of Militarism and of playing the role of policeman of the planet. Both of these habitual roles are backfiring and depleting trillions of taxpayer dollars that could be better used toward rebuilding our country's infrastructure, strengthening our catastrophe-response networks and preparing for the coming megastorms like Hurricane Harvey. A projected trillion dollars being spent by Obama, and now Trump, just to upgrade nuclear weapons will only spur another arms race with Russia and China. This money could be more productively spent protecting Americans from immediate threats, such as natural disasters from man-made climate change.

Politicians must stop overstuffing a bloated military budget and leaving our country fiscally unprepared to handle mass epidemics and mass megastorms. In short, will they stop leaving our country defenseless against the prospects of huge levels of mortality and morbidity?

Second, Congressional and White House deniers of man-made climate disruption must renounce their dogmatic ignorance and confront the reality in the scientific warnings about the accelerating wrath of a provoked natural world.

Last month, I asked Oklahoma Senator James Inhofe -- who has called climate change a "hoax" -- what level of evidence would change his mind about climate change. He has not replied yet. But that is the question that should be asked of all Trumpsters, including the voters who share their disregard: Just what series of climate events -- what piles of scientific measurements and documentations now in the Arctic, the Andes, Antarctica, Greenland, the Maldives, etc. -- could change their minds?

Third, our elected officials must accept that continuing to waste trillions of dollars on corporate subsidies, bailouts, giveaways and lack of enforcement of costly crime -- crony capitalism -- further weakens our country's capacity to foresee and forestall omnicidal disasters.

Enough, also, of the Congressional Republicans starving the IRS budget so it cannot collect more of the many billions of dollars in uncollected global corporate taxes. These Republicans don't seem to connect the size of deficits, which they detest, with uncollected tax revenue, now estimated by the IRS to exceed $350 billion a year.

Maybe someone should finally write a book entitled "Listen, Voters." It could start by asking why enough voters keep electing politicians, who sweet talk them, only hook up with corporations and an ideology of corporatism that adversely affects the very voters who put them into office, along with many other Americans. If these voters, who so often vote against their own interests, do a little homework before Election Day, they can easily separate the fakers and the sell outs from the real candidates, who may not have silver tongues and corporate backing, but have a consistent record of being on the side of the people.

Voters need to be more demanding if they are to break the chains of a rigged electoral system that deprives them of choice, of voice and, most importantly, of the sovereign power they possess in our Constitution.

The August 29, 2017 Washington Post paused from its extensive coverage of the destruction in Houston to laud the "Flood of Courage" in its lead editorial. It wrote of the "massive -- and inspiring -- volunteer rescue response...With nothing more than their own courage, good people ventured into the rushing gullies and culverts, risking their lives to save others in the unrelenting rain."

While Trump tweets and hopefully reconsiders his earlier cruel budget cuts for FEMA and other life-saving federal agencies -- such as the Centers for Disease Control and the EPA -- the people are swinging into action on the ground. May they swing into wise and just action in the next elections -- both as new candidates and, high horizon, informed voters. For there is a much better America to be had.
From Sputnik



Nuclear Crisis

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The Western media would have us believe that North Korea and its nuclear arsenal is the world's number one threat. The continual depiction of a "rogue" state in the Western media plays into the US agenda of a pre-emptive attack on North Korea.

But let's get this straight. North Korea has an estimated 10-20 total number of nuclear warheads, according to the latest annual report from the respected Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI). That represents a minuscule fraction -- some 0.1 percent -- of the world's total stockpile of nuclear weapons.

The United States has a nuclear arsenal of some 5,000 weapons -- more than 300 times the size of North Korea's. The US along with Russia (also 5,000 warheads) account for 93 percent of the world's total inventory of nuclear weapons.

What distinguishes the US are the following pertinent facts. (Yet these facts are rarely if ever considered in Western media news coverage.)

It was the first country to develop such weapons of mass destruction, in 1945. Russia, the second country, developed its first atomic bomb four years later in 1949.

The US is the only country to have used nuclear weapons, when it dropped two atomic bombs on Japan -- just three weeks after it successfully tested the weapon in the New Mexico desert on July 16, 1945. The attacks on Japan killed at least 200,000 civilians. Official US justifications about swiftly ending the Pacific War with Japan are dubious and arguably irrelevant to the immoral barbarity.

Since the end of the Second World War, the US has engaged in dozens of wars in dozens of countries, according to respected historians such as William Blum, with an estimated death toll of 20 million. Since the end of the Cold War with the Soviet Union, the US has been in a state of permanent war over the past two decades, carrying out aerial bombardments in up to seven countries simultaneously. Official US justifications for these wars are dubious if not contemptible.

The incontestable fact is that the US is the biggest serial violator of international law with the blood of millions of civilians on its hands. It is arguable that Nazi Germany's Third Reich was succeeded by a Fourth Reich in the US.

The US may not have used nuclear bombs since the mass destruction carried out in Japan in 1945. But in spite of the heinous shame of its unique criminality, American leaders continually reserve the right to threaten other nations with nuclear annihilation. The oft-repeated phrase "all options on the table" is the Orwellian language used by the US to refer to its self-ordained prerogative to use nuclear weapons, codified in its "first-strike doctrine."

US President Donald Trump routinely invokes the veiled threat of nuclear annihilation against North Korea. His warning of "fire and fury like the world has never seen before" is a chilling reference. While Trump's senior administration have sought to temper his comments with vaguely worded possible diplomacy, they too at other times openly use the "all options on the table" nuclear threat.

North Korea's defiant testing of ballistic missiles is wrongly presented by Western media in complete isolation from the crucial context of the United States habitually threatening Pyongyang with pre-emptive war.

Both Russia and China have rebuked the US for its current display of military force during its annual "war games" on the Korean Peninsula as being destabilizing. But with incorrigible arrogance, Washington insists on its right to conduct such "defensive" maneuvers, and the Western media dutifully indulge this irrational distortion.

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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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From Consortium News

It is a basic rule from Journalism 101 that when an allegation is in serious doubt -- or hasn't been established as fact -- you should convey that uncertainty to your reader by using words like "alleged" or "purportedly." But The New York Times and pretty much the entire U.S. news media have abandoned that principle in their avid pursuit of Russia-gate.

When Russia is the target of an article, the Times typically casts aside all uncertainty about Russia's guilt, a pattern that we've seen in the Times in earlier sloppy reporting about other "enemy" countries, such as Iraq or Syria, as well Russia's involvement in Ukraine's civil war. Again and again, the Times regurgitates highly tendentious claims by the U.S. government as undeniable truth.

So, despite the lack of publicly provided evidence that the Russian government did "hack" Democratic emails and slip them to WikiLeaks to damage Hillary Clinton and help Donald Trump, the Times continues to treat those allegations as flat fact.

For a while, the Times also repeated the false claim that "all 17 U.S. intelligence agencies" concurred in the Russia-did-it conclusion, a lie that was used to intimidate and silence skeptics of the thinly sourced Russia-gate reports issued by President Obama's intelligence chiefs.

Only after two of those chiefs -- Director of National Intelligence James Clapper and CIA Director John Brennan -- admitted that the key Jan. 6 report was produced by what Clapper called "hand-picked" analysts from just three agencies, the Times was forced to run an embarrassing correction retracting the "17 agencies" canard.

But the Times then switched its phrasing to a claim that Russian guilt was a "consensus" of the U.S. intelligence community, a misleading formulation that still suggests that all 17 agencies were onboard without actually saying so -- all the better to fool the Times readers.

The Times seems to have forgotten what one of its own journalists observed immediately after reading the Jan. 6 report. Scott Shane wrote: "What is missing from the public report is what many Americans most eagerly anticipated: hard evidence to back up the agencies' claims that the Russian government engineered the election attack. ... Instead, the message from the agencies essentially amounts to 'trust us.'"

However, if that was the calculation of Obama's intelligence chiefs -- that proof would not be required -- they got that right, since the Times and pretty much every other major U.S. news outlet has chosen to trust, not verify, on Russia-gate.

Dropping the Attribution

In story after story, the Times doesn't even bother to attribute the claims of Russian guilt. That guilt is just presented as flat fact even though the Russian government denies it and WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange says he did not get the emails from Russia or any other government.



CIA seal in lobby of the spy agency's headquarters.

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Of course, it is possible the Russian government is lying and that some cut-outs were used to hide from Assange the real source of the emails. But the point is that we don't know the truth and neither does The New York Times -- and likely neither does the U.S. government (although it talks boldly about its "high confidence" in the evidence-lite conclusions of those "hand-picked" analysts).

And, the Times continues with this pattern of asserting as certain what is both in dispute and lacking in verifiable evidence. In a front-page Russia-gate story on Saturday, the Times treats Russian guilt as flat fact again. The online version of the story carried the headline: "Russian Election Hacking Efforts, Wider Than Previously Known, Draw Little Scrutiny."

The Times' article opens with an alarmist lede about voters in heavily Democratic Durham, North Carolina, encountering problems with computer rolls:

"Susan Greenhalgh, a troubleshooter at a nonpartisan election monitoring group, knew that the company that provided Durham's software, VR Systems, had been penetrated by Russian hackers months before. 'It felt like tampering, or some kind of cyberattack,' Ms. Greenhalgh said about the voting troubles in Durham."

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From Jon Rappoport Blog



Socialism

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Let's get something straight. There is no pure form of socialism, where "the government owns the means of production."

The means of production own the government, and vice versa. It's always collusion. Elite power players stitch themselves together like a walking Frankenstein corpse.

Socialism can be done with a smile or with guns and jails. Styles vary.

In 1966, Carroll Quigley, author of Tragedy and Hope, wrote: "The Council on Foreign Relations [CFR] is the American branch of a society which originated in England [and] believes national boundaries should be obliterated and one-world rule established."

You could call the CFR's agenda socialism or Globalism or fascism or dictatorship -- it doesn't matter. For the sake of brevity, I'll call it socialism.

At street level (not within the CFR), every proponent of the socialist "solution" either has no idea who installs it and runs it, or he astonishingly believes "the government" can be transformed into a beneficent enterprise and shed its core corruption, as it takes the reins of absolute power.

Meanwhile, the ultra-wealthy elites who use socialism as a weapon, while propagandizing it as our humanitarian future, know full well THEY will run it, and they have no qualms about placing severe limits on the freedom of populations. They want to impose those limits.

Hope and Change, the slogan of the former US president, was perfect for street-level socialists. It was vague enough to be injected with their own vague dreams and fantasies.

Colleges -- or as I call them, Academies of Great Generalities -- have been turning out these fantasists by the ton. "If I feel it, it must be true and good."

One such idealist, back in the 1960s, was a young man named James Kunen. But smarter by far than most of his comrades, he wrote a book called The Strawberry Statement: Notes on a College Revolutionary. A member of the Left group, Students for a Democratic Society (SDS), Kunen recalled a curious event at the 1968 SDS Convention:

"...at the convention, men from Business International Roundtables -- the meetings sponsored by Business International for their client groups and heads of government -- tried to buy up a few [Leftist] radicals. These men are the world's leading industrialists and they convene to decide how our lives are going to go. These are the boys who wrote the Alliance for Progress. They're the left wing of the ruling class."

"...They offered to finance our demonstrations in Chicago. We were also offered Esso (Rockefeller) money. They want us to make a lot of radical commotion so they can look more in the center as they move to the left."

Rockefeller elites moving to the political Left? What?

Look at it this way. If you're a Rockefeller man, what brand of rhetoric are you going to use to sell your con? The "Utopian-better-world-for-the-people (Leftist)," or the "we-want-mega-corporations-to-cheat-and-lie-and-steal-the-people-blind-and-co-opt-the-government (Rightist)"?

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From WSWS

As some residents begin to return to their homes and rescuers search the still flooded buildings in and around Houston, Texas, the massive extent of the damage caused by Hurricane Harvey is only now being fully revealed. The consequences of what by some measures is the greatest natural disaster in American history will be far-reaching, not only for the millions of people directly affected, but for social and political stability in the United States.

The official death toll for the storm increased to 46 on Friday, though this figure is expected to rise in the coming days. As many as one million people have been displaced by the floods, turned into internal refugees. The number of flooded structures is estimated at 136,000 just in Harris County, which includes Houston, the fourth-largest city in the country.

Nearby Beaumont (population 118,000), which has been transformed into a virtual island, remains without running water, and it is it is not known when the city's pumps will be repaired. Chemical and refinery plants throughout the region, like the Arkema facility that is the location of an ongoing fire, are still flooded. An unknown number of bridges and roads have been severely damaged and in some cases swept away.

AccuWeather is estimating that the overall cost of the storm could rise to $190 billion, or the equivalent of one percent of the total value of all goods and services produced in the United States in an entire year. This is nearly as much as Hurricane Katrina (2005) and Hurricane Sandy (2012) combined. Such estimates do not include many additional costs, such as the additional health care expenses for thousands of people due to the toxic mix of chemicals and waste in floodwaters, or the impact of the rising cost of gas as oil companies seize the opportunity to raise prices.

The single hurricane will have a sizeable impact on the overall economy in the United States this year, perhaps cutting growth in half. Large parts of Houston will be uninhabitable for weeks or months due to water damage, disrupting economic activity and leaving tens of thousands without an income.

It is the poor and working class who will be the hardest hit. More than 80 percent of homeowners in the region most severely impacted by the hurricane do not have flood insurance, meaning they will be left to rebuild with inadequate loans from various federal agencies, if they are able to get even these.

As the true extent of the damage becomes clear, its more far-reaching consequences will be felt. Harvey has hit the United States under conditions of deep social, economic, and political crisis. Neither the Trump administration nor its opponents within the ruling class command any significant popular support. The American ruling class, riven by deep internal divisions over foreign policy, confronts an economic system built on massive speculative bubbles and an increasingly angry and hostile working class.

Over the past week, the American media and political establishment have organized their forces to perform a well-choreographed political theater, combining hypocritical and insincere commentary on the "tragedy" of Hurricane Harvey, with the deliberate avoidance of any discussion on who is responsible and what must be done. The aim is to somehow prevent workers from drawing the necessary conclusion: that the devastation wrought by Hurricane Harvey is a crime of capitalism, for which the American ruling class is to blame.

The potential for flooding on this scale was neither unforeseeable nor unforeseen. The most basic measures, such as ensuring that there was a way for rainfall in the north of the city to reach the Gulf of Mexico without flooding the city itself, were simply ignored, as documented in a WSWS interview with risk management expert Robert Bea. No plan was in place for an orderly evacuation of the region in the event of a disaster, even though the region is prone to hurricanes.

Adequate preparation would require a level of planning and foresight of which the ruling elite is incapable. For the past 40 years, under both Democrats and Republicans, it has engaged in a single-minded policy of upward wealth redistribution, corporate deregulation, and financial speculation. The results are seen not only in Houston, but throughout the country: record social inequality, deindustrialized cities, declining life expectancy, and eroded infrastructure -- witnessed in the poisoning of the water in Flint, Michigan among countless other examples.

Even before the waters have receded, the main concern of the political representatives of the ruling elite is to make sure that those responsible for the catastrophe will not have to pay for it. Some form of emergency federal funding bill will likely be passed. As was the case following Hurricane Katrina and Sandy, however, those requiring assistance will have to fight tooth and nail to receive pitifully inadequate funds, generally in the form of loans.

One way or another, the ruling class will force workers to foot the bill. The overriding domestic policy priority of the Trump administration is to pass a massive corporate tax cut. Before Harvey hit, and even as the floodwaters rose, Trump and Vice President Mike Pence were touring the country to promote their "tax reform" proposal.

Along the same lines, Republican John McCain published an op-ed Thursday in the Washington Post entitled, "It's time Congress returns to regular order," in which he did not mention the hurricane, and instead called for Congress to move ahead with "tax reform" -- a euphemism for slashing corporate taxes -- as well as increasing defense spending. Democrats, meanwhile, have repeatedly stated their support for working with the Trump administration to "simplify" the tax code by cutting taxes on corporations.

The working class must advance its own program. All those affected by the hurricane must be made whole, with full restitution for damaged homes and property. Those displaced by the hurricane must receive quality housing. A multitrillion-dollar public works program must be initiated to rebuild the city and develop public infrastructure throughout the country.

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Words by Jamie Hill

The intro

Base Camp

Not a bad view to take in while performing your morning rituals.

The locals, hard at work prepping for the day's meals.

Providencia was a natural choice for the race. The trails are long and steep and the Locals are amazing. I've been lucky to know Paulo for a long time, he's shown me so many hidden gems around the country. Bringing an authentic Costa Rican experience free from the usual tourist traps was really important to us. Costa Rica has a lot of heart and soul, we wanted to make sure people got a taste of that. As the locals say Pura Vida.  Jay Balabas

Our "fearless leaders" Jay ... And Paolo

Rumble in the Jungle

Trans CR was not what I expected but everything I want a trans race to be. The stages were truly blind and challenging. The vibe was chill but also competitive. We were tucked away in a beautiful valley filled with amazing views and ate the local food  a lot of beans and rice! Id love to go back again!.  Amy Morrison

The trails were steep, raw and wildI got claimed on day two but thats just the way trails should be in a blind trans race; a wild adventure. Pura Vida!  Botsy Phillips

All smiles after one of the longest and steepest stages! Post race homemade empanadas and classic Costa Rican beer were plentiful.

Traditional Costa Rican dance, performed by the local kids, kicked-off the closing festivities.

Pura Vida

As a kid, I dreamed of living in some sort of Tarzan-esque tree fort in the jungle, swinging vine to vine, and just living the simple life  kids, we have some crazy ideas. Fast forward many (many) years, and along comes the Trans CR and a chance to live out some version of my childhood fantasy, well minus the vine swinging.The Costa Rican way of life can be simplified into two words: Pura Vida. But what exactly does it mean? Yes, directly translated it means simple life or pure life, but I'd argue that an attempt to define these words would ultimately result in missing the very essence of them and their broad application to the Costa Rican culture.After what seemed like a never-ending winter in the Pacific Northwest, heading to sunny Costa Rica to embrace the simple life seemed like the perfect winter escape. But only time would tell if we would all be prepared for what was waiting for us in the jungle, after a long winter of hibernation.Upon arrival riders were greeted by sunny skies and that classic Costa Rican hospitality that is second to none. The first night living it up in the lap of luxury at Hotel Barcelo was a reunion of sorts and gave us the chance to reconnect with familiar faces and also begin to forge new friendships with first-timers to the trans-racing experience. Some of us carried on the celebration of the inaugural event well into the wee hours of the morning  and were maybe a little worse for wear the following day as we climbed onto the busses and set-off into the mountains that we would be calling home for the next four days.The process of packing the gear and bikes for over 100 riders and volunteers was seamless and within a few hours of winding and twisting roads we finally arrived at the small village of Providencia. Here our basecamp was nestled high-up in the mountainside overlooking some of the most breathtaking scenery I have ever witnessed. A bit of a departure to the nature of trans-racing, riders would be trading in daily camp moves, for the opportunity to get cozy in one eco-chic tent paradise equipped with our very own Trans CR bar  paid for with Trans CR Tiny Dollars (but thats another story.)Providencia is home to roughly 200 people, and as Jay Balabas, Race Director, explained, it was a natural choice for the race. The trails are long and steep, and the locals are amazing. So amazing in fact, that many of them worked the event from preparing our meals and snacks daily to running the bar every night (not an easy task!) The local farmers, notably Mariano Retana and his son Mariano (Macho) Jr., had also put a lot of their blood, sweat, and tears into building the trails that riders were eagerly waiting to sink their teeth into and you could feel their pride in being able to host riders from all parts of the world and all walks of life. This really tied in with Jay and Paolos vision of giving riders an authentic Costa Rican experience and showcasing the heart and soul of the region. The sense of community really was infectious and you could feel the anticipation around camp as we all dialled in our gear to get ready for what was sure to be a rumble in the jungle!For many riders, the long winter meant limited time outside on the bike and dropping into the first stages for Day 1 would be the first real ride, let alone race, of the year. The best part about blind racing is that you never know what youre getting into and you just have to react  so that should have made it easier to dust off the cobwebs, right?A shorter first day gave us all a chance to acclimatize to our new surroundings and really get a sense of what the jungle of Providencia would be throwing our way over the next few days. It was already clear that a bit of conservatism would be the key to survival! Jay wasnt kidding about the steep rawness of the trails - and we were just getting started! You really couldnt ask for a better way to kick-off the riding season than just diving right into the unknown.Every morning over breakfast, Jay would instil just a little bit of fear into riders with his descriptions of the steepness of the terrain wed be feasting on throughout each day  but nothing could have prepared us for the relentlessness of what was to come. The terrain was not what a lot of us expected, but as racing buddy and pro-female champ, Amy Morrison, explained it was everything Id want a trans race to be.Extremely physical and mentally challenging descents and a long, yet stunning, hike-a-bike transition were what we endured for day two. Maybe it was the high altitude  or maybe Im just a glutton for punishment  but despite how challenging the ascent was, it seemed fun (maybe type two fun)! Over the course of the one or two-hour hike (I lost track of time. . . it was probably for the best), stories were told, laughs were had, and the feeling of accomplishment when you made it to the top was indescribable  high fives were flying!As it turns out, Trans Costa Rica is not an experience for the faint of heart or the weak of spirit. Stages were chalked full of relentlessly steep, loose, twisting, raw natural terrain with some stages having us racing over 20 minutes of uninterrupted physical and mental challenges. You couldnt take a back seat at any point because youd risk getting caught out and ending up in the bushes. Day two of our wild and crazy adventure caught a few riders up, including Botsy Philips, but that didnt stop anyone from appreciating what the jungle threw our way. As Botsy describes it, the trails were steep, raw, and wild. I got claimed on day two but thats just the way trails should be in a blind trans race; a wild adventure." Pura Vida as they say!After a big second day of racing (and maybe a few too many cups of jungle juice), at the start of day three we were all stoked to discover that wed be getting shuttled up to some higher elevations over our final two days. If anyone thought that meant some mellower stages and a reprieve from the gnar they wouldve been sorely mistaken.Day three took us down some longer, steeper tracks with a few steep-ups mixed in there to keep things zesty. One of the most interesting things about the Providencia terrain is that the pitch of the trails gets steeper and rockier the closer you get to the bottom  its truly a test to ones fitness and ability to withstand arm-pump for extended lengths! A good set of breaks and bigger rotors were the key-to-success to making it through the day unscathed (and even then, that was a challenge!). The loose, tight, steep corners made clipless pedals a challenge as well, and I opted to switch to flats half way through the day  the old saying foot out, flat out made sense here and made drifting those corners a whole lot more fun!The day ended up getting cut a bit short, (due to some shuttling logistics), but Im pretty sure this was a welcome reprieve for many, and gave us all more time to enjoy our little haven, exchange war stories and cash-in copious amounts of Trans CR Mini Bucks as we rested up for the final day of our jungle adventure.You could tell wed all be in for a treat on the final day, since Jay could not contain his enthusiasm (over the fact that the final stages were some of his favorite trails in Costa Rica) as he gave us the low-down over coffee and breakfast. The longest stages yet, were what awaited us at the top of a long shuttle, followed by about a 700m climb to the start. As we got higher, the vegetation changed and we were all drooling over the juicy, highly sought after, jungle loam that greeted us at the start of our final stages. Jay was right about this track being the most fun, but true to the style of the terrain, you still could not break your concentration for even one-minute! Another mega-long descent, shot us riders out to some technical single track to finish and one false move (especially when tired) and a break in concentration sent me (and a few others) into the bushes just moments before the final stretches of the track! Thankfully, we got to repeat this stage on the final day and knowing a bit more of what to expect made it easier to open-it-up and find some playful lines for round two, before making our way back to base-camp and a sweet party with all the locals in tow to wrap up our rumble in the jungle.The jungle was relentless, there were ups and downs, but despite this, there never seemed to be an unhappy camper. Every rider, volunteer and organizer came together to make things happen and when the jungle threw us curve balls we attacked them head on, as I believe Tarzan would have. Did we get to swing vine to vine as I had imagined as a kid, clearly not  but I believe in many ways, the two-wheeled version of Trans CR was even better than I could ever have imagined. For five days, we did live the simple life and it was the greatest escape I could have asked for!Photo credit: @parisgore and @FlowPhotoCo
Nicholi Rogatkin drops the 1440 hammer during the Red Bull District Ride Final. Image by Sebastian Marko / Red Bull Content Pool

Mountain biking in Nuremberg. Emil shows the crowd why bikes are awesome. Image by Sebastin Marko / Red Bull Content Pool

It means the world to win this event. Red Bull District Ride is like no other. The feeling is incredible. The moments the crowd gave us were unforgettable. Thank you, Nuremberg for letting us take over your city this weekend.  Nicholi Rogatkin

I am over the moon. It was an indescribable event, so many spectators! I have dreamed of this weekend at Red Bull District Ride and was really nervous coming in but showed a really good first run. Now I am the FMB World Champion! I have worked towards this for so long and it was always my goal. It feels incredible!  Emil Johansson

Three very stoked riders in front of a church. Image by Flo Hagena

Missed the action? Fear not! You can re-watch the entire live-broadcast and all the highlights on-demand and anytime on Red Bull TV Nine world-class athletes rode through the historic town center of Nuremberg during the final of Red Bull District Ride. A lot was at stake on the day: the course designed by Martin Soderstrom was not only the setting for the legendary urban Slopestyle event but also the deciding event in the hunt for the FMB World Champion crown. Mehdi Gani (FRA) was the first rider to send the crowd wild and pass the 80-point mark. His time in the hot-seat was short lived though, as German rider Erik Fedko pushed aside the pressure of riding in his first-ever FMB Diamond Event and, cheered on by his home crowd, put down a strong run that saw him take over first place with a score of 83.34. Fedkos lead lasted until the defending FMB World Champion dropped in.After Rogatkin scratched at the 90-point mark with a strong run that was capped off with his signature Twister, the tens-of-thousands of fans lining the cobblestone streets of Nuremberg had three more riders to look forward to. Diego Caverzasi (ITA) and Szymon Extension Man Godziek both showed exceptional style and huge tricks but it was not quite enough to push Rogatkin out of the hot-seat. Then came the time of the FMB Diamond Series leader and true to his style the King of Combos made his way down the 700m-long course pulling technically demanding tricks and making them look effortless. The crowds roar after the final hit foreshadowed the judge's score; 90.23 points and the lead for the young Swede.The contest was far from over though and rider after rider managed to step up the level with their second runs. Ryan Nyquist (USA), Jakub Vencl (CZE) and Anthony Messere (CAN) all improved on their first-run scores before Mehdi Gani had the unluckiest incident of the year. Briefly resting on the bridge between the Jeep the Rhythm District and the Tech District, his back tire blew ending his run out of nowhere and leaving him and the crowd scratching their heads. After a short break, the action was back on and the roar of the crowd could only mean one thing: German rider Erik Fedko was about to drop in once again. Fedko managed to step up his run, improved his score and celebrated with the now completely ecstatic crowd.Diego Caverzasi wasnt done yet though and, dropping in straight after Fedko, stepped up his run as well and took his position back from the German rider. Szymon Godziek was up next and once he reached the elevator to the final run-in, it became apparent that the crowd was in for a treat. With help from Best-Trick rider Bienvenido Aguado Alba (ESP), he taped off his handlebar and stem in the elevator, sped down the 15m-high ramp and showed a picture-perfect version of the Backflip Superman One Handed Seatgrab he premiered at the Best-Trick Contest the day before.With the two leading riders still at the top, the urban slopestyle event entered the next dimension of excitement. Nicholi Rogatkin conquered the first four districts in demanding fashion before stepping into the elevator of the town hall. Stepping out of the fourth story window, the crowd sensed that Rogatkin was about to show something special. True to his go big or go home style. Rogatkin dropped in and dropped jaws with an insane 1440 that catapulted him into first place. At the top of the course, Emil Johansson shook his head and couldnt help but smile. The young Swede gave it his best and threw a whole array of technically demanding combinations but in the end, it wasnt enough to best Rogatkin.As a result, Red Bull District Ride saw two winners: Nicholi Rogatkin secured himself the victory at his second showing at the legendary urban Slopestyle event, whereas Emil Johansson celebrated being crowned the youngest FMB World Champion in history in what was only his second year on the FMB World Tour.
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.




Throughout the week Illinois animal shelters and humane organizations across the state will be spotlighted in exciting animal events in various locations. The week long celebration will be helping animals and bringing joy to communities!

By: Animal World USA

Contact

Animal World USA

***@comcast.net Animal World USA

End

-- Animal World USA is pleased to announce that the 4th Annual Illinois Week for the Animals is coming October 7-15, 2017! The governor-proclaimed week is an opportunity for everyone to connect in the community for the greater good . During the dynamic week animal shelters, rescue groups, libraries and humane organizations across the state will be hosting a multiple of fun-filled, life-saving animal-related events.These activities will be saving lives, strengthening communities and building relationships for years to come.Educators, students, businesses and caring citizens will be joining in, as well, celebrating and helping animals. Events will include animal adoption days, low cost spay/neuter events, reduced fees for shelter pet adoptions/drive days, St. Francis Blessing of the Animals activities around the state, R.E.A.D. dog programs & book displays in libraries, 5K's, animal art, multiple group adoption fairs, creative ways to help horses and farm animals, autumn fests, therapy dogs visiting children's hospitals/living-assisted homes and a salute to our military K-9s and working dogs.Also included in the spotlight are pet food drive/opportunities, veggie meetups, low cost clinics, and special themed events for families to help and enjoy the amazing animals. The week will shine the spotlight on the faithful, hard working volunteers and community leaders throughout Illinois.Please note we will be adding new events and activities even throughout the week. For more info and how to become involved, visit the official website http://www.illinoisanimals.org/
WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind.  Purdue University-affiliated agricultural startups looking for early seed-stage funding to help with their plant sciences innovation can receive up to $100,000 through the Ag-celerator innovation fund.

A callout meeting and information session on Ag-celerator, a partnership between the Purdue University College of Agriculture and the Purdue Research Foundation, will be held 5:30 p.m. Sept. 14 at the Burton D. Morgan Center for Entrepreneurship in Purdues Discovery Park.

This is a great opportunity for Purdue University students, faculty and alumni to receive funding to help move innovations through the commercialization process, said Karen Plaut, interim dean of the College of Agriculture. Ag-celerator also provides Purdue, Indianas land-grant university, with a chance to help advance innovation as the need to improve food productivity continues to increase.

Ag-celerator, created in 2015, offers critical startup support for Purdue-affiliated innovators who want to commercialize intellectual property or Purdue know-how technologies that impact the life sciences, such as advancing crop traits, generating higher yields, using big data to improve farm management, finding new uses of plants, using precision agriculture and discovering advanced breeding techniques. To be considered, innovators must complete an application form, provide a business concept description and pitch deck at Purdue Ventures. The application deadline is midnight Sept. 28 and semifinalists will be announced Oct. 5. Ag-celerator recipients will be announced on Dec. 19.

Ag-celerator seeks to help Purdue entrepreneurs, including students, faculty, alumni and others, build momentum that will put them in better position to gain customers, find development partners and obtain more investment funding.

Startups that receive funding must become active clients of the Purdue Foundry, an entrepreneurship and commercialization accelerator that will provide assistance.

About Purdue Foundry

The Purdue Foundry is an entrepreneurship and commercialization accelerator in Discovery Park's Burton D. Morgan Center for Entrepreneurship whose professionals help Purdue innovators create startups. Managed by the Purdue Research Foundation, the Purdue Foundry was named a top recipient at the 2016 Innovation and Economic Prosperity Universities Designation and Awards Program by the Association of Public and Land-grant Universities for its work in entrepreneurship. For more information about funding and investment opportunities in startups based on a Purdue innovation, contact the Purdue Foundry at foundry@prf.org.

Purdue Research Foundation contact: Tom Coyne, 765-588-1044, tjcoyne@prf.org



Sources: Karen Plaut, 765-494-8391, kplaut@purdue.edu

John Hanak, 765-588-5255, jmhanak@prf.org
Body cameras for the Mooresville Police Department have arrived. Find out when they will be used.
Longtime Napa resident and business owner Ken Ross recently sold his Team Superstores dealerships in Vallejo.

Del Grande Dealer Group (DGDG), a Bay Area, family-owned automotive group, has expanded to the North Bay with the acquisition of the four Team Superstores dealerships: Team Chevrolet, Team Cadillac, Team Mazda and Team Hyundai.

Those four dealerships, located at 301 Auto Mall Parkway, in Vallejo, will complement the current DGDG offerings, as well as add the luxury brand Cadillac, increasing the number of brands represented by DGDG to 17, said a news release.

All employees, including those that live in Napa, kept their jobs, said the release.

Team Superstores was previously a privately owned group of dealerships in Vallejo. Napa resident Ken Ross opened the first dealership in 1994. Team Superstores was recognized as one of General Motors highest performing dealerships with the 2011 Mark of Excellence award.

Ross said hed like to retire and spend more time with his daughter, according to the release.

Del Grande Dealer Group President Shaun Del Grande went to great measures to make sure everyone on my team was taken care of during this transition, said former Team Superstores owner Ken Ross.

Team Superstores couldnt have gone to a better group. I am very grateful the integration went so well and am also really proud to now wear a DGDG branded shirt.

We are thrilled to add Team Superstores, a group that shares our core philosophies of providing a wonderful experience for our guests, as well of each of our valued team members, said Del Grande.

All current team members at the four added dealerships will remain in place, expanding our DGDG team to more than 1,200 strong. This expansion fits perfectly into DGDGs strategic plan to leverage our technology platform and innovative culture while continuing to grow our footprint throughout Northern California.
The most precious artifact of Bosnia-Herzegovina's National Museum in Sarajevo is not currently on display. The home of the Sarajevo Haggadah is undergoing renovation, featuring a new alarm system and state-of-the-art climate-control equipment. When the display opens, it will be a fitting setting for one of the most important symbols of Sarajevo's centuries-old identity as a tolerant, multiethnic community.

The origins of the Sarajevo Haggadah are shrouded in mystery. It is an exquisitely illuminated 14th-century codex, most probably smuggled out of Spain by Sephardic Jews following their expulsion in 1492. Like other books of its kind, it is a collection of religious rules and traditions used during the seder at Passover, the holiday celebrating the Israelites' deliverance from Egyptian slavery. It is known to have spent time in northern Italy in the 16th and 17th centuries, where it apparently escaped the attention of the Inquisition. It did not resurface again until 1894, when it was sold to the National Museum in Sarajevo by Joseph Koen, a member of a local Sephardic Jewish family. It is not clear how or when the book made it to Bosnia.

I can confirm that we are working in cooperation with the great Louvre Museum.  Mirsad Sijaric, The director of the National Museum

The director of the National Museum, Mirsad Sijaric, told RFE/RL that the French Embassy in Sarajevo and UNESCO are jointly financing the Haggadah's new display space. Thanks to the Haggadah, Bosnia's beleaguered National Museum is making new friends abroad. "I can confirm that we are working in cooperation with the great Louvre Museum," Sijaric said.

He said the improvements will make the Haggadah more frequently accessible to the public. "Until now the Haggadah was only on display just 10 or 15 times a year -- on Passover, the museum's anniversary, and other special occasions," Sijaric said. "A new schedule will be confirmed once the Haggadah gets its upgraded security system, which will be by September or October." A new facsimile edition of the Haggadah is also expected to be published around the same time.

The Ultimate Survivor Aside from its unique aesthetic value, the Haggadah is a symbol of the long Jewish presence in Sarajevo as an integral part of the city's multicultural heritage. The Israeli daily Haaretz published an article in July asserting that Sarajevo's Jewish community believes the city to be the safest place in Europe for Jews. The book is also a survivor, having endured the Inquisition, two World Wars, and the destructive siege of Sarajevo in the early 1990s. The Haggadah's most recent challenge was the defunding of the National Museum, which forced the institution to close its doors in October 2012. In June 2012, reproductions of some of the most beautiful illustrations from the Sarajevo Haggadah were on display in Prague's Jerusalem Synagogue.

It's often said that where logical reasoning ends, Bosnia begins. In other words, much that happens here does not have a rational explanation.  Jakob Finci

The leader of the Bosnian Jewish community, Jakob Finci, speaking at the opening of the Prague exhibition, tried to explain why the National Museum in Sarajevo was under threat. "It's often said that where logical reasoning ends, Bosnia begins," Finci said. "In other words, much that happens here does not have a rational explanation. Of course, we are all prone to believe conspiracy theories. But in this case I don't think any kind of conspiracy is necessary to explain why such an important part of our cultural heritage is being hidden from the local public and visitors," said Finci.

The Sarajevo Haggadah's home since 1894, Bosnia's National Museum was built under Austro-Hungarian rule and is a masterpiece by Czech architect Karel Parik. After surviving both world wars, the building was the target of shelling during the siege of Sarajevo (1992-95) and received a number of direct hits. The rear courtyard of the museum also faced the so-called Sniper Alley, making it one of the more dangerous locations during the war. The Haggadah was removed and kept in the vault of the National Bank until 1995, when it was returned to the museum.

The Hidden Haggadah That moment in the life of the Sarajevo Haggadah -- when it was transferred from the National Bank back to the museum -- is the starting point of Geraldine Brooks' acclaimed work of fiction, The People Of The Book (2008), which was inspired by the Haggadahs real-life peregrinations and brushes with destruction. At the beginning of the Nazi occupation of Sarajevo during World War II, a German officer showed up at the museum on a mission to seize the Haggadah.

Dervis Korkut, the curator of books and manuscripts at the Sarajevo Museum, told the Nazi officer that the Haggadah had already been handed over to another German who had come before him. Asked for the name of the first officer, Korkut replied: "I would not dare to ask a German officer for his name." In fact, the Haggadah was hidden for its protection, although different versions of the story exist. According to some, the Haggadah was kept in a mosque on the outskirts of Sarajevo until the end of the war, while others claim that it never left the museum and was hidden among other books.

After a protracted wrangle over funds following the museum's shutdown in 2012, the National Museum was finally reopened in September 2015. But the fact that such an important cultural institution was threatened with closure reflected the political reality of postwar Bosnia.

Sheer Human Folly "[Institutions that celebrate] our shared heritage are no one's concern, explained museum director Sijaric. He believes the main reasons for the museum's recent tribulations are the country's ethnic divisions -- and sheer human folly. Yet above all Sijaric blames the nationalist parties that control all aspects of life and that have no desire to preserve the material evidence of the long, peaceful coexistence of Bosnia's various peoples -- Muslims, Serbs, Croats, Jews, Roma, and others.
Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa are preparing to hold their annual summit, with a border dispute between China and India likely to create a tense atmosphere.

Leaders from the so-called BRICS countries will meet in the southeastern Chinese city of Xiamen on September 3-5.

It will be the ninth meeting of the group of emerging economies -- representing more than 40 percent of the worlds population. The BRICS generate about 22.5 percent of the global gross domestic product (GDP).

The grouping was formed to promote the economic interests of the participating countries on the backdrop of a global financial system dominated by Western countries.

Chinese President Xi Jinping will open the conference and welcome the other leaders, including Russian President Vladimir Putin.

China has also invited Tajikistan, Egypt, Kenya, Mexico, and Thailand -- the so-called "BRICS Plus" format.

The BRICS bring together a wide variety of cultures, government styles, and economic systems.

"It's really tough to see how BRICS is any type of coherent anything. What do they have in common?" Christopher Balding, a Peking University economics professor, told the AFP news agency.

"Economically, trade-wise, financially, they all do things very differently. It's difficult to see any room for overlap."

Prior to the gathering, a new development bank established by Russia, China, India, and Brazil announced it was providing three of those countries with $1.4 billion in loans.

The loans were announced by the New Development Bank, which was set up in Shanghai to be an alternative to the Washington-based World Bank.

Of the total, $460 million will go toward updating the computer system of the Russian judicial system, $470 million toward developing rural water supplies in India, and the rest toward energy conservation and flood control in China.

However, geopolitical concerns could raise tensions at the summit.

A recent spat between China and India over the disputed Himalayan border region nearly developed into a full-scale crisis.

Both sides backed off ahead of the summit, but Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi said his country hoped India will "learn lessons from this incident and prevent similar things from happening again."

Xi and Putin are expected to hold bilateral meetings late on September 3. Issues discussed are likely to include concerns over North Korea and its dispute with world powers over its banned nuclear and ballistic missile programs.

With reporting by AFP and dpa
An Iranian teenager sneaks up behind a cleric in the capital, Tehran, and knocks his turban off his head before dashing off.

The incident, uploaded on social media, is part of a new tactic employed by anti-government demonstrators in Iran.

Nationwide antiestablishment protests have raged across the Islamic republic since the death of Mahsa Amini, a 22-year-old woman who died on September 16 shortly after she was arrested for allegedly violating the hijab law on women's dress.

As the authorities have waged a deadly crackdown on the rallies, some demonstrators have turned to new tactics to sustain the monthslong protests, including tipping off Islamic clerics' turbans in the streets.

Many Iranians associate members of the clergy with Iran's Islamist regime, which many blame for the repression and corruption in the country.

While some Iranians have praised the "turban throwing" as an act of resistance, others have expressed concern that low-level clerics who are not affiliated with the state could become the victims of harassment and violence.

Lawmaker Mohammad Taghi Naqd Ali on November 10 called the new trend "the devil's conspiracy" and warned that young protesters tossing clerics' turbans were "playing with the lion's tail."

State media reported the arrests of two people in recent days who were accused of knocking off clerics' turbans.

London-based human rights lawyer Shadi Sadr said the tactic was a "brave and revolutionary act." Sadr, the co-founder of the rights group Justice for Iran, told RFE/RL that protesters were "humiliating" clerics without resorting to violence. "They're [targeting] the clergy's turban as a symbol of the crimes and corruption of the past 43 years as well as the privileges clerics have enjoyed," she said.

"There is no violence in it, and it also includes youthful mischief, which highlights the spirit of the revolution," Sadr added, referring to the monthslong protests that have posed the biggest threat to the establishment in years.

But Ahmad Zeidabadi, a Tehran-based journalist and former political prisoner, said that some of the clerics targeted in the streets "may be critics or even victims of [state] policies."

"This phenomenon...mainly targets clerics who do not hold any government positions," he said on Twitter, adding that senior clerics in powerful positions rarely appear in public and are often protected by security guards if they do.

Reformist cleric Hojatoleslam Ahmad Heidari, who was jailed in the past for his support for the opposition Green Movement, warned that the new trend could taint the "beautiful face of [the] protest movement against oppression and injustice."

"You're right to be angry at those wearing turbans," Heidari wrote on the news site Esafnews.com. But he added that "those who have a hand in power and are your target" are out of reach. He said many of the clerics targeted were "young and elderly" clerics who are not sitting in "ivory towers."

Attacks on clerics, particularly those who attempt to enforce Islamic codes in public, had been on rise in Iran even before the protests erupted, forcing many clerics to appear in public without their robes and turbans.

Last week, a cleric was reportedly hospitalized after being wounded in Karaj, near Tehran, amid antiestablishment protests in the city. The hard-line Fars news agency claimed that protesters attacked the cleric with knives.

Hassan Fereshtian, a Paris-based Iranian cleric and researcher, said the turban-throwing trend was the result of the "suppressed anger of the past four decades."

"If it aims at eliminating the clergy, we could be facing the start of violence," he warned in comments to RFE/RL's Radio Farda. "In fact, the clergy should be eliminated from the centers of power. But they shouldn't be eliminated from society."

Fereshtian, a student of the late dissident Grand Ayatollah Hossein-Ali Montazeri, expressed hope that Iran will reach a point "where secular people can live peacefully next to the clergy and unveiled women next to those who choose to wear the hijab."

In the past year, regime supporters have knocked off the turbans of clerics who had criticized the establishment, including former Interior Minister Abdollah Nuri and former parliament speaker Mehdi Karrubi, who has been under house arrest since 2011 for disputing the 2009 reelection of former President Mahmud Ahmadinejad.
Ukrainian officials and local residents moved to stabilize conditions in the freshly recaptured southern city of Kherson, as Russian symbols were being torn down and with the restoration of Ukrainian radio and television service and a new police presence.

Live Briefing: Russia's Invasion Of Ukraine RFE/RL's Live Briefing gives you all of the latest developments on Russia's ongoing invasion, Kyiv's counteroffensive, Western military aid, global reaction, and the plight of civilians. For all of RFE/RL's coverage of the war, click here.

The action on November 12 came after months of occupation by Russian forces following their unprovoked invasion of Ukraine in February and as Ukrainian and Western officials hailed Kyivs latest extraordinary battlefield success and Moscows strategic failure.

Separately, Russian occupying forces said late on November 12 that they were preparing to leave the city of Nova Kakhovka, the site of a damaged dam on the Dnieper River, to a safer location, according to Russian state-run TASS news agency.

As jubilant Kherson residents awoke the morning following the arrival of the first Ukrainian troops, Ukraines military said it was putting stabilization measures in place to ensure safety.

Ihor Klymenko, chief of the National Police of Ukraine, said about 200 officers were at their posts in Kherson and that checkpoints had been set up. Authorities also began seeking out any evidence of possible Russian war crimes, he said in a Facebook post.



The Ukrainian communications watchdog said national TV and radio broadcasts had resumed in the strategic southern city and officials said aid supplies had begun to arrive from nearby regions.

Social media postings on November 12 showed local residents removing memorial plaques put up by Kremlin-installed authorities during the occupation.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy and other officials warned that while special forces had entered central Kherson, the full deployment of Ukrainian troops was still under way and that some Russian soldiers could have shed military uniforms for civilian clothing and remained in the city.

Even when the city is not yet completely cleansed of the enemys presence, the people of Kherson themselves are already removing Russian symbols and any traces of the occupiers stay in Kherson from the streets and buildings, Zelenskiy said in his nightly video address.

But he said that medicine, communications, social services are returning. Life is returning.

WATCH: Local residents welcomed Ukrainian soldiers into Snihurivka on November 10, as advance forces of the Ukrainian military recaptured the town in the southern Mykolayiv region.

Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba, speaking to world leaders at an ASEAN summit in Cambodia, warned that the celebratory mood could turn grim with the possible discovery of war crimes evidence in Kherson.

Such evidence was discovered after Russian troops pulled out of the Kyiv and Kharkiv regions months ago.

Every time we liberate a piece of our territory, when we enter a city liberated from the Russian Army, we find torture rooms and mass graves with civilians tortured and murdered by the Russian Army in the course of the occupation of the territories," he said. "Its not easy to speak with people like this. But I said that every war ends with diplomacy and Russia has to approach talks in good faith.

The White House on November 12 hailed Russias withdrawal from Kherson as an "extraordinary victory" for Ukraine.

"It does look as though the Ukrainians have just won an extraordinary victory where the one regional capital that Russia had seized in this war is now back under a Ukrainian flag -- and that is quite a remarkable thing," U.S. national-security adviser Jake Sullivan told reporters as he accompanied President Joe Biden to the ASEAN summit.

Sullivan said that the Russian retreat would have "broader strategic implications," including relieving the longer-term threat by Russia to other southern Ukrainian cities such as Odesa.

"It's a big moment, and it's due to the incredible tenacity and skill of the Ukrainians, backed by the relentless and united support of the United States and our allies," Sullivan said.

Asked about reports that the Biden administration has started to press Zelenskiy to explore negotiations with Moscow, Sullivan said Russia, not Ukraine, was the side that has to decide whether or not to go to the table.

"This whole notion, I think, in the Western press of, 'When's Ukraine going to negotiate?' misses the underlying fundamentals," Sullivan said.

Russia, he added, continues to make "outlandish claims" about its self-declared annexations of Ukrainian lands, even as it retreats from Ukrainian counterattacks.

"Ultimately, at a 30,000-foot level, Ukraine is the party of peace in this conflict and Russia is the party of war. Russia invaded Ukraine. If Russia chose to stop fighting in Ukraine and left, it would be the end of the war. If Ukraine chose to stop fighting and give up, it would be the end of Ukraine," he said. "In that context, our position remains the same as it has been and fundamentally is in close consultation and support of President Zelenskiy.

Separately, British Defense Secretary Ben Wallace said on November 12 that Moscow's "strategic failure" in Kherson will sow doubt among the Russian public about the point of the war in Ukraine.

"Russia's announced withdrawal from Kherson marks another strategic failure for them. In February, Russia failed to take any of its major objectives except Kherson," Wallace said in a statement. "Now with that also being surrendered, ordinary people of Russia must surely ask themselves: 'What was it all for?'"

Meanwhile, Pavel Filipchuk, the head of the occupation government in Nova Kakhovka, told administrators and residents that Russian forces will be pullng back from the city on the right bank of the Dnieper River.

He cited concerns that the key dam could be damaged by missiles, which would result in flooding.

Both Kyiv and Moscow have accused each other of planning to blast the dam, which has already been severely damaged.

With reporting by AFP, AP, dpa, and Reuters
The China-Kyrgyzstan-Uzbekistan (CKU) railway project looks to be lurching forward again as China presses ahead with its One Belt, One Road trade-connectivity initiative.

It will undoubtedly be a topic on September 6, when Uzbek President Shavkat Mirziyoev visits Kyrgyzstan for talks with President Almazbek Atambaev.

The rail line could be a boost for Kyrgyzstan's and Uzbekistan's trade with China.

But President Atambaev has mentioned at least one problem he sees with the proposed railway -- it doesn't have stops in Kyrgyzstan.

The proposed line is an ambitious project. Though only some 450 to 500 kilometers long, the route must travel through the mountains of western China and Kyrgyzstan, sometimes at altitudes of 2,000 to 3,500 meters, and requires construction of nearly 50 tunnels and more than 90 bridges.

The line would start in Kashgar, in China's western Xinjiang Autonomous Uyghur Region, and run through Kyrgyzstan to Uzbekistan's eastern town of Pap, in Uzbekistan's section of the Ferghana Valley.

It is a project that dates back to the mid-1990s and, as plans sat idle, the cost estimate of the project has risen. In October 2011, then-Kyrgyz Minister of Transport and Communications Erkin Isakov put the cost at some $2.5 billion to $3 billion.

Current estimates are twice that. China expects to have a cost figure for the project before the end of this year.

At a July 24 press conference, Atambaev said trains would enter Kyrgyzstan at Torugart (the Torugart Pass) and "go straight on to Jalal-Abad" in Kyrgyzstan, which is near the border with Uzbekistan.

"We don't need a railroad that goes through the territory of Kyrgyzstan without making even one stop," Atambaev said.

Jalal-Abad, Atambaev commented, did not have adequate transportation links to move cargo from the proposed train station around Kyrgyzstan.

"Therefore we proposed our own route to China,"Atambaev continued. "A little bit longer, but it would go from the At-Bashi district and from there through Kazarman and head south."

Atambaev's proposal would be a significant deviation from the plan.

The railway would enter Kyrgyzstan through the Torugart Pass, which is currently one of only two crossing points between Kyrgyzstan and China.

Beijing seems to prefer the original route, which cuts southwest as straight as possible toward Uzbekistan.

Atambaev's suggested course would take the line north over an additional mountain range, the At-Bashi range, to the town of At-Bashi (population less than 11,000), then head west along the Naryn River to Kazarman (population about 10,000), before turning south toward Jalal-Abad and Uzbekistan.

At-Bashi and Kazarman are somewhat isolated communities. The mountain roads leading to the towns are in poor shape and often shut for short periods by avalanches.

Having trains stop in At-Bashi and Kazarman would breathe new life into the two towns.

Atambaev mentioned that trains could load and unload cargo, though he did not specify what that cargo could be.

All the same, "a little bit longer" is an understatement and Atambaev noted that "our variant is $1.5 billion more expensive, but it is economically advantageous."

But not in the short term for Kyrgyzstan, making it a curious comment from an outgoing president considering his country's foreign debt is some $4.1 billion, more than one-third of which is owed to China.

That stands to increase significantly as Chinese banks undoubtedly will be loaning Kyrgyzstan large amounts of money for the railway project with or without Atambaev's extension.

And remember, Kyrgyzstan's budget for 2017 foresees revenues of some $2 billion and expenditures of some $2.33 billion.

Uzbek Oil

Uzbek President Mirziyoev has already done much to repair his country's poor relationship with Kyrgyzstan since he came to power about a year ago but Atambaev might have difficulty convincing Mirziyoev of the need for the railway's detour in Kyrgyzstan.

Uzbek authorities do not talk about the railway line to China anywhere near as often as Kyrgyz officials do.

The railway would end in Pap, Uzbekistan, which is also the terminus of a recently opened railway line heading west, out of the Ferghana Valley, to the city of Angren, some 85 kilometers from Tashkent.

Chinese companies helped build the Angren-Pap line and Chinese loans helped pay the $1.9 billion cost. The CKU- railway would create a link almost from Uzbekistan's capital to western China.

As is true with most, if not nearly all, of China's projects in Central Asia, China quickly gains something -- in this case access to Mingbulak and the oil field there.

Mingbulak is best known for being the site of possibly the worst inland oil spill in history. An explosion at a well in early March 1992 led to some 285,000 tons of oil being spilled, which helped fuel a fire that burned over an area of more than 60 hectares for some two months.

The site was abandoned until the China National Petroleum Corp (CNPC) signed a deal in October 2008 to reopen and develop the field, but work was suspended again in 2015 due to the low price of oil on world markets.

President Mirziyoev visited Mingbulak in early July, just after work resumed and drilling started on exploration well M15.

The CNPC believes there is more than 30 million tons of oil there and when production peaks, output should be some 4,000 barrels per day. The contract runs until 2035.

Not a huge amount, especially for China's needs, but it is less than 500 kilometers from China's border. But as it stands now, the only way to transport it is by road.

Pap is in Uzbekistan's Namangan Province, the same province where Mingbulak is located.

Uzbekistan also needs oil. The country currently has deals to import oil from Kazakhstan. Russia, and Turkmenistan to alleviate, at times, severe shortages of gasoline at filling stations.

Another domestic source of oil would be welcome and there is refinery in the city of Ferghana, not far from Namangan Province.

Kyrgyz Hopes

Atambaev's argument for a longer route through Kyrgyzstan that includes stops in remote communities would seem to serve the interests of Kyrgyzstan better than the proposed, more direct route across his country.

And Kyrgyzstan is already part of the proposed Line D of the gas-pipeline network running from Turkmenistan to China but Kyrgyzstan won't receive any gas from that pipeline, only transit fees, so Atambaev's desire to see Kyrgyzstan get something out of these megaprojects with China is understandable.

But funding for the rail line is an issue and unfortunately, Atambaev's route is not in the interests of either Uzbekistan or China.

RFE/RL's Kyrgyz Service Director Venera Djumataeva contributed to this report. The views expressed in this blog post do not necessarily reflect those of RFE/RL
Serbian police have arrested three people after their car hit a vehicle carrying President Aleksandar Vucic, a minister says.



Interior Minister Nebojsa Stefanovic told the state-run Tanjug news agency that a Bentley hit Vucics car in a Belgrade suburb in the morning of September 2.



Vucic was not injured in the crash.



Three people were held following the incident, Stefanovic added.



The minister said that there were no indications or evidence that Vucic was a target.



The Politika daily reported that the three people arrested were working as security guards in a Belgrade discotheque and had criminal records.



In October 2016, Vucic, who was then prime minister, was moved to a "safe location" after police uncovered a weapons cache near his family house outside Belgrade.



At the time, the authorities labelled it "preparation for assassination," but an investigation did not find evidence for that.

Based on reporting by AFP and AP
Russia is urging the United States to return Russian diplomatic facilities it says U.S. authorities have "seized" in San Francisco and Washington, D.C., calling it an "openly hostile act."

"We urge the U.S. authorities to come to their senses and to immediately return the Russian diplomatic facilities," the Russian Foreign Ministry said on September 3. "Otherwise the U.S.A. will bear the total blame for the ongoing degradation of the relations between our countries."

There was no immediate comment from the U.S. administration.

But U.S. officials say the United States has taken no improper diplomatic or law enforcement action in connection with an order for Russia to vacate the Russian Consulate in San Francisco, as well as two other diplomatic buildings in Washington, D.C., and New York that are used as trade representations, by September 2.



The U.S. State Department set the deadline after Moscow ordered the United States in August to cut its diplomatic personnel in Russia to 455 by September 1, which President Vladimir Putin said meant cutting 755 personnel, in retaliation for new U.S. sanctions against Moscow over Russia's aggression in Ukraine.



The Russian Foreign Ministry said U.S. authorities on September 2 "seized the buildings of the Russian Consulate in San Francisco and the Trade Representation in Washington," which it said "are the property of Russia and have a diplomatic immunity."

"The U.S. special services supported by armed police are in control of the seized buildings," it said.

Russian representatives were also being "denied access to the rented premises of the Trade Representation in New York," it added.

U.S. authorities took control of the three diplomatic facilities after Russian staff complied with a 48-hour deadline to vacate the sites by 2 p.m. on September 2.

The State Department said it will control all access to the San Francisco Consulate as well as two other diplomatic buildings in Washington and New York, and take responsibility for security and maintenance at the sites.

Descriptions from the Russian and U.S. sides differed on what happened at one of the U.S. sites -- the Washington trade annex -- as the local deadline passed.

Moscow claimed U.S. officials had threatened to "break down the entrance door" and that the U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) was "clearing the premises."

The Foreign Ministry summoned Anthony Godfrey, deputy chief of mission at the U.S. Embassy in Moscow, to issue its protest at what it called an "unprecedented aggressive action" at the facility.

The State Department denied the allegations, saying U.S. officials had conducted walkthroughs jointly with Russian staff at all three sites to confirm that personnel had departed.

"These inspections were carried out to secure and protect the facilities and to confirm the Russian government had vacated the premises," a State Department official said in an e-mail statement.

The Russian Foreign Ministry claimed that the search of the Washington site could be used by U.S. special services for "anti-Russian provocations" by "planting compromised items."

Aleksandr Stadnik, the Russian trade representative in the U.S. capital, was quoted by the state-run TASS news agency as accusing Washington of "vandalism" and an illegal "attack on Russian property abroad."

U.S. security officers could be seen strolling around inside the complex, which is surrounded by wrought-iron fencing, in the afternoon on September 2.

U.S. authorities have not publicly confirmed that they intend to search the premises.

Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said on September 1 that unnamed U.S. agencies planned to conduct a search of its San Francisco Consulate and some diplomatic residences the following day in what she called a "direct threat" to Russian citizens.

The ministry on September 2 published videos on its Facebook page that it said showed FBI officials searching the consulate.

"Looking at the footage of searches at Russian diplomatic missions, I realize that this was some kind of an infernal buffoonery -- foolish, illegal, and senseless," Zakharova said on September 3.

In an apparent response to complaints from Russian officials that they were given only 48 hours to vacate homes used by diplomats and their families in San Francisco, U.S. officials said they had made "separate arrangements" to give families "sufficient time" to pack belongings and vacate apartments on the consulate grounds.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov last week said his country would study the U.S. order to close the compounds and would decide later on its response.

Relations between Moscow and Washington are severely strained over Russia's actions in Ukraine and its alleged meddling in the U.S. presidential election in 2016.

Those tensions raise questions about potential cooperation between the two sides to settle wars in eastern Ukraine and Syria and to pressure North Korea over its banned nuclear and ballistic missile programs.

The United States has imposed sanctions against Russia following its illegal annexation of Ukraine's Crimean region in March 2014 and its backing of separatists in the country's east in a conflict that has killed more than 10,000 people since April 2014.

With reporting by Reuters, AFP, AP, and TASS
A novel mission concept from NASA would lower a small satellite toward the surface of the moon on a 112-mile-long (180 kilometers) tether. One of the mission's goals would be to uncover the cause of strange, swirling patterns found in more than 100 locations on the lunar surface.

In May, NASA announced that it would invest funds in 10 mission concepts involving small satellites called cubesats. Recently, the agency released more details about one of those concepts  the Bi-sat Observations of the Lunar Atmosphere above Swirls (BOLAS) mission concept.

The mission would involve two small satellites, each about the size of a shoebox, connected vertically above the lunar surface by a long, thin tether, like some kind of miniature sky crane. The cubesat at one end of the tether would orbit the moon at an altitude of about 118 miles (189 km), which would place the second cubesat about 6 miles (9.6 km) above the lunar surface. From that position, the satellite could study those strange features in detail. [Amazing Moon Photos from NASA's Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter]

To put a lone satellite into orbit around the moon at an altitude of 6 miles (9.6 km) above the surface, for an extended period of time, would require "a prohibitive amount of fuel," according to the statement. This is largely because of irregularities in the moon's gravity along its surface, which can push or pull a satellite out of orbit.

Tethered satellites are therefore "a very natural approach for targeting lunar science," Michael Collier, a BOLAS co-investigator, said in the statement. Collier has been studying tether-based lunar missions since 2015 and called the BOLAS mission concept "groundbreaking."

An artist's drawing of two CubeSats, connected by a miles-long tether, could gather measurements on the moon. (Image credit: NASA)

Lunar swirls

The satellite would be able to study "lunar swirls," or regions of light-colored material on the moon's surface that, in addition to their lighter color, appear to be less weathered than the dark regions around them. Scientists think the light regions form because of magnetic material in the lunar crust, which would create magnetic-field lines and attract more magnetic material on the surface.

But there are multiple hypotheses about how the magnetic fields form, how the magnetic material on the surface gets sorted and why the swirls appear less weathered than nearby areas. One hypothesis suggests that comets could have deposited the magnetic material that creates the magnetic fields. And perhaps the magnetic fields protect the areas from the harsh solar wind (a steady stream of particles ejected into the solar system by the sun), which explains their relatively pristine condition. With no atmosphere to protect it, the solar wind can pummel the lunar surface continuously; however, "several phenomena can cause material exposed to space to change both physically and chemically," according to the statement. Thus, the effect of the solar wind might not fully explain the condition of the swirls.

NASA's Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter mission has been able to provide some information about the cause of the lunar swirls, but not enough to rule out any of the leading theories, officials said in the statement. Collier said he thinks the BOLAS mission "could provide the data the scientific community needs."

The lunar swirls aren't the only focus of the BOLAS mission. The dual spacecraft would also investigate the hydrogen cycle on the lunar surface. The moon's supply of hydrogen could one day be used to fuel rockets launched from its surface, traveling to distant destinations like Mars. The BOLAS mission would gather data about the mechanisms that can implant hydrogen on the moon's surface, and how those mechanisms depend on various physical features of the surface, the space above it and even things like time of day.

"There is a lot of science you can do with this instrument suite," said Timothy Stubbs, principal investigator for BOLAS at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center.

Follow Calla Cofield @callacofield. Follow us @Spacedotcom, Facebook and Google+. Original article on Space.com.




Bir-Lehlu, September 2, 2017 (SPS) - The President of the Republic, Secretary-General of the Polisario Front, Brahim Gali, conveyed his condolences to Algerian President Abdelaziz Buteflika after a terrorist attack on the headquarters of the Tiaret Police, which claimed the lives of two Algerian police officers.

"In this difficult moment, we express to you, on behalf of the Saharawi people and Government, our most sincere expressions of condolence and through you to the Algerian brotherly people and the families of the victims," said the President of the Republic in a message to his Algerian counterpart.

The President of the Republic also expressed his strongest condemnation for the cowardly terrorist act that occurred on Thursday. (SPS)
John H. Carter, 92, passed away Monday, August 28, 2017. He was born in Crisfield, Maryland on November 29, 1924 to Henry and Ethel Carter. His parents lived in a remote part of Siskiyou County where his Dad was mining so his Mother returned to Maryland to be with her family for the birth. She returned to California in 1925. Johns Dad rented and fixed up a house in French Gulch, CA where the family lived until 1933, when the family moved to Scotts Valley in Siskiyou County. John started school in French Gulch and completed the 5th and 6th grades in Scotts Valley. Both schools were one room and both were taught by unqualified teachers who did not have college degrees. Of special note is that the Scotts Valley school had neither electricity nor running water. In 1936 the family moved to Redding where John entered school and completed the 7th and 8th grades. He attended High School in Redding graduating in 1941 when he was 16. John then went to work on the Shasta Dam and later the Keswick Dam as a jackhammer operator and a miner.

It was while playing in the band that John met his future wife, Kit Reading. In 1942, she moved to Los Angeles to live with her Grandparents. A short time later John enlisted in the Marine Corps serving in World War II. It wasnt until the fall of 1944 when he returned to the States after serving in the South Pacific that he saw Kit a few times while on leave. During his duty in the Solomon Islands, he was assigned to the U.S. Marine Corps Torpedo Bombing Squadron VMTB-134 and was a high-speed Radio Operator. John earned the rank of Sgt. and saw action around New Caledonia, the New Hebrides, New Georgia, Munda, Green Island, Kavieng, Emirau, Peleliu, Okinawa and China. He took part in four battles and was on 41 missions in the battle for Rabaul for which he was awarded a Presidential Citation. On April 1, 1945 Sgt. Carter was in Okinawa where he served until the war ended. He was discharged in November 1945.

Upon returning to the States he began to see Kit again and they were guests at the Copacabana in San Francisco on Thanksgiving Day in 1945. It was there that they became engaged as well as celebrated their November birthdays. On February 10, 1946, they married. John and Kit lived in Berkeley where they were in the restaurant business for a few months, then they moved to Los Angeles where they attended Los Angeles City College and UCLA. In January 1950, John completed the requirements for a BA in Mathematics as well as a minor in Astronomy/Physics. During their schooling both John and Kit worked nights and during vacations. John worked in a steel mill for several months before getting a job at an aircraft factory as a Tech Writer because of the Recession. Then in 1952 the family moved to Shasta County where John began his career as a Teacher. His first assignment was a one room school in a logging camp with grades 1st to 8th. After a year John began teaching in French Gulch in the same school that he attended at the start of his schooling. In 1957 the family moved to Napa and he began teaching in Vallejo. He taught everything from Kindergarten through the 6th grade as well as remedial reading at the Junior High level and Adult Education in Mathematics. During this time, he earned an MA in Education with an emphasis on Statistics. In 1983 John retired after teaching 31 years.

John and his family enjoyed camping. First with a tent and then a camper. He and Kit enjoyed traveling. They visited East Africa and took many cruises to the Caribbean, Mediterranean, Alaska and Mexico. Then in 1984 they purchased a motorhome and spent several months each year either in the mountains or desert.

John is survived by two daughters, Leigh C. Halvorsen of Ukiah, CA, and Carey Anne Carter of Rohnert Park, CA, and a son and daughter-in-law, Scott H. & Kathryn S. Carter of Napa, CA, a friend who was like a daughter to him, Sarah Hackett and his beloved cat, Target. John was predeceased by his wife Kit.

Per Johns request, no services will be held. Arrangements are under the direction of Tulocay Mortuary. Words of sympathy may be sent to the family on-line at www.TULOCAYCEMETERY.ORG. Memorial contributions are suggested to a charity of the donors choice. Private Inurnment
T wo men have been arrested on suspicion of murder after a young RAF cadet was shot dead near the Olympic Park.

Abdul Mayanja, 19, died in hospital after he was gunned down as he walked from his home to attend a friends barbecue party.

He was shot in the street yards from Maryland Station in Stratford at about 10.40pm on Friday, August 25.

Scotland Yard said two men, aged 22 and 23, were arrested on suspicion of murder in the early hours of Sunday.

They were taken into custody at an east London police station.

Abdul Mayanjas family said they had lost their beacon of light

A post-mortem examination held at East Ham Mortuary on Wednesday, 30 August found Mr Mayanjas cause of death to be a gunshot wound to the chest.

Detective Inspector Paul Considine, leading the investigation, said: "Although we have made two arrests, I am still eager to hear from anyone who was on Well Street or in the surrounding area at the time of the murder.

"Any information, no matter how insignificant, may provide vital in helping us confirm what happened that night.

DI Considine said Mr Mayanja left his home at 10pm, just 40 minutes before he was shot, and urged anyone who knows who he was with during that time to come forward.

His devastated family paid tribute to him as a beacon of light. Mr Mayanja, a cadet flight sergeant, who lived in Plaistow with his family, had been scheduled to move to Los Angeles to finish his training.

His father Kidza told the Standard his son had been destined to fly in the RAF after starting his training at 14 at 338 West Ham Squadron air cadets.

The business consultant, 58, said: He was a responsible young man and couldnt stop making new friends.

"He kept contact with everyone he met from around the world in the cadets. He was a beacon of light to our family and community.

Any witnesses, or anyone with any information, are urged to contact the incident room on 020 8345 3734 or to give information anonymously call Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111 or visit crimestoppers-uk.org.


A young woman has died and two men were left fighting for their lives in hospital after taking MDMA at two nightclubs in south London, police said.

The 22-year-old Vietnamese woman became seriously ill after taking drugs with some friends at Crystals nightclub in New Cross over the Bank Holiday weekend.

Scotland Yard said police were called to an address in Knights Hill, West Norwood shortly before 11pm on Monday, August 28.

She was rushed to hospital where she was pronounced dead just over 12 hours later.

One of the womans friends, a Vietnamese man aged in his 20s, was also taken to hospital in a critical condition. He has since improved and been discharged from hospital.

A woman died and a man became seriously ill after taking MDMA at Crystals nightclub, New Cross, police said / Facebook

Police said the group were believed to have taken drugs while at the club on Sunday night.

In the early hours of this Sunday morning (September 3), a 17-year-old man, also a Vietnamese national, became seriously ill after taking MDMA at Electric nightclub in Brixton.

He was taken to hospital at about 5am when he remained in a critical condition.

It is believed several other people became ill at the Electric venue having taken what they believed to be MDMA, but left the venue without calling emergency service.

A Met spokesman said: Analysis of a small number of pills seized by police from the address in Knights Hill showed that they contained MDMA and Ketamine.

Both the deceased and the man now discharged from hospital are believed to have bought and taken these substances while at Crystals nightclub.

The pills are orange and rectangular, with no distinctive markings on them.

Police issued a warning to the public in the wake of the incidents.

A Met spokesman added: Police are warning members of the public - especially those in south London and specifically those in the Vietnamese and South-East Asian community - to take great care in respect of buying and taking MDMA/ecstasy.

Anyone who has taken these substances and feels unwell is advised to seek medical treatment.

There is always a risk that people may suffer ill-effects through taking illegal drugs, and the clear advice of police and medical professionals is not to take such substances.

Anyone with information relating to the supply of illegal drugs, especially at these venues and within this community, should call Lambeth CID via 101 or to remain anonymous call Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.
A woman fleeing domestic violence with her autistic child was left living in an unsuitable bed and breakfast for almost two years after a London council delayed her housing application.

Lambeth Council has been ordered to pay the woman, whose details have not been released, 3,000 for the distress it caused to her while she was staying in the temporary home.

For most of the two years she was not even allocated a case worker to help her with the trauma of fleeing domestic violence, the Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman found.

It blasted the council for letting the woman fall through the cracks.

Lambeth Town Hall: Council officers were balsted for allowing the woman to "fall through the cracks" (Picture: Google Street View)

The Ombudsman found the council took almost a year to decide on her case after she first approached officers in 2015.

Even after accepting the woman needed the councils help, she was still living in the unsuitable home in Croydon for months afterwards.

Councils are obliged to make decisions with homelessness applications within 33 days of accepting the case.

Lambeth Council has since apologised to the woman and promised the same mistakes wont happen again.

Michael King, of the Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman, said: Lambeth took nearly a year to decide on this womans case. During this time she was unable to request a review of her accommodation as the council had not formally accepted responsibility for her.

During this time she was unable to request a review of her accommodation as the council had not formally accepted responsibility for her.

For much of that time the woman was without even an allocated case worker. While I appreciate the caseloads councils  particularly in London  are under, people should not be left to fall through the cracks as this woman has done.

After the woman first approached Lambeth for help, she was placed in the bed and breakfast in Croydon.

Health visitors, another London borough and the womans solicitors all told the council the building was unsuitable for her autistic child, but she was forced to stay there for 10 months.

It was not until April 2016 that Lambeth accepted its duty to move the woman, but by September that year she was still living in the accommodation.

The woman finally signed a tenancy agreement for appropriate accommodation in March 2017.

A Lambeth council spokesman said: Since this particular case, various measures have been put in place to ensure that the same mistakes are not made again and that everyone who comes to the council in similar circumstances is assisted quickly and efficiently.

The Ombudsman also recommended the council pay the woman an additional 1,700 as a contribution towards the storage costs she incurred.
M ayor of London Sadiq Khan partnered with visitlondon.com to promote Londons cultural life and enhance the capitals status as a world-class tourist destination.

Londons Autumn Season was launched this week by Mayor of London Sadiq Khan at the Natural History Museum.

The Mayor commented: London is the worlds greatest city, so it comes as no surprise that we lead the way when it comes to international tourism.

He added: Its important that all Londoners benefit from a growth in tourism. By inspiring visitors to come to our great city during quieter periods like autumn and to find hidden gems off the beaten track, we can ensure that the projected growth in visitor numbers is sustainable and that the tourism and cultural industries work for everyone.

Londons tourism industry is worth 11.6 per cent of the capitals GDP. / Getty Images

The operation will show visitors what it is like to explore the city like a Londoner, whether thats finding the capitals secret treasures or visiting its world-leading exhibitions and shows such as the MTV European Music Awards, the Museums at Night festival, and Hamilton, the most searched UK musical on Google this year.

The Mayors promotional agency, London & Partners, predicts tourism numbers in London to rise sharply, with more than 40 million people expected to visit the city by 2025, an increase of 30 per cent on the 31.2 million visitors who came to the capital in 2016.

It also projects visitors to increase their spending by close to a half to 22 billion a year, up from 14.9 billion last year.

Tourists posing with someone dressed as a member of Queen's guard. / AFP/Getty Images

The surge in visitor numbers could be bolstered in the short-term by the currently favourable currency rates as the value of the British pound is heading for parity with the euro.

According to Google, London leads worldwide searches for short breaks destinations ahead of Barcelona, Rome, Paris and Amsterdam, with the overall number of searches up by 17 per cent on year-on-year.

Londons tourism industry is worth 11.6 per cent of the capitals GDP and 9 per cent across the UK as a whole.
D avid Davis has accused Brussels and its chief negotiator of having a silly approach to Brexit talks.

The Brexit Secretary said the EU was trying to put pressure on the UK over the demands for a so-called divorce fee, the subject of a bitter row during the latest round of talks.

Mr Davis told BBC's Andrew Marr Show: "They have set this up to try to create pressure on us on money, that's what it's about, they are trying to play time against money."

Comparing Brussels' demands to a hotel bill presented to a guest on checking out, Mr Davis said: "We are going through it line by line and they are finding it difficult because we have got good lawyers."

He said Mr Barnier "wants to put pressure on us, which is why the stance this week in the press conference - bluntly, I think it looked a bit silly because there plainly were things that we had achieved".

Theresa May sought to prevent a Tory rebellion ahead of the first Commons votes on the Brexit legislation / PA

Mr Davis insisted he was not branding Mr Barnier personally "silly", adding: "I said the commission would make itself look silly".

The Brexit Secretary dismissed as "nonsense" claims that the UK would pay a 50 billion fee to exit the EU.

The "strict position" was that there was "no enforceable" legal basis for the UK to pay money to Brussels but "we are a country that meets its international obligations - but they have got to be there".

Shadow Brexit secretary Keir Starmer / EPA

Those obligations "may not be legal ones, they may be moral ones or political ones", he said.

He added: It will be turbulent, this is the first ripple.

Money is the thing that frightens them most. Each time youll see a flurry of nervousness but the truth is well get through it and well get a good deal.

The latest round of talks ended in an icy press conference, with Mr Barnier claiming there had been no "decisive" progress on key issues and suggesting there was a lack of trust as a result of the UK's refusal to accept financial obligations.

The EU is only prepared to begin trade talks once it has assessed that "sufficient progress" has been made on issues including the financial settlement.

His comments came as Theresa May sought to prevent a Tory rebellion ahead of the first Commons votes on the Brexit legislation.

The Prime Minister's allies have warned would-be rebels that they risk putting Jeremy Corbyn into Number 10 if they attempt to water down the so-called Repeal Bill.

The parliamentary battle over Brexit will begin on Thursday as the European Union (Withdrawal) Bill begins its journey through the Commons.

In a plea to "soft Brexit" backers, Mr Davis said: "If you want something like continuity, this is the Bill you should be supporting."

Shadow Brexit secretary Sir Keir Starmer warned Mr Davis that Labour would not give a "blank cheque" to the Government.

Asked if his party would definitely vote against the Bill if Mr Davis does not accept Labour's demands, he said: "Whilst we accept the result of the referendum, we are not giving a blank cheque to the Government to do it in whichever way it wants because it is not in the public interest."
S chools in the UK are allowing girls as young as five to wear religious headscarves as part of their uniform policies.

According to The Sunday Times, thousands of state primary schools across the country are listing the Muslim garments hijabs as items of uniform.

The growing trend has been criticised by some campaigners who pointed out the headscarf is supposed to be worn by a girl when she reaches puberty - not a child.

But others have disagreed and said that it is a matter of religion and has nothing to do with sexualisation.

In a survey conducted by The Sunday Times, a fifth of 800 primary schools surveyed were found to list a hijab as part of their uniform policy.

Thirty-four per cent of primary schools in Tower Hamlets listed a headscarf on their website, and in Luton the figure was 36 per cent.

But in other regions with a high Muslim population, it was less common. In Leicester, for example, only 6 per cent of schools included the hijab.

Muslim politician Amina Lone told the newspaper: "In an Islamic context, the hijab is commonly understood as being for females after they reach the age of puberty. There are very few Muslims who would say a child should be covered."

And Gina Khan, a children's rights campaigner, said schools are listing the garment as uniform because they are afraid of being called Islamophobic and they have been told that this is a religious garment.

But they need to support Muslim girls to have free choices, not to be set apart from other children, she said.

Toby Howarth, the Bishop of Bradford, said, however, that girls often wanted to "look like their mums" and this should be allowed.

"The British policy is not to make too big a deal of it, but simply to say you have to wear the right colour," he said. "This is a matter of religious identity not sexualisation."

Ofsted reportedly said there was growing concern about the trend and a source said the watchdog is investigating whether schools has been pressured into adding the item to their uniform list.

The Department for Education said uniform policies were for schools to decide, adding: "If a school decided to allow a pupil to wear a burqa, that would be up to the school."
T ributes have poured in for inspirational LGBT journalist Dean Eastmond following his death from cancer aged 21.

The editor of HISKIND documented his battle with Ewings Sarcoma, a rare form of bone and soft tissue cancer, openly and frankly in articles, interviews and on social media.

Following his diagnosis, he wrote in a HISKIND article: I was diagnosed with soft tissue cancer in my rib (Ewings Sarcoma) after getting myself an Uber to the closest A&E thinking I had a broken rib after a large lump the size of a grapefruit appeared on the right hand side of my chest.

Fickle and naive, being told there and then that this wasnt a broken rib, but a cyst or a tumour saw a terrified Dean breaking down in the A&E waiting area, unable to decide whether to call his boyfriend or mother first.

After a needle biopsy, I was diagnosed, he added.

The much-loved British writer was overwhelmed with support in his last few months, with Nicole Scherzinger sending him a special video message.

Following his death, numerous fellow journalists and fans took to social media to pay tribute.

Author and Labour activist Owen Jones wrote: RIP Dean Eastmond, an amazing, courageous, inspirational queer young journalist who has died of cancer. He moved so, so many people.

He added: He was so incredible, he moved so many people, he achieved so much, and he'll be remembered forever.

Radio host Philip Ellis said: @deanvictorr achieved more in just a handful of years than most of us do in a lifetime and I will forever be in awe of him.

The Royal Vauxhall Tavern, one of Londons most iconic LGBT venues, tweeted: Saddened to hear that Dean Eastmond has passed away - he was an inspiring and brave person. We send our condolences to his friends & family.

BBC journalist Ben Hunte added: Devastated to hear @deanvictorr has passed away. I know that his AMAZING work will live on, but he will be so missed.

Guardian journalist Chris Godfrey wrote: You were an absolute hero @deanvictorr and an inspiring figure to so many. Grateful to have had the pleasure of knowing you.
A t least 15 people were injured by lightning strikes at a music festival in north-east France.

The lightning struck in several areas of the Vieux Canal festival in the town of Azerailles.

A woman in her 60s and a 44-year-old man are reported to be in a serious condition in hospital. Those injured also included children who were in a tent during the storm.

Officials said the victims were directly hit by the lightning and suffered burns.

Areas in France are often put on high alert at this time of year for violent storms.

The festivals emergency teams treated those hurt in the incident before they were taken to hospitals nearby.

The rest of Saturdays performances were cancelled after the lightning strikes. French electronic act Pony Pony Run Run and pop group Black Bones were due to perform.


R efugees fleeing Burma have accused security forces of burning and beheading Rohingya children in what they have described as genocide against the Muslim minority.

Violence erupted in the western Rakhine state just over a week ago when the government of Burma, also known as Myanmar, claimed it was cracking down on insurgents following an attack on police.

But the Rohingya accused security officials and Buddhist mobs of burning their villages down  leaving them forced to flee across the border to Bangladesh.

Around 400 people are believed to have been killed in the violent clashes, with a further 40,000 fleeing the country.

Refugee: A Rohingya ethnic minority from Myanmar carries an elderly woman / AP

In the first six days after the August 25 attacks, the International Organisation for Migration said at least 18,000 Rohingya arrived in Bangladesh.

Myanmars military commander confirmed 399 people had been killed and said most of them were Rohingya insurgents  which they described as terrorists.

The government has accuses the insurgents of burning homes and killing members of the Buddhist ethnic Rakhine community.

Rohingya: thousands have fled across the border / REUTERS

But advocates for the Rohingya, an oppressed Muslim minority in overwhelmingly Buddhist Burma, said security forces and vigilantes attacked and burned Rohingya villages, shooting civilians and causing others to flee.

The insurgent group that claimed responsibility for last week's attacks, the Arakan Rohingya Salvation Army (ARSA), said it acted to protect Rohingya communities.

It is nearly impossible to verify information issued by either the government or Rohingya sympathisers because the government has barred most journalists from the area, except on limited official guided tours.

Refugees: Police in Teknaf, Bangladesh, initially resisted letting them through but relented / REUTERS

A human rights group, Fortify Rights, said that witnesses who escaped have supported accusations by Rohingya advocates that government security personnel and civilian vigilantes "committed mass killings of Rohingya Muslim men, women and children in Chut Pyin village, Rathedaung township, on August 27".

"Survivors and eyewitnesses from Chut Pyin told Fortify Rights that soldiers and armed residents burned every house in the village," the group said in a statement.

It quoted a 41-year-old survivor identified by the pseudonym Abdul Rahman as saying that soldiers killed and burned his brother along with other victims.

Protest: Indonesian Muslim activists during a protest against Myanmar's alleged persecution of its Muslim Rohingya minority / EPA

"We found (my other family members) in the fields," it quoted him as saying. "They had marks on their bodies from bullets and some had cuts. My two nephews, their heads were off. One was six years old and the other was nine years old. My sister-in-law was shot with a gun."

British Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson condemned the violence and said the treatment of the Rohingya was besmirching the reputation of Burma.

Mr Johnson appealed on the countrys leader Aung San Suu Kyi to step up and assist with peace-making efforts.

Hundreds killed: Families at the border between Burma and Bangladesh / REUTERS

Most of Burma's estimated one million Rohingya live in the Rakhine state.

They face severe persecution, with the government refusing to recognise them as a legitimate native ethnic minority, leaving them without citizenship and basic rights.
D onald Trump said North Koreas words and actions continued to be very hostile and dangerous to the United States after the regime carried out its biggest nuclear test to date.

The US Presidents remarks came after Pyongyang claimed it had carried out a hydrogen bomb test and caused a 6.3 magnitude earthquake.

Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson quickly followed with a statement which condemned North Korea's "reckless" weapon test and stressed that "all options are on the table."

In a series of tweets posted on Sunday, Mr Trump said: North Korea has conducted a major Nuclear Test. Their words and actions continue to be very hostile and dangerous to the United States....

"North Korea is a rogue nation which has become a great threat and embarrassment to China, which is trying to help but with little success.

"South Korea is finding, as I have told them, that their talk of appeasement with North Korea will not work, they only understand one thing!"

The explosion caused residents across the border in China to flee their homes, fearing an earthquake.

Japan and South Korea said it was around 10 times more powerful than the tremor picked up after the last test a year ago.

The nuclear test was condemned around the world on Sunday with the UN nuclear watchdog expressing grave concern and Russia saying it could lead to serious consequences.

North Korea's nuclear and missile programme has made huge strides since Kim rose to power in 2011 / AP

Mr Johnson called for "common sense" to prevail in the crisis and urged Beijing to put further pressure on Kim's regime.

He said: "There is no question that this is another provocation, it is reckless, what they are doing is they seem to be moving closer towards a hydrogen bomb which, if fitted to a successful missile would unquestionably present a new order of threat.

"We have to consider how to respond and it's our view in the UK, overwhelmingly, that peaceful diplomatic means are the best."

Boris Johnson calls on China to put economic pressure on North Korea

Mr Johnson said: "Over the 30 year history of North Korea's attempt to acquire nuclear weapons there have been tough moments and moments when they have backed down again.

"We are working to see if we can get some common sense here."

Asked how close the crisis was to conflict, Mr Johnson said: "It's certainly our view that none of the military options are good. It is of course right to say that all options are on the table, but we really don't see an easy military solution."

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un is pictured at an undisclosed location inspecting the loading of a hydrogen bomb into a new intercontinental ballistic missile, according to state media / AP

The distance between North Korea and South Korea's capital Seoul is small and "they could basically vapourise" large parts of the population even with conventional weapons, he warned.

French President Emmanuel Macron urged the United Nations Security Council to react quickly and decisively.

"The international community must treat this new provocation with the utmost firmness, in order to bring North Korea to come back unconditionally to the path of dialogue and to proceed to the complete, verifiable and irreversible dismantling of its nuclear and ballistic programme," he said in a statement.

The earthquake struck at about 12.20pm (local time) on Sunday in Kilju, northern Hamgyong Province / AP

China, the only North Korean ally that is a permanent member of the Security Council, urged its neighbour to stop "wrong" actions that worsen the situation. It said it would fully enforce UN resolutions on the country.

The Russian foreign ministry called for calm and said: In the emerging conditions it is absolutely essential to keep cool, refrain from any actions that could lead to a further escalation of tensions.

Moscow urged all sides involved to hold talks, which it said was the only way to resolve the problems.

South Korea has called an emergency meeting of the National Security Council in the wake of the test.

Japans Foreign Minister Tara Aso said he condemned the test in the strongest terms, calling it an unforgivable violation of UN resolutions.

North Korea state media claimed the regime had carried out a hydrogen bomb test; calling it a complete success. It said the device could be loaded on a ballistic missile.

Japan sends aircraft to collect air particles after North Korea nuclear test

The earthquake struck at about 12.20pm (local time) on Sunday in Kilju, northern Hamgyong Province.

Earlier on Sunday, photos released by the North Korean government showed Kim talking with his lieutenants as he observed a device that was apparently a thermonuclear weapon destined for an ICBM.

It was Pyongyang's sixth atomic test since 2006.

Korean People's Army (KPA) soldiers carrying packs marked with a radioactive symbol take part in a military parade in Pyongyang / AFP/Getty Images

Experts making immediate estimates of the size of the detonation, based on the size of the quake it generated, have put it at 100 kilotons.

The Nagasaki bomb dropped by the US in August 1945 was about 20 kilotons and killed 70,000 people.

North Korea last carried out a nuclear test in September 2016. It has defied UN sanctions and international pressure to develop nuclear weapons and to test missiles which could potentially reach the US mainland.

North Korea's nuclear and missile programme has made huge strides since Kim rose to power following his father's death in late 2011.

The North followed the test of two intercontinental ballistic missiles in July by threatening in August to launch a intermediate range missiles toward the US Pacific island territory of Guam.

It fired a missile over northern Japan last week, the first such overflight by a missile capable of carrying nukes.
In planning a visit last Saturday to Six Flags Discovery Kingdom, I knew I wanted to ride the big roller coasters, but was Cheryl game?

Our shared ride history was limited. A nostalgic spin on the wooden Giant Dipper at the Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk. The modest coasters at Disneyland, with California Screamin, which goes from zero to 55 mph in four seconds, the exception.

But neither Santa Cruz nor Disneyland is Six Flags. The rides at Six Flags are in another league. Boiled down to their essence: They threaten to kill you.

As soon as we entered Six Flags, I suggested we head for Medusa, the parks signature coaster whose twisty, towering, tubular rails define the parks skyline from Interstate 80.

As we stood at its base, a chorus of humans screaming for their very lives rained down from above.

Cheryl shivered, then made her decision. Yes, she was game.

If there is a demographic for Medusa, we werent it. The line was mostly teenagers and adults under 30.

I wondered if wed missed one of the warnings: No pregnant women, no cardiac patients, no mature Napa adults.

I had the vaguest memory of riding Medusa 17 years ago when the coaster debuted at Six Flags at a cost of $15 million.

What sets Medusa apart from old-school coasters are its velocity (top speed, 65 mph), height (150 feet), rider flips (seven) and length (3,937 feet).

They strap you in tight, the floor drops away and your feet dangle as you rise to the height of a 15-story building.

What a view!

Only thats not what I was thinking. I was thinking, good Lord, please let me survive this.

Everything after that was a blur. I felt as if Id been dumped into a blender and someone had pushed the liquefy button.

Cheryl was right beside me. I didnt know if she was writhing in terror or had long since lost consciousness. I was too busy screaming out to the deities to spare my life.

Back on earth, we staggered off feeling a little queasy, but quite proud of ourselves. As I read the situation, this was it for coaster rides. Wed spend the rest of the day in the parks wildlife kingdom.

When my kids were young, we came to Marine World/Africa USA once a year on Media Day when everything was free. We came for the critters, not the rides.

Later, Marine World morphed into Six Flags and the big rides went up, but we had stopped coming.

Cheryl had also been a Marine World regular with her young family. We had overlapping memories of Butterfly World, Shark Experience, Tiger Island, the bird and seal shows and, of course, the killer whales.

Last weekend we discovered that while Six Flags heavily promotes the thrill rides, the heart of the old Marine World is still there. At the back of the park, away from the scream zone, lurk the big cats, the sloths and giraffes, and those butterflies that charm you with their fluttery antics.

The day was a hot one. After three hours of mingling with animals, I wanted to call it day, but not Cheryl. She suggested we return to the rides and try Kong, a looping coaster.

Kong has quite the history. It was first erected at Opryland USA where it was known as The Hangman, then brought to Six Flags in 1998 after Opryland folded.

Had I ridden Kong before? Probably, but so long ago, under such brain-scrambling conditions, I couldnt remember for sure.

Ominously, there was no line. We climbed aboard.

Ominously, there was a malfunction before launch. We were ordered off. Technicians fiddled for 10 minutes. The coaster was sent empty on a test run. Then a second one.

Tension built. Were we going to be guinea pigs?

Kong was super violent. Our heads got slammed against the shoulder restraints as we whipped along a track more twisty than Medusas. Afterward, Cheryl compared it to having her ears boxed by a kangaroo.

We emerged in one piece but feeling a bit cranky. We hadnt knowingly signed up for a battering. My stomach didnt settle down for 10 minutes.

After Kong, we made a halfhearted effort to ride Roar, the wooden coaster of yore, but we got lost and could never quite find the entrance.

Apparently we werent trying very hard. And apparently Roar doesnt exist anymore.

I learned that Roar got decommissioned in 2015, its wooden track melded with a steel track, and a new coaster ride was born: The Joker.

In this case, the joke was on us.
B omb disposal experts have successfully defused a huge Second World War bomb that forced the evacuation of more than 60,000 residents in Frankfurt.

Hospital patients and the elderly were among those affected in what was Germany's biggest evacuation in recent history.

Similar operations are still common 72 years after the war ended. About 20,000 people were evacuated from the western city of Koblenz before specialists disarmed a 1,100lb US bomb on Saturday.

Construction workers found the 4,000lb British bomb on Tuesday.

The area where a British bomb was found / REUTERS

Officials ordered residents to evacuate their homes within a mile radius of the site in Germany's financial capital.

Dozens of ambulances lined up early Sunday to pick up anyone unable to independently leave the danger zone.

The bomb - the type dropped by British bombers during the war - contained 1.4 tonnes of explosives, city councillor Markus Frank said.
H undreds of people have been evacuate from homes in northern LA after the region was consumed by a wildfire thought to be the biggest in the citys history.

The 5,000-acre La Tuna Fire, named after the canyon area where it erupted on Friday, has led authorities to evacuate more than 700 homes and close a major highway.

The evacuation currently only applies to a north Los Angeles neighbourhood and in nearby Burbank and Glendale, but officials warned erratic winds could force them to widen the area affected.

The fire destroyed three houses in LA on Saturday, just before Mayor Eric Garcetti declared an emergency and ordered all available resources deployed to protect residents and property.

Burbank: LAFD on scene responding to fire along La Tuna Canyon Road / EPA

This declaration also requests that the Governor declare an emergency - so that state and federal assistance can be provided to the City as quickly as possible, Mayor Garcetti said in a statement.

He added: This fire, which broke out yesterday, we can now say is the largest fire in the history of L.A. city, in terms of its acreage.

Fire: The blaze is thought to be the biggest in the city's history / REUTERS

On Saturday night, the fire was only 10 per cent contained with more than 500 firefighters battling it.

Videos and pictures of the blaze show it burning along the 210 Freeway when it broke out on Friday, with smoke hovering over the roadway as cars passed by flames a few dozen feet away.

La Tuna: It broke out on Friday and spread through the dry bush / REUTERS

More than 400 miles north of the fire another blaze called the Ponderosa Fire has burned 3,880 acres and destroyed 32 homes in Butte County since it broke out on Tuesday.

It prompted authorities to issue evacuation orders earlier this week to residents of some 500 homes.


A 6.3 magnitude earthquake shook North Korea after the regime launched its biggest nuclear test to date sparking worldwide condemnation.

The test came hours after leader Kim Jong Un said his country had developed an advanced hydrogen bomb with great destructive power.

North Korea state media later claimed the regime had carried out a hydrogen bomb test; calling it a complete success. It said the device could be loaded on a ballistic missile.

The earthquake struck at about 12.20pm (local time) on Sunday in Kilju, northern Hamgyong Province.

The earthquake struck at about 12.20pm (local time) on Sunday in Kilju, northern Hamgyong Province / AP

Earlier on Sunday, photos released by the North Korean government showed Kim talking with his lieutenants as he observed a device that was apparently a thermonuclear weapon destined for an ICBM.

Another photo showed a diagram on the wall behind Kim of a bomb mounted inside a cone.

North Korea's estimated missile ranges

State media said Kim visited the Nuclear Weapons Institute and inspected a "homemade" hydrogen-bomb with "super explosive power" that "is adjustable from tens (of) kiloton to hundreds (of) kiloton".

Japans foreign minister said North Korea had carried out its sixth nuclear test. The country concluded that the tremors in North Korea were a nuclear explosion, marking the sixth atomic test by Pyongyang since 2006.

North Korea's nuclear and missile programme has made huge strides since Kim rose to power in 2011 / AP

Taro Kono told reporters: "The government confirms that North Korea conducted a nuclear test after examining information from the weather agency and other information.

South Korean officials said the quake took place in Kilju County, where the regimes nuclear test site is situated.

Experts making immediate estimates of the size of the detonation, based on the size of the quake it generated, have put it at 100 kilotons.

North Korea leader Kim Jong Un inspecting what state media claims was the loading of a hydrogen bomb into a new intercontinental ballistic missile / AP

The Nagasaki bomb dropped by the US in August 1945 was about 20 kilotons and killed 70,000 people.

The artificial quake was almost 10 times more powerful than the tremor from the Norths fifth test.

North Korea last carried out a nuclear test in September 2016. It has defied UN sanctions and international pressure to develop nuclear weapons and to test missiles which could potentially reach the US mainland.

South Korea has called an emergency meeting of the National Security Council in the wake of the test.

Korean People's Army (KPA) soldiers carrying packs marked with a radioactive symbol take part in a military parade in Pyongyang / AFP/Getty Images

Japans Foreign Minister Tara Aso said he condemned the test in the strongest terms, calling it an unforgivable violation of UN resolutions.

The countrys Prime Minister Shinzo Abe had said another nuclear test would be absolutely unacceptable.

North Korea's nuclear and missile programme has made huge strides since Kim rose to power following his father's death in late 2011.

The North followed the test of two intercontinental ballistic missiles in July by threatening in August to launch a intermediate range missiles toward the US Pacific island territory of Guam.

It fired a missile over northern Japan last week, the first such overflight by a missile capable of carrying nukes.

It may be difficult for outside experts to confirm that the nuclear device detonated Sunday was definitely a hydrogen bomb. State media reported that the test left no trace of radioactive material.
D onald Trump has warned well see after being asked if the US will attack North Korea.

It comes after the president said North Korea continued to be very hostile and dangerous to the United States in the wake of the regimes biggest nuclear test to date.

Pyongyang claimed it had carried out a hydrogen bomb test and caused a 6.3 magnitude earthquake  the first test of its nuclear power since Trump assumed office in January.

In response, the president tweeted that the US is considering "stopping all trade with any country doing business with North Korea".

Kim Jong Un was pictured inspecting a nuclear warhead being fitted onto an intercontinental ballistic missile / AP

"They only understand one thing," he wrote, without elaboration, as he prepared to meet later with his national security team, which he said would include John Kelly, his chief of staff, as well as Defence Secretary Jim Mattis "and other military leaders".

Later, after attending church near the White House on Sunday, Mr Trump responded to reporters questions about attacking North Korea by saying well see.

US Defence Secretary Jim Mattis said threats to the United States and its allies "will be met with a massive military response".

Mr Mattis spoke at the White House following a meeting with the president and national security advisers. He said any response will be "both effective and overwhelming".

He the United States is "not looking to the total annihilation" of North Korea, but added "we have many options to do so".

Meanwhile, Theresa May said the secretive countrys latest nuclear test poses an "unacceptable further threat to the international community".

Theresa May said there is a case for tougher action against Kim Jong Un / PA

The precise strength of the explosion, described by state-controlled media in North Korea as a hydrogen bomb, has yet to be determined.

South Korea's weather agency said the artificial earthquake caused by the explosion was five to six times stronger than tremors generated by the North's previous five such tests. The impact reportedly shook buildings in China and Russia.

US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson was calling counterparts in Asia, and Mr Trump's treasury secretary, Steven Mnuchin, said he was putting together proposed new sanctions for Mr Trump to consider that would seek to cut off trade with North Korea.

The action suggested in Mr Trump's trade tweet would be radical - the US imports about 40 billion dollars (31 billion) in goods a month from China, North Korea's main commercial partner.

Trump, May and other world leaders condemn North Korea's nuclear test

Mr Trump warned last month that the US military was "locked and loaded, should North Korea act unwisely" and that the US would unleash "fire and fury" on the North if it continued to threaten America.

The words followed threats from North Korea to launch ballistic missiles towards the US Pacific territory of Guam, intending to create "enveloping fire" near the military hub that is home to US bombers.

The North's latest test was carried out at 12.29pm local time at the Punggye-ri site where it has conducted past nuclear tests.

Officials in Seoul put the magnitude at 5.7; the US Geological Survey said it was a magnitude 6.3. The strongest artificial quake from previous tests was a magnitude 5.3.

North Korea leader Kim Jong Un inspecting the loading of a hydrogen bomb into a new intercontinental ballistic missile / AP

"North Korea has conducted a major Nuclear Test. Their words and actions continue to be very hostile and dangerous to the United States," Mr Trump said in the first of a series of tweets.

He branded North Korea "a rogue nation which has become a great threat and embarrassment to China, which is trying to help but with little success".

Yet Mr Trump appeared to be more critical of South Korean President Moon Jae-in, who has attempted to reach out to the North.

"South Korea is finding, as I have told them, that their talk of appeasement with North Korea will not work, they only understand one thing!" Mr Trump said.

Boris Johnson calls on China to put economic pressure on North Korea

North Korea's state-run television broadcast a special bulletin to announce the test and said leader Kim Jong Un attended a meeting of the ruling party's presidium and signed the go-ahead order.

Earlier, the party's newspaper ran a front-page story showing photos of Kim examining what it said was a nuclear warhead being fitted onto the nose of an intercontinental ballistic missile.

Sunday's detonation builds on recent North Korean advances that include test launches in July of two ICBMs that are believed to be capable of reaching the mainland US. The North says its missile development is part of a defensive effort to build a viable nuclear deterrent that can target US cities.

The North claimed the device it tested was a thermonuclear weapon - commonly called a hydrogen bomb. It said the underground test site did not leak radioactive materials.
M odern parenting seems to require a whole host of essential products  but while the challenge remains for new parents to distinguish which items they actually need, there is one undisputed item on all baby registries that goes back to basics.

A baby blanket is one of the most important purchases to keep the little one warm and snug and promote a good nights sleep.

From a thick, cosy cashmere option for winter, to a lightweight, muslin swaddle in summer, they are a sure-fire staple item where they will likely need several.

They make a truly useful and practical present for a baby shower or a christening and can be treasured for years to come  passed down to all the children in your family.

The multi-functional blankets can even double up as a play mat, pram cover or even as a makeshift cover for breastfeeding.

Wrap up your little one in a sumptuously soft option with our edit of baby-approved blankets below.
F ans have praised this years X Factors contestants who performed original songs in the first episode of the series.

ITV's hit singing contest returned for its 14th season tonight, kicking off the first round of auditions with boyband Rak-su.

While they failed to impress judges Simon Cowell, Nicole Scherzinger, Louis Walsh and Sharon Osbourne with their Justin Timberlake cover, their all-singing, dancing and rapping original track I'm Feeling You proved a hit with both the panel and viewers at home.

Echoing the lyrics themselves, one fan wrote: "I'm feeling this song on X factor."

Another added: "Really really like the first act on X factor omg I want that song they wrote downloaded on my phone."

Cowell also handed them a glowing accolade by suggesting they "could" be the best band the show had seen since 2011 winners Little Mix.

Warehouse assistant Grace Davies, 20, from Blackburn, also wowed fans with her own song, Roots, which she performed for the very first time on the show.

Louis Walsh labelled it a "hit" while Simon Cowell described it as a "beautiful, beautiful song" as the panel awarded her a full hand of yeses and a free pass to the X Factor bootcamp.

Asked what the track was about, Davies tearfully explained how it was inspired by her friends and family constantly telling her that her talent would never take her further than "singing Amy Winehouse in the corner of a pub".

Even fans at home thought her impressive performance was worthy of a record deal straight away, with one tweeting: "Grace should just be signed right now and skip the X factor process".

Another posted the tune is a "record seller" while one added they would "gladly" pay for Davies' album.

Other viewers took to social media to claim that the return of the show signalled that Christmas was just around the corner.

Broadcasting on the second of September - days after the first stage of Channel 4's Great British Bake Off and one week before the launch of BBC 1's Strictly Come Dancing - it is already getting fans excited for some cosy weekend nights in front of the box.

"X factor starting means it's practically near Christmas," tweeted Lauren Fox.

Phoebe Davidson added: "u know Christmas is just around the corner when X factor comes on the telly".

Aaron Bumby posted: "X factor starting tonight basically means summer's over and the countdown to Christmas has started."
A Marine Corps crew chief fires an M2 .50-caliber machine gun from the back of a CH-53E Super Stallion helicopter near Misawa Air Base, Japan, August 21, 2017, during exercise Northern Viper 17. Marine Corps photo by Lance Cpl. Andy Martinez

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Sedona attracts millions of people each year for its stunning views of the red rocks and its spiritual vortices.

But those visitors have left the city and other organizations looking for solutions to traffic congestion and overcrowding of tourist destinations.

On July 1, the city implemented its pay-to-park program for on street parking along State Route 89A in Uptown. 101 parking spots fall under the paid system and charge $2 per hour to park.

Assistant City Manager Karen Osburn said the spots along the main strip were consistently filled to capacity while hundreds of free parking spaces in the lots just behind the buildings on either side of the road remained empty. With the new paid parking system, the off-street lots remain free and open to the public.

Some store owners are quick to blame the new parking meters for a noticeable drop in business since the meters have gone live.

A lot of business owners protested at the city council meetings, but they didnt listen to us, said Brandon Houck, the owner of Discount Indian Jewelry. They held a meeting for our comments, but they didnt really listen to our comments.

Houck said he has noticed a slowdown in business, and other shop owners have had similar experiences.

We were worried it would hurt our business and it has, Houck said.

Houcks store is on the second floor of a commercial building that fronts on 89A and has paid parking spaces and a parking meter immediately in front of the building. Those make the businesses seem inhospitable to visitors, he said.

This July, there was a 9 percent decrease in traffic counts in Sedona compared with July of 2016, Osburn said. But the decline could also be attributed to an elimination of a billboard advertising program in Phoenix that ran last year, as well as marketing northern Arizona for the National Park Services 100-year anniversary last summer.

Also, State Route 89A north of the city has been under construction for months and will continue that way through the year, so that could also contribute to a decrease in visitors, Osburn said.

Since the paid parking system went live, there have been over 21,500 paid parking transactions, Osburn said.

What has surprised us is the number of customers who input the wrong license number by accident (getting the letters and numbers reversed or in wrong order), Osburn said in an email. Then there are those who simply input 1, or A1 as their license plate and then are shocked when they get a citation."

Osburn said the enforcement portion is license plate-based, so if a license plate isn't registered in the system as a paid parker, it shows to be in violation.

All proceeds from the paid parking will be reinvested into Uptown, Osburn said.

Kegn Moorcroft, the spokeswoman for the Sedona Chamber of Commerce and Tourism Bureau, said the Chamber and the city have been working to combat both traffic congestion and overcrowding at popular tourist destinations through a series of campaigns.

The first campaign, called Walk Sedona, created an interactive website that visitors can use on their smartphones. The website, walksedona.com, shows users all of the attractions within walking distance. Users can filter the site to see trailheads, restaurants, art galleries, bus stops, public art and other categories, or show all categories and just explore what there is to see nearby.

We are trying to get them out of their cars, Moorcroft said. People just werent walking.

Often, people are getting back in their cars and driving a distance that would be easily walkable, she said.

People dont have a grasp of mileage, she said. People dont know how long it really takes to walk a mile. So instead we put it in language that is easy to understand. When they see something is a seven-minute walk, anyone can walk for seven minutes.

The Chamber also launched the Sedona Secret Seven this year, a campaign to showcase some of the lesser known trails and outdoor recreation areas in the area.

The Secret Seven refers to the different categories of activities users can find on the site, which include hiking trails, stargazing locations and biking trails.

By encouraging people to try lesser-known attractions, the campaign can decrease some of the wear and tear on the more popular places like Cathedral Rock and Bell Rock. Moorcroft said the Chamber and their advertising company met in the middle about which locations to share on the site, with the understanding that some locals wanted to keep their favorite places private, but also acknowledging the need for balancing out visitations at sites to sustain the more popular areas.

We are trying to show people new, beautiful places for hiking and biking while still preserving the more popular beautiful locations in Sedona, Moorcroft said.

About 40 percent of the Chambers nearly 1,000 partner organizations focus on tourism, which Moorcroft said is the citys bread and butter.

With the city and local businesses often focused on the tourists, Brenda Redel, the director of the Sedona Community Center, said her center is a paradox" because its focus is on the locals.

The center serves about 35,000 hot meals a year, including meal service that takes place at the center, and the Meals on Wheels delivery that the center coordinates. Sedona has an aging population, Redel said, and many come to the center for food service or to participate in activities at the center.

The tourist piece is a mixed blessing for many of the locals, Redel said. At the center we try to have things the locals like that are for them.
Chauncey B. Seeley was one of Napas early civic-minded residents. In 1912, he was one of the many area residents featured in the book, History of Solano and Napa Counties, California. However, his entry is unique as it is a verbatim quote of Seeleys own handwritten essayan action rarely taken by publishers.

The Seeley biography is accompanied by his photograph. His appearance is that of a distinguished yet approachable looking gentleman. The opening paragraph of his biography is the publishers explanation of why they chose to quote Seeleys autobiographical essay in its entirety. Apparently, Seeley was asked to provide the publishers with some points in his history, but when his memorandum was handed in it proved so unique in its contents we prefer to publish it just as it was written, without change of word or sentence.

However, before delving into Seeleys life-story, the publishers added some specific details about the 77-year-old Seeley and his accomplishments. They noted, professionally, Seeley was engaged in finance, specifically, banking. In 1879, he had partnered with a Mr. Bickford to establish the private banking firm of Seeley & Bickford. Eventually, in 1898, they agreed to a merger with Napa Savings Bank.

Politically, Seeley was quite active. He served as the Napa State Hospital secretary and treasurerstate appointed postsfor 27 years as well as Napa County Clerk for a decade. Seeley also served as a Napa city councilman for 18 years. The publishers added, during which time he had much to do with constructing the streets of the city, in fact, (Seeley) is called the father of the macadam streets.

In conclusion, the publishers wrote, We may add that during the many years of Mr. Seeleys residence in Napa he has served the interests of the people well and faithfully. (Also) Mr. Seeley is always the genial gentleman whenever found.

Born to New Englander parents, and of Revolutionary (War) stock, Seeleys birthplace was actually in the Midwest. The settlement was known as Kirtland, Ohio and, as Seeley wrote, where I first saw the light on February 11, 1835. However, the Seeleys continued westward to eventually settle in southern Indiana. He continued, Here in the then far west, I vegetated, working on the farm when a boy and in after years teaching during the winter months and attending academy in the summer.

By 1864, the then 29-year-old Seeley had arrived in California and, shortly thereafter, in Napa. Seeley continued, Everything was new in those days, inhabitants were mostly new comers, no ancestral homes were to be seen, and since most anybody could be elected to office at that time I ventured to take chances myself, and fortunately for me I won out. He added, I have served in some official capacity during the many years that have followeda favor for which I am truly grateful, trusting I may have made some return to the people.

Seeley continued, In politics I consider principle paramount to party whenever the two shall come in conflict. He added, I am a friend of inventors and hail with delight every discovery in the interest of progress and the betterment of social conditions.

Seeley concluded his memorandum with some insights into his personal life and personality traits.

He noted his wife of many years was Mary White, a Pennsylvania native, as well as he was in excellent health...(and) am at all times sober and serene. Seeley continued, My enemies are all dead save one or two and with them my relations are not otherwise than most agreeable, as we pass without recognition. Am optimistic, believe there is hope for the (human) race, discouraging as appearances may seem. I never worry over the faults of others, or my own.
Venezuela condemns this event and maintains its principled position of absolute condemnation of terrorist acts, methods and practices. | Read More
On Tuesday, the clock may start on the transformation of Napa City Halls surroundings on the west side of downtown.

The City Council will vote on an exclusive negotiation window with the Los Angeles-based Plenary Group to turn City Hall on Second and School streets into a housing and retail block, as well as creating a new four-story city office and police hub nearby on First and Seminary streets. The combination of projects is expected to cost at least $110 million.

An agreement is expected to return to Napa officials for final approval in late 2018 or early 2019, giving the city and Plenary about a year to reach a deal, according to Public Works Director Jacques LaRochelle. The pact also allows the city manager to seek a 180-day extension of talks.

In a memorandum to council members published Friday, Public Works staff outlined the scope of the private development Plenary will be asked to create on the current City Hall block, which also houses the Napa Police and Napa Fire stations.

An anchor of the Second Street development will be a hotel with between 225 and 275 rooms and suites, whose tax revenue is a key to helping Napa repay construction bonds on the new City Hall. The site also would receive 90 to 110 condominium units, along with about 40,000 square feet of retail space.

Plenary would not receive public funding for private development on Second Street, according to city staff. In addition, the developer has committed to building at least 10 units of affordable housing elsewhere in Napa, equivalent to 10 percent of the units slated for the City Hall block, LaRochelle wrote.

Napas new City Hall and police headquarters would include 130,193 square feet of space and replace the Community Services Building at 1600 First St. Its four stories would become home to various departments currently scattered across seven sites  costing about $300,000 in annual rent  because of inadequate room at City Hall, which dates to 1951.

A new, 13,167-square-foot Fire Station No. 1 would go up on the site of the city Housing Authority office at 1115 Seminary St. The agreement with Plenary also includes a westward expansion of the Clay Street garage, which would add capacity for 271 vehicles.

Council members accepted the downtown City Hall project in principle May 30, choosing the plan over an alternative from Strada Investment Group of San Francisco and the Indiana-based Scannell Properties to build new city and police headquarters a mile east of downtown on Soscol Avenue.

Because Napa chose to rebuild on the existing City Hall block, city offices will need temporary office space for 24 to 30 months during construction. Napa Police may move into a temporary 25,000-square-foot building at the city corporation yard, but other departments must make their own office arrangements for the transition by the end of 2018, according to LaRochelle.

Later Tuesday, the City Council is scheduled to consider eminent-domain claims from eight properties near the Highway 29 interchange with First Street, where Napa and Caltrans plan to install a trio of roundabouts to manage freeway-to-downtown congestions on First, Second Street and California Boulevard. Napa seeks portions of the sites for use as temporary construction staging areas, city staff wrote in a memo to the council.

The parcels where Napa seeks land include:

- 2420 First St., outside the Embassy Suites hotel

- 2489 Second St. at Advanced Auto Body Center

- 951 California Blvd. at Andrews & Thornley Construction

- 935 California Blvd. and 2410 Second St., home to Storcks Garage

- 829 and 837 California Blvd. at Bel Abri Napa Valley Inn

- 800 California Blvd, outside the Best Western Plus Elm House Inn

- a single-family house at 2337 Second St.

- a vacant lot owned by V Hospitality Partners at 920 California Blvd. and 2349 First St.

Scheduled to break ground in 2018 and estimated to cost at least $6 million, the project will replace intersections on California Boulevard and First and Second streets with roundabouts, and a third circle would replace the off- and on-ramps to First Street on northbound Highway 29. Napa also will reverse the one-way flow of First and Second streets, placing eastbound traffic on the former and westbound vehicles on the latter.
George Caloyannidis is trying to ensure the controversial Palmaz application for a personal use heliport will be the last of its type in Napa County.

The resident of Diamond Mountain south of Calistoga has filed paperwork with the county Election Division to create a ballot measure. He wants voters in the June 5, 2018 election to ban new personal-use heliports.

He recently stated why he would go through the trouble of trying to gather 3,700 or so signatures from county registered voters by Dec. 5 to qualify a ballot measure. Making the job even more imposing, Registrar of Voters John Tuteur recommends collecting 6,000 signatures to have a cushion, given signatures can be invalid.

The brief answer is, because its the right thing to do in preserving the bucolic ambiance and peace of our national treasure called Napa Valley, Caloyannidis said.

Caloyannidis acknowledged that a successful ballot measure wouldnt affect the Palmaz proposal, given it is already undergoing county hearings. Christian Palmaz wants to fly a helicopter to and from Mount George near the family home several miles east of the city of Napa.

A county report says the Palmaz heliport wouldnt have significant environmental impacts. Opponents disagree and fear a successful Palmaz application would encourage others with wealth to seek private heliports, bringing unwanted noise to agricultural areas.

The county Airport Land Use Commission and Planning Commission will on Wednesday hold the latest Palmaz hearings, with a decision possible. Meetings begin at 9 a.m. at the county administration building, 1195 Third St.

Caloyannidis lives about 25 miles from the Palmaz property. Yet he is no stranger to helicopter battles, having participated in one involving a winery on Diamond Mountain near his own home more than a decade ago.

He and his wife Christine Tittel and neighbors collected signatures opposing helicopter landings at wineries. The Board of Supervisors in 2004 agreed that helicopters shouldnt bring visitors to wineries, but didnt ban personal use heliports.

The opposition by neighbors to the proposed Palmaz personal use heliport resonated with Caloyannidis.

When I see the amount of effort and anguish the community had to suffer and the expenses the applicants had to occur, we thought this is something that ought not to be happening, he said.

His proposed ballot measure would also tighten rules for helicopter landings and take-offs at sites other than public airports for agricultural purposes such as spraying. Among other things, people engaged in such activities would file reports with the county and say why the take-off or landing was unavoidable.

Emergency medical helicopter landing sites could still be established.

Caloyannidis said he and others could begin collecting signatures by mid-September to qualify the ballot measure. He plans to hire a professional signature-gathering company to help with the effort.

Were going to also get a bunch of volunteers to help out, Caloyannidis said.

Whether any organized opposition will arise remains to be seen.

I have no clue, Caloyannidis said. And I dont see who would be supporting having private millionaires flying all over the valley.

This is only the latest effort on the personal use heliports front.

Frank Farella in late 2015 filed an application with the county seeking a zoning code amendment to ban new personal use heliports. He wrote a letter at the time saying the effort was sparked by the Palmaz case.

Napa County in an April 2017 letter classified the effort as abandoned. County officials said an additional $5,000 beyond the initial $3,000 filing fee hadnt been paid to cover staff time needed to prepare for a Planning Commission hearing.

Farella on Thursday said flight laws are extremely complex and that county staff turned down the original draft. In the end, he decided to pass on the zoning text change effort through county hearings with the knowledge a ballot measure is possible.

The county has had a least 12 applications for helipads and airplane landing strips since 1965, according to the county. It approved six of them  two for St. Helena Hospital  as well as two for limited periods. It denied two requests and two were withdrawn.

One of the higher-profile cases took place in 2005. Developer and San Diego Chargers owner Alex Spanos and his son-in-law, Ronald Berberian, proposed building a helipad on Pritchard Hill near Lake Hennessey. Berberian withdrew the application after neighbors protested.
Felix Sater is back, and making it even more difficult for President Donald Trump to write off questions about his ties to Russia.

Among the many characters who have populated Trump's checkered history in real estate, Sater is the guy with one of the diciest resumes. A career criminal with ties to both organized crime and federal law enforcement, he partnered with Trump for years on a series of high-profile and unsuccessful real estate deals, including the Trump Soho hotel and condominium in Manhattan.

On Monday, the New York Times and The Washington Post disclosed a series of emails involving Sater's efforts in 2015 and 2016 to help the Trump Organization build a Trump Tower knock-off in Moscow. There's is a little hitch that makes that noteworthy: Trump was also running for president at the time.

"Our boy can become president of the USA and we can engineer it," Sater wrote in an email to Trump's personal attorney, Michael Cohen, in 2015. "I will get all of Putins team to buy in on this, I will manage this process."

According to Bloomberg News, Cohen recently told a congressional committee investigating Trump's ties to Russia that he debriefed Trump three times about the Moscow deal. But Cohen apparently had a different impression than Sater of the value of the deal, telling congressional investigators that it "was not related in any way to Mr. Trump's presidential campaign."

Members of TrumpWorld have spent months attempting to draw bright lines between themselves and Russia, with Trump himself claiming he had "nothing to do with Russia" and labeling anyone seeking to prove otherwise as part of a "witch hunt." But a steady stream of recent email disclosures that detail what Trump and his minions were actually doing during the 2016 campaign has taken the wind out of those arguments.

Law enforcement and intelligence officials also have publicly stated that they believe that the Kremlin worked to tilt the 2016 election in the president's favor, and Robert Mueller's team at the Justice Department is examining whether the Trump campaign colluded with the Kremlin. As a result, the Trump family's business and financial operations are facing more federal scrutiny than ever.

The business aspects of Mueller's investigation are significant because they could establish whether or not the president or his campaign team were looking for financial quid pro quos in exchange for possibly colluding with the Kremlin. (A similar issue is dogging the president's son-in-law, Jared Kushner, who met with Chinese and Russian financiers last year as he tried to bail out his family's investment in a struggling skyscraper on Fifth Avenue.)

Trump's partnership with Sater also presents lots of interesting questions. Sater, who migrated to the U.S. from Russia when he was a child, went on to serve prison time for assault as an adult. Federal authorities later prosecuted him for his role in a sprawling investment scam targeting senior citizens and Holocaust survivors and involving Russian and American organized crime members. He avoided prison time for that one by cooperating with law enforcement officials in their investigation and providing intelligence information -- apparently gleaned from government and intelligence contacts he had in Moscow -- to the U.S. government.

Sater later joined a real estate firm, the Bayrock Group, which did business from a suite of offices two floors beneath the Trump Organization's headquarters in Trump Tower. Trump went on to partner with Bayrock from about 2002 to about 2010, essentially lending the company his name and his marketing mojo in exchange for lucrative payments and an equity stake in one of their joint projects, the Trump Soho.

A former Bayrock executive, Jody Kriss, has sued Bayrock, alleging that it was simply a money laundering operation with murky funding from overseas. He also claims that the Bayrock team skimmed cash from the company, dodged taxes, and cheated him out of millions of dollars. Sater and others at Bayrock have said in court documents they dispute Kriss's charges, calling him a disgruntled employee trying to strong arm them for money.

Kriss told me in an interview earlier this year that Sater claimed that Bayrock -- during the time it was doing deals with Trump -- had to favor a partnership with one Icelandic investment bank because it was "closer to Putin." A Kremlin spokesman told me that Russian President Vladimir Putin wasn't familiar with Sater or Bayrock, and that Putin had no connection to the Icelandic bank.

For his part, Trump has gone out of his way to distance himself from Sater over the years. (Trump sued me in 2006 when I worked at the New York Times, alleging that my biography, "TrumpNation," misrepresented his business record and his wealth. Trump lost the suit in 2011; my lawyers deposed Trump and Sater during the litigation.)

Trump, who met with a variety of Russian investors in his Trump Tower office in the early 2000s, told my lawyers in 2007 that he was unaware of Sater's criminal ties but that he would look into the matter. For his part, Sater told my lawyers that he met with Trump frequently at Trump Tower to discuss deals. He also said that he prospected for deals in Moscow with Trump's eldest son, Donald Jr., and his daughter, Ivanka.

Yet in a 2013 deposition taken as part of litigation involving the failure of a Trump-Bayrock project in Florida, Trump said he didn't know Sater very well. "If he were sitting in the room right now I really wouldn't know what he looked like," he said.

This, of course, wasn't true. Trump had joined Sater for ribbon-cuttings on their projects, traveled on business with him, and later hired him as a consultant carrying Trump Organization business cards. Sater has also claimed that he was so cozy with the Trump family that he arranged for Ivanka to sit at Putin's desk in the Kremlin. And, as we now know from the new emails disclosed yesterday, Trump took briefings on a project Sater and Cohen were trying to engineer in Moscow in 2015 and 2016. (Sater and Cohen, who have been friends since they were teenagers, also reportedly teamed up earlier this year to try to sell the White House on a peace plan for Ukraine.)

Cohen and Sater's email exchanges are likely to be of interest to Mueller and his team, and they may afford him the opportunity to broaden the list of Trump Organization staffers he plans to interview.

Trump's attorneys have complained about the expansion of Mueller's investigation, arguing that it should be narrowly focused on possible collusion during the 2016 campaign and not on the president and the Trump Organization's business dealings. But the disclosure of the Cohen and Sater emails have made it harder for Trump's lawyers to keep making that argument.
The Toronto International Film Festival has downsized a bit for its 42nd edition, running Sept. 7 to 17, but the buzz about its film offerings roars as loudly as always.

In fact, our 17th annual Chasing the Buzz poll of the most eagerly anticipated movies at TIFF identified 25 films offering particular cinematic sustenance, up one from last years 24, and thats out of a feature lineup thats been pared to 255-plus movies, down from 296 in 2016.

No one movie dominated the polling of the Stars 31-member panel of critics, programmers, professors and regular film buffs. But six films took two votes apiece: Agnes Vardas and JRs French travelogue Faces Places, Sean Bakers childhood daydream The Florida Project, Jennifer Baichwals and Nick de Penciers Tragically Hip salute Long Time Running, Guillermo del Toros sci-fi fairy tale The Shape of Water, Iram Haqs culture clash nightmare What Will People Say and Lucrecia Martels long-awaited screen return Zama.

Another 19 each received a single vote: Bodied; Call Me By Your Name; The Death of Stalin; Downsizing; First They Killed My Father; Foxtrot; I Love You, Daddy; Lady Bird; Loveless; The Little Girl Who Was Too Fond of Matches; Mudbound; Never Steady, Never Still; On My Way Out: The Secret Life of Nani and Popi; The Rider; A Season in France; The Seen and Unseen; Scotty and the Secret History of Hollywood; The Square; and The Third Murder.

Heres the because behind the buzz:

MOVIES WITH 2 VOTES

Faces Places (Agnes Varda, JR)

I prefer not to confront the idea that this might be Agnes Vardas final film, but any new work by the New Wave godmother is a major event, and the idea of her open-hearted travelogue ending up at the curmudgeonly doorstep of Jean-Luc Godard is an irresistible one.  Sam Adams, senior editor, Slate

Did I dream that legendary filmmaker Agnes Varda would collaborate with street photographer JR to celebrate the people and towns of France? Luckily not: fresh from great reviews in Cannes, this dynamic duo are my top pick.

Sherry Coman, Humber College film prof, hana dreaming blogger

The Florida Project (Sean Baker)

Tangerine, a drama about trans street walkers in L.A. shot on iPhones, is one of my fave films of the last few years. Bakers followup film has bigger stars and better cameras but appears to crackle with the same audacious vibrancy that caught my eye in the first place.  Eli Glasner, CBC arts reporter and film critic

The Florida Project is an otherworldly look at the ordinary yet galvanizing moments of life.  Rachel Noonan, TIFF director of marketing, strategy and communications

Long Time Running (Jennifer Baichwal, Nick de Pencier)

Emotion rules this year. My overwhelming buzziest choice is this documentary on The Tragically Hips final tour and historic last show on Aug. 20, 2016, in Kingston. That was the night Canada shut down to witness Gord Downie as he stood up to cancer, and caused our hearts to swell with joy and pride.  Anne Brodie, film critic, WhatSheSaid!

Youve got to love a band that can make a hit out of a song on being in Bobcaygeon. Thats what makes The Tragically Hip so irresistible to Canadians: they have been making music about us for decades. And its why this documentary on them, Long Time Running, is my choice for the TIFF film to see.  Marc Glassman, film critic, Classical 96.3 FM

The Shape of Water (Guillermo del Toro)

The director of Pans Labyrinth appears ready to take us on another empathy-filled journey with this new fable about unlikely love.  Charles Ealy, film critic, Austin American-Statesman

Guillermo del Toro always delivers up a visual feast and Sally Hawkins is a delight. This looks Oscar-bound.  Teri Hart, senior reporter/producer, Rogers Media

What Will People Say (Iram Haq)

Norwegian-Pakistani director/writer/actress Haq delves further into semi-autobiographical territory following her feature debut I Am Yours, with her most personal film to date.  Angela Cave, film buff and TIFF-goer since 1999

The title alone hits a nerve for any child stuck between assimilation and holding up old cultural values. Competing in the Platform program, Iram Haqs sophomore feature is about a Norwegian girl forcefully sent to Pakistan by her parents.  Radheyan Simonpillai, film critic, NOW magazine, CTVs Your Morning

Zama (Lucrecia Martel)

Nine long years were worth the wait for Lucrecia Martels impressive return, a haunting adaptation of Zama, Antonio di Benedettos 18th-century existential masterpiece.  Brad Deane, senior manager, TIFF Cinematheque

There is only one possible choice: Zama, the brilliant Argentine director Lucrecia Martels return to the screen after her Salta Trilogy with her first-ever historical epic, a conjuring of a mythic past.  B. Ruby Rich, editor, Film Quarterly

MOVIES WITH ONE VOTE APIECE

Bodied (Joseph Kahn): Early impressions suggest a movie that is an equal-opportunity offender with nothing off-limits. You know how sensitive the climate is towards racism and appropriation, a line in the trailer says  so just how will TIFF audiences react to this in-your-face battle rap project?  Jake Howell, freelancer and second-generation film writer

Call Me By Your Name (Luca Guadagnino): A slow-burn love story that feels like a balmy summer vacation in northern Italy. Ripe and sensual, more bi than gay, moving father-son finale. Knockout perfs from Timothy Chalamet, Armie Hammer, Michael Stuhlbarg. And Im straight, by the way.  Jeffrey Wells, columnist, hollywood-elsewhere.com

The Death of Stalin (Armando Iannucci): Iannucci was a festival sensation with his acerbic send-up of Washington politics with In the Loop. So I cant wait to check out his Death of Stalin, which promises a similarly incisive, hysterical look at another moment in history riddled with dysfunction and tyrannical behaviour.  Eric Kohn, deputy editor and chief critic, Indiewire

Downsizing (Alexander Payne): Payne has long been one of the most cutting, funny, and insightful chroniclers of the human condition in film and the fact that hes drifted into science fiction for this new social satire has me giddy with anticipation.  Phil Brown, freelance film critic

First They Killed My Father (Angelina Jolie): Brings the skills Jolie developed in her first four features  intimacy, patience, visual beauty  to a powerful true story about a family torn apart and trying to survive the righteous intentions of the Khmer Rouge. A foreign-language film that could be a contender for Best Picture.  David Poland, editor/columnist, Movie City News

Foxtrot (Samuel Moaz): Im still quaking from Moazs tank combat film Lebanon. His followup Foxtrot, eight years in the making, is far and away my most anticipated of this years TIFF, even though Ive been purposely avoiding any information about its plot.  Jordan Hoffman, freelance writer for The Guardian and VanityFair.com

I Love You, Daddy (Louis C.K.): Sixteen years after Louis C.K.s first studio-feature almost ruined his filmmaking career, the successful writer/director/comedian has returned with a black-and-white, 35mm indie thats sure to surprise and challenge.  Greg Cruse, cinephile and TIFF fanatic since 1992

Lady Bird (Greta Gerwig): Gerwigs solo directorial debut brings to audiences all of the wit and intelligence of her previous screenwriting work  think Frances Ha or Mistress America  but with a more sophisticated sense of character and a sense of control rarely seen in first-time feature directors. This might look like just another coming-of-age story, but I think it will be a defining film for its generation.  Kerri Craddock, TIFF director of programming

Loveless (Andrey Zvyagintsev): This film left me breathless in Cannes this year. A marriage torn apart by an ugly divorce leaves the 12-year-old son adrift, bereft, unloved. Heartbreaking and gut-wrenching for its brutal depiction of self-centred clueless parents, Loveless is a masterful followup to the directors powerful Leviathan, which also played at TIFF.  Michele Maheux, TIFF executive director/COO

The Little Girl Who Was Too Fond of Matches (Simon Lavoie): Lavoie, co-director of Those Who Make Revolution Halfway, returns with an equally fierce and daring piece, freely adapted from a beloved Quebecois cult novel. Fiercely Gothic and intensely stylized, Lavoies latest is the kind of audacious movie festivals were created to showcase.  Steve Gravestock, senior TIFF programmer, Canadian films

Mudbound (Dee Rees): I was a huge fan of Pariah by Dee Rees and have been very eager to see her feature followup.  Ann Hornaday, film critic, Washington Post

Never Steady, Never Still (Kathleen Hepburn): This family drama set against the bleak Alberta oil field work camps promises to be fertile ground for new Canadian talent. Bonus: the always-fascinating Shirley Henderson also stars.  Johanna Schneller, freelance Toronto culture writer

On My Way Out: The Secret Life of Nani and Popi (Brandon Gross, Skyler Ross): This short film is an up-close-and-personal look at heart-wrenching sacrifice and the impact secrets have on a marriage and extended family.  Richard Crouse, Pop Life, CTV News Channel

The Rider (Chloe Zhao): A Directors Fortnight prizewinner at Cannes 2017, the second feature from U.S. director-to-watch Zhao (and her second set in the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation) is a cowboy story based on the real lives of its novice cast. Artful, prizewinning cowboy film equals buzz!  Jennie Punter, correspondent, Variety

A Season in France (Mahamat-Saleh Haroun): European filmmakers have told stories of migrants flocking to their continent but none has found the depth, clarity and emotion of this film, from the acclaimed African director whos spent much of his career in Paris.  Cameron Bailey, TIFF artistic director

The Seen and Unseen (Kamila Andini): Magically transports us into the inner world of children  here, twins, one of whom falls ill, while the other uses her remarkable imagination to connect with her sibling.  Piers Handling, TIFF director/CEO

Scotty and the Secret History of Hollywood (Matt Tyrnauer): The infamous gigolo of Hollywoods golden age, Scotty Bowers, spills his secrets in this surprisingly poignant documentary directed by Matt Tyrnauer (Valentino: The Last Emperor).  Thom Powers, TIFF Docs programmer, host Pure Nonfiction podcast

The Square (Ruben Ostlund): His followup to Force Majeure doesnt disappoint! Set in the world of contemporary art, Ostlund balances comedy, satire and pathos as he explores neurosis, contemporary masculinity, social media and modern culture. Its smart and juicy!!!  Karen Gordon, film critic, Metro Morning, CBC Radio

The Third Murder (Hirokazu Kore-eda): The great humanitarian Kore-eda moving from family drama to courtroom-murder mystery. Cant wait to see how he juggles morality above the law.  Alice Shih, film critic, Fairchild Radio

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You didnt like your boobs anyway, my friend Heather said after Id had a single mastectomy. True, I had occasionally made self-deprecating comments about how I dont exactly spill out of my bikini, but that didnt mean I wanted my chest chopped.

You should be glad youre getting new boobs, Heather continued.

Glad?

Nope. Not even close. However, guilt set in after that conversation: Was I an ungrateful witch because I wasnt jumping for joy about (eventual) breast reconstruction? Was I so negative that I was blind to good things on the horizon?

Hell no.

Heathers zealous exhortations to see the bright side angered me because they invalidated my feelings. I just had a breast sliced off  and you want me to smile? Heather made light of it all and even offered to bring me some issues of Playboy so I could pick out new boobs.

But, the excitement about getting a new boob (I never understood why Heather used the plural) didnt lessen the self-loathing when I saw my concave, nippleless chest in the bathroom mirror during the 17 months I awaited reconstruction.

Um  glad, yeah  but the doctors had found 4.9-centimetre tumour in my breast. My cancer was Stage 3, Grade 3 and had spread to my lymph nodes. Obviously, I was immensely relieved that the cancer was not in my blood or bones, but dismissing my reality stung. I have chemotherapy, radiation, and three more surgeries on the horizon.

How am I supposed to make lemonade out of this?

When it comes to providing social support, positivity can come across as dismissive or insensitive, says psychology professor Kate Sweeny of the University of California.

You said it, sister! Around the same time as the new boob comment, another friend lambasted me for my rejection of the unicorns and rainbows school of thought.

Stop complaining and being so negative. You should be glad the cancer is not in your blood or your bones.

I wish I had seen the following passage from The American Cancer Society website before that conversation with Diana: (The positivity) message is destructive to people who are dealing with cancer. They are fighting for their lives. And, to make matters worse, they arent supposed to grieve or feel sad over hardships and major changes in their lives. Others misguided attempts to encourage positive thinking places the burden of your cancer on you. That is not accurate, and its not fair. My italics.

Yes, being bludgeoned with the sunshine and fairies philosophy is indeed destructive, misguided and an unfair burden. Not living up to others expectations made me feel like a loser, as if being lopsided and having no eyebrows didnt already do that.

Whatever hammering cancer had already inflicted upon my self-esteem was doubled by feeling like a failure  that I couldnt even do cancer right.

Fortunately, early on in my cancer tailspin, I stumbled upon Bright Sided: How Positive Thinking is Undermining America by fellow breast cancer patient Barbara Ehrenreich. Ehrenreich has a PhD in cellular immunology, and her book provided exactly the validation I needed, exactly when I needed it.

She commented on the counterproductive pressure to be happy: Its a burden to try to manufacture those feelings when you dont have them.

Hear, hear! I remember joking and producing chuckles on cue when certain friends visited. And then sobbing uncontrollably after they left. I also remember one period shortly after surgery when I didnt brush my teeth for about five days. I just couldnt do it. And certain friends wanted me to turn my plaque-crusted frown upside down? Are you kidding? If I could have summoned energy for anything, it would have been oral hygiene.

Dr. Susan David of the Harvard Medical School refers to the insistence on the silver lining mindset as the tyranny of positivity, and Im in wholesale agreement with her use of the word tyranny.

One afternoon, not long after Id started chemotherapy, I opened up to Heather. As I was speaking, I saw contempt spreading across her face and a widening scowl of disapproval. She simply couldnt understand why I was angry.

She criticized me for wasting my energy being mad and warned me that my cancer wouldnt go away if I didnt change my mindset. I amputated her from my life after that. My toenails are bleeding and Im not allowed to be upset? I have thrush, nausea and nuclear grade indigestion, and Im supposed to pretend this is hunky dory? (These were some of the many side effects from chemo meds).

Luckily, I have an abundance of other wonderful friends who were very understanding and supportive. They let me rant when I needed to rant. They let me swear a blue streak (which I excel at) when I needed to. And they wiped away buckets of tears.

This other group of friends understood that I was going through hell. Most importantly, they didnt judge  they knew they hadnt walked in my Crocs. They also knew that chemo would end, hair would regrow, healing would begin and the real Jill would eventually get her groove back. Im so glad they stuck with me.

One of the most important people among the many wonderful doctors and health-care professionals I met was my psycho-oncologist, a shrink who specializes in treating cancer patients. He acknowledged that cancer is a hellish ordeal.

The confirmation from a person in a position of authority made a world of difference to me. More than once my shrink commented: Why would you be happy about losing a breast? Why wouldnt you be angry at having your life hijacked? So, Im not a jerk for complaining about gaining so much weight that three pairs of pants split open at the seams? Im not a b---- for being cranky after being awake 42 hours straight? (These were two more side-effects).

Furthermore, my doctor steered me towards a study published in the New England Journal of Medicine that analyzed the effects of expressing authentic emotions among breast cancer patients. And guess what? The researchers found that women who were able to reveal honest feelings showed overall mental-health improvements and reported less physical pain than the women who kept things bottled up.

Aha! Science is on my side, even though the Cancer Culture espouses the opposite view. Take that, puppies and pink ribbons!

Im not saying that being a full-scale malcontent is desirable or even acceptable. But, in some cases, the best way friends and family can help someone with cancer is to allow them to honestly share whats going on inside and trust that the dark days wont last. Cancer is brutal enough without having to put on an act that may make others feel better, but makes the cancer patient feel worse.

Jill Edmondson is the author of four mystery novels, including Blood and Groom and Dead Light District. She lives in Toronto, where she is continuing to heal.

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The Canadian government sent a cargo plane loaded with humanitarian supplies to Texas on Sunday as part of a relief effort following the damage caused by Hurricane Harvey.

The plane, filled with supplies including baby formula, blankets and cribs, departed the Canadian Forces base in Trenton, Ont., for the Lackland Airforce base near San Antonio.

In a statement, Defence Minister Harjit Sajjan said that Canada and the U.S. are there for each other in times of crisis, like all good neighbours.

The Ontario and Quebec governments are also chipping into to help with relief aid.

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau spoke with U.S. President Donald Trump Thursday about the floods and relief efforts, and the American embassy in Ottawa expressed gratitude for Canadas offer of support.

Hurricane Harvey forced about 750,000 people out of their homes, and over one million others are under a voluntary evacuation order along the Gulf Coast.

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OTTAWAAttack mode, says the Conservative partys new foreign affairs critic, will not be the Oppositions first instinct when dealing with the Liberal governments renegotiation of the North American Free Trade Agreement.

Conservative MP Erin OToole says his party is willing to offer non-partisan support to the Liberal government during the continuing NAFTA renegotiation, which entered its second round this weekend in Mexico City.

But only as long as the Liberals keep the focus on job creation, securing market access and levelling a playing field that he says has given Mexican labour an unfair advantage.

OToole said the Tories have no time for the virtue signalling on gender, Indigenous and environmental issues that the government has also raised as bargaining priorities.

If the government takes those priorities too far, OToole said he will lead the Conservatives back into political battle.

For me, I dont always lead with the attack if I dont need to. Im very capable and very effective at the attack if it comes to that, OToole said in an interview.

Its a position thats been crafted in discussions OToole said he has had with his new leader, Andrew Scheer. And it comes one month after the Liberals and Conservatives traded some partisan barbs over NAFTA.

It was a summer skirmish that dulled the glow from the rare detente the two parties arrived at earlier in the year, when interim Conservative leader Rona Ambrose threw her partys support behind Prime Minister Justin Trudeau as he embarked on finding common ground with NAFTA-bashing U.S. President Donald Trump.

Former Progressive Conservative prime minister Brian Mulroney  who presided over Canadas initial free trade pact with the U.S.  also briefed the Trudeau cabinet on Trump, his long-time Florida neighbour.

Then the old battle lines were redrawn after the governments $10.5 million payout to Omar Khadr, the Canadian citizen who was imprisoned and tortured at the notorious U.S. detention facility in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba.

Several Conservative MPs denounced the payment in various U.S. media, including Peter Kent in the Wall Street Journal in a column entitled A Terrorists Big Payday, Courtesy of Trudeau.

Trudeau accused Scheer of undermining Canadian interests in the U.S. on the eve of NAFTA talks. Scheer dismissed that as desperate attempt at political channel-changing.

For now, OToole said, the dust has settled.

There is a lot of goodwill for us to work on it, OToole said. Thats because trade is the Conservative legacy  the original free trade deal with the U.S., NAFTA, the Canada-EU pact, were all instigated by Conservative governments. NAFTA and the Canada-EU pacts were finalized by Liberal governments.

We want it to be a positive. We know how critical it can be to jobs in our economy.

Read more:

In defending NAFTA, Mexican president takes aim at Trump

Second round of NAFTA talks begins in Mexico City

U.S. and Canada want NAFTA deal by end of year, Trump says

The Liberals did not react kindly to OTooles comments, taking to Twitter on Sunday to denounce them.

Ensuring NAFTA isnt a race to the bottom on the environment isnt virtue signalling, wrote Environment Minister Catherine McKenna.

Trudeaus Principal Secretary Gerald Butts wrote that Scheer recently said the environment and economy go hand in hand. That lasted a week. Its still Stephen Harpers party.

In the interview, OToole also said he has great respect for his prime political opponent, Foreign Affairs Minister Chrystia Freeland, who is also in charge of NAFTA and Canada-U.S. relations. He said they struck up a rapport when he was the Conservative parliamentary secretary on trade and she the Liberal trade critic.

We have a friendship; I admire her a great deal. But that warmth does not extend to other members of Trudeau cabinet, or the prime minister himself.

What I want to see out of Canada is less of the virtue-signalling type of approach where we put the centrepieces of Justin Trudeaus image building  the gender equal cabinet, the reconciliation  theyre all important but this is an economic trade agreement, OToole said.

I dont think anyone whos had a casual observation of the Trump administration will suggest that their priority is going to be environment, Indigenous and other things like that.

But when it comes to making progress on labour rights, the Liberals and Conservatives are on the same page. Low wages and poor working conditions have given Mexico an unfair advantage, particularly in the auto sector, he said.

OToole said NAFTA should strive to find ways to elevate Mexican workers with higher pay, better working conditions, benefits such as workers compensation  a whole range of additions.

At times we will have mutual interests with Mexico, but at times we will not, he said. Thats also got to be the realpolitik with this.

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A man in his twenties is dead after a shooting in Etobicoke Saturday night.

Toronto police said the man was shot at around 8:48 p.m. near Tandridge Cres., and Arcot Blvd., near Braeburn Woods Day Care Centre.

Paramedics said the man was pronounced dead on scene.

Const. Caroline de Kloet said police received multiple calls for gunshots around that time.

There is no information on suspects.

Anyone with information about this shooting is asked to contact police at 416-808-2300 or Crime Stoppers at 416-222-8477.

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Four suspects are wanted in separate shootings within three days that left two men dead in North York.

Police havent ruled out a connection between the brazen attacks.

We cant overlook the fact that there are similarities between the two, said homicide investigator Det. Sgt. Paul Worden at a Sunday press conference. So far, however, police have no physical evidence connecting the crimes.

Among the most chilling observations from police in the fatal shootings of Jovane Clarke, 22, on Thursday and Awad Hurre, 34, on Saturday is the manner in which the men were killed.

They went right up over top of them and fired numerous shots into the victims, Worden said, describing the similar position the four suspects in each case took over the two dead men.

The suspects towered above the victims once they were lying helpless on the ground and fired more gunshots into their bodies, Worden said.

There were dozens of people outdoors, including kids playing at the basketball court behind the apartment building at 75 Tandridge Cres., when Hurre was killed.

Police were called to the building, next to Braeburn Woods Day Care Centre at Tandridge Cres. and Arcot Blvd on Saturday at 8:45 p.m.

They found three different types of firearm casings on the scene, one of which came from a rifle.

We do not have a motive for why he was targeted. For this level of violence and this type of overkill, there has to be a reason, Worden said.

Hurres family is also without answers. His older brother told the Star that Hurre, the youngest of 12 siblings, was not involved in gang activity and had never had any trouble with the law.

Yusuf Ismail, Hurres nephew, also didnt know his uncle to be wilfully involved in gang activity, but suspects he may have wound up associating with a dangerous crowd.

He was always a more trusting person, and thats what most likely got him in this position  trusting the wrong people, Ismail said.

Police are asking for people in the community who may have witnessed the incident to come forward and talk to officers who will be stationed in the area.

For the amount of people that were in the area, I would have expected more information to have come in at this point, Worden said.

Ismail said he doesnt feel police presence in the community is consistent or involved enough.

Yeah the police do show up, but I dont really think they stick around to follow up, he said.

If the community thinks you just come in here and do your job and you go back home, they wouldnt jeopardize themselves to talk.

Hurre was pronounced dead at his apartment building, where the victim of Thursdays shooting, Jovane Clarke, also lived.

Clarke was shot and killed after being pursued on foot by gunmen inside Sheridan Mall on Thursday.

Police say Clarke got out of his car in the malls southern parking lot, near Jane St. and Wilson Ave., and was targeted by four people. One of the suspects chased Clarke into the mall and continued to shoot at him.

Hosai Balouch, a longtime employee of a shoe store in the mall, heard about five or six gunshots. The call to emergency crews came in around 6:30 p.m.

It was so loud, you could feel it vibrate through your body Balouch told the Star Saturday.

Paramedics who responded to the call said the victim was suffering from gunshot wounds to the head.

Police are searching for four black males in their mid-20s in connection with Clarkes shooting.

In Hurres death, police are looking for four men seen in a silver vehicle parked near the area 20 minutes before the incident. According to surveillance video, police said the suspects ambushed Hurre after he passed by them twice.

There have been about five shootings in the North York area since Wednesday, the latest leaving two men with injuries in the Black Creek neighbourhood Sunday afternoon.

With files from Bryan Aguilar, Emily Fearon and Alex McKeen

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Two separate and serious overnight stabbings have left two men in hospital, with one in life-threatening condition.

The first incident occurred outside of RJs Grill, near Danforth Rd. and Eglinton Ave. E. in Scarborough at 2:13 a.m. Paramedics located a man in his 30s who had been stabbed multiple times. He was transported to hospital in life-threatening condition.

Twenty minutes later, a man in his 20s was found with a stab wound in his torso in the area of College and Bathurst Sts. While details of incident are not clear, Toronto police confirmed his injuries are considered serious, and possibly life-threatening.

Police have not released any suspect information for both stabbings. Investigations into both situations are ongoing.

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From Queens Park, they face outwards down University Ave.

Elevated above the path walked daily by Ontario politicians, the historic statues look down with steely eyes. They have done so for decades. Down the road, at city hall, there are even more of the figures.

The impact of such statues has been the subject of growing debate in recent weeks. An argument over Confederate statues in the United States took a bloody turn in Charlottesville, Va., recently, when a white nationalist drove into a crowd of counter-protestors, killing one of them, 32-year-old Heather Heyer.

Closer to home came a call from the Ontario teachers union to remove the name of John A. Macdonald, the first prime minister of Canada, from schools.

On a recent afternoon, Adam Bunch, who is writing a book about Torontos history, sat on the steps of Queens Park to talk about some of the complex legacies the citys statues immortalize in metal and stone.

(Bunch penned a string of tweets that garnered substantial attention, as he provided commentary on the historical context of some of the citys monuments.)

Their stories are more complicated than just putting a person on a pedestal and adding a little plaque with a date would suggest, he said.

John Graves Simcoe

John Graves Simcoe is over there behind the trees, said Bunch as he gestured from Queens Parks front steps. Tucked behind foliage, the inaugural lieutenant-governor of Upper Canada and founder of Toronto leans jauntily on a walking stick, a sash around his waist and hat tucked under-arm.

Simcoe, to Bunch, is a good example of how complicated things get when you start to dig (into things).

Although Simcoe was an abolitionist who worked tirelessly to eliminate slavery in the province, he later took command of British troops in Haiti, fighting against the slave uprising of the Haitian Revolution.

Simcoe didnt free any existing slaves with his Act Against Slavery. It prohibited new slaves being brought into Upper Canada, but also kept existing slaves in captivity for the remainder of their lives, with their children enslaved until they reached age 25.

Shannon McDeez, the organizer of the Toronto Unity Rally and a fellow at the University of Toronto, pointed out that Simcoes contributions certainly have a place in Canadian history.

But she believes the monument is better suited to a museum than a public space.

Art or statues in a public space should be non-partisan for the benefit of all of the community, said McDeez, who added that giving citizens the chance to learn about figures of Canadas political past on their own time would avoid hurtful histories being forced upon minority groups on a daily basis.

Historical figures arent either heroes or villains, she said, they have nuances, and can be capable of both beautiful and terrible acts. What if someone wanted to erect a statue of (Stephen) Harper? What if someone wanted to erect a statue of Rob Ford?

Public space is not the place for partisan art.

George Brown

On a tall, dowel-like platform by the Queens Park front steps, George Brown reaches out his hand and steps forward, just inching off his pedestal.

Father of Confederation, founder of the Globe newspaper, Bunch said. He passionately supported and did work on behalf of turning Toronto into a relatively safe haven at the end of the Underground Railroad.

Although Brown fought for Black rights, he espoused hatred towards Irish Catholics.

He said horrible things about them, and used the Globe as a propaganda machine to incite hatred against Irish Catholics, Bunch said. One column from the time read that Irish beggars are to be met everywhere, and they are ignorant and vicious as they are poor.

Notwithstanding his prejudice, some members of Torontos present-day Irish community do not object to the statue.

I think he was a product of his time, said Sandra McKeown, who emigrated from Ireland in 2002 and is the founder of the Irish Association of Toronto. Given Browns involvement in Canadian politics, a commemoration of his work belongs at Queens Park, she said.

You cannot rewrite history by removing statues. We should remember history and learn from it, instead of pretending it never happened.

True progress is being able to accept the past.

James Whitney

Thats James Whitney, said Bunch, pointing to an imposing statue to the right of the steps. As if to steady himself, Whitney leans on a cloth-draped pedestal to one side, and reaches out a hand in front of him.

Whitney, the sixth premier of Ontario, came into office in 1905 and stayed for nearly 10 years. His work in securing the public ownership of hydro utilities was a very big moment, Bunch said.

But Whitneys legacy, too, is tinged by prejudice; in 1912, he passed a regulation prohibiting teachers in elementary schools from speaking to students in French beyond Grade 2.

In 2016, Kathleen Wynne issued a formal apology for the decision, which she called a wound on Ontarios francophone community.

Michel Prevost, chief archivist for the University of Ottawa, called Whitneys actions traumatic for the Franco-Ontarian community.

But he doesnt believe the statue should be moved.

People know less about history if its in museums, he said, explaining that passing a monument on a daily commute piques curiosity and conversation.

He is part of the history of Ontario.

In February this year, the Ontario government announced a monument dedicated to the francophone community will appear alongside Whitney as a feature of the Queens Park grounds in early 2018.

Winston Churchill

Churchill is down at city hall, and hes a pretty good example, Bunch said. The British prime minister is revered as a great political leader and vanquisher of Nazis during the Second World War.

Churchill also had a vested affection for Canada, which he declared freely.

Hes celebrated for good reason, Bunch said.

But his story is deeply woven into colonialism and the empire and fighting wars against Indigenous people around the world, which he certainly revelled in.

Churchill once went so far as to state his strong favour towards using poisoned gas against uncivilized tribes.

He also called the inhabitants of India, then a British colony, a beastly people with a beastly religion.

The bronze installation outside city hall depicts a scowling Churchill, and was moved in 2014 from the south to the north side of Nathan Phillips Square. McDeez also spoke to Churchills contribution to colonialism, but reaffirmed that the debate shouldnt be around statues or their merit.

What I do care about is if their presence is hurting fellow citizens of the city, she said. Then? Yeah, we should have a discussion about it.

What now?

Bunch believes that a certain clenched-teeth approach to the statue debate comes from a feeling some people may have that their heritage is being eclipsed.

For a long time, only one side has had a voice and I imagine (they) feel threatened when anyone else wants to share the platform, he said.

A statue freezes time, and reflects the values a culture or government had at the time it was erected. Difficult conversations emerge when those values have changed.

Taking a critical look at Torontos statues isnt easy, he said, nor is it all bad. This is a place thats had failed revolutions and plagues and war, and brave figures doing good things, too, he said.

But to tell the full story of the citys history, more voices need to be heard.

I think the most important thing is we need to do more listening to Indigenous voices, people of colour, womens voices, he said. This is a house, a legislature that belongs to all Ontarians.

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MEXICO CITYMexico wont accept anything that goes against our dignity as a nation, its president said Saturday, a direct barb against Donald Trumps repeated denigration of Mexican immigrants, threats against NAFTA and promises to have Mexico pay for a wall between the two countries.

In the annual state of the union address, Enrique Pena Nieto defended free trade and said North American Free Trade Agreement must be strengthened. A second round of talks between Canadian, U.S. and Mexican trade negotiators to update the accord began on Friday in Mexico City, and will continue through Tuesday. Trump, who as a presidential candidate met with Pena Nieto in Mexico, again this week threatened to tear the deal up.

The relationship with the new government of the United States, like any other nation, must be based on irrevocable principles: sovereignty, defence of the national interest and protection of our migrants, Pena Nieto said.

We wont accept anything that goes against our dignity as a nation, he told a crowd of politicians and the countrys elite gathered at the National Palace, who rose at that point to deliver the most vigorous standing ovation of his address.

NAFTA is a necessary vehicle to integrate the region, Pena Nieto said.

The negotiating team has precise instructions to participate in this process with seriousness, good faith and a constructive spirit, he said, always putting first the interest of Mexico while reaching for a result where all three countries win.

On Saturday, Trump said he would discuss with his advisers this week whether to withdraw from a trade deal with South Korea that he has also long criticized. Such a move could stoke economic tensions with a U.S. ally at a time both countries confront a crisis over North Koreas nuclear weapons program.

If Trump withdraws from NAFTA, Mexico, which is Latin Americas second-largest economy, has indicated it would pull out as well.

Among the thorny issues negotiators are dealing with are what are called rules of origin, which set what percentage of parts in goods need to come from NAFTA countries in order to get tariff breaks, according to a schedule.

Trump seeks higher U.S. content in goods like automobiles made in Mexico.

Pena Nieto defended free market reforms passed on his watch and also took a jab at the candidate who leads in polls to succeed him in June 2018 presidential elections: leftist Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador, who has espoused more statist, nationalist positions such as building more government refineries to replace U.S. imports of gasoline.

There are visible risks of going backward, Pena Nieto said.

Mexico has not faced such a decisive and determinative crossroads in years, he said, adding that the country must choose whether to continue down the path of trade and economic liberalization or surrender to a model from the past that has failed.

Pena Nieto also called for Mexico to redouble efforts against violence, saying that restoring peace to the country is the biggest demand of society and top priority of his government.

After falling in the first years of his administration, the rate of killings is on the rise again. That requires improvement in security forces at the local level across the country, Pena Nieto said. He urged the Mexican Congress to pass an overhaul to turn 1,800 local police forces into 32 state units, an initiative that has been stalled for years, saying Mexico cant depend on federal forces to permanently provide security in towns and municipalities.

We still have much to do, Pena Nieto said. Today, a great part of homicides arent related to organized crime but with common crimes, for which states and municipalities are responsible. Its imperative that we address this weakness and the historical lags that exist in our local security forces.

Homicides have soared this year, reaching the highest rate this century, as drug cartels spar over trafficking routes. The drug war has also spread to top beach resorts like Cancun and Los Cabos, triggering a U.S. State Department travel advisory for both resorts and endangering a tourism industry that generates $25 billion (Cdn) annually.

The presidents reference to the spiralling violence signals the severity of the problem, and its likely importance in the upcoming presidential election to choose his successor next July.

Although the Pena Nieto administration is credited with passing key economic reforms that have ended the states oil monopoly and triggered a plunge in prices for mobile-phone service, its record on security has been widely criticized. Successes at taking down drug kingpins like Joaquin El Chapo Guzman may have only backfired by triggering bloody battles among traffickers fighting to replace them.

The Mexican president also voiced his support for immigrants illegally brought to the U.S. as children. Trump plans to announce on Tuesday whether hell scrap protections for them as he comes under new pressure from top congressional Republicans and hundreds of business leaders to keep the program. The young immigrants are known as Dreamers after a proposal to shield them from deportation.

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Smoke filled the sky and ash rained down across Los Angeles Sunday from a destructive wildfire that the mayor said was the largest in city history  one of several blazes that sent thousands fleeing homes across the U.S. West during a blistering holiday weekend heat wave.

In Oregon, crews were rescuing 140 hikers forced to spend the night in the woods after fire broke out along the popular Columbia River Gorge trail. Search and rescue crews air-dropped supplies on Saturday as flames prevented the hikers escape. Wildfires also burned in a 2,700-year-old grove of giant sequoia trees near Yosemite National Park, forced evacuations in Glacier National Park and drove people from homes in parts of the West struggling with blazing temperatures.

Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti declared an emergency and asked the governor to do the same after the wildfire destroyed three homes and threatened hillside neighbourhoods.

More than a thousand firefighters battled flames that chewed through nearly 20 square kilometres of brush-covered mountains as authorities issued evacuation orders for homes in Los Angeles, Burbank and Glendale.

Temperatures were in the 35 to 37 C but crews got a break from increased humidity and winds that calmed to less than 8 km/h, Los Angeles Fire Capt. Ralph Terrazas said.

That can change in a moments notice and the winds can accelerate very quickly, he told reporters Sunday. There is a lot of fuel out there left to burn, he said.

Burbank resident George Grair was not in the evacuation zone but watched uneasily as flames blackened a hillside in the near distance.

Its very difficult to feel safe. Ive got kids in the house, he told KABC-TV. I probably slept two hours all night.

San Francisco residents, meanwhile, stifled under a third day of a rare heat wave in the coastal city, although highs in the San Francisco Bay Area fell Sunday from all-time records set the previous two days.

I went to Home Depot, Walgreens, Office Depot, Target. They were sold out! downtown office worker Alganesh Ucbayonas said Sunday, detailing her unsuccessful search for a fan.

On Sunday, Ucbayonas sat at her desk in a building lobby squarely between two fans, both scrounged from her office buildings storage and trained straight at her face.

I have never seen any heat like this in 10 years in the Bay Area, she said.

Fires burning up and down Californias Sierra Nevada and further to the northwest cast an eerie yellow and grey haze over much of California, and many parts of the state was under alerts because of poor air quality.

California authorities ordered evacuation for a third small town Sunday in one of the wildfires, a blaze that has burned 23 square kilometres near Yosemite National Park.

Firefighters battling that blaze were making it a priority to safeguard a 2,700-year-old grove of giant sequoia and a pair of historic cabins at the grove, fire spokeswoman Anne Grandy said. Fire crews had wrapped the two 19th-century cabins and an outhouse in shiny, fire-resistant material to protect them from the flames that had entered the Nelder Grove, Grandy said.

The flames were consuming old brush and dead wood on the forest floor, but had not burned the giant sequoia, some of which top 20 stories in height, she said. The millennia-old trees already had survived thousands of fires, she said.

California crews are also protecting homes from a fast-moving wildfire that forced evacuations in Riverside County.

In the Pacific Northwest, high temperatures and a lack of rain this summer have dried out vegetation that fed on winter snow and springtime rain. Officials warned of wildfire danger as hot, dry, smoky days were forecast across Oregon and Washington over the holiday weekend. In Washington state, Gov. Jay Inslee proclaimed a state of emergency across all counties as three major fires closed recreation areas and prompted evacuations.

Flames in Montanas Glacier National Park prompted officials to evacuate all residents, campers and tourists from one of the most popular areas of the park. The order Sunday affects the Lake McDonald area, the western side of the dizzying Going-to-the Sun Road and some of the most visited trails in the area. The Lake McDonald Lodge, built in 1913, closed last week due to heavy smoke in the area.

Forecasters said more heat could be expected when remnants of Tropical Storm Lidia move north from Mexicos Baja California during the weekend.

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SEOUL, SOUTH KOREANorth Koreas detonation of a sixth nuclear bomb Sunday prompted the Trump administration to warn that even the threat to use such a weapon against the United States and its allies will be met with a massive military response.

The test, and the White House rebuke, immediately raised new questions about the presidents North Korea strategy and opened a new rift with a major U.S. ally, South Korea, which Trump criticized for its talk of appeasement with the North.

The underground blast  deemed a perfect success by the North Korean regime  was by far the countrys most powerful to date. Though it was far from clear that the North had set off a hydrogen bomb, as it claimed, the explosion caused tremors that were felt in South Korea and China. Experts estimated that the blast was four to 16 times more powerful than any the North had set off before, with far more destructive power than the bombs dropped on the Japanese cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki during the Second World War.

Yet after a day of meetings in the Situation Room involving Trump and his advisers, two phone calls between the president and Prime Minister Shinzo Abe of Japan, and even demands from some liberal Democrats to cut off North Koreas energy supplies, Trumps aides conceded that they faced a familiar conundrum.

While the Pentagon has worked up a series of military options for targeted strikes at North Koreas nuclear and missile sites, Trump was told that there is no assurance that the U.S. could destroy them all in a lightning strike, according to officials with knowledge of the exchange. Cyberstrikes, which president Barack Obama ordered against the Norths missile program, have also been judged ineffective.

Read more:

Canada must join allies to solve North Korean crisis: Opinion

Nuclear-armed N. Korea a reality to deal with: Walkom END

Trump hinted at one extreme alternative: in a Twitter post just before he met his generals, he said that the United States is considering, in addition to other options, stopping all trade with any country doing business with North Korea. Taken literally, such a policy would be tantamount to demanding a stoppage of any Chinese oil to North Korea, essentially an attempt to freeze out the country this winter and bring whatever industry it has to a halt.

The Chinese would almost certainly balk; they have never been willing to take steps that might lead to the collapse of the North Korean regime, no matter how dangerous its behaviour, for fear that South Korean and U.S. troops would occupy the country and move directly to the Chinese border.

Beyond that, the economic disruption of ending all trade with China would be so huge inside the U.S. that Trumps aides declined Sunday to discuss the implications.

After meeting with Trump, Defence Secretary Jim Mattis emerged to warn North Korea that any threat to the United States or its territory, including Guam or our allies, will be met with a massive military response. But Mattis, in a terse statement delivered on the White House driveway with the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Gen. Joseph Dunford Jr., also offered a word of reassurance to the Norths reclusive leader, Kim Jong Un.

We are not looking to the total annihilation of a country, namely North Korea, he said. But as I said, we have many options to do so.

There was no public discussion of pursuing a diplomatic opening to the North. Trump and Secretary of State Rex Tillerson raised such a possibility two weeks ago, after a brief lull in North Koreas testing. That statement turned out to be optimistic at best. The North has shown no interest in engaging with the U.S. unless the Americans end their military presence in South Korea.

To the contrary, the North Korean leader has tried to portray his nuclear program as unstoppable and non-negotiable, posing by a picture of what the Norths official news agency on Sunday called a hydrogen bomb that could be fitted into the nose cone of the ICBMs tested last month. Experts warned that the weapon, while shaped like a hydrogen bomb, could well have been a mock-up or decoy, one of the many steps the North takes to make it appear more powerful than it truly is.

On Monday, South Koreas army fired short-range ballistic missiles off its east coast in a simulated attack on North Koreas nuclear test site, its military said in a statement. F-15K fighter jets also joined in the show of force, firing air-to-land missiles, it said.

Only hours earlier, Trump reacted to the North Korean test by lashing out at South Korea.

North Korea is a rogue nation which has become a great threat and embarrassment to China, which is trying to help but with little success, he said. South Korea is finding, as I have told them, that their talk of appeasement with North Korea will not work, they only understand one thing!

Trump appeared to be referring to the offers by South Koreas new president, Moon Jae-in, to enter into some kind of negotiations with the North that might lead to a renewal of the Sunshine Policy, an effort by some of his predecessors to lure the North into disarmament with economic engagement. Those efforts failed.

Moon said recently that he had obtained a promise from Washington that the U.S. would never take military action without Seouls approval  a commitment the Trump administration has never confirmed.

Trumps undisguised swipe at the South for appeasement was certain to exacerbate fears that the U.S. might put it in danger. And it came only a day after Trump threatened a new rift in relations with suggestions that the U.S. might withdraw from a trade deal with South Korea  one that was intended to bolster the alliance.

In response to Trumps criticism, Moons office said it was working closely with Washington to exert maximum sanctions and pressure. But it also reiterated that the allies shared the understanding that the goal of these sanctions and pressure was to bring North Korea back to the negotiating table.

We have experienced an internecine war and can never tolerate another catastrophic war on this land, Moons office said in a statement. We will not give up our goal of working together with allies to seek a peaceful denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula.

While Washington and Seoul argue over the threat of military force, Kim seems determined to forge ahead. He has conducted more than 80 missile tests since taking over the country. And four of the six nuclear tests have been on his watch.

This was the biggest, by far. The U.S. Geological Survey estimated that the tremor set off by the blast, detected at 12:36 p.m. at the Punggye-ri underground test site in northwestern North Korea, had a magnitude of 6.3.

The South Korean Defence Ministrys estimate was much lower, at 5.7, but even that would mean a blast five to six times as powerful as the Norths last nuclear test, a year ago, said Lee Mi-sun, a senior analyst at the South Korean Meteorological Administration.

The Souths National Fire Agency, which operates an emergency hotline, said it had received 31 calls about buildings and the ground shaking, the first time that South Koreans had reported tremors after a North Korean nuclear detonation.

The blast was so powerful that the first tremor was followed by a second, weaker one minutes later, which the U.S. Geological Survey called a collapse, probably a cave-in at the Norths underground test site.

Condemnation of the test came from around the world.

China, the Norths main ally and biggest trading partner, expressed strong condemnation of the test, according to Xinhua, the state news agency, but suggested no new action. Its leaders feel as stymied as their U.S. counterparts, according to many China experts.

Japan requested an emergency meeting of the United Nations Security Council, as it did earlier in the week after a missile test over Hokkaido, its northernmost island.

In Europe, the Russian Foreign Ministry said that North Korea deserves absolute condemnation, and a joint statement from Chancellor Angela Merkel of Germany and President Emmanuel Macron of France said the most recent provocation from Pyongyang reaches a new dimension.

The International Atomic Energy Agency said the test amounted to a complete disregard of the repeated demands of the international community.

The timing of the test Sunday was almost certainly no coincidence: it came during the American Labour Day weekend, and the anniversary of the founding of the North Korean government is next Saturday.

In the coming days, the government is expected to organize huge rallies to celebrate the bomb test and Kims leadership.

Pyongyang has a playbook of strategic provocations, throws off its adversaries through graduated escalation, and seeks maximum political impact by conducting weapons tests on major holidays, said Lee Sung-yoon, a Korea expert at the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy at Tufts University.

But it also exaggerates its power. After its fourth nuclear test, in January 2016, North Korea claimed to have used a hydrogen bomb. Other countries dismissed the claim for lack of evidence, but experts have said that the North may have tested a boosted atomic bomb that used tritium, a common enhancement technique that produces a higher explosive yield.

Analysts noted that the device in the photo that the North released Sunday  whether real or a mock-up  was shaped like a two-stage thermonuclear device. David Albright, president of the Washington-based Institute for Science and International Security, said he doubted the device was real, but he said there was strong evidence that the North had been working on thermonuclear weapons.

The size of the seismic signal of the recent test suggests a significantly higher explosive yield than the fifth test, Albright said. Getting this high of a yield would likely require thermonuclear material in the device. But he said he was skeptical that this design has been miniaturized to fit reliably on a ballistic missile.

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CAPE CANAVERAL, FLA.Astronaut Peggy Whitson returned to Earth late Saturday, wrapping up a record-breaking flight that catapulted her to first place for U.S. space endurance.

Whitsons 665 days off the planet  289 days on this mission alone  exceeds that of any other American and any other woman worldwide.

She checked out of the International Space Station just hours earlier, along with Russian cosmonaut Fyodor Yurchikhin and U.S. astronaut Jack Fischer. Their Soyuz capsule landed in Kazakhstan shortly after sunrise Sunday  Saturday night back in the U.S.

Whitson was the last one carried from the Soyuz. She immediately received a pair of sunglasses to put on, as she rested in a chair on the barren, wind-swept Kazak steppes. Medical personnel took her pulse, standard practice. She then received a bouquet of flowers with the greeting, Welcome back, Peggy.

Besides duration, Whitson set multiple other records while in orbit: worlds oldest spacewoman, at age 57, and most experienced female spacewalker, with 10. She also became the first woman to command the space station twice following her launch last November.

Her crewmate Yurchikhin logged even more time in space: 673 days over five missions. He and Fischer flew up in April, 136 days ago.

All three briefly held hands for a photo op, before being carried one by one in their chairs to the medical tent.

It was an emotional farewell to the space station for Whitson, Yurchikhin and Fischer. Before retreating into their Soyuz, they embraced the three colleagues they were leaving behind at the 250-mile-high complex. Yurchikhin patted the inside of the station before floating into his Soyuz for the final time.

The stations newest commander, Randy Bresnik, noted the outpost was losing 1,474 days of spaceflight experience with the departure of Whitson, Yurchikhin and Fischer. Four years and two weeks, he pointed out.

We are in your debt for the supreme dedication that you guys have to the human mission of exploration, Bresnik told them on the eve of their departure. He offered up special praise for Whitson  American space ninja  and wished them all Godspeed.

Yurchikhin is now No. 7 on the worlds all-time endurance list, followed by Whitson at No. 8. The top spot belongs to Russian Gennady Padalka, with 879 days in space over five flights.

Whitson, a biochemist, set a breakneck pace on all three of her space station expeditions, continually asking for more  and still more  scientific research to do. Scientists on the ground said it often was hard to keep up with her. She even experimented on food up there, trying to add some pizazz to the standard freeze-dried meals. Tortillas transformed into apple pies on her watch.

Whitson was supposed to fly back in June after a half-year in space. But when an extra seat opened up on this Soyuz, she jumped at the chance to stay in orbit an extra three months. Only one other American  yearlong spaceman Scott Kelly  has spent longer in space on a single mission.

Except for the past week, Whitson said her mission hurried by. Shes hungry for pizza and cant wait to use a regular flush toilet again. Shes also eager to reunite with her husband, Clarence Sams, a biochemist who also works at Johnson Space Center in Houston.

Because of the effects of Hurricane Harvey, NASA could not get its plane from Houston to Kazakhstan in time for the crews landing. Instead, the European Space Agency offered to transport Whitson and Fischer to Cologne, Germany, where they will meet up with the NASA plane for the final leg of their journey. They should be back in Houston on Sunday night.

Three men remain at the space station: Bresnik, a Russian and an Italian. They will be joined by two Americans and a Russian following liftoff from Kazakhstan on Sept. 12.

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WASHINGTONPresident Donald Trump is attending a church service on a National Day of Prayer for Harvey victims.

Trump and first lady Melania Trump arrived at St. Johns Church, an Episcopal church near the White House, on Sunday morning.

Trump had declared Sunday a National Day of Prayer for Harvey victims and recovery efforts in Texas and Louisiana. In his official proclamation, he called on Americans of all faiths and religious traditions and backgrounds to offer prayers today for all those harmed by Hurricane Harvey.

Trump made a second visit on Saturday to communities devastated by Harvey, travelling to Houston and Lake Charles, Louisiana.

The White House has asked Congress to approve $7.9 billion for initial relief efforts when lawmakers return to Washington on Tuesday.

Read more: Trumps return to Texas, this time to meet victims of flooding in Houston

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WASHINGTONU.S. Defence Secretary Jim Mattis on Sunday shot back at North Koreas claimed test of a hydrogen bomb with a blunt threat, saying the U.S. will answer any threat from the North with a massive military response  a response both effective and overwhelming. Earlier, U.S. President Donald Trump threatened to halt all trade with countries doing business with the North, a veiled warning to China, and faulted South Korea for its talk of appeasement.

The tough talk from Americas commander in chief and the retired Marine general he picked to oversee the Pentagon came as the Trump administration searched for a response to the escalating crisis. Kim Jong Uns regime on Sunday claimed perfect success in an underground test of what it called a hydrogen bomb. It was the Norths sixth nuclear test since 2006  the first since Trump took office in January  and involved a device potentially vastly more powerful than a nuclear bomb.

Trump, asked by a reporter during a trip to church services if he would attack the North, said: Well see. No U.S. military action appeared imminent, and the immediate focus appeared to be on ratcheting up economic penalties, which have had little effect thus far.

In South Korea, the nations military said it conducted a live-fire exercise simulating an attack on North Koreas nuclear test site to strongly warn Pyongyang over the latest nuclear test. Seouls Joint Chiefs of Staff said the drill involved F-15 fighter jets and the countrys land-based Hyunmoo ballistic missiles. The released live weapons accurately struck a target in the sea off the countrys eastern coast, the JCS said.

Read more:

North Korea calls its most powerful nuclear test yet a perfect success

North Korea claims it has loaded an H-bomb onto a ballistic missile

U.S. flies bombers, fighters in show of force against North Korea

The U.N. Security Council scheduled an emergency meeting at the request of the U.S., Japan, France, Britain and South Korea. It would be the Security Councils second urgent session in under a week on the Norths weapons tests, which have continued in the face of a series of sanctions.

Members of Congress expressed alarm at the Norths test and emphasized strengthening U.S. missile defences. Leaders in Russia, China and Europe issued condemnations.

In briefs remarks after a White House meeting with Trump and other national security officials, Mattis told reporters that America does not seek the total annihilation of the North, but then added sombrely, We have many options to do so. The administration has emphasized its pursuit of diplomatic solutions, knowing the potentially horrific costs of war with the North. But the decision to have Mattis deliver a public statement seemed to suggest an escalating crisis.

Mattis also said the international community is unified in demanding the denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula and that Kim should know that Washingtons commitment to Japan and South Korea is unshakable.

The precise strength of the underground nuclear explosion had yet to be determined. South Koreas weather agency said the artificial earthquake caused by the explosion was five times to six times stronger than tremors generated by the Norths previous five tests.

North Koreas state-run television broadcast a special bulletin to announce the test, and said Kim attended a meeting of the ruling partys presidium and signed the go-ahead order. Earlier, the partys newspaper published photos of Kim examining what it said was a nuclear warhead being fitted onto an intercontinental ballistic missile.

Sundays detonation builds on recent North Korean advances that include test launches in July of two ICBMs that are believed to be capable of reaching the mainland U.S. The North says its missile development is part of a defensive effort to build a viable nuclear deterrent that can target U.S. cities.

The Arms Control Association said the explosion appeared to produce a yield in excess of 100 kilotons of TNT equivalent, which it said strongly suggests the North tested a high-yield but compact nuclear weapon that could be launched on a missile of intermediate or intercontinental range.

Hans Kristensen, a nuclear weapons expert at the Federation of American Scientists, said the North probably will need to do more tests before achieving a functioning hydrogen bomb design.

Beyond the science of the blast, North Koreas accelerating push to field a nuclear weapon that can target all of the United States is creating political complications for the U.S. as it seeks to balance resolve with reassurance to allies that Washington will uphold its decades-long commitment to deter nuclear attack on South Korea and Japan.

That is why some questioned Trumps jab Sunday at South Korea. He tweeted that Seoul is finding that its talk of appeasement will not work. The North Koreans, he added, only understand one thing, implying military force might be required. The U.S. has about 28,000 troops stationed in South Korea and is obliged by treaty to defend it in the event of war.

Patrick Cronin, an Asia expert with the Center for a New American Security, said Trumps comment on South Korea was probably intended to stiffen the spine of an ally. He said he agreed with the intention.

I think Washington is very serious about showing some unexpected resolve, he said. We need our ally and we need to remain ironclad. But at the same time, we cant afford South Korea to go weak in facing down this growing danger.

Trump also suggested putting more pressure on China, the Norths patron for many decades and a vital U.S. trading partner, in hopes of persuading Beijing to exert more effective leverage on its neighbour. Trump tweeted that the U.S. is considering stopping all trade with any country doing business with North Korea. Such a halt would be radical. The U.S. imports about $40 billion (U.S.) in goods a month from China, North Koreas main commercial partner.

Secretary of State Rex Tillerson was calling counterparts in Asia.

Its unclear what kind of sanctions might make a difference. Lassina Zerbo, head of the U.N. test ban treaty organization, said sanctions already imposed against North Korea arent working.

Chinas official Xinhua News Agency said President Xi Jinping and Russian leader Vladimir Putin, meeting on the sidelines of a Beijing-led economic summit, agreed to adhere to the goal of the denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula, have close communication and co-ordination and properly respond to the test.

Experts have questioned whether the North has gone too far down the nuclear road to continue pushing for a denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula, an Obama administration policy goal still embraced by Trumps White House.

Denuclearization is not a viable U.S. policy goal, said Richard Fontaine, president of the Center for a New American Security, but neither should the U.S. accept North Korea as a nuclear power. We should keep denuclearization as a long-term aspiration, but recognize privately that its unachievable anytime soon.

Trump warned last month that the U.S. military was locked and loaded, should North Korea act unwisely and that the U.S. would unleash fire and fury on the North if it continued to threaten America. The bellicose words followed threats from North Korea to launch ballistic missiles toward the U.S. Pacific territory of Guam, intending to create enveloping fire near the military hub thats home to U.S. bombers and other aircraft.

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North Korean state media said this weeks missile launch over Japan was just practice for an attack on Guam, ratcheting up a lunatics taunting of the global village with manic brinkmanship.

Kim Jong Uns game of Korean roulette makes responses like trade sanctions or joint naval exercises seem like kindergarten fare. As the world sputters in fury, North Korea  supported by China  keeps perfecting a nuclear capacity that exists to threaten peace.

The time for boilerplate statements by Canada  expressing regret, urging restraint on all sides  has passed. The next border a Korean missile crosses is likely ours. North Koreas relentless flouting of international law demands a more serious, co-ordinated response by the international community, including Canada. Increasingly, the only resolution is to reunify the Korean peninsula through UN action, and use South Koreas considerable resources to reconstruct the North.

The biggest factor blocking Korean unification is China. It is increasingly clear that Beijings enabling of the appalling North Korean regime, through transfer of critical technology, food and energy aid, is part of Chinas larger plan for East Asia. The endgame is for North Korea to engender an implacable crisis that China can exploit to negotiate the withdrawal of U.S. forces from Japan and South Korea, as part of a grand bargain to resolve Pyongyangs nuclear threat. This paves the way for China to retake Taiwan and to bring all of East and Southeast Asia into its economic and strategic orbit.

But this Chinese power gambit has too much potential for geopolitical calamity for us to stand idly by and watch it play out unanswered.

So where does Canada stand? Ottawa is so focused on riches from Canada-China free trade that we have given tacit consent to Chinas illegal regional expansion. This despite our faint lip-service support to a ruling by the Permanent Court of Arbitration in The Hague, that Chinas building of military bases on reefs and outcrops in the South China Sea is a violation of international law.

Canada could show some moral spine and join the United States and other countries in freedom-of-navigation naval exercises through the disputed waters. But Ottawa is afraid China would make an example of Canada over this, possibly reimposing restrictions on Canadas billion-dollar export of canola seeds into China. The free-trade negotiations would be suspended, as would high-level official visits with panda bear photo ops and huge business contracts. And thats just for starters.

After the missile launch, Canadian Foreign Affairs Minister Chrystia Freelands delayed statement 24 hours later ends on our usual whimper: We call on North Korea to cease these provocations, comply with its obligations and immediately and verifiably abandon its ballistic missile program. Canada supports international measures that encourage North Korea to abandon its nuclear and ballistic missile programs and resume dialogue toward a political solution.

If Canada is serious about playing a meaningful role in international relations, it is time for us to join with our allies and form an action plan for North Korea that has more credibility than Donald Trumps fire and fury rhetoric. The inescapable fact is that the Kim dictatorship in North Korea has to be brought to an end, and more China-mediated years of polite dialogue will not bring this about. The South Koreans must become more focused on the endgame of reunification  now, not later  and accept that the end of the Kim dynasty in North Korea will come at considerable cost to South Korea as a consequence.

The demise of the China client regime in the North can no longer be deferred, meaningful measures must be taken to minimize loss of civilian life before a horror unfolds, and Canada must reverse its position not to co-operate with the U.S. in North American missile defence. Ottawa implementing severe measures to ban Canadian business from collaborating with Chinese state banks or trading companies that support North Korea through violation of UN sanctions would also be an important next step.

It is time for our government to state clearly that Canada condemns Chinas continued sly backing of its atrocious North Korean ally. China is obstructing the deeply held aspirations of Korean people to reunite their broken country, and rebuild a peaceful, prosperous and democratic nation on the Korean peninsula.

Sixty-seven years ago Canada made a military commitment to defend South Korea against North Korean and Chinese military aggression, at a loss of more than 500 Canadian lives. Whether Canada really is back in international diplomacy now, and is prepared to again stand firm against a much greater threat from North Korea backed by China today, remains to be seen.

Charles Burton is an associate professor of political science at Brock University in St. Catharines and is a former counsellor at the Canadian Embassy in Beijing.

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Shares of company Campbell Soup (CPB) - Get Free Report were lower in midday trading on Friday following a bearish call from Morgan Stanley, who cut its price target on the food company's stock to $47 per share, from $52.

The firm's call comes after the company missed fourth-quarter profit and revenue expectations.

"The quarter was perhaps most noteworthy for CPB's unexpected announcement that it had been able to reach agreement on its soup season promotional calendar with a large customer," Morgan Stanley analyst Matthew Grainger noted.

Grainger, who maintained his "Underweight" rating on the stock, contends its full-year 2018 guidance is weaker-than-expected as the company boosts reinvestments and cost savings.

"With the retailer environment growing more challenging and cost savings moderating, we see little reason to expect these trends to materially improve going forward, and continue to believe the company will struggle to deliver material earnings and FCF growth going forward," Grainger added.

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Gasoline prices continue to rise in the aftermath of Hurricane Harvey, reaching $2.59 per gallon as of the morning of Saturday, Sept. 2.

The price is up 16.7% since last year, according to the American Automobile Association, as Reuters reported. Between Friday and Saturday alone, the price rose 3% and already exceeds industry forecasts before the flooding took hold last week.

The national average could hit $2.79 a gallon in the upcoming week, according to oil price analysts Patrick DeHaan of GasBuddy and Tom Kloza of the Oil Price Information Service. In Dallas, some drivers are paying as high as $3.97 per gallon.

Prices jumped 10 cents in the past 24 hours in parts of Texas, Ohio, Georgia and the Mid-Atlantic states, according to the AAA. Analysts say Eastern U.S.even as north as New Yorkcould see long lines next week because of closed pipelines.

Exports could be contributing to the higher prices as some gas from the Northeast is being diverted to Florida.

Since the hurricane hit, the temporarily shuttered oil refineries--including the largest plant in the U.S., Motiva's facility in Port Arthur, Texas--will amount to losses of 4.4 million barrels per day of crude.

Gas stations and suppliers alike told Reuters they are working with a limited supply, but some pipelines have resumed operations, including Magellan Midstream Partners' BridgeTex and Longhorn crude oil pipelines. Stalled crude production is beginning to decline, with about 153,000 bpd still shut-in Friday, down from 324,000 bpd two days ago.

"There is enough gas out there," DeHaan told the Associated Press. "It's just a matter of getting it to the right places before motorists panic."

It's unclear when prices will return to normalcy, depending on how quickly the refineries recover and return to business.

In Texas, gas shortages have been primarily caused by panic buying, according to Texas Railroad Commissioner Ryan Sitton.



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RLI Corp., an insurance holding company, underwrites property and casualty insurance in the United States and internationally. Its Casualty segment provides commercial and personal coverage products; and general liability products, such as coverage for third-party liability of commercial insureds, including manufacturers, contractors, apartments, and mercantile. It also offers coverages for security guards and in the areas of onshore energy-related businesses and environmental liability for underground storage tanks, contractors and asbestos, and environmental remediation specialists; and professional liability coverages focuses on providing errors and omission coverage to small to medium-sized design, technical, computer, and miscellaneous professionals. This segment provides commercial automobile liability and physical damage insurance to local, intermediate and long haul truckers, public transportation entities, and other types of specialty commercial automobile risks; incidental and related insurance coverages; inland marine coverages; management liability coverages, such as directors and officers liability insurance, fiduciary liability and coverages, employment practice liability, and for various classes of risks, including public and private businesses; and healthcare liability and home business insurance products. The company's Property segment offers commercial property, cargo, hull, protection and indemnity, marine liability, inland marine, homeowners' and dwelling fire, and other property insurance products. Its Surety segment offers commercial surety bonds for medium to large-sized businesses; small bonds for businesses and individuals; and bonds for small to medium-sized contractors. The company also underwrites various reinsurance coverages. It markets its products through branch offices, brokers, carrier partners, and underwriting and independent agents. RLI Corp. was founded in 1965 and is headquartered in Peoria, Illinois.
Steelcase Inc. provides a portfolio of furniture and architectural products in the United States and internationally. It operates through Americas, EMEA, and Other segments. The company's furniture portfolio includes furniture systems, seating, storage, fixed and height-adjustable desks, benches, and tables, as well as complementary products, such as work accessories, lighting, and mobile power and screens. Its seating products comprise task chairs; seating for collaborative environments and casual settings; and specialty seating for specific vertical markets, including education and healthcare. The company's interior architectural products comprise full and partial height walls and architectural pods. It also provides textiles, wall coverings, and surface imaging solutions for architects and designers; and workplace strategy consulting, lease origination, and furniture and asset management services. The company markets and sells its products to corporate, government, healthcare, education, and retail customers under the Steelcase, Designtex, Coalesse, AMQ, Smith System, Orangebox, and Viccarbe brands. It distributes its products and services through a network of independent and company-owned dealers, as well as directly to end-use customers. The company was founded in 1912 and is headquartered in Grand Rapids, Michigan.
Prince Khalid bin Salman bin Abdulaziz, Ambassador of Saudi Arabia to the US, met with executives of Lockheed Martin's Missiles and Fire Control (MFC) in Texas to discuss priorities between the Kingdom and Lockheed Martin.



"Our relationship with Lockheed Martin extends more than 50 years and they are an important partner in supporting Saudi Arabia's technological development," said Prince Khalid. "The presence of US defence companies in Saudi Arabia is fundamental to the establishment of a localized defence industry within the Kingdom and we are grateful for their support in building a secure and economically diverse Saudi Arabia."



The Saudi Vision 2030 plan directs efforts to bring defence development and manufacturing to the Kingdom as part of a broader goal of moving the nation's economy beyond oil. In May 2017, Lockheed Martin and the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia announced programs that when fully realized will support thousands of highly skilled jobs in the US and Saudi Arabia and help the Saudi government's objective of building its domestic technology capabilities and skilled workforce.



"Lockheed Martin is honoured to host Prince Khalid in Dallas during his first official tour of the United States," said Rick Edwards, executive vice president, Lockheed Martin Missiles and Fire Control. "His visit provided a key opportunity to reaffirm Lockheed Martin's strategic partnership with the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia as well as our commitment to Vision 2030, following the historic agreements announced back in May. We discussed a wide range of capabilities and how to enhance our relationship in a number of key areas going forward."



Prince Khalid also received an overview of Lockheed Martin's activities in the Kingdom and a tour while at the facility.



Prince Khalid's visit to Lockheed Martin in Texas is part of his first US tour as Ambassador. He has also visited Nevada's Nellis Air Force Base, San Francisco and Dallas, and will visit Los Angeles and St. Louis. - TradeArabia News Service
The seemingly endless parade of cool recycled pallet projects makes these near-ubiquitous items look like an irresistible resource -- but beware, not all pallets are created equal. The safety factor of your pallet depends on which country it is from and which procedures have been used on them to make them suitable for international shipping.

Canadian pallets are the safest

Apparently, pallets from Canada are the safest, since most of them are only pressure- and heat-treated (marked with "HT"), as opposed to being fumigated with the neurotoxin and carcinogen methyl bromide (marked with "MB"), to kill off invasive species like pine beetles. Writing for the Media Co-op is permaculturalist Jenstotland, who provides some very helpful details on methyl bromide:

Methyl bromide has the potential to 'gas off' as elemental bromine, after which it acts as a serious ozone depleter. I'm not sure if methyl bormide or its products enter food, compost or soil but exposure to it is dangerous and the effects are cumulative. During the Montreal Protocol talks, in which substances causing ozone depletion were banned, methyl bromide got an exemption when the pallet industry argued that it was necessary to their trade and to prevent the spread of harmful species. All except Canada, who still doesn't treat their pallets with anything except pressure and high temperatures.

Repallet gives further details on Canadian pallets:

The best way to find a safe pallet for your home project is to look for this stamp on your pallet. This is the accredited heat treatment stamp for regulated wood packaging in Canada regulated by the CWPCA (Canadian Wood Pallet and Container Organization). The CWPCA represent over 85% of the manufactured pallets and wood packaging in Canada.



Decoding the stamp

Instructables author minnecrapolis notes that newer American pallets also may be suitable to re-purpose:

More companies are starting to build one-time-use pallets or using heat treatment rather than Methyl Bromide fumigation.

Pallets now require an IPPC logo which certifies that the pallet was heat-treated or fumigated with Methyl Bromide.

The standard is a 2 letter country code (xx), a unique number (000) assigned by the National Plant Protection Organization (NPPO), HT for Heat Treatment or MB for Methyl Bromide, and DB to signify debarked.

The logo in the first image shows that it was produced in the U.S., the material was provided by 11187 (Unique number assigned to the producer), it was heat treated (HT) and was verified by PRL (Package Research Laboratory).

Warning In addition to avoiding pallets that have been fumigated with methyl bromide, don't use any pallet that seems to have had something spilled on it. Do not burn treated lumber in a fireplace.

More over at Repallet, The Media Co-op and Instructables.
I am planning a trip to Huatulco for next April. In checking on what flights are available out of Chicago I found that Volaris is the only airline that offers nonstop roundtrip flights. I know Apple Vacations uses Volaris for their charters to Huatulco. I have never flown on Volaris so I checked the reviews on TA, Yelp and other sites and they are pretty bad so I am very skeptical about flying with Volaris. The fare for two people roundtrip is $832 before any extras. Same flight through Apple is $1218. Depart at 7am- 11:42am Return 12:48-5:30pm

Then I checked Interjet and they have 1 stop flights for $830 again before any extras. Their reviews are good. Downside is departure is at 12:40 am with a 4 hour layover in Mexico City but you get to Huatulco at 10 am. Return flight only has a 2 hour layover in Mexico city.

United has 1 stop flights with layovers in Houston. $1068 before extras. Depart 8am-2:35pm Return 3:25pm-12:10am with a 3 hour layover.

So my question is, especially to you seasoned travelers out there, should I take a chance on Volaris with the poor reviews but nonstop flights or go with Interjet or United that have better review but inconvenient flights?
Josephine,

This is a public forum. You should not give out your email address, you will be inundated with spam. Report your original post and have it removed.

Never give out personal information on the internet like this.

Use skyscanner or google flights to search for air fares for your dates but book direct with the airline. If you're not sure what you're doing, maybe call Trailfinders or visit one of their many branches for help.
Hi everyone,

my wife and I (both ~30) are planning to do a safari trip to either Tanzania or Kenya in October this year.

While we have traveled much of the world, Africa is still uncharted territory for us, so I have very little clue about where to go. From talks to friends and what I read on the internet, I assume Kenya and Tanzania would both be great countries to visit and put in a week of Safari as well.

Now my question would be, if you can help me nudge one way or the other - and if so, if there are certain parks, trips, safaris that you would recommend?

Anything is much appreciated,

Thanks,

Mike
Hi all,

I am planning a trip to Hanoi in mid September. That is my first trip to South Asia. I have read a lot about many places but cannot decide what should I see a a definite destination.

I would love to see Halong Bay and stay over night. or even 2 days.

I like active holidays- kayaking etc.

I would love to see and stay some time in rice terraces/ local agriculture

I would love to meet local people and visit their town markets

I love caves and religious temples and beaches

I`m not sure which tour agencies are the safest and not very expensive.

Could you please suggest me some places, so I can truly say in the end that I saw essence of Northern Vietnam

thank you very much
Hi all,

I'm in the early stages of planning our family trip to Vietnam for August next year. We will probably only have 13/14 nights. I'm wondering if it's worth spending a few of those days at Phong Nha NP? We've recently returned from a trip to Borneo which included 4 nights at Mulu NP, which we all loved, though the youngest (8 years old) was getting a bit bored of the caves towards the end.

I guess my concern is that Mulu and Phong Nha may be very similar and that perhaps I should send what short time we have in Vietnam somewhere else?
I am planning my 2nd trip to Japan and flying in and out of Haneda. I plan on purchasing a 21 day JR pass but cover will be short by 6 days. Question is should I fly straight to Osaka/Kyoto and start my JR pass after 6 days or should I activate my pass straight away and have my 6 days in Tokyo without JR pass. Flight cost Y10,800 to Osaka not sure of cost for 6 days travelling around Tokyo using Suica card. Plan on going to Kamakura on one of those days. I am thinking probably not much difference between domestic flight and cost of travel in Tokyo.

Fly in Haneda 5.15am

6 Nights Kyoto

3 Nights Hiroshima

2 Nights Okayama

2 Nights Nagoya

3 Nights Takayama

4 Nights Kanazawa

6 Nights Tokyo

1 Day Tokyo fly out Haneda 10pm

Thanks in advance

ps

reason I am not flying into Osaka and out of Tokyo is I do not have enough FF points to do that.

LCC seem only to leave from Narita

reason for Kyoto first is to see festival
My wife and I will arrive in Haneda Airport, Tokyo, Japan 15 January and be staying 4 nights in Tokyo and 5 nights in Kyoto leaving on 24 January in the evening. We will have to catch a train into Tokyo upon arrival, travel around Tokyo for the 3 days, bullet train to Kyoto, travel around Kyoto for a couple of days (will take 2 day trips to Hiroshima and Nara) and then bullet train back to Tokyo and train on to Narita on last day. Rather confused on all the train alternatives on a daily basis and shinkansen. Ideas and suggestions would be greatly appreciated.
I'm happy to admit I may be being overly cautious but do you think it is safe to travel to Japan at the moment with the situation with North Korea? We've booked our first o/s family trip for the start of October but I have increasing concern of getting caught up in what is going on.

I'd love some opinions from travellers a lot more clued up than myself.

I am keeping an eye on Smart Traveller, my governments travel website, an I do anything else? The closer I leave it the more out of pocket I'll become.

Thank you in advance for any guidance you may provide.
It was only a coincidence that a representative from the Army Corps of Engineers was in Flagstaff to update citizens on Rio de Flag flood control plans just as Hurricane Harvey was getting ready to flood Houston.

The Army Corps link, however, was about the only thing the two cities have in common. As others have reported, Houston is a city literally out of control  there is no zoning, and limits on building in a floodplain are routinely flouted. Concrete that covers the once-spongelike Texas coastal prairie means floodwaters have nowhere to go but into neighborhoods when reservoirs overflow. And there are no post-disaster building codes to require owners of damaged property to build any differently the second time around. Laissez-faire development has undermined any ability to plan for effective flood control, much less fund it locally.

In Flagstaff, the long-delayed Rio de Flag project has gone from a concrete culvert by the Corps to a citizen-designed buried tunnel beneath a wider, natural streambed. As we report today in our front-page story, the idea is that if a severe flood overwhelms the tunnel, there will be room in the wider channel above to absorb some of the runoff before it reaches Southside and NAU, which are in a floodplain.

The tradeoff with a wider, natural channel is that some homes will need to be removed. But the city has already designated funds for that task and the Corps is ready to pick up the lions share of the remaining costs of the $106 million project  the city will wind up paying about $30 million in all. The major unanswered question is when, after Harvey, will there be funds in the Corps budget for Flagstaff?

COLLECTIVE INTELLIGENCE

What is clear, however, is that once again Flagstaff has shown that instead of just attacking a federal program and its bureaucrats as unresponsive, it has produced an innovative, yet practical alternative. Whether it is traffic congestion on snowplay holidays, state school underfunding of STEM, downtown parking, a new Veterans Home, plastic bag waste, high-tech startups or watershed protection, the response has been to cool the partisan rhetoric, roll up the sleeves, and work on a solution.

Cities are not called the laboratories of democracy for nothing, in part because the ethos is that the collective intelligence of civic and business leaders, elected officials and grassroots citizen groups is better than any single individual or political party. That is particularly true in Flagstaff, a college town, where the university is by definition a collective enterprise far greater than any of its individual faculty, departments or colleges. (More below on how it might improve on that mission.)

The state and national political scene, however, is nearly a mirror opposite, with ideologues underwriting self-serving campaigns that are often single-issue (No new taxes) or mired in populist resentment that is untethered to practical prescriptions for constructive change. The Republicans in Congress and the Trump White House have learned this lesson the hard way since the 2016 election as a series of campaign attacks on Obama-era health care insurance, immigration policies, trade agreements, consumer protection have proved resistant to governing by sound bite. Now they want to pass tax reform and a new infrastructure program while the president wants to hold the operation of the entire U.S. government hostage to funding a border wall that he said last year the Mexicans would pay for. Business leaders are deserting the president in droves for his failure to unequivocally condemn the white nationalists at Charlottesville, but its not clear how well either Republicans or Democrats understand and can respond to the still-strong support for the president among his primary election backers.

PARTISAN INTRANSIGENCE

That calcification at the national level of ideology-driven polarization might not be a concern at the local level, except that Flagstaff and other Arizona cities are confronted with much the same partisan intransigence at the state level. The governor talks about creating a world-class education system but then raids the state land trust for stop-gap school funding instead of backing new taxes. Now, as Capitol Media Services reports today, the chairman of his own blue ribbon commission on state school finance says all the fine-tuning of funding formulas in the world wont accomplish much without at least a penny increase in the state sales tax dedicated to education, enough to raise $1 billion. And even then, because Arizona is nearly dead last in state funding, it wont do much to significantly raise salaries and stop the hemorrhaging of first- and second-year teachers.

Further, the Republicans at the Capitol are channeling their primary voters resentments over urban elites into a home rule pre-emption drive that doesnt do much to incubate new jobs, improve schools or build much of anything except new prisons and Phoenix-area freeways. The state already bars cities from including affordable housing in new development and essentially freezes all zoning in time  no matter how much it is out of alignment with new growth and traffic patterns. Now it has lifted all local restrictions on short-term, Airbnb-style rentals, a particular problem in Flagstaff with its already high prices and housing inventory shortage. Speculators and owners of vacation homes might like this new perk, but how does it help house the local workforce affordably?

UNIVERSITIES IN SQUEEZE

State universities, including NAU, are caught in a squeeze as state leaders call for more graduates without funding the growth  or the impact on host communities. Our sense, at least with NAU, is that it can fulfill its mission of openness to debate, commitment to critical inquiry and respect for argument by supporting diversity and inclusion on campus, then spreading the fruits of that mission by partnering with community groups and civic institutions to develop relevant policies and programs. Sustainable neighborhood and municipal growth is just one possible focus, and, at least in Flagstaff, it probably cant be put off much longer. As weve seen at the national level, populist resentment can lead to policy chaos, and thats not a future we want for our Mountain Town.
Hello there!

I know you have seen similar questions many times, but first time in my life I am so confused... about transportation tickets...

So my friend and I will be visiting Tokyo for 11 days in December (arrival day: 5th of December, departure day: 15th of December).

The plan is the following:

5, Dec: from Narita Airport to Tokyo

6, Dec: Tokyo

7, Dec: Tokyo

8, Dec: Tokyo

9, Dec: Tokyo

10 Sunday, Dec: from Tokyo to Kyoto

11, Dec: Kyoto

12, Dec: day trip to Osaka

13, Dec: Kyoto or/and visit Osaka again

14, Dec: from Kyoto to Tokyo

15, Dec: from Tokyo to Narita Airport

keep in mind that we want to get around in Tokyo every day. Which way is the best? Subway or something else?

Therefore, for our plan should we go for Jail Rail pass or Japanican?

Are the weekly passes (japanican or/and jail rail pass) include route from Tokyo to Narita Airport?

Finally, any ideas for how to get to Tokyo from Narita at our arrival would be much appreciated.

Thank you all in advance!

Edited: 5 years ago
How do I get from the airport (JFK, LGA, or EWR) to Manhattan?

What To Do During Layovers?

Vacation Apartment Rentals Violate NYC Laws

Hotels: Kitchenettes and kitchens in 100+ Manhattan Hotels

Hotels: Two queen beds plus a kitchen/kitchenette

Hotels: Guests under 21 years old (but at least 18)

Hotels: Which ones charge an additional Resort or Facilities Fee

Hotels: When is the best time to go for cheaper rates?

What are the Must-See's and Must-Do's?

How Do I Ride the Subway (UPDATED)?

Tips, Hint and Suggestions for First Timers

SCAMS to avoid in NYC

What Will the Weather Be Like During My Trip?

Any Good Websites for Researching My Trip?

How Safe is New York?

Where to Eat in NYC

Where to eat in NYC - Part 2

Celiac in the City? (gluten free)

Which Area Should I Stay In?

Is There Cheaper Lodging Outside Manhattan?

How Much Do I Tip People?

Are the New York Pass, Explorer Pass or CityPass worth it?

How Do I Hail a Taxi?

Public restrooms/toilets. Where do you go when you GOTTA GO?

Where are the best areas for shopping?

How do I find Discount Tickets for Broadway Shows?

What are the NYC Halloween events for 2021?

Thanksgiving 2021 in NYC: What to Do & Where to Eat

Christmastime in NYC 2021: Dates for the Trees-Windows-Markets-Ice Skating+MORE!

Christmas Day 2021 in NYC: What to Do & Where to Eat

What Should I Do on New Year's Eve?

How Will I Survive the Cold Weather?

Where are the Farmers Markets and Street Fairs?

What is there to see and do near WTC/SOL/Brooklyn Bridge/SI ferry?

What should I know about visiting the 9/11 Memorial and Museum?

What Is There to See and Do in Brooklyn?

How Do I Get to the Brooklyn Bridge?

What Is There to See and Do in Queens?

Exploring neighborhoods - where should I go and what should I see?

Which is the best? ESB or TOTR or OWO?

Which are the significant churches in Manhattan?

Hidden Gems in the city - not so touristy

How do I get from NYC to the Meadowlands and back?

I'm Getting Married in NYC...what do I need to do?

Should I Buy Knock-Off Purses?

What to Do with Kids and How to Do It?

What should we do at night -- especially with kids or under 21's?

Places to eat (and drink) with a view

Where is the Old FAQ?

Trip Reports: Families with Young Kids - Add yours!

Trip Reports: Groups of Friends - Add yours!

Trip Reports: Couples - Add yours!

Trip Reports: Families with Teenagers - Add yours!

Trip Reports: Solo Travelers - Add yours!

Trip Reports: Families of Adults - Add yours!
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- Two police officers have been killed at the St Pauls ACK Church in Ukunda, Kwale County after gunmen stormed the church

- One officer died at the scene while the second one succumbed to injuries while receiving treatment at the Balm Beach Hospital in Diani

- The attackers also snatches two guns; an AK47's and a G3 that belonged to the two officers

Unknown gunmen have attacked a church in Kwale and killed two police officers who were standing guard.

READ ALSO: There will be no 'nusu mkate' govt for you-William Ruto blasts Raila

One of the officers was killed on the spot while the other one succumbed to injuries while receiving treatment in Diani.

The gunmen who are still at large managed to snatch two rifles from the officers; an AK47 and a G3 rifle belonging to the slain officers.

Witnesses say that the gunmen were riding on a motorbike before confronting the police officers at the gate of the St Pauls ACK Church in Ukunda, Kwale County.

READ ALSO: The stage is now set for Raila to take power through the backdoor-Mutahi Ngunyi

Yet another witness told the Standard that the attackers were most likely returnee al-Shabaab millitia from Somalia.

Church service was ongoing at the time of the attack with some worshippers sustaining injuries while scampering for safety.

Police are following a crucial lead in pursuing the assailants.

READ ALSO: NASA kicks off campaigns following the Supreme Court win and TUKO.co.ke has all the details

Incidences of attack in the coastal region have increased sporadically even with the call to the government to beef up security in the region.

Watch the video below:

Have anything to add to this article? Talk to us on news@tuko.co.ke

Source: TUKO.co.ke
Vasyl Hrytsak, the chief of the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) believes that Ukrainian MPs, politicians and public figures should be held criminally liable for visits to the Russian Federation.

Hrytsak said this to journalists on Saturday, commenting on the introduction of biometric control for foreigners starting from 2018.

"This will definitively help us in our work. I support the initiative of the President. I would even introduce a legislative ban and criminal liability for MPs, politicians and public figures for their visits to the aggressor state," the SBU chief noted.

As a reminder, the decision of the National Security and Defense Council over entry into Ukraine, departure of foreigners and stateless persons from Ukraine, their compliance with the rules of stay in Ukrainian territory has entered into force.

The National Security and Defense Council instructed the Cabinet of Ministers with the participation of the Security Service to take within a month's time the comprehensive measures to tighten control over entry into Ukraine, the departure of foreigners from Ukraine, including citizens of the Russian Federation, and stateless persons, their compliance with the rules of stay in Ukraine.

The Government of Ukraine should also within two months work out a mechanism and phases of the introduction of preliminary electronic notification by foreigners and stateless persons about their plans to enter Ukraine; entry into Ukraine and departure from Ukraine by foreigners, including citizens of the Russian Federation, with the use of biometric passports.

ol
Cambodian opposition leader Kem Sokha was arrested early Sunday on an espionage charge, accused of conspiring with a foreign power to harm the country, according to a government statement.

Kem Sokhas daughter, Kem Monovithya, tweeted: Kem Sokha and all bodyguards are taken away by 100-200 police without warrant after they raided his home. We dont know where they take him.

The Cambodian government statement said Kem Sokha, the leader of the Cambodia National Rescue Party, had been charged with espionage under Article 443 of Cambodias criminal code.

The Royal Government would like to inform the public that according to a video clip broadcasted by the Cambodian Broadcasting Network, based in Australia, and other evidences collected by the competent authority, it clearly proves the conspiracy between Kem Sokha and the accomplices with foreign power, which harms the Kingdom of Cambodia, the statement read.

ASEAN Parliamentarians for Human Rights (APHR) Chair Charles Santiago, a member of Malaysian Parliament, called for Sokhas immediate and unconditional release.

He said in a statement that Sokhas arrest was a blatant violation of parliamentary immunity protection under the Cambodian constitution and an affront to the rule of law.

Santiago said that Sokhas arrest took the ongoing crackdown of the opposition by Cambodian ruling party to an alarming new level.

The espionage charge against Sokha carries a jail term of 15 to 30 years. The statement said Kem Sokha was arrested in flagrante delicto, which means caught in the act, and allows for a lawmakers parliamentary immunity to be lifted.

Conspiracy theory

His arrest follows the script of a conspiracy narrative the pro-government website Fresh News has written recently without citing supporting evidence, in which the CIA, the U.S. Embassy, nongovernmental organizations, journalists, a Taiwanese extremist group and the opposition leaders family are all accused of plotting a color revolution.

The term color revolution refers to pro-democracy movements that have swept through states in the former Soviet Union, the Balkans and the Middle East to nonviolently overthrow autocratic regimes.

Free-speech crackdown

At the same time, the Cambodian government has launched a sweeping crackdown on free speech, shutting down more than a dozen radio stations, an independent newspaper and the National Democratic Institute, a U.S.-government-funded NGO.

The tougher approach by the Cambodian government led by Prime Minister Hun Sen comes against a backdrop of growing opposition support, especially among younger voters.

Hun Manith, one of Hun Sens sons, tweeted that Kem Sokha had confessed to having long-term plans with the United States.

Thank to him [sic], we now know who was (is) the Third Hand  , he tweeted.

David Josar, deputy spokesman of the U.S. Embassy in Phnom Penh, told The Phnom Penh Post earlier this week that such claims against the U.S. government were categorically false and intended to draw attention away from the recent deterioration in Cambodias political climate.

'Tearing up the rules'

The Cambodian government was almost toppled in the last national election in 2013 and is fighting for re-election in mid-2018.

It has ruled for more than three decades under the leadership of former Khmer Rouge commander Hun Sen.

Analyst Sebastian Strangio, author of Hun Sens Cambodia, said the arrest came as a surprise and signaled a departure from the tactic of alternating repression and relaxation that the regime has typically employed.

They seem to be tearing up the rules by which Cambodias pseudodemocracy has run for the past 25 years, Strangio said. All bets are off right now, thats really the feeling Im getting.

Human rights

In a statement, John Sifton, Asia advocacy director at Human Rights Watch, called the arrest a disastrous setback for Cambodias human rights situation.

For 33 years, Hun Sen has used violence, threats, corruption and bogus legal charges to stay in power, and in the last year has been intensifying his attacks on civil society and the political opposition, the statement said.

Cambodias allies and donors should condemn this latest attack on democracy, and summon Cambodian ambassadors abroad to explain their governments actions, Siftons statement said. The international community, which provides a major percentage of the Cambodian governments annual budget, should put Hun Sen on notice that if he doesnt reverse course, it will be impossible to consider next years elections free and fair.

VOA has not yet been able to reach the Cambodian government, police or opposition for comment.

The U.S. Embassy in Phnom Penh and the U.S. State Department also have yet to reply to requests for comment.
The Cambodia National Rescue Party, the countrys main opposition, has dismissed claims of treason used as a pretext for the arrest of its president, Kem Sokha, early on Sunday morning.

Sokha was arrested at his home in Phnom Penh along with a number of close associates shortly after midnight and accused of conspiring with foreigners to destabilize Cambodia.

According to a government statement, Sokha was accused of treason based on a years-old video clip circulated online in which Sokha said he was encouraged to enter politics during a meeting with U.S. representatives.

The CNRP in a statement on Sunday called for Sokhas immediate release and condemned the arrest of a lawmaker in violation of his constitutional immunity.

The party said the arrest was politically motivated and an act of violating the law and constitutional law.

Mu Sochua, CNRP vice president, said the arrest could lead to serious political tension.

We are very disappointed with this arrest. This is a severe situation for our nation. We can see that the arrest of Kem Sokha was wrong legally and violated his rights as a lawmaker with parliamentary immunity, she said.

Gen. Khieu Sopheak, interior spokesman, dismissed the CNRPs comments, claiming the government had evidence to support their assertion that Sokha had committed treason and that Sokhas actions risked returning the country to civil war.

Sokha could face up to 30 years in prison if found guilty.

In a video clip released by the government purporting to show Sokha speaking to supporters in Australia some years ago, the CNRP president says he was told by U.S. representatives that in a democratic society change must come from below.

This is the political strategy for democratic countries, thats what they do. And America, which supports me, they told me to follow the model of Yugoslavia, Serbia, that overthrew the dictator [Slobodan] Milocevic, he is quoted as saying.

John Sifton, Asia advocacy director for Human Rights Watch, said in a statement on Sunday that Sokhas arrest was a disastrous setback for Cambodian rights.

The governments charge lacks credibility, given its long record of misusing its legal system to silence or intimidate critics and political opponents, he said.

Charles Santiago, a Malaysian lawmaker and chair of independent group Asean Parliamentarians for Human Rights, which includes members of the CNRP, said the arrest showed that Prime Minister Hun Sen was so afraid of what might happen in a genuine vote, he wont allow for competition at all.

Kem Sokhas arrest is a blatant violation of parliamentary immunity protections under the Cambodian constitution and an affront to the rule of law. He should be immediately and unconditionally released.
The two fighters, one an Arab sniper, the other his Kurdish commander, are each driven by a personal grudge against the Islamic State group. They are working side by side in an elite commando unit of the U.S.-backed forces fighting the militants in the Syrian city of Raqqa.

But they have vastly different visions of what happens once they succeed.

Abdullah, the Arab fighter, fears the militants' fall in Raqqa will only be the start of more turmoil. He worries it will unleash a wave of bloodshed among the area's Sunni Arab community as residents seek revenge on neighbors who joined the group.

For Erdal, the Kurd and the unit commander, the battle for Raqqa is a step toward realizing his people's dream of autonomy in the Kurdish heartland of northern Syria. Next, he and many other Kurds believe, will come a fight with their nemesis Turkey, which has sent troops into Syria in part to thwart Kurdish ambitions.

Another danger once IS falls is of a backlash among Raqqa's Sunni Arab population against the Kurds. Many in the community deeply resent Kurdish ambitions and see their hopes for self-rule as intended to break apart the country.

The two men's views reflect the differing priorities run through the alliance between Kurdish and Arab fighters in the Syrian Democratic Forces, which the United States forged together to wage the fight against the Islamic State group. The SDF has proven a startling success in bringing together Kurds and Arabs. The more experienced and organized Kurds dominate command and some units are purely Kurd or purely Arab, but most SDF units are mixed, with few signs among the fighters of the tensions plaguing their communities at large as Kurdish influence grows in northern Syria.

It is largely the hands-on U.S. support that ensures that cohesion, raising questions over what happens when the American role eventually pulls back. For Arab fighters, the force is a chance to get vital training, funds and experience from the Americans, working alongside U.S. special forces advisers on the front lines. U.S. officials say the SDF, estimated at 50,000 fighters, is 50 percent Arab, with new recruits coming from liberated areas in Raqqa province.

This week, IS released a grisly video warning Arabs not to join with the Kurds. "You will regret it," a bearded militant sitting by the banks of a river says, telling Arab tribes they will face "bitter revenge." The footage then shows militants beheading a captured Arab fighter.

The Kurds, meanwhile, see the alliance with the United States as essential to securing their hold across northern Syria "from the threat of an attack by Turkey or the Syrian regime," said Noah Bonsey, a Syria expert with the International Crisis Group. Moreover, the more they capture in eastern Syria the stronger their hand is in the future as all sides try to carve out zones of power in the country.

"If they don't want the confrontation [with Turkey], [Washington] has to find a solution," Erdal said on a recent afternoon only miles from the frontline in Raqqa.

Abdullah and Erdal spoke to The Associated Press between their unit's assaults into the city. Both fighters go by one name to protect their identities. Erdal's name is a nom de guerre, a common practice in the Kurdish People's Protection Units, known as the YPG, which form the backbone of the SDF.

"What comes after IS, only God knows," said Abdullah.

The Kurdish commander

At 23, Erdal is an experienced veteran of the Syrian Kurds' campaign to stake their claims. He has fought in the ranks of the YPG since he was 17 and took part in most of the major battles since, whether against Islamic State militants or against rival rebels in northern Syria.

In 2015, Erdal's uncle was kidnapped by IS after the militants accused him of trying to free women from enslavement. For months, he remained in their custody until they beheaded him earlier this year along with others in a public square in Raqqa.

Erdal's coming of age was in the 2016 battle with IS for northern town of Manbij. That grueling, 3-month-long fight is a milestone burned into the Kurdish fighters' consciousness. They lost hundreds of men before capturing the town, while learning key combat lessons. The fight cemented their place as the Americans' main partner on the ground, but it was also the Kurdish hold on Manbij that prompted Turkey to send troops into Syria to push the YPG back from its borders.

Erdal and his superiors look at the Raqqa battle through the lens of Manbij battle.

"Manbij was much harder," he said. With their ground shrinking inside Raqqa, the militants are less able to carry out their signature spectacular attacks using car bombs as they did in Raqqa, he said, speaking before heading off for a mission by the unit into the city.

"The next fight is with Turkey, 90 percent," said Erdal. He accuses Turkey of using the Islamic militants to its advantage at times, to curb the aspirations of Kurdish groups.

Ankara sees the YPG as an extension of Kurdish insurgent groups in Turkey and calls all of them terrorists. Fearing the Syrian Kurdish forces' newfound confidence, Turkey has picked a fight with them with skirmishes at Afrin, a town more than 200 kilometers (120 miles) away from Raqqa in northwest Syria.

That is where the next battle will be, many Kurds feel - putting the United States in a tough position between two allies. Confrontations have already flared in SDF-controlled Manbij where U.S. forces have deployed to ward off further tension.

"We can finish here and go support Afrin," said Erdal, who married earlier this year.

The Arab fighter

Abdullah gets along well with his Kurdish commander. He and Erdal joke in Arabic, while the Syrian Kurdish language Kurmanji is more commonly heard on the battlefield among the commanders. At his urging, Erdal joined a troop dance ahead of the battle, performing the Arabic version of a traditional dance. Abdullah, meanwhile, wears the same colorful, beaded scarf that Kurdish fighters often wear on the front lines.

Erdal praises Abdullah's prowess. During a recent thrust into Raqqa, Abdullah detected four IS militants trying to sneak up on the force and killed two of them.

Thin, sun-baked and constantly smoking, Abdullah came into Erdal's unit with valuable experience: During his required military service years ago, he was in the 4th Armored Division, one of the best trained and equipped units in Syria's military. Abdullah's brother had joined the YPG earlier and was killed in battle with IS, something Abdullah and his commanders recall with pride.

"We are going to Raqqa for a reason. Revenge against IS," Abdullah said.

In his hometown of Ain Issa, north of Raqqa city, he endured IS rule for three years.

In one instance, IS fighters beat him and forced him to beat his wife in public because she wasn't adhering to IS's strict dress code for women. It was a personal humiliation he said he can never forgive.

He also smuggled cigarettes into IS-run territory, prompting his arrest by the militants. Hemanaged to escape, but IS in Raqqa still has his personal ID card.

So now, he jokes, he's fighting to liberate Raqqa to get his card back.

But he said what comes after the Raqqa battle could be frightening: The city's residents know their tormentors and abusers from the Islamic State group personally since many were local Syrians - and will probably seek individual revenge. He said that after Raqqa falls, he and Arab fighters will "lay down our arms and stay at home. We want to avoid civil war."

The other potential danger is fallout over who will run Raqqa. Some Arabs are wary of any sign that the Kurds are trying to dominate the region.

"The first fight will be which flag to raise in Raqqa after it is liberated," said Ali al-Mattar, a 17-year-old Arab fighter in the same unit. He said the problem won't be the Arab foot soldiers like himself but Arab commanders in the SDF who feel marginalized by Kurdish leaders.

The U.S. is trying to avert frictions by creating a policing force made up of Raqqa residents called the Internal Security Forces. So far hundreds have graduated from American training, and plans are for some 4,000 members of the force to deploy in Raqqa.

Khaled Hendawi, a 23-year old Arab fighter with the SDF for more than a year, said Arabs in the ranks of the force don't seek leadership yet. "We need to learn organization first if we want to be elevated."

But that doesn't mean there isn't potential for strife.

"Anyone who starts by turning against the other side will be the biggest loser," he said.
Cambodian opposition leader Kem Sokha was arrested Sunday on an espionage charge, accused of conspiring with a foreign power to harm the country, according to a government statement.

Kem Sokha's daughter, Kem Monovithya, tweeted: Kem Sokha and all bodyguards are taken away by 100-200 police without warrant after they raided his home. We don't know where they take him.

The Cambodian government said Kem Sokha, leader of the Cambodia National Rescue Party, had been charged with espionage based on his comments in a video broadcast by the private Cambodian Broadcasting Network, based in Melbourne, Australia.

The video and other evidence collected by the competent authority, a government statement in Phnom Penh said, clearly proves a conspiracy between Kem Sokha and accomplices with foreign power, which harms the Kingdom of Cambodia."

ASEAN Parliamentarians for Human Rights called for Sokha's immediate and unconditional release.

Malaysian Parliament member Charles Santiago, chair of the APHR, said Sokha's arrest was a blatant violation of parliamentary immunity protection under the Cambodian constitution, and an affront to the rule of law.

Santiago said that Sokha's arrest meant that the Cambodian ruling party's crackdown against opposition was now at an alarming new level.

The espionage charge against Sokha carries a jail term of 15 to 30 years. The statement said he was arrested in flagrante delicto, meaning caught in the act, which allowed authorities to override his customary immunity as a member of parliament.

The arrest followed the script of a wild conspiracy narrative aired recently by the pro-government group known as Fresh News. Its website has claimed, without any supporting evidence, that the CIA, U.S. diplomats, nongovernmental organizations and journalists in Cambodia, a Taiwanese extremist group and the opposition leader's family all have been plotting a color revolution  a reference to pro-democracy movements' attempts to overthrow autocratic regimes in parts of the former Soviet Union, the Balkans and the Middle East.

Cambodia has been in the midst of a sweeping crackdown on free speech by the government, which has shut down more than a dozen radio stations, an independent newspaper and the National Democratic Institute, a U.S. government-funded NGO.

The latest came on Monday, when one of Cambodia's most stridently independent newspapers, The Cambodia Daily, published its last edition, under the headline Descent Into Outright Dictatorship. Authorities used an alleged $6.3 million overdue tax bill to force the newspaper to close its doors; the publishers deny they owed any back taxes.

The recent tough approach by Prime Minister Hun Sen's government followed growing support for the opposition, especially among younger voters.

Hun Manith, one of Hun Sen's sons, tweeted that Kem Sokha had confessed to having long-term plans with the United States.

Thank to him [sic], we now know who was (is) the Third Hand, he tweeted.

David Josar, deputy spokesman of the U.S. embassy in Phnom Penh, told The Phnom Penh Post earlier this week all such claims against the U.S. government were categorically false, and intended to draw attention away from the recent deterioration in Cambodia's political climate.

The Cambodian government was almost toppled in the last national election in 2013 and is fighting for re-election in a ballot set for mid-2018. Former Khmer Rouge commander Hun Sen has ruled Cambodia for more than three decades.

Analyst Sebastian Strangio, author of Hun Sen's Cambodia, said the surprising arrest of Kem Sokha signaled a departure from the regime's customary tactic of alternating repression and relaxation.

They seem to be tearing up the rules by which Cambodia's pseudo-democracy has run for the past 25 years, Strangio said. All bets are off right now. That's really the feeling I'm getting.

Human rights

John Sifton, Asia advocacy director at Human Rights Watch, called the arrest a disastrous setback for human rights in Cambodia.

For 33 years, Hun Sen has used violence, threats, corruption and bogus legal charges to stay in power, and in the last year has been intensifying his attacks on civil society and the political opposition, Sifton said in a statement.

Cambodia's allies and donors should condemn this latest attack on democracy, and summon Cambodian ambassadors abroad to explain their government's actions, Sifton added. The international community, which provides a major percentage of the Cambodian government's annual budget, should put Hun Sen on notice that if he doesn't reverse course, it will be impossible to consider next year's elections free and fair.
When two scions of the ruling Cambodian People's Party (CPP) elite wed in June, they posted a series of videos on YouTube and Facebook celebrating their union  and their wealth.

In The Love and Honor of Sokan and Leakhena, Sok Sokan, the son of the late Council of Ministers President Sok An, straps on his Patek Philippe watch before driving his Range Rover to the mansion of Sam Ang Leakhena, whose parents own Vattanac Capital.

The camera cuts away, then lingers over the couples diplomas, photographs of the two with their famous relatives, and pauses to allow an appreciation of Vattanacs balance sheet.

The video oeuvre of Sok Sokan and Sam Ang Leakhena is the digital adaptation of an ancient wedding ritual, hai comnuon, in which the grooms family marches to the brides house bearing the most expensive gifts they can afford.

Rich, well-connected

The videos showcasing the wealth, property and good fortune are igniting a fresh debate over the lifestyles of the rich and well-connected in a country where the per capita annual income hovers around $1,100.

Many of the wedding videos have been widely shared on social media. Mocked by some Cambodians, they are praised by others who said they admired the wealth on display and wished they could afford the same.

I know its my big day and all, but I think you need to see my business, my house and my political party, Cambodian blogger Catherine Harry wrote beneath the video of Sok Sokan and Sam Ang Leakhena.

Facebook user Lin Na, 32, said she admired the celebration and speculated that it was the couples good karma accumulated over the course of many previous lives that enabled them to stage such a spectacle.

Which might be part of the point of the weddings.

Sebastian Strangio, author of the book "Hun Sens Cambodia", said that the concept of bun, or merit, is an important aspect of Cambodian political culture and elaborate wedding videos serve a dual purpose  advertising the wealth of the elite families and their underlying merit.

Ostentatious displays of wealth are a very common way of people transmitting to others that they have reserves of merit built up from good deeds in past lives, Strangio said. I think these sorts of videos telegraph the fact that the individuals within them are meritorious and they deserve the wealth that they have, and because they are wealthy they have legitimacy.

Fighting back against criticism

When Sar Kheng, the interior minister, was criticized because his sons nuptials blocked traffic in central Phnom Penh, his Cabinet wrote to The Cambodia Daily, arguing that large weddings were the natural order of Cambodian society. Those who disagreed, the letter said, want Cambodia to become the next Syria.

But this strategy of portraying the elites power and affluence as an outgrowth of the natural order may have diminishing returns.

Discontent over the countrys vast disparities in wealth and the limited career and educational opportunities available to the poor has been rising recently. Many analysts point to this as a key factor in the growing popularity of the opposition Cambodia National Rescue Party over the past half-decade.

It will become an issue if a dawning class consciousness begins to produce a backlash against these ostentatious displays of wealth, Strangio said.

Sophal Ear, an associate professor of diplomacy and world affairs at Occidental College in Los Angeles, agreed that videos showing extravagances of the political elite could backfire.

Of course, if you have the money to burn and want to create a fantasy video that rubs peoples noses in it, you can, he said. But things can backfire when the perception is that there is something unjust that resulted in this outcome. Flaunting ill-gotten gains can rub people the wrong way.

The risk is particularly high because the CPPs own brand is explicitly incorporated into many wedding videos, which often show couples being blessed by Prime Minister Hun Sen, a onetime Khmer Rouge commander, or other high-ranking government officials.

The Love and Honor of Sokan and Leakhena shows Sok Sokan campaigning for the CPP in the June commune elections, while Sam Ang Leakhena works in her Vattanac Tower before the two come together in an embrace. Party logos appear frequently suggesting that this is a union of two of the CPPs leading families.

The point of all this is to solidify the relationships of the elites through interlocking marriages that will ensure the survival of the families of the elites, Ear said.

Families with connections

Yim Beauramey, the granddaughter of two deputy prime ministers, and Meas Sophearith, the son of General Meas Sophea, commander of the Royal Cambodia Army, produced a video depicting themselves as lovers in four historical eras: Longvek, Angkor, the Sangkum regime of Norodom Sihanouk, and what they dubbed the Decho Era, a reference to Hun Sen.

And when the children of tycoons Ly Yong Phat and Kok An tied the knot, one of the proud fathers broadcast the entire extravagant ceremony on his eponymous television channel, the Phat News Network.

Phay Siphan, a spokesman for the Council of Ministers, rejected any suggestion that the marriages of CPP elites were due to political or economic considerations.

For those Cambodians who feel alienated by the extravagant celebrations, he advanced a trickle-down theory of wedding economics.

In a free economy, when one party spends, another will gain, he said. In contrast, if rich people do not spend, it will affect the economy.

But Phay Siphan countered his own theory by saying the CPP weddings were based on love, pure and simple.

Love has no limits, he said. In Cambodian folktales, some people even fell in love with snakes and giants; therefore, love has no limits.
One evening in 1975, soon after the Khmer Rouge forces had taken control of Cambodia, some of the cadres came to Taing Kims village in Boribo district of Kampong Chhnang Province.

The cadres inspected each household, and Taing Kim and her husband, who had soldiered for the defeated Khmer Republic forces of General Lon Nol, were taken to a nearby rice field. Taing Kim, then 23 years old, realized a terrible fate awaited them.

Her husband of five years was bludgeoned to death in front of her. The cadres raped Taing Kim and then planned to kill her. Afterward, as soldiers murdered another villager, a Khmer Rouge cadre let her slip away.

Taing Kim, now 61, recalled the traumatic violence in a recent interview with VOA Cambodia and said she hid in a large village pond for three days before escaping.

I dream about those soldiers every night, she said. They chase me. I am really scared. They catch me and shoot. I feel a huge flame come over me until I wake and realize its just a dream.

Thousands of victims

Though she was lucky to survive the Khmer Rouges reign from April 1975 until January 1979, which left 1.7 million Cambodians dead, she is among the thousands of women who were victims of sexual violence. Many of them have had to suffer the effects of their trauma in silence and shame, because Cambodias conservative society offers little sympathy or understanding for rape victims.

Cambodian culture blames women who were victimized by criticizing them as if they provoked the crime, said Kasumi Nakagawa, a professor of gender studies at Pannasastra University in Phnom Penh. Therefore, any woman who is abused or assaulted commonly finds it extremely difficult to disclose the crime.

That attitude prevails, as shown in early August, when a Cambodian TV anchor on the Hang Meas television network appeared to blame female rape and murder victims for encouraging their attackers.

Speaking about Khmer Rouge-era rape

The Documentation Center of Cambodia (DC-Cam), a nongovernmental institute tasked with documenting the Khmer Rouge regime and educating the public about it, has recorded more than 190 rape survivors from the era.

Taing Kim came forward with her story in 2003, when she became one of the first women to speak publicly about her experience, which was also covered in a 2005 television documentary. In 2007, when the newly called U.N.-backed Extraordinary Chambers in the Courts of Cambodia (ECCC) was still determining its legal scope as a war crimes court, she filed a criminal complaint.

The tribunal later rejected her complaint largely on a technicality.

Khmer Rouge survivors have generally had little chance of finding justice against individual perpetrators, as the tribunals jurisdiction has been limited to only a handful of senior leaders and most responsible perpetrators who have been imprisoned.

Taing Kim said she felt disappointed with the court proceedings.

I have come to the court, however, I did not have a chance to give a testimony. Maybe they think my case is really common, she said. I am really tired of going to the court since my health is not well, and I have to spend a lot of money for transportation and food.

Many ordinary Khmer Rouge veterans also continue to live, unpunished, in the countryside, sometimes near their victims. Taing Kim said she knows many former cadres who live near her home in Kampong Chhnang Province.

Youk Chhang, DC-Cams executive director, said Taing Kims early public testimony paved the way for other victims to speak out and file a complaint with the U.N.-backed tribunal.

She inspires many women in Cambodia, those who suffered under the Khmer Rouge regime or later, to bring their burden stories to the world, he said, even though the culture of silence around rape and the lack of justice for victims meant double suffering.

Recent rape victims suffer, too

Taing Kims suffering became more acute when her second husband learned about the rape. Although married since the 1980s and the parents of three children, their union frayed as he and his family blamed her for the rape. Eventually, her husband divorced her, leaving her with the children.

Taing Kim turned to Buddhism and became a nun to seek to relief from the pain of her life. She continues to speak about her experience and this month she visited South Africa to present her story at the Johannesburg Holocaust and Genocide Foundation Center.

Nakagawa, the Pannasastra University professor, said Taing Kims experience in publicly discussing her experience laid bare the problems for rape survivors.

She showed to the Cambodian people, or to the world, that it is difficult for a (rape) survivor to openly seek justice, she said.

The fact that she decided to become a nun also demonstrated that she found that it is impossible to find peace of mind if she stays in a lay society, Nakagawa said. By becoming a nun, she gave up her choice to seek for justice, but rather stay safe and in peace in a religious world.

Justice elusive

Criminal justice and social acceptance often remain elusive for recent Cambodian rape victims as well.

Local human rights group Licadho studied 762 reported rape cases from 2012-2014 and found that a third of the victims avoided any pursuit of justice or compensation because of fear of social condemnation, and half of them settled out of court by accepting compensation money from the perpetrators.

DC-Cams Youk Chhang said it remains difficult and painful for Khmer Rouge rape victims and others who suffered under the regime to accept the courts proceedings.

The truth in the court is different from the truth in history, he said. There are many crimes that Khmer Rouge has done. The judge has to decide which one is the most serious, how beneficial it is (to prosecute), how long will it take, how much financially it will cost. The judge cannot prosecute all of the crimes.
Chinese President Xi Jinping on Sunday called for the world to reject protectionism even as American and European pressure mounts on Beijing to lower market barriers, speaking at the start of a Chinese-led summit of five large emerging economies now overshadowed by North Korea's sixth nuclear test.



Lamenting that "protectionism and an inward-looking mentality are on the rise," Xi said that "only openness delivers progress and only inclusiveness sustains such progress."



Xi was speaking to business representatives of the BRICS nations  Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa  a day before he opens a summit with the leaders of these major emerging markets in the southeastern Chinese city of Xiamen. This will be the ninth summit of the BRICS grouping, which came together about a decade ago to push for an alternative world order that wasn't dominated by Western nations.



Xi said the BRICS nations had led the way in increasing the say of emerging economies and developing countries.



"The law of the jungle where the strong prey on the weak and the zero-sum game are rejected," he told the audience, which included Brazilian President Michel Temer and South African President Jacob Zuma.



"We should not ignore problems arising from economic globalization or just complain about them," he said. Rather, BRICS nations should work together with other members of the international community to find solutions, he said.



China has long been accused of putting up unfair barriers to foreign companies. However, Xi has become a leader who speaks out in favor of globalization at a time when protectionist sentiments are on the rise in Western countries. In January, Xi became the first Chinese president to attend the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, where he cast his country as a champion of free trade in contrast to the protectionist rhetoric of U.S. President Donald Trump.



Yet, foreign companies complain Beijing is reducing access to its markets for electric cars, computer security technology and other promising fields, at the same time as Chinese companies have been on buying sprees abroad. Beijing also faces U.S. and European complaints it is exporting steel, aluminum, solar panels and other goods at improperly low prices, threatening thousands of jobs in other countries.



On Sunday, Xi said: "The Chinese government will continue to encourage Chinese companies to operate and take root in other countries and likewise we also warmly welcome foreign companies to invest and operate in China."



The summit is another chance for Xi to showcase his leadership of a country that wants to project itself as a central pillar of 21st-century global governance. But the event has been overshadowed by North Korea conducting its sixth nuclear test earlier Sunday, apparently its most powerful yet.



Though Xi did not address the North's nuclear test in his speech, China's foreign ministry strongly condemned the detonation and urged Pyongyang to "stop taking erroneous actions that deteriorate the situation."



A Chinese expert on North Korea with the Renmin University in Beijing said North Korea deliberately chose to conduct the test on Sunday in a bid to "damage the atmosphere" at the BRICS summit.



The latest test means "the Korean Peninsula situation will be at a stage of new crisis, that means the world must either recognize that [North Korea] possesses nuclear weapons or try to realize a nuclear-free peninsula," said Cheng Xiaohe, and assistant professor at Renmin University.



Cheng said North Korea has demonstrated through the test that it is not afraid of any pressure, which leaves other parties with few options.



"This issue may be resolved by force or by putting the greatest pressure, including economic pressure, on North Korea in the future. There are not many choices now," he said.
Amanda Spartz nearly did not renew her homes flood insurance policy after her first year in Florida. Two hurricanes came close to the Fort Lauderdale suburbs last year, but they didnt hit and her home isnt in a high-risk flood zone. She figured she could put the $450 annual premium, due next week, to another use.

Then Harvey hit Houston, its historic rains causing massive floods even in low-risk neighborhoods. Spartz, a business analyst, paid the bill this week.

Harvey a wake-up call

If Spartz had dropped her policy, she would not have been alone. Far fewer Americans compared with five years ago are paying for flood insurance in coastal areas of the United States where hurricanes, storms and tidal surges pose a serious threat, according to an Associated Press analysis of government data. The center for the problem is South Florida, where Spartz lives. The top U.S. official overseeing the National Flood Insurance Program told AP that he wants to double the number of Americans who buy flood insurance.

I was talking to my husband and I said that if something like Harvey happens here, I dont want to be on the hook, said Spartz, who relocated from Cincinnati. It isnt a lot of money to save yourself the heartache if it does happen.

Whats driving the drop in policies? Congress approved a price hike, making premiums more expensive, and maps of some high-risk areas were redrawn. Banks became lax at enforcing the requirement that any home with a federally insured mortgage in a high-risk area be covered. Memories of New Orleans underwater in 2005 after Hurricane Katrina have faded.

Without flood insurance, storm victims would have to draw on savings or go into debt, or perhaps be forced to sell.

Fewer policies in force

The number of policies in force today has fallen in 43 of the 50 states since 2012, dropping from almost 5.5 million to just less than 5 million, a decrease of 10 percent, APs analysis found. In low-lying Florida, where by far more flood insurance policies are sold than in any other state, the drop has been almost 16 percent. In only two states, Hawaii and South Carolina, are at least 50 percent of homes in flood hazard areas insured under the program.

APs analysis also showed the percentage of homes in high-risks areas that have flood insurance is sometimes frighteningly low. In Spartzs home of Broward County, its only 13 percent. In Houstons Harris County, its 28 percent. In New Orleans, its 46 percent.

Roy Wright, the director of the insurance program, which is administered by the Federal Emergency Management Agency, acknowledges that the decrease is alarming and says he hopes to double the number of policies in the near future. He also wants to persuade more communities to limit construction in high-risk flood zones. Congress is likely to reauthorize the insurance program before it expires Sept. 30.

Flood insurance debate

President Donald Trumps homeland security adviser, Tom Bossert, said he expects changes to the flood program to be debated on Capitol Hill later this fall, after the immediate Houston recovery is underway.

This administrations been pretty clear that wed like to see some responsible reforms to the National Flood Insurance Program, he said Thursday at the White House. I dont think nows the time to debate those things.

Last year, the program collected about $3.3 billion in premiums and paid out about $3.7 billion for losses. FEMA paid out $3.5 billion per year over the past 12 years, which included Katrina.

It is about consumer choice. Its about consumer education. Its about an education related to flood risk. Its about communities galvanizing around it. Its also about communities making choices about how they want to build going into the future so that people are at less risk. When they are at less risk, their premiums are cheaper, Wright told the AP.

Lax enforcement

One way to compel more homeowners to buy policies would be for banks to enforce the coverage requirement for homeowners with a federally insured mortgage if they live in a Special Flood Hazard Area. Experts said thats not happening. Many homeowners let the policy lapse after a few years, correctly thinking the bank will not check. Or a bank will sell mortgages to another bank, and paperwork on whether homes require flood insurance isnt reviewed. About 7 out of 10 homeowners have a mortgage.

The banks are not watching the hen house, said Loretta Worters, a spokeswoman with the Insurance Information Institute. They sell these mortgages from a bank to another bank and to another bank, and whether that home needs flood insurance slips through the cracks.

In Mississippi, the number of federally insured properties fell by nearly 15 percent, from about 75,000 in 2012 to 64,000 this year. The decreases were even higher in some coastal communities, including Gulfport and Long Beach, cities that took a direct hit from Katrina.

Ned Dolese, president and co-founder of Gulfport-based Coastal American Insurance Co., suspects the drop in Mississippi is largely because of a lack of government enforcement.

There are no teeth in FEMA or the NFIP to whack you over the head if you, the consumer, dont renew your flood policy, he said.

Maps redrawn

FEMA periodically redraws flood-risk maps, moving some homes from mandatory-carry areas to a less-risky category. When the requirement is lifted, homeowners gamble or believe their home is no longer in danger. As Harvey proved, a lower-risk neighborhood is not a no-risk neighborhood.

After the city of Central, Louisiana, successfully petitioned FEMA last year to change its flood maps, it sent letters notifying roughly 2,000 residents that their homes no longer were inside the high-risk zone. Kyle Cutrer didnt get flood insurance when he purchased a house in Central last summer, outside the flood zone.

Last August, a slow-moving storm dumped an estimated 7 trillion gallons of rainwater on south Louisiana, more than 60 centimeters (2 feet) of rain in some places. The deluge overtopped rivers and damaged or destroyed tens of thousands of homes, inundating many neighborhoods that had never seen such catastrophic flooding.

About 30 centimeters (1 foot) of water washed into Cutrers home, causing approximately $40,000 in damage. He used about $16,000 from FEMA to pay for some repairs; he paid the rest himself.

Cutrer said his real-estate agent and mortgage company had both assured him he did not need flood insurance, which would have cost him about $300 annually.

I was told, Youll never flood. You wont have a problem here, he said. As a first-time homebuyer, I was trying to keep that note as low as possible.

A week after the flood, he called his insurance agent and purchased a flood policy.

Im not going to be able to stop the flood. But if it comes, Ill be fine, he said.
Houston, Texas Mayor Sylvester Turner wants the world to know that the city is "open for business" as it cleans up and assesses the damage from Hurricane Harvey.

"Anyone who was planning on a conference or a convention or a sporting event or a concert coming to this city, you can still come," Turner told CBS television's Face the Nation Sunday. "We want you to still come. We can do multiple things at the same time."

But for many who are in some water-logged neighborhoods, the word from Turner is still get out.

U.S. Army engineers plan to release water from two overflowing reservoirs in parts of western Houston to prevent dam breaks. The action will deliberately flood as many as 20,000 homes. Turner says anyone refusing to leave is not only putting their own lives in danger, but those of first responders.

Also Sunday, firefighters began a controlled burn of the remaining trailers of toxic materials at the Arkema Chemical Plant, in Crosby, Texas, near Houston.

Several storage facilities at the plant exploded and caught fire last week after the storm knocked out refrigeration that is supposed to prevent such fires.

Trump's visits

Neighborhoods near the plant had been evacuated and the Environmental Protection Agency says the deliberate burn is intended to avoid the "risk of additional damage to the facility spreading into the surrounding area.

Hurricane Harvey struck southeastern Texas as a Category 4 storm on August 25 and spent several days lingering around the Texas and Louisiana Gulf coast as a tropical storm. It dumped a record-breaking amount of rain. At least 44 deaths are reported.

Appearing on Fox News Sunday, Texas Governor Greg Abbott said storm damage could he as high as $180 billion - 20 times more than the $7.85 billion in initial funding President Donald Trump asked Congress to approve.

Trump and first lady Melania were in Houston Saturday, visiting with survivors, serving meals, delivering supplies and reassuring Texans that his administration is there for them.

Nearly 450,000 households in the hurricane zone have registered with the Federal Emergency Management Agency so far and the White House says anyone who needs help will get it.

Trump's Homeland Security Adviser Tom Bossert has said he is "not worried at all that we won't have the money," and that no one who needs help will be turned away.

"No individual human being should worry about immigration status if you need food, water and shelter," he said. "No one will starve or die of thirst or exposure."Officials have reached out to those who may be in the country illegally and fear they would be jailed when applying for aid.

Turner, who was a prominent attorney before becoming Houston mayor, has said he would personally represent anyone arrested on immigration violations after seeking help.

Cesar Espinosa, executive director of Immigrant Families and Students in the Struggle, said Turner's statement was a "big deal" for immigrants. "When they hear it from an official, they say, 'OK, now we believe it,' " he added.

The storm shut about a fourth of U.S. refinery capacity, much of which is located along the Gulf Coast, and caused gasoline prices to spike ahead of the Labor Day holiday weekend. About 5.5 percent of the Gulf of Mexico's oil production, or 96,000 barrels of daily output, remained shut on Sunday. The total lost oil production is about 2.97 million barrels since Aug. 23.

Several east coast refineries have run out of gasoline, raising fears that travelers will face fuel shortages.



Concerns over supplies have led to the U.S. Energy Department authorizing the release of up to 4.5 million barrels of oil from the Strategic Petroleum Reserve.
An American student and three other people linked to the U.S. - either citizens or permanent residents - have lost appeals against 10-year prison sentences they are serving for alleged espionage, Iranian authorities said Sunday.

Princeton student Xiyue Wang was imprisoned last summer while conducting dissertation research in Iran. He was subsequently convicted of "collaborating with foreign governments" and sent to prison. Tehran's prosecutor confirmed Sunday that his appeal had been rejected.

Wang was born in China but is a U.S. citizen, enrolled in a doctoral program at Princeton University. A website associated with Iran's

judiciary said that Wang "collected a lot of classified information" during the course of his academic work in Iran.

Princeton, Wang's wife and U.S. authorities have denied he was involved in any improper activities, and the State Department has repeatedly called for his release.

The Tehran prosecutor's office, which announced the failure of Wang's appeal, also said Sunday that appeals for three other prisoners, men with U.S. links and held on similar charges, had been rejected:

- Iranian-American businessman Siamak Namazi and his elderly father, Baquer, who are said to be in ill health in Tehrans notorious Evin prison, and

- Nizar Zakka, a Lebanese citizen with permanent-resident status in the United States, who was accused of working for the U.S. government.

Shortly after Wang was sentenced in July, President Donald Trump said that if Iran does not the detained Americans it has been holding, he was "prepared to impose new and serious consequences." An unknown number of Iranians holding European passports are also believed in custody in Iran; among them are British, Austrian and French citizens.


A convoy of Islamic State jihadists is continuing its trip across Syria after getting stuck in the countrys eastern region, and most have crossed over into areas controlled by the radical Muslim group near the Iraq border, despite U.S. threats to bomb the group.

The group of about 300 militants and their families left the Syria-Lebanon border earlier this week as part of a cease-fire deal struck between IS, Hezbollah and the Syrian government.

Hezbollah, the Lebanese Shiite group, now says it and the Syrian army have escorted the majority of the 17-bus convoy out of areas controlled by the Syrian government, fulfilling its part of the cease-fire deal.

In a statement Saturday, Hezbollah said a U.S.-led coalition had been using warplanes to prevent the convoy from moving east and to block anyone from the government side trying to bring aid to those on the buses.

It said six buses remain in an area controlled by the Syrian government and if those buses are hit, civilians will be killed.

On Friday, the U.S.-led coalition said in a statement it would seek an unspecified solution that would save civilians in the convoy from further suffering.

The IS fighters were evacuated Monday from the border region between Lebanon and Syria under the cease-fire deal, destined for an area near the Iraqi border.

The group was taken to the Syrian city of Homs for transport in buses to Deir al-Zour province in eastern Syria, where IS still holds territory.

Earlier this week, U.S.-led forces said they bombed a road in Syria to block the convoy from reaching its destination.

The transfer of IS fighters, along with their relatives to a city in Deir al-Zour, near the Iraq-Syria border, was met with anger from Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi. He called the move unacceptable and an insult to the Iraqi people.

He feared the jihadists would bring their fight to its borders.

The coalition has said it is monitoring the convoy in real time, and it would not rule out direct strikes on IS jihadists.
North Korea conducted its sixth nuclear test Sunday, one it said successfully detonated a thermonuclear hydrogen bomb that can fit onto an intercontinental missile (ICBM).

An announcement from KCNA, Pyongyangs state news agency, said the H-bomb, designed to be the payload of an ICBM, was true to the Workers Party of Koreas plan for building a strategic nuclear force.

The test of a hydrogen bomb designed to be mounted on our intercontinental ballistic missile was a perfect success, said Korean Central Television newscaster Ri Chun Hee, who retired in 2012, but occasionally reappears for major events.

Ri also claimed that no radiation from the nuclear detonation was released into the atmosphere, something U.S. and Japanese aircraft with special atmospheric monitoring equipment are attempting to verify.

Two earthquakes

The blast produced two shallow earthquakes that were detected in the Punggye-ri region where North Koreas nuclear test facility is located, according to U.S. and Chinese government seismologists. Authorities in Japan, South Korea and numerous nongovernment experts in the United States confirmed that the earthquakes were likely the result of a nuclear test.

The first was a 6.3-magnitude tremor that was consistent with the detonation of a 1-megaton hydrogen bomb, according to experts. The blast was at least 10 times as powerful as the last nuclear test, conducted on Sept. 9, 2016, that produced a 5.3 earthquake, according to Japanese and South Korean meteorological agencies

Five minutes later the same seismologists detected a magnitude 4.6 earthquake, which indicated the likely collapse of a tunnel in which the nuclear device was placed.

If North Korea has gone ahead with a nuclear test, this is absolutely not acceptable and we will have to strongly protest. We are starting National Security Council now to collect information and analyze this, said Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe.

Long-time goal for North Korea

Jeffery Lewis, the East Asia program director at the James Martin Center for Nonproliferation Studies, said he is not surprised that North Korea has achieved the capability to test a full-scale thermonuclear weapon.

Ive been telling people for years this is how the story ends, Lewis told VOA. The North Koreans have said this was a goal for a long time.

Every country with five nuclear explosions was well on its way to thermonuclear weapons by the fifth test, he added.

Oil embargo

Japans chief cabinet secretary has called for the United Nations to impose further economic sanctions to include restricting oil imports to North Korea. In July the Security Council unanimously imposed restrictions that included an export ban on fish, coal and other lucrative minerals that could deprive Pyongyang of more than $1 billion in revenue.

The Tokyo Shimbun reported in its online edition Saturday that North Korea has decided to conserve oil and gasoline in anticipation of an oil embargo. The newspaper said that the Norths State Affairs Commission set a goal to store about 1 million tons of oil as a reserve.

Chinas Foreign Ministry Sunday issued a statement condemning Sundays nuclear test and urging North Korea to stop its wrong actions and to respect U.N. Security Council resolutions.

South Korea on Sunday called for the strongest possible response, including new U.N. Security Council sanctions to completely isolate North Korea. Seoul and Washington also discussed deploying U.S. strategic military assets to the Korean Peninsula, Chung Eui-yong, South Koreas national security adviser, said in a news briefing.

The head of the International Atomic Energy Agency called the test an extremely regrettable act and a matter of grave concern. IAEA Director General Yukiya Amano said the new test is in complete disregard of the repeated demands of the international community.

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has prioritized developing a nuclear-tipped ICBM that could hit the mainland U.S. Sundays nuclear test was preceded by 21 missile launches this year, including two ICBM tests in July.

The administration of U.S. President Donald Trump has repeatedly said that North Koreas development of a long-range nuclear missile strike capability would constitute an unacceptable existential security threat. American officials have stressed the need to impose pressure through sanctions to force Pyongyang to change its behavior but have said that all options including military action are being considered.

Trump and Japan's prime minister spoke by phone Saturday before the nuclear test, and stressed the need for close cooperation between their two countries and South Korea in the face of the growing nuclear threat from North Korea, according to a White House statement. The two leaders also agreed that pressure must be raised on North Korea, Abe told reporters.

Both South Korean President Moon Jae-in and the Japanese prime minister convened their National Security Councils (NSC) Sunday shortly after the earthquakes were detected.

The liberal South Korean leader has been frustrated by Pyongyangs continued provocative behavior that has prevented him from pursuing a more engagement oriented approach to reduce tensions with the North through dialogue and cooperation.



North Korea conducted its first nuclear test Oct. 9, 2006.

VOA's Steve Herman reported from Washington, Brian Padden in Seoul.
North Korea says it has successfully conducted a test of hydrogen bomb meant for intercontinental ballistic missile. The announcement was made on state television, which also said no radiation had been released into the atmosphere.

North Koreas sixth nuclear test went off precisely at noon Sunday Pyongyang time, according to the South Korean and Japanese governments, as well as numerous nongovernment experts in the United States.

It has been concluded that North Korea conducted a nuclear test, Japanese Foreign Minister Taro Kono told reporters in Tokyo.

A 6.3-magnitude tremor, according to U.S. and Chinese government seismologists, was recorded at surface level, centered at Punggye-ri where North Koreas nuclear test facility is located.

That would be consistent with the detonation of a hydrogen bomb between 100 kilotons and 1 megaton, according to experts.

Five minutes later the same seismologists detected a magnitude 5 shaking, which indicated the likely collapse of a tunnel in which the nuclear device was placed.

The East Asia program director at the James Martin Center for Nonproliferation Studies, Jeffery Lewis, said he is not surprised that North Korea has achieved the capability to test a full-scale thermonuclear weapon.

Ive been telling people for years this is how the story ends, Lewis told VOA. The North Koreans have said this was a goal for a long time.

Every country with five nuclear explosions was well on its way to thermonuclear weapons by the fifth test, Lewis added.

H-bomb announcement

The midday North Korea seismic events were detected just hours after Pyongyang announced it has developed a hydrogen bomb that can be loaded into the countrys new intercontinental ballistic missile.

The Korean Central News Agency said leader Kim Jong Un inspected the device at the countrys Nuclear Weapons Institute but did not give a date.

KCNA quoted Kim as describing the weapon as a thermonuclear weapon with super explosive power, made by our own efforts and technology. He also was quoted as saying that all components of the hydrogen bomb were 100 percent domestically made.

The undated report included photographs of Kim dressed in a black uniform, posing with a peanut shaped metal object.

North Korea has previously conducted five nuclear tests, the first on Oct. 9, 2006, and the most recent on Sept. 9, 2016.

Trump, Abe confer earlier

U.S. President Donald Trump and Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, speaking by phone Saturday, stressed the need for a close cooperation between their two countries and South Korea in the face of a growing nuclear threat from North Korea, according to a White House statement.

The two leaders also agreed that pressure must be raised on North Korea, Abe told reporters.

On Friday, the leaders of the United States and South Korea spoke by telephone about North Korea, reaffirming the need to bring Pyongyang back to the negotiating table by applying maximum sanctions and pressure, according to the office of South Korean President Moon Jae-in.

Following the reports of the seismic activity in the North, Moon immediately convened a meeting of his national security council.
Pope Francis travels to Colombia this week to encourage a fledgling peace process that ended half a century of war between a succession of governments and the guerrilla group FARC but has left the country deeply divided.

Francis, making his 20th foreign trip as pontiff and his fifth to his native Latin America, will spend five days in the country, visiting the capital Bogota and the cities of Villavicencio, Medellin and Cartagena.

The Argentine pope had delayed accepting a government and Church invitation to visit Colombia, where about 80 percent of the population is Catholic, until a viable peace process was under way.

"He had wanted to go for a long time. Now the moment has come," Vatican spokesman Greg Burke said.

Leftist FARC, by far Colombia's biggest rebel group, introduced its new political party last week, a major step in its transition into a civilian organization after more than 50 years of war that killed 220,000 people.

Under its 2016 peace deal with the government, most FARC fighters were granted amnesty and allowed to participate in politics. Whether the rebels will secure support from Colombians, many of who revile them, remains to be seen.

The peace accord, which was brokered by Cuba and Norway, was initially rejected by a less than 1 percent margin in a referendum before being modified and enacted.

Like the rest of the country, Colombia's Roman Catholic bishops were divided on their support of the deal, with some saying it was too lenient to the guerrillas. The pope is expected to urge them to put aside their differences during his trip on Sept. 6-10 and help the country move forward.

"The greatest task of the Church in Colombia now is to help stem the polarization around the peace process between the government and the guerrillas," said Archbishop Octavio Ruiz, a Vatican official and Colombian.

"This is a time for us to accept the grandeur of forgiveness, to leave behind us this dark period of war and blood.

Reconstruction, reconciliation

Hosffman Ospino, a Colombian who is professor of pastoral theology and religious education at Boston College's School of Theology and Ministry, said the country was ready to begin a new phase.

"The bishops of Colombia need to play a new role in the peace process so as to help create a political conscience," he told Reuters. "I think the pope needs to encourage the Church to be an active player in those conversations, in the reconstruction of the social order."

Reconciliation is the main theme of the trip and will be the emphasis for events on Friday in the city of Villavicencio, south of Bogota.

There, in what is billed as the "Great Prayer Meeting for National Reconciliation", the pope will listen to testimonials from people whose lives were affected by the violence and then deliver a homily.

Burke, the Vatican spokesman, said those attending the prayer meeting would include victims of violence as well as former guerrillas who have been integrated into Colombian society for some time and are not part of the recent peace process with FARC.

He said there would be no formal meeting with opposition politicians, FARC, or the National Liberation Army (ELN), the second-largest insurgent group, which began formal peace negotiations in February after more than three years of secret talks.

The Marxist-led ELN, which was founded by radical Roman Catholic priests in 1964, has said it could declare a unilateral ceasefire during the trip to honor Pope Francis, whom they have praised for bringing attention to the world's poor and disenfranchised.

The trip will have inter-related themes each day. "Builders of Peace, Promotes of Life," in Bogota, "Reconciliation with God, among Colombians and with Nature" Villavicencio, "The Christian Vocation and Apostolate" in Medellin, and "The Dignity of People and Human Rights" in Cartagena.
Corporate executives, Roman Catholic bishops, celebrities and immigrants have become unlikely companions in an effort to pressure national leaders to save an Obama-era program that shields young immigrants from deportation.

Immigrant groups have been staging daily protests in the scorching Phoenix heat, mobilizing people through phone banks in California, and demonstrating outside House Speaker Paul Ryan's church and office.

Archbishops around the country have been sending letters urging the president to maintain the program. The CEOs of Microsoft, Apple, Google, Facebook, Starbucks and other companies also joined the effort, saying the economy will take a hit if the program is eliminated.

The campaign comes as President Donald Trump is weighing whether to eliminate the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program, which has allowed nearly 800,000 immigrants who were brought to the country illegally as children to remain in the U.S. and legally work. The White House says Trump is expected to announce his decision Tuesday.

Job losses, deportation

Immigrants are bracing for the prospect of losing their jobs as their work permits end and possibly being deported if the president does away with the program.

Eli Oh of San Jose, California, said he was working as a waiter to pay for his nursing degree before he enrolled in the program.

Oh, 30, has lived in the United States for nearly two decades since his Korean parents overstayed their visas. He works as a nurse who responds to hospital emergencies, and he fears he'll be unemployed if his work permit goes away.

"I went from saving lives at a hospital and delivering health care, and now ... I might have to drive Uber to pay rent," he said.

Trump railed against the Obama program on the campaign trail, calling it illegal "amnesty." He later said it's been one of the most difficult issues he's dealt with.

Republican officials from 10 states have threatened to sue to stop the program. They gave the Trump administration a September 5 deadline to act, although the attorney general of Tennessee, Herbert Slatery III, said Friday that his state would no longer pursue the lawsuit.

To qualify, immigrants must have proof that they were brought to the U.S. before they reached age 16. They can't have a criminal record, and their work permits and deportation reprieve must be renewed every two years at the cost of nearly $500, plus costs to hire an attorney to help with the process.

Central to California

The issue is especially prominent in California, home to one of every four people covered by the program.

More than 200 people gathered outside the federal office building in Los Angeles on Friday, calling on Trump to continue the program. They chanted, "If they don't let us dream, we won't let them sleep," and "The people united will never be divided."

In Arizona, a coalition of immigrant rights groups set up a protest camp in front of Immigration and Customs Enforcement offices near downtown Phoenix in the midst of a heat advisory and temperatures of nearly 110 degrees.

"We are calling on people of conscience that if you believe that this is an injustice, there's no room to stay silent. Silence allows for injustices to happen," Reyna Montoya told reporters Monday. Montoya said she was brought to Arizona as a teenager after her family fled political violence in Mexico.

In Wisconsin, the pressure extends specifically to Ryan, who has said previously he supports young immigrants. In a radio interview Friday, Ryan urged Trump to keep the program.

The immigrant advocacy group Voces de la Frontera staged a protest outside Ryan's Roman Catholic church in Wisconsin on August 20. They planned a hunger strike starting Friday in front of his Milwaukee office and a march on Tuesday.

'I'm not scared'

Ilse Merlin of Racine, Wisconsin, said she was prepping for the worst by staying informed and active within the immigrant rights movement.

"I'm not scared because I have faith that my God is going to provide and he's going to protect. That might not sound very reasonable, I guess, to people that don't have faith, but for me, I think it's enough," Merlin said.

Merlin, 22, was brought to Wisconsin as a 5-year-old and has had protection from the program since it began. She said it changed her life by allowing her to get a job, which she used to pay for college.

She works as a youth director at her church and hopes to finish a bachelor's degree to become a teacher.

Others lending support for the program include celebrities such as TV mogul Shonda Rhimes and actress America Ferrera. Both took to Twitter to lend their support.
Australias Northern Territory is to rename racist names on a number of landmarks that have long demeaned indigenous groups. It follows similar measures in the state of Queensland.



The official Northern Territory place names register shows several entries with the pejorative term "blackgin."

This refers to a phrase used by white Australians to describe an Aboriginal woman, or "gin," who were used for sexual services. Other racially insensitive place names, including "murdering creeks" and "skull holes," which are derived from the slaughter of indigenous people, will also be changed.

The Northern Territory government has asked a formal committee to look at ways to replace offensive place names with Aboriginal words or phrases.

The Northern Territorys chief minister, Michael Gunner, says some colonial-era place names should be changed.

There are some obvious ones that will be fixed up, but I think it is really important [to] take a deep breath, work through these things in a way that provides proper meaning and recognition of the First people and those languages that were here thousands of years before we were," he said.

Similar moves are underway in the state of Queensland, where racist names are being officially wiped off the map.

The best known example of a landmark being successfully changed to its Aboriginal designation is Uluru, previously known by its colonial name Ayers Rock.

Academics warn, however, that the moves might not be universally popular in Australia, a nation they say has had problems acknowledging its often brutal colonial history, where settlers killed large numbers of Aboriginal people.

In July, researchers published what they said was the most comprehensive map to date to detail the massacres of indigenous Australians by European settlers.

Australias original inhabitants often complain about racism and marginalization. They also suffer disproportionately high rates of ill-health, unemployment and imprisonment.
THE WHITE HOUSE



Office of the Press Secretary

________________________________________________________________

For Immediate Release September 2, 2017





REMARKS BY PRESIDENT TRUMP

DURING VISIT TO A RELIEF CENTER FOR

INDIVIDUALS IMPACTED BY HURRICANE HARVEY



First Church of Pearland

Pearland, Texas







1:39 P.M. CDT



THE PRESIDENT: Well, thank you very much, Governor. And I want to congratulate the governor. I want to congratulate everybody that has worked so hard. It's been an incredible five days, six days. This was -- seems like it's much longer than that, but actually it's going so well that it's going fast, in a certain sense.



But I want to tell -- so many of you are faith-based, and I want to just tell you that tomorrow we have National Prayer Day, and that was an official proclamation. (Applause.)



So we have a very special day. They haven't done that -- Ted, I don't think they've done that for a while in our country, but now we've done it. So tomorrow is a very big day. So go to your church and pray and enjoy the day, and congratulations. Congratulations on that.



I want to thank Ted Cruz -- Senator Ted Cruz -- for working so hard with us. (Applause.) And Ted doesn't know, but his work is just starting now, right? We have to push that stuff through. But we will. We signed some very big authorizations last night and we'll get it through.



And Brock -- come here a minute, Brock. What a job you've done. What a job. Thank you very much. (Applause.) Thank you.



And the water is disappearing, and though we do -- we have a long way to go, but the water is disappearing. And you look at the neighborhoods, and you see it's -- we just rode through this and, two days ago, even yesterday, they had water. And today, it's all swept up and cleaned up, and you've got a lot of hardworking people, I'll tell you that. (Applause.) A lot of hardworking people.



So I want to thank everybody for being here. You know Ben Carson. Come here, Ben. The great Ben Carson. (Applause.) And Elaine Duke.



And who likes schools? Because we have the finest person in the world for schools. Come here, Betsy. (Applause.) She just had a full-page story today in the Wall Street Journal which was actually a very good story. Did you like it?



And David -- thank you -- from the VA. David Shulkin. (Applause.)



And most importantly, the real boss of the family, right? Come on up here. Come. This is the real boss. Thank you. (Applause.)



I just have to say and I was just telling Ted, you have a great governor and a great first lady of Texas. Special people. (Applause.) They have worked so hard and the coordination between the federal and the state and the local has been terrific. And we're going to keep it going that way. If anything, we'll even get it -- I don't know if it gets better, but we're going to try and make it better.



But I just have to say this -- the cameras are blazing, I have to say it -- you have a great, great governor. And he's done a fantastic job. (Applause.) So on behalf of Melania and myself, I want to thank you, Governor, for everything you have done. And First Lady, thank you very much. So nice, so good.



FIRST LADY ABBOTT: Thank you for being here.



THE PRESIDENT: Well, thank you very much. I appreciate it.



And it's really -- David, seeing something like what has happened here -- you know, David has taken the Veterans Administration -- the VA -- and he has done so many things for the veterans and such. We've really been here eight months, if you think about it. (Applause.) And they now have choice, which is such a big thing.



You know, you used to read -- and for those of you that aren't vets, frankly -- and we have a lot of vets in the room, I know, but you used to wait in line for nine days, fourteen days. Ted knows very well. And now, Ted, as you know, he has a program of choice where they don't have to do that. They go to a doctor and we take care of it. But it's faster.



It's actually -- probably, in the end, it will be less expensive, if you think about it. And people that can be fixed up perfectly in a matter of minutes -- I mean, in some cases, bad, bad things happen to them because they couldn't get to see a doctor. Now they see their doctor. They see a doctor of their choice. But they go out and they get great medical care quickly, Governor. It's the way you would do it, I know that. (Applause.)



And really, for years, as a civilian -- I don't know if I've ever said this -- I used to sit back and say, I wonder why they don't do this. It's not like so complicated, right? I'd read these horrible stories about our great people, our great veterans standing on a line and waiting for weeks to get to just see a doctor. And they have some great doctors in the VA, some really talented doctors --



AUDIENCE MEMBER: Thank you.



THE PRESIDENT: -- the problem is, you just can't -- oh, somebody said thank you. Sounds like -- are you a doctor in the VA or do you see what we're doing? Thank you and I appreciate that. So we're doing it, and we're really proud of it.



And, Ben, you are doing a spectacular job -- really spectacular -- with HUD, and brought a lot of spirit. (Applause.) Ben has brought a lot of spirit to HUD, I can tell you that. I know it very well.



And Betsy, again, thank you very much. Thank you everybody.



And Governor, congratulations on doing a real job. And I'll give you another congratulations in about one week because that will be that other.



And then it's a long-term. I mean, we're talking about -- they say two years, three years. I think that, you know, because this is Texas, you'll probably do it in six months, I have a feeling, right? (Applause.) Now I think for a lot of places, maybe it never gets done, right? I think in your case, it'll get done very quickly.



Thank you everybody. Again, National Prayer Day tomorrow. And a real honor to be with you all. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you, Ted. Thank you, Brock. Thank you. (Applause.)


Moscow is demanding Washington rethink its order to close three Russian diplomatic facilities, calling the closing a "hostile act."

"We consider what has happened as an openly hostile act and a gross violation of international law by Washington," the Foreign Ministry in Moscow said in a statement Sunday.

"We call on the American authorities to come to their senses and immediately return the Russian diplomatic properties or all blame for the continuing degradation in our relations lies on the U.S."

The U.S. State Department said Saturday it had seized control of three diplomatic posts vacated by Russia at the request of the U.S. government.

In an email Saturday, a State Department official said the posts were inspected in walk-throughs with Russian officials, and not forcibly searched as implied in a statement by Russia's Foreign Ministry.

The Kremlin has accused Washington of bullying tactics and claimed that FBI officials threatened to break down the door to one of the facilities.

The compound in Washington was one of three that were shuttered as the United States and Russia have engaged in a diplomatic tit-for-tat over the past several months. The other two diplomatic buildings ordered closed are in San Francisco and New York.
Al-Shabab militants carried out a suicide car bombing on a Somali military base killing at least seven soldiers north of the main city of Kismayo, regional officials tell VOA.

Officials said militants detonated two suicide car bombs at a military checkpoint before heavily armed militants attacked the base early Sunday at Bulogudud town.

A spokesman for the Jubbland regional administration, Abdinasir Serar, told VOA Somali more than 10 other soldiers were wounded in the dawn attack.

The al-Shabab militant group claimed killing 26 government troops and seizing vehicles and weapons.

There is no independent confirmation of either report.

Officials said the fighting in the area lasted two hours because reinforcements sent from Kismayo were ambushed. Military sources have told VOA that al-Shabab militants breached the base, but Serar denies this.

They did not seize the base and they did not enter it, he said. They were firing from the edges of the town, but the two vehicles that blew up got closer to the base.

The attacked base was used by jointly by the Somali military and Jubbaland regional forces.
Years of militancy and counterinsurgency operations in Pakistans northwestern tribal region have destroyed much of the infrastructure, including education centers, in the area.

More than 1,100 girls schools in the Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA), which is adjacent to the restive Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, have reportedly been damaged or fully destroyed by the decade long insurgency, according to Pakistan government estimates.

While the Pakistani government claims to have rehabilitated around 900 schools, hundreds of schools have not been rebuilt or rehabilitated in FATA.

Experts say the government should take immediate steps to rebuild the destroyed schools in the tribal region.

Several factors adversely affected education institutions in the tribal region. One factor is the Taliban who destroyed schools and education institutions, particular girls schools, A.H. Nayyar, a Pakistan-based educationist, told VOAs Urdu service. Unless the schools are fully rehabilitated, it would be extremely difficult to give hope to the youth in the region.

It is important to open the doors of education for tribal youth so that they get the sense that they could achieve a lot in their life, like other citizens, particularly the girls; the government must rehabilitate their schools, utilizing all available resources, Nayyar said.

Some tribesmen are returning home after more than one million were displaced by Pakistani military operations against the Pakistani Taliban (TTP) in parts of FATA. According to U.N. estimates, about 95,000 families fled to nearby cities within Pakistan and neighboring Afghanistan's Khost province.

Pakistan's Army says many areas have been cleared in recent counterinsurgency operations, and it is slowly allowing the displaced tribesmen to return to their home.

U.S. military commanders until recently considered the North Waziristan region in FATA as the "epicenter" of international terrorism. The region has for years served as a training ground for Taliban and other militants groups.

During the past several years, insurgent groups, including TTP, have repeatedly targeted education institutions and schools in the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and FATA region, depriving its younger generation of acquiring education.

Nearly 58 percent of the children between the ages of five and 16 are not in school in Pakhtunkhwa, according to Dawn, a local English language daily. Besides the militancy, extreme poverty and lack of infrastructure are also blamed for the lack of schooling.

Recent statistics by Alif Ailan, an education advocacy organization in Pakistan, show 48 percent of primary and secondary schools in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa operate without adequate physical infrastructure.

Pakistan is 50 years behind in its primary and 60 years behind in secondary education targets, according to a recent United Nations report. The literacy rate in poor rural areas stands at 14 percent for females and 64 percent for males. Nearly seven million Pakistani youth do not attend school.
South Korea's military fired a series of missiles into the Sea of Japan in an exercise Monday meant to simulate an attack on North Korea's nuclear test site.

The exercise came ahead of a U.N. Security Council emergency meeting to discuss North Korea's test of a nuclear weapon.

South Korean President Moon Jae-in and Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe agreed in a phone call that North Korea should face harsh new sanctions, a South Korean presidential spokesman told reporters.

South Korea's defense ministry said Monday it had detected signs North Korea was preparing to test another ballistic missile. The ministry also announced plans to soon temporarily deploy four more launchers for the THAAD missile defense system.



China's foreign ministry said it lodged a protest with North Korea's embassy in Beijing over the nuclear test, and that North Korea is clear about China's commitment to the denuclearization of the Korean peninsula.

US warns of 'massive military response'



U.S. Defense Secretary Jim Mattis, echoing the warnings of President Donald Trump, said Sunday that North Korea can expect a massive military response if it threatens the United States, the U.S. territory of Guam or America's allies.

White House officials said the president emphasized the range of retaliatory measures available to the U.S., including nuclear weapons, in a conversation earlier with Japanese Prime Minister Abe: President Trump reaffirmed the commitment of the United States to defending our homeland, territories, and allies using the full range of diplomatic, conventional, and nuclear capabilities at our disposal.

Mattis, Trump and the president's top advisers met at the White House about North Korea's announced hydrogen bomb test. The Pentagon chief came out to talk with reporters briefly afterwards to say the U.S. is not looking for the total annihilation of North Korea, but we have many options to do so.

North Korea's repeated provocative ballistic missile tests and now a sixth nuclear test seen as perhaps the first time Pyongyang has successfully detonated a thermonuclear device have presented Trump with this most critical geopolitical crisis of his young administration.

WATCH: Trump's response



Secretary Mattis expressed the only viable option in his statement, which is a firm and clear deterrent policy toward North Korea," said Hoover Institution Fellow Michael Auslin.

However, Auslin told VOA, the goal of North Korea's denuclearization, which Mattis also repeated Sunday, is unrealizable.

Continuing to insist on denuclearization means further rounds of negotiations, and the past quarter-century has shown that negotiations do not work, he says. The Trump administration has the opportunity to chart a new, more realistic course for U.S. policy, but not if it adopts the failed policies and goals of previous administrations.

WATCH: International response to North Korea missile launch



Diplomatic options



Other analysts and officials reacting to the extraordinarily stark remark from the Pentagon chief are hoping for diplomatic discussions instead of more tough military talk.

Mattis' imprecision was counterproductive. Will there be a massive military response against any threat? This word choice was a blunder along the lines of the promise of fire and fury against any North Korean threats, said Frank Aum, a visiting scholar at the U.S.-Korea Institute.

Aum, the former senior adviser for North Korea at the Defense Department, told VOA: It's telling that the defense secretary was the one who was addressing the press. We need to get away from a military-centric approach to the North Korea problem set and reinvigorate diplomacy.

The president, leaving a church service near the White House earlier Sunday, said only, We'll see when a reporter asked if he was planning to order an attack on North Korea.

On Twitter, Trump said he is considering halting all trade with any country doing business with North Korea, raising immediate questions about what this could mean for U.S.-China commercial ties and the two countries' $650 billion in annual trade.

Any U.S. call for an economic boycott of countries doing business with North Korea would focus most sharply on China because Beijing is North Korea's sole major ally and its biggest trading partner.

Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin said he would prepare a new package of North Korea economic sanctions along these lines for consideration.

We will work with our allies. We will work with China, Mnuchin told a television interviewer (Fox News) Sunday. But people need to cut off North Korea economically. This is unacceptable behavior.

Hydrogen bomb



The North claimed its test of a hydrogen bomb small enough to be carried by an intercontinental ballistic missile was a perfect success.

One U.S. intelligence official says there is no reason to doubt North Korea's claim that the nuclear device it detonated underground Sunday was 10 times more powerful than its fifth nuclear test a year ago.

We're highly confident this was a test of an advanced nuclear device and what we've seen so far is not inconsistent with North Korea's claims, the intelligence official said.

North Korea test-fired two ICBMs in July that were believed to have a range long enough to reach the mainland United States.

Pyongyang says its missile development is a defensive effort to protect itself from U.S. attack.

Pyongyang and Washington have carried out a war of increasingly bellicose threats in recent weeks, with North Korea at one point saying it was planning to launch one or more test missiles toward the U.S. territory of Guam  evidently intending not to strike Guam, but to aim its rocket to splash down just outside territorial waters. Trump responded then that if Pyongyang attacked the United States or its allies, he would respond with fire and fury like the world has never seen.



United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres condemned the nuclear test as profoundly destabilizing for regional security.

National Security Correspondent Jeff Seldin, Brian Padden in Seoul contributed to this report
U.S. President Donald Trump condemned North Korea on Sunday for carrying out its largest nuclear test yet, calling it "a rogue nation" whose "words and actions continue to be very hostile and dangerous to the United States."

In a pair of Twitter comments, the U.S. leader said North Korea "has become a great threat and embarrassment to China, which is trying to help but with little success."

But Trump also rebuked U.S. ally South Korea, saying Seoul "is finding, as I have told them, that their talk of appeasement with North Korea will not work, they only understand one thing!"

The White House says Trump and his national security team are meeting Sunday to discuss the matter.

Trump said, "We'll see," when asked, as he left a Washington church service, whether he would attack North Korea.



Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin told Fox News he would prepare a new package of North Korea economic sanctions for consideration.

"We will work with our allies. We will work with China," Mnuchin said. "But people need to cut off North Korea economically, this is unacceptable behavior."

International reactions



Meanwhile, German Chancellor Angela Merkel and French President Emmanuel Macron said Pyongyang "reached a new dimension of provocation" with its sixth nuclear test, an underground blast that was at least 10 times bigger than its last test a year ago. They called for tougher European Union sanctions against North Korea and new penalties imposed by the United Nations Security Council.

"The chancellor and the president are in agreement that North Korea has trampled on international law and that the international community must therefore react with determination against this new escalation," Merkel's office said after she spoke on the phone with Macron.

Trump and Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe agreed in a phone call that the international community must step up its response to the North Korean threat.

British Prime Minister Theresa May said the U.N. should look at new sanctions and speed up ones it has already imposed, while Chinese President Xi Jinping and Russian President Vladimir Putin agreed they would "appropriately deal with" Pyongyang's latest test.

Trump on South Korea



Trump's criticism of South Korea and new President Moon Jae-in for his overtures to North Korea comes as the U.S. leader also is preparing to end a free trade deal with Seoul, against the wishes of National Security Adviser H.R. McMaster and his chief economic adviser, Gary Cohn.

The U.S. and South Korea carried out more than $112 billion in trade last year, but to Trump's concern, the U.S. had a trade deficit of more than $27 billion in the transactions.

North Korea called its test a "perfect success," an underground explosion that reportedly shook buildings in China and Russia. The test built on test launches of two intercontinental ballistic missiles in July that weapons experts believed were capable of reaching the mainland United States. Pyongyang says it missile development is a defensive effort to protect itself from a U.S. attack.

Bellicose threats

Pyongyang and Washington have carried out a war of increasingly bellicose threats in recent weeks, with North Korea at one point saying it was planning to launch a test missile near the shores of the U.S. territory of Guam. Trump said if Pyongyang attacked it or its allies he would respond with "fire and fury like the world has never seen."

North Korean leader Kim Jon Un backed off the threat to launch the test missile toward Guam, but since then launched shorter range missile tests before carrying out the nuclear test on Sunday.

An announcement from KCNA, Pyongyangs state news agency, said the H-bomb, designed to be placed as the payload of an ICBM, was true to the Workers' Party of Korea's plan for building a strategic nuclear force.



"The test of a hydrogen bomb designed to be mounted on our intercontinental ballistic missile was a perfect success," said Korean Central Television newscaster Ri Chun Hee, who retired in 2012, but occasionally reappears for major events.



Ri also claimed that no radiation from the nuclear detonation was released into the atmosphere, something U.S. and Japanese aircraft with special atmospheric monitoring equipment are attempting to verify. China also started monitoring for radiation.



Two earthquakes detected



The blast produced two shallow earthquakes that were detected in the Punggye-ri region where North Koreas nuclear test facility is located, according to U.S. and Chinese government seismologists. Authorities in Japan, South Korea, and numerous non-government experts in the United States confirmed that the earthquakes were likely due to a nuclear test.

The first was a 6.3-magnitude tremor that was consistent with the detonation of a one-megaton hydrogen bomb, according to experts. The blast was at least ten times as powerful as the last nuclear test, conducted on Sept. 9, 2016, that produced a 5.3 earthquake, according to Japanese and South Korean meteorological agencies.

Five minutes later the same seismologists detected a magnitude 4.6 earthquake, which was seen as an indication of the likely collapse of a tunnel in which the nuclear device was placed.



"If North Korea has gone ahead with a nuclear test, this is absolutely not acceptable and we will have to strongly protest . We are starting National Security Council now to collect information and analyze this," said Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe.



Jeffery Lewis, the East Asia program director at the James Martin Center for Nonproliferation Studies says he is not surprised that North Korea has achieved the capability to test a full-scale thermonuclear weapon.



Ive been telling people for years this is how the story ends, Lewis tells VOA. The North Koreans have said this was a goal for a long time.



Lewis notes that every country with five nuclear explosions was well on its way to thermonuclear weapons by the fifth test.



North Korea conducted its first nuclear test on Oct. 9, 2006.
As convoys of the Lebanese army on Wednesday returned from a recent operation against Islamic State militants in the border region with Syria, cheering civilians showered them with rose petals and danced around them with Lebanese flags.

It was a moment for Lebanon to celebrate the expulsion of IS from its redoubt in Qalamoun region close to the Syrian border. IS had been in control of the region for more than three years.

Experts warned, however, that what might seem to be a Lebanese victory could be a Trojan horse hiding Iranian-backed Hezbollah, which emerges as the main victor in the operation.

Hezbollah, a Shi'ite political and militant group founded in early 1980s following the Israeli occupation of Lebanon, is considered a terrorist organization by the United States, European Union and the Arab League.

Supported by Iran, the group led an anti-Israel campaign for several years in the region. Since the 2011 Syrian civil war, its focus has shifted to saving the Syrian regime of Bashar al-Assad.

The weeklong offensive on the Syrian-Lebanese border started last Saturday when the Lebanese army in Lebanon and Hezbollah fighters along with Syrian government forces inside Syria attacked the IS enclave in the mountainous Qalamoun region.

Hezbollah's truce with IS

The fighting in the Qalamoun region quickly halted after Hezbollah brokered a controversial agreement with IS that reportedly allowed hundreds of IS fighters and their families, escorted by the Syrian army, to safely move to IS's remaining territory in Dier ez-Zor province on the Syrian border with Iraq.

In exchange, IS agreed to hand over Qalamoun with no resistance and provide information about the burial site of several Lebanese soldiers and Iranian Revolutionary Guard members it had killed.

The deal was criticized by many opponents and prompted two U.S. airstrikes in Syria on Wednesday aimed at stopping the convoy of the IS fighters from reaching the Iraqi border.

But to Hassan Nasrallah, the leader of Hezbollah, the deal was a victory.

"This is what we call the Great Victory," Nasrallah said in a televised address on Tuesday, adding the operation was "a continuation of the battle against Israel and the U.S."

Experts warned the deal gave Hezbollah unchallenged control over a large area.

"The Lebanese army fought in the battle but did not get to have any say in these negotiations," Hanin Ghaddar, a Lebanon expert at the Washington Institute, told VOA. "This is very bad for the Lebanese institutions and state, because at the end of the day, Hezbollah got the credit."

Ghaddar added the terror group would not only exert control over cross-border trade and movement between Syria and Lebanon, but would also exploit the victory to gain more legitimacy and domestic support in the eyes of ordinary Lebanese.

Threat to Syrian refugees

Access to Qalamoun will potentially pose a threat to nearby Arsal as well, a predominantly Sunni town 124 kilometers northeast of Beirut. The town is home to roughly 50,000 Syrian refugees, the majority of whom are Sunnis.

Hezbollah does not shy away from its anti-Syrian refugee rhetoric. For months, pro-Hezbollah leaders have used organized political and public pressure to force the refugees into leaving the country.

The refugees are often accused of terrorism and supporting Sunni extremist groups that fight the Assad regime.

Earlier this year, Hezbollah tried to negotiate multiple deals with rebel groups affiliated with the Free Syrian Army, such as Saraya Ahl al-Sham, to return some of those refugees to Syria. The negotiations reportedly led to the relocation of more than 12,000 refugees to southern Syria in July.

Abu Khaled al-Qalamouni, a Syrian activist who monitors the refugee conditions in Arsal, told VOA that recent clashes did not quite reach nearby Arsal.

"The civilian refugees in Arsal stayed clear from the clashes because the town is a bit far from where the clashes took place," he said. But he added that refugees feared Hezbollah might go after them following IS removal.

Ghaddar, of the Washington Institute, warned that control over Qalamoun and the possible relocation of refugees in Arsal would also give Hezbollah the opportunity to force the Lebanese government and army into cooperation with the Syrian government.

"The return of refugees is just a part," she said, adding, "What they are trying to do is to give legitimacy to the Syrian regime by pushing the Lebanese state to coordinate with it."

The Lebanese army, however, is denying coordination with Hezbollah and argues that doing so would come at the expense of losing U.S. support.

Even when the military's operation against IS this week coincided with that of the Syrian government and Hezbollah, it said it did not coordinate.

Since 2006, the U.S. has provided $1.5 billion in security assistance for Lebanon, mainly to counter Hezbollah.

U.S. President Donald Trump in July praised Lebanon for being on the "front lines in the fight against ISIS, al-Qaida and Hezbollah," using an acronym for the Islamic State group.

"America's assistance can help ensure that the Lebanese army is the only defender Lebanon needs," Trump said at a White House news conference standing alongside Saad Hariri, Lebanese prime minister.

Threat to Israel

Some experts, however, said they saw Hezbollah as the main player.

"Hezbollah is the actual master of Lebanon," Mordechai Kedar, a Middle East scholar at Bar-Ilan University in Tel Aviv, Israel, told VOA. "Hezbollah slowly and gradually took control of the government in the past few years."

Kedar said the recent control of Qalamoun region by Hezbollah and its tightening grip on Lebanon were "alarming conclusions" for neighboring Israel, which considers the group a grand threat to its national security.

"Israel is alarmed about the fact that Hezbollah, as a terrorist organization, is now controlling not only the borders between Israel and Lebanon but also the borders between Israel and Syria," he added.
Wildfires forced thousands to flee their homes across the U.S. West during a sweltering, smoke-shrouded holiday weekend of record heat.

The fires Sunday caused evacuations in Glacier National Park in Montana and many other parts of the West; compelled crews to rescue about 140 hikers who had spent the night in the woods after fire broke out along the popular Columbia River Gorge Trail in Oregon; and led firefighters to step up efforts to protect a 2,700-year-old grove of giant sequoia encroached by flames near Yosemite National Park in California.



A sudden gusty series of rainstorms allowed Los Angeles, however, to cancel evacuation orders for a wildfire that the mayor called the largest in the city's history and sent beach umbrellas and toy shovels bouncing down Southern California beaches late Sunday.



Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti had declared a local emergency earlier Sunday and Gov. Jerry Brown did the same on the state level for Los Angeles County after the wildfire destroyed three homes and threatened hillside neighborhoods. More than a thousand firefighters battled flames that chewed through more than 9 square miles (23 kilometers) of brush-covered mountains.



By evening, however, the day's record heat in Los Angeles had eased and a spate of brief storms even brought a bit of rain to the burning slopes, slowing the progress of the wildfire. Authorities were able to cancel the evacuation orders that had been issued for three cities _ Los Angeles, Burbank and Glendale  and allow all of the 1,400 people who had fled to return to their homes.



Conditions slowing the blaze could change again in a moment's notice, and the winds can accelerate very quickly, Los Angeles Fire Capt. Ralph Terrazas warned, however. There is a lot of fuel out there left to burn.



Officials were keeping an eye on thunderstorms, which were bringing welcome bursts of rain but also the risk of flash floods, mudslides and lightning. Beachgoers in Santa Barbara filmed one sudden storm there that sent palm trees flapping and toddlers chasing beach toys that the wind was blowing down the beach.



The high at Los Angeles International Airport reached 97 degrees Fahrenheit (36 degrees Celsius) Sunday, topping the previous mark of 92 (33 Celsius), set in 1982. Records were also set in parts of Ventura and Santa Barbara counties, where the temperature hit 101 degrees (38 Celsius).



San Francisco residents, meanwhile, stifled under a third day of a rare heat wave in the coastal city, although highs in the San Francisco Bay Area fell Sunday from records in the 100s Fahrenheit (high 30s Celsius) set the previous two days.



I went to Home Depot, Walgreens, Office Depot, Target. They were sold out! downtown office worker Alganesh Ucbayonas said Sunday, detailing her unsuccessful search for an electric fan. CVS! she remembered.



On Sunday, Ucbayonas sat at her desk in a building lobby squarely between two whirring fans, both scrounged from her office building's storage and trained straight at her face.



Fires burning up and down the Sierra Nevada and further to the northwest cast an eerie yellow and gray haze over much of California. Much of the state was under alerts because of poor air quality.



California authorities ordered evacuations for a third small town Sunday in one of the wildfires, a blaze that has burned 9-square-miles (23 square kilometers) near Yosemite.



Firefighters battling that blaze were making it a priority to safeguard the ancient grove of giant sequoia and a pair of historic cabins at the foot of the trees, fire spokeswoman Anne Grandy said. Fire crews had wrapped the two 19th-century cabins and an outhouse in shiny, fire-resistant material to protect them from the flames that had entered the Nelder Grove, Grandy said.



California crews are also protecting homes from a fast-moving wildfire that forced evacuations in Riverside County.



In Washington state, Gov. Jay Inslee proclaimed a state of emergency across all counties as three major fires closed recreation areas and prompted evacuations.

Flames in Montana's Glacier National Park prompted officials to evacuate all residents, campers and tourists from one of the most popular areas of the park. The order Sunday affects the Lake McDonald area, the western side of the dizzying Going-to-the Sun Road and some of the most visited trails in the area. The Lake McDonald Lodge, built in 1913, closed last week because of heavy smoke in the area.


German bomb experts successfully defused a massive World War II bomb in the financial capital of Frankfurt on Sunday after nearly 65,000 people were evacuated to safety.

The 1.4 ton British bomb was found at a construction site last week.

Police on Sunday cordoned off a 1.5 kilometer radius around the bomb, leading to the largest evacuation in Germany since the end of World War II.

Helicopters with heat seeking devices scoured the area before the bomb experts began their work.

Among the evacuees were more than 100 patients from two hospitals, including people in intensive-care.

Experts had warned that if the bomb exploded, it would be powerful enough to flatten a whole street.

More than 2,000 tons of live bombs and munitions are discovered each year in Germany, more than 70 years after the end of the war. British and American warplanes pummeled the country with 1.5 million tons of bombs that killed 600,000 people.

German officials estimate that 15 percent of the bombs failed to explode.
House Armed Services Committee Chairman Mac Thornberry (R-Tex.) speaks at the U.S. Capitol shortly after the House passed the 2018 National Defense Authorization Act on July 14. (Win McNamee/Getty Images)

New legislation working its way through Congress could significantly alter the way commercial companies sell everyday products and services to the U.S. military and federal agencies, opening the door for online retailers to reach a massive new customer.

The defense bill passed by the House of Representatives earlier this year contains language that would allow the Pentagon and other government agencies to buy directly from commercially run online marketplaces, bypassing a highly regulated purchasing process managed by the General Services Administration.

High-tech weaponry such as jets, guns and missiles would still be developed and sold through traditional government contracts. But the effort would allow companies like Amazon.com, OfficeMax and Home Depot to set up marketplaces for agencies to buy basic supplies. (Amazon.com chief executive Jeffrey P. Bezos owns The Washington Post.)

Currently, agencies buy commercial goods through GSA schedules  essentially pre-negotiated agreements to provide products and services to the government at volume discount pricing.

The bills supporters see commercially run marketplaces as a way to reduce bureaucracy and drive down prices for the government. House Armed Services Committee Chairman Mac Thornberry (R-Tex.) initiated the effort as a stand-alone bill called the Defense Acquisition Streamlining and Transparency Act, which was later merged into the House-passed defense spending bill. The Senate is slated to take up the legislation when it returns from recess.

Everybody understands what a difference Amazon has made, Thornberry said. Were trying to help DoD keep up with the changes in business practices with the goal of getting items faster, cheaper and keeping up with the changes in technology.

The federal government has been taking steps to bring its procurement process into the digital age. The GSA already manages an online purchasing service called GSA Advantage. The Defense Logistics Agency operates a service called FedMall. But Thornberrys bill would essentially leave operation of marketplaces up to the private sector.

The system has become so sluggish that were not able to keep up with the threat, the changes in the marketplace, he said. Weve got to move with greater agility.

The idea has drawn mixed views from industry. Opening the government up to e-commerce companies could increase competition by bringing in new players, but established firms might be worried about how the shift will play out.

A lot of companies that are primarily commercial  your software companies, your IT companies, the Amazons of the world  would probably welcome an environment like this, said Franklin Turner, a government contracting attorney with the law firm McCarter and English. But companies that have traditionally exclusively been government contractors are going to have a hard time adjusting to a completely different system.

The legislative push comes as retailing giants such as Amazon, Grainger, OfficeMax and Home Depot move to establish their own online sales channels targeting institutional and government customers. Amazon's business-to-business platform, for instance, already offers sales to local, state and federal agencies, according to its website. The company declined to comment on whether it would bid to run a federal-facing marketplace.

Some are worried the marketplaces will introduce new costs into the process. The original version of the bill would have allowed a single contract to be awarded to a single operator, awarded without competition. After criticism from business groups, the bill was amended to explicitly call for more than one marketplace contract.

There will be several marketplaces to choose from, and there will be competition within each marketplace, so theres competition built in at two different levels, Thornberry argued.

But some worry that the legislation allows the government to select marketplaces without the use of full and open competition and provides few details on how those agreements should be structured.

They lose me when lawmakers want to allow each provider to be picked without full and open competition, said Steve Ellis, vice president of advocacy group Taxpayers for Common Sense. That is a well-known recipe for waste.

Others worry the bill will make procurement more opaque even as it seeks to remake the process in the name of transparency.

Under current law, payments on contracts above a certain size are published openly in online government databases so that private citizens and interest groups can keep tabs on government spending. The next bill requires such information to be entered into government data systems, but industry groups say it is unclear whether the information will be publicly available.

This would be outside the federal procurement process altogether, so all of the spending that we would normally track in [online government databases] we would lose visibility on, said Alan Chvotkin, executive vice president and counsel for the Professional Services Council, a business association for government contractors. The government will get that information over time, but whether that will be public or not remains to be seen.


Bill Skarsgard as Pennywise in the remake of Stephen Kings It. (Brooke Palmer/Warner Bros. Pictures)

When It, the first in a planned two-part adaptation of his 1986 magnum opus, arrives in theaters Friday, it will be one of six King films or TV series to be released in 2017. (And thats not counting another Children of the Corn movie!) The Mist and Mr. Mercedes have already premiered on Spike and the Audience network, respectively, and The Dark Tower swept through theaters only a month ago. Geralds Game and 1922 are both feature films premiering on Netflix in the fall. The King brand has always been licensed liberally  the man behind Maximum Overdrive, a lark with a killer vending machine, cant be too precious about his work  but its never lost its commercial cachet, even in fallow stretches.

Coming up with a grand unifying theory on what separates the great Stephen King adaptations from the flotsam and jetsam that have washed onto shore the past three-plus decades isnt easy. Theres no single formula for success: The Shining and The Mist have been adapted multiple times at widely varied lengths for both film and television. Last years solid Hulu series 11.22.63 allowed Kings sprawling alternative history to stretch out over an eight-episode limited series, while The Dark Tower, a tortured first go at Kings The Gunslinger books, barely cracked the 90-minute mark. Some have stuck to the page, letter by letter, and others have only a casual relationship to the text  neither approach is a guaranteed winner.

But there are some connections to be made among the strongest King adaptations. The first is counterintuitive: King characters are best understood from the inside out. That goes against conventional wisdom, because the most adaptable books tend to be short on interior monologue and long on external action, which is why a sledgehammer narrative such as James M. Cains The Postman Always Rings Twice has been adapted multiple times in English, in Italian (Obsessione), in German (Jerichow) and in Chinese (Ju Dou), and the novels murderous love triangle has been resonant every single time. Finding some visual analog for a characters thoughts is a trickier proposition.



Idris Elba stars in The Dark Tower, which came out in July. (Ilze Kitshoff/Sony Pictures Entertainment)

Yet the true horror of films such as Carrie, The Shining, The Dead Zone and Christine has to do with transformation, of ordinary stresses escalating into supernatural possession. In Brian De Palmas hands, Carrie turns a teenage girls coming of age into a tale of profound isolation and sexual repression, with her desire for womanhood thwarted by her cackling peers on one side and the shame of her fanatically religious mother on the other. Even when her extrasensory powers torch the high school and beyond on prom night, its as heartbreaking as it is horrific, a manifestation of pain she can no longer manage.

In Stanley Kubricks The Shining and John Carpenters Christine, theres a chicken-and-the-egg quality to the relationship between the lead character and the sinister object of their obsession. Perhaps the Overlook Hotel or that snarling 1958 Plymouth Fury would wreak havoc without them, but human weakness and temptation are animating forces in both films, to the point where a symbiosis develops between those forces. We might fear the goings-on in Room 237 or the animal roar of a sentient muscle car, but the source of each fear is so deeply connected to one mans ravaged psyche, we cant get a distance from it. David Cronenbergs The Dead Zone makes a curse out of a gift, martyring a man who can see the future at the price of his life.

The other common thread is filmmakers who refuse to act as stenographers and invent or embellish beyond the page. Despite all the misbegotten adaptations of his works, King is most famous for detesting what Kubrick did with The Shining, a film many would rank among the scariest of all time. But at the center of that animus is Kings perception of creative disrespect: He wrote a deeply personal horror novel about alcoholism and authorship, only to have Kubrick strip it for parts with the ruthlessness of a chop-shop mechanic. Yet it was Kubricks prerogative as an artist to reimagine the novel and make the film a separate entity.



Christopher Walken as Johnny Smith in the 1983 film "The Dead Zone." (Paramount Pictures)

Although other filmmakers havent been as dismissive of the source material, theyve benefited from their own invention. Frank Darabont had to expand on novellas to turn The Shawshank Redemption and The Mist into full-bodied features, but the former now trades places with The Godfather as the top user-rated movie on IMDb, and the latter concocts an ending of astonishing darkness. A little creativity was also necessary to turn Kings novella The Body into Stand By Me, but director Rob Reiner honors the nostalgia and ache at the heart of Kings coming-of-age story, even as it was impossible to write to the letter. When Reiner later took on Kings Misery, about an author held captive by his biggest fan, he favored psychological violence over the physical brutality of the novel, but he makes one thwack to the ankles count.

As for It, Kings novel concerns a supernatural being that terrorizes seven children, often in the form of a clown. It also evokes a community in two distinct time periods, the late 50s and the mid-80s, and the psychological burdens that carry over from childhood to middle age. The promotion of It has gone heavy on the clown imagery; there are even clown-only screenings scheduled for Alamo Drafthouse theaters in various cities across the country. But if the pattern holds, and a great screen adaptation is to be made out of It, scary clowns alone wont do the trick.
The Summer of KidsPost has taken us to balmy beaches and scenic summertime locations, but some kids took the opportunity this summer to escape the heat for a winter preview.

Emma and Daniel Paul of Arlington, Virginia, packed their coats for a European vacation that took them to Gullfoss waterfall in Iceland. The name Gullfoss translates from Icelandic to "golden waterfall," and it is a popular attraction for visitors.

Sisters Daphne and Amelia Wegner of Kensington, Maryland, went to the Nordic lands and arrived in Svalbard. The Arctic archipelago  a group of islands  sits about halfway between Norway and the North Pole. The islands are so far north that for four months in the summer, they experience the midnight sun, when the sun doesn't set.

Amelia and Lee Beltran of North Springfield, Virginia, didn't have to go overseas to get a taste of winter when they took a cruise to Skagway, Alaska. The twins and sister Katie are experienced travelers: The kids have only 17 more states to go to have seen all of the United States.

Thank you to all those who sent in photos this summer. Out of 109 submissions, we chose three at random to win Summer of KidsPost prize packs. Congratulations to Matt and Marin Brow of McLean, Virginia; Jacob and Matiwos Curran of Washington, D.C.; and Jarrett Burak of Colesville, Maryland.

We would also like to give a shout-out to the 676 kids from across the country who joined our Challenge Yourself 2017 Summer Book Club. We are thrilled you kept up with the reading all summer.
Counterprotesters in Charlottesville tear a Confederate flag during a white-nationalist rally Aug. 12. The demonstration brought new attention to anti-fascists, or antifa. (Shaban Athuman/AP)

Former columnist

For many Americans, the first they heard of antifa was last month when a white-supremacist rally in Charlottesville burst into the news.

Since then, though, its everywhere.

Trevor Noah did a comic riff on it last week, calling one wing of the group the "vegan ISIS." Sean Hannity's substitute, Jonathan Gilliam, lumped in Heather Heyer, the woman killed in Charlottesville, with anti-fascists. And The Washington Post's editorial board suggested the group call itself "profa" because its tactics work against its cause.

Most notably, of course, President Trump denounced Charlottesville violence on many sides  equating the neo-Nazis there with the anti-fascists, who say they aim to fight back against the rise of white supremacy and totalitarianism. (With roots in 1930s Europe, antifas adherents believe in direct action, including force if they deem it necessary.)

Confusion reigns. But one thing is clear: The term has been quickly weaponized. Blended with some hazy terms like alt-left, it became politically useful to the right, and certainly to the president.

Trump was playing into a meme about violent leftists that was well developed on the right, Peter Beinart, a journalism and political science professor at the City University of New York, told me. Those on the left had heard much less of it.

For months, the likes of Hannity have been using alt-left to trash mainstream journalists. Then along came Charlottesville, and the ubiquitous image of the black-clad, shield-wielding leftists.

What about the alt-left that came charging at, what you say, the alt-right? Trump asked a few days after Charlottesvilles confrontation. What about the fact they came charging with clubs in their hands, swinging clubs, do they have any problem? I think they do.

He was comparing things that arent the least bit equal, neither in scale nor in intent.

"It's no coincidence that it was a Nazi sympathizer  and not an antifa activist  who committed murder in Charlottesville," Beinart wrote in the Atlantic, citing figures from the Anti-Defamation League that deserve widespread repetition:

Right-wing extremists committed 74 percent of the 372 politically motivated murders recorded in the United States between 2007 and 2016. Left-wing extremists committed less than 2 percent.

Meanwhile, one white supremacist and Ku Klux Klan leader, Chris Barker, said last month that his movement would destroy immigrants: "We killed 6 million Jews the last time. Eleven million is nothing." As Paul Blest wrote in the Outline, "To pretend that the alt-right and Antifa are comparable is like equating the danger of playing Russian roulette with taking a walk."

Nor can the two be compared in the political arena.

They have no political allies, national political reporter David Weigel of The Post observed of antifa, asking rhetorically, Who is the Corey Stewart of antifa? (Stewart is the Virginia politician who unfurled Confederate flags at rallies as he ran unsuccessfully in the recent Republican primary for governor and who says he will challenge Sen. Tim Kaine next year.)

But the fuzziness around antifa  and its hazards  should come as no surprise to those who remember how the news media first grappled with the term alt-right.

As attention to white nationalism rose during and after the 2016 presidential campaign, newsrooms struggled with how, or whether, to use alt-right. Some decided against it, believing it sugarcoated white supremacists and neo-Nazis; the phrase sounded harmless, even cool  kind of like alt-country.

Meanwhile, a prettied-up celebrity status accrued to white-nationalist leader Richard Spencer, who was profiled everywhere with flattering photos and reasonable-sounding quotes.

There certainly was no question that the alt-right had political ties  at the highest level. Stephen K. Bannon, the chairman of Breitbart News, who would would become Trumps chief strategist, once described his news organization as the platform for the alt-right.

These days, mainstream news organizations and liberal politicians are quick to criticize antifa  doing so vehemently has become a badge of honor  but less quick to explain the group's ideology, tactics or goals.

And when Dartmouth College professor Mark Bray tried to do so, he was publicly slapped back by his university president. Meanwhile, few have heard the activist author Cornel West give credit to anarchists and anti-fascists for saving the lives of peacefully protesting clergy members in Charlottesville: Given the weak police response in protecting them from the neo-Nazis, West said, "We would have been crushed like cockroaches" otherwise.

After the Charlottesville crisis, some news outlets did a good job of explaining Trump's references to the "alt-left," as CBS News did on its website with a question-and-answer piece.

But its safe to say that most news consumers, if they know anything about antifa, know what the president has told them, and what theyve gleaned from the club-wielding protesters shown endlessly on TV: that its roughly the left-wing equivalent of neo-Nazis and white supremacists.

Thats not only untrue, but it has the effect of tarring everyone who protests Trump, as well as those who peacefully march for climate-change awareness or rally against hate-mongering speakers such as Milo Yiannopoulos, the onetime Breitbart provocateur.

The best thing journalists can do is to relentlessly explain the beliefs, scope and scale of antifa, and to resist conflating it with liberal groups. And most important, to challenge politically motivated efforts to create a false equivalency between antifa and the rising tide of white supremacy. There is no comparison.

This story has been updated to clarify Trevor Noahs quote.

For more by Margaret Sullivan, visit wapo.st/sullivan
Author David McCullough signs his books at the 2017 National Book Festival on Saturday, Sept. 2 at the Walter E. Washington Convention Center in the District. (Salwan Georges/The Washington Post)

The American Story is how the National Book Festival bills itself. At the Walter E. Washington Convention Center on Saturday, all it took was a quick peek at the surnames of the many authors participating to realize how varied, rich, enmeshed and layered that story is.

Stavridis, Friedman, Herrera, Barnhill, Lu, Dyson, Saujani, Vance, Kitamura, DiCamillo, McDermott, Rice, Bohjalian. Those were just a few of the more than 100 authors who drew thousands of book lovers inside on an unseasonably cold and rainy early September day.

Margot Lee Shetterly, the author of Hidden Figures: The American Dream and the Untold Story of the Black Women Mathematicians Who Helped Win the Space Race, was making her first appearance at the festival. Working on her book that went on to become a smash hit movie made her realize just how essential it is to contribute to the nations understanding of itself.

America is built on story so this gave me an insight into how powerful it is to present your own story, she said in an interview before her talk. The American story is the theme of Hidden Figures. This is a story about African Americans, its a story about women, its a story about scientists. It is all of those things but it is a profoundly American story.

A native of Hampton, Virginia who now lives in Charlottesville, Shetterly drew connections between the debate over removing Confederate statues and the feeling of absence that some Americans have of their role in Americas history.



People make their way to the 2017 National Book Festival on Saturday, Sept. 2, 2017, at the Walter E. Washington Convention Center. (Salwan Georges/The Washington Post)

I think part of the reason why the energy around these statues is so strong has as much to do with what is missing as with what is present, she said. The narrative in America for African Americans has been slavery, Martin Luther King and Obama. And that is missing so much of the most important and most interesting and most American stuff in the middle. Who are we as Americans? Who does America belong to? What does an American look like? Story matters a lot and these questions shape so much of our public discourse.

Few have told as much of the American story as historian David McCullough who, in a conversation with the festivals co-chairman David M. Rubenstein, regaled the packed Main Stage audience with tales of everyone from Abigail Adams and Dwight Eisenhower to lesser known Americans who also stamped their imprint on the country, including Katharine Wright, the sister of Wilbur and Orville, without whom, McCullough said, her siblings might never have gotten their bird in the air.

The author of 11 books and holder of 55 honorary degrees, McCullough said that he still writes using the same Royal typewriter he bought 50 years ago.

Word processors go too fast and I dont think that fast, he said, explaining his weapon of choice. And if you hit the wrong button you can lose a lot of work.

There wasnt much discussion of modern history, but two of his remarks drew large applause. First McCullough recalled a sentence that President John Adams wrote to his wife on his first night in the White House and Franklin Roosevelt later had carved above the fireplace in the State Dining Room: May none but honest and wise men ever rule under this roof.

And the crowd cheered too when McCullough said None of our great presidents has ever been one who didnt have any interest in history.

Another large crowd at the Main Stage greeted J.D. Vance, author of Hillbilly Elegy, last years breakout memoir of a rough and ragged rural Ohio upbringing. Also interviewed by Rubenstein, Vance was funny and self-deprecating though somewhat circumspect when it came to exploring what writing the book had meant to him and what plans he might have in its wake.

Now a venture capitalist living in Washington, he was asked by Rubenstein if he would consider a run for public office.

Well, I think were out of time, Vance joked, but then went on to say he had become more cynical about the political process writ large while still finding reasons for optimism with some individual politicians. In other words, he didnt answer the question.

If history and politics were the main draw at the Main Stage, elsewhere in the convention center the mishmash of the American story was being told by graphic novelists, poets, scientists, childrens story authors and young adult celebrity writers. The Washington Post is a charter sponsor of the event.

Alice McDermott, who lives in Bethesda, discussed her new novel about an order of nuns serving Irish Americans in Brooklyn. She wrote about nuns, in part, she told a packed ballroom, because selflessness is a concept that I think is fading in the 21st century. The book, The Ninth Hour, comes out this month.

The large turnout - organizers say tens of thousands were on hand - was balm for those who worry that serious and committed readers are a disappearing breed. McCullough offered sage perspective from the stage.

If you ever get down about American culture just remember there are still more public libraries than there are Starbucks, he said.

And for now anyway, that means theres still more shelf space for American stories than Americanos.
Xavier Zuniga, 5, shows off his block tower during Kindergarten Prep at Douglas MacArthur Elementary in Alexandria, Va. on Aug. 16. The week-long program helps kids get ready for their first year of school. (Astrid Riecken for The Washington Post)

One day in August, 16 squirmy youngsters at Alexandrias Douglas MacArthur Elementary School made their way down an empty hallway, some moving haltingly, some running their fingers along the walls.

Ladies and gentlemen, were going to walk quietly to breakfast, their teacher, Anthony Jackson, bellowed. I like what Im seeing today! Good job!

It was the third day of Kindergarten Prep, a half-day program intended to prepare 4- and 5-year-olds for their inaugural year at the Virginia school. Jackson hoped the children would learn the basic rhythms of the school day and the basic rules of the classroom: Raise your hand when you want to speak, ask the teacher if you need to go to the bathroom, never be afraid to ask for help.

Across the nation, about 3.8 million children will start kindergarten at public schools this fall, some entering classrooms for the first time. In an era when kindergarten is chock full of academic rigor, it can be a moment rife with stress: busy hallways, peculiar routines, unfamiliar faces and long stretches of activity without nap time.

To ease the transition, many schools have introduced boot camps or orientation weeks for young children, hoping to give them a head start so they can be successful.



Kaiden Jackson, 5, gets a little help from teacher Jack Dowd during Kindergarten Prep. (Astrid Riecken for The Washington Post)

Theyre much more comfortable and ready to learn on the first day of school, said Lisa Piehota, executive director of elementary education for Alexandria City Public Schools. The program, offered to all incoming kindergartners, costs the district about $100 per child.

The programs reflect a move toward more academic rigor in kindergarten, with lessons on reading and math displacing play and free time. Education experts say No Child Left Behind  the federal education law that required more high-stakes testing  spurred the shift, putting pressure on educators to get children ready for standardized exams earlier.

[Kindergarten the new first grade? Its actually worse than that.]

Children from low-income households  who are less likely to attend preschool  are starting off further behind classmates who attended preschool.

At Mount Vernon Woods Elementary in Fairfax County, where 78 percent of the schools students come from low-income households, some incoming kindergartners show up five weeks before the start of school.

You have to do whatever you can do to get an early start . . . and do whatever you can to fill the gap, principal Clint Mitchell said. The school district runs a four-week Bridge to Kindergarten program for at-risk children, and Mitchell uses about $9,000 of school-based money to run another week-long kindergarten transition camp for all children.

[As kindergarten ratchets up academics, parents feel the stress]



Teacher Anthony Jackson shows Jay Fox, 5, how to mold clay into letter shapes. (Astrid Riecken for The Washington Post)

Some of the short-term prekindergarten programs  ranging from a few days to six weeks  are intended to close the gap for children whose families did not have the means to send them to preschool.

Schools in Charlottesville and Des Moines bring children in for about a week during summer to get them accustomed to school buildings. Many schools in California offer four-week prekindergarten academies for at-risk children who have never been to preschool. Fairfax County schools offer a similar program, aimed at giving at-risk children a head start to the school year.

The Pre-Kindergarten Academy in Solano County, Calif., targets children at risk of falling behind because they are English language learners or because they have special needs. More than half of children in the county never attend preschool, and the academy gives a small fraction of them the chance to get a head start.

We have found that those little ones also critically need the support so they dont enter school with that gap in their social skills, said Lisette Estrella-Henderson, the Solano County schools superintendent. She said it also gives teachers the chance to identify children with special needs.

She acknowledged that a summertime of cramming cannot replace a year or more of high-quality preschool. In the absence of money from the state to provide universal prekindergarten, the boot camps can help give a boost to children from families unable to afford preschool.

Im really a believer that these pre-K academies could potentially change a childs developmental trajectory, Estrella-Henderson said.

Amanda Williford, a University of Virginia professor whose research focuses on academic readiness for children, said a short-term program can help a child feel more comfortable in the classroom, but she was skeptical of the long-term effect.

That is not designed to get a child ready for kindergarten. Its really just designed to help kids feel more comfortable, Williford said.

In Jacksons Alexandria classroom, students had made plenty of progress toward becoming full-time kindergartners. Nearly all of them rotated politely among activity stations without supervision, making patterns with blocks, creating rubber-band art on peg boards and stretching clay into letters.

Jackson said the week gives him an opportunity to get to know his students: their strengths and weaknesses, their favorite colors and interests. It makes the children more comfortable following his directions, so they can focus on learning.

He gave a small group of students a handout with circles drawn on it and asked them to make their own art using the circles. One girl drew in a face and eyeglasses.

Shes a spy girl with glasses, she explained. These are not ordinary glasses. These are spy glasses  to help her see the bad guys.

A boy pressed an orange crayon and scribbled indiscriminately over the circle.

Its coral! he said.

That gave Jackson a clue to the boys interests and will help him tailor lessons later in the year. If the child is interested in sea creatures, Jackson said he will keep an eye out for books about the ocean, hoping to spur excitement about reading.

At the end of the day, he led students in free drawing. One girl drew an elaborate birthday party scene complete with a cake on which she wrote her name. Another girl scribbled with crayons and handed it to Jackson.

What is that? Jackson asked.

Its you! she squealed.

He smiled. Well, I am just a handsome guy.
Columnist

Frustration with standardized tests often goes like this: What about the people  legislators, bureaucrats, educators  who make kids do them? Why dont we force those adults to take the tests, too? Lets see how they like it.

That's been wishful thinking  until now. The co-founders of a successful charter school network in Texas told me they are, astonishingly, requiring applicants for teaching spots to take the same anxiety-provoking exams they require of students.

The first time I heard this from Tom Torkelson, co-founder of IDEA Public Schools, I expressed disbelief. Say that again? Policymakers have long considered it wrong and insulting to subject even new teachers to these tests. Experts assure me this is the first time such a requirement has been imposed on U.S. educators.

It is an explosive event, sure to be denounced. But Torkelson and IDEA co-founder JoAnn Gama  former teachers themselves  see it as simple logic.

They run 61 schools with 36,000 students, almost all from low-income families in the poorest parts of the Rio Grande Valley, San Antonio and Austin. If you are applying to teach a college-level Advanced Placement class in one of the systems high schools, you must first take one of the three-hour AP tests in your subject. The same goes for the State of Texas Assessments of Academic Readiness (STAAR) one-hour tests required of third-graders through eighth-graders. If you want to teach those grades at an IDEA school, you must first take the relevant STAAR test. IDEA creates mock AP and STAAR exams using publicly released questions. It requires them only of applicants new to the network.

As IDEA was moving toward some of the highest AP participation rates in the country three years ago, Torkelson asked his staff members what percentage of their teachers had passed the AP exam in their subject. I got a lot of blank stares, he said. How complicated is it? If you are going to teach calculus, youve got to be able to pass the calculus exam.

So taking an AP test was added to the interview process. IDEA also required newcomers to take a STAAR test, Gama said, after it was discovered during a training session that some IDEA teachers couldnt pass the states fifth-grade math test or eighth-grade social studies exam. Teachers already working for IDEA are not required to take the tests, but if they happen to do so and flunk, they are given extra training.

Torkelson acknowledged that the testing requirement is not a cure-all. Ultimately, if you can pass the test, its still possible that youre going to be lousy as a teacher, he said.

Reaction has been mixed. Trevor Packer, the College Board vice president who runs the AP program, said IDEAs practice could help both school administrators and teachers identify whether an individual knows the discipline well enough . . . and identify specific concepts and skills where that prospective teacher could benefit from additional professional learning.

Nina Rees, president of the National Alliance for Public Charter Schools, said the policy was a great example of an innovative approach public charter schools are taking to help ensure teachers are experts in their subject area.

But Celeste Busser, senior press officer for the National Education Association teachers union, said taking the AP exam as a condition of employment doesnt make any sense. She said it is not going to give anyone an understanding of whether they can teach the content.

What a good teacher does is more than drilling for the test, said Robert Schaeffer, spokesman for the National Center for Fair & Open Testing. This reflects a further narrowing of the teaching of the course to reflect the test.

I hope IDEAs approach to ensuring teacher quality spreads, although the network should expect the outrage and disgust that often follow defiance of taboos. As for the psychometricians and politicians who create and install such tests, I doubt they will ever let themselves be examined on how much of that stuff they actually know.
BLOOD DONATIONS

Blood drives Tuesday 3-8 p.m., Ashburn Farm Association, 21400 Windmill Dr., Ashburn, 800-733-6727; Sept. 13, 2:30-8 p.m., Onelife Fitness, 42365 Soave Dr., Ashburn, 800-733-6727; Sept. 18, 2:30-7:30 p.m., Claude Moore Recreation Center, 46105 Loudoun Park Lane, Sterling, 800-733-6727; Sept. 20, 7 a.m.-12:30 p.m., Stone Springs Hospital Center, 24440 Stone Springs, Blvd., Sterling, 800-733-6727.

Inova Blood Donor Center Mondays noon-8 p.m., Tuesdays 10 a.m.-6 p.m., Fridays 6 a.m.-4 p.m. and Sundays noon-4 p.m. Dulles Town Center, 45745 Nokes Blvd., Sterling. 866-256-6372 or inova.org/donateblood.

FIRST AID

First aid/adult, infant and child CPR/AED (Automated External Defibrillator) Fauquier Health Medical Office Building, 500 Hospital Dr., Warrenton. Call for schedule. Registration required. 540-316-3588. $85.

HEARING

Disability Resource Center Technical assistance through the state Department for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing and presentations to businesses, groups and schools. Third Tuesdays 2-5 p.m., Workplace, 205 Keith St., Warrenton. Call for an appointment, 800-648-6324; TDD, 540-373-5890. Free.

MENTAL HEALTH

Counseling for sexual violence survivors Provided by Loudoun Citizens for Social Justice. 703-771-9020.

Crisis Intervention Treatment and Assessment Center Provides emergency mental-health, substance-use and developmental services to Loudoun residents. Daily 7 a.m.-11 p.m. 102 Heritage Way NE, Suite 102, Leesburg. Emergency services are available 24 hours a day at 703-777-0320.

Crisislink Suicide and crisis intervention. Community education, a volunteer crisis response team and CareRing, a telephone outreach program for the elderly and disabled. 703-527-6016, volunteer@crisislink.org or crisislink.org.

Psychiatric Rehabilitation Services This mental-health nonprofit organization is accepting clients ages 16 to 30 for a coordinated services program with Loudoun County to help young people with their first experience of psychosis find hope and recover. For information, call Lisa Beran at 703-388-6572 or go to prsinc.org.

Piedmont Chapter, National Alliance on Mental Illness Serves Fauquier, Orange, Madison and Rappahannock counties. Support group, education classes and events for people living with mental illness and their family members. First Wednesdays 7-9 p.m. Fauquier Hospital, 500 Hospital Dr., Sycamore Room A, Warrenton. 571-426-8213.

Mental health first-aid A public education program offered by the Loudoun County Department of Mental Health, Substance Abuse and Developmental Services to help residents understand mental illness and seek intervention. Go to loudoun.gov/mhfirstaid.

Northern Virginia Chapter, National Alliance on Mental Illness Support group, classes and programs for people living with mental illness and their loved ones. naminorthernvirginia.org.

PREGNANCY, PARENTING

Adoptive family preservation Adoptive families discuss common experiences; registration required. Third Tuesdays 12:30-2 p.m., Ashburn Library, 43316 Hay Rd. Call 703-941-9008, Ext. 23, or email jmellario@umfs.org.

Birthright of Loudoun County Free pregnancy tests, baby clothing, transportation and support throughout pregnancy, 823 S. King St., Leesburg. 703-777-7272.

Bond Between Us A nonprofit organization that offers support to birth parents when children have been placed for adoption. Fourth Tuesdays 7:30 p.m. Call for location. 703-771-7844.

Breast-feeding support Mondays 9:30-10:30 a.m., Fauquier Hospital Family Birthing Center, 500 Hospital Dr., Warrenton. 540-316-3588.

Dad support New and expectant fathers share ideas. First Tuesdays at 7 p.m. Inova Loudoun Hospital, 44045 Riverside Pkwy., Leesburg. 703-858-6360.

For the Children's Sake A support group for separating or divorcing parents to share advice. Four-hour session weekly. Information: 703-391-8599 or fitsfoundation.org.

La Leche League Mother-to-mother support and breast-feeding information. 10 a.m. second Wednesdays in Warrenton, 540-351-6103. Third Fridays 10:15-11:45 a.m., call for location, 703-444-7386. Second Fridays 10:15 a.m., Ashburn Library, 43316 Hay Rd., 703-829-0349. Thursdays 10 a.m.-noon, Panera Bread, 43670 Greenway Corp. Dr., Ashburn, lllashburn@gmail.com. Third Fridays 10:15 a.m., Christ the Redeemer Church, 46833 Harry F. Byrd. Hwy., Sterling, 540-338-4637.

Loudoun Fatherhood Program Fathers discuss the joys and challenges of being a parent. Meets every other Saturday for two hours for four months; sponsored by Northern Virginia Family Service. 571-748-2796. Free.

Loudoun Nurturing Parenting Program Positive parenting techniques; children attend with parents. Registration required. Call 703-771-3973, Ext. 27, or email nurturingprogram@lcsj.org. Free.

Mothernet/Healthy Families Loudoun Program links first-time parents with medical, social and educational resources to give children a socially and physically healthy start in life. Family-support workers meet with participants in homes. English-Spanish translation provided. 703-444-4477, Ext. 217, or inmed.org.

New mother support Wednesdays 9:30-11:30 a.m. Inova Loudoun Medical Pavilion, 224 Cornwall St., Leesburg. Babies welcome. 703-858-6360.

Online childbirth education program Inova Loudoun Hospital's Web-based program uses animation, videos and interactive activities to guide users through the basics of childbirth, breast-feeding and caring for newborns. 703-858-6360 or thebirthinginn.org/classes.

Parenting Alone group For parents who have school-age children and have lost a spouse or partner to cancer. Second Tuesdays 5:30-6:30 p.m. Inova Loudoun Hospital, Radiation Oncology Center, 44035 Riverside Pkwy., Suite 100, Leesburg. Call 703-698-2536 or email jennifer.eckert@inova.org.

Pregnancy and childbirth support Childbirth Solutions Resource Center, 8393 W. Main St., Marshall. 571-344-0438.

Young parent services Support for teenage parents. Loudoun County Department of Family Social Services, 52 Sycolin Rd., Leesburg. Call for times. 703-771-5375.

SENIORS

Chair yoga Age 55 and older. Mondays 11 a.m.-noon, Carver Center, 200 Willie Palmer Way, Purcellville. Wear comfortable clothes. Bare feet or socks encouraged. 571-258-3400. $2 drop-in.

Exercise equipment Age 55 and older. Weights, treadmills, bikes and a cardio-glide. Instruction provided. Weekdays 9 a.m.-5 p.m. Leesburg Senior Center, 102 North St. NW. 703-737-8039. Free.

Eye care LensCrafters staff members clean glasses and make minor repairs. Second Wednesdays 1-2 p.m. Senior Center at Cascades, 21060 Whitfield Pl., Sterling. 703-430-2397. Free.

Inova Loudoun mobile van Blood pressure checks. Second and fourth Tuesdays 9:30 a.m.-noon, Senior Center at Cascades, 21060 Whitfield Pl., Sterling, 571-258-3280; first Wednesdays 9:30 a.m.-noon, Leesburg Senior Center, 102 North St. NW. 703-737-8039.

Laughing yoga for seniors Exercises to improve flexibility and balance. Thursdays 9:30-10:30 a.m. Leesburg Senior Center, 102 North St. NW. 703-737-8039. Free.

Loudoun Adult Day Centers For seniors with physical limitations or memory loss, a safe and social environment, therapeutic activities, individualized care and respite for caregivers. Limited transportation. Sliding-scale fees. Weekdays in Leesburg, 7:30 a.m.-5:30 p.m., 703-771-5334; Purcellville, 571-258-3402; and Ashburn-Sterling, 571-258-3232.

Senior Outreach Services Free and confidential assistance from an Area Agency on Aging case manager. Call for an appointment or sign up at the Senior Center at Cascades. First and third Wednesdays 11 a.m.-4:30 p.m. Senior Center at Cascades, 21060 Whitfield Pl., Sterling. 571-258-3280.

Senior Outreach Services Free and confidential assistance from an Area Agency on Aging Elder case manager. Sign up in the Leesburg Senior Center lobby. Second and fourth Thursdays 11 a.m.-noon and 12:30-4:30 p.m. Leesburg Senior Center, 102 North St. NW. 703-737-8039. Free.

Senior Outreach Services Free and confidential assistance from an Area Agency on Aging Elder case manager. Call for an appointment or sign up at the Carver Center. First and third Mondays, 12:30-5 p.m. Carver Center, 200 Willie Palmer Way, Purcellville. 703-737-8741. Free.

Tai chi for seniors Stretching and strengthening movements. Mondays 11 a.m. Leesburg Senior Center, 102 North St. NW. 703-737-8039. Free.

Zumba gold class Age 55 and older. Wear rubber-soled shoes and comfortable clothing; bring water and a towel. Tuesdays 11 a.m., Tuesdays and Fridays 1 p.m. Senior Center of Leesburg, 102 North St. NW, Leesburg. 703-737-8039. $24 per month.

Zumba For people 55 and older learning Zumba for the first time, or those who prefer a lower-impact version. The fitness program combines Latin and international music with dance. Thursdays 11 a.m. Senior Center at Cascades, 21060 Whitfield Pl., Sterling. 571-258-3280. $12.

SUPPORT GROUPS

Addiction support Tuesdays 7 p.m. Fauquier Hospital Chestnut Room, 500 Hospital Dr., Warrenton. Email sznnodum@gmail.com or 540-935-8148.

Al-Anon Service Center of Northern Virginia A volunteer is available 24 hours with information for spouses, family members and friends of problem drinkers. 703-534-4357 or 877-339-8350. Mondays 8 p.m., Emmanuel Episcopal Church, 125 W. Washington St., Middleburg, 540-554-2747; Tuesdays 7:30 p.m., St. James Episcopal Church, 14 Cornwall St. NW, Leesburg, 877-339-8350; Fridays 8:30 p.m., Grace Episcopal Church, 6507 Main St., The Plains, 800-344-2666; Tuesdays 12:15 p.m., Warrenton Church of Christ, Route 29 N., 540-347-7448; Tuesdays 7 p.m. and Saturdays 8:30 p.m., Warrenton Presbyterian Church, 91 Main St., 800-344-2666.

Alcoholics Anonymous Various meeting times and locations in Loudoun County. 800-208-8649 or 703-876-6166. nvintergroup.org.

Alzheimer's caregivers support For those caring for people with Alzheimer's disease and other forms of dementia. Second Mondays 7-8:30 p.m. Galilee United Methodist Church, 45425 Winding Rd., Sterling. 703-430-9229. galileeumc.org.

Alzheimer's caregiver support For those who care for people with Alzheimer's disease and other forms of dementia. Fourth Wednesdays 4-5:30 p.m. The Villa at Suffield Meadows, 6735 Suffield Lane, Warrenton. 540-316-3800.

Alzheimer's caregivers support Emotional, educational and social support for family members and friends of people with the disease. Third Saturdays 10 a.m. Loudoun County Area Agency on Aging, 20145 Ashbrook Pl., Ashburn. Call 703-771-5407 or email lesley.katz@loudoun.gov.

Alzheimer's caregiver support group Fourth Thursdays 3-4 p.m. Carver Center, 200 Willie Palmer Way, Purcellville. 540-903-6831 or alz.org.

Alzheimer's support First Tuesdays 10-11 a.m. Spring Arbor Assisted Living, 237 Fairview St. NW, Leesburg. 540-338-6520.

Alzheimer's support First Wednesdays 4 p.m. Leesburg Adult Day Center, 16501 Meadowview Ct., Leesburg. 703-771-5334.

Alzheim er's support First Thursdays, noon, Lansdowne Woods of Virginia, 19375 Magnolia Grove Sq., Lansdowne. 703-283-6554.

Alzheimer's support Fourth Thursdays 3-4 p.m. Carver Center, 200 Willie Palmer Way, Purcellville. 571-258-3400.

Talk About Curing Autism A nonprofit organization educating and supporting families affected by autism. tacanow.org.

Autoimmune support Last Thursdays 6:30-7:30 p.m. Jackson Building, 209 Gibson St., Leesburg. autoimmunesupport@

hotmail.com.

Bereaved parent support One-on-one counseling is available. Spiritual Care Support Ministry Center, 76 W. Shirley Ave., Warrenton. 540-349-5814 or scsm.tv.

Bereavement support Age 18 and older. Third Mondays 1 p.m. Fauquier Hospital Chestnut Room, 500 Hospital Dr., Warrenton. Sponsored by Capital Caring. 703-957-1800.

Breast cancer support For those with new diagnoses or starting treatment. Register if attending for the first time. Fourth Mondays 5-6:30 p.m. Inova Loudoun Hospital Radiation Oncology Center, 44035 Riverside Pkwy., Suite 100, Leesburg. 703-858-8857.

Breast cancer support Fourth Tuesdays 7-8 p.m. Fauquier Hospital Tower, Chestnut Room, 500 Hospital Dr., Warrenton. 540-349-0588.

Breast cancer support For those who have finished treatment, have had a recurrence or have metastatic breast cancer. Register if attending for the first time. Fourth Mondays 6:30-8 p.m. Inova Loudoun Hospital Radiation Oncology Center, 44035 Riverside Pkwy., Suite 100, Leesburg. 703-858-8857. Free.

Breast Cancer Support Assistance Fund Loudoun County residents who have received a diagnosis or have undergone treatment in the past 12 months are eligible to apply for financial assistance. Areas included are wigs, bras, puffs and prostheses, mammograms and medical bills, food and help with utilities, rent or mortgage, and transportation costs. The Pink Assistance Fund has been established by the Loudoun Breast Health Network. lbhn.org.

Cancer support Oncology nurses, social workers and spiritual-care providers offer education and support to patients, families and caregivers. Second Mondays 5:30-6:30 p.m. Fauquier Hospital Sycamore Room, 500 Hospital Dr., Warrenton. 540-316-2273.

Cancer support "Life with Cancer," for patients, family members and friends. Second Thursdays 7 p.m. Ashburn Presbyterian Church, Room 202, 20962 Ashburn Rd. 703-729-2012 or ashburnpresbyterian.org.

Caregiver support Emotional, educational and social support. Encourages caregivers to maintain their physical and emotional health while caring for people with dementia or other chronic illness. Fourth Thursdays 3-4 p.m. Carver Center, 200 Willie Palmer Way, Purcellville. 540-903-6831.

Caregiver support and resource group Wednesdays 10:30 a.m.-noon (no meeting first Wednesdays), Spiritual Care Support Ministry Center, 76 W. Shirley Ave., Warrenton. 540-349-5814. scsm.tv.

Caring for Aging Parents Support group. Confidential. Fourth Wednesdays 7:30 p.m., Family Focus Counseling Service, 20-B John Marshall St., Warrenton. 540-349-4537.

CHADD parents support For parents of children with ADD/ADHD. Fourth Sundays 3 p.m. KinderCare, 44051 Ashburn Village Shopping Plaza. chadd.novaloudoun@gmail.com.

Chronic illness support Tuesdays 1:30-2:30 p.m. Spiritual Care Support Ministries, 76 W. Shirley Ave., Warrenton. 540-349-5814 or scsm.tv.

Coffee and Conversation Support for those discouraged because of illness, bereavement, caregiving or a loved one in the military. Thursdays 10 a.m.-noon. Spiritual Care Support Ministry Center, 76 W. Shirley Ave., Warrenton. 540-349-5814.

Compassionate Friends For parents who have experienced the death of a child. First Wednesdays 7:30 p.m. St. James Episcopal Church, 14 Cornwall St. NW, Leesburg. 540-882-9707.

Creating and Connecting Two-hour art therapy and relaxation workshop for cancer patients. Every other month, 12:30-2:30 p.m. Inova Loudoun Hospital Radiation Oncology Center, 44035 Riverside Pkwy., Suite 100, Leesburg. Call for dates. 703-858-8850.

Depression and Bipolar Support Alliance of Western Loudoun Saturdays 3 p.m. Purcellville Library, 220 E. Main St., Carruthers Room. Call 703-431-7160 or email kathy@dbsanca.org.

Drop-in grief support Second and fourth Wednesdays 1-2 p.m. St. David's Episcopal Church, 43600 Russell Branch Pkwy., Ashburn. Sponsored by Capital Caring. 703-597-1781.

Families Overcoming Drug Addiction Support group. First and third Thursdays at 6:30 p.m. Fauquier Hospital Sycamore Room, 500 Hospital Dr., Warrenton. myfodafamily@gmail.com or 540-316-9221.

Gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender youth and parent support A group in partnership with Metro DC PFLAG. Fourth Sundays 4-6 p.m. Unitarian Universalist Church, 22135 Davis Dr., Sterling. 703-328-6518.

Griefshare Open to anyone who has experienced the death of a loved one. Tuesdays through Oct. 3, 7-8:30 p.m. Purcellville Baptist Church 601 Yaxley Dr., Purcellville. Call 540-338-0918 or email caring@purbap.org. Workbook, $15.

Griefshare Nondenominational seminar and support group. Tuesdays 7:30-9 p.m., and Wednesdays, 1-2:30 p.m. Spiritual Care Support Ministry Center, 76 W. Shirley Ave., Warrenton. 540-349-5814. Free.

Grief support Sponsored by Hospice Support of Fauquier County. Individual counseling available. First and third Thursdays 3:30-5 p.m. Hospice Support Office, 42 N. Fifth St., Warrenton. Registration required. Email hospicesupport@verizon.net or call 540 - 347-5922.

Grief support Wednesdays, 10:30 a.m.-noon, Spiritual Care Support Ministry Center, 76 W. Shirley Ave., Warrenton. 540-349-5814.

Hospice support Free medical-equipment loan facility for Fauquier County residents. Especially needed are donations of wheelchairs, bedside commodes, rolling walkers, electric hospital beds, shower benches and chairs, adult diapers, lift chairs, Ensure and hospital bed mattresses . 540-347-5922.

Look Good, Feel Better For women undergoing or emerging from cancer treatment. Every other month, 6:45-9 p.m., Inova Loudoun Hospital Radiation Oncology Center, 44035 Riverside Pkwy., Suite 100, Leesburg. Call for dates. 703-776-2820. Free.

Loudoun CHADD support Led by Children and Adults With Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder. Third Thursdays 7 p.m. Leesburg Town Hall, lower-level conference room, 25 W. Market St. 703-669-2445.

Lyme disease support Fourth Sundays 2-4 p.m. Inova Loudoun Hospital, 44045 Riverside Pkwy., Conference Room A and B, Leesburg. Go to natcaplyme.org or email loudounlymeadvocates@

gmail.com.

Lyme disease support Third Thursdays 7-9 p.m. Fauquier Hospital Chestnut Room, 500 Hospital Dr., Warrenton. Call 540-341-8245 or email phillipsgeo@comcast.net.

Lyme disease support Age 18 and older. First Tuesdays 6:30-8 p.m. Carver Center, 200 Willie Palmer Way, Purcellville. Email charphealy@yahoo.com.

MADD Loudoun victim support For those who have been affected by drunken driving. Third Wednesdays 7:30 p.m. 210 Wirt St., Leesburg. 540-338-6491.

Man-to-Man cancer support Sponsored by Loudoun Cancer Care Center, for prostate cancer patients and their families. Second Tuesdays 6:30-8 p.m. Senior Center at Cascades, 21060 Whitfield Pl., Sterling. 703-858-8857 or karen.archer@inova.org.

Menopause support Third Thursdays 6:30-9 p.m. Inova Loudoun Hospital, 44045 Riverside Pkwy., Leesburg (second floor, Patient Education Room). 703-858-8060.

Men's grief support Second Mondays at 7 p.m. Fauquier Hospital Sycamore Room, 500 Hospital Dr., Warrenton. 703-568-3346. Free.

Multiple sclerosis support Saturdays 10:30 a.m. Fauquier Hospital Chestnut Room, 500 Hospital Dr., Warrenton. 540-349-2826.

Multiple sclerosis support Last Sundays, September-June, 2-4 p.m. Cascades Library, 21030 Whitfield Pl., Potomac Falls. Call ahead to confirm. 703-771-4256.

Nar-Anon family support For those affected by loved ones with addiction. "Meaningful Mondays," 7-8 p.m., Galilee United Methodist Church, 45425 Winding Rd., Sterling. 703-203-9792; "Wisdom Wednesdays" 7-8 p.m., St. Francis de Sales Catholic Church, 37730 St. Francis Ct., Purcellville, 703-606-7125; "Serenity Thursdays," 7-8 p.m. Leesburg Presbyterian Church, 207 W. Market St., Leesburg, 703-606-7125.

Overeaters Anonymous For fellowship and support. For locations and times, go to oa.org.

Parkinson's social Coffee and conversation. Third Wednesdays 10 a.m.-noon, Tribute at One Loudoun, Welcome Center, 20618 Easthampton Plaza, Ashburn. parkinsonsocialnetwork.org or 703-378-7221. Free.

Parkinson's support Open to those with Parkinson's disease, their family members and caregivers. First Tuesdays 1:30-3 p.m. Call for Ashburn location. 571-442-8851.

Postpartum support Second and fourth Wednesdays 1-2:30 p.m. Inova Loudoun Cornwall Campus, 224 Cornwall St., Leesburg. Call 703-909-9877 or email lamckeough@gmail.com. Registration required.

Reach to Recovery Home-visit program for mastectomy and lumpectomy patients. Temporary prostheses, exercise instruction and encouragement. 703-938-5550.

Sexual assault and incest survivors group counseling Services provided by Loudoun Citizens for Social Justice and the Loudoun Abused Women's Shelter are free and confidential. 703-771-9020.

Sexual assault survivors empowerment support Sponsored by Sexual Assault Victims Volunteer Initiative. Child care available with 48 hours notice. Mondays; call for times and locations. 540-349-7720.

Spiritual support group For cancer patients, family members and friends. Third Tuesdays 6:30-8 p.m. Inova Loudoun Hospital Radiation Oncology Center, 44035 Riverside Pkwy., Suite 100, Leesburg. 703-858-8850.

Stroke support First Wednesdays, noon-1:30 p.m. Fauquier Hospital Chestnut Room, 500 Hospital Dr., Warrenton. 540-316-3588. Free.

Stroke survivors and caregivers support Second Wednesdays 11 a.m.-noon, Inova Loudoun Hospital, 44045 Riverside Pkwy., Leesburg, second floor, Patient Education Room. 703-858-6199 or jill.lieb@inova.org.

Suicide counseling Third Wednesdays 7-8:30 p.m. Leesburg Town Office, Conference Room 2, lower level, 25 W. Market St., Leesburg. survivorsofsuicideloss

leesburg@gmail.com or 703-587-1618.

Widows and widowers support Third Mondays 11 a.m. Leesburg Senior Center, 102 North St. NW. 703-737-8039.

Women's support Sponsored by Services to Abused Families. Tuesdays 6:30-8 p.m. Confidential location. 540-825-8876.

Women's cancer support Woman to Woman, first Wednesdays 6:30-8 p.m. Inova Loudoun Hospital Radiation Oncology Center, 44035 Riverside Pkwy., Suite 100, Leesburg. Registration required. 703-858-8850.

MISCELLANEOUS

Brain trauma survivors' brown-bag lunch For survivors and caregivers. First Tuesdays, noon-1:30 p.m., Inova Loudoun Hospital, 44045 Riverside Pkwy., Leesburg, second-floor Patient Education Room. Call 703-737-3150 or email jberg@braininjurysvcs.org. Free.

Child developmental screenings For ages 2-5. Children may not be kindergarten-age-eligible. Sponsored by the Loudoun County school systems' Child Find Center. 571-252-2180.

Cholesterol screenings Weekdays, 6 a.m.-8 p.m. Fauquier Health LIFE Center, 500 Hospital Dr., Warrenton. 540-316-2640. Registration required. $35.

Emergency food supplies Loudoun County residents in need can receive a free three-day supply of groceries. Supplies are distributed Mondays through Saturdays by Loudoun Hunger Relief. Call 703-777-5911 or go to loudounhunger.org.

Fauquier free walk-in medical clinic Call Thursdays 12:30 to 1 p.m. to register for the clinic, which begins at 5:30 p.m. Patients are seen by appointment Tuesdays and Wednesdays. Fauquier and Rappahannock residents only. Bring proof of address for the first visit. Patients cannot have Medicaid, Medicare or private insurance. Information: 540-347-0394 Tuesdays or Thursdays, 9 a.m.-4 p.m.

Fauquier Hospital Bistro Senior Supper Club Nutritious meals and fellowship for people 55 and older. Tuesdays and Thursdays 4:30-6:30 p.m. Fauquier Hospital Bistro on the Hill, 500 Hospital Dr., Warrenton. 540-316-3588. $5.49.

HEROES (Hometown Enabling Relationships, Opportunities and Empowerment through Support) is a program for military families. Support to military members and families, from predeployment up to two years post-deployment. Assistance includes financial help, job placement, family care and mental-health services. caring@purbap.org or heroescare.org.

Inova Loudoun Hospital Mobile Health Services Blood pressure screenings. Tuesday 10 a.m.-noon, Dulles South Multipurpose Center, 24950 Riding Center Dr., South Riding; Wednesday 10 a.m.-noon, Leesburg Senior Center, 102 North St., Leesburg; Sept. 12, Senior Center at Cascades, 21060 Whitfield Pl., Sterling; Sept. 16, 8 a.m.-noon, Douglass Community Center, 405 E. Market St., Leesburg; Sept. 18, 9-11 a.m., William Watters House, 22365 Enterprise St., Sterling. Call 703-858-8818 for information or go to inova.org/mobilehealth. Free.

Loudoun Cares information and referral help line Call 703-669-4636 for help in finding resources for county residents on issues of eviction, utility cutoffs, health care and employment.

Motor skill screenings Birth to 21 months. First Thursdays, Blue Ridge Speech and Hearing Center, 19465 Deerfield Ave., Suite 201, Lansdowne. Call for an appointment. 703-858-7620. Free.

Northern Virginia long-term-care ombudsman Call 703-324-5861 for help with complaints related to long-term-care facilities.

Road to Recovery Free rides to appointments for cancer patients. Call 410-781-6909 or email jen.burdette@cancer.org. Free.

Safe sitter classes For girls and boys ages 11-14. First Saturdays except for holiday weekends. 7:30 a.m.-3:30 p.m. Inova Loudoun Hospital, 44045 Riverside Pkwy., Leesburg. To receive a Safe Sitter Certificate, students must pass practical and written tests on babysitting and handling an emergency. Take a lunch from home or buy one in the cafeteria. $70, includes handbook and snacks. Registration required. Contact 703-858-8818 or charlene.martin@inova.org.

Seven Loaves Food Pantry Individuals and families can receive a three-day supply of food, distributed Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays, 10 a.m.-noon. Go to sevenloavesmiddleburg.org or call 540-687-3489.

Tree of Life Food Pantry Serving western Loudoun County. Food is delivered Wednesdays and Saturdays. 703-554-3595.

 Compiled by Sandy Mauck

TO SUBMIT AN ITEM

Email: ldliving@washpost.com

Fax: 703-777-8437

Mail: Health Calendar, The Washington Post, 104 Dry Mill Rd. SW, Suite 101, Leesburg, Va. 20175

Loudoun County and Fauquier County health calendar

Loudoun County and Fauquier County health calendar

Loudoun County and Fauquier County health calendar

Loudoun County and Fauquier County health calendar

Loudoun County and Fauquier County health calendar
Youth mental health is focus of county event Tuesday

The Loudoun County Department of Mental Health, Substance Abuse and Developmental Services will join the Loudoun Community Services Board on Tuesday to host a youth mental health community event, 3 to 5 p.m., in the Loudoun County Government Center, Dulles Conference Room, 1 Harrison St. SW, Leesburg.

The program will provide information on resources that promote youth mental health and wellness, and give those attending a chance to meet local providers of mental health care.

At 5 p.m., the Board of Supervisors will convene and issue a proclamation recognizing Sept. 10 to 16 as Suicide Prevention Week.

For information, email lccsb@loudoun.gov or call 703-777-0378.

Girl Scouts install Little Free Library in Leesburg

Members of Girl Scout Troop 6752 designed, built and painted a house-shaped box to contain a Little Free Library. They installed it last week on the site of an abandoned pay phone in front of the Leesburg Police Department, 65 Plaza St., and stocked it with books.

It's the first Little Free Library in Leesburg. For information about the program, go to littlefreelibrary.org.

Nominations are open for Loudoun History Awards

The Thomas Balch Library Advisory Commission is taking nominations through Oct. 9 for the 25th annual Loudoun History Awards, which honor individuals who have helped preserve local history through the collection of county documents and memorabilia, preservation of landmarks, visual arts, writing and long-term involvement in local-history organizations.

Nominations should include a statement detailing the nominees accomplishments; newspaper articles, program announcements, publications or other supporting information; and contact information for the nominee and nominator.

Mail nominations to Alexandra S. Gressitt, Library Director, Thomas Balch Library, 208 W. Market St., Leesburg, Va. 20176.

The awards ceremony will be 2 p.m. Nov. 12 at the library. For information, call 703-737-7195 or email agressitt@leesburgva.gov.
On Aug. 9, 1945, Sumiteru Taniguchi was delivering mail on his bicycle in Nagasaki, Japan. At 11:02 a.m., he noticed a rainbow-like flash and was thrown to the ground.

When I looked up, he said in a 1994 interview later broadcast on PBS, the house I had just passed had been destroyed. The last house to which I distributed mail was still there. I also saw a child blown away. Big stones were flying in the air and one came down and hit me, then flew up again into the sky.

Mr. Taniguchi, who was 16 at the time, was about a mile from the center of the explosion of the second atomic bomb dropped by U.S. forces on Japan. The city of Hiroshima had been nearly leveled three days earlier. More than 200,000 people were estimated to have been killed in the two blasts.

Within a week of the Nagasaki bombing, Japan surrendered, bringing an end to World War II. Mr. Taniguchis struggles were just beginning.

After a long, painful recovery, he devoted the rest of his life to peace and disarmament, often baring his scars as a symbol of the horrors of nuclear war.



In this 2015 photo, Sumiteru Taniguchi shows a photo of himself taken after the 1945 atomic bomb attack on Nagasaki, Japan. (Eugene Hoshiko/AP)

I realized that I must live on behalf of those who died unwillingly, he told author Susan Southard for her 2015 book Nagasaki.

Mr. Taniguchi died Aug. 30 in Nagasaki at age 88, according to a statement from a group he helped lead, the Japan Confederation of A- and H-Bomb Sufferers Organizations. The cause was cancer.

As Mr. Taniguchi tried to climb to his feet after the explosion, the skin of my left arm, from the shoulder to the tip of my fingers, was dripping like rags, he said. I put my hand to my back, but there was no clothing. I could only feel something slimy.

He retrieved the scattered letters from his mailbag.

I didnt feel any pain and there was no blood, he said. But all my energy seemed to vanish.

He was carried to a grassy spot on a hill and placed alongside other victims.

When the morning came, Mr. Taniguchi said in 1994, no one lying with me was still alive.

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He was not rescued for three days. He was eventually taken to a Japanese military hospital. His skin was stripped away from his back, exposing his muscles. He spent almost two years lying on his stomach, while his back was suppurating with infections.

The doctors were clueless about how to treat me, he said.

In January 1946, a film crew from the U.S. Strategic Bombing Survey came to the hospital and recorded Mr. Taniguchi being treated for his wounds. The three minutes of silent color film were so gruesome that they were not shown in public for more than 25 years.

From shoulders to waist, his raw, bloodred tissue glistens under the lights, Southard wrote in Nagasaki.

Burns and blisters covered much of the rest of his body.

He cried every time he heard the instrument cart approaching, Southard wrote, and when the nurses removed the gauze from his back, he screamed in pain and begged the nurses to let him die. Kill me, kill me, he cried.

Mr. Taniguchi was not released from the hospital until 1949. He later went back to his job as a mail carrier and was not considered completely healed until 1960, although he continued to have medical problems throughout his life. He dealt with keloid scars and tumors and, despite his ramrod straight posture, never went a day without pain.

At a 2010 United Nations conference to review terms of a treaty on the nonproliferation of nuclear arms, Mr. Taniguchi held up a picture of himself as a young man, with his back exposed on the hospital bed.

I am not a guinea pig, nor am I an exhibit, he said. But you who are here today, please dont turn your eyes away from me. Please look at me again.

Mr. Taniguchi became one of several prominent hibakusha, or atomic-bomb-affected people, who spoke out about their suffering, often despite public ridicule of their disfigurement.

We never received any professional psychological counseling, Mr. Taniguchi told the Guardian newspaper of Britain in 1988, but in our group of 60 people weve tried to do it for each other  at least to make the survivors talk about that day. Weve saved some people from killing themselves.

Mr. Taniguchi became a determined advocate for the elimination of nuclear arms. He often traveled overseas to speak at conferences, including in the United States, and called for the Japanese government to pay the medical expenses incurred by the survivors.

He noted that the United States had never shown remorse for the damage caused by atomic weapons, but he was even harsher toward his own country.

No one in the Japanese government has ever apologized about getting involved in that war, either, he said.

After the end of World War II, Japan adopted a constitutional provision renouncing war and prohibiting the deployment of military forces outside the countrys borders. In 2015, amid 70th anniversary observances of the attacks, legislation was passed and signed by Prime Minister Shinzo Abe allowing Japanese forces to take part in international conflicts.

Mr. Taniguchi denounced the change in policy, calling it a betrayal of the countrys pacifist principles.

I am worried about what will happen to the world, he said, when there are no more atomic bomb survivors.

Sumiteru Taniguchi was born Jan. 26, 1929, in Fukuoka, Japan. According to Japanese news reports, his mother died when he was an infant. His father worked for the railroad before being conscripted into the military.

Mr. Taniguchi spent much of his childhood with his maternal grandparents in Nagasaki before going to work for the postal service at 14.

When he was 24, Mr. Taniguchi had an arranged marriage that was put together by friends and family members.

My wife never saw me before the wedding and was not told about my injuries, he told the Chicago Tribune in 2001. She cried a lot on our honeymoon. It wasnt the scars so much that frightened her, but fear how long I would survive.

His wife, Eiko, applied lotion to her husbands scars and massaged his back. She died last year. Survivors include two children; four grandchildren; and two great-grandchildren.

In 1986, Southard was enlisted as a translator when Mr. Taniguchi came to Washington. She often visited him in Nagasaki and once asked him to describe the significance of his survival amid such suffering.

Just that I lived, he said. That I have lived this long. I have sadness and struggle that goes with being alive, but I went to the very last edge of life, so I feel joy in the fact that Im here, now.
Posted by Mark Williams | April 15, 2012



Story and Photos by Dan Sanchez



Throughout the companys long history, Jeep has brought pickup trucks to market and later shelved them. More recently, the introduction of the Mopar JK8 conversion kit for the Wrangler became so popular that Jeep engineers have again toyed with the truck idea. This time they created the J-12 Concept truck that debuted at the 2012 Easter Jeep Safari in Moab, Utah. This new Jeep captures the vintage look of the Jeep Gladiator, with the performance and capabilities of a 2012 Wrangler.



So, whats cool about the J-12? Imagine taking your grandfathers old 1960s Jeep Gladiator pickup truck and handing it over to automotive designer Chip Foose for a few weeks. While Foose may have added a flashier paint job and billet wheels to the J-12, Jeep engineers should be proud that they created a flawless truck with classic styling and combined it with the modern drivetrain and chassis of a 2012 Wrangler.



If the idea was to bring back the vintage appeal of a reliable pickup that can be used for both work and play, the J-12 is on target. With its bright red paint, 6-foot bed and chromed Gladiator-style front bumper, fenders and grille, the J-12 looks the part. On the inside, theres a bench seat with plaid interior trim, a fishing rod hung across the rear window and a large floor-mounted shift lever with a compass shift knob that adds to the trucks vintage style. The bench seat was adjustable, but it took a while to get used to sitting up straight because non-extended-cab trucks with two seats are almost extinct. You end up hitting your elbow when you rest your right arm across the top of the seat.



Thats where the J-12s vintage look and feel stops. Its when you get behind the wheel that the trucks modern attributes come into play. The first thing you notice is the dash, controls, steering wheel and doors are all Wrangler pieces that remind you this isnt a restored truck, but a serious, yet familiar, off-road vehicle thats worthy of the Jeep name.

On the trail, we released the vehicles TeraFlex anti-sway bars to allow the large 36-inch- diameter Super Lug off-road tires to grip the rock and articulate over extreme terrain. Mounted on 16-inch steel rims with chromed hubcaps, the extra tire sidewall makes the J-12 crawl better than what you would expect it to. The addition of a front Dynatrac D44 front axle and D-60 rear axle -- both equipped with ARB air-lockers -- allows the J-12 to power and gain traction over some of the toughest terrain we could put it through.





Despite the rocky path to an abandoned cabin and mine shafts, the ride was smooth and predictable. The rock crawling is precise and easy, especially with the longer wheelbase thats been stretched 18 additional inches. The longer wheelbase also allows a full-size spare to fit under the bed, which the Jeep engineers wanted to include on this particular concept.



A Mopar 3-inch suspension lift gives the truck extra ground clearance. But during our drive, the J-12 never scraped the frame or any other portion of the chassis. On the highway, the J-12 drives better than any old pickup. Thats partly due to the well-tuned suspension that also included a set of Fox reservoir shocks. Shift the transfer case into two-wheel drive and the ride on the pavement is the same as any four-door Wrangler -- quiet and ready for a long-distance trip.



While the truck only has the front portion of the Jeeps original hardtop, it isnt removable. Despite this, the J-12 to seem less top-heavy and felt lighter and more nimble, especially when taking corners at higher speeds. Because it uses a stiff Wrangler frame, road oscillations and noises were not an issue with this concept truck.

The only negative point we discovered while driving the J-12 is it wont be in production anytime soon. Nevertheless, were aware that these design experiments are meant to develop components and ideas for future vehicles that will make it into the showroom floor.

We can only speculate that a Wrangler pickup truck may be in the works, and the extended wheelbase and 6-foot bed on the J-12 is an indication of what may be included. If the J-12 does provide any hints at what a modern Jeep pickup would be like, you can expect there will be many off-road enthusiasts signed up to buy one.







Under the custom hood is a factory 3.6-liter V-6 that is outfitted with a home-engineered air intake system.





Engineers used a Mopar JK8 bed kit and extended it to fit the 18-inch stretched chassis. Note the factory spare located under the bed.





Although it looks like a truck, the J-12 rides like a Wrangler and has very similar off-road capabilities. A set of 36-inch diameter Super Lug off-road tires are mounted on 16-inch steel rims with chromed hubcaps.





No vintage dash here. The steering wheel and instruments are all from the Wrangler, which allow the use of full electronics accessories. The center console houses the transfer case shifter, as well as the floor-mounted automatic shift lever, complete with vintage-styled shift knob with compass.









The bench seat also offers a vintage look with a Katzkin leather upholstery and plaid trim.
Walter Becker, the co-founder of the 1970s supergroup Steely Dan, which was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, died Sept. 3. He was 67.

His official website announced his death but provided no further details.

Mr. Becker had missed performances earlier in the summer in Los Angeles and New York.

Mr. Becker, a guitarist and bassist, met fellow musician Donald Fagen while they were students at New Yorks Bard College in the late 1960s. They later moved to California and worked as songwriters and backup musicians before launching Steely Dan in 1972. (The bands name derived from a sex toy mentioned in William S. Burroughss Naked Lunch.)

The groups first release was the 1972 album Cant Buy a Thrill, which included the hit songs Reelin in the Years, Dirty Work and Do It Again. Steely Dan often included a rotating cast of musicians, but Mr. Becker and Fagen were always the core figures and songwriters. Fagen was the lead vocalist.



Walter Becker performing in 2008. (Evan Agostini/ASSOCIATED PRESS)

The Steely Dan sound featured an original, sophisticated style of music that borrowed elements from rock, jazz, pop and soul.

We play rock n roll, but we swing when we play, Mr. Becker told Rolling Stone magazine in 1974. We want that ongoing flow, that lightness, that forward rush of jazz.

Later albums included Countdown to Ecstasy (1973), Pretzel Logic (1974), which featured the bands biggest hit, Rikki Dont Lose That Number, and Katy Lied (1975).

With a group of skilled studio musicians, including drummer Jim Keltner and jazz saxophonist Wayne Shorter, Steely Dan released Aja (1977), which sold more than 5 million copies. The album, which contained the hits Deacon Blues, Peg and the title track, was named one of the 500 greatest albums of all time by Rolling Stone.

Steely Dan stopped touring in 1974, and Fagen and Mr. Becker broke up after the release of the 1980 album Gaucho.

They reunited in 2000 to record Two Against Nature, which won four Grammys, including Album of the Year. The group recorded one more studio album, Everything Must Go, in 2003.

In 2001, Steely Dan was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, and its music was cited for intellectual sophistication.

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Mr. Becker was living on the Hawaiian island of Maui at the time of his death. Fagen said in a statement that he intends to continue to perform Steely Dans music with other musicians.

CORRECTION: An earlier version of this story incorrectly reported that Steely Dan became one of the top touring groups of the late 1970s. The band stopped touring in 1974. The story has been revised.
A driver wanted in connection with an armed robbery and trying elude police crashed into several vehicles Sunday afternoon in front of the Trump International Hotel on Pennsylvania Avenue in Northwest Washington, authorities said.

Police said they were checking whether officers were chasing the vehicle. Five people were injured, including two officers, the suspect and a mother and her son. Police described the injuries as minor, though all were taken to area hospitals.

The incident occurred about 2 p.m. at 12th Street NW., and drew a large contingent of police vehicles from several local and federal jurisdictions.

Police said the vehicle driven by the suspect was headed west. His apparent attempt to escape apprehension ended at a barricade authorities had set up along 12th Street to prevent cars from getting near Syria Fest, an outdoor street festival on Pennsylvania Avenue featuring Syrian food, music and dance.

Police said the suspect might also be wanted in Prince Georges County, Md., in connection with a car theft. Details of when and where the armed robbery occurred were not immediately available. Police said a knife had been used. The suspect was not immediately identified.

Authorities said the incident had no connection to either the Trump Hotel, which is four blocks from the White House, or the Syrian festival.
Unique Davis, 19, was fatally shot Saturday in the 1500 block of Tubman Road SE. She is pictured in her prom dress and crown from Anacostia High School graduation this past fall. (na)

The gunfire came so fast at the far end of Tubman Road in Southeast Washington on Saturday evening that no one could provide a description of the shooter. A woman who heard the shots scrambled into her home without even knowing whether they came from a moving car or a person on foot.

One bullet struck a house, another a tree. Others struck three people at a family gathering, killing a recent graduate of Anacostia High School the day after her 19th birthday. The shooting critically injured her boyfriend and wounded her older sister.

The fatally wounded teenager, Unique Davis, managed to get back into her familys townhouse after she was shot. Her wounded sister was holding on to her feet when she dropped to the floor and watched her take her last breath, said their aunt, Davena Davis. Unique Davis was pronounced dead at the scene.

D.C. police said they think that someone in the group was targeted, but theyre not sure who, or whether the intended target was among those injured. What is clear is another D.C. family is grieving the death of a loved one, this time a young woman who had planned Sunday to start her first post-high school job, working for FedEx.

Justice needs to be served, said Davena Davis, 37, who also is Unique Daviss godmother. She had a life to live. She didnt deserve this at all. The shooters need to pay the price. They didnt just take a child, they took our hearts. . . . They need to suffer in hell for what they did to her.

[Teenager headed off to college killed by stray bullet fired three weeks ago]

Saturdays shooting, shortly after 7 p.m. in the 1500 block of Tubman Road SE, comes about three weeks after another recent graduate, this one from Wilson High School, was struck and killed by a stray bullet. Police say 17-year-old Jamahri Sydnor was struck in the head as she drove along a street in Northeast Washington in the middle of the afternoon. According to police, two gunman were firing at another man across the street. One arrest has been made.

Sydnor, the daughter of a D.C. police officer, was killed days before she was to head off to college at Florida A&M University.

There have been 78 homicides in the District this year, down from 91 at this time in 2016; police say that violent crime is down 26 percent.

Saturdays shooting occurred in the Henson Ridge development, an area of relatively new three-story townhouses near Alabama Avenue and Stanton Road. Modeled after suburban townhouses, the attached dwellings have small grass lawns and back yards.

A woman who lives on the block with the Davises said she was outside when she heard what sounded like firecrackers. A relative screamed, Thats gunfire, and she and others ran inside without looking behind them.

I ran into the house so fast I saw nothing, said the woman, who did not want to be identified because she lives close to the scene and the shooter or shooters remain at large. They were shooting up the block. I got in as they trained the guns at the [Davis] house and then ran around to the back and started shooting again.

Police would not say how many bullets were fired. Davena Davis, who works as a home inspector, said she does not think her niece was targeted. We honestly dont know what happened, she said. They were just sitting out front like they always do, laughing and giggling, letting the little ones play.

Davena Davis described her niece as fun-loving and the person who brought everything to this family, the person you always wanted to be around.

She said Uniques father and grandmother died recently. Her mother, Sherita Davis, a receptionist at a D.C. hospital, was too distraught to talk to a reporter.

Shes not taking it so well, Davena Davis said. None of us are.
Kalvin Coward calls himself God. And his fellow inmates at a Virginia prison who follow the same teachings  he calls them God, too.

Coward, 54, is an adherent of the Nation of Gods and Earths, also known as the Five Percenters, and his belief system includes the idea that the black man is God and that only 5 percent of the population knows this to be true and can teach it to others.

To Coward, the Nation of Gods and Earths, an offshoot of the Nation of Islam, is a positive philosophy and the focal point of his life. In the view of Virginia prisons, though, its a gang whose members believe they are racially superior. Until recently, prison officials did not allow devotees to discuss their beliefs publicly or read literature about them.

But last month, after a years-long court battle, a federal judge in Alexandria ruled that Coward and others can observe their four honor days, possess foundational texts and engage in communal worship.

Michael Williams, a partner at Kirkland & Ellis, the firm that represented Coward, called the ruling a landmark for religious liberty cases.

U.S. District Judge Leonie Brinkema wrote in her opinion that the Virginia Department of Corrections policy violated the inmates rights under the First Amendment and a federal law that prohibits religious discrimination in prison settings.

After twenty-one years of tracking Five Percenters, the VDOC has not produced sufficient evidence supporting its position that the gang designation is warranted and furthers a compelling state interest, Brinkema wrote.

The passage of the Religious Land Use and Institutionalized Persons Act in 2000, which includes protections for prisoners, was a game-changer for inmates seeking religious rights, said David Fathi, the director of the American Civil Liberties Union National Prison Project.

Since then, prison policies across the country have been challenged and this Virginia case is the latest example, Fathi said.

Lisa Kinney, a Virginia Department of Corrections spokeswoman, declined to speak about the Coward case, saying a decision regarding appeal has not been made yet.

In court, Coward, who is serving his sentence at Deep Meadow Correctional Center west of Richmond, said he wasnt asking for anything different from the Christians in prison with him: freedom to worship, practice and teach.

What a Christian feel for Christianity is what I feel for the NGE, or the Nation, you know? It cleaned me up just as Christianity is supposed to clean the Christian up, Coward said, according to trial transcripts.

Free from stigma

It was 1994 when Coward, dressed in clothes similar to that of a baker, rang the bell near the employee entrance of his former job and waited with his back to the door.

The restaurant manager at Piccadilly Cafeteria in Henrico County looked through the peep hole and opened the door.

Coward, pointing a gun at the manager, told him to back up and get into the store, demanded money and threatened to blow his brains out, according to court documents.

This robbery led Coward to a 45-year sentence after he was convicted by a jury of armed robbery, abduction and two firearm charges. He maintains his innocence, even while behind bars.

Long before the robbery case, Coward said, he had been an adherent of the Nation of Gods and Earths, but he said he gained a deeper understanding in prison.

As he became more devout, though, he was not able to practice fully.

The Nation of Gods and Earths was originally classified as a security threat group in 1996, Department of Corrections employee Christopher Burke, the central region coordinator for the operations and logistics unit, said during a trial in federal court.

There are some problematic statements in the groups texts, Brinkema wrote in her recent opinion, that would lead people to believe it advocates for violence against white people.

That includes language that the Caucasian is the devil and all Muslims will murder the devil, because they know he is a snake and also, if he be allowed to live, he would sting someone else. Each Muslim is required to bring four devils.

But Coward believes that the Virginia prisons falsely interpreted the meaning behind this literature.

After exhausting options to file a grievance within the prison system, Coward grabbed lined paper and hand-wrote his federal complaint in 2010 alleging Virginia violated his religious freedom.

Coward studied in the prison library with other inmates who followed the Nation of Gods and Earths. They pored over law books, helping Coward to argue the case by himself for years, including seeing it dismissed three times by a federal judge and restored three times by the appeals court. During his third appeal, Coward received free legal help. That firm stuck with him through a two-day bench trial and the Aug. 28 victory in court.

In the end, Brinkema wrote in her opinion that there was no evidence Coward should be considered violent, a racial supremacist, or a threat to prison order and institutional security.

Coward said his family motivated him to keep arguing this case. This victory, he said Thursday, will allow him to share his beliefs with others, free from stigma and equivalent to the mainstream religion.

Our duty to teach the truth to all the human families of the planet Earth, I love doing that, Coward said in an interview by telephone. It gives me great joy when I can elevate the mind of a younger brother, or a brother in general.

Recognizing Five Percenters

Although Coward testified that followers do not believe all white people are devils and that a white person could be a part of the group, Margaret Hoehl OShea of the Virginia attorney generals office said in court that the race-centric language is threatening.

That is a group of individuals who share a philosophy that they are racially superior and that they are striving to switch the circumstances around so that they become, in fact, the ruling race, OShea said, according to trial transcripts.

Coward testified that the four devils referred to in the literature are lust, greed, envy and hate and that is personified as a white man because of slavery and the countrys general history of white men working to keep the black man down or keep the black man subjugated.

Brian Levin, the director of the Center for the Study of Hate and Extremism at California State University at San Bernardino and a former New York City police officer, said that while the language used can be troubling, that is no reason to disallow a group from practicing.

We dont base religious protections in the United States on whether or not the particular faith has broad appeal,  Levin said. As much as I am deeply concerned about aspects of the philosophy, its their right and certainly its understandable that such a movement would germinate during a time when we still had laws banning interracial marriage and the Klan burning crosses throughout the south.

The teachings of the Nation of Gods and Earths were an open secret in hip-hop culture in the late 60s and early 70s, said Felicia Miyakawa, who wrote a book on the Five Percenters and music. Miyakawa decoded rap lyrics to show the philosophy behind them.

Some famous artists that are either members or have used the literature or symbols include the Wu-Tang Clan, Lord Jamar, Busta Rhymes and Jay-Z.

Michael Muhammad Knight, who is white, spent years with believers. He wrote two books, multiple articles and strongly disagrees that members are violent.

If the Five Percenters were anything like the state says they are, I would not be alive and I would never have been able to do the work that I did with them, said Knight, who testified during the case and is an assistant professor of religion and cultural studies at the University of Central Florida.

People have been fighting this for decades, Knight said. There is a gathering of momentum as more states recognize the Five Percenters.
A young woman was killed Saturday night in a triple shooting in Southeast Washington, authorities said.

It occurred about 7:30 p.m. in the 1500 block of Tubman Road SE, police said.

Her death was first confirmed by Anthony Muhammad, chairman of Advisory Neighborhood Commission 8E.

The woman was described by police as 19 years old.

Police said two other people were shot in the incident. Their wounds were described as not life-threatening.

It appeared that the shots were fired from the street. Police were searching there for catridges. According to one account, the woman fell in the doorway of a family home.

Tubman Road is in the Henson Ridge area. Henson Ridge is a development of relatively new three-story townhouses. It is north of Alabama Avenue SE and west of Stanton Road.
The District

Woman fatally shot in SE, man also hit

A woman was shot and killed Saturday night on Tubman Road SE. A man was also hit.

Police said the woman was unconscious and not breathing. The death was confirmed by Anthony Muhammad, head of Advisory Neighborhood Commission 8E.

Her age was given as 19 or 20. Townhouses line the street.

 Martin Weil

VIRGINIA

Va. Tech will review building names

Virginia Tech says it will review the names of buildings and other campus areas as the nation discusses removing Confederate monuments and other controversial statues.

Virginia Tech spokesman Mark Owczarski said such an assessment was appropriate given the national dialogue.

 Associated Press

Police raise alarm over rise in traffic deaths

Virginia State Police have raised concerns about a spike in traffic deaths,saying 529 people have died in 2017 as of Friday, compared with 477 at the same time last year.

They say there have been 15 deaths in the past seven days.

 Associated Press
Democrat Lt. Gov. Ralph Northam, left, and Republican Ed Gillespie are competing in Virginias closely watched race for governor. Both have migrated to positions out of step with their past records. (Bob Brown/Richmond Times-Dispatch/AP)

Labor Day weekend traditionally kicks off high season for the Virginia governor's race, but tradition is under siege this year, and both major-party candidates have already been taking shots at each other.

The heightened political environment of the Trump administration, supercharged by the racial violence in Charlottesville, finds Republican Ed Gillespie and Democrat Ralph Northam in full battle mode.

Pushed by the same political divisions that are rending the nation, both men have taken positions that stray from their records.

Gillespie, long a proponent of a comprehensive immigration overhaul, is talking about the need to protect communities from dangerous undocumented criminals.

[In Va. governors race, Gillespie in tight spot over immigration]



Democratic gubernatorial candidate Lt. Gov. Ralph Northam, left, speaks with Suha Chandler, of Fairfax, Va., after worship services at the Dar Alnoor Islamic Community Center in Manassas, Va., Friday, Sept. 1, 2017. While Labor Day is the traditional kickoff for campaign season, the race for governor is already in high gear. (Steve Helber/AP)

Northam, the lieutenant governor and legislator who built a reputation as an aw-shucks Southern gentleman, now says the president of the United States is dangerous and possibly mentally ill.

And the pair find themselves in the middle of a heated war over Confederate statues, with Gillespie urged by his base to defend them and Northam by his to call for their removal.

David Ramadan, a former Republican delegate from Northern Virginia, faults both sides for heeding the advice of political strategists that in a low-turnout, off-year election they must play to the extremes.

Both sides are playing with fire, he said. Political strategists are counting on you not voting. . . . So Democrats are headed back to the far left and Republicans are headed to the far right. Its a shame.

In a sense, neither candidate can quite shed the ghost of his primary opponent. Republican Corey Stewart nearly took the nomination from Gillespie by stirring up the right wing of the party, and Democrat Tom Perriello drew big national dollars in his challenge to Northam by running hard against President Trump.

It wasnt supposed to be that way this year. Virginias last gubernatorial race, between Democrat Terry McAuliffe and Republican Ken Cuccinelli, was ideologically polarized in a way that seemed unusual for the state. McAuliffe, who won, was the glad-handing soul mate of former president Bill Clinton running against a thunderously conservative Cuccinelli.

The parties seemed to gravitate back toward middle ground with their presumed nominees for 2017  Northam and Gillespie were both centrists with vanilla personalities.

But after Trumps surprising election, and the unexpectedly hard-fought primary races this spring, the landscape has changed.

In this political climate right now, theres not much room for moderation, said Del. Marcus B. Simon (D-Fairfax).

That was illustrated dramatically after last month's violent clash in Charlottesville between white supremacists and counterprotesters around a statue of Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee. As the nation debated what to do about Confederate statues, Northam surprised even some fellow Democrats by coming out forcefully in favor of moving public monuments into museums.

Although Northam also says localities should decide the issue for themselves, his posture is a tricky one in Virginia, which has more Civil War monuments than any other state and where polls show a slim majority of residents want the statues to remain in place.

[In former capital of Confederacy, debate over statues is personal and painful]

"He probably got out farther than he would have if Charlottesville hadn't happened," said state Sen. Barbara A. Favola (D-Arlington). "But I think Charlottesville moved a large number of people who at one point were in the middle."

Gillespie also found himself on dangerous terrain when Trump drew widespread anger by initially saying the violence in Charlottesville could be blamed on many sides instead of condemning the white supremacists.

Northam pushed his opponent to disavow Trumps comments, but Gillespie  who last year was slow to embrace Trumps candidacy  has generally avoided mentioning the president. He has denounced white supremacists but defended the statues and thinks they should stay put.

In the weeks since, Gillespie went on the offensive and aired the first attack ad of the campaign, slamming Northam for allegedly supporting "sanctuary cities" that allow undocumented immigrants who have committed crimes to take refuge from federal agents. There's a complicated backstory there  Virginia has no sanctuary cities, but Republicans in the state Senate used a parliamentary maneuver to get Northam to cast a vote on the topic.

The result is that as September begins, Northam is suggesting that Gillespie wont disavow racists, while Gillespie hints that Northam coddles undocumented immigrants.

"It has been a little more negative before Labor Day than I would have expected," said Del. David J. Toscano (D-Charlottesville), the House minority leader. He blamed the negative turn on "Republicans' concern about the state of the race," but others say the tone of the race flows directly out of Washington.

Many people bemoan the polarization and speak wistfully of the bygone  if not entirely imagined  era of collegial bipartisanship known as the Virginia way.

John Fredericks is not among them.

The conservative radio host, who helped lead Trump's Virginia campaign, wants Gillespie move closer to the president in substance and style. Gillespie recently hired the blunt-spoken operative who helped Trump round up votes in Southwest Virginia, a man who contends on Facebook that communists are behind the push to remove Confederate statues.

Fredericks thinks monuments could be the issue that puts Gillespie over the top.

"I think it's a winning issue for him," Fredericks said. "We've teed it up. He just has to hit the ball and leave nothing for interpretation or ambiguity."

Democrats didn't anticipate Confederate monuments as a lasting issue in this year's governor's race. Northam now says he thinks the topic will linger into the fall, and he's trying to steer the conversation to other issues.

There are a lot more monuments we need to discuss in Virginia that arent built in bronze, and those are the inequities we have, such as inequities in income . . . in access to education, in access to health care and voting rights, Northam said in an interview.

Those roads lead, inevitably, back to Trump.

"I think that there are policies that are coming out of Washington right now that are very detrimental to Virginia, and people are certainly paying attention to those," Northam said, mentioning Trump's positions on health care, his proposed Muslim travel ban, on climate change.

I look at my opponent  this is a time for leadership and to stand up and say, These policies coming out of Washington are detrimental to Virginia and Im going to stand up against them,  Northam said.

Gillespies campaign said he was unavailable for an interview but others in the party voiced exasperation that everything Gillespie proposes gets viewed through the lens of Trump.

For instance, Gillespies call for aggressive action against MS-13, a violent street gang that has taken root in some immigrant communities, fits neatly in the long history of GOP law-and-order gubernatorial candidates. But in the current climate, it is portrayed as an extension of Trumps build that wallapproach. Former state attorney general Jerry Kilgore, finance chairman for the state GOP, said he thinks Gillespies stance will play well in suburbs and rural areas  in spite of the head winds coming from Washington.

But insiders on both sides worry about the tone of the race. Gillespie and Northam have already begun their TV advertising, and both will have significant financial resources as national attention focuses on Virginia's race  the marquee statewide contest this year.

If the tone is already sharp by Labor Day, it could get worse.

I think many folks would agree that Washington has kind of helped to throw gasoline on the fire, and its a difficult environment to govern with so many emotions running high, said Del. Sam Rasoul (D-Roanoke), the General Assemblys only Muslim, who has called for more unity and understanding.

Ramadan, the former Republican delegate, said he still supports Gillespie but regrets the way the race is developing. I am fed up and I am disappointed in both of them for turning this into what Virginia is not, he said.
Iashia Nelson cradled her 4-year-old son, shielding him from the pounding rain as she and close to 30 others huddled together on a rooftop, praying they would be rescued.

In the eight hours they waited, without any food or water, Nelson, 36, said she witnessed at least four people die.

She saw a woman and child trapped in a car, honking their horn in panic until the water engulfed them. She saw another woman, clinging to a tree, lose her grip and be swept away by the rapids. She saw three men attempt to resuscitate an elderly woman who had drowned.

The images are seared into her mind, emerging whenever she closes her eyes. Its why shes hardly slept since her family moved to a downtown Houston shelter on Monday.

Shes worried about what comes next for them. Shes worried about the emotional toll on her three sons, who also saw bodies floating in the flooded streets.

Im going to need some counseling. Im really going to have to talk with someone, she said. Ive been keeping my mind sane because my children are still looking to me, and if I start falling, they are going to fall too.

In the immediate aftermath of a crisis like Hurricane Harvey, the priority is survival.

But after the volunteers and emergency workers leave and the outpouring of support subsides, the survivors are left with haunting memories and the daunting task of rebuilding their lives  stresses that can take a toll on mental health.

Nelson knows this pain well. She lost all of her worldly possessions in Hurricane Katrina.

She and her family relocated to Houston to rebuild their life. Having to go through this a second time  something she never thought shed face again  is too much to bear without professional help.

Ronald C. Kessler, a professor at Harvard Medical School, studied the long-term psychological effects on Hurricane Katrina victims. Humans are resilient, and many do recover from their immediate grief, but he found the number of people reporting post-traumatic stress, depression and suicidal ideation increased as time passed and life didnt resume normalcy.

Most of the mental health problems we found, most of the long term issues after Katrina had to do with things like trying to go back to my house and electricity is still out 12 months later, Kessler said. There was hope in the short term, the community pulls together, politicians give speeches and then reality sets in  that kind of nagging, dragging feeling leads to depression and despair. People give up hope: Is it ever going to be better?

After Katrina, Diana Meyers, a nurse affiliated with a local church, said victims overwhelmingly identified mental health services as a key need.

People struggling with the trauma of the storm were then retraumatized when they started to navigate how to restart their lives. There were frustrating dealings with contractors and insurance companies. There were fears about finding employment. There was shame in seeking out government benefits like food stamps and Medicaid after never needing subsidies before.

Meyers, whose own house in New Orleans flooded, experienced mild depression after Katrina and for a short time took medication for it. Most of her family also lived in New Orleans. With each suffering their own hardships, they couldnt lean on one another for support.

Meyers remembers standing in line for food and crying in disbelief she was the one who needed the help and not the one doing the helping.

All my thoughts were just darker thoughts, I wasnt having a lot of positive thoughts at that point, Meyers said. I couldnt focus.

In Houston, droves of mental health professionals have fanned out to various shelters to volunteer. At the George R. Brown Convention Center in downtown Houston, a temporary hospital has erected a separate mental health section.

The volunteers are also encouraged to walk the halls and check in with people to see how they are processing the trauma.

Because children are especially vulnerable, theyve set up a play area to allow kids a fun release for their pent-up energy and anxiety.

Having that early, early support is very important, said Susan Fordice, president and chief executive of Mental Health America of Greater Houston. I think its important that people get back to some sense of normalcy and routine, and I realize what an incredible challenge that is going to be. What has happened here is unprecedented, its going to take a lot, and were going to have to really rally the mental health community and be present in many different places to provide support.

In addition to concerns about the trauma triggering new mental health conditions, there is also a serious risk to people with existing mental illness.

Many evacuees left without their medications and will have gone days without them. The states mental health system was already underfunded before the storm  Texas regularly ranks low in per capita funding for mental health services.

Andrea Sawyer-Gray, a 33-year-old nurse in Houston who left for Dallas just as the storm started, watched the horrors unfold from afar and worried about her fellow residents mental health. She reached out to Talkspace, an online therapy company, and suggested it open up a support group for Houston victims facilitated by therapists.

Since the group launched on Thursday, more than 150 people have taken advantage of the free resource, sharing intimate issues such as the inability to calm their anxious minds or control their emotions.

The donations, the things coming in are to replace our material things, but theres nothing that can replace our peace of mind, Sawyer-Gray said.

Jean Rhodes, a psychology professor at the University of Massachusetts, said there are other actionable things that could be done to ease peoples distress.

Rhodes has been studying a group of low-income New Orleans residents since just before Hurricane Katrina and has tracked their behavioral health.

Nearly five years after Katrina, one-third of Rhodess sample had high enough stress to indicate the presence of a diagnosable mental illness.

*Through her work, Rhodes has concluded that, early on, people need familiar systems of support, so she has recommended moving people to shelters near their neighborhoods so there is a sense of community.

She is also an advocate for allowing people to keep their pets in the shelters because of the tremendous comfort they provide.

Rhodess long research also showed a promising trend. Many Katrina survivors reported post-traumatic growth.

Even if they had experienced mental distress, they simultaneously expressed feelings of gratitude and a renewed appreciation for life.

Nelson is trying to keep some of that perspective.

While stranded on the rooftop, she prayed for God to save them, and he did.

Now, being together with her family in the shelter  about 16 of them in total  has eased some of the pain.

Im hurt that I lost everything, she said, but Im grateful that Im here and that I have my family.
ISRAEL

Netanyahu ex-aide held in submarine probe

Israeli police said Sunday that they arrested six people, including Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahus former chief of staff, as part of an investigation into alleged corruption surrounding the purchase of German submarines.

David Sharan, an American-born former Netanyahu aide, was arrested on suspicion of accepting bribes, fraud, breach of trust and conspiracy.

Sundays arrests, including of Eliezer Marom, the retired head of the Israeli navy, are the latest in a probe into suspected corruption surrounding the $2 billion deal with German manufacturer ThyssenKrupp.

Netanyahu is not a suspect in the case, but his personal attorney David Shimron, who is also his cousin, was placed under house arrest last month but has since been released.

Police have questioned Netanyahu over separate corruption allegations. He has denied any wrongdoing.

 Associated Press

ITALY

Asylum seeker arrested in beach gang rape

A Congolese asylum seeker with permission to stay in Italy for humanitarian reasons was nabbed aboard a train by police on Sunday as the last of a gang of four young males suspected of raping a Polish tourist on a beach, beating her companion unconscious and raping a Peruvian woman barely an hour later in the same Italian resort town of Rimini, authorities said.

The man, identified as Guerlin Butungu, 20, was the only adult among the four suspects in the case, which has intensified anti-migrant sentiment in Italy, where hundreds of thousands of asylum seekers have been given shelter over the past few years after being rescued at sea from smugglers boats.

The three other suspects, all minors, were in police custody Saturday. Rimini police chief Maurizio Improta said two of them, 15- and 17-year-old brothers of Moroccan origin who were born in Italy, turned themselves in after authorities released surveillance camera video.

A 16-year-old Nigerian was detained by police Saturday. All three minors were being held at a juvenile detention facility.

The Peruvian woman identified her attackers, police said.

Italian media said the Congolese man was taken in 2015 to a migrant center on Lampedusa island, where many of those rescued at sea are first sheltered. The reports said authorities rejected his asylum bid but granted him temporary permission to stay in Italy until 2018 on humanitarian grounds.

 Associated Press

INDIA

Modi shuffles cabinet amid economic hiccups

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday reshuffled some of his key ministerial portfolios to refurbish his governments image, which has been dented by falling economic indicators.

Indias economic growth rate has fallen four quarters in a row to 5.7 percent in April-June, down from 7.9 percent in the same quarter last year. Exports have stagnated for three years.

Modi had promised 10 million new jobs every year when he came to power in 2014. According to government statistics, job creation for 2015 and 2016 stood at 155,000 and 200,310, respectively.

Opposition parties blamed Modis surprise decision in November to withdraw from circulation the countrys highest-value currency bill and a nationwide tax overhaul launched two months ago as reasons for the economic downturn. Although Modi said he was targeting tax evasion and corruption among the rich, the demonetization caused chaos.

 Associated Press

Huge WWII-era bomb defused in Frankfurt: Experts defused a huge unexploded World War II-era bomb in the German financial capital, Frankfurt, that forced the evacuation of more than 60,000 people, police said. Construction workers found the 4,000-pound British bomb last week. The bomb was one of thousands dropped over Germany.

2 jailed Americans have lost appeal, Iran confirms: Iran has confirmed that an Iranian American businessman and his 81-year-old father have lost an appeal of their 10-year prison sentences. The semiofficial Iranian Students' News Agency quoted Tehran prosecutor Abbas Jafari Dowlatabadi as confirming that Siamak and Baquer Namazi lost their appeals, as their lawyer had indicated last week. The report also said that Nizar Zakka, a Lebanese man and permanent U.S. resident sentenced last year to 10 years on espionage-related charges, has lost his appeal.

 From news services
20:45

US President Donald Trump has praised the relief response to Hurricane Harvey on his second visit to flood-hit states.





"Things are working out well," he said of the efforts, as he and wife Melania met victims and volunteers in Texas.





"As tough as this was, it's been a wonderful thing," he added. "I think even for the country to watch and for the world to watch."





The devastating hurricane made landfall in the state a week ago.





Some residents have been allowed to return to their homes but flood waters are still rising in other areas. Harvey has been blamed for at least 47 deaths, and about 43,000 people are currently housed in shelters.
EVEN ALLOWING for its usual fiery exaggerations and accompanying uncertainty about its technical prowess, North Korea is making quick and alarming progress as a nuclear and missile power. The underground test Sunday of a nuclear device  Pyongyang claimed it was a hydrogen bomb  produced by far the largest yield of six nuclear explosions since 2006. In the face of this growing challenge, the response from the rest of the world, led by the United States and China, is a shambling mess.

There is no military solution to this crisis. Despite President Trump's bluster a few weeks ago about "fire, fury and frankly power the likes of which this world has never seen before," a war would engulf Seoul, only 35 miles from the inter-Korean border. Nothing is wrong with displays of strength designed to deter the North Korean leader, Kim Jong Un, but ultimately the danger he poses cannot be resolved by U.S. preemptive action without huge costs for both Koreas.

If the Trump administration is to accept this reality, China and other states must embrace more fully the need for sanctions and other measures  including cyber and information operations  to vastly turn up the pressure on North Korea. The latest round of U.N. sanctions will be effective only if China aggressively implements them, unlike the halfhearted approach of the past. And more should be done to weaken the regimes hold over its population, including steps to push more communications across North Koreas borders  and allow more refugees out.

Ultimately, despite the long record of North Korea breaking deals, negotiations could be the path to a resolution. But the usefulness of talks right now seems doubtful  and the right response to the latest nuclear and missile tests is not to offer unconditional dialogue. What is needed is a unified and coherent message from the United States and its allies. Instead, Mr. Trump stirs division and confusion. He threatens "fire and fury" one day, then his secretaries of defense and state respond by emphasizing diplomacy or saying all options are on the table. Mr. Trump prematurely announced on Aug. 16 that he detected restraint by Mr. Kim. On Sunday, he was counterproductively chiding South Korea for its "appeasement" of the North and unrealistically threatening an end to all U.S. trade with "any country doing business with North Korea."

Mr. Trump seems oblivious to the imperative that South Korea and Japan perceive rock-solid support from the United States, and that North Korea see a united front against it. On top of his insulting tweets, The Post reported this weekend that the president wants to scrap the South Korea free-trade agreement. This would be a wildly irresponsible move, undermining relations with Seoul at the worst possible moment. It would be a gift to Mr. Kim, who dreams of splitting the bond between Seoul and Washington.

As it is, Mr. Kim may well see the confusion in response to his latest provocations, and feel undeterred. That only adds to the dangers.
President Donald Trump speaks before signing a proclamation for a national day of prayer to occur on Sunday, Sept. 3, 2017, in the Oval Office of the White House, Friday, Sept. 1, 2017, in Washington. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)

President Trump pardoned a tough-on-immigration Arizona sheriff accused of racial profiling. He threatened a government shutdown if Congress wont deliver border wall funding. He banned transgender people from serving in the military. And he is expected to end a program that shields from deportation young undocumented immigrants who consider the United States home.

These and other moves  all since Trumps widely repudiated remarks about the hate-fueled violence in Charlottesville less than a month ago  are being heartily cheered by many of his core supporters. But collectively, they have helped cement an image of a president, seven months into his term, who is playing only to his political base.

Trump's job-approval numbers remain mired in the 30s in most polls, and several new findings last week gave Republicans interested in expanding the party's appeal fresh reason to worry. A Fox News survey, for example, found that majorities of voters think that Trump is "tearing the country apart" and does not respect racial minorities.

The findings come ahead of what could be another turbulent stretch in Trumps presidency. He and Congress are seeking this month to keep the government funded and raise the nations debt ceiling, amid a Russia probe that is gaining steam and feuds between Trump and fellow Republicans.

In interviews, White House aides and advisers played down concerns about Trumps standing in the polls, with some suggesting his numbers are more a reflection of broader disgust with Washington. Some also said it is important to keep Trumps base energized at a time when he has yet to deliver on legislative promises and has seen some erosion among key constituencies, including working-class whites.

At the same time, Trump allies pointed to his visits to areas ravaged by Hurricane Harvey  the latest on Saturday as he sought to show empathy for victims and emergency responders in Texas and Louisiana  as evidence of a president seeking to unite the country. The crisis in North Korea presents another test of Trumps ability to bring the nation together.

And heading into the fall, Trump aides and advisers say that a major push for tax cuts has the potential to boost Trumps standing among Americans well beyond his base. Although there is no concrete plan and many thorny issues remain, Republicans in Congress are hoping to rally behind legislation that would demonstrate an ability to govern that so far has been elusive during Trumps tenure.

Voters are very skeptical it will happen, said Tony Fabrizio, who served as Trumps pollster during last years election. If the president can get a tax-reform package passed, it will confound their expectations and be a huge win.

Trump plans to pitch the idea of tax legislation this week in North Dakota, marking the second trip in as many weeks aimed at building momentum for both corporate and personal income tax cuts. This visit, as with one last week to Missouri, is to a state Trump won last year and where there is a Democratic senator whose support could be crucial to the fate of any legislation.

For an unorthodox president, such trips are a fairly traditional way to build pressure on Congress to act and have given more-mainstream Republicans some reason for hope about Trumps engagement after the GOP failure to pass health-care legislation.

In the meantime, though, many in the GOP are openly questioning Trumps words and actions on issues that are divisive, even among Republicans. Trumps assertion that many fine people marched alongside white supremacists in Charlottesville drew condemnation across party lines.

And some in the GOP say other recent choices appear designed to bolster the presidents standing only among his most loyal supporters. In recent weeks, Trump has continued his practice of holding campaign-style rallies in states he won, creating an echo chamber of support with his most loyal backers.

Its almost as if hes the pilot of a plane thats in a terrible downward spiral and hes insisting on continuing to do things to make it worse, said John Weaver, who was chief strategist for the 2016 presidential campaign of Gov. John Kasich (R-Ohio). You cant govern like that, and you cant win reelection like that, and you cant take your party into the 2018 midterms like that.

Recent polling has underscored the narrow band of support Trump enjoys for some of the policies he is advocating.

Only 34 percent said Trump did the right thing by pardoning former Maricopa County sheriff Joe Arpaio, while 60 percent said he did the wrong thing, according to an NBC News/SurveyMonkey poll released last week. Arpaio, a major Trump booster during last years campaign, was convicted of criminal contempt for ignoring a federal judges order to stop detaining people because he merely suspected them of being undocumented immigrants.

In the same survey, only 30 percent said they oppose the policy begun under President Barack Obama that has provided two-year work permits to nearly 800,000 immigrants known as Dreamers who have been in the country illegally since they were children. Sixty-four percent voiced support for the policy, which Trump has threatened to dismantle. He plans to announce his intentions on Tuesday.

Some leading Republicans, including House Speaker Paul D. Ryan (R-Wis.), on Friday urged Trump not to rescind the program.

Speaking more broadly, White House deputy press secretary Lindsay Walters said that Trump is a president for all Americans, and his agenda reflects that.

This fall, he will be focused on funding recovery efforts for Texas and Louisiana following Hurricane Harvey and bringing real tax relief to American families, she said. Hes also been focused on renegotiating unfair trade deals, rebuilding our nations military and many issues that all Americans, regardless of their party identification or who they voted for, can get behind.

Since taking office, Trump has repeatedly taken actions that have little crossover appeal to Democrats or independents but that are strongly backed by Trump voters  including efforts to ban people from a group of majority Muslim countries from entering the United States and withdrawing from the Paris climate accord.

Polls have also shown support for a border wall from majorities of Republicans but only small percentages of Democrats. In the Fox News poll, only 18 percent of voters overall thought it was a good idea to shut down the federal government to force the issue  an idea Trump appears to have backed away from, at least for now.

Trump boosters say he is merely following through on his campaign promises.

He is part of his base, said Barry Bennett, a Republican strategist who advised Trump during the general election. When he does these things, the base likes it, but hes doing it because he believes it.

Others suggest there is more political calculation involved.

Hes stoking his base with rhetorical messaging in part because its taking longer than hoped to get some of his major campaign promises checked off, said one Republican strategist close to the White House, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to talk candidly.

Trump associates say its also important to keep the base energized so that they turn out for Republicans in next years midterm elections and for Trumps reelection bid. Some of Trumps supporters last year were not regular voters.

Trump's job approval rating dipped to 34 percent last week in Gallup's daily tracking poll, matching his low mark for the year. Recent polls have shown erosion among Republicans and subgroups such as white working-class voters, who were key to Trump's election last year over Democrat Hillary Clinton. A poll by Fabrizio's firm, for example, showed the number of Republican and Republican-leaning voters who disapprove of Trump's performance rising from 19 percent in June to 25 percent in August.

Fabrizio, who said he has not done work for Trump since the election, characterized the erosion as negligible and pointed to a Fox News finding that 96 percent of Trump voters remain satisfied with their vote from last year. That is higher than the 93 percent of Clinton voters who remain satisfied.

Ed Goeas, a Republican pollster and strategist, argued that after an uptick following the election, Trumps favorability has basically fallen back to where it was during a campaign season in which voters faced a choice between two largely unpopular candidates.

The good news for Trump, Goeas suggested, is that many people who dont like Trump are turned off by his personality rather than the issues hes pushing. That creates the possibility of broader acceptance if hes successful on tax cuts.

Charles Franklin, director of the Marquette Law School Poll, said the deterioration in Trump's overall job approval has been fairly typical of recent presidents during their opening stretch in office. What's different, he said, is that Trump started from a much lower point than other presidents.

Even Trump's detractors acknowledge that he seems to have a core group of supporters unlikely to abandon him regardless of what transpires in Washington. That in part explains Trump's frequent travel for campaign-style rallies, said Rick Wilson, a GOP strategist and frequent Trump critic.

"There's nothing he's got right now except adulation from his base," Wilson said. "He could eat a live baby onstage and they'd forgive him. He can do no wrong."

A Monmouth University poll released last month showed about a quarter of respondents saying that not only do they approve of Trump, they also cannot see Trump doing anything that would make them disapprove of him.

Mary Anne Marsh, a Democratic consultant, said Trump appears to be battening down with his base in anticipation of fallout from the special counsels investigation into Russian meddling in last years election. If things get rough for Trump, the defense by core supporters becomes even more crucial, she said.

If you look at it through that lens, it makes sense, Marsh said. Any other president would have spent their time trying to expand their support.
The crisis with North Korea escalated Sunday as President Trump reviewed military options and suggested sweeping new economic sanctions in response to the crossing of a dangerous threshold by the isolated nation in detonating its most powerful nuclear weapon ever.

Defying Trumps blunt warnings, North Korea claimed it had successfully tested a hydrogen bomb that could be attached to a missile capable of reaching the mainland United States.

Though not yet confirmed, Pyongyangs apparent show of force was extraordinary  the hydrogen weapon is vastly more powerful than the atomic bombs dropped on the Japanese cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki  and drew swift condemnation in capitals around the globe. Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe called the action absolutely unacceptable.

In Washington, Trump declared North Koreas latest provocation very hostile and dangerous to the United States and would not rule out a retaliatory strike. Asked as he left morning services at St. Johns Church whether he was planning to attack North Korea, Trump told reporters, Well see.

Trump sought to assign responsibility for the unfolding crisis to North Koreas neighbors in the Asia-Pacific region, firing off a series of tweets that signaled rifts in U.S. economic and security partnerships that for years have helped isolate and contain North Korea.

It fell to Defense Secretary Jim Mattis to offer reassurances to the world that the commitments among the allies are ironclad.

Trump, who has been weighing termination of a free-trade agreement with South Korea, scolded the longtime U.S. ally for not being tough enough in managing the northern threat. He tweeted, "South Korea is finding, as I have told them, that their talk of appeasement with North Korea will not work, they only understand one thing!"

South Korean President Moon Jae-in chose not to engage in an argument with Trump. He said his government is intent on achieving the peaceful denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula, in concert with our allies.

The South Korean military conducted bombing drills at dawn Monday, practicing ballistic missile strikes on the North Korean nuclear test site at Punggye-ri.

Trump also said on Twitter that he was considering cutting off trade with any nation doing business with North Korea. China is by far the country's largest trading partner, but it also is the largest U.S. trading partner in terms of goods imported and exported. Such a move would amount to Trump's biggest trade salvo to date and would be nearly impossible to pull off without devastating the U.S. and global economies.

[In latest test, North Korea detonates its most powerful nuclear device yet]

It would also drive up prices on many consumer goods. In 2016, U.S. companies exported $169.3 billion in goods to China and China exported $478.9 billion in goods to the United States.

Trump convened a Sunday afternoon White House meeting of his national security team, also attended by Vice President Pence. Mattis said that at the presidents request they reviewed every military option and that Trump concluded the United States is prepared to defend itself and its allies.

Any threat to the United States or its territories, including Guam, or our allies will be met with a massive military response  a response both effective and overwhelming, said Mattis, who was flanked by Gen. Joseph F. Dunford Jr., chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.

Mattis added, We are not looking for the total annihilation of a country, namely North Korea, but as I said, we have many options to do so.

The U.N. Security Council, whose members voted unanimously last month to pass a package of sanctions against North Korea, called an emergency meeting for Monday morning at the urging of the United States, Japan, South Korea and France, according to Nikki Haley, the United States' U.N. ambassador.

Trump spoke Sunday by phone with Abe, and the two leaders confirmed the mutual defense commitments between the United States and Japan, according to the White House.

President Trump reaffirmed the commitment of the United States to defending our homeland, territories, and allies using the full range of diplomatic, conventional, and nuclear capabilities at our disposal, read a statement from the office of White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders.

Trumps response to North Koreas weekend nuclear test  its sixth ever, but the first since Trump took office  was subdued relative to his bellicose war of words last month with that countrys 33-year-old leader, Kim Jong Un.

In a pair of tweets issued Sunday morning, Trump wrote: North Korea has conducted a major Nuclear Test. Their words and actions continue to be very hostile and dangerous to the United States . . . North Korea is a rogue nation which has become a great threat and embarrassment to China, which is trying to help but with little success.

Nearly four weeks ago, Trump warned Kim that his continued nuclear provocations would be "met with fire and fury like the world has never seen."

[Trump reiterates warning to N. Korea: Fire and fury may not have been tough enough]

Initially, North Korea seemed to back down from its threat of a nuclear strike in Guam, where many U.S. military personnel are stationed. Trump said of Kim at an Aug. 22 rally in Phoenix, I respect the fact that, I believe, he is starting to respect us.

That assessment turned out to be premature.

North Korea right now is the most dangerous place on the face of the planet, Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Tex.) said on ABCs This Week. Cruz said of Kim, He is radical, he is unpredictable, he is extreme, and he is getting more and more dangerous weapons.

Gen. Michael Hayden, a former director of the CIA and the National Security Agency, warned that Trumps tweets could foul up his otherwise respectable plan to get tough on North Korea.

You gotta watch the tweets, Hayden said on CNNs State of the Union. Mr. President, this is not a manhood issue; this is a national security issue. Dont let your pride get in the way of wise policy here.

Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin, interviewed on Fox News Sunday, said he intended to draft a sanctions package to send to the president for his strong consideration that anybody who wants to do trade or business with them is prevented from doing trade or business with us.

We are going to work with our allies, well work with China, but people need to cut off North Korea economically, Mnuchin added. This is unacceptable behavior.

The tumult in the region comes amid escalating economic tensions with South Korea, a long-standing economic and diplomatic partner of the United States. Trump is considering withdrawing from a free-trade agreement with the country, in keeping with his campaign promise.

[Trump preparing withdrawal from South Korea trade deal, a move opposed by top aides]

The move would end what Trump considers unfair trade competition from other countries. But the presidents advisers have cautioned that a withdrawal from the agreement would strain ties with South Korea amid the mounting North Korea nuclear crisis.

Asked by Fox anchor Chris Wallace whether Trump would pull the United States out of the agreement, Mnuchin said, The president has made clear that where we have trade deficits with countries, were going to renegotiate those deals. He added that there have been no decisions yet with regard to the trade accord with South Korea.

Senate Foreign Relations Committee Chairman Bob Corker (R-Tenn.) said he spoke Sunday morning with White House Chief of Staff John F. Kelly about the situation.

"We stand ready to work with the administration to support a comprehensive strategy that not only places an emphasis on deterrence but also empowers our allies and partners in the region, who must do far more to confront this threat," Corker said in a statement.

Sen. Jeff Flake (R-Ariz.) acknowledged that there are no good options to manage the North Korea crisis but argued that harsh rhetoric does not appear to help slow Kims nuclear program.

Flake said that ending the U.S.-South Korea trade agreement would be inadvisable.

I dont think that that would be good in any circumstances, Flake said on CNN. Now its particularly troubling, given what South Korea is faced with. I think we need to do more trade, not less, and withdrawing from trade agreements is a very troubling sign.

Anna Fifield in Tokyo and Karoun Demirjian, Damian Paletta and Hamza Shaban in Washington contributed to this report.
President Trump is expected to phase out the Obama-era program that grants work permits to about 800,000 undocumented immigrants brought to the United States as children, but delay its end for six months to give Congress time to pass legislation to replace it, according to multiple people briefed on the presidents discussions.

Trumps plan remains fluid and could change, however, and administration officials stressed Sunday evening that the president has not finalized his decision. The White House has scheduled an announcement for Tuesday.

Trump has been wrestling over the future of the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program since the start of his presidency, and he has been known to change his mind about difficult policy issues until the moment he makes public a decision.

Politico first reported Sunday evening that Trump had decided to end the DACA program.

Two people briefed on Trumps deliberations and a third person with knowledge of the internal discussions said that the White House is preparing to slowly phase out the program so Congress could pass legislation for an alternative program to help the programs recipients, known as Dreamers. All of these people spoke on the condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the discussions.

Many questions remain about how the policy would be implemented, including how long after Trumps announcement current DACA beneficiaries would have to renew their protected status.

Should Trump move forward with this decision, he would effectively be buying time and punting responsibility to Congress to determine the fate of the Dreamers. There is a consensus view among many of his top advisers that the DACA program, which President Barack Obama created by executive action, would not stand up in a court of law.

Attorney General Jeff Sessions, senior policy adviser Stephen Miller and recently departed chief White House strategist Stephen K. Bannon have advocated a hard-line immigration stance with the president, including ending DACA.

During the campaign, Trump vowed to end DACA immediately. But he has since voiced sympathy for the programs beneficiaries, many of whom immigrated to the United States as young children and have lived here for most of their lives.

We love the Dreamers, Trump told reporters Friday in the Oval Office. We think the Dreamers are terrific.

Surrogates for Trump said Sunday that American workers would benefit from an end to the DACA program, which has let undocumented children work and study in the United States without fear of deportation, but congressional Republicans urged the White House to leave the program intact.

Trump wants to do whats fair to the American worker, whats fair to people in this country who are competing for jobs and other benefits, counselor to the president Kellyanne Conway said Sunday on Fox & Friends. She said the presidents decision should be viewed as part of an entire economic and domestic agenda that includes an end to sanctuary cities, increased border security and constructing a wall along the southern border.



Attendees hold an American flag as they sing "God Bless America" at a Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals DACA) rally in Wilkes Barre, Pa., on Sept. 3. (Dave Scherbenco/Citizens Voice via Associated Press)

He says we have to keep people and poison out of our communities. People who are coming here illegally and competing for those jobs, Conway said.

In an appearance on Fox News Sunday, Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin said he was less concerned about the economic impact of ending the DACA program because well make sure that we have plenty of workers in this economy. We want to put more people back to work.

Neither Conway nor Mnuchin specified what Trump will say when he addresses the future of the DACA program Tuesday.

As a candidate, Trump promised to end the program, but he has never acted on that promise. Instead, he has several times expressed sympathy for the plight of DACA recipients  and eschewed signing draft executive orders presented to him that would end the program.

Congressional pushback to reports Trump may end the DACA program continued unabated through the weekend, as lawmakers implored the president to leave the program alone.

"It would be the right thing to do to go back on that promise," Sen. Jeff Flake (R-Ariz.) said of Trump's DACA campaign pledge on CNN's "State of the Union." "This is one that he ought to ignore."

Flake has long criticized Trump, but their relationship has deteriorated in recent weeks after the president endorsed his 2018 primary challenger Kelli Ward. On Sunday, Flake also voiced skepticism about the idea that Congress might barter with Trump to get him to leave the DACA program intact by funding his much-desired border wall. "If he's talking about a solitary, brick-and-mortar, 2,000-mile edifice on the border, then no, nobody ought to support that," Flake said.

Flake is not the only member of Congress attempting to stand in between the president and the DACA program. Those urging the president to let DACA survive include House Speaker Paul D. Ryan (R-Wis.) and conservative senators like Orrin G. Hatch (R-Utah), who have implored Trump to give Congress a chance to address the program in law.

Tackling immigration is not easy for Congress, where many conservatives argue that more must be done to secure the border before addressing programs to streamline entry for immigrants or legalize the undocumented. Previous efforts to combine immigration and border enforcement initiatives have failed, even when Democrats had congressional majorities.

Still, the sympathetic cases of DACA recipients have inspired lawmakers from various corners of Congress to sponsor legislation to legalize their status. Their support raises the possibility that a handful of Republicans could join congressional Democrats to get a bill over the finish line.

But Conway suggested that even growing sympathy for DACA recipients  including Trump's own sympathies  would not change his mind about ending the program.

"I do want to remind everyone that President Trump was able to take issues that were languishing in low single digits, if not an asterisk in the polls in terms of what's most important to you  trade, illegal immigration  and he was able to expand them into an entire message of fairness," Conway said.
Michael Hayden, former CIA director and former NSA director, speaks at The Washington Posts Cybersecurity Summit on Oct. 3, 2013. (Jeffrey MacMillan for The Washington Post)

As President Trump sharply condemned North Koreas overnight nuclear test, he also tweeted a jab at an American ally, South Korea, that only added to building tensions, a former top national security official said Sunday.

Gen. Michael Hayden, a former National Security Agency and CIA director who has been critical of Trump, stressed that the presidents tweets may foul up an otherwise respectable plan to get tough on North Korea.

You gotta watch the tweets, and I think we had an unforced error over the weekend when we brought up the free trade agreement with our South Korea friends on whom we have to cooperateits wrong on the merits and its certainly not integrated into a broader approach to northeast Asia, Hayden said on CNNs State of the Union.

Hayden served as NSA director from 1999 to 2005 and led the CIA from 2006 until 2009.

The slap at South Korea was among five Sunday morning tweets from the president related to North Koreas claim that it had detonated a hydrogen bomb.

"South Korea is finding, as I have told them, that their talk of appeasement with North Korea will not work, they only understand one thing!" he said.

North Korea said that it had detonated its most powerful nuclear device yet, a hydrogen bomb that could be attached to a missile capable of reaching the mainland United States.

Rep. Adam Schiff (D-Calif.), the top Democrat on the House Intelligence Committee, questioned Trumps decision to admonish South Korea when the nation appears to be facing a growing threat.

We need to be working hand in hand with South Korea, and with Japan, he said on CNN. Why we would want to show divisions with South Korea makes no sense at all.

Schiff also said that there is some skepticism in the intelligence community about North Koreas claim that it could put a weapon like this on an intercontinental ballistic missile. But Schiff said that even if thats not true today, experts believe it is only a matter of time before Pyongyang can make good on its threat.

Trump also has said he is considering withdrawing from a free-trade agreement with South Korea, a long-standing economic and diplomatic partner of the United States.

Asked by Fox anchor Chris Wallace whether Trump would pull the United States out of the agreement with South Korea, even amid a nuclear threat,, Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin said, The president has made clear that where we have trade deficits with countries, were going to renegotiate those deals.

He added that there have been no decisions yet with regard to the trade accord with South Korea.

As tensions rise between the US and North Korea, the Trump administration has not ruled out possible military action. Trump is convening a meeting of his national security team later Sunday to discuss the U.S. strategy, while Mnuchin said he is drawing up tough new economic sanctions to further isolate North Korea.
South Korea's president tried late Sunday to dismiss talk of a dispute between Seoul and Washington over how to deal with North Korea following its sixth nuclear test, after President Trump criticized the South Korean approach as "appeasement."

Moon Jae-ins office said that his government would continue to work towards peaceful denuclearization after tweets and actions from Trump that have left South Koreans scratching their heads at why the American president is attacking an ally at such a sensitive time.

As if to underline Seouls willingness to be tough, the South Korean military conducted bombing drills at dawn Monday, practicing ballistic missile strikes on the North Korean nuclear test site at Punggye-ri.

The South Korean military calculated the distance to the site and practiced having F-15 jet fighters accurately hit the target, the joint chiefs of staff said Monday morning.

This drill was conducted to send a strong warning to North Korea for its sixth nuclear test, it said.





After North Korea conducted its nuclear test Sunday, Trump tweeted: "South Korea is finding, as I have told them, that their talk of appeasement with North Korea will not work, they only understand one thing!"

Trump did not talk to Moon on the phone Sunday  in stark contrast to the two calls he had with Shinzo Abe, the prime minister of Japan and a leader who has proven much more willing to agree with his American counterpart. This will worsen anxieties in Seoul that Tokyo is seen as the favorite ally, analysts said.

Moon, who was elected in May, advocated engagement with North Korea but has also acknowledged the need for pressure to bring the Pyongyang regime back to talks. He has also come around to an agreement between his predecessor and the U.S. military to deploy an antimissile system in South Korea.

[ In latest test, North Korea detonates its most powerful nuclear device yet ]

Trumps tweet was widely reported across South Korean media, and Moons office responded to the tweet with a measured statement Sunday night.

South Korea is a country that experienced a fratricidal war. The destruction of war should not be repeated in this land, it said. We will not give up and will continue to push for the denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula through peaceful means working together with our allies.

Trump's twitter jab came amid news that the U.S. president has instructed advisers to prepare to withdraw from a free-trade agreement with South Korea  a move that is resolutely opposed by South Korea and one that would undermine the two countries' economic alliance.



North Koreans watch a news report showing North Korea's nuclear test on a screen in Pyongyang, North Korea. Kyodo/via REUTERS (Kyodo/Reuters)

Analysts said Trumps actions were puzzling.

"It's strange to see Trump going after South Korea more aggressively than he's going after China, especially since China also thinks that dialogue is central to solving this problem," said John Delury, a professor of international relations at Yonsei University in Seoul.

In an earlier tweet, Trump had said that China was trying to help, although he added it was with little success.

[ Dont be surprised by North Koreas missiles. Kim Jong Un is doing what he said he would. ]

Delury said that the passive aggressive tone of Trumps tweets suggested that Moon had been standing up to the American president during their previous phone calls. They spoke Friday after North Korea sent a missile over Japan.

It sounds like Moon is saying, Were going to have to talk to these guys  which is true  and Trump is frustrated, Delury said, noting that the latest tweet seemed to address Moon directly, with its like I told you.

Trumps tweet was even more puzzling, analysts say, because Trump himself  both as a candidate and as president  had repeatedly suggested he would be willing to talk to North Koreas leader, Kim Jong Un.

On the campaign trail, Trump said that he would be happy to have a burger in a boardroom with Kim, and in recent months he has called Kim a "smart cookie" and has said he would be "honored" to meet him.

South Koreas response overall to Trumps recent pronouncements has been much more muted than its past explosions against its protector  a sign that they know Trump is a different kind of president.

"They think they're dealing with an unreasonable partner and complaining about it isn't going to help  in fact, it might make it worse," said David Straub, a former State Department official who dealt with both Koreas and recently published a book about anti-Americanism in South Korea.

Opinion polls show South Koreans have one of the lowest rates of regard for Trump in the world and they dont consider him to be a reasonable person, Straub said. In fact, they worry hes kind of nuts, but they still want the alliance.

[ Trumps tweets include jab at ally South Korea ]

On the Sunday talk shows in the United States, there was plenty of criticism of Trumps words.

You gotta watch the tweets, Michael Hayden, a retired Air Force general and former head of the National Security Agency and the CIA who has been critical of Trump, said on CNNs State of the Union.

I think we had an unforced error over the weekend when we brought up the free trade agreement with our South Korea friends on whom we have to cooperate. . . . Its wrong on the merits, and its certainly not integrated into a broader approach to northeast Asia, Hayden said. He served as NSA director from 1999 to 2005 and led the CIA from 2006 until 2009.

Rep. Adam B. Schiff (D-Calif.), the top Democrat on the House Intelligence Committee, also questioned Trumps decision to admonish South Korea when the nation appears to be facing a growing threat.

We need to be working hand in hand with South Korea, and with Japan, he said, also on CNN. Why we would want to show divisions with South Korea makes no sense at all.

Even before the nuclear test, Trumps approach to South Korea, an ally since the end of World War II, had been under question. Analysts were asking why Trump would rip up the free-trade agreement with South Korea at all, rather than revising it, let alone at a time when a united front was needed in the region.

Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin said that no decisions had been made but that trade deals must be in the United States economic interest.

The president has made clear that where we have trade deficits with countries, were going to renegotiate those deals, Mnuchin said on Fox News.

Yoonjung Seo in Seoul and Hamza Shaban in Washington contributed to this report.

Read more:

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Trump: All options are on the table after North Korea launched missile over Japan

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Where does right-wing populism go when it fizzles?

In Germany, straight into the national Parliament, where Alternative for Germany  a nationalist, anti-immigrant party that has questioned German guilt for Nazi crimes  could be the third-largest faction after an election on Sept. 24.

A recent poll suggested the far-right party could capture 11 percent of the vote, down from about 15 percent in mid-2016, when concern over the arrival of refugees was pronounced. Even the revised figure would hand Alternative for Germany, or AfD, more than 60 of the 600-odd spots in the lower house, known as the Bundestag. It would trail only the Christian Democratic Union, the center-right group led by Chancellor Angela Merkel, and the center-left Social Democratic Party, which governs in a coalition with Merkel's party and its Bavarian counterpart, the Christian Social Union.

The AfD is unlikely to upend Berlins political establishment, as it threatened to do following strong showings in state and local races last year  and as the rise of Donald Trump in the United States and Britains vote to leave the European Union sent shock waves through the West.

But the German election is an important gauge of right-wing nationalism in Europe, and it could grant far-right German figures new visibility  and the sort of legislative authority they have long been denied  while keeping them far from real governing power.

The AfD is already in 13 state parliaments, so its not new on the political scene, said Alexander Hensel, one of the authors of a 2017 study of the AfDs role in state parliaments for the Frankfurt-based Otto Brenner Foundation. But to enter the national Parliament, this is a very, very important step. The party will gain new resources, and it will be a continual part of the debate on the national level.

With Merkel in a dominant position several weeks from the election, the question, analysts say, is with whom she will govern. A strong showing by the AfD could limit her options, forcing her back into the arms of the Social Democrats or requiring her to join hands with both the Greens and the pro-market Free Democrats. The latter, so-called Jamaica coalition  the hues of the three parties form the Caribbean nations colors  is unprecedented on the national level. Merkel has ruled out partnering with the AfD, which, after a dip in the polls amid party infighting earlier this year, has regained ground across recent surveys.

The party seems all but guaranteed to clear the 5 percent threshold to enter the Bundestag for the first time.

That this prospect hardly registers as a shock in a remarkably placid race, however, is a reflection of the AfDs attempts at normalization. Founded as an anti-euro protest party in 2013, it came to focus on opposing immigration after Merkel welcomed hundreds of thousands of asylum seekers into Germany in 2015. Islam does not belong to Germany, its campaign program declares.

The election, Hensel said, will decide whether the AfDs appeal was a temporary effect of the refugee crisis or whether the party will be a long-term factor in German politics.

Clues to the sort of role the AfD might play in the Bundestag lie in its approach at the state level, where its lawmakers have been rhetorically combative but also active with legislation, primarily in using parliamentary instruments to demand information from the government. The partys focus has not just been immigration, Hensel said, but issues such as the environment and infrastructure.

If the AfD intends to transcend its role as a protest group, it "needs to decide what sort of party it wants to be," said Konstantin Vossing, a political scientist at the Humboldt University in Berlin. Founded as a technocratic, anti-European Union party, it no longer has a clear economic message, he said, and has not been able to seize the right flank of Merkel's party, left open by her centrist stance on issues such as immigration, the environment and same-sex marriage.

The party's conflicting instincts were on display last month, when Alice Weidel, a 38-year-old lesbian mother and one of the party's two leading candidates, addressed reporters in Berlin, seeking to distance herself from the party's harsher strains of cultural and religious nationalism. She said she welcomed migrants who integrated into German society and regretted a campaign advertisement pairing the belly of a pregnant woman with the pronouncement "New Germans? We'll make them ourselves."

[Germanys far right preaches traditional values. Can a lesbian mother be its new voice?]

A day earlier, the other leading candidate, Alexander Gauland, 76, told supporters that the governments integration commissioner, Aydan Ozoguz, who has Turkish roots, could learn about national culture by coming to Eichsfeld, the district in central Germany where he was speaking.

Then shell never come here again, and we will, thank God, be able to dispose of her in Anatolia, he said, in remarks described by a former federal judge as incitement to hatred in violation of Germanys criminal code.

The two styles create a cacophonous message  with many notes still proof, for the partys critics, that it is beyond the pale. But the different approaches may also help the relatively new bloc cast a wide net.

The important point for some supporters is that the AfD is challenging the political establishment  and the behavioral codes it upholds. Max Naegele, a 50-year-old postal worker in Augsburg, in southern Germany, acknowledged the partys blemishes but declared himself sick and tired of hearing the same old story. Every day I go to work and Im poorer than the day before.

But others are backing away. Uli Heinemann, a retired engineer in Anklam, a stronghold of the far right in eastern Germany, has voted for the AfD before but planned to support Merkels party this fall.

I voted for the AfD because I wanted to try something different, said Heinemann, 72. I liked that they were against the massive influx of refugees.

Two years later, he said, the AfDs dire predictions have not come true. This year, I will vote for the CDU. Mrs. Merkel is leading in a pretty clever way. Shes calm and unemotional.

Luisa Beck contributed to this report.

Read more

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In Germany, a Boy Scout leader on the front lines against the far right

Germans are learning to love Germany again, and Merkel takes note

Todays coverage from Post correspondents around the world

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Source: Xinhua| 2017-09-03 03:14:44|Editor: Song Lifang

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HELSINKI, Sept. 2 (Xinhua) -- The Finnish Social Democratic Party on Saturday elected Member of Parliament (MP) Tuula Haatainen as its candidate for the January 2018 presidential election.

Haatainen emerged as the winner in an internal ballot open to party members. There were two other candidates in the vote.

Addressing the party council meeting in Jyvaskyla, Haatainen said Finland has attained a strong position without being a NATO member and she saw no reason for a NATO membership in the future either.

"But cooperation with NATO is consistent with our interests," she said, calling for a clear and active approach in the European Union.

Haatainen condemned terrorism in the light of the recent stabbings in Turku, but underlined that rule-of-law should prevail the combat against terrorism.

Haatainen, 57, has a high profile in social and health affairs. She got 8,050 votes, the runner-up MP Maarit Feldt-Ranta got 7,013 and MP SIrpa Paatero 1,400.

With the nomination of Haatainen, the cohort of presidential candidates from all the political parties in Finland is nearly complete.

Incumbent president Sauli Niinisto is running as an independent. The Centrist candidate is Matti Vanhanen, the Green candidate is Pekka Haavisto, the Left League candidate is Merja Kyllonen, the Swedish Party candidate is Nils Torvalds and the Finns Party candidate is Laura Huhtasaari. The Christian Democrats are backing Niinisto. MEP Paavo Vayrynen has said he plans to run as an independent.

The first public debate of all candidates is expected in late October. Niinisto has been reluctant to participate in all-candidate roundtables, but will do so in October.
With three weeks to go before Germany decides whether to give Chancellor Angela Merkel another four years in office, she faced off Sunday night in a debate with her main rival that was billed by broadcasters as a duel but at times better resembled a duet.

The 90-minute session  the only such debate of the campaign  featured an entirely civil exchange of ideas between Germanys leader for the past dozen years and the man who wants her job, Martin Schulz.

On issue after issue  including refugees, the economy and, of course, President Trump  the pair expressed occasional mild disagreement but largely refrained from serious attacks.

Trump himself received far more criticism than either candidate unloaded on the other. Schulz, who leads Germanys center-left Social Democratic Party, said the U.S. president has brought the world to the edge of a crisis and cannot be trusted to resolve the standoff with North Korea.

Merkel, invited by a moderator to cite the values she shares with Trump, did not directly answer, and instead referred to climate change and responses to the race-fueled violence in Charlottesville as areas where there are "very clearly major differences."



Journalists watch the televised debate between Merkel and Schulz in Berlin. (John MacDougall/AFP/Getty Images)

On North Korea, which conducted its sixth nuclear test early Sunday, she said that peaceful resolution is the only way forward  a clear departure from Trumps position that all options, military included, are on the table.

Sundays debate came as Merkel entered the homestretch of a race that she and her center-right Christian Democratic Union have comfortably led for months. Polls show her party winning about 40 percent of the vote, which would put her in a commanding position to form another government  her fourth.

Schulzs party has polled well behind  in the low 20s  and has struggled to differentiate itself from Merkels CDU after four years as its coalition partner. Another grand coalition between Germanys two biggest parties is among the possible post-election scenarios following the Sept. 24 vote.

Earlier in the year Merkel had faced major questions over whether she would be able to survive a two-pronged assault, with Schulz attacking from the left even as she confronted a vigorous challenge from her right flank in the form of the upstart Alternative for Germany (AfD) party.

But both challenges have faded, and Merkel has succeeded in running a low-risk campaign that focuses on her achievements in guiding Germanys prosperous economy while sidestepping thornier questions about the countrys future.

Sundays debate largely allowed her to stick to that script. Schulz, the former president of the European Parliament, was widely seen as needing a major victory in the debate to upend the race. But quick-reaction polls conducted by broadcasters suggested that he didnt get it, with viewers saying she was more credible and likable.

In a debate that covered a range of topics  but was notable for what was left out, including Brexit, Russia and the future of the euro  Schulz repeatedly argued that he would have done what Merkel did, just more successfully.

On perhaps the most controversial episode of Merkels tenure  her handling of the refugee crisis  Schulz insisted that he would have worked more closely with European allies.

Merkel replied that she tried but was rebuffed and that she stands by her decisions.

On the economy, Schulz called for a fairer system. Germany is a prosperous country, he said, but not everyone in the country is prosperous.

Merkel pointed to unemployment rolls that have been cut in half since she came to office, along with rising wages.

The fact that Schulzs party has governed alongside Merkel left him little room to maneuver. At several points, Merkel was able to blunt Schulzs critiques by noting that his own party had supported her.

The relative harmony of the television studio was not matched online, where Germanys smaller parties vied for attention after being left out of the debate. The AfD ran a live commentary in which it promised to say the things Merkel isnt gutsy enough to say.

Christian Lindner, leader of the pro-business Free Democratic Party, tweeted after the debate that it had left out crucial issues including education, digitalization, euro, energy, climate, innovation, bureaucracy.

Merkel said in her closing statement that she was dissatisfied with the issues covered, and she listed the challenges facing the country before adding with a reassuring smile: I believe we can manage it together.

No one asked her how.

Luisa Beck contributed to this report.

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A convoy of Islamic State fighters and their families departs from an area near the Lebanon-Syria border last week under an agreement with the Lebanese group Hezbollah. (Omar Sanadiki/Reuters)

An Islamic State convoy stranded in the Syrian desert for five days has split up, and some fighters may have found their way into Iraq despite the U.S. military's determination to stop them from reaching militant-controlled territory, Syrian activists and Iraqi officials said Sunday.

Conflicting reports and claims put the 17 buses that made up the original convoy in a variety of locations, illustrating the difficulty of establishing with any certainty events in the remote desert war zone spanning Iraq and Syria.

The buses set out in a convoy from western Syria on Tuesday under the terms of a deal brokered by the Lebanese Shiite Hezbollah movement to relocate the fighters to the Islamic State-controlled town of Bukamal on the Iraqi border in return for the bodies of Lebanese army, Hezbollah and Iranian soldiers.

The convoy became the center of a regionwide controversy over whether such deals are acceptable, with the United States and its allies trading accusations with the Iranian-backed Hezbollah and its allies over who is doing more to fight terrorism.

Iraq's government expressed outrage at the relocation, which would have enabled the 300 Islamic State fighters in the convoy to reinforce militant positions in Iraq. The U.S. military vowed to prevent them from doing so and on Wednesday blocked the convoy's path by bombing the desert road ahead of it.

At least some of the buses have since been stranded in the desert between Syrian government and Islamic State lines, with U.S. warplanes circling overhead to deter any further attempts to reach Islamic State territory.

The U.S. military said Sunday that six of the buses had crossed back into Syrian government-held territory and headed toward the town of Palmyra, leaving 11 buses stuck in the desert. The whereabouts of the six buses that headed to Palmyra were not clear.

Hezbollah, meanwhile, said that four of the buses reached territory controlled by the Islamic State, in fulfillment of the Hezbollah deal, and that six were stuck in the desert. It did not say what had happened to the other seven buses.

According to Syrians in the area and Iraqi officials, however, all or most of the original fighters who set out on the convoy have gotten off the buses and made their way to Iraq, using back roads to bypass the route bombed by U.S. warplanes.

Omar Abu Layla, who heads an activist network called Deir al-Zour 24, said the fighters traveled on foot to meet up with Islamic State fighters nearby and have been transported to two western Iraqi towns, Rawah and Aana. He cited the accounts of two reporters in his network who live in the area.

Two Iraqi officials said they believed all of the fighters and their families had arrived in Rawah in recent days. Residents of Rawah told Mohammed Karbouli, a member of Iraqs parliamentary committee on defense and security, that hundreds of Islamic State fighters from Syria showed up in the town Friday and that they were apparently from the convoy.

That deal was a big mistake, and it only harms Iraq, he said.

Asmaa al-Ani, a member of the local council in Iraqs Anbar province, said residents of Rawah told her that about 700 Islamic State fighters and their families had arrived and had taken up residence in empty homes. These reinforcements will have a negative impact on the military situation for the coming operations, she said, referring to the Iraqi armys plans to recapture the area, one of the last remaining pockets in Iraq controlled by the Islamic State.

The claims left it unclear who, if anyone, may still be aboard the buses stranded in the desert.

On Monday, the U.S. military declined to comment on whether any fighters may have reached Iraq but said that it is continuing to monitor the buses. In an emailed statement, a spokesman pointed out that the U.S.-led coalition has struck about 85 individual Islamic State fighters and about 40 vehicles in the vicinity of the convoy in recent days. They included a tank, an artillery system and transport vehicles that were seeking to facilitate the movement of ISIS fighters to the border area of our Iraqi partners.

Irans Foreign Ministry on Sunday condemned the U.S. militarys surveillance of the buses, saying it is endangering the lives of pregnant women on board because they lack access to food and water. The U.S. military said it will not prevent supplies from reaching the buses.

Salim reported from Irbil, Iraq. Zakaria Zakaria in Istanbul contributed to this report.

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North Korea sharply raised the stakes Sunday in its standoff with the rest of the world, detonating a powerful nuclear device that it claimed was a hydrogen bomb that could be attached to a missile capable of reaching the mainland United States.

Even if Kim Jong Un's regime is exaggerating its feats, scientific evidence showed that North Korea had crossed an important threshold and had detonated a nuclear device that was vastly more powerful than its last  and almost seven times the size of the bomb that destroyed Hiroshima.

Tensions had already been running high, with Kim repeatedly defying international condemnation and increasingly blunt warnings by President Trump, and continuing to launch ballistic missiles.

But Sundays blast  North Koreas sixth nuclear test but the first since Trump took office  could escalate those tensions to a new level.

Trump sharply condemned the test, saying North Korea is very hostile and dangerous to the United States.

In a pair of tweets issued Sunday morning, Trump wrote: North Korea has conducted a major Nuclear Test. Their words and actions continue to be very hostile and dangerous to the United States  North Korea is a rogue nation which has become a great threat and embarrassment to China, which is trying to help but with little success.

Trump also delivered an admonishment of sorts to South Korea, saying that appeasement with North Korea will not work and suggesting that more severe steps must be taken to influence Kims regime.

China said Sunday that it resolutely opposes and strongly condemns the launch, adding to denunciations from South Korea and Japan.

The nuclear device that North Korea tested appeared to be so large that Vipin Narang, an expert on nuclear proliferation and strategy at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, called it a city buster.

Now, with even relatively inaccurate intercontinental ballistic missile technology, they can destroy the better part of a city with this yield, Narang said.

[ Dont be surprised by North Koreas missiles. Kim Jong Un is doing what he said he would. ]

The nuclear test took place at exactly noon local time at North Korea's Punggye-ri testing site and was recorded as a 6.3-magnitude earthquake, according to the U.S. Geological Survey. It was followed eight minutes later by a 4.1-magnitude earthquake that appeared to be a tunnel collapsing at the site.

Japan immediately sent up sniffer planes to try to measure radiation levels.

North Korean state media said the test was carried to determine "the accuracy and credibility" of its "H-bomb to be placed at the payload of the ICBM." North Korea tested its intercontinental ballistic missile for the first time in July, and its second test later that month showed that the rocket could theoretically reach Denver or Chicago.

Those launches caused Trump to warn that if North Korea continued its provocations, it would face fire and fury. He later tweeted that the U.S. military was locked and loaded.

North Korean television on Sunday broadcast footage of Kim signing the order to detonate. Sundays test, part of the regimes plan for building a strategic nuclear force, was a perfect success, the state-run Korean Central News Agency said.

Earlier Sunday, KCNA had released photos of Kim inspecting what was described as a hydrogen bomb that could be attached to an ICBM, the same device that appeared to have been detonated just hours later.

All the components of the H-bomb were homemade, so North Korea could produce powerful nuclear weapons as many as it wants, the KCNA quoted Kim as saying.

[ North Koreas latest launch suggests it rejects both U.S. threats and offers to talk ]

Analysts were poring over the photos and the data Sunday, especially questioning North Koreas claim to have produced a two-stage thermonuclear weapon.

David Albright, a nuclear weapons expert and president of the Institute for Science and International Security, was skeptical of North Koreas claims and said the photos were probably propaganda.

But there was no doubt that North Korea was making progress. South Korean officials and independent nuclear scientists estimated the yield  the amount of energy released by the weapon  to be 100 kilotons. That would make it almost seven times as strong as the U.S. atomic bomb that destroyed the Japanese city of Hiroshima in 1945.

At that level, North Koreas nuclear device would be very significant and destabilizing, Albright said. It would show that their design, whatever the specific design, has achieved a yield that is capable of destroying substantial parts of large modern cities.

South Koreas meteorological agency said Sundays explosion was as much as six times the size of the fifth test, in September last year, and 11 times the size of the January 2016 detonation.

Still, Albright doubted that North Korea had been able to make such a warhead small enough to fit onto a missile.

After firing increasingly long-range missiles, including the two that can theoretically reach the U.S. mainland, into the sea between the Korean Peninsula and Japan, North Korea last week sent a missile over Japan and into the Pacific Ocean, claiming it was capable of reaching Guam, a U.S. territory.

Analysts said that appeared to be a dummy run for firing an ICBM on a normal trajectory over Japan and into the Pacific, instead of straight up and straight down as with its first two tests.

Although governments and experts would continue to assess the technical aspects of the latest nuclear test, MITs Narang said the danger is significant, regardless of whether this was a lesser boosted fission device or a true hydrogen bomb, or whether North Korea had mastered the technology to deliver this accurately to a target.

It really doesnt matter now from a deterrence perspective, he said. Mated on the ICBM, you dont want this thing anywhere near a city near you.

[ North Korea could cross ICBM threshold next year, U.S. officials warn in new assessment ]

Sunday's test caused anger across the region, with South Korean President Moon Jae-in saying he would "never allow North Korea to continue advancing its nuclear and missile technologies," according to his national security adviser.

South Korean military leaders warned North Korea that they, together with their American allies, were fully equipped to punish North Korea.

But Trump later admonished the Moon government. South Korea is finding, as I have told them, that their talk of appeasement with North Korea will not work, they only understand one thing! he wrote in a third Sunday morning tweet.

Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe said he would not tolerate the nuclear test. Abe had spoken with Trump three hours before the test and said afterward that they had agreed to increase pressure on North Korea and make it change its policies.

The White House said the two leaders discussed ongoing efforts to maximize pressure on North Korea. Trump made the call from Air Force One, as he returned home to Washington from his visit to storm-battered Texas and Louisiana.

The two leaders reaffirmed the importance of close cooperation between the United States, Japan and South Korea in the face of the growing threat from North Korea, the White House statement said.

All eyes will turn to China to see whether it will be angry enough to impose true punishment on North Korea.

China has expressed annoyance at North Koreas frequent ballistic missile launches, but analysts have said that Beijing probably would not take serious action unless there is another nuclear test.

Chinas primary concern is stability on its borders, and it has shied away from implementing sanctions that would seriously undermine the regime in Pyongyang, analysts have said. Almost all international sanctions, such as recent bans on coal and seafood exports, rely on Chinese enforcement because about 90 percent of North Korean trade goes through China.

Chinas Foreign Ministry said Sunday that North Korea had conducted the nuclear test with no regard to the general objections of the international community.

"The Chinese government resolutely opposes and strongly condemns this," the ministry said in a statement.

China will work together with the international community to comprehensively and completely implement the relevant resolutions of the Security Council of the U.N., unswervingly push forward the denuclearization of the peninsula, and unswervingly maintain the peace and stability of the peninsula, it said.

Philip Rucker in Washington, Yoonjung Seo in Seoul, and Emily Rauhala and Shirley Feng in Beijing contributed to this report.

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Lilian Tintori, wife of Venezuelan opposition leader Leopoldo Lopez, speaks at a news conference on Sunday in Caracas. Tintori said authorities have banned her from leaving the country to meet with European leaders. (Cristian Hernandez/European Pressphoto Agency-EFE)

Top Venezuelan opposition leaders plan to meet with European leaders this week to denounce human rights abuses under President Nicolas Maduro, as his government continues a crackdown on dissent.

Julio Borges and Freddy Guevara  the president and vice president of the National Assembly, a body dispossessed of its power by Maduro loyalists  have scheduled a meeting Monday in Paris with French President Emmanuel Macron. Later in the week, they expect to meet with Spanish Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy in Madrid, German Chancellor Angela Merkel in Berlin, and British Prime Minister Theresa May in London.

The talks come as a new pro-government "truth commission" is investigating Borges, Guevara and other leading opposition members for charges of treason because of their support for U.S. sanctions. They have also been accused of seeking American military intervention  a charge they deny.

Critics call the probes part of an escalating effort in Venezuela to silence dissent.

An open letter published by the opposition-dominated National Assembly called for more international pressure against Maduros government in light of the treason investigations.

We hope to count on your essential support in denouncing this new advance of the Maduro tyranny, and in intensifying all efforts to keep pressuring the Venezuelan regime to respect the Constitution, recognize the right of the National Assembly, free political prisoners, permit the opening of humanitarian aid for food and medicine, and accept the conducting of free, universal elections, the statement said.

The European Union has said it would not recognize a contentious July 30 vote creating a new super congress called the Constituent Assembly that is completely loyal to Maduro. But it has thus far refrained from following the United States by slapping sanctions on the country.

Macron, in particular, has recently sounded a tougher note, saying in a foreign policy speech last week that our citizens dont understand how some have been so complacent with the regime being installed in Venezuela . . . a dictatorship that intends to stay afloat through human suffering with no precedent and a preoccupying radicalization of ideology.

Activist Lilian Tintori, wife of Leopoldo Lopez  a top opposition leader who is under house arrest  said she was stopped at the Caracas airport on her way to join the delegation in Europe.

I was just prohibited from leaving the country, Tintori, four months pregnant, tweeted Saturday evening. At a news conference soon afterward, she said three national policemen with no judicial order had informed her that she was barred from leaving Venezuelan soil and seized her passport.

Tintori, who travels frequently to denounce human rights violations in Venezuela, is now one of at least five prominent opposition activists who have been barred from travel in recent months.

No specific reason was given by the government for seizing Tintoris passport. But the move came after she was called to appear at a Caracas court following an announcement that intelligence police had found a sum equivalent to $11,000 at Venezuelas black-market rate in her car last Tuesday.

In a video statement, Tintori confirmed the cash had been in her car but said the money was to pay for her grandmothers hospital bills.

Its not a crime to possess cash. Its not a crime to have cash in your van, in your home, she said. Im not a public figure. Im a mom, a wife and a human rights activist. Theyre seeking to damage us, humiliate us.

European leaders denounced the ban on Tintoris departure. Were waiting for Lilian Tintori in Europe, Macron tweeted Saturday night. The Venezuelan opposition has to stay free.

It remained unclear how Borges and Guevara had managed to leave Venezuela, or when they would return. Neither responded to a request for comment.

Guevara said in a tweet that he would raise Tintoris case  as well as the human rights abuses she has documented  with European leaders.

International pressure will be the key to achieve freedom, he said. We will keep informing. Long live Venezuela!

Faiola reported from Miami.

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(Photo: PeopleImages via Getty Images)

Its hard to admit, but in romantic relationships, sometimes we settle for what were familiar with rather than what we deserve.

Call them Band-Aid relationships. Its the type of coupling where things are OK, but not great. You may feel lukewarm about the relationship and even wonder if youre both just sticking around because its what youve grown accustomed to.

Band-Aid relationships can be short-term flings or long-term relationships, but the common thread is this: You  and possibly your partner - feel a general sense of this will do for now.

Of course, inertia in a relationship can be worked on with good communication. But the therapists we spoke to on the subject say its also worth giving some thought as to whether youre simply postponing an inevitable breakup.

Below, experts offer six signs you may be in a Band-Aid relationship and what to do about it.

1. You stop trying to fix the relationship.

You used to try to work on the relationship. These days, though, youre more inclined to shrug off your problems; your requests have fallen on deaf ears so often, you figure, why bring it up again? Thats a huge red flag, said Danielle Kepler, a therapist in Chicago, Illinois.

It might seem like youre just compromising by not bringing it up, but when you dont express your wants and needs to your partner, you are creating a win-lose situation, Kepler told us. It will slowly build up resentment between you two.

2. You compare your relationship to other peoples relationships.

They say comparison is the thief of joy, and thats especially true when it comes to love, said Marie Land, a psychologist in Washington, D.C.

If youre overly tuned into the fact that peoples relationships seem better or worse that your own, you may be in a Band-Aid relationship, she said. Your relationship shouldnt seem more or less healthy or satisfying just because someone else has an awful or great relationship. It should be able to stand on its own.

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3. You never know if youre going to spend time together.

Take note if the plans you make to hang out as a couple are last minute or a low priority, said Elisabeth LaMotte, therapist and founder of the DC Counseling & Psychotherapy Center. In strong relationships, both partners are eager to spend time together.

If it is Thursday evening and you have no idea if youll hang out this weekend, it spells trouble for the relationship, she said. This is also true if the two of you never discuss or plan outings that will take place in the more distant future.

4. You have a difficult time describing your partner or relationship to others.

When your coworkers and friends ask how your S.O. is doing, you smile and say good!  and then you leave it at that. Thats a subtle red flag that somethings amiss, Land said.

You should have strong enough feelings about your partner and relationship that its easy to describe when someone asks about the two of you, she said. If you are struggling for words and answer by saying things like, its good, hes nice thats a sign youre in a this will do for now situation.

5. You dont include your partner in get-togethers with family and friends.

If its a long-term relationship, the impress the family phase has come and gone, so you shrug it off when your partner doesnt join you at your cousins birthday. If youre having a short-term fling, you figure, Whats the point of family introductions when I know this isnt going to last?

In both of these situations, you dont view the relationship as lasting, said Marcia Naomi Berger, a couples therapist in San Rafael, California. If your partner was meaningful enough to you, youd bring them around relatives, friends and coworkers. If you dont, you may be viewing the relationship as here today; maybe gone tomorrow.

6. Youre in love with the future relationship, not the present one.

If you find yourself thinking things like this relationship will feel better when (fill in the blank with any future event) happens, its a bad sign, according to Elizabeth Earnshaw, a therapist in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

Many times we play the waiting game because it is honestly much more comfortable than leaving, she said. Fantasizing and imagining the future with a person we already know is less scary than imagining it with someone we dont.

If youre in a Band-Aid relationship, ask yourself these questions before making any serious decisions.

1. If your partner broke up with you today, would you get over it relatively quickly?

If youve come to the conclusion that youd land on your feet pretty well in the event of a breakup, you may already have mentally checked out of the relationship, Land said.

Obviously you know its going to sting but if you believe youd quickly pass through those feelings and feel relief, thats a sign, she said. Ask the same thing of your partner: If you think they wouldnt be able to handle a breakup, you may be staying with them out of guilt or convenience.

2. If you were trapped on a deserted island and got to bring someone with you, would your partner be your first choice?

It may sound like a silly hypothetical question, but your answer says a lot about the state of your relationship, Kepler said.

Who you choose should be someone that you genuinely want to spend time with and care about, someone that you can spend days on end with, comfortably, she said. If your desert island person isnt your partner, you might want to consider how strong your bond is right now.

3. Do you feel good about yourself when youre with this person?

Have you been your best self while in the relationship  or have you become uncertain, insecure or anxious because of it? If youre not the best version of yourself in the relationship, its likely that you have chosen this partner from a place of desperation, LaMotte said.

Learning to feel satisfied and fulfilled on your own, without a relationship, is an important survival skill that increases the likelihood that youll become someone who chooses relationships from a place of strength rather than desperation, she said.

4. What are the top three reasons youre staying in the relationship?

Making a mini list of why you stay may be the best way to determine your next step, Earnshaw said.

If one answer is something like comfort or because its easier than leaving, I suggest you work with a close friend or therapist to really process whether or not this is the relationship for you, she said. Healthy relationships should bring comfort, but they should also bring security, growth, support and love, among many other things. Dont settle unless youre getting all those things.

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Source: Xinhua| 2017-09-03 05:10:03|Editor: yan

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MADRID, Sept. 2 (Xinhua) -- Residents of three towns to the south of the Spanish capital city of Madrid were warned to stay indoors by emergency services from the Community of Madrid on Saturday as the result of a toxic cloud caused by a fire that burned 40 tonnes of magnesium and aluminum shavings.

Cause of the fire remained unknown so far. It occurred at a warehouse in an industrial estate in the town of Fuenlabrada, to the south of the Spanish capital at around 9:30 a.m. local time.

Although the fire brigade were able to stop the flames spreading beyond the site, they were unable to extinguish it rapidly.

The toxicity of the products which were burning spurred the emergency services to issue the warning for residents of the towns of Moraleja de Enmedio, Humanes and Grinon, which have a total population of around 35,000.

Meanwhile, the zone around the fire was also evacuated along with the hotel Ciudad de Fuenlabrada, which had around 80 people staying at the time of the fire, while the M506 road was also closed to traffic.

One person, described as a 47-year-old man who worked at the site, was taken to hospital with burns, while 16 fire engines worked to extinguish the flames.
One of the most important objects in space that NASA spends time and resources studying is our very own sun. The giant star provides the light and energy necessary for most processes on Earth and keeps the planets in orbit instead on a collision course with one another.

NASA is constantly assessing data from the sun and even has a telescope trained on the sun all the time. The Solar Dynamics Observatory launched in 2010 with the goal of studying solar variability and weather and what impacts those have on Earth and the space around Earth. Every day NASA posts photos taken by the SDO online so that anyone can go look at what the sun is currently up to. On Friday, the image of the sun was detailed and showed a few flares coming off the surface of the giant star and the surface swirling. It was taken in the 171-angstrom wavelength by the SDO.

Sun surface 9/1

Photo: NASA

The SDO isnt the only telescope NASA uses to study the sun. There is also a mission called the Nuclear Spectroscopic Telescope Array, or NuSTAR, that studies the universe from space in high energy x-rays. While its primary focus is not on the sun, it does take photos of the microflares on the surface of the sun. This photo was created from photos taken by the NuSTAR and SDO as well as another telescope that belongs to Japan called the Hinode.

sun surface flares

Photo: NASA

This photo taken by the SDO shows a large sunspot that has come and gone for some time. This was captured during the early days of August and the sunspot caused a coronal mass ejection on the sun.

sun surface coronal mass ejection

Photo: NASA

Another product of the SDO shows the plasma on the sun swirling creating quite an impressive photo. The turbulence was likely caused by magnetic fields on the sun. The plasma above the surface doesnt ever fully break off it just swirls and loops.

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sun plasma

Photo: NASA

In 2016 the SDO captured this photo of filaments on the sun, indicated by the arrows. Filaments are essentially long strands of plasma that are kept suspected above the surface of the sun by magnetic fields, meaning theyre fairly unstable structures. This photo is actually three photos all taken in high ultra violet wavelengths that were all combined.

elongated filaments sun

Photo: NASA

NASA uses different wavelengths to spot different features and occurrences on the suns surface. This photo was taken in the 131-Angstrom wavelength, one that is especially good for capturing solar flares. It was specifically taken to track a solar flare occurring on the lower left side of the sun that the Mars rover had noticed and tracked and then the SDO captured.

blue sun

Photo: NASA

This photo of the sun, again taken by the SDO, shows a coronal hole, or a hole in the suns corona that left a large portion of the sun uncovered by the corona, the hottest part of the suns atmosphere. The corona puzzles researchers who are unsure of how the heat and energy transfers to the corona making it hotter than the surface of the sun.

sun pink

Photo: NASA

Much is unknown about the sun but while researchers search, there are guaranteed to be more beautiful photos of our sun.

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There is a trouble in paradise for Amber Portwood and Andrew Glennon.

Portwood and Glennon graced the red carpet of 2017 MTV VMAs together. During the event, the couple looked happy and adorable together. However, less than a week later, their relationship apparently got seriously tested after she learned that he received two restraining orders from his exes.

Addressing how his past has affected their relationship, Glennon recently admitted that the restraining orders have indeed put a strain on their romance. "This is jeopardizing our relationship, which tears my heart," Glennon told Radar Online. "She is still processing. Right now everything is up in the air."

Glennon added that he believes their relationship is real. He also admitted that he made a mistake not opening up about the matter with Portwood, especially since they have been dating for a while now. "I feel like a total idiot for not bringing this up to her first, but it was such a difficult time in my life that I blocked it out of my mind," Glennon explained. "I apologize to you, Amber, her fans, and anyone following us."

According to the publication, Glennon's ex-girlfriend, whom he dated for three years, requested for a domestic violence restraining order against him. The court granted her the restraining order, which lasted for three years and expired on Oct. 30, 2016.

Glennon's ex claimed that he showed up uninvited to her home and sent her flowers using a false name. She added that he "threw rocks" at her window. Portwood's new boyfriend denied all the allegations. However, Glennon explained that he did send flowers to her, but his name in the card had only been misspelled.

The second restraining order was filed by another one of his exes on April 23, 2015. A temporary restraining order was issued by the court on May 14 of the same year. It was dissolved, and the case was dismissed on June 4, 2015 when neither of them appeared in court.

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"Since breaking up with him, I have received hundreds of emails, phone calls, text messages and Facebook messages from him harassing me," Glennon's second ex-girlfriend claimed. "He has shown up at my work, home and the bus stops I take to and from work as well."

Glennon also denied the accusations of his second ex, insisting he was not aware of the restraining order she filed against him. According to him, he has three sisters and would never stalk or harass any woman.

Just recently, Glennon and Portwood opened up about their romance in an interview, where they admitted that they are taking things slow. The "Teen Mom" star stressed that she is happy with her new flame and added that Glennon has already received the approval of her daughter.

Will Glennon and Portwood's romance survive amid his past issues with his exes? Drop a comment below.

Amber Portwood and Andrew Glennon

Photo: Getty Images/Alberto E. Rodriguez

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Angela Merkel and Martin Shulz go head to head in TV debate - Reuters

Angela Merkel was forced to defend her controversial decision to open Germanys borders to more than 1m asylum-seekers on Sunday as she come under pressure in a televised election debate.

Martin Schulz, the main challenger, accused the German chancellor of a serious mistake with her lone decision and said she should have worked with European allies to find a common approach.

But a defiant Mrs Merkel insisted Germany had been faced with a very dramatic situation and had no choice but to act.

That is what being chancellor is about. You have to decide, she said.

German voters go to the polls on September 24 Credit: Handout via Reuters

The televised debate brought to life an election that has until now seemed little more than a victory procession for Mrs Merkel.

With just three weeks until Germany votes on September 24, the debate was widely seen as Mr Schulzs last chance to lift his flagging campaign and prove that he can mount a serious challenge to Mrs Merkel.

Integrating a million people into German society will be the task of a generation, he said at one point, and at another: Integration is not something that happens on paper.

But Mrs Merkel was able to present herself as the voice of experience, quoting detailed figures on immigration off the top of her head, and mentioning her recent conversations with other world leaders.

In Germany, the debate format is different. There is no live audience and only the leaders of the two main parties take part in what is popularly known as the TV Duel.

Bottom line: @MartinSchulz needed to win big tonight and failed. #TVDuell  Matthew Karnitschnig (@MKarnitschnig) September 3, 2017

That gave Mr Schulz, who has repeatedly accused Mrs Merkel of dodging the issues, the chance to pin his opponent down.

But while he landed some telling blows against the long-serving chancellor, Mr Schulz failed to deliver the knock-out punch his campaign badly needed.

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Mr Schulzs Social Democratic Party (SPD) went into the debate 14 points behind Mrs Merkels Christian Democratic Union (CDU), according to a poll released on Saturday.

It is a gap most commentators believe is too large to make up, and there was little sign that Mr Schulz had done enough on Sunday night to change the course of the election.

In a debate that was largely dominated by foreign policy, there was no mention of Brexit.

Mr Schulz, who was memorably described by one of the countrys top pollsters as Merkel with a beard, attempted to differentiate himself from his opponent by taking a hard line on Turkey, pledging that if elected he would end EU accession talks.

A pub shows the TV debate in Berlin Credit: Getty Images

Turkey has crossed every single red line, he said, referring to the arrest of several German nationals

But the tactic played into the hands of Mrs Merkel, who was able to portray herself as the cooler, more pragmatic head by pledging to keep the channels of communication open in order to free the arrested Germans.

A similar scenario played out when the candidates were asked about Donald Trump. Mr Schulz said the US president was too unpredictable and that Germany needed to concentrate on its more reliable allies".

But Mrs Merkel emphasised the importance of keeping the lines of communication open. I will do everything to convince the American president that we need a peaceful situation to the North Korea crisis, she said.

Both candidates insisted Islam has a place in German society, although Mrs Merkel stressed she would show no tolerance for extremism.

Two things confirmed by that debate: 1) #Brexit is below road tolls as a priority issue in Germany; and 2) Angela Merkel is going to win.  Chris Morris (@BBCChrisMorris) September 3, 2017

As the debate turned to domestic policy, Mr Schulz attempted to shift the focus to his campaigns central issue of social justice.

Germany is a prosperous country, but not all Germans are prosperous, he said.

But Mrs Merkel matched him. Every single unemployed person is one too many, she said.

In the run-up to the debate, there was embarrassment for Mr Schulz in the run-up, as his SPD party accidentally released a pre-prepared statement claiming victory for their man  several hours before it even started.

But a snap poll of 1,000 viewers held at the halfway point found Mrs Merkel was ahead, with 59 per cent saying she had the best arguments.
WASHINGTON  Hours after North Korea conducted its sixth and most powerful nuclear test, President Donald Trump on Sunday said the military option against Pyongyang remains on the table.

Well see, Trump said, while exiting St. Johns Episcopal Church in Washington after a reporter asked him whether he planned to attack North Korea.

The president did not elaborate. Following several North Korean missile tests in recent weeks, Trump has issued vague threats toward the regime but provided no details on how he plans to address the escalating crisis.

He met later Sunday at the White House with Secretary of Defense Jim Mattis and other national security officials.

After the session Mattis warned that any attack on the U.S. or its allies would spur a massive military response that would be both effective and overwhelming.

We have many military options he told reporters outside the White House, and Trump wanted to be briefed on them.

We made clear that we have the ability to defend ourselves and our allies  South Korea and Japan  from any attack, and our commitments among the allies are ironclad, Mattis said.

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un should take heed of the United Nations Security Councils unified voice, he added. All members unanimously agreed on the threat North Korea poses, and they remain unanimous in their commitment to the denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula, because we are not looking to the total annihilation of a country, namely North Korea. But as I said, we have many options to do so.

Nikki Haley, the U.S. ambassador to the U.N., said on Twitter that she had called for an emergency meeting of the security council on Monday morning.

Trump has also issued economic threats toward China, North Koreas only ally, which he again appeared to reiterate in a tweet on Sunday.

The United States is considering, in addition to other options, stopping all trade with any country doing business with North Korea.  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) September 3, 2017

Earlier Sunday, Trump tweeted that the North Korean regimes words and actions continue to be very hostile and dangerous to the United States. He was also quick to continue his criticism of China and South Koreas tactics in dealing with their neighbor.

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..North Korea is a rogue nation which has become a great threat and embarrassment to China, which is trying to help but with little success.  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) September 3, 2017

South Korea is finding, as I have told them, that their talk of appeasement with North Korea will not work, they only understand one thing!  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) September 3, 2017

Pyongyangs latest test marks another major step for its internationally condemned nuclear program, which has sparked sanctions against the country.

The North claims it detonated a hydrogen bomb on Sunday, and although analysts have expressed skepticism, Japans Chief Cabinet Secretary, Yoshihide Suga, said Tokyo could not yet dismiss the possibility that it was indeed an H-bomb  a weapon even more powerful than the atomic bombs dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki during World War II.

North Korean state television described the test as a perfect success.

The North Koreans successfully conducted their first two intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) tests in July  a feat Trump had previously dismissed as an impossibility.

Pyongyangs ICBM launches and claims that it had reached the ability to strike the U.S. mainland sparked a heated war of words between Kim and Trump, who vowed in August to respond with fire and fury if North Korea continued to threaten the U.S.

As world leaders called for calm amid the rising tensions, Trump doubled down on his comment days later, suggesting that perhaps it wasnt tough enough.

This article has been updated with comments from U.S. Defense Secretary Jim Mattis.

Clarification: The headline of this article has been amended to reflect that the test on Sunday was a nuclear test, and the article to reflect that previous recent tests have been missile tests, all as a part of North Koreas nuclear weapons program.

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Free time in South Korea

Free time in North Korea

Youth in South Korea

Youth in North Korea

Parking lot in South Korea

Parking lot in North Korea

University students in South Korea

University students in North Korea

Train station in South Korea

Train station in North Korea

Street in South Korea

Street in North Korea

Countryside in South Korea

Countryside in North Korea

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Left: President Donald Trump's hand. Right: Baby carrots. (Photo: Getty)

It has been a while since weve heard President Donald Trump talk about the size of his hands, but POTUS found a golden opportunity to bring up his hand size while visiting victims of Hurricane Harvey at a shelter in Houston on Saturday.

Trump was slipping on gloves to help serve food to the shelters residents at the NRG Stadium in Houston when he turned to news reporters and proclaimed, My hands are too big!

Then, with both gloves successfully pulled on, Trump joined the lineup and happily handed meals to the storms refugees while making jokes and shaking hands.

As he puts on plastic gloves to serve food at NRG Stadium...President Trump turns to press and says: "My hands are too big!" pic.twitter.com/WIUTLOS4XD  Pat Ward (@WardDPatrick) September 2, 2017

Trump reportedly loathes the ongoing jokes that his hands are freakishly small.

In fact, jokes about the billionaires hand size have haunted him for decades, though a renewed interest in his digits spiked during his presidential campaign and, now, presidency.

It started 30 years ago when Vanity Fair editor Graydon Carter described Trump as a short-fingered vulgarian in Spy magazine. Carter said that phrase launched Trump into an ongoing mission to prove to the journalist his hands are not short-fingered.

In an editors letter published in Vanity Fair in 2015, Carter wrote:

To this day, I receive the occasional envelope from Trump. There is always a photo of himgenerally a tear sheet from a magazine. On all of them he has circled his hand in gold Sharpie in a valiant effort to highlight the length of his fingers. I almost feel sorry for the poor fellow because, to me, the fingers still look abnormally stubby. The most recent offering arrived earlier this year, before his decision to go after the Republican presidential nomination. Like the other packages, this one included a circled hand and the words, also written in gold Sharpie: See, not so short! I sent the picture back by return mail with a note attached, saying, Actually, quite short. Which I can only assume gave him fits.

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Trump continued to defend his hand size while running for the Republican presidential nominee, showing his hands to supporters and even bringing the topic up while on the debate stage. (All that after former presidential opponent Marco Rubio joked at his own rally that Trumps small hands make him untrustworthy.)

Trump went on to describe his own hands during an editorial meeting with the Washington Post in 2016, calling his hands normal, strong, a good size, great and slightly large, actually. 

That last claim was proven wrong last year after The Hollywood Reporter obtained the real size of Trumps hands from his bronzed handprint hanging at the Madame Tussauds Wax Museum in New York.

For the record, the presidents hands measure at 7.25 inches long  slightly smaller than 85 percent of American men. See how your hands measure up to POTUS in the document below.

"My hands are too big," President Trump jokes while putting on gloves to serve food at Houston shelter https://t.co/je6NirYHoC  NBC News (@NBCNews) September 2, 2017

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People begin cleaning up the damage to their homes after torrential rains caused widespread flooding during Hurricane Harvey.

A Dickinson resident hugs a friend who came to help her remove possessions damaged due to flooding.

Floodwaters have receded from this home, but the damage is done.

Family members remove debris and damaged items from their father's home.

Volunteers from Performance Contractors help co-worker Cornell Beasley clear up the damage to his home.

People in face masks begin cleaning out their property.

Books, furniture and other belongings are set to dry outside.

Lorenzo Salina helps a neighbor remove damaged walls.

Volunteers and students from C.E. King High School help to clean up the school.

Debris and possessions are piled at the curb.

Bryan Parson (left), Chris Gaspard (center) and Derek Pelt (right) remove ruined items from Parson's home.

Volunteers place water damaged school furniture and text books on the front lawn of C.E. King High School.

Lillie Roberts talks with family members on the phone as contractor Jerry Garza begins the process of repairing her home.

Cornell Beasley joins other residents as they dry and toss out their possessions.

Furniture that was destroyed in the flood is piled on the side of the street.

A man power-washes the driveway of his once flooded home.

Stacey House holds up her daughter's volleyball portrait, which was damaged during the hurricane.

Willy Coronado helps a neighbor to clean a house.

Missy Givens inspects the water level in her home.

People try to repair a truck that was submerged in floodwater.

Derek Pelt removes a wall at his friend Bryan Parson's house.

People on cleanup duty look around a damaged property.

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This article originally appeared on HuffPost.
In a new book due to be published next week, Pope Francis has revealed that he consulted with a psychoanalyst once a week for six months in the 1970s to help him clarify things.

The 432-page book, titled Pope Francis: Politics and Society, is based on interviews between the Pontiff and French sociologist Dominique Wolton. The Pope told Wolton that seeing a therapist helped [him] a lot and that he now felt free.

Im in a cage at the Vatican, but not spiritually. Nothing frightens me, he said in excerpts reported by The Guardian.

When Pope Francis was seeing a psychoanalyst, Argentina, his homeland, was ruled by a military dictatorship. He was head of the South American countrys Jesuit order at the time.

Along with revelations about his former therapist, the first Latin American pope spoke about many subjects with Wolton for the book, including politics, globalization, divorce and pedophile priests. He also discussed former girlfriends and childhood sweethearts. I thank God for having known these true women in my life, he said in excerpts reported by America Magazine.
Frankfurt am Main (AFP) - At least 60,000 Frankfurt residents were forced to leave their homes on Sunday, in Germany's biggest post-war evacuation, to allow bomb disposal experts to defuse a huge unexploded World War II bomb dubbed the "blockbuster".

The 1.8-tonne British bomb, which German media said was nicknamed "Wohnblockknacker" -- or blockbuster -- for its ability to wipe out whole streets and flatten buildings, was discovered during building works last Tuesday.

The operation in central Frankfurt to get residents to safety was the biggest evacuation of its kind in post-war Germany, the city's security chief Markus Frank said.

After hours of delay as police struggled to get the area cleared, bomb disposal experts finally managed to disarm the explosive in the evening.

Police then began lifting the evacuation order progressively, giving priority for patients in two hospitals within the affected district to be brought back to their wards.

Close to the city centre, the bomb was discovered in the Westend district, home to many of Frankfurt's top bankers, including European Central Bank chief Mario Draghi -- who is known to spend his weekends away from the city.

- War memories -

The massive operation began at dawn, as homes and buildings within a 1.5-kilometre radius of the site were ordered cleared by 0600 GMT.

But some people were still in the evacuation zone well past the deadline as police carried out door-to-door checks.

At one building where officers were ringing doorbells and using loudspeakers to announce the evacuation, a man and a woman emerged, saying they were unaware they were in the affected district.

At midday, emergency services were still unable to give the all-clear for bomb disposal units to move in.

After a delay of at least two hours, experts were finally able to start disarming the bomb, an HC 4000, a high-capacity explosive used in air raids by Britain's Royal Air Force during World War II.

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Some elderly residents affected by the evacuation recalled poignant memories of the war.

"I was here in Frankfurt's Westend during the war. I heard the bombs falling when I was in the basement, and I helped to extinguish the fires. So I knew how it feels and for me it's not a new experience," said Doris Scheidt, 91.

Another resident, Eva Jarchow, said the evacuation "reminds me of our flight from Berlin when the bombs were still falling during the war. Here, at least, it's calm and sunny."

Giesela Gulich, meanwhile, had a "queasy feeling about it (as) the bomb stayed in the soil for so long, but now, when it's being moved, you don't know what can happen."

City officials had readied halls as temporary lodgings, while museums were offering free entry.

Others had packed their bags and were ready to head out for a full day.

David Hoffmann, 29, who works at a bank, was loading up luggage in his car.

"I have the essentials with me -- the most important documents," he said, though he complained that he had not received any leaflets about the evacuation.

- Unexploded WWII bombs -

More than 70 years after the end of the war, unexploded bombs are regularly found buried in Germany, legacies of the intense bombing campaigns by the Allied forces against Nazi Germany.

On Saturday, 21,000 people had to be evacuated from the western city of Koblenz as bomb disposal experts defused an unexploded American World War II shell.

In May, 50,000 residents were forced to leave their homes in the northern city of Hanover for an operation to defuse several WWII-era bombs.

And one of the biggest such evacuations took place on Christmas Day 2016, when another unexploded British bomb, containing 1.8-tonnes of explosives, prompted the evacuation of 54,000 people in the southern city of Augsburg.
Boris Johnson has warned President Donald Trump that taking military action against North Korea could provoke Kim Jong-un to vaporise the South Korean population in response.

Pyongyang announced on Sunday that it had successfully tested a hydrogen bomb that could be loaded onto a long-range missile, which Mr Johnson described as a new order of threat.

Foreign Secretary Boris JohnsonCredit: Victoria Jones

The Foreign Secretary condemned Pyongyangs reckless act, and said that all options are on the table, but we really dont see any easy military solution.

President Trump led world condemnation of North Koreas biggest ever nuclear test, describing the actions of the rogue nation as very hostile and dangerous to the US.

He added that appeasement with North Korea will not work, having recently promised to rain fire and fury on North Korea if it continued to threaten the US.

For more news videos visit Yahoo View, available on iOS and Android.

South Korea launched a ballistic missile exercise late on Sunday in response to Pyongyang's provocative detonation, state news agency Yonhap reported. "S. Korea's military stages ballistic missile exercise in response to N. Korea's nuke test," the agency said.

The nuclear weapon test registered with international seismic monitoring agencies as a man-made earthquake of magnitude 6.3, making it 10 times more powerful that North Koreas last nuclear test a year ago.

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un provides guidance on a nuclear weapons programCredit: KCNA

Hours before the explosion, the North Korean state news agency had released pictures of Kim inspecting a silver-coloured, hourglass-shaped warhead, which was markedly different from a ball-shaped device detonated last year.

Experts said it indicated a two-stage thermonuclear device, suggesting Pyongyang has made significant progress towards its goal of a long-range nuclear missile.

The UN Security Council will hold an emergency meeting on Monday to discuss the latest development and possible responses.

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Mr Johnson said: Its certainly our view that none of the military options are good...the distance between North Korea and Seoul is very, very small and they could basically vaporise large parts of the South Korean population even with conventional weapons, so thats not really very easy to threaten or to deliver.

North Koreans watch a news report showing North Korea's nuclear test on electronic screen in Pyongyang Credit: KYODO

Calling on China to take stronger action against its client state, he went on: We have to consider how to respond and its our view in the UK, overwhelmingly that peaceful, diplomatic means are the best and we think the sanctions route still holds potential.

China is responsible for 90 per cent of North Koreas trade and North Korea only has six months of oil supplies left. There is scope to continue to put pressure on the regime."

Theresa May, meanwhile, called on the United Nations urgently to look at fresh sanctions.

The hydrogen bomb test, the sixth to be carried out by Kim and the first since Mr Trump became president, follows a series of long-range missile tests that pose an increasing threat to the US, and comes just days after a missile was launched that flew over Japan.

Mr Johnson said: They seem to be moving closer towards a hydrogen bomb which, if fitted to a successful missile, would unquestionably present a new order of threat.

President Vladimir Putin of Russia and President Xi Jinping of China met at a pre-planned summit in Xian, where they agreed to adhere to "the goal of denuclearisation on the Korean Peninsula.

Nuclear North Korea
Source: Xinhua| 2017-09-03 05:55:16|Editor: Song Lifang

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RIYADH, Sept. 2 (Xinhua) -- Saudi Arabia confirmed Saturday five cholera cases in the border city of Jajan close to Yemen, Al Muwatin online local news reported.

According to the health ministry, the cases are non-Saudis, and the country is providing proper medical treatment to them.

The microbe in the tested cases proves to be the same discovered in Yemen by the World Health Organization, the ministry added.

As a precaution, the hospital accommodating the cases has been evacuated.

The ministry didn't disclose the nationalities of the cases, but they were suspected of arriving from Yemen which is witnessing the worst cholera epidemic in the world.
A Texas woman returning to her home for the first time since Hurricane Harvey hit was in search of an extremely important item.

Read: Clever Dog Spotted Leaving With a Bag of Food During Hurricane Harvey

Inside Edition boarded a boat with the Harris County Fire Department and was joined by Travia Turner, who asked for a ride to her apartment.

I came back over to here to see if I could possibly get someone to help me get the dress, she said of a bridesmaid dress for a wedding taking place Friday. It is one of my really, really good friends and her wedding is in Alabama, Im supposed to be there now. Im missing everything.

Read: TV Reporter Meets Newborn Baby After He Helped Rescue Mom in Labor From Harvey Flood

She entered her apartment for the first time since being evacuated and spotted the dress.

Luckily, Turner had plenty of time to get to the wedding.

Oh my goodness, hopefully Ill get to make it, it's really pretty, she said.

Watch: Massive Gator Takes Shelter on Bed During Hurricane Harvey

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Phnom Penh (AFP) - One of Cambodia's few remaining independent newspapers announced on Sunday it would close hours after the country's opposition leader was arrested for treason, the latest in a string of blows to critics of strongman premier Hun Sen.

The Cambodia Daily, which is often critical of the government, said Monday's edition would be its last after it was slapped with a multi-million dollar tax bill that its publishers said was politically motivated.

The announcement came after Kem Sokha, head of the opposition Cambodian National Rescue Party (CNRP), was arrested shortly after midnight on treason charges with Prime Minister Hun Sen accusing him of acting in cahoots with Washington, an escalation of his often angry rhetoric against the US.

The Southeast Asian country has been run for more than three decades by 65-year-old Hun Sen, a wily political operator who has long used the courts and strongarm tactics to silence critics.

He faces a key test at national polls next year with the main opposition party gaining in popularity amid mounting anger over corruption and inequality.

A series of prosecutions have been brought against political opponents and rights workers in the last year, as well as tax and other investigations of organisations deemed critical of his administration.

In a statement announcing its closure, the Cambodia Daily said it had been "destroyed" by the government.

"It's a dark day for press freedom in Cambodia," editor Jodie DeJonge, told AFP.

The paper was set up 24 years ago by veteran American journalist Bernard Krisher who recently sold it to his daughter Deborah Krisher-Steele. It publishes in English but carries some articles in Khmer and is often critical of the government.

Last month the tax department said the paper owned $6.3 million in back taxes, with Hun Sen branding the owners "thieves".

The paper said the figure was "arbitrary" and not based on an audit of its books, with management accusing the government of targeting it for its critical reporting.

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Much of Cambodia's media is either owned by people close to Hun Sen or avoids criticising the government.

Former editor Kevin Doyle tweeted: "In closing the Daily, PM Hun Sen is not just silencing a critic, he's ending an earlier, more hopeful vision of Cambodia's future."

- 'US conspiracy' -

Kem Sokha's surprise overnight detention raises the stakes as Hun Sen's political opponents, NGOs and the critical press are smothered by court cases and threats ahead of the election next year.

In a statement, Hun Sen's government alleged "a secret plan of conspiracy between Kem Sokha, his group, and foreigners that harms Cambodia".

The government has yet to detail what Kem Sokha has allegedly done that constitutes treason.

But in a speech on Sunday, Hun Sen accused him of working with Washington.

"Behind his (Kem Sokha's) hand it is still the same, it is America," he said.

Kem Sokha is the leader of the CNRP which has been battered by court cases, bans and threats against its key figures, including his predecessor Sam Rainsy who fled to France to avoid charges.

The CNRP called the arrest "politically motivated".

The arrest came just hours after pro-government website Fresh News ran a report accusing Kem Sokha of discussing the overthrow of Hun Sen with support from the United States.

Fresh News frequently runs leaks from inside the government that often precede an investigation or arrest.

However Saturday's report was based on a 2013 speech Kem Sokha gave to supporters in Australia with cameras present.

During the speech he boasted that the US was "advising me about strategies to change the dictatorship in Cambodia".

Washington has a complex and fraught history with Cambodia, secretly bombing it during the Vietnam War era and then becoming one of the country's biggest aid donors as it tried to rebuild from the murderous Khmer Rouge years.

Hun Sen, a former Khmer Rouge commander who defected, portrays himself as the only person who can bring stability and prosperity to a country once ravaged by civil war and genocide.

In the last decade, Cambodia has become one of Asia's fastest growing economies.

But there is rising anger, especially among the youth, over how that wealth is spread and the cronyism that remains endemic under his rule.

In 2013 the opposition parties made surprise gains, giving Hun Sen his first ever electoral scare.
(JACKSON, Miss.)  A cleaning crew removing and burning trash at a recently purchased home in Mississippi made a startling discovery  a body wrapped in a blue tarp.Authorities say the remains inside the empty house in Jackson were too decomposed to determine a gender.

News outlets reported Thursday that police dont know how long the remains were there and are investigating the case as a suspicious death.

Hinds County coroner Sharon Grisham Stewart told police it appears the person had suffered possible trauma to the head.

Police say human remains were found on Greenwood Ave. @WJTV pic.twitter.com/kBGuQftGuC  Andrew Nomura (@NomuraReports) August 31, 2017

Police Cmdr. Tyree Jones says the previous homeowner has been located and will be asked for any information that can be provided. He says police will canvass the neighborhood and attempt to identify the remains.
President Donald Trump cannot seem to suppress his contempt for the news media  even when he is speaking about something completely unrelated.

In remarks to members of the United States military in Texas on Saturday, Trump singled out the Coast Guard for rescuing nearly 11,000 people stranded by Hurricane Harvey.

He then compared it to what he described as the relative lack of courage exhibited by journalists covering the storm.

Think of it: almost 11,000 people  by going into winds that the media would not go into. They will not go into those winds, he said. Unless its a really good story, in which case they will.

Pres. Trump praises Coast Guard for saving people "by going into winds that the media would not go into...unless it's a really good story." pic.twitter.com/6JFH45o0wn  ABC News (@ABC) September 2, 2017

The media apparently considered Hurricane Harvey a really good story though, because numerous journalists put themselves in harms way to cover the disaster  often accompanying the very service members Trump was thanking.

We were literally on the helicopter with them https://t.co/wc7BMZg6gc  Andy Campbell (@AndyBCampbell) September 2, 2017

In fact, many reporters, including HuffPosts David Lohr, took part in rescue efforts as they encountered people struggling to survive the storms worst effects.

Trump has a famously rocky relationship with the news media, particularly national outlets, which he frequently derides as fake news. At a campaign-style rally in Phoenix, Arizona, on Aug. 22, Trump spent more than 10 minutes denouncing the medias treatment of him, complete with indictments of specific journalists and their outlets.

During a visit to a shelter in Houston on Saturday, however, Trump struck a slightly more conciliatory tone. The Texans he met are really happy with the federal recovery efforts he is managing, Trump told reporters, adding that he was pleasantly surprised to find that even the news media was recognizing his work.

Story continues

Its been very well received  even by you guys, its been well received, Trump said.

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President Donald Trump speaks with military personnel on Saturday, Sep. 2, 2017, before departing for Louisiana to continue his tour of areas affected by Hurricane Harvey. (Photo: NICHOLAS KAMM/Getty Images)

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This article originally appeared on HuffPost.
For people on the political right, the disclosure by members of the Senate Judiciary Committee that former FBI Director James Comey began drafting a statement about the outcome of the Hillary Clinton emails investigation months before he announced the probe was complete seemed to provide proof of a scheme to protect Clinton.

President Donald Trump, who fired Comey in May, said as much on Friday, tweeting, Wow, looks like James Comey exonerated Hillary Clinton long before the investigation was over...and so much more. A rigged system!

Comey received widespread disapproval for holding a July 2016 press conference to announce that the FBI had completed its investigation into Clintons use of a personal email server while secretary of state and that he would not be recommending that the Department of Justice pursue charges. People voiced concerns again last October, after Comey wrote to Congress, days before the presidential election, to say his agents had found new evidence in the completed Clinton case.

Justice Department veterans from both Democratic and Republican administrations said Comeys actions strayed from agency rules and norms. The Justice Departments Office of the Inspector General launched a review of his conduct, and Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein wrote in a memo to Trump before Comeys firing, Almost everyone agrees that the director made serious mistakes; it is one of the few issues that unites people of different perspectives.

But FBI and Justice Department insiders and analysts are divided about whether Comeys decision to draft his Clinton statement in advance departed from agency norms.

Related: Comey planned statement exonerating Clinton before probe ended

To me, this is so far out of bounds its not even in the stadium, says Chris Swecker, who retired from the FBI in 2006 as assistant director for the criminal investigative division and acting executive assistant director for law enforcement services. If he had personally drafted it, put it in the corner of his desk and just looked at it himself from time to time, that would be one thing, he says, but circulating the draft among executive staff seems to be clearly communicating to them where the investigation was going to go.

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Swecker, who had dealings with Comey and points out that he respects the former director, says he finds it odd that Comey drafted the statement before the June 2016 tarmac meeting between Loretta Lynch, who was then attorney general, and Bill Clinton, since Comey has said he decided to issue his July 2016 statement because of that meeting.

That is just not how things operate, Swecker says. Its built in our DNA not to prejudge investigations, particularly from the top.... Its highly unusual.

Ron Hosko, who was an assistant FBI director under Comey until he retired in 2014, says drafting statements is common practice, as long as the drafts stay internal and avoid drawing conclusions. When you have a significant case that is in the public domain and certainly in the publics interest, in the publics eye, I think that it could be expected that both the FBI, and the prosecutors that theyre working with, are beginning to draft a statement of facts that could be used later, as the case is developing, he says. I think the content of the statement is going to be important. Did it purport to essentially acquit her actions way prematurely, or was it simply a running statement of what they knew?

09_01_Trump_Comey_Clinton

Drew Angerer/Getty

Others believe Comey did nothing wrong in drafting the statement, regardless of additional factors. Benjamin Wittes, editor in chief of the national security blog Lawfare, tweeted that he does not find it surprising that Comey started writing the statement in advance. By May, after nine months of investigation, unless HRC [Hillary Rodham Clinton] lied to the FBI or it found something new, this was headed for a declination, he wrote. This may come as a shock to [Senator Chuck] Grassley and [Senator Lindsey] Graham and Trump, but judges sometimes do a memo/draft about an opinion before oral argument. Wittes has described Comey as a personal friend.

Matthew Miller, a former Justice Department spokesman who worked during the Barack Obama administration, tweeted about the claim that Comey made up his mind too early about Clinton. The decision is never made until the end, said Miller, even when theres a 99 percent chance it is only going to go one way. Last October, Miller said Comeys actions were in violation of long-standing Justice Department rules or precedent.

Drafting the Clinton statement would not be unusual for Comey, given his past actions and according to those who know him. When it comes to decision-making, hes very methodical, says Robert Anderson, who served as an executive assistant director at the FBI under Comey until December 2015. Hes a very thoughtful leader who thought a lot and then made a decision. The former director was known for writing emails to his workforce explaining why he took certain actions. He kept detailed memos about his conversations with Trump, and as Newsweek previously reported, Comey once proposed writing an op-ed to inform the public about Russias meddling in the 2016 presidential election.

People in Trumps camp may be hoping the Senate Judiciary Committee disclosure will go further. On Thursday, separate from the disclosure about the Clinton draft, The Wall Street Journal reported that lawyers for Trump have submitted memos to Special Counsel Robert Mueller and met with him to portray Comey as an unreliable witness in order to defend Trump from claims that the president obstructed justice by firing Comey. Mueller is overseeing the FBI investigation into Russias election meddling and possible coordination with the Trump campaign.

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Najaf (Iraq) (AFP) - The Valley of Peace cemetery in the Shiite holy city of Najaf is filled with mourners paying tribute to "martyrs" who have fallen in battles to expel the Islamic State group from Iraq's cities.

In keeping with religious tradition, Kazem al-Aibi has already visited the tombs of relatives in his home village for the Eid holidays which started Saturday for Iraqi Shiites.

But this year he also made his way to the Wadi al-Salam (Valley of Peace) cemetery in Najaf -- one of the world's largest -- to sit by the white tombstone of his son killed fighting IS jihadists.

Mohammed joined the Hashed al-Shaabi paramilitary units, or "popular mobilisation" forces dominated by Iranian-backed Shiite militias, to battle IS alongside the Iraqi military and police.

Like tens of thousands of other Iraqis, Aibi's son signed up after a call from Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani, Iraq's highest Shiite religious authority, to take up arms and reverse the lightning 2014 advance of IS in north and west Iraq.

Mohammed left his village in Maysan province, in the Shiite heartland south of Baghdad, to join the Hashed and fought in several battles before he fell in Al-Miqdadiyah, hundreds of kilometres (miles) away from home.

- More 'martyrs' each day -

Wearing a black and white keffiyeh headscarf, the father wept openly in the cemetery which serves as the final resting place for millions and where more and more "martyrs" are being buried each day.

Iraqi security forces, for their part, have so far not disclosed their losses.

In the fourth year of war against IS, Iraq has announced a string of victories, most importantly the recapture of the country's second-largest city, Mosul, and the expulsion of IS this week from the town of Tal Afar.

The apparently irreversible advances on the battlefield, supported by US-led coalition air power, give at least some solace to Kazem al-Aiba.

"Inshallah (God willing), after Tal Afar and Mosul, all regions and towns will be liberated," said the man with a neatly trimmed moustache and wearing a spotless white jalabiya gown.

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All around him, men and women of all ages jostled for space in the alleyways of the cemetery in the city which is a Shiite pilgrimage destination for its shrine of Imam Ali, the revered son-in-law of the Prophet Mohammed.

Black-veiled women showing only their faces and men, often sobbing, busily clean the tombstones with water and cloths, or decorate them with flowers and posters glorifying the anti-IS fighters.

Many families have opted to have their fallen in the ranks of the Hashed forces buried in the Valley of Peace as an honour, rather than in their plots in home cemeteries.

Tombs marked "martyr" have multiplied, as have the posters of "hero fighters" showing the fallen men carrying their guns.

Outside the cemetery, where there were long lines of vans, cars and motorcycles, Abu Hussein said he had also come to visit his son's grave and was proud of "the sacrifice" he had made to retake Tal Afar.

"Ridding even a square centimetre of Iraq of the jihadists is a great victory for all Iraqis," said the man in a long black jalabiya and a keffiyeh around his neck.
By Helen Murphy and Luis Jaime Acosta NORTHWESTERN JUNGLES, Colombia (Reuters) - Colombia's ELN guerrilla group said a Russian-Armenian citizen it held hostage for six months was killed in April while trying to escape, a startling admission that risks throwing current peace talks with the government into jeopardy. In a rare interview, a commander of the National Liberation Army, Colombia's last active guerrilla group, said that ransoms from kidnappings were necessary to keep its fighters in the field and that peace would be impossible without state funding to feed and clothe the rebels. The ELN seized Arsen Voskanyan in November. The group claimed that he was collecting endangered, poisonous frogs in the jungles of the northwestern department of Choco and accused him of wanting to smuggle wildlife overseas. After his lengthy captivity, Voskanyan was shot when he grabbed a hand grenade in a bid to escape, according to the ELN commander, who would only give his nom-de-guerre Yerson. "He's dead," Yerson told Reuters in a remote area along the banks of a river that sees frequent combat between the leftist rebels, government troops and right-wing paramilitaries. "The grenade exploded ... several of our boys were wounded, the entire unit of five boys. He fled, he was shot and killed ... The issue of his body will be negotiated," he said, adding that the death took place within his unit. Yerson supplied no evidence to back up his assertions. Another person with knowledge of the matter also subsequently confirmed that Voskanyan had been killed. Reuters could not independently confirm the circumstances surrounding Voskanyan's death. Colombia's government said it knows nothing of the ELN's claim and the last it knew was a statement from the ELN that said he had escaped. "The responsibility is with the ELN," the senior official said, asking not to be named. The Russian Embassy in Colombia, Colombia's High Peace Commissioner and the Foreign Ministry in Moscow did not immediately respond to requests for comment. The ELN's practice of kidnapping civilians is a key issue at peace talks taking place in the Ecuadorean capital of Quito. The fact that Voskanyan was killed as talks progress and the ELN failed to inform the government may complicate already tricky negotiations to end 53 years of war and make the need to agree a ceasefire more pressing. "It makes it urgent to get a bilateral, verifiable ceasefire as soon as possible so this doesn't keep happening," leftist Senator Antonio Navarro Wolff, who once belonged to now-demobilized urban guerrilla group the M-19, told Reuters. Yerson and his troops said they are not optimistic a peace agreement can be reached because neither side will give ground on kidnapping. The ELN has refused to stop taking hostages for ransom, launching bomb attacks and extorting foreign oil and mining companies while talks are ongoing. The government has said it will not move forward on issues like a bilateral ceasefire until it does. Talks with the ELN are being held as the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC), until this year the biggest rebel group, has demobilized, formed a new political party and ended its part in a civil war that killed more than 220,000 people and displaced millions over five decades. ELN HAD SAID HOSTAGE ESCAPED His face covered by a thin black balaclava and wearing a beret and camouflage fatigues, Yerson, 35, said he has been fighting in Colombia's jungles and mountains "for many, many years." Flanked by two fighters carrying semi-automatic rifles as other rebels watched on, he questioned the government's willingness to make sufficient concessions but said he would adhere to the wishes of his leadership if a peace deal was reached. The ELN has sought peace before, holding talks in Cuba and Venezuela between 2002 and 2007, but experts have said those discussions were dogged by lack of will on both sides. Yerson is the commander of the Ernesto "Che" Guevara Front, that fights under the command of the ELN leader known as Uriel who commands the Western War Block Omar Gomez. He declined to say how many rebels fight in his unit. The ELN - which has kidnapped hundreds of Colombians and foreigners for economic and political gain - previously said in a statement that Voskanyan escaped injured after a struggle that left several fighters wounded as they tried to release him to the International Committee of the Red Cross. The killing of Voskanyan may turn already dire public perception further against the ELN, analyst Ariel Avila told Reuters. "The impact will be on public opinion and in the questioning of the talks," he said. Inspired by the Cuban revolution and established by radical Catholic priests in 1964, the ELN was close to disappearing in the 1970s but steadily gained power again. By 2002 it had as many as 5,000 fighters, financed by "war taxes" levied on landowners and oil companies. It is now believed to have about 2,000 fighters, but Yerson, who would not confirm the number, said the group is heavily recruiting. Considered a terrorist group by the United States and the European Union, the ELN has stepped up attacks on economic infrastructure this year, hitting oil pipelines and power lines repeatedly. President Juan Manuel Santos, who meted out some of the most crushing military blows against the FARC and earned a Nobel Peace Prize last year for his efforts at peace, has had less success with the ELN, which moves in mobile units of four or so fighters. The ELN has said it may declare a temporary ceasefire to honor Pope Francis during his visit next week to Colombia. (Additional reporting by Vladimir Soldatkin in Moscow; Editing by Andrew Cawthorne, Mary Milliken and Bill Trott)
In a matter of days, transgender model Munroe Bergdorf went from posting her excitement after being hired by makeup brand L'Oreal Paris to calling for a boycott of the company.

SEE ALSO: The dissonance between Vogue and Teen Vogue is finally too loud to ignore

Early Friday, the UK division of the company announced its partnership with the London model was ending after she posted a comment on Facebook that started with, "'Honestly I don't have energy to talk about the racial violence of white people any more. Yes ALL white people."

The post has since been deleted.

LOreal champions diversity. Comments by Munroe Bergdorf are at odds with our values and so we have decided to end our partnership with her.  L'Oreal Paris UK (@LOrealParisUK) September 1, 2017

Bergdorf fired back that her words about the white supremacist rallies in Charlottesville last month were taken out of context and that the company didn't want her talking about systemic racism. She said she was "disappointed with the company" and wrote a massive post about the irony of being on a beauty campaign that "stands for diversity" and then getting fired for talking about white privilege.

We reached out to L'Oreal UK for further comment beyond their Twitter statement.

Bergdorf directly addressed the controversial statement that appears to have led to her firing. "When I stated that 'all white people are racist', I was addressing that fact that western society as a whole, is a SYSTEM rooted in white supremacy - designed to benefit, prioritise and protect white people before anyone of any other race. Unknowingly, white people are SOCIALISED to be racist from birth onwards. It is not something genetic. No one is born racist," she wrote on Facebook.

Others called out the company for what many felt was too quick of a firing.

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DISGUSTING response from L'oreal. Boycott L'Oreal until they support trans women of colour, and ACTUALLY champion diversity. https://t.co/nc4vIPwlLz  Travis (@travisalabanza) September 1, 2017

Hi L'Oreal PR team, please explain these 'values'? So you fire black pple that speak out against racism? I expect a thorough reply. Thanks!  Firebird  (@BrokenJaw_R) September 1, 2017

This tweet is not made to made y'all rethink the decision. I just want you guys to know if you really want to boycott L'Oreal, do it right.  Dani. (@emmabahi) September 1, 2017

I'll boycott the L'Oreal brand but they'll still benefit from my dollar bc of all the other brands they own so  https://t.co/Rl1m0IMVmO  Kyrie Curving  (@bobeaubreaux) September 1, 2017

Bergdorf had announced earlier this week that it was "such an honour to become L'Oreal's first transgender model in the UK."
Firefighter Kyle Parry found his fiancees wedding dress miraculously unharmed by Hurricane Harvey, though his entire house was flooded. (Photo: Twitter)

In between doing his duty as a firefighter in the midst of Hurricane Harveys damage to the Houston area, Kyle Parry had something else on his mind: his upcoming wedding. Parry and his fiancee, Stephanie Hoekstra, were due to be married just a couple of weeks after Harvey hit ground. In the early stages of the storm Parry was plenty busy helping to evacuate people from their flooded homes and was thankful that his own home was not suffering the fate of so many others in the area of Lumberton, Texas, where he lives and serves.

It wasnt until Parry heard that his neighborhood was increasingly threatened with flooding that he began to worry about their wedding plans and supplies, including the dress that Hoekstra had spent so much time shopping for. Thursday of last week was the point that Parry was finally able to check in on his home  the town was swallowed by water at that point, as the Dallas Morning News described it.

The couple had been storing their wedding supplies, including boxes upon boxes of linens, decorations, and more, and all had been damaged by the floodwaters, not to mention everything else he owns. After surveying the damage and even posting a video of it on Facebook Live, Parry finally decided to look in on the fate of his fiancees dress. He had promised Hoekstra in the months leading up to their wedding that he wouldnt peek at the dress, but this time he had to look. Im sorry Steph, but I have to look, he can be heard saying in the video.

Miraculously, the dress was unharmed, though it was hanging just a few inches away from potential ruin. The only thing left was the dress, Parry told his fellow firefighters back at his station.

Upon hearing about the dress, Hoekstra  who actually lives in Ontario, Canada  told the Dallas newspaper, It was a sign that, of all this turmoil, that was the one thing that was supposed to make it.

The couple were offered the chance to have their wedding in the fire station, but they decided to postpone the date instead. They have yet to set the date, but were sure both of them feel like its meant to be, no matter when it happens.

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Source: Xinhua| 2017-09-03 07:00:25|Editor: Song Lifang

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WASHINGTON, Sep. 2 (Xinhua) -- U.S. President Donald Trump on Saturday paid a second visit to Texas, after he was criticized for keeping distance from flooded areas and survivors during his first visit.

Trump, along with First Lady Melania, arrived at Ellington Field, Texas before noon and joined hurricane survivors at a relief center in Houston as they lined up for lunch.

Trump stopped for hugs and posed for photos with flood survivors and offered words of encouragement for those affected by the deadly storm.

"The message is that things are working out well. Really, I think people appreciate what's been done. It's been done very efficiently," he said.

Trump also credited Texas government for relief efforts, and pledged full support from the federal government on reconstruction.

Trump also adjusted the Texas Disaster Declaration, which he originally signed on Aug. 25, by increasing the level of federal funding for debris removal from 75 percent to 90 percent.

The first couple will also travel to Louisiana later Saturday to meet with local officials and relief workers.

Trump first visited Texas on Tuesday, but stayed away from the most badly hit regions. He came under fire on Wednesday for tweeting that he "witnessed first hand the horror and devastation caused by Hurricane Harvey," which was refuted by reporters.

The White House later issued a statement saying that Trump had met with local officials that were "eating, sleeping, breathing the Harvey disaster," and it was "certainly a first hand account."
A view from the La Tuna Canyon Fire on Saturday in Los Angeles.

A brushfire believed to be one of the largest in the history of the city of Los Angeles has scorched some 7,000 acres of land in California, destroyed four homes and prompted Gov. Jerry Brown todeclare a state of emergency.

Los Angeles Fire Department chief Ralph Terrazas said during a Mondaypress conferencethat favorable weather conditions allowed for firefighters to make progress on Sunday.

As long as the weather continues to cooperate, I am very confident and convinced well be fine, he said. But he stressed that fire operations are ongoing and there is still a lot of work to be done.

More than a thousand firefighters are currently working to control the blaze, which erupted on Friday. Several aircraft have been dropping water and fire retardant on hot spots.

#LaTunaFireTanker 901 DC10 making a drop to protect homes in Sunland@FOXLApic.twitter.com/5OKmStOM6P  Kevin Takumi (@KevinTakumi)September 3, 2017

As of Monday, the fire had charred 7,003 acres  a number Terrazas said he anticipates will increase slightly in the coming days. It is now 30 percent contained  up from10 percent containmentearly Sunday morning. Four firefighters have suffered heat-related illnesses, and another was treated for minor burns. All are in stable condition, according to Terrazas.

The flames have also destroyed four houses. Terrazas said Monday that the low number is a testament to the outstanding work of area firefighters.

Since Friday, the blazeforced the evacuationof hundreds of homes in areas such as Los Angeles, Burbank and Glendale. By Sunday night, however, all mandatory evacuation orders had been lifted.

Visually you can see weve turned a corner, but this is not over, with winds this strong, anything can still happen, Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti told CBS News on Monday.

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Garcetti signed a declaration of local emergency on Saturday instructing all city agencies to take all necessary steps to protect life and property in the area. And on Sunday, Brownproclaimeda state of emergency.

Were confident, back to 1961  the Bel Air Fire  that this is the largest fire, by acreage, within the city of Los Angeles, Terrazas said. The Bel Air Fire scorched 6,090 acres and destroyed 484 costly residences and 21 other buildings,according to a historical archivekept by LAFD.

Couldn't sleep and decided to leave my house to document this fire. Let this be a lesson not to mess with Mother Nature.#LaTunaFirepic.twitter.com/ibCqwPn5Cp  kim newmoney (@kimnewmoney)September 2, 2017

The fire, dubbed the La Tuna Fire, started in West La Tuna Canyon Road in Sun Valley Friday afternoon, reports the Los Angeles Times. It started as a small brush fire sparked by a triple digit heat wave and quickly spread due to shifting winds.

A post shared by Emeric's Timelapse (@emerictimelapse)on Sep 2, 2017 at 5:21am PDT

Clarification: Language in this storys text and headline has been amended to clarify that the fire is thought to be one of the largest in the history of the city of LA, not Los Angeles County.

This article originally appeared on HuffPost.
Paris (AFP) - France called Friday for a political transition in Syria that would not include President Bashar al-Assad, after a series of shifting positions on resolving the six-year-old conflict.

"We cannot build peace with Assad," Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian said on France's RTL radio.

"He cannot be the solution," said Le Drian, who was defence minister in the former Socialist government.

"The solution is to establish... a timeline for political transition that can lead to a new constitution and elections, and this transition cannot happen with Bashar al-Assad."

French President Emmanuel Macron said in July that the removal of the Syrian president was not a "prerequisite" for peace in the war-torn country, and that he did not see a "legitimate successor" to the leader who has been in power since 2000.

Paris had been a key supporter of the opposition to Assad's rule since the start of the conflict in 2011, which has since killed more than 320,000 people and displaced millions.

But Macron has said that the fight against the Islamic State (IS) group is a priority for France, which has endured a string of terror attacks that have killed more than 230 people since 2015. Some of these were planned in Syria.

On Friday, Macron said he hoped to organise an international conference early next year in Beirut on facilitating the return of Syrian refugees, saying this was crucial for "stabilising Syria and the entire region."

Lebanon currently hosts more than 1.2 million Syrian refugees.

France's armed forces are in action as part of the US-led international coalition fighting IS in Syria and Iraq.

The jihadist group has lost much of the territory it controlled in the two countries, and thousands of its fighters have been killed since late 2014, when the coalition was formed to defeat the group.

- UN talks in October? -

Le Drian said Friday that IS "will be defeated in Syria," leaving the country with a "single conflict, that of the civil war" pitting an opposition against the Assad government.

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Macron has tasked Le Drian with forming a new contact group on Syria to relaunch the stalled political process.

So far Paris has not been forthcoming on the composition of the group, notably on the question of whether regional power Iran -- a key backer of the Syrian regime along with Russia -- would take part.

"Without Iran, we're wasting our time," a diplomatic source said. "But Iran is also a red rag to (US President Donald) Trump's America."

Another source said the group would consist of the five permanent members of the Security Council -- the US, Britain, France, China and Russia -- with regional powers included in "several discussion formats".

UN Syria envoy Staffan de Mistura said last month 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 hosted seven rounds of largely unsuccessful talks in Geneva, with Assad's fate one of the main obstacles to progress.

Kazakhstan has hosted parallel talks, with a new round scheduled for September 14-15.

Those talks will focus on securing Syrian safe zones set up under an agreement between Russia, Iran and Turkey -- a backer of the rebels.
The St. Paul, Minnesota, school where Philando Castile worked as a cafeteria supervisor is now honoring his legacy by paying for students lunches, just as he did. Castile, who was fatally shot by a police officer during a traffic stop in 2016, worked at the J.J. Hill Montessori Magnet School, where he made a point of memorizing the students names and food allergies and often paid for their lunches out of his own pocket. Now, with the Philando Feeds the Children fund created by local college professor Pamela Fergus, donors are following his example by collecting money to pay off lunch debt at elementary schools.

J. J. Hill offers free lunches to eligible students, but students who arent eligible and cant pay for the lunches end up running a debt. In an interview with WCCO, Stacy Koppen, the nutritional services director for the St. Paul Public Schools, explained how Castile helped kids who might not be able to pay for meals.

No child goes hungry so we ensure that every student has breakfast and also lunch whether they can pay or not, she said. Lunches just for one elementary student are about $400 a year. When a student couldnt pay for their lunch, a lot of times [Castile] actually paid for their lunch out of his own pocket.

The fund was started on YouCaring by Fergus, who said that Castiles death changed my life and that she wanted to create a lasting connection for the students to remember his generous spirit. All funds from Philando Feeds the Children will go to paying off lunch debt at J.J. Hill and other local elementary schools. Castiles mother told Fergus that she would be matching the full amount raised with a donation of her own.

She said the only thing I want for my son is for people to remember him with honor and dignity, Fergus said.

As of Friday morning, the YouCaring fundraiser had surpassed its $10,000 goal with over $17,000 in donations.
Fashion model Gigi Hadidand pop star Zayn Malik didnt shy away from spending an important holiday with family.

The supermodels mother, Yolanda Hadid, shared a photo on Instagram of the couple with her and Maliks mother on one of the holiest days of the Islamic calendar,Eid al-Adha.

Eid Mubarak to everyone celebrating, Gigi Hadids mother captioned the photo, using a common Arabic holiday greeting.

Malik, who comes from a British Pakistani family, has been open about his familys background and the pride he feels for his Islamic upbringing.

Im not currently practicing but I was raised in the Islamic faith, so it will always be with me, and I identify a lot with the culture, Malik told the London Evening Standard in June.

A post shared by YOLANDA (@yolanda.hadid)on Sep 1, 2017 at 4:37pm PDT

Gigi Hadid has been more quiet about her father, Mohamed Hadid, and his background as a Palestinian Muslim. Her sister, Bella, however has openly expressed pride in growing up in the faith.

He was always religious, and he always prayed with us, the younger Hadid sister told Porter magazine. I am proud to be a Muslim.

Both sistersjoined protests in New York Cityafter PresidentDonald Trumpenacted his travel ban on citizens of seven Muslim-majority countries.

Eid al-Adha, or the Feast of Sacrifice, according to Islamic tradition, is a celebration of the sacrifice Abraham almost made when he was told by Allah to kill his son, Ishmael. Abraham was about to kill his son, who was a willing offering, when God stopped the prophet and rewarded him for passing a test of devotion.

This year, many Muslims are celebrating the holiday bydonating to charitiesandopening their doors to victimsof flooding after Hurricane Harvey devastated Texas.

This article originally appeared on HuffPost.
Before leaving the White House in January, President Barack Obama left President Trump a handwritten letter congratulating his successor and offering a few reflections from his eight years in the Oval Office.

Dear Mr. President, Obama wrote in the letter, the contents of which were obtained by CNN and published on Sunday. Congratulations on a remarkable run, Millions have placed their hopes in you, and all of us, regardless of party, should hope for expanded prosperity and security during your tenure.

This is a unique office, without a clear blueprint for success, so I dont know that any advice from me will be particularly helpful, Obama continued. Still, let me offer a few reflections from the past 8 years.

Obama relayed four to Trump:

First, weve both been blessed, in different ways, with great good fortune. Not everyone is so lucky. Its up to us to do everything we can (to) build more ladders of success for every child and family thats willing to work hard. Second, American leadership in this world really is indispensable. Its up to us, through action and example, to sustain the international order thats expanded steadily since the end of the Cold War, and upon which our own wealth and safety depend. Third, we are just temporary occupants of this office. That makes us guardians of those democratic institutions and traditions  like rule of law, separation of powers, equal protection and civil liberties  that our forebears fought and bled for. Regardless of the push and pull of daily politics, its up to us to leave those instruments of our democracy at least as strong as we found them. And finally, take time, in the rush of events and responsibilities, for friends and family. Theyll get you through the inevitable rough patches.

Obama closed the 275-word letter by extending best wishes from the outgoing first family:

Michelle and I wish you and Melania the very best as you embark on this great adventure, and know that we stand ready to help in any ways which we can. Good luck and Godspeed, BO

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In writing the note, Obama was carrying on a baton-passing tradition started by previous presidents. In 1993, President George H. W. Bush left incoming President Bill Clinton a note wishing him success; Clinton then left one for President George W. Bush eight years later; and Bush left Obama a heartfelt letter before leaving office in 2009.

There will be trying moments. The critics will rage. Your friends will disappoint you, Bush wrote. But, you will have an Almighty God to comfort you, a family who loves you, and a country that is pulling for you, including me.

On Jan. 22 during a swearing-on ceremony for senior staff, Trump showed the envelope left for him by Obama.

I just went to the Oval Office and found this beautiful letter from President Obama, Trump said. It was really very nice of him to do that. And we will cherish that. We will keep that. And we wont even tell the press whats in that letter.

But according to CNN, Trump has frequently shown the letter to his White House visitors. And CNN said it obtained a copy from someone Trump showed it to.

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On this day in 1789, George Washington signed into law the act that created the Treasury Department. The move became crucial to Americas survival, but it also created a constitutional debate about federal powers that remains with us today.

The Founders knew that government under the new Constitution had to stabilize the shaky financial foundations of a new nation that struggled with debts incurred during and after the break from Great Britain. In July 1789, Congress approved a bill establishing a Treasury Department and sent it to President George Washington for consideration.

At first, President Washington offered the Secretary of the Treasury job to Robert Morris, who was known as the financier of the Revolution and had led a predecessor department during the pre-Constitution era. Morris declined but recommended that Washington turn to Alexander Hamilton for the critical position. (Morris and Hamilton had similar visions of a national bank that would become a point of political debate for generations.)

On September 2, 1789, Washington signed a Treasury Act that said there shall be a Department of Treasury, in which shall be the following officers, namely: a Secretary of the Treasury, to be deemed head of the department; a Comptroller, an Auditor, a Treasurer, a Register, and an Assistant to the Secretary of the Treasury, which assistant shall be appointed by the said Secretary. It immediately became the biggest department in the executive branch, with 39 employees.

Hamilton became Treasury Secretary on September 11, 1789, and shortly after, Hamiltons vision of a central banking system that supported manufacturing, as well as agriculture, met with equally strong opposition from Thomas Jefferson, James Madison, and Edmund Randolph.

Hamilton presented this vision in a January 1790 treatise called Report Relative to a Provision for the Support of Public Credit. The report to Congress detailed Hamiltons argument that a coordinated system of central federal credit and debt was needed for the nations survival.

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In the affairs of nations, in which there will be a necessity for borrowing, Hamilton wrote. That loans in times of public danger, especially from foreign war, are found an indispensable resource, even to the wealthiest of them. And that in a country, which, like this, is possessed of little active wealth, or in other words, little monied capital, the necessity for that resource, must, in such emergencies, be proportionably urgent.

In December 1787, Hamilton argued in The Federalist No. 30 that a central economic system with managed debt was critical to the United States ability to undertake commerce. (Hamilton had first argued for a national bank in 1779 at the age of 24.)

The power of creating new funds upon new objects of taxation by its own authority would enable the national government to borrow, as far as its necessities might require. Foreigners as well as the citizens of America, could then reasonably repose confidence in its engagements, Hamilton wrote.

The 1790 report offered several controversial proposals. First, Hamilton wanted the Treasury Department to redeem federal debt on generous financial terms. He also proposed that the federal government assumed debt incurred by the states and that they become equal partners in the federal debt. Hamilton also wrote that the Secretary contemplates the application of this money, through the medium of a national bank, for which, with the permission of the House, he will submit a plan in the course of the session.

The final proposal about a national bank met with immediate objections from Madison and Jefferson as falling outside the bounds of the Constitution. Madison believed it was clear that the Constitution intended for the states to charter and run their own banking systems.

Hamiltons proposal was a broad construction of federal powers  [that would deliver] a powerful blow at the barriers against an indefinite expansion of federal authority, Madison argued on the House floor.

Madison insisted that Hamilton wanted to use the government to establish the national bank as a corporation  a power that fell outside of Article 1, Section 8, as a power granted directly to Congress. Attorney General Randolph told President Washington that he agreed with Madisons reasoning.

Jefferson also urged Washington to veto a proposed bill to establish a national bank. He used many of the same arguments made by Madison, arguing that a strict reading of the Constitution made it clear that establishing a national bank fell outside the bounds of the Necessary and Proper Clause.

Washington, in turn, asked Hamilton to respond to these arguments. Hamiltons lengthy reply, written in one evening, supported the idea of implied powers granted by the Constitution.

In his Opinion on the Constitutionality of an Act to Establish a Bank, Hamilton made an argument that the Constitution implied that Congress could take necessary actions to meet national goals, regardless of whether these measures were explicitly stated in the Constitution

It leaves therefore a criterion of what is constitutional, and of what is not so. This criterion is the end, to which the measure relates as a mean, he argued. If the end be clearly comprehended within any of the specified powers, and if the measure [has] an obvious relation to that end, and is not forbidden by any particular provision of the Constitutionit may safely be deemed to come within the compass of the national authority.

Washington agreed with Hamilton and thus declined to veto the bill that proposed the First Bank of the United States. The bank became a reality in 1791, but the debate over these core constitutional concepts remains strong today.

In the subsequent years of Hamiltons time as Treasury Secretary, the American economy stabilized, but the philosophical rift between Hamiltons Federalist allies and the Jefferson-Madison faction grew into the first version of partisan politics that we all know well today. Hamilton resigned as Treasury Secretary in 1795.

Scott Bomboy is the editor in chief of the National Constitution Center.
Vets checking on a new dog that was just delivered to the intake center at the Katy Mills Mall parking lot in Katy, Texas, on Sunday. (Photo: Joseph Rushmore for HuffPost)

Katy, Texas - Among the smallest victims of Hurricane Harvey are thousands of pets left without a home after floodwaters inundated large swathes of the Houston area.

In the city of Katy, just west of Houston, the non-profit organization Austin Pets Alive! in previous days has set up a intake center to take care of pets affected by the storm.

Since starting operations on Tuesday, the center has received nearly 2,000 animals, large and small, veterinarian Ellen Jefferson, the executive director of the organization told HuffPost on Sunday.

A kitten that has just been dropped off looks out of its crate in Katy, Texas, on Sunday. (Photo: Joseph Rushmore for HuffPost)

Hurricane Harvey has impacted pets in a myriad of ways.

Some owners had no other choice but to leave their animals behind as the hurricane made landfall more than a week ago. Others, confronted with the destruction caused by floods in the storms wake, found themselves no longer able to take care of their pets. Some animals ran off amid the chaos caused by the storm, while others had already been without a home long before the disaster struck.

APA! provides these animals with emergency care, vaccinations, shelter and food. The organization tries to reconnect lost pets with their owners, and aims to help find new homes for those animals that need adopting.

Most of the animals at Katy Mills Mall were brought in by their owners or found by rescue workers and local residents. The center has seen the arrival of hundreds of cats and dogs, and even a parakeet. Two pregnant dogs went into labor after being taken in.

Among the animals in need of a new home were thirty cats who had been under the care of an elderly woman in the area, Jefferson said. The woman loved each one of them and had veterinary documents for all, she said. But left homeless by the storm, she was headed for the home of her son out of state. There was no way to take along 30 cats.

Amy Truex drops off cats found in her backyard. (Photo: Joseph Rushmore for HuffPost)

On Sunday, Katy resident Amy Truex dropped off a cat and five little kittens she had found earlier in her parents backyard. Neighbors and family members had told her about the group.

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Daisy Vasuquec and her daughters Vanessa, 8, and Cassandra, 6, brought in a puppy with a broken leg. A friend of Vasuquec had found the dog in her Houston neighborhood a few days ago, and taped the pups leg with duct tape for support. After learning from a local vet the pups leg was broken in three places, Vasuquec brought the pup to the center to receive additional care.

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Veterinarians try to assess a dog's leg injury. (Photo: Joseph Rushmore for HuffPost)

The organization has been able to count on an outpouring of support. Drug companies have donated vaccines and AT&T provided generators. Pet stores and local residents have brought in towels, collars, toys, food and other supplies.

Day in, day out, the shelter has seen hundreds of volunteers offering to walk and feed the pets, clean their crates or do laundry. Volunteers have also helped transport the animals to more permanent locations.

On Sunday afternoon, 12-year-old Alex Pena was cleaning crates and washing them down. I love animals, the boy said, adding that it was his mom who had suggested hed help out.

Donated leashes in Katy, Texas, on Sunday. (Photo: Joseph Rushmore for HuffPost)

Michelle Ragsdale, a vet from Katy, Texas, whose house is currently under five feet of water provides care to a dog. (Photo: Joseph Rushmore for HuffPost)

Intake information on a dog kennel in a temporary animal rescue shelter in the Katy Mills parking lot in Katy, Texas, on Sunday. (Photo: Joseph Rushmore for HuffPost)

If youd like to support Austin Pets Alive! you can donate online.

Hilary Hanson contributed to this report.

Also on HuffPost

A volunteer from Texas A&M University helps to clean up flood damage in the house of an alumnus in Houston on Sept. 2.

Artemio Tamez and Franco Tamez sit in front of Franco's house on Sept. 2 after spending the day cleaning it out after torrential rains in the wake of Hurricane Harvey caused widespread flooding throughout the Houston area.

Children pick through toys in a trash pile on Sept. 2.

Patrice Laporte looks to see how much water is in his house on Sept. 1.

A man disposes of drywall while salvaging through belongings from his home on Sept. 2.

Axa Alvarez (holding coat) and her family sort through clothes on on Sept. 2 as they clean out their house, which had been inundated with water.

Jay Jackson adds to the pile of trash from Harvey flood damage.

A man tears out damaged parts of a home.

Church volunteers work in a damaged home.

Nancy McBride collects items from her flooded kitchen as she returns to her home on Sept. 1 after the record-breaking rainfall in Houston.

Church volunteers work help clear out a damaged home.

A man adds to a pile of trash.

Ernesto Ramirez pauses as he cleans out his house.

Damaged furniture, carpets and flooring are piled at a curbside on Sept. 2.

The Sam Houston Parkway was still completely covered with Harvey floodwaters as of Sept. 1.

Carl Ellis talks to his daughter stuck in Canada, while standing in front of her house surrounded by Harvey floodwaters on Aug. 31.

Giant mounds of trash from flood-damaged homes line a sidewalk on Sept. 2.

A girl sits amid giant piles of trash on Sept. 2.

Pete Schroeter surveys his flooded garage on Aug. 31 for the first time after his house was flooded.

This article originally appeared on HuffPost.
Bilal Rana and his family were trapped in their Houston home for several days as Hurricane Harvey wreaked havoc on their city. Eventually, it became necessary to venture out for milk.

I have five children, all under the age of 12, including a two year old, Rana said on Friday. In our family, we go through milk like oxygen.

The 38-year-old physician managed to look up a supermarket that appeared to be open, roughly a mile away, and he set out on foot.

Pretty soon I found myself in waist-high water, he said. I saw full-sized fish swimming through the water  and we dont live near any lakes or rivers.

It was almost apocalyptic.

People walk through water to escape from their homes on Highway 90 after Hurricane Harvey caused heavy flooding in Houston, Texas on Aug. 28, 2017. (Photo: MARK RALSTON via Getty Images)

Nearly 35,000 people have been displaced in the week since Harvey made landfall in Texas as a Category 4 hurricane. More than 70,000 people remain without power. At least 35 storm-related fatalities have been confirmed to date, according to Reuters.

The catastrophic storm dumped an estimated 27 trillion gallons of water on Texas and Louisiana  an amount that would be roughly sufficient to supply New York City for more than five decades.

Once Rana was able to make it out of his neighborhood, he and other members of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Youth Association, an organization of young Ahmadi Muslim men, sprang into action.

Rana, whos lived in Houston since he was an infant, serves as president of AMYA and helped oversee relief efforts throughout the week. Groups of young Muslim men, many of them in their teens and 20s, Rana said, have gone out in boats throughout the city to rescue families trapped in  and sometimes on top of  their homes.

AMYA volunteers set out by boat to rescue Houston residents trapped in their homes. (Photo: Ahmadiyya Muslim Youth Association)

At our mosque weve also been cooking hot food  butter chicken, lentils, rice, Rana said. A lot of people have been getting non-perishable food, which is great. But we found that a lot of these homeless and displaced people really crave hot food. It warms the stomach and warms the heart.

The association partnered with relief organization Humanity First, Rana said, which provided funds for things like baby food and supplies, crates of water, non-perishable food items, and gloves and masks for rescue missions.

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Wed get items in bulk, and theyd vanish. The demand is so high, he said.

Amid their relief work, Rana said, many of the Houston AMYA chapters 140 members have been affected by the storm. And even with waves of other AMYA chapters around the country sending groups to Houston to help out throughout the week, Rana said their work is still far from complete.

A lot of the phase one has been addressed, he said. Next, our crew will be visiting affected neighborhoods, going door to door asking if anyone has large items that need moving from the inside to outside.

AMYA crews began helping families throughout the city with cleanup as the water began to recede in Houston. (Photo: Ahmadiyya Muslim Youth Association)

After major flooding, many families are forced to throw out entire households worth of moldy, ruined furniture. They also have to rip up floors and gut their walls, taking pictures of everything as they work for insurance purposes. Even the strongest bodies cant do this work alone, Rana said.

A mattress normally takes maybe two people to carry. When its full of water, it takes four to five people. You wouldnt believe how heavy it is.

On Friday, several AMYA crews had already set out to help families with clean up. Fridays of every week are sacred to Muslims as the day when communities come together for weekly prayers. This Friday, Sept. 1, also happens to be one of the holiest days in the Islamic year.

Eid al-Adha, the three-day Festival of Sacrifice, began on Friday and commemorates Abrahams willingness to sacrifice his son Ishmael in obedience to God in scripture. For many Muslims, the holiday represents submission to God and the sacrifices one can make in Gods name to serve ones community.

Some celebrants mark the day by slaughtering an animal and distributing the meat to family and to the poor.

Many Houston mosques and Muslim groups put their faith into action throughout the week, opening their doors to displaced residents. The Council on American-Islamic Relations, a Muslim civil rights and advocacy group, also encouraged Muslims in the U.S. to observe Eid by donating the equivalent of whatever they would spend on the sacrifice to assist in relief efforts for those impacted by Harvey.

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Members of the Houston Ahmadiyya Muslim community gathered at their local mosque for Eid al-Adha services on Friday before getting back to relief efforts. (Photo: Ahmadiyya Muslim Youth Association)

At Ranas local Ahmadiyya mosque, Baitus Samee, much of the carpeting was soaked in the storm and needed to be ripped up. At first, he said, they werent sure theyd be able to host Eid services. But the community improvised, laying down temporary padding so worshippers could kneel for prayer.

An imam spoke from the pulpit about the meaning of sacrifice in the context of Harvey. After the sermon, Rana said worshippers turned to one another to embrace.

Yes, the roof leaked, and yes the carpet wasnt in the best shape, he said. But this is going to be an Eid were never going to forget.

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People begin cleaning up the damage to their homes after torrential rains caused widespread flooding during Hurricane Harvey.

A Dickinson resident hugs a friend who came to help her remove possessions damaged due to flooding.

Floodwaters have receded from this home, but the damage is done.

Family members remove debris and damaged items from their father's home.

Volunteers from Performance Contractors help co-worker Cornell Beasley clear up the damage to his home.

People in face masks begin cleaning out their property.

Books, furniture and other belongings are set to dry outside.

Lorenzo Salina helps a neighbor remove damaged walls.

Volunteers and students from C.E. King High School help to clean up the school.

Debris and possessions are piled at the curb.

Bryan Parson (left), Chris Gaspard (center) and Derek Pelt (right) remove ruined items from Parson's home.

Volunteers place water damaged school furniture and text books on the front lawn of C.E. King High School.

Lillie Roberts talks with family members on the phone as contractor Jerry Garza begins the process of repairing her home.

Cornell Beasley joins other residents as they dry and toss out their possessions.

Furniture that was destroyed in the flood is piled on the side of the street.

A man power-washes the driveway of his once flooded home.

Stacey House holds up her daughter's volleyball portrait, which was damaged during the hurricane.

Willy Coronado helps a neighbor to clean a house.

Missy Givens inspects the water level in her home.

People try to repair a truck that was submerged in floodwater.

Derek Pelt removes a wall at his friend Bryan Parson's house.

People on cleanup duty look around a damaged property.

This article originally appeared on HuffPost.
The head of Irans military has warned Western powers that his forces were prepared to defend the Islamic Republic from potential invaders and would be capable of winning any prolonged, international conflict that would follow such an attack.

Iranian military Chief of Staff Major General Mohammad Hossein Bagheri told an air force gathering Saturday that the country's growing military might acted as a deterrence against foreign powers wishing to undermine it's leadership. As Iran faces a U.S. administration supportive of regime change in Tehran, however, Bagheri said he and his men were prepared to answer any attacks, which he said would most likely come from the air, not land.

Related: U.N. nuclear agency rejects Trump, sides with Iran on U.S. request for military inspections

In the remote case of an aggression (by enemies), this wont be on the ground because they would face brave warriors, Bagheri said in comments carried by Irans semi-official Tasnim News Agency and cited by Reuters.

Thank God, even the unwise who lead world arrogance (the West)... can conclude that attacking the Islamic Republic would entail heavy costs, he added. Even if they would control the start of an aggression, they would not have a say about its end and they wont even be able to limit the war to Irans borders.

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Nazanin Tabatabaee Yazdi/TIMA via REUTERS

After Trump launched cruise missiles against the forces of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad in April, other leading opponents of U.S. foreign policy such as Iran and North Korea have grown increasingly defensive about their positions. Trump was a vocal critic of Iran on the campaign trail and was particularly militant about his opposition to a 2015 nuclear treaty signed by his predecessor, Iran and five leading powers.

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His attempts to scrap the deal, however, have been scrutinized as the U.N. and his own State Department fail to find any evidence that Iran was not abiding by the terms of the landmark agreement, by which Iran curbed its nuclear production in exchange for billions of dollars worth of economic sanctions being lifted. Instead, Trump and Congress have gone after Iran for supporting what they consider terrorist organizations abroad and conducting ballistic missile tests.

Both the U.S. and Iran are heavily involved in the fight against the Islamic State militant group (ISIS), but back different factions. As ISIS's self-proclaimed caliphate crumbles throughout the Middle East, Iran has become increasingly influential and its allies have taken a leading role in Iraq, Syria, Lebanon and Yemen. Brigadier General Hossein Salami, lieutenant commander of the elite Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, said Tehran's role had eclipsed that of Washington's in the region.

"Today, the balance of power has changed in favor of our revolution and establishment," Salami said in a speech in the northeastern city of Mashhad on Saturday, according to Tasnim News Agency.

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Hassan Abdallah/Reuters

The overlapping, yet clashing interests of the U.S. and Iran were most recently on display in the restive mountainous region that lies between Lebanon and Syria. Earlier this month, the U.S.-backed Lebanese army launched a major operation targeting an ISIS enclave hiding in the country's eastern border, while the Iran-backed Lebanese Shiite Muslim Hezbollah and its allies in the Syrian army launched a separate, yet simultaneous attack on the jihadists on the western side of the border.

The battle ended Sunday with an unprecedented ceasefire supported by Syria, Lebanon and Hezbollah, which said it would enter talks with ISIS in order to reveal the fate of nine Lebanese soldiers kidnapped in 2014. The U.S., however, did not support the agreement and blocked the path of a convoy carrying hundreds of ISIS fighters and families permitted to flee as part of the deal. Hezbollah said Saturday that the convoy had been successfully transferred out of territory controlled by the Syrian government, Reuters reported.

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WASHINGTON  Jeff Sessions Justice Department plans to put a woman who laughed at the now-attorney general back on trial yet again, a federal prosecutor told a D.C. judge here on Friday.

Desiree Fairooz, a woman taken into custody after she laughed during Attorney General Jeff Sessions confirmation hearing, will go to trial in November for a second time.

Fairooz and her lawyer rejected a plea deal offered by the government in which she would have pleaded guilty to one of two charges in exchange for the government recommending a sentence of time served, Assistant U.S. Attorney Kimberly Paschall said in D.C. Superior Court on Friday.

Chief Judge Robert E. Morin previously tossed out a jurys guilty verdict against Fairooz in July because the government had improperly argued that her laughter alone was enough to convict.

This story begins in early January, way back when Sessions was still on Donald Trumps good side and was the president-elects nominee for attorney general.

Sessions, a hard-line conservative whose nomination as a federal judge had been rejected by the Senate back in the 1980s over concerns about his views on race, had drawn opposition from civil rights organizations and progressive groups concerned about his positions. Fairooz, a retired librarian and demonstrator associated with the group Code Pink, was seated in the audience for his Senate confirmation hearing.

While introducing Sessions, Sen. Richard Shelby (R-Ala.) claimed his colleague had a clear and well-documented record of treating all Americans equally under the law. Fairooz found that laughable. So she laughed.

A rookie Capitol Hill police officer who had never made an arrest nor guarded a congressional hearing before then decided to take Fairooz into custody. Fairooz objected, at first questioning why she was being arrested, then voicing her opposition to Sessions as multiple officers escorted her from the room.

Another protester escorted out of Sessions hearing. Her original offense appeared to be simply laughing. pic.twitter.com/p6lWzBVFRW  Ryan J. Reilly (@ryanjreilly) January 10, 2017

Fairooz was charged with disorderly and disruptive conduct and demonstrating inside the Capitol. She went to trial in D.C. Superior Court in May. A jury convicted her on both counts, but members of the jury told HuffPost they were focused on Fairoozs conduct after an officer took her into custody. She did not get convicted for laughing, the jury foreperson said. It was her actions as she was being asked to leave.

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The government, however, had explicitly argued during the trial that Fairoozs laughter, in and of itself, would have been enough to find her guilty. Morin, the judge overseeing the trial, rejected that assertion and tossed out the jurys verdict, calling the governments argument that laughter alone was sufficient to sustain a guilty verdict disconcerting. He ordered a new trial.

Fairooz, center, at Sessions' confirmation hearing in January, before her arrest. (Photo: Kevin Lamarque/Reuters)

Coverage of Fairoozs trial went viral after the case was first reported by HuffPost, sparking jokes by late-night comedians and attracting the attention of Rep. John Conyers (D-Mich.), the ranking member on the House Judiciary Committee, who wrote that substantial questions exist with respect to the application of law in Fairoozs case.

Despite the criticism, the government has indicated it wants another shot at convicting Fairooz and plans to start over again. The whole process  impaneling yet another jury, recalling witnesses, etc.  will eat up several days of the courts calendar. A trial date has been set for Nov. 13-14.

My new trial set to begin Monday, November 13th. I still cannot believe the government refuses to drop this. Vindictive!  Desiree Fairooz (@desireefairooz) September 1, 2017

Judge Morin said on Friday that he believed it was clear what he thought about the governments previous theory of the case that laughter was enough to convict.

This time around, the government will have to be more careful if it wants the jury verdict to stand. Because they cannot argue that laughter was enough to sustain a conviction, government lawyers essentially have to concede to the jury that Officer Katherine Coronado, the rookie cop who approached Fairooz, made a mistake. Theyll have to argue that, even if the officer was wrong to arrest Fairooz, she didnt have the right to loudly object to her treatment, or at least didnt have the right to make political statements that briefly interrupted Senate proceedings.

Even if shes convicted yet again, Fairooz is highly unlikely to receive any substantial punishment, though jail time is theoretically possible. Two fellow demonstrators who went to trial alongside her received suspended sentences, meaning they wouldnt have to serve jail time unless they violated certain conditions.

But the second trial still raises the question of whether putting Fairooz on trial yet again is a wise use of government time and resources. Fairooz said it is absurd, ridiculous, and a waste of tax dollars that shell have to go through this process again.

Fairooz told HuffPost on Friday that she had rejected the plea deal because it would amount to an admission of guilt, and she does not believe she should have been arrested for laughing in the first place.

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Woman Convicted After Laughing At Jeff Sessions Asks Judge To Toss Jury Verdict

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DOJ Lawyers Insist Laughing At Their Boss Jeff Sessions Can Be A Criminal Offense

Woman Who Laughed At Jeff Sessions Could Face Jail Time This Week

This article originally appeared on HuffPost.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-09-03 07:15:29|Editor: Song Lifang

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OTTAWA, Sept. 2 (Xinhua) -- Hepatitis A virus has been found in a sample of fresh pineapple chunks sold in ready-to-go cups in two Canadian provinces of Alberta and British Columbia, according to CTV Saturday.

Provincial health officials in Alberta and British Columbia Centre for Disease Control say the Western Family brand cups were produced in the second week of August and were distributed to dozens of Save-On-Foods, Overwaitea Foods and PriceSmart Foods stores in Alberta and British Columbia.

The health officials say the risk of infection is low and no illnesses have been reported. An investigation is under way and additional products and stores may be identified.

The fruit cups may have been on sale from Aug. 11 and had a best-before date of August 19.

Hepatitis A is an infection of the liver caused by a virus that is common in many parts of the developing world. Symptoms include fever, tiredness, loss of appetite, nausea and vomiting, dark urine, stomach pains and jaundice.

Hepatitis illness can occur within 15 to 50 days after exposure to the virus, but usually within 28 to 30 days. Anyone who consumed the product on Aug. 18 or later should get a hepatitis A vaccine, the authorities said.
Nairobi (AFP) - Sparks were flying in Kenya on Sunday as the main rival of President Uhuru Kenyatta called for the ousting of members of the country's election commission, likening them to "hyenas", while judges slammed "veiled threats" by the president after the shock annulment of his re-election victory.

Raila Odinga, who will now get another shot against Kenyatta in an election to be held within two months, said he had no faith in the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC), and called for its members to be expelled from Kenya.

"Those IEBC thieves must go. We will not allow them to conduct the fresh elections," Odinga told supporters after attending mass in Nairobi.

"We can't take our goats where they will be taken care of by hyenas," he said. "Hyenas cannot take care of goats."

Later Sunday, in the Nairobi slum of Mathare, an opposition bastion where at least 21 people were killed in violence which followed the August 11 announcement of Kenyatta's re-election, Odinga told a crowd of thousands: "Everything has been exposed now".

"That was not an election," he said, while dismissing claims that he would seek to avoid a new election by agreeing to a power-sharing deal.

"We will get the full loaf after elections, because we will win," he said.

- 'There is a problem' -

On Friday, Supreme Court Chief Justice David Maraga declared Kenyatta's victory in the August 8 poll "invalid, null and void", citing widespread irregularities in the electronic transmission of vote results.

Kenyan media have hailed the decision as a hard-fought victory for the rule of law, and a sign of a maturing democracy.

It is the first time a presidential election result has been overturned in Africa, and follows three failed bids by Odinga for the presidency, in 1997, 2007 and 2013.

But an enraged Kenyatta, while saying he would respect the decision, lashed out at the judges, saying: "Every time we do something a judge comes out and places an injunction. It can't go on like this... there is a problem and we must fix it.

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"Maraga thinks he can overturn the will of the people. We shall show you... that the will of the people cannot be overturned by a few people."

On Friday he also slammed the judges as "crooks".

- 'Assault' on the judiciary -

Calling Kenyatta's remarks "an assault on the judiciary", the Kenya Magistrates and Judges Association (KMJA) late Saturday asked people to ignore "political rhetoric".

"The president of this country referred to the president of the Supreme Court and the other judges as "wakora", or crooks in Swahili, said the association's chief, Bryan Khaemba.

"He went on to make veiled threats against the same judges based on their decision. The same threats against the judiciary have been repeated at State House," he said, referring to the presidential palace.

"We condemn this assault on the decisional independence of the honourable judges."

The electoral commission has vowed to make "internal changes" ahead of the new vote, though its chairman, Wafula Chebukati, ruled out resigning himself.

The current crop of IEBC commissioners took office only seven months before the election, after their predecessors were forced to step down following widespread protests.

The previous commission had been tarnished by a corruption scandal and its handling of flawed 2013 elections, which saw a series of high-tech safeguards failing on election day.
By Heekyong Yang and Seung-Woo Yeom SEOUL (Reuters) - A South Korean exhibition offering a glimpse into the life of the reclusive North opened on Saturday with a replica of a middle-class home in Pyongyang where the property market is booming, despite UN sanctions over its weapons programs. By all indications, cash is continuing to flow into ventures that are changing the North Korean capital's skyline despite international sanctions, helped in large part by leader Kim Jong Un's push to build a socialist utopia in the city. "When Kim Jong Un took over in 2011, there was a significant focus on development of new infrastructure and housing estates for local Pyongyang residents," said Singapore-based architect Calvin Chua, who has visited Pyongyang seven times and designed the model. "I was able to see parallel development of apartment houses that were developed by a joint venture investment between North Korea's local state company and foreign investors." The opening of the exhibition in Seoul comes amid heightened tension on the Korean peninsula after the North fired a missile that flew over Japan and two ICBM-class missiles. Reclusive North Korea and the rich, democratic South are technically still at war because their 1950-53 conflict ended in a truce, not a peace treaty. In the flat, with North Korean music playing in the background, a lace throw covered a dark beige velvet couch alongside functional custom-made furniture in front of a flat-screen TV. Large damask patterns on the wallpaper and vintage-looking lace curtains brought to mind the interior of a Seoul apartment in the 1980s. "At first sight, this looks very much like an apartment unit that belongs to a North Korean anti-Japanese guerrilla fighter family which loyally upholds the Juche ideology," said Choi Seong-guk, a Pyongyang native, referring to the national goal of self-reliance. Choi worked as a cartoon artist in North Korea before defecting to the South in 2010. Exhibition curator Yim Dong-woo, assistant professor of Urban Engineering at Hongik University in Seoul, said the goal was to provide a glimpse into the life of a middle-class home in Pyongyang. Initially built as a Socialist showcase with imposing monuments and monolithic Soviet-era structure, Pyongyang has seen a dramatic transformation in its skyline that now features modern architectural trends and street scenes, Chua said. New housing in high-rises is generally assigned by profession, often bringing scientists, professors and researchers under the same roof. Although buying and selling of property is strictly banned, there has been a growing private trade in recent years, allowing those with money to move into better homes in more coveted locations, often by bribing officials, according to defectors and South Korean academics who study the North Korean society. "Affluent Pyongyang residents who manage to accumulate wealth by doing businesses often bribe military officials and party members to move into better homes," said cartoonist Choi. (Editing by Jack Kim and Nick Macfie)
Authorities ordered a mandatory evacuation on Friday in the Burbank area as the Los Angeles Fire Department (LAFD) tackled a raging wildfire near La Tuna Canyon.

The fire was first reported around 1.30 p.m. Friday and initially affected about one acre. Within eight hours, it had spread to encompass 2,000 acres in the La Tuna Canyon Park area of the Verdugo Mountains, fanned by strong erratic winds pushing it in four different directions, the LAFD said in a statement.

Around 260 firefighters have been working through the night to put out the fire while helicopters performed water drops. As of Friday night, only 10 percent of the fire had been contained, LAFD spokeswoman Martha Stewart said, quoted by CNN.

The fire clouded the sky with plumes of smoke, and continued to light the night sky, as pictures posted on social media by local residents and the Burbank police showed.

The 210 Freeway was closed on Friday and was expected to remain shut into the holiday weekend for at least part of Saturday. The LAFD said 50 houses were under threat, although the evacuation zone encompassed around 200 homes, according to the Los Angeles Times. People affected were advised of several evacuation centers set up.

The Burbank Police tweeted the list of streets under the mandatory evacuation order in the Brace Canyon Park area, saying officers were going door to door in the evacuation zone.

The La Tuna Fire is burning in 4 different directions to include down over the hills towards Burbank as well as north through the canyons above the 210 freeway. We emphasize that anyone feeling unsafe in their homes, despite existence of an evacuation order, should not delay leaving, the LAFD said. No damages or injuried have been reported as yet.

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While the causes of the brush fire remain unknown, the National Weather Service Los Angeles tweeted on Friday that very hot and unstable conditions were producing very large plume growth and extreme fire behavior.

Temperatures in the area affected by the fire reached 106 degrees earlier on Friday, with strong gusts of winds. The temperature is expected to drop slightly on Saturday, but will remain above 100 degrees.

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Fire rages in La Tuna Canyon near Burbank, California: Kyle Grillot/Reuters

A wildfire on the northern edge of Los Angeles rapidly grew on Saturday into what the mayor called the largest blaze in the city's history, prompting the evacuation of hundreds of people and the closure of a major highway.

The 5,000-acre (2,023-hectare) La Tuna Fire, named after the canyon area where it erupted on Friday, has led authorities to evacuate more than 700 homes in a north Los Angeles neighbourhood and in nearby Burbank and Glendale, officials said.

Authorities warned of erratic winds that could force them to widen the evacuation zone, after the fire destroyed one house in the city.

"Other than that, no loss of any property," Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti said at a news conference. "That is a pretty amazing thing."

The fire was only 10 per cent contained with more than 500 firefighters battling it.

The blaze, which was burning in thick brush that has not burned in decades, was slowly creeping down a rugged hillside towards houses, with temperatures in the area approaching 100 degrees Fahrenheit (38 degrees Celsius), the Los Angeles Fire Department said in an alert.

"This fire, which broke out yesterday, we can now say is the largest fire in the history of LA city, in terms of its acreage," Mr Garcetti told reporters.

The fire could make air unhealthy to breathe in parts of Los Angeles, the nation's second-largest city, and nearby suburbs, the South Coast Air Quality Management District said in an advisory.

Video posted online by local media showed the fire burning along the 210 Freeway when it broke out on Friday, with smoke hovering over the roadway as cars passed by flames a few dozen feet away. Officials quickly closed a stretch of the freeway.

More than 400 miles (644 km) to the north, the so-called Ponderosa Fire has burned 3,880 acres, or about 1,570 hectares, and destroyed 30 homes in Butte County since it broke out on Tuesday. It prompted authorities to issue evacuation orders earlier this week to residents of some 500 homes.

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The blaze was 45 per cent contained.

California Governor Jerry Brown issued an emergency declaration on Friday to free up additional resources to battle the Ponderosa blaze.

Wildfires in the US West have burned more than 7.1 million acres (2.9 million hectares) since the beginning of the year, about 50 per cent more than during the same time period in 2016, according to the National Interagency Fire Center.
KUALA LUMPUR (Reuters) - Malaysian police arrested a suspected leader and seven members of the Islamic State-linked Abu Sayyaf Islamist group in the capital, Kuala Lumpur, a police source said on Sunday. Police detained Hajar Abdul Mubin - otherwise known as Abu Asrie - in the Wednesday raid, according to the source, who was not authorized to speak to the media on the case. Hajar, a Filipino, was arrested along with one other Filipino and six Malaysians from the Borneo state of Sabah, which shares a porous maritime border with the Philippines. The arrests were first reported by the English daily, The Star. The Abu Sayyaf is notorious for bombings, beheadings, extortion and kidnap-for-ransom in the south of the mainly Roman Catholic Philippines. The arrests were the latest in an ongoing crackdown on militancy by Muslim-majority Malaysia. More than 250 people have been arrested between 2013 and 2016 for suspected militancy linked to Islamic State. Governments in Southeast Asia have been worried over the possible expansion of Islamic State in the region as battle-hardened militants return home after the collapse of their self-styled caliphate in the Middle East. Militants loyal to Islamic State seized large parts of Marawi city in the southern Philippines in May. Some 620 militants, 136 soldiers and police and 45 civilians were killed in more than 100 days of fighting. (Reporting by Rozanna Latiff, Writing by Joseph Sipalan; Editing by Nick Macfie)
Michelle Obama caught all eyes during her recent Labor Day trip when she sported a bold and sexy style while aboard a yacht in Mallorca, Spain.

The former first lady looked stunning wearing a cropped, white camisole with a blue-and-white, bird-print wrap skirt. She carried a round wicker-like tote and peach-toned sunglasses.

The latest trip came just days after she helped her 18-year-old daughter Malia move into her freshmen dorm at Harvard University.

Barack Obama was not photographed with Michelle on Friday, and it was unclear whether he was there with her for the break.

Since leaving the White House in January, Michelle and Barack have been enjoying their time. Just like their lifestyle, the former president and first lady have also made changes to their wardrobe. From the posh look, the two have opted for a more stylish and bold look.

In May, Michelle showed off her shoulders, biceps, and back in a white, frilly top which she paired with olive pants during her trip in Siena, Tuscany, Italy. On the same trip, Michelle wore a $397 bright pink one-shoulder Teija top and ripped white jeans. In June, Barack and Michelle went on a trip to Bali, Indonesia, with Malia and 16-year-old Sasha, where the former first lady sported a long, white top and black leggings.

Michelle's latest trip comes weeks before her tech conference in Utah. The mother-of-two will address an audience of up to 1,500 during a moderated conversation at the Grand America Hotel hosted by Pluralsight, a Utah-based tech company. Arne Duncan, an education secretary under former president Barack, is also scheduled to talk on the main stage.

She is one of the most important and influential advocates for positive change in our generation, said Aaron Skonnard, Pluralsight CEO, in a blog announcing the event. Her voice is crucial in advancing the conversation around closing the [technology] skills gap.

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In June, Michelle spoke at Apples annual developer conference, urging big computing companies to hire more women.

In July, Michelle was present at the Womens Foundation of Colorados 30th anniversary where she opened up about the constant issue of racism. During her speech, she recalled a moment when a West Virginia county employee called her an ape.

The shards that cut me the deepest were the ones that intended to cut, Michelle told WFCO president and CEO Lauren Casteel when asked what hurt her the most during her eight years of time as the first lady. Knowing that after eight years of working really hard for this country, there are still people who wont see me for what I am because of my skin color.

Michelle and Barack have been spending a lot of time together with their daughters after exiting the White House. Last month, the parents were spotted in the Harvard Square area, helping Malia shift to her dorm at Harvard. While it is unclear what the former first daughter would be studying at the institution, E!Online reported that she is inclined toward filmmaking and has shown interest in the profession on several occasions.

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By Dave Graham and Anthony Esposito MEXICO CITY (Reuters) - Trade negotiators from Canada and the United States gathered under rainy skies in Mexico City on Friday to discuss the North American Free Trade Agreement, with the mood darkened by U.S. President Donald Trump's persistent threats to pull out. Teams from the three countries were due to kick off a second round of talks on 25 areas of discussion, with subjects such as digital commerce and small businesses seen as areas where consensus was possible, Mexican officials said. The Sept. 1-5 round will also touch on more thorny topics such as rules governing local content in products made in North America, Mexico's economy ministry said in a statement. Mexican officials believe Trump wants to include rules that some content must be made in the United States. Trump's attacks on NAFTA are seen by Mexican and Canadian officials as a negotiating ploy to wring concessions, but they have heightened uncertainty over the accord. Away from the diplomatic noise, the Mexico round of talks is expected to help define the priorities of each nation rather than yield major advances. Trump and Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau spoke by telephone on Thursday and stressed they wanted to reach an agreement on NAFTA by the end of the year, the White House said. If they achieve that, it could set a record among the fastest multinational trade negotiation. The goal is to get a deal before Mexico's 2018 presidential campaign starts in earnest. Officials fear the campaign will politicize talks, with nationalist frontrunner Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador already recommending a tougher line from Mexico. Nevertheless, one Mexican official noted that Trump's threats had put pressure on his negotiators, forcing them to adopt tougher positions "than they would like," while another official said they were ready to leave the table if needed. Negotiators predict that there would not be substantial discussion of areas of friction in either this round or the next one, a source familiar with the process said. "We do not expect any major breakthroughs or major developments in this round. We really don't," the source said. TRUMP THREATS Trump said this week he might trigger a 180-day countdown to withdraw from NAFTA while the talks were ongoing to help meet his goals, which include sharply reducing a $64 billion annual U.S. trade deficit with Mexico. NAFTA, first implemented in 1994, eliminates most tariffs on trade between the United States, Canada and Mexico. Critics say it has drawn jobs from the United States and Canada to Mexico, where workers are paid far lower wages. Supporters say it has created U.S. jobs, and the loss of manufacturing from the United States has more to do with China than Mexico. If NAFTA collapses, costs could rise for hundreds of billions of dollars of trade as tariffs are brought back. Free-trade lobby groups say consumers would be saddled with higher prices and less availability of products ranging from avocados and berries to heavy trucks. UNCERTAIN FUTURE Mexico's Economy Minister Ildefonso Guajardo and Foreign Minister Luis Videgaray told officials in Washington on Wednesday that Mexico would walk away from the negotiations if Trump pulls the trigger on withdrawing from the deal. Amid Trump's warnings, Mexico is preparing for something hard to imagine even a few months ago - life without the agreement that boosted trilateral trade to around $1 trillion annually. Juan Pablo Castanon, president of Mexico's Business Coordination Council representing the private sector in the talks, said Mexico's "Plan B" could be up and running within three months of an eventual NAFTA collapse. Talking on Mexican television, he said the plan was focused on striking new trade arrangements in Asia and Latin America, sourcing alternate suppliers such as Brazil for grains now imported from the United States, and finding ways to recreate investor guarantees that are included in NAFTA. Mexico's President Enrique Pena Nieto travels to China this weekend for talks about trade and investment, while Mexican negotiators were due to take part in trade talks with South American nations, Australia and New Zealand on Tuesday. Mexico's status as the biggest foreign buyer of yellow corn from the United States gives it some leverage in the NAFTA talks, with corn-growing states that voted for Trump in 2016 emerging as a powerful voice that is opposed to scrapping the deal. (Additional reporting by Adriana Barrera; Writing by Frank Jack Daniel; Editing by Bernadette Baum)
Ignoring Trumps warning that fire and fury would befall North Korea, Kim Jong-un has conducted his most provocative ballistic missile test to date

Donald Trump said that all options are on the table in terms of a US response to North Koreas launch of a missile over Japan. Photograph: Alex Brandon/AP

Donald Trump responded to North Koreas sixth nuclear test by turning on one of Washingtons closest allies in the region, South Korea, blaming it on Seouls policy of appeasement.

Pyongyangs rhetoric and actions leading up to the test have been aimed at the US, however, and detonation of the most powerful nuclear device the regime has built so far reflects the failure of any remaining hope Trump might have had that his own bellicose rhetoric would work as a deterrent.

Since the US presidents warning that fire and fury would befall North Korea if it continued to threaten the US, Kim Jong-un has unveiled a detailed plan to fire a salvo of missile at the US Pacific of Guam, conducted its most provocative ballistic missile test to date, flying it over Japan territory, and carried out its most ambitious nuclear test, of what it claims is a thermonuclear device. Initial estimates suggest it may have been a two-stage bomb perhaps ten times more powerful than the biggest of the earlier tests.

Trumps response in a series of Sunday morning tweets was to lash out at China, saying North Korea had become a great threat and embarrassment to Beijing, but more strikingly at the South Korean government of Moon Jae-in.

South Korea is finding, as I have told them, that their talk of appeasement with North Korea will not work, they only understand one thing! Trump tweeted.

Moon, who was elected in May, has cautioned against threatening a pre-emptive attack against North Korea and insisted that South Korea, which would almost certainly bear the brunt of a response, would have to be consulted before major military action.

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Former US officials and Korea experts said that one of the main aims of Pyongyangs strategy is to drive a wedge between South Korea and its US protector. The principal strategic goal of developing intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBMs), two of which were tested in July, is to hold at risk the US mainland and therefore put in doubt a US response to any North Korean attack on the south.

By distancing Washington from Seoul, they said, Trump was behaving as Kim Jong-un wanted. He had warned South Korea it would have to pay for using a US missile defence system (Thaad) and on the eve of the nuclear test, he was reported by the Washington Post to have been on the point of withdrawing from a five year old free trade agreement with Seoul.

Reassuring South Korea is a top priority, Jon Wolfsthal, a former special assistant to Barack Obama on non-proliferation, said. The Trump administration is failing this test. Threats about the Thaad bill and now the trade agreement are very damaging.

Kingston Reif, the director for disarmament and threat reduction policy at the Arms Control Association said: At a time when alliance unity, and coordination are essential, it is hard to overstate how damaging and stupid this is.

Trumps actions on Korea have not been coordinated with the rest of his administration. His national security team were taken by surprise by his threat of fire and fury like the world as never seen against Pyongyang. His foreign policy advisors are reported to be trying hard to stop him withdrawing from the trade agreement with Seoul, a policy he is pursuing for domestic political reasons, having denounced US trade agreements as bad for American workers in the election campaign.

While the president issued threats against North Korea, his secretaries of state and defence, Rex Tillerson and James Mattis, had attempted to pursue a more calibrated path, insisting that diplomacy was Washingtons main focus. Through much of August, Tillerson made clear that talks with Pyongyang were a possibility if it maintained a pause in missile and nuclear tests. The US military also scaled down its own military operations, temporarily stopping practice runs by its heavy B1-B bombers near North Korean territory. However, the US military leadership only acknowledged the pause after it was over, following North Koreas missile test over Japan, raising a question about whether the US was properly handling its messaging policy to Pyongyang.

US North Korea policy is in tatters. The administration has not articulated clear goals, cabinet officials regularly issue statements that conflict with the president, and the administration has not appointed any of the necessary senior officials to handle the diplomatic morass, said Mira Rapp-Hooper, a senior research scholar in the Paul Tsai China Centre at Yale Law School.

In this environment, the Trump administration must articulate and begin to implement a comprehensive North Korea strategy. No seasoned analyst believes the North will give up its weapons, but perhaps, over time, the US and its partners can get it to agree to some restrictions on its programs.

She said that any comprehensive strategy would include economic pressure, as well as military deterrence and containment in tandem with a strong emphasis on diplomacy and working with partner governments.

If the Trump administration has any desire to implement a comprehensive strategy the president must cease his unwarranted maligning of US treaty allies, and realize they are indispensable to the way forward, Rapp-Hooper said.

One of North Koreas goals in developing nuclear weapons and long-range missiles is to separate the US from its allies. The US president must not aid and abet Pyongyang.
The North Korean regime and President Donald Trump may have found something they agree on: their dislike of the media.

Pyongyangs state-controlled news agency KCNA issued a new, scathing condemnation of the South Korean press Friday, just days after North Koreas Central Court sentenced two South Korean journalists and two media executives to death for reviewing a book that outlines a sprawling underground capitalist economy in the secretive Communist state.

The latest attack comes from a spokesman for the Central Committee of the Journalists Union of Korea, one of several workers unions organized under the Workers Party of Korea. The statement targets several South Korean publications, including the news agency Yonhap, for speaking ill of the countrys belligerence against the U.S. and neighboring countries.

North Korean newspaper

Kyodo News via Getty Images

The spokesman issued threats against the reporters working for those media organizations, warning them of retaliatory blows.

We will track down the puppet conservative reptile writers fostering discord within the nation under the auspices and at the instigation of the anti-reunification forces at home and abroad, and throw overboard all of them, the statement read.

Our grime and merciless pen will sight the bases which commit hideous crimes against the DPRK by spreading misinformation about it, and beat them to pieces, it added, referring to North Koreas official name Democratic Republic of Korea (DPRK). The puppet conservative media escalating confrontation with the DPRK while [daring to] challenge the annihilating spirit of the army and people of the DPRK will never be able to evade the shower of retaliatory blows.

Similarly to North Korea slamming adverse media reports as a threat, President Trump referred to a number of publications as the "enemy of the American People."

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More recently, Trump took an opportunity to attack the media at a rally in Phoenix, Arizona, referring to journalists as "sick people" and saying they are the "source of the division in our country."

"You have some very good reporters. You have some very fair journalists. But for the most part, honestly, these are really, really dishonest people, and they're bad people. And I really think they don't like our country. I really believe that. And I don't believe they're going to change, and that's why I do this," Trump said.

During the campaign, Trump singled out and named reporters who he did not think were covering him favorably enough, including Politico's reporter Ben Schreckinger.

Trumps son Eric recently supported his fathers crusade, saying in an interview on Wedensday that the negative coverage the president receives could hurt a persons mental health.

While American journalism traditionally sees its role as an independent watchdog over those in position of power and authority, with its freedoms and rights enshrined in the First Amendment, Pyongyangs authoritarian government sees the media as a lapdog of the countrys leadership.

Publications are tightly controlled and serve as a mean of propaganda unquestionably supporting the ideology of the ruling Workers Party and the countrys leader Kim Jong Un. North Korea remained one of the most repressive media environments in the world the U.S.-based NGO Freedom House wrote in 2016. Access to foreign and independent media is tightly restricted.

In South Korea, a national security law forbids the press from expressing favorable views to North Korea, an offense that is punishable by imprisonment, as noted by the France-based NGO Reporters Without Borders.

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North Korea carried out its most powerful nuclear test yet on Sunday, claiming it detonated a hydrogen bomb designed to be loaded onto an intercontinental ballistic missile. North Korean state television described the nuclear test as a perfect success.

Analysts have expressed skepticism about the claims of an H-bomb  a device far more powerful than the atomic bombs that devastated Hiroshima and Nagasaki in 1945  but the international community expressed grave concern at the apparent advancement in North Koreas nuclear capabilities.

According to the U.S. Geological Survey, the nuclear test caused a shallow magnitude 6.3 earthquake. A South Korean official told The New York Times this meant the explosion was at least five to six times more powerful than North Koreas previous nuclear test, which took place last September.

Tremor felt in Yanji city on China's border, as a 6.3-magnitude shallow earthquake struck North Korea pic.twitter.com/EpnCnhiSFZ  China Xinhua News (@XHNews) September 3, 2017

In a series of tweets posted a few hours after the detonation, U.S. President Donald Trump called North Korea a rogue nation that continues to be very hostile and dangerous to the United States.

North Korea has conducted a major Nuclear Test. Their words and actions continue to be very hostile and dangerous to the United States.....  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) September 3, 2017

..North Korea is a rogue nation which has become a great threat and embarrassment to China, which is trying to help but with little success.  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) September 3, 2017

Trump, who previously threatened North Korea with fire and fury, went on to say that South Koreas talk of appeasement is not working. They only understand one thing he said, without elaborating.

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South Korea is finding, as I have told them, that their talk of appeasement with North Korea will not work, they only understand one thing!  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) September 3, 2017

Well see, Trump said later on Sunday when a reporter asked the president as he was returning from church if he planned to attack North Korea.

Trump convened a meeting of national security officials at the White House and afterward Defense Secretary warned that any attack on the U.S. or its allies would be met by a massive military response. He said the response would be both effective and overwhelming.

We have many military options he told reporters outside the White House, and Trump was briefed on them.

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un should take heed of the United Nations Security Councils unified voice, Mattis said. All members unanimously agreed on the threat North Korea poses, and they remain unanimous in their commitment to the denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula, because we are not looking to the total annihilation of a country, namely North Korea. But as I said, we have many options to do so.

Nikki Haley, the U.S. ambassador to the U.N., said on Twitter that she had called for an emergency meeting of the security council on Monday morning.

Trump also tweeted on Sunday that he was considering stopping all trade with any country doing business with North Korea.

U.S. Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin told Fox News on Sunday that he would put together new sanctions against Pyongyang aimed at cutting off all trade.

North Koreas nuclear test comes amid uncertainty surrounding the free trade deal between South Korea and the U.S., which Trump has criticized.

Trump said on Saturday that he would be mulling over the fate of the U.S-Korea Free Trade Agreement in the coming days. Axios reported that the president was seriously considering withdrawing from the deal.

In the immediate aftermath of Sundays nuclear test, Washington conducted emergency calls with allies Japan and South Korea.

U.S. National Security Adviser H.R. McMaster spoke with his South Korean counterpart, Chung Eui-yong, for 20 minutes about an hour after the blast, according to the Associated Press.

Seoul has called for the strongest possible response from the international community, including new sanctions to completely isolate its northern neighbor, the BBC reported.

Chinas Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in a statement that it resolutely opposes the nuclear test, while the Russian foreign ministry said North Koreas blatant disregard of international law deserved the strongest condemnation.

German Chancellor Angela Merkel and French President Emmanuel Macron said they intend to tighten European Union sanctions on North Korea, and British Prime Minister Theresa May said the UN Security Council should consider new measures, Reuters reported.

Yukiya Amano, head of the U.N. nuclear watchdog, called North Koreas nuclear program a matter of grave concern.

This new test, which follows the two tests last year and is the sixth [by North Korea] since 2006, is in complete disregard of the repeated demands of the international community, said Amano, director general of the International Atomic Energy Agency.

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North Korea's nuclear test took place on Sunday mere hours after the country's Central News Agency released images of the rogue nation's leader Kim Jong Un, inspecting an hourglass-shaped warhead, identified by the Pyongyang regime as a hydrogen bomb. (Photo: KCNA/Reuters)

The test occurred mere hours after North Korean media reported Pyongyang had developed a hydrogen bomb that could be carried by an intercontinental ballistic missile  a munition system that could possibly reach the U.S. mainland. Images had been circulated of Kim inspecting an hourglass-shaped warhead.

Though analysts said Sunday that they doubt North Korea has truly developed a hydrogen bomb, experts said the countrys nuclear capabilities were evidently improving.

Kim Dong-yub, a defense analyst in Seoul, told The New York Times he believed the test on Sunday involved a boosted atomic bomb. Nuclear weapons expert David Albright told the paper the power of the device suggested it contained thermonuclear material.

Vipin Narang, a Massachusetts Institute of Technology professor who specializes in nuclear strategy, described the weapon tested as a city buster.

Now, with even relatively inaccurate intercontinental ballistic missile technology, [North Korea] can destroy the better part of a city with this yield, Narang told The Washington Post.

Sundays test is the latest in a series of recent provocations by North Korea. It fired a missile over Japan in late August, causing the Japanese government to urge citizens in the missiles path to take shelter. Tokyo harshly condemned that launch, the first time since 2009 that a North Korean projectile has taken a path over Japan.

That incident also prompted Trump, as he had done before, to suggest an American military response as a possible option.

North Korea and the U.S. have long been in an intractable diplomatic standoff, but the relationship has deteriorated this year as Pyongyangs nuclear and missile programs rapidly advance.

The situation intensified in early August, after the Post reported that North Korea had successfully miniaturized a nuclear warhead, a key step toward being able to fire a nuclear weapon that could reach the U.S. mainland.

Since then, Trump and North Korea have exchanged heated rhetoric, and the U.N. has moved to put stricter sanctions on Pyongyang. Trump made his fire and fury threat in early August and tweeted that talking is not the answer! Other White House officials, including Mattis, subsequently tried to walk back his statements.

North Korea has reacted to Trumps remarks and the international condemnation directed at it by repeatedly threatening the U.S. island territory of Guam. In response, Mattis has said that any missile headed toward the island would be shot down.

The U.S. and its allies have several missile defense systems in place around the region, and the U.S. military has been testing its missile defenses in response to North Koreas increasingly brazen launches.

On Aug. 30, U.S. military officials announced they had successfully shot down a intermediate-range ballistic missile during a test at a base in Hawaii  the same type of missile that North Korea had fired over Japan days earlier.

This article has been updated with comments from U.S. Defense Secretary Jim Mattis.

Related...

14 Chilling Photos Of The Difference Between North Korea And South Korea

South Korea Explores Possible Military Option After North Korea Missile

Report: Earthquake Suggests North Korea Carried Out Sixth Nuclear Test

Also on HuffPost

This article originally appeared on HuffPost.
Source:Xinhua| 2017-09-03 07:57:55|Editor: Mengjie

Two men compete in a labor game during the Singing Festival in Baozeng Village for the ethnic Dong group, Lejiang Town of Multinational Autonomous County of Longsheng in south China's Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, Sept. 2, 2017. People tend to believe that the Dong ethnic group keeps its civilization passing on by singing the stories from generation to generation due to lack of written language. The festival featuring music play and daily labor competition is also an occasion to express their wish for a good harvest. (Xinhua/Huang Yongdan)
North Korean leader Kim Jong-Un (C) presiding over a target strike exercise - AFP

An earthquake has been detected in North Korea triggering fears that Pyongyang has conducted another nuclear test.

According to the China's Earthquake Administration the earthquake measured 6.3 magnitude,

The administration said there had been a massive explosion, suggesting that North Korea had carried out its sixth nuclear test.

Another estimate said the earthquake was 5.2 magnitude.

The authorities in Seoul also said they believed Kim Jong-un's regime may have performed a nuclear test.

Only a few hours earlier North Korea has escalated tensions with a claim that it has developed a more advanced nuclear weapon with "great destructive power" capable of fitting on an intercontinental ballistic missile.

The official North Korean news agency, KCNA, said the hydrogen bomb was inspected by Kim Jong-un.

Pictures showed Kim in black suit examining a metal casing with two bulges.

It was a "thermonuclear weapon with super explosive power made by our own efforts and technology", KCNA said, with the agency adding that "all components of the H-bomb were 100 percent domestically made".

Some have questioned whether Pyongyang has a working H-bomb.

North Koreas nuclear history: key moments

But earlier this month, US intelligence is understood to have concluded that the rogue state has had produced a miniaturised nuclear warhead that could fit inside an ICBM.

In January last year, Pyongyang boasted that it had carried out a successful underground test of a miniaturised hydrogen bomb.

However western analysts dismissed the claims saying the six-kiloton yield was too low for a thermonuclear device.

If North Korea's claims are true, the ability to mount a warhead on a missile would be seen as a significant escalation, creating a risk that it was preparing for an attack.

Pyongyang's latest announcement came a week after North Korea filed several short range missiles into the sea between the Korean peninsula and Japan.

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These missiles appeared to have either failed in flight or exploded immediately.

The past few months have been punctuated by Pyongyang's missile tests.

Intercontinental ballistic missile test launch map

Last month North Korea launched a Hwasong-12 intermediate-range ballistic missile which flew over Japan, triggering panic in the country and ratcheting up tension in the region.

Earlier this month Pyongyang said it was "carefully examining" a plan to strike the US territory of Guam with missiles.

Donald Trump warned that if the regime did so it would be met with "fire and fury like the world has never seen".

At the same time the US has agreed to revise a treaty capping the development of South Korea's ballistic missiles.

Agreement was reached between Donald Trump and his South Korean counterpart, President Moon Jae-in as Washington sought to boost South Korea's ability to defend itself against its northern neighbour.

Following Pyongyang's announcement, Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe spoke with Donald Trump by phone and said that in face of an "escalating" situation with North Korea that close cooperation between their countries, South Korea and China was needed.
A pedestrian watches a monitor showing an image of North Korean leader Kim Jong-Un in a news program reporting on North Korea's 6th nuclear test on 3 September 2017: Tomohiro Ohsumi/Getty Images

Donald Trump has added to fears of war between the US and North Korea, saying simply "we'll see" when asked if he was planning to sanction a military attack.

Following the rogue state's nuclear bomb test, Mr Trump met with his Defence Secretary, James Mattis, the White House Chief of Staff, John Kelly, and other military leaders to all the potential military options, according to a statement by Mr Mattis after the meeting.

The President's off-the-cuff comment was made in response to a journalist's question as he left a church near the White House.

It came after a US intelligence official said it appeared North Korea had conducted another nuclear bomb test.

"We have nothing to cause us to doubt that this was a test of an advanced nuclear device," the official said, speaking to Reuters on condition of anonymity.

North Korea claimed to have tested an advanced hydrogen bomb that was capable of being launched inside a long-range missile.

The US official said, however, it would take some time to complete a thorough analysis of the size of the blast and type of device detonated.

In July, US intelligence officials said they believed North Korea had been able to make a nuclear warhead capable of fitting on an intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM).

Pyongyang has made inflammatory threats towards Guam, the US territory in the Pacific where there are American military installations including a nuclear submarine fleet base.

Mr Trump also tweeted that the US is considering "stopping all trade" with any countries "doing business" with North Korea, which would include America's largest trading partner, China.

The United States is considering, in addition to other options, stopping all trade with any country doing business with North Korea.  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) September 3, 2017

The US President has previously commented that "all options are on the table" with regards to North Korea, prompting fears of a military conflict.

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However Mr Mattis said that the US was never going to run out of diplomatic solutions, implying that military action against Mr Kim would be a last resort.

The United Nations Security Council is due to meet on Monday to discuss the situation at the request of officials from the US, Japan, UK, France and South Korea.

While the nature of the nuclear bomb is unclear, the US Geological Survey reported a seismic event of 6.3 on the Richter scale as a result of the test. Previous Pyongyang tests have resulted in events closer to five on the scale.

United Nations Secretary General Antonio Guterres said the latest test was "profoundly destabilising for regional security".

South Korea has been testing its own conventional weapons at border installations as a result of increased tensions.

The North earlier launched a missile over the northern part of Hokkaido island of Japan, prompting a phone call between Mr Trump and Prime Minister Shinzo Abe during which both agreed that North Korea "poses a grave and growing direct threat" to the region and Japan.
- AFP

Donald Trump yesterday led world condemnation of North Koreas biggest ever nuclear test, describing the actions of the rogue nation as very hostile and dangerous to the US.

In a series of tweets, he also poured scorn on South Korea for what he said were attempts at appeasement even though most allies believe Washington has little option but to pursue diplomatic efforts to resolve the nuclear crisis.

His impatience with diplomacy risks dividing the international alliance arrayed against Pyongyang, as Theresa May called for action at the United Nations Security Council.

His comments followed Pyongyangs sixth nuclear test and the first since Mr Trump took power. It was conducted in defiance of the American Presidents recent promises to rain fire and fury on the country if it continued threatening the US.

Nuclear North Korea

Japan said the explosion was 10 times the strength of the test last September, while reports in South Korea said it was up to five times more powerful than bomb dropped on Nagasaki in 1945.

For its part, North Korea claimed it had successfully tested a hydrogen bomb that could be delivered by a long-range missile

"The H-bomb test was carried out to examine and confirm the accuracy and credibility of the power control technology, and internal structural design newly introduced into manufacturing the H-bomb to be placed as the payload of the ICBM," said state-run Korean Central News Agency.

Analysts said they could not be certain whether Pyongyang had developed a two-state nuclear device but added that the magnitude of the blast  representing a 120 kiloton bomb - suggested they were close. That would represent a game changer in North Koreas quest to join the exclusive club of nuclear powers.

World leaders were quick in their condemnation.

North Koreas nuclear history: key moments

Theresa May, the Prime Minister, called for United Nations Security Council to heap more pressure on Kim Jong-uns regime.

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This latest action by North Korea is reckless and poses an unacceptable further threat to the international community, she said.

But Mr Trump expressed impatience with diplomatic moves and turned his frustration on North Koreas neighbours.

North Korea is a rogue nation which has become a great threat and embarrassment to China, which is trying to help but with little success, he wrote, before adding: South Korea is finding, as I have told them, that their talk of appeasement with North Korea will not work, they only understand one thing!

Mr Trump has signalled repeatedly that he is considering military options.

The Pentagon has a suite of plans for action, ranging from nuclear strikes and regime change to pre-emptive attacks on launch sites to take out missiles before they can be fired. However, North Korea would be expected to use its conventional and nuclear arsenals in retaliation, launching devastating attacks on South Korea that would kill millions.

As a result, Mr Trump risks dividing the international alliance arrayed against North Korea.

(URGENT) North Korean artificial quake 9.8 times more powerful than fifth nuclear test: Seoul weather agency https://t.co/RlelVLhVTv  Yonhap News Agency (@YonhapNews) September 3, 2017

Boris Johnson, the Foreign Secretary, said: It's certainly our view that none of the military options are good. It is of course right to say that all options are on the table, but we really don't see an easy military solution.

He called for common sense and diplomacy to prevail as he urged China to step up its pressure on its client state. But he summed up North Koreas rapid progress with a dire warning.

North Korea nuclear grid

They seem to be moving closer towards a hydrogen bomb which, if fitted to a successful missile, would unquestionably present a new order of threat, he said.

Mr Trump was due to meet his national security team to discuss the issue yesterday while his Treasury Secretary, Steve Mnuchin, said he was drawing fresh sanctions that would requiring countries trading with the US to sever all ties with North Korea.

Calls for oil sanctions now certain to grow louder. https://t.co/U3lvtU5q8m  Neil Connor (@neilaconnor) September 3, 2017

Meanwhile, Japan said it had deployed sniffer jets to detect whether there had been any leaks of radiation.

Moon Jae-In, President of South Korea, called for the "strongest punishment" against North Korea, including new United Nations sanctions.

China  North Koreas key economic trading partner  also strongly condemned the nuclear test and criticised Pyongyang for ignoring international condemnation of its atomic weapons programme.

Tremor felt in Yanji city on China's border, as a 6.3-magnitude shallow earthquake struck North Korea pic.twitter.com/EpnCnhiSFZ  China Xinhua News (@XHNews) September 3, 2017

11:39AM

China media continues to blame the US and South Korea for escalation in tensions

China's Global Times newspaper said Beijing should resist tougher sanctions on North Korea and blamed heightened tensions on the US and South Korea, Neil Connor reports from Beijing.

The newspaper, which is produced by The People's Daily, the official mouthpiece of the ruling Communist Party, also warned against cutting off Pyongyang;s oil supply and closing the border.

"If North Korea's nuclear activities don't contaminate China's northeastern regions, China should avoid imposing overly aggressive sanctions on North Korea, it said in an editorial.

"The root cause of the North Korean nuclear issue is that the military pressure of the Washington-Seoul alliance generates a sense of insecurity for Pyongyang who then believes that owning a nuclear strike capability is its sole guarantee for the survival of the regime."

Officials in Beijing regularly blame Seoul and Washington for raising tensions on the Korean peninsula.

11:18AM

South Korea's Moon sent the 'wrong signal' - opposition

Conservative politicians in South Korea have called on Moon Jae-in, the left-of-centre president, to drop his "doveish" attitude towards Pyongyang and to find ways to better protect the citizens of the nation, such as by reintroducing US tactical nuclear weapons to the South, Julian Ryall reports.

Some members of opposition parties even suggested that Mr Moon's policies of seeking engagement with Pyongyang had encouraged Kim Jong-un's regime to become even more belligerent.

"The Moon Jae-in government's responsibility is great as it has sent the wrong signal to the North by sticking to dialogue and disregarding the threat from the regime," Yonhap news quoted Khang Hyo-shang, a spokesman for the main opposition Liberty Korea Party, as saying.

11:13AM

Macron calls for 'very firm' response and 'irreversible dismantlement' of weapons

French President Emmanuel Macron called for a "very firm" response to the nuclear test and for the UN Security Council to "quickly react".

"The international community must be very firm in its handling of this latest provocation, in order to get North Korea to unconditionally return to talks and proceed with the complete, verifiable and irreversible dismantlement of its nuclear and ballistic programmes," Mr Macron said in a statement.

11:09AM

Russia urges calm, condemns nuclear test

Russia urged calm on Sunday but gave its "strongest condemnation" following North Korea's sixth nuclear test.

"This latest demonstrative disregard by Pyongyang of the requirements of the relevant resolutions of the UN Security Council and the norms of international law deserves the strongest condemnation," the foreign ministry in Moscow said.

"In the unfolding conditions, it is imperative to remain calm and to refrain from any actions that lead to a further escalation of tension."

11:06AM

North Korea nuclear test 'extremely regrettable': UN watchdog

North Korea's latest nuclear test is "extremely regrettable" and "in complete disregard" of the international community's repeated demands, the head of the UN atomic watchdog said Sunday, AFP reports.

"Today's nuclear test by the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) is an extremely regrettable act," International Atomic Energy Agency head Yukiya Amano said in a statement.

"This new test, which follows the two tests last year and is the sixth since 2006, is in complete disregard of the repeated demands of the international community."

10:09AM

Guam residents reassured following nuclear test

Authorities in the US Pacific territory of Guam sought to reassure civilians after North Koreas nuclear test on Sunday, releasing a statement on the Homeland Security Facebook page, Nicola Smith reports.

There are no known immediate threats assessed for Guam and the Marianas at this time. The threat level remains the same, it said.

The small island in the western Pacific Ocean is within range of North Korean medium and long-range missiles and was specifically threatened by Pyongyang last month.

9:11AM

Japan calls for oil sanctions against North Korea to be explored

Japans Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga said on Sunday that sanctions options against North Korea in the wake of that countrys nuclear test include restrictions on oil-products trade, according to Reuters.

Mr Suga, speaking at a news conference, also said he condemned the test in the strongest of terms.

9:00AM

Unified response needed - expert

Sundays test sent reverberations across East Asia.

Todays events show the importance of a unified response from [regional] allies, specifically the US, Japan and South Korea, said Taipei-based risk analyst, Ross Feingold.

Mr Feingold told The Telegraph that the test required a robustresponse from other regional allies who meet regularly under the umbrella organisation the Association of Southeast Asian Nations [ASEAN].

Asean can no longer view this as a North Asia problem. Those Asean countries that have maintained stable, if not positive, relations with North Korea..will now also have to demonstrate that they are invested in preventing North Korea from further destabilising the region, he said.

China also had to take more action, Mr Feingold argued.

Prior to todays events, China has continued to call on both North Korea and the United States to de-escalate tensions, by trading an end to missile tests for an end to military exercises, he said. President Trump will certainly expect a more robust response from China than this.

8:45AM

Timing of the test an embarrassment for Xi Jinping, China's president

The nuclear test carried out by North Korea was a direct challenge to Donald Trump, but will also create maximum embarrassment for Xi Jinping, the Chinese president, China Correspondent Neil Connor reports from Beijing.

Mr Xi was only hours from opening the summit of BRICS nations in the south-eastern city of Xiamen when news of the test emerged.

Leaders of Brazil, Russia, India and South Africa are arriving to China for the event, which runs until Tuesday.

North Korea also carried out a missile at the start of Chinas Belt and Road Initiative summit in May.

Pyongyangs state-controlled media has expressed anger at China in recent months, claiming its historic ally is backing US attempts to contain North Korea.

8:39AM

Further sanctions likely opposed by China, Russia  former South Korean official

The United Nations Security Council will almost certainly face calls for further sanctions on North Korea, although a former head of South Korean intelligence believes that neither China nor Russia will faithfully implement them because Pyongyang's belligerence may yet force the US to withdraw its military from north-east Asia.

Rah Jong-yil, who also served as South Korean ambassador to London and Tokyo, also believes that a full-blown war on the Korean Peninsula is becoming increasingly likely.

"Sanctions have so far failed to prevent North Korea from continuing its development of weapons of mass destruction and, in the most recent round of UN talks on more sanctions both China and Russia were opposed", Mr Rah told The Telegraph.

"I believe that for Beijing and Moscow, North Korea is actually a convenient tool for their desire to force the US to withdraw its forces from the region", he said.

"On principle, they oppose the North developing nuclear weapons", he said.

"But they have not taken the steps that could stop the North's rapid advances in this technology because they can see the advantages to themselves.

8:08AM

US and South Korean security chiefs hold talks

Top security officials from the United States and South Korea discussed North Koreas sixth nuclear test on Sunday, reports said.

Chung Eui-yong, South Korea's National Security Office chief, and his US counterpart, H.R. McMaster held 20-minute telephone talks, Seoul's presidential office Cheong Wa Dae said, according to Yonhap news agency.

8:03AM

Tremors felt by residents in China and Russia

Tremors from the explosion were felt by residents of Jilin, Changchun and Baishan cities, in Chinas north-eastern Jilin province, state broadcaster China Central Television said.

Residents of Vladivostok, on Russians eastern coast, close to the North Korean border, also reported feeling tremors at the time the nuclear test was triggered.

There have been no reports of radioactive abnormalities in Russia so far.

Meanwhile, Japan said it had deployed sniffer jets to detect whether there had been any leaks of radiation.

7:49AM

North Korea claims it successfully tested a hydrogen bomb

North Korea has successfully conducted a test of a hydrogen bomb that can be loaded into a new intercontinental ballistic missile, state television said.

North Korea's state-run TV broadcaster made the special announcement confirmed the countrys sixth nuclear test shortly after an earthquake was reported in the country.

7:04AM

North Korea will make special announcement at 7.30 am London time

South Koreas Yonhap news agency said North Korea is set to make a "special and important" announcement at 3pm, Pyongyang time, citing the North's state-run TV broadcaster.

7:01AM

Japan confirms it was a nuclear test

Japan has concluded that North Korea has indeed conducted its sixth nuclear test and diplomats have lodged an official protest through North Korea's embassy in Beijing.

"After analysing information from the Japan Meteorological Agency and others on the recent earthquake, the government has determined that North Korea has carried out a nuclear test," Taro Kono, the Japanese foreign minister, told reporters after a meeting of the National Security Council on Sunday afternoon.

Mr Kono said Japanese officials are already speaking with heir counterparts in the United States and South Korea about calling an emergency meeting of the U.N. Security Council, Kyodo News reported.

6:59AM

Up to 5 times the strength of Nagasaki - report

The head of the South Korean parliaments defence committee told Yonhap news that the nuclear blast yield was likely 100 kilotons, which would be 4-5 times the strength of the Nagasaki bomb.

6:25AM

Japan preparing strong protest

Julian Ryall reports from Tokyo.

Japan is preparing to lodge a strong protest with North Korea as soon as Tokyo has confirmed that Pyongyang has conducted its sixth underground nuclear test. "If North Korea has indeed gone ahead with a nuclear test, it is completely unacceptable and we must lodge a strong protest",

Shinzo Abe, the Japanese prime minister, told reporters in Tokyo on Sunday afternoon. Mr Abe has instructed government ministries to gather all available data on the test and provide the public with information on any developments that will impact citizens' safety.

The test comes just five days after a North Korean intermediate-range ballistic missile flew over Japan before crashing into the Pacific Ocean. He added that Japan will work closely with the United States and South Korea to handle this latest provocation from North Korea.

Graphic: North Korea missile launch

North Korea's nuclear test came just hours after Shinzo Abe, the Japanese prime minister, spoke on the phone with President Donald Trump, with the two leaders agreeing that they need to step up the pressure on Pyongyang to make the regime change its aggressive and destabilising behaviour.

"We completely agreed that we must thoroughly coordinate with each other and with South Korea, and cooperate closely with the international community to increase pressure on North Korea and make it change its policies", Mr Abe told reporters at his official residence on Sunday morning.

Mr Abe spoke with Mr Trump on Saturday - the third conversation between the two leaders since North Korea launched a ballistic missile over northern Japan on Tuesday.

The Japanese leader said he discussed with Mr Trump the shared analysis of "the latest information on North Korea and how we will respond", Kyodo News reported. There was no indication from the Japanese leader that another North Korean nuclear test was imminent.

6:24AM

Second earthquake detected

A second zero kilometre deep earthquake has been detected by Chinese authorities, official Chinese media media said.

The Peoples Daily said the second quake was magnitude 4.6, and happened minutes after the magnitude 6.3 quake.

6:23AM

Another nuclear test 'unacceptable' says Shinzo Abe

Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe said a sixth nuclear test by Pyongyang would be "absolutely unacceptable," after a 6.3 magnitude explosion in the North indicated a new detonation.

Japanese PM Shinzo Abe Credit: Akio Kon/Bloomberg

"If it forcibly conducted a nuclear test, it's absolutely unacceptable. We have to strongly protest it," Abe said.

"There is a possibility that this is not a natural quake and that North Korea conducted a nuclear test," he said, adding that the Japanese weather agency detected a seismic wave.

6:19AM

Latest earthquake far bigger than that which accompanied September 2016 test

Nicola Smithreports from Taipei:

The US Geological Survey said it had recorded a magnitude 6.3 earthquake, after initially assessing it to be 5.1.

If the magnitude stays at 5.2, this would be the same size as the Kim-5 in September 2016, which was a few tens of kilotons. 1/  Jeffrey Lewis (@ArmsControlWonk) September 3, 2017

A 6.3 magnitude quake would be ten times as powerful as the one triggered by the Norths September 2016 nuclear test, which triggered a 5.3 strength earthquake, and had an estimated yield of about 10 kilotons.

According to Jeffrey Lewis, Director of the East Asia non-proliferation programme at the Middlebury Institute of International Studies in California, a magnitude 6.3 explosion would likely mean an explosive power of around a megaton.

That would be a staged thermonuclear weapon, he said on Twitter.

6:12AM

South Korean forces on high alert

Julian Ryallin Tokyo has the latest from Seoul.

"South Korea has ordered all its military forces to a state of high alert, according to Yonhap news, with Seoul's Joint Chiefs of Staff announcing that the magnitude 5.6 "artificial earthquake" recorded in North Korea at around 12:20 local time is "presumed" to have been an underground nuclear test."

5:59AM

The location of the the earthquake

5:54AM

South Korea holding national security council meeting

Seoul is scrambling to get information about the explosion. The country's national security council is meeting.

Agreement was reached between Donald Trump and his South Korean counterpart, President Moon Jae-in as Washington sought to boost South Korea's ability to defend itself against its northern neighbour.

5:45AM

Xinhua reporting epicentre close to site of previous nuclear tests

A strong shallow earthquake struck the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) on Sunday, triggering suspicions that it might be caused by explosion.

In its latest update, the U.S. Geological Survey reported that the tremor happened at 0330 GMT and measured 6.3 magnitude, with an epicenter 24 km east-northeast of Sungjibaegam and zero km deep.The institution noted that it might be caused by explosion and that its epicenter was located near the site where the DPRK detonated nuclear explosions in the past.The China Earthquake Networks Center also placed the magnitude at 6.3 and the depth of its epicenter at zero km, and noted that explosion was suspected.

In the wake of the earthquake, South Korean President Moon Jae-in called an emergency meeting of the National Security Council.

5:26AM

Earthquake was 'artificial'

South Korea's military says the 5.6 quake in North Korea was artificial, and is analysing if it was a nuclear test.
At 3 p.m. Pyongyang time on September 3, the beaming face of matronly newscaster Ri Chun Hee announced to North Koreans that the test of a hydrogen bomb had been a perfect success, and that the two-stage device could be mounted onto an intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM)  one capable of reaching the continental U.S.

The announcement came three hours after the underground blast, carried out at noon, shook seismologists needles across the region, registering as a 6.1 magnitude earthquake. South Korean and Japanese analysts reported that the scale of the explosion was 4 to 5 times greater than that of the last test, almost exactly a year ago on Sept. 9, 2016, and 10 or 11 times greater than the test before that.

As of writing, it was still unclear whether this was direct confirmation of a hydrogen bomb, notoriously tricky technology to master. But dismissing North Koreas technological abilities has repeatedly proved unwise, as the reclusive state has repeatedly hurdled what were once seen as major obstacles to its all-consuming goal of providing a nuclear shield to its threatened regime.

North Korea has made a habit of spoiling the weekend. Missile firings and nuclear tests are usually set for major holidays, either American or Korean, and this sixth nuclear test had been widely anticipated. Last Monday, media reported that South Koreas intelligence services had noted signs of preparation at the Punggye-ri test site.

But timing it for Americas Labor Day weekend instead of North Koreas Day of the Foundation of the Republic on September 9  the date of the last test  signaled the importance of spiting the United States. North Korean leader Kim Jong Un and U.S. President Donald Trump have been engaged in a game of nuclear chicken ever since January, when Trump pronounced on Twitter that a North Korean ICBM capable of reaching the United States wont happen!.

Further Trumpian bluster, such as an impromptu promise of fire and fury on August 8, was met with both heated language and a series of missile tests from North Korea, most provocatively the overflight of Japan on August 28. Pyongyang backed off a threat to cover the U.S. island territory of Guam in an enveloping fire, with Kim saying he would watch a little more the foolish and stupid conduct of the Yankees.

Story continues

But the timing was also a slap in the face for China, where buildings in the northeast rattled with the force of the blast. The BRICS Forum for developing economies was opened by Chinese President Xi Jinping today in the southern Chinese city of Xiamen just hours after the test. China is also keen to avoid any disruption ahead of the 19th Party Congress set for October 18, a major political event where Xi is expected to cement his status as the most powerful leader in decades.

State media has put a heavy emphasis on Xis ability to deal skillfully with the world, claiming in a six-part propaganda series, Major-Country Diplomacy, that launched last week that China has seen brilliant diplomatic achievements under his rule.

I think this is deliberate, a Chinese expert on Korean affairs told Foreign Policy, asking for anonymity, Even if it wasnt, the leaders will see it as such. They were already angry with Kim and now they will be even angrier. China has been locked in a diplomatic spat with South Korea over the use of the U.S. THAAD anti-missile system, which Beijing sees as a threat to its own security. When [South Korean president] Moon Jae-in came in, they thought they could change the situation, the expert commented. Moon has expressed skepticism about the THAAD deployment. But now the South Koreans will be even stronger on THAAD.

Chinese state media refused to acknowledge the test for the first few hours, referring only to an earthquake in North Korea, as they waited for the official line to come down from Beijing. This eventually manifested as a terse statement from the Foreign Ministry resolutely condemning the test, as it did with the last one in 2016. But instead of nuclear warnings, Chinese television was filled with images of smiling foreign faces at Xiamen, a popular beach holiday destination in southeast China. On Chinese social media such as WeChat, comments discussing the test were deleted.

South Korea responded by immediately demanding the most powerful U.N. sanctions yet, while some in the country doubled down on their call for the redeployment of U.S. tactical nuclear weapons on Korean soil. But the news came just after claims on Friday that the Trump administration is considering pulling out of KORUS, the U.S.-South Korean free trade deal. Abandoning the deal would signal a lack of commitment to the alliance at a critical moment. James Schoff, a senior fellow at the Carnegie Endowment, optimistically described the idea on Twitter as too stupid to happen.

Yet there may be more corrosive hazards than diplomatic fallout. While the test was carried out underground, the scale of the blast may have caused leakage. Initial signs indicated a cave-in shortly after the first explosion. Contamination reaching other countries, especially northeast China, would add considerable pressure for a strong response. But there may be very little that any of its neighbors, even China, can actually do to alter the Norths course.

Photo Credit: Chung Sung-Jun/Getty Images
By James Oliphant WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. President Donald Trump admonished South Korea, a key ally, for what he termed a policy of "appeasement" after North Korea claimed to have tested an advanced hydrogen bomb for a long-range missile on Sunday. On Twitter, Trump said: "South Korea is finding, as I have told them, that their talk of appeasement with North Korea will not work, they (North Korea) only understand one thing!" It was the latest signal that Trump is losing patience with the international community's response to the increasingly belligerent regime of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un. Last week, Trump tweeted that "talking is not the answer" in terms of dealing with Pyongyang. On Sunday, Trump also tweeted that North Koreas words and actions continue to be very hostile and dangerous to the United States and said the regime "has become a great threat and embarrassment to China, which is trying to help but with little success. The White House said Trump's national security team was "monitoring this closely" and that the president would convene a meeting of his advisers later on Sunday. North Korea said it had tested an advanced hydrogen bomb for a long-range missile on Sunday, setting off a manmade earthquake near the test. Japanese and South Korean officials said that tremor was about 10 times more powerful than the one picked up after the nation's last nuclear test a year ago. There was no independent confirmation that the detonation was a hydrogen bomb rather than a less powerful atomic weapon of the kind Pyongyang has tested in the past. In his tweet on Sunday, Trump appeared to be blaming South Korea for a policy it abandoned years ago of trying to soften North Korea's posture through economic aid. South Korea's new president, Moon Jae-in, has argued for continuing dialogue with its neighbor over its nuclear program, while also supporting international sanctions. Reports that the United States is considering pulling out of its trade deal with South Korea has also ratcheted up tensions with the country. Despite Trump's tweets, U.S. Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin suggested the United States would continue to attempt to pressure North Korea economically. Mnuchin said on Sunday that he would put together a package of new sanctions to potentially cut off all global trade with Pyongyang. "If countries want to do business with the United States, they obviously will be working with our allies and others to cut off North Korea economically," Mnuchin said on "Fox News Sunday." Trump's cabinet has at times tried to show the president's tweets are not shifts in official U.S. policy. Last week, after Trump said that "talking is not the answer," Defense Secretary James Mattis followed up by saying: "We're never out of diplomatic solutions." Secretary of State Rex W. Tillerson has previously suggested that the United States would be open to talks with North Korea if it ceased its missile tests and met other conditions. Senator Jeff Flake, a member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, said on CNNs State of the Union on Sunday that the United States had no good options when it came to North Korea. Obviously the test yesterday shows they are further along than everyone figured, said Flake, a Republican. He said sanctions did not appear to have slowed the advance of North Koreas nuclear program, but I dont think harsh rhetoric does either. Often critical of Trump, Flake declined to address his comment about South Korea's "talk of appeasement," but said: "I think South Korea will be with us whatever we decide." (Reporting by Steve Holland and Susan Cornwell; Writing by Joel Schectman and James Oliphant; Editing by Mary Milliken and Lisa Von Ahn)
President Donald Trump is potentially hours away from taking action against the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program, which provides for legal status for many people brought to the U.S. illegally as children. Trump first promised nearly a year ago to end the program, which was instituted by executive action by President Barack Obama, circumventing a Congress whose efforts on immigration reform repeatedly stalled. But in the years since its implementation, the program has found many supporters in both parties, in large part due to humanitarian concerns for people who did nothing wrong themselves and are now integrated into American society. Trump had promised to treat the so-called DREAMers with heart as recently as the fall. But the plan he is considering would phase out the program, meaning that those whose work permits need renewal would be unable to do so. Republicans have long contended that DACA amounted to an unconstitutional end-run around the legislative branch, but House Speaker Paul Ryan and other top lawmakers are now asking Trump to hold off so Congress can take action to protect those covered by DACA. Trump is likely to go ahead regardless, lighting a fire under Congress to move swiftly. In the Oval Office Friday afternoon, asked whether DREAMers should be worried, Trump told reporters, We love the DREAMers. We love everybody. We think the DREAMers are terrific.

The Trump administration slashes Obamacare outreach. Congress preps a Harvey aid bill. And Mattis insists he and Trump are on the same page.

Here are your must reads:

Must Reads

Trump administration slashes Obamacare outreach

As concerns about market stabilization mount [Politico]

N.C. senator tosses Trump a conservative life raft for Dreamers

Trump nears DACA decision [McClatchy]

During a summer of crisis, Trump chafes against criticism and new controls

Kelly is imposing order, but Trump is frustrated [Washington Post]

Hurricane Harvey Shifts Political Winds in Washington

Story continues

September showdown now less likely [New York Times]

Sound Off

It wont affect the policy decision, but it will affect the timing of it. We certainly have to watch the lawsuits and how they matriculate through the courts and when the deadlines would be imposed. That will inform our decision-making process, but it wont affect the policy decision. Homeland Security Advisor Tom Bossert on the threat of state lawsuits over DACA.

Absolutely. The President stands by his statement. Press Secretary Sarah Sanders on Trumps comments that hed treat DREAMers with heart.

Bits and Bites

Trump Energy official who said controversial comments were result of hacking resigns [CNN]

Romney, Clinton and others counsel a panicked political reporter on fatherhood [Washington Post]

Mattis Insists He and Trump Are on the Same Page on North Korea [New York Times]

John McCain: Trump Is Poorly Informed and Impulsive [TIME]

Four U.S. Companies Have Been Contracted to Build Prototype Border Walls [TIME]

Those Who Were Barred From U.S. During Trumps First Travel Ban Can Reapply for Visas [Associated Press]

President Trump Still Hasnt Made a Decision About Keeping DACA [TIME]

Mick the Knife [Politico]

Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin just put Harriet Tubmans role on the $20 bill in question [CNBC]
Reuters

LONDON (Reuters) -Russia's Yevgeny Prigozhin, a close ally of President Vladimir Putin, said on Sunday that a former mercenary who was filmed being executed by a sledgehammer blow to the head after changing sides in the Ukraine war was a traitor. Prigozhin, a Russian businessman who founded the Wagner private military group, was responding to an unverified video distributed on Telegram that showed a man identified as a former Wagner mercenary being executed after admitting that he had changed sides in September to "fight against the Russians". In the footage, the man, who gave his name as Yevgenny Nuzhin, 55, was shown with his head taped to a brick wall.
MOSCOW (Reuters) - Russia's foreign ministry has summoned a U.S. diplomat in Moscow to hand him a note of protest over plans to conduct searches in Russia's trade mission complex in Washington, which should soon be closed, the ministry said in a statement on Saturday. It said it has summoned Anthony F. Godfrey, a deputy chief of mission at the U.S. Embassy in Moscow. The ministry called the planned "illegal inspection" of Russian diplomatic housing an "unprecedented aggressive action", which could be used by the U.S. special services for "anti-Russian provocations" by the way of "planting compromised items". The closure by Sept. 2 of the consulate and buildings in Washington and New York that house Russian trade missions is the latest in tit-for-tat actions by the two countries that have helped push relations to a new post-Cold War low. The Kremlin has said the moves to close the Russian facilities pushed bilateral ties further into a dead end. On Friday, the Russian foreign ministry also said the U.S. special services were prepared for searches in its consulate in San Francisco. Some media reported that a smoke was billowing from a chimney of the building. Maria Zakharova, the spokeswoman for the ministry, said it was part of a "mothballing". "In relation to this, the windows could be closed, the light could be turned off, the water could be drained out, the heating appliances could be turned off, the garbage could be thrown away, essential services could be turned off and many other things," she wrote on social media. Moscow last month ordered the United States to cut its diplomatic and technical staff in Russia by more than half, to 455 people to match the number of Russian diplomats in the United States, after Congress overwhelmingly approved new sanctions against Russia. (Reporting by Vladimir Soldatkin Editing by Ros Russell)
President Donald Trump shakes hands with Russian President Vladimir Putin during the their bilateral meeting: REUTERS/Carlos Barria

A Russian state television host mocked Donald Trump as a political infant, punctuating deteriorating relations between America and Russia.

Mr Trump is being severely swaddled, added the host, whose co-presenter taunted Mr Trump as being placed into geopolitical coffin.

So why did we elect such a president? the host said.

#Russia's state TV host pours more gas on the fire, saying:

"So why did we elect such a President?

Audience claps.https://t.co/SE8PZkkxup  Julia Davis (@JuliaDavisNews) September 1, 2017

#Russia's state TV: "Trump is a political infant, who is being severely swaddled."

Female host adds: "and placed into geopolitical coffin." pic.twitter.com/xFx7Vn3Rd0  Julia Davis (@JuliaDavisNews) September 1, 2017

The exchange illustrates Russian disillusionment with an American president who has fallen short on his professed desire for warmer relations with Russia.

Breaking with other world leaders who criticise the human rights record of Russian President Vladimir Putin, Mr Trump has had warm words for his Russian counterpart. He has consistently advocated stronger ties between the two nations.

But the relationship has frayed amid the fallout of Russian interference in the 2016 election, which intelligence agencies concluded Mr Putin directed, and an ongoing investigation probing potential ties between Mr Trump's campaign and Russia. Congress authorized fresh sanctions to punish Russia for election meddling, which Mr Trump reluctantly signed.

Russia swiftly retaliated to the sanctions by forcing the closure of American diplomatic facilities. The Trump administration hit back this week, ordering Russia to close three diplomatic offices in the U.S. and blasting the closure of American outposts as unwarranted and detrimental to the overall relationship between our countries.
The coast of Westerly, Rhode Island, is lined with cheerful beaches and fresh, blue-green waves. In recent years, the biggest news to hit the usually-peaceful beachfront town was the introduction of Taylor Swift, who bought a mansion overlooking the sea in 2013 for $17.75 million. But in late August, a mysterious discovery eclipsed the stars presence: A huge, bizarre, seemingly eight-legged object was dredged up in the waters behind Swifts backyard.

The steel and concrete structure, which is about eight to 10 feet in length, was described as more like the Mars Rover than anything that would be found at the bottom of the ocean by The Westerly Sun, which first reported the story. When it was discovered in the water, the original plan was to leave it submerged. However, as further discussion raised concerns that it posed a danger to swimmers, local authorities made a plan that led to the objects excavation on Thursday.

Amid claims that the object is a sunken UFO, scientists from the University of Rhode Island took their best stab at identifying it, suggesting it was an uncharacteristically large piece of marine monitoring equipment.

Pieces of the submerged object were dredged up from the sea on Thursday.

Our best guess had been that it was the sea base of an acoustic Doppler profiler, which the scientists said are typically 4 or 5 feet long, said Peter Brockmann, East Beach Association president, in an interview with The Westerly Sun.

Its a plausible explanation, says Frank Bahr, a research specialist at the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institutions department of physical oceanography. I agree that the gizmo looks like a bottom mount for perhaps a sensor, he said in an e-mail to Inverse.

Jim Culter, a senior scientist at the Mote Marine Laboratorys Benthic Ecology Program, agrees. Culter, who has experience using acoustic Doppler current profilers (ADCP)  tools used for measuring currents  in coastal estuaries, explains in an e-mail to Inverse that the object could very well be a bottom mount for an ADCP or other instrumentation as there are many different commercial styles and researchers often fabricate their own mounts for specific purposes.

Story continues

An excavation crew dug up the object in pieces on Thursday.

ADCPs are huge tools that, according to NOAA, use a scientific phenomenon called the Doppler shift to measure the movement of currents. To do this, the ADCP needs to be attached to the bottom of the sea floor, where it will emit four beams of high-frequency sound waves into the water. Those sound waves will inevitably bounce back toward the ADCP after knocking into particles in the water, and the characteristics of the return waves can be used to determine how fast the waters current is moving.

Because theyre so big and usually need to stay put for at least 30 days, they need to be mounted to the sea floor, but the size of their mount depends on the body of water its in.

Taylor Swift's multimillion-dollar mansion and its mysterious waters.

Mounting frames for open ocean are generally more robust than those used in shallow, calmer water, says Culter, suggesting that the mystery ADCP seems abnormally large because it was designed for the ocean. There are, however, no standard sizes, he says, and customization is common.

How the giant instrument washed up near Swifts shore, however, is still unclear. Bahr jokes that it might simply be a poorly made mount. Frankly, it looks a little bit flimsy for a WHOI [Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution] design - our stuff does not just wash up :-) - just kidding, of course it does, he says, noting that instruments in the violent Atlantic generally need to use heavier mounts that usually involve a heavy ring of solid metal in their base.

Culters preference is to use concrete pads, like the diver below.

A diver installs an acoustic Doppler current profiler that is not nearly as big as the thing found behind Swift's house.

It seems the mystery object is not so mysterious after all, although Swifts neighbors cant be blamed for wondering about its extraterrestrial aesthetic. After all, very few of us regularly spend time scoping out the machinery at the bottom of the sea, and certainly not in the sea behind her massive mansion.

If she wants someone to blame for all the weird press about the spooky goings-on in her backyard, she should probably take her wrath to folks at the U.S. Geological Survey, the University of Rhode Islands marine research institution, the Army Corps of Engineers, or any of the other consulting firms conducting coastal surveys or beach restoration monitoring, which Culter says are typical users of such devices.

While it may seem that Westerly can ride out the rest of the summer in peace, there always remains the possibility that the scientists are wrong. Of course it could easily be something totally unrelated to marine research which was blown into or discarded into the ocean, says Culter. Its a scary thought, but it might just be that planting this mystery machine is what Swift is referring to as she taunts haters in her new song, Look What You Made Me Do.

Photos via The Westerly Sun, Screenshot via The Westerly Sun, NOAA, Screengrab via The Westerly Sun

Written by Yasmin Tayag

More articles by Yasmin  Follow Yasmin on Twitter

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Missile force of Korean People's Army attend a military parade in central Pyongyang, April 15, 2017. The Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) Saturday showcased its military muscles by parading all of its most-advanced ballistic and tactic missiles, including a submarine-launched ballistic missile which could strike targets 1000 km away. (Xinhua/Cheng Dayu)

PYONGYANG, Sept. 3 (Xinhua) -- Kim Jong Un, top leader of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) has inspected a nuclear bomb producing institute where a H-bomb to be loaded into an intercontinental ballistic missile was recently produced, said official media Sunday.

"Respected Supreme Leader Kim Jong Un guided the work for nuclear weaponization on the spot," said the official Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) without giving specified date of the event.

DPRK official media report news about the top leader usually one day after it takes place.

"He was greeted by senior officials of the Department of Munitions Industry of the Central Committee of the Workers' Party of Korea (WPK) and scientists of the Nuclear Weapons Institute before being briefed on the details of nuclear weaponization," said KCNA.

The report said the institute recently succeeded in making "a more developed nuke" and Kim watched an H-bomb to be loaded into new ICBM.

DPRK test fired two ICBMs, Hwasong 14, in July, resulting in a resolution adopted last month by the United Nations Security Council imposing more sanctions on Pyongyang.

"Scientists further upgraded its technical performance at a higher ultra-modern level on the basis of precious successes made in the first H-bomb test," said the report referring to the said H-bomb, which it said had all its components home made and was "a multi-functional thermonuclear nuke with great destructive power which can be detonated even at high altitudes."

"Underlining the need for the institute to dynamically conduct the campaign for successfully concluding the final-stage research and development for perfecting the state nuclear force, he set forth tasks to be fulfilled in the research into nukes," said the report.
Holmes, the pseudonym of New Hampshire-born physician Herman Webster Mudgett, is believed to have killed an undetermined number people at his hotel of horrors during the 1893 Chicago Worlds Fair. It featured a bizarre labyrinth of windowless rooms, secret passageways, false floors, trapdoors and a vault. Most of the rooms had gas vents that were controlled from Mudgetts bedroom. Many of the rooms were soundproof and could only be locked from the outside.

But it was the murder of his business partner in Philadelphia that led to his conviction and hanging in 1896.

Holmes had left specific instructions for his burial. He was to be laid in a pine box and the box was then filled with cement, buried 10 feet (3.05 meters) in the ground and covered again with cement.

University of Pennsylvania anthropologist Samantha Cox, who did the forensic science on the exhumed remains, tells the NewsWorks online site that because of his unique burial requests, Holmes body had not properly decomposed.

She said his clothes were almost perfectly preserved and his moustache was intact on his skull. But the corpse had decayed.

It stank, Cox told the news site. Once it gets to that point we cant do anything with it. We cant test it, cant get any DNA out of it. Holmes teeth were used to identify him, she said.

WCAU-TV reports the remains were re-interred at Holy Cross Cemetery in Yeadon.

Holmes was the subject of the 2003 best-selling book, The Devil in the White City, by Erik Larson.

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South Korea President Moon Jae-in (top) speaks at the Forum for East Asia-Latin America Cooperation - YNA

Donald Trump agreed with South Korean President Moon Jae-in to revise a joint treaty capping the development of the South's ballistic missiles, Moon's office said on Saturday, amid a standoff over North Korea's missile and nuclear tests.

M Trump also gave "conceptual" approval to the purchase by the South of billions of dollars of US military hardware, the White House said.

The South wants to raise the missile cap to boost its defences against the reclusive North, which is pursuing missile and nuclear weapons programmes in defiance of international warnings and UN sanctions.

"The two leaders agreed to the principle of revising the missile guideline to a level desired by South Korea, sharing the view that it was necessary to strengthen South Korea's defence capabilities in response to North Korea's provocations and threats," South Korea's presidential Blue House said.

Impoverished North Korea and the rich, democratic South are technically still at war because their 1950-53 conflict ended in a truce, not a peace treaty. The North regularly threatens to destroy the South and its main ally, the United States.

North Korea sharply raised regional tension this week with the launch of its Hwasong-12 intermediate-range ballistic missile that flew over Japan and landed in the Pacific.

That followed the test launch of two long-range ballistic missiles in July in a sharply lofted trajectory that demonstrated a potential range of 10,000 km (6,000 miles) or more that would put many parts of the U.S. mainland within striking distance.

North Korea has been working to develop a nuclear-tipped missile capable of hitting the United States and has recently threatened to land missiles near the US Pacific territory of Guam.

South Korea's development of its ballistic missiles is limited to range of 800 km (500 miles) and payload weight of 500 kg (1,100 pounds) under a bilateral treaty revised in 2012.

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Factbox | North Koreas Hwasong-12

South Korea has said it wants to revise the agreement to increase the cap on the payload.

The two countries agreed to the cap as part of a commitment to a voluntary international arms-control pact known as the Missile Technology Control Regime, aimed at limiting the proliferation missiles and nuclear weapons.

The two leaders pledged to continue to apply strong diplomatic and economic pressure on North Korea and to make all necessary preparations to defend against the growing threat by the North, the White House said.

The White House did not mention the voluntary bilateral agreement but said the two leaders agreed to strengthen their defence cooperation and South Korea's defence capabilities.

Trump "provided his conceptual approval of planned purchases by South Korea of billions of dollars in American military equipment", the White House said.

Trump, who has warned that the U.S. military is "locked and loaded" in case of further North Korean provocation, reacted angrily to the latest missile test, declaring on Twitter that "talking is not the answer" to resolving the crisis.

North Korea defends its weapons programmes as necessary to counter perceived U.S. aggression, such as recent air manoeuvres with South Korean and Japanese jets.
Walter Becker, who co-founded the legendary jazz-rock band Steely Dan with Donald Fagen, died on Sunday at the age of 67.

The announcement of Beckers death was made on his website. No cause of death was disclosed.

In July, Becker skipped two Steely Dan shows in Los Angeles and New York. Fagen told Billboard his colleague was recovering from a procedure, but did not elaborate on the surgery or prognosis.

On Sunday, Fagen released a statement about Becker:

Walter Becker was my friend, my writing partner and my bandmate since we met as students at Bard College in 1967. We started writing nutty little tunes on an upright piano in a small sitting room in the lobby of Ward Manor, a mouldering old mansion on the Hudson River that the college used as a dorm. We liked a lot of the same things: jazz (from the 20s through the mid-60s), W.C. Fields, the Marx Brothers, science fiction, Nabokov, Kurt Vonnegut, Thomas Berger, and Robert Altman films come to mind. Also soul music and Chicago blues.

Fagen said he intends to keep the music we created together alive as long as I can with the Steely Dan band.

Becker was born in New York City on Feb. 20, 1950. As noted by Fagen, his collaboration with Becker began while they were attending Bard College in New Yorks Hudson Valley. But the fruits of their labor really blossomed with the 1972 release of Steely Dans debut album, Cant Buy A Thrill.

The band was named after a dildo mentioned in Naked Lunch, a novel by beat author William S. Burroughs.

Steely Dan made an immediate impression on the music world, thanks to two classic rock mainstays, Do It Again, and Reelin In The Years.

At first, Becker played bass in the group, but as Steely Dan became a duo by its fourth album, Katy Lied (1975), he concentrated more on lead guitar.

Working with Fagen, Becker was the source of many of the acerbic and obtuse song lyrics, such as the chorus to Deacon Blues, which details a mans self-proclaimed descent into loserdom.

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They got a name for the winners of the world/ I, I want a name when I lose/ They call Alabama the Crimson Tide/ Call me Deacon Blues.

Along with touring as part of a backup band for the 1960s pop group Jay and the Americans, Becker and Fagen attempted to become staff songwriters for ABC Records before finally forming Steely Dan.

Between 1972 and 1980, Steely Dan released seven albums, with their hits including Rikki Dont Lose That Number, Peg, Josie and Hey Nineteen.

After the release of Gaucho in 1980, Becker and Fagen disbanded their partnership for 13 years, reuniting for a 1993 tour.

During that period, Becker kept a low profile in Maui, Hawaii, occasionally producing other artists.

In 2000, Steely Dan released Two Against Nature, its first album of new material in 20 years. It was awarded the Grammy for Album of the Year.

In 2001, the band was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in Cleveland, where their official biography describes their 1970s albums as wry, nuanced and hyper-literate that are highly regarded by connoisseurs of pop hooks, jazz harmony and desiccating wit, according to Reuters.

Becker also released two solo albums: 11 Tracks Of Whack in 1994 and the reggae-inflected Circus Money in 2008.

As news of Beckers death spread, many celebrities took to Twitter to pay their respects.

So sad to hear. A true inspiration R.I.P. Walter Becker, Co-Creator of Steely Dan, Dies at 67 via @NYTimes https://t.co/TAGbygBjPq  Lisa Loeb (@LisaLoeb) September 3, 2017

#RIPWalterBecker Very sad news. They're one of my favorite bands. https://t.co/u2qmSbZp3Z  Nile Rodgers (@nilerodgers) September 3, 2017

Holy crap, Walter Becker has died (per NYT). Half of most amazing musical duo since Lennon/McCartney. RIP.  Harry Shearer (@theharryshearer) September 3, 2017

#RIPWalterBecker Steely Dan is a huge part of my musical DNA https://t.co/0tekrQ20Bj  Talib Kweli Greene (@TalibKweli) September 3, 2017

Walter Becker, you changed my life with music. You are so loved

Straight to the stars.... My friend pic.twitter.com/vqVeglX5Tc  Ryan Adams (@TheRyanAdams) September 3, 2017

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A 16-year-old was arrested Friday for allegedly killing Kaytlynn Cargill with a hammer over a drug deal in Bedford, Texas, local reports said. 14-year-old Cargill was reported missing on June 19 and was found in a landfill two days later in Arlington, Texas.

The death of the teenager is said to have been caused by homicidal violence and the police believe a hammer on which Cargills blood was found is the murder weapon, reported NBC 5.

An arrest warrant affidavit by Bedford police stated that the two teenagers were involved in a drug deal and Cargill had approached the juvenile to buy marijuana from him. At the time of her disappearance, it was reported that she left her family's home to walk her dog.

The affidavit said Cargill went to the teenagers apartment which was located in the same apartment complex and sought marijuana from him to make concentrated doses of cannabis which she planned to sell for $300, according to the affidavit, said New York Daily News.

After going through the suspects phone, police found text messages from Cargill asking a person referred to as Source 1 in the affidavit to take care of her dog while she was gone. The unnamed person said Cargill never responded to any of their text messages and never returned to take her dog back.

It was revealed in the affidavit that she was murdered in the apartment, with forensic experts finding blood splatters in several areas of the house.

Blood was also found on a hammer, a bathtub, a door frame, and on a patio ledge inside the apartment the suspect had been living and DNA testing confirmed that it was Cargills.

The suspect was arrested from Oscar Dean Wyatt High School in Fort Worth, Texas, Friday morning and was charged with murder in connection with her death and held on a $250,000 bond.

In a statement, police said: "Members of the Bedford Police Department have met with and informed Kaytlynns family of the juveniles detention. The juvenile was detained earlier today and has been taken to the Tarrant County Juvenile Detention Facility in Fort Worth. We want to take this opportunity to reassure our community that they are not at risk."

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Earlier, when Cargill had gone missing, Bedford police were criticized by social media for not issuing an Amber Alert for the missing teen, saying she may have been found earlier, had that happened. However, Bedford Police Chief Jeff Gibson defended the department's decision of not issuing it saying her case did not meet the requirements.

According to People magazine, Cargills family who requested for privacy remembered her in her obituary as  an explorer and an inquiring learner. She loved to take things apart and put them back together to make something new, it said.

She played sports, was active in band playing the trumpet, and spread her love of life to friends around her. Homework was not her favorite, unless it was practicing her trumpet as loud and proud as she could. It added.

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A 22-year-old Temple University student was reportedly found brutally murdered Saturday after leaving a Philadelphia bar with her suspected killer, reports said.

Jenna Burleigh, a junior at the university, was reported missing Friday after disappearing from a popular bar near the schools campus on Thursday around 2 a.m.

Read: 5 Frat Brothers Face Murder Charges After Freshman's Hazing Death

Burleighs body was found Saturday at a house 140 miles north of Philadelphia. A former Temple student, 29-year-old Joshua Hupperterz, has been charged with murder, abuse of a corpse, and other crimes in connection with Burleighs death.

The home where her body was found reportedly belongs to Hupperterz's grandmother. Police believe Burleigh was killed in Philadelphia and then taken to the Wayne County property.

Police found blood, large quantities of drugs and money in Hupperterzs Philadelphia home which sits around the corner from Pub Webb, a bar where Burleigh apparently met her suspected killer for the first time, the Philadelphia Inquirer reported.

The 22-year-old was last seen on surveillance footage leaving the bar and walking with Hupperterz to his apartment. A police source told the Philadelphia Inquirer that a neighbor heard screams coming from the apartment around 4 a.m.

Police said Hupperterz allegedly confessed to elements of the crime.

Our Beautiful Angel Jenna is now in Heaven, Burleighs father, Edward, posted Saturday evening on Facebook. Now I know for sure that you can have a broken heart RIP honey..

Police said the killing did not seem to be premeditated.

Read: Woman, 48, Arrested In Cold-Case Killing of College Student Butchered to Death in 1989

Friends who knew Burleigh took to Twitter to express their heartache at the news.

Jenna Burleigh had a huge impact on my life. She was one of the first friends I made in high school. She always told me she loved me.  matty, please (@MattyPea_) September 2, 2017

Jenna was electric to be around, a smart girl who truly cared about others. Anyone who met her for one second will feel the void of her loss  Marxo Kream (@PeacheyNicholas) September 2, 2017

Temple University President Richard Englert said Burleigh transferred from Montgomery County Community College a week prior to her death and was set to study film and media arts.

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Our deepest sympathies go out to Jennas family and her classmates, both here at Temple and at Montgomery County Community College, Englert said in a statement.

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Tim Cook was among the top tech leaders who sat down with Trump ahead of inauguration in hopes of helping shape the new presidents tech policy. But like many of those who held a glimmer of hope for some post-election softening of campaign rhetoric, Apples CEO has found more than a few reasons to push back. In the wake of the violence in Charlottesville last month that ended in three deaths, Cook issued a statement highlighting his disagreement with Trump's response.

Cook took to Twitter this morning, to expand on his support the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) following news that Trump could end the program next week. Signed by President Obama in 2012, the "Dreamers" program protects undocumented young immigrants from threat of deportation. In his tweet, Cook explained that the company currently employs 250 Dreamers.

250 of my Apple coworkers are #Dreamers. I stand with them. They deserve our respect as equals and a solution rooted in American values.  Tim Cook (@tim_cook) September 3, 2017

Trump told the press this week that hes been considering ending the program, with a press secretary adding that a decision would be announced on Tuesday of next week, just after the Labor Day holiday. The move would be an extension of the promises that fueled the Presidents campaign from the outset, including including the kick-off event in which, he told the crowd that Mexico is bringing drugs. They're bringing crime. They're rapists. And some, I assume, are good people.

News that Trump was strongly considering ending the program prompted Cook, along with the heads of Amazon, Google, Netflix and other key tech companies to pen a letter this week asking Trump to continue DACA. Dreamers are vital to the future of our companies and our economy, the letter reads. With them, we grow and create jobs. They are part of why we will continue to have a global competitive advantage.

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The letter noted the 780,000 hardworking young people that would risk deportation, should DACA come to an end. With todays tweet, Cook explained that the program is more than just abstract politics for the company. Ending it on Tuesday would have a tangible impact on Apple, along with the rest of the reported 72 percent of Fortune 500 companies that currently employ Dreamers.

The potential repeal has proven controversial even with leaders of Trump's own party. On Friday, House Speaker Paul Ryan expressed concern about the move, telling reporters, "I actually don't think he should do that. I believe that this is something that Congress has to fix."

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Washington (AFP) - US President Donald Trump announced Friday he plans to appoint James Bridenstine, a former navy pilot and Republican congressman, to head the US space agency NASA.

Bridenstine, 42, who backed Trump during the US presidential campaign, had long been considered the favorite for the job of NASA administrator.

But the nomination drew fire from two US senators from Florida who questioned the Oklahoma representative's qualifications to lead such a complex and highly technical agency.

Senator Bill Nelson, the ranking Democrat on the committee that oversees NASA, told the news site Politico the agency's new leader should be "a space professional, not a politician."

Marco Rubio, the state's other senator and a Republican, said the choice of Bridenstine "could be devastating for the space program."

"I would hate to see an administrator held up -- on [grounds of] partisanship, political arguments, past votes, or statements made in the past -- because the agency can't afford it and it can't afford the controversy," he told Politico.

Bridenstine, who was elected to Congress from Oklahoma in 2012, is a member of the House Armed Services Committee and the Committee on Science, Space and Technology.

According to the trade publication SpaceNews, Bridenstine has been a big proponent of giving the private sector a larger role in space.

The space agency is involved in all aspects of space exploration, as well as in Earth observation missions from space and in the development of new aerospace concepts.

Since the end of NASA's space shuttle program in 2011, the United States has had to rely on Russia to ferry their astronauts to the International Space Station.

NASA is currently developing a heavy launcher and capsule capable of taking astronauts to Mars in 2030 and beyond.

But it faces competition from billionaires like Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos and Elon Musk, who runs SpaceX and Tesla.

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NASA's proposed 2018 budget comes to a little more than $19 billion.

Bridenstine's experience is mainly in the military, as a pilot who flew combat missions in Iraq and Afghanistan, and as a member of the naval reserves has flown counter-drug missions in Central and South America.

He served as executive director of the Tulsa Air and Space Museum and Planetarium. He is also a member of the Oklahoma Air National Guard.

He has degrees from Rice University and Cornell.
President Donald Trump speaks about tax reform: AP

Donald Trump is said to be silently growing frustrated with some of the top members of his administration.

In recent weeks, the President reportedly clashed with several of his officials on policy issues. Meanwhile, a top adviser expressed disapproval of Mr Trump's controversial comments following a violent white nationalist rally in Charlottesville, Virginia.

Friends of Mr Trump told the Washington Post that while the President spent August dealing with North Koreas aggression, a tax reform plan and the governments response to damage brought by Hurricane Harvey, he was also fuming over criticism from the media and his aides.

One subject of the Presidents alleged fury is Gary Cohn, his chief economic adviser.

Mr Cohn, who is Jewish, told the Financial Times last week that this administration can and must do better in consistently and unequivocally condemning these groups, referring to the white nationalist and neo-Nazi groups that gathered to protest the removal of a Confederate statue in the Virginia city.

Mr Trump received bipartisan backlash for his remarks appearing to equate white supremacists and new-Nazis with the left-wing demonstrators who opposed them at the event.

Mr Cohn also said he felt enormous pressure to quit the administration following Mr Trumps response to the violent protests.

On Wednesday, Mr Cohn travelled with Mr Trump to Missouri, where the President announced the principles of his tax reform plan.

During a White House briefing, Press Secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders said Mr Trump still has confidence in Mr Cohn.

The President is working hand-in-hand with Gary and the rest of his team on tax reform, Ms Sanders said. As Ive said several times earlier today, that's a big priority for the administration moving into the fall. And Gary is an integral member of the team leading that effort.

According to the Post, Mr Trump is also apparently chafing against new restrictions placed on him by new Chief of Staff John Kelly, who appears to be trying to bring more order to the chaotic White House.

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Hes having a very hard time, a friend of Mr Trump told the newspaper. He doesnt like the way the medias handling him. He doesnt like how Kellys handling him. Hes turning on people that are very close to him.

But Mr Trump has publicly remained supportive of his Chief of Staff.

General John Kelly is doing a great job as Chief of Staff, Mr Trump tweeted on Friday. I could not be happier or more impressed - and this Administration continues to.....get things done at a record clip. Many big decisions to be made over the coming days and weeks. AMERICA FIRST!
In a stunning filing last night, the Department of Justice stated in a court case that neither the FBI nor its National Security Division ever wiretapped Trump Tower, contradicting a bombshell claim President Trump made in a series of early morning tweets on March 4.

The document is the first time the Department of Justice has officially denied the substance of the Tweets. Former FBI Director James Comey had already denied that the FBI ever wiretapped Trump.

Both FBI and NSD confirm that they have no records related to wiretaps as described by the March 4, 2017 tweets. the filing states.

The tweets were arguably the most incendiary the President had issued to date.

The statement came in a court filing Friday night in response to a Freedom of Information Act suit filed by the government watchdog group American Oversight, which had requested Warrant applications or records requesting a court order to intercept communications related to candidate Donald Trump, Trump Tower, entities housed in Trump Tower, or any person affiliated with Mr. Trumps campaign; court orders approving or rejecting those requests; records of those wiretaps, and; communications between the FBI or DOJ and Congress relating to these issues.

In an email, White House spokesman Sarah Huckabee Sanders wrote: "This isn't news. We have already addressed it."

But the DOJ filing indicates that it is, in fact, news.

Donald Trump

Jim Watson/AFP/Getty Images

"Other than this public statement by then-Director Comey addressing this specific assertion by the President, neither the FBI nor DOJ have publicly commented on or acknowledged the existence or non-existence of any FISA, Title III, or other wiretaps in connection with presidential candidate Donald Trump, Trump Tower (located at 725 5th Avenue, New York, NY), entities housed in Trump Tower, or any person affiliated with Mr. Trumps campaign, whether paid or unpaid, between June 16, 2015, and the present." (Italics added by Newsweek.)

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The White House has since argued Trump was actually referring to various foreign intelligence investigationsincluding the routine monitoring of Russians in the United Statesthat picked up communications with Trump campaign aides. Those aides identities were then unmasked or identified to Obama intelligence officials.

The DOJ document states that its response to the FOIA does not confirm or deny the existence of other records that might pertain to the FOIA request but were being withheld on grounds of national security, including foreign relations and the disclosure of intelligence sources and methods.

American Oversight Executive Director Austin Evers says the documents have confirmed in writing that President Trump lied when he tweeted that former President Obama wiretapped him at Trump Tower. As the president and his legal team continue their smear campaign against Mr. Comey, Special Counsel [Robert] Mueller and others investigating him, this filing confirms that even Trump's own Department of Justice does not believe he has credibility on a key element of the Russia investigation.

Besides Comey himself, former Director of National Intelligence James Clapper, who served as the head of the nations 17 intelligence gathering agencies, including the CIA and NSA, had also denied that the intelligence agencies bugged Trump. Clapper said that he would have known about a court order on something like this, and that the agencies he supervised had never wiretapped Trumps phones.

In a time-honored Washington P.R. stunt, the timing of the Friday night filing right before a three-day holiday so far shrouded the fact the Trumps own DOJ is, for the first time, officially contradicting one of his most notorious allegations.

Trump, his administration and their supporters in the media have dismissed congressional and special investigations into possible collusion with Russian election hackers by blaming the Obama administration and its deep state holdovers in the intelligence community for mounting a witch hunt.

The three-day Labor Day holiday is likely to be the last lull in the Trump-Russia investigation for some time. This week it was revealed that Special Counsel Mueller's team has been working with New York Attorney General Schneiderman, a legal force multiplier that is potentially catastrophic because Trump cannot pardon state crimes. In the next few weeks, Donald Trump Jr., and Trump Organization and Trump personal lawyer Michael Cohen, as well as other high-level aides, are scheduled to testify before Congressional committees.

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Being poor really is a headache.

New research finds a compelling link between migraines and financial instability. A study presented Saturday at the annual conference for the European College of Neuropsychopharmacology has identified certain mutations in the CLOCK gene, a gene associated with the sleep-wake cyclealso known as the circadian rhythmthat make chronic stress-triggered migraines more common.

Xenia Gonda, an assistant professor of psychiatry and psychotherapy at Semmelweis University in Budapest, Hungary, says the findingsbased on more than 2,000 peoplesupports the idea that stress can both interrupt normal sleep and trigger headaches.

This is very important to look at beyond anecdotal, to be able to understand it on the genetic level and biochemical level exactly how different stress sourcespossibly through different pathwaysdestructs functioning and leads to manifestations of different disorders like migraines, says Gonda.

Gonda says financial stress was used as a proxy because it a chronic type of stress that weighs a person down persistently, unlike, say, a work deadline. However, she says it is possible that different types of stressors have different pathways, though this hasnt been proven yet.

There are an estimated 39 million adults and children in the U.S. and 1 billion migraine sufferers worldwide, a condition that definitely causes sleep loss and interferes with job performance (and therefore potential earnings). A study conducted by researchers with the American Headache Society found people with 15 or more migraine incidents per month lost approximately 4.5 hours of work productivity each week.

For the study, Gonda and her co-researchers, lead researcher Gabriella Juhasz from the University of Manchester, along with first author Daniel Baksa of Semmelweis University, evaluated 999 patients from Budapest and 1,350 from Manchester. The researchers were looking specifically at two variants in the CLOCK gene to determine whether theyre associated with migraines. The researchers didnt find a consistent link between migraines and these gene mutations alone, but when they added in the factor of financial stressmeasured with self-reported questionnairesthe impact of these specific mutations stood out. They found these particular gene variants increased the odds of having migraines in subjects who suffered from financial hardship by around 20 percent.

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Gonda explains the variants in CLOCK impact communication that tells the gene how much of a certain protein to release. This protein is involved in the bodys circadian rhythm functioning. The variants in the gene identified by the researchers appears to inhibit this particular function. As a result, migraines may be more common when a a person faces chronic stress, the research suggests.

Gonda says that while their study doesnt show the cause of migraines, it does demonstrate that migraine sufferers most likely experience the condition as a result of both genetic and environmental factors. Migraine triggers are different in every person and can include everything from hormones and lack of sleep, to weather changes and food sensitivities. However, many migraine sufferers don't know the cause of their condition, which is why doctors often attribute the condition to stress.

Its not possible always to avoid stress, but that is why we need to understand which pathways actually trigger these disorders, says Gonda.

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Source: Xinhua| 2017-09-03 08:25:43|Editor: Song Lifang

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KATHMANDU, Sept. 3 (Xinhua) -- Himalaya Airlines, a Nepal-China joint venture, started its inaugural flight from Kathmandu to the city of Dammam in Saudi Arabia, on Friday night, the airline said on Saturday.

Dammam is the third destination for Nepal's only operating private sector-led international airline, in the Middle East after Doha, Qatar and Dubai, UAE. The maiden flight H9 559, bound for Dammam, departed from Tribhuvan International Airport, Kathmandu at 22:30 local time on Friday, according to the airline.

The company said in a press statement that it is the first and only Nepali airline to operate direct flights between both cities, meeting the strong demand from air travellers, especially Nepali migrant workers.

Presently, the airline will be operating a daily flight on this route.

Airline's Vice President (Administration) Vijay Shrestha said, "We are very happy to be the first and only airline to connect Dammam with Kathmandu directly. With this new route, Himalaya Airlines would be able to carter over 500,000 Nepalis staying in Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, enabling many of them to rejoice with their families during this festival season."

Nepal is celebrating the two biggest festivals - Dashain and Tihar in September and October when millions of Nepalis travel to reach their home town for celebration.

The airline started its first scheduled flight operations from May 31, 2016, flying directly to Doha. Presently, the airline is also operating its direct flights to Kuala Lumpur and Dubai.
By Andrea Shalal BERLIN (Reuters) - Chancellor Angela Merkel on Friday said Germany should react decisively to Ankara's detention of two further German citizens, amid growing calls for Berlin to issue a formal travel warning for Germans heading to Turkey. Twelve German citizens are now in Turkish detention on political charges, four of them holding dual citizenship. Among these is German-Turkish journalist Deniz Yucel, who will have been in detention 200 days on Friday. Under the circumstances, Merkel said she did not think it was appropriate to carry out further discussions with Ankara about its participation in a European Union customs union. "We must react decisively," Merkel told a business event in the southern city of Nuremberg, noting that Germany had already fundamentally revamped its relations with Ankara. "Given the latest events, perhaps it is necessary to rethink them ever further." Germany was not officially informed of the two new detentions, which took place at Antalya airport on Thursday, leaving Berlin's consulate in the coastal city of Izmir to learn of their arrest from "non-state sources", Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Adebahr told a news conference. Many European citizens have been detained in Turkey over the past year, accused of involvement in last year's failed coup against President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, whom many accuse of purging opposition under the cover of a crackdown. "We're trying to establish what they are charged with," said Adebahr said. "We must assume that it's a political charge, suspicion of terrorism, as with the others." Diplomats had not been able to contact them, she added, with Friday's public holiday celebrating the Muslim festival of Eid a possible reason for delays in contacting officials. Social Democrat Martin Schulz, Merkel's main challenger in Sept. 24 elections, and other German politicians urged Berlin to issue a formal travel warning for Germans heading to Turkey. The government in July urged German citizens to exercise caution if traveling to Turkey, but stopped short of issuing a formal travel warning. Juergen Hardt, a senior member of Merkel's conservatives, told Die Welt newspaper that a further tightening of the travel guidance "should be seriously considered". Cem Ozdemir, leader of the Greens party, told Bild newspaper he could no longer assure anyone they would be safe in Turkey. "Erdogan is no president, but a hostage-taker," Ozdemir told the daily newspaper Bild. No comment was immediately available from the foreign ministry about whether it was considering a travel warning. About 3 million people with Turkish heritage or citizenship live in Germany. Such a move could mark a significant setback for Turkey, which already saw the number of foreign visitors drop to its lowest level in nine years last year. Bookings from Germany accounted for some 10 percent of Turkey's tourists this year. (Additional reporting By Thomas Escritt, Andreas Rinke, Reuters TV; Editing by Michelle Martin and Richard Balmforth)
Congress returns Tuesday to grapple with the debt limit, tax reform, government funding to avoid a shutdown, recovery efforts  and a hostile leader

Seldom has a president done so much, so quickly, to cause such widespread animosity. Photograph: Carolyn Kaster/AP

He has gone from The Art of the Deal to How to Lose Friends and Alienate People. Donald Trump, increasingly isolated in the White House, faces a daunting task to get his presidency back on track when Congress returns on Tuesday from a summer ending all too soon.

Senators and Representatives could be forgiven for dragging their feet with a gloomy back-to-school air as they grapple with the debt limit, major tax reform, government funding to avoid a shutdown and, most urgently, recovery efforts after Hurricane Harvey in Texas.

The hurricane has handed Trump a random, unexpected opportunity-in-a-crisis. It deflected attention from his host of troubles in Washington, including the fallout of his controversial remarks about white supremacists in Charlottesville, Virginia. It also presented him with a moment he appeared to relish, a chance to play the man of action, the authority figure before a cheering crowd, taking on a foe that matched his own yuge sense of scale.

But the coming week puts him back somewhere he is far less comfortable: behind a desk, haggling over policy, juggling egos, playing politics, dealing with details and trying to do what he has not managed in seven months by getting some significant legislation passed. And he must do so in the teeth of a hostile headwind of his own making.

Trump has united Democrats and activists in opposition, burned bridges with many Republicans, lost some White House allies, such as chief strategist Steve Bannon, and angered others, such as chief economic adviser Gary Cohn, strained relations with cabinet members, including attorney general Jeff Sessions and secretary of state Rex Tillerson, clashed with the judiciary, squandered goodwill in the business community  he was forced to abandon three advisory panels as CEOs fled  and provoked a fierce backlash from many in the media, Hollywood and Silicon Valley. No man is an island, but the US president has become a uniquely toxic figure.

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Trumps residual support among his base is the only prop holding him up in Washington, where he demonstrated no competence and no strength in governing, said Sidney Blumenthal, a former senior adviser to Bill Clinton. He is seen by the Republican leadership as a profoundly destructive factor they havent figured out how to contain.

For the Congressional Republican leadership, Trump is their North Korea.

Pressing fiscal deadlines

The stakes are high in what Bannon, former White House chief strategist, reportedly referred to as meat-grinder month. Congress must raise the debt limit by 29 September, a move that enables the US to continue paying its bills, as well as pass a new spending bill by 30 September to avert a shutdown of the federal government.

The devastating aftermath of Harvey also poses a new challenge, with Trump vowing rapid action from Congress to send emergency relief funding toward flood-ravaged areas in Texas.

Lingering resentment between fiscal hawks and moderate Republicans from the 2012 funding battle over Hurricane Sandy rose to the surface in recent days, serving as a reminder that even the passage of emergency response legislation is no easy feat. Estimates for a Hurricane Harvey package are already exceeding $100bn, a price tag that could prompt objections from hardline conservatives.

Texas Senator Ted Cruz was among those who opposed a $50bn Hurricane Sandy relief bill, a vote that has come back to haunt him now that his home state has suffered its own catastrophe. Several members of the Texas delegation also voted against Hurricane Sandy aid in the House of Representatives.

Republicans in Congress have signalled that Hurricane Harvey relief could be doled out in stages, as opposed to a standalone package, over the course of months. They might also attach emergency money to one of the other must-pass bills, such the legislation to fund the government or increase the debt ceiling, thus making it more difficult for members to oppose.

Even as the White House and congressional leaders agree the pressing fiscal deadlines must be met, differences over political priorities have raised the spectre of a showdown ahead.

The wall and government shutdown

Trump has insisted that a government funding bill include money for his promised wall along the US-Mexico border, a nonstarter with Democrats whose votes would be necessary to avoid a shutdown.

I hope thats not necessary, Trump said this week of a possible government shutdown over the wall. If its necessary, well have to see  The wall is needed from the standpoint of security.

House speaker Paul Ryan pushed back on the idea of shutting down the government over the border wall. But administration officials have refused to back away from the presidents threat to stake government operations on funding for what was arguably his most signature campaign promise.

The presidents very much committed to building the wall, White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders told reporters Friday when asked if Trump was willing to take a shutdown over the wall off the table.



S&P Global economists have warned of dire consequences should Congress trigger a government shutdown, with a potential cost to the US of at least $6.5bn a week.

Frank Luntz, a Republican consultant and pollster, said: There is so much that needs to get done and it hasnt been a good August for anybody. The will is there but well have to see if theres a way. The failures to pass healthcare and tax reform are the ingredients of a disaster next November [in the 2018 midterm elections] but its amazing what you can do when youre staring defeat in the face.

Trump outlined a broad vision for tax reform in a speech in Missouri on Wednesday, putting the onus on Congress to hash out the specifics and send a comprehensive bill to his desk.

Deeming it a once-in-a-generation opportunity, Trump said he was fully committed to working with Congress to lower tax rates and boost wages, even as he somewhat ominously warned: I dont want to be disappointed by Congress. Do you understand me?

The approach was reminiscent of Trumps involvement in this years healthcare debate, when the president used the bully pulpit to demand that Republicans repeal and replace Obamacare but kept a distance from the policy details and deal-making.

Trump subsequently blamed Republicans, taking unusually public aim at McConnell, for the failure to dismantle Barack Obamas healthcare law. He also attacked Arizona senators John McCain and Jeff Flake, the latter ranking among the more vulnerable incumbents facing reelection in 2018.

Blumenthal, also an author and biographer of Abraham Lincoln, said: Mitch McConnell has to be able to discipline his unruly Senate which has so far been unable to achieve passage of any meaningful legislation. Trump is a major obstacle to him and threatens to force a crisis.

Trump has decided McConnell is his enemy and is positioning himself against McConnell and Congressional Republicans in order to blame them for his own spectacular incapacity to govern. Its a deliberate strategy on Trumps part and McConnell is aware of it. It will figure into how events work out in the coming months.

A divided party

Trump does still have one ally: his core populist support, as evidenced by his regular rallies where the enthusiasm remains palpable. Blumenthal added: Trump still holds his base which is still a majority of the Republican party and because of that hes able to terrorise Congressional Republicans. The consequences are that hes further destabilizing the party.

Trumps comments on Charlottesville, where he blamed both sides for violence, and his controversial pardon of Sheriff Joe Arpaio earned a double dose of criticism from Ryan. Hurricane Harvey did, at least, give him a chance to strike a note of unity. He was lavished with praise by the Republican governor of Texas, Greg Abbott, although he could not resist some classic Trumpisms such as, What a crowd, what a turnout, as he waved the state flag.

Michael Steel, a former aide to retired GOP House speaker John Boehner, said Trumps relationship with Republicans in Congress is probably never going to be completely smooth.

But the presidents remarks on tax reform were far more in line with the needs of Republicans on Capitol Hill. Congressional Republicans dont need the president diving into the nitty gritty of this percentage versus that percentage or this deduction versus that deduction, Steel said. They need is for him to make a big, broad base case for the importance of tax reform.

Among the lessons learned from healthcare, he added, was the importance of having the president engaged leading up to the vote and out campaigning across the country for these policy changes and their benefits.

Although Steel acknowledged Trump remained an unpredictable leader, overhauling the nations tax code had been a priority for Republicans and one they were capable of steering on their own. Congressional leaders are totally dedicated to getting something done on this, he said. Tweets or taunts from the president are not going to deter them.

Lanhee Chen, a research fellow at the Hoover Institution in Stanford, California, agreed: Its going to be a tough slog to get through but when it comes to working together, they will do it and it will be all right. Its fair to say the president is isolated in a lot of ways but the pull of partisanship is still a strong one.

Divisions in the Republican party have always been there and should not be pinned on Trump alone, he added. Healthcare expressed the sincere policy differences between Republicans and exposed the delicate coalition that is the modern Republican party. As Paul Ryan said, governing is difficult.

This may be little consolation to Trump as he broods on his self-inflicted wounds and the potential endgame. If Democrats take the House in 2018 and move to impeach him, perhaps in the wake of special counsel Robert Muellers investigation into alleged collusion with Russia, Trump will need to hope that McConnell is forgiving enough to save his skin in the Senate.

Seldom has a president done so much, so quickly, to cause such widespread animosity. His only potential rival, perhaps, is British journalist Toby Young, who in his memoir How to Lose Friends and Alienate People chronicled his comical failure to take the Manhattan media world by storm at Vanity Fair magazine.

Young, however, thinks not. I dont think our two situations are comparable, he wrote in an email. I made a few inappropriate jokes and took the Mickey out of the wrong people and, as a result, cut short my career as a glossy magazine journalist in New York. Trump might well destroy western civilisation.


Moscow (AFP) - Russia demanded Sunday that the US rethink its shuttering of Moscow's diplomatic premises, insisting that Washington bore sole responsibility for worsening ties after the "hostile act".

"We consider what has happened as an openly hostile act and a gross violation of international law by Washington," the foreign ministry in Moscow said in a statement.

"We call on the American authorities to come to their senses and immediately return the Russian diplomatic properties or all blame for the continuing degradation in our relations lies on the US."

Kremlin spokesman Dmitri Peskov for his part accused Washington of "trampling on international law".

On Saturday, Russia was forced to vacate its consulate in San Francisco and two diplomatic buildings in New York and Washington after the US ordered the move, the latest twist of a lengthy feud.

US federal agents inspected a Russian trade mission in Washington to confirm its closure, a step that drew a fierce diplomatic protest Saturday from Moscow.

The foreign ministry said Sunday that the "US intelligence services with the support of armed police were now in charge of the seized buildings."

Washington issued the closure order Thursday in retaliation for Moscow ordering the US to slash its diplomatic mission by 755 personnel by September 1.

The number of US diplomatic staff will now be capped at 455, the same number that Russia has in the United States.

The recent surge in tensions between the two nuclear-armed powers is a diplomatic setback for US President Donald Trump.

During his campaign for office last year and in the early days of his presidency he promised to try to improve relations with Russian President Vladimir Putin.

Last year, tensions again escalated after US intelligence accused Putin of orchestrating a hacking and influence campaign to tip the presidential vote to Trump.

In the waning days of his tenure, president Barack Obama punished Russia by turfing out 35 diplomats and closing diplomatic compounds in New York and Maryland.

Moscow initially held off from retaliating but when Congress passed new sanctions, the Kremlin decided to belatedly strike back and ordered the US staff cut.
US Defence Secretary James Mattis and General Joseph Dunford, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, arrive to speak to the press about the situation in North Korea at the White House in Washington DC on 3 September 2017: NICHOLAS KAMM/AFP/Getty Images

Defence Secretary James Mattis has said the US is not looking for the "total annihilation" of North Korea, but stressed that there were "many options" in how to respond to Pyongyang's latest nuclear bomb test.

Mr Mattis said Donald Trump met with a small group of military and defence officials at the White House after US intelligence officials confirmed that the test of a bomb that is reportedly ready to fit onto an intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM).

"We made it clear we have the ability to defend ourselves and our allies," Mr Marris said.

Mr Mattis said North Korea's leader Kim Jong-un should "take heed" of the United Nations Security Council's "unified voice" on the issue, as shown by its decision to impose sanctions as well as its "commitment to denuclearise the Korean peninsula".

The Defence Secretary also stressed the "iron-clad" commitments of the US to allies like South Korea and Japan.

"Any threat to the US", its territories like the Pacific island of Guam, or its allies would be met with a "massive military response ... both effective and overwhelming," Mr Mattis said.

He said the group of military advisers had briefed the President on each of the military responses available.

Mr Trump has previously made it known that "all options are on the table" with regards to North Korea, raising fears of war. And, as he left church on Sunday morning, he said simply "we'll see" when asked by a reporter if military action would be taken.

Mr Mattis, however, has said that the US will never run out of diplomatic solutions, implying that military action against Mr Kim would be a last resort.

A few months ago, it was reported that North Korea had developed the technology to fit a nuclear warhead capable of fitting on an ICBM.

A week ago, Pyongyang fired a missile over the Japanese island of Hokkiado and then came the test of what North Korea said was an advanced hydrogen bomb.

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UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres said the latest test was "profoundly destabilising for regional security".

The US Ambassador to the UN, Nikki Haley, confirmed the Security Council would hold an emergency meeting on Monday to discuss the situation at the request of France, Japan, South Korea, the UK, and the US.
By Katharine Houreld and Maggie Fick NAIROBI (Reuters) - Kenya's Supreme Court ruling to scrap last month's presidential election was shaped by a new chief justice who proved a staunch defender of judicial independence on a continent where judges are often seen as being under the thumb of executive powers. David Maraga's declaration that the Aug. 8 election was void and demand for a new poll with 60 days shocked many in the East African nation and abroad. But his announcement, after a 4-2 vote by a court panel to annul the vote, didn't surprise those who know the chief justice. "We knew this case was coming and he was the man to hear it," Professor Tom Ojienda, who worked with Maraga and sits on the Judicial Service Commission that appointed him chief justice, told Reuters. "He is a stickler for the rules." President Uhuru Kenyatta, who was expected to be sworn in for a second term until Friday's Supreme Court ruling, said he respected the decision. But he took a swipe at Maraga's colleagues, calling them "crooks" and saying the judiciary needed fixing. Kenya, a U.S. ally in the fight against Islamists and a trade gateway to East Africa, has a history of disputed votes. A row after the 2007 vote led to ethnic bloodshed that killed more than 1,200 people. In 2013, a bid by veteran opponent Raila Odinga to secure an election rerun was rejected by the Supreme Court. This time, the opposition changed tack in their petition. Instead of seeking to prove enough votes were fake to undermine the vote - an almost impossible task in the two weeks the court had to give its judgment - Odinga's supporters sought to demonstrate that the online tallying process lacked integrity. The new approach may have been a key factor in securing a decision that had the backing of four of the panel's six judges, who have three weeks from the ruling to publish details of their decision. But the opposition also found in the chief justice a man ready to defend judicial powers against the highest office and unswayed by a tendency in Kenya, a nation of more than 40 ethnic groups, for voters to back fellow clans people. Within months of his appointment in October, Maraga called out Kenyatta for telling voters on a campaign stop in Maraga's home region of Nyamira County in April that "their son" had a job. Maraga responded that his appointment had nothing to do with the president. Kenyatta is a Kikuyu, Kenya's biggest ethnic group but still a minority. Odinga is a Luo, another big grouping. The chief justice is Kisii, a smaller group from Kenya's western highlands. Maraga also sent a clear message to national leaders on Aug. 2 that the judiciary was above the political fray. "A LITTLE SOMETHING" "The emerging culture of public lynching of judges and judicial officers by the political class is a vile affront to the rule of law and must be fiercely resisted," he said in a statement. Maraga did not immediately issue a response to Kenyatta's latest comments. Reuters could not reach him for comment. Kenyans have long complained that getting any official business done requires a "kitu kidogo", Swahili for "a little something" or bribe, a frustration that is echoed across Africa. But Kenya has slowly rebuilt confidence in its judiciary after the post-2007 vote violence. A new constitution in 2010 demanded reforms of the judiciary and other public institutions. Maraga, who has risen the ranks as those reforms have been implement, was known by colleagues for his strict adherence to the rules even as a young lawyer. A devout Christian of the Seventh Day Adventist tradition, he built his practice in the Rift Valley city of Nakuru rather than to Nairobi where he where he could have secured more high profile cases and would have more easily rubbed shoulders with the rich and powerful, his colleagues said. "If a client gave you any problem, or asked for anything that was wrong, or refused to pay, (Maraga) would just say, 'Let him go. Other ones will come'," said Professor Ojienda said. Maraga's integrity and record of strictly interpreting election procedures in past polls swayed the commission to appoint him last October, Ojienda said. The opposition's high hopes in 2013 that it could overturn that election result were dashed. Supreme Court judges, then led by Maraga's predecessor Willy Mutunga, rejected their petition. This time, even Odinga - a former prime minister who has fought and lost three presidential races including this one - seemed surprised. After listening to Friday's ruling in court, he broke out into a broad grin and pumped his fist in the air. Since 2013, several new judges were appointed to the Supreme Court's seven-strong panel. Friday's decision was backed by Maraga and two others appointed after 2013. Another, who had been on the panel in 2013, also backed the ruling. Two judges dissented, while one was ill and did not vote. "An election is not an event, it is a process from the beginning to the end," Maraga said before reading the ruling. Four years earlier, the opposition had some of their arguments thrown out as they were lodged too late, while their complaints about the widespread failure of the electronic voting systems failed to convince the judges. This time, the opposition case hinged on the election board's failure to post online tally forms from each of the 40,883 polling stations before announcing results. The forms were supposed to be signed by each party's agent, as a hard-copy backup to the electronic transmission. But thousands of forms were missing from the board's website when it announced results. A report by independent court-appointed experts found many forms lacked official stamps, signatures or serial numbers. That was enough to convince a majority in Maraga's panel. (Corrects ethnicity of Chief Justice, paragraph 11) (Additional reporting by John Ndiso; Writing by Katharine Houreld; Editing by Edmund Blair and David Goodman)
Five weeks after the evacuation of the Israeli embassy in Jordan following the attack incident in which an Israeli security guard shot and killed two Jordanians in apparent self defense, Israeli Ambassador to Jordan Einat Shlain and the embassy staff have yet to return to Jordan, and the diplomatic crisis is far from being resolved.

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During said incident, Israeli guard Ziv Moyal was allegedly stabbed by a teenaged Jordanian Muhammad al-Jawawdeh. Moyal then opened fire, killing al-Jawawdeh and Jordanian landlord Bassem al-Hamarna, who was apparently present but not part of the attack.

Jordan is currently refusing to accept Shlain's return to the embassy, after she and Moyal were photographed being received by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who celebrated the guard's actions upon his return.

L to R: Shlain, Netanyahu and Moyal upon the delegation's return to Israel (Photo: Haim Tzach/GPO)

Sources estimated that in light of Jordan's outright refusal, Israel will have no choice but to appoint a new ambassador, if it intends to restore normal relations with Jordan.

Photo: Haim Tzach/GPO

In the meantime, the Israel Police's investigation of Moyal's actions has not yet ended, although all the signs show that Moyal's claim of self defense holds up.

As a result, Israel-Jordanian relations have been in a state of freeze: no visas are being issued, resulting in thousands of Jordanians and Palestinians living in Jordan who cannot enter Israel through the Allenby crossing. In addition, since the incident, 163 passports of Jordanian citizens waiting to receive a visa to Israel have been held in a safe of the Israeli embassy in Jordan.
A commercial by construction firm Elad Israel to market its new TLV Park housing project in southern Tel Aviv was taken down amid criticism it was offensive, racist and disrespectful to people who live in the periphery and particularly to Mizrahi Jews.

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The commercial features a young Tel Avivian couple, Efrat and Omer, who left the city because of high rents and "because of the child. Not ours, the landlord's, who wanted to move into the apartment," they explain in the commercial.

They move to "the green Ganei Gan" where they praise their new place of living, with the emphasis on the fact they are clueless about how bad their new home is.

The young Tel Avivian couple

In one scene, they explain with a straight face how central the place they chose to live in is. "Only three bus changes and you're in Modiin," and "Only 11 hours (flight) from New York. Watch two movies and you're there."

In another scene a man runs past them on the street as he is being chased by two burly men, and the couple talks about the "new running groups trend that's catching on."

The local hairdresser has a big mustache, a shirt from the 70s and an ancient hair dryer. "So vintage," Efrat says enthusiastically, only to learn the hairdresser gives the same red bob haircut to all of the women in the neighborhood.

Vintage hairdresser

There is also a gag about the local kindergarten, which has a Mizrahi teacher who dances with the children to cheesy pop music.

The local restaurant, meanwhile, serves only deli meat sandwiches.

Criticism on social media focused on the fact the commercial seemingly includes "all stereotypes and prejudices in Israeli society," according to Mirit Mashiah, a real estate professional.

Elad Israel, a construction company owned by business magnate Yitzhak Tshuva, said in response to the criticism that "The TLV Park project is a young and fresh alternative for a public that is looking to live in Tel Aviv for attractive prices. The commercial is done humoristically, and it's a shame the heat of the summer is driving some people crazy."
Want to go on vacation, but don't want to leave your pooch behind? Bring your pup to Israel!

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Vibe Israel, a nonprofit organization leading initiatives to strengthen Israel's brand in the world, is inviting five dogs from the US along with their humans for a pampering five-star vacation to the Holy Land.

But not just any canine. Vibe Israel is looking for three dogs who have a wide following on Instagram, along with two others who are popular on the photo-based social media platform, but don't necessarily have to be online superstars.

Win a doggy vacay to Israel with your furry BFF

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The popular pups (or, rather, their owners) will post photos of their experiences on Instagram, for all to see and be peanut butter and jelly.

Vibe Israel is hoping the publicity from the star doggies can help market Israel as a country that loves and is welcoming to man's best friend.

Registration for the project is already underway and will be closed on September 12. A committee will examine the candidates and announce the five lucky pooches to win a dream vacation with their owners on September 15.

The competition is limited to small dogs that can travel in the cabin of the plane with their owners, to ensure the pups, like their humans, arrive in Israel in a good mood rather than traumatized by a flight spent in the cargo hold.

The dream vacation will last for five days in late October. The VIDs (yes, the Very Important Dogs) will get to enjoy everything a pup could dream of, including fun nature walks in the hills of Jerusalem, beach hangs or a dip in the pool, a special spa for canines where they will enjoy a rejuvenating massage, gourmet doggy food prepared especially for them by chefs who specialize in meals for dogs, doggy-dates with Israeli pooches, wild beach parties, and pet-friendly hotels.

One of the main stops of the Doggy Vacay to Israel will be Tel Aviv, the city with the most dogs per-capita in the world.

Their two-legged companions won't suffer either and will get to enjoy an incredible experience in Israel with their best friend by their side.

The dogs and their owners will also get to meet Israeli celebs with their own four-legged BFFs.

The humans will be in charge of documenting their pups' experience with photos and videos, and share the fun on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter.

Joanna Landau, the founder and CEO of Vibe Israel, said, "Israel invests great efforts in explaining its policies to the world, but as we can see most of these messages fall upon deaf ears, especially when it comes to Millennials. That's why we decided, as an expansion of the tours of Israel we have been offering digital influencers for the last few years, to embark upon this unique, original and viral campaign that is aimed directly at the dogs."
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's former chief of staff David Sharan was identified Sunday evening as one of the suspects police are seeking to flip into a state witness in the submarine affair, also referred to as Case 3000.

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Sharan was one of the six people who were detained Sunday morning for questioning over suspicions of bribery in the affair, as part of the ongoing investigation into the purchase of submarines from Germany for the Israeli Navy.

The Rishon LeZion Magistrates Court extended his arrest Sunday evening by five days after investigators marked him as one of the suspects who possessed critical information on the affair.

Also detained for questioning were several former top IDF officers, among them former Navy commander Maj.-Gen. (res.) Eliezer Marom and a former commander in the elite Shayetet 13 naval commando unit, with the latter's remand extended until Wednesday. A gag order was placed in the publication of his name.

David Sharan (Photo: Reuters)

A police spokesperson said the persons detained are suspected of financial and ethical offenses.

"The six were detained this morning and their homes and offices were searched in order to apprehend documents relevant to the investigation," a police statement said.

Another one of the suspects arrested was strategic advisor Nati Mor to whom police attribute offenses of bribery and the transfer of money to a public servant. His arrest was also extended.

Former navy chief Eliezer Marom was detained for questioning (Photo: Elad Gershgoren)

State witness Miki Ganor provided his investigators with detailed testimony as to the criminal offenses he had committed both in the submarine affair and other deals in which he acted as a go-between for the security establishment, giving rise to the wave of arrests on Sunday.

While the precise contents of his testimony could not originally be fully divulged to the public due to a gag order, a top police official said last month Ganor also provided investigators with tapes and text messages. "He's giving us excellent materials," the police admitted.

By Sunday afternoon, Ynet had obtained information on evidence provided by Ganor, which pointed to the fact that the mechanisms of bribery were well greased and intended to be hidden and implicated the arrested suspects.

Photo: Amit Sha'al

Ganor allegedly said that in a bid to win the submarine tender, he signed fictitious agreements with strategic advisors worth hundreds of thousands of shekels which eventually flowed, as bribes, into the pockets of a former senior official in Netanyahus bureau, which turned out to be Sharan.

Ganors testimony has raised suspicion in the police that he sought to ensure his appointment using the connection he made with that former PMO official.

The police believe Sharan was a key player in the affair and possesses crucial and substantial pieces of evidence.

The Prime Minister's attorney David Shimron (L) and Miki Ganor (Photo: Orel Cohen, Ohad Zwigenberg)

Meanwhile, it was reported Sunday evening that police were considering offering state witness status in return for his cooperation to a former official in Netanyahus bureau who was one of the six who were arrested.

He knows a lot about what took place during the period in which he worked, police officials said.

Police also intend to request extending the Sharan's arrest due to Ganors testimony and, placing such value on the information he possesses, have said he could be an Ari Harow 2."

IDF submarines (Photo: IDF Spokesperson's Unit)

Ganorwho served as representative for the German ThyssenKrupp company that builds submarines for the Israeli Navysaid in his testimony adv. David Shimron, the prime minister's personal attorney, was set to receive commission estimated to total $10 million (NIS 35 million) in order to push through the decision to purchase the submarines.

"The claims made here are so far removed from reality that it's inconceivable the state witness made them to the police," said attorneys Jacob Weinroth and Amit Hadad on behalf of Shimron. "In any event, in the entire period Shimron represented Ganor he acted as an attorney and all of his actions were aboveboard."
Source: Xinhua| 2017-09-03 09:30:52|Editor: Mengjie

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BEIJING, Sept. 3 (Xinhua) -- Myanmar's Speaker of the House of Representative (Lower House) U Win Myint will visit China from Monday to Saturday, said a press release from China's National People's Congress (NPC) on Sunday.

U Win Myint will pay the visit at the invitation of Zhang Dejiang, chairman of the NPC Standing Committee, said the press release.
A member of a crime organization in southern Israel has recently been arrested on suspicion of threatening an Israel Police representative in Thailand.

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The Israel Police, aided by the Interpol, conducted an investigation over the last month following a series of threats and slanderous comments on social media and other websites against the Israel Police's representative in Thailand, Deputy Commissioner Yoni Hajaj.

The reason behind the threats and slander was reportedly the belief Hajaj was involved in the arrest of a murder suspect in Thailand.

Among other things, the suspect wrote online posts with explicit threats to the officer and his children, uploaded photos of Hajaj with a superimposed gun shooting a bullet at his head, and the publication of false stories in which the suspect planted slander against the officer.

These online publications were also sent to Israel's consulate in Thailand and the local Chabad rabbi as well as to lawyers and businessmen.

In light of these threats, Hajaj was put under tight security.

During the investigation, Michal Zaguri, the wife of southern crime boss Yaniv Zaguri, was arrested on suspicion of spreading the slanderous and threatening content. She was later released.

A week ago, the Central Unit's detectives arrested five suspects, three of them residents of Be'er Sheva and two others residents of central Israel, who are linked to the southern crime organization. Four of them have since been released under restrictions.

Police were able to establish an evidentiary basis against the main suspect, a resident of Ramla. A prosecutor's statement was filed against him on Thursday and on Sunday he is expected to be indicted.

The investigation is still ongoing and police are expected to make more arrests in Israel, Thailand and other countries.

"The Israel Police views threats and slander against police officers, in an effort to stop them from doing their job, to be the crossing of a red line," the police said in a statement.
In the pursuit of vital security and economic interests in the 21st century, Israel needs a grand maritime strategy . It requires a designated agency responsible for implementing it.

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The sea is used for global commercemillions of tons of goods are on the move right now over the wavesand for Israel, 95% of all trade is sea-based.

FROM THE STRAITS OF TIRAN TO BAB El-MANDEB

When Egypt shut the Straits of Tiran in 1967, Israel began feeling the choke hold of isolation. Today, strategic waterways like the Bab El-Mandeb Straits in Yemen, overlooking the Red Sea, are threatened by radical, Iranian-backed forces.

A grand maritime strategy will enable Israel to reduce the threat of future choke holds to its sea access. This will secure the country's access to international trade, which is vital to maintaining the daily fabric of life.

Photo: AFP

Such a strategy will also promote Israel's gas and energy interests, which exist in the form of offshore gas rigs in the Mediterranean Sea.

It is impossible to separate Jerusalem's economic and security interests. A grand maritime strategy can protect them both.

COHESION AND CLUSTERS ARE KEY

Currently, Israels maritime planning exists but is disjointed. One government ministry plans to create offshore islands for marinas, and a second ministry is considering an offshore airport. The Finance Ministrys Planning Department is examining many of these issues, but there is still a lack of a centralized national maritime domain that can formulate goals and priorities.

The goal now should be to link up all sea-based planning, and appoint one party to be responsible for synchronizing the pursuit of Israel's various sea-linked interests.

The current set-up means that decision makers in one area do not take into account factors from another area that are important, and which should be influencing the national maritime policy.

Israel could draw lessons from the government of Portugal on this matter. When the Portuguese government took a decision to 'return to the sea,' it set up a Sea Ministry, whose job it is to take into account all of the national interests, and draw up policy accordingly.

Several other countries have something known as a maritime cluster, which is a concentration of all actors who are relevant to the sea sector. They sit under one roof, and each party presents its stance, interests, and recommendations. This generates significantly more knowledge and awareness at the political decision-making level.

Israel is highly advanced in the field of technological innovation, but paradoxically, in the maritime field, insufficient innovation is taking place. The time has come to change this. With the right government leadership and initiatives, we can enlarge the innovation map to encompass maritime technology. We ought to do so.

A GRAND STRATEGY BEGETS SECURITY

With a grand maritime strategy, a military naval strategy could flourish and evolve. Maritime security is a factor that influences all other national sea matters. The navy's job is to be the gatekeeper of the sea and to deliver information on threats in the surrounding environment, and here, job of Israel's navy would be vital. In this respect, Israels naval security needs are many and unique.

The Portuguese navy, for example, does not need to be concerned about mass disruption to the country's sea-based resources from terrorists and hostile, heavily-armed enemies. Israel does.

For a grand maritime strategy to succeed, the navy needs to prevent foes from infiltrating the area and threatening sea-based traffic and assets such as ports, energy sources, and other national infrastructure at sea.

A national maritime strategy could also include using the sea to forge better relations with neighboring states, and here too, the navys role would be central.

The navy is in a unique position to set up cooperation mechanisms with neighboring states against external threats, based on a common interest in maritime security and broad stability.

Photo: AFP

With the correct methodology, Israel can begin creating its own maritime cluster, one that will eventually be able to engage with the European Union's maritime cluster. A failure to do this might result in an Israeli inability to integrate itself into the international maritime arena.

Government ministries have already begun preparing projects and policies for the sea. All that is lacking now is a decision to synchronize all of their activities, for the good of Israel's economy and security.

LOOK TO THE SEA TO INCREASE INFRASTRUCTURE FOR THE POPULOUS

There are other important reasons to kick start a grand maritime policy process.

Israel requires a long-term plan to deal with the ever-growing crowded Israeli landmass, which is running out of building space for infrastructure sites.

In light of the urban sprawl spreading throughout Israel's population centers, there can be no land-based solution to the country's long term future infrastructure needs. Building a power plant on every available green hilltop is not the solution.

The next power station can be built on top of an artificial island, out at sea.

The sea can also play a vital role in addressing the growing need to find alternative sources of food supplies. With fish stocks eroding in the Mediterranean, one viable plan is to create sea farms in the depths of the Mediterranean, yielding both a sufficient supply for internal consumption, and exports as well.

These growing demandscivil, economic, and securityrequire a holistic strategy, and the time to begin formulating it is now.
On his exit from the bunker, which he entered on his own volition 11 years ago, in one of the suburbs of Beirut, the secretary-general of Hezbollah tends to dress-up. Hassan Nasrallah ditches his thawb and Turban and wears regular trousers, a light shirt and a jacketvery businessman-esque.

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There were years when he rightly feared that once he was identified outside his hiding place, Israel would be quick to settle their score with him.

Hassan Nasrallah (L) and Bashar al-Assad (Photo: AFP, HO / SANA)

When he discovered that the Israelis were almost completely ignoring him, Nasrallah began to fearagain rightly sothat his innumerable rivals in Lebanon or the proxies of his rivals in neighboring countries would seize the opportunity as soon as they could get their hands on him: With an explosive device or pistol held to his head.

Nasrallah knows that he is transparent to Israeli eyes. There are those whose job it is to identify when he is tired of shutting himself up in a bunker and goes to another, as at his disposal are three bunkers he wanders between. Israel also made sure to hint to him that his secret trips to Damascus and Tehran are no secret from their eyes. Nasrallah himself knows that we know.

He is still worried about drones in the skies of Beirut, and on the other hand, he has come to appreciate that he is an immediate target of Israel, and that there is no such thing as an assassination squad sent to ambush him.

Therefore, Nasrallah's public announcement about his trip to Damascus to meet with Bashar al-Assad shouldn't have surprised anyone.

All in all, he left his bunker in his regular fashion, dressed in disguise, boarded a vehicle with his security guardsalso in civilian clothes, other vehicles joined to secure the convoy along the road, and the 90-minute journey passed smoothly.

It is much more interesting to ponder what happened in the conversation between the two, and why the deal between Hezbollah and ISIS could not be closed over the phone.

Here are some more insights from the deal: In the series of secret contacts, and in the meeting with Assad, Nasrallah replaced the Lebanese chief of staff. It was him, and not Brigadier-General Joseph Aoun who brokered the plan to expel 300 ISIS militants who had settled along the Syrian-Lebanese border.

Hezbollah supporters celebrating the removal of ISIS from the Lebanese border (Photo: EPA)

The militants come out of hiding along with their personal weapons, their families join, and Lebanon and Syria pledge not to harm the convoy. In return, the bodies of nine Lebanese army soldiers and an Iranian soldier who were murdered by ISIS will be returned, along with two other live captives.

But on Friday, the convoy turned into a humanitarian crisis. US coalition planes bombed the road, six buses got stranded, women and children were left without food or water, and aid vehicles were blocked because of air strikes.

By the way, a similar deal has been denounced and slandered by Nasrallah. At that time, they were ISIS terrorists expelled from Mosul in Iraq, and Nasrallah called the Iraqi government ministers "agents" and accused them of collaborating with the US military.

The "liberation deal," as Nasrallah called it, is intended to relocate the militants to Deir ez-Zor in Syria, which is controlled by ISIS and close to the border with Iraq. This is like a bone re-stuck in the throat of Haider al-Abadi, the prime minister of Iraq, who sees how Nasrallah, encouraged by Tehran, kicked 300 armed ISIS terrorists into his side of the field.

Nasrallah and Iran are aware of the timetable: Soon the presidential elections will take place in Iraq, and in three weeks the referendum on the independence of Kurdistan was be held. The pressures from the Turkish, Iraqi and Iranian sides will continue until the last minute, and the deal that returns 300 ISIS terrorists and their families to the area only adds more fuel to the fire.

What is certain is that Nasrallah cleaned up the Lebanese arena for Iran's Revolutionary Guard and the "advisers" from Tehran. More and more signs indicate that the Iranians, who are seeking a parallel regime in Lebanon and are aided by Hezbollah, are coming for a prolonged settlement there. Exactly according to the scenario of King Abdullah of Jordan, who insisted on the danger of the Shiite Crescent (Iran-Iraq-Syria-Lebanon) years ago in our neighborhood.
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Source: Xinhua| 2017-09-03 09:55:55|Editor: Song Lifang

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MEXICO CITY, Sept. 2 (Xinhua) -- Mexico will not accept any conditions that are damaging to its dignity, Mexican President Pena Nieto said on Saturday, in an oblique reference to the United States.

During his fifth state of the nation address, the first since Donald Trump was inaugurated as the U.S. president, Pena Nieto spoke of his country's newly tense ties with Washington.

"I have said it before and I reiterate: we will not accept anything that goes against our dignity as a nation," Pena Nieto told an audience of some 1,500 invited guests at the National Palace in capital Mexico City.

After several weeks of silence on the controversial subject, Trump recently revived his calls for a wall on the U.S.-Mexico border.

He also suggested the United States might be better off withdrawing from the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA), amid talks to re-negotiate the deal. The statement was interpreted by officials in Mexico as a tactic to pressure the country into giving in to Washington's demands on trade.

Pena Nieto said his country will continue to work with the United States on common problems, such as a safe border and immigration.

"The relationship with the new government of the United States, as with any other nation, needs to be based on irrevocable principles: sovereignty, defense of national interests and the protection of our fellow nationals," said Pena Nieto, referring to undocumented Mexican migrants living in the United States.

Amid rumors Trump plans to abolish Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals, or DACA, a 2012 program that extends educational and employment rights to young Mexicans who were taken to the United States by their undocumented parents, Pena Nieto expressed his solidarity for the youth, who are known as "dreamers."

"To all of you young dreamers, my greatest recognition, admiration and solidarity," said Pena Nieto.

Without DACA, dreamers will no longer be able to renew their residency and work permits, and run the risk of being deported.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-09-03 10:00:57|Editor: Liu

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Photo taken on Aug. 31, 2017 show a logo sculpture of the 9th BRICS Summit at Xiamen International Conference and Exhibition Center in Xiamen, southeast China's Fujian Province. The 9th BRICS Summit will be held in Xiamen on Sept. 3-5. (Xinhua/Wei Peiquan)

XIAMEN, Sept. 3 (Xinhua) -- The BRICS summit in Xiamen offers a new chance for the leaders of the five member nations to bridge the governance deficit as the world order is in urgent need of an overhaul.

The summit, with the theme "Stronger Partnership for a Brighter Future," will include discussions on fairer use of resources to improve infrastructure and ensure the free flow of goods and services within the emerging-market bloc.

For decades, resources have been monopolized by developed nations, leaving developing nations lacking infrastructure and social development.

Contributing more than half of global growth over the past ten years, the BRICS nations are finding their own solutions to address the governance disparity.

The bloc's New Development Bank (NDB), which was launched in 2014 with a focus on infrastructure and sustainable development projects, stands as a good example of what a new kind of world governance would look like.

In contrast to the quota system of other international financial institutions based on the role of a certain member, members of the NDB have equal voting power, a distinctive feature of the bank.

China has put forward the "BRICS Plus" proposal this year by inviting the leaders of Egypt, Guinea, Mexico, Tajikistan and Thailand to attend the Dialogue of Emerging Markets and Developing Countries during the summit and engage in dialogue with the BRICS members.

This will allow the BRICS summit to be an effective platform for voicing the needs, demands and aspirations of both the developing and underdeveloped nations in the world, and enable the organization to play a more decisive role in global governance.

As Robert Lawrence Kuhn, a U.S.-based China observer, has said, since there is no perfection, it makes sense for the BRICS bloc to provide diversity to global governance and serve as a test for sharing governance of global affairs.

With the rise of protectionism taking hold in major markets like the United States and parts of Europe, the BRICS leaders' messages of free-market globalization ring out around the world, and create opportunities for worldwide prosperity.

BRICS must step into this vacuum and give some clear direction about what they see as the future of globalization, and play their part in building the next phase of globalization.

With the G20, Belt and Road Initiative and BRICS, the world order is undergoing incremental changes and inching toward a more just and balanced world.

China is not willing or able to replace or replicate the vast web of political and economic tendrils maintained by the United States. But any benign supplement to the existing order would be desirable for world prosperity.

Related:

Infographics: Shining BRICS Golden Decade

Infographics: Guide to 9th BRICS Summit in Xiamen

Xinhua Insight: Xi's insightful remarks shed light on BRICS

XIAMEN, Sept. 2 (Xinhua) -- China's actions following the insightful remarks made by President Xi Jinping on the BRICS mechanism have contributed to global governance reform, academics have said.

At the ninth BRICS summit, which will be held from Sunday to Tuesday in China's southeastern coastal city of Xiamen, leaders from the BRICS countries are expected to discuss ways to strengthen partnerships and confront global uncertainties, such as de-globalization, protectionism and unilateralism. Full story

Xinhua Insight: Xiamen summit raises golden hopes

XIAMEN, Sept. 1 (Xinhua) -- Leaders from the world's top emerging markets will gather in the southeastern Chinese coastal city of Xiamen this month, marking the 11th anniversary of the BRICS cooperation mechanism.

The original term "BRIC," coined by former Goldman Sachs economist Jim O'Neill in 2001, referred to Brazil, Russia, India and China, four emerging markets with fast growth and great potential. Full story

Commentary: Time for BRICS to shine more brightly

BEIJING, Aug. 24 (Xinhua) -- The BRICS grouping the five emerging economies -- Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa -- has entered its second decade.

New challenges and uncertainties stemming from global economic sluggishness, a rise in protectionism in some Western countries or regional security call for a stronger BRICS that can play a larger role in global governance. Full story

Spotlight: Int'l experts say BRICS an outstanding force in global governance

BEIJING, Aug. 22 (Xinhua) -- More than a decade after its establishment, BRICS, grouping five major developing countries from four continents, is recognized by international experts as an irreplaceable force in global governance.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-09-03 12:11:32|Editor: Song Lifang

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SEOUL, Sept. 3 (Xinhua) -- South Korean President Moon Jae-in on Sunday convened an emergency National Security Council (NSC) meeting after a shallow earthquake was detected in the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK).

The presidential Blue House said via text message that President Moon called the emergency NSC meeting at 1:30 p.m. local time (0430 GMT).

According to South Korea's meteorological agency cited by local media outlets, a 5.6-magnitude shallow earthquake was detected in the DPRK.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-09-03 13:46:50|Editor: Song Lifang

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SEOUL, Sept. 3 (Xinhua) -- An artificial earthquake of 5.7 magnitude was detected in the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK), South Korea's Yonhap news agency said Sunday, citing the country's meteorological agency.

The 5.7-magnitude tremor was detected at about 12:29 p.m. local time (0329 GMT) near the DPRK's main Punggye-ri nuclear test site in the country's northeastern region, South Korea's weather service was quoted as saying.

The magnitude of the seismic wave was revised up to 5.7 from an initial figure of 5.6. The detecting time was also changed into 12:29 p.m. from 12:36 p.m. (0336 GMT).

Yonhap initially reported the second quake of 4.6 magnitude was detected in the DPRK, but the weather service said later that the second one was not detected.

In the past, the DPRK had conducted all of its five atomic device tests at the Punggye-ri test site.

The DPRK was jolted by the artificial tremor at the depth of zero km, according to the U.S. Geological Survey.

South Korea's Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) ordered the military to raise its alert level to strengthen the defense and surveillance posture, saying it was closely monitoring moves of the DPRK military in cooperation with the U.S. forces.

South Korean President Moon Jae-in convened an emergency National Security Council (NSC) meeting at 1:30 p.m. (0430 GMT) after the artificial quake was reported to the president, the Blue House said.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-09-03 14:42:04|Editor: Song Lifang

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LOS ANGELES, Sept. 2 (Xinhua) -- Mayor of U.S. city Los Angeles Eric Garcetti declared Saturday a local emergency in response to the largest wildfire by acreage in city history.

The La Tuna Fire has reportedly grown to about 8,000 acres, prompting mandatory evacuations in some areas.

Three structures were destroyed by the fire. No loss of life and no injuries reported and containment remains at 10 percent by 3:45 p.m. local time (0045 GMT next day), according to Los Angeles Fire Department (LAFD).

The fire began Friday near the La Tuna Canyon close to the 210 Freeway, north of Los Angeles.

Garcetti signed a declaration of emergency that directs relevant departments in the City of Los Angeles to take all necessary steps to protect life and property in the area affected by the fire.

"The La Tuna Canyon Fire is an emergency that requires all available resources to protect our residents and keep our homes and other structures out of harm's way. We are grateful for the men and women of LAFD, and all our partner agencies, for their heroic efforts to attempt to bring the fire under control and to keep people and their homes safe," said Garcetti in a statement.

The mayor also requested the Governor of the state of California, Jerry Brown, to declare an emergency, "so that state and federal assistance can be provided to the City as quickly as possible."

About 500 firefighters are working on the blaze, additional resources have been requested from the state, and about 100 Los Angeles firefighters are expected back soon from Texas, where they have been helping survivors from Hurricane Harvey, City News Service reported.

Four fixed-wing airtankers have been ordered to fight the blaze. Those aircraft continue retardant drops to help firefighters who are battling wildfires amid severe heatwave.

"The biggest factor is weather and the wind," Los Angeles Fire Department Battalion Chief Ralph Terrazas was quoted as saying by City News Service.

"We're constantly evaluating and it's dependent upon the wind shifts," said Terrazas. "Our priority is saving property. We're evaluating that at all points of the fire. There's a lot of fuel to burn."
Source: Xinhua| 2017-09-03 15:37:13|Editor: An

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XIAMEN, Sept. 3 (Xinhua) -- Chinese President Xi Jinping started to deliver a keynote speech at the opening of the BRICS Business Forum on Sunday in the southeastern city of Xiamen, Fujian Province.

The two-day forum is a side-event of the ninth BRICS summit scheduled for Sept. 3-5 in the city.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-09-03 15:47:22|Editor: An

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NEW DELHI, Sept. 3 (Xinhua) -- Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi left for China on Sunday to attend the BRICS Summit in the coastal city of Xiamen.

Modi will arrive in Xiamen in China's southeastern Fujian province, the venue for the 9th BRICS Summit, Sunday evening.

Modi took to social media sites, like Facebook and Twitter, to talk about his visit to China.

"India attaches high importance to BRICS, which has begun a 2nd decade of its partnership for progress and peace," he tweeted.

"I also look forward to productive discussions and positive outcomes that will support the agenda of a stronger BRICS partnership under the chairmanship of China," he also wrote on Facebook, adding that he will also meet leaders bilaterally on the sidelines of the meeting.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-09-03 16:02:30|Editor: Zhou Xin

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SANAA, Sept. 3 (Xinhua) -- Two women and a child were killed and six others wounded when a Saudi-led coalition airstrike hit a family's home in Yemen's northwestern province of Hajjah early on Sunday, a local security official said.

The targeted house in Washahah district is few meters away from a security checkpoint run by Shiite Houthi rebels.

This is the latest airstrike targeting civilians in the war-torn Arab country.

Last week, the coalition fighter jets hit three houses in Faj Attan quarter in the capital Sanaa, killing 14 people, including six children.

In March 2015, the Saudi-led coalition intervened in the Yemeni conflict to back internationally recognized government of President Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi against Iranian-backed Houthis, who invaded the capital Sanaa militarily and seized most of the country's northern provinces.

More than 10,000 people, mostly civilians, have been killed in the war that also displaced over 3 million, according to UN agencies.

The country has also been hit by a deadly cholera outbreak and is on the edge of famine.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-09-03 16:02:33|Editor: An

BEIJING, Sept. 3 (Xinhua) -- China's Foreign Ministry issued a statement on Sunday, expressing firm opposition to and strong condemnation at the nuclear test by the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK).
Source: Xinhua| 2017-09-03 16:12:43|Editor: Zhou Xin

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TOKYO, Sept. 3 (Xinhua) -- Japanese Princess Mako announced her engagement to long-time boyfriend Kei Komuro on Sunday, and the wedding might take place in fall, 2018, according to Japan's Imperial Household Agency.

Princess Mako is the elder daughter of Prince Akishino and Princess Kiko and the eldest granddaughter of Emperor Akihito.

She and Komuro, both 25 years old, met each other at a party when they were students at the International Christian University in Tokyo and have dated for five years.

The announcement was originally scheduled to be made in July, but postponed due to a deadly torrential rain that claimed dozens of lives in southwestern Japan.

After the marriage, the princess will renounce her status as a member of the imperial family to become an ordinary citizen like her husband.

The marriage would reduce the number of Japanese imperial family members to 18, with Princess Mako's 10-year-old brother Prince Hisahito as the only male of his generation, raising concerns over a possible succession crisis.

Japan's parliament enacted a one-off law in June allowing Japanese Emperor Akihito to step down and pass his duties over to Crown Prince Naruhito.

A special resolution was adopted and attached to the law, saying that the government will "consider various issues to secure stable imperial succession, including creating female branches."

The resolution is not binding and has not specified a deadline for drawing a conclusion to the issue.

According to the 1947 Imperial House Law, females cannot ascend to the throne and must leave the imperial family when they marry commoners.
Bill Clark/CQ Roll Call/Getty Images(WASHINGTON) -- Republican Sen. Ben Sasse is taking aim at Donald Trump's perspective on global trade, characterizing it as dated and out-of-touch, following reports that the president is considering withdrawing from a free trade deal with South Korea.



Sasse tweeted Saturday night, saying that Trump's administration "holds 18th-century views of trade as a zero-sum game. I side with our farmers and ranchers who are feeding the world now." Sasse did not elaborate on his comments.



The Admin. holds 18th-c. views of trade as a zero-sum game. I side w/farmers &ranchers who are feeding the world now pic.twitter.com/WdnPBCAYWS  Ben Sasse (@BenSasse) September 2, 2017

The U.S. Chamber of Commerce, a business lobbying group, said the White House has alerted lawmakers that a notification of intent to pull out of the trade deal may come as soon as Tuesday.The Trump administration in July kicked off negotiations with South Korean officials to make adjustments to the deal, known as KORUS. Trump has called the deal, which went into effect in 2012, a bad deal.Copyright  2017, ABC Radio. All rights reserved.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-09-03 16:12:44|Editor: Zhou Xin

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by Burak Akinci

ANKARA, Sept. 3 (Xinhua) -- Turkey is seeking for the return of thousands of historical Anatolian artifacts smuggled abroad during the Ottoman Empire and in modern times, which is paying off despite many challenges.

Turkey has been working for a long time for the return of smuggled artifacts in both diplomatic and legal means.

One of these pieces is the Roman sarcophagus of Hercules, which was ruled to return to Turkey by a Swiss court in 2015. It should be returned to Turkish officials this week.

The sarcophagus that is believed to sculpted towards the end of the second century before Jesus-Christ in the ancient city of Dokimion, present day Antalya, dubbed the "Turkish Riviera" for its sunny touristic resorts, when the area was under Roman rule. It was smuggled from Turkey in the 1960s, according to officials.

The ancient roman artifact, which depicts the 12 labors of the legendary Hercules, was on display at the Geneva University Museum of Arts and History. It will be delivered to the Antalya Museum where it will be displayed.

Turkey, more than other countries, has lost many of its ancient treasures to thieves and blackmarketeers.

It has adopted a more assertive policy in the pursuit of her stolen history, training custom officers to identify the stolen artifacts and compiled a more efficient and up to date catalog of thousands of pieces in the hands of foreign country's collections.

Since 2003, Turkey is pursuing a legal process for the retrieval of numerous artifacts.

The newly appointed Culture and Tourism minister Numan Kurtulmus explained last week to reporters that Turkey was working as a "detective" for the safe return of her stolen cultural property and that comprehensive efforts were being deployed in priority in this matter regarding 55 major artifacts in the hands of 17 different states.

"Legal and diplomatic efforts are being exerted in order to get these artifacts back. Our experts are working like detectives and scrutinizing every lead possible in many countries he said.

In collaboration with the foreign ministry, the culture ministry is tracing the origins of artifacts on display in museums or up for auction sale, the minister pointed out.

Because of Turkey's efforts and a powerful antiquities bureaucracy, some artifacts have indeed been returned. A total of 4,269 objects have been brought back between 2003 and 2016, according to figures released by the Culture ministry.

However, the faith of many more still remain uncertain and even compromised.

For example, a 5000-year-old Anatolian female marble figurine that was smuggled from Turkey, was put on auction and sold for 14.5 million U.S dollars in last April in New York, despite Turkey's legal objections that were ultimately rejected by a district judge.

The Kilia-type figure, dating back to the later Chalcolithic and early Bronze Age, was found in the Kilya Cove in the northwestern province of Canakkale who is also believed to be the birthplace of the ancient ruins of Troy, made famous in Homer's epic work, The Iliad.

While praising the government's efforts, experts believe that a global coordination and especially a cultural awareness is needed in a country that hosted so many civilizations, from the Greeks, Romans, Sumerians, Hittites, Byzantine and Ottoman empires to name a few.

"We think that the government is doing a good job but it is not enough. Education plays a crucial role in raising awareness on the cultural heritage of Turkey.

It should be thought in schools" told Xinhua Dr. Soner Atesogullari, president of Turkish Archeologists Association.

"There are thousands of artifacts stolen from Anatolia in many foreign countries, most of them smuggled during the ottoman period but also contemporary times. As we speak, there are people hunting illegally for treasures in some parts of Turkey and try to sell their findings to foreign collectors," explained this an experienced archeologist.

"The artifacts stolen in the past are long gone but we should fiercely preserve what we have left and teach our children that these historical richnesses are part of who we are today.

And this with combined effort of the society as a whole and not only the government," added Dr. Atesogullari regretting that archeology is somewhat a disregarded science.

"We have the Gobekli Tepe site, an unique creation dating from 12,000 years ago and venerated by researchers all over the world, but how many Turks are aware of it?" said the archeologist.

This site located in southeastern province of Sanliurfa, is a collection of Neolithic stone sanctuary predating the Pyramids, which are puzzling researches who don't really have a theory on their original purpose.

Archeology can also sometimes used as a political leverage between two feuding countries.

Germany and other European Union countries have accused the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan of cultural chauvinism when Ankara reportedly threatened to bar foreign archeologists from excavations if their governments refuse to return artifacts that Turkey says were smuggled abroad.

Turkey is also disputing with the world-renowned French museum the Louvre, in Paris, who refused requests from Ankara to return objects with a contested provenance.

The J. Paul Getty Museum in Los Angeles is also being asked to return some artifacts. The Pergamon Altar, collected by a museum in Berlin, is also a heated subject.

The Hurriyet daily reported on Thursday that the Turkish Ministry of Culture did not give permission to the German Institute of Archeology this year, as it was the case in 2016, amid ongoing diplomatic row between Ankara and Berlin.

The institute had carried out excavations and restorations in Hattusha (Bogazkale), the capital of the Hittites (2.000 B.C) located in the northwest province of Corum.

This unique site excavated by Germans since 1906, during the ottoman area, is inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage list.

Relations between Germany and Turkey have been deteriorating for some time over a number of issues with recent blows from Erdogan hitting German politicians and urging millions of ethnic Turks living there not to vote for main parties in the upcoming national election.

Negotiations are key for a country to restitute to its right owner ancient artifacts, explain specialists.

"If there is a well photographed inventory, the restitution process gets easier, otherwise we have to rely on academic research and good intentioned dialogue with private collectors or institutions that have the artifacts," explained to Xinhua professor Yasar Coskun, a retired academic in the field of Hittitology.

"Nowadays, Turkey is much more keen and successful in the repatriation of illegally obtained artifacts," said professor Coskun, citing namely priceless stolen cuneiform Hittite tablets from Hattusha and the Aphrodisias site in southwestern Turkey, which has also been included in UNESCO World Heritage list.

The 3,300 years-old Bosporus village Sphinx, the antique Greek Heracles sculpture's upper half and the winged seahorse broach, are some of the stolen Turkish treasures that have been brought back in recent years in a relentless fight for looted cultural property, and the hunt should go on at this rate for a very long time.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-09-03 16:17:49|Editor: Yamei

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XIAMEN, Sept. 3 (Xinhua) -- Chinese President Xi Jinping said Sunday BRICS countries should uphold global peace and stability, stressing a vision of common, comprehensive, cooperative and sustainable security.

"We BRICS countries are committed to upholding global peace and contributing to the international security order," he said while delivering a keynote speech at the opening ceremony of the BRICS Business Forum scheduled for Sept. 3-4 in the southeastern coastal city of Xiamen.

This year, the BRICS countries have held the Meeting of High Representatives for Security Issues and the Meeting of Ministers of Foreign Affairs and International Relations. The countries have put in place the regular meeting mechanism for permanent representatives to the multilateral institutions, and convened the Foreign Policy Planning Dialogue, the Meeting of Counter-Terrorism Working Group, the Meeting of Cybersecurity Working Group, and the Consultation on Peacekeeping Operations.

These efforts aim to strengthen consultation and coordination on major international and regional issues and build synergy among BRICS countries, Xi said.

"We should uphold the purposes and principles of the UN Charter and basic norms governing international relations, firmly support multilateralism, work for greater democracy in international relations, and oppose hegemonism and power politics," he said.

He also called on BRICS countries to take a constructive part in the process of resolving geopolitical hotspot issues and make due contributions.

"I am convinced that as long as we take a holistic approach to fighting terrorism in all its forms, and address both its symptoms and root causes, terrorists will have no place to hide," he said.

When dialogue, consultation and negotiation are conducted to create conditions for achieving political settlement of issues such as Syria, Libya and the Palestine-Israel conflict, the flame of war can be put out, and displaced refugees will eventually return to their homes, he said.
Tourists visit the Byzantine-era monument of Hagia Sophia or Ayasofya, now a museum, in Istanbul, Turkey, August 3, 2017. (Reuters Photo)

ANKARA, Sept. 3 (Xinhua) -- Turkey is seeking for the return of thousands of historical Anatolian artifacts smuggled abroad during the Ottoman Empire and in modern times, which is paying off despite many challenges.

Turkey has been working for a long time for the return of smuggled artifacts in both diplomatic and legal means.

One of these pieces is the Roman sarcophagus of Hercules, which was ruled to return to Turkey by a Swiss court in 2015. It should be returned to Turkish officials this week.

The sarcophagus that is believed to sculpted towards the end of the second century before Jesus-Christ in the ancient city of Dokimion, present day Antalya, dubbed the "Turkish Riviera" for its sunny touristic resorts, when the area was under Roman rule. It was smuggled from Turkey in the 1960s, according to officials.

The ancient roman artifact, which depicts the 12 labors of the legendary Hercules, was on display at the Geneva University Museum of Arts and History. It will be delivered to the Antalya Museum where it will be displayed.

Turkey, more than other countries, has lost many of its ancient treasures to thieves and blackmarketeers.

It has adopted a more assertive policy in the pursuit of her stolen history, training custom officers to identify the stolen artifacts and compiled a more efficient and up to date catalog of thousands of pieces in the hands of foreign country's collections.

Since 2003, Turkey is pursuing a legal process for the retrieval of numerous artifacts.

The newly appointed Culture and Tourism minister Numan Kurtulmus explained last week to reporters that Turkey was working as a "detective" for the safe return of her stolen cultural property and that comprehensive efforts were being deployed in priority in this matter regarding 55 major artifacts in the hands of 17 different states.

"Legal and diplomatic efforts are being exerted in order to get these artifacts back. Our experts are working like detectives and scrutinizing every lead possible in many countries he said.

In collaboration with the foreign ministry, the culture ministry is tracing the origins of artifacts on display in museums or up for auction sale, the minister pointed out.

Because of Turkey's efforts and a powerful antiquities bureaucracy, some artifacts have indeed been returned. A total of 4,269 objects have been brought back between 2003 and 2016, according to figures released by the Culture ministry.

However, the faith of many more still remain uncertain and even compromised.

For example, a 5000-year-old Anatolian female marble figurine that was smuggled from Turkey, was put on auction and sold for 14.5 million U.S dollars in last April in New York, despite Turkey's legal objections that were ultimately rejected by a district judge.

The Kilia-type figure, dating back to the later Chalcolithic and early Bronze Age, was found in the Kilya Cove in the northwestern province of Canakkale who is also believed to be the birthplace of the ancient ruins of Troy, made famous in Homer's epic work, The Iliad.

While praising the government's efforts, experts believe that a global coordination and especially a cultural awareness is needed in a country that hosted so many civilizations, from the Greeks, Romans, Sumerians, Hittites, Byzantine and Ottoman empires to name a few.

"We think that the government is doing a good job but it is not enough. Education plays a crucial role in raising awareness on the cultural heritage of Turkey.

It should be thought in schools" told Xinhua Dr. Soner Atesogullari, president of Turkish Archeologists Association.

"There are thousands of artifacts stolen from Anatolia in many foreign countries, most of them smuggled during the ottoman period but also contemporary times. As we speak, there are people hunting illegally for treasures in some parts of Turkey and try to sell their findings to foreign collectors," explained this an experienced archeologist.

"The artifacts stolen in the past are long gone but we should fiercely preserve what we have left and teach our children that these historical richnesses are part of who we are today.

And this with combined effort of the society as a whole and not only the government," added Dr. Atesogullari regretting that archeology is somewhat a disregarded science.

"We have the Gobekli Tepe site, an unique creation dating from 12,000 years ago and venerated by researchers all over the world, but how many Turks are aware of it?" said the archeologist.

This site located in southeastern province of Sanliurfa, is a collection of Neolithic stone sanctuary predating the Pyramids, which are puzzling researches who don't really have a theory on their original purpose.

Archeology can also sometimes used as a political leverage between two feuding countries.

Germany and other European Union countries have accused the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan of cultural chauvinism when Ankara reportedly threatened to bar foreign archeologists from excavations if their governments refuse to return artifacts that Turkey says were smuggled abroad.

Turkey is also disputing with the world-renowned French museum the Louvre, in Paris, who refused requests from Ankara to return objects with a contested provenance.

The J. Paul Getty Museum in Los Angeles is also being asked to return some artifacts. The Pergamon Altar, collected by a museum in Berlin, is also a heated subject.

The Hurriyet daily reported on Thursday that the Turkish Ministry of Culture did not give permission to the German Institute of Archeology this year, as it was the case in 2016, amid ongoing diplomatic row between Ankara and Berlin.

The institute had carried out excavations and restorations in Hattusha (Bogazkale), the capital of the Hittites (2.000 B.C) located in the northwest province of Corum.

This unique site excavated by Germans since 1906, during the ottoman area, is inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage list.

Relations between Germany and Turkey have been deteriorating for some time over a number of issues with recent blows from Erdogan hitting German politicians and urging millions of ethnic Turks living there not to vote for main parties in the upcoming national election.

Negotiations are key for a country to restitute to its right owner ancient artifacts, explain specialists.

"If there is a well photographed inventory, the restitution process gets easier, otherwise we have to rely on academic research and good intentioned dialogue with private collectors or institutions that have the artifacts," explained to Xinhua professor Yasar Coskun, a retired academic in the field of Hittitology.

"Nowadays, Turkey is much more keen and successful in the repatriation of illegally obtained artifacts," said professor Coskun, citing namely priceless stolen cuneiform Hittite tablets from Hattusha and the Aphrodisias site in southwestern Turkey, which has also been included in UNESCO World Heritage list.

The 3,300 years-old Bosporus village Sphinx, the antique Greek Heracles sculpture's upper half and the winged seahorse broach, are some of the stolen Turkish treasures that have been brought back in recent years in a relentless fight for looted cultural property, and the hunt should go on at this rate for a very long time.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-09-03 16:43:01|Editor: Zhou Xin

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SEOUL, Sept. 3 (Xinhua) -- South Korean President Moon Jae-in on Sunday ordered all available diplomatic efforts to completely isolate the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) after Pyongyang's sixth nuclear test earlier in the day.

President Moon convened an emergency National Security Council (NSC) meeting, which lasted for one and a half hours from 1:30 p.m. local time (0430 GMT), according to the presidential Blue House.

The meeting was called to discuss countermeasures following Pyongyang's test of what it claimed was a hydrogen bomb that can be loaded onto a ballistic missile with intercontinental capabilities.

The DPRK's state TV announced the country's test of the device meant for an intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) was a complete success.

The DPRK's sixth nuclear detonation was officially confirmed by the Blue House during a press conference held by Chung Eui-yong, top national security advisor to President Moon.

During the NSC meeting, President Moon instructed high-ranking cabinet members and senior secretaries in charge of foreign affairs, security and defense to draw up the strongest punishment measures on the DPRK in cooperation with the international community.

Moon said all available diplomatic actions, including new UN Security Council resolution, should be considered to completely isolate the DPRK in response to the DPRK's sixth nuclear device test.

The South Korean leader said his country would never tolerate an advancing technology of the DPRK's nuclear and missile programs, ordering the military to maintain a full defense readiness against further DPRK provocation.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-09-03 16:48:04|Editor: Zhou Xin

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TEHRAN, Sept. 3 (Xinhua) -- Iran has tested its home-grown air defence system, designed to match the Russian S-300, state broadcaster IRIB reported on Sunday.

The report cited the head of the Revolutionary Guards' air defence Farzad Esmaili as saying that Iran has "a specific plan to boost missile power."

"The system is made completely in Iran and some of its parts are different from the S-300. All of its sub-systems have been completed and its missile tests have been conducted," Farzad Esmaili said.

"In parallel with the deployment of the S-300, work on Bavar-373 system is underway," he added.

Bavar (which means "belief") is Tehran's first long-range missile defence system, and is set to be operational by March 2018, he added.

Iran began manufacturing Bavar-373 in 2010 after the purchase of the S-300 from Russia was suspended due to international sanctions.

He said he hoped "the combat capabilities of Iran's ballistic and cruise missiles" would increase in the next four years.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-09-03 16:48:05|Editor: Zhou Xin

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DAMASCUS, Sept. 3 (Xinhua) -- The Syrian army and allied forces have pushed near 14 km away from breaking the Islamic State (IS) siege on 100,000 civilians in the eastern city of Deir al-Zour, a monitor group reported on Sunday.

The steady progress of the Syrian army has been dragging on since Friday when the army announced reaching the administrative border of Deir al-Zour from the desert in the remote eastern countryside of Homs province in central Syria.

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said the progress enabled the Syrian forces to capture 3,000 sq km in the countryside of that oil-rich province.

The progress comes after the Syrian forces on Saturday captured the strategic Mount Bishri, a highland region located on the administrative borders of Deir al-Zour.

The strategic significance of the mountain emanates from its location as it links the southern countryside of Raqqa, the de facto capital of IS, with the western countryside of Deir al-Zour, and the areas the army has recently taken in the remote desert in the eastern countryside of Homs province in central Syria.

It's worth mentioning that the Syrian army captured large swathes of the southern countryside of Raqqa, which makes the mountain a hub for the army to move freely between areas it has taken recently.

The military operation to break the IS siege on the city of Deir al-Zour has been dragging on for a few months in the desert of Homs and the southern countryside of Raqqa as well.

The province has largely fallen to IS save for a few areas in the city that are still under the government control but besieged by IS since 2015.

Deir al-Zour is expected to be the last IS stronghold in Syria, with the U.S.-backed Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) advancing in Raqqa, and many IS militants are fleeing to Deir al-Zour.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-09-03 16:53:07|Editor: An

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BEIJING, Sept. 3 (Xinhua) -- China's Foreign Ministry issued a statement on Sunday, expressing firm opposition to and strong condemnation of a nuclear test undertaken by the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK).

The DPRK Sunday successfully detonated an H-bomb, a hydrogen bomb that can be carried by an intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM), its official media agency announced. This was the sixth nuclear test the DPRK has undertaken.

China's firm stance, as well as the common goal of the international community, is achieving denuclearization on the Korean Peninsula, protecting the nuclear non-proliferation mechanism and maintaining peace and stability in northeast Asia, the statement said.

China strongly requires the DPRK to seriously consider the steadfast will of the international community on a denuclearized Korean Peninsula and to comply with the UN Security Council resolutions, the statement said.

China demands the DPRK cease incorrect actions that worsen tensions and run against its own interests, and return to dialogue to resolve problems, the statement said.
General Staff of the Armed Forces of Iran, Mohammad Bagheri (R) salutes the honor guards as he is welcomed by Chief of the General Staff of the Turkish Armed Forces Hulusi Akar (L) during his official visit at the Turkish General Staff headquarters in Ankara, on August 15, 2017. (AFP Photo)

TEHRAN, Sept. 3 (Xinhua) -- Iran has tested its home-grown air defence system, designed to match the Russian S-300, state broadcaster IRIB reported on Sunday.

The report cited the head of the Revolutionary Guards' air defence Farzad Esmaili as saying that Iran has "a specific plan to boost missile power."

"The system is made completely in Iran and some of its parts are different from the S-300. All of its sub-systems have been completed and its missile tests have been conducted," Farzad Esmaili said.

"In parallel with the deployment of the S-300, work on Bavar-373 system is underway," he added.

Bavar (which means "belief") is Tehran's first long-range missile defence system, and is set to be operational by March 2018, he added.

Iran began manufacturing Bavar-373 in 2010 after the purchase of the S-300 from Russia was suspended due to international sanctions.

He said he hoped "the combat capabilities of Iran's ballistic and cruise missiles" would increase in the next four years.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-09-03 18:08:26|Editor: Yamei

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BEIJING, Sept. 3 (Xinhua) -- China's Foreign Ministry issued a statement on Sunday, expressing firm opposition to and strong condemnation of a nuclear test undertaken by the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK).

The DPRK Sunday successfully detonated an H-bomb, a hydrogen bomb that can be carried by an intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM), DPRK's Central Television announced. This was the sixth nuclear test the DPRK has undertaken.

"Today, the Democratic People's Republic of Korea, despite universal opposition from the international community, conducted another nuclear test. The Chinese government expresses firm opposition to and strong condemnation of the test," said the statement of China's Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

China's firm stance, as well as the common goal of the international community, is achieving denuclearization on the Korean Peninsula, protecting the nuclear non-proliferation mechanism and maintaining peace and stability in northeast Asia, the statement said.

We strongly urge the DPRK to seriously consider the steadfast will of the international community on a denuclearized Korean Peninsula and to comply with the UN Security Council resolutions, the statement said.

China urges the DPRK to cease incorrect actions that worsen tensions and run against its own interests, and return to dialogue to resolve problems, the statement said.

It said China will work with the international community to comprehensively and completely implement the relevant UN Security Council resolutions, unswervingly promote the denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula and safeguard the peace and stability of the peninsula.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-09-03 18:13:29|Editor: Zhou Xin

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PHNOM PENH, Sept. 3 (Xinhua) -- Cambodian Prime Minister Samdech Techo Hun Sen on Sunday accused the United States of staying behind an anti-government plot made by Cambodian main opposition leader Kem Sokha, government-aligned media Fresh News reported.

Sokha, president of the Cambodia National Rescue Party (CNRP), was caught red-handed early Sunday at his home in Phnom Penh and sent to Trapaing Thlong Prison in Tboung Khmum province, about 150 km east of Phnom Penh.

"It is the United States. The act of treason by conspiring with foreign country, betraying his own nation, requires immediate arrest," Fresh News quoted the prime minister as saying to more than 4,000 garment workers during a get-together in Phnom Penh.

Hun Sen said Sokha's arrest would not affect the national election, which is scheduled on July 29, 2018, and called on the people to keep calm and let the court proceed with the case.

The arrest was made just hours after an old video clip broadcast by Australia-based CBN (Cambodian Broadcasting Network) was posted on Facebook showing Kem Sokha speaking with his supporters in Australia on Dec. 8, 2013.

Sokha told his supporters that he followed the order of the U.S. to prepare an anti-Cambodian government plot, taking the model of the strategy that had been used to topple the governments of Yugoslavia and Serbia.

The government said the video clip and other evidence collected by authorities clearly indicated the conspiracy between Sokha and his accomplices with a foreign power, which harms Cambodia.

Sokha is facing the charges of treason and espionage under the article 443 of the kingdom's Criminal Code, a government statement said.

In its statement on Sunday, the CNRP vehemently condemned Sokha's arrest, saying that it "is politically motivated and violates law and constitution" because Sokha is a lawmaker who has parliamentary immunity.

Sokha, 64, became the president of the CNRP in March 2017, replacing his long-serving predecessor, Sam Rainsy, who resigned in February. Sam Rainsy, 68, has been living in self-exile in France since November 2015 to avoid at least eight-year-prison sentence for defamation and incitement cases.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-09-03 18:18:30|Editor: Zhou Xin

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by Chris Mgidu and Joy Nabukewa

KWALE, Kenya, Sept. 3 (Xinhua) -- Suspected Al-Shabaab militants shot dead two Kenyan police officers after raiding a church in the coastal Kwale region on Sunday, police said.

Coast regional police commander Lorry Kieng said the gunmen riding on motorbike attacked Anglican Church of Kenya (ACK) before escaping with two rifles belonging to the slain officers who were guarding worshippers in Ukunda.

Kieng said one police officer was shot dead on the spot while another succumbed to injuries after being rushed to hospital, noting that the motive behind the attack has been not been established.

"The two police officers were guarding the church when they were confronted," said Kieng. Residents said the gunmen were Al-Shabaab members who had returned to the country from Somalia.

"Our officers have launched investigations to establish the motive of the gunmen. We can not rule out terrorism, the attack is not a normal robbery. Their intention was to steal the guns to plan other attacks," Kieng said.

Several areas in the northeastern Kenya including coastal regions that borders Somalia have been the target of Al-Shabaab terrorists who kill innocent citizens, as well as security officers and other government officials, using either gunfire or grenades.

The regions are also prone to attacks in which police officers including civilians have lost their lives or sustained injuries when patrol cars ran over landmines or into grenade attacks.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-09-03 18:23:32|Editor: Zhou Xin

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by Abdi and Hashi

MOGADISHU, Sept. 3 (Xinhua) -- Al-Shabaab militants attacked and took control of a military base in the outskirts of Somalia's coastal city of Kismayu on Sunday, military officials said.

The fighters attacked the base some 30 kilometers north of Kismayu at dawn and engaged the Somali troops in a fierce fighting. A senior a military officer, Ismail Sahardid ,told journalists that the fierce fighting went on into daybreak but did not provide number of casualties.

The Al-Shabaab has claimed responsibility through its media outlet, noting it had killed 26 soldiers in the camp.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-09-03 18:28:35|Editor: Zhou Xin

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KABUL, Sept. 3 (Xinhua) -- Twelve militants were killed and 13 others wounded in military operations launched by Afghan security forces within the past 24 hours, the country's Defense Ministry said on Sunday.

"The operations were conducted in Nangarhar, Kapisa, Paktia, Paktika, Ghazni, Uruzgan, Badghis, Balkh, Faryab and Helmand provinces. The security forces also destroyed three militants' hideouts together with several bunkers during the above raids," the ministry said in a statement.

The Afghan air force also conducted 99 flights to support security forces and carried out seven airstrikes against militants' positions over the period, the statement added.

Afghan security forces have beefed up security operations against militants as the war-weary Afghans have been witnessing a surge in attacks by Taliban and Islamic State (IS) militants across the country.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-09-03 18:33:37|Editor: Zhou Xin

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PYONGYANG, Sept. 3 (Xinhua) -- The Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) on Sunday successfully detonated a hydrogen bomb capable of being carried by an intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM), official media announced.

The DPRK Central Television said the test was carried out at the order of top leader Kim Jong Un, who chaired a meeting of the standing committee of the political bureau of the Workers' Party of Korea on the Korean Peninsula situation and decided to conduct the H-bomb test.

The TV report showed still photos of the document signed by Kim ordering the test, which was the sixth nuclear test by the DPRK so far.

The test, which came amid simmering tensions on the Korean Peninsula, runs counter to relevant UN Security Council resolutions and the goal of denuclearizing the peninsula.

After the nuclear test, South Korean President Moon Jae-in ordered a pursuit of the "most powerful sanctions" on the DPRK with the international community, according to the Yonhap news agency.

U.S. National Security Adviser H.R. McMaster spoke with his South Korean counterpart, Chung Eui-yong, for about 20 minutes in an emergency phone call about the nuclear test, to discuss the possibility of deploying U.S. military defense devices in South Korea.

Chung said South Korea will also seek new U.N. Security Council sanctions to "completely isolate" the DPRK.

Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe slammed the DPRK's sixth nuclear test Sunday, saying the country's "nuclear and missile development poses a grave and immediate new level of threat" and "seriously undermines peace and security of the region," according to Kyodo news.

"The UN Security Council has strongly criticized North Korea for repeatedly going ahead with ballistic missile launches this year... We find it completely intolerable that North Korea (DPRK) has conducted a nuclear test in such (an environment)," Abe said in the statement.

Chinese Foreign Ministry issued a statement on Sunday, expressing firm opposition to and strong condemnation of the nuclear test by the DPRK.

"The DPRK has ignored the international community's widespread opposition and conducted a nuclear test again. The Chinese government expresses resolute objection to and strong condemnation of it," the ministry's statement said.

"We strongly urge the DPRK side to face the firm determination of the international community on the denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula, fully abide by the relevant treaties of the UN Security Council, and stop making wrong doings which will deteriorate the situation and which serves no good to its own interests, and return to the track of solving problems through dialogue," the statement said.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-09-03 18:38:38|Editor: Zhou Xin

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by Abdi and Hashi

MOGADISHU, Sept. 3 (Xinhua) -- Al-Shabaab militants attacked and took control of a military base on the outskirts of Somalia's coastal city of Kismayu on Sunday, military officials said.

The fighters attacked the base in Buulo Guduud, some 30 kilometers north of Kismayu, at dawn and engaged the Somali troops in a fierce fighting.

A senior military officer, Ismail Sahardid, told journalists that the fierce fighting went on into daybreak, without giving number of casualties.

"At about 4.30 a.m. a suicide bomber rammed into the entrance of the military base in Buulo Guduud, then armed men penetrated camp where heavy gun battle erupted lasting for hours," said Sahardid.

Local residents also confirmed the attack, noting there was intense fighting in the military base forcing them to stay indoors.

The Al-Shabaab claimed responsibility through its media outlet, alleging that it had killed 26 soldiers in the camp.

Reports said the explosives-laden vehicle detonated at the entrance of the military base and then armed fighters engaged a fierce gunfight with Jubaland forces.

"Al-Shabaab militants seized control of Jubaland military camp but were overpowered," a witness said.

The witness said the military base is jointly operated by the Somali national army and forces from the semi-autonomous Jubaland region of southern Somalia.

The militants have recently increased their attacks against the Africa Union and Somali forces, especially in Mogadishu and southern Somalia, which have seen a surge of attacks that resulted in the loss of several strategic towns although the militants mainly held those towns briefly.

The AMISOM and Somali forces have also increased airstrikes in southern Somalia in the recent past, resulting in the killing of several militants and some defections.
File photo shows an insurgent fighter of Al-Shabaab guards a street in the south of the Somali capital Mogadishu on May 22, 2009. (Xinhua/Abdurrahman Warsameh)

by Abdi and Hashi

MOGADISHU, Sept. 3 (Xinhua) -- Al-Shabaab militants attacked and took control of a military base on the outskirts of Somalia's coastal city of Kismayu on Sunday, military officials said.

The fighters attacked the base in Buulo Guduud, some 30 kilometers north of Kismayu, at dawn and engaged the Somali troops in a fierce fighting.

A senior military officer, Ismail Sahardid, told journalists that the fierce fighting went on into daybreak, without giving number of casualties.

"At about 4:30 a.m. a suicide bomber rammed into the entrance of the military base in Buulo Guduud, then armed men penetrated camp where heavy gun battle erupted lasting for hours," said Sahardid.

Local residents also confirmed the attack, noting there was intense fighting in the military base forcing them to stay indoors.

The Al-Shabaab claimed responsibility through its media outlet, alleging that it had killed 26 soldiers in the camp.

Reports said the explosives-laden vehicle detonated at the entrance of the military base and then armed fighters engaged a fierce gunfight with Jubaland forces.

"Al-Shabaab militants seized control of Jubaland military camp but were overpowered," a witness said.

The witness said the military base is jointly operated by the Somali national army and forces from the semi-autonomous Jubaland region of southern Somalia.

The militants have recently increased their attacks against the Africa Union and Somali forces, especially in Mogadishu and southern Somalia, which have seen a surge of attacks that resulted in the loss of several strategic towns although the militants mainly held those towns briefly.

The AMISOM and Somali forces have also increased airstrikes in southern Somalia in the recent past, resulting in the killing of several militants and some defections.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-09-03 18:43:40|Editor: Zhou Xin

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LONDON, Sep. 3 (Xinhua) -- The first stage of a 260-million-U.S.-dollar scheme to help bring the fastest broadband to businesses, schools and hospitals was launched in Britain Sunday with pilot schemes in six areas.

The Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) said full fiber networks will offer connection speeds of 1,000 megabytes (1 Gigabit) per second in the pilot areas.

Full fiber broadband could allow hospitals to share high definition quality graphics of medical scans in seconds to improve diagnosis speeds. It will also enable school classrooms to see a vast increase the number of pupils who can stream educational videos at the same time

Test projects will go ahead in Aberdeen, West Sussex, Coventry and Warwickshire, Bristol and Bath, West Yorkshire and in Greater Manchester, said DCMS.

Each of the projects will get around 13 million U.S. dollars of government funding to test innovative ways of connecting offices and public sector buildings with the next generation of broadband, with full fiber networks that run fiber connections straight to the doors of customers' homes or businesses.

Currently the final stage of connectivity from street cabinets into homes and businesses is through copper cables.

The announcement is the first step in a four-year program unveiled by Chancellor is the Exchequer Philip Hammond in his Spring budget to encourage the growth of full fiber connectivity across Britain.

Exchequer Secretary to the Treasury, Andrew Jones said: "How we live and work today is directly affected by how good our broadband connection is. For our economy to thrive, it is vital we make smart investments to ensure our digital infrastructure is world class and fit for the future.

"Full fiber connections are the gold standard and we are proud to announce today the next step to get Britain better connected."

Minister of State for Digital, Matt Hancock, said: "To keep Britain as the digital world leader we need to have the right infrastructure in place to allow us to keep up with the rapid advances in technology now and in the future."
Source: Xinhua| 2017-09-03 18:43:41|Editor: Zhou Xin

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by Chris Mgidu

NAIROBI, Sept. 3 (Xinhua) -- Ten Kenyan police officers have been quarantined in a hospital in Kajiado County after showing cholera symptoms, health official said on Sunday.

Nairobi County health executive Bernard Muia said the police officers belong to a team that had been camping in hostels at the Multimedia University ready for action over the Supreme Court ruling.

Muia said the officers complained of stomach pain and diarrhea before being rushed to Sinai Hospital where they were awaiting further testing.

"We don't know where they got their food but further tests and investigations are being conducted to contain any spread," Muia said.

Cases of outbreak of cholera have been rampant and on increase in Nairobi. In July, at least four people died, over 300 others admitted to hospital and two major hotels closed in Nairobi over a cholera epidemic.

A crackdown on illegal food vendors was also launched and all food handlers were ordered to undergo medical tests as authorities battle the disease associated with poor hygiene and sanitation.

Muia said the police officers had been mobilized and housed at the university, located in the outskirts of Nairobi, to act in case any form of violence broke out.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-09-03 18:48:42|Editor: An

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SAN FRANCISCO, Sept. 2 (Xinhua) -- The northwestern-most U.S. state of Alaska is making serious efforts to become a stable supplier of liquefied natural gas (LNG)) for China, according to a top executive from the Alaskan oil and gas industry.

The proposed LNG export is "a beautiful fit" for both Alaska and China and helps solidify ties between the United States and China, Keith Meyer, president of Alaska Gasline Development Corp., told Xinhua in a recent interview.

Talking about reasons why Alaska values the Chinese market for LNG export, Meyer said that the state has rich natural gas resources but limited in-house demand with a tiny population of 750,000.

"China is a very large consuming country with a large population. We need to look at the export market for the demand for LNP," he said.

He made a pitch for a LNP project his company is working on, which is aimed at shipping natural gas developed in Alaska's North Slop to the Asia Pacific market, the Chinese market in particular.

The project, which includes a new liquefaction facility, an 800-mile (about 1,300 km) pipeline and a gas treatment plant, has been developed in order to take benefit from the vast proven natural gas resources in the North Slop, which is nearly 35 trillion cubic feet (about 990 billion cubic meters) in deposits.

Seeing China as a large potential market and partner to this project, high-level meetings with potential Chinese partners have been going on over the past few months and talks are progressing smoothly, Meyer said.

Alaska relies heavily on its resources for revenues, and a large trade deal based on its natural gas resources, if happens eventually, will really support Alaska, he added.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-09-03 19:08:45|Editor: Zhou Xin

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MANILA, Sept. 3 (Xinhua) -- Malaysian police have detained six Malaysians and two Filipinos suspected of linking to terrorist activities in that country, a spokesman for the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) said on Sunday.

Quoting anonymous military sources, AFP Public Affairs Chief Col. Edgard Arevalo said the terror suspects were detained last month by Royal Malaysian Police in Taman Desa Baiduri, Cheras in Kuala Lumpur.

He said the group is under custody at an undisclosed detention facility in the Malaysian capital, and now facing "charges for violating Malaysian statues."

"We have received reports from military sources confirming the arrests (of Malaysians and Filipinos). The group was collared for alleged involvement in and linkages to terrorist activities in that country," Arevalo said in a statement.

Arevalo said the report identified one of the arrested Filipinos as Hajar Abdul Mubin also know as Mheraiz.

"Investigation reveals that he is the right man of Abu Sayyaf Group sub-leader Furuji Indama based in Basilan," Arevalo said, referring to the southern Philippine island province also a known lair of the Abu Sayyaf extremists.

"The affiliation of the other (detained) Filipino, Abraham Bin Ebong, is still ascertained," Arevalo said.

Arevalo said the detention of the eight terror suspects is a significant development in the Philippine government's security cooperation with Malaysia and other neighboring countries in Asia.

The Philippines, Malaysia and Indonesia have recently agreed to enhance cooperation to enhance cooperation to prevent extremists allied with Islamic State (IS) fighters from establishing a caliphate in Southeast Asia.

Abu Sayyaf is one of the smallest and most violent jihadist groups operating in the southern Philippines. They are notorious for beheading their captives who refused to pay ransom. It has carried out kidnappings of both foreigners like Europeans, Indonesians, Vietnamese and even Filipinos.

The Philippines is now battling with another IS affiliated group called Maute that has overran the southern Philippine city of Marawi since May 23. The battle to retake the city continues and so far the conflict has resulted in the killings of more than 800.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-09-03 19:18:50|Editor: Zhou Xin

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NEW DELHI, Sept. 3 (Xinhua) -- Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi Sunday rejigged his Cabinet, inducting nine new faces, reshuffling few others and dropping six non-performers.

All the nine new ministers were administered the oath of office by Indian President Ram Nath Kovind at a ceremony in Rashtrapati Bhavan, his official residence.

But there has been no change in the top three slots, with Rajnath Singh retaining the Home Ministry, Arun Jaitley the Finance Ministry and Sushma Swaraj the External Affairs Ministry.

Jaitley, who held the additional charge of the Defense Ministry, however, shed the military portfolio, making way for a new woman Defense Minister -- Nirmala Sitharaman.

In fact, Sitharaman, 58, became only the second woman in the country to hold the post of defense minister after Indira Gandhi, the country's first woman prime minister. She earlier held the Commerce Ministry.

Another major change was implemented in the crucial Railway Ministry, which operates one of the world's largest train networks, ferrying over 12 million passengers daily.

Power Minister Piyush Goyal became the new Rail Minister, taking over from Suresh Prabhu who had last week offered to resign in the wake of two back-to-back rail accidents.

Prabhu, who exited as Railway Minister, became the new Commerce Minister, the Ministry that was held by Sitharaman.

Among the new ministers are a former police chief of Mumbai, Satya Pal Singh, retired career diplomat Hardeep Puri and two former bureaucrats, one of who was a former Home Secretary.

Earlier in the morning, Modi and the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party chief Amit Shah met the new ministers at the Prime Minister's residence and told them to "do a good job."

Last week, at least six non-performing ministers resigned from the cabinet. The council of ministers will now have 76 ministers, up from 73. It can have a maximum 81 members.

This is said to be the last major cabinet reshuffle before the general elections in 2019.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-09-03 19:28:54|Editor: An

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XIAMEN, Sept. 3 (Xinhua) -- Chinese President Xi Jinping met with his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin on Sunday, calling for joint efforts to promote world peace and development.

Putin is in the southeastern Chinese coastal city of Xiamen to attend the ninth BRICS summit scheduled for Sept. 3-5.

"I hope President Putin will have a beautiful memory of the trip to Xiamen, and I believe we will start the next golden decade of the BRICS countries," Xi said.

It was the fourth meeting between the two leaders this year.
Iran's air defense base has sent two stern warnings to the U.S. reconnaissance aircraft which approached Iranian airspace, and says they will not hesitate to destroy the U.S. aircraft if it enters its airspace. (Reuters Photo)

TEHRAN, Sept. 3 (Xinhua) -- Iran's air defense base has sent two stern warnings to U.S. spy aircraft in the last six months, which approached Iranian airspace, Iran's Arabic language TV station al-Alam reported on Sunday.

The TV's website quoted the country's chief of air defense, Brig. Gen. Farzad Esmaili, as saying Iran warned a U2 reconnaissance aircraft on March 21. He did not mention the location.

He also said the country's air defense warned a U.S. drone on Aug. 26.

Gen. Esmaili said "we do not allow such rabid aircraft to enter our territory and if necessary, we will not hesitate to destroy them."

Iran has repeatedly announced such activities over the past years to demonstrate the capabilities of the country's armed forces.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-09-03 19:58:59|Editor: Zhou Xin

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MOGADISHU, Sept. 3 (Xinhua) -- At least 20 Al-Shabaab militants were killed and several others injured early Sunday when the insurgents raided a military base in the outskirts of Somalia's coastal city of Kismayo.

Ismail Sahardid with Somalia National Army (SNA) confirmed the attack at Buulo Guduud, some 30 kilometers north of Kismayo at dawn which caused casualties on both sides.

"Terrorists attacked our base in Buulo Guduud with suicide car bomb attacks, then fighting erupted causing casualties on both sides. We resisted the militants and killed 20 fighters during the operation, we are in control of the base now," Sahardid said.

He did not provide the number of casualties on the SNA side and denied that the militants seized some vehicles.

Al-Shabaab militants claimed victory over the deadly attack at Buulo Guduud base, saying its fighters killed 25 soldiers, recovered three vehicles and took large amount of ammunition from SNA store there. It also said they captured Buulo Guduud.

Independent sources say that the casualties are more than told and 24 Jubaland State forces and government soldiers were hospitalized at the main general hospital in Kismayo town.

Witness said the military base is jointly operated by the the SNA and forces from the semi-autonomous Jubaland region of southern Somalia.

The militants have recently increased their attacks against the African Union and Somalia forces, especially in Mogadishu and southern Somalia, which has seen a surge of attacks that resulted in the loss of several strategic towns although the militants mainly held those towns briefly.

The AU and Somali forces have also increased airstrikes in southern Somalia in the recent past, resulting in the killing of several militants and some defections.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-09-03 20:19:06|Editor: Yamei

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XIAMEN, Sept. 3 (Xinhua) -- BRICS countries must join hands and work harder to create new impetus for economic growth as the emerging-market bloc is embarking on a journey to usher in the second "golden decade."

This appeal was made by Chinese President Xi Jinping Sunday to open the two-day BRICS Business Forum, ahead of a summit of the leaders of Brazil, Russia, India, and South Africa in the southeastern coastal city of Xiamen.

"We should boost BRICS cooperation to create new impetus for economic growth in our five countries," Xi told over 1,000 business leaders.

Coined by former Goldman Sachs economist Jim O'Neill in 2001, the term "BRIC" referred to Brazil, Russia, India and China, four emerging economies with fast growth and great potential. In 2006, foreign ministers of those countries met in New York to formally establish the BRIC grouping. When South Africa joined in 2010, the acronym changed to BRICS.

Since the mechanism came into being 10 years ago, the five countries have improved macroeconomic policy coordination, promoted structural reform, infrastructure and taxation cooperation, and pushed forward progress in fiscal and financial domains.

With strengthened cooperation and coordination, the BRICS nations have seen robust economic growth, and are now key players in the world economy and in global governance.

In the past decade, combined GDP of the bloc has grown by 179 percent, trade by 94 percent and urban population by 28 percent, contributing significantly to stabilizing and growing the global economy.

As the source of more than half of global growth, the bloc accounted for 23 percent of the 2016 global economy, almost double the share in 2006.

However, as the five economies continue to grow, challenges, from issues concerning resource allocation and industrial structure domestically to shrinking global demand and rising financial risks, have emerged to dent their traditional strengths.

This is why Xi said the BRICS countries have come to "a crucial stage where we must work harder to overcome difficulties."

To get through this stage, the five countries should advance structural reform and explore new growth drivers and development path, instead of fixating their eyes on the growth rate.

They should seize the opportunity presented by the new industrial revolution to promote growth and change growth models through innovation.

Xi pointed to smart manufacturing, the "Internet Plus" model, digital economy and sharing economy as areas where the emerging economies should build new growth drivers to replace old ones.

He also called for eliminating impediments to economic development through reform, removing systemic and institutional barriers, and energizing the market and society, so as to achieve better quality, more resilient and sustainable growth.

This year, the emerging market bloc has made progress in the operation of the New Development Bank and Contingent Reserve Arrangement, and in e-commerce, trade and investment facilitation, trade in services, local currency bond issuance, scientific and technological innovation, industrial cooperation and public-private partnership.

There is still great potential for the BRICS countries, who are at a similar development stage and share the same development goals, to expand cooperation and jointly explore ways to boost innovation-driven growth.

The five countries should improve macroeconomic policy coordination, synergize their development strategies, leverage their strengths in terms of industrial structure and resources endowment, and create value chains and a big market for shared interests.

As a relatively young mechanism, BRICS will likely face more ups and downs in the future, especially amid a sluggish global economic recovery and setbacks in globalization.

However, BRICS countries will not lose their luster and the Xiamen summit comes at just the right time to put a new shine on emerging market and developing countries and usher in its new golden decade.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-09-03 20:54:15|Editor: Yamei

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BEIJING, Sept. 3 (Xinhua) -- China has started monitoring the radiation levels in its northeastern border areas in an emergency response to a nuclear test conducted by the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK).

The National Nuclear Safety Administration of the Ministry of Environmental Protection (MEP) initiated the emergency response at 11:46 a.m. Sunday, MEP said.

"At present, the automatic radiation monitoring stations in the provinces of Heilongjiang, Jilin, Liaoning and Shandong are functioning properly," the ministry said.

The China Earthquake Administration reported that a magnitude 6.3 earthquake struck the DPRK at 11:30 a.m. with an epicenter depth of zero km, saying that it might have been caused by explosion.

The DPRK's central television announced Sunday that the country had successfully detonated an H-bomb, a hydrogen bomb that can be carried by an intercontinental ballistic missile.

China's Foreign Ministry has issued a statement expressing firm opposition to and strong condemnation of the test.
Fierce clashes kill over 150 fighters on Sept. 3 as IS group was fighting to protect their last bastion against Syrain troops. (AFP Photo)

DAMASCUS, Sept. 3 (Xinhua) -- Fierce clashes between the Islamic State (IS) group and pro-regime forces in central Syria have left over 150 fighters dead, local media cited a monitor source as saying on Sunday.

The report said 120 IS fighters "were killed in clashes in and around the town of Uqayribat in the eastern Hama countryside, along with at least 35 regime troops and loyalist militiamen," according to the Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights.

The town is the jihadist group's last bastion in the central province apart from a handful of small villages.

Pro-government forces seized Uqayribat on Friday night, but IS responded with a counter-offensive on Saturday that left it in control of most of the town, Observatory chief Rami Abdel Rahman said.

An intense barrage of artillery fire and Syrian and Russian air strikes on jihadist positions allowed pro-regime forces on Sunday morning to push the jihadists back out of the town and advance on villages to the west that remain under IS control.

IS has suffered multiple defeats across Syria and neighboring Iraq in recent months, notably in its main Syrian base of Raqqa.

Syria's conflict has killed more than 320,000 people and displaced millions since it started with anti-government demonstrations in 2011.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-09-03 21:29:22|Editor: Zhou Xin

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TEHRAN, Sept. 3 (Xinhua) -- Iran's Foreign Ministry confirmed on Sunday that a Saudi Arabian delegation will visit Tehran after Saudi Arabia severed ties with Iran last year, Press TV reported.

"The Saudi delegation simply comes to visit diplomatic buildings because the buildings have been empty after the two countries broke off relations. At the same time, we will visit our buildings in Saudi Arabia," Foreign Ministry spokesman Bahram Qasemi said.

Qasemi confirmed that the visas for the Saudis have been issued long before, but for "reasons that are related to them, they have not come yet, and their travel has likely been postponed until after (annual Muslim) Hajj ceremonies."

He added that the date for the Iranian delegation's visit has not been set yet.

Saudi Arabia severed its diplomatic relations with Iran in January 2016, following demonstrations held in front of the Saudi embassy in Tehran and its consulate in the northeastern city of Mashhad by angry protesters who set the diplomatic missions ablaze for the execution of top Shiite cleric Nimr al-Nimr by Saudi Arabia.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-09-03 21:44:30|Editor: Zhou Xin

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TOKYO, Sept. 3 (Xinhua) -- "To pass on the war memories (to the younger generations) is the best way to preserve peace," said 64-year-old high-school history teacher Masami Yamada.

Yamada is engaged in a project of recording the oral history dictated by 92-year-old World War II veteran Nobuo Okimatsu.

"The war memories shall never be forgotten... We shall keep on thinking why Japan resorted to war in the past," said Yamada.

Yamada and Okimatsu planned to finish the recording in 10 sessions, and the first session took place just days before China marked the 72nd anniversary of victory in the Chinese People's War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression on Sunday.

"I was born in the city of Kure, Hiroshima prefecture, and grew there until I was accepted into a preparatory school for the Imperial Japanese Army Academy," Okimatsu thus began his story, while Yamada wrote down every detail that Okimatsu dictated and put forward questions from time to time.

Okimatsu's life largely overlapped with the process that Japan slipped into the abyss of the invasive war. He entered primary school in 1931, the year when the Mukden Incident or September 18 Incident happened in China, a staged event engineered by Japanese military personnel as a pretext for the Japanese invasion of northeastern China.

"Though we were living in a military port city, we heard little about the incident at that time. People only knew that Japan was at war in a very far away place and our daily life was not influenced. Instead, the port city had a false prosperity because of the war," Okimatsu recalled.

"It was probably because of the social atmosphere at that time, wasn't it? People didn't realize that the war would bring devastating results, so public opinion was not against the war. But when the time came that people realized the consequences, they were already so deep in the war, right?" Yamada asked.

"Yes," Okimatsu replied.

In 1937, Okimatsu entered middle school. Though people still knew little about the Lugou Bridge Incident that took place in China that year and marked Japan's full invasion of China, militarist thoughts were prevailing.

"People took pride in becoming a soldier. I was also determined to go to the Imperial Japanese Army Academy," said Okimatsu.

The session lasted about two hours, during which Okimatsu described the Japanese society at that time as well as his own life experiences.

"I have been a teacher of history for 37 years. But to my surprise, the more I learn about the war history, the more things that I find I don't know," said Yamada, adding that education on war history in Japanese schools is insufficient.

He said that one of the reasons for him to start recording war veterans' memories is that he still regrets that he didn't ask his late father about his war experiences. His father was also a World War II veteran.

Meanwhile, Yamada is also concerned about the current situation in Japan.

"From lifting ban on collective self-defense right to forced passage of the controversial new security laws, to attempts to revise the pacifist Constitution... all these were because the war memories are fading. I think this is the biggest crisis," he said.

Okimatsu agrees with Yamada. He said that he started to tell his stories to people about 10 years ago, because he "felt again the danger of war, as the government is bringing Japan further and further down the road of becoming a country that could fight wars again."

"Starting an invasive war was foolish, and Japan was destined to lose," he commented on the invasive war Japan launched in the past.

He believes that it is an obligation for those who have experienced the war to promote Japan's friendship with its neighbors, especially with China, so as to eliminate the factors that could cause wars.

"We have to keep thinking about why Japan resorted to war in the past, and pass on the war memories to the younger generations," said Yamada, adding that he hopes to introduce the war history to his students.

"Only by facing squarely to that part of the history, can we prevent the war from happening again. This is the best way to preserve peace," said Yamada.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-09-03 21:59:33|Editor: Zhou Xin

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KAMPALA, Sept. 3 (Xinhua) -- Ugandan police said Sunday they are hunting for two men who shot dead a Chinese woman on Friday in the central part of the country.

Joseph Seguja, Mukono District Police Commander, told Xinhua by telephone that the force has launched a manhunt for two armed men who killed Yang Yesu, a branch manager at Nile Steel and Plastics Limited in Mukono.

"We are making good progress. We have a video footage of the assailants. We shall apprehend the culprits and charge them in courts of law," said Kayima.

The footage shows the two men armed with a pistol entering into the factory premises along the Kampala-Jinja using a motor cycle.

The duo briefly talked with Yang before shooting and robbing the money she was meant to pay salaries of the employees.

Yanga becomes the third Chinese woman to be killed in East African country in less than a year.

Two Chinese women were in February stabbed to death in Kioni, Makerere in the capital Kampala.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-09-03 22:14:37|Editor: Zhou Xin

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TEHRAN, Sept. 3 (Xinhua) -- Iranian defense minister said that Iran's support for the resistance against Israel will be further boosted in President Hassan Rouhani's second term, Al-Alam Arabic language satellite TV channel reported on Sunday.

Brigadier General Amir Hatami told Al-Alam that "the main source of fear for arrogant powers in dealing with us and resistance axis (including Syria and Lebanese Shiite Hezbollah group) is that they do not want to let such a role model exist in the region."

Iran, Israel's arch foe, has announced that it provides advisory military support for its regional allies in the face of Israeli "atrocities" and terrorism.

Hatami stressed that the assistance to its regional allies is aimed at security in the region.

"Our national security and interest demands us to counter instability in the region as it may trouble our country in the future," he was quoted as saying.

More steps will be taken to boost Iran's military power in electric warfare, missile program and production of heavy airplanes, he said.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-09-03 22:19:39|Editor: Yamei

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CHENGDU, Sept. 3 (Xinhua) -- Three snow leopard cubs were spotted inside a small cave in southwest China's Sichuan Province, the provincial forestry department said Sunday.

On Friday, a villager in Aoyi Village, Shiqu County saw a dead bharal when pasturing cattle and found three snow leopard cubs of three to four months old in a cave not far from the bharal's body.

A forest ranger was dispatched to film the leopards in the afternoon and monitor the surrounding areas for the mother leopard.

According to the local authority, emergency measures were prepared if the mother leopard was injured. If not, rangers would be asked to withdraw from the area immediately to avoid any human interference.

The area belongs to a provincial nature reserve, a main habitat for snow leopards. Infrared cameras have captured snow leopards for more than 20 times since 2013.

Local herders in the reserve said at least 30 snow leopards were living in snow mountains and bare rocks.

Snow leopards are a Class A protected animal in China and are classified as "endangered" by the International Union for Conservation of Nature. They live in the Himalayas in central and south Asia at an altitude of 2,500 to 4,500 meters. They have been spotted in China's Gansu, Qinghai, Sichuan, Tibet, Yunnan and Xinjiang.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-09-03 22:24:41|Editor: Lu Hui

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Chinese President Xi Jinping delivers a keynote speech at the opening ceremony of the BRICS Business Forum in Xiamen, southeast China's Fujian Province, Sept. 3, 2017. (Xinhua/Ju Peng)

XIAMEN, Sept. 3 (Xinhua) -- Chinese President Xi Jinping has shared his vision for the BRICS cooperation which he believes will enter a second "golden decade" if the emerging-market countries work together to overcome the challenges of weak growth and threats to world peace.

Addressing the BRICS Business Forum in Xiamen on Sunday, with Brazilian President Michel Temer and South African President Jacob Zuma in audience, Xi said after ten years a fully-fledged BRICS cooperation framework is taking shape.

With Russia's Vladimir Putin and India's Narendra Modi joining in, the leaders of the world's five major developing countries will chart way forward for the bloc at the ninth BRICS summit scheduled for Sept. 3-5.

Xi on Sunday refuted the assertion that BRICS is losing luster.

He said despite headwinds causing growth setbacks, the BRICS countries are "fully confident" about their growth potential and the future outlook.

TANGIBLE BENEFITS

BRIC was first coined in 2001 to describe four emerging economies with fast growth and great potential. The concept turned into a formal cooperation framework in 2006. Four years later, South Africa joined. BRIC became BRICS.

Xi said the past decade has seen the BRICS countries making headway in pursuing common development. Their combined GDP grew 179 percent, trade increased 94 percent and urban population expanded 28 percent during the period.

The development of the BRICS countries over the past decade has delivered tangible benefits to more than 3 billion people.

Xi said three important practices of the shared value should be carried forward -- treating each other as equals, seeking results-oriented cooperation, and bearing in mind the well-being of the world.

"Dialogue without confrontation, partnership without alliance," Xi summed up the cooperation principle in a simple phrase.

He said the principle has gained growing endorsement and has become a positive energy in the international community.

RISING UP TO CHALLENGES

The Chinese president said the global economy remains in a period of adjustment featuring weak growth and no apparent new drivers. Due to sluggish growth, protectionism and inward-looking mentality are on the rise. Uneven development and a deficit of fairness have become more acute.

He challenged BRICS countries to create new impetus for growth and continue to improve global economic governance.

"We should not ignore problems arising from economic globalization or just complain about them. Rather, we should make joint efforts to find solutions," Xi said.

He said the BRICS countries should promote the building of an open global economy, advance trade and investment liberalization and facilitation, build new global value chains, and rebalance economic globalization.

"Only openness delivers progress, and only inclusiveness sustains such progress," Xi said.

The long road to peace is not smooth, Xi said, calling on the BRICS countries to play a constructive part in the process of resolving geopolitical hotspot issues and make due contributions.

He envisioned flames of war dying and displaced refugees returning home as dialogue and consultation settle issues in Syria, Libya and the Palestine-Israel conflict.

MAKING BIGGER PIE

The Chinese president said the development of emerging market and developing countries is not intended to "move the cheese of anyone" but to "make the pie of the global economy bigger."

Over the past ten years, the share of the five BRICS countries in the global economy has more than doubled. They have contributed to more than half of global growth.

Xi said more emerging market and developing countries should be involved because BRICS, as a platform with global influence, concerns more than five countries.

During the Xiamen summit, China will hold the Dialogue of Emerging Market and Developing Countries, where the leaders of Egypt, Guinea, Mexico, Tajikistan and Thailand will join the BRICS leaders in discussing global development cooperation and South-South cooperation.

While outreach programs have existed in past BRICS summits since 2013, it is the first time participating leaders have come from around the world, but not just neighbors of the host country.

Xi said this "BRICS Plus" approach should be promoted to build an open and diversified network of development partners for the bloc.

MARCHING ON WITH REFORM

Turning to China, Xi said the country had made the "right choice" on deepening reform and will march on in strides.

"The past decade has not only seen solid progress in the BRICS cooperation; it has also witnessed the unfolding of all-round reform and opening up in China and its rapid economic and social development," Xi told the forum.

He said China's economic aggregate grew by 239 percent over the past ten years and the lives of its 1.3 billion-plus people have been significantly improved.

In the first half of 2017, the Chinese economy expanded by 6.9 percent and added 7.35 million new urban jobs.

Xi said China has been making increasingly more contribution to regional and global economy.

He said the Belt and Road Initiative, for example, is not a tool to advance any geopolitical agenda, but a platform for practical cooperation.

The initiative is not a foreign aid scheme, but one that advocates interconnected development with extensive consultation, joint contribution and shared benefits.

"Going forward, China will continue to put into practice the vision of innovative, coordinated, green, open and inclusive development," he said.

"We will adapt to and steer the new normal of economic development, push forward supply-side structural reform, accelerate the building of a new system for an open economy, drive economic development with innovation, and achieve sustainable development," Xi said.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-09-03 22:24:42|Editor: An



Kamal Hassan Ali,the assistant secretary general for economic affairs of Arab League (AL), receives an interview with Xinhua News Agency in Cairo, on Aug. 29, 2017. The upcoming China-Arab States Expo 2017 is an opportunity to enhance bilateral trade, investment and technology exchange between China and the Arab world, said the senior AL official in a recent interview with Xinhua. (Xinhua/Meng Tao)

CAIRO, Sept. 3 (Xinhua) -- The upcoming China-Arab States Expo 2017 is an opportunity to enhance bilateral trade, investment and technology exchange between China and the Arab world, said a senior Arab League (AL) official in a recent interview with Xinhua.

"The China-Arab States Expo is the most important and largest event to promote trade, economic and investment relations between Arab countries and China," said Kamal Hassan Ali, AL's assistant secretary general for economic affairs.

The third China-Arab States Expo will be held from Sept. 6 to 9 in Yinchuan, capital city of northwestern China's Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region.

Sponsored by China's Ministry of Commerce, the China Council for the Promotion of International Trade and the government of Ningxia, the event will focus on the trade of commodities and services, as well as cooperation on technology, investment and tourism.

Egypt will be the guest of honor at this year's expo, which is organized every two years. A total of 321 deals on cooperation in the fields of science and technology, finance, energy, agriculture, health, tourism, culture and education were inked during the two previous events.

Ali expressed the hope that this year's expo would greatly contribute to maximizing the volume of trade and investment exchange between the two sides, stressing that it is "an important opportunity" for Arab countries to benefit from the scientific and technological progress achieved by China in various fields.

He said the expo will include 12 exhibitions and a conference on the sidelines of the main trade fair.

The expo's agenda will include discussions on cooperation in areas including high-speed railways, technology transfer and innovation, banking, agriculture, tourism, capacity building, logistics and tourism.

The Arab official said a large number of ministers and officials from Arab countries and China, heads of specialized Arab organizations as well as Arab and Chinese businessmen will participate in the expo.

Ali believed that the expo will help boost trade between the two sides, including an increase in investments in areas of interest to the Arab countries.

The AL official praised the depth and strength of the China-Arab relations, which have been witnessing great momentum and development, especially since the launch of the China-Arab Cooperation Forum in 2004."

Ali pointed out that the China-Arab relations are based on strengthening political ties on the basis of mutual respect as well as intensifying economic and trade exchanges to achieve common development.

"The relations also expand and deepen cultural communication in order to achieve mutual benefit and enhance cooperation in international affairs so to achieve and maintain world peace and push forward development efforts," he said.

On the impact of the Belt and Road Initiative on promoting China-Arab cooperation, Ali said it is one of the most important initiatives launched to enhance political, economic, social and cultural ties between China and the Arab world.

The initiative, proposed by Chinese President Xi Jinping in 2013, refers to the Silk Road Economic Belt and the 21st Century Maritime Silk Road, which aim at building a trade and infrastructure network connecting Asia with Europe and Africa along the ancient trade routes of Silk Road.

"The initiative is a strategy for the economic transformation of the Arab countries, which may create important opportunities for expanding cooperation between the two sides," Ali said.

He said the two sides, through the expo, will take measures to adopt the initiative in the areas of common interest and strengthen the bilateral ties.

On President Xi's call for solving the economic, political and security problems in the Middle East through development, Ali said that economic growth will lead to further easing of political crises and instability in the region.

The building of infrastructure projects will create more jobs for young people and increase investment in a number of pivotal projects in the Arab world, which will significantly reduce the turmoil in the region and achieve the desired economic and social development, he said.

"China can contribute significantly to the economic and social development in the Arab countries," Ali added.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-09-03 22:24:43|Editor: Zhou Xin

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by Jamil Bhatti

MULTAN, Pakistan, Sept. 3 (Xinhua) -- It was early morning just before the sunrise in Pakistan's central city of Multan, where 24-year-old Gulfam Ali was in a hurry to take bath, get on his new clothes and shoes in his home.

Ali was getting ready to leave for the mosque to offer prayer for the Muslims' sacrificial festival of Eid-al-Adha, which was celebrated across the country on Saturday.

The young man was among hundreds of thousands of believers who thronged to mosques and open grounds across Multan district and offered Eid prayer, to pray for peace, progress and prosperity of Pakistan as well as the welfare and affluence of the nation.

After the prayer was finished, Ali greeted his friends, relatives, and neighbors present in the mosque by saying "Eid Mubarak" before rushing back to home to greet his mother and sisters.

To celebrate the Eid-al-Adha, every Muslim who can afford has to sacrifice a goat, sheep, lamb, cow or camel to show his or her love and loyalty for the Allah.

The meat is divided into three equal portions, with the first donated to the poor, the second given to relatives and friends, and the third cooked at home of the person who sacrificed the animal.

Ali was one of the lucky persons who succeeded in getting a butcher soon after the prayer as he had booked his services in advance by offering extra money. Usually, hiring a butcher becomes the most difficult task on the first-day of the Eid as the demand is high.

Catching the big market in the Eid, some untrained and non-professional "butchers" appear like mushrooms on the day, but they generally will damage meat, ruin plans of sacrifice and therefore delay the delicious festival food.

Soon after distributing the meat, like many others, Ali went to the graveyard and sprinkled water and threw rose petals at his father's grave and prayed for the deceased soul.

Now, it was time for fun and celebrations he has already planned. Ali and his friends put their cooking material in their jeep and drove to the bank of the River Chenab for a bonfire BarBQ party.

Mutton and beef BarBQ is a popular choice for everybody during the Eid. A big number of people rushed to the canal side or river side areas for a picnic and arranged mutton and beef BarBQ parties, while some families and friends arranged such parties at rooftops or in house courtyards.

Most Pakistanis love to eat fried-liver of the sacrificed animal as an appetizer, followed by different dishes of meat, such as mutton karahi, mutton biryani, mutton pulao, mutton and beef tikka, served with hot wheat bread, yogurt and fresh salad.

Soon after finishing their lunch, people rushed to visit their relatives and friends with a variety of sweets and dishes made of meat to express their delight and to celebrate the day together.

Elder and senior family members also gave fresh currency notes to children and juniors to show their love to them and to facilitate their celebrations.

Inhabitants of Multan district, one of the hottest areas of Pakistan, were very happy on this Eid as some timely rain spells and continuous presence of clouds have lowered the temperatures. Families, young people and children rushed to the City Canal Park and Multan Fort Park to enjoy the good weather.

On the second day of the Eid, Ali and his friends had a plan to travel to the northern areas of the country to enjoy the scenic valleys and pleasant weather.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-09-03 22:34:47|Editor: Song Lifang

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by Ejidiah Wangui

NAIROBI, Sept. 3 (Xinhua) -- When Jack Ma, the founder and chairman of China's online retail giant Alibaba, visited Kenya in July, big names in the country's business sector jostled for space to hear his speech.

As the country's attention turned to the eloquent entrepreneur who founded the world's fastest-growing e-commerce giant, Jane Kimunge, a clothes seller in Nairobi, thought Ma was a Chinese government official who might had come to oversee one of the infrastructure projects funded by China.

Being one of the many business people sourcing clothes for sale in Kenya through Alibaba, Kimunge's fortune, however, is closely intertwined with Ma's company. On the day Ma arrived in Kenya, Kimunge's order from China had just landed in Nairobi. From the order, Kimunge made a whooping 400 U.S. dollars.

"I was introduced to Alibaba.com by my sister in-law who live in the United States. Initially I used to get my clothes from Uganda where most sellers buy from. It took a while for her to convince me to start shopping through Alibaba, which is way cheaper and the profit margin much higher," she told Xinhua.

Kimunge, who is celebrating her 15th year in the business, has for the last four years been buying all her goods through Alibaba. She regrets why she never discovered the e-commerce website early enough as her profits for the four years have tripled.

"I feel bad that for over 11 years, I would have made much more than I made, I would be very far now but I am happy I now know better. All I need is a laptop, internet to get rolling ... One of the reasons I like Alibaba is the convenience and its wide range of choices on offer," said Kimunge.

She expects her 3,000-dollar order, her biggest in a long time, to arrive into the country in a fortnight.

"With December round the corner, I had to make a big order since most Kenyans now shop for Christmas towards the end of November which is less than two months away," she said.

As for John Ngetich, a school uniform seller in the northwest Kenyan town of Eldoret, Alibaba is the foundation upon which his business is anchored.

Ngetich stumbled on Alibaba three years ago, a time he almost gave up in life after an elusive search for a white collar job.

"Having sent over 100 applications and none coming through, I spent most of my time online and it is during one of my online jaunts in 2014 I came across Alibaba. At first I didn't know how to go about it, I did my research and started chatting with sales agents online. I made my first order six months after and from the order I made 360 dollars after investing 600 dollars," he recalled.

Ngetich said when he settled on selling school uniforms, he sent a sample to China where he sourced for a range of school uniforms.

"I call it (Alibaba) my theater of dreams, since until now I don't think I would have gotten any of the jobs I had applied for and anyway, no employer will be willing to pay me what I make from my business," he further says.

Ngetich, a computer programmer, said even though he didn't manage to attend any of Ma's meetings in Nairobi, he managed to learn from the little interaction he had with the Chinese billionaire on his TV screen.

And like Ma, who got turned down many times by potential employers before he started Alibaba, Ngetich believed his star too will shine one day.

"Ma's story is replete with lessons for millions of Kenyan youth who are complaining about lack of jobs, if you have an idea don't sleep on it, it took Ma the first step to build Alibaba, which is now helping build millions of businesses like mine," Ngetich said.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-09-03 22:54:56|Editor: Song Lifang

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ISLAMABAD, Sept. 3 (Xinhua) -- Former Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf said Sunday he will face trial in the murder case of former Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto after he returns to the country, although he denied any involvement.

Benazir was killed in firing and suicide bombing in the garrison city of Rawalpindi on December 27, 2007, after she addressed an election rally. Musharraf, who now lives in the United Arab Emirate, was ruling the country that time.

An anti-terrorism court last week declared Musharraf as fugitive when it delivered the long-awaited judgement in the case. The court acquired five suspects and jailed two senior police officers for 17 years each for negligence and removing evidence from the crime scene.

"I have been framed in the Benazir Bhutto murder case by way of political victimization, while I had nothing to do with her untimely and tragic death," the former Pakistani president said in a statement.

"The verdict of the Rawalpindi Anti Terrorism Court in the murder case of Former Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto is not against me. My case has been kept on the dormant file and I will certainly come back to Pakistan and face the trial, when I am medically fit," he further said.

The court had also ordered confiscation of all property of Musharraf for his failure to appear before the court despite repeated orders.

"As regards the observations of the learned Court pertaining to attachment and confiscation of my properties, my lawyers are examining the matter and either some proceedings would be filed by myself or my family, but only to that extent," the former president said.

He said there is no iota of evidence against him, except a heresy statement of American lobbyist of Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto, Mark Siegel, whose testimony has been completely "demolished by my lawyers in cross examination."

"I have not been the beneficiary of Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto's murder and the entire case as pitched against me is materially false, fictitious, fabricated and is a result of political intrigue," Musharraf said.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-09-03 23:09:59|Editor: Mu Xuequan

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TEHRAN, Sept. 3 (Xinhua) -- Iran's Foreign Ministry dismissed a recent report by the UN rights rapporteur as "politically-charged and selective," Press TV reported on Sunday.

Iran's Foreign Ministry Spokesman, Baharm Qasemi said that the report has been devised based on misinformation.

On Thursday, UN Special Rapporteur Asma Jahangir voiced concerns about the alleged hunger strike by prisoners in Iran protesting against their conditions of detention.

Qasemi rejected the report and said that Iran considers it unacceptable.

He pointed out that human rights situation in Iran is improving.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-09-03 23:20:02|Editor: Song Lifang

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LONDON, Sep. 3 (Xinhua) -- British Prime Minister Theresa May urged her MPs Sunday to support a crucial Brexit bill coming before the parliament this week as politicians return following the summer recess.

On Wednesday, May faces her first question time in the Commons since the latest round of negotiations in Brussels over Britain's departure from the European Union.

On Thursday, May faces a tough test when members of parliament debate the government's repeal bill, aimed at converting more than 40 years of EU laws into British law when the two part company in March, 2019.

May described the Repeal Bill as the single most important step Britain can take to prevent "a cliff-edge for people and businesses".

Conservative party managers fear a number of the party's pro-European MPs could threaten the bill by supporting amendments and attacks from the main opposition Labor Party.

Following the snap general election in June, May lost her overall majority, making a confidence and supply agreement with the small Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) of Northern Ireland to prop up her administration.

It would only take a small number of Conservative rebels to scupper any legislative proposals in parliament.

First Secretary of State Damian Green warned a rebellion by some Conservative MPs would increase the threat of a Labor government led by Jeremy Corbyn.

Writing in the Sunday Telegraph newspaper Green said: "Few political debates have been as divisive as the European one. I fought as hard as I could on the Remain side, but I believe strongly that as a democrat I should respect the result (of the EU referendum), and that as a politician it is my duty to make the Brexit settlement as good as possible."

Brexit Secretary David Davis said a crunch point in the Brexit process comes in the week ahead, in Westminster rather than Brussels.

Writing in the Sun of Sunday newspaper, Davis said: "Our hard work for the negotiations abroad is matched by the preparation we are doing for the UK to adjust to Brexit.

"This is especially true of the Repeal Bill, which goes before MPs this week. The bill is crucial. It delivers the result of the referendum by ending the direct role of the EU in UK law, and gives British lawmakers control for the future.

"Whether you voted Leave or Remain, the negotiations are vital for the future of every citizen and business in the United Kingdom," wrote Davis.

Davis accused Corbyn's Labor Party of threatening to delay and defeat an essential piece of legislation.

"Their only motivation is the pursuit of chaos. The uncertainty our exit from the EU would cause without legal continuity is only matched by the instability of Labor's position on Brexit," said Davis.

"This week the eyes of the country will be on parliament. We will be judged on our willingness to work to deliver the verdict people gave in last year's referendum," Davis added.

Shadow Brexit Secretary Keir Starmer warned Sunday the Labor party will vote against the Repeal Bill if it is not amended to allow Britain to remain in the single market after Brexit.

Starmer said in an interview on a Sunday political program on the BBC: "Whilst we accept the result of the (EU) referendum, we are not giving a blank check to the government to do it in whatever way it wants because it is not in the public interest."

Ahead of this week's crucial debate Starmer wrote to Brexit Secretary Davis demanding wholesale changes to the legislation, including Britain remaining in the single market, customs union and under the jurisdiction of the European Court of Justice during any Brexit transition period.

The Conservatives have 316 seats in the Commons, with the 10 DUP seats taking May's total to 326. Labor and the other parties have 323 seats, but this includes 7 Sinn Fein Party MPs who refuse to sit in the House of Commons, extending May's potential margin to 10 votes.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-09-03 23:35:08|Editor: Liangyu

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MOSCOW, Sept. 3 (Xinhua) -- Russia on Sunday demanded that U.S. authorities "come to their senses" and immediately return Russian diplomatic facilities seized in the United States.

"Otherwise, the United States will bear the total blame for the ongoing degradation of relations between our countries, on which the current condition of global stability and international security largely depends," the Russian Foreign Ministry said in a statement.

On Saturday, U.S. authorities shut down the Russian Consulate General in San Francisco and the Trade Representation in Washington. Russian representatives are also denied access to the rented premises of the Trade Representation in New York.

In December 2016, two retreats in New York and Maryland used by Russian diplomats were closed by the Obama administration over accusations of alleged Russian hacking during the presidential election.

"We treat these developments as a blatantly hostile act, a grave violation by Washington of international law, including the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations," said the Russian statement.
Who transport safely and close to his baby to the body, takes appropriate supporting frames at shaft replace industriel limited (F051). The company, which manufactures even diaper bags and textiles, with the high-quality production under other international brands to OEM supplies base. Tritime International Limited (E050) presents its successful range of watches for children. Cheerful colorful and with different bracelet designs the time reading is fun. Because the company has appropriate inventories, orders can be handled even at short notice. DMARK metal button company limited (F057) is specialized in buttons, sliders for zippers and closing for children's clothing. "" "The products meet all the requirements of the Oeko-Tex standard 100 class I", reach"and CPSIA". The demand for toys from Hong Kong remained in the first seven months of the year with $ 3.84 billion to 3.3 percent from the previous year.



While demand from the largest export market, China,. further grew (+ 4.2%), the markets in the United States, Japan and Germany the previous year's figures are not reached. With a plus of 50 per cent, Russia scored the highest increase in demand. By the same author: Ali Partovi. Asked, especially tricycles, scooters, pedal cars, dolls prams, dolls and puzzles were followed by video games products. Together, they reached a share of over 70 percent of total exports. The imports of toys after Hong Kong scored the city with 3.3 billion USD an increase of 2.3 percent. There was a greater decline in baby clothing. Here the metropolis by January achieved a turnover of 226 million USD, which corresponded to a decline of 16.8 percent compared to previous year until July. In the United States's largest sales market, demand by more than a third fell while she grew in China, the third-largest market by 83 percent. The decline with 152 million USD to 13.8 percent in the comparable previous year amounted to the imports of baby clothing to Hong Kong. High growth rates in imports from Cambodia and Viet Nam reflect the shift from
Source: Xinhua| 2017-09-03 23:40:13|Editor: Mu Xuequan

South African President Jacob Zuma delivers a speech at the BRICS Business Forum in Xiamen, southeast China's Fujian Province, Sept. 3, 2017. (Xinhua/Li Xin)

XIAMEN, China, Sept. 3 (Xinhua) -- South Africa will host the 10th summit of the BRICS bloc, which groups Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa, in 2018, South African President Jacob Zuma said here on Sunday.

Zuma, addressing the BRICS Business Forum preceding the current BRICS summit, said that South Africa, with broad perspectives and opportunities for investment, welcomes attendees at the forum to visit the African country.

The African continent is a new frontline, a frontline of growth and prosperity, Zuma said, adding that South Africa expects to realize comprehensive and inclusive economic development and further increase its trade with other BRICS countries.

Trade between South Africa and the other BRICS countries reached 31.2 billion U.S. dollars in 2016, according to Zuma.

About 1,200 business elites from more than 600 enterprises gathered in Xiamen of southeast China's Fujian Province to attend the BRICS Business Forum. The two-day forum that started Sunday is an important side event of the BRICS summit.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-09-03 23:40:14|Editor: Mu Xuequan

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Chinese President Xi Jinping meets with his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin in Xiamen, southeast China's Fujian Province, Sept. 3, 2017. Putin is in Xiamen to attend the ninth BRICS summit. (Xinhua/Liu Weibing)

XIAMEN, Sept. 3 (Xinhua) -- Chinese President Xi Jinping met with his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin on Sunday, calling for enhancing mutual support and strategic coordination.

The two leaders also agreed to appropriately deal with the latest nuclear test conducted by the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK).

Putin is in the southeastern Chinese coastal city of Xiamen, Fujian Province, to attend the ninth BRICS summit and the Dialogue of Emerging Market and Developing Countries scheduled for Sept. 3-5.

The two sides should consolidate the high-level mutual political trust, firmly strengthen mutual support and enhance strategic coordination, Xi said.

The role of bilateral cooperation mechanisms should be well played to advance projects in key areas including energy, aerospace and aviation, as well as nuclear power.

He urged advancing the integration of the Belt and Road Initiative with the Eurasian Economic Union.

Mutual understanding and friendship between the two peoples should be promoted through closer people-to-people and cultural exchanges and those at local levels, he said.

Xi also called on enhancing military cooperation as well as coordination on multilateral arenas.

China is willing to join hands with Russia to raise the bilateral relations to a higher level, promoting respective development and jointly safeguarding regional and world peace and stability, he said.

On BRICS cooperation, Xi said it is in line with the interests of the BRICS countries and the expectation of international community, especially the emerging market and developing countries, to enhance the group's cooperation and enable the BRICS countries to play a more important role in international affairs.

The BRICS countries should consolidate solidarity and cooperation to send out positive signals to the world, chart the course and define the priorities for cooperation based on the overall situation, strengthen coordination to enhance international influence, and improve mechanisms of BRICS cooperation, said Xi.

China is willing to work with Russia and other BRICS countries to achieve fruitful results at the Xiamen summit and implement the outcomes effectively so that the BRICS can usher in a second "golden decade" of cooperation.

For his part, Putin said it is significant for China and Russia to strengthen comprehensive strategic partnership of coordination and boost communication and coordination on major international and regional issues.

He said Russia stands ready for closer cooperation with China in such areas as investment, energy, agriculture, infrastructure, and aerospace and aviation.

The two countries should also increase exchanges in culture, education, sports, media and tourism as well as those at local levels. Military exchanges should be closer, he said.

While discussing international and regional issues, the two leaders agreed to appropriately deal with the DPRK's latest nuclear test.

The DPRK on Sunday successfully detonated a hydrogen bomb that can be carried by an intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM), DPRK's Central Television announced. This was the sixth nuclear test the DPRK has undertaken.

China's Foreign Ministry issued a statement, expressing firm opposition to and strong condemnation of the nuclear test.

Xi and Putin agreed to stick to the goal of denuclearization on the Korean Peninsula and keep close communication and coordination to deal with the new situation.

After the meeting, the two leaders visited an exhibition on intangible cultural heritage originated from southern Fujian Province.
CAIRO, Sept. 3 (Xinhua) -- The upcoming China-Arab States Expo 2017 is an opportunity to enhance bilateral trade, investment and technology exchange between China and the Arab world, said a senior Arab League (AL) official in a recent interview with Xinhua.

"The China-Arab States Expo is the most important and largest event to promote trade, economic and investment relations between Arab countries and China," said Kamal Hassan Ali, AL's assistant secretary general for economic affairs.

The third China-Arab States Expo will be held from Sept. 6 to 9 in Yinchuan, capital city of northwestern China's Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region.

Sponsored by China's Ministry of Commerce, the China Council for the Promotion of International Trade and the government of Ningxia, the event will focus on the trade of commodities and services, as well as cooperation on technology, investment and tourism.

Egypt will be the guest of honor at this year's expo, which is organized every two years. A total of 321 deals on cooperation in the fields of science and technology, finance, energy, agriculture, health, tourism, culture and education were inked during the two previous events.

Ali expressed the hope that this year's expo would greatly contribute to maximizing the volume of trade and investment exchange between the two sides, stressing that it is "an important opportunity" for Arab countries to benefit from the scientific and technological progress achieved by China in various fields.

He said the expo will include 12 exhibitions and a conference on the sidelines of the main trade fair.

The expo's agenda will include discussions on cooperation in areas including high-speed railways, technology transfer and innovation, banking, agriculture, tourism, capacity building, logistics and tourism.

The Arab official said a large number of ministers and officials from Arab countries and China, heads of specialized Arab organizations as well as Arab and Chinese businessmen will participate in the expo.

Ali believed that the expo will help boost trade between the two sides, including an increase in investments in areas of interest to the Arab countries.

The AL official praised the depth and strength of the China-Arab relations, which have been witnessing great momentum and development, especially since the launch of the China-Arab Cooperation Forum in 2004."

Ali pointed out that the China-Arab relations are based on strengthening political ties on the basis of mutual respect as well as intensifying economic and trade exchanges to achieve common development.

"The relations also expand and deepen cultural communication in order to achieve mutual benefit and enhance cooperation in international affairs so to achieve and maintain world peace and push forward development efforts," he said.

On the impact of the Belt and Road Initiative on promoting China-Arab cooperation, Ali said it is one of the most important initiatives launched to enhance political, economic, social and cultural ties between China and the Arab world.

The initiative, proposed by Chinese President Xi Jinping in 2013, refers to the Silk Road Economic Belt and the 21st Century Maritime Silk Road, which aim at building a trade and infrastructure network connecting Asia with Europe and Africa along the ancient trade routes of Silk Road.

"The initiative is a strategy for the economic transformation of the Arab countries, which may create important opportunities for expanding cooperation between the two sides," Ali said.

He said the two sides, through the expo, will take measures to adopt the initiative in the areas of common interest and strengthen the bilateral ties.

On President Xi's call for solving the economic, political and security problems in the Middle East through development, Ali said that economic growth will lead to further easing of political crises and instability in the region.

The building of infrastructure projects will create more jobs for young people and increase investment in a number of pivotal projects in the Arab world, which will significantly reduce the turmoil in the region and achieve the desired economic and social development, he said.

"China can contribute significantly to the economic and social development in the Arab countries," Ali added.
| 2017-09-04 05:59:56|Editor: Mu Xuequan

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BERLIN/BRUSSELS, Sept. 3 (Xinhua) -- European nations and organizations have strongly condemned Sunday's nuclear test by the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK), which runs counter to relevant UN Security Council resolutions and the goal of denuclearizing the peninsula.

DPRK on Sunday detonated a hydrogen bomb capable of being carried by an intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM), official media announced.

The DPRK Central Television said the test was carried out at the order of top leader Kim Jong Un, who chaired a meeting of the standing committee of the political bureau of the Workers' Party of Korea on the Korean Peninsula situation and decided to conduct the H-bomb test.

The TV report showed still photos of the document signed by Kim ordering the test, which was the sixth nuclear test by the DPRK so far.

German Chancellor Angela Merkel, in a phone call with French President Emmanuel Macron, condemned the test, calling for closed and decisive manner to respond.

The two leaders agreed that the international community has to respond to it decisively to the renewed escalation of DPRK's nuclear issue, German federal government said.

In addition to the UN Security Council, the European Union is also in demand to respond to the issue, Merkel and Macron agreed.

British Prime Minister Theresa May has described DPRK's nuclear test as "reckless" and posing an unacceptable further threat to the international community.

She said, "I discussed the serious and grave threat these dangerous and illegal actions present with President Abe in Japan this week and reiterate the call we jointly made for tougher action.

"This is now even more pressing. The international community has universally condemned this test and must come together to continue to increase the pressure on North Korea's leaders to stop their destabilizing actions," she said.

NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg strongly condemned the test.

"This is yet another flagrant violation of multiple UN Security Council Resolutions," Stoltenberg said in a statement. "NATO is concerned by Pyongyang's destabilizing pattern of behavior, which poses a threat to regional and international security."

DPRK must "immediately cease all existing nuclear and ballistic missile activities in a complete, verifiable, and irreversible manner, and re-engage in dialogue with the international community", the statement said.

In its statement, Romanian Foreign Ministry condemned in the strongest terms the nuclear test, saying the action is "a new major threat to regional, international peace and security".

The Ministry expresses "its deepest concern to the continuation of the provocative actions by the North-Korean authorities which are serious violations of the UN Security Council's resolutions and lead to the unprecedented increase of the tensions in the Korean Peninsula in the past years".

Romania will continue to actively back the international efforts on the Korean Peninsula's denuclearization through peaceful means, the ministry said in the statement.

The Norwegian government strongly condemned the test, saying that the test was "an irresponsible provocation in an already difficult and dangerous situation on the Korean peninsula and in the region".

DPRK's action is completely unacceptable and the UN Security Council and the international community must react strongly and collectively, Norwegian Foreign Minister Borge Brende said.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-09-04 00:10:21|Editor: Song Lifang

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KATHMANDU, Sept. 3 (Xinhua) -- Investment Board Nepal (IBN) and Hongshi-Shivam Cement Private Limited, a Nepal-China joint venture company, signed Project Investment Agreement (PIA) on Sunday to set up a mega cement factory in Nepal.

The agreement is the first of its kind in the country for private sector investments. The contract provides protection to the firm investment.

IBN's Chief Executive Officer Maha Prasad Adhikari and Director and General Manager of Hongshi-Shivam Cement Lai Weipeng signed the PIA in Kathmandu at the presence of Nepali Finance Minister Gyanendra Bahadur Karki and Chinese Ambassador to Nepal Yu Hong.

As per the agreement, the company will make an investment of 359.18 million U.S. dollars to set up a cement factory in southwestern district of Nawalparasi. This is the largest Chinese investment in Nepal's cement industry.

The joint venture industry has targeted to start production by 2018 with initial production of 6,000 tons of cement per day.

The company has planned to penetrate into domestic market firstly and then it planned to export cement to India, China and other countries by increasing the factory's capacity to 12,000 tons a day in the near future.

The project is expected to provide high quality cement to meet the local market's demand and improve the quality of cement production so as to bring in competition in the industry in the country.

The company which has already started construction of the factory has employed more than 1,000 local workers during its construction period, according to the company.

Speaking on the occasion, Karki said the realization of the big investment from China has sent a positive message regarding overall business climate in Nepal.

"The Nepali government will provide necessary infrastructure facilities to the company as committed in the annual budget," said Karki.

IBN CEO Adhikari said the agreement proved that Nepal has truly become an attractive investment destination for foreign investors.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-09-04 00:30:24|Editor: Mu Xuequan

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STOCKHOLM, Sep. 3 (Xinhua) -- Sweden's plans to build youth care homes in Morocco in order to encourage young Moroccan asylum seekers to return home has been put on hold after Germany withdrew from the project.

In February, Sweden's then home affairs minister Anders Ygeman announced that Sweden and Germany would jointly invest in building youth centers in Morocco in order to be able to send back migrants who had been denied asylum in Sweden or Germany but remained in the two countries, often living on the streets, becoming addicted to drugs and supporting themselves through crime, Swedish Television (SVT)reported Sunday.

The idea behind the youth centers was that, by providing homes and care for the young migrants in Morocco, Sweden and Germany would make it easier for the country to accept them.

However now, six months after the initiative was first announced, it appears to have run aground.

"The Germans are no longer interested," Sweden's minister for justice and home affairs Morgan Johansson told Swedish Television. "So it is not possible to carry out the project, which has been put on ice."

According to Johansson, the Swedish government has been trying other approaches, such as talking directly with Moroccan authorities. He said Morocco is now agreeing to accept more returnees than in the past. "While there won't be any youth homes, we are still pleased that more and more are returning now," said Johansson.

Statistics reviewed by Swedish Television show that in about 18 months, 441 Moroccans have been deported from Sweden. A total 178 were deported to Morocco and 253 were deported to other European countries.

Most of the 441 Moroccans were between 18 and 30 years old, but a total 53 were under 18. Out of those, 48 minors were deported to other EU countries in accordance with the Dublin agreement and five were sent to Morocco.

However, Per Lofvenberg of the Swedish border police, said that the figures are misleading and that in many cases, the migrants are older than they stated in Sweden.

We can confirm that in 80 percent of cases, these people have given a different identity in Sweden than their real one. In 90 percent of cases, they are adults despite having previously claimed to be children," Lofvenberg told Swedish Television.

An estimated 500-800 Moroccans are still in Sweden illegally, according to Swedish authorities.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-09-04 00:35:26|Editor: Mu Xuequan

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TIRANA, Sept. 3 (Xinhua) -- Albania was hit by a huge number of fires during this summer season as over 900 fires were registered in different regions of the country, Albanian Civil Emergencies' report showed Sunday.

Experts of this unit said in the report that the number of fires that broke out in many areas of the country was unprecedented while they noted that most of them were deliberate while only a few were set by the heat wave and prolonged drought that engulfed Albania during July, August 2017.

"Around 500 of these fires were managed by domestic structures of the firefighter services and Albanian Army personnel. Meanwhile, over 280 fires were a real threat for human life, properties and environment, requiring the support of central government operational structures," Shemsi Premci, head of Civil Emergencies told reporters Sunday while unveiling report's data.

Based on this situation, besides boosting mechanical and human capacities, Civil Emergencies have also demanded for the Albanian fire fighters service to be transformed like their counterpart services in Europe.

Meanwhile, Premci said that there were still many blazes raging across the country despite the cooling of temperatures.

Around 10 blazes were reported Saturday night and Sunday, Premci told the media while he also made a wrap up of fires' situation across Albania.

He noted that fires mostly broke out in the region of Shkodra, Lezha and Dibra (norther Albania) and Gjirokastra, Fier (southern Albania).

Fires have caused huge economic damage as many hectares of land, pasture, pine forests, etc have been totally destroyed.

In many regions, there were even some houses that were engulfed by flames. For this reason, the Albanian government decided last month to allocate a new fund to cover such losses.

On the other hand, Greece and Italy sent water-dropping helicopters to assist Albanian firefighting teams to battle the fires.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-09-04 00:40:28|Editor: Song Lifang

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TUNIS, Sept. 3 (Xinhua) -- China's Belt and Road Initiative will help Tunisian economy to revive after six years of slowdown, former Tunisian Ambassador to China Mohamed Sahbi Basly told Xinhua in a recent interview.

Basly, now the president of China-Tunisia Cooperation Council, hailed the initiative as "a perfect supportive approach for economic development."

He said China has been "a significant investment partner" for Tunisia that "has the potential to contribute to the development of the Tunisian economy."

"China has become a global economic locomotive in various fields, such as space, automobile, technology, real estate and agri-food," Basly said. "Tunisia could play a role in the relocation of Chinese manufacturing industries, because the production cost in China is more expensive than that in Tunisia."

"It will also help boost our country's economy which has gradually recovered from the unrest in 2011," he added.

Basly pointed out that Tunisian government announced a new investment law in April this year, which would provide potential benefits for Chinese investors.

"Recently, a big Chinese delegation has just finished a visit to the Zarzis economic zone in southeast Tunisia, which will promote the whole region's economic development," he said.

Basly praised the Belt and Road Initiative, under which China goes with other countries hand in hand to promote economic partnership and share economic development.

Proposed by Chinese President Xi Jinping in 2013, the Belt and Road Initiative, or the Silk Road Economic Belt and the 21st Century Maritime Silk Road, aims to build trade and infrastructure networks connecting Asia with Europe and Africa, along the ancient Silk Road trade routes to seek common development and prosperity.

Trade volume between China and Belt and Road countries in 2016 topped 1.07 trillion U.S. dollars, as China's direct investment in those countries stood at 14.5 billion dollars. Statistics showed that Chinese companies' total investment and acquisition in Belt and Road countries already exceeded 33 billion dollars as of early August.

The China-Tunisia ties have enjoyed healthy and stable development since their establishment 53 years ago.

Tunisian Foreign Minister Khemaies Jhinaoui, during an official visit to China in July, said that Tunisia fully supports the Belt and Road Initiative, and stands ready to be involved in the cooperation projects under the initiative.

"The Belt and Road Initiative encourages universal human contact," Basly said, adding that tourism is one of the strategic pillars of the initiative by promoting not only economic relations but also social and cultural relations.

With a history of over 3,000 years, Tunisia is rich in tourism resources. Since mid-February this year, Tunisia has exempted Chinese citizens from entry visas to visit the country.

Basly pointed out that Chinese tourists, who are obviously interested in historical monuments and open to other cultures and histories, are well-cultivated and also good consumers.

"The mixed elements of North African history, Arab culture and Mediterranean scene, are combined harmoniously here, which makes Tunisia an attractive destination to Chinese tourists," Basly added.

He said, to meet Chinese tourists' demands, Tunisia would prepare adequate infrastructure, improve its tourism products and highlight its rich cultural and historical heritage.

Basly foresaw, by the year 2020, the number of Chinese tourists around the world would reach 300 million. "If Tunisia could attract 1 million Chinese tourists by that time, we will hit the jackpot in tourism," he said.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-09-04 00:55:30|Editor: Song Lifang

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ISLAMABAD, Sept. 3 (Xinhua) -- Pakistani Prime Minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi said that the central government will provide financial and functional support to rain-hit Karachi, capital city of the country's southern Sindh province.

Taking notice of the losses rendered by the rains in the city, the prime minister directed the concerned authorities to provide financial support to Sindh government for rehabilitation and compensation of the people affected by the rains.

He also held a meeting to review the post-rain situation in the city.

At least 20 people were killed and scores others injured in the heavy downpour in the city over the last five days.

Local trade union leaders said that the traders have lost millions of rupees as rain water inundated their shops, destroying the things inside.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-09-04 00:55:31|Editor: Song Lifang

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WASHINGTON, Sept. 3 (Xinhua) -- The United States is considering stopping "all trade" with any country doing business with the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK), U.S. President Donald Trump tweeted Sunday.

The threat came after DPRK's official media has announced that the country had successfully detonated a hydrogen bomb capable of being carried by an intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM).

In an earlier tweet, Trump called the words and actions of the DPRK "very hostile and dangerous" to the United States.

Trump also said he will be meeting with White House Chief of Staff John Kelly, Secretary of Defense James Mattis and other military leaders at the White House to discuss the DPRK issue.

Chinese Foreign Ministry issued a statement on Sunday, expressing firm opposition to and strong condemnation of the nuclear test by the DPRK.

"The DPRK has ignored the international community's widespread opposition and conducted a nuclear test again. The Chinese government expresses resolute objection to and strong condemnation of it," the ministry's statement said.
Late Saturday afternoon the last holdout of fresh air in the state of Montana was the town of Cut Bank, according to the Montana Department of Environmental Quality's air quality monitoring data.

But Cut Bank was teetering.

Located near the eastern border of the Blackfeet Indian Reservation, Cut Bank saw its air quality hover Saturday morning between good and moderate, before it rose solidly into moderate quality beginning at around 11 a.m.

From there the air quality dipped back down toward good, back up into moderate and back down into good.

By 4:30 p.m. Cut Bank's air was once again moderate as it succumbed to some of the smoky haze that has descended over much of the Treasure State this summer, fueled by fires that have burned more than half a million acres of land so far.

According to information on the Montana DEQ's website, good air quality allows visibility of 13.4 miles or more and carries no negative health effects. Moderate air quality can cause breathing problems in sensitive people or aggravation of heart or lung disease in older adults.

Across all 24 air quality monitoring stations the Montana DEQ operates, the worst air quality in the state on Saturday was registered at Seeley Lake, where the air concentration of particulate matter with a diameter of 2.5 microns or less averaged 994.6 from 4 a.m. to 6 a.m.

That figure put the surrounding area's air quality at hazardous levels, the worst air quality designation of the six categories DEQ recognizes. Hazardous air quality is marked by particulate matter concentrations of 250.4 or greater.

Hazardous air quality also carries "serious risk of respiratory effects in general population," according to information on the Montana DEQ website. Everyone experiencing hazardous air conditions is cautioned to avoid physical activity outdoors, and high-risk populations should remain indoors.

By 2 p.m. air quality in Seeley Lake had improved to unhealthy designation.

Air quality in southeastern Montana in the towns of Birney and Broadus ranged Saturday from unhealthy to moderate.

Montana DEQ's Air Quality Bureau forecast Saturday morning that central and eastern Montana would continue to experience smoke impacts from fires burning in the western part of the state, in addition to larger fires burning in the region.

Additionally, smoke from Washington fires is arcing over a high pressure ridge and coming down into eastern Montana.

Easterly winds Monday will lead to significant air quality improvements for Eastern Montana, but smoke will return for the second half of the week.

West-central Montana, including Seeley Lake, was forecast to have hazardous air again Sunday morning, and would range from unhealthy for sensitive groups to very unhealthy in other west-central valleys.

Easterly surface winds Monday were expected to push some smoke into western valleys, and a possible break from Pacific Northwest smoke could come before it begins flowing back toward the area mid-week. The worst air quality impacts in west-central Montana are forecast to occur in the mornings near active fires, followed by brief clearing in the afternoon before smoke begins settling again at night.

Air Quality Alerts were issued Saturday morning for the following counties: Big Horn, Broadwater, Carbon, Carter, Custer, Anaconda-Deer Lodge, Fallon, Fergus, Gallatin, Golden Valley, Granite, Jefferson, Judith Basin, Lake, Lewis and Clark, Meagher, Missoula, Musselshell, Park, Petroleum, Powder River, Powell, Ravalli, Rosebud, Butte-Silver Bow, Stillwater, Sweet Grass, Treasure, Wheatland and Yellowstone.

An Air Quality Alert means particulates in an area has or could exceed the 24-hour National Ambient Air Quality Standard.

Current air quality information can be found at http://test.svc.mt.gov/deq/todaysair/
Source: Xinhua| 2017-09-04 01:05:32|Editor: Mu Xuequan

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VIENNA, Sept. 3 (Xinhua) -- The seismic site event detected on Sunday in the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) is much larger than the previous ones detected, but it is still too early to tell if it is an H-bomb, the CTBTO's chief told reporters.

CTBTO refers to the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty Organization. The CTBTO is a Vienna-based organization under the CTBT, a multilateral treaty to ban all nuclear explosions in all environments.

CTBTO monitors possible nuclear explosions, a key aspect of nuclear non-proliferation. An IMS station detects radioactive particles and noble gases in the atmosphere, a technology that can confirm whether an explosion is indicative of a nuclear test, according to the CTBTO.

Lassina Zerbo, Executive Director of the preparatory commission for CTBTO, told reporters that CTBTO experts are analyzing the event detected.

A CTBTO spokesperson told Xinhua earlier that another smaller seismic was detected eight minutes after the first one, but CTBTO still need time to confirm the details of it.

Meanwhile, Director General of another Vienna-based body International Atomic Energy Agnecy Yukiya Amano slammed DPRK's latest nuclear test.

"Today's nuclear test by the Democratic People's Republic of Korea is an extremely regrettable act," Amano said in a statement.

"I strongly urge the DPRK to fully implement all relevant resolutions of the UN Security Council and the IAEA," he said.

DPRK on Sunday detonated a hydrogen bomb capable of being carried by an intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM), official media announced.

The DPRK Central Television said the test was carried out at the order of top leader Kim Jong Un, who chaired a meeting of the standing committee of the political bureau of the Workers' Party of Korea on the Korean Peninsula situation and decided to conduct the H-bomb test.

The TV report showed still photos of the document signed by Kim ordering the test, which was the sixth nuclear test by the DPRK so far.
TUNIS, Sept. 3 (Xinhua) -- China's Belt and Road Initiative will help Tunisian economy to revive after six years of slowdown, former Tunisian Ambassador to China Mohamed Sahbi Basly told Xinhua in a recent interview.

Basly, now the president of China-Tunisia Cooperation Council, hailed the initiative as "a perfect supportive approach for economic development."

He said China has been "a significant investment partner" for Tunisia that "has the potential to contribute to the development of the Tunisian economy."

"China has become a global economic locomotive in various fields, such as space, automobile, technology, real estate and agri-food," Basly said. "Tunisia could play a role in the relocation of Chinese manufacturing industries, because the production cost in China is more expensive than that in Tunisia."

"It will also help boost our country's economy which has gradually recovered from the unrest in 2011," he added.

Basly pointed out that Tunisian government announced a new investment law in April this year, which would provide potential benefits for Chinese investors.

"Recently, a big Chinese delegation has just finished a visit to the Zarzis economic zone in southeast Tunisia, which will promote the whole region's economic development," he said.

Basly praised the Belt and Road Initiative, under which China goes with other countries hand in hand to promote economic partnership and share economic development.

Proposed by Chinese President Xi Jinping in 2013, the Belt and Road Initiative, or the Silk Road Economic Belt and the 21st Century Maritime Silk Road, aims to build trade and infrastructure networks connecting Asia with Europe and Africa, along the ancient Silk Road trade routes to seek common development and prosperity.

Trade volume between China and Belt and Road countries in 2016 topped 1.07 trillion U.S. dollars, as China's direct investment in those countries stood at 14.5 billion dollars. Statistics showed that Chinese companies' total investment and acquisition in Belt and Road countries already exceeded 33 billion dollars as of early August.

The China-Tunisia ties have enjoyed healthy and stable development since their establishment 53 years ago.

Tunisian Foreign Minister Khemaies Jhinaoui, during an official visit to China in July, said that Tunisia fully supports the Belt and Road Initiative, and stands ready to be involved in the cooperation projects under the initiative.

"The Belt and Road Initiative encourages universal human contact," Basly said, adding that tourism is one of the strategic pillars of the initiative by promoting not only economic relations but also social and cultural relations.

With a history of over 3,000 years, Tunisia is rich in tourism resources. Since mid-February this year, Tunisia has exempted Chinese citizens from entry visas to visit the country.

Basly pointed out that Chinese tourists, who are obviously interested in historical monuments and open to other cultures and histories, are well-cultivated and also good consumers.

"The mixed elements of North African history, Arab culture and Mediterranean scene, are combined harmoniously here, which makes Tunisia an attractive destination to Chinese tourists," Basly added.

He said, to meet Chinese tourists' demands, Tunisia would prepare adequate infrastructure, improve its tourism products and highlight its rich cultural and historical heritage.

Basly foresaw, by the year 2020, the number of Chinese tourists around the world would reach 300 million. "If Tunisia could attract 1 million Chinese tourists by that time, we will hit the jackpot in tourism," he said.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-09-04 02:10:44|Editor: Song Lifang

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ABUJA, Sept. 3 (Xinhua) -- Eight people have been confirmed dead following an outbreak of cholera in a camp for internally displaced persons (IDPs) in Nigeria's northeastern city of Maiduguri, a health official said on Sunday.

Haruna Mshelia, commissioner for health in the northern Borno State, said the government had set up a 30-bed clinic at the camp to enhance treatment and control of the disease.

The outbreak in Muna Garage area of Maiduguri, the capital city of Borno State, was aggravated by incessant flooding due to heavy rainfall in the past three weeks, according to the Medecins Sans Frontieres (MSF), an international medical humanitarian organization.

A total of 200 patients have been admitted from the start of the outbreak, with 100 discharges, said Ann Cillers, MSF project coordinator in Maiduguri, the epicenter of an eight-year insurgency by armed group Boko Haram.

Cillers said since Saturday, over 50 patients had been admitted to a treatment facility maintained by the MSF in another area of the city.

Nearly 3 million people had been displaced in Nigeria's northeast region following Boko Haram's violence, with most of them taking refuge in camps provided by the government and various humanitarian organizations.
Alaska governor Bill Walker poses with an information board of the state of Alaska in both English and Chinese at Governor's Office in Anchorage, Alaska, the United States, on August 31, 2017. (Xinhua Photo/Ma Dan)

ANCHORAGE, the United States, Sept. 2 (Xinhua) -- It's been almost five months since Chinese President Xi Jinping made a refueling stop in Anchorage in the U.S. state of Alaska, and the long-lasting effects of the brief stopover are being felt, Governor Bill Walker told Xinhua in a recent interview.

Walker, who hosted Xi at that time, said the relationship has grown significantly between the state of Alaska and China since then.

"Many opportunities have been confirmed, so we have continued to work on those opportunities," said Walker, adding that he is looking forward to visiting China in late September, his first trip to China as governor.

Xi met Walker while the plane of the Chinese delegation made a refueling stop in Anchorage on April 7 on his way back home after he met with his U.S. counterpart Donald Trump at Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida.

During the meeting, the Chinese president said Alaskan industries are complementary to those in China. He noted that while steady progress has been made in mutual cooperation, there's more potential to exploit.

"My goal (of the China trip) is to talk about opportunities that Alaska has with China and China has with Alaska," the governor said.

"It's really unlimited what we can do in our relationship with China," he said.

Trade and business opportunities are tremendously important to Alaska, whose revenue relies heavily on resources. Walker pointed out that China is Alaska's biggest trading partner with seafood as its top export to the Asian giant.

As the largest U.S. state in area with a tiny population of 750,000, Alaska enjoyed a trade surplus of 700 million U.S. dollars with China in 2016, according to the U.S. Department of Commerce. Alaska is one of eight U.S. states that holds a trade surplus with the world's second largest economy.

"We are looking forward to having more opportunities to export more resources to China," Walker said.

Elected in 2014, the governor has made energy a key part of his administration's agenda. What he made a strong pitch for during his short meeting with President Xi is a liquefied natural gas export project, which is aimed at shipping the natural gas developed in the Alaskan North Slop to the Asia Pacific market, the Chinese market in particular.

According to Keith Meyer, president of Alaska Gasline Development Corp., which is in charge of developing the project, high-level meetings with potential Chinese partners began shortly after Xi's stopover, and the talks are progressing smoothly.

Walker said he is also looking for more opportunities in tourism and mining with China, two other areas with great potential. He mentioned that the number of Chinese travellers to Alaska has grown since Xi's visit.

"I want to bring back a sense of opportunity that Alaska has with the relationship with China," he said. "Doing business with 1.4 billion people is really an opportunity for us."
Source: Xinhua| 2017-09-04 04:41:06|Editor: Mu Xuequan

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BERLIN, Sept. 3 (Xinhua) -- German Chancellor Angela Merkel said Sunday night that Turkey should not become a number of the European Union (EU), but declined to close the door for Ankara.

"I don't see Turkey entering the European Union, I never did, it was different for the SPD however," said Merkel in the TV duel with her major election rival Martin Schulz of the Social Democratic Party (SPD).

Merkel argued that the cease of the accession talks with Turkey can only be decided in the concert of the EU states.

"Such a step must be well considered," said the German chancellor.

Merkel said she did not want to break Germany's ties with Turkey or cease Turkey's opportunity to join the EU, as at least 50 percent Turkish people hope to join. The decision needs careful consideration.

Schulz said at the TV duel that if he becomes German Chancellor, he will stop accession talks with Turkey.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-09-04 05:51:17|Editor: Mu Xuequan

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DAMASCUS, Sept. 3 (Xinhua) -- Breaking the Islamic State (IS) siege in the eastern city of Deir al-Zour will take hours, as the army is rapidly advancing against IS, a well-informed source told Xinhua on Sunday night.

The army has entered the administrative border of Deir al-Zour province in eastern Syria, rapidly approaching to break the IS siege on the capital city of Deir al-Zour, the source told Xinhua on condition of anonymity.

With the army approaching, the IS militants are raining down the city with mortar shells, amid a festive mode among the civilians, who are feverishly waiting for the army's arrival, the source said.

Meanwhile, a military source told Xinhua that the army is progressing, capturing key areas and becoming 10 km from reaching the Regiment 137 in western Deir al-Zour, where Syrian soldiers are besieged.

Deir al-Zour city has been besieged since 2015 by IS, which controls large swathes in that oil-rich area, near the Iraqi border.

The army operation to reach Deir al-Zour has been dragging on since May, during which the military forces and allied Iranian-backed fighters drove IS of key areas in the desert region in central Syria.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-09-04 05:56:19|Editor: Song Lifang

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MEXICO CITY, Sept. 3 (Xinhua) -- China is key to Mexico's plan to diversify its agricultural export markets beyond North America, the president of the National Agricultural Council (CNA), Bosco de la Vega, said on Sunday.

De la Vega spoke with reporters in Mexico City, on the sidelines of the second round of negotiations to update the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA).

Whether the three-way talks between Mexico, Canada and the United States will be successful remains to be seen, but U.S. insistence the 1994 trade deal be revised has made Mexico realize it cannot rely solely on its NAFTA partners.

"China plays a very important role. As far as the CNA is concerned, yes, we want to conquer China's market, while at the same time strengthening NAFTA," said De la Vega.

U.S. President Donald Trump's mission to modify NAFTA to better suit U.S. industry has sent Mexico scrambling to diversify its export markets.

The country is now negotiating trade deals with Europe, South America and the Asia-Pacific region, said De la Vega, who is serving as an adviser to the government's negotiating team.

NAFTA region agricultural producers are all in favor of free trade, retaining the dispute resolution rules contained in Chapter 19 of the agreement, and streamlining sanitary procedures, said CNA's chief.

Trump's anti-NAFTA rhetoric is so far the only problem, he added, alluding to a recent rally at which the U.S. president casually suggested scrapping the treaty and starting over again.

"We haven't seen any trouble spots. The only trouble spot is the one we already know all too well. We want President Donald to behave like a head of state and that is what we are expecting," said De la Vega.

More than 80 percent of Mexico's agricultural exports are shipped to the United States, bringing in a record 29 billion U.S. dollars in 2016, according to the CNA.

The current round began Friday and is to conclude on Tuesday and the next round will be hosted by Canada towards the end of the month.

Negotiations are expected to be completed by the end of the year.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-09-04 06:01:22|Editor: Song Lifang

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BERLIN, Sept. 3 (Xinhua) -- Chinese companies are showcasing their economic strength, leadership and technology at IFA 2017, the world's leading trade show for consumer electronics and home appliances, the organizer said on Sunday.

Over 700 exhibitors and brands from China have taken part in IFA 2017, more than one third of all exhibitors worldwide, IFA global brand manager Dirk Koslowski said in an exclusive interview with Xinhua.

"I have to admit that China is one of the leading markets in the manufacturing industries for consumer electronics and home appliance products," Koslowski said.

Koslowski added that Chinese companies are already producing a pretty high volume of high-quality products, either in the smart home section, in the automotive section or in the home appliance section.

"Chinese companies are highly educated," he continued.

Koslowski is very confident that the Chinese middle class will be in the position to have the biggest spending power of the global community in the next couple of years. Therefore, European brands especially want to step into the Chinese market.

Referring to the new trend of the consumer electronics industry, Koslowski said it is connecting everything through smartphones.

Meanwhile, the organizer wants to figure out whether other devices beside smartphones would be a second option for the platform of all those connectivities at the IFA.

"You will catch a glimpse of the what is possible in terms of technology for the future," Koslowski said.

IFA 2017 lasts from September 1 to 6 in the German capital of Berlin. As one of the oldest industrial exhibitions in Germany since 1924, it has attracted 1,805 exhibitors from all over the world this year to the Berlin Exhibition Grounds.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-09-04 07:01:33|Editor: Song Lifang

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WASHINGTON, Sept. 3 (Xinhua) -- As the United States is undergoing a cycle to update its nuclear arsenal, flexibility, accuracy and interoperability are the key features that will be enhanced, an nuclear policy expert told Xinhua in an interview.

Military labs and contractors are developing interoperable warheads, missiles with a flexible yield and weapons fine-tuned for accuracy, according to Hans Kristensen, Director of the Nuclear Information Project at the Federation of American Scientists.

The United States is currently under going its fourth or fifth major cycles to update its nuclear arsenal since the 1940s, Kristensen said, as the old weapons would become too expensive to operate after 2030.

Recently U.S. President Donald Trump said his administration is spending "vast amounts" of money on nuclear arsenal and missile defense during a speech about Afghanistan.

The U.S. Air Force on Aug. 23 released two contracts with Lockheed Martin and Raytheon with a total value of 1.8 billion U.S. dollars to commence research on cruise missile technologies, which is essential to the delivery of nuclear weapons.

"There's general interest in U.S. nuclear weapons planning to make weapons in the future more accurate so that they don't need to have as much yield," he said.

A bomb with lower yield would mean less pollution and radioactive fallout, so that ally countries and nearby U.S. troops would be better protected, Kristensen said.

"They might want more selective options at the lower end so that can broaden the flexibility of what types of scenarios they could use it in," he said.

Kristensen said there's another plan to develope "interoperable warheads" that are basically nuclear warheads that would go on ballistic missiles either land based or sea based.

"You would use a small number of warhead designs from land and sea based but sort of cut paste, take components from them, mix with other components and you get these interoperable warheads that could be used with minor modification on both systems," he said.

"That's a way of getting away from having larger number of different warheads," he said.

There is another trend to tweak the electronics of the weapons to make them more effective, according to Kristensen.

Kristensen said the U.S. Navy has already tested the new technology on a sea based missile.

"It is encased in a cone shape reentry vehicle, and the tip of the reentry body is the arming and firing fuse of the system," he said of the missile.

The system is used to detect where the bomb explode, and the modernization program is to add "an enhanced component to that device that makes the warhead more capable of killing of its target," he said.

The missile would be overshot and the radar would sense where it should go off, at an optimum height instead of a pre-set height.

Kristensen said while renovation of nuclear technology is normal ongoing in all nuclear countries, whether the U.S. programs would trigger alarm is whether its core nuclear strategy remain on deterrence or becomes on war-fighting.

Trump's vision for the U.S. nuclear arsenal is yet to be made clear, Kristensen noted, adding more details would surface after a Nuclear Posture Review he has ordered finalizes toward the end of the year.

"I think what we can expect is that the role of nuclear weapons will by and large not change," Kristensen said.
A pair of fires that began to burn Wednesday night and Thursday morning, have merged to create a blaze spanning southeastern Montana and northern Wyoming that is estimated to be 90,445 acres.

That estimate is less than half the original estimated size of the fire, which as of Saturday morning was believed to be as large as 185,000 acres.

Known as the Battle Complex, the fire is made up of the 73,285-acre Brush Flat fire and the 17,160-acre Tidwell fire.

The Brush Flat was initially reported to be burning in Big Horn County 14 miles south of Birney on private land and is reported by Miles City Interagency Dispatch to be lightning-caused. Al Nash, chief of communications with the Bureau of Land Management's Montana-Dakotas state office, said that fire was first reported Thursday morning at about 8 a.m. The fires combined and crossed over into Sheridan County, Wyoming.

Of the 73,285 acres the Brush Flat fire has burned, the majority are in Wyoming, Nash said. That fire was 30 percent contained as of Saturday night, according to Nash.

The Tidwell fire was reported Thursday night before 9 p.m. and is burning on private land in Big Horn County 38 miles south of Ashland. Miles City Interagency Dispatch also lists it as lightning-caused. Saturday night it was completely contained, Nash said.

"There's a small number of federal, state and county firefighters who have been on this blaze since it began," Nash said, speaking Saturday afternoon. "They've also of course had some air tanker support."

"The bottom line is there has been extraordinarily active behavior but the crews that are assigned to the fire feel very good about the progress they've made on this particular blaze," Nash said. "This is simply another case, this is another example, of how our drought conditions, coupled with some hot, dry, windy weather has resulted in some explosive fire growth."
BISMARCK, N.D.  Authorities say an 11-year-old Crosby boy was killed when the all-terrain vehicle he was riding rolled over on him.

The North Dakota Highway Patrol says it happened Friday evening about 7 miles north of Columbus, in northwestern North Dakota.

Troopers say the boy was driving the vehicle on a grassy slope when it rolled.

Authorities say the boy was found by his father. Authorities say the child was pronounced dead at the scene.

His name has not been released.
On the afternoon of Aug. 22, Yellowstones summer visitor traffic maxed out the parking and roads around its top attraction.

At this time, traffic on the Grand Loop Road is not allowed to enter Old Faithful or the West Thumb Geyser Basin parking area due to heavy traffic and lack of parking, said a press release from the National Park Service. Yellowstone is experiencing traffic congestion and travel delays throughout the park.

An hour later, NPS emailed an update: Traffic congestion is heavy throughout the park, especially at Madison Junction, Old Faithful and the West Thumb area. Anticipate long delays and potential temporary closures. Old Faithful roads are now open. The West Thumb area is now open.

After that, NPS said five park employees were managing traffic at Madison Junction, additional staff were headed to congested areas to assist with traffic and that heavy traffic in the corridor between Old Faithful and West Yellowstone may persist until 10 p.m. or 11 p.m.

Those traffic congestion notices issued the day after the total eclipse were unusual, but are likely to become common. Yellowstone has seen a 40-percent increase in visitation in the past nine years. Its windy, two-lane roads designed for seeing spectacular landscapes werent built to carry the volume of cars, pickups, RVs and buses that are streaming into the park this summer.

That fact isnt lost on the visitors, according to a study of YNP visitor experience released in August. When asked about problems they encountered in the park:

67 percent of visitors surveyed said they had difficulty finding a parking space.

57 percent said there were too many people in the park.

55 percent saw traffic congestion problems.

41 percent cited traffic congestion at park entrances.

24 percent said there wasnt enough park staff.

Only 17 percent of visitors surveyed said traffic congestion in the park wasnt a problem.

The survey was conducted in August 2016 primarily with booklets that visitors were asked to complete and mail back. Visitors also were asked about possible options for managing traffic. Voluntary options were most popular:

87 percent supported a voluntary shuttle bus service to popular park attractions during peak periods.

75 percent support a voluntary parkwide shuttle bus with parking outside the park during peak times.

More than half favored adding more pullouts, more parking and offering voluntary bike share to access popular attractions at peak times.

Most visitors surveyed didnt support these peak traffic options:

Diverting traffic away from heavily congested areas, requiring day use reservations, limiting the number of vehicles entering the park or mandatory park-wide shuttle bus with parking outside the park.

The least popular option was temporarily closing park roads when heavily congested: 61 percent opposed that.

A traffic study completed for YNP in August confirmed the visitors observations, but offered no easy or inexpensive solutions. Some of the traffic flow improvements implemented at the busiest gate (West) may help at the Gardiner gate. A shuttle could help move people around the Canyon area, especially on roads that are one-way now. But the challenge is park-wide and the cause is more people in more vehicles in this beloved place.

The midsummer traffic volumes are roughly 30 percent higher than roads and parking lots can safely handle, Yellowstone spokeswoman Morgan Warthin told The Gazette. She said the survey data will be discussed with Yellowstones neighboring communities as part of pre-planning possible solutions.

Last year, Yellowstone logged a record 4.25 million visitations, with most occurring between Memorial Day and Labor Day.

Historic and recent trends demonstrate that visitation will increase over the long term, therefore, it is imperative for us to plan now, Superintendent Dan Wenk said in a news release accompanying the survey results.

Yes, Yellowstone must plan for continued visitor growth. It also needs the resources to plan and carry out good plans. The Trump administration has called for substantial budget cuts in the Department of Interior, including NPS.

When Congress returns to Washington this week after a month of vacation, our Montana and Wyoming lawmakers should to insist that Yellowstone and other national parks get the 2018 budget resources needed to avoid falling further behind on infrastructure, public safety and resource protection. That is the first step in making a viable plan for protecting and enjoying our wildly popular first national park.
Jeff Essmann, candidate for mayor of Billings, does not embody the spirit of our Billings City Charter. In their collective wisdom, the framers of our charter and the people of Billings created a non-partisan form of city government. This way of operating has helped the Magic City avoid the partisan controversy that we see in the U.S. Congress and the Montana Legislature. Because of the way we operate, the mayor and the city council are able to discuss and resolve important issues from a common-sense point of view instead of from the point of view of any political party. Jeff Essmann has been extremely partisan in official statements and his attitude is not appropriate for the mayor of Billings.
Celebrate original prints, the artists who create them and the people who collect them.

Southwest Print Fiesta! 2017

Join us! Begin a new tradition celebrating original prints, the artists who create them and the people who collect them. Labor Day Weekend in Silver City, New Mexico will host events that will focus on all things printed.

ARTISAN MARKETPLACE

The Southwest Print Fiesta features original fine art prints, letterpress creations, printed wearables and more for sale by regional artists and print studios. Regional artists and studio collectives are invited to demonstrate, produce and most importantly, sell their works to audiences drawn from three metropolitan cities in the southwest; Tucson, Las Cruces and El Paso.

START/GROW YOUR ART COLLECTION HERE!

The Saturday Street Fiesta will be a great time to visit artisans from El Paso, Tucson, Phoenix, Las Cruces, Santa Fe, and other communities throughout the Southwest. Think about how convenient it is to see this diverse group of artists all in one cool art town. You will find affordable art prints for sale. Letterpress, silk screening, woodcuts, lithographs, gyotaku, clay monoprints and many other types of prints will be available. Start your art collection here or better yet, grow your art collection at the 2017 Southwest Print Fiesta.

SILVER STEAM ROLLER STREET PRINTING

The Southwest Print Fiesta! will also feature the Silver Steamroller Street Printing event. Watch as large scale hand carved blocks are inked, placed in the street, and pressed by 3,000 pound steamroller.

ARTIST DEMOS

See artists creating works right in front of you! Talk about fresh! So many interesting techniques and processes will be demonstrated at the Saturday Street Fiesta!

RELAX AND ENJOY THIS GREAT ART TOWN

Silver City, New Mexico. Gateway to the Gila National Forest. Arts. Old West charm. Excellent Cuisine. Fresh air. Clear Skies. Mild Climate. Great festivals. Medical facilities. Affordable real estate. Quint & Quirky

The 20+ galleries and studios, are the tip of the iceberg when it comes to the rich cultural community that has grown in Silver City. A vital Arts & Cultural District, a dynamic Expressive Arts Department at Western New Mexico University, numerous active theater and dance groups and great festivals that occur almost weekly keep Silver City in most people's 25 Best Small Towns.
I thought Republicans were supposed to guard us against government spending too much of our hard-earned money. During the last legislative session, Republican Jeff Essmann fought the mail-in ballot bill that would have saved Montana taxpayers about $750,000.

Republican and Democratic county officials across the state wanted this bill approved because they had not budgeted for the cost of a surprise special election. Essmann fought this bill because he thought mail-in ballots would favor Democrats. Election officials said there was no evidence to support his theory but Essmann would not budge.

Now Essmann is running for mayor of Billings. He was not responsible by using my tax dollars to require an election that was more expensive than necessary.

If Republicans cant do a better job of getting the vote out, then shame on them.

As one of the Yellowstone County election judges and lifelong Republican, I recommend that Billings voters choose a different candidate for mayor.

Mike Boyett

Billings
Power Plate Meals, a Fargo-based company that specializes in healthy, homemade pre-cooked meals, is expanding to Bismarck.

Co-founder Seth Houkom said he hopes to have the north Bismarck location open at the beginning of November. It will be located in the north Ace Hardware shopping center, next to Grand Junction Subs.

We make everything from scratch, Houkom said of the meals, which are cooked in Fargo and will be delivered to Bismarck. We just believe in clean, simple, pronounceable ingredients.

Customers will have their choice of eight lunches, eight dinners and two breakfasts, with vegetarian options available. The menu then rotates in new items every two weeks, with more than 100 meal choices in all. All meals are fresh enough to be kept in the fridge for seven days.

Theres always something new in our fridges, Houkum said.

Turkey porcupine meatballs, hand-rolled with rice, ground turkey, homemade marinara and fresh mozzarella, are a customer favorite.

People talk about them all the time, Houkum said.

There also will be a cold grab and go option, containing wraps, salads, parfaits and soups. In the store, there is a microwave bar and seating for those who wish to stay and eat.

Houkum said the majority of the customer base are busy people and families, who need help making time to eat healthy.

We can fit into anyones diet, he said.

No preorder or membership is required, and there is no minimum order. Meals are registered on the My Fitness Pal smartphone application so people can track calories.

Hours will be 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Monday through Thursday for people to come in and purchase meals, 7 a.m. to 6 p.m. Friday and 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday.

For more information, go online to www.powerplatemeals.com/.

Street Fair scheduled

The 44th annual Downtowners Street Fair is set for Sept. 15-16.

The event, which raises money for the Downtowners, includes more than 180 food, arts and craft vendors.

Hours are 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. Friday and 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Saturday.

The Sam's Club Monster Mural Art Activity and giveaways will be located at Fourth Street and Broadway Avenue. Kids inflatables and games will be located in the parking lot on Fifth Street and Broadway Avenue. Minnesota Vikings cheerleaders will make an appearance Saturday, and local musicians will be performing at Busker's Corner on Fourth Street and Broadway Avenue.

Parking is available in the downtown ramps for $1 per hour or $6 per day.

For more information, go online to https://downtownbismarck.com/street-fair/.

New location

Planet Powersportz in Mandan moved into a new location in mid-August.

Needing more space, the store moved from shop condos at 3930 Memorial Highway to 1716 40th Ave. S.E., according to general manager Dennis Drengson.

The relocation doubled the stores service space and Drengson said an extra service technician has been hired, which will improve customer wait times, especially during the snowmobile and ATV dealers busy seasons.

The showroom also was expanded, allowing for more vehicles and parts on display.

Hours at the new location are 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. Monday and Tuesday and 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Wednesday through Friday.

The store plans to host a grand opening celebration in October.
WAHPETON  It started with a lot full of weeds, a bit of an eyesore in a residential area in Wahpeton. But, oh, how much more it became.

Scott Muehler called his City Councilman, Steve Dale, to complain about the approximately five-acre lot, located behind his house. The City Council got the landowners blessing to put a sweet corn field there, with the intention of growing enough corn for a fundraiser corn feed to benefit the fire department.

Farmers Jim Maranowski and Mark Knutson planted the field, donating the inputs. Then, while the rest of North Dakota struggled with drought this growing season, the southeastern corner remained lush.

We were blessed with a good rain this year, Muehler said.

The Community Corn Feed, Muehler said, fed 600 people. And six different groups came and picked corn for various efforts.

Our community has benefited greatly from this, he said.

Still there were cobs in the field.

Logistically, we need to get this corn used someplace, Muehler said.

Then, Hurricane Harvey hit Texas.

The people of Wahpeton started talking about how to get some sweet corn to the Houston area. Working with the Great Plains Food Bank and Jamie Good, local foods specialist at the North Dakota Department of Agriculture, the community lined up a place to take a semi load  which will mean an estimated 20,000 pounds of fresh sweet corn to help feed the victims of the hurricane.

If the victims down there can benefit from this, thats just an unbelievable blessing, Muehler said.

So many people are helping us (in North Dakota) with hay donations, Good said. Its nice that were able to help someone else outside of here.

Muehler asked a friend, Terry Pehl of TLP Trucking, if Pehl could help find a driver. Pehl came back and said he and his wife would take the load themselves.

Any number of snags have come up with the plan, but Muehler said theyve all been worked out, one by one. One lingering concern, how to pay for the fuel, was taken care of after people offered donations without anyone asking for them.

On Thursday, community members picked the corn, which then needed to be fumigated to meet Texas standards of entry. Muehler expected a big crew to show up, as community organizations had jumped at the chance to put out the word.

Even after the semi is loaded, Muehler expects the field may have some more cobs left to give.

The community involvement has astounded Muehler, who believes the little corn field might become an annual thing for Wahpeton.

Its amazing what can happen from five acres, he said.
HILLSBORO -- The Tot Spot child care center in Hillsboro is closed after North Dakota officials declined to renew its operating license this week.

The states decision comes almost one year to the day after the facility opened Aug. 30, 2016. But since then, the facility racked up 16 correction orders from Traill County that detailed a total of 26 violations of state law, including employing staff who hadnt passed criminal background checks, failing to have care plans for special needs children, and swaddling infants beyond the appropriate age.

There had also been a referral to Child Care Aware, which is the contractor for the state of North Dakota to provide technical assistance and training, Traill County Social Service Director Kim Jacobson said. That help came in October. There wasnt budget dollars available for (the training), but we worked with the state office, and they worked to shift funds to help (provide) Tot Spot with that.

The closure, Jacobson said, comes as Tot Spots license was lapsing. The group reapplied Aug. 28, one day before the license was to expire. The county expedited a review of the application and sent it to the state, which denied the application Thursday, Jacobson said.

Managers of Tot Spot were unable to be reached for comment on Friday.

The letter from the state Department of Human Services detailed the history of violations at Tot Spot. One recent set of citations stems from an Aug. 16 visit to the facility in which an authorized agent recorded a variety of issues. From the document:

One infant had a blanket covering her face and was warm to the touch. Another infant was crying in emotional distress for several minutes. The staff members in the room did not attempt to comfort the crying infant, the letter reads. The child care center director came into the room, prepared a bottle, and left the room. She did not attempt to comfort or provide the bottle to the crying infant.

The letter concludes in the denial of the license.

The operator of Tot Spot Hillsboro has shown that she is either unwilling or unable to follow the rules prescribed by the department, the letter says. A denial of the child care centers reapplication is hereby warranted.

Kari Morehouse, the owner of the Hillsboro facility along with several Fargo area day care centers, declined to comment, though the Hillsboro Banner reported the facility would allow parents to pick up belongings and say goodbyes on Friday.

Im not sure I want to talk anymore, Morehouse said in a social media message. They've won. I just need to look out for my Fargo centers and the more stuff in the media, the worse it got out here.

Morehouses comments bring into question broader plans for area child care. Businessman Mike Kozojed had said in March he wanted to build a 5,000-square-foot building for Tot Spot near Interstate 29, though those plans were later scuttled after Kozojed could not reach an agreement with the child care facility, the Hillsboro Banner reported. He was unable to be reached for comment.

The closure of the center is a blow to a small community that needs child care services to allow parents to keep the community running, said Paula Suda, president of the Hillsboro Economic Development Corp. Her group owns the building at 1 First Ave. S.W., purchased after the departure of another day care facility in the same location.

Tot Spot isnt the only day care in Hillsboro, she said, but its departure from the area makes a tight child care market even tighter.

We have a bunch of families without day care right now, so its been a strain on them for the past week. At (the EDC), were just a bunch of volunteers, and we dont have the solutions, she said. As a community, we need to step up and figure out how day care is going to work in Hillsboro. Thats going to take our legislators, our mayor, and social services. Everybodys going to have to work together.
DEVILS LAKE  The Devils Lake region dodged a bullet this spring with lake levels rising only 1 feet, far short of the 3 to 4 feet predicted by the National Weather Service in January.

Spring runoff was actually pretty good, considering we had a lot of precipitation last fall and the first couple of snowstorms had a significant amount of moisture, said Jeff Frith, manager of the Devils Lake Basin Joint Water Resource Board. We were very concerned about what the lake would bring. A 4-foot rise would have put us right back at our record elevation or close to it.

That record was at 1,454.40 feet in 2011. The lake now stands at 1,450.47 feet.

Frith said it was a stroke of luck and a combination of just the right weather conditions that kept the lake from jumping back to record levels.

By the end of January, the area already had been hit by its third or fourth snowstorm, so the lake forecast was not looking good, Frith said.

(But after that) we really missed a lot of the storms that came through the area, so we were really fortunate in that sense, he said. A lot of moisture was able to evaporate. Through the winter, we had sunshine, we had freeze-thaw cycles, we had wind that contributed to the loss of moisture in that snowpack.

Catch-up work

And the less-than-expected rise in elevation has allowed some catch-up maintenance work on culverts and trouble spots this summer.

Overall, it was minor compared to what weve had in the past, Frith said. Over the past 23 years, weve really gotten good at this.

Frith said the state-run outlets currently are running at two-thirds capacity, pumping about 450 cubic feet of water per second. Engineers must closely monitor the flow into the Sheyenne River to keep it from flooding private property.

They also factor the amount of sulfates in the water to keep it within safe levels for human, agricultural and animals uses.

The sulfate constraints are part of the reason theyve had to dial back the discharge this year, Frith said.

The east side of the lake is twice as high in sulfates as the west, so its really kind of a balancing act.

Less precipitation this summer also meant little natural flow in the Sheyenne River, increasing its own sulfate and nutrient levels and making it difficult to crank up the pumps.

It may be another year of two steps forward, one or two steps back, but Frith says the lake could return to fall 2016 levels if conditions continue as they have this summer.

One of the things people need to realize is were still in an ongoing flood battle, he said. Were still 28 feet higher than we were in 1993. Theres still an awful lot of deeded farmland thats under water. And were really just one major weather event away from going back to our record-high elevations.
Ganesha: The privilege of imagination

In east and west Trinidad, the festival is just over 25 years old, these areas having adopted the tradition later than south Trinidad where the Penal/Debe area has been celebrating it for well over one hundred years. It began as a farmers festival according to sources at the Suchit Trace Mandir in Penal.

Suchit Trace and the Ramai Trace Mandirs are two of the earliest known sites for the festival.

It was a time of drought. The then Puzzle Island, (now the site of the Suchit Trace temple), was inhabited by a few East Indians who had moved away from plantations in the early 1900s and established a small community.

The Elephant-Headed god (Gajanananda) was propitiated for relief from the drought. As the remover of obstacles Ganesh is the first to be worshipped by Hindus at the beginning of any task. Sources could not confirm where the tradition of visarjan (immersion) of the clay image had come from. It had always been a practice in their community that they have carried on for over a century.

The image of Ganesh is perhaps one of the best representations of the Trinidadian Hindu, in fact, the Trinidadian herself. The combination of man, animal and God representative of this hybridization of an identity that bestows us with the privilege of imagination for this in-betweenness of the diaspora grants us unbounded creativity.

Richard Rampersad, a young, upcoming local artist for instance has several drawings of this divine figure. When asked why this preoccupation he ascribes it to his attraction towards the hybrid, perhaps the reason for his love of the image of the god.

Ganesh is the divine scribe, another aspect of the divinity that makes him an appropriate representation of our diasporic condition.

He is symbolic of our fluid identities, an identity that allows us to re-tell our stories, to re-invent narratives.

The re-telling of literature, has always been a part of Hindu tradition, Raviji, founder and former leader of the Hindu Prachar Kendra, says. And Ganesh takes the oral narrative of the sage Vyas and enshrines it in the written text which he himself notates. He is chosen by the sage because of his intelligence and writes on the condition that the sage does not stop his narrative.

Writing a text dictated in the ancient Sanskrit language also required knowledge of the intricate grammatical rules and rhythm of the language.

Given that the Mahabharata is one of the longest epic poems in the world, also would have required a scribe bestowed with the patience to sit through the oral transmission of what is a highly complex narrative and the intelligence to follow not only the main flow but that of the many other narratives within the text. One story surrounding the broken tusk of Ganesh is related to this writing. During the writing of the epic, his pen wears out. In order that the flow of the writing continued unbroken, he breaks off one of his tusks and uses it as a pen.

These stories are all symbolic material for an interpretation of the importance of this divinity to a society like ours, for the creation of the Caribbean diaspora is in itself an epic narrative, stories within stories, layered and still evolving.

There is always scope, for our island is new and we are yet to build further narratives. Here, founded on societies steeped in oral traditions we have the facility to rework these and adapt them for our own uses.

For most Hindus, Ganesh is the first deity to be worshipped before any undertaking. The eleven-day festival dedicated to this divinity has grown phenomenally but, apart from the joys of community and the inevitable personal pride some take in the size of the image on display, it is also prudent to remember the symbolism inherent in Ganesh.

Not only does he represent the power of the intelligence, but he is also the power of creativity, persistence and the patience to narrate ourselves. For us, perhaps he is an appropriate symbol of the privileges of diaspora. The Ganesh Festival ends on Tuesday.
Nakisha, on a Lets Smile Mission

I am T and Ts number one multi-talented hairstylist, a servant of the Lord and everything being done right now is not my work. It is Gods work, declares 37-yearold Murray.

Her first homeless client was a friend who fell on hard times and lives on the streets.

I started going to church and one Sunday after church I trimmed a close friend of mine, Devon who is homeless. He asked me if I could trim men and I was like yes, so I trimmed him and he was completely amazed. Inspired, Murray says she went to Riverside Plaza one Sunday (August 13) to help the homeless there but her spirit moved her to go to neighbouring Tamarind Square.

I turned around and saw Tamarind Square and instead of going Riverside Plaza where there was a roof over our heads I decided to go to Tamarind Square. She asked if anyone wanted a trim.

They were reluctant at first but I persisted.

I went inside the square and asked again.

They eventually answered me and showed me where the electricity outlet was. I went in with my kids, so they were all around playing while I set up my equipment. One guy came and started encouraging them to come get a haircut and they came. On that day, I did three haircuts. I took before and after pics and posted them on social media and they went viral. Her video to date has had over 9,000 views and was shared 125 times on Facebook.

Murray believes she was naturally gifted to help others look good by styling their hair. Since I was eight-years-old I would cornrow my cousins hair, they would always come back for me to do so and I enjoyed that. Living in Belmont, Murray attended Belmont Junior Secondary School and South East Port of Spain Government Secondary School where she pursued business subjects.

Initially my dream was to go further in business and then I had my daughter at the age of 17 and everything changed for me. I had to financially support myself and my child so I started working and saving towards starting my own salon. I took courses at Michael and Gloria Beauty Salon and School to become certified. I have been a hairdresser for the past 15 years. Murray is now a mother of four  Tia Murray, 19, Sanchez Hamit, 12, Tamia Murray, eight, and fouryear- old Emmanuel.

I am a single parent and my children are my pride and joy. They are hard workers. A Christian, Murray proclaims greatness in her life, and this affirmation has often helped her through many challenges, and now her dream is a reality.

At first I had a hair salon business named Far Rise Beauty Factory back in 2005 and I have also established Rich Girlz Empire four years now to accommodate my own hairline-- Rich Girlz Instant Dreadlocks. Her outreach includes preaching on live stream videos.

I started doing Facebook Live videos each morning called--Thank You Lord where I would be preaching the word of God. It has been five months now. On my live videos, I was doing it to help people, including my clients, I forgot all about myself.

Little did I know I was actually speaking great things into my life, she declares.

If we really submit our lives to God he will give us instant breakthroughs and he will put forth a vision for your life. Ask him for the clarity to see the path he is directing you on in your life. He is ready and always willing to listen to our pleas. With the public noticing her good works, people came forward to assist her. Barber Keyv Young from KJ Quality Styles Unisex Barber Salon, Barataria, Nickholas May and his wife Kavita from Ultimate Barber Shop, Curepe and Brendon Adams from Freestyle Hair Salon, join her on Sundays to cut the mens hair. Volunteers include Sian Cuffy-Young, Kafi Douglas-De Souza, Amika Mc Kenzie and Aqlimiyya Cockburn.

Laventille East/Morvant MP Adrian Leonce also came on Sunday and trimmed some of the men.

The men are deeply touched by what Murray does for them.

I must say, the work Nakisha is doing is very satisfactory. I hope she keeps up the good work and gets the recognition and help she deserves.

She will reach far, says 52-year-old AC James.

For Anthony Pierre, 37, Murray is sharing good vibes by her good deeds.

They are helping clean up the homeless while spreading good vibes through their hard work, Pierre says after a satisfying trim.

With a growing list of people patiently awaiting their haircuts, Murray and her team of volunteer barbers and sponsors are always ready.

Gloria Castro, who returned to Trinidad after living in Maryland in the United States for 45, made a donation last Sunday.

It is really touching to see the work that this young woman is doing.

The Lord is going to bless her. Other big businesses who are capable of helping, need to come out and support this initiative, says Castro.

Murray is still stunned by the outpouring of support since her video post.

My first response to this initiative going viral is that I was shocked.

I did not expect such an overwhelming response from the public. We need to treat displaced people like normal human beings and not just categorise them as homeless. With the help of other barbers volunteering their time we did 19 heads, thank God. Over recent Sundays, Murray has bonded with some of the men, among them Steve Rajkumar, Tall Boy, La Brea, Red Ras and Green Eyes, quickly learning their nicknames while giving them a transformative trim.

When I went there the first day I listened and the homeless asked me a lot of questions. I came here to see you all smile I told them. It was about God. My initiative is to see them smile and touch their lives in a positive way. This led to the creation of Lets Smile Mission. The people living in Tamarind Square need a friend and I am being that friend to them. Speaking on their behalf, Murray appealed for a rehabilitation centre for the homeless where they can go for shelter and people can voluntarily teach them a trade.

If we have the resources to do it, why not do it? We need to change their mind set with inspiring seminars because they are willing to come off the street, she appeals.

(Last week, Port of Spain Mayor Joel Martinez disclosed plans to acquire land to build a centre for the homeless.) The Lets Smile Mission also aims at training the homeless to cut hair, as a means to reintegrate them into society and to the world of work. However, the facilities are needed to propel Murrays mission.

I also try to make packages for them consisting of a toothbrush, toothpaste and a jersey for all those who were our clients for the day.

Things are also falling into place as well-wishers and supporters have helped supply us get tables, tents, chairs and food. I am grateful that this initiative has been able to attract a lot of support in such a short space of time. Murray has a concern that some may thwart her mission, disclosing her Facebook account has been hacked, forcing her to set up a new one. But she is not giving in.

I dont want my mission to fall into the wrong hands because it will be used for the wrong reasons. However, I hold firm to this mission. It would be extremely helpful if people can donate to us beautician materials like capes, razor blades, shampoo, large bottles of water and professional clippers. I have been able to finance this initiative thus far with new equipment and sanitisers but there is more than can be done.

The mindset of receiving should be the same mind set we have when giving. Be generous and you can always volunteer with us.

Note: To donate or volunteer contact Nakisha Murray: 370- 1695
DICKINSON  Darianne Johnson and her staff look back at the women who have come through the Domestic Violence and Rape Crisis Center in Dickinson and realize some of their clients were human trafficking victims.

But at the height of the oil boom, most people didn't know or suspect trafficking could come to North Dakota. They thought the women were likely just prostitutes.

The reality was many were being victimized in abusive, mind-controlling ways and forced into having sex for money. It wasnt until officers started to conduct prostitution stings that they realized they were uncovering a world of human trafficking.

We didnt know what human trafficking was until it became the new buzzword, said Darianne Johnson, executive director of the Domestic Violence and Rape Crisis Center. We look back and we know we had a mom who was pimping out her daughter. That was before oil ever got here.

There are no hard numbers on how many human-trafficking victims passed through North Dakota, and until 2016, the state didnt track human trafficking.

The State Attorney Generals Office didnt include in its annual Crime in North Dakota report the term human trafficking as a crime against persons until 2015, and even now it doesnt track those statistics individually.

On top of that, victims wont or cant admit they were victimized for a number of reasons  shame, coercion, etc. So its likely officials will never know how many victims were trafficked.

Still, most experts can agree the illegal activity has slowed. Law enforcement, medical staff and anti-human-trafficking advocates are better equipped to recognize victims and give them aid.

But some argue the crime is still a problem in North Dakota and that it is not letting up anytime soon.

Do I think we have stopped human trafficking in North Dakota? Sen. Heidi Heitkamp, D-N.D., said in a June interview. The senator has been a lead on federal anti-human-trafficking legislation. I was sitting today with two law enforcement officials and one told me there were two 14-year-old girls that had been left behind in Dickinson who had gotten messed up with a pimp and were basically human-trafficking victims.

This is the kind of thing that isnt always on the front page of the paper  but its still happening, she said.

Hard to count

Since 2010, the DVRCC has served an estimated 30 human-trafficking victims.

But looking back, the actual number of women who were trafficking victims who came through the facility far exceeded those estimates, caseworker Heather Ingman said. And that isnt counting the calls of service from other communities in the surrounding area.

The Fuse Project, an anti-human-trafficking organization, estimates more than 150 victims were helped in 2014 in North Dakota.

Officers started recognizing some prostitutes were victims when they started doing stings during the early 2010s and they started to tell officers what was going on, Ingman said.

In 2014, 20 of the 55 prostitution cases were aimed at women, according to a Forum News Service analysis conducted for its series Trafficked.

Nobody ever thought that when they did the sting for the 13-year-old girl that so many guys would show up that they had to call the sting off, Ingman said.

The words human trafficking appear five times in the 2016 Crime in North Dakota report, while the word prostitution appears 370 times. There were 51 reported prostitution cases with six adult arrests, down from 87 reports and 27 arrests in 2015.

There also were 12 cases of assisting and 14 of purchasing prostitution in 2016. 2015 yielded 34 assisting arrests.

Its not that human trafficking is not a concern in Dickinson, said Dickinson Police Sgt. Kylan Klauzer. But its not as big as it was during the boom.

I would say more or less North Dakota was in denial that it was happening here or they didnt want to admit it, said DVRCC case manager Kayla Messall.

The Dickinson Police Department has responded to a few suspected trafficking reports, Klauzer said.

Its not as big of an issue as it was in the middle of the boom, he said, though he noted underage child pornography is still common.

It does appear the shift has gone from arresting prostitutes to focusing on buyers and pimps, as Klauzer pointed out. The arrests were all female in 2016, but 41 men were arrested for prostitution-related cases in 2015 compared to six women.

What we want to do is treat victims like victims and not like perpetrators, Heitkamp said of anti-trafficking efforts, including the Abolish Human Trafficking Act.

Still, there is no way to compare true numbers, at least not for several years, said Christina Sambor, director of the North Dakota Human Trafficking Task Force. Her organization released its first set of trafficking numbers earlier this year, saying there were 79 victims in 2016. All but four were U.S. citizens.

When you look at things from a statewide perspective, it certainly is still an area that needs attention and we just continually see cases and situations cropping up, she said.

Where to next?

Since human trafficking was brought to the forefront through investigations, arrests and media reports, funding and training has been made available through federal and state agencies.

Lori Hahn, vice president of patient care services for CHI St. Alexius Health in Williston, said medics werent trained to recognize trafficking during the boom, but federal funding from several federal bills and training from the Department of Homeland Security improved that.

I think once we had that training  weve been able to do a much better job of recognizing when some of the people have the signs of human trafficking, she said.

Others feel more can be done. For southwest North Dakota, the DVRCC is the only place for human trafficking victims. Its also a haven for homeless women and children in addition to serving its intended purpose: helping victims of sexual assault and domestic violence.

Having different groups of people who have different needs can present complexities and even safety concerns, Ingman said.

A domestic violence shelter is not the appropriate place for a human trafficking victim, but we are not going to turn away a human trafficking victim, so we house them here, she said. The needs are drastically different for a human trafficking victim compared to a sexual assault victim.

In a perfect scenario, human trafficking victims would have their own facility, but Johnson doesnt foresee that changing, especially in light of state budget cuts.

Most can agree agencies have made progress with the support of federal and state funding. Those interviewed said emergency responders and medics can recognize the signs of trafficking and act in a more efficient and sensitive manner.

Sambor felt the move to put anti-trafficking efforts into effect have gone relatively quickly.

The next step is to focus on labor trafficking, public engagement and regional efforts to provide long-term and preventative services.

I think we did a really good job the first time around, but now we are building on that and looking at additional things that we know cause problems for victims, reintegrating into life and how we can do a better job at preventing, Heitkamp said.
EMA, Coast Guard: Stay away from floating island

We dont know exactly what it is, whats under that mass and what dangers it poses to small boats, pirouges and pleasure crafts, Public Affairs Officer of the Coast Guard Lt Sherron Manswell advised yesterday.

Manswell said based on the currents, the land mass was moving from east to west and poses a potential threat to vessels at sea. He is urging seafarers to be aware of the location and avoid it.

However, the EMA in a statement last evening described the island as floating vegetation.

This is a natural phenomenon that can occasionally occur during the rainy season, when as a result of increased flow in the rivers on the South American continent, masses of coastal vegetation can become dislodged and transported with the ocean currents...these masses of coastal vegetation often contain both flora and fauna from the place of origin, explained the EMA The authority cautioned against exploring the floating masses.

The general public is therefore advised against exploring these masses of coastal vegetation, especially given that the plants or animals that they may contain are unknown. On Monday, fishermen off the coast of Islote Point in Chatham spotted three floating islands, one large mass with tall green trees and shrubs and two smaller ones. At first they thought it was a mass of water lilies which wash ashore on the beaches on the southern and south western coasts of Trinidad whenever the Orinoco River in Venezuela overflows.

By Thursday, one of the small masses seemed to sunk while the other two floated towards Icacos.

The larger land mass averaged about two acres, according to fishermen and the smaller one had made its way to Columbus Bay, off the coast of Icacos, near Soldado Rock. Cedros councillor Shankar Teelucksingh observed the islands on Thursday and said as they move further out to sea they could become lodged in one of the oil installations in the Gulf of Paria.

Teelucksingh suggested a blinkie or navigational light with a GPS should be placed on the island so its movements can be tracked by the Coast Guard and other agencies.

He reported a fisherman who visited the island caught three iguanas and related to him that the vegetation is healthy. State-owned oil company Petrotrin yesterday said it is monitoring the land mass.
MP gives boys back-to-school haircuts

Showing his proficiency with the machine, a focussed Leonce even crafted designs on the heads of his eager clients, many of whom said they were ready to return to school after the July-August vacation.

The activity formed part of the constituencys back to school project, which is geared toward helping the youngsters prepare for school amid often insurmountable socio-economic challenges.

Held in collaboration with the Igbega Foundation, the event, now in its third year, is a fixture on the constituencys social calendar.

It attracted scores of children, who braved the inclement weather, to partake of a range of culinary delights as well as face-painting and other novelty activities at the constituency office, Lady Young Road, Morvant.

Asked by Sunday Newsday if barbering was one of his passions, Leonce said the trade had enabled him to purchase his first house.

The house that I bought is from trimming.

It was not off of anything else.

I cut hair in New York. I cut hair in England.

That is how I took care of myself, he said.

So, I understand the importance of skill development and how you could use it for self-sustainability. The Laventille East/ Morvant constituency serves eight primary schools and three secondary schools.

However, statistics have shown that one in five students in the region come from single- parent or low income- generating households.

Leonce sad the project was intended to fill that gap.

This initiative is about servicing, and coming together in difficult times where whatever we could have, whether it be a skill we could come and protect our future, which is the children, he said.

Education is the most important thing in their growing up life and a lot of children do not have as much as the more privileged children do.

So we try to bridge that gap by giving them proper tools to make them feel good about themselves whether it be with new hair cut, pair of sneakers or new school bag.

The whole idea is to not make them, feel less than anybody else. It is basically about building self-confidence and giving them the right tools. Leonce said although there were not many donors for this years event, parents and other well-wishers came out to assist.

Some people donate in kind and some people donated a little funds. At the end of the day God is the boss and God will always provide for initiatives like this. Even though we may not have gotten our wish list, we still have enough. Leonce said plans are on stream to provide evening meals for the less fortunate children in the area.

We want to even go further in terms of giving them meals because the schools prepare meals during the day but on the evening when the children have to study their lessons, we want to be able to bridge that gap also to provide meals for them, he said.

We started doing meals through a soup kitchen and we want to do that for the children.
No pay for guidance counsellors

The three categories of workers fall under the Students Support Services of the Ministry of Education and are responsible for the emotional well-being of students at both primary and secondary schools in the country.

The special education teachers are responsible for physically challenged children and those with learning disabilities.

The workers are calling on the Minister of Education to pat their salaries, saying they have completed their tasks.

Speaking on condition of anonymity, a guidance counsellor told Newsday it would be very difficult to counsel and comfort students when they themselves are facing severe economic hardships.

One counsellor said she had four children of school age and she was unable to purchase text books for her children to go to school.

Right now I am focusing on getting some copy books, book bags, pens and pencils and shoes, just the bare necessities, she said. At least they have the old uniforms but textbooks will have to wait. The counsellor said some of her colleagues were, literally, hiding from their landlords as they were unable to pay their rents.

She said a number of them had mortgages and when the salary cheques finally arrived the banks put a hold on them.

So every month is a nightmare, she said, adding that it was not just a one-off situation.

She said on a regular basis they had to wait for several months to get their salaries. She said they were owed for the months of June, July and August but were paid last week for June.

But how are we expected to function? she asked. Is the ministry aware of the high level of delinquency and problems faced by children in schools? Are they aware of what we face on a daily basis? Even in the primary schools, it is not easy.

We have children who come from homes where they are being sexually molested, beaten, and subjected to all kinds of negative situations.

The distraught counsellor continued, When we have to focus on our own problems, like how we are going to put food on the table and take care of our children, how can we focus our attention on these youngsters who desperately need help when every month is a roller-coaster ride to see whether we will be paid or not? Calls to Minister of Education Anthony Garcia as well as Minister in the Ministry of Education Dr Lovell Francis went unanswered.
TTUTA: 62 schools still need repairs

In a release, TTUTA president Lynsley Doodhai said the Vacation Repair Programme started late so repairs on some schools had not yet begun. He said TTUTA met with Ministry of Education officials on Friday to learn that repairs on 80 schools were complete but 43 would be done by September 10 and repairs to 19 schools would be completed during the term.

He said TTUTA flagged several schools as having issues that may impact negatively on its smooth operations including Cedros Anglican Primary, San Fernando Boys Government Primary, Biche RC Primary, Claxton Bay Junior Anglican, La Lune RC Primary, Rampanalgas RC Primary, Longdenville Presbyterian Primary, Biche Secondary, San Souci RC Primary, ASJA Boys College in Charlieville, and Mayaro Secondary.

TTUTA will not allow any of our members to occupy schools on Monday September 4, 2017 that will place their health and safety at risk. While the Ministry of Education may attempt to open all schools, not all of them may remain open. Education Minister Anthony Garcia assured the public that the ministry was working hard to ensure all schools were ready to open tomorrow, with contractors working through the weekend to put the finishing touches on several schools.

He said a survey was conducted on Friday by school supervisors who liaised with the principals of all schools to ascertain the state of each school. The feedback we have received is that everything should be in readiness. There were one or two little drawbacks but were hoping to have those attended to over the weekend. He said a large number of schools were old so there would be problems, some of which were unexpected. For example, he said sewer and electricity issues could not be predicted and tend to arise unexpectedly.

Garcia said some principals had installed air condition units in an effort to make students comfortable.

However, because the wiring in some of schools were not able to handle the load, there were electrical breakdowns. He therefore asked that principals check with the ministry before they install any a/c units so that the ministry could send technical staff to ensure that the wiring could withstand the extra load.

Some of these schools had to undergo extensive rewiring because of the excessive demands on the electricity system. But overall, based on the results we had from the survey that was done, and the information that was fed to our school supervisors, we are confident all our schools would be able to open their doors tomorrow.
The government will ease regulations so that passenger cars can be filled with gasoline directly from tanker trucks during disasters. The move is to prevent severe fuel shortages like the one that occurred after the Great East Japan Earthquake.

With the move, the government will allow tanker trucks to be used as mobile gas stations to accelerate relief activities in disaster-hit areas.

A test to verify the safety of mobile gas stations is scheduled for this month in Hyogo Prefecture. Once the safety has been confirmed, the Fire and Disaster Management Agency will issue notices to fire departments nationwide within the current fiscal year.

Filling cars with gasoline at locations other than gas stations is, in principle, prohibited under the Fire Service Law due to the risk of serious explosions caused by static electricity.

Filling the gas tanks of passenger cars directly from tanker trucks is prohibited even during disasters and other emergencies. Cars must be filled with gasoline via drum canisters if gas stations are closed.

Items including a device to prevent static electricity and a metal fitting to prevent gasoline leaks have been developed in recent years.

The government has secured tens of millions of yen from the current fiscal year's budget and has been supporting the development of relevant equipment and safety measures. It has concluded that tanker trucks can be safely used to directly fill the tanks of other vehicles once such equipment has been installed.
REGENT -- Driving down the final stretch of the Enchanted Highway is a magical experience where people are greeted by giant fish at the Fishermans Dream and the Tin Family. The highway ends at Regent, also known as the Friendly city. However, one of the most magical experiences in town is not just the Enchanted Castle down the road, but a museum that holds so much history it has multiple buildings and offers a trip throughout the decades.

About 70 percent of the museums items are donated, with the rest coming from auctions and other places, said Don Wagendorf, the museums curator.

It just depends, he said. Maybe theres a sale or people donate things. It comes in swarms sometimes, like in the fall (people) might be cleaning their house out or have a garage sale and theres people who like to bring their junk in here. Maybe they have good thoughts and think the museum might use it.

Wagendorf enjoys having fun on his tours, constantly joking and making people laugh.

Its easy to love if you want to, its just a matter of being yourself, he said.

One building, which houses the Hettinger County Historical Society Museums main office, is home to a series of pioneer rooms where people can learn about urban and rural life between 1870 and 1930. It has an old-fashioned stove, a cup made especially for those with a mustache and a glimpse at one of the worlds first microwaves. The walls of one room are lined with a collection of of newspapers, which families used as wallpaper to help keep warm in the winter, Wagendorf said.

The Native American Room holds various artifacts dedicated to the celebration and interpretation of Native American history. It has a beautiful embroidered buffalo hide made with painted porcupine needles that was made about 175 years ago. The museums website states that the room was dedicated to Andrew Anton, who retired as the museums first curator in 1980. There is a room dedicated to children that features childrens clothes, toys, bassinets and other items.

The Zion Lutheran Church was the last building added to the museum. Originally located in Burt, the structure was built in 1908 and served as the Albery School of District 6, eventually becoming the Zion Lutheran Church. The museum bought the structure after the church was disbanded.

The church was often a getaway for many people when times were hard, particularly during the Great Depression, Wagendorf said. People would often spend their days working from sunup to sundown. Without the wonders of a cellphone or even sometimes a car, people would not always get to see each other every day. Wagendorf said church offered people a chance to relax for the day and enjoy the company of friends and family by sharing hot dishes and hymns.

Wagendorf recalled a man who visited the museum a few years ago who was trying to find his fathers old church, but had a hard time finding it. The man stood in the back of the Zion Lutheran Church and then spoke with Wagendorf. The pair soon realized the church they were standing in was the church he was looking for and that a picture hanging on a wall was his dad.

He kind of looked back at me before he walked over (to the steps) and he kind of melted right there, Wagendorf said. Then he got himself up and looked at it for a minute or two and then he started crying for about five minutes.  You just never know what youre going to be a part of until it happens.

Other buildings include an art room with paintings and other types of art made by local residents, a trip to the doctors office, a one-room school and a store with an exhibit honoring former Sen. Byron Dorgan, originally from Regent. Wagendorf said Dorgan still visits the museum a couple of times a year.

Wagendorf said he enjoys meeting the people from all walks of life who visit the museum and does his best to show them the wonderful history of his town.

You meet people from every state and different countries, he said. You get to work with them all.
The Highlands Acid Pit, an EPA designated Superfund site in Highlands, Texas, after it was flooded with water from the nearby San Jacinto River as a result of Hurricane Harvey. Photo: Jason Dearen/AP

On Saturday, the Associated Press reported that several Houston area Superfund sites had been severely flooded in the aftermath of Hurricane Harvey, with the risk that waters were stirring dangerous sediment. An AP reporter visited seven of the Superfund sites  so designated because of their heavy concentrations of hazardous waste  in and around the city, and found that all had been inundated with water, in some cases many feet deep. The report also noted that no one from the Environmental Protection Agency had accessed the sites since the storm hit and cited an EPA study during the Obama administration warning that floodwaters might carry away and spread toxic materials over a wider area.

On Sunday, the EPA responded by attacking one of the reporters who wrote the story, while not disputing any of the facts involved.

An EPA statement, written in the jarringly caustic and grammatically sloppy style that characterizes so many Trump administration communiques, begins:

Yesterday, the Associated Press Michael Biesecker wrote an incredibly misleading story about toxic land sites that are under water. Despite reporting from the comfort of Washington, Biesecker had the audacity to imply that agencies arent being responsive to the devastating effects of Hurricane Harvey. Not only is this inaccurate, but it creates panic and politicizes the hard work of first responders who are actually in the affected area.

The other AP reporter in question, Jason Dearen, was reporting from Houston, but the statement ignores him.

The agency goes on to say that through aerial imaging, EPA has already conducted initial assessments at 41 Superfund sites  28 of those sites show no damage, and 13 have experienced flooding. It hits the AP report for being misleading by leaving out the fact that EPA and state agencies worked with responsible parties to secure Superfund sites before the hurricane hit, though it doesnt go into any detail about what that process entailed.

The EPA also maintains that the agency has a team of experts imbedded [sic] with other local, state and federal authorities, on the ground responding to Harvey  none of which Biesecker included in his story.

The EPA had put out a statement on Saturday saying that 11 of the Houston Superfund sites were still inaccessible because of floodwaters, but that agency personnel would be on the scene as soon as possible.

EPA says Superfund sites around Houston aren't accessible to its personnel. @AP got to 7 by boat, vehicle, on foot https://t.co/oTeqOw8c6X  Julie Pace (@jpaceDC) September 2, 2017

Bizarrely, Sundays statement goes on about Biesecker, the AP reporter. It links to a correction Biesecker made on one of his previous articles about EPA administrator Scott Pruitt  he reported a meeting between Pruitt and the CEO of Dow Chemical that didnt happen  and to a Breitbart article calling that relatively minor error a CNN-level scandal. Also included is a June editorial in The Oklahoman, which serves as an example of others calling out Bieseckers sensationalized reporting. (The reporting in question involved Pruitts extremely cozy ties with power brokers in the industries his agency is supposed to regulate. Oklahoma is Pruitts home state.)

Pruitt has basically been running the EPA as an oil-and-gas-industry welfare office, and doing most of it in secret. Whether his inattention to the environmental or protection parts of his agencys name will have consequences at Houstons Superfund sites remains to be seen. But the agencys tactic of attacking the media to distract from legitimate questions is damaging enough already.
Trumps bullshit has hit the DOJs fan. Photo: Jim Watson/AFP/Getty Images

Department of Justice lawyers say that the department has no evidence for President Trumps controversial claim that President Obama ordered wiretaps of Trump Tower during last years presidential campaign. In a filing made public on Friday, the lawyers wrote that both the FBI and [National Security Division] confirm that they have no records related to wiretaps as described by Trump. The filing was made in response to a Freedom of Information Act request made by the group American Oversight.

In a series of early-morning tweets sent on March 4, Trump had claimed, without offering any evidence, that he had just found out that Obama had tapped Trump Tower toward the end of last years presidential race:

Terrible! Just found out that Obama had my wires tapped in Trump Tower just before the victory. Nothing found. This is McCarthyism! Is it legal for a sitting President to be wire tapping a race for president prior to an election? Turned down by court earlier. A NEW LOW! Id bet a good lawyer could make a great case out of the fact that President Obama was tapping my phones in October, just prior to Election! How low has President Obama gone to tapp my phones during the very sacred election process. This is Nixon/Watergate. Bad (or sick) guy!

The episode, as well as Trump and the White Houses subsequent refusal to provide any evidence to back up the claim, was one of the most-outrageous early events of Trumps presidency. The most likely explanation for Trumps tweets is that someone passed him a Breitbart article writing up accusations against Obama made by conservative radio host Mark Levin, who based his claims on dubious British media reports. In other words, a right-wing game of conspiracy-theory telephone resulted in the president of the United States accusing his predecessor of a politically motivated criminal act via tweetstorm, which in turn kicked off one of the biggest, most-distracting scandals of Trumps early presidency.

Fired FBI director James Comey, who, immediately after the tweets, had reportedly urged the Justice Department to officially rebuke the president, later testified before Congress that he knew of no evidence for Trumps claim. Now, after being forced to, the DOJ has confirmed that it doesnt have any evidence either.
People in Seoul watch a TV news report on the nuclear test on Sunday morning. Photo: Ahn Young-joon/AP

The Latest

 After monitors detected a significant manmade earthquake on the Korean Peninsula on Sunday morning, North Korea claimed it had successfully tested a hydrogen bomb it says can be mounted onto an intercontinental ballistic missile. It was North Koreas sixth nuclear test and the most powerful one to date  surpassing, for the first time, the destructive power of the atomic bombs the U.S. dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki. Though its not clear if North Korea is telling the truth about its ability to mount the bomb on an ICBM, the test still represents a significant escalation in the conflict between the country and the U.S. and another act of defiance in response to President Trumps bluster toward the regime.

 President Trump met with his national-security team to discuss the provocation, and afterwards, Defense Secretary James Mattis warned North Korea that the U.S. could and would respond to threats with force.

 In tweets on Sunday, Trump called North Korea dangerous and hinted at a U.S. military response; said Chinas efforts to rein in Pyongyang had been a failure; criticized South Korea for trying to appease Pyongyang; and floated the idea of cutting off U.S. trade with anyone who does business with North Korea (i.e. China).

 World leaders have also condemned the test, and there will be an emergency meeting of the U.N. Security Council on Monday to discuss the ongoing crisis.

 Prior to the test, Trump reportedly directed his administration to withdraw the U.S. from a 2012 free-trade agreement with South Korea, which seems more related to Trump pleasing his nationalist base than defusing the crisis on the Korean Peninsula.

The U.S. and International Response

Before meeting with his national-security team on Sunday afternoon, President Trump responded to North Koreas nuclear test in a series of tweets, calling North Korea dangerous and chastising South Korea for what he said was an attempt to appease the country. He included another apparent threat to use force against the regime, less than a week after responding to a North Korean missile test by remarking that talking to the regime is not the answer. Here is what Trump tweeted on Sunday morning:

[North Koreas] words and actions continue to be very hostile and dangerous to the United States. North Korea is a rogue nation which has become a great threat and embarrassment to China, which is trying to help but with little success. South Korea is finding, as I have told them, that their talk of appeasement with North Korea will not work, they only understand one thing!

Thus far, Trumps threats against North Korea have done little, if anything, to change the regimes behavior, but the bluster continued on Sunday.

Related Stories Why North Koreas Nuclear Test Should Unnerve and Embarrass Trump

Prior to his national-security meeting, Trump attended a church service in Washington, and upon leaving was asked whether he would attack North Korea. Well see, the president replied.

After the national-security meeting concluded, Defense Secretary James Mattis announced at a White House press conference that we have many military options and the president wanted to be briefed on every one of them. Mattis also warned North Korea that any threat to the United States or its territories including Guam or our allies will be met with a massive military response.

We are not looking to the total annihilation of a country, namely North Korea, but as I said we have many options to do so, Mattis continued.

Trade Wars

Also on Sunday, Trump announced that the U.S. is considering, in addition to other options, stopping all trade with any country doing business with North Korea. Such a policy, assuming its even possible (its not), would of course target China, North Koreas primary trading partner. Before Trumps trade-policy threat, Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin said on Fox News Sunday that he was drafting a sanctions package to send to the president for his strong consideration that anybody that wants to do trade or business with [North Korea] would be prevented from doing trade or business with us.

But Sunday was not the first time that Trump, who frequently attacked U.S. trade deals and partners during his presidential campaign, has suggested opening a trade war in the region amid the possibility of a real war. He has repeatedly indicated his willingness to go after China on trade as a way to get them to put more pressure on North Korea. Thats on top of his desire to start a trade war with China, regardless of whats happening with Pyongyang.

And its not just China. One day before North Koreas test, it was reported that President Trump had directed his staff to come up with a plan to withdraw the U.S. from its 2012 free-trade agreement with South Korea  a move that would not only alienate Americas most important ally in the region, but also make that alliance look weak to outsiders like North Korea and China.

The International Response

World leaders condemned North Koreas new nuclear test on Sunday as well. German chancellor Angela Merkel and French president Emmanuel Macron both said they intended to tighten European sanctions on North Korea in response to the test, and British prime minister Theresa May indicated that the U.N. Security Council should immediately look at new ways to retaliate as well. The council will meet on Monday morning in an emergency session to discuss the test. Russian president Vladimir Putin and Chinese president Xi Jinping reportedly met in China on Sunday, and according to the Chinese state media, the two leaders agreed to appropriately deal with the crisis  though, China has infinitely more influence over Pyongyang than Russia does.

North Korea's New Bomb

Prior to Sundays nuclear test, North Korea announced that it had developed a hydrogen bomb that could fit into an ICBM warhead and, for the first time, suggested that it was also capable of launching an EMP, or electromagnetic pulse attack  which would entail detonating a nuclear bomb in the atmosphere above a target, as opposed to directly targeting a city. The government released an undated photo, seen below, which purports to show North Korean leader Kim Jong Un inspecting the loading of the hydrogen-bomb device into a warhead at an undisclosed location.

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un purportedly inspecting the loading of a hydrogen bomb into an ICBM warhead. Photo: /Korean Central News Agency/Korea News Service via AP

Hours after the announcement, the nuclear test was detected as a 6.3-magnitude tremor in the northwestern region of the country. While some of the claims North Korea has made about its military advancements have turned out to be accurate, the regime in Pyongyang is also notorious for exaggerating its progress. The available scientific evidence indicates that the bomb North Korea tested on Sunday was its most powerful yet, but its not clear whether it could be fit into an ICBM warhead, or if it was definitely a hydrogen bomb as North Korea has claimed.

Reuters reports the bomb detonated Sunday was measured to be ten times more powerful than the last nuclear test North Korea conducted in 2016, and that experts now believe the regime has either developed a hydrogen bomb or is very close to doing so. In July, North Korea successfully tested a pair of ICBMs that analysts believe were capable of striking the mainland U.S. That marked a significant advancement in the regimes ballistic-missile program, though the regime has not been able to demonstrate that one of its long-range missiles could be fitted with a nuclear warhead, or that any of its warheads could survive reentry into the earths atmosphere after such a long flight. If North Korea were to develop such a capability, a hydrogen thermonuclear bomb, which is smaller and lighter than other types of nuclear weapons, would be the kind of device theyd need.

This is a developing news story and this post will be updated throughout.
Photo: STR/AFP/Getty Images

The United States Geological Survey (USGS) detected a 6.3-magnitude tremor in the northwestern part of North Korea, not far from the area in which theyve performed previous nuclear tests.

South Koreas military believes that the tremor was artificial, which, together with its location, suggests that North Korea has performed its sixth nuclear test. South Koreas president, Moon Jae-in, has called a meeting of his National Security Council.

Japans prime minister, Shinzo Abe, told reporters that it appeared likely that North Korea had conducted a nuclear test and said that he would call a meeting of Japans National Security Council. If the tremor is indeed a nuclear test, it would be the latest instance of North Korean saber-rattling and a ratcheting-up of the tension between the nation and the United States.

North Korea conducted its fourth and fifth nuclear tests in January and September of last year. Last week, it flew a missile over Japan, prompting international condemnation and a show of force in the Korean Peninsula by the United States and its allies.

The United States announced new sanctions on Russian and Chinese entities with ties to North Koreas nuclear program last week, and President Trump warned that the United States would respond to further threats from North Korea with fire and fury.

The tremor came just hours after North Korea claimed they had the capability to load a hydrogen bomb onto an intercontinental missile, providing no proof for the claim except for a picture of Kim Jong Un inspecting what they said was the bomb.
An undated image distributed September 3 by the North Korean government purporting to show North Korean leader Kim Jong Un inspecting the loading of a hydrogen bomb into an ICBM at an undisclosed location. Photo: /Korean Central News Agency/Korea News Service via AP

North Koreas latest nuclear test has ruined Sundays in at least four countries. It may mark an opportunity to bring China closer to the U.S. and intensify a global effort to get Pyongyangs nuclear posturing under control, but that will take deft diplomacy  and the U.S. has been letting off some worrying explosions of its own.

Hydrogen bombs are more technologically difficult to develop, but they yield far more destructive force for their size  meaning they are easier to make small enough to fit on a missile that can fly across the Pacific Ocean. Before this weekends test, North Korean leader Kim Jong Un was photographed with what he said was a device that could fit on an intercontinental ballistic missile.

The message to the U.S. and its allies seems clear: Yes, I can.

But the timing of this test sends other messages, too. It comes just on the heels of North Koreas decision to fly a missile over Japanese territory  a risky and unnerving situation for Japanese citizens  thus upping the pressure on the government in Tokyo for an aggressive response.

For China, North Koreas regional protector and ultimately the only power which might have decisive economic influence over the isolated state, this test is an embarrassment. Enormous nuclear explosions  and the disconcerting earthquake that followed the underground test  are not the kind of thing you want in your neighborhood.

Whats worse, Chinas leadership hosts the countrys party congress this week  a combination of a political-party convention and presidential inauguration in a country that has only one party and no contested national elections. It is the central event in the nations political life, and this one was intended to showcase Chinese leader Xi Jinping as he is reelected to lead the party and country for a second five-year term. Part of Xis case to his nation is that, under his leadership, China is marching steadily toward moderate prosperity at home (the kind of political slogan you can get away with if some of your citizens still remember nationwide famine and starvation), dominance in the region, and respect globally. The pressures of slowing growth and social challenges at home are real, and Xi wants to present himself as strong abroad. He has been helped enormously by Chinas ability to say that it is replacing the U.S. in areas from global response and climate change to economic leadership in Asia. How embarrassing, then, to have tiny, weak North Korea challenging Xi and Trump in the same stroke.

Some China experts are hopeful that this will lead Beijing to put more pressure on the North  to slow its unsettling pace of tests or negotiate over its program. But others are skeptical because, embarrassing as this may be, it doesnt change Beijings fundamental calculations. Seen from China, while Kim Jong Un is an awkward, angst-provoking, and expensive ally (as Beijing must provide assistance and care for the thousands of refugees and migrants who do make it across the border), he is infinitely better than a reunification of North and South Korea, which might bring U.S. forces all the way to Chinas border  or lead to a collapse propelling the number of North Koreans coming across to China into the millions.

Building a closer, more effective partnership between Beijing and Washington would demand two things from the United States. First, diplomacy that avoids needlessly embarrassing or angering Beijing and other regional players. And second, a willingness to yield on some of the regional partners most important priorities. In other words, basic negotiation and team-building skills.

However, the Trump administrations actions toward the single most important actor among U.S. allies  South Korea  point in exactly the opposite direction. In recent weeks, U.S. military and diplomatic leaders have been at pains to reassure the new government in Seoul that the alliance is close and that they are secure under the U.S. nuclear umbrella. The new South Korean president, by the way, hails from the left, which is historically more hostile to the U.S.: Moon Jae In is a former human-rights lawyer who spent time in jail under pro-Washington regimes. He was elected on a platform of skepticism  to put it mildly  toward Donald Trump. Managing this relationship would be tricky for any U.S. administration, but the Trump team has chosen to make it maximally difficult.

South Koreans  and the region  are well aware that Trump has questioned the value of the security alliance in the past. Although officials around Trump have worked hard to repair that damage in recent months, with visits from the vice-president and defense leaders, astonishingly, the White House has decided to reopen the wound. Trump chose the same period of ferment over the Norths nuclear progression to demand that Seoul renegotiate the U.S.-Korea Free Trade Agreement. The South Korean president may have little fondness for his predecessor, who negotiated the treaty, but Moon Jae In also seems to have judged reopening it as not in his interests. Just this past weekend  even as U.S. intelligence knew that a nuclear test was likely imminent and had surely informed the White House  Trump threatened to unilaterally dump the U.S.-Korea trade treaty. This option would be so disruptive to commerce and employment that even Americans who had opposed the treaty spoke out against it. It would also be an enormous humiliation to the president of South Korea  and a terrible advertisement to Pyongyang, Beijing, and elsewhere about the value of a U.S. commitment.

This nuclear test is unnerving. It underlines that Washington and the region cant ignore North Korea, cant get distracted  and must put existential questions ahead of political ones. Unfortunately, the biggest question mark surrounds neither Beijing, Tokyo, nor Seoul, but Washington.
Constructing a nuclear power plant is investment and time intensive. Total costs are sky high and timetables between project proposal and actual construction and operation are unpredictable. Two cases in pointUKs Hinkley Point C project is currently being delayed eight years after the initial target and faces huge cost overruns, and the bankruptcy of a contractor that led to the scrapping of a South Carolina nuclear project.

According to a nuclear fuel expert who has worked on developing nuclear gas turbines, some 80 percent of the construction costs for nuclear power projects where nuclear fission is used to heat steam plants is spent on the technology and facilities outside of the so-called nuclear island, the one that contains the nuclear reactor.

Nuclear plants produce electricity by boiling water into steam, and this steam then turns turbines to produce electricity.

There are technologies that have been studied and developed for decades, and some of them could be used to make the cheaper simple-cycle gas turbines work for nuclear projects, Rod Adams, whose now-defunct firm Adams Atomic Engines used to work on nuclear gas turbines in 1993-2010, argues in an article in Forbes.

The simple cycle gas turbines, also known as Brayton cycle machines, are less efficient than the combined cycle, but they are cheaper to build and operate than steam turbines, and are very flexible in meeting peak demand because they can be started up in minutes. They are not designed to be operated all the time, so their cost is low enough to justify idleness. Simple cycle also does not change the phase of the source materialits gas in all cycles. Related: U.S. Taps Strategic Petroleum Reserve After Hurricane Harvey

However, not a single nuclear project that adapts gas turbines has seen commercial deployment. The maximum temperatures available cant power a Brayton cycle machine. Therefore, high temperature gas-cooled reactors could be usedand this is a technology that has been studied and developed for decades, Adams says in his article. Two possible developments could make those high temperature gas-cooled reactors (HTGR) achieve really high temperatures of over 1,000 degrees Celsius. These are the Triso particle fuel and the use of nitrogen to cool the reactor instead of helium as nuclear scientists have been largely assuming, Mr. Adams argues.

The Triso particle fuel is not a new invention, it has been around for decades, and continues to be tested. For example, the Idaho National Laboratory (INL) has been doing R&D on fuel development and aims to fabricate Tristructural Isotropic (TRISO) fuels for use in HTGR.

The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) has reported advances in advanced gas reactor technology using Triso particle fuel.

In June, the DOE picked 85 projects that it will fund with US$67 million to help advance innovative nuclear technologies. Since 2009, the Energy Departments Office of Nuclear Energy has awarded around US$472 million to 103 U.S. colleges and universities to fund advanced nuclear technology research.

According to the Nuclear Energy Institute (NEI), a total of 99 nuclear reactors currently supply around 20 percent of the U.S. electricity and approximately two-thirds of the nations carbon-free electricity. Related: Iraqs Solution To Lower For Longer Oil Prices

According to NEIs white paper from November 2016, goals for advanced technologies include demonstrating two or more advanced non-light water reactors by 2025, and ensuring two or more advanced non-light water reactor designs are commercially available (i.e., ready to build) in the U.S. by 2030.

Over the past few years the electricity generation landscape in the U.S. has dramatically changed, the NEI said, pointing to the low-cost shale gas, continuous improvement of cost and performance of wind, solar, and electricity storage, and the traditional business model of large central-station power plants adjusting to distributed generation.

According to the EIAs 2017 Annual Energy Outlook reference case, the share of nuclear in the U.S. electricity generation mix would drop from 20 percent in 2016 to 11 percent in 2050, as more nuclear capacity is retired than built, and as other fuels such as natural gas and renewables gain market share. In 2050, natural gas will lead the net electricity generation by fuel, followed by renewables and coal, with nuclear at the fourth place. Sometime around 2020, the share of renewables is expected to outstrip nuclear, according to the EIA.

In order for nuclear to overcome current challenges, it really needs a major--and more importantly economically viable--breakthrough in development.

By Tsvetana Paraskova for Oilprice.com

More Top Reads From Oilprice.com:
Rising demand for electricity and a commitment to reduce reliance on hydrocarbons are driving strong growth in Mexicos renewable energy sector, a push that could bring particular benefits in the solar power industry.

Mexico is now in the process of finalizing a list of bidders for the countrys third round of annual tenders for new supply projects, with technical bids to be submitted in September and the auction to be held in November. The first two rounds covered a combined 14.3 TWh of annualized production.

The tenders will bring Mexico closer to its goal of raising the share of renewables in the energy mix from around 20 percent currently to 35 percent by 2024 and 50 percent by 2050.

These targets should be sufficient to encourage the domestic renewables sector to expand capacity and take advantage of opportunities in the medium term, according to David Fatzinger, managing director for Latin America at InterGen, a power generation and development company.

We believe there is sufficient activity in the market for Mexico to reach its 2024 target, and we are monitoring the progress of local providers in developing new renewable projects, Fatzinger told OBG. The main emphasis in the sector will be on solar and wind due to the countrys high potential to produce electricity from both.

Powerful growth potential

Indeed, Mexico has potential to be the seventh-largest solar photovoltaic (PV) market in the world by 2021, according to the Global Market Outlook for Solar Power 2017-2021 report from SolarPower Europe, an industry association.

The report, released at the end of May, said Mexico could have up to 14.1 GW of solar power installed by 2021, behind only larger players such as Australia, Germany, Japan, the U.S., India and China.

Mexico  alongside Chile  made the greatest advances in deploying and promoting solar energy last year, according to SolarPower Europe. It secured this spot by awarding 1 GW of solar power capacity in a power-purchase agreement for $40.50 per MWh. Related: U.S. Taps Strategic Petroleum Reserve After Hurricane Harvey

Progress is continuing on the ground, with more than a third of the combined 3.6 GW in PV projects approved last year already under development. Most of the 28 projects selected for development will come on-line in 2018 and 2019, according to Asolmex, Mexicos solar energy association.

In mid-July the Ministry of Environment and Natural Resources, the federal environmental agency, approved 90 MW worth of additional PV capacity, spread across three projects in the northern state of Coahuila.

Coahuila is already the site of extensive PV development, with the Villanueva and Villanueva II projects being undertaken by Italian firm Enel. The two projects, which have a capacity of 427 MW and 327 MW, respectively, both came out of the first round of auctions in 2016.

Finding finance

While renewables are gaining wider acceptance as a mainstream energy source and investment vehicle, the banking sector has been slower to adapt.

Even though recently introduced investment mechanisms such as public-private partnerships and energy-focused real estate investment trusts (Fideicomisos de Inversion y Bienes Raices, FIBRAs) are good methods to capture investments in new energy projects, banks continue to be reluctant to finance merchant-risk solar projects, according to Oscar Bernal, CEO of solar equipment supplier EOSOL. FIBRAs are listed investment instruments previously only available for the real estate sector but now approved for the energy industry.

Banks are still inflexible, with limited payment periods. However, they do not often consider the profit margin of a solar project  up to 96 percent  once the farm is paid off, making it one of the most profitable long-term businesses in the world, Bernal told OBG. More projects will be financed by banks once they extend the time required for companies to pay back a loan. Related: Are Libyan Oil Production Gains History?

According to Pedro Berriel, general manager of Power Electronics, a provider of renewable energy technology, this reluctance is holding back the development of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) that are operating in the sector, both as providers and suppliers.

There is a lack of incentives to provide access to credit for SMEs to grow, he told OBG. Since they do not risk making investments, they do not have the capacity to grow and are therefore not competitive.

However, as renewable energy becomes more mainstream in the medium term, and the segments robust return on investment becomes better documented, financial institutions will likely be encouraged to provide the higher levels of credit needed to feed renewable energy expansion and strengthen links in the supply chain.

By Oxford Business Group

More Top Reads From Oilprice.com:
A North Dakota union leader says its inappropriate for two anti-employee attorneys to give a presentation at a conference involving the state Department of Commerce later this month in Fargo.

North Dakota AFL-CIO President Waylon Hedegaard said Friday he has been in contact with the governors office and Commerce Department about the presentation from Dominic Cecere and Joel Abrahamson of the Stinson Leonard Street firm in Minneapolis. Theyre scheduled to talk about hot-button labor issues in the current political climate during the Governors Workforce & HR Conference Sept. 20.

The state Department of Commerce and the North Dakota Society for Human Resource Management are collaborating to host the three-day event at the Holiday Inn in Fargo, according to the Commerce Departments website.

We feel that in any employee-employer relationship, the state has to remain neutral, Hedegaard said. He said there are others who could give a presentation on labor law in a neutral manner.

Labor Commissioner Michelle Kommer, who is also speaking at the conference, said the attorneys have given numerous presentations in their capacity as experts in the area of law, not in their capacity as having a view thats anti-union or pro-union.

The two attorneys did not return messages seeking comment by 5 p.m. Friday.

Ceceres biography on his firms website says he has represented national and international businesses in (National Labor Relations Board) trials, labor arbitrations and labor contract negotiations, and he has defended employers before state, local and federal agencies as well as state and federal courts.

He devotes a significant amount of time counseling non-union employers on maintaining their non-union status through positive employee relations practices, and works closely with unionized clients to develop strategies for dealing efficiently and effectively with their workforce, Ceceres biography adds.

Abrahamsons bio says he represents businesses in employment law and traditional labor law matters and has successfully defended clients  in employment lawsuits and charges based on alleged discrimination, retaliation, disability accommodation failure, breach of contract, defamation, promissory estoppel, and other statutory and common law claims.

Their presentation will include updates on current and potential labor law changes and a discussion on the anticipated labor agenda under the Trump administration, according to the events agenda.

The focus of this presentation will be practical advice regarding positive employee relations strategies employers can implement for success, the agenda states.

Gov. Doug Burgums spokesman Mike Nowatzki said no speaking fees were requested for the law firm. Registration fees are paying for a bulk of the event, he said.

The states involvement is basically time in helping organize the event, Nowatzki said.

Hedegaard said he has asked Burgums office for a some kind of resolution by noon Tuesday. He raised the possibility of a rally outside the conference.

This is a core issue to us, Hedegaard said. Almost everybody in labor believes that we have the right to form unions and we have the right to protect employees.

Later Friday, Kommer said she had a very productive conversation with Hedegaard, but she said theyre moving ahead with the agenda as planned. She asked Hedegaard to attend the session with her, but she was unsure hed do so.
210-420 Bcf recoverable not enough in Barents Sea

Statoil (ticker: STO) reported the results of its first well in the Korpfjell prospect, an exploratory well in the Barents Sea.

The Korpfjell prospect is a large structure in the Norwegian section of the Barents Sea, well within the Arctic Circle. According to Lundin Petroleum (ticker: LUPE), which holds a 15 percent stake in the prospect, the project could contain more than one billion BOE gross. The structure is three to four times larger than Johan Sverdrup, one of the largest fields on the Norwegian continental shelf.

(Click to enlarge)



Source: Lundin Petroleum

However, the first well drilled into this prospect has not lived up to expectations.

The exploratory well encountered gas, indicating 210-420 Bcf of gas recoverable. While this result might trigger development in some areas, gas commercialization in the Barents Sea would be very difficult. The closest land to the prospect is the tiny island of Hopen, 250 miles away. The northernmost tip of Norway is nearly 260 miles away, meaning developing a gas prospect would be a significant endeavor. With this in mind, Statoil and its partners will plug and abandon this well and analyze the data collected.

(Click to enlarge)



Source: Statoil

Statoils head of exploration in Norway and the UK extensively discussed the results of the well, saying We have all the time pointed out the high level of geological uncertainty related to Korpfjell. The main question was whether we would find anything at all  and if we did, would it hold gas or oil. Related: Texas Shale Hit Hard By Hurricane Harvey

Korpfjell is a structure of a size seldom seen on the Norwegian Continental Shelf and has attracted much interest, and the results of the first well in this frontier area of the Barents Sea have triggered broad and strong expectations. For this reason, it has been important to us to complete this drilling.

The results are of course disappointing, but it is too early to draw any conclusions on how this will impact the Barents Sea southeast area.

It is important to remember that you rarely succeed on the first try in a frontier area. Thirty-three wells were drilled before the first commercial discovery was made in the Norwegian section of the North Sea. Even if we have learned a lot since 1969, we do not expect the first exploration well to give all the answers. We need further exploration to find out what this implies for the total resource potential of the Barents Sea southeast area.

By Oil and Gas 360

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Douglas V. Gibbs is a proud member of the American Authors Association

Douglas V. Gibbs is a proud member of the Military Writers Society of America.
He actually turned his life around while he was in prison. He started teaching about recovery, he started teaching about safe sex, HIV prevention, he got his degree, certificate, whatever they call it in Religious Studies.

 Marcella Anderson, wife of a man incarcerated at Mount McGregor, 2015 interview, taken from States of Incarceration: A National Dialogue of Local Stories

SARATOGA SPRINGS  When a prison closes, the once heavily guarded and locked institution goes dormant, leaving little trace of those who lived and worked, sometimes for decades, within its barbed borders.

Their departed stories  some tragic and gruesome, some hopeful and transformative  are mostly relegated to the minds of their owners and the echoes of a deteriorating and abandoned building.

Thats partially why a group of Skidmore Colleges public history students and their professor set out to resurrect the tales of those whose lives were dramatically altered after the 2014 closing of the Mount McGregor Correctional Facility in Saratoga County.

Mount McGregor, a medium-security prison in Wilton, was one of 13 state prisons to close. At the time, there were 320 employees and 422 inmates.

We were able to tour Mount McGregor ... after 18 months it was really deteriorating, said Isaac Selchaif, now a Skidmore senior, who has been with the project since its inception. It was super cold (inside). There were giant (pieces of) chipping paint that had fallen off and was on the ground. In some places, the inmates had painted the walls, and some was beautiful and some disgusting. There were all these mathematical equations painted in bright colors.

It gave me an eerie sense, he said.

The students interviewed former staff and prisoners, researched the history of incarceration in the state and visited the vacant, sprawling expanse of 100 buildings situated at the top of the mountain on 325 acres.

They developed a human connection to mass incarceration, said Eric Morser, an associate professor of history at Skidmore, who has headed the initiative.

As part of a traveling national exhibit and interactive dialogue  States of Incarceration: A National Dialogue of Local Histories  the stories of the people of Mount McGregor have been shared visually in many states over the past year. And this weekend, the entire exhibit, along with the Mount McGregor portion  Closing a Prison, Deferring a Dream: Whats Lost When a Prison Closes?  has returned to its Skidmore roots for a month-long exhibition that opened Saturday at the Tang Teaching Museum on the college campus.

On Friday afternoon, Selchaif, Morser and Morsers son, Nick, saw the exhibition for the first time. When they entered the room at the Tang, they were quickly drawn to the photos and stories, pointing out and talking about what they recalled.

Theres Johnny, Selchaif said, pointing to the image of Johnny Perez, who had been an inmate at Mount McGregor for 13 years. Perez now works to help other former prisoners re-enter society.

And as they wandered through the vast exhibition, their energy was palpable.

When you can give it a narration, its easier to identify with and it amplifies their stories, Selchaif said.

States of Incarceration is the culmination of the work of 500 students, 20 colleges and universities and others who share in a profound unease about the state of incarceration in America.

Two years ago, each team set out within their individual communities to find answers as to why the United States has the highest incarceration rate in the world, wondering how this happened, and to spark a dialogue in local venues about where the nation goes from here.

There are still 2.3 million people spending big chunks of time behind bars in state jails and federal prisons in the U.S., a rate more than five times higher than in most countries around the world, according to the Prison Policy Initiative, a nonprofit, nonpartisan research organization exposing the broader harms of mass criminalization.

Among the ranks of the imprisoned, there is an unbalanced proportion of people of color (nearly 50 percent). Additionally, women are the fastest-growing incarcerated population, with their numbers increasing by 832 percent since 1977.

In New York, as part of a statewide effort by New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo to cut back on the states prison population, the number of inmates has dropped by nearly 6,000 since 2011. But there are still more than 53,000 serving state sentences in New York and another 35,000 in local jails and federal prisons.

The Local Public History Project

Its been two years since students in Eric Morsers public history course at Skidmore College first began gathering stories about the people of Mount McGregor, about those who were there before the state prison closed in July 2014.

Prior to the fall course, the Humanities Action Lab at the New School in New York City approached Skidmore, inviting them to participate in the national States of Incarceration project aimed at forging new relationships and dialogues and hopefully creating a new lens from which to view this nations approach to incarceration.

What drew the New School to the Saratoga Springs college was the John B. Moore Documentary Studies Collaborative at Skidmore. The collaborative teaches students how to tell different stories, Morser said.

For their role in the national initiative, Morser said they decided to build it around the public history course he teaches.

History is theoretical and this is an opportunity to demonstrate it and work as public historians, he said, adding that the public history course is designed to take history out into the broader world.

Students interviewed people related to the prison, but getting to those people might not have been possible without the assistance of David Karp, another Skidmore professor who had previous contacts at Mount McGregor.

David helped establish connections, Morser said. As we started doing the interviews, more and more people came forward and it took on a life of its own.

The way Morser explained it, the first semester class contributed a single panel to the national exhibit, but it continues to grow.

In the aftermath of the first course, I began to offer a workshop course for three or four students who did more interviews, transcribed the interviews, helped with the exhibit and gave gallery talks, he said. We now have four panels in the exhibition that has been traveling the country visiting the institutions that contributed a local story.

Isaac, Meaghan and the people of Mount McGregor

Close friends Isaac Selchaif and Meaghan McDonald, both Skidmore seniors, had no connection to mass incarceration prior to working with Morser and the States of Incarceration project.

But over the past two years, after interviewing several ex-prisoners, some who are still serving time, and the people who work with them, they have learned a great deal and believe that the U.S. penal system is broken.

The system in itself is sinister, Selchaif said. There are no little stories, he said. It is more and more eye-opening as we delve more into this project.

According to McDonald, there is an effort to humanize incarceration, but it does not go deeply enough.

A lot of crimes stem from addiction and the opioid crisis and from poverty, she said. When you see a father who misses their childs first birthday, it forces you to humanize it.

McDonald continued.

There is a long list of reforms that are not working when applied, said McDonald, who in addition to her ongoing work with the Skidmore project spent her summer working at a county prison in Pennsylvania. I spent every day of this summer with inmates. I have been evaluating their programs and I made recommendations to the county about ways to help them rehabilitate. ... I thought I had a good understanding, but my outlook is much bleaker after working inside a prison.

Both students talked about issues tied to re-entry that they said came up again and again in their interviews.

Selchaif brought up Johnny Perez. Hes an incredible man, he said, talking about what he has learned about re-entry from Perez. When someone leaves prison, they are given a bus ticket and $40. Then you go.

McDonald shared similar information. And they both have learned about how hard it is for former prisoners to get jobs because of the box they must check on employment applications, labeling them as felons.

She told the story of Angel, who had been serving two different sentences, and she detailed his struggle in meeting the rules of release and his eventual acceptance as a student at Columbia University.

I very much support the (axiom) society should be judged by how it treats its lowest, McDonald said.

The exhibit runs until Oct. 10 at The Tang Teaching Museum.
Doug Irish doesnt live in Queensbury anymore. He doesnt even live in New York.

Doug Irish is living in Fayetteville, North Carolina, where he has taken a job as department chairman of the vehicle collision and refinishing program at Fayetteville Technical Community College.

Good for him. But what the heck is he still doing on the Town Board?

He hasnt gone to a Town Board meeting since July 3, missing five meetings. He wont be able to get to one until mid-October, maybe. At that point, he will have missed almost a third of the year in Queensbury.

Even someone with Irishs notorious self-confidence and outspokenness cant imagine he can be a good public servant without living in the community he serves or going to the meetings of the board he serves on.

New Yorks Public Officers Law has something to say about this situation, under the category of Creation of vacancies. A vacancy is created, the law says, under one of eight conditions. The following is the fourth condition:

His ceasing to be an inhabitant of the state, or if he be a local officer, of the political subdivision, or municipal corporation of which he is required to be a resident when chosen.

Irish is no longer an inhabitant of Queensbury (hes not even an inhabitant of New York), so his office, under the law, is officially vacant.

Its irrelevant that Irish still owns his house in Queensbury, because the law doesnt say anything about residences. The critical question is, where is the person an inhabitant? Irish is an inhabitant of Fayetteville.

Beyond the law is the propriety of the thing. Its improper to get elected to public office, then try to hold onto your position when you move out of the community.

Even if Irish flies back for meetings starting in October, as he says he will, he will still be living in North Carolina, not Queensbury. He wont be driving in town, shopping in town, socializing in town.

When youre a Town Board member, you should have a sense of the pulse of the community.

In Fayetteville, Irish wont know if Queensbury has a pulse.

If Irish had been upfront about his plans, he could have resigned back in July, and his constituents could have been represented by someone all summer.

Instead, he was keeping secrets and now is trying to perpetuate the fiction that he can remain in touch with a community and represent a district from 750 miles away.

Doug Irish has embarked on a new adventure, and we wish him luck. But he needs to let go of a position that is neither legal nor proper for him to hold.
GRAND FORKS  President Donald Trump created controversy with his first act of clemency last month, when he pardoned former Arizona sheriff Joe Arpaio, who was found guilty of criminal contempt of court and has been accused of racial profiling and running a jail with inhumane conditions.

Gov. Doug Burgum has also signed just one pardon since taking office, though his was much less controversial. On May 10, Burgum signed a pardon for Kacey Marie Songer, a Minot woman who was convicted of a domestic violence misdemeanor assault in January 2009 when she was 18. Songer had the entirety of her sentence suspended at the time.

Burgum has yet to commute any sentences since taking office.

The Pardon Advisory Board, composed of Attorney General Wayne Stenehjem, Duane DeKrey, Mandy Maxon, Patrick Weir and Bev Adams, meets next on Nov. 7. In North Dakota, the board makes recommendations to the governor on clemency actions including commutations, conditional pardons, full pardons, the remission of fines and a reprieval or delay of punishment.

In Minnesota, the governor sits on the pardon board, along with Attorney General Lori Swanson and Minnesota Chief Justice Lorie Skjerven Gildea.

Gov. Mark Dayton has not fully pardoned anyone since taking office in 2011, according to state records. He has signed 87 orders for pardon extraordinary, meaning a person who has served his sentence no longer has to report the conviction on a background check or job application.

Both state boards meet twice a year.

The Minnesota Pardon Board received nine applications for pardons and commutations in 2016 and granted none of them.

Dayton signed 15 pardon extraordinary orders in 2016, and one conditional pardon extraordinary.

One person had a sentence commuted in Minnesota in 2015 and 18 more were granted pardon extraordinary status.

Former Gov. Tim Pawlenty signed off on 113 pardon extraordinary orders from 2003 to 2011. Jesse Ventura signed 33 pardon extraordinary orders from 1999 to 2002.

President Barack Obama pardoned 212 people in his eight years of office, and commuted, or shortened, the sentences of 1,715 others.
Finding Peace of Mind: Discover These Five Places in Europe to Unwind
Before leaving to serve in World War I, Sgt. John W. Smith from the Fort Berthold Indian Reservation wrote a note on a picture of himself that said Forget me not.

Now 100 years later, Smith and other Native Americans who served in World War I before they were even eligible to be U.S. citizens are being remembered at this years United Tribes Technical College International Pow Wow.

I dont think the fact that they werent citizens was really relevant to them at the time, said Marilyn Hudson, a relative of Smith and longtime director of the Three Affiliated Tribes Museum. Theres always been the desire to protect and serve the country where you live.

Several hundred family members and descendants of World War I Native servicemen are expected to participate in a ceremony honoring the veterans next weekend.

The grand entry at 1 p.m. Sept. 10 will feature honor guards and drum groups from each of the five governing tribes of the college: the Mandan, Hidatsa, Arikara Nation, Sisseton-Wahpeton Oyate, Spirit Lake Sioux Tribe, Standing Rock Tribe and Turtle Mountain Band of Chippewa Indians.

Theyll sing songs in their language, World War I victory songs, that represent some of the deeds that their relatives have done, said Leander Russ McDonald, president of United Tribes Technical College.

Following that, names will be announced of more than 355 veterans from the five tribes who served in World War I. Native Americans didnt become citizens of the U.S. until 1924.

We served when we werent even recognized citizens of the United States, said North Dakota Indian Affairs Commissioner Scott Davis. Thats huge. That says a lot about my people and how they feel about this country.

Smith was the first Hidatsa to enlist in the 2nd North Dakota National Guard Regiment formed in Bismarck in the summer of 1917, according to Warriors in Khaki by Michael and Ann Knudson, who researched Native American World War I soldiers from North Dakota.

After the war, Smith filed a report that talked about the close calls he had, including a shell that exploded two feet away from him, killing two men.

I am proud that I was the first to enlist and spent more days in the trenches than the rest of the boys from this Reservation, wrote Smith, who was recognized for gallantry in action.

Another veteran who will be among those honored is Pfc. Joseph Jordan from the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe. Jordan, who enlisted in Bismarck in July 1917, served on the front lines in France in several important battles, was wounded more than once and cited for gallant conduct.

His daughter, Joan Standing Bear, is now proud to have his uniform and medals on display in the lunchroom at United Tribes Technical College. She hopes it will inspire other young people to serve their country as her father did.

If it wasnt for them, where would we be today? said Standing Bear, of Cannon Ball.

An estimated 10,000 Native Americans served in the Army during World War I and 2,000 served in the Navy.

Some of the servicemen who spoke Lakota were among the first Native Code Talkers in the military, serving as messengers and telephone operators who transmitted information in native languages and dialects.

In North Dakota, many were recruited by Alfred B. Welch, of Mandan, an officer in the North Dakota National Guard who had befriended Standing Rock Chief John Grass.

Welch wrote about the loyalty and behavior of the North Dakota Indians: I had, in every instance under my observation, found them to be soldiers of great courage, initiative and intelligence.

Names of the Native American servicemen will be on display on a banner at the pow wow as the college works toward getting an accurate list of World War I veterans from the five tribal nations. The college is working on a permanent memorial to recognize the World War I servicemen, with plans to dedicate it at the 2018 powwow.

Members of the national World War I Centennial Commission also will be attending the powwow, which starts on Friday.

Michael and Ann Knudson of Bismarck, who spent 3,000 hours researching the names and histories of Native American World War I veterans from North Dakota, said theyre glad to see the veterans getting the recognition.

I think its a little overdue, Ann Knudson said. These were guys that werent even citizens yet. They were not allowed to vote and they were not being well treated, yet they put their lives on the line.

Honoring veterans is a strong tradition for Native Americans, who have the highest per-capita participation in the military.

I think its significant that were taking the time to acknowledge that service, Three Affiliated Tribes Chairman Mark Fox said of the World War I recognition. I think the whole state should take a look at as well.

A schedule of events for the 48th annual pow wow is available at www.unitedtribespowwow.com.
On April 4, 1954, this newspaper ran a headline, No you arent color blind: Arsenals black squirrels are migrating. The story reported that black squirrels had crossed the ice over the winter and were being seen, for the first time, off Arsenal Island in Moline and into McClellan Heights in Davenport.

On the same page, a reporter wrote about an effort to clean up trash in Rock Island where garbage was waist deep in some alleys. Rock Islands Assistant Health Officer Bill Holland was touring the worst of it and giving residents 72 hours to clean up.

Other headlines let readers know that five children had been placed in the Annie Wittenmyer Home by court order and President Eisenhower was working hard on a speech he would give the following day to help ease Americans fears and how to live without hysteria in a Communist-endangered world.

I stumbled on that page  just a random page inside the B section of the Sunday paper in 1954  while I explored our new digital archives. For months, we have been digitizing every paper published by this newspaper  in all its iterations  since 1855. Every single page that ran through our press from 1855 to 2009 is now online at qctimes.com/archives

Its searchable by date, name or topic. And there are features within this new database that allow you to clip articles and save them, print them, or save them to your Ancestry page.

I was actually a little drunk with excitement as I typed in search terms and saw how easy it was to access all the history of this place, to answer any question I could dream up about the Quad-Cities. I looked up the real estate listing for my house in 1933 in the Classified section. I looked up the 1893 Chicago Worlds Fair (called the Worlds Columbian Exposition) and saw ads for tickets and the Rock Island train to get there.

I couldnt believe how easy it was.

As a journalist, Ive spent many an hour moving the wheel of the microfiche machine and putting in 10 cents to have a page printed.

As a descendent of Czech immigrants, curious about family history, I walked into the basement of the Natrona County Courthouse and had them pull the deeds for the cattle ranch where my great grandparents settled in Wyoming. We ordered copies of the ship manifests from Galveston, Texas, and Baltimore, Maryland, where they came over. And we knocked on the door of an elderly neighbor out in rural Wyoming to ask her for her memories. Theres adventure to be had in musty basements full of documents and conversations over strong coffee. But, theres also an adrenaline rush to be had from sitting at home with a keyboard, following the crumbs through the easily searched archives of a newspaper. Weve published deeds, births, deaths, weddings and arrests, since the presses first started rolling.

When I was done reading about black squirrels migrating off Arsenal Island, I clicked on a section of our new archive called Clippings. This shows you what articles people have been clipping from this paper. I saw a lot of obituaries and other family history related articles, but I also saw a story about the Palmer family getting their permit to visit Tuts tomb from the March 28, 1925, edition, and a little note on Dec. 30, 1924, to readers that Dr. and Mrs. B.J. Palmer sent a cable message to G.H. Ficke to let everyone know they arrived safely in Singapore.

This project has been months in the making thanks for hard work by our librarian Roy Booker and a partnership with Newspapers.com that hosts digital archives. Im proud to announce it and getting more than my fair share of enjoyment from using it.

If youre interested in trying it out, theres a seven-day free trial. After that, its $7.95/month or $29.95 for six months. Check it out at qctimes.com/archives and enjoy the discoveries.
We can hardly believe the end of summer is here.

And the books of fall are almost here.

Falls books are different from summer books (which youre still probably trying to catch up on). Theyre literary. Theyre Important. But they are also often so, so good.

Here is a peek at the books you won't want to miss:

Sourdough, Robin Sloan (MCD/Farrar Straus and Giroux): In his novel Mr. Penumbras 24-Hour Bookstore book, Sloan unraveled a mystery about a web designer who takes a job in a peculiar all-night Bay area book shop. New technology clashed, then melded, with classic history. Sourdough promises a similar sort of tech and analog mashup, in this case involving the food industry: a software engineer learns to bake bread and uncovers a secret underground market. Were already hungry for it. Out Sept. 5.

The Golden House, Salman Rushdie (Random). The Golden House opens with the arrival in America of a mysterious foreign billionaire and his three grown sons, who settle in an exclusive neighborhood in Greenwich Village. Early buzz has compared Rushdies novel about the Obama years as a modern Bonfire of the Vanities. Well have to read it and see for ourselves. Rushdie appears at Books & Books in Coral Gables on Sept. 24. Out Sept. 5.

Little Fires Everywhere, Celeste Ng (Penguin): In her first novel, the devastating but beautiful Everything I Never Told You, Ng recounted the events leading up to the death of a teenage girl in 1970s Ohio. Ng, who excels at exploring the push and pull of family, culture and community, returns to the Cleveland suburbs in Little Fires Everywhere, about the Richardson family and their attraction to a mysterious mother and daughter who become tenants. Out Sept. 12.

Forest Dark, Nicole Krauss (Harper): Author of the haunting novel The History of Love, which ranges from Nazi-occupied Eastern Europe to contemporary Brighton Beach, Krauss lays out the story of an elderly lawyer and a young novelist whose paths cross in the Israeli desert. If its half as moving and lyrical as The History of Love, we will be pleased. Out Sept. 12.

The Living Infinite, Chantel Acevedo (Europa Editions): Miami novelist Acevedo, author of The Distant Marvels and an associate professor of English in the MFA Program at the University of Miami, revisits Spains Bourbon Court in this historical novel about the rebellious Spanish Princess Eulalia, who traveled to revolutionary Cuba and the Chicago Worlds Fair. Out Sept. 12.

Five-Carat Soul, James McBride (Riverhead): McBrides hilarious, National Book Award-winning novel The Good Lord Bird  about a freed slave boy who disguises himself as a girl and falls in with John Browns abolitionists  was a master class in narrative voice. The stories in Five-Carat Soul havent been published before, but we feel certain that McBride  also the author of nonfiction works The Color of Water and Kill Em and Leave: The Search for James Brown and the American Soul  will employ his satiric humor and prodigious ability to flesh out unforgettable characters in every story. Out Sept. 26.

Here in Berlin, Cristina Garcia (Counterpoint): The city acts as a character in this new novel by the author of Dreaming in Cuban, The Aguero Sisters and King of Cuba. Garcia uses an unnamed narrator to reveal the stories of Berlin through its history and its people, examining how war, politics and their aftermath shape a place. Out Oct. 1.

Fresh Complaint, Jeffrey Eugenides (FSG): One word  Middlesex  makes this collection of short stories one of the most anticipated releases of the fall. Also the author of The Virgin Suicides and the underrated The Marriage Plot, Eugenides won the Pulitzer Prize for Middlesex, set in his hometown of Detroit. Fresh Complaint is his first story collection, and hell be at Miami Book Fair in November to talk about it. Out Oct. 3.

Manhattan Beach, Jennifer Egan (Scribner): The most anticipated novel of the fall comes from Egan, who won the Pulitzer in 2011 for her terrific novel-in-stories A Visit from the Goon Squad (read it now if you havent). Manhattan Beach is a complete turnaround from that post-modern masterpiece; its an historical novel that opens during Americas Great Depression and examines the effects of war on American lives. Egan will also attend Miami Book Fair. Out Oct. 3.

We Were Eight Years in Power: An American Tragedy, Ta-Nehisi Coates (One World): The follow-up to Coates National Book Award-winning Between the World and Me is made up of essays about the Obama era and how racial and cultural politics played out against it. Eight of the works are new, and a handful have been previously published in The Atlantic, including The Case for Reparations. Out Oct. 3.

Ali, Jonathan Eig (Houghton Mifflin Harcourt): He was loved. He was hated. He was the greatest, and yet until now there has not been a definitive biography of Muhammad Ali, who died in 2016. Eig, author of Get Capone and The Birth of the Pill, aims to remedy that oversight with his latest book about one of the most compelling American figures of the 20th century. Out Oct. 3.

Grant, Ron Chernow (Penguin): Theres no telling if an enterprising genius will turn Chernows latest historical biography into a smash Broadway musical, but stranger things have happened. After all, Lin-Manuel Miranda read Chernows last book and thought: Hey, you know what, Im going to write a hip-hop show based on the life of Alexander Hamilton. Now Chernow follows up his monster bestseller with the aim of changing the bad reputation of our 18th president, Ulysses S. Grant. Will he succeed? Well, he did help keep Hamilton on the $10 bill. Out Oct. 10.

Future Home of the Living God, Louise Erdrich (Harper): Winner of the National Book Award for The Round House, Erdrich has spent her career weaving stories around the fascinating people of an Ojibwe reservation in Minnesota (we loved her last novel, LaRose, to distraction). Now she turns her hand to a dystopian novel about a young mother-to-be in a world in which women are giving birth to a primitive species. If that plot doesnt give you chills, nothing will. Out Nov. 14.
HOUSTON | In the midst of Hurricane Harveys wrath, with 100,000 homes under water and 300,000 residents of southeast Texas confined to makeshift shelters, a South Dakota native has spent the past week attending to orphaned animals unable to care for themselves.

Watertown native and former Rapid City resident and veterinarian Teri Schweiss, now medical director of Houstons VCA Spring Branch Animal Hospital, hasnt been able to report to work since Hurricane Harvey made its debut nearly 10 days ago, drenching southeast Texas with the most rain ever recorded in the U.S.

But Schweiss, a single mother of three, has never been one to remain idle.

Im exhausted, but I cant just sit home and not help, the 50-year-old said from her Houston home Thursday night. I have some expertise and I felt I should use it.

So, Schweiss and her three children, ages 12-17, began volunteering at a makeshift Red Cross shelter in a church near their home, and it wasnt long before Schweisss expertise was called into action.

Our shelter wasnt designated for animals, but on Monday people began bringing pets in, she said. Tuesday was the big day. By the end of the day we had 85 animals in one tiny room. We had cats, dogs, a bearded dragon, ferrets, cockatiels, and today we got our first guinea pigs.

All of the animals are terrified, and a lot are coming in wet after coming through floodwaters with their owners, she added. I just examined one dog that had waded through high waters and had been stung by fire ants, which I treated with steroids and antibiotics.

No stranger to storms, Schweiss and her children moved from Rapid City to Houston in 2008. A month later, Hurricane Ike struck the Texas coastline with a powerful punch, causing severe wind damage and flooding. Schweiss said the latest storm had left Houston with a series of islands surrounded by swift-flowing floodwaters, making travel virtually impossible.

My neighborhood was actually spared with Harvey, which was nice because last year we had 200 homes flooded in our area, she said. But the bayou near my home is now within 2 inches of going over its banks.

Right now the roads are still quiet because there are still so many people trapped in their homes who cant get to work, Schweiss added. Businesses are flooded so they have no work to go to until those businesses get back up and running, not what our area needed because the economy was already in a slump due to low oil prices.

While schools, slated to open last week, have been closed until after Labor Day, Schweiss said her children  Noah Aumann, 17, Colton Aumann, 14, and Rowena Aumann, 12  had been joining her in volunteering at the shelter. Noah spent all day Thursday helping five families in mudding, or digging mud from their flooded homes, she added.

Schweiss said she was grateful for recent contacts from so many South Dakota friends, including those she made during six years working at Rapid Citys Mountain View Animal Hospital and serving on the board for the Humane Society of the Black Hills.

Its been so heartwarming, the outpouring of support from all over the nation, she said. Everybody from Rapid City has been reaching out, asking if were OK and seeing how were doing.
NEMO | A group of local students recently lent their time and burgeoning expertise to a Nemo building that needed some updates.

The Boxelder Job Corps Centers electrical trade students spent part of a day completing upgrades to the electrical system of the Nemo Community Center, according to a news release from the Boxelder Job Corps Center.

Their work was entirely pro bono, which program support clerk Diana Fast said is just one example of the volunteer work projects the center's vocational students do throughout the Black Hills.

Instructor Marlin Alt supervised the upgrades, which included commercial wiring installations using metal junction boxes and strapping in accordance with National Electric Code; installing duplex 120-volt receptacles and light fixtures near the cooler and freezer area; wiring, assembling and installing ceiling fans; rewiring noncompliant hallway wiring to current code; and replacing an outside receptacle with an approved GFCI outlet.

"It was a great opportunity to give Kennan Stone, Anthony Allgood, Cassidy Young, Emily Hollowhorn and Garrett Nelson a chance to use their classroom experience in a work-based, real-world learning environment," the release said. "Thanks to the Boxelder Job Corps electrical students' efforts, locals can continue to enjoy the Nemo Community Center safely into the future for their various events."

Senior companions recognized for service

Senior Companions of South Dakota celebrated 39 of years of service by recognizing the companions who serve in Butte, Pennington, Lawrence and Fall River counties.

A news release from the organization said the Stars Shining Bright celebration was on Aug. 18 at General Beadle Elementary in Rapid City and included a lunch and special music by Bella Voce, a local womens vocal group.

The Senior Companions from the Black Hills were lauded for their years of service. Special recognition was given to Susan Eagleton, Lenis Pato and Caralyn Sue Zierke, who received the Silver Presidential Award for completing more than 250 hours of service.

Markita McConnell, Virginia Aker, Shirley Leas and Linda Starks received the Gold Award for serving more than 500 hours. The presidential awards include a Volunteer Service Award Certificate and a pin.

Rapid City Councilmember Lisa Modrick also read a proclamation from the mayor's office, and representatives from Sens. Mike Rounds and John Thune and Rep. Kristi Noems offices read letters of congratulations and appreciation.

Senior Companions provide free in-home services to the elderly and adults in need, according to the release. They help with everyday tasks such as grocery shopping, meal preparation, housekeeping and transportation to doctor appointments.

"Without the help of Senior Companions, many older adults would not be able to continue living in their own home and might require placement in a nursing home or assisted living facility," the release says. "The Companions love what they do and are not shy about telling people how much Senior Companions not only affects the clients they serve, but them as well. Our Companions often remark that they feel they are really making a difference in their clients lives and are rewarded in many ways, including feeling more healthy in mind and body."

For anyone 55 or older interested in learning more about Senior Companions of SD, call 361-1133 or toll-free 888-239-1210, or visit good-sam.com/scpsd.

Foundation donates $5K for Hurricane Harvey relief

The Credit Union Foundation of the Dakotas committee unanimously voted on Aug. 29 to make an immediate $5,000 donation to assist with Hurricane Harvey relief efforts.

According to a news release from the foundation, the aid stems in part from a desire to return the help that was once bestowed upon them. The release says that in 2011, credit unions in the Dakotas received more than $36,000 in the Minot, N.D., area from the CUAid system when parts of North Dakota and South Dakota flooded along the Missouri River.

"There is no doubt that making this donation to CUAid is the right thing to do," Mike Reisnour, CEO of Dakota Plains CU and CUFD Board Chair, said in the release. "Not only is it time to pay it forward, credit unions and credit union people have always been about 'people helping people'  we must do what we can to help."

The website CUAid.coop is also receiving donations to help credit union people affected by the storm.
After Lena Booth White Hat was murdered in 1977 at Rapid Valley, relatives in her native England wondered what became of her remains.

Forty years later, they have an answer.

The ashes from Lenas cremation are in a small box inside a storage drawer  alongside other boxes containing the unclaimed ashes of about 15 other people  at a Rapid City funeral home.

The ashes have been there all these 40 years since the murder, unbeknownst to Lenas relatives back in England. One of those relatives, Lenas niece, Sharon Papen, recently learned the whereabouts of the ashes but said she cannot afford to transport them. She is seeking donations toward the estimated $1,500 cost of getting the ashes to an international airport and then flown overseas.

All I want is my aunt to come home to my mum, her last sibling, as she has been waiting a long time, Papen wrote from England in email correspondence with the Journal.

Papens aunt, Lena, was born into a nomadic family of the Roma ethnic group  also known as gypsies  in 1940. The family traveled the countryside by horse and wagon, picking up work in farm fields and selling handmade goods.

Papen described Lena as an outdoor child who was outspoken and loved to roam free.

People need to know she was beautiful inside and out, Papen said.

In 1972 in England, Lena married Theodore Ted White Hat, an American from the Rosebud Indian Reservation in South Dakota who was serving with the U.S. Air Force at an English air base. Sometime later, they moved to the United States. Papen described the adult Lena as a good person but a lost soul.

Life was hard at times and I feel she wanted a new life in America  a fresh start, Papen said.

Lena was murdered March 19, 1977, by a man named John Thomas Martin at Martins home in Rapid Valley. Court records say Martin, who had been under psychiatric care, struck Lena with a rolling pin, drove a pickax into her skull and strangled her with a belt.

Martin was convicted of the murder and sentenced to a lifelong prison term, which he is still serving at the South Dakota State Penitentiary in Sioux Falls.

Lenas relatives in England were informed of the murder by English police but were given little additional information, according to Papen. She said family members inquired about transporting the body or remains to England but could not afford it, and were told by authorities that decisions about the remains would be made by Lenas husband, Theodore White Hat.

We never heard any more, Papen wrote, and presumed she was buried or cremated.

Records kept by Behrens-Wilson Funeral Home in Rapid City indicate that Theodore White Hat spoke to the funeral home by phone in 1977 and authorized the cremation of his wife. Because there were no crematories in Rapid City at the time, the body was cremated in Sioux Falls, and the ashes were sent back to Behrens-Wilson Funeral Home.

Apparently, neither Theodore White Hat  who died in 1979, two years after his wifes murder  nor anyone else ever showed up to take possession of the ashes. So, the small box of ashes was placed in a drawer with boxes of other unclaimed ashes.

There the ashes have remained ever since. Unusual as the situation may seem, the long-term storage of unclaimed ashes is actually commonplace in the funeral-home industry. According to an estimate attributed to the Cremation Association of North America, there may be more than 2 million unclaimed containers of cremated remains at funeral homes in North America. At Behrens-Wilson Funeral Home, the unclaimed ashes date as far back as 1961.

Lenas ashes seemed destined to be unclaimed forever, until her niece grew determined to find Lenas remains. Papen, who is 56 and retired because of health problems, said she was motivated partly by an effort to compile a family tree and learn more about her familys history.

Her research eventually led to the Rapid City Public Library, which put her in contact several weeks ago with a pair of local historical and genealogical researchers, Glenda Neal and Ellen Bishop.

The 71-year-old Bishop spends much of her time researching the lives and burial places of dead people, and posting the information to the website Find A Grave to help others around the world find information about their loved ones and ancestors. Bishop was deeply affected by Papens quest to find Lena's remains and took on the effort as her own.

Lena belongs at home with her parents in a cemetery, Bishop said.

Bishop viewed Lenas death certificate at the Pennington County Administration Building and discovered that her body was autopsied before being sent to Sioux Falls for cremation. Because the man who ran Behrens-Wilson Funeral Home in 1977, George Behrens, was also the county coroner, Bishop asked the current staff at Behrens-Wilson Funeral Home to look for old records about Lena. The funeral home had a record showing that Lenas cremation occurred at Miller Funeral Home in Sioux Falls.

The current owner of Behrens-Wilson Funeral Home, Wade Wilson, said Bishops inquiry was the first time he had been contacted about any of the old, unclaimed ashes in the funeral homes possession.

In the back of my head, I remembered there was an urn in that drawer from Miller Funeral Home, he said. I went down and looked, and sure enough, it was hers.

Wilson said commercial shippers will not transport cremated remains overseas, but commercial airlines will. After researching the cost to take Lenas ashes to Denver International Airport and put them on a flight to England, he came up with an estimate of $1,500.

Bishop is encouraging donations on Papens behalf to Behrens-Wilson Funeral Home so Papen and her relatives can finally bring Lena back to England.

Unfortunately, she has no one there, Papen said. She belongs back here with her family.
An out-of-state man and his nature-themed organization allegedly stiffed a Rapid City hotel for more than $17,000 after soliciting donations at the 2016 Sturgis motorcycle rally for photographs with women who were body-painted to resemble wild animals.

Dan Stockdale and his World Nature Coalition, a registered not-for-profit corporation in Florida, are being sued by Rapid City Hospitality LLC and the companys GrandStay Residential Suites hotel. The lawsuit was filed Aug. 23 in Pennington County, which is part of South Dakotas Seventh Judicial Circuit.

The lawsuit alleges that Stockdale and his associates rented a total of eight rooms at the hotel for about two weeks in August 2016 and failed to pay invoices totaling $17,402.67.

The general manager of the hotel, Gavin Fawbush, told the Journal via email that Stockdale previously stayed dozens of nights with the hotel in 2015 and paid his balance in full for those stays. Stockdale was therefore granted a direct bill account, Fawbush said, with a credit card on file as a backup payment option. But after the August 2016 invoices went unpaid and the hotel attempted to charge the credit card, the card was declined.

When asked why Stockdale stayed so many nights in 2015, Fawbush declined to answer.

Stockdale also communicated with the Journal by email and accused the GrandStay Residential Suites of charging exorbitant rates and being infested with roaches and bedbugs. Stockdale additionally said Fawbush was largely inaccessible and off-site during the stay to handle issues.

Fawbush did not disclose the rates charged for the rooms but said Stockdale received advance confirmation of the rates by email. Invoices included with the public court documents in the lawsuit appear to show nightly rates ranging from $119 to $269.

Fawbush said there were no reports to the hotel about roaches or bedbugs in any of the rooms used by Stockdale or his associates. The state Department of Health, upon a request from the Journal, independently examined records back to 2015 and found no complaints or inspection findings about roaches or bedbugs at the hotel.

On the topic of availability, Fawbush said he not only made himself available to Stockdale but even drove him to Rapid City Regional Airport.

Fawbush said the hotel has tried unsuccessfully to contact Stockdale and the coalition numerous times since last year.

Due to not receiving any communication or payment from Mr. Stockdale and his company, World Nature Coalition, Fawbush wrote, he left us no choice but to proceed with a lawsuit in an effort to collect payment on his outstanding balance.

While staying at the hotel by night in August 2016, Stockdale and his associates were vendors by day in the CrossRoads free-access area at the Buffalo Chip Campground near Sturgis during the citys annual motorcycle rally.

According to information on the Buffalo Chips website, the World Nature Coalition presented a spectacle of scantily clad, body-painted models and plethora of alluring animals.

If you can pick your jaw up off the ground long enough, said the Buffalo Chips website, you can get your photo taken with the animals and the models."

The website said all proceeds went to the World Nature Coalition, "which is committed to supporting environmental and wildlife organizations around the globe who are involved with hands-on conservation efforts.

But while the World Nature Coalition is registered as a not-for-profit corporation in Florida, the coalition has not been granted tax-exempt status by the Internal Revenue Service.

Nyla Griffith, a spokeswoman for the Buffalo Chip Campground, said Stockdale told campground officials that the coalitions tax-exempt status was pending. Griffith said Stockdales website and other aspects of his operation seemed legitimate, and the Buffalo Chip had no reason to suspect otherwise. She said neither Stockdale nor the coalition owes any money to the campground.

Online, Stockdale presents himself as a Renaissance man. His website DanStockdale.com portrays him as a TV leadership analyst as well as an author, adventurer, speaker and model.

And although he lists a college education in the fields of psychology, corporate communication and business, he has fashioned a public identity for himself as an animal expert and conservationist, complete with national television appearances on Fox News with animals including a tiger cub and kangaroo. In some of his past public appearances, Stockdale identified himself as Wildman Dan or The Tiger Guy.

The hotel lawsuit against Stockdale identifies him as a Tennessee resident, but he was served with the lawsuit papers at the address of a nursing home in Georgia, where public records show he is a licensed nursing-home administrator.

The contact page of the World Nature Coalition website lists a Florida mailing address  which matches the address of the St. Brendans Isle mail-forwarding service  and an office in Suite 900 of the South Building at Pennsylvania Avenue NW in Washington, D.C. But the suite at that address is currently listed for lease online, where it is described as a powerful address with a balcony overlooking the Capitol.

Stockdale said in email correspondence with the Journal that the World Nature Coalitions goal is the education of the public on the plight of endangered species through species-specific information and one-on-one interaction with animals, such as the experience he offered at Sturgis (in addition to the body-painted women, promotional material said he brought a python, squirrel monkey, baby alligator, kangaroo and tiger cub). He said the organization also has online endangered-species information sheets available for children.

But, Stockdale said, the organization has been idle since the 2016 Sturgis event because of a lack of funding and an inability to complete its filing for tax-exempt status with the IRS.
At more than 1,000 miles north, the only connections most South Dakotans have to Hurricane Harvey are the haunting images and stories in the media. Despite that distance, roughly 40 prospective Red Cross volunteers packed into an old firehouse Saturday morning near the Red Cross building on Maple Avenue to receive training so they could help.

The training lasted several hours as volunteers were taught a variety of skills, including how to deliver services inside a Red Cross shelter and how to safely prepare food.

After completing the training, volunteers were added to the database and, depending on the needs of the shelters, they could be deployed to Texas in as soon as a week.

We will respond to every hurricane that strikes the United States, if people are in need. Overall, the Red Cross will respond to over 65,000 disasters across the nation. That could be in the form of Hurricane Harvey, to hail storms in our local community, the Winter Storm Atlas, or to the tragic local house fires that we've all seen recently here in our area, said Richard Smith, executive director of the American Red Cross serving central and western South Dakota.

For those interested in helping with Red Cross, Smith suggests attending one of the organization's short training sessions. The class gives potential volunteers a good understanding of what theyd be doing in a disaster.

They may not be able to work this disaster but, unfortunately, there will always be others, Smith said Saturday. Sometimes those disasters happened right here in South Dakota, like the winter storms, flooding and tornadoes we've seen over the years.

At the start of the training, Smith asked what the class had experienced during 2013 Winter Storm Atlas.

Most of us were affected by Atlas. Just take what you experienced from that and multiply it," he said. "There are millions of people in the Houston area, so you can imagine what the devastation might be like.

Smith said the recovery processes for Atlas started in weeks or days. For Texas the recovery won't be for months.

Angelena Plummer is a mental health volunteer for local Red Cross, a role that is much needed by hurricane victims dealing with likely the most stressful experience of their lives. In 2005, she responded with a school group to Hurricane Katrina. After seeing the devastation and how the country came together to support Louisiana, she decided she wanted to continue to help those affected by disasters and became a disaster mental health counselor.

When asked what is was like at Katrina, she paused for several moments and carefully worded her response.

It wa s the most beautiful experience of community," Plummer said. "Being from South Dakota, it was an unimaginable state of being that the people were experiencing.

Her training as a counselor also helps her deal with her own stressful experiences in areas stricken with disasters.

"My occupation is a win-win in that the training I have to help others also helps me as well. I stress self-care and make sure I give myself time to process everything, Plummer explained. As a counselor, I suspend judgement if someone is grumpy or snarky. We cant understand the situation that they are going through. I just have to be open and receptive to the situation.

Leave your expectations in South Dakota, said Ray Sorensen. The food and accommodations arent great, but youre making a difference to people who have lost everything, and thats what's important.

Sorensen helped Saturday with training the new volunteers. His first disaster experience was for the 2010 Haiti earthquake. After his experiences in Haiti, he earned a master's degree in emergency management and started working with the Red Cross.

Haiti was bad," Sorensen said. "It was a huge disaster, and hundreds of thousands of people were displaced. We were working mainly in the camps that had sprung up all over the city. Our main focus was making sure people had clean access to water.

He responded to Hurricane Matthew last year, and hell probably be sent to Texas next week. Sorensen believes the destruction of hurricanes is greater than most other natural disasters the Red Cross responds to.

Because hurricanes cover so much area, its a little overwhelming," he said. "Flooding is one of the worst kinds of disasters because the effects last for so long, it takes a long time to clean up, and people lose everything that they have and start over from scratch. Its a lot of work, he said. I think Harvey will be a lot worse than Matthew."

The Red Cross has disaster mental health volunteers who provide support to volunteers and hurricane victims. When the volunteers return, they have a follow-up meeting with mental health experts to make sure there is no lingering stress. If there is, the Red Cross helps them process that.

How many of us have laid awake at night and wondered what would happen if a tornado destroyed our homes  or a flood or a fire? Where would I go? Who would help me? Look around this room and the people sitting next to you. This is what would happen. People would come together to help us. That is just what we do as Americans, Sorensen said.
Dr. Walker Ashcraft has retired after nearly 50 years of providing medical care in the Bitterroot Valley.

It has been an honor and a joy, Ashcraft said on Wednesday. I am the luckiest guy in the world to have had the opportunity to work at Marcus Daly for so many years with such a great and competent medical staff, and care for so many amazing patients.

Ashcraft started at a time when general practitioners were country doctors performing every needed medical service from surgery to baby delivery - taking care of every aspect of a persons life.

Ashcraft was born in Missoula and grew up in Western Montana. He went to a surgical resident program at the LDS hospital in Salt Lake City, then was drafted from medical school during the early part of the Vietnam War. He completed his three-year Air Force commitment in Spain as a base surgeon.

He was set to return to his surgical resident program, when he received a call from his old family doctor, who had moved to Hamilton.

He said Come into practice with me. You can do all the surgery here you wanted to do, Ashcraft said. I always thought Hamilton was the best place in the state and I couldnt pass that up.

Ashcraft said that doctor left to join the Peace Corps, and he had two partners who didnt last at the demanding job.

It was hectic. You were on call every other night and every other weekend, he said. Then Dr. (John) Moreland came along around the time we moved into the new hospital, about 1975.

Ashcraft said the pace was not sustainable and was relieved with Dr. Stephen Ellis came to town. Other doctors followed and Ashcrafts job changed a bit at a time.

We didnt have CAT scans, MRIs or even ultrasounds. We had to rely on physical diagnosis and x-ray, he said. We were doing procedures that are no longer done  like exploratory laparotomies  meaning if someone had something wrong with their abdomen, you simply opened them up and looked to see what was wrong.

Ashcraft said technology made the practice of medicine simpler and the specialists coming in made his life less hectic.

Little by little our lives became somewhat easier, he said. The big changes came with the advent of hospitalists and electronic medical records. Initially, I thought I would die in my office, but when the workload decreased I decided I might survive to retirement.

Ashcraft said he guesses he has delivered more than 2,000 babies, and isn't really ready to retire. Yet he has land to work, hobbies to pursue and will continue as Medical Director of Hospice as well as oversee the satellite clinics in Darby and Victor.

I was really lucky to have found something I really like, he said. The love for my job hasnt changed. I could do this job as long as I was physically and mentally capable of doing it. Theres nothing Id rather do but when you get close to 80-years old people regard you as ready to retire.

I cant think of a profession that you have a feeling of accomplishment and the gratitude you get from patients as a reward for what you do."

Nurses Karen Wolsky and Judith Nordman started working for Ashcraft in 1999.

Thats 18 years, Nordman said. I wore my track shoes just to keep up.

Emily Denney, a doctor of osteopathy (DO), will replace Ashcraft.

Denney was a former major in the Air Force on active duty in Delaware. She said she is looking forward to getting to know the community and multiple generations of families.

We wanted to come to the mountains and this is a great place to raise our girls, Denney said. My patients call me engaged, compassionate and determined.

Denny said her practice focuses on a holistic approach.

We look at the whole body structure, function and mental health - all interacting for wellness, she said. We do a bit of manipulation, its a different approach. We do everything including surgery and a bit of acupuncture.

That holistic approach also includes treating the whole family, from women's health and to pediatrics - kind of a "cradle to geriatrics" approach.

Im a young mother so I can relate to the complexities of motherhood," Denney said. "I love babies  thats where my heart is. I balance work and life and motherhood.

Kim Suckow, director of Physician Services at the hospital, praised Ashcraft.

Thank you for all of your years of dedication to this hospital, the community and the patients you have served, Suckow said. You will be greatly missed.
Three staff members from the Ravalli County Federal Credit Union are raising money and will walk in the Relay for Life Cancer Walk in Missoula, Sept. 9, to honor employee Jordan Brown.

Brown was a teller supervisor who worked at the RCFCU for more than a decade. She passed away in January from melanoma cancer that was diagnosed only a few weeks before her death.

Brown was 38 years old and left behind a daughter, Lilian, who she gave birth to in May 2016.

Employee Laci Rose said it is important to do the run and raise funds.

We are raising money to honor Jordan, Rose said. She was a big supporter of Relay for Life and we are carrying on the legacy.

The Ravalli County Federal Credit Union is combining with other Federal Credit Unions to be the Hellgate Chapter Relay for Life Team.

I think it is sad that we dont have a Relay for Life locally, said Darci Parsons, president and chief executive officer of the Ravalli County FCU. We hope to raise as much money as possible for the American Cancer Society. My husband (Ron Parsons), Laci, and I will all be running and thinking of Jordan at every step of the way.

Parsons said people can purchase luminaries at the RCFCU for $5 and they will take decorated sacks to the Missoula event that has been moved indoors due to smoke. It will be held from 4 p.m. to midnight at the LDS Church, 3201 Bancroft St., next to Splash Montana, behind the YMCA.

The Luminaria Ceremony occurs at 9 p.m. The powerful hour-long ceremony is conducted in the dark, with glowing luminaria bags representing loved ones lost to cancer, support for those affected by it, and honoring survivors.

All funds raised are donated to the American Cancer Society, a tax-exempt organization.

This is the first year a Ravalli County team has not hosted a Relay for Life event since 1992.

Robin Holcomb, past coordinator for the Relay for Life in Ravalli County and now a helper for the Missoula event, said the American Cancer Society has had changes.

There are now different regulations with the ACS and they merged Ravalli County, Missoula County and the University of Montana together, Holcomb said. Im still a volunteer and still on the committee.

She's sad there's no longer a Relay for Life event in the Bitterroot Valley.

I have to remember why Im doing it, she said. This March I lost my dad to his cancer. It doesnt matter where it is I will continue doing it.

Holcomb said the Relay for Life team is still having a Ravalli County Survivor Dinner at Marcus Daly Memorial Hospital on Sept. 8.

We are hosting it locally, in case survivors cant make it to Missoula, Holcomb said.

For details about the survivor dinner contact Tami Riley at 406-363-2211.
I've heard that produce tastes better when you grow it yourself. I'm hoping that holds true for stuff you pick yourself, because the Green Chile U-Pick Celebration is happening this Saturday , Sept. 2 , at Big Jim Farms . Enjoy food trucks, live music, face painting and a photo booth. And when you're done with that, pick your own GMO-free green chile (naturally grown from heritage seeds using no pesticides or chemicals) and have it roasted right there. Parking will be at the Los Ranchos Agri-Nature Center with shuttles to Farmer's Daughters & Big Jim Farms. Tickets cost $5 for adults and $3 for kids 12 and under. Cash, cards, checks and WIC checks accepted. (Joshua Lee)

Pick your own green chile at then have it roasted. Enjoy food trucks, live music, face painting and a photo booth.

Join Farmer's Daughters for a fun family day at Big Jim Farms to pick your own green chile at our 9-acre farm along the Rio Grande in the Village of Los Ranchos. We will also have roasters so that you can get it roasted on the spot! Ahh! That intoxicating smell is even better in a farm setting...... Chile is naturally grown from heritage seeds and GMO-free. No pesticides or chemicals! We will have Mild, Big Jim Medium, Sandia Regular Hot and Extra Hot!

Cost will depend on size. We will have small baskets to large sacks from $5.00-$35.00. You will have the option to upick or buy picked.

Never has this happened in New Mexico!

Arrive hungry! Food trucks on site. Get on your dancin' shoes, there will be live music. Face painting and festive photo booth.

There will be produce, merchandise, and farm-to-bath products for purchase as well as arts & crafts booths.

Parking at the Los Ranchos Agri-Nature Center with shuttles to Farmer's Daughters & Big Jim Farms.

Admission: $5 Adults, $3 Kids 12 & under. Various quantities of chile for sale.

Cash, cards, and checks accepted. WIC checks welcome.

No pets please.

For more information call 505-720-3800.
Summer is not the only major event that arrives in June of every year. Another annual occurrence is the appearance in mailboxes all over the State of new property appraisals from the Montana Department of Revenue. The receipt of this document is met with trepidation by taxpayers of all sizes. It is the rare occasion that the value of a taxpayers property decreases. The more likely circumstance is that the value has increased, sometimes at an alarming rate. When this happens the taxpayer has several options from doing nothing to paying their taxes under protest.

The first option is to just agree that their value is greater this year, maybe due to improvements or additions to the property, or because the market value of similar properties has actually increased. In this case nothing needs to be done, and when the tax bill arrives in November the likely increase is expected. But what if the taxpayer does not agree with the new valuation? What are the options then?

The Montana Constitution and Montana Law give several options to taxpayers to attempt to get relief from what they believe is an erroneous valuation of their property. The drafters of the Constitution required the legislature to create an appeals process independent of the Department of Revenue to appeal issues of appraisal and taxation. They felt it was important for taxpayers to have a venue to question the value that the State put on their properties. Furthermore, the Legislature has created several avenues for taxpayers who think their property values are too high to attempt to get relief. These options include:

1. File an appeal (AB-26) for informal review with the Department and seek to convince the appraiser that the value is too high.

2. Appeal to the County Tax Appeal Board to have the value lowered following a hearing where both the taxpayer and the Department provide evidence. The ruling from the County Board can be appealed to the State Tax Appeal Board.

3. Owners of industrial and centrally assessed property can appeal directly to the State Tax Appeal Board and have their hearing there, but usually have to go through an appeal or negotiation process within the Department of Revenue first. Rulings from the State Tax Appeal Board can be appealed by either party to the Montana District Court, and may ultimately end up before the Montana Supreme Court.

4. Pay a portion of their taxes under protest. The taxpayer may decide, in addition to using the aforementioned remedies, to pay the portion of taxes owed that they believe to be in error under protest. This protects that amount of money from being spent by entities of government that receive property taxes. The money is then available to refund to the taxpayer if they are successful in their negotiations or appeal.

Paying taxes under protest, once the proper appeals have been filed, is the legal right of any taxpayer big or small. It protects the contested tax from appropriation until the appeal process is completed. This can cause financial issues for local governments and schools in the case that a large taxpayer pays taxes under protest as part of their valuation appeals process. The law also allows options for taxing jurisdictions to use a portion of the taxes under protest with certain risks, or in the case of schools, forego protested taxes and have their State funding formula adjusted.

No taxpayer, especially large taxpayers, take the decision to pay their taxes under protest lightly. In some cases the amount of money involved is in the millions of dollars. The driving force behind this decision is the belief that the Department of Revenue has overvalued their property. This is often based on knowledge of valuations of similar properties both in Montana and in other states. They must pay a portion of their taxes under protest to protect the viability of their business should they be successful in their appeal. It is a right provided to them by law and backed by the intent of the framers of the Montana Constitution. No property owner should be pressured to forego their legal rights just to make budgeting easier for government.

Sincerely,

Robert Story, Executive Director

Montana Taxpayers Association
Facts are out of style, I know. That is not new regarding forest fires. Smokey the Bear started saying only you can prevent forest fires over 50 years ago, and its always been a lie. Also, the enduring, widely marketed, taxpayer funded Smokey ad campaign incites the misdirected finger pointing blame game.

So, when Montana made politicos Daines, Gianforte and Zinke stood in front of the Lolo Peak fire pointing their finger of blame outward at appeals and litigation of timber sales, they were just twisting a long campaign to their own purposes.

The Lolo Peak fire was lightning-caused, and neither you or anyone else could have prevented that, but the lie still works.

And, the fact that there have been no appeals or litigation of timber sales in the burned area is irrelevant to their purposes. They did not leave the Beltway to help brave firefighters with fires. The incendiary purpose of the cowardly lyin' politicos is to fire up their voter base by fanning flames of hate. This shameless behavior serves to polarize, not unite or uplift Montana.

The fake news contagion is endemic with feckless politicos from the D.C. swamp but is not limited to the national arena. It corrupts informed public debate locally as well. And it distracts from real issues, like the role of climate change on increasingly long fire seasons and fire intensity.

Even Daines, Zinke and Gianforte cannot prevent forest fires, but there is much real work they could be doing, like tackling the climate change challenge, which could help with forest fires, agriculture, fish and wildlife, as well as other economic and quality of life issues we all face.

- Larry Campbell,

Darby
Guwahati : Several prime accusing persons in two major cases have able to get bail, after Assam police failed to submit charge sheets against them before the court.

On Saturday, secretary of the state irrigation department Kujendra Doley was granted bail by the Gauhati high court after police failed to submit charge sheet against him before the court.

The sleuths of Vigilance and Anti-Corruption of Assam had arrested Doley from his office in Dispur Janata Bhawan after taking bribe from a contractor on March 28 last.

Not only Kujendra Doley, 10 accused persons including three Assam Civil Service (ACS) officials, former members of Assam Public Service Commission (APSC) had granted bail by the Gauhati high court in connection with the cash-for-job scam of APSC, after Assam police failed to submit charge sheet against them.

According to the reports, for negligence of Assam police, over two dozen accused persons of several major corruption related cases were granted bail by the court in past two months.

The National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) data revealed that, the Assam police had failed to submit charge sheet in most of registered cases.

The charge sheeting rate in Assam is only 47 per cent and it is second lowest rate in the country.

The NCRB data of 2015 said that, while all India rate is recorded by 77.7 per cent, the Assam police had submitted charge sheets of only 47 per cent cases.

According to the NCRB data, the charge sheeting rate in Kerala is recorded by 97.8 per cent, 93.3 per cent in Madhya Pradesh, 91.9 per cent in Andhra Pradesh.

Among the north eastern states, highest rate is recorded in Mizoram by 91 per cent, 88 per cent in Tripura, 68.2 per cent in Sikkim, 64.5 per cent in Nagaland, 57.4 per cent in Meghalaya, 55.7 per cent in Arunachal Pradesh and 13.5 per cent in Manipur (lowest rate in the country).

According to the state home department, a total of 1,02,407 cases were registered in different crime heads in the state in 2016, but police had submit charge sheet of only 47 per cent cases.

On the other hand, a top source of state home department said that, Assam police has faced problems with shortage of man power.

'Over 12000 posts in Assam police are still vacant and for this, a single officer has to handle few cases and difficulties arise in many occasions,'A the top source said.

(Reporting by Hemanta Kumar Nath)
Guwahati: Assam's well known Dispur Hospital conducted the weekly evening OPD clinic at Guwahati Press Club on Saturday (2 September), where Dr Raj Dutta (medicine) offered free consultations to the participants. Organized under the series of 'Evening with a Doctor' programs, the camp witnessed the participation of more than 30 media persons along with their family members, where they also got their blood pressure & sugar checked by hospital workers namely Parismita Gogoi and Jitu Pathak.

Meanwhile, a physiotherapy camp is scheduled for 8 September (1 pm to 5 pm) at press club premises, whereas the next Saturday (9 September, 4 pm to 6 pm) clinic will be arranged by Hayat Hospital. Another camp on 15 September (3 pm to 4.30 pm) will be graced by SIMS Chennai Hospital's orthosurgeon Dr Appaji Krishnan.

Till date, practicing doctors from Apollo Chennai Hospital, Manipal Bangalore Hospital, Fortis Hospital Bangalore, Medanta-the Medicity Hospital, GNRC Hospitals, Down Town Hospitals, Narayana Super-Specialty Hospitals, SwagatSuper-Surgical Institute, Wintrobe Hospital, Barthakur Clinic, Nemcare Hospital, Rahman Hospitals, Sun Valley Hospital, Sight First eye-clinic, Government Ayurvedic College, MMC Panbazar etc have attended the camps.
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H-Net

Jason Garner. Goals and Means: Anarchism, Syndicalism, and Internationalism in the Origins of the FederaciAn Anarquista IbArica. Oakland: AK Press, 2016. 384 pp. $19.00 (paper), ISBN 978-1-84935-225-3.

Reviewed by Nicolas Lepine (Lakehead University)

Published on H-Socialisms (July, 2017)

Commissioned by Gary Roth

The FAI in Spain

At her speech at the last interwar congress of the International Working Menas Association (IWMA) in 1938, Emma Goldman pointed out how aanarchists ... were a sore in the eye of an entire school of Marxists and liberals.a [1] Goldmanas remark still applies for the postwar era as the Spanish anarchist movement has been vilified by both Marxist and liberal historians. For example, Eric Hobsbawm condemned its millenarist mysticism, while Paul Preston associated it with lunatic extremism.[2] Such bias stems from the reactions against the apropaganda by the deeda years but also from the fact that anti-authoritarian and anti-hierarchic stances oddly fitted with the Marxist grid or the sacrosanct nation-state notion, two paradigms of the Cold War era echoed by its historians.

This is not to say that articulate studies do not exist. The 1970s actually witnessed the publication of many works by Spanish scholars (exiled or at home), like JosA Peirats (La CNT en la revolucion espaAola [1971]), Antonio Elorza (El anarquismo espaAol bajo la Dictadura [1974]), or Xavier Cuadrat (Socialismo y anarquismo en CataluAa (1899-1911): Los origenes de la CNT [1976]), who focused on the national sphere of the movement, its governance, the transition to anarcho-syndicalism, or the representation of anarchism as a political ideology.[3] The transnational sphere also drew attention to a lesser extent. On the Spanish side, Josep Termes (Anarquismo y sindicalismo en EspaAa: La Primera Internacional 1864-1881 [1972]) sought to contextualize the national movement with the creation of the First International. On the English-language side, Robert Kern (Anarchist Principles and Spanish Reality [1976]) worked on the ConfederaciAn Nacional del Trabajoas (CNT) and FederaciAn Anarquista IbAricaas (FAI) relations with the international movement, while Wayne Thorpe (Revolutionary Syndicalist Internationalism 1913-1923: The Origins of the International Working Menas Association [1979]) depicted how revolutionary syndicalism constituted an international phenomenon, an early announcement of the transnational turn in labor studies at the turn of 1990. Yet little is know about the Spanish movementas frequent clandestine interludes.

Jason Garneras Goals and Means: Anarchism, Syndicalism, and Internationalism in the Origins of the FederaciAn Anarquista IbArica constitutes a valuable addition to both the nation-centric and transnational historiographies on Iberian anarchism. It reflects excellent insights developed through his earlier work on Catalan cooperativism (which won him the Jacint Dunyo Prize) and on the CNTas relations with the Communist Internationals (Creating Unity or Division: The Origins of the FAI [2003], Cooperativisme Revolucionari la UniA de Joventuts Cooperatistes de Catalunya [2005], Separated by an aIdeological Chasma: The Spanish National Labour Confederation and Bolshevik Internationalism, 1917a1922 [2006], La bAsqueda de la unidad anarquista: La FederaciAn Anarquista IbArica antes de la II RepAblica [2008], and La Alianza Cooperativa Internacional y la OrganizaciAn de Naciones Unidas [2008]). Most important, Goals and Means relies on an impressive amount of archival material in several Latin languages. His research and writing processes must not have been easy, considering the archival gaps resulting from constant repression, a decentralized militant culture, and a historiography tinted by ideologies. Garner nonetheless achieves his goal while making several historiographical contributions, specifically through the notions he revisits and the light he sheds on the overlooked General Miguel Primo de Rivera dictatorship and democratic transition eras (1923-31).

His monograph depicts the efforts by Spanish anarchists to establish a balancing act between the ideological agoala and the syndicalist ameans,a notably through the creation of monitoring apparatuses to prevent a slip into reformism, both in the national and transnational spheres. A secondary aim consists of exposing the origins of the FAI while revisiting its uneasy relation with the CNT union. The Malatestan and pro-FAI tone of his analysis (i.e., radical anarchism and distrust of syndicalism) constitutes both the strength and the weakness of his approach.

The book starts with a review of the early history of Spanish anarchism: the socialist utopians of the 1830s; Giuseppe Fanellias creation of a Bakunist (anti-authoritarian) section of the First International in 1871, called the FederaciAn de Trabajadores de la RegiAn EspaAola; the Saint-Imier congress and the two short-lived libertarian Internationals; and the creation of the OrganizaciAn Anarquista de la RegiAn EspaAola and a first anarchist watchdog called the Pacto de UniAn y Solidaridad. Events lead us to the 1909 Semana TrAgica unrest that was triggered by layoffs and conscription for the military intervention in Morocco, and finally, the establishment of a trade union as a means for developing the militant base: the CNT, which relied on local branches and was thus deprived of a national committee.

Moving to the transnational sphere, the French ConfAdAration gAnArale du travail (CGT) inspired the 1906 Amiens Charter, a blueprint for revolutionary syndicalism that the author depicts as a source of apolitical syndicalism, thus echoing Errico Malatestaas opposition toward Pierre Monatte at Amsterdamas (1907) and Londonas (1909) anarchist conferences, where another hot topic was the creation of a formal International, a project enthusiastically backed by the young CNT in need of avivifying oxygena to prevent national asphyxia (p. 66). The First World War interrupted the quest for an International until the athenaeum of El Ferrol in Galicia held its international peace conference in late April 1915. Here the author could have pointed out how the event coincided with the Socialist Womenas International Peace Conference in Amsterdam, and preceded Zimmerwald by four months. Instead, focus is kept on El Ferrol and its call for the establishment of an International and a national committee of the CNT in spite of staunch repression.

There follows the Red Triennium era of 1917-19 and the impact of Bolshevism on the revolutionary movement that manifested itself in Spain in the apparition of the anarcho-Bolshevik tendency led by Joaquim Maurin and Andreu Nin (later to follow Leon Trotsky). Maurin and especially Nin took charge of the transnational relations with Moscow as the rest of the movement was busy striking for the eight-hour day (gained through the 1919 La Canadiense general strike) or fighting employersa paramilitary units (Pistolerismo episode). In the early 1920s, the debate centered on adhesion to the Moscow-based Internationals: the Comintern and the Red International Labour Union (RILU) or Profintern (referred to in error by Garner as the Revolutionary Trade Union International, a term borrowed from Thorpeas translation of proceedings in German (Revolutionary Syndicalist Internationalism). However, after the authoritarian nature of the Comintern and Profintern became obvious, a decision was taken at the 1923 Berlin conference to establish the IWMA. Here Garner makes it clear that the IWMA project predated the Cominternas and responded to a desire for an international organization freed from the interference of political parties; in other terms, the creation of the IWMA did not solely amount to a reaction to the Comintern and Profintern challenge, as often claimed by Cold War era historians.

The part addressing the second half of the 1920s constitutes Garneras most important contribution to the historiography. The author depicts the creation of the Movimiento Obrero Anarquista (MOA) led by EusAbio CarbA and Miguel JimAnez, good friends of Malatesta and other Italian radicals, and shows how their radicalism and intransigence clashed with the moderate fringe of the movement led by Angel PestanIa, Salvador SeguiI , and Juan PeiroI . Amid all the tensions, a compromise was found that led to the creation of aanarcho-syndicalism.a

It is worth pointing out that all of this happened under the asofta authoritarian regime of Primo de Rivera, which was actually far from asofta for the anarchists who were brutally repressed and banned, while the socialist UniAn General de Trabajadores (UGT) oversaw labor relations and enjoyed an increase of affiliation within its rank and file. This situation soon led to important debates within the CNT regarding the relevance of direct action and insurrectionary tactics, the moderates even contemplating joining the joint labor committee alongside the UGT. But the intransigent MOA would have none of this.

Moving to the transnational sphere, the author addresses the Parisian debates of the exiled diaspora that revolved around the General Union of Anarchists aPlatforma program calling for a more homogeneous and tightly knit International. The Platform was the brainchild of the Russian delegation headed by Ukrainian Nestor Makhno in the wake of their experience in defending the revolution against both Whites and Reds. The Platform was opposed by Spanish radicals, who mistook it for a brand of alibertarian Bolshevism,a with the notable exception of Buenaventura Durruti who admired Makhno and nurtured a friendship with him. Surprisingly, Garner makes no mention of this bond between the two, nor the latteras promise to assist the former in the event of a civil war in Spain. This penultimate chapter ends after French representative SAbastien Faure submitted an alternative program called La SynthAse. It was better received by MOA/FAI for its pluralist character and rejection of individualist anarchism, which allegedly had limited support in Spain.

In the final chapter, the long-awaited FAI steps in to replace MOA. This new anarchist watchdog aimed at reinvigorating the movementas decline resulting from repression, the Bolshevik and socialist challenges, and the growing desire for moderation within the CNT. Here Garner corrects the historiography by demonstrating how during the late 1920s the FAI with its aall inclusive ideological frameworka exerted more influence over the CNT than in the following decade, and how it even showed leniency by abstaining from trade union affairs, something that the late MOA could have never done (p. 208). The FAIas collaboration with the CNT was realized through the trabazon, or liaison committees tackling common problems, whose origins Garner questionably attributes to the Comintern, whereas this classical tool of negotiation was used by the FederaciAn Obrera Regional Argentina (FORA) before 1920. Abroad, the FAI conducted its own foreign policy, notably by opposing the Platform program with a proposal for an ainternational trabazon,a a proposal that ran up against what the author refers to as the North Europeansa inclination for syndicalism and endless theoretical debating.

After the collapse of the dictatorship and the return of democracy, the CNT/FAI faced the greatest irony. The democratic revolution of 1931ajust like in 1873aposed a much greater challenge to its unity, Garner even referring to a civil war raging within the CNT/FAI and leading to the ousting of the moderate Trentistas and Urales-Montseny clan.[4] There followed a succession of wildcat strikes, occupations, insurrections, and the inevitable repression, until the reintegration of the moderates in the wake of the Popular Front victory of 1936 led to the unthinkable: involvement in the republican government and army.

The final chapter ends with a smooth and unbiased reminder of what was at stake: the establishment of an equilibrium between the means and the anarchist goal. Unfortunately, this is slightly spoiled when the main conclusion fizzles out and Garner gives a shot at a classic viewpoint: the Spanish Civil War was lost due to the abandonment of pure revolutionary goals by the CNT/FAI. This is quite a topic for a closing line, and it deserves a few clarifications. The CNT/FAIas decision to collaborate with the Popular Front and its peopleas army stemmed from the unwillingness to leave power to the socialists (especially from the center and right wings) and the communists (in full ascension). This collaborationist stance worsened the divisions within the IWMA, best exemplified by Goldman who, while being accused by notable militant Alexander Schapiro and other French representatives of voicing FAIas policies, staunchly condemned the Spanish anarchistsa endorsement of the Republicas centralization and militarization of the war effort.[5] Ultimately, the IWMA collapsed in 1938 and Goldman went into bitter retirement in Toronto, while the CNT/FAI supported a coup against Juan Negrinas government, thus opening the way to General Francisco Francoas final triumph.

Considering the complexity of the book, its is advisable to start with the well-summarized conclusion or Garneras excellent summary in Spanish found on the Internet, the latter reflecting a maturation process.[6] Also, the book lacks indexes of acronyms, protagonists, and works cited/consulted, which would have made searching for references in the generous endnotes easier. In short, the stage could have been better set for such an in-depth analysis of governance and debates that is often achieved at the expense of clarity, flow, and contextualization, a problem related to the predominant use of archival material that should have been further summarized and contextualized. Other technical issues are the sometimes sharp transitions from the national to the international spheres, and overlapping discussions in the transitions from one chapter to the next, whereas closing summaries would have been preferable.

The ideological outlook of the book is definitely Malatestan and Faista (pro-FAI) in the sense that it stresses how unions should remain focused on the pure anarchist goal and refrain from reformism. A problem stemming from this ideological framework is the authoras drastic discarding of odd elements without further explanations, thus giving the occasional dogmatic tone to his prose. One of many examples is when he refers condescendingly to the amoderate ideals propagated by the irresponsible middle-class intellectuals of the Urales familya (p. 244). The author also discards the Platform program he associates with the individualist brand of anarchism more present in Northern Europe, notably, by writing that aas opposed to the situation in France, in Spain the influence of individualist anarchism wasnat a source of disruptiona (p. 209). Yet he contradicts himself on one occasion when arguing that the Platform program awas based around a mistaken premisea that rejected individualist anarchism in favor of communist anarchism (p. 207). This endorsement of the Malatestan/Faistas explains, moreover, his repeated criticism of the French militantsa individualist and syndicalist inclinations, and overlooking of the Centrale GAnArale du Travail Syndicaliste et RAvolutionnaireas (CGTSR) contributions to the 1926 Charter of Lyon and its renewed engagement in fighting political parties and reformism. In other words, Garneras depiction of a apathetica French movement does not necessarily correspond with his rendering of a Platformist project considered too arigida (pp. 211, 209).

Regarding contextualization, the author could have addressed the roots of the disputes within the mainstream left, notably, by mentioning the expulsion of apolitical elements from the Second International in 1895; by showing how Franceas CGT remained a member of the Second International in order to keep a foot in the door; by describing the creation in 1901 of the SecrAtariat Syndical international; by examining the pressures from the American Federation of Labor for the creation of the International Federation of Trade Unions (IFTU) in 1913; and by pointing to the definitive parting of the CGT with the anarchist movement. Then came the First World War and its agreat treason,a in other words, the trade unions in belligerent countries supporting national defense in exchange for reforms. Regarding the postwar period, Garner could have mentioned that the new IFTU enjoyed a near monopoly in international trade unionism while committing itself to radical international solidarity under the leadership of Edo Fimmen.

In the end, Goals and Means remains somewhere between the extremely well-researched doctoral thesis and the doctrinaire pamphlet. It provides considerable insight (especially for those who do not read Latin-based languages) into a unique decentralized revolutionary movement that knows no equivalents, with the notable exceptions of Ukraine and perhaps of Kurdistan. The author is currently based in Bariloche in Argentina, where I suspect he is researching the Southern Coneas anarchist movement in the early twentieth century, since little is known on the transnational aspect of the topic. If so, I look forward to his next monograph, especially if it is published by AK Press, which did such a good job with the graphic artwork and cover texture and which makes consulting Goals and Means a real pleasure.

Notes

[1]. Draft of Emma Goldman speech to the conference, aaAddress to the Delegates at the Extraordinary Congress in Paris of the IWMAa von Emma Goldman,a file 537, Rudolf Rocker Papers, Internationaal Instituut voor Sociale Geschiedenis, Amsterdam, The Netherlands. See also Briefe von Emma Goldman, folder 107, Rudolf Rocker Papers. Quoted in Robert W. Kern, aAnarchist Principles and Spanish Reality: Emma Goldman as a Participant in the Civil War 1936-39,a Journal of Contemporary History 11, nos. 2/3 (July 1976): 247.

[2]. Eric Hobsbawm, Primitive Rebels: Studies in Archaic Forms of Social Movements in the 19th and 20th Centuries (Manchester: Manchester University Press, 1959); and Paul Preston, aSpanish Civil War: Right versus Left in the 1930s,a Modern History Review 3, no. 1 (September 1991): 2.

[3]. For a summary on anarchism in Spanish historiography, see Julian Casanova, Anarchism, the Republic and Civil War in Spain: 1931-1939 (London: Routledge, 2005), 215-218.

[4]. Michel Ralle, aLa aFederacion Regional Espanola de laAITa: Une longue hArAdite,a Cahiers dahistoire de laInstitut de recherches marxistes 37, no. 4 (1989): 88.

[5]. Kern, aAnarchist Principles and Spanish Reality,a 247.

[6]. See Jason Garner, aLa bAsqueda de la unidad anarquista: La FederaciAn Anarquista IbArica antes de la II RepAblica,a http://www.acracia.org/historico/Acracia/La_busqueda_de_la_unidad_anarquista.html (accessed May 18, 2017).
It seems appropriate that this years lead artwork for the 74th Venice Biennale should reference Singing in the Rain, given that Italys entire expected summer rainfall seems to have descended in the last few days. Nevertheless, whilst the effects of these downpours are hard to dry off, films like Ai Weiweis Human Flow are fortunately channelling a mesmerising visual kind of hydraulic force that is hard to ignore in this years main competition.

Providing a measured and composed response to the migration crisis that has been a hot topic for years, Human Flow opens with a characteristic serenity. From the viewpoint of a lofty drone we see a gorgeous, expansive aqua-marine scene beneath us. First a large white bird glides below, then we see a small boat coated in little orange flecks. Somehow, the films pace and movement make everything seem almost inconsequential. It tangibly feels as though the whole documentary, and everything that we see in these scenes is floating around us.

Slowly, however, from amongst this artistic capsule - where the sky meets the sea in a mixture of the most ethereal blue - it begins to dawn on you that what you see below is actually a life boat full of people fighting for their lives. People are making a perilous attempt to reach Europe before our very eyes, and they are finally reaching salvation as an emergency crew begins to pull them ashore to safety. In capturing these moments in this way, Human Flow does risk turning these peoples genuine suffering into art, or worse something that can even be commodified. But this documentary just about manages to side-step this peril using a smart technical decision.

Human Flow repeatedly switches between drone, high-end steadicam footage and rough shots captured by Ai Weiwei himself on a little handheld camera. As well as lessening the beautification of the crisis in doing so, the triangulation of these three distinct viewpoints also enables Human Flow to implicate the artist Ai Weiwei (as is so often his style) in what we are seeing, and make what he is doing something for discussion too.

As a result, Ai Weiwei often becomes an active participant in the act of saving and relating to numerous migrants. And over the course of what seems like it was a very lengthy and far-reaching project, we repeatedly see Ai Weiwei (with varying lengths of beard growth) bumbling around trying to help people with his distinctive, gentle shuffle. He meets migrants and tries to make them feel at easy, becoming part of what feels like a literal visual discussion that often faces various language barriers.

The use of drones to film refugee camps and acts of migration in this film is also work rather smartly. Even if almost anyone can now film something with a drone, it does take real skill to create such an ample and visceral sense of migratory momentum using one, and it also takes real skill in terms of editing to pace this footage so that it works to have the right effect. In Human Flow, drone filming is a triumph, and it clearly represents a very deliberate attempt to place human individuals in the wider context that contains and tugs at them whilst they struggle to build a better life for themselves. It also more often powerfully demonstrates the full magnitude of the situation which the media of late seems to have been keen to be quiet about.

Nor does Human Flow dehumanise the lives of the people it films by distancing itself in this way either. It overcomes this potential danger by switching back and forth to more conventional digital footage, which places us in the footsteps of those who are literally in the act of migration. These oscillating visual snapshots that the slow-motion camera achieves is one of the documentarys highlights, and it truly distills something of a rhythm from the act of physically migrating (often on foot) from one place to another. Whats more, it then shows how the same striking rhythms can often exist right across the globe, be they in Europe, Africa, Asia or the States.

Nor do these people who we follow remain voiceless, as they do in documentaries like Gianfranco Rosis Fuocoammare. Whilst Human Flow does perhaps at times seem to lean a little heavily on the voices of rousing experts, it does stop repeatedly to take the time to hear the thoughts and feelings of migrants; and whether they be the voices of stranded survivors in Greece or persecuted Rohingya in Myanmar, or war sufferers in Syria or Sudan, what they have to say is an absolute shot of emotion to the heart.

It once again shows how Ai Weiweis painstaking documentary is all about re-instigating discussion and confronting the realities of what is a natural part of human existence. This emphasis on dialogue is also clearly all about education, and Weiwei definitely takes it upon himself to open our eyes to as many different cultures and experiences as possible. As a result, this documentary really plays a powerful part in trying to explode the myths that exist in Europe that all refugees are flowing uncontrollably towards Europe. Instead, we see that in reality there are far greater and more prolonged instances of migration across the globe.

In showing these many, many ongoing crises or aspirational choices that are unfolding across the globe, however, Human Flow does ever so slightly lose its own tautness; and its impact is perhaps lessened by the way in which it leaps back and forth across the globe. Perhaps documentaries like Locarno entry Untitled nail this overarching attempt at a documentary travelogue better, but nevertheless Ai Weiweis effort is really a rather important attempt to capture with a wide lens what is going on in the world.

Its an experience thats well worth sharing, and whats more, its full of Weiweis distinctive character and humour, and makes for a really rather wonderfully artistic attempt to photograph the portraits of millions of people who are not adequately having their stories told. In doing so, Human Flow demonstrates powerfully the ability we all have to help, to intervene and to tell these important stories, and Id recommend checking it out.
Mr. Zhao, dad's 72-year-old caretaker, bursted

into the room, with a big smile on his dark

wrinkled face, waving a brown envolope: "We

won!" He came in to cook lunch for dad, after a

morning trip to BaoDing, the district capital, to

pick up the precious document stating that

retirees of the No. 108 freeway project, got a 300

RMB monthly raise.

It's an epic story, more than half a century in

the making and full of heart-wrenching twists and

turns. The summary here was from pieces of

recollection from talking to our hero during my

recent trip to China.

It started when 18-year-old Mr. Zhao joined the

labor force to build the freeway for national

defense. The road from Beijing to TaiYuan was

completed in three years and the workers were

sent home. Then the cultural revolution stormed

by and turned everything upside-down. The

government went defunct and the benefits for the

workers fell through the crack.

One generation later, some 2000 retirees had to

fight for their livelihood in old age. They came

to the Transportation Department in Beijing and

got the approval. But that turned out to be only

the first step. The battle had to be fought at

every level down the political hierachy.

Mr. Zhao led the effort as the

representative for the retirees in our county. His

assets included his excellent health, a quick mind,

a sharp tongue, a tireless work habit, and a

strong sense of honor in helping his fellow men.

He studied relevant laws by himself, mobilized his

old, weak and more-or-less sick comrades to

demonstrate in front of the BaoDing government

building, and argued with bureaucrats who had no

interest, to say the least, in his cause. He might

not know about Gandhi, but certainly acted out

the Tao(). He did something similar to the well-

known Indian non-violence resistance with even

more provactive measures by telling some of his

soldiers, 70+-year-old guys, to lie down in the

front and to fake injury the moment the police

used force. The police were informed of the

tactics, too. In the end, no law was broken and

violence never took place.

Of the 2000 freeway laborers, about 800 were still

alive when Mr. Zhao came back with the document

that day. He was jubilant, nonetheless. He piled up

his De(), Mr. Zhao claimed.
If youre a big fan of dramas like myself, then a review with the words Andrew Haigh plus greatest tragedy might well make you think that youre onto a winner. Unfortunately, Lean on Pete isnt the Andrew Haigh entry into the 74th Venice Biennales Official Competition that either you or I was expecting. It brings me great pain to admit that too, as I will happily declare that, for my money, Andrew Haigh is one of the golden boys of contemporary British cinema.

Whats more, if youre wondering whether Lean on Pete is an intriguing continuation of his first feature - the wonderfully explorative gay docu-drama Greek Pete - then Im afraid it isnt. Alas there is no return for that endearingly, big-eared male escort Pete in this film, and Haighs choice to make another film with the word Pete in it seems to have been entirely coincidental. In fact, if you havent seen Haighs first film yet, but are contemplating watching Lean on Pete, please buy the former on DVD and watch that instead.

Its a real pity that I find myself saying that, however - because by the time Haigh was making 45 Years, it was as though he could do no wrong. The directorial leaps he was making between Greek Pete, Weekend and 45 Years seemed completely exponential each time, and no matter what class, sexuality or age he was depicting, it was as though Haigh was growing from strength to strength in his ability to unpack characters innermost struggles and convey them in the most faultless dialogue. They were in short, films that you fell in love with as their characters struggled desperately to feel completely loved.

To some extent, Lean on Pete totally follows in that tradition. Despite the fact that the title actually refers to the name of a race horse who features prominently, the main character is definitely a very Haighean young boy named Charley, played by Charlie Plummer. Having never known his mother, and having spent most of his life with an affectionate but sometimes errant and often broke father, Charley seems to be in perfect Haigh territory as he searches for love and stability.

Something in this feature seems to have gone awry, though. Like so many directors of late, Haigh has made the step into an American context, and he seems to have lost his way in the process. In fact, if I am honest, I do think its a pity that Haigh made the decision to step away from his previous British source material at all, because he had been in the process of telling such important, neglected narratives on his countrys behalf. That said, there is absolutely no reason why he should not be allowed to cast his brilliant gaze at another culture, and theres definitely no reason why exploring blue collar American culture should result in anything lesser than what he was doing before.

Its more that it seems as though Haigh had a truly great skill for making dialogue seem completely effortless and deeply profound, and then like some kind of infant terrible, he has grown tired of his own talent and turned his back on it completely. The result is a film like Lean on Pete, where, between a string of what looks like the most unhealthy food imaginable, Charley does little more than go for runs and mutter at the somewhat dysfunctional people he meets in his day-to-day life.

This eventually drives him into the irascible company of wheeler dealer Del (Steve Buscemi), a cantankerous old horse rearer who rarely plays by the rules and has a habit of running his horses into the ground to make a few bucks at races - and his sidekick Bonnie, a characterful female jockey who comes closest to a fully rounded female character in this script. None of these three actors really do anything wrong either, and Buscemi is especially characteristically brilliant as always in his role as the grumpy potential new role model.

But as young Charley begins to learn the ropes of horse racing, you sit there patiently and wait for it all to get deep. And in truth it soon does. Charleys life unexpectedly takes a turn for the worse, and he begins to quite literally emotionally lean on Pete. He even eventually makes a break for it with Pete to save him from a Mexican slaughter house, and by this point we seem to be back on traditional Haigh territory. Charley slowly opens up to the horse about the dissatisfactions in his life, and shares the discrepancies between who he is and who he would like to be with him.

These heart to hearts with the horse are where Lean on Pete seems closest to Haighs lofty heights of dialogue. But even that as a sentence seems nonsensical. It is true that the bond between boy and horse is a tried and tested emotive formula, but in this film it gradually becomes ever more ridiculous as the two fugitives experience scene after scene where they get away by the skin of their teeth simply somebody says, Now, you just wait here.

Clearly Haigh has really attempted to do something new with Lean on Pete. Both in terms of geography (after all, the expansive shots of vast American landscapes certainly are often very striking), and in terms of directing a story that is more visual and cinematic. Maybe he really did want to rely less on dialogue, and should be entitled to do so. The pity is that I am just not sure that it has come off here. It may well be something worth trying again for Haigh, but Lean on Pete was never going to match something as emotionally explorative as 45 Years.

Its not that this film is a complete failure, and if youre a Haigh fan, maybe you should test it for yourself. After all, Lean on Pete certainly is a very moving story about one boys unfortunate race to rock bottom; and as such, it includes both a compelling exploration of both homelessness and a study of our ability to transfer hopes and affections to a wide variety of things when desperately unhappy. But even if Haigh probably was really rather busy on a wide array exciting projects over the last few years, this is certainly a disappointing misfire from both him and Film4.

All of this said, though, I will remain the huge supporter of Haigh, and whilst Lean on Pete may or may not get the critical acclaim at this festival that fans were hoping for, I look forward to seeing what the next dramatic masterstroke he comes up with. I just personally hope it doesnt shy away from using Haighs incredible skills for great dialogue next time.
 Anyone want to talk about Judge Richard Posner's sentencing legacy on his retirement day? | Main | A long-weekend review of some marijuana reform news and notes 

September 3, 2017

Ohio Gov delays multiple executions while denying clemency for double murderer slated to die later this month

As noted and lamented in this recent Fair Punishment Project report, "Prisoners on Ohios Execution List Defined by Intellectual Impairment, Mental Illness, Trauma, and Young Age," as of the end of August 2017, Ohio had scheduled 26 executions to take place between now and 2020. But as of the start of September 2017, thanks to the clemency/reprieve powers of Ohio Gov John Kasich and as detailed here, Ohio has only 18 executions scheduled to take place between now and 2020 with eight others being pushed back to 2021 and 2022.

The delaying of numerous execution was explained in this press release, which also notes that Gov Kasich has (unsurprisingly) denied clemency for a double murderer still scheduled to be executed on September 13:

Gov. John R. Kasich has denied a request for executive clemency from Gary Otte who was convicted in Cuyahoga County for the 1992 robbery and murder of 61 year-old Robert Wasikowski and 45 year-old Sharon Kostura at their respective apartments in Parma, OH. The Governors decision follows the advice of the Ohio Parole Board, who on February 10, 2017, recommended against clemency for Otte by a vote of 11-0. Additionally, in consultation with the Ohio Department of Rehabilitation and Correction, the governor updated Ohios current execution schedule. After the U.S. Supreme Court rejected claims by Ohio inmates that the states protocol was unconstitutional, allowing the execution of Ronald Phillips to proceed in July, the state reviewed the existing schedule to ensure Ohio would meet the goal of conducting court-ordered executions in a humane and professional manner.

Looking over the revised execution schedule, I surmise that the folks at the Ohio Department of Rehabilitation and Correction were not too keen on having to gear up for an execution scheduled nearly every month for the next two years and so they urged Gov Kasich to set a revised schedule that now has an execution taking place only, roughly, every other month through the next five years.

Notably, there are, as detailed here, another 123 persons on Ohio's death row in addition the the 26 with current execution date. That means that even if Ohio were to keep up the pace of six execution per year going forward after 2022, it would take until 2042 to carry out the sentences only of those currently condemned to die. That reality, in turn, lead me to start speculating about who might be governor of Ohio in a quarter century and whether she might be a proponent or opponent of capital punishment.

September 3, 2017 at 11:21 AM | Permalink

Comments

The Nazis used to line people up three deep, so that they could kill them all with one bullet. Maybe Ohio could learn from their example.

Posted by: Jim Gormley | Sep 3, 2017 11:27:46 AM

The governor of Virginia has personal opposition to the death penalty but as with other people in the position has let executions be carried out.

Ohio is an interesting death penalty state outside of the usual "death belt" generally assumed to overlap with the "Bible Belt." It has special significance in that sense and future campaigns for governor would make the death penalty of more note than other places.

Posted by: Joe | Sep 3, 2017 11:43:20 AM

Gov. Kasich is a weak and foolish leader. He got his clock cleaned by Donald Trump, and Trump was a very weak candidate himself, a TV celebrity and failed real estate developer. He was not even getting things built. He was only adding his name atop buildings that others got finished. Pretty embarrassing to get slaughtered at the polls by such a failure.

It does not matter, Democrat, Republican, liberal, conservative, the government will always side with the criminal. The latter generates tons of government make work jobs. The victim generates nothing, and is always, always forgotten.

Get carfentanyl from the prison, confiscate it from the prisoners. Have an addict find a vein, and dispatch the condemned, one an hour, never mind one a month.

Or, failing that, stop kidding around. End the death penalty. It is ineffective, being administered too rarely. Send the condemned back into population. They will will all be dead by the Italian death penalty.

Kasich should start reading this blog.

Posted by: David Behar | Sep 3, 2017 7:46:22 PM

"They will will all be dead by the Italian death penalty"

Against stupidity the gods themselves contend in vain.

Friedrich Schiller



Posted by: Claudio Giusti | Sep 4, 2017 11:18:38 AM

Hi, Claudio. I admire the Italian Solution. Violent offenders turn up dead from suicide or prison murder. No fuss, no expense, no waiting. US prison officials should visit your prisons, and learn the methods of the Italian Solution.

Posted by: David Behar | Sep 4, 2017 11:46:12 AM

idiocy.

Posted by: Claudio Giusti | Sep 4, 2017 12:54:34 PM

In America you have an annual butchery of 1.500 persons killed by police. A very few survivors are condemned and a very, very few are condemned to death. Of the very very few only a very very very few are actually killed. For an American killer the death row is safer than the liberty on streets. The true American death penalty is enforced every day by judge jury policeman.

Posted by: Claudio Giusti | Sep 4, 2017 1:01:47 PM

Kasich's decision is a joke. The courts have stuck it to victims, and Kasich drags out their pain longer. Screw him.

Posted by: federalist | Sep 4, 2017 6:47:23 PM

Claudio. Yes. I agree. We white people are angry that the number of whites killed by police is out of proportion to the number of crimes committed by whites. Police homicide is a form of genocide of white people. White Lives Should Matter, but unfortunately, they do not matter. Police homicides of blacks are low compared to black criminality. I guess to the police, Black Lives Matter, but White Lives Do Not Matter.

Posted by: David Behar | Sep 4, 2017 9:58:34 PM

Claudio. Do you know which lives really matter? Lawyer Lives Matter. Try committing a crime in a lawyer residential neighborhood. Three police cars arrive in 2 minutes, blasting. The death penalty in a lawyer neighborhood is at the scene. I have often proposed a study of police homicides, to see if they predominate in zip codes of lawyer residential neighborhoods.

Posted by: David Behar | Sep 4, 2017 10:01:20 PM

DB is out of order. Please reset him.

Posted by: Claudio Giusti | Sep 5, 2017 5:14:25 AM

Post a comment
A stolen vehicle investigation at a Sacramento hotel ended in tragedy for a veteran Sacramento County sheriff's deputy, when a suspect opened fire from inside the room of a Ramada Inn.

The incident began when, as the Associated Press reports, police spotted an allegedly stolen Dodge Charger. The two women inside the vehicle led police on a 20-mile chase Wednesday before they were arrested.

As the Sacramento Bee reports, investigators learned that one of the woman had a room at the Ramada Inn located at 2600 Auburn Boulevard in Sacramento.

Consequently, an "auto-theft task force consisting of CHP officers, sheriffs deputies and probation officers" went to the hotel, the Bee reports. When officers knocked on the door of her room, a man inside the room allegedly opened fire, striking two CHP officers.

52-year-old Sacramento County Sheriff's Deputy Robert French was struck in the subsequent shootout. He died on the way to the hospital, Sheriff Scott Jones says.

The suspect, who has not been publicly identified except as "a 32-year-old man from the Bay Area," then "jumped off the balcony and got into a car in the parking lot. He escaped on Fulton Avenue, then turned onto El Camino Avenue and crashed near Watt Avenue. He then exchanged gunfire again with officers. He was struck and arrested," the Bee reports.

According to the AP, the suspect's gun "held a high-capacity magazine, which are now illegal to purchase in California."

The suspect remains hospitalized in critical condition. The injured CHP officers, whose names are currently being withheld, are expected to survive.

Jones says that French was a 21-year veteran of the sheriff's department, where he worked as a training officer. He is survived by his girlfriend (with whom he lived) as well as several adult children and grandchildren. In an odd note, CBS Sacramento notes that French was slain "ten years to the day his own parents died in a plane crash during takeoff at the Cameron Park airport."

French was the go-to guy for advice and counsel, not just career advice but tactical advice and things like that,Jones said at a Wednesday press conference.

Words arent going to make an appropriate appreciation of him as a man or his career.
The case of a laptop robbery that turned into a homicide in Oakland last month still does not have a suspect. Now the Oakland Police Department is seeking the public's help in finding a person of interest in the case, a man who was seen in surveillance footage as shown above shortly before the crime. KRON 4 reports that the man is an African-American male, between the ages of 25 and 30, and is six feet tall. At the time he was wearing sunglasses, a gray hooded sweatshirt, and dark colored sweatpants.

The man allegedly took the laptop of 40-year-old musician Dave Deporis on the afternoon of August 9, while Deporis was sitting at an outdoor table at Arbor Cafe in the Temescal neighborhood. Because so much of his music was stored on the computer, Deporis chased after the thief, who jumped into a red, mid-sized, four-door Audi SUV, similar to the one pictured below. In the course of the pursuit, Deporis was dragged by the car, and was found suffering from life-threatening injuries on the 400 block of Rich Street.





Dave always was just an all-in artist and the community needs people like that to keep us honest," said friend Scott MacDonald to CBS 5 the day after the tragic incident.

Oakland police are offering up to $15,000 for information leading to an arrest in Deporis's killing. Anyone with information is asked to call police at 510-238-3821, or Crime Stoppers at 510-777-8572.

Previously: Local Musician Dies In Oakland After Chasing Laptop Thief, Getting Dragged By Car
ORANGE CITY, Iowa  Northwestern College has been named one of the nations Colleges of Distinction in acknowledgment of its continued dedication to high-impact educational practices.

Since 2000, the Colleges of Distinction website and guidebook have recognized and honored schools throughout the U.S. for excellence in undergraduate-focused higher education. The website, www.CollegesofDistinction.com, and guidebook provide dynamic college profiles; customized tools; and resources for students, parents and high school counselors.

Northwestern College is one of only two Iowa institutions to be named Christian Colleges of Distinction and one of nine selected as Iowa Colleges of Distinction.

Northwesterns first-year seminars, service-learning programs, Spring Service Partnerships, intensive writing courses, interdisciplinary programs, collaborative assignments and projects, undergraduate research, capstone projects, study abroad programs, internships and honors program are among the factors that led to the Colleges of Distinction recognition.
ANKENY, Iowa -- Registration is open for the 2017 Young Professionals of Iowa (YP Iowa) Conference, scheduled for Sept. 22 at the FFA Enrichment Center on the campus of Des Moines Area Community College in Ankeny.

The conference, hosted by the Ankeny Young Professionals, will bring together young professionals from across the state to build their networks, grow professionally and prepare to serve and lead their communities in the future.

Register for the conference online at www.ypiowaconference.com.

The 2017 YP Iowa Conference will include keynote speaker Mitch Matthews. Matthews is a successful entrepreneur, best-selling author and the creator of the DREAM. THINK. DO. Podcast.

The YP Iowa Conference will kick-off with an evening social Sept. 21 from 5:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. in downtown Des Moines at Hessen Haus. The conference will take place Friday from 8 a.m. to 5:30 p.m., where YP Iowa will host a keynote session and three break-out sessions.

For more information on the YPIowa Conference, please visit www.ypiowaconference.com or contact Kim Hanken, YPIowa Events Chair at kimhanken@outlook.com.
Genres : Adventure, Disaster

Starring : Maximilian Schell, Diane Baker, Brian Keith, Rossano Brazzi and Sal Mineo

Director : Bernard L. Kowalski

Plot Synopsis

Captain Hanson (Maximilian Schell) of the Batavia Queen embarks on a perilous search for sunken treasure off the island of Krakatoa. To find a fortune in rare pearls, he must brave a boiling sea, douse an uprising by a horde of convicts, and outwit a greedy crew desperate for more than their fair share... only to confront the most devastating and catastrophic volcanic explosion the modern world has ever felt!
SIOUX CITY -- Marlin Jeffers, an educational consultant from Northwest Area Education Agency in Sioux City, has been awarded a National Education Association Teacher Fellowship position during the 2017-18 academic year.

In this role at the Washington, D.C.-based organization, he will be working and supporting the Great Public Schools Grants Team by monitoring and evaluating more than 100 grants. Jeffers will oversee grants that have to do with teacher leadership, student achievement, teacher quality and educator pedagogy.

The NEA provides $18 million dollars in grants to its members.

Jeffers has been an educator in the Sioux City area for the past 35 years. He has been at Northwest AEA for the past 17 years. At Northwest AEA, he provides consultative services in mentoring and induction, classroom/behavior management, reading instruction, music and learning styles.
REMSEN, Iowa  Over the last 80 years, the Avalon Ballroom has played host to a Whos Who of musicians, from Lawrence Welk to Buddy Holly to S
ORANGE CITY, IowaNorthwestern College welcomed seven new full-time faculty members this fall.

Heidi Douma joins the college as an instructor in education. A Northwestern graduate, she spent eight years as an early childhood special education teacher with the Northwest Area Education Agency in Iowa.

Angela Holt is teaching music education classes and directing Northwesterns Symphonic Band, Jazz Band and chamber ensembles. Prior to joining Northwesterns faculty, she was the associate director of wind studies at the University of Cincinnati CCM and director of bands at the College of William and Mary.

Cambria Kaltwasser comes to Northwestern from Princeton Theological Seminary, where she earned both a masters of divinity degree and a doctorate in systematic theology. Kaltwasser joins the religion department as an assistant professor

Han-Yen Kao joins the business department as an instructor. He previously was a lecturer in the economics department at Rutgers University, where he is completing a doctorate in economics and won the departments prize for outstanding graduate student teaching.

Melanie Nyhof is Northwesterns new assistant professor of psychology. A St. Olaf College graduate, she earned a masters degree and doctorate in developmental psychology from the University of Pittsburgh.

Jo Thyr is serving as a one-year sabbatical replacement for Valerie Stokes in Northwesterns social work department. Thyr holds a masters of social work degree from the University of Iowa and a bachelors degree in social work from Northwestern.

Finally, Nicole Wede, another Northwestern graduate, is joining her alma maters faculty as an instructor in nursing. Wede has worked as a registered nurse for the Sanford Medical Center in Sheldon, Iowa, and the Orange City Area Health System.
WASHINGTON -- President Trump has united us, after all.

He brought together the Rev. Al Sharpton and the Jews.

This modern-day miracle was on display Monday, at the Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial on the Mall, 54 years to the day after the great man gave his greatest speech. There, clergy of all varieties, but mostly rabbis and black ministers, came together in common cause against the despicable anti-Semitism and racism Trump has unleashed, most conspicuously in Charlottesville.

Sharpton has been a controversial figure in the Jewish community for decades, earning criticism during the Crown Heights riot in Brooklyn in 1991 and when he called a Jewish landlord in Harlem a "white interloper" before a deadly attack on the man's store in 1995.

But that was long ago, and a rehabilitated Sharpton, who has privately expressed regrets to Jewish leaders for his past actions, made Jews the centerpiece of his Thousand Minister March for Justice on Monday. The civil rights leader, joined by Martin Luther King III, stopped in at a pre-march prayer session held by the Religious Action Center of Reform Judaism, and addressed the assembly of 300 rabbis, cantors and lay leaders.

Sharpton told the Jews that "we could not commemorate this day and face the challenges today without standing together as Dr. King stood 54 years ago." Invoking those murdered in the Freedom Summer of 1964, he went on: "We should never forget that it was Goodman, Chaney and Schwerner that died together -- two Jews and a black -- to give us the right to vote."

Sharpton spoke of Rabbi Abraham Joshua Heschel, who marched with King at Selma, and he addressed the more recent ill feelings. "We have had days good and bad, but from this day forward ... we're going to make sure we do our part to keep this family together," he said. "When we can see people in 2017 with torches in their hands, talking about 'Jews will not replace us,' it's time for us to stop praying to the cheap seats and come together."

Some of the rabbis shouted "amen."

Jewish leaders applauding Al Sharpton? Who knew? "Miracles out of a mess," proclaimed Reconstructionist Rabbi Malka Binah Klein of Philadelphia. It's tragic that it took Trump's bigotry and the spectacle of Charlottesville to remind Jews and African-Americans of their shared vulnerabilities. But it played out movingly at Monday's march, which was in planning long before the violence in Charlottesville.

Rather than 1 million men, Sharpton asked for 1,000 ministers, and got somewhat more than that among the 3,000 who assembled. Rabbis swayed and clapped to hip-hop and gospel music. There were skullcaps of every color and size, mainline Protestant ministers in white collars and colorful shawls, black evangelicals in bright choir robes, black-robed monks, Buddhists in saffron, a Sikh in a yellow turban. There were Black Lives Matter signs and posters with verses of scripture.

As if by way of greeting, a white-and-green chopper from the Marine One fleet buzzed low over the crowd during the opening prayer. Speaker after speaker, regardless of color or creed, denounced the person who rides in that helicopter, and more than one faulted Jerry Falwell Jr. and other white evangelicals for the "sin of silence" in the face of the hatred Trump has stirred.

A cantor led the crowd in the Hebrew song "Hine Ma Tov" -- how good it is for brothers to live as one. A black Jewish woman in a tallit -- a Jewish prayer shawl -- spoke, and a rabbi blew a shofar. A black Catholic nun spoke.

"God's majestic creation," observed Rabbi Jonah Dov Pesner, head of the Religious Action Center. From the Nazis in Charlottesville, Pesner said, "we learned that anti-Semitism and white supremacism are intertwined. They are dual threats that call us to act and confront them together and directly."

African-Americans responded with cries of "Yes!" and "All right!" to the rabbi's preaching.

Jonah Geffen, a conservative rabbi from New York, in white robe and tallit, liked what he heard from Sharpton. He pronounced him "a totally different man" from the Sharpton of old.

Joining Sharpton's march was Jesse Jackson, of "Hymietown" fame. But there is no time to dwell on old slights when neo-Nazis are at the door. "We don't have a person to lose," King told the Jews at their prayer meeting Monday morning. "We are brothers and sisters."
WASHINGTON -- As the U.S.-led coalition accelerates its campaign to destroy the Islamic State's remaining strongholds in Syria, the Trump administration faces a big decision about the future: Does it want to keep some U.S. troops inside the country to help stabilize Syria after the jihadists are defeated, or does it want to pack up and come home?

The dilemma is eerily like what President Obama faced in Iraq in 2011, and the risks and benefits are similar. President Trump, like his predecessor, has expressed skepticism about permanent U.S. wars in the Middle East. But he also knows that pulling out U.S. troops from bases east of the Euphrates could create a vacuum that might trigger ethnic slaughter, regional proxy wars and a new wave of jihadist violence.

The military and civilian officials who have been closest to U.S.-Syria policy appear convinced that America should maintain a residual presence, probably something under 1,000 Special Operations Forces that could continue to train and advise -- and also, restrain -- the Syrian Kurdish militia that has been America's key partner against the Islamic State. But this alliance with the Kurds is controversial, inside Syria and out.

The political map of Syria, for now, looks like a patchwork quilt, with different bands controlled by rival groups and their patrons. The U.S. and its Kurdish partners dominate east of the Euphrates. The Syrian regime with its Russian and Iranian allies control the vast center of the country; Turkish-backed forces control a strip along the northern border; and a Jordanian-Russian "deconfliction" agreement has pacified the southwest.

Few analysts expect that Syria can be reunified by President Bashar Assad. So, for the foreseeable future, the country will be divided into these zones of influence -- awaiting a political transition process that can re-establish the legitimacy and authority of a new central government in Damascus.

The U.S. piece of this puzzle is the area east of the Euphrates. The Syrian Kurdish militia known as the YPG, advised by elite American forces and backed by U.S. air power, has swept across this area over the past three years, and in about six weeks is expected to seize the Islamic State's capital of Raqqa. As they advanced, the Kurds recruited Sunni Arab allies into a broader coalition known as the Syrian Democratic Forces.

The ad hoc military alliance that produced the SDF has many critics. The Sunni-dominated Syrian opposition fears that the Kurdish fighters want to create an independent state, and neighboring Turkey sees them as terrorists. But battlefield success generates its own political momentum, and as the U.S. and the SDF have advanced, something of a bandwagon effect has developed. Sunni opposition groups now seem eager to fight alongside the Kurdish-led forces, under overall U.S. command.

This new willingness to work in tandem with the Kurds was voiced by Riad Hijab, the head of the Syrian opposition coalition known as the High Negotiations Committee. He said in a recent interview that his supporters want "to fight ISIS and other terrorist groups, alongside with the SDF, as long as we fight independently in separate fronts."

Hijab claimed that up to 5,000 Sunni opposition forces would be ready to join the U.S. and the SDF in liberating Deir el-Zour, the next big town in the Euphrates Valley southeast of Raqqa. The Sunni opposition groups apparently prefer allying with Kurds to Assad's regime.

American officials are pleased that Hijab and other opposition leaders want to join the fight in the Euphrates Valley. But they say the new recruits aren't ready for heavy fighting, and that Deir el-Zour will almost certainly be taken by 10,000 Syrian regime troops that are already in the town, joined by regime forces now moving east, with Russian and Iranian backing. The Iranian presence worries some U.S. officials, but they say regime control of Deir-el-Zour is probably inevitable.

U.S. commanders say the real strategic prize is further south. They say as soon as Raqqa is secure, SDF troops (joined by whatever other Arab forces are ready), will advance toward the lower Euphrates Valley, south of Deir el-Zour. The U.S. hopes that Iraqi forces across the border will help check Iranian power in the area.

What happens next? That depends in part on whether U.S. military advisers stay in eastern Syria. If they remain, say U.S. officials, they can curb the Kurds' ambitions for independence, deter the Turks from intervening, and encourage the Sunni opposition to work with all sides. A future U.S. presence "will be essential," says Hijab.

And if they leave quickly? We've seen this movie before.
WASHINGTON -- Summer brings no respite for academics committed to campus purifications, particularly at the institution that is the leader in the silliness sweepstakes, Yale. Its Committee on Art in Public Spaces has discovered that a stone carving that has adorned an entrance to Sterling Memorial Library since it opened 86 years ago has become "not appropriate."

The carving, according to Yale Alumni Magazine, depicts "a hostile encounter: a Puritan pointing a musket at a Native American." Actually, the Native American and the Puritan are looking not hostilely at each other but into the distance. Still, one can't be too careful, so the musket has been covered with stone. This is unilateral disarmament: The Native American's weapon, a bow, has not been covered up. Perhaps Yale thinks that armed white men are more "triggering" (this academic-speak means "upsetting to the emotionally brittle") than armed people of color. National Review Online's Kyle Smith drolly worries that Yale might be perpetuating harmful stereotypes.

If such campus folderols merely added to what Samuel Johnson called "the public stock of harmless pleasure," Americans could welcome a new academic year the way they once welcomed new burlesque acts. Unfortunately, the descent of institutions of learning into ludicrousness is symptomatic of larger social distempers that Frank Furedi has diagnosed abroad as well as in America.

Furedi is a professor emeritus in England and author of "What's Happened to the University?: A Sociological Exploration of Its Infantilization." Writing in The American Interest, he cites a warning issued to Oxford University postgraduate students about the danger of "vicarious trauma," which supposedly results from "hearing about and engaging with the traumatic experiences of others." This, Furedi says, is symptomatic of the "medicalization" of almost everything in universities that strive to be "therapeutic." Universities are "promoting theories and practices that encourage people to interpret their anxieties, distress and disappointment through the language of psychological deficits." This generates self-fulfilling diagnoses of emotionally fragile students. They demand mental-health services on campuses that are replete with "trigger warnings" and "safe spaces" to insulate students from discomforts, such as the depiction of a musket. What academics perceive as "an expanded set of problems tracks right along with the exponential growth of the 'Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders.'"

The socialization of children, which prepares them to enter the wider world, has been shifted from parents to primary and secondary schools, and now to higher education, which has embraced the task that Furedi calls "re-socialization through altering the norms that undergraduates grew up with." This is done by using speech codes and indoctrination to raise "awareness" about defects students acquired before coming to campuses that are determined to purify undergraduates.

Often, however, students arrive with little moral ballast bequeathed by parents who thought their role was, Furedi says, less to transmit values than to validate their children's feelings and attitudes: "This emphasis on validation runs in tandem with a risk-averse regime of child-rearing, the (unintended) consequence of which has been to limit opportunities for the cultivation of independence and to extend the phase of dependence of young people on adult society."

The therapeutic university's language -- students are "vulnerable" to routine stresses and difficulties that are defined as "traumas" -- also becomes self-fulfilling. As a result, students experience a diminished sense of capacity for moral agency -- for self-determination. This can make them simultaneously passive, immersing themselves into groupthink, and volatile, like the mobs at Middlebury College, Claremont McKenna College, University of California, Berkeley and other schools that disrupt uncongenial speakers. Hence universities provide "trigger warnings" that facilitate flights into "safe spaces." Furedi quotes an Oberlin College student who says: "There's something to be said about exposing yourself to ideas other than your own," but "I've had enough of that."

Times do, however, change, as the Yale Alumni Magazine delicately intimated when it said the stone now obscuring the Puritan's musket "can be removed in the future without damaging the original carving." And the future has come with strange speed to New Haven.

In a peculiar letter in Tuesday's Wall Street Journal, a Yale official says the university is removing the stone "that a construction project team had placed on the stonework." By clearly suggesting, implausibly, that this "team" acted on its own, the letter contradicts the magazine's report that the covering up was done because the Committee on Art in Public Spaces deemed the carving "not appropriate." The letter, which says the uncovered carving will be moved to where it can be studied and "contextualized," speaks volumes about Yale's context.
The Russians bought a lot of chaos in the U.S. government by helping Donald Trump. His mouth keeps Washington cringing every day. Now his white supremacist leanings have been drug out for all to see. He has got folks buying Confederate flags.

I'm sorry, waving a Confederate or Nazi flag is way more disrespectful than anything Colin Kaepernick has done by kneeling to the Star Spangled Banner.

Iowa lost many young men in the Civil War and World War II. Maybe Kaepernick is saying a prayer for us while he's down there. - Randal Washburn, Sioux City
Genres : Documentary

Starring : Ronald Reagan

Plot Synopsis

THE REAGAN SHOW is an all-archival footage documentary about the original performer-presidents role of a lifetime. Teasing apart the spectacle at the heart of finger-on-the-button global diplomacy, the film follows Ronald Reagan's rivalry with charismatic Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev. Tracing the Communicator-in-Chiefs impeccable discourse, it is made evident how he uses his public relations chops to overcome Soviet mistrust, the objections of a skeptical White House press corps, and the looming threat of WW III. Chock full of wit and political irony, and told solely through 1980s network news and videotapes created by the Reagan administration itself, this story from CNN Films explores Reagans made-for-TV approach to politics as he faced down the United States greatest rival. THE REAGAN SHOW also features footage of his wife Nancy Reagan and Reagans Deputy Chief of Staff Michael Deaver.
What an interesting article by Tim Gallagher in Wednesday's Journal on the history of Memorial Field and its rededication.

I have lived in Sioux City and grew up around that field and attended many events there and never knew these things. Thank you to the families that contributed monetarily to update this field and take it into the 21st century. What a wonderful way to honor America's past.
Shaun Broyhill is a common-sense product of our Sioux City public schools. A graduate of West High School and a lifelong Sioux Cityan, Shaun knows what it takes to lead a team comprised of teachers, staff and administrators to the next level. Shaun's agenda as a candidate for Sioux City Board of Education is to ensure students, school associates and taxpayers are well-represented, no matter the issue.
Contemporary Lessons from Marxist Struggles Against Hitler and Mussolini Fascist movements are on the rise. But does that mean that Donald Trumps America, Viktor Orbans Hungary or Narendra Modis India are  Watch video 

Contemporary Lessons from Marxist Struggles Against Hitler and Mussolini

Fascist movements are on the rise. But does that mean that Donald Trumps America, Viktor Orbans Hungary or Narendra Modis India are fascist? Many on the left think so and discovered antifascist action as their preferred rallying point. It remains often unclear, though, is which alternatives to a discredited neoliberalism and the rise of a new right the left has to offer. Historically, fascism represented the organized counterrevolution against the communist challenge seemingly spreading from Russia to Germany and Italy. No such challenge exists today. Often made references to the 1930s depression and the 2008/9 world economic crisis by no means suffice to qualify all of todays new right as fascist.

Besides, purely economic explanations of fascism didnt help to build effective anti-fascist movements in the 1930s either. A fuller understanding of these movements, as socialists of different persuasions learned the hard way, required a closer look at the social mass basis of fascism as well as an understanding of the psychological reasons that made fascism attractive for so many of the discontented back in the day.

Marxist theories focusing on the economic conditions, social basis, and psychological motives that produced the fascist rule of Mussolini and Hitler can serve as useful starting points to understand todays crisis of neoliberal capitalism and its political articulations. Beginning an analysis of todays conditions with these old theories allows us to see parallels but also significant differences. And they remind us that one thing present then, socialist and communist mass movements, is missing today. Leftists often recite Max Horkheimers dictum that whoever is not prepared to talk about capitalism should also remain silent about fascism. This dictum should be amended to: Whoever mobilizes against fascism and talks about capitalism should also present a viable socialist alternative. In the absence of such an alternative, neoliberal discontent will be articulated in right-wing terms but capitalists have little reason to take refuge, as they did in 1920s Italy and 1930s Germany, to fascist rule to retain their crisis-ridden power.

Presentation by Ingo Schmidt  teaches Labour Studies at Athabasca University and is one of the organizers of the annual World Peace Forum teach-ins in Vancouver.

Resources:
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.




Soyuz Descends NASA TV

NASA astronaut Peggy Whitson and Jack Fischer of NASA and Commander Fyodor Yurchikhin of Roscosmos, safely landed on Earth at 9:21 p.m. EDT Saturday (7:21 a.m. Kazakhstan time, Sunday, Sept. 3), southeast of the remote town of Dzhezkazgan in Kazakhstan.

While living and working aboard the worlds only orbiting laboratory, Whitson and Fischer contributed to hundreds of experiments in biology, biotechnology, physical science and Earth science, welcomed several cargo spacecraft delivering tons of supplies and research experiments, and conducted a combined six spacewalks to perform maintenance and upgrades to the station.

Among their scientific exploits, Whitson and Fischer supported research into the physical changes to astronauts eyes caused by prolonged exposure to a microgravity environment. They also conducted a new lung tissue study that explored how stem cells work in the unique microgravity environment of the space station, which may pave the way for future stem cell research in space.

Additional research included an antibody investigation that could increase the effectiveness of chemotherapy drugs for cancer treatment, and the study of plant physiology and growth in space using an advanced plant habitat. NASA also attached the Cosmic Ray Energetics and Mass Investigation (ISS CREAM) on the outside of the space station in August, which is now observing cosmic rays coming from across the galaxy.

The crew members received a total of seven cargo deliveries during their mission. A Japanese H-II Transfer Vehicle launched to the space station in December 2016 delivering new lithium-ion batteries that were installed using a combination of robotics and spacewalks. Orbital ATKs Cygnus spacecraft arrived at the station in April on the companys seventh commercial resupply mission. Three SpaceX Dragon spacecraft completed commercial resupply missions to the station in February, June and August. And, Russian ISS Progress cargo spacecraft docked to the station in February and June.

Whitsons return marks the completion of a 288-day mission that began last November and spanned 122.2 million miles and 4,623 orbits of the Earth  her third long-duration mission on the station. During her latest mission, Whitson performed four spacewalks, bringing her career total to 10. With a total of 665 days in space, Whitson holds the U.S. record and places eighth on the all-time space endurance list.

Fischer, who launched in April, completed 136 days in space, during which he conducted the first and second spacewalks of his career. Yurchikhin, who launched with Fischer, now has a total of 673 days in space, putting him seventh place on the all-time endurance list.

Expedition 53 continues operating the station, with Randy Bresnik of NASA in command, and Sergey Ryazanskiy of Roscosmos and Paolo Nespoli of ESA (European Space Agency) serving as flight engineers. The three-person crew will operate the station until the arrival of NASA astronauts Mark Vande Hei and Joe Acaba, and Alexander Misurkin of Roscosmos. Vande Hei, Acaba and Misurkin are scheduled to launch Sept. 12 from Baikonur, Kazakhstan.
Sintra rallied up the inside, surpassing Rockin Ron as he drifted on the lead through the stretch to take the $615,000 Canadian Pacing Derby, which headlined the Grand Circuit stakes action at Mohawk Racetrack on Saturday, September 2, in 1:48.1.

Nirvana Seelster, Rockin Ron, and All Bets Off launched for the lead in tandem, while Sintra floated away into a gap at the rail in fourth. Nirvana Seelster took the lead and passed the quarter in :26 before Rockin Ron circled to the lead into the backstretch. Even-money favourite Keystone Velocity was stalled first over, trying to flush out cover through a :54 half.

Rockin Ron edged away from Nirvana Seelster around the far turn. Keystone Velocity was not advancing wide of All Bets Off and in front of Sintra, who was boxed in as Rockin Ron hit three-quarters in 1:21. Through the stretch, Rockin Ron flattened out, and room at the rail opened as Nirvana Seelster and All Bets Off were both taken off the cones. Sintra lunged after the fading leader late, sliding a neck in front to win in 1:48.1. Rockin Ron finished second, Mcwicked closed for third, and All Bets Off held on for fourth.

A four-year-old gelding by Mach Three out of the Rocknroll Hanover mare Dancin Barefoot, Sintra, owned by Brad Gray, Michael Guerriero, and Menary Racing Inc., won his eighth race in 13 starts this year and his 16th in 32nd overall, earning $882,385. Trained by Gaetan Hebert and driven by Jody Jamieson, he paid $27.40 to win.

"He's a special horse - I thought he was a half-mile track horse at the beginning of the year, but that hasn't worked out well," co-owner Dave Menary said. "He doesn't like the crashing and banging on a half anymore - he likes the big track; he likes to flaunt his speed. He's a very lightly raced horse and hopefully he's got a couple more years ahead of him."

"I got to tell you, the last couple of years, and the positions I've put myself in to not be overly successful, this win feels really good," Jody Jamieson said. "It feels as good as any of the big wins I've had; never won a [Canadian Pacing] Derby before. It's amazing to be able to do it for the people in this stable; for Dave [Menary] and his partners Mike Guerriero, Brad Gray. For them to have the seemingly unwavering confidence in me, it's very much appreciated, and these are the nights we do all of this for.

"I wasn't sure what I was going to do off the gate - Dave didn't want me getting away tenth and I didn't want to be blasting out to the lead. Simon [Allard on Keystone Velocity] moved out quickly to get his position, and I wasn't sure it was going to work out even at the head of the stretch. Sintra, with any kind of [good] trip at all, he just explodes through.

"He's an amazing horse - he's been amazing all year long. I'm just so blessed to have a chance to drive him. Dave's had this horse his whole career and had him amazing. Gaetan's filled in for us the last couple starts, but Dave Menary is to thank for this horse. He developed the horse and turned him into what he is today."

Sintra is pointed to start in the Jim Ewart Memorial Saturday, September 9 at Scioto Downs.

Sitting the pocket, Kendall Seelster pounced on odds-on favourite Percy Bluechip and handed her the first defeat of her career, upsetting in the $169,381 Champlain Two-Year-Old Filly Pace in 1:51.1.

A daughter of Shadow Play from the Bettors Delight mare Kiddie Cocktail, Kendall Seelster stalked Percy Bluechip as she set splits of :26.2 and :55.3 on the lead. Soon to be braced by an uncovered challenge from Big Thong around the turn, driver Randy Waples tipped Kendall Seelster out of the pocket midway around the final turn to match strides with the leader through three-quarters in 1:24.3 and soon edge to the lead. Percy Bluechip chased the Paul Reid trainee to settle for second, while Pueblo Blue Chip rallied off a rail trip to be third.

Owned by 1187422 Ontario Inc., Kendall Seelster won her second race in seven starts, earning $199,186. She returned $21.80 to win.

"I seem to draw [against] Percy Bluechip every week, and I always usually get away close to her; on her back," Randy Waples said. "I could never beat her, and sometimes I can never get out to get the chance. I think the first couple of times I raced against her, even if I got out, there was no beating her. But I thought last week or the week before she maybe was a little more tired than she'd been showing, and my filly was really, really fresh right now. Tonight she got out and things worked out well.

"I put nothing against [Percy Bluechip] either - she's just about as good of a two-year-old filly as I've seen in a long time. My filly's really handy, too - they're both handy fillies. They can get out of there and sit up close, and then still have a lot left coming for home. This is the first time Percy's been beat, so I got to give her the edge. But it will be interesting to see how much better [Kendall Seelster] can get."

Stay Hungry gradually advanced toward stable-mate and pacesetter Odds On Lauderdale before overtaking him in the stretch and progressing to a lifetime-best 1:52.1 win in the $97,880 first division of the Champlain Two-Year-Old Pace.

Positioned fourth through a :27.3 opening quarter, Stay Hungry moved first over entering the backstretch as Odds On Lauderdale took the lead from Evening Play. Following a :56.3 half, Odds On Lauderdale gained separation from Evening Play as he dropped back in the pocket, leaving room for Stay Hungry to tuck approaching three-quarters. Timed in 1:24.2, Stay Hungry quickly edged back outside and gained control into the stretch. Trump That split horses late to take second, while Torrin Hanover, off a rail trip, maneuvered into third.

Winning in the second start of his career, Stay Hungry, the undefeated colt by Somebeachsomewhere out of the Dragon Again mare My Little Dragon, competes for owners Brad Grant and Irwin Samelman. Trained by Tony Alagna and driven by Doug McNair, he paid $3.80 to win.

Dragon Time fanned wide off a pocket trip and swooped to the front late, taking the $96,880 second division of the Champlain Two-Year-Old Pace in 1:52.

Hudson Phil took control, setting a slow pace of :28.2 and :57.2 while unpressed on the lead. Simple Kinda Man tipped first over from fifth, moving uncovered as 9-5 favourite Nutcracker Sweet stayed at the inside moving to three-quarters. Timed in 1:25, Hudson Phil remained in front as Simple Kinda Man challenged and Dragon Time was positioned behind them third. Driver Yannick Gingras angled Dragon Time wide of the battling leaders, taking the lead in the final sixteenth to pace clear of Hudson Phil, who held second, and Babes Dig Me, who closed for third.

Owned by Menary Racing Inc., Michael Guerriero, Larry Menary, and Alan Alber, Dragon Time, a two-year-old gelding by Bettors Delight out of the Dragon Again mare Little Miss Dragon, won his third race in eight starts this season, earning $78,502. Trained by Gaetan Hebert, he returned $9.40 to win.

"I knew right from the get-go that he was really going to improve," co-owner Dave Menary said. "He's got a lot in his pedigree, but sometimes that breeding takes a little bit to come [to form]. He was fat all the way along - his feet were bothering him, but Gaetan did a great job with his feet.

"Last week, first up is just not his ideal trip, and he raced really tough. This week he had some cover and he dug all the way to the wire; Yannick gave him a great trip. I'm really happy with the way he's heading into the Metro.

"I'm happy to be here - Gaetan did a great job and, coming back tonight, is a great way to come back."

"They've been high on this horse all winter long," Doug McNair said. "They were right - I trained him a few times before they qualified him and I really liked him. He showed tonight that he's a pretty serious colt."

International Moni advanced first over and fended off a final bid from race-leader R First Class to take the $165,838 Simcoe Three-Year-Old Trot in 1:53.3.

Magic Night rushed to take the front moving to the first turn, while R First Class got away second and shortly after moved wide to circle to control through a :27.3 opening quarter. International Moni, sitting fifth, fished for cover before committing first over midway down the backstretch, pursuing the leader after a :57.1 half.

Sweeping up to match strides with R First Class around the final turn, International Moni held a slight advantage at three-quarters in 1:26. He remained a neck in front of R First Class through the stretch as he attempted to usurp command from the uncovered leader, but settling for second. The two were clear of Magic Night, who finished third, and Dunbar Hall, who rallied for fourth.

By Love You out of the Speedy Crown mare Moni Maker, International Moni, returning $3.20 to win, won his sixth race in 19 starts, earning $508,282 for owner Moni Maker Stable. He is trained by Frank Antonacci and was driven by Scott Zeron.

"Heading into the first turn I didn't know what was going to happen," Scott Zeron said. "We had a lot of us heading out there, so I just protected my position; was able to control when I came first up. He had to work today; he came home in :27.3 - it was big."

"I love it - we are very happy our horse is back," assistant trainer Domenico Cecere said. "He still raced well at Vernon, but he scoped sick. So we had some time to take him back and he seems to be back on track.

"He came in here five days ago and will stay here for the [Canadian Trotting Classic] eliminations and we'll go from there. Probably two [from our stable] will go into [the Canadian Trotting Classic]. We'll see how they're coming out tomorrow morning and go from there."

Second Gold win for Sports Column, first for Bills Fella

On a program full of Grand Circuit Stakes, Ontarios top three-year-old pacing colts put on an impressive show in two $98,000 Gold Series divisions Saturday night at Mohawk Racetrack.

After spending five weeks battling some of the top pacers on the Mohawk circuit, Sports Column celebrated his return to Ontario Sires Stakes action with an impressive 1:50.1 victory over Nascar Seelster and Mach Deja Vu.

Lining up behind Post 4 with Brett Miller in the race bike, Sports Column landed in third as Manceiver took the field of 10 to a :27 quarter, but the fan favourite was soon rolling up the outside and had taken command by the :54.4 half. Under pressure from Mach Deja Vu at the 1:22.3 three-quarters, Sports Column found another gear in the stretch and pulled away to a two length victory, his second straight in Gold Series competition.

He was impressive tonight, said trainer Blake MacIntosh. Hes come back to form since we put him on Lasix (July 22) and hopefully everything keeps going right and we can finish off the year the way I was hoping wed start it.

Cambridge, ON resident MacIntosh shares ownership of Sports Column with Hutt Racing Stable of Paoli, PA and Daniel Plouffe of Bromont, QC. In 11 sophomore starts the Sportswriter colt has posted two wins, both in Gold Series action, two seconds and four thirds for earnings of $130,000. Mondays victory propelled him to the top of the three-year-old pacing colt point standings with a total of 110.

The sophomore pacing colts make their last regular season Gold start at Mohawk on Oct. 2 and the top 10 points earners will return to the Campbellville oval for the $225,000 Super Final on Oct 14. Before he wraps up his Ontario Sires Stakes career, however, Sports Column has a pair of open stake engagements south of the border.

Hes eligible to the race at Scioto (Downs) next week (Sept. 9), the Jug Preview, and then hes got the Jennas Beach Boy in Indiana (Hoosier Park, Sept. 22), said MacIntosh. And then hes got the next Gold on Oct. 2, then Super Finals on Oct 14 and then the Matron (Dover Downs, Nov. 9).

The second Gold division saw heavy favourite Classic Pro suffer his first defeat of the season against Ontario Sires Stakes company. Rather than the two-time Gold Series winner it was first-time Ontario Sires Stakes winner Bills Fella who hit the wire first, stopping the clock in a personal best 1:51.1.

Something was bothering Classic Pro there tonight, and it ended up things worked out great for us, said trainer Gregg McNair. I inherited the win I think somehow, that horse wasnt himself tonight, Classic Pro, but our horse raced real good, he paced strong to the wire.

Bills Fella and driver Mike Saftic of Campbellville, ON lined up behind Post 5 in the nine-horse second division and were sitting fifth when Arsenal Seelster reached the quarter in :26.4. Saftic was looking to follow Classic Pro into the outer lane, but was forced to go around the favourite when driver Trevor Henry dropped back down onto the rail before the :55.4 half. Instead of Classic Pro, Bills Fella ended up following Dreamfair BJ up the outside to the 1:23.2 three-quarters, and when Saftic tipped the gelding out in the stretch Bills Fells sprinted under the wire a one and one-half length winner over pocket-sitter Red John and pacesetter Arsenal Seelster.

The win was the third of the season for Bills Fella and his first in Ontario Sires Stakes action. The son of Artistic Fella and Lucky Louisa started the season with a third-place finish at the Grassroots level and then finished third to Sports Column in the July 22 Gold event.

I think this is his second Gold. We raced him in one before and he was third, but he was all out, recalled McNair, who bred and owns Bills Fella with Ian Fleming of Londesborough. I mean much further to go and I think he was going to be fourth that night, but tonight he was good and strong. Mike said he paced strong, right to the wire, so we were happy with that.

Bills Fella is the grandson of McNair and Flemings former Gold Series star Claires Apache and the trainer says her sophomore season in 2005 may be the last time the pair hoisted a Gold trophy.

I dont think weve had a Gold win for, well Claires Apache would be our last Gold win, I believe. Weve been putting lots back in, so its nice to get a little out once in a while, added the Guelph, ON resident, ruefully.

Ontario Sires Stakes action continues at Mohawk Racetrack on Monday, Sept. 4 with Grassroots action for the two-year-old pacing colts and two-year-old trotting fillies. The pacing colts will kick things off in the first race at 7:30 pm.

To view Saturday's harness racing results, click on the following link: Saturday Results - Mohawk Racetrack.

(Ontario Sires Stakes recap courtesy of the OSS)
On Saturday, September 2, Steve Oldford, a former National Amateur Driver of the Year in the United States, returned to the winners circle for the 127th time since the business professional began driving in the amateur ranks.

Oldford recorded his Saturday win in a Midwest region Billings trot at the Fulton County Fair in Wauseon, Ohio. He guided The Budster to a 2:02.4 victory over four others.

This was the first time that the Billings ever raced at Wauseon, said Oldford. We (the Billings) got to race there due to the efforts of Larry Farley, who, by the way, sponsored the winning blanket trophy.

Oldford owns The Budster, who is trained by Terry Deters. The Budster was sent off as the slight favourite and paid $5.00 to win.

(With files from the CKG Billings Amateur Driving Series)
On Saturday, September 2, Racing Under Saddle Ontario races returned to a provincial track for a fifth time this year, as Hanover Raceway played host to a RUS Ontario contest, a $4,000 dash which went postward as Race 3 on the program.

After having started from Post 1, Lets Leavem bested six rivals and proved to be a handy winner for the second time this season. The win time was 2:02.2 for rider Sarah Town and trainer Shane Arsenault.

Lets Leavems stablemate, Lexis DJ, finished second with Alex Marion. Majestic Mystic, who made his RUS debut, finished third and took the show dough for Gord Ketros and Natalie Elliott.

Lets Leavem and connections, pictured at Hanover Raceway on Saturday, September 2, 2017 (Images courtesy RUS Ontario)

Lets Leavem, a seven-year-old Angus Hall gelding, has taken to his under saddle duty with ease since his maiden win, which came on August 4 at Grand River Raceway. MAD Barn equine nutrition has sponsored the gelding's rider, Sarah Town, since 2015.

The Stable, in conjunction with RUS Ontario, generously donated three backpacks to two lucky winners on Saturday night for back to school purposes. Each backpack contained supplies and was valued at roughly $100.

RUS Ontario would like to say thank-you to MacDonald and The Stable for their contributions for the second year at Hanover Raceway.

Racing under saddle action will return next week (September 9) at Hiawatha Horse Park and will then be featured later in the month (September 23) at Kawartha Downs.

To view the harness racing results for Saturday at Hanover, click the following link: Saturday Results  Hanover Raceway.

(With files from RUS Ontario)
With students and teachers back in the classroom, a tumultuous summer for public education has given way to relative calm in local school districts  for now.

The Kelso School District passed its $62 million budget for the new school year on Aug. 14 and the Longview School District followed suit with an $87 million budget two weeks later. Teachers in both districts won raises this year after both school boards approved new collective bargaining agreements.

But looking forward, theres still a high level of uncertainty thats clouding one area in particular: special education.

As part of lawmakers solution to the state Supreme Courts McCleary decision, the Legislature increased the amount of money it gives local districts for children with special needs.

In that decision, justices ruled that the state must fully fund the cost of basic education and stop forcing districts to rely on local property taxes for basic expenses such as teacher salaries.

Under Washington law, special education is basic education. However, the Legislatures last-minute McCleary fix  unveiled and passed in less than a day  still does not completely reimburse every districts actual special education costs.

Lawmakers increased the cap on state funding for special education from 12.7 percent of a districts student population to 13.5 percent. That means if more than 13.5 percent of a districts enrolled students have a learning disability, the district has to shoulder those costs.

And the price of special education has spiked in recent years as research has allowed educators to identify more students with special learning needs.

That could be a major problem going forward because the states new public education funding plan hinges on a complicated levy swap, which increases state property taxes while capping local property taxes.

In the past, school districts have relied on local levy dollars to make up for the widening shortfall between state and federal dollars and the true cost of special education.

We've just seen our costs go through the roof with special education in the last couple years, said Scott Westlund, executive director of business and operations for the Kelso School District. If that continues to grow and we have to continue to use local funds to do that, it's not going to be sustainable, he said.

Increasing costs

Part of the reason why special education costs have risen so much over the past several years is due to an increase in the number of children with complex needs.

According to Longview Special Education Director Elizabeth West, the number of children with behavioral and mental health needs has increased dramatically in relation to the number of children with learning disabilities.

We're seeing a lot more complex children and those are the children that have increased funding needs, she said.

Even with stable enrollment, the Kelso School District hired 10 more special education staff this year to meet its students special education needs, Westlund said.

The adoption of assistive technology and learning devices for students with special needs has also led to an increase in costs, West said.

While the state boosted its special education allocation to the district by roughly $800,000 for the 2017-2018 year, Kelsos special education expenses increased by $1.2 million.

Overall, the districts special education costs have shot up 33 percent from two years ago.

In Longview, the district will get roughly $900,000 this year in additional special education funding from the state while seeing its costs increase by nearly $2 million compared to last year.

Longviews special education costs have increased nearly 25 percent since the 2015-2016 school year.

Both districts also receive some federal money for special education, but that funding has remained relatively flat over the past decade.

Our expenditures far exceed our revenues, both state and federal, so locally it's being absorbed by our local tax dollars, said Patti Bowen, business and operations manager for the Longview School District.

Adding to the uncertainty, lawmakers placed new restrictions on how districts can use money from local school levies. Under the McCleary fix, local levies can only be used for "enrichment" purposes but the Legislature has yet to define what qualifies as enrichment. Some districts have interpreted the new education funding law to mean that local levy dollars cant go toward special education.

Westlund said hes under the impression that local dollars can pay for special education. But that point could be moot because lawmakers also capped local property taxes at $1.50 per $1,000 of assessed value as part of the McCleary deal.

There is a restriction on the amount that we can actually go out and ask for, so yeah that could have a severe limitation upon our ability to meet those needs especially in the special education area, he said. That's why I think if we continue to grow it's not sustainable given the current tax structure.

McCleary implications

Elected leaders seemed to breathe a collective sigh of relief after passing their McCleary fix at the end of a third special legislative session.

But the state Supreme Court  which has retained jurisdiction over the case and held the Legislature in contempt for the past two years for failing to deliver a timely solution  still has to weigh in.

The Legislature recently submitted a report to the court arguing that it has met its constitutional obligation to guarantee every child in Washington the right to a quality public education.

In a number of friend of the court briefs filed on Wednesday, though, advocacy groups argue that the Legislature has failed its duty and specifically reference a lack of special education funding as one of the reasons.

The original plaintiff in the McCleary decision filed a brief arguing that the Legislature acknowledges that it has failed to fully fund special education by setting a 13.5 percent cap on the number of students it will fund. (For context, 16.7 of students in the Longview School District have special education needs.)

Another brief filed by the left-leaning Washington Budget and Policy Center argues that the McCleary fix does not fund the actual costs of the basic education districts are mandated to provide, even while removing the local levy option to fill in those holes.

Justices are expected to decide sometime this month whether to accept the states education funding plan or instruct lawmakers to tear it up and start over.

With administrators and advocacy groups crying foul, special education could be a decisive factor.
The family of one Kelso High School grad is doing its part to help victims in the Texas flood disaster.

Mark Hardwick, who owns a generator company that serves the flood-stricken Houston area, has seen demand for the equipment skyrocket in the wake of Hurricane Harvey. His crews have risked their safety while responding to requests for installation and repairs all over the region.

Hardwicks wife, Wendy, and daughter Amanda are residents of Katy, Texas. Although the Hardwicks home was damaged in the flood, they have been allowed to stay. Their main goal now is to help others who were less fortunate.

According to Hardwicks mother, Jackie Hardwick, of Kelso, the family has been driving back and forth to a recently-reopened Costco to purchase cases of water, toiletries, snacks and pet food for flood victims  all at their own expense.

Wendy and Amanda are also washing, drying and folding clothes for the first responders.

But Mark Hardwick isnt the only former area resident feeling the impact of the recent storm. Former Daily News reporter David McKinney had a lucky escape from Harveys wrath.

At the height of Hurricane Harvey, McKinney would walk out into his backyard with an umbrella in hand every hour to check on rising water levels nearby.

Rain mercilessly pelted Mc-Kinney as he walked, barefoot, to observe the lake that abuts his house in Spring, Texas, a northern suburb of Houston.

The lake levels rose steadily, advancing towards McKinneys home. But stopped just short of his house.

We dodged a bullet, Mc- Kinney said by phone. Less than a mile away, entire neighborhoods were devastated by flooding. Harvey is now projected to be at least the second costliest storm in United States history.

McKinney has lived in Houston for 30 years, spending most of his career working in corporate communications for the Shell oil company.

He also has roots in Longview. McKinney attended Cascade Middle School and graduated from Mark Morris High School in 1971. He also interned as a reporter for The Daily News under publisher Ted Natt in 1975 and his mother still lives at the Canterbury Inn on Third Avenue.

McKinney said its been a marvel to witness the many grassroots relief efforts. Media reports have shown people driving hundreds of miles, many towing boats, to help first responders.

McKinney said for those in Cowlitz County who want to help with the relief efforts, the best idea is to donate to known agencies like the American Red Cross at RedCross.org.
Drugs  Longview police Friday arrested Tanya Lou McWilliams Rangel, 37, of Kelso on suspicion of a felony drug charge.

Drugs  Longview police Friday arrested Robert Lamont Groves, 42, of Reno, Nevada on suspicion of a felony drug charge.

Drugs  Longview police Friday arrested Teressa Renee Layman, 39, of Longview on suspicion of a felony drug charge.

Assault  Cowlitz County sheriffs deputies Friday arrested Heather Ann Williams, 35, of Kelso on suspicion of second-degree assault.

Drugs  Department of Corrections officers Friday arrested Daria Nicole Gillman, 21, of Longview on suspicion of two felony drug charges.

Burglary  Woodland police Friday arrested Roy Lee Leon, 31, of Burien, Wash. on suspicion of second-degree burglary.

Theft  Woodland police Friday arrested Cecelia Ann Farrow, 33, of Portland, Ore., on suspicion of second-degree theft.

Impersonation  Woodland police Friday arrested Manuel Jesus Mendoza, 35, of Portland, Ore. on suspicion of criminal impersonation and a felony drug charge.

Identity theft  Longview police Friday arrested Holly Michelle Boggs, 53, of Kelso on suspicion of identity theft, second-degree possession of stolen property and trafficking in stolen property.

Identity theft  Longview police Friday arrested Stan W. Canterbury, 61, of Aloha, Ore. on suspicion of identity theft, second-degree possession of stolen property and trafficking in stolen property.

Stolen vehicle

11th Avenue and New York Street, Longview. Friday. 2000 black Ford Focus. WA AIH9666. $1,500.

Thefts

200 block of 20th Avenue, Longview. Friday. Taurus .45 caliber semi-automatic firearm.

1400 block of Commerce Avenue, Longview. Friday. Stolen love doll and personal use device. $260.
BOSTON  On a holiday weekend set aside to honor the American working class, it is hard to escape the sense that American workers find themselves exploited by our politics  and particularly by our president.

If wage earners could turn all the warm words they have heard into dollars, they would be rich. But they never receive the rights or benefits that are supposed to come their way.

Decade after decade, we engage in more or less the same arguments about economic justice, yet over the last 15 years or so, the condition of laboring men and women has, by many measures, gotten worse.

In his campaign, President Trump promised the world to American workers, including a better and more generous health care system. Having broken his health care pledges, he now claims that he will live up to his vows on jobs and wages by  cutting corporate taxes.

Remember all those stories in 2016 about Trump being a different sort of Republican? It turns out hes the same old trickle-down conservative, only meaner: He also preys upon racial feelings and anti-immigrant sentiment, which is often cast as part of his populism.

There is absolutely nothing new about Trumps insistence that whats good for corporations will be good for American workers.

Heres what he said last week in a speech in Missouri: We must reduce the tax rate on American businesses so they keep jobs in America, create jobs in America, and compete for workers right here in America  the America we love.

Now if Trump hadnt pretended to be some kind of populist hero in 2016, his recitation of old Republican boilerplate would not be particularly interesting or troublesome. But it is maddening to see this man described as some great innovator when it comes to the interests of the left-out and forgotten.

If you want to know how old Trumps talking points are, consider a debate broadcast by CBS Radio on April 11, 1948, between Sen. Robert A. Taft, lovingly known as Mr. Republican among conservatives of his day, and Walter Reuther, the legendary leader of the United Auto Workers union. (And by the way, wouldnt it be great if the media still broadcast debates of this sort?)

Prosperity here depends upon a large percentage of the proceeds of our wealth being invested in new tools, new investments, Taft insisted. It takes about six or seven thousand dollars to create one new job at good wages today. Those job creators have been central to the GOPs ideology for a long time.

Reuther was unpersuaded. Unfortunately, he asserted, most everything that Congress has done in the past six or eight months has moved in the direction of giving more to the people who already have too much and taking away from the people who need more.

Senator Taft, Reuther said at another point, that is the same kind of economic theory that we practiced under Harding and under Coolidge and under Hoover.

Taft, to his credit, did not present to be someone he wasnt. He believed in the ideas he was pushing. But anyone who expected Trump to take the American worker to a new place should be profoundly disappointed. As for Reuthers description of conservative economics, it seems as relevant now as it was 69 years ago.

Trump moves us backward in other ways. Jared Bernstein and Ben Spielberg explained last week on The Washington Posts PostEverything blog that the president is using his executive power to undercut regulations on workers pay, financial security, job safety, and also their right to form unions. Here again, Trumps actions belie his words.

Trump seems to think that if he goes after immigrants, picks fights about his border wall, regularly recites the words law and order, and assails political correctness, workers wont notice any of this. Hell keep attacking academic and media elites to distract from his service to financial elites. And there is so much focus on the scandals genuinely worthy of public attention that the substance of Trumps economic policies will be confined to the back pages of newspapers or the nether reaches of the internet.

Will it work? Id insist that its always safe to wager that over time, American workers judge politicians by looking at their paychecks, their working conditions, and the economic prospects of their families. Trump will discover the limits of his flimflam.

It was Walter Reuther who said: Theres a direct relationship between the ballot box and the bread box. I still think he was right.
WASHINGTON  As the U.S.-led coalition accelerates its campaign to destroy the Islamic States remaining strongholds in Syria, the Trump administration faces a big decision about the future: Does it want to keep some U.S. troops inside the country to help stabilize Syria after the jihadists are defeated, or does it want to pack up and come home?

The dilemma is eerily like what President Obama faced in Iraq in 2011, and the risks and benefits are similar. President Trump, like his predecessor, has expressed skepticism about permanent U.S. wars in the Middle East. But he also knows that pulling out U.S. troops from bases east of the Euphrates could create a vacuum that might trigger ethnic slaughter, regional proxy wars and a new wave of jihadist violence.

The military and civilian officials who have been closest to U.S.-Syria policy appear convinced that America should maintain a residual presence, probably something under 1,000 Special Operations Forces that could continue to train and advise  and also, restrain  the Syrian Kurdish militia that has been Americas key partner against the Islamic State. But this alliance with the Kurds is controversial, inside Syria and out.

The political map of Syria, for now, looks like a patchwork quilt, with different bands controlled by rival groups and their patrons. The U.S. and its Kurdish partners dominate east of the Euphrates. The Syrian regime with its Russian and Iranian allies control the vast center of the country; Turkish-backed forces control a strip along the northern border; and a Jordanian-Russian deconfliction agreement has pacified the southwest.

Few analysts expect that Syria can be reunified by President Bashar Assad. So, for the foreseeable future, the country will be divided into these zones of influence  awaiting a political transition process that can re-establish the legitimacy and authority of a new central government in Damascus.

The U.S. piece of this puzzle is the area east of the Euphrates. The Syrian Kurdish militia known as the YPG, advised by elite American forces and backed by U.S. air power, has swept across this area over the past three years, and in about six weeks is expected to seize the Islamic States capital of Raqqa. As they advanced, the Kurds recruited Sunni Arab allies into a broader coalition known as the Syrian Democratic Forces.

The ad hoc military alliance that produced the SDF has many critics. The Sunni-dominated Syrian opposition fears that the Kurdish fighters want to create an independent state, and neighboring Turkey sees them as terrorists. But battlefield success generates its own political momentum, and as the U.S. and the SDF have advanced, something of a bandwagon effect has developed. Sunni opposition groups now seem eager to fight alongside the Kurdish-led forces, under overall U.S. command.

This new willingness to work in tandem with the Kurds was voiced by Riad Hijab, the head of the Syrian opposition coalition known as the High Negotiations Committee. He said in a recent interview that his supporters want to fight ISIS and other terrorist groups, alongside with the SDF, as long as we fight independently in separate fronts.

Hijab claimed that up to 5,000 Sunni opposition forces would be ready to join the U.S. and the SDF in liberating Deir el-Zour, the next big town in the Euphrates Valley southeast of Raqqa. The Sunni opposition groups apparently prefer allying with Kurds to Assads regime.

American officials are pleased that Hijab and other opposition leaders want to join the fight in the Euphrates Valley. But they say the new recruits arent ready for heavy fighting, and that Deir el-Zour will almost certainly be taken by 10,000 Syrian regime troops that are already in the town, joined by regime forces now moving east, with Russian and Iranian backing. The Iranian presence worries some U.S. officials, but they say regime control of Deir-el-Zour is probably inevitable.

U.S. commanders say the real strategic prize is further south. They say as soon as Raqqa is secure, SDF troops (joined by whatever other Arab forces are ready), will advance toward the lower Euphrates Valley, south of Deir el-Zour. The U.S. hopes that Iraqi forces across the border will help check Iranian power in the area.

What happens next? That depends in part on whether U.S. military advisers stay in eastern Syria. If they remain, say U.S. officials, they can curb the Kurds ambitions for independence, deter the Turks from intervening, and encourage the Sunni opposition to work with all sides. A future U.S. presence will be essential, says Hijab.

And if they leave quickly? Weve seen this movie before.
WASHINGTON  Hurricane Harvey has devastated Texas. Now board your windows, evacuate the low ground and watch the damage it is poised to unleash on the nations finances.

Harvey makes landfall in Washington as soon as next week, when President Trump is expected to ask for what could be tens of billions of dollars in storm relief. And paying for storm recovery will be but the first blow to fiscal discipline in what looks to be a particularly active, and calamitous, spending season.

After Harvey comes the debt ceiling, and there are rumblings that the vote to raise the limit could actually be used to increase spending. (In the past, such votes were used by fiscal hawks to cut spending.) At the same time come negotiations to fund the government for fiscal year 2018, and indications are that lawmakers will try to avoid a shutdown with a short-term spending deal that will include a Pentagon slush fund worth tens of billions of dollars.

Then, still forming over the Treasury Department is a fiscal Category 4: Trump and Republicans have given clear signs they are moving away from tax reform (a simplification of the tax code that doesnt necessarily reduce revenue) toward all-out tax cuts, financed by deficit spending.

Trump, who came to power promising to eliminate the $20 trillion debt, or at least to cut it in half, is poised to oversee an exponential increase in that debt. Republicans, who came to power with demands that Washington tackle the debt problem, could wind up doing at least as much damage to the nations finances as the Democrats did.

Rising are the floodwaters of hypocrisy. Surging is the tide of amnesia. Blowing are the gales of profligacy.

If the red ink rises according to worst-case forecasts, were talking additions to the debt in the trillions, Maya MacGuineas, president of the Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget, tells me. All from actions to be taken in the next few months. It turns out the Republican-run Congress is not willing to make the hard choices, she says. It is a fiscal free-lunch mentality on all sides.

Trump, announcing his tax-reform plan in a speech Wednesday afternoon in Missouri, left little doubt that hed ditch tax reform for tax cuts. He dutifully read out his principles from the teleprompter  which he uses when giving a speech somebody else wants him to give  but made clear that he isnt expecting Democratic cooperation. We must lower our taxes, and your senator, [Democrat] Claire McCaskill, she must do this for you, Trump said. And if she doesnt do it for you, you have to vote her out of office. Democrats, Trump said, are looking to obstruct tax cuts and tax reform, just like they obstructed so many other things.

There is no way to pass a comprehensive tax-reform plan of the sort Ronald Reagan secured  a simplified code, lower rates and closed loopholes  without bipartisan support. And Democrats want tax reform that doesnt add to the deficit and doesnt benefit the wealthiest 1 percent of households.

Trumps partisan speech confirms other indications that his administration has essentially abandoned tax reform in favor of cuts. Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin and chief economic adviser Gary Cohn have not been reaching out to Democrats, party leaders complain. And Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell has indicated he plans to use the same reconciliation resolution he used on the failed attempt to repeal Obamacare to allow for a party-line vote on a tax cut. That process would nominally prevent Republicans from ballooning the deficit  but they could avoid such concerns by using the well-worn gimmick of having the tax cut expire before 10 years.

Of course, if Trump and Republican leaders were to come right out with a pure tax cut that would add trillions to the debt, the blatant hypocrisy might swamp the effort. But what if that were to come after months in which other, smaller storms had already saturated the ground and weakened the roots of fiscal responsibility?

First, a Harvey recovery bill without the spending offsets so many Republicans demanded of previous bills. Then, a debt-limit increase, possibly secured with promises to spend more money on defense (which would buy GOP votes) and domestic priorities (for Democratic votes). Next, a spending deal that busts previously agreed budget caps by allowing an extra $70 billion or so for an Overseas Contingency Operations slush fund. Eventually, a reckless tax cut doesnt seem so crazy  particularly with midterm elections looming and no accomplishments to show.

When it rains, it pours.
WASHINGTON  Im in awe of the generosity and volunteer efforts in the aftermath of Hurricane Harvey.

There was the Chick-fil-A manager who helped an elderly couple who had called in an order for two grilled chicken burritos with extra egg, and a boat. The manager sent her husband with his boat  and some fellas on jet skis stopped to help.

Then there was the owner of a furniture store who opened his showroom full of comfy couches, display mattresses and recliners to evacuees. Many people are welcoming displaced families into their homes.

The need is immediate for tens of thousands of people in Southeast Texas and surrounding states who are suffering in ways most of us cant imagine.

But once the floodwaters finally recede, so many people will still need help. Its at this time that generosity can wane because the catastrophe wont always be front and center. The media will go back to politics and other topics of the day because thats the nature of news.

And before you know it, Thanksgiving will be here and people will once again be prompted to pitch in. They will give bags of food and volunteer at churches, soup kitchens or community centers. And then the volunteers and the money dwindle, until the next holiday  or storm  tugs at peoples hearts.

Can I ask you to do something while youre in a giving mood?

Think and plan how you can become a year-round giver of your time, talents or cash.

Among the steadfast volunteers at my church we talk about the 80/20 rule. Its when 20 percent of the people are responsible for 80 percent of the work and/or giving. Ask yourself where you stand in this imbalance.

Theres actually a principle behind this rule. Its called the Pareto Principle, after Italian economist Vilfredo Pareto.

Following a column last week about wise giving in the aftermath of Hurricane Harvey, I received an email from Nicole Burton of Maryland.

Burton gives. She pays dues at her synagogue, makes special High Holiday donations, and contributes money to a few arts and cultural organizations in her neighborhood during fundraisers and membership drives. She also supports public radio.

I sometimes give very small amounts to people on the street, Burton said.

Despite all this, Burton says she still feels that she isnt doing enough.

I have, for a while, wanted some guidance on how to plan and manage my charitable giving, Burton said in an interview. I wish I had a more coordinated strategy and practice of giving. But I dont know how to go about getting there.

Heres what I told her on developing a lifelong philanthropic plan.

Find your charitable niche. My passion is financial literacy, so the majority of my time and talents are directed toward helping people with money issues.

Based on your values, whats important to you? Maybe its feeding the hungry or addressing educational inequity.

You can only volunteer so many hours, so target your money and energy to one major charitable area. This doesnt mean you cant help out on other causes, but become a major supporter in a particular area of need.

Theres something else you get from concentrating your charitable efforts. Through trial and error, you come to a better understanding what works best.

Heres another bonus of having a strategic philanthropic effort. You dont have to feel guilty about not having the time or money for multiple appeals. You can simply say youre already committed to another cause.

Be deliberate with your dollar donations. Either budget a percentage of your income or settle on giving a set amount. My husband and I follow the principle of tithing. We give a tenth of our annual gross income to our church. Our giving in large part supports our churchs community outreach and charitable work.

If youre not religious, then choose a charity or nonprofit you want to regularly help. Set up automatic payments. And, if you can, build some flexibility into your budget, so you can give when theres unforeseen need like with Hurricane Harvey.

Volunteer when you can. Be as committed with your time as you are with your money. And show up when you say you will  regularly.

Although your presence is needed, its understandable when there are times you just cant volunteer.

Burton is a caregiver for her husband, who has early-onset Alzheimers. So she doesnt have a lot of time to volunteer.

I told her not to feel guilty that her giving is mostly limited to cash donations. Her husband needs her time right now.

Burtons right about having a deliberate approach to altruism. Establish a plan. Because theres always need.
010917ELECTORAL COMMISSION MAKES OFFICERS HIDING

By Aloysius Laukai



Due to pressures from service providers to the PNG Electoral Commission for the 2012 and the 2017 National elections, officers in Buka have vacated their Buka town office and operating from their homes in Hutjena.

And there is no answer to questions by service providers when the Commission will settle their bills.

The Bougainville Election Manager, DESMOND TIMIYASO told New Dawn FM that all bills from 2012 will be paid before the conduct of the 2017 National elections.

This did not eventuate and the 2017 bills have been outstanding since the conduct of polling and counting.

For service Providers from South Bougainville which declared its member one week before the other three seats are still waiting.

This week officers from the officer told New Dawn FM that the Manager had gone to Port Moresby requesting for additional funds for Bougainville.

It has been three weeks since the Manager travelled to Port Moresby.



Ends


Country basks in Eid ul Azha celebrations

Eid-ul-Azha, one of Islam`s two greatest festivals, was celebrated across the country with due fervor and piety on Saturday.



Muslims sacrificed cattle and other beasts of burden commemorating the Prophet Ibrahim`s willingness to sacrifice his own son as a sign of his devotion to God.



Millions of Muslims across the country offered prayers seeking divine blessings, peace and progress for the country. The main national congregation of Eid-ul-Azha was held at the National Eidgah at 8am, where President Abdul Hamid offered his Eid prayers along with hundreds of people from all walks of life.



Cabinet members, judges of the Supreme Court, members of parliament, senior political leaders and high civil and military officials also offered their prayers at the main Eid jamaat (congregation).



Five Eid congregations were held at Baitul Mukarram National Mosque at 7am, 8am, 9am, 10am and 10:45am.



The main city streets and road islands had been decorated with the national flags and banners inscribed with 'Eid Mubarak' in Bangla and Arabic.



Special meals were served in hospitals, jails, government orphanages, centres for persons with disabilities, shelter homes and vagrant and destitute welfare centres.



State-run Bangladesh Television, Bangladesh Betar and private TV channels aired special programmes on the occasion.



Floods temper celebrations



While wishing countrymen on the occasion, President Abdul Hamid urged the affluent section of society to stand beside the country's flood victims along with the government.



``The affluent people should keep in mind that no flood victim should be deprived of Eid happiness,`` he said during a special Eid reception at Bangabhaban.



The President said the rich or wealthy people should share the Eid joy with the people of the haors and other areas, who were the worst victims of the recent flashfloods and are unable to celebrate Eid-ul-Azha right now.



Hoping that the Qurbani Eid, as Eid ul Adha is known colloquially, and its sacrificial attitude should reflect the great principles and teachings of Eid-ul-Azha in social and individual life, Hamid wished all a happy and prosperous Eid-ul-Azha.



President Hamid and his wife Rashida Khanom hosted the reception for the top government officials, city elite and foreign diplomats.



Speaker Shirin Sharmin Chaudhury Chief Justice Surendra Kumar Sinha, Foreign Minister AHM Mahmood Ali, adviser to the Prime Minister HT Imam, State Minister for Women and Children Affairs Meher Afroz Chumki and Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) AKM Nurul Huda attended the reception.



Judges of the Supreme Court, members of parliament, the chiefs of the three services, editors, secretaries, vice-chancellors of different universities, educationists, recipients of national awards, senior journalists, writers, poets, litterateurs, business leaders, religious personalities, artistes and, high civil and military officials also attended, apart from ambassadors and high commissioners of different countries in Bangladesh and chiefs of international agencies.



Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina meanwhile called upon all to work tirelessly from their respective positions to take Bangladesh to a dignified position on the global stage.

``We all need to perform our own duties keeping in mind our motherland to establish it in a dignified position in the world,`` she said.



The Prime Minister said this while speaking to the media as she exchanged greetings with people from all walks of life, party leaders and activists, judges and foreign diplomats at her official residence Ganobhaban on the occasion of Eid-ul-Azha.



The Prime Minister greeted the country's people and all the Bangladeshis living abroad on the occasion of Eid-ul-Azha, wishing them a happy and prosperous life. She also greeted those Bangladeshi nationals now in Saudi Arabia to perform the hajj, or pilgrimage to Mekkah.



Hasina, also the Awami League chief, first exchanged Eid greetings with a cross-section of people, professionals, party leaders and workers.



Bangabandhu`s youngest daughter Sheikh Rehana, PM's daughter Saima Hossain, Awami League presidium members Sheikh Fazlul Karim Selim and Faruk Khan and senior party leaders were present.



Later, she exchanged Eid greetings with Supreme Court judges, including Chief Justice S. K. Sinha, and heads of diplomatic missions of different countries in Dhaka.



Besides Chief Justice Sinha, judges of the Appellate Division and the High Court Division of the Supreme Court, Ambassadors and High Commissioners of different countries joined the function.



Sholakia upstaged by Dinajpur



In Kishoreganj, the historic Sholakia Eidgah of Kishoreganj, famed for attracting the largest congregation in the country (upwards of 125,000 or 1.25 lakh, hence the name) hosted its 190th Eid-ul-Azha congregation, under three layers of security following a daring terrorist attack that shook the congregation last year.

Imam of the Markaz Mosque of the city, Hafez Mawlana Hefzur Rahman conducted the Eid jamaat.



Politicians, administration officers, chairman, mayor and people of all walk participated in this congregation.



Sholakia may have been upstaged as the largest Eid congregation in the country this year though, by the Gore Shahid Bara Maidan in Dinajpur, which was joined by 300,000 (3 lakh) of the faithful, according to Whip of Jatiya Sangsad Iqbalur Rahim.



Chairman of International Crime Tribunal-1 Justice Enayetur Rahim, and Deputy Commissioner Mir Khairul Alam could testify, as they joined the congregation held at 8am.



In Chittagong, the main Eid jamaat was held at Jamiatul Falah national eidgah in the city at 8am.



In Khulna, the main Eid congregation was held at Khulna Circuit House Eidgah Maidan at 8am.



In Rajshahi, the main congregation was held at Hazrat Shah Mukhdum Central Eidgah of the city at 8am.



In Sylhet, the main Jammat of of Eid-ul-Azha was held at Shahi Eidgah at 8:30 am where Finance Minister Abul Maal Abdul Muhith among others joined in.



In Barisal, the main congregation of Eid-ul-Azha was held at Central Hemayet Uddin Eidgah Maidan at 8am. --UNB, Dhaka.


The Undead Archives

I have finally salvaged my pre-Blogger TDR archives and added them into Blogger. They are almost totally in the form of one giant post for each month. And the formatting strayed from the originals. Sorry. But historians everywhere can rejoice that this treasure trove of my thoughts is restored to the world.
010917HAMAL ON FUTURE

By Aloysius Laukai



The Acting President for Bougainville, ROBERT HAMAL SAWA said that Bougainville needs to do more to prepare herself for the coming Referendum.

He made these comments at the Bougainville womens celebrations in Buka this week.

MR.HAMAL said that the people need time and and space to continue these processes whilst at the same time being given the opportunity to make decisions on what is important to them in the future development of Bougainville.

The acting President said that Peace and Security are critical elements for the continuing and sustainable development of Bougainville or any society.

He said that the future developments of Bougainville is now heavily reliant on the ability of the ABG to reverse any negative perceptions concerning Peace and Security that continue to persist as a consequence of the crisis.

He said that despite the dire social-economic situation we face today Bougainville is still a beautiful place.



Ends


31 August 2017

press release



Minister for Defence, Senator the Hon Marise Payne, will travel to Papua New Guinea from 31 August to 1 September 2017, to discuss Australias strong bilateral defence relationship and mutual interest in regional stability with the new Papua New Guinea Government.



Minister Payne will meet Papua New Guineas Prime Minister the Hon Peter ONeill CMG MP, and newly appointed Minister for Defence, the Hon Solan Mirisim MP, in Port Moresby.



Minister Payne will also meet with the Commander of the Papua New Guinea Defence Force, Brigadier General Gilbert Toropo CBE, and the Acting Secretary of the Papua New Guinea Department of Defence, Mr Trevor Meauri.



Australia enjoys a strong and mutually beneficial defence partnership with Papua New Guinea, reflecting the historical depth of our friendship and bilateral relationship, Minister Payne said.



This visit is an important opportunity to discuss a range of shared interests including maritime security and Australias commitment to support Papua New Guinea to host a safe and secure APEC in 2018.



During the visit, Minister Payne will lay a wreath at Bomana War Cemetery in recognition of the 75th Anniversary of the WWII Pacific Campaign to honour those Australians and Papua New Guineans who lost their lives.


News / Africa

by Staff reporter

South Africa's Deputy President Cyril Ramaphosa has admitted having an extra-marital affair, but denied reports of multiple affairs.Speaking after allegations about his private life were published in newspapers, he accused political opponents of trying to smear him.Mr Ramaphosa is planning to contest the leadership of the governing African National Congress (ANC).President Jacob Zuma steps down from the post later this year.Mr Ramaphosa's private emails were apparently hacked into to prove an affair between him and a medical doctor.The emails reportedly suggest he also had a series of affairs with young women, and had unprotected sex.The deputy president admitted he had had an affair with a doctor eight years ago, but said the other women named in connection with him were students he and his wife supported to further their education.Mr Ramaphosa had tried to block publication of the allegations in the courts, arguing that his private affairs were not in the public interest.He also said he would ask the country's inspector general of intelligence to investigate the hacking of his emails."I had a relationship with only one person and it ended. I dealt with it with my wife," Mr Ramaphosa told South Africa's Sunday Times."I have to be prevented at all costs from ascending to the position of president of the ANC. Some have even said it will be over their dead bodies."I have not committed any crimes, I have not stolen any money, I have not looted state resources. But I am being targeted and smeared."The 64-year-old and Mr Zuma's ex-wife Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma are the front runners to replace Mr Zuma when he steps down as ANC president in December.The leader of the ANC automatically becomes the party's candidate for president of the country.
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The Great American Eclipse with its greatest length of totality in Southern Illinois not only shined a national spotlight on the region, but also was a real boost for local economies, local business leaders say.

I think there is no question we hit this out of the park, said Steve Mitchell, economic development director for the City of Carbondale.

Many businesses reported record sales during the afternoon and evening of Sunday, Aug. 20  records which lasted only until Monday, the day of the actual total solar eclipse.

For Mitchell and other planners, it was good to see a positive conclusion to years of planning.

Even though actual counts of the number of visitors to the region are impossible to gauge, general thoughts are that Carbondale saw approximately 50,000 visitors and hundreds of thousands of people watched the eclipse across the region. Campgrounds and hotels as far away as Effingham and Evansville, Indiana, reported no vacancies and many of them required multiple-night reservations.

Carbondale Main Street Executive Director Meghan Cole said the extended lodging requirement may have led local eclipse event planners and businesses leaders to think large crowds would arrive in Southern Illinois as early as Friday  an expectation that did not pan out.

I think many were optimistic that things would pick up Friday or early Saturday, and that wasnt the case, she said. We did see thing begin to pick up Saturday evening and continue to build through the actual eclipse.

Mitchell agreed.

Obviously, many of our businesses expected that there would be a lot more business on Friday and early Saturday, so there was some disappointment there, but by Saturday night the crowds picked up considerably, he said. By Sunday, all of that disappointment was gone; almost everybody was happy. On Monday, every time I looked at a restaurant, there were lines. It was incredible.

One of those lines on Monday snaked not only through the entire length of Mary Lous Grill in downtown Carbondale, but also out of the door and down the sidewalk, at times growing to a half-block. Owner Marilynn Martin called Monday the restaurants best day in recent memory.

We even closed a little bit early, in time for the eclipse, she says. Considering that, it may have been our best day ever.

Doug Fischer, operations manager for Carbondales Dominos franchise, reported Carbondale sales were up 66 percent over the same day in 2016. Sales at several dining establishments inside the Southern Illinois University Carbondale Student Center, namely Starbucks and the Marketplace Food Court, set all-time records for sales on Monday.

Mitchell said his office had done some economic impact projections prior to the eclipse and he believes that the estimated benefits will be met.

Obviously, the projections were based upon a large number of assumptions, he said. We estimated the number of visitors to be about 50,000 and then we considered everything from the increase in sales of groceries to more customers in restaurants and bars, retail sales and even parking. Based upon all of those assumptions, the estimated economic impact was projected to be about $8 million in Carbondale. Did we hit that? Its really too early to tell, but it looks to me like the assumptions were met.

Mitchell said the projections assumed visitors would spend just $20 each per day.

I know from just my personal spending over the weekend, I beat the $20 a day really easily and I live here. I had access to free food, so Im confident our visitors spent that much, too. There were lines at all of the T-shirt sellers. I think our businesses were packed from Saturday evening through Monday.

Roxanne Conley of 710 Custom, one of the T-shirt vendors, said sales were really good.

We sold out of almost everything except some very large sizes, she said. Everyone seemed to want shirts that said Carbondale, so we took orders and are sending those to them.

The entire region benefitted as well. Many tourism bureaus, civic groups and communities held workshops earlier in the year to help businesses know what to expect during the eclipse. The Carbondale Chamber of Commerce even brought in the head of Farm Progress Shows, a traveling three-day agricultural exposition that attracts 200,000, to share insights. Still, Mitchell says, the influx of travelers was surprising.

I dont think many of the communities outside of Carbondale were expecting the number of visitors that they had, Mitchell said.

For example, he said that a community park in Benton had as many as 1,000 visitors during the eclipse.

That just blew them away, he said. Exactly what I thought would happen did: the Interstate was jammed pack, time was getting closer to the eclipse and people started using their phones to search for parks and other places where they could watch the eclipse. They took the exits and parked.

Mitchell said he has friends who watched the eclipse near Tunnel Hill and told him that anywhere a car could be parked, one was.

Im assuming that because of all of that, the gas stations, restaurants and convenient stores in those places did well, too, he said.

Executive Director of the Marion Chamber of Commerce Dalus Ben Avi said while she has not yet talked with individual businesses about how they fared during the weekend, she said there was an increase in visitors, businesses and traffic.

The parking lot at our office was full with eclipse watchers, she said. That wasnt something we were expecting.

Fischer says the economic benefits were felt across the region. He calls Mondays business at other Dominos crazy.

Our Chester stores sales were up 100 percent, he says.

McDonalds franchisee Moreland Bishop, which owns 14 restaurants throughout Southern Illinois, saw an upswing in business across the region, said Marketing Director Samantha Davis. She said the impact was significant both before and after the eclipse.

Business was incredible on Monday, she said. Our interstate stores and Carbondale locations did very, very well. We had supervisors helping in Carbondale up to the eclipse and then with all of the traffic, they went to other stores to help out.
HERRIN  In many ways, Thomas Swan of Herrin is a normal 13-year-old. He likes video games, music and designing cars and motorcycles. He argues with his 7-year-old brother, Jerry. The Herrin Junior High School student loves science, but would rather not have to study math, reading and English.

I love figuring out how things work, Thomas said.

Back in November 2007, Thomas, the son of Aimee and Noah Swan, was diagnosed with Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy, a rare genetic disease that causes muscles to become weak and damaged over time. Thomas uses a wheelchair to get around.

Jerry also has Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy.

Aimee says the family spends a lot of time traveling back and forth to St. Louis Childrens Hospital, where the boys see Dr. Anne Connolly and receives therapy. Clinic visits usually take three or more hours, depending on what tests need done. Jerry currently is part of a trial, so he goes for therapy every Friday.

In the course of his many regular visits to St. Louis Childrens Hospital, Thomas was connected with Make-A-Wish. On Aug. 5, Make-A-Wish volunteers gave Thomas something he had wanted a long time  a gaming computer.

Wish day started with the local community, including many bikers from the Fire and Iron Motorcycle Club, riding by to show their support for Thomas. Fire and Iron Motorcycle Clubs members are firefighters and others associated with fire services.

Given his love for designing motorcycles, this was a special treat for Thomas.

Other motorcycle clubs have chapters, but Fire and Iron uses stations because they are firefighters, Noah Swan said. We went to Iowa for Jerrys treatment, and they had Fire and Iron up there.

After the motorcycle excitement, Thomas received a pile of wrapped gifts, which included his new gaming computer and accessories.

Thomas said he already has several games on his computer, including Minecraft and Grand Theft Auto, and was happy to demonstrate both of them, with a little help from Jerry.

He explained that Minecraft lets players build villages and try to survive. It also has a mining mode.

Thats why it is called Minecraft, because you can mine and craft, Thomas said.

Make-A-Wish volunteer Mindy Brock of Herrin called Thomas an incredible teenager.

He thought carefully about his wish, and wanted to make sure that the things that he asked for would not take away from another childs possibility of having a wish. To me that is true selflessness, she said. He truly has left an imprint on my life.

Jerry has a little bigger wish. His wish is a trip to Disney World, and it will be granted next year. Details will not be set until Noah knows when he can take vacation.

Make-A-Wish grants the wishes of children with life-threatening medical conditions. Since its founding in 1985, Make-A-Wish Illinois has granted 14,000 wishes.

To learn ways to help a childs wish come true, visit Illinois.wish.org.
ENFIELD  In a historic move, regulators from the Illinois Department of Natural Resources Department of Oil and Gas Resource Management on Thursday approved the states first fracking permit.

Approval of the permit, issued to Wichita, Kansas based Woolsey Operating Company, comes more than four years after former state governor Pat Quinn signed the Hydraulic Fracturing Regulatory Act into law, opening the way for the controversial oil-drilling practice to begin in the state of Illinois.

Hydraulic Fracturing, or fracking, is a technique used to enhance the flow of gas from shale formations that are difficult to access due to depth and rock composition.

The process involves the high-pressure injection of 'fracking fluid' into a well to create cracks in deep-rock formations through which natural gas, petroleum, and brine can be extracted.

Proponents of fracking say it supplies needed energy resources and brings with it jobs and economic benefits. Critics say the practice brings with it social, environmental and human health problems.

In July, more than 10,000 public comments from citizens against fracking in Illinois were delivered to the Governor's office in the capital by Food and Water Watch, the Illinois Green Party, the Environmental Defense Fund and Southern Illinoisans against Fracturing our Environment (SAFE) during the public comment period in the application process.

The permit gives Woolsey the green light to complete construction of the well, to be known as Woodrow No. 1H-310408-193, located just north of Enfield in White County.

Woolseys combination permit is known as Drill/Operate permit number 065315 and HVHHF permit number HVHHF-000001 and covers the construction, completion, operating, monitoring and reporting requirements for the well.

It also includes conditions the department has determined to be necessary to ensure the goals and requirements of the Illinois Hydraulic Fracturing Regulatory Act, the Illinois Oil and Gas Act and their rules are met.

But Rich Whitney, Vice-Chairman of the Illinois Green Party and SAFE: Southern Illinois Against Fracturing committee member says he is doubtful that the IDNR will be able to keep their part of the bargain.

After all these year of living with budget cuts there is not the will nor the manpower to properly regulate and address the fracking process and disposal sites, Whitney said.

Whitney also questioned the process by which the permit was issued.

"The IDNR issued three different deficiency letters to Woolsey about their application for the permit, and the last compliance with it occurred the same day the last deficiency letter was issued, which left the public with no opportunity to comment on or otherwise evaluate the application.

Whitney also said that the IDNR helped steer Woolsey Energy through countless application deficiencies by basically telling them what they were looking for and how to meet those requirements.

Whitney said that the Green Party, SAFE and other groups are exploring what comes next. He said that could include appealing the IDNR's decision in court through the methods made available to them by the Illinois Administrative Procedures Act.

I am tempted to paraphrase our President by saying all options are in the table,Whitney said.

Both the IDNR and Woolsey Operating Company were unavailable for comment by press time Saturday.
As Southern Illinois University Carbondale marks the end of summer and kicks off the new academic year, the School of Music events calendar reminds me that the performing arts at SIU have not been asleep or on vacation.

Over the summer, the Southern Illinois Music Festival celebrated its thirteenth season from May 26 through June 11. Featuring more than 100 professional musicians, the festival reached an audience of more than 3,000 through 34 live performances throughout Southern Illinois. The culminating performances of Mozarts Don Giovanni featured the famous opera in an innovative and colorful mobster-theme production at Shryock Auditorium.

Also a pillar of artistic tradition at SIU, Outside the Box New Music Festival 2017 featured guest composers from around the globe  including Shih-Hui Chen, music faculty and composition chair at Rice University. Guest artists from the Little Giant Chinese Chamber Orchestra of Taiwan joined forces with School of Music faculty Eric Lenz, associate professor of cello, and Christopher Butler, instructor of percussion, to premiere new works by several prominent composers, including SIU Assistant Professor of Composition, Christopher Walczak. I look forward to the next festival, which will be in its 12th iteration, during March 26-31, 2018.

This fall, get ready for an exciting Baroque music festival, cleverly named Inside the Bachs. Dutch harpsichordist Ursula Duetschler will perform several concerts with SIU faculty and students, including a cantata with SIU Concert Choir, Oct. 25-28. Duetschler, whose residency is sponsored by the SIU Fine Arts Activities Fee, will be the first major artist to perform on the Hubbard French double manual harpsichord, recently donated to School of Music by Lee Zucker of Washington state.

This year marks the first SIU Piano Festival, Oct. 14-18. Junghwa Lee and Yuko Kato, associate professors of iano, join forces with concert artists Nina Ferringo and Sandro Russo for a series of recitals open to the public and workshops for young artist participants. The fourth annual SIU Guitar Festival, Nov. 10-11, will feature two prominent artists on fretted instruments: Moacyr Teixeira Neto, from Espirito Santo Music School in Brazil, and Zvonimir Tot, professor of guitar from University of Illinois-Urbana Champaign.

The diversity of musical expression at SIU continues to evolve, said New Arts Jazztet member and SIU associate professor of saxophone and jazz studies Richard Kelley. Indeed, SIU ensembles such as Studio Jazz Orchestra and Combos will appear throughout the year on campus and also as outreach at Brews Brothers Taproom in Murphysboro. On Oct. 21, Music and Motion welcomes to the SIU Stadium competing marching bands from Illinois, Kentucky and Missouri. I hope that community members will join us for this rich array of multi-event festivals being offered by the School of Music.

Complete concert and event details are available at music.siu.edu.
PEORIA  The shout was for more hose as Capt. Mike Wittenmeier pushed down the smoke-filled hallway.

It was hot and humid, with only a few feet of visibility. Smoke filled the hallway, and Wittenmeier wasn't pleased with the slow progress.

"Come on," he yelled to a beleaguered reporter who was attempting to lug the hose down the hallway.

Fortunately, the smoke came from a machine, and there was no fire. But training was as real as possible for the six or seven firefighters who participated.

Every month, firefighters with the Peoria Fire Department practice what to do if there is a fire high off the ground. And by inviting a reporter along, they hoped to convey the difficulties associated with such fires and the need to remain vigilant.

Within the past few months, Peoria firefighters have battled two high rise fires. While that might not seem to be a large number, it is unusual for a city of this size. Battalion Chief Tom Carr said that all fires require training and practice, but high-rise fires require a bit more because they aren't very common. Also, he said, there is a definite safety aspect.

"With a house fire or a structure fire, there might more than one way in or out of the building. With a high-rise, there tends to be just one way in or out," he said.

Greg Walters, the fire chief in Peoria Heights and also the fire science program coordinator and instructor at Illinois Central College, agreed, saying such fires are more difficult because they happen less often. As a result, training sessions like one last month just north of Downtown Peoria are critical, officials say.

Carr said cities such as Chicago can bring up to 60 to the scene, but in Peoria, the number is about two dozen. That's five engines and two ladder trucks, each of which has about three firefighters. A few go in to check out what happening, while others find the fire hydrant and then the outside connection on the building. It's there, at the standpipe, that hoses can pump water up to the floor in need.

Yet, most of those aren't rushing into the building. Rather, they are manning stations outside to either assist with water or are "ready reserves" to replace firefighters who were in the building before. Everyone has a place and purpose at the scene and national fire safety protocols dictate a certain number for safety.

Capt. Richard Booth, who has 34 years in the department, says those firefighters are needed because it's hard work lugging equipment and gear up to the floor where the fire is. Each firefighter wears or carries about 80 pounds of gear. The turnout coat, which is the jacket most of us see the firefighters wearing, is heavy and feels like the lead protective smock that is used when someone is X-rayed.

The pants and boots are also heavy, and the boots make a foot feel suctioned to the floor. Add on a 19-pound backpack with a oxygen tank, a face mask, a flashlight and a helmet and it's easy to see how a person can be worn out. But that doesn't include the "high-rise pack," Carr said. The pack is about 50 feet of hose that is tightly bundled and carried by the firefighters on their backs.

Within a house fire or a single story fire, the water is on the same level, for the most part, as the fire. With a high-rise blaze, a firefighter can ride an elevator up a ways, always stopping at least two floors below for safety. From there, they have lug hoses and other equipment. Carr and Booth both say that for safety, policy dictates that a team sets up a few floors below the actual fire. Modern buildings have hose hookups on every floor. It's too dangerous to try to set up a hose on the same floor as the fire, Booth said.

"If you do that, you can get into the trouble as there is smoke and heat, and if the fire flashes, you might be trying to screw in the hose while the fire is coming to you," he said.

For that reason, the practice is to "hump hose" through the stairwell. Usually, it's a a floor or two below the actual fire. And even that's a difficult process. Imagine a hose, fully charged with several pounds of water pressure. The hose itself is heavy, and with each gallon of water weighting about 8 pounds, the line becomes almost like a small steel pipe. The gloves used by the firefighters aren't the grippiest. Combine that with the practice of staying low to the ground to avoid smoke, and it's hard work.

A single tank of oxygen can last between 20 to 30 minutes. A typical rotation for a firefighter is about two tanks or about 40 minutes maximum. Guys are rotated out to rest and rehydrate so they don't get injured.

During the training exercise, the reporter tripped and fell a few times. The hose slipped through his hands and his helmet fell off. Had it been a real fire, the consequences could have been severe. Instead, he was able to get to a ventilated room and drink some water after about 15 minutes of "battling the fire." It's for that reason that so many firefighters show up, Wittenmeier said.

"Imagine trying to do that with half the guys there," Wittenmeir said.
News / Education

by Staff reporter

AT least five primary schools in Matabeleland South have reportedly been forced to teach Shona as the indigenous language due to a shortage of Ndebele-speaking teachers as the issue of deployment of teachers continues to raise dust. Teachers and some officials from the province confirmed the development, adding that there was a need for urgent action not only over the issue of Ndebele teachers but other languages in the region.Investigations revealed that schools in Matabeleland South that were no longer teaching Ndebele and instead were teaching Shona include Mthwakazi, Mpalawani, Gwamanyanga, Mpopoti and Zhabazha primary schools.Both Thokozani primary and secondary schools are said to have no single Ndebele-speaking teacher.Some of the schools are on the border with Mberengwa which has Shona-speaking people.A teacher at Mthwakazi Primary School, who declined to be named, said the issue had been brought up many times at the School Development Committee meetings but each time it was swept under the carpet."The state of schools in the area is very terrible and unacceptable. Most schools are no longer teaching Ndebele at all because there are no Ndebele-speaking teachers. To make matters worse, temporary teachers, who are being deployed at these schools, can't even utter a single Ndebele word. We have raised this issue in many platforms but we have been labelled tribalist," said the teacher.Another teacher from Gwamanyanga Primary School said they had been instructed at the last minute to teach the examination classes (Grade 7) so that pupils could be in a position to write the Ndebele paper."They asked me to teach Grade Seven Ndebele but I refused because I can't teach more lessons than other teachers yet at the end of the day we get the same salary. I openly told them if there is a shortage of teachers, they must say so and employ people to fill the positions rather than overburdening us," said the teacher.Some teachers at the affected schools alleged that most school heads in Insiza District could not speak Ndebele.Although Matabeleland South provincial education director Mrs Tumisang Thabela professed ignorance over the state at the schools saying she would launch an investigation, officials at her office told Sunday News that that problem had been in existence for many years."I am getting the information now. As the province we are going to investigate the matter and map the way forward. It is now up to my office to ensure that something is done to address this issue because we want to make sure that local languages are taught," said Mrs Thabela.But an official at the ministry's offices said in some schools pupils had been studying Shona for some time."This is the system which has been there for a long time. We have schools with pupils who wrote Shona with none writing Ndebele. I guess the damage has been done and it's up to the Government to solve this issue," said the official.Insiza North member of the National Assembly Andrew Langa confirmed that there were some schools in his constituency that were teaching Shona but said they were teaching both Ndebele and Shona, noting that in some areas pupils came from neighbouring Mberengwa District."I am aware that at Mpalawani, Gwamanyanga, Lambamani and Mpopoti primary schools something like that is indeed happening but what I know is that they are teaching both Ndebele and Shona."What happens is that these schools are adjacent to Mberengwa District hence it is easier for them to access them than schools in their district. What we must not forget is that Ndebele and Shona are both national languages, therefore, I see nothing wrong in them being taught in schools," said Langa, who is also the Zanu-PF Matabeleland South provincial chairperson and Minister of Sports, Arts and Culture.However, officials said the problem was beyond the issue of Ndebele and Shona but that most indigenous languages were being suppressed because of the unfair deployment of teachers.They said languages such as Tonga, Kalanga and Venda were also suffering as teachers, who are not familiar with the languages,, were deployed to teach pupils in these areas.
News / National

by Marianne Thamm

Gabriella Engels and Afriforum have filed a review application in the Pretoria High court against South Africa's Minister of International Relations and Co-operation Maite Nkoana-Mashabane and first lady Grace Mugabe.The application seeks to set aside Nkoana-Mashabane's decision to grant diplomatic immunity to Grace after she allegedly went on the rampage and assaulted Engels in a Sandton hotel and later slipped out of the country to escape criminal charges.Spare a thought for the attorney and/or legal practitioner who will shortly be dispatched to serve a summons to the Office of the President of the Republic Of Zimbabwe at the corner of Samora Machel and Sam Nujoma Avenues in Harare.In papers filed at the Pretoria High Court on Wednesday, Engels and her attorneys (Hurter Spies) revealed that the ambassador of Zimbabwe in South Africa had "refused to accept the service of any court process and consequently that these proceedings will have to be served in Zimbabwe.""I am advised that personal service on the second respondent [Grace Mugabe] is unlikely in Zimbabwe, but the application will come to her knowledge if properly served upon the Office of the President of Zimbabwe in Harare."The second respondent [Grace Mugabe] left South Africa, according to press reports in the early hours of 20 August 2017."It is submitted that since the second respondent is the first lady of Zimbabwe, service on the Office of the President will be effective to bring these proceedings to her attention," says Engels and her attorney, Afriforum legal representative, Willie Spies."Zimbabwe's first lady Grace Mugabe has been cited as the second respondent (Nkoana-Mashabane is the first) as her interest in these proceedings is the setting aside of her diplomatic immunity."If set aside, the second respondent faces criminal prosecution and civil action in South Africa for assault, as such, she has a substantial interest in the subject matter of this litigation."The law provides for the South African court to order an attorney in Zimbabwe to serve the summons on Mugabe. If Mugabe should wish to oppose the application for relief, she has 30 days "from service of this order" to do so.(The Zimbabwean attorney might be in for a long haul as he camps outside the official Mugabe residence).Engels, a model, and Afriforum have requested the court to set aside the decision of Nkoana-Mashabane taken on August 19 recognising the immunities and privileges of Mugabe as first lady of Zimbabwe.A minister's minute, signed by Nkoana-Mashabane on August 20 and published in the Government Gazette, read: "In accordance with the powers vested in me by section 7 (2) of the Diplomatic Immunities and Privileges Act of 2001 (Act No 37 of 2001) and acting in the interest of the Republic of South Africa, I hereby recognise the immunities and privileges of the first lady of the Republic of Zimbabwe, Dr Grace Mugabe."Engels argues that the decision that Nkoana-Mashabane said had been made in the exercise of her powers in terms of Sec 7 (2) of the Diplomatic Immunities and Privileges Act did not confer immunity from prosecution on Mugabe.Nkoana-Mashabane has 15 days to provide a record of the proceedings that gave rise to her decision, as well as "reasons as she is by law required or desires to give or make, and notify applicants that she had done so".She also has 15 days to oppose the notice of motion and 30 days to file any further affidavits.In her founding affidavit, Engels briefly sets out how the Zimbabwean first lady "burst into" a hotel room in Sandton on Sunday 13 August while Engels and a friend were visiting acquaintances."She used an electric cord with a plug at the end of it and I was, inter alia, hit over the forehead, causing a gash which has serious repercussions for my appearance and my professional career as a model," said Engels.Engels argues that the Act excludes the granting of immunity to heads of state who behave in a criminal manner either causing death or injury to South African citizens and that the minister had incorrectly interpreted Article 7 (2)."Sec 7 (1) and (2) are empowering provisions for the conferring of immunities and privileges by the minister. In the absence of the precondition that compliance with sec 7 (1), the minster does not have the statutory power to confer immunity on the second respondent. The applicants therefore contend that the decision lacks legality and is void and should be declared invalid."The application by Engels also argues that Nkoana-Mashabane's decision reflects that she merely recognised the immunities and privileges of Mugabe."This presupposes the pre-existence of such immunities and privileges, rather than the minister conferring such immunities and privileges."The decision does not reflect the conferring of such immunities and privileges and is therefore not an exercise of the power envisaged in terms of Sec (7) of the Act."In other words, the granting of immunity to Grace retrospectively and after she was facing criminal charges is legally invalid.The recognition of immunity is governed by section 4 (3) of the Act which reads "The minister must, by notice in the Gazette, recognise a special envoy or representative for the purposes of subsection (2)".Subsection 2 provides that once being recognised as a special envoy or representative, the person enjoys such privileges as "may be conferred on him or her by virtue of section 7 (2) (section 4 (2) (c) of the Act."Engels contends that the granting of immunity lacks rationality.The application is expected to be argued in the next four to five months.
Forestry Association of South Carolina President Cam Crawford was presented a $5,000 grant awarded by Kristen Beckham, external affairs representative for Dominion Energy Charitable Foundation, to support the S.C. Sustainable Forestry Teachers Tour.

The tour is a graduate-level course offered by the Office of Professional Development in Education at the College of Charleston. Teachers in grades kindergarten through 12 can participate, and the course focuses on the importance of sustainable forestry to South Carolinas environment, economy, and quality of life.

The program was hosted for the 20th consecutive year in 2017 by the Forestry Association of S.C., the S.C. Forestry Commission and S.C. Timber Producers Association.

The Forestry Association really appreciates the grant from Dominion Energy. Dominions support will allow us to train additional teachers about sustainable forestry and the importance of South Carolinas $21 billion forest industry, Crawford said.

Through the financial support of the forestry community in South Carolina and other funding sources such as Dominion Energy, the week-long tour is offered at no expense to the participants. It is designed to educate teachers about all aspects of growing and managing forests, timber harvesting, and the manufacturing of forest products. Over 575 teachers have completed the course since its inception, representing schools from across South Carolina.

Dominion Energy and the Dominion Energy Charitable Foundation are pleased to partner with the South Carolina Forestry Foundation to support hands-on environmental and forestry education across South Carolina, Beckham said.

Planning has already begun for the 2018 Sustainable Forestry Teachers Tour, which will be held in Hartsville. For more information about the tour or the other forestry education programs of the Forestry Association, contact Janet Steele at 803-798-4170 or visit www.scforestry.org.

Dominion is one of the nations largest producers and transporters of energy. The Dominion Foundation is dedicated to improving the physical, social and economic well-being of the communities served by Dominion companies, including Dominion Carolina Gas Transmission. The foundation supports nonprofit causes that meet basic human needs, protect the environment, support education and promote community vitality. For more information about Dominion, visit www.dom.com.
Mr. and Mrs. Charles E. (Jean Shuler) Felkel, Jr., of Lexington, S.C., recently celebrated their 50th wedding annnivesary on August 20, 2017, at The Clubhouse on Pine Island, Lake Murray. The party was attended by friends and relatives. They were married on August 19, 1967.

Mrs. Felkel is retired from a career in accounting and business management.

Mr. Felkel, known as Chuck, is a retired pharmacist.

The couple has two sons: Chris Felkel and wife Theresa of Lexington and Kevin Felkel and wife Jennifer, also of Lexington. They have five grandchildren: Ryan, Ashton, Madeleine and Hayden Felkel and Dylan Darden.

Prior to the party, they celebrated by having their sons and their families (which included their 5 grandchildren) join them on Oasis of the Seas for an eastern Caribbean cruise.

Chuck and Jean Felkel were both born in Orangeburg County where they lived most of their lives. They met each other at a live performance of Maurice Williams and the Zodiacs at Folly Beach. Upon their graduation from college in 1967, they were married. Chuck continued studying and became a pharmacist and served the Holly Hill area for 40 years. During the latter part of his career, he was part owner of Chucks Pharmacy in Holly Hill and his wife Jean worked alongside of him as business manager and as a pharmacy tech. The Felkels moved to Lexington upon retirement to be close to their sons and their families.

A very special event took place in their marriage when they traveled to Israel during the summer of 2013 to tour with a group of friends and they renewed their wedding vows in Cana of Galilee in The Wedding Sanctuary. The Wedding Sanctuary is said to have been built on the site of the miracle that Jesus performed when water was turned into wine.
DENMARK  The City of Denmark will provide the water and sewer lines for the new Regional Medical Center Emergency Room Center in Denmark, Administrator Heyward Robinson reported during Denmark City Council's August meeting.

A groundbreaking ceremony for the new center was held Aug. 8.

Robinson said the goal is to fund the water and sewer lines for the 24-hour emergency services facility entirely with grants.

The water and sewer lines will run for a distance of 5,500 feet, beginning on Borderline Drive and running down Highway 70. Water will run down on one side of Highway 70, and sewer on the other, he said.

It appears a lift station will be needed for the sewer services," Robinson added. "The lift station will be owned and maintained by the City of Denmark.

Councilman Calvin Odom asked if the city is set up to handle the lift station in addition to the water and sewer lines.

Robinson said they were, noting the lift station will also be grant funded.

Mayor Dr. Gerald Wright noted the site for the emergency center on Highway 70 was one of the proposed sites being considered years ago for a hospital to serve Bamberg and Barnwell counties.

It should be a plus for the healthcare of residents of surrounding areas as it is for the citizens of Denmark," Wright said of the new center.

In other business, the mayor reported work is continuing on streetscape projects in the area from Denmark City Hall down to Coker Street in the downtown.

Robinson said he met with architect McDonald Law to review the parking situation and drive-in entrance for the new city hall, adding that plans are to bid out the project soon.

In addition, the administrator reported that a certificate of substantial completion had been issued for the water line replacement for Mill, Cooper, Brooker, Rome and Sawdust streets.

City officials met with state Department of Commerce and Lower Savannah Council of Governments representatives on Aug. 17 to begin work on the new water grant to upgrade water lines on Mulberry Lane, Peach Street, South Laurel Avenue and West Coker Street.

Rusty Munoz, city accountant, reported that one reason the water funds had been lower over the past couple of months is the annual licensing fees from the S.C. Department of Health and Environmental Control. The city had been in the red in the water and sewer department for several months, and Munoz stated in previous reports that they had been monitoring the situation.

According to financial reports distributed during the August council meeting, however, total revenue in excess of expenses is in the black again by $9,561.76.

Also during the meeting:

Police Chief Leroy Grimes reported there were 63 new case files last month, including simple assault, burglary, domestic violence, weapon law violations, shoplifting, theft from a motor vehicle, vandalism of property, liquor law violations, simple possession of marijuana, suspected child abuse, disorderly conduct, driving under suspension and a traffic collision.

He also reported that Sgt. Robert T. McGinnis attended a two-day class at the South Carolina Criminal Justice Academy in Columbia and that the state Department of Public Safety Office of Highway Safety and Justice Program had awarded the Denmark Police Department $2,799.92 for body cameras.

Cedric Hudson of the Public Works Department reported the department last month repaired 11 water leaks and assisted Lucas Paving Company in paving Richards, Byrnes and Cecelia streets. He also noted that DHEC had performed an inspection of the wastewater treatment plant lagoon dams.

Robinson, in the absence of the fire chief, reported the fire department received 21 calls last month.

The administrator reported the city purchased new Christmas decorations.
Orangeburg voters will have a familiar choice between the two candidates for mayor.

Mayor Michael Butler is being challenged by former Mayor Paul Miller in the Sept. 12 municipal election.

Its a repeat of the 2013 election, except Miller was mayor during that race.

Michael Butler

Butler became Orangeburgs first African-American mayor when he was elected four years ago.

The citizens placed their faith in my leadership ability and I am thankful for that, Butler said. I believe the citizens of Orangeburg deserve a strong leader who speaks for them, shares their concerns and is willing and able to do something about it.

Butler said he is running for re-election because there is unfinished business to do and he wants to build on the momentum established during the past four years.

The greatest need for Orangeburg at this time is building an infrastructure that will create more jobs and opportunities to enhance the quality of life for our citizens, Butler said. I will continue to lead the effort to address challenges to healthy lifestyles, reduce crimes, eradicate poverty and strengthen and support our educational institutions.

He also plans to work on enhancing recreational facilities and improving the social life of Orangeburgs citizens.

I will continue to take a leadership role to cultivate partnerships that will enable us to overcome these challenges, he said. I will continue to seek funds or grants from appropriate resources to help this effort.

The bottom line is that I will do everything within reason to ensure Orangeburg becomes a better place for all her citizens, Butler said.

He believes annexation, when exercised judiciously, can be extremely helpful in attracting new businesses and corporations by increasing Orangeburgs population.

With respect to where businesses and corporations will locate, the population of a city is a high priority in the decision-making process, he said.

Butler says zoning is benefiting the city.

It is an instrument to protect the single-family unit, he said.

Butler said he is opposed to tax or Department of Public Utility rate increases.

However, tax or rate increases require thoughtful and careful consideration before authorization to ensure they would not pose a hardship or burden on our customers, he said.

He said, I do realize and I believe city customers recognize there is a cost to provide high-quality services.

The Department of Public Utilities is a strong resource for the development and enhancement of community services provided by the City of Orangeburg, he said. I would like to see it remain as a city-owned enterprise.

Butler earned a bachelors degree from Claflin University and a masters degree from Walden University. He has also had further studies at South Carolina State University.

He founded Victory Tabernacle Church of Deliverance in 1984 and is today the suffragan bishop. He is coordinator for the School to Work Program for Orangeburg Consolidated School District Five.

I have demonstrated unequivocally my ability to get things done, Butler said. I believe the City of Orangeburg has made a significant turn for the better during the past four years under my leadership.

I want to sustain that momentum because the citizens of Orangeburg deserve a leader who can make a difference, he added.

Paul Miller

I think Orangeburg needs someone thats got proven leadership, Miller said. During my time as mayor, I felt like I offered positive leadership to council.

Miller served on City Council for a total of 18 years. For 12 of those years, he was mayor.

He says the accomplishments during his time in office include a reduction in crime.

From 2000, there was a reduction in violent crime of 76 percent, a reduction in property crime of 30 percent and a total Part 1 crime reduction of 37.4 percent, Miller said.

Miller said despite water and sewer rate increases, DPUs rates are low. In most cases, theyre the lowest throughout the Southeast.

He added, Without DPU, our ability to attract additional and new industries would be somewhat out of our control.

Miller is a strong proponent of annexation, believing it will lead to economic growth and jobs.

For a number of years, it was my aim to try an annexation of contiguous areas into the city, he said. Orangeburgs current population makes it unattractive to people who are looking to locate national chains in larger cities.

Miller said if the city were to gain another 15,000 to 20,000 people, we would be noticed by these national companies that wish to locate in these communities.

He said annexation would help the new residents of the city.

Those that live outside of the city pay double the water and the wastewater rates, he said.

Miller went on to say residents of the city would receive new services such as yard debris pickup, have better access to the Orangeburg Department of Public Safety and see insurance rates go down as fire service improves.

He said they would also have a voice in elections as they could vote in the city.

He supports the citys zoning laws.

Its very important to have zoning which protects neighborhoods and allows the city to have orderly growth, Miller said. Without zoning, we could incur a multitude of problems.

He said residential neighborhoods have been protected because of zoning and there is an opportunity to appeal decisions.

During his time on council, Miller was able to assist in passing the 1 percent capital projects sale tax, the founding of the Downtown Orangeburg Revitalization Association and the decision to build the new city gym.

For the past 40 years, Miller has been a member of various boards and organizations while also holding leadership positions.

Some include being a president of the Chamber of Commerce, president of the Rotary Club, chairman of The Regional Medical Centers foundation board, chairman of the Orangeburg Consolidated School District Five Foundation board and chairman of American Cancer Society for the state of South Carolina.

Miller became the second Orangeburg mayor to be named president of the Municipal Association of South Carolina in 2011.

Miller received a bachelors degree from Virginia Polytechnic Institute. In 1991, he started Centrex Promotions.
The oldest and boldest civil rights organization in the United States is needed more than ever, Orangeburg County Branch NAACP members were told Aug. 28 during the 23rd annual Freedom Fund Banquet.

Keynote speaker the Rev. Ellis White Jr., pastor of Edisto Fork United Methodist Church, said the present-day political climate is cause for great concern among African-Americans -- and all Americans.

You would think the struggle for racial equality would be a thing of the past, White said at the event at Edisto Fork UMC. "But even the first African-American president did not the settle the race issue."

Our fight has been taken to another level, he said of the election of Donald Trump as president. Forces are seeking to make America not great again.

There is a move to erase advancements coming from a president who is among the privileged in the country, he said.

He cited the problems of police brutality, inadequate school districts, poor health care, low graduation rates and overpopulated prisons.

We must fight until hell freezes over and then fight on the ice, White said in echoing the theme of the banquet, I Believe the Promise: Vote!

The minister did not blame only Trump, however. He said African-Americans must look both within and without for solutions.

Drugs, gangs and guns in black communities are prevalent, he said. Self-destructive behavior is widespread.

We have lost sensitivity, White said. We are no longer surprised at killings.

Saying the question is do black lives matter to blacks, he added, We must reclaim and improve our communities. This is no time for apathy or complacency."

The annual Freedom Fund Banquet raises funds to provide adults and youth with the opportunities and resources needed for educational, economic, personal and social development.
As Hurricane Harvey dumped record-breaking amounts of rain on Texas, two men saw an opportunity to help.

Santee firefighter Kyle Sargent and high school friend James Duck, a U.S. Army veteran, headed out to Texas on Tuesday with a truck and a trailer hauling a johnboat and supplies.

When they reached Texas, the two immediately got to work.

Theyve been sharing their experiences through social media, communicating bits and pieces of their effort with family in Santee and Georgia.

Videos posted on social media show Sargent and Duck riding along railroad tracks amid flooded streets, submerged vehicles and buildings.

In one of their first posts from Orange, Texas, Sargent said, "We got 18 people at the corner of North First Street and Second Street in Orange.

We got, I think, six or seven children and at least one elderly person.

I just need another boat. Ive only got a 14-foot john boat at the moment."

Sargent posted on Facebook Wednesday evening they, ended up evacuating 30+ victims in that area after our convoy decided to leave two South Carolina boys in a 14-foot john boat."

The men have rescued infants, those with special needs as well as displaced animals and pets.

They are searching for the owner of one dog they found.

Thursday, Aug. 31

On Thursday afternoon, the men found themselves in Orange, Texas, near the Louisiana border. The men were working with the National Guard and the Cajun Navy, an informal rescue group formed in the wake of Hurricane Katrina.

Orange is located on the Sabine River, which was swelling under the hurricanes rains. The Sabine River Authority was forced to open flood gates.

Speaking via phone Thursday morning, Sargent said "We are scouting for rescues once this water comes flooding in from gates and the northeast."

The men spent much of Thursday reporting to the emergency response command center about rising waters. They provided assessments of home occupancy, head counts, road accessibility and animal rescues.

By Thursday evening, the men had moved from Orange to Port Arthur.

"We are in the middle of the town now," Sargent said. "I am sitting in the front of a boat looking at a car with its headlights under water."

"It is a new experience for me," Sargent said. "It is hard to explain. We are just trying to stay on track and get as many people resources and out as possible.

We have been making some connections with people so they can update us on needing rescues later."

The situation has been challenging.

The men have been operating on about 4-1/2 hours of sleep. They are sleeping in their truck and have not had a chance to look for other lodging.

Sargent said the people theyve helped have been extremely thankful. But the hurricane victims have also experienced some frustration.

"We don't want to split families up. We stay with them and tell them we are not trying to leave them stranded or abandon them. We stay there and get people out to them, he said.

Karen Jackson, Sargent's mother, has been listening to dispatch reports from a mobile phone app her son provided her.

"Listening to dispatch was a little nerve-racking, knowing how bad it is," she said.

Jackson heard of knee-deep water at a nursing home and a woman in labor being rescued from her home.

Friday, Sept. 1

Marie Wyle, Duck's mother, said Duck and Sargent joined up with a group of rescuers that have larger boats and are helping to shuttle men to the Houston area.

"They have taken James and Kyle under their wings," Wyle said. "They have given them safety and they are convoying to Houston."

Duck provided an update on social media Friday.

"After everything settled in Port Arthur, we made our way back to Beaumont then heard of the help needed in Vidor (where we are currently). When we got here, we were informed that there was hostile people in town, so we are staying with the group who informed us at the command post, which is guarded by military and law enforcement, he said.

"The group we are with is from Houston," he stated. "They are stuck here until water goes down. They have offered us to run calls with them."

"We will be scouting for them in areas with large amounts of people to ensure it's not too shallow for the biggest boat," Duck continued. "We will be going to Houston with them when the water drops. They'll provide us with housing, bigger boat and more protection. They've already fed us our first hot meal since we left."

Marie said the men do have family to fall back on in the Houston and Galveston areas.

Back home

Santee Hardware, where Jackson is manager, donated gas cans, gloves, face masks, tarps, rope and other items to the mens effort.

Other supplies taken by the men included clothes, food, pet supplies, bottles of water and Gatorade.

"I am not concerned for his own safety," Jackson said. "He and James both have training through the fire department and military response and medical training. I think they are well equipped."

"I am very proud of both of them," Jackson continued. "I think they know what they are doing and they want to be able to help."

Marie Wyle echoed Jackson's sentiments.

"So proud of them," Wyle said.

On standby

Orangeburg ambulance service Ontime Transport LLC and Calhoun Automotive Works and Tire Center are partnering in accepting donations for the hurricane victims. They hope to send personnel to the flood-ravaged region.

They applied to the Federal Emergency Management Agency to send staff to Texas.

"We are playing it by ear," said Cody Wise, who owns both businesses.

He said they want to give back to those in need. The businesses also responded to Hurricane Katrina in 2005 and Hurricane Matthew in 2016.

As part of the effort, the business has coordinated with the South Carolina Militia Coalition to transport supplies to the impacted area including canned goods, baby items, hygiene items, clothes and shoes.

The supplies were transported to Texas on Thursday.

South Carolina United Methodist Volunteers In Mission's Disaster/Early Response Team has a team on stand-by to go to Texas if needed, coordinator Billy Robinson said.

Typically a team of about 14 to 20 will be sent, followed up by another team of about the same size a week later.

"We are gearing up for it," Robinson said. "We are compiling team members."

Robinson said the UMVIMD/ERT has already sent flood buckets to Texas. Flood buckets include cleaning solutions and scrub brushes to help people clean out their homes.

Health kits were also created and will be shipped to Texas in the coming days.

"We are offering to help. Whenever they call for us, we will go," he said.

Robinson says hes also keeping an eye on the Atlantic for more tropical activity.

"Hopefully, we will not have problems here, he said.

Donations being accepted

For those wanting to help with the Hurricane Harvey relief efforts, donations for Sargent and Duck are also being accepted on Pay Pal at SanteeAidforTexas.

Phil Sandifer and Son's Farms in Blackville is also accepting donations.

Sandifer said the farm will be sending at least one truckload of goods this weekend with hopes to send more later in the month.

Diapers, food, water, hygiene items and items for babies and the elderly are all needed.

"We just decided to do something," Phil Sandifer said. "It is pretty bad. We figured we would pull together as a community and help."

Sandifer said churches have pulled together to assist.

Donations can be brought to 1583 Mt. Zion Road in Blackville. The farm is located off of U.S. Highway 78 between Denmark and Blackville.

Donations are still being accepted at Calhoun Automotive Works at 1411 Bridge Street in St. Matthews as well as Calhoun Country Market at 1304 Bridge Street for the Sandifer trip through Sept. 14.

The Ujimaa Drummers and Dancers of South Carolina State University are seeking toiletries, canned goods, diapers, water, clothing, batteries, over-the-counter medications, lightweight clothing, small toys, pet food and other items.

Contributions can be brought to Smith-Hammond-Middleton Memorial Center, Room 128, on the campus of S.C. State. Another donation box is located in The Pit in the Student Center. The boxes will be active for the next two weeks, Ujimaa Director Delvina M. Wescott said.
News / National

by Staff reporter

THE Zimbabwe Electoral Commission (Zec) and political parties in the country have been urged to utilise social media platforms in their campaigns so as to lure more youths to vote in the country's harmonised elections to be held next year.Speaking on the sidelines of the Highway Africa Conference that was held at Rhodes University in South Africa, Zimbabwe-born academic who is now lecturing at the University of Johannesburg, Dr Shepherd Mpofu said there was a need to come up with deliberate social media programmes that targeted the youths to ensure that they partake in their democratic right of voting.He said in previous years there was voter apathy on the part of the youth hence there is a need to ensure that they actively participate next year."Firstly I believe the youths themselves should not stand in the background but come up and contest in the elections. Therefore the political parties which are contesting must brand themselves as youth friendly by having youths contesting in the elections."There should also be the development of a trendy way to invite youths to participate in the elections, for instance, the language that is used in online and social media campaigns has to be attractive to the youth. We know the youths have a lot of dreams and aspirations for Zimbabwe hence the need to come up with campaigns talking to the youths themselves," said Dr Mpofu.He said besides the development of these deliberate social media campaigns there was a need for the political parties to employ the youths to control social media platforms as they best understood how to talk to the issues affecting them."It won't be useful to have a 60-year-old manning the social media platform of a political party as they are totally divorced to the language that is understood by the youth as they explore the social media. However, most importantly there is need for there to be a huge investment towards the online and social media portfolio of any political party in Zimbabwe because it is not just about sending a tweet, there is a need for research, composition of messages, editing of those messages and also sending them."One way of doing it is by either using text or video messages, which by all means have to be of high quality because our youths are trendy and have to be enticed by quality things. As it is we are talking about voter registration, I feel Zec can develop programmes targeted at these youths, encouraging them to vote, and obviously they can do this via online and social media platforms," said Dr Mpofu.He said political parties had to engage the youths by even having active twitter accounts where they engage in debates with the youths so as to appeal to their needs."My main concern right now is the price of data because while we know that a good number of our youths are on social media, data charges remain significantly high and in some cases data just disappears without being utilised, the Government should therefore come up with policies to penalise these mobile network providers," said Dr Mpofu.Dr Mpofu who has done a lot of research on social media, presented a number of papers relating to this subject area during the course of the conference.The Highway Africa conference is the largest convention of journalists in the Sadc region, where they meet every year to engage on various key issues affecting the industry.This year's conference was held under the theme; "Media accountability and local governance" and attracted more than 500 delegates.
Companies must prepare themselves for the massive changes that the introduction of the value added tax (VAT) is bringing to the GCC region, a leading VAT expert has warned.



Speaking at the How will VAT impact the Solar Industry seminar organised by the Middle East Solar Industry Association (Mesia) and The Big 5 Solar, Michael Vaughan, director of tax at Grant Thornton UAE, stressed the necessity for enterprises to get ready for the forthcoming transition.



VAT is currently present in 150 countries and contributes to 20 per cent of worldwide tax revenues. Earlier this year, the GCC members ratified the VAT framework agreement, and a UAE law is expected to be enacted by the end of August. Starting from January 1, 2018, a five per cent VAT rate will be applied to most businesses; the mandatory registration threshold will be Dh375,000 ($102,000), while a voluntary registration option will be available for companies making supplies of 50 per cent or more of this figure, that is at least Dh187,500.



Although the UAE law on the VAT system is yet to be introduced, Vaughan urged companies to stop immediately from issuing contracts without a VAT clause and to start training their staff.



Theres a huge transformation under way in the region, and VAT is part of this change, commented Ahmed Nada, president of Mesia, stressing that all of us need to understand how this will affect the industry.



Over 100 solar energy professionals attended the seminar at the Nassima Royal Hotel in Dubai on August 23. Confirming the solar industrys expansion in the UAE, Hussein Abdel Khalek, event manager of The Big 5, said: Demand for solar energy has been increasing day after day, and more people are now looking to source their energy from Solar Power.



We believe that this is the best time to start our dedicated solar show, which will take place beside The Big 5, the largest construction industry event in the region, from November 26 to 29 at the Dubai World Trade Centre, stated Khalek, announcing The Big 5 Solar 2017.



Set to become the premier platform for solar industry professionals to network, learn and do business in the Middle East, The Big 5 Solar will bring all the top government and industry pioneers to meet with buyers and suppliers across the solar industry.



Alongside the show, the third edition of the Global Solar leaders' Summit (GSLS), a high-level conference under the patronage of the UAE Ministry of Energy, will host panel discussion and live debates with leading speakers, including Dr Matar Al Neyadi, Undersecretary of the UAE Ministry of Energy, and Dr Rashid Alleem, chairman of the Sharjah Electricity and Water Authority.



An additional seminar on the impact of VAT on the solar industry will also take place at The Big 5 Solar 2017, where Vaughan will present the new UAE law on VAT and its implications for the local solar community. - TradeArabia News Service
The Abu Dhabi General Services Company (Musanada) has revealed that construction works on the Dh4.4-billion ($1.2 billion) New Al Ain Hospital, a project executed on behalf Abu Dhabi Health Services Company (Seha), are progressing as planned and are now 50 per cent complete.



The hospital project will have 719 beds, including 484 beds for general medicine, surgery, childrens ward and maternity; 67 for ICU; 142 for medical rehabilitation; and 26 for VIP patients and royal suites.



The hospital is located at Al Jimi in Al Ain city, and will have 347,000 sq m of built-up area. It consists of the main hospital building, a 1,500-car parking facility, a logistics centre, a 60-MW primary substation, as well as other facilities and advanced medical treatment services that will meet the needs of the community in that area.



It will also include 104 advanced specialised clinics, 17 radiology rooms for X-ray, CT Scan and MRI services, as well as 22 specialised rooms for endoscopy diagnosis and procedures. The hospital will be supplied with state-of-the-art medical and technical equipment.



The company is keen on rapid and quality delivery of the project, which is progressing as per the approved plan and in line with highest international standards and specifications, in order to provide specialised health facilities, commented Hasher Al Azeezi, Musanadas senior project manager.



Musanada has recently completed the hospitals skylight ceiling and the shop drawings of electromechanical works. It had previously completed all window glass installation works and all concrete works of the main and utility buildings together with the projects steel structures. Precast concrete slabs for all facade walls have been also completed.



It has also commissioned and handed over the primary substation to Al Ain Distribution Company. The medical equipment and medical and office furniture contracts of the new hospital have been awarded, and all works are progressing as per the schedule, Musanada said.



Meanwhile, Seha has developed its strategic plan identifying the services to be offered by the New Al Ain Hospital in order to meet the need of residents of Al Ain region for high quality health services. The new hospital is set to offer several distinguished medical services in the field of neurology, rheumatism and vascular surgery, in addition to the first-degree trauma and accident centre and the behavioral science services. -TradeArabia News Service


Dubai Electricity and Water Authority (Dewa) has completed 30 per cent of the 46-km, Dh260 million ($70.7 million) water transmission networks project in various parts of Dubai, UAE.



This supports Dewas strategic plan to improve the efficiency and reliability of its water network to manage demand growth and increase water flow in Dubai.



The project includes the extension of GRE (glass reinforced epoxy) main water larger pipe, to increase water flow between Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Road and Emirates Road along Hessa street and Al Qudra road, and along the Jebel Ali to Al Hebab road towards Emirates Road in the areas between Dubai to Al Ain road and Al Qudra, said Saeed Mohammed Al Tayer, MD & CEO of Dewa.



In addition, the project also includes an extension of the main water pipeline at Al Lusaily up to the junction between Al Ain road at Jebel Ali and the Al Hebab road, and several other pipelines from Mushrif station (headed towards Al Warqa) and Al Khaleej road. This is intended to provide gravity-fed water, in case of emergency, and provide Al Reem, and other future projects on both sides of Al Qudra street, with water. This also meets the requirements of other water development projects in those areas as well, said Al Tayer.



The project also contributes to increasing water flow in Al Warqa and Palm Deira, ensuring the continuity of water access, and raising the pressure in the network, to support existing and future projects, noted Al Tayer.



The water transmission networks are managed with remote-controlled valves in the control centre, which contribute to the isolation of the faults in the shortest possible time, and reduce the loss of water in the network. The project also includes two sites to connect the main transmission pipelines along the Jebel Ali to Al Hebab road, and the Dubai to Hatta road, to increase water supply at Al Nakhli, added Al Tayer.



According to the planned programme, the project is expected to be complete by May 2018, said Al Tayer.  TradeArabia News Service
Careem, a leading ride-hailing service in the Middle East and North Africa, has appointed Nadia Rouchdy as head of sustainability and social impact.



In this role, Rouchdy will lead Careems efforts in sustainability, both internally and externally, and integrate our vision of long-term strategic planning to create a positive impact on the business, the environment and society as a whole.

Rouchdy brings to Careem a solid track record in sustainability, climate change policy, stakeholder engagement, and strategic community investment, and will be responsible for devising and implementing corporate giving and sustainable development strategies across the region. Specifically, this will involve encouraging and building a culture of cross-functional teams that will work in concert to identify and execute on opportunities to embed social and environmental sustainability into tasks, projects and activities where possible.

Rouchdy will also work closely with Careems board and senior management to enlist their support and involvement in key sustainability initiatives and will additionally be responsible for engaging with external stakeholders and establishing partnerships in the private and governmental sector to maximize community impact.

Careems aim to have a greater positive impact on the environment and society - both through how we do our business and how we engage with the world beyond  is a part of our corporate DNA. And after witnessing the incredible impact of our community programs in the past, including our partnership with UNHCR, we decided to invest in making our mission a reality and providing the resources it needs to scale sustainably, said Dr. Abdulla Elyas, chief people officer and co-founder, Careem.

Rouchdy joins Careem from Emirates Wildlife Society in association with WWF (EWS-WWF), where she led the drafting of adaptation strategies for regional governments.

Rouchdy holds a bachelor degree in Commerce and Business Administration from McGill University in Montreal, Canada and is currently pursuing an MSc in Environmental Management from SOAS, University of London.  TradeArabia News Service


The upcoming media expo IBC2017 in London will welcome two very special guests in the form of Sophia and Professor Einstein, the expressive, intelligent and uncannily humanlike robots.



Designed and created by Dr David Hanson, founder and CEO of Hanson Robotics, they will appear in the Tech Talks Keynote: The Future with Robots that Are Like Us on September 17, as part of a day-long strand of discussions that will examine accelerating trends and technologies of the future.



Dr David Hanson has built a worldwide reputation for creating the worlds most humanlike, empathetic robots, endowed with remarkable expressiveness, aesthetics and interactivity. He has produced many renowned, one-of-a-kind robot characters that have received massive media and public acclaim.



Sophia is Hanson Robotics latest and most advanced robot, with strikingly human expressions and evolving intelligence that enables her to converse and build relationships.



Professor Einstein is the first personal robot from Hanson Robotics. Dr Hanson teamed up with Andy Rifkin, a toy inventor with over 40 years experience, to develop a robot that would honour Albert Einsteins character and unique teaching style of explaining complex topics in a way that everyone could understand. Professor Einstein plays educational games, shares scientific facts and answers questions on a range of topics.



At IBC Sophia, Professor Einstein and Dr Hanson will discuss how robotics and artificial intelligence are set to become a prevalent part of peoples lives, with robots that can learn creativity, empathy and compassion.



Michael Crimp, CEO, IBC, said: Our Sunday series of Tech Talks offers a privileged opportunity to glimpse the technologies of the future Were incredibly excited to meet Dr Hanson, Sophia and Professor Einstein at IBC to discuss the future of robotics technology and artificial intelligence, as well as the possibilities they have to enhance human life.  TradeArabia News Service
The Dow Chemical Company and the Saudi Aramco have announced a non-binding memorandum of understanding (MoU) that sets forth a process for Dow to acquire an additional 15 per cent ownership interest from Saudi Aramco in Sadara Chemical Company, a joint venture developed by the two companies.



The current equity ownership split is 65 per cent Saudi Aramco and 35 per cent Dow. If the potential transaction is concluded as presently proposed, Dow and Saudi Aramco would each hold a 50 per cent equity stake in Sadara, said a statement.



Sadara is the result of a game-changing partnership between Saudi Aramco and Dow by delivering market-driven solutions that support the diversification of the countrys economy, said Andrew Liveris, Dows chairman and CEO.

Increasing our equity stake in this iconic joint venture is a powerful example of our strategic partnership with Saudi Aramco and is yet another accelerator in Dows long-term growth strategy designed to capture growing consumer-led demand in our key end-markets of transportation, infrastructure, packaging, and consumer products in developing regions.



Saudi Aramco president and CEO Amin H Nasser said: We are proud of our partnership with Dow given its preeminent stature among the worlds leading chemical companies. Dows larger stake in Sadara is an endorsement of the kingdoms vibrant ecosystem, and signals Dows confidence in our partnership as a model of mutually beneficial foreign direct investment. The time is right to fully leverage Dows global leadership to further contribute to the Kingdoms economic transformation in line with Vision 2030.



The potential equity equalisation would occur following the later of two events  (i) the intended separation of the Materials Science Company, within 18 months after the close of the merger of equals between Dow and DuPont on August 31 and (ii) Sadaras completion of the Creditors Reliability Test, which is part of the limited-recourse financing used to fund the Sadara project development.



The anticipated financial impact of the potential transaction is not being disclosed. The Sadara financial structure and governance remain unchanged, the statement added.



The Sadara chemical complexthe largest of its kind ever built in a single phaseis currently operating all of its 26 world-scale units that manufacture a portfolio of valued-added performance plastics and specialty chemicals. The more than three million metric tons of performance-focused products serving the packaging, transportation, infrastructure and consumer markets will add new value chains to Saudi Arabias vast hydrocarbon reserves, resulting in the diversification of the economy and region. - TradeArabia News Service
Lenovo has announced five new smart devices that unlock the power and potential of intelligent technology today  using artificial intelligence (AI), unleashing smart features and deploying augmented (AR) and virtual reality (VR).



With their affordable prices, these devices make transformative technology accessible to mainstream consumers and challenge the conventions of traditional category boundaries. The Lenovo Mirage AR headset, Explorer Mixed Reality headset, Moto X smartphone, Tab 4 Home Assistant and Yoga 920 convertible with special edition models bring you an unmatched number of ways to enjoy a more personalized computing experience, a statement said.



Additionally, the new 12-inch Yoga 720 convertible, Miix 520 detachable, both running Windows 10 and ThinkVision P27u monitor extend the Lenovo line of PC-related devices for even more choice.



Together with Microsoft, Lenovo is building a different type of VR world with the Lenovo Explorer Mixed Reality headset with more than 100 VR-ready titles. Lenovo Explorer is designed as a natural, affordable extension of your PC: You can access Microsoft Office suite, browse online or watch shows in a virtual home office environment, play virtual reality (VR) games, explore and discover through holo-tours, and enhance the video-watching experience via 3D, 360-degree and 4K videos. Set it up in just minutes by connecting a cable to your PC.



The New moto x4



The fourth generation moto X has a smarter camera that goes beyond capturing photos. The Landmark Detection feature makes the moto X4 camera your eye to the world  just point the lens at an object, and it will ask if you want to learn about what youre seeing. Or, spice up your selfies with the Augmented Reality (AR) feature, which lets you add a layer of animations to your photos or videos. The newest moto X4 is also the first of Motorolas smartphones to feature Amazon Alexa, giving you more options when choosing a mobile digital assistant3.



Lenovo Home Assistant Pack



Alexa makes other devices smarter too, and were bringing it first to our tablets. The family-focused Tab 4 Series just got even more versatile thanks to the Alexa-powered Home Assistant Pack. Use your voice to get news, the weather or your calendar, and see it all on the Tab 4s display.



Yoga 920



The Yoga 920 convertible furthers the journey to a smarter laptop with new smart pen functionality, voice recognition from a distance, 4 mixed reality options, 5 biometric security with Windows Hello, and other tools.



Yoga 920 offers an optional Lenovo Active Pen 2 great for Windows Ink that has 4,096 levels of pen sensitivity for drawing and making notes with no discernible lag. Additionally, voice recognition, a hallmark technology of smartphones and smart speakers, comes to the Yoga 920 with Cortana.



Now it recognizes voice commands in standby mode and from up to 4 meters away3 so you can add items to a shopping list, play music, check the traffic, send a short email, track packages and much more. Cortana even uses AI to learn from its owners, so the Yoga 920 grows smarter over time. It fuses power, such as up to an 8th Generation Intel Core i7 processor, Windows 10 OS and dazzling visuals with a nearly bezel-less 4K IPS touchscreen in a 13.9-inch frame.- TradeArabia News Service
Radisson Blu Hotel, Muscat and Radisson Blu Hotel, Sohar in Oman has appointed Tobias Ammon as the new cluster general manager.



Ammon rejoins the Carlson Rezidor Group following 18 months in Germany as general manager of Dorint Pallas in Wiesbaden. Prior to this Ammon spent over 11 years with Carlson Rezidor Hotel Group holding various leadership positions. More recently he was general manager at Radisson Blu Resort & Spa Cesme in Turkey and Radisson Blu Hotel Klaipeda, Lithuania. Prior to this, Ammon held the positions of executive assistant manager and director of food and beverage at the groups Park Inn by Radisson hotels in St Petersburg.



A German national, Ammon holds a bachelor degree in Hotel Management from State Hotel School in Berlin. Ammon, a passionate hotelier has worked with several reputable hotels in Germany, including Arabella Sheraton Grand Hotel and NH Hotel Group. He brings to his first role in Middle East an impressive resume with over 17 years of experience spanning general management and food & beverage.



"I am delighted to rejoin Carlson Rezidor Hotel Group and take up the cluster general manager position for our two wonderful Radisson Blu Hotels in Muscat and Sohar. I am also pleased to be working in the enchanting and beautiful country of Oman. As a passionate hotelier, I am committed to providing authentic hospitality and to inspiring our team to deliver the renowned Radisson Blu Yes I Can! service philosophy. My international exposure has given me a unique perspective on all aspects of hospitality and I look forward to leading our teams to deliver memorable moments for our guests, he added. - TradeArabia News Service
The Ritz-Carlton, Riyadh, a luxurious hotel in the Saudi Arabian capital, has received a 2017 TripAdvisor Certificate of Excellence.



Now in its seventh year, the five-star hotel has been chosen as a top visitor choice for its excellent hospitality and services in Saudi Arabias capital. The palatial hotel has also received the same distinction for two of its restaurants: namely, Al Orjouan, an all-day diner and Hong, serving traditional Chinese cuisines.



Awarded on the basis of quality, quantity and recency of reviews submitted by travellers on TripAdvisor over a 12-month period, the Certificate of Excellence annually celebrates global hospitality businesses. To qualify, a business must maintain an overall TripAdvisor bubble rating of at least four out of five and a minimum number of reviews. The achievement celebrates Certificate of Excellence recipients include accommodations, restaurants and attractions located all over the world that have continually delivered a quality customer experience.



Heather Leisman, vice president of Industry Marketing, TripAdvisor, said: TripAdvisor is excited to announce the recipients of the 2017 Certificate of Excellence, which celebrates hospitality businesses that have consistently received strong praise and ratings from travellers. This recognition allows us to publicly honour businesses that are actively engaging with customers and using feedback to help travelers identify and confidently book the right property at the right price.



Commenting on the recognition, Gerrit Graef, general manager, The Ritz-Carlton, Riyadh, said: It is with great pride and honour to be distinguished with yet another Certificate of Excellence award by TripAdvisor. Recognising not just our hotel but two of our restaurants are even more gratifying. Wed like to thank all of our guests who took the time to complete a review on TripAdvisor. As of June 2017, the hotel breaks the five-hundred mark of guests reviews and this wont be possible without the significant effort of our valued customers to provide their experiences out of their stay at the hotel.



Early this year, The Ritz-Carlton, Riyadh was also awarded a Travelers Choice Award, determining the propertys rank among the top 1 per cent of hotels in Saudi Arabia. Travellers Choice Awards are the highest accolade presented by TripAdvisor and in the 15th year of the awards, TripAdvisor has highlighted the world's top properties based on the millions of reviews and opinions collected in a single year from travellers around the globe. Winners were identified in the categories of Top Hotels, Luxury, Bargain, Small, Service, B&Bs and Inns, Romance and Family. The hallmarks of Travellers' Choice hotels winners are remarkable service, value and quality. - TradeArabia News Service


The children dropped small rocks into baking pans full of flour and a bit of cocoa, watching how the rocks dented the powder. Art instructor Kim Breed talked with a group of children about how asteroids and meteors fly through space and make craters on the moon.

Im dropping mine straight from the sky, 5-year-old Oliver Hansuld said, as he made a soft explosion sound.

A few minutes and little cleanup later, the students sat at short chairs around the table. Breed handed each a black sheet of construction paper and a pencil.

The children and their families gathered Saturday for Art Play at the Nicolaysen Art Museums Discovery Center. The monthly drop-in classes are designed for children ages 2 to 5 to explore art and learn things like visual-spatial skills, patterns, shapes and colors, according to the museum website.

They try out different materials, explore and have fun, Breed said. For a lot of them at this age, its their first exposure to art.

The children each drew a large circle for the moon. Then they grasped paint brushes in their fists to dab and smear a thick white paste of flour and paint onto their construction paper.

Breed later showed them how to make craters on their moons with a plastic bottle cap.

Oliver painted next to his 4-year-old sister Sophia, and brother, Henry, 1, who took up a brush, though he kept trying to put it in his mouth.

Their grandmother, Tia Hansuld, has regularly taken them to Art Play to explore their creativity. The projects are simple enough they can be repeated at home, though an advantage of the sessions is supplies are provided at the Nic, and the teacher cleans the mess, she said.

Its a good way to introduce kids to art, Hansuld said. I think that any kind of education and anything you do in life starts with art. Anything you do in life takes creativity and imagination and it helps you express yourself.

After the children filled in their circles in white paint, Breed asked if anyone wanted glitter.

Marcelynn Poppe, 4, dumped some of the silver sparkles onto her painting, and then her father, Jack Poppe, shook the construction paper to spread it out.

Marcelynn and her family traveled from Cheyenne to visit her aunt, who recommended the Art Play session. Art is fun way to explore and create, and the family sometimes makes art at home, too, Poppe said.

It always seems to help her focus and calm down a little, he added.

Anna Edwards has brought her daughter Rosalie, 4, to other Art Play sessions and this time invited a fellow parent and kid whod never attended. Rosalie also has participated in Preschool Picassos and other classes at the museum.

Shes already creative, and I want to foster that in her, Edwards said. I think that art is important to give kids the freedom to learn and to grow into what they want to be.

The children placed their finished moons on a windowsill to dry in the sunlight. Then they scattered around the Discovery Center to play at a puppet show stage, color a cardboard rocket ship or read books with their families.

While Oliver played with blocks, Sophia kept painting. She smeared gold paint on her hands and pressed them onto a new sheet of construction paper.

The families filed out at the end of the session with children gripping their moon artworks. Some of the paintings featured dabbed stars, glitter and plenty of white finger smudges. One resembled a square more than a circle. The point is what the children learn and experience, Breed said.

Were more worried about just exploring and playing with the art, she said, than a finished product.
News / National

by Staff reporter

MDC-T vice-president Ms Thokozani Khupe, national chairman Mr Lovemore Moyo and suspended national organising secretary Mr Abednico Bhebhe yesterday boycotted the low key launch of the MDC Alliance in Bulawayo as the opposition party appeared headed for another split.The three are against the alliance, arguing that MDC-T can go it alone in Matabeleland come 2018.Their boss, Mr Morgan Tsvangirai, responded to the boycott with a thinly veiled dig on Ms Khupe whom he accused of "attempting to divide the party along ethnic lines".The event drew roughly 2 000 people.Addressing the crowd, Mr Tsvangirai said, "I'm very concerned that we are now forming different groupings and formations. Zezuru unconquerable, Karanga invincible, Ndebele hegemony. This is a very dangerous development."This country should never be divided on the basis of ethnicity. Those who are promoting ethnicity and ethnic affiliations are dangerous for this country."Mr Tsvangirai said the alliance was bigger than individual parties, adding: "This alliance is a far bigger vision than the individual political parties that are in it. In our individual parties, we may have disputes, we may have differences, but nothing beats dialogue."That is leadership. Even if you disagree with me, the first basis you must understand is that nothing beats dialogue. As we move to a new Zimbabwe led by the alliance, you will see that there will be squabbling here and there. Some of the disputes will be informed by individual personal interests."MDC-T National Assembly representative for Mkoba Mr Amos Chibaya let the cat out of the bag when he inadvertently revealed the envisaged hierarchy of the MDC Alliance.Mr Chibaya, one of the directors of ceremony, introduced MDC president Professor Welshman Ncube as the grouping's vice-president.At the high-table, Mr Tsvangirai was flanked by Prof Ncube and People's Democratic Party leader Mr Tendai Biti.Brigadier-General (Retired) Agrippa Mutambara of Zimbabwe People First, Transform Zimbabwe president Mr Jacob Ngarivhume and Multi-racial Christian Democrats leader Mr Mathias Guchutu were also present.In his salutation, Mr Biti referred to Mr Tsvangirai as "leader of the alliance".
The impending departure of Allegiant Air from Casper, announced last week, signaled more than the end of popular discount flights to Las Vegas. It showed the extent to which Wyoming is dependent on the whims of commercial carriers to serve relatively rural areas.

Rep. Pat Sweeney, R-Casper, said that airport officials had done everything possible to retain Allegiant service, including attending the companys annual meeting every year in Las Vegas.

Citing poor demand, Allegiant ends discount service from Casper to Las Vegas Allegiant Air is pulling out of the Casper market, ending discount service to Las Vegas and 

What more can we do? Sweeney asked at a legislative committee meeting Friday.

The Wyoming Department of Transportation has a possible, if ambitious, fix. The agency wants to contract with airlines to provide regular service to airports in the state, similar to how large airlines like United contract with smaller carriers like GoJet to provide regional air service.

That would be a different approach than the revenue guarantees currently used to subsidize commercial air service in most Wyoming airports where the local, state and federal government chip in to the tune of $46 million per year to guarantee carriers a minimum amount of business each year by covering any shortfall.

WYDOTs idea is to start entering what are known as capacity purchase agreements. Those deals give the entity commissioning the contract more control than by offering revenue guarantees alone. WYDOT and local airports in Wyoming would dictate the frequency of flights, number of seats, price and destinations while paying the contracted carrier a set amount.

This idea of capacity purchase agreements, for decades, has worked very well for airlines, said WYDOT director Bill Panos. He pitched it as a public-private partnership that could reduce the amount now spent by the state on ensuring air service to small Wyoming cities.

Air service challenges

The new approach is intended to head off a series of factors working against reliable commercial air service in the Cowboy State.

One is price. The average air fare to or from Wyoming airports is nearly 30 percent more expensive than the national average, while southern neighbor Colorado has fares that are 20 percent below the national average, leading to a gulf that makes it hard to persuade state residents to fly out of local airports rather than driving to Denver or Salt Lake City, Panos said.

Only about half of Wyomingites taking a flight use airports in the state each year, according to WYDOT data.

Moreover, as commercial airlines begin phasing out the smaller jets that have long served many Wyoming airports in favor of at least 70-seat aircraft, it will become more difficult to continue attracting carriers to the state, even with revenue guarantees.

Thats why I think the program were talking about is so significant, said Sen. Hank Coe, R-Cody, at the Joint Interim Minerals, Business and Economic Development Committee meeting Friday in Casper. How do we end up with air service? Because right now the 50-passenger airplane is the size that fits the market we have.

And finally, even in Wyoming cities with regular air service, a common problem persists: Its far easier to fly out than fly in. A businesswoman in Rock Springs can fly through Denver to an afternoon meeting in Dallas and arrive back home the same night. But her counterpart in Dallas couldnt fly into and out of Rock Springs in a single day.

A capacity purchase agreement, Panos said, would solve many of these issues.

The core goal would be bringing three daily round-trip flights to Denver to all nine Wyoming airports with commercial air service, ideally with prices aligned with national averages and few to no cancellations or delays. While the programs proposed model could eventually be built out to include connection to other hubs such as Minneapolis or Dallas, Denver remains the largest regional hub for Wyoming, with connections to carriers like United, Southwest and Frontier.

Currently, four carriers service eight Wyoming airports  Casper, Cheyenne, Gillette, Rock Springs, Riverton, Laramie, Cody and Sheridan  all with their own schedules. WYDOTs goal is to transition to a single carrier with regular Denver service.

Jerimiah Reiman of Gov. Matt Meads ENDOW Council, which is working on economic diversity in the state, said lack of reliable air service in Wyoming led many business people and companies to move out of the state or cluster around Jackson, Wyomings busiest airport. Jackson was largely left out of the WYDOT proposal because it already has frequent, primarily leisure-based, flights.

Commercial air service is a significantly limiting factor, Reiman told the committee. Theres a lack of air service particularly to global destinations.

Nick Wangler of the Forecast consulting firm, which worked with WYDOT on developing the proposed program, said that Wyoming is unlikely to see this kind of regular service to regional hubs without more state intervention.

The way (airlines) do it is, If its not broken, we dont want to fix it, he said. Whats not broken to them is were paying really high airfares and we have really full flights.

But instead of having, say, a single flight with high fares, the state could use a capacity purchase agreement to create three flights with lower fares, Wangler said.

As now proposed, individual Wyoming communities would enter into the capacity purchase agreements with a carrier that would operate and staff the flights, while the local airport  or a community-based board  would brand the flights, distribute tickets and plan schedules and routes. Wangler said under the current plan, passengers would still purchase tickets on the airlines website and board an aircraft with a national brands name painted on the side, though thats subject to change.

The best solution is invisible, Panos said.

Skepticism, support

WYDOT is now completing a study of the model and the legislative committee agreed to form a working group, though lawmakers wavered between support and skepticism over whether the model will  or should  ever be implemented.

If the model is seen to completion, it would include creating hubs in Casper and possible Cheyenne that would allow flights to and from cities within Wyoming.

Rep. Chuck Gray, R-Casper, said that the timing likely wasnt right for the Legislature to fund a new air service program.

We need to continue to look at the current situation and continue to pursue competition, Gray said. But with the exception of Casper, commercial airlines have shown little interest in serving Wyoming without government subsidies  much less in competing with one another.

Regional carriers, which formerly served the small markets that larger airlines were not interested in, have been battered by new federal regulations passed after a 2009 regional plane crash that require pilots to have significantly more experience before flying any commercial routes.

Gray said he believed the solution to Wyomings air service troubles lay in attracting Southwest Airlines to the state because it was already a discount carrier.

You plop down Southwest and I think thats the biggest thing you could do to control price, he said.

State officials emphasized that the airline was uninterested in local markets and used only large planes that even Casper was unlikely to be capable of mustering demand for.

Despite volunteering to serve on the working group, Gray cast the lone vote against moving forward with developing the capacity purchase agreement model.

In contrast, Sen. Michael Von Flatern, R-Gillette, was one of the more enthusiastic supporters of exploring the model. He said that as carriers move to larger jets, many states will be competing to attract carriers to capacity purchase agreements and that Wyoming risked falling behind and losing out on a vital transportation option.

Von Flatern said hed been involved in discussions about air service in Wyoming for decades and that this was the first time he aware of an option like the capacity purchase agreement to work  something other rural states were likely realizing as well.

Its of the utmost urgency we get on this, he said. This presentation could be given in Arkansas this morning, or South Dakota.
Wyoming faces a shortfall of Medicaid funding that might be as high as $30 million now and is likely to grow in the coming years.

Officials say there are no good options to address the situation without harming other programs or potentially hurting already cash-strapped hospitals and nursing homes. Compounding the problem, Wyoming is still dealing with sluggish state revenues brought on by a downturn in the energy economy.

Costs are going up as Wyomings population continues to age, said Tom Forslund, the director of the state Department of Health. The current shortfall  the exact size of which is hard to pin down  is in the two-year budget cycle that ends next June. But as baby boomers continue to age and seek long-term care, the problem will only worsen over the next decade.

Its a reflection of the changing demographics in Wyoming. We have an aging population, Forslund said. As people age, more of them end up in long-term care, and long-term care is expensive.

Whats more, the health department is less capable of absorbing a $20 million to $30 million shortfall because it suffered a $90 million cut passed down from the Legislature in its most recent session, Forslund said.

Seventy percent of Wyoming nursing home residents are on Medicaid, officials have said. Many have burned through whatever savings they had when they retired and are thus dependent on Medicaid to pay for their care needs.

Limited options

Forslund said theres only so much the department can do to handle the situation. Officials cant stop people from aging. But they can try to control the costs.

Certainly one of the strategies is the longer you can keep people in a home setting and out of an institution, the less expensive it is, he explained. So strategies have been put into place to beef up home- and community-based services and to try to keep those people home.

Every month a person stays at home rather than moving into a long-term care facility is a month the state saves money. But its also a month closer to that person spending their own, often limited resources.

Eventually, though, a nursing home and Medicaid enrollment is likely.

With the changing demographics and the population getting older and the older population living longer, the state has to ready itself for continued increases in this particular area in the state budget, Forslund said.

In the past several years, state lawmakers repeatedly rejected attempts to expand Medicaid to more Wyomingites under the Affordable Care Act. Expanding the program likely wouldnt have helped, he added. The people who would have benefited were generally younger.

There are a few options the department can pursue to try to cut costs. None of them is ideal, he said. One is to pump more money into the program, either by cutting inside of the health department or by the state reducing programs elsewhere and providing more money for Medicaid. But that means somewhere, whether in the department or elsewhere in Wyoming, a program is getting gutted.

Gov. Matt Mead, in a recent interview with the Star-Tribune, said that if the situation wasnt solved somehow, he didnt know how as a state were not going to be subject to providing additional money vis-a-vis the current Medicaid system we have.

The other option, perhaps even more unpalatable, is providing less Medicaid reimbursement to doctors, hospitals and nursing homes. Forlsund said Wyoming has historically had high reimbursement rates and, as a result, 99 percent of providers here accept Medicaid patients.

To understand what would happen if those reimbursement rates were cut, Forslund said one has only to look around the country. As state governments have dealt with tight budgets and have cut that rate, participation rates by physicians have dropped drastically, to lower than 60 percent in some states.

Its a particularly risky proposition in Wyoming. While on the one hand the population is aging and the need for care becomes more pressing, the state has just over two dozen hospitals. Many of them, as well as nursing homes, are operating on thin margins.

Hospital impact

Because so many nursing home residents are on Medicaid, the facilities rely on reimbursements for a large portion of their revenue. Any cuts to that reimbursement rate, then, can have a dire effect on facilities that may already be on the edge.

Generally speaking, Wyoming has a fragile health care system, Forslund said. Essentially, the infrastructure is not robust. Theres not a whole lot of providers and options for people to go to. One provider says we wont accept Medicaid patients anymore. There then arent a whole lot of other options in some communities and some areas of the state.

Many of those facilities are operating on 1 percent margins, said Eric Boley, the executive director of Leading Age Wyoming, which is an organization of 29 long-term facilities in the state. Cuts to reimbursement can drive facilities out of business or force them to cut staff, which in turn can bring penalties for not meeting care requirements.

If facilities close, it puts further pressure on remaining nursing homes. It can also drive people to go out of state for care. Boley said research has showed that nursing home residents flourish when they live in or near their own community. In effect, moving out of state can shorten their lives.

Forslund said he doesnt know what option officials will pursue to address the situation, both in the short term and in the future. Hes working now to ring the alarm bell. His staff is preparing a comprehensive report on the situation that will be presented to lawmakers in October.

We just need to make sure people need to start thinking about it now and start planning for the larger numbers coming forward and develop some strategies to deal with it, he said.

Its a difficult situation where on one side our costs are going up and we have to cut multi-millions out of the budget, he added. Its getting to the point where it just doesnt work, and we are struggling with that.
Wyomings unemployment rate is as low as its been in years, but thats not necessarily a good thing.

Preliminary numbers from the Bureau of Labor Statistics indicate Wyoming had a 4 percent unemployment rate in July. Unemployment hasnt been that low in July since George W. Bush was president.

The state is in the midst of an economic downturn, and a low unemployment rate would appear to be a good sign. But it likely isnt: People are leaving the labor force, making the numbers look better than they are. Would-be Wyoming workers are leaving the state in pursuit of better opportunities elsewhere, in neighboring states where the economies are stronger and more jobs may be available.

The departure of people from Wyoming as the state languishes in an economic rut can be seen across the state, from cities overall populations to enrollment in public schools.

People just leave, said Carola Cowan of the Wyoming Department of Workforce Services. All surrounding states are doing comparably well. When we had the Great Recession, there was nowhere to go. But this time, the rest of the nation is not doing bad.

Unemployment rates are calculated by finding the percentage of unemployed people among the labor force. The labor force is the number of people 16 or older that have jobs or are actively looking for work, adjusted by the bureau to compensate for seasonal cycles. And the labor force is shrinking.

Wyomings overall labor force  found by adding the number of employed and unemployed workers  dropped below 300,000 in June for the first time since March 2009. Julys preliminary numbers  which showed a total force of 295,200  indicate the workforce shrank by another 2,000 people since June.

The total number of employed and unemployed Wyomingites both shrank over the past five months. In July, there were 283,500 employed, down from 288,800 in February. More than 11,000 were unemployed, down more than 2,500 compared to five months before.

The labor force can shrink one of two ways: when people leave the state or stop looking for jobs.

Cowan said the economic outlook in Wyoming is looking better, and that there has been some rehiring. But the largest factor is workers either dropping out of the labor force or leaving the state altogether.

The Bureau of Labor Statistics shows that mining and logging employment has improved nearly 10 percent compared to last year.

We can hope some jobs are coming back, Cowan said. Mining has been rehiring. Its getting a little better, but ... were obviously not where we were.
Tucson startup deals

Heres a look at acquisitions in recent years of early-stage, technology-based companies either based or founded in Tucson, or with strong local ties:

2017: Calimmune Inc. announces sale to CSL Ltd.

2016: Instant BioScan, a Tucson-based maker of microbial detection devices, was acquired by Mettler-Toledo International in a deal worth up to $30 million.

2016: ParkX, a Scottsdale-based developer of mobile apps for parking payments founded by UA grads, is acquired by North Carolinas Passport Inc. for an undisclosed amount.

2015: Raytheon Co. acquired privately-held Sensintel Inc., a Tucson-based provider of intelligence drone aircraft, for an undisclosed amount. The company started in Tucson as Advanced Ceramics Research and was acquired by BAE Systems in 2009 before spinning off as Sensintel in 2014.

2014: Sweden-based Hexagon AB acquired Tucson-based Mintec Inc., a maker of management and modeling software for the mining industry, for an undisclosed sum. Hexagon announced earlier this year it would move downtown and expand operations.

2013: Medical Referral Source, a homegrown tech startup that provides Web-based medical referral systems, was acquired for $11.5 million by The Advisory Board Co., a major health-care technology and consulting firm.

2012: Roper Technologies acquired Tucson medical software developer Sunquest Information Systems Inc. for about $1.4 billion.

2011: Notehall, an online class note-sharing venture founded by two UA graduates was acquired by Chegg in a deal worth $9.5 million.
We've collected a few front pages from newspapers.com to give you a look at some Sept. 3 papers in history. With a subscription to newspapers.com you can search the Arizona Daily Star and many other newspapers using keywords or dates, and download articles or pages.
Charles Schmid Jr. killed Gretchen and Wendy Fritz at his home on E. Adams St., Richard Bruns testified yesterday.

"I did it right here," Bruns quoted Schmid as saying a week after the girls disappeared last Aug. 16 while the two were at Schmid's house.

Bruns, 19, said Schmid claimed he killed Gretchen first and then Wendy. He put the girls' bodies in their car, took them out on Pontatoc Rd. near "the drinking spot" and dumped them, Bruns claimed.

One week later Bruns said he and Schmid went out to the area where the bodies were located and tried unsuccessfully to bury them. Gretchen's body was moved from the side of the hill into the wash so that it would not be easily found.

Bruns, an unemployed printing press operator, said Schmid told him the bodies were first put "in an obvious place where he would get caught."

Schmid also confessed to him how he and John Saunders killed Alleen Rowe, Bruns said yesterday.

Bruns said Schmid told him that he (Schmid) and Saunders had sexual relations with the 15-year-old Rowe girl in the desert wash southeast of Tucson and then they got a rock and killed her.

"If Mary French ever knew he (Schmid) had relations with Alleen Rowe, she would kill him," Bruns said Schmid told him.

Bruns, tall and lanky with dark, swept back hair, spoke calmly during the nearly three hours he was on the witness stand yesterday afternoon. He looked frequently at Schmid but he never showed any sign that he knew the defendant.

Schmid sat erect in his chair during most of Bruns' testimony. He remained impassive as he has all during the trial which ended its seventh day yestrerday.

During a recess in the trial, however, Schmid told a reporter, "This isn't over by a long shot." It was the first thing Schmid has said to anyone other than his attorney since the trial began.

The trial also took on overtones of the Mafia when the names Battaglia and Bonanno were mentioned by Bruns.

The witness said two weeks after the Fritz sisters disappeared he and Schmid were driven to an apartment building in Alvernon Way south of Speedway. Bruns said he recognized one of the men who did most of the talking as "Battaglia or something like that" from pictures in the papers.

Bruns said he also believed one of the men was "one of the Bonanno brothers."

Schmid said the men had been contacted to try and find the Fritz girls after they disappeared. Bruns said he thought he was threatened by the men.

Bruns testified that he and Schmid went out to the scene where the girls' bodies had been dumped right after the meeting with the two men.

Bruns said it was his idea to go to the area and bury the bodies. "I wanted to know if it were true (Schmid confessing to killing the Fritz sisters)," Bruns said.

After returning from their unsuccessful attempt to bury the bodies, Bruns said he and Schmid went downtown and spent two to three hours talking to FBI agents. Bruns said he told the agents nothing about the killing or the bodies.

Bruns said he had never been to the specific site where the bodies were located before Schmid took him there. But he said this was near the drinking spot off Pontatoc Rd. near the radio towers in the Catalina foothills.

"He couldn't find the bodies at first because it was dark," Bruns said. "But then he said, 'wait a minute, I smell her.' He then nodded and said it was Gretchen."

After failing to dig a grave, Bruns said (he) grabbed a rag on Gretchen's leg and dragged her down into a wash. Schmid asked him to wipe finger prints off her shoes. Bruns also said Schmid asked him to throw one of Wendy's shoes away.

"You're in it as deep as I am now," Bruns testified Schmid said then they were leaving the area.

Bruns related how Schmid had at one time taken Gretchen to see where Alleen Rowe was buried in another wash southeast of Tucson.

"He told me she said she didn't care what he had done and that she would always love him," Bruns said.

Midway through his testimony Bruns was asked by Prosecutor William Schafer how he had learned where Miss Rowe's body was.

"Smitty, Saunders, and another guy and I were hunting east of town one day and Smitty and John told us they were going to walk down the wash and scare some rabbits out our way.

"Later on he told me he had gone to the grave of Alleen Rowe. He said some animals had cut their way into the grave and had eaten her," Bruns testified.

The body of the Rowe girl has never been found although Saunders has pleaded guilty to taking part in her killing and was sentenced to life imprisonment for his part in the slaying.

Bruns said he never made any of the following threatening statements about Gretchen: "I'd like to kill her  I'm going to kill her  If I ever get a chance I would like to bash her head in  She's not good enough for Schmid."

These statements were reported by Paul Ginn, 23, of New Orleans. His testimony was admitted in evidence by Judge Garrett yesterday. Ginn gave the testimony in court Friday out of the hearing of the jury.

The judge ruled that the third party testimony would be allowed to show motive.

Defense Atty. William Tinney in his opening statement to the jury, said that Bruns, not Schmid, killed the Fritz sisters and that he intended to prove it.

Bruns said he was angry with Gretchen and he disliked her for blackballing him at school but that he did not hate her.

Bruns said he was at his home the night the Fritz sisters disappeared. He said he saw the car Gretchen used go by his house two times that night but he could not say who was in it. He said Schmid later told him he was the driver.

In the testimony (out of the hearing) of the jury yesterday, Ginn said that he had heard Bruns say, "I'd like to kill her (Gretchen)."

Following his testimony on the stand Ginn told a reporter, "I utterly despise Tucson, its police, the Tucson newspapers and you. I hope I never come here again. All I want to do is get out of this town. You had your say in 1957."

Ginn was sent to Ft. Grant in 1957 for killing Air Force Capt. Charles Wester on the Mt. Lemmon Hwy.

Ginn said that Schmid knew he had killed Wester but he would not say if they talked about the killing. He refused to say any more and left Tucson on a bus yesterday morning.

Mrs. Betty Fields, who formerly lived at Schmid's house at E. Adams St. with her husband said that Schmid had spoken of a diary often. He said the diary had enough information in it to send him to the electric chair.

"Smitty, you're kidding," Mrs. Fields recalled she said.

"I'm making plans now," Schmid replied. "I've got to get that diary somehow."

Schmid told her that Gretchen took the diary from his house about the first of July, 1965.

Mrs. Fields said Schmid had remarked after conversations with Gretchen over the phone, "I'm going to kill that little . . . "

Mrs. Fields said the black electric guitar cord found at the murder scene was similar toi the one she worked on while living at Schmid's house last July.

The Fritz sisters disappeared last Aug. 16. Schmid was arrested for the murders Nov. 10 after Bruns led police to the skeletons and said Schmid admitted the killings to him.
The memories were flowing for a small group of friends about the old school, All Saints Catholic.

They remembered the nuns, those in the black and white habits, followed by the nuns dressed in blue and white. They also remembered the lay teachers, a couple of whom, believe it or not, were stricter than the nuns.

They remembered the classrooms where they were taught and the cloakroom where other lessons were learned. They remembered the asphalt playground where scrapes were earned as badges and they recalled making that rare entrance through the door into the mysterious convent next to the school.

And they remembered their classmates, Mexican, Anglo and black kids from the nearby downtown barrios and other parts of the city who all gathered together in the classrooms of the two-floor rectangular building on South Sixth Avenue.

Today I realize what a privilege it was, said Annette Anaya, who lives in Queen Creek near Phoenix.

For Richard Elias, the schooling was a very good deal. I think our lives got better, said the Pima County supervisor.

I nodded my head in agreement. Im an alum of the school, as are my three siblings.

Recently I joined five former All Saints students to hear and talk about the school, common experiences, individual memories. The group is planning a reunion for all former All Saints students at the school on Sept. 16.

Along with Dianne Corral Castillo, Felicia Frontain and Ann Charles, Anaya and Elias are planning the reunion. With the exception of Charles, who attended for several years, the other four were part of the schools last class, which graduated from the eighth grade in 1972, the year the school closed.

For us, and I suspect many other All Saints students, the school provided a normal grade-school experience in many ways. The morning bell rang, we lined up with our classes and walked to our classrooms for our daily instruction. We had recess, lunch and occasional visits to the principals office.

However, being in a Catholic school, we also had a much different experience than our neighborhood friends who went to public schools. We attended Mass once a week or sometimes more often if there was a religious holiday, and we wore uniforms (plaid blue skirts and white blouses for the girls, navy blue pants and light blue shirts for the boys). We wrote JMJ (Jesus, Mary, Joseph) on our assignments and we said prayers every day, or at least we pretended.

We had a shared experience and, contrary to popular folklore about Catholic schools, we dont recall that the nuns dished out much corporal punishment. Not to say they werent strict; in individual cases some nuns were just plain mean. But we viewed many of the nuns with respect and often we formed strong bonds with them.

The nuns were exceptional, said Frontain, who works at the University of Arizona.

We remembered some of them: Sister Bernice, Sister Evelyn, Sister Ann Elizabeth, Sister Kathleen Marie and Sister Daniel Joseph.

As the 60s came to a close, amidst swirling national changes in attitudes and politics, the nuns scaled back their religious clothing and the hemlines came up. They revealed themselves more as human beings, said the group.

The school wasnt immune to social changes.

All Saints Church, at 410 S. Sixth Ave., was created for racial reasons. St. Augustine Cathedral was only a couple of blocks away but it was considered the Mexican church. The growing number of English-speaking Catholics wanted their own church. As a December 1912 headline in the Arizona Daily Star put it: House of Worship for English Speaking Catholics.

By the the mid-1940s, All Saints School, across the street at 415 S. Sixth Ave., opened. Nearby Cathedral school was for Mexican-Americans, blacks and anyone else who didnt fit All Saints mold.

By the 1960s, All Saints School had become integrated. In 1966, All Saints Church closed and merged with the Cathedral and the following year Cathedral School closed and its students joined All Saints and the school was renamed. About the same time, the all-girls Immaculate Heart Academy, across the street at East 15th Street and South Sixth Avenue, closed and many of the girls came to All Saints.

As the student population changed, we had more lay teachers in the classrooms. And in 1972, Cathedral School closed due to gradual loss of nuns and because of higher operating costs. Subsequently the building was used for religious education classes but those, too, ended. Earlier this year the Cathedral Parish sold the 15,736-square-foot building to Peach Properties, which is in the process of converting it into residential units.

The reunion group shared a sense of loss and sadness when the school closed. We all understand that change comes, people and buildings come and go. But we felt special at All Saints.

Castillo, who now lives in Chandler, said All Saints gave her comfort. We were a family there. Everybody knew everybody.
The ground is stabilizing under Tucson and Phoenix, but sinking faster than ever under many rural farming areas around the state.

The phenomenon known as land subsidence is showing a two-way trend due to differences in the kinds of water supplies and water management used in varying regions, officials say.

Subsidence has been a problem in Arizona for decades. Its the collapsing of the soil due to chronic pumping that exceeds the rate the aquifer is replenished by rainfall and other sources.

But today, where state regulations on pumping are stricter and renewable supplies are available  like Tucson  its getting better. In places like Willcox in Southeast Arizonas Cochise County, and in parts of La Paz County in Western Arizona, where such regulations and renewable waters are non-existent, its getting worse.

This matters to state water officials, environmental activists, researchers and others interested in water because subsidence causes at least two major problems.

It often triggers fissures that can damage roads, pipelines, power lines, bridges and canals, and can swallow cars, old furniture and even animals at times. About 167 miles of fissures have been mapped in Arizona. In parts of Cochise County, new ones open yearly, Arizona Geological Survey officials say.

Subsided lands are also more likely to flood because the sinking can alter natural drainage slopes, state officials say. Such areas have flooded at times in Arizona City in Pinal County, in and around Luke Air Force Base in Phoenixs West Valley area, and in the town of Wenden near rural farmlands in the McMullen Valley west of Phoenix.

In Texas, land subsidence also has significantly aggravated flood damage over the years in Houston, including during Hurricane Harvey, according to news reports from that area.

It can and definitely has impacted infrastructure. Its impacting floodplains. Its definitely changing the properties of the aquifer and its compacting areas that used to store water that wont be able to store water now, said Brian Conway, an Arizona Department of Water Resources (ADWR) hydrologist.

At the same time, Arizona is far better off than Californias Central Valley, where agricultural pumping during the peak of the states drought in 2015 lowered some areas 1 to 2 feet, he said.

Where its getting better or worse

Some statistics:

Since the early 1990s, the subsidence rate dropped about 90 percent in the Tucson area and 25 percent in the Phoenix area.

Over a year in Tucson, its very hard to detect any ground motion indicating sinking, said Conway, who supervises the water agencys geophysics surveying unit. It usually takes two years for the ground to sink enough in Tucson for the movement to be detected, he said.

In rural Cochise County and other agricultural areas, subsidence rates have jumped two to five times since the early to mid-1990s. In the Willcox area, the rate of ground collapse has tripled since the mid-1990s, ADWR officials say.

In the past year, the ground under Willcox dropped between 5 and 6 inches, or 14 centimeters. That compared to 3.5 centimeters or about an inch and a half in the mid-90s, said Conway.

In the Willcox Playa, where thousands of sandhill cranes migrate every winter, subsidence rates are unknown because the playas water makes it impossible to detect ground movement by satellite technology, Conway said.

Subsidence rates have also skyrocketed in the McMullen Valley west of Wickenburg, where the ground drops about as fast as in Willcox. The Douglas, Fort Grant, Bowie and San Simon areas in Cochise County and the Ranegras Plain east of Quartszite in Western Arizona have also experienced escalating subsidence rates.

Behind the trends

Tucson and Phoenixs improvements are credited partly to the 1980 Arizona Groundwater Management Act. It required these areas to slowly clamp down on groundwater pumping by conserving water. They were placed in state Active Management Areas that set up periodic water-management plans.

And in Phoenix starting in 1985 and Tucson starting in 2001, the use of Central Arizona Project water brought by canal from the Colorado River has reduced pumping much further.

The Green Valley-Sahuarita area south of Tucson lies within the Tucson water management area. It has not had CAP water, although efforts are underway to bring CAP there by two pipeline projects. One, for the Farmers Investment Co.s pecan groves, should start construction next spring and deliver CAP water a year later, a FICO spokesman said.

But in the Green Valley area, theres only been moderate subsidence of a less than an inch to an inch and a half a year. Thats because the groves are fallow part of the year. Typically, the ground sinks when the pumps to the pecans run between February and May and recovers during the winter when pumps are idle, the state agency says.

In rural farming areas such as Willcox, many farmers, ranchers and other landowners didnt want groundwater regulations in 1980. They were concerned they would violate property rights and hurt them economically.

Concerned about the growing subsidence problem, the state started conducting detailed monitoring of subsidence in 1997. Since 2002, it has used satellites to map subsidence trends. That costs $125,000 a year, paid by state agencies, county flood control districts and local water districts.

Whats next

Now, there is talk of enacting groundwater regulations for the rural areas. As part of a statewide water initiative, the state water agency has established 22 areas around Arizona where it has been conducting public meetings and gathering data to consider future management actions. Gov. Doug Duceys office has established a separate work group thats examining groundwater issues this summer in private meetings.

They are going to have to up their regulatory framework outside the active management areas, said Val Little, director of the Water Conservation Alliance of Southern Arizona. It will be a pitched battle, but its time. It has to happen.

We dont want unnecessary regulations, but where regulations work, we ought to use them elsewhere, added Eric Holler, a retired manager of the U.S. Bureau of Reclamations Tucson office, who does volunteer work on local water issues as well as private consulting.

You want to be able to balance economic development in anticipation of environmental problems, he said.

The Arizona Farm Bureau still will not favor new regulations when they increase costs for farmers and ranchers.

But its particularly concerned about the prospect of what the bureaus Stephanie Smallhouse calls one-size-fits-all rules that apply statewide.

The state needs to take time to design rules specifically for individual regions, said Smallhouse, the bureaus first vice president.

One-size-fits-all rules fix a problem in one place, and start another somewhere else, said Smallhouse, who farms in the San Pedro Valley in Pima and Cochise counties.

Its not just rural areas of Arizona versus urban areas. Rural areas are different from one another and should be treated differently, she said.
The Tucson plastic surgeon who built a new nose for Greensboro, North Carolina, resident Alexis Dermatas this summer is known around the world for his work.

Dr. Frederick J. Menick, a surgeon in private practice, is an expert in rhinoplasty who primarily rebuilds noses after birth defects, trauma, autoimmune disease and cancer. Noses are also sometimes destroyed due to cocaine use, he said in an interview.

But the most common reason Menick rebuilds noses is cancer  when the nose has been lost due to either skin or nasal cavity cancer, he said.

Most of Menicks patients come from outside of Tucson. On Tuesday he operated on a woman from Canada. He also has current patients from New Jersey, New York City, Miami, Brazil, Iran and China.

Dermatas lost her nose to a dog attack. Yet in terms of her future appearance, she should look quite normal, Menick said.

The traditional approach to plastic surgery and facial reconstruction when I finished my training was to basically get the wound healed, he recalled. The aesthetic or cosmetic results were very unpredictable, if not poor.

Since that time, Menick has helped develop approaches to improve cosmetic results with new techniques, and says he places a high priority on aesthetics.

If its done properly you can hope for some amazing results, he said. Theres always going to be a scar. But most scars look bad because the structure that has been rebuilt looks bad.

If the nose structure is built well and the scars are strategically placed along the border of the nose, then the scars become inconsequential, he said.

Menick performs his surgeries at Carondelet St. Josephs Hospital in Tucson and has been practicing in Tucson since 1982. He was formerly the chief of plastic surgery at the University of Arizona and Southern Arizonas Veterans Affairs hospital.

When I came to Tucson I was a general plastic surgeon, but early on developed an interest in nose reconstruction, said Menick, who has written two textbooks on facial and nasal reconstruction and routinely gives lectures on the subject.

My practice in the last 15 or 20 years is limited to nasal problems.  I get a lot of patient referrals from other surgeons around the world, he said.

Menick earned his medical degree at Yale. He completed residencies at Stanford, the UA, the University of California Irvine and did advanced fellowships in plastic surgery at the University of Miami and at Queen Victoria Hospital in England.
A Tucson soldier was declared deceased Thursday after an Aug. 25 helicopter crash off the coast of Yemen.

Army Staff Sgt. Emil Rivera-Lopez, 31, was listed as duty status whereabouts unknown after the Black Hawk crash, which occurred about 20 miles off the coast of Yemen during a routine training exercise, according to a news release from the Department of Defense.

Military officials announced the crash the next day, saying that five people aboard the aircraft had been rescued but one service member was still missing, according to The Associated Press.

Rivera-Lopez was declared dead Thursday, but his identity wasnt released until the next day, the news release said.

The cause of the crash is under investigation.

Defense officials confirmed Saturday that Rivera-Lopez was from Tucson.

Rivera-Lopez was assigned to the 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment, Military.com reported.

The unit, known as the Night Stalkers, specializes in difficult nighttime missions, often transporting special operations troops into battle, according to the article.

Rivera-Lopez joined the Army in 2006 as a Black Hawk helicopter repairer, the Army Times reported, saying that after training, Rivera-Lopez served in the 82nd Combat Aviation Brigade before joining the 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment.

Several Tucson lawmakers expressed their condolences on social media Saturday.

Sgt. Rivera-Lopez of Tucson is a decorated hero who served his country valiantly. My prayers are with his loved ones, U.S. Rep. Martha McSally wrote in a tweet.

U.S. Sen. John McCain also sent his condolences to Rivera-Lopezs family and friends via Twitter, saying that he and his wife were sending heartfelt prayers.

Cheryl and I express our deepest condolences to the family of Staff Sgt. Rivera-Lopez. You are in our prayers, U.S. Sen. Jeff Flake wrote in a tweet.

Rivera-Lopez was a highly decorated service member, receiving awards that included the Air Medal, Army Commendation Medal for valor and Army Achievement Medal, according to the military publication Stars and Stripes.
News / National

by Staff reporter

Mutare businessman Tendai Blessing Mangwiro's lawyers have written to the High Court registrar demanding a ruling in an urgent chamber application filed by Home affairs minister Ignatius Chombo seeking to block his arrest on contempt of court charges.Mangwiro is battling to recover $1,5 million and a further $78 900 confiscated from him by the police in 2008 following his arrest on theft charges, before he was acquitted in 2012.Despite a High Court ruling that Chombo be jailed for 90 days for failing to comply with an order instructing him to facilitate the release of the money, nothing happened, forcing Mangwiro to make another application pushing for the minister's arrest.Chombo had to rush back to court late July on an urgent basis to evade being jailed, claiming he had complied with the order.It is that application that awaits ruling, which has prompted Mangwiro's lawyers to write to the High Court registrar."The judgment in the above matter was scheduled for handing down on the 10th of August by his Lordship justice (Charles) Hungwe."On the said date, we were advised that the honourable judge had been unable to deliver it by the set date and were told to await advice of its availability. To date we have not been advised of anything."It is common cause that on the hearing date of this urgent chamber application, the provisional relief sought by applicant (Chombo) was granted by consent with the parties moving to argue the final relief so as to expedite the disposition of the matter."This was done on the understanding that this matter was extremely urgent and had taken needlessly long to finalise."We advise that the need to urgently dispose of the matter has never been as profound as it is now and enquire whether the ruling has been handed down as yet so that we can be guided on how to proceed," Mangwiro's lawyers Mahuni Gidiri Law Chambers said in the letter dated September 1, 2017.In the application, Chombo cited the Sheriff for Zimbabwe, Mangwiro and his lawyers Shelton Mahuni and Valentine Mutatu, as respondents.After the matter was heard before Hungwe, Mangwiro's lawyer Rungano Mahuni, who had instructed Tazorora Musarurwa to argue the case, said that the parties agreed that Chombo will not be arrested pending the determination of his application.Mangwiro, responding to Chombo's application said that the minister had demonstrated that he is in wanton disregard of court orders.He said contrary to Chombo's claims that he had complied with the court order by writing a letter to the Finance ministry to release the funds, this was not good enough because compliance to Mangwiro entailed having his account credited with the money.Mangwiro said that allowing Chombo to get away with his actions will set a bad precedence, adding that the minister must be jailed until he complies with the order.The Sheriff has previously failed to arrest Chombo after he was protected by security personnel at Zanu-PF headquarters where he was attending the party's politburo meeting, which prompted Mangwiro to appeal to commissioner general of police Augustine Chihuri and director general of the Central Intelligence Organisation Happyton Bonyongwe for assistance.
The Arizona Attorney Generals Office is investigating a pair of complaints alleging TUSD Governing Board members conducted public business in secret as they prepared to fire former superintendent. H.T. Sanchez in February.

One of the complaints was filed by the districts former attorney, Julie Tolleson, who alleged that three board members  Mark Stegeman, Michael Hicks and Rachael Sedgwick  violated Arizonas open meeting law by having serial communication among themselves through Tucson attorney Bill Brammer about their plan to fire Sanchez.

This three member majority is functioning as a shadow board in secret to make major policy and personnel decisions that are then rubber stamped in board meetings, Tolleson wrote in her complaint.

The other complaint, filed by one-time Pima County supervisor candidate Richard Hernandez, alleges that board members broke the states open meeting law when board members Kristel Foster and Adelita Grijalva ambushed Stegeman in a parking lot in an attempt to create a quorum of the board and stop him from meeting with Brammer to talk about firing Sanchez.

The complaints come on the heels of the Attorney Generals Office finding the Tucson Unified School District board violated the states open meeting law in 2015. In that case, Stegeman and Hicks complained to the Attorney Generals Office that the board had discussed in executive session a topic that should have been held in public, a violation for which board members were forced to undergo a 90-minute training in January.

The district could not say how much it had spent on lawyers fees to respond to and defend board members from six separate open meeting complaints since January 2015.

The law is designed to ensure that public business is done in public and bars a majority of any public body from discussing public business outside of a properly noticed meeting. That law also bans a majority of officials from any public body from having serial communication through a third party.

Although the boards contract attorney, Susan Segal of the Gust Rosenfeld law firm, said the districts responses to the complaints were public records, TUSD initially refused to provide them to the Arizona Daily Star, saying the documents are considered attorney work product and protected from release. Only after the Attorney Generals Office disagreed, and sent the documents to the Star did the district change its mind and also provide the records. Superintendent Gabriel Trujillo said the district got wires crossed and erred in originally denying the request.

In her responses to the complaints sent to the Attorney Generals Office in August, Segal said the complaint about the parking lot incident was without merit.

But Segal didnt offer a clear opinion on whether the board had violated the law regarding the meetings between three board members and Brammer, who drafted a statement of cause to fire Sanchez.

Tolleson, the districts former attorney who filed the complaint almost a year after she quit to go to work for the Colorado Attorney Generals Office, said she didnt want to get involved. But the issue so bothered her that she felt contacting Attorney General Mark Brnovich was the only way to set things right.

I was offended on several different levels. Because if theres any business that goes to the very heart of public transparency, creating a plan to pursue formal charges against your superintendent is something that needs to be done in accordance to the public meeting law. Or else it becomes political espionage, and thats what it sort of felt like, she said.

Sedgwick, who joined the TUSD Governing Board in January and almost immediately had to undergo open meeting law training because of the 2015 board violation, said in hindsight, she would have handled the meeting with Brammer differently or not gone at all.

She said she understands how, from the outside, it could look like an open meeting violation occurred, since all three board members were discussing Sanchezs future in the district outside of a public meeting. Still, Sedgwick said she was careful about discussing issues that might have been brought up in Brammers meetings with other board members, though she said she doesnt remember the details of the conversation.

We didnt have the same conversation. And the only person who could really verify that for you is Bill Brammer, who was the only person who was a member of (all) conversations. And as an attorney, hes not going to lie, she said.

Brammer wouldnt comment, other than to confirm that the meetings with three board members happened. Likewise, Stegeman wouldnt comment on the legal issue, other than to say hes well-versed on the open meeting law and is careful not to break it.

And Sedgwick noted that Brammer didnt have any hesitation about meeting with the three board members, which she said indicates he thought they were on solid legal footing.

But Foster and Grijalva saw something more sinister. They noted that Sanchez had decided to fire Brammer as the districts attorney on its desegregation case, and likened the meetings and legal advice to payback.

Hicks, who was the last of the three board members to meet with Brammer, said he asked for a meeting with Brammer after hearing that Stegeman was working with Brammer to oust Sanchez. But he stressed that he met with Brammer alone and couldnt see the paperwork Brammer showed him because he forgot his reading glasses.

I went there to find out what they were doing and I found out they were going after, they had some things against (Sanchez). But I dont see how that can be coordinating, he said.

And Hicks blasted the whole board, saying if his meeting was a violation of the open meetings law, so was the parking lot ambush of Stegeman by Foster and Grijalva.

This board is so dysfunctional that it amazes me that we get anything done. Everyone is trying to gotcha everyone else, he said.
Anxiety and depression are about the future and the past, so, be present, Tucson yoga instructor Hilda Oropeza urged her class on a recent Thursday night.

Oropeza, the owner of Mindful Yoga Studio, said she has long known what several recent scientific studies have concluded  that in addition to offering physical and spiritual benefits, yoga may help mitigate depression.

Five different papers presented at the American Psychological Associations annual convention in Washington, D.C., in August found that people who suffer from depression may want to look to yoga as a complement to traditional therapies.

And earlier this year, a study by Harvard and Columbia researchers published in The Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine found that people with major depressive disorder had a significant reduction in symptoms during a 12-week intervention that included Iyengar yoga classes. The study looked at 30 participants who ranged in age from 18 to 64.

Some medical experts say the results are promising but merit further study to determine, among other things, how much yoga one needs to reduce depressive symptoms.

Yoga vs Exercise

What makes yoga different from exercise in general is, for one thing, the focus on the breathing practices, which really can make a difference, said Amy Weintraub, a Tucson resident, a longtime expert in yoga and mental health, and founder of the LifeForce Yoga Healing Institute.

Yoga can meet the depressed client where they are with a slow, gentle practice that helps them build their energy.

The therapeutic effect of yoga on depression was a little-researched concept when Weintraub first published her book, Yoga for Depression in 2004. Weintraubs own struggle with depression prompted her interest.

During a year of daily yoga in 1989, she was able to tolerate an increasingly lower dosage of antidepressants, eventually going off them altogether. She did that while under the supervision of a psychiatrist, she stressed.

When I first wrote the book, I got some pushback. Im not a clinician, Im not a psychotherapist, Weintraub said.

But that pushback quickly turned into interest from clinicians and others curious about integrating yoga with traditional medicine, she said.

Now there is a whole new generation of researchers more open to alternative therapies  often they are yoga practitioners themselves, she said.

Similarly, leaders at the University of Arizonas Center for Integrative Medicine have found that an increasing number of health providers who train in the centers fellowship program are yoga practitioners themselves, said Dr. Hilary McClafferty, a pediatrician and center fellowship co-director.

The fellowship includes instruction in yoga to encourage its use in medical settings, she said.

Yoga can be defined as a synergy of mindfulness, breathwork and movement, and the breath is a very potent part of it, she said. Physiologically, working with the breath is one of the few ways people can voluntarily tap into the sympathetic and parasympathetic nervous systems and help themselves modulate their stress.

It is an ancient practice. Yoga has been around for thousands of years and now when you look at the science we understand its really influencing the physiology and balance of the nervous system.

Weintraub, who gives workshops on yoga and mental health around the world, founded the Lifeforce Yoga Healing Institute in Tucson and also developed the LifeForce Yoga Practitioner training for yoga and health professionals.

The instructor training certifies professionals, including social workers and physicians, as yoga teachers to those suffering from depression, anxiety, chronic pain and a history of trauma.

Sound and breath

Weintraub tracks evidence-based research on yogas mental-health benefits through a LifeForce newsletter and said the research is not merely validating  it also informs LifeForce training, which is constantly evolving, she explained.

Being anxious and depressed is not anyones true nature, she stressed. A simple breathing practice can bring us more clarity, she explained.

The yoga philosophy and the practices themselves allow us to see we are more than our mood or than our story, she said. When you practice yoga with attention to breath and sensation, you are in the present moment  so much more connected to presence and wellness and not your story or mood.

McClafferty, of the UAs Center for Integrative Medicine, said yoga is being used in pediatric hospitals around the country for children with challenging medical conditions.

Youll see kids in wheelchairs with IV pumps who are learning yoga to manage their stressors and pains, she said. It has such a good risk-benefit ratio  it is a low-risk therapy.

Indeed, yoga is safe and probably more accessible than some other alternative treatments because it can be taught and practiced in groups, said Dr. Ole Thienhaus, who is chair of the University of Arizonas psychiatry department.

What is unclear is how effective it is and for whom. For that to be answered, studies are needed. Thats easier said than done, he said. There is really no true double-blind design possible, so studies to date are more naturalistic, and results less reliable than those of conventional drug trials for instance.

Depression is not a unitary concept, he emphasizes. Its a manifestation of widely differing, underlying problems. Thus, there is never going to be a one-size-fits-all cure for it, he said.

complementary treatment

The findings are still inconclusive, but promising. It seems likely that yoga will be more helpful for some people with depression than for others, as is the case with other interventions, he said. It is also likely that yoga will often be used in conjunction with other treatments, rather than as a stand-alone.

Studies and increased acceptance of yogas positive effect on depression should not be considered medical advice, Weintraub stressed.

One thing the studies have yet to conclude is exactly how much yoga one needs, though the evidence suggests the more the better. Weintraub estimates the positive effects of yoga wear off after 72 hours.

Chronic depression

At the American Psychological Association convention, researchers from the Center for Integrative Psychiatry in the Netherlands presented data on the potential for yoga to address chronic or treatment-resistant depression.

In one study of 12 patients who had experienced depression for an average of 11 years, Dutch researchers found weekly yoga sessions of 2.5 hours each over nine weeks resulted in lower scores for depression, anxiety and stress throughout the program. The study also found that benefit persisted four months after the training.

I would see, based on the research to date, yoga being part of the emphasis on mindfulness, as a helpful way to prevent or reverse mood dysregulation, the UAs Thienhaus said. It is part of a broader approach that addresses many aspects of lifestyle management, rather than being a new treatment replacing conventional ones.

Oropeza, of Mindful Yoga, purposefully created a yoga studio where classes are gentle and slow, to give people an opportunity to connect with what is important to them, she explained. Such classes can be more difficult for students because it pushes them to see the busyness of the mind, she said.
President Trumps pardon of Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio has received both praise and condemnation, with opinions breaking sharply along a partisan line dividing supporters of the President and his detractors. In todays contentious political climate, the nuances and complexities associated with any issue, but particularly one as charged as this act of clemency, are rejected as each side is quick to push their simplistic talking points.

One narrative that has dominated on the national level portrays the former Maricopa lawman as someone who engaged in racial profiling, and the Presidents pardon is seen as another tacit acceptance of bigotry and racist behavior by his administration.

Judge Murray G. Snows initial court order telling Arpaio to cease arresting and detaining persons here illegally, if that was the sole reason he was doing so, did find that the Sheriff engaged in racial profiling.

The pardon is not connected to the racial profiling assertions. Judge Susan Bolton, who issued the contempt charge, never mentioned the racial profiling, only the Fourth Amendment violations, which were the impetus to the original stoppage. As it stands, the racial profiling allegations are not directly related to the pardon at all. It makes nice political soundbites for the sheriffs enemies, but it is not germane to the issue.

This does not mean that Arpaios actions were any less a violation of the law. This is where things are understandably confusing. When Justice Snow gave his original order, the main thrust of the decision was that states do not have the inherent authority to enforce the civil provisions of federal immigration law.

The Sheriff had begun his enforcement of immigration law when he willingly joined the federal immigration and enforcement program 287(g), which deputized local law enforcement agencies to do so. President Obama stopped authorizing the use of 287(g) in 2009, thus legally shutting out Arpaio from engaging in the practice.

He refused to stop however, which played well with those who felt that Obama was abandoning his responsibilities of enforcing immigration law, but Arpaio was nevertheless acting outside his jurisdictional authority.

This is compounded further by the fact that his detention of people for violating immigration law, was in fact a violation of their constitutional rights, which many of his supporters would probably not have known, though he most certainly should have. As Justice Snow pointed out in his ruling, simply being in the United States illegally is not a crime, merely a civil violation.

Everyone in the U.S., including aliens within its borders, are afforded constitutional protections, even if they are in violation of immigration law. When U.S. District Judge Bolton found Arpaio in criminal contempt for refusing to heed the order of Justice Snow, she noted that detaining persons past the time sufficient to conduct a criminal investigation was a violation of their Fourth Amendment rights.

Arpaio supporters are quick to point out that he wasnt allowed a jury trial before this contempt charge was given. However, considering that prosecutors elected to seek only a six-month maximum sentence, the trial did not automatically require a jury by law.

Trump mentioned this lack of a jury trial and the oft repeated trope that Sheriff Joe was convicted for doing his job at his rally in Phoenix, both of which have been shown to be not as cut-and-dry as they seemed to the President and his raucous supporters gathered there.
Reading through the investigation files of four detectives the Tucson Police Department pushed out within the past three years after they failed to properly investigate serious crimes  homicide, child abuse, a juvenile gang rape  is enough to make the blood boil.

These four detectives violated what should be one of the publics most essential trusts in law enforcement: that if you or a loved one has been victimized, the police will investigate thoroughly, that you will not be forgotten.

The details are sickening. One detective mishandled or failed to fully investigate 36 cases, most involving children or vulnerable adults. Another falsified records in an attempt to cover up a slipshod investigation into the gang rape of a juvenile girl, even when a witness came forward to identify suspects and provided crucial information.

The Tucson Police Department is taking definitive action to answer the crucial questions: How did this happen? How to keep it from happening again?

These four were among a detective force of 137. While they are a small fraction of the investigations staff, theyre a demoralizing influence, said Chief Chris Magnus, adding that the failures cast a shadow on others good work.

Magnus has been police chief for almost two years, and hes significantly reorganized the department. Since these abuses were discovered, every sergeant and command position in the central investigations division has turned over after reassignments and retirements. Sometimes a fresh set of eyes is helpful, he said.

Other changes, some spurred by the discovery of these failures, are putting TPD on better footing to catch shoddy work sooner and to prevent it.

According to Magnus and senior staff, TPD is auditing 204 random case files and the results will be known in a few weeks. Assistant Chief Carla Johnson said shes found that case management has been wildly different from department to department. The process is being standardized.

Three months ago sergeants began holding weekly case-status meetings with their investigators, which, while necessary, is more difficult than it sounds. Each unit has five to 10 detectives, and each detective carries 10 to 20 cases at a time.

TPD sergeants review about 30,000 reports a year, and about 19,000 of those are assigned for follow-up. Captain James Scott said the departments software system is now set to ping cases after specific time intervals.

Training, including for supervisors, is being revamped and intensified, Magnus said. Recognizing that the nature of the job  investigating infant deaths, assaults, homicides  can take a mental and emotional toll on a person, the department is working that into evaluations and making resources available, he said.

TPD is also changing how it hires detectives, looking not only for knowledge of Arizona laws, but also for emotional intelligence and a sense of advocacy. Outside organizations, including the Emerge! Center Against Domestic Abuse, the Southern Arizona Childrens Advocacy Center and the city and county attorneys offices, have been brought into the selection process, Johnson said.

TPDs response to discovering the four detectives deplorable failures has been encouraging. Officials determined termination was warranted in each case, a decisive and deserved move  and thats encouraging. Im all for having our feet held to the fire, Magnus said. Its a public trust.

We, and the rest of Tucson, will be watching.
Vietnams leading property developer Vingroup [VIC.HM] said on Saturday it launched construction of a car factory in a project worth US$1-1.5 billion in the first phase.

The project is part of Vingroups expansion plan into the heavy industry of Vietnam, its vice chairman was quoted as saying in a statement, following similar moves in other major sectors such as retail and health care.

Vingroup said it hopes to become a top car manufacturer in the Southeast Asian region, making 500,000 cars per year by 2025.

The company expects to produce 100,000-200,000 vehicles per year in the first phase, including five-seat sedans, seven-seat SUV and electric motorbikes.

Vingroups spokeswoman told Reuters the factory would introduce the first electric motorbikes in 12 months and first cars in 24 months.

Its construction brand VINFAST signed a memorandum to borrow $800 million from Credit Suisse AG to build the 335-hectare (827.8 acres) factory, located in Vietnams northern city of Hai Phong.

VINFAST plans to buy blueprints of car engines and main mechanical systems from top European and American designers.
Members of a language group in Vietnam have been spending their leisure time in local coffee shops on learning foreign languages.

The BlaBla Language Exchange (BLE) started out as a group of 30 members in Hanoi, who set up the team to help each other in their acquisition of the French language.

The group was founded by Florian Ziegler, a French teacher, in February 2016, and has now become a large community with a variety of local and foreign members.

Several BLE platforms were then established in Ho Chi Minh City, the central Vietnamese city of Da Nang, Switzerlands Zurich City, and many other cities across the world.

According to Ziegler, the community offers opportunities for foreigners and local people to connect and exchange knowledge in terms of culture and lifestyle.

In each country, local youths with passion for learning foreign languages are chosen to manage the groups, the French teacher stated.

In Ho Chi Minh City, the BLE often organizes their meetings in a friendly and casual environment at local coffee shops.

During a gathering at Bon Cafe in District 1 in the middle of June, nearly 30 members had already arrived at the location an hour earlier than the prearranged time.

Several national flags of corresponding languages were put on each table, before participants picked a language and started socializing with each other at their corners.

A total of ten language groups were offered at the meeting, namely Chinese, Japanese, Korean, Vietnamese, English, French, Spanish, German, Italian, and Russian.

Learning for integration

According to Tu Anh, 24, a member of the Saigon BlaBla Language Exchange management team, about 150 to 170 participants, mainly young people, attend their regular meetings.

English, Chinese, French, and German are the four most popular languages among members of the Saigon BLE, Anh elaborated.

Man Tan Phat, 22, considered the group a helpful place to sharpen his English and spoken Japanese.

Foreign languages are necessary in the era of international integration. Aside from learning a language, we are able to know more about different cultures and enhance our confidence in communicating with international friends, Phat said.

Members are able to learn new vocabulary, adjust their accent while talking with native speakers, Nguyen Hoai To Nhu, 22, elaborated.

Meanwhile, Barry James, a teacher from the United Kingdom, often comes to the BLE gatherings to learn Vietnamese.

Frequent interaction with native speakers is an effective approach to acquiring a new language, James stated.

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The event was organized by the Center for Assisting Youths and Workers, under the municipal Youth Union, on the 72nd anniversary of Vietnams National Day (September 2).

From 6:00 am, 200 men and women in traditional Vietnamese gowns gathered at the unions headquarters in District 1 to begin a bicycle parade across multiple downtown streets.

The parade arrived at the statue of Ho Chi Minh on Nguyen Hue Pedestrian Street at around 7:00 am, where the couples offered flowers to the late Vietnamese president and were presented with commemorative badges by city leaders.

Im overwhelmed, said 39-year-old Tran Thi Chon, who held onto her husbands hand dearly. After years of dreaming about our own wedding, we can now finally have one that is even fancier than our wildest dreams.

At 8:00 am, the couples resumed their parade toward the Queen Plaza Ky Hoa wedding center in District 10 for the main ceremony.

Filling the 100-table wedding hall were families and friends of the spouses, who sat in emotional silence as they watched a video telling the moving stories of the couples.

At noon, the newly-weds were invited onstage to receive their marriage certificate and have their first glasses of champagne as husbands and wives.

The mass wedding, the tenth of its kind in the city, has been held annually since 2008 to honor traditional Vietnamese wedding customs and the spirit of kindness and sharing of its people.

A hundred couples gather at the headquarters of Ho Chi Minh Citys Youth Union in District 1 for the mass wedding, September 2, 2017. Photo: Tuoi Tre

Couples join a bicycle parade during a mass wedding organized in Ho Chi Minh City, September 2, 2017. Photo: Tuoi Tre

Couples join a bicycle parade during a mass wedding organized in Ho Chi Minh City, September 2, 2017. Photo: Tuoi Tre

Couples join a bicycle parade during a mass wedding organized in Ho Chi Minh City, September 2, 2017. Photo: Tuoi Tre

Couples offer flowers to late Vietnamese President Ho Chi Minh at his statue on Nguyen Hue Pedestrian Street in District 1, Ho Chi Minh City September 2, 2017. Photo: Tuoi Tre

A couple are presented with commemorative badges by city leaders. Photo: Tuoi Tre

A couple look at their wedding photo sponsored by the city. Photo: Tuoi Tre

Couples enter the wedding hall at the Queen Plaza Ky Hoa wedding center for the main ceremony. Photo: Tuoi Tre

Couples exchange their first kiss as husbands and wives during a mass wedding organized in Ho Chi Minh City, September 2, 2017. Photo: Tuoi Tre

Couples cut wedding cakes during a mass wedding organized in Ho Chi Minh City, September 2, 2017. Photo: Tuoi Tre

A couple smiles for a photo during a mass wedding organized in Ho Chi Minh City, September 2, 2017. Photo: Tuoi Tre

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Professor Stephen McCaffrey, Distinguished Professor of Law at the University of the Pacific, McGeorge School of Law (California, U.S.), was recently named the 2017 Stockholm Water Prize Laureate for his unparalleled contribution to the evolution and progressive realization of international water law.

On receiving news of the prize, Professor McCaffrey shared that Learning about the Stockholm Water Prize literally took my breath away. I am deeply honored and humbled to have been selected for this prestigious award. But one also stands on the shoulders of others, and I am most grateful to those who have paved the way for me.

Awarded for the 27th time in 2017, the Stockholm Water Prize is currently the worlds most prestigious prize in water and is accompanied by US$150,000 and a specially designed prize sculpture.

This years award was presented by H.M. King Carl XVI Gustaf of Sweden, Patron of the Stockholm Water Prize, at a Royal Award Ceremony on August 30, during the 2017 World Water Week in Stockholm, an event designed to foster networking, idea exchange, and the development of solutions to todays most pressing water-related challenges.

World Water Week is the annual focal point for the globes water issues organized by SIWI (Stockholm International Water Institute). This years theme was Water and Waste: reduce and reuse. Over 3,000 experts, decision-makers, and business innovators from 130 countries participated in the event.

Stephen McCaffrey, a trailblazer in international water law, is arguably the single most respected authority on International Water Law.

His work continues to influence scholars, legal practitioners, and policy-makers while contributing to the sustainable and peaceful management of shared waters.

The Stockholm Water Prize Nominating Committees statement on Professor McCaffreys award said: He has made a unique contribution in three areas: his seminal work on Treaty negotiation, his major scholarly works including his book The Law of International Watercourses, and his leadership providing expert legal advice and facilitating complex negotiations with a wide range of stakeholders.

Professor McCaffrey has served as acting legal counsel to states in several negotiations concerning international watercourses. He has served as counsel in many inter-State disputes over shared water resources, for example between Argentina and Uruguay, Pakistan and India, and Slovakia and Hungary  all of which have been heard by international courts and tribunals.

In his writings, Professor McCaffrey articulated the human right to water which was later recognized by the UN General Assembly in 2010. Additionally, he has untiringly provided critical insight linking water law to policy, conflict resolution, benefit sharing, and environmental protection over the years.

I believe nobody who studies, researches or practices in the field of transboundary water management, water law or diplomacy could be unaware of Professor McCaffreys contribution to the conceptual and practical elaboration of the many legal concepts and principles that we now take for granted, SIWIs Executive Director Torgny Holmgren said.

Professor McCaffrey was the legal consultant to the Nile River Basin Cooperative Framework project, which resulted in the Cooperative Framework Agreement between Nile Basin States.

He has consulted for States and international organizations in different regions of the world, including Africa, Asia, South America and Central America.

Professor McCaffrey has also served as Special Legal Adviser to the Secretariat of the North American Commission for Environmental Cooperation of the environmental side-agreement to NAFTA.

With the support of SIWI, Professor McCaffrey granted Tuoi Tre News an exclusive interview in Stockholm.

Why are you so passionate about water?

Well, because it is the essence of life. We cannot live without water. I think it is easier to be passionate about water than something abstract like international finance. We can see, touch, and taste it.

Do you think schools in general, and schools in developed countries in particular, pay enough attention to water issues?

I do not think so. Schools, in general, do not pay enough attention to water issues and education about the importance of water. People still tend to take water for granted, especially in developed countries. This is because they just turn on the tap and water comes out easily and quickly. People do not really think about where it comes from and how it is sanitized for their protection. They do not know that in Africa many children and women have to carry heavy plastic pails of water a long way back home. I also saw this when visiting Mekong areas in the 1990s.

Professor Stephen McCaffrey lift the 2017 Stockholm Water Prize. Photo: SIWI

So did you visit Vietnam on that trip?

Not really. I came to Vietnam for a business trip but it was very short and quick. I want to spend more time in Vietnam. I know that you signed a Mekong Treaty in 1995 and I know Vietnam is very concerned about activities in the upstream Mekong. I know your country is facing a lot of challenges concerning water issues but I do believe your government is very aware of the situation.

If you were invited to Vietnam, would you visit someday?

Oh, I would love to. Amanda, my daughter has a lot of love for Vietnam even though she has not been to Vietnam yet.

My father-in-law spent a long time working with Vietnam in the past. He truly loves Vietnam and Vietnamese people. Hes visited the country many times and always come back to the States with interesting stories.

What is your plan for leaving a positive impact on water issues?

As a professor, I am kind of limited in what I can do. I am not a tycoon, you know (Laughing). I try to spread the message through my books and my students. I also hope this prize will give me more influence to work on the issue. UNESCO recently created a good platform for educating people, especially youths, about water. Perhaps I could use this award to strengthen my role.

Education is by far the best answer to the matter. You know, it would be more useful to share this knowledge with a number of students in class instead of sharing individually. And of course, sharing stories with the press is important, too. So you obviously also play a role (Laughing).

International law and environmental law have always been exciting to students and I am happy to be able to bring real-world experience in these fields into my classroom, especially since they will be practicing in an increasingly globalized and environmentally-threatened world.

How important are events like World Water Week?

They are really important because they draw the attention to the importance of water. They encourage experts and professionals working together in this field. It is especially meaningful when they are from different backgrounds (chemistry, engineering, etc.). Other laureates and I work mainly with the government, and young professionals typically work on something more on the ground."

Ryan Thorpe and Rachel Chang receive the prize from a representative of the Jury. Photo: SIWI

The Stockholm Junior Water Prize 2017 announced On the evening of August 29, the Stockholm Junior Water Prize 2017 was awarded to American students Ryan Thorpe and Rachel Chang. This year, the competition attracted thousands of young people between 15 and 20 years from 33 countries. In its citation, the Jury said: This years winning project embodies the fundamental principle of providing safe drinking water. The winners motivation is to eliminate millions of human deaths each year. The project developed a unique, rapid, and sensitive method to identify, quantify and control water contaminants. The students constructed a system that detects and purifies water contaminated with Shigella, E. coli, Salmonella, and Cholera more rapidly and sensitively than conventional methods. Their system detects as little as one reproductive bacteria colony per liter instantaneously and eliminates bacterial presence in approximately 10 seconds. In contrast, conventional methods have detection limits of up to 1,000 colonies and take 1-2 days.

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Have a nice Sunday!

Society

-- A road and sea-crossing bridge, considered Vietnams longest of its kind, which links the heart of northern Hai Phong City and Cat Hai Island, was opened to traffic on Saturday.

-- Police on Phu Quoc District in the Mekong Delta province of Kien Giang were investigating a case in which two male construction workers had been stabbed to death on Friday night.

-- Fourteen people died and 20 others were injured on Saturday, the first day of the ongoing National Day holiday, according to the National Traffic Safety Committee.

-- Experts have been scratching their heads over whether to relocate major train stations to the suburbs of Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City to avoid causing traffic congestion as the trains rumble through crowded streets.

Business

-- The first sod was turned on the construction of an automobile manufacture complex located at Dinh Vu-Cat Hai Economic Zone in northern Hai Phong City on Saturday in a project launched by conglomerate Vingroup to realize Vietnams dream of producing cars.

-- Tourists flocked to beaches in coastal resort cities including Vung Tau and Nha Trang on Saturday, the first day of the three-day National Day holiday. Supermarkets and fashion retail outlets in Ho Chi Minh City have also offered tempting discounts to lure shoppers during the period.

Lifestyle

-- The Center for Knowledge Assistance and Community Development, founded by Nguyen Quang Thach, who had been recognized by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) in late 2016 for setting up more than 9,000 libraries in rural areas across Vietnam, has been honored by the U.S.s Library of Congress, its founder confirmed to Tuoi Tre (Youth) newspaper on Saturday.

-- One hundred couples who were needy youths and factory workers tied the knot in a mass wedding held in Ho Chi Minh City on Saturday.
Opinion / Columnist

If in 2018 I decide, as I should, to exercise my right and responsibility to cast my vote in the watershed Zimbabwean elections, it is going to cost me an arm and a leg.Fadzai Mahere wants to be a Member of Parliament for Mount Pleasant constituencyThis will be the most expensive investment I make since paying dowry for my wife, or a highest cost I incur, depending on how one looks at it. Will it be worth it? I muse to myself.A ticket from Australia to South Africa, and then a long ride from across the Limpopo to the land of my fathers are not exactly cheap.It doesn't help that I have to multiply whatever that cost is by two and a half. I am a husband of one and a father of one (at least by the time elections are held.It's August 2018, latest, right? I will most likely have to return to my adopted home and that ups the figures by another factor of two. No small amounts!In a perfect world, my vote is the meagre means by which I ensure that the future of the country is in the hands of the best person to lead.But well, the world is not perfect and Zimbabwe is something else.Again, in a perfect world, I would have to satisfy myself that the character that gets my vote, their proposed policies and past conduct make for a safe bet to be entrusted with the corporate future of the country.I would want my choice of leader to be such as I will be able and proud to defend to my child (most likely children, several) someday in future.Because the Zimbabwean Titanic is sinking, the stakes are greater and the choice all the more difficult.Of course, I do not want to believe that the results of next year's plebiscite are already in some bottom drawer in one of Zimbabwe's strongman's office. These fellows are powerful, mind you.All things being fair, there is so much to lose or gain that none of the aspiring public office-bearers should feel entitled to my vote or anyone's for that matter.In my case, I wouldn't travel that far to merely donate my vote to a fool, so to speak. As election fever rises a notch by the day, I am evermore disgusted and offended by attitudes displayed by those in the opposition, and some of their supporters.Having considered the costs involved for me to cast my vote (there being no vote for dispersed Zimbabweans), their sense of entitlement to my vote and that of millions of disgruntled Zimbabweans, is disgusting, to say the least.They have been in opposition for so long they are now monopolising the very being of opposition, and are now no different from the ruling bullies.The saving grace now is perhaps that they do not wield those bloody instruments of coercion to have their way.In any case, why would I be wasting my vote on those who seem so set and happy to be the opposition they would not want to see any one take up that position?This stinking mentality has not been displayed more clearly than in the past months in the wake of Nkosana Moyo and Fadzai Mahere announcing their desire to court the electorate in the upcoming elections.Their mere pronouncements torched a silly storm in the opposition rank and file, with the common refrain being that "they will divide the opposition vote!" Outrageous!It was even asked where they were in the 2000s when the ruling party did a bloody job on the population, literally. Is this not a different version of that all too familiar nauseating song, "we died for you in the liberation struggle"?The fear of those who hold the opposition patent, I deduce, is that some of the electorate will indeed vote for the unwelcome new comers and that this misguided number will come from those who, deprived of alternative choices, would otherwise vote for the opposition.This raises serious questions about the opposition; opposition as defined by the "custodians" of that term; firstly, is it not a possibility to them that the new comers will shed off numbers from the ruling party thereby making their task of beating Zanu-PF easier?Secondly, do the people of Zimbabwe belong to either them or Zanu-PF to the extent that courting Zimbabwean voters by anybody else is the proverbial courting of a married woman?How different is this sense of entitlement from the ruling party's notion of their divine right to rule us till kingdom come?How different is this from the Zanu-PF affiliated war veterans' nonsensical "we are stockholders" belief? What Zimbabwean isn't a "stockholder" in his/her country?The more perverse ones among the liberators go as far as to call the country "our thing", "chinhu chedu". Goodness!The MDCs had an opportunity at power during the inclusive government [government of national unity], including some ministries and to this day they run most urban councils.Is it not time to take stock of what they have made of that power and influence before we blindly oblige and give them another fresh mandate?The rich man in the Bible parable is said to have required the same level of accountability from the man with one talent as from the servant with five.What has the MDC made of the power and mandate we have given them to date?Have they not squandered our trust in similar fashion to the people they sought to replace?No sooner were they in power than the MDC mandarins were driving the same flashy cars and living lavishly as the old parasitic Zanu-PF functionaries.The accountability we demand of Zanu-PF (and we will never have) we must require of the MDC, unless of course our goal is to replace one archaic irredeemable political party with another useless and arthritic one.How dare the MDC sound like the people have to account to them and not them to the people?Some proponents say Morgan Tsvangirai is the only man capable of beating President Robert Mugabe. If true, is that what we want for our country?A place where one man is greater than the collective good of everyone, where systems are built to serve one man? The bankrupt idea of a one party state has been rightly catalogued under the lunacy category. The same contempt should meet the idea of a "one opposition party" state.In any case, irrefutable evidence has shown us that the MDC will not assume power in Zimbabwe whether they win the elections or not, which is perhaps the only reason most people believed they were good for.Is it not high time then that we give people we really believe in a chance? People who we believe have a use in office whether they win majority or not.The MDC has become an elections party whose usefulness in-between elections is anyone's guess. Those who defend Tsvangirai posit that he was "beaten" for the cause, in contrast to these Johnny-come-lately who would want to feast on the spoils without sacrifice.Trust me, I have the utmost respect for Tsvangirai and all who have sacrificed greatly in the quest to build a better and more inclusive Zimbabwe.However, I have strong reservations, if not indignation, with those who will hold the nation to ransom, whether Zanu-PF, war veterans or the MDC.If this is an election, and not a sympathy parade, we need to put in power someone that we believe will be useful beyond elections regardless the hour they joined the people's struggle, first hour or 11th hour.I consider myself, at the very least, to have some learning. Not the type of learning delivered in a classroom from one head into another, but the kind of learning that empowers me to think things through and act as guided by the thought outcome.I will not spend $5 200 to cast my vote in favour of a man or woman I have no faith in, regardless their party or lack thereof.The benchmark for me is capacity to deliver on the promise of a new, inclusive and progressive Zimbabwe. Period!If I am satisfied, I will cast my vote even if I am the only one rooting for a particular candidate.After doing so, I will go home assured of a good night's sleep, knowing full well that in that small window of opportunity when I had the fate of the nation in my hands, I made the best decision for the country.By the nature of things, electoral candidates will come and go but Zimbabwe will remain.Our obligation, in the upcoming elections, is to the country and not individuals or parties. Come 2018, I am voting for Zimbabwe's best chance at a decent future.As I conclude this piece, I declare my support for Mahere and Nkosana Moyo. Even if I did not believe in them, I would stand for their right to contest in any election in Zimbabwe.I am particularly impressed by their courage to stand for what they believe in against considerable odds. Street analysts may dismiss them and castigate their decision as divisive.For the sake of principle, I believe $5 200 travelling to Zimbabwe for next year's election will be a worthwhile investment.We need, as the people of Zimbabwe, to start building systems and that will begin with a break from the big man syndrome that has plagued Africa and, more devastatingly, our beautiful Zimbabwe.No man is bigger than Zimbabwe and never again should we allow any man or woman to own all of us regardless of their colour, age or history.Ronald Ncube is a Zimbabwean based in Australia. He can be contacted on ronaldncube@yahoo.com
An increase in theft, muggings and robberies have worried neighborhoods around industrial parks in Ho Chi Minh City and neighboring provinces, despite law enforcers best efforts to reduce them.

Tan Tao Industrial Park and Pou Yuen Factory, both in the citys Binh Tan District, are among the identified hotpots.

Among the most vulnerable are peddlers who eke out a meager living selling food, clothes and other essentials to factory workers.

At around 8:00 am one recent morning, a Tuoi Tre (Youth) newspaper reporter witnessed, to his horror, a young man speeding on his motorbike and almost crashing into those sitting or walking on the pavement in a neighborhood called Ten Lua (Rocket) in the district.

The two large sacks he was carrying made everyone think he was a tobacco smuggler, similar to those they see dashing through the neighborhood every day.

It was not until they saw another man frantically running after the first that they realize he was a robber.

A few local night watchmen immediately gave pursuit, but the robber vanished into the crisscrossing laneways.

The victim, Ly Tung, who had left his hometown in the Mekong Delta to peddle clothes to workers in industrial parks, lamented that the man had robbed him just after he had put his goods into sacks at the end of a slow business morning.

The stolen property was worth nearly VND20 million (US$ 868).

Several other vendors along the small streets near the back entrance of the Pou Yuen Factory confirmed to the Tuoi Tre reporter that they had also fallen victim to burglars and robbers several times, and that they hardly ever dropped their guard.

Le Thi Phuong, another clothes seller, complained that she had fallen prey to thieves four times despite her constant guard.

The thieves strike when Im busy with clients. They even send their accomplices to pretend to be customers to distract me, she said.

Following three thefts, Phuong had become more cautious and now keeps her stock in a local home, but her precaution failed to deter a group of brazen criminals from completing their fourth operation.

Phuong estimates her losses to total more than a dozen million dong (VND1 million is equivalent to $44).

Ly Tung, a clothes peddler, loses two sacks of items worth nearly VND20 million (US$875) to robbers within seconds. Photo: Tuoi Tre

One of her customers also recently had her handbag containing cash and papers snatched.

Bui Thai Hang, Phuongs neighbor, has also had property worth approximately VND30 million ($1,301) taken in a single theft.

An investigation by the Tuoi Tre reporter at other processing zones and industrial parks  including Tan Thuan, Vinh Loc, Linh Trung, Song Than (in Binh Duong Province,) and Tan Do (in Long An Province)  found that more than 100 burglaries had been recorded over only a few days.

The statistics do not include those which go unreported, with victims apprehensive about the possibility of revenge.

Nguyen Thi Ngoc Lan, who sells womens underwear to workers in Tan Tao Ward, Binh Tan District, complained that her inexpensive lingerie is also a target for thieves.

The situation is worst at night.

Stall owners at a night market next to Tan Tao Industrial Park have become easy prey to unfazed robbers and muggers.

Hoang Hai, a vegetable seller, had cash stolen twice and was mugged by thugs the third time.

He was so scared that he left the neighborhood.

Burglaries and robberies have also plagued crowded rented rooms.

Tran Van Thiem, who peddles hu tieu (stretchy rice noodles) and rents a room in Tan Tao Ward, recently had his old motorbike stolen.

Almost all of the tenants, including heavily-built young men, have had their homes burgled by these unwanted visitors at least once.

The thieves also stole into girls rooms to nab their smartphones which they were holding while dozing off.

A leader of the Binh Tan District Police Department revealed that they had deployed special units and adopted measures to curb criminal activity in the area.

Colonel Le Anh Tuan, chief of Thu Duc Police Department, urged victims to report their break-ins or burglaries instead of concealing them for fear of revenge attacks.

Meanwhile, Colonel Nguyen Sy Quang, chief of staff at the municipal Department of Police, said they have worked with local police to keep the crimes in check and ensure utmost security and safety for residents.

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The longest cross-sea bridge in Vietnam opened to traffic on Saturday, connecting downtown Hai Phong City in the northern region with its island district of Cat Hai.

The bridge is part of a major roadway project to upgrade transport infrastructure linked to the citys Lach Huyen seaport on Cat Hai, poised to become the northern regions first international transshipment port.

The road runs a full length of 15.63 kilometers between the Lach Huyen seaport and the Tan Vu intersection on Hanoi  Hai Phong Expressway, including a cross-sea bridge measuring 5.443km, the longest of its kind in the country.

The bridge was developed by a joint venture of Vietnamese and Japanese construction companies, using the span-by-span and balanced cantilever method of erecting precast segmental bridges.

The entire roadway project boasts a total development capital of nearly VND11.85 trillion (US$522 million), including almost $455 million of official development assistance (ODA) from Japan.

It is also among the major projects overseen by the Vietnamese Ministry of Transport this year in commemoration of the 45th anniversary of cooperation between the governments of Vietnam and Japan.

Upon its completion, the road will join the Hanoi  Hai Phong Expressway at the under-construction Tan Vu intersection, playing a major role in developing Hai Phongs coastal economy and attracting investors to the northern city.

Attending the bridges opening on Saturday, Vietnamese Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc stressed the strategic significance of the project in linking key economic zones of the northern region.

The premier also expressed his gratitude toward the Japanese government for having provided full technical and financial support over the course of the project.

Vietnamese Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc (13th left) and senior officials perform a ribbon-cutting ceremony to open the bridge to traffic, September 2, 2017. Photo: Tuoi Tre

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Next week SBS premieres French adventure drama Ouro: Amazon Gold starring Olivier Rabourdin (Taken) and Mathieu Spinosi (Memories, Clem).

Set deep in the Guyanese forest the 8 part series is written by Fabien Nury (Once Upon a Time in France) and directed by Kim Chapiron (Dog Pound).

This was titled as Guyane in France where it debuted in January (and was added to SBS On Demand last month).

Vincent is a 20-year-old geology student from Paris, who goes to French Guyana for an internship at a gold mining company. Taken under the wing of local gold lord Antione Serra, Vincent quickly falls into the much more lucrative  and dangerous  world of gold trafficking.

Season One, Episode One: (11.35pm)

Vincent begrudgingly leaves his Parisian college for an internship in Guyana with the Cayenor gold-mining company. In the heart of the Amazon forest, Vincent works under the wing of the aging geologist, Merlot. There he meets Serra, the boss of an illegal mining operation. When Merlot dies, Vincent must face a life-changing decision: to go back to Paris, or stay and work with Serra.

Episode Two: (12.35pm)

Vincent makes his decision  but he needs to convince his school. Meanwhile, Serra and his buddy Louis use the new company as a front to set up their own illegal gold-mining camp.

Monday, 11 September at 11.35pm on SBS.
The TV Week Logie Awards have lost the financial backing of the Victorian Government and are tipped to relocate from Melbourne to Brisbane or the Gold Coast for their 60th event in 2018.

Tourism and Major Events Minister John Eren told the Herald Sun: Were proud to have been home to the Logies for more than 30 years, but its time to pass on the baton.

No matter where the Logies go next, Victoria will remain the cultural and events capital of Australia.

Rumours of the event being hijacked by Sydney or Brisbane have surfaced in recent years, but the loss of funding from Melbourne could prove to be the deal breaker. Bauer Media will ultimately decide where the event is next staged, but could still keep it at Melbourne if it chose to incorporate the shortfall or cut costs.

Melbourne is the traditional home of the Logies, having hosted 54 of the 59 events, including at Crown Palladium (since 1997), Hyatt, Hilton, Radisson, Southern Cross hotels. Sydney last hosted it at the State Theatre in 1986.

The Logies belong in Melbourne, perennial host Bert Newton said.

Some shows work best in one city and the Logies have always worked best here in Melbourne as its always been the home of live television.

Theyve tried them interstate a few times and it wasnt successful.

In my mind its like losing the AFL Grand Final or the Melbourne Cup.

Despite some cheeky campaigns to relocate the event -including to Dubbo, NSW- a shift to Brisbane will also represent a hefty travel bill for networks given most casts are based in either Sydney or Melbourne.

Gold Logie winner Kate Ritchie added: The Gods have been threatening a move to Sydney for a long time now. Im not sure the Logies will be the same without a weekend away for us Sydneysiders in Melbourne, or the trepidation about making it elegantly up the black marble staircase at Crown Towers upon arrival!
Help India!

By Amit Kumar, TwoCircles.net

In post-Independence India, a few cities have been etched in the pages of History forever and for all the wrong reasons: Nellie, Khairlanji, Bathani Tola, and of course, Godhra. In 2002, a train passed through the Godhra Junction, and all that has happened since has been well-documented as well as analysed.

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Godhra, in many ways, is exactly like you expect a small town in India to be: chaotic, crowded, extremely dirty and divided on caste and religious lines. Yet, almost invariably, every conversation between an outsider and local veers towards that day in February 2002, and it is a trend that has not really been missed by the locals. During one of our first interactions in the city, before we can even pose a question, a shopkeeper, who is an upper-caste Hindu, says, 2002 ke baare mein mat poocho. Vo baat puraani ho gayi (Dont ask about 2002. It is an old matter now). When probed a little more on 2002 despite the warnings, he says, Go to the Muslim locality. They would know better. He is clear on one front: if there are any questions on 2002 that remain to be answered, it must be asked only to the Muslims.

Fifteen years after the incident, the mood might have changed, but what is clear is that the division among the population runs deep, and much before 2002. The city, in the words of the locals, was always divided among Hindus and Muslims and there is little to suggest that 2002 made it any worse. If anything, as the celebrations for Ganesh Chaturthi, kicked in earlier this week, the mood was more of peaceful, albeit extremely loud celebrations than that of tensions.

Elections? Not much for us, say Muslims

As we venture into the Muslim localities in the city, the filth that surrounds us is almost impossible to ignore. Street after street is lined with garbage, polythene bags, open sewers, water bodies full of rotting objects and a rancid smell. Questions on and around 2002 seem to make little sense, especially when people seem clearly more focussed on bringing our attention to the appalling conditions of cleanliness in the city. According to Mohammed Wasim, a pan-seller in his 20s near the railway station, the city has been dirty for as long as he can remember. Look around. From here (his shop) to the entire stretch in front of us, you will not find anything except garbage all over. It is particularly worse during monsoon season. We were promised underground drainage some three-four years ago, but nothing seems to have materialised, he says. His anger is aimed more at local corporators than political parties. Big leaders come and visit this place once in awhile, but our corporators live here. How can they not do anything about it? he asks.

Beyond cleanliness, the issues for Muslims in this city are not very different from the other residents of the city. While Godhra boasts of more than 87% literacy rate as per Census 2011 and around five colleges in the region for higher studies, there is an extreme lack of jobs in the region. Among Muslim population, which has historically focussed more on trade and businesses, the absence of employment opportunities in the region for the youth is a big cause of concern. Here, we only have two options: either join our families in business or leave the city in search of jobs, says Nadeem, a local.

He added that since Ahmedabad was only three hours away (130 km), it was the main destination for the youth of the city. The locals added that although the state government had promised setting up manufacturing units in the region to increase employment, nothing had been materialised. When asked what his expectations were for the coming elections, Nadeem, who works with his father in their family business, said, Roads, more Safai Karamcharis and better working conditions for them and some employment opportunities.

When asked which party would assure that, Nadeems answer was straightforward. None, he says.

2002 is not forgotten, we have learnt lessons

Najeeb (name changed) is a resident of Godhra. Between 2002 and 2011, his life was completely taken over by fighting for justice for a family member who was one of the accused in the Godhra train burning incident. A man in his late 30s, Najeeb welcomes us in his office but makes the point clear that he will not be drawn into the debate around 2002. What happened that day, in all fairness, was something horrendous. My community members might disagree on who did it, but the point is that it should have never happened. A lot of people were arrested, many including my family member had to spend years in jail before they were found innocent. He died soon after being released, and until his dying moments, he reminded us that he was innocent, he says.

This city has been tarnished for good. What I can say for sure though, is that our community has learnt its lessons and there has been no communal incident since then, he adds. Nadeem, who says that he no longer is an active member of the community because of the past events, believes that there is a sense of peace and calm in the region. Hindus and Muslims have always interacted well on personal levels, but it is the political parties that have sought to polarise them, he added. In this regard, the recent move of the five-time MLA of Godhra, CK Raulji, to jump from Congress to the BJP and take a number of local Congress leaders into the BJP fold might change the scenario. Until now, the Muslims had strongly backed the Congress Party and Raulji, but with Raulji switching sides it is almost sure that the BJP will win this time, he adds.

It must be pointed out that while Muslims are a majority in the Godhra Urban administration (53%), the same has not translated into representation. The town, which has 11 wards, does not have a single Muslim councillor. But according to the locals we spoke to, this is not so much of a concern to them. We rather have some work done no matter who represents us. It is not as if the Hindu areas are spick and span after allyes, we have supported Congress and we might do so this time also, but it is too early to say much, added Mohammed Sajjad, a resident who is involved in the transport sector.

Godhra has had a tumultuous past and is eager to move on. Sadly, as residents pointed out, the local leaders have more interest in ensuring that nothing changes.
Help India!

Text and interview by Mirza Mosaraf Hossain, TwoCircles.net

Kolkata: The student protests at Aliah University for more than 50 days now is a major conspiracy of the students backed by many faculty members as well as by some influential personalities from the State Minority department, said Vice Chancellor Dr Abu Taleb Khan in an exclusive interview with TwoCircles.net.

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Prof Khan alleged that his stance of avoiding favouritism to some of the Professors in time of their promotion and thwarting the recruitment of heavy weighed persons children in some departments has resulted in this inevitable ruckus at the three campuses of the University.

The Aliah University students protests came into headlines last month with many demands, including the resignation of the VC over allegations of corruption, nepotism and academic stalemate TwoCircles.net had done a series of stories on the issue, highlighting the demands of the students and the stance of the University authority. But todays interview has for the first time brought out the side of the VC.

This is solely a conspiracy against me as I tried not to follow their steps of nepotism, corrupted outlook. The former Registrar had played a divide and rule policy last year and vented the students so that I can approve his candidature as pro-vice chancellor, but I did not.

Now, students are backed by some Professors, like Maseehur Rahaman, the department head of Arabic, who applied for the post of Controller of Examinations that I thwarted because of his lack of essential criteria for the said post, Prof Khan said.

He added that Rahaman is igniting the students of his department itching communal sentiments. Till now the said post remains vacant and one Professor from Statics department is acting as a temporary officiating controller.

In response to the Vice Chancellors allegations, Prof Maseehur Rahaman said, The VC was the first person to recommend me for the said post, and I was selected accordingly although it was later suspended. Why would students protest in such large numbers if this matter was only to my interest?

Prof Khan refuted the students claim that he is involved with corruption in the recruitment of Assistant Professor as the fact-finding committee found. He said that this Committee was set up as a conspiracy by the Chairman of Minority Commission of Bengal. He said, I did not listen to the request of Intaj Ali Shah, the chairman of WBMDFC who wanted me to recruit his daughter in the law department even after not having NET qualified criteria.

He said that in the FFC report, he replied that there is one professor who was not recruited according to rules. But the fact is that he was offered the joining letter in 2010 by the then Registrar and I joined this university in 2013. How can I then be involved?

Prof Khan also thwarted the allegation of financial mismanagement saying purchasing of furniture and other items are under finance section, not in his hand. He just does his job of sanctioning and approving the money.

Shah, in his reply to the VCs comments, said, These are baseless claims. The VC is trying to divert his corrupted nature by falsely accusing me.

Prof Khan has also alleged that some current and former students leaders run a nexus of scholarships with help from some university officials. He even names one former general secretary for submitting 750 applications. He further reiterated that demands of students who have several backlog papers or who failed in entrance examinations and got as little as zero or one-two must still get admission simply because they applied for it is unjustified.

Watch his entire interview here:

Part One:

Part Two:

Related:

Aliah University is only a decade old, but its problems are all too familiar
Help India!

By Siddhant Mohan, TwoCircles.net

A month after the Shia Waqf Board tried to step into Babri Masjid-Ram Janmbhoomi dispute by declaring itself as one of the parties, members of the board met Hindu parties of the case and yet again urged the formation of Ram Temple at the disputed site.

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On Eid Ul Adha, Syed Wasim Rizvi, the director at Shia Central Waqf Board, was in Ayodhya to meet Mahant Suresh Das, one of the parties advocating the construction of Ram Temple at the disputed site.

The meet, which was done in the presence of the press, lent support to the construction of Ram Temple at the disputed site. Rizvi also asked for the construction of mosque but at a resonable distance from the Ayodhya in some Muslim dominant locality.

Rizvi also said that since Babar was a cruel Mughal emperor, the mosque should not be named after him. He proposed the name Masjid-e-Aman for the mosque.

Since the formation of the new government in Uttar Pradesh, talks, rumours and negotiations have accelerated in reference to Ram Janmabhoomi. Several trucks loaded with stones have already reached Ayodhya in past few months and they are already being carved in the Karsewakpuram.

The meeting on Saturday was followed by another meeting on Sunday when Rizvi met Bhaskar Das and Dharm Das of Nirmohi Akhara, which is one of the parties in the same case, and Suresh Das of Digambar Akhara. In this meeting too, both sides mutually agreed and embraced the construction of Ram Temple at the disputed site.

While Rizvi and the board are intervening in the matter in a personal capacity, the matter is currently under hearing in the Supreme Court of India. And as the matter is sub-Judice, the Sunni Central Waqf Board does not hold any influence in the issue.

A few days ago, Sunni Waqf Boards chairman Zafar Ahmad Faruqi had condemned the practices of Rizvi and claimed that the Sunni Central Waqf Board is ready for mediation and talks but only with the original parties. Shia Waqf Board had also submitted an affidavit in the Supreme Court asking to be one of the parties in the case, which the court refused.

With Rizvis intervention in the case, a dispute historically seen as Hindu vs Muslim is turning into Hindu us Sunni vs Shia case. However, this development will please Hindu parties in the case as Santosh Das welcomed Rizvis remarks and said that if Muslims are supporting for temple construction, what could be more pleasing in the case.

About the meeting, Rizvi told TwoCircles.net, The only peaceful solution to the whole problem is that Muslims should welcome the construction of Ram Temple at the disputed site. Otherwise, there will always be a conflict between Hindus and Muslims.

Rizvi, who is accused of creating differences among Shias and Sunnis, said, Muslim population in Ayodhya is considerably low, and I think there are enough mosques for them in Ayodhya. Shia Waqf Board understands the need of a mosque, but that should be built at a far distance from the temple in a Muslim dominated locality.

For Rizvi, the Sunni central waqf board does not hold any position in the case and stresses over the Shia Central Waqf Board as the main party.

He also said, There are few terrorist-like, traitors and Pakistan-funded Mullahs and Imams live in this country, who does not want a peaceful resolution in the case.
The last Week In Politics has highlighted the far-right and authoritarian nature of the Conservative party and the UK press. Plus, Brexit negotiations continued after MPas summer holidays ended. Poundland have been exposed after using a government scheme to get jobless to work for them for free, Activate, a claimed non-affiliated Conservative grassroots campaign group launched to directly counter Momentum and the UN published a report on Human Rights Abuses by the Conservatives.

Meanwhile the countries around the world have been hit with severe flooding, North Korea launched a missile test over Japan.

Donald Trump pardoned a well-known white supremacist and 110 Rohingya Muslims have been killed by authorities in Myanmar.

UK news

Activate, a grassroots campaign that claim to be not affiliated to the Conservatives launched, however, it was quickly discovered that the individuals who run the group are directly linked to leading Conservative figures. Thus far, the group have endured a troubled start and have recently stated that they haven't launched' yet. This came after a WhatsApp chat group showed young Conservatives talking about "gassing chavs" and "chavocide", it has been reported that the members are ether linked to/leading members of Activate. In fact, a spokesperson for Activate, Sam Ancliff, appeared on the BBC and said no current/former member of Activate was a part of the WhatsApp group.

However, he was a part of that group as one of the phone numbers matches the one on his website.

After being warned last October that welfare cuts have led to "grave and systematic violations" of rights, the UK government is now under investigation. officials heard evidence from country-wide disability organisations that showed the governments ongoing human rights violations have put it in breach of the UN Convention on the Rights of Disabled People.

A collection of evidence submitted by the disability groups includes: Lack of accessible housing, decline in disabled children in education, cuts to health and social services. Rapidly growing use of compulsory detention and forced treatment powers contained in mental health legislation. Plans to cap funding for support that allows disabled people to work, the level of hate crime.

During the week, the Mail Online published a story about MPs demanding an inquiry over why a Christian 5-year-old girl has been fostered by a Muslim couple. The story, that was also reported in the likes of The Sun, Daily Express, The Telegraph, The Times, also stated that they banned Easter, crucifixes and bacon from the home and accompanied with a stock photo of a Muslim couple with a child, the women has a full-face veil. The problem is that the story was entirely lied about. Court documents show that the police removed the girl from her mothers care because of a drug and alcohol problem and the couple were a temporary placement, two facts ignored by the press.

The child herself has Muslim heritage, a fact only disputed by her mother and the courts have since cleared her Muslim grandmother to look after her.

The temporary foster parent did not wear a face veil but a hijab instead, the image was photoshopped. The mother hasn't requested that the foster parents are changed, Tower Hamlets council have confirmed that the couple speak English, nor did they ban Easter. There is also no evidence that they banned crucifixes or bacon, in fact, court documents show that they did not. Finally, the foster parents have been rated very highly by independent assessors. The story was manipulated and spun to further anti-Muslim extremism within the UK.

World News in brief

The death toll from monsoon floods that have swept Bangladesh, India and Nepal rose above 1,200. Millions have been left homeless. Hurricane Harvey battered the coasts of Texas and Louisiana.

Downgraded to a tropical storm, Houston suffered severe flooding; the mayor imposed a curfew to deter looters. At least 38 people died in Texas; that figure is expected to rise when the waters recede. North Korea launched an audacious missile test, firing an intermediate-range one over Japan and far into the Pacific.

The Japanese government said the test was an unprecedented, serious and grave threat to the countrys security. North Korea have since tested a Hydrogen bomb bigger than the one dropped on Hiroshima, an earthquake of 6.3 magnitude was felt nearby the test site. After attacks on police stations that killed 12 officers, the security forces in Myanmar launched a crackdown on alleged Rohingya militants that left at least 110 people dead. More than 18,000 Rohingya Muslims have since fled across the border to Bangladesh
Campmaster tents are often the first choice for visitors to South Africa as they are lightweight and affordable on a Euro or British Pound budget. A cheap and lightweight Tent can be loaded on the plane back to Europe as excess luggage, or just be left with some needy person back in Africa at the end of the holiday. Local campers also buy them on occasion as they tend to fit in the bottom range of cash outlay. There are conflicting reviews out there from die-hard campers so we bought one and tried it out.

We went with the family 8 person sleeper as so often people travel with kids or in groups.

Obviously, the family cabin is not ideal for a single backpacker as it clocks on the scale at 26 kilograms, but for those travellers who hire a vehicle, the extra space might be an inviting consideration, especially as it is high enough to stand fully upright.

Campmaster tent out the box

Campmaster family tent comes in a bag and like all of their tents, it seems there is no way to ever get everything back in the bag. The first problem we encountered was the pole bag. The stitching on the bottom was unravelling and all the poles fell out the bottom. It seems to be a particular problem with Campmaster products as we have owned several pup tents in the past and they all had the same problem.

The general appearance of the tent materials comes across as flimsy, but this can be misleading so straight out the box it was too early to tell how robust it was.

This is an unusual tent, formed in an L shape with the space between the "L's" creating an additional room where it is supposed that half the eight people would sleep. It should be noted that if eight people were to sleep in this tent there would not be a lot of room to store anything more than bedding, so the tent would be better accommodating six people.

Straight out the box, the tent was laid out flat so the poles could be put into place.

Tent poles

The tent is very well marked so following the guide, it is a simple job to slot the poles into the right places. Two people can easily and very quickly place the colour coded poles into the slots and lift the tent into an erect-position.

The poles are light - possibly too light and there is a possibility they may not hold up to an African storm with high winds. Even in a moderate wind, the tent was blowing and billowing and the poles did not seem to be very robust. Even the instructions pamphlet warns that the weight of water in pockets on the roof might collapse the poles if the tent is not rigid when erected - not a comforting thought.

Flysheet covers the tent

Once the tent poles are slotted in place and lifted up, the tent stands erect. It is easy enough to slip the flysheet over the top of it, but the tent has that unusual shape so it was difficult to figure out which bit of the flysheet went where. Of note - there is an odd looking hook on it that marries up to a black ring on one of the poles.

That goes in the front where the entrance will be. Knowing this can cut down on a lot of false starts and rising tempers.

Tie-down and pegs on the Campmaster

The tent comes with all the nylon guy ropes, ties, and pegs but it must be noted there is no mallet or hammer, so you will have to buy one separately. Long experience has also taught us to always pick up some heavy duty tent pegs and ropes to give additional tension in windy conditions. The additional plastic corner pegs that come in the tent package are not robust enough. Other pegs are small even though they are metal but again, in wet weather, they could very possibly pull out of the ground.

The floor space

We erected our tent on a level piece of ground, careful to avoid dips and humps but despite all out efforts, we could not seem to get the floor to lie down flat so consequently, there were creases and baggy bits that are hard to clean and pose a tripping hazard.

The two rooms on either side of the central area are just big enough to take folding Natural Instincts beds, but any wind causes rubbing against the bed frames which could cause potential holes! The floor is not robust and just walking inside the tent with safety boots caused some damage to the floor. I would recommend that you buy some carpet squares and put them down under beds, tables and storage units.

Zips and windows

The zips are double which is important. Historically we found that this was sufficient to keep out baboons and monkeys. However, even though the zips in this tent are self-repairing, you can help zips to last longer using some wax. Never spray zips with silicon as it encourages dust and clogs the teeth.

Conclusion

This tent would be better for a maximum of six people considering there is no awning. At the very least, if you want to sit outside, you would need an additional gazebo. The tent is not very robust and does not handle wind and rain very well. However, for occasional use in dry weather, it will probably suffice. Cost wise? Well, you get what you pay for and at Game Stores price tag of just under R4000, (238 British pounds), it might be a safer long-term bet to go for the Natural Instincts 6 sleeper which is more expensive but will probably survive a thunder storm.
Opinion / Columnist

With Zimbabweans already in an election mode ahead of crunch polls next year, the coming together of MDC leader Morgan Tsvangirai and his former allies, who had broken ranks with him under various circumstances, had brought hope to long-suffering citizens that at long last change was coming their way.Amid incessant calls for opposition parties to join forces and field one presidential candidate if they were to entertain any realistic chances of defeating President Robert Mugabe, Tsvangirai and his erstwhile former secretaries-general  Welshman Ncube and Tendai Biti  recently committed themselves to a coalition after they formed the MDC Alliance at the Zimbabwe Grounds in the capital on August 5.Ncube and Biti had broken ranks with Tsvangirai in 2005 and 2014 respectively in acrimonious circumstances citing irreconcilable differences.While Ncube did not agree with Tsvangirai on whether or not to participate in the 2005 senatorial elections, Biti broke away citing the need for leadership renewal following the MDC loss to Zanu-PF in the 2013 elections.Despite their well-document rivalry, Biti and Ncube have embraced Tsvangirai through the MDC Alliance in order to forge a united front against Mugabe and his Zanu-PF party at the forthcoming polls.Regardless, other opposition leaders seen as vital cogs in any grand coalition, are still to append their signatures to the coalition deal, nearly a month after Ncube, Biti and Tsvangirai inked the MDC Alliance, comprising five other fringe opposition parties.These include former vice president Joice Mujuru, who has continued to dilly-dally over the matter because she believes she is the best candidate who should lead it, and not Tsvangirai, as is the current case.Mujuru also wants her National People's Party (NPP) to be given the lion's share of seats, and is also unhappy with the fact that the MDC symbols would be used by the alliance partners going into the 2018 make-or break polls.The NPP leader is among several other political figures who emerged out of the ruling Zanu-PF who are still to make up their minds on whether they should join the MDC Alliance.The list includes Mavambo/Kusile/Dawn party president Simba Makoni, and Dumiso Dabengwa, leader of the revived Zapu.Many are therefore worried that the opposition may end up participating in the coming elections as fragmented as has always been the case, thereby splitting the vote in favour of Mugabe and his Zanu-PF party.The scepticism also emanates from the fact that some of the parties that were claiming to be signatories to the MDC Alliance are beginning to distance themselves from the coalition.Zanu Ndonga, for example, signed the August 5, 2017 coalition deal but hardly a week after the colourful signing ceremony, the party president wrote a letter to Tsvangirai distancing his party from the MDC Alliance."I write to inform you that Zanu Ndonga disassociates itself from the signing of the agreement relating to the MDC Alliance purportedly on behalf of Zanu Ndonga," Musiyarira said, adding that one Sakunje who signed on behalf of the party "is not a member of the party"."He was never given a mandate by myself, as the president of Zanu Ndonga, to sign or act on my behalf in any capacity in relation to all matters to do with the party."As such, the agreement signed by him on Saturday August 5, 2017 on behalf of Zanu Ndonga is null and void and as such is illegal," his letter read in part.Commenting on his Facebook page, political analyst Pedzisai Ruhanya described attempts at coalescing by the country's opposition parties as fake."Zimbabwe's opposition; fake coalition, fake leaders, little infantile tribalists, egoists driven by personal, parochial and childish self-centred balderdash whose sum total is TRASH!" Ruhanya, who is also Zimbabwe Democracy Institute director, wrote.He expressed irritation over the fact that the opposition is failing to take advantage of the infighting in Zanu-PF that has characterised the ruling party since the ouster of Mujuru in 2014 on allegations of plotting to assassinate 93 year-old Mugabe."You fail to coalesce at a historic moment when the regime's key supporters and enforcers openly say President Mugabe's mandate to rule has been lost since 2008'."Mugabe's public bureaucracy is fractured and his storm troopers are in disarray with several factions of the once feared war veterans now the occupants of remand prison while the generals are attacked at public rallies; clearly signs of the times."What more do you want you petty, directionless so-called opposition? The INGRIDIENTS for your vibrancy are there but you can't capture the moment. SHAME!!!"University of Zimbabwe political science lecturer Eldred Masunungure said in a recent interview with the Daily News that while the majority of Zimbabweans, including some in Zanu-PF, would like to see a coalition "but we know the role of egoism in and out of politics"."There is a lot of wishful thinking among some Zimbabweans. Mujuru was in government for 34 years and now you want her to be number two again, no ways," Masunungure said."She was expelled because she had presidential ambitions and those in the MDC are saying our leader is the face of the opposition."He has fought dictatorship and bears the scars and also beat Zanu-PF and on that basis, he has credentials."Those are hardened positions, each of the two parties has followers who are rooting for their leader to lead that is why you see Memorandums of Understanding being shredded, both leaders are signing their separate deals with other parties and so the possibility of a grand coalition is very remote".Masunungure added that even if the coalition were to materialise "it will not fly high or far and I think it will collapse on egoism and on who gets what".While Biti, Ncube and others in the MDC Alliance have since agreed that Tsvangirai will lead the coalition, there remain grey areas concerning who should lead between the former prime minister in the stability-inducing inclusive government and Mujuru.When almost all the parties forming the opposition converged in Highfield and pledged to work together again after going separate ways in 2005 when Ncube broke ranks, hopes were raised once again: Never before had the former allies-cum foes been brought together under the same platform to articulate and represent the aspirations of the majority of Zimbabweans since their acrimonious divorce.But with the political parties remaining mum on their real intentions, that hope is disappearing fast as, they, at least in the eyes of long suffering Zimbabweans, do not seem to have a single clue about how they would work to converge as a coalition.Tsvangirai and his sympathisers want the veteran opposition leader to be the face of the coalition on account of his popular support among Zimbabweans which saw him beat Mugabe in 2008 although he failed to garner the constitutionally required 50+1 percent of the vote.On the other hand, Mujuru's camp believes that the former vice president should be president as she is more acceptable to the country's security chiefs who have previously blocked Tsvangirai on account of his lack of liberation war credentials.They also argue that the former freedom fighter amassed a wealth of experience in statecraft after serving as Mugabe's second-in-command for about 10 years."We would have expected that, by now, they should have come up with a blueprint on how to form a sustainable convergence not only among us former MDCs but also with Mujuru and others because to be honest we don't have all the time in the world on our side," commented a senior MDC official who refused to be named as he is not licensed to talk to the media on coalition issues."All you hear is grandstanding propaganda from them  nothing meaningful outside the political gibberish and if anyone thinks 2018 is still far away, then we have serious problem."
Just over a week after Hurricane Harvey devastated much of Texas, Donald Trump made yet another stop in the state. When addressing members of the United States Coast Guard, the president took time to use the aftermath of the storm to bash the media.

Trump on media

It's been eight days since Hurricane Harvey made landfall in the Long Star State in what experts are saying was the worst storm to hit Texas in close to 500 years. With winds up to 130 mph, the Category 4 storm hit the city of Houston the worst, with thousands of people being forced to flee their homes, and dozens reported dead as of press time.

After the first weekend that the storm hit, Donald Trump and First Lady Melania Trump made their way to the state, staying mostly on the outskirts in nearby Corpus Christi. However, Trump's visit was marred by media criticism that accused the president of using the trip as more of re-election rally. In addition, Melania was ripped on social media over her choice of clothing that she wore to a flood zone, which included stilettos. In attempt to right the ship, the first couple made their way back to Texas on Saturday, with the president making sure to take a shot at the media in the process, as reported by ABC News on September 2.

Pres. Trump praises Coast Guard for saving people "by going into winds that the media would not go into...unless it's a really good story." pic.twitter.com/YFfQ5NJmAY  ABC News Politics (@ABCPolitics) September 2, 2017

While in Houston to meet with victims of Hurricane Harvey, Donald Trump took time to praise the United States Coast Guard for the work that they have done over the last week in regards to the storm in the area.

As expected, the former host of "The Apprentice" couldn't resist taking a swipe at the media, as he continued his feud with the press.

"I hear the Coast Guard saved almost 11,000 people," Donald Trump said. "Think of it, 11,000 people by going into winds the media would not go into," Trump continued while pointing at the press.

"They (media) will not go into those winds unless its a really good story, in which case they will," he added. Trump's rift with the press has only increased since he was elected last November, as the president take made attacking reporters and various news outlets part of his daily routine.

Moving forward

While Donald Trump takes time to use a deadly storm to attack the mainstream media, the majority of the American people don't seem pleased with the job he's done in the White House over the last eight months.

According to the most recent round of polling data, the billionaire real estate mogul has just a 35 percent approval rating, which doesn't seem to be showing any signs of improvement in the near future.
In recent months, North Korea has been launching several nuclear tests, which has not gone over well with the international community. After the news broke on Saturday night that the country launched their most powerful nuclear bomb test to date, Donald Trump was quick to react.

Trump on North Korea

During the 2016 presidential election, Donald Trump hit back against nearly all major world leaders, with the exception of Russian President Vladimir Putin. When it came to the North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, Trump's views have shifted over time. In the early part of his campaign, Trump actually gave praise to Kim, highlighting how he had so much control over his country.

Trump's remarks didn't play well in the media, as the former host of "The Apprentice" did his best to backtrack. Fast forward to present day and Trump is not a fan of the controversial dictator, especially following his decision to launch yet another nuclear test. As other global leaders give their statements, Trump took to social media to vent his frustrations, which included a lengthy multi-tweet rant on September 3.

WATCH: Reporter: Mr. President, will you attack North Korea?

President Trump: Well see.

https://t.co/wkUxeMt8Ex  NBC News (@NBCNews) September 3, 2017

Taking to his Twitter account on Sunday morning was Donald Trump as the president was not shy in holding back his thoughts about North Korea in the aftermath of their latest nuclear test.

"(NK) has conducted a major Nuclear Test. Their words and actions continue to be very hostile and dangerous to the U.S.," Trump tweeted out.

North Korea has conducted a major Nuclear Test. Their words and actions continue to be very hostile and dangerous to the United States.....  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) September 3, 2017

..North Korea is a rogue nation which has become a great threat and embarrassment to China, which is trying to help but with little success.  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) September 3, 2017

"North Korea is a rogue nation which has become a great threat and embarrassment to China, which is trying to help but with little success," Donald Trump added in a follow-up tweet.

"South Korea is finding, as I have told them, that their talk of appeasement with North Korea will not work, they only understand one thing!" he continued.

South Korea is finding, as I have told them, that their talk of appeasement with North Korea will not work, they only understand one thing!  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) September 3, 2017

Donald Trump then went on to note that he would be meeting with General Mattis to discuss further options on how to handle the situation.

In his final social media post as of press time, the billionaire real estate mogul continued to focus on the country in question. Not stopping there, Trump then sent out his final tweet on the matter and noted that the United States was considering putting an end to all trade with North Korea in response to the nuclear test.

I will be meeting General Kelly, General Mattis and other military leaders at the White House to discuss North Korea. Thank you.  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) September 3, 2017

The United States is considering, in addition to other options, stopping all trade with any country doing business with North Korea.  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) September 3, 2017

Moving forward

While Donald Trump takes a strong stance on the issue, he's also gone as far as warning against potential military actions as well.

On Sunday morning after a reporter asked whether or not he would attack North Korea, the president responded by saying "we'll see." While Trump continues to take a hard-line approach to the question at hand, only time will tell how it all plays out and how the American people feel about his decision. According to the most recent round of polling, Trump's approval rating has only continued to drop after just eight months in office, with only 35 percent favorability heading into September. As the tension between North Korea and the world continues,
When Donald Trump first kicked off his campaign for president, he quickly gained popularity in the conservative base due to his controversial style and rhetoric. While Trump was once a fan of the polls when the results were positive, the White House no longer wants the American people to pay any attention to them.

Sanders on Trump

As the 2016 presidential election moved forward, it became clear that Donald Trump was picking up steam. By the time the Republican primary came to a close, the former host of "The Apprentice" shocked the world by beating out his 16 other GOP opponents and became the party's nominee.

Just months later and the once impossible became reality when Trump defeated Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton on Election Day. With an approval rating in the low to mid 40s, Trump found a way to pick up the victory, though controversy continues to linger over his win in regards to the role Russia played in hacking the election. Despite Trump's upset over Clinton, the start of his presidency has been met with constant roadblocks and scandals, which have reflected negatively in the most recent round of polling. During the September 1 press briefing at the White House, Sarah Huckabee Sanders was quick to dismiss the president's current standing with the American people.

Sarah Huckabee Sanders: Were focused on issues that impact Americans and certainly not on silly polls https://t.co/Kno7RWD713  CNN Politics (@CNNPolitics) September 1, 2017

Heading into the weekend, White House Press Secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders spoke to the media and covered a variety of issues.

One question came from Alex Pfeiffer, a writer for the right-wing Daily Caller, who pressed Sanders on a poll from Fox News which showed that the majority of the American people think that Trump is tearing the country apart.

"The numbers that we're focused on have to do with actual problems that Americans are facing," Sarah Huckabee Sanders said in response.

"That's what we're focused on," she continued, before adding, "certainly not silly polls that frankly weren't much use to us in the election and certainly I dont think are now."

Twitter reacts

Not long after Sarah Huckabee Sanders gave her press conference, critics of the administration lashed out on social media. "(SHS) is not a pleasant person.

She's a snarky, sour person like her daddy!" one tweet read.

Sarah Huckabee Sanders at the press conferences gives half assed answers & a BAD attitude towards reporters  Tallthruitall (@jacquelinepend2) September 1, 2017

I don't care how many times Sarah Huckabee Sanders lies for her master, ending DACA isn't about policy, crime or economy, it's about racism.  Ricky Davila (@TheRickyDavila) September 1, 2017

"This president is a president who loves people." -- Sarah Huckabee Sanders



I literally laughed out loud at my television.  Charles Clymer (@cmclymer) September 1, 2017

Sarah Huckabee Sanders is infuriating!

If she does not have a quick lie to spout, she refuses to answer anything. #PressBriefing  Sara Resists (@sarajtravels) September 1, 2017

"Sarah Huckabee Sanders at the press conferences gives half assed answers & a BAD attitude towards reporters," another Twitter user wrote.

"I don't care how many times (she) lies for her master, ending DACA isn't about policy, crime or economy, it's about racism," an additional tweet added.

Sarah Huckabee Sanders is not a pleasant person. She's a snarky , sour person like her daddy!  Betty Tomek (@maggielib5) September 1, 2017

"Sarah Huckabee Sanders is infuriating! If she does not have a quick lie to spout, she refuses to answer anything," yet another post noted. As the backlash continued, it was made clear that the rift between Donald Trump's administration and their critics was not going to end anytime soon.
The media might love to present them as the best of friends, but Vladimir Putin had nothing positive to say about President Trump's handling of the North Korea situation. The current leader of the free world stated that "all options" were being considered after North Korea carried out a missile test over Hokkaido, a northern island of Japan. This was the first test the country has performed over the nation since 2009. It was so shocking that the government urged its citizens to evacuate to a sturdy building due to the risk of a collapse.

The United States provoked

Although the missile proved to be imperfect, it sent a clear message to the U.S. and South Korea. Both nations had troops stationed on the Korean Peninsula at the time, undergoing military exercises. This followed a declaration made earlier this month by Supreme Leader Kim Jong-un, in which he contemplated attacking the U.S.territory of Guam.

Like a moth to the flame, President Trump responded to the early provocation by declaring that if any such attack was to take place, the U.S. would retaliate in a way that the world has never seen.

At this point, North Korea seems to be trying desperately to provoke the loud-mouthed leader into an attack. They have launched 13 missile strikes since the beginning of the year, but none threatened the safety of American citizens.

Due to this indirect action, any move made by The United States could come across as over-reacting.

Pen is mightier than the sword

Vladimir Putin explained that he believes this attempt to put pressure on Pyongyang is not only misguided but doomed for failure. The Russian President wishes to take a different approach to the situation, suggesting that the only course of action which might lead to a resolution is by instigating a "direct dialogue" with all the parties involved.

He adds that insults, militarist actions, and provocation will only result in making the situation considerably worse. Although this might be the rational way to handle any disagreement, we are talking about two powerful countries which are currently run by two egomaniacs. It is hard to imagine a situation where Trump and Supreme Leader Kim Jong-un are in the same room and they somehow do not try to strangle each other to death. There is also the issue of China, which has opposed any increase in offensive or defensive measures taken by South Korea or Japan after the recent missile was detected.
Six years have passed since George RR Martin confirmed that The Winds Of Winter will be the A Song of Ice and Fire series sixth book but the much-awaited book is still not available. Recently, the New Mexican author revealed that he flew off to Big Apple to meet his publisher.

Is George Martin's writing really so slow?

Express reported on August 5 that George RR Martin might have hinted that he is at fault for The Winds of Winter books countless delays. According to the news outlet, the 68-year-old writer previously admitted that he is still working on the much-anticipated book.

Martin even revealed that he is still months away from totally finishing it. He, however, implied that the sixth A Song of Ice and Fire book might be released in 2018 along with the Fire and Blood.

On Friday, August 4, 2017, George RR Martin divulged to his Twitter followers that he is in the Big Apple to meet his publisher. In his tweet, the brain behind the Game of Thrones series shared how people in the office were not able to identify him anymore.

I am in New York City, and everywhere I go people know me, stop me on the street, ask for selfies, Martin wrote. The Winds of Winter author added that the security guards did not recognize him and they required him to present a valid identification card.

Fans were quick to respond to George RR Martins joke with fresh appeals for the novels immediate launch. One fan even said that probably his publisher failed to recall him considering the number of years since he last went there.

Is Martin done with the next A Song of Ice and Fire book?

Meanwhile, The Sun has previously claimed that George RR Martin could have finished The Winds of Winter novel already as he has been giving himself a lot of time to write this year.

However, the veteran author debunked the claims quickly.

Martin shared that he is going to focus more finishing the upcoming sixth next A Song of Ice and Fire book. He even stated that TWOW is going to match with the upcoming Game of Thrones episode.

George RR Martin, however, emphasized that some parts of The Winds of Winter will digress from the HBO series as a number of characters who are still alive in the books are already dead on the show.

As a matter of fact, there are also personalities that never existed in the TV series such as Arianne Martell, Penny, Victarion Greyjoy and Jon Connington. Stay tuned for more news and updates about the next A Song of Ice and Fire book.
The fans of "Alaskan Bush People" don't hold back and they watch the Browns every single move. Right now, Ami Brown is in the hospital and dealing with lung cancer. The reality star isn't doing well and now Heavy is sharing that some people are giving her daughter Rain Brown a hard time about the fact that she is posting selfies while her mom is battling cancer. They are all living in the lower 48 states right now while Ami goes through her treatment. She is very lucky to have her family by her side

What did Rain do that upset people?

Rain Brown has been going to her social networks and isn't afraid to just share selfies of herself.

It looks like she is having a good time, but some people aren't happy about that at all. Right now, Rain's mom Ami is battling lung cancer. This all started on Friday when Rain posted a picture of herself on Instagram. Some people feel like she should not be doing this at all while her mom is sick, but others are defending Rain saying she isn't expected to sit around and cry nonstop.

Reports are that Ami Brown isn't doing well and that she is allegedly in stage four of her lung cancer battle. So far, the family hasn't confirmed this news yet, but Ami has been pictured and she isn't looking good. She did an interview recently and made it obvious that she doesn't know how much longer she has or if she will survive.

Rain speaks out to the haters

Rain Brown is speaking out to the haters, though. She has noticed the comments on her posts about how people don't think she should be doing selfies like this all the time. When Rain posted her latest selfie, she posted a comment toward the haters along with it. She started out teasing that yes she did post another selfie.

Next, she said, "You gotta love yourself kids no matter who trys to push you down, you wouldnt believe the people I have had trying to make me mad and a bad person but I just throw love theyre way along with a witty remark." After that, Rain went on to explain that she feels like love is never wrong.

Are you shocked to hear that everyone is giving Rain Brown a hard time about posting selfies?

Do you feel like everyone should leave her alone? Sound off in the comments section below, and hopefully "Alaskan Bush People" will return to Discovery in the future. They said that this last season would be the final one, but the rumors are flying that it could come back again. The fans would be thrilled if the Brown family returned to television.
Opinion / Interviews

THIS week we round-up our interview with former Zipra adjutant-general and later on chief of technical engineering Jeffery Ndlovu pseudonym Kenny Murwiri. In the past three weeks Ndlovu has spoken about his training, deployment, operations and the re-organisation of Zipra which saw him being promoted from adjutant-general to lead the engineers squadron. Today he talks to our Assistant Editor Mkhululi Sibanda about his injuries which resulted in him losing his sight. Below are excerpts of the interview:MS: Last week you were still talking about events leading to your injury.Ndlovu: As I said last time I was coming from infiltrating a unit of 15 specialist engineers when I passed through the position of the First Battalion that was under the command of Madliwa, now Retired Major-General Stanford Khumalo. I then went to Lusaka and when I came back I found that the battalion had been attacked for three days and the situation was not good as they had run out of food. The Rhodesians had bombed the unit's kitchen and there was a critical shortage of supplies. To its credit the battalion had defended its position very well. The enemy, despite its incessant attack with the support of its aircrafts for some days had still not breached the battalion's position.MS: So at that point what did you do?Ndlovu: It was at that point that Madliwa and I made a decision to get food and other supplies for the troops. At night we moved out of the camp with Madliwa and his senior commanders such as Maphahla who headed the reconnaissance unit and the commander of the artillery, Mahewu.Our intention was also to assess the situation and arrange the pull-out of the battalion from its position. However, later on an unfortunate incident happened when our vehicle was hit in an ambush where the Rhodesians blew up a bridge. It was in that incident where Mahewu who had done so well in defending the battalion with his artillery unit against the Rhodesian air force was killed. The Rhodesians had started attacking the Zambian infrastructure such as bridges in frustration and also as a counter measure to slow down the movement of our troops to forward positions as battalions were being deployed close to the Zambezi. After the attack on our vehicle Madliwa and I then went to the Lusaka highway where we flagged down cars to take us to Lusaka. We managed to get a lift and we were on our way to Lusaka.MS: Don't you think you were lucky that you survived that ambush?Ndlovu: I think when we crossed that bridge the Rhodesians might have been deployed there already but they had not received the order to attack. However, what might have happened is that when Mahewu came back with my allocated Land Rover then the order to attack was given and they were indeed attacked at the bridge resulting in his death. Many people thought I had died in that ambush.MS: Then coming to the incident where you were injured?Ndlovu: It happened on my return from Lusaka with the supplies for the battalion. I met Quick who was the son to Matshaka, a prominent educationist in the Zapu ranks and he told me that they had identified a spot where the Rhodesian forces had planted a mine. Quick was embedded to the battalion as an intelligence officer seconded by the NSO. I then told other comrades to leave the truck before that spot and that we should look for personnel to carry the food. I also warned them against tampering with the mine. I then moved to another area and when I came back to the spot where the landmine had been spotted I found Mayor Luphahla who was the regional commissar lying down, he was trying to disarm that mine which was an anti-tank mine. I then warned him against doing that and then moved back. I think I only made just four steps before it exploded and tore Mayor and he died on the spot. As for me I was hit on the eyes and that is the last time I ever saw anything. I lost my eyesight on that day, never to see again. If I had not moved back a bit I could have died on the spot. Other comrades who were nearby dived for cover when I was warning Mayor against disarming that mine.MS: That is touching, so what happened to you after sustaining that life changing injury?Ndlovu: I was taken to Lusaka to the United Teaching Hospital (UTH) and after being there for some time I was moved to the Soviet Union for further treatment but I had already lost my eyes. I arrived in Moscow in November 1979 and I was there up to February 1980. I came back here in March 1980 which was already after the ceasefire.MS: I believe you quickly accepted your situation but how have you been surviving?Ndlovu: To be honest with you it has not been easy but a number of comrades have not forgotten me. They have been of much help during the most critical times as I have a family to look after. I'm married and have three children with my wife, Anna Ngwenya who has looked after me very well.MS: Maybe you can mention the people who have helped you in your life.Ndlovu: The people who have assisted me starting with my neighbours are the former general manager of the Zimbabwe International Trade Fair Company, Mr Daniel Chigaru and Siringwana. There was also former colleagues in the liberation struggle and former Cabinet Minister, the late Dr Sikhanyiso Duke Ndlovu, he was very helpful as he would on numerous occasions pay visits here and chip in with my needs. As for former comrades, the Minister of War Veterans, Retired Colonel Tshinga Dube always lends a hand to assist me in many ways, so have been other comrades. There is Dumiso Dabengwa, he has not forgotten me, he has assisted me a lot. The other person has been Retired Brigadier-General Abel Mazinyane whom I trained with at Morogoro, he has come in with provisions when we have been in a desperate situation here as a family. Then there are comrades who are still serving in our defence forces who have provided for my welfare.MS: Who are those comrades and how?Ndlovu: There was a time when I approached Rtd Col Dube when I was in a difficult situation. Tshinga in turn spoke to the commander of the Zimbabwe Defence Forces, General Chiwenga about my situation. Gen Chiwenga took the issue seriously as when I was here at home I unexpectedly received Major-General Douglas Nyikayaramba. He was an emissary of Gen Chiwenga and he left me US$500 from the general. Then when I attended the funeral parade of Tshangane (Jevan Maseko) at Imbizo Barracks Gen Chiwenga announced to me that I would get assistance from Kumusha Mukadzi, which is a Zimbabwe Armed Forces Foundation. The chairperson of the foundation is General Chiwenga's wife Mrs Marry Chiwenga. Then soldiers from One Brigade came here and constructed a fowl run that can accommodate 1 000 chickens at a time and that was quickly followed by a visit by Mrs Chiwenga and her delegation who brought 500 broiler chicks and feed. During that visit Mrs Chiwenga also gave me US$3 000 to carry on with the project. Then the other comrades who are still serving and have kept close contact with me and sometimes pay visits are the army commander, Lt-Gen PV Sibanda and Abu-Basutu who is now the country's ambassador to Japan.MS: How has the project been going?Ndlovu: The project started very well but at the moment it has been hit by the shortage of the market. The customers including some well established enterprises were not paying well and also at times would delay in making payments. So at the moment I am planning to resume it but leave the broilers and focus on road runners (inkukhu makhaya). However, I appreciate all the efforts that have been made to assist considering that my monthly payments amount to only $272. I get about $73 under the war victims fund and $190 for the war veterans allowanceMS: It has been good having this interview with you Ndlovu, maybe you want to add something.Ndlovu: I think I should also add that I am living well with my all neighbours and they are very good people. Also one of the things that has kept me going is the song that we used to sing during the war. It goes like this: Sikhomande Nkomo mkhokheli wesizwe. Sikhokhele Nkomo indizamtshina zawa, amafutha atsha, amabhoroho adilika. That inspired us a lot. That slogan keeps me politically alive.MS: One last thing, you have been talking about your own success on the battle front, but you lost some battles as well. Who were the first casualties of the reconstituted Zipra after 1971.Ndlovu: The first comrades to die after Zapu's military wing adopted Zipra as its name leaving the Special Affairs Department aside were Themba Mbambo (Tichafa Ngirima), Alexander Mpofu (Shacky Luzombo) and Ezekiel Mpala. They were killed in an ambush immediately after crossing the Zambezi River in 1972. They were heading towards the Jambezi area in Hwange District. There are many others who died and were outstanding soldiers especially Assaf Ndida, what an excellent guerilla he was. The documentation of our causalities needs a separate interview of its own though.
The situation on the Korean Peninsula has deteriorated after the Democratic People's Republic of Korea proclaimed on Sunday that it had successfully tested a hydrogen bomb.

US President Donald Trump, known for using his Twitter weapon of 37 million followers, responded on Sunday morning with several tweets.

" North Korea is a rogue nation which has become a great threat and embarrassment to China, which is trying to help but with little success," said one tweet.

"South Korea is finding, as I have told them, that their talk of appeasement with North Korea will not work, they only understand one thing!" said another.

"The United States is considering, in addition to other options, stopping trade with any country doing business with North Korea," a third tweet said.

There is no doubt that DPRK's action, its sixth nuclear test so far, is a gross violation of relevant UN Security Council resolutions and has raised serious concerns in the region and worldwide.

But Trump is not helping the situation with tweets blasting DPRK and criticizing South Korea and China.

Trump said last Tuesday that "all options are on the table" after DPRK fired a missile over Japan and into the Pacific Ocean. He tweeted on Aug 30, saying, "The US has been talking to North Korea, and paying them extortion money, for 25 years. Talking is not the answer."

Trump has put the DPRK issue on his priority list in the last seven months, but people following Trump's conflicting and confusing messages may not be surprised why the situation keeps getting worse.

When Trump said "options are on the table", it is a euphemism for threatening military action. But that is a sheer bluff, even according to his former chief strategist Steve Bannon.

Bannon told The American Prospect in August that "there's no military solution, forget it. Until somebody solves the part of the equation that shows me that 10 million people in Seoul don't die in the first 30 minutes from conventional weapons, I don't know what you're talking about, there's no military solution here, they got us."

Bannon is not alone on this. Many US officials and scholars, including Secretary of Defense James Mattis and Secretary of State Rex Tillerson, both talked about the likely catastrophic outcome of military action.

South Korea President Moon Jae-in issued a warning last Tuesday after Trump's threat to DPRK. "No one should be allowed to decide on a military action on the Korean Peninsula without South Korea's agreement," Moon said in a nationally televised speech.

Shortly after Trump's tweets on "talking is not the answer", Mattis told reporters that the US is "never out of diplomatic solutions", words that have been viewed as contradicting Trump's. Mattis later said his comments were "widely misinterpreted".

While it was not the first time that Trump's words were challenged by his top aides, the fundamental failure of Trump's strategy is that it pins too much hope on tightening sanctions, a strategy that has proved a failure for decades.

While the DPRK's latest test has posed a serious challenge to President Moon's strategy for inter-Korea dialogue, reconciliation and cooperation, it's wrong for Trump to criticize Moon for his "appeasement", because sanctions have a worse record of failure than talks.

Robert Gallucci, the chief US negotiator with the DPRK during the Clinton administration, mocked the sanctions.

"I have learned over the decades, Americans love sanctions, gives you the feeling we're doing something, even if all the evidence is to the contrary. It still gives us that good feeling," Gallucci said sarcastically in a seminar at George Washington University on Aug 28.

He believes that the US and DPRK were both responsible for the failure of the 1994 framework agreement signed between them.

If Trump is right in saying China "is trying to help but with little success", it is because the US has not heeded China's advice, such as resuming the Six-Party Talks and direct contacts between the US and DPRK and accepting "dual suspension", in which the US and South Korea halt their military drills and DPRK suspends its nuclear tests.

Trump's unilateral threat to cut trade with any country doing business with DPRK is absurd, considering its impact on the global economy.

During his contacts with DPRK officials, Gallucci realized that Pyongyang is fully aware of the cases of Iraq and Libya, where the US pursued regime change after those countries abandoned attempts to acquire nuclear weapons.

That is something the US could focus on to ease the tension on the Korean Peninsula, especially between the US and DPRK.
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- T. S. Eliot

Thoughts After Lambeth

"The World is trying the experiment of attempting to form a civilized but non-Christian mentality. The experiment will fail; but we must be very patient in awaiting its collapse; meanwhile redeeming the time: so that the Faith may be preserved alive through the dark ages before us; to renew and rebuild civilization, and save the World from suicide."
Hanoi, September 2 (VNS/VNA) - World renowned traditional musician and composer Vo Van Anh is returning to Vietnam, her homeland, to continue implementing her Master-Apprentice programme.



The programme involves having famous musicians teach Vietnamese folk music to students from the country and abroad.



This year, it aims to help young music learners who love Vietnamese traditional music and instruments like the dan tranh (16-chord zither), dan bau (monochord) and several others to connect with eminent people like artists Xuan Hoach and Trong Thuy.



After one year, participants will perform before community as part of efforts to preserve and develop the arts, Anh said.



One of the ideas she is pursuing is to have the students play once a week at Qua An Ngon chain of restaurants, a culinary and tourism hub in Hanoi or at the ancient Van Mieu (Temple of Literature).



Many of my students from the US and other countries such as Spain and Portugal who are accompanying me on this trip will join the programme, Anh said.



She set up a fund called Music Bridge in 2013 to encourage young musicians to compose, perform and teach traditional music and instruments. Their works would be an outlet for them to express their sentiments.



By doing so, we can develop and preserve our culture. Two workshops have been held in Ho Chi Minh City since the fund was set up, Anh told Viet Nam News.



Anh said movie producers (in the US and other countries) who wanted to use her music for their films have donated to the fund. For example, a producer will not have to pay royalties for her music but donate money to the Music Bridge fund.



Anh said she was particularly grateful to Pham Thi Bich Hanh, the owner and founder of Quan An Ngon restaurant chain in Hanoi for her tireless contributions to the fund, organising concerts for her and artists and auctioning many items including her dan tranh.



Hanh said her aim in setting up the Quan An Ngon restaurants was not only to introduce and develop traditional Vietnamese cuisine but also to preserve it for future generations. Anh has a similar purpose, so our thoughts meet, and I try to help".



She not only has a great passion for traditional music but also knows how to inspire young people to get involved and love the art, Hanh said.



Hanhs daughters Do Minh Phuong, 15, and Do Ha Phuong Anh, 11, have been learning to play the piano, but they are also keen on the dan tranh.



We like the way teacher Anh performs the dan tranh and the way she teaches us, said Phuong.



For example, when playing the folk song Keo Luoi (Drawing Fishing Net), Anh performs with the action of a real fisherman casting and drawing the net.



I understand the hard work a fisherman has to do to earn a living. Thanks to her, my performance improves every day, said Phuong. She said she loved the dan tranh because it helps her understand her countrys cultural past.



She teaches us how to express our feeling and sentiments through breathing and moving while performing, said Phuong, who played the zither with a group of foreign students at the Kennedy Center in June 2015.



Anh tries to compose music that the youth can play on traditional instruments so that the music can give voice to the new generation and express their feeling.



She recalled: Once I had to make up a special version to teach my Japanese student. One day, I told her to play a Vietnamese folk song in which she had to mimic the sound of rain in Vietnam. She played again and again but I couldnt hear the sound I expected. I told her that the raining sound in the country is often heavy, causing leaves to fall and tree branches to break.



The Japanese student understood. She said the sound of rain in her country is not as heavy as ours. So after hearing my explanation and watching my performance, she can play the Vietnamese folk song well, said Anh.



Anh recalled the oldest student shed ever had, an American woman named Laura Lopez, 84, who teaches piano to her two daughters at her home. Once, Laura had a chance to enjoy Anhs dan tranh performance.



Laura said Anh played the instrument and her Vietnamese folk songs beautifully that it inspired her to learn it. Laura was very happy when Anh agreed to teach her.



Laura added through it she had come to know Vietnamese culture and could understand the origin of the songs she played. She even joined others to perform the Vietnamese instrument before US audiences.



International co-operation



Anhs collaboration with many world famous musicians has expanded her musical repertoire and helped her share Vietnamese music with international audiences.



When I first resettled in the US, it took a long time to be understood by others, because foreigners only knew Vietnam through the war, not its culture. So I have tried my utmost to bring our culture to the world through my music composing and teaching.



Anh was born in 1975 in Hanoi. She began learning traditional music at the Hanoi Conservatory of Music (now the Vietnam National Academy of Music) since she was six. She graduated from the school in 1992.



Bich Vuong, one of her teachers, said Anh was always a leading student in the school. She won the first prize at the National Zither Competition and a Best Performance Award in HCM City in 1995.



Since settling in the US in 2001, she has focused on collaborating with musicians across different music genres to create new works, bringing Vietnamese traditional music to a wider audience and preserving her cultural legacy through teaching.



In 2002, she released her first CD, Twelve Months, Four Seasons. Her third CD, Three Mountain Passes, released in 2013, featured her as the guest artist with the Kronos Quartet.



Anh has also collaborated with Yo-Yo Ma, the Southwest Chamber Music, Eastby Oakland Symphony and other World Music (WM) artists. She has been invited and participated as screening judge in the WM category for the 2015 and 2016 Grammy Awards. She recently became the first Vietnamese artist to perform at the White House.



Her Odyssey  from Vietnam to America premiered at the Kennedy Center in 2016. This work aimed to highlight the incredible power of the human spirit to survive as embodied by the so-called boat people. It also sought to deliver the message of forgiveness, peace and unity.



Her works have earned high praise from the BBC, the Los Angeles Times and other media outlets. It was chosen among the National Public Radios (NPR) 10 Favourite World Music Albums of 2013.



Mark Swed of the Times said: Vos Three Mountain Pass which includes her music and traditional Vietnamese pieces on a number of Vietnamese instruments interestingly begs the question of what is American music, especially since a knockout on the disc is her transcription of French composer Erike Saties Gnossienne No 3.



Molly Sheredan of the New Music Box said: Indeed, Vos energy and enthusiasm for musical creativity seems to transcend any particular instrument and instead feed of a fundamental sonic curiosity as well as a desire to reflect on her culture heritage and share those sounds with new ears.



Heather Morris of the Peninsula Review wrote: Her appearance was dramatic, in a stunning costume and headdress, her music was riveting, her stage presence theatrical and her contribution to Vietnamese music culture outstanding.



Despite winning a lot of successes and titles, Anh still has a wish to return to Vietnam and bring together traditional music lovers to popularize the art and preserve it.



She wants the State to pay more attention to traditional music artists because they are part of Vietnams giant library of culture.

VNA/VNP
GUIDING VIEWPOINTS

OBJECTIVES

MAJOR TASKS AND SOLUTIONS

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A state-owned enterprise (SOE) is a business in which the State holds 100 percent of charter capital, dominant shares or capital contributions; is organized and operates as a joint stock company or a limited liability company. SOEs act as an important material force of the state economy, contributing to driving the economic development and social advancement and equity. SOEs operate in key and essential sectors, important and national defense and security geographical areas, and in the fields which are not interested by enterprises from other economic sectors.SOEs operate under the market mechanism, taking economic efficiency as a major assessment criterion, enjoy autonomy, take self-responsibility and compete on an equal footing with enterprises from other economic sectors under law. Publicity, transparency and accountability of SOEs must be ensured. The SOEs tasks of production and trading of common goods and provision of common services must be separated from their tasks of production and trading of public-utility goods and provision of public services.The quality, efficiency and competitiveness of SOEs must be improved to properly perform the role of leading the development of enterprises from other economic sectors, ensuring that Vietnamese enterprises will truly become a key force for socio-economic development, industrialization and modernization, and building an independent and self-reliant economy in the context of globalization and international integration.Restructuring and renewing SOEs under the market mechanism is a constant and continuous process with rational methods and roadmap. SOE restructuring must be stepped up toward determinedly equitizing and selling capital in SOEs in which the State does not need to hold or maintain dominant shares or capital contributions, including those operating efficiently and at the same time with weak SOEs must be dealt with, even allowing them to go bankrupt.The efficiency and effectiveness of the management, supervision, examination and control of SOEs operations must be raised, avoiding loss and wasteful use of state capital and assets. The function of ownership of state capital and assets must be separated and clearly distinguished from the function of state management in all types of enterprises and the function of business governance of SOEs. Training and retraining to raise the governance level and capacity as well as moral qualities of SOEs leaders and managers must be intensified.Leading methods and leadership capacity of party organizations must be renewed and enhanced; to bring into full play the role of the people, the Vietnam Fatherland Front and socio-political organizations in supervising the restructuring, renewal and raising of the efficiency of SOEs; and the legitimate and lawful rights and interests of laborers must be ensured and socio-political stability must be firmly preserved.To restructure and renew SOEs and raise their efficiency on the basis of modern technologies and innovative and creative capacities and governance up to international standards in order to mobilize, allocate and use in an efficient manner social resources, and preserve and develop state capital in SOEs for them to firmly maintain the key position in and serve as an important material force of the state economy, contributing to boosting the economic development and realizing social advancement and equity.To restructure and renew SOEs during 2017-20 based on the criteria for classification of SOEs and state-invested enterprises in all fields and sectors. To complete the divestment of state capital from SOEs in which the State does not need to hold or contribute capital.To focus on completely dealing with chronically inefficient and loss-making state economic groups and corporations as well as investment projects and works of SOEs.To strive to meet international standards on business governance; to make an important stride in raising the efficiency of production and trading, product quality and competitiveness of SOEs.To improve the model of management and supervision of SOEs and their state capital and assets. By 2018, to establish a specialized body representing the owner of SOEs and the States shares and capital contributions at enterprises.Most of SOEs will have a mixed ownership structure and mainly operate as joint stock companies.Their technological level and modern production techniques will be equivalent to those of regional countries; international standards on business governance will be fully met; a pool of professional managers with high qualifications and good moral qualities will be formed.To strengthen and develop a number of large-sized and efficiently operating state economic groups in some key economic sectors and fields that will be able to compete in the region and world.Based on the Partys guidelines, the States policies and laws, and socio-economic development objectives and tasks in each period, to review and clearly determine the number and scope of fields and sectors which need SOEs and state-invested enterprises to draw up 5-year and annual plans on restructuring and equitization of SOEs and divestment of state capital in these enterprise on the following principles: Focusing on key and essential sectors, important and national defense and security geographical areas, and fields which are not interested in by enterprises from other economic sectors; reducing the state ownership rates to levels that are sufficient to substantially change business governance and attract truly capable investors; and maximizing the proceeds from the sale of state capital under the market mechanism.To comprehensively review and assess and categorize SOEs and their investment projects and state capital and assets in order to work out appropriate restructuring and handling solutions. To resolutely deal with loss-making and inefficient SOEs and investment projects. To equitize, sell, contract out, lease, dissolve or put up for bankruptcy SOEs in which the State does not need to hold dominant shares or capital contributions or any shares or capital contributions at all. To restructure those in which the State still needs to hold 100 percent capital or dominant shares or capital contributions with appropriate mechanisms and policies.To expand methods of selling shares and capital contributions, even selling entire SOEs; to apply the measure of bankruptcy under law to SOEs falling into a state of bankruptcy without feasible recovery plans. To restructure loss-making investment projects then transfer them to investors of other economic sectors. To clarify the responsibilities, and strictly handle under law violations of organizations and individuals leading to loss-making SOEs and investment projects.To comply with law, respect the market mechanism and implement the roadmap for equitization and state capital divestment already approved by competent state agencies. To ensure the publicity and transparency in restructuring of SOEs, especially in equitization and state capital divestment. To apply advanced property valuation methods suitable to the market mechanism, ensuring state capital and assets and enterprises be fully, rationally, publicly and transparently valuated. To improve the institution on valuation of land, tangible property and intangible property (intellectual property, brand names, etc.) in the process of equitization under the market mechanism. To clearly define responsibilities of independent valuation consultancy organizations in the valuation of SOEs assets and capital and values as well as of these enterprises themselves. To clearly define responsibilities of the State Audit Office in auditing the valuation of SOEs and state capital and assets.On the basis of the values of state capital and assets and SOEs which are fully, rationally and lawfully determined, to expeditiously sell shares and divest state capital in a public and transparent manner, mainly via competitive auctions. Equitization must be associated with listing stocks on the securities market. Equitized enterprises must be listed within one year after their initial public offerings. Those that fail to satisfy the stock listing conditions as prescribed by law must have plans on stock listing within a specified period under regulations.To prohibit and strictly handle cases of under-valuation of state capital and assets and enterprises in contravention of law for self-seeking purposes, causing loss of state capital and assets.When equitizing enterprises assigned to manage and operate state-invested infrastructure facilities and projects important to the economy, society, national defense or security, the State will exercise control on the following principles: The State uniformly owns important infrastructure facilities, while the equitized enterprises and investors that are transferred the operation right will only manage and operate such facilities; the selection of investors and enterprises must comply with the Law on Bidding and be carried out in a public and transparent manner; the national defense and security, national sovereignty and territorial integrity must be guaranteed.To complete legal dossiers of assets prior to the re-arrangement or equitization of SOEs or divestment of state capital from these enterprises. To strictly implement the land lease mechanism under law. To efficiently use tax and charge policies in connection with stably enhancing the effectiveness of land planning work. To increase the management and strict control to ensure that investors fully perform their financial obligations toward the State when changing land use purposes after equitization.To improve the effectiveness of existing institutions to support the restructuring and equitization of SOEs and divestment of state capital in these enterprises. To raise the capacity and operation efficiency of the State Capital Investment Corporation (SCIC), Vietnam Asset Management Company (VAMC), Debt and Asset Trading Corporation (DATC) and the Enterprise Arrangement and Development Support Fund under the market mechanism and law.To encourage and attract strategic investors to participate in purchasing shares of, and contributing capital to, enterprises equitized or having state capital divested. To complete criteria of major and strategic shareholders that have financial, technological and governance capacities to restructure and develop enterprises.To properly arrange, allocate and use employees; to train and deal with redundant laborers. To ensure the lawful rights of laborers, especially redundant laborers, stabilizing their livelihood and ensuring social security for them. To bring into full play the role and responsibilities of laborers as shareholders in participating in the management and supervision of SOEs, while adopting appropriate mechanisms to protect minority shareholders interests.To drastically and effectively arrange, renew and develop, as well as raise the operational efficiency of, agricultural and forestry companies in light of the Political Bureaus Resolution No. 30-NQ/TW of March 12, 2014. To properly organize the equitization and dissolution of agricultural and forestry companies, ensuring the rights of those who are contracted with land, water surface, perennial orchards and forests.To implement in a synchronous manner solutions and adopt appropriate mechanisms and policies to make the financial status of SOEs healthy, thoroughly overcome their financial problems, non-performing loans and unprofitable assets.To speed up the divestment of capital in non-core business lines, putting an end to thinned-out and scattered investment. To restructure SOEs based on their assigned tasks, core business lines, making the fullest use of their potentials and advantages; to thoroughly cut costs and improve the quality of their goods, services, reputation and brand names in the market.To increase investment in and raise the capacity of SOEs to innovate, research, apply and transfer modern, energy-efficient and environment-friendly production technologies and techniques, considering this a decisive factor for higher productivity, quality, efficiency and competitiveness of SOEs.To manage in a centralized manner proceeds from the equitization and state capital divestment and use them only for development investment, not for regular spending.SOEs will participate in the performance of socio-political tasks assigned by the State under the mechanism in which the State places orders, selects SOEs in a competitive and public manner and clearly determines costs and funds for the performance, and responsibilities and benefits of the State and SOEs without affecting the business efficiency of SOEs.The economic and financial relations between the State and SOEs, especially their rights and obligations, must be fully and transparently realized under law and the market mechanism.To abolish direct administrative intervention and subsidy mechanisms applicable to SOEs and do away with discrimination against enterprises from other economic groups, especially in accessing state resources, credit, land, natural resources, investment and trading opportunities, finance and taxation, etc.To bring into play the pioneering and leading role of SOEs in establishing and expanding production, supply and value chains in the country, region and world. To restrict closed, sectional and non-transparent production and trading activities of SOEs, especially state economic groups and corporations.To develop and apply a business governance framework up to international standards to SOEs, especially state groups and corporations; and concurrently organize training and re-training to increase the governance and management capacity and moral qualities of SOE managers, and create a healthy and effective business governance environment.To strengthen and develop a number of large-sized and efficiently operating multi-owner state economic groups, which are capable of competing in the region and world in some key sectors and fields of the economy on the basis of improving the state economic group model in line with international practices; to clearly identify their operation scale and scope in compatibility with their governance and management capacity; to restructure their organization and personnel apparatus to be neat, effective and efficient; to perform clear assignment and decentralization.To resolutely fight, and establish effective internal governance and control systems to prevent, detect, stop and handle illegal acts and conflicts of interests; and the connivance between SOE leaders and managers and state officials and private businesses to form interest groups and backyards and abuse their positions and powers to manipulate operations of SOEs for self-interests and corruption, causing losses to the State and enterprises.To clearly define the tasks, powers and responsibilities of managerial titles in the governance apparatus of SOEs; to ensure responsibility in tandem with power. To raise the criteria, conditions and responsibilities of independent members of boards of directors.Supervisory boards and individual supervisors must truly act as effective supervisory tools of owners, operate independently and not be led, directed or governed by the interests of members councils or boards of directors and executive boards of enterprises. General directors and members of executive boards of SOEs will be appointed or hired by their members councils or boards of directors, and perform their tasks and exercise their powers under law and their labor contracts.To complete the system of incentives and economic levers coupled with enhancing the responsibility, discipline and observance of law in SOEs. To implement wage, bonus and remuneration policies for SOE laborers and managers in conformity with the market mechanism, which are highly competitive based on production and business results. To study and apply the mechanism of payment of salaries and bonuses to general directors and other key managers of enterprises under agreements with the latter. To apply the performance-based assessment system to each working position.To exclude SOE managers from the system of civil servants and public employees. To extensively implement the recruitment and appointment mechanisms based on competitive, public and transparent examination for all managerial and executive titles and other working positions in enterprises.To re-arrange, streamline and raise the effectiveness of the apparatus and payroll of SOEs; to reasonably restructure and arrange SOE leaders and managers; to increase training to raise professional qualifications, leadership capacity, political ideology, ethics and lifestyle of SOE leaders and managers; to adopt mechanisms and policies to attract and effectively employ highly skilled workers. To formulate a strategy for development of SOE leaders. To review and raise the standards and conditions on moral quality, leadership and management capacity and professional qualifications of SOE managers.To ensure the transparency and publicity of SOEs and accountability of their managers, especially in the areas of finance, investment, procurement, use of state capital, business expenses and results, profit distribution, personnel, major transactions, transactions involving persons affiliated to managers, property and incomes of managers in conformity with international standards and domestic regulations. To improve accounting and auditing regulations and the financial reporting system up to international standards.To improve the function of state management of SOEs- To review and improve the system of laws, mechanisms and policies on SOEs, especially the mechanisms and policies on state economic groups, management of state capital and assets at enterprises, and the restructuring, renewal and increasing of the efficiency of SOEs in line with the Partys policies and guidelines, the practical situation as well as experiences learned over the past time.- To increase the capacity, effectiveness and efficiency of the inspection, examination, audit and supervision by state management agencies of SOEs; to prevent, detect and strictly handle law violations, negative practices, and acts of corruption and wastefulness in SOEs. To clearly define the responsibilities of inspection and audit agencies for results of inspection and audit of SOEs. To improve the supervision system and indicators for evaluation of the safety and efficiency and ranking of SOEs and representatives of the owner of the States shares and capital contributions. To strictly manage and supervise the raising and use of capital by SOEs, especially foreign loans, domestic and overseas investment projects, capital sources for acquisition and merger of enterprises; to restrict to the maximum the issuance of government guarantee for SOEs; to establish and develop a unified and complete national database on SOEs and state capital and assets at enterprises.- To enhance the direction, examination and supervision of the implementation of approved plans on equitization and state capital divestment. To enhance the responsibility of ministries, sectors and localities as well as organizations and individuals representing the state owner, especially leaders, in implementing the Partys guidelines, the States policies and laws, approved plans on the restructuring and renewal of SOEs, particularly on equitization and state capital divestment, ensuring publicity and transparency.To improve the organization to perform the function of the State as the owner of SOEs and the States shares and capital contributions at enterprises- The State will fully perform the responsibilities of the owner of SOEs and the States shares and capital contributions at enterprises; truly play the role of an investor and owner that has same rights, obligations and responsibilities like other investors at enterprises. To ensure the right to autonomy of SOEs under the market rules. To respect the independence of members councils, board of directors, chairpersons of members councils and board of directors, general directors and executive boards of SOEs in exercising their rights and discharging their responsibilities to ensure transparent, accountable, professional and highly effective operation and governance.- To expeditiously establish a specialized state body to represent the owner of SOEs in: (1) exercising the rights and discharging the responsibilities of the representative of the state owner of SOEs and the States shares and capital contributions at enterprises; (2) approving and supervising the SOEs implementation of business production and business strategies and plans in line with socio-economic development plans and sectozral development master plans; and (3) coordinating with related agencies in properly implementing the law on organization and personnel work in enterprises.-
By Minh Thu

Although Thai Kim Lan gave birth to her only daughter in Germany, she always connects it to the food, customs and smells of the motherland.

The daughter, Mai Lan, grew up in a bamboo cradle and fell asleep with village lullabies, like millions of Vietnamese children. She is not far away mentally from her distant home at any time of the day. Little Mai Lan doesnt speak Vietnamese frequently, but when she does speak, it is in the Hue dialect.

I preserve the dialect to remind me where I was born. I want my daughter to be proud of her origin.

Kim Lan earned a doctorate degree in philosophy at the Ludwig-Maximilian University in Munich in 1976. She taught there until 2007 as a private lecturer in comparative philosophy.

In 1994, she returned briefly to teach in HCM City and Hue. She has written publications on philosophy, cookery, essays and poems and translated texts by German authors and poets.

Her house in Germany is built in the Vietnamese style and decorated with Vietnamese furniture. She also has set up an altar with a wooden bell, Buddhist scriptures, incense and a statue of Bodhisattvas. Lan spends several hours every evening reciting holy books.

Kim Lan often wears ao dai (Vietnamese traditional long dress) with a golden necklace like a Hue woman of ancient times.

I want to preserve national art and culture and develop it in a way that will be everlasting, said Kim Lan.

I have lived in Germany for a long time and been imbrued with Western culture, but I decided to raise my daughter as a traditional Vietnamese woman.

Kim Lan began singing Vietnamese folk songs for her baby during pregnancy. When her daughter was born, she was breastfed, and learned Vietnamese. She also learned the soft manners and household arts of Hue people.

Kim Lan said teaching the mother-tongue to children abroad was the most important thing to link them with their roots.

Hoang Ngoc ong An, a mother of two girls living in Switzerland, agreed. If the children dont speak Vietnamese, they wont understand the culture and history of their molther country, she said.

An believes that language is like a wire connecting people. Love starts from understanding and sympathy. So, she wants the children to understand Vietnamese language then love the country and its culture.

Her daughter Camilla Thy Thy and Annalisa Ly Ly can speak English, Italian and Vietnamese. Teaching them three languages at the same time is not easy. They only have an opportunity to speak Vietnamese with their mother.

Im so serious in teaching them the mother-tongue, said An. I never mix other languages with Vietnamese while talking to them.

An told their daughters that they need to learn Vietnamese to talk to their grandparents in Viet Nam. And when she feels upset, she really wants to share everything in the mother-tongue.

Luckily, my daughters understand and they agreed to learn Vietnamese seriously, An said.

Beside language, An also tried to create a Vietnamese environment at her home, such as telling tales, singing folk songs, celebrating Vietnamese festive days, cooking traditional food and having meals in Vietnamese manner.

My husband and I bring the children back to Viet Nam at least once a year with the aim of them absorbing Vietnamese culture, An said.

No lesson is better than real life experience.

Vietnamese people have moved to many countries around the world. In the Ukraine, the Czech Republic and Laos, they organise many classes in Vietnamese language and celebrate traditional festivals such as Lunar New Year, Vu Lan (the annual Buddhist event that eulogises motherly love, held in the seventh month of the lunar calendar) and Mid-Autumn festival.

Vu Thi An Binh in Odessa, said mothers played an important role in preserving and promoting Vietnamese culture and identity abroad because they took the main responsibility in raising and teaching children.

My husband respects my origin and language, though hes not good at Vietnamese, he always tries to understand when my children and I talk in Vietnamese, said Binh.

Hes also interested in Vietnamese food and helps me practise Vietnamese traditional customs.  VNS
SEOUL  North Korea said Sunday that it has successfully conducted a test of a hydrogen bomb that can be loaded into its intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) in its most powerful nuclear detonation yet.

In an "important" announcement, North Korea said that it carried out the sixth nuclear test at 12:00pm (Pyongyang Time), calling it a "perfect" success.

The announcement came hours after an artificial earthquake with a 5.7 magnitude was detected near North Koreas nuclear site in the northeastern area.

"The H-bomb test was carried out to examine and confirm the accuracy and credibility of the power control technology, and internal structural design newly introduced into manufacturing the H-bomb to be placed as the payload of the ICBM," the Korean Central News Agency said.

It marks North Koreas sixth nuclear test since 2006 including two detonations last year.

Earlier in the day, North Korea claimed that it has developed a hydrogen bomb that can be mounted on an ICBM.

The provocation came amid heightened tensions after North Korea tested two ICBMs in July. Analysts said the ICBM tests could put much of the US mainland within range, including Los Angeles and Chicago.

In January 2016, North Korea conducted its fourth nuclear test, which Pyongyang claimed to be a test of a hydrogen bomb. Outside experts said that it appeared to be a test of a boosted fission weapon, rather than an H-bomb.

South Koreas weather agency said Sunday that the latest blast was five to six times more powerful that the Norths fifth test in September 2016. The explosion a year ago, presumably with a yield of 10 kilotons, triggered a 5.04 magnitude earthquake.

Sundays test was 11 times more destructive than its fourth test, it said.

"(The success) also marked a very significant occasion in attaining the final goal of completing the state nuclear force," the KCNA said.

The latest test seemed to bring North Korea a step closer to the goal of developing a nuclear-tipped ICBM capable of reaching the continental US.

Along with the miniaturisation of a nuke weapon, obtaining atmospheric re-entry technology is a key element in developing an ICBM, which analysts said the North may be a few years from achieving.

"The sixth nuke test indicates that North Korea is pushing for dealing with the US on equal footing after securing a nuclear status," said Yang Moo-jin, a professor at the University of North Korean Studies.

The provocation is expected to prompt the international community to seek tougher sanctions and pressure. Pyongyang is already under a set of UN sanctions for its nuke tests and missile launches.

South Korean President Moon Jae-in ordered the pursuit of the most powerful sanctions on North Korea with the international community.

Tensions flared up between the US and the North after the ICBM tests with US President Donald Trump earlier warning of "fire and fury" against the North.

Pyongyang threatened to fire a salvo of missiles into waters near the US territory of Guam though it held off on the plan later.

The US offered a conciliatory gesture toward the North, but Pyongyang responded with the firing of an intermediate-range ballistic missile over Japan last week. Trump said dialogue with the North was "not the answer."

Moon is expected to be dealt a heavy blow in his push for rapprochement with Pyongyang. He is seeking a dual-track approach of dialogue and sanctions in resolving North Koreas nuclear issue.

He earlier said that North Korea would be crossing a "red line" if it weaponises a nuclear-tipped ICBM.  YONHAP
United States Court of Appeals, Eleventh Circuit. G4S SECURE SOLUTIONS INC., Petitioner-Cross Respondent, v. NLRB, Respondent-Cross Petitioner. No. 16-16698 Decided: September 01, 2017

Before ED CARNES, Chief Judge, JULIE CARNES, and JILL PRYOR, Circuit Judges.

The National Labor Relations Board found that G4S Secure Solutions, Inc., committed several violations of the National Labor Relations Act, 29 U.S.C.  151169. G4S petitions for review, contending that one of the Board's determinations is erroneous and that the remedy the Board ordered is overbroad. The Board cross-petitions for enforcement of its order.

I.

G4S is a security contractor for clients across the country. Under one of its contracts, it provides security along a portion of Valley Metro Rail, a light rail system in the Phoenix, Arizona, metropolitan area. There, its security officers patrol the train platforms, verify that riders have paid their fare, and monitor the CCTV system, among other things.

G4S distributes a Security Officer Handbook to its officers nationwide. The Professional Image section of the handbook states, in relevant part:

You must be neat and clean while on duty. You must wear only the complete uniform as prescribed by your supervisor 

Due to the public nature of our business and the business necessity that uniformed personnel represent figures of authority, we have established the following rules for personal appearance.

No insignias, emblems, buttons, or items other than those issued by the company may be worn on the uniform without expressed permission.

We will call the rule contained in the third paragraph the no-insignia rule.

The International Union, Security, Police and Fire Professionals of America filed a charge against G4S alleging that it committed numerous unfair labor practices as part of its management of the Metro contract. The amended charge's allegations comprised two categories. First, it contained allegations connected to G4S' nationwide policies; for example, it alleged that G4S was maintaining overly-broad  work rules in its [nationwide] handbook. Second, it contained allegations connected to G4S' conduct in connection with the Metro contract; for example, it alleged that G4S had fired an employee at the Metro facility because he engaged in [u]nion and other protected concerted activities.

The Board concluded that several of G4S' policies and actions, including the no-insignia rule, violated the Act. It explained that the no-insignia rule was overbroad because it could be reasonably construed as prohibiting activity protected by  7 of the Act.

The Board ordered G4S to rescind its no-insignia rule. It also ordered that G4S give employees nationwide either (1) a handbook insert that advised that the no-insignia rule was rescinded or provided the language of a new, lawful version of the no-insignia rule, or (2) a revised handbook that did not include the no-insignia rule or provided the language of a new, lawful version of the no-insignia rule.

In addition, the Board ordered G4S to post two notices at its facilities. First, it ordered that the notice attached to its decision as Appendix A be posted at G4S facilities in the Phoenix area. Appendix A stated that the Board had found that G4S committed labor law violations and detailed all the rights G4S violated in connection with its Metro contract. Second, the Board ordered that the notice attached to the decision as Appendix B be posted at G4S facilities nationwide. Appendix B also stated that the Board had found labor law violations, but described only the rights violated in connection with G4S' handbook and other nationwide policies.

II.

On review, we uphold the Board's factual findings if they are supported by substantial evidence on the record considered as a whole. Evans Servs., Inc. v. NLRB, 810 F.2d 1089, 1092 (11th Cir. 1987) (quotation marks omitted). And we defer to the Board's conclusions of law if they are based on a reasonable construction of the Act. Id. We likewise defer to the Board's application of its rules [to the facts] if the application is reasonable. NLRB v. Dynatron/Bondo Corp., 176 F.3d 1310, 1313 (11th Cir. 1999).

A.

Section 8(a)(1) of the Act, 29 U.S.C.  158(a)(1), makes it an unfair labor practice for an employer to interfere with, restrain or coerce employees in the exercise of guaranteed rights. NLRB v. Malta Constr. Co., 806 F.2d 1009, 1011 (11th Cir. 1986). Based on this section, courts have repeatedly held that absent special circumstances to maintain production or discipline or insure safety, interfering with an employee's right to wear union insignia constitutes an unfair labor practice. Id. An ambiguous or overbroad rule that employees would reasonably understand to prohibit protected activity, such as wearing union insignia, is presumptively unlawful under the Act. See Mercedes-Benz U.S. Int'l, Inc. v. Int'l Union, UAW, 838 F.3d 1128, 1135 (11th Cir. 2016) (emphasis omitted).

G4S contends that the Board erred in concluding that its no insignia on uniforms rule was overbroad. One of the Board's bases for that conclusion was that a G4S employee could reasonably understand the rule as prohibiting a protected activity  the display of union insignia when off duty (if the employee is wearing his uniform while off duty). G4S argues that basis was unfounded because the handbook unambiguously limits the application of the no-insignia rule to the period of time when an employee is on duty. We disagree.

It is true that, two paragraphs before the no-insignia rule, the handbook states that employees must be neat and clean while on duty. (Emphasis added). That temporal limitation could be read to extend to the no-insignia rule two paragraphs below. But it would be just as reasonable to read the lack of a limitation in the no-insignia rule itself as showing that, unlike the neat and clean rule, the no-insignia rule applies on and off duty so long as the uniform is being worn.

G4S points out that another handbook provision states that an officer's uniform may not be worn while conducting outside business. Because the no-insignia rule applies only when an employee is wearing his uniform, G4S asserts that the limitation on wearing uniforms during outside business effectively limits the applicability of the no-insignia rule. But the term outside business is not defined, and it is not clear whether an employee could, for example, permissibly wear his uniform while attending a union rally during off-duty hours. As a result, the outside business provision does not resolve the temporal ambiguity in the no-insignia rule. The Board's conclusion that the rule was overbroad because it could be reasonably construed by employees as applying to off-duty protected activity, see id., was a reasonable application of the Board's rules to the facts of this case, and we must defer to it, see Dynatron/Bondo, 176 F.3d at 1313.

B.

G4S also contends that, even if the Board's decision was correct on the merits, the remedy it ordered was too broad. We must  give significant deference to the Board's chosen remedy. NLRB v. Goya Foods of Fla., 525 F.3d 1117, 1126 (11th Cir. 2008). In fashioning its remedies under the broad provisions of  10(c) of the Act (29 U.S.C.  160(c)), the Board draws on a fund of knowledge and expertise all its own, and its choice of remedy must therefore be given special respect by reviewing courts. Id. (quoting NLRB v. Gissel Packing Co., 395 U.S. 575, 613 n.32, 89 S. Ct. 1918, 1940 n.32 (1969)).

G4S argues that the Board exceeded the scope of the litigation and went beyond its own factual findings when it ordered nationwide modifications to G4S' handbook. But, as we have already discussed, an overbreadth allegation can be proved by showing that the rule as written could be reasonably construe[d] by an employee, wherever he works, as prohibiting  7 activity. See Martin Luther Mem'l Home, Inc. v. Foreman, 343 N.L.R.B. 646, 647 (2004). Because, in overbreadth cases, it is the company-wide policy itself that violates the Act, only a company-wide remedy extending as far as the company-wide violation can remedy the damage. Guardsmark, LLC v. NLRB, 475 F.3d 369, 38081 (D.C. Cir. 2007).

The amended charge in this case alleged that G4S maintained overly-broad  work rules in its employee handbook. From the early stages of this litigation, then, G4S' nationwide policies were at issue. In light of that, once the Board determined that the no-insignia rule was overbroad, a nationwide remedy was justified. See id. The Board's remedy as to the handbook violation was within its authority.

Finally, G4S argues that the Board exceeded its authority by ordering it to post Appendix A in Phoenix-area facilities and Appendix B in facilities nationwide. We have recognized that the Board may permissibly order a company to post violation notices at other facilities within the particular division of the [c]ompany located in the same geographical area as the unfair labor practices at issue. Tex. Gulf Sulphur Co. v. NLRB, 463 F.2d 778, 779 (5th Cir. 1972). Because Appendix A detailed the numerous unfair labor practices that occurred in connection with the Phoenix-area Metro contract, it was appropriate for the Board to order G4S to post that notice throughout the Phoenix area. See id.

Appendix B referred only to unfair labor practices related to the employee handbook and other nationwide policies. As we have already explained, violations related to nationwide policies are nationwide violations. See Guardsmark, 475 F.3d at 38081. As a result, the Board acted within its authority when it ordered Appendix B to be posted at facilities nationwide.

ENFORCED.

FOOTNOTES

. G4S has challenged the Board's order only with respect to its determination of the no-insignia rule issue and the scope of its remedy. It does not contest the Board's other findings of unfair labor practices. Consequently, those findings are entitled to summary enforcement. NLRB v. Escambia River Elec. Coop., Inc., 733 F.2d 830, 831 (11th Cir. 1984).

. The Board's decision was based on its reasonably construe test, as set out in MartinLuther Memorial Home, Inc. v. Foreman, 343 N.L.R.B. 646 (2004). G4S urges us overrule the Board and hold that the test is an unreasonable construction of the Act. But a prior panel of this Court has already approved the Martin Luther Memorial Home test. See Mercedes-Benz, 838 F.3d at 113839 (In the instant case, the ALJ correctly identified the Martin Luther Memorial Home framework ); see also id. at 1135 (setting out the synonymous rule that [a]n ambiguous or overbroad rule that employees would reasonably understand to prohibit protected activity  is presumptively unlawful) (emphasis omitted). [W]e are bound to follow [that approval] regardless of our view of [its] correctness. United States v. Doyle, 857 F.3d 1115, 1119 (11th Cir. 2017).

. Because we enforce the Board's decision on this basis, we need not reach the Board's other basis for concluding that the no-insignia rule was overbroad.

. In Bonner v. City of Prichard, 661 F.2d 1206, 1209 (11th Cir. 1981) (en banc), we adopted as binding precedent all decisions of the former Fifth Circuit handed down before October 1, 1981.

PER CURIAM:
Country music jam scheduled

CEDAR FALLS  The Country Good Timers will host a country music jam session from 1 to 4:30 p.m. Sept. 10.

This month will feature a special memorial tribute to Marion Ozzie Osborn.

The group meets the second Sunday of each month at the Cedar Falls Community Center, in the 500 block of Main Street. Everyone is welcome.

Greene church festival slated

GREENE  St. Marys Catholic Church in Greene will host its Fall Festival from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Sept. 10 at the church.

There will be a family-style turkey dinner, with carry-out available. The event is handicap accessible.

Troop will hold can drive Sept. 9

CEDAR FALLS  Boy Scout Troop 500 will have a can drive Sept. 9 in the First Christian Church parking lot at 1302 W. 11th St., next to the high school.

Hours will be 9 to 11 a.m.

Alumni exhibit set at Luther

DECORAH  An art exhibit featuring works made by 15 Luther College art alumni will be on display Wednesday through Oct. 13 in the Preus Library on the Luther campus.

The exhibit is open to the public with no charge for admission.

This years alumni exhibition features works created by artists who have pieces currently in the Luther College Fine Arts Collection and also are celebrating reunions at this years Homecoming.

Blood drive set in Sumner

SUMNER  There will be a Sumner community blood drive from 12:30 to 5:30 p.m. Sept. 11 at the Sumner American Legion Hall, 113 E. First St.

Make an appointment at lifeservebloodcenter.org or by calling (800) 287-4903.
Western Illinois University (WIU) named Liz Nolte as its new director of development. She will be based at the WIU-Quad Cities campus, but will serve the entire university and report to the vice president of advancement and alumni relations. Nolte earned her bachelor's degree and was a member of the track and field at WIU, and previously served as the operations and communications director for Renew Moline in Moline, Ill. and the director of alumni engagement and annual giving at Palmer College of Chiropractic in Davenport, Iowa.
The calendar may show Labor Day, but with another enormous American harvest and its resulting low prices just around the corner it feels more like Groundhog Day.

The movie, I mean, not the shadowy holiday.

The reason, as Bill Murrays boorish character learns, is because weve been here before. And before and before and before. In agriculture, old-timers see these repetitive, big harvest-low price loops as the proverbial farm problem.

After decades of these endless loops, however, maybe the real problem isnt on the farm. Maybe the real problem is our loopy farm policy that all but guarantees long stretches of little-to-no profit interrupted by short bursts of (usually) disaster-inspired, low yields and high profits.

Thats our past, and it will likely remain our future because farmers, ranchers and taxpayers are about to go for another lap in the farm policy hyperloop machine. Congress is back in Washington, and its ag leaders hope to finish the 2018 farm bill before the snow flies.

By all accounts, however, the new law will mirror the old law because old is what our mostly old representatives and senators deliver when we mostly oldsters out in the country are asked what we want. New ideas, it seems, are as rare in rural America as they are in Washington.

That means the well-worn, low-and-going-lower price centerpiece of recent farm bills, crop insurance, will again be the centerpiece of the new  and in all likelihood, really low price  farm bill of the future.

Like crop insurance, other tired policy elements wont even bother to shower and shave before going back into the new law: there will be no meaningful conservation cross compliance, no program payment caps, no increases in Land Grant research funds, no needed increase in rural infrastructure spending and no new money for beginning farmer programs.

All, either individually or collectively, could be a starting point to meaningful farm policy reform. But, no, no, no, no and no.

We know this because, as Bill Murray finds out over and over in the 1993 movie, no is easy; it carries its own strident righteousness.

Heres how Senate Ag Committee Chairman Pat Roberts, R-Kan., recently explained why the status quo no of today will become the status quo no of tomorrow: This is no time to be proposing revolutionary ideas with the farm bill.  Crop insurance is, for many, the most valuable tool in the risk management toolbox.

Besides, he added, he doesnt want to make cuts in crop insurance, but rather reduce regulations that impact farmers and ranchers.

While Roberts didnt point to any specific regulation whose elimination would deliver more profit to farmers and ranchers, his committee colleague, Nebraska Republican Sen. Deb Fischer, did recommend the elimination of one that not only isnt a regulation now, it wont be in your lifetime or mine.

Fischer said there is a movement by some activists, reported the Columbus (Neb.) Telegram, to tie more conservation programs into any kind of farm payments. These programs can, in turn, be tied into crop insurance.

That would be very bad, she said, because putting an extra burden on our farmers isnt the way to go.

Extra burden is an interesting and revealing phrase for what should be at the very center of all farm bills: a clear public benefit  cleaner water, less soil erosion, more vibrant rural communities and a safe, abundant food supply to name but a few  in return for the subsidies received by farmers.

Accountability, after all, is how well-deserving farmers and ranchers build trust with hungry, helpful taxpayers.

But today our farm and political leaders often are so scared of their own shadow  a primary challenger, a knee-buckling White House tweet, some awful activist with an idea that challenges convention  few pause to consider what change could mean for rural Americas economic and cultural future.

And yet change is what is needed to make tomorrow a new day, not another Groundhog Day again and again and again.
The country is politically polarized, but one issue Democrats, Republicans and independents can unite behind is term limits for members of the U.S. Congress.

There are three common arguments against term limits, but theyre weak.

Some say we already have term limits  voting. But we dont really have primaries or elections anymore. We have incumbency retention days. Its the day citizens go to the voting booth and pull the lever for the name most recognized, thanks to media and money advantages incumbents possess.

The Center for Responsive Politics reports during the 2016 election, the average Senate incumbent raised nearly $13 million while the challenger raised about $1.6 million. The average House incumbent raised $1.6 million compared to $200,000 for the opponent. With the help of all that money, about 87 percent of U.S. senators and 97 percent of U.S. representatives were re-elected.

Money helps send the same people back to Washington D.C. over and over again, and it wouldnt be the worst thing if citizens actually had confidence in these elected officials. But high re-election rates dont equal high enthusiasm for the work of the incumbents. A recent Rasmussen survey found only 15 percent of voters felt members of Congress did a good or excellent job.

The vote is no longer efficacious.

A second reason given to oppose term limits is while it would purge the corrupt and power-driven, it would also kick out the good ones. For example, it could be argued decades-serving U.S. Sen. Chalres Grassley has represented Iowa well and done a lot of good for our nation.

But its not that Grassley has done something wrong. Its that there are lots of other people who are fully capable of doing something right. If we vote with the fearful belief theres a scarcity of intelligence and wisdom in our country, weve already become a nation at risk. There are more than 535 individuals, out of 200 million adults, who love this country and can do what is necessary to keep her safe and prosperous.

Lastly, its said its just too difficult to pass term limits because it requires a constitutional amendment.

The last amendment was the 27th, and it stopped Congress from giving itself a pay raise that became effective immediately. Now, pay raises dont become effective until after the next election. But without term limits, all it means is instead of 100 percent of the current session of Congress enjoying the pay raise, just incumbents  or 87 percent to 97 percent  get it.

The amendment was needed, but the lack of term limits is the loophole that keeps members of Congress voting for their pay raises without consequence. We passed an amendment that has done little to rein in the power of lifer legislators. Its worth the effort to pass an amendment that could dramatically reshape Congress back into a staff of citizen legislators, as was originally intended by the founding fathers.

In 1776, the colonists had the crazy notion people didnt need a king and could self-govern. It was a radical idea at the time, but now we take for granted it will always last.

There will be, though, opposing forces driven by the lure of power that continuously challenge this great republic and our ability to effectively govern ourselves.

In President Abraham Lincolns time, proponents of slavery  thinly disguised as a states rights issue  were the opposing force. But in the Gettysburg Address, we hear his concern not just for a nation in a civil war, but also for the fragile future of such a country when he laments, whether that nation, or any nation so conceived and dedicated, can long endure.

Our great task is to ensure it will endure.

For many today, theres a sense our government is no longer of the people, by the people, for the people, and part of the problem is the feeling weve lost control of the political process.

Term limits could go a long way to bring power back to the people.
During my agencys monthly meeting in July, I was briefed about life skill services we provided for a mother of three through Head Start. This mother was tragically killed in her home in front of her three beloved children. Therefore, our conversation moved quickly to crisis management services for the children as well as our professional staff that was working with this family.

As I listened to my agencys protocol for this type of unthinkable violent act, there welled up in me a profound sadness for a young woman snatched from life and her children. Clearly, given her age was still in her formative early 20s, she had not yet begun to live what should have been, but shall never be, a long and fruitful life as a citizen of Waterloo. We must never forget her three children who only have pictures of their mother to comfort them now.

The African-American community, in which these tragic violent incidents happen all too often, and everyone would agree no matter who you are or where you live in the city, enough is enough.

While standing at the checkout counter at a Waterloo store, I befriended over time a young African-American male cashier, to keep moving forward with his God-given talent to work on his goal of running college track on a scholarship. I have on numerous occasions beseeched this young man to do well with the ultimate goal of becoming a productive citizen of the state of Iowa. However, this day in question, he had tears in his eyes. I wrongfully assumed it was the national election earlier that month. I started to inform the young man he had nothing to be concerned about for he must remain laser focused to his personal goals. He stared at me for minute and said, No, man, my former girlfriend was shot and killed last weekend at the age of 19.

He went on to inform me the last time he spoke with her she told him she was proud of his track achievements in high school and she wanted him to attend college and be a member of that institutions track team.

This young mans face spoke a thousand words regarding the Waterloo African-American communitys report card on senseless gun violence that destroys victims and devastates families. By the way, the election of President Trump had absolutely nothing to do with these two young peoples senseless gun violence deaths. We must admit this is a complex safety, well-being and public health issue ravaging our community.

As Ive written before, it will take effective leadership from all elements of the city of Waterloo. The tip of the spear without question must be the primary stakeholders, and that means the African-American community of Waterloo. The police department should not be on the front line of this issue. However, it does mean black families, churches and other organizations within the African-American community must be at the forefront to take action regarding this public safety issue head on.

It will take a concerted effort to address the devastation of these families. Nevertheless, we as African-Americans must stop looking for someone else to blame when this complex public safety issue is at our feet. This is a fundamental matter of young African-Americans within our community who stopped dreaming. Dr. King in his last earthly speech, referred to as The Mountaintop, stated if young people keep the faith in themselves they will reach the promise land.

It is so very sad many African-American youths hopes and aspirations of being productive citizens have dimmed. As their elders in the African-American community, we have an assignment to re-introduce hope and personal achievement.
One day during my student teacher experience, I had an unusually exasperating class period. I bombed into my critic teachers office in high dudgeon and proclaimed, I can handle ignorance, but I cant handle stupidity. He calmly looked up and deflated my anger with three little words: Its your job!

It was my job, and I knew I had to get more creative in a high-pressure field working with bright people, so stupidity didnt rear its head often. But if it did, I knew it was my job to overcome it.

Now I wonder how our democracy is to survive under an avalanche of stupidity. We cannot sit by and allow greedy people who value only short-term gain to continue to dominate our economy and the well-being of our descendants to come.

The May issue of Fortune magazine contains an article on Breaking the CEO Pay Cycle. Author Roger Lowenstein points out in 1978 CEOs earned 30 times the wages of the average employee, and today that figure is 276 times as much. Lowenstein has an appealing solution. CEOs would get a salary and restricted stock, nothing more. The stock couldnt be cashed in until retirement and it would be canceled if shareholders didnt receive above-average returns during the CEOs tenure. Personally, I would say, Why cant anything up to $10 million be enough? What can you do with all that money  wallow in it?

In 2006, Medicare was forbidden to negotiate prices of medicines and pharmaceuticals. The reason? The big pharmaceutical houses all screamed price fixing. Did you know big pharma pays $19 million to finance political campaigns? According to a study by AARP, negotiating medical prices could save $16 billion annually. Now get this. The Veterans Administration can negotiate prices, and no price fixing has occurred. The VA pays 80 percent less for medicine than does Medicare.

Nine out of 10 pharmaceutical companies spend more on marketing than on research. Wipe out all the drug advertising currently are littering our TV screens. Allow Medicare to negotiate prices. Eliminate a gross stupidity we have put up with since 2006.

An article by Massimo Calabresi in the May 29 Time Magazine revealed a fact that should chill you to your bones. Since the Supreme Courts stupid decision in Citizens United allows corporations to finance political campaigns, the Russians have been financing shell corporations to dominate and destroy our voting rights. Fortunately, Rhode Island Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse has written legislation that would curb massive, anonymous contributions known as dark money and the widespread use of shell corporations that make Russian cyber-propaganda harder to trace and expose. Ill bet youve never heard of the problem or of Whitehouses efforts to eliminate it. We must fight for a new amendment to our Constitution to eliminate corporations as people. Our job against this utterly stupid situation? Write Sen. Whitehouse and encourage him to persevere. Build roaring fires under our own legislators to get behind this effort.

I know conservatives consider me a flaming radical left winger, but the Republican Party never has turned down any of my donations. Isnt it stupid to continue deficit financing of the federal government year after year? The Chinese own a big chunk of our country already, and they are buying up huge corporations that can contribute to political campaigns.

Ready for our schools to teach Chinese instead of English?
Fifteen years ago, The Courier won a unanimous Iowa Supreme Court decision against Hawkeye Community College trustees involving an open meetings lawsuit.

The Courier sued the trustees after they held two closed-door meetings in 1999 in violation of the state Opening Meetings Act to force President William Hiersteins resignation. The trustees then challenged The Courier to reveal its sources about the meetings, but the court ruled The Courier was protected by a reporters privilege. The case was later settled.

In an editorial, we contended a private entity  the media or individuals  shouldnt bear the expense  nearly $30,000 in that instance  to ensure a public body obeys sunshine laws.

Ten years later, the Legislature approved the Iowa Public Information Board to resolve issues regarding open meetings and public records  and avoid expensive lawsuits.

However, instead of shining a light on public records, the board recently voted against releasing information about an accidental fatal police shooting in Burlington, then held a secret meeting to take further action, which it wouldnt divulge.

Autumn Steele, 34, a dental technician, was killed after Burlington Police Officer Jesse Hill, 35, responded to a domestic disturbance between Steele and her husband at 10 a.m. Jan. 6, 2015, at their home.

Hill observed Steele striking her husband, who was carrying their child to his vehicle. Hill, the only officer there, attempted to intervene and the family dog, a German shepard/collie mix, attacked him. He tried to shoot the dog, but slipped on ice and snow and fell backward. He fired two shots, killing Steele.

Steele had been released 90 minutes earlier from the county jail after being held overnight on charges of domestic battery following an incident with her husband. She was told not to return home unless accompanied by a police officer.

Hill was put on paid administrative leave while the Iowa Department of Criminal Investigation investigated. The DCI submitted its findings to Des Moines County Attorney Amy Beavers, who determined criminal charges werent warranted.

But the circumstances remained mostly secret. Authorities would only release a 12-second body-camera video showing the gun was fired twice without warning while the unseen dog was growling.

Burlington and Iowa Department of Public Safety officials wouldnt divulge more information  911 call transcripts, more video or other records  claiming it is part of the investigative file.

The Burlington Hawk Eye and a Steele family attorney filed complaints with the Iowa Public Information Board seeking more information. The board voted 4-3 in December 2015 to hire Mark McCormick, a former state Supreme Court justice, to handle the case and spent $43,000 on it. (Of note, eight of the boards nine members since have seen been replaced.)

Administrative Law Judge Karen Doland ordered public safety officials to provide an inventory and general description of records. They appealed, maintaining even that was confidential.

The board also fined Beavers $200 as part of agreement in which she did not admit wrongdoing for failing to turn over records. The board found she violated the open records law by stating she didnt have the records, claiming to have returned them to the DCI.

The board reversed course Aug. 18, voting 7-1 to vacate Dolands decision on releasing the list of records stating, The respondents (BPD and DCI) have met their burden ... and that the records in dispute are confidential investigative reports under Iowa Code section 22.7(5), and thus not subject to disclosure. Nor are the records subject to being identified in a privilege log where such identification would essentially eliminate their statutory protection as confidential records.

The bizarre turn of events was heightened since the board was represented by a lawyer from the state Attorney Generals Office, which also provided the opposing lawyer, rationalizing a conflict didnt exist because of different supervisors.

On Aug. 25, the board voted, 7-0, to go into closed session to take further action but wouldnt reveal the outcome. The Des Moines Register filed a complaint with the board against the board, seeking an immediate recording of the meeting, a $1,000 fine for each member and a public apology.

Randy Evans, director of the Iowa Freedom of Information Council, said its secrecy undermines its own credibility, calling it a sadly laughable example of transparency.

As was witnessed in fatal police shootings of civilians in Chicago and Minneapolis, the public needs to know the complete circumstances, not just selectively released portions of video. That may require the Legislature to revisit Chapter 22 to provide more transparency in investigations  unlikely given the Legislatures recent penchant for added secrecy.

For its part, the Iowa Public Information Board took the cowardly way out by completely hiding its actions when it is supposed to make sure other government bodies dont do so. That calls into question its existence as presently composed.
Woman arrested after OWI crash

WATERLOO  A woman was arrested after police say she crashed her car on U.S. Highway 218 Thursday evening and refused to comply with officers commands.

Jillian Marie Priest, 35, of 5568 Summerland Drive, Waterloo, was arrested at UnityPoint-Allen Hospital and charged with first-offense operating while intoxicated and interference with official acts.

Witnesses told Waterloo Police that Priest was northbound on Highway 218 at 9:45 p.m. Thursday when she appeared to lose control of her vehicle and slide into the left lane from the center lane. She then over-corrected to move back to the center lane and collided with the right guardrail.

Witnesses told police after striking the right guardrail, Priests vehicle slid back across the three northbound lanes of traffic and struck the center cement guardrail at around mile marker 182.9, according to a police report.

When police arrived and attempted to make contact with Priest, police say Priest refused multiple commands to exit her vehicle. She eventually exited her vehicle and went to a waiting ambulance to be treated for minor injuries sustained in the crash, police said.

Priest was taken by ambulance to UnityPoint-Allen for minor injuries but refused toxicology tests requested by police and was arrested, according to the police report. She was released from the Black Hawk County Jail on Friday.

Childs shooting

results in plea

CEDAR RAPIDS  A man whose gun was used by a 4-year-old to accidentally shoot and kill himself pleaded guilty in federal court Friday.

Daniel Henriksen, 30, of Elgin, pleaded guilty to possessing a firearm while being an unlawful user of marijuana. In the plea, Henriksen admitted he possessed a Glock 36, .45-caliber handgun on June 17, 2016, and was using marijuana unlawfully at the time.

The accident happened around 2:45 p.m. June 17, 2016, at a mobile home on Main Street in Elgin that Henriksen owned.

Henriksen was gone at the time of the accident, but the childs mother and another adult were sitting on the deck while 4-year-old Jayden Jawan Choate of Fort Atkinson, his 3-year-old brother and 4-month-old sister were sleeping inside.

Jayden apparently awoke and found a loaded .45-caliber Glock 36 handgun near where he was napping. The weapon fired, and the child suffered a gunshot wound to the head. He was later pronounced dead at Palmer Lutheran Hospital in West Union.

Investigators determined Henriksen owned the pistol. They also found pipes and other paraphernalia in the mobile home, and the pipes tested positive for marijuana, court records state.

Sentencing will be at a later date. Henriksen faces up to 10 years in prison and a fine of up to $250,000. Henriksen remains free on bond pending sentencing.

Vandalism

hits mosque

WATERLOO  The head of a Waterloo mosque says hes worried four people tried setting a couple of devices on fire that could have exploded if not for members of his congregation stopping by to foil their plans.

Ibrahim Shehata, president of the Islamic Foundation of Iowa in Waterloo, told The Courier four people he described as two adults and two children were caught using an accelerant to light some cans on fire in the parking lot of the foundation, including near the entrance door and some vehicles, around 9:30 p.m. Wednesday night.

He said people coming to the foundation, located at 330 South St., spooked them and they ran off, leaving the cans behind.

No one was injured and no damage was reported, Shehata said.

I dont think this was a joke, Shehata said. Its beyond being a little threat.

Shehata said the foundation has surveillance footage of the incident and gave the footage and the cans used in the vandalism to Waterloo Police. Police confirmed they were investigating the incident.

Thats something that is unacceptable; its never happened before, Shehata said. This is beyond what our neighbors are really about.

Standoff brings 25-year term

AURORA  An Aurora man has been sentenced to prison for shooting at Buchanan County sheriffs deputies while holding his wife hostage in their mobile home in October.

Judge Joel Dalrymple sentenced Dennis Edgar Chamberlain, 55, to up to 25 years in prison for a charge of attempted murder during a hearing last week in Buchanan County District Court in Independence.

Chamberlain has to serve at least 70 percent  17 and a half years  before he can be considered for parole.

A change in law that went into effect on July 1 and prohibits parole, work release and early release for people convicted of attempted murder of a law officer doesnt apply to Chamberlains case because the incident happened before the change.

Prosecutors had argued for consecutive sentences for accompanying charges of second-degree kidnapping and two counts of intimidation with weapon, which could have pushed the sentence to 70 years. But the judge made the sentences concurrent, citing Chamberlains age and lack of significant criminal history.

Chamberlain was also ordered to pay restitution, which includes a bill for $3,800 to fix bullet holes in the mobile home.

Authorities said Chamberlain fired a handgun next to his then-wife following an argument Oct. 8 and then fired into a door when deputies and state troopers tried to contact him. An Iowa State Patrol negotiator eventually talked Chamberlain into releasing his wife and surrendering.

Trial was in July, and the defense argued Chamberlain was only trying to harm himself.
By West Kentucky Star Staff Sep. 02, 2017 | 09:19 AM | HAZEL, KY

Four men were arrested on marijuana and other charges late Thursday night in Calloway County.

According to the Calloway County Sheriff's Office, deputies received a call of shots fired at a home in the 600 block of Green Plains Road in Hazel. When police arrived, they could smell a strong odor of marijuana coming from inside the residence.

A search warrant was obtained, and during the search, deputies found approximately nine pounds of processed marijuana and packaging that indicated that there had been a larger amount of marijuana processed for sale and distribution that had already been moved from the home. Police also found drug paraphernalia and two guns. According to police, the serial numbers of one of the guns had been removed and is presumed to be stolen.

Police arrested 21-year-old Kendric M. Lee, of Murray, for trafficking marijuana over five pounds, possession of drug paraphernalia, and improper display of a registration plate. Also arrested was 23-year-old Jaleel D. Lee, of Murray, for trafficking marijuana over five pounds, possession of drug paraphernalia and possession of a defaced firearm.



Twenty-four-year-old Javonte T. Hagan and 26-year-old Antwon R. Douglas, both of Owensboro, were arrested for trafficking marijuana over five pounds and possession of drug paraphernalia. During the investigation two subjects hiding inside the residence fled out the back windows and a foot pursuit ensued. Charges are pending on those two individuals for fleeing and evading law enforcement on foot.
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United States Court of Appeals, Eleventh Circuit. MELISSA WYLIE, Plaintiff - Appellant, v. KERZNER INTERNATIONAL BAHAMAS LIMITED, a Bahamian company, et al., Defendants, ISLAND HOTEL COMPANY LIMITED, a Bahamian company, BREF BAHAMAS LTD., a Bahamian company, ATLANTIS HOLDINGS (BAHAMAS) LIMITED, Defendants - Appellees. No. 17-10581 Decided: September 01, 2017

Before HULL, WILSON, and JORDAN, Circuit Judges.

Melissa Wylie appeals the district court's order enforcing a forum-selection clause against her and dismissing her tort claims against Island Hotel Company Limited, Atlantis Holdings (Bahamas) Limited, and Bref Bahamas Ltd. under the doctrine of forum non conveniens. Following a review of the record and the parties' briefs, we reverse and remand this case to the district court for it to consider the issues explained below.

I

Because we write for the parties, we assume their familiarity with the record and only set forth what is necessary for our decision.

While in the Bahamas, Mrs. Wylie, her husband, and their minor daughter visited the Atlantis resort to participate in the Sea Squirts Experience. Sea Squirts allows participants to enter Atlantis' fish nursery to feed and play with marine life. In order to participate, Atlantis requires attendees to sign a release form that includes a forum-selection clause requiring all disputes to be litigated in the Bahamas. Mr. Wylie signed the release on behalf of his family, specifically listing his wife and daughter as the family members in his group.

While accompanying her daughter on Sea Squirts, Mrs. Wylie slipped and injured herself on a step leading into a feeding pool. Mrs. Wylie sued Island Hotel, Atlantis, and Bref in the United States District Court for the Southern District of Florida. The defendants moved to dismiss the amended complaint on the basis of forum non conveniens, asserting that the forum-selection clause in the release between Mr. Wylie and the defendants required that Mrs. Wylie's suit be litigated exclusively in the Bahamas. The district court granted the motion. Mrs. Wylie timely appealed.

II

We review a district court's decision to dismiss a suit on forum non conveniens for abuse of discretion. See Aldana v. Del Monte Fresh Produce N.A., 578 F.3d 1283, 1288 (11th Cir. 2009). We exercise plenary review over the enforceability of a forum-selection clause. See Krenkel v. Kerzner Int'l Hotels Ltd., 579 F.3d 1279, 1281 (11th Cir. 2009).

III

At the district court, Mrs. Wylie argued, among other things, that a valid forum-selection clause did not exist between her and the defendants because she never signed the release. See D.E. 34 at 3. The district court ruled that the forum-selection clause in this case was presumptively valid, and that Mrs. Wylie could only overcome that presumption by showing that the formation of the agreement containing the clause (the release) had been induced by fraud or overreaching. D.E. 37 at 3 (quoting Krenkel, 579 F.3d at 1281). It then found no foul play in part because the release prominently admonished the parties to read the forum-selection clause before signing, and because it was foreseeable that Mr. Wylie's signature would bind Mrs. Wylie. See id. (citing Lipcon v. Underwriters at Lloyd's, London, 148 F.3d 1285, 1299 (11th Cir. 1998)).

The district court relied on Krenkel and Lipcon, two of our prior cases dealing with forum-selection clauses, to reach its conclusion. In both cases, we analyzed the enforceability of a forum-selection clause, presumed such clauses were enforceable, and applied a four-prong test to determine whether enforcing the clause would be unfair or unreasonable under the circumstances. Krenkel, 579 F.3d at 1281. That test, first developed in admiralty by the Supreme Court in M/S Bremen v. Zapata Off-Shore Co., 407 U.S. 1 (1972), and refined in Carnival Cruise Lines, Inc. v. Shute, 499 U.S. 585, 59094 (1991), states as follows:

A forum-selection clause will be invalidated when: (1) its formation was induced by fraud or overreaching; (2) the plaintiff would be deprived of its day in court because of inconvenience or unfairness; (3) the chosen law would deprive the plaintiff of a remedy; or (4) enforcement of the clause would contravene public policy.

Krenkel, 579 F.3d at 1281. Since then, the Supreme Court has clarified that a forum-selection clause pointing to a state or foreign forum is [enforced] through the doctrine of forum non conveniens, and that forum-selection clauses control [the forum non conveniens inquiry] except in unusual cases. Atl. Marine Const. Co. v. U.S. Dist. Court for W. Dist. of Texas, 134 S. Ct. 568, 580, 582 (2013).

In relying exclusively on Krenkel and Lipcon, however, the district court overlooked the nuances in the argument raised by Mrs. Wylie. Mrs. Wylie attacks the premise that a valid forum-selection clause exists as to her. The crux of her argument is that she never entered into an agreement with the defendantsher husband didso a forum-selection clause within that agreement cannot bind her. This goes to the formation of a contract, and whether non-signatories can be bound by a related third-party's contract, not necessarily whether a forum-selection clause is enforceable.

And this potentially presents a problem because, in a diversity case such as this, see D.E. 25 1, state-law principles [generally] govern the formation of contracts. Bazemore v. Jefferson Capital Sys., LLC, 827 F.3d 1325, 1330 (11th Cir. 2016) (applying Georgia law to determine whether the plaintiff entered into an arbitration agreement). Yet, in deciding whether to enforce a forum-selection clause, federal law governs even in diversity suits. See Atl. Marine, 134 S. Ct. at 576 (noting diversity jurisdiction), 580.

It seems to us, then, that the analytical framework (and substantive law) governing the forum non conveniens inquiry in this diversity case depends on whether the validity of a forum-selection clause is distinct from, and antecedent to, its enforceability, or whether the validity of such a clause is just part of the federal law of enforceability, as developed in Bremen and expounded upon through Atlantic Marine. As the Fifth Circuit recently recognized in Barnett v. DynCorp Int'l, L.L.C., 831 F.3d 296, 30002 (5th Cir. 2016), the Supreme Court has not answered this question. And neither have we.

Atlantic Marine did not answer this question because it explicitly presupposed a valid forum-selection clause. See 134 S. Ct. at 581 n.5. Bremen and Carnival Cruise Lines were admiralty cases. See, e.g., Carnival Cruise Lines, 499 U.S. at 587. In Krenkel there was no dispute that both plaintiffs had executed a valid agreement containing a forum-selection clause. See 579 F.3d at 128081. And the district court in Lipcon had federal-question jurisdiction over the plaintiffs' claims under the Securities Act of 1933,  the Securities Exchange Act of 1934,  [and] the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act. 148 F.3d at 1289.

The Fifth Circuit, after concisely summarizing the [s]upport  for each choice-of-law position, Barnett, 831 F.3d at 302, was able to side-step the issue. We do not know if this can be done here, but we need not decide the matter in the first instance. The district court's order missed the potentially thorny issues at play in this case, affecting our ability to proper[ly] perform[ ]  [our] review function. Clay v. Equifax, Inc., 762 F.2d 952, 957 (11th Cir. 1985). Because the district court's reasoned input, with the aid of further briefing from the parties, most serves judicial economy, we reverse the order of dismissal and remand this case to the district court for it to consider these questions.

REVERSED AND REMANDED.

FOOTNOTES

. At the district court, the defendants argued that the release shielded all of them, even though they were not all signatories, because they were related corporate entities whom Mrs. Wylie alleged own the Atlantis resort. See D.E. 29 at 6. Without expressly passing on this issue, the district court granted the defendants' motion to dismiss pursuant to the release. See D.E. 37. Mrs. Wylie has not challenged this on appeal.

. Krenkel and Lipcon also mentioned that, in addition to being presumptively enforceable, forum-selection clauses are presumptively valid. D.E. 37 at 3. As we explain, however, neither of those cases answered the precise question of whether, in diversity cases, validity is a concept distinct from enforceability; and whether, if so, it is subject to a different source of substantive law.

PER CURIAM:
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What is Living History?

What is Living History?

Living history makes history come to life. To do this members emulate different sorts of people from history. These can include blacksmiths, seamstresses, housewives, farmers, woodsmen and woodswomen. We wear the clothes of the time and learn and use the life and trade skills of the period.

What period of history does the NECLHG re-enact ?

Approximately 1680-1760 on the New World Frontier.

Why this period of history and why a New World lifestyle and not Australian?

The New World was settled much earlier than Australia and enables us to choose from a larger variety of nationalities, occupations and skills. All of these options make the activities more fun.

Australian settlement was in a later period and founded on a penal colony. There are other re-enactment groups for people interested in the Australian colonial period.

Is joining NECLHG expensive?

No. There are no membership fees for the group. The activity is only as expensive as you want it to be! Many members make all their own period style clothing and equipment. This is an ideal activity for people who like to make things and be creative.

What if there are some items I can not make myself or I am too busy to make?

You always have the option of buying or trading for items. People who want to purchase their clothing and equipment can do so; there are many specialist suppliers. Also you can trade for items you can not make .

Can my family join this group?

Yes we are very family oriented.

What is experimental archaeology?

This is the term used when someone makes and uses a period tool or item. This can be anything from lighting a fire with a flint and steel to building and sailing a ship on an original route! It is the only way to really discover how things were done back then.

What is historical trekking?

This activity is trekking and camping in an historically accurate manner. People on a historical trek wear the clothing of the period and carry and use only the equipment used in that period. These treks are a great way to learn woods lore and survival skills.

What sort of period skills can we learn and practice?

You can learn and use any skill that was used in the period you reenact. For the mid-18th century these include spinning and weaving on a loom, finger weaving, tomahawk throwing, fire lighting, blade sharpening, leather making and leather working and much, much more.

Is the NECLHG a gun club?

No. Some on our members may carry a period gun on treks and camps as part of their persona. These guns are flintlock muzzle-loading antique guns or copies. The highest level of safely is maintained at all times. Guns are not carried loaded and all gun carrying members are licensed.

What about women members?

In the 18th century women performed many traditional and non traditional roles. There were women blacksmiths, naturalists, artists, and woods-women. Some accompanied militia on scouts . In the NECLHG a women can be what ever she wants to be!

What about children.?

Children are always welcome. Naturally children are the responsibility of their parents. Children really enjoy the living history activities and skills. It is a wonderful way to learn history and it makes their school based history a lot more meaningful. Also children can learn bush craft, survival skills and camping skills.